ã€ŠReborn: Femme Fatale First Daughterã€‹


 Chapter 1 Reborn Through Fire

    The ruckus outside was unusual. Everyone was smiling happily. There were a handsome groom and a slender bride who was wearing arge red veil. The festive colors blinded everyone.

    The sounds ofughter and firecrackers permeated the air with joy and happiness.

    Except for her. She walked alone in the unbridled atmosphere.

    Mo Xuetong stood at the corner of the room near the drapes. Her simple clothing could not hide the bloodthirsty hatred in her eyes. She looked at Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun. One was smiling coyly while the other smiled gently and warmly. They held hands as they walked toward her. She held a flint tightly in her hand and could not help but shake lightly.

    The rtionship the three of them shared was ridiculous!

    Who could have thought that while one of them was her elder sister and the other her husband, but that she was the wife they wanted to kill with a bowl of poisoned wine!

    They killed Mo Yu and Mother Xu. They had even killed Yu¡¯er, whom she had named herself, who was still a child swaddled in nkets.

    "Mo Xuetong, do you really think he will love you? You ugly creature, you already look like this. You might as well die. Why do you bother living and embarrassing yourself? Rest assured. I¡¯ll take your ce in the future. I¡¯ll guard your mother¡¯s dowry for you. You¡¯d better die now!"...

    The sadness and hopelessness brought by hatred tore apart Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart!

    Even if she fell to the depths of hell, she would be willing. She¡¯ll take the adultress pair with her!

    She looked at the adultress couple outside the red tent viciously. Mo Xuetong lit the tent up with deadly calmness! She hated them, how could she not! She wanted to drink their blood and eat their flesh!

    One could not see her ck pupils in her blood-colored eyes. Since heaven was so unfair, she¡¯ll seek revenge for herself!

    The red tent caught fire immediately. The guests ran in all directions frantically and the wedding hall descended into chaos. The groom, Sima Lingyun moved swiftly. He pulled Mo Xuemin, who was still clueless about what had happened, out of the tent.

    However, she raised her legs a few times but was pressed down heavily to the ground. She looked down. The corner of her gown was tightly caught!

    The fire grew stronger. Objects started falling from above. A beam swayed precariously above them. The wedding hall might copse at any time. Sima Lingyun was flustered. He kicked viciously at Mo Xuetong who was holding his gown tightly. Mo Xuemin had tugged off her veil and ran outside frantically.

    A massive beam fell from above Mo Xuetong as they tugged and pulled. It fell heavily on her and her head smashed onto the ground. Blood flowed from her head and blinded her eyes. The shrill screaming in her head did not allow her to think. She stared at Sima Lingyun through the blood. Her blood-stained smile was sharp and devoid of hope!

    If she could live again, she would definitely have them pay their debts in blood. She would have the adultress pair live in hell forever. Even if she had to turn into a ghost, she was willing to use herself in exchange to take them both together with her to hell!

    "Mo Xuemin, Sima Lingyun, I swear on my child and my soul. I will make you two experience a hundred thousand times the pain you¡¯ve set on me!"

    Her voice was like a curse that reverberated throughout the fiery scene long after...

    Qingwei Gardens!

    Mo Xuetong remained in the position in which she had woken up from. Her fists were clenched tightly and her body was rigid. The pain of the fire seemed to still be burning on her body. There was a searing pain in her heart. She almost could not breathe from the pain. Deep-set hatred tangled with the pain swirled through her thoughts. She could not make out whether she was dreaming or if she was awake!

    She stared dazedly at the snowkes hanging from the drapes. She only realized half a secondter that they were drapes that she used to love. There were also green and red coral patterned essories hung around her. The elegant falling flowers in the red and green color looked very elegant. The drapes swung in the breeze, looking even more beautiful!

    She pushed away her nkets dazedly after a while. However, she saw her slender arms that had not yet finish developing. She pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed slowly. A child-like face appeared in the dressing table mirror not far away. It was a young girl...

    Hold on. Drapes, slender arms, and a child-like face. Mo Xuetong looked at herself in the mirror with wide eyes. Her heart rate increased madly. She lifted her arms incredulously and then looked at her dazed features in the mirror. This was how she looked like when she was younger. The hairpin iid with gold and jade on her hair was the one Cousin Xuan had gifted her when she turned 13.

    Could it be that she did not die and had gone back to when she was 13? Her fingers shook in her sleeves agitatedly. Then, she clenched her fingers tightly. The sharp pain immediately told her that everything before her was real.

    Really, she had been reborn. She had gone back to before the tragedy had happened. Even though it was not the start, it was not the end either. There was still time...

    She bit her lips tightly and forcefully tampered down the urge to jump andugh madly! Tears filled her eyes.

    Looking at the childish and pale face of the young girl in the mirror, she remembered that she had fallen into the river that year and had beenatose for two days. She had indeed only been 13 years old then!

    An indescribable joy and sadness filled her heart. She bore down on the emotional upheaval in her heart and held her hands tightly together. However, she could not control her slight tremble.

    Her first thought was that God was indeed fair. She had been reborn!

    God must have seen her tragic circumstances and allowed her to seek her own revenge. She did not have to wait for the next life. She could seek revenge in this life! Auntie Fang, Mo Xuemin, Sima Lingyun. She would not trust the wrong people again!

    This time, it¡¯d be her turn to send them to hell!

    "Miss, do you want some water? Does your head still hurt? You mustn¡¯t scare your nursemaid again. How am I to live if something happens to you! How are you feeling now? Are you hurting anywhere..."

    A middle-aged woman wearing a grey robe lifted the door curtains and entered. She paused for a moment when she saw Mo Xuetong sitting in bed dazedly. Then, there remained only pity on her face. She hurried forward and she reached out to tuck the nkets in and then touched Xuetong¡¯s forehead out of habit before she rxed and started nagging.

    This nagging made Mo Xuetong feel warm and happy!

    Mother Xu. It was her nursemaid, Mother Xu, who had stuck by her through thick and thin. When she saw the familiar haggard face, she could not help but cry, blurring her sight.

    She took in Mother Xu¡¯s familiar scent and the warm body beneath her hands. Mo Xuetong¡¯s tears fell unceasingly. She recalled that incident.

    It was her mother¡¯s death anniversary the day before yesterday. She was praying beside theke. She had picked time after dinner when there were fewer people to go since she was not at her own home. She had brought two maids, Mo Yu, and Mo Zhu, with her. She hoped that the river would be able to bring her yearning for her mother back to her home.

    She had left her mother¡¯s fan behind. Mo Yu had returned to retrieve. Mo Zhu retreated to behind her after preparing the incense table. She knelt quietly on the floor and started to pray. However, she did not know that trouble would descend from the skies! A rock had loosened from the fake mountain, crashing upon her. She got up hurriedly and wanted to run away, but her skirts had been tangled up with something and she fell into the river.

    She had almost died that time! She had only regained consciousness after two days!

    That¡¯s right. She remembered clearly that there were not any things that could have tripped her nearby. The ground was empty around her and there was not even a de of grass. However, she was tripped andnded in the water. The feeling as if there was something choking her at her throat so that she could not breathe felt so real. She dove into Mother Xu¡¯s embrace and sobbed so hard she could not catch her breath.

    "Miss, Miss. What¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt? Let Mother Xu see!" Mother Xu thought she had been shocked by the incident when she saw her crying. She heart ached as she held Mo Xuetong and patted her back lightly. She coaxed her in a gentle voice, "It¡¯s alright, Miss. Miss, it¡¯s fine now. Mother Xu is here!"

    She held Mother Xu tightly and cried even harder. She cried as if her heart and lungs were tearing. It was as if she wanted to cry out all hatred, anger, and fear. After this time, she would not cry again. In the future, those people would cry!

    Those people would hurt several times over more than how she hurt now!

    "Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong? Who bullied my Tong¡¯er!" There was a clear and familiarugh at the door. She had not yet entered and the sound of herughter could already be heard. The curtains outside were lifted highly by a person. Mdm Yu entered with a smile on her face.

    She was about 30 and was beautiful. She wore a light coral pleated skirt and seemed especially young. When she entered, she sized up Mo Xuetong. When she saw that the girl was lying weakly against the bed, she went up to her bed and sat down, holding her hand affectionately.

    "Aunt!" Mo Xuetong tampered down on the sharpness in her eyes and looked up tearily. She looked at Mdm Yu dazedly!

    Through the hazy tears, she saw the coldness in the shrewd eyes. She did not look a little sad or worried at all!

    "You look so pitiful. You¡¯re so skinny! Your body is too weak. You have to rest more." Mdm Yu quickly ordered Mo Zhu who came in with her. Her smile was kind, and she looked like an elder who doted on a younger family member. However, she did not mention anything about Mo Xuetong falling into the water!"

    "Miss, lie down and rest. You tripped because you¡¯re so weak. Look, madam was so worried after you fell into the river that she couldn¡¯t sleep! You¡¯re so lucky to have an aunt like madam to dote on you." Mo Zhu walked up, wanting to help Mo Xuetong lie down.

    She was a maid wearing a cotton floral dress. She was about 15 or 16 and was in the prime of her life. She looked weak as if a gust of wind would blow her away. She looked like a good servant who was worried about her mistress!

    However, when one listened closely, they would hear that she was not speaking up for Mo Xuetong, but was praising Mdm Yu. Instead, she said that Mo Xuetong was weak and made her elder worry for her!

    Mo Xuetong looked up and nced at her. Sheughed coldly in her heart.

    Mo Zhu, how could she forget her...

    She was ill right now, but Mo Zhu had not cared for her but went to Mdm Yu to court her affections instead. She was ming Mo Xuetong for not knowing her ce while leaving in someone else¡¯s house, getting into trouble.

    Now that she thought about it, it was obvious that someone had tripped her up by theke. There was no one else but Mo Zhu there!

 Chapter 2 The Black Hearted Aunt

    She took the handkerchief beside her pillow and wiped her tears. Then, she tilted her slightly pale face up. There was a deep confusion in her dark eyes as she looked at Mo Zhu. It was a cutting look that made one feel subconsciously cold. Mo Zhu shuddered under the gaze and retracted her hand subconsciously. She could not speak, pleasing words stuck at her throat. Yet, she did not dare to leave.

    Mother Xu walked up and pushed her away, ring at Mo Zhu unhappily. Then, she put thick lotus colored embroidered pillows behind Mo Xuetong and helped her lean into them carefully.

    "Tong¡¯er isn¡¯t feeling well, why are you still letting her lean back. Hurry, it¡¯s better to lie down. Don¡¯t harm her because of this. It¡¯s true that children with no mothers are pitiful. Even those serving them don¡¯t do their best. Aunt will give you another two maids in a couple of days and change a few of the servants around here so we can get rid of the servants who don¡¯t do anything." Mdm Yu said so with a vicious smile when she saw that Mother Xu was defying her and had ignored herpletely.

    She had just awakened from hera after falling into theke. Her face was pale and haggard, making her look pitiful. After hiding the coldness in her eyes, she looked up weakly and said gratefully, "Aunt, Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t want to sleep. If I sleep, I won¡¯t be able to wake up! The doctor also said that I should not sleep too much after waking up from falling into water. Tong¡¯er thanks auntie for her good intentions. Mother Xu and the others have worked hard to serve Tong¡¯er. They were all left to Tong¡¯er by mother. Tong¡¯er does not dare to just switch servants."

    Was that a soft rejection?

    Mdm Yu¡¯s smile froze slightly. She looked at the girl carefully and only saw a gentle smile on the young face. It was no different from before except that her eyes were brighter than usual. It was a deep dark ck.

    Her statement was filled with a hidden sharpness. It did not seem like something the weak and cowardly Mo Xuetong would say. In the past, Mo Xuetong would not dare to contradict her so openly even if she did not agree. Could it be that something had happened to the girl when she fell into theke? Mdm Yu could not help but look at Mo Xuetong suspiciously.

    "Mo Zhu, why are you not serving Aunt tea?" Mo Xuetong pretended not to see Mdm Yu¡¯s suspicious nce. She turned around and shouted at Mo Zhu. The endless darkness in her eyes needled on Mo Zhu like cold water

    Mo Zhu heard what Mo Xuetong said and she looked up as if she was shocked. She saw Mo Xuetong lying against arge pillow, looking at her sideways with deep and dark eyes!

    It was a look that seemed to see through her heart, and it made Mo Zhu afraid. She shuddered unconsciously and dared not say anything else. She turned away hurriedly and brought the tea over and gave it to Mdm Yu with a pale face. She only calmed down slightly when Mdm Yu gave her a calm look.

    She stood behind Mdm Yu with her head and shoulders down. She was treating herself as Mdm Yu¡¯s servant. She told herself that she did not have to fear because her madam was around!

    Mdm Yu was focused on Mo Xuetong and could not be bothered with the thoughts of a maid. She had not noticed that Mo Zhu had stood behind her after serving her tea, going against the rules. Mo Xuetong nced at Mo Zhu sideways without saying anything. She did not ask her to return.

    Mdm Yu took the cup and took a sip. She then ced it on one side and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand naturally. She patted it warmly and said gently, "Since you¡¯re not willing, then Aunt cannot make decisions on your behalf as well. I haven¡¯t seen you in tow days, and you¡¯re looking so weak. Later, I¡¯ll get someone to bring you ginseng to nourish your body. You can¡¯t hurt your vital energy. You¡¯re a girl, it¡¯d be terrible if you hurt your vital energy."

    Ginseng? Mo Xuetong looked down. Her longshes hid the cold in her eyes.

    In her past life, Mdm Yu had sent her a rotten ginseng. Mother Xu saw that it could not be used and brought out a century-old ginseng she had kept for emergency situations. However, Mdm Yu found out about it and was greedy. She wanted the ginseng and pretended to be ill. She said she needed ginseng to regte her body and had given her the best ginseng in their house.

    Mdm Yu had not only gained a good reputation, she had also taken her ginseng. She had gained both reputation and goods.

    "Thank you Aunt for your good will. It is just that Tong¡¯er has never been fortunate. How can I use such a good thing? Only fortunate people can use it to extend their lifespan. If Aunt really wants to, she can help Tong¡¯er send it to grandmother. Tong¡¯er would naturally be happy once grandmother is well, and will recover then. I don¡¯t dare to let anything happen here." Mo Xuetong took her hand back calmly. She pinched the handkerchief in her hands, smiling gently and naively. She looked frightened and sad, and one could tell at a nce that she was a coward and easy to manipte.

    Mdm Yu heaved a sigh of relief! Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction and she thought that she was thinking too much. What could an abandoned orphan girl do?

    "Miss, don¡¯t say that. Madam is so good to you, she¡¯d be sad if she hears that. How can you be unfortunate Miss. After all, you¡¯re the granddaughter of a lord. Who would take you lightly? If anything happens to you in this house, they would be med by Madam." Mother Xu could not hold back her anger when she saw Mdm Yu¡¯s satisfaction. She pretended to persuade Mo Xuetong while using the lord¡¯s manor to aggravate Mdm Yu.

    Mdm Yu¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. She felt that Mother Xu was threatening her when she brought up the lord¡¯s manor...could it be that they¡¯d discovered something?

    Mdm Yu pretended to be even more gentle so she would not be discovered. She smiled warmly and dotingly at Mo Xuetong. "Tong¡¯er how could you be an unfortunate person? You mustn¡¯t say that of yourself!If there¡¯s anything you feel like eating, let the servants know. If there¡¯s anything you are unhappy about, you have to tell me. I won¡¯t let my good niece suffer."

    Good niece? Mo Xuetongughed coldly in her heart. However, her smile remained sweet. She looked up hesitantly and asked, biting her lips fearfully, "Aunt, can I really tell you everything I¡¯m unhappy about?"

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips, looking as if she was feeling awkward and as if there was something she wanted to say but could not.

    "Tong¡¯er, tell your Aunt. Did someone bully you? I¡¯ll definitely help you." Mdm Yu guaranteed once more.

    "Mo Zhu, kneel down!" Mo Xuetong suddenly sat upright and pointed at Mo Zhu when she heard that. She shouted angrily, "Aunt, take Mo Zhu away. Tong¡¯er cannot take her service."

    Mo Zhu was shocked as she had not expected to get into trouble. However, she did not kneel down since she had Mdm Yu on her side. She straightened her neck and said indignantly. "Miss, why had you asked me to kneel and said that you cannot take my service? What do I have to do with you falling into theke? Why are you unleashing your anger on a servant who has nothing to do with the incident? Can you treat us so abominably just because maids are servants?"

    Then, she covered her face and started to sob!

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly in her heart. She looked at everyone in the room. Everyone except Mother Xu hurried to help her when they saw her crying. No one in the room stopped her!

    "You¡¯ve plotted against your mistress. Should I not send you away..." Mo Xuetong suddenly coughed violently before she could finish her statement. She clutched her chest as if she was going to faint.

    The room was thrown into chaos as nobody could be bothered with Mo Zhu. Only Mdm Yu stared viciously at Mo Zhu who quickly reacted. She fell with a thud on her knees in front of Mo Xuetong and stayed there as the physician came in to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s pulse. After a fuss, Mo Xuetong finally recovered except that her face was much paler than before. She looked as if she was taking in less air than she was breathing out, looking especially weak.

    After the physician left, Mo Xuetong took a sip of water from the blue ceramic cup in Mother Xu¡¯s hands. Then, she said with a sorry and tearful expression to Mdm Yu, "Sorry for worrying you, Aunt. My body is not too good after falling into theke."

    She breathed in and then turned her gaze to Mo Zhu who was kneeling on the floor and dared not speak. She did not know where she got her strength from and she suddenly grabbed the porcin cup in Mother Xu¡¯s hands and threw it at Mo Zhu. As she was weak, the cup fell about two or three steps in front of Mo Zhu and shattered.

    The clear shattering sound shocked everyone.

    "Aunt, Mo Zhu had plotted against her mistress...Tong¡¯er fell into theke because she pushed me. If Aunt doesn¡¯t believe me, you can ask Cousin Xuan...Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t know how she offended this maid. She...she wanted to kill me..."

    Then, she could not help but cough again. She believed, 100 percent, that if she said that, Cousin Xuan would definitely be on her side! Cousin Xuan had once told her that he suspected that in herst life!

    Mdm Yu was panicked when she saw Mo Xuetong coughing like that. She patted her back gently while ring at Mo Zhu viciously. Mo Zhu had been so shocked by Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, she was dazed. Mdm Yu said, "You slut, how dare you try to harm your mistress. Men,e and take her out. Give her 40 strokes of the cane!"

    Mdm Yu was forced by Mo Xuetong to do this. Mo Xuetong was so angry, and she even implied that Qin Yuxuan had seen Mo Zhu plotting against Mo Xuetong. The fact wasid right before her eyes. Mdm Yu did not dare to protect Mo Zhu. If she did not do this right, she might even bring trouble to herself. How dare a servant plot to harm her mistress!

    Mo Zhu saw Mo Xuetong coughing so hard she could not catch her breath and saw Mdm Yu¡¯s gaze looking at her viciously. That was when she realized that things had changed. She was flustered and rushed to Mdm Yu, crying and screaming and kowtowing!

    "Shut her mouth and drag her away." Mdm Yu said coldly. She immediately decided that since Qin Yuxuan had seen the incident, she could not keep the trouble causing girl around!

    Mo Xuetongid across the embroidered pillow, clutching her chest that hurt from the coughing. She did not soften at all as she saw Mo Zhu being dragged out like a dead dog. She would seek revenge this time in her new life. Blood rushed up her throat as if the fire of her past life was reaching for the skies like that day when blood sshed on her face.

    Mo Zhu had only taken 30 canes before she died. Mdm Yu got people to drag her out and thenforted Mo Xuetong with a few words. She saw Mo Xuetong looking weak, but her eyes were filled with tears of gratitude. That was when she rxed and brought her people back to her house. She even told Mother Xu before she left to tell her if Mo Xuetong needed anything.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s weak and tired eyes opened once more when Mdm Yu¡¯s people left. She struggled to sit up.

    "Mother, help me up. I have to write a letter." Mo Xuetong said as she lifted her colorless face.

    Cloud City was very far away, and nothing important usually happened there. The horse carriage that delivers letters onlyes every five days. Today happened to be one of those days. If she did not send the letter today, she would have to wait five days. The people Auntie Fang sent would leave soon, she could not wait another five days!

    She had to find a way to get back to the capital as soon as possible!

 Chapter 3 First Meeting at an Inn

    After everything had been arranged, Mo Xuetong and her maid, Mo Lan, did not waste any time. They were afraid that the horse carriage at the inn would leave if they werete.

    No matter what, in this life where she could relive her life, she had to mess up Auntie Fang¡¯s ns before Auntie Fang dealt with her viciously.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Lan left the main doors of the Qin Manor. Mo Lan was Mo Xuetong¡¯s main maid. Mdm Yu had treated Mo Xuetong very well on the surface. Upon hearing that she was leaving, she got people to prepare a nicer horse carriage. The two girls heaved a secret sigh of relief when they got onto the carriage.

    The horse carriage sped towards the House of Carriage. It was the favorite clothing and essories shop of girls in Cloud City. The most secret way to the inn was through the front doors of the shop and walking through it.

    After passing through a narrow alley of the House of Treasures, was a door that only people of the Cloud City knew about. It was usually shut, but customers who knew the shopkeeper well would just have to ask and he would open it without any issue. Mo Lan was about to ask Mo Xuetong to wait there while she went to speak with the shopkeeper. However, she saw Mo Xuetong pushing the door. The door creaked open.

    The inn was right across the door.

    Mo Xuetong saw that the horse carriage at the inn across was already ready and was about to leave!

    Without saying anything else, Mo Xuetong wore her scarf and hat and held onto Mo Lan as they walked out. She greeted the middle-aged man in front of the horse carriage and curtsied, saying, "Uncle Shi!"

    The innkeeper of Cloud City used to work under Mo Huawen and was on rather good terms with him. He had a daughter about Mo Xuetong¡¯s age and naturally recognized Mo Lan. When he saw Mo Xuetong holding on to Mo Lan appearing at the inn, he paused for a moment. He immediately knew that Mo Xuetong was hidden under the scarf and hat. He could not help but stop and ask curiously, "Third Young Miss Mo, where are you going?"

    "Uncle Shi, please help me send a letter." Mo Lan handed him the letter.

    The middle-aged man took the letter and saw, written in clear handwriting, that it was to be sent to the Old Lord of General Manor. Since she was sending it to her mother¡¯s family, he did not take additional notice. Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong to press down her gold seal after giving him the letter. The middle-aged man waved at Mo Xuetong and then left on the horse carriage upon seeing that it was gettingte.

    Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong return back through the door. She felt that Mo Xuetong¡¯s palms were sweaty and knew that she was weak and they should not stay any longer. She said hurriedly, "Miss, wait here. I¡¯ll get a horse carriage toe. You rest for a bit and we can get on the carriage immediately."

    Mo Xuetong released Mo Lan¡¯s hands and steadied herself on the wall. She took off the scarf and hat and took a deep breath. She nodded. This was not a passageway, so she did not have to worry that someone woulde. Even the staff at the shop could note here. Furthermore, she was still dressed up as a maid and it was inappropriate for her to leave wearing the scarf and hat of a noble youngdy.

    Mo Lan saw that Mo Xuetong was still steady and released her, running toward the main street.

    The door was open and the sunlight outside was strong. Mo Xuetong narrowed her eyes and reached out to close the door before she could rx and close her eyes to rest. Their journey here was hurried and she was weak, so she felt a little ill.

    Suddenly, there was the sound of a gust of wind and something pushed the door open quickly. She reached out instinctively and there was a shout. He eyes sprung open and she saw a purple robe in her hand. She had caught a person when she reached out earlier!

    Mo Xuetong quickly released her hand and backed a few steps away. However, she found that she was already pressing against the wall and had nowhere to run. She looked up in fear.

    "What is it, you caught me and then released me. Won¡¯t you regret it?" Said a slightly pleasant sounding voice that sounded cold andzy. It was like rich wine that would make one drunk when they heard it.

    The door opened slightly so she could see the man standing across her. Sunlight streamed through the door and the extremely handsome man turned his face to look at her.

    The man was about 16 or 17. He had on a purple robe that was lined with ck at the cor. There were cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread on his robe and the bottom of the robe was trimmed in gold. Therge long robe seemed elegant on him. The top of the robe was slightly opened, revealing the ck shirt he wore inside. The ck and purple colors of his clothing wereplementary and made him seem devilish and mysterious.

    He wore a purple jade pin casually in his ck hair. There was a gentle expression on his handsome face and he had an ambiguous smile. His phoenix eyes swept around and one could not help but feel their faces grow red and their hearts speed up, making one feel as if one was about to fall into the abyss. His handsomeness was exquisite and indescribable. One could only feel that he was filled with vast power. Even Mo Xuetong, who was characteristically frigid, could not help but blush slightly. Her heart beat wildly.

    No woman could ignore the man¡¯s charm!

    When he saw that Mo Xuetong did not speak, he sized her up and seemed to have discovered an interesting ything. He turned around to face Mo Xuetong and looked at her up and down. His lips curled up slightly and his eyes glinted. "They¡¯ve sent a beautiful one this time. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s too small. Why don¡¯t they feed them and make them more solid." Then, he reached out as if to touch Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    If one judged the world by his appearance, then there weren¡¯t many in the world who were worth looking at.

    Mo Xuetong emerged from her shock. She turned her head around to avoid his touch. She said seriously, "Young sir, please have some self-respect!"

    "If you have self-respect, then you wouldn¡¯t reach out to pull my robe. Now, I rather like you. You shall be it, why are you objecting?" The man¡¯s expression was still gentle and his voice like nectar. However, for some reason, Mo Xuetong felt that it was dangerous. It was obvious from the way that he was slowly approaching her, that he had ill intentions.

    "Young sir, you are mistaken. I was resting here with my eyes closed and did not see you enter. I heard a sound and thought that I had encountered something dangerous. That was why I pulled you. I apologize if I¡¯ve offended you." Mo Xuetong had nowhere to back to. She took a deep breath and exined weakly.

    She had never met the man in front of her. Even ordinary clothes could not hide his nobleness. A devilish smile appeared on his handsome face, making him seem gentle and seductive. However, while his voice waszy and warm, it hid a coldness and power that struck fear in others.

    Mo Xuetong groaned inwardly. She had hidden here while waiting for Mo Lan to get a carriage because she did not want to make trouble. However, she had not expected that she had still gotten into trouble. No wonder this door that had always been tightly shut had been open. It was because it had been left open deliberately for someone else. Had she known this, she should have gone with Mo Lan just now and leave this troublesome ce.

    "Something dangerous? Are you talking about me? You pulled on my robe the moment I entered and now you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m dangerous. Dare I ask what you¡¯re trying to say?" A puff of heated air assaulted her ear. The man¡¯s voice was so close to her. "What is it, are you ying hard to get?"

    Mo Xuetong turned around as he moved closer to her suddenly. She happened to meet his passionate gaze. Their close distance, his seductive breathing, she could almost sense the piercing heating from him. Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm face flushed. She stiffened and then hurriedly turned her head wanting to move to the side. However, she discovered that his palm was in front of her, blocking her way. It was as if she was being hugged by him.

    Mo Xuetong felt that the situation was awkward. Her pale face med up.

    She bit her lips and then calmed her beating heart. She looked up at his devilishly handsome face and said angrily, "Young sir, please move your hand and let me pass. Men and women don¡¯t sit at the same table past the age of seven. Are you going to be so impolite?"

    "Since men and women don¡¯t sit at the same table after the age of seven, then why did you pull me just now?" The man mocked. He ced his hand in front of her. He had no intentions of letting go.

    "Young sir, I already exined just now that it was an ident. Furthermore, this is a passageway. If young sir can pass through it, why can¡¯t I?" Mo Xuetong was slightly angry. She cleared her throat and then said that to the young man straight.

    The man was somewhat shocked by her rebuttal. Then, heughed and said, "You seem like an innocent pretty girl. Why do you have such a temper?"

    "What kind of temper has nothing to do with young sir. Please let go. Our young miss wille soon. If she sees you blocking me, she¡¯ll wonder whether I did anything to you. She¡¯ll definitely make things hard for me when we return to the manor." Mo Xuetong looked down and said coldly. She was wearing the clothes of a maid right now. Furthermore, she did not wish to have anything to do with anyone else. She just wanted to get as far away as possible from him.

    "You¡¯re a maid?" The man looked at her up and down and said teasingly.

    "Would I be here being tortured by you if I were not a maid?" Mo Xuetong said huffily.

    "It¡¯s such a pity that you¡¯re a maid. Do you want to work for me? No one will make things difficult for you, and even I will dote on you. How about that?" He said that extremely gently as if they were the soft murmurings between lovers. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face could not help but me up again.

    The warm air rolled over her earlobes like a warm breeze as if they were ying on her heartstrings. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was flushed. She was so angry that she could not release it right at that moment. She looked up with her lively eyes filled with annoyance. "Young sir, how could you be so impolite?"

    "Is it? Could it be that I¡¯m still considered impolite even though I¡¯ve stooped topromising? Do you mean to say that I¡¯m not attractive to you at all!" The man¡¯s eyes glinted and a light smile appeared on his lips. His eyes were so bright that it could even light up Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale little face.

    "This person is really..."

    Mo Xuetong was speechless, so she did not say anything. She looked out and bit her lips. Then, she reached out and pushed away the hand blocking her without hesitation. Mo Lan had already been gone for some time and would return soon. If she greeted her as "miss" her identity would be revealed. This was the House of Treasures, and she could not guarantee that not a single person outside would not recognize her. When her mother was still alive, she had made friends with some of the other youngdies from noble families and there were only that many nobledies and wives in Cloud City.

    The man did not expect her to be so brave and to pull at him, disregarding social conventions. He paused and looked at the slender hand on his robe. It made the purple look like a tide of purple flowers left behind by fluttering butterflies, making it seem more alive and beautiful...

    "Eighth brother. What are you doing? Come quickly." A sudden warm and elegant voice sounded from deep inside the alley.

 Chapter 4 Secrets in the Old Manor

    There was someone else there? Mo Xuetong withdrew her hand as if she had been shocked. She looked at the dark alley. The door was closed and made it so that the area over there was dark and nothing could be seen clearly. She could vaguely make out a person wearing a leather robe. It looked like a young man.

    "Big brother, you go first. I¡¯lle soon." The man repliedzily, turning around slightly and blocking Mo Xuetong¡¯s line of sight. He smiled devilishly at Mo Xuetong and suddenly let go of the hand he ced in front of her. Then, he turned around, smoothened his robe and walked away jauntily."

    The soft sounds of the two speaking could be heard.

    "Eighth brother. It¡¯s a girl again. You¡¯ll make the old man angry if you keep doing this." said the warm and gentle voice.

    "Anyway, this is my hobby. I have to stay and chat when I see a beautiful girl. I can¡¯t let her down, right. If he doesn¡¯t like it, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it either!" Thezy voice said carelessly.

    ...

    As the voices moved further, Mo Xuetong felt sweaty. She had not realized it earlier because she was nervous and angry. Her legs felt weak as she held on to the wall and she almost fainted. She gritted her teeth for a while before the dizziness passed.

    Mo Lan had already made her way back. She helped the weak Mo Xuetong and immediately got on the horse carriage after saying that the maid was feeling ill. The driver thought that it was odd for the girl had been fine when she entered but could not even stand on her feet when she got out. However, because of Mo Lan¡¯s status, the driver did not dare to say anything. He only listened to Mo Lan and tried his best to drive the carriage steadily.

    The two entered the manor from the back door close to Qingwei Garden. They rounded another corridor and passed through the doors. A young maid wearing blue clothes suddenly appeared at the door. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Mo Xuetong. She came up and helped to hold Mo Xuetong and said softly, "Miss, Mother Xu was worried and asked me to wait here. Mo He got all the maids and old servants to another room to scold them. They are waiting for you to enter."

    "There isn¡¯t anyone in the courtyard, is there?" Mo Lan asked since she knew that Mo Xuetong did not have much strength to speak.

    "Old Madam sent an old woman to visit you. We said that you¡¯d just fallen asleep and we should not startle you awake. We said that if you feel well when you wake up tomorrow, you¡¯ll visit Old Madam." Mo Yu said smartly.

    Indeed, there was not a single person in the courtyard. Mother Xu had been waiting by the window. When she saw Mo Xuetong, she hurried out, she was almost worried to tears when she saw how weak Mo Xuetong was. Mo Xuetong smiled at her despite her exhaustion to show that she was fine.

    Mo Yu and Mo Lan helped her to lie down after she drank a bowl of ginseng soup. They put down the muslin bed curtains before they slipped out with Mother Xu.

    Despite being weak when she woke up the second day, she was feeling more awake. After washing up, she first went to greet Old Madam Qin and then went to Mdm Yu¡¯s. They did not ask her to stay since she was ill and asked her to rest well. Mo Xuetong acutely spotted the darkness in Mdm Yu¡¯s eyes and a hint of a smile appeared at her lips.

    After leaving Mdm Yu¡¯s, she returned to her courtyard and gave Mother Xu and Mo He some orders. The two of them smiled and left to do their task.

    "Mo Yu, has Cousin Xuan found me the rare orchid?" Mo Xuetong looked up with a smile from where she was sitting, leaning on the couch under the window.

    In herst life, Qin Yuxuan had helped her to find a rare orchid and sent it to the capital to suck up to her father. However, the flower had not been appreciated. She only discovered when she returned to the manor that the rare orchid had ended up in the weeds in front of the servants¡¯ rooms and was no different that weed.

    "Young master Xuan said he might need some time. He would find the rare orchid for you in a bit." Mo Yu handed her a cup of tea with a smile. "But, Miss, are you going to give it to old sir?"

    "A good flower has to be given to someone who can appreciate it. Beautiful rogue should be given to beautiful people." She did not answer Mo Yu¡¯s question directly. Mo Xuetong looked down, her longshes fluttering down, leaving a shadow on her face. Her face was calm and pale. She smiled faintly and epted the tea, taking a sip from it. The warm tea and the faint fragrance seeped through her heart.

    Mo Yu thought that Mo Xuetong was really going to give the orchid to old sir and said angrily, "Old sir has long forgotten miss. But you¡¯re so filial and always think of old sir when you have something good."

    "Mo Yu, don¡¯t speak nonsense." Mo Lan scolded.

    "I¡¯m not speaking nonsense. Look at miss, she¡¯s already like this and is still thinking about old sir. But old sir...he doesn¡¯t even pity young miss..." Mo Yu said indignantly. She suddenly saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face and her eyes turned red. She choked up and could not say anything else.

    The few of them have always been by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and they naturally saw her sadness and the difficulties she went through.

    "Old sir is far from here and would not know so many things. When we return, old sir would naturally be like before and treat miss well." Mo Lan said gently.

    Mo Xuetong felt drowsy and her somewhat tense face rxed slightly. The sharpness in her eyes slowly softened. The maids have been with her through it all and in the end had died because of her. It was a happy thing for her to see them arguing.

    That day, something had happened in the Qin Manor, even rming the Old Madam Qin. However, she had asked Mother Xu to fan the mes and cause the incident to be exposed before everyone earlier.

    Lord Qin had a concubine with the surname Li. She returned to Cloud City because she was pregnant and was treated very well in the manor. They were afraid that she would knock into something if she was not careful and they gave her the best in terms of food and drinks. This was done all in hopes that she would be able to birth a heir safely.

    This Auntie Li had nothing to do today and was feeling good. So she had brought her maids to walk around in the garden. After a while, she felt like eating. She did not ask someone else to get it but brought her maids with her to the kitchen. She saw the lead maid of Mdm Yu, Yunshu, distracting the people in the kitchen and adding extra things in the blood birds nest that she usually drinks.

    This was a serious matter that affected the heir of someone. How could Auntie Li not make a fuss!

    She brought the matter up to Old Madam Qin. Mdm Yu could not exin the matter since there was evidence and immediately threw Mdm Yu out and had Yunshu beaten to death. Those trusted by Mdm Yu had all been cut off and some were sold off. Mo Xuetong received news about it from Mo He while she was at Qingwei Garden and a smile appeared on her face.

    Yunshu had plotted against Mo Xuetong together with Yu Sirong. Yunshu had been an aplice when she had been disfigured by Yu Sirong. If she had not intentionally dyed time so that she missed the best treatment timeframe, there would not be the two deep scars on her face and Sima Lingyun wouldn¡¯t have taken the opportunity to...

    Now that she could relive her life, many people and things were changing together as Mo Xuetong changed. She definitely had to make these changes to in the direction that she wanted!

    She sat under the window and thought. Suddenly, the joyfulughter of Mother Xu could be heard from outside.

    "Miss, miss, good news! Old Madam has agreed."

    Mother Xu entered with a radiant smile. "Miss, Old Madam has allowed you to return to the old manor!"

    "Then we shall go tomorrow!" Mo Xuetong could not help the faint smile on her beautiful face!

    It has been more than a year since shest saw her mother¡¯s courtyard. Now that she was leaving, she should go take a look. There was still evidence and she had to get it before Auntie Fang!

    Since Mdm Qin had already agreed, the three maids and Mother Xu apanied Mo Xuetong to the old manor the next morning. That was the official residences of Mo Huawen in Cloud City. However, it could no longer bepared to how it used to be. Now that the Old Mo Manor had no owner, it had be deste.

    The ancestral manor was bought by Mo Huawen when he was an official in Cloud City. Mo Xuetong had lived in it since she was born. It has been more than ten years since. Nanny Ming who used to serve her mother was already waiting at the door. When she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage stopping, she hurried to the carriage door.

    Nanny Ming was the nursemaid of Mo Xuetong¡¯s birth mother. Mo Xuetong had always respected. She greeted the woman respectfully and reached out to hold her. Nanny Ming was so happy that her tears kept flowing. They held each other and entered the Mo Manor.

    The Mo Manor in Cloud City was not very big. It only had three main courtyards. Mo Xuetong did not return to her Qingwei Garden. Instead, she went straight for her mother¡¯s Ziteng Garden. She had just entered the doors when a figure shed before her eyes and rushed straight at her. Mo Yu moved quickly, and she ced herself in front of Mo Xuetong.

    "Madam, madam is back. Hehehe, Yinchun, Madam is back. Quick, help her hold up the door curtains. Oh, it isn¡¯t madam..." Theughter sounded silly. A young woman dressed in a blue robe stood in front of Mo Yu. She seemed perplexed. She cocked her head and sized up Mo Xuetong. Her silly eyes were murky.

    The woman looked at this and that in a silly manner. Then, she suddenly muttered something and ran out in a panicked manner.

    The air in the courtyard was so stale that one almost could not breathe.

    "Nanny Ming, has Dongxue remained like that?" Mo Xuetong only regained her calmness after a while. However, her hands were clenched tightly into a fist in her sleeves. This was the first time she had seen Dongxue after she went mad. How could she forget? That night, when her mother passed away, there were only four older maids who were by her mother¡¯s side.

    After that, when her father returned from Auntie Fang¡¯s, her mother had already passed away.

    That was when the rift between her and her father started.

    "Yes, Madam died, Yinchun was knocked down by a carriage while Xiangchiu died of illness. Hexia¡¯s whereabouts are unknown. Xuedong became like this after that. Her parents thought that they can¡¯t keep her alive two years ago and abandoned her. Old sir pitied her for she had taken care of Madam with all her heart and sent for her toe back to the manor. After that, everyone in the manor moved away, leaving only a few behind and she became a regr maid. She helps to clean up Ziteng Garden." Nanny Ming sighed.

    "Find her a good physician again. There aren¡¯t many people of mother¡¯s left." Mo Xuetong answered after a moment of silence. She leaned on the stove and sat down, her fingers clenched tightly into a fist. She did not even notice when her nails dug into her flesh. Her body suddenly felt hot and cold as if her blood and veins were going wild.

    "Yes!" Nanny Ming answered. She looked up as if she wanted to say something. However, when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s weak face, she opened her mouth but did not say anything. The house became eerily silent.

    "All of you can leave. I wish to be alone for a while." She said after a while and waved her hand tiredly.

 Chapter 5 Flying Thieves in Ziteng Garden

    They could all see that Mo Xuetong was in a bad mood. They did not say anything else and all went out.

    The room quietened down. Tears rolled down her cheeks silently and she bit her lips tightly, pressing down on the sadness that surged up. What had she missed in her past life? She had never suspected the cause of her mother¡¯s death and only found out about it before her death that her mother¡¯s death had been caused by Auntie Fang. Mo Xuemin¡¯s vicious smile that day seemed to appear right before her!

    This life, she had to investigate her mother¡¯s death and seek revenge for her mother...

    Mo Xuemin had not divulged many details when she had given Mo Xuetong poisoned wine. She had only said that Auntie Fang had caused her mother¡¯s death. She would get her revenge in this life and make sure that the evil actsmitted by the mother and daughter pair would be revealed to others.

    Her mother had, in a letter left to Mo Xuetong before her death, said that she had left a jade bangle in her father¡¯s study. Her mother told her to get it and keep it in remembrance of her. Mo Xuetong felt that this was very important. She had neglected too many things in her past life and she had not even been able to find out the reason behind her mother¡¯s death...

    Mo Huawen¡¯s study had a secretpartment. Mo Xuetong knew about this long ago. Her mother had told her about it a few days before she passed away.

    Mo Xuetong did not stay in Ziteng Garden for too long. Nanny Ming sent someone to send lunch to her, but she did not have much of an appetite. She only ate a little before going to Mo Huawen¡¯s study.

    She opened the secretpartment. There was indeed a clear jade bangle the color of water inside. The rity of the jade showed that it was an extremely precious item. She went to Auntie Fang¡¯s room after leaving her father¡¯s study. She had many things in her sleeves when she emerged!

    She was going to the capital to seek revenge this time. Revenge for her mother, herself, and her child. How could she not be more prepared when she was seeking revenge for the spilled blood of so many people!

    Even though she felt weak, she was energetic. She even ate half a bowl of rice at dinner. This made Mother Xu extremely pleased and even said that it was great that miss was back in her own home for she could be happy and eat more.

    After dinner, Mo Xuetong returned to her mother¡¯s courtyard. She got Mo Yu to wait at the courtyard entrance and entered alone.

    The courtyard was very quiet. Fallen leaves littered the ground and the autumn breeze was cold. There was only the sound of wind blowing on the screens. An indescribable sadness caused her eyes to fill. She bit her lips and walked toward the room door slowly.

    However, an enormous force dragged her to the side just as she entered the room. Arge hand wrapped around her throat and a sinister voice sounded beside her ear. "Shut up."

    The person dragged Mo Xuetong behind the screen where there was a narrow space behind therge bed. It was a good spot to hide. Mo Xuetong¡¯s body was weak and she could not struggle out of the person¡¯s grasp. She was easily pulled into the space. Her throat felt as if she was going to suffocate. Her back was pressed against a broad and hard chest and she could barely breathe.

    The hand that was held against her neck rxed slightly. Perhaps the person sensed that she was having trouble breathing.

    "Loosen your hold... what do you want... get... it yourself!" Mo Xuetong stood there obediently and spoke in a whisper.

    The person indeed loosed his hold after hearing that. She took a deep breath of fresh air. Just as she was about to speak arge hand pressed against her mouth. "Shut up if you wish to live!"

    Without waiting for her to react, therge window on the right of the bed released a clear rustling sound. It was gettingte and every sound in the quiet house could be heard. No one would be able to stay calm.

    Mo Xuetong turned her head around in shock to see a person in ck entering from the window. The person stepped on the windowsill lightly and entered it. Mo Xuetong did not light up any candles when she entered because she was going to leave in just a bit. She saw the person dressed in ck rifling through her mother¡¯s possessions through the weak light streaming through the window.

    The jewelry boxes on the dressing table that her mother had left behind had been rifled through thoroughly. There were not many things in them originally and they had been scattered everywhere on the table. The person had been thorough in his rifling and peered at the jewelry under the light at the window a few times. However, he put them down in disappointment each time. It was evident that none of them was the object he was looking for.

    Did the person think that these things were not of good quality? Mo Xuetong thought that her idea of the world was tilted. When do thieves ever look at the quality when they stole?

    "Miss, Mother Xu has prepared the carriage for us to return." Mo Yu¡¯s voice suddenly rang from the entrance. The sound of her footsteps approached.

    The person in ck paused. The figure moved even faster and jumped out of the window, disappearing outside in just a moment.

    "Get your maid to go away." The sinister voice said calmly by her hear. The hand on her mouth loosened and went to her throat. Mo Xuetong believed that if she said something wrong, those hands would kill her.

    "Mo Yu, hang on a while. I¡¯ll be right out after cleaning up mother¡¯s stuff." Mo Xuetong said calmly, taking two deep breaths. She had to listen to the person in such a situation. Even together with Mo Yu, they were no match for the person behind her.

    "Yes!" The footsteps stopped outside the door and then moved away. Evidently, Mo Yu had gone to speak with Mother Xu at the entrance of the courtyard.

    "Let me go. I won¡¯t shout. Those are all yours." Mo Xuetong tugged on the person¡¯s hand lightly and pointed at the jewelry scattered on the desk. She indicated that he could rx slightly. She would not cause trouble.

    The person paused as if he had not thought that the weak looking girl would be so straightforward. He loosened his hands but kept her in front of him. He put his hands on her shoulders threateningly, "You¡¯re the legendary weak and useless third miss of the Mo family. I did not expect you to be like this. You¡¯re quite different from what the rumors say!"

    She could not see his face because of his action and she had no inclinations of looking at the face of the person behind her.

    "Do you really have the time and mood to care about this? Quick let me go and take the things." Mo Xuetongughed coldly and reached out with her slender hands, knocking on the hands on her shoulders.

    "Are you really the third miss of the Mo family?" The person seemed to be interested and would not rest until he received an answer. Her calmness made her unlike a weak nobledy.

    "Yes. Can you please let me go now?" Mo Xuetong huffed.

    "Take out everything that¡¯s worth money in your mother¡¯s room. I¡¯m not a regr thief. I don¡¯t want these things. The person behind her bragged and held Mo Xuetong hostage as they walked forward slowly. Her shoulder was being crushed by the person. The force told her that her shoulders would break if he cracked down.

    Mo Xuetong followed his nudging to the front of the table. The surface of the dressing table was scattered messily with gold and jade jewelry. There was indeed not many eye-catching pieces. But they all used to belong to her mother. She reached into the dressing table and found a few gold, silver, pearl and jade objects and ced them on the table. Her mother had used these to weigh down the table and they were usually ced at the very back. One would not discover them if they were not careful.

    "The quality is too bad! Are you humoring a beggar?" The person behind her tsked. "Didn¡¯t your mother give you any jewelry to wear for asions?"

    "Mother¡¯s good quality items are all part of her dowry. They went with my father to the capital." Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and said lightly.

    "Your mother¡¯s dowry all went to your father? Shouldn¡¯t she leave it for her daughter, you?" The person behind her was very curious and had neverending questions. He did not spare a second nce at the gold and silver on the table.

    "Should she leave it here for people to steal?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glinted and she spoke coldly.

    "You¡¯re her daughter and you can¡¯t even protect her dowry. No wonder the rumors outside say that you¡¯re weak and useless. Looking at you, you might as well stay here and not be in any hurry to return to the capital!" The mocking statement had just ended when Mo Xuetong started struggling.

    The person could not defend himself in time. Just as he was about to tighten his grasp, he felt a pain at his foot. He said angrily, "What are you doing?" Just as he said that, his left hand which was ced on her shoulder started to hurt immensely. He looked up as she tugged on his hand and bit on the back of it forcefully.

    "Since you have time to stare at me, you naturally know what I want to do. I always seek revenge for wrongs done to me. I don¡¯t dare why you¡¯re staring at me, but I hope that you can see that I can only give you these essories. The worse that could happen is that I would l lose them all. There are many more people who are wealthier than I am in Cloud City. You are so skillful you can steal from anyone, but you came to steal from a weak girl like me."Mo Xuetong was especially calm. She shrugged off his hand forcefully. Then, she took a ss cup from the table and threw it on the floor decisively.

    The loud sound spread far and wide in the quiet night.

    "Miss, is something wrong?" Mo Yu¡¯s anxious voice could be heard from outside. She had yet toe in but her voice could already be heard.

    "Do you want to die!" The person growled viciously. His other hand that had not been bitten was sped tightly at her shoulder. Her slender arm felt as if it was about to break.

    "You can kill me out of pique right now, but is it worth it?" "You could have taken these things quietly but you stayed behind to be tortured by the person in front of you. If I¡¯m not wrong, you have other motives. While I¡¯m not someone important, it¡¯d still be troublesome for you if I die. The people of Cloud City have to answer to my father and have to find a way to solve this case. Of course, your skills look good. You might be able to escape. But you might not be able to do whatever it is you want to do. Anyway, since the matter is not unsalvagable, you canpromise for now. Since I have bitten you out of anger, I won¡¯t yell. Do whatever you want. We will not bother each other. That will be a win-win situation." Mo Xuetong said calmly.

    She knew that the person was not a random thief when he told her not to hurry back to the capital. How did the person know that she wanted to return to the capital? She did not think that she had any worth for an expert to secretly monitor hering and going.

    Then, it seemed that the person had other motives and had just spotted her. A person like this would not allow a random person to ruin his big job.

    She was very certain that the person could not do anything to her!

    Indeed, the breathing of the person behind her turned heavy. Even in front of him, Mo Xuetong could hear the sound of him grinding his teeth. Mo Xuetong felt a sudden warmth by her ear. Her ear was bit viciously before she could react. Following the piercing pain was a low evil voice, "I bit you too. remember, you owe me one!"

    Then, the person dissapeared from the window in a sh.

    "Miss." The door was pushed open heavily. Mo Yu and Mother Xu rushed in frantically pass the screen. They only rxed when they saw Mo Xuetong sitting quietly behind it.

    "I broke mother¡¯s cup by ident. "Mo Xuetong tampered down her wildly beating heart. For the first time, she was thankful that the sky had darkened early. They could only see her features vaguely and would not notice the flush on her face. Even though she was behaving calmly now, she was but just a girl. Her hand, which was ced at a corner of the table shook somewhat out of her control.

    She had lived two lives but have never experienced such an intimate act! Yet, the thief whose face she had not seen had taken advantage of her. How could she not be flustered and annoyed?

    "It¡¯s alright if you¡¯re alright, Miss." Mother Xu and Mo Yu heaved sighs of relief. Another maid entered and picked up the messy table and floor. Mo Xuetong got Mo Yu to keep all her mother¡¯s jewelry in a jewelry box and to take it with them. These were things left behind by her mother. While others might not think much of them, she treasured them.

 Chapter 6 Punishing Xuetongs Naughty Maid

    Mo Xuetong sat in the horse carriage, leaning against the seat deep in thought. Mother Xu and the other maids thought that she was not feeling well and did not dare to startle her. All was silent in the horse carriage, leaving only the clopping of horse hooves.

    She had intentionally brought to surface the incident with Lord Qin¡¯s concubine. She could not hide her matters from Mdm Yu because Mo Yu had been beaten to death.

    The two incidents had happened one after another. Old Madam Qin would definitely start suspecting Mdm Yu! This time there was concrete evidence that someone wanted to harm Auntie Wang¡¯s child. Mdm Qin would definitely feel that Mdm Yu was a vicious person! As long as Mdm Qin started suspected Mdm Yu, it would be easier to deal with Mdm Yu in the future!

    Lord Qin was said to be a filial son who obeys his mother.

    Furthermore, before she returned to the capital, she had to calm down and think about how to deal with the fake and vicious mother daughter pair!

    Indeed, just as Mo Xuetong expected, Mdm Yu was kicked out because of what happened to Auntie Li. Her rights as the matriarch had been taken away. Mdm Qin took up control over the inner courtyard herself. Mdm Qin felt that she could not allow anything to happen to Mo Xuetong in her own home after she almost drowned in theke. As such, she intentionally treated her even better.

    Without all the scheming and plotting, she did not have to plot and just had to wait silently for someone toe from the capital. She counted down, and it should not be too long until then. Someone woulde in the next few days. Mo Xuetong had already secretly asked her maids to secretly pack up her luggage. She had to leave this time no matter what!

    A few dayster, in Qingwei Garden.

    "Miss, Miss. Quick. Old Madam asked you to visit her. It seems like someone from home hase." The door curtains were lifted and Mo He rushed in anxiously. She did not have time to wipe her sweat and quickly repeated what the person Mdm Qin sent over had said, gesturing vividly while at that. A few of her closer maids at Qingwei Garden already knew that she had long nned to leave. They were all waiting for the day to arrive. As such, they were all very happy.

    "Miss, they are really here to fetch you. There are already horse carriages prepared outside." Mo He looked at her mistress with glittering eyes filled with worship when she realized that her mistress¡¯ predictions had reallye true.

    "Mo Lan, help me dress up. Mo He, ask the people outside to wait." Mo Xuetong straightened up from the couch and smiled lightly. Then, she slowly sat up with the help of Mo He.

    The carriage was still at the entrance and had not yet entered. However, Mdm Qin had already sent someone to get her. She was asking Mo Xuetong, the mistress, to wait for her servants. It was evident how the Qins and Mos thought of her. She didn¡¯t really have any ce in their hearts!

    She was the noble miss of the Mo family. There was no need for her to hurry out to meet servants!

    There was a cold smirk on her lips. This time, she would show those people who exactly was the true daughter of the Mo family! "Yes! Miss!" Mo He seemed as if she had taken a pill to ease her anxiety when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s orders. She turned around energetically and left to give orders.

    After Mo Xuetong cleaned and dressed up, she went to Shouan Garden. Mdm Qin was speaking with two nannies politely.

    The door curtains lifted. Mo Xuetong appeared at the entrance wearing a white dress. Because she was still in the mourning period, her dressing was very in. Her face, which still looked sickly and thin made her look pitiful. It was as if she did not know there were outsiders present. Mo Xuetong¡¯s tired face appeared to look slightly shocked when she saw the two nannies. Then, she lowered her head and walked up to Mdm Qin and greeted her.

    Mdm Qin was in a good mood when she saw how obedient Mo Xuetong was. She called out to Mo Xuetong affectionately to sit by her side. A maid had already brought her tea. Mo Xuetong took the tea and held it in her hands for warmth.

    "This is our Third Miss right. Madam had long said that Third Miss is the most filial. It seems true. She¡¯s much more outstanding than the other misses at home. She¡¯s about like Eldest Miss. Eldest Miss is a famous talented girl in the capital, and Third Miss seemsparable to her. It had been hard on old madam to help us care for Third Miss so well that she looks like a flower. She looks just like ourte Madam." The nanny on the left, who was in her mid-40s said. She stood up first and sized up Mo Xuetong with a smile. She wrung her handkerchief and praised Mo Xuetong. However, there the arrogance in her eyes could not be hidden.

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. She was here to show her who the boss was. The madam they were talking about should be Auntie Fang.

    "Mo He! p yourself!" The nanny had just spoken when Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. She smashed the teacup in her hands onto the table heavily.

    Mo He was been angry when she saw the olddy dared to mention "madam" in front of her mistress. When she received her mistress¡¯ order, she stepped up and pped the nanny twice viciously. The nanny backed away and almost fell down. Mdm Qin, who was at the side was shocked. Her eyes darkened. Then, she lifted her teacup and took a sip, not saying anything.

    "You did not even greet me when you saw me. Is this nanny not a servant of the Mo family? Or did Auntie Fang teach you so well that you only recognize her and not your other masters? After mother passed away, where did you find another madam? Or has my father forgotten the vow he made in front of my mother¡¯s tablet not to take another concubine? Nanny, please think carefully before you speak." Mo Xuetong was no longer as gentle as she was usually. She looked at the nanny and enunciated each word sharply, "Also, who gave you the guts topare the true Miss to another woman¡¯s daughter?"

    Nanny Li was taken aback by Mo Xuetong¡¯s questioning. She opened her mouth but could not answer.

    She was the most respected nanny by Auntie Fang¡¯s side and had always looked down on Mo Xuetong. That was why she had used Auntie Fang¡¯s name against Mo Xuetong earlier. If she had said "Madam" and Third Miss did not dare to object, then the matter would mostly be set. She would find another time to bring the matter to Old Sir and said that Third Miss had agreed. On the ount of Young Sir and Eldest Miss, Old Sir would marry Auntie Fang. Then, she would be a prized subject of Auntie Fang. Nanny Li had gone straight for this confidently when she came.

    However, she had not expected the Miss to be so sharp now and asked her maid to p her. Then, she had questioned her so much she was rendered speechless. Those around her looked at her mocking, pitiful and indifferent nces...She suddenly felt angry.

    She had always been respected with Auntie Fang and had never been so embarrassed. She had never been pped by a maid several decades younger than her. She felt embarrassed, and lengthened her neck saying aggressively, "Third Miss, what right do you have to hit me? I¡¯m a servant of Auntie Fang. You have to see who the owner is even if you¡¯re hitting a dog. Third Miss, you¡¯ve not given consideration to Auntie¡¯s face, how are you going to answer to her when you return to the capital?"

    "Kneel down!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was cold as she yelled sharply.

    Everyone in the house had never seen Mo Xuetong so angry before. They all looked at her in shock.

    Nanny Li trembled. She felt that Mo Xuetong seemed powerful and imposing, making her feel as if she could not breathe. Her heart beat wildly and she immediately seemed to lose all her imposing manner. Her legs could not help but feel weak and she knelt down.

    "Auntie Fang is just a concubine. Yet she dares to call herself Madam. Her servants also dare to belittle the true miss and be impolite. When did the Mo family lose its rules? This time when I return to the capital, Old Madam has to ask Sir when he made that woman Madam of the family. How dare he let a concubine shame the daughter of the main wife." Nanny Shen of the General Manor was happy for the Old Madam when she saw how angry Mo Xuetong was. She went up and said that to Nanny Li coldly.

    Nanny Li understood what was happening then. She did not dare to reply. She gritted her teeth and admitted defeat. She took two ragged breaths and then remained kneeling on the ground, greeting Mo Xuetong again.

    "Isn¡¯t this Nanny Li, the servant of Auntie Fang? Isn¡¯t Auntie Fang someone with lots of principles, when did the people by her side be so unruly so much that they cannot tell the difference between Madam of the family and a concubine?" Mo Lan said sarcastically and coldly by the side.

    Nanny Li knelt on the ground and was not asked to get up. She felt angry, and when she heard Mo Lan¡¯s words, she wanted badly to unleash her anger. However, she was only a servant here and without the support of Auntie Fang, she dared not do anything. She could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. Her face was red from her anger and she could not say anything.

    "Third Miss, this old servant is stupid! This old servant has been blind and deaf." Nanny Li could only lower her head. When she saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was still frigid, she knew that she was still angry. She gritted her teeth and kowtowed loudly several times. Her head hit the tiled floor, making loud cracking sounds. The old woman grimaced in pain.

    "Nanny Li, you are indeed stupid not being able to differentiate the concubine from the madam. How about when I return to the capital, I tell father to help Auntie Fang pick a few nannies so that others will not be blind and deaf to mistake the concubine from the true wife." Mo Xuetong said when Nanny Li¡¯s forehead became bruised and swelled up. Mo Xuetong looked indifferent as she said that while smoothing out the wrinkles on her sleeves.

    Nanny Li¡¯s breath hitched. She was careful not to reply, afraid that she might anger the miss if she were not careful.

    Mo Xuetong ignored the kneeling Nanny Li. She turned around and said, politely and gently, to Nanny Shen, "Is this Nanny Shen? How is grandmother doing?"

    "The Old Madam is doing well. She misses you and hopes that you can return soon. She was so happy she ate an extra half bowl of rice when she saw your letter. She was worried about you and sent me to fetch you back to the capital." Nanny Shen said with augh when she saw Mo Xuetong asking about the Old Madam. She was happy for the Old Madam.

    She did not expect that the seemingly weak and gentle young miss would take care of the arrogant woman on their first meeting. Nanny Shen was secretly impressed. The young miss was not as weak and useless as rumored. Nanny Shen could not help but be more gentle in her speech.

    The two talked about family matters and intentionally ignored Nanny Li who was kneeling there.

    Momentster, Mo Xuetong seemed to suddenly realize that Nanny Li was still kneeling on the ground. She said coldly, "Nanny Li, quick get up. I was so agitated I forgot that you were still kneeling here. I hadpletely forgotten while speaking with Nanny Shen. I reprimanded you for your memory, but it seems like I¡¯m the same."

    This was aplete p to Nanny Li¡¯s face. Nanny Li wanted badly to stand up and scold Mo Xuetong! However, she did not dare and pretended to be happy. She smiled dryly and said, "How can Third Miss say that. It is this old servant who did not pay attention first. I was so happy to see Third Miss that I forgot to greet you. I was wrong and have embarrassed myself in front of Third Miss."

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was frigid when she saw Nanny Li¡¯s pathetic appearance and she ignored her.

 Chapter 7 Planning to Gift the Orchid

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was frigid when she saw Nanny Li¡¯s pathetic appearance and she ignored her.

    "Grand-Aunt, Tong¡¯er is going to the capital. How can I leave you behind? How about you go with me to the capital? I will definitely be filial to you. "After dealing with Nanny Li, Mo Xuetong turned around to Mdm Qin and said that cutely. She pulled on Mdm Qin¡¯s sleeves and looked as if she could not bear to let go. This soothed Mdm Qin¡¯s upset feelings! She did not feel as unhappy as before about Mo Xuetong¡¯s impoliteness earlier.

    "Good girl. I will go to the capital too after some time. Come and visit me then." Mdm Qinughed happily.

    "Grand-aunt, you have toe quicker. Tong¡¯er will miss you. If not for you taking care of me while I¡¯m here...I might have long been dead..." A thoughtful look appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and tears appeared in her beautiful eyes. She looked at the woman longingly, pulling on the corner of Mdm Qin¡¯s shirt with her pale and tiny hands, not letting go no matter what.

    "Alright, I will go to the capital faster... Tong¡¯er is so obedient, how can my heart be set at ease." Mdm Qin was moved by Mo Xuetong. Furthermore, the nannies by her side kept telling her about the benefits of going to the capital and all she saw was Mo Xuetong¡¯s obedience. She had forgotten all the unpleasantness of the past and all she felt was affection for Mo Xuetong.

    She decided then, that she would bring her family with her to the city once her affairs in Cloud City were settled. Her grandsons were old enough. She had to settle their marriage! Especially that eldest grandson of hers who was very handsome and talented. Some of the women her age already had great-grandchildren.

    The orchid in front of them was indeed of high quality. The leaves were shiny jade green and there were eight flowers on the nt all from the same branch. However, the shape and color of the orchid flowers were all different and yet were connected by something small. The eight surfaces, while all different, all appeared on an orchid branch, making it look as if it was one whole object, making it look very interesting.

    "Miss, are we really taking this orchid to pay our respects to Madam?" Mo He hugged the orchid carefully and asked in confusion. Young master Xuan had paid a lot of money to find this orchid for Miss. She heard that young master Xuan had even given away a few of his treasured painting for the orchid. It was a pity to put it in front of Madam¡¯s altar and it could not be taken away.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly when she heard that. They would leave tomorrow and she hade today to pay respects to her mother especially. Luckily, Cousin Xuan had found the rare orchid, so it had increased the probability of their winning this trip. She heard that the nobledy loved flowers. She would definitely stop to admire this rare orchid.

    She did not want much. She just wanted the nobledy to like her and to give her an early opportunity to meddle in the matters between the nobledy and the lord.

    In this new life, she had to first find out about the matters between the nobledy and her mother¡¯s family. This orchid would give her the opportunity.

    "Mo He,ter, put down the orchid and go to the temple to find out what we need to do a rite. I want to ask Cousin Xuan to do a rite for my mother." Mo Xuetong did not answer Mo He. She gave the orders. She was about to leave and wanted to do a rite for her mother to appease her spirit. No matter what, she would get her revenge in this life. She would not let her mother die in vain!

    This immediately detracted Mo He¡¯s attention. She saw that while Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was calm, her eyes were red. She knew that Mo Xuetong was upset when she thought of her mother and did not dare to say anything else. She only nodded forcefully in acknowledgment of the order.

    The carriage arrived at Qingliang Temple while they were speaking. Because she was from a noble family, a little nun came to wee her.

    After settling everything, Mo He went to get information from the monks in the temple. Mo Xuetong brought an elderly maid with her and walked to the Longevity Hall where her mother¡¯s altar was.

    There were three levels in the Longevity Hall of Qingliang Temple. The outside most level was the biggest and was for those who died in the wild. Their family would help to light their altarmps. The second level was on the middle floor. Those from the noble families of Cloud City would have their altars here. Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was here. The inner-most level was the most mysterious. It was usually shut, and until today, the people of the Cloud City did not know whose altar was there.

    Mo Xuetong found out by chance that the altar of the mother of the eldest princess Mingzhu, was there. It was said that she was an ordinary pce maid and she did not even have a title and was not doted on. She died not long after giving birth to the eldest princess. There were too many of such people in the pce and no one would think of her.

    If not for the princess being brought up by the then Empress, the now Empress Dowager, there would not be anyone to light the altarmp. After that, a noble person had tried to suck up to the eldest princess. When he heard that her mother was from Cloud City, he built an annex hall for her in the temple of the city.

    The noble person Mo Xuetong thought of was the eldest princess, Mingzhu.

    In her past life, the incident of Cloud City had been revealed then while the eldest princess was in the city. This had happened right about now. Her grandfather, the general, had squabbled with the eldest princess. After that, the fall of the general had been orchestrated by Sima Lingyun, but it had definitely been influenced by the eldest princess. This time, she hade to show her good will, and also to unravel the unpleasantness between the general and the eldest princess.

    The eldest princess Mingzhu would definitely go to the Buddhist temple to pay her respects to her mother since she came to Cloud City. Mo Xuetong was certain that the eldest princess was at the hall right at the back.

    When she entered, Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes swept the entrance between the second and third door. She indeed discovered two guards standing there. They looked solemn and stood stiffly. Their gazes were sharp and blood-thirsty. There was only one ce that could train such people.

    Mo Xuetong saw that and she knew. She lifted her skirts and looked down. She found her mother¡¯s altarmp and silently knelt, praying silently.

    The elderly maid retreated to a side and waited for Mo Xuetong when she saw her praying silently. It was very quiet in the hall. They could only hear a little nun knocking on a wooden fish instrument at the corner and the soft recitations of the Buddhist scripture. There was a sad gentleness in the silence.

    The orchid was ced in front of the altarmp.

    Mo Xuetong immersed herself in the chanting dazedly. Her eyes were lowered, as was her head. After some time, a group of people hurried in from outside. The person at the very front was a young man who was in his 20s. He had a gold crown on his head and wore a teal colored robe with dark patterns. He was very handsome and seemed gentle and elegant. His smile was like the spring wind and he seemed like a gentleman. He could not help but make a sound of surprise when he walked past Mo Xuetong. His gazended on the orchid nt in front of the altarmp.

    "Master..." A guard behind him went up and bowed when he saw the man stop.

    The young man waved his hand. He did not look at Mo Xuetong who was kneeling with her head down and brought the people toward the annex hall inside. The hall grew quiet again.

    Mo Xuetong knelt silently for some time. She suddenly heard a wizened old voice asking, "Miss, are you the owner of this orchid?"

    Mo Xuetong looked up. It was a nanny who was about 40. She was slightly shocked when she saw Mo Xuetong look up. Then, she smiled and ask again, "Miss, may I ask if you are the owner of this orchid?"

    "This nt is indeed mine! Does nanny need something?" Mo Xuetong smiled and asked.

    "Would Miss be willing to let my master have this orchid?" the nanny asked. It was awkward for her too. Her master liked the orchid but did not want to be known for oppressing the weak. It was hard for her to manage the fine line.

    "Your master is..." Mo Xuetong smiled and asked unhurriedly.

    "Please forgive me, miss. It is inconvenient to reveal my master¡¯s identity. He wants to exchange this box of pearls for miss¡¯ orchid. Is it possible?" The nanny smiled politely. She took out a beautiful box and squatted down. She opened the box, revealing sixrge and beautiful eastern pearls.

    Eastern pearls were not produce of the Great Qin but from the Yan Kingdom. It was a rare object in the Yan Kingdom as well. Furthermore, they wererge and each and every one of them was full and round. It was difficult to find one, much less six. The maid by her side was shell-shocked. She came up and looked at Mo Xuetong meaningfully. While the orchid was precious, these eastern pearls were considered priceless. In terms of price, they far surpassed that of the orchid.

    They were indeed profiting if they exchanged an orchid for them.

    Mo Xuetong reached out a pale hand. She closed the box under the surprised gazes of the nanny and the maid. She traced the small characters on the box with her finger. There was a character for "pearl" written in dancing characters. She knew that the eldest princess¡¯s title was Bright Pearl and liked to adorn her things with the character "pearl".

    She looked up and smiled at the nanny. "Nanny, please take the box of eastern pearls back with you."

    Was this a refusal? The nanny¡¯s expression darkened. She had clearly seen that the girl had traced the character on the box lightly before she spoke. It was obvious that she knew who her master was. Since she knew that, how would she dare to refuse them casually?

    She was going to speak when Mo Xuetong continued.

    "A precious sword should be given to a swordsman while rouge should be given to beautiful women. Since your master really likes this orchid, I will give it to them. You don¡¯t need to give me the eastern pearls. I will be leaving this ce and do not have time to care for this nt." A light fog of sadness appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. She suddenly stood up and picked up the vase of orchid carefully. She wiped it carefully and gently before putting it in the nanny¡¯s hands together with the handkerchief wrapped around it. There was a look of reluctance on her face.

    She said meaningfully, "Thank you, nanny. This is for your master. I hope that she can investigate carefully."

    The object hidden in the handkerchief outside was what the eldest princess had to investigate carefully. Since she had given it to the princess it would end a rtionship between her and the general manor in the future.

    Except, Mo Xuetong had not thought that the rtionship between her and the eldest princess could not be broken no matter what...

    What would happen in the future, would bind her and the eldest princess closely together.

    Mo Xuetong knew that her intentions had been conveyed. She bowed deeply at her mother¡¯s altarmp and turned to leave with the elderly maid. Even the nanny, who had seen and gone through many things was shocked. She looked at the orchid in her hands and at the decisive retreating figure. She was surprised that the weak girl was so decisive and generous.

    "Give this to thedy." A gentle tinkling voice that was somewhat authoritative could be heard.

    "Yes!" The nanny did not dare to say much. She lowered her head and turned away. She bowed respectfully when she passed the young man. She saw that the ck boots with golden threads had stopped at where the youngdy knelt before the altarmp earlier. He did not move even after a long while.

 Chapter 8 The Plot Deepens as the Carriage Approaches the Capital

    Mo Xuetong set off early in the morning on the second day.

    The carriage had been waiting outside. Old Madam Luo from the general manor had especially sent her own carriage to pick Mo Xuetong up as she was worried that Mo Xuetong might feel ufortable. There was a soft seat in the carriage that was piled with thick leather nkets. There were a few cushions on the side as well, and there was also a desk. There was a little bookshelf with a few leisurely reads by the window.

    Cloud City was not too far from the capital, but it was not considered near either. Mo Xuetong and the group of people apanying her only arrived at the capital two weekster. Nanny Li, after having been taught a lesson by Mo Xuetong in Cloud City, became more obedient. She did not dare to create trouble. She treated Mo Xuetong very respectfully on the surface and would ask Mo Xuetong for instructions on all matters. She did not dare to disobey Mo Xuetong at all and seemed to have really surrendered.

    As such, the journey was considered smooth.

    That day, nanny Li got the carriage to stop when she saw the capital in the distance. She went to Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage and said with a smile, "Miss, how are you feeling? Do you want to rest? It is still early, so we might as well prepare ourselves so that we won¡¯t return to the manor in a mess. We shouldn¡¯t embarrass you."

    "Miss, a maid of nanny Li already rushed back early in the morning. She said she wanted to visit her mother before returning to the manor." Mo Xuetong had not yet spoken when Mo Lan reminded her softly.

    Mo Xuetong understood. She closed her eyes and nodded before saying gently, "Thank you, Nanny Li. Let¡¯s all rest."

    "Miss, the maid that nanny Li sent must have gone to do something. Why did you listen to her and stop for a rest? If she wants to go to report to Auntie Fang and Auntie Fang tries to do something to you? We had better return quickly and catch them off hand," Mo He said anxiously as lifted the curtains and looked out. She saw that the two carriages of maids and nannies had all gotten off and she started to worry.

    "What are you so anxious about? If they wanted to make preparations, they would have done so long ago." Mo Xuetong opened her eyes and sat up with a faint smile. For the sake of her health, they had not traveled fast. After two weeks of rest, herplexion did not look as haggard. Her faint smile, pale skin and bright eyes made one want to dote on her.

    How could she not know that Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin would try to cow her? In herst life, she had lost her reputation at the city gates and became the arrogant girl that everyone hated.

    Because of that, in the half a year after Mo Xuetong returned to the capital, not a single noble daughter in the capital wanted to befriend her and her marriage was postponed again and again.

    Back then, if not for Auntie Fang and her daughter setting her up at the city gate, she would not have been ostracised by all the noble daughters right after returning to the capital. After that, Auntie Fang had plotted against her without fear. When she thought of all that, Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands squeezed tightly under her sleeves. Her face grew pale and her eyes sharpened.

    "Miss..."Mo Lan could sense her emotional turmoil and she reached out to hold her worriedly.

    Mo Xuetong breathed out deeply and her expression rxed. She rxed her hands and epted the tea that Mo He offered her. She took a sip before saying faintly, "Mo Lan, go and wash up as well and then see if there is an extra carriage behind us."

    Their group only had three carriages and in herst life, another carriage appeared behind them out of the blue. It was a carriage simr to that of the carriages from the Mo manor. And that incident outside the city gates had happened because of a deliberate act by the driver of that horse carriage. One knew without thinking who had nned the incident!

    She looked up to see Mo He parting the carriage curtains. There was a cold light dancing in her eyes sharply. This time, she would definitely injure Mo Xuemin in one strike.

    Mo Lan returned shortly after. She put down the curtains after getting on and said anxiously in a whisper, "Miss, there really is an extra carriage behind the third one. They stopped when our carriage stopped but no one from the carriage got down. There is only a burly teen driving the carriage and the style of the carriage looks like ours. I got a nanny to go investigate and the driver drove her away nastily."

    "How could that be? Didn¡¯t the manor only send two carriages to pick up Miss?" Even Mo He, who was usually careless felt that something was wrong. Her expression was uneasy as she wanted to lift the curtains to look out but was stopped by Mo Xuetong¡¯s outstretched hand.

    "Miss, we¡¯ve rested for a while and can set off now. If we return to the city now, we can make it in time for lunch at the manor. Everyone has had a hard time, we can have a good lunch and rest after. Old sir will be home then too. He¡¯d be very happy to see Miss arriving." Mo Xuetong had not yet spoken when nanny Li¡¯sughing voice could be heard.

    Mo Xuetong gave Mo Lan a look and mouthed, "Buy time!"

    "Nanny Li, thank you for your troubles. We have to wait for a little. Miss is a little dizzy from the ride and we have to rest for a while more before we can go." Mo Lan raised the carriage curtains and smiled apologetically at nanny Li.

    "But it¡¯s gettingte!" Nanny Li looked at the sky, flustered. There was a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She had sent the letter long ago and saw the horse carriage that had suddenly appeared them. She knew that Auntie Fang had nned everything and was waiting for Third Miss to fall into the trap. If they waited any longer, it might ruin Auntie Fang¡¯s ns.

    "Nanny, do you mean that we should ignore Miss and have to go to the capital immediately?" Mo Lan¡¯s expression was icy cold.

    It was not right for the servant to refuse her mistress rest when she was unwell. Nanny Li was speechless, she dared not say something like that. It was still early, and even if they dawdled, it should not be much trouble. As such, she agreed. Thedy in the car was so sickly, and she could not afford anything to happen to her on their journey.

    When nanny Li left, Mo Xuetong ordered softly, "Mo Lan, go with nanny Shen to the side of the road to see if there are any other horse carriages passing by. If there is, we will travel to the capital behind them.

    Mo Xuetong had not guessed wrongly. Mo Lan could not hide her happiness as she got onto the horse carriage and told Mo Xuetong, "Miss, there is a horse carriageing. It is very long and looks like it¡¯s from a noble family. Are we going to follow them into the capital?"

    "What did nanny Shen say?" Mo Xuetong nced at her.

    "Nanny Shen said she could not tell which family the carriage belongs to. There aren¡¯t any signs on the carriage, but it is definitely from a wealthy and powerful family in the capital. She also asked you to be careful. The horse carriage following us has the Mo crest on it. It looks like it was sent by the manor to pick you up. But nanny Li did not mention it," Mo Lan said carefully.

    Mo Xuetong lifted a corner of the curtains and saw a luxurious horse carriage passing by. It was pulled by a pure white horse and from its strides, one could see that it was a good horse. The wind caused the satin curtains to flutter, but one could not see who it was behind it. But it was natural for such arge horse carriage to have blinds, so it was normal not to see anything. She scanned the curtains and saw a faint mark. Her pupils suddenly contracted and her hands, which were holding a teacup tremored lightly.

    It was someone from the royal family. Only those from the imperial family could use the sign of the dragon. However, this was something she needed the most right now.

    "Miss, what are we going to do now?" Mo Lan asked by her side.

    Mo Xuetong looked down, her longshes fluttered. When she looked up again, her eyes were cold and calm, making one feel assured. "Mo Lan, take this and ask to see the owner of the carriage. Say that someone is plotting against me and say that I¡¯m willing to use this rare music sheet in exchange for their help to be our witness." She took out name card of the General manor. The Old Madam had asked nanny Shen to bring it to her. Before considering victories, one had to first consider failures. She had to keep the upper hand.

    "Yes." Mo Lan knew that the matter was urgent. She took the name card and hurried off the carriage.

    Mo Xuetong then ordered Mo He, "Take nanny Li to the side for a chat. And then tell her we are going to set off."

    Mo He replied in ascent and got off the carriage. The horse carriages set off again. In order to prevent any idents, nanny Shen and Mo He intentionally swapped carriages. Nanny Shen got onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage and asked the driver to wait for seven or eight carriages to pass them before following at a sedate pace behind.

    They could see the capital gates from afar. There was a hanging bridge that was set on the opposite end of the shore on the protective moat around the capital. It was noon and there were many people entering and leaving the city. They would asionally see a few fast horses running by them with servants on their backs. They were members of the group following noble sons out to the countryside to y.

    The only thing that the capital did notck was noble sons who took their horses out to have fun.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage followed the horse carriages in front closely, slowly entering the capital. Nanny Li sat on the horse carriage at the back and only kept watch if thest carriage had caught up with them. She had not discovered that her own horse carriage had already joined another group. Because there were many people entering the capital, the horse carriage procession had lost its original formation. They were no longer following one behind another. Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage followed stealthily behind and was in the middle of another procession.

    Nanny Shen went onto the first horse carriage. Nanny Li made an excuse of finding another woman at the back to speak about something and got onto the third horse carriage. They were about to enter the capital. Nanny Li pushed open the windows of the carriage at the back and took out a brightly colored handkerchief. She waved it outside the window and the carriage driver behind that had been following behind all this while immediately understood.

    He pulled the reins forcefully. The horse neighed in pain and raised its forelegs into the air. Then, it charged into the fray. They had just entered the capital gates and others had realized that the horse carriage procession was not your usual procession. They had long let them past onto the main road of the city. It was not a narrow path and as long as the horse did not charge into a group of people, it would not knock into anyone.

    However, the horse carriage charged into a group of people, causing them to scatter everywhere. There were startled screams, and then, there was a shrill scream. It sounded as if something heavy had fallen onto the ground. Following that, was a shrill voice, "Someone¡¯s dead. Someone¡¯s dead! The voice sounded old as if it belonged to an elderly person.

    It had indeed happened. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew cold as she sat up in the horse carriage.

    The groaning sound was apanied by a loud shout of pain. It was louder than the fussing crowd! The voice was not soft and it sounded fake.

    The path became crowded since an ident had urred. There were so many people that the luxurious carriage in front could not get onto the path and had to stop.

 Chapter 9 Fight at the Capital Gates

    The horse carriages were blocked and the passers-by and a crowd of maids watched the scene from their carriages. Just as themotion was growing, a few shouts could be heard from the front of the city gates.

    "Who is it blocking the road? Give way give way!"

    Everyone turned to look at another procession of horse carriages approaching. There were a few young and proud noble young men sitting atop of their horses. The servants walking by their sides yelled for the people in front to give way.

    Because the horse carriages hade so quickly, the crowd quickly made a path.

    A few beautiful horse carriages arrived at the scene under the escort of the few noblemen.

    "What happened here?" The handsome but cold young man at the front asked. He looked slightly unhappy when he saw the scene.

    "The carriage hit and killed someone, killed someone." The elderly person lying on the ground made an evenrger fuss. He rolled around on the ground hugging his leg looking as if he were in so much pain he could not stand up. Everyone¡¯s attention was on the ground and then they looked at the horse carriage across.

    "Third sister, is it your carriage?" A surprised voice caught everyone¡¯s attention. A gentle and beautiful face appeared in the carriage behind the handsome nobleman. Her colorful clothes made her face look beautiful. She wore an essory in the shape of two pearl blossoms made out of pearls. There were gold threads engraved by the side making them look like flying butterflies. Jade hung from her earlobes and she looked elegant and demure. She looked proper and while she had put in effort to dress up, it looked effortless.

    She was a elegant beauty.

    Mo Xuetong froze visibly when she heard the voice. A hint of coldness shed through her clear eyes. Mo Xuemin!

    How could she forget! It was a name she hated deeply. She would not forget it even if she returned to hell and experienced reincarnation...

    Mo Xuemin was indeed waiting for her here! But she hade just at the right time...

    "Elder sister? Did youe to fetch me upon receiving news? There are many people here, so it is not time for us to speak. Your younger sister will thank you first." A sweet and gentle voice could be heard from the carriage. It was a moving sound that made everyone around quietened down. Which nobledy was this who had such a charming voice?

    The handsome young man in the luxurious carriage put down the book in his hands. A glint of light shed in his eyes. For the first time, he listened carefully.

    "Who is it?" You Yuecheng, a nobleman from the Ming Kingdom, who was part of Mo Xuemin¡¯s party turned to look at Mo Xuemin with a frown.

    "It is my third sister. She¡¯s returning to the capital from Cloud City, but I didn¡¯t expect her to cause such trouble. She has led a sheltered life and would not know how to handle such matters." Mo Xuemin got off from the carriage and exined to You Yuecheng gently. She wore a pink patterned dress that made her skin look as pale as snow. Then, she epted a cape from Mo Jin and put it on regally.

    It sounded as if she was helping Mo Xuetong exin the matter but was actually confirming that Mo Xuetong had caused the incident. She meant to imply that Mo Xuetong was selfish and domineering. She was so arrogant to hurry her horse carriage and run it into a crowd of people upon her return to the capital. You Yuecheng¡¯s gaze darkened. Even though he was spoiled, he hated arrogant behavior. Furthermore, he studied martial arts and had a position in the army. He naturally behaved like a soldier. He liked how Mo Xuetong had spoken gently but the feeling turned into one of dislike upon hearing what Mo Xuemin said.

    "Eldest Miss Mo, isn¡¯t your third sister from Cloud City the one you said who¡¯s disobedient and behaves arrogantly and rudely to her elders? Isn¡¯t she the Third Young Miss Mo who failed at music, chess, art, and literature?" Another noble daughter lifted her carriage curtains and asked curiously.

    "There are mistakes in the rumors. My third sister is decent, even though she does not do well in music and chess...but the others are all wrong." Mo Xuemin defended Mo Xuetong stutteringly. Even though she looked as if she was a good elder sister defending her younger sister, it just made others wonder if Mo Xuetong was worse than what the rumors said.

    Then, Mo Xuetong turned around and spoke to Mo Jin who was behind her gently, "Mo Jin, give the old man some silver and ask him to see a physician first. He cane to the Mo manor to look for us if there really is something wrong. He¡¯s been injured but he¡¯s still here and not seeking treatment, that¡¯s not right. If his leg is really broken, it¡¯d be hard for him to make a living in the future." She sounded as if she pitied the man and was very gentle, giving others a favorable impression.

    Mo Jin hurried to take out some silver and gave it to the old man. Then, she even told him that there was a medicinal hall not far from this street and told the man to hurry to visit the physician.

    One was so arrogant to stay in the carriage after knocking into someone and then to ignore the matter, not revealing her face. It made others feel as if she thought it was none of her business.

    The other cated the old man gently and even gave him money to see the physician. She had not shirked her responsibilities and even told that man that he could go to the Mo manor to ask for money if anything happened.

    It was obvious who had won and who hadn¡¯t, and who was better than the other.

    Everyone looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage in disdain.

    The old man immediately smiled happily when he got the money. He sat up immediately and held Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand and thanked her profusely. He even said that she was a fairy who had a kind heart and even muttered about how a fairy would have such an evil girl for a sister. It was so unfair of God.

    A young man by the side ran over and helped the old man off the ground, wanting to help him away.

    There would be no evidence if they left! Mo Xuemin was indeed vicious. It was a pity that she had really thought Mo Xuemin was sincere at helping her. She had done all everything she could for her "good" sister. No wonder she only understood at her death that she was the one who had caused the tragedy that was her life.

    Mo Xuetongughed to herself. Then, she asked softly, "Old sir, please hold on. Shouldn¡¯t you wait for the truth to be revealed? Elder sister, why were you so sure that it must have been me who knocked him down?"

    Her first question was for the old man and her second was for Mo Xuemin.

    "Third sister, you should bear the responsibility if you knock into someone. Don¡¯t be afraid. Father will definitely help you sort out this sort of things when you return to the manor. It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t be afraid." The gentle voice seemed to beforting Mo Xuetong. However, the words seemed especially vicious.

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. However, her voice sounded gentle and somewhat perplexed. "Elder sister, when did my carriage knock into someone? The manor only sent two carriages for me and only that many maids. Do you think Aunt will send so many carriages to pick me up?"

    Mo Wenhua was not a high ranking official. In the capital, where it was teeming with nobility, he was insignificant. The daughters of nobility usually take three carriages when they travel. Mo Xuetong was just the daughter of a fifth-grade official in the capital. Even if it was a long journey, it was impossible for her to take more than three carriages. Furthermore, why would a stepmother give her stepdaughter so many carriages just to give her face?

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face grew dark under her hat. She had not expected that Mo Xuetong, who had been weak and cowardly after her mother passed away, would dare to contradict herself in front of so many people. And every word she used had been against her. This made her feel speechless. However, she could control her emotions very well and she immediately said with a smile,

    "Third sister, it is just a small matter. Father will not me you. Quick go home. Everyone in the manor knows you¡¯re returning and have been waiting for you for long. Shall I help you settle this matter over here?" Mo Xuemin said gently. Her speech was full of concern. Such a woman portrayed an image of an elder sister concerned for her younger sister. She hadpletely ignored what Mo Xuetong had said earlier.

    Everyone looked at Mo Xuetong with even more disdain. Her elder sister had already stoop to such apromise but she refused to admit her mistake. It was so unreasonable!

    Mo Xuemin was such a good actress! Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were filled with a faint mocking. She knew how to pretend to be weak as well.

    She epted a cape from Mo Lan¡¯s hands and then got off the carriage holding the handle. She walked off the carriage in a dainty manner. The wind caused her white dress to flutter, making her seem even more thin and weak. It made one feel that she was gentle and delicate.

    "Many thanks for your worry, elder sister. However, this carriage really isn¡¯t mine. I don¡¯t know why you insist that it is mine right after you appear. Do you recognize the driver or that the carriage belongs to our manor? Or did you know long ago that..."Mo Xuetong let the question trail off meaningfully. Her sweet and gentle voice gave others a favorable impression of her. Thest question especially, started to make others think.

    You Yuecheng who was standing by the side looked at the girl across him with afrown.

    The girl was tiny and even though she looked dainty standing there, she had an aura of stubbornness. She did not look an inch spoiled or arrogant. He could not help but look at Mo Xuemin suspiciously.

    "..." Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile froze on her face and she was speechless. She opened her mouth but could not say anything. A hint of darkness shed in her eyes. When had the dumb and useless chit learn how to speak so eloquently?

    The driver sitting on the horse carriage suddenly had an idea as he watched on. He rushed at Mo Xuetong and yelled, "Third miss, your servant followed you all the way here. How can you ignore me now that something has happened? I have parents and children to feed. You cannot just leave me in the lurch."

    Then, he hurriedly got off the carriage and rushed up to Mo Xuetong. He knelt in front of her and started to cry and make a fuss.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s brows narrowed! How would the servant of a wealthy family dare to do such a thing? He had rushed up to Mo Xuetong in the middle of the day and ignoring all etiquette. If he touched his mistress, it would ruin her reputation. How could someone so ignorant of customse from a wealthy family?

    The carriage driver¡¯s actions were indeed stupid. Mo Xuemin wondered where her mother found such a stupid creature. She was very annoyed. However, the matters had alreadye to this stage, she could only just continue. She deliberately ignored Mo Xuetong¡¯s questions and changed the topic gently. "Third sister, nobody wants something like this to happen. You¡¯d better go back first. I¡¯ll settle this."

    "You¡¯ve knocked down someone and dare not admit it. Miss, if the carriage driver belongs to your family, then he belongs to your family. Look, the carriage looks exactly like the ones behind you. You can¡¯t shrug this off even if you wanted to." The old man who had been helped up said fussily, his eyes spinning slyly. his voice was not loud, but it was sufficient for everyone to hear. Everyone¡¯s gazes could not help butnd on the carriages behind Mo Xuetong. Indeed, even it looked the same down to the minute detail. They were obviously the same set of carriages.

    "Elder sister, you are agreeing with them and insist that I brought the carriage and that it is from the Mo manor. Shall I see what¡¯s in the carriage? I came from Cloud City and knocked down someone the moment I entered the capital. You say that it is my carriage, but could it be that I don¡¯t know how many carriages I have? Since this is so, nanny Shen, open the carriage and let elder sister see whether the carriage she insists is mine is really mine!"

    When she mentioned that, everyone nodded. They would see be able to tell if it belonged to the Mo manor then.

    What was said was useless. The fact would triumph over any argument!

    The carriage driver grew anxious when he heard that. He hurriedly jumped up to stop them saying that it was just some random knickknacks in the carriage and would not let anyone examine it.

    "Since you came with Miss all the way and Miss has already said to let everyone see, what can you, a driver say? Did Miss put in something good in there? We rushed here from Cloud City and then you behave so secretively and won¡¯t let anyone see, and you even put the me on Miss when you got into trouble in the capital..." Nanny Shen was already furious and did not allow the driver to speak. She waved her hand and asked two servants from her carriage, ignoring whatever nanny Li was saying. Then, she climbed onto the carriage and pulled open the curtains.

 Chapter 10 Defeating the Hypocritical Elder Sister

    Mo Xuemin felt threatened when she saw the suspicious gazes of the people around them. She wrung her handkerchief and her heart skipped a beat. However, she could only watch as the maid moved to pull the curtains open.

    The two maids moved quickly. They went up to tug at the curtains forcefully. The blue cloth curtains were pulled down and floated onto the ground.

    Everyone stared at the empty carriage with wide eyes. They could not help but gasp. There were no knickknacks inside. In fact, there was nothing in the empty carriage.

    "I came from Cloud City which is a distance away. But I would rather let the maids all squeeze in a carriage and leave thest carriage empty. Do you think I¡¯m stupid?" Mo Xuetong had been waiting for this scene. Then, she said angrily, "Or does elder sister think that I¡¯vee to the capital just to knock someone down intentionally and cause trouble? Is that why you imed that I knocked someone down without even rifying things?"

    There was no confusion about the situation. It was obvious that the driver was framing the third miss of the Mo family.

    And, the actions of the eldest miss of the Mo family was also unusual. Thedies in the other horse carriages all listened intently and started to think deeply.

    The other people present no longer scolded Mo Xuetong. Instead, they all looked at Mo Xuemin. Many were looking at her suspiciously.

    Mo Xuemin was also looking at the empty carriage incredulously while scolding Auntie Fang for being stupid in her heart. She could have put a few trunks or random trash in. How could she leave the carriage empty? Wouldn¡¯t this make it obvious that they were plotting against Mo Xuetong!

    "Third sister..." Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression was awkward. She wanted to exin when she saw the reactions of those around them.

    "Nanny Shen, how are thews like in the capital? In Cloud City, if something like this cheating case that ruins the reputation of a daughter of an official happens, they would have their possessions taken away and be whipped 50 times," Mo Lan winked and said to nanny Shen.

    The old man who had been knocked down suddenly grew anxious. His eyes moved shiftily and he started to look around.

    Nanny Shen immediately understood what Mo Lan was up to. She replied just as loudly, "Thews in the capital are of course stricter than Cloud City. We are right under the eyes of the emperor, and yet someone had dared tomit such a crime so tantly. In cases of cheating, 50 whippings are not enough. They would also be marked and their family would be ves and would never be able to raise their heads up high again."

    The marking punishment in the Great Qin was carving words on one¡¯s face. Once this was done, they would be deemed criminals for life and even their descendants would be lower ss citizens.

    The driver¡¯s face paled immediately. On the other side, the old man who had been knocked down looked pale as well. His injured leg was standing on the ground and if one looked closely, it was trembling slightly.

    "Third sister must be joking. I was wrong. I thought it looked like our carriage. But I have wronged third sister." Mo Xuemin¡¯s face twitched slightly. She had calmed down and did not bother to exin again. She walked over warmly and with concern, holding Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand looking as if she was cating someone. She said gently, "Third sister had just returned to the capital and it is rather unlucky for you to have encountered such a thing. It¡¯s not good to make a fuss of the matter. If you go to court, others might speak badly of you and say that you want to create trouble. Father will not be happy about this."

    The driver and the old man rxed slightly when they heard that they did not have to go to court. They looked at each other secretly and both looked happy.

    Mo Xuemin was certain that Mo Xuetong dared not go to court. In the hundred years of Great Qin administration, there really was not a single nobledy who would go to court without considering their status. Mo Xuetongughed to herself coldly. However, Mo Xuemin was wrong.

    "You knocked into someone and still want to deny responsibility. Does the Great Qin have nows? Or does the capital have no punishment? A burst of crispughter rang suddenly.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s attention was focused on the luxurious horse carriage when he first spotted it. Other than staring at Mo Xuetong for a while, he spent most of his time sizing up the horse carriage in confusion. When he heard the voice, his expression changed and his mind whirled. He finally recalled who the person was!

    "Men, take them to court. I have seen the whole thing and will be a witness for Third Young Miss Mo. It is not difficult for us to go to court." The person in the carriage said with augh without waiting for Mo Xuetong to reply.

    Two armed guards immediately appeared from behind his carriage. They moved quickly toward the driver and the old man.

    The old man and driver who had been hiding by the side and watching the scene saw that things were going pear-shaped. They rushed into the crowd of people and ran in separate directions.

    The two guards gave chase. However, there were too many people and the two were lost in the crowd.

    Everyone understood when they saw the old man and the driver diving into the crowd one after another.

    Everyone was filled with anger when they thought of how Mo Xuemin had framed the nobledy together with the old man and the driver. They all criticized her and the words they used grew uglier and uglier.

    Mo Xuemin could only grit her teeth and bear the criticism. She had always been cunning and knew that she had lost today. She could not get angry now. As such, she pretended as if she had not heard what the crowd was saying and said warmly to Mo Xuetong, "So it is indeed true that someone has framed third sister. I was wrong today and caused you to suffer. If you¡¯re still angry, then be angry at me. I won¡¯tin about it or tell father because I deserve it. We must not let this incident cause a chasm between us and we have to get along well."

    Her words hit just the right spot. It had not only revealed her shorings and she had humbly admitted that she was wrong. It put her in good light.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes shone with warmth and regret. No matter how one looked, she felt like an older sister who had hurt her sister by mistake. Some of the people who were criticizing that Mo Xuemin had plotted against her own sister piped down.

    Mo Xuemin was indeed a formidable opponent. However, Mo Xuetong had put in so much effort to create such a scene. How could she let her go so easily?

    "Elder sister, your words have made me feel ashamed. It is I who is in the wrong. I don¡¯t know who I¡¯ve offended so much that they would plot against me the moment I enter the capital. I even ruined your kind intentions and have made you worry," Mo Xuetong said, wronged and ashamed. She would not lose in presentation given how Mo Xuemin had reacted.

    She ced herself in an even lower position than Mo Xuemin. Coupled with her weak and gentle look and the incident earlier, it made others feelpassionate towards her.

    Even though the people in the crowd did not say anything, the noble sons and daughters all knew. She was just a weak girl. How could she offend someone? The person had used a simr carriage and waited for her to enter the capital to knock someone down before pushing the me on her. Then, they thought about how her elder sister had said that she would help to settle the matter but did not speak up for her. It was obvious that it was intentional.

    Every family had their own matters. Except, they did not expect that the Eldest Young Miss of the Mo family who was both beautiful and talented was so two-faced. She was a conniving person and was very different from her outward appearance of being gentle and generous. A few of thedies who hung out with Mo Xuemin grew more wary of her.

    "We are sisters, we don¡¯t have to be so polite to each other. Third sister, return to the manor with me. There are many people here and it is not convenient to speak here. Since I met you here, I shan¡¯t go out anymore. Let me bid the other young masters and miss goodbye and I¡¯ll return with you. Father has been waiting for you to return."

    She had said this to excuse herself and had said it so sincerely. Every move she made felt sincere and some of the people around started to waver. They felt that the gentle eldest miss had not been aware of the plot either.

    There were some in the crowd who were also gossiping about Mo Xuemin, and the number of people speaking up for her grew as well. Mo Xuemin heaved a sigh of relief. Even though she had lost today, it was not too bad. She would deal with the little slut when they returned to the manor.

    Then, Mo Xuemin turned around to bid the others a gracious and gentle goodbye. Aspared to their friendliness earlier, thedies and sirs treated her lukewarmly. They barely spoke with her and were very cold towards her. Some of the otherdies even pulled down their curtains and shuttered their windows. They barely paid attention to her and then did not speak again.

    Mo Xuemin knew that this was because Mo Xuetong aroused their suspicions. She gritted her teeth hatefully in secret but still smiled politely.

    Everyone saw that there was nothing to watch anymore and the crowd dispersed. The path became clear again. The driver of the luxurious horse carriage raised his horse whip as if he wanted to move off. You Yuecheng suddenly walked up and put his hands together to greet the luxurious horse carriage. "Is the Crown Prince in the carriage?"

    "It is me. Is it the Ming Kingdom¡¯s duke¡¯s son? Did you stop me for something?" The person in the carriageughed softly. He was elegant and gentle.

    "I don¡¯t dare to stop you. But is your highness here for the Empress¡¯ birthday? I have some ideas and I wonder if we can discuss it?" You Yuecheng said.

    "It is gettingte. I will definitely invite you to my manor in theter days after I have rested. I shall leave now." The person in the horse carriage gave a tinklingugh that was smooth and clear.

    You Yuecheng did not insist. He took two steps back and put his hands together in a greeting. "Then I will definitely visit your highness another day."

    "Sir, please be at ease. You may just address me as sir here." The horse carriage started. The clear and warm voice was apanied by a rxed tune. The tune reverberated, sounding like the flowing springs in the mountains, or like the moving clouds. It sounded out of the world, and those who heard it looked at the horse carriage driving away respectfully...

    Mo Xuetong took Mo Lan¡¯s hand and got onto the horse carriage while Mo Xuemin had walked away. She took out a book from the mini bookshelf at the back of the carriage and gave it to Mo Lan who ced it in her sleeves. She got off the carriage and while the horse carriages were passing, passed the book into another carriage. A slender hand belonging to a woman took the book and flipped through it casually before putting it on a beautifully crafted box beside her.

    In the spacious carriage, was a handsome young man who looked to be 17 or 18. He leaned against a clean couch and his voice was smooth and elegant. His voice was like ice and jade colliding. He was extremely good looking, and his eyes were as dark as ink. He flipped through the book on the table with a smile, a look of ease on his face. His disposition was like the white clouds in the sky that remained the same over the years shielding the rising sun. Yet, he was like the water in an ancient pool, calm and warm. His luxurious white robes were elegant, and his skin was pale and clear like the moon.

    The music suddenly stopped. A beautiful maid knelt on the ground raising a beautiful box above her head. A long and strong hand took it and flipped through it. There was a faint smile on the handsome and wless face.

 Chapter 11 Goodbye, Mo Huawen

    "Sir, why did we not rush in ording to n earlier. Instead... the General Manor does not usually have dealings with you." There was a beautiful woman wearing pink in the carriage. She sat to the side, making tea. Her actions were well-practiced and graceful. She stopped and asked curiously.

    "The General Manor? We, of course, have to deal with them. I heard that the Eldest Young Master Luo is quite the character... Furthermore, we can work with this music sheet." It was an extremely handsome man who said thiszily. He was about 17 or 18 and was as beautiful as a piece of jade. Most importantly, he had a secretive aura. His aura was like ice that had not melted in millennia. It shone beautifully and yet, it was like extremely calm waters in an ancient pool.

    "But, some of your ns would have to be changed for this... Isn¡¯t the price a little too heavy..." The beautiful woman looked up. She was as beautiful as a flower. Her jade-like fingers moved nimbly over the boiling water. They were like dancing ice orchids jumping on the cliffs. They were like fire, and also like ice.

    "ns always have to change to seed. So there is no need to talk about whether the price to pay is high or not. Isn¡¯t the price of this music sheet worth it? It is said that my royal grandmother likes these the most. If I give it to her, wouldn¡¯t I seem more filial..." The handsome manughed gayly. He leaned back against the couch, looking casual and leisurely.

    "But, sir..."

    The beauty wanted to say something else but was interrupted by his crisp voice. "There¡¯s no need to say anything else. Prepare an invitation in two days and invite Eldest Young Master Luo for a meeting to discuss poetry."

    "Yes." The woman did not dare to say anything else when she saw the man looking as if he were far away.

    Mo Huawen had already returned to the manor when Mo Xuetong returned. He frowned and did not say anything when he heard that the third miss had returned. He only waved his hand and got the servants to pack up her things and nothing else. Then, he went to his office to work.

    Mo Xuetong did not have much luggage. She asked Mother Xu to send someone to help her pack up. The people from the General Manor left. After all, this was the Mo¡¯s home and Mo Xuetong was a family member. Since she had been sent for, then the matters afterward should be discussed by the two families. Nanny Shen was perceptive. She took those with her and left after bidding Mo Xuetong goodbye.

    Mo Xuetong saw a well-dressed woman the moment she got off the carriage. The woman had brought arge number of maids and servants to wee her. She had a high bun and wore a red satin shirt that was embroidered with golden threads. The red was almost true red and if one did not look closely, they would not be able to tell that it was not exactly red. She also had on a pair of gold pants that were embroidered with hundreds of birds. Her eyes were coy and there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Her appearance made one feel rxed, and if one looked closely, they would see a resemnce between her and Mdm Yu. However, she appeared to be coy.

    Even though she was more than 30 years old, she looked to only be in her 20s! This was the woman who had killed her mother in her previous life. She was the Auntie Fang who had brought misery to her previous life. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew cold, as did her heart. She fisted her hands tightly under her sleeves. A sharp blood-thirsty look shed in her eyes.

    Auntie Fang noticed Mo Xuetong getting off the carriage and hurriedly released her maid¡¯s hands. She went up to Mo Xuetong and held her hand warmly, saying, "Third miss, you¡¯re back. How was your journey? You¡¯ve traveled for so many days, how do you feel? I told Old Sir to tell you not to hurry back, but he insisted on asking you to hurry back to the capital. How can I feel at ease about that? I have been worried about you for the past few days. But it¡¯s great that you¡¯re finally back. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re a little weak. I¡¯ve already asked the servants to make soup. Drink a bit of soup and then go rest."

    This woman had always been able to act well. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had been shamed at the entrance of the city because she had cried and acknowledged the woman¡¯s identity as the first wife. Now that she thought about it, the woman must have been pleased whileughing at her secretly. She was such a good actress, how could she not be in awe of such a woman!

    She reached out and withdrew her hand from Auntie Fang¡¯s grasp silently and hid the emotion in her eyes. She looked up and smiled gently. "Auntie, it¡¯s been hard on you. Father rushed me home for the family ancestral rites. It ising soon, and as the legal daughter of this family, how can I be ill and not be able to get up likest time? That¡¯s too unfilial. I had to let big sister take my ce in the rites. That¡¯s too hard on her!"

    She lowered her head shamefully on purpose and said that regretfully. Indeed, a trace of hate appeared on Auntie Fang¡¯s face when she said that.

    The Mo family ancestral rites would take ce in a few days. Usually, only children of the first wife could enter and pay their respects. Children of concubines could only stay outside. Last year, Mo Xuetong had been made to stay in Cloud City. As such, Mo Xuemin had entered to do the rite on behalf of Mo Xuetong. This was also why Mo Xuemin could be friends with the other nobledies. Otherwise, how could a daughter of a concubine hang out together with the youngdies and men of the duke¡¯s manor? This was because she had been treated with regard during the ancestral rites.

    The ancestral rites showed off how one was regarded in the family. In herst life, she had only returned home two yearster. Mo Xuemin had been the one to take her ce in the rites. After that, Auntie Fang had be the first wife because of this. No one had remembered that there was a true daughter of the first wife. Mo Xuemin had long be the legal daughter of the Mo family long ago.

    This time, she would not let Mo Xuemin take her ce!

    Her eyes grew slightly red and cold when she recalled the hateful memories. However, she looked gentle and weak again in the next moment.

    "Third young miss, you¡¯ve grown up and be more sensible. Old sir is in the study but no one hase to inform miss to go see him. Why don¡¯t you go and rest first!" Auntie Fang did not see anything odd and pretended to be nice to her. However, the way she mentioned how Mo Huawen did not want to see Mo Xuetong seemed unintentional.

    "Auntie, why would you say that. Third sister has just returned and she is not feeling well. Father will understand." Mo Xuemin appeared to be a good elder sister. She looked at Auntie Fang reproachfully the moment she got off the horse carriage as if she was not satisfied with how she had said such upsetting things to Mo Xuetong.

    "Yes, yes, it¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t be talking about things like that at this time... I shouldn¡¯t upset you. Old sir is too busy. Otherwise, he would havee to fetch you into the manor. He will ask for you when he¡¯s done. Third miss, go in and rest. I¡¯ve already got the servants to clean it up. See if there¡¯s anything you¡¯re dissatisfied with and I¡¯ll have them changed," Auntie Fang said with a smile. Her tongue was glib and her eyes were filled with satisfaction.

    The daughter who hade back from afar. However, her father had not even asked about her. In fact, he did not seem to care! Those who were smart all knew that even though third miss was the legal daughter, she was not regarded highly by old sir. All the servants in the manor were all intelligent. As long as they understood this point, no one would help Mo Xuetong in the future. Mo Xuetong was still her pawn even though she had returned to the manor. Auntie Fang was even more pleased when she thought of that.

    "Many thanks, Auntie Fang. Elder sister, I¡¯ll go to the study to greet father first before I go to rest!" Mo Xuetong said lightly with a smile. However, when she looked at Auntie Fang with her deep dark eyes, it made Auntie Fang shudder for some reason. Those clear eyes were so deep that she could not see any emotion in them. It was deadly quiet and it made her afraid!

    "Third miss, are you going now? You haven¡¯t had lunch yet. Do you want to have lunch in your courtyard before going to see your father?" Auntie Fang asked with a smile.

    "It¡¯s alright, how can I not see my father first aftering back from afar?" Even though Mo Xuetong kept a faint smile on her lips, her expression was determined.

    She hade back from afar. And if she went to rest first before greeting her father, she¡¯d be guilty of being unfilial if the news of this spread. Auntie Fang was really trying to ruin her reputation at all times.

    Mo Xuemin grew impatient. Without others watching her, she did not want to pretend to be a gentle nobledy. She said that she had some other matters, spoke with Mo Xuetong shortly before returning to her courtyard.

    "Then Auntie will go with you so your father doesn¡¯t me you!" Auntie Fang saw that Mo Xuetong was determined to see Mo Huawen. She reached out for Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand with a smile, wanting to hold hands with her and visit Mo Huawen together. She had to go with the girl so that the chit didn¡¯t make Mo Huawen happy!

    "Auntie, are you worried that I¡¯ll get lost or are you worried about something else? Even if I offend father, he¡¯s always doted on me and will not really make things difficult for me. Auntie Fang, you¡¯d better go do your things. If you try to stop me again, others will think that you¡¯re worried because the legal daughter has returned home. That¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to follow me around." Mo Xuetong stopped. Even though she was smiling, her eyes and be distant and cold.

    Then, she ignored Auntie Fang and turned to go to the study with Mo Lan. It made Auntie Fang so angry her smile froze on her face.

    She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s retreating back with cold sinister eyes. Then, she sniffed and hurried back to her room with nanny Li. She had to ask what happened to the little slut. How dare she confront her...

    Mo Xuetong hesitated at the entrance of the study and did not enter. The door was open and it was very quiet inside.

    "Miss! Old sir is asking for you to enter!" A boy servant ran out and bowed to Mo Xuetong respectfully!

    Mo Xuetong nodded and followed him into the study.

    The study was very tidy. There was arge desk beside a few rows of tall shelves. There was another room behind the innermost shelf for its owner to use if he grew tired after handling matters. The nanmu wood furniture made the spacious study look some solemn. Mo Huawen sat behind the desk silently and he looked at Mo Xuetong entering solemnly.

    Sunlight shone in through the windows and on him. His wide and tall figure, however, made Mo Xuetong feel as if he was lonely. She looked at him as he sat at the entrance, his gaze focused on her, sizing her up. She felt sad and tears filled her eyes. She took a few steps forward and wanted to speak. However, she discovered that she was crying.

    "Father!" Her body shuddered trying to lock away the sadness. She knelt down and tears rolled down her face before she could even speak.

    Mo Huawen was very quiet. He was so quiet he looked stern. He only said coldly after a while, "Tong¡¯er, rise! How have you been?" His voice was calm and was no different from how it was usually. However, Mo Xuetong could hear a slight tremor in his voice. Mo Xuetong tried to force down the sadness she felt. She wiped away her tears and looked up. However, she did not get up.

    "Yes father, Tong¡¯er has been very well!" Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Huawen with red eyes.

    She had once been angry at and hated the man. When her mother died, he was at Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard. He had not even managed to see her mother before she died. How could she not be angry about that? After that, the rtionship between father and daughter had grown estranged. He had never been a good father in her heart and he had always treated her coldly.

    However, when she saw the excitement beneath his calm facade, Mo Xuetong suddenly felt sad and ashamed. Her eyes grew wet again. Even though his words were calm and his voice was rtively normal, the darkness in his eyes was full of excitement and sadness.

    This father was different from the stoic and unfaithful man she had imagined.

 Chapter 12 Auntie Fangs Plot Revealed

    "Father, how are you feeling? Tong¡¯er hasn¡¯t been by your side. Tong¡¯er is unfilial! It¡¯s my fault for making you worry! Father was sad at mother¡¯s passing, but Tong¡¯er was insensible and I made you sad. I won¡¯t do it again!" She bit her lips and her gentle voice was coupled with sobs. She could not control her tears and they flowed down without stopping. They rolled down her pale face and her body tremored.

    Her eyes were overflowing with emotions and her sadness and sorrows flowed out together with her tears!

    "Tong¡¯er!" Mo Huawen could not hold back his emotions any longer. He rose and took two steps forward, picking up his daughter from the ground. He tremored as he hugged her closely. How could he bear it anymore when he saw tears flowing from her daughter¡¯s eyes, which were like his wife¡¯s? Even though his wife had passed away a year ago, the pain and regret he felt had yet to fade!

    "Father!" Mo Xuetong leaned into her father¡¯s warm embrace and sobbed loudly. She reached out to hug her father tightly.

    "Tong¡¯er, be good. Don¡¯t cry. Did you have a hard time at the Qin¡¯s? It is father¡¯s fault for not sending for you earlier. I thought that you liked staying there and didn¡¯t want to see me!" Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes grew red when he saw his daughter crying so sadly. He felt love rush into his heart. Tong¡¯er was no longer 13!

    "Tong¡¯er misses father! Why didn¡¯t you write me? I wrote many letters to you but you ignored me. Do you not want me anymore!" Mo Huawen¡¯s heart hurt even more when he heard the faint gulps of air as she sobbed. Then, he suddenly realized what Mo Xuetong said. His face darkened and he suddenly grew angry!

    Tong¡¯er had written him many letters? Tong¡¯er had not received the letters he sent? He had sent her a letter every month!

    "Third miss, you¡¯ve only juste back, why are you crying? You¡¯ve even made Old Sir sad. Third Miss, don¡¯t dry! Those who don¡¯t know would think that you¡¯ve been bullied right after returning to the manor and that you¡¯reining to your father!" Auntie Fang¡¯s delicate voice sounded just then,pletely ruining the peaceful atmosphere between the father and daughter.

    Mo Xuetong had to try very hard to suppress the hatred she felt for Auntie Fang when she saw the coy smile on her face.

    Fighting back the cold smile on her lips, Mo Xuetong stumbled back out of Mo Huawen¡¯s embrace. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were sad and flustered as she said, "Father, Tong¡¯er was wrong. I could not control myself when I saw you and made you sad. I even made you the topic of other¡¯s gossip. I¡¯ve been unfilial."

    Then, she knelt down forcefully again, obviously wanting to wipe away her tears secretly. However, this made her tears flow even more. She stole a nce at Auntie Fang who was standing at the side and lowered her head hurriedly. She was so frightened she did not dare to say anything else. Only the faint sounds of her trying to suppress her sobbing could be heard. Her slender body shook with the effort and it made her look pitiful.

    Mo Wenhua frowned and red at Auntie Fang unhappily when he saw how Mo Xuetong was so frightened by her. This shocked and frightened Auntie Fang. She stopped whatever she was about to say. Mo Huawen ignored her and reached out to help Mo Xuetong up andforted her in gentle tones.

    "Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. Father is here. Tell me if you need anything in the future. We won¡¯t go to Cloud City anymore in the future. Everything here is the same as before. Your courtyard still has the same name. If there¡¯s anything that you¡¯re uneasy about, tell me!"

    "Yes, Father. I¡¯ll definitely let you know if anything happens. I fell into ake a while back and almost drowned. I missed you badly after I woke up. That¡¯s why I sent a letter to father and mother¡¯s family. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d send for me right after receiving my letter. I was so happy, that¡¯s why..." Mo Xuetong said charmingly and looked up with her beautiful face, wiping away her tears.

    "You almost drowned? What happened? You¡¯re a youngdy from a noble family. How could you fall into theke and almost drown? Tong¡¯er did something that I do not know about happen? Why did the Qins not inform me?" Mo Huawen¡¯s expression cooled. He yelled at Auntie Fang, "Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve made arrangements for Tong¡¯er and that she¡¯s well there?"

    "She almost drowned? The Qin¡¯s didn¡¯t mention it. Perhaps they did not want us to worry. They¡¯d never mentioned it to me. I will definitely ask them next time. Old sir, don¡¯t worry. Isn¡¯t third miss doing well now? Everyone should be happy that she¡¯s back." Auntie Fang grew anxious when she saw that she was getting med for the incident. She hurried to change the topic.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression was gloomy. He red at her coldly and did not speak.

    Auntie Fang was anxious when she saw that Mo Wenhua was angry. She hurried up to Mo Xuetong and smiled, "Third miss, don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s bad for your health. I¡¯ve prepared your courtyard for you and it¡¯s waiting for you. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t like, I¡¯ll definitely get the servants to change it." Then, she seemed to have unintentionally knocked her left elbow. She made a pained sound and looked as if she was in pain, attracting the attention of everyone.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s unhappiness slowly abated upon seeing her pained elbow. When he saw the doting look she gave Tong¡¯er, thest bit of unhappiness he felt fadedpletely. His eyes lightened and he said, "Sit down first. You¡¯ve injured your arm and yet you don¡¯t rest!"

    "How did Auntie injure her elbow?" Mo Xuetong wiped the tears off her face and approached Auntie Fang, helping her into a chair. Her fingers reached out at the woman¡¯s left arm casually and a hint of contempt shed in her eyes. She was going to say that she had hurt her arm while personally cleaning up Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard!

    Now that she knew Auntie Fang was acting, she could naturally follow along and ask, her eyes wide with surprise.

    Sheughed coldly to herself. If she did not allow Auntie Fang to make a huge fuss about it, how would she be able to ruin the showter on?

    Auntie Fang¡¯s face was a little pale. However, she smiled dotingly, "It¡¯s nothing. I knocked it into something because I wasn¡¯t careful. Don¡¯t worry about it." Even though she said that, she yelped softly when Mo Xuetong reached out for her. She was acting really well.

    Mo Huawen said gently, "Auntie Fang was really happy when she found out that Tong¡¯er was returning. She was worried that the maids won¡¯t take care and she went to clean your courtyard personally. However, she knocked into your closet and dislocated her arm. She¡¯s still hurting and her arm can¡¯t even be touched!"

    "Old sir, this is what your concubine should do. I¡¯m really happy to see that third miss is doing well." Auntie Fang immediately said with a gentle smile.

    "Auntie, your grace is such a blessing on the Mo manor!" Nanny Li, who was standing by the side quickly took the opportunity to speak. She held a handkerchief to her eyes and wiped at the non-existent tears. "I didn¡¯t expect Auntie Fang to care so much about third miss. She¡¯s even neglected her health. Auntie hasn¡¯t been feeling well the past few days."

    "That¡¯s right, not even one¡¯s biological mother can do this!"

    "Third miss, you¡¯re so lucky. Auntie dotes on you so much. She tries to do everything she can for you. She treats you even better than First Miss!"...

    Auntie Fang¡¯s maid started waxing poetic about Auntie Fang. The room was filled with their praises. Mo Huawen¡¯s gaze toward Auntie Fang grew even more gentle!

    "Father...Auntie treats me so well. I..." Mo Xuetong looked extremely touched and her eyes looked misty. She looked at Auntie Fang and said tearfully, her eyes blinking as tears flowed down her pale cheeks, "I was not sensible back then, that¡¯s why...I will listen to you from now on...!"

    In her past life, she had not said something like that, but had fallen into Auntie Fang¡¯s plot unknowingly. She¡¯d been obedient to Auntie Fang. In this life, she had said something like that to foil Auntie Fang¡¯s plot. She had returned to the Mo manor so that she could take better control of her life. Auntie Fang might have gained control over everything in the house, and even though her father might dote on her, he would not interfere with matters of the household. All she could do was to slowly destroy the graceful and demure image of Auntie Fang in her father¡¯s heart.

    Mo Huawen heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the doting mother and filial daughter. He was very pleased and he said with augh, "Alright, alright. Don¡¯t cry anymore. You both are not feeling well, don¡¯t hurt your health over this. Let¡¯s not bring up the past again. Tong¡¯er has grown up, and it¡¯d be alright now that we can live well in the capital together as a family."

    The three of them sat down again. The maids brought tea and Mo Xuetong epted the tea from the maid and brought it to Auntie Fang. She handed it to Auntie Fang with a grateful smile on her face and said respectfully, "Auntie, I feel so bad that you¡¯ve injured yourself because of me. I shall serve you a cup of tea and hope that your arm will heal quickly. Please don¡¯t make me worry and not have elder sister me me."

    Then, she pretended as if she was going to knee.

    Auntie Fang was pretending to be the graceful and doting mother, so she would not make things difficult for Mo Xuetong. She would not dare to have Mo Xuetong serve her tea. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and wanted to stop her. She was a concubine while Mo Xuetong was the legal daughter of the family. It would be trouble if Mo Xuetong really knelt to the concubine. Auntie Fang still had to pretend, in front of Mo Huawen, that she was graceful and benevolent.

    Mo Xuetong was insistent on serving while Auntie Fang was insistent on not receiving it. The two pushed and pulled politely.

    As the two pushed and pulled, their actions grew wilder. Mo Xuetong had always been weak and could notpete against Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang pulled Mo Xuetong up and the cup of tea in her hands knocked heavily on Auntie Fang¡¯s left arm "identally". It burned Auntie Fang and she yelled in pain.

    Mo Xuetong grew anxious and flustered. Her tiny face was drenched in tears and she said anxiously, "Auntie, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen. Let me see where you¡¯ve been burned. Quick, pull up your sleeve. It¡¯d be terrible if you were burned on where you were injured!" Then, she pulled at Auntie Fang¡¯s arms, wanting to look at her injury.

    Compared to Mo Xuetong¡¯s anxiousness, Auntie Fang was even more so. She called out, flustered, "No need. It¡¯s fine!" She reached out to push Mo Xuetong away and flung her arm wildly. The tea was very hot as the water was freshly boiled. She flung out her hand subconsciously wanting to reduce the pain of the burn.

 Chapter 13 Auntie Fangs Defense in Lihe Gardens

    How would Auntie Fang dare to lift her sleeve up in front of Mo Huawen?

    "Ah!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender body was pushed away forcefully by Auntie Fang. She wobbled, stumbled backward and then fell to the ground. Mo Lan moved swiftly in front of Mo Xuetong, wanting to catch her. However, she failed to do so and fell down together with Mo Xuetong. As her hand was in front of Mo Xuetong, she fell on it with a dull thud. It hurt so much that she could not get up.

    "Auntie, what¡¯s wrong? Have I said something to make you unhappy?" Mo Xuetong reached out to hug Mo Lan. She looked up tearfully and curled up in fear. Her longshes fluttered and she bit her lips, tears flowing from her eyes. Then, she turned to look at Mo Lan who was frowning in pain. She called out hurriedly, "Father, quick get the physician. Mo Lan, how are you? Are you in pain? Are you alright? Auntie¡¯s arm is injured, she couldn¡¯t have pushed us with that much force!"

    Mo Huawen immediately understood. His expression turned frosty.

    "Old sir, I..." Auntie Fang was flustered. She held out her sleeve wanting to exin, but was frightened by Mo Huawen¡¯s sharp nce and she dared not say anything else.

    Mo Huawen ignored Auntie Fang and went to pull up Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves. Indeed the skin on her pale arm had broken. There were a few streaks of blood, making it obvious how forceful that push had been. His eyes grew even sharper.

    "Father, I¡¯m alright. Go look at Auntie...Did I do something wrong...I¡¯ve made Auntie unhappy!" Mo Xuetong looked at Auntie Fang anxiously and with fear. She trembled slightly as if she was extremely frightened. Her face was paler that Mo Lan and her forehead glistened with sweat. Her eyes were wild and it was obvious that she was very scared!

    She was the legal daughter of the family, but she had been so frightened by a concubine that she could not even speak clearly. Coupled with Auntie Fang¡¯s actions, Mo Huawen almost raged on the spot. He took a deep breath and red viciously at Auntie Fang. He then reached out to stroke Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair tenderly and said gently, "It¡¯s alright. Auntie is not angry at you. Don¡¯t be afraid. Take Mo Lan with you. I¡¯ll get a physician for her. Everything will be alright."

    The maids in the study helped Mo Xuetong hold Mo Lan. Mo Xuetong bade Mo Huawen farewell and walked out anxiously, holding back tears.

    Mo Huawen turned to look at Auntie Fang when he saw that Mo Xuetong had left. His expression was dark as he said angrily, "Go back to your courtyard and reflect on your behavior. This is the study, don¡¯t go to the other courtyards if there¡¯s nothing going on!"

    "Old sir..."Auntie Fang wanted to say something but was interrupted by Mo Huawen. "Maids, take Auntie Fang back."

    A few maids stepped forth and they dragged the tearful Auntie Fang away.

    In Qingwei Gardens.

    Mo Yu, Mo He and Mother Xu were waiting for her. They hurried to help Mo Lan in when they saw that her arm was injured. Later, a physician that Mo Huawen called for arrived to help Mo Lan bandage her wound. He said that it was just a knock and that it was not serious. Mo Lan just had to rest for five or six days and not do anything strenuous and she would be fine in a few days.

    Mother Xu sent the physician out. Mo Xuetong turned around and entered Mo Lan¡¯s room. She saw Mo Lan lying on the bed silently, but her face was still pale. There was a bandage around her arm and her frown was deep. Mo Xuetong shut the door and walked up to the bed.

    Mo Lan opened her eyes when she heard the door shut and saw that Mo Xuetong had entered the room. She struggled to sit up but was pressed back by Mo Xuetong. "Miss, why have youe here? What are Mo Yu and Mo He doing? They didn¡¯t even take you to rest!"

    "Why?" Mo Xuetong looked at her silently and did not react to what Mo Lan had just said. She looked at Mo Lan coldly,pletely different from her cowardly image. There was a sharpness behind her facade.

    "Miss, what are you asking about? Your servant doesn¡¯t understand!"

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice sharpened. "Who told you to step in front of me today?"

    Mo Lan could not continue to pretend since Mo Xuetong had gone straight to the point. She looked at Mo Xuetong and did not try to hide. "Miss, your health is poor and I couldn¡¯t bear to let you get hurt. I could only feel at ease if I stood in front of you." Mo Lan said, her eyes growing red.

    "Mo Lan, I thought you knew better. That¡¯s why I let you handle some things without worry. I didn¡¯t expect you to do things without consulting me. Since this is so, I should have let you go long ago. "Mo Xuetong looked into Mo Lan¡¯s eyes and said every word clearly, her words piercingly cold.

    She had been fallen in the direction of Auntie Fang¡¯s hand. Even though she would be injured, she would not be as badly injured as Mo Lan. Furthermore, the effect on her father would not be as good if she had fallen by herself.

    "Miss, Mo Lan was wrong. Mo Lan won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll listen to miss in all things." Mo Lan understood when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s tightly pinched face. She looked at Mo Xuetong with an apologetic expression. She had always been steady but had been flustered because she saw Auntie Fang. She only realized that her mistress had nned for this long ago and she had ruined her ns.

    "Mo Lan, we have only just got here and will still have to go against Auntie Fang in the future. I hope that you all won¡¯t be injured because of me, and some injuries, I have to suffer." Mo Xuetong sat down and held Mo Lan¡¯s hand. Her eyes, while having turned gentle, hid some tears. If she could not steel her heart, then how could she fight with Mo Xuemin?

    "Yes, miss." Mo Lan held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands tightly, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

    Inside Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihe Garden.

    Mo Huawen sat on the nanmu wood chair coldly. His expression was dark, and even though his voice was not loud, it was extremely indifferent. He seemed calm on the surface, but those who knew him knew that he was extremely angry. "Kneel down!"

    Auntie Fang did not dare to hesitate. She lowered her head and knelt. She asked tearfully, "What has your concubine done wrong?"

    "You helped Tong¡¯er prepare her courtyard and cleaned it out personally thus injuring your arm so much that you can¡¯t even touch it. How benevolent of you!" Mo Huawen grew angrier as he spoke. He pulled Auntie Fang¡¯s hand and pushed back her sleeve. There were no other markings other than the fresh burns. He was so enraged that he flung her hand away, saying, "You thought that I won¡¯t interfere in the matter didn¡¯t you. I can still tell the difference between a bruise and a burn. You pushed Tong¡¯er away so forcefully, and if her maid had not blocked her fall, you might have knocked into Tong¡¯er. Do you want me to get a physician toe and examine your arm before you¡¯d admit it?!"

    Auntie Fang had already thought that Mo Huawen would ask her this on their return. She was long prepared for this. She prostrated herself and looked at Mo Huawen with tears in her eyes that slowly flowed down her cheeks. She looked slightly resentful, "Old sir, are you ming me because of this incident?" Her voice sounded pitiful and she looked wronged.

    "Have I wronged you?" Mo Huawen asked coldly, his expression grave.

    "Old sir, you know what happened in the past...Something like that had already happened and I was worried that something like that would happen again. It¡¯s been more than a year since west saw her and I did not know if third miss¡¯s character had changed. I just wanted to be closer to her, and I thought...she is naturally stubborn. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t...Even Old sir can¡¯t get close to her, so how could I?" Auntie Fang cried pitifully.

    "What has this to do with you pretending to be injured?" Mo Huawen looked at her and his expression lightened.

    "I just wanted to use this to get closer to third miss. Old sir, you saw that back then...I just wanted to mend the fence between us. I¡¯ve ran the household for so many years while you took care of the ailing madam. I¡¯ve done everything but worried that I was not doing them well enough. I was worried that I would let madam down, and was afraid that I¡¯d make third miss unhappy...I did this because of the family. I want Old sir to be able to enjoy a close rtionship with third miss. I did this all for you, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be angry at me..."

    Auntie Fang started to cry behind her handkerchief. She looked weak and wronged.

    Mo Huawen fell silent and looked at Auntie Fang darkly. He asked after a moment, "You did this for me?"

    "Who else could I do this for? Why do I have to make third miss like me, what good can I gain from this?" Auntie Fang cried and looked at Mo Huawen pitifully. She gritted her teeth and continued, "Old sir, do you not believe me? If you don¡¯t trust me, then you can punish me as you deem fit. But if you say that I have other intentions, I¡¯d rather die than to admit that!" Auntie Fang said as she wiped away her tears.

    One had to admit that this was done beautifully. She had not only pointed out her good intentions, she even said that Mo Xuetong was hard to please. She¡¯d mentioned the past again and again. The past was a thorn in Mo Huawen¡¯s heart that still hurt. Even though she did not look violent now, Mo Wenhua still felt upset thinking about what happened then.

    Coupled with Auntie Fang¡¯s touching act, he could not even grow angry even if he wanted to. He sighed and told Auntie Fang to get up. After thinking deeply, he said, "Don¡¯t do this again. Tong¡¯er is really sensible now. Furthermore, she is the legal daughter. Don¡¯t y your tricks on her. If I find out you¡¯re doing it again..."

    "I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t do it again." Auntie Fang replied delicately.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s gazended on a letter on Auntie Fang¡¯s table. His words grew cold again, "I¡¯ll sleep in the study tonight. Don¡¯t wait up for me!"

    Then, he ignored Auntie Fang¡¯s expression of despair and turned to leave. Tong¡¯er had not written to him in the past year. Could it be that her letters were lost on their way? Why had the letters Tong¡¯er written to her mother¡¯s family not been lost but he had not received a single letter? Mo Huawen was not stupid. He started to feel slightly suspicious and felt a lump in his throat. Even though he did not believe that Auntie Fang would do something like that, he felt that he could not really believe what she said.

    "Auntie..."Nanny Li entered from the eaves hurriedly and asked anxiously when she saw Mo Huawen walking out coldly.

    "It¡¯s alright. But I¡¯m worried about the other side. She grew more capable after a year. Even though Old sir believes what I said, he is still angry. It¡¯s all that little slut¡¯s fault. Get someone to keep a close eye on Qingwei Garden. Report every single move that little slut makes." Auntie Fang wanted to tear her handkerchief into shreds when Mo Huawen had ignored her and left her there.

    "Then the matter tonight?" Nanny Li heaved a sigh of relief and asked.

    "The Duke¡¯s son is unworthy of her!" Auntie Fang said frostily.

    "But first miss and sir Sima..."Nanny Li was worried!

    "Min¡¯er is smart. She should have other ns. She has long had her own target. She¡¯s more suited for a person with an even more powerful family background." Auntie Fang released her death grip on the handkerchief and smirked. Her Min¡¯er was the most distinguished miss. How could that orphaned little slut Mo Xuetongpare to her?

 Chapter 14 Enemies Meet Again

    That night, everyone in the Mo manor had a reunion dinner!

    Mo Xuetong had not gone early. She had not intentionally ge, but it was because she heard that the duke¡¯s son would be present as well.

    The Duke¡¯s manor! Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand curled up tightly on the sheets. She looked out of the window at the bright red of the setting sun. The red filled her vision. What was burning was not just her life, but the pain, sadness, anger and hatred of her past life. The Duke¡¯s manor, Sima Lingyun. She did not expect that she would see all that on her first day back in the capital. They were indeed fated.

    And, they had an enmity that would not fade for many lives...

    Sima Lingyun, we meet again in this life!

    Mo Xuetong had be calm again when she entered the living room. When she saw Mo Huanwen and Sima Lingyun chatting animatedly, she did not react any differently other than for the sinister sh by her lips. It was indeed that man. That man who had made her life miserable so much that she would die in revenge!

    The Duke¡¯s son, Sima Lingyun! She would remember him even if he turned into ashes.

    The man in front of her was like quality jade. His handsome features were like jade, and his ck eyes were warm and joyful. When he looked at someone, he would already be smiling before he spoke. It was easy for others to like a person like this. His actions were elegant and he looked like a gentleman. No wonder Mo Xuetong, who in her past life, had never seen someone like him, would be attracted to him at first sight. Then, she had followed him to her death. It was only right before her death did she realize that under the man¡¯s gentle facade, was a venomous beast-like heart.

    In her past life, he had given her poison and killed his own son just to marry that equally evil woman. She had burned their fate then but it did not take away her hate and anger.

    It was gettingte. The light shone on his face, making him look very attractive.

    Mo Xuemin sat closest to him. Even though she acted as if she did not care, one could tell from her eyes that she kept trying to attract him.

    Her fourth sister, Mo Xueqiong was only a few days younger than Mo Xuetong. She had grown up as well and her appearance wasparable to Mo Xuemin. She looked at Sima Lingyun somewhat dazedly. She was shy and her face was flushed red. However, she still took the time between her conversation with Mo Xuemin to peek at Sima Lingyun.

    There were another two youths beside Mo Huawen. One of them looked decent and he wore a light colored robe. That was Mo Xuetong¡¯s second brother Mo Yufeng. He was also born to Auntie Fang and was the eldest non-legal son of the Mo family. He was also the only son of the Mo family. Auntie Fang had gained control of the Mo manor because of him.

    Mo Xuetong stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to the other young man. She was shocked and her eyes could not help but narrow. She clutched her sleeves tightly in her hand subconsciously, her fingers trembling slightly.

    Qin Yufeng!

    Qin Yufeng was known to be a genius. Qin Yuxuan¡¯s older brother, Qin Yufeng, looked to be more gentlepared to Mo Yufeng. They both had pale baster skin and exquisite features. If one looked closely, they wereparable to Sima Lingyun. However, Sima Lingyun was more popr among thedies!

    After all, Sima Lingyun had the backing of the Duke¡¯s manor!

    However, Mo Xuetong knew that Qin Yufeng was not someone to take lightly. She was fostered out to the Qin¡¯s because the Qin family of the capital and the Mo family had a close rtionship. Qin Yufeng¡¯s mother, Mdm Yu, was Auntie Fang¡¯s sister. She would naturally take care of Auntie Fang. Qin Yufeng grew up close to Mo Xuemin. They grew up together, so there was an indescribable rtionship between the two.

    With this sort of rtionship, Qin Yufeng would do whatever Mo Xuemin wanted him to do. The genius Qin Yufeng was the one who had thought of many of the plots used against her. Qin Yufeng stood there, facing Mo Xuemin. This sort of positioning showed how much he trusted Mo Xuemin. It seemed that in this life, Qin Yufeng had already developed a different feeling for Mo Xuemin.

    Very good. There were so many opponents under one roof!

    "Third miss is here. Quick, sit here!" The first person to notice her was Mo Xueqiong, who had been peeking at Sima Lingyun. She patted the seat beside her and stood up with a smile. She looked very happy, but no one knew how true that was. Mo Xuetong knew when she saw the envy in her eyes when Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyesnded on her beautiful face and how her expression cooled.

    Everyone in the hall turned around when they heard Mo Xueqiong¡¯s voice.

    There was a girl standing at the entrance wearing a light green satin dress. It seemed rather in. The green, if notpared against anything, seemed more like a white color. However, it made her look even more dainty. Her long ck hair was tied into a bun on her head. Her forehead was bright and smooth and her long and thick eyebrows were like butterfly wings. Her dark eyes glittered brilliantly like diamonds. Her nose was small and her skin was pale with a healthy gleam. Even though she was underweight and her features had yet to mature, one could see that she would be a ravishing beauty when she grew up.

    What stood out the most was her clear, water-like eyes. They glimmered and showed off her gentleness and beauty. They were very charming.

    The living room suddenly quietened down. There were different gazes with jealousy, hatred, admiration, or deep meaning. Mo Xuetong entered the room graciously under the many different gazes. She came before Mo Huawen and curtsied. Then, she greeted her other aunties and siblings respectfully.

    Mo Huawen did not have many concubines. There was only Auntie Fang, Auntie Qing, and Auntie Mo. Auntie Fang had a son and a daughter. Auntie Qing had Mo Xueqiong. Auntie Mo was the youngest. She was only about 20 and had not yet had any children. However, one could tell from the glimmer in her eyes how ambitious the woman was!

    It was good to be ambitious! Hiding the smirk in her eyes, Mo Xuetong smiled at everyone warmly.

    "And this is?" Sima Lingyun was still stunned by the innocent and beautiful face even though he could guess who she was. This was the cowardly legal daughter of the Mo family. He had thought he had a good grasp on what she was like, but his preconceived notions disappeared without a trace. He could not help but be a little excited when he thought of how the beautiful woman would soon be his. He only managed to calm himself down after a while and bowed his greetings.

    "This is my third daughter. Tong¡¯er,e and meet the duke¡¯s son and Yufeng!" Mo Huawen was feeling pleased when he saw how his daughter had stunned everyone. Heughed heartily and pulled Sima Lingyun with one hand and Qin Yufeng with the other. Qin Yufeng visited the Mo¡¯s often and Mo Huawen treated him as one of his children, so he did not observe too many etiquettes with him.

    "Greetings, sir. Greetings, cousin!" Mo Xuetong greeted them graciously and hid the annoyance in her heart. Her actions did not show any hint of weakness.

    This was Mo Xuetong, who had always been cowardly and weak. Qin Yufeng greeted her casually, and the look he gave her intensified. He stood to the side and did not speak. Instead, he observed her silently with a warm smile.

    Dinner was ready and everyone moved to their seats.

    "Oh ho, third sister. We haven¡¯t met in a year and you¡¯ve grown more beautiful. Were you very happy in Cloud City and didn¡¯t want toe home?" Mo Xueqiong asked sarcastically.

    "Fourth sister, how could you say that?" Mo Xuemin said unhappily. She stood up and then walked toward them apologetically.

    "Eldest sister, I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. She was too happy toe home. Look, they made her sofortable over there. She looks healthy and doesn¡¯t look as if she¡¯s been having it bad at all." With jealousy and hatred, Mo Xueqiong looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face that got Sima Lingyun¡¯s frequent nces. Her tone grew sourer and sourer.

    Mo Xueqiong was beautiful as well. However, she did seem slightly dull among the three Mo sisters.

    Mo Xuemin was at the peak of her life. Her well-developed body and her beautiful features made one feel as if they were looking at a beautiful blooming flower. Her gentle and elegant expression was pleasing. Mo Xuetong was not tall and she had yet to mature, so she was not considered a ravishing beauty. However, her features were beautiful and her innocent and joyful expression with a little coyness made one¡¯s heart flutter.

    As such, even though Mo Xueqiong was beautiful, she did not look outstanding. With her sharp words and Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery and wronged eyes, it worsened the impression others had of her. Even Sima Lingyun who was seated next to her nced at her with disdain.

    "You¡¯re joking, fourth sister. I wanted toe to the capital so that I can take care of Father. But my health is bad, so I¡¯ve worried my sisters. How can Cloud Citypare to home? Nowhere is better than home." Mo Xuetong said gently. Coupled with her watery eyes, a somewhat bitter smile, and the fake calmness, everyone could make out how hard things had been for her. Her longshes fluttered and then she looked down, hiding the bitterness in her eyes.

    She forced her tears back. Her eyes had filled up just after a sentence.

    Mo Huawen, who had been sitting by the side, said to Mo Xueqiong angrily, his eyes darkening, "You¡¯re so young, how do you know what having life easy means? If you want to stay at the old family home in Cloud City, Yufeng can take you there the next time he returns. You can learn your etiquette for a year or more before youe back to the capital."

    His words had not left Mo Xueqiong any face at all. He had yelled at Mo Xueqiong in front of so many noble young men, and that shocked her. When she heard that he was going to throw her to Cloud City to learn etiquette and would only allow her back after a year or more, she was so embarrassed and angry that she could not stay any longer. She hid her face and fled crying.

    Auntie Qing, who had been seated by the side stood up as well when she saw Mo Xueqiong running out. She looked at Mo Huawen pitifully and said, "Old sir!"

    "Teach her etiquette if you have nothing to do. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s running through her mind at such a young age." Mo Huawen waved his hand angrily, his expression gloomy.

    Auntie Qing did not dare to say anything else. She got up, bowed and left with her servants.

    "Father, don¡¯t me fourth sister. She¡¯s still young and she didn¡¯t mean to be impolite." Mo Xuemin was seated by the side spoke warmly. She lifted her hands and picked up a piece of bamboo chicken which Mo Huawen liked best and gave it to him.

    "Fourth miss is insensible, but she is still young. I¡¯ll send for a few nannies toe to teach her etiquette. Old sir, don¡¯t be angry. Third miss has just returned to the capital and there are still things she¡¯s not familiar with. Why not let the nannies also teach her some etiquette. What do you think?" Auntie Fang took over the conversation glibly.

    She was going to make use of the nannies to find out more about her!

 Chapter 15 Mo Xuemin Got Rejected

    Mo Xuetong saw Mo Huawen turn his head as if he was going to interfere. An innocent and bashful smile appeared on her face immediately. She twirled her handkerchief and spoke sweetly. "Father, Grandmother was worried and said that she would personally pick teaching nannies for me. I even heard that they¡¯re from the pce and are better than those you¡¯d find outside. Grandmother asked Tong¡¯er to go to her ce to learn etiquette in a few days."

    Her tone was casual and was even careful. The candlelight shone on her face brilliantly, and in the light, she seemed especially coy and lovely.

    Qin Yufeng, who was sitting by her side could not help but look up with a smile and size her up carefully!

    Sima Lingyun looked at her delicate little face almost dazedly. His heart sped up for some reason.

    Auntie Fang, who was seated by the side, looked at her with a venomous glint in her eyes.

    "That¡¯d do. After you recuperate for a few days, go and visit your grandmother at the General Manor. The old madam¡¯s choice would naturally be good..."Mo Huawen agreed on the spot. He thought of his deceased wife and felt a rush of guilt and grief. He looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, which were like his wife¡¯s. The way he looked at Mo Xuetong grew even more doting.

    "Father, Min¡¯er wants to go with third sister to visit grandmother. I want to learn etiquette with grandmother too. It¡¯d be good for your reputation when I go with you to functions in the future!" Mo Xuemin said with a smile. Her expression was gentle and elegant as she looked up with a bright smile.

    She always pretended to be the sensible and gentle eldest daughter in front of Mo Huawen. She always seemed to be thinking of the Mo manor.

    Mo Xuetong smirked to herself. Mo Xuemin was just using her to borrow power from the general manor.

    The four nation building generals, Ming, Luo Ding and Fu were truly noble and powerful families. The failing Duke¡¯s family could not bepared to them. If Mo Xuemin were to be acknowledged by the Fu general family, then her worth would multiply several hundred times over. Her status as the eldest daughter of the family would be cemented.

    However, in her past life, Mo Xuemin had made use of her and stepped on her while at it. The general manor had fallen because of this. Mo Xuetong would not forget the deep enmity she had.

    "It would be great if eldest sister can study etiquette with me! Father, Uncle¡¯s return these few days as well. Do you want to go with me to visit him? It¡¯s been a long while since Tong¡¯erst saw Uncle. When I was little, he doted on Tong¡¯er very much. I wonder if he¡¯ll still dote on me as much." She smiled to herself coldly. There was a lively expression on her face and she quickly changed the topic before Mo Huawen could agree. She blinked her bright eyes and looked at Mo Huawen eagerly as if she wanted him to trust her.

    Mo Huawen felt a rush of love for his daughter who had a fragile and coy hopeful expression on her face. He reached out to pat her head.

    "Tong¡¯er you¡¯re so adorable. Uncle would naturally still dote on you." Mo Huawen said dotingly. However, he paused when he said "Uncle". His expression changed as he recalled that Mo Xuetong¡¯s uncle was not a person who should be trifled with! Not only that, he was a rather hateful person!

    The general Luocheng was a leading character in the army of the Great Qin. He had always been decisive, but doted very much on his only younger sister. When he heard that Luo Xia had died in Cloud City and Mo Huawen had gone to the city without taking Tong¡¯er with him, General Luo Cheng had been enraged. He sent people to guard the entrance of the city and did not allow Mo Huawen to enter. If not for the emperor sending someone to arbitrate, Mo Huawen would probably not be able to enter the capital.

    When he thought of his brother-inw¡¯s cold expression, Mo Huawen felt a shiver run down his back. Then, he thought of Mo Xuemin¡¯s suggestion and suddenly felt that it was not a good idea. If Luo Cheng saw how Mo Huawen had allow Mo Xuemin to visit their house, he would probably cause trouble. If that happened, Min¡¯er might not only fail to study but also be beaten and then sent home.

    He was now a close subordinate of Emperor Zongwen. If something like this happened now, he would lose face.

    After considering this, he was about to stop Mo Xuemin. However, Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Huawen innocently and asked,

    "Father, Uncle is really fierce. It¡¯d be great if you go with me. I heard that Uncle¡¯s kill lots of people. Cousin once told Tong¡¯er that he¡¯s killed tens and thousands of people. He said that it took days to wash off the scent of blood on Uncle¡¯s clothes. Isn¡¯t he terribly scary!"

    This...

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face paled and her lips trembled, growing white.

    On the other side, Qin Yufeng held up the cup of wine in his hand and ced it to his lips for a sip. There was a hint ofughter in his eyes.

    "Your cousin is just scaring you. Nothing like that happened. Your Uncle dotes on you the most and has sent people to ask about you many times. I think we shall visit your grandmother tomorrow morning. She¡¯s in ill health and misses you. She¡¯d probably send someone to ask about you again if you don¡¯t go." Mo Huawen said with a smile.

    "That¡¯s great. Eldest sister,e to my grandparents¡¯ house tomorrow with me. My Uncle will be back in a few days, as will my cousins. It¡¯d be really lively then." Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew even sweeter. Hershes fluttered and she went to hold Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands warmly.

    "Tomorrow..."Mo Xuemin could not speak.

    How would she have the mood to go to the general manor tomorrow with Mo Xuetong? When she thought of the great general that Mo Xuetong kept mentioning, Mo Xuemin started to feel regret. She nced sideways at Sima Lingyun with a pale face but saw that he was focused on Mo Xuetong. She suddenly felt angry and turned around to see Qin Yufeng¡¯s smile. Her heart skipped a beat and the hurried to smile gently.

    "Min¡¯er don¡¯t go. Study at home. Tong¡¯er¡¯s just arrived and would have lots to talk about with her grandmother. It¡¯s not that appropriate for you go to too." Mo Xuemin had not yet thought of a way to get out of the situation but Mo Huawen had already thought of an excuse for her. He turned around and asked her warmly, "What do you think?"

    "I¡¯ll listen to father!" Mo Xuemin answered gently, looking very obedient.

    This pleased Mo Huawen greatly. On one side, he had his sensible and gentle eldest daughter, and on the other side, was his obedient and adorable third daughter. The two girls had different mothers, but were both sensible. Heughed loudly. Even though his son was a little useless, but at least he had two adorable daughters.

    The general atmosphere throughout dinner was great. The children smiled while the concubines chatted softly. The reunion dinner was well executed and ended on a high note.

    Mo Lan brought antern out to fetch her in when she returned to Qingwei Garden. Mother Xu went up to her and helped her to undo her purple cape. "Miss, you¡¯re not feeling well, why didn¡¯t you tell old sir and onlye back sote? You must be tired, old sir is really too much. You¡¯re not even a real family, why eat a reunion dinner? If Madam was here, she would truly care about you and will not allow you toe back sote."

    She felt like crying as she spoke.

    "Nursemaid, don¡¯t worry. I"ve recovered long ago. How are they not a real family? It¡¯s not thatter, furthermore, I can¡¯t sleep at this hour. I¡¯ve just got here and everything is new to me. The bed is unfamiliar to me as well. I can¡¯t even sleep if I wanted to. But nursemaid, you and the other servants don¡¯t have to wait for me. Everyone¡¯s tired after the long journey." Mo Xuetong held Mother Xu¡¯s hands with a smile and they walked towards the bed as she spoke.

    Mo Lan helped her to lie down and went to prepare her bath!

    "Miss, I dare not sleep if you are not sleeping. I could only sleep when you return. Miss, you¡¯ve just got here and everything is unfamiliar to you. How could you deal with everything? Your servant cannot handle everything either, but I still have to keep an eye out for you. There were a few second and third ranked maids that came today and some servants. I¡¯ve looked at them and they looked decent. But I dare not ept all of them. But you still have to be careful using them." Mother Xu whispered.

    Mo Xuetong understood what she was saying. She smiled lightly after a while and said, "Nursemaid, just ept them. We¡¯ve just got here and everything is new. It¡¯d be easier on us if there are more maids and servants."

    "But those people were all sent by Auntie Fang," Mother Xu said anxiously.

    "Of course, the servants that she sent us would be good. Nursemaid, you just have to care about using them." Mo Xuetong smirked. "It has nothing to do with us if the people Auntie sent gets into trouble, right?"

    "Oh, right!" Mother Xu paused and then she smiled and smacked her forehead, saying, "I wasn¡¯t thinking. Shall I get a few more people then? There hasn¡¯t been anyone staying in our courtyard for a long time. We have to clean it properly."

    If anything happened to the people Auntie Fang sent over, she would definitely make trouble. Mother Xu heaved a sigh of relief when she saw how capable her mistress was. Her mistress was calm andposed. She had a faint smile on her lips that made others feel as if they could trust her. Since Auntie Fang had ill intentions towards her mistress, then they shall pull her down with them.

    "Nursemaid, do what you will." Mo Xuetong nodded with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong felt that the bed was unfamiliar and could not sleep until veryte in the night. It was fortunate that there was no matriarch in the Mo family. Even though Auntie Fang was in charge now, she did not have the right to ask the legal daughter to go to her ce to greet her in the morning. As such, Mo Xuetong only woke up veryte in the day.

    "Miss, are you awake?" The satin curtains were lifted and Mo Yu appeared in front of her bed with a smile.

    "Oh! Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?" Mo Xuetong epted the cup of tea Mo He gave her and took a sip. She got upzily. It was rather obnoxious of her to sleep until sote in the day.

    "Miss did sleep rathertest night. I wanted to let you sleep in so you¡¯d have the energy to go to the General¡¯s manor. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t wake you up." Mo Lan said with a smile. She was outside on night dutyst night, so she knew that Mo Xuetong had tossed and turned for a long while before sleeping. She cared for her mistress and did not want to wake her up.

    "You mustn¡¯t do that in the future. People might think that I¡¯m putting up airs." Mo Xuetong got up with the help of Mo He. She was the only true mistress in the manor. She was the legal daughter. Many would be watching her and she did not want to be an annoyance right after she got here.

 Chapter 16 The Fight Between Sisters of Qingwei Garden

    After her observationsst night, Mo Xuetong could tell that her father had something against her. His eyes were filled with some suspicion every time he looked at her dotingly. This confused Mo Xuetong. What had happened when her mother died for her father, who seemed to love her very much so, to abandon her?

    The incident had happened at Cloud City, and Mo Xuetong doubted that she would be able to find out quickly in the capital. However, Mo Xuetong felt that it definitely had something to do with Auntie Fang.

    Her mother had been weak since having her. She had been in charge of the household but in thest few years of her life, Auntie Fang had almost been wholly in charge of it. No one else but Auntie Fang could do anything, and only Auntie Fang alone could have done it without anyone in the manor finding out.

    When she thought of that, her eyes grew cold. As long as Auntie Fang wanted the position as the matriarch of the Mo family, then she would definitely strike again...

    The opportunity was right in front of her. From her knowledge of her past life, she knew that something was about to happen. She would just wait quietly for Auntie Fang to strike, and then, chop her hands off while she reached out...

    Mo Xuetong ate breakfast that Mo Yu served. She sat down for a rest and then heard a gentle voiceing from the door.

    "Third sister still hasn¡¯t woken up?"

    Mo Xuemin lifted the curtains and entered with a smile and her personal maid, Mo Jin.

    "Elder sister, you¡¯re here. Why don¡¯t youe in? I¡¯ve embarrassed myself in front of you. I slepttest night and the journey here had been long. I was overtired and could not fall asleep so I woke upte." Mo Xuetong held her head and smiled faintly as if she was embarrassed and apologetic for waking upte.

    Mo Xuemin was surprised when she saw that Mo Xuetong had not tried to do anything and waspletely different from the sharp tongue girl that she was at the entrance of the city yesterday. She sized Mo Xuetong up and then smiled and said, "Third sister, the weather is good today. Shall we take a walk in the garden? It must have been hard on you to stay in Cloud City for the past year. Since you¡¯re in the capital now, we sisters should get closer to each other."

    Get closer? Indeed, no matter in the past life or this life, she had to get closer to Mo Xuemin.

    Her heart felt cold but the smile on her face grew even brighter. "Elder sister is right. I haven¡¯t been home for the past year and could not be filial to Father. It¡¯s been hard on you, sister."

    "We are sisters, so why would you say that?" Mo Xuemin said with a smile.

    "Elder sister, you really care for your rtionships with your sisters. But I wonder if she appreciates it." There was a burst of arrogantughtering from behind them. "Elder sister, no matter how much you care for her, she might not think much of you. I heard that she refused your good will at the entrance of the city."

    Mo Xueqiong appeared at the door, hiding herugh behind a handkerchief.

    This made Mo Xuemin feel even more awkward. She had arranged for a few youngdies toe to the Mo manor yesterday, but all of them sent missives today to say that they were busy. Mo Xuemin grew angry and her eyes glittered with hatred. However, a gentle smile appeared on her face the next moment as she said, "Fourth sister, those are just minor things."

    "So it¡¯s fourth sister. You came at just the right time. Take a walk with us?" Mo Xuetong asked with a smile.

    "I¡¯m not as fortunate as you to be doted on wherever I go. You¡¯ve only just arrived and you got eldest sister to apany you. As your younger sister, I dare not trouble you to apany me." Mo Xueqiong gave her the stinkeye and said arrogantly.

    "We are sisters, so why are we talking about that." Mo Xuetong smiled warmly, using Mo Xuemin¡¯s words against Mo Xueqiong.

    "I don¡¯t dare to be called your sister." Mo Xueqiong did not know that Mo Xuemin had said these words earlier. She said sarcastically, "Don¡¯t try to pretend to be close to me. No matter in the past or in the future, Eldest sister and I are not considered your true sisters."

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face darkened.

    "If we are not sisters, then is fourth sister not Father¡¯s daughter?" Mo Xuetong blinked and asked curiously.

    Mo Xueqiong paused and her eyes glowed with anger. "What do you mean, are you trying to cause trouble intentionally?"

    Mo Xuetong thought that it was Mo Xueqiong who was picking a fight. There was a glint of coldness in her eyes that shed so quickly that no one saw it. She said delicately with a smile, "It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m about to go out with Eldest sister now. If you don¡¯t want to go, then don¡¯t block the way."

    After all, good dogs don¡¯t get underfoot!

    Mo Xueqiong grew even angrier when she heard that, "What kind of attitude is that. You¡¯re just an orphaned girl Father abandoned. How dare you speak to me like this?"

    Mo Xueqiong was just the daughter of a concubine. Mo Xuetong had never understood in her past life. The girl would make sarcastic jibes at her even though Mo Xuetong had never offended her. Why did Mo Xueqiong not pick at Mo Xuemin but instead keep picking a fight with her instead? She now understood that some people would pick on the weak but fear the strong. Mo Xueqiong would not be able to show how superior she was unless she could force Mo Xuetong to be in a lower position than her.

    She felt better by squishing the weak. Mo Xueqiong was a person like that.

    There was a faint smile on her lips as she asked, "When have I been an orphan with father around? Fourth sister, don¡¯t go around shaming father."

    "You..." Mo Xueqiong was furious. However, she could not say anything.

    She felt that she had been scolded by Mo Huawen for no reason yesterday and was here to pick a bone with Mo Xuetong.

    She grew even angrier when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. Why did the cowardly and weak Mo Xuetong got doted more on by their father than her? She had never considered why Mo Xuetong had to ept her bullying. After all, Mo Xuetong was the legal daughter of the Mo family.

    "Fourth sister, third sister had just arrived. How can you be so impolite?" Mo Xuemin who had not spoken rebuked Mo Xueqiong with a smile.

    "Eldest sister, how dare I be impolite. Didn¡¯t Ie early in the morning to greet her? Furthermore, she would have slept in until noon if we had note. You¡¯re a youngdy from a prominent family, how could you behave like that?" Mo Xuemin¡¯s rebuke had made Mo Xuetong even angrier. She wrung her handkerchief andined.

    She indeed had no one to teach her manners. What inappropriate behavior!

    "Ah, if I knew third sister wanted to rest, I would haveeter." Mo Xuemin pretended not to have heard what Mo Xueqiong said. She replied with a smile in a harmonious tone, looking guilty.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s dark and lively eyes shed with coldness. It shed so quickly that one could not catch it. Then, she said withposure, "Father said that I have just arrived and would be tired. He intentionally let me sleep in. Has Fourth sister ever received such treatment from Father? Oh, I almost forgot, Fourth sister was just scolded by Fatherst night! But that¡¯s alright. As long as Fourth sister learns the rules in the future, Father will also give you such special dispense."

    She had always been the one to pick a bone with Mo Xuetong, and not the other way around. Mo Xueqong was stunned and was so angry she was about to explode. She suddenly raised her neck and pointed her fingers and spoke insolently, "Mo Xuetong, do you really think Father is really doting on you? He left you behind at Cloud City for so many years. If he really missed you, he¡¯d have sent for you long ago. You must have done something that displeased him for him to leave you there."

    "Fourth sister, how could you say that?" Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes glowed and she spoke sharply at Mo Xueqiong. She frowned and looked at Mo Xueqiong, her expression filled with displeasure.

    "Eldest sister..." Mo Xueqiong looked at Mo Xuemin in a recalcitrant manner. "Eldest sister, I was just reminding her to wake up earlier, but she made use of her status in the family to scold me. She¡¯s already so impolite just after getting here. What are we to do in the future?"

    "Alright, alright. Third sister did not mean it. She¡¯s not really trying to scold you. We still have to spend much time together in the future. How can you get angry at such a small matter? We are sisters and we have to get along well to have a harmonious family." Mo Xuemin nodded with a smile.

    "Alright, I can forgive her. But she has to apologize to me officially with a gift!" Mo Xueqiong thought that she had got the goods on Mo Xuetong and red at her viciously.

    "Alright, don¡¯t be angry at Third sister. I just received some flowers yesterday that¡¯s very fashionable nowadays. Fourth sister,e and pick a few. Give me face and let the matter pass, alright?" Mo Xuemin smiled and apologized on behalf of Mo Xuetong¡¯s unknown sin. She always pretended to be gentle and generous but was always trying to make it look like Mo Xuetong was in the wrong.

    With just a few words, Mo Xuetong would be known for picking fights, being proud and bullying her sisters just after she moved into the manor. Meanwhile, she would be known to be the generous and gentle First miss who would be the impartial judge between her sisters.

    In herst life, Mo Xuemin had given her poison and caused her to fall into despair. It was this warm and gentle eldest sister.

    She felt a shiver go down her spine and a sh of icy cold darkness appeared in her eyes. It then disappeared in her beautiful, moving eyes. She caught sight of a figure in teal at the corner of her eyes. Her calm expression immediately turned into one of a person being wronged. Her eyes grew red and cloudy with tears. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes. She bit her lips and her voice was soft, seeming as if she was very sad.

    "Father would naturally dote on me. He fostered me out at Cloud City because my health was bad and not because I¡¯ve done anything wrong. Eldest sister, Fourth sister, don¡¯t always use this matter to me me."

    "Look, eldest sister, she¡¯s still trying to quibble. Mo Xuetong, if you haven¡¯t done anything wrong, would Father abandon you at Cloud City? You¡¯ve been there for more than a year, and usually, I only hear Father praising Eldest sister. I¡¯ve never heard him mention you. If your maternal grandparents had not asked you to return to the capital, Father would not even think of you if you get old and die in Cloud City!" Mo Xueqiong saw that Mo Xuetong was still as easy to bully as before and immediately sharpened her ws.

    Mo Xuemin who had been standing across Mo Xuetong felt ominous. She was about tofort Mo Xuetong when she suddenly heard an angry bellow. "What is this, how can a younger sister speak like this to her older sister? Auntie Qing, what have you been teaching your child? This youngdy of the house is so impolite!"

    The three of them turned around in shock.

    They realized then that Mo Huawen was standing at the door to their left. He red at them angrily, his mouth tightly pursed. He looked at Mo Xuemin and his voice was as cold as ice. He looked sharp and stern.

    Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong paled.

 Chapter 17 Cousins of the General Manor Meet

    "Fa-father!" Mo Xueqiong was so frightened that her face had gone white.

    "Father!" Mo Xuetong bit her lips and looked as if she was trying to smile despite being wronged. However, her red eyes and forced happiness made others pity her even more. Mo Huawen red at Mo Xueqiong angrily when he thought of how she had scolded Mo Xuetong. Then, he walked over and stroked Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair tenderly. "Tong¡¯er how did you sleepst night?"

    "Thank you Father. I slept well! I even woke upte!" Mo Xuetong sniffed and tried to tone down her sobs. She looked up and pulled on Mo Huawen¡¯s teal robe. Then, she smiled softly and in a pleasing manner, said, "Father, don¡¯t scold Fourth sister. She and Eldest sister are just teaching Tong¡¯er how to do things. They¡¯re not really bullying Tong¡¯er!"

    She had dealt with Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin in one swoop.

    Her words shocked Mo Xuemin. She was just about to reply when Mo Huawen¡¯s face darkened and he started to lecture. "Min¡¯er, even though you are the eldest daughter in the manor, you should understand that Tong¡¯er is my only legal child. Even if there¡¯s anything that she¡¯s done wrong, you can only point it out tastefully. How can you and your sister scold Tong¡¯er? You don¡¯t even know your status."

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart grew cold and a trace of hatred shed in her eyes. Then, immediately, a gentle smile appeared on her face and she said apologetically, "Yes, Father is right to scold us. Min¡¯er is wrong and I didn¡¯t manage to stop Third sister and Fourth sister from bickering. Please punish me!"

    "Father, it is Tong¡¯er¡¯s fault. It is all Tong¡¯er¡¯s fault. Father shouldn¡¯t scold Eldest sister and Fourth sister because of this. We were just teasing each other. Father, look, Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t mind. I don¡¯t mind at all." Mo Xuetong tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s robes looking like a mischievous little girl. Even though her eyes were teary, she smiled like a beautiful flower, making it seem as if she was trying hard to look as if she did not mind.

    Mo Huawen was filled with love for his daughter when he saw how sensible and adorable she was. He reached out to pat her hand and her voice grew gentle. "Alright, I will listen to Tong¡¯er. But they must not forget your status. Tong¡¯er, you must remember, you are not like them. You are the only legal child in this manor. So don¡¯t be afraid. Tell me if anythinges up. I will help you."

    This was not just simple words tofort her, but he was obviously siding with her. This made Mo Xueqiong wring her handkerchief, almost tearing it into shreds. She hated the girl so much she wanted to w at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful and innocent face.

    The hate and venom in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes were not any lesser than Mo Xueqiong. However, she had to maintain a gentle smile and she said elegantly and gracefully, "Father is right to scold us. Min¡¯er will definitely protect Third sister in the future so that others will not look down on her."

    "Thank you, Eldest sister. Tong¡¯er will definitely get along well with you and Fourth sister in the future." Mo Xuetong released Mo Huawen¡¯s robe and made a light bow to Mo Xuemin gratefully.

    Mo Huawen could not help but smile when he saw the girls smiling at each other. He had always quite like his eldest daughter. She was kind, gentle and generous, and behaved like how noble youngdies should. It was a pity she was just a daughter of a concubine. It was a waste of her talent. He had wanted to marry Auntie Fang after his mourning period for Luo Xia to raise Min¡¯er¡¯s status.

    However, Mo Huawen was slightly hesitant now.

    Could Auntie Fang truly love Tong¡¯er? Those missing letters and how Tong¡¯er was being bullied just after she arrived home were thorns in Mo Huawen¡¯s heart! He frowned.

    Mo Xuetong could see that Mo Huawen was unhappy and she did not continue. There were some views that could not bepletely changed by a single incident.

    "Father, shouldn¡¯t you be in the study right now? Why do you have time toe? Let Tong¡¯er guess. Father must be looking for Tong¡¯er, right?" Mo Xuetong asked innocently. Her clear eyes looked young and innocent under the sunlight. She pouted cutely and asked.

    Mo Huawen recalled why he hade when Mo Xuetong asked that. He said, "Xuetong, your grandparents sent a carriage for you. I know you must not have slept wellst night and told them to wait outside! Go quickly since you¡¯re up."

    He walked out as he spoke and Mo Xuetong followed him. The two walked out amicably, leaving Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong behind.

    "Eldest sister, third sister is being doted on the most by Father now. Look, Father doesn¡¯t even care about you anymore. That¡¯s too much! How are we daughters of concubines going to live from now on!" Mo Xueqiong said darkly as she saw Mo Xuetong walking away with Mo Huawen.

    Mo Xuemin looked at their retreating backs, her expression venomous. However, she kept a gentle smile on her face and said softly, "Fourth sister, Father will be unhappy if he hears you. We are sisters and have to help each other. How can we fight!"

    "Eldest sister, you¡¯re so generous. Qiong¡¯er cannot be like you. You¡¯re still speaking up for her now. If I have half of your abilities, I wouldn¡¯t have to be so shamed by her. Eldest sister, you can be a legal daughter too!" Mo Xueqiong said hatefully and then turned away.

    Hate glinted in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes.

    Daughter of a concubine. She hated this term.

    Of course, she would not let that slut Mo Xuetong have it easy.

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu and Mo He with her to the General Manor.

    She had just entered when she saw a slender figure. The middle-aged woman had a rectangr face and wore a silver embroidered wrap robe. She was nanny Shen who had brought Mo Xuetong into the capital.

    Mo Xuetong greeted her warmly when she saw her, "Nanny Shen!"

    "Miss, you¡¯re finally here. That¡¯s great. Old Madam was still wondering about you earlier and she hadn¡¯t rested this morning. She made mee out to see for a few times and was so anxious. She was worried that you¡¯d be cold on the way here and that I didn¡¯t take care of you. She even scolded me!" Nanny Shen smiled happily when she saw Mo Xuetong. She got the maids to lift the door curtains as she spoke to Mo Xuetong.

    Because the Old Madam in the General Manor also had a title, everyone called her Old Madam.

    "Thank you for your help on the journey back so that I could arrive home without worries. Grandmother isn¡¯t ming nanny. She must be asking whether I was obedient and if I¡¯ve bothered you," Mo Xuetong answered with a smile.

    She had just spoken when a maid hurried up to them. Nanny Shen hurried her into the room without the maid having to speak. Old Madam Xu of the General manor was sitting on top of the stove-bed in the room. She was wearing a grey robe with the character "prosperity" embroidered on it. Her expression was eager when she saw Mo Xuetong entering. Tears filled her eyes before she could speak and she looked at Mo Xuetong lovingly.

    "Grandmother!" Mo Xuetong hurried when she saw the benevolent and familiar face. She knelt down forcefully at Old Madam Xu¡¯s knees and held her slightly trembling hand. She breathed in the woman¡¯s scent and felt sorrow in her heart. Old Madam Xu had loved her the most in her previous life. "Grandmother!"

    "Tong¡¯er, it¡¯s really my Tong¡¯er! Why have you be so skinny! Didn¡¯t the Qin¡¯s feed you!" Old Madam Xu clutched Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands tightly and felt the warmth of her hands. Then, she looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face carefully. Even though the joyful face did not resemble Xia¡¯er, but those beautiful lively eyes were like Xia¡¯er¡¯s. She thought of her deceased daughter and could not help but call out softly, "Xia¡¯er!"

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was calling for her mother, and sorrow surged up her heart. She bit her lips and called out softly, "Grandmother, it¡¯s me, Tong¡¯er!"

    Old Madam Xu paused and caressed her pale face. She wanted to speak, but before she could, tears started to flow down her cheeks...

    Mo Xuetong could not help but feel sad as well. Her hands were clutched tightly by Old Madam Xu and tears started to flow down her cheeks as well. The two were only persuaded by others to stop after a while. Mo Xuetong was helped up and she sat leaning against Old Madam Xu.

    "Why are you wearing such pale colors, and these are old. Don¡¯t you have nice clothes at all?" Old Madam Xu asked unhappily as she reached out and touched her white, slightly old dress and frowned.

    "Grandmother, Auntie made me clothing in Cloud City too. But I did not have the mood to dress up when I think about how mother is no longer with me. So I just wore these old clothes." Mo Xuetong exined gently.

    "Silly child, this is too thin. Your health is poor and I heard that you were ill in Cloud City the year before. Your father is too much, he didn¡¯t bring you to the capital. Instead, he brought a bunch of his concubines and their children here. If your father does something like this again in the future, grandmother will protect you. Maids, bring that white leopard skin coat here. Give it to Misster."

    Old Madam Xu was rather angry at Mo Huawen. That was why she pretended not to know when her sons stopped Mo Huawen from entering the city in the future! She just wanted to make things difficult for Mo Huawen.

    Nanny Shen obeyed her orders and went inside. Mo Xuetong was shocked that the old madam also wore such in clothing. Then, she recalled that it was because her mother was no longer around. The tears in her eyes started to fall once more. She held up her handkerchief and turned her head away to wipe it, afraid that Old Madam Xu would see.

    "Grandmother, you treat Tong¡¯er the best!" She turned around and smiled even more beautifully!

    Just as they were speaking, the maid outside reported that Young Master and Second Miss were here.

    Old Madam Xu smiled and asked them to enter.

    "Grandmother, is younger sister Tong here?" A clear voice that sounded faintly elegant could be heard. The maid lifted the curtains high up and a handsome young man and a beautiful youngdy entered.

    Mo Xuetong hurried to stand up and looked at the door.

    The man in the light green robe was the Young Master of the Luo manor, Luo Wenyou.

    Mo Xuetong had two uncles. Her Eldest Uncle Luo Cheng had two sons and a daughter. They were his oldest daughter Luo Yanyue, eldest son, Luo Wenyou and younger son, Luo Wenchi. Her Second Uncle, Luo Bin, had a daughter, Luo Mingzhu. Luo Yanyue was already married, and the Second miss who was still staying there was Luo Mingzhu.

 Chapter 18 Meeting Bai Yihao for the First Time

    Luo Cheng was a general who had been guarding the borders all this while. He left his family in the capital and only Luo Wenyou and Luo Wenchi apanied him. They studied martial arts as well, so they stayed at the borders with him. They rarely returned home.

    Mo Huawen had stayed in Cloud City all this while and was not close with the general¡¯s family. In herst life, Mo Xuetong had not even seen her cousin when she entered the capital. Firstly, it was because she was older, and secondly, Mo Xuetong had been disfigured and felt inferior because of that. She did not even meet her closest rtives and friends. She would only receive a present from this cousin of hers on her birthday every year. The presents kept arriving even when the General Manor became destitute.

    She bowed deeply to Luo Wenyou when she saw her cousin standing tall at the doorway with crystal clear eyes. Her heart twinged. She was grateful that he had not given up on her in her past life even when everyone had, and was thankful that it seemed that he still loved her as much in this life.

    Luo Wenyou was surprised when he saw the gentle and elegant young woman.

    "Younger sister Tong is so pretty. Uncle, you¡¯re too much, how could you bear to leave such a beautiful daughter in Cloud City?" Luo Mingzhu said as she took a few steps forward and then sized up Mo Xuetong with a smile.

    "Eldest cousin, second cousin!" Mo Xuetong curtseyed deeply again.

    Luo Wenyou regained his wits and said with augh, "Younger sister Tong, there¡¯s no need to be so polite amongst siblings. Your clothes are too thin, you¡¯ve got to take care of your health!"

    Her weak constitution made others dote on her for some reason. Luo Wenyou¡¯s expression darkened when he recalled that his aunt used to be like that too, and then, had died young.

    "Alright, alright. You rarelye, why do you mention this the moment you meet? Even though your younger sister¡¯s health is poor, but her foundation is not bad." The old madam interrupted when she saw the film of tears in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    "Grandmother is right. Since Younger sister Tong hase to the capital, then we should help to regte her heath. Grandmother, I have just received some precious medicinal herbs. I wanted to send them to you, it looks like Younger sister Tong will get a share too, so I can be at ease." Luo Wenyou smiled serenely and sat on a carved seat.

    "Oh, you. You can¡¯t just eat medicine randomly. We don¡¯t know how your younger sister¡¯s constitution is like. We have to get her a checkup first." The old madam was in a good mood when she saw ho concerned Luo Wenyou was for Mo Xuetong. Then, she nced at Mo Xuetong, who was by her side. They looked exactly like Cheng¡¯er and Xia¡¯er in the past. The old madam could not help but feel sad and happy at the same time.

    Mo Xuetong knew that the old madam was thinking about her mother, who had passed away young, when she saw the sad expression on her face when she looked at Luo Wenyou and herself. She hurried to wrangle her hand out of Luo Mingzhu¡¯s grasp and went to pull on the old madam¡¯s hands. She said coyly, "Eldest brother is so concerned for me, how can grandmother not be happy. He must have already considered this and won¡¯t let Tong¡¯er eat any medicine randomly."

    She had heard that her Eldest cousin was very intelligent. He would never do anything unprepared.

    Indeed, Luo Wenyou gave her an appreciative nce and answered with a smile, "Grandmother, You¡¯er has considered all of this and I¡¯ve even called for a famous physician. I¡¯ve called in a lot of favors to invite him. I even gave away the memoirs of Benyan that you gave me that time. My heart is still aching. Grandmother has got to remember to give me another one next time."

    "This child is so stingy. Your heart is aching just after using some little thing of yours for your younger sister." The old madamughed out loud for it was rare to see her grandson looking as if his heart was aching.

    "That¡¯s something that grandmother gave to You¡¯er. I really treasure it and won¡¯t even let others see it. How can my heart not ache after giving it away?" Luo Wenyou¡¯s handsome face was filled with regret and his lips were turned down slightly. He looked as if he was truly sad and wanted to be rpensated.

    "Alright, alright. I¡¯ll think of you first when I have something good in the future! What kind of person have you invited? They even want our things?" The old madam smiled widely when she looked at her grandson acting so coy. The sad atmosphere lightened.

    "Grandmother, the person that big brother invited is great. It¡¯s Sir Bai. He invited him specially to take a look at you and younger sister Tong. He¡¯s going to use the medicinal herbs that big brother sent people to look for especially to regte the health of grandmother and younger sister Tong while its still autumn." Luo Minzhu said with a smile. She was so excited her eyes were sparkling.

    "His Highness, Sir Bai?" Even the old madam was surprised, and she asked in confusion, "How did you manage to invite him?"

    Everyone turned to look at Luo Wenyou. Sir Bai was not an ordinary person, nor the son of an ordinary man!

    He was the crown prince of Yan, Bai Yihao! Mo Xuetong could not help but shudder, a hint of wariness appearing in her eyes. Even in her past life, when Mo Xuetong had remained in seclusion, she had known about the crown prince of Yan Kingdom. He was simply too famous and was a shocking character.

    It was said that the crown prince was different from the other royal princes. He was not only handsome, but his bloodline was also impable as well. He was not only the crown prince of Yan, his mother was also the princess of Qin. Even though he came as a hostage of Qin, but because of his status, he was not imprisoned, but was allowed toe and go freely.

    He walked around the capital in floating white clothes and lived as he pleased. He was almost like a deity. He did not hang out with military or government officials, but with schrs. They were casual and lived the way they wanted and were elegant and graceful.

    However, Mo Xuetong knew that the crown prince returned to the Yan Kingdom afterward. He betrayed the military one night and ordered to kill hundreds and thousands of ves. Then, he quickly took control of the Yan Kingdom.

    Would a person like this really be as innocent as slow and be like a noble deity that walks in the night?

    "Grandmother, you¡¯re looking down on your grandson. Even though I¡¯m not the greatest schr of my time, but I¡¯m still a schr. I met His Highness a month ago and you were feeling poorly then. I also heard that younger sister Tong would being today, so I invited him to take a look at you two." Luo Wenyou said that lightly with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong knew that things were not so simple. Even though Bai Yihao was known to beid-back and gentle, he did not make friends easily. Because of his noble status, he never bent backward for power. He was also handsome and it was hard for a regr person to get to know him well. It was rumored that his medicinal skills were very advanced and he had once brought the dying Empress Dowager back from the brink of death.

    Three years ago, the Empress Dowager had fallen seriously ill and no doctors could cure her. Bai Yihao, who had just arrived in the Qin Kingdom had not even had time to change before he entered the room in a flurry of white to cure the dying Empress Dowager. This incident had caused a furore in the Qin Kingdom and Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome appearance had resulted in many looking at him in awe.

    After that, Bai Yihao dedicated himself to nature and no longer cared about matters of the world. He rarely interacted with nobility and instead, interacted with schrs, and was praised for it. He became the idol of many young girls. He once traveled down a street and many girls came up to him with flowers, causing amotion.

    How could Luo Mingzhu not be excited when such an interesting character wasing to the manor?

    "Then why have you not invited him?" Old Madam Xu was growing anxious as well. She was afraid of offending him!

    The two maids backed away and pulled up the door curtains with excitement. Luo Wenyou went out to invite the man in personally. Mi Xuetong, however, hid behind the screen with the reluctant Luo Mingzhu.

    The maids had alreadyid down the brocade stool for them. They had just taken a seat when they heard a voiceing from the outside. A clear and mellow voice came slowly from the door. His voice was enough to make a person drunk even before meeting him.

    Through the in colored screen made of gauze, Mo Xuetong first saw her eldest cousin walking in. He moved out of the way and a handsome young man appeared behind him like a colorful ray of light. The room, which had been noisy earlier, fell silent.

    At the age of seventeen or eighteen, the boy¡¯s beauty could not be described in words. Even Mo Xuetong, whose heart had been jaded, could not help but beat faster. Most importantly, there was a mysterious quality of carefreeness in his eyes that matched his white clothes. They were both pure white, like the ice and snow on top of Tianshan Mountain and reflected the brilliance of stars and moons.

    Such as a fallen fairy, the young man was as beautiful as a piece of jade. His beauty was beyond imagination.

    Outside, Bai Yihao greeted the old madam with gentleness and elegance, without formality. He put his fingers on the old madam¡¯s wrist, closed his eyes and diagnosed her. He did not say much as he sat to the side and wrote a prescription.

    "Miss, Old Madam is asking you to go out." A maid went behind the screen, passing on a message from the old madam.

    On the other side, Luo Mingzhu looked at her pleadingly. She pointed outside and indicated that she would like to go out as well. It was a rare opportunity to have a close look at this world-famous handsome man. Luo Mingzhu had long wanted to go out but she was imprisoned by the old madam and felt aggrieved about it. How would she give up the opportunity when Mo Xuetong was about to go out? She pulled on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve and refused to let go.

    She would not let Mo Xuetong go out if she could not go either!

    "Could you ask Grandmother to remove the screen?" Mo Xuetong looked at the maid awkwardly, tugging on her sleeve and showing the maid.

    "This..." The maid was put in a tough spot as well. She knew what her second young miss was thinking about when she saw how the young woman was holding on to Mo Xuetong. However, the noble families ced importance on separating men and women.

    "Go and tell Grandmother that Sir Bai is a gentleman and is like a diety that everyone looks up to. No matter men or women, he is admired by everyone!" Mo Xuetong smiled gently and said to the helpless maid!

    A smile appeared on Bai Yihao¡¯s lips as he sat on the outside prescribing medicine. He nced at the screen and continued his work.

    The maid did not know what to do. She turned around and suddenly heard the old madam say, "Remove the screen and invite the twodies!"

    "Yes!" A few maids moved quickly to remove the screen!

 Chapter 19 The Meeting

    Luo Mingzhu smiled gratefully and let go of Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She knew that Mo Xuetong¡¯s words had convinced their grandmother to give her a chance to meet the man.

    "Old Madam, although the medicine in this prescription is not very strong, you still need to avoid certain food. It is better to avoid food with conflicting properties. I wrote down some other food to avoid. Please take this, Old Madam." The clear voice was like a melody flowing like spring water. Bai Yihao turned around, smiled and said to the old madam while setting the paper in his hand to dry on one side.

    "Thank you, Sir Bai, we have troubled you. I don¡¯t know if you can treat my granddaughter. She has been weak since childhood and has not gotten better even after taking so many drugs." Old Madam Xu looked at Mo Xuetong, who emerged from the screen, with worried eyes. She waved at Bai Yihao with her slender pale hands.

    Bai Yihao turned to look at the woman standing at the side. Her beauty and naive charm were not lessened by her in clothes. Instead, it made her look clean and outstanding. Her beauty was natural and her longshes fluttered lightly. Her crystal clear eyes were curious but not shy.

    Her delicate and immature body was like a weak lotus in the wind. Although fragile, it was tough. Her delicate little face is as white as jade. She looked at him with pure appreciation and slightly aloof. Never had a woman looked at him such pure appreciation. Indeed as she said, no matter men or women, he was admired by everyone!

    "Please stretch out your hand!" Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle voice was clear and elegant as he turned to Mo Xuetong with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied and took two steps. She sat at the seat where Old Madam Xu had just vacated and stretched out her slender pale hand on the table, Bai Yihao stretched out his hand and ced it on her wrist. He lowered his head, carefully sensing her pulse, frowning slightly. He was indeed a very handsome young man. Even his head of looking down was charming. His pure and carefree temperament made it hard for others to believe that the beautiful young man was one day be an emperor who was decisive on who to punish and kill! And that one day, blood would stain his robes red.

    "Do you sometimes feel sleepy, but cannot sleep at night? Do you asionally have headaches, and can¡¯t even eat well when you don¡¯t feel well?" All of a sudden, Bai Yihao sweet voice, which was like a clear spring could be heard. She looked up and was startled to see those beautiful eyes looking at her gently and with a smile on his lips. She was startled and her cheeks flushed inexplicably. She felt as if she had been seen throughpletely, and she turned away guiltily, avoiding the young man¡¯s affectionate and gentle gaze.

    "Yes!" She lowered her head and tried to hide the nervousness in her eyes. Just now, she felt as if the man had seen through her secret. The feeling that the secret at the bottom of her heart beingpletely revealed made her suddenly alert. How could Bai Yihao, who has done so much, be a normal person?

    Being reborn was her greatest secret and her greatest support. She never thought anyone could see through her disguise. But just now, she actually felt as if she had been seen through and panicked inexplicably. She dared not look at those handsome eyes that seemed affectionate. She knew that this person was definitely not as gentle as he seemed on the surface.

    Her hand was gently ced on the table, Bai Yihao turned back to the table and started to write. With a wave of his hand, she also had a prescription and a list of things to take note of, just like the old madam.

    "Many thanks, Sir Bai!" She ordered Mo Yu toe forward to take the prescription. Mo Xuetong thanked Bai Yihao gently and curtsied. Her eyes were clear like spring water, and she looked up to, revealing her naturally coy gaze. When she looked at Bai Yihao again, she had regained her calmness. She did not believe that Bai Yihao could see through her, no matter how great he was.

    Bai Yihao left with Luo Wenyou.

    "Younger sister Tong, he¡¯s so handsome! I really met him!" Luo Mingzhu finally emerged from her daze when Bai Yihao and Luo Wenyou left. She pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and almost wanted to jump up and down, looking as if she could not believe her luck. She had never thought that she would be able to sit so close to someone like that. He was so close that she could clearly see his longshes and clear, handsome eyes.

    "Second cousin, yes, you have seen him. Please sit down first. Grandmother is going to make fun of you. You are the darling daughter of Fugong." Mo Xuetong smiled and nudged her to sit beside Old Madam Xu.

    "Younger sister Tong is not excited?" Luo Mingzhu regained her wits with the nudge. She looked up at Mo Xuetong incredulously as if she was seeing her for the first time.

    "Why should I be excited?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glowed with curiosity.

    "That¡¯s Sir Bai! He¡¯s peerless and second to none. There¡¯s only one person like him in Qin. Other than the eighth prince whom I heard have only recently appeared, he¡¯s the most handsome person on earth! How can Younger sister Tong have no reactions to him?" Luo Mingzhu was even more surprised than she was. She held up her handkerchief against her mouth and asked in astonishment, as if Mo Xuetong was going against thew by not being excited.

    "You wench!" Old Madam Xu nodded in secret upon seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm appearance. She reached out to p Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand and scolded affectionately, "Since you know that he¡¯s like a deity, your cousin looked at him in appreciation but her heart had not wavered. You should learn from her. How can an older sister behave like you?

    Luo Mingzhu grew up with Old Madam Xu and was the only granddaughter. She was naturally very doted on and was not careful when she spoke. She covered her face and looked tearfully at the old madam, saying grievously. "Grandmother, now that you have my smart younger cousin, you don¡¯t want stupid old me anymore!"

    Then, she covered her pouting mouth, looking terribly upset.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and reached out to touch her cousin¡¯s forehead. She rather liked this cousin of hers. She was gentle and innocent, but spoke truthfully. The old madam smiled happily when she saw her two obedient and caring grandchildren.

    After lunch, Mo Xuetong told the old madam asked about getting a teaching nanny. The old madam agreed at once. She told Mo Xuetong to move over for a few days so that she could receive lessons and also learn about the noble families of the capital. Since she had entered the capital, she should be careful with how she acted and what she said so she did not embarrass herself.

    The old madam grew tired and was going to take an afternoon nap. Luo Mingzhu was called upon by her mother. Mo Xuetong left Mo Yu to take care of the old madam and brought Mo He to the garden. The Luo family garden was not unfamiliar to Mo Xuetong. She used to walk through it many times in her past life.

    She followed the winding path towards the lotus pond. There was a pavilion built beside it. It waste autumn and the lotus leaves have already withered, leaving behind empty branches in the clear water. The autumn wind made one feel cold.

    "Miss, you¡¯re not wearing enough clothes. I will go and get you the cape the old madam gave you earlier. Don¡¯t catch a cold." Mo He said when she saw Mo Xuetong shivering slightly.

    Mo Xuetong nodded. Her gazended on a tree not far away, and her expression darkened.

    "Miss, wait for me over there and don¡¯t go away. I¡¯ll be back quickly. "Mo He had seen the tree as well. She left hurriedly after telling her mistress that.

    There was a long verandah and Mo Xuetong stepped on the soft wooden corridor and listened to the whistling wind. The wind lifted up her white skirt and somehow made her feel more miserable. With her head down, she listened to the sound of her footsteps and the wind. Her feelings felt as if they had traveled through time. There was a wry smile on her lips. She was truly a reborn spirit. She brought her sadness with her as she listened to the sounds of the rustling leaves.

    In her past life, she had died so miserably. She would be startled awake every time she dreamt.

    In this life, she would definitely make those she cared about live blissfully. She would take a clear path of revenge that was flooded with blood.

    Music could be heard, being carried by the wind. It felt otherworldly. The music drifted, like the running springs of the mountains, or like the clouds in the skies. It was inexplicably carefree.

    Mo Xuetong followed the music and went past the verandah. She turned to see at the pavilion, a beautiful boy sitting in front of an antique stringed instrument. He moved his fingers naturally, plucking and picking. Music flowed from his fingertips. He did not stop when he saw her. There was a strand of long hair that fell across his cheek that swayed with the wind.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell from his face on to his fast-moving hands. Those wless plucked lightly, and music flowed out like water. It sounded like a thousand thoughts, and yet, like moving clouds and water. It was mesmerizing.

    She could see a red light zing like fire with the music. Sheughed maniacally in the fire, and the burning, vicious fire burned up to the skies. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s sardonicughter could be heard outside the fire. At this moment, she felt a burning hatred in her heart. She could not control her feet and her eyes were fixed on the gently moving hands on the instrument. She could see nothing else.

    The music suddenly stopped and a pleasantughter could be heard. "What are you thinking about, and why do you hate so much!"

    Mo Xuetong was standing in front of him, staring dazedly at his hands resting on the instrument. His fingers were long and white. The joints were even and were like wless jade. She took a deep breath and looked up at the elegant and gentle handsome face. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Is there anyone who does not have thoughts or hate? Sir, do you really think so?"

    That was not a question but a statement. How could a decisive emperor really be carefree? And how could he be as free and uninhibited like the clouds in the sky?

    "Hey, what did you see?" Bai Yihao¡¯sughter grew even clearer, the emotion in his eyes were indecipherable.

    "Even though the clouds and flowing water were calm, but they were soulless. Sir, you are indeed talented, for you see things differently! I¡¯m the smallest fallen leaf in the world, and am only seeing for a safe corner! Please help me." Mo Xuetong took a deep breath and looked up determinedly. Her hands, though, were fisted tightly around her sleeves and were sweating coldly.

    She had asked Bai Yihao out intentionally. It was not to talk about music. She did not have much time to seed. She must not hold back!

    ------------------

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 Chapter 20 Sparing and Transaction

    Bai Yihao looked at the charming young girl in front of him with his dark eyes. Her clear eyes were like clean waters without a single speck of dirt. Her long eyshes fluttered and her eyes were calm. Her smile was still and beautiful. The girl who was so aloof but determined. It was something he had never seen before.

    He had never thought that such a delicate and charming young girl could even look at him with such calm eyes. Her eyes were alert, nervous, but not hostile, and he could see some helplessness and bitterness in those beautiful eyes. They were deep, bright and sharp, and werepletely different from her frail and lovely appearance.

    Yet this made those around her hurt for her even more!

    She seemed to be under too much pressure. Her calmness made her unlike those her age, and it was imposed on her by the outside world. The stubbornness in her eyes was barely visible, he could see it clearly. He came to a new decision in a split moment.

    "Why do you think I will help you? A daughter of an eminent family making such an appointment with an unknown man would be bad for your reputation. " Bai Yihao smiled gently.

    "I would not trouble sir if it was not urgent." Mo Xuetong looked at him quietly with doe-like eyes.

    "Oh, what¡¯s the matter?"

    "I¡¯d first like to thank you for your help at the city gates. Please ept my gift of thanks." Mo Xuetong backed away and curtsied and took out a book from her sleeves. She handed to him respectfully. This was the best idea Mo Xuetong thought of, to get a promise out of him with a gift.

    "It was just a small matter and a music book was enough. Miss Mo does not have to thank me again." Bai Yihao did not reach out to take the book. He ced his hands behind him and stood up. He looked at her deeply, light streaming down from the sun behind him. It made him look even more ethereal.

    "Please help me again, sir. Your helping hand would be a great help to me." Mo Xuetong asked humbly. She knew it was him that day at the city gate when You Yuecheng had mentioned him. A person like this was indeed hard to touch, but this was the only idea she had.

    Bai Yihao looked at her. His voice was so soft, it was like a lover¡¯s caress. However, the meaning behind his words was cold. "Why should I help you again? What has your business to do with me?"

    "I am willing to give you a sacred military book." Mo Xuetong stretched out her hands and ced the ancient script closer to him.

    Bai Yihao was not as indifferent as he looked. He had be a steel-willed emperor in the future. The military methods found in the book would definitely be more attractive to him than music manuscript. She had found the book in a hidden corner behind her mother¡¯s bed. He had ambitions, and this book was what he needed right now.

    She had to appeal to him in order to get rid of Auntie Fang.

    "I¡¯m just a schr, what do I need a military book for? Miss Mo, please go back." Bai Yihao¡¯s face darkened and he spoke coldly.

    He was as gentle as water when he smiled. But with his current dark expression was cold. It was as if he were a cliff covered by thick fog. It was hundreds and thousands of meters deep and when she took a wrong step, she would fall into the abyss. He would not turn back then. There was a sharp and strong aura that pressed down on them, and it made her heart shudder.

    "Sir Bai, do you just want to stay as a hostage in Qin? With your abilities, you would be able to achieve much. How could Qin lock up your ambitions? If in the future...wouldn¡¯t this book of military arts be useful for you?" Mo Xuetong forced herself to remain calm in the powerful atmosphere. She lifted up her pale face and looked at him firmly. Only her slightly trembling hands betrayed her frayed nerves.

    She knew it was dangerous to speak so bluntly about the secrets hidden in others¡¯ hearts, but she didn¡¯t have much time to deal with him. If she missed this time, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily have the chance to meet him again in the future. Even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t have the chance to speak privately with him. The family rites were about to happen and she could not afford to wait.

    Bai Yihao did not speak and only looked at her coldly. The air seemed to grow thicker, and it made one feel cold. The pavilion was so quiet only the sound of the whistling wind could be heard, and as well as Mo Xuetong¡¯s serious voice...

    Just as Mo Xuetong could not bear it any longer, Bai Yihao suddenly said warmly, "Alright, then I¡¯ll help you again."

    Bai Yihao reached out to take the book from her. Mo Xuetong heard her heart falling sturdily back down. She could not help but lean weakly against the pir weakly.

    "Speak, what is it?" Bai Yihao flipped through the book and asked.

    "My father has already invited you to the Mo family rites. I ask that youe and help. You just have to tell my father all you¡¯ve seen and heard." Mo Xuetong said.

    In her past life, her father had also invited Sir Bai to the family rites. However, he said that he was busy and had not turned up.

    "Alright! I will be there." Bai Yihao looked up slightly. His handsome face and his gentle and elegant voice were irresistible to all women.

    "Then, thank you very much, Sir. I shan¡¯t bother you any more and will take my leave." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were as clear as water. She did not appear to be as mesmerized by him as other regr girls. Nor did she behave coyly. She only looked aloof and as if she wanted to leave. However, she was still the one who had taken the initiative."

    "go!" The beautiful man smiled and then pressed down on his instrument string with a finger. The music was crisp. Then, he lifted his finger and the music stopped.

    Mo Xuetong shuddered slightly and then curtsied deeply. She turned to walk away slowly. Her expression was natural and elegant. Her clothes fluttered in the wind as if they were dancing, showing off her slender waist. She looked down and walked to the corridor, looking graceful.

    Only she knew that her back was soaked in cold sweat. The hand on the instrument string had made her feel extremely wary and she shuddered inside and out. She wanted to flee but dared not. It was great danger!

    Bai Yihao was dangerous at this time. She had seen the darkness that shed through his eyes when she spoke about the military arts book. He had wanted to kill her! His fingers had locked onto the instrument and also onto her. He would definitely act if she behaved oddly.

    The fight between Qin and Yan has nothing to do with her. The fight between countries was too far away from her. Her heart is very small and she cared only about the people around her. Everything else had nothing to do with her. The events of the country were not what a weak woman who had been reborn could bear.

    If not for the fact that he could solve this problem, she would not go to him.

    This person was too dangerous!

    "Miss, miss, where did you go? I couldn¡¯t find you anywhere" Mo He ran to her hurriedly from the end of the corridor, holding her cape.

    "I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry. Has grandmother woken up?" Mo Xuetong looked at Mo He with a smile after Mo He helped her to put on the cape.

    "You¡¯re amazing, Miss. Old Madam is really awake and is looking for you. She told me to hurry when she heard that I was bringing you a cape. It¡¯s getting cold, and Mo Yu told me just now that we¡¯re still heading back. You¡¯ll be gossiped about if you¡¯rete." Mo He told her as they walked back together.

    It was indeed gettingte. She still had to return home after bidding her grandmother goodbye. She wille to stay for a few days in a while, so she must not dawdle.

    "I will go and bid Grandmother goodbyeter. Ask Mo Yu to prepare the carriage and to not waste too much time on the road." Mo Xuetong ordered.

    "I understand!"

    The sweet voices drifted away as the two entered.

    A figure suddenly appeared behind Bai Yihao, who was watching them leave as he leaned against his seat.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s gaze followed Mo Xuetong into the distance. There was a smile on his handsome and wless face. The instrument under his hand was silent, and his eyes were grave.

    "Sir, are you going to let her go just like that?" The young man who appeared behind Bai Yihao asked puzzledly.

    "Should I ask her to stay and listen to my music?" Bai Yihao asked. He did not turn around, but lowered his head and plucked a string. A crisp warm note sounded.

    "But Sir, she¡¯s discovered your secret..." The guard took two steps up and reminded him anxiously.

    "Secret? What secrets do I have? Why don¡¯t I know about them?" He turned around leisurely and asked, a smile in his eyes. He was handsome and elegant, looking as if he had no cares. He stood up and flung out his sleeves and ignored the guard. Then, he turned around and followed the path Mo Xuetong took.

    The guard only regained his wits when Bai Yihao left the pavilion. He quickly picked up the instrument. He did not understand what his master meant! But he knew that he could not doubt his master¡¯s decisions.

    Mo Xuetong bade the old madam farewell and brought Mo Yu and Mo He home. She had just entered the courtyard when she saw Mother Xu hurrying towards her. She pulled her to one side and said anxiously, "Miss, Eldest is here and is waiting for you inside."

    Mo Xuemin was waiting for her? Mo Xuetong was startled and asked, "Is there anyone else?"

    The unhappiness in Mother Xu¡¯s eyes could not be disguised.

    "Eldest miss brought a gentleman with her. She said that he is the Duke¡¯s son. They¡¯re waiting inside right now." Mother Xu felt displeased with Mo Xuemin at the thought that she had dared to bring a man to her mistress¡¯s yard.

    If the noble families of Great Qin got along well, the young masters and mistresses could meet. But it was very rude to enter a person¡¯s inner courtyard.

    "A gentleman?" Mo Xuetong frowned.

    "It is the Duke¡¯s son. Eldest miss had brought him here especially and said that she had something to say to you. I did not dare to ask too many questions and only asked them to wait under the tree in the corridor. I¡¯ve offered them tea and Mo Lan is watching them." Mother Xu gritted her teeth. She wanted to questions, but Mo Xuemin had replied indifferently that she could only speak to her third sister about the matter.

    She had nothing to say then. After all, she was just a servant and could not interfere with the businesses of her mistresses.

    Mo Xuemin had brought the person here. As time passed, people will think that she had something going on with Sima Lingyun. Mother Xu understood this as well, which was why she was so worried.

    "Mo Yu, Mo He. Let¡¯s go to father¡¯s study. Mother Xu,e to find meter. Spread the news to fourth sister¡¯s courtyard and to father¡¯s study." Mo Xuetong sighed and said with a faint smile.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 21 The Sisters Fight and were Punished

    Mother Xu immediately steeled herself as she spread the news to Mo Xueqiong¡¯s courtyard. Fourth Miss had always been interested in the duke¡¯s son, and it was no secret in the manor. Since Eldest Miss wanted to ruin her mistress¡¯ reputation, then it was right that they drag Mo Xuetong into trouble as well since she had always been mean to Mo Xuetong. Mother Xu would not forget how Fourth Miss and First Miss had joined hands to make her mistress unhappy.

    "Mother Xu,e find me after a while." Mo Xuetong smiled at Mother Xu.

    Mother Xu smiled when she heard that. Indeed, with Fourth Miss around, her mistress woulde out clean. The gracious First Miss was about to get into trouble.

    Mo Xuetong brought her servants to Mo Huawen¡¯s study. The study was two doors away and was not far. The servant outside saw her approaching and had already informed Mo Huawen. She was immediately weed into the study when she reached the doors.

    "Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t need to be so polite. Come and sit. How¡¯s your grandmother?" Mo Huawen put down the documents in his hands and asked with a smile.

    "Grandmother is well. She was feeling a little poorly a while ago, so cousin invited Sir Bai toe and take a look at her." Mo Xuetong greeted her father and then got up to sit at the side.

    "Sir Bai? Sir Bai Yihao?" Mo Huawen took a sip of tea and then smiled, asking with interest.

    "Yes. I heard that this Sir Bai is the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom. Father, then why did hee to Qin? I heard that the Yan Kingdom is a strong nation and is not any weaker than Qin!" Mo Xuetong looked up with her clear eyes. She saw the love in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes and blinked naughtily.

    Unlike her previous life, she could feel her father¡¯s love for her more and more!

    "The Yan Kingdom and Qin are both strong and the royal familes are rted. So he¡¯s not truly a hostage. If we really were to discuss it, the Emperor hopes that he would be the future ruler of Yan Kingdom. Of course, he could not really lock him up. The hostages of both countries are just in name." Mo Huawen was delighted when he saw how adorable his daughter was. He talked about politics with Mo Xuetong that he rarely talked about with his daughters.

    "Hostages? Father, did the Qin also send a prince to the Yan Kingdom?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew sweeter.

    "The Qin Kingdom had not sent a prince, but sent the King of Ning Feng Yuzhen." Mo Huawen saw the puzzled look in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. He knew that his daughter had been living far away and did not know who the King of Ning was. So he exined, "The King of Ning is the Emperor¡¯s oldest brother¡¯s son. He is the true grandson of the Empress Dowager. He is of noble status and is the nephew of the Yan¡¯s Empress. So he is the most suitable to be hostage."

    The King of Ning might be of noble status, but isn¡¯t the son of Emperor Zongwen more noble? Mo Xuetong would naturally not ask this. In her past life, the King of Ning, Wang Fengyu had died in the Yan Kingdom and never had a chance to return. It was also unlike what her father said. Being the nephew of the Yan¡¯s Empress did not guarantee his safety.

    "All these things are soplicated. Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t understand. Father, don¡¯t talk about such things that your daughter doesn¡¯t understand. "Mo Xuetong said cutely. She reached out and took the box that Mo He was holding. She opened it and put it in front of Mo Huawen and said "Father, cousin told me to give you this inkstone. I wanted to give you this and I came here straightaway upon returning. Father won¡¯t me Tong¡¯er for such behavior, would you?"

    Mo Huawen loved to collect ancient inkstones, so Luo Wenyou had given him the right gift. The rtionship between the Mos and the Luos had never been good. Since Mo Xuetong had returned, the Old Madam naturally wanted to better the rtionship. Luo Wenyou had given the inkstone to her after she got on the carriage to give to her father as a show of goodwill.

    Mo Huawen had been ying in politics for a long while and naturally knew about this. His heart immediately softened when he saw his daughter¡¯s gentle appearance and how much she wanted to please him. Heughed and said, "Good, good. How will I me you? You don¡¯t need to ask if you cane here. Come whenever you want to."

    The two were chatting when a male servant ran in. He said, panting, "Old Sir, there¡¯s trouble. First Miss and Fourth Miss are fighting."

    "What¡¯s the matter?" Mo Huawen¡¯s face darkened.

    "I don¡¯t know exactly. But I heard a servant in the inner courtyard say that they seem to be fighting over the duke¡¯s son. They were fighting..." The servant did not dare to continue and he cowered on the ground.

    Mo Huawen understood and his anger showed in the bulging veins on his face. This was not the first time Mo Xuetong had done something like that. She would try by all means to meet Sima Lingyun every time he came over. It was very annoying. He did not expect something like this to happen today and was furious. He stood up forcefully and said coldly, "Where are they now?"

    "They¡¯re at Third Miss¡¯s courtyard." The servant said fearfully.

    "My courtyard?" Mo Xuetong stood up in shock. She turned around to look at Mo Huawen and said, "Father..."

    "Tong¡¯er, let¡¯s go and take a look together." Mo Huawen did not understand why they would be in Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard either. He took a deep breath and tempered down his anger and left.

    When they arrived at Qingwei Garden, the ce was in a mess.

    Those on Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin¡¯s side were separated clearly. The two people being surrounded by others were looking ruffled. Their clothing was messy and their hairpins falling out. One nce at them and one could tell that the two had fought. Sima Lingyun stood to the side awkwardly. He could not leave, but neither could he stay. Mo Lan and Mother Xu stood at the entrance of the courtyard, looking down and their hands ced together. They looked as if they dared not to even breath too heavily.

    "Who¡¯s going to tell me what happened?" Mo Huawen brought Mo Xuetong through the door. He swept his eyes at the scene and asked coldly.

    "Father, Eldest sister brought His Excellency to the courtyard and kept himpany the entire afternoon. They were together alone. Father, how could she behave like this as a noble young woman? I was just here to advice eldest sister." Mo Xueqiongined first. One could see the jealousy and hate that flickered past her face.

    "Why has His Excellencye to our manor?" Mo Huawen ignored her and turned to look at Sima Lingyun. His question was polite, but his eyes were cold. Anyone could see that he was unhappy.

    Sima Lingyun frequented the Mo manor often. However, entering the courtyards so brazenly had never happened before.

    "Sir Mo, this is a misunderstanding. First Miss said that Third Miss had a music manuscript. Lingyun was curious and asked First Miss toe and help me ask Third Miss. But Third Miss wasn¡¯t around, so we waited in the courtyard. I did not mean to be impolite." Sima Lingyun wanted to dig himself a hole in the ground. However, he could not help but exin humbly.

    "Tong¡¯er, if you still have the music manuscript, then take it out and let His Excellency have a look." Mo Huawen said coldly with a frown. However, he kept his eyes on Mo Xuemin, looking at her darkly.

    Mo Xuetong walked by quickly and greeted Sima Lingyun with a curtsy. She said in surprise, "I¡¯ve never had a manuscript. Where did Your Excellency hear about that? And when have matters of the inner courtyard spread so quickly to the outside?"

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression grew even darker when he heard that.

    "It is possible that Lingyun was mistaken. My apologies,dies." Sweat could be seen glistening on Sima Lingyun¡¯s head. He stuttered slightly as well. How would he dare to say that it was Mo Xuemin who had told him so?

    "If Your Excellency has nothing else, then please go back. I won¡¯t walk you out." Mo Huawen said irritatedly. His tone was cold.

    "Then I shall take my leave." Sima Lingyun looked pathetic and did not dare to say anything else. A servant came up and said evenly, "Your Excellency, please," before leaving the courtyard. Sima Lingyun hurried after her.

    Mo Huawen only unleashed his wrath then. He looked at his daughters and their messy clothes and said angrily, "Come in, all of you!" Then, he entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    Mo Xueqiong followed him immediately. Mo Xuemin adjusted her clothes before following them.

    "Tell me, what¡¯s the matter?" Mo Xuetong sat down on the couch and pped the table, asking them sharply.

    "Father, it¡¯s really nothing. It¡¯s all Min¡¯er¡¯s fault. I saw that His Excellency has close ties with the family and really wanted to see the manuscript. But Fourth Sister misunderstood." Mo Xuemin fought to speak before Mo Xueqiong. She knelt down and unlike Mo Xueqiong who med others, epted responsibility.

    This appeased Mo Huawen slightly.

    "Father, don¡¯t be angry. Eldest sister has always been gracious and knows her etiquette well. How would she do something so rude?" Mo Xuetong consoled by the side. Then, she turned to ask Mo Xueqiong, "Fourth sister, have you misunderstood eldest sister?"

    Misunderstood Mo Xuemin? If Mo Xuemin had been misunderstood then she would have to be the one getting into trouble today.

    Mo Xueqiong was flustered when she heard that. She took two steps forward and knelt down before Mo Hawen. She cried into her sleeves and said, "Father, I didn¡¯t misunderstand eldest sister. I really saw the two of them behaving intimately when I arrived. Eldest sister was making tea for His Excellency and the two were so close to each other. Furthermore, the inner courtyards shouldn¡¯t be a ce to entertain male guests. Even though His Excellency is close with father, eldest sister shouldn¡¯t have done something like that. I went up to ask eldest sister about it, but she pushed me..."

    "Fourth sister, don¡¯t speak nonsense. We waited for Third sister for a long while. I was afraid that His Excellency would be bored, so I treated him as I would any guest. We didn¡¯t do anything inappropriate." Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth. She had already let Mo Xueqiong off earlier, saying that it was a misunderstanding. This was so they could be done with the matter. However, Mo Xueqiong was so stupid to not let the matter go.

    "Then why did you push me guiltily?" Mo Xueqiong asked.

    "I did not..."Mo Xuemin tried to defend herself, especially when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s expression growing darker and darker. No matter how glib her tongue was, she could not say anything against Mo Xueqiong¡¯s pressing questions.

    "Fourth miss, it is I who pushed you, not First miss...I saw you walking over fiercely and thought that you were about to hit First miss, so I pushed you..."Mo Jin, who was standing behind Mo Xuemin suddenly knelt down in tears.

    "You slut, you¡¯re speaking nonsense. You were standing by the side then, how could you push me?" Mo Xueqiong was enraged. She stopped crying and was so angry she wanted to stand up and hit Mo Jin. However, she was held back by her maid, Mo Yan, and could not get up.

    There was a kerfuffle.

    "So who made the first move?" Mo Huawen stood up and smashed the cup in his hand on the floor. The porcin breaking made a crisp sound that caused all the sounds in the house to stop.

    Mo Xueqiong was flustered when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s sharp eyes. She had always been afraid of Mo Huawen, and had mustered up all her courage to ce all the me on Mo Xuemin. That was why she cried and made a fuss. Now that she had calmed down, she recalled that there were many present and that it could not be hidden. Her face paled and her lips trembled. However, she did not say anything.

    Now, it seemed that the truth was out. Mo Huawen bellowed, "Mo Xueqiong!"

    ------------------

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 Chapter 22 Auntie Plots Again

    Mo Xueqiong saw that there was no way to hide the issue. She blurted out the truth while crying.

    Mo Xueqiong had seen Mo Xuemin making tea for Sima Lingyun when she went to Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard. The two seemed to be behaving intimately, so Mo Xuetong immediately felt jealous.

    She went up and questioned Mo Xuemin without knowing anything about the situation and even pushed Mo Xuemin. Then, the two had fallen to the ground and...

    Mo Huawen was so angry he was spewing smoke. He had always known how unruly his fourth daughter was. However, he had not expected his eldest daughter to behave like this as well. She had brought a man into her younger sister¡¯s courtyard and even behaved intimately with the man. Did she still want her reputation?

    "Go. Go back to your courtyards. Copy the ssics for Women 30 times. You¡¯re not allowed to leave your courtyards unless you finish copying. Your maids will each be beaten 10 times. You can¡¯t even look after your mistresses well. What use do you have?" Mo Huawen gritted his teeth and said angrily.

    The maids and servants following Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin were all so frightened they knelt down.

    "Father, can you spare them? They had nothing to do with this matter." Mo Xuemin kowtowed. Her tone was full of pity, and even Mo Xueqiong¡¯s servants looked at her gratefully.

    Mo Xuemin really did not let go of a single chance to make herself look gracious!

    "Father, please do as eldest sister ask and let them off. Eldest sister has always been kind and cannot bear to see others get hurt." Mo Xuetong to tug on Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves and said so softly.

    She sounded as if she was defending Mo Xuemin.

    Except, it just made Mo Huawen even angrier!

    She had always been kind and knowledgable of etiquette. But it did not seem so today! Mo Huawen red at her angrily and said, "Ten more strikes to everyone!"

    Everyone looked at Mo Xuemin angrily.

    Mo Xuetong, that wench, was stirring up trouble!

    Mo Xuemin knelt and fisted her hands. Her long fingernails dug into her palms and a vicious look shed through her eyes. However, a docile smile appeared on her face and she said, "Yes, Father. Min¡¯er was wrong this time. Please forgive me. I will immediately wash my clothes and light incense and copy the ssics of Women 50 times. I won¡¯t make the same mistake again."

    Mo Huawen was slightly more appeased when he saw her good attitude, the regret in her eyes and how she epted the punishment gracefully. However, his eyes darkened when he thought of how he suspected her of ruining her sister¡¯s reputation. He waved his hand impatiently for her to go away.

    Mo Xueqiong still wanted to say something. However, Mo Yan held her back, and she stomped her feet reluctantly before leaving.

    Once everyone had left, Mo Huawenforted Mo Xuetong and left Qingwei Garden as well.

    Once the courtyard had been cleaned up, Mo Lan made Mo Xuetong another cup of tea. She told Mo Xuetong what happened in detail. Mother Xu passed by Mo Xueqiong¡¯s courtyard when she was running hastily to the study. Mo Yan came out to ask her why she was hurrying.

    Mother Xu said that Eldest Miss was with His Excellency in Third Miss¡¯s courtyard and that the two had been waiting for more than four hours.

    Mo Xueqiong had always been interested in Sima Lingyun. Mo Xuemin had once promised her privately that there was nothing going on between her and Sima Lingyun. However, the two were in the inner courtyard together for almost four hours. Mo Xueqiong could not bear it and immediately barged into Qingwei Garden angrily and then, whatever happened after that happened.

    With such an unruly and jealous Mo Xueqiong around, no matter how highly Mo Xuemin tried to put herself, she would be dragged into trouble anyway.

    "Miss, why did you not say that First miss was the one who told His Excellency about you having the music manuscript?" Mo He asked curiously as she gave her a scented towel for her to clean her hands.

    She had been standing outside the door earlier and heard everything clearly.

    "If eldest sister doesn¡¯t acknowledge that and if Sima Lingyun didn¡¯t say that, then who could pin the evidence on her? It would only make Father unhappy. This is good. Having no evidence is the best evidence." Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She took a sip of tea and ced the cup on the table. She looked at the pot of flowers that Mo Lan ced at the window leisurely.

    She did not have any evidence. But there were not more than four people in the manor who knew about her having the manuscript. And only Auntie Fang, who had waited on her mother knew about it. How would anyone else know? Her father had been dealing with politics and was very experienced. He had shone amongst hundreds of officials. He naturally knew what was happening.

    Mo He did not understand. She thought about it for a while before her eyes brightened.

    Mo Lan put down the vase in her hands and went up to nudge her with a smile. "Quick go and get miss¡¯s luggage from the carriage. Old madam gave miss a lot of good things."

    "Oh, right. Miss, I¡¯ll get them from the carriage immediately." Mo He smacked herself on her head and turned to run out.

    In Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden.

    Aunt Fang grabbed a porcin decoration angrily and threw it at her feet. "How did that little bitch get into a fight with first miss?" she said angrily. She was not at the inner residence just now and heard nanny Li talking about Mo Xuemin¡¯s punishment when she returned. She was so angry that she wanted to find Mo Huawen but was held back by nanny Li.

    "Fourth miss only ran to Qingwei Garden when she heard that first miss had gone to Qingwei Garden." Nanny Li¡¯s men had already made an inquiry and she immediately told Auntie Fang the whole story.

    Aunt Fang slowly calmed down and looked at the empty door. There was a cold light in her eyes. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Did the little slut find out about something?"

    "No, Third miss was not there at that time. It was impossible for her to know what happened in the courtyard." Nanny Li was Auntie Fang¡¯s confidant. She knew that Auntie Fang was talking about Mo Xuetong.

    "Then why, why does the little slut feel different when she returned this time..." She had gotten the upper hand at every opportunity. First at the city gates and then, Min¡¯er had be disliked. Then, the reveal of her "injury" causing her to be rebuked. Even the calm Min¡¯er had fallen in her hands. She felt that it was highly suspicious.

    "Auntie, you¡¯re thinking too much. She¡¯s just an orphan who lost her mother. She does not have the courage to fight with Auntie and First Miss. She would at the most be able to do well a few times thanks to the Fuguo¡¯s. How would she have the ability to plot against you and First miss? She¡¯s just lucky. Nanny Li despised Mo Xuetong. She saw that Mo Xuetong had not be powerful after entering the manor and had forgotten the shame she had endured back then. She thought that Mo Xuetong had been strong then because there were people from the Fuguo¡¯s present then.

    "Hurmph, that¡¯s right. Let the little slut have it good for a few days. Have you sent people to His Excellency¡¯s?" Auntie Fang smiled sinisterly.

    "I got someone to follow after him when he left. He guaranteed that nothing will go wrong on his side and a misstep like today will not happen again." Nanny Li said with satisfaction. Auntie¡¯s ns had already been set in motion. The matter today was only to nt an idea in old sir¡¯s mind. When the incident finally happened, old sir would deal with things how Auntie Fang wanted.

    However, they did not expect a misstep to ur today, causing First miss to be punished as well.

    However, as long as Auntie Fang¡¯s plot seeded, Third miss would be responsible for everything and First miss would be alright.

    "Little slut, we¡¯ll see how many more days she can go." Auntie Fangughed shrilly. She pointed to her left and said viciously, "We have to let the little slut suffer as well. How dare she fight with Min¡¯er and ruin her ns. Get someone to get Auntie Qing to do more about it so that she won¡¯t teach that little slut to be so stupid.

    "Yes, I will get someone to do it tomorrow." Nanny Li understood immediately andughed menacingly.

    The next day, Mo Xuetong cooked and asked Mo He to put them in a lunchbox to send to Mo Huawen¡¯s study. She knew that Mo Huawen had not returned to the inner house yesterday night and had stayed in his study. It was about time he got off from court.

    In herst life, she had been in love with Sima Lingyun, so she remembered clearly what time he got off from court.

    Indeed, Mo Huawen did not return to the inner house after court. He changed into casual clothing and sat behind his desk with a frown to settle matters. When he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s sweet smiling face at the door, his expression softened.

    He sat down and watched quietly as Mo Xuetong took out several dishes. Her beautiful face was very simr to Luo Xia¡¯s. It was as if she was looking at Luo Xia. Luo Xia had once made him porridge and dishes, cing them on his desk gently. But now...

    "Father, you can eat the porridge now. You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet. I heard about it. I don¡¯t care, you have to give me face and try the dishes I cooked!" Mo Xuetong turned around and said sweetly.

    "Alright, alright. Father will definitely try what Tong¡¯er cooked." Mo Huawen nodded, his eyes filling with tears.

    "Quick, try them, Father." Mo Xuetong said sweetly and stuffed a pair of chopsticks into Mo Huawen¡¯s hands.

    "Third miss is really filial. I havee toote." A coy voice could be heard from the door, interrupting the heart-warming moment between father and daughter. Mo Xuetong looked up and saw Auntie Fang walking in with a handkerchief in her hand. Nanny Li was also holding a food basket behind her. It was evident that she was here to send breakfast to Mo Huawen.

    "Why have youe?" Mo Huawen¡¯s expression turned cold immediately. How could he be happy when he thought of the stupid things Mo Xuemin did yesterday when he saw Auntie Fang.

    "I heard that you have not eaten anything aftering back from court. So I went to the kitchen especially to make you some food. I didn¡¯t expect Third miss to be so considerate to have prepared food so early. Old sir, Third miss is so filial, you are blessed." Auntie Fang praised sincerely.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression softened at her words and he said indifferently, "Since you are here, sit down and let¡¯s eat together."

    No matter what, she was still considered Mo Xuetong¡¯s elder and was in charge of the courtyards. He could not disrespect her in front of her juniors. Even though he was angry when he thought of how he had tricked her, he could not be angry when he thought of how she had worked hard over household matters.

    Mo Xuetong, of course, did not believe that Auntie Fang was praising her sincerely. However, she still smiled and stood up, inviting Auntie Fang to take a seat.

    "Tong¡¯er is naturally filial. If Min¡¯er is like her, then I wouldn¡¯t have to worry as much." Mo Huawen said coldly and drank his porridge.

    "Old sir, I came here today to submit Min¡¯er¡¯s copies of the ssics of Women. One more thing, Min¡¯er asks that old sir doesn¡¯t me her. She can¡¯t be filial to old sir for now and asks Third miss to do so on her behalf." Auntie Fang smiled and took out a wad of ssics. The neat and tidy characters showed how hard the person writing it had tried.

    There were ten sheets in that bundle. ording to regr speeds, Mo Xuemin would not be able to copy ten sheets unless she did not sleep and copied throughout the night.

    Mo Huawen fell silent and asked after a while, "What else does she need to do?"

    "Min¡¯er wanted to go to the Repayment temple outside the city to pray for Madam. She was going to go tomorrow, but even if she doesn¡¯t eat and sleep, she won¡¯t be able to finish copying 30 sheets...She would like to know if Third miss can go on behalf of her." Auntie Fang asked awkwardly.

    Indeed, they were waiting for her here! Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 23 The Note in the Old Book

    It was a silent night. The moon was beautiful. The lights in Qingwei Garden were lit.

    Mo Xuetong leaned against the couch and watched as Mo Lan packed up her clothes for their journey tomorrow.

    It was very quiet in the room. Only the sounds of candlelight flickering could be heard. It was very light, but it disrupted the peace.

    "Miss, are we really going to the Repayment Temple tomorrow? Auntie Fang had gone to tell old sir especially, so she must be up to something." Mo Lan could not bear it and asked Mo Xuetong.

    "Eldest sister had picked such a good reason. I would be unfilial if I don¡¯t go. Even father has agreed, so how can I not go?" Mo Xuetong tapped her long slender fingers on the couch thoughtlessly. Her mind had gone back to what happened these few days.

    Mo Xuemin had fallen into her hands again and again since she returned to the capital. How could Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang be willing to take that lying down? She did not know when Mo Xuetong and Sima Lingyun had gotten together in her past life. However, she could see clearly now that Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had already been in cahoots long ago.

    Sima Lingyun was close with the Mo¡¯s because Sima Lingyun had once saved Mo Xuemin when she fell off her horse on a trip out with otherdies and gentlemen. In her past life, Mo Xuemin had liked You Yuecheng, the son of Ming Kingdom¡¯s duke. Even though Auntie Fang had eventually be the Mo Madam, her status as a fake true daughter was not enough for the duke¡¯s family. As such, You Yuecheng had married someone else while Mo Xuemin became an old unmarried woman.

    Was this why she chose Sima Lingyun?

    She was not certain of these right now. But there was something that she was certain about. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin were in cahoots.

    Mo Xuemin had brought Sima Lingyun to Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard today. That was her first step. It seemed that their second step would be at the Repayment Temple tomorrow. What would they do? Would they kill her outright? Or try to ruin her reputation like they did in her past life so that she had to marry Sima Lingyun?

    In her past life, she had locked herself in the back courtyards because she had been disfigured. She knew nothing about what was happening outside. Then, she had fallen into the pond and Sima Lingyun had passed by and saved her. Then, she was forced to marry him. It was also because he was warm and kind and did not mind that she was disfigured.

    Then in this life, what would Auntie Fang and the others do?

    She still did not have enough power. Even though her maids were smart, what could a few weak girls do should danger really ur? Mother Xu and Mo Yu tried to stop Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun when they forced her to drink poisoned wine. But the ending was just an additional two deaths.

    She had to find helpers so she could go against the vicious and cruel Mo Xuemin.

    But the problem was, as a girl in the inner courtyards, while she could act first, how would she find helpers? She had to beg Bai Yihao to helpst time. But she could not beg him to help every time. That person was too dangerous...Mo Xuetong looked at the darkness outside the window and thought with a frown.

    Mo Lan knew that she was thinking and did not ask any more questions. She quickly packed up the clothing.

    Helpers, she needed helpers. She drew thoughtlessly on the couch again. Her gaze suddenlynded on that book.

    She had a sudden epiphany and her eyes glowed. She sat up suddenly.

    "Miss, would you like some tea?" Mo Lan put down the clothes in her hands and poured her a cup of tea. Mo Xuetong did not take the cup but pulled on Mo Lan¡¯s hand urgently and asked, "Where are the books we broughtst time?"

    The books were mostly leisurely reads and were not precious ancient scripts. As such, they were not in Mo Xuetong¡¯s room and she got Mo Lan and the others to pile them at a side.

    "I remember Mo He got someone to put them in the eastern rooms. Do you want to read them?" Mo Lan frowned as she thought.

    "Go and find them. Find the Memoirs of Great Qin quickly and bring it to me."

    "Yes." Even though Mo Lan did not know what Mo Xuetong was up to, she knew that she was very anxious. Mo Lan quickly answered and turned around.

    She suddenly recalled something. In her past life, those leisurely reads became part of her dowry and they apanied her to the Duke¡¯s manor. Because she did not think they were important, they were piled up casually in a room. There was a rare asion when Sima Lingyun went to her room to sit for a while. He picked up a book and flipped through it in boredom. A piece of paper fell out from it. Sima Lingyun picked it up, read it, and then stood up in shock, knocking over the teacup on the table.

    Mo Xuetong was doing embroidery and looked up in shock. She wanted to ask him what happened but only saw himughing madly.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the book on the floor and looked at its cover. She remembered that it was a book her mother read, ¡¯Memoirs of Great Qin¡¯.

    Then, Sima Lingyun went missing for a few days. When he returned there were two highly skilled secret guards by his side. Those two guards remained by his side until Mo Xuetong died. The guards were extremely skilled when Sima Lingyun plotted against the Fuguo¡¯s.

    The duke¡¯s manor would definitely not be able to nurture such guards!

    Coupled with Sima Lingyun¡¯s weird actions, it meant that there was something on that piece of paper in the book. The closer she got to seeing the book, the more nervous she was. She clenched her fists tightly.

    "Miss, is it this book?" The curtains lifted and Mo Lan entered with a book. The maids have served Mo Xuetong for a while and understood basic words.

    "Bring it over." Mo Xuetong took a deep breath and stomped down on the excitement in her heart.

    She flipped the book¡¯s cover page open with stiff fingers. Indeed, in the inside of it was a piece of yellowing paper. She put the paper under the light. There were only a few characters on the paper. "Secret guards, two!"

    There wasn¡¯t a name written below. There was only a weird symbol, and beside it, was a location. The Repayment Temple!

    The Repayment Temple?

    "Miss..."The two faces under the candlelight had turned pale. Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender fingers started to shake.

    After a while, Mo Xuetong carefully straightened her thoughts and folded the paper in her hands. Color returned to her face and she said slowly, "Mo Lan, don¡¯t tell anyone about what happened today. Not even to Mother Xu."

    The fewer people who knew about it the better. She felt as if she were in an extremely dangerous situation and could not breathe. Why would there be a piece of paper like this in her mother¡¯s book? Even if her mother was the eldest daughter of the General Manor and had a noble status, the existence of such a note felt like just the tip of an iceberg.

    And she was slowly approaching the tip...

    "Miss, I won¡¯t tell anyone." Mo Lan was a careful sort and she nodded fiercely. "But Miss, it is also at the Repayment Temple?"

    The Repayment temple was one of the more famous Buddhist temples in the capital. It was said that 30 years ago, the insurgent Qin king had practiced cultivation there before. The Qin king was very close to getting the throne, but had failed in the end. Legend said that the Qin king had left behind many treasures. Many people had gone to find these treasure but to no avail.

    Most of the noble families in the capital liked to visit the Repayment Temple partly because of this. And it was also because of the unique and beautiful scenery there.

    Mo Huawen had lit an altarmp for his deceased wife at the Repayment Temple after he moved to the city. That was why Mo Xuemin came up with the excuse to get Mo Xuetong to go there.

    "Since they are both at the Repayment Temple, then that¡¯s good. Mo Lan, what¡¯s wrong with your hand?" Mo Xuetong steeled herself and asked gently.

    "I¡¯m fine. I can go with Miss to the Repayment Temple tomorrow. "Mo Lan knew why she was asking and she looked at Mo Xuetong determinedly.

    Mo Xuetong breathed out lightly. She reached out to pat Mo Lan¡¯s hand. She really could not leave Mo Lan behind. While Mo He and Mo Yu were smart, she liked Mo Lan the most. She was steady and presented herself well. Mother Xu was old and it was not suitable sometimes for her to take her nursemaid along. As such, she had to gain those two secret guards on her trip to the Repayment Temple this time no matter what.

    As long as she had two highly skilled guards to protect her on the sly, Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang would not be able to do anything against her anymore.

    "Miss, what should I do?" Mo Lan knew how serious the situation was. She looked at Mo Xuetong with bright eyes.

    She would definitely work with her mistress this time and not do things without seeking permission. Something like what happened in the past would not happen again.

    "Don¡¯t pack any more. Get Mo Yu and the others to pack early in the morning tomorrow. Tonight, embroider this symbol with me and make a pouch so we can use it tomorrow." Mo Xuetong smoothed out the paper in her hand. The symbol did not lookplicated under the candle light. They were like words, but not. At a nce, they looked like a blooming orchid.

    It was not difficult to embroider it with thread.

    Looking at how calm andposed her mistress was and at the slight smile on her face, Mo Lan felt that her mistress had unspeakable confidence. Mo Lan¡¯s heart, which had beat wildly because of what was on the paper, finally calmed down. Her mistress was really unlike before. If Madam knew about it, she would definitely feelforted.

    The paper was left behind by madam for miss. Madam loved miss so much, she would not harm miss.

    "Alright, I¡¯ll go prepare immediately."

    The two did not hesitate. Mo Lan prepared the threads while Mo Xuetong copied out the pattern. Then, the two started to sew. It was not difficult to make a pouch. In her past life, Mo Xuetong was very familiar with needlework because she lived in seclusion. She had once embroidered a picture for the Old Madam¡¯s birthday.

    The night passed without words. Mo Xuetong woke up early. She had not slept for long. She found a in dress and put it on. After bidding Mo Huawen goodbye, she boarded the waiting carriage. Auntie Fang sent her out with a smile and watched as she got on.

    "Has His Excellency left?" Auntie Fang stopped smiling only when she could only make out the faint outline of the carriage. Coldness appeared in her eyes. Slut, how dare she leave in such a stately manner before her? She did not seem a bit respectful at all. She would not let her leave so sessfully if she did not think that the little slut would have her reputation ruined and would no longer be able to fight with Min¡¯er.

    "His Excellency already sent someone to report. He has gone to the Repayment Temple. You were in the study then, so I could not report." Nanny Li whispered with a smile.

    "Good, let the little slut get herself into trouble..."Auntie Fangughed coldly. She turned to enter the manor, "She¡¯s seeking death herself. She can¡¯t me others for it."

    "That¡¯s right, even if something happens to Third miss in the temple...it has nothing to do with Auntie. Anyway, you didn¡¯t go with her, and she was behaving inappropriately. Who can she me?"

    ------------------

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 Chapter 24 The Weird Repayment Temple

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Lan, Mo Yu and two other maids.

    The two second-tier maids were people that Auntie Fang sent. The good looking one was called Shuang Ye while the other one who looked reserved was called Qiu Ling. Mo Xuetong leaned against the carriage walls and closed her eyes to rest because she had not slept muchst night. Mo Lan was also dozing off against the window. Only Mo Yu, who was sitting at the side, looked energetic.

    The maids who were not sleeping did not speak since their mistress was sleeping.

    "Big sister Mo Yu, why is Third miss so tired? Is she feeling poorly?" Shuang Ye, who was sitting by the side saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale and haggard appearance, and could not help but ask softly.

    "Miss has always been weak. She was tired and had a lot to worry about this journey to the Repayment Temple so she did not sleep well." Mo Yu looked up and said lightly. She did not like Shuang Ye at all.

    "Oh, Big sister Mo Yu..."Shuang Ye still wanted to say something but Mo Yu waved at her and indicated to her coldly not to speak.

    Shuang Ye opened her mouth and then shut it helplessly.

    They did not speak the entire way there. Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong off the carriage when they arrived before the mountain. It was still early and the temple in the mountain was especially quiet. There were not many who hade to pray. There were only a few monks and nuns cleaning up the yard. Because they had notified the temple early, there was a little nun who was about seven or eight waiting at the door. She walked up to them with a smile and weed them.

    Mo Lan brought Shuang Ye and Qiu Ling to set up the guest room. Mo Xuetong would be here for three days, so she would stay in the room for two nights.

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu to the great hall. The sun shone in, casting a red glow on all things. It was alreadyte autumn and the wind was slightly cold. The rustle of the broom sweeping could be heard on the vast grounds. It was peaceful and quiet, as if they were on sacred grounds.

    There were monks and early visitors in the great hall. Some of the visitors who hade early chanted scriptures with the monks.

    Mo Xuetong found a futon at the corner of the hall and sat down. She closed her eyes and listened to the high monk in front reciting the scripture...

    The lesson ended some timeter. The visitors left and Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu with her as they left the hall slowly. They approached the rooms where female visitors stayed in. It was quiet and peaceful. Mo Yu rxed and apanied Mo Xuetong in admiring the scenery as they returned. Suddenly a person rushed out at the corner and almost knocked into Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong took two steps back. Mo Yu was already in front of her and yelling, "How dare you."

    The person moved quickly and was skilled. He then took a step back and caught himself, "Third Miss Mo?"

    Mo Xuetong shuddered and her face paled. Her hands, which were hidden in her sleeves tightened into a fist. She stared at the person who looked up elegantly. The angles on his face were sharp and his dark eyes seemed to smile. He was attractive and made a favorable impression.

    This person was no other than Sima Lingyun.

    Auntie Fang appeared in her mind. No. Back then, her father had already married her. She was Madam Fang. She had smiled at her benevolently and said, "Tong¡¯er, His Excellency had saved you and you two are considered to have touched intimately. Furthermore, he likes your talent and is willing to marry you. I have asked around, His Excellency hasn¡¯t had any bed maids. He is considered a good husband. He is also young and talented. You will be very blissful after marrying him."

    "Third sister, all the girls in the capital will be jealous that you can marry His Excellency. You¡¯re so fortunate." Mo Xuemin had smiled like a radiant flower.

    But in the end? It had been endless blood and hate...

    It was so bloody, it was beyond anything one could imagine...

    Mo Xuetong hid the hate in her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt warmth returning to her body. That hate had already entered her bones and blood. She had returned to this life for revenge, so how could she be afraid of meeting him?

    "So it is Your Excellency. Greetings." She took two steps back and then curtsied behind Mo Yu. She pulled Mo Yu to the side and did not intend to speak much with him. They were not far from the great hall. There were many people walking around, and there would definitely be negative rumors if they saw an unmarried youngdy speaking with a man for an extended period of time.

    "We are really fated. What are you doing here? Is anything the matter? Why don¡¯t you let me apany you? It¡¯d be easy to settle anything then." Sima Lingyun looked at the youngdy in front of him almost greedily. Her eyes looked as if they were filled with air. Her longshes fluttered, exuding an indescribable beauty. Even though her face was a little pale, she was still a charming beauty. The autumn sun shone on her, almost as if giving her an aura of light. Her innocence and her coyness was very much attractive.

    "I came to pray for my mother, so I won¡¯t trouble Your Excellency." Mo Xuetong saw that he had no intentions of leaving, so she curtsied indifferently again and said, "I still have something on, so I won¡¯t chat with Your Excellency anymore."

    Then she brought Mo Yu with her and walked by Sima Lingyun.

    "Ah, Miss Mo, I¡¯ll be here if anything happens. You can just let your maids know." Sima Lingyun immediately backed away politely to allow her to pass. A trace of satisfaction shed in his eyes. Regardless of the price of such a beauty, it was sufficient for anyone to be stirred. Furthermore, the power of the Fuguo¡¯s behind her was the power he needed. As long as he seeded this time, he would have both the beauty and power...

    "Miss..." Mo Yu wanted to speak up as she helped Mo Xuetong along. However, she was stopped by Mo Xuetong.

    When she returned to her room, Mo Xuetong discovered that there was someone staying next to her. The doors were opened but she did not see anyone. She frowned and stopped. She looked at the entrance and asked Mo Lan, "Who¡¯s staying here?"

    "I don¡¯t know either. The doors were already opened when I arrived. I asked the little nun and she only said that it was a noble and told us not to bother them in case they get angry." Mo Lan knew what Mo Xuetong was thinking.

    A cold glint shed in her eyes. It was fine as long as it was not Sima Lingyun!

    Since it was a noble, it would definitely not be Sima Lingyun. Even though he was the duke¡¯s son, everyone knew that the Zhenguo family was failing. Even though the old duke had passed away, Sima Lingyun was still using his status as a duke. It was rather awkward. It was said that because the old duke had once been implicated in the uprising of the King of Qin, which had upset the emperor, he had only retained his title as the duke¡¯s son.

    It was still uncertain whether he can retain the duke¡¯s title.

    In her past life, Sima Lingyun had pleaded with her mother¡¯s family and had gained the title.

    In this life, that was probably why Sima Lingyun tried to please her. Of course, she would not believe that Sima Lingyun would stop there. Since he appeared today, it proved that Auntie Fang and he had further plots against her.

    In this life, she would not allow them to manipte her.

    A cold smile appeared on her lips.

    Mo Yu entered her room with Mo Lan.

    She had just left when a monk entered. The monk hurried through the door of the room beside. It was very rxed outside and there was no one guarding the entrance. However, the monk knew that there were secret guards every where. There were two on the two trees at the entrance who were watching the entrace. There were also many skilled experts inside.

    They would know even if a bird flew by, much less a human being entering.

    "Greetings, Your Highness. I have something to report." The monk stood at the door and did not dare to enter. He spoke in the spacious yard respectfully.

    "Hold on," said a sharp voice. Momentster, an armored guard appeared at the corridor and said to the monk, "Enter."

    There were bamboo curtains in the room. One could see a figure holding his hands behind his back through the curtains.

    "What¡¯s the matter?" Said thezy voice. The voice was enough to make a person drunk and want to find out how handsome its owner was.

    "Your Highness, the item has appeared. Please verify it." The monk dared not dawdle and answered respectfully. The person inside was not someone he could peep at.

    "Where did you see it?" The man asked after a moment.

    "On a pouch that Miss Mo is wearing. The symbol embroidered on it is the same. I noticed it when she entered just now, so I came to report to Your Highness immediately after the morning ss." The monk asked a little nun to ask about the beautiful young woman when he saw her. That was when he found out that it was the youngdy from the Mo Manor who hade to pray for her deceased mother. This matter was nned the day before yesterday, so there were records in the temple. They could find out with just a check.

    "Which young miss of the Mo manor?" A man appeared from behind the lifted curtains. The first thing one saw was the wide purple robes with an exquisite dragon embroidered at the sleeves. It made him look causal and free. His lively ck eyes glowed like diamonds, making his phoenix eyes look charming.

    The almost devilishly handsome face looked bright.

    He was extremely handsome and was alluring to anyone who took a look at him.

    Even the monk who had seen him several times did not dare to look at his radiant appearance straight. Such radiance, and such beauty, he was more beautiful than a woman. However, the monk knew that the person in front of him was not as beautiful and harmless as he seemed.

    When the monk saw that the man had walked out, he dared not look up. He replied cautiously, "Your Highness, even though I¡¯m not sure which Miss it is, the little nun said that the steward who came to make the booking once mentioned the First Miss of the Mo family, so it should be the First Miss who hade."

    "The First Miss of the Mo family? The one that looks like a peacock and likes to get into trouble with men? That¡¯s so disgusting." The handsome man lifted the curtains and returned to the room.

    "Your Highness, then those matters..."The monk did not dare to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.

    "Just give her any random two guards. Since she had made a pouch especially, she naturally knows about the matter. Get the guards to find out more about her and see where she found the information from." The voice in the room sounded irritated.

    "Yes," The monk did not dare to say no. He bowed and then left with the guards at the door.

    "Your Highness, since you have returned to the capital, the eldest princess would like to know when you¡¯re free and to apany her in the pce if you are." A guard entered and reported at the entrance.

    "Tell the eldest princess that the scenery at the Repayment Temple is decent. Ask her to invite Aunt here to y. It¡¯s so crowded at the pce, Aunt would prefer a quiet ce.

    "Yes, but where would the eldest princess stay should shee? All the visitors¡¯ rooms in the temple have been booked these few days." The guard said awkwardly.

    "Get the people next door to move out." The voice was light, but his orders could not be defied. "Get them to leave earlier."

    "Yes!"

    ------------------

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 Chapter 26 The Bastard Plots in the Temple

    All was silent that night.

    Mo Xuetong woke up early the next morning. Like the day before, she first went for morning lessons with the temple monk and then asked the lead abbot to recite blessing scriptures for her mother. She listened to the chanting until noon and then had a hurried lunch. The afternoon was filled with another blessing activity. Because Mo Xuemin had booked for three days of activity and because today was the main day of activity, she only left the temple at night.

    The Buddhist temple was not the main hall of the Repayment Temple. It was used mainly for blessings. As such it was located in a more secluded area. Mo Ye and Mo Lan apanied her. Mo Ye held antern which lit up the path before her while Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong.

    "Miss, Shuang Ye snuck out secretively in the afternoon. Qiu Ling insisted that Mo Yu taught her how to embroider and even asked when Mo Ye joined us. Mo Yu said that Mo Ye was an orphan that you rescued in Cloud City who failed to join her rtives and happened to meet you and so was going to follow you."

    Since Mo Ye was going to apany Mo Xuetong in the inner courtyard, then she needed a suitable cover. Mo Xuetong had thought up the story of Mo Ye failing to get the support of her rtives and meeting her savior.

    Mo Xuetong frowned lightly and said, "Was Shuang Ye behaving weirdly when she returned?"

    "Mo Yu said that Shuang Ye has been with them since she returned. The people outside had sent food and Shuang Ye went out once. There are not any odd happenings other than that." Mo Lan said in a matter-of-fact way.

    Mo Xuetong frowned again and took a couple of steps before she suddenly stopped. "Mo Lan, have you seen Sima Lingyun today?"

    "No. I heard the little nun say that the son of the Zhenguo Duke and his friends have arranged to meet. He went out to meet his friends in the day so he was not around the entire day."

    How could Sima Lingyun be absent from Mo Xuemin¡¯s plots? Mo Xuetong squeezed the handkerchief in her hand and looked at the path in front of her. It was yet another dark night. It could be the bad weather, or because of the air in the mountains. But other than where the light from thentern hit, their surroundings werepletely dark. It was so dark that you could not see your fingers when you stretched your hand out.

    They passed a temple when they suddenly heard voices in front of them. There was more than a single person. There were twonterns that were held up high and the sounds of men talking could be heard.

    Mo Xuetong stopped immediately and looked around her. Even though they were not in the inner courtyard, but the people who were approaching were all men. As a woman of the inner courtyard, she would try to avoid them as much as possible. However, they were walking between two Buddhist Temples. Other than a tiny path to the side, there was nowhere else for her to go.

    "Miss..."Mo Lan had also discovered the situation. She suddenly had an ominous feeling.

    A burst of lightughter could be heard before they could even react. "Brother Sima, you¡¯ve tried your best to get rid of us. Could it be that you came to meet a beautiful girl? If I had not been smart, you¡¯d have escaped. Don¡¯t even try to get rid of us today."

    "Brother He, Brother Ling, I¡¯m really not meeting a beautiful girl. You all had better return first. It¡¯s so dark, how are you going to get down the mountain?" Sima Lingyun¡¯s slightly anxious tone made them even more suspicious.

    "The two of us are not heading down the mountain today. We have to see what kind of beauty she is for you to be so hung up on her. You had toe back to the temple even if you had to travel in the night. The pouch that the little maid sent looks really beautiful and you treat it as a treasure. You won¡¯t even let us see it. Ask Brother Ling, if there isn¡¯t a beautiful girl, would you hurry here so anxiously?" Azy voice rang.

    "It is a happy thing to be meeting a beautiful girl. Look at the lights in the distance, aren¡¯t we reaching the end of the road? Brother Sima, we are brothers, so let your little brother take a look at her? We won¡¯t interrupt your meeting with the girl." The other man¡¯s shrill voice sounded.

    "Miss, there are six people ahead of us. Three of them are child servants." Mo Ye reminded her. She stood still and her slender figure seemed even longer under the lights.

    Mo Xuetong felt a rush of coldness hitting her when she heard that. Sharp fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms.

    Mo Xuemin was so vicious!

    She was supposed to be praying for blessings for her mother but was caught meeting with a lover. If there was any evidence...

    Was she going to take the same path as she had in her past life? Was she going to die wronged again? Red filled her eyes. It was as if the pain she felt that day in the fire was tearing at her...

    No. She would not let them seed. She would rather die than fall into that pathetic state again. She seemed to be seeing that scene of death that brought her sadness, hatred, and pain. She swore to god...

    "Mo Ye, how many people can you take with you into the air?" She asked calmly.

    "I can only help one person up a tree." Mo Ye immediately understood what she was nning and answered softly.

    "Miss, you go up with Mo Ye. I, I..." Mo Lan gritted her teeth and surveyed her surroundings. She naturally could not let others see her as well. She was a personal maid of her mistress. Even if they did not see her mistress but saw her, her mistress would still be gossiped to have been meeting her lover.

    "Mo Ye, take Mo Lan up the tree." Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the edges of the wall and she ordered clearly.

    "Miss..."

    "Your hand has been injured. You can¡¯t catch a cold." Mo Xuetong stopped Mo Lan from speaking firmly! Mo Lan must not worsen her injuries.

    The voices on the path grew closer and closer!

    "Brother He, Brother Ling, I¡¯m really not meeting a beautiful girl. The maid is from my manor and the pouch is definitely not some token of love. My younger sister made it for me. Brothers, you all had better get down the mountain. The rooms here are tiny and is not meant to house so many people." Sima Lingyun suddenly turned around when he saw the lights in front. He held his hand out and said anxiously, half pleading.

    Brother He and Brother Ling knew that something was up and refused to let Sima Lingyun off.

    They were used to phndering. One of them held Sima Lingyun while the other one pushed his hand away with a smile, wanting to walk towards the light. They had not expected the usually proper duke¡¯s son to be meeting his lover in the middle of the night. Was there anything more interesting than this?

    "Brother Sima, don¡¯t lie anymore. Look at the sweat on your face. It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just take a look. Just a look." Brother He pulled away Sima Lingyun¡¯s hand which was blocking him and took two steps forward with a smile on his face. A person suddenly rushed up to them and before they could even take a close look, Brother He¡¯s head had been hit. He felt a drone in his head rang and they only sensed a slender figure sh by.

    "There¡¯s someone..." Brother He only had time to say that before he fell to the ground.

    Sima Lingyun had thought that his ploy was going to seed. Just as he was faking the jostle between him and Brother Ling, he suddenly felt a sense of unease. He turned around hurriedly. However, before he could see anything clearly, a hemp bag was thrown over his head. He had not had the time to struggle before he was hit several times by a stick. Even though he was skilled, the incident had happened so suddenly and his hands and legs were restricted by the bag. He was no match for his assaulter and fell to the ground.

    Brother Ling was so afraid he took two steps back. He was a phndering noble who was good at nothing. He was protected by the three child servants and watched a young servant who held arge rod. With a few strikes, Sima Lingyun stopped moving and he did not even dare to make a sound.

    "If you dare to provoke first miss again, you will die." The servant said fiercely and pulled Sima Lingyun, who had fainted, out from the bag. He crouched down beside Sima Lingyun and rummaged through his clothing. After a while, he took out the red pouch from Sima Lingyun¡¯s clothes.

    The servant tore out the pouch and held it in his hands, standing up with satisfaction and smiled coldly at the shaking Brother Ling. He dragged the big rod behind him and waved it at Brother Ling, who was so afraid he retracted backward. Brother Ling did not dare to say anything else. It waste and dark and there was nowhere for him toin to if he were really hit.

    The assant put the sachet in his arms, dragged the rod behind him, picked up thentern from the ground, and took several strides towards Brother Ling. Brother Ling thought that he was going to be hit and he trembled, wanting to say a few nice words. However, the servant did not even look at them before leaving.

    When the lights moved far away, Brother Ling heaved a sigh of relief. He pushed aside the servant in front of him. He wanted to check on Sima Lingyun, who had been beaten unconscious and the unlucky Brother He who had been implicated.

    "Sir, look. That person dropped this." Sima Lingyun and Brother He¡¯s servant hurried up to save his master when he saw that the danger had passed. Brother Ling¡¯s servant stayed beside Brother Ling. His eyes suddenly shone as he pointed at a sheet of paper on the path.

    "Where did thate from? Bring it here." Brother Ling was angry. He had almost been beaten up by someone for no reason. He had to figure out the reason no matter what.

    "It fell out from the pouch His Excellency was carrying. The person dropped it when he touched it earlier. I saw that clearly." The servant ran over and gave it to Brother Ling in an attempt to court favor.

    Brother Ling unfolded the paper and his face paled in anger. He scrunched up the paper angrily and red at Sima Lingyun who was lying by the side unconscious due to his severe injuries.

    "What happened earlier?" On the other side, Brother He, who had been beaten lightly, stood up unsteadily. "Did the beauty hit us?" This person still remembered that matter even though he had been hit.

    "What beauty. It¡¯s a bastard. Look." Brother Ling passed him the wad of paper he scrunched up angrily.

    Brother He smoothed out the paper and saw the words on it and immediately grew angry. He tore the paper into shreds and scolded. "Bastard. Bastard. How dare he use me as bait! I¡¯ve been too confident and made a mistake."

    "Let¡¯s go. We won¡¯t let them use us so easily."

    "I¡¯ll head down the mountain and spread the news about their ugly business. Let¡¯s go." The two brought their servants and left one after another in rage. They ignored Sima Lingyun whoid on the ground, unconscious. The servant was cowardly, and when he saw his surroundings growing darker, he was so frightened that he half dragged and half carried Sima Lingyun away, stumbling as he ran on the path they were on.

    As the footsteps disappeared, the ce darkened.

    After a moment, two figures fell from the tall tree beside the scene. One of the figures stumbled as she ran to the fish tank beside the yard and whispered hurriedly, "Miss, miss, are you OK?"

    Mo Ye quickly pulled Mo Xuetong, who was half frozen, out from the tank. She waspletely soaked and her face and lips were pale. The clothes she had on were thin and when the wind blew, she was so cold that she almost fainted.

    Even so, her clear eyes remained calm. Even though Mo Ye was gifted to Mo Xuetong, she only truly yielded to the beautiful and slender young woman then. Who would have thought that the beautiful and weak woman would be so vicious to herself? It waste autumn and they were in the mountains at night. Winter was approaching, but she had submerged herself into a water tank. Even though Mo Ye knew martial arts, she might not even be able to take it.

    She took off her jacket and wrapped it around Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender body. Mo Lan cried badly by the side and used a handkerchief to wipe the water from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She said, "Miss, I said I should be the one to enter the water tank, but you refused to agree. Your health has always been poor, how can you bear it."

    Mo Xuetong took some time to find her voice. She said hoarsely, "I¡¯m alright. Your hand... you must not get cold."

    Then, she could not bear it any longer. She copsed into Mo Ye¡¯s embrace and her body shook, beyond her control.

    "Walk slowly behind. I¡¯ll go back first." Mo Ye saw that something was wrong. After telling Mo Lan that, she ran quickly with Mo Xuetong in her arms.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 27 Plot Within a Plot. Using Her Illness to Plot

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s illness raged. She had a fever that night and was dazed from it.

    Her health had always been poor. When they had been in Cloud City, she had stayed behind because of her ill health. She had also been so ill that she could not get up. Even though she had recuperated and had gotten better at the Qin Manor, her health was still weaker than others. She could not bear being submerged in cold water at the beginning of winter. When the maids hurried to help her change and lie down, she fell unconscious.

    She only felt her body burning and her entire being felt like a fish being grilled on a stove. Even though she was unconscious, she still felt terrible and felt like dying. She felt as if she could not breathe. After some time, there was a sense of coldness that came from her forehead which allowed her burning body to regain some consciousness. She called out softly subconsciously, "Water, water."

    Someone came immediately to help her out. Cool water slid down her burning throat. It felt like a clear stream and immediately, she felt as if she had escaped from death. She opened her eyes slightly but could not see clearly the person in front of her. Everything before her seemed to be shaking and she could not see clearly. The person¡¯s face seemed somewhat familiar, but her cloudy mind did not allow her to identify the person.

    The person ced her down gently and felt her forehead to test her temperature. She was annoyed and swatted at the hand in annoyance. She muttered something, turned around and shut her eyes weakly before falling back asleep.

    This time, she did not feel as ufortable as before. However, the person pulled her towards the outside edge of the bed. She was annoyed and tried to flip to the inside and even hugged her pillow and fought the person. However, she was still too weak and the person pulled her towards themselves. Something slid down her throat and she opened her mouth subconsciously and drank a few more mouthfuls of water.

    When sheid down again, the person did not bother her.

    This time, she slept until reallyte in the day before she opened her eyes weakly.

    "Miss, you¡¯re awake? You¡¯re really awake!" There was a happy sob. She knew it was Mo Yu at once.

    Mo Yu brought her some water and she took a sip of it. Mo Xuetong asked hoarsely, "What time is it?"

    "It¡¯s just been one night. It is noon now. I have already done the blessings for Madam in the morning. I will go again in the afternoon." Mo Lan said with a sob. She knew that her mistress had entered the water tank because of her. Mo Ye could only take one person with her and her mistress was worried that her injuries would be aggravated.

    "Mo Lan... don¡¯t cry. Go, send word to the manor... say that I¡¯m ill and cannot get out of bed. I can¡¯t even pray for blessings for my mother..." Mo Xuetong said softly as she closed her eyes and leaned on Mo Ye who was holding her up.

    "Miss?"

    "Go." Mo Xuetong did not open her eyes. Her longshes remained over her pale face. She looked like a porcin doll. She was so fragile it was as if she was going to break at a touch. However, there was strength in her weak voice that did not allow anyone to object.

    "Yes. I¡¯ll get Shuang Ye to send the letter." Mo Yu turned to leave.

    "Come back!" Mo Xuetong opened her eyes forcefully. Her eyes were very clear and she did not look like a patient who had just awoken.

    Mo Yu had just reached the door. She turned around to look at Mo Xuetong in confusion.

    "Get Qiu Ling to go... Keep Shuang Ye behind..." A faint smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s dry lips. If she did not keep Shuang Ye behind, then the show could not go on.

    Mo Lan knew that her mistress was nning something when she saw that Mo Xuetong was energetic even though she was weak. She hurriedly asked Mo Yu to do as she was told.

    In the Mo Manor.

    Mo Xuemin copied the "ssics for Women" really quickly. She had finished copying it by the morning. She sent it to Mo Huawen¡¯s study the moment she finished to show that she had not slept the entire night.

    Mo Huawen was settling work in the study. Even though he was not a high ranked officer, he was a trusted officer of the emperor and had served Emperor Zongwen before his ascension. As such, he was very trusted by the emperor and seemed to be about to be promoted. Some of the First and Second ranked officers were also very polite to him.

    Official documents handed to him to settle were truly useful documents and not random tasks given to the descendants of nobles who had no abilities.

    "Father." He heard the gentle and yet fearful voice while he was being troubled by the documents. "Can your daughter enter?"

    He looked up to see Mo Xuemin at the door. He had always been pleased with his eldest daughter. However, she had done a few stupid things recently. He had heard about the incident at the city gates after it happened. He had not even asked what happened when she caused trouble by bringing Sima Lingyun into her sister¡¯s inner courtyard.

    Were all these things done unintentionally? Luo Xia had left behind that music score to Tong¡¯er. The only ones who knew about it that were not family was Auntie Fang. Who else would spread the news about it and how did Sima Lingyune to know about it?

    Mo Xuetong bowed tearfully, looking ashamed when she saw Mo Huawen humming and not speak. She did not enter the study and had not even spoken when she already showed how sad she was. She said, "Father, it is all Min¡¯er¡¯s fault. I should not have told Fourth Sister about Third Sister having the music score. I don¡¯t know when Fourth Sister told His Excellency about it and I caused ruin to Third Sister¡¯s reputation. It is all Min¡¯er¡¯s fault."

    "You told Qiong¡¯er about it?" Mo Huawen asked softly.

    "Father, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Fourth sister about it. Her maids and my maids were all there. I only brought it up in passing while we were chatting. I didn¡¯t expect it to cause so much trouble. Father, it is all my fault. Please punish me." Then, she raised the "ssics for Women" that she copied high up above her head.

    Mo Huawen saw that she seemed to be speaking the truth and looked haggard. Her eyes looked bloodshot. She had copied the ssics so quickly and he knew that she must not have slept to do that. He thought of how she had always been obedient and sensible, and had always been generous. The servants in the manor would praise her asionally. She would not do something to frame her younger sister.

    "Come in." His expression softened and he nodded.

    "Yes, Father!" Mo Xuemin was helped up by Mo Jin. Her body shook slightly as she stood up and she almost fell.

    "What¡¯s the matter?" Mo Huawen asked.

    "Father, it is nothing. Perhaps I am a little tired." Mo Xuemin said, her face pale. Mo Jin helped her into the study and she curtsied to Mo Huawen again.

    Mo Huawen looked at his obedient eldest daughter and the doubts in his heart faded. He put down the official documents in his hand and asked, "Min¡¯er, why have youe?"

    "Firstly, I havee to ask Father to review the ssics for Women I copied. Next, I am really worried for Third Sister. She has gone to pray for blessings for mother. I am afraid that she has just arrived and would not know what to do. I would like to ask Father to allow me to fetch her. We can help each other out if anything happens." Mo Xuemin said with a gentle smile and looked at Mo Huawen sincerely.

    She looked like a kind elder sister who was afraid that her younger sister might get into trouble. Thest bits of doubt Mo Huawen had disappearedpletely.

    "Don¡¯t worry. Even though Tong¡¯er is young, she is very sensible. Nothing will happen." Mo Huawenforted her gently.

    "No, I would still like to go. I can seek blessings for mother as well. The blessing is something that Min¡¯er has prayed for from Buddha. If I don¡¯t go, it would be disrespectful towards Buddha. Now that Third Sister is here, I can go and ce a stick of incense before mother together with her. Mother will definitely like that." Mo Xuemin said persuadingly.

    Mo Huawen felt sad for some reason as he looked at his sensible eldest daughter and thought of his deceased wife, Luo Xia.

    "Old Sir, bad news. Third Miss fell ill at the Repayment Temple. She sent news that she won¡¯t be able to return today." The servant ran inside to report.

    "Tong¡¯er is ill?" Mo Huawen stood up suddenly. He naturally knew that Mo Xuetong¡¯s health had always been poor. However, he did not expect her to fall ill after two days in the mountains.

    "Father, Min¡¯er has to go now. Third Sister is alone on the mountain and is ill. There is no one to look after her. Shall Min¡¯er go to take care of her?" There was a trace of satisfaction in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes. ording to the n, Mo Xuetong had already met Sima Lingyun. People had seen her meeting up with Sima Lingyunst night. Mo Xuetong would not be able to refute that no matter what.

    She was definitely thinking of a n on the mountain. She had to hurry up there before Mo Xuetong thought of something. Then, the matter between Mo Xuetong and Sima Lingyun would not be able to stay hidden no matter what. This was the reason why she wanted to head to the mountains.

    "Alright!" Mo Huawen answered quickly. This made the hatred in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes grow.

    The carriage was already waiting at the back door. She could leave when Mo Huawen agreed.

    "Miss, should we take the maid along?" Mo Jin pointed at the maid standing by the door as she helped Mo Xuemin up the carriage.

    "That¡¯s the maid that sent the message?"

    "Yes, she only said that Third Miss returned reallytest night and then something serious seemed to have happened inside the master bedroom. There was someone crying and then it was really busy. She and the other maid that Auntie Fang sent were led to another room and were locked inside. They don¡¯t know what exactly happened. They only saw that the lights in the Third Miss¡¯s room were lit all night. Then, Third Miss¡¯s personal maid told them this morning that she was ill and told them to report it to the Manor." Mo Jin already knew that Mo Xuemin was going to ask about this and had asked about it beforehand.

    "Useless, she can¡¯t even find out clearly about such a small thing. Just let her stay here." Mo Xuemin waved her hand impatiently, a vicious look crossing her eyes.

    The horse carriage traveled quickly, leaving behind the maid called Qiu Ling where she had been standing earlier.

    Mo Xuemin hurried to the Repayment Temple in four hours. She got off the horse carriage hurriedly and hurried inside. She even knocked into a man on her way in. Luckily, Mo Jin reacted quickly and helped her so she did not fall to the ground. The man apologized profusely. Mo Xuemin was focused on Mo Xuetong that she did not even bother with the person and did not even look at him before going to the guest house of the temple with the help of Mo Jin.

    "What¡¯s the matter? Did you do it?" A flippant looking young man appeared when Mo Xuemin neared.

    "How can I not get things done when I do them?" The person who had knocked into Mo Xuemin was a somewhat sly looking man. He held up a pouch and shook it in his hands, looking satisfied.

    "Alright, give it here." The flippant man reached out to take the pouch.

    The pouch was jerked back into the sly looking man¡¯s hands. He said, "We talked about this. Give me the money and you¡¯ll get the goods. 20 taels of silver and no less."

    "Rx, who would skim your money. Here. 20 taels of silver. Quick, give it to me." The flippant looking young man took out the money from his sleeves and handed it over impatiently. Then, he snatched the pouch over.

    The sly looking man smiled happily when he received the silver. He nodded and said, "Many thanks, Sir. If you have such business again in the future, look for me."

    "Scram!"

    "Yes, I¡¯ll scram immediately. Give me a shout when you eye another young miss in the future." The sly looking man smiled brilliantly and fled from the temple, disappearing without a trace.

    The flippant looking young man kept the pouch in his chest. Then, he turned to follow Mo Xuemin to the temple courtyards.

    ------------------

    We have opened a discussion post on Facebook Group about this book .Anyments you want make on the previous plots of this book or you just want to find out what will happen next, and you can post anything you want to say about this story, and we will invite the original author to unpuzzle all your questions. The post link is : https://.facebook/groups/TapReader/, so just shoot!Besides, if you have found out any bug of TapRead, you can also find a post in Facebook group for you toin.

 Chapter 28 The Falsely Solicitious Elder Sister Falls for the Plot (1)

    Mo Xuetong was taking medication when Mo Xuemin entered. The medicine had been prescribed by the manager of the Repayment Temple.

    "Third Sister, why have you be so ill. I was worried, so I rushed here immediately." Mo Xuemin walked up to Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed. She knew that Mo Xuetong was truly ill when she saw her pale haggard face. There was a smile on her lips.

    Any woman would be flustered if they were discovered to have met with a man when they were supposed to be praying for blessings for their mother. Mo Xuetong might be smarter than before, but she had still fallen for her ploy.

    Mo Xuemin felt pleased but did not show it at all. She sat beside Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed solicitously and took the bowl of medicine in Mo Yu¡¯s hand to feed it to Mo Xuetong.

    "Many thanks, Eldest Sister. My health is poor and I¡¯ve just caught a cold. I¡¯ve troubled you into making such a long journey." Mo Xuetong said softly. She looked tired and she leaned against a pillow and forced a smile.

    "We are sisters, so why are you saying that? At least you¡¯re alright. I asked Mo Lan earlier and she said that you will be better once you recuperate. Why not stay here for a while? I will tell father that you are very ill and cannot move." Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes were gentle and she smiled happily.

    Mo Xuemin was indeed a sly one. She wanted to keep Mo Xuetong here to ensure that her meeting with Sima Lingyun happened before she left.

    Mo Xuetong held Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand and smiled thankfully. She said gently, "Many thanks, Eldest Sister. I was wrong thest time. If I could stop father, you would not have..."

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression darkened. That was something she did not like mentioning at all. She despised her two younger sisters. One was cowardly and weak while the other was stupid and impolite. She did not expect that her ns had been foiled because of the stupid Mo Xueqiong. It was such an embarrassment to her. However, she quickly smiled and said, "Let the past be forgotten. It has nothing much to do with Third Sister and it was indeed I who had not followed etiquette so that I embarrassed myself in front of you."

    "Eldest Sister, you are too polite. You¡¯re rather different today." Mo Xuetong pushed the bowl in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands away and shook her head with a smile. Mo Lan had already brought her a honey persimmon and a handkerchief.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat. She felt that Mo Xuetong was implying something. Could Mo Xuetong have seen something because she had been too happy?

    She smiled warmly even though her heart was filled with trepidation. "Look at what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ve been copying the ¡¯ssics for Women¡¯ the past few days and had hurried here. I am finally reassured now that I see that you are well."

    "Eldest Sister, you look very tired. You probably haven¡¯t slept well for the past two days. I have already gotten them to clean up the room next door. Rest there for now." Mo Xuetongid down again with Mo Ye¡¯s help. She looked tired and weak.

    "Then Third Sister, you rest while I go clean up." Mo Xuemin stood up. She was really about to leave. She was still confused about what happened. But there was one thing she was certain about. Something must have happened between Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuetong yesterday.

    As long as she could find out what happened, she would definitely spread the news. There were many nobles on the mountain praying for blessings, and Mo Xuetong would not be able to hide it even if she wanted to.

    As such, Mo Xuemin did not stay for long in the room. She brought Mo Jin with her and they left quietly.

    "Miss, First Miss is really going out. Should we get Mo Ye to follow her?" Mo Yu asked softly. She had been pretending to do needlework by the window. In reality, she had been keeping a close eye on Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuetongy in bed and opened her crystal clear eyes. She looked out the window and smiled faintly. "There¡¯s no need to go out. Someone will naturally follow Eldest Sister."

    She naturally did not have to follow Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin was definitely going out to meet Sima Lingyun. Mo Feng had been vicious yesterday and had vented their anger sufficiently. It was impossible for Sima Lingyun to leave the mountain today. The manager of the temple had said, when Mo Yu invited him over, that there was a guest on the mountain who had fallen at night and hit his head. He even told them to be careful when walking on the mountain path.

    "Get that Shuang Ye out. Say that I want to make a donation to the temple. You all cannot leave because you all are taking care of me. Get her to go." A brilliant smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s haggard appearance.

    "Miss, would Shuang Ye really go find Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son? What if she meets First Miss?" Mo Yu asked in confusion.

    "She will definitely meet Eldest Sister, and she will go with her to visit His Excellency. She was the one who sent the pouch to Sima Lingyun yesterday. How can Eldest Sister not know this?" Even though Mo Xuetong was smiling, her eyes were cold. Mo Xuemin was not a careless person. She would not do anything before she found out what was happening.

    In her past life, she had forced Mo Xuetong to death and finally taken off her false mask in the end. She revealed her sinister and vicious face then. Her good Eldest Sister would not behave carelessly until the end.

    "Mo Yu, go and prepare our traveling things. We might have to moveter. Mo Lan,e and help me brush my hair and clean up." Mo Xuetong took Mo Lan¡¯s hand and sat up slowly. She was really weak. And even though her fever had passed miraculously, she still did not have any strength at all. Her view turned dark the moment she sat up and Mo Lan was so afraid she hurried to hold her up.

    "Miss, how can we leave the mountains when you¡¯re so weak. Let¡¯s leave tomorrow." Mo Lan said concernedly.

    "No. I have to go with Eldest Sister when she leaves the mountains. If I don¡¯t, it would show that I am an unfeeling younger sister at a time like this." A cold smile appeared by Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. She held on to Mo Lan and steadied herself. She insisted that Mo Lan help her off the bed. If anything happened to Mo Xuemin, she could not stay on the mountain alone as a good younger sister.

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin had stepped on her and, in the end, taken her ce because of her good reputation. In the end, she had even sent her to the pits of hell, a hell the color of blood. This life, she would definitely ruin Mo Xuemin¡¯s good reputation step by step. First, she would strip her of her pretenses so that she would not be able to pander to the nobles. She would make her move towards hell.

    The debts of so many people. The hopelessness she felt when she entered hell. Viciousness...

    Indeed, Mo Xuetong had just cleaned up and forced herself to eat a few pieces of pastry when Mo Xuemin had already caused trouble.

    Mo Xuemin brought Mo Jin out and looked at the courtyard beside them. There was no one at the door which was half open. However, from where she was standing, she saw that there were two guards standing inside the door. It looked like the tenant was from a noble family. Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun had nned for Mo Xuetong and Sima Lingyun to book courtyards beside each other.

    However, theyter heard that someone was staying in the courtyard and it was someone they could not offend. Sima Lingyun could not do anything but had to transfer to the guest rooms on the other side.

    "First Miss, First Miss." Mo Xuemin had only taken a few steps in that direction when she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind. She turned around to see a maid who was about 17 or 18. She looked passable and her eyes were very lively and coquettish. Mo Xuemin did not like her at all.

    "Who are you?" Mo Jin took a step forward from her side, stopping the maid in a hostile tone.

    "I am a maid Auntie Fang sent to Third Miss. I am Shuang Ye and came with Third Miss yesterday. I was the one who sent the thing." Shuang Ye was a smart one and could see that Mo Xuemin was standing high up on the stairs and looked at her with disdain. She looked around and then answered softly.

    Auntie Fang had arranged for someone to send Mo Xuetong a pouch. This was something Mo Xuemin had set up. However, Auntie Fang had picked the one to do it. Mo Xuemin once again felt helpless regarding Auntie Fang¡¯s taste in picking people. The maid looked slutty and she did not like her at all. Wasn¡¯t she deliberately attracting attention?!

    "You saw His Excellency yesterday?" Even though Mo Xuemin did not like her, there were still things she had to ask.

    "Yes. His Excellency went drinking with his friends at the bottom of the mountain and I deliberately sent the thing over. His friends all saw it." Shuang Ye thought of how Auntie Fang had promised to let her bed Eldest Master and was thrilled. The way she spoke with Mo Xuemin grew even closer.

    Mo Xuemin slowly turned and walked inside with the help of Mo Jin. Shuang Ye knew that First Miss was allowing her to follow after them and she followed them hurriedly in a small jog.

    Shuang Ye was not as stupid as Qiu Ling. She already knew what was happening in the back courtyards of the Mo Manor. Following the First Miss was different from following the sickly Third Miss. If Auntie Fang became the wife, then the most powerful figure in the back courtyard would be First Miss. Furthermore, First Young Master was First Miss¡¯s older brother by blood. It seemed that she would have more of a future following First Miss.

    Sima Lingyun stayed not far from Mo Xuetong even though they lived in two different directions. Mo Xuemin asked questions about what happenedst night all the way from where Mo Xuetong stayed. They headed east and reached the men¡¯s courtyards. She realized that Shuang Ye did not know much and then she stopped asking questions.

    She intended to meet Sima Lingyun to get a clear idea of what happened.

    Mo Xuetong stopped outside Sima Lingyun¡¯s courtyard. She turned around to say to Shuang Ye lightly, "You, go in. Ask His Excellency toe out to speak." Even though it was quiet in the mountains, there might be people watching. Someone might see her if she entered. She had always been careful and would not allow there to be gossip about her.

    "Yes." Shuang Ye was pleased that Mo Xuemin had use for her. She was eager to perform and entered after pushing the doors open.

    Later, she ran in hurriedly and said, "First Miss, something is wrong. His Excellency has been injured and he¡¯s lying in bed now."

    Injured? Mo Xuemin was surprised and she felt a sense of unease. She looked around her and found that there was no one. She hurried inside with two maids. She felt anxious and wanted to find out what happened. As such, she did not think too much.

    In the corridor, Sima Lingyun¡¯s servant was brewing medicine. When he saw Mo Xuemin approaching, he abandoned the fire and put down the fan in his hand hurriedly. He went up to Mo Xuemin and bowed hurriedly.

    "Where¡¯s His Excellency? Ask him toe out. I will leave after speaking with him for a while."

    "First Miss Mo, His Excellency was beaten up by someonest night. He just woke up and had medicine before falling asleep." The servants said awkwardly.

    Beaten up by someonest night? The servant¡¯s words were like a lightning strike to Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. She squeezed Mo Jin¡¯s hand tightly and tried to suppress the panic she felt. She asked anxiously, "Then what happened after that? Was it sessful?"

    Mo Jin¡¯s hand hurt from Mo Xuemin¡¯s squeezing but she did not dare to say anything and only bore it with a frown.

    Mo Xuemin did not care who had beaten up Sima Lingyun and for what reason. What she hoped to hear the most was that all was sessful and that Mo Xuetong had fallen for their scheme. The uneasiness she felt was very strong and her face paled subconsciously.

    "No. His Excellency was beaten up before he saw Third Young Miss Mo. His Excellency¡¯s friends ran off angrily when they saw the paper in the pouch." The servant only saw that Sima Lingyun¡¯s friends walking off angrily when they saw the paper. He still did not know what was written on it that could anger the two so much. They even red at him as if he were their enemy, and even now, when he thought of it, he still felt afraid.

    When was there a note in the pouch?

    "Mo Jin, let¡¯s go quickly." Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth. She felt very anxious and did not feel well. She had not had the time to ask about anything else and turned to leave.

    "Oh, it is indeed the First Miss Mo who hase to visit the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son. You¡¯re worried that His Excellency has been injured yesterday and rushed up the mountain this morning. Everyone, and you all are still doubtful? How is it? Admit defeat, everyone. You all owe me 10 taels of silver." A flippant voice came from the entrance.

    Mo Xuemin felt weak and she almost fainted.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 29 The Falsely Solicitious Elder Sister Falls for the Plot (2)

    There were four or five noble looking young men who hurried through the courtyard doors. They each brought their own servant and blocked the space at the entrance.

    "Where are you rascals from? How dare you speak like that to my mistress?" Mo Jin saw that the situation was taking a turn for the worse and hurried to stand in front of Mo Xuemin.

    "If we are rascals, then your mistress is no virtuous woman. Didn¡¯t they say that noble youngdies shouldn¡¯t leave their rooms or their doors? Oh, so are the rules in the Mo Manor different? She can evene out to meet a man in secret!" The man standing right in front was Brother Ling and he nced at Mo Xuetong in disdain.

    "Nonsense. My First Miss has something to ask His Excellency. Furthermore, First Miss has observed etiquette and not entered the room." Mo Jin defended her loudly.

    "Your First Miss is really close with the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son. She sent a pouch when we were drinking with him yesterday. And she even personally came to visit when she heard that he was injured. Oh, are they not lovers then?" The other man, who was Brother He said with a cold smile. He still had a bandage wrapped around his head. He felt furious whenever he thought about the senseless beating he received.

    "I knew that the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son had close dealings with the Mo Manor. So this is the reason why!"

    "I didn¡¯t expect the First Miss of the Mo family who has a good reputation to be someone who doesn¡¯t follow etiquette."

    "Earlier, my Father wanted me to marry the reputable First Miss Mo. But this is all fake..."

    "I¡¯ve really learnt a lot today. This youngdy might have already... with His Excellency..."

    Mo Xuemin almost could not bear the horrible words. She forced herself to calm down after a while and pushed Mo Jin away, gritting her teeth. She red at the two people in front and said sternly, "When have I ever given His Excellency a pouch. Don¡¯t talk nonsense."

    "No? The maid beside you is the one who sent the pouch to His Excellency yesterday. We were not the only ones who saw it. Miss Mo, do you want us to get someone to identify this person? Her coquettish behavior is not one an ordinary person can do." Brother He said loudly as he pointed at Shuang Xue, who was trying to hide.

    Mo Xuetong turned to look at Shuang Ye and was so angry she felt dizzy. She remembered that in order to allow someone to discover Mo Xuetong sending Sima Lingyun a pouch, she had deliberately sent someone who would behave in a shy manner.

    "Nonsense. I only arrived at the temple this morning. How would I know what happened yesterday." She must not admit to anything at this time. Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth and said, "This maid came up the mountains with my Third Sister yesterday." She had not forgotten to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation at a time like this.

    "Then, Miss Mo, how can you exin this pouch? We got this off His Excellency. It can¡¯t be your Third Sister¡¯s too as well?" Brother Ling took out a pouch, pleased as a punch, and gave it to the others around him.

    "Miss, your pouch..." Mo Jin made a sound of surprise and looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s waist. Her pouch had already been long gone.

    She wanted to say something but Mo Xuemin red at her viciously. She remembered what was in front of her and hurriedly shut up. Her hand, which was holding Mo Xuemin¡¯s shook slightly.

    "Look, even your maid has admitted it¡¯s you. What can you do? Miss Mo, you¡¯re really good. You pretend to be as virtuous as a fair outside, but you meet lovers in secret. You even... with a man..." The crowd jeered.

    "So the gentleness and graciousness of the First Miss of the Mo family are all fake. She¡¯s indeed good."

    "She doesn¡¯t look like it. She¡¯s so beautiful and gentle, but her behavior in private is as such. The Mo Manor¡¯s reputation is disgraced." Another person said, shaking his head.

    ...

    Mo Xuemin was enraged when she heard that. She was so angry she almost fainted. However, she knew that she could not faint now.

    She bit the tip of her tongue forcefully until she drew blood. She used the sharp pain to regain her wits and said to the men sharply, "You¡¯ve soiled my reputation today and used some unknown method to say that the pouch you found belongs to me and forced me to my wit¡¯s end. Alright, alright. Then I will do as you wish. I¡¯ll die for you all to see. Don¡¯t forget that my father will investigate what happened today. You and your families will not be able to escape thew."

    Then, she waved her sleeves over her head and rushed up to a tree beside her, mming into it.

    She had no defense and could only insist that they were ruining her reputation. It was a fact that she had not entered Sima Lingyun¡¯s room. A maid and a pouch would not be able to determine her sins. She did not believe that those people would force her to her death. She had already looked at them and saw that there was no true nobility amongst the men. Most of them were children of officials and their fathers¡¯ ranks were not high either. They were not from the same social circle as her. They were also impolite and did not speak like true nobility.

    She was betting that they would not force her.

    She only had to force them to let her go...

    "Miss, Mi..." Mo Jin and Shuang Ye grew anxious when they saw that she was going to kill herself. They tried to stop her and put themselves in front of her. They were worried that she might really kill herself.

    The group of people also grew flustered. Catching the adulterous pair was one matter. But if they forced the daughter of a Fifth Rank Capital Officer to death, then the matter would be huge!

    Most of the people present were from wealthy families and some of them were sons of lower ranked officials. They were all well informed and knew that the Mo Manor was close to the Emperor. If they really offend the Mo Manor, they might implicate their whole family. No one wanted that to happen to them.

    "Brother He, could we be mistaken? There isn¡¯t a name on the pouch." A man holding the pouch pushed it into Brother Ling¡¯s hand hurriedly. He intentionally ignored the "Min" on the pouch.

    "It is not impolite to ask about His Excellency at the corridor."

    "That maid doesn¡¯t look like a good one. She might be the one in a tryst with the duke¡¯s son!"

    "That must be it. Look at how she looks, she¡¯s not a good one." Everyone spoke up to ease the tension.

    Brother He and Brother Ling were flustered at that. They nced at each other and did not dare to insist that the pouch belonged to Mo Xuemin. They had stolen it and if the matter was investigated, they would not be able to bear the consequences. The thief¡¯s mouth was hard to shut.

    The two of them nced at each other and immediately stopped pursuing the incident. Their attitudes softened.

    "Oh, that might be true." Brother He said in an odd tone.

    "Miss Mo, since it is something your maid did, then you should discipline her well in the future. Don¡¯t let here out and flirt. Those who don¡¯t know will think that it is you..." Brother Ling waved his hand and sniggered. The pouch flew out andnded on the floor. Mo Jin hurried to pick it up.

    His words were very disrespectful and Mo Xuemin was so angry that she trembled in rage.

    Shuang Ye was anxious when she saw that everyone had gone. She thought of how First Miss had always been a vicious person in private and knelt down forcefully. She called out anxiously, "Miss..."

    "Shut up. I¡¯ll deal with you when we go back." Mo Xuemin¡¯s face was pale as if she had survived a great disaster. Her clothes were soaked in sweat. She yelled sharply when she saw that Shuang Ye was about to say something else. Then, she turned around, squared her back, and left the courtyard with Mo Jin. She must not show any signs of guilt right now.

    Shuang Ye must be defending herself right now, so how could she allow her to finish speaking. She would not be responsible for this mess.

    The furore had created a huge ruckus and someone was already at the door.

    When she saw the sharp and furious expression on Mo Xuemin¡¯s beautiful face, Shuang Ye did not dare to say anything else. She stood up and followed behind Mo Xuemin fearfully and left the courtyard.

    When they returned to their courtyard, Mo Xuetong was standing at the corridor. She said with a gentle and concerned smile, "Eldest Sister, what happened?"

    "Nothing. I¡¯m going home now." Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth. She wanted to tear the smile off Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. The smile seemed to be mocking her failure. She could not stay any longer. She felt that Mo Xuetong was behind all of this!

    "Then let¡¯s go back together. Mo Lan, quick go and pack up." Mo Xuetong turned to say.

    "Yes, Miss." I thought that the manor would send someone to pick you up. So Mo Yu and I have already packed up." Mo Lan replied.

    "Eldest Sister, then let¡¯s go." Mo Xuetong said, holding on to Mo Ye¡¯s hand. Her face was pale. Mo Yu was holding Mo Xuetong¡¯s other hand so she could stand steadily.

    Mo Xuemin was not in the mood to fight Mo Xuetong. She turned to leave with Mo Jin. Shuang Ye followed behind. She looked left and right and did not know who to follow. She suddenly saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold nce and shuddered. She immediately went to follow Mo Xuemin.

    It was alreadyte when they returned to the Mo Manor. Mo Xuemin did not bid Mo Xuetong goodbye and just left the carriage with Mo Jin. The handkerchief in her hands was almost torn by her wringing. She had to think clearly whose ploy she had fallen for today. Shuang Ye followed her but was kicked viciously. She hit the door heavily and cried out in pain but did not dare to follow.

    A few maids helped Mo Xuetong struggle back to Qingwei Garden. Mother Xu weed her at the door. There was a fuss before they helped Mo Xuetong lie down. Mother Xu brought her ginseng tea which she took a few sips of before she finally regained some strength.

    "Miss is so ill, why did you all let her leave the mountain? How am I going to answer to Madam if anything happens?" Mother Xu looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face and rebuked Mo Lan and the others.

    "Mother, something happened there and Miss had to leave the mountain." Mo Yu went to guard at the door. Mo Lan pointed at Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden.

    "First Miss?" Mother Xu paused and then lowered her voice. "It has nothing to do with Miss, right?" She was only concerned with the safety of her mistress.

    "Miss is fine, but she got a scare." Mo Lan answered with a smile. She did not tell Mother Xu everything that happened. It was not that she did not trust Mother Xu. Her mistress had once said that Mother Xu was old and some things should not be told to her or she would worry for them.

    "That¡¯s good then, that¡¯s good then. Buddha has watched over you all." Mother Xu muttered and then got Mo Lan to take care of Mo Xuetong carefully. Then, Mo Yu and the others coaxed her back to sleep.

    The doors of the room shut gently. Mo Lan remained to keep watch overnight. She adjusted the candle me to be dimmer.

    "Mo Lan, you should go to rest early. You didn¡¯t rest wellst night." Mo Xuetong opened her eyes slightly and said gently. Mo Lan must be the one who had fed her waterst night.

    "Miss, it¡¯s alright. I fell asleep for some reasonst night. It was already daytime when I woke up." Mo Lan thought that it was odd when she mentioned it. She had fallen asleep for no reason and it was lucky that her mistress was alright when she woke up. Otherwise, she would feel very guilty.

    "Oh, don¡¯t tell Mother Xu anything."

    "I understand."

    Mo Lan lowered the candlelight and bit her lips. She could not resist but to turn around and ask, "Miss, what was written on the paper? Why were the two men so certain that it was First Miss?"

    The words on the sheet of paper? A cold smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. Mo Xuemin would never imagine that it was the sheet of paper that had gotten her into trouble!

    ------------------

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 Chapter 30 Xuetong Interferes in the Defense in the Study

    "Something hase up at home tonight. Will arrive tomorrow. Father is already suspicious. I hope you can bring people to the temple tomorrow. If Father sends someone to investigate the matter, they can take the punishment and you will be fine. We will speak in detail in person." The note was signed off with Xuemin of the Mo Family.

    Mo Lan was stunned when she heard what Mo Xuetong said. She took a deep breath after a while and muttered, "Miss, is this how you are sure that those two people would fix their sights on First Miss?"

    Mo Xuetong pushed herself into a sitting position and took the tea that Mo Lan handed her. She took a sip and said lightly, "Those are all rich sons that Sima Lingyun hang out with. They don¡¯t do much usually and only know how to fight amongst themselves. How would they let this go?"

    The two people were considered Sima Lingyun¡¯s scoundrel friends. In her past life, she had once heard Sima Lingyun recount several vicious things that he did and got the two to do for him. People like them were used to fighting viciously. Sima Lingyun did not have power right now and they would not let this go for Sima Lingyun.

    They had been tricked up the mountain and then been beaten for Mo Xuemin. It would be weird if they did not seek revenge on Mo Xuemin.

    However, she did not expect them to have done it so nicely. They even stole Mo Xuemin¡¯s pouch. That¡¯s right. Sima Lingyun would not have thought to bring them up to the mountain if they did not behave so roguishly usually. However, they had not expected tond themselves into trouble because of their behavior. Revenge was swift.

    "Miss, will First Miss sense that you..." Mo Lan suddenly recalled something and asked uneasily.

    "Eldest Sister would definitely guess something. She had nned to plot against me but was plotted against by someone else. How can she not suspect me..." Mo Xuetong¡¯s finger tapped against the colorful patterns on the cup in her hand with a smile on her lips.

    "Then what are we going to do?" Mo Lan asked.

    "But why would that matter? She would not dare to say some things openly and I will not say them either. She has to vouch for me in front of Father too." There was a trace of coldness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. Mo Xuemin would not dare to drag the matter out. If she made a fuss about it, she would be the one on the losing end.

    Colluding with a man outside the family to ruin her younger sister¡¯s reputation!

    Mo Xuemin would not dare to bear this name. She had to taste the bitter fruits of herbor.

    Of course, she would not hope that this would be a fatal blow to the beautiful snake that was Mo Xuemin. However, she could start to dissolve Mo Xuemin¡¯s position in their father¡¯s heart. Or perhaps, there might be unexpected gains... She had never underestimated Mo Xuemin. She was an opponent more difficult to deal with than Auntie Fang. She had learnt her lesson in her past life.

    Inside Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden, the roses were at full bloom in the corridor. They were flowers Mo Xuemin had taken from You Yuecheng. She treated them like treasure and even watered them herself. She would spend time to prune the flowers and felt that she resembled the flowers greatly. Elegant and beautiful, and in its quietness, seemed gracious and noble. They were just like her, born to be taken care of and admired.

    However, she kicked the pot of roses over the moment she entered. The blooming roses smashed onto the ground and sand scattered messily. They did not look as beautiful as before. Mo Xuemin was enraged and she could not help but take a few steps forward and pulverized the roses on the flower with her feet.

    What gentleness and beauty, what graciousness and benevolence? She only knew that she had been a clown today that had been yed by the sickly and dying slut.

    The usual facade of gentleness and poise that she usually maintained was broken immediately. Her expression was dark as she red viciously at Mo Xiu who came out to wee her. She stomped into her room by herself.

    Inside the house, Mo Xiu, who had received signs from Mo Jin carefully carried a pot of tea in. She saw First Miss sitting by the window, glowering at the sights outside. Her heart skipped a beat and she said softly, "First Miss, Auntie sent someone to ask why you returned today. Weren¡¯t you going to stay another night..."

    Mo Xiu fell silent when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s vicious expression when she turned around.

    "Get out, get out! Go and tell that stupid woman she¡¯s screwed things up." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were red and she hurled the pot of tea at Mo Xiu. The boiling teanded on Mo Xiu, mostly on the back of her hand. She did not have time to scream before Mo Xuemin kicked her and she fell to the ground.

    Mo Xiu was in so much pain she turned pale. Shey on the floor and did not dare to yell in pain. She said, "Yes, Yes, Miss. I will go and tell her immediately."

    Then, she climbed up and was about to go.

    "Hold on." Mo Xuemin suddenly calmed down and bellowed.

    "Yes, Miss." Mo Xiu did not dare to move. She had a hand on the ground and the other hand was holding the edge of the table. She looked at Mo Xuemin fearfully.

    "How did you get injured?" Mo Xuemin looked at her from above and asked coldly.

    "I understand. I identally toppled the pot while pouring tea for Miss and hurt myself. Luckily, Miss was kind and discovered my injuries quickly." Mo Xiu¡¯s voice was very soft.

    "Go!" Mo Xuetong said coldly.

    Mo Xiu stumbled out and Mo Xuemin stared out of the window in the direction of Qingwei Garden. Her eyes were filled with hate. She had underestimated that little slut. Of course, she should have gotten Auntie to work harder and just killed her when she was in Cloud City. If it didn¡¯t work once, they would do it twice. If it didn¡¯t work twice, they would do it thrice. She did not believe that the little slut would be so lucky. How could she escape if a rock fell on her or if she fell into theke?

    She said sinisterly when she thought of that, "Mo Xuetong. You¡¯re good!"

    Then, she took the long neck vase by her side and threw it onto the ground fiercely.

    Mo Jin who had been waiting by the door was shocked when she heard the shattering sounds. After a moment of hesitation by the door, she still knocked on the door gently.

    "What is it?" Mo Xuemin said coldly. She did not even turn around. She was used to appearing gentle and perfect in front of others like a beauty made of porcin. She was elegant and beautiful. However, her false facade had been torn downpletely by now.

    "Young Master Qin sent a letter. Miss, see..." Mo Jin hesitated a little before speaking.

    A letter from Qin Yufeng?

    "Was Young Master Qin in the manor earlier?" Mo Xuemin¡¯s red eyes cleared slightly.

    "Yes. Young Master Qin saw youing in and greeted you. You did not hear him so he left you a message."

    "Bring it here."

    Mo Xiu handed her a note that was folded neatly. It was obvious how calm and orderly the person was to do something like that even when it was done hurriedly.

    Mo Xuemin almost snatched the note out of Mo Xiu¡¯s hand. She opened it and read it carefully. She gradually calmed down as she read and slowly rxed. Her eyes remained cold.

    "Calm down. Do not do anything. n carefully!"

    There were only a few words on the note. However, Mo Xuemin felt more rxed for some reason. Indeed, she had been too reckless earlier and had lost her wits to anger.

    Qin Yufeng was a smart person and was loyal to her. He would definitely think up something for her. Qin Yufeng had helped her to gain her father¡¯s love easily and help Auntie Fang gain her status as the most doted concubine. So what if the little slut gained the upper hand for now? As long as she insisted that she knew nothing, her father would not be able to do anything.

    Mo Jin had also taken back the only evidence which was the pouch!

    Nothing could be said when there was no evidence.

    She gritted her teeth and looked out of the window coldly. She clutched the note in her hand tightly. "Mo Xuetong. You¡¯ll definitely die fighting against me."

    It was already noon of the second day when Mo Huawen found out about what happened to his eldest daughter at the Repayment Temple. Mo Huawen was visiting Mo Xuetong at Qingwei Garden when she received a missive. He was so angry that he returned to his study and ordered Mo Xuemin to see him there.

    Mo Xuetong was worried and followed. She was present that day and knew some things. As such, her father allowed her to sit by the side.

    Mo Xuemin had already had ns by the time she arrived. She would definitely appear in front of her father looking as if she had been wronged. She would insist that she was innocent and could even ce the me on that little slut that was Mo Xuetong. However, she did not expect Mo Xuetong to already be sitting by the side.

    Mo Xuetong stood up tearfully when she saw her enter. Tears flowed down her cheeks slowly as she said, "Eldest Sister, it is all my fault. I¡¯ve ruined your reputation. I did not expect the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son to also be at the Repayment Temple. I stayed in the guestroom that you booked and still met him. It was such a coincidence!"

    Mo Xuemin was dazed. She thought about what Mo Xuetong meant. She had said that Mo Xuemin was the one who had booked the guestroom and then mentioned Sima Lingyun. Mo Xuemin nched. She knew what Mo Xuetong nned to do. She was here to create trouble. Even though she was sly, she was flustered. She had to gain her father¡¯s approval.

    "You insolent daughter. Kneel down." Mo Huawen understood what Mo Xuetong meant. His expression turned grave and he yelled angrily.

    It was a coincidence. It was too coincidental. It was Sima Lingyun again. If the previous incident had not happened, Mo Huawen would really believe that it was a coincidence. However, Mo Xuemin had brought Sima Lingyun to Mo Xuetong¡¯s inner courtyard only a few days ago. Then, Sima Lingyun had stayed in the Repayment Temple at the same time as Mo Xuetong. Min¡¯er was the one who had nned the blessing at the Repayment Temple. This was too much of a coincidence.

    Something was definitely up.

    Mo Xuemin knelt down with a thud. She looked up with teary eyes and sobbed, "Father, it is not Min¡¯er. Min¡¯er had only arrived to see Third Sister. Third Sister was ill and needed to rest, so I left with Mo Jin to pray in front of Buddha for Mother. But I met His Excellency¡¯s servant just as I exited. He said that His Excellency was beaten up by someonest night and was unconscious. I thought that since our family has close dealings with His Excellency..."

    "Furthermore, His Excellency has saved Min¡¯er once. Min¡¯er should go to visit him. However, I didn¡¯t expect the incident in the courtyard to happen... Father, if I really have anything to do with His Excellency and had so much time to give him a pouch, why would I need to go to the Repayment Temple and give the pouch to him where there were so many people watching."

    Mo Huawen harrumphed as he listened to her defense.

    This daughter of his had always been smart and lofty. She had always treated the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s son politely. They did not interact much usually. However, Sima Lingyun came to find his son often. Even if they met, it was not much of a big deal and even gifting each other things in private was not a big deal either. She would not do anything so stupid.

    His expression softened when he thought of how logical that was.

    Mo Xuetong knelt down as well and cried, pleading, "Eldest Sister is right. Father, how could someone like Eldest Sister do something like that? It was all an ident. We don¡¯t even know where those people are from and how dare they try to discredit Eldest Sister. Father, you have to investigate this and be fair to Eldest Sister."

    Mo Huawen felt pity for Mo Xuetong as she reproached herself sadly. Her face was pale and weak, yet she held on and cried, trying her best to defend her eldest sister. He hurried to help her up and said, "Of course. I will definitely investigate and be fair to your eldest sister."

    "Father, eldest sister had gotten into trouble because of me. If I had not fallen ill, she would not have gone there, ruining her reputation. Father. Tong¡¯er has implicated eldest sister..." Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Xuemin guiltily. She walked towards Mo Xuemin and wanted to pull her up.

    "This has nothing to do with you. Even if she had not visited you, those people will still say that the pouch is hers. We can only start investigating from that maid. What¡¯s her name?" Mo Huawen asked softly.

    "Father, she¡¯s called Shuang Ye. Auntie sent her to me." Mo Xuetong answered obediently.

    "Someone brings that maid called Shuang Ye here." Mo Huawen yelled. Someone had already taken his orders and hurried towards the back courtyard.

    "You get up too. Let¡¯s sit down and hear what the maid has to say." Mo Huawen frowned and he looked at Mo Xuemin...

    Mo Xuemin did not dare to say much. She wiped her tears and stood behind Mo Huawen to wait.

    They had just settled down when an older servant ran through the doors. She stumbled and almost fell when she entered the door in her haste. She said, "Old Sir, quickly go out and take a look. Something happened at the back courtyard!"

    ------------------

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 Chapter 31 Shifting the Blame to Auntie

    Something had indeed happened at the back courtyard. A few maids went to check up on Shuang Ye when she did not wake up. However, when they pushed the door open, they saw a figure in white suspended in the air. They screamed and ran outside. A few of the braver older servants came to undo the ropes but Shuang Ye had long died and her body had stiffened.

    Mother Xu sent someone to report it to Mo Huawen.

    Someone had died in the manor, inside Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden. This maid was also the one Mo Huawen was looking for. His expression changed immediately and he stood up silently.

    "Old Sir, we discovered this on Shuang Ye." The maidservant gave him a letter shakily.

    Mo Huawen opened it with a grave expression. When he read it, his expression grew darker and darker.

    Shuang Ye was dead? Mo Xuetong was shocked. She did not believe that Shuang Ye hadmitted suicide. She nced at Mo Xuemin at the side and indeed, saw a trace of satisfaction in her eyes. Did Mo Xuemin do it? How did she manage to extend her reach into Qingwei Garden? Was she missing something?

    "Shuang Yemitted suicide. Go and inform her family toe and get her." Mo Huawen read the letter, waved his hand and ordered the maidservant to leave.

    "Yes." The maidservant left hurriedly.

    "Father, Shuang Ye killed herself in my courtyard. Why..." Mo Xuetong looked up in shock.

    "It¡¯s alright. It has nothing to do with you. She knew that she has done something disgraceful and was afraid that she would be punished." Mo Huawen stroked Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair dotingly. His expression was grave. How could it be so coincidental?

    "Father, then, my thing...won¡¯t there be no proof then?" Mo Xuemin sat by the side and flicked her handkerchief, starting to tear up again. She naturally knew that she had to pretend to bepletely wronged and fought to speak before Mo Xuetong. She was afraid that Mo Xuetong would ruin her ns again.

    "Min¡¯er, don¡¯t go out during this period. Stay at home and read some teachings fordies." Mo Huawen finally believed Mo Xuemin when he saw how sad and helpless she was. Heforted her. The only person who could prove Min¡¯er¡¯s innocence was dead. Mo Huawen could only hope that the negative rumors would disappear by themselves after some time. Fortunately, Sima Lingyun had no evidence against Min¡¯er.

    "Yes, Fater." Mo Xuemin wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. She looked at Mo Xuetong smugly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled coldly to herself. Did Mo Xuemin think she will get through this just like this? She turned around and said to Mo Huawen gently,

    "Father, Shuang Ye was a third ss maid by Auntie¡¯s side at first. She¡¯s only been in my Qingwei Garden a few days. There are still many things of hers at Auntie¡¯s Lihua Garden. Get people to give those things to her as well. She¡¯s quite pitiful!" Mo Xuetong looked sorrowful. "Even though she¡¯s been with me for only a few days, we were still master and servant for a while."

    She was saying that Shuang Ye¡¯s mistress was likely to be Auntie Fang!

    Mo Xuemin knew that things were going pear-shaped. Her smug expression froze and her face paled. She had only wanted to get herself out of the situation but did not expect Mo Xuetong to use Shuang Ye¡¯s identity to ce the me on Auntie Fang.

    "Min¡¯er, is the third ss maid from Auntie Fang¡¯s side?" Mo Huawen did not notice Mo Xuemin¡¯s odd behavior. His expression had cooled.

    A third ss maid was only responsible for cleaning in her own courtyard. How did Sima Lingyun get to know her? Unless Sima Lingyun had visited Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden. But why would a Duke¡¯s son go to a concubine¡¯s courtyard? There was something suspicious there...

    "Father, even though Shuang Ye is a maid, but because she was not born in this family but outside, she would leave asionally..." Mo Xuemin answered hurriedly. This was the only usible reason Mo Xuemin could think of right now. In such a situation, how could she answer her father¡¯s questions? Could she say that Shuang Ye and Sima Lingyun were brought together in Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard?

    Mo Xuemin knew that she should exin the situation gracefully and in a poised manner so that Mo Huawen would believe her. However, she could not exin clearly and only said that Shuang Ye had nothing to do with Sima Lingyun. She could not do that. That would only implicate herself and she had just extricated herself from the situation with much difficulty. She had to continue to get Mo Huawen¡¯s love, so she had to continue to maintain her appearance of being graceful and intelligent.

    "Father, Shuang Ye¡¯s incident definitely has nothing to do with Auntie. Auntie has been in charge of the inner courtyard for so many years. How can something like this happen? Eldest Sister, don¡¯t you think so?" Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Xuemin, seeking her agreement.

    Mo Xuemin was still smiling gently, but deep down inside, she wanted to grit her teeth hatefully. The opportunity she had painstakingly crafted had been before it had even started. Then, she had been implicated in a scandal regarding her reputation. Finally, Shuang Ye had died after much difficulties. But then, she realized that things were not going as nned. Auntie Fang was Mo Xuetong¡¯s final goal.

    Did being in charge of the inner courtyard mean that Auntie Fang could have something to do with Sima Lingyun without allowing Mo Huawen to discover it? Mo Xuetong was too vicious!

    The two of them had already fallen out because of what happened at the Repayment Temple. Mo Xuemin wanted to tear off Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth when she saw how she pretended to be concerned and kept mentioning Auntie Fang. This time, Mo Xuetong had even asked her about the matter. How should she answer the question?

    His concubine who had been in charge of the inner courtyard could possibly be in a rtionship with another man. Any man would not be able to bear it. Mo Huawen would also be furious even if there was not any evidence.

    "Alright, both of you, go back. I still have things to do." Mo Huawen felt anger surge up his chest that almost exploded at his two daughters. He was no longer suspicious at Mo Xuemin but was now suspicious of Auntie Fang. This was partly because Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation had always been good, and also because he felt that Auntie Fang was the most likely person to have a rtionship with a man if someone in the manor was doing that.

    The two girls did not dare to say much and left the study when they saw Mo Huawen¡¯s grave expression and knew that he was not in a good mood.

    "Third Sister, Shuang Ye died in Qingwei Garden. Did you know nothing at all about it?" Mo Xuemin stood under a tree and looked at Mo Xuetong coldly after they left the study. Her eyes were filled with hatred that could not be hidden. No matter how stupid Auntie Fang was, she was still her birth mother. The damage to her would not be small if bad rumors were to be spread.

    "Eldest Sister, do you mean that I had something to do with Shuang Ye¡¯s death? Does she also have something on me?" There was no one else there and their two maids were a distance away. Mo Xuetong smiled coyly, her eyes filled withughter as she said the word ¡¯also¡¯.

    The smile looked like a challenge to Mo Xuemin. She was enraged. There was no one else here and she did not need to pretend. She red at Mo Xuetong viciously and smiled coldly, "Third Sister, you¡¯re really sly. I¡¯ve underestimated you."

    "Eldest Sister, I really admire you. Qingwei Garden of mine is really not safe. If I have time, I have to report to father. I have to ward against many in the entire Mo Manor." The sun shone on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Her beautiful face looked clean and radiant. She smiled gently and looked like a blossoming flower more beautiful than the flowers in the garden.

    Then, she curtsied slightly to Mo Xuemin and brought her maid out of the garden.

    Behind her, Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands which were hidden under her sleeves balled up tightly. She could only remain calm as she hurt herself and not go up to hit Mo Xuetong.

    She could not let this matter implicate herself. If her father finds out that she had plotted against Mo Xuetong, all her years of efforts would be in vain. She could not lose. She definitely must not lose.

    The Ming Kingdom¡¯s Duke Manor would not want to wee a woman whose reputation was in shreds. As such, Auntie Fang had to take the me for this.

    Sheforted herself. Once she had the chance to marry into the Ming Kingdom¡¯s Duke family, and marry You Yuecheng, Auntie Fang could get all the riches she desired. She would make up to her in the future. Her fists rxed slightly as she thought of that. It was not that she did not want to save her mother. She trusted that Auntie Fang would be able to settle the matter.

    She had underestimated Mo Xuetong. She had not expected her to be so sly! She was more vicious than she imagined. She had implicated Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin could not even say anything.

    "First Miss, shall we go to Lihua Garden?" Mo Jin took a few steps up to Mo Xuemin and asked cautiously.

    "Return to Fuqing Garden." Mo Xuemin said coldly. She wrung the handkerchief in her hands and stomped off. How could she go to Lihua Garden now to inform Auntie Fang who did not know anything? Her father would go to Lihua Garden immediately.

    She could not go. If Mo Huawen got angry at Auntie Fang, should she plead on her behalf or not!

    If she did not, others would say that she was an unfeeling daughter who was vicious and uncaring. She would abandon her own mother. Everyone would look down on her. If she pleaded for her mother, how would her father see her? Would she still be able to retain her gracious and poised image? The entire matter was plotted by that little slut Mo Xuetong. She would fall in her plot no matter what she did.

    What was even more annoying was that she could not do anything even though she knew about it. This was something Mo Xuemin had never dealt with. She could not exin anything and everything she did would be wrong.

    If she did not bear this small matter, she would spoil the bigger n. She must not ruin her future because she could not hold her anger at this moment.

    Doing nothing now would be doing something!

    They returned to their own courtyards while Mo Huawen brought people with him as he charged into Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden angrily.

    Nobody from Lihua Garden spoke about what happened that night.

    What was made known was that there were sounds of porcin shattering not long after Mo Huawen entered. And not longter, the crying and screaming were heard. Then, Old Sir left Lihua Garden without even looking back. Everyone knew that he was furious. He had never been so angry since Auntie Fang entered the manor.

    The servants were all fearful!

    In the days that followed, even though Auntie Fang was still in charge of the matters of the inner courtyard, they heard that she was seriously ill and did not leave her courtyard at all. Most of the matters were directed by Nanny Li. Everyone was fearful as they entered and left Lihua Garden. The courtyard was permeated with the smell of medicine. Mo Huawen had never once visited and only went to Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo¡¯s.

    Mo Xuetong spent the few daysfortably. Her health had recovered very well for some reason. In the past, if she had been soaked in cold water, she would have been sick for more than a month. However, she had recovered in a few days. Even though she could notpare her healing rate to Mo He and the others, she was fine and only needed to recuperate for a while.

    The weather was good and the sun was bright. Mother Xu brought Mo Lan, Mo He and a few older and younger maids to clean Mo Xuetong¡¯s room from inside out. She especially asked Mo Yu to apany Mo Xuetong to stay under the tree in the yard to get some sun. They would officially enter winter in the next few days and it would be inconvenient to clean too much then.

    Mo Xuetongid against the back of the chairzily. She was focused on reading her book.

    It was a medical book she found in her mother¡¯s possession. In her past life, she had been poisoned and could not get pregnant. She was forced to allow Sima Lingyun to marry his cousin. Then, even when she had gotten pregnant, she had not been able to keep the child. She only began to secretly study medical books after she had Yu¡¯er. Mother Xu and the others were very careful with what she ate and she managed to keep Yu¡¯er. However, Mo Xuetong had given her poisoned wine and her child had died of unnatural causes.

    Even though she did not die because of the poisoned wine Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun gave her, she did not have the strength to flee either. She burned down the wedding hall in revenge for herself and Yu¡¯er...

    She swore when she started this life over again that she would not allow anyone to poison her again in this life!

    "Miss, look at this!" Mo Lan hurried out from the room. She took out something carefully from her chest and ced it in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She said softly, "I found this in the luggage. It is definitely not ours."

    It was a seal. It was a small seal!

    It was Sima Lingyun¡¯s Son of the Duke¡¯s Manor¡¯s seal!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned cold. She recognized the seal, of course. It was an object Sima Lingyun brought with him everywhere he went. Even in her past life, he had only allowed her to look at it but had never gifted it to her. And when she died, she found it hanging on Mo Xuemin¡¯s neck.

    Her mind whirled and she thought things through carefully. She immediately understood that this was what Shuang Ye had brought to her room from Sima Lingyun as evidence that she was in a rtionship with Sima Lingyun.

    Her heart chilled and she quickly came up with a n. Since fingers had already been pointed, she might as well set fire to the mess so that the fire would burn even stronger!

    ------------------

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 Chapter 32 The Mess at the Family Rites (1)

    Quiet days passed really quickly. Half a month went by in the blink of an eye. Nothing happened in the two weeks. It would be time for the Mo Manor family rites in a few days. The Mo Manor originated from a well-to-do family and was a family with a long history in the Qin Kingdom. Even though there were not any impressive officials among the main branch of descendants, they were well-known in their social circle. Mo Huawen was the eldest son of the main branch of the family. As such, he was in charge of the family rites.

    Unlike the rites of other noble families. The head of the family had to invite the well-known and reputable intellectual to watch the rites with other noble intellectuals. All children from the main branch have to wear course clothing made especially for the family rites and kneel in the ancestral hall to pay their sincere respects to their ancestors and to their ancestors, filial piety.

    Mo Xuetong was the only daughter of the main branch of the family. There was no one else to do it!

    As such, Auntie Fang got someone to send Mo Xuetong her clothes for the familiy rites. It was a coarse, white dress and had a thinyer of fur on at cor and opening of the sleeves to ward off the chill.

    "Miss, Auntie Fang is too careless. How could she send you clothes like that." Mother Xu flipped the clothing over and said angrily.

    "What¡¯s wrong with the clothes?" Mo Xuetong flipped through the medical text in her hands and smiled.

    "Auntie Fang sent the right set of clothing. It is fine in terms of style and looks thick as well. However, I discovered that the threads are coarse and on some parts, the threads are thick and pointy. It looks fine on the outside, but if you put it on, it will definitely hurt your skin. The rites will take a long time. You will definitely hurt all over if you put on something like this." Mother Xu followed Mo Xuetong into the room and muttered in annoyance. "We have not seen Auntie Fang in more than a year and she¡¯s gotten more and more vicious. She wants to kill our mistress!"

    Then, she looked at Mo Xuetong worriedly. However, Mo Xuetong had a faint smile on her face.

    Auntie Fang wanted to kill her? Of course not!

    Auntie Fang did not have the guts to kill her outright. Mo Xuetong flipped through the clothing. The coarse white clothing was made especially for the family rites in order to showcase the purity of the family rite. nothing could be said even if the clothes were filled with threads. It was made from coarse cloth. Even if she mentioned it, others would think that she was being too delicate and kicking up a fuss.

    There was a thread that was especially spikey as she ran her soft fingertips across the cloth. Those who did not think much about it would think that it was just that the treads were a little coarse. However, Mo Xuetong knew that there was a thread called "Heavenly Silkworm Needle" mixed in the coarse threads. This type of thread was not native to Qin and not many knew about it. She heard that in a far off area in the Yan Kingdom, there was a type of mysterious silkworm that could make such threads. Mo Xuetong had seen this on a magazine about bizarre things.

    This type of thread was called "Heavenly Silkworm Needle". It was no different from ordinary threads, but when worn, it received a person¡¯s body warmth and after a long period of time, would be as sharp as needles. At first, it would be like a single needle, and then ten, and then tens of thousands. Who would be able to wear a shirt like that?

    When one took it off, the clothes would be no different from clothes made of coarse cloth and examining the clothes would not result in anything. Auntie Fang had plotted well. If she put on a shirt like that and when tens of thousands of needles were poking at her, how could she sit down quietly? If she moved because of it, others would say that she was being unfilial, taking the family rites lightly and was being arrogant and impolite before the guests.

    An usation like that could ruin the life of a woman.

    "Miss, look at this, how can you wear clothes like this? Auntie Fang is too much. Should we go and tell Old Sir?" Mother Xu asked her angrily. She was only mad that Auntie Fang had not gotten the servants to remove the threads thoroughly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and shook her head. "Mother, it is fine. I¡¯ll just have to wear it for a while. It¡¯s not important."

    "But, Miss..." Mother Xu was still worried.

    "Mother, you can just prepare some thicker underclothes for me then. These threads will not be able to get through the underclothes."

    Ordinary threads would not, but the "Heavenly Silkworm Needle" could.

    Mother Xu thought about it and agreed. As such, she did not wait but pulled Mo Lan and Mo Yu out to make Mo Xuetong some thick underclothes.

    On the morning of the second day, Mo Xuetong woke up early. It was the day of the family rites. Mo Lan sent her breakfast. It was a te of cucumbers and a bowl of in porridge. Today was the day of the family rites and they did not eat much. However, this was too little. Mo He ced the bowl of porridge on the table forcefully and said angrily, "Miss, the kitchens only gave us this much. They said that we can only eat these today."

    It was such a small bowl of porridge. How would her mistress be full from eating this? Furthermore, her mistress would only be allowed to eat againter in the night. Her mistress¡¯ health was poor, how could she only subsist on a small bowl of porridge?

    "It¡¯s alright. This is enough! It¡¯s already pretty good!" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She picked up her utensils and started to eat elegantly.

    It was a small bowl of porridge and she finished it quickly. Mo Xuetong put down the bowl in her hands quietly and Mo Lan helped her to put on the in coarse clothing. Her hair was not done up in an elegant manner but was scattered down her back, tied up with a light colored piece of cloth at the back of her head. This was the clothing worn by noble women in the Jin Dynasty and was very much suited for the Mo Family that had a tradition passed down from a thousand years ago.

    Mo Xuetong arrived at the front hall wearing the coarse clothing. The Mo family did not have any sons in the main branch of the family. As such, she yed a very important role as the only daughter of the main family. Her clothing today was very different from her usual clothes. Her robe had wide sleeves and was attractive in a unisex manner. Her long ck hair was tied up loosely behind her waist. The loose robe was cinched up at her waist, showing how slender it was. The in coarse clothing did not lessen her beauty but instead added on an otherworldly and natural beauty to her.

    Mo Xuetong arrived at the hall and waited outside. As Mo Huawen did not have any sons in the main branch of the family, as his daughter, she had to take the position as the main son to await the guests. Mo Lan and Mo Yu waited behind her. Mo Lan put down the mat in her hands and Mo Xuetong knelt on it in ordance to ancient etiquette. Mo Yu helped her to arrange her skirts and then, the two knelt behind her respectfully.

    Mo Huawen took guests in the morning. There was no food at noon and the family rites truly began in the afternoon. She needed to wee the guests at the door in the morning and apany her father in the family rites inside in the afternoon. There are some things that she could not do because she was the daughter of the main branch of the family. As such, she just had to follow behind Mo Huawen.

    There were not many guests, but they were all famous. Mo Xuetong looked down as she knelt. She would bow deeply and respectfully along with Mo Lan and Mo Yu as each guest came. She would only get back up when the guests entered the hall. The pain from the coarse cloth on her went from one that came and went to a sharp piercing pain. This was especially when she got back up from a bow. The special "coarse threads" jabbed at her tender skin like needles.

    The sharp pain caused sweat to appear on her forehead and her face gradually grew pale. Her fingers shook lightly and veins started appearing on her hands.

    Mo Yu had been watching her mistress on the side and discovered that she was acting oddly. She emerged from her bow and was just about to speak when Mo Lan pulled her down to kneel again. Someone was here!

    A white robe appeared in front of Mo Xuetong and she bowed down slowly and respectfully. The daughter of the main branch had to do that as a show of respect to the guest to show the sincerity of the host family.

    The person wearing the white robe did not leave immediately like other guests but stopped in front of her. Someone reported, "Sir Bai is here!"

    It was indeed Bai Yihao!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s prostrate body could not help but stiffen up. Even though she knew that Bai Yihao¡¯s presence would be helpful to her, she still felt nervous for some reason. She had a fear for Bai Yihao that she had brought with her from her past life. She felt that the innocent and distant handsome face was hiding a great darkness. It was something she could not touch. Even though she had been reborn, she was not willing to be a chesspiece and live through another tragedy.

    She did not know why Bai Yihao¡¯s behavior in the Qin Kingdom would be different from how he behaved in the Yan Kingdom and she did not want to know why either. As such, she had made a fair exchange for his help the first time she met him to show that their rtionship was one that was purely transactional. She was just ady who could not bear his aspirations.

    Bai Yihao stood in front of her, looking at her pale tender hands that were twitching slightly. His eyes flickered and he asked gently, "You look really tired, are you ill?"

    Everyone in the hall who were chatting all turned around to look at Bai Yihao when he spoke. He drew attention wherever he went because of who he was.

    The child of the main branch of the family who weed the guests had a different status on this day. Even if she were a daughter, she would be treated as the heir. As such, Mo Xuetong was considered the heir of the Mo family and it was normal even if the guest were to speak with her a little. However, Mo Xuetong had just returned to the Mo Family and did not know anyone. As such, the guests who entered did not speak with her.

    "I¡¯m not ill. Sir, please enter!" Mo Xuetong answered lightly as she knelt, unmoving. She nced at the white robe through the side of her eyes. The white was piercingly bright. She knelt there quietly, making her waist look even more slender. She was like a blooming white lotus, and seemed even more beautiful in the dirt.

    "Since you are not unwell, why are your fingers twitching, and why are you sweating and shaking?" He asked gently andughed lightly. He used such a low tone and sounded like the moving streams in the mountains as he asked in concern. He was extremely mesmerizing in this moment.

    Mo Huawen heard him from inside the hall. He greeted Bai Yihao with a bow and followed his gaze to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as she prostrated on the ground. Indeed, the veins on her slender hands were bulging and she was shaking slightly. It was obvious that she was trying to hold herself together. He asked hurriedly, "Tong¡¯er, are you well? If you cannot bear it anymore, get Min¡¯er to rece you. You go and rest!"

    "Father, Tong¡¯er is fine. I¡¯m not unwell!" Mo Xuetong said, her head low as she stayed in her prostrate position. Her voice was calm and gentle. And if one did not look at her fingers which twitched asionally, they would not discover that she was already at her limits.

    Mo Yu, who was behind her, could not help but open her mouth. However, Mo Lan pulled her shirt forcefully and tugged her down again.

    Even though it was a small action, Mo Huawen still saw it.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 33 The Mess at the Family Rites (2)

    Mo Huawen harrumphed and said, "Mo Lan, tell me what¡¯s wrong with Tong¡¯er. Have you all not taken good care of her and now she¡¯s sick?"

    "I do not dare!" Mo Lan said fearfully. She did not dare to say anything else. However, her gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s cor for a few moments. She looked as if she had something to say but was hesitant to.

    Mo Huawen felt a surge of anger when he saw that Mo Lan obviously wanted to say something but shut her mouth fearfully. Then, he looked at Mo Xuetong who was obviously in pain but did not say anything about it. Her face was pale and she looked weak. He roared, "Servants, take the two maids down and give them 20 beatings each."

    Two servants immediately appeared behind him. They went up to drag Mo Lan and Mo Yu away emotionlessly.

    Mo Xuetong reached out to stop Mo Huawen when she saw that.

    "Father, hold on. It is Mo¡¯er¡¯s fault. It has nothing to do with them." Mo Xuetong exined hurriedly as she came up from her prostrate position and looked up.

    Everyone saw that her face was as pale as snow and that she was dripping in cold sweat. It was obvious that she had been in pain. Even so, her clear eyes had a trace of stubbornness in their fragileness. Her long darkshes fluttered up and she bit her lips anxiously, drawing blood. She smiled and looked strong despite the pain she was in.

    "What¡¯s wrong with Third Miss? Why didn¡¯t you tell me when you¡¯re not feeling well? We can just get First Miss to greet the guests for you. It¡¯s lucky I made First Miss another set of clothes. We will just get First Miss to rece Third Miss. The two maids are too much. Your mistress is so ill and you didn¡¯t even help her and made her stay here. She¡¯s a girl, it¡¯d be terrible if she got hurt!" Auntie Fang who had been inside rushed out. She hid the viciousness in her eyes and said warmly. She ordered two older maids toe to help Mo Xuetong, wanting to move her away.

    She had done something to coax Mo Huawen. Lihua Garden was calm and peaceful recently.

    Auntie Fang pushed for Mo Xuemin to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce. Her daughter was so outstanding and was doted on by Mo Huawen.

    If Mo Xuemin could kneel at the door and greet the guests with the status as the daughter of the main branch of the family, her son would be able toe out as well. He would no longer be looked down upon as the son of a concubine. When the status of her son and daughter was elevated, her position would naturally be elevated as well. Furthermore, if Mo Xuetong did not stay for the family rites because of her health, the various rumors would be enough to ruin her reputation.

    Auntie Fang was not afraid that the tampering of Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothing would be discovered.

    The clothes were bad. But so what if the threads were coarse? It was clothing made of coarse cloth, so how exquisite could it be. Who would be able to discover its hidden secrets once she took it off? Auntie Fang trusted that no one here would be able to recognize the amazing "Heavenly Silkworm Needle".

    Could Mo Xuetong me her father¡¯s concubine for not giving her good silk clothing to wear at the family rites?! This was one of the reasons why Auntie Fang had dared to bully Mo Xuetong so openly. She hated Mo Xuetong very much, especially in the past few days. There was viciousness hidden in her eyes. This time, Mo Xuetong would not be able to marry well. She would control the little slut from now on.

    "Stop!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression cooled when she saw the two maids reaching out to pull her. She spoke coldly, and her eyes were dark as she looked up at Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang felt cold dread filling her and she took a step back.

    "Father, I am not ill!" She turned to smile gently at Mo Huawen. She reached out to take a handkerchief Mo Yu handed her and wiped the sweat off her face elegantly. She smiled adorably but only looked extremely haggard.

    "Third Miss, how can you not be ill. Your face is so pale. Listen to me, go back in to rest. Your eldest sister is healthy and it is more suitable for her to kneel here. You¡¯re a girl, and you have to kneel for the entire day. You have always been in ill health, how can you bear this?" Auntie Fang reacted and hurried to speak before Mo Huawen. She was a sly person but felt anxious when those eyes looked at her. She just wanted to hurry and get Mo Xuetong inside the room and not blow up the matter.

    Auntie Fang nced at the maids and they did not hesitate anymore. One of them pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. It looked as if she was helping Mo Xuetong up, but she was really pulling her. She said, "Third Miss, follow us back and and rest."

    She was known for being sick. No matriarch of a noble family would be willing to have a daughter-inw who was so weak she could not even kneel for a while. It would be difficult for them to have children if they were in ill health.

    "Let go!" Mo Xuetong yelled coldly. She shook off the maids¡¯ hands forcefully.

    She held Mo Lan¡¯s hand and bowed deeply to Auntie Fang. Pain clouded her once clear eyes. There seemed to be a faint mist over her beautiful face and one could not tell that she was weak and in pain.

    Auntie Fang could not help but back away at Mo Xuetong¡¯s bow. There were so many people around and she did not dare to ept Mo Xuetong, the main daughter¡¯s bow.

    "Thank you, Auntie, for your concern. It¡¯s been hard on you. I did not think that you would treat me so well, you even want to let Eldest Sister help me. But does Eldest Sister have clothes like this?" Mo Xuetong suppressed the hate she felt for the woman and asked gently.

    Mo Xuetong was the daughter of the main branch of the family. She had bowed very respectfully to a concubine at the family rites. This was not right to those watching. However, they could also see that this concubine was different from other concubines. She must be very powerful in the inner courtyard for a main daughter to be so careful with her. This was not a good sign.

    "Is she the concubine or the matriarch?" The guests were all noble and highly educated. They all spoke when they wish and embarrassed Auntie Fang right there and then.

    "A concubine has actually taken the ce of the matriarch. How shameless!" Another person scolded.

    Bai Yihao stood by the side with a trace ofughter in his eyes. She knelt there looking wronged and careful, looking like she had been bullied but did not dare to say something. She spoke up for Auntie Fang gently, "Even though Auntie Fang is not the matriarch, but my eldest sister has already performed the rites for our ancestors on behalf of me before. Shes almost..."

    "That¡¯s ludicrous. A daughter of a concubine has only done the family rites for the main daughter once and she wants to help her mother be the wife?" Someone could not bear to listen any longer and started scolding immediately. Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened. Those present were all nobles and schrs. If the rumors started that he cared more for his concubine¡¯s children than his main line, it would harm his reputation as a court official and he might even beined about in court.

    "Third Young Miss Mo. If you trust me, shall I make a diagnosis?" Bai Yihao squatted down and did not wait for Mo Xuetong to object. He held up her wrist with a light smile and spoke softly and gently. His clothes were as white as snow, and when he lowered himself, others did not feel that he was being impolite, but felt that he was noble and elegant.

    A person like him was willing to lower himself and make a diagnosis for Mo Xuetong. What great luck that was. In the shadow of the gree, Mo Xuemin, who was wearing the in coarse clothes, long prepared to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce, looked at him dazedly. She only wished that the handsome face was smiling at her. Her fingers pressed onto the tree leaves forcefully and she did not feel anything even as the sharp leaves pierced through her skin.

    There was only this moment left in her mind. The handsome young man¡¯s enchanting smile. She had thought that Sima Lingyun and You Yuecheng were very handsome and no one couldpare. But there was someone who was so handsome, so noble, so perfect!

    "Many thanks, Sir Bai!" Mo Xuetong stretched out her hand graciously and looked at Bai Yihao with her dark eyes. A gentle smile curled on her lips.

    She was an extremely intelligent woman! What was rare was that she could bear so much. She was exactly the one he was looking for. He was willing to stretch out an olive branch at the right time...

    Bai Yihao looked at her unmovingly and ced his long fingers on her pale wrist. He said with a faint smile, "Third Young Miss Mo is not ill, but she has been hurt!" Her long fingers flicked lightly and Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves were flicked up her wrist. There wererge red marks on her pale skin that made others feel a chill go down their spines.

    There were many marks and some spots were even bleeding. She looked as if she had been jabbed by needles.

    "Someone¡¯s ced sharp needles in Third Young Miss Mo¡¯s clothing. They pierced through her skin which was why she could not hold on any longer and that is the reason for her paleplexion." Bai Yihao made the diagnosis. Then, he turned and brought his servants into the hall. He reached out and scratched the inside of her clothing, revealing sharp spikes. If one looked carefully, they were like thin needles. They were so thin they were like hair and one would not be able to see them if they did not look carefully.

    Mo Xuetong flushed as her arms were revealed. She quickly hid her arm but everyone had already seen the red welts on her arm and the fine needles. Their expression all changed.

    "What exactly happened?" Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened. He pulled on Mo Xuetong¡¯s arm which she had hidden and yelled at Auntie Fang.

    "Father, nothing¡¯s the matter. Perhaps the clothing had not been cleaned properly because it was made in a rush. Tong¡¯er only felt as if there were needles piercing me after I put on the clothes. It¡¯s fine, and it¡¯s only a few spots. Tong¡¯er will bear the pain and will not hinder the family rites." Mo Xuetong smiled and answered before Auntie Fang could. However, her cloudy eyes seemed to be filled with sufferance that made others pity her. She looked at Auntie Fang fearfully and lowered her head, biting her lips.

    Auntie Fang¡¯splexion had turned as white as snow when she saw the fine needles. She could not stand any longer and knelt down forcefully. "I don¡¯t know what happened. Old Sir, perhaps those who did the tailoring had done this in a hurry."

    Mo Huawen was enraged by this. He almost yelled, "You slut, how dare you speak after doing something like this."

    The truth had been revealed. It was obvious someone had tampered with Tong¡¯er¡¯s clothing. Who else other than Auntie Fang could do something like this? Mo Huawen hated himself for softening his heart towards her in the past few days. He pitied Mo Xuetong when he saw how she bit her lips in pain and at the blood appearing at her lips. She had not said anything negative towards Auntie Fang even though she was in pain.

    "The two of you, go inside and change for Miss and then apply some medicine on her." Mo Huawen¡¯s expression had never been so dark.

    The two maids did not say anything else and helped Mo Xuetong out.

    All the guests were shaking their heads. Once they entered the room, it was their family matter. It would be impolite for them to keep watching!

    Mo Huawen red at Auntie Fang. His eyes were like dark murky water. Auntie Fang felt a chill go down her spine when she looked at the sharpness in his eyes. She took a few steps back and then hesitated. Where did the needles in the shirte from? She had not put them in, how would she do something so obvious? The "Heavenly Silkworm Needles" would not be discovered so easily.

    Mo Lan brought a tray over. There were more than a hundred needles of the same color on it that shone coldly.

    "Old Sir, I have already taken the needles from the sleeves, cors, waist and the vest." Mo Lan knelt before Mo Huawen and did not say anything else. However, her eyes revealed many of her emotions.

    "How did you all wait on Third Miss? Why did no onee to report and why did you let Third Miss put on such clothing?" Mo Huawen was furious.

    ------------------

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 Chapter 34 Helping Father Plan His Legacy

    "We all saw that something was wrong when Third Miss knelt there. But Third Miss would not allow us to tell Old Sir. She said that she could bear with it and she did not want to make you sad...We wanted to tell Auntie but we saw that First Miss who was standing there looked fine and thought that it was ufortable for Third Miss because her skin was bad. We did not think that someone was so vicious to want to harm Miss." Mo Lan knelt on the ground and spoke. She kowtowed as she spoke and tears ran down her face. The tray she raised above her head shone coldly and some of them even had traces of blood on them. It was shocking.

    "Old Sir, this has nothing to do with Auntie. Auntie is in charge of the concubines and does everything she can. Auntie does not know anything about the needles on Third Miss¡¯s clothing. Auntie had gotten this clothing made for First Miss earlier, but Third Miss hade back so suddenly so she gave it to Third Miss. The needles were sewn into the clothes. Auntie would not try to harm First Miss." Nanny Li who was standing behind Auntie Fang saw the situation going pear shaped and she quickly knelt down behind Auntie Fang to exin.

    "Old Sir, there are needles in Third Miss¡¯s clothing. Why don¡¯t we see if there are needles in First Miss¡¯s clothing? She has been standing there for some time and her clothes..."Mo Lan continued kneeling and pointed at the area under the tree while crying. She had noticed Mo Xuemin hiding in the shadows as she helped Mo Xuetong out after Mo Xuetong pointed her out.

    Nothing had happened to her even though she had stood there for so long.

    Furthermore, why was she dressed so neatly and standing by the side so early? Could it be that she knew something was going to happen to Tong¡¯er so that she would not be able to wee the guests as the main daughter?

    Mo Huawen understood everything and was even more furious. Veins erupted on his forehead and they twitched wildly. He took a cup of tea by his side and sshed it on Auntie Fang¡¯s face. His voice was cold and sinister as he gritted his teeth, "Servants, take this slut away. What is a concubine doing here!"

    They were holding their family rites. They must not air their dirtyundry in public.

    Auntie Fang had been frighted by the sudden situation. She trembled. It was as if she had been soaked in ice water. She found it difficult to even speak.

    "Old Sir..." Nanny Li made to speak.

    "Shut up. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you all are nning. Tong¡¯er is my daughter. Don¡¯t try to touch her with your filthy thoughts. Go back to your yard and stay there for a month. If anything happens to Tong¡¯er, you¡¯ll be the first I me." Mo Huawen was furious and his eyes were filled with blood. He could feel his anger rising and he could not control himself. His face was red with rage and he kicked Nanny Li.

    Nanny Li hit the pir on the side. She held her head as she bled but did not dare to moan in pain. She red at Auntie Fang furiously.

    Auntie Fang was not in the mood to care about the old woman. She could not even save herself. She looked at Mo Huawen¡¯s green veins and his flushed face and did not dare to speak. Her body felt weak and she allowed to maids to take her away.

    No one noticed Mo Xuemin red at Mo Xuetong who was changing after she got changed and then leaving secretly.

    The family rites were still ongoing and the Mo Manor must not embarrass themselves. They had to continue. They had invited so many distinguished guests not to embarrass themselves in front of them.

    Mo Xuetong put on the clothes that Mo Xuemin just took off. Even though it was slightly bigger, it was good for her current condition. Otherwise, it would hurt if the cloth rubbed on the needle wounds. She knelt in front of the door again.

    She was not allowed to get up while the guests were eating in the hall. What little porridge she had earlier in the morning had already been digested. The scent of the dishes was fragrant and attractive. Mo Yu could not hold still and moved behind Mo Xuetong. She turned to look at Mo Lan when she saw that Mo Xuetong was still kneeling.

    She nudged Mo Lan¡¯s hand and when Mo Lan looked up, she pointed at Mo Xuetong and then, at her stomach to gesture that their mistress was hungry.

    Mo Lan red at her viciously. She looked inside the hall and gestured that the guests inside were going toe out soon.

    Mo Yu shook a little resentfully. She only hung her head listlessly when she hear Mo Xuetong cough lightly.

    Even though the guests were eating inside the hall, they were very quiet. The nobility and schrs do not speak while eating or sleeping. Furthermore, the dishes prepared by the Mo Manor did not have any alcohol. It was just regr vegetarian dishes.

    Later, the guests all filed out. The two maids helped Mo Xuetong up. She lowered her head and followed Mo Huawen into the ancestral hall. She kowtowed respectfully. The guests all lit incense in the hall. Some recited poetry and the ritessted four hours before ending.

    When all the guests had left, Mo Huawen ordered Mo Xuetong to return to her courtyard. Mo Xuetong was very weak when she returned to her courtyard, she almost fainted.

    Mother Xu had already prepared dinner. She hurried to help when she saw Mo Yu and Mo Lan helping Mo Xuetong in. They helped Mo Xuetong, who was hurting all over, in.

    Mo Xuetong leaned against the couch. Mo He brought her a cushion to elevate her legs and knelt before the couch to massage her legs with a hot towel.

    "Miss, why did you not tell Old Sir that Auntie Fang had not only tried to hurt you with the clothing, she had not even given you a good meal? Furthermore, the mat¡¯s lower surface was also made with bamboo. She wanted to make sure that you could not kneel on it for long." Mother Xu almost wanted to cry when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s bruised knees.

    "Mother, don¡¯t worry. Everyone¡¯s knees hurt from the kneeling at family rites. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days." Mo Xuetongforted her with a smile. Mo Huawen had not wanted to let her kneel again in the morning. However, she insisted on kneeling. It would be a disgrace to the Mo family if there were not any children from the main branch of the family kneeling to greet the guests at the Mo family rites.

    Perhaps Mo Xuemin could kneel, but why would she give her such an opportunity!

    As such, she would do it for the Mo family no matter how difficult it was!

    She rubbed her calves and she started thinking.

    Mo Huawen was already investigating Auntie Fang. She would seem petty if sheined to Mo Huawen now. Her father would not do anything to Auntie Fang now. After all, she had given birth to his eldest daughter and had given him a son. Even if there was evidence that she had tried to harm Mo Xuetong, he would just lock her up for a month.

    Mo Huawen only had one son. He would not be able to do anything to Auntie Fang. As such, she could notin about Auntie Fang but she had to persuade her father to fall in love with someone else and marry another woman.

    He could only have other children if he took another wife. Once he had a son for the main family branch, Mo Yufeng would lose his chance and Auntie Fang would no longer be doted on. Otherwise, because of her age, no matter what she did, there would always be someone who belonged to Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang¡¯s position could not be shaken.

    The hatred she bore for them in her past life would not allow her to let the vicious mother and daughter go so easily.

    "Miss, if Madam was still around, she would not let you suffer so. It is a pity that Madam passed away at a young age and your health is poor but there is no one to take care of you carefully. Old Sir already knows everything, but he only just shut that woman up. How can you continue living in the Mo Manor!" Mother Xu helped to change Mo Xuetong¡¯s hot water while wiping away her tears. Mo Lan had already prepared her bath water and was about to cleanse her wounds.

    Even though they were small, they hurt badly.

    "Nursemaid, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go bathe first. I still have some things to ask you!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone as she looked at Mother Xu. She immediately thought of a person and smiled beautifully.

    "Alright, alright. Miss, you go and bathe first. I will wait for you here. I will get someone to heat up the food so that you can eatfortably!" Mother Xu only thought that Mo Xuetong was behaving coyly. She wiped away her tears and looked on with pity as Mo Yu and Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong up carefully. She told them to be careful and then went to find a maid to take the food away to heat them up.

    When Mo Xuetong emerged, the dishes had been reheated. However, she had been hungry for too long, she was not very hungry. She got rid of everyone else, only leaving Mo Lan and Mother xu behind. After this incident, Mo Xuetong really felt that Mo Lan was not only steady but was also intelligent. She knew when to do things. Mo Yu had timed her hesitance very well too.

    "Nursemaid, thest time you went to my grandfather¡¯s house, did you hear that there was a cousin who had moved into the Luo¡¯s?" Mo Xuetong did not have much appetite. She put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hand and asked seriously.

    "Yes. I heard that she is Madam¡¯s cousin. I think she is the Old Madam¡¯s youngest niece. Her mother asked the Old Madam to help her find a good husband before she died. That is why she was fostered at the Luo¡¯s. It¡¯s been about a year but I heard they could not find her a good husband. She¡¯s picky and I heard that she wants to marry a rich and talented person. However, why would they want to marry an orphan girl? As such, the matter rested. I saw the cousin that day. She¡¯s quite good looking, but she¡¯s a little old. It¡¯d be hard to find her a husband!" Mother Xu really knew about the matter. Even though she did not know what Mo Xuetong wanted, she answered in detail.

    Mother Xu stuffed the chopsticks back into her hands when she saw that Mo Xuetong had not eaten much. "Miss, take a few more bites. You have tired yourself out today. If you don¡¯t eat, your body is going to fail you. There is no one who can take care of you here, and someone has so viciously jabbed you with needles all over. What are we to do?" Then, Mother Xu¡¯s eyes turned red and she almost cried.

    Mo Xuetong admitted defeat. She quickly picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and took a bite. She said with an interested smile, "Nursemaid, don¡¯t be said. I¡¯m eating happily. Why are you sad again. Chat with me. What kind of person does the cousin want to marry?"

    Mother Xu smiled when she saw that Mo Xuetong was eating even though she was eating slowly. She wiped her face with a handkerchief and said with a satisfied smile. "Look at me, I¡¯ve made you sad again. Miss, don¡¯t fault my mouth. You eat, I¡¯ll tell you more about that cousin. I heard she said that the person she marries has to be from a good, wealthy family. Her husband has to be good looking too. Tell me, why would a man like this marry a poor person like her? As such, the matter wasid to rest. Old Madam was very worried about this! But she must not let her niece suffer."

    "How old is this cousin?" Mo Xuetong asked casually.

    "Perhaps about 21 or 22. She is a little old. But she¡¯s picky. The matter has been put on hold when her mother passed away. And then she insisted on marrying one she liked. Now she¡¯s so old but she refuses to back down. There is nothing Old Madam could do as well!" Mother Xu saw her mistress eating and entertained her with some chat.

    Mother Xu told her to be careful while sleeping before she left and told the maids to be more alert while they were sleeping. They were to help her if she were to wake up for the bathroom or for a drink. The three maids smiled and nodded, assuring her they would before they sent her off.

    "Mo Lan, help me get someone to send the message out that my father is talented and handsome. He loves my mother very much and has never thought of marrying again. He is afraid that his wife¡¯s child would suffer. Tell them that he is young and capable." Mo Xuetongid on the bed and could not sleep. She spoke softly as she watched Mo Lan adjust the lights.

    "Miss, are you thinking..."Mo Lan put down the scissors in her hands and asked. She had been by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side earlier and naturally understood what she was thinking. However, she did not dare to believe what her gentle and cowardly mistress was nning. She was going to find Old Sir a wife and was meddling in his matters.

    "Mo Lan, in two years, elder brother will think of bing a schr if he starts studying. Father has no other sons and this family will end up in Auntie Fang¡¯s hands. Look at how she¡¯s treating me now. There will be no ce for me in the future. So what if Father protects me?"

    "We are in the inner courtyard, so how can he, as a man, protect me. Furthermore, elder brother is his only son. He would not let him suffer no matter what. If I don¡¯t n for myself...I fear that I won¡¯t even know how I died." There was a faint bitter smile on her lips and pain filled her clear eyes.

    She had never nned for herself in her past life and had died in Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin¡¯s plots.

    The light flickered just like the burning wedding hall in her past life. It was Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s wedding hall and also her funeral hall. No, it was not that. No one would care about the person who died inside. She was a person who was supposed to die. The beautiful melody of their lives was built on her blood.

    Her lips pursed tightly and she tried to bear down on the immense pain in her heart.

    In this life, she would not step into their traps stupidly! If only one of them between her and Mo Xuemin could live, she would not allow Mo Xuemin to live...

    ------------------

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 Chapter 35 Princess Royal Mingzhu

    The enormous Mingzhu Hall seemed rather quiet. The two huge red empress trees made the pce more sinister than others. It was unlike the fanciness that concubines and princesses liked. Instead, there was not a single flower at the door. Even the dressing of the maids inside was very in. One would not believe that this was the pce where there were beautiful people and fragrant flowers. This was because the Princess Royal Mingzhu, who had lived alone since she was young, lived here.

    The princess¡¯ consort died of illness not long after they married, leaving her behind. She swore to uphold her marriage and did not marry again. As such, she lived alone in the princess manor. Emperor Zongwen saw that she was alone and pitied her for being widowed at a young age. As such, he allowed her to move back into Mingzhu Pce. On the other hand, the Empress Dowager pitied her. She had raised the princess and their rtionship was unlike hers with the other princesses. As such, she would often invite her to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce to apany her.

    A handsome man entered the hall with a eunuch. He wore a light purple robe which was embroidered with a dense floral pattern. The flowers twisted and turned, blooming beautifully. He wore a ck jade belt and his eyes were beautiful as if they were drawn. Under his almond eyes were red lips and a tall nose. He had a beautiful curved chin which made him look like a devilish spirit in the night.

    He was a beautiful and enchanting man!

    The pce maids who saw him backed away, face flushed and hearts beating wildly. Their hands holding their skirts as they curtsied, trembled slightly, showing how excited they were. The pce maids only discovered when he walked off into the distance that they had been so attracted by his mesmerizing eyes that they had forgotten to greet him. Not a single person thought to report to the princess either.

    When they reached the corridor, they suddenly heard a sharp voice calling out, "His Highness King Xuan is here. King Xuan is here! Ladies, quick wee the guest."

    He looked up to discover a hanging birdcage. There was a green-feathered peacock with a red peak that cocked its head as it looked at the handsome man approaching. It suddenly recognized the man and shouted in surprise. It pped its wings in a panicked manner and shouted, "Come, someonee. Help. Help! His Highness, King Xuan is here."

    "You little thing. It¡¯s been so many days and you still haven¡¯t forgotten. You can really bear a grudge!" King Xuan stood there and flicked the birdcage with his long fingers. The parrot was even more panicked and it immediately shouted, "Princess, princess. Take his filthy hand away. Take his filthy hand away."

    "Old Eight,e in. Stop scaring it. Thest time you scared it, it did not dare to speak for a few days and didn¡¯t even dare to eat." The gentle voice of a woman emerged from the hall.

    "Aunt, rx. This little fellow is really strong. It¡¯s jumping around again these few days." King Xuan¡¯s beautiful red lips curled up slightly. He looked slightlyzy and careless. His startling beautiful face had a vague smile on it as he strode into the hall.

    Inside the great hall was a beautiful woman in her mid-20s. She was arranging a pot of orchid ced on a table at the window.

    Her dressing was in. Her dark hair was piled on top of her hair. There was a silver pin on her head. She wore in colored clothing that looked like a Taoist nun¡¯s, making her seem as if she did not belong in the secr world. She had a beautiful face, but there was a loneliness that could not be hidden in her eyes. She was watering the orchid carefully.

    "Aunt, you¡¯re fiddling with the orchid again. Is it that beautiful? It¡¯s not as beautiful as the peony I have. It is the king among flowers. How about I pick a few pots that look the best and send it over in a few days?" King Xuan bowed and sat on the nanmu wood chairzily. The sun shone through the windows and shone on his beautiful face. A look at it would make a person drunk.

    "You¡¯d better leave those peonies of yours for those beauties to admire. It¡¯s only been a few days and you¡¯ve already added more beauties to your back courtyard. Are you not worried that your father will scold you?" The princess gave him a side-eye and put down the bottle in her hand. She epted the handkerchief a pce maid handed her and carefully wiped away the dirt on the orchid.

    "Aunt, Father can¡¯t be bothered with how many beauties I have in my back courtyard. But I¡¯m interested in your orchid." King Xuan looked at the orchid and reached out to touch it. His eyes were full of emotion and he was a natural beauty. One could not resist him and they would follow him willingly even if it meant that they would be damned.

    "Hold it. If you dare to kill the nt, I cannot guarantee that I won¡¯t speak up for you in front of your father!" The princess saw that his hand was about to press down on the orchid¡¯s stem. She red at him angrily and tossed away the handkerchief anxiously.

    The slender fingers caressed the orchid¡¯s leaves. The handsome youth turned around. His eyes were a cesspool of emotions. He was naturally beautiful and one could not resist him even if it meant that they would be damned.

    "Aunt, what are you talking about. I was just interested and wanted to touch such a beautiful orchid." Feng Yuran made a face but his eyes were filled withughter. He withdrew his hand as if nothing happened. He rubbed his fingers together as if he had not been satisfied.

    "If you be interested in it again, do you n to kill this orchid that I had a hard time getting?" The princess said impolitely. She knew her nephew¡¯s character well. There was once he said he was interested in a pot of peonies and that pot of peonies had died, not even leaving behind any leaves.

    There was another time he became interested in a fake mountain. In the end, there was only a crater left behind in that spot!

    She did not want her orchid to end up like them.

    "Aunt, I will be sad if you say that about me. After all, you didn¡¯t have a hard time getting this flower. You¡¯d just gotten it easily and I was the one who helped you bring it to the capital. I had worked hard for you. You should reward me!" Feng Yuran did not feel at all awkward after the princess rebuked him. He pointed casually at the table¡¯s surface with interest.

    "Talk. What is it you want to ask me again? You¡¯vee to my ce to ask for a reward." The princess smiled lightly. A pce maid brought her a bronze bowl to wash her hands.

    "Aunt, you¡¯re really amazing. You¡¯ve guessed my thoughts perfectly. No matter the people outside say that you¡¯re extremely intelligent. You¡¯re the most intelligent amongst the women of the pce."

    "Alright, alright. Stop ttering me. I¡¯ll say this first. Don¡¯t look for me if it¡¯s too difficult. I can¡¯t do anything against your father¡¯s rage."

    "Aunt, rx. It is nothing difficult. It¡¯d be the flower viewing banquet in a few days. You just have to help me a little." King Xuan nced at the orchid somewhat meaningfully. There was a slight curve to his lips and he looked a little distant.

    "Oh, you have to ask of this favor here?" The princess asked, her brows raised.

    "Aunt, it is simple for you..."King Xuan stood up and whispered into her ears.

    "Alright, Old Eight, I didn¡¯t know you..."The princess smiled and nced at him incredulously as if she did not know him.

    "Aunt, just help me this time. Look, I waited for you at the Repayment Temple for so many days but you didn¡¯te. You didn¡¯t keep your promise. So you have to make up to my fragile heart." King Xuan frowned and put his hand at his chest pretending to be hurt. The princess could not help butugh out loud.

    "Old Eight, I¡¯ll say this first. I¡¯ll only help you this once. Otherwise, I really can¡¯t take the torture you put me through. But...aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯ll lose if you pit me against her?"

    "Aunt, rx. This will be the only time. It won¡¯t happen again." Feng Yuran smiled. "Of course, if you request for it next time, I will make it happen!"

    "You brat..."The princess red at him. A servant served tea.

    The princess asked casually about the scenery at the Repayment Temple. She really had something on and could not go.

    King Xuan chatted with the princess for a while before bidding her goodbye, saying he had other things to attend to. The embroidered purple robes showed off his handsome figure as he strode away casually.

    The parrot at the corridor saw himing and jumped in surprise. Then, it shouted, "His Highness King Xuan is here. His Highness King Xuan is here. Help. Help!"

    The princess¡¯ gentleughter could be hearding from the great hall.

    While they were talking about the flower viewing banquet, someone else was talking about the flower viewing courtyard.

    In Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden.

    Mo Xuemin was standing while her mother was seated.

    "Min¡¯er. Rx. I¡¯ll arrange it well this time. Your father thought that everything will be fine if he locks me up. How can the Mo Manor that I¡¯ve managed so painstakingly just end up in that little slut¡¯s hands. Her mother was no match for me and the brat will still be controlled by me. Mo Manor will be ours as long as we get rid of the little slut. So what if your father is dissatisfied. He only has one son that is your brother. What could he do to me?" Auntie Fang said, gritting her teeth.

    Her face was twisted uglily under the light. She wanted to grind the little slut under her feet when she thought of how the little slut had one-upped her.

    "Auntie, you called me here for this? If that is all, I¡¯ll go back first. After all, you are still being locked up. It is best not to challenge father." Mo Xuemin stood at her spot and said indifferently.

    "Min¡¯er, I have underestimated her this time. You¡¯ve also been tricked. But rest assured. I¡¯ve thought through this carefully this time. I won¡¯t let her steal the spotlight from you at the flower viewing banquet. That little slut won¡¯t even need to think about attending." Auntie Fang felt embarrassed by her daughter¡¯s words.

    "Auntie, it¡¯s still too early to think about this. You¡¯d better think about how to get out of here. If father demotes you to amon concubine, I¡¯ll be implicated." Mo Xuemin nced at her indifferently as if she did not see her mother¡¯s furious expression. Then, she picked up her skirts and turned to leave.

    Behind her, Auntie Fang reached out to throw a jade vase beside her onto the ground. There was a clear tinkling of porcin being broken. However, Mo Xuemin¡¯s steps did not stop. It was as if she had not heard anything. She did not even turn around and left the room.

    "She is a daughter I gave birth to. The..." Auntie Fang was enraged. She screamed, but Nanny Li reached out to press her hand on her mouth before she couldplete her sentence.

    "Auntie, be softer. Don¡¯t ruin First Miss¡¯s reputation."

    "Look at how unfilial she is. Look at her attitude towards her own mother. What kind of good reputation does she want." Her tone was still angry, but was obviously softer.

    "First Miss is also angry. Just like how First Miss told you not to act rashly but you still acted and caused this incident. How can she not me you?" Nanny Li consoled carefully.

    "How is it my fault. I was doing it for her and her brother..." The voice became softer and was apanied with sobbing.

    At the door, Mo Xuemin swept her nce in the direction of Qingwei Garden. Her eyes were dark and filled with venom! This time, she would not be rash. She would take it step by step. In the end, whether Mo Xuetong lived or died would be controlled by just a word from Mo Xuemin.

    She would live if Mo Xuemin wanted her to and she would die if Mo Xuemin wanted her to.

    Mo Xuetong, this is what will happen to you if you enrage me!

    ------------------

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 Chapter 36 Mo Xuemin Pretends to Be Ill

    The injuries on Mo Xuetong¡¯s knees were not serious. It was just a little inconvenient for her to stand and walk when she woke up the next day. Otherwise, one could not tell she was injured. She had just eaten breakfast when she heard a kerfuffle at the door. However, when they tried to listen to it carefully, they could not hear anything. It started to rain, and the raindrops fell pitter-pattering.

    "Miss, Auntie Qing sent someone to ask if you need anything else for your room." Mo He lifted the curtains and entered. There were still signs of rain on her gree robe.

    "Are Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo in charge of the household now?" Mo Xuetong was pruning a pot of orchid. She was trimming the branches and did not even turn around to ask Mo He softly.

    "Yes, I heard Old Sir took away Auntie Fang¡¯s right to manage and got Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo to do it. So they sent someone here early in the morning to ask if you need anything else. They seem to be more hardworking than before!" Mo Yu said with a smile. The moment Auntie Fang had her position taken from her, even the servants did not dare to treat those from Qingwei Garden badly. Even though it was raining, they hade to consult their mistress early in the morning.

    It seems that her mistress had won in the fight against Auntie Fang! Mo Yu was naturally feeling great!

    "How¡¯s Auntie Fang doing?" Mo Xuetong put down the scissors in her hands and epted the handkerchief Mo Lan handed her and wiped her hands.

    "There¡¯s nothing odd going on at Lihua Garden. However, there were sounds that resembled someone cryingst night. They said that Auntie Fang had suffered and there were rumors among the servants that you had deliberately hurt her." Mo Lan took the handkerchief and washed it in the water bowl by the side as she answered.

    Among Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maids, Mo Lan was the most steady. She was not as optimistic as Mo Yu. This morning, she had gone out on Mo Xuetong¡¯s orders. The answers she had received werepletely different from the ones Mo Yu had. She would naturally not speak like Mo Yu.

    "Miss, what does that mean?" Mo Yu was not stupid. She was shocked and the smile left her face as she looked up to ask Mo Xuetong.

    "Later, go and see where Father went and if Eldest Brother and Sister have been to visit Auntie Fang. Go keep watch on the people at Lihua Garden." Mo Xuetong said with a faint smile.

    "Yes! I will go and watch themter." Mo Yu answered.

    "You don¡¯t have to go. Send someone there." Mo Xuetong ordered with a small smile.

    Get someone else to go? Who else could go? Mo Yu paused for a moment. She did not dare to use anyone else from their courtyard. They were all sent by Auntie Fang. If she sent Auntie Fang¡¯s people to keep watch on Auntie Fang, she would know immediately. She would definitely go against Mo Xuetong. Her mistress had only just returned to the Mo Manor and could notpete against Auntie Fang who had always been managing the household.

    "It¡¯s alright, you can just ask anyone to go. As for whether they can see anything or not, Auntie Fang is a smart person, so how would she let anyone just see what she¡¯s doing?" Mo Xuetong smiled gently, her eyes full ofughter. Auntie Fang was indeed a smart one.

    The sounds of crying could be heard from the courtyard. She was telling Mo Xuetong¡¯s father that she felt regretful. She was certain that Mo Huawen would let her off easily! It was because of her eldest brother¡¯s existence. Him being the only son was truly a problem! It seems that she had to act faster.

    "Just have anyone keep watch? Yes!" Mo Yu paused for a moment, not really understanding. However, when she saw how her mistress was very sure of herself, she trusted that her mistress already had ns. She nodded her head and left, calling out to a maid that looked quite smart and gave her orders. She did not even avoid the two older maids that Auntie Qing had sent.

    The two older maids looked at each other and then lowered their heads and continued to work.

    The door curtains lifted and Mo Lan went out as well. She said to the two older maids, "You two can go back first. Our mistress does not need anything else. Auntie Fang has bought everything that our mistress needs. Take our mistress¡¯ thanks to your mistress. If there is anything else that is needed, we will go over and tell her ourselves."

    "Alright, then we shall leave!" The two servants replied politely.

    "Alright, remember to help our mistress thank yours!" Mo Lan replied with a polite smile.

    "Definitely, definitely!" The two servants left with their umbres. However, when they reached the entrance of the courtyard, they did not leave together but went in different directions.

    Inside, Mo Xuetong found a book and read it quietly. It was very silent in the room.

    Her calligraphy was decent and her mother had been the one to teach her her flower script. Furthermore, in the past, she had been cowardly and weak and liked to write and draw by herself. And because of her shy nature, only a few close to her knew about it. Then, after she married into the Sima family, she did not have the mood to do these things again.

    She had not written again since then, but even so, her calligraphy was still good. The characters she wrote were different from her outwardly slenderness and had more strength to them. Even though she used the flower script that most women used, it had a sense of flight that was rare among women. The way she put down and lifted her brush was powerful.

    Mo Lan returned after giving orders to the other maid. She did not say anything when she saw Mo Xuetong doing calligraphy and only started cleaning up softly.

    Mo Yu entered and wanted to say something but was stopped by Mo Lan who shook her hand.

    Mo Xuetong did not spend much time writing. After about an hour, she kept her brushes and washed her hands in a water bowl by the side. She stood up and looked up. The rain was getting lighter. The assional sounds of water dripping were soft but they seem to hit her right in her heart, flipping up the heaviness in it.

    She did not like rainy nights like these. It would make her think of the day she was awashed in fire. The burns of the fire did not hurt as much as the pain in her heart. The pain seeped through her bones. The sight of the slowed breathing of the child in her arms until he stopped breathingpletely and stiffened. She could not bear the pain...

    Today, she was on the path of revenge. No matter how difficult it might be, she would continue to charge forward. This life, she and Mo Xuemin were destined to be enemies. She would not rest until she was dead.

    They were "good" sisters in their past life. In this life, they were sworn enemies. How could she not know what Mo Xuemin was like?

    After what happened to Auntie Fang yesterday, Mo Xuemin would not stop. If Auntie Fang really lost her father¡¯s love, then Mo Xuemin will forever be a concubine¡¯s child. Mo Xuemin who was desperate for riches and nobility would not be willing to see it end like that. She trusted that Mo Xuemin would act before tomorrow.

    She was thinking about that when Mo He walked in from the rain outside, holding an umbre. She went to the entrance and gave the umbre to a little maid there. She adjusted her wet skirt and entered, making her report.

    "Miss, it¡¯s a mess in the manor. A few of the older maids sent the wrong clothing to Old Sir. And First Miss has fallen ill. Do you want to go and take a look?"

    The maids sent the wrong clothing and then Mo Xuemin fell ill? The mother-daughter pair really knew each other well. They were amazing!

    As long as she was around, Auntie Fang did not even have to think about getting another chance!

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly in her heart. She returned to her couch and sat on it. She looked up and asked, "How did you know about this?"

    "I was in the garden to pick the dawn dewdrops for you when I heard two maids talking as they passed. They said that First Miss was seriously ill. They called for a physician early this morning. Old Sir has not yet emerged from her room." Mo He answered.

    They had got the maids to spread the news in the courtyards and intentionally gotten Mo Huawen to go there. She must be trying to get out of the incident yesterday before trying to save auntie Fang. Mo Xuemin had gotten more careful after losing twice. There was a cold smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. Considering how much Mo Huawen doted on Mo Xuemin, he would definitely believe her in the end.

    She definitely must not allow Mo Xuemin to trick her father again.

    "Then let¡¯s go and visit them. Eldest Sister is so ill, if I don¡¯t visit her, it would be too cruel." Mo Xuetong stood up and hid the coldness in her eyes.

    "Miss, the rain is really heavy and your legs are still not healed!" Mo Yu reminded her in concern.

    "Eldest Sister is ill at such a time and even got Father to go over. She definitely wants her younger sister to rush there as well. Otherwise, it¡¯d be a waste of her illness!" Mo Xuetong smiled faintly. There was a hint of naughtiness in her gentleness. Her eyes however, were very dark.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s courtyard was a distance away from Mo Xuetong¡¯s. To get there, they first had to pass through the garden. Auntie Fang must have nned this, for Qingwei Garden was in a secluded corner of the back garden while Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden was in the center of the Manor, where the main daughter¡¯s garden should be. However, no one in the manor said anything. One could see the power Auntie Fang had over the manor from this.

    There were a few older maidservants holding umbres. Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu into Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden!

    The weather had already gotten better and they could not feel anything even if they did not hold umbres. Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong walk through the rain. If she only felt slightly annoyed when she felt the rain and wind from behind the window, then right now, as they walked through the drizzle, it was more damp and made one ufortable.

    Because Mo Xuetong did not speak, the group of people walked silently. Only the sounds of soft footsteps could be heard.

    They had just entered the courtyard when they saw maids scurrying around. Someone immediately reported that Mo Xuetong was here when she appeared at the entrance. She was immediately weed in by a servant respectfully.

    When she entered, she saw Mo Huawen sitting by the side of the bed with a frown. Mo Xuemin was lying on the bed, her face extremely pale.

    "Father, you¡¯re here too. What¡¯s wrong with Eldest Sister?" Mo Xuetong hid all the dark thoughts she felt and went up to curtsy to Mo Huawen. She turned to look at Mo Xuetong, so anxious that she was almost tearing up.

    "Your Eldest Sister. Sigh, she¡¯s really stupid. I didn¡¯t me her at all yesterday, but she went to kneel in the ancestral hall all night!" Mo Huawen shook his head, his face full of pity. He thought of how Min¡¯er had knelt in the ancestral hall the entire night because he had rebuked Auntie Fang. If she had not fainted in the morning, he would not even know about it now. How could must it be in the autumn night, and it was still raining. How could her weak body take it.

    Yesterday, Mo Huawen had indeed suspected that his eldest daughter had taken part in the matter. Otherwise, why would she be dressed and waiting by the side. However, now that this had happened, his suspicions had dispersedpletely. The gentle and calm Min¡¯er would not participate in such matter. She must have been tricked by Auntie Fang!

    "Father, I am supposed to do this. Auntie had made a mistake and Min¡¯er should be punished along with her. I¡¯ve even troubled you toe and visit me. I¡¯m too unfilial." On the bed, Mo Xuemin tried to sit up but did not have the strength to. She looked up at Mo Huawen weakly with watery eyes that were filled with gentleness and love. She looked like a gentle and adorable girl.

    She had gone to kneel at the ancestral hall even though nobody had punished her. She was willing to take her mother¡¯s punishment. Mo Xuemin was not only filial, she was very kind as well.

    Then, Mo Xuemin turned to look at Mo Xuetong with difficulty. There was a trace of a smile on her lips as well as a trace of guilt. She said, "It¡¯s raining and Third Sister hase to visit me. I¡¯m so sorry, you walked such a long distance toe, your knees must hurt. It was Auntie¡¯s fault yesterday. I will apologize to you on her behalf!" Then, she wanted to get up but was pressed down by Mo Huawen.

    "Just rx and focus on getting well. Tong¡¯er understands and won¡¯t me you! Don¡¯t feel too guilty about it!"

    ------------------

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 Chapter 37 Injuries against Illness, Ruining Mo Xuemins Plot

    Are they just going to forget the matter? Had Mo Xuemin invited her here today just to watch this show? Are they going to hide away Auntie Fang¡¯s mistake with just a im that she was being negligent? Was her father not going to pursue the matter just because Mo Xuemin imed to feel guilty? Mo Xuetong could hear the challenge that Mo Xuemin issued her.

    By iming that Mo Xuetong could walk a long distance from her courtyard to Mo Xuemin¡¯s courtyard proved that the injuries on her knees were not serious and that she was intentionally making a fuss.

    Everyone had such a mindset. If she kicked up a fuss about one thing, then she could kick up a fuss about other things and everything. She was kicking up a fuss about the injury on her leg today, then she must have kicked up a fuss about the incident yesterday. About her clothes yesterday, the injuries on her knees, and the matter yesterday...must have been blown up! If she had blown up the matter, then Auntie Fang was indeed a little wronged...

    Mo Xuemin was indeed sly and vicious.

    "Eldest Sister, you¡¯re too kind. I heard that you were ill so I hurried over. Why did you kneel at the ancestral hall? Auntie was the one who made the mistake. You are the First Miss of the Mo family, how could you hurt yourself so and make Father and I worry." Mo Xuetong took a few steps forward with wide watery eyes and wanted to hold Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand.

    However, she was in a hurry when she walked forward and knocked into the bed frame. She could not help but make a pained cry. She released Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand and clutched her knee. Her face paled immediately and her eyes filled up with tears. She was in so much pain she cried.

    "Miss, how are you. You were in so much painst night and you came early in the morning to visit First Miss. I told you not toe but you refused. If you hurt your knees again, you¡¯re going to be crippled. You can¡¯t neglect your health no matter how worried you are for First Miss!" Mo Yu hurried up to help Mo Xuetong whose face had paled from the pain.

    "Tong¡¯er, how are you?" Mo Huawen was worried and he stood up forcefully. He hurried up to her and took her other arm.

    "Father, I am fine!" Mo Xuetong hurt so badly she could not even speak. She breathed in heavily and tried to smile. However, she could not stand up straight and was leaning on Mo Yu. There was no color on her lips at all. It was obvious she was trying to bear the pain and was worried that Mo Huawen would be worried.

    "Who went to tell Third Miss?" Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened and he asked angrily as he watched his daughter¡¯s pained expression.

    "Old Sir, a few older sisters talked about it as they walked past me. I did not want to tell miss, but I was afraid that Third Miss would be worried about First Miss¡¯s health and me me." Mo Yu trembled slightly and answered fearfully with her head lowered.

    Fuqing Garden and Qingwei Garden had quite a distance between them. How did the news of what happened to Min¡¯er this morning spread so quickly to the faraway Qingwei Garden? And how did Tong¡¯er¡¯s maid just happened to hear it? Even though Mo Huawen did not pay attention to the happenings of the inner courtyard, he still understood what happened. Mo Huawen could not help but frown and yelled since this had something to do with his two daughters. "Get Auntie Mo to go and check. Who told Third Miss about First Miss falling ill."

    "Yes!"

    Mo Huawen felt terrible when he saw how Mo Xuetong could not even stand in pain. He could not help but feel annoyed at Mo Xuemin. He suddenly recalled that Tong¡¯er had suffered because of Auntie Fang and suddenly felt an immense dislike for Auntie Fang. He did not soften at all like Mo Xuemin had nned.

    "Father, Tong¡¯er is really fine. Eldest sister is so filial and is willing to do something like that for Auntie. Tong¡¯er¡¯s pain is nothingpared to Eldest Sister¡¯s." Mo Xuetong looked up with her pale face. Her eyes shone and she looked extremely obedient, looking like the delicate younger daughter.

    She had knelt at the ancestral hall for Auntie Fang? Mo Huawen had been concerned about Mo Xuemin¡¯s illness earlier. But now that he thought about it, how could a concubine¡¯s daughter kneel when the concubine hadmitted the mistake? If news of this were to spread, it would be a breach of etiquette. The concubine was but just half a mistress and half a servant.

    His expression darkened and he scolded lightly.

    "Min¡¯er, Auntie Fang¡¯s mistake has nothing to do with you. You have to remember that you are the eldest daughter of the Mo family. Don¡¯t do such things again. You have always been obedient and you gracious. Why have you done something like this this time? No matter what happens to Auntie Fang, it has nothing to do with you. You are a young mistress of the family, the First Miss of the Mo family." Even though the voice was not loud, Mo Xuemin was so angry she gritted her teeth. She almost could not maintain the gentle expression on her face and was so angry she almost fainted!

    On the surface, Mo Xuetong had said all of that to help her. She had even proved that she hade despite her injuries and pain because of their rtionship as sisters. Mo Xuetong¡¯s maids had heard about what happened to her because of two maids conversing. This conversation had made Mo Huawen suspicious. And then, she had even said something like that.

    Comparing between the two, Mo Xuemin was the First Miss of the Mo family. Yet, she had made a fuss and fallen ill because of a concubine. She had even dragged her younger sister who was injured out. She had failed to be considerate and was indeed suspicious.

    Mo Xuetong had done well this time. Not only had she caught a mistake Mo Xuemin made, she had used it to magnify her mistakes. Their father was once again reminded of Auntie Fang¡¯s viciousness and was once again suspicious of Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuetong, the little slut, was too sly. How terrible. However, everything she said was reasonable and one could not refute her points.

    Mo Huawen, who had softened towards her earlier, started to look at her with a new depth to his eyes once more after hearing what Mo Xuetong had to say. Mo Xuemin clenched her hands into fists under the nket.

    She had not even spoken when Mo Xuetong smiled and said, "Father, Eldest Sister has always been the good First Miss of the Mo Manor. Tong¡¯er is the one who has been immature to run here and have worried you and Eldest Sister. I won¡¯t do this again." Then, she sat down. Even though her face was pale and her legs hurt so much they were shaking, she was stillforting others.

    Furthermore, everything she had said was to help Mo Xuemin. Her innocent face looked so obedient,it would make one¡¯s heart melt.

    However, in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes, it was just endless mocking.

    "Many thanks, Third Sister. It is I who have been muddle-headed. I won¡¯t worry Father again. Third Sister, you should go and rest too. I will visit you once I can get up from bed!" Mo Xuemin sat up, holding back tears. This time, Mo Huawen did not have time to stop her. She turned and almost fell out of bed if not for the fast-acting maids who stopped her in time.

    Her mind whirled. When she saw how Mo Xuetong had evaded her attack, she gritted her teeth and admitted her mistakes.

    Being brave enough to admit her mistake would show how cultured she was. This was simr to her usual style.

    Mo Huawen softened a little when he looked at his eldest daughter who admitted to her mistakes shamefully and with tears in her eyes. However, he did not mention Auntie Fang again. Mo Xuemin smartly stopped trying to plead for Auntie Fang as well. Her ruse of inflicting pain on herself to gain sympathy had failed. She could not use this to touch Mo Huawen¡¯s heart.

    What was more annoying was that this had been ruined by Mo Xuetong and she could not do anything but to swallow it.

    Mo Xuemin had already taken medication and slept when Mo Xuetong left Fuqing Garden with Mo Huawen.

    The rain had stopped, however, the skies were still gloomy. Fallen leaves flew on the wet ground, looking rather depressing. There were a few leaves that flew towards them. They stuck easily after being wet, and fell before their feet.

    Standing on the path in the garden, Mo Xuetong smiled and looked at Mo Huawen. "Father, the weather is bad. Don¡¯t tire yourself. Eldest Sister and I are not seriously injured and the physician already took a look at us. It is nothing major. Even though Auntie Fang had made a mistake, she should not be locked away in her courtyard forever. The matters of the inner courtyard really can¡¯t do without her."

    Could the matters of the inner courtyard really not do without Auntie Fang?

    Mo Huawen harrumphed when he heard that. However, he could not help but sigh to himself. It was true that the inner courtyard could not do without Auntie Fang. There were many mistakes that had urred this morning. Clothing were sent to the wrong ce, and then there wereints about maids skiving off...

    It had only been a day and Mo Huawen already felt battered. He secretly resented that Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo were not up for the task. He was in a bad mood and in his annoyance, also thought that he would not be so troubled if Auntie Fang were around. The matters of the inner courtyard were not major, but it was not minor either. He was a man, so he could not stay in the inner courtyard all the time to settle those matters.

    He had a sudden thought. Should he listen to Tong¡¯er and release Auntie Fang? But he quickly stomped down the thought the moment it appeared.

    Auntie Fang had dared to treat Tong¡¯er like this in front of him. Tong¡¯er would die if she did it again. Even though Tong¡¯er could be gracious and not pursue the matter because of him, he could not be inconsiderate towards Tong¡¯er. She had been left alone at Cloud City and had been lonely and had a terrible time. How could he allow her to be harmed by that vicious woman again?

    He would not let her go this time!

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. Father will mind the matters of the back courtyard as well. You just have to focus on recuperating." Mo Huawen forgot the annoyance he felt when he saw how his daughter looked at him adorably. He reached out to pat her head and smiled tofort her.He had a sudden thought that he should perhaps find a virtuous woman to manage his back courtyard.

    "Father, it is against the rules for you to manage the back courtyard personally. You are someone who is going to do great things, how can you manage a small back courtyard? Auntie Fang had done well managing the back courtyard in the past, but it is now a mess since she got locked up...Father, Tong¡¯er is willing to forgive Auntie Fang. Let her go. She will manage the back courtyard well and will not make mistakes again." Mo Xuetong pouted and pleaded with wide eyes.

    She caught the hesitance on Mo Huawen¡¯s face with her sharp eyes. There was a faint trace of derision on her face.

    Auntie Fang had yed the game well. She had gotten her maids and servants to make mistakes to force her father into letting her out. Of course, Mo Xuemin was even smarter. She had fallen ill together with Auntie Fang¡¯s ns so that she could y the sympathy card. Then, if something happens to Mo Yufeng, Auntie Fang would be let out sooner orter.

    As such, she had to make sure that Auntie Fang would not be able to get a second chance this time.

    Not only that, she was going to make Auntie Fang regret her plot this time.

    Mo Huawen did not feel at all happy when he saw how Mo Xuetong kept talking about Auntie Fang and even pleading for her with an innocent smile. Instead, he felt that he hadmitted a huge mistake! His eyes grew cold and sharp. He had never considered that because he had not had the time to. But now that Mo Xuetong mentioned it, his mind was suddenly clear.

    Nothing happened when Auntie Fang managed the back courtyard. So why were there so many peopleining to the two other concubines and to him after she was locked up yesterday? Especially since he was the head of the family and he should not ask too much about the matters of the inner courtyard. As a court official, he should only be concerned with the emperor and work matters. Which family would trouble their master with such matters?

    However, the maidservants had been very hardworking at visiting his office. One of them had even made a fuss and entered his study. How could these maidservants be so brave to bother him? It was obvious that someone had been instructing them to do so. When he realized that Auntie Fang had possibly something to do with this, Mo Huawen¡¯s expression grew as cold as steel. He said angrily, "Don¡¯t bother with her. Let her reflect on her mistakes inside!"

    "Father..."Mo Xuetong seemed as if she still wanted to persuade her father. However, she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s servant ran towards them at that moment and did not speak.

    The servant called out hurriedly when he saw Mo Huawen and wiped his sweat. He said, "Old Sir, two maidservants are fighting outside your study..."

    ---------------

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 Chapter 38 The Plot Behind the Banquet

    This was too much. How dare they make a fuss at his study. The anger that Mo Huawen felt toward Auntie Fang erupted. The veins on his forehead twitched and he bellowed, "Drag them away and have them beaten 30 times each. Throw them out of Mo Manor together with their family." This was outrageous. Auntie Fang really thought of herself as the matriarch of the family. How dare she challenge his power!

    How did he not see this in the slut? He had thought she was virtuous and even left Tong¡¯er in Cloud City because of her. Mo Huawen felt even worse when he thought about how Tong¡¯er had almost lost her life. When he saw how his daughter looked at him with concern in her tearful eyes, he grew even angrier at Auntie Fang.

    "Old... Old Sir!" The servant paused.

    Thirty beatings would kill someone. And even if they did not die, they would be disabled. Furthermore, he wanted to throw them and their family out of the manor.

    "Go!" Mo Huawen yelled angrily.

    "Yes!" The servant was frightened by his sharp and cold tones. He had never seen Mo Huawen so angry before. He did not hesitate longer and turned to run outside!

    "Father, don¡¯t be angry! The matters of the back courtyard..."Mo Xuetong looked worried as she saw Mo Huawen fuming. She went up and pulled on his sleeves, saying, "Auntie Fang..."

    "Don¡¯t mention her. Tong¡¯er, you just have to focus on recuperating. I will deal with the other matters." Mo Huawen felt annoyed even just hearing Auntie Fang¡¯s name.

    "Yes!" Mo Xuetong nodded obediently and changed the topic, "Father, I want to visit grandfather¡¯s in a few days. Can you send me there? I want to go with you."

    Mo Huawen had been stopped outside the city gates by his brother-inw when he returned. And ever since then, the rtionship between the Mo Manor and the General Manor had be slightly cold. Other than sending gifts during the holidays, he had never visited them since he returned to the capital more than a year ago. When he saw how his daughter was looking at him with her clear and innocent eyes, looking very reliant on him, his heart softened. He did not reject her and nodded subconsciously.

    Mo Xuetong looked exhrated when she saw that. An adorable smile appeared on her lips and she said sweetly, "Thank you, Father! Don¡¯t forget it then!"

    "I won¡¯t forget. Tong¡¯er rest well in your courtyard. You can only go to your grandparents¡¯ to learn etiquette when your leg injury has healed. Otherwise, your grandmother would be worried! She would me me then!" Mo Huawen tousled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair in a good mood. He made a rare joke in the face of his daughter¡¯s brilliant smile.

    Tong¡¯er was such an easy child to please. He just had to apany her to her grandparents¡¯ and she would smile so happily. Mo Huawen felt extremely guilty when he thought of how he had abandoned such an obedient and gentle child at Cloud City and not ask about her for more than a year. He secretly swore that he would not let the child suffer again in the future.

    His eyes grew even more gentle as he looked at Mo Xuetong.

    "Yes, Father. Tong¡¯er will definitely listen to you. I will get better and be filial to you. Father, did the stewarde to look for you? He¡¯s been standing there for a long while. I saw him earlier, but if you didn¡¯t agree I wouldn¡¯t have told you." Mo Xuetong pointed at the main steward who was standing under the tree. She smiled naughtily.

    A weight in Mo Huawen¡¯s heart fell away as he looked at her sly and satisfied look. Their daughter was so adorable, how would she do something so vicious? He reached out again to pat her head. Then, he said with a smile, "Tong¡¯er, you¡¯re threatening your father!"

    "Anyway, since you have agreed, you mustn¡¯t go back on your word." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone with happiness.

    "Alright, I won¡¯t. I will definitely apany Tong¡¯er to your grandparents¡¯."Mo Huawen was in a good mood, and he felt all his anger leaving him.

    "Then Tong¡¯er shall leave now since Father is busy."

    "Go, go!" Mo Huawen smiled and waved his hand. He turned to order Mo Yu to hold Mo Xuetong carefully and then left the garden with the steward.

    In the three days that followed, Mo Xuetong hid in Qingwei Garden to recuperate. However, the happenings of the Mo Manor still reached her years.

    First, two maidservants were given a thrashing and their families were all sold. No one dared to trouble Mo Huawen again with inconsequential matters. Then, Auntie Mo sold the two maids who spread the news about Mo Xuemin¡¯s injuries. The two maids were both from Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden.

    Mo Xuemin was careful and would not allow anyone to get anything on her.

    Mo He brought Mo Xuetong a letter with a smile on her face early in the morning. She said, "Miss, the General Manor sent this letter just now!"

    It was a letter from her maternal grandmother. Mo Xuetong smiled and opened the letter. She said," Did you ask how Grandmother is feeling?"

    "I asked, the person said that all is fine with the Old Madam. She even started eating more since you came back to the capital." Mo He answered.

    "Let¡¯s go to the General Manor in a few days. Pack some clothes for meter. Don¡¯t bring the dressier ones. Remember to bring my medical texts." Mo Xuetong replied casually. Her attention was focused on the letter in her hands.

    "Miss, don¡¯t worry. Mo Lan already packed your things. They are all in the wicker case..."

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression changed when she read the letter in her hands. She folded the letter and asked, "Did anyone tell us about the flower appreciation banquet?"

    "Flower appreciation banquet?" Mo He thought about it and shook her head in a loss. She frowned and could not remember. Even though she went out for news asionally, no one mentioned anything about the flower appreciation banquet. She did not know which family was hosting it and why her mistress cared so much about it.

    Mo Xuetong clutched the letter in her hands, her eyes frigid.

    Only children from the main branch of officials fifth grade and above were invited to the flower appreciation banquet in the pce. The children in each manor would all receive an invitation. In her past life, she had been disfigured shortly after returning to the capital. She had worn a veil and attended the banquet. However, that was the beginning of her shame.

    What happened at the banquet flitted through her mind as if it were a dream. She could still remember clearly the details. She covered her head helplessly and in fear in the pandemonium. Everyone pointed at and talked about her. Even though Mo Lan was holding her arm, she could not stop the sword that was other¡¯s tongues. She had been terribly hurt that time and her pride had beenpletely destroyed. She became fearful from then on and did not dare to appear before others.

    That cup of water had been poured onto her veil. Mo Xuemin hurried to help her wipe it and had pulled it off in her hurry. Theughter of the crowd was like the scent of rotting meat, making one want to vomit.

    Now that she thought about it, it had Mo Xuemin¡¯s work written all over it.

    However, Mo Xuetong wanted to know the most was how did she enter the pce? There was only one daughter from the main branch in the Mo Manor. The pce would not send two invites. So how did she get in? Even if Mo Xuetong had wanted her to apany her, the guards at the pce gates would not allow her to enter! A thought shed through her mind quickly, but she could not grasp it.

    Mo Xuemin had been the one to bring her the invite in her past life. She had told Mo Xuetong warmly that the flower appreciation banquet was for highly regarded officials and she had to attend. Mo Xuetong had been disfigured and was in no mood to attend, but Mo Xuemin had told her gently that she would enter the pce with her to help her. They would just be there for a while and nothing would happen.

    After that, her spirit had beenpletely destroyed by the incident.

    ident, how could it be an ident... If she still thought that that was an ident, the two lives that she now had lived would be considered a waste!

    Mo Xuetong stood up and walked up to the window slowly. She pushed it open and looked at the sky outside. The weather had gotten better. It had rained for several days and even the skies looked clearer and cleaner. However, she could not see the rity of the human heart and only felt stuffy.

    "Mo He, send someone to ask Auntie Mo how the tailoring of my clothing for the flower appreciation banquet is going." Mo Xuetong said gently as she looked down with a faint smile on her lips. Her facial expression calmed down and she walked to the couch and sat down.

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin had sent the invite personally because she had been disfigured. She had not received any news in this life. Did Mo Xuemin take her invite?

    "Miss, when did you ask Auntie Mo to make you clothing?" Mo He asked in surprise. She had never heard her mistress mentioning it.

    "Miss, let me go. I am looking for Auntie Mo to get some needle and thread. We don¡¯t have any more color threads and you would need more silk threads for embroidery." Mo Lan lifted the curtains and entered. She smiled and gestured for Mo He to leave with her. Mo He followed obediently.

    Mo Xuetong was left inside the room. She sat there quietly and looked at the letter on the table with a cold smile on her lips. She was the daughter of the main branch of the family, and yet, Mo Xuemin had dared to take her invite. She must definitely have backing. The flower appreciation banquet was tomorrow. If Mo Xuemin wanted to attend it, she would definitely have had new clothing made.

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin would always secretly get people to make the most luxurious and novel clothing whenever she attended a grand banquet. There were many times Mo Xuemin¡¯s maid, Mo Jin, woulde to ask her for essories her mother left behind to match her clothing. Of course, she never did return any of the essories.

    The two were now considered enemies in this life. Mo Xuemin would naturally not do something like this that would ruin her reputation. However, her desire for beautiful clothing would not fade. The clothes were definitely in the hands of the seamstress being carefully sewn. Auntie Fang was in charge of the household matters some time ago and only a few of her confidant knew of this.

    Things were different now. Auntie Mo was now in charge of clothing and essories. These things could not be hidden. Mo Xuemin would definitely not think that Auntie Fang would fall so quickly.

    Now that she was asking for her clothing for the flower appreciation banquet from Auntie Mo, Auntie Mo would definitely not be able to retrieve it. She had not been managing the household¡¯s wardrobe for long and would not dare to take such responsibility. As such, she would definitely tell Father. When the matter blows up, Mo Xuemin would not be able to go to the flower appreciation banquet secretly.

    So what if Auntie Fang was capable in the past? Her close servants had been removed from her. They were either beaten to death or were disabled, otherwise, they had been sold. Who would dare to go against her father¡¯s orders? Furthermore, she was now shut in Lihua Garden. She would definitely think of some other way out because of the incidents that had happened in the past.

    If she dared to interfere, Father would only hate her more. Auntie Fang would definitely admit defeat if Mo Xuemin was around!

    In her past life, Auntie Fang had gained her father¡¯s trust by tricking him over and over again!

    She knew how to pretend to be weak as well!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 39 The Reverse Plot. Checkmate.

    Indeed, Mo Huawen visited personally before nightfall. He even brought with him an invitation to the flower appreciation banquet.

    "Tong¡¯er, how are you so careless? You left the invite in the garden. If the servants had not picked it up and given it to me, you won¡¯t be able to go to the annual flower appreciation banquet. Let the servants do the embroidery, don¡¯t spoil your eyes." Mo Huawen smiled benevolently when he saw Mo Xuetong doing embroidery quietly. Mo Huawen handed her the invitation.

    "Father, where did you find that? Grandmother told me long ago that the flower appreciation banquet was about to begin and even sent me a letter especially to tell me to get clothing tailored. I thought it was odd that I haven¡¯t received the invitation until now. Didn¡¯t they say the banquet is tomorrow?" Mo Xuetong stood up, her eyes shining.

    "You haven¡¯t received it?" Mo Huawen frowned and said, "But to make clothing now is..."

    "No, but it¡¯s alright, Father. Tong¡¯er had already asked Auntie Mo to make clothing for me. So Father doesn¡¯t have to worry that I don¡¯t have clothes to wear to the banquet." She blinked with a look of satisfaction. Her adorable appearance made one dote on her.

    "When did you ask Auntie Mo to make you clothing? Auntie Mo said she didn¡¯t hear about you asking her to make clothing? Was there a mistake?" Mo Huawen asked. He had intended toe to ask about this matter. However, he did not expect to pick up an invitation in the garden. He started to have suspicions when he heard what Mo Xuetong said.

    "Oh no, After receiving the letter from Grandmother, I told Mo Lan to tell Auntie Mo. Mo Jin from Eldest Sister¡¯s ce was there too. Mo Jin told her that she would tell Auntie Mo for her. Could Mo Jin have forgotten? Oh no, Father, the flower appreciation banquet is tomorrow. What should I wear?"? Mo Xuetong started to panic when she heard what Mo Huawen said. Her face scrunched up and she pouted whileining.

    The children of the Great Qin did not really have to stay at home for three years in order to grieve their deceased rtives. They could still attend some simple functions. This banquet would be the first time Mo Xuetong appears in public since her return to the capital. Old Madam Xu was worried that the people in the Mo Manor would not do their best by her and had sent a letter especially to tell Mo Xuetong that she had already prepared simple clothing fo her and asked her to send someone to pick it up. However, Mo Xuetong would not tell Mo Huawen this right now.

    Mo Huawen hurried tofort his daughter when he saw the sadness in her eyes and how she was pouting in annoyance. He said, "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of something for you." Then, he poked her forehead, "Look at how pouty you look right now. You¡¯re going to look like a frog if you do this any longer. You won¡¯t be pretty then."

    "Father..."Mo Xuetong covered her forehead.

    Mo Huawenforted Mo Xuetong. His expression darkened when Mo Xuetong dragged him along to have tea. Auntie Mo had told him, in an aggrieved tone that the tailoring department had been busy making an extravagant dress for Mo Xuemin. She proved that she had not forgotten Eldest Miss¡¯s dress, so how would she intentionally forget Third Miss¡¯s.

    Min¡¯er¡¯s servant had been the one to inform the tailors about Tong¡¯er¡¯s matters. However, the person had mentioned about Min¡¯er¡¯s clothing but not about Tong¡¯er¡¯s. He would definitely check things out. Judging by when Min¡¯er needed her new clothes and the invite he had picked up in the garden, Mo Huawen¡¯s sharp mind sensed that something was up.

    As for the matter regarding the dresses, he could only get a tailor outside. Even though time was tight since they only had one night, it was not yet night time. He would get a famous tailor from the capital to measure Tong¡¯er. They should be able to make the dress if they worked through the night.

    Just as he was thinking about that, Mo Yu entered with a serving tray. A set of clothing was ced on it neatly. She bowed to Mo Huawen and then stood to one side with a faint smile and did not speak.

    "Mo Yu, where did the clothinge from? Is it for Third Miss?" Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes shone and he asked with a smile as he looked at the tray. It was a set of female dress that hadce on it.

    "Old Sir, this is Miss¡¯s clothing. The General Manor sent it over just now. They were afraid that Miss would not have clothing tomorrow, so they sent it over especially. Old Madame not only sent clothing, she even sent an entire set of essories." Mo Yu said with a happy smile.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened. He felt as if he had been dealt a blow. He wanted to return the blow, but it ended up like hitting cotton. He felt helpless and defeated. What was this? His own daughter wanted to attend a banquet in the pce. But she had to get her grandparents to make her clothes and send them over. This had embarrassed the Mo family greatly.

    However, he could not refuse the clothing. Tong¡¯er indeed did not have any clothes to attend the banquet. On the other hand, Min¡¯er, who did not have the right to attend the banquet, had a set of beautiful clothing and essories. Mo Huawen could not help but feel upset. He saw how his daughter looked at the clothes with bright eyes, showing how much she liked them, and felt even more upset.

    He asked gently, "Tong¡¯er, do you like them!"

    Mo Xuetong nodded vigorously with a smile. She pulled Mo Huawen along to look at the clothes. However, when she saw that Mo Huawen appeared upset, she stopped obediently and cocked her head. She asked with a smile, "Father, you did not know that Tong¡¯er did not have clothes this time. That¡¯s why I will wear this set of clothing that grandmother sent tomorrow. Next time, Tong¡¯er will wear the clothes Father gives Tong¡¯er."

    She said it like a little girl who did not mind at all. Mo Huawen felt even more sad for her.

    It had been more than a year since hest saw her. His daughter had grown to be more obedient. She knew that he was unhappy and even tried tofort her. She was a little girl but he had abandoned her in Cloud City and did not even ask after her. She must have suffered. Otherwise, she, who had been doted on would not know how to judge the situation looking at others¡¯ reactions and be so obedient.

    However, even so, the kindness and adorableness in her clear eyes were obvious. She had been the one to suffer in this incident. However, she had been magnanimous and did not choose to pursue the matter. She even tried tofort him. How could Mo Huawen not feel bad toward her? He felt that he could not allow his obedient and thoughtful daughter to suffer anymore.

    He reached out to pat her hair and smiled. "Alright, I will get those from the tailoring section to make you a few sets of clothing. Look at you, you¡¯re still wearing these clothing. They¡¯re so in. Look at your older sister and look at you. You don¡¯t look like a young miss. You look like a little maid!"

    "Father, my hair has been messed up by you!" Mo Xuetongined with a pout. Her eyes whirled and she smiled, "Tong¡¯er, can¡¯tpare to Eldest Sister. She¡¯s pretty and smart, and also sensible. She is filial to father. Tong¡¯er is a silly child who doesn¡¯t know anything. I¡¯m just like a little maid. Look, Father even messed up Tong¡¯er¡¯s hair. I look like a silly child even more!"

    Mo Huawen smiled and poked her forehead before she could say anything else. "You¡¯re a silly child, but you¡¯re Father¡¯s silly child. Furthermore, you¡¯re Father¡¯s most sensible and most thoughtful silly child!"

    "No, I¡¯m not. Eldest Sister is!" Mo Xuetong said cutely.

    "Oh, is Tong¡¯er jealous?" Mo Huawen looked at the adorable Mo Xuetong and how she was bing close to him and the unhappiness he felt about Old Madam Xu sending Xuetong clothing disappeared without a trace. It was alright as long as Tong¡¯er was happy. He would go and tell Auntie Moter to be more attentive to Tong¡¯er¡¯s needs. She had to give Tong¡¯er priority if there was anything good.

    In Fuqing Garden.

    Mo Xuemin leaned against the couch. Her health had always been good and she knew about the illness she had caused herself. She was mostly healed by the second day. However, she had not gone out and stayed in bed pretending to be ill. She had to handle some things personally after Auntie Fang had been locked up. That included Mo Xuetong¡¯s invitation.

    A mocking smile appeared on Mo Xuemin¡¯s beautiful face when she heard that Mo Huawen had picked up the invitation and sent it to Qingwei Garden. She looked to the side at Auntie Fang who was supposedly shut up and said with a cold smile. "Didn¡¯t Auntie say that the little slut would definitely not be able to go! How could she still go tomorrow! Father even sent the invitation to her? Auntie, you used to say how great you were but you were defeated by a 13-year-old girl."

    While she looked weak and gentle, her aura was even more powerful than Auntie Fang. Her eyes were cold as she looked at Auntie Fang with disdain.

    "That little slut is too sly. She intentionally made the matter known. I was too careless to end up being tricked by her." Auntie Fang¡¯s head hurt. She answered angrily when she heard her daughter¡¯s jibe. She felt ashamed. She had been locked up for a few days. Even though she had not been mistreated, she did not look too good. It had only been a few days and she already had a few more wrinkles at her eyes. She looked several years older.

    Mo Xuemin indeed felt disdain at her current appearance. She could not even be bothered to pretend to be gentle in front of her.

    "Auntie, you were too anxious. You could not wait to act the moment she returned. You hurried me to shame her at the city¡¯s entrance. I didn¡¯t get to shame her but got into trouble instead. Then, you couldn¡¯t be patient and cause the incident at the Repayment Temple. After that, you kept making mistakes. How can I have such a stupid Auntie like you? How unfortunate!" Mo Xuemin interrupted her defense cooly, a hint of disdain at her lips.

    It was just a 13-year-old girl and only Auntie Fang had to act. She was the First Miss of the Mo family. She had to maintain her gentle and benevolent image. She just had to appear to be filial, elegant and talented. However, she had been dragged under too. She had not managed to benefit from it at all. How could she not be enraged?

    Auntie Fang flushed bright red after being spoken to by her daughter so disdainfully. She argued, "That little slut is really difficult to handle."

    "Auntie, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s difficult to handle. If you cannot deal with her, then don¡¯t do anything. Why do you insist on doing something? You didn¡¯t manage to do anything and even got into trouble. You¡¯d better think of what Father is thinking about right now!" Mo Xuetong red at her and spoke sarcastically. "The thing you need to control the most is Father¡¯s heart. If you do not have Father¡¯s support, there¡¯s no use no matter how powerful you are. What you have to do now is not to try to guess at how Father thinks of Older Brother."

    Mo Xuemin was in a terrible mood. She did not hide her disdain for Auntie Fang. She was indeed just a concubine. She was not able to seed even when given the chance to. She was too stupid. She didn¡¯t even think clearly of her own position before going against Father. She had even gotten Mo Xuemin into trouble so that her father became suspicious of her.

    The flower appreciation banquet was no big deal. If Auntie Fang had not caused any trouble, her father would have allowed her to go since she was the eldest daughter. She had attended itst year as well. It would not be nice if she was not allowed to go this year. He would have thought of a way for her to attend this year. Now that the various incidents began to add up, she did not dare to say anything to Mo Huawen. She heard that her father was investigating the matter and did not even dare to keep the invite. She threw it where Mo Huawen was bound to pass.

    Mo Xuemin, who had always been proud could not bear this. She hated Auntie Fang as well now. She did not even hide the mocking look on her face and addressed her as Auntie. Her eyes were filled with disdain, treating Auntie Fang as if she was unworthy.

    Auntie Fang was furious after being mocked by her own daughter. She said angrily, "Don¡¯t talk about me. You¡¯d better take care of yourself. I will deal with the little slut and I will naturally make things better with your father."

    "Make things better? Do you think you can do that just because you want to? Auntie, look at your status. You managed to do all those things in the past because Father has never once doubted you. But now that you¡¯ve created so much trouble, that little bit of suspicion he has towards you is growing. The efforts you spend on Mo Xuetong had better be ced on Father. You¡¯re already so old, and you¡¯re still thinking of trying to defeat Luo Xia. She¡¯s already dead. There¡¯s no point fighting with her. There¡¯s nothing more important than status and power in this world. You just need to get these things."

    Mo Xuemin attacked Auntie Fang with a cold smile.

    "You¡¯ve never experienced that, so you¡¯d naturally say that. Don¡¯t bother yourself with my matters. You just have to mind yourself!" Mo Xuemin¡¯s words had pierced Auntie Fang¡¯s heart. She could not help but re at Mo Xuemin hatefully.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 40 The Mother and Daughter from Fuqing Garden Plots Again

    "I will mind myself. Auntie, please mind your own business next time as well or you might not only fail to be the matriarch but also lose your position as a concubine. Father¡¯s tolerance has its limits too. Auntie, please consider elder brother and me when you do things. Don¡¯t be full of yourself and do low-ss things, forgetting your status. The General Manor has not had much to say to the Mo Manor recently because of the poor rtions between them and father. Now that the little slut is back, there are some things that you cannot handle." Mo Xuemin harrumphed and turned to speak to Mo Jin who had been standing outside the door, not even daring to move.

    "Auntie Fang, please go back. Father might ask you questionster. Please be smarter and don¡¯t get confused again and get Father angry. Find time to speak to Father regarding that matter. Pretend to suffer a little. He might let you off then."

    Auntie Fang wanted to say something else. However, she saw Mo Xuemin closing her eyes, and she stomped her feet. Then, she thought of how Mo Huawen might possiblye and she panicked. She turned to leave hurriedly. Nanny Li who was waiting outside rushed up to her with her coat and they left in a hurry.

    "Mo Jin, go and see if anyone is here. If they are here, ask them to wait in the garden. Say that I will go out in a bit. Prepare tea for them." Inside the house, Mo Xuemin opened her eyes. She had already put on her usual graceful and gentle smile. She was still the kind and gracious First Miss of the Mo family.

    She definitely had to attend the flower appreciation banquet. She would not let the little slut ruin her ns!

    "Yes!" Mo Jin, who was standing behind the curtains lowered her head in reply and turned to leave.

    "What? You were the one who took the invite?" Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes were a little cold and a little disappointed. He looked at his youngest daughter distantly and coldly. They were both 13 years old and Tong¡¯er was only a few days older than her. However, Tong¡¯er was so obedient while his youngest daughter who always behaved adorably before him was so short-sighted.

    When had his youngest daughter been brought up to be so mean? She was not only high and mighty, she had even taken an invitation meant for Tong¡¯er.

    "Old Sir, Qiong¡¯er is insensible. She didn¡¯t mean to do it. Someone must have instigated her to do it. Otherwise, she would not dare to do something like that." Auntie Qing did not think that Mo Xueqiong would be implicated in the investigation. She knelt beside Mo Xueqiong and pleaded for her.

    "How dare you speak. You are the one who taught her. She does not even know the status difference between the main daughter and the daughters of the concubines. She is just a mere daughter of a concubine, and she dared to go against Tong¡¯er. Tong¡¯er is the main daughter and has the right to attend the banquet. If you go, you will only embarrass me. How dare you even think about it." Mo Huawen yelled sharply. He only felt extremely disappointed in this daughter.

    "Father, Eldest Sister went to the flower appreciation banquetst year too. Eldest Sister went, so why can¡¯t I. We are all daughters of concubines, so there should not be any difference between us. Furthermore, Third Sister has only just returned to the capital. How would she know what to take note of at a banquet like this? You might as well let me go so that I can make you proud." Mo Xueqiong was so frightened her face was pale. However, she could not let go of her chance to attend the banquet, which was why she was arguing while crying.

    "You unfilial daughter. How dare you argue with me? You are rebelling. Come, take Fourth Miss to the shed and lock her up." Mo Huawen shook with anger, the green veins on his forehead twitched forcefully.

    A few maidservants came up to drag Mo Xueqiong away.

    "Father, Father. I won¡¯t do it again! I won¡¯t do it again." Mo Xueqiong did not dare to say anything else when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s stern expression. She knelt on the floor, shaking tearfully while pleading with her father.

    "Again? There¡¯s still a next time!" Mo Huawen shook his sleeves out coldly and turned to leave. He ignored Mo Xueqiong who was crying while she was dragged away. He felt annoyed by his youngest daughter. Min¡¯er was sensible, Feng¡¯er was a boy, while Tong¡¯er was left in Cloud City. Qiong¡¯er was the youngest, and everyone doted on her when she made a fuss to get what she wanted. However, he had never imagined that Qiong¡¯er would be the person she was today.

    Her personality would only get her into trouble. He thought to himself that he had better find Mo Xueqiong a husband quickly. He did not have to be very wealthy. A person like Mo Xuetong would only get into trouble if she married into a family like that. And she would also bring trouble to that family.

    Inside Qingwei Garden.

    "Miss, Old Sir went to Lihua Garden to scold Auntie Fang. Then, someone said that Fourth Miss was the one who did it. It¡¯s really odd. Even though Fourth Miss is not smart, why would she do something like that?" Mo He recounted what she heard earlier in an interesting manner. She did not forget to tug on Mo Lan, who was beside her, and asked her her question.

    Mo Xuetong sat in front of her dresser. Mo Yu was helping her remove her makeup. A cold smile appeared on her face when she heard what Mo He said. Auntie Fang had indeed shown weakness!

    "Fourth Miss is stupid. She must have been tricked by Auntie Fang and First Miss. What kind of ce is this? Auntie Fang is in charge of the back courtyard. Even if Fourth Miss is wild, without Auntie Fang working behind the scenes, it would be impossible for her to get the invitation. Then, they said that it went missing. First Miss had already prepared cloths long ago. Isn¡¯t it obvious that she is going to attend the banquet? Old Sir is too much, he didn¡¯t even think of this."

    Mo Yu pursed her lips and said with dissatisfaction. She was a clear-minded bystander. Furthermore, she understood Auntie Fang. As such, she definitely knew that Auntie Fang was involved in this matter.

    But Auntie Fang and First Miss pretended to be innocent and that they had been framed. It was so frustrating!

    "No wonder I thought it was weird. Mo Yu, you see things so clearly!" Mo He¡¯s eyes brightened when she heard what Mo Yu had to say. She suddenly understood why she felt that something was odd when she heard the news herself. Mo Yu¡¯s words had helped her to discover the truth, so she praised Mo Yu.

    They had grown up together, so they had never had to yield to each other. Mo Yu rather enjoyed Mo He¡¯s praised, and she looked at Mo He with a look of satisfaction, saying, "You don¡¯t have to ask Mo Lan first if anything happens in the future. You can just ask me. I have plenty to teach you!"

    "Hah, you¡¯re getting too full of yourself. Miss, look, Mo Yu is bullying me. You should take her in hand." Mo He was annoyed when she saw Mo Yu feeling full of herself. She put down the teapot in her hand andined to Mo Xuetong.

    "It is up to Miss who she wants to punish. Look at you, you¡¯re just a maid. How dare you get Miss to do things. Do you really think you¡¯re a Miss?" Mo Yu was not a simple opponent. She smiled and returned the jibe. She helped to release Mo Xuetong¡¯s long hair from its braids and was about to help her lie down.

    "Miss won¡¯t be like you all. All right, stop ying around. Miss has to go to the pce tomorrow." Mo Lan smiled and stopped the two. The clothes that Old Madam Xu had prepared was hung up. The head dressing was already ced on the dresser. The head dressing and the clothes were of one set. Even though they were not brightly colored, they were not in either. They seemed elegant and ssy.

    "Alright, alright. I won¡¯t stoop to your level!" Mo He scrunched up her nose and sent Mo Yu a look of challenge. However, sheughed first. The few of them were in a good mood today. They all felt happy when they thought of how Auntie Fang had been scolded by Old Sir. No matter what, Auntie Fang was definitely going to be scolded today.

    It truly put them in a good mood!

    "Do you all think that Auntie Fang won¡¯t be able to climb back to her position after her scolding today?" Mo Xuetongid down, her hair spread over the pillow, revealing her pale and supple face. She looked at the maids beside her with a faint smile on her lips.

    She did not like to sleep with her hair tied up after her rebirth. It made her feel suffocated!

    "Miss, isn¡¯t that so?" Mo Yu was helping to tuck her in when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s questions. Her hand paused.

    "Didn¡¯t Mo He say that Father scolded Auntie Fang but discovered that the matter had nothing to do with Auntie Fang in the end? Even though Father did not go to see Auntie Fang again, he must feel bad towards Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang will definitely make use of this." Mo Xuetong¡¯s clear eyes shone, and the smile on her face grew even more gentle.

    "Miss, you mean that Auntie Fang will definitely use this toin to Old Sir and soften his heart?" Mo Lan had always been intelligent. She quickly thought of the most important thing that would happen next. She stopped, holding a bamboo basket in her hands.

    "Auntie Fang had always been smart. And my good old Eldest Sister will do her best to help Auntie Fang so that Father will keep thinking about this matter. Auntie Fang had been scolded for no rhyme or reason, and she had suffered." Mo Xuetong said with a cold smile. Mo Xuemin would definitely find a way to get their father to Lihua Garden these few days. Auntie Fang willin about her grievances then and might be able to be released from Lihua Garden then.

    "Then what shall we do?" Mo Yu realized the dangers of this matter and asked in a hurry.

    If Auntie Fang were to be released from Lihua Garden, she would definitely try to deal with their mistress. If Old Sir released her in a few days and did not pursue her wrongdoings any further, everyone else only thought that Auntie Fang had regained Old Sir¡¯s affections. Things would be difficult for Mo Xuetong in the future.

    "It¡¯s alright. Father won¡¯t let her out!" Mo Xuetong yawned lightly and shut her eyes. A smile appeared on her still rather child-like face. It was not a cold smile, but it made one warm when they looked at her smile. It was unlike her smile earlier, which made others feel cold inside out.

    The three maids nced at each other when they saw Mo Xuetong closing her eyes. They left the room silently.

    They had only just left the room when Mo He could not bear it any longer. She pointed inside and said, "Miss..."

    "Alright. Mo He, don¡¯t say anything. Miss knows what to do. We just have to listen to her." Mo Lan smiled and stopped her from saying anything else. She had been by her mistress side all this while and saw how she handled things. She wasposed and intelligent, unlike her usual weak and useless self.

    Her mistress had thought of a way to return to the capital and even defeated First Miss at the city gates. Then, she had intentionally ced fine needles in the clothes that Auntie Fang prepared and got her locked up. This all proved how intelligent her mistress was. She was no longer the cowardly Mo Xuetong of the past. She could trust in her mistress!

    "But, we have to mention it, right!" Mo He pouted.

    "Of course, we have to mention it. But we must not do anything that is not ordered of us." Mo Lan¡¯s smile disappeared and she spoke in a serious manner.

    "I won¡¯t ruin Miss¡¯s ns. She is so smart, how can I ruin her ns!" Mo He pouted resentfully, but still agreed.

    "You know that Miss is smart too, so why are you worried for her? She said that Old Sir won¡¯t release Auntie Fang, so he won¡¯t." Mo Yu had been following Mo Xuetong¡¯s orders very well recently. Her lips curled up. She was not worried at all by what Mo He said. Her mistress had said nothing would happen!

    Even Mo He smiled. She took the bamboo basket from Mo Lan¡¯s hands, wanting to take needle and thread to do embroidery. However, she found a white jade bottle and asked, "Whose is this. Why did they leave such a good bottle around anyhow?"

    "I don¡¯t know, but this is a really nice looking bottle." Mo Yu opened it and sniffed at it. "It smells good."

    "Don¡¯t touch it. Put it in Miss¡¯s room and don¡¯t lose it. She¡¯s been studying medicine recently, it might be useful." Mo Lan spoke without looking up.

    "Alright, I will put it at her dresser so it would be easy to find."

    ---------------

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 Chapter 41 The Banquet in the Palace

    Mo Xuetong woke up rather early. However, it took some time for Mo Lan and the others to do her hair and makeup. When Mo Xuetong left, it was the peak period to enter the pce. Carriages after carriages drove through the pce gates in an orderly manner. Then, they drove onto the wide and neat road slowly. There were no other sounds but the crisp sounds of horse hooves.

    Those who came were all from noble families. They had a strict upbringing and were in the pce. As such, they all behaved demurely and did not dare to speak loudly. If they embarrassed themselves here, it would not only be themselves they are embarrassing. Their family members might even lose their lives.

    When they arrived at the location, they got off the carriage and onto a pnquin. They were then carried to the royal gardens. The flower appreciation festival was held at the southeastern area of the royal gardens. There was an autumn garden there where the blooms were all autumn blooms. There was mostly chrysanthemum there. There was a variety of beautiful chrysanthemum flowers, begonias, and tall osmanthus trees.

    The osmanthuses were very fragrant. It was when the fragrance of the flowers was the strongest. The scent of the flowers made one feel rxed and happy the moment they got off the pnquin. It was as if they were in the season when flowers bloom in the south of the Yangtze River.

    Mo Lan carefully smoothed out her skirts when they got off the horse carriage. She even smoothed out the smallest crease.

    It was still early and the banquet had not yet started. The youngdies gathered together in twos and threes, admiring the beautiful scenery of hundreds of flowers blooming. The Empress had arranged the banquet and had invited the children of the main branch of each family. This was a way for the royal family to gain control over their people, and also for families to match up. If both parties liked each other, they can even get the Empress to marry them. As such, it was even more leisurely than the usual banquets. It was normal for men and women to speak here.

    In the Great Qin, there were not as many protocols between men and women at a banquet.

    "Did anyone hear that it is not the first miss of the Mo Family who is attending today? It is the third miss who is said to be ugly, weird and arrogant who is here today." The sounds of a few womenughing could be heard.

    "Where did the third misse from? Only the first miss is somewhat outstanding. The whole family is filled with children from concubines. It doesn¡¯t even sound nice."

    "There is a main daughter. It is said that she has an odd temper and character. And is also ugly. That¡¯s why Lord Mo left his main daughter behind in a border city when he entered the capital. Otherwise, why would they leave a main daughter behind? I guess she¡¯s really ugly."

    "Is she really that terrifying?" Everyone was surprised!

    "Of course, Mo Xuemin is really so pitiful. She¡¯s so beautiful and talented. And she¡¯s also so gentle, but she is only a concubine¡¯s daughter. Last year, their family had no main daughter, which was why she coulde. I fear she¡¯s not as lucky this time."

    "That¡¯s right. Otherwise, how could Mo Xuemin, a concubine daughter enjoy such a status in the capital? But no matter how good she is, she is still a concubine¡¯s daughter." Someone said with disdain.

    "I heard that her birth mother is about to be the matriarch. Lord Mo will marry her soon."

    "Well, she still won¡¯t be a true daughter of the main branch."

    A nasty temper, an odd temperament and ugly?

    They really thought highly of her. She was so "famous" even though she had been left behind in Cloud City. It was evident how much they paid attention to her. They praised Mo Xuemin a lot, but said that she was ugly and untalented. A faint smile appeared on her lips. She looked elegant and beautiful in the flowers.

    She was a beauty, but because of her young age, her figure had not fully developed. Her face still looked rather childish and cherubic. Her clear eyes were like brilliant pearls in the depth of the sea, shining with light and charm. Her face was crystal clear and her lips were ruby red. Her white satin skirts draped down elegantly on her as she stood among a bush of flowers. There were butterflies flying at her feet and the breeze blew gently on her. She looked innocent and beautiful.

    The beautiful scenery became a simple sight around her.

    Many were drawn to her figure standing under the tree and amongst the flowers. Her clothes were in but elegant and beautiful. Itplimented her skin color. There were many sighs. Whose daughter was this? She was so beautiful and elegant.

    "Cousin, it is you. Why were you sote? I have been looking for you for a long while." Luo Mingzhu appeared from nowhere. She went up to Mo Xuetong with a smile when she saw her.

    "Second cousin. You¡¯re here early. Tong¡¯er waste and was just about to look for you. But I didn¡¯t know where to find you and was getting worried!" There was a hint of shyness in her gentle and sweet voice.

    "Cousin, I told you toe with me but you refused. See, you couldn¡¯t find me, could you!" Luo Mingzhu nattered on. She was truly worried that Mo Xuetong would get lost, which was why she told Mo Xuetong to go to the General¡¯s Mansion first before heading to the pce together. However, Mo Xuetong refused. The Mo Manor had rules, and she must not embarrass her father.

    She was the main daughter of the Mo Manor, so she must not allow anyone to gossip about her that she did not even dare to go to a banquet alone. Even though she knew that Luo Mingzhu meant well, there were so many negative rumors about her. If she were not more careful, she might not be able to salvage her reputation. She would not tread on the same path as she did in her past life. She had lived two lives and knew how important reputation was to a woman.

    "Many thanks, second cousin. I had just gotten off the carriage and had not waited long. I have troubled you to look for me." Mo Xuetong exined with a smile.

    "You. Sigh. Oh, did the First Miss from your manore today? She is a concubine¡¯s daughter, how could you bring her in?" Luo Mingzhu berated her with a re and a smile. She was not truly angry. She took Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and they walked and stopped under a tree.

    "Eldest Sister?" Mo Xuetong pretended to look surprised. "I didn¡¯t bring her in!"

    Mo Xuemin had indeed gotten into the pce. This was just as Mo Xuetong had guessed. She felt a chill run down her spine!

    "How did she get in if you didn¡¯t bring her in?" Luo Mingzhu was also surprised. She frowned and then spoke to the maid behind her, "The person I saw earlier was the First Miss Mo, right?"

    Auntie Fang was in charge of everything in the Mo Family because Mo Xuetong was not around. As such, the First Miss Mo was always the one to wee guests. While Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuemin did not get along, they still met several times. Not only did Luo Mingzhu know Mo Xuemin, her maid did as well.

    "Miss, it was indeed First Miss Mo who was with the otherdies earlier!" The maid answered respectfully.

    "Look, your eldest sister is here. Did she really note with you?" Luo Mingzhu pointed at the maid and asked with a loud voice.

    Her voice was a little loud and sounded abrupt among the soft voices of the crowd. Many who were speaking around them could not help but turn to look at them.

    Mo Xuetong tugged on Luo Mingzhu¡¯s sleeves when she noticed that they had gathered the attention of those around them.

    "What are you afraid of? If you were not the one to bring the first miss in, then was it someone else? How could that be? Who would take along the concubine¡¯s daughter of another family in?" Luo Mingzhu held Mo Xuetong¡¯s arm casually, insistent on having Mo Xuetong exin.

    This was an interesting matter. The daughters of concubines were not allowed toe to the flower appreciation banquet. Even if there were any special circumstances, they should stay behind the main daughter. How could theye in with another person? And who had brought in someone like her? This was interesting. Many people started to pay attention to them.

    Some of them even started to size Mo Xuetong up. They felt that the rumors were too much. They had heard from the earlier conversations that third miss Mo was reclusive and arrogant, untalented and ugly. What kind of rumor was this? If she was ugly, then there was nothing worth looking at.

    The rumors were too fake!

    If the rumors were fake, then who was the one to spread it?

    Many began to grow curious! They tried to listen to Luo Mingzhu¡¯s loud voice through the soft whisperings.

    "I don¡¯t know either. I just got here and don¡¯t know anything. Is Eldest Sister really here? Second Cousin, can you take me to see her? Did shee to find me for something?" Mo Xuetong had a concerned smile on her face. Her brows were slightly pinched and she looked rather pitiful. It left a good impression on others, but they could also see her confusion.

    "Cousin, you¡¯d better forget it. Look at how your eldest sister is chatting so animatedly with a few of the other nobledies. She has no intention of looking for you. She is obviously here to attend the banquet. She did not even tell you that she¡¯s here. You¡¯re too much, you are still worried that she¡¯s here to look for you. She would havee long ago if she was here to look for you." Luo Mingzhu said, not at all nicely. She was somewhat angry on behalf of Mo Xuetong.

    "Your Eldest Sister is wearing really nice clothes today. Much effort had to be spent on those clothes. How could she be just dropping by."

    "Even though Eldest Sister¡¯s clothing are newly made, she did not say that she wasing for the banquet. Could there be a mistake?" Mo Xuetong defended Mo Xuemin with a gentle smile.

    "You are too much, why can¡¯t you see things clearly! Forget it, stay away from her in the future!" Luo Mingzhu was so angry she wanted to p Mo Xuetong. The mother and daughter pair were clearly after her position as the main daughter. However, Mo Xuetong was still so considerate towards them. How could she not be angry!

    "Oh, this must be Third Miss Mo. You¡¯re indeed..." said a sharp and pretentious voice. It was a woman wearing a gold flower embroidered dress standing under the tree next to theirs. Her voice was exaggeratedly loud and she looked at them challengingly. Her voice trailed off, leaving others to fill in the nks.

    Everyone was paying attention to their area. When they heard the woman intentionally raising her voice, they could not help but focus on them.

    Luo Mingzhu grew upset before Mo Xuetong could speak. She said, "Ling Mingyan, why are you interrupting in our conversation? We are in the pce, not in the Ding General Manor. You only just got into trouble a few days ago, and you¡¯re making trouble in the pce now. Don¡¯t think that you can bully anyone. I will tell the Empresster if you continue to be so arrogant and presumptuous.

    "Luo Mingzhu, are you not being presumptuous? I was speaking with Third Miss Mo. Who are you to meddle? You really think you are part of the pce that you can scold anyone you want in it? You want to tell the Empress? I want to go there too. I don¡¯t believe that the Empress will help you and not me!" Ling Mingyan pointed at Luo Mingzhu and scolded her.

    Judging by the current situation, the two had long been at loggerheads. Ling Mingyan. Luo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone. This was the main daughter of the Ding General Manor. How could she be so arrogant?

    The Ding General was not only one of the nation-building families but was also rted to the Empress on her maternal side. They were rted to the Empress Dowager. As such, the Ding General Manor was more powerful than the other general manors. Was this why Ling Mingyan was so confident?

    ---------------

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 Chapter 42 Miss Ling Mingyan

    Even though the Empress did not have any sons, she was in a position of power. No one dared to defy her. Even if a prince were to inherit the throne, she would still be the Empress Dowager. As she had no sons, she could avoid the fights in the pce. After all, no matter what, she would still be respected as the Empress Dowager. This would definitely allow those from the Ding General Manor to rest assured.

    However, this was only what is on the surface. As for what was really happening, no one really knew. It was indeed a regret to not have any sons. Even though she would be the Empress Dowager, she was still upset to not have any sons. She did not interfere with the matters of the concubines but was focused on praying to Buddha and living in purity.

    Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. Ling Mingyan¡¯s words were full of challenge. She had just returned to the capital, so how had she offended Ling Mingyan? This was her first time attending a banquet and it was organized by the pce. If she shed with Ling Mingyan because of this matter, someone would definitely use it against her. It would also show that she was being petty and that she had a nasty character.

    If the Empress found out about it, it would impact her negatively. However, if she did not say anything, others would think that she was cowardly and weak, and that they could bully her. She was stuck between a rock and a hard ce. This was not something Ling Mingyan, whom she had nothing against, could do. She looked around and indeed, a familiar figure approached them from a fake mountain in the distance. Mo Xuemin wasing!

    She smiled gently and elegantly and came to a decision. She said, "Older sisters, don¡¯t fight anymore. How did this Miss get to know me? Why have youe to find me?"

    Everyone looked at Ling Mingyan suspiciously when they heard her say that. Even though they had guessed that this was the useless and untalented main daughter of the Mo Manor, this was still the first time they have met her. How did Ling Mingyan know who she was at first nce? Listening to what Third Miss Mo was saying, she did not know Ling Mingyan. So how did Ling Mingyan know that she was the Third Miss of the Mo family!

    Some of the people looked at Mo Xuetong pityingly when they thought of how she was being challenged the first time she attended a banquet and how Ling Mingyan was being so arrogant for no reason. It was obvious that she had been egged on by someone! Third Miss Mo had been plotted against!

    "Do you really think nobody knows who you are? First Miss Mo told me that you are her sister. Are you not going to admit that?" Ling Mingyan tilted her chin up in disdain and smirked. Ling Mingyan had been angry ever since she found out that this was the person who had brought up her past mistakes and had made You Yuecheng unhappy and refusing to marry her.

    A long time had passed since the incident in which she had knocked someone down with her horse. The matter had slowly been buried as the Ding General Manor tried to hide it. However, You Yuecheng witnessed Third Miss Mo knocking down someone at the city gate and had gone home to refuse the marriage offer from the Ding General Manor. The prideful Ling Mingyan seethed with hate.

    She had liked You Yuecheng since she was a child. She had presented herself as You Yuecheng¡¯s fiancee to others long ago and apanied You Yuecheng everywhere. You Yuecheng hated her because she had knocked down someone because of who she was. He had not brought her along when they went out to the countryside. When he returned, he had refused the marriage proposal the two manors were discussing. Ling Mingyan hade today with anger in her heart.

    She was intentionally making things difficult for Mo Xuetong. If this woman had not knocked down someone with her carriage, You Yuecheng would not have been reminded of the past and be so unfeeling. It was all this woman¡¯s fault. She would not let her off easily.

    "Did Eldest Sister tell you to give me a hard time and even told you I was here? That¡¯s impossible. Eldest Sister isn¡¯t such a person." Mo Xuetong pretended not to understand the hostility in Ling Mingyan¡¯s words and intentionally misunderstood her. Her eyes looked frightened and she cocked her head and bit her lips, her eyes teary as if she had been incredibly wronged!

    "What is it, are you afraid that your Eldest Sister will tear through your lies? You¡¯re afraid, aren¡¯t you? I was the one who brought your Eldest Sister into the pce to tear through your mask. I want to see if you will still dare to shirk your responsibility after knocking someone down and killing them. Do you really think the capital iswless?" Ling Mingyan was satisfied seeing Mo Xuetong being afraid. She raised her chin righteously, looking as if she had found justice. She had long forgotten that she was the one who had killed someone by knocking them down.

    Everyone was surprised when they heard that!

    In a pavilion not far away, Mo Xuemin, who had been secretly watching frowned angrily. She scolded Ling Mingyan for being so stupid to tell others that. Didn¡¯t that imply that she had something against her sister so much to ruin her reputation in the pce? Even if her younger sister from the main branch had done something wrong, she, as a concubine¡¯s daughter could not say anything.

    Furthermore, even if she had done something wrong, the family should settle it behind closed doors. This was an embarrassment to the Mo family for her to do this outside. This was not something the magnanimous and gracious Mo Xuemin would do. You Yuecheng, who was standing by the side looked at her with a suspicious nce. Mo Xuemin felt like pping Ling Mingyan¡¯s mouth off.

    Who was You Yuecheng? He was the Ming Duke¡¯s son! His status as the duke¡¯s son waspletely different from Sima Lingyun¡¯s. He was from a truly noble family while Sima Lingyun was from a destitute family that only retained its noble name. The difference between the two was as wide as the distance between the sky and earth. Mo Xuemin had always wanted the handsome Ming Duke¡¯s son. However, Ling Mingyan had always been between them and she did not dare to do anything. She could only behave coyly and gently towards him. However, she was certain that You Yuecheng rather liked her.

    However, she felt that You Yuecheng treated her somewhat coldly after the incident at the city¡¯s gates.

    She could not let Ling Mingyan ruin her reputation at this time.

    "Is that Third Miss over there? What happened? Is someone bullying her?" She pretended not to see You Yuecheng¡¯s suspicious nce and tugged on Mo Jin, asking her in an urgent manner.

    "It is Third Miss. I think Miss Ling said something to her. There are many people surrounding them and I can¡¯t see clearly." Mo Jin immediately got to attention and tip-toed, looking over there.

    "Is it Miss Ling Mingyan? Is she bullying others?" She said this somewhat worriedly.

    "Yes!"

    "Then let¡¯s go down quickly. We must not let anyone bully Third Sister." Mo Xuemin pulled Mo Jin and they left together. She tripped on her long dress because she was in a hurry, and she started to fall. You Yuecheng who had been standing beside her helped her to steady herself. The suspicion in his eyes had faded and he asked with concern. "Slow down. Are you okay?"

    Mo Xuemin blushed as she held on to You Yuecheng¡¯s hand. She wanted to stand up, but sprained her ankle in her hurry. Then, she fell against You Yuecheng¡¯s chest and said, "I¡¯m fine." She hurried to steady herself but could not, looking rather pitiful.

    "Don¡¯t panic, that third sister of yours is not easy to deal with. She won¡¯t be missing your help, and you might even make matters worse." You Yuecheng smiled warmly. It was rare to see him smile.

    "Third Sister just came and she has a bad temper. I am afraid that she will suffer!" Mo Xuemin said shyly while blushing. Her eyes were gentle and filled with worry, making others sympathize with her.

    "You are afraid that she will suffer, but look at her. It¡¯d be good if others don¡¯t suffer." You Yuecheng harrumphed and helped to steady her. They were right by the fake mountain and had moved quickly. No one had noticed them.

    You Yuecheng disliked Mo Xuetong. It was mostly because he was reminded by her about how Ling Mingyan had killed someone with her carriage. Even though she had indeed been framed, but she would not have gotten into trouble for no reason. Perhaps she had brought it upon herself because of her usual actions.

    This was especially when he saw how gentle and weak Mo Xuemin was and how she insisted on defending her younger sister. He felt that this Third Miss Mo was someone who would always get into trouble. She might even be like Ling Mingyan and was very arrogant and rude. Anyway, since she had encountered Ling Mingyan, they would get a good show.

    He apanied Mo Xuemin and the two walked over slowly.

    He was in no hurry and Mo Xuemin was naturally in no hurry as well. She yed with her handkerchief and followed behind him with a flush on her face. She looked rather like the blushing bride.

    Not far away, on a pavilion higher up that was brightly lit, a handsome youth dressed in purple robes looked on with a faint smile on his face as he leaned against the railings. He watched as You Yuecheng and Mo Xuetong walked down slowly from the fake mountain and then at Mo Xuetong who was being surrounded. His lips stretched up.

    He leaned against the railings and raised his fingers, clicking them in the air.

    "King Xuan, what¡¯s the matter?" A guard hurried up and asked respectfully.

    "Go and get that old man from that day over and then take him down there." Feng Yuran said somewhatzily, waving his hand.

    "Yes!" The guard was stunned, and then, immediately got a hold of himself and turned to leave.

    The guard did not understand what his master intended to do. They had brought the old man with them for a few days. It was no big deal for King Xuan to get that matter settled. It was just a person who had tried to scam others at the city gates. Why would His Highness pay attention to something like that? Even if it was something he witnessed usually, he would just smile and ignore itzily. Why did he bring the criminal along this time and even interrogated him personally?

    The old man had not even been secretive. He confessed everything long ago when he saw His Highness!

    But what had this to do with His Highness!

    It had nothing to do with him at all, but he had locked the man up for many days. He did not say anything, and his subordinates did not dare to say anything. They only guessed that the man would be of use in the future. Those who served King Xuan all knew that while he appeared to be harmless and could not bring himself to do anything, and was sometimes willful against the Emperor, the Emperor could do nothing to him. However, only those close to him knew how terrifying he was.

    "Why would Eldest Sister speak ill of me? Miss Ling, could you be mistaken? My rtionship with my eldest sister has always been good. She would not do something like that." Mo Xuetong sounded as if she was defending Mo Xuemin, but everyone began to feel suspicious of Mo Xuemin. This was especially so when Ling Mingyan tried to sound more credible and added on proudly, "Your Eldest Sister told me just now that you are just faking it. She told me to be careful of you. What magnanimity, what graciousness. They¡¯re all fake!"

    Ling Minyan felt annoyed when she looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face and her charming eyes. She was extremely jealous. Why did nothing happen to this woman when she knocked someone down, but You Yuecheng would refuse to marry her when she did the same thing? Didn¡¯t You Yuecheng like righteous women? She would be one today.

    "My eldest sister isn¡¯t someone like that..."Mo Xuetong bit her lips as she was surrounded by the crowd. A hint of fragility shed through her charming eyes. She looked fragile and many felt bad for her. She bit her lips, and sounded as if she was going to cry, yet she was determined to defend her sister. Many began to sympathize with her and felt that Miss Ling was bullying others because of her superior status.

    "Miss Ling, how has my third sister offended you? If she has, shall I apologize on her behalf?" A warm and gentle voice could be heard from behind the crowd. The crowd naturally parted. Mo Xuemin, who was dressed in a long pink dress appeared. She had taken special care with her appearance today. She wore a light pink satin dress and a light sash that draped down from her arms. She looked like a picture as she stood there, looking very likable.

    As a good older sister who doted on her younger sister, others would start to get suspicious if Mo Xuemin did not appear any sooner!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 43 The Main Daughter is Indeed the Main Daughter

    The moment she said that, it immediately erased the suspicion that she was trying to frame her younger sister that Ling Mingyan had implied.

    Those who were a little suspicious before could not help but praise Mo Xuemin for being gentle and gracious. She was an outstanding woman unlike Ling Mingyan who was arrogant, rude and spoke without thinking.

    Many ignored what Ling Mingyan said about Mo Xuemin. With Ling Mingyan¡¯s reputation, people naturally believed in First Miss Mo who had always been polite and talented. Compared to the dumb, arrogant and rude Ling Mingyan, Mo Xuemin who was always gentle and smiling was much more well-liked.

    "I heard that that third sister of yours is rude and arrogant. She knocked into someone the moment she got into the city gates. There are so many people at the city gates, but she didn¡¯t even care about them and rushed in. Is this the behavior a noble young woman should disy?" Ling Mingyan had always had a good rtionship with Mo Xuemin privately. She could not help but re and speak to her angrily when Mo Xuemin rebutted her.

    She was the one who had said that earlier. Why did she suddenly change her tune!

    Speeding on the horse and knocking down someone the moment she entered the city gates? If she dared she be so audacious just upon her arrival in the capital, how would she behave in the future? There were many who frowned and began to size up Mo Xuetong.

    "Miss Ling, don¡¯t speak nonsense. What my sister did is not what you imagined...there are other things involved." Mo Xuemin exined weakly. She looked a little guilty and her voice lowered subconsciously. It was obvious that she was guilty and found it hard to exin. Everyone would feel that she was feeling guilty on behalf of Mo Xuetong. could it be that something like that had really happened?

    "Why other matters are involved? If she had not knocked down someone with her horse in arrogance, what are you feeling guilty about?" Ling Mingyan said loudly with satisfaction.

    "Miss Ling, I don¡¯t mean that..." It sounded as if she was hiding something!

    If Ling Mingyan was using Mo Xuetong, then Mo Xuemin was making the matter even worse.

    Mo Xuemin indeed did not let go of any chance to smear her reputation.

    There was a sharp glint in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes which disappeared in a sh. She looked up and looked at Mo Xuemin, looking as if she were wronged. "It was obvious that someone was trying to frame me then. After that, those two people even ran away. After we returned home, Auntie also said that she did not send a carriage for me. You were there too, Eldest Sister, and you saw everything. Do you think that is not sufficient to prove my innocence?"

    She was a beautiful girl, and her eyes were deep and filled with the unknown. She bit her lips and looked at Mo Xuemin, soft and weak. She did not seem to believe that her dear older sister would collude with an outsider to nder her. The paleness of her lips and face made her seem fragile and pitiful. She was so fragile it made others pity her.

    You Yuecheng, who was standing on one side could not help but look at the beautiful and fragile little face. His eyes were dark and deep.

    Mo Xuemin paused and looked at Mo Xuemin who looked like she had been terribly wronged. She was so angry she wanted to vomit blood. She had wanted to pretend to look pitiful but Mo Xuetong had done it first. If she did it, it would look very fake. Furthermore, the fragile sufferance that Mo Xuetong could portray with her deep eyes and innocent, beautiful face was something that she could not fake.

    She looked at how everyone was looking at them. There were quite a few who believed Mo Xuetong.

    She had to temper down on her jealousy and smiled. She exined, "I¡¯m sorry third sister. I came toote that day, so I couldn¡¯t exin clearly. But I believe that you will definitely not do something like that."

    She did note to defend Mo Xuetong, and she must not defend her. The little slut that was Mo Xuetong was going to get it! She¡¯s going to see how Mo Xuetong is going to exin the matter clearly!

    "First Miss Mo understood what happened that day, how can you not exin clearly?" It was azy voice that came from behind the crowd. The crowd parted and a handsome face appeared. He had nted eyes and long, pale fingers. His lips were ruby red and moist. He sat under an osmanthus tree, wearing luxurious purple robes embroidered with dragons. He looked noble and wild.

    Such beauty and such charisma, coupled with his gentle and emotion-filled eyes made everyone he looked at blush and their heart beat faster. They felt that they had fallen for him and would not mind even if the world ended then and there.

    It was him? Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes narrowed and her breath hitched. Her throat felt dry.

    "His Highness, King Xuan, arrives." A eunuch said loudly. Everyone bowed.

    Mo Xuetong followed the crowd and bowed. However, she could not hide the shock and fear in her eyes. She finally recalled who he was. He was King Xuan, Feng Yuran. He was the eighth prince and was crowned a king not long after he was born. He was weak and sickly as a child and was born to a concubine of Emperor Zongwen who had died early. He was young and could not ept the death of his mother and had almost died.

    He waster saved by an erudite andter followed him into the mountains to practice cultivation. He only returned when he was 16! He was doted on by Emperor Zongwen and was adies¡¯ man. He had all kinds of beauty in his courtyard. Unlike the other two princes, he spent most of his time on women.

    However, what truly shocked and frightened Mo Xuetong was what King Xuan had done afterwards. It was something that had shocked the world. He killed all his maternal family in front of Emperor Zongwen. Blood had flowed through the great hall. Emperor Zongwen had shielded him and even killed the officials King Xuan had said were guilty.

    No one dared to raise any objections in the face of death, and there were no other objections in court.

    Then, King Xuan who had always been interested in women said that he would lead the troops personally into the destednds of the south.

    Mo Xuetong did not know what happened after that. King Xuan was still fighting with the southern barbarians when she set fire to Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s wedding.

    But no matter how King Xuan had ended up, Mo Xuetong knew that the man in front of her was definitely not just handsome and harmless. In his charming smile, was something dangerous. He was like a beautiful painting, but no one knew the dangerous waters that brewed within...

    Mo Xuemin was shocked as well when she heard that it was King Xuan. She immediately bowed gracefully and said, "Xuemin does not know how to protect her younger sister. I had gone toote." She looked as if she wanted to say more, but sighed. It was obvious that she was trying to portray an image of a good older sister protecting her younger sister and as such, could not say some things.

    An odd look shed through You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. He had seen everything that happened clearly that day. They had seen the entire incident then.

    "It is inconvenient for First Miss Mo to speak. When I entered the capital, someone imed to have been knocked down and injured. However, I did not see any injuries. This is fun, since I am free today, I invite everyone to y!" Feng Yuran pped his hands and two eunuchs brought out a man.

    King Xuan had been settling some matters for the emperor in Cloud City some time back. Everyone knew that King Xuan had left the city after the case concluded. He had encountered someone who imed to have been knocked down when he returned to the capital and earlier, Ling Mingyan had said that Third Miss Mo had knocked someone down. Could they be talking about the same person? Everyone had the same suspicion and they looked at Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face paled when she saw the man. Her fingers clenched tightly under her sleeves. How could she not recognize this person? It was the old man who had been knocked down at the city gates. It was someone Auntie Fang had sent. She had gotten Auntie Fang to search for the man after the incident but they could not find him. They thought that he had been cowardly and frightened and had left the city. They considered the matter closed, but who would have thought that he had ended up in King Xuan¡¯s hands. How could Mo Xuemin not be afraid!

    Everyone was shocked and they started to look at Mo Xuemin doubtfully when they saw that the old man had been brought in uninjured. Mo Xuemin had not helped to exin things for Mo Xuetong earlier, and had indirectly proven that her own sister had been in the wrong. Could it be that the talented and gracious First Miss Mo was being kind and had intentionally lied?

    "Third Miss Mo, do you wish to hear what this person has to say?" Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were dark and looked as if they were swirling pools of water. His long narrow eyes turned up. Even though he had spoken to Mo Xuetong, he was looking at Mo Xuemin warmly and attentively. His voice was silky and Mo Xuemin froze...He was obviously mocking and making jibes at her.

    However, what she could not see was the sudden sh of bloodthirstiness and coldness that shed suddenly in the superficial mockery before he resumed his usual flirtatious behavior.

    Mo Xuemin knew that things were going pear-shaped. She could only grit her teeth and continue with a warm smile. She curtsied at Feng Yuran and said, "Many thanks for your help to my third sister, King Xuan. It is I who did not see things clearly andpletely. I couldn¡¯t help my sister voice her grievances!"

    Her voice was slightly loud and everyone around her could hear it without making it seem intentional.

    Everyone focused on Mo Xuemin. They looked at her gentle smile and her gracious actions. She did not look ashamed as if she had been exposed. They all could not help but guess that she really had not seen the incident clearly and as such did not dare to defend her sister. She was thanking the person who hade to prove her sister¡¯s innocence! If this was true, then she was truly a gracious and respectful and gentle older sister.

    "The rules in the Mo Manor is indeed different. A concubine¡¯s daughter can answer on behalf of a main daughter. This is truly shocking." Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face and eyes suddenly turned cold. The entire garden filled with blooming flowers earlier felt as if it was a frozennd. His mocking was even more evident.

    "How dare you, you are a mere concubine¡¯s daughter, how dare you answer His Highness. Kneel down!" A eunuch said loudly with a smirk.

    Mo Xuemn was shocked and frightened. She shivered and knelt down heavily.

    Nobody came up and they all took a few steps back. King Xuan, whose moods swung widely, was someone they could not offend. Even Ling Mingyan hid among the crowd and did not dare to say anything. Everything quietened down and the tension in the air could almost be heard.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly took a step forward and curtsied to Feng Yuran. She said, "King Xuan, please forgive her. We have always been close and are used to behaving like this at home. Eldest Sister even picked me up at the city gates and foiled someone¡¯s plot against me. She was excited and fought to speak when you mentioned the incident...You are benevolent and kind. Please, be forgive my eldest sister this time."

    Many had heard that First Miss Mo had gone out to the countryside with her friends then and had to stop because she met her sister at the city gates. Something like that had happened to her sister, but she had not defended her sister and even fought to answer King Xuan. It was obvious she was afraid that something might be revealed and she had been disrespectful to her younger sister who was the main daughter. Those present were all children from the main branch of the family. They despised children of concubines who did not know their ce.

    No wonder King Xuan was angry. Did she think everyone was dumb?

    First Miss Mo¡¯s usual gentleness and graciousness must all be fake!

    And the third miss who was rumored to be rude and arrogant, ugly with an odd temperament, was the one who truly cared about the bigger situation. She pleaded for her elder sister. Her higher status was obviously evident. She was indeed the main daughter of the Mo Manor. She was still trying to help to get Mo Xuemin out of trouble now. It waspletely different from how Mo Xuemin had tried to cast suspicion on her own younger sister.

    She had the big picture in mind and knew when to do things!

    The main daughter was indeed the main daughter!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 44 The Beautiful Men who Are Like The Moon and the Devil

    "Third Miss Mo and First Miss Mo indeed have a close rtionship! Then I shall gift this person to Third Miss Mo!" Feng Yuran drawledzily. His lusty eyes slid across the faces of the crowd and his lips lifted. His vague smile made one feel as if they could not guess what he was thinking, but everyone he looked at felt a sense of foreboding for some reason.

    This prince was known to have fluctuating moods. No one knew if his mood would chance suddenly the next moment.

    "Get up! Since Third Miss Mo already said that, then I shall treat it as a mistake. After all, every family would have mistakes like that. No one would find it hard to understand." His dark eyes were like a pool of water. When he smiled, his handsome appearance wasplimented by his purple dragon embroidered robes. He looked charming and roguish.

    Such words, and such a manner of mocking made everyone look at Mo Xuemin with deeper thoughts.

    "Third Miss Mo, this is a favor from me to you. Throw this person out at the pce gates. Remember to get Lord Mo to pick him up and question him well." He looked at her with his dark eyes and stroked his chin thoughtfully. Does that mean he was...asking for a favor?

    "Many thanks, King Xuan!" Mo Xuetong could only curtsy helplessly. She nced up to see that he was indeed raising his brows at her. She quickly looked down and did not dare to take another look at him. This person was too wild. He had, in the presence of so many people, gotten her to owe him a favor. However, she could not say anything else. She now owed him a favor!

    She did not think that King Xuan was a simple as he looked. His eyes filled with emotions also had a hint of coldness in them. Sometimes, she could even sense a hint of frigid sharpness in them. He could bedazzle others with his beautiful appearance and sway their thoughts before dealing them with a deadly blow while they were not paying attention. How could she not be wary of a person like this? Mo Xuetong was very cautious and did not want to have too many dealings with him, much less owe him a favor.

    However, how could she say anything else in front of so many people? She could not make things clear even if she wanted to. After all, he had helped her today. She could only let the anger simmer inside her.

    Feng Yuran was very satisfied when he saw Mo Xuetong forcing herself to look respectful with pursed lips. She seemed to be rather depressed. Feng Yuran turned and left.

    The little wild cat had retracted her ws. She seemed to be really good at acting pitiful and was just as good as that fake and venomous woman. Instead, she seemed even better than that woman. He quite enjoyed seeing it.

    "Your Highness, where are we going?" Feng Yuran¡¯s personal eunuch stood at the crossroads and asked him carefully with his head lowered.

    "Why is Sir Bai here. How rare is this?" Feng Yuran did not answer the eunuch but smiled at a person approaching. His eyes shone in a lively manner. Feng Yue, who was following behind Feng Yuran backed away silently and hid behind a tree.

    Bai Yihao, who was wearing a pure white shirt, approached.

    There were several people following behind him. However, they paled beside him. There were beautiful flowers blooming around them, but when he approached, it felt as if the scenery around him dulled and that he was the only bright spot. The beautiful youth approached slowly, his clear crisp voice sounded like the flowing waters in a stream.

    "King Xuan is here, so how can I note!" Bai Yihao smiled elegantly.

    "Sir Bai could have note!" Feng Yuran raised an eyebrow. His smile grew even more brilliant.

    "I won¡¯t be able to rest at ease if I don¡¯te! It is rare for you to meddle in things, King Xuan!" Bai Yihao smiled slightly with his thin lips and said softly.

    "It¡¯s not really any random matter. One has to mind his own family matters after all. It is fine as longa s you don¡¯t reach out and take something from someone else¡¯s bowl. What do you think, Sir Bai?" Feng Yuran smiled at Baiyihao, his eyes were slightly upturned.

    "Others should not meddle in one¡¯s family matters. But if it still isn¡¯t one¡¯s family, then it isn¡¯t one¡¯s family matter. Right, King Xuan?" Bai Yihaoughed lightly. His voice was as gentle as the spring breeze.

    One of them was as pure as the sun while the other was extremely charming. The two handsome youths were clearly joking, but for some reason, made others feel cold. The people following them lowered their heads and did not dare to say anything else. The air smelt as if shots had been fired.

    "Sir Bai, that¡¯s interesting! You should be careful that you might lose your life and still not get the item. I still have something on, I will look you up another day to discuss the difference between one¡¯s family matter and the family matters of others. Goodbye!" Feng Yuranughed loudly and brought his men with him and walked in a different direction. He was headed to the center of the pce where Emperor Zongwen was.

    There were two guards at the end of the path. They bowed respectfully when they saw that it was Feng Yuraning. They disappeared behind the trees silently and swiftly. It was evident that they were true experts and one could see from this how favored King Xuan was by Emperor Zongwen. The guards did not even question him before letting him in.

    "Sir..." Lin Yu, who had been following behind Bai Yihao looked on and wanted to say something. However, Bai Yihao smiled and waved his hand to stop him. He turned to walk in another direction where the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce was. The Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday was in a few days and he could send this gift of his to her first.

    He had only taken a turn when he suddenly stopped as if he had discovered something. He turned to look at a fake mountain on the other side of the garden.

    "Sir..."The eunuch wanted to ask him something but turned to look at where Bai Yihao was looking.

    Mo Xuetong stood near the fake mountain awkwardly, as if she had been caught. She was slightly upset. Luo Mingzhu had to leave after Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident came to a close. She had brought Mo Yu with her to the secluded corner because she wanted to be in a quiet and peaceful ce. However, she saw the two¡¯s verbal sparring. She was still struggling between going up to greet them or pretending not to have seen them.

    She could not hide anymore when she saw Bai Yihao turning to look at her. After all, Bai Yihao had helped her a great lot. If he had not been there at the family rites, her n would not have gone so smoothly, especially when he pulled up her sleeves. That had done Auntie Fang in.

    As such, he had indeed done her a great favor.

    She saw him smiling lightly, stopping where he was. It seemed as if he was waiting for her to approach him. If she did not go over, it would seem as if she was feeling guilty even though she did feel a little guilty. However, what was hidden under the noble appearance was not innocence and purity. When they met at the General Manor, the killing intent that he exuded was carved into her heart. She knew then, that he had wanted to kill her. However, she did not know why he helped her in the end.

    That military arts book was definitely not the main reason for him letting her off and helping her...

    It was fortunate that she was not hung up on that either!

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu with her and left the fake mountain. The breeze caught her satin dress, making her seem weak and slender in the vastness of the ce. She stood, poised and attractive. Her slender waist was hidden by the billowing of her skirts. The purity of the young girl held an indescribable charm that was extremely attractive.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes shone and he could not help but size her up. Under the sun, he could see the slender girl clearly. There was a slightly shy expression on her pale face. She bit her lips somewhat childishly. Her eyes shone bright and clear with purity and also a hint of youth. She was just a beautiful as when he hadst seen her. Her slightly upturned eyes and her shy appearance were all signs of her beauty.

    It was not the beauty of flowers blooming, but it was the beauty of a shy, charming orchid. It was fresh and natural.

    This charm was not reduced by her undeveloped body, but instead, added a breath of freshness and naturalness. She was beautiful in her quiet elegance, seeming ethereal as if she was a fairy who had fallen into the human world. Every time he looked at her, he felt as if she was getting more and more beautiful.

    Compared to her, the other gracious noble young women all felt fake and intentional.

    Bai Yihao stared at her quietly until she appeared before him.

    "Greetings, Sir Bai. Many thanks for your help that day!" She looked down and smiled gently, curtsying sincerely.

    "Are things always like that at the manor?" Bai Yihao smiled and asked.

    Mo Xuetong looked up and blinked. She did not understand what he meant. She only understood what he meant when she saw the vague smile on his handsome face. She could not stand the searing heat in his eyes and quickly lowered her head. The tips of her toes scuffed the ground subconsciously and she answered with a little hesitation, "All is fine. Perhaps I have just arrived and there are some things that I cannot ept..."

    Everything that happened to the Mo family was a family matter. A matter like that had not only embarrassed Mo Xuemin but also her as well. She was the main daughter of the Mo family, which was why she did not intend to talk about it in detail with anyone else. Furthermore, she did not think that Bai Yihao was interested in knowing what was happening in other manors. Ever since she had been a target of his threat, she knew that beneath the veneer of gentleness was a vicious and bloodthirsty heart.

    If not because of what happened in her past life, and how she could remember the pure and clean youth before her with bloodstained hands and the bloody crown that sat on his head, she would not be able to imagine the youth with the sunny disposition before her could do something like that.

    This was a heartless person, so why would he bother with the trivial matters of another family?

    "Do you want me to help you again!?" Bai Yihao¡¯s smile grew even more gentle when he saw her answering carefully. He reached out subconsciously to touch her long hair. But she had suddenly looked up and smiled at him.

    Mo Xuetong had not expected such an action. She could not believe that he would do something so rude but had retracted his hand so elegantly and naturally with a smile. It was as if he did not feel that his actions earlier were not suitable and against etiquette.

    She bit her lips gently and carefully took two steps back. She curtsied and answered politely and distantly, "Many thanks, Sir Bai!"

    She did not dare to ask him for his help. She just wanted to stay away from him for some reason. If she attracted the attention of Bai Yihao because of such a small matter in the family, she would not be able to settle it. An ambitious person like him who was in charge of the nation and yed games of chess with politics was someone she could not afford to offend.

    She only wanted to get revenge for what happened in her past life. She wanted nothing to do with anything else!

    She did not know why the famous Bai Yihao would say that.

    She just wanted to stay far away from him subconsciously!

    No matter Feng Yuran or Bai Yihao, they were both people she could not risk offending. The best thing to do is to stay away from them. Far far away!

    She did not exist in their world and they should not exist in her world!

    Bai Yihao did not look upset at all when she refused. Instead, he looked at her with a faint smile and did not say anything else. He brought his men along with him. The breeze caught his robes which were as white as snow. He was gracious and elegant. A person like this should be like the light and the moon, but she knew that he was neither!

    "Miss, they are calling us back. The banquet is about to begin!" Mo Lan reminded her softly when she saw Mo Xuetong standing there silently.

    Indeed, the noble young men anddies who were scattered across the garden were all heading to a certain ce.

    The flower appreciation banquet was really about to begin!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 45 You Yuechengs Anger

    The banquet was held within the imperial gardens. Perhaps most of the crowd had already gone over, so there was not any whispering like just now. All that was left was the autumn scenery and the blooming flowers of the maple trees. It was beautiful! The scent of the osmanthus flowers drifted in the wind, making one feel refreshed.

    She stood under the osmanthus tree and raised her head, taking a deep breath. A sweet refreshing scent filled her nose. Even the air smelt fresh. The breeze blew across, casing a few flowers to fall off the tree and onto her beautiful, porcin-like face. Her face looked clean and wless. Her longshes fluttered. The flowers slid off her face slowly. Her pink lips tugged upwards gently. She was in a rather good mood!

    Mo Xuetong had been embarrassed today!

    The First Miss Mo who had always pretended to be gentle and elegant had been utterly embarrassed today. Many would begin to doubt First Miss Mo, who was known to be gracious and kind. She did not wish to reveal the true side of Mo Xuemin today since it would make others think that she was being mean.

    However, even if she did not say it outright, everyone would suspect Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin.

    A crack had already been formed. It was not that easy to fix it so that it would look the same as before. Even if Mo Xuetong used ten times the effort she had used before, it might not necessarily allow her to appear as gentle and gracious as she had before. As long as suspicion had been cast upon her, it would be much easier to tear off her fake mask in the future.

    However, this was not something that could be done in a day! He would send the old man to his father. She trusted that her father would be able to make him speak.

    "Third Miss Mo is indeed skillful. You¡¯ve managed to make First Miss Mo guilty in just a few words. Is this something a younger sister should do? Third Miss Mo, do you only have that much grace and tolerance?" A cold voice full of disdain could be heard.

    Mo Xuetong opened her eyes. Light glinted in them as she looked at You Yuecheng. He stood there with his hands on his back, looking at her coldly and disdainfully with his head raised proudly.

    "Sir, I don¡¯t know how I have offended you for you to ask such a question. Who are you to the Mo family?" Mo Xuetongughed lightly. She had seen this person both earlier and in her past life. He had always sided with Mo Xuemin and looked at her ever so warmly and gently. She did not expect that he would be so cold to her when they were alone. He must have always not liked her.

    She did not wish to speak with unimportant people like him. He looked as if he was interested in questioning her and lookedpletely like he was going to protect Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuemin had plotted well to find someone to pick on Mo Xuetong so quickly. She must have betted that Mo Xuetong would not dare to behave too wildly since she had just entered the pce. They were all going to frame her.

    Mo Xuetong was already feeling impatient, which was why she was less cautious while speaking. After all, this man was not Feng Yuran and Bai Yihao, he did not instill in her a sense of wariness. Since he did not like her, why would she have to suffer his verbal abuse?

    "You..." You Yucheng did not expect a woman to argue against him. She looked smiled gently, but there was a hint of hatred in her clear eyes. This made him angry for some reason. She was just a sly woman pretending to be gentle. How dare she embarrass Mo Xuemin in front of others? You Yuecheng felt anger surge up him when he was Mo Xuemin crying softly by the fake mountain. He decided to berate Mo Xuetong since he was walking on the same path as her!

    However, Mo Xuetong was so unexpectedly tough. She had overturned his statement with just a sentence. She was smiling gently and innocently but it felt tough and hard. She had even asked who he was, implying that he did not have the right to interfere with her family matter. You Yuecheng saw red.

    This was the first time he was being mocked by a pure and innocent young woman.

    "Third Miss Mo, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve been too much? If one sees something unfair, they would speak up about it. Third Miss Mo has ruined First Miss Mo¡¯s reputation, don¡¯t you think you look petty? Could it be that the rumors about Third Miss Mo are all true?" You Yuecheng said coldly and angrily.

    "Sir, what do you think is unfair? Have I scolded my elder sister? Or have I said that she has ndered me?" Mo Xuetong asked him with a gentle smile, her expression not changing as she looked at You Yuecheng who looked determined to continue arguing. Her voice was sweet and she looked rather adorable as she turned her head.

    However, the sharpness in her voice was something You Yuecheng rarely experienced!

    A gentle girl like her had such sharp words! He could not help but start to take Mo Xuetong seriously.

    Had she scolded Mo Xuemin? No. Had she ndered Mo Xuemin? No. In the end, she had still pleaded for Mo Xuemin.

    No matter how they looked at the matter, she had done what she could for her sister.

    However, this conclusion made You Yuecheng even more annoyed and his eyes grew sharper.

    If he had not heard Mo Xuemin crying to Mo Jin softly, he would not have known that the innocent looking girl was so evil. She had not only gotten her Auntie locked up, but she had also even gotten her father to scold her sister. Not only had she deliberately ruined her sister¡¯s reputation, she even forced her before a crowd of people. So what if this woman was stunningly beautiful? She only had a beautiful face but had an evil heart.

    You Yuecheng hated women like this. Ling Mingyan was one, and so was Third Miss Mo who looked gentle and fragile.

    He tempered down the disgust in his heart and said coldly, "Third Miss Mo, do you think that this is meaningful?"

    "Sir, do you think I have done wrong?" Even though Mo Xuetong was still smiling, her eyes had cooled down. She frowned slightly and asked in an unhurried manner.

    "Do you not know that you have done wrong?" You Yuechengughed coldly and stared at Mo Xuetong. Patches of sunlight streamed down through the leaves and onto Mo Xuetong, making it feel as if it was hard to see her beautiful face

    "Sir, do you think that everything my elder sister says is true. That everything she says about me is true, and that I would definitely be framed by her. And that it is my fault if I don¡¯t allow her to get me into trouble?" Mo Xuetong smiled beautifully. She was coy in her innocence but her eyes grew colder and colder.

    She did not like You Yuecheng, and could naturally sense the enmity that You Yuecheng was exuding. Judging by his appearance, he was definitely from a noble family. It was likely that he was powerful. However, so what? Should Mo Xuemin ruin her just because she had backing? In her past life, Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun had ruined herpletely, making her end miserable. Should the reason for her rebirth to just be so that she could be framed by Mo Xuemin again?

    So that she can make her life worse than living death...

    If this was so, then why did she need to live? If it was to suffer the pain she had once felt, she would rather she had never lived.

    She was not interested in knowing who the person in front of her was. When she thought of what happened to her in her past life and how the fire billowed in the wedding hall, and the pain when she drank the poison, she felt as if she could not breathe and as if her wound was being torn open. She fisted her hand tightly under her sleeves and could not maintain the smile on her face anymore.

    She took two steps back and hid and hatred in her eyes. She said coldly, "Sir, if you think that I should be hurt by her, then I have nothing to say and do not wish to say anything else. You may think what you want. You are determined that I am in the wrong and havee to find me. What do you wish to do? Make me apologize? Sir, don¡¯t you think this is unnecessary? If someone has ruined everything of yours, I don¡¯t know if you would be so gracious to forgive that person for everything he¡¯s done. If someone ps one side of your face, you would offer the other side to show off your unique elegance and graciousness. If you can do that, then I can only apologize. I cannot live in peace with someone who has hurt me."

    She had spoken very impolitely, and a surge of anger had torn apart the peace she had tried very hard to fake. She only realized she had spoken so openly after she was done and it had stunned the man. However, she did not regret it. That pain that suffocated her heart was always present.

    It suffocated her at every moment and had exploded now. She looked up and her clear eyes were filled with hatred and coldness. You Yuecheng backed away unnaturally and could not reply. He looked at her proud raised chin and how she was looking at him coldly. She did not wish to speak with him any longer. She brought Mo Lan with her and the two of them walked past him, not sparing him another nce.

    "Third Miss Mo, you¡¯re too rude!" You Yuecheng paused and immediately tried to shame her as he watched her slender figure walk by him.

    The person in front suddenly stopped.

    "And are you Sir, not being rude? You stopped a nobledy just to stand up for my elder sister. Have you never thought that such an act is also impolite to others? Or perhaps you think you were being righteous? It all depends on perspective. You may have been standing up for my sister, but have you ever considered that I was the one speaking the truth?!" Mo Xuetong did not turn around, but her expression had softened.

    It was just a random passerby, so why was there a need to argue with him? No matter what Mo Xuemin said to him, she did not have to say anything. Mo Xuemin had to be guarded against, but she was no pushover either. Everyone was doing things based on their own abilities. So what if Mo Xuemin found a man to speak up for her? No other man had the right to speak up about matters within the Mo family.

    With that, she ignored You Yuecheng¡¯s darkening expression and walked off with Mo Lan. Her eyes were dark and deep, looking as if they had experienced millennia of coldness.

    You Yuecheng paused behind her and watched her retreating back. He could not forget her explosion of hatred and ager. That deep dark hatred had shocked even him. How strong was that hatred for it to have made a gentle girl¡¯s eyes so sharp and cold?

    Even though it was just for a moment, he could still sense her strong hatred, anger, and resentment. What had she experienced for her to be so extreme at a young age? She was vicious and had hurt her sisters. That hatred was an all-epassing hatred. How could so much hatred fit inside a slender body like hers?

    He suddenly realized that things may not be as he thought!

    As the Ming duke¡¯s son, he had indeed behaved rashly today.

    Even though he liked Mo Xuemin and felt that she was gracious and gentle, he had never had any other thoughts for her. After all, she was just a daughter of a fifth-grade officer¡¯s concubine. The difference between them was toorge. As such, even though he admired Mo Xuemin¡¯s character, he had never done anything out of bounds. Why had he behaved so rashly today?

    As the Ming duke¡¯s son, You Yuecheng had never been one to be rash. Now that he had calmed down, he realized that he had been too careless today!

    So what if they were daughters of the Mo family, they had nothing to do with him?

    He had behaved too oddly today. Was it because of his grandmother¡¯s suggestion a few days ago? His expression darkened. He waved his hand and turned in another direction. Men should not interfere with matters of the back courtyard. Furthermore, it was not even his manor. He had indeed behaved too flippantly today. His thoughts had been messed up by his grandmother¡¯s words.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 46 The Competition

    "Miss, shall we go up to Sir You and tell him..." Mo Xuemin stood with Mo Jin under a tree not far away. She had crushed the leaves on the ground.

    "Tell him what?" Mo Xueminughed coldly, a poisonous look on her face. She had underestimated her third sister. She waspletely different and was no longer the weak and cowardly Mo Xuetong. She even dared to go against You Yuecheng without any fear. They had conversed a distance away and Mo Xuemin could not hear what they said. However, she saw You Yuecheng flushing with anger.

    "Miss, we can talk about how Third Miss keeps stirring up trouble at home again. We can talk about how she¡¯s been trying to get you into trouble so that he will find trouble with her." Mo Jin had always served Mo Xuemin and was naturally loyal to her. She hurried to give suggestions in a timid manner when she saw how angry Mo Xuemin was.

    "He will only get suspicious if we say anything else!" Mo Xuemin looked at You Yuecheng who was walking away and gritted her teeth. More haste, less speed. The flower appreciation banquet was about to begin. There was still the Empress to get through. Mo Xuetong would not be able to get through today without a scratch.

    The empress and five princesses sat at the main seats. The three princes who were seated by the side had attracted much attention. There was King Chu, who was gentle and elegant. There was King Wang, who looked rather schrly, and King Xuan, the eighth prince most doted on by Emperor Zongwen, who was very handsome and charming. Finally, there was Bai Yihao, whom no one expected to be sitting there.

    The two most handsome men of their time were sitting together. One was roguish and charming while the other was as pure and elegant as the moon. They attracted the shy nces of thedies. Thedies hid their faces and peeked at them asionally.

    The men and women were not seated far apart. They were just separated by bushes of flowers. However, they could still see each other¡¯s faces through the gaps in the blooms. Their voices could be heard sporadically as well.

    Even though there wasughter amongst the women, it was very soft. The men did not pay that much attention to their volume. Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze fell on the nanmu wood seat at the side through the blooms. Feng Yuran was swirling a wine cup in his hand casually. He looked more bored than interested. There was a vague smile on the corners of his lips that seemed a littlezy. He would sometimes turn to speak with the people around him. But even from such a distance, Mo Xuetong could sense the impatience in the man.

    He must have long wanted the banquet to end quickly! She knew from how he would raise his eyebrows from time to time.

    For some reason, a smile appeared on her lips and her eyes started to shine.

    "Third Sister, what have you seen that made you so happy?" Mo Xuemin, the First Miss of the Mo family who had a good reputation, asked in a gentle manner beside her.

    Mo Xuetong did not know who had arranged the seats, but the two of them were seated together. However, this could be easily exined. After all, they were a family. However, what Mo Xuetong could not stand the most was how Mo Xuemin had been pretending to be a gracious and gentle older sister the entire night. It was as if she had not noticed that the two of them had almost fallen out earlier.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be in awe of Mo Xuemin. She had only been criticized earlier, and even until now, people were still talking about her. Yet, she smiled as if nothing had happened and was just as gracious and gentle as before. This was truly surprising. Mo Xuemin¡¯s acting was amazing, she was indeed highly skilled. No wonder she had lost to her so badly in her past life.

    However, Mo Xuetong was, after all, a person who had lived two lives. She was not slow when it came to handling Mo Xuemin. She turned and smiled gently, saying, "Eldest Sister, look at the chrysanthemum over there. What kind of species is that? Why have I never seen chrysanthemums like that? Eldest Sister, do you remember the temple in Cloud City? Mother took us there then and Auntie came with us as well. There were plenty of chrysanthemums there, but none of them were as beautiful as this."

    Back then, Auntie Fang had just been a mere serving concubine. She did not have any power to speak of. Mo Xuemin had buttered up to Mo Xuetong in everything. This was something that Mo Xuemin felt ashamed about even when she thought of it now. A hint of darkness shed through her eyes and she almost lost the smile on her face. She breathed in deeply and immediately turned her attention to the chrysanthemum flowers. She was in the pce and had to behave even more gently and gracious than she usually did.

    Mo Xuetong was pointing to a vase of beautiful chrysanthemums on the stand. The petals were a pale pink color, but there were hints of yellow in the middle of the flower. It made the pot of flowers looked rather enchanting and eye-catching.

    "Even though there is plenty of that variety over there in Cloud City, how can theypare to the flowers in the pce? I heard that the flowers in Cloud City were all inferior flowers sent there by the pce. This pot of chrysanthemum is the best among them all. You won¡¯t be able to see them in Cloud City. If you like it, I can take you to the flower market to pick out a few pots. You might be able to pick out the best ones and ce them in your garden. I have always felt that your garden was a little in." Mo Xuemin looked at the flowers as she looked in the direction where Mo Xuetong was pointing. It was as if she had not heard the underlying meaning in Mo Xuetong¡¯s words and covered her smile with her handkerchief.

    "Are there more beautiful flowers than the ones in the pce at the flower market?" Mo Xuetong asked softly in surprise. There was a hint of innocent desire in her bright eyes as she looked at the pot of chrysanthemum.

    "That¡¯s not for sure. After all, there is always something better. Even though there are more precious treasures in the pce, there might be others out there. If you really like this, shall we go together tomorrow?" Mo Xuemin said with a light smile on her face. Her words all made sense and she spoke sincerely. Anyone else who heard her would think that she was being considerate towards her sister.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips looking somewhat shy but she looked at the pot of flowers longingly. She could not make up her mind right there and then.

    "Go on, it¡¯s alright. Even though Father likes orchids, he likes beautiful chrysanthemums too. We can pick out a pot for him tomorrow. He will definitely like it if we give it to him together." Mo Xuemin continued.

    It was rare for Mo Xuemin to be so friendly. It seemed that she badly wanted Mo Xuetong to go out with her tomorrow. Mo Xuemin was a person who would not suck up to Mo Xuetong, especially since the two of them had almost had a falling out in front of everyone earlier!

    "Eldest Sister, your words have shamed me greatly. I have only considered myself, but you have been thinking of Father. If I don¡¯t go, it would look bad on me. Many thanks, Eldest Sister, for caring so much for Father. I should learn from you in the future. If you are free tomorrow, then please apany me to pick out a pot of flowers for Father." Mo Xuetong said, ashamed and guilty.

    Mo Xuemin had already said things to that extent in front of so many people. If she did not agree, it would make her seem unfilial!

    How could she not agree!

    No matter what Mo Xuemin nned to do tomorrow, she just had to tread carefully!

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile grew when she heard Mo Xuetong agree. She behaved even more warmly and held her hand, saying to her in a friendly manner, "We are sisters, of course I will apany you. I have my failings too. I even mistakenly believed what others said earlier and almost caused you to be misunderstood. It was my wrong as your elder sister. Please forgive me for my thoughtless mistake or I will feel guilty forever."

    She had first indicated that their rtionship was good and exined what happened earlier. Mo Xuetong looked at thedies around them who were all listening to them intently even though they had not turned around. Sheughed to herself coldly. Mo Xuemin wanted to use this chance to smooth the situation over. If she seemed really innocent, who would me the First Miss Mo who had always been known to be kind and gracious? However, Mo Xuemin must be dreaming!

    "Eldest Sister, you¡¯re too kind to me. How would I me you? I think it was a misunderstanding earlier. I must have offended someone that they would plot against me the moment I entered the capital. Fortunately, you were there to help me then. I will always remember how kind you are to me." Mo Xuetong smiled coyly. She looked at Mo Xuemin innocently and as if she was truly grateful to her.

    Everyone could hear from her gentle reply that she was being very sincere.

    No matter what, they all felt that the First Miss treated Third Miss very well, and that there might really have been a misunderstanding earlier. However, when they thought of it carefully, something seemed odd. Since Mo Xuemin had helped to settle the incident at the city gates, then why did she not exin on behalf of her sister earlier? Instead, she had given a vague answer that would make others suspicious of Mo Xuetong. If she was really present, with her talents, could she not see anything clearly?

    Third Miss Mo had just returned to the capital and she had been plotted against. Then, First Miss Mo had appeared to settle the problem and the rumors started. When First Miss Mo heard the rumors, she had not answered clearly and instead seemed to be admitting Third Miss Mo¡¯s guilt. Then, First Miss Mo had appeared at the flower appreciation party where she should not be present and pointed straight out that Mo Xuetong was guilty. All these incidents did not make it seem as if Mo Xuemin was trying to protect her younger sister...

    The more they listened, the more something smelled fishy!

    Yet, the girl looked at her elder sister innocently and with pure gratitude as if she was not wary of her at all...

    Sisters? What kind of sisters!

    Mo Xuemin had already keenly sensed the disdain from the otherdies. Even though she hated Mo Xuetong for being ignorant, she did not react at all. She continued smiling kindly to maintain her image. Sheforted Mo Xuetong gently and did not dare to mention what had happened earlier again. She only talked about casual matters to show off their good rtionship.

    The elder sister¡¯s gentle questions and the younger sister¡¯s innocent reply made it seem as if the two of them got along very well.

    How fake! Feng Yuran¡¯s eyebrows twitched up.

    The younger sister was so fake it would make one¡¯s jaw drop, and the older sister was even more diligent at being fake. The two Mo sisters were very entertaining. However, he got to know Mo Xuetong first, so Feng Yuran felt that even though the younger sister was fake, she was adorable. However, the elder sister was very annoying!

    His charming gaze swept over King Yan andnded on Bai Yihao, who was seated in the crowd. Celebrities were celebrities. They were always the center of the crowd no matter where they were. If it weren¡¯t for his aloof position, it would be difficult for them to even meet him. The elegant and distant sounds of the Qin could be heard and the chattering grew softer. Everyone quietened down to carefully listen to the touching music.

    For that moment, only the sounds of music could be heard in their hearts. It was as if their hearts were being cleansed, bing crystal clear.

    Bai Yihao yed the instrument, and his musical abilities were just as great as his medical abilities. The entire ce fell silent the moment he started ying. Everyone stopped what they were doing and sat up straight to listen to him carefully.

    The music hung in the air. It was like the flowing streams in the mountain, and like the moving clouds in the sky. It had an unspeakable natural charm and every worry in the mortal realm was washed away by water. Their hearts became cleansed and pure!

    However, could human hearts really be as clear as water? Mo Xuetong sighed lightly and closed her eyes. If human hearts could really be as clear as water, would she have died in such a terrible manner in her previous life? It was not just a singr life, but many had died. When she listened to the seemingly distant music, she recalled the day of the fire. The poison, the vitriol and that hateful, madughter.

    It hurt so much she could not breathe. Her hands clenched tightly under the table and pained look appeared on her calm face. The sound of the music did not sound distant anymore. Instead, it was like a sword that pierced through Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart bloodily. Oh, the endless pain, the endless hatred, and the endless regret!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze returned to Mo Xuetong in the end. When he saw that she was like the others, listening to the music softly, he harrumphed softly and grew unhappy. He was about to ruin the elegant atmosphere when he saw the change in Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression. It was as if she was recalling something that brought her pain and suffering. Sweat appeared on her pale face as she sat there, and she bit her lips forcefully. Her lips were as pale as her face. Her longshes flutter. She seemed to be in so much pain...

    He frowned slightly and picked up his chopsticks, tapping them to the music. It fit and yet did not. The chopsticksnded every time the music changed, and the distant music flowed into the ugly and rough tapping. It made one feel as if they could not breathe and as if there was something stuck in their chest. It felt extremely ufortable!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 47 The Empress at the Flower Appreciation Banquet

    All of them were startled by the sound of drumming. They glowered at the man who disturbed Bai Yihao¡¯s elegant piano music. They only realized it was King Xuan ying a prank when they saw thezy and charming smile on his handsome face. They thought about how King Xuan was very much favored by Emperor Zongwen and did not dare to say much. Their angry stares turned into kind smiles instead.

    The situation in the pce now was very much different from before. No one dared to offend King Xuan because he was the son Emperor Zongwen doted on the most.

    There were only two princes who were of age by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side in the past.

    The eldest prince was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan and third prince, King Yan, Feng Yulei. They were the only two who had the ability topete for the throne.

    King Chu¡¯s mother was Concubine Su. She was the only person who wasparable to the Empress. Even though her maternal family were not from the Four Great Manors but were new money, the Su family were reputable in court because of Concubine Su¡¯s favored status. They were not any weaker than the Four Great Manors. Furthermore, the Eldest Prince was the oldest prince and was gentle and polite, which was why many thought that he had potential. Even though they did not support him wholly obviously, they showed their support more or less in private.

    King Yan¡¯s situation was different from King Chu¡¯s. His mother was the Empress¡¯ sister who had died young. He was brought up by the Empress and had the Ding General Manor behind him. The power of the Ding General Manor and the Empress, as well as the Empress Dowager who acted behind the scenes, meant that no one dared to underestimate him. He was definitely the strongest in terms of power.

    Compared to the gentleness and elegance of King Yan, King Chu seemed to be more simple. He was known to be interested in literature and poetry. He was known to be a celebrity. The two of them were formidable characters.

    If there were no idents, one of the two of age princes would get the throne!

    While King Xuan, Feng Yuran, who had suddenly appeared, was much doted on by Emperor Zongwen, everyone treated him as a regr prince.

    Hisck of support on his maternal side was his greatest weakness. Concubine Xian, who was said to be extremely beautiful, was just a girl from a wealthy family. Even though she had be a doted concubine, she could not raise her family¡¯s status. It was obvious from this that her family were not very capable. Without the support of a powerful maternal family in court, he would not be able to shine.

    Furthermore, he was willful and had a reputation of being a phnderer soon after he returned. He had once visited all the famous brothels in the capital within a day and brought the most beautiful courtesans back to his manor. Emperor Zongwen was so angry he locked him up for two weeks. However, he did not stop after that and would asionally cause trouble with his womanizing behavior.

    He had a reputation for being a womanizer at such a young age, and many who have seen him felt that it was such a pity for he was extremely handsome! Such a handsome youth who had such a noble status did not intend to improve himself and get a court position. Instead, he was only interested in sex. How could others not feel that it is a waste?

    The Empress pursed her lips in disdain. She clicked her fingers lightly on the table to signal the pce maids by her side and then stood up. Eunuchs and pce maids had already gone to help her up and leave.

    The pce maid following behind her immediately understood. When she brought her servants away, she took two steps up and appeared before the crowd. She said loudly, "The Empress has given her orders. Thedies mentioned below are to see her at Xiayun Hall." Then, she took out a list and called out a dozen names.

    Mo Xuetong was among the ones mentioned.

    How could she be also on the Empress¡¯ list? Mo Xuetong looked up in shock. She caught the satisfied grin on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face and she frowned. She felt that something was odd. She had not participated in this banquet in her past life and did not know what happened there. She saw the girls who walked out from the crowd. They were all seated quite far away from the Empress like she was.

    The seating in the pce was arranged strictly by ss. This meant that the girls¡¯ fathers were of about the same position as her father. There were not any main daughters of officials third ss and above involved.

    "Third Miss Mo? Please follow me to see the Empress." A pce maid greeted her with a curtsy politely, not allowing her to think of this anymore.

    No matter how bewildered she felt, she could only stand up and leave with the pce maid.

    Xiayun Hall was not part of the Empress¡¯ pce. Mo Xuetong only recalled that there were not any concubines living there. Even if the Empress wanted to meet people from the banquet, she could just meet them here. Why did they have to go to Xiayun Hall? Even though she heard that the banquet was to search for wives for the princes, none of the girls picked earlier were from extremely noble families.

    The princes were nobility and not even concubines who were from regr families would choose girls from less noble families.

    Furthermore, with the Empress¡¯ status, why would she bother with helping the prince¡¯s pick out a few concubines?

    A sudden thought shed through her mind, and Mo Xuetong could not help but bite her lips tightly.

    If the Empress was not picking for the princes, then was she picking for the emperor? As the main wife of the Emperor, she was gracious and virtuous. She had to be prepared to ept the Emperor taking in concubines. The Empress did not have any sons, so she needed even more so to disy this graciousness. It was natural for her to help the Emperor pick out concubines. However, she would not allow any concubines who came after her to steal the limelight from her and threaten her position. As such, she picked the daughters of some low ranking officials.

    If this was so, then the Empress¡¯ actions were truly understandable. Her father was a fifth-grade official and was not any high ranking official. What happened in the pce was a reflection of what happened in the court. Without a powerful family, it did not matter no matter how much the Emperor favored you. So Why would the high and mighty Empress bother with the powerless concubines?

    No wonder there were rumors that the princes were choosing concubines earlier on. The Empress must be using this false rumor. Even though she ruled her six pces, she was not the birth mother of any prince.

    If Mo Xuetong had not guessed wrongly, they would definitely meet Emperor Zongwen in Xiayun Hall.

    If Emperor Zongwen liked them, they could only depend on the Empress since their families were not powerful. They would definitely be chess pieces of the Empress.

    No wonder Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile was so satisfied earlier. Mo Xuetong could even sense the lifting of her lips. If she really entered the pce and became someone¡¯s chesspiece, it would only lead to the sess of the Mo family. Mo Xuemin would be more and more sessful because of her. Then, she would find a way to make Auntie Fang the matriarch of the family. Then, Mo Xuetong would not be able to interfere since she could not get out of the pce. She would only be able to watch as the mother and daughter be as pleased with themselves as they were in her past life.

    She would definitely not allow something like this to happen.

    She looked at a bush by the roadside with her clear eyes. She gritted her teeth and when she saw that no one around was looking at her, she lifted her legs to step on the edges of her skirt. If she were to step on it, she would fall into the bushes and would look utterly pathetic. Or perhaps, she could be injured. She would only be able to save herself in this way.

    "Where did this Misse from? You look familiar." A gentle voice appeared from the side. A few pce maids appeared at the crossroads. Standing among them, was a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties. Her in colored dress could not hide her noble aura. She stood there straight and upright, looking ethereal and calm as she looked at Mo Xuetong with gentle eyes.

    Mo Xuetong quickly hid her foot.

    "Greetings, Your Highness." Pce maids curtsied and greeted her. Everyone curtsied together with them.

    It was the Princess Royal. Mo Xuetong was curious. The princess she had imagined was a person who was dressed elegantly and was sharp and stern. She should not look like how she did now. She was ethereal and looked as if she belonged in another dimension where everything was clean and pure. One could see that she was a calm and gentle person from her smiling eyes.

    She feltpletely different from how she was in Mo Xuetong¡¯s previous life.

    In her past life, the son of the princess¡¯ nursemaid had been involved in the incident in Cloud City and had been beheaded! The princess had been determined to investigate the incident and finally discovered that it was a false usation from the Fu General to drag down the princess and force her to plead with Emperor Zongwen...

    After the princess found out about it, she went full out against the general manor. Everything that happened after that was done by the princess. The fall of the general manor had directly caused Mo Xuetong¡¯s death. As such, in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart, the princess was noble and stern. The princess before her waspletely different. Was it the princess in this world had changed or was the princess originally like that!

    However, no matter what, Mo Xuetong knew that this was her opportunity to flee!

    She took two steps forward and curtsied to the Princess Royal. "Mo Xuetong greets Your Highness."

    She did not hope that the princess would take her away, but at least she could stall for time. Furthermore, the princess would not say what she had said for no reason. Thest time Mo Xuetong had gifted her with the orchid, she had also written down the name of the mastermind of the plot in Cloud City. She believed that the princess would be able to solve the case quickly with that. Her nursemaid¡¯s son would not die and she would not go against Mo Xuetong¡¯s maternal family.

    "You are Mo Xuetong, aren¡¯t you. Get up. Is your mother Luo Xia of the Fu General Manor?" The princess smiled and asked gently.

    "She is my mother. Does Your Highness know my mother?" Mo Xuetong stood up straight and smiled respectfully.

    "Your mother is younger than me. I did not expect her to pass away before me, leaving behind you..." The princess¡¯ voice sounded rather sad.

    She was only one year older than Luo Xia and they have known each other since they were children. Furthermore, they got along well and were like sisters. It was odd that Princess Royal Mingzhu did not have a good rtionship with the Empress¡¯ birth daughter, Princess Royal Yunruo, but was closer to Luo Xia. The two of them got married on the same day. However, the two grew distant after marriage.

    However, today, her old friend was already gone. There was only the girl in front of her whose crystal clear eyes exuded faint sadness.

    "Princess, the Empress wants thesedies to see her at Xiayun Hall." The leading pce maid said awkwardly when she saw the Princess Royal talking with Mo Xuetong and did not look like she would leave anytime soon.

    "Why is the Empress looking for thesedies?" The princess seemed to only realize that she was blocking the way then. Her gaze turned from Mo Xuetong to the other girls.

    "Her Highness likes that thesedies are beautiful and adorable. So she would like to see them in private." The pce maid did not dare to say that the Emperor wanted to see them, and so could only answer in this roundabout way.

    "Then leave this one behind. Third Miss Mo and are quite fated. I have met the descendant of an old friend." The princess waved her hand casually and signaled for the others to leave.

    "Princess..."The pce maid hesitated.

    "What? I am just asking the daughter of an old friend to stay behind to chat. Would the Empress be unhappy about that?" The Princess Royal narrowed her eyes slightly at the pce maid. Even though she was smiling, her smile was rather frigid.

    "Your servant does not dare." Her Highness was being too serious. The pce maid was so afraid she knelt down with a thud.

    "Tell the Empress that I¡¯m taking her with me. I have always been close with Miss Luo and her daughter is my niece. The Empress won¡¯t object to this, will she?" The princess waved at Mo Xuetong and signaled for her to go over with a smile. Then, she turned down another path.

    Mo Xuetong immediately followed her obediently.

    The pce maid who was kneeling on the path only stood up when she saw that the princess had walked away. She looked at the remaining girls and could only lead them to Xiayun Hall helplessly.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 48 The Princess Royal Grows Angry Upon Reminiscing About the Past

    The path in the garden was very quiet. There were a few pce maids who followed behind them. There was quite a distance between them. Only Mo Xuetong followed the Princess Royal closely. The path was covered by fallen autumn leaves, and every stem she took felt as if they were a blow to her heart. They were noisy and yet quiet and for some reason, felt lonely. The princess did not speak but only continued to walk forward slowly.

    The cold air of thete autumn had not affected the sights of the imperial garden. It was still blooming with flowers. However, Mo Xuetong felt that the princess radiated an aura of failure for some reason. The young princess felt like an old person. It was an odd feeling that she could not put in words but could sense.

    The garden was covered in flowers, but it could not hide the loneliness in her eyes. She had lost the imposing aura she had earlier.

    "I nted this tree with your mother. Your mother said then that if we were fated to, she would take her child here to give the tree more fertilizer in 20 years." The princess stood under the tree. It was an ordinary maple tree that was not considered tall or strong. However, Mo Xueteong spotted the newyer of fertilizer under the tree and that there were no weeds surrounding it. It was evident that it had been well taken care of.

    "My mother has also spoken about Your Highness to me before. She said that you are a straightforward person..." Mo Xuetong said. Actually, her mother had never once spoken with her about the Princess Royal. If the princess had not mentioned it, she would not have known about the rtionship the two shared.

    In her past life, she had never met the Princess Royal even until the day she died.

    "How did your mother pass away?" The Princess Royal changed the topic. She looked at the maple tree before them and asked lightly.

    "She died of illness. Her health has always been poor. It would sometimes get better, and sometimes, it would get worse. After that, there was nothing that could be done..." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew red and she bit her lips, trying to hide the bitterness in her eyes.

    She was still young then and could not understand why her mother¡¯s face had always been so pale and drawn. She had even thrown a tantrum to get Luo Xia to take her out to y. It seemed like it was a different world when she thought about it now.

    "Even though your mother has passed, but at least your father still remembers her. This life of hers...at least it was not spent in loneliness..." The princess looked at the top of the tree and did not turn back. Mo Xuetong caught the sh at the corner of her eyes.

    Was her mother and the Princess Royal really so close? Why had no one mentioned it to her in her past life?

    "Your father mourned your mother for three years. This was unheard of in Great Qin. Your mother...has married a good man. It¡¯s considered a different form ofpensation." The princess said softly. Her voice was so soft that Mo Xuetong could not tell if she was speaking to herself.

    "Father was with Auntie Fang then. He did not stay by mother¡¯s side." Mo Xuetong said in a curious coincidence.

    "What?" The princess¡¯ body shook and she turned around forcefully and caught hold of Mo Xuetong. Her eyes turned cold immediately as she said, "Your father didn¡¯t stay by your mother¡¯s side but was in a concubine¡¯s room?"

    Her calm expression had been reced with a furious look. She only looked like the image Mo Xuetong had constructed of her in her heart right now.

    "That¡¯s right." Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression darkened and her longshes fluttered, hiding the bitterness in her eyes. She nodded. This was something that had troubled her and she had never told anyone about it. Not even Mother Xu had sensed anything. However, she had for some reason told the princess about the first time she met her.

    "Princess Royal!" The princess¡¯ personal maid called out worriedly when she saw the princess¡¯ cold gaze.

    The voice seemed to awaken the princess from her reverie. Her hold on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand slowly loosened. She turned around slowly and continued looking at the maple tree. The breeze lifted her skirts. Mo Xuetong could sense that she was suppressing her anger.

    "The Empress has already seen everyone. You can leave now. Bai Ling, get someone to arrange Third Miss Mo¡¯s return." She suddenly ordered coldly.

    "Yes!" Bai Ling answered softly. A young pce maid behind approached. Mo Xuetong curtsied to the princess deeply and silently before following the maid. After walking a short distance, she turned around to see that the princess had not moved from her spot under the tree.

    When Mo Xuetong returned to the banquet, thedies that were summoned by the Empress had only just returned to their seats. Mo Xuemin pretended to ask in concern, "Third Sister, why did the Empress summon you? I was worried for you after you left."

    "Eldest Sister, I fear you will have to be disappointed. I did not see the Empress but met the Princess Royal instead." Mo Xuetong answered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

    "How could you not see the Empress!" Mo Xuemin almost stood up in shock. Her smile almost slipped off her face. It was such a good opportunity to stomp on Mo Xuetong, but it had disappeared just like that. How could she still smile?

    "Eldest Sister, why are you so weird. Are you going to meddle in the affairs of the pce as well? I can¡¯t make the decision to see the Empress or the Princess Royal."

    Mo Xuemin could not say anything in reply to that.

    It was obvious that Mo Xuemin knew what would happen in the pce today. But how did she know about things that happened in the Empress¡¯ pce! She was just a concubine¡¯s daughter. Even if she were a main daughter, how did she get news from the pce? Furthermore, she could enter the pce even though she did not have an invite. Mo Xuemin grew vignt.

    The thought that Mo Xuemin could possibly be connected to some people in the pce made her heart cold. That person was also someone with power. Otherwise, Mo Xuemin would not be able to enter the pce so easily.

    "Third Sister, what are you talking about. I was just concerned for you..." Mo Xuemin calmed down after a while and she said with an unhappy expression. "If Third Sister thinks that I like to meddle in things, I shan¡¯t ask in the future so you wouldn¡¯t get angry and think that I have ulterior motives."

    "How would I dare to be annoyed with Eldest sister. I won¡¯t say anything even if you meddled in my affairs. However, everyone in the pce is much higher ranked. If you annoy them, it might implicate the entire Mo Manor. That is why you should meddle in fewer things. If you meddle in too many things, you¡¯ll just get into trouble." Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice was gentle. Even though thedies sitting by the side could not hear what she was saying, they could see her aggrieved expression.

    A few of them cast suspicious nces on Mo Xuemin. They looked as if they wanted badly to tear off her mouth.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression cooled and she did not pretend any longer. She said angrily, "Third Sister, that¡¯s too much. Are you criticizing me and want me, your elder sister, to apologize to you?"

    "Eldest Sister, what are you talking about? We are both daughters of the Mo Manor and no matter who gets into trouble here in the pce, we will both bring trouble to the Mo Manor. I listen to what you say, but are the things I¡¯ve said not reasonable? It can¡¯t be that whatever the concubine¡¯s daughter is right, but what I, the main daughter, say is wrong.

    Mo Xuemin was the most concerned about the difference between being a main daughter and not. Now that Mo Xuetong mentioned it, her eyes filled with anger and a cold smile appeared on her lips. She suddenly stood up and was about to retort impolitely when she suddenly saw her personal maid Mo Jin hurried out from the crowd.

    Mo Jin walked up to Mo Xuemin¡¯s side and whispered into her ear. Mo Xuemin immediately smiled and nodded her head imperceptibly.

    She took a deep breath. When she turned around, she had already rposed herself. She smiled at Mo Xuetong and said, "Sister, do you want to go and get changed together?" It was as if the two of them had not argued earlier.

    The banquet was almost ending. They could see somedies leaving with their maids from the side doors from time to time.

    "Eldest Sister, you can go along. I don¡¯t feel like going yet." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone. She also pretended as if nothing happened earlier and answered with a smile.

    "Then I shall go over there first. You have to wait for me to go home together!" Mo Xuemin did not persist this time and lifted her chin in a satisfied manner. She turned to leave without waiting for Mo Xuetong to reply.

    The banquet was ending, but it was not yet time to leave. What the remaining time was left for was understood by all. They could use this period of time to see if there was anyone they liked. They could speak a little if there was. The ultimate aim of the flower appreciation banquet was not to admire the blooms. It was just a means to an end!

    If two were interested in each other and the two families were in agreement, the Empress will bestow marriage upon the two. This was much faster than the long winded arrangements between families.

    Of course, some major families did not like the Empress to use such a direct method of arranging marriages. The marriage alliances between families were done with the acknowledgment of both families. Being acknowledged by the royal family might not be the best choice within the family. The two families might be enemies. There was once a pair of youths who came from families politically aligned against each other. They were both attracted to each other the first time they met. However, the two families did not agree to their rtionship. The two pleaded with the Empress at the Flower Appreciation Banquet, and to everyone¡¯s surprise, the Empress agreed to bestow marriage upon them.

    When one thought about this carefully, it was no longer about the struggle between the families of the two youths!

    It was important to keep the imperial power in check and in bnce! It was most looked down against for there to be an alliance between two powerful ns! Political opponents are sometimes more conducive to the checks and bnces to the imperial power. However, the rich and powerful did not like for the marriages between families to be interfered by the imperial power! This was an inevitable sh between the imperial power and the nobles.

    On the surface, the powerful families naturally did not dare to go against the will of the royal family. However, they all warned their children in private that they were not to make private marriage alliances. They were extremely severe and harsh about this matter. After all, the empress would need the excuse of the two children being in love for her to bestow a marriage.

    If there were no private dealings between the children, then how could the royal family interfere in the marriages between nobles so easily!

    There were some things that everyone knew they had to maintain calm headed about!

    The royal family was like this, so was the Empress¡¯ family! It was the same in the Four Great Manors!

    The interactions between the Mo Sisters had already been witnessed by others.

    Mo Xuemin had just left when ady sitting on Mo Xuetong¡¯s other side approached her. She smiled at her, looking very curious. "Third Miss Mo, why is your eldest sister going there at a time like this?"

    It was very quiet in that direction and was the same direction most of thedies were heading towards. Mo Xuemin stood there and looked left and right. No one was paying attention to her. She turned around an osmanthus tree and a flower stand, but headed in a different direction. It was more private there!

    Because of the issues surrounding Mo Xuemin, those around Mo Xuetong immediately saw things clearly. Their eyes shone.

    Mo Xuemin was just a concubine¡¯s daughter, but she seemed noble, gracious and talented. She was also beautiful, which was why there were many main daughters who could notpare to her disliked her. However, she was well-versed at dealing with people and was always friendly. She did not have any weaknesses that others could exploit as well. Some of thedies did not like her but could not find any way to tear her down.

    However, Mo Xuemin had made many mistakes today and this made thedies very excited. This was especially after they listened to the conversation between the Mo sisters. They could see that First Miss Mo who had always been gentle and gracious also had her dark side. They were all excited to tear off her fake mask so that the young noblemen who had praised her often in the past could see that they were the ones who were truly gentle and gracious. That woman was just a concubine¡¯s daughter who was faking it.

    Thedies nced at each other and stood up. They walked towards the secluded corner...

    And one or two went to lure Mo Xuetong forward.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 49 You Will Sing While I Enter the Stage. Its All an Act

    Feng Yuran stood up, his purple robe with gold cors shimmered. He spoke with the two eunuchs beside him with a smile and turned to walk away. The two eunuchs walked away in a different direction. If one looked carefully, the would notice that he was heading in the direction where Mo Xuemin went earlier.

    This was the first time Mo Xuemin was seeing the elegant and gentle King Chu up close.

    His warm dark eyes looked as if they were smiling, making one feel as if they were bathed in the spring wind. He looked very friendly. Mo Xuemin keenly sensed that King Chu treated her differently from the others. His eyes would sweep past the flower racks and the pots of flowers. Even though it did not look as if he was doing it intentionally, his gaze would stop on her for a few more moments.

    This discovery had pleased Mo Xuemin greatly. She was excited and her heart beat quickly. She sat there and tried her best to show off how gentle and delicate she was. King Chu was indeed interested in her. That person had not lied to her. This knowledge excited her so much that she could not sit still after Mo Xuetong left. She felt that King Chu, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes seemed as if he had many things that he wanted to say to her.

    You Yuecheng had already been long abandoned by her. Could the Ming Duke family be nobler than King Chu?

    The good fortunes hade to her too quickly, and was such a huge piece of luck. Mo Xuemin could not even be bothered to fight with Mo Xuetong. She hurriedly brought Mo Jin with her to the pavilion. King Chu had only brought with him a eunuch and no one else. How could Mo Xuemin give up such a rare opportunity!

    She had always been very pleased with her appearance. She had been in the capital for more than a year, and she was the most beautiful among the otherdies.

    It was a pity that her status was lowly. She was not only a concubine¡¯s daughter. Even if she was the main daughter, she would just be the main daughter of a fifth-grade officer. The difference between their status was like heaven and earth. How would she get an opportunity to meet the princes? There was no way for her to get to know them even if she wanted to. Among the other noblemen, only You Yuecheng, who was handsome and noble, seemed to be interested in her. As such, Mo Xuemin had always followed him around.

    Feng Yuxuan could not bepared to the Ming Duke. Sima Lingyun was not even worthy of helping King Chu carry his shoes.

    "Miss, it¡¯s over there. Are we really going over there?" Mo Jin grew nervous when they reached a door opening. She turned around and tugged on Mo Xuemin uneasily.

    "What are you afraid of? Let¡¯s go!" Mo Xuemin frowned unhappily.

    Mo Jin shuddered in fear when she saw Mo Xuemin looking at her coldly. She did not dare to say anything else. She lowered her head and took a few hurried steps forward, avoiding her mistress¡¯ cold re.

    They passed through the door. Not far away, under an osmanthus tree, was a youth wearing blue dragon-print robes. It was evident that he had drunk too much. He covered his face with his sleeve, looking as if he was about to fall asleep. It looked like it was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. The little eunuch had disappeared, leaving behind the sleepy King Chu!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart beat sped up. The opportunity was right before her.

    "Isn¡¯t that your eldest sister? Third Miss Mo, does First Miss Mo have someone she likes? That¡¯s great. We can ask the Empress to bestow marriage upon First Miss Mo." Thedies brought Mo Xuetong through the door to see Mo Xuemin and a man wearing luxurious robes. The impolite jibing began immediately.

    What right did a concubine¡¯s daughter have to ask the Empress to bestow marriage?

    Mo Xuemin had always been proud. She always thought that she would definitely marry well since she was beautiful and talented. She only sucked up to thedies from powerful families and could not be bothered withdies with family backgrounds like hers. Thedies present today all had fathers who were mid-ranking officers like Mo Huawen. They did not like Mo Xuemin usually and would not let go of an opportunity to get her into trouble.

    "The Mo Family has such good teachings. Their eldest daughter is having a private dalliance with someone. It is fortunate that this is a Flower Appreciation Banquet organized by the Empress. If they were out there, they would have to..."

    "A concubine¡¯s daughter is a concubine¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s a country bumpkin. Does she really think the Empress will bestow marriage upon a concubine¡¯s daughter?" This statement made by ady on the left gained the approval of everyone present. Even though the Empress said that she would bestow marriage on those who liked each other, this was on the premise that they were both children from the main branch of their families. The Flower Appreciation Banquet was for children of main branches and Mo Xuemin¡¯s appearance was already against the rules. Was she going to bring it up in the open and have the Empress break the rules as well?

    This was a p to the Empress¡¯ face!

    With this thought, thedies started to engage in schadenfreude. They mocked her, looked at her in disdain, spoke sharply and meanly...

    If this matter blew up, it would embarrass the Mo Family. No matter First Miss Mo or Third Miss Mo, the reputations of the Mo daughters would be ruined in the future. Thedies looked at Third Miss Mo¡¯s young but beautiful face and thought about First Miss Mo¡¯s attractive features and burned with jealousy. They would not give up an opportunity to cast stones at them.

    "That¡¯s not for sure. I heard that First Miss Mo¡¯s Auntie will be the family matriarch soon. Then, she would be a main daughter."

    "When will that be? I heard that First Miss Mo can onlye out of grieving in more than a year. She would be about 17 by then and would be an old spinister then. She can¡¯t get married only then, could she?"

    "That doesn¡¯t matter as long as the other person is willing to wait. If that person drags it out, then it would fit First Miss Mo¡¯s n. The two of them are both willing, so it wouldn¡¯t matter for them to wait a year or two. Look at her..."

    Mo Xuetong had been brought there by the otherdies. While she listened to their mocking jibes, she had been focused on Mo Xuemin. She looked at the two people in the pavilion with deep dark eyes.

    It was no wonder others were suspicious. The way they were seating was really weird. Mo Xuemin was seated near the railings. Her body was slightly tilted and she was leaning on a pir. Her entire body was leaning against the railing. The person was standing above her, bowing slightly as if he wanted to see her clearly. One of his hands was ced behind his back while another was in front of him.

    The angle looks extremely intimate.

    As the footsteps grew closer, the intimate poses seemed to grow different.

    The sarcastic and insultingdies who were chattering sensed that something was wrong. A few of them covered their mouths in shock. The man was wearing a dragon-embroidered robe. It was not a robe anyone had the right to wear. The princes at the banquet today were the main focuses of thedies present. Everyone who had powerful families all knew that the Flower Appreciation Banquet this time was different from the ones in the past.

    They heard that there would be a dinner banquetter. However, not alldies would attend. The Empress would give out invitester and only thedies whom the princes liked would be asked to stay. It was said that the Flower Appreciation Banquet was to find wives and concubines for the princes. Thedies had all focused their attention on the three princes because of this matter.

    This clothing, this straight and broad back. It was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan!

    Mo Xuemin had hooked up with King Chu?

    The jealousy in their eyes became even more vicious. They all wanted to hurt Mo Xuemin. She was only a concubine¡¯s daughter, and she had hooked up with King Chu. This was a p to the faces of all the main daughters.

    "Ladies,e and look at whichdy this family is from. How did she faint over here?" Feng Yuxuan turned and stood up straight when he heard the voices. He walked towards thedies with a warm smile. When they saw that it was King Chu, Mo Xuetong was pushed to the back by them.

    "Greetings, King Chu."

    "Greetings, King Chu."

    "Greetings, King Chu!"...

    Everyone curtsied to King Chu. Some of the nimbledies had already taken a few steps forward. They saw that Mo Xuemin had fainted there and looked shocked as if they had just discovered her. "Isn¡¯t this First Miss Mo, the concubine¡¯s daughter? What is she doing here?" The emphasis of their sentence was on Mo Xuemin being the concubine¡¯s daughter.

    The girl seemed to realize she had said something wrong after that and held her handkerchief to her lips, looking shy.

    This was Mo Xuemin¡¯s weak spot. Mo Xuemin, who was pretending to be unconscious almost gritted her teeth in anger. However, she could not move and even Mo Jin was upied. This was to create an opportunity for her and Feng Yuxuan to be alone. If this were to be known, even if she could not be able to be a main concubine, she could still be a side concubine. With her smarts, so what if there main concubines in the King¡¯s manor as long as she could get in there! As such, she had to restrain herself now. The person who had spoken was the Second Miss of the Yan Family. She heard that clearly...

    "Did you see wrongly, how could the concubine¡¯s daughter of a fifth-grade officer be here?"

    "It can¡¯t be wrong. Why don¡¯t youe and take a look?" The few of them were trying their best to put Mo Xuemin down.

    Mo Xuemin was interested in King Chu!

    Mo Xuetong was aware of the situation, and she could not help butugh coldly to herself.

    They were all good actresses, and so was she.

    She pushed the crowd aside and hurried forward. She did not say anything to Feng Yuxuan who was standing by the side and hurried past him. She squatted down and tugged on Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand worriedly, saying, "Eldest sister, Eldest sister, what¡¯s wrong with you?" She sounded concerned and her voice trembled.

    "It is really your family¡¯s First Miss. How could a concubine¡¯s daughtere here..."

    "The Mo Family¡¯s moral teaching is too...This is too much. This is the Flower Appreciation Banquet and all those who havee are children from the main branch..."

    "And she had even bothered King Chu. That¡¯s too much..."

    Thedies were here to add insult to injury. Even though the situation was different, they would not let go of any opportunity. This was especially when two of them saw King Chu watched Mo Xuetong pass in a stunned manner. He even moved to let her pass and looked at her with a gentle smile. They lost all their rational when they saw that.

    "That¡¯s right. What kind of breeding does the Mo Family have? How despicable. They indeed cannot show their faces in proper ces."

    "What kind of morals can they have. First Miss Mo hangs out with young noblemen all the time. She doesn¡¯t even know how to avoid wagging tongues. I heard that Third Miss Mo¡¯s reputation isn¡¯t that good either. She has been rude and boorish when she just arrived in the capital. No matter how you look at it, the breeding of the Modies is really a failure."

    "They are from the sticks and have never seen anything outside. They¡¯re already pretty decent all considering."

    The things they are saying are more and more ridiculous. They are totally making it out as if the Mo daughters werepletely useless.

    "Ladies, please mind your words. The Mo Family has not offended youdies. Eldest Sister fainted here, and I still don¡¯t know how she is right now. I am not in the mood to argue with you all. Ladies, please give way and don¡¯t crowd around her so she can breathe." Mo Xuetong looked up. She appeared fragile, and her eyes sparkled. She looked ethereal and as if she was suffering but did not wish to fight because she was being considerate of the big picture.

    She nced at Feng Yuxuan, who was standing by the side and staring at her. Even though she did not know why he seemed shocked and delighted, she knew that he was the only one who could help her right now. Mo Xuemin had only pretended to faint here because of King Chu...

    Mo Xuemin was a person who liked power and would disregard her family for it.

    She only wanted to be linked to Feng Yuxuan but had never considered that if the rumors were to say that she had been alone with Feng Yuxuan, then the reputation of the Mo daughters would be ruined by her actions today! Even her father might be implicated!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 50 The Concubines Daughter Who Tried to Seduce King Chu Gets into Trouble

    Mo Xuetong ignored the red-faceddies who had been rebuked by her. She turned around and curtsied to Feng Yuxuan delicately and said, "Excuse me, First Prince, what¡¯s wrong with my eldest sister?"

    She was confident that Feng Yuxuan thoughts were different from Mo Xuemin¡¯s.

    No matter whether Feng Yuxuan truly did have anything going on with Mo Xuemin, he would on the surface try to protect everyone¡¯s reputation. After all, if it was rumored that he had something going on with the daughter of a fifth-grade officer and his concubine, it would not just be an embarrassment to the Mo family. The rumors would not be good to King Chu¡¯s reputation either. It was important for him to have a good reputation in order to get the throne. He would not ruin his reputation for a woman.

    And this was what Mo Xuetong wanted. King Chu, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s, exnation was more useful than what anyone else said.

    Indeed, Feng Yuxuan exined with a warm and graceful smile. "I do not know what is wrong with First Miss Mo either. I was resting in the pavilion when she walked past it and suddenly fainted. I got the eunuch to help her to the side and rest. The eunuch went to look for the imperial physician and will be back soon."

    "Many thanks, King Chu." Mo Xuetong looked at him gratefully, as if she was really thankful that Feng Yuxuan could help Mo Xuemin into the pavilion to rest. She curtsied deeply and pretended to be a good younger sister. Then, she took two steps back, keeping an appropriate distance from Feng Yuxuan.

    Her small actions to avoid any inappropriateness gained the approval from the otherdies. They no longer looked at her with enmity and the way they looked at her softened. Third Miss Mo was unlike the rumors. She was not untalented, spoilt or arrogant. Of course, First Miss Mo¡¯s actions today was not something a gracious and gentle woman should be doing.

    Rumors were indeed rumors!

    In the Mo family, the concubine must be running the ce and the concubine¡¯s daughter must be arrogant and domineering!

    They were all main daughters and all knew that while their mothers were the true wives to their father, they sometimes could notpete with a coy smile of a concubine. The bitterness of it was something only main daughters could understand. They were all linked in this inexorable manner, and some of thedies began to look at Mo Xuetong warmly and in a friendly manner. Some even began to look protective of her.

    "Third Miss, don¡¯t worry. Your Eldest Sister would probably regain consciousness in a while. The weather isn¡¯t hot, so she couldn¡¯t have gotten a heatstroke." Someone saw her pale and worried face and started tofort her.

    "It will be fine, look at the healthy flush on your eldest sister¡¯s face. However, your health must be poor. Don¡¯t worry for your eldest sister and be ill. Your family is too much. The elder sister isn¡¯t looking after the younger sister, but instead is worrying her younger sister." Someoneined about the injustice.

    Feng Yuxuan heard what thedies said and his gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face. She did look ill. Every since she almost drowned, her health would act up at times. She had never gotten her bodypletely regted. Her pale and almost translucent skin made others pity her.

    She smiled gently and stood there in her in dress. Her skirt was lifted by the breeze and she looked like an innocent fairy. Her natural gentleness and her disposition, coupled with her child-like innocence were all very attractive.

    She was very beautiful. In the picturesque courtyard, she was like the spot of color in the middle. Her eyes were tearful and she looked worried. It made her look rather pitiful.

    "Ladies, please take a seat. The imperial physician might take some time to get here." Feng Yuxuan sat down in the pavilion and smiled gently and gracefully. Thedies whom he looked at all flushed. Everyone was more than willing to sit down with King Chu and speak with him. They thought that they might be able to gain King Chu¡¯s trust or attend the night banquet tonight.

    They were all so excited that their faces flushed red. How would they not be willing! They all curtsied to Feng Yuxuan. They tugged on each other and then sat down near the railings.

    Feng Yuxuan smiled at the slenderdies who sat across him beside Mo Xuemin. He asked warmly, "Did Third Miss Mo juste to the capital? Where did you use to stay? Why did you note to the capital with Lord Mo?"

    He asked one question after another, which made it difficult for Mo Xuetong to answer. This was especially since the girls were all focused on him. Those who spoke to him would gain the ire of other girls. Mo Xuetong did not know how King Chu took notice of her. She looked at Mo Xuemin gloomily.

    She sighed helplessly. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly caught Mo Xuemin¡¯sshes fluttering. A glint of darkness appeared in her eyes. Her expression did not change and her smile was especially sweet.

    Mo Xuemin might have wanted to pretend to faint to remain out of this situation. But it depended on whether Mo Xuetong agreed or not.

    "I stayed in Cloud City because I was ill." She answered two questions with a sentence. She did not drag things out and be annoying and did not ignore and disrespect the eldest prince. She spoke while reaching out to hold Mo Xuemin¡¯s head in her arms.

    She was still young and her arms were slender and short. Mo Xuemin¡¯s head was half lying on her arm and she looked tired holding it. However, her actions were soft and gentle and it was obvious that she was afraid that Mo Xuemin would be ufortable. Her careful and gentle actions were touching and she did not look impatient at all.

    Looking at her careful and experienced action, thedy beside her asked in confusion, "Third Miss Mo, are you so skilled at taking care of your elder sister because her health has always been poor?"

    Even though her voice was soft, everyone became interested in it. Everyone turned to look at her.

    It would be major news if First Miss Mo had a hidden illness. Who would be willing to marry a wife with poor health? She would not only be able to take care of her husband, but she might also have trouble having children. This was a serious matter. No matter how many children a family could have from its concubines, they were not as important as main children.

    Everyone knew this!

    If rumors of her having a hidden illness spread, she would have trouble getting married. Mo Xuemin leaned against Mo Xuetong¡¯s chest and seethed in anger. Cold sweat ran down her back.

    Mo Xuemin had plotted and plotted, but she had not expected that she would suddenly faint when she met Feng Yuxuan¡¯s surprised gaze when she reached the entrance of the pavilion. She had not really remained unconscious, she regained consciousness soon after she fainted. However, she had not expected there to be a eunuch in the pavilion. Feng Yuxuan did not pick her up but got the eunuch to pick her up and ce her near the railings.

    Then, the eunuch was sent to fetch the imperial physician, leaving the two of them alone. Just as she wasughing to herself secretly and was about to awake to shyly thank the prince, a crowd ofdies appeared. They were chattering about her and how she was having secret alliances with others. It was not rational for her to immediately awake then, so she could only continue to pretend to be unconscious and see where things lead to.

    She wanted to tear those sluts apart. She had ruined her nspletely. However, she was still pretending to be unconscious. Fortunately, they were not only speaking about her. She thought of how Mo Xuetong was also present and was being mocked and felt herself calm down. As such, she just continued to watch the show.

    She did not think that Mo Xuetong would carefully ce her against her arm and pull her into the center of the discussion.

    This was terrible. If Mo Xuetong continued to say things against her, it would be terrible! King Chu was still sitting across her. Mo Xuetong was too evil!

    "My eldest sister...is very healthy. She has never fainted in the past. Really. She is very healthy." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes flickered and she stuttered, looking at the floor tiles guiltily. She blushed but answered firmly. However, everyone could see the weakness in her words and that she was obviously lying and wanted to protect her elder sister.

    "Then Third Miss Mo, you are a noblewoman, how are you so skilled at taking care of others?" Someone continued to ask her as they did not believe her. They don¡¯t intend to let her off so easily.

    A cold smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. However, her head was lowered and no one discovered it. Indeed, in her past life, she did not know how to take care of others before she got married. However, after she married into Sima Lingyun¡¯s ce where they had fallen from grace, his stern mother was very unwell. And she would asionally torture her for joy. Mo Xuetong felt guilty towards Sima Lingyun because of her appearance and as such, did not dare to be disrespectful. Even though she was beaten and scolded, she was still in charge of taking care and serving her mother-inw. She could not be unskilled even if she didn¡¯t want to.

    Mo Xuetong appeared to be shocked as everyone focused their attention on her. She hesitated as if she could not speak and looked up shyly, looking naive and as if she did not know what to do. She bit her lips and pretended topose herself. Her gaze wandered and everyone could see that she was lying. "My mother¡¯s health was poor, so I learnt how to care for others."

    Who would need their young daughter to take care of them when they had servants? It was not as if they wanted to torture their daughter. So how would something like this happen? It was obvious that Mo Xuetong was using this as an excuse. And everyone knew that she was lying for First Miss Mo.

    Mo Xuemin however, was getting worried and she could no longer pretend. She did not know how Mo Xuetong was going to continue to spin this. If a rumor like this really spread, then it would be difficult for her to find a good marriage. How would the royal family ept a weak girl who would faint from time to time to be a prince¡¯s side concubine? She would not even have to think about bing queen in the future.

    She could not remain unconscious and allow Mo Xuetong to speak nonsense any longer.

    Once decided, she moved her head lightly as if she was just regaining consciousness. She held her head and opened her eyes. Her bleary eyes met Feng Yuxuan¡¯s and she smiled gently. She leaned against Mo Xuetong and stood up, curtsying and said, "Many thanks, King Chu. I visited my family matriarchtest night and caught a cold. I was feeling unwell when I woke up this morning and had some wine earlier, so I was a little drunk. I¡¯m sorry you had to see that."

    Mo Xuemin was beautiful, and her gracious smile made it easy for others to like her. Furthermore, from her gentle tones and her pink cheeks, it indeed did not seem like she was unwell at all. She had fainted because she caught a coldst night and was a little drunk.

    "It was no trouble. However, First Miss Mo, please be more careful with your health when you travel in the future." Feng Yuxuan said politely with a smile. He had always been gentle, and his smile was even more charming as he looked at Mo Xuemin. Thedies around them started to look at Mo Xuemin with displeasure.

    "First Miss Mo, isn¡¯t your mother still around? When did you have a family matriarch? Did Lord Mo get married again? That¡¯s too soon. Isn¡¯t he still grieving? How could he..." Thedies seated on the left of Mo Xuetongughed as if it was a casual question. However, her tone was very sharp.

    "I was wrong, I was in a hurry to exin myself earlier. It is an Auntie." Mo Xuemin flushed and exined gently.

    "She is just a concubine and First Miss Mo did not sleepte in the night to visit her? Were you discussing whether First Miss Mo could attend the Flower Appreciation Banquet tonight?" The questions came one after another.

    Mo Xuemin frowned. Even though thedies did not like her usually, they had never been so sharp towards her before. However, they all seemed especially angry today and were all speaking to her sharply.

    "Why did youe here, Third Sister? You are not familiar with the pce. If you get lost, how will I find youter?" Mo Xuemin pretended not to hear what they were saying and instead, turn to question Mo Xuetong with a frown.

    Her words totally implied that Mo Xuetong was being insensible and was barging around with a few otherdies. If one listened clearly, she was implying that Mo Xuetong had intentionally brought these people to gossip about her with ill-intentions.

    Thedies present were all intelligent people and they all grew mad when they heard that. A few of them stood up, unable to help themselves.

    "Eldest Sister..." Mo Xuetong felt aggrieved by her usation and stood up as well. She pinched her handkerchief and only muttered a few words before someone interrupted her.

    "First Miss Mo, this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve visited the pce, is it? Why have you asked Third Miss Mo to wait there ande to see King Chu alone? You are sisters, shouldn¡¯t you help your younger sister?" Ady standing by the side smirked. She could not watch on any longer. Mo Xuemin wanted to have a dalliance with King Chu but med her younger sister for ruining her ns. How shameless.

    "We brought Third Miss Mo here because we were worried that First Miss Mo would get lost and go to the male banquet. It really has nothing to do with Third Miss Mo." The others were all main daughters and hated arrogant concubine¡¯s daughters. She was having a dalliance with a man and still med her younger sister for ruining her ns by bringing other people here. As such, someoneined about the injustice on behalf of Mo Xuetong.

    Feng Yuxuan who was sitting by the side nced at Mo Xuemin darkly.

    "Ladies, please don¡¯t speak anymore. My eldest sister did not mean to say that I did this intentionally..." Mo Xuetong looked up with her crystal clear eyes and bit her lips in exnation when she saw that everyone was speaking against Mo Xuemin. She turned to look at Mo Xuemin and said, "Eldest Sister, since you are fine, let¡¯s go home."

    If they were to return now, it would mean that they were not going to attend the night banquet. This would mean that they were not interested in the positions as the princes¡¯ concubines.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 51 Spending the Night in the Palace

    "It is still early, The Empress might have something onter. Let¡¯s wait a little more. As civilians, how dare we do things rashly without Her Majesty¡¯s orders?" Mo Xuemin seethed with anger. Her plot had been in vain. How would she be willing to leave just like that? This was especially when King Chu¡¯s handsome eyes had been focused on her. It was obvious that he was not disinterested in her. She did not believe that King Chu would not like her since she was beautiful.

    "Eldest Sister, Father told me that we have to go after the banquet ended. If you wish to stay in the pce, then I will leave first so that Father will not worry." Mo Xuetong frowned lightly, her eyes sparkled while her expression made it seem as if she felt as if she was put in a difficult ce. Thedies by the side heard something that sparked their interest.

    Thedy who spoke sharply immediately spoke up, "Third Miss Mo, did First Miss Mo note to the pce with you? She did not even hear Lord Mo¡¯s orders. Could it be that she entered the pce with someone else?"

    It was already odd that a concubine¡¯s daughter could attend the Flower Appreciation Banquet. If she had entered the pce with someone else, then it was even odder.

    The smile on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face froze and her face suddenly paled. The question, when asked in front of King Chu, made it obvious that she was interested in marrying into the royal family. This was not an easy question to answer. Should she reply or not? While Mo Xuemin had a quick mind, she was stunned by the question and could not answer it.

    "Miss, Miss, you¡¯re awake. That¡¯s great. The imperial physician is here." Mo Jin appeared at just the right time and distracted the others. Everyone turned to look at the entrance of the pavilion and Mo Xuemin heaved a secret sigh of relief. A eunuch and an imperial physician appeared not far away. Mo Jin was leading them towards the pavilion.

    Thedies all backed away politely. Mo Xuetong hesitated a little and was about to rise and leave when she heard Feng Yuxuan say, "Third Miss Mo, please don¡¯t leave first. Wait for the diagnosis first and see what the situation is like first!"

    Feng Yuxuan had already spoken. It would make her look unreasonable if she left.

    Mo Xuetong backed away to stand at a corner.

    Mo Xuemin naturally did not have to leave. She sat down and waited for the imperial physician to diagnose her.

    The imperial physician did not find anything wrong with her. He only mentioned that she was weak after drinking and had caught a cold. She would be fine after some rest.

    This was very well spoken. How long would some rest take? Would she only be able to leave after the dinner banquet ended?

    A faint and cold smirk appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as she lowered her head, watching Mo Jin sending the imperial physician off. Mo Xuemin had even managed to bribe the imperial physician. She was not simple at all!

    "King Chu, my eldest sister is unwell. We will have to trouble you to find her a room to rest for a while." Mo Xuetong looked up at Feng Yuxuan with an awkward expression. Since Mo Xuetong was interested in seducing Feng Yuxuan, then she might as well help her and see if Mo Xuemin would be fated to enjoy being his wife.

    "Third Miss Mo, you are too polite. Since First Miss Mo is unwell, why don¡¯t you stay as well to take care of her? Leave together when First Miss Mo is feeling better." Feng Yuran said politely with a warm smile.

    "Many thanks for your kind intentions, King Chu. However, my father is busy. Since my eldest sister is fine and only needs a little rest, I will trouble King Chu to take care of her. I will be very grateful towards you." Mo Xuetong smiled gently, her eyes as clear and calm as the surface of theke. They looked clear and innocence, but also naturally charming. A gentle smile of hers was as beautiful as a dream. She was exquisitely beautiful, as if she appeared only in dreams.

    Everything around her seemed toe alive because of her smile. Mo Xuemin¡¯s mature and seductive beauty lost its shine beside her, bing a pale shadow next to her. Mo Xuetong¡¯s beauty was already starting to bloom, how beautiful would she be in a few more years.

    Feng Yuxuan narrowed his eyes slightly at the beautiful smiling girl. His smile grew even warmer and he asked gently, "Shall I send someone to inform your father? It is not very nice to have no family members to take care of your sister in her current state."

    Then, he did not wait for her to speak. Instead, he called for a eunuch who answered and went to give orders to another person. Then, he came back to report that he had already gotten someone to inform Lord Mo.

    He was evidently trying to make her stay. A sh of hesitance appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She did not feel that there was any need for her to stay. But since Feng Yuxuan had not waited for her reply and had already made the decision for her, she could not object.

    Feng Yuxuan found them two rooms and settled the two before leaving. Mo Jin helped the weak Mo Xuemin into the room with better light to rest, leaving behind the slightly darker room for Mo Xuetong.

    "Miss, do you want to rest for a while?" Mo Lan cleaned up the room a little and asked softly.

    Mo Xuetong nodded.

    She frowned andid on the couch. She had decided that if anything, she would also pretend to be ill as well. She would not attend the flower appreciation banquet at nightter no matter what. She leaned against the pillow behind her and held up a book, flipping through it. It was very quiet in the room, and only the sounds of pages being flipped could be heard.

    Mo Lan waited in the room but no one brought in any tea. She thought about it before closing the door carefully behind her to find someone to send her mistress some tea.

    "Why don¡¯t you want to leave? Do you want to stay and be a prince¡¯s wife? We can n together. Even though your status is a little low, you can still be a concubine." There was azy drawl. Mo Xuetong looked up and saw the handsome Feng Yuran who was dressed in purple robes. His smile was mocking and his chin was raised. He smile was devilishly charming.

    "Greetings, Your Highness King Xuan!" Mo Xuetong got up from the couch, arranged her clothes and curtsied to him politely. She was behaving very properly and distantly.

    Feng Yuran leaped in from the window and sat on a chair beside her. He said with slightly smiling eyes, "I rarely see you being so polite. How about you be my personal maid? That is just as good as being a prince¡¯s wife. A prince¡¯s wife has to invite the prince many times before he would visit her. But if you wish to see me, you don¡¯t have to tell anyone."

    His words sounded infuriating, but she could not do anything about it. As such, she ignored him and asked coldly, "Your Highness, do you have any orders?"

    He was the high and mighty King Xuan. She did not think that the two were on such good terms that they can have a casual chat.

    "Do you really not wish to leave the pce? Alright, which prince do you want to marry? I can help you tell them. It¡¯s alright if it¡¯s me too. I will ask Father for his blessing and ask him to give you to me." Feng Yuran tapped the table with his long fingers, a charming smile on his lips.

    "I will be very grateful if King Xuan can help me leave." Mo Xuetong had calmed down then. Even though she did not know why he was looking for her, it was more than likely nothing good. Even though she had not met King Xuan many times, she knew that his emotions swung wildly. Even though he was smiling, his smile did not reach his eyes. He was definitely not like how he seemed on the surface. She had to be careful around him.

    "Don¡¯t you want to be a prince¡¯s concubine?" Feng Yuran stared at her deeply with his dark eyes. He seemed as if he would eat her up if she dared to even think about it.

    "No!" Mo Xuetong answered obediently.

    The corners of his lips raised when he heard her firm answer. He smiled with satisfaction and knocked on the table with his fingers mindlessly. Then, he asked an annoying question, "First Brother is most likely to be emperor. Don¡¯t you want..."

    That was treason, how dare he say it openly! Children of the royal family were indeed different. They were way braver than the ordinary person...

    "No! I definitely don¡¯t!" Mo Xuetong answered even more firmly. Even though she did not know what he meant, but judging by how satisfied he looked at her previous answers, she had to plod on. Furthermore, she truly did not wish to enter the struggles of the royal family.

    Feng Yuran seemed to look truly satisfied with her this time. He took out a fan from somewhere and waved it. Light scattered on his face, twinkling as if it were a prank. He then slowly brought up another matter. "Honestly, if you don¡¯t wish to be a maid, how about you be my princess?"

    "..." Mo Xuetong was stunned and struck speechless.

    Feng Yuran was in a good mood when he saw her shell-shocked expression. She looked stunned and slightly silly,pletely different from her usual charming and delicate self. He was pleased with his prank and waved his hand graciously saying, "It doesn¡¯t matter whether you are really not considering it or if you¡¯re pretending not to consider it. I will allow you to think about it!"

    He thought he was dispensing charity! Mo Xuetong forced herself not to bite him. It was not due to her good breeding but because this person was too dangerous.

    "Many thanks, Your Highness, for your generosity. I wonder if you have a way to send me out of the pce?" She was on his territory and could not get angry at him. She would tamper down her anger. Mo Xuetong thought to herself darkly. Even though she spoke politely, she looked at him with stubborn eyes and gritted her teeth in secret.

    "You really wish to leave the pce?" Feng Yuran leaned backfortably against the chair and asked.

    "Yes. Does King Xuan have any ideas? I thank you for what happened today." Mo Xuetong answered politely and distantly. She did not wish to be too close to the pce.

    "Is my help today helpful?" Feng Yuran was in a good mood and his eyes sparkled. The smile on his face grew even more charming and yful.

    "Yes!" Mo Xuetong did not know what he meant, but she would y along.

    "Since this is so, how do you n to thank me?" Feng Yuran smiled like a fox.

    "..." Mo Xuetong was speechless. She reached out to rub her pale forehead and asked helplessly, "What does Your Highness want?"

    Her foolish and unguarded appearance amused him. Feng Yuran smiled and suddenly sat up straight. He decided to "show mercy" and let the kitten that had obviously be obedient, go. Of course, he would ask her to return the favor. He told her, especially before she left that he would have done her two big favors today if he brought her out of the pce. She had to remember to thank him next time.

    Mo Xuetong naturally guaranteed that she was not an ungrateful sort and would definitely repay the favor. Even if she did not, she would not forget. It was only then when Feng Yuran allowed her to pass through the gates.

    Mo Lan brought a pce maid in with her. Not long after she served Mo Xuetong tea, a eunuch came to report that Lord Mo is asking Third Miss Mo to hurry home. Since First Miss Mo was unwell, then she should rest before returning. This was the best case scenario for everyone. Mo Xuemin was happy and Mo Xuetong was definitely amenable to this.

    Mo Xuemin did not ask Mo Xuetong to stay after Mo Xuetong shared the message with her. She only told Mo Xuetong to be careful. Mo Xuemin was d that she was leaving. Feng Yuxuan had looked at Mo Xuetong differently, and this had displeased Mo Xuemin.

    She had even sent Mo Xuetong out with a smile. Her friendliness was no lesser than what true sisters would show.

    "First Miss, would Third Miss say anything to old sir?" Mo Jin asked worriedly when she saw Mo Xuetong and her maid leaving.

    "What can she say? Have I done anything wrong?" Mo Xuemin allowed the gentle smile to slide off her face. She smirked and walked back into the room. There was no one around and she did not have to pretend to be the gentle and gracious First Miss Mo anymore!

    "But, if Old Sir finds out that you have stayed here intentionally..." Mo Jin was still worried. First Miss had nned to attend the banquet today long ago. If Old Sir found out about her plots, he might not treat her as well as he had before.

    "Does that matter. Once I be a prince¡¯s wife, what can he say? No matter how much he dotes on the little slut, I will find a way to get her into trouble." Mo Xuemin harrumphed and nced at Mo Jin unhappily. "It¡¯s good that she¡¯s left."

    It was even better now that the little slut left. It was more convenient for her to get her things done!

    Mo Xuetong was startled awake by amotion in the middle of the night. She opened her eyes to see Mo Lan hurrying in. Mo Lan closed the door and approached her bed. When she saw that Mo Xutong was awake, she said anxiously, "Something happened to First Miss in the pce!"

    ---------------

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 Chapter 52 The End of Mo Xuemins Lofty Dreams

    "What happened?" Mo Xuetong said lightly. She closed her eyes and leaned against her pillow.

    "I am not sure either. A group of people brought her in. Mo Ye heard voices and went out to see. She said that there were a few eunuchs. Old Sir and even Auntie Fang were called. Old Sir is bringing a bunch of people to Fuqing Garden right now." Mo Lan did not know much, but she knew what happened in the day.

    To have gotten into trouble in the pce was a serious matter!

    Mo Xuemin had hoped to catch the eye of King Chu. She wanted to be a prince¡¯s wife by her beauty.

    Mo Xuetong however, knew that they were just lofty dreams.

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin had entered the pce at this time too. However, when she returned to the Mo Manor, she had not heard any news of Mo Xuemin having anything to do with the princes. With Mo Xuemin¡¯s character, how would she attract the interests of the princes? While the duke¡¯s family were noble, they could notpete with the princes in Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart.

    No matter in her past life or this life, Mo Xuemin would never dream that the banquet today would end her lofty dreams. In her past life, she had followed behind You Yuecheng for years and yet, there had not been any results. This was most likely an important factor.

    "Where is Mo Ye?"

    "She told me earlier that she was going to keep watch at Fuqing Garden. She said that she would report to you after that." Among all the other maids, Mo Lan was the one who knew most about how extraordinary Mo Ye was. She was also usually the closest to Mo Ye.

    "Wake me up when she returns." Mo Xuetong yawnedzily and found afortable position to lie down.

    "Yes." Mo Lan left, taking the candlestick with her.

    Mo Xuetong slept very well. Mo Ye had already returned when she woke up. Mo Lan helped her to wash up while Mo Ye reported what she had seen and heard.

    "First Miss collided with a concubine and offended her?" Mo Xuetong said lightly, seating before her vanity. Mo Lan was helping herb her long dark hair. In the mirror, was a young, and somewhat child-like girl. Her face was gentle and delicate, looking like fragile porcin. However, there was a hint of coldness in her features.

    "I saw that First Miss had two p marks on her face. Her clothes were in disarray and her hair was a mess." Mo Ye had not slept all night, mingling among the maids outside. Even though she was far away, she was still skilled at martial arts. Her vision and hearing were all good and she could get a clear idea of what happened.

    There were many concubines in the pce and none of them was someone that Mo Xuemin could afford to offend. However, it must not have been an ordinary concubine for them to trouble eunuchs to send a noble miss back home in the middle of the night.

    With Mo Xuemin¡¯s skills, she should be able to hold her temper and not argue with the concubine. Mo Xuetong knew how much Mo Xuemin could bear. She had only revealed her true vicious self when she wanted to poison Mo Xuetong.

    "Did Mo Jine back!" She had a sudden thought.

    "No. I did not see Mo Jin. The pce only sent First Miss back." It was chaotic in Fuqing Garden. The maids and servants were all thrown out. Mo Ye only noticed that only Mo Xiu came out since she kept a close watch. Mo Jin, who was most trusted by Mo Xuemin had not appeared at all. When she asked around, she found out that only Mo Xuemin left the pce.

    An insignificant maid would definitely not be able to emerge from this scandal alive. Mo Xuetong had in her past life, once thought that what Luo Mingzhu told her in private were all rumors that could not be trusted. How could her gentle and generous eldest sister do something like that? Now that she thought about it, it was most likely true.

    In her past life, Luo Mingzhu had told her to be wary of Mo Xuemin. She had brought up this matter to say that Mo Xuemin¡¯s character was bad. She entered the pce in hopes of meeting King Chu in private. She had even sent a message secretly. However, the eldest prince had note, but the fifth princess hade instead. She had thrown Mo Xuemin¡¯s secret note in her face.

    The note had be concrete evidence of Mo Xuemin shameless seduction of King Chu. Mo Xuemin had been pped ten times and sent back to the manor. Mo Xuemin¡¯s dreams of entering the pce had been destroyed like that. It was said that the Empress heard about the matter afterward and even sent someone to rebuke her. She sent word, saying, "This woman is loose in morals and goes against the moral conducts of the imperial pce. She is not to enter."

    These few words have destroyed Mo Xuemin¡¯s dreamspletely. She no longer had anything to do with true nobility from then on.

    The rumors she had heard in her past life was happening right before her eyes. A cold smirk appeared on her lips. In this life, Mo Xuemin did not even have to think about climbing up the socialdder while stepping on her.

    Someone was intentionally trying to hide this matter. However, Mo Xuetong did not want to. If it were just that, King Chu would but just gain another concubine and her father would be a highly trusted officer of the Emperor. Why would the Empress be so harsh?

    "Mo Lan, go look for Mother Xu to find out what happened in the manor yesterday. Ask a few more people. If anyone brings up Mo Jin, there is no need to hide." Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    "Will Old Sir grow suspicious of you if you ask Mother xu to go"? Mo Lan thought for a moment before she understood what Mo Xuetong nned to do. However, she was still worried.

    "I¡¯m just concerned for my elder sister. There are so many people in the manor and many tongues wagging. It is not something I, a Miss who have just entered the manor, can deal with. I heard that Mo Jin¡¯s parents are stewards here?" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly.

    "Mo Jin¡¯s father was brought here on the rmendation of Auntie Fang. He¡¯s the second steeward while her mother is in charge of the kitchen. She has a brother who is weakly and does not work in the manor." Mo Lan and Mo Jin were both born in the manor and knew of each other¡¯s situation.

    "Eldest Miss came back but their daughter has disappeared. Someone would be more anxious than us! However, I doubt they know about it right now." Mo Xuetong stood up leisurely. Her long hair had not yet been pinned up and cascaded down her back. She turned to stand in front of the window. The day got brightter in winter and it was not letpletely light outside.

    The light of the rising sun could not shine through thest bits of darkness before dawn.

    If someone escaped right now, no one in the manor would pay attention to it. Both her father and Mo Xuemin must be exhausted fromst night. They would not care if someone escaped.

    "Mo Lan, go quickly. Mother Xu knows all the old people in the manor. If there are any doubts, she can rify them as well." The news would spread fast too. The masters of the manor had not yet woken up so there was no one to control the servants. Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident would be spread throughout the manor before long.

    "Yes, I will tell Mother Xu immediately." Mo Lan immediately replied when she saw how confident her mistress was. She turned and lifted the curtains before hurrying to the room on the left to look for Mother Xu.

    "Mo Ye, you have not been in the manor for too long, but do you know where the back door is?" Mo Xuetong asked with a small smile. She turned to walk to her vanity. Mo Ye picked up the hairbrush and continued what Mo Lan had been doing earlier. She wanted to pin up Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair but was stopped. Mo Xuetong took the brush from her and brushed her hair herself.

    "Yes. I know. An old woman guards that ce. That door should be open right now. There are two servants guarding it so it would not be easy to go out." Even though Mo Ye did not know what Mo Xuetong wanted to do, she knew that there were hidden depths to her words. She answered Mo Xuetong¡¯s question.

    "Go lure the two servants away. It would not be easy for others to escape if they kept blocking the way." Mo Xuetong said softly. Her small and light colored lips shone. She looked young and delicate, but also made others wary for some reason. There was not a hint of happiness in her smile.

    Mo Ye immediately agreed. She did not say anything else but just lifted the curtains and left. It was as if they were talking about pulling apart two arguing girls at the door.

    Mo Ye knew that her mistress was not as gentle or weak as she appeared judging by how Mo Xuetong had submerged herself in a water tank that cold winter night to avoid Sima Lingyun. She was decisive and vicious. It was something not even a highly cultivated man could do.

    It was easy to be vicious towards others. But not many could be vicious towards themselves.

    Mo Yu saw that the others had left and helped Mo Xuetong with a simple but elegant hairstyle.

    Mo Xuetong went to the little kitchen in her courtyard and made porridge and some dishes and snacks. It was still early. Her father had not slept untiltest night so he would not wake up early.

    Mo Xuetong cleaned up after she was done and brought Mo Yu to Mo Huawen¡¯s study. Mo Huawen had been sleeping in his study every nighttely and had not gone to the inner courtyards. The other Aunties had not visited him either. Mo Xuetong entered and saw Mo Huawen¡¯s personal servant squatting under the tree with a worried expression. His eyes brightened when he saw Mo Xuetong. He hurried over and bowed saying, "Greetings, Third Miss."

    "Where¡¯s father?"

    "Old Sir just woke up but he was not in the mood to eat breakfast. He is reading official documents now." The little servant said in troubled tones as he pointed at the food basket beside him.

    How could her father sleep now that something like this had happened at home? Furthermore, it had something to do with the pce? He was already up at this time, and Mo Xuetong feared that he had not slept much the entire night. She felt guilty towards her father for some reason. However, the enmity between her and Mo Xuemin meant that one of them would have to suffer. Some things were fated to be and there was nothing she could do about it.

    "You can leave. Prepare Father¡¯s clothingter." Mo Xuetong nodded at the servant. Then, she turned around and took the serving te from Mo Yu and told her to wait outside before pushing the door open and entering.

    It was her father¡¯s rest day. However, since something like this had happened, her father would definitely go out and try to find out what was happening.

    Inside the study, Mo Huawen leaned forward with his eyes closed. His brows were tightly knitted and there were obvious dark circles under his eyes. One look at him and one could tell that he had not slept well. He must have worried about Mo Xuemin the entire night. Mo Xuetong felt sad for some reason.

    She had been abandoned in Cloud City alone, and she wondered if her father had once thought and worried about her like so. After a few days together with her father, she knew that her father treated her well. He trusted her wholeheartedly.

    Her father truly believed in her, and he believed in her out of guilt. But it depended on whom he believed in as well. She could tell him that the concubine he trusted in most was a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing, that she suspected that Auntie Fang had been the one to kill her mother and that the eldest daughter he delighted in was vicious and plotted against her. If she told her father all these, and that she had died in her past life because of their plots, would her father believe her?

    One would not trust in others for no rhyme or reason, and one would not love another for no rhyme or reason as well. She did not fault her father. It was just like how her father had been lied to by them, she had only realized when she died that she had fallen into their traps. She had lost her life to them. She finally understood, having paid the price with her life. However, her father did not know about these things.

    "Father, why are you not even eating your porridge. Are you feeling ill? If you are, you have to see a physician. Don¡¯t let it drag out. Tong¡¯er will be worried." Mo Xuetong stood at the door. She arranged her expression and spoke with a smile before she entered the room.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 53 Mo Xuemins Tattered Reputation is Made Known Far and Wide

    Mo Huawen opened his eyes and was stunned to see his daughter holding the serving tter. His gaze moved from her to the tter she held. On it was a bowl of in porridge, a dish of pickled cucumbers and a t of vinegar chicken. They were all dishes that he loved. He then turned to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face with a hint of sadness.

    Tong¡¯er resembled Luo Xia greatly, especially when she held the serving tter. Now that he thought about it, he realized how deeply he loved that deceased woman. If that gentle woman was still around, she would definitely prepare such a breakfast for him personally!

    "Tong¡¯er, why have youe? I am fine, I just don¡¯t have an appetite." Mo Huawen smiled and asked her, hiding his thoughts.

    "Father, how can I note since you are not eating? Will you try my cooking?" Mo Xuetong approached him with a smile. She moved away the documents in front of him and ced the dishes on the table. Then, she handed Mo Huawen chopsticks.

    "Did Tong¡¯er make all these dishes?" Mo Huawen did not reject her and epted the chopsticks. He reached out to pat Mo Xuetong dotingly. When had his Tong¡¯er grown up and be sensible?

    "Yes. Father, quick, have a taste. It won¡¯t be good once it gets cold." Mo Xuetong answered with a smile. She pulled out the chair across Mo Huawen and sat down. She put her chin on her palms and said, "Tong¡¯er will sit here and watch you eat. Otherwise, your servant wille andin to Tong¡¯erter."

    "Comin about what?" Mo Huawen¡¯s worry lightened as he saw how adorable his daughter was. He smiled and took a sip of the porridge.

    "Comin that there¡¯s yet another set of breakfast that no one¡¯s eaten. And then he has to get rid of it. How troublesome! Then, he would have to tell everyone he meets that the dishes Third Miss prepares taste so bad that Old Sir can¡¯t even eat them!" Mo Xuetong pouted and nced at Mo Huawen.

    This tickled Mo Huawen greatly. He paused and thenughed loudly and took several sips of the porridge and ate a few slices of cucumber and chicken. "How can the porridge Tong¡¯er make tastes bad? This is the best porridge and dishes I have ever tasted."

    "Really?" Mo Xuetong nced at him disbelievingly. She looked adorable, and Mo Huawen¡¯s mood took a turn for the better as he looked at her.

    "Of course. The dishes that Tong¡¯er makes tastes the best to me." Mo Huawen was filled with love. He took great gulps of the porridge to show how much he liked it. He looked at the crisp and sweet cucumbers and his eyes darkened. He suddenly stopped and asked, "Tong¡¯er, when did you learn to make such dishes?"

    When he left Cloud City, Tong¡¯er was still a noble youngdy who didn¡¯t know how to do anything!

    "I used to watch mother make these two dishes that you love best. After that, Mother fell ill and was too weak to make them. And then, when I was alone in Cloud City and miss you and Mother, I will wake up secretly at night to make it for myself. I feel like you are both by my side when I eat them." Mo Xuetong lowered her head, her voice cracked slightly. Perhaps she felt something. She sniffed and then looked up with a brilliant smile. "Just like right now. I am very happy when I see you eating the porridge I made. I am not sad at all."

    Even though she said that she was not sad, the damp corners of her eyes showed how bitterly painful the yearning was.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s heart shook and he felt as if his heart was being wrung. He held the bowl in his hands, green veins bulging. His sensible and obedient daughter. How could she be so vicious to take someone¡¯s life! To do something like forcing her mother¡¯s maid to death! Someone must have led him wrong back then for him to mistakenly thought that Tong¡¯er was the culprit.

    "Tong¡¯er, hush. I won¡¯t abandon you again." Mo Huawen put down his bowl and hid the suspicion in his heart while heforted her in gentle tones.

    "I know that you dote on Tong¡¯er the most." Mo Xuetong wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and looked up with an innocent smile. She pouted and approached Mo Huawen, pulling on his robe and saying, "Father, you promised that you¡¯d send me to my grandparents¡¯ that day. You mustn¡¯t go back on your words."

    "Alright, alright. I will definitely send you to your grandparents¡¯ the next time you go." Mo Huawen¡¯s heart softened and he patted her head. Right now, if she said that she wanted the moon in the sky, he would go and pick it for her.

    The two chatted. Mo Huawen drank half the bowl of porridge. He had just put the bowl down when a servant came in to report, "Old Sir, a servant ran away through the back door earlier."

    "When did this happen?" Mo Huawen was stunned and stood up forcefully. His expression suddenly became terrifying.

    "This morning. I heard that two servants were arguing over a small matter and did not realize that someone left the manor. It is a steward from the manor who was about to leave to run an errand who saw him running out secretively. That¡¯s when it was discovered." The servant reported.

    "Where¡¯s the person?"

    "I heard the stewards say that the person disappeared by the time everyone gathered to give chase."

    "Give chase and send someone to capture him." Mo Huawen huffed angrily. There hadn¡¯t been a servant who had run away before. Auntie Fang was not the one in charge of the matters in the manor anymore. Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo were both kind and would not drive away servants. Furthermore, after what happened in the manorst night, he was about to give orders to everyone not to speak about the matter this morning. He did not expect anyone to escape. How could Mo Huawen not think too much into it?

    "Father..."Mo Xuetong appeared to be scared and clueless. She looked at him with shocked wide eyes.

    "Tong¡¯er, go back to your courtyard. I have things to settle." Mo Huawen was not in the mood to say anything else. He definitely could not let others find out about what happened to Mo Xuemin in the pcest night. Even though not many knew about the matter, a lot of the servants had risen before him. It was difficult to keep things quiet.

    If someone spread the news outside, Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation would be ruined.

    Even though Mo Huawen was angry at his eldest daughter, he did not want her life to be ruined.

    "Father, your daughter shall take her to leave first." Mo Xuetong turned and got Mo Yu to collect the dishes and utensils before leaving.

    Mo Huawen paced around in his study. After turning around several times, he stopped in front of the servant and asked, "Is the servant who ran away rted to First Miss?"

    If not, the servant would not run away at a time like this. After all, if an escaped servant ran away, they would be castrated. Something major must have happened for a servant to take such a huge risk. And the only thing that had happenedst night was Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident.

    "That person...is very close with Miss Mo Jin, who is First Miss¡¯ personal maid!" The servant was so anxious that he was sweating. However, he did not dare to not say it. Even though there was no proof, it was talked about in private. furthermore, he had heard several times that the two were flirting.

    "Mo Jin? The maid that did not return this time?" Mo Huawen recalled Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maid. He was so angry he stomped his foot. How did Auntie Fang manage the inner courtyard? She did not even know that her daughter¡¯s maid was having dalliances with other men. Mo Huawen hated Auntie Fang even more at this moment.

    "That¡¯s right, Old Sir." The servant answered fearfully.

    "Give chase. Give chase immediately. The person who catches him will be awarded 20 taels of silver. Those who kill him will be awarded 15." A sharp look appeared in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. He knew that he could not be soft-hearted now.

    He could not allow this matter to go unpunished since this had something to do with Mo Jin. Mo Jin had not returnedst night and Mo Xuetong had only said that Mo Jin died for betraying her mistress. She did not say anything else. He had been too busy being angry at Mo Xuemin and did not think things through clearly. He only realized that the maid had parents to be informed too.

    "Yes, Old Sir." The servant knew that the matter was urgent. He ran outside.

    In Lihua Garden.

    Auntie Fang smashed several expensive porcin decorations on the ground angrily. She wanted to rush out of the courtyard but was stopped by Nanny Li.

    "Auntie, you cannot go. If you go out and make a fuss, First Miss¡¯ reputation would really be ruined."

    "No. I have to go and see Min¡¯er since something like this happened to her. I should ask Old Sir how he is going to handle the matter. That little slut is having dalliances with men in private. We should lock up her parents as well." Auntie Fang red angrily. However, she knew that she could not act rashly. As such, she could only rant furiously.

    "Auntie, Old Sir will definitely help First Miss. First Miss is Old Sir¡¯s favorite. How would he let her suffer?" Nanny Li persuaded her. It was obvious that she thought it was hard in private. First Miss used to be Old Sir¡¯s favorite in the past. But ever since Third Miss¡¯ return, First Miss was no longer the most doted upon in the manor, but Third Miss was.

    However, she had to say that for if Auntie Fang tried anything, she would be the one to get the me.

    "What was Min¡¯er thinking? Why would she do anything with those from the pce? And even get scorned by the Empress? I told her not to act rashly and to wait for the Yu family to enter the capital before trying anything. However, she could not wait to flirt with King Chu. See what¡¯s happened now. Her reputation has been ruined." Auntie Fang seethed.

    She had been dragged outside by Mo Huawenst night to kneel with Mo Xuemin. She had been scolded terribly and after listening to what Mo Huawen told the eunuch, knew roughly what happened. She was so anxious then and then had been startled now. As such, she felt very flustered.

    "Auntie, don¡¯t worry. The Yu Family will being to the capital within the next day or so. You can ask your uncle to do something. Furthermore, your elder sister will being as well. She can help you toe up with some ideas. Two heads are better than one. You can invite them here to help youe up with ideas. This is better than you being locked up in Lihua Garden and being worried for nothing."

    "When will they arrive?" Auntie Fang calmed down slightly.

    "I heard that they are still two days away. They should be here in the next two days. Furthermore, they came with the Qins. The two of them are definitely more capable than Old Sir. Then, Old Sir will definitely be forced to release you. With your wits, there might still be a turn in the situation." Nanny Li suggested.

    "Go outter to check on First Miss. I am worried that she cannot deal with the incident. If anything happens, inform me immediately." Auntie Fang had calmed down, but she was still worried.

    Nanny Li answered in affirmative and went to Fuqing Garden.

    Facts have proved that Mo Huawen had sent his men out toote. In less than an afternoon, the rumors outside had spread that the First Miss of the Mo Family had shamelessly seduced King Chu. The rumors were so realistic it was as if someone had witnessed the incident. Some of the more curious dug in deeper and found out that the First Miss Mo had met up with the Duke¡¯s son secretly at the Repayment Temple some time ago.

    This rumor was even more likely to be true. Someone proved that the maid who sent the pouch had died in the room the second day. Although it was made known that she had hung herself, who would believe that!

    It was already past noon when Mo Xuemin received news about this. A chill ran down her entire body when she heard Mo Xiu recount the news. She ran to the entrance of her courtyard, but stood at the door, stunned. After some time, she felt that she was cold inside and out.

    Mo Xiu was worried that she was feeling ill. She approached her and said softly, "Miss, let us return and rest. Old Sir will help you to settle this matter."

    Then, she reached out to help Mo Xuemin in. She discovered that her body was boiling hot. She became flustered and touched her hands, which were icy cold!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 54 Miss Xu

    The Qin family and the Yu family came together this time. However, the Qin family was the main reason for their journey. Only the Old sir and his wife Mdm Chen as well as the First Miss of the Yu Family, Yu Sirong, from the Yu Family came. There were only two carriages from the Yu manor following behind the horse carriages of the Qin Manor. The other family members of the Yu family did note to the capital.

    They did not send someone to contact them immediately after reaching the capital like what Auntie Fang had said.

    Mo Xuemin had fallen ill. She was so seriously ill that she could not even get out of bed. Mo Huawen had no choice but to release Auntie Fang so that she could go to Fuqing Garden to take care of Mo Xuemin...

    The rumors started off with a few people gossiping. Then, the rumors started to spread through the streets and the alleys. Even some matriarchs from noble families would talk about it when they met.

    The concubine¡¯s daughter, the first miss of the Mo Manor had a fling with Sima Lingyun of the Duke¡¯s manor. First Miss Mo was so shameless to climb into King Chu¡¯s bed and was thrown out of it by King Chu...

    The rumors grew more and more ugly. Mo Huawen was angry and anxious but could not do anything about the rumors. As such, he banned Mo Xuemin from leaving the house and locked her in the inner courtyards until the rumors abated as time passed. However, the rumors did not abate but grew even worse. The two stewards of the manor made a fuss before Mo Huawen every day, seeking justice for their daughter.

    Mo Xuemin could not exin the matter clearly, frustrating Mo Huawen greatly. He finally used the money to smooth over the matter regarding Mo Jin.

    General Manor sent a letter asking for Mo Xuetong. Mo Huawen brought Mo Xuetong to General Manor personally.

    Mo Huawen performed all the necessary etiquette on his visit this time. He entered with Mo Xuetong and kowtowed to Old Madam Xu and then apanied Mo Xuetong to her courtyard. Then, he arranged all the things they brought with them. Mo Xuetong would stay with the Luo family for some time and Mo Huawen was worried that she would not be used to it. He had especially gotten servants to bring her favorite decorations from her room and set them up.

    Even though Old Madam Xu was not very pleased with this son-inw of hers, she understood Mo Huawen¡¯s love for Tong¡¯er. She was still secretly happy and as such, she closed one eye to it despite her displeasure and pretended that she did not know about it.

    Mo Huawen saw that the decorations in the yard were about done and promised to visit Mo Xuetong regrly when she asked cutely. Then, Mo Xuetong watched reluctantly as he left. The Old Sir of the Luo Manor, General Fu, was not in the capital. However, the Second Old Sir of the Luo Manor was there and was waiting for him at the front hall.

    Mo Huawen had been to the Luo family¡¯s courtyard. However, he had not visited again after he brought Luo Xia to take his position in Cloud City. After he returned to the capital, he had not visited due to the friction between the two families. He was naturally unfamiliar with the ce. Mo Lan brought him through the gardens and towards the outside.

    He had just left Mo Xuetong¡¯s garden when he heardughter from behind the fake mountains. He knew that it was a female rtive of the Luo Manor. Even though the two families were considered rtives, it was inappropriate for them to meet without being introduced. He wanted to stand by the fake mountain and asked Mo Lan to go over thereter. Just as he settled himself, a figure suddenly appeared and knocked into him.

    Mo Huawen was a civil servant who dealt with documents. He naturally could not react in time and was knocked over. He did not see who it was as he lost his footing. He held the figure subconsciously and they fell onto the ground together.

    "Hey, who are you? Let go of our mistress." The maid¡¯s voice was loud and Mo Huawen let go, flustered. Mo Lan, who was by the side was also shocked and she went up to help Mo Huawen up. There were a few maids who helped the beauty wearing elegant clothes up. Mo Huawen nced at her. She was in her 20s. It was inappropriate for Mo Huawen to look at her carefully. As such, he took two steps back and bowed deeply, apologizing for his actions. He then turned and was about to leave.

    He did not know who thedy was. He thought that there were almost no unmarried daughters in their 20s in the Luo Manor. Fortunately, it did not bother him.

    "Who is this?" Xu Yan was helped up and the first thing she saw was a handsome and gentle man. She blushed and hurriedly backed away. She watched as he left and asked the maid beside her softly.

    Mo Huawen was only in his 30s and was handsome. Furthermore, he was very gentle and was at his prime. He did not behave like a lecherous man when he knocked into her and did not look at her either. He behaved graciously and in an upright manner. It made him very likable. This was especially so to women like Xu Yan who thought of herself as a dignified woman. She liked him the moment she saw him and started to ask about him with a blush on her face despite her shyness.

    "This should be General Fu¡¯s brother-inw!" The maid beside her answered uncertainly. She heard that the general¡¯s brother-inw and his daughter were going toe to the manor this morning. Since the person hade to the inner courtyard, he was probably a rtive.

    "That is cousin Luo Xia¡¯s husband?" Xu Yan blinked and asked with a blush. She had long heard that cousin Luo Xia¡¯s husband was a talented and handsome man. He and cousin Luo Xia were considered a good match. She had heard that this cousin-inw was very talented. The room that Xu Yan was staying in right now was right beside Luo Xia¡¯s courtyard. And sometimes, when she was bored, she would visit her cousin¡¯s room to find some books to read.

    She had seen a few calligraphy pieces that her cousin-inw had left behind in her cousin¡¯s room. The characters were proud and the poetry was beautiful. It was a good piece of calligraphy! Even though she had never met this cousin-inw of hers, she had always hoped to find an impressive husband like her cousin. If she found someonepatible, it would not be a wasted life for her. She started to blush when she thought of that.

    "It seems like it. Miss, hold on, look, that is the maid who sent the sir out. She does not seem to be from this manor. I will go and ask her about it." Xu Yan¡¯s maid pointed at Mo Lan who was turning back. She knew what her mistress thought when she saw how her mistress looked.

    "That¡¯s, that¡¯s not appropriate, right?" Xu Yan blushed and wrung the handkerchief in her hands. She did not look up. She felt that it was inappropriate to ask about other men as an unmarrieddy.

    "It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t say that it is you who wants to know." The maid was a smart one and walked over bravely and spoke with Mo Lan in a friendly manner.

    Mo Lan told the maid about Mo Huawen warmly when she saw Xu Lan standing not far away. She praised Mo Huawen to high heavens as if he was second to none. He was a true gentleman and was a talented schr who loved his wife deeply and doted very much on his daughter. He was gentle, noble, talented and elegant! He was a true gentleman.

    Xu Yan tugged on her handkerchief as she listened. Her face was flushed and her heart raced as she looked down.

    When Mo Lan returned to the courtyard, she met Luo Mingzhu who came by to talk about what happenedst night. She did not go back to report to Mo Xuetong. Instead, she lifted the curtains and left, telling the maids to take care of Mo Xuetong. Then, she turned to leave and thanked the Old Madam on her mistress¡¯ behalf.

    "Cousin, where did you go after the banquet. I wanted to return with you, but you disappeared when I turned around." Luo Mingzhu was still talking about what happened at the Flower Appreciation Banquet.

    "Second Cousin, you did not attend the banquet at night?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up with a gentle smile when she heard Luo Mingzhu¡¯s sincere concern. ording to what she knew, thedies of the four great manors would definitely be asked to stay in the picking of the Prince¡¯s wife. Luo Mingzhu was the onlydy of the Luo Manor, so how would they allow her to leave first.

    "I attended the banquet. I wanted to leave with you, but then you disappeared. When I thought of leaving, I received the Empress¡¯ summons and could not leave. Had I known that, I would have left first." Luo Mingzhu looked slightly upset. She did not look happy to be part of the picks for the Princes¡¯ wives.

    "Was the night banquet not fun? I heard that thedies performed their talents. What did you perform?" Mo Xuetong nced at Luo Mingzhu. She knew that her cousin was displeased but did not understand what had made her angry. Everyone knew about the princes¡¯ wives choices. Those who could attend the banquetst night were all potential candidates. Why did that make Luo Mingzhu upset?

    "What fun!" Luo Mingzhu said angrily. Then, she suddenly thought of something and blushed. She wrung her handkerchief and pouted, saying, "I yed the Qin. Your Eldest Sister shone. She enthralled the princes with a tune on the Qin."

    Mo Xuemin indeed did not let go of any opportunity to show off. However, the greater her hopes, the greater her disappointment. In her past life, their father had forcefully buried the matter. Mo Xuemin hadid low for a few days and after that, she was still the most reputable and talenteddy among the noble families. This life, Mo Xuemin had made use of all the opportunities she had. However, her life this time would not be so smooth-sailing. Mo Xuetong would tear Mo Xuemin down from her peak, bit by bit...

    "It¡¯s impossible for the Eldest Sister to catch the eye of all the princes. Second Cousin, you look like there¡¯s a prince you¡¯re interested in. Could it be that Eldest Sister had stolen your spotlight as well?" Mo Xuetong teased Luo Mingzhu when she saw her upset look. In her past life, her cousin had not seemed to marry any prince. Perhaps she was not fated with the imperial pce. However, when she saw how Luo Mingzhu looked, she knew that Luo Mingzhu had her target.

    "There isn¡¯t. Don¡¯t speak nonsense." Luo Mingzhu flushed as Mo Xuetong guessed correctly. She stood up, wanting to pinch Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    Mo Lan returned just as they wereughing. She lifted the curtains and entered, saying that the Old Madam was asking for them. The pce had sent some gifts for them.

    "There¡¯s something for me as well?" Mo Xuetong was shocked and pointed to herself, asking in confusion. Even though she was smiling, she still felt secretly wary. She had not even met the Empress, so why would there be a gift for her? Furthermore, the Empress¡¯ behavior was unusual that day. However, two weeks had passed and there had not been any news. Could she have guessed wrongly?

    "The eunuch who sent the gifts said that they were going to send it to the Mo Manor. However, they heard that you were here, which saves them the trip. So they left all the gifts at General Manor. It was First Miss who attended the banquet, but you are the main daughter of the Mo Manor. As such, this gift is for you, and this is giving a face to the Mo Manor. A concubine¡¯s daughter cannot surpass the main daughter. The Old Madam said that this was just as well and she is happily entertaining the eunuch who serves the Empress. She is asking Misses to quickly go and thank the Empress." Mo Lan exined to the two with a smile. She had spoken eloquently.

    "Cousin, this maid of yours is so likable. She has a glib tongue and we don¡¯t even need to ask her any questions." Luo Mingzhu chortled when she heard the long statement. When she thought of all the things that Mo Xuemin had done, but had ended up benefiting her cousin, her mood was great and she could not help but tease Mo Lan.

    "The second cousin, you only know how to tease Tong¡¯er. Why don¡¯t you take Mo Lan as your personal maid? I think your maid is the truly silver-tongued one. She must have already gone to ask around for you!" The curtains lifted and Luo Mingzhu¡¯s personal maid Yu Yan entered happily. She entered just as they were talking about her. As such, everyone in the room stared at her, and she flushed, flustered. She did not say anything and went to stand behind Luo Mingzhu obediently.

    "Look, is there good news that you intend to tell only Second Cousin? You aren¡¯t even going to share it with us." Mo Xuetong smiled widely, holding on to Mo Lan, insistent on getting Luo Mingzhu to say what she asked her maid to gather news about. Luo Mingzhu flushed and tickled Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong was tiny and frail and was no match for Luo Mingzhu. She fell against Luo Mingzhu¡¯s chest in just a while, saying that she would not dare to tease her again!

    After a while, they realized that someone was waiting for them and they should not dawdle. They straightened their messy clothing with the help of their maids. Then, they went to the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard with their maids.

    Mo Xuetong followed behind Luo Mingzhu. Her expression turned grave and she felt anxious. Why would the Empress think of her, a fifth-grade officer¡¯s daughter, for no reason? Furthermore, why did she send the gifts to General Manor in such a coincidence? Mo Xuemin was the one who had attended the banquet but the gift had gone to her. Even though one of them was the main daughter and the other the concubine¡¯s daughter, something like the Empress giving the concubine¡¯s daughter gift to the main daughter should not happen.

    Of course, she did not believe that the Empress would make a mistake like getting them mixed up. What was the reason for the high and mighty Empress to think of her when they had not had any dealings in her past life...

    Or had the Empress met up secretly with the nobledies that day at the Flower Appreciation Banquet? Her hands balled up slightly under her sleeves!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 55 The Unexpected Appearance of Someone from the Palace

    An old eunuch sat in the corner of Old Madam Xu¡¯s yard. There were a few pce maids holding clothes, cloth and jewelry boxes standing behind him.

    The door curtains lifted and two youngdies entered. The older girl was about 14 or 15. She wore a long pink dress with blue peacock prints. Her skirt danced above the ground and she wore a white satin shirt outside her skirt, showing off the elegant peacock print on her print shirt. Her skirt and sleeve cuffs were edged with silver-white clouds. Yes, she was slender and good looking. She was beautiful!

    The younger girl wore a simple white dress with a light blue floral skirt. There were faint floral patterns only at the bottom of her skirt. Her ck hair twisted into a skewed bun, pinned up only with a silver jade hairpin. When one looked at her, she looked gentle and weak and made one want to dote on her. She was not tall, and she had her head lowered when she entered. As such, he could not see her face clearly. He could only tell that she had not yet matured and was about 12 or 13.

    "These two must be your granddaughters. They are both rare beauties. No wonder the queen boasted that you are a blessed woman when she saw them in the pce. Your granddaughters both look like beautiful flowers. I can see that they are both your granddaughters." The old eunuch had a silver tongue and teased them with a smile. Old Madam Xu who was seated beside him smiled widely.

    Mo Xuetong followed behind Luo Mingzhu and stood beside Old Madam Xu without speaking after she greeted them. She only looked at the old eunuch secretly. She could tell his grade from his robe. Usually, low level eunuchs wore grey robes with horizontal stripes. Some of the powerful eunuchs could embroider two silver stripes on their sleeves. Only lead eunuchs who served the masters of the pces could have three gold stripes on their sleeves.

    There were three stripes on the old eunuch¡¯s sleeves. He hade from the Empress¡¯ pce. How could the lead eunuch from the Empress¡¯ pce bepared to other lead eunuchs from other pces? He did not have to tter a titled woman outside the pce. Even if her granddaughter was a gooddy, it had nothing to do with the Empress. What was the Empress up to?

    "Many thanks, Eunuch Liu, for your praise." Old Madam Xu said with a smile. Then, she pointed at Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong, introducing them. "This is my son¡¯s daughter, and that is my daughter¡¯s daughter."

    Eunuch Liu¡¯s gaze fell on the little girl who looked shy and pitiful. He paused for a moment and looked at the delicate and pitiful Mo Xuetong who stood there dazedly. He grew hesitant and sized her up and down again.

    The Old Madam¡¯s other granddaughter seemed to be a smart one. She stood by the side, looking beautiful with a small smile on her face. Even though she would nce at him from time to time, she seemed delicate and smart. She looked dignified. A woman like this was better.

    She stood by the side and still had not risen her head, standing dazedly beside the Old Madam, not even daring to raise her hand. Even though she looked delicate and adorable, she was so dazed and looked unsophisticated. She did not look like a nobledy. How could she be...

    Was there a mistake? He came up with a new n right there and then and no longer felt like wasting time.

    "Ladies, since you are both here, please ept the Empress¡¯ gifts so that I can go to visit the otherdies." Eunuch Liu smiled and gestured or the pce maids behind him to present two sets of ruby headdress, two sets of luxurious cloth. Each of them was gifted a peacock hairpin made from soft gold. There were pearls and stunning precious rocks engraved into the hair pin. They were both stunning and looked expensive. It was a gift worthy of the most doted on concubine in the pce, much less two children.

    The Old Madam who had been smiling all this while looked surprised. However, she politely told the girls to give thanks. The royal family gifting them such objects meant that they were not only precious, but they had been given face as well.

    Mo Xuetong followed behind Luo Mingzhu carefully. She kneeled and bowed to the gifts, thanking the Empress for them. She kept her head down, looking as if she was a girl who was afraid and had never attended any grand asions. It made Eunuch Liu who had been looking at her carefully shake his head secretly. The Empress must have made a mistake. A girl like this can¡¯t even be a pce maid, so how could she attract the attention of King Xuan? Perhaps the wild King Xuan was in a good mood then and had just poked his nose into someone else¡¯s business then.

    What another thing could it be!

    Eunuch Liu had been wondering if the ungracious Miss Mo had annoyed King Xuan and he had intentionally started the who mess to get her into trouble. Then, he thought of King Xuan and his wild moods and behavior. He had no cares at all. The girl in front of him looked dazed and stupid and had not even lifted her head until now. She was probably not very good looking and might have annoyed the handsome King Xuan.

    He thought that was very likely. He nced at the kneeling Mo Xuetong again and looked rather disinterested. He bade the Old Madam farewell. He did not take the servants anywhere else but hurried back to the pce.

    He feared that the Empress still did not know about it. He had to inform her of the situation.

    In General Manor, the Old Madam got Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong¡¯s servants to take the things away but did not tell them to leave. Then, she sent others out to listen for news while she asked the girls carefully about what happened at the banquet. She especially asked what happened to both of them.

    However, she did not receive much news. They only said that the wild King Xuan had helped Mo Xuetong and had found the person who had framed her for knocking into him. Mo Xuetong did not dare to mention that she and the devilish King Xuan had met before. She said that this was their first meeting and she was wondering why he would help her.

    "Grandmother, Grandmother. Why did the Empress gift us with such expensive things?" Luo Mingzhu was born in a noble family and naturally knew that the items were unusual. She knew that she had not been exceptional that night. Even her performance at the Qin had been outshone by Mo Xueminter. She did not shine at all at the event. So why did the Empress especially sent gifts to her? Furthermore, she had especially given the stunning Mo Xuemin¡¯s gifts to her Mo Xuetong. Even if Luo Mingzhu had never been the careful sort, she felt that something was up.

    "Tong¡¯er, other than the matter with the princes, are you sure you didn¡¯t meet anyone unusual or that nothing unusual happened?" The Old Madam thought of this and asked with a frown.

    Was there anything else that was unusual? Something to do with the Empress and the Princess? Mo Xuetong bit her lips and said slowly, "That day at the banquet, the Empress sent for me but I met Princess Royal and she kept me behind to speak with me. Grandmother, were the Princess and my mother friends when they were young?"

    "Princess Royal saw you?" Even though the Old Madam was smiling, her hands which were hidden under her sleeves shook slightly.

    "Yes, Princess Royal even asked about Mother and her life in Cloud City." Mo Xuetong keenly caught the fluster and shock in the Old Madam¡¯s eyes. She continued smiling sweetly.

    "What did you say?" The Old Madam asked urgently.

    "Nothing much, I just said that she lived well in Cloud City. But her health was poor, so she..." There was an intense look of sadness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She bit her lips and her clear eyes clouded over.

    "It¡¯s alright, there there. It¡¯s alright now. Your mother would not want you to be so sad if she were around. Don¡¯t think too much." The Old Madam reached out and hugged Mo Xuetong. She caressed her face andforted her, " Princess Royal is a widow and you should not see her often. If you meet her again on any other asion in the future, stay away from her politely."

    Is she asking her to keep a distance from Princess Royal?

    "Grandmother, why? The Princess is very kind." Mo Xuetong lifted her pale face and asked in confusion. She wiped her tears away with a handkerchief.

    "The royal family and their matters are too far away from us. Tong¡¯er I am worried that you will fall into it if you were not careful. After all, the Empress has noticed you. If the Princess notices you again, it would be unfortunate." Old Madam Xu took a deep breath. She caressed Mo Xuetong¡¯s long dark hair. However, she was not looking at her and there was a bitter look at the corners of her lips.

    An expression like that on the Old Madam who had always been praised for being a gracious and dignified woman made one suspicious. However, the Old Madam did not speak about the matter again. She only talked about what girls were interested in. Then, the person she had sent out for news returned and she sent the girls back to their courtyards.

    Mo Xuetong returned to her room andid on her bed. She tossed and turned and could not fall asleep. She kept feeling that what the Old Madam had said today was very odd. It was very unlike her grandmother.

    After tossing and turning on the bed, she sat up suddenly and brought Mo Ye and Mo Lan outside for a stroll. There was a hint of worry in her eyes and she felt as if she had forgotten something. Her grandmother¡¯s anxiousness today, and her asking Mo Xuetong to distance herself from the Princess. The Princess was a widow, but her mother had died young and she was not considered a blessed person herself. So what was there to avoid? Furthermore, Princess Royal was just a princess, she did not have any children. So why would the princess involve her into the matters of the royal family...

    What was her grandmother worried about? And why would she ask Mo Xuetong to distance herself from the Princess? She did not understand!

    Because of these matters weighing down her mind, she entered a path in the corner. She did not see many people walking by and only saw a few maids hurrying past. They curtsied to her politely and left. The servants in the manor were all long informed that the Mo cousin was visiting. They looked at her and knew that she was the most doted on the granddaughter of the Old Madam and did not dare to be impolite.

    Mo Xuetong grew up in Cloud City. When she was a child, Luo Xia had brought her back to the capital twice, but that had happened when she was really small. As such, she was not familiar with General Manor. She walked further and further away as she was preupied with her thoughts.

    "Miss, where is that ce? It looks like Mistress¡¯ ce. Even the camphor tree at the door looks the same." Mo Lan suddenly stopped and pointed over to a tall wall in surprise.

    Indeed, there was a tall wall in front of them and the wide doors were tightly locked. There was a tall camphor tree in front of the door that looked exactly like the one in the old manor at Cloud City. Was this her mother¡¯s ce?

    She recalled that she had once visited this ce when she came to General Manor as a child. However, when had it fallen into such disarray?

    The lock on the door was rusty. Even though the outside was clean, weeds grew everywhere inside. One could tell with a single look that no one had been by to clean it for a long time. The mudyer on the wall had already fallen off and a few reeds poked out from it. It made the ce look even more deste and quiet. There was not a single voice around them.

    Her heart beat wildly. She touched a green nt at on the corner of the wall with shaky fingers.

    She remembered that this was her mother¡¯s ce. Or she should say, where her mother used to stay. Her mother stayed in this ce until she turned 10 and before she moved somewhere else. Her mother had talked about this ce before and she remembered her mother saying something...But she was too young then, or she did not care then. She could not even remember what her mother said then, and had even forgotten about this ce.

    There must be something going on. The Princess¡¯ behavior, her grandmother¡¯s behavior, her mother¡¯s inexplicable death. There were secrets about her mother she did not know...Perhaps she could unravel the secrets surrounding her mother.

    "Mo Ye, go in and open the door!" There was a buzzing sound in her mind and she could hear her cold and light voice.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 56 The Mysterious Desolated Courtyard

    Mo Ye moved quickly and flipped over the doors. Then, she moved the door aside from the inside. Mo Xuetong brought Mo Lan through the door that Mo Ye opened and entered.

    Standing inside, she could see that the twisting path leading to the door inside was filled with weeds and pebbles. It looked extremely dested. Mo Ye used her foot to move the weeds away and Mo Xuetong followed the path. There was an inexplicable feeling in her heart.

    There were two entrances to the yard. The first lead to the main house. They pushed open the somewhat wrecked doors. There was a creak. The house was empty.

    "Miss, I will go and clean up first before youe in." Mo Lan stood in front of Mo Xuetong worriedly. Even though she did not know where they were, she could see the wariness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She knew that her mistress valued this ce very much. As such, she did not stop her mistress from entering. However, she was still worried.

    "It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just look around. Mother used to stay here..." Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the wide desk through the torn curtains. A few scattered memories returned to her. She pushed Mo Lan away and stepped into the dusty house determinedly.

    There were a few books scattered on the desk. They were slightly messy. She walked past a screen. The characters on the screen could still be seen clearly. There were a fewrge characters that had been written forcefully and there were also some pictures drawn by women. There was nothing eye-catching. She walked in and there was a small couch. The side of the couch that was ced against the window was considered clean.

    Mo Xuetong walked up to the couch and looked through the average-sized window. From the window, she could see a brick wall with blue tiles in the distance and also the corner of a window on the wall.

    There was nothing else that caught her eye.

    "Miss, let¡¯s go back. Old Madam might be looking for you." Mo Lan said uneasily. She felt that there was something weird about this ce.

    "It¡¯s alright, let¡¯s look around some more before leaving." Mo Xuetong said softly. She turned around to continue walking. Mo Ye who had been following her went to the window with a sh.

    "Miss, that¡¯s Mo Yu at the window over there." Mo Ye said suddenly as she looked out of the window.

    "Mo Yu? You can see our courtyard from here?" Mo Xuetong stopped suddenly, startled. She turned around in surprise.

    "Yes, I saw Mo Yu walking by that window over there just now." Mo Ye looked carefully and answered in affirmative.

    Mo Lan turned around as well to look out of the window. While her eyesight was not as good as Mo Ye¡¯s, but she grew up together with Mo Yu. She was certain that it was Mo Yu just by looking at her figure. She nodded and said, "That¡¯s indeed Mo Yu. I didn¡¯t realize there was such a courtyard behind ours. I used to think there was nothing else behind Madam¡¯s courtyard."

    Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought when she heard that. She was staying in Luo Xia¡¯s courtyard right now and had once looked out from her window when she was bored. However, she had never discovered such a courtyard. The furthest thing she saw from her window was the Old Madam¡¯s tall courtyard walls.

    What was this mysterious courtyard doing here!

    Mo Xuetong examined the courtyard carefully in confusion. However, she did not discover anything.

    They walked around the courtyard and did not discover anything. As such, they returned to their courtyard.

    They met a servant the Old Madam had sent to invite Mo Xuetong over when they reached their courtyard.

    Mo Xuetong straightened her clothes and went straight to the Old Madam¡¯s ce. She only discovered when she entered that Old Madam Xu had hired a few etiquette nannies. The two nannies were from the pce and she heard that they were highly regarded in the pce. It was difficult even for noble families to hire them. Old Madam Xu told Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong to greet them.

    The thinner one was Nanny Han while the plump one was called Nanny Li. Luo Mingzhu would be taught by the thin and strict Nanny Han while Mo Xuetong would be taught by the friendly Nanny Li. After greeting them, Luo Mingzhu brought Nanny Han with her and Mo Xuetong brought Nanny Li with her back to their respective courtyards.

    In the next month, they would mainly be taught various etiquette and pce rules. The Fu General family were a noble family and would definitely have encounters with the royal family. Even though Mo Xuetong was the daughter of an insignificant court official, but as a granddaughter of the Fu General family, she had to have a good disposition as well.

    Earlier, Old Madam Xu saw how dazed and cowardly Mo Xuetong had behaved and felt sad. If Xia¡¯er was still around, how would she allow her daughter to be groomed to be so weak and cowardly? She did not look like a nobledy at all and was even worse than some maids. When she thought about this, Old Madam Xu grew even more dissatisfied with Mo Huawen. Mo Xuetong was the main daughter, but he had left her in Cloud City, which was a small ce. He had not even taught her etiquette well.

    "Old Madam, don¡¯t be angry. While Miss Mo looks weak, she has her own mind. She is just slightly weaker on etiquette because she stayed in Cloud City for too long and no one taught her. It¡¯s not as if she can¡¯t get any better." Nanny Shen poured Old Madam Xu a cup of tea andforted her when she saw Old Madam Xu¡¯s angry expression.

    "How can I not be angry. She¡¯s a nobledy, but she has been brought up to be so cowardly. Even the maids in the manor are braver than her. She looked so fearful when she saw someone from the pce. She was not dignified or gracious like a nobledy. Her father had failed in his duties." Old Madam Xu took a sip of the tea and sighed with a frown. The child was had not even moved at all and seemed even more stiff than usual. One look at her and they would know that she was petty and ungraceful.

    "Don¡¯t worry, Old Madam. I think that Miss Mo had done it intentionally!" Nanny Shen had apanied Mo Xuetong back to the capital and she had observed her throughout the journey. While Mo Xuetong was rumored to be cowardly, she felt that Mo Xetong was dignified and gracious and was also very smart. Auntie Fang¡¯s nanny had behaved herself partially because she was there and also because she was afraid of Mo Xuetong. That was why their trip to the capital was considered peaceful.

    The incident at the capital gates had solidified Nanny Shen¡¯s thoughts about Mo Xuetong. She felt that a talent like Miss Mo did not need to be taught at all. However, her behavior this morning waspletely different from her usual behavior. Was it really because she was flustered from meeting someone from the pce? Why was she not flustered when she saw the duke¡¯s son and the other nobledies at the city gate that day then?

    "Tong¡¯er did it intentionally?" Old Madam Xu frowned and looked up in confusion.

    "Old Madam, think about it, how smart is Miss Mo usually. How could she be so dazed just because she saw someone from the pce? She had done it intentionally. I think she¡¯s trying to make that eunuch think that she¡¯s dumb." Even though Nanny Shen was not certain whether Mo Xuetong had done it intentionally, she spoke even more excitedly as if the matter were true when she saw the Old Madam looking slightly happier.

    Even she started to believe it and she helped the Old Madam to sit on the couch at the side of the room. She helped her to put a few cushions behind her so she couldy down. The Old Madam¡¯s health was poor and could not sit for too long. She usuallyid down to rest. When she heard that something had happened to her daughter, she had not even had time to go over before she fell ill.

    "That¡¯s true. Tong¡¯er has always been a smart one. The intentions of the pce were unclear this time. She might really have done that intentionally." Old Madam Xu was tickled when she said that. She thought back to how she had wondered why Tong¡¯er¡¯s dazed expression was so weird when Eunuch Liu was around. When she heard Nanny Shen¡¯s analysis, she felt that it was reasonable and she could not help but scold with a smile. "That sly girl. She¡¯s really audacious to even dare to trick her grandmother."

    "You are the one who spoiled her. I think you shouldn¡¯t scold Miss Mo and should scold yourself first. You have spoilt her so. Fortunately, she is filial. She¡¯s so smart, she¡¯s even smarter than Young Miss." Nanny Shen had watched Luo Xia grow up and when she mentioned Luo Xia, she could not help but tear up. She quickly turned away to wipe her tears away.

    She turned around and pped her face lightly, scolding herself. "Look at this mouth, I¡¯ve been speaking nonsense again. Miss Mo is very smart and Young Miss would definitely be very happy if she knew. With your care, even if Young Miss is no longer around, she would feel at ease."

    Old Madam Xu saw Nanny Shen¡¯s actions and knew that she was worried that she would feel upset when she thought about her daughter. She did not say anything but smiled sadly. She scolded, "You old thing." Then, she did not say anything else.

    The room was filled with an air of sadness.

    After a while, Old Madam Xu¡¯s expression grew grim. She gestured for Nanny Shen to shut the doors and said, "Tong¡¯er must have sensed something. I don¡¯t know why the Empress is son interested in her."

    The person she had sent out to get news earlier had returned to report that there were two types of people that the Empress had gifted things to today. One was to main daughters, thedies of noble families like Luo Mingzhu. The other gifts were to daughters of fifth or sixth-grade officials who did not rank too highly or lowly. They were just like Tong¡¯er, and there were two who were even concubine¡¯s daughters. Furthermore, with the news from the pce, Old Madam Xu could not help but think too much.

    "Miss Mo is only 13 and is still a little girl. Even if the pce has their eyes on her, they won¡¯t..." Nanny Shen knew what the Old Madam was thinking.

    "Oh, Tong¡¯er hasn¡¯t had her period yet?" The Old Madam asked in surprise.

    "I was close with the nanny that apanied Miss Mo on our journey here. The nanny knows that Old Madam doted on Miss Mo a lot and told me this privately. She said that Miss Mo¡¯s health was poor and had been injured which is why she still hasn¡¯t..." Nanny Shen said carefully. She had been meaning to tell Old Madam Xu about it but had not the time to do so.

    Nobledies ate and lived well. They were usually mature by the time they were 13.

    "No wonder Tong¡¯er is so skinny. Damn the Mo Manor, to raise a child like that and allow the concubine¡¯s daughter to run wild. She even dragged down Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation. Why was I so blind to allow Xia¡¯er to marry him then!" Old Madam Xu was so angry she hit the floor with her dragon-head cane forcefully. She was mad at Mo Huawen.

    "Old Madam, don¡¯t be angry. Fortunately, Miss Mo is now in the capital. She is only just 13. There are many immature 13-year-old girls out there. In the end, they are all healthy and got married and have children. It is not toote to help her body adjust now." Nanny Shenforted her. She took the dragon-head cane from the Old Madam andid it to the side.

    "Go, tell the kitchen to be more careful with Tong¡¯er¡¯s meals. Make her anything she likes and don¡¯t be afraid of trouble or spending money. Her health has always been poor and she has to nourish herself so she won¡¯t be like Xia¡¯er and at such a young age..." The Old Madam¡¯s voice cracked.

    "Old Madam, don¡¯t worry. I have already told them this morning. I even asked Second Young Sir to find a way to get some medicine from the outside to help improve Miss Mo¡¯s health." Nanny Shen said with a smile.

    "I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. Otherwise, how could I live on then... It¡¯s been hard on you all these years." Nanny Shen had apanied the Old Madam when she married into the family. They were extremely close and their rtionship was unlike any other. The Old Madam heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that everything had been arranged.

    "Miss, what are you saying? It is my good fortune to be able to serve you." Nanny Shen could not help but call the Old Madam by the name she used to call her when she thought of the past. She could not help but cry then.

    The room was very silent. The Old Madam finally forced down her sadness after a while. She said sharply, "Since the Empress has such thoughts, she would not let Tong¡¯er off easily. Fortunately, that sister of hers had done something like that. We might as well make arger mess of it. It is a small matter if her reputation bes slightly damaged. If she were to really be sent to the pce, she would be a powerless beauty. A ruined reputation is the lesser of two evils."

    "Old Madam, you mean..." Nanny Shen immediately wiped away her tears and looked serious now that they were talking business.

    "Yes. Get Second Sir here and tell him I am looking for him." The Old Madam said grimly. The Empress wanting to rule thedies in the pce had nothing to do with General Manor. However, if she used Tong¡¯er as a chess piece, General Manor was not to be easily trifled with either.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 57 The Empress Sends Beauties to King Xuan

    All was peaceful in the time after. The Empress did not do anything else after gifting gifts to a few moredies. She did not make anyone a princess, or even a concubine. There was no change on the Emperor¡¯s side either. It was as if the Flower Appreciation Banquet was just a normal banquet.

    King Chu, King Yan, and King Xuan did not have any main wives. Of course, this did not mean that there were no beauties or concubines in their inner courtyards. King Xuan¡¯s inner courtyard was florishing. It was said that the wild and arrogant King Xuan had the greatest number of concubines.

    He had not returned for too long when he started bringing in concubines into his manor. Even though Emperor Zongwen was angry, there was nothing he could do. In the beginning, he would send someone to rebuke him and then, after that, it was toote for any scolding. The Emperor just allowed him to do what he wanted. However, this annoyed the Empress and Concubine Su greatly and they started to be wary of King Xuan.

    As such, Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan Manor was the most bustling manor out of the three princes¡¯ manors. He would get gifts from the pce from time to time. If it were not nanmu wood furniture from the Empress, then it would be Concubine Su sending calligraphy. They all behaved as if they doted on Feng Yuran a lot.

    They just wanted to indulge him so that he would be a mess.

    Inside Jin Wei Pavilion of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    The handsome youth¡¯s eyes shone. They were as lively as the rippling waters in autumn. His eyes swept across the thick stack of paintings brought to him by a eunuch. He was sprawledzily on the couch and he picked up the crystal-like grapes that still had water on them and tossed them into his mouth casually. Anguid expression gradually appeared on his handsome face.

    "These were all found by Her Majesty?" Thezy voice had a trace of impatience in it.

    The wind blew at the paintings in the eunuch¡¯s hand. They were all pictures of beautiful smiles. Smiles fell like flowers where the wind blew. They were delicate and beautiful, pure and unique...

    "The eighteendies here are all main daughters of court officials third grade and above. They are beautiful and intelligent, dignified and gracious. Her Majesty said that if you like them, you can keep a few. You can never have enough beauties like them. No matter whether you take them as wives as concubines, they can all help you." The eunuch said, sending him the paintings. He helped Feng Yuran toy them on the desk and introduced them helpfully.

    Then, he intentionally smoothed down the topmost portrait and said, "Your Highness, look at this one. She is the most beautiful of the 18. I have ced her on top intentionally. Look at her carefully, she¡¯s a ravishing beauty! She¡¯s even more beautiful than some of the concubines in the pce."

    The beauty in the painting was indeed stunning. Her long thick hair was tied into a bun. She wore a peony green satin shirt and a pink daffodil dress. She also had a light green shawl around her shoulders. Her clear eyes and gentle beauty made one feel as if she was as beautiful as jade. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes could not help butnd on the picture. He looked at the beauty on it carefully and a smile appeared on his handsome face.

    The eunuch felt a wave of satisfaction. This beauty was one that the Empress took special care of. The beauty in the picture was gentle and beautiful. The Empress had had other ns, but had decided part with her treasure reluctantly and give it to King Xuan to get him on her side. Which man would be able to leave this beauty behind. King Xuan would more than likely pick this beauty. Even t hough the otherdies were all beautiful, they could notpare with this one. After seeing her, and then the otherdies, any man would definitely pick her to be their wife.

    She was the most famous beauty in the capital!

    "Which family is this beauty from? She is indeed beautiful. Then..." Azy smile appeared on the youths handsome face. His lips curled up with a faint smile, looking rather seductive. He was like a nightshade flower waving in the wind, seducing the hearts of others. The eunuch was in a hurry to reply. He looked up the handsome face. Even though he was used to seeing beauties in the pce, he was stunned by the prince¡¯s beauty and stared at him speechlessly.

    "How audacious. How dare you look at the prince." Someone yelled angrily.

    "Hurmph!" There was a cold harrumphed and the guard looked at him menacingly. The eunuch did not have time to speak before he was pped heavily. Pain radiated from his chest and he spat out blood onto the jade-like face of the first beauty on the painting. The face on the painting was sprayed red with blood and looked frightful.

    "Your Highness, please, Your Highness, please!" He looked at the guards standing by the side looking at him coldly and at the cold and handsome face of the youth wearing elegant clothes and seated on the high couch. How could he not understand? He ignored the pain in his chest and his face became pale with fright. He shook as he knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading with King Xuan. He kowtowed so frantically that his head started to bleed, blurring his eyesight.

    "Am I handsome?" Feng Yuran asked with a gentle smile. He did not speak in a hurry and did not seem angry. His eyes were filled with good humor.

    "Your ve does not dare. Your ve does not dare!" The eunuch did not dare to say anything. He kept kowtowing and did not dare to say anything as the blood blurred his eyesight.

    How dare he say anything else after offending King Xuan.

    "Do you think I¡¯m not handsome?" There was a deepzy sigh.

    "No, no, no, no...Your Highness¡¯s handsomeness is second to none. No one canpare." The eunuch shook and kowtowed. He was feeling dizzy.

    "Can no one trulypare?"

    "Of course. Of course that¡¯s true!" The eunuch would say whatever Feng Yuran wanted him to say right now.

    "Since no one canpare, why did you bring such an ugly picture here? You¡¯ve made my desk ugly. Feng Yue, throw him out. How can the woman in the portrait be a beauty? She¡¯s a female ghost and has frightened me. Take it away. Take it away!" Feng Yuran flicked his sleeves with disdain and pushed the painting to a corner of the desk. He frowned, looking disgusted.

    "Yes!" His personal servant Feng Yue was not polite at all. He picked up the eunuch with one hand and the painting with another and dragged them out.

    "Tell Her Majesty that I am grateful for here love. But I cannot ept this kind of female ghosts who are not "beauties". I am a coward, and if I get scared, it will be terrible!" Feng Yuran¡¯s voice could be heard from upstairs. Even though he was far away, the eunuch heard everything.

    "Yes, yes. Your servant will obey!" The eunuch had long been frightened out of his wits. How would he dare to say anything else? It was a fortunate thing that he had managed to keep his life. He had dared to stare at King Xuan, who was known for his fluctuating moods, dazedly. It could be said that King Xuan was still giving a face to the Empress since he had spared his life. Otherwise, how would he have been able to survive earlier.

    After being thrown out by Feng Yue, the eunuch ran away. He suddenly recalled something after he had taken a few steps and hurriedly turned back to pick up the ruined painting. He knocked into a stone lion statue not far away and tumbled over. The guards of King Manor behind himughed out loud.

    Inside the Empress¡¯ pce.

    "This is the reply you brought back?" The Empress pointed at the portrait with trembling fingers and spoke sternly.

    The Empress almost vomited blood when she saw the painting that was soaked in blood. The beauty¡¯s features could not be made out anymore and it was just a mess of colored ink and blood. It was not only not beautiful but it felt rather devilish.

    "Your Majesty, please calm down. Did King Xuan do this intentionally?" Eunuch Liu looked at the pale and shaking eunuch and could not help but sigh secretly. If thed had not gifted him with an emerald ring that day, he would have left him to his own devices. "Your Highness, he obviously looks like he has been frightened."

    "Why did King Xuan dirty the painting so? Even though he might not like my niece, he doesn¡¯t have to do this. It¡¯s not like my niece can¡¯t be married off." The Empress asked furiously. It was not as if she was praising her own family, but it was said that the first beauty in the capital, Ling Fengyan was the most outstanding daughter of her family, the Ding General Manor.

    The Empress had her own ns for a beauty like this. She had no intentions of giving Ling Fengyan to Feng Yuran at all.

    The Empress had no intentions of getting Ling Fengyan into the pce. Only a concubine could have a high position from each family. She was already the Empress, if someone from her familyes in, the Emperor will feel that the Ding General Manor is too powerful and will grow wary of them. It would not only be a waste of a beauty and would also lead to the Emperor being on his guard with them.

    As such, Ling Fengyan had remained hidden behind closed doors. People only heard about her but rarely saw her. Emperor Zongwen had wanted to find Feng Yuran a beautiful woman this time, and when she saw how Emperor Zongwen doted on Feng Yuran, she wanted to get Feng Yuran on her side. That was why she gritted her teeth and sent the beauty over. However, she had not expected to be so embarrassed. The Empress was embarrassed, so how could she maintain her dignified and gentleposure?

    The Empress was very angry. The consequences were serious!

    Feng Yuran might be Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite son, but how could he behave so arrogantly. He ignored his Royal Mother¡¯s good intentions and even embarrassed her. He had sprayed blood on the portrait of the Empress¡¯ niece. This was pitting himself against the Empress, pitting himself against the Ding General Manor. He had embarrassed the high and mighty Empress, and how could the usually proud Empress bear it?

    "Men, get His Majesty toe and see. Come and see how the eighth price treated his royal mother¡¯s good intentions!" She clenched the armrest of her phoenix seat and gritted her teeth loudly. Even if she wanted to get Feng Yuran on her side, she would not allow him to challenge her power.

    She was second to only one person right now. Everyone else had to be under her rule!

    She would be above many in the future. Even that person would be beneath her then. She would be the Empress Dowager, a true Empress Dowager.

    "Your Majesty, please hold on. We had better get a clear answer. If His Majesty tries to help King Xuan, you can take out real evidence to show him." Eunuch Liu hurried to speak up and stop her when he saw how angry the Empress was. Everyone in the pce knew how much Emperor Zongwen doted on King Xuan. If they did not make sure of the situation and King Xuan found a loophole, it would not only be a matter of teaching King Xuan a lessonter.

    The Empress understood that she was too rash. Her furious expression softened slightly. Her goal was to teach Feng Yuran a lesson only and not truly be enemies with him. She hoped that she would be able to use this chance to get Emperor Zongwen to teach Feng Yuran a lesson. She would stand at the right moment to help Feng Yuran so that he would be grateful for her graciousness and stand on her side. That was the Empress¡¯s goal.

    She sighed and looked at the eunuch below and asked coldly. "Where did King Xuan get this blood from?"

    No matter how much he was dissatisfied with the person in the painting, he did not have to use blood to ruin it. This was something that the Empress found uneptable. She did not think that nobody would like her niece. She was a beautiful girl, and would there be any man who did not like her? Why had Feng Yuran done that to the painting, smearing the blood on her face!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 58 The Empress Scheme

    Where did the bloode from?

    The eunuch sprawled on the ground started to shake. He had already cleaned the traces of blood by his lips when he entered. He thought about how he was going to get through this. If the Empress found out that it was his blood that had been sprayed on her favorite niece¡¯s painting, he would definitely die. However, he dared not lie to the Empress. The Empress looked like she was going to get into an argument with King Xuan. There was not just one person who had seen him spitting blood on the painting after being hit by the guards. If they found out that he had sowed discord between the Empress and King Xuan, then he would definitely die.

    "What is it? Is it difficult for you to speak?" The Empress red at him and her already stern face looked even sharper.

    "No, no, that¡¯s not it. It is your servant. I was hit earlier and I identally spat blood... on it." The eunuch shuddered and did not dare to speak again. He did not dare to mention that he had been hit by the guard because he was dazzled by King Xuan.

    It was rumored that there was once a man who had been mesmerized by King Xuan and looked at him in a daze. That man was stomped and beaten to death. King Xuan hated it most when men were dazzled by his beauty. He did not know what was wrong with himself. He had dared to stare at the extremely handsome face. It was a charming face that was second to none. Then, he had been dazzled and had gotten into trouble.

    It was the eunuch¡¯s blood?

    The Empress frowned andmanded sharply, "Tell me everything that happened in detail."

    The eunuch wanted to hide some things, but when he heard the anger in the Empress¡¯ words, he did not dare to do so. He shook as he recounted the matter in detail.

    There was a tter as the jade-pattered carved teacup was smashed down heavily, the boiling hot tea in the cup covered the eunuch¡¯s face. The eunuch started to bleed heavily. The Empress¡¯s expression was dark with rage. She was so furious that she could not speak. She could not control her temper and threw the teacup onto the floor.

    "Take him away and beat him to death!"

    The servants who came up ignored the eunuch¡¯s struggle and dragged him away.

    "Your Majesty, it is all the fault of that stupid servant. It looks like King Xuan did not even see Second Miss¡¯ face clearly. How can King Xuan bear to part with such a beauty with his willpower?" Eunuch Liu was the Empress¡¯ lead eunuch. He did not dare to say anything else when he saw how furious the Empress looked. He changed the topic and spoke carefully, trying to say things that would please the Empress. "Second Miss is so beautiful. King Xuan would not do something like this if he saw her."

    Ling Fengyan was the second child of the Ding General Manor. Ling Mingyan was the first miss of the family. She was the daughter of the second sir of the Ding General Manor. Her father was Ling Mingyan¡¯s father¡¯s brother. They were both the main young misses of the Ding General Manor. As such, she was also considered nobility. She was also gentler and kinder than Ling Mingyan. Even though she rarely appeared before others, she was known to be gentle and gracious. She had always been the biggest triumph card in the Empress¡¯ hand.

    "Hurmph, since he doesn¡¯t like her, then I don¡¯t need to keep sending her to him." The Empress was angry. Her beautiful niece was not some second-rate goods. Why would she keep sending her to King Xuan? It would just be an insult to her status. Since Feng Yuran had not seen her, then it was just him being unlucky that he could not get such a ravishing beauty.

    "Your Majesty, you want to..." Eunuch Liu was the Empress¡¯ confidant and naturally knew what the Empress meant. He asked her about what she wanted softly.

    "Naturally, Fengyan is a good girl. Not anyone who wants to marry her can marry her. We will see who can marry her based on their capabilities!" The Empress leaned backward, her face softened and her smile cold.

    No matter whether Feng Yuran had seen Fengyan¡¯s picture or not, it would not be appropriate to send her picture to him again. If no one wants the gift, then they would see who can get it and fight for it. The Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday was happening in a few months. There would be a grand banquet in the pce. The Emperor would host it outside while the Empress would host it inside. She would have Fengyan appear in front of everyone and stun them. Feng Yuran would not be the only one who would want her. The other two would definitely be interested... She smiled when she thought of that.

    If she released the news then that she had originally intended to marry Fengyan to King Xuan...

    "Your Majesty, the painting?" Eunuch Liu presented the ruined picture when he saw that the Empress¡¯ mood was pretty good.

    The Empress did not even look at it before throwing it into the heater beside her. The picture immediately turned into ashes. Then, she turned around and brought her servants into the inside hall. The wind blew through the windows and a few pieces of blood-tainted paper flew out from the heating stove,nding in front of a person wearing a light brown robe. He picked up the paper to see Ling Fengyan¡¯s lively eyes which were tainted by filth.

    He looked at it carefully and blew away the ashes on the edges of the paper and kept it in his shirt before walking in.

    The guard at the doors saw him approaching and knelt down, crying loudly, "His Highness, King Yan, is here!"

    In General Manor.

    The etiquette nannies were both very strict, this was especially so for Nanny Li, who was sent to teach Mo Xuetong. Even though there was a smile on her round face at all times, she would never allow Mo Xuetong to pass easily. She would point out her mistakes immediately and get her to fix them immediately. Fortunately, even though she was strict, she did not intentionally make things difficult for Mo Xuetong. She was fair and business-like. She had an imposing natural aura and everything she did make Mo Xuetong feel that she was not just an ordinary etiquette nanny but someone of status.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had not undergone strict etiquette training. Auntie Fang had never intended to make her a gooddy and her father ignored matters of the inner courtyard. He treated her coldly since her return from Cloud City and they rarely saw each other. Mo Xuemin had an etiquette nanny but she did not. After that, she went to Sima Lingyun¡¯s duke manor and Sima Lingyun¡¯s mother picked on her all the time. She was busy serving her mother-inw day in and day out and did not have time to study etiquette.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s mother was in charge of all matters regarding the family outside. She was just a wife who stayed deep inside the household. She was not even in charge of household matters, much less anything else. Her etiquette was just to carefully take care of Sima Lingyun and her mother. She had only been in charge of the house for a few days during a difficult period before Madam Hou took the rights from her.

    Furthermore, she had, at that time, thought that it was because Sima Lingyun loved her and did not want her to take care of these matters and also did not get anyone to make things difficult for her and teach her.

    However, she did not know that the best way to get other nobledies to ept her was to be dignified and to know her etiquette.

    She was from a noble family and naturally had her own social circle. If those from the social circle did not acknowledge her, then how could she assimte into their lives well? She would not make the same mistakes she had in her past life in this life. Her etiquette was poor and she would definitely put in work to improve it. As such, she was very grateful towards Old Madam Xu for finding her Nanny Li and was also very respectful to Nanny Li.

    Even though the maids and Mother Xu were very sweet to her, but their knowledge was limited because of their status. She naturally needed someone else to teach her. Nanny Li became that strict instructor. Mo Xuetong respected Nanny Li from the bottom of her heart. She did not feel that her strict behavior was difficult. She knew that Nanny Li was a kind person and truly wanted to teach her etiquette well.

    One had to suffer to be a better person than others. She knew that!

    Fortunately, Mo Xuetong was also very smart. Even though she always made mistakes at first, but she paid attention and studied hard. Her demeanor began to exude graciousness in a few days. Nanny Li was very satisfied. The training after that would be much simpler.

    These were the most peaceful days Mo Xuetong had. No matter whether it was before or after her rebirth. There were no plots and no schemes.

    The Old Madam truly doted on her. She had everything that Luo Mingzhu had in terms of food or games. Sometimes, she gets things even before Luo Mingzhu. There were a few times when Luo Mingzhuined to the Old Madam that she had to have the same things as Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong intentionally teased Luo Mingzhu with the things she had gotten but Luo Mingzhu hadn¡¯t. This made Luo Mingzhu so angry that she grabbed Mo Xuetong and tickled her until she called uncle.

    Mo Huawen also cared about her daughter deeply. Even though he did not visit her every day, but he would definitely visit every few days. Even though he did not stay for long each time, Mo Xuetong was pleased with her father¡¯s good intentions. Their rtionship had been distant in her past life. She only realized in this life that her father loved her very deeply no matter in her past life or this life.

    "Miss, look, Auntie Mo and Auntie Qing sent more bolts of cloth over. They said that they were afraid that you won¡¯t get clothes to change here and had intentionally sent the cloth the pce sent to you. They told you to make a few pieces of clothing. This pink cotton is really nice. Look at how smooth and bright it is. It is even smoother than Mo Lan¡¯s face." Mo He pulled open a bolt of cloth and eximed excitedly.

    The Mo Manor had already sent things over for the fifth time this month!

    Mo Xuemin had sent people to send some things over, saying that she was deeply sorry for dragging down her younger sister¡¯s reputation. She heard Mother Xu say that Mo Xuemin was even more gentle towards others after her illness. She did not scold or hit the servants and even got Auntie Fang to be vegetarian with her. The two of them stayed in their courtyards and observed the vegetarian fast. They would sometimes go to the ancestral hall and kneel there for periods, saying they want to clear their hearts of desires. Mo Huawen could not even get angry at them and had long withdrawn his orders to keep them locked up.

    Mo Xuetong, of course, did not believe that Mo Xuemin would truly be "vegetarian". She was only hiding her true self even better after this incident! She would be more difficult to deal with. Mo Xuetong caressed the clothes that Mo Xuemin sent. The beautiful and luxurious cloth as smooth to touch, but made her feel cold for some reason. She smiled coldly. She looked as if she was not afraid of her opponent, but was only afraid that she would have a bad teammate. If Mo Xuemin wanted to recover her position in their father¡¯s heart, this might not be enough.

    It was just like the clothes she sent this time, the ws were so obvious!

    This definitely was not something the careful Mo Xuemin would do. Auntie Fang, she suddenly started to "admire" Auntie Fang! She was really providing timely assistance. She was still feeling troubled about being in General Manor and could not get Mo Xuemin into trouble. She did not expect Auntie Fang to give her a helping hand so quickly. How great!

    "Father, Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t want Eldest Sister¡¯s clothes. Eldest Sister doesn¡¯t have enough clothes herself, so how can I take her clothes? Eldest sister sent these clothes here three times and keeps sending it back to me when I send them back to her. Father, tell Eldest Sister that she had better keep the clothes for herself." Mo Xuetong said with a frown.

    "Since your Eldest Sister keeps sending them to you, it means that she is really sincere about giving it to you. Wear the clothes first. Your Eldest Sister has plenty of clothes." Mo Huawen took the luxurious clothing happily and smiled as he held it up against Mo Xuetong. "Tong¡¯er, you would look good wearing this. Will you wear it and show me?"

    "They are the Eldest Sister¡¯s clothing. How can I wear them?" Mo Xuetong pouted reluctantly. Her cute actions pleased Mo Huawen greatly and he insisted on her wearing the clothes.

    Mo Xuetong could not do anything about it. As such, she brought Mo He into the room and changed. Then, Mo He dragged her out of the room.

    It was a blue colored skirt that was embroidered with orchids. There were lotus flowers embroidered with gold silk at the waist. The embroidery made her waist look long and slender, like a willow nt. However, it also showed off her shorings. She was half a head shorter than Mo Xuemin and the dress looked very much too long. Mo He pulled her and she almost fell when entering the door.

    She would have fallen if Mo Lan had not acted fast enough.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 59 The Problem With Those Clothes

    "Old Sir, First Miss¡¯s clothes are too long and won¡¯t fit Young Miss. It seems like she can¡¯t wear it." Mo He was frightened because Mo Xuetong almost fell. She hurried up and helped Mo Xuetong steady herself. She squatted down at Mo Xuetong¡¯s feet and gestured at the hems, pulling out arge swath of cloth and said awkwardly.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s smile disappeared when he saw that the clothes were obviously one size bigger. He pursed his thin lips.

    "Don¡¯t worry. Eldest Sister means well and has already sent these clothes three or four times. If I don¡¯t ept it, she will get angry. Since I can¡¯t wear it now, I will wear it in the future when I can." Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not feel anything and smiled. She flicked the sleeves and walked on her toes, spinning around. Then, sheughed and said, "Father, does Tong¡¯er look good wearing Eldest Sister¡¯s clothes?"

    The main daughter had to wear the daughter of a concubine, and looked so happy even when the clothes did not fit. Mo Huawen¡¯s smile fadedpletely. He started to feel a rush of anger. Tong¡¯er was his main daughter! She was his only daughter with her! He only felt a pain in his heart when he looked at her happy and naive smile.

    He forced his anger down. This was not the ce to get angry!

    "First Miss¡¯ clothes are so pretty. Miss, I will keep them for you first. It will fit just right when you grow taller. Since we just came back from Cloud City and don¡¯t have many clothes, you will look presentable even if you go to the pce banquet with this set of clothes." Mo Lan seemed as if she did not see the brewing anger in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. She helped Mo Xuetong to smooth out the tiny creases on the clothes carefully.

    She even told Mo He not to dirty the clothes and ruin First Miss¡¯ good intentions.

    Mo He was unhappy when she heard that. She pulled Mo Xuetong into the room and insisted on her changing into a different set of clothes so that they won¡¯t dirty First Miss¡¯ beautiful clothing. She moved a little too roughly and almost caused Mo Xuetong to fall. Mo Xuetong had barely managed to find her bnce before she fell onto Mo Lan. The three of them pulled on each other and fell into aughing heap on the ground as if they did not mind at all.

    However, even if his daughter did not mind, he did.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s anger grew when he saw that her daughter had graciously not said anything. He stood up and pulled Mo Xuetong up as she was being tangled up in the dress and could not get up for the moment. He tempered down his anger and his eyes shone with love. "Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t ept the clothing your Eldest Sister sends in the future. Her clothes don¡¯t fit you. If you need anything, Father will get them for you. You are the Main Miss of the Mo Manor. How can you wear Min¡¯er¡¯s old clothes?"

    "These are not Eldest Sister¡¯s old clothes. Father, look at how new they are. Even the hemming is exquisite. One look at it and you¡¯d know that they are good clothes Eldest Sister had made. Eldest Sister said so too. She must be thinking that I still don¡¯t have winter clothes and sent them especially. I have to thank her well when I get home." Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was flushed because of herughing with Mo Lan and Mo He. She pointed at the hem of the clothes with bright eyes and showed them to Mo Huawen.

    Mo Huawen did not know anything about household chores like hemming. His eyesnded on that patch on the skirt and his face darkened. He looked at how his daughter presented the clothes as if she was showing him a treasure. Her innocent eyes shone with sincerity and her smile grew wider. Mo Huawen almost could not stop himself from exploding in anger. He had not expected that his eldest daughter whom he had always been pleased with was so mean.

    Earlier, he was still able to listen to Mo Xuemin¡¯s exnation regarding the incident in the pce. However, he was only left with disappointment and annoyance now.

    His eyesnded on the grease stain in a hidden corner of the dress and a sh of sharpness appeared in his gentle eyes. He frowned and said, "Tong¡¯er change out of clothes first. I have something to tell you."

    "Oh, alright!" Mo Lan and Mo He helped her into the room to change out of the ill-fitting dress when Mo Xuetong saw that Mo Huawen seemed to really have something to say. She smoothed down her clothes and walked out of the room wearing her usual clothes that were neither old or new. They were not luxurious and seemed rather in, making her face look pale. Mo Huawen grew more and more ufortable as he thought about the dress she wore earlier which was luxurious but ill-fitting.

    He frowned even deeper!

    "Father, what is it? Did I upset you? Father, tell me and I will work on changing." Mo Xuetong saw his expression and smiled lightly. She walked over and held his hand, cocking her head cutely with a smile.

    "No, Tong¡¯er is Father¡¯s most obedient daughter. How could you make me mad? Don¡¯t ept your Eldest Sister¡¯s clothing anymore in the future. Your body types are different, so how could she give you clothes that fit her? It looks like the cloth that your Eldest Sister sent are quite useful. Why don¡¯t you take them and make some new clothes." Mo Huawen flipped through the bolts of cloths on the table, his expression softened. The material of the cloths was rather good. It seemed that Mo Xuemin had not meant to cheat Xuetong and sent her old clothing pretending they were new.

    "Father, I don¡¯t need these bolts of cloth. Eldest Sister can have it. I like the clothes that Eldest Sister sent earlier and not these." Mo Xuetong bit her lips and spoke despondently as she looked at the bolts of cloth. A sh of sadness crossed her lively eyes. She turned around and buried her face in Mo Huawen¡¯s chest.

    "Why don¡¯t you like them? The colors look festive and are very beautiful. They are considered new and good bolts of this year. They will only be better and not worse than the cloth Min¡¯er uses to make her clothes." Mo Huawen patted her daughter in confusion.

    "Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t like them." Mo Xuetong said in a muffled voice from her spot in Mo Huawen¡¯s chest.

    He could sense her slender shoulders shaking as if she was crying.

    Mo Huawen pushed Mo Xuetong away from herself to discover that her little face which had been flushed earlier was now filled with tears. He asked worriedly, "What is it Tong¡¯er, are you feeling unwell?"

    "Father, it¡¯s not that...Tong¡¯er misses mother. Tong¡¯er misses mom!" Mo Xuetong bit her lips and looked at Mo Huawen tearily. She wanted to force down the sadness she felt but could not. She was truly not acting. She looked at the luxurious and beautiful robes and her tears flowed. She sobbed and gulped, only knowing how to say those words. She flung herself into Mo Huawen¡¯s arms and cried silently, not saying another word.

    "Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er..."Mo Huawen felt terrible when he saw how upset his daughter was. She was so upset she could not even speak. Mo Huawen hugged Mo Xuetong¡¯s slightly trembling body andforted her worriedly.

    "Old Sir, Miss is like this because, because..."Mo He stuttered, wanting to say something. However, Mo Lan tugged on her forcefully and she almost fell.

    "Speak, what is the reason?" Mo Huawen red at Mo He. A sh of anger ran through his eyes.

    "Old Sir!" Mo He shook in fright and knelt down.

    "Speak!"

    "Old Sir, these bolts of cloth are so brightly colored. They are bright red and green. How can Young Miss wear them? Madam just passed away for less than two years and Young Miss is still grieving..." Mo He did not dare to hide anything when she saw how angry Mo Huawen was. She shuddered and spoke truthfully.

    Mo Xuetong heard what Mo He said clearly. She could not suppress the sadness in her heart. She tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s clothes and sobbed, "Father, Tong¡¯er misses mother!"

    Mo Huawen did not think that his daughter would suddenly think of Luo Xia when she saw such colorful bolts of cloth. His heart twinged. That beautiful and gentle woman who was like poetry and painting had made his heart beat wildly. She had taught him love and sorrows. Even so, he was not willing to upset her. Her daughter was naturally his most doted on the daughter.

    Mo Huawen looked at how Mo Xuetong¡¯s thin shoulders shook as she cried and his eyes swept past the cloth on the table. He could not bear his anger anymore and green veins twitched wildly on his forehead. He did not care that he was in the Fu General Manor. He yelled angrily at the servant standing by the side who dazed and surprised by Mo Xuetong¡¯s crying, "What kinds of things have you sent here. How dare you make Third Miss unhappy. Throw everything out!"

    "Yes!" The servant that Mo Xuemin sent did not dare to say anything else. The two servants quickly took away the clothes and cloth. When they saw how their master red at them angrily, they hurriedly took the cloth and clothes and rushed out. They dropped the cloths at their feet and a servant who had not managed to keep her bnce fell down.

    "What¡¯s the matter? Why are you throwing out perfectly fine clothes and cloth?" A gentle voice could suddenly be heard outside. A smiling face appeared at the door. She looked gentle and her maid helped the servant up so that she would not trip over her mistress. Then, she also stopped the servant who had ran out in a fluster after being scolded.

    The youngdy who walked in smiled graciously. However, she was startled when she saw Mo Huawen and she looked shy. She did not expect that Mo Xuetong would have a man over. IT was not right for her to enter or to leave. She flushed red and was very awkward.

    Mo Huawen felt that it was awkward too when he saw the woman who had suddenly appeared. He looked up to see that the youngdy was the one he had knocked intost time. He did not know what her rtionship with the Luo Manor was. Looking at her dressing, she was still an unmarried youngdy. He could not guess her identity. He saw that she was hanging awkwardly between entering and not. One of her foot was already inside the threshold, but she hung her head shyly when she saw him. He could tell that she was a gentle and polite young woman from a noble family.

    "Father, this is an aunt." Mo Xuetong lifted her head from Mo Huawen¡¯s embrace. She wiped her tears hurriedly when she saw Xu Yan and smiled, trying to break the ice between the two.

    "Greetings, Brother-inw!" Xu Yan had entered the threshold and it was impossible for her to leave now. She stepped forward graciously and curtsied to Mo Huawen.

    That must be Luo Xia¡¯s younger cousin then!

    Mo Huawen returned the greeting with a bow.

    "Aunt,e sit here. Father is here to visit Tong¡¯er. He wanted to make Tong¡¯er some clothes but had startled you." Mo Xuetong pulled Xu Yan over warmly and made her sit on a carved circr stool. Mo Lan quickly left and brought two cups of tea over. Mo Huawen¡¯s cup had already cooled, so she served him a new cup of tea.

    Mo Huawen did not leave immediately. Even though it was inappropriate for him to enter the inner rooms of the Luo Manor, but he hade especially to visit his daughter. Old Madam Xu did not say anything, and as such, no one else would. Furthermore, he had not gone anywhere else when he visited and only went to Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard. As such, it was not too impolite.

    "Since Tong¡¯er wants to make clothes, why are you throwing the bolts of cloth out, and also these clothing?" Xu Yan covered her mouth as she smiled with confusion.

    The servants had dragged the clothes and cloth out earlier. It was obvious that they had been scolded. She had felt that there was something odd about the matter. However, it was after all, some other family¡¯s matters. She looked at Mo Huawen¡¯s face secretly and felt that this cousin was charming in his gentleness and grace. She could not help but blush and look down.

    She hade over intentionally. Ever since she bumped into Mo Huawen that day and heard what Mo Lan said, she felt that this cousin-inw loved her cousin deeply. It has already been more than a year since her cousin passed away and he had yet to take another wife. Actually, there was a three-year restriction on children when their parents passed away. But when one¡¯s wife passed on, the restrictions on husbands were not as strict. It was alright if he took another wife after a year.

    After all, there were not as many restrictions on men as women. Furthermore, the Old Madam of Mo Manor had passed away at a young age. There was not even a proper matriarch in the family. Many sympathised with Mo Huawen, and also admired him. Furthermore, he was extremely handsome and talented. (Mo Lan had said this espeically and she had received affirmatives from the maids that Mo Xuetong brought with her.) As such, it was easy to like such a person.

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 Chapter 60 Xuetong the Matchmaker

    "Father said that these clothes and cloth are not good. He will send someone to send new ones over." Mo Xuetong said with a gentle and likable smile.

    The servant holding the cloths at the door smiled wanly at the door. She could neither leave nor say. She wanted to slip away but was red at by Mo Huawen coldly and did not dare move. She was secretly upset. She would not havee if Mo Xiu from First Miss¡¯s courtyard had not said that First Miss was ending gifts for Third Miss and that Third Miss would definitely be happy and tip her.

    How unlucky! She did not expect to make Third Miss upset and even anger Old Sir. The servant hated the little bi*ch Mo Xiu for sending her on this trip. She would definitely not take part in such matters again.

    "Are the clothes not good? They look beautiful!" Xu Yan did not know what happened and only felt that it was awkward for her to sit there. Her face was flushed and her heart beat wildly. She did not dare to take another look at Mo Huawen. As such, she stood up and went up to the servant. She reached out for a skirt and took a look at it with a smile.

    The skirt was naturally good, but it was a pity that it had been worn by Mo Xuemin. She was certain that Mo Xuemin had not wanted to give her these. With Mo Xuemin¡¯s intelligence and in her current situation, she would not try to get herself into trouble with such little matters. The only person who could do anything was Auntie Fang.

    Auntie Fang must have felt reluctant for Mo Xuemin to send good clothes and cloth to her and had secretly ordered people to swap them out. She knew that Mo Xuetong would not ept Mo Xuemin¡¯s clothes and cloth. After all, Mo Xuetong was the main daughter, why would she really want a concubine¡¯s daughter¡¯s clothes? It was just a gesture of good will and just for show. Why waste good cloth?

    However, she did not expect Mo Xuetong to put on Mo Xuemin¡¯s clothes in front of Mo Huawen. Mo Huawen could tell from one look that they were Mo Xuemin¡¯s old clothes. How could he not be angry about it? The third daughter that he doted on much was relegated to wearing a concubine¡¯s daughter¡¯s old clothes. It would be embarrassing if others found out about it. He held a position in the imperial court and the Emperor had hinted that he would have a use for him recently. How could he allow Mo Xuemin to ruin his reputation at a time like this?

    Furthermore, he truly doted on Mo Xuetong. He saw that his daughter was slender and fragile, looking very simr to his wife. He was always afraid that she would suffer. How could he be in a good mood when he saw the things that Mo Xuemin sent?

    Mo Huawen had liked Auntie Fang a lot and felt that she was capable and sensible. She was also skilled at dealing with household matters and bore him his only son. However, after the incident at the family rites and he saw how Tong¡¯er knelt there in pain, and how Auntie Fang had dared to insist that she did not know anything, Mo Huawen¡¯s thoughts of marrying Auntie Fang faded away.

    He had to marry a person who would treat Tong¡¯er well!

    "Aunt, Tong¡¯er does not like such brightly colored clothes. I even pestered Father to buy me new clothes and you had to see that embarrassing scene." Mo Xuetong would not point out Mo Xuemin¡¯s mistake in front of Mo Huawen. There were some things that she could not point out herself and could only let Mo Huawen see for himself. She would naturally only help Mo Xuemin out now and mention her own shorings.

    Her eyes shone and she stood there, scrunching up the corners of her shirt looking as if she were shy.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s heart softened even more when he saw how his daughter had not mentioned anything about Min¡¯er and had even said that it was her fault. He looked at Mo Xuetong dotingly. He had not expected Tong¡¯er to be so sensible and gracious. She would rather ruin her own reputation to save his face. His daughter was too sensible!

    His heart ached as he thought of how she had been alone in Cloud City with not even a rtive by her side. She must have gotten so sensible because she lived alone. He had made his daughter like this. If he had made a decision earlier, Tong¡¯er would not have been abandoned in Cloud City alone. He heard from the servants who returned that Tong¡¯er had almost drowned in theke not long ago. How could a young miss just fall into theke for no reason!

    Mo Huawen dealt with cases all the time. How could he not be suspicious?

    "Oh, so Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t like bright colored clothing. I have some new bolts of cloth that are less muted in color. I wanted to bring them for you to take a look anyway." Xu Yan smiled and looked at the maid standing outside. The maid returned quickly with two servants behind her. They each held a few bolts of light blue, green, white and grey cloth.

    The two maids put them beside Mo Xuetong with a smile and then backed away.

    "Tong¡¯er,e and see if you like them?" Xu Yan pulled Mo Xuetong to the cloth and smiled gently. Mo Xuetong stood on the other side of Mo Huawen. Xu Yan had to first pass Mo Huawen to get to her. She smiled at Mo Huawen shyly and asked, "Brother-inw, would you help Tong¡¯er pick?"

    Mo Huawen was feeling frustrated and annoyed when he thought of how Mo Xuemin could be being mean to her younger sister. However, when she saw how polite Xu Yan was, he could not possibly vent his frustrations at her. He was also being held on by Mo Xuetong and could not say no and be impolite. As such, he went up and took a look as well.

    "Father, which color do you think looks good on Tong¡¯er?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone and a happy and innocent smile appeared on her face again. She did not seem to mind what happened earlier.

    Mo Huawen was truly grateful to Xu Yan when she saw how Tong¡¯er looked so happy and no longer smiled as stiffly as she had earlier when Xu Yan first came in. He mustered up his interest and pointed at the blue cloth in front with a smile. "This one looks good. Get this from your aunt!" Mo Huawen could see clearly that Tong¡¯er liked Min¡¯er¡¯s clothes because she liked the light blue color.

    "Aunt, does Tong¡¯er look good in this color?" Mo Xuetong pouted and made a naughty face at Mo Huawen. She did not reply to Mo Huawen and instead asked Xu Yan.

    Xu Yan picked up a corner of the cloth and ced it on Mo Xuetong. The light blue cloth looked nice against her pale skin. She could not help but praise, "Tong¡¯er¡¯s skin color is really nice, it matches this color well. Take this bolt of cloth and make a dress and also a robe. Even though it¡¯s not an especially bright color, you can¡¯t keep wearing in colors like what you are wearing now during the New Year."

    Xu Yan pointed at what Mo Xuetong was wearing. It was a white color shirt that only had faint flower embroidery on the cor. It was a in colored thing with no other colors on it. It made her face even paler against her slender body and made others feel pity for her. Mo Huawen agreed with what Xu Yan said. He looked at Mo Xuetong dotingly and said, "Tong¡¯er listen to your aunt. Take the cloth and make some new clothes. Father will send you some lighter colored cloth tomorrow."

    "Father, why are your thoughts the same as Aunt¡¯s? Does this color really suit me?" Mo Xuetong¡¯srge eyes shone. She wrinkled her nose adorably and asked as if she were not confident enough.

    "Of course!"

    "It definitely suits you!"

    Mo Huawen and Xuyan spoke in unison. They only realized they had spoken at the same time after they had spoken. Xu Yan felt shy. She blushed and looked down, not being able to speak. She nced at Mo Huawen secretly and blushed even redder. Something was going on!

    Mo Xuetong saw everything clearly by the side. She could not help but smile with satisfaction. Then, she pulled on Xu Yan¡¯s hand awkwardly and said adorably, "But this is Aunt¡¯s favorite cloth. If you give it to me, then you won¡¯t have any!"

    "It¡¯s alright as long as Tong¡¯er likes it. I am an adult and I don¡¯t mind. I am happy as long as you like it!" Xu Yan¡¯s shyness faded a lot with Mo Xuetong¡¯s acts. A smile appeared on her face and she reached out to pat Mo Xuetong¡¯s head as she spoke sincerely.

    Even though she hade for Mo Huawen today, she could not help but feel pity when she saw how obedient and adorable Mo Xuetong was. She saw that Mo Xuetong truly did like the cloth and was satisfied with it. She had wanted to send Tong¡¯er some bolts of cloth anyway and had especially picked out these when she heard that Tong¡¯er liked iner colors. She was naturally happy since Mo Xuetong liked them.

    The corners of her mouth lifted and everyone could see that she was truly happy.

    Mo Huawen who was standing to the side could not help but smile when he saw that. He quite liked Xu Yan and felt that Tong¡¯er truly liked this aunt of hers. He turned around and looked at Xu Yan especially and discovered that she looked quite like Luo Xia. If he did not look carefully, they were very much alike, especially when they blushed. She smiled shyly like Luo Xia and he could not help but be dazed as he looked at her.

    Xu Yan discovered that Mo Huawen was looking at her dazedly. She blushed even harder. Even though she was interested in Mo Huawen, she was still a noble youngdy. She could not stand Mo Huawen looking at her like that. However, she was too embarrassed to say anything to Mo Huawen and could only turn to Mo Xuetong and speak with her.

    "Father, Aunt treats Tong¡¯er so well, she¡¯s giving me her own cloth. Aren¡¯t you going to do anything about it!" Mo Xuetong tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves coyly. She ignored the fact that Xu Yan was listening to them and was blushing furiously. She did not lift up her head and yed with her handkerchief.

    Mo Huawen regained his wits after Mo Xuetong tugged on him and he looked away awkwardly. He was flushed and spoke to hide the fact that he was dazed earlier. He did not hear what Mo Xuetong had said clearly and replied, "Tong¡¯er you¡¯re right. Father will send your aunt some cloth tomorrow. The two of you can pick some to make clothes."

    Xu Yan could not be dazed anymore. She flushed and thanked Mo Huawen and turned to leave with her maids as if she was fleeing. Even though she looked shy, she was secretly happy. She didn¡¯t think that her gentle brother-inw was going to give her cloth. She had not wasted her effort in picking out the cloth to give to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Huawen realized what he said when he saw Xu Yan fleeing with a blush on her face. It was really awkward now!

    A brother-inw giving his sister-inw cloth to make clothes? What was happening! He wanted to say something to smooth things over and he pointed at the cloth and coughed. He said seriously, "Tong¡¯er, I shall leave first. Tell me when the clothes are done. I might have something on and can¡¯te tomorrow."

    He wanted to just say that he would not be able to visit tomorrow and smooth the matter over. However, Mo Xuetong grew unhappy when she heard that. The corners of her lips lifted and she went to pull on Mo Huawen¡¯s hands and said reluctantly, "Father, you promised Tong¡¯er and Aunt earlier. You can¡¯t go back on your words. Anyway, Tong¡¯er and Aunt will be waiting here for you to send cloth over. You won¡¯t lie to two girls, will you? Or are you reluctant to give up the cloth and you¡¯re not willing to make clothes for Tong¡¯er and Aunt?"

    Then, she blinked her watery eyes as if she had been wronged, looking rather upset. She had also included Xu Yan in what she said, which meant that Mo Huawen would not only disappoint Mo Xuetong if he were to go back on his words, but also Xu Yan as well. Then, she pouted and said that Mo Huawen was petty, blinking herrge eyes.

    Mo Huawen was still rather pleased that his daughter was looking at him like that. He reached out to pat her head and looked at how his daughter was looking at him, entirely dependent on him. He only wanted to make his daughter happy and nothing else. "Alright, as long as Tong¡¯er likes it. I will have someone send some bolts of cloth over. Pick them out with your Aunt and make more clothes."

    Mo Huawen had decided that since he would not being tomorrow, he would let Tong¡¯er decide who to give the cloth to. It had nothing to do with him.

    "Then will youe to visit me?" Mo Xuetong did not intend to let him off. She asked naively, her longshes fluttering.

    "I will, of course I will!" Mo Huawen was pleased when he saw how reluctant his daughter was for him to leave. Heughed happily and patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s head.

    "Thene tomorrow! Can Tong¡¯er go out to shop for clothes?" Mo Xuetong shook his arm and asked, pushing her luck and then pouting. "Tong¡¯er still hasn¡¯t gone shopping since I returned to the capital. Will you apany Tong¡¯er?" She looked at Mo Huawen with watery eyes so much that he could not reject even if he wanted to.

    He thought about how Tong¡¯er had just gotten to the capital and had indeed not gone shopping and was filled with heartache. He hurriedly agreed and looked at his daughter¡¯s beautiful face. He felt bothforted and pain and pity! If Luo Xia was still around, would Tong¡¯er not even have a person to go shopping with!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 61 the Concubines Daughter Pretends to Be Filial and Airs Her Grievances

    The first thing Mo Huawen did when he returned to the Mo Manor was to visit Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden angrily. He got the two servants to throw the clothes and cloth in their arms onto the table the moment he entered. He harrumphed coldly at Mo Xuemin who was seated at a corner doing embroidery. Then, he raised his robes and sat down.

    "Father, why have youe to visit Min¡¯er today? You came at just the right time. I made you a robe." Mo Xuemin seemed as if she did not realize Mo Huawen¡¯s annoyance. She stood up gently and retrieved a grey long cotton robe from the couch beside her. The robe was folded neatly, and it looked as if she had put a lot of effort into it." Father, put this against yourself and see if the length and size are right. I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t do it well, and you won¡¯t like it."

    Mo Huawen was furious. He pushed the robe away and pointed at the clothes on the table and said angrily, "Do you like it when you give your younger sister your old clothes and unsuitable fabric?"

    "Father." Mo Xuemin was stunned when she saw how angry Mo Huawen was. She looked at him incredulously as tears fell down her cheeks. She had just recovered from her illness and had be thin. She hugged the robe that Mo Huawen pushed away and knelt, sobbing, "Father, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying."

    "These old clothing have stains on them, and you still keep giving them to your younger sister. Those colorful fabrics, how can your younger sister wear them? Min¡¯er, I always thought you were sensible and that you are better than the other two. You are gracious, and you act like the eldest daughter of the family. But now...you have disappointed me greatly." Mo Huawen was disappointed. This was not the daughter he was proud of.

    He did not know when she became so annoying!

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart skipped a bit when she looked at Mo Huawen. She knew that things were going pear-shaped. She scooted forward on her knees to Mo Huawen and then kowtowed loudly. She looked up tearfully and cried, "Father, how would Min¡¯er do such a thing? I have always gotten along well with Third Sister. Furthermore, after what happened, I feel sorry towards you and my other younger sisters. I have already decided to repent before Buddha, so how would I try to fight with Third Sister?"

    She sounded so sincere, and her pale face was filled with pain, and her words were drowned in sadness.

    "Was I wrong?" Mo Huawen¡¯s expression cooled and grew stern.

    "Father, I just had that dress made, and I had originally wanted to wear it to the banquet. But how can I go to my current situation!" Mo Xuemin sobbed, almost unable to catch her breath. She pulled on Mo Huawen¡¯s hand and trebled, "Father, you were the one who gave me that leather and I couldn¡¯t bear to wear it. I used it to make clothes and have never worn it. Those two bolts of cloth are also in colored. Third Sister likes in clothes and is still grieving, how could I possibly send her such bright colored clothing?"

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s gaze had longnded on the two bolts of fabric and clothes. Her heart flopped, and she hated Auntie Fang to the guts. She was, indeed an ignorant concubine. She couldn¡¯t bear to part with material goods even at a time like this and had changed out the clothes that she sent to Mo Xuetong as a gesture of goodwill. However, there was no use to hate her now. She might as well change the topic.

    She cried, almost losing her voice.

    Mo Xiu, who was kneeling beside her, received her gesture and hurried forward to help Mo Xuemin up. She cried as well, "Old Sir, First Miss gave Third Miss the best things she owned. First, Miss must have been framed by someone this time, how would she have the mood to dress up? She might as well give all the things that she usually could not bear to wear to Third Miss. But who knew that something would happen again? If she had known what would happen, she might as well not give Third Miss her things so that Third Miss would not be suspicious of her."

    She was iming that Mo Xuemin was innocent while also pushing the me onto Mo Xuetong as if Mo Xuetong was intentionally making things difficult for Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Huawen looked displeased.

    "Shut up. Mo Xiu. Third Sister is not someone like that. Someone must have changed out the clothes that I sent her. Father, please check for me. If you can¡¯t find anything, I am willing to admit to this usation." Mo Xuemin rebuked Mo Xiu and then spoke to her father in an aggrieved manner.

    Mo Huawen grew suspicious when he saw how Mo Xuemin was behaving. He turned around to look at the two servants who followed him here and pped the table forcefully. He said angrily, "Speak. Who changed out the clothes that First Miss sent to Third Miss?"

    "Old Sir, it was Auntie, it was Auntie Fang." The two servants were shocked and knelt loudly, trembling.

    It was Auntie Fang again. Mo Huawen shook in anger. He thought about how ignorant Auntie Fang was and how she ill-treated Tong¡¯er and implicated her daughter. Then, he looked at Mo Xuemin who was kneeling before him, crying so much she could not speak, her face pale and looking frail. He was furious.

    "Men,e and take these two servants out and give them ten beatings each." Mo Huawen bellowed angrily.

    The two servants felt aggrieved. They had first been called by Mo Xiu to take the things to the Fu General Manor. However, they had not expected to be stopped by servants sent by Auntie Fang at the door. They thought that it was no big deal and that they would just be changing two bolts of fabric for another two. They did not expect to get into so much trouble. They were so frightened that they only knew how to kowtow.

    Mo Huawen was furious. How would he care what the two servants thought? He stood up angrily and was going to go to Lihua Garden to find Auntie Fang.

    "Father, don¡¯t go. Min¡¯er might have made a mistake on the matter. You can¡¯t me Auntie." Mo Xuemin tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s robe. She cried so much that her face had be pale as she took on the me. She looked as if she was afraid that Mo Huawen would unleash his anger at Auntie Fang. Mo Huawen¡¯s heart softened when he saw her.

    She was after all a child that he had doted on for more than ten years. And he had seen for himself how Mo Xuemin was suffering on behalf of the useless concubine. Mo Huawen sighed to himself and sat down again. Then, he pulled her up while Mo Xiu quickly helped her.

    "Min¡¯er, I know that your mother is useless and has implicated you." Mo Huawen¡¯s expression softened.

    "She has given birth to me, and no matter what, she is my biological mother. A child would not reject his mother for being ugly. Auntie might be at fault, but I am willing to be punished on her behalf. Father, please don¡¯t be angry at Auntie. Her health is poor..."

    Mo Xuemin had yed this hand beautifully. She had first mentioned that she did not mind Auntie Fang¡¯s lowly status and then epted the me for everything. Then, she had said that she had done everything out of filial piety. Even Mo Huawen, who was furious, could not do anything about it. His daughter was still the demure, elegant, and gracious Min¡¯er?

    However, even though Mo Xuemin had made everything sound reasonable, and two servants could prove what she said, Mo Huawen would not believe in her blindly as he once did. He remained clear-headed and asked, looking at her deeply, "Min¡¯er, you are ady of the house. Even though Auntie Fang gave birth to you, you have to remember that your mother is the madam and that you should be filial to madam."

    "Yes, Father. I was stupid and said the wrong thing because I was anxious." Mo Xuemin nodded and apologized, wiping her tears away with her handkerchief.

    "Alright, rest well. You have just recovered, don¡¯t make clothes." Mo Huawen stood up and walked out. Mo Xuemin sent him off to the door, holding on to Mo Xiu¡¯s hand.

    Mo Xuemin only returned to her room to sit when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s back disappearing at the door. She wrung her handkerchief, her features twisted in hate.

    Mo Xiu stood to the side, trying her best to remain inconspicuous and not daring to say another word when she saw Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression. She was afraid that she would annoy her mistress if she said something wrong. She would suffer then.

    "Send someone to Auntie Fang¡¯s to check." Mo Xuemin said coldly after a long while. "Tell her not to hide some things. If she does not say them now, even if she might have the chance to say them in the future, she has to first get Father¡¯s love. She should say them while Uncle is here to speak up for her..."

    Even though her father had wanted to go to see Auntie Fang, he would not have the time to do so. Her uncle, Lord Yu, hade early in the morning and had just met up with Auntie Fang. He must be waiting for her father in the study. Auntie Fang was the long lost daughter of the Yu family, and this was something her father and the Yu family had known about long ago. They did not have a chance to reveal it.

    The Yu family was a noble and wealthy one. They naturally did not want their main daughter to be her father¡¯s concubine. That was why they had kept the matter under wraps for so long. It was the right time to reveal it now. With her uncle giving the suggestions, her father would not be able to say anything even if he objected to it. Furthermore, her father had agreed to the matter privately when they first came to the capital.

    "Yes." Mo Xiu hesitated and then could not bear it. "If Old Sir is angry with Auntie about this matter, then wouldn¡¯t it ruin Auntie¡¯s ns?"

    "Her ns will never be able to catch up with that slut¡¯s change. Tell her to be more careful and don¡¯t ruin my ns." Mo Xueminughed coldly. If she had not been so short-sighted, would she have to act like this in front of her father? It might not even pay off in the end.

    If Auntie Fang had not acted secretly, what she had to do next would be much simpler.

    She could only use her uncle to exert pressure on her father while trying to get rid of the sly little slut that was Mo Xuetong as soon as possible. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to emerge unscathed from the pce and that her reputation would be ruined instead. How could Mo Xuemin not grit her teeth in anger?

    In the study.

    Yu Feng had already been waiting there for a long while. He had been in Cloud City with Mo Huawen for many years, and the two were considered good friends. That was how he had gotten Auntie Fang to be secretly acknowledged.

    Yu Feng was a middle-aged man in his 40s. He was thin, and if one looked carefully, they would see that his slightly sharp chin was exactly like Auntie Fang¡¯s. Auntie Fang was his blood sister. She had gone missing with their nursemaid when they were little on a trip out to thentern festival. Yu Feng was happy to find his long lost sister.

    "Lord Mo, I have been waiting for a long while. Why were you gone for so long? I thought that you had cut all contact with the Fu General Manor?" Yu Feng¡¯s tone was sarcastic because he had waited for some time. He was angry as he thought about how his younger sister was still a concubine and that she was not doing as well as before.

    "My third daughter is not well and is staying with her grandparents. I went to visit her, which was why I returnedte. I hope that you will understand!" Mo Huawen suppressed the anger he felt. He knew that Yu Feng would not visit for no reason. As such, he smiled and went up to Yu Feng, smiling as he exined.

    The two sat in their respective seats, and a servant served them tea.

    They both took a few sips of tea and got down to business.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 62 Plotting to Become the Madam and the Arrival of Someone from the Yu Manor

    The reason why Yu Feng was here was simple. His younger sister had gone to him, crying. He was very angry but was trying not to show it. He asked, "Lord Mo, Feng¡¯er is already so old. How can he represent the household with his status? He can¡¯t even have a good marriage. He is your only son. Do you intend to let him carry the name as the concubine¡¯s son forever?"

    It was indeed hard for Mo Yufeng to marry a noble youngdy with his status as the concubine¡¯s son. Even though he was the only son of the family, Mo Huawen was still young. If he married another woman, she might bear him a son. That would be his main son, and he would one day represent the family.

    If that happened, who would care about a concubine¡¯s son? So what if he was the elder son!

    This was what the Yu family was most worried about. If Auntie Fang wanted to be acknowledged in her own family, she could not do so as a concubine. The Yu family would not allow a main daughter of theirs to be someone¡¯s concubine. As such, the Yu family would not be able to acknowledge her in their ancestral halls if Mo Huawen did not marry her. Even though everyone in the Yu family knew about it, they could not make it public.

    Yu Feng pitied his younger sister a lot, especially so after he saw how thin Auntie Fang had gotten when he entered Lihua Garden earlier. She did not look like how she had when she first came to the capital. He saw how she looked aggrieved and cried when she talked about what had made her sad, and as such, he felt entirely dissatisfied with Mo Huawen. He waited in the study for a long time and heard that Mo Huawen had gone to General Manor to visit his daughter. He thought that Mo Huawen must be after the General Manor¡¯s support, which was why he had not married Yu Feng¡¯s sister even after all this while.

    He naturally felt upset about it.

    "Lord Yu, we will talk about Auntie Fangter. Min¡¯er got into trouble sometime earlier and even drew the ire of Her Majesty. She would..." Mo Huawen brought up Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident. He knew what Yu Feng wanted, but he did not want to suddenly make Auntie Fang the madam before he thought it through carefully.

    "Min¡¯er must have suffered because of what happened in the pce. She is just a youngdy who has just arrived at the pce. How could she know anyone in there? The incident with King Chu has more to do with his position. It has nothing much to do with us. The Empress would understand. "Yu Feng put down his teacup with displeasure.

    "Even so, we have to see how the Pce feels about it. No matter what, Min¡¯er still has a bad name right now..." Mo Huawen hesitated. The rumors about Mo Xuemin had not abated. Instead, they had grown even more vicious. Even some of his old friends would mention the matter. Mo Huawen was very angry about it.

    And it made him even more hesitant.

    "Then what about Feng¡¯er? Min¡¯er is a daughter, but Feng¡¯er is a boy. He will take up the helm of this family. This is the right time to find him a good match. If you remain hesitant, it will grow more difficult for him to find a match." Even though Yu Feng agreed with what Mo Huawen had said, his stand immediately solidified when he thought of how his sister had cried and pleaded with him.

    Mo Huawen would have thought of his only son. As such, he had not done anything to Auntie Fang. He could not have done anything to her because of his children. He frowned and felt very annoyed. "Lord Yu, let¡¯s talk about this matter in a few days. I will think about it again!"

    "Lord Mo, are you worried about General Manor?" "I remember that you seemed to have had a fallout with the Fu General Manor when your wife died. They did not even let you enter the city gates. It¡¯s been more than a year, and I have never heard of a husband remaining single for his deceased wife. Furthermore, Auntie Fang gave birth to a son and a daughter for you, and even if she had not done anything to benefit the family, she has worked hard for it. Could you bear to let her continue suffering?" Yu Feng felt a little angry when he saw how Mo Huawen was still hesitant. He half-mocked him by bringing up the Fu General...

    He was trying to say that the Fu General Manor had long abandoned Mo Huawen, so why was he still sucking up to them?

    Now that he mentioned it, Mo Huawen had not only not thought about the virtues of Auntie Fang as Yu Feng wanted, he thought about his helpless third daughter. He thought of the sadness that appeared in her eyes from time to time, and his expression turned grave. He said coldly, "Lord Yu does not have to find out about the matters between my manor and the Fu General Manor. Auntie Fang has tried to harm my main daughter under everyone¡¯s eyes. There was so many nobility who saw it. You should understand what I have to do."

    To make Yu Feng understand and to show that Mo Huawen had evidence, he had to mention Auntie Fang. However, the focus was on how Mo Xuetong had intentionally plotted and schemed.

    As such, Yu Feng did not like Mo Xuetong as well. When he heard Mo Huawen pushing all the me to his sister, he pped the table forcefully and stood up. "That main daughter of yours is so young, but she is so disrespectful towards her concubine mother. How would she be like when she grows up."

    How dare someone to speak against the main daughter on behalf of a concubine. How disrespectful!

    Mo Huawen was enraged. He stood up as well and pointed at the door coldly, "Lord Yu, if you have so much time to meddle in the business of other people, then you might very well take care of your household. It is not up to a concubine to discuss my daughter."

    He was throwing Yu Feng out!

    Yu Feng would have just left if he had not thought about Auntie Fang¡¯s predicament. He tampered down his anger and bowed slowly and politely. "Lord Mo, I was in the wrong just now. I was just worried when I saw how thin my sister had be and heard the rumors about Min¡¯er..."

    Since Yu Feng had softened first, and because of the matter with Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng, Mo Huawen could not be too unreasonable. He said lightly, "Many thanks, Lord Yu, for your concern for my concubine."

    Their conversation had reached an awkward point. The two spoke about casual matters, and Yu Feng left. He had only just left Mo Huawen¡¯s door when he saw a little maid standing under the great tree in front of the door.

    She went up to him in a hurry and curtsied respectfully.

    "I am First Miss¡¯ personal maid. First Miss wanted toe and see you when she heard that you havee but she could not. She seeks your forgiveness. She heard that cousin hase to the capital and would like to invite her over for a chat if she is free. First Miss and First Miss Yu were very good friends in Cloud City."

    Yu Feng nodded and said, "Tell your mistress that Rong¡¯er wille to visit her in a few days."

    "Many thanks," Mo Xiu said and left.

    Yu Feng returned to his manor in a bad mood. When he entered the inner courtyard, he saw his daughter and wife seated there, chatting. He sat down gloomily.

    "Father, did you visit Cousin and Aunt today? How are they? They¡¯ve been in the capital for some time. Ask Cousin to go shopping with me in a couple of days." Yu Sirong was a clean looking girl. However, the prideful look in her eyes made her seem less gentle.

    Auntie Fang¡¯s status was not a secret in the Yu family. They had already secretly reunited a few years earlier. They would immediately let her into their ancestral halls to pay her respects to their ancestors the moment Mo Huawen marries her. A few years ago, when they were in Cloud City, Mo Xuemin, and Yu Sirong¡¯s rtionship was pretty good. Yu Sirong had enjoyed teasing Mo Xuetong.

    It had just been a few days since they arrived in the capital. Yu Sirong was a nobledy and still did not know that Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was in tatters.

    "I did not see Min¡¯er. I only saw your aunt." Yu Feng¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed. He was very displeased with Mo Huawen¡¯s actions.

    "How is Aunt? And Cousin? Father, shall we visit them in a few days? I haven¡¯t seen them in so long, and I miss them." Yu Sirong did not notice Yu Feng¡¯s bad mood and said happily.

    "What nonsense." Mdm Chen, who was sitting beside her, noticed her husband¡¯s expression and knew that he was in a bad mood. She scolded her daughter and turned to said to Yu Feng, "Did Mo Huawen refuse to marry Auntie Fang?"

    "How did you know that?" Yu Feng asked in surprise.

    "What¡¯s so difficult to guess about that? They have been in the capital for so long, but Mo Huawen did not say anything about marrying Auntie Fang. Now, even his daughter hase to the capital. It would be more troublesome to make Auntie Fang the Madam of the family now." Mdm Chen pursed her lips. "Back then, I told you to strike while the iron was hot. Get Lord Mo to marry Auntie Fang once the year passed, but you all said to wait. Look at what happened! Isn¡¯t the matter ruined now!"

    "Father, was it that Mo Xuetong who had ruined things? That useless thing, did she trouble my smart cousin?" Yu Sirong could hear the underlying implications and asked. She disliked Mo Xuetong and had bullied her with Mo Xuemin. The two of them had worked together marvelously to bully Mo Xuetong.

    She visited her grandparents thest time when she went to Cloud City, and when she returned, Mo Xuetong had already left. Otherwise, she would have heard about how Mo Xuetong had changed. Mo Xuetong was just a weak and cowardly thing, what great things could she do?

    "I fear that it is not just that girl. There¡¯s still the Fu General Manor. Mo Huawen did not even mention what we agreed on back then." Yu Feng said hatefully.

    "Father, is it true that once the girl is gone, Auntie Fang can be the Madam and Cousin will be the main daughter?" Yu Sirong¡¯s eyes shone, and she suddenly smiled at Yu Feng.

    "It is easier said than done. The Fu General Manor treasures that girl. Rong¡¯er, don¡¯t be rash. We are not in Cloud City." Back in Cloud City, no one knew if she bullied Mo Xuetong, and the Fu General Manor could not do anything about it. However, they were in the capital. Yu Feng knew that he only had a lowly position in court and he had no chance of winning going against Mo Huawen. As such, he could only swallow his anger and apologize as he did earlier.

    "It¡¯s alright. Father, I won¡¯t get into trouble. I will go and visit Cousin in a few days." Yu Sirong had long made p her mind. She giggled when she saw that her father was going to stop her and immediately ran away.

    "Old Sir, if Mo Huawen refuses to marry Auntie Fang, what will we do?" Mdm Chen saw that Yu Sirong had left with maids and waved her hands, getting the other servants in the room to leave as well.

    Old Madam Yu doted on Auntie Fang greatly. She had told Yu Feng that he had to do anything he could to get Auntie Fang to return and acknowledge her ancestors.

    "If Mo Huawen marries another woman, Auntie Fang and the two children will suffer in the days after. We cannot allow him to do that." Yu Feng¡¯s expression grew dark. The new wife might treat Mo Huawen¡¯s daughters well, but not his sons. This was especially since Auntie Fang was still in charge of the household. How could Mo Huawen¡¯s new wife ept her?

    "But he now has the support of the Fu General Manor. Even though your court position has not been decided, you will not be too powerful. What can we use to make him marry Auntie Fang!" Mdm Chen was not too optimistic.

    Yu Feng¡¯s new posting would at best be as a fourth-grade official. Even though it was slightly higher than Mo Huawen¡¯s post, he was unlikely to be more powerful than Mo Huawen. This was especially since the Fu General Manor was so powerful, having someone in court and the army as well. If they supported Mo Huawen, Auntie Fang would have no chance at all.

    "Mo Huawen will not have another son!" Yu Feng said coldly, a sh of viciousness in his eyes.

    "Old Sir, you mean..." Mdm Chen asked hesitantly.

    "If you are free, go with Rong¡¯er to visit Min¡¯er. Don¡¯t go to the Qin¡¯s if you have nothing on. Since their second son doesn¡¯t like Rong¡¯er, why should we suck up to them? We are in the great capital, and there are many noble young men here. Tell Rong¡¯er not to be so hung up on Qin Yuxuan." Yu Feng did not talk about this again. He changed the topic and said slightly angrily, "She¡¯s a girl, why is she chasing after a man!"

    Mdm Chen grew upset when she heard her husband talking about their daughter. "Rong¡¯er is a good girl; she likes that Qin boy. You used to approve of the match, why are you like this today?"

    "We are in the capital, not Cloud city. If something like this happens again, Rong¡¯er would be disgraced. Just watch her closely and don¡¯t let her ruin her reputation like Min¡¯er." Yu Feng flicked his sleeves and said with displeasure. He had heard plenty of the wild rumors about Mo Xuemin even though they had juste to the capital. He could not allow Rong¡¯er to get into the same kind of trouble.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 63 The Enemies Meet

    Mo Xuetong did not know about what happened at the Yu¡¯s.

    Mo Huawen had not visited the next day, but Luo Mingzhu did. When she heard that Mo Xuetong was interested in going shopping, she was even more enthusiastic about it than Mo Xuetong. She said that she was familiar with the city and was familiar with various shops selling fabric and that she would apany Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong had not wanted to go, and it was not as if she had to go. However, she was about to return home soon. She thought of how Old Madam Xu had taken care of her and wanted to embroider a warm headscarf for her. She did not have any suitable materials. As such, she decided to go shopping with Luo Mingzhu.

    Luo Mingzhu was more excited than Mo Xuetong on the carriage. She secretly peeked out from a corner of the window and would asionally point out at the odd things on the streets and chatted with Mo Xuetong. Nanny Han, who apanied Luo Mingzhu, was very sweet. She nagged at Luo Mingzhu, but when Luo Mingzhu did not react, she allowed her to do as she wished. Mo Xuetong leaned against the carriage window and lifted the curtains curiously. However, she saw Nanny Li, who was seated beside her, looking at her hand sternly. She could not bring herself to lift the curtains and nced at the happy Luo Mingzhu gloomily. She wanted to look out as well!

    Fortunately, Luo Mingzhu lifted the curtains high enough, and as long as Mo XUetong stood straight, she could see some people and stalls. They were all very fascinating. She sat straight and Mo He removed the cushion behind her, smiling secretly.

    Mo Xuetong nced at her and ignored her. She stretched her neck and looked out of Luo Mingzhu¡¯s window at the streets. No matter in her past life or this life, she rarely had the chance to go out. She was naturally very curious. However, she had the stern Nanny Li by her side.

    The carriage moved forward slowly, stopping at an enormous fabric shop. It was arge shop considering it took up five storefronts on this bustling street. There were two levels to the shop, and it looked magnificent from the outside. It was extraordinary. It was the most famous fabric and clothing shop in the capital. The front was the fabric area and at the back, were ready-made clothes for men and women. One could go upstairs to get themselves measured for clothes. They could buy fabric, make clothes and buy clothes all in this ce. The ability and boldness of the shop were not to be underestimated. And of course, the power behind the shop was not simple either.

    The carriage stopped in front of the shop. Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu put on long veiled hats and got off the horse carriage. Luo Mingzhu was fast and got off the carriage with the hel[ of her maid. Nanny Han pursed her lips angrily when she saw that. She was so angry that she could not speak. Luo Mingzhu however, smiled and did not seem to mind at all.

    Mo Xuetong got off the horse carriage with Mo He¡¯s help. She followed behind Luo Mingzhu, and they entered the shop. The shop was very big, and it was filled with cloths of every color. From the cheapest and most ordinary to colorful and rare blots of cloth. They were lined up orderly for customers to choose from.

    There was a row of tables and chairs in the main hall where customers were served teas. The men who apanied their wives could rest here. The rows of tables and chairs faced the windows where they could look at the scenery outside if they get bored. There was a screen on the other side, making the area look like a booth.

    This was a great convenience to the men and elevated their bad mood from the waiting. This also ensured that the nobledies who came out to pick out bolts of cloths retained their privacy.

    There were rows of clothes hung up at the back of the hall. They were very colorful and eye-catching. They looked like beautiful clouds from afar. There were already people picking clothes there, and one could see them moving between the rows of colorful clothes.

    Mo Xuetong had just entered the hall when Luo Mingzhu pulled her to the left side. The area was piled high with bolts of cloth. There was a variety of patterns and colors that were much more beautiful than the other selections.

    "Cousin,e quickly and look, what do you think of this bolt of cloth? Will it look good if I use this pattern to make clothes? It looks nice on you too. Shall we buy it together? We can wear it out together. Others will think we are sisters." Luo Mingzhu pointed at a bolt of grey cloth and chattered on in a good mood.

    The fabric was really of good quality and wasparable, or even better than the fabric that Xu Yan gifted Mo Xuetong yesterday. This type of fabric seemed to have been dyed differently. There was not any pattern on the top-mostyer, but there was a natural sheen to it. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes could not help but be drawn to it.

    "This fabric is really good. I want it!" A hand reached out from the side, snatching the fabric from Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hands. The voice was filled with disdain, "Don¡¯t block the way if you don¡¯t want to buy it. Move to the side."

    Then, the person squeezed through impolitely. Ling Mingyan brought a few maids with her and squeezed Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu to the side.

    "Ling Mingyan, what are you trying to do?" Luo Xuetong was enraged, and she pointed at Ling Mingyan, who was not wearing a veil.

    "What am I trying to do? Nothing. I want to buy this fabric to make clothes. Don¡¯t block others if you don¡¯t intend to buy it." Ling Mingyan stretched out her neck, looking at Luo Mingzhu with her chin jutted out.

    She had been embarrassed for a long time after the incident at the pce. The Empress had not only rebuked her, but she had also been scolded by her father when she got home. Most importantly, You Yuecheng had ignored her. Her sisters also mocked her from time to time when they saw her. Ling Mingyan hated Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu, especially Mo Xuetong.

    They had both knocked down others. However, she had been scolded by others while nothing happened to her. When others talked about her, they only said that she was gracious and gentle and that she took care of her sisters well. They did not have a single bad thing to say about her. Ling Mingyan felt that this was greatly unfair.

    She saw Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maid when she entered and immediately recognized Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong who were wearing veils. She would, of course, try to pick on them to vent her anger. She snatched the bolt of cloth they were interested in. Since she was in a bad mood, she wanted everyone else to be unhappy like her.

    Luo Mingzhu was enraged when she heard Ling Mingyan. She pushed Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maid aside and said with a frigid expression, "Ling Mingyan, have you gone mad? It is just a piece of cloth. Do you have to steal it from others, disregarding your status as a nobledy? Do you think this is your home? It is such an embarrassment for the First Miss of the Ding General Manor to behave like this."

    "Luo Mingzhu, your General Manor is not any better. It is just a bolt of cloth. Do you have to be so angry at me? Forget it. I will be generous and let you have it. Don¡¯t have to be too grateful to me." Ling Mingyan turned around and red at Luo Mingzhu.

    She was being generous and was letting Luo Mingzhu have it? Luo Mingzhu had seen the cloth first! Luo Mingzhu was so angry she wanted to stomp her feet. She had never gotten along with Ling Mingyan. However, they had remained civil towards each other. They have finally torn the veneer of civility this time, scolding each other loudly and calling each other by their full names.

    "Cousin, let¡¯s go over there. The ready-made clothes over there look nice. Grandmother won¡¯t like that grey color cloth. Let Miss Ling have it. Why don¡¯t we go look at that grey shirt over there?" Mo Xuetong pulled at Luo Mingzhu and pointed in another direction.

    The grey shirt that she pointed at looked simr to the bolt of cloth in Ling Mingyan¡¯s hands. There were little characters that meant longevity embroidered on the cor and sleeves. From a distance, it looked elegant and gracious. It was indeed very suitable for a dignified old woman.

    "That shirt does look nice. That¡¯s great. Grandmother would like it. We don¡¯t want this bolt of cloth anymore since they are the same color. Grandmother needs a shirt." Luo Mingzhu immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant. She ignored Ling Mingyan and pulled Mo Xuetong away.

    There were too many people here, and it would reflect badly on the Fu General Manor if she fought with Ling Mingyan here. Luo Mingzhu was unlike Ling Mingyan. Ling Mingyan was too arrogant and did not even care where she was as she picked a fight with Luo Mingzhu loudly regardless of whether she was right or not. Luo Mingzhu would be scolded by her grandmother when she returned home. She might as well make use of the fact that she was buying clothes for her grandmother to mock Ling Mingyan for being old and wearing clothes meant for old people.

    "Luo Mingzhu, you..." Ling Mingyan understood what they meant. Her hands shook, and she threw the bolt of cloth onto the floor. She was about to rush over to them, but the two nannies standing behind her nced at each other and then moved forward to hold her back.

    "First Miss, many people are watching." One of them said softly.

    "So what?" Ling Mingyan said angrily. She red at Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu who walked away from her.

    "The Old Madam would be angry. First Miss, you must know what she thinks, right?" The other nanny said sternly and softly. The two of them were sent by the old madam to serve Ling Mingyan and stop her extreme behaviors. When they saw how Ling Mingyan disregarded the reputation of the Ding General Manor and intended to fight with the Miss of the Fu General Manor like a shrew, they immediately brought up the old madam.

    When she thought about how strict her grandmother was and how her grandmother would decide whom she married, her father had said that if her grandmother was still unhappy with her, she would lock Ling Mingyan inside the ancestral hall. She immediately stopped and did not dare to struggle. If she were to get into trouble again, her father would not spare her.

    "No. Those two sluts caused me to get scolded by Aunt and Fatherst time." Even though Ling Mingyan stopped struggling, she was still looking at Mo Xuetong and Ling Mingzhu angrily even though they were ignoring her. She gritted her teeth and looked at them hatefully.

    "First Miss, it is easy for you to get revenge. You don¡¯t have to do anything personally and embarrass the Ding General Manor. The Old Madam does not like behavior like this. First Miss, you have to remember, no matter where you are, that the Ding General Manor is the Empress¡¯ maternal family. You must not embarrass the Empress." The nanny who spoke served the Empress. The Old Madam had specially asked for her from the empress to teach Ling Mingyan.

    Ling Mingyan¡¯s reckless behavior had already damaged the Ding General Manor¡¯s reputation. If she continued to be so reckless, she would embarrass the Ding General Manor and the Empress. This would also affect the marriages of the daughters of the Ding General Manor. The Old Madam of the Ding General was furious and at her wits end. She found a nanny and also asked the Empress to find a nanny and ced them with Ling Mingyan to stop her reckless behavior.

    "How can I seek revenge. Nanny, what should I do?" Ling Mingyan¡¯s eyes brightened when she heard what the nanny said. She immediately clutched the pce nanny¡¯s hand and asked anxiously.

    "Miss, what do you want to do to them?" The pce nanny swept her eyes coldly at Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong who were picking out clothes together. She said lightly," The Empress has ordered Miss especially that you are not to take the lives of the nobledies."

    ---------------

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 Chapter 64 The Animosity of the past and the Hatred of Today

    "Can I ruin their reputations?" Ling Mingyan was pleased when she heard the nanny¡¯s casual tone. She thought about it and took two steps forward to whisper in the nanny¡¯s ears.

    "Yes, but you have to listen to me." The teaching nanny said. There were so many such incidents in the pce. How could she not know about these since she served the Empress closely? The Empress had arranged for her to be with Ling Mingyan not just to watch her. Ling Mingyan was, after all, the First Miss of the Ding General Manor. If she were bullied, it would be an embarrassment to the Ding General Manor and the Empress.

    "Alright!" Ling Mingyan answered quickly. She looked at the two viciously and said hatefully, "Nanny, I want to ruin their reputations. I want to see if they still dare to be so arrogant in front of me in the future."

    "Alright, but First Miss, you have to remember to keep your temper in check and be patient." The teaching nanny gestured to the other nanny to release Ling Mingyan¡¯s hand coldly.

    Ling Mingyan thought about how Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu were about to get into trouble soon and stopped throwing a tantrum. She nced at a few bolts of cloth, bought them, and left the shop. One of the nannies followed her into the carriage while the other walked on the streets casually.

    "Go see what that servant is up to." Feng Yuran smiled charmingly from a tall building. He clicked his fingers lightly on the table. A guard behind him immediately jumped out of the window and disappeared in a sh.

    He was wearing a purple fox leather shirt and had a vermilion red cape on his shoulder. His red lips were extremely charming. His slightly narrowed eyes, dark and longshes were beautiful. His chin was lifted slightly at a perfect angle. His face seemed as if it was carved and was extremely eye-catching. He looked beautiful, second to none, and one could not take his eyes off him. Even those used to seeing Feng Yuran¡¯s beauty were stunned by it. Feng Yue paused for a moment and then immediately lowered his head. He did not dare to look at the handsome prince again.

    King Xuan¡¯s beauty attracted men and women. No wonder the eunuch had been dazzled by his intentional smile that day and destroyed the painting that the Empress sent. The Empress probably still did not know that his master had intentionally dazzled the eunuch and caused the trouble because he did not want her niece, who was known as the top beauty of the capital.

    "Feng Yue, how about I find someone to ruin her virtue?" Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze was on the innocent and beautiful face downstairs. The soft, delicate skin on her face and the gentle smile on her lips made her look as if she was a nobledy. He was sure that no one would know that beneath her fake mask, was a vicious woman. She had dared to bite him in his ancestral home. Fortunately, he did not lose because he bit her back.

    Fang Yue was startled by what Feng Yuran said. He looked up and nced at Feng Yuran, not being able to catch what Feng Yuran meant. He followed Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze, which was on Mo Xuetong, who was picking out clothes downstairs. Then, he understood who his master was talking about, but was also shocked by what his master said. He was the eighth prince, and King Xuan, whom the Emperor doted most on. When did he be so narrow-minded to want to ruin the girl¡¯s virtue?

    "Then, I¡¯ll save her and help to prove her innocence. Do you think she will want to marry me out of gratitude?" Feng Yuran continued slowly. Feng Yue was shocked speechless.

    "If I save her, it will be a debt of gratitude which could be repaid by marrying me. If she wants to marry me in thanks, then I will take her even though it will be somewhat of a hardship. Anyway, I still need a princess, and she can be one!" Feng Yuran was in a good mood, and he smiled as he talked to himself. However, Feng Yue sweated profusely as he spoke.

    "Feng Yue, what do you think of my idea?" Feng Yuran smiled with satisfaction at Feng Yue, looking up at him with his handsome face, and asking for his opinion.

    Feng Yue only felt as if moral values were experiencing an upheaval. What as his master thinking? To ruin someone¡¯s reputation and then save her, making the girl marry him out of gratitude. Then, he would even take her as his princess despite the "hardship". Was he his wise and cold master? Why did he seem abnormal!

    Feng Yue opened his mouth but could not say anything.

    "Do you think there is something wrong with my thoughts? Do you have a better idea for me to tame this little wild cat?" Feng Yuran lifted the cup by his side and took a sip as he nced at Feng Yue from the corner of his eyes. It meant that he would not let Feng Yue go if he did not give him a satisfactory answer. The devilish corners of his mouth lifted into a vague smile. His deep and dark eyes glinted with an almost invisible coldness.

    He was going to...

    Feng Yue gritted his teet, looked down and said respectfully, "Your Highness is wise!"

    Feng Yuran seemed satisfied when he saw Feng Yue lowering his head. He no longer gave him the side eye. Instead, he turned his attention downstairs and saidzily, "Go and invite her here!"

    "Your Highness?" Feng Yue was confused. He looked at Feng Yuran who was obviously up to no good and felt thating out with the prince today was a mistake. Feng Yuran was asking a noble youngdy to have a private meeting with him and was even saying it out loud. Furthermore, Feng Yue did not see anything that indicated Third Miss Mo¡¯s interest in his master. What was happening? He was the prince¡¯s personal guard, and he could not do something like that.

    "Third Miss Mo?" A gentle and surprised voice sounded from beside Mo Xuetong. It was a familiar voice she had heard many times in her previous life. It was engraved in her heart. Her blood ran cold even as she thought about it now.

    Indeed, not far away was a face that she could describe even in her dreams. She had once thought that he was her partner for life. But who would have thought that he was the most venomous snake who would even bite the Fu General Manor which was the hand that fed him?

    She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened her eyes again, they were as clear and water. They were a pair of extremely beautiful eyes. It added a slightly coquettish look of a youngdy to her innocent face. Her eyes could touch one¡¯s heart. Sima Lingyun felt dazed, and his heart started beating even faster!

    "Greetings, Sir Sima." Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and curtsied. She was distant but polite.

    Ever since what happened at the Repayment Temple, Sima Lingyun had not visited the Mo Manor again. She wondered if he was trying to avoid rumors of if he had been too embarrassed to!

    "Third Miss Mo, we are really fated. I have just returned from a trip outside of the capital and was thinking of visiting the Mo Manor. If Third Miss Mo could help me pick out some bolts of cloth for your three sisters?" Sima Lingyun regained his wits andughed heartily. Then, he removed his outer shirt and passed it to the waiting servant.

    He took two steps forward as if he wanted to stand with Mo Xuetong and pointed at a colorful yarn knitted shirt and said, "Third Miss Mo, what do you think of this? This matches your skin tone perfectly."

    It was as if he did not know of the awkward situation between himself and the Mo Manor as he continued to smile.

    "Many thanks, Sir Sima. I am not here to pick out clothes. I came with my cousin." Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. Sima Lingyun must have been here for a while. Even though he had just entered the doors looking as if he had just arrived, the servant hade from behind the screen. It was obvious he wanted to pretend that it was a chance meeting, but it was obvious that he was here with someone.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the women standing inside the shop, and her gazended on one standing in front of the counter, looking rather cautions. The woman in green looked neat, slightly frail. Even though her clothes were in, she looked extremely beautiful. Mo Xuetong was startled.

    Yun Yiqiu!

    Mo Xuetong had not thought that she would see Yun Yiqiu here. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had found Yun Yiqiu to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine. She had been disfigured and usually wore a veil and felt that she did not deserve Sima Lingyun¡¯s love. When she saw how his cousin Yun Yiqiu looked at him silently with such loving eyes, she felt pity for her!

    She felt that Yun Yiqiu loved deeply and pitied her. She especially allowed her to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine. However, this concubine had joined hands with Sima Lingyun¡¯s mother to bully her. She had miscarried the first time because of this woman. She had flirted with Sima Lingyun in front of her intentionally and bumped into her.

    She thought she deserved all that she had in the past and did not see how vicious Yun Yiqiu was. She had brought the trouble upon herself when she found a concubine for Sima Lingyun. When her eyes met Yun Yiqiu¡¯s, she realized how stupid she had been in her past life. Her excuses of just having arrived at the Duke¡¯s manor and meeting her cousin and cousin-inw for the first time were all fake.

    Mo Xuetong saw how she looked at Sima Lingyun carefully and lovingly. Sima Lingyun had apanied her to Clothes Pavilion. All these meant that the two were already in a rtionship. She thought that Yun Yiqiu had met Sima Lingyun for the first time then. She recalled how Sima Lingyun had told her righteously and sternly that he would not take his cousin as his concubine when she mentioned it to him. He had even gotten angry at her suggestion and slept in the study for a few days.

    Stupid. She was too stupid. Perhaps the two were already entangled together andughing at her while she was worried about how to exin matters to Sima Lingyun. Heaven was fair. She had discovered things that she had not in her past life. She would not allow this seemingly weak woman who seemed to be deeply in love but was actually cold and vicious to go scot-free this time.

    Their eyes met through the satin veil. Yun Yiqiu was startled and felt that the gaze from behind the veil was icy cold. She could not control her shock and surprise and almost yelped. She took two steps back, and the maid beside her hurried to hold her. She asked worriedly, "Miss, what¡¯s wrong?"

    "Nothing. I¡¯m alright!" Yun Yiqiu held her chest and breathed heavily before she replied lightly. Her health was poor, and she had been drinking medicine for it. Fortunately, the Duchess was her aunt and treated her well. The manor had gotten her medicine, and her sickness did not act up usually. She trembled when the woman under the veil looked at her, and she grew nervous for some reason.

    "Should I call His Excellency over?" The maid asked as she grew worried when she saw how pale Yun Yiqiu was. She nced distastefully at the two nobledies wearing veils who were with Sima Lingyun. She did not understand why His Excellency had abandoned his cousin but was instead talking with twodies who seemed as if they could not be bothered with him. He was so cautious speaking to them that the maid who served Yun Yiqiu felt rather annoyed. She steadied Yun Yiqiu and was about to head over to Sima Lingyun to pass the message for her mistress.

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 Chapter 65 Counterattack

    "Don¡¯t go, that¡¯s Third Miss Mo." Yun Yiqiu grabbed the maid¡¯s hand and said weakly, coughing twice. She avoided the nces that others gave her and held on to the maid. The maid did not know, but she did. Her aunt had once told her that her cousin wanted to marry Third Miss Mo.

    Her aunt said that the only way to reestablish the Duke¡¯s Manor was for her cousin to marry the youngdy. As such, she could not ruin her cousin¡¯s ns now.

    "But, Miss, you are the one His Excellency loves!" The maid stomped her feet, feeling aggrieved on her behalf. Her mistress has been staying in the manor since she was 10 and had grown up with His Excellency. They got along very well and His Excellency would help her mistress find anything that she desires.

    If her mistress was unhappy, His Excellency would apany her. Everyone in the manor knew how His Excellency felt about her mistress. They knew that Yun Yiqiu would one day belong to His Excellency and they naturally treated her differently.

    Only Yun Yiqiu understood that if she ruined her cousin¡¯s ns right now, not only would her aunt not spare her, even her cousin would be angry at her. As such, she could only hide the sadness and uneasiness she felt and watch as her cousin tried to butter up to Third Miss Mo who was under the veil. She scrunched up her handkerchief into a ball andforted herself that her cousin loved only her. The other women were all being used by her cousin to reestablish the Duke¡¯s Manor. In the end, her cousin would marry her.

    After he marries that woman, her cousin would definitely marry her and dote on her.

    If there was a chance, he would definitely make her his main wife.

    "Is this Miss Luo of the Fu General Manor? I was too preupied speaking with Third Miss Mo earlier. My apologies, Miss Luo." Sima Lingyun always seemed so solicitous and he smiled and spoke with Luo Mingzhu politely. He seemed gracious and dignified, and did not appear to treat Luo Mingzhu any different because she was the youngdy of the Fu General Manor. Only Mo Xuetong could see the surprising joy in Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes.

    That¡¯s right. In her past life, Sima Lingyun had to go through her to get the support of the Fu General Manor since he did not have the chance to meet her cousin. He would definitely be excited to see her cousin right now. Mo Xuetong was not worried that Luo Mingzhu would be so blind as to fall for Sima Lingyun like she had. Judging by how Luo Mingzhu was tugging on her sleeves impatiently, she knew that Sima Lingyun¡¯s ns had fallen through.

    "It¡¯s such a rarity to meet Miss Luo here. Since we are so fated, I wonder if I can gift you twodies some gifts?" Sima Lingyun¡¯s postured, appearing on the surface to be a polite and gracious nobleman. It was difficult for others to reject him, especially coupled with his handsome appearance and polite behavior. It was not difficult for him to gain the interest of youngdies. Sima Lingyun was confident of that.

    "Many thanks, Your Excellency. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, but my cousin and I still have something on." However, Luo Mingzhu was a tough nut to crack and did not like young men who pretended to be gentle and elegant. This was especially so for the Duke¡¯s son who had just tried to butter up her cousin and then her. It displeased her greatly.

    Mo Xuetong stood on the side and watched as Sima Lingyun tried to butter up to her cousin. She felt disgusted by it as well, and her heart ached. She did not know if it was sadness or hatred. This man had ruined her life. His gentleness and elegance only appeared when he needed to please her. She also felt sick, and her heart was full of pain. She had thought that he was a true gentleman, but he was not.

    "Sir Sima, if you wish to pick out some clothes for my eldest sister, then how about this? My eldest sister liked the shirt that you gave us thest time, and she will like it this time too." She smiled gently, hiding the pain in her heart. She pointed at a shirt hanging by the side and spoke suddenly.

    Sima Lingyun paused when he heard that, not knowing how to reply. "Sir Sima, do you think this isn¡¯t a good match for my sister? I remember that she likes such bright colors. Eldest sister will definitely like this bright pink." Mo Xuetong held on the corner of the skirt, looking innocent. She smiled coyly at Sima Lingyun, seeking his thoughts as if Sima Lingyun understood Mo Xuemin the best.

    "Lingyun doesn¡¯t know what First Miss Mo likes." Sima Lingyun regained his wits and answered politely.

    "Isn¡¯t Sir Sima close with my eldest sister? My eldest sister likes the dress that you sent very much!" Mo Xuetong pretended not to understand and cocked her head, asking him gently. She did not know what was going on between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun, but knowing Mo Xuemin, how could there be nothing going on between the two? It was normal to gift jewelry and clothes and it was unlikely for Mo Xuemin not to have received anything from Sima Lingyun.

    She looked at Sima Lingyun coldly through her veil, trying to see how he would get himself out of this!

    Sima Lingyun was frightened by what Mo Xuetong said. There was an awkward pause and he smiled, trying to smooth the matter over. "I didn¡¯t have much with me when I visited Mo Manor, so I sent clothes on behalf of my female rtives. My concubine mothers and sisters probably sent about five pieces of clothing. Your father was very polite and also gifted us some bolts of cloth."

    "Sir Sima, you are too kind. You are close to my sister and it is normal to send some clothes. I have only just arrived in the capital and do not know what my eldest sister likes. So, Sir Sima, what do you think of this one?" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and continued pointing at the dress, not letting him off. When others heard what she said, they would think that Sima Lingyun had sent clothes to Mo Xuemin more than once and knew her preferences clearly.

    Sheughed coldly to herself. Since Sima Lingyun had approached her, how could she let this opportunity slip her by?

    Most of the patrons in the Clothes Pavilion were noble women anddies. Sima Lingyun was a handsome man and was very striking when he greeted Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu. When others listened to their conversation, coupled with the rumors going around, the way they looked at Sima Lingyun changed.

    Even someone like Sima Lingyun could not help but blush. He hated Mo Xuetong at that moment.

    "Sir Sima, my apologies. My nanny is calling. I should be home when youe to visit Eldest Sister again. I will make it up to you again then." Mo Xuetong did not wait for Sima Lingyun to defend himself. She apologized regretfully and pointed at Nanny Han who was ring at them from afar.

    She turned to leave with Luo Mingzhu without waiting for him to say anything. She walked up the stairs and her slender figure disappeared.

    "Cousin, this man is no good. Stay away from him in the future." Luo Mingzhu said with concern the moment they turned by the stairs.

    "Alright!" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and answered gently. Her gaze swept at Sima Lingyun who was still standing where he was earlier awkwardly. Her smile grew cold. She would not allow him to get what he wanted!

    Sima Lingyun had intentionally spoken to her in public today and had wanted everyone to see her and think that they were close. This would make it seem as if they knew each other well. However, Sima Lingyun had not anticipated that what would follow would be rumors about him and Mo Xuemin!

    Mo Xuetong had emphasized on the word "again" earlier. This made Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s rtionship rather suspicious.

    He wanted to marry a daughter from the Mo family. That was great. She would make it possible for him!

    He had no choice even if he did not want to!

    In her past life, they had used her to climb to greater heights. This life, she would use them to achieve their goals. The incident at Clothes Pavilion today would be arge step forward in Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s rtionship. The smile by her lips grew into a mocking one. She wondered how Mo Xuemin would look when she finds out that she was the female lead in the rumors!

    She looked forward to seeing Mo Xuemin. She wondered what Mo Xuemin¡¯s odds were like against Sima Lingyun¡¯s childhood love, Yun Yiqiu...

    The two brought their maids into a booth upstairs, where clothes were made. The booths upstairs were different from the ones downstairs. They did not look like temporary booths. Instead, each booth was set up by a window. There were snacks where one could lean against the railing and enjoy tea while looking at the scenery on the streets. Even if one did note to make clothes, this was a good ce to rx.

    There were cloths upstairs as well, each and every one of them was exquisite. A bespoke dress and exquisite craftsmanship fee would cost a person several dozen taels of silver. This meant that those who were able to go upstairs were all either wealthy or nobility. The service upstairs was naturally much better. It was more luxurious than regr teahouses.

    They were weed into a booth not far away from the stairs. They realized that while the booths looked small on the outside, they were very spacious inside. There were light white gauze curtains at the window that let in a little bit of the winter sun. The winter sun shone through the gauze, making it look clean and crystalline like beautiful mist.

    There was a vase on the table in front of the window and in the vase, was a red plum blossom. The sunlight streamed through the window and on the pink petals, making it look fiery in its beauty. It did not look like a flower in winter, for it was delicate and stunning.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were drawn to the plum blossom when they entered. The white curtains behind the plum blossom looked like a patch of white snow that stretched into the sky. The beauty and fieriness of the plum blossom drew their attention.

    "What a beautiful plum blossom. I wonder where the Clothes Pavilion found it." Luo Mingzhu could not help but praise it.

    It was no wonder why she was in awe for most plum blossoms had yet to bloom. The flower on the table had not only bloomed, but it was also beautiful and stunning. There was a single proud bloom and two other flowers that had not bloomed yet. But no matter the beautiful bloomed flower or the two unbloomed ones, they were very stunning, and everyone was in awe of the flowers, and the abilities of the Clothes Pavilion.

    The beautiful red plum had bloomed at a time like this. She had heard, in her past life, that there was such a bloom in the pce. Did someone from the pce have something to do with Clothes Pavilion? She frowned slightly. Then, she felt that it was normal for the shop to have the pce as a backing. After all, the shop wasrge and located on a bustling street. They sold exquisite bolts of cloth and beautiful garments. A business like this would have a huge expenditure. How could they sustain their business if not for the backing of the pce?

    "Cousin, cousin..." Luo Mingzhu called out for Mo Xuetong who was staring at the plum blossom in front of the window dazedly. Mo Xuetong was startled out of her reverie when Luo Mingzhu tugged on her sleeves impatiently.

    "Cousin, I¡¯ll head over there first. Wait for me here. Since you like the plum blossom so much, shall I ask the shop for it? It will save you from looking at it in a daze and forgetting what you havee here for. Let me tell you, you have to pick a few bolts of cloth to make clothes or grandmother will scold me for bullying you and not making you clothes!" Luo Mingzhu said with a smile. She seemed to be in a good mood and have forgotten the incident that happened downstairs.

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 Chapter 66 The Annoying King Xuan

    The clothes from Clothes Pavilion was unlike clothes from anywhere else. They were not only beautiful but were also bespoke. The clothes would be altered slightly ording to a person¡¯s unique traits. These tiny alterations made every piece of clothing unique and every woman who wore the dress would have their own unique style. This was why thedies and wives of the capital were so enthusiastic and loyal to the Clothes Pavilion.

    Many ces could make beautiful clothes but only the Clothes Pavilion could make bespoke and unique pieces. How could all these women who were image-conscious not flock to it?

    Mo Xuetong teased Luo Mingzhu when she saw how happy she was. "Cousin, go and get measured for your clothes first. I wille out to take a lookter. This plum blossom is pretty indeed, but we can¡¯t take their flower with us just because we visited. If others do this as well, the shop won¡¯t have enough flowers even if they have a plum tree!"

    "It¡¯s not that, we don¡¯te here often. Since you like this plum blossom so much, it would not be too much even if we were to buy it from the shop. If you are too shy to ask, I can do itter." Luo Mingzhu said nonchntly.

    She was the youngdy of the Fu General Manor. Even though she was not spoilt, her manner was still imposing.

    "Cousin, you go first. I will drink some water here and then go to pick out clothes. I have always been in Cloud City and have no idea what is fashionable in the capital. You have to help me pick out clothester." She smiled at Luo Mingzhu and changed the topic.

    She did not want to create trouble because of a stalk of flower. This would create another opportunity for Sima Lingyun.

    When she heard that Mo Xuetong needed her help to pick clothes, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s attention was diverted. She smiled and agreed. Then, she brought her maids with her in a hurry to get measured.

    Mo Xuetong sat on a bamboo chair and leaned into the window. She smelt the light fragrance of tea in the room. Under the afternoon sun, it made one feel ratherzy. The bamboo chair was wide and there were two thick cushions on it. When one leaned on it, it was like a couch that wasfortable and rxing.

    Mo Xuetong had wanted to rest for a while. However, the bamboo chair made her feel rather tired. The peaceful winter sun shone on her warmly. She could not resist the warm sun and leaned against the cushion, picking up a book on the table and read itzily. Mo He was standing outside the door, she felt very safe!

    There were only the sounds of pages being flipped in the room. The quietness was peaceful. And when one looked at the fiery red and beautiful plum blossom, they would feel that it was alluring and charming.

    There was a light sound of the door being pushed open and someone approaching. Because she was rxed, Mo Xuetong was not as vignt as she usually is. She thought that it was Mo Heing in to bring her more tea and did not take care. She reached out and pushed her teacup and said gently, "Not too much, I can¡¯t drink it immediately if it¡¯s too hot. Just half a cup will do. I can¡¯t keep resting here. Cousin will definitelye to look for meter."

    A long pale arm stretched out and took her teacup. The soft sounds of tea being poured were apanied by a low andzy voice, "Don¡¯t worry. Your cousin won¡¯te looking right now."

    King Xuan?

    Mo Xuetong was startled and raised her head sharply. She saw the handsome youthful face!

    Feng Yuran was wearing a purple robe with bold red patterns on it. He shook out his robe lightly, looking charming and elegant. He was arrogant and wild, his aura one of nobility. His eyes glittered and a small smile appeared on his beautiful lips!

    Putting down the teacup in his hand, Feng Yuran sat on the bamboo seat across Mo Xuetong, his eyes glittering brightly. The door behind him shut silently. Without saying, Mo He must have been restrained. Otherwise, how could he have entered so silently?

    Mo Xuetong sighed to herself and sat upright. "Where is my maid?"

    "Rest assured. I know what to do!" Feng Yuran poured himself a cup to tea and then brought it to his mouth to take a sip. He took a leisurely sip of tea and smiled at Mo Xuetong who was sitting in a dignified manner. She wore a beige colored undershirt and a flowy light green dress over it. There was a in colored sash across her chest, showing off her slender waist. It fluttered as she sat upright. She looked innocent and delicate.

    It had been a while since theyst met. Her childish features had matured slightly.

    Her dark hair was tied loosely behind her, some tendrils of hair falling down her shoulders. It emphasized her delicate and pale face that was soft and delicate. Her eyes were clear and sparkling like spring waters. Because she had just gotten up, there was still a hint ofziness in her eyes. She did not have any makeup on but it made her feel especially elegant and beautiful. She gave him an unhappy nce with her lively eyes.

    "Your Highness, why have youe today?" Mo Xuetong asked politely, seemingly as if she had no intentions of going against his will.

    "Why can¡¯t Ie to walk around? Can otherse but I can¡¯t?!" Feng Yuran waved his hand and thought of what happened in the hall downstairs earlier and the man who had pestered Mo Xuetong. He could not help but feel annoyed.

    "Your Highness, you can go anywhere you wish." Mo Xuetong gave him an odd look. She did not understand why he was suddenly upset when he was still smiling earlier. However, she did not dare to offend him and answered him with a smile. He was someone she could not afford to offend. He was like a colorful venomous snake, she did not know when he would bite her to death. "Your Highness, if even you can¡¯te, others definitely would not be able toe."

    Feng Yuran was satisfied when he saw how gentle and respectful she was. He leaned against the back of the chairzily and enjoyed the warm winter sunlight. "Mo Xuetong, shouldn¡¯t you thank me? I did do you a favor." Then, his eyes narrowed and a wave of dangerous aura headed at Mo Xuetong. It seemed as if he was about to get angry.

    "Many thanks for your help, Your Highness. It was all thanks to you that day. I will definitely repay you if there is a chance to." He was asking her to thank him. She did not know why the devilishly handsome king was behaving childishly like a child.

    When he saw her thanking him obediently, and how she was peeking at him secretly through her lively eyes with a slightly uneasy expression as she bit her lips lightly, Feng Yuran felt extremely satisfied. His annoyance had faded and he almostughed out loud. His expression softened.

    "How do you intend to repay me?" Feng Yuran askedzily as heid back in a morefortable position as he nced at the slightly uneasy Mo Xuetong from the side of his eyes. Looking at how careful she was behaving and was not the usual brave and lively person she usually was before him, his lips curled up. She was like a little cat waiting for him to teach her a lesson. He would definitely not let go of an opportunity to get her to be indebted to him.

    "Oh!" Mo Xuetong was startled. She blinked her lively eyes and understood that he was outrightly holding her hostage with her debt to him.

    "Shouldn¡¯t you repay your debt to me?" Feng Yuranughed loudly and sat up when he saw her dazed expression. He turned his head around to look at her, his voice almost whispering by her ear, "If I hadn¡¯t help you to tie up that old man that day, I suppose the rumors going around would be how Third Miss Mo is arrogant and wild. You could be put together with the Empress¡¯ niece. She is someone who would not be able to get married. So..."

    There were all sorts of emotions in his eyes when he said that. There were humor and charm, and he breathed out warmly into Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear. Her usually calm face grew warm, as did her pale ears. She leaned back slightly, avoiding his heated breath.

    "That is why you have to repay me!" Feng Yuran sat upright and said righteously.

    Who needed his help? If he had not helped, she would have long found that old man. All those times Mo Yu had gone out to search but to no avail. It was because the old man had been kidnapped by him. Mo Xuetongined bitterly to herself. However, she truly did not dare to offend him.

    "Your Highness, what do you need in return?" She asked carefully, cold sweat lined her pale forehead. She could not maintain her calm facade and almost felt like breaking down. She bit her lips and tried to force down the anger that rushed up within her. She warned herself that the person in front of her was the eighth prince who was known to have mood swings. He was the powerful King Xuan. If she could not bear this, she would mess up her bigger ns.

    Furthermore, she had a feeling that the person in front of her was not as flighty as he appeared to be.

    "I won¡¯t object if you marry me as repayment." Feng Yuran saw the sufferance and annoyance in Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes. He seemed to be testing her limits as he sounded more and more intimate, his eyes shone brightly as he teased her. When he saw how Mo Xuetong was flushing brightly in anger and yet was forcing herself to stay calm, a charming smile appeared on his lips.

    He sized her up and looked at her in disdain. "Of course, thinking about it practically, I would still reject you. Look at you, you are so thin and it doesn¡¯t look good. So I wouldn¡¯t want you if you want to marry me. Remember that you owe me one. That would be more fun." Feng Yuran said slowly when he saw her standing up angrily.

    This person was...if looks could kill, Feng Yuran would have died many times under her annoyed gaze!

    However, that person was not even aware of it. When he saw her biting her lips and not speaking, he asked doggedly, "So should you marry me or should you owe me one? This is such a conundrum. My point is, you shouldn¡¯t marry me. I have too many people in my manor. What do you think?"

    What? She thought that it would be best if he died! What did he mean by helping her! If she could regret what had happened, Mo Xuetong would have rather used a different method to prove her innocence and not end up in the hands of this extremely narcissistic man. He was speaking intimately while looking at her in disdain. He was obviously looking down on her, afraid that she would say that she would marry him to repay him for his help.

    "I will agree to one request from you." She gritted her teeth and answered. If one did not listen closely, they could not hear the sound of her gritting her teeth.

    "That¡¯s good. You mustn¡¯t go back on your words." Feng Yuran leaned backfortably.

    "I won¡¯t! Even though I¡¯m not a gentleman, I am much more trustworthy than some people." Mo Xuetong said angrily. She did not know what to say. Who would believe that the person across holding her to her debts was the popr King Xuan? She was speechless and her hands shook. She felt that the man in front of him was really not a normal person.

    After a heated discussion, it ended with Mo Xuetong owing Feng Yuran a favor. Feng Yuranughed in a friendly but insincere andzy manner as she left. He said in his annoying voice, "Mo Xuetong if there is anything you need help with in the future, you can beg me. If I am in a good mood, I will help you. Since you already owe me once, owing me twice is nothing. At most, I¡¯ll give you a discount in the future."

    ---------------

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 Chapter 67 Yun Yiqiu Was Asking For It

    This person was so hateful! Mo Xuetong rushed out of the door heatedly. She discovered that there was not a single person outside. Mo He wasn¡¯t here? She thought about it and realized that if Mo He were present, how could he have gotten close to her without her knowing.

    She fumed, lifted her skirts and walked past two doors. Just as she turned to avoid the door, she felt as if someone was staring at her. She felt really uneasy. Fortunately, she had only taken a few steps forward when she bumped into Mo He who was hurrying back. Mo He said that she tripped when she went to get water. She had spilled the water and gotten her clothes wet. A maid at the Clothes Pavilion had gotten her a change of clothes.

    This was such a coincidence. Mo Xuetong fumed silently. However, she pretended not to mind. She did not want anyone to find out about her and Feng Yuran speaking in the booth. Luo Mingzhu had returned as well, pulling on Mo Xuetong asking her to go try on some clothes. Then, they went downstairs to find a suitable cloth for the Old Madam¡¯s headscarf.

    When she went downstairs, Mo Xuetong saw that Yun Yiqiu was still there. Yun Yiqiu¡¯s eyes flickered when she saw theming down. She smiled at Mo Xuetong in a friendly manner. Her smile was gentle and she friendly. She seemed to be a likable person, coupled with her pretty face. However, the fake demure smile could not stir up an ounce of pity in Mo Xuetong.

    "Cousin, who is that? Do you know her?" Luo Mingzhu nudged Mo Xuetong¡¯s arm curiously.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on Yun Yiqiu¡¯s face. Who would have thought that this seemingly weak woman would be so vicious? What was she doing now? Was she trying to get into Mo Xuetong¡¯s good books as she had in her past life?

    This meant that Sima Lingyun had already told her that he would marry Mo Xuetong. Why was Sima Lingyun so confident? Mo Xuetong felt wary.

    There was a vague smile on her lips as she sized up Yun Yiqiu. Yun Yiqiu saw her looking and smiled, looking as if she was about to say something. However, Mo Xuetong turned around as if she had not seen Yun Yiqiu and said to Luo Mingzhu lightly, "I don¡¯t know her!"

    Yun Yiqiu¡¯s smile froze on her face.

    "You don¡¯t know her and yet she is smiling at you so warmly, trying to ingratiate herself to you. One look and you know she is not from a good family." Luo Mingzhu was born to the Fu General Manor and had never liked people who smiled at others ingratiatingly. When she thought about how her father¡¯s concubines always smiled in such a manner, she harrumphed and gave Yun Yiqiu a passing nce, raising her voice intentionally.

    Even though there were quite a few people in the hall, they were mostly women and spoke softly. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s loud voice attracted everyone¡¯s attention. They followed her gaze and looked at Yun Yiqiu, who did not know what to do because she had suddenly be the center of attention.

    There were many types of gazes upon her. Some looked at her with disdain, realization. Some gave her the side-eye while others looked at her proudly...

    "She doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s from a good family. Could she be a maid? Look at how she¡¯s trying to ingratiate herself!"

    "She¡¯s not a maid, there¡¯s a maid behind her. Could she be someone¡¯s concubine?"

    "That¡¯s not right. Her hair is not in the hairstyle of a married woman."

    "If she is not a concubine or a maid, could she be a girl from the brothels?"

    "That¡¯s possible. She looks like it. She looks like some of the girls I saw thest time I passed by a brothel. They always look at others in that manner I can¡¯t describe. Look, just like how she looks right now. I heard that men like this kind of look the most."

    "How can someone like thate here. How unlucky. I didn¡¯t check the almanac this morning before leaving the house."

    "That¡¯s right. Better stay away from her or we will get tainted by her aura."

    ...

    Of the women here about 80 percent of the women had husbands who had concubines or other women outside. They hated such women the most. This kind of women served men carefully and looked pitiful. Their husbands¡¯ hearts had been stolen by them. They would naturally take the opportunity to criticize women like them. There were a few who had brought their husband¡¯s concubines with them and they could scold them to their heart¡¯s content. Yun Yiqiu was so angry at thements she wanted to die.

    Yun Yiqiu wanted to scream out loud, her face paled. The criticism grew harsher and harsher. Her eyes filled with tears as she bit her lips. She did not dare to say anything. Her maid helped her to squeeze out of the crowd. There was a wave ofughter behind her and she was so angry that her hand and body shook. She breathed harshly and gritted her teeth so much she could almost taste the blood.

    She med Mo Xuetongpletely for this.

    She gritted her teeth. It was Third Miss Mo who had shamed her today. She would make sure Mo Xuetong received the same shame a thousand, no, ten thousand fold!

    Once Third Miss Mo marries into the Sima family, she would not allow her to have a peaceful day! Her cousin loved her and she did not believe that she would not be able to defeat Third Miss Mo. She just had a better family background but was weaker in all aspects. She was not even as beautiful as Yun Yiqiu. She was sure of that.

    She had stayed especially to get to know Mo Xuetong and be friends with her. She would then be able to get a better grasp on Mo Xuetong once she marries into the Sima family.

    As such, she told Sima Lingyun that she wanted to pick out some cloth to make him clothes and told him to return first.

    When she thought how Third Miss Mo had pushed her into the sea of rumors by saying that she did not know her, Yun Yiqiu started to feel anger and hatred towards Mo Xuetong. She thought that she would definitely make Mo Xuetong feel the shame she felt today.

    While she was feeling angry by herself, Mo Xuetong saw how Yun Yiqiu stumbled away in shame with the help of her maid. There was a faint smile on her lips. She knew that Yun Yiqiu hated her right now. But what has it to do with her? Anyway, she definitely would not marry Sima Lingyun in her life. His concubine has nothing to do with her.

    There were so many people on the hall, there would definitely be someone who had dealings with the Duke¡¯s manor. It was just a matter of time before the Duke¡¯s manor heard of it. She wondered how the Duchess would look like when she realizes that her niece had embarrassed the Duke¡¯s manor.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had experienced first hand how mean the Duchess was. She was not a kind person. She watched on as her grandson died and had left just like that. She did not give the child even a coffin and said that the child was still young and did not even have a name. She said that the child could not be buried in the Sima ancestral plot and could just be buried anywhere else.

    Such a cold and unfeeling person can only belong to the Sima family.

    She was sad and her heart ached as she thought of how she had hugged Yu¡¯er¡¯s cold body. She shook, standing at the stairwell, and if Mo He had not caught her quickly, she would have fallen down.

    "Cousin, what¡¯s the matter? Are you unwell?" Luo Mingzhu asked anxiously as she sensed that something was not right with Mo Xuetong.

    "I¡¯m alright, I was just a little dizzy." Mo Xuetong sighed and hid the piercing pain in her heart. She looked up and smiled gently. Her pale face was hidden behind a veil and no one could see it clearly. Luo Mingzhu was a careless sort, and so was Mo He. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maid did not pay attention to Mo Xuetong, and as such, no one heard the tiniest tremor in her words. The pain was like a knife stabbing through her heart.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s Duke¡¯s manor was a dangerous ce by itself. Those living there had venomous hearts, or they would not be able to survive. However, she thought that they were all kind and tried her best to please the Duchess and then got Sima Lingyun to marry Yun Yiqiu In the end, she even got Mo Xuemin to enter the manor to help her.

    This was how she had brought in all the evil wolves. And how could she live, surrounded by these wolves?

    That was why Yu¡¯er had died, and how she, the loyal Mother Xu, Mo Lan, Mo Yu, and Mo He had died! She lowered her gaze, hiding the coldness in them. There was cause and effect. This was so in her past life. She would not take the same path again in this life. She would not let everyone die in vain. So many lives, so much blood. She would seek repatriation for all of them.

    "Are you truly alright?" Luo Mingzhu reached out to hold her hand and found that it was very cold. It was as if she was holding ice and she asked worriedly, "Why is your hand so cold? We had better return home and get a physician. Grandmother would me me if you really catch a cold."

    "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll pick a few bolts of cloth for aunt. She gave me some to make clothes yesterday and they are all really good. She must have picked them out really carefully and I mustn¡¯t take advantage of her." Mo Xuetong smiled and removed her hand from Luo Mingzhu¡¯s grasp. She was not used to someone holding her hand so warmly.

    In her past life, she had reached out so easily and trusted that others would hold her hand. And that was why she had died so miserably. She would not trust easily this life. Even though she could sense how good Luo Mingzhu was her, she did not dare to trust her fully!

    As such, she was wary of everyone now!

    She did not dare to trust Luo Mingzhu fully and did not dare to leave herself in her hands.

    She had been so badly hurt that when she dreamed at night, it was still in that burning room. She could still smell the acrid smoke and the sensation of not being able to breathe. All these reminded her of revenge. That she had to seek revenge. And she was sad to realize that she could not find anyone to trust because of this.

    "That¡¯s true. I shall pick some out for aunt. She rarely goes out after moving in. Those bolts of cloth must have been there for quite a while. I will pick out some new styles of her." Luo Mingzhu was rather receptive towards the aunt who had been staying in her house. Xu Yan got along with others well and would asionally send her trinkets for her to y. They were all quality goods.

    The Xu family had since fallen, leaving behind their only daughter. Even though she was spoilt, she had no choice but to move into the Luo family since her parents¡¯ death. Xu Yan was slightly older than the usual young nobledies. As such, she seemed more trustworthy so much that even Old Madam Xu praised her for it. Old Madam Xu said that anyone who married her niece would not have to worry about their inner courtyard.

    Mo Xuetong saw that Luo Mingzhu was also interested in picking out a few fabrics and suddenly pulled her aside and whispered into her ear. Luo Mingzhu was shocked and asked her with widened eyes, "Really?"

    "Hush." Mo Xuetong red at her and gestured for her to lower her volume. She had made Yun Yiqiu the center of attention earlier because of her loud voice. She did not want to be the center of attention as well.

    Luo Mingzhu reacted quickly and reached out to sp her hand over her mouth. She looked left and right and saw that everyone was focused on picking out fabric before she turned to look at Mo Xuetong incredulously, "Are you serious?"

    "Of course." Mo Xuetong smiled and then nced at Luo Mingzhu. She knew that Luo Mingzzhu wanted to hear her exnation but was pretending not to care but still could not hold back.

    "Will it work?" They had reached the bottom of the stairs and there were fewer people paying attention to them. She asked softly, her eyes glittering and one look at her could tell that she was eager for gossip.

    "Why not. Just watch!" Mo Xuetong smiled and nodded confidently.

    "Alright, then remember to get me the next time unclees. If Aunt is really interested in him, I will help to ask Grandmother on their behalf!" Luo Mingzhu was excited.

    Get Luo Mingzhu toe and watch? That would mean that everyone in the manor would find out about it. As such, Mo Xuetong shook her head and said anxiously, "You¡¯d better note. It would not be suitable for you to rush over especially when my fatheres. And if youe and watch, you might ruin things."

    "You won¡¯t let me watch?" Luo Mingzhu asked anxiously.

    "No!" A determined tone that did not match Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face could be heard.

    "You really won¡¯t?" Luo Mingzhu was angry and she red at Mo Xuetong.

    "I won¡¯t!" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly.

    "Sigh...I¡¯m sad. You have to tell me first if it really happens." Luo Mingzhu was angry when she saw how Mo Xuetong behaved but there was nothing she could do but to make sure she was the first person to find out if it really happens.

    Mo Xuetong could only agree when she saw how excited Luo Mingzhu was.

    Luo Mingzhu perked up when she received Mo Xuetong¡¯s promise. She dragged Mo Xuetong into the hall to pick fabric suitable for old people. They intended to make her a headscarf since it was getting cold and her health was poor. Since her old headscarves were getting worn, they might as well make her a new and thicker one.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 68 The Agreement Between Father and Second Uncle

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that she would have to return home so quickly. The next morning, the Mo Manor sent news for her to return home, saying that they have a visitor. They did not state who had visited and only said vaguely that it was an elder. She was not too sure either and it confused her.

    Since an elder was visiting the Mo family, Old Madam Xu could not keep her any longer. She could only hold on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, reluctant for her to leave as she told her to visit often in the future.

    When she returned to her courtyard, there were a few maids arranging things. She only had a wicker case when she came, but had many things when she returned. She now had five or six wicker cases.

    Mo Xuetong ordered Mo Lan to keep everything and told Mo Lan to bid Xu Yan goodbye. She had returned the favor to Xu Yan in Mo Huawen¡¯s name, gifting her a few bolts of quality fabric. She was polite and said that it was because Xu Yan had gifted her with her own fabric the other day, so her father had picked out fabric to return the favor.

    Everyone would feel that it was odd for a man to pick out fabric especially to return a favor done to his daughter. And the person receiving it was his own sister-inw. However, Mo Xuetong spoke innocently about how Mo Huawen praised Xu Yan and had picked fabric that suited her disposition. She even said that she had told her father that only a beautiful person like Xu Yan would be able to show how beautiful the colors of the fabric were.

    Her words were a little direct and Xu Yan flushed, not daring to say anything else to Mo Xuetong. She refused the bolts of cloth before finally epting them. She even gifted Mo Xuetong with a jade tray to wash brushes that had flowers carved into it.

    The tray was very beautiful but was not in the style that youngdies favored. There were snow plum blossoms carved into it and seemed rather masculine. From the way it looked, it was obvious that it was an antique that had been passed down for many generations. It was definitely a Xu family heirloom. However, it did not look like the sleek and delicate style that nobledies used.

    Mo Xuetong immediately understood and thanked Xu Yan especially. She said that her father¡¯s study was missing such a decoration and that she would ept it on behalf of her father. She would even bring Mo Huawen with her tomorrow to return the favor. Xu Yan was so shy that she did not say anything else but sat there with a flush.

    When she saw Xu Yan blushing furiously, Mo Xuetong knew that she could not rush things. She smiled and returned with her maids. She had originally been thinking about how to persuade Mo Huawen to thank Xu Yan for the gifts, but someone had visited the Mo family unexpectedly. She got Mo He to apologize to Xu Yan and went to bid farewell to the elders of the Luo family.

    She went to her grandmothers, second aunt and Luo Mingzhu¡¯s. She was hesitating about whether she should go to her second uncle when someone came to tell her that the Second Sir was asking for her. This was the first time her second uncle had gotten someone to get her, which shocked Old Madam Xu as well.

    The servant who came said, "Second Sir is in the study and he requests for your presence."

    He did not say anything else.

    Mo Xuetong could count on one hands how many times she has seen her second uncle since she moved to the Fu General Manor. She only saw him from afar and even when they chatted, it was a light conversation. Her second uncle had always been so distant andposed in her memory. One could not see when he was happy or not.

    However, this made Mo Xuetong somewhat afraid. She felt that Luo Bin¡¯s deep eyes seemed to be able to see through everything.

    The Second Sir of the Luo Family, Luo Bin, was considered a famous person. He was a third-grade officer in court and was a subordinate of the head of the Ministry of Justice. Even though he was not a first-grade officer, he was still a capable person Nobody would like to be entangled with the Ministry of Justice and be looked up by them.

    Some people in the Ministry of Justice were vicious characters. Arge number of them were generals. Only Luo Bin entered through examinations. Who would have thought that the schr who had once ridden his horse through the streets did not enter the cab but instead became an official together with other generals. The usually calm and elegant Luo Bin was unlike the loud and rowdy generals. As such, Luo Bin had a better rtionship with others than the head of the Ministry of Justice.

    Furthermore, he came from a general family like the Fu General Manor, and he had given up martial arts in the pursuit of literary arts. However, the ties that his family had made it so that he took to the Ministry of Justice like a fish to water. He was the second son of the family and would not have a noble position. A third-grade officer was not highly ranked nor lowly ranked and was suitable for a family like the Fu General Manor.

    Mo Xuetong had always felt that there was more to her second uncle than meets the eye. With a family like the Luo family, it was impossible for them to have another general. It was much more suitable for an officer toe from the family, especially a government official that had an average rank. It would not push the Luo family power any further, nor would it lead them too far from the court. Furthermore, they could also take notice of the finer changes in court. Which position other than an official in the Ministry of Justice would suit Luo Bin best?

    In her past life, even after the Luo family had fallen, it was her First Uncle¡¯s family that had fallen. Luo Bin had already branched out when the Luo family fell. When Mo Xuetong died, even though Luo Bin had not been promoted, he had not been demoted as well. He had always skirted on the edge of power, not too far but also not too close to it.

    In the past, Mo Xuetong felt that her second uncle had always been living under the spotlight of her first uncle. However, she did not think the same after her rebirth. The Fu General Manor had fallen because of Sima Lingyun but her second uncle had remained unfazed after he became independent of the family. No matter how one looked at it, her second uncle was a capable person.

    Mo Xuetong was always respectful on the rare asions she met Luo Bin. She usually curtsied to him from far away. Luo Bin would speak with her in a lukewarm manner. Other than that, they had no other interactions. She did not expect her second uncle to send someone to fetch her.

    "Tong¡¯er, go over first. Your second uncle must have something to tell you. I still have some things to pack up for you to bring with you." Old Madam Xu said with a smile as she got the servants to find things in her cupboards. There were a few casesid open on the floor, squeezing Mo Xuetong to the door.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the mess in the room and how happy the Old Madam seemed and did not want to bother her. She brought Mo He with her and they followed the servant to the courtyard.

    Luo Bin¡¯s study was not far away. Even though the manor would be inherited together with the title, Luo Bin was in charge of the family for now since Luo Cheng¡¯s family other than Luo Wenyou were by the frontiers. Luo Bin¡¯s study was at the second entrance since it would be more convenient for him to enter and exit.

    Mo Xuetong stood outside the study, held on by Mo He. She felt somewhat uneasy and felt that her usually cold Second Uncle would not call her to the outer courtyard for no rhyme or reason. If there was anything, he could have called her to Old Madam Xu and met her there. He did not have to ask his unmarried niece to go to the outside courtyard.

    There must be something he intended to hide from Grandmother...

    What matter was there for her second uncle to act and it was something that her grandmother must not find out about? Even Mo Xuetong, who had lived two lives, could not think of anything. She could only stand outside the study uneasily.

    The servant went in and came out quickly to say that Second Sir would like her to go in.

    When she entered, the servant stopped Mo He at the entrance, saying that Old Sir only asked for Miss Mo.

    Mo Xuetong turned to gesture for Mo He to say. Then, she turned and followed the servant in.

    The decoration in the study was simr to Mo Huawen¡¯s study. When she entered, there was a desk under the window that had paper and ink on it. There was a gold seal on the side that had red ink on it as if it had just been used. The ink marks were still wet.

    There were a few shelves that were filled not only with books but some small trinkets. There was a long calligraphy piece on one of the walls. The characters on the calligraphy were strong and sharp. The person who wrote it had used vigorous strokes. It did not look like a calligraphy work that should appear in the study of a schr like Luo Bin. The sharpness in it was unlike Luo Bin¡¯s quiet and gentle demeanor.

    Behind the desk, sat a middle-aged man of about 30 or 50. He had a long and tall nose and looked righteous. His face was calm and he was writing something on his desk. When he saw Mo Xuetong enter, he put down the brush in his hand and smiled as Mo Xuetong curtsied. Then, he stretched out his hand and gestured for her to sit.

    "Tong¡¯er, did you like staying in the manor?" Luo Bin asked with a smile.

    "Many thanks, Second Uncle. Tong¡¯er had a good stay in the manor." Mo Xuetong looked up and smiled demurely.

    "If there is anything that you are unsatisfied with, tell me. Just treat this as your own home." Luo Bin smiled at Mo Xuetong. There was a sh in his eyes that she could not understand. Furthermore, shouldn¡¯t these words be said to her when she first moved in? Why did he say something like that just as she was leaving? This was really hard to understand.

    Fortunately, she understood the faintpassion in Luo Bin¡¯s eyes. Even though it was faint, it was warm and gentle. Luo Bin had always been aposed man and even when he met his only daughter, Luo Mingzhu, he remained distant. One could not see the love a father should have in him. However, Mo Xuetong could see thepassion in Luo Bin¡¯s eyes clearly now and she suddenly felt especially warm. She did not have to be so careful around him. She bit her lips and hid the sadness that surged from her heart and her smile grew gentle as she looked at him in awe and respect.

    "You will be going back today. If you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell me. I am not afraid of difficulties." It was not onlypassion, but it was total love.

    Mo Xuetong had to bite her lips forcefully to hide the sob in her throat. Her First Uncle loves her, for he had stopped her father from entering the city despite his status as the general. She had not expected that her second uncle who had always been steady andposed to treat her like this as well. What had she missed in her past life?

    Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Luo Bin. She felt as if she could not say a single word and could only smile, trying to hold her tears back as she nodded vigorously. She tried to hide how touched she felt.

    "When you go back, give this to your father. It will save me time from going over." Luo Bin took out a letter from a drawer on his right and handed it to Mo Xuetong. There was nothing written on the dark yellow envelope. Mo Xuetong held it in her hands. It was very thin and light.

    It seemed as if there was nothing in the envelope.

    She looked up at Luo Bin in confusion.

    "Show the letter only to your father. It is a very important surveince report. Tell your father to destroy it once he¡¯s read it. He would know what to do." Luo Bin said with a slight smile. He reached out and patted her head lightly like Mo Huawen did as he exined.

    A surveince report? Mo Xuetong was shocked. She did not understand why her father, a fifth-grade officer would have anything to do with the report in Luo Bin¡¯s hands. Luo Wen was a third-grade officer while Mo Huawen was a fifth-grade officer. Even if there was a surveince report, Mo Huawen should be the one to present it to Luo Bin. Why was it happening the other way round?

    What confused Mo Xuetong the most was that she did not know that her second uncle was close to her father. He did not seem to have the same prejudices her first uncle had against her father. Luo Bin was just distant when he met Mo Huawen. It was a coldness that exuded from his bones. It was unlike how he treated others. In her past life, when she came to the capital and before she got married, she saw Luo Bin onceing out from her father¡¯s study. His expression was cold and he kicked Mo Huawen¡¯s door down into smithereens. She never saw him again after that.

    There was a secret between her father and second uncle!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 69 Bai Yihaos Plans

    Even though she felt suspicious, she tried to push down the suspicion she felt when she saw Luo Bin smiling at her. She took the letter, kept it and smiled in agreement.

    Even though she was filled with suspicion, she pushed down the suspicions she felt when she saw Luo Bin smiling at her. She received the envelope and kept it, nodding in agreement.

    There were tworge carriages from the Mo Manor that came to pick Mo Xuetong up.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo He got on the first carriage. Nanny Li sat in the carriage at the back together with the suitcases and knickknacks. Mo Xuetong liked Nanny Li a lot. She asked Nanny Li to teach her. Nanny Li got along well with Mo Xuetong and agreed to go with her. As such, she packed up her luggage as well and followed Mo Xuetong to the Mo Manor.

    Old Madam Xu asked Mo Lan to stay. The old madam said that there were still some chores left to do and that the Luo Manor would send her back in a carriage once the chores were done.

    Mo He was more at ease than usual since Nanny Li was not on it. She picked up the curtains furtively and looked out.

    "Miss, that carriage is so beautiful. Come and see it." Mo He saw a carriage turning in from the corner of the main street and her eyes lit up. The carriage was lengthened and the windows were opened. Mo Xuetong could see Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face from her spot. His eyes and face had a small smile on them as he looked at Mo Xuetong through the carriage windows.

    The faint smile was like the floating clouds in the sky. It was beautiful and flowed like the swirls in jade.

    Their eyes met and hearts fluttered. Her longshes fluttered and her eyes lowered. A beautiful young man like this could indeed be heralded as the most beautiful man on earth. However, Mo Xuetong knew of the danger behind his gentleness and elegance. Her heart sped up, looking at his smile. No matter what happened in the future, he was indeed a gentle and elegant beautiful young man.

    His eyes were gentle and seemed as if they were smiling. A person¡¯s heart would race when he looked at them.

    She looked in his direction and smiled faintly as a sign of greeting. Then, she turned away and ordered Mo He softly, "Mo He, close the windows."

    Mo He was still stunned as she watched the handsome young man in a daze, missing what Mo Xuetong said.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips when she saw that Mo He had not reacted. She reached out to tug at Mo He¡¯s sleeves and said, "Mo He, close the windows."

    "Ah, yes, Miss!" Mo He reacted only then, hurrying to pull the curtains close with a flush on her face.

    Even though both Mo He and Mo Lan were kneeling on the ground that day and did not look up, Mo He had still secretly nced at him. She was stunned then. And when she saw him again today, she still felt shocked. Her hand that was shutting the curtains paused.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes drifted and she sighed to herself when she saw Mo He¡¯s reluctance. She frowned and her voice grew sharp. "Mo He, shut the windows! That is the crown prince of Yan Kingdom. He is the nephew of the Emperor and will be king of a country one day."

    She dragged out thest word, making obvious her unhappiness.

    The difference between her and Bai Yihao was toorge, much less a maid and him. If she opens the window, those not in the know would think that she was peeking at Sir Bai. Who was Sir Bai for other people to peek at him? Furthermore, regardless of whether he spoke or not, most of the nobledies in the capital are all watching him. If she smiled at him through the window today, various rumors about her would emerge tomorrow.

    After the lesson she had learned in her past life that was paid for in blood, she knew clearly how important a woman¡¯s reputation was. This was especially when it involved a man like Bai Yihao, who was popr with women. She only wished to avoid people like him.

    In her past life, there was said to be a nobledy who had behaved flirtatiously with him. When their horse carriages passed each other, she had tossed a handkerchief into his horse carriage. No one knew how the news about this incident spread. The noble family had no choice and wanted Bai Yihao to marry thatdy. However, Bai Yihao only smiled simply and ordered his guard to take out the handkerchief and threw it into the muddy ground. Then, he turned and left.

    The white and clean handkerchief fell into the mud, and it had been taken out by a guard. What else was there to say!

    He was not even willing to take her as his concubine!

    The reputation of thatdy was ruined. She was sent to the temple in a little carriage and never returned!

    What happened in the past should not be forgotten, for it is a lesson for the future!

    She did not wish to be embroiled in such unworthy matters before she evenpleted her revenge. That person was elegant and beautiful, but the viciousness in his heart was so unlike his appearance. A woman¡¯s life to him was like an ant that he could crush under his foot. He was unfeeling and coldblooded.

    Of course, everyone knew that someone who was as ambitious like him would not possibly fall in love.

    Mo He flushed when she saw that Mo Xuetong was angry. She immediately closed the curtains with reluctance.

    However, even if she wanted to leave, she might not be able to. The windows had just been shut when there were two soft knocks. Mo He opened the windows hurriedly before Mo Xuetong could even say anything. Indeed the two horse carriages were being driven side-by-side. Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face appeared before the window and he said, "Third Miss Mo, are you returning to the Mo Manor?"

    Bai Yihao¡¯s voice was crisp and attractive. His eyes, which were as bright as the stars, peered at her as he smiled. He was wearing a light white long robe today, but it did not seem in. There were golden dragon embroideries on his sleeves and silver threads at his cor in the pattern of ivies. They were like two silver dragons circling his slender neck. The tail of the dragon swept at his cor. His handsome face seemed friendly and he looked gentle as he smiled.

    Mo Xuetong could not ignore him. She blinked and then looked up. Her beautiful and innocent face held a gentle expression. However, it was also polite and distant as she spoke, "Greetings, Sir Bai. I was just about to return to the manor. Is something the matter?"

    She was not so narcissistic to think that Bai Yihao had sped up just to speak with her.

    Bai Yihao had not expected her to be so intelligent and sensitive. He looked at the distant look in her eyes and suddenlyughed. He put down his hand which was holding on to the curtains. The carriage plodded on, and he smiled elegantly, "I am taking the same route as you. I have something on at the Mo Manor."

    The two horse carriages were one horse apart. Bai Yihao knocked on the carriage door. The driver had long understood his intentions and backed away, allowing Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage to move ahead first. Inside the horse carriage, a beautiful servant poured him wine, kneeling down and presenting it to him. "Sir, please!"

    Bai Yihao reached out to take the wine and sent it to his lips. He leaned against the futon seemingly to be deep in thought. The corners of his lips curled up.

    The beautiful servant looked up from the corner of her eyes. She looked at how Bai Yihao held his wine and his slightly pinched lips. He exuded gentleness and poise and there was a hint ofughter deep in his eyes. His handsome face was as pure as jade and his eyes floated to the slightly open carriage curtains,nding on the carriage before them. That carriage door was tightly shut.

    Bai Yihao looked away to the beautiful servant when he sensed her gaze upon him. Even though he was still smiling gently, his eyes had lost its warmth. Even though he still looked good, it made one feel cold. The beautiful servant was shocked and hurriedly lowered her head, lying prostrate on the ground, no longer daring to peek at him.

    Bai Yihao seemed not to see how the beautiful servant was trembling. He looked at her gently and smiled, "Do you think that that girl is different?"

    "Yes, yes! Sir, I was just curious!" The beautiful servant was so afraid she was curled up into a ball. Only the sound of her teeth chattering could be heard in the quiet horse carriage.

    "What will happen if rumors got out that I am interested in Third Miss Mo?" Bai Yihao lifted the beautiful servant¡¯s head up with his hand. The beautiful face immediately paled.

    "This servant wouldn¡¯t dare, this servant wouldn¡¯t dare!" She held his hand and screamed in fear.

    "What has the First Prince promised you for you to betray me?" Bai Yihao¡¯s beautiful face shone with a warm and gentle smile. It seemed as if he was looking at his lover. However, he had addressed himself formally. He was no longer the carefree Sir Bai, but the crown prince of Yan Kingdom.

    "No, I didn¡¯t! Your Highness, I didn¡¯t..."

    Her somewhat sharp voice was trapped in her throat. The long slender hand on her neck was strong. It was a yful hand that did not seem cold at all. The beautiful servant¡¯s eyes subconsciouslynded on those hands. Then, she could not breathe and copsed.

    He turned around and cleaned his hands with a clean white handkerchief. Then, he tossed it elegantly onto the servant¡¯s face.

    "Sir, what¡¯s the matter?" The young man seated at the driver¡¯s seat asked without turning his head around.

    "Nothing. Get someone to deal with this!" Bai Yihao said with a gentle smile andid back into his seat again. His light and a casual statement made it hard for others to imagine that he was the one who had killed the servant earlier. "Send a few beauties to the First Prince so he won¡¯t be too bored. I heard that the Empress is really close to him. That is bad news!"

    "Sir, do you really like Third Miss Mo?" The driver asked softly.

    "Beauties are hindrances to sess. A beauty like this could cause cities to fall. Furthermore, she is intelligent. If the First Prince has such a beautiful woman, his inner courtyard would not be as peaceful as it is now." He smiled and his gentle voice sounded like the mutterings of a lover. If one only saw the handsome and gentle young man, they would not have thought that his slender pale hands had just ended a person¡¯s life without second thought moments ago.

    "But how would the Mo Manor allow their Third Miss to marry so far away? Furthermore, Mo Huawen¡¯s rank in court is not high enough either." The driver said softly.

    "Mo Huawen will be promoted soon!" Bai Yihao smiled elegantly.

    The driver did not say anything else this time. After moving away from an approaching horse carriage, he left the main path and into a smaller path by the side.

    Mo Xuetong did not arrive much earlier than Bai Yihao. She had just gotten off the horse carriage when she saw Bai Yihao¡¯s horse carriage. The carriage door curtain lifted and Bai Yihao, who was wearing a white robe descended from the carriage. He looked up to see Mo Xuetong standing in front of the carriage door. Then, he put his hands together in greeting, smiled, and entered the manor.

    A guard had already seen him approaching and had entered the manor speedily to inform Mo Huawen.

    Another guard bowed deeply and smiled, "Sir Bai, Old Sir said to invite you in once you are here. He has been waiting for you in the study."

    Bai Yihaoughed heartily and did not say anything. He turned around, winked at Mo Xuetong who was standing in front of her house in a daze and entered.

    A slight smile appeared on his lips when he thought about those beautiful and clear eyes of hers. She seemed a little silly earlier but was rather adorable. The maids passing by all stared at his handsome appearance. They all stopped where they were and what they were doing. They forgot about their difference in status and stared at him. This annoyed Bai Yihao. He swept his gentle eyes across the crowd, and those staring at him suddenly felt cold and shuddered. They emerged from their daze and did not dare to look at him again, hurriedly lowering their heads.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 70 Mo Hes Emotions Were Made Use Of

    However, no one thought that the coldness hade from Bai Yihao. They only felt that his status was noble and beyond them. The distance between them was too big and they should not even lust after him. Everyone felt humbled before him and did not dare to look up at his handsome appearance.

    Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned. She looked up to look at the wooden que in front of the manor proiming it to be "Mo Manor" and thought that she had gone to the wrong ce. He seemed even more familiar with the ce than her. She had thought that since he was at her doorstep, she should y her part as the host and invite him in. However, she did not expect that the guards at the door did not even care about her, the third miss of the family. Instead, they all surrounded him. Those who did not know would probably think that he was the master of the house.

    That was so odd!

    "Miss, Sir Bai went in. We should go in too." Mo He¡¯s gaze followed after Bai Yihao dazedly. She followed closely and then realized that Mo Xuetong had not followed behind her. She hurried to hide her smile and returned to help Mo Xuetong.

    "You¡¯re just a maid and you dare to even think about my master. You are overestimating yourself." A cold voice could be heard from the horse carriage that Bai Yihao just got off from. The door curtains lifted and a beautiful woman dressed in a servant¡¯s uniform appeared. She was about 15 or 16 and was at the peak of her beauty. She lifted her head up high and looked at Mo Xuetong with an unfriendly look in her beautiful eyes. However, her words were spoken to Mo He.

    "What are you talking about?" Mo He¡¯s face flushed bright red as the words were spoken before many people. However, since it was the truth, she did not manage to speak as glibly as she usually did. She could only retort with a flush and even the manner in which she spoke seemed slightly weaker.

    "You¡¯ve been looking at my master since you got off the horse carriage and even forgot about your mistress. Is that not true? Look at who you are and who my master is." The beautiful maid nced at Mo He from the corner of the eye, the disdain she felt was obvious to all.

    Mo He was embarrassed and enraged by what she said. And just as she was about to retort, Mo Xuetong reached out to stop her with a smile.

    "You must be Sir Bai¡¯s personal maid. Since we are at in front of the Mo Manor, you can go in with Sir Bai if you wish to. Why youe and shame my maid? Could it be that all those who work for Sir Bai are all so outrageous in speech?" Mo Xuetong sized the maid up and smiled. However, it did not reach her eyes.

    She might have seemed like she was shaming Mo He, but she was shaming her!

    A cold smile appeared by her lips. Then, without waiting for a reply, she held on to Mo He and they walked to the manor doors slowly.

    She did not wish to, and neither would she deign to argue with a maid. It would also save her from falling into other¡¯s plots.

    The guard outside the door saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage. It was his mistress and he hurried up to greet her. Bai Yihao¡¯s maid behind her was flushed red. She had been ignored by Mo Xuetong, and she stood in front of the horse carriage, ashamed, and not able to say another word.

    Mo Xuetong released Mo He¡¯s hand when they entered the manor. Her eyes turned cold.

    "Miss..." Mo He said hesitantly.

    "Go back to Qingwei Garden and receive your punishment. Ask Mo Yu toe and serve me. I have something on and need to go to Father¡¯s study. Ask her to find me there." Mo Xuetong looked at Mo He silently. Her eyes were deep and dark and it took a moment of silence before she spoke.

    She had never met Bai Yihao in her past life, so Mo He had naturally never met him as well. As such, she had never imagined that the two of them, who had such a wide chasm between their statues, would have anything to do with each other. She could see the dazed look in Mo He¡¯s eyes. Mo He had fallen for Bai Yihao at first sight. She had disregarded her own reputation and peeked at Bai Yihao through the windows.

    When had this happened? She had not realized at all, and had allowed Mo He to appear before him and to be used by others!

    Coldness welled up in her heart.

    Mo He felt afraid as Mo Xuetong looked at her. The flush on her face faded a little and she paled. She said with a shaky voice, "Miss..."

    "Don¡¯t say anything else. Go!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice was soft and gentle but also determined. She lifted her skirts and walked on, brushing by Mo He. She walked slowly to the garden beside her towards Mo Huawen¡¯s study. Bai Yihao was there right now so she was not in a rush to go there. She might as well sit around in the garden.

    She did not wish to meet Bai Yihao again in the study. A person like that was too dangerous!

    It started to slow,nding on her light blue skirt. Her clothes fitted her slender body perfectly. When the kes of snow fell, she looked like a fairy who was walking through the snow storm. Her beautiful face looked as if it was carved out of jade, and on her face, were two shiny dark eyes. Hershes were long, thick and dark and they curled up ever so slightly.

    Hershes fluttered and her tiny lips glistened like a moist peach.

    Her eyes shone with light, and she seemed extraordinarily beautiful in the bleak snow. She looked like a fairy stepping on clouds of snow, pure and clean.

    Qin Yufeng was standing at a pavilion near theke. He wore a dark blue robe. There were silver threads embroidering the scenery of cranes and clouds at his sleeves and the bottom of his robes. He also wore a gold belt that had a jade pendant hanging off it. He looked charming and carefree. He stood in the pavilion with his hands on his back and watched as Mo Xuetong approached. An inexplicable expression crossed his face and he smiled gently.

    "Cousin Tong,e here to get out of the snow and leaveter." He smiled and said to Mo Xuetong who was holding up her skirt and looking up at the sky.

    "Cousin Feng!" Mo Xuetong noticed Qin Yufeng and hesitated slightly before she hurried into the pavilion. She removed the sleeve she had ced over her head and curtsied deeply in greeting. Then, she smiled and said, "Cousin Feng, what are you doing here? Why didn¡¯t you go hang out at Father¡¯s study?"

    In her past life, Qin Yufeng had been Mo Xuemin¡¯s loyal lover.

    "I just came out from Uncle¡¯s study and got caught in the snow. I saw a beautiful girl walking through the snow, so I invited Cousin Tong toe and look as well." Qin Yufengughed gaily as he returned the greeting.

    His words were rather interesting and were also slightly teasing.

    Mo Xuetong looked up with a slight smile. Then, she sat near the railings. It was snowing out there and the snowkes wererge. It seemed that it would not let up anytime soon.

    She had not wanted toe in but had done so because she saw Qin Yufeng. Qin Yufeng was an odd person. He was very talented but did not be a schr. He was only loyal to Mo Xuemin. Could a person like this love a woman so much that he would be willing to send her into the arms of another man just so she would be happy?

    He was someone she could not understand. But since it was fated that the two would meet, that she was willing to understand him. After all, knowing one¡¯s enemy would help in the war!

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s gazended on her slightly lowered face. She was beautiful and there was a light flush on her pale face. There were a few kes of snow on her dark hair and longshes, making her seem even more beautiful and elegant. It made one want to care for her and get close to her, but it also made one feel that that would be sphemous.

    How wonderful must a woman like this be? She was so wonderful that it made one want to hold her lightly. Her face, that looked slightly shy, was filled with beauty that could ruin cities. A look from her could take one¡¯s soul with her.

    "Cousin Feng, have your grandmother and Cousin Xuan alle to the capital?" Mo Xuetong looked up and into Qin Yufeng¡¯s deep gaze. There was a gentle smile on her lips as she blinked her glittering eyes at him.

    She knew about the Qin family entering the capital while she was in General Manor. However, she did not know about the details. She had wanted to get Mo Lan to send someone to find out news about it after returning to the manor. Since she had met Qin Yufeng, she could just ask him straight.

    "Grandmother and Second Brother came to the capital together. Grandmother mentioned you a few days ago. She asked if you were free and to visit her if you are. She has just arrived in the capital and there is no one close to her by her side. I have heard that you are really smart and she likes you a lot." Qin Yufeng said with a slight smile, a look of interest appearing in his deep eyes.

    Mo Xuetong did not reject Qin Yufeng¡¯s invitation to the Qin Manor. She seemed as if she did not understand Qin Yufeng¡¯s intentions as she smiled and agreed. She had not had any interactions with Qin Yufeng in her previous life but had died in one of his plots. She would try to slowly understand him in this life. He was powerful and sharp, and she was willing to see how he plotted. She refused to be like how she had been in her previous life and walk into the dark abyss with her eyes shut.

    "Many thanks, Second Cousin, for inviting me. I will definitely go to your manor in a few days to visit your grandmother." Mo Xuetong looked away to see a painting Qin Yufeng had left on the table. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she asked, "Cousin Feng, what¡¯s that?"

    "It is a painting I got. It was dirtied and I had no way of cleaning it, so I brought it here especially for Uncle to take a look. It is such a pity. He said that there is no way to clean the painting." Qin Yufeng smiled and turned to sit at the stone table. He spread the painting open and gestured for Mo Xuetong to take a look at it.

    It was a painting of a winter plum blossom in the night. The plum blossoms on the branches were like blood on a patch of white snow. It made the in paintinge alive. It had just taken a few strokes of the brush to paint the petals of the red plum blossom and the white snow, creating a scene of beauty and life in a patch of bleakness.

    All was bleak in the world except for the beauty of this flower in the snow!

    "It is indeed a good painting." Mo Xuetong praised. Her eyesnded on the grey patch of ink in the middle of the clean snow and she frowned. The snow had been dirtied here, ruining the entire painting. The beauty of the red was not as touching now.

    "Cousin Feng, did father say that nothing could be done either?" Mo Xuetong reached out to touch the painting. It was indeed a good painting. The varying colors, textures, and lines on the paintings as well as the fluidity of the strokes showed that it was a truly good piece of art. It was indeed a pity for such a painting to be ruined.

    "Uncle said that the patch of snow being dirtied meant that the entire painting had been marred. There is no use for this painting anymore." Qin Yufeng looked at the painting with heartache and pity in his eyes. It was evident that this was a painting he loved. Otherwise, he would not have brought it to the Mo Manor. Mo Huawen¡¯s literary knowledge had always been something praised by others. He was knowledgable in calligraphy and was admired by others. If even Mo Huawen said that nothing could be done, then there was really nothing that could be done for the painting.

    "Cousin Feng, what do you intend to do with the painting then?" Mo Xuetong smiled lightly as she turned around to ask him.

    Qin Yufeng smiled lightly, "Since it cannot be fixed, then I will destroy it. I will get someone to burn it when I return home. It is such a pity for it was a good painting." He sighed and looked at the painting. It was evident how much he liked the painting.

    If a painting he liked had been damaged, he would rather destroy it. Qin Yufeng¡¯s character was indeed unique. She suddenly thought of something and she reached out to stop Qin Yufeng who was rolling up the painting. She frowned lightly and suddenly smiled sweetly and asked, "Cousin Feng, could you give me this painting?"

    "Cousin Tong, what do you want this painting for?" Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand which was rolling up the painting hesitated and he slowed down. He smiled and asked somewhat awkwardly. It was just a ruined painting. He had already decided to destroy it, so why was he so reluctant to give it away? His character was indeed really odd!

    "Let me try, perhaps I can hide this stain." Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not see the deep look in his eyes as she replied softly. She reached out to tug at the rolled up painting.

    "Oh, how do you intend to do that?" Qin Yufeng grew interested when she heard that Mo Xuetong had an idea. He put down the painting andid it out again with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong intentionally made an awkward expression and rubbed on the white surface with her finger.

    "Cousin Tong, could you not tell me?" Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes could not help but follow her fingers when he saw how Mo Xuetong gently touched the painting. Her pale slender fingers seemed to fit well with the painting. She was so beautiful that the red plum blossom immediately paled inparison. A gentle smile from her could make one¡¯s heart flutter.

    "Cousin Feng, what are you saying. Why would I not tell you? It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know where to start, and if I can¡¯t fix it, you¡¯llugh at me." Mo Xuetong pretended not to see the confusion in his eyes. She focused on the painting beneath her hand and smiled. She touched her beautiful skirt with a hand and hid the coldness at the corner of her lips.

    "Cousin Tong, why don¡¯t you tell me how you intend to fix it?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm expression shocked Qin Yufeng. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand somewhat excitedly and asked in a hurry. He truly liked the painting, but it had been marred by a servant¡¯s carelessness. He could not help but be determined to destroy the painting. Since the painting that he liked had been marred he would rather destroy it.

    ---------------

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 Chapter 71 Mo Xuetong Forced To Learn the Qin

    He was going to destroy it because he liked it. This was so even despite that it would hurt him!

    How could such an extreme person be someone with no hatred or regrets...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart grew cold. She felt the cold permeating through her bones and blood, spreading into her limbs and her entire being...

    Qin Yufeng did not notice this. He really liked the painting and had expended a lot of effort to get it. When he heard Mo Xuetong said that it could still be fixed, he could not help but be excited. He could not control himself and pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves. There was a light fragrance and his heart beat wildly.

    He released her sleeves hurriedly. When he saw her beautiful face, he could not help but felt tongue-tied and shy. He hurriedly widened the distance between the two and said ashamedly, "Cousin Tong, I¡¯m sorry. I was too excited. I have been impolite when I thought that you could have a way to fix it. Please forgive me."

    Then, he bowed deeply.

    "Cousin Feng, what are you talking about. I know that you like this painting a lot. Why don¡¯t we make a bet?" Her eyes shone and she kept an adorable and innocent smile on her face. It made one think that she was a naive young girl who knew naught about the world.

    "A bet?" Qin Yufeng was stunned. He was rather surprised by his cousin. Even though he seemed wild, he had always made ns before doing anything. Even greeting Mo Xuetong was something he had done after much contemtion. He was surprised by Mo Xuetong¡¯s sudden suggestion.

    "Yes! I wonder if Cousin Feng would dare to bet with me?" Mo Xuetong suddenly stood up. Her dark eyes were like glittering stars in the dark night. Her voice was innocent as the wind under the dark starry skies. She nced at Qin Yufeng as if she was certain that he would not bet with her.

    She was a little naughty and a little adorable. She was so wonderful one could not take their eyes off her.

    "Cousin Feng, do you dare to?" Mo Xuetong smiled and asked again when she saw Qin Yufeng looking at her silently. There was a glimmer of confusion in her eyes as if she did not understand why Qin Yufeng was not speaking. The smile on her lips slowly fell off.

    "Alright, I will bet with you. What would you like to bet on?" Qin Yufeng, who was always calm andposed, and would never do anything he was uncertain off, replied subconsciously. His gaze fell on her lips. Her smile had returned.

    Qin Yufeng was shocked. He would never do anything he was not confident in, but yet, he was now teasing a girl innocently. Even though he calmed down immediately, Mo Xuetong noticed all of that. The smile on her lips grew even more charming and her eyes were beautiful in their coldness.

    "Will you give this painting to me if I really fix it?" Mo Xuetong smiled. "If I can¡¯t fix it, I am willing to make it up to you by giving you another painting. How about that?"

    Qin Yufeng would never do anything he was not confident in. That was why he had taken every step carefully when he plotted against her with Mo Xuemin. They had gotten her to step into his traps unknowingly. In her second chance at life, Mo Xuetong had thought of many ns to deal with him, her biggest opponent. The best idea she had was to destroy the rtionship between Mo Xuemin and Qin Yufeng.

    However, she had just gotten here and did not know how far their rtionship had progressed. As such, she could only test it out carefully, step-by-step. This painting was the first step.

    She was confused by the feeling Qin Yufeng gave off right now. It was oddness she could not put in words! His character and his actions werepletely different.

    "Cousin Tong, if you can really fix the painting, I will give it to you. But if you can¡¯t, you have to remember to let mee to Qingwei Garden to pick out a painting myself. "Qin Yufeng raised his brows, a hint of interest shing through his eyes.

    He could not believe that a girl of just 13 could fix a painting that he could not. He raised his brows up high, forgetting to think about why he had not hesitated to bet with Mo Xuetong. He truly liked the painting. Otherwise, he would not have brought the painting out to several ces in such bad weather and had been trapped in the pavilion.

    Without them knowing, the distance between the two melted in their lightughter. Qin Yufeng subconsciously turned around to look at the weather after he looked at the beautiful face of the intelligent girl. It was still snowing, but it was falling much lighter than before. Only a few odd kes fell from the sky slowly in the cold air.

    "Cousin Feng, I still have to go see Father. I¡¯ll take the painting with me. I will definitely get you toe to take a look at it in a few days." Mo Xuetong looked at the weather and thought that Bai Yifeng should have left her father¡¯s study. She smiled at Qin Yufeng and took the painting with her.

    "Alright! Then I will be waiting for your invite." Qin Yufeng answered with a smile. He seemed rather eager and even bowed to her. Mo Xuetong smiled happily.

    Mo Xuetong turned and stepped onto the snowy grounds, holding the painting. Snowkes fell onto her shoulders and ck hair. She still looked like an ethereal fairy.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly turned around. Through a curtain of snow, Qin Yufeng felt that her features were exquisite as if she belonged in a painting. Her eyes were no longer cold and were as bright as a burning fire. However, she just smiled at him and then turned around and left.

    The fiery look disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Qin Yufeng frowned and felt that he had seen wrongly. How could an innocent girl like her look at him like that? He watched as she left and narrowed his eyes subconsciously. The smile in his eyes slowly turned into a sharp look!

    Mo Yu had long been waiting outside Mo Huawen¡¯s study. When she saw Mo Xuetong approaching, she hurriedly unfolded the cape in her hands and put it onto Mo Xuetong. She asked, "Miss, did Mo He make a mistake? She¡¯s been kneeling in the yard and she didn¡¯t say anything when I asked her about it."

    Mo Yu, Mo He, and Mo Lan have grown up together alongside Mo Xuetong. They were closer than sisters. Mo Yu had already received news earlier this morning that their mistress would return and she had cleaned up their courtyard. She was cleaning up her mistress¡¯ room when she suddenly saw Mo He entering, her face pale. She only said, "Miss will be going to Old Sir¡¯s study. Go there and wait for her."

    "Do you think that Mo He will notmit any big mistakes?" The wind lifted Mo Xuetong¡¯s blue skirt. The snow grew heavy again andrge snowkesnded on her. The peacock blue cape that she had just put on was immediately covered in snow. The white snowkesnded on the blue color,plementing her pale soft cheeks. However, the smile on her lips was cold.

    Mo Yu suddenly felt afraid. She looked down and did not dare to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    "Mo Yu, you all have been with me for five, six years, right?" Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, her brows lifted slightly. The smile on her lips became gentle again and she did not turn back to look at Mo Yu. Instead, she looked at the clean falling snow in front of her thatnded on the ground.

    The snow was all the same color, but because of where theynded, they ended up differently. Some remained clean and white while others fell into the muddied grounds. Some turned into water droplets,nding on plum blossoms and held a fragrance to them... However, no matter where they fell, they were all brought by the wind. They could not decide where they wanted to go. Clean or muddied, whether they turned into water droplets on plum blossoms, who would have thought that they were once the same clean white snow?

    "Miss... We have been with you for six years." Mo Yu stood behind Mo Xuetong and could not see her expression. However, she could hear the faint coldness and sadness in her voice. She could not help but recall what happened when they hade together before their mistress who was only seven then. Mo He was the youngest then, and she had hidden behind her, peering at their mistress and not daring to say anything. She had held on to her skirt tightly.

    She had been nervous. Despite that, she peeked at the little girl curiously, hoping that she would keep her. If she did not buy them, she would be taken back again. And every time they brought them back, the old women would starve and scold them. When she heard the girl pointing at them and telling them to stay, Mo Yu was so happy her heart almost burst out of her chest. She hurriedly pulled Mo He with her and they knelt in front of their mistress.

    She, Mo He and Mo Lan had stayed by their mistress¡¯ side from then on.

    "Six years. That¡¯s so long!" Mo Xuetong sighed lightly. She turned around to look at Mo Yu who was a little shocked and confused. Then, she asked seriously, "Mo Yu, have you all thought about what you will do in the future? Will you follow me, or do you have other ns? If you have other ns, I will not me you all. I will ask Father to make arrangements for you all and allow you all to leavefortably. You all have suffered with me."

    "Miss, don¡¯t make me go! I have served you for so many years and I can¡¯t bear to leave you!" Mo Yu knelt down forcefully and cried out loud, holding Mo Xuetong¡¯s knees. She did not know why her usually gentle mistress would be so stern and want to chase them away.

    Don¡¯t chase them away? But with Mo He¡¯s character, she might not even be able to keep her life!

    She had always thought that Mo He was just rash, but she did not expect her to be dazzled by Bai Yihao. She had disregarded her own status and had gone after Bai Yihao, even ignoring her own mistress. Then, she had even almost gotten into a fight with someone at the manor¡¯s entrance. Others would not think that it was a maid who was going after Bai Yihao. They would only think that it was Mo Xuetong who was shameless. They would think that she was not only in love with Bai Yihao, but she had also even allowed her maid to fight with Bai Yihao¡¯s maid. If this got out, she would have to die to rid herself of her sins!

    Mo He was forcing her hand!

    She could not help but shudder at this thought. She closed her eyes tightly, sighed, and pulled Mo Yu up.

    There was a sound of lowughter apanied by footsteps. Theughter was gentle and clear. It was a burst of teasingughter that made Mo Xuetong stand stiffly. "Third Miss Mo, are you getting angry watching the snow?"

    Mo Xuetong paused and turned around. Mo Yu also stood up and moved behind Mo Xuetong warily.

    It was none other than Bai Yihao! The beautiful youth in white was leaning against the tree and looking at her with a vague smile.

    Mo Xuetong took a few steps back subconsciously. She looked vignt and frowned slightly. Then, she came back to her senses and realized she had overreacted. No matter what sort of person Bai Yihao would be in the future, he was just a gentle and beautiful youth. He was just distant and not a blood-thirsty killer.

    She bit her lips and then smiled again. Her eyes were as clear as a stream as they turned. She ignored what he said and asked, "Sir Bai, are you done speaking with my father?"

    "It¡¯s no big matter. I just wanted to ask Lord Mo if he was willing to allow you to learn the Qin from me." Bai Yihao could not help but smile. He did not grow angry because of her ignoring what he said. However, what he said made Mo Xuetong grow stiff.

    "Learn the Qin?" She looked at him with wide eyes, unable to react for the moment. She could only say this sentence in a stunned manner.

    "That¡¯s right. Learn the Qin. Lord Mo promised me earlier. He said that you have always admired me and was nning to learn the Qin for me. He had nned to get you to learn the Qin from me even if I had not asked. I was just in a hurry." If one did not look at Bai Yihao¡¯s face, his words would have seemed polite. However, he was flicking his sleeves as he approached. Mo Xuetong felt the anger in her rise.

    Learn the Qin? When had she wanted to learn the Qin? And it was because she admired him? What exactly was this? She red at him with her beautiful eyes. Whatever he had just said had nothing to do with her. She blinked and then asked bitterly, "I wonder when I have admired Sir Bai so much that I would need to learn the Qin from you?"

    Bai Yihao sighed and stretched out his hand elegantly. Mo Xuetong did not know what he wanted to do and stared as his slender fingersnded on her peacock blue cape. She watched dazedly as he helped her to wipe away the snow on her cape. His hand looked wless against the snow. How could a man have a pair of hands that were even more slender than a woman¡¯s!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed as she watched his hand moved across her cape. She took a few steps back in a hurried manner and red at him angrily. Her longshes fluttered as she said angrily, "Bai Yihao, you..."

    How could a nobleman like him do something so impolite!

    "So you¡¯ve admired me so much that you would say my name. Then I shan¡¯t be polite either. Tong¡¯er, your father is looking for you." Bai Yihao looked at her gently. His eyes were filled with gentle pools of water. "Go quickly. Lord Mo is going to tell you about this!"

    Then, he turned around and walked away without waiting for Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply.

    Snow fell from the sky. The tall figure in white robes that were like snow walked further and further away from Mo Xuetong!

    ---------------

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 Chapter 72 Old Madam Mo Is Back

    Mo Xuetong red at Bai Yihao¡¯s retreating back until he disappearedpletely. She only regained her calmness then. She lifted a corner of her skirt and entered Mo Huawen¡¯s study. Mo Huawen was sitting in his study. He was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. When he saw Mo Xuetong entering, he waved at her and gestured for her to approach.

    What did Bai Yihao tell her father earlier to make him so happy?

    Learning the Qin? She would not believe that, of course.

    "Learning the Qin?" Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Huawen incredulously and with wide eyes and repeated that.

    "That¡¯s right. I did not expect Sir Bai to think that you have potential and would be good at the Qin. He came especially to invite Tong¡¯er to learn the Qin. This is something unprecedented." Mo Huawenughed out loud and looked at his daughter¡¯s dazed and adorable face. He could not help but reach out and touch her hair. He was in a very good mood.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin sses were not something that anyone could attend if they wanted to. As a famous man in Qin Kingdom, Bai Yihao¡¯s skill at the Qin was just as great as his medicinal skill. Even though he was amazing at medicine, this did not attract any attention from the girls. His skill at the Qin though, was something elegant, and the nobledies in the capital all admired him for it.

    The nobledies all wished to study the Qin under Bai Yihao. However, Bai Yihao had never cared for this. As such, thedies all pleaded with their fathers, but the officials had no way to ask the noble Bai Yihao to teach them. As such, they all got their wives to bring their daughters to plead with the Empress Dowager.

    This annoyed Bai Yihao even more so, and in the end, having had his hand forced by the Empress Dowager, he decided to teach the nobledies for a month in spring every year. However, he only taught a few of them. Those who wanted to learn from him had to first pass a test set by him. He would only teach them if they had talent.

    They could only learn from him if he considered them talented. No matter what, this matter would increase their status by manyfold. Furthermore, being able to learn the Qin from Bai Yihao, who was ethereal and like a fairy, would make the otherdies envious of them. Thedies all attended Bai Yihao¡¯s test, but only one in ten could pass it.

    "Father, Tong¡¯er¡¯s musical skills are decent and I don¡¯t need to learn it from Sir Bai. Furthermore, men and women should not be in close contact. It is not right for him to teach me the Qin personally." Mo Xuetong pouted secretly. However, she kept a smile on her face as she objected to the idea.

    "Rx, Sir Bai is noble and elegant. He is like the clouds in the sky. He teaches several girls, and they are all from noble families. They are all musical and everyone would think that this is something elegant. Even the Princess is learning the Qin from him. Sir Bai had never invited anyone to his ss personally. You can get to know some nobledies of the capital in his ss. This is great. I have already agreed on your behalf. You will go to learn the Qin when the year starts. I will get you an instrument and everything you need." Mo Huawenughed happily, unable to hide his joy.

    "This is a rare opportunity! Sir Bai is too kind! I will take you to Sir Bai¡¯s and thank him personally!"

    Mo Xuetong could not say anything else when she saw how happy Mo Huawen was. Furthermore, he had already agreed, and it would be hard to make any changes. Anyway, they still had to wait for Spring of next year, and that was still a month or two away. So many things could change then, so she would not defy her father right now. Furthermore, she understood Mo Huawen¡¯s intentions and she was very touched.

    It was true that he really cared for her. He was afraid that she would not be able to assimte into the nobledies¡¯ social circle and that she would be ostracised by them. However, she had never experienced such deep love her father had for her in her past life.

    "Yes, I will listen to you, Father." She was not insistent on objecting. She poked out her tongue and smiled obediently.

    "You naughty girl!" Mo Huawen¡¯s heart softened when he saw how adorable and active his daughter was, and he scolded her with a smile.

    "Father, look, this is a letter Second Uncle gave me to pass to you. He said that I had to give it to you when you are alone. I wonder what he was so secretive about. He won¡¯t allow me to look and the seams of the letter are stuck so firmly." Mo Xuetongughed and changed the topic. She took out the letter Luo Bin gave her to Mo Huawen. She looked as if she was reluctant to give it to Mo Huawen and pouted her tiny lips.

    Mo Huawen was startled. He took the letter and his expression grew slightly grave. However, he seemed as if he was afraid to let Mo Xuetong see it. He put the letter away casually and smiled at Mo Xuetong, saying, "Your grandmother is here. Remember to greet herter!"

    Mo Xuetong discovered the trace of darkness deep down in his eyes. It was as if there was a sh of sadness through them. Even though he sat there with his back straight and tall, it made one feel as if he was old and wizened.

    Was it because of the letter?

    However, since Mo Huawen did not say anything, she could not ask about it.

    "Grandmother is here? Did shee today?" She asked with a smile, changing the topic as what Mo Huawen did.

    "She camest night, but she might only leave after the New Year. Go and see her since you just came back. Your cousin Xueyan is here too. The two of you can keep each otherpany. Go on." Mo Huawen ordered with a smile. He was afraid that she might not recognize Mo Xueyan who had juste and mentioned it especially.

    "Alright, Father, then I will take my leave now." Mo Xuetong smiled and stood up. She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly turned around. Her smile faded and she scrunched up her nose unhappily at Mo Huawen, saying, "Father, it¡¯s so cold and your study is really cold. Get the servants to make this ce warmer, of I¡¯ll be unhappy."

    Then, she looked at Mo Huawen adorably.

    "Alright, I will get them to heat up the room." Mo Huawen said with a smile. He watched his daughter leave the study with a satisfied and gentle smile. Then, he picked up the letter he had ced beside him earlier and opened it. He frowned as he read, his expression growing colder and colder.

    Mo Lan had long been waiting at the eves. She handed Mo Xuetong a heated stove to hold and then carefully helped her onto the snow-covered ground. It had stopped snowing, and only a few stray snowkes were still swirling in the air, on the branches, leaves and fake mountains. There was a lightyer of snow by theke banks. It made theke look like it was wearing clothes of white jade.

    Weather like this wasmon in the capital. The snow today was not heavy. Even though the snowkes were consideredrge, but only a few stray snowkes fell from time to time, in a short period of time. Even though it looked heavy, it could not make a thickyer of snow. But this was good, for the servants sweeping up the snow did not have to put in too much effort in cleaning up.

    The gardens were covered with white snow. It gave a cold impression. Mo Xuetong trod on the path in the garden, thinking about her father¡¯s calmness despite his smile, and the darkness in his eyes. Even though he was smiling on the surface, it did not reach his heart. What was in that letter? Why did her father¡¯s expression change immediately after receiving her Second Uncle¡¯s letter before he even opened it?

    She did not know if her father and Second Uncle had any dealings with each other in her past life. She was focused only on her own pain then and did not notice anything else that happened around her. Now that she thought about it, she had not just missed out on a little. Why had her Second Uncle given her father a letter so secretively? And why did her father¡¯s expression grow into one of nervousness, coldness and pain? It made her feel sad and cold.

    Her father¡¯s smile was forced then.

    Why did her father, who had no dealings with her Second Uncle on surface, behave so? Was their rtionship not as distant as she thought?

    She had not cared about these matters in her past life. Even when she died, she did not feel that there was anything going on between her father and Second Uncle. The rtionship between the Luo and Mo families grew icy cold especially after her father took Auntie Fang as his wife. Her First Uncle had even made things difficult for Mo Huawen at Mo Xuetong¡¯s wedding. He ced her mother¡¯s altar que at the highest spot while Auntie Fang could only hold back her tears as she stood at a lower spot and bowed. It had embarrassed her father greatly.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly stopped.

    There seemed to be a thread that tied the Mo and Luo manor together since her mother¡¯s death.

    Her mother¡¯s death, her father¡¯s sudden distaste for her. The fate of a few senior maids and the man in ck in her mother¡¯s room. The abandoned courtyard from which her mother¡¯s room could be seen. Her Second Uncle¡¯s letter, her father¡¯s expression...

    What was she missing!

    She frowned and returned to her courtyard silently and sat down in her room. She called Mo He, who was kneeling beneath the eves. She did not say anything else but told her to go and think whether she wanted to stay or leave. It was up to her. Mo He returned to her room crying. A few maids wanted to speak on her behalf, but they did not say anything in the end when they saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold expression.

    After cleaning up, Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu and Mo Ye to visit her Second Grandmother.

    Her grandmother was not really Mo Huawen¡¯s mother, but his Second Mother. She was Mo Huawen¡¯s father¡¯s concubine. It was said that the old madam was very capable. Mo Huawen and Mo Huayan¡¯s father had died early, and his mother had died when he was really young.

    The old madam had raised them with difficulty. She treated Mo Huawen just like how she treated her own son. Whatever Mo Huyan had, Mo Huawen had as well. The young Mo Huawen was very grateful for that. Later, Mo Huawen became a court official while Mo Huayan went into business. The old madam went to live with her biological son so she continued to stay in their old family home.

    Even though they did not live together, Mo Huawen was still very grateful to the old madam. When he heard that Mo Huawen and his family might move into the capital after the New Year, he invited the old madam over early so that the whole family could celebrate the New Year together.

    Mo Xuetong had only seen the old madam when she married Sima Lingyun. She was the one who hade up and taken the ce as Mo Xuetong¡¯s elder,ughing heartily as she moved her mother¡¯s altar que away, to resolve the awkwardness. That was also how she stopped her father, who had then already be a second grade officer, from being embarrassed before everyone.

    Mo Xuetong had seen Auntie Fang being pushed into a corner by her First Uncle, but she did not say anything. She only felt unhappy and thought that her First Uncle had embarrassed Auntie Fang. Mo Xuemin had evene up to her and told her about how sad Auntie Fang was. She said that Auntie Fang had raised her but she could not even take a seat during her wedding. Mo Xuetong had fought with her First Uncle because of this.

    Now that she thought about it, she felt that her First Uncle had meant well. Even though he was reckless, he loved her mother very much. He was the only one who had thought of her mother and hoped that she could see Mo Xuetong¡¯s bliss. However, she had not understood her First Uncle then and was mad at him for creating trouble.

    She wondered if her mother would be sad when she saw how Mo Xuetong had grown distant from her mother¡¯s family.

    She arrived at the old madam¡¯s courtyard. A servant went to report her arrival. However, the old madam sat in her seat and spoke to Mo Xuetong lukewarmly and told her to leave. When she left she heard joyfulughtering from inside. It was her cousin, Mo Xueyan¡¯s voice. She had made the old madam so happy she wasughing loudly.

    After all, they were grandmother and granddaughter. This was understandable.

    After returning to her courtyard, Mo Lan helped her to undo her cape and said, "Miss, Nanny Ming is here."

    "Why is she here?" Mo Xuetong asked in surprise. She had only sent someone to ask Nanny Ming but did not send for her.

    "She said that Old Sir had ordered it. She was Madam¡¯s nursemaid. It¡¯s not right for her to stay alone in Cloud City in her old age."

    "Invite Nanny Ming over tomorrow. I have something to ask her."

 Chapter 73 The Biased Old Madam

    Nanny Ming visited Mo Xuetong early the next morning. When she looked into Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, which were very simr to her mistress¡¯, Nanny Ming knelt down and cried.

    Mo Xuetong had long ordered Mo Lan to hold the old woman and did not allow her to kneel. Mo Xuetong made a deep curtsy to her and lifted her head, greeting her, "Nanny Ming!" Then, she swallowed and could not speak anymore.

    "Miss, don¡¯t cry. If madam can see how beautiful, adorable and sensible you are, she will definitely be very happy." Nanny Ming wiped her tears and said happily through her tears.

    "Nanny Ming, please sit." Mo Xuetong pursed her lips when she heard Nanny Ming mentioning her mother. She suppressed the pain she felt in her heart and pulled Nanny Ming to sit with her on the bed-stove. Nanny Ming refused profusely, but Mo Lan thought of a way to make it work in the end. She moved a stool over and Nanny Ming sat on it.

    "Nanny Ming, do you remember what happened that night Mother passed away?" Mo Xuetong asked. This was something she wanted to know the most. Everything seemed to have started to change from that night on.

    Mo Yu and Mo Lan left then. One of them sat outside while the other went out to supervise the other maids sweeping up the snow. She could asionally hear Mo Yu talking to the maids. But the courtyard was very quiet otherwise. Only the sound of Mo Yu¡¯s voice and brooms sweeping up snow could be heard.

    "Miss, have you heard something?" Nanny Ming¡¯s expression changed and she lowered her volume when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s question.

    "I didn¡¯t hear anything. But after that day, Father left me behind in Cloud City and brought Eldest Sister and Fourth Sister to the capital. Then, he ignored me. Even though I wasn¡¯t very likable in the past, but Father still doted on me a lot. Why did he start to treat me coldly after that night and even abandoned me in the end?" This was something that Mo Xuetong had never spoken about, and it was something that she felt much aggrieved about in both lives.

    She had never told anyone about this, not even her two personal maids.

    What happened that day was too odd. So what if she had drenched Auntie Fang with water that day? Her father and Auntie Fang had never been close, so why did everything change in just one day? She, who had been doted on by her mother, had fallen into an abyss from the clouds. Was this truly because of the rumors Auntie Fang spread?

    "Miss, I do not know what happened then. I have always stayed beside Madam¡¯s side. In the end, Madam wanted to see Old Sir and sent me to get someone to fetch him. Auntie Fang¡¯s servants would not allow the servants to enter and said that Old Sir had ordered them to do it. He said that he did not want to see anyone then. That was why Madam died with hatred in her heart.

    "It was all my fault. I was sad and angry at Old Sir¡¯s heartlessness and said something like that to miss. That was why you hated Auntie Fang and drenched her in water. Auntie Fang had always been a sly one, and she must have said something to Old Sir." Nanny Ming frowned as she recounted what happened and her deductions.

    Her deductions were simr to Mo Xuetong¡¯s. But there was something that did not make sense.

    If it were true, her father would definitely make it up to her mother when he found out what happenedter. Judging from the interactions she had with her fathertely, her father still remembered her mother. There was a picture hidden surreptitiously in the corner of his desk in the study. It was a portrait of her mother. The portrait had been kept really well and there was no trace of dust on it. It was evident that someone had taken it out to look at especially. That corner had always been the spot her father left important official documents. Mo Xuetong had once seen her father caressing the edges of the painting while he was stowing away official documents. How could her father be heartless and cold?

    It meant that it was her father who had stopped the maids from entering. Or one could say that her father had taken Auntie Fang¡¯s suggestion to stop the maids from entering.

    That was possible, but something was wrong about that too. Her father had loved her mother deeply, so how could he bear to let her leave the world alone? He was willing to bear the rumors saying that he was heartless and be misunderstood by his inws. So what was the reason for him to leave her alone with the Qin¡¯s without even asking about her?

    This was something that Mo Xuetong could not get over. It was something that had been on her heart that could not be exined all this while.

    Since he loved her mother so deeply, why had he behaved like this? She could see her father¡¯s obvious love for her, so why had he treated her like so?

    She picked up a small pouch that was hanging on a wicker case beside her. She wrapped her fingers around it, and then loosened it, and then wrapped it around again, and loosened it...

    "Nanny Ming, did Father behave oddly after that?" Mo Xuetong asked with a frown. "That night after mother passed away?"

    That night was the key!

    "That night, Old Sir chased all the maids away and stayed by Madam¡¯s side quietly. I was worried and waited outside. Then, I was tired and dozed off. Then, I was startled awake by the sound of someone rifling through something. Because the sound came from inside the room, I did not dare to say anything. The sound only stopped about ten minutester. After that, I heard the sound of Old Sir crying." Nanny Ming recounted.

    She had hated Old Sir then, which was why she was worried about leaving Old Sir inside the room. She had waited outside especially since she had served her mistress all her life. Then, she had leaned against the wall and fell asleep. She did not know what Old Sir was looking for in the room, and she did not expect to hear his bitter cries after a while.

    When did the calm Old Sir look like he would sob like a child? Nanny Ming was stunned. She could hear the pained and bitter cries of Mo Huawen in the quiet night. Nanny Ming cried together with him outside. Old Sir only left the room with red eyes at dawn the next day.

    Other than this, nothing odd had happened!

    What was her father looking for in her mother¡¯s room after she had died? Mo Xuetong sat up straight and her eyes glowed. What was it that made her father ignore her mother¡¯s death, and to search through her material possessions? And what was it that made him cry so bitterly? Was it because of her mother¡¯s passing?

    "Nanny Ming, where did all of Mother¡¯s other maids go? Why do I not see a single one of them now?" Something shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, and they grew grave.

    "After what happened to the four senior maids, someone said that there was something bad in Madam¡¯s courtyard. The maids and servants all asked to be sent to other courtyards. Furthermore, Auntie Fang was in charge of the inner courtyard after that. The servants all left for other ces and no one knows where they went." Nanny Ming sighed, unable to make heads or tails of the situation either.

    Everything she said had fit with Mo Xuetong¡¯s own deductions. Other than that trace of suspicion regarding her father¡¯s actions, there was no progress in anything else.

    After Nanny Ming left, Mo Xuetong sat on the stove-bed quietly. She remained deep in thought, her brows furrow. She felt as if she was forgetting something. Everything was linked and when one thought about it carefully there was something very wrong. Why had her father not sensed anything? Or could it be that he was aware of it but chose not to do anything?

    The old madam hade to the manor. Even though she was not Mo Huawen¡¯s birth mother, she was still an elder and was unlike the other concubines. It was alreadyte when Mo Xuetong went to greet her because she had taken the time to speak with Nanny Ming.

    She only realized when she entered the room that not only Mo Xueyan was around. Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong were there too.

    After greeting the old madam, the old madam said lightly, "There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Sit down."

    She had only just sat down when Mo Xueqiong spoke. "Third Sister, you woke up so early today. Grandmother just mentioned you and was asking why you still weren¡¯t up at this time. I said that you¡¯ve been like this since you entered the Mo Manor. Anyway, you are the most important person in this manor."

    She was ming Mo Xuetong for not waking up earlier to greet the old madam. But beneath that, she was saying that Mo Xuetong had no respect for her elders.

    "Many thanks for your thoughts Grandmother. Father sent someone to me regarding something earlier which was why I camete." Mo Xuetong exined with a gentle smile.

    "Father truly loves Third Sister a lot. Eldest Sister is not yet well but he did not send anyone to ask about her. However, he frequents Qingwei Garden a lot. This...is indeed different." Mo Xueqiong nced at Mo Xuemin, whose face was pale, meaningfully with a smile.

    "Third Sister is feeling poorly as well and she has always been far from Father. It is normal for Father to pay more attention to her now." Mo Xuemin looked up with a slight smile when the conversation shifted to her.

    This was the first time Mo Xuetong had seen Mo Xuemin since the incident at the pce. Her face was too pale. She was still recuperating from her serious illness. Her warm and gentle gazended on Mo Xuetong. There was a dark sh, and then, her eyes were calm and gentle again.

    Her eyes were even more gentle that they had been when they first met!

    However, Mo Xuetong knew that Mo Xuemin was harder to deal with like this!

    The old madam watched the three sisters quietly. Then she harrumphed coldly and put down the heated stove in her hands and said with unhappily with furrowed brows. "You are all sisters, why are you fighting about this. If you have time, you had all better read more of the "ssics for Women". This manor iscking a mistress, and even the young misses of the manor fight when they meet. Such ill-breeding."

    She was talking about all of them. Both Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong looked somewhat upset about it.

    "Grandmother, the sisters are just joking. If you are worried, you can help Uncle pick out another nobledy. Then, you can help Eldest, Third and Fourth Sisters to pick out a good husband." Mo Xueyan was the second oldest among them all and was only a few months younger than Mo Xuemin. She smiled sweetly and peeked out from behind the old madam.

    This pleased the old madam greatly and she reached out to pat the girl¡¯s head." This is indeed something to discuss. Your Uncle doesn¡¯t have a proper mistress in his manor. Look at how chaotic it is." She swept her hand, gesturing to the three.

    The old madam was most satisfied with her own granddaughter. She felt rather dissatisfied with her eldest son¡¯s daughters. She did not like any of them. She had already decided that she had to find him a gentle and gracious wife. Mo Huawen had gone against her will back then and was insistent on marrying Luo Xia. She disliked Mo Xuetong when she saw her eyes, which were simr to Luo Xia¡¯s.

    She spoke with Mo Xueyan as if they were the only two present. Then, she waved her hand and dismissed the rest, only getting Mo Xueyan to stay behind to speak with her.

    The three of them exited ording to their age.

    When they left the courtyard, Mo Xueqiong who had been standing at the very back suddenly took several steps in front. Mo Xuetong had just lifted her foot to cross the threshold when she squeezed beside Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not have time to react. She wanted to stand with both legs but tripped on her skirt. She stumbled and then knocked into the door frame. Mo Ye, who was standing by the side had realized what was happening. She reached out to catch Mo Xuetong, but it was toote.

    "Miss, how are you feeling?" Mo Yu and Mo Ye hurried to help her up. If Mo Ye had not held on to her, she would have fallen to the ground.

    "Third Sister, I¡¯m so sorry. I suddenly realized that I have something on back in my courtyard, so I walked faster." Mo Xueqiong stood on one side and dusted down her skirts. She did not look apologetic at all.

    Mo Yu opened her mouth angrily to argue with Mo Xueqiong, but Mo Xuetong reached out to stop her.

    "It¡¯s alright. Since Fourth Sister is in such a rush, then you should go." She said lightly, holding her handkerchief to her head. She knew that it was swollen.

    Mo Xueqiong was already prepared to fight. She was just waiting for Mo Xuetong to grow angry at her. However, when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s cool behavior and how she had not said anything, she felt as if she was punching cotton and lost all interest. She nced at Mo Xuetong cooly and left without even bidding her goodbye.

    "Third Sister, how is your head? I have a bottle of medicine. I will send a maid to bring it to you." Mo Xuemin hid the satisfied look in her eyes and went up to her in fake concern.

    "I didn¡¯t break anything, it just hurts a little. I will be fine in a while. Eldest Sister, you had best keep the medicine for yourself!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pale with pain and she forced a smile on her face. She was not in the mood to say anything. Then, she left holding on to Mo Ye and the others.

    "Mo Xiu, Third Miss¡¯ injuries seem serious. Get someone to send her the medicine." Mo Xuemin said gently.

    "Yes."

 Chapter 74 Yu Sirong Checks Out the Mo Manor

    "Fourth Miss, will Old Sir me you for knocking Third Miss over?" Mo Xueqiong¡¯s personal maid asked carefully. She was afraid because Mo Xuetong was the main daughter after all. Furthermore, she was a main daughter who was doted upon.

    "What should I be afraid of? Would she dare to tell him? Look at how hard she knocked her head, but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything. How useless." Mo Xueqiong said with a coldugh. "And she still wants to marry into the Duke¡¯s manor and be the matriarch. Can she even manage!"

    "But, Fourth Miss..."The maid wanted to say something, but Mo Xueqiong waved her hand impatiently. Sheughed and said with satisfaction, "No more buts. I just don¡¯t like how she is. So what if she¡¯s the main daughter. She doesn¡¯t dare to say anything against Mo Xuemin. If Mo Xuemin can bully her, so can I!"

    Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s injuries were quite severe this time. There was arge red lump on her forehead. Fortunately, Mo Ye had acted quickly. Otherwise, she would not only have just fallen and embarrassed herself, but she might also have even been disfigured. It was winter now, and it would take some time to heal.

    The medicine that Mo Xuemin sent had been tossed to the side. Mo Xuetong did not dare to use it. In her past life, she had been poisoned without her knowing it. In the beginning, she could not even get pregnant. She found out after that that she had been poisoned when she was younger and had damaged her fertility.

    Mother Xu¡¯s heart ached as she helped her to clean her wounds and then put her fringe down to hide it. It made it look slightly better.

    After everyone left, Mo Xuetong picked up the medicine and yed with it in her hands. Then, she passed it to Mo Ye who was standing beside her and said, "Get Mo Feng to bring it out and see what¡¯s inside."

    She would not believe that Mo Xuemin was being nice to her for no reason. The two of them had already almost fallen out. It was odd for Mo Xuemin to pretend to care now. She clearly remembered what she had tripped on. It was not the threshold. And there was only one person in front of her, which was Mo Xuemin.

    "Yes." Mo Ye had never been one to talk. She replied and turned to leave. Mo Feng was a secret guard and usually did not appear before others. Things were much simpler with Mo Ye around. The two of them had their own way of contacting each other.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing garden weed a guest.

    It was Yu Sirong, the first miss of the Yu Manor.

    She was sitting in front of a table and holding up a pair of white jade earrings to the window and examining them under the sunlight. She could not help but praise, "Cousin, this is really good jade. Look at how wless it is! They must be really expensive. Won¡¯t your heart ache if you give it to me?"

    "We are sisters, what heart ache are you talking about. I don¡¯t know how much they were. The Duke¡¯s son gave it to me to thank me for a favor he asked of it. But I just don¡¯t know if I can do it." There was not anyone else in the room, so Mo Xuemin did not have to pretend.

    "His Excellency likes that little slut from that poor family. Why is she still refusing and pretend to be high and mighty? It¡¯s good enough that she can get married." Yu Sirong was no longer in the mood to admire the earrings. She felt jealous when she thought of how she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s portrait in her cousin¡¯s study

    "Cousin, how can you bear to have her stalk around like that here after how that little slut treated you all. You might as well just drug her and send her to His Excellency¡¯s bed. It is totally up to his will whether he wants to marry her or take her as a concubine."

    "Do you think she is still the Mo Xuetong of the past? She¡¯s really sly. My people can¡¯t get close to her." When she thought of all the unpleasant incidents that happened since Mo Xuetong¡¯s return, Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression grew bitter.

    "Cousin, you said in your letter that you are interested in His Excellency. Aren¡¯t you sad giving him to Mo Xuetong?" Yu Sirong asked in confusion. Mo Xuemin had sent her a letter a few days ago. It seemed as she was interested in Sima Lingyun and him in her. Why did things seem different now that she was in the capital?

    "Duke Zhenguo¡¯s son is indeed a good choice. But the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s family has fallen. I have to marry into a better family." Mo Xuemin smiled faintly and said with disdain. Another handsome face appeared in her mind¡¯s eye. The Ming Duke¡¯s son was her new target. She did like Sima Lingyun at first, and he buttered up to her carefully, so they were very close.

    However, the appearance of You Yuecheng made her see the difference between the two. Her heart had already settled on You Yuecheng. Furthermore, even though Sima Lingyun and she were close, he did not have to marry her. Mo Xuemin had taken a peek at the Duchess Zhenguo and knew that the madam intended to get her son to marry a noble main daughter. She would never be considered by the Duchess.

    Their goals were different, so their rtionship had turned lukewarm.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s appearance had immediately united their goals.

    The two of them had gotten together and discussed in private and came to the conclusion that Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang will help Sima Lingyun get Mo Xuetong. When they finish using her, they will end her life. Then, he will take Mo Xuemin as his wife. Everything that Mo Xuetong hand would be Mo Xuemin¡¯s. As Sima Lingyun¡¯s second wife, his mother had nothing to pick on her about. Furthermore, Auntie Fang would have be the main wife then and Mo Xuemin would be considered a main daughter. There was nothing more the Duchess can ask for.

    Sima Lingyun wanted to make use of the Mo Xuetong¡¯s backing, the power of the Fu General Manor, to reestablish his family. Mo Xuemin thought that if she could not be You Yuecheng¡¯s wife, she could still be the madam of the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s family. It was considered a happy ending. She now had two options and no matter what, she would be a madam.

    Furthermore, without Mo Xuetong, Auntie Fang could be firmly established as the matriarch of the family. The dowry that Luo Xia left behind was said to be sovish it was shocking. They were all locked up in a little storeroom. They would all belong to Auntie Fang and her then. Such a beautiful prospect made Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart flutter.

    The two of them hadmon goals, and worked together to plot against Mo Xuetong!

    However, man proposes, but God disposes. No one expected that Mo Xuetong had not entered the Mingguo Duke Manor, but Auntie Fang would have lost Mo Huawen¡¯s affections and be locked up. Then, the incident at the pce happened. Mo Xuemin was still furious whenever she thought about that. How could she not have expected that the person to appear was not King Chu, but the Princess

    Yu Sirong finished listening to what Mo Xuemin said and could not help but p her hands in agreement. She smiled viciously and said, "Cousin, that¡¯s a good n. With your smarts, you definitely deserve to be in a better ce. No matter how good that little slut is, she cannot possess the wits that you have. Rest assured, she would definitely be tricked this time. The decision about whom she wants to marry would be taken out of her hands."

    Her heart burned with jealousy and hate every time she thought of the portrait of Mo Xuetong in her cousin¡¯s room.

    What was so good about that little slut? Even though she looked decent enough, she was not as beautiful as her. She did not know what was wrong with her cousin for him to like that little slut. She should have just gotten arger rock and killed that little slut that day. Fortunately, it was a good time now too. As long as Mo Xuetong entered the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s household, she would be under hermand.

    She smiled with satisfaction when she thought of that.

    Yu Sirong suddenly stopped smiling and asked, "Why hasn¡¯t Auntie been released yet? Cousin, how can you just watch on as she is still being locked up?"

    This was something her grandmother had especially told her to ask. She only remembered then.

    "Auntie is fine, please ask Grandmother not to worry. She will be released in a few days." Mo Xuemin smiled with satisfaction. As long as that matter is announced, her father would have no choice but to release Auntie. However, if they waited to announce the matter after Mo Xuetong ended up in Sima Lingyun¡¯s hands and have her reputation ruined, Mo Xuetong would be too busy to care and would not have the time or strength to go against Auntie Fang. Father would be disappointed in Mo Xuetong then and would focus on her and her elder brother. There would be no obstructions against making Auntie Fang the main wife then.

    Mo Xuetong did not know they had so many ns. She took a nap after lunch and felt that the swelling on her head had gone down by quite a bit. With her hair covering it, one would not be able to notice it if they did not pay attention to her. She decided to go to the garden to take a look. She held Mo Ye¡¯s hand and made her way there slowly. There were a few stray snowkes swirling in the air.

    They had not yet piled up on the ground. The ground was a little damp. It was the beginning of winter and it was getting cold. She wore arge and loose cape over her slender figure. She had fallen gravely ill after her mother¡¯s death and could not get out of bed. After that, she had been tossed to the Qin¡¯s to recuperate. Her health fluctuated, and even with the recuperation she did in the capital, she was still very thin.

    "Isn¡¯t that Third Miss Mow?" A mocking voice could be heard from the fake mountains on the side.

    Mo Xuetong stood where she was and turned around in the direction of the voice. She saw Mo Xueqiong being apanied by a tall teenage girl approaching.

    Her hand that was holding Mo Ye¡¯s clenched tighter and her eyes grew cold.

    She had been disfigured by Yu Sirong in her past life. She was the eldest main daughter of the Yu family and was very much doted on. She was skilled in music and chess and was famous for her talents in Cloud City. Because of the rtionship between Mdm Yu and the Qin family, she would stay with the Qins for a good half of the year. She knew Mo Xuetong very well.

    Mo Xuetong had nopany in the Qin family and Yu Sirong would asionally visit from time to time if she had nothing on. However, ever since Yu Sirong went to apany Mo Xuetong, something would always happen to her. She would either trip while walking or knock into something. There were even rumors that said that she was arrogant. It was obvious that there was nothing there, but she had almost fallen and broken her arm...

    "Third Miss Mo, do you not recognize me? Did you not expect to see me here" Yu Sirong was not in the mood to y with Mo Xuetong when she thought of how Mo Xuetong would immediately be forced into hell. The mocking tone in her voice was thick, especially after she realized how beautiful Mo Xuetong had gotten in the time they have not seen each other. She grew even more jealous and hateful.

    "Miss Yu, do you have something on here?" Mo Xuetong hid the coldness she felt and looked up, replying in a lukewarm manner.

    A sh of anger crossed Yu Sirong¡¯s eyes. She had not expected thess to speak to her like this. She had intentionally be friends with Mo Xuetong in the past to make her suffer even more.

    "Third Sister, you are so impolite. I heard that Sister Yu took care of you while you were staying at the Qin Manor." Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes shed and she made a mocking jibe with a smile. She looked as if she was waiting to watch a good show. Even though Yu Sirong was here to see her, she knew that Yu Sirong had gone to see Mo Xuemin as well.

    "Fourth Miss Mo, don¡¯t be so quick to say that. I can¡¯t measure up to Third Miss Mo either. I wanted toe and visit you three sisters, but it seems like Third Miss Mo doesn¡¯t like me. Forget it, I shall leave now." Yu Sirongughed coldly. She was proud and arrogant.

    "Oh, Miss Yu, don¡¯t go. It¡¯s so rare for you toe and you¡¯ve traveled far. Third Sister, quick, apologize to Miss Yu." Mo Xueqiong saw that Yu Sirong was really going to leave and immediately held her, pretending to be worried. Inside, she was secretly happy. She was the happiest at Mo Xuetong¡¯s misfortune. She had intentionally brought Yu Sirong with her to deal with Mo Xuetong. She knew that Yu Sirong hated Mo Xuetong the most.

    Many in Cloud City knew of Yu Sirong¡¯s interest in Qin Yuxuan. However, Mo Xuetong did not know and even got along well with him. How could this not make Yu Sirong angry and jealous?

    "Miss Yu, my apologies. I still have something on. I shall take my leave now." Mo Xuetong said coldly. She ignored what Mo Xueqiong had said andpletely disregarded the implications in Yu Sirong¡¯s words.

    "Mo Xuetong, you¡¯re too much..." Yu Sirong was so angry she was shaking. She immediately turned around. She was the eldest main daughter of the Yu family and was the most talented girl in Cloud City. No one had ever treated her so rudely before. She felt that she was nobility and had never liked Mo Xuetong, who was weak and cowardly. She pretended to be Mo Xuetong¡¯s friend only to make her look like a fool. When had the fearfulss be so indifferent to her existence?

 Chapter 75 The Eviction of the Unreasonable Yu Sirong

    "Miss Yu, did youe today just to tell me that I¡¯m too much?" Mo Xuetong sized Yu Sirong up with wide eyes. Then, she said with a vague smile, "So Miss Yu didn¡¯te to see us. You came to pick a fight!"

    The mocking look in her eyes was so strong! She was mocking Yu Sirong in her face!

    She was being mocked by someone she used to look down upon the most!

    "You slut." Yu Sirong was enraged and she rushed up to Mo Xuetong with her hand raised, preparing to hit her.

    Mo Xueqiong pretended not to see anything. There was a hint of a satisfied smile on her lips.

    Mo Ye acted quickly. She took two steps up and held on to Yu Sirong¡¯s raised hand and pushed it away. Yu Sirong was no match for Mo Ye and she stumbled backwards. Her two maids reacted quickly. They pulled her back and she did not end up embarrassing herself falling onto the muddied grounds. However, even so, the high bun on her head loosened and a few locks of hair fell. The edges of her skirt swept the muddied ground and was dirtied.

    She looked as pathetic as could be.

    "Mo Xuetong, how dare you...how dare you?" Yu Sirong said angrily. She stood there, still flustered from her almost-fall.

    Mo Xuetong stood there coldly. There wasn¡¯t a hint of warmth in her eyes as they swept past Mo Xueqiong and locked onto Yu Sirong. She said, "What¡¯s there that I don¡¯t dare to do? Miss Yu, you came all the way to Mo Manor to teach me a lesson. Do you really think the Mo Manor is easy to bully?"

    "Mo Xuetong." Yu Sirong yelled angrily. She was furious. A lock of stray hair hung in front of her eyes, reminding her how unkempt she looked. "You have a mother who gave birth to you but didn¡¯t raise you right. See if I don¡¯t teach you a lesson."

    "Yu Sirong, it is not up to you to care whether there¡¯s anyone to teach me or not. Business in the Mo Manor has nothing to do with the Yu Manor. When is it up to you toe and point fingers at us? Go. The Mo Manor does not wee you." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were cold as she looked at Yu Sirong. Yu Sirong felt cold. Was that the Mo Xuetong who had cried in the corner after being bullied?

    Yu Sirong shook with anger. Her face was splotchy. How could she get out of the situation gracefully now? If she wasn¡¯t in Cloud City now, she would have yelled for her maid to hit Mo Xuetong and teach her a lesson.

    "Miss Yu, you¡¯d better go. Third Sister must have gotten off the wrong side of the bed and is in a bad mood. Don¡¯t mind her. Wait for me to tell Father and get her to go to your manor to apologize to you." Mo Xueqiong smiled warmly and went to help Yu Sirong. "Don¡¯t mind those useless people."

    She looked at Mo Xuetong from the corners of her eyes and gave her a challenging look. She simply did not like Mo Xuetong.

    "Mo Xueqiong. If you want to hang out with people who look down on the Mo Manor, then do as you wish. We don¡¯t wee you here as well. If I have a mother who didn¡¯t raise me right, then you aren¡¯t any better. If this doesn¡¯t make you stop hanging out with Yu Sirong, then you might as well take the Yu surname. See if Father will still ept you after he finds out about this!" Mo Xuetong clutched her sleeves tightly, ice and fire warring in her eyes. Her eyes looked at them sharply and coldly.

    Yu Sirong had scolded her mother. This was as much as she could take. She might be able to bear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s sarcasm, but she would not allow someone to scold her mother and still act like a guest. Since Mo Xueqiong had tried to pick on her status as the main daughter again and again, she would not mind letting Mo Xueqiong find out what¡¯s the difference between them.

    "If Father knows that mother has been scolded, and you, a concubine daughter had not done anything about it and had even spoken up for an outsider, he would want to know where is your heart of filial piety. The Mo family has been trodden under someone else¡¯s feet. You did not feel scorned at all. How could you, as someone¡¯s daughter, as someone¡¯s child."

    Mo Xueqiong was stunned. Even Yu Sirong looked at Mo Xuetong in shock. They saw the coldness on her beautiful face and were shocked by her. They did not know how to react.

    "p p p." Someone apuded. "That was good. You are indeed a failure as someone¡¯s child if you do not know how to protect your parents." A man¡¯s elegant and gentleughter sounded.

    Everyone could not help but be shocked. They saw Mo Huawen approaching them with a gentleman.

    The handsome gentleman wore a white fox fur coat with ck trims and also a blue robe. He had a blue and gold jade belt on his waist and a jade crown that shone with white light on his head. He stood straight and tall and was very handsome. His entire being exuded a sense of nobility. It was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s expression immediately turned into one of aggrieve when she saw Mo Huawen. She looked at him tearily.

    "Father...Third Sister scolded me..." Her voice shook slightly when she saw how Mo Huawen¡¯s expression grew darker and darker and she could not go on.

    "Men, take Fourth Miss to the ancestral hall. She will fulfill her filial piety to madam tonight." Mo Huawen said coldly.

    Two female servants came up and dragged Mo Xueqiong away.

    "Uncle..." Yu Sirong could sense that something was wrong. She went up to him hurriedly to curtsy and exin. However, Mo Huawen interrupted her coldly, "I really don¡¯t deserve to be called Uncle by First Miss Yu. It is such a rare asion for you toe and teach my daughter on my behalf today. My daughter has a mother who gave birth to her but didn¡¯t raise her right has nothing to do with the Yu Manor does it? When is it up to Miss Yu, a woman in the inner courtyard to teach my daughter how to do things? No matter my failings, I still know how to teach my daughter."

    These words were already humiliating. It was because Yu Sirong had gone past what Mo Huawen found eptable. The person he loved most in this life was Luo Xia. If Luo Xia had not agreed, he would not have taken concubines. He had not thought that his daughter born to a concubine would join hands with an outsider to bully Tong¡¯er and insult Luo Xia. Why would Mo Huawen still allow Yu Sirong to leave unscathed?

    He felt that the girl was just as annoying as Auntie Fang. She was indeed a daughter of the Yu family. Her heart was evil! He regretted allowing Auntie Fang into the family. She had done her best to wait on Luo Xia gently and he thought she was a good person. However, she had hidden her true colors well.

    "Wah!" Yu Sirong could not bear Mo Huawen¡¯s cold dismissal. Her face flushed red and white and she ran out crying loudly. Her two maids called after her hurriedly and chased after her.

    Mo Xuetong watched this coldly. Her hands, which were holding onto her sleeves tightly slowly loosened. She bit her lips and hid the tears and pain in her eyes.

    "Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. Father is here for everything." Mo Huawen¡¯s soft voice appeared by her ear. She looked up with eyes clouded by tears and saw the love that could not be hidden in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. She could not bear the sadness she felt and rushed into Mo Huawen¡¯s embrace, tears rolling down her cheeks.

    In her past life, Yu Sirong had always seemed to behave as if she and Mo Xuetong had gotten along well. However, she had plotted against her behind her back. Rumors of her being arrogant and out of control had spread thanks to her and Mdm Yu. Not only did she have a bad reputation, but even her mother had been implicated. There were a few times that even the servants in the Qin Manor had mentioned her mother with disdain. She had been weak and cowardly then and only knew to hide and cry.

    But today, she finally scolded them loudly and finally felt relief in her heart.

    That¡¯s right. She would not be bullied for no reason in this life!

    She would definitely get revenge for all those debts of blood!

    "Tong¡¯er, be good. Don¡¯t cry anymore. There¡¯s someone here!" Mo Huawen hugged her and felt her body trembling slightly. He patted her shoulders lovingly.

    Mo Xuetong calmed down slowly when she sensed someone looking at her. She got up from Mo Huawen¡¯s embrace and turned away, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. She took two steps forward and curtsied to Feng Yuran politely. "Greetings, King Chu."

    "Third Miss, you don¡¯t have to be so polite." Feng Yuran said with a smile. His gazended on her slightly damp face. She looked just like how she had appeared to him in his many dreams of her. She was beautiful and his heart stirred. This was especially so in her current situation. Her longshes fluttered beautifully. Her pink luscious lips and her porcin skin, her exquisite features...

    It made one¡¯s heart hurt, and want to protect her!

    "Third Miss, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Eldest Brother and I just came to see the Mo Manor gardens. We came because Eldest Brother heard that the gardens here were different from others. We did not expect to see that." It was a familiarzy drawl. Mo Xuetong could not help but look up.

    It was indeed Feng Yuran who was leaning against the circr entrance of the courtyard. His handsome appearance was stunning and his smile was charming. However, Mo Xuetong could sense something dangerous in his smile. It flickered, making one feel chilled for some reason.

    Who had annoyed this man for him to unleash his wrath here today!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind cleared immediately. She curtsied deeply at him and then backed away to Mo Huawen¡¯s side. She said softly, "Father, I shall leave first!"

    Even though she did not know what King Xuan and King Chu were doing in her home, she definitely did not wish to know. She just felt a sense of danger for some reason that made her want to flee. She had already calmed down now.

    "Go!" They were all men not from the family and it was indeed unsuitable for ady like Mo Xuetong to stay here. Mo Huawen nodded.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gaze could not help but follow Mo Xuetong¡¯s retreating back. She was also this sad the first time he saw her. After giving the orchid to her aunt¡¯s nanny, she had left despite her paleplexion. Beneath the gentle appearance, was a decisive nature. How could he not feel curious about it

    "Lord Mo, I wonder if your daughter has been be trothed?" Feng Yuran approached, he looked at Mo Huawen with his phoenix-eyes with a vague smile.

    This was very rude. However, because he was King Xuan who always did what was unexpected, Mo Huawen could only tough it out and answer, "My daughter had been betrothed by her mother since she was young."

    "That¡¯s such a pity!" Feng Yuran behavior seemed extremely innocent. "Can you back out of it?"

    This sentence made Mo Huawen so angry he almost passed out.

    "Eighth Brother, don¡¯t be rude!" Feng Yuxuan reacted then and rebuked him with a smile. Then, he turned around and cated Mo Huawen, "Eighth Brother is just being yful. Lord Mo, don¡¯t take him seriously."

    "Yes, your subordinate does not dare to!" Mo Huawen did not dare to do anything to the handsome king and could only agree, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

    "Lord Mo, your gardens are indeed unique. I heard that it is a ce that subordinates of the Jin King gathered back then. Even though the mountains and waters here are notrge, they are very exquisite. Father bestowing this manor to you means that he really thinks highly of you. "Feng Yuxuan moved forward again with a smile. They ignored what happened earlier.

    "His Majesty is generous. He was considerate and bestowed upon me this ce because he knew that I did not have a house." Mo Huawen answered carefully.

    "Lord Mo has been with my father, the Emperor, since he was the crown prince. You are different from the others. Who else would my father rely on other than you?" Feng Yuxuan said meaningfully.

    It was difficult for Mo Huawen to reply to this statement. Heughed awkwardly. Just as he was about to answer carefully, he heard Feng Yuran saying impatiently, "Eldest Brother, did wee here to look at the gardens today or to visit Lord Mo? Get your workers to work faster and leave after they finish the drawing. I am going to have dinner at the Hundred Flowers Complex with a few friendster. I can¡¯t bete!"

    The Hundred Flowers Complex was not a decent ce to visit. It was the most famous brothel amongst brothels.

    However, other than Feng Yuran who did not feel anything, everyone else felt a little awkward at the mention.

    Feng Yuxuan coughed and said with a smile, "Eighth Brother, don¡¯t worry. We will be done when we finish talking a walk around the garden. The drawers are fast."

    "Alright, then be faster!" Feng Yuran said loudly.

 Chapter 76 King Xuan Meets His Lover at Night

    Mo Xuetong was reading next to the light. It was not a book that she used to like in her past life, books about poetry and music. Those beautiful passages did not allow her to see through the world but had made her dream and love instead. She had given her heart to Sima Lingyun and in the end, she and her child had died in his hands.

    She only found out from a physician the General Manor secretly sent after Yun Yiqiu caused her to miscarry that she had been deeply poisoned. It would be difficult for her to get pregnant again. In order to get pregnant, she had tried to recuperate and get rid of the poison. That was when she started to secretly read medical books.

    She could not find out anything about the person who had tried to secretly hurt her!

    She had even asked Sima Lingyun then. He was first shocked, and then his face had turned pale. He had grabbed her hands and asked if anyone else knew about it. She had thought that Sima Lingyun was concerned for her, which was why he was so shocked after the incident. She had been very touched and told him about the physician. The physician had nevere by again. She heard that it was because he had misdiagnosed a patient and was hurt by the patient¡¯s family and had run away.

    After finally seeing things clearly since her rebirth, she realized that it was a joke!

    She was living with a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. How could she stay alive!

    She thought about the child she had birthed after much difficulties and how he had died in Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands in the end. Her heart felt as if it had been stabbed by knives and her hands, which were flipping through the book shook slightly. She clenched her hands into a fist and allowed the pain in her palms to pierce her heart, soothing the bitter pain and hurt she felt.

    "Isn¡¯t the Mo family one of great schrs¡¯ family? Why is the main daughter of the Mo family reading such low-ss books!" The voice had a trace of a mocking tone in it. Mo Xuetong who was immersed in her pain suddenly looked up and turned around. She saw that a handsome and charming young man was lying on her couch.

    It was King Xuan, Feng Yuran!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curled up. He was in a good mood when he saw how Mo Xuetong turned around in shock, her expression one of surprise and fragileness that had not yet dissipate. He had a charming andzy smile on his lips that looked like he was mocking her. When he saw her beautiful eyes looking rather unhappy, he lifted his brows and picked up a sweet persimmon beside him and tossed the whole thing in his mouth.

    "Are you very touched to see your savior? I usually don¡¯t like it when girls see me and look like they want to pounce on me. But since it is you, I¡¯ll do my best to ept it!"

    "Your Highness, have you not been educated as a child that men and women should keep a distance. Should a gentleman enter a woman¡¯s room in the middle of the night?" Mo Xuetong had gotten over her initial shock and was now angry.

    "Is this how you should treat your savior? Tong¡¯er, I came especially to bring you a letter. Are you going to treat me like that?" Feng Yuran smiled slightly and took out a box, waving it in front of Mo Xuetong. Then, he kept it again.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s pupils shrank. That was the medicine Mo Xuemin had gifted her!

    "Mo Feng gave it to you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

    "He didn¡¯t give it to me. Mo Feng asked a few ces, but they all said there was nothing wrong. However, he trusted that you wouldn¡¯t get him to check it out for no reason, so he came to look for me. Do you want to know the results?" Feng Yuran asked, raising his brows. He was very handsome, and when he did that, his eyes were stunning and extremely charming.

    He was the devil himself. Mo Xuetong was filled with wariness. She took a deep breath and looked away. Then, she stood up and curtsied deeply, saying, "Many thanks, King Xuan, for your help!"

    She could still tell whether a person was good or bad. She could not ask for Mo Ye and Mo Feng to bepletely loyal to her. They were Feng Yuran¡¯s secret guards in the first ce and they were just her servants. She had no right to me them. She had found the note from many years ago and he had fulfilled a promise. The two of them were not the original yers of the game, so she could not ask him to do better.

    "Come here." Feng Yuran waved at her with a slight smile.

    Mo Xuetong took a few small steps forward.

    "Come here a bit more. I just want to make it easier for us to speak. Do you want me to speak louder?" Feng Yuranughed.

    As such, she took a few tentative steps forward. Her long shadow covered him under the lights, making the scene more intimate.

    "Your Highness, can you speak now?"

    "Rx. Mo Ye and Mo Feng will treat you as their mistress. I will not ask about your business for no reason."

    Was this a guarantee! Mo Xuetong did not dare to believe it. She bit her lips and looked up and did not say anything.

    "There is a herb in this medicine that is very useful for injuries. It is also fragrant and will not cause harm." Feng Yuran yed with the bottle of medicine in his hands and looked at her from the corner of his eyes. It was time for bed, so her long ck hair was scattered around her shoulders with only a piece of ribbon tying it behind her head. This made her innocent face seem even more lovely than it did in the day.

    Her lively eyes were like a pool of water under a light. They were beautiful and mesmerizing.

    "However, the scent of this herb will be poisonous gas if it mixes with the incense lit in the house." Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes moved from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face to the incense lit in her house. His smile was cold as he said, "Just like the one you lit in this house."

    Indeed, Mo Xuemin had been the one to poison her!

    No wonder Mo Xuemin had once sent medicine to her when she got injured in her past life. It was not the same one as the one she had given her this time. She had kept it inside her room back then because Mo Xuemin had given it to her. She did not expect this was how she got poisoned. She had thought that because the physician had said that she had been poisoned many years ago, that it had happened before she married into the Duke¡¯s manor and definitely had nothing to do with Sima Lingyun. That was why she had told him everything. However, Sima Lingyun had already been plotting against her together with Mo Xuemin.

    Her heart hurt so much it felt numb. Even her brain seemed to stop moving. Her fingers shook as it held onto thempstand in front of her. She pressed down hard and almost caused it to topple over.

    "How¡¯s your head?" Feng Yuran suddenly stood up and pulled her toward the light. He parted her long hair and saw that her forehead was swollen and there were a few scrapes on it.

    "I¡¯m alright!" She answered numbly. She stared at the medicine box in her hands and did not feel that Feng Yuran was being impolite at all.

    "Do you still want this?" Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were deep and dark. He suddenly smiled and threw the box in his hands up and down. Then, his expression settled into his usual one ofziness.

    "Many thanks, Your Highness. Please give it to me!" She took a deep breath and her eyes immediately cleared. She reached out to take the box from Feng Yuran and took two steps back. Her clear eyes shed with determination and annoyance. She was annoyed at how she had be dazed and angry. She had already guessed that it was something that Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang had done. There was no reason for her to be shocked!

    "Do you want me to help you?" Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows and asked.

    "Many thanks, Your Highness. It is gettingte. Please leave!" She said politely and distantly.

    "Do you truly not need help? I am rather free recently and quite bored. Since you owe me one, one more wouldn¡¯t make a difference."

    "You must be joking, Your Highness." Mo Xuetong moved and turned to the side subconsciously to avoid his stare as she sensed his piercing stare. She said helplessly once more, "Many thanks for your help, Your Highness. I will definitely repay your kindness if it is possible."

    "And when will it be possible?" Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shed.

    "..."

    "What does Your Highness want?" Mo Xuetong pushed down her anger. She had been immersed in her own thoughts earlier and had only just thought of how dangerous the man in front of her was. She had to be careful in how she spoke and behaved in front of him.

    Feng Yuran approached her suddenly and Mo Xuetong could not help but move away. He moved towards her dresser where she ced her hair essories and earrings she had just taken off.

    "This will be evidence. When I think of how you should repay me, I will send someone to bring this to you!" Feng Yuran smiled devilishly as he picked up a white jade hairpin. He was extremely handsome and his purple robe with flower embroidery on it made him seem even more ethereal. He was handsome and pale, making him look extremely devilish.

    Mo Xuetong took a long deep breath. She told herself that she definitely could not get angry! "Your Highness, if you like white jade hairpins, how about this?" She walked over to him and opened a box. There was a jade hairpin in it. It was different from the one before. It looked newer and was obvious that she had just bought it and had never used it.

    "You¡¯ve never worn this, so what use is it to me?" Feng Yuran smiled devilishly and said, "Rx. I will take this as proof of your debt. I will send someone to send you an essory of equivalent value so you won¡¯t think that I am taking advantage of you."

    They were exchanging personal belongings in secret, but he had made it sound so nice. Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth. However, she could not bear to part with the white jade hairpin. Her mother had gifted that to her on her 10th birthday. She had worn it at all times since then and had never taken it off.

    "Or do you wish to fight me for it now?" Feng Yuran smiled suddenly. He waved the white jade hairpin in his hand and said, "If you can take this from me, then I won¡¯t take this one."

    How infuriating!

    Mo Xuetong sighed again and told herself not to get angry. He was the eighth prince that Emperor Zongwen doted on the most. She must not offend him. "Your Highness, you may leave now. It is gettingte and I cannot keep you here." She said that with gritted teeth, her expression filled with annoyance.

    Her cheeks were bulging and her eyes no longer looked at him distantly but were filled with fire. Feng Yuran felt that she looked extremely adorable! The kitten was annoyed, how fun!

    "Alright, I will send you something in a few days." Feng Yuran smiled with satisfaction. He twirled the white jade hairpin between his fingers and then kept it casually. He walked up to the window and suddenly turned around to say, "Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be my personal pce maid? Do you know how many people want that position? I kept it especially for you!"

    "Many thanks for your kindness, Your Highness!" Mo Xuetong said gloomily as she red at him. She kept telling herself that he was a robber, and he was a robber that she could not fight. A good man would not fight a doomed fight.

    "Who are you betrothed to? Howe I have never heard of it?" Feng Yuran askedzily.

    "Your Highness, aren¡¯t you poking your nose too deep?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s "good temper" was at its limits!

    "That¡¯s true. I was just curious! It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t wish to say. Just don¡¯t marry the wrong man and waste your life away." Feng Yuran teased with a smile. His eyes were slightly upturned. Then, he disappeared in a sh.

    Mo Xuetong closed the windows hurriedly. Then, she settled down but was no longer in the mood to read. She said softly, "Mo Lan."

    Mo Lan who was waiting at the door heard her voice and hurried inside.

    "Go and get Nanny Ming!"

    "Yes!" Even though Mo Lan did not know what was up with Mo Xuetong, she still went to fetch Nanny Ming.

    Mo Xuetong was still shocked at the news!

    She had never heard anything about her betrothal, no matter in her previous life or in this life! If she had already been betrothed, why had she married Sima Lingyun in her past life? Who was the person she was betrothed to? Was he afraid of the power of the Duke¡¯s manor and did note to the Mo Manor to speak about their betrothal again?

 Chapter 77 The Concubines Daughters Cause Trouble

    "Marriage? I don¡¯t know about this either. Or perhaps old sir was just saying it. Madam had never betrothed Miss to anyone when she was alive?" Nanny Ming said confidently. She spoke even before Mo Xuetong was done speaking.

    "Nanny, do you know of any Madam that mother was close to?" Mo Xuetong asked persistently. Feng Yuran would not cause trouble for sure. Even though he looks as if he was carefree and yful, she knew that he was not as what he seemed.

    Their odd meeting at the Repayment Temple had shown her that he was not a simple man!

    Would a man like this say anything to her that was nonsense?

    Definitely not!

    "Madam¡¯s health was poor and had always been in bed. She did not have any especially close friends even in Cloud City. Her rtionships with the other Madams were just so-so. It¡¯s is impossible for her to betroth you to someone in Cloud City." Nanny Ming recounted.

    She was Luo Xia¡¯s nursemaid and had worked for Luo Xia all these while. Then, she had gone with Luo Xia when she married into the Mo Manor. She was very loyal and Mo Xuetong believed what she said. However, for some reason, she also believed what Feng Yuran said as well.

    Since her mother had not any close friends, how was it possible for her to betroth her to someone? furthermore, in the 20-odd years of her past life and the ten-odd years in this life, no one had ever mentioned it to her. It was impossible for no one in the entire manor to talk about it. Could it be true that her father was only just saying it to reject the King?

    Her intuition told her that that was not true! Definitely not! However, there was no way for her to find out either. Since even Nanny Ming, who knew her mother very well had said that there was no such thing, how was it possible then?

    That night, Mo Xuetong found it hard to sleep. She tossed and turned as she thought. She felt that it was too weird and it was like a heavy weight on her heart. After the tragic incident in her past life, she would definitely walk into marriage with a clear head. She did not need romance and did not need her husband to be extremely sessful. She just wanted him to treat her well.

    No, she must not allow marriage to ruin her entire life again.

    "Miss, first miss¡¯ Mo Xiu went to visit the Duke¡¯s manor secretlyst afternoon under the guise of buying makeup. She left from the side door and returned in 10 minutes. They prepared a carriage this morning and said that first miss was going to go outter." Mo Ye brought the news that Mo Feng found out to Mo Xuetong in the morning.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s first thought was that Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were going on a date. Her second thought was to immediately reject her first thought.

    What were Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun going to discuss when they met? Mo Xuemin had been in trouble recently and had to be well-behaved. Furthermore, the two of them had nothing going on between them right now. So they can¡¯t be going on a date. Then, they must be plotting against her! A cold smile appeared on her lips!

    The two of them were really persistent.

    "What time did Fourth Miss return to her courtyard yesterday?" Mo Xuetong yed with a stalk of flower for a few moments before she asked.

    "Fourth Miss was only allowed to return in the middle of the night. However, it was really weird. Fourth Miss¡¯ personal maid also left the manor once. She left at three in the afternoon to the medicine shop." Mo Ye answered.

    Mo Feng did not have time to find out what medicine she bought because he still had to follow Mo Xuemin¡¯s servant, Mo Xiu.

    Her sisters were really great. They both did not forget to scheme against her!

    "Mo Lan, go with someone to spread the rumor that Eldest Sister is going out on a trip with the Duke¡¯s son." Mo Xuetong said slowly to Mo Lan who was helping her tob her hair. Even though she was not sure what Mo Xuemin nned to do, but with another rash and reckless Mo Xueqiong around, they would definitely be hard to handle.

    Her long and thorough ns were not very useful against the shameless Mo Xueqiong.

    She picked a long and narrow, simple hairpin and fixed it behind her bun.

    After greeting the Old Madam, Mo Xuemin left together with Mo Xuetong!

    "Third Sister, are you free to apany me out of the city? I heard the plum blossoms outside the city have bloomed and I want to pick a few stalks to ce in father¡¯s study. It was all my fault for causing him to worry." Mo Xuemin said with a guilty smile. She was just as gracious and gentle as before. If the incident in the pce had not happened, Mo Xuemin would still be renowned as a beautiful talent in the capital.

    The plum blossom forest outside the east gate of the capital was the most famous plum blossom forest in the capital. The patch of plum blossom used to belong to the King Jin. It was said that his wife loved plum blossoms the most, which was why he nted a huge patch of them in hisnd outside the capital. Even though they were not as precious as the blossoms in the pce, there were a lot of them. Various types of plum blossoms bloomed in the wind and snow and were extremely beautiful.

    After he rebelled, his manor was confiscated and this courtyard ended up in the hands of the court. A storm had caused the back wall to copse and someone discovered the patch of unmanned plum blossom gardens. The blossoms had not wilted because of theck of attention. Instead, they had multiplied and grown even more beautiful. Someone tore down the other walls and the patch of plum blossom forest appeared before everyone and became renowned.

    "Eldest Sister, I am learning how to cook in the kitchen right now. Then, I can make dishes for father." Mo Xuetong looked up and said awkwardly.

    "Third Sister, you¡¯re learning how to cook. That¡¯s great! I want to learn as well. I have a recipe book and I heard that there are a few special dishes in it. Father would definitely like them. Shall we learn together when we are free?" Mo Xuemin said with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong would seem unreasonable if she refused again.

    "Many thanks, Eldest Sister. Shall we get Fourth Sister toe with us?"

    Mo Xuemin paused. The incident that happened yesterday had spread throughout the manor. Everyone knew that the two had fought yesterday. Yet, Mo Xuetong was still thinking of Mo Xueqiong.

    "She... felt ill yesterday. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be in the mood." She said gently, her expression one of awkwardness.

    She had knelt in the ancestral hall for most of the night yesterday. She would definitely not be in the mood right now. She had not evene to greet the Old Madam yet.

    "Eldest Sister, are you talking about me? If so, my mood is still decent. I can go out to look at the plum blossoms with you two. It is something I would love to do." A coy voice sounded from behind them. They saw Mo Xueqiong, dressed beautifully, appear behind them. She looked as if she was going to go out to have fun.

    "Fourth Sister, how do you feel? Are you truly alright?" Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile froze, and then, she smiled brilliantly and went up to Mo Xueqiong, asking her warmly.

    She was rubbing salt in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s wounds. Mo Xueqiong could not help but re at Mo Xuetong viciously. She gritted her teeth in secret! She would not let that slut off. However, it was not the time to discuss about that right now.

    "Eldest Sister, you are too kind to me. Some people just don¡¯t seem like a nobledy. They just can¡¯t wait to see someone get into trouble. Eldest Sister, you might as well take me along with you instead of her. Otherwise, she willin to Father again." Mo Xueqiong said sharply. She took two steps forward and pushed Mo Xuetong away, almost causing her to fall.

    Mo Ye reached out to steady Mo Xuetong. She was about to attack secretly when Mo Xuetong stopped her with a look. She seemed not to mind the sarcasm in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s words and said gently, "Fourth Sister, Eldest Sister asked if we wanted to go admire the plum blossoms. Do you want to go with us?"

    "Eldest Sister, really? I want to go as well!" Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes brightened and forgot to fight with Mo Xuetong. She had woken up early today because she heard the maids say that her two elder sisters were going to go on a trip with Sima Lingyun. She had always admired him, and thest time, she had fought with Mo Xuemin for him.

    However, she had not expected that she would have the chance to see Sima Lingyun again. Then, there were rumors saying that Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were meeting in private. Mo Xuemin had exined to her in private that there was nothing going on between her and Sima Lingyun. Otherwise, she would definitely rush off to visit him when she found out that he was injured and not stay in her courtyard.

    She believed in most of what Mo Xuemin said. She felt that if she knew that Sima Lingyun had been injured, she would definitely rush in. Mo Xuemin had not entered the room, and it could not be said that they were secretly dating. Furthermore, after a few days, Sima Lingyun had secretly sent someone to bring her a gift and exined to her that he was only interested in her. He had said that all the rumors about him and Mo Xuemin were not to be trusted!

    Sima Lingyun used to be really lukewarm with her, and was very polite when they saw each other. He had never made his intentions so clear before. How could she not feel happy about that? She hoped that they would meet again. However, Sima Lingyun had note to the Mo Manor again after that.

    As such, she ignored the pain she felt in her entire body when she heard that she could see Sima Lingyun again. She dressed up just to see Sima Lingyun.

    "Fourth Sister, after yesterday... how can your body take it? I am worried for you and father will me me for not taking care of you and letting you do what you want. I will definitely invite you next time once you¡¯re better. How about that?" Mo Xuemin was not willing to take Mo Xueqiong with her. As such, she pretended to be concerned and spoke with a slight frown.

    "Eldest Sister, I am very well. Why are you not willing to take me with you? Is there something you don¡¯t want me to see!" There was a hint of suspicion in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes and she spoke extremely impolitely. Auntie Fang is no longer the concubine that Mo Huawen favored and trusted. She felt that she no longer had to be careful.

    "How will I be unwilling. Since this is so, then let us go together." Mo Xuemin had no choice and could only agree.

    There was already a carriage waiting at the entrance of the manor. Mo Xueqiong wanted to get onto the carriage excitedly. However, her skirt was suddenly stepped on by someone and she almost fell. She turned around in a hurry to discover that it was Mo Xiu. She pped her and said angrily, "You lousy maid. Do you not have eyes!"

    "Fourth Miss, I beg your pardon. I was not being careful. I am sorry, Fourth Miss." Mo Xiu was so afraid she covered her face and knelt down, pleading with Mo Xueqiong.

    Everyone stopped since something like this happened in front of the manor.

    "Fourth Sister, is something wrong? We are at the main doors of the manor... this isn¡¯t so good!" Mo Xuemin reminded her softly. Mo Manor faced the street and everyone was looking at them when they saw a few young noblediesing out from the inside. It was indeed not a good ce to be punishing servants.

    "Eldest Sister, the new dress I got made has been dirtied. What should I do? It¡¯s all this maid¡¯s fault." Mo Xueqiong kicked Mo Xiu hatefully. She pulled up the corner of her skirt and saw a clear footprint on the soft patterned skirt. She had dressed up especially for today so that she would look better than her other two sisters. However, she had not expected her dress to be printed with a footprint the moment she left the manor. How could she not be mad.

    "I have a dress like this too. They must have been made together. How about we go ahead first and I get Mo Xiu to take you to Fuqing Garden to get changed? Come after you get changed and we will meet at the plum blossom forest." Mo Xuemin said as if she was being considerate and kind.

    Wearing a dress like this to meet one¡¯s lover would not only leave a bad impression, she might even disgust him. Mo Xueqiong had no choice but to change.

    However, if she wentte, she might not be able to see Sima Lingyun. Or perhaps, she might not get the chance to speak with him in private. She was reluctant to leave just like that!

 Chapter 78 The Mean Mo Xueqiong Got Struck

    "Eldest Sister. Wait for us. I have to go to my courtyard for a while." Mo Xuetong suddenly came out of the carriage while they were speaking with a paleplexion, supported by Mo Ye.

    "Third Sister, what¡¯s wrong with you?" Mo Xuemin frowned slightly and was rather unhappy.

    "I don¡¯t feel well. Grandmother got me some medicinest time and I want to go and get it. Otherwise, it¡¯d be terrible if I feel illter." Mo Xuetong said apologetically as she leaned against Mo Ye weakly. Her pale face seemed a little grey and one look at her could tell you that she was not feeling well. "Eldest Sister, if you are in a hurry, then go along first. I will go with Fourth Sister."

    Mo Xueqiong was delighted and she immediately nodded and said, "Eldest Sister, you go ahead first if you are in a hurry!"

    She would not allow that little slut, Mo Xuetong, to have the chance to be alone with the Duke¡¯s son. At the family banquet, Sima Lingyun¡¯s shock could not be hidden. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong had even shamed her yesterday. Part of the reason for her hesitation earlier was because she was thinking how to get back at Mo Xuetong.

    "Then be quick. I will wait for you two." Mo Xuemin was secretly annoyed. However, she still smiled brilliantly and spoke gently.

    Mo Xuetong watched on coldly. She had already seen through everything. Mo Xuemin was trying to hurt her and was afraid that Mo Xueqiong would ruin things. That was why she had tried everything to stop her from going with them. However, she would not allow Mo Xuemin to get what she wanted!

    The three of them all had their own thoughts. However, they appeared to get along well and had a good sisterly rtionship.

    They were quick and the three of them got onto the horse carriage again in half an hour.

    The driver raised his whip and the carriage started to move! The three of them were immersed in their thoughts and did not speak. The air in the carriage seemed rather heavy.

    Mo Xuemin was a little distracted and looked out of the window from time to time. Mo Xueqiong was also rather uneasy. She peered at herself in a mirror again and again. Mo Xuetong watched them with a faint smile on her lips.

    They had not traveled for long when Mo Xuemin suddenly called for the carriage to stop as she looked out of the window.

    "Sisters, I arranged to meet a few otherdies and they are right up in front. You two go ahead first and I will follow after." Mo Xuemin pointed at a horse carriage on the side of the road and exined with a smile.

    The horse carriages all had curtains that were slightly lifted. A beautiful face appeared at the window and Mo Xueqiong looked at it. She realized that she did not know thedy and nodded. Mo Xuetong naturally agreed! A hint of a cold smile shed through her eyes. Mo Xuemin could not sit still indeed. She had escaped through this. If Mo Xueqiong had note today, she would have been left alone.

    Mo Xuemin left the carriage with Mo Xiu. The driver raised his whip again and they went on their separate ways.

    Mo Xueqiong had never gotten along with Mo Xuetong. Now that only the two of them and their maids were left on the carriage, she did not have to pretend to get along. She harrumphed coldly and turned around. She lifted up the curtains and pretended to be looking at the scenery outside. Her right sleeve lifted while no one was paying attention. Some powder fell out and a strong scent spread from her into the air.

    She would drug the slut and take off her outer clothing. Then, she would throw her into the plum blossom forest. She would see how the little slut would get married!

    While she was thinking about this happily, she did not notice Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression that had grown cold. Mo Ye moved, wanting to attack. Mo Xuetong held her hand and carefully moved to the window. There was wind here and it could blow away the dizzying scent in the air. Mo Xueqiong was so vicious. She had done nothing to Mo Xueqiong, and they had only argued. Yet, she was being so vicious.

    If she had not been studying medicine recently, she would have fallen for her scheme.

    The two of them were still immersed in their thoughts when suddenly, the carriage emitted a tearing sound. Everyone in the carriage could not help but fall forward. Mo Ye¡¯s reaction was fast and she held on to Mo Xuetong which was why she had not gotten injured. On the other side, Mo Xueqiong and her maid fell down, messing up their hair and clothes.

    "Misses, please get off the carriage. The carriage broke." The driver said anxiously outside the carriage doors.

    The carriage broke! Mo Xueqiong was extremely anxious. She scrambled off the carriage, not caring that she looked like a mess. She knew that if the drug in the carriage would be hard to disperse without an oing breeze. The longer they stayed in it, the more likely something would happen. Furthermore, there was something added to the drug. She did not dare to stay inside.

    On the other side, Mo Xuetong put on her hat and veil and walked out of the carriage helped by Mo Ye.

    The carriage had indeed broken. The front wheel had been cracked by a stone. It not only shook while it moved, it could barely move.

    They looked around them. They were already outside the city and were on the main road. There were not any other horse carriages around them.

    "Mo Xuetong, you really are an unlucky person. Something would happen wherever you go. If I had known, I would have gone with Eldest Sister and not stay on your unlucky carriage." Mo Xueqiong stared at Mo Xuetong angrily, unleashing her anger on Mo Xuetong.

    She could not calm down when she thought of how she might lose the chance to interact with Sima Lingyun.

    "p..." There was a loud crack that interrupted Mo Xueqiong¡¯sins.

    "Mo Xuetong, you slut. How dare you hit me..." Mo Xueqiong touched her swollen and painful face as she looked at Mo Xuetong incredulously.

    "p..." Mo Xuetong pped her again. Mo Xueqiong could not speak.

    "Mo Xueqiong, these two ps are considered light. You want to plot against me and try to drug me? I did not expect you to already be so vicious at such a young age. I will ask father to decide and we will see who he believes." Mo Xuetong looked at her coldly. Her deep and dark eyes were filled with coldness. Mo Xueqiong felt really cold as Mo Xuetong looked at her.

    How would she dare to let Mo Huawen find out about this!

    "You can think about whether the words of an unloved concubine daughter like you or a main daughter would be taken seriously. I have been apart from father for some time. Do you all think that you can just step all over me? If you dare to speak nonsense again, I will destroy you here." Mo Xuetong said darkly.

    "How dare you. Father will not let you off if he finds out about this." Mo Xueqiong felt that things were going pear-shaped. This was especially when she saw that her maid and the driver had both passed out. She realized only then, that other than Mo Xuetong and her maid, there was no one else. Mo Xuetong¡¯s maid must have martial arts skill and she had knocked the two out.

    The horse carriage stopped at the end of a main path. There was a forest on the side. Even though it was winter and there were not many leaves on the tree, one would not be able to see what was happening from afar unless they came closer. It was such a pity. She did not know why there wasn¡¯t a single person there.

    Mo Xueqiong became afraid then. She covered her face and held back her tears, crying, "Third Sister, I wasn¡¯t trying to hurt you. Eldest Sister said that you were trying to steal the Duke¡¯s son from me and she even said that the two of you have something on..."

    "Oh, so you knew that Eldest Sister was trying to plot against me today?" Mo Xuetong asked gently. She reached out as if she was going to caress Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face. Mo Xueqiong was so afraid that she backed away and said in a hurry, "I didn¡¯t know. I only knew that Eldest Sister and you are going out to have fun with the Duke¡¯s son! Third Sister, I really don¡¯t know about anything."

    "Eldest Sister had ns with His Excellency? Didn¡¯t you say that Eldest Sister had nothing to do with him? Furthermore, Eldest Sister had not left the manor in thest few days. When did she have the chance to secretly contact him?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand remained in the air as she spoke coldly. "Did you help to pass on the message? Otherwise, how could Eldest Sister contact His Excellency!"

    "Third Sister, I really did not contact him and we are not close. In the past, when he visited, he only came to see Eldest Sister and we would meet from time to time. How could I possibly speak with him in private." Mo Xueqiong said that, and her expression suddenly changed. She said angrily, "It¡¯s her. She is the one that has something on with His Excellency. So it¡¯s her!"

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face grew ugly with rage and jealousy. She suddenly realized that Sima Lingyun had not treated her well all along before this. However, after the incident at the Repayment Temple, he had secretly sent someone to tell her that he liked her and wanted to marry her. Now that she thought about it, it was obvious that he was trying to help Mo Xuemin and cast the suspicion unto her to save Mo Xuemin.

    To think that she had been so happy and even listened to Mo Xuemin¡¯s exnation and disregarded her earlier suspicions! They had even plotted against Mo Xuetong together.

    Her expression grew furious.

    "Fourth Sister, look. Could that carriage be from the Duke¡¯s manor? It seems like our Eldest Sister is trying to plot against us." Mo Xuetong looked afar and nced at Mo Ye as she spoke lightly.

    Mo Ye approached the maid and the driver. She reached out and hit the back of their heads and the two of them slowly regained consciousness.

    Mo Ye acted quickly and the two of them only felt slightly dizzy. The driver shook his head and climbed underneath the carriage to reexamine the wheel. The maid hurriedly helped Mo Xueqiong, who looked like a mess.

    "Fourth Sister, do you want to enter the Duke¡¯s manor before Eldest Sister?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s clear eyes were extremely cold as she looked at the horse carriage that drove by slowly. The wide carriage indeed bore the sign of the Duke¡¯s manor. The window was half open and she could vaguely make out Sima Lingyun¡¯s face.

    "I will listen to you!" Mo Xueqiong said, gritting her teeth. Her eyes slid from Mo Ye to the horse carriage. She had no other choice now!

    Mo Xuetong had such a powerful maid with her. She was no match for her. She could see Mo Ye¡¯s sharp eyes from where she stood. Mo Ye was staring at her. If she made a wrong move, Mo Ye might kill her. She was certain once more, that the Mo Xuetong in front of her was no longer the Mo Xuetong that she used to bully.

    The horse carriage slowly came to a stop and Sima Lingyun got off with a small smile on his face. His wide green robes matched his handsome and elegant face. His robe was pulled straight and there was not a single crease on it. He had a gentle smile on his face. The sun shone on his face, making him look handsome.

    "Misses, where are you two heading. Why have you stopped your carriage here?"

    His eyesnded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face which was covered by a veil. He could still seem to see the beautiful smiling face through the veil. He could not stop the itch he felt in his heart. He did not even spare a nce at Mo Xueqiong who looked like a mess.

    That smile, that beauty, coupled with his gentleness. That was how she had fallen in her past life. She thought that his smile was for her. Yet, she had not expected that he would smile like that at anyone. It was not more or less brilliant because of her.

    However, she had been dazzled and was certain that he was the one for her. That was how she had ended up in her terrible situation.

    A cold red glint shed through her eyes. However, a smile appeared on her face immediately as she said, "We are going to the plum blossom forest. However, our wheel broke. It can¡¯t move any more!"

    "Going to the plum blossom forest? We are headed in the same direction. If you two don¡¯t mind, you can take my carriage." Sima Lingyun said gently. Just looking at his appearance would leave a good impression on girls. One look at Mo Xueqiong, who lowered her head shyly while twisting her handkerchief in her hands was proof.

    "Many thanks, Your Excellency. Eldest Sister¡¯s carriage would pass through here in a while. We had better wait." Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    "Third Sister, we don¡¯t know when Eldest Sister wille. There aren¡¯t any carriages on this path. Why don¡¯t we take His Excellency¡¯s carriage?" Mo Xueqiong could not help but say.

    Sima Lingyun only looked at her then. He frowned to himself. Her hair was all messed up and her clothes were wrinkled. Standing beside Mo Xuetong, Mo Xueqiong seemed even iner than usual. Furthermore, she was a nobledy, and yet, she looked like a mess but still behaved coyly. It made one feel annoyed.

    "Fourth Miss is right. You do not know when first miss¡¯ carriage wille by. Why don¡¯t you get on my carriage first and go to see the plum blossoms while waiting for first miss." Sima Lingyun replied Mo Xueqiong but was looking at Mo Xuetong. He hade today for Mo Xuetong and was not interested in the extra and brainless Mo Xueqiong.

    He only thought of her as an additional nuisance and decided that he had to get rid of herter on.

 Chapter 79 Go with the Flow and Another Scheme

    Sima Lingyun was rather confident in his own charm. A youngdy from the countryside that was Cloud City definitely would not have ever seen such a gracious and elegant man like him. As long as he was more gentle, he would easily get a girl like her who did not know anything.

    He was secretly delighted and his smile grew even more gentle and charming as he looked at Mo Xuetong warmly. Mo Xuetong felt goosebumps appear all over her body. However, she smiled at him gently by all outward appearance and coldly in her heart. She could not wait to tear off that fake gentleness on his face.

    In her past life, she was determined to marry Sima Lingyun right after she met him. He had not wasted too much effort to get her heart. In this life, she had long since seen through his character ws. She would not marry him again. That was why he had tried again and again to create opportunities for them to meet. It would be best if rumors were to spread because of this!

    Rumors, she shall see if they can stand against the rumors!

    The carriage was spacious. Sima Lingyun only entered the carriage after both Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuetong got on. He discovered after he got on that Mo Xueqiong had taken the innermost seat while Mo Xuetong sat outside. Sima Lingyun could only move in and sat close to Mo Xueqiong. A strong fragrant scent came from Mo Xueqiong. It was a scent that made one¡¯s heart beat faster and one¡¯s breath grow more heated.

    "Your Excellency, have you seen Eldest Sister on your journey here?" Mo Xuetong looked up and leaned against the inside part of the carriage and asked him with a casual smile.

    There was a light gauze curtain hanging down from the carriage window. Sunlight streamed through it and onto half her face. Half of her face was in the light while the other was shrouded in darkness. It made her beautiful face seemed more mysterious and charming coupled with her beautiful smile. Even though her body was still immature, her beauty was stunning.

    Sima Lingyun turned his head and could not see her entire face. He could only see the side of her face with a gentle smile. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes grew darker. He felt really hot and he took two deep breaths. He suddenly felt as if the scent from Mo Xueqiong, who was on his side, was too strong. It made one feel stifled and annoyed. He only calmed down when he turned around hurriedly to the other side.

    "I did not see first miss along this way. However, it is a good day to look at plum blossoms today. I heard that the plum blossoms there blossom earlier than others. You can both go pick a few and put them in a vase. It is an enjoyable thing to do. He smiled to hide the difort he felt. His body moved towards the outside and away from Mo Xueqiong.

    "Your Excellency, help me pick a fewter. I can bring them back and put them in the beautiful vase that you gave mest time." Mo Xueqiong moved closer to Sima Lingyun in order to hear him better. She turned around and stared at him.

    "Fourth Miss, you are too polite. My cousin brought the vase with her to the capitalst time. Because it was a gift from her, we sent one to every nobledy and wife from the manors we are friendly with. I am d that you liked it." Even though Sima Lingyun was smiling, there was a look of displeasure in his eyes.

    Mo Xueqiong was unlike Mo Xuemin. Even though Mo Xuemin was a concubine¡¯s daughter, she was gentle and talented. She was also unlike Mo Xuetong, who even though was not mature, was already extremely beautiful. He was not interested in her at all. Yet, she insisted on leaning towards him and using some worthless matters to get closer to him. The fragrance she wore made him even more annoyed. It was all thanks to his good upbringing for him to keep a smile on his face.

    He was interested in Mo Xuetong, so he would not make Mo Xuetong suspicious of him. As such, he exined himself immediately!

    "Your Excellency is really close to Eldest Sister. Have you admired the plum blossoms with Eldest Sister in the past?" Mo Xuetong smiled and asked him. She was pleased to be given some peace and quiet when she saw Mo Xueqiong moving closer towards Sima Lingyun.

    However, it was rather rude for Mo Xuetong to say this. It seemed like something Mo Xueqiong, a really brash person, would say. Sima Lingyun did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so direct and was stunned. His expression grew slightly grave and ugly. He was about to rebut when Mo Xuetong smiled at him warmly.

    "Your Excellency, did I say something wrong? Did you not save Eldest Sister when she fell off her horse? If you think that I have said something wrong, please don¡¯t me me. I won¡¯t say it again in the future." Her sweet voice and the change in her tone to one of a person being wronged made it hard for anyone to question her about her rudeness earlier. Furthermore, what she had said was true. Sima Lingyun would seem petty if he brought up the matter again.

    Furthermore, which man would really get angry with a young girl who spoke cutely!

    "My family has close ties with the Mo family, so first miss and I are naturally closer. Furthermore, Young Master Mo and I are good friends too. I sent first miss home when I saw that she was injured. Third Young Miss Mo must have juste to the capital then. Have you been to the market? If you wish to, get someone to get me. I will take you around to have fun." Even though he could not me Mo Xuetong, he still had to exin himself. Sima Lingyun smiled gently as he looked at Mo Xuetong while he spoke.

    However, all he saw was Mo Xueqiong¡¯s smiling face.

    "Your Excellency, you are really close to my Eldest Sister. I heard that you even went to her Fuqing Garden a few times and brought her many essories. Sheter gave me a pair of earrings. They were really beautiful. You have such good taste. If you are bringing her things next time, could you bring me a few as well?"

    If Mo Xuetong¡¯s words earlier were impolite, then Mo Xueqiong¡¯s were extremely impolite. This was especially so because Sima Lingyun wanted to change the topic but she smiled adorably as if she did not know that she was implying that Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had a secret rtionship. She even brought up evidence.

    If such an incident were to made known to public and with Mo Xueqiong¡¯s testimony, their reputations would be ruined.

    This was especially so since Sima Lingyun was trying to win Mo Xuetong¡¯s affections. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s words had revealed the secret rtionship the two had. Sima Lingyun¡¯s handsome face flushed. However, his expression grew grave as he said, "Fourth Young Miss Mo, what are you talking about. Even if I am clueless, I will not send things to First Miss Mo directly. That was because my mother liked First Miss Mo and told me to give her some jewelry. I don¡¯t have anything going on with First Miss Mo. You are mistaken."

    He spoke with an annoyed tone. The scenting from Mo Xueqiong made him really annoyed and irritated.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Your Excellency. I did not mean to misunderstand Eldest Sister. Perhaps she misunderstood, which was why I misunderstood as well. I was thinking that it was impossible for a person of your character to do something like that which was why I asked you since we met today. Eldest Sister has indeed misunderstood." Mo Xueqiong apologized obediently. It was as if the sarcastic and sharp words earlier had not been uttered by her as she ced the me entirely on Mo Xuemin with a smile.

    Arrogant, brash, and overestimating herself...

    Mo Xuetong, who was sitting behind her pursed her lips. It seemed that Mo Xueqiong was not an idiot. Her Fourth Sister was not one to underestimate. However, this was just as well. She was a good match for the vicious Mo Xuemin. She had been worried at first that Mo Xueqiong was too weak and would be no match for Mo Xuemin. She did not expect Mo Xueqiong to surprise her like that.

    No matter how much Sima Lingyun disliked Mo Xueqiong, he felt a sense of superiority when he saw how she apologized gently and looked at him coyly. He would not show how irritated he was. When he saw the charming face and lively eyes, he suddenly felt that Mo Xueqiong was not that annoying and that her fragrance was not that bad.

    He did not react as strongly as he had in the beginning when Mo Xueqiong leaned towards him. He felt his body growing hotter. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s body, which was leaning towards him was soft and fragrant. It made his heart flutter.

    "Your Excellency, is the plum blossom forest we are going to see now the same plum blossom forest in King Jin¡¯s manor? I heard that in the south behind the forest is King Jin¡¯s manor. I heard someone say that the manor was extremely beautiful 30 years ago. There is something to look at and admire at every step. It is almost as grand as the pce. I wonder if you have been?" Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes were filled with love as she asked him gently. It made it easy to like her.

    This was especially so when she did not know if Sima Lingyun¡¯s fingers were running across the corner of her skirt intentionally or not. It was as if he was opening a curtain and was extremely intimate. Mo Xueqiong could not help but flush and she held on to her dress, scrunching it up and then releasing it. She seemed charming and beautiful and the flush on her face made her seem more charming than usual.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes could not help but fall on Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face. The heat surged up. Just as he wanted to speak, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Mo Xueqiong was seated on his side. She did not react in time and could not help but knock into him. She fell into his embrace.

    The two of them could not help but pause. They were hugging each other subconsciously and could not react in time. They only felt that the face across them was extremely attractive, so much so that they did not want to let go. They only had eyes for each other!

    "Your Excellency, we are at the plum blossom forest!" The driver outside said.

    Mo Ye pulled Mo Xueqiong¡¯s maid with her and they got off the horse carriage first.

    "We are at the plum blossom forest. Then I shall get off now." Mo Xuetong said politely. She lifted her skirt and opened the curtains. Mo Ye was already waiting there to help her off the carriage. She did not know if it was intentional, but when the curtains fell again, it blocked the two people inside who were hugging each other with a slight flush on their faces.

    Her vision was filled with plum blossoms the moment she got off the carriage. The branches were filled with exquisite blossoms that were white and pink. One could see patches of blossoms from where they were standing. While the blossoms were not as white as snow they were more fragrant than it. However, when they both appeared, one would only feel that the blossoms were fragrant and like soft snow.

    It was indeed the most famous plum blossom forest of King Jin¡¯s manor.

 Chapter 80 Meeting King Xuan Again in the Plum Blossom Forest

    "Miss, shall we go there first?" Mo Ye saw Mo Xuetong picking up her skirt and approached with a smile. Her gazended on the horse carriage behind as she asked hesitantly.

    "Let¡¯s go first. Fourth Sister still has something to say to the His Excellency." Mo Xuetong swept her eyes over the carriage door disapprovingly as she hid the coldughter in the corners of her eyes. Adding drugs that made my aroused to one that would knock a person out. Her Fourth Sister really impressed her. She was not any less vicious that Mo Xuemin.

    Even though there wasn¡¯t too much arrosal drug, it was impossible not to affect someone when they stayed in a confined space for so long. Furthermore, Mo Xueqiong had intentionally flirted with Sima Lingyun, and he only pretended to be a gentleman. How could he not resist acting on his desires? It had happened indeed, and she doubted that they would be able to leave any time soon.

    Mo Xuemin wanted to plot against her but had not expected to let Mo Xueqiong get around to it first. She wondered if the people Mo Xuemin brought with her to watch the scene would be so angry as to vomit blood!

    She tugged on Mo Ye¡¯s hand and ignored them, turning around and walking into the forest. She did not need to worry about anything else. If Mo Xuemin wanted to ruin her reputation, she would definitely n to do something else when she realized that the people in the carriage had not gotten off. When she caught them at it, they would be the ones who would find it hard to exin themselves. Mo Xuetong anticipated the result.

    She was in a rather good mood and she felt that the blossoms that surrounded her were even more beautiful then.

    The plum blossom forest was famous and there were quite a few people who hade to see it. A few nobledies and gentlemen would walk by together. However, they were usually a couple made of a man and a woman. Coming out to y was an elegant matter, but if a man and a woman were there alone, it would create rumors. If Mo Xueqiong had note today, she and Sima Lingyun would have be the subject of gossip. They would be a pair with bad reputations...

    Deep inside the plum blossom forest, there was a gentle breeze that caused the branches to shake slightly. Petals fell, snow white flowers and pink flowers. Theynded on the girl standing under the tree. She was so beautiful, a king would ransom his country for her. Her skin was like porcin, clear and pale, and she flushed with redness from within. She was wless and more perfect than the purest sheep fat jade. She was more beautiful than the most beautiful flower in the world, and more lively than the clearest waters.

    She had an indescribable elegance and noble aura. Her eyes looked around, hiding slyness and intelligence within them. What was most beautiful about her was her smile. It was clean and pure. The breeze lifted her skirts and her sleeves fluttered in the air. Her white shirt was as white as snow and she looked like an ethereal fairy from the nine realms. A smile from her could shake the world.

    There was a tall wall at the end of the plum blossom forest which was newly built by the government. In order to prevent King Jin¡¯s old manor from being destroyed, his manor was hidden despite the outer walls of the forest being destroyed. As such, they had built a new wall at the end of the forest, separating the manor from the forest.

    In a pavilion on a fake mountain close to the wall, Feng Yuranid on a couch with his legs crossed haphazardly. There was a cup of tea and a tter of fruits on the table beside him. There was a screen behind the pavilion which blocked the cold wind. Heid on the couch and watched the entire forest. It was the best spot ever.

    He was looking at where Mo Xuetong was standing. She was looking down and taking deep breaths. He watched as she opened her eyes in a good mood and walked around the forest with light steps. Her perfect tightly shut lips lifted up slightly. His brows picked up and an interested expression appeared on his handsome face. He looked at her beauty and liveliness from above. She was not as defensive or careful as usual. She was like a dancing fairy in the forest at this moment.

    She did not have any makeup and tilted her bare face up, looking at the sky. She worefortable and casual clothing, looking especially refreshing in the plum blossom forest. She was beautiful. When had the little wild cat kept her ws?

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes moved from Mo Xuetong to another part of the plum blossom forest. His eyes suddenly turned grave as he looked over there. His eyes clouded over. His guard, Feng Yue backed away when he saw that expression on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. Only those who served Feng Yuran closely knew that the more devilish his smile, the more brilliantly his eyes shone, the angrier he was.

    He did not know to whom the carriage belonged to. Feng Yue only saw Third Young Miss Mo getting off the carriage. It was obvious that there were still people in the carriage. He could tell when the driver carefully waited near the carriage.

    If he was not wrong, the sign on the carriage indicated that it was not from the Mo Manor but from the Duke¡¯s manor!

    His purple robes fluttered and he disappeared without a sh. Feng Yue turned to see where Feng Yuran had been looking at. Indeed, beneath a plum blossom tree, a youngdy was looking at that handsome face in surprise.

    His Highness had gone down after all!

    He had to follow since His Highness had. He could not stand here at such great heights to admire the plum blossom forest anymore! This pavilion was not somewhere anyone could visit. Only his master, out of the entire capital, dared toe. He was not afraid that the Emperor would rebuke him! However, he would not be able to admire the plum blossoms now.

    Feng Yue sighed to himself and left the pavilion in a sh as well. He discovered that the Duke¡¯s manor¡¯s carriage was surrounded by people from the corner of his eyes. They were too far away and he could not hear what was happening through the chatter. He could hear the cries of a woman that traveled with the wind. It seemed that something had happened. That was good, at least if His Highness unleashed his anger, he would not make Feng Yue do some immoral things!

    "Feng Yuran..." Mo Xuetong looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face in surprise. She could not react at that moment and she stuttered. Then, her mind cleared immediately and she realized that they were standing very close to each other. She immediately took two steps back and curtsied, greeting him respectfully, "King Xuan!"

    Feng Yuran was annoyed when he saw how she carefully distanced herself from him as if he was a ferocious beast. He could not keep the smile on his face. If he had not had self-control that he had always been proud of...

    "Why did youe out from the carriage of Duke¡¯s manor. When have you be so close with the Duke¡¯s manor? That gentle and elegant Sima Lingyun is not suitable for you. If he knew that you had given the orders to beat him so badly, I wonder if he would still be so nice to you!" Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled withughter, making his already perfect face seem stunning.

    Feng Yue observed the situation and smartly backed away. Then, he climbed up a tree in a sh and tried to appear as if he was not there.

    He seemed to understand why His Highness had looked so displeased...

    Mo Xuetong did not understand what he meant at that moment. Her longshes fluttered and she looked at him in confusion. Her pink lips parted slightly in shock. She had not been shocked because of Feng Yuran. It was because she had understood what he meant but could not understand it. Why had Feng Yuran looked for her to unleash his anger on when someone else had been the one to annoy him.

    What had she done to him!

    She backed away subconsciously, furthering the distancing herself from Feng Yuran. He was a person who would do whatever he wanted but she was not someone who could be easily bullied as well. Did he really think that she could be easily molded and would do whatever he wanted? Even a y Buddha would have a temper. Furthermore, she was human. Her lively eyes blinked and then returned to normal as she red at him. She only reigned in her anger after a few moments.

    She told herself who she was up against! King Xuan, Feng Yuran, the son Emperor Zongwen doted on the most. And he might even pass on the throne to him. The Emperor caved into his every demand. Mo Xuetong could not offend him.

    "What is it, you have nothing to say? And you¡¯re ring at me? I wonder what the handsome Sima Lingyun would say if he saw you like this. I wonder if he will think that he had set his sights on the wrong person and would never visit the Mo Manor again." Feng Yuran said sarcastically when he saw that she had taken another two steps back.

    "Even so, it seems like this has nothing to do with Your Highness." Mo Xuetong warned herself not to be angry, however, her eyes shed with anger. Her forced sweet smile froze on her face as she retorted with an angry expression.

    "How could it be none of my business? I was admiring the scenery from the pavilion, but the two of you destroyed the scenery. I can¡¯t admire it, so I am naturally in a bad mood. Mo Xuetong, you have made a mistake and yet you still red at me. Do you really think that I won¡¯t punish you?" Feng Yuran reached out impolitely and stopped her from turning away. His expression was one of madness, as if he would make them pay for him not being able to admire the scenery.

    What reasoning was that!

    What had hering to admiring the scenery to do with him being unable to. This person was so unreasonable. Even though hew as a noble prince, he could not behave like this. Mo Xuetong reigned in her temper. She did not dare to get angry with the prince.

    Sima Lingyun and her? Which eye of his had seen Sima Lingyun and her together? He was still on the carriage getting it on with Mo Xueqiong!

    "King Xuan, pardon me for not understanding what you said. Even though I dide on the carriage of Duke¡¯s manor, I was with my maid. I don¡¯t know how that annoyed you. But since this is so, then I shall take my leave first and return this quiet patch of forest to you." Mo Xuetong bit her lips and said helplessly. If possible at all, she did not wish to interact with King Xuan, whose mood swung wildly like a pendulum. He was not a good person to hang around with.

    She had already lowered herself to say this, how would the noble King Xuan not let her go.

    "Who else was on the carriage other than you?" Feng Yuran ced his fingers on a plum blossom branch beside him. He broke a twig and twirled it slowly in his hands. He did not seem to have any intentions of letting Mo Xuetong go, she realized helplessly. The man did not behave like a normal person would. Mo Xuetong yelled bitterly in her heart. He was of such noble status, and yet was still making things difficult for her. What was happening!

    Fortunately, his voice, whilezy, was not cold. Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief for some reason. She did not know what he wanted, so she answered obediently, "My Fourth Sister and I came with His Excellency. My Eldest Sister wille in a bit." She would definitely not reveal to him her achilles heel and tell him about what was happening between her and her sisters. The man in front of her might cause trouble. If he were to discover the issues between her and her sisters, he would watch them as if he were watching a show and make it known to the entire capital.

    He would not only embarrass Mo Xueqiong but the entire Mo Manor as well. After all, no matter what, Mo Xuetong was also a daughter of the Mo family and was still the main daughter at that. She had to consider the Mo Manor¡¯s reputation.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s Fourth Sister was also in the carriage but Mo Xuetong had been the only one to leave the carriage. It meant that there were indeed people on the carriage and they were a man and a woman. The Duke¡¯s son, Sima Lingyun and the Fourth Miss of the Mo Manor. What an interesting pair! Of course, it meant that she had nothing going on with Sima Lingyun.

    Feng Yuran touched his chin yfully when he understood that. He held out the plum blossom branch in his hand and said, "You sound reasonable. Since you have destroyed my mood to admire the flowers, then walk with me inpensation." Feng Yuran said it as if he was in the right. He put the twig in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and dusted his hands, putting them behind his back. He nced at Mo Xuetong and gestured for her to follow him. Then, he walked into the depths of the forest.

    A devilish smile appeared on his lips. The little fox was indeed the little fox. She must have checkmate Sima Lingyun! He did not believe that Sima Lingyun would ruin his ns for a concubine¡¯s daughter...

 Chapter 81 Reminiscing. King Xuan Asks for a Repayment

    Mo Xuetong looked at the branch in her hand dazedly. Could this also be called a flower?

    The blossoms on the branch had been destroyed by Feng Yuran¡¯s twirling earlier. There were only the yellow stamen and a few ragged petals left on the branch. It looked pathetic.

    Feng Yuran took a few steps forward and turned around unhappily when he could not hear footsteps following him from behind. He saw Mo Xuetong looking at the branch in her hand with a dazed look and followed her gaze onto the destroyed blossoms. He flushed despite being shameless usually. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong did not see or discover his odd behavior.

    He approached her willfully and tugged the destroyed branch from her hand. He ignored her surprise and pulled down another branch from above him. This time, the branch was broken nicely and the blossoms on the branch were exquisite. It was perfect. He stuffed it into Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand impolitely again and said casually. "Throw it away if it¡¯s ugly. Take this one and follow me quickly. How can you be so insincere when you are repaying a debt."

    Then, he turned and walked away withrge strides.

    Repayment... What had his bad mood to do with her? Nothing at all! But he had said it so righteously. How arrogant! However, looking at him, it seemed that she had no choice but to apany him today. She looked at the plum blossom in her hands and then at Feng Yuran who was walking withrge strides but at a slow speed. Mo Xuetong hurried a few steps and matched his pace. He was powerful and she could not afford to offend him!

    When he heard the soft footsteps behind him, Feng Yuran smiled. It reached his eyes and he felt rather pleased.

    The two walked together quietly. Mo Xuetong followed behind Feng Yuran, leaving a step between them. It was not too close nor too far. Mo Ye followed behind them. It counted as someone watching them so it was alright. However, Mo Xuetong felt uneasy, especially when she saw a fewdies with their maids looking at Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face with dazed expressions as he walked past them. She did not even know when the plum blossom in her hand fell. She only knew that the whole situation was worse than what she imagined.

    She had only been thinking about how not to offend Feng Yuran, but had not considered that the handsome man would be so troublesome. If rumors were to spread about them walking through the plum blossom forest together, she would be ostracised by the nobledies. She had heard that there were many nobledies who admired King Xuan.

    She was shocked and sweat erupted on her forehead. She had just arrived in the capital and did not dare to make too many enemies. Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang had ensured that the people in the capital were already biased against her. If something like this were to happen, then she would make many enemies.

    "What¡¯s the matter? Are you ill? You are so weak, and yet you don¡¯t know to move more. I am in a good mood today and I shall walk with you. Treat it as my charity of the day!" Feng Yuran sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s footstep growing more hesitant. He turned around with a smile, looking as if he was not going to ask for repayment for his kindness.

    This person! Could he be any more shameless! Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth secretly. Her eyes shed and she answered, "King Xuan, you are wise. I am indeed ill and have yet to recover. My body is weak..."

    "Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t try to trick me with that. I will be very displeased." Feng Yuran¡¯s lips lifted. Even though he was smiling, his tone was cold. Mo Xuetong was forced to shut up. "Say what you truly mean. If you have nothing to say, then don¡¯t speak nonsense!"

    This person was really weird. He was still smiling earlier but had grown angry in a sh. Even though Mo Xuetong was prepared, she still could not help but feel that King Xuan was too difficult to deal with! No one could hide anything from him. She looked as he swept his gaze upon the faces of the other nobledies and his eyes grew cold and dark. Mo Xuetong knew that he already knew and was waiting for her to say something!

    Could he be less sensitive? Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth. Anyway, since he had seen through her, then she might as well be more direct. They had gone against each other several times anyway. It was useless for her to pretend to be gentle and weak in front of him. She looked up and bit her lips, saying unhappily, "King Xuan, do you really not know?"

    "So what if I really know or don¡¯t know?" Feng Yuran smiled with satisfaction when he saw her finally taking off her mask and revealing her kitten ws. His expression returned to one ofziness as he looked at her. He could not help but smile.

    He was pleased with himself for making her angry!

    "If you truly don¡¯t know, then I will ask you here if you can let me go. Otherwise, I will be the public enemy of all thedies in this forest. I have only just arrived in the capital and there are many people I do not dare to offend. What if I offend someone I cannot afford to? It¡¯d be toote to regret it then. If you truly do not know..." Mo Xuetong trailed off, turning around and pouting. She huffed lightly, certain that he knew.

    She did not think that Feng Yuran was an arrogant and impolite man. He had taken one look and immediately understood what she meant. He was arrogant and yet sensitive. Beneath his charming smile, nobody could hide anything from him. How could a person like him only be wild and flirtatious?

    Feng Yuran¡¯s mood was extremely good when he saw how Mo Xuetong looked at him helplessly and in an aggrieved manner. He gestured to her with satisfaction, asking her to approach him. Mo Xuetong approached hesitantly. He suddenly looped his arm around her slender waist. Before she could yell out in surprise, she heard Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice by her ear. "Aren¡¯t you afraid that people will find us if you shout? I don¡¯t mind."

    Mo Xuetong sensed herself leaving the ground and bit her lips nervously. She scolded him in her heart. He did not mind. Of course he did not mind. She was suspended in the air but bit down on her surprised scream. She hugged Feng Yuran subconsciously and did not dare to yell out loud. Her slender body pressed tightly against his wide chest, her mindpletely nk.

    "Oh, you can¡¯t bear to let go? Men and women should keep a distance. Have you forgotten, Mo Xuetong?" A light and gentleughter sounded by her ears. Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand shook and immediately released him. She backed away hurriedly and almost fell. Someone caught her arm and steadied her. She realized that they were at another pavilion. Feng Yuran was right in front of her, a vague smile on his handsome face as he looked at her teasingly.

    He held her with his strong arms, looking at her with a smile and something she did not understand.

    When he saw that she was still looking at him dazedly and unable to react, Feng Yuran released her arm and reached out to touch her dark hair. It was just a move but it shocked them both. Mo Xuetong backed away and hit the pir. Feng Yuran also turned around and clenched his fist somewhat unnaturally and coughed.

    "You..."

    "You..." The atmosphere was awkward as the two spoke at the same time. Then, they both stopped. Mo Xuetong felt even more awkward then and she turned to another side. She realized that they were above the plum blossom forest. She looked around and grew confused.

    "This is a pavilion in King Jin¡¯s old manor. I thought the scenery here was good and came to admire the blossoms especially. If you had note and spoilt my mood, I would still have been here." Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice sounded beside her. When she turned around, Feng Yuran was lying on the couchzily. He lookedfortable and seemed to be in a good mood.

    He could admire his blossoms while she admired hers. How had she ruined his mood? Then why didn¡¯t all those people down there ruin his mood and why didn¡¯t he ask them to rpensate him! Mo Xuetong could only scold him secretly.

    "Sit down!" Feng Yuran pointed at a stone stool by the railings. When he saw how Mo Xuetong was clearly angry but was forcing herself to calm down, Feng Yuran finally felt as if he had gotten his revenge. He could not help but turn his sights to the forest. The horse carriage had already disappeared. It seemed that she had no way to get hometer!

    "King Xuan, have I offended you?" Mo Xuetong was truly epting of her fate now. She sat down on the stone stool and red at Feng Yuran with clear eyes and furrowed brows.

    "Of course." Feng Yuranid therefortably as he answered her.

    "I wonder what I have done to offend the noble King Xuan, please tell me." Mo Xuetong bit her lips.

    "You bit me!" Feng Yuran said to Mo Xuetong with a scolding look in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked and then she covered her lips in shock and could not say anything for that moment.

    She had once bitten someone in her mother¡¯s bedroom back in Cloud City. It was a man dressed in ck. It was Feng Yuran!

    "That was me. So how was it? You had bitten me and warned me not to offend you. How could you forget in such a short period of time!" Feng Yuran said in a pleased manner. He did not know why he revealed the matter. He just wanted to scare the kitten.

    "..." Mo Xuetong was speechless and held up her forehead with her hands. So much time had passed but the honorable King Xuan still remembered a small matter like that. He was... too petty! Furthermore, he was King Xuan, but he did not attend to official matters but instead dressed up like that and went into her mother¡¯s room and even held her hostage. It did not seem like something a prince would do!

    Of course, Mo Xuetong would not ask about it in detail! She was certain that she did not dare!

    "King Xuan, I..."

    "I did you a favor in spite of this and saved you. Right?" Feng Yuran interrupted her and continued scolding her. He was going to hold her to her mistakes and also pull out all those debts that she owed him. Was he going to make her responsible for it and make her repay his kindness? Who was he, and who was she. King Xuan, who was famous throughout the capital seemed more like a child asking for candy right now.

    "Yes!" Mo Xuetong had to admit to helplessly that she could not keep up with King Xuan¡¯s thoughts. She could only watch him silently and wait for him to say something.

    "Is there anyone else who has been so kind to you?" Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shed and he suddenly changed the topic. The wide difference in topics startled Mo Xuetong.

    This was considered to be "so so kind". Alright, even if he had once helped her "a little", he can¡¯t keep bringing it up! Of course, Mo Xuetong only dared to think that and did not dare to show her thoughts on her face at all. Since he wanted her to be grateful, then she felt that she had better do what he wanted. She did not want to make the prince unhappy.

    "There¡¯s no one else who has been as kind to me as Your Highness. I will always remember the great kindness that you have shown me and will not forget it for the rest of my life." Mo Xuetong emphasized on "rest of my life". It sounded more as if she was gritting her teeth. That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t people say that one should not ask for returns for their act of kindness? Even if that was not true, shouldn¡¯t he at least imply that it was not necessary? Was there anyone like him who would force people to repay one¡¯s kindness so persistently.

 Chapter 82 Mo Xuemins Backup Plan

    He was the honorable and noble eighth prince, King Xuan!

    Mo Xuetong scolded him in her heart but could not scold him out loud. She red at Feng Yuran angrily and in an aggrieved manner, reigning in her temper as she gritted her teeth.

    "Oh, that¡¯s more like it." Feng Yuran was satisfied, especially when he saw the aggrievedness in her eyes. Laughter shed through his eyes and he picked up his teacup and took a sip. He said, "I will reward you today and allow you to admire the blossoms from here. Remember that you owe me yet another one."

    "Yes!" Mo Xuetong was speechless and the veins on her forehead twitched. She forced herself to turn away and looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face. She was afraid that she could not control herself and would p him.

    She turned around angrily to look at the forest. She did not want to see his handsome but irritating face.

    However, she did not expect that a closer look would be so different.

    It was one feeling to admire the plum blossoms from among them, but admiring them from where she was now was yet another experience.

    This was indeed the best spot to admire plum blossoms. She looked across below at the flowers on the branches. There were flowers on the verge of blossoming and flowers in full blossom. There were flowers hidden in the middle of the branches. There were traces of snow on each branch. It did not look sad, but made it feel as if the blossom had grown out of the snow.

    There were people who appeared in the forest from time to time in groups of three to five or four to six. They stood in the forest leisurely. Their elegant and colorful clothing dotting the plum blossom forest, making it seem even more lively. This was something that could not be observed from inside the forest.

    One did not know how the plum blossom forest truly looked like when they were inside it!

    The proud plum blossom forest seemed even more beautiful, like a girl clothed in white. She should have flown into the heavens, but had entered the mortal realm, stopping in a patch of snow that was as clean as her. She was as beautiful as a flower, second to none.

    "Isn¡¯t it beautiful?" Feng Yuran said lightly from behind her. Mo Xuetong felt that he sounded sad for some reason.

    "It is very beautiful." She no longer fought with him. She had calmed down looking at the beautiful scenery. She felt that only the plum blossom forest existed in the world.

    "So what if it is beautiful? The most beautiful King Jin manor no longer exists, but this plum blossom forest still remained. It is just like human beings. What is the point of missing the past if a person is no longer around?" His tone was filled with sarcasm and his aura turned cold and gloomy.

    "You are wrong, Your Highness. Even if a person is no longer around, as long as you think of him, then it would be as if that person was rebirthed in your heart. If that person in heaven knows, he would be happy as well. Just like this plum blossom forest. It is said that King Jin¡¯s wife loved this forest the most. Even though she is no longer around, every time someone mentions this forest, they would think of that stunning beauty walking through the flowers. Is this not another form of eternal life?" Mo Xuetong turned around and looked quietly at Feng Yuran, who had turned cold and dark.

    "It is better not to have this kind of eternal life..." Feng Yuranid back onto the couch. Mo Xuetong could not see his expression from where she was standing. She could only see his wless side profile. However, Mo Xuetong could sense that he was sad and lonely.

    What did he mean? Was he talking about his mother? She heard that his mother was the woman Emperor Zongwen doted on the most, just like how he was the son Emperor Zongwen doted on the most now. Was there still anything he was dissatisfied with?

    "This sort of eternal life is still eternal life. It is more eternal than life that fades away. A person would grow older and die. But the eternal life in one¡¯s heart would be forever happy. As long as the person who misses her does not die, then she would be forever alive. Your Highness, do you think that this form of eternal life is not eternal life?" Mo Xuetong was suddenly unwilling to see Feng Yuran be depressed. King Xuan should be lively and energetic!

    Feng Yuran was startled and he turned around to look at her until she grew uneasy. She did not know what she had said wrong. Did she annoy him again? Feng Yuran was silent and gloomy. Was he still that lively King Xuan!

    "Why are youforting me suddenly. Do I look very sad?" Feng Yuran suddenly smiled charmingly. He raised his brows and had a teasing smile on his lips. The coldness in his eyes disappeared with the wind and he did not seem as sad as before and instead was like a teenager again.

    "I do not dare. I was just speaking facts." Mo Xuetong answered carefully. King Xuan was lively again and was naturally dangerous. She could not help butugh to herself. King Xuan did not seem like he was in a bad mood at all. The smile on his lips was just as dangerous and sly as before.

    "Alright, then you can talk facts here. I still have something on and shall leave now. You can have the fruits and whatever here. Remember that you have received kindness from me again. Your debt of gratitude is gettingrger andrger." Feng Yuran suddenly stood up and dusted his robes. He left but stopped when he passed Mo Xuetong and saw that she had already stood up and was curtsying politely.

    He said coldly, "Mo Xuetong, if there¡¯s nothing on, stop hanging out with that Sima fellow. Even if you cannot be a gentlewoman, at least pretend to be one. Are you dumb toe to admire the blossoms with a man! Don¡¯t let me find you entangled with another man, or I won¡¯t spare you."

    Then, he brought Feng Yue with him and walked down the fake mountain without even turning around. He entered King Jin¡¯s old manor under Mo Xuetong¡¯s surprised gaze. Then... then nothing happened and he disappeared!

    What did he mean? Mo Xuetong was furious after the shock passed.

    What pretend to be a gentlewoman, what being entangled with another man and what spare her. Even if she was entangled with another man, it had nothing to do with him! Pft! Furthermore, what was he even talking about, and with another man? Did Feng Yuran know what he was talking about? If this were to spread, she would be ruined!

    Even though no one heard him, it was still infuriating!

    This person was extremely annoying!

    He had brought her here but had abandoned her here. She could not go anywhere and there was no one to ask for help. It was the middle of the day and she could not reveal that Mo Ye knew martial arts. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong believed that if there was a will, there was a way. She left the fake mountain with Mo Ye and they walked for a long while following the wall before finding a door in the corner. It was slightly hidden and tilted and there was arge lock on it.

    Mo Ye went to break the lock.

    They entered the plum blossom forest following the wall. Mo Xuetong walked towards the edge of the forest. She estimated the time. Mo Xuemin had indeed acted. Mo Xueqiong and Sima Lingyun had already been discovered. She had looked at that spot when she was in the pavilion earlier. The horse carriage had disappeared. If something that resulted in them being shamed had happened, Sima Lingyun would naturally be embarrassed to stay.

    Two madams walked past her, discussing the matter softly, asionallyughing mockingly.

    "Was it really a youngdy from the Mo family in the carriage with the Duke¡¯s son?"

    "That¡¯s right. They were hugging each other. Tsk... he usually looks so gentle and elegant, why would something like this happen..."

    "It¡¯s such a disgrace, such a disgrace! I wonder which youngdy of the Mo family it is?"

    "Who else could it be? It definitely can¡¯t be the first miss of the Mo family. I heard that she saw the scene and fainted."

    "Only the first miss of the Mo family is decent. She is talented and beautiful. The others are reallyckluster."

    ...

    "Miss..." Mo Ye was loyal to Mo Xuetong and she paled when she heard that. Thedies were talking about Sima Lingyun and a youngdy from the Mo family. Her mistress hade with His Excellency earlier. Even though it was Mo Xueqiong who had been entangled with His Excellency, but others did not know. They all only knew that it was not Mo Xuemin who had been involved in the matter.

    Mo Xuemin was indeed smart. She still had a backup n even at this stage. She was going to implicate Mo Xuetong using Mo Xueqiong!

    She was going to make it seem as if the one inside the carriage with Sima Lingyun was her so that she could not do anything about it!

    "Madam, could I ask what happened to the Mo family?" Mo Xuetong reached out and stopped Mo Yu from speaking. She hurried towards the chatting madams. However, she stumbled and almost fell because she was in a hurry. If Mo Yu had not quickly helped her, she would have knocked into thedy in front of her.

    "Who are you?" The woman looked at her 30s. She was wearing a red cotton dress. She had thickshes and her smile was noble and gracious. Even though they were chatting in private, they had not lowered their voices. It was as if they were chatting about the weather and they had four maids following behind them.

    "I am the third daughter of the Mo family. Could I please ask what happened to my family?" Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong over. Her face was as pale as snow but she still curtsied politely. However, she could not control herself as her body shook. Her clear eyes were filled with fragility as she pleaded. She bit her lips lightly and seemed extremely anxious and lovely!

    "Third Young Miss Mo, are you the Third Young Miss Mo who have juste to the capital?" The woman in red sized Mo Xuetong up. There was a sh of surprise in her eyes. Didn¡¯t they say that Third Young Miss Mo was rude and arrogant? Could ady who remained calm in such a situation be like that?

    "Madam, that is me. Could you please tell me what happened?" Mo Xuetong asked anxiously as if she had not heard the implications in the woman¡¯s tone.

    Her lively eyes clouded over slightly with anxiety. Even though she was anxious to find out what happened, she did not mind even when others were rude.

    Thedy in red seemed to have sensed that she was being rude with her words. However, when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not seem to mind and continued to ask what happened, a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes. She nodded and smiled, saying, "Did your Fourth Sistere to admire the plum blossoms with Sir Sima of the Duke¡¯s manor today? It was a terrible scene earlier. The two of them did not get off the carriage to admire the blossoms but were hugging in the carriage. I fear the matter has gone to your manor. You had better go back and take a look."

    Even though the madam in red was curious she did not intend to let Mo Xuetong answer. Her words were filled with meaning. Even though she was very direct, it made one feel that she was a straightforward person. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes filled with tears and her teary gazended on her wrist.

    She wore a phoenix jade bangle on her pale wrist. The phoenix head was bright green. Then, her gaze turned to the four maids behind her. The four maids were all good looking and they seemed sharper than regr maids. Even though they lowered their heads from time to time and were no different from other servants, they did not seem as gentle as other maids when they looked up.

 Chapter 83 Trouble in the Mo Manor Inner Courtyard

    She looked at thedy in red and the otherdy. They wore light blue robes and seemed young. They moved graciously and looked at Mo Xuetong somewhat intensely. Shew as two steps behind thedy in red in a show of respect but was still within hearing range.

    Her eyes narrowed. If she was not wrong, it was her!

    "Many thanks for telling me, Madam. I shall return home now." Mo Xuetong sniffed and forced the tears back in her eyes. She was obviously very anxious but still bid thedy in white farewell with impable manners. She thanked her respectfully and then left with Mo Yu. Even though she looked anxious, her disposition was like that of a gracious nobledy.

    The Third Young Miss Mo was very different from the rumors about her.

    "My Lady, this Third Young Miss Mo ispletely different from the rumors about her. Even though she was anxious, she still retained her image as a young nobledy. She did not get shocked or panic. She was very gracious. This is rare. Look at her, she is unlike the daughters from the other minor families. She seems more like ady from a powerful family." Thedy wearing the light blue dress smiled and said. She was about 24 or 25 and her eyes followed in the direction thedy in red was looking. She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s retreating back and smiled.

    "There are some things that you have to see for yourself. The same rice can feed a hundred types of people. First Miss Mo is not bad but Third Young Miss Mo seems more outstanding. She is the main daughter after all. Even though she is a little young, her disposition is much better than the first miss¡¯. However, she seems really familiar. Have we met?" Thedy in red frowned in confusion as she spoke to herself.

    "My Lady, how could you have met her before. You lived in the capital since you were a child but Third Young Miss Mo is said to have just returned to the capital. How could you two have met?"

    "But I feel that she is really familiar. She looks like an old friend."

    "There are people who look alike, or perhaps she resembles someone you are close to."

    "That¡¯s right. I just can¡¯t recall who right now!"

    On the other side, Mo Xuetong rushed out of the forest to discover that there was not a carriage to take her back!

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s invitation had been unexpected and she had not thought of how to deal with him. She had thought that she would take one step at a time, her thoughtspletely focused on how to extricate herself from Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s ply. She had not considered that the forest was so far away from the capital. She feared that it would be difficult to find a carriage at this time.

    Just as she was growing anxious, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of Mo Xuetong. The driver got off respectfully and opened the curtains. A beautiful face appeared. It was Luo Mingzhu.

    "Cousin, why are you here? Quick, get on. I want to speak to you." Luo Mingzhu did not say anything else but waved at her anxiously. One look at her and one could tell that she was worried.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything else. Mo Ye helped her onto the carriage before getting on herself. Luo Mingzhu held her hand anxiously and said, "Cousin, something happened. Your Fourth Sister and Sima Lingyun..." "They were discovered by someone on their horse carriage. I heard your Eldest Sister say that you had something to do with it. They have gone over to your ce now. It¡¯s hard to exin these things. Why don¡¯t you go to my ce to hide out for a while? Nobledies implicated in this sort of matters cannot help but have their reputation suffer."

    Luo Mingzhu was truly anxious. Her carriage had just reached the edge of the forest when Mo Xuemin arrived. She was just about to get off when she heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s piercing scream. Then, everyone saw her pulling down the carriage curtains. Sima Lingyun was hugging a girl whose clothes were in a mess. Sima Lingyun looked up and everyone saw her face. The girl hid herself in his embrace so no one saw her clearly.

    Then, Mo Xuemin screamed, "His Excellency, Third Sister, you..."

    Luo Mingzhu almost fell off her seat in her carriage. How would it be possible for her cousin to be involved with Sima Lingyun of the Duke¡¯s manor!

    And then, what happened after that had been very dramatic. The girl in Sima Lingyun¡¯s embrace looked up. It was not Mo Xuetong, but Mo Xueqiong. Not only Mo Xuemin had been shocked, but everyone surrounding the horse carriage had been surprised as well.

    Mo Xuemin only muttered, "Didn¡¯t Third Sistere with you guys? Where is she now?" Then, she fainted. There were a few other nobledies who had appeared with Mo Xuemin. The scene became chaotic as everyone saw what happened. Then, Sima Lingyun regained his wits and pulled down the curtains. He brought Mo Xueqiong with him and they left. It was said that they had gone to the Mo Manor.

    Mo Xuemin was carried onto a carriage belonging to another nobledy. They drove their carriages to the Mo Manor as well.

    Luo Mingzhu clearly heard what Mo Xuemin said in the end and saw what happened earlier. She knew what was happening and that Mo Xuetong was in the plum blossom forest. She was afraid that something would happen to Mo Xuetong which was why she got the horse carriage to wait there and sent people into the forest to look for her. She had finally found Mo Xuetong and pulled her onto the carriage hurriedly. She was afraid that Mo Xuetong did not know what happened and was anxious to fill her in.

    Go hide out at the Luo Manor? If she did not go home today, the rumors would spread by tomorrow. Mo Xuemin would not allow such an opportunity to slip her by. A cold smile appeared by her lips. She looked up and patted Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand andforted her with a smile. "Cousin Luo, I have nothing to do with this matter. It was Fourth Sister who was together with Sima Lingyun."

    "But you were implicated in this matter, and something is bound to happen." Even though Luo Mingzhu was straightforward, she was not dumb. She knew that anyone who was involved in a matter like this would definitely be really unlucky. Even though it was not Mo Xuetong inside the carriage, the rumors might not be clear about who was inside. That was why she had been very anxious and stayed behind to find Mo Xuetong.

    "If I were to be implicated, won¡¯t Eldest Sister be implicated as well? If she really does not care about the reputation of the Mo Manor, I would be willing to y along." Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her gaze which was looking out of the window was icy cold. The sun shone upon her, but it made one feel cold for some reason!

    She had not expected that Mo Xuemin would still not let her go even at this stage. Mo Xuemin insisted on dragging her into this and had said something like that to confuse others. However, she had still underestimated Mo Xuetong. She had returned to this life for revenge. How would she let Mo Xuemin off easily? At most, she would go down together with her.

    This was a price she could pay.

    Mo Xuemin, however, could not afford to pay. Mo Xuemin was determined to marry up. However, her status as a concubine¡¯s daughter was too low. At most, she could only be a concubine of the son of a wealthy family. How could the proud Mo Xuemin bear this? Just like the duchess of the Duke¡¯s manor who was unwilling to allow a concubine¡¯s daughter to be her son¡¯s wife despite their family having fallen. As such, she had to do it well. Very well!

    As such, nothing could happen to the Mo Manor. If the incident was resolved secretly, it would be easy. But if someone blew up the matter then perhaps not. Mo Xuemin would not dare to blow the matter up. Her goal was to marry into a noble family. How would she allow the Mo Manor to be the focus of gossip and be looked down upon? It was alright if only one daughter of the Mo family were to get into trouble. But if two got into trouble, the reputation of the daughters in Mo family would be ruined.

    Mo Xuemin would not dare to gamble!

    When Luo Mingzhu heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s decisive words and the calm expression on her face, she rxed. However, she still asked worriedly, "It¡¯ll be fine?"

    "It¡¯ll be fine! Cousin, don¡¯t worry." Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed when she saw Luo Mingzhu¡¯s worried expression. She asked, "Will youe to look for me tomorrow?"

    "Alright, I will definitely visit tomorrow." Luo Mingzhu was truly worried and she answered steadily.

    "Remember toe visit me!"

    "Rest assured, I will!"

    When Mo Xuetong hurried to the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard, she was, just as she expected, stopped at the door. It was very quiet inside as if there weren¡¯t many people inside. However, she knew that the Old Madam, Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueyan, who had always watched them as if she was watching a show, was inside.

    "Third Miss, please enter." The door curtains lifted and a nanny who served the Old Madam came out. She nced at Mo Xuetong coldly and then invited Mo Xuetong in. She turned to the side, only leaving a small space for Mo Xuetong to pass. She did not look at Mo Xuetong with an ounce of respect.

    Mo Ye, who was behind Mo Xuetong was angry and wanted to say something to the nanny. However, she was stopped by Mo Xuetong who tugged on her sleeve.

    Inside the room, the Old Madam sat at the head seat and looked at her with sharp eyes. Her cold gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Mo Xueyan sat at a table in a rxed manner. She fiddled with a needle and thread in her hands, only looking up asionally. Her eyes would glint with interest and she seemed extremely pleased.

    Her father was just a businessman, which was why Mo Xueyan was jealous of the three sisters. She was especially jealous of Mo Xuetong, the main daughter of the Mo family. They were both main daughters, but Mo Xuetong was nobler than her. She was naturally filled with schadenfreude when she saw that Mo Xuetong was in trouble. She was sitting there just to watch the show!

    Mo Xuemin hurried to wee Mo Xuetong when she entered. She held her hand in concern and said, "Third Sister, where did you go? Why did you disappear after getting there with Sir Sima? Everyone is really worried about you!"

    Worried? Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. The entire house was quiet. It seemed that they had nned this. They did not think about how to deal with the situation now that it had happened, or consider protecting the reputation of the Mo Manor. Instead, they were focused on an unimportant person like her. Mo Xuemin could still say that and had even linked her together with Sima Lingyun in all that she said.

    Something like that had happened to Sima Lingyun, but Mo Xuemin still did not forget to plot against her. She was truly "considerate" towards her!

    "Many thanks for your concern, Eldest Sister. The carriage broke down after you left us. Fortunately, Sir Sima¡¯s carriage arrived shortly after that. Sir Sima said that you told him to get me and Fourth Sister there first and that you will follow shortly. Then, Fourth Sister and I went with His Excellency. When we got there, I got off the carriage first to look for you but did not find you. When I went to find Fourth Sister, His Excellency¡¯s horse carriage had disappeared as well. So I hurried back after that. Eldest Sister, did something happen?"

    Mo Xuetong hid the coldness in her eyes and looked anxious as if she was afraid that something had happened. She turned around to hold Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand worriedly.

    The Old Madam who was seated in the tall seat in front frowned surreptitiously. Even though she still looked at Mo Xuetong darkly, she also gave Mo Xuemin a few extra nces as well.

    Since Mo Xuemin was pretending that nothing had happened, then she would pretend not to know anything. Mo Xuemin wanted to drag her down but Mo Xuetong would not let her off so lightly. Mo Xuemin had said that she was together with Sima Lingyun, then Mo Xuetong would say that Mo Xuemin had been the one to organize the matter. If they were to really discuss the matter, it truly had everything to do with Mo Xuemin.

    "Third Sister, how could you get off the horse carriage first and leave Fourth Sister. His Excellency was on the carriage as well!" Mo Xuetong blinked innocently and ced all the me on her. Mo Xuemin lowered her head slightly to hide the hatred in her eyes and stomped her feet. She med Mo Xuetong and said, "Fourth Sister is the youngest and she likes getting into trouble. I always take care of her when she goes out. How could you not take more care and get her into so much trouble? Third Sister, you are in deep trouble."

    She got Mo Xueqiong into trouble? How dare Mo Xuemin say that!

 Chapter 84 Mo Xuemin Pretends to be Pitiful

    "Eldest Sister, what happened to Fourth Sister?" She looked up with her lively eyes, blinking in confusion as she spoke softly. She seemed as if she did not know anything. She was still young, so how could she take care of Mo Xueqiong? Furthermore, Mo Xueqiong did not seem like a younger sister and more like an elder sister. She did not need Mo Xuetong to take care of her.

    The old madam frowned as she looked at Mo Xuemin.

    "You did not care about what happened on the carriage after you left, leaving behind your fourth sister and His Excellency. They were seen by others and were caught doing things. The rumors outside are saying that your fourth sister and His Excellency have something going on between them. The Duchess even sent someone to rebuke Fourth Sister. She is now crying her eyes out in her room and wanted tomit suicide. Third Sister, sigh...why didn¡¯t you take care of Fourth Sister!" Mo Xuemin took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes, looking sad and disappointed.

    She did not know if Mo Xueqiong had anything going on with Sima Lingyun. But she knew that Mo Xueqiong had seduced Sima Lingyun with drugs. Trying tomit suicide was just an act she had put on for others. Once there was a conclusion to the matter, she would no longer need to pretend to want tomit suicide.

    "Eldest Sister. I am sorry. I did not know that things would be like this, how did it be like this...?" Mo Xuetong seemed to have been shocked and she trembled, falling onto Mo Ye. Her eyes exuded fear and shock and her lips turned pale. She looked as if she had been shocked by the news.

    "Third Sister, things have already be like this. What else can we do? We need to find a way to salvage the matter. Father¡¯s position in court is not high and the Duke¡¯s Manor is a noble family. If the matter blows up, it will be an embarrassment to our house. I thought that you are a smart one so it would be alright to let Fourth Sister go with us. But now...this matter, sigh. The Duke¡¯s manor wants an answer from us, but Father is not around. What should we do?" Mo Xuemin frowned and pretended to be in a dilemma as she sighed. She turned to the olddy and said, "Grandmother, what do you think we should do?"

    The old madam had been frowning deeply through it all. As Mo Xuemin vaguely revealed that Mo Xuetong was the reason for the entire situation, her expression grew graver and graver. Mo Huawen had sent word this morning to say that he had a matter to settle urgently and would be away for a few days. Now that something like this had happened, she was the only one in the manor who could make decisions. The others in the manor were all either concubines or unmarried youngdies. The only male heir, Mo Yufeng, had not appeared at all.

    The old madam was both anxious and angry. She would not treat Mo Xuetong nicely now.

    When she heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s question and then turned to see how useless Mo Xuetong seemed, she felt annoyed. If Mo Xuetong was incapable, then she should not have brought her younger sister out with another man. She had brought her younger sister out and then went out to y without her. She didn¡¯t even care that her younger sister was alone with a man in the carriage or consider that something might happen.

    She only seemed afraid and anxious now that something like that had happened. Yet, she did not have any idea how to deal with the matter. Mo Xuetong seemed very irritating right now. And when she thought of what happened to Mo Xueqiong, the old madam felt that she had implicated the reputation of all the girls of the Mo Manor. Mo Xueyan was her most doted granddaughter. She had intended to find her a good partner on their visit to the capital this time. If the Mo manor had a bad reputation due to this incident, Mo Xueyan would not be able to find a good match.

    This was all Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault!

    "Tell me, what you will do regarding this matter. You were the one who caused this trouble, so you solve it yourself. Don¡¯t implicate the reputations of the other youngdies of the Mo Manor." The old madam was unhappy and spoke to Mo Xuetong coldly with a dark expression.

    She was the one who had caused the trouble? The old madam had thought that she was the one who had caused trouble just because Mo Xuemin had intentionally brought her into the situation. The old madam and Mo Xuemin probably had the same idea since she wanted Mo Xuetong to solve it herself! Otherwise, why would she bring her into the matter? What surprised her the most was that Mo Huawen was not around. She nced at Mo Xuemin from the corner of her eyes. When she heard the old madam say that her father was not around, a look of satisfaction had shed across Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. Then, she had appeared to look anxious and concerned.

    Mo Xuemin had known that their father was not around. No wonder she had invited Sima Lingyun over to the manor. ording to Mo Xuemin¡¯s plot, her father would definitely not be able to return today. Mo Xuemin was indeed sinister, and she had ns after ns. If it was rumored that she had something on with Sima Lingyun, the old madam would definitely make the decision to marry her to Sima Lingyun.

    This was how she had died without knowing anything in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand in her past life. Pain surged up from her heart, the pain twisting within her. Even though she was still smiling, there was no hint of joy in her eyes. In this life, she would not make the same mistake as she did. The hatred that was stained with blood could only be soothed by blood.

    "Old Madam, Miss didn¡¯t want to go out but First Miss had insisted that she did. Then, First Miss left Third Miss and Fourth Miss behind when she left. If one were to find someone to bear responsibility, First Miss should be the one who should be held most responsible!" Mo Yu spoke from beside Mo Xuetong.

    She was not a true servant of the Mo Manor and naturally did not like how the old madam and Mo Xuemin were working together to push all the me to Mo Xuetong. That was why she had spoken so impolitely.

    "Kneel down!" The old madam red at her and spoke coldly. "Your masters are speaking, there is no ce for a little maid like you to speak."

    Mo Ye still remembered that she was a maid in the eyes of others. She did not want to make things difficult for Mo Xuetong and she knelt with a thud.

    "Grandmother, it is all Tong¡¯er¡¯s fault for not teaching them. We usually do not care about rank amongst ourselves which is why Mo Ye talked back to you. Please punish Tong¡¯er." Mo Xuetong knelt down as well, frowning with an expression of self-reproach.

    If this had happened at any other time, the old madam would not be so angry. However, right now, she was angry just looking at Mo Xuetong. She would not be able to listen to her exnation. She had just been thinking about how to punish her and now she had the opportunity to.

    "Men,e and take this rude maid and p her mouth twenty times. You don¡¯t see her helping her mistress usually, but she seems quite smart this time. She even dared to talk back to her masters. It is true that birds of the same feather flock together. Nobody taught her manners usually, so she will learn them well today. Don¡¯t think that maids from the Mo Manor are all like that or people will look down on us." The old madam said coldly with a frown. Her expression was grave and she looked as if she was taking out her anger on Mo Ye. Everything she said implied that it was because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s impropriety that had resulted in her maid being so audacious.

    She was just taking her anger out on Mo Xuetong!

    There were biased people, but none as biased as her!

    "Grandmother, please reconsider. Mo Ye was only too concerned about Tong¡¯er which was why she talked back to you. I wanted to make things clear about this situation. It truly began with Eldest Sister. Of course, Tong¡¯er is at fault too and I should not have left Fourth Sister on the carriage. However, Fourth Sister said that Eldest Sister told her to wait on the carriage. Tong¡¯er wanted to go and find Eldest Sister first and did not expect His Excellency to stay on the carriage for some reason. Grandmother, can you please help Tong¡¯er ask why Eldest Sister did not allow Fourth Sister to get off the carriage?"

    Mo Xuetong looked up and took a deep breath. Her longshes fluttered and her eyes were cold. She did not seem weak anymore. Since her father was not around, no one would care no matter how weak she was. Judging by how the old madam and Mo Xuemin were behaving, they wanted to push her down.

    Her statement was logical and she had evidence. Furthermore, she no longer seemed weak. Mo Xuetong knelt where she was looking sincere andposed. Her gaze swept at the two maids who wanted to hit Mo Yu and her eyes turned sharp and cold. The sudden sh of sharpness made the two maids hesitate and they backed away, cowed, and did not dare to approach.

    Mo Xuemin told Mo Xueqiong not to get off the horse carriage?

    The old madam¡¯s angry expression suddenly stilled. Mo Xuemin had insisted on taking her two younger sisters out but had gotten onto someone else¡¯s carriage. Then, their carriage had broken down and Sima Lingyun appeared. In the end, Mo Xuetong got off the carriage but Mo Xueqiong stayed. In the end, Mo Xuemin had caught the adulterous pair herself...

    When she thought about it, Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand in the matter could be clearly seen. Could the matter have something to do with her?

    The old madam felt suspicious. Her re, which had been fixed on Mo Xuetong, turned to Mo Xuemin. She ignored the fact that the two maids did not really hit Mo Yu and said gravely, "You said that Min¡¯er told Qiong¡¯er to wait in the carriage. Why didn¡¯t Qiong¡¯er say that earlier?"

    This was what had made the old madam most suspicious. Earlier, when Sima Lingyun and Mo Xueqiong came in, she had only cried and did not say anything. Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were the ones to tell her the matter. They said that Mo xuetong and Mo Xueqiong went with Sima Lingyun to admire the plum blossoms. One of them got off the carriage while the other stayed. However, they did not expect that that the horse carriage had jolted rather seriously while it was parking. Mo Xueqiong fell into Sima Lingyun¡¯s embrace and hurt her foot. Then, Mo Xuemin had passed by and saw the two of them hugging each other when she opened the carriage door.

    That was how the rumors of the two of them hugging with their clothes in disarray started.

    The Mo family was responsible for the entire matter. The Duchess had sent a missive saying that their family would not take a concubine¡¯s daughter as their son¡¯s wife. They would make the matter public unless the Mo family married their main daughter to their family. The Mo family¡¯s daughter had not taken care of her own reputation and still wanted someone to take responsibility for it. How could this be?

    The Duke¡¯s Manor would not acknowledge Sima Lingyun¡¯s role in the rumors.

    Sima Lingyun was only being helpful and had held Mo Xueqiong when she fell. How could it be counted as the two of them hugging with their clothes in disarray!

    The old madam was furious when she heard the message the Duchess sent.

    She was going to blow up the matter and tell the public that the Mo daughters did not observe etiquette or protect their own reputations. The Mo daughter had tried to cozy up to someone who was helping her. This would not only damage Mo Xueqiong¡¯s reputation. That was what the old madam could not bear the most. She had thought that since Mo Xuetong was the one who had caused the trouble, then she should be the one to deal with it. She would marry Mo Xuetong into the Duke¡¯s Manor.

    As long as Mo Xuetong was married into the Duke¡¯s family, they would not make a fuss. The matter would then settle and eventually be forgotten. These were the old madam¡¯s thoughts. That was why she had issued an ultimatum the moment Mo Xuetong arrived to make her realize how powerful she was in the family. Since Mo Huawen was not at home, the matter would be set even if he objected to it in the future!

    As such, she only watched on coldly as Mo Xuemin dealt with Mo Xuetong!

    However, what if this was a plot of Mo Xuemin? The old madam suddenly felt that this was a possibility when she saw Mo Xuemin¡¯s scheming expression. Mo Xuemin was using the old madam and if something were to really happen, the General Manor would not take it lying down! She would be the one in trouble then...

    The old madam turned to look at Mo Xuemin darkly. She pounded her cane into the ground and said coldly, "Min, what do you have to say?"

    No matter who it was who had implicated her biological granddaughter, Mo Xueyan, the old madam would send her out to face the cmity!

    Mo Xuemin did not expect Mo Xuetong to say that. This was especially since she had lied. After a slight pause, she knelt down immediately and cried. "Grandmother, no matter how silly Min¡¯er is, I still know that men and women should keep their distance from each other. Why would I ask Qiong¡¯er to stay on the carriage and stay there with His Excellency."

    Then, she turned to look at Mo Xuetong sadly and said, "Third Sister, why would you say that? I was being considerate to us three sisters and did not expect you to push me into taking the me. So what if I take the me? It would only be another Mo daughter with a ruined reputation? I have thought of you first whenever I have good food, drinks and essories ever since you returned to the capital. I suggested that we go to admire the plum blossoms today because I was worried that you would be bored and do not know many people. However, I did not expect you to have such a grave misunderstanding. How can I live knowing what you just said!"

    Then, she turned to lean on Mo Xiu, who was kneeling behind her, and cried sadly.

    "Third Miss, First Miss is truly sincere in how she treats you. Even when you were staying in the Luo Manor, she sent things to you all the time. From food to jewelry and essories, they all belonged to her, but she thought of you first. Look at what you are saying now, how can you frame First Miss? What will she do now? Her deep sisterly love for you is reciprocated with this. How could she not feel hurt and despair?" Mo Xiu reached out to hug Mo Xuemin and started crying as well as she spoke.

    Tears streamed down Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. She covered her face with a handkerchief, sobbing so hard she could not speak. Everyone who saw would feel that she had truly been wronged!

    Everyone who heard it turned to look at Mo Xuetong. They all felt that she was an ingrate. The old madam¡¯s expression grew ugly. Not many in the inner courtyard of the Mo Manor knew about the matter, but with Mo Xuemin making a fuss about it, she doubted that the people who knew would be able to keep mum about it.

    "Enough. Why are you crying. Can¡¯t you just speak?" The old madam said angrily.

    "Yes, Grandmother. Min¡¯er is insensible. I won¡¯t cry." Mo Xuemin said, chocking down her sobs and said while biting her lips. She looked as if she just wanted the matter to pass. She only added, "Grandmother, please help Min¡¯er to uncover the truth."

 Chapter 85 Expose the Toxic Mo Xuemin

    "Third Sister, you have to bear the most responsibility for this situation. Eldest Sister is so gracious. You are the main daughter of the Mo Manor, so how can you allow yourself to fall prey to rumors." Mo Xueyan interrupted oddly, her expression full of sarcasm. "You can¡¯t just let the Mo daughters¡¯ reputations be ruined, can you?"

    Thest part of her statement was where her main point was. She was indeed harsh to say something like this at this point in time.

    "Third Sister, quickly own up to your mistakes to Grandmother. Take responsibility for your own actions and don¡¯t make her angry. Father isn¡¯t home now so we have to be filial to Grandmother. Third Sister, don¡¯t make her angry." Mo Xuemin added fuel to the fire by the sidelines in gentle tones. It was as if Mo Xuetong would be considered unfilial if she did not take responsibility today.

    "Grandmother, how would you like me to take responsibility for this matter?" She asked lightly. Her expression was calm as if she was talking about a matter that had nothing to do with her. Her eyes were dark and deep and made one fearful!

    However the old madam had already decided on her ns and when Mo Xuetong asked that, she felt slightly embarrassed. This was especially when Mo Xuetong looked up at her with her bright and lively eyes. There were some things that really cannot be said easily. She wanted to get Mo Xuetong to agree to Mo Xuemin¡¯s intentions and say that she was willing to marry into the Duke¡¯s Manor. However, she did not expect Mo Xuetong to speak coldly and force them to speak directly.

    The old madam was stunned by the girl¡¯s straightforward disregard for her. A trace of awkwardness appeared in her eyes.

    Everyone knew that it was Mo Xueqiong whose reputation had been ruined, but they had gotten the main daughter to rece her. While this was what the old madam had in mind, she did not dare to face the repercussions of it directly. It had always been concubine¡¯s daughters to take the me for main daughters. When had a main daughter ever taken the me for a concubine¡¯s daughter? She had wanted Mo Xuetong to raise the matter herself. However, if she was the one to raise the matter, the implications would be different.

    Disregarding whether Mo Huawen would me her when he returned, the General Manor that backed Mo Xuetong was not a force she dared to go against. When she thought of that, the old madam hesitated. She wanted to retreat and harrumphed without saying anything. She looked to Mo Xuemin.

    The old madam was hesitant, but Mo Xuemin could not be. She nced at the old madam secretly and saw that the woman¡¯s expression was grave and that she was silent. She scolded the old woman for being useless secretly in her heart. She was different from the old madam. The old madam presided over the matter today and would be held responsible for whatever conclusion that they decided on today. However, she was just an unmarried youngdy. What could she know. Even if she said something wrong, people would just think that she was ignorant and would not hold her responsible.

    The situation today had been a plot engineered by her and Sima Lingyun against Mo Xuetong. However, for some reason or another, Mo Xuetong had been reced by Mo Xueqiong. The plot had been a failure. However, the message that the Duchess sent had given her a new idea. Not many people had seen the situation then. As long as she insisted that it was Mo Xuetong inside, so what if others had doubts about it?

    Furthermore, if Mo Xuetong admitted to it in order to take responsibility, no one would have anymore doubt. She saw that while Mo Xuetong was not willing to admit to anything, she showed signs of breaking. She said lightly, "Third Sister, if you really want to take responsibility, there is a way. You just have to admit that the one inside the horse carriage is you and not Fourth Sister. Third Sister, you are the main daughter and your reputation has always been good. Even if the matter spreads, others will only think that it is His Excellency Sima who is a yboy. It is different for Fourth Sister. She is just a concubine¡¯s daughter. Everyone will think that she has overestimated herself and wants to marry up which is why she seduced His Excellency. It would be bad for the reputation of all the Mo daughters. Third Sister, what do you think?"

    Mo Xuemin seemed as if she was being considerate and gracious. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had been deceived by her fake mask of kindness. She hated Mo Xuemin even after she died.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt. Her fingers gouged into her palms and she looked down, hiding the hatred in her eyes. Mo Xuemin truly thought that she was still that ignorant Mo Xuetong. She wanted her to pretend to be Mo Xueqiong and even said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation was good. If she truly admitted to it, then what else could her father or the Luo manor say when the Duke¡¯s Manor asked to marry Mo Xuetong?

    Who else could she marry if her reputation was ruined? Everyone would only praise Sima Lingyun for being a true man if the Duke¡¯s Manor was willing to take responsibility. They would be praised for willing to marry Mo Xuetong because they were considerate towards her reputation. However, she would fall into their plot and the tragedy that was her past life would repeat once more. She would fall into hell after Sima Lingyun was done using her, and she would never be able to raise her head up high ever again.

    A woman whose reputation had been ruined would be looked down upon even if she was married.

    This was a good plot of Mo Xuemin¡¯s!

    Her fingers gouged deeply into her palms and the intense pain brought back a hint of rity in her red eyes.

    That was what Mo Xuemin had nned, but she would not let Mo Xuemin get what she wanted. She looked up and smiled coldly, staring at Mo Xuemin¡¯s concerned expression. Her voice was devoid of any warmth as she said, "Eldest Sister, you want me to admit to losing my reputation so that I can be married into the Duke¡¯s Manor, right? Eldest Sister, you have spent so much effort helping the fallen Duke¡¯s Manor with such a plot. I wonder what benefits His Excellency Sima gave you for you to set up such a scheme. You can even use the reputations of the Mo daughters as a chess piece. I can really see how ambitious you are."

    Since they had already had a falling out, then there was not much she had to consider. "I wonder if you have considered that you will also be implicated in the matter when you try to ruin your younger sister¡¯s reputation. Even though I am just the Third Miss of the Mo family, I am Father¡¯s only main daughter. If something were to really happen to me, it would be an embarrassment to the other youngdies of the Mo Manor. Sima Lingyun had tried to ruin Fourth Sister¡¯s reputation. You did not pursue the matter but you are asking me to take responsibility for it. Those who do not know will think that you are not versed in etiquette and are shameless..."

    "Third Sister, how could you say that of me..." Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression changed immediately, scolding Mo Xuemin so severely that Mo Xuemin was stunned. Then, Mo Xuemin immediately reacted. She turned around and lunged beside the old madam¡¯s stove bed. She picked up her handkerchief and covered her face with it. She knelt at the old madam¡¯s feet and cried bitterly.

    "Grandmother, you have to speak up for Min¡¯er. How could Third Sister say that of Min¡¯er? I have been considerate towards her, but I became that sort of person to her. Grandmother, grandmother... Min¡¯er might as well die after being used of something like that."

    She could not speak again, pulling on the old madam¡¯s robe and sobbed. Then, she suddenly stood up and rushed towards a pir, trying to m herself against it.

    Behind her, Mo Xiu pulled on her, holding her tightly as she cried out anxiously, "Old Madam, help. Save First Miss. Third Miss, how could you say that of First Miss? When Old Sir finds out about this when he returns, he would be very angry. Even if you me Old Sir for leaving you behind in Cloud City without asking about you or caring, it has nothing to do with my mistress. How can you unleash your anger on her? Our mistress has always done everything with your sisterly rtionship in mind and wanted to end the matters today well. Why did you make her out to be apletely different person?"

 Chapter 86 Mo Xuetong Kneels in the Ancestral Hall as Punishment

    Mo Xiu cried as she hugged Mo Xuemin. Now that a fuss had been made, the maids outside had all heard her. A few of the more obedient ones left the yard and waited outside. Indeed, the curtains lifted in just a while and a nanny appeared. When she saw that everyone around had left the courtyard, she turned around with satisfaction and went back to mutter in the old madam¡¯s ear.

    "Enough. Everyone stop. Are you all afraid that others don¡¯t know that something so embarrassing has happened to the Mo Manor? Why are you all making a fuss?" The old madam was stiff with anger, the veins on her face twitched wildly. Every family that had something like this happen to them would try to hide it with their lives. However, the two girls in front of her were creating such a fuss. She had thought that Mo Xuemin was an obedient child, but she was creating such a fuss right now. The old madam was furious.

    Mo Xuemin sensed the old madam¡¯s anger. Mo Xuetong¡¯s words earlier had been too big of a blow to her, which was why her reaction was so different from how she usually would behave. She immediately knelt in front of the old madam and tugged on her robe, saying in an aggrieved manner, "Grandmother, it is Min¡¯er¡¯s fault. It was because Third Sister said that, which was why I... behaved so irrationally. Please punish me, Grandmother."

    She spoke gently, returning to her usual calm andposed self.

    "Grandmother, it is Tong¡¯er¡¯s fault. I was just shocked that Eldest Sister told me to admit to the mistake, which was why I spoke nonsense. If my grandmother finds out that a main daughter is taking responsibility for a concubine¡¯s daughter¡¯s mistake, she would punish Father. I do not dare to hide things from Father as well, which is why I cannot ept Eldest Sister¡¯s suggestion." Mo Xuetong cried. Who didn¡¯t know how to pretend to be weak? She even brought up the General Manor while pretending to be weak.

    The General Manor was indeed distinguished and was not to be trifled with. They were also more powerful aspared to the Duke¡¯s Manor. She did not believe that the old madam would not consider this.

    Mo Xuemin was forcing her to take the me but had never considered that the General Manor would not allow the matter to pass if she was forced to take responsibility. They would make a fuss about it then, and who would be powerful enough to bear the brunt of the General Manor¡¯s pressures. The entire Mo Manor would be implicated in the matter. The old madam listened to what Mo Xuetong said and frowned. The implications of Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were heavy.

    They really could not deal with the situation in this manner. However, if they did not do that, how would they deal with the Duke¡¯s Manor? The old madam was put between a rock and a hard ce.

    The old madam had been dealt with. When Mo Xuemin saw that, the hatred, jealousy and venom in her eyes grew as she looked at Mo Xuetong. She was just about to say something when Mo Xuetong spoke first.

    "Grandmother, are you worried about what the Duke¡¯s Manor would do? Sima Lingyun had ruined Fourth Sister¡¯s reputation but refused to take responsibility. There were so many noble sons anddies who saw it. With the Duke¡¯s Manor current power, there would definitely be many amongst those present that they cannot afford to offend. As long as we find a few of the youngdies and noblemen who witnessed the incident and exin matters, the Duke¡¯s Manor would definitely have to answer to us. Didn¡¯t the Duchess say that Fourth Sister had fallen and Sir Sima was just helping her? We can¡¯t just let them say that. We will see what the other noblemen anddies say. Even if the matter was made public, the Duke¡¯s Manor would have to give Fourth Sister an answer. Why do we have to be afraid of them?"

    Mo Xuetong knew that the old madam was worried for the reputations of thedies in the Mo Manor. But as long as Sima Lingyun was found guilty for what he had done, then he had no choice but to be responsible for his actions.

    "Third Sister, those youngdies and noblemen are people we cannot afford to ask for help from." Mo Xuemin said anxiously.

    "Eldest Sister, don¡¯t worry. I will get my maternal grandmother to ask those noblemen anddies to exin what they saw." There was a sh of coldness on her lips as she said that. Mo Xuemin was still using status to try to control her. Was the General Manor to be trifled with?

    "But, it would be bad for reputations if we make a fuss, right?" Mo Xuemin said reluctantly.

    "Eldest Sister, you are a good daughter of the Mo Manor. You are still concerned about reputations at a time like this." Mo Xuemin¡¯s lips curled up mockingly. "Rx, as long as those noblemen anddies all stand witness against Sima Lingyun, he would have to marry Fourth Sister. Otherwise, the Duke¡¯s Manor would have no reputation to speak of."

    "But..."

    "No more buts, First Sister. I even met Lady Xian in the plum blossom forest. She can be my witness that I was not the one in the horse carriage. Furthermore, my cousin Mingzhu has already gone to inform my grandmother. She must have already invited those noblemen anddies to the General Manor." Mo Xuetong smiled coldly at Mo Xuemin, hitting thest nail in with satisfaction.

    She had witness, and her witness was the famous Lady Xian. Mo Xuetong¡¯sst sentence hadpletely dispelled all of Mo Xuemin¡¯s thoughts. Mo Xuemin stood where she was dazedly and forgot to even act. She crumpled onto the ground, her beautiful face flushing red and white. She bit into her lips. She hated that little slut Mo Xuetong. She was too sly!

    Lord Xian was a distant rtive of the Emperor. It was said that Lord Xian was a distant cousin of the Emperor. Unlike other royal rtives, Lord Xian was very talented in martial arts even from a young age. He disliked books and ink and joined the army at a young age. He started off at the bottom as a guard and was now a general.

    Even though he and Luo Cheng were both generals, they were different. Even though the power they had in the army was about the same, Lord Xian was much more powerful than Luo Cheng. This was partly because he was a rtive of the Emperor and also because of his sess at war. Lord Xian had been through many more warspared to Luo Cheng. As such, no matter who it was who mentioned Lord Xian, they would all praise him highly.

    Lord Xian¡¯s wife, Lady Xian was not an ordinary nobledy. She was the daughter of his deputy general, Yan Ruoling. It was said that thedy did not like needlework but preferred swords and spears. She was gracious and forthright and was very righteous. Mo Xuetong had seen the phoenix head on her jade bangle earlier and then noticed the four maids behind her who were all versed in martial arts.

    Who else other than the famous Lady Xian would have something like that?

    Mo Xuetong had intentionally greeted Lady Xian with her full name because she had wanted Lady Xian to be her witness. The Duke Manor¡¯s carriage had left after the incident but she had emerged from deep inside the plum blossom forest. No matter what, the person on the horse carriage during the incident could not have been her. Lady Xian¡¯s morals would mean that she would tell the truth.

    So what if Mo Xuemin insisted that it was her inside the carriage? Could her words be more trustworthy than Lady Xuan? Of course, Mo Xuetong had considered Feng Yuran as well, but her interactions with Feng Yuran were private and were more like private transactions. Furthermore, Feng Yuran¡¯s mood swung wildly and even if there was nothing, he could create more trouble. Mo Xuetong really did not want to trouble him.

    Lady Xian also knew the truth about this matter. Those nobledies were invited to the General Manor right after they left Mo Manor. The General Manor would have found out about this long ago. If she created trouble like the main daughter taking responsibility for the concubine¡¯s daughter¡¯s mistake, she would not only offend the General Manor, Lady Xian, and even those noblemen anddies. This was something the Mo Manor could not afford to do.

    The old madam immediately forwent her initial ideas when she heard that. Since the situation was already like this, the Duke¡¯s Manor would have to bear responsibility even if they did not want to. The old madam felt aggrieved as well. She had wanted to just let the matter settle down without creating too much of a fuss, which was why she had lowered herself in front of the Duke¡¯s Manor. However, she had not expected the Duke¡¯s Manor to push the me onto the Mo Manor. Now that she heard that someone would support the truth, she did not care whether the Duke¡¯s Manor would be embarrassed at all.

    As long as it was proven that Sima Lingyun had touched Mo Xueqiong intentionally, the reputation of the Mo daughters would not be lost

    "Grandmother, even so, Third Sister was wrong to leave the two of them in the carriage. When the Duke¡¯s Manor asks about that, how will we exin it? We still have to punish Third Sister just to show outsiders that the Mo family has already punished those who did wrong."

    Mo Xuemin could not be appeased since Mo Xuetong had escaped her carefully set up plot. She could not hide the sharpness in her voice and she looked at Mo Xuetong viciously. She wanted to ruin Mo Xuetong. No matter what, she would not allow the little slut to get off so easily.

    The old madam agreed. The whole matter today had been caused by Mo Xuetong getting off the carriage. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong had used the General Manor against her. It was unfilial and annoying. It was irksome. It was right for her to use the opportunity to punish her for it.

    She did not allow Mo Xuetong to argue and said coldly," Min¡¯er is right. It is impossible for the Mo Manor to not have any responsibility at all in this matter. Don¡¯t say anything else. Go to kneel in the ancestral hall for the Mo Manor¡¯s reputation. You have to bear responsibility for your own actions."

    "Grandmother, how long does she have to kneel for? Her health is poor..." Mo Xuemin tried hard to hide the satisfaction she felt and pretended to be concerned.

    "It is such a huge mistake, why do you still have to ask me how long she has to kneel for? If she is sensible, she will just go there and kneel. She has gone out and created trouble even when her health is poor. If she feels well, she might tear down the Mo Manor." The old madam had never liked Mo Xuetong and she was especially angry now. She just wanted the troublemaker to go away for she felt annoyed just looking at her.

    "Grandmother, Third Sister¡¯s health is poor. Kneeling for an entire night is too long. She won¡¯t be able to take it." There was a glint of viciousness in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes. She had already made ns and said that the old madam wanted Mo Xuetong to kneel for an entire night.

    "She won¡¯t be able to take it, then she won¡¯t do something like this in the future. Go." The old madam truly did not wish to see Mo Xuetong. She felt that Mo Xuetong was in the wrong no matter what. She waved her hand and gestured for them all to leave.

    Two female servants came up wanting to drag Mo Xuetong to the ancestral hall.

    Mo Xuetong swept her eyes upon them coldly, her dark eyes looking at them coldly. The two servants shivered and lowered their heads. They feel that Third Miss seemed very powerful and they did not dare to cross her.

    "Many thanks for your punishment, Grandmother." Mo Xuetong stood up and bowed deeply to the old madam. Then, she turned around and brought Mo Ye to the ancestral hall with her.

    She had seen the viciousness that had turned into satisfaction in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes. It was obvious that Mo Xuemin had another idea for a plot against her. She had ignored her outward appearance of graciousness and gentleness and had said something like that in front of the old madam. She must have a new plot against Mo Xuetong.

    That¡¯s fine. She had to kneel in the ancestral hall no matter what. It might even bring Mo Xuemin some satisfaction!

    She had not managed to tear away Mo Xuemin¡¯s mask in the day. This might be a good opportunity for her. She rather anticipated what will happen tonight.

    The two servants brought Mo Xuetong to the ancestral hall which was in a slightly secluded spot on the property. The two servants closed the door loudly after the two entered and then left.

    "Miss, are you really going to kneel here?" Mo Ye looked at the little room that only had one altar table in it. There were several futons on the floor, but the room was otherwise empty other than this. There was not even a ce in the room for them to get warm. Cold wind blew in through the window, and she felt that it was cold even with her martial arts skills. How would her mistress be able to take it?

    "I won¡¯t have to kneel for long. My good Eldest Sister would not let me be sofortable!" Mo Xuetong knelt down respectfully before her mother¡¯s tablet, speaking after she kowtowed.

    "Get Mo Feng to watch Mo Xuemin. How would she be able to bear it after being dealt such a big blow." Mo Xuetong stood up and took the candle that Mo Ye passed her and lit the incense in the pot. The refreshing scent added a certain mystery and coldness to her innocent face.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s n had failed, she would be mad and hysterical. She had been forced to this step and she would definitely not be so careful next!

 Chapter 87 The Sad and Jealous Gentle Cousin, Yun Yiqiu

    "Miss, don¡¯t cry. His Excellency would definitely marry you. You are the one he likes most! Look, these are the essories and clothes that he sent. You will definitely dazzle him if you put them on. I have never seen another woman as beautiful as you. How would His Excellency bear to make you sad?" The maid picked up the beautiful clothing and essories by her side and showed them to Yun Yiqiu, who had cried so much her eyes were red.

    "Cousin is going to marry that woman." Yun Yiqiu¡¯s eyes were red from her crying. Her tears could not stop flowing no matter how she wiped them. Even though she had already known that her cousin was going to marry that woman and had even gone to see the woman especially because of that, she could not even utter niceties because her heart had hurt so much. She could only hide in her room to cry.

    Her beautiful face was marred with tears and she seemed especially pitiful. How could His Excellency not like such a beautiful woman? The maid thought to herself, feeling somewhat unfair on behalf of her mistress.

    "Miss, you and His Excellency grew up together, how can the other women out there rece you? Furthermore, His Excellency promised that he would marry you after he marries that woman and will make you an equal wife who is of the same status as her. You grew up in this ce, Madam is your aunt and His Excellency dotes on you. How can that womanpare to you. If we were to speak frankly, the woman loses to you in everything other than her reputation."

    The maid put down the things in her hands when she saw Yun Yiqiu crying non-stop. She helped to make her a cup of tea and gave it to her,forting her glibly.

    However, this statement struck a chord in Yun Yiqiu. She thought back to this morning about how her cousin had hugged her and guaranteed to her softly and gently that he would dote only on her. He was only marrying that woman because her family background was what the Duke¡¯s Manor needed. Once they no longer had such a need, he would not make her suffer.

    Her cousin¡¯s eyes had been gentle and soft, like the shining moon, when he said that. She had been so moved she dove into his chest and hugged him while crying silently. He wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes using his gentle fingers. She could still feel his heated kiss on her eyes. All this meant that her cousin truly cared for her.

    When that woman is gone, she would be her cousin¡¯s main wife! When she thought of that, she felt a surge of joy. So what if that woman had a good family? Her cousin only liked her and will make that woman give up her position as main wife for her.

    The maid sensed that what she had said had worked when she saw Yun Yiqiu¡¯s sobs subside. She smiled and praised Yun Yiqiu, saying, "Miss, you are so beautiful and gentle, which man wouldn¡¯t dote on you? Not only does His Excellency dote on you in this manor, even Madam treats you like you¡¯re of utmost importance, just like how she treats Second Miss. You were given everything that Second Miss gets ever since you were a child. Doesn¡¯t that mean that madam thinks of you has her daughter-inw already?" The maid said happily.

    "But, Cousin is going to get married..." When Yun Yiqiu thought about how her cousin, whom she was in love with, was going to marry another woman, she felt very upset. She held up her handkerchief and started crying out of self-pity once more. She could not understand why her cousin and her could not get together openly since they were in love with each other. Why would he marry her only after he marries that woman, and why did they have to be equal sister-wives?

    Sister wife sounded nice since they were both wives. Butpared to a main wife, she was still just a concubine!

    She could not ept this. Her cousin was hers. How could she allow another woman to take her ce?

    "Miss, why are you so stubborn? His Excellency is marrying that woman for the good of the Duke¡¯s Manor. When the Duke¡¯s Manor situation is improved, get His Excellency to divorce that woman. You would be the one who gets the say in the manor. Bear with it now and everything will be yours in the future. His Excellency is thinking of the Duke¡¯s Manor right now, and also for your future. He is already suffering, so you can¡¯t make it even worse for him, right?" The maid understood from Yun Yiqiu¡¯s hesitance and cries that her mistress was still eyeing the position as His Excellency¡¯s main wife. She tried her best to console her.

    This truly spoke to Yun Yiqiu. Indeed, her cousin was the son of the Duke. He naturally could not just stand and watch as the Duke¡¯s Manor fell. He first had to marry that woman. Then, he could do anything he wanted. When the woman bes useless, she could just get her cousin to divorce her. She would be the true Madam of the Duke then.

    It was indeed not the time for her to be a burden to her cousin. Not only should she not drag him down, she had to make her cousin feel that she was being gracious. Then, her cousin would feel guilty towards her and her goal of being the Duchess would not be far from her then.

    With that thought, she picked up her handkerchief and wiped her face. Then, she cleaned up with the help of her maid. No matter what, she could not let her cousin see her as a petty and useless person.

    "Has the soup been reheated?" Yun Yiqiu could not help but calm down when she looked into the mirror at her curved eyes and beautiful face.

    "It has been heated, Miss. It¡¯s sitting by the stove. However, isn¡¯t it a littlete to be sending it over now?" The maid looked out at the skies and asked hesitantly. It got darker earlier in winter and there were alreadynterns being lit outside.

    The soup had been boiled earlier and they had wanted to give it to His Excellency before dinner. However, her mistress had heard that His Excellency wanted to marry another woman and had returned to her room before she reached His Excellency¡¯s room. Sheid on her bed and cried the moment she returned. The maid was concerned with consoling Yun Yiqiu and did not have time to send it over. He left the soup on the stove to warm it. It did not seem that it was an appropriate time to send the soup over now.

    The rumors about her mistress and His Excellency had already spread long ago!

    If there was a new rumor at a time like this, Madam would probably break her legs.

    The maid could not help but shudder when she thought of what her Madam would do.

    "It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s not as if I have never gone at this time." A faint blush appeared on Yun Yiqiu¡¯s face. She thought of how she had gone to Sima Lingyun before at this time and how they had spent the time together and she felt heat rushing to her face. She lowered her head and spoke shyly.

    That was in the past. The Madam had ordered the past few days that her mistress should not go to His Excellency if she had no business there. If her mistress refused to listen, the maids would be the ones to be punished! The maid, of course, did not dare to say this straight to Yun Yiqiu. This was partly because of the warning her Madam gave and also partly because of her Mistress hurrying her. It was awkward for the maids.

    Her gaze swept past the dishes on the table and her eyes brightened as she got a thought. She pointed at the uneaten dishes and said, "Miss, do you want to have some dinner first? Your health is poor and you were in a bad mood earlier. Don¡¯t fall ill because you haven¡¯t eaten. Thest time you fell sick, His Excellency was so worried for you. If you fall sick again, he will punish us servants again. Please help us, Miss, eat dinner before going, alright? The soup is still warming on the stove and will not get cold."

    It had only just gotten dark and there were many people walking around in the manor. If her mistress went now, it was very likely that she would be seen. They might as well goter in the night. The servants rarely went out in the dark so the Madam might not find out about it.

    Alright, then let¡¯s eat dinner first!" She did not know what Yun Yiqiu was thinking as she nodded with a blush. Yun Yiqiu did not insist on going to Sima Lingyun but sat down at the table. She picked up her chopsticks and sat down to eat obediently.

    It was gettingte, the twomps outside the Duke¡¯s Manor doors could only light up the one foot strip ofnd before it. A small grey carriage appeared from the dark road. There was a maid dressed in blue standing beside the carriage. Her head was lowered and one could not see her face clearly. They arrived at the Duke¡¯s Manor doors but did not enter through the front door but the side door instead.

    The side door was opened even before the carriage arrived. A rather intelligent older female servant who was in her 40s or 50s opened the door slightly and peered out. When she saw the carriage approaching, she did not say anything but only opened the door wider and gestured for the carriage to enter.

    The servant locked the door after the carriage entered. She walked in front as two carriage bearers carrying the carriage followed behind her. The maid followed closely by the side. The group was very tired and only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. Even their breathing was gentle.

    The carriage went to Sima Lingyun¡¯s study. The carriage was put down and the maid in blue helped a person wearing a veil out of the carriage. There were nonterns in front of the study and one could only vaguely see the faint yellow lighting out from inside the study. It settled on the person wearing a veil. In the faint patch of yellow light, one could not tell if the person was male or female. They could only guess fromparing the person¡¯s height to the maid that she was female.

    The servant had long left with the two carriage bearers and the maid in blue. When they left, they had carefully closed the courtyard doors. The two guards standing in a hidden corner were brought away by her as well.

    The study door opened. Sima Lingyun who was wearing an embroidered robe stood at the door with his hands against his back. The light shone from behind his back, casting a long shadow in front of the room. The woman who had just gotten off the carriage seemed to sense his presence and looked up. Their eyes met, filled with emotions.

    Then, Sima Lingyun approached and held the woman¡¯s hand tenderly. He pulled her into his study slowly and the door shut behind them. From the window of the study, one could see their shadows leaning in slowly. They hugged, and like love birds, their figures entwined.

    On the other side, Yun Yiqiu could not eat again after having a few bites. The maid intentionally reheated the soup and ced it in a box before taking Yun Yiqiu to His Excellency¡¯s study excitedly. They were not far from Sima Lingyun¡¯s study and they would have arrived just by passing through a few small paths. However, there was construction work on the road, so Yun Yiqiu had to take a longer path to get to the study.

    "Miss, walk slowly, the soup is about to spill. His Excellency will wait for you. They said that His Excellency wanted toe to find you earlier but was stopped by Madam. Even if he can¡¯t visit, he will definitely know that you will be sad today and will give you an exnation. Miss, you are not only not angry and even made him soup. He will be very happy." The maid held the box with the soup and had to be careful not to spill it. She could not help but tease Yun Yiqiu when she saw her walking quickly.

    "You chit..." Yun Yiqiu was in a good mood and scolded the girl gently. However, she did slow down. Her heart sang when she thought of how her cousin was definitely waiting for her.

    "It¡¯s true! His Excellency dotes on you so much, how would he bear to make you sad. If he wasn¡¯t busy, he would have visited you long ago. So, Miss, you have to take care of yourself first. That¡¯s how you can show His Excellency your love for him. Everyone in the manor knows that you are the most important to His Excellency. He will only be happy when you are happy. You have to take care of yourself well so that he can rest assured." The maid grew even more excited when she saw that Yun Yiqiu was receptive to her words She hurried forward, holding the box containing the soup and teased softly.

    Yun Yiqiu¡¯s heart soared and she nced at the maid, twisting her handkerchief in her hands. She was blushing so hard she could not speak.

    They could already see the study in front of them. It was just as quiet as usual as they looked at it. In the past, if Yun Yiqiu visited at night, Sima Lingyun would always be very considerate and ask the servants all to leave. He said that he was afraid of ruining her reputation. He said that he did not want there to be rumors about her because he loved her. Yun Yiqiu was touched by the small things that he did for her. A shy smile appeared on her lips.

    Her cousin was indeed waiting for her. Everything had already been done even at the study entrance.

 Chapter 88 The Two Jealous Women in the Dukeâ€™s Manor

    Inside the Study.

    Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were about done with their discussion. Mo Xuemin pushed herself out of Sima Lingyun¡¯s embrace and stood up. She turned around worriedly and asked, "Our manor is but a few streets away from yours. The front door would definitely be chaotic then. There will be many who wille and even those from the neighboring manor woulde over. If you appear at the front door, someone will definitely stop you and you won¡¯t be able toe to the back courtyard. Or if there are too many people and you can¡¯t leave, just take the back door. I will get the servants to open It for you."

    Even though they had pretty much decided on things, Mo Xuemin still felt a little uneasy. She had always been one to consider many things. As such, she repeated her instructions to Sima Lingyun again.

    "Rx, I won¡¯t forget. Your back door is closer to the ancestral hall. I will be able to get to the ancestral hall before long. When have I ever forgotten anything you told me?" Sima Lingyun stood up behind her and reached out to hug Mo Xuemin from the back with a smile. He peered over her shoulder and kissed her, speakingzily.

    It was not difficult for them to do this subterfuge. Many woulde to help if something like this happened in the Mo Manor. Then, there would be a mess and no one would care about a youngdy who was being punished in the ancestral hall. Sima Lingyun had gone through the back door secretly more than once, so he knew the way well.

    "Rx? I really can¡¯t. If nothing happened in the day, do I still have toe over tonight?" Mo Xuemin wriggled out of Sima Lingyun¡¯s embrace and said angrily. If not for what happened in the day, she could just stay by the side and watch Mo Xuetong¡¯s disgrace.

    "Min¡¯er, how many times do I have to say this to convince you? There¡¯s definitely something wrong with that Fourth Sister of yours. Let¡¯s not talk about how my willpower is usually. When have I ever touched a little girl? Your Fourth Sister isn¡¯t very beautiful, how can she dazzle me so much for me to forget what I had to do? I watched as Mo Xuetong got off the carriage and was entangled with her instead." Sima Lingyun was very angry when he thought about this. Their n had been going well until Mo Xueqiong appeared.

    Mo Xueqiong was the least attractive of the three Mo sisters. He had seen her many times in the Mo Manor. Her eyes always glowed when she saw him and she always pretended to be gentle. This irked him very much, especially when she stood beside Mo Xuetong. How could he just let Mo Xuetong get off the carriage and be with Mo Xueqiong instead? He felt sick just thinking about it.

    He truly despised concubines¡¯ daughters. An insignificant concubine¡¯s daughter had dared to covet the position as his wife. Of course, he would not say this in front of Mo Xuemin.

    "I will investigate what happened with Fourth Sister. Anyway, her reputation would not be too good after this matter. If you don¡¯t marry her but married Mo Xuetong instead, she will hate Mo Xuetong. I hope that she can be stronger and not lose straightaway to Mo Xuetong. I won¡¯t pursue what happened between you two. I have done everything for you and I hope you understand my intentions." Mo Xuemin did not like the arrogance in Sima Lingyun¡¯s words.

    He was just from a fallen Duke¡¯s Manor. Only someone as stupid as Mo Xueqiong would like him and treat him as a piece of treasure. However, she could not release Sima Lingyun from her grasp either right now. She naturally would not treat him badly right now. As such, she turned around and said spoke somewhat irritated. Her expression was beautiful and seductive.

    "Alright, I know Min¡¯er treats me the best. Rest assured, I will repay you. When the Duke¡¯s Manor flourishes, I will abandon Mo Xuetong and marry you, alright?"

    Mo Xuemin was beautiful under the light. Furthermore, her figure was slender and curvaceous. Sima Lingyun felt heat rush up his head. He could not help but reach out to pull Mo Xuemin into his embrace. He leaned in and kissed her beautiful lips wildly while muttering gentle nothing. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own.

    Despite all their interactions, Mo Xuemin had never allowed him to go to this step. It was a rare chance for him to kiss a beautiful woman. Sima Lingyun would naturally not miss out on such an opportunity.

    The room door opened with a creak, startling the passionate pair. They looked up from their embrace with expressions of shock. Yun Yiqiu, who was standing at the door, was as pale as snow. She trembled, holding herself up with her hand on the door frame. She red at Mo Xuemin angrily, speechless for the moment.

    Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun reacted quickly and the moved away from each other immediately. Mo Xuemin did not know who Yun Yiqiu was, but Sima Lingyun did. He looked at Yun Yiqiu¡¯s pale and beautiful face, biting her lips and at how she was shaking with her hand on the doorframe. If the maid had not been holding her, she would have already fallen. The expression on her beautiful and delicate face looked as if she had been dealt with a blow. Sima Lingyun could not help but felt bad for her.

    Yun Yiqiu had stayed in the Duke¡¯s Manor for many years and their rtionship was different from others. Furthermore, the two of them had already been together. When he saw how angry and sad she was, he knew that she had heard what he said to Mo Xuemin. He moved immediately, wanting to go andfort her.

    He nced at Mo Xuemin who had turned around calmly to fix her clothing and did not approach Yun Yiqiu in the end. He only said to her lightly, "Cousin, what are you doing here sote in the night? It is dark and cold. You had better go and sleep early. Your health is poor, you have to take care of yourself."

    "Cousin..." Yun Yiqiu looked at Mo Xuemin who was fixing her clothes with an expression of disbelief. She wanted to say something, but realized that she did not know what to say. She clutched the doorframe tightly and a rush of heat surged up her chest. She bit her lips and forced down the anger she felt. She red at Mo Xuemin viciously.

    Mo Xuemin was still very calm but could not help but look away at Yun Yiqiu¡¯s venomous re. She picked up the veil on the table and put it over her head. She was angry at Sima Lingyun for being so useless. He had failed at what he was supposed to do outside the manor and even at home, he was entangled in a rtionship with his own cousin. It was obvious that the two of them had already been together!

    If Mo Xuemin¡¯s future was safer and she still needed Sima Lingyun, she would have long been done with him!

    "Cousin, go back first. I still have something on." Sima Lingyun felt awkward when he saw how Yun Yiqiu was ring at Mo Xuemin angrily. He coughed and walked up to Yun Yiqiu and tried to gently persuade her to leave so that Mo Xuemin could leave. His meeting Mo Xuemin was a secret and it would be troublesome if a fuss was made.

    "Cousin, the matter that you have on is to be together with her. Who is this slut? Why is she here in your room in the middle of the night..." Yun Yiqiu¡¯s mind was nk with only Mo Xuemin¡¯s beautiful face in her mind. She did not care about anything else and the anger that she had held back earlier erupted. She pointed at Mo Xuemin and could not stop herself from shouting shrilly.

    Her usually gentle face twisted furiously under the light. It scared Sima Lingyun so much that he rushed up to hug her while covering her mouth with his hand.

    The sharp voice traveled far in the silent night. Mo Xiu, the carriage bearers and the servants were resting in the yard beside. They heard the voice and all rushed in.

    When they entered, they saw Mo Xuemin leaving in a hurry with her veil on. When she saw them approaching, she got onto the carriage. Mo Xiu heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no one else around them. She called for the carriage to leave and the two carriage bearers lifted the carriage with Mo Xuemin in it and hurried out of the estate while Mo Xiu followed beside the carriage with her head down.

    The study¡¯s door was half-closed. Sima Lingyun covered Yun Yiqiu¡¯s mouth and coaxed her gently in a soft voice, "Qiu¡¯er, be good. We don¡¯t have a rtionship like you think. I really needed her help which was why I did that. Look, if I really liked her, why didn¡¯t I just take her to see mother but have to meet her as if we were having an affair?"

    Tears streamed down Yun Yiqiu¡¯s face under Sima Lingyun¡¯srge hand. Her voice was muffled because Sima Lingyun covered her mouth. One could only vaguely hear her saying, "Cousin, cousin." Her weak voice coupled with her messy hair on her pale face made one¡¯s heart hurt for her.

    Qiu¡¯er, don¡¯t be angry, listen to me alright?" Sima Lingyun wanted to let her go but was afraid that her sharp voice might lead someone toe over and ruin things. He covered her mouth and asked her repeatedly.

    Yun Yiqiu almost could not breathe under hisrge hand. Her health had always been poorly and she had always needed a lot of medication. She felt dizzy and her ears buzzed. The only sensation she felt was herself nodding forcefully. She feared that she would suffocate if Sima Lingyun did not let go.

    Sima Lingyun pulled Yun Yiqiu into his embrace the moment he released her. He patted her heaving shoulders as she gasped for air and said gently, "Qiu¡¯er, be good, don¡¯t make a fuss. You aren¡¯t thinking of that, are you? If someone finds out, I have to marry her. I don¡¯t want to marry her. I just want to marry you."

    He said this very gently with eyes full of emotion. His gentle voice was like the running waters in spring, calming down Yun Yiqiu quickly. That¡¯s right. If she made a fuss, her cousin would be embarrassed. The woman would have to enter the manor because of this. Even though she did not know who the woman was, Yun Yiqiu knew that this was not the time to make a fuss.

    Even though Yun Yiqiu had never seen Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, she knew that the woman earlier was not the one her cousin wanted to marry. Her figure waspletely different from Third Miss Mo when she saw herst. Even though Yun Yiqiu was jealous of Third Miss Mo, she did not hate her.

    Her cousin had told her several times that she was the only one in his heart. That woman was just an object. She was an object that could help the Duke¡¯s Manor flourish again.

    She would naturally be abandoned by her cousin when she is no longer useful!

    However, who is the woman she saw earlier? Why did shee into her cousin¡¯s room in the middle of the night? If she had not heard wrongly, her cousin intended to let her be the Duchess. How could this be? Yun Yiqiu¡¯s heart that had just calmed down earlier began to despair.

    That position was hers! It could only be hers!

    "Cousin, who is she. Tell me who she is." Yun Yiqiu turned around in Sima Lingyun¡¯s embrace and asked him stubbornly, pulling on his sleeve.

    "Qiu¡¯er, alright, be good. She is just a working partner of mine. I will only have you in my heart forever. Good cousin, good Qiu¡¯er. Go back first. I still have something onter and cannot keep youpany." How could Sima Lingyun tell Yun Yiqiu about his rtionship with Mo Xuemin? He thought of how he still had something onter and that it would be troublesome if Yun Yiqiu was around. He nced at the maid standing by the door and motioned for her to take Yun Yiqiu away.

    In order to coordinate with Mo Xuemin¡¯s n, he had to prepare. Otherwise, it would be a waste of their previous efforts if he had not prepared sufficiently here. There must not be any more mistakes this time.

 Chapter 89 I Will Help You Climb

    Mo Xuemin had been the one to suggest that he married Mo Xuetong, and he had also thought of it himself. Mo Xuetong had the support of the Luo Manor, which was his greatest goal. Not only was the Luo Manor one of the four great manors that had helped in building the nation, they were also very powerful, just behind the royal family. They had a general in the family and an assistant minister in the military. One was schrly while the other was versed in martial arts. One was trusted by the Emperor while the other controlled the military. No matter how one looked at it, they were the best people he could have chosen to get help from to help the Duke¡¯s Manor flourish.

    Sima Lingyun knew that the Duke¡¯s Manor was on the decline. He did not have any court position and only had his title. If he wanted to be a court official, he had to have the support of a powerful backer. Mo Xuetong¡¯s father did not have a high position, but he was a trusted official of the Emperor. He had even heard that Emperor Zongwen intended to promote him soon. With the support of the Luo Family, it could be said that Mo Xuetong was the best candidate to be his wife.

    How could Sima Lingyun be willing to let go. Furthermore, as a man, her beautiful face had stunned him the first time they met.

    When he thought about Mo Xuetong, Sima Lingyun really wasn¡¯t in much of a mood to coax Yun Yiqiu.

    The maid by the side was intelligent as well. When she saw the impatience in Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes, she knew what he wanted immediately. She hurried forward to help Yun Yiqiu and counseled her, "Miss, don¡¯t bother His Excellency. If he really wanted to marry that woman, he would have allowed you to make a fuss. If Madam finds out about it, he would have to marry her immediately. Do you not understand what His Excellency wants!"

    Sima Lingyun released Yun Yiqiu and nodded at the maid with satisfaction. He continued, "Even a maid understands how much I like you, how can you not understand. I will forever only have you in my heart. Can you believe me? If you don¡¯t, then what¡¯s the point of us being together for many years in the future?"

    Then, he did not say anything else to Yun Yiqiu. He avoided her hands which were reaching out to pull on his sleeve. He pretended to be angry and flung his sleeves out before striding out quickly.

    He still had something on and did not have time to fuss with Yun Yiqiu. As such, he left angrily.

    "Cousin, cousin, I¡¯m not...cousin!" Yun Yiqiu reached out but did not manage to catch Sima Lingyun. When she saw that he seemed angry and walked out withrge steps, she copsed and fell to the ground crying. The maid moved quickly and caught her so that she did not knock into the corner of the table.

    "Miss, didn¡¯t I tell you that you shouldn¡¯t be worried when we were outside? Look at how much His Excellency cares about you. Yet, you did this to make him angry. Who wouldn¡¯t be angry if this happened to them. It is fortunate that His Excellency has always doted on you. He will go and look for you in a few days after he stops being angry. Just be nice to him then and everything will be fine. Don¡¯t cry anymore. If you really fall sick, His Excellency would be worried." The maid was really glib and she cleaned up Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistakes in just a few words.

    Her words which were both reproachful and concerned made Yun Yiqiu¡¯s tears flow even more. However, her mood was not as dark as before. She covered her face with her handkerchief and cried for a bit before saying hesitantly, "Cousin, cousin really won¡¯t be angry with me?"

    "Of course not. Look, you can¡¯t really do this and not make him angry. His Excellency will settle things regarding that woman. He does not care about her reputation. If he really wanted that woman, he didn¡¯t have to do it secretly. But you can see that even though he had hidden things from you, they aren¡¯t about those things. His Excellency is a man and men have a lot of business that they don¡¯t have to tell women. Men belong outside of the house and women inside. You just have to be in charge of the household then." The maid reached out to help Yun Yiqiu up and helped her to tidy up.

    This spoke very much to Yun Yiqiu. She fell silent and stroked Sima Lingyun¡¯s desk a few times. She decided that no matter what, she would not spread the news about what happened today. However, she would not let her guard down regarding that woman either.

    Her hand which was on the desk curled up into a fist. She looked into the space with venom in her eyes. She could not do anything about Third Miss Mo, but she would definitely find a way to find out who the woman who had appeared in the middle of the night was. A woman who entered a man¡¯s study in the middle of the night cannot be a good woman. She must havee intentionally to seduce her cousin.

    Slut. With her around, she would not let the woman get what she wanted!

    Mo Xuetong was kneeling in the ancestral hall.

    It has been four hours since she started.

    It was very quiet in the ancestral hall. She was alone. Mo Ye had already been ordered to go out to help out. Even though the futon below her legs were thick, her kneels had already swollen after such a long period of time. She felt as if there were needles on her knees and there was a dense pain on them. The heavy doors were shut and there were only a few longevitynterns on the altar table. The light was dim in the room.

    If not for the sharp pain on her knees, Mo Xuetong would have long fallen asleep under the dim lights.

    Many things had happened today. Mo Xuetong cradled her knees and could not help the bitter smile that appeared on her lips.

    It was not over yet. Mo Xuemin would definitely prepare something else!

    She had never dared to underestimate Mo Xuemin. In her past life, she thought that her gentle eldest sister truly behaved like the eldest daughter. Everyone spoke well of her outside and she was beautiful. She was also generous to her sisters, so Mo Xuemin truly treated her like an eldest sister. However, she did not expect to die in the hands of her eldest sister in the end.

    How many plots did Mo Xuemin set to make the Duke¡¯s Manor abandon Mo Xuetong and marry her!

    Furthermore, Mo Xuemin was very old then, but Sima Lingyun did not hesitate to choose her and abandoned Mo Xuetong and her child.

    As such, Mo Xuetong would always be wary against Mo Xuemin! She was a poisonous snake coiled up in a deep hole. It ate people and if she could not beat this beautiful snake to death, it would emerge and bite someone again.

    One had to beat the entire snake for it to die. Their previous interactions were not true battles.

    How does Mo Xuemin intend to deal with her so that she would change her mind overnight and be willing to marry Sima Lingyun. It was impossible to make her truly willing in her current state unless she had no choice.

    in what situation would a woman have no choice but be willing? If her reputation is ruined and if it was Sima Lingyun who had ruined her reputation. She was kneeling alone in the ancestral hall. Even if Sima Lingyun was very capable, he would not be able to enter the ancestral hall to ruin her reputation. Even if he really entered the ancestral hall and ruined her reputation, what kind of excuse did he have to appear in the Mo Manor?

    Mo Xuetong truly could not think of a good reason at this moment. She drew circles on the futon under her feet subconsciously. Her mind was jumbled.

    "It is sote, why are you looking for me?" Azy and unhappy yet mesmerizing voice of a young man could be heard.

    Mo Xuetong turned around and saw Feng Yuran sitting on the futonzily. He was wearing a deep purple robe with dragon embroidery which shimmered under the light. The light shone on his handsome face, making him seem even more charming than usual. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, his red lips curved in a vague smile.

    Mo Xuetong sighed softly. She truly did not want to trifle with this man. But she had no one else but him to call on right now. Without any evidence, her maternal family would not be able to help her. She had just arrived in the capital and was unfamiliar with things. She only knew that only this person coulde and go at night without any one finding out. She really could not find anyone else but him to help her.

    Even though she knew that he was very dangerous, she did not know why she trusted him morepared to Mo Xuemin. Perhaps it was because he had truly helped her before!

    She sighed again and observed him carefully. She realized that there was nothing else but a teasing glint in his eyes. That was when she slowly started to rx. She did not know why, but when she saw how uncaring andzy he was, she had a thought that since he said that he was her savior and that she had to repay him, then she might as well owe him more.

    This sudden thought scared even her. Does this mean that she had be reliant on him? She could not help but blush. She turned around to her side. Fortunately, it was dark enough and he probably could not see.

    "Do you want me to help you again? Since you owe me so many times anyway, just speak." Feng Yuran rapped his fingers against the futon gently with a smile that reached his eyes.

    "King Xuan, I will definitely repay your kindness in the future if I have the chance to. I do indeed need your help this time..." Mo Xuetong could not help butugh at herself since King Xuan had seen through her. However, she still had to say what she had to.

    "As long as you know. Remember each and every single incident. I will definitely ask for interest." Feng Yuran said, not at all polite about it. He was in a good mood. The kitten who waved her ws around was finally willing to put down her guard against him. It did put him in a good mood. His eyes shed to where she put her hands on her knees and his eyes darkened slightly.

    "This has something to do with you." Mo Xuetong did not like how she was always in a lower position when they were together and she gritted her teeth secretly. She regretted always lowering herself before him and was always controlled by him. She had not even said anything and he had treated it as if she owed him a debt.

    "Oh, why do you say that?" Feng Yuran¡¯s eyebrows picked up. He looked charming and devilish.

    "If you had not pulled me along to admire the plum blossoms, nothing like that would have happened. You even caused me to kneel in the ancestral hall. Don¡¯t you feel sorry about that?" Mo Xuetong was rather annoyed when she saw that he did not seem to care. It was not that she had wanted to reply on him. Her original intentions were to just walk around quickly in the plum blossom forest before returning to watch the show that Mo Xuemin was going to put on. If she appeared just as Mo Xuemin was putting on her best act, the rumors would have been dispelled and Mo Xuemin would not be able to plot against her afterwards.

    The old madam punishing her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall was just a branch of that incident. Feng Yuran truly could not remain unountable for the current situation.

    "So you can just mention me. I will be your witness and say that Tong¡¯er was with me earlier." A sh ofughter appeared in his eyes. His mouth curved up leisurely looking as if he had nothing at all to do with the current situation. It was as if he was just casually chatting with someone.

    Mo Xuetong, however, was so angry she almost bit her tongue. How dare he even say that. He could be her witness, but then they would be known to be in a rtionship and have been together alone. They would say that the two of them had agreed to meet to admire the plum blossoms. Should this rumor spread to the public, she really could not live anymore.

    Mo Xuetong was really irritated when she saw his careless attitude. She said, "Your Highness, you are the Emperor¡¯s flesh and blood and you are of noble blood. You are doted on by the Emperor, and are beyond the reach of the Mo Manor."

    "Look at what you are saying. Don¡¯t be afraid. It is alright as long as I reach for you. As long as you don¡¯t let go, I will pull you along to the highest branch possible. How about that?" Feng Yuran did not seem to agree with her. He waved his hand andughed graciously.

    "Many thanks for your consideration, Your Highness. However, the higher you climb, the more it would hurt when you fall. Your Highness, your branch is too high." Mo Xuetong said irritatingly and she red at him coldly.

    "Don¡¯t be afraid, I will pull you along! Everyone else wants to climb up but they can¡¯t. But Tong¡¯er you don¡¯t have to worry. With my protection, everything will be fine."

    He really liked what he was saying!

 Chapter 90 Fire at the Mo Manor

    "Your Highness, please mind yourself. If you came today just to say this, then please just leave!" Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face was cold, as were her eyes. She was already feeling irate and did not bother to y nice with Feng Yuran. She had yet to guess what Mo Xuemin wanted so she really was not in the mood to guess the noble prince¡¯s thoughts.

    "Alright, speak. Does your Eldest Sister want to marry you into the Duke¡¯s Manor?" Feng Yuran stopped teasing her. There was a charming smile on his handsome face as he spoke.

    "You know?" Mo Xuetong was stunned.

    "That Eldest Sister of yours is very vicious. I saw a building by the ancestral hall that smelt of gunpowder and oil when I came here just now..."

    Gunpowder, oil, fire!

    "Where is it?" Mo Xuetong sat up straight suddenly with shock in her eyes. Mo Xuemin was so mad to want to burn her to death!

    "On the left-hand side right beside the ancestral hall. It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anyone in there." Feng Yuran answeredzily.

    Mo Xuetong immediately understood Mo Xuemin¡¯s vicious plot.

    There really wasn¡¯t anyone in the room beside the ancestral hall. There were only some random things that were kept there like things used for rituals. They were all easily mmable and would catch fire quickly. They were at the back of the inner courtyard and the ancestral hall was close to the back door. Not many frequented the area usually. It would take some time to get here after someone spots the fire from the front courtyard. The few rooms right beside were also used for storage and stored things that caught fire easily. The whole manor would be thrown into chaos if a fire started.

    If someone slipped in from the back door then and raped her, no, he did not even have to touch her. If he carried her out of the ancestral hall, or if they emerged from somewhere with their clothes in disarray, her reputation would be ruined. She would not have a choice but to marry Sima Lingyun. Mo Xueqiong would be implicated as well and the two sisters would marry the same man.

    Mo Xuemin was really vicious!

    She did not hesitate to light a fire to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation! Or perhaps, what she wanted more was Mo Xuetong¡¯s life...

    If she rushed out then and showed off how good their sisterly rtionship was, others would only think that she was being gracious and not that she had a hand in this plot.

    Hate filled Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart and her hand clenched tightly. The pain of the fire burning her in her past life could be felt in her heart. Her heart was still bloody and hurt from it. The pain and the hate was something that she would never be able to forget...

    "Rx, you won¡¯t suffer with me around. How about I send her in here?" Feng Yuran smiled slightly and suggested, his deep gaze fell upon her face.

    "Alright, Your Highness, please bring her here. Please take me out after I exchange clothes with her. Just let the fire burn." Mo Xuetong frowned and said coldly. Her gaze moved slightly before she looked up and spoke with determination. Since Mo Xuemin wanted the fire to bur, she would help her with it and make it burn even brighter.

    "That¡¯s a good idea. I like it when there¡¯s plenty of trouble." Feng Yuran pped in agreement. His charming and soul-stirring eyes were cold. Mo Xuemin was about to stand and did not notice the sh of coldness, blood-thirstiness and cruelty that shed in his eyes.

    It was crowded that night. The Mo Manor, which had always kept a low profile became the topic of contention in the entire capital.

    First, the ancestral hall had caught fire. The fire had been swift andrge. The neighboring manors all came with their family to help the Mo Manor put out the fire because they were afraid that the fire would spread. The Duke¡¯s Manor, which was several streets away hade as well. Just while they were putting out the fire, someone mentioned that there was someone being punished in the ancestral hall. The old madam of the Mo Manor had fainted immediately.

    The fire had already started to spread to the ancestral hall and the door to the hall was already burning. If anyone went in to save the person, it would be extremely dangerous. Everyone was very anxious. Just as they were feeling worried, the His Excellency Sima Lingyun charged in bravely and carried out a person whose clothes were in disarray. Because of therge fire, Sima Lingyun¡¯s robe wasid on her and the two had skin-to-skin contact in front of everyone.

    The old madam who regained consciousness immediately called for the Third Miss of the family before rushing out.

    However, no one expected Third Miss Mo to emerge from the other direction with her maid helping her. Everyone realized then that the woman who had been half-naked in the fire that Sima Lingyun was carrying was First Miss Mo. It was said that Third Miss Mo had been feeling poorly and had fainted two hours after being punished. Her personal maid had discovered that she had fainted when she had sent food to her secretly so she had brought her out to let her take a breather.

    Just then, First Miss Mo who was concerned for her younger sister had brought food to her as well. However, the fire started just as she entered. She had secretly brought food for her sister alone. Her constitution was weak and her health was poor. The fire blocked the door and she could not flee and fainted inside. Fortunately, Sima Lingyun had rushed in to save her or she would have died in the fire.

    The whole incident was rather weird. But no matter what, Sima Lingyun and First Miss Mo having direct skin contact was a fact that everyone present saw. As such, the old madam brought His Excellency into the house to discuss the matter after the fire was extinguished. Those whose mind moved quickly immediately thought of the rumors from a few days ago.

    It was said that First Miss Mo had caught Fourth Miss Mo and Sima Lingyun together by the plum blossom forest. She was so angry that she had made the matter public. That incident had not been settled yet when something like this happened. Those who were gossipy said that the Duke¡¯s Manor was a few streets away, but His Excellency Sima had arrived too quickly. Those who were there to extinguish the fire all said that His Excellency Sima was already there when they arrived at the scene. Did he know that there would be a fire there...

    If that was true, then the rtionship between Sima Lingyun and First Miss Mo was really unusual...

    Furthermore, with the rumors of what happened at the Repayment Temple and in the pce, the whole incident sounded odder and odder.

    In the end, the conclusion that most people came to was that First Miss Mo was a concubine¡¯s daughter and she would not be able to get together with His Excellency because of her lowly status. Yet, the two were in love with each other.

    That was how the incident in which First Miss Mo caught Fourth Miss Mo together with Sima Lingyun came about. It was because she was jealous!

    And that was why Sima Lingyun was the first to appear at the scene of the fire. It was because of his lover.

    That was how he knew that First Miss was inside the ancestral hall. Sima Lingyun had disregarded his own safety and rushed into the fire because he loved her.

    ...

    All of these incidents had a reasonable exnation. The two had touched closely in front of so many people. The Duke¡¯s Manor naturally had to give the Mo Manor an exnation.

    They did not expect that the talented and famous First Miss Mo was only outwardly gracious but was actually a flighty person who would meet a man in secret. She had even ruined her younger sister¡¯s reputation because of her own rtionship with another man. It made others despise her when they thought about this.

    The usually gentle and elegant Duke was also a fake. He was in a secret rtionship with a nobledy. They not only met in a temple and even met in secret in their manor. Everyone spoke of the Duke¡¯s Manor with disdain. The fake and shameless concubine¡¯s daughter and the licentious Duke were a good match.

    Those interested in gossip were all watching the show. They wanted to see how the two families were going to settle the issue!

    In just moments, Mo Xuetong and Sima Lingyun became what everyone talked about. Everyone mocked, ridiculed, scolded and disdained them...

    They were all bad rumors about Mo Xuemin!

    The fallen Duke¡¯s Manor was also a topic they gossiped about!

    That night

    Inside King Xuan¡¯s manor, on the highest floor on the highest building on the left side of the manor. The moon was dim.

    The moonlight entered the room through the satin curtains, shining on the faint figure sitting in front of the window. The room was not lit at all because the prince that the Emperor doted on the most had been throwing a tantrum for the past few days. They even heard that King Xuan had fought for the most beautiful courtesan at a brothel with someone again yesterday. He made a huge fuss about it and was dragged away by Emperor Zongwen for a scolding. It made the arrogant prince so angry when he left the pce that he kicked several dozen pce servants he met on the way out.

    It made the Emperor so angry that it was said he threw the calligraphy paper on his table away and scolded, "Unfilial child!" Then, he sent his orders to King Xuan¡¯s Manor that he was not allowed to leave for a month.

    However, this also made many who were watching heave a sigh of relief. They had long since grown anxious ever since Feng Yuran appeared in the capital and became the most doted prince by Emperor Zongwen.

    Even though it was rumored some time prior that while the Emperor doted on Feng Yuran, he did not allow him to control anything. He was just a big yboy. However, the Emperor did not rebuke him for anything. The Emperor¡¯s edict this time was a direct rebuke. At the same time, Emperor Zongwen had also sent someone to reward King Chu and King Yan. Not many in the imperial court understood the undercurrents.

    King Xuan had truly lost Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favor.

    Emperor Zongwen was not a confused ruler. Even if King Xuan were to gain favor again in the future, he would no longer be able to get the throne. A wise Emperor would not give the throne to a useless yboy prince. So what if he doted on King Xuan? He would only be able to guarantee King Xuan a life of wealth.

    Those who rxed turned their watchful eyes away from Feng Yuran and focused on their original opponents. The political grace period that urred because of Feng Yuran¡¯s sudden appearance changed. The political sensitive immediately started a new round of nning. King Xuan might have deliberately made it seem as if he had given up on Feng Yuran to confuse his subordinates.

    Who did the Emperor truly favor? Was it the gentle and erudite King Chu, or the just and honest King Yan?

    In King Xuan¡¯s manor, King Xuan, who was always arrogant and wild could not sleep well. He leaned back against the futon in front of the window and looked at the fire that leapt at the sky outside the window. The only thing that shone in the dark were his charming eyes. The satin drapes were really long and behind the screen stood three people other than him. The first was Feng Yue.

    Feng Yuran did not speak, and neither did the other three make any sounds.

    He was in a good spot and he could watch the fire reach up the skies. The skies burned red and was magnificent. Even from afar, he could clearly hear the bustling sounds of people talking. It made the quiet room seemed even more quiet. He could hear someoneing by with a drum announcing that it was three in the morning!

    "Feng Yue, pick a few people to go to the Mo Manor." Thezy voice had an unusual sharpness in it.

    "Your Highness, didn¡¯t you already send Third Miss Mo two secret guards?" Did a youngdy of a noble family need so much protection? Feng Yue nced to his side at Steward Wang. Steward Wang shook his head imperceptibly, indicating that he did not understand what His Highness was doing as well. He could only lower his head and ask. He did not dare to be careless at all when doing things for His Highness. Others did not know what His Highness was capable of, but they did.

    "There aren¡¯t enough people!" Feng Yuran answered lightly after some deliberation. There was a sh of allure in his eyes. He did not expect that the daughter of a fifth grade official could bring out so many clues that he could not track down in the past.

    "Yes!" Since this was what His Highness thought, Feng Yue did not dare to say anything else.

    "Wang Fu, how are things going on your side?"

 Chapter 91 King Xuan Plots as He Watches the Fire Burn

    "Your Highness, you were right. The assistant at the Mayor¡¯s manor is indeed King Yan¡¯s man. He¡¯s been trying very hard to make your business public. The rumors the Emperor heard were also sent to him by King Yan. Of course, King Yan yed a huge part in this. Some of the Emperor¡¯s guards are King Yan¡¯s people. Of which, the assistant director of the guards has only been in his position for a year. While it doesn¡¯t look like he has anything to do with King Yan on the surface, we found out after a thorough check that his mother is King Yan¡¯s nursemaid¡¯s sister." Steward Wang reported the information he found out respectfully.

    "The assistant director of the Emperor¡¯s guards is a good position. It is a fifth-grade position and he is allowed weapons..."Thezy voice seemed to beughing. His voice trailed off and he suddenly ordered loudly, "Let Qin Ming do well. If there¡¯s a chance, help him get rewarded for his military works and let him join the Emperor¡¯s guards and check out the assistant director carefully. Report everything no matter how insignificant they are. You just pick out the important details for me."

    "Yes, I will definitely pick carefully. Your Highness, the officials around His Majesty have been moved around a lot recently. The Xie and Yu family who have always been settled far out have all been moved here. It was said that the Yu family even sent a beauty to thew minister who dotes on her a lot. He is also very close to the Yu family. There¡¯s nothing odd about the Xie family though. They only interacted with a few families they are close with aftering to the capital, unlike the Yu family who visits everyone." Steward Wang reported.

    "You don¡¯t have to bother with this matter. Find out who the beauty is rted to!" He noddedzily, drawing on the surface of the table and spoke meaningfully.

    "Yes!" Steward Wang understood and answered before leaving.

    Shen Kun who was behind him approached. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, just like what you expected, the position of imperial censor to the left cities might go to Qin Zheng. The Emperor issued an edict to reward him for being just and upright. He even gave him a calligraphy piece with "Just" on it. I think the Ling family that the Empress supports is out of the game now. They submitted a report, but the Emperorughed coldly and threw it to the side after reading it, but he did not say anything about it."

    "The Empress has too long of a reach. Father would naturally be unhappy about it. The Ling family is one of the major four families that had helped in nation building and is also the Empress¡¯ family. Does he want to prove the rumors in court right? It is rare for the Empress to remember to console me after the matter. She even sent gifts to console me. Give her a hefty present tomorrow and tell her that I cannot return because I have been confined in my own manor. When His Majesty releases me, I will go personally to the pce to thank her."

    Feng Yuran nodded. Moonlight shone through the window and upon his handsome face. His face looked as if it was glowing, especially his dark and glittering eyes. They shone, dark and deep with an arrogant and charming aura. His smile was like that of an arrogant victor.

    After discussing the matter, Feng Yuran waved his hand and got them to leave. He suddenly spoke just as they were leaving, "Wang Fu, bring my Jinwei Pavilion here."

    "Your Highness..." Steward Wang paused for a second and he stopped in his steps. He turned around in confusion. How was he going to move a building!

    "Tell them that I can¡¯t sleep well at night and want to sleep in a tall building." Feng Yuran waved his hand and stopped Steward Wang from speaking. He suddenly raised his voice and said, "This ce is good. I like it here. Renovate the lower level and build a tform outside. I won¡¯t have to leave this ce when I want to watch people sing and dance in the future. Father won¡¯t always scold me for being useless then."

    Feng Yuran smiledzily and charmingly. He did not look like he was ordering his subordinates but was more like trying to show how dissatisfied he felt. It was a dissatisfaction against Emperor Zongwen. There was a slight breeze that blew past the window. His ck hair danced in the wind, sweeping across his handsome face. His deep-set eyes shone with an amber light.

    "Yes. Does your highness want to invite more female musicians into the manor?" Steward Wang was an intelligent man. His eyes swept across the dark night outside and he asked helpfully. Feng Yue and Shen Kun who were beside him were all versed in martial arts. They all looked grave and did not say anything.

    "Forget it, there are enough musicians in the pce. This will do for now. Father is angry at me recently so I shan¡¯t anger him or he will call me over and scold me again. It is really nice to admire the fire in this building. I was really bored. The scenery here is good so I shall sleep here tonight. You all can go." Feng Yuran said impatiently.

    He was so interested in watching the fire burning someone¡¯s home and intended to stay here to watch the drama! He had even extinguished the lights to watch the fire burn. It showed how bored King Xuan was. The figure in the dark watched speechlessly as Steward Wang left respectfully. The figure thought for a moment and then disappeared from its spot on therge tree by the building.

    "Your Highness, King Chu¡¯s man has left. I fear that King Chu is worried about you." Feng Yue and Shen Kun did not leave. Feng Yue only spoke softly when he heard that the whistle of the wind had stopped.

    "Alright, you all can go too. I will rest here for the night. Get Wang Fu to bring my possessions here tomorrow. Since they want to watch me y and do nothing, then they can just watch!" Feng Yuran closed his eyes and said lightly.

    Feng Yue and Shen Kun answered in affirmative but did not leave. The two of them entered an inner chamber, opened a secret door and left.

    It was quiet in the building. Only the handsome Feng Yuran was left, lying on his gold colored silk pillow. His hair was not tied up since he was in his room. His dark long hair was spread casually on the satin. His eyes were closed and his expression was calm and peaceful. The moon shone on the side of his face and he looked unlike his usual wild and yboy self. Instead, he seemed cold and other than the usualzy and distant expression he usually had on his expression, one would find it hard that this cold and quiet beautiful young man was the same arrogant, wild and charming man he was in the day.

    Some people were never like what they seemed on the surface. And sometimes, what you saw was not the truth either...

    In Fuqing Garden in the Mo Manor:

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression was dark. Her expression was ferocious as opposed to her usual gentleness.

    Her hair was a little burnt and was stuck to the side of her face. She had not the time to deal with it yet. Her fingers were on the table and she wrung her handkerchief tightly. She shuddered from time to time, gritting her teeth. She was furious and her expression was cold, dark, and venomous.

    She really did not want to. How could she be willing to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine.

    "Miss..." Mo Xiu shook by the side. She wanted to console her mistress.

    "You shut up!" Mo Xuemin¡¯s face twitched as she red at Mo Xiu. It was as if she had only just realized she was not the only one in the room.

    She picked up a white jade decorative piece and threw it at Mo Xiu viciously.

    Mo Xiu could not dodge in time and was hit. She backed away quickly and tripped at the threshold of the door, falling by the door. The decorative piece fell on her and shattered. A few pieces pierced through her skin and blood flowed from her arms and the edges of her skirt. Mo Xiu did not dare to say anything as she looked at Mo Xuemin¡¯s current state. She knelt down with difficulty, shaking. One did not know if she was in pain or afraid.

    "Go, tell Sima Lingyun that if he does not make me his main wife, I will make what happened today public." She gritted her teeth, enunciating every word carefully. Under the light, her burnt and messy hair and ferocious expression was as cold and sinister as the devil. Anger filled her eyes.

    Mo Xiu did not dare say anything else. She mbered up hurriedly, her beautiful face filled with fear. She fell again because of her anxiousness and she cut her leg on the shattered ceramic on the floor. She did not even care to cry out in pain. Instead, she held onto the wall and bore down on the pain, stumbling towards the old madam¡¯s courtyard.

    This scene made her remember that day when First Miss returned from the pce. She was just as terrifying that day. Mo Jin who had followed her that day had disappeared then. Mo Jin was more loyal to First Miss then her. Mo Xiu did not believe that Mo Jin would do something without First Miss¡¯ permission. However, in the end, she had still gotten into trouble because of First Miss.

    Mo Xiu had never told anyone about this thought of hers, but it had remained in her heart!

    "Fourth Miss, the incident between First Miss and Sir Sima is definitely true. Everyone is talking about her marriage to Sir Sima and no one is talking about what happened to you. Everyone in the manor is all thinking that First Miss is going to marry His Excellency. The Duchess came over just now too and she is talking to the old madam right now. Other than the people the old madam brought with her, only Miss Yan can enter the room. No one knows what is happening inside." Mo Xueqiong¡¯s maid, Mo Yan wiped her sweat and entered the room, reporting to Mo Xueqiong.

    "Crash." Mo Xueqiong trashed a few teacups, leaping to her feet angrily. She pointed in the direction of Fuqing Garden and yelled, "We are both concubines¡¯ daughters. Why can she marry Sima Lingyun and be his main wife while I can only be a concubine? She even said that it was for my good and we have to push Mo Xuetong down. In the end, Sima Lingyun¡¯s main wife is not me. She was lying to me. That slut. She¡¯s really a slut."

    Mo Xueqiong was furious. Her brows were deeply furrowed. How could she not hate Mo Xuemin?

    They were both concubines¡¯ daughters. Why could Mo Xuemin be Sima Lingyun¡¯s main wife after they had skin contact? Did she and Sima Lingyun not reach that step!

    Hate filled her heart and her face was flushed. She pped down heavily on the table!

    Mo Xuemin, you want to be better than me and be Sima Lingyun¡¯s main wife. Dream on!

    It was chaotic in the manor tonight. The mistresses of each courtyard were angrier than the other. The old madam had also smashed a blue ceramic tea cup.

    "Old madam, don¡¯t be angry. If we were really to talk about this, the Duke¡¯s Manor is really not to me. His Excellency Sima is trying to save a life after all. If we really want him to bear responsibility and make First Miss be his main wife, it would be a difficult thing to do. Others would say that those from the Mo Manor are ungrateful and that we are trying to climb up the socialdder when they saved us." Nanny Hua, the old madam¡¯s servant was intelligent. When she saw the old madam smashing a teacup angrily, she gestured to the maid by the side to quickly take the cup away as she tried to console the woman softly.

    "It is true that we cannot do without a madam to preside over matters in the manor. All the girls do not know their etiquette and have lost their reputation. They even implicated Yan¡¯er. How terrible! They all want to marry and be someone¡¯s concubine. They were really taught by their concubine mothers. How can they appear in society?" The old madam received a fresh cup of tea and drank angrily. She was scalded by the hot tea and spat it out quickly, coughing furiously.

    The maids and servants were all flustered. They brought her cold water and towels. The old madam finally stopped coughing after a while and looked at the maids and servants around her. She said hatefully," You all are so worrisome. Leave, all of you. You all make me angry just by being here."

    No one dared to say anything else and they left hurriedly. Only Nanny Hua was left trying to console the old madam while she rearranged the teacups.

 Chapter 92 Mo Huawenâ€™s Promotion

    Nanny Hua had served the old madam since she was a child and had apanied her as a servant after the old madam got married. Their rtionship was unlike any other servant. She only spoke once everyone left.

    "Old madam, don¡¯t be worried. I think First Miss is a smart one and she will think for herself. First Miss¡¯ maid, Mo Xiu called His Excellency away while the Duchess was speaking with you. I think First Miss has something to say to His Excellency. I heard that the rtionship between the two is rather good and the Duchess likes First Miss as well. She would asionally get His Excellency to bring food and things to First Miss. She would not mistreat First Miss."

    Nanny Hua assured the old madam.

    If two daughters from the manor became concubines, how would the other Mo daughters marry in the future!

    The old madam was so angry earlier because the Duchess had only agreed to make Mo Xuemin a concubine. And she had said outright and also implied that Mo Xuetong should also be married into the Duke¡¯s Manor so that the two sisters can take care of each other. The Duke¡¯s Manor already had an unclear rtionship with the concubine¡¯s daughter of the Mo Manor and it was still thinking of the family¡¯s main daughter. How could the old madam not be angry? Being a daughter of the Mo family was so cheap that it was buy one get two free.

    After hearing what Nanny Hua had to say, the old madam calmed down and picked up the tea Nanny Hua brewed again. She took a sip and frowned with a dark expression on her face. She asked, "How was His Excellency¡¯s expression like when he returned?"

    "His Excellency stood in the courtyard with his head lowered when he returned. I could not see his expression clearly, but he walked around the courtyard looking rather agitated. Then, he kicked the little servant by his side. Nothing else weird happened." Nanny Hua was standing in the corridor earlier. Even though she could not see Sima Lingyun¡¯s expression clearly, she could see his actions.

    This meant that Sima Lingyun was very annoyed.

    "Did Min¡¯er and Sima Lingyun really have a secret rtionship?" The old madam¡¯s face was lit by the flickering light and could not be seen clearly. Her eyes were dark.

    "It seems so. But the Duchess was really weird. She is always considerate towards First Miss, but why is she like that now that First Miss is really going to marry into the family?" Nanny Hua asked carefully after she looked at the old madam¡¯s expression and felt that she was not as mad as before.

    "Humph, she is just doing that for show. She must have been interested in Tong¡¯er long ago! That¡¯s right. There¡¯s a main daughter around. Does she really want her son to marry a concubine¡¯s daughter and make her his main wife?" The old madam was not stupid. She understood then and pursed her lips,ughing coldly. The Duchess¡¯ love for Mo Xuemin was just to increase the contact between the two families. Her true target was the Mo family¡¯s main daughter.

    "First Miss is a smart one and her reputation has always been good. It would not be considered overreaching if she were to be His Excellency¡¯s main wife. I heard the men saying that His Majesty¡¯s orders wille down soon. First Miss will not just be the daughter of a Fifth-grade officer then. Her being a match for His Excellency would not be a big problem." Nanny Hua said softly while she observed the old madam¡¯s expression.

    The old madam¡¯s expression was still considered normal. Even though her expression brightened and darkened under the light, it was more grave than usual. She replied only after a while.

    "Min¡¯er is really an intelligent one, but she uses her intelligence in the wrong ce. No wonder she said something like that to me in the day. There really isn¡¯t anything in the manor that she doesn¡¯t know about," The old madam said coldly.

    "She still has Auntie Fang in the manor! I heard that Auntie Fang got everything she wanted before you came. She was really powerful. I heard that she is the long-lost daughter of the Yu family. And if we were to think about this, it would not be difficult for her to be a main wife." Nanny Hua said with a smile.

    "Humph, she has to have the fortune to do that. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. We will decide when Huawen returns. Anyway, they are all his daughters and I cannot make the decision." The old madam said crossly. She was smart and knew what was happening after the chain of incidents.

    Mo Xuemin was definitely involved in these matters.

    She really could not be bothered to care about a vicious concubine¡¯s daughter.

    "Old madam, look at you, you are the most senior in this manor. Even old sir has to listen to you! However, it is indeedte and you have to rest. Don¡¯t fall ill. It won¡¯t be toote to discuss the matter when old sir returns. If First Miss is interested, she can make the Duke¡¯s Manor agree." Nanny Hua smiled as she helped the old madam remove her essories andb her hair, preparing for bed.

    "Forget it. It would be considered good as long as I don¡¯t get cheated again. The older ones don¡¯t matter, but this girl child is so vicious that she would even plot against her sisters."

    "Miss Yan who grew up with you is gentler and more obedient. Look at her, and then look at Miss Min. Old madam, you had better worry more for your obedient granddaughter!"

    "That¡¯s right. I¡¯m old and can¡¯t possibly worry for all of them! Furthermore, some people would not appreciate it even if I worried for them!"

    "Third Miss?" Nanny Hua asked.

    "Her punishment will be to copy the scriptures. How could she not be involved in this matter!" The old madam said, irritated. Not one of Huawen¡¯s daughters behaved appropriately. She thought they should all learn etiquette.

    The incident at the Mo manor had spread throughout the capital. Such incidents were trivial anyway. As long as the Mo Manor and the Duke¡¯s Manor both acknowledge the matter and worked together to suppress the news, it would not be considered big news. While Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was a little soiled in the end, it was not considered an embarrassment for her to marry Sima Lingyun.

    However, the two families had note to an agreement yet. The Mo Manor wanted the Duke¡¯s Manor to make Mo Xuemin His Excellency¡¯s main wife while the Duke¡¯s Manor only agreed to make her a concubine. As such no one suppressed the rumors. The Mo Manor did not have anyone in charge and really could not do anything. The Duke¡¯s Manor remained silent and those curious about the matter discussed about it fervently.

    Because the rumors had not been suppressed, they circted and grew more and more outrageous. It became more and more unfavorable to the Mo Manor. After all, the Great Qin had always been stricter towards women than men.

    Luo Mingzhu went to the Mo Manor early in the morning, but the person at the door had only informed her coldly that Third Miss was ill and wanted to make her leave. Luo Mingzhu thought of what Mo Xuemin had said yesterday and pulled out the General¡¯s Manor name before barging into the Mo Manor with her maids and servants.

    When she arrived at Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden, she discovered that Mo Xuetong had been made to copy scriptures all night as punishment. She had not slept at all. When she saw Luo Mingzhu enter, she fainted before she could say much.

    Luo Mingzhu grew angry then. She sent someone to inform her grandmother while helping Mo Xuetong settle into bed. Then, she called for a physician. This made the already chaotic Mo Manor even more chaotic. The old madam had been called into Qingwei Garden early in the morning in a rush and before she could even sit, Old Madam Xu arrived, furious.

    Old Madam Xu was titled while the old madam did not. She could not sit if Old Madam Xu did not allow her to. Nanny Hua stood with her, cating her with niceties.

    Nanny Hua exined that everything started yesterday when Third Miss left the ancestral hall without permission. Then, the incident had happened. Old madam was so angry that she ordered Mo Xuetong to copy scriptures right there and then.

    Then, because of what happened between First Miss and the Duchess, she had been in a bad mood. She was old and had forgotten that Third Miss was still copying scriptures. Of course, even if she had thought of Third Miss, she would not let her stop either. She did not expect Third Miss to be so weak that she would faint again after copying scriptures for an entire night.

    Now that something like that had happened, causing the General¡¯s Manor toe to find out what exactly happened, the old madam felt embarrassed and angry for she had been ignored despite her old age. She almost fainted. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong regained consciousness then and told the old madam to sit. Sheforted the Old Madam in gentle tones, saying that she was fine and took the me for the entire matter obediently which was why the Old Madam had not gotten angry right there and then.

    However, even so, Old Madam Xu did not make things easy for old madam Mo. Sheined that Mo Xuetong was a child no one loved and in the end, she chatted with old madam Mo with a sour expression. Her intentions were clear. If the Mo Manor bullied the motherless child again, the Luo Manor did not mind raising the child for them.

    This was something old madam Mo could not ept. If outsiders found out that the Mo Manor could not even afford to raise their main daughter, it would be an embarrassment to the entire Mo Manor. Mo Xuetong going over to the Luo Manor to stay earlier could be exined by the fact that Old Madam Xu had missed her granddaughter whom she had not seen in a long time. If Mo Xuetong went to stay for another few weeks, the Mo Manor would be too embarrassed to associate with the other families.

    She guaranteed then and there that something like this would never happen again. After her many assurances, Old Madam Xu finally brought Luo Mingzhu with her and left the manor, satisfied.

    Mo Huawen returned to the manor in the afternoon. He visited the old madam in the back courtyard, but before they could speak much, the imperial edict came. Mo Huawen immediately went to the front to receive it.

    The imperial edict was calm and peaceful. It stated that Mo Huawen loved his country and had contributed to it very much over the years. He was a capable man that His Majesty trusted. As such, he was to be promoted three ranks from a Fifth-grade officer to a Third-grade officer. He would also be named the capital¡¯s governor.

    Being promoted three ranks at one go and being named governor at the same time was an honor no one had ever received before. Mo Huawen was not just a third-grade officer. In the Qin Empire, there were many first and second grade officers, being a third-grade officer was not a high post. However, being promoted three ranks in a row and granted a post with true power meant a lot.

    Mo Huawen used to be a fifth-grade officer and was not considered anyone powerful in the capital. However, he was a subject trusted by the Emperor. It was said that Mo Huawen was a man of Emperor Zongwen even before he had taken the throne. He had always been trusted and thought highly of by Emperor Zongwen. Even as a fifth-grade officer, he was different from other fifth-grade officers.

    Emperor Zongwen would always call on him if there was anything.

    He had even been given the special honor of being promoted three ranks at one go now. The smarter ones had gone to the Mo Manor to congratte Mo Huawen immediately after the imperial edict was released. Mo Huawen was very busy. He set up a huge banquet for it. The Mo family and servants had never experienced such a bustle and everyone was busy with this matter.

    The rumors were suppressed unintentionally, but the matter boiled and bubbled beneath the surface!

    Qingwei Garden

    Mo Xuetong sat up in her bed. She squinted as she looked out of the window. The weather was good for it was sunny even on this winter day. She touched her head. She still felt slightly dizzy. Even though she had recuperated for some time in the General¡¯s Manor for some time, she was still weak and could not even hold on after one night of punishment.

    "Miss, you are awake. Does your head still hurt? Should we get a physician?" Mo Yu lifted the curtains and entered. She was holding onto a basin of warm water. She hurriedly put it down when she saw Mo Xuetong sitting up with her head in her hands. She approached and touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s head.

    "Don¡¯t get the physician. I am just a little tired. It¡¯s no big deal." Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Herplexion was a little pale.

 Chapter 93 Auntie Fang Announces Her Pregnancy

    "Miss, I told you not to copy the scripturesst night and told you that your body can¡¯t take it, but you refused to listen. Look at you now, you haven¡¯t done anything and you¡¯re ill again. The Old Madam told me before she left not to let you tire yourself out, or she would punish me. Please listen to me seeing how hard I try to wait on you. Please rest more and work less. It is more important for you to recoverpletely."

    Mo Yu¡¯s nagging was not any weaker than Mother Xu¡¯s. Sheined and pouted, making Mo Xuetongugh.

    "Youss, how can Miss praise you with that mouth of yours? Let Miss wash her face first. We brought porridge from the front. Miss, you haven¡¯t eaten yet and must be hungry." Mo Lan entered, holding a bowl of fragrant porridge. She put down the bowl carefully on the table and set up the cutlery.

    "Miss, get up and drink some porridge first, or Mo Lan will say that I am being thoughtless. Mo Lan made the porridge today. She hasn¡¯t cooked in a long time, and I really want to eat the porridge that she cooked." Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong off the bed and smiled as she helped her with washing up. She even lifted her nose and sniffed, "It smells great!"

    Mo Lan made really good porridge, she would make some from time to time while they were in Cloud City. Then, there were not many who were concerned about Mo Xuetong in the Qin manor. If they wanted to eat anything good, they had to make it themselves. Mo Lan and Mother Xu would buy fresh ingredients outside to make nourishing food for Mo Xuetong. They would cook it themselves and make tasty porridge and dishes.

    "Has Father gone to see Grandmother after his return?" The exquisite white porridge was very tasty. It was very appetizing when eaten with crunchy cucumbers. This was especially so since Mo Xuetong was really hungry. She had not had a meal since yesterday, and she ate two whole bowls before she stopped. After rinsing her mouth, she leaned against her pillows, resting her hand on her stomach in satisfaction. She asked Mo Lan while Mo Lan was cleaning up the table.

    "I heard that Old Sir had only just met the old madam when the imperial edict arrived. He might still be unaware of what happened to First Miss!" Mo Lan knew what Mo Xuetong wanted to know. She looked up with a smile.

    "Did Eldest Sister not do anything?" Mo Xuetong¡¯s brows lifted and she sprawled back against the pillow, blinking naughtily as she asked Mo Lan.

    "First Miss is being really quiet. The doors to Fuqing Garden are tightly shut and nothing happened. Mo Xiu came out once. I heard that she had hurt herself trying to save First Miss. There were wounds all over her hands and legs when she came out that one time."

    Mo Xiu was Mo Xuemin¡¯s most capable maid. There used to be Mo Jin as well, but after her mysterious disappearance, Mo Xiu became Mo Xuemin¡¯s only probe to the outside world.

    "Mo Yu, were you from the same vige as Mo Xiu?" Mo Xuetongid across the pillows and asked Mo Yuzily. Mo Yu was taking out needle and thread, preparing to do some embroidery.

    "Miss, you still remember that. Mo Xiu is not just from the same vige as I am. Her mother is a distant cousin of my mother. If we were really to talk about this, she could be considered my mother¡¯s cousin." Mo Yu thought about it and answered.

    "Since she is your cousin, Mo Yu, don¡¯t you intend to visit your injured cousin?" Mo Xuetong nced at Mo Yu pointedly.

    "Miss, you mean..." Mo Yu was a little hesitant.

    "Miss did not mean anything. She¡¯s just telling you to visit your cousin and show your concern for her. It is rare for one to have a rtive in the same manor. How can you not visit her? She¡¯s injured and has no one to care for her. That¡¯s not very nice." Mo Lan understood what Mo Xuetong meant and she spoke with a smile.

    "Oh...I understand." Mo Yu was an intelligent person and she immediately understood with Mo Lan¡¯s counsel. She put down the needle and thread in her hands and stood up. "Miss, I really miss my cousin. It is difficult for her, for she only had time to go out now even after suffering such severe injuries. I have to go and show concern for her and tell her about some things about Mo Jin."

    "Girl, you¡¯re so bad." Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes smiled as she scolded.

    "I am a good person. I am going to go and show my cousin how concerned I am for her. How can I be a bad person? Miss, you go sleep for a while. I will go and visit my cousin now." Mo Yu had long understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s intentions. Sheughed and lifted the curtains, leaving with a jaunty smile.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the wavering curtains after Mo Yu left. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was somewhat dazed. She would never believe that Mo Xuemin had quieted down because she had epted fate. However, what exactly was Mo Xuemin nning!

    The Duchess would never allow Mo Xuemin to be the family¡¯s main wife. Even though their father had been promoted, a concubine¡¯s daughter was a concubine¡¯s daughter. With the Duchess¡¯ characteristics, she would definitely not relent. Sima Lingyun would not dare to go against her wishes and marry Mo Xuemin.

    Furthermore, Sima Lingyun was ambitious.

    Marrying Mo Xuemin, who was just a powerless concubine¡¯s daughter meant that they might get the backing of the Yu family. However, no matter how long the Yu family¡¯s reach was, they were just officials that were not from the capital. They had to find a way to stay in the capital, so how could they help him. A Duchess like this would not only fail to help Sima Lingyun but would also be a burden on him. How could Sima Lingyun agree?

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun had plotted against her and poisoned her to death. For the position as Sima Lingyun¡¯s main wife, Mo Xuemin had not even let her young son off. When she thought of that Mo Xuemin seemed to be able to feel the searing pain of the fire burning on her skin. Her heart felt as if it had cracked and she crushed the handkerchief in her hand into a ball.

    There was a hint of blood that glinted in her eyes!

    She would definitely send those two to hell in this life, and she would destroy them with her hands. The blood-filled revenge had to be paid with blood. She could not forget how her child¡¯s soft body stiffened slowly in her embrace. She could not forget how Mo Xuemin pinched her chin and forced the poison down her throat with Sima Lingyun. Her pain blistered and boiled in that raging fire while Mo Xuemin smiled with satisfaction outside...

    No matter what Mo Xuemin nned, she would not let her off!

    There was a cold glint in her eyes which were devoid of any warmth. She believed that Auntie Fang would not just sit and do nothing in such a situation. That thing shoulde out now. She had been waiting quietly for Auntie Fang to appear. Then let them battle until they perished!

    Indeed Auntie Fang was released!

    Mo Huawen went to Lihua Garden first thing after he sent off his guests and went to the inner courtyard. The rumors said that it was because Auntie Fang was pregnant!

    This news could not bepared to Mo Huawen being promoted three ranks at one go. However, it was more shocking than that in the inner courtyard. Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo were both shocked. Then, they brought with them various items to Lihua Garden in a hurry. Then, old madam received the news and sent people to bring her some nourishing products.

    Mo Huawen did not have many children and only Auntie Fang had given him a son up till now. When he heard the good news, he was exhrated. He ordered the servants to send all the good food and products straight to Lihua Garden. However, he did not forget his Third Daughter whom he felt guilty towards. After he gave the order, he paused and said, "Don¡¯t forget about Qingwei Garden as well."

    Auntie Fang who heard that gritted her teeth in secret, a dark look appearing in her eyes.

    She had announced her pregnancy now because she wanted to help Mo Xuemin out of her current predicament and turn everyone¡¯s attention from Mo Xuemin. Secondly, she naturally wanted to use the good news to help Mo Huawen forget what happened in the past. Mo Huawen was in a good mood right now. If she brought more good news, Mo Huawen would think that the child hade at a right time and would think better of her. She would be able to be the main wife then. However, she did not think that Mo Huawen would still be thinking of Mo Xuetong then. How could she not be enraged?

    After being locked up, Auntie Fang naturally knew what she should say at a time like this. She hurried forward and said with a tender expression and ordered, "If there¡¯s anything good, send them to Third Miss first. Her health is poor and she fainted this morning again. She even shocked old madam. If news of this spreads, they would say that we are mistreating our main daughter...Old Sir, get a physician toeter. Third Miss might have caught an illness that we do not know about. Her health is really poor."

    Auntie Fang said the first half of the statement to Mo Huawen. Mo Xuetong was described as a weak and sickly youngdy who faint all the time. Mo Xuemin was the concerned sister who had been implicated by her younger sister because she had been worried for her.

    "Yes, get a physician to treat Tong¡¯er. What are we to do with her poor health?" Mo Huawen said lightly after a while.

    "Third Miss¡¯ health has to be treated carefully. She is a young girl and looks as delicate as a flower. She must not fall ill, or it would be hard on her when she marries. Fortunately, I am done with my physician. Old Sir, do you want this physician to take a look at Third Miss? I heard that she still hasn¡¯t gotten out of bed yet. I hope it¡¯s nothing serious." Auntie Fang heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Mo Huawen had not gotten angry. She spoke even more kindly and tried her best to look like a benevolent mother.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s smile grew gentler, as did the way he looked at her.

    The physician who had taken Auntie Fang¡¯s pulse earlier was a famous physician in the capital. He had yet to leave and was packing his things in the outer room. Mo Huawen nodded and told the servants to bring the physician to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden.

    Everyone else in the room left. Even Auntie Fang¡¯s two personal maids were also waiting outside. Then, Auntie Fang carefully brought up Mo Xuemin. "Old Sir, what do you think about Min¡¯er¡¯s situation? If we really let Min¡¯er be His Excellency¡¯s concubine, how will others think of you in the future. What would Feng¡¯er do in the future? It is just a misunderstanding. Min¡¯er was just being helpful but it blew up in her face. What will she do in the future..."

    Auntie Fang¡¯s eyes turned red as she spoke. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and looked at Mo Huawen helplessly. She looked really pitiful.

    Mo Huawen was now the governor and was considered a powerful official. Furthermore, he was a trusted subordinate of the Emperor and had just received the honor of being promoted three ranks in one go. He was considered the newly appointed high official in court. Even a concubine¡¯s daughter from his manor could be a main wife in any court official¡¯s home. The Duke¡¯s Manor had long fallen. If put nicely, then were a family that had performed meritorious service. But otherwise, they were just a fallen manor with no true duties. Mo Huawen truly did not think much of them.

    The Duke¡¯s Manor was asking for too much, asking him to let his very much doted on daughter to be a concubine in their family.

    However, Mo Xuemin had been seen by everyone hugging a man with her clothes in disarray. Mo Huawen could not deny it even if he wanted to. Mo Huawen used to think highly of Sima Lingyun. But now that something like this had happened, the Duke¡¯s Manor was trying to take advantage of them while and make Min¡¯er be a concubine. This made Mo Huawen dislike Sima Lingyun. Furthermore, Sima Lingyun was also involved with Mo Xueqiong. Did he want both Mo Huawen¡¯s concubine¡¯s daughters to be his concubines!

    How could Mo Huawen be willing! His expression turned dark.

    "Old Sir, Min¡¯er¡¯s face was not revealed when Sima Lingyun carried her out that day." Auntie Fang reminded him carefully. This was true. Mo Xuemin¡¯s hair had been a mess and her face was smudged ck with soot. Her clothes were in disarray and she was in shock. She was embarrassed to be seen and hid her face in Sima Lingyun¡¯s chest, so her face had not been fully revealed.

    This was the only excuse Mo Xuemin thought of after a long while. If possible, she truly did not wish to marry into the Duke¡¯s Manor. The Duchess was just making use of her, and Mo Xuemin had never truly considered the Duke¡¯s Manor. She only treated Sima Lingyun as a back-up n. She did not think that there would be a day when her back-up n would hold her in contempt and make her a concubine. The proud Mo Xuemin would definitely retaliate angrily.

    Whenever Mo Xuemin thought of Sima Lingyun¡¯s helpless and fearful expression, she would feel angry and grit her teeth. He usually looked carefree and licentious, but when something truly happened, he was a spineless coward. He had ruined her reputation but did not know how to bear responsibility for the consequences. He had even used his power to stomp on her. But Mo Xuemin was not so easily defeated.

    After some thought, she felt that the only way to resolve the issue was to move Mo Huawen. She had intentionally instructed Auntie Fang to say that.

    She refused to be a concubine in the fallen Duke¡¯s Manor!

 Chapter 94 Mo Xuetong Faints

    Indeed, a hesitant expression appeared on Mo Huawen¡¯s face, recing the look of shock. After a moment, he asked, "If Min¡¯er¡¯s face was not revealed, why does everyone know that it was her that Sima Lingyun carried?"

    Everyone present said it was Min¡¯er.

    "It was said that the scene was really chaotic then, I could not go over because of my ban. I heard people say after that that everyone called out for Third Miss when His Excellency Sima carried a person out. They all thought it was Third Miss because only Third Miss was inside the ancestral hall then. Who else could it be if it was not Third Miss His Excellency Sima saved from the fire? Then, Third Miss came out from the room beside the ancestral hall, and everyone realized that it was not Third Miss. I don¡¯t know who called out and said that it was First Miss. After that, everyone found out it was Min¡¯er. It is such a pity, for Min¡¯er had gone to send food to Third Miss out of the goodness of her heart but had gotten into such big trouble. How is she going to live in the future?"

    Auntie Fang could not help but cry when she spoke about this. She covered her face with her handkerchief and started sobbing.

    Mo Huawen did not speak.

    This was really an unexpected cmity that had befallen Min¡¯er. The incident would not have happened if she had not been trying to be kind. Mo Huawen disliked Sima Lingyun the most. Thed used to be polite to him in the past, but how could his behavior be so unmanly.

    Even if the Duchess had said something like that, he only had to do what he had to. Min¡¯er would not be relegated to this current state where people gossiped about her. He had already gotten information about how bad the gossip was. The rumors about his daughter were terrible and Mo Huawen was furious.

    He felt that his talented and gentle eldest daughter had her reputation ruined by Sima Lingyun.

    "Old Sir, the Duchess said that Min¡¯er¡¯s status is not high enough and she can only be a concubine." Auntie Fang¡¯sst statement made Mo Huawen anxious. He was so angry he almost could not breathe. Was the Duke¡¯s Manor trying to get Tong¡¯er to marry into their family as well? His two daughters would marry into the Duke¡¯s Manor as main wife and concubine. Did they really think they were that powerful?

    "Min¡¯er will definitely not be a concubine in the Duke¡¯s Manor." Mo Huawen said angrily. The green veins on his face twitched. If Mo Xuemin were to be a concubine, it would not only be a hinderance to his position as a governor, everyone would look down on Feng¡¯er when he joins the government. If he had an elder sister who was a concubine in the Duke¡¯s Manor, he would not be able to hold his head up high ever again.

    "But, what are we going to do if we don¡¯t do this?" Auntie Fang looked up pitifully and helplessly at Mo Huawen. Her eyes were read and filled with unshed tears. She was beautiful, and she looked as if she was in trouble and did not know what to do. Even though she was not showing yet, she held a hand against her waist and looked up at him.

    A woman who was weak and helpless would be doted on most by men. Indeed, Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes grew gentler and stopped at her stomach. He reached out to help her sit andforted her, "I will settle this matter. Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, I won¡¯t let the Duke¡¯s Manor ill-treat Min¡¯er. She is both talented and beautiful and she is so kind. Sima Lingyun does not deserve her."

    His intent to protect Min¡¯er made Auntie Fang so happy that she almost forgot to pretend to be weak and gentle. Fortunately, her reaction was fast and she hurried to pull Mo Huawen to sit down with her. The two chatted for a while. Mo Huawen told her to take care of herself and said that he would handle Mo Xuemin¡¯s situation.

    Then, Mo Huawen visited Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden. When he arrived, he realized that the doors to Fuqing Garden were tightly shut. He opened the doors to find a servant guarding the door. She bowed and greeted Mo Huawen respectfully when she saw him. When Mo Huawen asked about Mo Xuemin, she replied that she had gone to kneel in the ancestral hall early in the morning and has not returned.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation had been ruined but she did not me anyone. Instead, she had taken the me herself and gone to kneel at the ancestral hall. When Mo Huawen thought of that, he could not think of anything else. He felt that his daughter was very sensible and obedient. He definitely would not allow her to suffer. He rushed to the ancestral hall.

    He was even more determined that Min¡¯er would not be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine no matter what.

    Mo Huawen nned secretly that if no one saw Min¡¯er¡¯s face then, they would just have to find a scapegoat. Or perhaps... Qiong¡¯er... He thought of how Auntie Fang had mentioned again and again earlier that Qiong¡¯er was interested in Sima Lingyun. Mo Huawen frowned lightly as a thought struck him.

    In Qingwei Garden

    The physician had already left. Mo Lan brought a prescription into the room to Mo Xuetong. "Miss, he only just prescribed some medicine and did not say anything else. He only said that you are very delicate and you should be treated with care and that you should not be angered or annoyed."

    Should not be angered or annoyed? Mo Xuetong harrumphed coldly and took the prescription that Mo Lan handed her. She had been very careful with medication since her rebirth. She definitely would not allow what had happened in her past life to befall her again where she had mistaken poison someone sent her for medication for her health. The reason for her mother¡¯s death was unknown, and ording to Mo Xuemin, Auntie Fang was the one who had killed her.

    Her mother was the Madam of the Mo Manor. If Auntie Fang wanted to kill her, she could only do it secretly. And poison that was given secretly was more effective than any other! When Mo Xuetong thought of her mother who had long passed away and then at Auntie Fang, who lived blissfully with her children, her heart hurt. That girl who had once been weak and sickly did not know why she had been gued by illness that could not be cured. However, she did not know that she had been poisoned.

    This hatred had been buried in her heart. How could she allow Auntie Fang and her daughter to stomp on her and her mother?

    There would be karma for doing something like this. It was not that she was not seeking revenge, it¡¯s just that the time is not right yet.

    She would not let Auntie Fang and her daughter off...

    "Miss, is something wrong?" Mo Lan saw Mo Xuetong staring at the prescription speechlessly and thought that there was an issue.

    "There¡¯s nothing wrong with the prescription. Go and get the herbs!" Mo Xuetong handed the prescription back to Mo Lan. She pushed the hair at her forehead back as she spoke lightly. She had only just nced at the prescription. If it was so easy to see what was wrong with it, Auntie Fang would not have been so kind to get someone to treat her.

    She had to make herself very sick so that Auntie Fang could not find anything wrong with her. After the past two times, Auntie Fang had be more intelligent and slyer with some pointers from Mo Xuemin. If it was not in the prescription, would she act during the boiling of the medicine? But the people who boiled the medicine were usually maids she trusted. How could Auntie Fang find the opportunity to act?

    If Auntie Fang did not want to make a move, why had she especially gotten the physician toe to treat her? It was said that Auntie Fang is two months pregnant. They said that she was depressed about being locked up, which was why she had not noticed. No matter whether Mo Huawen believed it or not, Mo Xuetong did not. Auntie Fang already had two children. She was so intelligent, how could she make such a rookie mistake? Did she really think everyone was dumb?

    It was such good timing for Auntie Fang to announce her pregnancy. If she announced it earlier, when Mo Huawen was displeased with her, he would not treat her so well. And anyter, Mo Huawen would be busy with his promotion and he would not be so ecstatic. This was the best time, when he received a triple promotion. There was double the good news and someone would spread the rumor to say that the child was a lucky child. Its conception had brought its father a triple promotion. The child would have a bright future.

    Or perhaps Mo Xuemin was involved in this too!

    But how did Auntie Fang, no, Mo Xuemin, know that her father was going to receive a triple promotion? Even though Mo Xuetong knew, from her previous life, that Mo Huawen would definitely be promoted, she did not know when. How did Mo Xuemin, a nobledy who remained in the house find out about court secrets?

    She clenched her fingers subconsciously. Her heart felt as if it had been tugged viciously. The pain suffocated her.

    An odd thought formed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. However, she could not catch it in time before the thought dispersed. She frowned slightly and thought of Qin Yufeng for some reason. Qin Yufeng was great at nning and had stayed by Mo Xuemin¡¯s side in her past life. However, Mo Xuetong discovered that the two had not interacted much in this life. In fact, Qin Yufeng interacted with Mo Xuemin less than Sima Lingyun.

    What role did he y in this!

    Mo Xuetong thought of the snowy day in which they met when he thought of Qin Yufeng. That precious picture and the reluctance to leave it in his eyes. Yet, he wanted to destroy it because there was a little dirt on it. Since he could not possess it fully, why was there a need to treasure it? He might as well destroy it!

    Would a person like this watch as Mo Xuemin married one man after another while he waited silently by the side, not doing anything? That¡¯s impossible and did not make sense. What was he hiding? Could it be that he had ulterior motives towards the Mo Manor?

    If that was true, what important thing had she forgotten in her past life?

    What had caused the greatest tragedy in her past life that she still had not found out even after dying once? If she could not find the cause, would she step on the path towards the tragedy she experienced in her past life? Would the tragedy that was her past life repeat again? The pain, the loss that she felt...

    She felt a piercing cold all over as a strong sense of hopelessness spread. She panicked, and felt lost...

    Fear, anxiety, lost, confused...

    If even she did not know the true reason for her death in her past life, how was she going to fight? How was she going to fight for herself? How was she going to protect those she cared about? What a joke. Was her rebirth a joke from the heavens! Hopelessness and helplessness filled her. She felt a sickly sweetness in her throat. Her hand holding her handkerchief shook slightly. She did not have time to react before she spat out a mouthful of blood. All became dark and only sadness and hopelessness filled her consciousness.

    Was she going to die now? That¡¯s good too. At least she did not have to suffer before she died! If what happened to her in her past life repeated again, she would rather die right now and be forever submerged in darkness. At least she would not hurt in the darkness and would not be tortured by cruel fate and be a joke to it....

    Her eyes shut tightly as two rows of tears slid down from her eyes helplessly!

    Mo Huawen was stopped on the way to the ancestral hall. When he heard that Mo Xuetong had vomited blood and fainted, Mo Huawen could not be bothered with Mo Xuemin. He hurried towards Qingwei Garden with his servants.

    Mo Xuemin only received the news after Mo Huawen had rushed to Qingwei Gardens. She was so angry that she shattered the dishes of foodid on the altar table.

    "Miss, don¡¯t be angry. We lost the chance this time, but there will still be next time. Old Sir always feels guilty towards you. Now that Auntie Fang is pregnant, even if he doesn¡¯t think of you, he would consider Second Young Master and the unborn child. There won¡¯t be a problem making Auntie the main wife." Mo Xiu picked up the shattered porcin and scattered food whileforting Mo Xuemin fearfully.

    Ever since she saw how enraged Mo Xuemin had been the other day, she had been careful when speaking to Mo Xuemin.

    "A chance? Do you think getting this chance is easy? I told Auntie Fang to say that she¡¯s pregnant at a time like this and then mention how much I suffered that day. I even told someone to stay at the doors to say that I¡¯m punishing myself in the ancestral hall. What do you think my goal was? It was to move Father and use the guilt he feels towards me to make Auntie the main wife! I didn¡¯t expect that slut to spoil my ns. I can¡¯t ept this. I can¡¯t..."

    Mo Xuemin was so mad she was almost crazy. Her face was pale and she looked ferocious. The hatred in her eyes made the empty ancestral hall feel sinister and scary. How could she ept it? She had nned every step carefully and reviewed every detail several times. She had used this opportunity when her father had received a triple promotion to release the news of Auntie¡¯s pregnancy so that her father would have a sense of double happiness.

    The child hade at just at the right time. Father would consider marrying Auntie and making her his main wife. Furthermore, her second brother was her father¡¯s only son. She had suffered such a grievance because of her sister at this time, and the Duchess¡¯s attitude was proof of herself being maltreated. Yet, she was still kneeling in the ancestral hall right now... She had so many chips in her hands, so while her father was really biased towards Mo Xuetong, he would still be considerate towards Auntie Fang and her three children. Furthermore, Mo Xuemin still had tricks up her sleeves. The Yu family had sent someone to visit the Mo¡¯s and give more suggestions to her father.

    Her n was so perfect, and everything was going as nned!

    But it had failed in the end!

    Mo Xuemin was so furious she was going mad. She wanted to tear Mo Xuetong that slut apart!

    It would be best if she fainted and never woke up ever again!

 Chapter 95 Xuetong Loses the Will to Live

    No matter how she plotted, she did not expect the slut to pretend to faint at such an important moment, ruining her ns. Mo Xuemin knew that it was impossible to find such a chance again in the future. With Mo Xuetong around, it would be extremely difficult to help make Auntie Fang the main wife. The slut had hurt herself just to stop Auntie Fang from being made the main wife.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart was filled with hatred as she gritted her teeth. Her tender lower lip had been bit on so hard by her that blood had appeared. Her eyes were filled with a vicious red color as well.

    She would not be so kind anymore. Auntie Fang can only be the main wife only if Mo Xuetong were dead. She would only be able to be the main daughter then and her elder brother would be able to take the helm of the family as the main son. Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother¡¯s dowry would be hers. With these, it would not be an issue even if His Majesty were to sanction her marriage...

    However, for all of this to happen, that slut has to die. Furthermore, she has to die in a terrible manner for Mo Xuemin to work off her anger! She wanted badly to cut Mo Xuetong into a million pieces. Her cold and sinister eyes spun towards Mo Xiu viciously. There was a glint of ruthlessness in them.

    Mo Xiu shivered and did not dare to say anything. She kept the porcin shards in her hands. However, she cut herself because she was afraid. Yet, she did not dare to say anything. The air was stiff and cold.

    Momentster, Mo Xuemin said coldly, "Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go and visit my good younger sister!"

    It had only been mere moments, but Mo Xuemin had already regained her calmness. Only those who have been by her side all this time would know how angry and vicious she was right now. Mo Xiu did not dare to say anything else. She tossed the things in her hand to one side and followed Mo Xuemin out of the ancestral hall.

    The sun was shining brightly outside. The winder sun brought a sense of warmth to one as it shone. Yet, Mo Xiu felt a bone-piercing cold as the sun shone upon her. It was even colder outside than inside. She secretly nced at First Miss, who was standing very straight. She had regained her gracious and elegant appearance. Mo Xiu could even see a warm smile on her mistress¡¯ lips. She looked just like how she looked as usual. Gentle and gracious!

    However, Mo Xiu¡¯s eyes could not help but twitch when she saw the smile on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. She crossed her hands together subconsciously, warming her cold hands. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at Mo Xuemin again. She hastened her step and followed behind Mo Xuemin to Qingwei Garden.

    There were a group of physicians who looked on helplessly in Qingwei Garden!

    They did not manage to diagnose Mo Xuetong. They only felt that her breath was weak and was barely there. The physicians that were invited in all shook their head and sighed. They only said that they could not do anything and left with their medicine case. Mo Huawen waited there anxiously with furrowed brows. He was not in the mood to care about anything else. He did not even bother with Mo Xuemin, who came over under the guise of a gentle and gracious elder sister.

    Mo Xuemin, however, was in a good mood because of this.

    Looking at the current situation, the slut seemed to be really ill. She had not intentionally tried to spoil Mo Xuemin¡¯s ns. A hint of evilness shed through her eyes. It would be best if she did not regain consciousness and died immediately. She cried for her Third Sister by the side of the bed weakly and cried, pretending to be worried. Then, she returned to her courtyard. If Mo Xuetong died, then everything would be considered resolved.

    As such, Mo Xuemin would not do anything for now. She would wait and see.

    While she waited in silence, Mo Xuetong¡¯s world was not as quiet!

    Was she going to die?!

    She walked on the dark path. Everything around her was endlessly dark. It was lonely and terrifying. Various scenes rose from the dark horizon. When she first learned to speak, her father¡¯s love for her. In the peach blossom forest, a young Mo Huawen hugging her beautiful mother. Was that her catching butterflies with her maids?

    Her young face was full of joy!

    The next scene was when her mother died. She stood outside her mother¡¯s room and watched as her father came in a hurry. She went up to him and yelled at him angrily. That was the first time she had shed her cowardly-self and spoke to her father coldly. That was Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin standing by the side. Their expression was one of insuppressible joy.

    So she and her father had already fallen into their trap then...

    What was that next? The chaotic scenes of her past life appeared again. Being discovered, fallen into a trap and having to marry Sima Lingyun. Even though she had 120 sets of dowry when she went to the Duke¡¯s Manor, but who knew how many were truly valuable? Auntie Fang had lusted over the dowry her mother had left her. To the outside world, she had said virtuously that she would add on to that dowry. But even the maids of the manor would turn their noses up at those.

    The moldy silks left in the storeroom. Battered tables and chairs, chipped porcin. essories that were gold-ted, and the miserable twenty-tales of silver at the bottom of the trunks...

    The Duchess must have been started disliking her at first because of that! That¡¯s why she had looked down on Mo Xuetong and made things difficult for her!

    She slowly realized that Sima Lingyun¡¯s neglect towards her after marrying into the Duke¡¯s Manor. However, she had lied to herself and pretended not to notice. She thought that the loving Sima Lingyun was just too busy, which was why he was so impatient towards her. She had even gone to the General¡¯s Manor especially and knelt before her grandmother, asking her two uncles to help Sima Lingyun.

    However, she did not expect that to cause the tragedy at the General¡¯s Manor.

    The Duchess¡¯ harshness towards her in the Duke¡¯s Manor, Sima Lingyun¡¯s neglect towards her, the plotting amongst Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubines. The loss of her first child and the death of her second child in her arms. In the end, Mo Xuemin appeared together with Sima Lingyun and gave her the most vicious blow!

    She fell into the deep abyss from then on! That was how the fiery scene at the wedding started. The various scenes appeared around her. She was sad, crying, ming herself, and frightened in each scene. She had only retaliated after giving up all hope in thest scene. She had dragged them down with her, using her own life in exchange. However, it was all useless. She had died, and yet, they had been untouched...

    Everything appeared before her. Other than the happy scenes at the very front, her entire life was a tragedy. She lived in a tragedy, being plotted against by others until she was forced to her death. Yet, she could not seek revenge for herself. Pain surged from her heart and spread throughout her, and she did not have an ounce of vitality left in her.

    In the darkness, Mo Xuetong huddled in a corner, watching the various scenes of sadness and despair before her. She would startle awake from her sleep angrily when she saw these scenes in the past. However, she found that she did not have the strength to retaliate anymore. The darkness was in control. There were a pair of eyes high up above, watching coldly as it controlled everything. No matter how much she struggled, she could not escape the tragedy that was fate.

    The pair of eyes high above were cold and heartless as it controlled the chess pieces in its hand. They all bled red with life as the heavens controlled them. Human lives were just chess pieces, and who was to say what was ck or white. Everyone could either be exalted or humbled! It was a world that she had never dared to imagine. Every time she thought of that, she would be sure to pretend not to care and tell herself that that was not something of her level. Her revenge was only on a family, and that was...

    That was not her world, so she did not have to care! But now, the clues or came together. It was a fact that she could not avoid. Could she really get revenge for what happened to her in her past life! This was the first time she did not feel confident in her rebirth. In fact, she even felt fear!

    She had always thought that her life would be blissful and happy after she defeated Auntie Fang, Mo Xuemin, and Sima Lingyun. As such, she had worked hard towards this. Even if she made little mistakes, she could walk out it quickly because she had a thought that everything would be different as long as they were gone.

    However, today, she did not watch the terrible and heart wrenching scenes with any ounce of fight in her. Instead, she despaired, felt lonely and helpless and gave up on herself...

    She had thought that the second chance at life was a new beginning. She could start further in front from the starting line so that Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin would not be able to plot against her. She would turn their vicious plots against them. She was no longer that Mo Xuetong whom anyone could bully, nor the Mo Xuetong who had died from torture at their joint hands. She had been rebirthed in the fire, and it was as if everything in the past had been overturned. Everything that had happened would be sins pinned upon them. She would definitely send them to hell.

    She did not expect that she would discover a long time after her rebirth, that she had not been fully aware of the reason behind her tragedy. How was she to fight, and who was she to fight against? She had some questions that she had never asked. She had forgotten them subconsciously. However, they appeared clearly in her mind in this moment of loneliness and helplessness.

    Her mother had already died in her past life and it was a given that Auntie Fang would be made the main wife. What had she done to be a hindrance to the mother-daughter pair that they had to kill her? They had done so relentlessly. She remembered how Mo Xuemin had spoken ferociously by her ear. Even though she had already drunk the cup of poison then and was in so much pain she had lost all her senses it felt as if she was going to die, she still heard a few words. The pce?

    Mo Xuemin seemed to have said something about a person in the pce. However, she had passed out in pain then and could not hear clearly!

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s ambition was to marry into the pce and enjoy the wealth and luxury there. What had happened in the pce then for her to not dare to think of marrying into the pce again?

    Who was Qin Yufeng? He was an arrogant and proud person. Why would he support Mo Xuemin to the end and help her with her plots to marry one man after another? He would rather destroy a painting he loved rather than to gift it to someone, much less a woman he loved. How could he bear that heart wrenching pain unless he had never loved her!

    Then, why would he pretend to love her so deeply in front of others! Who was he acting for...

    Even though Sima Lingyun became an official in the end, he did not have a high position and had not taken away much from the General¡¯s Manor. What exactly was in that pot of flowers that would make Emperor Zongwen so angry that he would immediately send someone to raid the General¡¯s Manor? It was one of the four major families who supported and defended the royal regime. What was it that had shaken this century-old foundation!

    ...

    These incidents, one after another, was no longer something that belonged only in the family!

    It was politics. Politics!

    Why would a minor family of a fifth-grade official like the Mo Manor be implicated in politics? What did the Mo Manor have that others wanted and they would stretch their hands out to probe? It was like this in her past life and also in this life. However, she could not find the source of it all and could only watch as she stepped on the same path again!

    If this life would be like herst, then she would rather die now when she did not know anything. For the ignorant did not have to fear!

    Her heart was cold and she no longer had any desires or the will to live!

 Chapter 96 An Invitation from Mo Xuetongâ€™s Cousin and Bai Yihao Makes a Move

    "Sir, I heard that Third Miss Mo hasn¡¯t regained consciousness yet. They said that she was possessed by evil spirits and fell ill for no reason and then, her life force started to diminish." The air was fragrant by theke. The youth wearing a shirt that was as white as snow was ying his instrument elegantly. The sound of the music echoed into the distance. His eyes were closed as he listened to his subordinate¡¯s report calmly. His longshes remain closed.

    His long slender fingers moved on the strings of his instrument and the music stopped suddenly. The waterside pavilion quietened down. The sound of the northeastern wind could be heard. It was very loud as it howled by the curtains. Together with the sound of the running waters, it felt as if the sounds could be heard in one¡¯s heart.

    The man was quiet and it made one feel frightened. The secret guard shuddered and did not dare to look up.

    "You haven¡¯t heard that Third Miss Mo has any hidden illness, have you??" The voice sounded distant, as if it hade from the skies. It was crisp and faraway. A handsome face lifted slightly and bright eyesnded on the secret guard who stood across him. He could not help but frown slightly as he spoke elegantly.

    "Even though Third Miss Mo¡¯s health is poor, she has not had any major illnesses. She is just malnourished and is slightly depressed. Her mother died but her father does not seem to care. It would be hard to bear even if she was a little older. I have already checked. Third Miss Mo is not someone who can be bullied. So it is impossible that she has been bullied so much that she could not take it and vomited blood." The secret guard knew that his young master was a prudent perfectionist. As such, he had done aplete investigation on Mo Xuetong before he came and had even investigated everything about her in Cloud City.

    He was surprised by how much thought his young master gave this woman. And yet, he felt that this was natural!

    She was such a beauty, and even though she was not yet fully grown, she would be capable of causing countries and cities to fall because of her beauty in a few years. His young master was a master nner, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts. A beauty who could cause cities to fall was the best weapon against one¡¯s enemy. Any man would fall for a beauty. The Empress and First Prince would definitely have a fall out because of this!

    However, what surprised the secret guard was that Third Miss Mo, whom the rumors say was arrogant and useless, was actually smart and sly. She did not seem like a person who would ept her lot in life at all. As such, he told everything he knew to his master in detail. He would leave his master to make the decision about what to do.

    The secret guard truly admired his master¡¯s decisive judgement!

    "Is your informationplete?" Bai Yihao stood up. Even though he had just stood up, his tall slender figure had a natural elegance to it. He was noble and graceful. His hair was as ck as ink and his face was as beautiful as jade. He was very handsome, and his faint smile made his handsome face even more charming. He was like an elegant fairy.

    "Yes, the information isplete." The secret guard heaved a sigh of relief. He knew of his master¡¯s habits. He would either not do anything, or would be very well prepared if he were to do something. As such, the secret guard began to seek information about Mo Xuetong since he found out about the interest his master had in her. He had already arranged information rted to Third Miss Mo into a file for his master to read.

    "What about the Empress?" Bai Yihao picked on the strings of his instrument lightly. There was a cracking sound that pierced through one¡¯s eardrums, breaking through the silence in the air.

    "First Prince has always kept the painting well since he received it. Even his servants around him do not know about it. However, the Empress still heard about it. But she has not done anything about it and treats the First Prince very well." The secret guard did not dare to hide anything from his master, and he reported all the news he received from Yan Kingdom in detail.

    "Since this is so, then leave!" Bai Yihao had a mesmerizing smile on his handsome face as he ordered the secret guard to go.

    "Yes!" The secret guard answered. He did not dare to say much. His figure flickered and he disappeared from the pavilion.

    It was silent in the waterside pavilion. The wind lifted his shirt, and there was an added coldness in his beauty. He sat down again and his eyes turned dark. His fingers tapped lightly on the strings of his instrument, but he did not y it...

    "Sir, Young Master Luo is here." The little servant by the water pavilion said loudly. There was still some distance between where they were and the twisty corridors. Furthermore, the wind came from the northwest and the little servant had to speak loudly or the wind would carry his voice away.

    "Ask him toe here." There was a hint of a smile in the elegant and handsome eyes as he spoke gently. Luo Wenyou must havee for Mo Xuetong. He hade really quickly. He was so quick, he was rather unlike his usual self. Someone must have told him toe.

    Bai Yihao knew that each family was concerned about the matters about their own family. His position in Qin was awkward. He was the most doted on grandson of the Empress Dowager. Emperor Zongwen thought highly of him, but that did not negate his status as a hostage prince. He could ride his horse through the streets and go to banquets with beauties, he could also have many amorous dalliances with disregard for his status, beauty, and talent. He had never doubted his ability to attract those women, and he had never cared.

    Since Emperor Zongwen was grooming him to be a licentious person, then he would naturally follow the Emperor¡¯s will. Emperor Zongwen doted on him a lot because of this as well. Even though the Emperor did not ede to his every request, they could speak about everything under the sun. Of course, this was on the premise that he did not involve himself in politics. If he dabbled in politics, he would no longer be Emperor Zongwen¡¯s nephew, but the Qin¡¯s hostage, the Crown Prince of Yan.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s men all knew that, which was why they admired Bai Yihao¡¯s talent and were proud to see him in the banquets they held. There were manydies from noble families who would look at him longingly, hoping for him to look at them. However, if it was rted to politics, the subordinates of Qin would not dare to be too close to Bai Yihao.

    Some of the subordinates were not able to guess Emperor Zongwen¡¯s intentions, so they distanced themselves from him. They only treated him respectfully on the surface and were not friendly with him.

    The General¡¯s Manor was one of them. Even though Luo Wenyou interacted closely with him, he did not dare to invite Bai Yihao over to his home often, afraid that he would bring trouble to his family. The Mo Manor was the Emperor¡¯s new favorite. If Luo Wenyou got closer to Bai Yihao now, Emperor Zongwen would grow suspicious of them. Even if Luo Wenyou wanted to help his cousin, he would think twice about it. He would ask the elders of the Luo Manor and Mo Huawen for their opinion, and think about it before he acted. It would take several days for him toe to a decision.

    He would not act like this,ing to Bai Yihao mere hourster to ask him for help. Luo Wenyou was doing things that he would not do in the past. It seemed that a new master had appeared behind Luo Wenyou. Bai Yihao was interested in finding out more about this person! It was rare to find a master. Bai Yihao suddenly felt rather interested.

    The smile on his lips grew. His long robe fluttered behind him, as did his dark hair. He went up to the door to wee Luo Wenyou. He looked at the corridor where Luo Wenyou was hurrying up and a cold smile appeared in his eyes.

    What a rush he was in! It was obvious that Luo Wenyou¡¯s love for his cousin was not ordinary. The General¡¯s Manor truly cared for that granddaughter of theirs. That was great!

    In Qingwei Garden, Mo Xuetongid quietly on the bed. Her dark ck hair and longshes were beautiful. Her nose was tiny and exquisite and her lips were pale and colorless yet moist. It was a heart wrenching sight. Her long dark hair was scattered on the pillowcase embroidered with lily flowers, making her face look like shiny jade. Even though she was young, she had an indescribable beauty.

    She was stunning even though she was lying down quietly.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes were grave. He ced his long slender fingers on her tiny pale hand. Then, he slowly closed his eyes.

    It was very quiet in the room. No one made a sound. Mo Yu and Mo Lan stood by each side of their mistress worriedly, not even daring to breathe as they watched Bai Yihao take Mo Xuetong¡¯s pulse. It was already nearing nightfall and it waspletely dark outside. There were four or fivemps in the room so that Bai Yihao could see clearly.

    Mo Huawen was not around. He had been summoned to the pce in the evening. Luo Wenyou apanied Bai Yihao. He was just as nervous as the two maids. He frowned as he held his hands behind his back, watching Bai Yihao silently. He looked troubled.

    Mother Xu waited on the other end of the bed anxiously. She would nce at Mo Xuetong from time to time and then look expectantly at Bai Yihao. She did not seem aware that the sheets she clenched in her hands were soaked in sweat. She did not dare to rx at all as she looked at the two.

    Everyone stared at Bai Yihao. All the physicians who came could not give them a definite answer, and their hopes were all pinned on Bai Yihao alone. It was so quiet in the room that it felt as if one could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the room. The northern winds that howled outside made everyone feel even more anxious and gloomy.

    It felt as if they could not breathe! Sweat beaded on Mother Xu¡¯s forehead, but she remained unaware, twisting the muslin around the bed in her hands, allowing more light to enter from the side. Bai Yihao could see Mo Xuetong¡¯s color even more clearly.

    Some timeter, Bai Yihao slowly opened his eyes. Mo Yu opened her mouth anxiously but Mo Lan tugged on her sleeve before she could even speak and she hurriedly shut her mouth.

    "How is it? How is my cousin?" Luo Wenyou asked anxiously.

    "Your cousin..." Bai Yihao swept his eyes across Mo Xuetong¡¯s face with a faint smile. He turned around and sat down at a chair in front of the window. Mother Xu gave Mo Yu a look. The tea ced there had long cooled. Mo Yu took the chance to make him a new cup of tea.

    "Yihao, how is my cousin?" Luo Wenyou followed him.

    "Third Miss Mo is very well!" Bai Yihao smiled elegantly as he picked up his new cup of tea and sipped at it.

    "Very well? What do you mean?" Luo Wenyou was startled and he asked anxiously. His face was a little pale as he thought that Bai Yihao was speaking the opposite of what he meant. How would his grandmother take it if something really happened to his cousin!

    "Very well means that Third Miss Mo is not sick, strictly speaking." Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes were clear as theynded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s tender face. Her tiny face was still child-like, and her longshesid close over her cheeks. She looked lifeless and it was a pitiful and heart wrenching sight.

    She was a child, but why did she give a sense of hopelessness and despair? He frowned subconsciously and turned his eyes away. Her expression made him feel stifled as if he could not breathe for some reason. He could not even keep the peaceful smile on his face.

    He was always kind towards those useful to him. It was like this this time as well! He had to!

 Chapter 97 King Chu Visits King Xuanâ€™s Manor

    "How is that possible. She was alright one moment and then she suddenly vomited blood and then fainted and has not awaken since then. The physicians we got all could not do anything. Yihao, look at her coloring. Does she look fine to you?" Luo Wenyou was very worried as he pointed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale and bloodless face out to Bai Yihao.

    Her face was so pale, as were her lips. And her eyes were tightly shut. How could she be fine?

    "Third Miss Mo is really not ill. Her Qi and blood are a little weak is all. I will write her a prescription. Get someone to make it and get her to drink it. She will definitely regain consciousness in four hours. As for the others, we will have to see how her fate is!" Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face always made him seem elegant and gentle. Even though he was saying something like this in such a situation, he still seemed elegant and unrestrained.

    However, his eyes were so dark and deep that one could not see the bottom of them!

    Luo Wenyou was considered to have a close rtionship with Bai Yihao, but he was still stunned by Bai Yihao¡¯s beauty and focused expression. When had the unrestrained and wild Bai Yihao ever looked so grave? Could it be that his cousin was dying?

    Luo Wenyou grew anxious as he thought about that. He clutched Bai Yihao¡¯s sleeve and pulled him before Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed and pointed at her. He asked anxiously, "Yihao, what do you mean? What do you mean by see how her fate is? Does it mean you can¡¯t heal her and we have to leave it to fate?"

    When he thought of how his grandmother is still waiting for news at home, he grew even more anxious. His grandmother had hugged her sister, crying messily before he came over. If she finds out that his cousin is about to die, how would she be able to hold on? Her health was poor and he feared that she would pass away together with his cousin...

    "Wenyou, don¡¯t worry..."

    "How can I not worry? She is my beloved cousin." Luo Wenyou¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness and he interrupted Bai Yihao. His fingers which were holding on to Bai Yihao¡¯s arm shook slightly. Luo Wenyou felt that Mo Xuetong was adorable and loveable after spending a month together with her in the Luo Manor. He felt that she was beautiful and gentle and was innocent and perfect. Was she going to die just like that!

    He looked at her exquisite face which was pale and lifeless as sheid on the pillow. He felt as if there was a part of his heart that copsed loudly and he held on tightly to Bai Yihao¡¯s sleeve as if he had lost a part of his soul. He refused to let go and his eyes grew red.

    "Wenyou, don¡¯t worry. Your cousin is struck with an illness of the heart, and for that, she needs her heart to heal. Her life is not in any danger." Bai Yihao smiled and exined when he saw that Luo Wenyou was truly anxious. He pulled on his sleeve and brought Luo Wenyou back to the table, helped him to seat andforted him.

    "Her life is not in any danger?" Luo Wenyou looked up with red eyes pleadingly.

    "No!" Bai Yihao answered with certainty.

    "Truly?"

    "Truly." He answered helplessly.

    Luo Wenyou sighed when he received Bai Yihao¡¯s affirmation. His entire body sagged as he leaned back against the chair. He felt as if his back was soaked with sweat.

    That¡¯s good, at least she was fine!

    It was rare for someone to visit King Xuan¡¯s Manor, which Emperor Zongwen had ordered to be locked up.

    The steward outside weed King Chu, Feng Yuxuan and the Fifth Princess respectfully and carefully as they got off the horse carriage.

    "What is your Lord doing these few days? Does he few bored? Does he need any food? If so, send someone to my Manor. Eighth brother cannot leave his manor, so you all had better serve him well." Feng Yuxuan smiled warmly and elegantly as he ordered while he entered the manor.

    "Yes, My Lord was rather unhappy the first few days and only stayed in Jinwei Pavilion. He was not interested in having fun at all. He seems better these days. He even called for a female musician group to y for him today. They should be singing an opera right now. He specially instructed me to take Your Highness and the Princess in. He said that you are all siblings and there is no need to be so polite." The steward answered carefully. The smile on his face was extremely radiant, but he was very anxious deep down inside.

    He did not dare to reveal howzily his master had spoken when he said that. His Highness was his master¡¯s brother but he was just an insignificant servant. While King Chu seemed to be reasonable, he was just an outside courtyard steward who cannot do anything when King Chu rages. Furthermore, he still had the spoilt Fifth Princess by his side.

    That was a princess who was not to be trifled with!

    "Eighth Brother is having fun again. He¡¯s not afraid that Father will be angry when he hears about this." Feng Yuxuan frowned. His expression was one of slight dissatisfaction despite the smile on his face.

    "Eldest Brother, don¡¯t me Eighth Brother. He just cannot sit still. If he could really calm his heart and do things, Father would not have punished him. Father is really biased. He is worried that Eighth Brother would be bored in the manor and especially told you toe and visit him. I knew long ago that Eighth Brother is worrisome. See, I guessed correctly, didn¡¯t I? Oh well, I¡¯m rather bored anyway." Fifth Princess looked up with a beautiful smile. She peered down the corner of the corridor, speaking rather thoughtfully.

    It was difficult for her to leave the pce and she had only obtained permission this time with the excuse of monitoring her Eldest and Eighth Brothers. After all, she was a girl and was interested in gossip. She smiled happily.

    They could hear music and women singing. It wasing from what the steward said was Jinwei Pavilion. She heard that the servants had just cleared out that ce a few days ago. Feng Yuran liked that ce because it was high up enough that he could look out and see the entire of the capital at night. That ce was also big enough that he could hold a banquet with dozens of tables downstairs. Musicians could perform and sing there, and it was considered the best ce to have fun.

    He was such a yboy!

    "Eighth Brother is grown up and cannot keep ying around like that and just keep having fun. Father told us toe specially to see whether he has been reading and has any intentions of bettering himself. If he really continues ying around, then there is no reason for Father locking him up and he¡¯s going to get angry." Feng Yuxuan sighed, looking as if he was worried for Feng Yuran, like a good elder brother.

    Fifth Princess watched and secretly pursed her lips.

    Even though they were siblings, they were from different camps.

    The Fifth Princess did not have any opinions of her own, but she was the Empress¡¯ biological daughter and would definitely be in the Empress¡¯ camp. The Empress supported King Yan, Feng Yulei. King Yan did not have a mother and the Empress did not have any sons. Furthermore, King Yan was from her maternal family, which was why she had raised King Yan. She had done everything for King Yan. And even though the rumors outside said that King Yan was an intellectual, he did not have much thought about the royal throne.

    However, King Yan was rather famous among the schrly officials. He had interacted with many great schrs while editing "The History of the Nation" and became famous for it. He could be considered a match for the elegant and schrly King Chu. As such, many court officials thought well of the Third Prince. The Empress¡¯ family as long as the Empress¡¯ support made it possible for King Yan to be closer to the throne.

    The Fifth Princess stood behind the Empress. This meant that she stood behind King Yan. When one thought through this carefully, Emperor Zongwen allowing them toe and monitor Feng Yuran and see if he was studying was rather dumbfounding. They both had different stances, so how could they stand on the same side. They were respectful to each other on the surface, remaining civil and friendly as siblings, but everyone knew what was happening.

    Just like how Feng Yuxuan looked as if he was worried for Feng Yuran while the Fifth Princess pursed her lips in secret. She sounded naughty and cute while she spoke, "Eldest Brother, don¡¯t me Eighth Brother anymore. He is rather pitiful, he has only just been acknowledged and Father is already scolding him. He made it back to his own manor but Father is worried about him and told us toe and watch him. Father is too much, even though Eighth Brother is wild, he shouldn¡¯t control him in all aspects. This would just make him more rebellious. But I quite like Eighth Brother when he is like this. I need a ymate anyway, so I shall ask Father to let mee and y with him,"

    Was she siding with Feng Yuran?

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle eyes turned slightly dark. Then, he nodded andughed£¬ agreeing with Fifth Princess, "Fifth Sister, that is a good idea. It¡¯s rather simr to mine. But I fear that Father might not agree. Eighth Brother alone is giving him a headache. If Eighth Brother make you like him, Father would be very anxious and angry in the pce. Eighth Brother might not have to return to the pce, but you have to. You would not only be scolded or stopped from leaving the pce then."

    "Then Eldest Brother, you have to remember to help me then!"

    "Alright, I will definitely you help you when you are in trouble!"

    The siblings joked while they followed the steward through the turns in the corridor. They passed through the corridor and by the fake mountains. The sound of music started rather loudly. Fortunately, there were no other sounds other than someone singing. It was evident that it was not as chaotic as they imagined. Feng Yuxuan heaved a sigh of relief and walked past the image wall with a smile.

    Jinwei Pavilion was behind the image wall. It took up one-tenth the King¡¯s Manor. From afar, the ce was unlike the usual courtyard. There was a pond by the door. Even though it was winter, there were red lotus flowers on the surface of the pond, cradled by green leaves. It felt like it was summer. The air was fragrant with the scent of lilies. It cleared one¡¯s heart and mind and was beautiful.

    The water pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond was not the usual small structure. There was a tform that was draped with a heavy cotton tent. Only one side was revealed and one could vaguely make out girls wearing light and thin gauze skirts dancing inside. The music flowed like water from the tall tform. One would feel dazzled before they even neared the structure.

    The true Jinwei Pavilion was on the other side of the courtyard. The massive structure was the tallest among the other structures. It was said that one could see the lights of the entire capital from the top-most floor. This was the reason why Feng Yuran liked it so much. However, privately, the rumors said that King Xuan, Feng Yuran liked the building because of the Mo Manor fire. He had climbed up to the highest spot and watched the scene with excitement. As such, he moved into the pavilion.

    While this was not proven, everyone felt that the first reason was the true reason for his move. However, those familiar with Feng Yuran were certain that the second reason was the true reason. After all, who was asme as to watch someone¡¯s burning home as a scenery?

    Who else would do something so dumb other than the useless King Xuan?

    However, whether it was dumb or not, no one dared to discuss the Eighth Prince, who was favored by the Emperor. At most, everyone would think about it andugh about it to themselves.

    Even though they knew that Feng Yuran¡¯s actions were preposterous, Feng Yuxuan and the Fifth Princess were still shocked by the grandeur of the whole thing.

 Chapter 98 Ten Miles of Lotus Flowers, an Incredible Scene

    "These lotus flowers look so real. There must be at least a hundred of them when I saw them from afar. They are so beautiful. No wonder Eighth Brother would rather stay in his manor than to go out. This is such a beautiful scene. Even I don¡¯t want to leave." The Fifth Princess who was used to seeing extravagance could not help but mutter to herself. She was stunned by the "Ten miles of lotus flowers" before her eyes that were blooming in the snowy winter.

    Unlike the blistering summer, it was naturally impossible for there to be such beautiful lotus flowers in the middle of winter. The patch of flowers in front of them were definitely man-made. From the side, they looked and smelt like real lotus flowers. It made one feel as if they were looking at a scene straight out of summer. Furthermore, the buildings by their side were very tall and there wererge maple trees by theke which blocked the wind.

    The tall walls blocked the northeastern winds, and the maple trees blocked the rest of the wind. When the wind blew across the surface of theke, it felt like the gentle summer breeze. This was such an interesting idea. Such technique, such wealth... Feng Yuxuan could only think to himself that it was such a pity. His eighth brother was definitely a worthypetitor if he used such thoughts, technique and wealth against him.

    However, he also heaved a sigh of relief because of this. Despite this, he kept an envious expression on his face. It was fortunate, fortunate that Feng Yuran was just a yboy and he did not have to spend much effort on him. Feng Yuxuan nced at the Fifth Princess who was still stunned by the scene and the smile on his lips grew even more gentle.

    "Fifth Sister, if you like this, get Eighth Brother to build you a "Ten Miles of Lotus Flowers" in your pce. You will be able to enjoy summer in all four seasons. It will be so rxing." Feng Yuxuanughed gently after his shocked gasp. Then, he walked along thekeside towards the water pavilion.

    "Eldest Brother, you are such a joker. If I did something like this in the pce, Father and Mother would not go easy on me. How much money do you have to spend on something like this!" The Fifth Princess shrunk back. One did not know if it was because she was cold or she found Feng Yuxuan¡¯s wordsme. She pouted and then followed behind Feng Yuxuan, looking rather pitiful. Feng Yuxuanughed as he watched her.

    The two of them did not continue on this topic. This was something only Feng Yuran could do. They could not do something like this.

    It seems that their father intended to continue allowing their Eighth Brother to be a leisurely King who did nothing. He could just live his life without worries or fuss. Otherwise, how could he watch as Feng Yuran spent his fortune and only got the two of them toe and supervise him. Their father had not rebuked him either.

    The Fifth Princess looked at the "Ten miles" of lotus flowers and suddenly felt that being a leisurely king with no responsibilities was rather good as well. She could not help but sigh despondently. She really did not like being a girl.

    It was not that she wanted to be a prince and fight for the throne. But when she thought that if she were a boy, and if she were the son of the Empress, she would be able to be a leisurely king with no responsibilities either if she did not wish to fight for the throne. She would just have to eat, drink and y. As long as she was no trouble to the other princes, no one would care about an unimportant king with no responsibility no matter who became the Emperor in the future. Everyone would be able to ept it, unlike herself right now. Her mother was hurrying her to get married all the time and she did not like any of the men that her mother picked.

    She could not help but sigh deeply when she thought about what bothered her. She felt that the colors of the lotus flowers were too bright and were rather irritating. She turned her head and did not look at them again, following Feng Yuxuan towards the waterside pavilion.

    She had not considered that if she were truly a prince and were the son of the Empress, she would definitely be embroiled in the battle of the throne. No matter which prince ascended the throne in the future, they would be wary of the Empress¡¯ son. She would never be able to be a leisurely king with no responsibilities.

    If she were sessful, she would be able to sit on the throne, and if she failed, her entire family would be killed!

    Of course, these were things that the Fifth Princess would not be able to understand as a Princess. She could only be annoyed at her status as a Princess.

    The wind could not blow through the thick tent with manyyers. There was also a carpetid on the ground. As such, the entire tform was very warm. Feng Yuxuan and the Princess had just entered when they were assaulted by a fragrance. There was a couch ced right in front of the wide and tall tform. Feng Yuranid on it, wearing a beautiful purple robe. His long hair was scattered on his shoulders, half-covering his handsome face. He was holding a fan in his hand. It was not open and he tapped it on the side of the couch with the rhythm of the music. His long phoenix-eyes were half-shut and he looked as if he was enjoying himself very much.

    There was a group of skimpily dressed dancers in front. Their extent of the skimpiness of their dressing was enough to make one warm on a winter¡¯s day. There were two rows of skimpily d women who were ying instruments, and a woman singing in front of them. Her singing was warm and sultry.

    "Eldest Brother, Fifth Sister. It is such a rare visit from you two. How do you have the time to visit me? Could it be that Father has some new instructions? I have been feeling poorly these days and I fear that I cannot go to the pce to thank Father with Eldest Brother and Fifth Sister." Feng Yuran opened his eyes when he heard noises at the door. He did not sit up but only invited them in warmly.

    It was twopletely different seasons inside and outside. They were assaulted by a gust of warm air and they felt warm the moment they entered. They nced at the soft waists of the dancers expressionlessly. Feng Yuxuan entered first while the Fifth Princess paused outside for a moment. Then, she followed him in, not willing to be outdone.

    The beauties looked at Feng Yuxuan seductively when they saw him enter. Their gazes met and the fragrance of their makeup filled the air.

    "Eighth Brother, could you ask them to leave first so that we can speak?" Feng Yuxuan asked gently as he sat down on the wide Nanmu chair with a frown on his face.

    "Eldest Brother, do you not like these? I quite like it." Feng Yuran saidzily, his beautiful eyes sliding across Feng Yuran¡¯s mncholic expression. He suddenly smiled and pped his hands. "Since Eldest Brother does not like it, then I shall not force it on you. If you ever find yourself liking what you see here, just send someone to tell me. I will definitely pick the best for you."

    Feng Yuran only intended Feng Yuxuan to hear thest part of his statement, which was why he said it softly by Feng Yuxuan¡¯s ear. He smiled knowingly. Feng Yuxuan almost could not keep the gentle expression on his face as he was teased by Feng Yuran in front of the Fifth Princess. He coughed awkwardly with a slight blush on his face as he squirmed.

    The women all curtsied to Feng Yuran before leaving. There was a pile of thick capes at the door. The women all took one and pulled them tightly around themselves. They picked up their instruments, drums, hid their flutes...and then left the waterside pavilion.

    "Eldest Brother, Fifth Sister, have some tea. There isn¡¯t much etiquette to observe here. Tell me what you would like to eat if there¡¯s any. Father has stopped me from leaving the pce, but he did not stop my mouth. Even if I were to move, I cannot move out of his hands." Feng Yuran was in a good mood and there was a beautiful smile on his handsome face. He picked up a pastry on the table and ate it elegantly. Someone had already poured tea for Feng Yuxuan and the Fifth Princess.

    "Eighth Brother, Father is going to be angry if you behave like this. He might even extend your ban. Can you read more if you have nothing to do. Father asked me and Fifth Sister toe today to see if you have studied." Feng Yuxuan sighed and advised Feng Yuran.

    "Eldest Brother, do you think I¡¯m not doing good like this?" He looked at Feng Yuxuan charmingly as he leaned back into the couch, asking the question disapprovingly.

    "It¡¯s not that it is not good. But Father..." Feng Yuxuan was annoyed by Feng Yuran¡¯sziness, but did not know how to persuade him. He hade on behalf of Emperor Zongwen today, so he had to persuade Feng Yuran to get himself together no matter what. Even if Feng Yuran had no interest in fighting for the throne, he was a royal son and had to maintain outward appearances after all. It would not do to have the rumors say that the biggest yboy in the capital was from the royal family after all.

    "Would Father feel gratified if I started studying hard now?" The frivolity in Feng Yuran¡¯sughter grew. He even winked at the Fifth Princess naughtily, causing her tough despite herself. "Eldest Brother, I will read books, but can I do that in a few days? I have only just been locked up by Father, so can you let me rx for a few days before I start reading? Tell Father not to worry about me. I eat and sleep well here and I will listen to him in a few days and study well."

    While he might have answered to Feng Yuxuan, he looked as if he was just saying it half-heartedly. It did not sound sincere at all. He had to pick his mood to study, and would only study when he was in a good mood. And if he was in a bad mood, he would studyter. Feng Yuxuan was speechless. Was there anyone aszy as this? Even though he had thought of plenty to say beforeing, they were all useless now.

    Feng Yuran looked as if he would not listen to anyone¡¯s advice, and who could really do anything to him? Feng Yuxuan pitied Emperor Zongwen now for having a son like this. He could not scold or beat him, and he sounded as if he was reasonable for not being skilled at anything. How were they going to teach him to be better?

    He had heard that Feng Yuran had helped to settle something in the imperial gardens some time ago. It seemed now that he was interested in the girl¡¯s beauty. That was nothing surprising. Feng Yuran¡¯s heart cringed when he thought of that innocent and beautiful face and the smile on his face grew warmer.

    Feng Yuxuan and the Fifth Princess left in the end with nothing to show for it. Feng Yuran sent them to the door warmly and only turned around after watching their horse carriage speeding off in the distance. He told his servants to close the Manor¡¯s doors and he walked further into the manor. He still could not leave his manor, so no one came to his manor.

    "Your Highness, what did King Chu and the Fifth Princess mean?" Feng Yue hurried behind Feng Yuran and asked him softly.

    "They came to visit me to see if I have been working hard. They were worried about me!" Feng Yuran answeredzily without slowing down. He returned to his courtyard and did not go to the waterside pavilion. He went up to the third floor of Jinwei Pavilion. He said that it was his bedroom and he did not like too many people following him. His servants all stayed on the first floor and only Feng Yue followed him up.

    "Your Highness, you mean that King Chu and the Fifth Princess were here to visit you?" Feng Yue followed him and asked anxiously.

    "It¡¯s fine that they were worried about me. It would be best if they visited me every day if they have nothing to do. I will seem even more innocent!" Feng Yuran said casually as he picked up a book on the table and looked at it.

    "Then, now..."

    "We can rest assured now. My good Eldest Brother and Fifth Sister have seen me being defiant. They would definitely speak up for me when they return to the pce. Father would be satisfied now!" Feng Yuran smiled as if he did not care. He did not even look up at all.

 Chapter 99 The Knot in Mo Xuetongâ€™s Heart

    Feng Yue paused for a moment before he hurried up and said, "Your Highness, if King Chu and the Fifth Princess spread news about you, it might not be good for you. His Majesty would be angry again."

    "Don¡¯t worry. My good Eldest Brother and Fifth Sister will speak up for me and hide my behavior. After all, it would be embarrassing to them if there was a wastrel in the royal family. Furthermore, they like seeing me like this. If Father were to really teach me well, it would be trouble to them! They are very intelligent!" Feng Yuran said meaningfully, his eyes glowing as he looked at the flustered Feng Yue joyfully. His tone waszy and charming.

    "Your Highness, you mean that King Chu and the Princess will help you to smooth things out!" Feng Yue blinked as he understood. He smiled and he asked, "Then do we still need to spread the news about you visiting the brothel and fighting for women with others?"

    "You don¡¯t have to. As long as we start something, there would be all sorts of rumors in the future. Remove our men from those ces. Do not leave any traces." Feng Yuran lifted his handsome eyes and squintedzily. He nced at Feng Yue and said, "What about the Mo Manor. Has she regained consciousness?"

    "Third Miss Mo has not regained consciousness. But Sir Luo invited Sir Bai over and he has just entered the manor. It would take some time before hees out. You know that Sir Bai never treats illnesses he is not confident of. If he still hasn¡¯te out yet, it means that there is good news." Feng Yuran did not speak immediately. He remained silent for a moment, his deep dark eyes turning a little cold and his expression was light. It made one feel cold for some reason. He tapped his fingers on the table and said meaningfully. "Bai Yihao has gone quickly this time!"

    "Sir Bai did go really quickly this time. Sir Luo didn¡¯t stay inside for too long before he followed Sir Luo to the Mo Manor." Feng Yue did not notice any oddness in Bai Yihao and answered honestly.

    Feng Yue was in charge of what happened in Bai Yihao¡¯s manor. As such, he felt that the situation was rather odd as well. What kind of person was Bai Yihao? They had never seen him moving so swiftly to heal someone. With his fame, he should have waited for a few hours before he met someone. Then, he would have to take another hour or two to clean and dress up before going out to meet anyone.

    "Is there anything odd about Bai Yihao recently?"

    "No, Sir Bai has been very quiet. Other than reciting poetry with others sometimes and helping to heal a few good friends of his, he has not done anything out of the ordinary."

    "Nothing weird? When did he get to know Third Miss Mo?" Feng Yuran put down the book in his hand unhappily and looked up at Feng Yue with unfriendly eyes.

    "This, this..." Feng Yue was thrown off by the question. Was this considered weird as well? His master was so hard to please, heined to himself but did not dare to say anything to slight his master. "Sir Bai helped Third Miss Mo when she just returned to the Mo Manor. The concubine who was in charge of the Mo Manor then was locked up by Lord Mo because of the incident. They did not have any interactions other than that."

    Feng Yue did not know if he could finish reporting these kinds of "weird" things. If they were to really talk about it, there were definitely more "weird" things in the book on His Highness¡¯ table than Bai Yihao! There were so many weird things. How was he going to report them? If he did it badly, His Highness would scold him again.

    "Next time, all meetings between Bai Yihao and Third Miss Mo are considered to be "weird". Tell them to me. Do you have any more questions? Send a message to Mo Feng and tell him to be more aware of things happening around Third Miss Mo." Fortunately, Feng Yuran had defined "weird" for Feng Yue.

    "Yes!" How did Feng Yue dare to have any more questions when he looked at those devilish and handsome eyes! He immediately left obediently to prepare.

    When Mo Xuetong regained consciousness, it was alreadyte evening. The sky turned dark early in winter and it was alreadypletely dark outside.

    The room was lit withmps. The lights were dim and her eyes were confused. She opened her eyes dazedly but could not see anything in front of her clearly.

    "Are you awake? Do you feel ufortable anywhere?" A gentle voice that sounded like the spring breeze could be heard by her ear. Someone put his hand on hers. It was soft but strong. However, she did not have the strength to answer. She felt as if she had just returned from hell and did not know where she was at the moment. Her eyes were still filled with the scene of a raging fire, leaving behind only a patch of red.

    "What is it? Are you unwilling to wake up?" Bai Yihao was in a good mood as he looked at the person lying on the bed looking like an exquisite porcin doll as she opened her crystal-like eyes. His lips lifted up as he smiled elegantly. He ced his fingers on her wrist and listened carefully. It sounded normal.

    On the other side, Luo Wenyou stood up from his seat even though he did not speak. He approached hurriedly and looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face agitatedly. He only realized something was off when she did not speak and her eyes were not focused despite them being open. He turned around and asked, "Yihao, what¡¯s wrong with my cousin? Didn¡¯t you say that she has awaken? Why does she look so confused? Is there something wrong?"

    Luo Wenyou did not dare to let Bai Yihao go when he heard that there was something wrong with his cousin even though she had regained consciousness. Even though it was inappropriate for a man to remain in an unmarrieddy¡¯s room, Bai Yihao was present as a physician. Furthermore, he was there as a chaperone and they were not alone. They were seeking medical help openly, so it was not considered too inappropriate.

    Mo Huawen had gone to the pce and still had not returned. The old madam had visited, but it was too cold and her health was poorly. Mother Xu convinced her to return and she had just left. Mo Yu and Mo Ye were waiting outside. Mo Lan was serving the two men tea inside. She did not dare to say much when she saw her mistress awaken. She only wiped her tears in surprise and followed behind Luo Wenyou and looked at Bai Yihao worriedly. Her mistress did not seem to be in a good state.

    Bai Yihao did not reply Luo Wenyou. He reached out and took two needles from the table beside him. He looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s unfocused eyes carefully and picked up her hand. He found two acupoints on her hand and pricked down in a well-practiced manner. Mo Xuetong made a startled sound when the two needles pierced into her skin and hershes fluttered. Her eyes closed and opened again.

    Her eyes were focused this time. Her longshes fluttered as her eyesnded on Bai Yihao¡¯s face in front of her. His handsome eyes were gentle and looked as if they were smiling. His eyes glittered like the stars in the sky as they gradually came into focus in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. His handsome and sharp features, his handsome brows and slightly lifted red lips. Even a deity from the heavens paled inparison to him. He looked at her with glittering and smiling eyes.

    He looked at her dotingly, gently and carefully. It made one feelforted.

    That feeling was indescribable to Mo Xuetong, who felt lost and helpless at this moment. She had been walking in the dark earlier, ignored by all, plotted against by others, and had died in a raging fire. And even on her deathbed, no one cared. She did not expect to see an elegant and handsome young man when she awakened who looked at her so gently andfortingly. It was as if he understood all the pain she experienced and wanted to share her burdens with her.

    That was a painful, bitter and numbing feeling. It felt as if she was looking at a family member. She had finally found someone to share her feelings of helplessness and pain. Tears could not help but escape her eyes.

    She reached out subconsciously and clutched onto the hem of Bai Yihao¡¯s shirt. Sobs escaped her and her soft figure shook. She wanted to sit up, but she realized that she felt weak all over. She looked at Bai Yihao pitifully, her beautiful eyes clouded with tears. Tears fell down her cheeks and she looked innocent and pitiful.

    Bai Yihao was stunned. He lowered his volume and asked gently, "Does your heart feel unwell?"

    Does her heart feel unwell? Mo Xuetong closed her eyes painfully and then opened them widely. She felt that the scenes ying before her was too terrible and terrifying. She did not wish to experience such pain anymore. If she did, she would rather die. The concerned face before her made her feel alive again. She bit her lips and her cries turned into whimpers. She felt weak and only her hands clutched on tightly to his white sleeve as if he was thest life raft avable.

    Her eyes which were staring at Bai Yihao¡¯s clear eyes were devoid of any impurities. Her beautiful face was filled with helplessness and sadness. She looked lost, like a little deer that could not find its way home. Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle eyes gathered upon her, bing more focused subconsciously.

    He caressed her face gently, and then her forehead. Heforted her with a clear and soft voice, "It¡¯s alright now. It¡¯s alright now. You¡¯ll be fine after sleeping. All will be fine when you wake up!"

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes as heforted her. Even though she still whimpered asionally and tears slid down from the corner of her eyes, her color returned and her hands which were holding onto Bai Yihao tightly rxed as well.

    "Don¡¯t disturb her and let her have a good night¡¯s sleep. Everything will be fine. As for the other matters of the heart..." Bai Yihao pluck off the two needles that were in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as his voice trailed off. His handsome gaze could not help but fall onto her fragile and dazed face...

    Since it was a knot in her heart, they could only find the source of it slowly and try to help her untangle it. It could not be rushed. Even the best physician would not be able to heal a sickness of the heart. Luo Wenyou understood what Bai Yihao meant, as did Mo Lan.

    Mo Lan sighed to herself. She sent Bai Yihao and Luo Wenyou to the doors after they were done packing up. Then, she returned. She gave detailed orders to Mo Yu to tell Mother Xu when she returned to be soft and that she did not have to visit their mistress at night. They were not to startle their mistress and she would sleep outside for the night. The others could go and rest first.

    Everyone left, one after another.

    The scenes of what happened then shed before Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes again in the middle of the night. Her child¡¯s grey face in death and the blood on the corner of his lips. Mo Xuemin¡¯s evilughter and Sima Lingyun¡¯s expression of disgust. The raging fire and the pain she felt as it burned her...Her heart hurt, everywhere hurt and everywhere was injured.

    She twisted around subconsciously and her breaths became hurried and anxious.

    "Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid. I am here." She heard a gentle voice as someone pulled her into an embrace. The soft voice made her feel safe and her body, which was burned and in pain in her dreams, was cooled by the gentle voice.

    Mo Xuetong was startled awake and she opened her eyes subconsciously. All was dark before her. Then, she heard a charmingughter. "Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. IT¡¯s me." There was a ray of moonlight in the darkness, shining upon the handsome face of the youth in purple clothes sitting before her bed. Under the moonlight, his handsome face exuded a devilish charm. However, Mo Xuetong seemed to see the faint hint ofughter in his eyes for some reason.

    It was not cold and arrogant, but was filled with faint gentleness and love.

 Chapter 100 A Private Conversation in the Night

    It was surprising that a handsome young man like this would have such gentle and calm moments as well. Mo Xuetong blinked subconsciously and her stiff body rxed. Sheughed to herself bitterly. Perhaps she was used to him visiting through her window in the middle of the night. She did not find it odd at all. It was as if it would be even weirder if he did not appear here in the middle of the night.

    A person¡¯s habits were really a terrifying thing!

    "What is it? You don¡¯t recognize me? That¡¯s too much. To think that I came to visit you especially on such a cold day." Feng Yuran smiled charmingly, a coldness shing through his eyes as he red at her and spoke unhappily.

    "I didn¡¯t invite you here." Mo Xuetong was annoyed by how he spoke so assumingly and retaliated immediately. She bit her lips and touched her head feeling rather dazed and pushed herself up. Her dark hair fell across her small and pale face, making her look even more delicate and pitiful.

    "Am I someone you can invite over when you want to?" Feng Yuran said loudly, reaching out to help her get a pillow to put behind her back. "I have done you such arge favor and visited you on thiste night. How can you treat me like this? It is not a good habit to treat guests who visit you out of goodwill."

    "No matter how bad of a habit this is, it is still better than climbing through someone¡¯s window in the middle of the night, right?" Mo Xuetong said sarcastically, ignoring how poorly she felt. She felt irritated when she saw how he pretended to feel aggrieved. She touched her slightly hurting head and leaned against the pillow, breathing heavily before opening her eyes again.

    He was so annoying. He must have grown addicted to climbing through windows. It should be about midnight judging by the moon outside the window. Yet, he was not sleeping and kept visiting other people¡¯s room and med others for their bad habits.

    She wouldn¡¯t be able to get married if others saw them!

    He was a prince and might not care about his reputation. But she still wanted to get married. How could she sacrifice her reputation to make trouble with him?

    "Alright, even if my habits are bad, I am weird, so I came to see what¡¯s the fuss about. You are so tough, so why did you vomit blood and faint for no reason? Is there something you want but cannot get? If it¡¯s me, I can consider helping you. It¡¯s not that much trouble. I can just marry you." Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes slightly. His eyes shone, and despite looking extremely handsome, he did not seem serious at all and was rather annoying.

    She pushed away his approaching face while gritting her teeth. She felt that her limbs had regained strength from her rage and she said, "Your Highness, if you have nothing on, you¡¯d better take care of yourself. No matter how much business others have, it¡¯s their business. I heard that you like to watch where the fun is, but there is nothing fun here for you to watch and I don¡¯t dare to have you marry little old me. I fear that you would find it hard to find peace in this life."

    "You won¡¯t let me watch the fun, but you have not considered that others have watched it." Feng Yuran did not approach when he saw that she was really angry. He tapped his own forehead and smiled.

    Mo Xuetong understood what he was saying and her heart skipped a beat. She calmed down and did not reply Feng Yuran. She bit her lips and looked at the moon outside the window, falling into a daze.

    "I prefer to watch the fun when it happens to others and won¡¯t allow others to watch when its me. No matter how many obstacles there are in front of me, I will just push them away with every step. I don¡¯t believe that there are any bridges that I cannot cross." Feng Yuran stared at her and smiled faintly. He stood up suddenly, the moon shining upon him. She could not see his face clearly and only felt that his eyes were very dark and deep.

    "What if you realize you cannot cross this chasm? What would you do? What if you realize that everything you have thought of and considered ispletely different from what others have plotted, or perhaps, you don¡¯t even know who and where your opponents are, what would you do? Your Highness, could it be that even so, you would think that you can make it through? That you definitely won¡¯t allow others to watch you when you are in trouble?" Mo Xuetong said softly and sadly, biting her lips. She felt extremely lost. The various scenes and incidents all made her feel fearful.

    If she had been rebirthed to just repeat her past mistakes, then she had no strength to continue down the path!

    That pain, that hatred, the immense pain made her want to pull Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun down into hell with her. She wanted to burn them with the fire of hell through eternity. She would rather suffer eternal pain and be doomed forever. But if she knew that the pain would repeat again in the future, she had no strength to continue forth anymore.

    Her bright eyes dimmed gradually, her longshes fluttered. She did not have the strength to shut them. The various scenes from the past shed before her. They tore at her heart and yet, she could not find an ounce of fight in her to fight. Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were the manifestations of her miserable life. But in fact, in fact, she could not find her hidden opponent.

    How would she be able to escape her miserable fate like this!

    She realized, in despair, that there was nothing she could do.

    "Have you let yourself waste away like this because you found an unsurmountable obstacle? Have you really admitted defeat? The Mo Xuetong I see does not seem to be a person who would shrink in fear against an uing battle! Didn¡¯t you have no choice in Cloud City as well? You were an abandoned orphaned daughter that no one remembered or pitied. And you were almost destroyed. Didn¡¯t you charge out of it victoriously? You came to the capital, and you have the General¡¯s Manor here, and your father, and me, a helpful Prince..."

    If you still feel helpless under such favorable circumstances, then Mo Xuetong, I think you might as well die! Anyway, it¡¯s not like the Old Madam of the General Manor has never lost a daughter. She can just treat it as her the daughter she dotes on the most dying again. Your father has lost his beloved wife, and now, his daughter too. He could start from a clean te again. He could give your mother¡¯s things all to your eldest sister and that concubine mother of hers. You could be considered to have done all you could as a daughter. This is a pretty good idea."

    Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was filled with sarcasm. He walked up to the window and crossed his arms, leaning against it. His lips twitched up. He looked extremely cold under the moonlight. His masculine voice was soft as he spoke coldly and with sarcasm. Mo Xuetong could feel his disdainful and hurtful words cut through her heart.

    His words cut down viciously on the wound deeply hidden in her heart. They tore at her wounds that she had intentionally disregarded. Her heart felt as if it was torn apart by knives.

    Giving everything to Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang, and hurting the General Manor and her father?

    Let Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun get what they wanted? No. She did not want that. She did not want that at all! No! She would rather die first!

    Her eyes flew open, glittering in the darkness. They were filled with cold anger. How could she let them get what they wanted?

    How could she let her enemies who have hurt her in her past life dance on her grave once more, stepping on her family¡¯s heartache and her sorrows in joy? No matter what, she hade back for revenge in this lifetime. So no matter what the facts were, Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were her enemies. Even if she was torn apart and her bones shattered into a million pieces, her soul fallen into the depths of hell, she would not let them off so easily.

    As such, no matter how difficult things were, she would continue to trudge on...

    Then why did she have to consider so much!

    Since she was fated to continue the fight against Mo Xuemin, she would stay alive if she seeded, and if she failed, she would not feel any regret. At least she would not have let down her mother, her child, and herself...

    She took a deep breath and gnawed on her lips. She forced her weak body to sit up straight. She could not fall. How could she fall. She still had many enemies to deal with. They were stillughing, so why did she have to cry? No matter how many plotsid before her, she would not allow the fate that had befallen her in her past life to repeat again. She would seek revenge for herself.

    Come what may, she would do whatever necessary to win the fight!

    Since she had taken a different path from her past life, then this path might not bepletely impossible.

    "Your Highness, why are you helping me?" She took a deep breath, life flooding back into her again. A quiet and cold smile appeared on her pale face. She turned around to look at Feng Yuran. How could she still not realize that Feng Yuran had intentionally provoked her? There was a sh of gratitude in her eyes.

    No matter who this handsome and fickle prince was, at least he had truly helped her earlier.

    "I have always enjoyed helping others." Hiszy voice filled the darkness. Even though she could not see his face, she felt as if he was smiling for some reason, and he was even smiling in a good mood.

    "Your Highness, can I ask what you were doing at my home in Cloud City? What were you looking for? Is the man in ck looking for the same thing?" She asked after a moment of silence.

    She had not asked in the past because she did not wish to be implicated. She felt that it was dangerous. But she realized just now that she had long been embroiled in the matter.

    "This has nothing much to do with you. You don¡¯t have to know so much for now." The handsome youth smiled as he spoke in the dark.

    "If I need to know in the future, will you tell me?" Mo Xuetong asked. She had a premonition that she would eventually be involved in the matter, heading deeper into it step by step. And she would eventually have to know these details known only to insiders. She used to hide and try to avoid it in the past. But she only faced it head on now that she had nowhere to hide.

    "Alright, I will definitely tell you if I find out that you need to know." Thezy voice was rich with meaning. It was like rich and mellow wine that soothed one¡¯s heart, making one feel at ease for some reason.

    At this moment, he was no longer the capital¡¯s yboy or the charming prince. The moon shone behind his back. She could not see his face clearly. However, his bright and beautiful eyes were stunning. It made her face flush and her heart race.

    She could not help but clench her hands into a fist under her nket. The room was so quiet it felt as if she could hear hearts beating. She could hear more than one heart beating.

    "I shall leave now. You can get Mo Feng to inform me if there¡¯s anything else in the future. Don¡¯t go around asking people what ingredients are there in the medicine like a headless chicken. It is so suspicious." The handsome youth tore his deep gaze away from the bed. His eyes glowed dark and deep in the night.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew that he was talking about what happened before. She understood that what he said was true and she nodded.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even more beautiful at her rare obedience. He did not say anything else. He opened the window and disappeared. The window was closed deftly and softly, leaving behind only the sound of the wind blowing against the shutters.

    He had left!

    Mo Xuetongid in the dark after Feng Yuran left. She could not fall back asleep. As such, she flipped over and sprawled out on her front to watch the moonlight shining through the window. After letting go of the thoughts that troubled her, she continued down her train of thought. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had ended up together in her past life and the blood of her and her child had stained their luxurious wedding banquet red.

    But now, Mo Xuemin would definitely be reluctant to enter the Duke¡¯s Manor just like this. Her greed would definitely demand more. A Duke¡¯s Manor would not be able to satisfy her. Simrly, the Duchess and Sima Lingyun both would not allow Mo Xuemin to be his main wife. How could a concubine¡¯s daughter satisfy their requirements?

    They were so greedy, so it was fated that their views would be divided on the matter. A cold smile appeared on her lips. If so, the two of them would not be as close as they were now.

    It would be much easier for her to do some things then!

 Chapter 101 A Night Scheme Between the Mother and her Daughter at Lihua Garden

    After dinner, Mo Xuemin heard that Mo Xuetong had wakened up. She had dinnerte and had dispatched someone to pay attention to what happened at Qingwei Garden. When she heard that Mo Xuetong had wakened up, and Luo Youwen and Bai Yihao had left, she then resentfully brought Mo Xiu to Lihua Garden which belonged to Auntie Fang.

    Since Mo Huawen knew Auntie Fang was pregnant, he canceled Auntie Fang¡¯s grounding. The other two concubines in the mansion brought much stuff to see her. They fawned on her and ttered her. When they were gone, Auntie Fang was still too excited to calm down. Thinking about that Mo Xuetong had passed out and was poised between life and death, but the doctors were at their wit¡¯s end, she must be very close to death on any asion.

    She was so happy inside!

    Without this little bitch, she would be the mistress of the mansion!

    Feeling so happy, she had the supper early with the attendance of the maid and started thinking when lying in bed that if Mo Xuetong died, she would be in charge of Luo Xia¡¯s dowry. Thus she would have to choose some anyway, which she had been longing for such a long time.

    After the death of Luo Xia, Auntie Fang was in charge of the amodation of Mansion Mo actually, but it didn¡¯t contain Luo Xia¡¯s dowry. All the stuff in the dowry had been locked in Mo Huawen¡¯s little warehouse. Then they were transported to the capital, which was arranged by Mo Huawen himself. Auntie Fang didn¡¯t even have a chance to touch it.

    Although Auntie Fang wasn¡¯t sure what they were, she understood that there must be plenty of great stuff. As soon as Mo Xuetong died and she got the position of the main wife, Min¡¯er would be the first daughter of Mo Huawen, and Feng¡¯er would be the only son in this mansion. It wouldn¡¯t matter whether she gave birth to a son or daughter next, and there would be no one in the mansion who could get in her way.

    Those dowries would be in her hand atst. And by then no matter how much the old sir missed that woman and her daughter, it would mean nothing. How could anyone dead get out of the grave to struggle against her? When thinkingcently, sheughed out unconsciously under themp.

    "What is concubine so happy for, maybe it¡¯s for Mo Xuetong¡¯s wakening up." By the side of the opened door, the ironic expression showed on Mo Xuemin¡¯s beautiful face, whichpletely destroyed her fame of being kind-hearted and generous. She closed the door coldly, and derided, "I hear that the third sister is so lucky that she wakes up now without anything wrong. You, the concubine, must still be thinking about getting the position of the main wife. As long as that girl is still alive, you don¡¯t even have a chance."

    There was not anyone else, so Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t have to pretend to be lovely or gentle. Her words were so acrimonious. She really looked down on Auntie Fang, who was the first daughter of the Yu¡¯s. Even if she had be a concubine because of her uncertain antecedents, now the main wife was dead, but she still couldn¡¯t get the positon of the main wife. As a result, she was the daughter of a concubine, and couldn¡¯t get a good marriage. Those were all the results of her status.

    Now that Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t finished off, she even dreamt of getting the position of the main wife. She had been very angry fromst night till then. She had thought that Sima Lingyun was smart and faithful to her. But she realized that he was not only stupid but also fickle. When thinking ofst night, when he told her to be his concubine, Mo Xuemin wanted to bite him to death.

    She was not Auntie Fang, who was so happy to be a concubine.

    Especially when she saw Auntie Fang¡¯s stupid smiling face, she thought if she became a concubine, she might be as foolish as her. Thus she would have no time to disguise and would reveal her dissatisfaction and anger.

    Auntie Fang was always afraid of this smart eldest daughter. In front of other people, she was a lovely and gentle daughter, kind to others, and showed filial obedience to her. She was also talented and was thought of as a very famous talented woman. But in private, she was the only one who knew how ruthless and cruel she was.

    Since she was little, she pretended to be dutiful and gentle in front of others. In private, she was always sarcastic. She knew that she looked down upon her for her concubine status, and she used this to satirize her everytime her could. However, angry as she was, she was still her daughter. Besides, she had to rely on her scheming to get the position of the main wife.

    "That bitch woke up? Didn¡¯t they say she wouldn¡¯t wake up and the funeral affairs were arranged?" Auntie Fang was very sad, stopped smiling and exined.

    "Concubine got the message too slowly. The message was too overdue. You heard from dad that he would give you the position of the main wife. Now a year passed by, and father don¡¯t mention that any more. He even locked you up. I don¡¯t know how urate your words can be." Mo Xueminughed grimly, and left Auntie Fang disgraceful directly.

    "Your father can¡¯t hurry about this. That bitch¡¯s mother had been dead for just a year or so, and your father had to wait for some time." Auntie Fang exined and her face reddened."

    "I have only heard about a woman maintain chastity after the death of her husband, but I haven¡¯t heard that of a man keeping loyalty for a woman for three years. Auntie Fang, you¡¯re too simple and naive. Not long ago, when you framed Mo Xuetong, you didn¡¯t say it like that. So please tell me with full confidence that it must work this time. You want me to follow your words. But what did I get when I listened to your words? Concubine can¡¯t have forgotten that you nearly got me in trouble atst!"

    Mo Xuemin groaned grimly. When Mo Xuetong just came, Auntie Fang confidently told her that she would take hold of Mo Huawen, and that she should hold the clothes of family ceremony and wait by the side and when Mo Xuetong exited, she could take the ce.

    But atst, what happened? She got herself trapped in trouble and even got her father suspicious of her, which made her very angry when Mo Xuemin thought about it right now.

    "That bitch is too cunning, I didn¡¯t expect her to..." Auntie Fang couldn¡¯t say a word when faced with her daughter¡¯s sarcasm. She sat up furiously and said.

    "Didn¡¯t expect? There are too many things concubine can¡¯t think of. You don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re foolish, but if you¡¯re clever, why would you still be here? Anyway you should go to Qingwei Garden more. She is the daughter that father cares most about. The child you¡¯re pregnant with can¡¯t be the first one. So it would mean nothing when the child is born. Even if it¡¯s a boy, you have already had big brother, it¡¯s not important to have one more or one less."

    Mo Xuemin sat on the chair on the side and said grimly, and there was cruelth in her eyes. She coldly looked at Auntie Fang¡¯s belly that didn¡¯t reveal her pregnancy.

    "You, what do you mean?" Auntie Fang reached out her hand and pressed her belly alertly. At the same time, she tucked herself into her bed more and said intively.

    "Concubine still don¡¯t understand. You can¡¯t get rid of that girl right now no matter what you do. She has Luo Fu to support her, and father is at her side. So there must be a good marriage for her in the future. If she gets an even higher status through the marriage, with her status, when she doesn¡¯t agree with father to give you the position of the main wife, your crying will be of no use." She said tauntingly and impolitely.

    "I have Feng¡¯er, who is the only son in the mansion, along with the other two in my belly. Your father will consider for us." Auntie Fang said malcontently.

    "Big brother, a man like him, doesn¡¯t seem to get father¡¯s favor in my eyes. Even if you¡¯re pregnant with a boy, it will take more than ten years to have a good prospect. You maybe patient enough to wait as a concubine, but my elderly brother and I have no time to wait as a concubine¡¯s child. Father is not very old. If he marries a new wife and has a new legitimate son, there will be no chance for your second son. Concubine gave birth to us to let us be concubine¡¯s child forever?" Mo Xuemin frowned and said disdainfully.

    Mo Yufeng was the only son of Mo Huawen, but in fact, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t like Mo Yufeng that much. Mo Yufeng always let him down and didn¡¯t have a talent in studying. Ordinarily, he never did anything serious with those dandies. His study was empty all year round. Mo Huawen scolded him for several times but it didn¡¯t work. He was happy inside. Due to the fact that he was the only son in the mansion, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t do anything about him.

    Auntie Fang was quite clear about that, so she said it to Mo Yufeng for several times, but he wouldn¡¯t listen. He just said that he was the only son of his father, so the entire mansion would belong to him in the future. He had nothing to be afraid of. No matter how badly he acted, was it possible that father beat him to death? Looking at theziness on his face, Auntie Fang was very angry.

    But no matter what, Mo Yufeng was her own son. So Auntie Fang was quite furious when she heard her daughter grimly satirize herself and Mo Yufeng. She removed her hand from her belly. With her hands full of blue veins, she pointed at Mo Xuemin and said, "Are those words supposed to be said by a daughter? Mo Xuemin, I¡¯m your mother, Feng¡¯er is your elder brother. Whatever we did, we¡¯re your rtives. Your father has never said anything about marrying a new wife. What he said was that she had just died, so he couldn¡¯t give me the position of the main wife, which might break that little bitch¡¯s heart and make her sad. Besides, considering General Manor, if that girl doesn¡¯t agree and go back to General Manor to oppose, it will be a big problem for us.

    "Concubine, until now, you¡¯re still defending for father. You should see how father act toward you these days. Even though you have a baby, that girl is still the first one for dad to think of. If you¡¯re really clever, you should earn some benefits for your two children. The one in your belly, who is born yet, don¡¯t need that much care. No matter how talented he might be, he isn¡¯t a legitimate son." Mo Xuemin snapped at Auntie Fang.

    Thinking of her own status as a concubine¡¯s daughter, Mo Xuemin was very angry. If it¡¯s not for her status, she wouldn¡¯t lose the chance to enter the imperial pce, be pointed at the nose with the usation of wild fantasy, or nearly be a concubine of Sima Lingyun. If the thing that happenedst night happened to Mo Xuetong, Duke¡¯s manor would give her the position of the main wife of His Excellency without a word and would not hesitate about it. That actually made her ashamed, as if she wanted to be someone¡¯s concubine so desperately.

    Concubine¡¯s daughter, concubine¡¯s daughter, she definitely didn¡¯t want to be a concubine¡¯s daughter!

    Her sharp eyes nced over Auntie Fang¡¯s belly which was not obviously pregnant, and it looked so cold.

    Auntie Fang felt frightened when seeing her eyes. She held her belly back, and nervously murmured, "You can¡¯t be scheming over the... baby... in my belly?"

    "Auntie Fang, all of your children survived, so you should also consider for us. If you don¡¯t get the position of the main wife right away, my elder brother¡¯s marriage and mine will be affected. A concubine¡¯s son or daughter can only marry into a small family at best. Although my father just got promoted, no rich and powerful family would marry a concubine¡¯s daughter as the main wife." Thinking about her beautiful face and talents being ignored for her status as a concubine¡¯s daughter, Mo Xuemin wanted to hit Auntie Fang to sober her up.

    She couldn¡¯t go into the imperial pce or marry a prince, but she could still marry into Minguo Manor. You Yuecheng from the mansion was pretty handsome and sweet to her. If she was the legitimate daughter, he might have proposed to her. A few days ago, she heard that the manor was looking for a main wife for You Yuecheng. She had no time to waste.

    "Auntie Fang, if you want to frame that girl, it¡¯s the best to use the baby in your belly." Those gruesome words made Auntie Fang, who was lying in bed, started to tremble. She covered her belly unbelievably, pointing at Mo Xuemin and said, "This, this is your younger brother?"

 Chapter 102 Scheme Arose

    "So what? I remember the main wife was pregnant with a baby at that time, which was my legitimate brother. When you did that, you didn¡¯t hesitate like this!" Mo Xuemin med Auntie Fang with no pity, "You should know that girl has be suspicious of you. If she asks for help from General Manor and searches our house at Cloud City through, can you make sure that she can¡¯t find any evidence? At that time, we were leaving for the capital, you couldn¡¯t have clean it all up, could you?"

    If this thing was revealed, it wouldn¡¯t matter anymore whether she could get the position of the main wife or not! Auntie Fang¡¯s face paled instantly, pointed at Mo Xuemin in horror and just couldn¡¯t say anything. That thing was the secret at the bottom of her heart, and she thought Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t know it. She couldn¡¯t imagine that Mo Xuemin would bring it up.

    That meant she had known already? How would she know? How could she know? That thing was done secretly, and even Mo Huawen never suspected of it. How could Mo Xuemin who was only eleven years old by then know? Thinking about that maybe Mo Xuemin wasn¡¯t the only one who knew it, and Mo Huawen might get to know the whole process of that thing, Auntie Fang¡¯s hand fell onto the edge of the bed frightenedly and started to shiver.

    "Concubine, now between you and that girl, only one can survive. If you stick to being stupid and don¡¯t figure out the real situation, sticking to your stupid idea and waiting for dad to think and give you the position of the main wife, you¡¯re waiting for death. By then whether your child is born alive or not, he or she will have no mother in the end, and my brother and I will be concubine¡¯s children and looked down on for the rest of our lives. Father won¡¯t treat the child well, whose mother had killed his main wife. So, either the child in your belly dies now, or all of us die together."

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s grim voice sounded in the house. That beautiful but pale face brought the feeling of horror and ferocity without reason. Under the dim light, Mo Xuemin¡¯s shadow cast on the bed, which enveloped Auntie Fang¡¯s pale and livid face, exaggerating the ghastly horrible atmosphere.

    Auntie Fang¡¯s fingers trembled!

    She couldn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t let Mo Huawen find the truth. Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t exaggerate. Due to Mo Huawen¡¯s character and his affection for Luo Xia, if he found the truth, he wouldn¡¯t forgive her. Auntie Fang didn¡¯t dare to gamble on this. To tell the truth, she can¡¯t gamble on Mo Yufeng¡¯s future, her wealth, or her rank.

    "What¡¯s more, it may not be a son, but just a daughter." Mo Xuemin continued to coax her. Seeing Auntie Fang¡¯s face turning from pale to livid, she knew that she almost seded. She stood up and her face lit up with a gentle smile.

    She walked to the bed, squatted, reached out to hold Auntie Fang¡¯s hand and said tenderly, "Haven¡¯t you always hoped that I could call you mom? If you get the position of the main wife, my brother and I could even call you mom in front of other people! And you don¡¯t have to act furtively, or do those filthy things. When you get the position of the main wife, my father will love you more, and you can have another baby. The lost one can be made up..."

    "B, but..." Auntie Fang opened her mouth and gasped for breath. Cold sweat was spreading across her forehead.

    "There is no but. What makes a secret secret is that no one will ever know it. If anyone knows it, it will get him trouble and death!" Mo Xuemin stood up and said with a gentle smile.

    "No, that¡¯s your blood younger brother!" Auntie Fang held pieces of Mo Xuemin¡¯s clothes desperately, and begged her with wide open eyes.

    "OK, now that you love your children so much, as a daughter, I¡¯ll give you another solution. If you can¡¯t achieve that, this will be the only way." Mo Xuemin looked condescending and coldly looked at Auntie Fang who was almost humble in the contrast.

    At the same time, at the entrance of the imperial pce, Mo Huawen held the imperial edict in hand and felt very worried. He felt very vexed and confused inside. There was already someone from his mansion waiting at the entrance of the imperial pce. When he saw Mo Huawene out, he told him the good news. Knowing that Mo Xuetong was safe, Mo Huawen just felt relieved. But when he nced at the imperial edict, he was worried again and forced a faint smile.

    In such a strange situation, as an official, if he didn¡¯t deal with it correctly, it might be difficult to predict...

    Last night, a thief went into Mingguo Manor, which had never happened before. The Four Feat Noble Families not only have strong capabilities from the outside but also have unimaginable skills in private. How brave the thief was to steal there! But somehowst night, when there was a fire at Mo Manor, it was stolen.

    Thest official was dismissed because of this.

    It was said that more than ten thieves got to Chuihua Men at Mingguo Manor at midnight yesterday, and killed several old maids. They rushed into the inner court and robbed plenty of treasures. When people at Mingguo Manor realized that, it had been a while. Then there was a mess. Some of the thieves were killed right away, and the others escaped.

    More importantly, a girl at Mingguo Manor was looted away. If this news got out, it would not only ruin the girl¡¯s name but also bring shame to then entire family. Such a thing happened at this Feat Noble Family. Emperor Zongwen was very furious and ordered that they had to find the thieves and kill them no matter what it would take. But now they were gone, it would be so hard for Mo Huawen to find them in such a big world.

    Mo Huawen got into the carriage helplessly and decided to have a look at Tong¡¯er at first. When he went back to his study, he would convene the staff ande up with a solution. It was great that the emperor didn¡¯t set a deadline, so they still had time to think of a n. But before the carriage could go far, it was stopped. Outside the carriage, the duke¡¯s son, You Yuecheng looked more determined than before in the moonlight.

    "Greetings to Official Mo, could I have several minutes with you?" You Yuecheng held the sword with his left hand, and cupped his hand in the other toward Mo Huawen.

    Mo Huawen had to get out of the car, followed him to the side of the road and asked, "His Excellency, what is it?"

    "Official Mo, I have a request. I hope it won¡¯t bring you any trouble. If you have any information on my fifth younger sister, would you please inform me of it right away?" You Yuecheng said in a soft voice and his face seemed colder.

    That fifth younger sister must be that missing girl in Mingguo Manor! Looking at his sword, Mo Huawen knew what his words meant and sighed lightly. It was not such a pleasant thing to be born in such a rich family. But he replied without any hesitation. "His Excellency is too polite, and I will inform you as soon as I get any information about your sister."

    "Thank you, Official Mo." You Yuecheng offered a big bow, turned around and disappeared with his men in the darkness. He was not heading to Mingguo Manor, so it was clear that he didn¡¯t give up the chance to find his sister by himself.

    Looking at his back figure, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or nervous, but he felt relieved atst. Compared with what happened at Mingguo Manor, the thing that happened at Mo Manor was a minor one. Min¡¯er had a nice marriage atst. He didn¡¯t want his daughter to be a concubine. But Mo Xueqiong was not a talented one, so he had nothing to do with it!

    He shook his head, frowned and went into the carriage. He ordered carter to start. The carter whipped at the horse and drove toward Mo Manor.

    Indeed, the next day, the news about Mingguo Manor spread across the city.

    The fire in Mo Manor was not that important whenpared with the ident in Mingguo Manor. There were just some small rumors about it.

    After all, Mo Manor was the residence of a third-grade official that couldn¡¯t match with You Manor. Besides, the thing happened at Mo Manor was trivial. People heard that it was a mistake. The girl who was saved from the fire by Zhenguo Hou His Excellency was not the first miss, but the fourth miss. The clothes of the sisters in Mo Manor were quite simr. So, the maid made a mistake and called the wrong one. Later, they realized it was the fourth miss.

    The fourth miss at Mo Manor was a concubine¡¯s daughter, so Duke¡¯s manor couldn¡¯t marry her as the main wife, but only to be a concubine. Since Sima His Excellency didn¡¯t have the main wife, so she was just given a concubine¡¯s ce. Besides, the miss forth was very young. It would take two or three years more for her to be the concubine. By then, Sima His Excellency would have a main wife or even a son. So, it would be perfect for her to marry him.

    That was what the news was. But there was another version. It was said that the first miss that had been saved then, but the first miss didn¡¯t agree to be the concubine. So, she made her younger sister the one to be the concubine. But no matter whether it was true or not, it was satisfying that Mo Xueqiong would be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine.

    Anyway, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t want to let his talented and intelligent first daughter be a concubine, but when such a thing happened, someone had to deal with it. Now that Mo Xueqiong and Sima Lingyun had some emotional connections, Mo Huawen had to adopt the advice given by Auntie Fang. At least, in this way, one of his daughters didn¡¯t have to be a concubine.

    Mo Xuemin was very quiet. Ordinarily, she used to greet grandma in the yard, visit Auntie Fang and make many small clothes for the child in Auntie Fang¡¯s belly when she was free.

    After Mo Xuetong recovered, she continued to greet and visit grandma. And granda still treated her indifferently. She just waved her hand and let her go. Mo Xueyan was the only granddaughter who could stay with her for a long time and chat with her. Grandma didn¡¯t like other granddaughters.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that her granddaughter¡¯s marriage had to depend on Mo Huawen, she wouldn¡¯t want to chat with Mo Xuetong and Mo Xuemin. But Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t seem to realize this at all, because she just followed the courtesy as a granddaughter and always kept the olderdypany. That day, grandma just murmured something and sent her away.

    By the time she just returned to the court, Mo Yu ran to her with an invitation in her hand and said, "Miss, Old Madame Qin sent an invitation to ask if you have time to apany her to the Buddha at Qingliang Temple in the countryside?"

    The Qin¡¯s hade to the capital for some time but didn¡¯t send the invitation until then. It was clear that their rtionship was not close as before.

    "Is it from grandaunt¡¯s maid?" Mo Xuetong took it over, opened it with a smile and asked.

    "It¡¯s not from Old Madam, but a maid of Madame Yu. She seemed to be a second-grade maid in her yard, named Xia¡¯er." Mo Yu was also surprised.

    "Where is she?" Mo Xuetong put down the invitation and asked lightly.

    "She was in the yard. Miss, you may go back into the room. I¡¯ll ask her toe in so that you can question her."

    Mo Xuetong took Mo Lan into the room and sat down. Mo Yu led in a small maid who was about thirteen years old. Mo Xuetong and her maids had stayed in Qin Manor for more than a year, so they knew the maid was from Mdm Yu¡¯s yard. Old Madam Qin and Mdm Yu didn¡¯t get along well all the time, and she normally wouldn¡¯t send anyone from Mdm Yu¡¯s yard.

 Chapter 103 There Was No Way out, And Mo He Was Ousted

    "When you go to Qingliang Temple this time, who else will go there besides grandaunt and aunt?" Mo Xuetong said smilingly, with her fingers rapping on the table casually.

    She was different from the way she had been when she had left the Qin Manor. She was much less intive but much calmer as a youngdy from a rich family. When she lifted her cold eyes, though talking smilingly, she had an imposing manner, which made the maids following her all the time identify with her opinions involuntarily.

    "Madam also invited the concubine and miss from her uncle¡¯s family, and Old Madam asked the second son toe along, which would add to the lively atmosphere." The little maid answered in full details.

    As expected, it was not arranged by Mdm Qin. But Mdm Yu had no good impression of her, and even tried to get rid of her the other day. Mo Xuetongughed grimly and thought that she wouldn¡¯t invite her without a good reason.

    Besides, there was Yu Sirong, who was med and kicked out by her father, and Yu Sirong¡¯s mother named Mdm Chen. Mo Xuetong had seen that Madam before, who was said to be vicious. It could be proved by the fact that Yu Sirong had no brothers or sisters from a concubine.

    So many people seemed to be against her, whatever, Yu Sirong had owed her so much the previous life that hadn¡¯t been paid back! If she wanted to frame her like in the previous life, she would let her pay for it. Her hand that was holding the handkerchief pinched a little, and then she lifted her eyes and said.

    "Tell grandaunt that I am free tomorrow, and I will go to Qingliang Temple with her!"

    Having made up her mind, she waved her hand to have people tip the maid. Then Mo Yu led her out.

    Qingliang Temple was not a big temple which was located in the countryside, but it attracted a great number of worshippers and pilgrims. Besides, people heard that the monks there were good at cooking vegetarian meals, which attracted numerous people from the world. And there were many plum trees. Though they were not as famous as the plum trees in King Jin Manor, they were pretty beautiful.

    The legend had it that a long time ago, a schr headed to the capital to take the examination. He passed out by the road in winter without money to pay for a room in the inn. A monk from the temple saved him, brought him into the temple, and offered him amodation. Later then, the schr did find his name on the list of sessful candidates. So he not only rebuilt a golden body for the Buddha in the temple, but also nted many plum trees in the temple, which symbolized the noble qualities of the monks.

    Therefore, plenty of people went to Qingliang Temple to eat a vegetarian meal and watch plum blossoms.

    Out of entertaining purpose, most people liked to go there.

    Mdm Yu and Yu Sirong intended to do something to her there...

    Whatever, if it¡¯s supposed toe, it woulde. She had no chance to escape, and she didn¡¯t want to escape.

    "Mo Lan, how is Mo He doing?" After standing by the window for quite a while, Mo Xuetong sat down, took over the tea offered by Mo Lan and asked.

    It had been a while after Mo He¡¯s affair. But what happened next caught her unprepared, so she had no time to ask about Mo He¡¯s affair. This morning, Mo Yu came to report that Mo He wanted to talk with her in private.

    She had been very disappointed at Mo He already. It¡¯smon to make the same mistakes all over. Now that Mo He could discard their friendship for a man and left her in trouble, there was a great possibility that she would do that again. Since she had this second life, she had be cruel.

    In addition, if Mo He was regretful, she would have mentioned it to Mo Lan and Mo Yu. They grew up together, so there was nothing they couldn¡¯t share. But she waited until her recovery to beg for mercy. So if she didn¡¯t make it, she might not beg for her mercy and still be the first maid.

    It¡¯s not such a horrible thing to make mistakes. But she didn¡¯t even realize her mistake, and only begged for mercy when she had to. She didn¡¯t dare to keep someone like her. She just wanted someone loyal, but it¡¯s a pity to fall out with Mo He.

    She didn¡¯t expect that she would betray her so quickly...

    She used to think that her liveliness was an expression of innocence. Now she realized that it was herself who excessively beautified it.

    "Miss, Mo He wants to see you, and she said she would never do anything like that in the future." Mo Lan answered.

    "Mo Lan, you pack some clothes for her, and some silver. Besides, you can bring this jewelry of mine to her, as a memory of our friendship. And you can give her indenture back. Both of her parents seemed dead, so there is no rtive of her in the manor." Mo Xuetong kneaded her eyebrows and said.

    Driving her away before the big mistake, she had paid back for their friendship in herst life.

    Mo Lan understood what she meant, but she couldn¡¯t help saying, "Miss, are you sure that you want to let Mo He leave? She..."

    They had been growing up with Mo Xuetong since they were young, which brought them a close connection different from others¡¯.

    "Of course, it¡¯s true. Do you think what Mo He did isn¡¯t a big deal?" A cold smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, "If someday Mo He and Bai Yihao¡¯s maid really have a quarrel in the manor, my honor will be damaged. When that happens, what should I do? Most people in the manor treat me coldly. If something shameful happens, they¡¯ll do everything they can to kill me."

    Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin had been waiting for such a chance, so she was even more determinedly and she could not do anything wrong.

    "You should also bring this back to her. It was found in her room, and belonged to Auntie Fang." Mo Xuetong took out a diamond hairpin from the drawer of the dressing table and gave it to Mo Lan. From the morous radiance of the diamond, it was clear that a maid couldn¡¯t afford anything like that.

    Mo Lan trembled in her heart, and her face turned pale when she looked at the hairpin in her hand.

    She was smart, and she had heard something from Mo He these days. When Mo Xuetong told her the thing with all the details, she understood that she did try to frame their miss. As a result, she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more, brought Mo Xuetong¡¯s jewelry and some of her own, and delivered them to the room where Mo He was kept.

    She told the nannies to open the door. Walking in, she saw Mo He sitting on the couch. She hadn¡¯t seen her for only a few days, but Mo He¡¯s face turned thin and pale. Her pretty face was nk and decadent, which was pitiful to see. But Mo Lan just couldn¡¯t pity her.

    "Mo Lan, when will misse to see me?" Hearing the sound of the opening door, Mo He stood up and asked hurriedly.

    "Mo He, miss don¡¯t want to see you because of that thing. Considering the emotions of being a maid of her, miss asked me to give you these and your indenture when you entered the manor. I also prepared some for you. You can take them all." Seeing that Mo He¡¯s eyes were full of expectation, Mo Lan hesitated for a while. Then she sighed and took all the stuff out.

    "Why? Why miss dismissed me?" Mo He got scared, pulled Mo Lan¡¯s hand and hurriedly asked.

    The result was so different from what she had in mind, so it frightened her very much. She had thought that Mo Xuetong would lock her up for a few days at most or might punish her. But it shouldn¡¯t be like this!

    "Mo He, you should know it, right?" Mo Lan coldly took her hand out of hers. She didn¡¯t look at her anymore, put down the things, turned around and left. She paused by the door when she heard the sound of Mo He falling down, but she didn¡¯t go back in again. She just walked out of the door directly, and the door was heavily closed.

    Now that everyone knew the truth, she didn¡¯t need to borate. Nobody was so stupid as expected. The reason why Mo Lan pleaded for Mo He was that she hadn¡¯t known the truth. Now she understood that she had been fooled by Mo He. She couldn¡¯t imagine that Mo He had be so different at some point.

    The things Auntie Fang gave her even made her discard the sisterhood with her and emotions with her miss.

    It was fine that at least miss didn¡¯t make her disgraceful. Mo Lan knew that miss would also give her and Mo Yu the dignity.

    The next day, Qin Manor did send someone there. Mo Xuetong and Mo Huawen headed to Qin Manor in the carriage after a notice. Since they greeted grandma first, they were a bitte there. Mdm Qin saw her but said nothing, after a short greeting, she brought Mo Xuetong out of the gate.

    Out of the Manor, Mdm Yu had already been waiting there. When she saw Mo Xuetong came holding Mdm Qin¡¯s hand. Her eyes blinked, warmly walked to them, greeted and then said to Mdm Qin, "Mother, it¡¯s a nice day today and suitable for an outing. I heard that the vegetarian meals in Qingliang Temple were great, so I thought we could go there to try the vegetarian meals and live there for several days to rxe."

    Hearing what she said, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t hold back her surprise because she didn¡¯t expect that they would live there for several days. It was not scheduled. Then she yed innocent, looked at Mdm Qin, and asked uneasily, "Grandaunt, do we have to live there for several days? If so, I don¡¯t know what to do, for I didn¡¯t bring enough clothes."

    Looking at her little embarrassed cute face, Mdm Qin patted on her hand and said smilingly, "We don¡¯t have to live there. The guest rooms in Qingliang Temple must be crowded, so we may not have a ce to live in. Let¡¯s have a look there first. If we want to live there, it¡¯s okay to ask the maids and nannies toe back to get clothes."

    "Ah, I thought grandaunt had forgotten to inform Tong¡¯er!" Mo Xuetong made a face smilingly and looked enlightened. Therefore, Mdm Qin patted her hand again with love. Looking at this cute little face, she thought about something different. She used to look down upon Mo Xuetong, but now it was different. Mo Huawen got promoted, and even Mo Xuetong became well-behaved and honey-mouthed.

    If Xuan¡¯er could marry her, it would be a nice marriage. She was much better than Yu Sirong, who had been staring at Xuan¡¯er disgracefully. So as soon as Mdm Yu offered that advice, she agreed to take Mo Xuetong out immediately.

    With that n in mind, she treated Mo Xuetong even better.

    Seeing that they were chatting cheerfully, Mdm Yu smiled kindly with them and said, "How could grandaunt forget Tong¡¯er? She¡¯ll never forget Tong¡¯er. There is no need to worry. When everything is ready, grandaunt will send someone to get clothes, and dress Tong¡¯er beautifully! Nobody will be able topare with you."

    "Thank you, aunt!" Mo Xuetong smiled shyly and her face turned red because what was in her mind was spoken out loud.

    The carriage had been ready for a while, and there were three of them. The first one was for Mdm Qin. The second was for Mdm Yu. And Mo Xuetong with Mo Lan and Mo Ye got into the third one. Qin Yuxuan rode on a horse. He had wanted to go ahead, but Mdm Yu asked him to look after the carriage. It was until then that he coulde and greet Mo Xuetong!

    Hardly had Mo Xuetong sit steadily in the carriage when someone knocked on the window of the carriage. Mo Xuetong opened the left window and saw Qin Yuxuan¡¯s gentle and handsome face. The boy was beaming evidently.

    "Sister Tong, this is for you. It¡¯ll take a long time to get there, and this will make you feel peaceful and refreshed." Qin Yuxuan handed over a middle-sized brocade box. As soon as it was opened, a fresh smell came out which smelt like orchids in the valley. It was quite refreshing, and it would be a necessity during a long, dreary trip.

    "Thank you, Cousin Xuan! I may cause you a lot of trouble along the road, and please inform me of delicious food and great entertainment!" Cousin Xuan always looked after her so carefully, which moved her. She closed the brocade box, curled her lip and bantered with him.

    "Okay, if I find anything delicious or good amusement, I¡¯ll ask you toe, all right?" Seeing that she spoke close to him as before, Qin Yuxuan¡¯s face turned red with excitement. But he pretended to contemte for a while before he answered smilingly.

    "So it¡¯s a deal!"

    "Okay, it¡¯s a deal!"

 Chapter 104 A Trip to Qingliang Temple

    Qin Yuxuan got away from the window. Mo Lan carefully lifted the heavy curtains for her, and let down the voile for me, so that people inside could see what happened outside, while the outsiders couldn¡¯t see what¡¯s inside. The air circted in the carriage and let cold breeze flew in. However, there were lots of people in the carriage and they all dressed warmly, so they were not troubled by the coldness.

    Qingliang Temple was not very far, and it took them about forty hours to get there.

    Arriving at the gate of the temple, they got out of the carriage and saw Yu Sirong and her mother Mdm Chen waiting there, who were apanied by some maids and nannies. The minute they saw Qin¡¯s carriage stop, Yu Sirong¡¯s eyes were fixed on Qin Yuxuan who was getting down from his horse. She didn¡¯t even notice Mdm Chen winking at her, lifted her dress and ran toward him.

    "Greetings to Cousin Xuan!" She stood in front of Qin Yuxuan and tried to act like a coquettish virtuous girl. She lifted her eyes and looked at handsome Qin Yuxuan with her face turning red.

    "There is no need for you to be so courteous." Qin Yuxuan turned around and saluted back, but he didn¡¯t continue the conversation. He just walked to Mdm Chen and saluted, which made Yu Sirong very angry. As a result, she had to walk back.

    Mdm Qin walked out from her carriage, coldly looked at Yu Sirong who was obviously unhappy and beamed her lips tightly without a word. She had always looked down on the first miss in the Yu¡¯s. She was always arrogant. Besides, she just rushed toward Xuan¡¯er so impolitely,pletely ignoring her status as a first miss. She just never acted appropriately.

    Her daughter-inw who had such a narrow horizon even tried to marry her into Qin Manor. A girl like her would ruin Xuan¡¯er¡¯s whole life. Her handsome caring grandson should marry a good girl from a rich and famous family the capital. Even Mo Xuetong was much better than Yu Sirong.

    Mdm Qin hadn¡¯t intended to go to Qingliang Temple that day, but Mdm Yu brought Mdm Chen to her the day before. As long as they entered the house, they politely said they had reserved guest rooms and would like to go together. She had intended to refuse, but Mingyue who had been clever and obedient said unexpectedly, "It¡¯s great, our Old Madam have wanted to go and she couldn¡¯t get the reservation of guest rooms!"

    It made her feel quite uneasy and she didn¡¯t know what to say. Therefore, she had to agree to the idea of going to Qingliang Temple today, but she still felt very ufortable. She had seen the conflicts in the back yard for years, so she definitely knew what¡¯s wrong. She was very angry that her first maid was bought over by Mdm Yu. Therefore, the expression on her face turned serious, but she couldn¡¯t say anything in front of Mdm Chen.

    Later then, she found some other reasons to punish Mingyue! But she was still angry!

    It¡¯s nice that Mdm Yu also invited Tong¡¯er toe, instead of trying to get her daughter and Xuan¡¯er together. If it¡¯s not so, Old Madam would turn against her at that time!

    Thinking about that, Mdm Qin looked at Mdm Yu who just came out from the carriage and her face turned grim again. She had been ignoring those small schemes of Mdm Yu, for the sake that she had born a good grandson. She even didn¡¯tin about the fact that there were very few concubine¡¯s sons in the family. But she hadn¡¯t expected that Mdm Yu would dare to mess up in her territory, so she was still unhappy.

    Now that she didn¡¯t bring any clothes, she would find a reason to go back. Mdm Qin knew Mdm Yu and Mdm Chen¡¯s intention. It was even more evident when she saw Yu Sirong¡¯s behavior. Yu Sirong didn¡¯t pay her courtesy when there were elders all around, and she chased after Xuan¡¯er. Nothing in her looked like a youngdy from a big family, and her behavior was irritating.

    Mdm Qin became angrier when no one in the Yu Family made her feel pleasant.

    Then Mdm Chen held Yu Sirong¡¯s hand and pulled her over who was unwilling toe. And she smiled and saluted to Mdm Qin. After Mo Xuetong got out from the carriage, she definitely saluted to Mdm Qin first, then to Mdm Yu and Mdm Chen. Later then, she stepped back, stood behind Mdm Qin obediently and quietly listened to them.

    Yu Sirong enviously nced at Mo Xuetong, which revealed viciousness andcency!

    "Old Madam dide, which Sirong had asked for several times. When she found the time was approaching, she pulled me to the gate, in case Old Madam might have missed us and went to a wrong ce. She is such a careless child." Mdm Chen sawMdm Qin¡¯s obvious displeasure and started to exin smilingly.

    "Sirong is surely clever, and she is always intimate with you. She is such an obedient girl that when she heard that you woulde, she definitely had toe. Now that we have stood here for a while, her little face even got chilled." Mdm Yu helped her sister-inw and said surprisedly when she touched Yu Sirong¡¯s face.

    Mo Xuetong screwed up her eyes and lifted her head to look at the top of the tree. It would be a while before noon, so the sunshine was strong but not warm. Besides, it was winter on a hill. Although the trees blocked some of the wind out, it¡¯s still pretty chilly, so she started to shiver after standing for a while. Mo Lan observed that she felt cold and stood in front of her to block the wind.

    "Miss Yu is surely clever and obedient and she may get ill standing here. There are so many people here and even some male. You should have persuaded her and don¡¯t let her go out here. It made me feel ashamed and uneasy." Mdm Qin said in a strange tone. Therefore, though she said the words with a smile and politeness, it¡¯s not happy to hear that.

    In her words, she was allining that Yu Sirong didn¡¯t act like a miss from a big family. She abandoned her dignity and waited in front of the gate of the temple. Even Mdm Chen was satirized that she had no good manners. Even though Yu Sirong was young and didn¡¯t know the rules, Mdm Chen should control her daughter as a Madam.

    Mdm Chen¡¯s face turned red when she heard the words, and Yu Sirong was too disgraced to lift her head. She didn¡¯t dare to look at Qin Yuxuan anymore and twisted her fingers together. She only hoped that the olddy who stood in her way could die quickly. If that happened, her aunt would be the one in charge in the manor, and it would be easy to ask Cousin Xuan to marry her.

    That damned old woman actually meddled with her affairs!

    "All right, all right. Let¡¯s get in first. It¡¯s no good standing here. If anyone really gets a cold, it would be a waste of mother¡¯s goodwill. It¡¯s not sensible for a child to act like that even if you¡¯re filial!" Mdm Yu meditated the dispute pretending that she didn¡¯t understand what happened. She nced at Qin Yuxuan and found that he didn¡¯t seem to care about it. She felt relieved.

    Then her eyes fixed on Mo Xuetong who was listening with an absent mind, and her eyes got bleak. She had to put her whole heart into this now that it had something to do with the happiness of her sister and niece.

    Thinking of the scheme, Mdm Yu looked at Mdm Chen. Mdm Chen felt that someone was staring at her, smiled and nodded back to her during her chatting with Mdm Qin. She obviously understood what she meant and informed her that everything had been ready. A cold smile appeared by Mdm Yu¡¯s mouth, and she didn¡¯t believe the girl could survive again.

    They politely chatted and went into Qingliang Temple. They head to Qingliang Temple¡¯s guest rooms, which include the Heaven rooms, Ground rooms, ck rooms, and Yellow rooms! Besides those, there were yards separated for male and female.

    The Heaven rooms were for guests with especially high status, the Ground rooms were for official families, the ck rooms were for merchants, and the Yellow rooms were for ordinary people.

    The Qin¡¯s and the Yu¡¯s lived in the Ground rooms, whose location was almost in the middle of the temple, neither too far nor too near. It¡¯s convenient for the families of officials to visit the Buddha. They chatted and smiled along the road, and the little monk led them through the Heaven rooms, behind which were the Ground rooms.

    Mo Xuetong and her maids walked at the end. When they passed the Heaven rooms, she acutely found some of the rooms were half opened and there must be people living. The two bodyguards standing by the door were kind of familiar. After thinking for a while, she smiled a little. Mdm Yu would never know that person lived there.

    Mo Xuetong was arranged to live in the most distant room of all Ground rooms. When Mo Xuetong walked into the room, she noticed that there seemed to be a yard for males next to her room. It was quite inconvenient, but she couldn¡¯t say anything about that. After all, it seemed to be right to make such an arrangement.

    The first maid of Mdm Yu drove the carriage back after she arranged everything there. It was said that she went to pack clothes for Old Madam and Mdm Yu, which meant Mdm Yu would definitely live here.

    "Miss, Old Madam just said that she would ask you to listen to Buddha Dharma together after you ce everything in order and got enough rest." Mo Lan cleaned the room while she told Old Madam¡¯s arrangement to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong stood out and opened the window. It was a beautiful bright day of summer. As there was no enough sunshine, it looked dreamlike among the hills. Its scenery was really beautiful. No wonder so many people came to Qingliang Temple to visit the Buddha. It was not only solemn but also leisurely, which made it a perfect ce to visit.

    After fixing her makeup, Mo Xuetong said she wanted to visit the Buddha to pray for her mother now that she was in a temple.

    "Mo Lan, stop tidying. Did you bring the candles I told you about?"

    "Of course, I did. Miss, you want to go to the..."

    "Since I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll definitely light a candle in front of the Buddha for my mother." Mo Xuetongpressed her lips, lifted her face, looked at the cold weather outside and said lightly. Since she was in the temple, she must light a candle for her mother!

    Sensing Mo Xuetong¡¯s deep sorrow, Mo Lan sighed. Without saying anything more, she took out the candles that she had prepared and followed Mo Xuetong outside. Mo Ye stayed to watch and tidy the room, in case that someone of Mdm Yu came to do something evil.

    Since it was winter, the people on the hill were obviously different from those in spring and autumn, and they seemed much lonelier. When they arrived at the temple, Mo Xuetong asked Mo Lan to guard outside and she went inside. Looking at thepassionate eyes of the Buddha, Mo Xuetong felt sad without a reason. She took a candle and knelt down in front of the Buddha, feeling dizzy and sad.

 Chapter 105 In the Temple, Mo Xuetong Got Trapped in a Scheme

    If mother were still alive, she wouldn¡¯t let anyone treat her like this and she would her with her whole heart. Her mother who passed away so early must have never expected that she would be killed by Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang used to act gently and quietly in front of her mother, so she couldn¡¯t imagine she was even more vicious than the snakes. Her mother must haven¡¯t found the truth after her death. If Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t tell her these before her death, she would not know the truth that all the tragedies in herst life were caused by that vicious woman.

    It¡¯s lucky that God had given her a second life, which made her understand Auntie Fang¡¯s schemes. She was determined that she wouldn¡¯t let anybody frame her in this life. Even if she would die, she would revenge for her mother first. She would use this chance of the second life to revenge, and she would let everyone owing to her and her mother in herst life pay.

    With her teeth firmly biting her lip and her eyes getting misty, she didn¡¯t cry but heavily kowtowed in front of the Buddha. She put her palms together devoutly, closed her eyes and whispered sincerely, "Mom, may you bless me. And I¡¯ll definitely revenge for you, the vicious mother and daughter won¡¯t have a good end!"

    She wouldn¡¯t let them have a good end, which was not only the wish for her mother, but also the goal she set for herself. In this life, she didn¡¯t want wealth or fame, but the revenge for her mother and herself. She would do whatever it took. Even if it meant death, she would drag them into hell with her.

    It was quiet in the temple. She just knelt down there, shedding tears quietly.

    Suddenly, footsteps seemed ringing behind the door, which sounded a hammer beating in her heart in this silent temple. The steps obviously didn¡¯t belong to Mo Lan, but who else could it be? Such heavy footsteps seemed toe from a man. But why could a man break into the Buddha without Mo Lan making a sound?

    In herst life, Mo Xuetong got such a sad end because of the humiliation. So she was very frightened then.

    Having a bad hunch, she stood up instantly. However, she got tripped a little because she had knelt for a while. It took her a few seconds to adjust herself, and then she hid in the veil behind the Buddha.

    The door of the temple was pushed open. Mo Xuetong looked through the veil and saw a man, who seemed to be a servant, looked around with a nd look.

    "Where is her?" He looked inside and seemed to be talking to someone.

    "What you need to do is to go inside. She must be in the temple because she hasn¡¯t get out since she got in." It was a low voice, which was obvious in the extremely quiet temple. It was a woman¡¯s voice, but it¡¯s not from Mo Lan.

    She seemed to have said something else, but Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t hear it clearly. The servant just nodded. The first thing he did after he got into the temple was to close the door of the temple. Then he loosened his waistband and his clothes hung loosely over his shoulders, which brought him the look of being undecently dressed. Besides, there was rough on her face, which was living proof that he came here to tryst with a girl.

    Her hand holding the vile trembled, and bloody color appeared in her eyes. Her heart sank, but her brain was racing. Someone was framing her.

    If she was found locked up in the Buddha with this man, she would have to die!

    Having a private meeting with Sima Lingyun had only made her disgraced, but she could still marry into Duke¡¯s manor. If she had indecent rtions with a servant, she would have to die to keep Mo Manor¡¯s fame.

    That person was so vicious, and intended to get her life!

    Her brain moved quickly and found several possible suspects. But now, the most important thing was finding the evil backstage maniptor but escaping from the trouble. She believed that people would rush in after a while. If they found the servant and her inside, she wouldn¡¯t be able to exin.

    The servant didn¡¯t have a big build but seemed strong, so she had no chance to defeat him. That man didn¡¯t see her and lifted some of the veils up to looked inside, trying to find her.

    She couldn¡¯t fight against him directly. She didn¡¯t have enough power to knock him down and escape.

    She took out the hairpin off her head. The pointy end pricked into her hand and the pain made her feel like she had something to rely on.

    "Third Young Miss Mo, Third Young Miss Mo, where are you?" The man looked like a servant lifted the vile, smiled frivolously withcency. It¡¯s obvious that he knew she was there.

    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t there, the man approach Mo Xuetong¡¯s location. Mo Xuetong got very nervous and held her breath. She couldn¡¯t let the man find her. If he found and caught her, even if she hurt herself, she couldn¡¯t prove herself innocent.

    "Third Young Miss Mo, it¡¯s you who invited me here. Why do you hide from me? Are you messing with me? Now I know Third Young Miss Mo like this." The servant kept looking for her when he shouted aloud. He got farther and farther away from her. She didn¡¯t know if she could rush to the door from here in such a distance. If she could rush past the man, get to the door, and then stab herself with her hairpin, she might have a chance to live through.

    She hadn¡¯t got her revenge so she didn¡¯t want to die here in vain.

    Although havinge up with a n, Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and feet trembled, and her teeth bit her lips so tightly that warm liquid flowed out of her teeth. Her bright eyes were fixed on the actions of the servant, and she only had a chance.

    "Third Young Miss Mo..." The servant reached onto the veil which was in front of her. With a simple pull, she would be exposed to him.

    Without any hesitation, her pointy hairpin stabbed out and pricked on the hand that was reaching over.

    The pain in hand made the servant start to scream. His hands recoiled instinctively, leaving out the distance of an arm. Mo Xuetong clicked her teeth and rushed out fiercely. The servant was caught unprepared and rammed by her, and couldn¡¯t help stepping backward.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t take the hairpin back and rushed to the door with her full strength. That distance didn¡¯t seem long, but it was so distant then. This was her only chance. However, she was dragged by the cuff after taking just one step.

    "Third Young Miss Mo asked me to meet here. Now you want to kill me just because you¡¯re afraid that someone will find our rtionship." Acent voice arose.

    With her hand pulled by that man, she tripped on the ground and the pointy hairpin pricked on her arm. She didn¡¯t feel pain and she looked at the man desperately, letting the blood flow out from her lips. She could hear very clearly at the moment. Except for the sound of the rustling branches, she could hear footsteps.

    The footsteps were in disorder. There must be more than five people!

    There was no time left!

    "Who are you? Why do you frame me up like this? If so, let¡¯s die together." She determinedly picked up the hairpin and stabbed her throat with its pointy end. She widely opened her eyes and stabbed it in. Even if she would die, she wanted to die with a good name in this life.

    It would be impossible for the servant to prove his innocence when he tried to kill the first miss in an official¡¯s family.

    The smug smile on the wretched face turned into a terrified look. He couldn¡¯t have imagined that a delicate girl would treat herself so harshly. He would be killed for murdering the first miss in an official¡¯s family. The servant regretted it and tumbled in panic.

    "Put that down." A forceful voice came.

    "ng." The golden hairpin in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand was toppled by something. It just left a bloody mark on her neck, and the blood polluted her white clothes instantly.

    A sword stabbed ahead, and before the servant could say anything, the sword went through his body. A ck shadow appeared. The owner of the shadow tilted on the ground quickly reached out his hand to grabbed the falling servant. Then he disappeared from the temple. Until then, not a single drop of the servant¡¯s blood dripped on the ground.

    Voices rang behind the door, and Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty face was covered in killing intention. The girl in his arms was dazed. Her long unruly hair, the blood on her neck, and her pale face seemed to be telling her fear just now.

    His face was livid and somber. He held Mo Xuetong and then got on to the beam. Holding her tightly to make her lean on his shoulders, he lightly brushed her hair tofort her.

    The door of the temple was pushed open heavily, and Yu Sirong rushed in with several maids and nannies. On the other side, Mo Lan was pushed in by two nannies.

    Yu Sirong walked at the front, and she also rushed in first with a grimcent smile on her face. That bitch, Mo Xuetong, would have no ce to hide this time. Even if she had died, she was disgraceful.

    The door of the temple was pushed open heavily, which made a strange tremendous sound. And the ce looked even more quiet and scary.

    There was nobody! Yu Sirong looked at this spacious temple stunned. Except for some fluttering vile, you could see everything, but there was no one. Not only Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t there, she even couldn¡¯t find the servant.

    She turned back and nced at her maid. The maid understood and nodded, and then she lightly whispered to her while looking around. She did see Mo Xuetong walk into the temple and she ordered someone to take Mo Lan away. Then she sent the servant in and guarded the door. She hadn¡¯t seen anyone get in or out.

    Except for a few screams, she hadn¡¯t found anything wrong when she groveled by the door.

    "Our miss isn¡¯t here. Miss Yu, what¡¯s your intention in taking me in? No matter what, you can¡¯t frame her casually!" Seeing that the maids and nannies walked out from the veil with no good news, Mo Lan felt relieved and said firmly.

    "Why there is no one..." Yu Sirong got very angry at the moment and her eye were grim. She had no time to care about a maid. She just ignored Mo Lan, looked around and murmured. She couldn¡¯t believe this would happen.

    "What did our miss do to make miss Yu hate her so much that you want to take her life? And you said she had had a rtionship with a man. Miss Yu, you have to tell me the truth. Even if I die here today, I wouldn¡¯t allow you to destroy our miss¡¯s name."

    Mo Lan fiercely pushed through the grab of two nannies, rushed to Yu Sirong and shouted. The words made several people who just came in felt confused.

    "If your miss is not here, where can she be?" Yu Sirong asked back with a scaryplexion. She stopped for a while, turned her eyes and saw Mdm Qining in. Her facial expression suddenly changed, turned around violently and red at her maids viciously.

    "Do you have to report to Miss Yu where our miss is? I don¡¯t know when our miss has such a close rtionship with Miss Yu. Every time Miss Yu saw our miss, you tried to torture her. Every time when our miss is with Miss Yu, she got hurt or misunderstood. Do you think it¡¯s not enough until you get our miss killed?"

    Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t there, so Mo Lan didn¡¯t care about causing a scene. This time she wouldn¡¯t let go even if Yu Sirong begged her to. Therefore, she stared at Yu Sirong and determinedly told how Yu Sirong had bullied her miss with all the details. She had hated Yu Sirong long time ago, who used to cheat her miss with the first miss. Then, when she moved to Qin Manor, Miss Yu also came to satirize her asionally, tart and mean.

    From today¡¯s situation, Mo Lan understood that it was Yu Sirong who wanted to kill her miss. She got so furious that she reprimanded her freely.

 Chapter 106 Yu Sirong Was Blamed for Her Failure

    The reason why thedy¡¯s previous reputation in Cloud City got worse and worse was mainly that Yu Sirong and first miss added fuel to the me.

    At this moment, she was so annoyed that she only felt it was her own mistakes that caused miss in danger. She even wanted to fudder for miss and to reveal the fake face of Yu Sirong.

    She now understood that today¡¯s event was definitely a conspiracy. At that time, she was waiting outside the door, and suddenly a maid came over to tell her that Mdm Qin had something to ask her. Then, she looked at the sky, feeling that miss might stay for a long time there, so she followed the maid, thinking that Mdm Qin might have something to tell miss. But when on halfway, she suddenly woke up and turned back.

    Miss only walked out with her. If Mdm Qin asked her toe, there would be no one serving miss. Besides, in the hall, how did Mdm Qin know? She and miss privately came here, so no one knew that. But why did the little maid found them so easily? Did she follow them all the way?

    This kind of thought caused Mo Lan¡¯s heart to sink, then she rushed back to the temple door. However, it was toote. Outside the temple door, Yu Sirong, with the servant girls and old female servants, stood. When seeing here, two rough women dragged her and dashed into the temple with her, despite her yelling argument.

    She didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with her miss in the hall, but the behavior by Yu Sirong made her feel a sense of crisis. Miss must be in danger, so she struggled to argue to try to dy their entering into the temple, or she could make a big noise to let miss know.

    Miss was smart, so she would definitely find a way.

    At this time, when finding miss was really not in the hall, she was unconvinced despite relief. As she pointing to Yu Sirong with a sneer, she disclosed Yu Sirong¡¯s murder plot in the past days.

    Since Yu Sirong had always been used to being mighty, it was impossible for her to tolerate a maid who med her as pointing to her nose.

    "Humble maid, what did you say? I don¡¯t plot against your miss, but just worry about sister Tong. However, howe you should think that I have some devil thoughts towards sister Tong? No wonder in these two days, Sister Tong was unhappy seeing me. It turns out that you humble maids sow discord. Come and drag this humble maid down to me for twenty times. I, on behalf of sister Tong, will give Sister Tong¡¯s maid a good lesson," As she was scolded rudely by a servant girl by pointing at her nose, Yu Sirong¡¯s face became pale and red. She was more indignant at the time since she only felt it was really shameful. However, she said indifferently, as she forced herself to be calm.

    She didn¡¯t believe that a maid could cause chaos.

    When she spoke here, two Yu family¡¯s women servants dragged Mo Lan away. Since they all belonged to Yu Family, they naturally obeyed their own masters. Later, Mo Lan was being held and fell to the ground depsipte her fierce struggle.

    "Miss Yu really has a noble demeanor. An impolite maid could make Miss Yu so angry, and even suffers punishment for Tong. She really has a good and considerate sister." A cold voice came from the door. Against the backlight, Yu Sirong saw angry Mdm Qin, who was standing at the entrance of the temple.

    Mdm Qin¡¯s face was gloomy, without any hint of pleasure, which was clearly a furious look.

    Yu Sirong was shocked, then she recalled that her aunt, in order to have more people see the scene, would definitely entice Mdm Qin toe over and let her see Mo Xuetong privately date with someone in Buddhist temple.

    The fact was in front of her. She waited to see how this older woman could help her! This was like a p on the evil older woman¡¯s face.

    However, she couldn¡¯t imagine that things were exactly not what they thought. Mo Xuetong disappeared in the temple without any reason, which was beyond anyone¡¯s expectation. Thus, standing behind Mdm Yu, Mdm Qin became gloomy. Moreover, she found no one after entering the temple. In the end, exchanging a nce with Mdm Chen beside her, her face radically changed.

    How could she disappear under her eyes without any reason?

    "Old Madam, I am not... it is because the maid is rude..." seeing Mdm Qin appear, Yu Sirong¡¯s face also paled, fearing that she might leave a wrong impression on Mdm Qin. Then, she immediately became gentle, hurriedly looked at her aunt and mother, and exined slowly. Seeing Mdm Qine over to suppress their master, the two old servants dared not to drag Mo Lan anymore. They quietly stopped lest they got involved.

    "Miss Yu is also a girl from a respectable family. Why does Miss Yu want to ruin her reputation? Why does Miss Yu dislike Tong? You first ndered that she privately dated with a man, then dragged her maid to teach a lesson on behalf of Tong. Even though Mo Family is really low, it still has its own family rules, which has nothing to do with Yu Family. Now that Miss Yu likes to make troubles, do you really think that no one loves Tong? Howe a little girl cares about so many trivial things?" Thinking of the words of Mdm Yu spoken in front of her, Mdm Qin was so indignant that she even trembled. Then, she sharply red at Yu Sirong andshed out on the Yu Family.

    She, who had lived in the inner house for a long time, naturally understood what happened. They really tried to kill Mo Xuetong! She red at suspicious Mdm Yu and flustered Mdm Chen, which meant that they were going to frame Tong. However, something happened, and Tong actually disappeared.

    She never liked Yu Sirong. She could understand when Mdm Yu tried to marry Yu Sirong to her grandson. However, now Mdm Yu actually wanted to frame Mo Xuetong. There might be some reason that she didn¡¯t know. On the other hand, Mdm Yu was really stupid. If Mo Xuetong really was injured here, how could Qin Family get away scot-free?

    This time, Zheng¡¯er said privately that Mo Huawen enjoyed a smooth official career, and was in an essential position by Emperor. Moreover, Tong was not only the daughter of Mo Family and the granddaughter of Fu General but also was the most beloved girl of Fu General¡¯s wife. If Mo Xuetong were near the capital, she would move into the Fu General Manor. Therefore, if Mo Xuetong got into trouble without any reason under her eyes, how could she walk away from this? After all, the Qin family couldn¡¯t resist the condemn of Fu General¡¯s Family. Qin family would be destroyed if they didn¡¯t handle it well!

    Even if Mdm Yu did not know, Mdm Qin was very clear. When Fu General¡¯ wife, Old Madam Xu, was young, she was also a warrior and an excellent woman. When Mdm Luo, Luo Xia, was dead, Fu General¡¯s wife was sick. However, it was said that even if she was under sickness, she almost ran to Cloud City. If she had been good health, Mo Xuetong would have left Cloud City. Afterward, Mo Huawen was blocked by the people of Fu General when he went to the capital, which people even talked about now.

    Thinking that Mdm Yu was not only virtuous but also stupid and even poisonous. She wanted to know how Zheng¡¯er married such a woman at that time, and thus looked at Mdm Yu in a more and more indifferent manner.

    Mdm Yu swallowed and subconsciously avoided Mdm Qin¡¯s sharp eyes. Then, she red at Yu Sirong red at Yu Sirong as if she had done something wrong. Looking at her grieved appearance, she almost exploded on the spot. She really disappointed was Yu Sirong because she just said that things had been done. Then, she led Mdm Qin here.

    How could it go wrong after a while? She felt bitter and knew that Mdm Qin must know. Thus, Mdm Qin would definitely not let her go. However, she had to exin for Yu Sirong, who was her niece-inw, so no one would seize the opportunity to gossip. After all, if Yu Family lost their face, so would she, since it was her family.

    Faced with Mdm Qin¡¯s look, Mdm Yu forced herself to tter her, "Mother, don¡¯t be angry. Sirong and Tong¡¯er are friendly sisters. Sirong worried if there would be anything wrong with Tong¡¯er, so she hurried there. Besides, mother also came here for fear that anything happened to Tong¡¯er. Now that Tong¡¯er isn¡¯t here, she might go somewhere. We had better not stand here and let othersugh at us."

    "Laugh. It¡¯s no time tough now. Miss Yu, Tong can¡¯t afford a good friend like you. If you don¡¯t have any business, don¡¯t go near her. I heard that Miss Yu keeps a close rtionship with the miss of concubine¡¯s daughter in Mo Mansion, like real sisters. So, you are naturally no longer Tong¡¯s friend." Mdm Qin narrowed her eyes, as sharp as a knife, and she said indifferently with a sarcastic look.

    Being on intimate terms with a concubine¡¯s daughter was naturally degrading, and now she victimized a legal wife¡¯s daughter. Mdm Qin, by means of insinuation, forced Yu Sirong to bite her tongue. Thus, Yu Sirong stood there stiffly with a pale face.

    "Mother..." Mdm Yu, who subconsciously wanted to rescue her from a siege, opened her mouth to ask about the matter but was heartlessly interrupted by Mdm Qin.

    "If you have nothing to handle, you¡¯d better take care of Zheng¡¯er. He used to loiter in these humble ces, thus be indecent. As for Xuan¡¯er¡¯s matter, I will deal with it with his father. In the capital, there are numerous girls from big and noble families, and any of them is more decent than these so-called noble girls in the country. Don¡¯t let your horizon block your eyes."

    She was clearly implying Yu Sirong marrying into Qin Manor, which was equivalent to directly pping Mdm Yu¡¯s face, causing Mdm Yu to bite her teeth indignantly.

    Old madam also hated Mdm Yu at the time, and she even directly or implicitly talked about Qin Yuxuan¡¯s wedding. Then, Yu Sirong, who squinted a bit and lowered her head embarrassedly and shamefully on the side, dared not to speak any words, thus, she was directly disillusioned.

    Yu Sirong raised her face out of shock, and her face was certainly as pale as snow.

    This meant that she would certainly have no chance to marry Qin Yuxuan, which she couldn¡¯t stand. However, when she tried to speak, Mdm Chen tucked at her forcefully.

    "Since you focus on your son¡¯s wedding so much that you can¡¯t have time to care about Zheng¡¯er¡¯s wedding. Ming Yue is smart, so I will allow her to be concubine tomorrow and stay with Zheng¡¯er. She¡¯ll take good care of Zheng¡¯er in clothing, food, and life. Then, you, who are busy with all of our matters, don¡¯t have to spend time on me."

    Mdm Qin squinted at Mdm Yu and Mdm Chen. Before Mdm Chen spoke, Mdm Qin indignantly left with her servants after saying these words. She couldn¡¯t stand her stupid daughter-inw. Of all people, how did Qin Family have such a daughter-inw?

    A hint of fury shed upon Mdm Yu¡¯s face, then she balled her handkerchief tightly in her hand, and bit her mouth to be speechless. Evil old madam should bother her so much!

    "Aunt, you have to help me. I really didn¡¯t frame Sister Tong. I am just worried about her safety but didn¡¯t expect that they might misunderstand me. My aunt, I don¡¯t want to live." Seeing Mdm Qin leave, she turned around to stumble into the arms of Mdm Chen and started wailing.

    "Stop!" Mdm Yu was also very annoyed at this time. Seeing that Yu Sirong was crying so fiercely, she totally lost the patience she usually had. "That Ming Yue, a coquette, has always dreamed of being a concubine. After I promised to make her Feng¡¯er¡¯s concubine, she¡¯s been helping me. Now, the Old Madame actually wants to send her to old sir." Mdm Yu felt jealous.

    Her look became gloomy as she stared at Yu Sirong. After all, if she didn¡¯t mess up things, nothing today would happen, and Old Madame would not send the coquette to old sir to punish her, to disturb her.

 Chapter 107 Trio initiates a devious plan

    "Aunt!" Yu Sirong was stunned by Mdm Yu¡¯s angry chiding. She blinked her eyes innocently. all while holding her handkerchief with her two fingers, unable to react to the situation. For an instance, she dared not make a big fuss anymore.

    Seeing that Mdm Yu was truly infuriated, Mdm Chen went forth to talk to her daughter while pacifying Mdm Yu. She knew what her daughter was thinking as the Qin family was indeed the best match for Yu Sirong. For now, they still cannot offend Mdm Yu and they could only endure even if Mdm Yu decided to scold Yu Sirong harshly.

    Mdm Chen had it all nned out in her heart, as this old woman would be forced to admit their rtionship soon, when her daughter and Qin Yuxuan had tasted the forbidden fruit.

    All these individuals had their own ns and considerations as they left the scene. No one bothered to help Mo Lan up from the ground.

    When everyone had left, Mo Lan finally rose up, stumbling by the wall.

    Mo Lan did not leave as she carefully examined every single corner in the hall that would be a good hiding ce. Pursing her lips, she even searched behind the Buddhist statue and pushed it disrespectfully, afraid that there might be a trap door within. Herdy had entered the hall and should not have left. She could not figure out how she could disappear suddenly as she became more and more panicked, with cold forehead sweat emerging from her smooth forehead.

    Could herdy have met with an ident?

    Originally, she believed that there must be a hidden trap door or a good hiding ce, but that did not seem to be the case now. Why would herdy still not emerge when all these people were gone. Could it really be that she was met with troubles? Thinking about what could have happened, Mo Lan was pale with fright. After all, she was only a teenager despite her usualposure. Shivering, she called out in a low voice, "Mydy,dy!"

    "Mo Lan... I am here." A weak voice apanied by a soft cough emerged while Mo Lan was still pushing Buddhist statues. She turned around in surprise and joy when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice. Indeed, she saw Mo Xuetong leaning by the pir in the hall, her facepletely pale. even though she was smiling, her discolored lips were shivering. Her hands by the pir shivered as sheposed herself.

    What was horrifying to Mo Lan was the red stain on her master¡¯s white dress.

    "Mydy..." Mo Lan rushed over in fright, supporting Mo Xuetong. She was eager to find out what had happened when Mo Xuetong stopped her, breathing heavily. "It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s a small injury. I am fine."

    "Go back first... I will be back soon." Mo Xuetong forced these words out.

    "But, how can you return like this?" Mo Lan was anxious as she had just discovered another scar on Mo Xuetong¡¯s neck. The bloody scar was especially apparent in her white skin, frightening her.

    "Lady..."

    "Go back first, I will bring yourdy back." A male voice suddenly appeared from behind her, making Mo Lan shiver in shock. Turning around, she saw a handsome man with a pair of shimmering purple eyes that shone with coldness and malice,pletely different from his usualzy demeanor. One could not help but be intimidated by his look.

    King Xuan!

    "Mo Lan, go back first. Just exin that I ran towards the back garden and you cannot find me... walk for a while in the back garden and I will be back." Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold and determined gaze was fixated ahead, with hatred shown in her watery pupils. She had a clear understanding of those who directed the show just now.

    Obviously, she could not just leave the Buddhist hall now as Mdm Yu would have left someone here to keep an eye on her even if Yu Sirong did not think of that. When she appeared here, all the me could be cast on her. Thus, Mo Lan must leave, pretending that she never saw her.

    Seeing that King Xuan was beside herdy, Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong with concern. However, she understood that this is the best solution and thus retreated, with a blind confidence that King Xuan had the ability to deal with this matter.

    "Mo Xuetong, do you need me to avenge you?" Feng Yuran looked at the scars on her arms and her neck and became even angrier. He went forth to help her and realized that despite her cold and calm demeanor, she was shivering out of fright. Knowing that she was really frightened, his attitude softened.

    "Thank you, King. I will avenge myself..." There was a slight shiver in her cold and determined voice.

    Feng Yuran looked at the pale and delicate face with shock. Her eyes were no longer as clear as the spring water, instead, it burnt like mes. She had forced herself to be strong, making her even more pitiful.

    Knowing her persistence, Feng Yuran removed his anger and exined, "I will help you if you failed in your attempt."

    "No, I will take revenge myself!" Mo Xuetong struggled to stand up straight but the loss of blood had made her fall and faint. Feng Yuran rushed forth and hugged her in his arms. He took off his cloak and draped it over her, dashing out of the hall without uttering a single word. She needed medication immediately.

    After Mo Lan walked one round in the back garden, she rushed to the guest room. Mo Xuetong had already finished her medication, and was resting on her bed.

    When Qin Yuxuan came over, Mo Xuetong had just woke up.

    The reason why Qin Yuxuan camete was that he had only just received the news. He returned home to settle the belongings of Mdm Yu, Mdm Qin, and Mo Xuetong after his arrival to Qingliang Temple. Furthermore, a friend came to visit him, making his return to the templete. After packing up his belongings, he went to pay respects to his grandmaster before entering Mdm Yu¡¯s room.

    Even though Mdm Yu was his nominal mother, he did not recognize her at all.

    Mdm Yu was in the room with Mdm Chen and Yu Sirong. The three were together, full of anxiety on their faces. Qin Yuxuan went forth to greet but did not intend to stay. He was never interested in Yu Sirong and thus would not pay any attention to her. After that, he decided to see Mo Xuetong.

    "Cousin Xuan!" Seeing that Qin Yuxuan was about to go, Yu Sirong went forth and greeted him. She no longer dared to make a big fuss as she nced at Mdm Yu secretly. Holding her handkerchief, he lowered his head and dared not speak. It was impossible to conceal the matter today but she knew that Qin Yuxuan would be angry at her if it was discovered. After all, she had always beendylike in front of Qin Yuxuan.

    Not only her aunt can suppress Qin Yuxuan¡¯s anger!

    Receiving the signal of help from Yu Sirong, Mdm Yu coughed slightly, asking with a smile. "Xuan¡¯er, have you went to see Tong¡¯er yet."

    "Not yet, I went to greet Grandmother first. She reminded me to see Sister Tongter." Qin Yuxuan nodded and responded calmly, with a few chilly simmers emerging from his eyes. He came from where Mdm Qin was. Even though Mdm Qin didn¡¯t speak much, he noticed that Mdm Qin seemed to be hiding something from him regarding Sister Tong. She merely told him to go and find herter and reminded him to take care of her.

    Mdm Yu mentioned his sister Tong as well.

    He did not know what happened but he subconsciously frowned.

    "Your Sister Tong was frightened just now. I heard that she fell at the slope around the walls of the temple. She should be resting now and there is no need for you to greet her so early. Sirong was finding Tong¡¯er just now and had made your grandmother angry." Mdm Yu spoke casually, focusing on unimportant details, and neglecting the part where Yu Sirong deliberately started this conflict.

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s expression did not change but he was skeptical as no one ever goes to the slope at the corner of the temper. Even though the side door was open, only monks in the temple would be aware of it. He was curious to why Sister Tong will go there and what had happened there, how she found the remote door and how she fall down the slope.

    "Cousin Xuan, I could not find Sister Tong and was anxious, thus ran around to find her. Even though I didn¡¯t find her, I found her servant, but Old Madam med me for being nosy... I was wrong too for being too anxious, and thus did not consider everyone¡¯s perspective..." Under the hint of Mdm yu, Yu Sirong chose to say things that were beneficial to her, replying timidly. She raised up her head, with tear stains on her face. She indeed looked pitiful!

    She didn¡¯t me Mdm Qin at all but had her own grievances and sadness perfectly shown. Mdm Chen nodded her head in approval.

    Seeing that Sister Tong¡¯s matter concerned Yu Sirong too, Qin Yuxuan nced at her coldly and did not reply. Instead, she replied calmly to Mdm Yu. "Mother, Grandmother wanted me to see Sister Tong. Perhaps she was concerned about her injury and wanted me to provide some medication for her. I shall leave first, ande backter to ry the conditions of her injuries to Mother and Grandmother."

    He didn¡¯t even nce at the nervous Yu Sirong before leaving, bowing only to Mdm Chen and Mdm Yu.

    "Aunt, look at cousin!" Seeing that Qin Yuxuan ignored her, Yu Sirong sobbed and pounced towards Mdm Chen.

    "No worries, your cousin cannot choose to ignore youter." Mdm Yu smiled eerily. As long as her n seeds, Qin Yuxuan will have to ept the situation.

    "Sister, what about the little girl of Mo family." Mdm Chen waved her hand, making all retreat. "Since we didn¡¯t seed this time, things will be more difficult!"

    Mdm Yu knew she was referring to Auntie Fang. The three of them had the n to eliminate Mo Xuetong. Auntie Fang agreed to find a precious item from Luo Xia¡¯s dowry to gift Mdm Yu and Mdm Chen. They agreed immediately and replied confidently.

    They did not expect the n to fail so miserably. Not only did they not harm Mo Xuetong, but they also made Mdm Qin dislike Yu Sirong, making the matter much worse. Mdm Chen knew what her daughter was thinking and was anxious now, wanting to give up. Even though money was important, the marriage and well-being of her daughter was more important.

    "Sister-inw, it is alright to give up now. But that will only harm my niece Sirong. Xuan¡¯er only has the girl from Mo family in his heart. Sirong will never seed no matter how much she loves him." Mdm Yuughed coldly as she knew that it will be impossible for Mdm Chen to give up now.

    Giving up Mdm Yu¡¯s support now meant that Yu Sirong and Qin Yuxuan would never be together!

    Seeing that Mdm Yu was angry, Mdm Chen understood the severity andughed. "What are you talking about? Thebination of our efforts meant that there will be no differences. The girl from Mo family must be eliminated but it would be difficult to deal with her."

    Not only did Yu Sirong think that the n today wasplete and infallible, Mdm Yu and Mdm Chen believed so too. However, Mo Xuetong did not appear in the hall and the rouge that was sent inside disappeared as well, making Mdm Chen worried. She was educated and knew that something was amiss.

 Chapter 108 Yu Sirongs Bad Desire

    "Mother, did Cousin Xuan help that bitch?" At the thought of this possibility, Yu Sirong simply stopped pretending to cry and asked jealously. Thinking that his cousin only had Mo Xuetong in his eyes, she couldn¡¯t wait to swallow that woman alive.

    "No, Yuxuan was still on the road at that time. He couldn¡¯t have the time, and he doesn¡¯t have many people following him..." Mdm Yu hesitated. Qin Yuxuan had only several boy attendants with him. He couldn¡¯t have set up something behind everyone. Moreover, if Qin Yuxuan really noticed something wrong, he would have rushed in to challenge her despite everything. He wouldn¡¯t have been this calm.

    "Aunt, I don¡¯t care. I must make that bitch die." Yu Sirong snapped, thinking that Qin Yuxuan actually ignored her, but hurried to see Mo Xuetong. She was so furious that her eyes could almost breathe fire. This time, she actually failed to finish her, who was simply too lucky.

    "Sirong, don¡¯t take any action rashly. After this case is over, you will have plenty of opportunities to deal with her." Mdm Chen reminded her.

    "Mother, rest assured. I¡¯ll let her go these days. After a few days, I¡¯ll disfigure her and see how she¡¯ll seduce my cousin." Yu Sirong gnashed her teeth and snapped. Of course, she knew that aunt and mother had other ns for her these days. First, she would capture Cousin Xuan. Later, she had plenty of opportunities to punish Mo Xuetong in Qin Manor.

    However, she felt reluctant to admit the truth because she thought every part of her was better that Mo Xuetong¡¯s. Why did cousin set eyes on that bitch over her?

    Then, she left and stood in the porch. The more she thought about it, the angrier Yu Sirong felt. How did that bitch escape from such a delicate scheme?

    Thinking of Qin Yuxuan still being at Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce at this time, she felt hate in the deepest part of her heart. She gnashed her teeth and ordered the maid behind her tly. "Go and see how Miss Mo is doing, if she needs something to eat and use. Tell her to make herself at home. I¡¯ll see herter."

    No, she was not at ease. She must check on her.

    The maid received the order and left.

    Qin Yuxuan was indeed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce. When he came, she had already woken up and was leaning on a couch, with thick cushions supporting her back. Only a few people in her yard knew about her injury, so she would naturally keep the matter to herself now. Thus, she simply said that she fell, broke her arm and injured the neck. She had applied some of the medicine Feng Yuran left her, and it was very effective.

    The wound was notrge, but she had lost too much blood so she appeared pale. Then, she changed into a in sea green gauze dress, whose hem was embroidered with small pieces of a maple leaf. The dress¡¯s color did fit the current season well. Since she did not get up, her hair was stillid down like a waterfall. She looked glittering, purely harmless, and adorable like a small beast.

    She slightly rotated her watery eyes, and ayer of mist seemed to cover upon them. Embedded on her fairplexion, she looked both innocent and luring. Though she seemed small, her looks were one and only, and beyondpare.

    Seeing Qin Yuxuane in, she hastily held herself up but unexpectedly grazed her wounds. Thus, she immediately frowned and her face paled, sweat climbing onto her white forehead.

    "Why get up? Lay down since you¡¯ve hurt yourself. I¡¯m no stranger." Qin Yuxuan stepped forward, his eyes full of tenderness and slight anger for her. He naturally reached out to support her elbow and tilted toy her back to the couch, stopping her from getting up again.

    "Why are you so careless? What are you doing there?" He sat directly in front of her bed and took the tea from Mo Lan. Then, he took a sip and casually put it aside, eagerly asking her.

    "It¡¯s not a big deal. I wanted to go to the temple to pray for my mother and I¡¯ve let Mo Lan stay outside. Somehow he was sent away so I couldn¡¯t find him when I came out. Then, I suddenly saw a maning to me and I dodged him hurriedly. I was out of my mind and went to a road I didn¡¯t know. Later, I fell down because of fear. Mo Lan heard my voice and found out that I had fallen into a pit." Mo Xuetong lowered her head in embarrassment and fumbled with her handkerchief, appearing very awkward!

    Her voice was low and soft, and her face was pale. She seemed to becking strength since she was born. Plus, her colorless lips and misty eyes made people feel tenderer toward her. For some reason, people would find the timid girl as pure as snow,pletely spotless. Though she was smiling faintly, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

    "How did Mo Lan get sent away?" Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes involuntarily fell on her smiling face. After quite a while, he turned to Mo Lan by his side and asked unhappily,

    "They told me Old Madam wanted Miss. I was reluctant to call her, but the maid hurried me. I thought Old Madam must want Miss fast, so I rushed there. On the way, I found something wrong. First, the maid looked unfamiliar; second, Old Madam wouldn¡¯t leave Miss alone out there. So, I rushed back, only to run into Miss Yu instead of Miss. She was ordering people to break into the temple, saying that she saw Miss with someone... Then, all thedies and Old Madam all came..." Mo Lan briefly reviewed the incident.

    Although he was not implying something, no one was too stupid to figure the entire thing out.

    "Mo Lan, don¡¯t talk nonsense. It has nothing to do with Miss Yu or her aunt. They are just worried that I am missing and helped me in the wrong way." Feeling Mo Lan was about to continue, Mo Xuetong raised her head. Looking at Qin Yuxuan with a pair of dark eyes, she shyly stopped Mo Lan.

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes shed and then he looked at Mo Xuetong. A nearly cold light and a fit of obvious anger bolted through his dark eyes. "It doesn¡¯t matter. In such arge house, some people are bound to be hostile to our sister Tong. It looks like some people are both ugly on the surface and inside."

    This was not merely someone falling. If Sister Tong was still in the temple, and the man also entered it, and if people rushed in to find Sister Tong with a man alone in the temple, they wouldn¡¯t believe what Sister Tong said even if she had a thousand mouths to exin.

    In that case, Sister Tong wouldn¡¯t have a way out in a million years! This would force Sister Tong to die!

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes were colder. Naturally, an unfamiliar maid couldn¡¯t have belonged to his manor. Several maids who came with the Qin family followed them for a long time. How did Mo Lan not know any of them? There was only one exnation: The maid was from another manor.

    Except for the Yu Family, he really could not think of any other family that knew the Qin Family well in Qingliang Temple. He slightly cast down his eyes and straightened the corners of her lips. Hepressed his slightly plump lips into a thin line. His distinct features immediately turned somewhat serious. Since Mo Xuetong came to the capital, the impulsive Qin Yuxuan actually turned calmer. Now, he did not rush out to seek revenge for Mo Xuetong as he would do in the past.

    Youngdies in the capital cared much about their names. No matter what, he could not ruin Sister Tong¡¯s reputation in this ident, so he really could not make a fuss about it. Later, given an opportunity, he would make Yu Sirong pay.

    "Thank you for your concern, Cousin Xuan. I¡¯m fine. There won¡¯t be any such thing in the future. I¡¯m sorry if it caused you any trouble." Mo Xuetong raised his smiling face and answered, "Those are just some bruises and will heal in a few days. It¡¯ll be fine. When I get better, I¡¯ll have Cousin Xuan show me around in Qingliang Temple. I heard the scenery here is good."

    Speaking of which, she was a little nervous. She raised her clear watery eyes, looked at Qin Yuxuan by her side, but didn¡¯t speak. Then, she bit her lips, appearing terrified. Finally, she added awkwardly, "If Miss Yu will join us, then I¡¯ll skip the tour!"

    She directly expressed her dislike toward Yu Sirong with this sentence.

    Yu Sirong wanted to hurt her, so how could Yu Sirong leave her in peace?

    She hadid her fingers on the quilt and slightly clenched her fists. Now, she had released them. She looked up, a gentle smile on her poised face again. Since they attacked her again and again, how could she stay passive all the time? What she said just now must have made Qin Yuxuan wonder.

    In this life, if Yu Sirong wanted to marry Cousin Xuan, she would absolutely stop her!

    Noticing Mo Xuetong¡¯s rejection, Qin Yuxuan squinted. His eyesnded somewhere Mo Xutong couldn¡¯t see, as sharp as a knife.

    He turned back to Mo Xuetong, still smiling as if facing a spoiled kid. He nodded and whispered, "Well, I will apany to the temple only."

    Then, he asked more about Mo Xuetong. Between their talk, Mo He suddenly walked in, reporting that Miss Yu had sent someone to greet Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender fingers uncontrobly twitched, and her face paled instantly. Although she tried to hold back, Qin Yuxuan discovered her fear. She looked at Qin Yuxuan timidly and bit her lips, but did not speak immediately. Her terrified face made her look more pitiful. She seemed frightened but tried hard to suppress her feelings. She looked both wronged, but at the same time, poised.

    There was nothing left to say!

    A fit of sharpness shed through Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes, and he said grumpily, "Send her back and say that your miss has received her kindness." Then, he stared deep into Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes and got up to leave.

    "Miss, why didn¡¯t you just let me tell what Yu Sirong did to you? You can¡¯t let the master think she¡¯s a decent woman. The master cares so much about you. He¡¯ll definitely seek justice for you, or at least, scold her. I¡¯ll see if she dares to do such a thing in the future after that." When Qin Yuxuan was out of sight, Mo Lan also said grumpily.

    "After scolding her, she won¡¯t hurt me again. Then wouldn¡¯t I be hurt before for nothing?" Mo Xuetong sat up with the help of Mo Lan and couldn¡¯t help smiling. She knew this girl: When she got hurt, the girl couldn¡¯t bear to see Yu Sirong in peace.

    But after the scolding, not to mention whether YuSirong would be taught a lesson, she couldn¡¯t ept the sheer fact that they would just let this incident go. But for what Feng Yuran did just now, she wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to live on. In that case, she wouldn¡¯t have had a way out. Yu Sirong wanted her dead, how could she get away just after a trivial scolding?

    In this life, she would seek her revenge. In thest life, Yu Sirong disfigured her; in this life, Yu Sirong wanted to ruin her name and take her life. How could she let Yu Sirong off like this? Since they were already enemies, no one would spare the other. Why would she bother having her cousin scold Yu Sirong? In that case, people would consider her a puny coward who could onlye to her cousin for help.

    In this life, she would still be delicate and cowardly, but these were all appearances. After going through life and death, her heart was as cold as ice. There was no temperature. Between life and death, in the fire, she was burned to ashes. When she had been hurt like that and ached like that, couldn¡¯t she see through this crystal clear?

    Blood would have blood. Even if Yu Sirong decided to let her go, she wasn¡¯t willing to let Yu Sirong get away.

 Chapter 109 A Good Place to Disfigure Her

    The next day, Mo Xuetong got up and went to Mdm Qin¡¯s room with Mo Lan and Mo Ye. It was in the winter, so she could just hide the bruises in the neck behind the turtleneck. Moreover, she had also bandaged the wounds in the arm. Since she just fell the other day, it was actually no big deal. If she did not pay respect to the madams because of this, she would look rather pretentious.

    In the morning, she apanied Mdm Qin to the temple to listen to the monk¡¯s praying. Then, they had lunch together at Mdm Qin¡¯s ce. Finally, Mdm Qin drove her out while joking about young people in need of a lot of rest. Thus, after Qin Yuxuan showing her around in the Qingliang Temple, she left at Mdm Yu¡¯s summoning. Standing under a tree, she raised her head.

    The temperature on the mountain had dropped faster than it was in the mountain. It had not yet reached thete autumn yet, but leaves had been falling hard here. When she stepped on them, they felt soft and fluffy. Moreover, when she listened to the sound of her treading on them, she felt somewhat tranquil and peaceful.

    Looking up at the tortuous and robust branches, she found them still sticking up to sky even without any leaves. If trees could be persistent like this, people could also do! A fit of bitterness spread around the corner of her lips. The sun scattered through the branches onto her, but she did not feel any warmer in her heart at all.

    Under the sunlight, a delicate girl, as beautiful as a flower, was standing on a pile of leaves. She was looking at the tall, tortuous, but vigorous branches. There were a girl and a withered tree. People would find a sense of alienation and tranquility in this peaceful scene as if the girl would fly away with the wind, turning into a fallen leaf andnding somewhere people did not know. The leaves fell on her curled hair and she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

    Behind a wall, Bai Yihao was passing by. A gentle smile bolted across the corners of his eyes. Standing by the rock garden, he was quietly looking over here, thoughtfully.

    "Sister Tong, why do you get out of the room so soon? You¡¯re in poor health now, so you shouldn¡¯t let others worry about you." A delicate voice, with excessive concern, rang across the wall and startled both people by the wall.

    The voice brought Mo Xuetong back from her thoughts. She turned around to smile to Yu Sirong. She nodded to thetter. Since thest time when they parted ways unfriendly in Mo¡¯s manor, it was the first time Yu Sirong greeted her without any grudges. Since Yu Sirong wanted to act, Mo Xuetong would cooperate.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong responding, Yu Sirong smiled more gently and approached her in an attempt to grab Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, while saying lovingly, "Are you really well now?" Yesterday, you really scared me. Why were you so careless to cause such a big misunderstanding? So, this morning, when I wanted toe and visit you, I was afraid that you¡¯d be angry with me."

    When they were talking, Yu Sirong¡¯s maid also came up to chat with Mo Lan and Mo Ye and it turned out to be a very friendly conversation.

    "Thank you, Miss Yu!" Mo Xuetong looked up and caught a fit of sinister jealousy and hate deep in Yu Sirong¡¯s eyes. She sneered in her heart. "Yu Sirong really loses her cool easily. She just couldn¡¯t help herself after I spent some time in the garden with Cousin Xuan."

    "Since you¡¯ve recovered now, I¡¯ll apany you to the garden. I heard that there is a bamboo grove over there and it¡¯s quiet and peaceful. And there are a few rare purple bamboos. Shall we go there?" Yu Sirong smiled gently to Mo Xuetong and put her arms around hers as a gesture of intimacy.

    Bamboo grove, rocks, and gravel road? Just like in the past life, was it a good ce to disfigure her again?

    A fit of sharpness shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s slightly downcast eyes. "Sometimes, I¡¯m just waiting for the perfect timing to have my revenge."

    Yu Sirong saw that she did not refuse and thought that she had fallen into the trap. A trace of pride shed in her eyes and a sneer spread across her lips.

    The two, each with her own ax to grind, held each other¡¯s hands like good friends. The several maids behind them were also talking eagerly.

    It was quiet and peaceful in the bamboo grove. The blowing wind sent the bamboo fragrance to them. Coupled with the trails filled with fine stone, the rocks, and the bamboos, this ce in the temple was really more characteristic than the bamboo grove of Qin Manor. The row of tall purple bamboos on the side was even more special. When people saw them, they not only found the bamboos vigorous but also charming.

    This bamboo grove and the one in her memory gradually ovepped each other across time and space. She seemed to see the delicate girl falling on the pile of rocks, the blood streaming from her forehead to her chin. Then, the two long trails of blood turned the beautiful face ghost-like. Behind her, Yu Sirong was sneering. However, in thest life, she could not see Yu Sirong in the position she was in.

    "Sister Tong, Sister Tong... Why do you stand there? Look, this small purple bamboo is different from the others. I know you like them. Come and see and tell me why it¡¯s like that." Yu Sirong¡¯s words awakened her memory, and sure enough, Yu Sirong stood on the edge of the rocks again!

    There was a small purple bamboo. Different from other tall purple bamboos, this one was especially short, and Yu Sirong was deliberately making a fuss pointing at this purple bamboo.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye were caught up in a conversation with those two maids. Now, they were observing some gadget one of the maids fetched from her sleeves. However, Mo Lan secretly nced at Mo Xuetong and their eyes met. Both of them were smiling faintly. At the same time, Mo Ye remained calm and stood in a posture that could enable him to attack quickly. Once she found Mo Xuetong in danger, she could immediately rush to save her.

    Mo Xuetong twisted around and walked toward Yu Sirong. She acted as if she knew nothing about Yu Sirong¡¯s trap. In the meanwhile, Mo Lan exchanged his standing spot with the maid beside him, blocking the sights of Yu Sirong¡¯s two maids.

    "This purple bamboo is really unique!" Mo Xuetong stood in front of the purple bamboo. She watched it as if she really wanted to know why.

    Yu Sirong looked around and then nced at Mo Xuetong. Thinking that Mo Xuetong was not paying attention to what she was doing, Yu Sirong was very smug. She gradually turned around and approached Mo Xuetong from behind. At present, the four maids were talking enthusiastically, and no one noticed them.

    When Yu Sirong moved, Mo Xuetong noticed that her. However, Mo Xuetong pretended that the purple bamboo sufficiently attracted her. She acted as if she were fully absorbed and did not notice Yu Sirong at all. Moreover, she deliberately lowered her head like an innocent girl. "Miss Yu, this is a really nice ce. Take me here the next time. I really can¡¯t see the difference in this bamboo. I will go back and look up the books."

    "Well, next time. Yu Sirong, I don¡¯t believe that you wille here next time. I am afraid that it will be a ce full of your sad and desperate memories!"

    "This is a really nice ce? Ha, it is indeed." Yu Sirong had a cold smile on her lips. She stared at Mo Xuetong like a vicious poisonous snake and cursed in her heart. "Mo Xuetong, this is indeed a nice y. So, die now! This time, I¡¯ll see how you can escape. Even if you don¡¯t die, you¡¯ll have a ruined face. Only when you¡¯re dead or destroyed, will Xuan Cousin see me! If you exist, he¡¯ll never look at me."

    She held her breath, her feet on a stone on the side, ready to pretend to slip, and then pushed Mo Xuetong to the rock in the front. The sharp edge of the rock-piled hill was facing Mo Xuetong¡¯s in and fair face. It did not matter if she got hit in the face or the head, she would be ruined. Even if she survived, she would be disfigured.

    She had long wanted to tear open her gorgeous face!

    Yu Sirong tilted slightly to slip on a rock. By the gravity, she heavily charged toward Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong had lowered her head; however, she¡¯d been watching Yu Sirong¡¯s foot. In thest life, Yu Sirong had yed the same trick and acted the same. Though in a different grove, every detail matched. Sneering, Mo Xuetong also readily tilted her body a little after Yu Sirong pretending to fall. "Ah!" she screamed.

    At this time, Yu Sirong couldn¡¯t hold her feet. When she summoned all her strength to rush forward, she found Mo Xuetong, who was supposed to be in front of her, disappeared. Colors left her face and the smile froze. "Ah!" she screamed and flopped to the ground very loudly. At the same time, Mo Xuetong had already copsed to the ground. Now, she rolled her eyes and passed out.

    Hearing the screams, Yu Sirong¡¯s two maids slightly lifted their eyes. "The useless Miss Luo will get miserable every time she runs into ourdy. Every time, she was hurt." However, they were startled by Yu Sirong¡¯s bloodstain face. Then, they saw Mo Xuetong on the ground. At that time, all gadgets on their hands scattered on the ground. They were stunned to speechless.

    "Miss, Miss, what happened to you? Did you fall again?" On the other side, Mo Lan and Mo Ye had already rushed over. They picked up the unconscious Mo Xuetong from the ground and cried out loud. In the meanwhile, the two stunned maids realized themselves and went to check Yu Sirong. They both screamed at Yu Sirong¡¯s blood-smeared face.

    All of them were shouting, and sure enough, the loudest one was naturally Yu Sirong. She felt a surge of pain rushing onto her and everything in front of her eyes seemed red. She touched her face and found it very sticky. Intense blood smell attacked her nose. She panicked. "Am I disfigured? I¡¯m disfigured!" She was now in unprecedented panic and could only scream.

    "What happened?" Not far from the bamboo grove, Qin Yuxuan was walking toward here with his servants. He was dazed at the mess. However, when he saw Mo Xuetongy feebly in Mo Lan¡¯s arms and her face was so pale, his expression changed and strode toward them.

    However, before he got nearer to Mo Xuetong, someone dived at him. It was someone covered in blood and they were screaming. "Cousin, cousin!" Before Qin Yuxuan having the time to react, Yu Sirong plunged into his arms and screamed. At this time, she could not think straight anymore. All she did was grab the hem of Qin Yuxuan¡¯s clothing and wail. "Cousin, cousin, save me, my face, my face..."

    Feeling the sharp pain on her face and the fear in her heart, she could not even utter aplete sentence.

    Qin Yuxuan was also startled. He saw Yu Sirong rushing over him with her face and head smeared with blood, and was knocked back a few steps away. Then, he managed to support her. She now looked terrible. He could not recognize her face anymore because it was covered in blood, and even her hair was bloodstained. The injury must have been severe so he anxiously asked, "Miss Yu, what happened to you?"

    Anyone would panic at such a scene!

    "Cousin, save me, save me, my face, save my face..." Yu Sirong¡¯s mind now went nk and she thought she¡¯d be disfigured. Panicked and terrified, she rolled her eyes and passed out directly.

    When Yu Sirong got hurt like this, Qin Yuxuan couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Though Mo Xuetong also copsed, she had no visible injury or blood stain. Thinking that Mo Xuetong¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t that critical, he immediately picked up Yu Sirong and ran out to find a doctor. Behind him, Yu Sirong¡¯s two maids followed Qin Yuxuan with pale faces. When something like this happened, they would be harshly punishedter. Thus, they lost their minds now and could only follow Qin Yuxuan.

    When Qin Yuxuan, Yu Sirong, and her maids had all left, Mo Xuetong slowly opened her eyes and brushed the dirt off her dress. She calmly straightened her clothes and sat up, a sly smile in her bright eyes. There were still blood trails on the rocks. She watched them silently with a cold smile on her lips.

    The wind raised the hem of her dress, and she even felt inexplicably lonely.

    On the other side of the wall, the handsome man had witnessed the entire thing and smiled to himself. His slender fingersnded on those stones and he slowly tapped on them.

 Chapter 110 Yu Sirong Was Disfigured

    "Do you think I¡¯m cruel or not?" She tly opened her mouth without so much as a backward nce. However, she looked somewhat alienated, down-spirited, and indescribably sad.

    "She¡¯s been trying to frame you all the time. Yesterday, she nearly trapped you to death. And she even wanted to ruin your name. Today, she did this to herself and could me it on no one. If she hadn¡¯t tried to hurt others, how could she end upnding on those rocks? I guess she¡¯s trying to ruin your face. But she didn¡¯t know that whates around goes around." Seeing Mo Xuetong ming herself, Mo Lan felt tender toward her. When her miss acted like this, she found her more pitiful than when the miss appeared delicate, so she firmly supported her miss.

    No matter it was just now or at yesterday, Yu Sirong was never nice to her miss. If she should seed, her miss¡¯s life would be ruined. Such a woman really should have her karma.

    "I think so, so I did that!" Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and a cold smile crawled onto her lips. How could she pity Yu Sirong? That woman tried to ruin her face, so she merely dodged her attack. Or, should she have waited there for that woman to disfigure her?

    In this life, she would never forget that she was here to have her revenge. She would make everyone who owed her in thest life pay. Yu Sirong was the first one. Thinking like that, her smiled grew colder and colder, and even froze her heart.

    Feeling inexplicably moody, Mo Xuetong lingered around in the temple for a long while. Mo Lan and Mo Ye had kept herpany and only returned to their yard until their feet became sore.

    When they returned, they found Mother Xu waiting for them. It turned out that she knew about Mo Xuetong¡¯s incident this morning and especially came here from Mo manor. At the sight of them, she plunged into Mo Xuetong¡¯s arms, her body still trembling. Moreover, she was yelling. "Miss, don¡¯t be afraid. Mother¡¯s here. Don¡¯t be afraid!"

    Mother Xu¡¯s body felt cold, maybe she had been waiting in the cold breeze for a long time. However, her arms were warm, so warm that Mo Xuetong found her heart tingling. She wrapped her arms around Mother Xu¡¯s waist and bit her lips. Suppressing the sore feeling in her heart, she whispered tofort her, "Mom, I¡¯m fine. Tong¡¯er¡¯s fine, really. In the future, I won¡¯t let anything happen to me, or let mom worry for me."

    "As long as you¡¯re fine, as long as you¡¯re fine. Mydy has finally grown up." Mother Xu looked down at Mo Xuetong and she really was not crying. There were no more tears from being wronged in her crystal clear eyes, but only the hint of a smile. Then, she felt relieved and thought. "She has finally grown up and won¡¯t be bullied anymore!"

    "Of course yourdy is fine. But our Rong¡¯er is not. I didn¡¯t expect the Mo Family has such a vicious daughter." The hostile voice contained severe hate. Mdm Chen was yelling in front of their yard, and behind her, Yu Sirong, whose face waspleted bandaged except for her mouth and nose, looked very hateful!

    It seemed that the Yu Family would never leave a debt unresolved. They wanted to have their revenge now! However, they just thought that everyone was stupid because they dared to ask for injustice even when Yu Sirong did all this to herself from the very beginning.

    "Mo Xuetong, you pushed me to the rocks to ruin my face. You¡¯re so bad. I was so nice to you and didn¡¯t expect you would hurt me." Seeing Mo Xuetong, Yu Sirong rushed to hit her, snarling.

    Yu Sirong hated her so much. Initially, she nned to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s face by pushing her onto those rocks. However, she didn¡¯t expect Mo Xutong dodged her and passed out at her feet. Then, she not only couldn¡¯t hold back herself but also tilted at a sharper angle. She could tell from the pain on her face that she had two scars on it. His beautiful face had been turned into a face of Mo Mu, the ugly concubine of the Yellow Emperor. The doctor she sent for had told her directly. "Even if I use the best medicine on you, there¡¯ll be scars."

    Thinking that she was disfigured by Mo Xuetong, she almost wanted to eat her flesh and drink her blood. She was so furious that her face became distorted. She hastily rushed forward and directly toward Mo Xuetong. She had seen it clearly. Beside Mo Xuetong, there was a wall and she was facing the corner of the wall. If she were pushed onto the edge, Mo Xuetong would either die or ruin a face. Until now, Yu Sirong was still thinking about destroying Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Ye was nning to stop her but caught a glimpse of Qin Yuxuan, then, she paused her actions.

    Qin Yuxuan swooshed past Yu Sirong and was knocked back a few steps by her. In the nick of time, he finally stood in front of Mo Xuetong, protecting her.

    "Alright, everyone stops. Tell me what¡¯s going on first." At this time, Mdm Qin came, with her maids and servants. She looked sullen and red at Mo Xuetong.

    Indeed, she did not like Yu Sirong. However, such an incident was about to cause trouble for Qin Family, which was a situation Mdm Qin found hard to cope with. Moreover, Mo Xuetong was involved, thus, unlike what she used to do, she could only stare at Mo Xuetong coldly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart sank as she found Mdm Qin wasn¡¯t warm to her as usual, then, she smiled wryly. "It looks like that Mdm Qin doesn¡¯t really care about me deep in her heart!"

    "Old Madam, there¡¯s nothing left to say. The daughter of Yu Family was hurt like this. Shouldn¡¯t we have our revenge?" Mdm Chen snorted andid her sinister gaze upon Mo Xuetong. Then, she diverted her eyes on Qin Yuxuan and put on a cold face. "Yuxuan, don¡¯t forget that Sirong is your real cousin. You didn¡¯t help her; instead, you¡¯re now standing with Mo Xuetong. Is there any rtionship between you two?"

    This sentence immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention to Mo Xuetong and Qin Yuxuan. They started to doubt at once!

    "Why are you saying something like that? They¡¯re both my cousins. How will I be biased? And, the incident isn¡¯t settled yet. We shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions before grandmother knows everything. Aunt doesn¡¯t have to worry. Sister Tong is still young, and don¡¯t you feel shameful tosh out on her like that?" Qin Yuxuan¡¯s face changed and eyes dimmed. Then, he calmly said that.

    Quietly, he shifted the attention back on Mdm Chen and exined himself at the same time. After several incidents, he already grew tired of Yu Family and naturally wouldn¡¯t treat them nicely.

    "Kneel!" At the same time, Mdm Qin poked her staff heavily on the ground and coldly stared at Mo Xuetong. Since Yu Family¡¯s first miss brought this up, she, as the highest-ranked person at present, would naturally want an exnation.

    At once, the atmosphere became intense.

    "Old Madam, it¡¯s not our miss¡¯s fault. She¡¯s soft-hearted and timid. How would she hurt Miss Yu?" Listening to this, Mother Xu panicked. She rushed to kneel in front of Mdm Qin and defended her miss in a tearful tone.

    "Old Madam, look at Sirong. How will she live in the future? Isn¡¯t Mo Xuetong evil and vicious? She can hurt others when she¡¯s little. How will she be when she grows up? Anyone who marries a wicked girl like her won¡¯t have a peaceful family." Getting a cold shoulder from Qin Yuxuan, Mdm Chen had to re at him and turned to Mdm Qin for help.

    Now, Yu Sirong was really disfigured, plus Qin Yuxuan was obviously on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. Yu Sirong felt so upset that she buried her face in Mdm Chen¡¯s arms and started to wail.

    At once, more people came here.

    Mo Xuetong walked over in a poised manner. She held Mother Xu¡¯s hand and let Mo Lan lead her away from here. Then, she turned around to deeply bow to Mdm Qin. When she straightened up, her crystal clear eyes were spotless, without any hint of anger because of Mdm Qin¡¯s words. "Does grandaunt think I pushed Miss Yu? I¡¯ve been following you for a long time, so I can¡¯t do something like that to Miss Yu. And I bear no grudge against Miss Yu, so why would I want to hurt her? Grandaunt, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s bad for your health. And the truth wille out eventually."

    "Did you really not?" Under such a circumstance, Mo Xuetong still cared about her health, and also appraised her good virtue. Thus, Mdm Qin looked less gloomy, forgot her kneeling down, and just asked her in a low voice.

    "Grandaunt, I was watching the purple bamboo and rocks. Miss Yu was standing beside me. How could I push Miss Yu in that position? I really can¡¯t see why Miss Yu used me of pushing her."

    "Mo Xuetong, you¡¯re talking nonsense. In the past, every time you were wronged, I would stand up to defend you. Every time you got hurt, I¡¯d protect you. I didn¡¯t expect you were so vicious as to kill me." Yu Sirong raised her head from Mdm Chen¡¯s arms. Her teeth gnashed, she red at Mo Xuetong, swearing in a tearful tone.

    "Indeed, Miss Yu has been helping me a lot. Last time when I twisted my ankles, Miss Yu had a maid send me back. On the way home, the maid who supported me tripped and made me fall again. I nearly broke my leg. And, at that time, when Miss Yu¡¯s cousin humiliated me in front of so many people, Miss Yu helped me out. After that, everyone said I was spoiled and rude. They said I disrespected elders and misbehaved myself. So many things like that had happened. Does Miss Yu want me to list every single one of them?"

    Mo Xuetong looked up, her eyes tender and crystal clear, without the slightest fit of anger. She was so poised as if she were telling stories that had nothing to do with her. However, they all didn¡¯t dare to stare into her deep eyes.

    Everyone present was smart and found it strange that the first miss of Yu Family, who was known for her good virtue, wasn¡¯t as nice as people had imagined. After listening to what Mo Xuetong said, they all found Miss Yu drunk on jealousy and skilled at plots. She seemed to put on shows in front of people and y dirty tricks behind them. She was really not a decentdy.

    "Tong¡¯er, is that true?" While asking Mo Xuetong, Mdm Qin was staring at Mdm Yu. She found it hard to believe.

    Mdm Qin did not notice such trivial things, and Mdm Yu also hid these for her family¡¯s niece. Mo Xuetong was a coward. She would even be frightened in front of Mdm Qin, let alone report these things to her. People around Old Madam wouldn¡¯t bring up these for an out-of-favor miss to disgrace to their owndy. Thus, all of these things seemed to be buried in the dark.

    "Mother, you don¡¯t have to take these trivial things to heart. These are between those girls. At most, they have misunderstood Tong¡¯er." Mdm Yu couldn¡¯t take her gaze anymore and took the initiative to exin. At this time, she wished Yu Sirong could bump into the wall to kill herself. These were not secrets. As long as Mdm Qin asked, everyone in the manor could answer her. So many people lived in the family and they did not talk about them just because Mdm Yu wouldn¡¯t let them. Now, when Mo Xuetong brought these things up, everyone knew that Mdm Yu was hiding them.

    No matter how powerful the Yu Family was, they weren¡¯t in a position to meddle with Qin Family¡¯s affairs. Mdm Qin had already warned Mdm Yu because of Yu Sirong. If the Old Madam knew what she did, Mdm Yu would have to lead a tough life in the future.

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s face sank.

    "Aunt, I don¡¯t know what Tong¡¯er did to offend Miss Yu. I¡¯ll let the past pass. But, today, Tong¡¯er stood in front of Miss Yu. How could she push Miss Yu? Miss Yu tripped and fell, and Tong¡¯er was startled to bump into the purple bamboo and also fell on the ground. Then, Miss Yu hit those rocks. If at that time, Tong¡¯er did not dodge her, then she would have bumped into the rocks. Is Miss Yu using Tong¡¯er for having dodging her?"

 Chapter 111 The Princess Royal Appears Suddenly and Helps Out

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were cold. She lifted her head up high and did not avoid anyone¡¯s eyes as she looked at Yu Sirong quietly. Her expression was one of righteousness and calmness,pletely different from the weak and cowardly image others had of her.

    It was the first time she was showing her sharpness before everyone! It was the first time she was truly showing off her pride.

    Some people were destined to be your enemies! Then, there was no need to avoid them. The enmity of the past and the hatred of today had made her understand one thing. That was, others might not let you live even if you gave way to them.

    Everyone fell silent when she said that. They all looked at her and saw how straight she stood. Her eyes were as clear as pools of water and they shone with life as she looked at Yu Sirong coldly. She was calm andposed like a nobledy.

    The people all felt convinced by her for some reason as they looked at Yu Sirong with suspicion, disdain, and scorn and theyughed at her...

    Even though Mo Xuetong had not said it outright, those who have lived in the inner courtyard for some time were all smart. If Mo Xuetong had not dodged, she would have been the one to smash into the fake mountain. Yu Sirong hated her because she had managed to dodge and did not stand there silently to be hit! This joke was too funny!

    Furthermore, everyone already understood that Yu Sirong had started the whole thing when they heard what Mo Xuetong had to say earlier. The vicious person Mo Xuetong was talking about was her. She wanted to knock into Mo Xuetong into the fake mountain and disfigure her. However, she had ended up disfiguring herself instead. This is indeed karma for the vicious.

    Furthermore, Yu Sirong did not look like a nobledy at all right now. She was like a shrew and did not leave a favorable impression on others.

    "Isn¡¯t that the first miss of the Yu family who is said to be elegant and cultured? Why is her heart so vicious!"

    "You really cannot trust rumors. Thisdy from the Yu family was said to be the most elegant and gentledy of Cloud City."

    "If my girl is so ¡¯elegant¡¯ and ¡¯gentle¡¯, then I rather much prefer how she is right now."

    "The Yu family say that they are a family of schrs, but their main first miss is so vicious, much less their concubines¡¯ daughters. Whoever marries their daughters would really be unfortunate. Their back courtyard would be a mess."...

    There were other families living there other than the Qin and Yu families. The ruckus was so loud and had attracted attention. Many gathered around while the Qin and Yu families were not paying attention. They understood everything when they heard what Mo Xuetong said. The disdainful and mocking conversations drifted from the crowd and they looked down on the Yu family even more.

    They were all talking about how the Yu family¡¯s plot to harm others had backfired on them.

    Mdm Chen and Mdm Yu were so angry they felt dizzy. Who would dare to marry a daughter from the Yu family if news of this incident were to spread?

    Yu Sirong gritted her teeth by the side. But she knew that she should not be as willful as she usually was right now. There were so many people watching, and she could only receive their sympathy if she pretended to be weak. Anyway, she was injured right now and everyone could see that. She lifted her head up hurriedly when she thought of that and looked at Mo Xuetong tearfully, "Sister Tong, how could you say something like that. You were standing behind me earlier. I got there before you and all the maids saw that. How could you say that! Sister Tong, even if you are jealous and hate me and Cousin Xuan, you can¡¯t do that. We truly doted on you like our own sister."

    Everyone turned to look at Mo Xuetong suspiciously when they heard that.

    Mo Xuetong had said earlier there were no grudges between her and Yu Sirong and she would not hurt her. But what Yu Sirong was saying now implied that Mo Xuetong was jealous of her and hated her, which was why she wanted to hurt her. This meant that there were indeed grudges between the two.

    "Our mistress came first before asking Miss Mo toe to look at the ck bamboos."

    "It is true that our mistress came here first. Mo He and Mo Ye both saw that. We were standing just a few steps away from the two misses and saw everything clearly." Yu Sirong¡¯s maids knelt hurriedly and bore witness for Yu Sirong. They thought of how severe her injuries were and knew that they might be killed when they returned. They did not dare to go against what Yu Sirong had said.

    "Mo He, Mo Ye, what do you two have to say? Did Miss Yu arrive first?" Mdm Qin looked at Mo Xuetong darkly and there was a cold smirk on her lips. If Mo Xuetong had really done something so vicious, she would definitely not side with her.

    "Old Madam, Miss Yu was the one who brought us there. If our mistress wanted to hurt Miss Yu, she would have brought her to somewhere she had already set up. It can¡¯t be something done at the spur of the moment either. If it had been, it would not have been so perfect and wless." Mo Lan was really glib and she managed to sum up the matter clearly in just a few words.

    Yu Sirong was the one who had brought Mo Xuetong over and she was also the one familiar with that ce. It was entirely possible that Yu Sirong was the one who had thought up the plot against Mo Xuetong.

    Mdm Qin was flustered. Yu Sirong was wailing pathetically while Mo Xuetong was looking at her with clear sincere eyes. She did not seem like someone who would hurt others. Both the Yu and Mo maids made sense. Who should she believe?

    "Old Madam, Sirong has already been hurt so badly. Is this not enough that her reputation has to be smeared as well? Do you want to force her to death? Miss Mo is really precious, she has done something like this and still wants to force others to their death. Could it be that the Mo family has no regards for the rules at all?" Mdm Chen gritted her teeth and was insistent on pinning the fault on Mo Xuetong. There was no way to end the matter amicably today. It would end with either Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation being ruined or the Yu family¡¯s reputation being smeared.

    Mo Xuetong swept her eyes across Mdm Chen coldly as well as Mdm Yu, who nned not to help either party but remained neutral. Then, she nced at Yu Sirong, who was crying sadly and in desperation on Mdm Chen. A cold smile appeared on her lips.

    "Mdm Yu, are you implying that I want to force Miss Yu to death if I don¡¯t admit to pushing her? Miss Yu, do you really think that I was behind you just now?"

    Yu Sirong looked up when she heard what Mo Xuetong said. "How could I not know when I was standing there earlier? Am I that stupid to not even know whether you were the one to push me? Am I blind?"

    "Tong¡¯er, do you have proof?" Mdm Qin said with a grave expression.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and said coldly and elegantly, "Grandaunt, do you really think that I have no proof? What if I have both eyewitness and physical proof?" Mo Xuetong spoke slowly with a neutral expression, seeming very natural. However, this shocked the crowd.

    "Impossible. You can¡¯t possibly have evidence. There was no one there, so you don¡¯t have an eyewitness." Yu Sirong was stunned and she suddenly yelled madly.

    "How would you know that there isn¡¯t? If you had not set up everything, would you dare to swear that I was behind you earlier? The mark where you fell and slid past is still there. Is that not physical evidence? Miss Yu, you set up everything and wanted to get rid of the marks after I got hurt. However, you did not expect to knock into the mountain yourself and did not have time to get rid of those skid marks, right? Everyone would know once they see it. There is no need to defend yourself." Mo Xuetong smiled while enunciating every word clearly. Her smile was innocent, but looked frosty to Yu Sirong.

    The marks, the marks. How could she forget those marks! Her limbs turned cold in an instant! That patch on the ground was dry and soft. There were many fallen leaves on it. There would definitely be skid marks on it when she fell over. Mo Xuetong was in front of her, so there would definitely not be any marks behind her. The two marks were there, and they proved that she was lying.

    Yu Sirong felt as if she had been scalded by a meteorite. She started shaking.

    "It has been some time since Sirong got injured. Since the crafty Miss Mo has thought of all that, does she have time to set things up as well as use it as evidence? There are so many gaping holes in this." Mdm Chen knew that they were in trouble and started to panic. She could only grit her teeth and deny to the end.

    The Yu family were really shameless. They were determined not to admit to plotting against Mo Xuetong!

    Mdm Qin coughed lightly. Just as she was about to speak, someone beside her spoke, "I wonder if I would be able to count as eyewitness if I were willing to speak up? Would this be something Miss Mo nned as well?"

    The crowd parted and a woman appeared. She was dressed in a deep purple satin dress with butterflies sewn into it. She wore a piece of jade tied on her waist with a jade green sash. There was a long silk embroidered light purple satin strap that twisted up her forearm. Her long dark hair wasbed back into an elegant bun. Her neck was pale and slender and she looked to be in her 20s. However, when one looked closely, she seemed to be slightly older. Her eyes shone brilliantly and her disposition was noble and elegant.

    She was wless and elegant.

    "And this madam is?" Mdm Qn frowned and her eyesnded on the jade pendant hanging from the woman¡¯s waist. She suddenly thought of something and her expression changed, bing more respectful.

    Mo Xuetong took two steps back and hung her head. It was the Princess Royal!

    "Old Madam, you don¡¯t have to care who I am. I was walking by then and I did see Miss Yu asking Miss Mo to go look at the ck bamboos. Then, Miss Yu turned behind Miss Mo and tried to knock her down forcefully. Miss Mo seemed to have realized it and wanted to dodge. However, she tripped on something and fell. Miss Yu sped by her and mmed into the fake mountain. I believe that everyone knows what happened after that." The Princess Royal swept her eyes upon everyone present. Her gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and she smiled gently.

    "You¡¯re bullshitting. You didn¡¯t see anything. It¡¯s impossible for anyone to be there. I already told the servants to keep watch..." Yu Sirong ignored the injury on her face in her panic and started to yell. She did not expect that someone would defend Mo Xuetong and she started to scream madly.

    Before she couldplete her sentence, her eyes widened...

    What else was there to say! Everyone looked at Mdm Chen and her daughter with disdain.

    Mdm Chen had recalled the Princess Royal¡¯s status then and did not dare to talk back. She shook and seemed as if she was about to kneel down.

    "Mdm Chen, it is alright to give in to your daughter but there is no need to raise her to be so vicious. She has hurt others and herself and still does not know what she has done wrong. Will she only stop when she implicates the entire Yu Manor?" The Princess Royal nced at her coldly, stopping her from kneeling. She had onlye out to take a walk and did not want everyone to find out.

 Chapter 112 - The Fragrance of Plum Blossoms from Qingliang Temple

    <h4>Chapter 112 The Fragrance of Plum Blossoms from Qingliang Temple</h4>

    Mdm Qin came to her senses as well when she saw the Princess Royal speaking up for Mo Xuetong. She knew she had to do something or she would offend the princess as well.

    She looked at Yu Sirong gravely and then mmed her cane down on the ground heavily. She red at Yu Sirong and said angrily, ¡°Miss Yu, the Qin family has always been kind to you and Tong¡¯er has always treated you as an elder sister. How could you do something like that? You were the one who mmed into the mountain yourself, but insisted that it was Tong¡¯er who did it. Do you really want to doom her to death? Do you really think that no one would help her? Since you are so vicious, the Yu and Qin families will no longer have any more ties.¡±

    This meant that she was standing on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side.

    Mdm Qin then looked at Mo Xuetong who was standing by the side. Mo Xuetong looked wronged and was biting her lips anxiously. However, she did not make a fuss nor cry and seemed lonely and sad. Mdm Qin felt bad, as if she had really wronged the child. She shuffled towards Mo Xuetong who was looking down, standing strong despite being sad.

    She embraced Mo Xuetong and said dotingly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, child, it¡¯s been hard on you. It is all grandaunt¡¯s fault. I didn¡¯t get all the facts and almost got you into trouble. These people are mad. How can they try to do something like that to you? Fortunately, you were lucky that these evil people have gotten what they deserved.¡±

    She felt bad as she spoke and started crying.

    Mdm Yu was flustered. If the two families broke all ties, she would lose connection with her family. How could she not be worried? She stepped forward and wanted to plead on behalf of Yu Sirong but was stopped by the maid beside her. The maid looked at the Princess Royal respectfully and gestured to Mdm Yu. Mdm Yu gritted her teeth and forced her words down.

    She was no only a daughter of the Yu family, she was also a daughter-inw of the Qin family.

    Yu Sirong had already fainted. She was angry and ashamed and could not bear to look at anyone in the eye, so she fainted. The Yu family maids panicked and screamed.

    Mdm Chen did not dare to say much. She curtsied to the Princess Royal together with her servants and left.

    The others in the temple who were wise enough had already left silently. Even though some things were known to all without anyone having to say anything, everyone pretended not to know since the Princess Royal did not say anything.

    The Princess Royal nced at Mo Xuetong again when she left. Her eyes were deep and there was a meaningful smile on her lips. Then, she turned and brought her servants with her.

    The Princess Royal lived in the room named ¡°Sky¡±.

    Feng Yuran sat therezily. There was a vague smile on his stunning face as he satzily on the nanmu wood chair. However, that did not affect the beautiful slender lines of his body. His stunning face looked as if it had been carved exquisitely. His brows were thick and long, extending into his hair. His nose was tall and his thin lips were red and moist. The sun shone in through the windows and on his handsome face that one could get drunk on with just a nce.

    He wore purple robes that made him look handsome and enchanting. The wind blew, lifting up his dark locks of hair, enthralling others with his charm and beauty.

    ¡°Little Eighth, you came to me in such a panic because of her?¡± The Princess Royal asked with a smile the moment she entered the room.

    The handsome young man turned around. His eyes were filled with emotions. He was a natural beauty. No one could resist him if he took just one look at them even if it meant that they would be damned.

    ¡°Aunt, you are the most righteous. You would help out in such a situation even without me asking.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile that reached his eyes.

    ¡°So you schemed against me!¡± The Princess Royal harrumphed. Even though her tone was sharp, there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. She did not seem stern at all.

    ¡°I heard that you and her mother used to be good friends. You won¡¯t be willing for her to suffer, right, Aunt?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes turned and he changed the topic.

    ¡°You rascal.¡± The Princess Royal scolded him with a smile and smacked him on the head. She then sat down. A pce servant had already brought her tea. She picked up her cup and took two sips before setting it down. She asked, ¡°Your father would be angry if he finds out that you¡¯ve slipped out.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s still you! As long as you help to praise me in front of him, he would not do anything to me as long as nothing goes wrong.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and lifted his brows.

    ¡°You can¡¯t behave like this. Be careful these days. Now that something like that has happened to Mingguo Manor, I fear that the capital would not be peaceful these days.¡± The Princess Royal said worriedly.

    They had not only entered the inner courtyard, but they had also even taken the youngdies from inside. This was no small matter. There were many little things that had all been uncovered and the situation in the capital was now a little tense.

    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry. I will be careful.¡± Feng Yuran stood up and hoisted himself with one hand onto the window. Then, he was outside the room in the next moment.

    ¡°You are already so old, but you still behave like this. You can¡¯t even walk properly.¡± The Princess Royal scolded with a smile.

    ¡°Aunt, I came out here secretly and no one must find out. Otherwise, Father will punish me again.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s figure disappeared from the window, leaving behind augh.

    The Princess Royal sighed lightly as she looked at the direction where Feng Yuran disappeared into. Her expression turned grave.

    ¡°Crash!¡± Another porcin object shattered into pieces, shattering at the feet of a maid who was kneeling down. The shards flew in all directions, some cutting the maid¡¯s foot. Blood appeared on the green dress and the maid kneeling on the floor shuddered fearfully. She did not dare to speak up and defend herself.

    The bandages that covered her face had already been taken off. There was only one bandage left on the left side of her face and there were two lines of blood that stained the outside of the cloth. It made the angry expression on the normally gentle face look even more ferocious and venomous. She waved her hand and pped the kneeling maid loudly. She yelled hysterically, ¡°You slut, did that slut give you some benefits? Didn¡¯t you say that that slud does not know anything? How did she extricate herself so quickly? Are you working together with her against me? See if I don¡¯t beat you to death.¡±

    She reached out and wanted to use both her hands to hit the maid. The maid could not kneel any longer and she fell to her side while crying, ¡°Miss, spare me! Miss, spare me!¡± However, she did not do anything else to defend herself.

    ¡°I am going to kill you, slut.¡± Yu Sirong looked to the side viciously and then lifted the tea kettle on the table and smashed it down heavily on the maid¡¯s head. How could she stand it? Her n was so good, but it had failed. It had not only failed, but she had also been disfigured. There were two long marks running down from the corner of her eye to her lips. Her face had be ugly and despicable. How could she bear it?¡±

    ¡°Sirong, do you still not understand over the past few days? Mo Xuetong is no longer the Mo Xuetong she once was. There are so many people who spoke up against you today. She had evidence in her hands but let us believe that she did not have any to make you say something so vicious. She is not stupid at all. She is sly and she had plotted carefully. Listen to me, you cannot be flustered by her now. We don¡¯t know who will win until the very end.¡± Mdm Chen entered and spoke coldly. She pressed down the tea kettle in Yu Sirong¡¯s hand and had her sit down. Then, she gestured to the maid beside her.

    The maid beside her helped the fallen maid up hurriedly and brought the other people in the room out as well, closing the door behind her.

    ¡°Mother, I want to get revenge! I want to kill that slut.¡± Yu Sirong said venomously when everyone left. Her eyes looked as if there was a zing fire in them, they were dark and deep.¡± I want that slut to die! I want her to die pathetically!¡±

    ¡°Sirong, don¡¯t worry. Mother will get revenge for you. That little slut will not live for long. Don¡¯t do anything else for now. Stay in the temple these few days and don¡¯t go out. The Yu family has fallen into her hands today but I will definitely ruin her this time.¡± Mdm Chen¡¯s face flickered under the light like ghost fire.

    ¡°Mother, can that person do it? Don¡¯t make any mistakes then. I will definitely have her die with her reputation in tatters.¡± Yu Sirong said softly as she gritted her teeth. She thought of how she had been disfigured while that woman stayed before Cousin Xuan with her beautiful face. She wanted badly to tear that face into shreds.

    ¡°Not this time. Second Aunt has already prepared something. She knew that the little slut would be difficult to deal with.¡± Mdm Chen said sinisterly.

    Second Aunt was no one else but Auntie Fang!

    ¡°Mother, I want to go tomorrow as well,¡± said Yu Sirong. She covered her face and smiled ferociously when she thought of how Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would be ruined tomorrow. She wanted to see Mo Xuetong being ruined with her own eyes tomorrow and see how ashamed she would be.

    ¡°Alright, then I will bring you along tomorrow. But you must not be as rash as you were.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I won¡¯t be rash this time. I will hide in the corner silently and watch as that little slut¡¯s bad reputation bes known to all.¡± Yu Sirong said darkly. She would go to see how Mo Xuetong would be even uglier than her no matter what.

    Mo Xuetong did not leave early the next morning because she had sleptte. When she arrived at Mdm Qin¡¯s room, Mdm Qin had already taken breakfast and was speaking with Mdm Yu. Qin Yuxuan was standing by the side. His usually lively expression was somewhat gloomy. However, he regained his wits and smiled when he saw Mo Xuetong enter.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, child,e to grandaunt. Look at how beautiful this flower is.¡± Mdm Qin said with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong enter.

    Mo Lan backed away to the side. She was wearing light colored and in clothes today. However, the material was good. Her dressing made her look as if she was from a good family, unlike regr servants. However, Mdm Qin could see that her clothes were hand-me-downs from Mo Xuetong. She figured that it must have been gifted to her and did not bother herself with it.

    Mo Xuetong smiled guilelessly and greeted everyone before she looked at the freshly changed flowers in the vase. They were plum blossoms that still had the morning dew on them. They were fragrant and really brought joy to others, putting them in a good mood. The plum blossoms in Qingliang Temple had always been famous. It was said that people were usually not allowed to pick them.

    Indeed, Mdm Yu smiled and said, ¡°I sent servants to pick these plum blossoms early in the morning. The plum blossoms there are really beautiful. I have never seen such brightly colored flowers before. Perhaps the plum blossoms here have an affinity with Buddha as well. The abbot in the temple said that the plum blossom forest is open to visitors today and we can go there to admire the blossoms.¡±

    The plum blossom forest of Qingliang Temple was owned by someone. The monks in the temple took care of them. It was said that there was every type of plum blossom in the forest. Even though it could notpare to the plum blossom forest in King Jin¡¯s old manor, it was better in terms of sight, scent and colors. Furthermore, there was someone to take care of the blossoms, so it was different from the plum blossoms one usually saw outside. The flowers were also very beautiful. There were monks in the temple who could draw well who would put the plum blossom forest into their drawings. The plum blossom forest of Qingliang temple became famous because of this.

    However, in order to maintain the value of the plum blossom forest, it was not open to the public every day. It would only be open on special asions such as today.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er go and take a look as well. Young girls like to admire plum blossoms the most.¡± Mdm Yu smiled at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Many thanks, aunt. Tong¡¯er does want to look at the plum blossom forest.¡± Mo Xuetong answered obediently.

    Mdm Qin cleaned up and brought Mdm Yu, Qin Yuxuan, and Mo Xuetong towards the back of the mountain. The plum blossom forest was behind it.

    Mdm Yu rxed when she saw how Mo Xuetong followed them without any suspicion. She held on to Mdm Qin with a smile as they chatted. It was as if she had long forgotten what happened yesterday.

    They only realized that there were quite a few people who hade to the forest. Many had hiked up the mountain today to admire the blossoms.

    And because they were all women, the monks present were all young, about eight or nine years old. It was a smart idea and was done tastefully!

 Chapter 113 - Stubborn Mdm Yu Who Plots Against Mo Xuetong Again

    <h4>Chapter 113 Stubborn Mdm Yu Who Plots Against Mo Xuetong Again</h4>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you go and take a look by yourself. I spoke to the abbot earlier, so you can pick a few blossoms home to decorate. I am rather dumb and a young girl won¡¯t like what I pick. Tong¡¯er, you better go pick by yourself.¡± Mdm Qin was considered kind towards Mo Xuetong in front of others. As long as one did not cross the line, she was considered to be a very good elder. She wasughing and seemed to be in a good mood. She looked at the plum blossoms around her and patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, gesturing for her to go and pick blossoms by herself.

    The plum blossoms in Qingliang Temple was very precious. Not everyone who wanted to admire them could, much less pick a few blossoms.

    ¡°Aunt, will you go and take a look with me? You have such good taste.¡± Mo Xuetong tugged on Mdm Yu¡¯s sleeves cutely. She looked as if she would not go if Mdm Yu did not apany her.

    ¡°Alright alright, Tong¡¯er, go by yourself. I won¡¯t join in things that young girls do. Look at the blossoms that I picked earlier, they don¡¯t go well together. I have disappointed you. You¡¯d better go pick by yourself. Pick those that you like. I am old and I will wait here with grandaunt for you and rest for a while.¡± Mdm Yu flicked her handkerchief andughed elegantly, helping Mdm Qin sit down in a pavilion by the side.

    She was still worried that she could not find an excuse to leave. How would she apany Mo Xuetong at a time like this? She looked at the maid beside her meaningfully and the maid nodded lightly.

    ¡°Aunt, how can your taste be bad? You don¡¯t know how beautiful the blossoms you picked were. Tong¡¯er would not be able to pick anything more beautiful than those. I shan¡¯t go anywhere and sit here with you and grandaunt.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mdm Yu with a small smile. She did not move and looked as if she did not want to go. She pouted slightly, looking rather adorable.

    Mdm Yu was a little anxious now that Mo Xuetong was not moving!

    ¡°You are a young girl, how can you be sozy? Go, those beautiful flowers are not the ones you can usually see. There are a few ink plum blossoms over there. Don¡¯t you like them? They are really precious and their color is rather simr to orchids. I heard that they were brought in from overseas and is really rare even in the capital.¡± Mdm Yu pointed at the plum blossom forest enthusiastically with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong cocked her head and her eyes swirled with emotions. She looked at how Mdm Yu seemed to be smiling warmly, but her eyes were floating all over the ce. She must be looking for someone. She looked in the direction of the plum blossom forest that Mdm Yu was pointing at and a smile appeared on her lips. She was so desperate, there must be someone hidden there.

    ¡°Aunt, you know Tong¡¯er¡¯s favorites so well. You are too kind to me. I shall borrow this tea from the temple to thank you for your care.¡± Mo Xuetong took a cup of tea from the tray a little monk held up by her side. Her handkerchief trailed after the cup as she brought it in front of Mdm Qin. Then, she brought another cup of tea up to Mdm Yu.

    Mdm Yu was a little anxious when she saw that Mo Xuetong had no intentions of leaving. Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile seemed especially jarring to her. She scolded in her heart that the girl was still such a show off until the end. She would see how the girl would show offter. She epted the tea Mo Xuetong handed her and took a sip. She was just about to speak when ady beside her discovered her and called out for her.

    Mdm Yu ignored Mdm Qin then and headed over with her maids to speak with thedies and also to get rid of Mo Xuetong.

    Mdm Qin did not need Mo Xuetong to wait on her as well. She also encountered a few old madams and was chatting happily with them. She told Mo Xuetong to go and have fun by herself.

    In the plum blossom forest, the madams anddies who were draped in precious jewelry gathered and spoke with each other in groups of two and three. Mo Xuetong walked by a few plum blossom trees amongst the flowers. She used to stay at home and rarely went out when she was younger because her mother was ill and frail and she stayed at home to care for her mother. When her mother passed away, she fell ill. Then, the Mo family left Cloud City, leaving her behind alone. She did not know the other youngdies, so she walked among the flowers alone.

    However, just as she was about to reach the ink plum blossoms, she suddenly stopped and did not walk any further. Instead, she turned and walked in the other direction. There were a few youngdies over there who were chatting with each other. She walked over and stood close to them, listening to them talk quietly. There was a sudden ruckus at the end of the quiet path that attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    They could vaguely make out the voice of a man! Thedies all looked up and over in the direction of the voice curiously. However, they did not dare to head over there. As such, they brought their maids back to where the wives were. Mo Xuetong did not follow immediately but stood in the empty plum blossom forest silently.

    ¡°Miss, shall we go over there and take a look?¡± Mo Ye asked as she watched the crowd gather in the direction.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go in a bit!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s attention was on a pink plum blossom with a ring of ck on it. The light ink color made the flower even more charming. It shook in the wind, looking shy and bashful.

    The ruckus grew even louder. They saw a few people tugging back and forth.

    ¡°How dare this person barge into thedies¡¯ space. This is too much.¡± A few tough looking female servants held on to a pathetic looking man whose face was slightly red and swollen. They brought him to where the old madams gathered. There were a few plump and genial-looking old madams were chatting there. Mdm Qin was there as well.

    Mdm Qin was seated on the main seat and was chatting with them. She frowned when she saw the female servants bringing the man over. She yelled impatiently, ¡°This is where all thedies are. How can you let a man in? Send him to the local authorities.¡±

    ¡°Eh, where did this persone from? Did he not know that this ce is women-only today?¡± Mdm Yu shook out her handkerchief and went up to the crowd curiously. She nced at the maid by her side. The maid was a smart one and she received the hidden message from her madam. She knew that this was an important point in ruining Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation. She took a few steps forward and pretended to tug on the man¡¯s shirt angrily. His loose robe fell open immediately.

    ¡°Ah, what is that. Did he steal something?¡± A madam with sharp eyes saw a bright red object hidden in the man¡¯s shirt when it was tugged open and could not help but yell loudly.

    One could hear from her tone that she seemed rather delighted in the schadenfreude. The woman had seen clearly that the man was holding a woman¡¯s belly-binder. However, she was too embarrassed to say it outright.

    The faces of the old madams all turned cold. Mdm Qin nced at a servant by her side who went up and tore open the man¡¯s robe. A bright red colored belly-binder fell to the ground. The old madam picked it up and brought it to Mdm Qin. The old madams by the side all saw clearly that it was an exquisitely crafted belly-binder with a Chinese peony embroidered on it. The bright red colored wasplimented by the bright green leaves. It was obvious from just a single nce that it could not belong to someone from an ordinary family. Furthermore, those who had sharp eyes could tell that the material was the famous satin from Cloud City.

    Everyone¡¯s expression grew weird immediately!

    Many youngdies could not help but back away, avoiding the man who had been beaten up badly as if he was a venomous scorpion or snake. They felt as if their reputation would be ruined even if they said another word to him.

    ¡°He snuck into the temple and scared the women. Then, he stole something like this. Take this crazy man away and have the authorities deal with him.¡± Mdm Qin¡¯s expression darkened and she spoke coldly when she saw the belly-binder in her hands.

    ¡°Old Madam, please spare me. I did not steal this. Tong...¡± He seemed to have suddenly regained his senses when he said that and he opened his mouth widely while defending himself, ¡°The owner of this garment gave it to me as a token of our love. How could I have stolen this.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the schr, Wang Yun, who used to work for Lord Mo? I heard that Lord Mo admired him very much during one period of time when he was in Cloud City. I don¡¯t know what happened after that, but he waster thrown out of the Mo Manor.¡±

    Mdm Yu yelled after she took two steps forward, pretending to take a closer look at the man. She only realized what she saidter and hurriedly p a hand to her mouth. She turned to ask the maid beside her somewhat awkwardly, ¡°Where¡¯s Tong¡¯er? Ask her toe and take a look and she would definitely be able to identify this. She and the man used to stay together in the manor and she should know him well.¡±

    Wang Yun was a staff in the Mo Manor and he had clearly mentioned the word ¡°Tong¡± earlier. Mo Xuetong knew him well and then he waster thrown out of the Mo Manor for an unknown reason. Everyone was stunned. Could it be that Mo Huawen had discovered that he was having a rtionship with his main daughter and had thrown him out?! This would make sense.

    Mdm Qin felt that something was wrong and she red at Mdm Yu. Then, she yelled at Wang Yun, ¡°Rubbish, the youngdies are all noble and self-aware. How would they do something so shameless? Come, take him away to the authorities.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, please check carefully. Tong¡¯er did give me this belly-binder. If you don¡¯t believe me, her name is embroidered on it. I have known Tong¡¯er for very long and we love each other very much. We have sworn our love to each other under the moon and she took this off from her body and gave it to me herself. How could I have stolen this?¡± Wang Yun was a little anxious when he saw that the female servant was about to hit him and he spoke loudly as his eyes spun widely. He was truly afraid that he would be sent to the magistrate.

    He had not been able to find work after being thrown out by Mo Huawen and did not even get to eat three meals a day. He had been considered a schr but in the end, he was not even worthy of being a beggar. He did not find fault with himself but started to hate Mo Huawen instead. He had been hired by Mdm Chen just to spread the rumors that he had been together with Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°You bastard, who do you think you are? Look at yourself, how would Tong¡¯er fall for you?¡± Mdm Yu pretended to scold him. However, she made it seem as if the Tong¡¯er that Wang Yun spoke of was Mo Xuetong. Then, she secretly gestured for Wang Yun to continue speaking. She would do everything else.

    She and Wang Yun hade to an agreement that she would give him 50 taels of silver once the matter is done. She would even let him have Mo Huawen¡¯s daughter. Wang Yun had seen Mo Xuetong before. Even though she was still young then, he could tell that she would be a beauty. When he thought of how Mo Huawen would be shamed by the matter, he immediately continued.

    ¡°Even though I am not doing well now, I was only thrown out by Lord Mo because of Tong¡¯er. I will definitely let Tong¡¯er live well after she marries me. I will not let others look down on her. I will study hard on behalf of her and get a position for her.¡± Wang Yun¡¯s eyes turned as he continued. He lifted his head, trying to look as if he actually had a backbone. A hint of an imposing manner appeared on his swollen face. However, it just made others feel disgusted when they saw his face.

    ¡°So it is a scene in which the rich youngdy falls for the poor schr. There is a good show to watch today. It even looks real.¡± Some people already started to mock the whole thing.

    ¡°I really wonder how the Mo family raise their daughters. They raised yet another slutty one who would do everything for a man. They¡¯ve sacrificed the reputation of the entire Mo family. She¡¯s really a troublesome one. No wonder Lord Mo left her here. I wonder who she would have a liaison with if he had brought her back to the capital.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already moved into the Qin family and still managed to create such trouble. If she was my daughter, I would have sent her to be a nun in the temple, God forbid our family be shamed.¡±

 Chapter 114 - Karma for Those Who Try to Frame Others

    <h4>Chapter 114 Karma for Those Who Try to Frame Others</h4>

    ¡°Is this my belly-binder?¡± A cold and indifferent voice could be heard from outside the crowd. A woman approached slowly. She was dressed inly and did not look striking. In fact, her clothes were shabbier than all thedies present. She did not look any different from some maids standing by the side who were dressed nicely.

    A nobledy living under someone else¡¯s roof should look like this!

    It had been two years since Wang Yun was thrown out by Mo Huawen. Mo Xuetong was only 10 then and she lookedpletely different in terms of size and appearance. The girl did look slightly familiar, so Wang Yun immediately turned to her and said affectionately, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I¡¯m sorry. I did not mean to tell them about what happened between us. When you gave me this two days ago, I promised that I would not let you suffer. But I can¡¯t not say it today. It is alright. I will not look down on you. In the future, I will give you everything that I have and I will love you dearly. We will go back to the capital togetherter and ask your father for permission to marry.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± The girl frowned and sized him up, looking at him with disdain. Her head was lifted highly and her tone of disdain angered Wang Yun. He thought about how everyone looked down on him after he was thrown out by Mo Huawen. He had been shamed plenty of times after that and he hated Mo Huawen thoroughly. He would go through with this no matter what. ¡°Of course I am talking about you, Tong¡¯er. Didn¡¯t we agree that night after our meeting? Are you going to abandon me?¡±

    He spoke lovingly and tenderly, but this made Mdm Yu who was standing by the side sweat profusely in her anxiousness. She took a step forward and wanted to say something but spotted the cold nce that Mdm Qin gave her. She shut her mouth immediately. No matter how much she did not respect Mdm Qin, she could see the viciousness in her eyes right now. She did not dare to say anything else and could only grit her teeth silently.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure it¡¯s me?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. I am familiar with not only your face but your body as well.¡± There was a low buzzing from the crowd that made Wang Yun feel uneasy for some reason. However, he could not tell what was wrong. He looked at the familiar face and hunkered down. He was truly vicious. While he sounded loving and tender, he was exposing the rtionship they had.

    ¡°Madam discovered you having an affair with a maid at home and you were thrown out by old sir. However, he felt that it was hard for you as a schr and did not make the news public. However, you have forgotten that old sir was afraid that you might do something in retaliation against the Mo Manor and had you write a confession letter in your own hands with your handprint on it. He had left it at the magistrate before he left. One can find out about this matter should they go and check. I did not expect that you would refuse to be a schr and do something like this. How dare you ruin my mistress¡¯ reputation now.¡± Mo Lan red at Wang Yun furiously.

    Even though it had been some time since the incident, the maid that Wang Yun had an affair with was her cousin. After the incident, Wang Yun was thrown out from the manor, but her cousin had been shamed and hadmitted suicide by jumping into the well. She had thought that Wang Yun had already disappeared, but she did not expect to see him here and how dare he besmirch her mistress¡¯ reputation.

    ¡°Nonsense, we were in love with each other but your father said that because he was afraid that this would besmirch the family name. I wrote that confession under distress because I cared for your reputation. Could it be...¡± Wang Yun¡¯s expression grew flustered when he was exposed. He did not care about anything else now and only thought of dragging Mo Xuetong down with him and to have his usations be fact.

    However, he suddenly stuttered when he said that. Old sir, Madam... sweat started running down his back profusely!

    How dare he say he was having an affair with a youngdy of the Mo family? He had even gotten the person wrong. Everyone present knew then that this person was intentionally trying to frame the youngdy.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking anymore? Go on? Didn¡¯t you say that we were having an affair and that we only met a few days ago? How did you think that Mo Lan was me?¡± Mo Xuetong appeared from behind Mo Lan with a sneer. She was slender and was not as tall as Mo Lan. Wang Yun did not see her at all when she stood behind Mo Lan. Furthermore, Mo Lan did not dress up like a maid today but like a youngdy from a less wealthy family. When one thought of how she was still in her grieving period, it was easy for one to misunderstand.

    Mo Xuetong needed such a misunderstanding.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know when I have ever seen you. And even in the Mo Manor, what right do you have as an outsider who is a man to see me? Furthermore, I was just 10 then and was just a child. How could I have an affair with a man who is in his 20s? You were trying to ruin my reputation deliberately today, otherwise, why would your statements not match?¡±

    Mo Xuetong stood there calmly and coldly. Her tone was powerful and her innocent and ethereal expression did not seem angry at this moment. Her beautiful face was sharp as she strode forward and stood in front of Wang Yun who was sweating profusely. She asked him coldly, ¡°But if I had not brought you here today, who did!¡±

    She looked at Wang Yun from above as he knelt before her.

    This statement had not only brought up the fact that Wang Yun had tried to frame her. Suspicion towards Wang Yun grew in the crowd once again.

    The women of the court officials were all present. Even the serving monks in the temple were all young monks who were about seven or eight years old. How was it possible for other men to appear unless someone brought him in to get Mo Xuetong into trouble? Who would put in so much effort to bring someone in and set up such a scheme? This person must have grudges against Mo Xuetong.

    Everyone nced at Mdm Yu thoughtfully.

    There were many people who witnessed the Yu family¡¯s dispute with Mo Xuetong yesterday. When they saw this scene and recalled what happened yesterday, they could not help but suspect the Yu family. However, no one else in the Yu family was in the mood to admire flowers today. No one else from the Yu family hade except Mdm Yu.

    Some of the quick-witted recalled how Mdm Yu had jumped out and said all those things while she tugged on Wang Yun. The looks of suspicion cast on Mdm Yu grew stronger.

    Mdm Yu¡¯s expression grew ugly and she was shocked and flustered. She did not expect the small tweak in Mo Lan¡¯s dressing would cause her plot to fail. ording to her ns, Wang Yun only needed to insist that he had an affair with Mo Xuetong. The crowd would not care how old she was two years ago. After all, it was hard to exin love.

    She did not expect Mo Xuetong to not appear but to stand behind Mo Lan. Mo Lan looked like ady and she had not expected Wang Yun to just rush forward and treat the maid as Mo Xuetong. His actions were so quick so much so that she had no time to react. By the time she came to her senses, Mdm Qin had red at her coldly and she did not dare to say anything.

    The slut was too sly. No wonder Mo Lan was dressed differently today. They had already nned for this! However, there was no use in her being angry right now. The facts wereid bare before everyone. Her plot to frame Mo Xuetong had failed. Mdm Yu did not know what to do next.

    The plot that she had been confident in had failed. How could she not be flustered!

    Mdm Qin red at Mdm Yu hatefully and angrily. She was one of the few in the crowds who knew what was happening. How could she not know that Mdm Yu was angry about what Mo Xuetong had done to the Yu family yesterday and had set up such a vicious plot? Mdm Yu had disregarded the Qin family and tried to nder Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Alright, drag this person away. How dare he nder Tong¡¯er. Even if there is no one else from the Mo family present, I cannot allow Tong¡¯er to be bullied. Mdm Yu, what do you say!¡± Mdm Qin said coldly, thusly ming Wang Yun for the matter. If she continued pressing the matter, she feared that the Qin family might be the one embarrassed, which was why she had tried to deal with the matter using Mo Xuetong¡¯s name.

    Her sharp gazended on Mdm Yu¡¯s face. Everyone followed in the direction in which she was looking and the way they looked at Mdm Yu turned thoughtful.

    Mdm Yu was flustered when she saw how everyone was looking at her. She did not dare to say anything else. She was already unnerved given the current situation and only wanted to extricate herself from the matter. When she heard what Mdm Qin said, she could not help but scream sharply, ¡°Come, take this shameless person away and hit him. Hit him badly until he dies.¡±

    The two female servants behind Mdm Qin hurried up to Wang Yun and attempted to drag him away when they heard what their mistress said.

    Wang Yun had long been panicked. The matter had already been exposed and he could not be bothered to frame others right now. He only wanted to extricate himself from this mess. When he heard that Mdm Yu wanted to beat him to death, he came back to his senses and yelled while he struggled. ¡°Mdm Yu, what do you mean? You were the one who told me that I could frame Miss Mo if I took this belly-binder...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Shut his mouth!¡± Mdm Qin ordered coldly as she shook in anger.

    How would she allow Mdm Yu to be implicated? No matter how bad she was, she was still the matriarch of the Qin family. If there were bad rumors about her, the entire Qin family would be implicated. She red at Mdm Yu hatefully and furiously.

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that. It doesn¡¯t look like it says ¡®Mo¡¯ or ¡®Tong¡¯.¡± Someone called out in surprise.

    Someone picked up the red belly-binder that Mdm Qin tossed onto the floor without looking and eximed.

    ¡°Yu... rong! Yu Sirong! It¡¯s Yu Sirong¡¯s!¡± A few madams read the characters on the belly-binder. The madam who was holding onto the belly-binder flung it out in a hurry and yelled in surprise. That caused a murmur amongst the crowd. Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to it and even Mdm Qin could not help but look in that direction with a grave expression.

    Compared to Mdm Yu, Mdm Qin felt that it was better for Yu Sirong to take the rap. At least Yu Sirong was not as closely rted to the Qin family as Mdm Yu! As such, she did not get rid of Wang Yun right there and then.

    Mo Xuetong did not approach. Instead, she went up to Wang Yun, whose mouth was gagged. She said to him coldly, ¡°Schr Wang, you are someone who has studied history extensively, so you should know which is more serious between trying to frame a daughter of a minister and having an affair with one.¡±

    It sounded as if she was warning Wang Yun because of how he had tried to frame her. However, there was an underlying meaning to it.

    In thew of Great Qin, the expectations towards the reputation of a woman were very high. A woman with a ruined reputation would live her life in shame or would have to die in order to escape her sins. To destroy the reputation of a woman was equivalent to killing her, and who sinned would have to be thrown out into the wilderness. However, having a secret love affair would only be rebuked in theory. After all, both parties were unmarried and they might end up having a good marriage. Even if the woman¡¯s family did not agree, they could only ept their fate. That was why Wang Yun dared to say that Mo Xuetong was having an affair with him.

    Mo Xuetong turned around and lowered her head after she finished her words. Her thick longshes cast a shadow over her face. There was a faint sense of sadness on her beautiful face. However, she bit her lips stubbornly, looking gracious despite having been shamed.

    She looked out from the corner of her eyes, cold and sharp. Wang Yun felt fearful for some reason when he saw that. When her beautiful eyesnded on him, it was cold and felt as murderous. She did not look like the innocent, helpless and weak girl she was portraying. For the first time, Wang Yun felt regret for trying to plot against a woman like this!

    How was a woman like this as gentle as she portrayed herself to be!

    She did not say much, but just a statement from her made Wang Yun change his mind. He was certain that he would no longer be able to frame Mo Xuetong. But with the belly-binder as evidence, he would be able to make others believe that he was involved with that woman called Yu Sirong. That was the only way for him to stay alive today. Furthermore, he could hear the threat in Mo Xuetong¡¯s tone.

    Otherwise, he might just die here!

    Mo Xuetong looked up slightly, sweeping her gaze upon him lightly. Her dark eyes were like frozen ponds. He lowered his head with just a nce from her. He did not dare to meet his eyes. Those eyes were so sharp they could steal one¡¯s soul. They were not eyes that a fallen schr was worthy to look at.

    Wang Yun was a spineless sort or he would not have taken a job like this.

    A female servant had already taken out the cloth from Wang Yun¡¯s mouth. She scolded, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°This, Sirong, we... did not mean to. I was afraid that others would find out about us, so I said I was looking for Miss Mo!¡± Wang Yun had worked under Mo Huawen before and knew how serious the situation was. He coughed and shivered as if he was so frightened he was speaking the truth. ¡°Sirong gave me that.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Nonsense! You bastard, you¡¯re speaking nonsense!¡± Yu Sirong rushed out from behind the crowd like a madwoman as she screamed sharply. Her face was wrapped in bandages. She had not been here for long, but it was enough for her to hear what had happened clearly. She had not needed toe today but she would not let go of the chance to see Mo Xuetong being shamed!

    As such, she had pestered Mdm Chen eagerly and brought a few maids with her to the plum forest as well.

 Chapter 115 - A Devastating Counterattack

    <h4>Chapter 115 A Devastating Counterattack</h4>

    It was not very wise of Mdm Chen to take Yu Sirong around so grantly after what happened yesterday. As such, they had stood outside the crowd and did not draw much attention. As such, they had not seen how Wang Yun had thought Mo Lan was Mo Xuetong and failed at his plot against Mo Xuetong. They were hating Wang Yun for being so useless when Yu Sirong was suddenly dragged into the matter. How could she still stay calm? She wrenched herself out of Mdm Chen¡¯s grasp and pushed the people around her aside, charging into the crowd.

    She pointed at Wang Yun and scolded madly, ¡°Who is the one who is giving you instructions to frame me like this.¡±

    Her face was injured and her hair was messy. She was so angry that she had lost her mind. Her eyes were wild and she looked as if she was going to tear Wang Yun apart. This scared some of the madams and youngdies. Many of them backed away, looking at her in disdain. No matter what, Yu Sirong did not look at all like a nobledy.

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s true. Look at how worried she is...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably true. Otherwise...why would that be in his hands!¡±

    ¡°The Yu family really has bad breeding to have such a daughter!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already like this when they just arrived in the capital. What would they do in the future...¡±

    Yu Sirong seemed to shake with anger as she heard the mockingughter around her. ¡°I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t, it¡¯s not me!¡± She shook her head wildly and tried to defend herself. However, to the crowd, she only looked guiltier.

    There were not many who believed that she was innocent!

    Mo Xuetong stood forward then and lifted her innocent and clear eyes. She looked wronged and gentle as she said helpfully, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that Miss Yu has anything to do with this person. Wang Yun¡¯s statement is full of loopholes, so how can his words be trusted.¡±

    She had been framed earlier but was still helping others. Her gentleness and graciousness made her even more well-liked. Even though she looked up fearfully, she was standing by Yu Sirong¡¯s side with determination. Furthermore, Yu Sirong had tried to disfigure her yesterday. The crowd looked at the tiny girl with appreciation.

    Miss Mo was indeed a nobledy. Inparison, the ferocious-looking Yu Sirong paled inparison. She seemed like a shrew. She did not have the disposition of a nobledy and had lost her wits when she encountered a problem. There were many who looked down on her after what happened yesterday and today.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you slut. Why are you pretending to be a good person? Is it you again? You tried to get someone to ruin my reputation again.¡± Her disfigurement had already made Yu Sirong lose all her rationality. And after what happened today and looking at the looks of disdain cast at her, she was almost mad. How could she still remain calm? Her finger which was pointing at Wang Yun¡¯s face shifted to pointing at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as she yelled at her loudly.

    She was furious and felt hot and cold. She could not be bothered to be gracious and only wanted to tear apart the gentleness on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face for everyone to see her true self. Her features were twisted in her anger and her face was wrapped up in bandages. Her terrifying appearance scared a few of the nobledies and they backed away.

    ¡°Who is this? And Miss Yu, why are you still so fierce after doing something like that with other men.¡±

    ¡°I heard my cousin say that the Yu family were not very nice people in Cloud City. Someone even tried to introduce me to the First Son of the Yu family. Look at how they have taught their daughter, how can their son be any better? How dare a youngdy still be so arrogant after having an affair with someone? The Yu family really doesn¡¯t have much morals.¡±

    ¡°Her face was scratched yesterday, and she has lost all face today. No wonder she is worried. Who is she going to marry after this incident? She might as well marry that pathetic looking man. Anyway, she has been disfigured and has lost face. What else can she not do?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had not yet spoken when a few other youngdies spoke up and helped her. They could not hide the look of disdain on their faces.

    ¡°Elder sisters, please don¡¯t speak of Miss Yu like this. Despite what happened yesterday, it is just a small matter, but you must not speak of what happened today so casually. Miss Yu is my aunt¡¯s family and my aunt has always had self-discipline. How could she have a niece like this? This must be a mistake and Miss Yu must definitely investigate carefully. How could we let a person like this ruin the reputation of First Miss Yu?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up and said gently. Her voice was soft and her tone sincere. Her actions were elegant and charming and her appearance was innocent and beautiful. Her disposition and the sufferance in her tone made others feel as if they could rte to her and they could not help but pity her.

    She had been framed yesterday and plotted against today. Yet, she was still speaking up for others. This graciousness and kindness was not something that an ordinary girl could possess. A woman like this, no matter her young age, was someone to admire! Everyone had already forgotten the bad rumors about her reputation that she had when she first came to the capital.

    Wang Yun was really worried now. He was afraid he would be sent to the magistrate court. When he saw how everyone seemed to believe Mo Xuetong, he stood up and wrenched himself from the servants¡¯ grasp, rushing up to Yu Sirong. He hugged her tightly in front of everyone and said agitatedly, ¡°Sirong, I know that you are afraid. It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. I was useless. I didn¡¯t manage to seed in dealing with Miss Mo. But I am willing to do anything for you.¡±

    He was giving it his all this time. He hugged Yu Sirong tightly, not allowing her to struggle out of his grasp.

    Yu Sirong was totally confused, angry, wronged and afraid! She was flustered! She despaired!

    A strong emotion surged up Yu Sirong¡¯s heart. She knew that it was very inappropriate for her to be in close contact with Wang Yun right now, which was why she struggled valiantly. She was angry and anxious. She wanted to escape Wang Yun¡¯s embrace. She jumped up and down and scolded, ¡°Shut up, let go. You¡¯re speaking nonsense. I don¡¯t know you. Mo Xuetong sent you to frame me.¡± She was so flustered that she spoke without thinking.

    ¡°Sirong, how can you say that? We met in Ruyu Teahouse in the east of the city thrice over thest few days. If you don¡¯t believe me you can ask the servers at Ruyu Teahouse. We met in a private room and I saw more than one server then.¡± Wang Yun refused to let go. He thought of how he would die if he did not get the crowd to ept that they were having an affair and was very anxious. He would naturally say everything that he should not say right now.

    They had indeed met at Ruyu Teahouse thrice. However, that was because Yu Sirong wanted to prepare Wang Yun to plot against Mo Xuetong. She was just bribing him and they were not truly having an affair. He was after all a failed schr who had been thrown out and she would naturally not fall for him. She would only feel soiled even if she just looked at him.

    However, Wang Yun was speaking the truth. Others would be able to ascertain that they had met if they checked and they would not be able to tell the reason for their meeting.

    Yu Sirong opened her mouth but was speechless.

    Mdm Chen had squeezed through the crowd and the two female servants behind her pulled Wang Yu away, helping Yu Sirong out.

    The scene and what Wang Yun had said convinced the few people who were still suspicious. Wang Yun had spoken so confidently, he was probably telling the truth. When they saw how Yu Sirong was speechless, they all felt that Wang Yun had spoken the truth. They all felt disgusted when they thought of how Yu Sirong had had an affair with a man like this and had done something so shameless but was trying to frame others. The crowd backed away from her.

    ¡°Come, take this man away. This fuss is inappropriate.¡± Mdm Qin went up to Mo Xuetong and pulled on her hand, putting Mo Xuetong behind her protectively. Then, she turned around and looked at Mdm Chen icily and said frostily, ¡°Mdm Chen, Tong¡¯er is a good child and I don¡¯t know how she offended you all. Your First Miss is a capable one and our Xuan¡¯er is not worthy of her. From today on, do not bring up your noble First Miss together with Xuan¡¯er. Our Qin family is not worthy of the Yu family.¡±

    She had spoken sharply and had brought a stop to Mdm Yu¡¯s thoughts. Mdm Qin had effectively stopped not only Yu Sirong but also all daughters of the Yu family from marrying into the Qin family. No matter whether Yu Sirong was the one who had nned this, Mdm Qin had already put an end to the rtionship between both families.

    Everyone could see clearly after the fuss today that Mo Xuetong was innocent. There was also the scandal between Yu Sirong and Wang Yun. ording to thews of Great Qin, what would follow next was business between the two families and had nothing to do with anyone else. As such, Mdm Qin pulled Mo Xuetong away angrily after she said her piece.

    Mdm Yu who was standing behind her hesitated. She nced at Yu Sirong who was stunned and Mdm Chen, who looked very much ashamed. Then, she gritted her teeth and followed Mdm Qin, leaving the ce. She was firstly the matriarch of the Qin family before she was a daughter of the Yu family. A daughter who was married out was like water that had been thrown out. If she continued standing there, she would only be sshed by the dirty water. So she did not dare to stay.

    ¡°Aunt, Aunt...¡± Yu Sirong cried out resentfully behind her. Mdm Yu paused but did not stop. Then, she hurried after Mdm Qin and left the ce. She still had a son and she could not drag his reputation down.

    The Madams and youngdies present looked at Mdm Chen and Yu Sirong coldly when they saw Mdm Qin leaving. They looked at them in disdain and then left.

    ¡°Mother, mother! Mother, send someone to beat that slut to death. Beat her to death.¡± Mdm Qin¡¯s words rang in her ears. Yu Sirong waspletely stunned. She screamed, out of control, when she regained her senses. This was all Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault. She had been disfigured because of her and her reputation had been besmirched because of her. She could not marry her cousin because of her. How could Yu Sirong bear this shame?

    She was going to kill her. She was going to kill the woman who had hurt her!

    ¡°p!¡± A heavy pnded on Yu Sirong¡¯s face on where her wound was. Fresh blood flowed. Yu Sirong held her hand against her face subconsciously, losing all color in her face.

    Yu Sirong was still screaming after such an embarrassment without regard for their reputation. Mdm Chen was so angry that she was shaking from head to toe. She pped Yu Sirong viciously and ordered people to gag her and drag her home. She was too embarrassed to stay there and immediately ordered for a carriage and headed home.

    Wang Yun saw that no one was paying attention to him. His mind whirled and he hurried out. However, before he could get too far, someone hit him heavily on his head and everything went ck. He slumped down and did not have a chance to even make a sound before he fainted.

    Mo Xuetong felt dizzy when she left Mdm Qin and returned to her room. She had not felt dizzy earlier during the argument. But she was covered in cold sweat right now. She held on to Mo Lan¡¯s shoulders and shut her eyes. She felt slightly dizzy and weak. The injuries on her neck and arms burned with pain.

    ¡°Miss, do you feel unwell?¡± Mo Lan helped her to sit down and did not ask anything else but showed concern for her health. She had watched her mistress over the past few days and she knew that her mistress was no longer weak or useless. She thought long and hard with every step she took. Mo Lan knew that her mistress would naturally tell her what she needed to know and she would not ask about things that she should not know about.

    Mo Xuetong shook her head and shut her eyes tiredly. She said, ¡°You can go, I will rest for a while!¡±

    She truly felt tired. She had been plotted against again and again after her rebirth and she was afraid of making the wrong move at every step. Those people were really vicious and would not rest until she was destroyed. She felt physically and mentally exhausted as she leaned back into the couch!

    Mo Lan only felt heartache when she looked at her mistress¡¯ weak and pale face. Then, she left unhurriedly.

    She still felt heartache for her mistress even though her mistress was now mature and intelligent. Her mistress was only 13. If Madam was still around, would her mistress need to depend on herself so much! With Madam¡¯s protection, her mistress would still be weak.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you too into character and can¡¯t get out of character?¡± A mocking voice could be heard from the side. The voice waszy and teasing. It was a person whom she could not figure out.

    This person was really hard to get rid of. But it was someone she did not dare to offend. Mo Xuetong sighed softly and turned to the other side!

 Chapter 116 - The Mystery of Xuetongs Embroidery Shop

    <h4>Chapter 116 The Mystery of Xuetong¡¯s Embroidery Shop</h4>

    Feng Yuran did not stay for long. He only looked at her color and turned to leave, leaving behind a confused Mo Xuetong. Her lively eyes blinked. When had she be so close to the charming King Xuan? She had always treated him respectfully and distantly, but to be honest, she was grateful to him.

    He had saved her yet again. She wanted to distance herself from him but after saving her twice, she would not be able to keep a distance even if she wanted to.

    Feng Yuran had just left when Qin Yuxuan came.

    Qin Yuxuan came to inform her that they would leave Qingliang Temple in a while. No one was in the mood to stay after so many things happened. It was said that the Yu family had already left. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong did not have many things. Mo He had already packed up and Qin Yuxuan ordered the servants to take her things with them.

    Qin Yuxuan went up to Mo Xuetong when he saw that everyone was busy. He looked at her guiltily and gloomily, and said, ¡°Younger Sister Tong...I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    He felt angry whenever he thought of how Yu Sirong wanted to hurt Tong¡¯er. The anger pressed down on him and he wanted to unleash it. He knew of what had happened and the incident was clear to him after careful investigation. Yu Sirong, that slut, how dare she try to act against Tong¡¯er? If Mdm Qin had not told him again and again, he would have already gone to the Yu family to get justice!

    How could he be in a good mood when he knew that Tong¡¯er had suffered but he could not get revenge for her! He looked rather frustrated.

    ¡°Cousin Xuan, what are you saying? What have you done to apologize to Tong¡¯er? It is not your fault. Let¡¯s go, or grandaunt will be worried and wonder what we are doing to hold everyone up. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was delicate and gentle as if she did not understand what he was saying. She tugged on his sleeve and smiled at him, behaving just as she usually did.

    She had self-consciously defined her rtionship with Qin Yuxuan as siblings. She had not understood why Yu Sirong was so vicious towards her to ruin her reputation and disfigure her. But she understood after her rebirth. It was because Cousin Xuan liked her.

    She had always paid attention to her opponents after her rebirth, but she had neglected Cousin Xuan¡¯s reactions. While he might not like her very much right now, she had to stop him from falling for her deeply.

    In her past life, Qin Yuxuan and Yu Sirong had ended up together, but she feared that they were not fated to in this life. After what happened, Yu Sirong would probably be sent to the family temple. Which family would marry their daughter to a useless gangster? There was not only one daughter in the family, so they would not allow a single daughter to ruin everyone¡¯s hopes.

    If the other youngdies of the family all gained a bad reputation, they would not be able to marry well!

    ording to what happened in her past life, Cousin Xuan had wasted his life away after marrying Yu Sirong. It seemed right now that while he was a little sad, he did not really waste away. He was still a young man full of spirit and vigor and this was something Mo Xuetong liked to see.

    She would take this opportunity while Qin Yuxuan was interested in someone to bring their rtionship as siblings to the surface.

    A sibling rtionship. Was there just a sibling rtionship between them? Qin Yuxuan felt as if there was arge rock pressing down on his chest and he could not speak for that moment. He felt suffocated and the tens and thousands of words that he had prepared were all stuck in his heart, forming arge blockage that almost suffocated him. However, he could not push the blockage away.

    What could he say? Could he say that he liked Younger Sister Tong? He had already lost his chance when Mdm Yu did something like that to her. He was devastated to find out that he would no longer be able to get his Younger Sister Tong¡¯s heart. Their rtionship was just that of cousins. And as they grow up, this rtionship would grow fainter and fainter until they no longer had one.

    This thought made his heart hurt and he clenched his hand tightly into a fist, forcing down the pain in his heart. He smiled and nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go, Younger sister Tong. Grandmother would me me if she does not see you.¡±

    What could he say? What else could he say? He did not even have the opportunity to express his feelings for her. He could only hide the love he felt deep in his heart. He looked at the tender face of the girl under the sunlight and his heart hurt so much he could not breathe. Mdm Yu was truly vicious but he respected his older brother. He could not fight Mdm Yu in the open or to get revenge for Younger Sister Tong. How could he stand it?

    ¡°Alright, Cousin Xuan, you¡¯re the best. You muste over to y when you are free. Cousin Fenges by really often.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes gleamed and she changed the topic when she saw his weird expression. Perhaps Cousin Xuan felt really bad right now, but she believed that the spirited Cousin Xuan would get better and find his own happiness. After all, she had never responded to his feelings. Even if he was really interested in her, his feelings for her would not be too deep.

    ¡°Eldest Brother visits your manor especially?¡± Qin Yuxuan asked, stunned. He admired his eldest brother very much.

    ¡°Cousin Feng goes there often. I heard he went even more frequently while I was not there. Come with him next time, won¡¯t you, Cousin Xuan?¡± She looked up with her crystal-clear eyes. Her eyes were clear, filled with innocence and beauty.

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes darkened and he turned away, replying softly, ¡°Alright!¡±

    Then, Mo Xuetong headed down the mountain with the Qin¡¯s carriage.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage parted with the Qin¡¯s on the road, heading straight for the Mo Manor. She had been gone for days and should return earlier.

    While traveling, Mo Xuetong thought for a while and decided to head to the south of the city. She remembered that her mother had a shop there that was in her dowry. It was an embroidery shop. She was very curious why the shop had ended up in her hands in her past life. It was the shop that made her the most money amongst the shops she had. Fortunately for the shop, she did not have to worry about theck of funds while she was in the Duke¡¯s manor despite her paltry dowry.

    However, why didn¡¯t Auntie Fang take such a good shop? Auntie Fang was very clear about what was in her mother¡¯s dowry. She had given Mo Xuetong some bad business and also some that did not earn money. There was only Xiuning Workshop which earned Mo Xuetong several hundred taels of silver every month since she took the helm of it.

    After that, the rest of her shops all ended up in Sima Lingyun¡¯s hands no matter whether they made money or not. She only kept this shop through it all. Sima Lingyun had never asked about it. In her past life, she had been focused only on Sima Lingyun and never cared about these things. Now after she had been reborn, she was full of questions.

    Why did Auntie Fang and Sima Lingyun leave such a money-making shop in her hands for no rhyme or reason?

    The experiences of her past life had made her realize how vicious Auntie Fang and Sima Lingyun were. Why would they allow her a way out? The only answer was that they could not get their hands on it or they were shocked by something and did not dare to act. Then what exactly was the differences of this shop that her mother left behind!

    Xiuning Workshop was in the south of the city and it was a specialty shop that sold products women used for embroidery. Manager Xing was the most loyal person to Mo Xuetong in her past life. He was very diligent and sent money to the Duke¡¯s Manor on time and never once lined his own pockets. Mo Xuetong felt sad every time she saw his thin face.

    She had lived two lives and had seen many things. And that was why she treasured the ties of friendship even more.

    She brought Mo Lan and Mo Ye into the shop and made her identity known. Mo Xuetong smiled and asked, ¡°Manager Xing, it¡¯s been hard on you. How is business here?¡±

    She took a look at the patrons in the shop when she entered. Business was not bad and the products sold were varied from the low-end to the high-end. Most of the products were mid to high-end and the shop was meant for themon poption.

    ¡°Third Miss, you are too kind. Business is alright and is considered slightly better than simr shops. I have been managing this shop since Madam went to Cloud City. I report to Old Sir in the manor every month and manage the shop the rest of the time.¡± Manager Xing replied respectfully, telling her all the things she wanted to ask without her having to.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied and said with a smile, ¡°You have yed an important role in managing the shop so well. In the past, while we were in Cloud City, you had to deal with problems yourself. Now that Father and I are both back in the capital, go to the manor and have someone tell us if there is any problem.¡±

    While she looked young, her words were gracious and she was humble. It made others have a good impression of her.

    Manager Xing approved of her secretly and treated her with even more respect.

    ¡°Third Miss, you are too kind. Even though Madam had gone to Cloud City she would still take care of troublesome matters. In the past, when we encountered trouble...we also depended on Madam for help.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was shocked by this and the doubts she had grew. Her mother had never taken charge of the household while they were in Cloud City. Her health was poor and she had always been taking medication and rarely had the energy to do these kinds of things. The holdings that they had in Cloud City had always been managed by her father, so how did her mother have the energy to manage the business in the capital, much less settle the trouble here?

    ¡°Manager Xing, has mother always been the one to take charge of the ounts?¡±

    ¡°Madam does not really take charge of the ount often. She would send someone to Cloud City every half a year or so. She leaves me to make the decision the rest of the time.¡±

    Her mother had sent someone all the way to Cloud City just for the ounts of one shop. Couldn¡¯t she have entrusted it to her family!

    ¡°The people mother sent must have been smart and capable. I wonder if they are still in the manor?¡± She pretended to ask casually. However, she clutched on to her handkerchief under her sleeve and was slightly nervous.

    ¡°They were Madam¡¯s senior maids who went to the Mo Manor with her from the General Manor. Sometimes, one woulde and at other times, two. They woulde and stay for four or five days to settle the ounts of thest six months.¡± Manager Xing smiled calmly.

    Her mother¡¯s four senior maids? Mo Xuetong was stunned. The four senior maids were either dead, injured, disappeared or mad. She could not get ahold of a single one to ask her questions. When she thought about it carefully, one of the four would always not be around. When she asked about it, her mother would always say that they were busy with something in their own family. She was still young then and had not cared about it.

    Now that she thought about it, the whole situation was dubious. Her mother came from the General Manor and in her dowry, this shop was not thergest nor the one that made the most money. So why did she care so much about it and even sent her personal servants toe and check the ounts? The time it took for them to travel back and forth was more than the time it would take to check the ounts.

    Mo Xuetong did not believe that her mother had done that for no reason. What exactly was her mother hiding? She could not think of an answer right now!

    The manager apanied Mo Xuetong as she toured around Xiuning Workshop. She did not discover anything different about it other than that the business there was slightly better. Nothing else stood out. Even the signboard at the door seemed as if it was very old. While the characters on the board were written well, they had faded a lot over time.

    Mo Xuetong boarded the horse carriage after she left Xiuning Workshop. She closed her eyes and thought carefully. There were many thoughts running through her mind, but there was no way for her to verify them!

 Chapter 117 - Aunties Lovingly Made Pouch and the Jade

    <h4>Chapter 117 Auntie¡¯s Lovingly Made Pouch and the Jade</h4>

    Mo Huawen visited Mo Xuetong when he heard that she had returned to Qingwei Garden. He only left when he saw that she was in good spirits.

    He had felt guilty towards his third daughter ever since Auntie Fang had been released.

    This was especially so when Mo Xuetong had not berated him but had been gentle and showed concern for his health. This made him feel even more ashamed.

    Auntie Fang had a vicious heart and had tried to hurt his daughter. However, he could only release her for the sake of the child in her belly. He could not exin this reasonably before Tong¡¯er. As such, he did not go to Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden but headed straight back to his study. He spent the night there as well.

    Mo Xuetong had not yet recovered. She sent everyone out, leaving only Mo Ye in her room.

    She took out something and gave it to Mo Ye. After giving her orders and waiting for Mo Ye to leave, sheid down and rested.

    Auntie Fang tried to work together with Mdm Yu to hurt her. She would have to ¡°reciprocate¡± her good will!

    In Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden.

    Auntie Fang had been ratherfortable thest few days. She was the first to receive all the good food and drinks in the manor. And she was in a good mood when she thought of Mo Xuetong would not be able to return this time. She was lying on the couch sunbathing by the window when a maid sent her some red bird¡¯s nest which she took infrequent sips of.

    With Mo Xuetong¡¯s death, she just had to behave more virtuously. Old sir would let her be his wife for the sake of the child in her belly, Min¡¯er and Feng¡¯er. Everything that belonged to Luo Xia and her daughter would be hers. When she thought of this, she could not help butugh out loud. The Yu Manor would acknowledge her then.

    Then, she would not only be the Madam of the Mo Manor but she would also have a good family background. Who else would dare to look down on her? With the slut¡¯s death, she would be the Madam of the family. Who else could say anything!

    She was feeling like the cat that had caught the canary, treating Mo Xuetong as if she was already dead. Mo Xuetong had been disfigured and her reputation had been ruined. How would that little slut bear to live on?

    She was shocked when a maid ran in to inform her that the Third Miss had returned. She almost choked on the red bird¡¯s nest that she was eating!

    Then, she heard that old sir had gone to Qingwei Garden but had note to visit her. The anger in her raged. She did not believe that her three children could not beat Mo Xuetong that slut.

    She was extremely angry and did not even think about how Mo Xuetong had managed to escape her plot. She stood up furiously, wanting to go to the study to look for Mo Huawen. She wanted to ask him why he was so biased. Feng¡¯er was the Mo family¡¯s only son and would one day take the helm of the family. How was he not as worthy as a girl child who would cost the family money?

    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t go. Listen to me and don¡¯t create trouble again, causing trouble for first miss and Young Master.¡± Nanny Li hurriedly help her sit andforted her.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about Min¡¯er and Feng¡¯er. I really don¡¯t know what kind of medicine that slut fed him. It¡¯s been so many years, but all he cares about is still her.¡± Auntie Fang was furious and she gritted her teeth as she spoke.

    ¡°Auntie, all these are not important. Madam will always be on old sir¡¯s heart and this is something that you will never be able to cross. There is no need for a living person to fight with the dead. No matter how powerful Madam was, it is all in the past. You are still the one in charge in the manor now.¡± Auntie Li took the tea that Gui Yue handed her and handed it to Auntie Fang.

    ¡°But I just don¡¯t like it!¡± Auntie Fang said angrily as she calmed down after taking a sip of the tea. She also knew that it was rash for her to leave like this. She would not do something like that after she calmed down.

    ¡°Why does that have to matter? It¡¯s all in the past. You just have to be more virtuous, and if you give birth to a boy again, who else can old sir make the wife if not you? Furthermore, Young Master is old sir¡¯s only son right now. Even if he is not considerate towards you, he would be towards Young Master.¡±

    Nanny Li¡¯s words pointed to Auntie Fang¡¯s heart and took down her anger a little. She mmed her teacup down and her expression grew cold. The light of the setting winter sun shone through the window and on her pale face. She suddenly looked sinister and ferocious.

    ¡°Nanny, the little slut is still so lucky this time. What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, do not worry for now. Third Miss is still young. You can still deal with her in the future.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer. Min¡¯er said we definitely couldn¡¯t wait anymore. She is so hard to deal with even though she is so young. We definitely won¡¯t benefit when she grows up so we have to get rid of her quickly. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the matter with the Yu and Qin Manors that they can¡¯t even kill the little slut when they work together.¡± Auntie Fang was slightly resentful and she gritted her teeth and spoke viciously.

    She still did not know that the Yu Manor had not only failed but had its reputation ruined.

    ¡°Perhaps the time is not right. The Yu Manor will definitely send a letter to you to exin things tomorrow. You don¡¯t have to worry. Anyway, no matter what, it has nothing to do with you. Even if something happened, it is the business of the Qin and Yu Manors. Old sir would not be able to pin it on you even if he wanted to.¡± Nanny Li analyzed carefully.

    Auntie Fang could still ept such an analysis. However, her expression turned dark when she thought of Mo Xuemin¡¯s suggestion.

    It was thest chance Mo Xuemin was giving her. If she could not, then she would take a gamble on the child in her belly. She had agreed then. But now that they were really doing it, she could not bear to. She touched her slightly rounded belly and felt as if there was a knife shredding her heart. She really could not bear to lose the child.

    ¡°Auntie, if you cannot bear to lose this child, you cannot attain a major coup. When you be the main wife, you can have as many children as you want. The children you have then will be true main children and old sir would be delighted.¡± Nanny Li was already on Mo Xuemin¡¯s side and would naturally speak up for her.

    ¡°But...¡± Auntie Fang still could not bear it. Even though she had a vicious heart, it was still her child. How would she be willing to just abandon it!

    ¡°Auntie, are you willing to let first miss, Young Master, and this child be always treated as a child of a concubine? And make it so that it would be difficult for them to even find a good match?! Auntie, I know that you have a kind heart but you have to be able to make the right decision in the right situation. You have no choice, the young master in your belly will understand.¡± Nanny Li counseled.

    Auntie Fang gritted her teeth when she thought of what Mo Xuemin said and she realized that there was no other way to deal with Mo Xuetong. She could only bore down on the pain in her heart and said, ¡°Alright, I will even give up on my own child this time. I will definitely have that slut die a terrible death.¡±

    She touched her belly subconsciously and felt a searing pain in her heart. She pushed all the rage she felt onto Mo Xuetong. It was all that slut¡¯s fault. That slut had hurt her unborn child. It was her, her! She would definitely kill that slut to avenge her unborn child.

    Her expression grew more sinister and vicious as she thought and she gritted her teeth ferociously.

    The skies had darkened as they spoke. Auntie Fang¡¯s senior maid, Gui Yue brought in amp as well as a little pouch.

    ¡°Auntie, I don¡¯t know if this is old sir¡¯s seal. I picked it up on the path old sir took. There was no one around, so I have brought it to you.¡± Gui Yue handed the pouch over to Auntie Fang. It was slightly dirty, probably because it had fallen onto the ground.

    Auntie Fang epted it. There was a jade seal inside the pouch. She flipped it around in her hands and took a close look at it. The jade was clear and shiny and it was really a good piece of jade. However, she did not know what was written on it. Mo Huawen had never let her see the seal he used at work, but this was probably it.

    It was a pity that Auntie Fang used to be poor and was illiterate. She gradually learned a few simple words, but she did not understand this form of writing.

    ¡°Auntie, this is definitely old sir¡¯s. Young Master does not have this kind of seal and who else but old sir would drop this in the gardens.¡± Nanny Li said confidently as she went up to take a look at it as well.

    ¡°Auntie, shall we take it to old sir now?¡± Gui Yue put down themp in her hands and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We will tell him when he can¡¯t find it.¡± Auntie Fang kept the seal after thinking about it. She ordered Gui Yue to throw the pouch away. The pouch seemed old and she did not know if it was something Luo Xia had left behind. She was filled with jealousy when she thought of how Mo Huawen still kept and treasured the pouch that Luo Xia left behind.

    Mo Huawen looked down on her, so she would show him how useful she was. This was definitely a seal he used often. He would not be able to get through a day without using it for his work. She figured that it would cause a furor in a while. That was good, she would find it for him when he grew anxious and then he would be grateful towards her.

    With that decision made, she took out a few pouches she made in her free time to put the seal in.

    ¡°Auntie, pick this. The two mandarin ducks ying in the water together. Old sir will definitely understand your intentions when he sees this. Auntie, your embroidery is done well and the mandarin ducks look like they are alive. I have lived for so many years and have never seen better skills than yours.¡± Nanny Li had served Auntie Fang for many years and knew what she was thinking. She hurried up to give her advice when she saw Auntie Fang picking out pouches.

    Auntie Fang rather liked what Nanny Li said. She picked up the pouch with the mandarin ducks embroidery and looked at it. She felt that it was a good idea as well. She looked at the loving pair on the pouch and the words she embroidered on the side. ¡°Faith and trust in love triumps distance.¡± She was pleased with it no matter how she looked at it.

    She had wanted to give Mo Huawen the pouch after she was done embroidering it. However, Mo Huawen had ignored her and she could not find an opportunity to give it to him, so it was left in her needle-work bag. She would take this opportunity to give it to him, achieving her goal. She was rather satisfied and ced the seal into the pouch. Then, she picked some strings to make a hanging belt so that Mo Huawen could hang it around his waist in the future.

    She only realized that it was very dark when she was done. Auntie Fangid down to rest after she had dinner.

    Her belly was still small and her figure was still slender. She ced the pouch under her pillow before she went to bed after some thought. She even picked a bright red belly-binder to wear and put on a thin shawl around her, revealing her skin. She looked beautiful and charming. She then put on some makeup, drawing her brows long and thin and making her skin look soft and tender. Nanny Li and the other servants praised her appearance and said that Auntie Fang was the best looking woman in the manor.

    Auntie Fang went to bed after cleaning up but she did not fall asleep.

    She thought of how Mo Huawen would definitelye over to find his seal tomorrow. He might even take pity on her when he saw her and stay over at her ce. It has been a long while since Mo Huawen visited her Garden. Mo Huawen only visited in the day since the little slut returned.

    Auntie Fang truly could not fall asleep when she thought about that. She badly wanted Mo Xuetong to be torn into shreds by tens thousands of knives in front of her immediately. It would be the best if she could stomp on Mo Xuetong.

    After a long while, Mo Huawen still did note. However, she felt a little sleepy. She was pregnant and even though she slept a lot in the day, she could not stay upte at night either. And she fell asleep.

    A long timeter, she was startled awake by noises. She sat up blurrily and was just about to ask what was happening when the door was mmed open. Mo Huawen stood at the entrance with a cold and sharp look on his face. He brought with him several male servants. There were high satin drapes in the room and she appeared in her disheveled clothing, revealing her jade-like skin.

    The servants all lowered their heads and did not dare to follow Mo Huawen in.

    Mo Huawen was furious when he saw that. He entered and shut the door. The resounding boom startled Auntie Fang back into her wits and she looked at Mo Huawen, clear-headed. She did not understand why he was so angry that the veins on his face were twitching so.

    He had only just lost a seal! How serious could it be!

 Chapter 118 - Another Vicious Plot from Mo Xuemin

    <h4>Chapter 118 Another Vicious Plot from Mo Xuemin</h4>

    Everyone in the Mo Manor was startled early in the morning!

    It was said that a huge fuss was made over the matter. There was a thief in the manorst night who had entered Auntie Fang¡¯s Lihua Garden and almost hurt Auntie Fang. Then, Old Sir had brought servants and rushed over to the garden and chased the thief away. However, for some reason, Old Sir had been so angry he dealt with a few of the maids and servants who served Auntie Fang. It was said that it was because they had not done a good job.

    There were a few people who had guessed that it would not be a major problem for Auntie Fang to be the main wife since Old Sir liked her so much.

    However, it did not seem like it now. Old Sir had ruthlessly dealt with the people serving Auntie Fang and sent her some people who did not look like servants. Instead, they looked more like guards. The new people did not look friendly and they were all tough and looked like they were not to be trifled with.

    As Auntie Fang¡¯s daughter, Mo Xuemin was truly perplexed by the incident at Lihua Garden. On the other hand, she also wanted to pretend to be filial and show how gentle and gracious she was in front of other people. As such, she hurried towards Lihua Garden after receiving the news. She even met Mo Xueqiong on the way there.

    Mo Xueqiong had kept a low profile ever since the falling out with Mo Xuemin. Even though the incident with the Duke¡¯s manor hade to an end, she felt more and more dissatisfied as time passed. She felt that she would have been a main wife if she had not be Mo Xuemin¡¯s scapegoat. She would not have be a concubine.

    As such, both her tone and attitude were bad when she met Mo Xuemin and even made a few sarcastic jibes at her.

    Mo Xuemin was not in the mood to waste time with the idiot and only exchanged a few distant sentences with her before heading to Lihua Garden. When she arrived at Lihua Garden, she found that it was very much different. The two female servants guarding the door were now veryrge with wide shoulders and hulking figures. There were even two more nannies down the hallway. Even though Nanny Li, Gui Yue, and Gui Hua were still around, they all looked fearful.

    It seemed unbing.

    When she entered, Auntie Fang was still lying in bed. Her hair was all over the ce and her eyes were red and swollen when Gui Yue helped her up. It was evident that she had been crying and had not slept well.

    ¡°Auntie, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you so worried? You are still pregnant with father¡¯s child, so why are you so uncaring?¡± Mo Xuemin sat by the bed and looked gentle and concerned.

    ¡°It is not that I do not care, but your father does not.¡± Auntie Fang¡¯s face was pale and she retorted angrily while crying.

    She still did not know what happened. Mo Huawen had charged through her door angrilyst night and searched the entire ce. He had not even let the bed go and in the end, he had even taken the pouch with the seal. Then, he had left without saying a single word. He brought along two second-ss maids and a managing nanny with him when he left.

    Then, he sent a few thick-waisted female servants over in the middle of the night. It made one feel unsettled no matter how they looked at it.

    Especially the two women standing under the eaves. They only said that they were sent there by old sir and had given Nanny Li, Gui Hua, and Gui Yue a dressing down. Auntie Fang was furious and could not sleep well. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt and the more upset she was. She cried sadly and did not rest well at all.

    When she heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s question, she answered hoarsely and irritatedly.

    ¡°A thief has entered the manor and father barged in only because he was worried. Auntie, why don¡¯t you wear more clothes while sleeping? It¡¯ste in winter and you¡¯re not worried about getting sick.¡± Mo Xuemin had found out from another channel that Auntie Fang was dressed scantily when her father had barged in after the thief. It was very inappropriate. She thought Mo Huawen was angry because of this and did not give it much thought. She only felt that Auntie Fang was being rather frivolous.

    She was already pregnant but was still thinking about other things. How could others not look down on her!

    She was after all a concubine and was ignorant and ssless! She truly despised Auntie Fang! However, she still maintained an expression of faint concern on the surface. After all, she still needed Auntie Fang right now. Or perhaps, she should say, she needed the child Auntie Fang was carrying.

    Her words made Auntie Fang flush and annoyed. She said angrily to Mo Xuemin, ¡°Is this something a daughter should say to her mother? Everyone wears less clothing when they sleep at night. It is morefortable and one would not be exposed easily. How has it annoyed your father and you?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be angry. Min¡¯er is just saying what she has to. Since the situation has already be like this, your ns should be different from before! You have already been given a chance.¡± Mo Xuemin seemed gracious but was actually asking about the suggestion she had given previously. Auntie Fang could not do anything to Mo Xuetong and could only use the child in her belly to seek what she desired.

    Auntie Fang shivered and covered her stomach subconsciously. She had not slept the entire night and her face was pale and sickly. Her lips trembled slightly and she could not say the vicious words. After all, it was still her child and she really could not bear to lose it.

    ¡°Auntie, sleep againter and rest well. Don¡¯t make me and father worry. What happened yesterday is already in the past. You have to look forward. The futures of Elder Brother and I are all in your hands. Nothing must happen to you!¡± Mo Xuemin covered her face with a handkerchief and looked to be very sad. However, she warned Auntie Fang with her icy cold eyes.

    If she wanted this child, she would lose Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng. She would leave it up to Auntie Fang!

    ¡°Alright, up to you!¡± Auntie Fang replied through gritted teeth.

    Auntie Fang thought about it the entire night and decided to give up the child in her belly. She had only suffered so badly yesterday because she was a concubine. Min¡¯er was right. She could still have children in the future. But if she did not be the main wife and Mo Huawen married another, she, Min¡¯er, and Feng¡¯er would be a sting in someone else¡¯s eye and flesh.

    Furthermore, she felt resentful. All her years of nning were almost sessful. But in the end, she realized that someone else was reaping the fruit of herbor. It was the thing she could not ept the most. She had been hesitant earlier because she truly could not bear to lose the child. However, it was just a child, she could afford to lose it for her future status.

    She was even thinking that Mo Huawen would definitely feel bad and guilty if she lost the child. It would get rid of the affection Mo Huawen has for Mo Xuetong as well. It was killing two birds with one stone, so why not.

    Mo Xuemin already knew that Auntie Fang would agree. She was selfish and vicious and all the things she had done previously was just an act on her part. She had never liked Auntie Fang and felt that she was a lowly concubine who was dragging her down. Now that she had achieved her goal, she did not stay for long either. She slipped a note into Auntie Fang¡¯s hand while she helped her to adjust her nket.

    Her father had arranged for servants to guard this ce, which meant that he was annoyed with Auntie Fang. She did not wish to earn Mo Huawen¡¯s ire at this time. Disregarding what happened previously, while her father had not med her for it, he had not liked it when she visited Mo Huawen and was implicated for no reason. He had not visited her over the past few days.

    How would she go against her father at this point in time for a concubine?

    As such, she returned to her own courtyard without saying much to Auntie Fang.

    In Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Xuetong was truly ill.

    She had already applied medicine on her wound and it was already healing. However, it had triggered an illness. Her body felt hot and cold and sheid in bed, unable to get up. Even if she got off from bed asionally, she was also weak. She checked through even the dregs of the medicine sent to her but could not discover where the problem was. She was ill and weak but still went to greet the old madam. She did not leave her room to walk around at other times and only stayed in Qingwei Garden.

    Without Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong to disturb her, her days were considered peaceful.

    ¡°Mo Ye, where did you get this incense? Is it different from the usual ones?¡± Mo Xuetong put down the handkerchief in her hand and looked at Mo Ye, who had just entered, covered in snow. The weather was badtely and would snow from time to time. The snowkesnded on a person,rge and distinct. The snow was melted by the warm air when Mo Ye entered.

    Mo Ye patted off the snow from herself and brought the incense in her hand to Mo Xuetong, handing it to her. She said softly, ¡°Miss, His Highness said that there is a problem with this incense.¡±

    This was the only possibility that Mo Xuetong had thought of, which was why she had sent Mo Ye to Feng Yuran to get him to help take a look.

    ¡°Is it poisonous?¡± Mo Xuetong took the incense and looked at it. The incense was of average length and was not much different from the ones she usually used. Even the scent was very refreshing and was the type of incense she liked. It was cold in winter but the room was warm. She very much liked this type of faint fragrance and had always been using it.

    ¡°His Highness said that there is a fragrance in this that would interact with a medication that you are taking. It would make you drowsy, but would otherwise not harm you. However, there is also musk in this.¡± Mo Ye stood in front of her with her back to her. She was focused on the yard and only replied softly when she heard that there were people talking in the yard and no one was paying attention to them.

    It would not harm her, so why have they given it to her? She did not believe that Mo Xuemin would do something that was so useless. Furthermore, there was also the scent of musk that was useless to her. The only use of that substance would probably hurt only that vicious Auntie Fang. But Auntie Fang would not go to her room.

    What did Mo Xuemin n to do! Mo Xuetong looked down, blinking her lively eyes. She could not understand right then and only felt that Mo Xuemin would not do something in vain. There must be a connection in here somewhere!

    ¡°Miss, will you still light the incense?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Why not, since someone had already schemed, she would let them continue with it.

    Fortunately, Mo Xuetong¡¯s symptom of weakness disappeared after a few days. Mother Xu and the others could rx. However, Mo Xuetong was still wary and even went to the General¡¯s Manor to invite Luo Wenyou over. Luo Wenyou brought with him many herbs because she was ill. The amount of herbs he brought filled up an entire carriage, making Mo Xueqiong harrumphed coldly several times when she saw it in the yard. She turned her back to them and returned to her carriage.

    The days passed peacefully and it would be new year¡¯s eve tonight! Auntie Mo and Auntie Qing who were in charge of matters in the manor were very busy over the past few days. It was the first major event since they started to work together to take charge of the household and they must not let others look down on them.

    Auntie Fang had been very quiet recently too and had been very obedient. She would usually go to the old madam¡¯s and greet her before walking around in her own courtyard. However, she had not gone against Auntie Mo and Auntie Qing again. It was as if she had truly given up the helm of the household to the two and was concentrating on the baby. Even the servants from her courtyard are more polite.

    However, many could see that Mo Huawen seemed to be really annoyed with Auntie Fang for some reason. He had not gone to Lihua Garden again after that day. The servants in the outside courtyard gossiped that the usually prudent old sir had gotten drunk in his studyst night and had vomited badly. He had not woken up the next day and only returned to normal after sleeping for a day and a night.

    Even so, he had not stepped into Lihua Garden again!

 Chapter 119 - Another Incident When Admiring the Plum Blossoms

    <h4>Chapter 119 Another Incident When Admiring the Plum Blossoms</h4>

    The Mo Manor weed a few guests from the Qin Manor early in the morning. They were distant rtives of the Mo and were not very close. Even though they also had responsibilities in court, they could not bepared to Mo Huawen. They had used the excuse of visiting the old madam to visit since she was living in the Mo Manor and had brought a young master and a youngdy with them.

    The madam of that family chatted with the old madam and got the young people to go out.

    Mo Yufeng had apanied Qin Yufeng over coincidentally. One of them had mentioned meeting Mo Xuetong. As such, the crowd went to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden excitedly under the lead of Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuetong had woken up a littlete because of her poor health. She had just cleaned up and was about to go and greet the old madam when the crowd arrived. She did not approach them but waited under the eaves.

    Those who hade were rted to the old madam. The elder sister, Wang Yn, was 16 while the brother, Wang Minglou, was 15.

    The two teenagers were at the right age to be curious. Naturally, the first thing they wanted to do when they visited the Mo Manor was to see the main daughter. Furthermore, Qin Yufeng, who was not considered an outsider, and Mo Yufeng, would be going along with so many people. It was not considered impolite for them to visit Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, Third Miss Mo stays really far away. It is really inconvenient for others to visit.¡± The 15-year-old Wang Minglou was a direct person and would not beat about the bush. He did not see the awkward expression on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face.

    ¡°Young Master Wang might not know this, but it is Auntie Fang who picked this ce. It is said that Third Sister prefers quietness, so she stays a little further away. It is not a big matter.¡± Mo Xueqiong really disliked Mo Xuemin right now and made a sarcastic jibe at her.

    Wang Minglou wanted to ask something again but he came to a realization when his sister tugged on his sleeve. He immediatelyughed dryly and did not say anything else. He had heard about the matters about the Mo Manor as well but had not paid attention earlier.

    A concubine would after all not truly treat the madam¡¯s child well. It was normal for Auntie Fang to put Mo Xuetong in a room near the corner of the manor.

    The situation was a little awkward then. Wang Yn smiled at Mo Xuemin and said, ¡°I heard that Third Miss¡¯s health has always been poor. She really has to take care in the winter. I had a cousin whoid down a lot because of her poor health. However, her health deteriorated even more. One really has to take in more sun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. My third sister has always been in poor health. She misses her birth mother after she passed away and fell ill. She was left behind in Cloud City because she was so ill she could not get up. Father had no choice but to leave her behind in grandaunt¡¯s house. Even though she is slightly better, her health is still poor.¡± Mo Xuemin frowned slightly, a hint of worry on her face.

    ¡°The weather is pretty good today. We might as well ask third sister to walk around and soak up some sun since everyone is here.¡± Mo Yufeng spoke up in approval.

    The few went to Qingwei Garden. Mo Xuetong was already waiting for her guests under the eaves.

    She was wearing a beautiful emerald green dress today. There was a dark silver hem at the bottom of her brightly colored green satin. The cuffs, cors, and skirt of the dress were embroidered with dark green thread. The dress had eight pleats and the lotuses on the dress moved with each step she took. Lotuses blossomed with each step she took. She wore a simple bun on her head with a silver pin dripping with jade pinned askew on it. There was a teardrop-shaped jade on her ears whichplemented her jade-colored ears. Her snow-like skin was charming and clear, making her resemble a shyly blossoming lotus flower.

    She was elegant and calm while charming and gentle. She smiled lightly and was no longer the cowardly and weak person she was when she lived in the Qin manor. Her image was that of a gracious main daughter who lived in the depths of her home and waspletely different from how she had been when she left the Qin manor. Not only had her disposition changed, but even her facial features and figure had also developed. Her slender waist was tiny and she looked like a youngdy.

    ¡°Third Sister, has your health improved greatly? I and a few guests havee to visit you. Shall we go take a walk around the gardens? The weather today is not bad.¡± Mo Xuemin went forward with a smile. She had, in a few words, shown off how close the two sisters were and brought up the fact that they had guests. Mo Xuetong would find it hard to refuse.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, I still feel a little weak and I fear that I will not be able to walk for long. Why don¡¯t you apany the guests for a walk? I will prepare tea and wait for you all toe back when you feel tired and we shall have tea together. How about that?¡± Mo Xuetong refused calmly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we will just be admiring the plum blossoms in the garden. The ones in our garden bloomed this morning. They have been here since we moved in and Father did not order anyone to get rid of them. However, they did not bloom at all the year before when we came and even though there were a few blossomsst year, they were not beautiful. It¡¯s different this year though. I heard that the blossoms are really beautiful even though they bloomed somewhatter than the other families. Fortunately, it¡¯s still not toote and it is still a good time to admire the blossoms.¡± Mo Xuemin said gently.

    ¡°If you feel tiredter, you can rest there for a while. I have ordered the servants to block up the pavilion and even set up a warming stove in there. There is wine and food there. We can drink while admiring the blossoms and it would be a lovely affair.¡± Mo Xuemin said with a smile. She approached Mo Xuetong and held her hand sincerely while holding on to Wang Yn with her other hand.

    It was as if she had prepared everything for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong would be considered unreasonable if she did not go since Mo Xuemin had said something like that!

    ¡°Third Sister had better go or you would let down Eldest Sister¡¯s good intentions. I saw Eldest Sister¡¯s maids and servants had already gone to decorate early in the morning. It is rare for Eldest Sister to spend so much, we can bask in her glory now.¡± Mo Xueqiong said with a smile.

    However, Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression could not help but darken at what was said.

    Even though Mo Xueqiong had not said anything about the fire at the ancestral hall, it did not mean that her heart was devoid of resentment. Mo Xuemin felt that she was getting meaner and meaner and could not appear in public and as such, pretended not to hear her. She would not make things difficult for Mo Xueqiong right now. That woman was stupid and would say anything if they fought. She might do harm to her reputation.

    ¡°Then I will bother Eldest Sister.¡± Mo Xuetong pretended not to notice the sh of joy in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes and smiled lightly.

    Mo Lan had already prepared her cape for her and helped her to put it on.

    The group chatted as they walked, ignoring Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong felt rather bored and harumphed coldly. Then, she did not say anything and entered the gardens behind the group.

    ¡°First Miss, Sir Bai will open up Qin sses in the spring again. Will the youngdies of your manor attend?¡± Wang Yn suddenly asked with a smile.

    ¡°Sir Bai¡¯s Qin sses are filled with youngdies from noble and prominent families. I fear that he might not be interested in our family.¡± Mo Xuemin smiled gently. Then, she suddenly pulled Mo Xuetong to her side and said, ¡°Third Sister, I heard that you are considered close to Sir Bai. He came especially to treat you when you were ill thest time. He even waited for you to wake up. How about you help to speak up for your sisters and ask Sir Bai to ept us into his ss.¡± While she sounded like she was joking, her words had linked Mo Xuetong and Bai Yihao together.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo is very familiar with Sir Bai?¡± Wang Yn¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, did you not know that Sir Bai came to help treat me because of you? I am just the daughter of a fifth-grade official who had juste to the capital. How would I get the chance to meet Sir Bai?¡± Mo Xuetong lifted her innocent-looking face and blinked her lively eyes questioningly. Those who saw and heard here were stunned. Then, she hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth, looking as if she had done something gravely wrong...

    She smiled pitifully and said, ¡°Oh, no. It has nothing to do with Eldest Sister. I made a mistake and thought I heard Sir Bai asking about you...I was wrong. It is Cousin who has a good rtionship with Sir Bai and had invited him over. I was blessed because of him.¡±

    The way she had tried to cover up her misstep made others suspicious. No matter whether others believed it or not, Mo Xueqiong was the first to believe it.

    No wonder Mo Xuemin refused to say anything despite so many incidents with Sima Lingyun that had ruined her reputation. She wanted to marry a man with an even higher status. Mo Xueqiong waspletely annoyed with Mo Xuemin and naturally wanted to make things difficult for her.

    ¡°Third Sister, of course you wouldn¡¯t have the chance to meet Sir Bai since you just arrived from the capital. Eldest Sister used to be the most famous talenteddy in the capital and went to several banquets. It would not be unusual for her to meet Sir Bai.¡± She said loudly just after Mo Xuetongpleted her sentence.

    Mo Xuemin was so angry her expression turned dark.

    The two of them worked together wlessly as if Bai Yihao had reallye to treat Mo Xuetong¡¯s illness because of her. Wang Yn looked at her somewhat oddly.

    She had only wanted to smear Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation but did not expect Mo Xuetong to so glibly avoided it and had also smeared her reputation instead. There was a sh of coldness in her eyes. She would bear with it. Anyway, she would see how the little slut would get out of troubleter. Auntie Fang had put in so much effort this time, how can Mo Xuetong not die!

    She smiled and replied to Mo Xueqiong gently,

    ¡°Third Sister, Fourth Sister, you are both mistaken. I am not close with that Sir Bai either. I saw Sir Bai helping Third Sister many times and thought that you were very close with Sir Bai. So he hade because of the young master of the general manor. I was mistaken.¡± Mo Xuemin did not pursue the matter and spoke eloquently.

    She seemed elegant and dignified so much that there was nothing to nitpick about. She was still that gracious First Miss Mo, which dispelled the suspicion others had about her. How could a nobledy like her do something like having an affair?

    ¡°Fourth Sister, have you not been sleeping well recently? You always sound so angry when you speak. If you do not wish to y with us, you might as well go back to your room to rest.¡± Mo Yufeng could not bear it and spoke sharply.

    He red at Mo Xueqiong viciously and the vitriol that was about to escape her mouth was forced back.

    ¡°Miss, Gui Yue, Auntie Fang¡¯s maid is here to look for you. She heard that you went to Third Miss¡¯ Qingwei Garden and came over here.¡± Mo Xiu ran up to them from behind and reported to Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°What does Auntie need? If she is not in a hurry, tell her to wait and I will go to Lihua Gardenter.¡± Mo Xuemin frowned and stopped, speaking as if she was being put in a spot.

    ¡°First Miss, Auntie has already left her ce and is headed to Qingwei Garden. Third Miss stays rather far away and I fear that Auntie would not have the strength to return even if I rush over now.¡± Mo Xiu said with an awkward expression. Auntie Fang was pregnant and had not left her courtyard all this while. The distance to Qingwei Garden was far and she would need some time to return.

    Her body was heavy and she was slightly weak. She would have to rest for a while before she could return.

    ¡°Third Sister, could you let Auntie rest at your ce for a while? She will return once she has the strength to. I will go to meet her once I am done apanying the guests.¡± Mo Xuemin smiled and asked Mo Xuetong.

    The weather had turned from sunny to dark. It even felt colder. The northwestern winds blew hard and strong, cutting their faces. It looked like it was going to rain. If Mo Xuetong let a pregnant woman walk such long distances without allowing her to rest, others would say that she was cold-blooded and unfilial.

    Mo Xuemin was definitely going to let Auntie Fang rest in her Qingwei Garden. It was not too early or toote. It happened right when she left her courtyard.

    She had indeed picked a good time!

 Chapter 120 - Another Incident When Admiring the Plum Blossoms (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 120 Another Incident When Admiring the Plum Blossoms (Part 2)</h4>

    ¡°Mo Xiu, invite Auntie Fang into my Garden to rest for a whileter. No matter how urgent the matter is, she must not tire out my little brother who is in her belly. Eldest Sister, do you want to go there and take a look?¡± The corner of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips lifted lightly as she smiled faintly and gently. It made one¡¯s heart hurt for her.

    She seemed obedient and at a loss of what to do!

    Qin Yufeng, who had not spoken all this while, could not help but take another nce at her. When her eyes swept over in his direction, he turned his deep dark eyes towards a fake mountain near the stream.

    The joy in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes grew when she heard how quickly Mo Xuetong agreed. She said to Mo Xuetong affectionately, ¡°Auntie would not have any urgent matter. I went to visit her this morning. Just let her rest at your ce and I will go to Lihua Gardenter after I have apanied our guests.¡±

    ¡°Third Sister, have you taken your medicine? Do you want to get Mo Jin to bring you some here? I heard that your health had been poor and father got you some pills.¡± Mo Yufeng asked in rare concern.

    ¡°Of course she needs them. I was in the wrong earlier to rush you to leave your ce. You must not have brought anything. You might as well get Mo Lan to go with Mo Xiu to inform the servants about Auntie Fang and then bring your medicine here.¡± Mo Xuemin said in rare kindness, holding on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand in concern. ¡°Your hand is really cold. You had better have your medicine here in case you don¡¯t feel wellter.¡±

    Her smile was concerned and gentle, looking like the water of the river in spring!

    She was insistent about getting Mo Xuetong to tell Mo Lan to return!

    Mo Xuetong lifted her eyebrows lightly and smiled faintly. Mo Xuemin¡¯s plot was really detailed. Mo Xuetong was to send her maids back especially since Auntie Fang had gone to her Qingwei Garden. What wille wille. She remembered that Auntie Fang had lost the unborn child in the end as well in her past life.

    It was said that it was because of Auntie Qing. She did not expect that in this life, because of her rebirth, she would be the cause of it.

    However, no matter when, Auntie Fang would use the unborn child in her belly for her own benefit. A vicious woman like this was not worthy of having a child!

    Wang Yn thought that Mo Xuetong was still hesitant when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not speak for some time. She persuaded her, ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, you had better let your maid go. We can walk over there slowly and catch up. You must not be tired out because of us.¡±

    They were guests, and it would be hard to exin if the youngdy of the family hosting them fell ill because she had to apany them.

    ¡°Mo Lan, go with Mo Xiu and tell Mother Xu to bring a few pills I have there. Invite Auntie Fang in to have a rest when she gets there. The weather is so bad, she must take care not to fall down.¡± She turned around and spoke gently to Mo Lan who had been standing behind her silently.

    What would happen would happen. She might as well let them have their satisfaction first. Even though the process was different, the result would definitely be the same. However, she did not know how interesting Mo Xuemin¡¯s expression would be when she discovered that their father did not care about the child at all.

    However, she could not remember when her elder brother, who used to look at her distantly, had been involved in the matters of the inner yard. It seemed that he was also wearing a fake mask. He had yed a role in the tragedy of her past life. It would be difficult for Mo Xuemin, a woman of the inner yard to appear at times in her dealings with Sima Lingyun...

    Their mistresses each had their own ns as did the two maids. On the surface, it seemed that they were heading to Qingwei Garden together happily.

    The group continued towards the garden.

    Maids and servants had already set up equipment for tea in the pavilion near the plum blossoms. There were screens on each side because it was winter, only leaving the front area facing the truly beautiful blossoms unobstructed. Not only did this block out the wind and cold, it was also very elegant. There was a stove in the area and the hot steam that spilled out of it made the pavilion warm and toasty.

    The group entered and felt the warmth hit them. They did not feel cold.

    There was already a table set up in the pavilion. Even though it was said that men and women should be seated separately past the age of eight, they were all family friends and rtives. They were considered to be very close. Furthermore, there were seven or eight of them. There was no space in the pavilion if they were to set up two tables. As such, they sat together and it would be more fun because of that as well.

    It would not be inappropriate since there were so many of them anyway.

    ¡°Third Sister, sit closer to the inside. It is windy here. While it might not be too cold, it is a little far away from the stove. You have only just recovered from your illness and you are still weak. You must not sit near the entrance. It would be bad if you caught a cold.¡± Mo Xuemin pulled Mo Xuetong onto a seat inside. Then, she arranged Wang Yn to be beside Mo Xuetong and then sat down beside Wang Yn.

    Mo Xueqiong, Mo Yufeng, Wang Minglou, and Qin Yufeng sat down on the other side as well.

    Qin Yufeng was sitting beside her.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, are you feeling better? Younger Brother Xuan spoke about you yesterday and said he wanted toe and visit you. However, I did not expect us to meet coincidentally today. If I had known, I would have asked him toe.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled gently, his eyes were clear and happy and his behavior gracious.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just naughty and went to the temple to y. I didn¡¯t expect to trip. I feel a little ashamed to have worried grandaunt and Cousin Xuan.¡± Mo Xuetong answered somewhat shyly. A faint blush appeared on her porcin cheeks, making her look lively and adorable.

    However, her longshes hid the wariness in her eyes!

    If there was one person who made her feel afraid at all moments, then it would have to be Qin Yufeng. Every time he appeared, she would watch him carefully. Perhaps Qin Yufeng had seemed undefeatable in her past life. Mo Xuetong could not deal with Qin Yufeng as effortlessly as how she dealt with Mo Xuemin.

    This person had amazing wits!

    He was so deep that one could not feel him out clearly!

    Just like what happened this time. After what happened to Yu Sirong, it was said that she had been sent to the family temple in Cloud City. It was impossible for her to appear in the capital again in this life. The Yu family¡¯s reputation was in tatters because of this as well. Mdm Chen and Mdm Yu would not just let the incident go so easily. She heard that Qin Yufeng was rather close with this cousin of his.

    In the past, when Qin Yufeng was young, he had been brought up by the Yu family for a period of time. He and Yu Sirong were considered childhood sweethearts. How could he not do anything about Yu Sirong¡¯s predicament? Mdm Yu would definitely push all the me onto her. With both his mother and aunt as witnesses, Qin Yufeng might have long decided to deal with her.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, are you not happy to see me?¡± Qin Yufeng picked up his cup. A maid went forward to pour him some wine. He swirled the wine in his cup and cocked his head, smiling at Mo Xuetong handsomely as he asked the question softly.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Mo Xuetong fell silent in shock by the question. She looked at him in confusion with her wide eyes and curledshes.

    ¡°Then why are you not close to me? Younger Brother Xuan is your cousin, and so am I. So why do you always have such a distant expression when you see me?¡± Qin Yufeng looked aggrieved but his eyes shed with mirth.

    How could they be the same! Qin Yuxuan had always treated her well in her past life and had never harmed her. Qin Yufeng and stood behind Mo Xuemin and she did not know how many ideas he had given her. Mo Xuetong knew that the two had some sort ofmunication when she saw how Mo Xuemin¡¯s gaze which was full of jealousy and hatred would drift over to them asionally.

    His behavior was enough to have others be prudent and careful when interacting with him.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, you are joking. How can I treat you and Cousin Xuan differently? It might be slightly different perhaps because I always see Cousin Xuan around when I lived in your home but I am not as familiar with you.¡± Mo Xuetong shuddered internally but her smile was soft and radiant. Her sweet voice could soften hearts.

    She was charming in her softness and gentleness. It made her jade-like skin seem as pure and beautiful as the snow.

    Wang Minglou, who was sitting by the side could not help but have his gaze drift towards Mo Xuetong time and time again.

    ¡°I remembered that we were still considered familiar with each other when I was in Cloud City. There was once that I brought you to hide from Younger Brother Xuan. How could you say we are not familiar.¡± Qin Yufengughed and picked up his wine to take a sip. ¡°I remembered you said you would repay me for that.¡±

    Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered this incident now that Qin Yufeng mentioned it. Mo Xuetong was only about 10 then. Her mother was still alive and there was once she went to the Qin Manor to visit Mdm Qin and left Mo Xuetong in the garden to y by herself. Qin Yuxuan was half-grown and was at an age when children were most naughty. He saw a cousin in the garden and was so excited he wanted to bring her to run around. The only thing he didn¡¯t do was to take her to climb the trees and walls.

    She did not like these things and naturally tried to hide from him.

    She hid behind arge tree that time and Qin Yuxuan was about to find her. Just as she was panic about it, Qin Yufeng appeared from behind. He took her hand and they walked behind another tree and took arge circle before they ran out of the garden. Mo Xuetong looked at the handsome youth while she panted heavily. In order to express her gratitude, she mentioned that she would repay him for his ¡°help¡±.

    Qin Yufeng saw how happy she was and had even brought her to the side and fished with her for an entire afternoon.

    In the end, all those things happened in Mo Xuetong¡¯s home, and then Luo Xia had died and Mo Huawen went to the capital. When she returned to the Qin¡¯s home, she found out that the kind elder brother had gone to the capital with her father.

    Now that Qin Yufeng mentioned it, Mo Xuetong recalled the incident. However, in her memories, he was a gentle and elegant youth and she was just a child. However, he was now much more than he seemed and she was no longer that ignorant little girl anymore.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, what did you tell Third Sister. You look so happy, tell us and let us enjoy the story as well.¡± Mo Xuemin turned to them and interrupted them with a smile.

    ¡°Third Sister, you are so close with Cousin Feng as well. Things happened between you two when you were younger that we don¡¯t know about. You have to take this opportunity to tell us as well.¡± Mo Xueqiong asked with interest as well. However, her tone was rather misleading.

    Mo Xueqiong was such a troublesome person. She wanted to bite everyone and wanted to mber over everyone.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just remembered the first time I saw Cousin Tong. She was only nine then, oh, maybe eight.¡± Qin Yufeng said lightly. He raised his wine cup calmly and toasted Mo Yufeng and Wang Minglou. Then, he took a slow sip and turned to the side to talk to Wang Minglou about studying.

    ¡°So it is something that happened when you all were so little. I was about that age too when I met Cousin Feng.¡± Mo Xueqiong felt slightly awkward as they all ignored her and she entertained herself. She knew how to retain some dignity in front of others. Furthermore, she was slightly afraid of Qin Yufeng. She had suffered plenty because of him since she came to the capital and naturally did not dare to force him.

    Just as they were speaking, Mo Lan and Mo Xiu returned. Mo Lan had brought with her a medicinal case. Mo Xuetong opened the box and took the pill with clear water because she was a little tired.

    She had only just opened the box when she smelled a foreign but extremely pleasing fragrance.

 Chapter 121 - Auntie Fang lost her child in Qingwei Garden

    <h4>Chapter 121 Auntie Fang lost her child in Qingwei Garden</h4>

    Since they met, Mo Yufeng who had treated her coldly looked at her thin body and asked with concerns, ¡°Third miss, how are you doing recently? Are you still taking the medicine? The medicine smells fragrant and refreshing. Is there something special?¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your care. There is nothing wrong with my health these days, so I didn¡¯t take any medicine. It is just some grant stuff used for clearing heat. Since I like the refreshing smell, I always take it with me around. I can¡¯t sleep well at night and feel listless, so my cousin in Luo Manor asked Sir Bai for some medicine. I always light the incense which made my room grant and refreshing. I think the smell is simr to that of the medicine, so I keep using it.¡± Mo Xuetong took up the tea offered by Mo Yu, tasted a bit and exined.

    ¡°Oh, it not only smells fragrant but also has a medical use. I¡¯ll definitely ask Fu General His Excellency to send some here someday. Grandma is aged and always can¡¯t sleep well. Maybe she¡¯ll sleep better with it.¡± Mo Yufeng asked smilingly with other intentions and gloom appeared in his eyes.

    Qin Yufeng said nothing but picked up the cup and drank up the wine. He yed with the empty cup quietly and was lost in thought. He stopped the maid who wanted to refill his cup and continued to fiddle with the cup. He didn¡¯t look at anything or anyone but the cup as if he could find something different on it.

    ¡°Hearing what you said, I think it may work too. Grandma has a headache because of her bad sleeping. If it would work as you said, I¡¯ll ask Cousin Luo for some more and let grandma have some to use.¡± Mo Xuetong replied with a smile.

    ¡°Third miss uses the incenses every day and is half a doctor now. I heard that you also read some medical-rted books. Are you nning to study medicine?¡± Mo Xuemin said gently with a smile.

    ¡°If third miss really gets skilled at studying medicine, it¡¯ll be perfect and you¡¯ll be able to treat grandma¡¯s difort. I support you to learn medical skills and I¡¯ll find some medical books for you tomorrow.¡± Mo Yufeng said with great interest.

    His voice was too loud that everyone aside turned around to look at her.

    A miss from a rich family studied these while she couldn¡¯t use it. It had profound meanings.

    ¡°First brother, it¡¯s toote for you to do that. Third miss has all kinds of medical books. Several days ago, I heard from Mo Yu that third miss was kind of a good doctor now. The medical books she has read are all piled behind the rooms, and there are plenty of them. Am I right?¡± Mo Xuemin held her handkerchief as if to make fun of her elder brother.

    That meant Mo Xuetong actually knew these.

    They wanted to let everyone know she was learning medical skills, or they had others n. Mo Xuetong thought the second guess had more possibilities. But it¡¯s just a guess which wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    Heard from Mo Yu? She couldn¡¯t imagine Mo Xuemin would say that in such a way. Everyone knew it was Mo Xiu who tricked Mo Yu to tell, and many people were present when that happened. Of course, Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t deny anything at the time. She just lifted her pretty face with shyness and bit her lips. Her face turned red and she said gently, ¡°You¡¯re making fun of me. I know nothing about medical skills.¡±

    Mo Xuemin made such a great effort to make her admit that she knew quite a lot about medical skills.

    ¡°How could that be possible? Third miss has read so many medical books so that you must know some basic skills. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you for medical advice. But I¡¯m d to know there is a female doctor at home.¡± Mo Yufeng¡¯s eyes blinked and he interrupted Mo Xuetong¡¯s words.

    ¡°I heard that Cousin Feng had excellent medical skills too, and you learned it by yourself. Therefore, it¡¯s obvious that those who have wisdom will always find a way out in adversity, which those stupid ones can never think of. Well, let¡¯s stop talking and have a toast.¡± Suddenly, Mo Yufeng lifted his cup towards Qin Yufeng and Mo Xuetong had no chance to exin.

    Then there was no chance for her to exin! Mo Xuetong coldly smiled in her heart and stopped hesitating. She would just wait and see what they would do to her. She turned around and said something to Wang Yn.

    She lookedpletely out of stress and didn¡¯t even try to exin for herself, which made Mo Yufeng feel strange. He seemed to have said it on purpose. As everyone knew that, although Mo Xuetong was the legitimate daughter, she was not the most beloved one and didn¡¯t have a close rtionship with them. But today, Mo Yufeng mentioned her medical skills over and over again, which made him really suspicious.

    Some people focused their eyes on Mo Yufeng with suspicious.

    Mo Yufeng felt embarrassed, and then Mo Xuemin changed the topic and chatted on about something else.

    Later on, they began to talk about topics they¡¯re interested in and all got delighted. Even Mo Xueqiong became kind and easy to talk with. The furnace in the room got hotter and hotter, and they had already taken off their robe. There was constantughtering from the room.

    But Mo Xuetong felt a bit ufortable. When nobody talked to her, she stood up to the side where there was no screen. She stood by the side of the pavilion and appreciated the plum blossoms at the vent. The maids and nannies were serving inside, so there was nobody else and it was very quiet there. Though there were only seven or eight of them, the plum blossoms were very beautiful and looked like plenty of plum trees. Whether in bud or in full bloom, they were extremely beautiful.

    They went here with the intention of appreciating plum blossoms. But many of them forgot their real purpose when they reached the destination. Most of them forgot they came here to enjoy the plum blossoms. The scent of the plum blossoms added to the beauty of winter.

    ¡°Third miss, do you want to go down to admire them? It is too far to see them clearly.¡± Mo Xuemin dragged Wang Yn to her with a smile.

    ¡°First miss, it¡¯s not necessary. You can go there with Miss Wang and fourth miss, and I¡¯d like to stay here. It¡¯s warm inside.¡± Mo Xuetong answered smilingly.

    ¡°Okay then. Fourth miss, Miss Wang, let¡¯s go there together.¡± Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t force her this time, and said to Mo Xueqiong and Wang Yn.

    Several smart maids came up and helped the misses wear the robe, which had been taken off because of the warmth inside. When Mo Xuetong was looking at the plum blossoms alone by the door, no one got her a robe. Now they were so caring.

    ¡°Cousin Tong should go down with them, and the view will be better there.¡± Qin Yufeng also wanted to get out, but he stopped by her side and asked smilingly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily have to get close to watch it clearly. Maybe with confusion, the view will be better.¡± Mo Xuetong said gently. A flush appeared on her pale face because of the warmth inside, and it made her even more pretty. Her enchanting mor along with the pure face could rouse anyone¡¯s tender emotions.

    She just stood there, and looked delicate and beautiful!

    But there was slight coldness by her eyes, which made her hard to approach.

    ¡°The view is better with confusion. Maybe you and I are the same!¡± Qin Yufeng sighed, looked at her and blinked. Then he left the pavilion and stood under the plum trees. His eyes were fixed on Mo Xuetong and he was lost in thought.

    When Mo Xuetong turned around and looked at him, he gently smiled at her. Then he turned around and talked to Mo Xuemin. From Mo Xuetong¡¯s angle, Mo Xuemin¡¯s face looked unbelievably gentle. And such emotional connections would only appear on people in love. Did Mo Xuemin really love Qin Yufeng?

    When this idea came into her mind, she got shocked! She was so scared that she clenched her fists. It was the biggest failure that you couldn¡¯t see the true ideas of your opponent. But she couldn¡¯t understand what was in Qin Yufeng¡¯s mind now.

    In herst life, she thought Qin Yufeng deeply loved Mo Xuemin and gave her everything he could. She sometimes got some of the presents that Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t like. She had seen Mo Xuemin and Qin Yufeng walk together for a few times. He was gentle and handsome, while she was pretty and amorous...

    Mo Xuemin never promised to marry Qin Yufeng, and Qin Yufeng helped Mo Xuemin to kill her. Atst, Mo Xuemin married into Duke¡¯s manor. And she died so miserably because of his scheme. But maybe, what she saw was not real.

    Now from their behaviors, it¡¯s Mo Xuemin who was in deep love with Qin Yufeng. However, Qin Yufeng looked so calm and indifferent, which showed no love for Mo Xuemin.

    What was wrong? If that was true, what was his role in her miserable life and why he ruined her step by step...

    Her heart was filled with coldness, which made her shiver. Considering Qin Yufeng¡¯s character, he would ruin everything he couldn¡¯t have. Now that he helped Mo Xuemin to marry into Duke¡¯s manor, he was clearly not in love with her. But he schemed her again and again and tried to kill her...

    Maybe he had sensed that Mo Xuetong was looking at him, Qin Yufeng turned back and smiled at her. She couldn¡¯t understand that kind of grim joy.

    And then, he just turned around and appreciated the plum blossoms with Mo Xuemin. And he gently talked and smiled with Mo Yufeng.

    She couldn¡¯t understand the man, but she had to guess! Or she might never know when she would die in his hands. She thought he was a significant obstacle to remove!

    ¡°Miss, miss, Auntie Fang... Auntie Fang is not feeling well!¡± When Mo Xuetong was ready to go back and sit down, there came the screaming and shouts from the maids at the end of the path.

    Everyone stopped talking and looked at the direction where the voices came from.

    Nobody noticed that Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng looked at each other excitedly with an evil smile.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Mo Xuemin concealed her satisfaction and walked forward hurriedly. She almost tripped because of her nervousness, and it¡¯s lucky that Qin Yufeng helped her up.

    ¡°Something happened to concubine, in... third miss¡¯s... Qingwei Garden, old... old sir is also there... First miss, you have to go there right now!¡± The maid was panting and only told her the focal points. Before she finished, everyone started to rush to Qingwei Garden. Mo Xuetong walked slowly because of her weak body and walked at the end with Mo Lan¡¯s help.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there is still a chance. You can¡¯t give up until everything ends.¡± Somehow, Qin Yufeng also walked at the end and gently said to her.

    Why he would say such words to her!

    Mo Xuetong turned around and looked at his handsome face with strong disbelief.

    Suddenly, an old memory which had already been forgotten emerged. He seemed to have said the same sentence in herst life. But she couldn¡¯t remember when. Was it before she met Sima Lingyun or after she entered Duke¡¯s manor? She got confused and lost in memories...

    The rtionship between them seemed to be more than enemies...

    No, she shook her head and tried to get rid of the confusing memories in her brain. She closed her eyes tightly and forced the confusion in her mind out. She couldn¡¯t be disturbed at the moment. Qin Yufeng must know that, so he came to confuse her and her n. It must be like that.

    ¡°How are you? Are you feeling unwell? Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± She heard Qin Yufeng¡¯s gentle voice and the unexpected words which didn¡¯t seem toe from his mouth. When she opened her eyes again, Mo Xuetong had calmed herself. Her long eyshes flipped, and there was mist in her eyes. And her face which was too pale showed her amazement and scare.

    ¡°Thank you, Cousin Feng, I... I¡¯ll go and have a look first.¡± She felt very frightened and held Mo Lan¡¯s hand to go faster. Thus she could catch up with the people ahead and escape from his gaze.

    Behind her, Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes were extremely deep and cold.

    By the time everyone rushed to Qingwei Garden, Mo Huawen had already sat in the room. There was a doctor who was about 30 years old beside him. Moreover, the doctor was feeling the pulse for Auntie Fang, who was lying in bed with her eyes closed tightly with a pale face. By the bedside, Guihua and Guiyue, Auntie Fang¡¯s maids, knelt down shivering without a word.

    Under such circumstance, the Wang¡¯s siblings and Qin Yufeng couldn¡¯t stay anymore. They just excused themselves and left.

 Chapter 122 - Safflower was Found in the Pillow

    <h4>Chapter 122 Safflower was Found in the Pillow</h4>

    That thing happened at Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard, so it had a connection with her. But it¡¯s the Mo Manor¡¯s own matter. Though the Wang Manor had a close rtionship with Wang Manor and Qin Manor, it¡¯s still a family issue which shouldn¡¯t be spread. As a result, they had no reason to stay.

    ¡°What happened?¡± By the time Mdm Qin and her brother had left, Mo Huawen asked the maid who was kneeling on the ground. He looked calm with his eyes full of anger.

    ¡°Today thedy asked to see first miss. When she arrived at Qingwei Garden, she was a bit tired. Just in time, third miss¡¯s maid came out to invite her to get in and have a rest. She was enthusiastic that thedy had to follow the maid to get there andy on the bed for a while. She intended to go back to Lihua Garden after taking a rest.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that she would have a stomachache after a little rest. I rushed out a find a doctor right away, but there was no enough time. When I reached Chuihua Gate, I saw old sir followed by a doctor walking out of Old Madam¡¯s yard. So, I rushed out without any other concerns. I had no idea that it would still be toote. Old sir, it was all my fault. Such a thing happened because I persuaded thedy to get in and have a rest. Please forgive me!

    Guiyue knelt down on the ground and trembled, saying and kowtowing to beg for forgiveness. Her forehead turned red and swollen instantly because she knocked her head so hard.

    A cold smile appeared by Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips when she realized this was a scheme set for her as expected.

    Her maid had never invited her toe in and rest. The fact was that Mo Xuemin asked her to let Auntie Fang have a rest. There was no enthusiasm, instead, Auntie Fang herself felt tired and wanted to get a rest. When they talked about it, everything seemed to be her fault. It sounded like she dragged Auntie Fang into the room, so that the loss of the child was her fault.

    She didn¡¯t want to exin over these things at the moment, because the more she exined, the more suspicion would be on her. Besides, she believed that the maid who said those words were bought off by Auntie Fang. Therefore, what Auntie Fang needed to do now was to confirm what the maid said, then Mo Xuetong would not get out of this. Now the primary thing to do was to find out the truth about Auntie Fang, because Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t do anything that didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°Did all that happen because Auntie Fang rested in my yard?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her big clear eyes with innocence as if she didn¡¯t know what had happened till then. She walked through everyone else with her eyes blinking ignorantly.

    ¡°Third miss, it¡¯s not what I meant. I was just saying that I shouldn¡¯t let thedy get so third. I was not suspecting third miss.¡± Guiyue¡¯splexion changed swiftly and started to exin and cry hurriedly.

    However, these words brought her more suspicion and Mo Yufeng looked at Mo Xuetong with anger and suspicion!

    These words, which seemed to be defending her, were actually instigation. A maid like her could lie right to her face, and it was clear that no one in the manor treated her like a miss.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Guiyue and said, ¡°Now that Auntie Fang was pregnant, you let her hurry around in such a cold winter day. You¡¯re guilty indeed. My father only has one son who was born by Auntie Fang, which was actually a pity. This time, Auntie Fang¡¯s baby in her belly was lost, and none of the maids serving her was innocent.

    She turned around to look at Mo Huawen and said sincerely, ¡°Father, though these two maids didn¡¯t take good care of Auntie Fang, considering that they didn¡¯t mean to do it, maybe we should just drive them out of the manor and sell them!¡±

    Sell them? They were just talking about Auntie Fang¡¯s affair. How did they begin to take about this?

    Guihua and Guiyue heard this and became speechless and their faces turned pale instantly. Their eyes were fixed on Mo Xuemin and hoped to get help. First miss just told them they would be scolded and punished, which would take no more than half of a month to recover and wouldn¡¯t hurt them much. But third miss said they would be sold.

    If they were really sold to those ces, how could they live? This idea made their fake trembles turn into real.

    ¡°If the fault was on you, of course, you would be sold, because no servantmitting mistakes would be able to stay. But if you were only careless, my father was not so cold-hearted.¡± Observing that Guihua and Guiyue were staring at her, Mo Xuemin was regretful. But she didn¡¯t get flurried and just said lightly.

    Mo Xuemin had such a perfect n to scheme her!

    Apparently, the sentence from Mo Xuemin made the two maids relieved.

    ¡°First miss, we didn¡¯t mean to hurt Auntie Fang. When she entered Qingwei Garden, though tired, she was in good health and there was nothing wrong with the baby in her belly. However, after a short rest in the third miss¡¯s bed, she felt ufortable. It really wasn¡¯t our fault.¡± Both of the two maids kowtowed constantly.

    ¡°She felt ufortable after resting in third miss¡¯s room? How could that be possible? Are you saying that there was something in third miss¡¯s room? You must be trying to shirk your responsibilities and push it onto third miss.¡± Anger registered on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. She moved two steps ahead, pointed at Guihua and Guiyue and started scolding.

    She only used a few words to escape from the circumstance she had just created, which showed that Mo Xuemin was good at controlling minds.

    ¡°First miss, it wasn¡¯t us indeed.¡± Guihua and Guiyue cried while exining.

    ¡°Ah, what is that smell?¡± Suddenly, the doctor who was feeling the pulse for Auntie Fang lifted his nose and asked.

    What¡¯s the smell? Everyone in the room stopped talking, lifted their noses and sniffed. Actually, there was a faint fragrance, which was not strong but refreshing. Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on the incenses in the corner of the room. The few incenses were burning quietly, and would go out soon if they hadn¡¯t been discovered.

    ¡°These are the incenses used to calm miss¡¯s spirit.¡± Mo Lan answered.

    ¡°Third miss went out with us then, and there was nobody in the room. Why lighting the incenses?¡± Mo Xuemin frowned and murmured to herself. Her voice was low, but it was clearly heard by everyone when everybody else just stopped talking.

    Mo Huawen who was sitting silenting darkened his eyes.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with the incenses?¡± Mo Yufeng stepped forward, reached the doctor, pulled his hand and dragged him up directly. They got close to the incenses and he asked desperately.

    ¡°The ..¡± The doctor was about to speak but said nothing. He closed his eyes, lifted his nose and sniffed, looking uneasy.

    ¡°What on earth was wrong? Tell me directly.¡± Mo Yufeng was so anxious that he jerked the doctor with his hand, making the doctor widen his eyes and called out in pain.

    ¡°Please tell me immediately.¡±

    ¡°It, it has the smell of musk. Though it was very light, there must be musk in it.¡± The seemed to feel much pain and answered quickly.

    Everyone felt shocked at these words. Mo Xuemin was the first one to make a move, ¡°Nonsense, it was obviously the incenses third miss used to calm the nerves and there couldn¡¯t be musk in it. The third miss was in poor health and have been using incenses to calm her nerves, and everyone knows that.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t speak nonsense. It couldn¡¯t be the incenses to calm the nerves, and the main ingredient in it was a husk. A girl who hasn¡¯t been married couldn¡¯t use such incenses to calm the nerves. If surrounded by it for too long, it may even hurt her health.¡± Hearing someone doubt his expertise, he answered with certainty immediately.

    A girl from a rich family who wasn¡¯t married couldn¡¯t have the medicine like musk in hand, which would result in abortion, unless she did it on purpose. In additon, she couldn¡¯t have misused it because Mo Xuetong understood medical skills ...

    There was still light fragrance in the air which had been thought to be refreshing. But when knowing there was musk in it, everyone stepped backward. Mo Xueqiong even took out her handkerchief, covered her mouth and nose with it and stepped back to the door to watch them.

    ¡°Third miss, you couldn¡¯t have really done it! Mo Xueqiong said, making a big fuss.

    That girl was so mean that she was willing to see everyone in the family get into trouble. Therefore, she was ready to see Mo Xuetong trapped in the scheme and get her more trouble!

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, what did you do?¡± Mo Yufeng thought for a minute and then shouted furiously. He red at Mo Xuetong angrily and walked towards her. Mo Ye saw the situation was not good, so he stepped ahead and blocked Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned cold and thought it finally came!

    This incident finally had led to her. That doctor who had caused such a great disaster observed the scene quietly with cold eyes. Under such a circumstance, the doctor could still sit there calmly and feel the pulse for Auntie Fang, which proved that he couldn¡¯t be an average doctor.

    In this case, he needn¡¯t have to act like that and say everything out so clearly!

    ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t belong to third miss. She is too kind to do such an evil thing.¡± Mo Xuemin came to herself from disbelief too, walked up to hold Mo Yufeng¡¯s hand and said desperately. Then she turned around with tears in her eyes and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Third miss, you can exin, right? You should exin to dad, and we¡¯ll believe you.¡±

    Giving an exnation? Under this circumstance, it could be called as upon valid evidence. The more she exined, the more they would be suspicious of her. Mo Xuemin yed the role of a good sister sessfully and tried to help her out in such a case. Others would only see her as a kind and lenient elder sister, and she would be the vicious younger sister in people¡¯s eyes. It would be quite interesting topare them together.

    ¡°What to exin? First miss, Auntie Fang had never been to my room before. Even if I tried to frame her up, how would I know she woulde?¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly with her surprised and innocent expression. Ignorance filled her big clear eyes.

    She looked as if she hadn¡¯t understood what had happened.

    But that actually made sense!

    Everyone in Mo Manor knew that Auntie Fang was on bad terms with third miss. Third miss had never been to Lihua Garden which belonged to Auntie Fang, while Auntie Fang had never been to Qingwei Garden which belonged to third miss, which was known to everyone in the manor. Even though Mo Xuetong wanted to frame Auntie Fang, how could she know Auntie Fang would definitely get into her Qingwei Garden?

    ¡°Third miss, ourdy didn¡¯t have to rest in your garden at first, but you sent Mo Lan toe by and told thedy to have a rest there... And then, she felt ufortable. I don¡¯t know how third miss did it, but ourdy was innocent. That baby... That is old sir¡¯s little son... The poor baby!¡± Guihua cried and continued. Then, she kowtowed in Auntie Fang¡¯s direction and crawled toward her.

    However, Guihua¡¯s eyes were fixed on Mo Huawen¡¯s facial expressions. When she talked about the unborn child, there were blue veins all over old sir¡¯s face. It seemed that old sir cared much about the baby in Auntie Fang¡¯s belly, so she mentioned the unborn child even more often. She reached to hold Auntie Fang¡¯s hand while crying, but her hand didn¡¯t catch anything and finallynded on Auntie Fang¡¯s back cushion and pushed away the cushion!

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The keen Mo Xueqiong saw it first, pointed at a strange thing under the cushion and asked.

    ¡°Safflower!¡± The doctor was right by the side, quickly picked up the grass-shaped nt, which was an orange-red flower with a slender stem and yellow stamen. There was a stigma in the middle of it with light fragrance which was neither too strong nor too weak. It couldn¡¯t be recognized if they did not discover it.

    ¡°If safflower and musk are used together, it¡¯ll cause instant abortion. No wonder thedy had...¡± The doctor looked around and said. After finishing his words, he just looked at Mo Xuetong, shook his head and sighed. But he didn¡¯t say anything and continued to feel the pulse for Auntie Fang as if he didn¡¯t want to meddle with others¡¯ family affair.

    However, everyone there knew what he meant.

 Chapter 123 - The Evil Mother and Son Drove Xuetong Out

    <h4>Chapter 123 The Evil Mother and Son Drove Xuetong Out</h4>

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, what else do you want to say?¡± Mo Yufeng said with a ferocious re just in time, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re such a vicious woman. It¡¯s stupid for Min¡¯er to have treated you so well.¡±

    Everyone present could see his great anger. If not pulled by others, he definitely woulde over and attack her.

    ¡°Third miss, I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s you. Why did you do harm to Auntie Fang? Even if she had done something wrong, she is your elder. How could you be so vicious...¡± Mo Xuemin seemed disappointed and painful, miserably looking at her, as if she couldn¡¯t believe she was such a vicious sister!

    She lowered her eyes and thought that it was a good performance indeed. And the coldness in her eyes was gone!

    ¡°Third miss, it was really you. I suspected you long ago, there was nobody hating Auntie Fang that much except you.¡± Mo Xueqiong also assured her usation and said excitedly. She had already realized it was a scheme, but she was happy to see all these. It was the perfect time for her to join in the scheme.

    Mo Huawen was the only one who looked gloomy and didn¡¯t say a word. Nobody knew what he was thinking about. But everyone believed that he would stand out for Auntie Fang.

    There was no change in Mo Xuetong¡¯s facial expression. She pushed Mo Lan away who was standing in front of her, picked up the safflower, looked at it carefully, and asked the doctor smilingly, ¡°Doctor, are you sure it¡¯s safflower?

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s safflower. I¡¯ve been a doctor for many years and can easily recognize toxicants like safflower and musk. This miss is so vicious at such a young age, you¡¯ll...¡± The doctor who was doubted by Mo Xuetong stood up with anger and bit back at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Old sir, please do something for me. Old sir, our child...¡± Auntie Fang just woke up, raised her pale face and shakingly reached to tug at Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves. Her face looked tabid and pitiful. There was not any canniness left, but only fragility. She caught Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves, crying, and she couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Mo Huawen frowned and sat there, there was more darkness than ever when he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. He wanted to get away from the hand of Auntie Fang but stopped when he saw Mo Xuetong. An old memory shed back on his mind, and his face got even darker. If this was true, they hadn¡¯t done her an injustice then.

    He couldn¡¯t believe what was before his eyes, which hurt his heart. Did his Tong¡¯er really be a vicious person? No, it couldn¡¯t be true!

    Whether he wanted this child or not, Tong¡¯er couldn¡¯t do that!

    Luo Xia was so kind that she couldn¡¯t have given birth to such a horrible daughter. There must be something wrong with it!

    Thinking of the girl who used to be so gentle and kind, he couldn¡¯t help feeling sad and remorseful and clenched his fist. He couldn¡¯t believe that the daughter he loved most was so vicious. It¡¯s impossible, absolutely impossible!

    If the thing that happened a year ago had left him concerns, this ident added evidence to his concerns. Now he could see the worries in his heart more clearly and that Tong¡¯er might be really vicious!

    He lifted his head and looked in Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction and just met her bright pure eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe Tong¡¯er who had those bright pure eyes could have done such a thing.

    He looked into those beautiful eyes but saw another beautiful woman. Luo Xia used to look at him with those innocent eyes. No, it couldn¡¯t be true. Tong¡¯er couldn¡¯t have done such a thing. How could he doubt her and her pure eye? No, never!

    When that happened for the first time, it was great pain for him forever. If that happened again, he would rather die!

    Taking a deep breath, Mo Huawen let go of his doubt and pulled his sleeves out of Auntie Fang¡¯s hand. He lifted his eyes to look at Mo Xuetong and gently asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you sure you don¡¯t know these?¡±

    Mo Huawen already prepared himself for the answer. As long as Tong¡¯er denied it, he would believe her!

    He didn¡¯t do this for anything else, but for those pure eyes, which had looked at him so desperately. That pain was so fierce that he couldn¡¯t stand it again.

    ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t do it.¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to say it, but her heart melted and felt sad when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes filled with suppliance. No matter who came up with the scheme, she had been her father¡¯s daughter, which was the same to him. Even though Mo Xuemin was vicious and sinister, Mo Xuetong could only let him know the truth step by step.

    ¡°First miss, first sir, you all think that I caused Auntie Fang¡¯s abortion, but how would that benefit me?¡± She turned around and coldly said to Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng.

    Auntie Fang had a son and a daughter. Even if she lost the child, it wouldn¡¯t hurt her much, so she didn¡¯t have to risk herself trying to get rid of the baby. Whether the child existed or not, it wouldn¡¯t hurt Auntie Fang¡¯s status. The potential meaning of these words made Mo Huawen relieve and confirm that Tong¡¯er didn¡¯t do that.

    ¡°You are afraid that if our father gets a son at such an age, he would make Auntie Fang the first wife. Therefore, you wanted to get rid of the child first.¡± Mo Yufeng replied with a cold facial expression.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether dad will make Auntie Fang the main wife, but dad will never have a vicious woman.¡± Mo Xuetong remained calm and said to Mo Yufeng, ¡°First Brother, the thing you thought in your control may get wrong sometimes. Can you say for sure that I killed the child in Auntie Fang¡¯s belly?¡±

    Some people couldn¡¯t see their status clearly if no one was in charge. He was just a concubine¡¯s son, but he considered himself to be a master here!

    ¡°You know the truth. Mo Xuetong, I didn¡¯t know all of your kindness was fake. Under your delicate appearance, you were actually cold-hearted. You put safflower and musk together not only to get the life of the baby but also the life of Auntie Fang?¡±

    Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold ironic eyes, Mo Yufeng trembled inside. But he came to his senses immediately and started to refute.

    ¡°First miss also thinks that I killed thedy¡¯s baby?¡± Mo Xuetong slightly opened her mouth and turned to Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin made such a great effort to scheme so that she couldn¡¯t get out of trouble!

    ¡°Third miss, you won¡¯t admit it until now! No matter how much you hated Auntie Fang, that was a life. The child did nothing wrong. No matter who was his mother, that was a fresh life. Third miss, how could you do such a horrible thing?¡± Mo Xuemin acted with so much sorrow and never stopped using Mo Xuetong.

    It took the baby¡¯s life to scheme Mo Xuetong, and she wouldn¡¯t let her get out of it.

    Cruelty appeared briefly in her eyes, and then she continued looking at Mo Xuetong sadly with teary eyes.

    Mo Xuetong watched her performance coldly. No matter in herst life or this life, Mo Xuemin was the best actress. She could push all the fault onto her, while still acted as a good sister at the same time.

    But she wouldn¡¯t let her dreame true. What Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin owed her and her mother would be paid back gradually from then on! This was only a little bonus of it. Death wasn¡¯t the only destination. With such hatred, she wouldn¡¯t let them pay off at that moment!

    Didn¡¯t Mo Xuemin want to be the legitimate daughter and marry herself into a rich and famous family?

    A cold smile appeared by her lips. She ignored Mo Xuemin and took the safflower from the doctor. Then she walked to the censer and blew out the incenses which was about to go out. Mo Lan handed over a piece of paper and she put the safflower and musk into the white paper.

    ¡°Third miss, now both the testimony of a witness and physical evidence are here, you have no chance to deny.¡± Seeing her collect the evidence calmly and not showing any sorrow or anger after being wronged, Mo Xuemin felt something wrong and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to keep the evidence and have it checked by more people? A quack doctor can¡¯t say it for sure.¡± Mo Xuetong carefully folded the paper and didn¡¯t show any panic.

    ¡°How could he be called as a quack doctor? He¡¯s a famous doctor in the capital and many rich familiese to him for medical advice. He has cured some of the concubines in the manor and has a good fame.¡± Mo Xuemin frowned.

    Mo Xuetong stared at Mo Xuemin¡¯s face for a while and smiled, ¡°First miss, you had told me not to believe in others¡¯ words so easily. Besides, the doctors sent for concubines are not so professional.¡± Her cold eyes nced over the face of the doctor and scared him. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything more.

    A doctor for concubines was really no big deal.

    These words made Mo Xuemin¡¯s face flush, and she stopped talking too.

    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t frame me up just because you want to escape from the responsibility!¡± The doctor sat up and scolded angrily after receiving a forceful gaze from Auntie Fang.

    Mo Huawen watched coldly and started to found something strange. After all, he was an official who got the recognition of Emperor Zongwen. He had always been intelligent and just lost his cool because that was important for him. Then he felt reassured for Mo Xuetong¡¯s calmness and eyed the doctor doubtfully with a pair of knitted brows.

    The doctor was frequently sent to the manor. Today, Old Madam didn¡¯t feel well so he came again. He was responsible for all kinds of illness in the manor. Mo Huawen didn¡¯t usually take notice of a doctor. However, after being reminded by Mo Xuetong, he found the doctor more suspicious than ever.

    ¡°Whether we framed you or not will be proved soon. Father, I¡¯ll invite Sir Bai toe. His words can be trusted? How about inviting him toe and see?¡± Mo Xuetong ignored the doctor and said to Mo Huawen, ¡°If Sir Bai can prove my innocence, what will first miss and first sir do?¡±

    It¡¯s known to all that Bai Yihao had excellent medical skills. He even brought Old Madam¡¯s life back when other doctors had no solution. Nobody ever doubted his medical skills, but it was hard to invite him. Besides, he had seldom cured disease for anyone, and might have only offered the ingredients of tonic at most.

    ¡°If you¡¯re innocent, you¡¯ll kowtow and admit our fault to you, kneeling down and serving tea.¡± Mo Yufeng smiled coldly. The things were real. First miss asked someone to change the incenses, and when Auntie Fang came in she brought the safflower in and hid it under the cushion. So, they were not frightened at all.

    The three of them had nned to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s life on this day. They didn¡¯t believe that father would still cover up for her when he learned the truth. Once the girl was gone, Auntie Fang could be the main wife without any difficulties. Father would be guilty that she lost her child and would grant the thing she wanted.

    Let that little bitch be the stepping-stone to their wealth and rank!

    ¡°What does first miss have in mind?¡± Mo Xuetong nced at Mo Xuemin, but there was no limpidity but coldness, which made Mo Xuemin tremble. But she had no choice then and had to help Mo Yufeng. She nced at Auntie Fang, who was pretending to have passed out, and frowned. Her big eyes were filled with tears and said unwillingly, ¡°I definitely agree with First Brother. But now that you have done such a thing, you should admit it. Third miss, you don¡¯t know how much that hurt my heart...¡±

    That hurt much? What would happen next would hurt you more!

    ¡°But if it was really your fault, what will you do?¡± Mo Xuemin said in a sharp tone with coldness in her eyes.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Xuemin profoundly and said.

    ¡°If you have actually done such a thing, you, Mo Xuetong, are no longer a daughter of Mo¡¯s.¡± Mo Yufeng answered quickly.

    Everyone got shocked and silent at these words!

 Chapter 124 - Womenâ€™s Hearts were the Cruelest

    <h4>Chapter 124 Women¡¯s Hearts were the Cruelest</h4>

    That she was no longer a daughter of the Mo¡¯s meant that she would be out of the pedigree of a n and driven out of Mo Manor, which was indeed the idea they had in mind. Only if she was out of Mo Manor, and father was guilty for Auntie Fang¡¯s abortion, Auntie Fang would definitely get the position of the main wife. By then, Mo Xuemin would be the legitimate daughter, and Mo Yufeng would be the legitimate son. The whole Mo Manor would be in Auntie Fang¡¯s control. She was so merciless that she used her unborn child to win the battle.

    A girl who got driven out of her home wouldn¡¯t be able to live for a long time. Besides, she believed that they wouldn¡¯t let her be alive.

    Auntie Fang and her daughter was as vicious as in thest life, and Mo Yufeng didn¡¯t pretend to be unconcerned any more. They all saw her as an obstacle, so just let her y her part!

    ¡°Third miss, even if you have really done such a thing, I¡¯ll beg father to spare your life. But such a small innocent life was ended in your hand, so you can¡¯t stay in Mo Manor any longer. If we connived at your behavior, the entire Mo Manor will be in a mess. Father wouldn¡¯t let you ruin Mo Manor¡¯s fame like that!¡± Mo Xuemin gently looked at Mo Xuetong and acted like she wanted to speak for her. But the meaning of her words made Mo Huawen frown.

    He looked at Mo Xuemin as if deep in thought. Then his eyes turned cold. His first miss who used to be gentle wanted to drive Tong¡¯er out of Mo Manor.

    ¡°Father, let me go and invite Sir Bai here?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and didn¡¯t want to talk with Mo Xuemin any more. Then she turned to Mo Huawen and said. The intention of Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng was quite clear. But at least she was pretty satisfied with her father, who had been trying to protect her and ignored that Auntie Fang who pretended to pass out weakly.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t miss the digust in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes when he nced at Auntie Fang.

    Until then, they had no way turning back. Mo Huawen asked someone to invite Bai Yihao and had to get him here at any price. He had toe to prove for Tong¡¯er.

    Bai Yihao arrived fast and brought along imperial doctor Lu toe too. They got into Qingwei Garden in a while. After Mo Huawen¡¯s greetings to them, he let Mo Xuetong put the safflower and incenses in front of them.

    ¡°This is the incenses containing musk? This is safflower?¡± The imperial doctor Lu picked them up and looked entric.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Imperial doctor, you also agree to that. Third miss, you refuse to admit what you have done, but now the imperial doctor is here. Then everyone in the capital will know it. If you had admitted it earlier, you wouldn¡¯t have been so disgraced.¡± Mo Xuemin sighed and seemed to feel sorry and regretful for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°First miss, the imperial doctor didn¡¯t say a word? Howe you¡¯re so sure it¡¯s me?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. Maybe they should all stop pretending to be close sisters, which was so hypocritical.

    She just wanted Mo Xuemin to say all the things she hid in her heart aloud, whether it¡¯s about her pride or her lies. Now that she had a chance to show them all out and let father know what her beloved first miss and the only son really were. Especially, the weak woman who was lying in bed with a pale face, had killed her own son.

    He had to figure out what his beautiful concubine and beloved children really were.

    ¡°Imperial doctor, what are those?¡± Mo Huawen asked imperial doctor Lu. Bai Yihao was very calm and nced at the things in Imperial doctor Lu¡¯s hand, smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. He took a look at Mo Xuetong and was very calm.

    ¡°There is no musk in the incenses, but some medicine used for calming the nerves. This medicine can be useful for those who are weak and can contribute to better sleeping. And this isn¡¯t safflower, but eagnus angustifolia, which is also used for calming the nerves and promoting sleeping.¡± Imperial doctor pointed at the incenses and ¡°safflower¡± in hand and said.

    Everyone was surprised when they heard that!

    No, if it¡¯s not like that, what¡¯s wrong with Auntie Fang?

    Mo Huawen was the first to get what he said and felt relieved!

    Of course, it¡¯s not Tong¡¯er, and Tong¡¯er was too kind to do such a horrible thing!

    Mo Huawen felt relieved when he heard the words. It didn¡¯t matter any more now that Tong¡¯er didn¡¯t do it. He didn¡¯t want that child at the first ce. A child of hers wanted to master the entire Mo Manor. That bitch had such a crazy n.

    ¡°How could it be? It is safflower indeed!¡± The doctor standing by the side shouted, ¡°You can tell it¡¯s safflower from its color and its look. How could it be anything else?¡±

    ¡°Where is this ignorant doctor from? How dare you to doubt others when you have little medical knowledge. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can invite other doctors to judge. It was written on ¡®Qanun¡¯ that rsgnus angustifolis is a nt which looks like safflower. But the color of it is a bit different from that of safflower, which can be seen from the light purple of it. Though their appearances are simr, their functions are totally different. How could you doubt my judgement?¡± Doctor Lu nced at the doctor and smiled.

    ¡°How could this be possible?¡± No matter how calm Mo Xuemin could be, she was just a teenage girl who had never heard such things before. She suddenly turned around and looked at the doctor, as if she wanted to kill him at the moment. She had asked someone to change Mo Xuetong¡¯s incenses, and Auntie Fang had brought the safflower in. How could it turn into eagnus angustifolia and the doctor didn¡¯t even notice it?

    Mo Yufeng froze there, and Auntie Fang opened her eyes widely in shock. The doctor was inplete shock and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Auntie Fang, are you wondering why the safflower you brought into my room turn into eagnus angustifolia?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled with her bright eyes, ¡°First miss and First Brother just said I was the one who had hurt Auntie Fang, what do you want to say now?¡±

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t try to push this on me.¡± Mo Yufeng was furious.

    ¡°Auntie Fang brought the safflower in?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s attention was caught by her words and stared at Auntie Fang with a cold face.

    That bitch was afraid that I might find something wrong with the baby, so she set up the scheme?

    ¡°Imperial doctor Lu, please feel the pulse for my concubine. That doctor has been looking for a while but didn¡¯t get any conclusion. Please have a look at my concubine. She just lost her baby and might feel ufortable.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up, and bowed towards imperial doctor Lu,pletely ignoring the angry Mo Yufeng.

    Bai Yihao brought imperial doctor Lu along because he didn¡¯t want to a part of this thing. Moreover, he had helped to make the incenses. If he was the one to check, Mo Xuemin and her brother might not ept the result. Mo Xuetong definitely understood what he meant, so she directly asked imperial doctor Lu for help. Doctor Lu was a doctor in imperial pce and had more credibility than him.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong understand his intentions and made the right choice to ask imperial doctor Lu to feel pulse for Auntie Fang, a slight smile appeared on Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face. He took the tea by his hand, drank a little and took a deep look at Mo Xuetong with admiration. Then he just lowered his head to look at his tea and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Since he got in, he didn¡¯t talk to anyone except for his greetings to Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Imperial Doctor Lu sat on the chair where the silly doctor had sat, nced at him and snorted. He really looked down on such doctors, who couldn¡¯t even tell safflower and eagnus angustifolia apart. His medical treatment might do great harm to the patients. Imperial doctor Lu decided that the minute he went back, he would reported the doctor to have this swindler arrested.

    Treating people without wisedom was even worse than killing them for money.

    He closed his eyes, put his fingers on Auntie Fang¡¯s wrist and frowned. It took quite a while for him to let go of Auntie Fang¡¯s hand and said to Mo Huawen, ¡°When did the concubine lose her child?¡±

    ¡°About an hour ago.¡± Mo Huawen answered.

    ¡°What did her drink an hour ago?¡±

    Mo Huawen turned around and looked at Mo Ye. Mo Ye stepped ahead, knelt down and answered, ¡°Old sir, Auntie Fang entered Qingwei Garden because she didn¡¯t feel well. We don¡¯t dare to give her anything to eat. If anything went wrong, it would be our miss¡¯s responsibility. Therefore, there was no food then. All the maids in the yard saw that Auntie Fang just went in to rest, and there were only Guihua and Guiyue around her.¡±

    Auntie Fang got grounded because of Mo Xuetong, which was known to everyone in the manor. The maids in Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard didn¡¯t dare to bring anything to her when Auntie Fang came to rest. They all avoided meeting her in case they might get in trouble. So, they all gathered in the yard in case that Auntie Fang would get them in trouble.

    Since Auntie Fang got into the room, no one else entered. There were only Auntie Fang and two of her maids. They were the few people who knew what she ate there. All eyes were fixed on Guihua and Guiyue.

    Mo Xuetong was the only one to fix her eyes on an empty cup on the beside table and became lost in deep thought.

    ¡°Thedy didn¡¯t..., didn¡¯t have...¡± Seeing all eyes fixed on her, Guihua¡¯s face turned pale immediately and stuttered while exining.

    ¡°The concubine swallowed the safflower an hour ago, which caused her abortion. I can¡¯t imagine why it happened when no one offered her any food. There is a possibility that she brought the safflower and swallowed it here to set someone up. But it¡¯s too brutal for a mother to do such a thing.¡± Imperial doctor Lu shook his head and stood up. He didn¡¯t want to take a look at Auntie Fang any more, because he couldn¡¯t imagine anyone so brutal. In order to get the position, she killed her own baby. He couldn¡¯t imagine such a horrible thing done by a woman, who was supposed to be gentle and kind.

    Women¡¯s hearts were the cruelest indeed!

    For the love of a man, they could be so brutal? Imperial doctor Lu felt terrified! Thinking that he only had a wife at home and avoided many problems, he felt so lucky when his colleagues often made fun of him because of that.

    ¡°Imperial doctor Lu, could you please find out what was in it?¡± Mo Xuetong took up the empty ss on the desk, and asked Mo Lan to give it to imperial doctor Lu. She squinted at Auntie Fang¡¯s frozen face and smiled coldly.

    ¡°Somebody used the ss to eat safflower, there is still the smell of safflower.¡± Imperial doctor Lu sniffed at it and said.

 Chapter 125 - Auntie Fang Paid for Her Own Evil Doings and Lost Her Status

    <h4>Chapter 125 Auntie Fang Paid for Her Own Evil Doings and Lost Her Status</h4>

    ¡°No, old sir, it¡¯s not me. I didn¡¯t know... I didn¡¯t know it was safflower. Bitches, it was you. You framed me, right? Old sir, you have to do something for our child. They did it, and I knew nothing about it. I really didn¡¯t know anything about it.¡±

    Hearing imperial doctor Lu¡¯s words and looking at Mo Huawen¡¯s cold angry face, Auntie Fang¡¯s face turned pale and couldn¡¯t sit there anymore. She knew that Mo Huawen doubted her. If the truth was revealed, Mo Huawen wouldn¡¯t forgive her. By then, she regretted having heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s words and used her baby to scheme.

    But it was not time to be regretful. Auntie Fang was still sober and knew that she had to act miserably to get Mo Huawen¡¯s favors. Therefore, she suddenly fell off from the bed, crawled to Mo Huawen, and tugged at his robe, hurriedly defending herself.

    ording to Mo Huawen¡¯s personality, if he knew that she was so vicious as to kill the baby, her whole life would be ruined!

    She had no time to frame Mo Xuetong, but only to find scapegoats. She hurriedly pointed at Guihua and Guiyue and screamed.

    ¡°Old sir, it¡¯s not us...¡± Guihua and Guiyue also knew the situation was going in the wrong way, but they didn¡¯t expect the concubine would use them of killing the baby. Whoevermitted the crime would have to die. They couldn¡¯t take the usation, and their faces turned pale. They shivered and tried to exin for themselves, and they looked at Mo Xuemin.

    Compared to Auntie Fang, they believed more in Mo Xuemin and thought that she woulde up with a solution to help them. However, when they saw Mo Xuemin ying with a silver bracelet and a ze ball, they felt desperate. That two things belonged to their own niece and nephew. Their families were in first miss¡¯s control and they didn¡¯t dare to say anything. First miss was so vicious that she would even kill an unborn baby, which frightened them a lot.

    ¡°Old sir, please forgive us.¡± They started to beg Mo Huawen¡¯s forgiveness. Although they were begging, there was only desperation in their eyes. Acknowledging such a crime, they would have no chance to live. But for their families, they had to bear the fault.

    Mo Xuetong stood by the side, and watched their performance with cold eyes!

    She had no mercy for the two maids. They followed Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin to frame her, so they had to be prepared to be scapegoats.

    By the other side, Bai Yihao looked at her, lost in deep thought. He had grown up in the pce and had seen such scenes which were filled with crying, sadness and terror. She was the only one keeping calm and quiet, blooming like a pure lotus.

    They were bustling, while she was just alone. Even though the two maids cried and screamed miserably, shepletely ignored them. She was only a thirteen-year-old girl. What did she go through to make her so cold...?

    ¡°Old sir, you see, it was them. A few days ago, they broke a teapot in my room, and I scolded them. I didn¡¯t know they had held a grudge since then. That¡¯s right. It must be like that. Old sir, let me kill them for our child.¡± It seemed Auntie Fang get hold of thest solution. She held Mo Huawen¡¯s clothes and scolded at the two maids.

    She wanted to get herself out of this trouble.

    She wanted to push all the fault to the maids and keep her children and herself safe.

    ¡°Father, I couldn¡¯t fall asleepst night and saw nanny Li who belonged to Auntie Fang talking to someone stealthily at the back door. Then they went to First Brother¡¯s yard and got to Lihua Gardenter. And today, these things happened. Do you want to ask nanny Li toe and ask her about it?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng who were standing there quietly and said.

    She wouldn¡¯t let Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng out of this easily. She hadn¡¯t nned carefully about Guihua and Guiyue, but she couldn¡¯t imagine Auntie Fang would let her maids take all the responsibilities. And Mo Xuemin had taken hold of the families of the two maids. She saw clearly what¡¯s in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand while others didn¡¯t. Such things shouldn¡¯t have been in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands. When the two maids saw it, their faces turned pale instantly and their exnation turned into pleapletely, which meant they admitted the crime.

    That meant the stuff in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands were from the families of the two maids. Mo Xuemin was not Auntie Fang, and she was grimmer and quicker at actions. She left herself a way to escape before her winning.

    There was nothing to be found from the two maids!

    She had to find another way out!

    Mo Xuemin was safe from the trouble today, but his brother couldn¡¯t. These days, Mo Feng had been watching what happened in Lihua Garden. Mo Xuemin seldom went there, but Mo Yufeng often went there to discuss with Auntie Fang about the n. So, he basically knew the whole n.

    Now that Auntie Fang didn¡¯t want the child, she wouldn¡¯t help her. The rtions between her and Auntie Fang were pretty intense. So, she had to stop being a nice person, who would only die more quickly. Her life ended in their hands in thest life. She had to revenge for her mother, herself and the child, and this was only the beginning of it.

    So, she decided to be in the game: She asked Yingjiu to steal the safflower out and change it into phyllostachys pubescens and switched the incenses Mo Xuemin put there into the ones used for calming her nerves. All of these had been ready before they came. Mo Xuemin was so slippery that she got out of it again, but her brother couldn¡¯t easily escape from it.

    Auntie Fang and her children wanted to scheme her, and this was the price they had to pay!

    Auntie Fang saw the unborn child as treasure, but father didn¡¯t think in the same way. Through what happened that night, though father said nothing, he was sure the child in Auntie Fang¡¯s belly was not his. The reason why he didn¡¯t say anything about it was that he didn¡¯t want to be disgraced. Now there was a chance and father wouldn¡¯t easily let go of Auntie Fang.

    ¡°Get out. Someone search Lihua Garden.¡± As expected, Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes were cold and he said firmly. With his years of experience in the government, he could easily smell something. He kicked Auntie Fang away and made her hit on the edge of the bed heavily. Her forehead knocked on the pointy edge and blood burst out onto her pale face. With her tangled hair, she looked just like a ghost.

    The bitch not onlymitted adultery but also framed Tong¡¯er!

    And then nanny Li was brought in!

    And the old woman brought along some safflower found in nanny Li¡¯s room. She was in Lihua Garden, and she only knew Auntie Fang¡¯s abortion, but she didn¡¯t know what happened next. It was a perfect scheme, so she didn¡¯t think anything would go wrong with it. When she was caught, she didn¡¯t even know what had happened. When she saw Auntie Fang crawling to beg for forgiveness with tangled hair, she just followed her lead to plead.

    Mo Xuemin moved a bit and wanted to step ahead.

    ¡°Nanny Li, you used safflower to kill the child in concubine¡¯s belly.¡± Mo Xuetong walked ahead first and blocked Mo Xuemin¡¯s way. She glimpsed her with a cold smile and said to nanny Li.

    Mo Xuetong had already walked ahead, which made it inappropriate for her to step ahead. Mo Xuemin looked at Mo Xuetong with great anger and thought maybe the little bitch knew something about it. She was frightened at the thought and stepped back as if she got scared by something. She held the hand of a maid with confusion and shivered a bit.

    But at that time, nobody took notice of her facial expression!

    ¡°Killing the baby of concubine?¡± Nanny Li got shocked. Her face turned pale and she screamed, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Then where was the safflower from?¡± Mo Xuetong continued to move ahead and said coldly, ¡°Last night, someone saw you with safflower offered by a guy in a pharmacy. Then you went to Lihua Garden with first sir. And such horrible happened today. If you didn¡¯t kill the baby in concubine¡¯s belly, then who? Maybe we should ask the guy in the pharmacy.¡±

    She showed her attitude at the right time, which could let them know they couldn¡¯t hurt her as they wanted to.

    ¡°The guy?¡± Nanny Li got frozen at the question. And when she looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s deep bright eyes which could see everything through, she felt those eyes had seen everything she did for Auntie Fang. She didn¡¯t know how to answer but only repeated her words.

    ¡°Someonee here, bring her out of here, and kill her.¡± Seeing things developing in this way, Mo Huawen understood that Guihua, Guiyue, and nanny Li were all Auntie Fang¡¯s trusted subordinate. He was so furious that he wanted to take Auntie Fang¡¯s life. But he had to kill nanny Li first in the presence of others.

    Two old women came in and dragged nanny Li out.

    ¡°Old sir, it was not me. It was first sir who brought concubine the safflower. It was not me. Uh...¡± The woman had already taken off her socks and put them into nanny Li¡¯s mouth. She lifted the stick and beat her with all her effort. Nanny Li had always bullied others in the manor with Auntie Fang¡¯s support. Therefore, they beat her with all strength.

    ¡°Official Mo has some family issues to deal with, then we¡¯ll leave first.¡± Bai Yihao stood up and saluted.

    Imperial doctor Li had wanted to leave long time ago. He just coldly nced at Auntie Fang who was crying like a lunatic, looked at Mo Huawen with sympathy, and bowed. He went to Bai Yihao¡¯s ce earlier to learn about some medical symptoms, but was dragged here to see such a scene. He thought that Mo Huawen was so pathetic to have married such an evil woman.

    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Mo Huawen was in no mood to say anything more. He just sighed bitterly and replied. He didn¡¯t care about other things now that such a thing had happened.

    Bai Yihao didn¡¯t leave right away, instead, he turned to Mo Xuetong with interest and asked, ¡°How did the medicine work? Do you feel better now?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xuetong looked at him with confusion, not understanding why he asked when he knew it all. But she still answered with joy. Then she stepped backwards and bowed to him. That¡¯s because he not only treated the illness for her, but also came to Mo Manor to help.

    She really needed to thank him!

    Her reply pleased him, and a smile appeared by his lips, ¡°Remember, when youe to learn Qin after the new year, don¡¯t be a dabbler again.¡± Then, he just turned around and left.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t realize it when he and imperial doctor Lu had gone far. Her face turnedpletely red. He meant that she was a dabbler at medical skills. Even if it was true, he didn¡¯t have to be so direct. She bit her lips resentfully. When she looked again, Bai Yihao¡¯s slim and graceful figure had already disappeared at the corner of the yard.

    Auntie Fang¡¯s affair settled down soon.

    Nanny Li was beat to death. Guihua and Guiyue were sold. Auntie Fang kept spitting out blood after Mo Huawen¡¯s kick, and she was locked in Lihua Garden forever. Mo Yufeng was also scolded and moved to the yard outside. All of his maids and servants were changed. Mo Xuemin got the least punishment. She was asked to apologize to Mo Xuetong in public and went back to Fuqing Garden to transcribe ssics for Women.

    Till then, Auntie Fang had really lost her power!

    But Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t let her guard down, because Mo Xuemin and Qin Yufeng were still there. And they wouldn¡¯t be waiting for too long.

    That night, in Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Yu rushed in with joy. She put down the dumplings andid them carefully for Mo Xuetong andined.

    ¡°Miss, these were the dumplings Mother Xu made for you. Today is the lunar year, and we can¡¯t let them ruin our happiness. They let you stand in the drought when they knew you¡¯re weak. They¡¯re so mean. The worst of them is Auntie Fang, who would even kill her own baby. Now everything is settled. She not only lost the main wife¡¯s position, but might be locked there forever.¡±

    Forever? There was still a lot time. Auntie Fang wouldn¡¯t give up. Mo Xuemin wouldn¡¯t give up!

    Given a chance, Mo Xuemin would give Auntie Fang a chance to regain her status. Especially, now father had only a son who was Mo Yufeng, so Mo Manor would be in their hands eventually, which was what she hated to see. If she didn¡¯t finish them, there would be trouble again.

    ¡°Where is old sir?¡± She coughed a little and asked gently. She really got a cold and felt dizzy, but it¡¯s not too bad.

    ¡°Old sir is alone in the study, and he don¡¯t want to see anyone. I heard that even Old Madam didn¡¯t get in.¡± Mo Yu blinked her eyes and said with confusion. Since Auntie Fang was brought down, shouldn¡¯t the miss be the happiest among them? Why did she seem a little upset?

 Chapter 126 - The Cold and Bleak New Yearâ€™s Eve at the Mo Manor

    <h4>Chapter 126 The Cold and Bleak New Year¡¯s Eve at the Mo Manor</h4>

    ¡°Bring the dumplings along. I will go and visit father.¡± It was New Year¡¯s Eve and the whole family should have been gathered together happily. Yet, something like this had happened and Father must be most upset. She looked up at the window. The lights had just been hung up. It did get darker earlier in winter. Regr families would have already eaten dinner by now. But today...

    She could not describe how she was feeling. Rationally speaking, the possibility of Auntie Fang rising to a position of importance again was practically impossible. She could also heave a sigh of relief. However, her chest felt stuffy. It was a feeling she could not describe. She felt heavy and stifled and she just could not bring herself to feel happy. Instead, she felt a little depressed. If they were really to discuss this, even though Auntie Fang had been the one to kill the child, she had also yed a role in it too.

    Her father would probably have another adorable child if not for her!

    It was hard for her father to have children...

    But, if the situation were to repeat again, she would still do the same thing. She would never stand on the same side as Auntie Fang and her daughter. They wanted her dead at all times and she would not just stand around and not do anything about it. She had been rebirthed for revenge. This unnecessary kindness would bring the greatest damage to herself. In her past life, her flesh and blood had turned into ashes in the fire. She would not go through that pain again!

    ¡°Miss, Auntie Mo and Auntie Qing have already sent people over. They were all stopped outside by Old Sir.¡± Mo Yu exined when she saw the despondence in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Old Sir has always doted on Miss. He would definitely be happy to see you bringing him dumplings personally.¡± Mo Lan put the dumplings into a food box on the table. Then, she also intentionally put in two side dishes she made into the box as well. She handed it to Mo Ye who was standing by the side after she arranged the food and got her to hold it for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Lan was the most attentive out of all of Mo Xuetong¡¯s maids. That was also why she knew what Mo Xuetong was thinking and understood that she was feeling upset right now. Even though it seemed as if Mo Xuetong had won a beautiful match today, she had hurt Old Sir. Her mistress was a filial child and would naturally feel upset. She was definitely thinking of Old Sir right now and wanted to see him.

    As such, she had specially asked Mother Xu for arger food box to bring to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong put on her soft leather cape. It was snowing again and the northwestern winds howled, making one feel cold. She did not meet many people as she walked down the corridor to the study. It was consideredte, but one would usually still be able to see a few people chatting andughing outside asionally. Yet, it was very quiet and lonely at this moment.

    After what happened in the day, coupled with the death of a servant, who would dare to earn the ire of their masters? As such, the servants were all very careful and rested early if they had nothing on. None of them chatted outside. The Old Sir had ordered that if anyone were to spread the news of what happened today, they would not just be beaten to death.

    The doors to the study were tightly shut. Mo Xuetong saw how her father¡¯s personal servant was also left outside. He was curled up outside the room, hugging his knees to himself as he dozed off. He hurried up to greet Mo Xuetong when he saw her.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Old Sir?¡± Mo Xuetong asked as she looked at the dark study. It seemedpletely dested. Her father was really upset!

    ¡°Old Sir is alone in the study and would not allow anyone to enter or the light themps. He still hasn¡¯t had dinner.¡± The servant looked at the study doors and answered sadly.

    ¡°You all go to the room next door and get out of the wind. I will go and visit Father.¡± Mo Xuetong took the box of food from Mo Ye and gave her instructions to the servant and Mo Ye.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The servant was shivering from the cold but did not dare to leave. He felt grateful when he heard what Mo Xuetong said and nodded forcefully. Then, he and Mo Ye walked towards the room by the side that was lit.

    Mo Xuetong held the box of food and pushed the door open.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± The voice inside did not sound like how her father¡¯s usual high spirited and vigorous voice. Even though it was just as dignified, Mo Xuetong could hear the exhaustion and weakness in it.

    Her father¡¯s heart must be tired after all that happened!

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s Tong¡¯er.¡± Mo Xuetong answered softly. She walked forward finding her way based on her memory. Her father¡¯s desk was not far away before her and her father was sitting behind the desk.

    Mo Huawen quietly watched in the dark as his slender daughter lifted the box of food with difficulty. Even though it was snowing outside, it was still brighter out than inside. His daughter had just entered and had not yet gotten used to the darkness inside. She lifted her feet and walked forward carefully. She almost tripped on the edge of the bookshelf and he could not help but sigh softly.

    His frustrated mind and heart immediately cleared and softened. Even though his son was not up to standards, he had a loveable daughter. And she was a daughter that she had borne him. He had no other desires in this life now that he had Tong¡¯er. There were things that cannot be forced. Back then, if he had not had so many considerations, something like what happened today would not have happened.

    He reached out for some paper and lit it, lighting up the candle next to him.

    ¡°Father, I brought you some dumplings. Mother used to make dumplings with Mother Xu on New Year¡¯s Eve in the past. Grandaunt¡¯s family did not like making dumplings when I stayed in Cloud City, so they made plenty of noodles. But I didn¡¯t like them and Mother Xu would secretly cook me a bowl of dumplings. Cousin Xuan would sneakily eat half of my bowl of dumplings. What a shame! Mother Xu made plenty of dumplings today and I want to eat them with you. Shall we?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked when she saw the bright light. Her eyes began to ustom to the brightness again. She put the box of food on the table and took out the dumplings and dishes inside as she spoke delicately.

    She looked like a gentle and thoughtful daughter.

    Her beautiful eyes shone like the stars in the night sky. There was once a girl who used to look at him with eyes that shone and a gentle smile on her lips. She had set up his food for him then too. That was the happiest period of his life. But after that...Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes darkened and he looked away, avoiding those eyes that looked at him with admiration. The corners of his eyes were moist.

    New Year¡¯s Eve, dumplings...Mo Huawen felt that he was a scoundrel as he looked at his daughter¡¯s innocent smile.

    He had left his daughter, who had lost her mother at a young age, in Cloud City. He had let her live in someone else¡¯s home without asking or caring about her. A child that young must have been very upset. Even though she smiled and joked now, but how could one put into the words the sadness and suffering she had endured? He had thought Auntie Fang was a good person in the past. But who would have expected that she had not onlymitted adultery, but also so vicious?

    He had thought that while Feng¡¯er was no great talent, at least he was obedient. But who would have thought that he was not any better than his mother? He was also vicious and had even acted against his unborn sibling.

    Even though Min¡¯er was different from her mother and younger brother, she was not as gentle or gracious as she usually was today. She had made things difficult for Tong¡¯er and had almost forced Tong¡¯er out of their home. Was Min¡¯er still that gentle, gracious, and intelligent daughter in his heart?!

    It was true that the apple will not fall far from the tree. Auntie Fang was evil and her two children were the same...

    Mo Huawen could not describe how he was feeling right now. His beloved eldest daughter and son werepletely different from how he imagined them to be. How could he not feel conflicted?

    He touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s ck hair and closed his eyes, hiding the pain in his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a faint doting smile. He said, ¡°Alright, ¡°Father will spend New Year¡¯s Eve with Tong¡¯er. We will eat dumplings together.¡±

    He owed this daughter of his too much. When he saw how his daughter smiled at him sweetly and innocently, his heart hurt even more. She was the daughter that he wanted to dote on the most, but time and time again...

    It was alreadypletely dark when Mo Xuetong returned to Qingwei Garden. Mother Xu was waiting outside her courtyard. She hurriedly ordered the servants to prepare hot drinks when she saw M oXuetong. Mo Xuetong had some before she put things down and said that she was too tired. Then, she returned to her room. She did not get anyone to light the candles, butid on her bed with her clothes still on and shut her eyes.

    Scenes from the incident that happened in the day shed through her mind. Mo Xuemin¡¯s scheme, Auntie Fang¡¯s cries, Mo Yufeng¡¯s angry shouts, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s... All these incidents reyed in her mind, scene by scene. If she had indeed be deemed to have caused harm to her father¡¯s child, even her father would not be able to protect her.

    Yet, her father was sure that Auntie Fang was having an affair. However, he was a man and would not speak of this directly!

    If Mo Xuemin¡¯s evil plot had seeded, she would only have one path, and that path would lead to death. In their society where men were in charge, a woman abandoned by her family would have no choice.

    Auntie Fang and her daughter did not only want the matriarch position of the Mo Manor. They wanted her life. How would she let them off so easily? She had used up all her kindness in her past life and she had entered this life for revenge. Whenever she thought of the mes licking her body and the searing pain, and when she thought of how Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin spent their matrimonial night together in a room that was stained with her blood, her heart felt as if it had been torn apart by ten thousand swords.

    Her hate was like a burning me that burned her bones and blood. The pain that seeped through her flesh and bones was one that she could feel even after her rebirth...

    While Mo Xuemin was crafty today, she had been unable to tear off her fake mask even until the very end.

    Mo Xuemin had apologized graciously to her before everyone with teary eyes, looking as if she was sincerely regretful. She had managed to deceive everyone including her own father. Her father had even told her in vague terms that Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang were not the same. She could onlyugh coldly in her own heart when she heard that.

    Not the same. Of course, they were not the same!

    Mo Xuemin was even more vicious than Auntie Fang. She was more savage! And she was even more patient!

    She had waited until the end in her past life and pushed Mo Xuetong into the dark abyss when she had been the most helpless. If she had died any earlier, she would not be able to discover that her gentle and gracious elder sister had been the beautiful snake hidden by her side, waiting to take a bite of her.

    Sima Lingyun, Mo Xuemin, and Auntie Fang...She would not let any one of them off! The hatred of her past life, the sufferings she had endured, her struggle in the fire as theyughed and mocked her with satisfaction from outside the fire. How could she not get revenge for this hatred! It was fated that she would not rest until she ended them!

    A fiery red appeared before her in the darkness. The ming red burned through the gauze curtains and arge beam fell from above, crashing down upon her head. She could only lie on the ground in despair and look at Mo Xuemin¡¯s cold, mocking expression outside of the burning mes.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you are too stupid. You are too stupid. Of course, that dead mother of yours was the stupidest. She even called my mother her sister. Drink this. Drink this and you will be free. You better see clearly before you reincarnate in the future. Don¡¯t be born to a stupid woman, or you will die of stupidity.¡±

    ...

    She was bathed in fresh blood andughed tragically and maniacally, filled with desperation. Her wide eyes were filled with dark traces of blood and her clothes werepletely burnt. The fire burned her skin, which hurt. Yet, it could notpare to the pain she felt in her heart. Therge pool of blood beneath her legs glimmered in the fire, mocking her. Then, she knew no more.

    There was only hatred and revenge in her consciousness! Her mother¡¯s, her child¡¯s hers. If there was a next life, if they would meet again, she would definitely throw them all into the pits of hell. She would make them scream in the cruelest of space in hell for eternity. For that, she was willing to undergo reincarnation, over and over again.

    The scenes of the past yed through her mind. And in every scene, she was hurt, injured, and her heart hurt...

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey...¡±

    Azy and mellow voice of a youth sounded by her ear. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed open in the dark and she looked at the handsome face in front of her in confusion, her hands clenched in fists. The haughty moon outside refracted on the white snow, shining on the person sprawled next to the bed. Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was charming, and under the moonlight, it seemed charming and devilish, bright and brilliant.

 Chapter 127 - Cheer Up, Traveling in the Snowy Night (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 127 Cheer Up, Traveling in the Snowy Night (Part 1)</h4>

    Mo Xuetong blinked. She did not know where she was for a moment and was dazed.

    Feng Yuran smiled brilliantly when he saw her dazed look. He reached out and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize me? It is the night before New Year¡¯s Eve tonight. How can you sleep so early? I am bored. Get up and keep mepany.¡±

    He stretched out his hands roughishly in front of her. He could see the shiny traces of tears in the corners of her eyes and he felt a stab of pain in his heart for some reason. That felt extremely ufortable!

    Mo Xuetong had not yet gathered her wits and she released her clenched fists subconsciously. She reached out, revealing her snow-white skin which shone under the snowy moonlight outside. Her skin was so bright she looked as if she was glowing. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyesnded on her hands and his heart clenched. He had wanted to pull her hands forcefully. But his hands rxed and fell gently.

    He held her hands. They were so soft as if there were no bones in them. Yet, there were cold and sweaty! Her hands were sweaty on such a cold day. He thought back to how he had seen her lying down quietly earlier while biting her lips, looking as if she was in pain. It was evident that the cold sweat was because she had a nightmare earlier. The incident that happened in the Mo Manor in the day had already been reported to him. He could not help but furrow his handsome brows and the roguish smile on his lips froze.

    His face, which was hidden from the light was no longer wilful andzy. Instead, it was cold and blood-thirsty, like a hunting leopard!

    ¡°Are you going to pull me up or not?¡± Mo Xuetong had regained her wits then. She looked at Feng Yuran with clear eyes that shone in the moonlight like pools of water. Even though she felt that it was rather inappropriate for him to pull her but, but she thought of how he had never been the appropriate sort anyway. Furthermore, she was very tired today and did not want to be a person who followed the rules. She felt that the rules of the world were like heavy chains ced upon her. They were so heavy that she could not breathe.

    So, what if she just released all inhibitions for once! She did not have to care too much tonight. The dark clouds in her heart were so heavy that she could not breathe...

    He looked at how Mo Xuetong did not look at him like she usually did, ring at him warily, covering herself with spikes. She was not pretending to be gentle and obedient as she usually did outside. The moon shone on her beautiful face. The light silvery-white light shone on her innocent and young jade-like face that seemed to belong to a fairy. She looked at him intently with her clear eyes that were hidden under her longshes. Yet today, there was an additional hint of exhaustion and loneliness in her eyes.

    A girl like her who belonged to such a family had to be vignt against others at all times. She must be tired!

    She was not bickering with him as usual. He felt as if something had collided viciously with his heart. It hurt. It was soft and felt a little sweet. The thought of teasing her little had long dissipated, leaving behind tenderness and calmness. Holding her slender hands under the moon as they sat down quietly could make his heart calm down.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you pulling me up?¡± Mo Xuetong felt weak all over. She really did not want to get up herself. She tugged on the hand that was holding hers tightly, not understanding what was wrong with him today. No matter what, she did not have the energy to deal with the handsome King Xuan today. She was just going to let him do what he wanted and she would wallow in self-pity.

    Feng Yuran turned his face away somewhat flusteredly. He pulled her up and felt that his face was burning slightly. He did not know why, but he felt that the moon tonight was especially charming. The snowy scene outside today was especially beautiful today as well. Even the darkness in the room was filled with warmth...

    Just as his mind ran wild, he heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s sweet voice. ¡°Why have youe to look for me sote at night? Don¡¯t you need to sleep?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t sleep so early will you? Look at the skies outside. It¡¯s still early!¡± Feng Yuran pointed outside, making things up without batting an eyelid. He nced at Mo Xuetong as he spoke, his voice was filled with a gentleness that not even he could detect.

    It was still early? What kind of look was he giving her? Mo Xuetong sat up straight and looked out of the window. Then, she plucked up her eyebrows and asked tiredly, ¡°Do you think it is still daytime?¡±

    ¡°Of course, why don¡¯t I take you out to take a look. It is definitely very bright.¡± Feng Yuran stood up and patted his chest, lifting up his brows, looking very sure of himself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out.¡± Mo Xuetong was indeed rather tired. She leaned against her side and looked down as she spoke. She looked rather dejected.

    ¡°It is not only bright outside, but there is also plenty of good food and things to y. I heard that there will be fireworkster too...The fireworks are really pretty and will look even more beautiful than before. Do you still not want to go out?¡± Feng Yuran continued to tempt her. He felt rather ufortable seeing how upset and exhausted she was. He felt that a sweet and unworried smile suited her more!

    There would be fireworks? When was thest time she had seen fireworks? That had to be many years ago. Her mother was not too seriously ill then and her father doted very much on her mother. That year, the three of them had gone to watch the fireworks together. Her mother had leaned against her father as they sat together and she had watched the sky light up with fireworks. She had jumped around excitedly...

    There was a hint of bitterness on her lips.

    ¡°So? Do you not want to go?¡± Feng Yuran asked, his eyebrows plucking up as he saw that Mo Xuetong had not spoken after a long while. He could not see her face clearly in the darkness, but he could sense her despondence.

    ¡°Go. I want to go. Your Highness King Xuan came to invite me personally, who can I not go to see the especially pretty fireworks. But I don¡¯t know how King Xuan is going to take me there?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darkened as she teased him tiredly while biting her lips.

    ¡°If I want to take someone out, I can!¡± A pleasant smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. His voice was charming andzy. He reached out and hugged Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender waist before she could even issue a startled yell and the two jumped out of the window.

    Mo Feng, who was standing guard on the tree outside the window watched his former and current masterszily. Then, he shut his eyes. He rarely had the time to rest since he started working for Third Miss Mo. He had not expected that he would get time to rest on the night before New Year¡¯s Eve. It seemed that he had to get his master to take Third Miss Mo out more often. There were many secret guards by his master¡¯s side and they would not miss him. That would benefit him more.

    They crossed the high wall in a sh and houses lit with lights passed them quickly. Mo Xuetong did not think that he would just act and did not have time to scream. She held on to his coat tightly, subconsciously. The northwestern winds whistled past her ears. No matter how tired she felt, being brought out to the bitter cold from a warm room had revitalized her. This was especially when she in such an odd situation right now.

    She grumbled to herself. She had long known that Feng Yuran was an impulsive person. But how could he be so impulsive? He had not said another word and had just taken her from her room. Those in the know would think that he was anxious to take her to see the fireworks. But those who did not know would really think that he could not sleep at night and wanted to steal virtuous girls from their rooms!

    The path in front of them was bright. Cold air blew through her cor and down her neck. She was annoyed and wanted him to slow down. However, she had only just opened her mouth when a gust of wind entered her mouth and she could not speak. She could only close her mouth tightly.

    She might as well close her mouth and shut her eyes and go with him! She did not intend to abide by any rules at all today!

    It¡¯s not like he would do anything to her!

    Anyway...

    She could sense that while he was running very fast, his hands were protecting her neck, blocking off most of the wind! This person was not entirely useless. She had not expected him to be so considerate and she felt assured for some reason.

    Momentster, she heard his voice.

    ¡°Alright, we are here! Look, isn¡¯t this ce beautiful?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned and she looked up, meeting a pair of handsome eyes which were smiling at her. Those eyes shone like the moon. His thin lips were vermilion red and were curved up slightly. He was in a good mood. His voice was a littlezy, and she could hear traces of tenderness in it. He stood in front of her, pointing before him, his face filled with a charming smile.

    She did not know why, but he looked like a child seeking for praise. The handsome and devilishly charming prince seemed childish and adorable for some reason. Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips could not help but twitch up in a smile. She turned around hurriedly, not letting him see her. The petty prince was someone who loved to bear grudges.

    She looked at where he was pointing and realized that she was standing on a spot several feet higher than where one usually stood. She did not know what roof she was standing on, but from where she stood, she could see homes that were lit up far off in the distance. It was the night before New Year¡¯s Eve and the ce was bustling with life. She would asionally hear the sounds of joyousughtering from the streets. It was a happy night before New Year¡¯s Eve.

    She could see the asional sparks of fireworksunching into the sky beautifully.

    Feng Yuran released her hand andid on the sloping roof. He was just about to speak when he suddenly heard a soft startled yell apanied by the sound of falling tiles.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran only recalled then that Mo Xuetong was still standing up. He thought that she had fallen off the roof and sat up in shock. He had only just sat up when someone hugged his shoulders tightly.

    ¡°Why is this roof so slippery. How am I going to stand on it!¡± Mo Xuetong pursed her lips unhappily. She did not care what she was holding as she clutched on to Feng Yuran¡¯s shoulders tightly. She could feel her legs trembling and she could not even move a single step. Her attention had been caught by the joyousughter on the streets below and had taken a step forward subconsciously. She felt her foot slipping and she lost her bnce, almost falling off the roof.

    She could not be bothered with anything else as she held on to Feng Yuran¡¯s shoulders tightly. She was almost lying on him, not daring to take another look below.

    He could feel the girl behind him pressing against his back tightly. A calming scent swirled below his nose. It seemed like the refreshing scent of plum blossoms and also the distant fragrance of orchids. It was different from any other scent he had ever smelled, but it stirred his heart more than any other scent. His heart itched and his heartbeat sped up.

    He scooped up her slender waist subconsciously and patted the back of her hand softly as heforted her in gentle tones. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s alright. Take my hand, slowly. That¡¯s right. Like that, and sit up slowly.¡±

    He held her slender waist in one hand and her soft hand in the other as he carefully pulled her down to sit next to him.

    Feng Yuran only realized how cold it was when he felt her shivering and the coldness of her hands. His heart softened and he reached out to remove his coat, cing it on her. Then, he helped her to tie it around herself attentively, wrapping her up. He said gently, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I was warm and didn¡¯t realize you were cold. Wear this and lean against me and you will be warm.¡±

    He looked at her soft body as she leaned against him obediently. Her eyes were wide open, like pools of water, as she looked at him shyly, filled with a gentleness that he usually did not see in them.

    She had not noticed that Feng Yuran was holding her hands because of her nervousness. She shivered as she found a suitable spot and then leaned against him tightly. The steep roof was very scary to Mo Xuetong. Even though she felt that Feng Yuran would not do anything untoward to her, she still felt fearful.

    She had never stood in such a high spot before. And after the initial confusion and her slip, she did not dare to move around again. She allowed Feng Yuran to hold her hand tightly and she did not even notice when he wrapped his other hand around her waist tightly. Half her body was lying in his embrace right now.

    ¡°Are you still cold?¡± Feng Yuran asked softly when he felt the person in his embrace trembling slightly.

    ¡°It, it¡¯s...alright!¡± Mo Xuetong finally warmed up. She was leaning against another person and she could still sense the heat that he was emanating through her clothes. She could not help but rx against the warmth. Not only could she feel the warmth from the clothes, but even her hands were also warm. The strongest heat was in her hands.

    Her icy cold hands gradually warmed up and therge coat wrapped around her returned warmth to her cold body. She feltfortable and she closed her eyes slightly. She looked up into the distance, not daring to look down. She never knew that she was afraid of heights and had been frightened so much she trembled earlier. She felt as if she would fall off the roof immediately earlier and everything around her blurred.

 Chapter 128 - Cheer Up, Traveling in the Snowy Night (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 128 Cheer Up, Traveling in the Snowy Night (Part 2)</h4>

    Her fingers twitched and she could feel the warmth and strength in his fingers. Mo Xuetong only realized then that he had been holding her hand tightly and had been holding his tightly without letting go. Half of her body was in his embrace. No wonder she could feel his warmth around her.

    Her face heated up and she turned around, not daring to look at his handsome side profile. She bit her lips and her fingers moved, wanting to let go but not daring to. What if she annoyed the fellow and he really let go? Then she would really fall down!

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran turned around and asked her when he sensed the long slender fingers in his hand twitching.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Mo Xuetong replied, biting her lips. She did not dare to say that anything was of matter. What kind of person was Feng Yuran? He was the prince the Emperor Zongwen doted on the most. And he sometimes did not even show respect to Emperor Zongwen. Like what she said, why would he care what an insignificant girl? But when she thought of how he had half-embraced her in an inappropriate manner, she was so shy that she could not look up. This person really did not follow the rules. Did he know that there should be a distinction between men and women?

    Even though she did not wish to follow the rules today, they didn¡¯t have to behave like this!

    Of course, Mo Xuetong did not dare to say that to Feng Yuran. Who was he? He was the arrogant King Xuan! He was a man who would dare to offend anyone. It would be best not to annoy him if she could.

    ¡°If nothing¡¯s the matter, why is your face so red? Let me take a look. Do you have a fever?¡± Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s little face that peeked out from therge coat. He reached out gently to touch her forehead. Her temperature was not high nor low. He frowned and looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face which was growing redder and redder and he could not decide right then if she was really having a fever or not.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick!¡± Even if Mo Xuetong pretended not to know, she was so shy she could not speak when he reached out to touch her face. She grumbled to herself, wondering if Feng Yuran was ying tricks on her intentionally. Who would think that he was not easy to deal with when they saw him pretending to be decent and gentle? He seemed very harmless right now, but who knew what he would be up to the next moment. It would be better to be more prudent. As such, she might as well reply him to prevent him from creating more trouble.

    ¡°Are you really ill? You can¡¯t be. Let me take a look.¡± Feng Yuran reached out and pressed his hand on Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead. Then, he put his hand on his forehead. He truly could not make heads or tails of the situation and did not want to just send her home like this. As such, he moved his head forward and intended to ce Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead against his to see if she was having a fever.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s longshes fluttered when she saw his approaching handsome face. She did not know what he intended to do. His high forehead bumped against her tender and pale forehead softly like a feather, and his handsome eyes were looking straight into her clear and confused eyes. Two sets of longshes bumped against each other. Feng Yuran¡¯s deep dark eyes darkened further, blinking at her, and stirring at her soul with a sh of slyness.

    ¡°Is it a fever? Or are you ill?¡± There was a gentle murmur in her ears. The wind lifted his ck hair, bringing them across his handsome face. Her slightly upturned lips had a hint of wildness in them. His handsome appearance was as seductive as the devil. His high nose, thin lips, and his glowing eyes were all filled with charm.

    ¡°No, no!¡± she answered as if she had been bewitched.

    ¡°Alright, then shall we go take a walk?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even more bewitching. He was like a blooming flower that took away one¡¯s breath. The charming smile on his handsome face had a hint of gentleness in it. Mo Xuetong felt as if her heart was being rammed by a deer and that even her breaths were heated. Her clear and lively eyes were shy as she lowered her head subconsciously, not daring to look at the beautiful face of the youth.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. We¡¯d better go back!¡± Mo Xuetong muttered. She suddenly felt that the wind blowing at them was hot as well. Why wasn¡¯t there any cold wind in the winter? She started to feel dizzy and she closed her eyes and took a long breath. She pushed Feng Yuran who was approaching her away forcefully. Then, she tugged at the coat wrapped around her tightly. She felt that the cold breeze had caused her mind to calm down.

    She turned around and saw the smile on his handsome face. This person was too much. He was bating her intentionally! She gritted her teeth secretly but could not do anything to him. She red at him fiercely. If looks could kill, Feng Yuran would have died several times already.

    Could he be anymore shameless! He already looked like that and still made an expression like that intentionally. How many girls were there in the world who could withstand the seduction of his beauty? He was the noble King Xuan. How could he do something like that that was beneath his status? Furthermore, wasn¡¯t there a rumor that said that he hated being stared at by women the most.

    She didn¡¯t feel so though. Instead, she felt that he was in a very good mood!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curled up in a smile when he saw the beautiful girl regaining her vigor as she red at him as usual. He really did not want to see her looking sickly and weak. She looked better now. The little wildcat had gotten back her ws and she did not seem as despondent and depressed as she did when he first saw her earlier.

    It seems that she really had to get more wind. The winter wind was really powerful. She had regained her energy in just a while. She even had the energy to re at him.

    ¡°Are you really not going?¡± Feng Yuran raised his brows.

    To go or not to go? Mo Xuetong hesitated for a moment. She looked at the streets in the distance. There were more people on the streets today than usual. The crowd bustled and she could hear the asional sounds ofughtering from the streets. The people were all very happy. The happy atmosphere was something that the Mo Manor did not have. The Mo Manor was grave and solemn andcked vitality. The breathing of the people down there was all light. Compared to the grave and solemn atmosphere in the Mo Manor that made her feel as if she could not breathe, she preferred the happiness under the lights.

    She had the urge not to care about anything and to just head down there and stroll through the streets, being in the bustling crowd. Even if she just watched othersugh, it would put her in a much better mood, she thought. Her brows furrowed slightly and she replied subconsciously, ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±

    She found herself rxing the moment she said that. Perhaps it was not that difficult to let go and not care about anything!

    No matter in her past life or this life, the chains on her were all too heavy. They were so heavy she almost could not bear them.

    The worries in her eyes dissipated and her slightly flushed face made her beautiful face even more charming. She was irresistible when it was coupled with her clear and pure eyes. Feng Yuran, no matter howposed he was, could not help but be startled. His eyes darkened and he coughed softly, turning his head away. He scooped her up and brought her towards an empty street.

    The corners of his beautiful lips lifted happily where Mo Xuetong could not see. He had brought her here today to walk on the streets, so how could they return without having done so!

    Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong walked among the crowd. They had only felt that the crowd was especiallyrge when they were on the roof. They only realized when they came down that there were people everywhere. Even though it was alreadyte, the people of the capital had all squeezed onto the streets, wanting to join in the festivities. There were both men and women in the crowd. It was a happy asion and people were not that particr about separating men and women.

    They would see smiling couples or husbands and wives holding hands. The men hade to the streets to see all sorts of beautiful women while the women hade to find their prince charming. There were not as many stringent rules for young men and women on asions like these. One could see young couples taking a stroll together from time to time.

    Mo Xuetong walked along the bustling street with Feng Yuran and looked at the brightly lit shops on both sides of the street. She felt as if she could not get enough of this. The street at night waspletely different from at night. It was much more crowded and there was moreughter. On this night before New Year¡¯s Eve, there werentern riddle games everywhere. It brought the atmosphere on the streets even higher.

    Feng Yuran wore a full-length purple robe embroidered with dragons soaring over the clouds and the sea. It had a round neckline and he wore a jade belt that was encrusted in purple crystals at his waist. His hair, which was the color of the dark night was tied up only with a single purple hair tie. His purple clothes had not only added an additional roguish charm to him, but had alsoplimented his devilishly good looks as well as the proud and haughty disposition he had as part of the royal family.

    He stood in the crowd, a noble aura wrapping around him, making him stand out from those around him. Many girls who saw his figure stared at him and blushed. Their shy gazes could not help but fall on his beautiful face. However, his noble aura made them feel ashamed of themselves and they did not dare to go forward to strike up a conversation with him.

    Mo Xuetong was wrapped up in the coat. Feng Yuran helped her to tie it up again so only her pair of beautiful and shiny eyes could be seen. As such, she did not attract as much attention. He held her hand tightly in his. There were many people on the streets and Mo Xuetong was not stupid. If she did not hold on to his hand tightly, they might be separated by the crowd of peopleing towards them. As such, she allowed him to hold on to her hand.

    The moon was clear today and hung up high in the sky. It shone brightly like a fire, making the whole ce seemed as if it was enshrouded in a hazy light. It was easy for one to put away their worries in such an environment and immerse themselves entirely in the bustle and happiness of the crowd. Mo Xuetong even felt that Feng Yuran was especially friendly and gentle today and had not intentionally challenged and made things difficult for her. They held hands and could sense each other¡¯s warmth and they got closer then.

    ¡°How is it. Do you like it?¡± Feng Yuran smiled and asked with satisfaction when he saw her looking around, unable to hide the surprise in her eyes. She was no longer as solemn and despondent as before.

    ¡°I like it very much. Many thanks, Your Highness.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and agreed. Her attention waspletely captivated by the characters on the tall stage. She had already walked by several of such tall stages and they were all ces for riddle games. However, unlike the others, there were not many people under this stage. Furthermore, it seemed that those watching were either officials or nobility and some of the sons and daughters of noble and wealthy families. Mo Xuetong could not help but look at the items ced on the stage.

    There was a string of crystal-clear beads that were round and full. One could tell that it was expensive from just one look. This was especially so when the beads shone with a warm gentle light even in the dark.

    The other object was a pair of small and exquisite jade-colored swords. It was unknown what material they were made of, but it was a striking green. The pair of swords were very small and one did not know whether they were real swords. The two swords were like hair pins women wore and pearls dripped down from both ends of the sword.

    ¡°Do they look good?¡± Feng Yuran saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s attention was on the two objects and her eyes glittered. He knew that she was not listening to him at all.

    ¡°Oh, they look good.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze was focused on the two miniature swords. Her brows gathered gently. She felt that the pair of miniature swords were really familiar but she could not recall where she had seen them. However, she felt as if she knew them.

    ¡°Are they as good looking as me?¡± Feng Yuran felt unhappy then. He wrenched his hand from Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. There were so many women who were paying attention to him but the girl whose hand he was holding tightly too was not focused on him at all.

    Mo Xuetong turned around when she sensed the sinister tone in Feng Yuran¡¯s voice. She saw him staring at her in an unfriendly manner and she answered hurriedly, ¡°Of course they are not as good looking as Your Highness. Look at what all the girls around us are looking at.¡±

    Anyone with eyes would know that King Xuan was extremely handsome. Mo Xuetong did not dare to say anything otherwise. Furthermore, he seemed extremely petty.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s mood immediately took a turn for the better and he nodded with satisfaction. Then, he looked at the girls around him who were looking at him dazedly and felt annoyed. He ignored the girls who were looking at him with dazed adoration and pulled Mo Xuetong in front with him.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be dazzled by how Feng Yuran¡¯s gloomy expression had turned into a brilliant smile because of what she said. His beautiful eyes were charming and seductive. When had the noble King Xuan been so childish that he would be so happy and excited just because of her praise? That was too childish!

 Chapter 129 - The Beauty of Ding General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 129 The Beauty of Ding General Manor</h4>

    ¡°What is it? Have I dazzled you with my handsomeness?¡± Feng Yuran turned around and blinked. He felt extremely pleased when he saw how she looked at him dazedly with a hint of craftiness in her eyes. His lips curled up and a charming and seductive smile bloomed on his face, dazzling everyone.

    This person was really shameless! Mo Xuetong looked away and gave him the side-eye. She smiled lightly when she saw him raising his brows at her in a rather pleased manner. Then, she wrinkled her nose delicately and said, ¡°Your Highness, your beauty is, of course, unparalleled in this world. And few would not fall for your beauty. Look at all the beautifuldies around us who have been staring at you. It would not be weird even if I joined them!

    Feng Yuran was stunned and he stared at Mo Xuetong with heated eyes. Then, he smiled devilishly and did not speak. Mo Xuetong had a bad feeling and wanted to back away subconsciously. However, he was holding her hands tightly in his. He tugged on her hand slightly and she lost her bnce, stumbling slightly and fell into his embrace.

    Mo Xuetong wanted to struggle but her hands were pressed tightly to her sides and he embraced her tightly. He hugged her to him closely as he spokezily and seductively in her ear, ¡°Tong¡¯er, they are not staring at me now. They are all looking at you.¡±

    Indeed, the loving gazes that fell on Feng Yuran¡¯s face had all turned into gazes of icy swords as they looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Fortunately, she was wearing his coat and only her lively and intelligent eyes could be seen. She was startled by the enmity in the gazes of those around her and she grumbled to herself secretly. Why had she challenged him!

    When had Feng Yuran ever done anything as expected?

    ¡°How is it now? Do you still think I am beautiful?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s brows rxed slightly as he nced casually at the girls staring at Mo Xuetong jealously. His lips curled up and his dark eyes glittered like gems.

    Despite theyer of snow fox leather separating the two, Mo Xuetong could still sense the heated warmth of his breath at her ear. She breathed out and thought about how she could not move in his tight embrace and how he was speaking into her ear rather amorously. Mo Xuetong had always been intelligent and knew that the man was being petty and was intentionally seeking revenge for her description of his beauty.

    Intelligent people would know what to do at the right time. She did not think it was right to annoy him at this time!

    ¡°Your Highness, you are a dragon amongst the people and you are a hero of the world. You are known to be handsome and elegant. I am uneducated and only wanted to praise you for your handsomeness but used the wrong words. I hope that you, a great man, will not harbor grievances against me.¡± Mo Xuetong was held tightly in his embrace. Against all the jealous and hateful nces, no matter how stubborn she was, she could only tter him. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong was truly spineless. She smiled at Feng Yuran sweetly and praised him.

    ¡°It would be great if you had done this earlier. Look, it¡¯s all your fault. My health is poor and you still get me to hug you. That¡¯s too much.¡± Feng Yuran blinked innocently and slowly rxed his arms. The girl seemed very stubborn but still said something so respectful. Feng Yuran¡¯s mood was really good and turned his gaze to the stage benevolently. His eyes turned up with a charming smile. He had just bullied the girl and if he won her a gift, the girl would definitely feel grateful towards her!

    His health was poor? And she wanted him to hug her? Mo Xuetong felt that she did have really good breeding for she had not gotten angry despite his shamelessness. She told herself that she had to have poise. Have poise. However, even so, she took a deep breath when she felt his hand which had been hugging her tightly loosen. She suddenly had an idea and was prepared to push him away. She would push him and he would stumble and fall. Didn¡¯t he say that his health was poor?

    Since his health was poor, how would he be able to keep his bnce?

    Between the two of them, one of them was paying attention to the stage while the other was paying attention to the other. They did not notice when a beautiful couple appeared beside them. The man wore a well-made long robe and a silver cape. He had a smile on his face and his eyes were elegant. He looked extremely handsome. The woman beside him was extremely beautiful and was very elegant and graceful. She wore a white dress dotted with red and her hair was pulled up into a high bun with a fashionable low ponytail. Itplimented her skin and made it look like jade.

    The two of them became the center of attention as they stood in the crowd. At the same, they saw Feng Yuran who stood out from the crowd with his charming and wild disposition and the very swollen bundle he was hugging tightly. They could only see that it was a woman. They nced at her again but could not see her face clearly.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, why have youe out tonight? Didn¡¯t you say that you were busy and wanted to invite beauties to sing and dance for you through the night?¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled and approached them. His face was filled with a faint and elegant smile as if he had forgotten that he had had been rejected without hesitation when he sent men to King Xuan¡¯s ce to ask if Feng Yuran wanted toe and walk around the night market together.

    Feng Yuran had also spotted Feng Yuran. He released Mo Xuetong. Then, he held her hand and approached them with augh, not at all awkward about being caught. He said, not at all feeling conscious of himself, ¡°The beauty is unwilling to sing and dance for me through the night in the manor so I can only bring her out to make her happy. I had coaxed and cajoled her earlier. Elder Brother, you are still more capable for you don¡¯t have to coax and cajole your beauty for her to follow you out. You have to teach me in the future. I have only just got to the bustling and flourishing capital and really don¡¯t know how to make beauties happy.¡±

    No one would have expected him to speak so outrageously. He was treating the woman by Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side as a courtesan who sang and danced on stage and made Feng Yuxuan out to be a yboy. The gentle smile on the woman beside Feng Yuxuan slipped and froze.

    Mo Xuetong was wrapped up tightly in the coat and only her clear and beautiful eyes could be seen. No matter how carefully Feng Yuxuan looked at her, he would not be able to see clearly. Just before they approached Feng Yuran had even put on the hood on the cape over Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. No matter how familiar Feng Yuxuan was with Mo Xuetong, he would not be able to recognize her like that. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong would say that she was not familiar with King Xuan at all!

    She curtsied to Feng Yuxuan and then leaned against Feng Yuran like a timid and lovable woman. In fact, only the two of them knew that Feng Yuran was hugging her slender waist to him possessively. She would not be able to escape even if she wanted to. Of course, she did not struggle but only leaned against Feng Yuran. She could sense the coldness behind Feng Yuran¡¯s smile. He was still smiling, but itcked the warmth it had when he was smiling at her.

    Mo Xuetong could sense the difference and as such, did not move and watched silently as the scene unfolded.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, you don¡¯t know her yet, do you. She is the Second Miss of the Ding General Manor, Miss Ling Fengyan. Second Miss Ling, this is my eighth brother, the newly named King Xuan.¡± Feng Yuxuan retracted his gaze from Mo Xuetong and smiled as he introduced Ling Fengyan and Feng Yuran to each other.

    ¡°Second Miss of the Ding General Manor? Thedy known to be the first beauty of the capital?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a smile. His eyes shone and he raised his brows lightly as he circled Ling Fengyuan while hugging Mo Xuetong.

    Others might not have seen Ling Fengyan before, but he had. She was the girl on the first picture the Empress had sent to get him to choose a queen! He already knew that the Empress had put her on the first portrait intentionally. But he had not expected that she would go to look for Feng Yuxuan when she did not be his queen!

    The Empress¡¯ niece was really a hidden treasure!

    She could be a King¡¯s wife no matter who she picked!

    However, it was expected for her to pick Feng Yuxuan. His Third Brother had always been a role model. But he doubted that he could remain lofty in his morals any longer!

    Mo Xuetong was also watching Ling Fengyan. This was the most beautiful woman in the capital, the Second Miss of the Ding General Manor!

    In her past life, she was King Chu¡¯s Queen!

    She was indeed very beautiful. She was charming just standing there. There were many young men who could not help but had their eyes drawn to her. If not for the elegant and noble Feng Yuxuan standing by her side, someone would have already tried to strike up a conversation with her.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s reputation was very good. The arrogant Ling Mingyan could not bepared to her. She was not only beautiful, she was gracious and gentle, and also very talented. She was way better than Mo Xuemin. However, not many have ever seen Second Miss Ling. Even though she was known to be the most beautiful woman in the capital, she rarely appeared in public. She lived up to the name of a woman who did not step out of her room and was not well known in public.

    In her past life, Ling Fengyan hade under the spotlight two dayster at the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday banquet. She had yed a song with Bai Yihe and won the approval of everyone in the world. Her beautiful appearance had gained the attention of everyone and then became known as the most beautiful woman of Qin. She had be famous from then on.

    As such, Feng Yuran asked to marry Second Miss Ling not long after that. They had gotten married in a fanciful and luxurious ceremony.

    ¡°King Xuan, you tter me. What most beautiful or not. It is just other people praising Fengyan, that¡¯s all. There are as many fish in the river as beautiful women in this world. How could I be the most beautiful woman in the capital.¡± Ling Fengyan hid the coldness in her eyes. A warm and gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face, looking like a blossoming flower. Her humble speech and her gentle smile really gave others a favorable impression. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gaze softened as he looked at her.

    ¡°I am not ttering you. No matter how Second Miss Ling look, you are definitely the most beautiful woman to Elder Brother. Elder brother, since we have both brought beauties with us today, you would definitely think that Second Miss Ling is the most beautiful woman. I, of course, think that the woman in my embrace is the most beautiful. How about this, let¡¯s have apetition for the most beautiful woman by our sides. We will see who would guess the most riddles. Thedy of the team that guesses the most riddles would be the most beautiful woman. How about that?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eye gleamed, directing the second part of his statement at Feng Yuxuan.

    Mo Xuetong, who was held tightly in his arms pursed her lips secretly. The man was really mean. He just would not admit that Ling Fengyan was the most beautiful woman in the capital and wanted to drag her into it. Fortunately, she still owed him a lot, so she would help him out and not embarrass him. Anyway, she had not revealed her face and no one knew who she was. After this, neither Feng Yuxuan nor Ling Fengyan would be able to find her.

 Chapter 130 - Lady Jinâ€™s Sword Hairpin

    <h4>Chapter 130 Lady Jin¡¯s Sword Hairpin</h4>

    ¡°Oh, since Eighth Brother is in the mood, I will definitely keep youpany!¡± Feng Yuxuan nced at Ling Fengyan and smiled with gentle eyes.

    ¡°King Xuan, this is not fair. Thisdy¡¯s face is hidden so well, King Chu cannot see clearly. So how can he deduce whether she is beautiful or not? How about this, why don¡¯t we ask thedy to reveal her face so King Chu can see clearly. How about that?¡± Ling Fengyan¡¯s gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face which was covered and could not be seen clearly. He smiled and spoke gently as his eyes swept across Feng Yuran subconsciously.

    For an inexplicable reason, she felt that Mo Xuetong, who was standing beside the handsome and wless Feng Yuran was very eye-catching. She was beautiful and a single nce at her made her blush and her heart race. She told herself that she was just a rich girl and was the type of person she looked down upon the most before she could calm her racing heart.

    She did not think that the woman was more beautiful than her. As such, she wanted to make Mo Xuetong reveal herself so she could shame her.

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, your beauty isparable to our national flower and other girls cannotpare to you. Furthermore, the two royal highnesses are not reallyparing beauties. Second Miss Ling really do not have to be so insistent on whether I reveal my face or not. No matter which King wins, our beauty is determined by their opinions.¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her lively eyes. Her sweet voice had a seductive hint to it that was usually not present as she spoke gently. She knew how to act as well!

    Ling Fengyan was not a simple person for she could still remain so calm after Feng Yuran doubted her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the capital. Mo Xuetong felt that she was the same sort of person as Mo Xuemin and was secretly wary. Of course, she would not think that Feng Yuran was so bored to make things difficult for her. The more she interacted with Feng Yuran, the more she realized that he was not the flighty yboy he made himself out to be!

    He definitely had his reasons for doing this!

    She was in a rather good mood today. And of course, Ling Fengyan gave her the same kinds of feelings that Mo Xuemin gave her. They were both so fake. As such, she would live freely just once and go wild with Feng Yuran!

    Ling Fengyan had tried to trick her into revealing herself. She would not let her get what she wanted!

    ¡°Not bad, you have just spoken what was on my mind. You are indeed the person I like! Elder brother, look at the two items on the stage. How about we use those as prizes? I wonder which one Second Miss Ling likes?¡± A charming smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s lips as he pointed at the beads and the swords on the stage. His eyes, which were like dark jade, had a hint of teasingughter in them and he appeared noble despite hiszy tone.

    Despite hiszy appearance, he was still seductive.

    The string of beads and the pair of miniature jade swords. Ling Fengyan¡¯s eyes could not help but be drawn to the beads. The color, the size of the beads; even if she had never seen them before, she knew that they were extremely precious. While the jade colored miniature swords were also very attractive, they were not as attractive to women as the beads were.

    Everyone knew what she had chosen when they saw how her gazended on the beads.

    ¡°Elder brother, Second Miss Ling has already chosen. Why don¡¯t we go and look at the riddles?¡± Feng Yuranughed and walked up to the stage. Feng Yuxuan, who was behind him, hesitated a little before he brought Ling Fengyan with him.

    The riddles on the stage were very weird. There were two paintings. The first was of the blue sky and white clouds. There was a grasnd under the clouds. The painting was filled with a crowd of white sheep. The second painting was still of the same sky and grass but the sheep were squeezed on the left side of the painting while arge pack of wolves appeared on the right side! The requirements written below the two paintings were simple. The answer to each riddle was a fruit!

    There were many gathered before the stage and many approached to try to answer the riddle. However, they all failed and no one could solve the riddle.

    There were many who were watching the show below the stage and there were quite a few who were trying to solve the riddle with their brows furrowed. However, no one else went up on the stage and the stage appeared to be rather empty.

    Mo Xuetong stared at the jade-colored miniature swords that were ced under the second painting. It was the second prize. When she approached it, she could see them more clearly. They looked like hairpins and decorations were hanging from it. They were tassels on women hairpins. They shook slightly under the light, glittering beautifully.

    She seemed to recall there being such a pair of hairpin swords. While she could not remember clearly, she knew that they were important for sure.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes tightened and her breathing turned quick. She pulled on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeves subconsciously and said, ¡°Your Highness...¡± She called out softly and then bit her lips, forcing down the anxiety she felt. She could hear her heart beating loudly and the blood in her body flowing faster.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran could hear the anxiousness in her voice. He lowered his head and rxed the hand that was wrapped around her waist tightly, holding on to her hand instead. He spoke to her softly, turning his back against the stage and faced her. The light sone from behind him and she could not see his expression clearly. However, she felt that it would not be hard to make a request of him at that moment.

    Perhaps he was in a good mood today because of the beautiful moon. That works out well!

    ¡°I, I want those swords.¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips and pleaded softly.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s brows twitched slightly but he did not ask her anything else. He pulled her hand and then approached the tall stage. He patted her hand and then issued Feng Yuxuan, who was behind him, a challenging smile. Then, he went onto the stage. Feng Yuxuan looked at the riddle and then went up as well.

    He, he had agreed just like that!

    Mo Xuetong stretched her neck upwards from behind and then forced down the words of dissatisfaction that were at her mouth. She looked at Feng Yuran incredulously!

    She was prepared to convince him with plenty of reason earlier, but he had already gone up before she could even speak. She had so many things to say but could not. This person had not only not tried to find trouble with her today and had helped her without asking her for a reason?

    This, this was such a rare incident!

    It was easy for them to solve the riddle especially after Feng Yuran revealed the answer to the second riddle. Feng Yuxuan did not have to put in much effort to solve the first.

    The answers to the second riddle were either bayberry or starfruit! (Homophones for Sheep gone and sheep flee)

    The solution for the first riddle was naturally strawberries! (Grass gone)

    ¡°Good, this is right!¡± A middle-aged man in his 40s pped andughed as he praised them. ¡°Men, give the prizes to these two gentlemen.¡± The riddles were actually a pair and it was not difficult to guess the second after one guessed the first. However, the two men were evidently interested in different prizes. The middle-aged man was an understanding person and told his servants to give out the prizes separately with a smile.

    Two servants brought out two jade trays from behind. The two expensive presents were ced on each tray.

    ¡°Excuse me, do the swords still have a pair of scabbards that have not been presented?¡± Mo Xuetong walked onto the stage and asked the middle-aged man.

    ¡°Scabbards? These swords have always been like this in the hands of their previous owner. When did they have scabbards?¡± The middle-aged man frowned and asked in confusion.

    ¡°What would one want these swords if they do not have scabbards? Please inform the owner that we do not want these swords without scabbards.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She lifted her hands and then touched the sword handle with her tender pale hands before moving away. She pulled Feng Yuran away and turned around without hesitation, about to leave the stage.

    A tall figure was seated in arge round backed armchair behind the bead curtains at the back of the stage. His bright eyesnded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s covered face and he tapped his fingers on the table lightly. A servant immediately appeared and said respectfully, ¡°Master, your orders please!¡±

    In front, Mo Xuetong¡¯s foot had justnded on the first step of the stairs by the stage.

    ¡°Miss, please wait!¡± A clever servant appeared, running out from behind holding a jade box in his hands. ¡°Miss, you have guessed the riddle correctly, how can you not want the prize. These swords match the items in the box perfectly. They are gifts for you, Miss.¡±

    ¡°They match the prize?¡± A hint of a smile appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes.

    ¡°They naturally match.¡± The servant assured her again. Another servant holding the miniature swords ran over as well, presenting her with them.

    Mo Xuetong did not reject the swords this time. She ced the swords in the jade box and epted them. Then, she curtsied to the person behind the curtains with satisfaction.

    The young man behind the curtains ordered, ¡°Go and find out whose daughter she is.¡±

    ¡°Master, this woman behaved so intimately with another man. She is obviously a courtesan... should we check at the brothels?¡± A man asked doubtfully. Etiquette has always been important in Qin, so which nobledy would behave like this, standing so close to another man? This was too much!

    Did she still want her reputation!

    ¡°No need, check up on the nobledies.¡± The cold voice ordered! He did not know that woman but he knew the newly named King Xuan, Feng Yuran. Which courtesan would dare to behave so wildly in front of the devilish King Xuan? Furthermore, her face was so well covered. It was obvious that she was afraid someone would recognize her. Those courtesans would definitely want to show off who they were if they had the affections of Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Check the whole incident clearly. We won¡¯t be here for long!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The other person answered.

    The young man looked at Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran who were leaving from the gaps between the bead curtain. His eyes darkened and a cold smile appeared on his lips. King Xuan and King Yan of the Great Qin and two women were together. One of the women was stunning and had to be the most beautiful woman of the Great Qin. As for the other woman, she was very intelligent, and that made him even more curious...

    It seems that this trip to the Great Qin was rewarding!

    Under the stage, Mo Xuetong¡¯s head was lowered as she allowed Feng Yuran to hold her hand. She frowned subconsciously. If she had not guessed wrongly, the swords were women hairpins that when worn with the scabbard, would look like ordinary hairpins. In her past life, she had heard of a famous pair of hairpins. Were they them?

    In her past life, she had heard of a pair of extremely precious hairpins. It was said that they used to belong to Queen Jin. If one pressed the right button, the hairpins would immediately turn into a pair of sharp swords. They could kill without being discovered. After that, a mysterious person had paid an exorbitant amount of money for the hairpins. In the end, a normal nobledy had gotten the pair of hairpins and the mysterious person had paid the nobledy 20,000 pieces of gold for them.

    Mo Xuetong did not value the 20,000 pieces of gold. It was said that there was another secret to the scabbards and she wanted them for that. When she died back then, the mysterious person had already solved the secret and it was known to all. However, right now, no one knew of the secrets within.

    ¡°Miss, could there be something special about the swords and its scabbards?¡± Feng Yuxuan hurried and walked on Mo Xuetong¡¯s left side. He looked at the swords and jade box in her hand and his eyes shone as he questioned her gently. Ling Fengyan was also very curious as she hurried up to catch up with them. Her gazended on the objects in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Of course, there is, of course there is! This is something that I have gifted to a beauty. So how can it not be special? If there are no scabbards for the sword, how can the beauty and I be harmonious in the future? The boss is an understanding person and knew to find the scabbards. I will find someone to reward such an intelligent boss.¡± Feng Yuran replied with a teasing smile. He had this ability to answer a serious question with a silly answer.

    However, it had helped rescue Mo Xuetong from her quandary. She hid her face in the coat and they could not see her. If she said anything else though, Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan might be able to sense and recognize her should they meet again. That would be troublesome. Feng Yuran had answered the question for her and that had helped her out. She curtsied deeply to Feng Yuxuan but did not say anything.

    Indeed, the elegant Feng Yuxuan was speechless after Feng Yuran¡¯s teasing words. Ling Fengyan reacted quickly and she said with augh, ¡°King Xuan, you truly love this beauty and want to be with thisdy in all situations. Thisdy is indeed fortunate to have received King Xuan¡¯s affections. I wonder how long thisdy has been together with King Xuan?¡±

    ¡°This is embarrassing. It is my good fortune to receive King Xuan¡¯s affections. How dare I say anything about us being together. King Xuan just patronizes me from time to time.¡± Mo Xuetong pretended not to hear the underlying meaning behind Ling Fengyan¡¯s words. She smiled seductively and leaned against Feng Yuran, looking as if she was seducing him.

    How could she be a nobledy then! Ling Fengyan nced at the two and realized that there was nothing odd with them. Other than the coat that covered Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, King Xuan, who was like any other rich yboy, seemed as if he was smitten with a courtesan.

    After ascertaining her identity, Ling Fengyan walked beside Feng Yuxuan and did not say anything else. There was a hint of disdain in her eyes. The woman was just a ything at a brothel and could not bepared to her after all. She heard that her portrait had been sent back by King Xuan. Now, it seemed that King Xuan was indeed not ambitious at all. He was hanging out with women from the brothel and could not bepared to the Third Prince. The Empress was thinking too much.

 Chapter 131 - Each with Their Own Ideas and the Accidental

    <h4>Chapter 131 Each with Their Own Ideas and the idental Discovery</h4>

    Ling Fengyan had already decided to tell her aunt, who was the Empress, that she did not need to put in so much effort with the Eighth Prince, King Xuan, who was a ludicrous yboy. She secretly nced at Feng Yuxuan out of the corner of her eyes. This man was inscrutable and was the opponent that the Third Prince should pay most attention to. Furthermore, he was also the man that her aunt had told her to draw to their side.

    Out of the few of them, Feng Yuxuan was still filled with suspicion. He wanted to say a few more words to Mo Xuetong but Feng Yuran kept blocking him. Ling Fengyan looked down on Mo Xuetong¡¯s status, and as such, her eyes were cold even though she wore a smile on her face. She did not look willing to speak with Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not say anything else other than asionally pretending to be cute towards Feng Yuran, turning her voice into one of gentle seductiveness when she did that.

    The four of them walked on the street and in the end, only Feng Yuran and Feng Yuxuan spoke a few words with each other. Fortunately, they spent most of their time solving riddles and had part ways in order to hasten their speed. Each team would guess the riddles down one street. In the end, Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong lost.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, it seems that Second Miss Ling is indeed the most beautiful woman in the capital. Look, even heaven is helping her! Fortunately, I agree with that too. However, in my heart, the most beautiful woman in the capital is still my sweetheart!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s expression was one of regret as he held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, drawing circles lightly on her palm. However, he spoke seriously, aplete contradiction to his actions and his solemn expression. His handsome devilish face coupled with his ostentatious purple robes and therge blooming flowers on the robes made it hard for others not to notice him.

    Ling Fengyan could not help but turn to look at Feng Yuran with a beautiful smile on her lips that even she did not notice.

    Mo Xuetong was not paying attention to all this. She suddenly saw a beautiful and elegant woman wearing a pink satin skirt at the corner of the street in front.

    Mo Xuemin. How could it be her?

    Mo Xuetong was startled. She turned hurriedly, wanting to see more clearly. A crowd surged forward, blocking her line of sight. By the time the crowd passed, she could not see anyone anymore. Could she have seen wrongly? Mo Xuemin should be in Fuqing Garden right now. After what happened at home, both Auntie Fang and her were in trouble. How dare she sneak out of the manor? Mo Xuetong would not think that she was so free and was in the mood toe and look at the fireworks.

    She could not understand and her brows gathered slightly.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, shall we go to Fragrance House together? It would be nice to watch the fireworks from there. We already booked a room and we can go together.¡± Feng Yuxuan invited them politely.

    Even though the fireworks on the day before New Year¡¯s Eve could not bepared to those at midnight on New Year¡¯s Day, it was still bustling. What was most important on New Year¡¯s Eve was that the family could gather and eat reunion dinner. There were not many people on the streets at night. It was bustling tonight and they could stroll along the streets while admiring the fireworks. Many noble and wealthy families liked to eat out. They would pick a good spot and admire the fireworks while eating dinner in a booth with beautiful scenery.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, what a coincidence. We booked a booth at Fragrance House too. Let¡¯s go together. I can chat with you while the twodies can talk about interesting things that girls talk about. Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes glimmered. His smile was filled with charm,ziness and wildness.

    Despite Ling Fengyan¡¯s good upbringing, she could not keep the smile on her face when she thought of chatting with a girl from the brothel and being friends with her. She was the Empress¡¯ niece and the main daughter of the Ding General Manor. How could she hang out with a woman of such lowly status? If others saw her and spread rumors about it, she would be extremely embarrassed.

    ¡°It is still early and it would probably be an hour or more until the fireworks. It would be too early to go now. King Chu, will you apany me on a walk? We were too busy trying to solve the riddles earlier and didn¡¯t have time to walk around. What do you think, King Chu?¡± Ling Fengyan tilted her beautiful face up expectantly at Feng Yuxuan. While her tone was gentle, she swept her eyes at Mo Xuetong, her disdain for her was obvious.

    Her eyes were gentle pools of water and the gentle expression on her beautiful face made it hard for a man to refuse her.

    ¡°Walk around? That¡¯s great! We want to walk around too. Now that I think about it, it is indeed a little early. We can apany you; Elder Brother and we can chat on the way.¡± Feng Yuran looked at them with a cheerful smile. It was obvious that he wanted to chat with them. He pushed Mo Xuetong towards Ling Fengyan as he spoke and said, ¡°Second Miss Ling, help me take care of my beauty. You girls havemon topics and it would be much more interesting for you two to chat.¡±

    He wanted her to hang out with a slutty woman from the brothel! That¡¯s too much!

    Ling Fengyan tampered down on her anger and a sh of disgust appeared in her eyes. She turned away from Mo Xuetong and was about to find an excuse to avoid having to speak with Mo Xuetong. The slutty courtesan was not the only issue. Her aunt, the Empress, had arranged for her and King Chu to go on a walk today not just for them to meet. Her aunt had ordered her to make King Chu personally ask the Empress for her hand no matter what.

    Even though the Queen could just sanction their marriage straight, it was different from King Chu asking for her hand. She had finally seen the shock in King Chu¡¯s eyes and she had to follow up quickly right now no matter what. What exactly were the extra Feng Yuran and that courtesan up to?

    Mo Xuetong stumbled because Ling Fengyan backed away and she could not help but bump into Feng Yuxuan. Fortunately, Feng Yuran¡¯s reactions were fast and he pulled her back to his side and asked anxiously, ¡°How are you? Were you injured?¡± He held his hand looking extremely distressed and put his arm around her slender waist worriedly.

    He was the one who had pushed her over and knew that Ling Fengyan would avoid her. Yet, he was still making such a fuss. Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth secretly and pinched him hard when he reached his hand over. Anyway, he was acting right now and would not make any sound in pain.

    Feng Yuran indeed did not show that it hurt at all. He pulled Mo Xuetong tightly into his embrace, looking extremely distressed while he spoke coldly and with dissatisfaction to Ling Fengyan.

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, if you have something on with Eldest Brother, you could just say so. Why did you have to behave so petntly? My beauty is fragile and if she¡¯s been injured, I would feel terribly worried. Forget it. Eldest Brother, since your lover is insistent about spending this beautiful night alone with you, I shan¡¯t bother you too and spoil Second Miss Ling¡¯s ns. Otherwise, she would just dislike us.¡±

    He spoke really directly and was exactly right that Ling Fengyan had intentionally ditched them because she had other ns. She wanted to spend the night alone with Feng Yuxuan. However, the implications behind his words made Ling Fengyan flush hotly and she could not even raise her head as she scrunched up her handkerchief viciously into a ball.

    She was so annoyed and humiliated that she could not even say anything.

    He was saying that she had a bad reputation and wanted to meet a man in private!

    But this was truly her intention today and she could not retort even if she wanted to.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes shed as he looked at Ling Fengyan. When he turned to look at Feng Yuran, his eyes were gentle and elegant once more. He exined, ¡°Eighth Brother, what are you saying. Second Miss Ling only feels that it is still too early to go and eat dinner and did not mean to ditch you two. We might as well walk down that street together. It is rather picturesque over there.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan was pointing at a major street of the capital. It was also along the river that ran through the center of the capital. It was the most bustling stretch of road and there were manyrge shops there as well as ces to rest. It was indeed a good ce to shop at.

    Ling Fengyan secretly heaved a sigh of relief when she saw how Feng Yuxuan was helping her to exin the situation. Her aunt had said that she definitely could not make Feng Yuxuan suspicious. Feng Yuran had managed picked out her intentions by fluke and had scared her so much she was sweating. As such, she did not even care about retorting. She rxed when she saw that Feng Yuxuan was not behaving oddly. However, even so, she did not dare to walk together Feng Yuran. He was an extravagant and wild person and did not care what could be said or not.

    Hanging out with a person like this would mean that she had to be careful at all times! Ling Fengyan felt that she was really self-possessed but was worried that she would not be able to hold up against his shamelessness. She did not know what to do and as such, lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief, pretending to be shy. Meanwhile, she secretly plotted what to do. She must not let King Xuane along with them tonight no matter what.

    ¡°No, beauty and I are going to walk in that direction. Eldest Brother, we shan¡¯t go with you two then since we are all headed to Fragrance House anyway. If you like we can meet thereter. We shan¡¯t apany you now lest my beauty is subjected to unpleasantness.¡± Feng Yuran nced at Ling Fengyan with extreme dissatisfaction. Anyone could see that he was displeased.

    Then, he did not wait for Feng Yuxuan to say anything. He put his fists together and continued, ¡°Eldest Brother, you have a date with a beautiful woman tonight and must have fun. I will wait for good news from you tomorrow.¡± Then, he took Mo Xuetong with him down a different street without even turning back.

    Wait for good news! What good news? If something happened between her and Ling Fengyan tonight, then he would have no choice but to ask for her hand tomorrow. The young mistress of the Empress¡¯ family was not one to be humiliated so easily. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle eyesnded on Ling Fengyan, whose head was lowered and face was flushed.

    She was beautiful beyondpare! This was the first impression that Ling Fengyan gave him. A beauty like her was ravishing. The Empress was really willing to invest her treasures. He heard that she had sent Ling Fengyan¡¯s portrait to his eighth brother but it was tossed out by him. Then, she had intentionally appeared before him!

    The famous beauty of the capital was indeed stunning! She had stayed at home and was rarely seen in public. Was it all for today?

    It was a pity that he already had a beauty whom he admired. He recalled that childish face. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s smile grew slightly gentler. A girl like that was more worthy of the title as the most beautiful woman. Even though she was still young and her body had not yet matured, no one would be able topare to her in a few more years. Her wits, hidden beneath her gentle facade made one¡¯s heart race even more.

    Compared to the girl before him who pretended to be shy while plotting secretly, she was a hundred thousand times better. Forget it, since she had sent herself to him, so what if he yed with her!

    Ling Fengyan lowered her head. She looked up since she did not hear Feng Yuxuan speak in a long while. She raised her head to realize that he was looking at her tenderly and she lowered her head shyly once more. Her face was flushed as she said coyly, ¡°Your Highness!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go and walk around? It is indeed early. There was a shop we passed earlier and thenterns inside were especially beautiful. I shall take you there. Is there one that you like?¡± Feng Yuran retracted his tender gaze and smiled as he pointed down the street they had passed and spoke to her in gentle tones.

    ¡°I will listen to Your Highness¡¯ orders.¡± Ling Fengyan answered softly.

    The two of them seemed like a good match since they both harbored feelings for each other. They looked verypatible with each other. Those who were following them secretly all nodded. It seems like King Chu was joining in!

    On the other side, Mo Xuetong nced at Feng Yuran from the side of her eye. She pouted slightly and asked, ¡°You did it intentionally, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°How could that be intentional! Ling Fengyan is obviously interested in my eldest brother. And they might just get together tonight. The two of us would just hinder their business. A gentleman is always helpful, and I am always a gentleman. How could I ruin things for them?¡± Feng Yuran said glibly as he waved his hand forcefully, looking extremely righteous. One would think that he was a gentleman just looking at him. However, the underlying meaning in his words was not gentlemanly at all.

    What kind of person was he to dare to say something like that? Mo Xuetong flushed and red at him. Then, she gritted her teeth and decided to ignore him. He sounded as if he was decent, but...

    ¡°It¡¯s true. Second Miss Ling is not that simple. She is the Empress¡¯ trump card. But I don¡¯t know if that Third Brother of mine knows that the beauty he is in love with is going to marry someone else soon.¡± Feng Yuran smiled evilly as he held on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands, his eyes glittering. He was just about to say something else when he noticed that there was a bruise on her pale slender hands. The blue patch on her porcin skin made it seem rather pitiable. His expression changed immediately.

    He pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands towards him and checked it out carefully. His expression darkened as he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

 Chapter 132 - Assassination of King Xuan on the night before

    <h4>Chapter 132 Assassination of King Xuan on the night before New Year¡¯s Eve</h4>

    ¡°What?¡± Mo Xuetong did not notice the quick change in topic. She followed his gaze and looked at the bruise on her hand. She replied lightly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I bumped it just now. Your Highness, there¡¯s something odd about your good old eldest brother. It is such a beautiful night and he has thepany of a beautiful woman. Yet, he still has so many sharp weapons hidden on him. That¡¯s really not good at all.¡±

    She had allowed herself to fall against Feng Yuxuan earlier after Ling Fengyan¡¯s avoidance of her. There was a rod-shaped object at his chest. Mo Xuetong had touched it as she fell and it felt like a short sword. Feng Yuxuan had brought a weapon out while he strolled along the streets with Ling Fengyan. This was very odd.

    Ling Fengyan had not said much earlier. But her intentions were clear. She did want to spend time alone with King Chu. If she had not recalled wrongly, the Empress supported the Third Prince. Then, one could deduce why she was asking her most beautiful niece to apany King Chu!

    She had heard everything Feng Yuran said clearly. He meant that King Yan, Feng Yuyan was interested in Ling Fengyan. Since he liked her, why was he sending Ling Fengyan to King Chu¡¯s side? There were some things that she should not care about and would not care about. But since Feng Yuran helped her so many times, she would naturally consider things from his view. The idental bump earlier was a way for her to help Feng Yuran check out Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°You mean you were helping me to check out Eldest Brother intentionally?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were narrowed. He did not care about the heavy implications in her words. A charming smile appeared on his lips and he suddenly felt very very pleased. He patted her hand softly before letting go when she seemed to reach the limits of her anger.

    How could this person not understand what she was trying to say!

    Meeting a beautiful woman was an elegant business. Why did he need to bring weapons? He was usually very smart, so why was he not catching on today?

    ¡°Your Highness, you helped me so many times, so I have to repay your kindness, right. You had better think about what I said earlier!¡± Mo Xuetong wrenched her hand from his grasp and flung her hand out righteously as she reminded him. He had been holding her so tightly that her hand hurt from his hold rather than from being bumped.

    He had helped her so many times in exchange for this one repayment? And it was on something that he had already known? Feng Yuran felt rather unhappy and his expression darkened. He harrumphed coldly and said, ¡°I helped you so many times and even saved your life. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to marry me to repay me for my kindness. But you use such a small matter to try to fob me off. Do you really think I¡¯m easy to cheat!¡±

    Was he angry? Mo Xuetong looked at him in shock, her mouth opened. She could not catch up with his thoughts.

    King Xuan was really hard to understand. He was still so happy earlier, but he was all dark and gloomy now. She had only done this to please him, but he felt as if she was trying to fool him. If he was not the eighth prince that Emperor Zongwen doted on the most, the mighty King Xuan, and not someone she could afford to offend, Mo Xuetong would have left long ago.

    She looked around her. There were people everywhere. Mo Xuetong was still considered clear-headed and did not just fight with him. The situation right now was against her. If she left him, she probably would not be able to find her way back to Mo Manor. Furthermore, she could not go over the wall without him even if she got there. It would not be wise to offend him right now!

    She did not want to ruin her reputation just because she did not want to go shopping!

    ¡°Since Your Highness does not enjoy chatting with me, then send me home. Many thanks for your hospitality today.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied politely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Feng Yuran turned hostile suddenly. He turned his head to the side and did not look at her.

    Was, was he angry? Mo Xuetong felt rather baffled. However, she knew that this was not the time to be considering this issue. She had to coax him first.

    ¡°Your Highness! Your Highness, King Xuan!¡± Mo Xuetong truly did not know how she had annoyed him. She turned around to smile at him but did not expect his head to be turned away from her. Was he going to ignore her? This man was so hard to please. Mo Xuetong looked around and suddenly said softly, ¡°Your Highness, since you do not wish to see me, then I shall go home by myself. I just need to go back to the manor and admit that I came out secretly by myself.¡±

    Then, she turned around, looking sorry for herself, and headed in the other direction.

    Behind her, Feng Yuran moved slightly. Then, he immediately caught himself. He did not believe that she would dare to go home by herself! He watched her. Even though she said she was leaving, she was moving really slowly. He harrumphed coldly to himself. Thess dared to lie to him!

    Hurmph, very well. She wanted to y with him. Very well! What was she going to do if he ignored her? He did not believe that she would be able exin things clearly when she returned to Mo Manor. How was she going to exin being able to slip out so silently?

    ¡°Are you really going to ignore me?¡± Mo Xuetong realized she truly had run out of ideas against the intelligent and unpredictable man. What was worse was that she had to ask him for help, and only him. She truly could not find anyone who could flip over such a tall wall. Mo Feng was definitely not around anymore. She thought about it, didn¡¯t Mo Feng belong to him as well!

    ¡°Your Highness, if you will not help me, I will go and ask King Chu. King Chu went down that road earlier, didn¡¯t he? We just separated not long ago. I trust that they have not gone far.¡± Mo Xuetong said sadly from where she stood. She sighed in self-pity and then turned around in the other direction, having epted fate. That was the road Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan had gone down earlier.

    Thess really did dare threaten him. Feng Yuran was furious. He leaned against the wall. He did not believe that thess would really go and find Feng Yuxuan. He was not afraid that she was using Feng Yuran to aggravate him!

    Mo Xuetong took two more steps. Then, she turned around with a small frown. She stared at Feng Yuran¡¯s charming appearance and felt gloomy. This man was really...If she did not clearly know that she would not be able to go home without his help, she would have already left. This man was really too unpredictable. Pigs could fly before one could grasp what he was thinking, not to mention knowing why he had gotten angry for no reason earlier!

    Mo Xuetong stopped moving. She turned around and returned to his side, pouting and not speaking. She stared at him gloomily, anger bubbling in her heart. She felt aggrieved and annoyed, especially when she looked at how he had turned his handsome face away petntly. Anger surged up from within. If he had not brought her out, would she be in such an awkward situation right now? She could not hold back her anger for that moment and she reached out for her hand, which was wrapped around his other arm, and bit down forcefully.

    Feng Yuran was secretly pleased when he saw how she had returned on her own ord. However, he had not expected that she would take his hand so quickly and bite down. He wanted to fling her away subconsciously but managed to restrain himself. He said viciously, ¡°You bit me! Have you gotten addicted to biting me!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind cleared after she was done biting him. She could see the situation clearly now. She nibbled at her lips and put her soft pale hands in front of Feng Yuran, looking rather aggrieved. She took a deep breath and then said righteously, ¡°You can bite me back!¡±

    This person was so petty when she didn¡¯t bite him. Wouldn¡¯t he be angrier if she bit him? She might as well just let him bite her! Perhaps he would let her off when he saw how she was doing this willingly.

    ¡°You bit me, so you want me to bite you back? You bit me more than once!¡± Feng Yuranined. Feng Yuran¡¯s mood suddenly turned for the better when he saw how aggrieved she looked and how her expression read ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you biting me.¡±

    Thess still had a conscience. At least she would allow him to bite her after biting him and did not just pretend that it had not happened. Of course, he would not tell her now that he liked how she treated him as an equal. I bite you, and you bite me. How nice was that! Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even more brilliant when he saw how she was looking at him secretly from the corner of her eyes!

    He took her hand and then bit down on her soft pale hands before he decided to let her off!

    ¡°Your Highness, are you satisfied now? Can you take me home?¡± Mo Xuetong nibbled her lips and retracted her hand. She looked at the neat row of teeth marks on the back of her hands and ire slowly appeared in her eyes. She only managed to force down the anger she felt and pull out a gentle smile after a long while. He was such a petty man!

    ¡°Why are we leaving? We haven¡¯t seen the fireworks. And I haven¡¯t bought you thatntern you liked when we passed by that road over there. Let¡¯s go take a look at that and then watch the fireworks. There¡¯s still a show for you to watchter on!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s mood was extremely good then. He reached out to take her hands and even helped her to rub it as she searched for something to say. He felt very pleased when he saw the teeth marks on her soft pale hands. He had ced his seal on it! Then, he held out his hand andpared it with hers. There were also two rows of teeth marks on them. That¡¯s right. They both had to ce their seals down. It¡¯d be safer that way.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see it anymore. I want to go home! Mo Xuetong felt angry when he saw how he had intentionallypared their hands with a pleased expression. She thought of how he had intentionally annoyed her and then was now behaving as if nothing happened. He made her happy one moment and then angry the next. It was just because he was bored and had nothing to do. For all that she thought he was helping her, he only treated it as entertainment.

    This man was too evil!

    She stomped her feet and got angry!

    ¡°Are you really angry? You are so petty. Look, you bit me and I didn¡¯t even get angry about that. Why are you so angry when I only bit you lightly? A girl should be more magnanimous. Look at Second Miss Ling. She¡¯s already like that but she still retains the disposition of a girl of a noble family.¡± Feng Yuran blinked. His eyes were like ck jade. He extended his hands and smiled, not at all looking as angry as he did earlier.

    Petty? Would she be as petty as him? She had bitten him and he dared to bite her? She was a girl. Mo Xuetong was so angry she wanted to bite him again. She nibbled at her lips and then exhaled loudly. She curtsied to Feng Yuran coldly and said, ¡°How would I dare to be angry at you, Your Highness. You are nobility and you are not someone that people like us can injure. Why don¡¯t you let me return home before I bite you and cause you injury lest you me me again when something happens to you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t be angry when you bite me in the future.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. He pulled Mo Xuetong along with him to a path while he whispered in her ears, ¡°I will let you bite me anywhere you want in the future. How about that? You won¡¯t be angry anymore, will you!¡± Then, he even winked at her, not at all deterred by her attitude.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡± Mo Xuetongined. Then, suddenly, a crowd rushed towards them from both sides. She had not even managed to say anything before she was squeezed forcefully against Feng Yuran. It all happened so quickly, Feng Yuran moved speedily to hug her before they were pressed against the wall. Fortunately, his reactions were fast and he carried Mo Xuetong immediately into an alley by the side.

    Mo Xuetong had not even had the time to breath when she was startled to find four or five men dressed in ck jumping down from the two sides of the walls. They started to attack Feng Yuran together.

    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t go anywhere else. Be careful.¡± Feng Yuran ced Mo Xuetong at a corner and drew the flexible sword he wore at his waist. He stood in front of her and started fighting the men in ck. There were four of them against one of him while another approached Mo Xuetong from the side. The sword in his hand glinted coldly with light reflecting off from the light in the alley.

    Were they going to get rid of her first before they worked together against Feng Yuran?

    They wanted to assassinate Feng Yuran!

    Mo Xuetong took out the miniature swords from the jade box and tossed it aside. She hid it carefully under her wide sleeves. The coat she wore around her hid the swordspletely. When she saw the man in ck approaching her, she turned away hurriedly. She had never learned martial arts, so she fell to the side after losing her bnce when she moved quickly. The swords in her hand swung out.

    The swords pricked on the man in ck viciously. The sword in his hand fell to the ground in his immense pain. He yelled in pain and pped his palm on Mo Xuetong¡¯s body. Her slender body could not help but fall forward and a sickly-sweet taste appeared in her throat. She did not even have time to close her eyes as she fell towards the wall.

    She feared that she was going to die!

 Chapter 133 - Pretending to be Gracious and the Plot in the Private Room

    Chapter 133 Pretending to be Gracious and the Plot in the Private Room

    Mo Xuetong closed her head subconsciously. She could hear Feng Yuran¡¯s angry roars as someone caught her in mid-air. She fell into a solid embrace and heard Feng Yuran¡¯s anxious voice. ¡°Tong¡¯er!¡± She felt a surge of dizziness and forced herself to open her eyes. She saw two men going against the other four behind Feng Yuran.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, you be careful.¡± Mo Xuetong forced down the sickly-sweet taste in her chest as she tugged on his shirt anxiously while panting. There were still four men in ck behind. Even if Feng Yuran had two subordinates who had arrived, there were still two other assassins. Her hand felt beside her weakly and the world turned ck!

    Feng Yuran had lost all his usualziness as he scooped up Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender figure. His long phoenix-eyes were narrowed coldly, revealing the sharpness and threat in them. He was not at all the easy-going andzy person he appeared to be usually.

    He yelled coldly, ¡°Move faster and kill all of them!¡±

    Feng Yue answered in affirmative, his movements grew sharper. He secretly nced at the blood-thirstiness in his master¡¯s eyes. He knew that Third Miss Mo¡¯s status was different in his master¡¯s heart. His master was looking for someone to vent his anger on now that she had been injured! He did not dare to dilly-dally at all. He quickly got rid of his two opponents. On the other side, the two men in ck were both dead as well.

    ¡°Put pce boots on them!¡± Feng Yuran exuded an icy coldness. He carried Mo Xuetong and took a few steps back, carefully gathering her skirts to prevent her light-colored dress from being stained by blood.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Two people approached and nimbly changed the ordinary t boots the men in ck wore into pce boots!

    Feng Yuran had already left, carrying Mo Xuetong.

    Inside an elegantly decorated private room on the third floor of Fragrance House.

    Mo Xuemin leaned on a chair on the left side, having brought Mo Xiu with her. On the right, sat You Yuecheng, the Ming Duke¡¯s son. There were plenty of dishes on the table and they were all signature dishes of Fragrance House. The table filled with dishes could feed an ordinary family for a year or two. You Yuecheng had picked whatever he liked casually. This made Mo Xuemin even more certain of what she wanted. She gritted her teeth and then looked up tearfully. The expression on her beautiful face was pitiable and filled with gentleness.

    ¡°Your Excellency, please help me. I would not havee so shamelessly to ask you for help if I had not truly run out of ideas. My mother¡¯s been locked up and I don¡¯t even know how she is right now. My elder brother is rash and his ideas will only anger Father and Third Sister. Third Sister was left all alone in Cloud City, I do not dare to say much no matter how many grievances she has. However, she has already taken the life of our younger brother. Does she want my mother¡¯s life as well?¡±

    Mo Xuemin kneeled in front of You Yuecheng with a thud and held the bottom of his robe, pleading with him. Mo Xiu knelt down behind her as well, reaching out to pull her up anxiously. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t cry. Auntie is still alive. Even though Little Young Master is gone, but Auntie...has someone to...take care of her inside!¡± She was anxious and upset as well, and she started to cry before Mo Xuemin did.

    ¡°Your Excellency...It is not that I do not care for our reputation as women, and it is not that I am shameless. But my mother¡¯s life is in danger. Father has locked her up in her courtyard after she lost the child. There is only a servant guarding the door and there is no one to take care of her health. I went to visit her but was stopped outside. Please, Your Excellency... please, on behalf of the Yu family, help me.¡± Mo Xuemin cried pitifully, and coupled with what Mo Xiu said, made her seem even more pitiable.

    A pitiful beauty under the light with such grievances. How could one not take pity on her?

    You Yuecheng frowned. His eyes were deep and dark. He put down the wine cup in his hand and pulled Mo Xuemin up. He was very strong and Mo Xuemin could not resist. She was pulled up. She might have lost her bnce, or tripped on her skirts. She subconsciously caught on to You Yuecheng¡¯s palm which he had not withdrawn to catch her bnce.

    When she caught her bnce, she found herself clutching You Yuecheng¡¯s hand tightly. She hurriedly shook his hand away and backed away with a blush.

    ¡°Your Third Miss is so vicious, why don¡¯t you go and tell your father? Lord Mo is not so easily tricked.¡± You Yuecheng retracted his hand and asked coldly. He could not help but think of that beautiful and gentle face. He had not expected that face to be hiding such an evil heart. She had not only plotted against her unborn younger brother, but she had also even framed the Auntie for hurting her unborn child.

    Would there be such a vicious mother in the world? How could the clear-headed Lord Mo believe that? You Yuecheng had always thought that that Lord Mo was a clear-headed and intelligent person. However, he now wondered whether he was rather weak at settling matters in his household. An evil woman who held the status as his main daughter had so openly harmed his other children. But in the end, the Auntie who had miscarried was punished.

    ¡°Father only listens to Third Sister now. If we say anything, I fear that we will end up like mother and be locked up in our courtyards forever. It is not that I do not dare to speak up or that I¡¯m afraid of such a consequence. But I don¡¯t know how Mother is right now and I still need to find ways to save her. How can I put myself in danger? If Father gets angry with us, then Mother will never see the light of the day again.¡± Mo Xuemin wiped her tears with her handkerchief as she cried. Her tears fell down like beads. She looked sad, pitiable, angry and also helpless.

    She was as beautiful as a dewden flower. Her tears fell, shining beautifully...

    ¡°We do not dare to say much now. We only hope that Third Sister will get married soon so that the Mo Manor back courtyard will be calmer. We do not want anything else. However, Third Sister has only juste to the capital and is not well known. How can she find a good marriage? So I would like to ask Your Excellency for help. Your family is noble and you know many upstanding men from good families. Even though Third Sister is narrow-minded, she is not a bad person. If you can introduce us to a good family, it would help to solve a pressing issue of ours.¡±

    Mo Xuemin looked up with her teary eyes as she pleaded with You Yuecheng.

    ¡°You are still speaking up for her despite how she treated you all?¡± You Yuecheng said, displeased. An evil-hearted woman like her was not a bad person? Then who was? He did not have a good impression of Mo Xuetong at all. He had thought that she was an intelligent and loveable woman but felt disgusted when he thought about it now.

    How could there be such a vicious woman in this world! Anyone who married this evil woman would only have chaos in their home. First Miss Mo, who was in front of him, was too kind. She was still trying to help her sister find a husband at a time like this. If it were up to him, this sort of evil woman is only worthy of those dissolute young masters. They would be a very good match. He suddenly thought of a person and his eyes shed. A cold smile appeared on his lips. There was someone who was a very good match for her.

    ¡°She is my younger sister after all. Her mother died when she was young and she stayed in Cloud City for a period of time. There was no one to teach her things. In actual fact, the Mo family owes her. We only hope that she will marry a good husband and dispell the hate she has in her heart. Then, we sisters can get along well together harmoniously. I do not dare to hope for anything else.¡± Mo Xuemin looked like a kind elder sister looking out for Mo Xuetong. She wiped away her tears and looked up at You Yuecheng pleadingly.

    ¡°Your Excellency, will you please help my younger sister find a good husband?¡±

    A good husband? Was a girl like this worthy of a good husband?! You Yuecheng smirked. The more he liked Mo Xuemin, the less he liked Mo Xuetong. He felt that a gentle woman like Mo Xuemin could be considered gracious and kind. She was considerate towards her sister even in such a situation. This really made one pity her. His gaze softened as he looked at Mo Xuemin.

    He had an idea. Forget it, he would treat it as helping this pitiful woman! He would help that Third Miss Mo who was still ¡°salvageable¡± and find her a ¡°good¡± husband!

    There was an evenrger and more spacious private room right next to theirs. Feng Yuran smiled as he rolled down the portrait that was blocking Mo Xuetong. The portrait fitted nicely over a small hole on the wall.

    Behind him, Mo Xuetong covered her chest and coughed softly.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter? Does it still hurt?¡± Feng Yuran put down the painting in his hand and turned around. He helped her to pour a cup of hot tea and blew on it attentively before putting it down in front of her.

    He had already gotten someone to take a look at her. It was not a serious injury.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt as much now.¡± Mo Xuetong touched her right shoulder with a bitter smile. The heavy p that the man in ck had given her before he died was on her right shoulder. Fortunately, he was already dying and did not have the strength to retaliate. The two swords were not only sharp, but they had also been covered with poison. Even though the man had used all his strength in that p, it was useless. Otherwise, she would have died there and then.

    ¡°Why had you acted just now instead of taking a few more steps? I was alreadying for you.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s red lips were charming but were tightly shut. His entire expression was one of displeasure. How could he be happy? He felt as if his heart was going to leap out of his chest when he saw Mo Xuetong being hit. He did not care about anything else and had charged over to her. Now that he thought about it, thess really did not know the immensity of the situation. How did she have the guts to stab someone with a sword?

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid!¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the teacup and took a light sip. There was a hint of a bitter smile on her lips. She was not afraid. She was no longer that fearful and cowardly Mo Xuetong since she desired to destroy the entire Sima family in her past life. The path to revenge was not easy. The debts of blood will be avenged by blood. If she was afraid of this and that, how would she seek revenge?

    The light shone on her beautiful face. She did not seem childish at all. Instead, she was distant and cold. There was a sense of sadness and loneliness that seeped from her bones. Her distant gazended on the dark skies outside the window. It felt like that heavy night in her past life.

    She had thought that that was hell, and thought that she could only bring that hatred she felt into hell. She had not expected that she would have the opportunity to live again. How could she still be as cowardly and useless as she had been in the past! If she still behaved as she did in her past life, in the end, she would be swallowed whole, flesh, bones, and blood. She knew, just looking at Mo Xuetong next door. Mo Xuetong was pretending to be kind and gentle. They would not stop until she was dead.

    She had killed Auntie Fang¡¯s unborn child and she had made Auntie Fang¡¯s life a living hell. She had made it so that Mo Xuemin, her Eldest Sister, woulde out and beg others to find her a good marriage. She did not know what kind of ¡°good¡± marriage had caught Mo Xuemin¡¯s eye so much that she would put herself down to beg and plead with You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Your Highness, is there someone with a terrible reputation among the people You Yuecheng knows? Is that person unkempt and is unmarried?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was surprisingly calm. The candlelight flickered on her stunning features which were calm and cold. One could not see any sadness or happiness on her face. However, it made one¡¯s heart hurt for her even more. What kind of suffering had a child of 13 endured to be so well-versed at hiding her emotions!

 Chapter 134 - Mo Xuemin Pretended to be Pitiful to Frame Her Sister

    <h4>Chapter 134 Mo Xuemin Pretended to be Pitiful to Frame Her Sister</h4>

    ¡°The legitimate son of the Minister of War is known to be dissolute. He is not only a randy man but also a pedophile. He had married two wives, but they both died young. It is said that he was violent to his wives and his former wifemitted suicide because of the shame. Not a girl in the entire city would marry him. And it is also said that he has had a good rtionship with You Yuecheng since they were young. Although they¡¯re so different now, they had a good friendship privately.¡± Feng Yuran let his long sleeves fly and sat across to Mo Xuetong. He arched his eyebrows and there was anger in his beautiful eyes.

    Coldness appeared in his beautiful eyes. And when he arched his lips, he looked so frigid and scary in the light.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t notice the changes of Feng Yuran and was deep in thought with the information Feng Yuran gave her.

    That was the idea Mo Xuemin had in mind. Therefore, she asked You Yuecheng to find a good husband for her. Actually, she just wanted to push her into a fire pit. That was a man no girl wanted to marry, yet she suggested You Yuecheng to ask the randy man to propose. Even if their father wouldn¡¯t ept the offer, and Mo Xuemin wouldn¡¯t let her off either.

    Besides, if the randy man really wanted to marry her, along with Mo Xuemin¡¯s words spreading out from Mo Manor, saying that she killed the baby in a concubine¡¯s belly, nobody would ask to marry her except for that randy man.

    By then, her father could nothing but epted the proposal from the Minister of War Manor! Mo Xuemin tried to frame her again likest life with such ruthlessness, just as expected.

    In thest life, Mo Xuemin got her married into Duke¡¯s manor which seemed to be great from the outside. This time, with Mo Xueqiong¡¯s intervention, she wanted to get her into a ce which was even worse. Mo Xuemin treated her with such ¡°carefulness¡±, which would definitely bring her a good reputation for being a nice elder sister in others¡¯ eyes.

    Her hatred towards her got even stronger. In this life, she would never let Mo Xuemin get what she wanted. Debts of blood must be repaid in blood. She would let her have a taste of that!

    ¡°Maybe I could kill your elder sister directly, or let her and You Yuecheng be a couple now that she likes him so much? I heard that the first miss of the Ling¡¯s was so eager to marry into Mingguo Manor that even the queen inferred the Old Madam in Mingguo Manor. If she finds that your elder sister has a sexual rtionship with You Yuecheng...¡± Feng Yuran said indolently with his flying sleeves and handsome face, which made him look very evil.

    He turned around and evilly looked at the painting hanging on the wall, and a cold smile appeared by his lips. His eyes were beautifully shining. Anyone who knew him must know that he was very furious, extremely furious.

    Feng Yuran was furious indeed. When he thought the people in the adjoining room would scheme Mo Xuetong, he got so furious. He said the wordszily, but if you listend more carefully, he seemed to squeeze those words out.

    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. My elder sister isn¡¯t in such a hurry right now. Now that she tried so much to scheme me, she might have to be cautious that she may be schemed by others too.¡± Mo Xuetong slightly shook her head and said firmly.

    It¡¯s still too early and she would let Mo Xuemin see herself lose everything slowly. Death wasn¡¯t the destination! She would revenge for herst life by herself!

    ¡°Really?¡± Feng Yuran arched his eyebrows.

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯d like your help.¡± Mo Xuetong put her sorrow and hatred down and blinked her shining eyes. Now that Mo Xuemin treated her like that and had a connection with You Yuecheng, she would let You Yuecheng see how kind and generous she was! She would help her good elder sister and let everyone know she was a good younger sister too!

    It would not be exciting enough without her cooperation!

    ¡°What is it? Just tell me!¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong asked for her help voluntarily, Feng Yuran reached over with a smile and was ready to hear what the request would be. He¡¯d like to know how the little girl sought her revenge. It was satisfying to him. Where there is hatred, there is revenge.

    You Yuecheng used to seem smart, but now he got cheated by a woman with a bunch of lies. He¡¯s like to see how You Yuecheng, who was said to be the most promising His Excellency in Mingguo Manor, would deal with that.

    The marriage between Ding General Manor and Mingguo Manor was imperative, even if You Yuecheng didn¡¯t want to. Ding General Manor, which was the parents¡¯ home of the Queen, would do whatever they could to better the rtionship with Mingguo Manor and marriage would be the best way. But now Ding General Manor was not active enough, so there was still no good newsing from them.

    It seemed that he had to lend a hand to Ding General Manor!

    ¡°Your Highness, could you please find the son of the Minister of War? If that gentleman sees such a beautiful kind talented girl...¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her bright eyes cunningly.

    Feng Yuran rolled his eyes and understood what Mo Xuetong meant. He easily pushed the door open and there was Feng Yue standing at the door. He closed the door as he entered.

    ¡°Go and find that famous sir Li, and get him to meet first miss of Mo Manor anyway.¡±

    A randy man ran into a beauty. There must be some interesting stories about them, which would be so exciting!

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Although Feng Yue didn¡¯t understand why his master wanted to find that sir Li who was known for lechery, he kept silent and moved backward when he saw his master smiling evilly and beautifully. He had been with Feng Yuran for a long time, and he knew the behavior of Feng Yuran meant he was angry and wanted to hurt someone.

    Maybe the first miss in Mo Manor and that sir Li would be the first ones!

    He didn¡¯t know whether they irritated his master or not. Why did those two who seemed unrted get his master irritated? Though he was curious, he didn¡¯t dare to ask. It would be foolish to ask such a question when his master was so angry. And that fool must pay for it.

    On the other side, Mo Xuemin inferred in front of You Yuecheng that she was having a hard time at Mo Manor. Her father was partial to Mo Xuetong and didn¡¯t me her for killing concubine¡¯s baby. Instead, he said that concubine killed her own child. After Mo Xuemin put in a good word for Auntie Fang, she got grounded and was punished to copy the lection. And Mo Yufeng was moved out of the back yard by father because he had visited Auntie Fang.

    Those things altogether showed that Mo Xuetong was an evil girl. Also, Mo Xiu cried so desperately and exined so gently that everyone cared for her. And You Yuecheng had had a good impression of Mo Xuemin, so he basically believed all her words.

    He just thought that such an evil girl didn¡¯t deserve a good ending. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had seen her wrongly and she had such a clearely face and such an evil heart. He would definitely make Li Youmo marry this evil girl.

    Li Youmo was his friend and they grew up together. Therefore, they had a deep friendship which was different from others¡¯. But You Yuecheng didn¡¯t like Li Youmo¡¯s behaviors, and their interaction was bing less and less. The first time Li Youmo got married, You Yuecheng helped him. But then they became more and more distant.

    But You Yuecheng could still introduce Third Young Miss in Mo Manor to him without any concerns. After all, they had such a long friendship, so he would listen to what he said. Besides, though Third Young Miss Mo was quite evil, she was quite a beauty. And he didn¡¯t worry that Mo Xuetong would cause any trouble there, because Li Youmo was never gentle to the women who were not obedient. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t even survive a few days.

    Once Third Young Miss Mo was married into Li Manor, she would be under control and could cause no trouble!

    There should be somebody in charge of such an evil woman, and Li Youmo would be the most suitable for this job. Besides, though Li Youmo didn¡¯t achieve anything, he was the legitimate son in the Li¡¯s and would be quite suitable for the legitimate daughter in the Mo¡¯s. Mo Huawen would approve it.

    ¡°Thanks for your help, and it¡¯ll save our family a big trouble. Let me express my thanks to His Excellency again. It¡¯s quitete now, and I have go back to see how my mum is. I don¡¯t even know if someone will bring her more quilt on such a cold winter day. The Mo¡¯s is having such a cold lonely lunar year while others get together and celebrate happily...¡±

    Mo Xuemin bowed again and smiled bitterly. Her exquisite makeup, along with her beautiful dismal smiling face, made him felt painful. Although You Yuecheng was a cool person, he felt that she was such a great girl who kept generous after all that she had been through.

    ¡°First Yong Miss Mo, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I¡¯m willing to help you, and you don¡¯t have to be nervous about it. No one would stand your younger sister¡¯s viciousness. Still, you protect her like that, which is indeed admirable,¡± You Yuecheng gently answered and held her up!

    Seeing the beauty shed tears under themp, he persuaded himself and resolutely made up his mind.

    The marriage had to happen!

    Out of the window! Right now!

    A big gush of fireworks rushed towards the sky and shone. It was so bright and colorful, which looked like the stars falling from the sky like a waterfall. After it lighted the entire night sky instantaneously, the light of it slowly fell and looked like a golden rain from a distant, which made the dark sky beautiful like a fairnd.

    Mo Xuetong had already taken her robe off. She just leaned against the window and the golden light reflected on her skin, making it look smooth and beautiful like a jade. She was quiet and soft without any sense of alienation or pretended tenderness. She just leaned there quietly with a faint satisfied smile. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes diverted from the dark night to her beautiful face.

    The way she was then seemed to be the most real, and was more charming than the way she had been when she pretended to be gentle and polite.

    Mo Xuetong looked rxed at the moment. She just looked at the sky full of stars, and remember how happy and carefree she had been when father and mother took her to see the fireworks together. At that time, there was firework all over the sky. Her father¡¯s eyes were on her mother, and her mother¡¯s eyes were on her, which was the happiest time of her lives.

    That was also the time she got most rxed! How long had it been since she was so rxed? It¡¯s before her second life, or after her second life? It¡¯s been too long for her to remember. No matter how bright the mes had been, it woulde to an end. It¡¯s just like our lives, which also had endings. Herst life was ended in mes. However, it¡¯s not the end, but a new beginning.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like fireworks? Next time I¡¯ll get some more beautiful for you to satisfy you.¡± Feng Yuran saw her face getting cold and thought she was dissatisfied with the firework. He said withziness and reached for her delicate hand. He felt her pulse and then let go of it with satisfaction.

    It wasn¡¯t hurt seriously and would be fine in a few days.

 Chapter 135 - All Gethered at Xiangman Tower

    <h4>Chapter 135 All Gethered at Xiangman Tower</h4>

    ¡°Who is unsatisfied?¡± Mo Xuetong held her hand back from his and nced at him. How dare him to say such misleading words... However, she didn¡¯t argue with him, ¡°Will you be found here?¡±

    He was King Xuan who had been hurt and sent into the mansion of the monarch to recover himself, but he was now enjoying the fireworks with her. If it was found out, it would bring her big trouble. Besides, before she passed out, she seemed to have heard him give an order. The more she got along with him, the moreplicated she found he was.

    This was really the eighth prince who was said to be randy andpletely useless?

    No matter how others thought about it, she wouldn¡¯t believe it. There had been four men in ck who were skilled at kung fu but he dealt with it without effortlessly. If it hadn¡¯t been for saving her, his hand wouldn¡¯t have been hurt. He had such great kung fu and a stable state of mind... Those were all so different from who he used to be.

    Who was the real him? Maybe those were all different aspects of him. Her eyes fell onto his extremely beautiful and charming face and thought there was no one that could bepared with him except for Sir Bai, Bai Yihao, who was so bright and handsome!

    But the feeling he gave her was so simr to that of Bai Yihao, and the evilness and capriciousness of Feng Yuran were so dangerous!

    She tried to recall the fight over the imperial throne in herst life, but she couldn¡¯t remember anything because she had been in Sima Lingyun¡¯s backyard and had got no information of the outside world! Now thinking carefully, she realized how pathetic she had been. As the main wife of His Excellency in Duke¡¯s manor, she just had a few maids who she could trust, and there was no one to tell her what had happened outside. It felt like she was locked in there, however, she had thought that her life was perfect.

    Lying, humiliating, ndering and framing... She had been in such a horrible situation without even realizing it and had stepped into chasm gradually!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they have plenty of things to deal with in the manor. I was hurt and passed out, and who would want to see me?¡± Hiszy voice brought Mo Xuetong¡¯s wandering mind back. She looked at the sky full of stars and felt quite nk. However, she came back quickly, putting her dejected mood away, and started to deal with what¡¯s with Feng Yuran.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter if the servants from manorse to see you, but if it were King Chu or King Yan whoes to see you and find no one there, how would you cover up for yourself?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled beautifully and reached over to put down Feng Yuran¡¯s hand, which was about to get another cup of wine, ¡°You Highness got hurt and should drink less wine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re caring about me?¡± Feng Yuran tried to get Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand but she slipped. There was happiness in his beautiful eyes and he poured a cup of tea for himself. Then he just nced at Mo Xuetong and asked banteringly.

    He was such a strange person and asked those useless things while ignoring things that mattered. Her face flushed at his word. She red at him with shyness and anger, and said angrily, ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    ¡°Rx, my two elder brothers are very busy today. Did you just see my biggest brother hanging out with second young miss in Ling Manor? It is said that my third brother grew up with the second young miss in Ling Manor and they have a close friendship!¡± Feng Yuran blinked his eyes at her and saidzily. His beautiful face looked bright and charming in the light of themp and fireworks.

    That meant he had had a n? But when he was with her, she hadn¡¯t seen him giving any order except for the time when he asked Feng Yue to find that sir Li. Maybe he had already arranged it earlier. Mo Xuetong looked at him confusedly, but he didn¡¯t seem to be talking nonsense.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me? Or why do you think I took you here? The thing that happened to your elder sister was no big deal, but the one that will happen next is worth to remember forever.¡± Seeing her sit there in a trance, Feng Yuran felt very d. And it didn¡¯t matter what expression was on her face, as long as it¡¯s not fake. He liked her being who she really was.

    The minute he met her, he thought she was very interesting. She was such a little girl with an extremely beautiful face, while her bright eyes were pure like water. Though she was dressed in maids¡¯ clothes, she didn¡¯t look like a maid with her elegant behaviors at all. She hid herself in the dark passage, and her face was so pale and weak as if she would pass out in a moment. However, she didn¡¯t give up, and the stubbornness and endurance made him stop involuntarily...

    He shook his head and controlled his heartbeat.

    Feng Yuran stood up with an evil smile and said something to the people by the door. The people by the door carried two big robes here instantly. Feng Yuran took it over and took it to Mo Xuetong and naturally wrapped it around her. Then he carefully tied the belts and put on the hood for her.

    Thus she was all covered in the robe. Then he dressed himself in a robe and put on the hood too. Those robes were not luxuriant but rather normal. There were plenty of people dressed in robes on the street, so their clothes were quitemon. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and walked out.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Seeing him act mysteriously, Mo Xuetong pulled her robe and asked.

    ¡°To see a great y!¡± Feng Yuran lifted his eyebrows and scratched in the middle of her hand, which made her itch. She wanted to get off his hand, but they had walked downstairs where there were many people. She was ashamed to do that in front of so many people, so she just let him hold her hand. If she did something at the moment, she would be the focus in others¡¯ eyes, which was the least she wanted.

    Feng Yuran must know her concerns so he dared to act so fearlessly!

    When he was on something serious, he was still so casual!

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡± That they didn¡¯t want to unt didn¡¯t mean others had the same idea. If Feng Yuran hadn¡¯t held her in his arms tightly, those people who rushed upstairs would have knocked her down.

    There were many people walking up or down. In the front was a servant who was dressed luxuriantly and had a terrible voice. If it¡¯s not for his sharp voice, no one would notice him. In the middle of them was a young man dressed in a blue robe. There were patterns of clouds sewed in silver thread on the blue robe, and a jade belt in royal blue by his waist. The jade crown on his head made him elegant and handsome. Though there was not much expression on his face, his eyes revealed anger and evil.

    Then when a few people came upstairs, the servant ahead knocked them aside with no concerns and said obediently, ¡°Master, watch out and don¡¯t get tripped.¡±

    Under such circumstance, everyone knew that they must be famous and rich and didn¡¯t dare to mind their attitudes. Especially, those two strong men who were standing behind them with something bulging on their waists couldn¡¯t be easily offended.

    Several people who were nearly knocked down just stared in anger and didn¡¯t dare to do anything.

    The third room on the left across to the stairs was suddenly opened and a teenager in white walked out and nced at the crowds. He stepped backward and let them go through. A smile appeared on his handsome face, and his ck eyes shone with mor, which showed his insights and elegance.

    Mo Xuetong just lifted her eyes to look at the crowds rushing upwards. When she blinked her eyes and met those gently smiling eyes, she got surprised and her face turned pale. She lowered her head subconsciously and escaped from those eyes which seemed to have looked through her heart. She instantly threw herself into Feng Yuran¡¯s arms.

    Sensing Mo Xuetong¡¯s strange behavior, Feng Yuran looked in her direction and found the teenager in white. He just nced at him shortly and patted her back as afort.

    ¡°Who is so arrogant in the capital and pushed you down? Sir, how is your wife now?¡± Another servant who was almost pushed down held the handrail, turned around and asked Feng Yuran with care.

    The girl in Feng Yuran¡¯s arms was shaking and obviously shocked!

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, she¡¯ll be fine after a little rest.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice sounded like a cautious youth. He pulled and hugged Mo Xuetong, and slowly walked downstairs. He patted on Mo Xuetong¡¯s back constantly and was afraid that she got shocked. They were dressed in heavy clothes because they were going out. Their clothes were also quite normal and looked just like average guests.

    This time they were walking out, in the opposite direction of that crowd.

    From the tall tower, Bai Yihao stopped looking at Mo Xuetong, and his gentle eyes were fixed on the crowd who were passing them. He had a gentle smile by his lips and waved his hand. Then a beautiful maid walked out of the room that he had just left and ced a fragrant tea on the tray.

    His eyes darkened suddenly.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to look back. She didn¡¯t expect to see Bai Yihao here when Feng Yuran said there was a great y. When it came to who brought her the biggest stress in the world, it was Bai Yihao. Once she thought of his merits and achievementsst life and how he killed so many people in a moment when standing gently in front of so many soldiers and generals, she felt scared.

    His crown was reddened by so much blood!

    Although he had helped her a few times and saved her lifest time when she was ill. Every time they met, he seemed gentle and handsome except for thest time when his intention of killing waspletely revealed in his eyes. So gradually Mo Xuetong forgot his legendary inst life, which was an immortal myth.

    But just then, Mo Xuetong felt his intention of killing again. His smile was so elegant that one could feel his charm and grace in such a distance. But at the moment Mo Xuetong sensitively felt the coldness in his elegant eyes.

    His eyes were smiling, but the smile was distant and only contained extreme coldness.

    Seeing Bai Yihao in this way made Mo Xuetong remember those rumors about him inst life and wanted to escape from his eyes.

    In order to avoid making any mistakes and ruining Feng Yuran¡¯s n, she just threw herself into Feng Yuran¡¯s arms and acted as she was frightened by the crowd.

    They went downstairs and walked out and there had already been a carriage waiting for them. Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong and helped her into the carriage. Then he let go of her and took the hood off her. She was flushed and looked stuffed. There was even a little sweat on her pretty face, and she panted as if she was scared and stuffed, looking so cute. He smiled at these and naturally loosened thece on her neck.

    ¡°Where are we going? Did you say we were going to see a y?¡± Mo Xuetong panted heavily for breath, feeling the carriage was on its way and asked curiously. She had heard Feng Yuran mentioned King Chu and King Yan over and over again. The y must have something to do with them. But she had heard that King Chu Feng Yuxuan had reserved a private room here, so why didn¡¯t they stay there to watch but came down?

 Chapter 136 - Good Plays, One After Another

    <h4>Chapter 136 Good ys, One After Another</h4>

    ¡°To watch a good y, we need to find a good position first. There are too many people and no good seats left. I choose a position which offers a good view, and it¡¯ll definitely make you happy.¡± Feng Yuran smiled evilly, andzily leaned on the cushion on the carriage. He nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face for a moment and felt frightened. Maybe it¡¯s because of Bai Yihao? His eyes suddenly darkened.

    ¡°You just saw Bai Yihao?¡± He raised his eyebrows and asked smilingly with bright eyes.

    ¡°Yes, why was he there?¡± Mo Xuetong asked honestly. She couldn¡¯t imagine why Bai Yihao showed up at this ce. The Xiangman Tower was too noisy rather than elegant. Besides, it was crowded with customers. Such a noisy ce could never be elegant. Bai Yihao seemed to be a person who would stay in a quiet tower, ying the zither and drinking tea. And he should nevere to such a ce!

    ¡°Why can¡¯t hee? That box in Xiangman Tower is saved for him all year round. Tong¡¯er thinks he is a fairy?¡± Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuetong with a half-smile. The curtains by the window were open and the moonlight reflected on his face, which blurred his profile and made him look handsome. There seemed to be something in his dark beautiful eyes.

    She couldn¡¯t see clearly from her angle, but she could still tell there was unhappiness in his charming eyes! He was really... hard to please! Mo Xuetong sighed and didn¡¯t know which of her sentences was wrong. She just changed the topic.

    ¡°That was King Yan!¡±

    She didn¡¯t say that as a question but as a fact! She had secretly observed King Yan at Baihua Banquet and just realized it was King Yan then who used to be elegant. She couldn¡¯t imagine why the calm and elegant King Yan would look so angry.

    Feng Yuran didn¡¯t answer and the carriage stopped. Feng Yuran carefully put on the hood for her and then put on his too. Then he jumped out of the carriage, took her hand and led her off the carriage.

    The carriage parked in front of an inn and the two rows ofnterns hanging in front of it were very conspicuous. It was quiet in front of the inn. Even if there were guests, they would definitely hang out and enjoy thenterns. Feng Yuran led Mo Xuetong upstairs. The ountant who was calcting on an abacus behind the counter didn¡¯t even turn his head. And the waiter who was cleaning the desk with a duster on his shoulder also seemed to have ignored them. Only a clever waiter by the staircase warmly weed them upstairs to the top floor of the inn.

    They pushed the door open and saw a splendid room with plush decorations. The beauty screen divided the whole room into two parts. There were a few books on the willow desk and several plum blossoms in the vase, which looked noble and elegant and seemed like a study of the rich.

    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Mo Xuetong quietly observed everything in the room, blinked her eyes and asked strangely.

    ¡°The good y is about to begin. Hurry up.¡± Feng Yuran stood behind the screen andzily asked.

    Walking to the other side of the screen, she saw Feng Yuran leaning against the bed beside the window. That was arge bed, and there was a table beside the window. The waiter carefully put down the candle and brought in some tea. Then he went out with his head down and pulled the door close for them.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Feng Yuran waved at her with a slight smile.

    Mo Xuetong got onto the bed from the other side of the table. The window had already been open, so she casually looked out through the window and got amazed with her eyes wide open. She looked at the opposite, and across a river, there were Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan behind another window.

    The most important thing was that she could clearly see that Ling Fengyan was almost in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s arms. They cuddled together closely and smiled.

    The candle was suddenly put out and the whole room went dark. She heard Feng Yuran smiling evilly by her ears. ¡°Where we¡¯re now is actually pretty close to Xiangman Tower. But it was not noticeable because there is a river in the middle of them, especially now when the candle is out. No one there would know we are watching secretly. And we¡¯re at the perfect position with the same building height and size.¡±

    This position was perfect? It was of the same height? Her long eyshes fluttered and she got shocked that he knew it all so well. Was he really an arrogant son of the rich...?

    Feng Yuran seemed to have sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s shock and saidzily in the dark, ¡°Xiangman Tower and this inn are all mines, so I know my big brother reserves that box. And I saved it for him. Otherwise, I can¡¯t take you to see this good y!¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why he told her all that which had nothing to do with her. These were all his secrets. Mo Xuetong had already known King Xuan who seemed useless was not as simple as he seemed, which could be shown from the way he treated the assassination. She believed if it¡¯s not for her sake, he could have dealt with it more calmly and wouldn¡¯t get himself hurt.

    He was in great danger. Mo Xuetong knew clearly that if Feng Yuran was just a normal duke, he wouldn¡¯t have too much trouble. However, now, though Feng Yuran didn¡¯t mention anything, she could distinctly feel that he had been in this fight over the throne. When she thought about the position where you either lived treading on other people¡¯s lives or fell to the deepest abyss, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    Mo Xuetong had wanted to keep away from the fight over the throne, but now she was involved in it in such a way. She fiddled with the hem of her clothes and bit her lip in the darkness. She heard herself asking calmly, ¡°Why?¡±

    Why did he tell her? Why? Why?

    She didn¡¯t want to be involved in such national affairs, but she was still asking. If she was sober enough, she should have left without a word. She should stay away from him and those family-destroying danger. However, she was sitting here calmly with a prince fighting over the imperial power.

    Mo Xuetong felt her life was upside down. In such a romantic night with fireworks all over the sky, seeing such an ambiguous scene, she asked such a disputable question. Even she wanted to ask herself why! That was a crime which would cause killing, but her first response to it was not escape but inquiry!

    Was it because she felt Feng Yuran who was sitting opposite to her was harmless?

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, so I have to walk forward. There are not so many answers in the world and you don¡¯t have to worry that much! Look, it¡¯sing!¡± In the darkness, Feng Yuran fixed his eyes on Mo Xuetong and smiled even more brightly. He didn¡¯t think Mo Xuetong¡¯s question was difficult to answer, reached out to stroke her head and pointed at the door which had just been knocked open.

    He didn¡¯t exin why, but his smile was quite reassuring.

    Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan arrived at Xiangman Tower an hour ago. After they saw the fireworks and hung out for a while, Ling Fengyan had sore feet. She didn¡¯t go out much usually and seldom showed up at the tea parties arranged by those youngdies. She was the most beloved girl in Ding General Manor.

    Although Ling Mingyan had the position of the legitimate daughter, she didn¡¯t get as much as Ling Fengyan because of her appearance and character. Instead, when there was something fun or delicious, Ling Fengyan was always the first one to get it rather than Ling Mingyan who was supposed to be the most precious.

    Thanks to the Queen, the third prince, King Yan Feng Yulei had a close rtionship with Ding General Manor. King Yan Feng Yulei¡¯s mother died when he was little and was adopted by the Queen because the Queen and his mother were sisters. Although he was not really the Queen¡¯s son, he had a close rtionship with the Queen because she had no son. Thus he had a close rtionship with Ding General Manor.

    Ling Fengyan grew up with Feng Yulei from a young age. Ling Fengyan seemed to be gentle and generous from the outside, but in fact, she was quite arrogant. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be the rumor that she was the most beautiful girl in the capital. If she hadn¡¯t secretly implied that, a rich girl like her who seldom went out couldn¡¯t get such fame.

    Her marriage had been decided by the Queen to be with a prince, but the Queen never clearly told her who was the one she would marry. Ling Fengyan had thought herself to be a great beauty with much talents and good virtues, so she had been observing First Prince and Third Prince, who were most likely to be the next emperor.

    The Queen wanted it to be Third Prince, while she had another n. King Chu Feng Yuxuan who was gentle and had a good reputation looked more attractive in her eyes than King Yan Feng Yulei. Besides, Feng Yuxuan was more virtuous. Therefore, she thought King Chu had more chance to win than King Yan who only had a little fame. But she knew clearly that the Queen was in control of her marriage, even her parents couldn¡¯t decide it.

    She didn¡¯t want to know what the Queen had in mind. She just maintained the rtionship with King Yan. No matter what would happen in the future, she thought it would be a nice thing to win a duke¡¯s affection and save herself another way! She didn¡¯t want to be a tool used in the rivalry of the imperial throne and she had to think for herself. She couldn¡¯t go against the Queen¡¯s will, but she could still do something for her best benefits.

    She wouldn¡¯t let another woman get what she had cultivated.

    When the Queen met Feng Yuxuan for the first time in the pce, she told them to hang out together, which was not out of expectation. Ling Fengyan was quite clever, and the Queen had said it clearly to her. Therefore she had already got her idea and asked Feng Yuxuan to take her to rest in Xiangman Tower with the excuse that her feet ached.

    However, when she got in, she was knocked by someone and her clothes got stained. The man who knocked her was pretty polite and asked his servant to buy new clothes for her. It was very warm and even hot in the box, so she opened the window to let the fresh air in. The clothes brought to her was a red dress which was extremely beautiful and superb, which was sewed with golden and silver strings and had colorful clouds and daisies on it. Such a beautiful dress must be invaluable.

    When Ling Fengyan was dressed in it, she looked beautiful and charming, which was very attractive.

    ¡°Fengyan did not behave, so please forgive me.¡± Under themp, the beautiful girl blinked her eyshes with shyness, which was touching. Though she sounded shy, she appeared much more delicate and milder than usual with some coquettishness, something that the elegant Ling Fengyan had never shown.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. It¡¯s my fault that I took you out today but didn¡¯t take good care of you. It is really my fault. I don¡¯t know what you like, so these may represent my apologies to you. Hope you¡¯ll like them.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s voice sounded gentle and elegant. Then he took out a beautifully decorated box from his sleeves and pushed it in front of Ling Fengyan.

    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Ling Fengyan flushed instantly and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Open it and tell me if you like it. If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll prepare something else tomorrow for you as my apologies.¡± Feng Yuxuanughed loudly and raised Ling Fengyan. His fingers pinched her wrist with some strength, and then just let go of her hand. He invited Ling Fengyan into her seat, and all his behaviors were gentle as she had heard about.

    ¡°Thanks, Your Highness.¡± Ling Fengyan stood up delicately while relying on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand, and sat down with a red face on a chair made of willow.

 Chapter 137 - Xuetong Watched Stealthily in the Dark and was Shocked

    <h4>Chapter 137 Xuetong Watched Stealthily in the Dark and was Shocked</h4>

    Maybe it¡¯s for the warm air inside the room or the hot atmosphere, her face flushed greatly even if she got dressed into such flimsy clothes. Under themp, the stunning clothes added to her beauty. From Feng Yuxuan¡¯s angle, she was pretty like a rose and was very attractive.

    ¡°A beauty has a face like rose, and her eyebrows are like willow leaves. I have only read it in books before, but can¡¯t imagine I really see one in the real world. I¡¯m so lucky!¡± Feng Yuxuan looked at her gently. Though his smile was gentle and soft, he looked at Ling Fengyan carefully with his shining eyes in astonishment. Even if it was not so obvious, Ling Fengyan saw it all clearly and felt happy.

    ¡°Thank you for your praise and gift, which I like for sue. It¡¯s a pity that I lost thentern you gave me. I¡¯ve never seen such a beautifulntern before, and it was even won by Your Highness. You could get an answer to such a difficult riddle, therefore, everyone in the pce knows that you¡¯re talented. If you hadn¡¯t been polite to King Xuan and given the answer to the riddle first, we wouldn¡¯t have taken so much trouble.¡± Ling Fengyan raised her head and looked at Feng Yuxuan, saying smilingly. There were coquetry and adoration in her eyes.

    Her words not only showed her admiration far Feng Yuxuan but also told the fact that when Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran were guessing the riddles, Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t act so well in order to be friendly to his brother. Therefore, he let his younger brother win and choose a present first.

    Such words were most useful in leaving a good impression, which didn¡¯t distort the fact or tter. She just told the truth with some proper changes. Besides, she looked at him with admiration and looked very attractive, which would bring out the feeling of pity in men.

    However, except for her gentle words which contained love, Ling Fengyan didn¡¯t do anything more. She just sat there orderly, held her handkerchief and said gently. There was deep love in her elegance, which was the perfect expression of a woman having affections towards a man while behaving herself ordingly.

    Of course, Ling Fengyan didn¡¯t throw herself on him as the Queen who was also her aunt told her. Although the queen¡¯s position was quite attractive and she wanted to get it. But she can¡¯t do that now because she was not sure who would be His Majesty atst. Whether it would be King Chu or King Yan, she couldn¡¯t behave imprudently before everything hade to a final conclusion.

    Feng Yuxuan was pretty good, but Feng Yulei still had a chance. And Queen¡¯s meaning made her even more ufortable. She just wanted to keep her own status and never really helped anyone. She was not so selfless that she would sacrifice herself for Feng Yulei.

    She understood the Queen¡¯s intention, which was for her to tempt Feng Yuxuan and be the woman of King Chu first. Then she could serve her while standing by Feng Yuxuan and be her scout for Queen at King Chu Manor. Thus she could help Feng Yulei to win. The Queen also promised her that once Feng Yulei sessfully took the throne, she would still be the one Feng Yulei loved most and had the greatest power in the harem.

    Ling Fengyan just coldlyughed at these words!

    When Feng Yulei got the position, even if he didn¡¯t care she was the woman of his enemy, others wouldn¡¯t easily let her go. For a woman who had married and lost her virginity, even though she could get into his harem because of their rtions, her existence would be unspeakable. She would live with the words that she was taken by force from the elder brother to the younger brother.

    Therefore, Ling Fengyan wouldn¡¯t take the risk easily. She was only willing to stand by the one who would win atst, and watch the other girls being stupid! She had followed Queen¡¯s order and hung out with Feng Yuxuan. Besides, she also got dressed in this beautiful flimsy clothes Queen had prepared for her. But she didn¡¯t n to tempt Feng Yuxuan here or do anything to let others find out, which would make Feng Yuxuan have to marry her!

    She was so smart that she wouldn¡¯t let herself get trapped in such circumstance! She just wanted Feng Yuxuan¡¯s heart. Once both Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yulei had her in mind, she could n for her next step on her own. No matter who would win atst, she would be the next queen. Therefore, she showed her deep love on one hand, but on the other hand, she acted gently, and wouldn¡¯t let Feng Yuxuan look down on her, not to mention own her at the moment.

    No one would cherish those which were easily got!

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a pity that thentern broke, but I makenterns myself when I have time. Next time when I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll make another like this one...¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled and looked at her white wrist. Something suddenly shed through his eyes. The beads on her wrist were the ones that Feng Yuran won in the first round of the match. Under themp, the droplets shone with mor and highlighted Ling Fengyan¡¯s white pure skin of her hand. It was beautiful like a dream, which seemed familiar, like someone¡¯s bright eyes.

    A pair of beautiful charming eyes appeared on his mind. Feng Yuxuan clenched his fists under the sleeves and felt doubtful. It¡¯s impossible! It was said that something horrible happened at Mo Manor and they even weren¡¯t in the mood for the lunar year together. She was just a little girl in the harem and couldn¡¯t havee out!

    There must be something wrong with it!

    ¡°I¡¯m so lucky and grateful to have thentern made by Your Highness, but Your Highness really shouldn¡¯t. I know that you care for me, but I can¡¯t trouble you to make antern for me! Your Highness has a noble status and is so busy. I can¡¯t trouble you over such a small thing. So please take yourmand back.¡± Ling Fengyan lowered her head and felt happy when she thought about the emotions in his words. Then she said with shyness.

    It was emotional and polite!

    ¡°How can I break my promise? Now that I promised you, I would spare time to do it no matter how busy I will be. If Yaner really feels apologetic, just give me this, okay?¡± Feng Yuxuan squinted his eyes and looked at her with a gentle smile. Then he slowly reached to a perfume sachet hanging to her waist and pulled it to him.

    They stood close to each other because of the sachet. From Mo Xuetong¡¯s view through the open window, their figures seemed to be ovepped. Even if it was in the dark, her beautiful face reddened. She bit her lip, leaned over and didn¡¯t dare to watch carefully.

    ¡°Feng Yulei ising.¡± She heard Feng Yuran¡¯scentughter.

    Mo Xuetong involuntarily turned around. Before she could see it clearly, she heard someone breaking into the room with a loud noise. The angry person stood at the door was King Yan Feng Yulei.

    ¡°King Yan saw his beloved girl alone with King Chu. Would it really cause a fight?¡± Mo Xuetong trembled as she got shocked by the loud noise. Her brows twitched in panic and she asked in a low voice.

    Of course she didn¡¯t care about whether King Yan and King Chu would fight or not. But if they did, it would cause big trouble. And if they brought it to Emperor Zongwen, Feng Yuran might be found out and then she might be in trouble too. She sneaked out secretly. If she was found here, Auntie Fang and her daughter might attack her with it. Her effort would all be in vain for the usation of disgracing the harem.

    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± In the moonlight, Mo Xuetong saw Feng Yuran smiling at her with lifted eyebrows.

    Afraid? Of course she was afraid. But looking at his aggressive expression, Mo Xuetong felt angry and guilty, and her face suddenly flushed. Since it was dark and his attention was on the opposite, she was not afraid that he could see her expression. She just turned around and looked out of the window, groaned a bit as an expression of disdain which refuted Feng Yuran¡¯s words.

    Only her flushing face showed her fragility.

    Now that Feng Yuran¡¯s attention was on the other side. Looking through, although Feng Yulei suddenly appeared angrily, he didn¡¯t act intemperately. He didn¡¯t seem to be foolish. Of course he was not. Those who could survive safely in the pce were all not foolish at all.

    Emperor Zongwen had so many sons, but only few of them survived. None of them was innocent and couldn¡¯t be judged from their appearance, especially the one beside her.

    Feng Yulei¡¯s attendants stepped out and closed the door. The table was cleared and the three of them all talked andughed, which revealed no sign of Feng Yulei¡¯s anger a moment ago. That was the end of it? Mo Xuetong felt astonished. But it was so distant that she could only see them but not hear them. Turning around, she saw Feng Yuran lost in deep thought.

    ¡°You can hear them?¡± She thought it over and asked.

    ¡°Eh!¡± Feng Yuran turned his head and hesitated. Then he saw the confusion on her face and looked at them on the other side. Sensing what she had in mind, he smiled evilly and askedzily, ¡°Are you wondering what they are talking about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded her head and her face was full of eagerness.

    ¡°But I just asked you to watch the y and didn¡¯t ask you to listen to it. Is this something extra?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s words made her smile frozen and made Mo Xuetong who was so smart speechless. She just felt extremely furious.

    Only to watch, not to listen! How could he say it like that!

    ¡°If you really want to know, I can¡¯t resist the request from Tong¡¯er. Maybe you can reward me by sewing a sachet for me?¡± He just came up with the idea from what Feng Yuxuan¡¯s behavior. But Feng Yuxuan clearly didn¡¯t get it. When Feng Yulei broke in, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand was by Ling Fengyan¡¯s waist and they stood so close to each other. It looked very dubious. He really admired his third brother Feng Yulei at this aspect.

    It was indeed his famous third brother. He could still smile when such a thing happened. He just let the attendants go out and walked up to Feng Yuxuan smilingly, ¡°I find you atst. I kicked the door open because I heard nothing inside and thought something bad had happened.¡± He exined the whole process with such simple words.

    ¡°You...¡± He asked for a sachet from a girl who hadn¡¯t been married. She wondered what strange idea he had in mind, and her emotions changed from anger to caution. She didn¡¯t know what to say and looked to the opposite. But she just saw three people smiling peacefully, which was so dull like a dumb show.

    She just turned around and didn¡¯t look at them anymore.

    ¡°Okay, you owe me now!¡± In the darkness, Feng Yuran said to himself smilingly. Although Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t see his expression, she knew he wascent. He was so happy that he tricked her sessfully? She sat aside, uplifted her lips and said nothing. Now he could see nothing in the darkness, so she didn¡¯t have to pretend to be happy.

 Chapter 138 - Feng Yuran Got Hurt and Treated

    <h4>Chapter 138 Feng Yuran Got Hurt and Treated</h4>

    ¡°My third brother said he came there to see my first brother. He rushed in hurriedly because he thought something terrible had happened to him. When he came in and saw Ling Fengyan there, the three of them sat together smilingly and pretended nothing had happened!¡± Feng Yuran smiled and closed the window. He was not interested in what would happen next. He hadn¡¯t expected that the second young Miss Ling had a second thought, which would make the things moreplicated in the future...

    Mo Xuetong wanted to ignore him, but she was too curious. Seeing him light all the candles inside and smiled at her quite attractively, he looked gentler than before. She felt her face warmer and started another topic. And then she turned over her face to the nine-fold screen pretending nothing had happened.

    ¡°King Yan and second young Miss Ling were a good match, and Queen supports King Yan. Therefore, why didn¡¯t she grant their marriage and made second young Miss Ling seem to have a special rtionship with King Chu...¡±

    It was a funny y, in which King Yan acted like a husband who caught his wife in a ndestine love affair. But clearly, King Chu didn¡¯t act like a proper adulterer.

    When King Yan rushed in angrily, Ling Fengyan was shocked and stood up instantly, and Feng Yuxuan who was holding her sachet almost fell down. But Feng Yuxuan was so brilliant that he didn¡¯t seem to be embarrassed at all. Instead, he let go of sachet and greeted King Yan smilingly like nothing was wrong.

    It¡¯s like the one who was intimate with Ling Fengyan just a moment ago wasn¡¯t him!

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what to say. She just wondered what Queen had in mind and why she would let the first beauty be involved with such love affairs...

    ¡°Queen won¡¯t let such a beautiful niece go to waste, and there were more than one youngdies in Ding General Manor.¡± Feng Yuran pursed his lip and said meaningfully.

    Looking at the jocose expression on his handsome face, Mo Xuetong suddenly understood what he meant and thought about the possibility. She lifted her eyes unbelievably, blinked her eyshes and asked surprisedly, ¡°Queen wants to use the beauty trap?¡±

    ¡°If my third brother bes the next emperor, he would definitely need Ding General Manor¡¯s and Queen¡¯s power. Besides, my third brother was from the Ling¡¯s. The reason why he survived these years was Queen. Therefore, he won¡¯t annoy Queen. And even if Ling Fengyan can¡¯t marry him, with Queen¡¯s power, Ding General Manor would marry another girl to him. The connection between my third brother and Ding General Manor won¡¯t stop, no matter whether it¡¯s Ling Fengyan or not. But my first brother is different...¡± Feng Yuran took up the teapot from the table and poured into two cups. Then he took the cups to the drawer, putting one in front of Mo Xuetong. After that, he sat down and said smilingly.

    ¡°Queen wanted to use beauty trap to get Ling Fengyan into King Chu Manor or to make another preparation. Therefore, she asked Ling Fengyan to hang out with King Chu and then let King Chu marry Ling Fengyan, through whom she could get all information in King Chu Manor. With Ling Fengyan being the mole, King Yan had more chance to win!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes blinked which showed that she understood. Then she smiled cutely and continued.

    Her blinking eyes seemed naughty.

    They sat closely together, and Feng Yuran could clearly feel the slight fragranceing from Mo Xuetong, which seemed to have mixed many different kinds of scents of flowers and smelt mild but strong. It was different from any other fragrance she had used before, but it was even more attractive. There was mischief in her smile and the caution and alienation were gone. She looked so charming and disturbed Feng Yuran¡¯s calm heartbeats.

    ¡°However, Ling Fengyan had another n!¡± By this conclusive sentence, Feng Yuran ignored his panic and sighed,pletely forgetting this strange feeling.

    ¡°Second Young Miss Ling is a smart girl who won¡¯t let herself be used as Queen¡¯s stepstone which will be deserted in the end.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled with understanding and felt normal again. She suddenly realized it waste in the night and if Mo Lan came to see whether she kicked her quilt at the midnight, it¡¯ll be big trouble.

    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s go back!¡±

    ¡°Does the cut still hurt?¡± Feng Yuran didn¡¯t make things difficult for her and just gently asked in the light of the candle.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now!¡± It¡¯s not a big injury and only hurt a bit, which was a little inconvenient. But he was stabbed and still wrapped. Wondering how it was now, her eyes fixed on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeves. She could see nothing from the wide sleeves and didn¡¯t know how his wound was.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go out recently and have a good rest at home. I¡¯ll find some good medicine for you and make it into pills in case you¡¯re found boiling medicine.¡± Sensing her caring gaze on his wrist, Feng Yuran was quite happy.

    She cared for him, and he hadn¡¯te there for nothing.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine and will be all right in two days. Your Highness should stay at home for a good rest!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s getting stabbed and hurt was known to others, and he would have many things to deal with in the next few days. Now that she knew his ambition, she knew it would be a dangerous path. She had caused his injury and didn¡¯t want to be his liability anymore. Of course she also selfishly thought she didn¡¯t want to be involved in it.

    His affair would cause killing and was not his own thing. She didn¡¯t want to get involved in it when she hadn¡¯t sought her revenge. The reason why she came out was that she felt fretful because of what happened at daytime and wanted to get out of bondage. Therefore, she didn¡¯t obey the rules and went out with him. Now that she calmed down, she felt confused and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    She felt her head and frowned, not knowing whether she was right today.

    Feng Yuran took Mo Xuetong back to Qingwei Garden and just said ¡°Take care of your health¡±. Then he left without any words!

    Looking at his figure which disappeared quickly, Mo Xuetong quietly closed the windows. She was held in his arms just then and could clearly smell the blood. She had reached her hand to feel his sleeves and felt something sticky. When she lifted her hand now, she could still clearly see and smell the blood.

    She didn¡¯t dare to ask about it! So although she knew his wound was bleeding again, she didn¡¯t dare to ask! She was even afraid to have a connection with him.

    Using a handkerchief to wipe off the blood, she bit her lips and got into the quilt. It was cold in the quilt, even if she just came back. She huddled herself up and reached out one of her feet. There was the hot water bag Mo Lan ced for her. It was still warm but not too hot, and it was the only warmth she could get.

    Feeling the warmth, she sighed and looked at the top of the bed. But she couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    He got hurt badly. What¡¯s worse, he got injured because of her. Then he didn¡¯t take a rest, instead, he watched the fireworks with her. Even if Mo Xuetong was coldhearted, she felt guilty especially when she thought what harm it would bring to her once they had a connection.

    She turned her head and cuddled the hot water bag in her arms. That was the warmth she needed. On such a cold night, such a little heat became her only support. She was eager for warmth while she was afraid it was too hot, so she kicked it away at the beginning.

    Now she had the same mood towards Feng Yuran!

    She turned over and over but still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Maybe it¡¯s because she spat blood. Although she had taken Feng Yuran¡¯s medicine, she still felt ufortable in her throat. As a result, she got up to drink some water but hit herself at the corner of the desk in the darkness.

    ¡°Miss, do you need tea?¡± There came Mo Lan¡¯s voice and the sound of getting up from the bed.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up. I¡¯ve had enough.¡± Mo Xuetong said gently and prevented Mo Lan from getting up. She didn¡¯t really want to drink, but just couldn¡¯t fall asleep. It¡¯s so ufortable for her to stay in bed.

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to drink the cold tea. I¡¯ll change something warm for you.¡± It¡¯s Mo Lan putting on her shoes outside, and she was clearly worried about Mo Xuetong drinking cold water.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get up, since I¡¯ve had it. I¡¯ll be careful for the next time. Go to sleep!¡± Holding her painful foot, Mo Xuetong returned to her bed and said gently. It¡¯s cold outside and Mo Lan would only wear a robe if she had gotten up. Thus she would easily fall ill. Besides, she didn¡¯t really want to drink. After she was hit, she got distracted and didn¡¯t want to drink anymore.

    ¡°Uh, the next time you want to drink water, remember to tell me. It¡¯s too cold outside and your weak body may get ill during the festive days.¡± Mo Lan hesitated for a moment and then urged even though she didn¡¯t get out of her bed.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Mo Xuetong answered obediently.

    She lied down holding her foot. Maybe she was distracted by the pain or actually tired, she fell asleep in a moment.

    She was asleep while King Xuan Feng Yuran wasn¡¯t.

    What¡¯s more, there were basins of blood taken out from Jingwei Pavilion. The maids and bodyguards didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. They were afraid to agitate the princess, which was more than what they could bear.

    King Xuan went to see thenterns but was assassinated. That horrible news had already been delivered into the pce and made Emperor Zongwen extremely furious. He sent four imperial doctors to treat King Xuan who was badly hurt but didn¡¯t mention that King Xuan went to see thenterns privately. His preference made the other two owners of the duke¡¯s manors stay awake.

    They discussed the next step while watching what happened at King Xuan Manor!

    In the tall tower, imperial doctors frowned and stepped out to prepare for the medicine. They discussed how to treat King Xuan. If they couldn¡¯t treat him well, ording to Emperor¡¯s words, they would have to pay their lives for it. So they put all efforts in it, sat on the second floor and deliberated over what should be put into the medicine.

    In a wide bed on the third floor, Feng Yurany there with a pale face, and both his wrist and his chest wrapped in gauze which had blood on it. He closed his shiny eyes on the handsome face which looked weak, and it couldn¡¯t be told whether he was asleep or not.

    ¡°Feng Yue, how is it going?¡± He askedzily with closed eyes after a while.

    ¡°Li Youmo has met first young and fell in love with her at first sight. Perhaps he has followed her to Mo Manor.¡± Feng Yue jumped in through the window quickly and answered obediently by his bed.

    ¡°How are King Yan and King Chu at Xiangman Tower?¡± Feng Yuran still closed his eyes and askedzily. If he wasn¡¯t wrapped sluggishly, nobody would believe it was King Xuan who had been stabbed and almost died.

 Chapter 139 - The Ministerâ€™s Manor Asks for Mo Xueminâ€™s Hand

    <h4>Chapter 139 The Minister¡¯s Manor Asks for Mo Xuemin¡¯s Hand</h4>

    ¡°The two Princes left for their own homes in a rather good mood and Second Young Miss Ling also returned home. I heard that the Empress¡¯ Pce reced all their ceramics today. After that, there was a fuss about a disrespectful pce maid at the imperial concubine¡¯s. The maid was punished by beating.¡± Feng Yue was not in charge of matters in the pce. However, Shen Kun was busy and asked him toe to report to their lord.

    ¡°How about the Mo Manor?¡± All was silent on the bed and the person only spoke softly after a long moment.

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo went to bed not long after she returned to the manor. She still does not know about what happened to First Miss Mo. She will probably find out tomorrow.¡± Feng Yue knew that his master treated Third Young Miss Mo differently and tried his best to answer his queries about her fully. After he answered his master¡¯s queries, he asked curiously, ¡°Your Highness, should I send the formted medicine over immediately?¡±

    ¡°Prepare it and send it here first.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mo Xuetong slept very little at night and as such, woke upte the next morning. The old madam had been ill and had told everyone in the manor not to greet hear early in the morning. As such, Mo Xuetong had not cared so much and had slept as much as she wanted. However, she had not woken up before Mo Lan woke her. She held her head, feeling rather dizzy, only reacting momentster. Mo Lan said that something happened to Mo Xuemin!

    Something happened to Mo Xuemin! She had still gone to the night marketst night. How did something happen to her? Mo Xuetong rubbed her forehead with her left hand vigorously and then looked up with confused eyes, focusing on what Mo Lan was saying.

    ¡°Miss, the Minister¡¯s Manor sent someone over and they have already been invited in. They said that they want to take the first miss as a wife after his first wife passed away. Young Master Li sent an official matchmaker early in the morning and old sir was furious. He chased the matchmaker out of his office and sent someone to fetch the first miss. He¡¯s really angry...¡±

    Mo Yu took over excitedly. ¡°Miss, you didn¡¯t see it, the first miss made such a huge fuss. I heard the servants from Fuqing Garden say that first miss has been throwing a tantrum since early this morning. If Mo Xiu had not found her early, she would have hit her head on the wall and died. The rumors have spread throughout the manor. They are saying that first miss has not been virtuous and left the house in the middle of the night. She was molested and it was Young Master Li who saved her...¡±

    Mo Yu was very excited when she thought of how the hypocritical first miss who always pretended to be gentle and nice had finally shown given herself away. She chattered on and on and wanted to say something else. However, Mo Lan tugged on her braid lightly, and she caught on momentster and fell silent. Mo Ye put down the things Mo Xuetong used to clean up and went to the curtains. She picked up the curtains and took the opportunity to look at their surroundings while asking the maids to sweep the courtyard.

    ¡°Rx. Auntie Fang is not in charge now and Nanny Ming dotes on our mistress the most. She already told the two aunties to get rid of the disobedient servants in this courtyard. Those who are left will not dare to speak nonsense even if they are not on our mistress¡¯ side.¡± Mo Yu was in a good mood and made a face at Mo Ye. However, she lowered her volume anyway.

    After Nanny Ming had gotten rid of some people in Qingwei Garden after she took charge. However, it was unlikely for there to not be a single outsider among them.

    ¡°Where is father?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind had cleared by then. She touched her heavy head and asked with a frown.

    Mo Xuemin had gotten into trouble and had been the one who asked You Yuecheng to introduce Mo Xuetong to the loafer who saved her. She would not believe that Feng Yuran had not been involved in the matter. She had heard clearly that Feng Yuran was the one who ordered his guards to find Young Master Li.

    She did not know how he had plotted against Young Master Li though. He had wanted to marry Mo Xuemin and no one else after seeing her!

    Mo Xuetong had guessed correctly. Feng Yuran was the mastermind of the entire incident!

    Yesterday, Mo Xuemin had left Fragrance House and got onto her carriage after bidding a reluctant goodbye to You Yuecheng. Because she had snuck out, she did not use therge horse carriage meant exclusively for Mo Manor¡¯s use. Instead, she used the oil paper walled small carriage that regr women used when they went out. The carriage was notrge and it was a donkey-pulled carriage.

    She did not know what happened. Mo Xuemin was about to get on the carriage when a few mean-looking young thugs approached. She only had a slender maid beside her and was getting onto a normal donkey carriage. She was beautiful and the thugs thought that she was the daughter of an average family. As such, they teased her and then even touched her.

    Even though Mo Xuemin was a concubine¡¯s daughter, she had been brought up in seclusion in the Mo Manor. While her heart was evil, it did not show up on her face. Even though she wanted Mo Xuetong to die, she would only act in secret. She was furious when she met the ruffians who teased her shamelessly. She ignored them and got onto the carriage.

    Mo Xiu stood in front of her and was pushed around a little by two ruffians. She lost her bnce and fell, hitting the donkey pulling the carriage. The donkey was shocked and threw its head up and whined. Mo Xuemin who was about to get onto the carriage was thrown off it and into the arms of Li Youmo, who had just gotten off his horse and was about to enter Fragrance House.

    Li Youmo was a lecherous person and there were many beautiful women and pubescent boys in his home. He did not differentiate between genders. When he saw a beautiful woman falling into his arms out of nowhere, he pulled out a look of stern righteousness and beat the ruffians up who then ran away. Then, he carried Mo Xuemin in his arms and wanted to take her away.

    Mo Xuemin would be ruined if he really brought her away! Mo Xuemin would not allow him to.

    She wrenched herself out of his embrace while Li Youmo was not paying attention and gave him a tight p!

    Who was Li Youmo? He was Minister Li¡¯s only son and was doted on and spoiled. In the Minister¡¯s Manor, Minister Li had never disciplined him. And the minister¡¯s mother would rush out to protect him if anything happened. Li Youmo had never been pped and was furious. He was not a gentleman and it was not like he had never hit a woman. He rushed forward and was about to hit Mo Xuemin.

    It was a coincidence that You Yuecheng exited from Fragrance House at that moment and saw what was happening. He stopped Li Youmo and pulled him to the side, telling him who Mo Xuemin was. Mo Huawen was now a third-grade governor. Even though his ranking was not as high as a minister, he was a close subordinate of the Emperor and was not just any third-grade official.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s intentions were to get Li Youmo to stop. However, the rascal was an unreasonable person. Even though he released Mo Xuemin because of You Yuecheng, he grew more and more annoyed when he returned home. A woman had dared to hit him. Those around him jeered him on and he ran off to Old Madam Li in the morning and said that he was interested in First Miss Mo. He had to marry her!

    Li Youmo was Old Madam Li¡¯s precious darling. Even if he created trouble outside, his father did not dare to do anything to him. He had always been a yboy and had never been interested in settling down. The Old Madam had been worried about it. He had finally agreed to take a wife two years ago but she had been tortured to death by him in just a few short days. After that, he had refused to marry again.

    Now he had taken the initiative to ask for another girl¡¯s hand. The Old Madam was exhrated. She sent people to ask around about Mo Xuemin and heard that despite First Miss Mo being a concubine¡¯s daughter and having a less than ster reputation, she was said to be gentle and gracious, talented and beautiful. Even though her status as a concubine¡¯s daughter and the bad rumors about her were not very satisfactory, but she knew what kind of person her grandson was.

    As such, she sent an official matchmaker to the Mo Manor early in the morning to ask for Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand. She told the matchmaker to say that First Miss Mo had been molested by others and her grandson had been the hero to save her. They were seen hugging each other by so many people and it was the truth. Furthermore, the Mingguo Duke¡¯s son was a witness as well.

    To make this more credible, the Li family lowered themselves slightly. After all, Li Youmo had saved her.

    Mo Huawen heard these from the official matchmaker and was furious! He chased the matchmaker out. He did not know about anyone else, but Li Youmo was an infamous character. He had fought over a prostitute with someone and the scuffle had caused an entire street toe to a standstill. And then, the next day, he would ride in a horse carriage down the streets openly with a male singer... A person like this dared toe up to their doors and ask for his daughter¡¯s hands. This was definitely not good news and was a great insult to the Mo Manor.

    When he thought about how he had only grounded Mo Xuemin yesterday and something like this happened, he understood that Mo Xuemin had only pretended to be obedient. He was extremely disappointed in his usually obedient and gracious daughter. And this incident made him hate Auntie Fang even more. Mo Xuemin was indeed a child taught by a concubine. He ignored all the news about Mo Xueminmitting suicide because he was angry and stewed in his anger alone in the study.

    When Mo Xuetong hurried to the study at the front courtyard, Mo Huawen was sitting in front of his desk, a hand propping up his head with a troubled frown.

    Old Madam Li had told the official matchmaker to tell Mo Huawen about the incident yesterday firstly to im that the two had met and it was not because her grandson was interested in the daughter of Mo family for no reason. Secondly, it was a veiled threat. Her grandson had done the heroic act of saving a beauty and everyone saw them touching each other. It would be a beautiful incident if they got married. But if they did not, it would be a scandal. Furthermore, the Mingguo Duke¡¯s son was present as well.

    Li Youmo was an unreliable person and if he were to spread rumors about what happened yesterday, the Mo Manor could just insist that the person he was with yesterday was not First Miss Mo. However, You Yuecheng was different. He was the Mingguo Duke¡¯s son and his reputation had always been ster and was an honest person. If he said that it was Mo Xuemin who was presentst night, Mo Xuemin had to be present even if she was not!

    When he thought of that, Mo Huawen¡¯s head hurt badly. He felt that the matter was pressing and could not be bothered with punishing Mo Xuemin. His only thought was how to dodge this disaster!

    He knew that Mo Xuemin definitely cannot marry Li Youmo. This was not just about Mo Xuemin. If she were forced to marry Li Youmo, that would mean acknowledging Mo Xuemin sneaking out alone in the middle of the night with just a maid. Was she meeting someone?

    The reputation of the daughters of Mo family would be ruined. Mo Xuemin being forced to marry Li Youmo would make her seem guilty. The marriages of the other daughters of Mo family would be affected as well and that was something Mo Huawen did not want to happen.

    He thought of how Tong¡¯er would be the next to marry after Mo Xuemin. His obedient and adorable Tong¡¯er would be gossiped about because of Mo Xuemin and then would not be able to find a good husband. Mo Huawen grew anxious when he thought of that. He grew angry and annoyed and could not sit nor stand around. He walked around in the study but still could not think of a solution.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gentle voice sounded at the door just as stewed in his anger and annoyance. ¡°Father, have you had breakfast? I still haven¡¯t. Would you have some breakfast with me?¡±

    He looked up to see his daughter¡¯s concerned and somewhat cautious expression. Even though her tone was rather yful, she seemed to be trying to please him because of her concern. Despite so, his heart still softened at the look of her.

    The sun streamed into the study from behind Mo Xuetong. She held a red wicker food basket and stood at the door. Compared to therge basket, Mo Xuetong seemed slender and soft. The eyes of the person on the portrait behind the desk seemed to be scrutinizing her carefully. She bit her lips, her eyes were as clear as pools of water, looking as if she could see through one¡¯s heart. The concern in her eyes were clear as well.

 Chapter 140 - The Gulf Between Father and Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 140 The Gulf Between Father and Daughter</h4>

    Mo Huawen was about to say that he did not want to eat, but he swallowed his words and removed his hand from his desk. He smiled at her lightly and nodded, gesturing for her to enter.

    A sh of joy appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes and she heaved the box onto the table with some effort. She reached out to pick up the books scattered on Mo Huawen¡¯s desk and then ced some scrolls onto the shelves by the desk. That was where Mo Huawen¡¯s documents which he handled daily were ced.

    ¡°Father, Grandmother sent these boxes of snacksst night. You were asleep, so I did note to bother you. I only heated them just now and they are best with porridge. Father, try the porridge I made. You must not let the effort I put in go in vain.¡± Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Mo Huawen did not mind her being close to him despite his distant expression. She opened the box and set out the little dishes of snacks.

    There was Mo Huawen¡¯s favorite crispy duck, sweet lotus pastry, drunken fish, cucumbers in sauce, cold tofu...and arge pot of porridge that looked delicious. Mo Xuetong scooped a bowl of porridge for Mo Huawen and put it in front of him. Mo Xuetong only regained her calmness after that and looked up with a smile. ¡°Father, try this. I made this porridge. Is it good?¡±

    Mo Huawen took a sip of the porridge as Mo Xuetong looked on expectantly. It was not too thin or too thick, and was not too hot or cold. It was very good. Mo Huawen could not help but take a second measured look at Mo Xuetong. He saw her taking two sips of her own porridge, smiling happily, and for some reason, he felt remorseful.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡±Mo Huawen put his bowl down with a grave expression. One could not tell if it was guilt or love in his eyes.

    ¡°Father, is the porridge I made good? If not, I can make improvements next time. Anyway, I want to eat it myself too and I like eating with Father best.¡± Mo Xuetong winked at Mo Huawen yfully, as if she could not sense the tense atmosphere in the room and spoke about something else instead.

    Mo Xuetong had not learned how to cook in Cloud City. While Mdm Qin might not have liked her, she still had to put up a facade and would not allow her to cook. Furthermore, Mother Xu had always been with her and she only had to ask if she wanted to eat anything. She did not have to do anything herself.

    After marrying Sima Lingyun in her past life, his mean mother had asked Mo Xuetong to wait on her personally and had bullied her. In order to make delicious food that the Duchess would eat, Mo Xuetong had spent much effort and burnt her hands many times. However, Sima Lingyun would only tell her to be more careful indifferently and not say anything else.

    She thought that he was being considerate towards his mother and could not say anything else. She only understood now that he did not care about her. So why would he care whether she was injured or not?

    When she thought of that, coldness seeped into her eyes. She had been reborn to seek revenge. She would not spare a single person who had hurt her and caused her to be engulfed in mes.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, this is really good. But don¡¯t cook in the future. There are so many servants, if you cook, then what do we have them for? You¡¯ve only juste to the capital and are not familiar with the nobledies here. You should meet them more often and don¡¯t stay in the kitchen.¡± Mo Huawen could not help but reach out to pat her head. His anger dissipated when he saw the brilliant smile on his daughter¡¯s face. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating with gusto.

    Mo Xuetong rxed and smiled when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s kind and concerned expression.

    She scooped herself a small bowl of porridge and sat with Mo Huawen, apanying him as he ate. The two did not speak while eating and ate slowly. Only the sounds of them eating could be heard in the room. It was calm and peaceful and made one feel rxed. Mo Huawen¡¯s gloomy feeling abated in the peaceful atmosphere.

    Mo Huawen finished eating momentster. Mo Xuetong put her bowl down and went to the door to get Mo Yu to clean up. Mo Huawen¡¯s servant went to make two cups of Longjing tea and helped Mo Yu to clean up the bowls and chopsticks before the two left silently.

    Mo Huawen took a sip of his tea and asked with a grave expression, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you still remember the maids called Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong, your mother had?¡±

    Mo Xuetong naturally remembered that her mother had four personal maids, but she did not know why Mo Huawen was asking her this right now. She nodded in confusion and said, ¡°Of course I remember Yinchun and the others. They did their best in serving Mother. I even asked Nanny Ming to find out about them some time ago and heard that they were not doing well.¡±

    Yinchun had smashed herself against Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother¡¯s coffin and died. Xiang Qiu had fallen ill and died shortly after. Hexia had gone missing, and while Xuedong was still around, she had gone mad. She could not even recognize her family.

    ¡°Were they all present when your mother passed away?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s expression was very grave and he lowered his voice subconsciously. Despite so, Mo Xuetong could still sense the slight waver in his voice. Mo Xuetong had always wanted to find out what happened then. And now that Mo Huawen brought it up, she felt a little emotional and nibbled on her lips.

    ¡°Father, why didn¡¯t you send Mother off then?¡± She had always wanted to ask this question, but from her past life until now, she had never found the right time to do so. Now that she was affected by Mo Huawen¡¯s emotions, she felt that it would stay and stifle her if she never said it. It was bitterly painful. This was the reason for their estrangement. She used to think that Mo Huawen was the most unfit husband and father. But after what happened all this while, Mo Xuetong saw her father with different eyes.

    After she arrived in the capital, Mo Huawen had truly doted on her. Even Mo Xuemin, whom he had always thought highly of was put behind her. Sometimes, when her father looked at her, she could clearly see how he missed her mother. How could a gather like this be unfaithful? And to refuse to see her mother for thest time?

    ¡°Then, I was...really busy. I was handling things in Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard...and didn¡¯t know your mother would die so suddenly... While your mother¡¯s health has always been poor, it was not that bad...She couldn¡¯t even wait for me for a few hours...Your mother, your mother...¡± It was said that men do not cry until they encountered something truly sad. Mo Huawen held the corners of the table tightly with both hands, afraid that he¡¯d show his weaker side in front of his daughter.

    He felt extremely regretful even when he thought about what happened now. If he had known how evil that person was...Luo Xia would not have died so young...He did not know if he was stupid or dumb. They had been husband and wife for so long, and yet, he did not know anything... When he thought of how loving they were and the years they had spent together, Mo Huawen felt extremely grieved.

    The morning sun streamed through the window and upon Mo Huawen¡¯s sorrowful expression. His eyes shone, reflecting the light. The bitter smile on his lips was tinged with pain. Mo Xuetong had not imagined Mo Huawen would look like this. Her heart started to beat wildly and she realized that she had neglected something important in the past.

    ¡°Father, how did Mother die?¡± Her voice was thin and weak, shaking uncontrobly. Her lips had turned pale and her hands pressed down so hard on the desk that one could see her joints. A voice in her heart told her again and again that there was something unusual about her mother¡¯s death. And Auntie Fang was not the only issue. Otherwise, her father would have dealt with her a long time ago. Even if he did not punish her, he would not keep her by his side. She did not have anyints in her past life because she only knew that her mother had died of sickness.

    But in this life, she was certain that Auntie Fang had killed her mother. That was why she hated her!

    However, she realized that there were other problems, and these problems and made her father hesitate. She had to know! She wanted to know why badly! She forced down the pain and shock she felt and waited for Mo Huawen to give her an answer.

    Mo Huawen took a deep breath and made a decision when he saw the pain on his daughter¡¯s child-like face. He saw the panic she felt and how she shook. Her face was as white as paper, and yet, she clutched on to the desk tightly and did not allow herself to fall. He said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, your mother died of illness. It is my fault. I did not make it in time to see her for thest time. You don¡¯t need to investigate this matter further. I want to ask you, did you get people to beat up Yinchun?¡±

    He would not tell Tong¡¯er what happened. Since Luo Xia did not say, he would not mention it either. Mo Xuetong can just be Miss Mo, that¡¯s all!

    Yinchun¡¯s death? How did Yinchun die? Didn¡¯t she smash herself on her mother¡¯s coffin and died because she was so close to her mistress? How did it be Mo Xuetong getting someone to beat her up? Mo Xuetong was a little stunned and she could not react just then. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Mo Huawen dazedly.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, it wasn¡¯t you, right?¡± Mo Huawen understood immediately when he looked at the shock and daze in his daughter¡¯s clear eyes. He thought of how he left his most beloved daughter alone in Cloud City for more than a year because he was flustered by Luo Xia¡¯s sudden death and Auntie Fang¡¯s sweet words. He felt extremely regretful now!

    How would his obedient and lovable daughter do something like that? Forcing her mother¡¯s maid to death for no reason, hitting her until she had no way out and died in front of Luo Xia¡¯s coffin. Tong¡¯er was only 11 then. Even though she was a little introverted and was not as likable as Min¡¯er, it would not make her so vicious.

    How could his and Luo Xia¡¯s daughter do something like that? But he was enthralled by Auntie Fang then and believed in everything she said. When he recalled how she had knelt at Tong¡¯er¡¯s Qingwei Garden, he could see that she had gone to make trouble. How could a child who had just lost her mother be able to withstand that?

    She had already let Auntie Fang off easily by sshing her with a basin of water!

    He recalled the letters he sent to Tong¡¯er being returned unopened and thought that she was unwilling to forgive him. He thought that she was vicious and hateful and as such, let her stay alone in Cloud City to train her temper. He had then ignored her. However, these were all plots set by Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang had hated Tong¡¯er...and done things to her where he could not see. He did not know how much Tong¡¯er had suffered.

    No wonder Tong¡¯er hated him so much then, and no wonder Tong¡¯er did not forgive him. Auntie Fang was so evil. How would she treat Tong¡¯er well? And he, he had listened to her honeyed words and thought that Tong¡¯er was arrogant and vicious, stubborn and unyielding, and disobedient. Tong¡¯er was rebellious and unfilial...they were all lies Auntie Fang made up!

    His heart hurt!

    He was wrong. How could he let Auntie Fang interfere with Tong¡¯er¡¯s matters!

 Chapter 141 - The Beautiful Snake Begging for Sympathy in the Study

    <h4>Chapter 141 The Beautiful Snake Begging for Sympathy in the Study</h4>

    ¡°Father, Father...¡± The sounds of Mo Xuetong crying could be heard outside. It broke the silent sorrowful atmosphere in the room. Mo Huawen rearranged his expression and looked up coldly at Mo Xuemin who was faking sadness as was being helped along by Mo Xiu at the door.

    Mo Xuemin did not expect Mo Xuetong to be there as well. A trace of viciousness shed in her eyes. She took a step forward, looking gentle and weak. There was a bandage wrapped around her head that still bore traces of blood. It was probably the wound from where she had smashed her head earlier. Her pink clothes bore spots of blood near the wound. Her hair was let loose and she opened her mouth fearfully. Her sad eyes were filled with tears and she looked very pitiful, making one sympathize with her.

    She tripped before she even entered the room. She would have fallen if Mo Xiu had not caught her.

    She looked so pitiful and had this been in the past, Mo Huawen¡¯s heart would have softened and he would not bear to punish her. He would just ept whatever she said.

    However, Mo Huawen was still feeling furious at Auntie Fang. When he thought of how nothing would have happened if Mo Xuemin listened to him and stayed at home, he said coldly, ¡°Why are here and not at your Fuqing Garden? Are you dissatisfied with the marriage that you found yourself?¡±

    ¡°Father...¡±Mo Xuemin had not expected her father, who doted on her usually, to speak to her so harshly. She let go of Mo Xiu and knelt down heavily in front of Mo Huawen, crying.

    She looked weak and sad, appearing slightly fearful. She seemed to be here to get her father¡¯s sympathy. No wonder she did not even change. How could she not change if she really wanted to see her father! She was trying to get her father to ignore the matter once he saw how pitiful she was! Mo Xuetong thought to herself coldly as she looked down.

    Her father¡¯s heart would definitely hurt for Mo Xuemin when he saw how pitiful she was and just let her off for what happened yesterday had this happened before she came to the study. However, Mo Xuemin¡¯s hypocrisy only added on to her father¡¯s ire. Her father would not pity her when he thought of Auntie Fang¡¯s lies.

    ¡°What did you go out for yesterday night? Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay in your courtyard and copy scriptures? Or do you think that your father¡¯s words don¡¯t mean anything and you can do whatever you want in private?¡± Mo Huawen thought of how Aunie Fang¡¯s face was also filled with tears on the day Luo Xia died when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s tearful expression. Auntie Fang had told her that Tong¡¯er had been vicious and violent and beaten Madam¡¯s maid, Yichun almost to death. He could not reign in the rage he felt and stood up forcefully, yelling as he mmed his hand down on the table.

    The same tears, the same gentleness. But they were all fake...

    ¡°Father...It is Min¡¯er¡¯s fault. Father, please forgive me...¡± Mo Xuemin knelt on the floor and cried, tears rolling in her eyes. She could not even speak coherently. However, Mo Xuetong saw the sinister look shing in her eyes. ¡°Father, yesterday, Auntie had a miscarriage...I went out to...¡± She had not even finished her sentence before she started sobbing inconsbly.

    ¡°To what?¡± Mo Huawen was not touched and he spoke coldly.

    ¡°Old Sir, Old Sir, Miss went out for Old Sir and Auntie!¡± Mo Xiu who was kneeling behind Mo Xuemin crawled forward and kowtowed beside Mo Xuemin as she cried, helping Mo Xuemin answer his question. ¡°Old Sir...Auntie Fang miscarried yesterday and was locked up...Only Aunie could be med for this and no one else. But...but, she was locked up in Lihua Garden and did not get treatment. Miss was worried that something might happen to Auntie Fang, so she snuck out to get some medicine. It¡¯s the new year, and if something happens to Auntie, it would not look good on Old Sir. She did not expect this to happen! It¡¯s not Miss¡¯ fault! It is my fault. I did not take care of Miss. Miss was only being filial, and we did not expect...¡±

    Mo Xiu kowtowed furiously, her forehead smashing on the floor tile and she started to bleed.

    ¡°Mo Xiu, no! Father, it is all Min¡¯er¡¯s fault. Please punish Min¡¯er.¡± Mo Xuemin turned around and held Mo Xiu in her arms, looking like a good mistress who was protecting her servants. She started to cry and pull Mo Xiu up, looking extremely aggrieved as she pleaded with Mo Huawen.

    Mo Xuetong harrumphed to herself coldly!

    Mo Xuemin was indeed a very good actress. She told Mo Xiu to kowtow so furiously and then help her to exin herself. This was much more convincing than her saying so herself. She was not having a dalliance with anyone else and was only concerned about the Mo Manor¡¯s reputation. Then, she reminded her father that Auntie was at fault. But she had lost her child and that was as good as being punished. However, that did not mean she had to die. Her act of sneaking out at night became an act of filial piety, and the incident that happenedst night was just bad luck!

    However, this was all built on the premise that her father acknowledged Auntie Fang¡¯s child as his own. Mo Xuemin had never expected that her father had wanted the child gone. The child was a thorn in her father¡¯s eyes and had to be gotten rid of. Even if this had not happened, her father would have acted.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened. He spoke coldly after a while, ¡°Did you really go out to get medicine?¡±

    ¡°Father, do you mistrust Min¡¯er so much? I have stayed in seclusion at home for so long, why would I do something so shameless? The Ming Duke¡¯s son was present that day as well. You can go and ask him if Min¡¯er was meeting someone or was alone. That carriage still has medicine to stop Auntie¡¯s bleeding and is still scattered inside. Father, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can send someone to check immediately.¡± Mo Xuemin looked up, her tear-stained face filled with hard determination.

    This was done even more beautifully. First, she had mentioned the Ming Duke¡¯s son, You Yuecheng, and then the proof in the carriage. Mo Xuetong believed that the medicine was real and that they were scattered all over the carriage. This was an excuse of Mo Xuemin to leave the house. Even if Mo Xuemin had snuck out of the house, she could not hide it from Mo Huawen and he would find out sooner orter. Mo Xuemin would not dare to go out without such an obvious excuse.

    Even though her father was slightly suspicious, he would have to believe her somewhat!

    ¡°That Li Youmo has concrete evidence and so many people saw. You are unwilling, so what do you say we should do?¡± Mo Huawen groaned and sat down. His expression was indistinguishable as he threw the question to Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°Father, that Li Youmo doesn¡¯t know Min¡¯er, so how could he be sure that the person was Min¡¯er. His reputation has always been poor, and not many would believe what he says. Furthermore, the carriage did not have the emblem of the Mo Manor.¡± Mo Xuemin heaved a secret sigh of relief when she heard Mo Huawen¡¯s tone softening even though it was still a little gruff. She looked up and spoke. This was why she hade in the first ce.

    ¡°Even though no one would believe what Li Youmo says, but the Ming Duke¡¯s son was there as well. Others would definitely believe him. How will you exin it then?¡± Mo Huawen continued coldly.

    ¡°His Excellency did see Min¡¯er that day, but I can beg him to say he is not sure whether the person he saw was Min¡¯er or not. If he says that he is not certain whether it¡¯s me, Li Youmo would not be able to say for sure that the person he saw was Min¡¯er!¡± You Yuecheng was the key in this. But Mo Xuemin was confident that she can make You Yuecheng change his statement.

    She had gone to Fragrance House to see You Yuecheng in the first ce and he had believed what she said. He thought that Mo Xuetong, thatss, was vicious and evil, and had hurt her Auntie and elder sister. He thought that she had not even spared the unborn child in her Auntie¡¯s belly. If she pinned the incident that happened yesterday on Mo Xuetong, You Yuecheng would definitely be willing to help her. Li Youmo would not be able to do anything no matter what he said. She could also nt more ill-will in You Yuecheng¡¯s heart against that slut.

    It would be killing two birds with one stone.

    Mo Xuemin had not expected Mo Xuetong truly had something to do with the incident.

    ¡°You will go and persuade the Ming Duke¡¯s son?¡± Mo Huawen raised his brows coldly. One could not tell how he was feeling.

    Mo Xuemin grew happy instantly. She could not hide the joy in her eyes. Mo Xuemin was definitely willing to have more interactions with You Yuecheng and have him sympathize with her even more. She wanted to be the Ming Duchess. Now that she had been framed, she could have the opportunity to plead with You Yuecheng and express how lonely and helpless she was, how weak and pitiful she was. This would move him more than any other words would. She was definitely willing to do that.

    ¡°Father, I am willing to go and persuade the Ming Duke¡¯s son and ask him to spare the Mo Manor. It is alright if Min¡¯er¡¯s reputation is ruined, but I cannot implicate my sisters.¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s righteous words showed how considerate she was towards her sisters and also how selfless she was. At the same time, she had brought up the fact that if she were really to marry Li Youmo, she would not be the only one to be affected!

    Persuade the Ming Duke¡¯s son? Mo Huawen had once had this thought but then had buried it immediately. If it were so easy to persuade You Yuecheng, would he have such a good reputation? He felt angry once more when he saw how well-nned Mo Xuemin was and her righteous expression. He felt that he would definitely explode in anger if he continued watching her!

    This was the daughter he had always thought was sensible and obedient! The gracious daughter he had brought up in her boudoir. The situation was already like that, what could she do to make You Yuecheng change his statement? Was it not enough that she had her reputation tainted by Li Youmo and now she wanted to be involved in rumors with You Yuecheng? The incident in which Sima Lingyun carried her out of the fire had only just been smoothed over, and now she was involved with Li Youmo.

    No matter how shameless a nobledy was, she would not make the same mistakes over and over again. What close rtionship with her sisters! Thest time, she had used Qiong¡¯er as her scapegoat. Even though Mo Huawen had not liked Mo Xueqiong, he knew that he had treated Mo Xueqiong badly in this incident. An unmarried girl who was involved in such an incident would be looked down upon even if she were to marry that man. Furthermore, Qiong¡¯er was going to be a concubine.

    Mo Huawen had been observing Mo Xuemin all this while. She had not visited Mo Xueqiong after the incident and had epted her younger sister¡¯s grace towards her without any qualms. It was as if Mo Xueqiong had really been the person rescued from the fire that day. She had not considered that her younger sister would be looked down upon by her husband¡¯s family and be shamed by others because of this.

    She had not been considerate towards her sister at all but had pretended to be in front of others. She was just like Auntie Fang! Mo Huawen suddenly thought of how viciously and harshly Auntie Fang had treated Mo Xuetong and thought of the shame, pain and grievances that Mo Xuetong experienced. Mo Huawen was no longer in the mood to speak with Mo Xuemin and only felt that she was a hypocrite and liar.

    ¡°Go!¡± Mo Huawen waved her away with a fierce expression. He did not even want to see Mo Xuemin...¡± Go!¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s actions surprised Mo Xuemin. She held on to Mo Xiu and the two of them were in shock. When Mo Xuemin saw that Mo Huawen would not even turn around to look at her, she did not give up and scooted forward on her knees, begging him tearfully, ¡°Father, Father!¡±

    Behind the desk, Mo Huawen¡¯s expression was one of tiredness and his frown grew deeper! His eyes, however, remained cold and sharp as he yelled angrily, ¡°Go!¡±

    He was growing more and more disappointed with this daughter!

 Chapter 142 - Rumors Were Sometimes Extremely Unreliable

    <strong>Chapter 142 Rumors Were Sometimes Extremely Unreliable</strong>

    Mo Xuemin and the Old Madam returned together!

    The Old Madam said only one thing to Mo Huawen. ¡°The reputations of the Mo daughters must not be tarnished!¡±

    Everyone understood what she meant. This was not just a matter that affected Mo Xuemin alone. If the eldest Mo daughter was a wanton, unfilial girl who might have had a dalliance with someone, others would doubt the breeding of the entire Mo family. No matter Mo Xuetong or Mo Xueyan, and even Mo Xueqiong, who was already promised to Sima Lingyun, their marriages would be cast with the same suspicion and they would not be able to marry into a good family.

    This incident was not the same as Mo Xueqiong¡¯s. At least, Sima Lingyun had truly saved her. He had pulled her out of the fire in public and what happened after had only been the result of the rush in saving someone. It was at the Mo family¡¯s ancestral hall and was not really against anything. The incident between the two could not really be treated as a dalliance between the two. The incident had blown up because the Duke¡¯s manor had been dissatisfied with Mo Xueqiong¡¯s status as a concubine¡¯s daughter. They had saved someone but had to marry the concubine¡¯s daughter. No family would want that.

    After that, the Mo family had promised Mo Xueqiong to Sima Lingyun as a concubine. That was considered as repayment for their kindness. While not dignified, they had to be flexible, and the matter passed.

    However, the situation Mo Xuemin was in right now was different. She appeared in Fragrance House and was on a bustling street. There were many different types of people there and it was not something that could be hidden. It had happened at night, and most importantly, Mo Xuemin had snuck out. Something so serious had happened to her mother in the day but she was still in the mood to sneak out at night.

    This was a disgrace to a girl¡¯s upbringing and had already implicated the reputations of the Mo daughters. This was something both the Old Madam and Mo Huawen did not want to see.

    This was also what troubled Mo Huawen and he could not think of a solution.

    He had considered Mo Xuemin¡¯s suggestion, but it would not work. Since You Yuecheng was the one to inform Li Youmo of Mo Xuemin¡¯s identity, then he could not change that. How could he change his mind and say that the person that day was not Mo Xuemin? While the Four Great Manors of the court were all noble families, some of the newer factions were rising without them knowing.

    Minister Li of the military department was a person like this. He was in charge of the military and while the Mingguo Manor might not be actively trying to pursue him, they did not dare to offend him either. Mo Huawen had been in the court for a long while, and Mo Xuemin, a girl raised in seclusion who was more emotional than rational, could notpare to him. You Yuecheng was a man with a good reputation. But he had grown up together with Li Youmo, who had a bad reputation, and they were friends. Even though the two do not interact much because of their reputations, they were still friends in private.

    Since the upright You Yuecheng and Li Youmo had littlemon ground, why did they maintain such a close rtionship then? Mo Xuemin did not understand, but Mo Huawen, who was politically sensitive, understood. He not only knew, but also analyzed this, and as such, felt even more disappointed by Mo Xuemin, who wanted to bribe You Yuecheng.

    What right did the Mo Manor have to ask You Yuecheng to abandon the Li Minister Manor, whom he had always stood with?

    In the past, he felt that his eldest daughter was wise and had a good character. He thought that she was sensible and that her status as a concubine¡¯s daughter was holding her back. As such, he had been considering marrying Auntie Fang so that Mo Xuemin could be the main daughter. However, now that he looked at it, a concubine¡¯s daughter was still a concubine¡¯s daughter. She was stillcking in knowledge.

    ¡°Father, are you going to meet that Sir Li?¡± The study grew silent after the Old Madam left with Mo Xuemin. Mo Huawen frowned and Mo Xuetong finally moved from where she was standing and stood behind Mo Huawen. She reached out to help massage his temples.

    ¡°Li Youmo?¡± Mo Huawen paused slightly and felt his headache intensifying.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t you think that Sir Li is the key figure in this? If he says that the girl wasn¡¯t Eldest Sister that day, would His Excellency still say that it was Eldest Sister who was present that day?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes twinkled and she smiled. She was not familiar with You Yuecheng, but rumors said that he was a reputable man. However, she did not agree and looked down on him.

    Mo Xuetong knew exactly what happened. A prominent figure like him had agreed to meet Mo Xuemin in private in Fragrance House. Even though they both seemed to be adhering to etiquette, Mo Xuetong despised them. Mo Xuetong knew what sort of person Mo Xuemin was. The pain of her past life and all the steps she had taken in this life showed that she was not kind at all. However, her reputation was still ster in public.

    What about You Yuecheng, who also had a good reputation? Why would he work together with Mo Xuemin and plot to use Li Youmo to destroy her? A person like this could not be considered to be righteous and reputable at all. Mo Xuetong even felt that You Yuecheng was even more despicable than Li Youmo, and that he was more hypocritical.

    She believed that as long as Li Youmo changed his statement, the hypocritical You Yuecheng would not disagree with him or offend the Minister¡¯s Manor. As such, the key personnel of this incident would be Li Youmo, whose bad reputation preceded him, and not the Ming Duke¡¯s son, who was rumored to be reputable and responsible.

    Rumors, were sometimes extremely unreliable!

    And she would not trust these so-called rumors.

    ¡°Li Youmo...¡±Mo Huawen¡¯s frown was deep as he fell silent. He smiled bitterly and pulled Mo Xuetong to him. He patted her head and said, ¡°This person, it¡¯s difficult!¡±

    ¡°Father, since he wants to marry Eldest Sister, it would not be difficult for you to get him toe over!¡± Mo Xuetong looked at him with clear eyes that were filled with confusion. ¡°Or do they intend to force Eldest Sister to marry him? That¡¯s not a marriage, they are trying to make enemies!¡±

    If this marriage were really to go through, the reputations of Mo daughters would really take a beating. It would not be a marriage and they would really be making enemies. It felt as if the entire incident was engineered to destroy the reputation of the Mo daughters.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes brightened when he heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s soft voice. He pped the table suddenly and a smile appeared on his face. He had an idea! He was a court official and was a close subordinate of the Emperor. He naturally knew of ways around certain matters. However, he was currently involved in this matter and could not find another way out for the moment. He immediately found a solution with Mo Xuetong¡¯s reminder and started a new n.

    He told Mo Xuetong to return to Qingwei Garden while he settled things. Then, he asked his servant to go to the Li Minister Manor to invite Minister Li and his son over to the manor for a small gathering!

    Mo Xuetong did not return to Qingwei Garden. She first went to the Old Madam and saw the Old Madam sitting in front of the table angrily. Her dark brown robes that had longevity characters embroidered in them made her seem even more stern. Mo Xueyan stood behind her, helping to massage her back. One could not see her expression clearly, but when she looked up asionally, she could not hide the satisfaction in her expression. Mo Xuemin knelt in front with her head hanging low, a shattered porcin teacup by her foot.

    ¡°Grandmother, your granddaughter is here to greet you!¡± Mo Xuetong looked straight in front of her. She held Mo Yu¡¯s hand and approached the old madam, kneeling down and kowtowing respectfully as if she had not seen Mo Xueyan¡¯s mocking expression.

    ¡°Get up! I¡¯m not dead yet. You don¡¯t need toe and greet me every day. All of you are troublesome.¡± The Old Madam only spoke momentster. There was a hint of anger in her sternness that could not be hidden. She knew that the Old Madam was angry at her.

    ¡°Grandmother, are you well? ¡°I was worried about your health and copied scripturesst night to pray for your health.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly as if she did not know the Old Madam was angry. She took a roll of scriptures from Mo Yu and handed it over respectfully.

    The maid beside the Old Madam took the scriptures and put it on the desk in front of the Old Madam. The Old Madam could not help but look down at the neat and beautiful script. It was evident that Mo Xuetong had put effort into it. She muttered to herself softly for a moment and her expression softened.

    ¡°Keep these. Tong¡¯er thatss is filial and knows to dote on her grandmother. Some people really cannot be presented to the public. They are really afraid that people do not know that they don¡¯t have good breeding. This manor does not have someone who is in charge. Look at the kids here. Your father really needs to wee a new madam.¡± The Old Madam¡¯s face was so dark that she looked like the clouds in the night sky. She nced at Mo Xuemin, who was kneeling on the ground, and said meaningfully.

    She intended for Mo Xuetong¡¯s father to remarry. But it was really inappropriate to say this in front of his daughters. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had not had interacted much with the Old Madam. She had seen her on a few asions and did not know what the Old Madam was like. She had been filial, and even though the Old Madam did not like her, she had not gone overboard.

    However, she had not expected the Old Madam to be the one who had gone overboard. Mo Xuetong could not help but smile bitterly. How could she reply to what the Old Madam said! Was she supposed to say yes or no? It was not something she could question as a daughter. Furthermore, she was still an unmarried daughter.

    She could only lower her head silently. Fortunately, the Old Madam was not waiting for her reply and only vented to herself.

    ¡°Min¡¯er, get up. Your father has to remarry after this incident. You all are old enough, especially Min¡¯er, you¡¯re at a marriageable age. It¡¯d be best to find a woman who is connected to our family and is of a certain age. You all would be familiar with her and an older woman would be more mature, unlike those beautiful but flighty young women. Right, Min¡¯er?¡± The Old Madam frowned at Mo Xuemin who had just been helped off the floor and spoke to her coldly.

    The nanny beside her waved her hand and all the maids and servant left. The private matters of their masters were not things that they could hear.

    Had connections to their family and had to be of a certain age. This meant that the Old Madam already had her own picks! Furthermore, she wanted to force Mo Xuemin to agree. Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng were the eldest daughter and son of the family and were children of Auntie Fang. Of course, they would want to help Auntie Fang be the main wife. But looking at the current situation, they did not dare to say anything. If Mo Xuemin did not have any objections, why would Mo Yufeng, another man talk about his father remarrying?

    However, would Mo Xuemin dare to object in this situation? The Old Madam had plotted this well! She had made full use of this opportunity.

    ¡°Grandmother, you have been very considerate towards Father. Min¡¯er thanks you on behalf of Father. However, Mother has only passed for less than three years and Father loved Mother deeply. He had once said that he would be a widow for three years. If you ask Father to marry someone right now, I fear that it would put him in a bad light. What do you think, Third Sister?¡±

    Mo Xuemin naturally understood the Old Madam¡¯s intentions. She hated the Old Madam for kicking her when she was down. However, she knew she was in the wrong and did not dare to object openly. She could only speak about Luo Xia and looked at Mo Xuetong pleadingly. Tears welled up in her eyes, about to fall, and she looked especially pitiful, looking as if she felt sorrow at Luo Xia¡¯s passing.

    How would she be agreeable to be a concubine¡¯s daughter forever?

 Chapter 143 - Sima Lingyuns Other Woman

    <h4>Chapter 143 Sima Lingyun¡¯s Other Woman</h4>

    ¡°Even though your father loves your mother deeply, look at how the situation is right now. This home is not like a home anymore. All the Mo daughters have had their reputations ruined. Min¡¯er,ss, don¡¯t wait for Auntie Fang. She is a vicious woman and even if your father agrees, I will not. She has plotted against the main daughter and killed the child in her womb. Your father has been kind not to drown her.¡± The Old Madam¡¯s expression darkened when she heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s evasion.

    She was so direct Mo Xuemin could not ept it. A sh of viciousness passed her eyes and her teeth ground against each other. She bit her lips and lowered her head, hiding the poison in her eyes. She only lifted her head momentster and said softly, ¡°Min¡¯er will listen to Grandmother!¡±

    The situation was not in her favor and she did not have the chance to speak at all right now. Furthermore, her father would be the one to decide whether he was agreeable or not, it did not matter whether she agreed to it beforehand or not! No daughter can decide on behalf of her father whether he could marry someone or not. The Old Madam was going to leave after the new year. What could she do even if her father did not agree!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what do you think?¡± The Old Madam¡¯s expression cleared when she saw that Mo Xuemin was not going to object again. She gestured for Mo Xuetong to sit beside her and took her hand with a smile. ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you remember Aunt Xinru? She used to y with you when you were younger. She got along well with your mother when she was still alive. Look, this is a gift she asked me to bring you.¡±

    The nanny beside her had already brought out an exquisitely carved box and ced it in front of Mo Xuetong. One did not have to open it to know that it was expensive.

    ¡°Aunt Xinru is biased. Why didn¡¯t she give me anything? Let me see what it is.¡± Mo Xueyan reached out to open the box before Mo Xuetong even touched it.

    There was a set of opals and pearls essories, from hairpins to earrings. And they were all beautiful.

    ¡°Grandmother, they are so pretty. I want them too. I have never seen such beautiful essories!¡± Mo Xueyan pouted, tugging on the Old Madam¡¯s shirt, looking very envious.

    ¡°Your Aunt Xinru had spent much effort to pick this out for your younger sister. There is no other like this. Yan¡¯er, be good. I will help you to ask her when I see her again if she still has any more jewels and make you some essories.¡± The Old Madam patted Mo Xueyan¡¯s head with satisfaction. This set of jewelry was so precious, how could there be more? She could not hide her pleased expression as she turned to look at Mo Xuetong.

    Lan Xinru? It was her. No wonder the Old Madam was behaving so oddly today. It was because of her!

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. This world was really busy. There were so many incidents, and they were all people she knew. How could she not know that woman, Lan Xinru! In her past life, the woman had not managed to be her father¡¯s woman, but had be Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistress. She had Sima Lingyun had already gotten together before Mo Xuetong married him.

    When did she find out in her past life? It was after she miscarried for the first time. Someone told her that Lan Xinru was Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistress after that. Of course, someone must have intentionally released the news to her. Her status at the Duke¡¯s Manor then meant that none of the maids or servants were loyal to her.

    She had brought Mo Yu and Mo He with her when she charged there angrily, but then, was shamed by Lan Xinru. The woman had not only pushed her out of the door, but she had also poured several basins of water over her. It was winter then and she had only brought two maids with her. They were all drenched and she fell gravely ill because of that incident.

    Sima Lingyun stayed in her room for an entire night because of that. It looked like his heart broke, but in fact, he had told her again and again not to tell anyone about this. He said that it would reflect badly on her father. After all, one of them was his cousin and the other, his son-inw. No matter how one looked at it, it would be an embarrassment to her father.

    Sima Lingyun had even assured her that he would not go to Lan Xinru again and that he would quickly deal with that woman.

    She had trusted him so much then and was touched that he was being considerate towards her and her father. She had not expected that he was just lying to her and was afraid that if she told anyone about it, it would be damaging to him.

    But Sima Lingyun was not to be trusted.

    When she had been poisoned, the figure that shed past outside was obviously Lan Xinru. She recalled that Lan Xinru¡¯s family used to own a medicinal shop. She had heard that she was very talented in medicine. It seems like she was the one who had concocted the poison that had killed her. When she thought of how she saw Mo Xuemin¡¯s back in Lan Xinru¡¯s courtyard, she found herself covered in cold sweat in the middle of winter. She was certain that Mo Xuemin was involved in the matter. Back then, she had thought that she had seen wrongly. Now that she thought about it, she knew that the two evil and vicious people had long been in cahoots with each other.

    A sh of anger appeared in her eyes. In this life, Lan Xinru wanted to be her father¡¯s main wife and Mo Xuemin was determined to help Auntie Fang be the main wife. She wondered if the two can still work together. Lan Xinru was not young anymore. She should be about 20 years old. Mo Xuetong wondered if she was still hanging out with Sima Lingyun and whether the Old Madam would still force her father to marry Lan Xinru if she knew that her niece had been having a dalliance with another man.

    ¡°Thank you, Grandmother, and please thank Aunt Xinru for me. Grandmother, where is Aunt Xinru now?¡± Mo Xuetong cocked her head slightly and epted the box, pretending to be delighted. Her gaze swept upon Mo Xuemin, whose expression was dark, and her smile grew even sweeter and more innocent, making her more lovable.

    The Old Madam smiled with satisfaction. Mo Xuetong was just a girl whose mother was dead. Could she stop her father from remarrying? She had be so obedient after receiving a gift.

    ¡°Aunt was going toe to the capital with us, but then something happened at home, so she was held back for a while. She will being soon. Third Sister, since you like Aunt so much, why don¡¯t we let her stay at your Qingwei Garden when shees!¡± Mo Xueyan answered swiftly.

    Stay in her Qingwei Garden! The Old Madam had really nned well.

    If Lan Xinru were to stay in Qingwei Garden even before Mo Huawen married her, others would feel that the Mo Manor valued her greatly. If they allowed her to stay in the main daughter¡¯s courtyard and weed her in especially, the meaning behind it was not simple. And her father visited her from time to time. If Lan Xinru stayed at her ce, it would be convenient for her to see Mo Xuetong¡¯s father and then hook up with him.

    So this was why the Old Madam had talked about her father¡¯s marriage to her for and also the reason why the Old Madam had gifted her with this set of essories. She said that Lan Xinru had gifted them to Mo Xuetong, but Mo Xuetong had checked on the Lan family¡¯s background in her past life. The family had already fallen and would not have the money to gift this set of essories to someone else.

    Furthermore, why had the Old Madam not gifted it to her on the day she arrived but only after something like this had happened to the Mo family. The Old Madam had thought of giving her this set of essories so that she would feel indebted. ording to her character in her past life, she would definitely allow Lan Xiru to move in and try her best to please her.

    The Old Madam wished to plot in this life, but she can¡¯t!

    She had already chosen her father¡¯s second wife. The gentle Aunt Xu Yan from her maternal grandmother¡¯s family was the most suitable! Didn¡¯t Lan Xinru like being a mistress? She could be Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistress again in this life! She would package her and Mo Xuemin and send them to Sima Lingyun. She would fight poison with poison. The women in Sima Lingyun¡¯s back courtyard were all vicious women. She would see who was the most vicious then.

    ¡°Grandmother, it would be best if Aunt Xinru is willing to stay at Tong¡¯er¡¯s. But Father said that he would not allow any outsiders to stay in Tong¡¯er¡¯s Qingwei Garden even if no one else is staying there. It is a promise he gave Mother and everyone in the manor knows about it. Eldest Sister, what do you say?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the Old Madam and answered awkwardly. She pushed the box of opals back to the Old Madam, looking awkward, as if she should not ept the gift since she could not help.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Grandmother, Qingwei Garden had been kept empty even when Third Sister stayed in Cloud City. Fourth Sister tried to think of ways to move in but only stopped after Father gave her a beating. Back then, Father told everyone in the manor that Qingwei Garden was the courtyard of the main daughter and not anyone can stay there.¡± There was cold derision in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes as she answered the Old Madam respectfully.

    Mo Huawen would not allow his own daughter to stay in Qingwei Garden, so what right did an outsider have to stay there? She was just some random person! Mo Xuemin did not hesitate to side with Mo Xuetong as she would not allow Lan Xinru to enter the Mo Manor and be its Madam.

    They were not agreeable then!

    The Old Madam¡¯s expression turned grave.

    Mo Lan moved towards the exit silently. After exiting the room, she waved at Mo Ye, who was standing outside. She returned to the room again after speaking with Mo Ye softly.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, that¡¯s not right. How could Aunt Xinru be just anyone? She is your Aunt! It¡¯s not against etiquette for her to stay in Third Sister¡¯s Qingwei Garden! Furthermore, Grandmother is here, what would Uncle say about it?¡± Mo Xueyan¡¯s eyes glowed as she found the w in Mo Xuemin¡¯s argument and pointed it out.

    She was here today to help her grandmother. She would say the things that her grandmother could not. Her Aunt Xinru had promised her that she could choose a few sets of essories from the Mo manor storeroom if she became the matriarch of the Mo family, and would gift her with ten sets of dowry when she gets married. When she thought of that, she naturally became rather forceful. She did not believe that the two Mo sisters would say anything to directly object the match in front of their grandmother.

    Even though Mo Xuemin was intelligent, she was just a concubine¡¯s daughter and had made such a huge mistake earlier!

    Mo Xuetong might be a main daughter, but she was a coward and was ignorant. She was no match for herself!

    Mo Xueyan was confident that she would get the essories and dowry from the Mo Manor.

    Which was why she was being so forceful in getting the two to express their stance! If they did not say anything, they would be considered unfilial. Mo Xuemin was so furious she gritted her teeth. Auntie Fang had only lost power two days ago and now, Mo Xuemin was trying to sponge off them. She was pushing her luck!

    ¡°Miss, Miss, Third Miss!¡± The soft voice of a maid could be heard on the other side of the curtain.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong could recognize Mo Ye¡¯s voice. A faint smile appeared on her lips and she ignored Mo Xueyan.

    ¡°The Old Madam of the General¡¯s Manor sends word. She says that your Aunt, that is, the Duchess of Xiangyang is here at the General¡¯s Manor. She heard that you are in the capital and told me to invite you over!¡±

    The room fell silent with just that statement. The Old Madam opened her mouth but did not speak. Mo Xueyan¡¯s face flushed as if someone had hit her! Mo Xuemin smiled mockingly by the side.

    Aunt? That person was a real aunt! She was powerful and was from the General¡¯s Manor! How could the Old Madam¡¯s niece be considered an aunt as well! She was the daughter from a fallen family who was the niece of the Old Madam, who wasn¡¯t even rted to them. They called her aunt out of courtesy but did she really think she was someone!

 Chapter 144 - Li Youmo, the Outrageous Young Sir

    <strong>Chapter 144 Li Youmo, the Outrageous Young Sir</strong>

    Mo Xuetong had lunch at the General¡¯s Manor before returning home. The Xiangyang Duchess was Luo Xia¡¯s cousin and the two were born just days apart. They had grown up together. Duchess Xiangyang had married Duke Xiangyang first and then, Luo Xia married Mo Huawen. The two moved with their husbands and had not met again until Luo Xia passed away.

    Duchess Xiangyang had returned with her husband to the capital and went to the General¡¯s Manor to greet the Old Madam. She only realized that Mo Xuetong hade to the capital after the Old Madam mentioned it. As such, she had specially sent someone to invite Mo Xuetong over to get to know her. She had sent someone to pass on the message to say that the Old Madam wishes to see her granddaughter and Duchess Xiangyang wished to meet her niece. They had not made it so exaggerated like Mo Ye had.

    ¡°Miss, is that Miss Lan really going to move in?¡± Mo Lan followed behind Mo Xuetong and asked with a frown. She had always by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and naturally knew that when Madam was around, Lan Xinru had tried to please Madam and her mistress in public but had pretended to be coy and gentle and flirted with Old Sir.

    Once, she had gone up to Old Sir and fell intentionally. However, Old Sir had not been interested and allowed her to fall. He left without even looking at her. Then, Madam had fallen seriously ill. Lan Xinru entered the Mo Manor in the name of tending to the Madam. She dressed up seductively and visited Madam every day. The maids and nannies by Madam¡¯s side were so angry they were speechless.

    Madam was gravely ill then and was not in the mood to care about all these. Furthermore, the Old Madam had sent Lan Xinru in the name of helping out the sick Madam. Fortunately, Old Sir loved Madam deeply and ignored Lan Xinrupletely. He embarrassed her publicly several times until she could not stay any longer. They had not expected that she woulde for Old Sir again.

    ¡°Old Madam had thought about this for so long, how could she note. Go look for Nanny Ming and discuss this matter with the two Aunties. Tell them that Miss Lan Xinru ising to the manor to apany the Old Madam. The eastern end of the manor has a courtyard that is refined and elegant. The scenery there is excellent. Tell the servants to clean it up. She would probablye in a few days.¡± Mo Xuetong passed through a circr door and entered the gardens. She seemed to have smiled, but when Mo Le took a closer look, the smile had already disappeared.

    Despite never having been a submissive sort of person, Mo Ye truly admired this mistress of hers since she started serving Third Miss Mo. She was tiny but very thoughtful and brilliant. She had gotten information from Mo Lan privately earlier and found out about the efforts Miss Lan had put in a few years ago. If she told the two Aunties that there is yet another woman who is here to steal their husband, it would be truly troublesome.

    Mo Ye had been to the courtyard in the east. It was not too far away and the scenery was indeed decent. However, those were not the most important points. The main point was that the ce was right beside the doors, and crossing through another door would bring one to the outside courtyard. It was not a ce suitable for a nobledy.

    It was close to the outside courtyard and one would meet a man not from the family if one was not careful! If Miss Lan was not careful with herself, she might step out of the line. Of course, the two Aunties would be d to see this happen. If Lan Xinru were to create any rumors with another man in the manor, she would not be able to be Mo Huawen¡¯s main wife. The Aunties would understand when her mistress mentioned this. They might even help Miss Lan out.

    Her mistress was really sly. She had, in just a few words, pitted Miss Lan against the Aunties.

    However, Mo Ye also knew that her mistress¡¯ slyness was no match for her previous master. Her previous master was a cheat and lulled his enemies into a false sense of security. Fortunately, she would not be at a disadvantage serving her current mistress! Mo Ye was quite satisfied with that.

    ¡°Alright. I will go and find Auntie Qingter and tell her that the Old Madam had told Miss Lan toe to apany us and spend the new year in the Mo Manor.¡± Mo Lan was an intelligent person and understood with just a little thought. She winked and her expression rxed.

    Mo Xuetongughed when she heard Mo Lan¡¯s teasing words.

    She was going to tell the two Aunties that Lan Xinru was entering the manor because Old Madam had told her to. Old Madam was someone Mo Huawen respected. Even though he did not obey her in all things, but Old Madam could still make the decision regarding certain things. In the past, when Madam was still around, she could only do things secretly. But it was different now. There was not a proper matriarch in the manor and the implications of Lan Xinru entering the manor was different.

    If the two Aunties knew that Old Madam wanted Lan Xinru to be the matriarch, they would definitely think of ways to torture Lan Xinru. In her past life, the two Aunties did not have any sons and could not fight Auntie Fang for affection. They had let her have the matriarch position obediently in the end. Even so, Auntie Fang had not managed to get rid of them, which showed that the two Aunties were not easy to deal with either.

    With the two Aunties around, it would not be easy even if Lan Xinru wanted to fascinate about her father! Furthermore, her father would definitely not like such a fickle woman. Otherwise, he would not have disregarded the Old Madam and embarrassed Lan Xinru so much that she had no choice but to go home.

    The mistress and servant got each other and startedughing when they suddenly heard someone calling out.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, did youe from First Miss Mo¡¯s ce? How is she doing now?¡± An indifferent voice sounded politely by her ear. Mo Xuetong could not help but stop and turned to the path on the left. That path led to her father¡¯s study. A servant was bringing two men around and they stood at the end of that path.

    You Yuecheng was wearing a light-colored long robe which draped down on him tastefully. He had a wide golden belt cinched around his waist and on it, hung a beautiful piece of jade. The shape of the jade was ssic and elegant and seemed to be exuding a sense of gloom. He wore a purple gold hat on his head. His face was handsome but his expression was icy cold and slightly arrogant. He was polite, but it felt as if he was being condescending.

    The other man standing beside him was the opposite. He was dressed luxuriously and wore four or five pieces of jade at his waist. His robes were long and find. The elegant robes were thrown over him haphazardly and it made one who looked at it feel ufortable. There was a scampish smile on his handsome face. He had not yet spoken, but his eyes had already scanned Mo Xuetong over. It made one very ufortable. Mo Ye took two steps forward and blocked his sight.

    A trace of derision appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes when she saw that it was You Yuecheng.

    You Yuecheng was such a hypocrite. He did not like her and yet pretended to be gracious. Last night, he had plotted with Mo Xuetong against herself and knew that she and Mo Xuemin did not get along well with each other. Mo Xuemin wanted her dead. Would she still go and show concern for her? Or was You Yuecheng trying to take this opportunity to spread rumors about her being disrespectful to her elder sister and casting stones at her while she was down!

    ¡°Greetings, Your Excellency.¡± Mo Xuetong said gently. Even though she was smirking internally, she still had to maintain a facade. She emerged from behind Mo Ye and curtsied deeply to You Yuecheng and the other man. She got up and replied with a smile, ¡°I have just returned from the General¡¯s Manor. What happened to Eldest Sister? Even Your Excellency is here to ask about her. Did something really happen to Eldest Sister?¡±

    Then, she looked up with her beautiful clear eyes at You Yuecheng in confusion. She did not believe that You Yuecheng would announce what happened to Mo Xuemin in front of so many people!

    You Yuecheng had not expected Mo Xuetong to not know anything. It was like hitting someone and then finding out that that person was filled with cotton and had not been hurt at all. He had agreed to apany Li Youmo to the Mo¡¯s. He had emerged from Mo Huawen¡¯s study and met Mo Xuetong who wasughing prettily with her maid. That smile was offensive to him.

    He recalled what Mo Xuemin told him and wanted to make things difficult for Mo Xuetong. He had stopped her intentionally. He wanted to use Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident to make it seem like Mo Xuetong was a bad sister who was not counseling her sister but was having fun with her maid. He wanted to make it seem like Mo Xuetong was a cold-hearted person who did not care about familial ties. He did not expect her to not even know what happened!

    He could not say the mocking words he yearned to say and they remained stuck at his chest ufortably.

    He was struck speechless, and Li Youmo took the opportunity to say,¡± Is this Third Sister-inw? I am your Eldest Brother-inw. I came because of what happened to your Eldest Sister. Is she in her courtyard? I have not seen her in a while and I quite miss her. I might as well visit her courtyard. Mingcheng, let¡¯s go together. Since First Miss Mo is about to marry me, you¡¯re no outsider and I won¡¯t mind!¡±

    His words were extremely appalling. Even though Mo Xuemin had been reborn and had a good psyche, she almost vomited blood at what he said. You Yuecheng¡¯s haughty expression froze as he stood beside Li Youmo. Mo Lan and Mo Ye froze immediately. They have never seen someone so thick-skinned. Nothing had been confirmed and he had already addressed Mo Xuetong his sister-inw and called himself her eldest brother-inw.

    The two had only met yesterday and he was now saying they have not seen each other in a long while. He was in the Mo¡¯s Manor but had treated it as if it was his own home and even invited a man into ady¡¯s room. His careless expression seemed totally at ease and as if all he had said was inevitable and right.

    Outrageous. This man was outrageous! Mo Xuetong needed to breathe out long and hard to fight theughter that was about to erupt!

    An outrageous man like this was indeed a good match for Mo Xuemin!

    The evil vicious woman and the ruffian. No matter how many venomous schemes she had, she would not be able to win against him!

    ¡°You scum, you¡¯re bullshitting!¡± Mo Xuemin stood at the entrance of the garden with Mo Xiu. She was so angry her face was pale. She flushed and pointed at Li Youmo, shaking uncontrobly.

    ¡°Oh, First Miss is here! We are indeed connected at the spirit! First Miss, did you have the same thought as I do? A day without seeing you feels like three years, and three days without seeing you feels like nine years. First Miss, you know me so well. How about I go and tell father-inw right now that tomorrow is a good day and we should get married quickly. Or First Miss and I would miss each other so badly it would feel like our organs are being torn apart. We might be ill before the new year is over.¡± Li Youmo focused on Mo Xuemin when she appeared and he swaggered up to her.

    He was also considered a handsome nobleman, but he felt more like a ruffian, especially when he walked. All his essories shook when he walked and it made one wonder if any of his essories would fall off him.

    What would happen when the hypocritical Mo Xuemin meets the ruffian-like Li Youmo? Who would win? Mo Xuetong suddenly felt very expectant. She turned around and approached Mo Xuemin with concern so that she could see everything clearly!

    It was unknown what You Yuecheng was thinking. He paused and then looked at Mo Xuetong arrogantly before approaching Mo Xuemin as well.

 Chapter 145 - Mo Xuemin was Beaten Up

    <strong>Chapter 145 Mo Xuemin was Beaten Up</strong>

    Li Youmo¡¯s words were very frivolous. He rolled his shoulders in and looked at Mo Xuemin from the corners of his eyes. His eyes shone and a smallzy smile appeared on the corners of his lips. He looked just like a ruffian. How could Mo Xuemin, who had always ced importance on reputation, etiquette, and always held herself as a role-model ept it? She was so furious she glowered. The noblemen she had met in the past were mostly like You Yuecheng. They were gentle and elegant. When had she ever met such a shameless nobleman?

    ¡°Sir Li, you¡¯ve mistaken someone else for me. I was at home copying scripturesst night and have not gone out. How would I have met Sir Li? You are a nobleman of the capital and you know that tainting someone¡¯s reputation is as good as taking one¡¯s life. I have not offended you, so why are you making things difficult for me?¡± Mo Xuemin still had ast bit of rational. She retracted her fiery eyes and forced down the anger in her heart as she spoke coldly.

    She had stayed here because she heard that her father had asked Li Youmo toe. She wanted to ¡°make things clear¡± with Li Youmo. She already understood that she had miscalcted earlier in the day. She had, in a fluster, went to her father and said that she would ask You Yuecheng to help her. Disregarding the fact that ady would not be able to meet a male who was not from her family, Mo Xuemin was not willing to have You Yuecheng recall how Li Youmo had hugged her that day. She was interested in You Yuecheng and would not allow his image of her to be wed.

    Mo Xuemin came to her senses when she returned to Fuqing Garden. She thought carefully and in the end, like Mo Xuetong, put her target on Li Youmo. As long as Li Youmo admit that she was not the person fromst night and did not spread rumors about what happenedst night and still came to ask for her hand at the Mo Manor, then she would still be that noble and virtuous First Miss Mo.

    Even though You Yuecheng knew what happened, as long as Li Youmo did not make a fuss, he probably would not expose her given his noble character. Even though he might despise her for a while, as long as she looked for him after the incident and push the me to Mo Xuetong and make it seem as if she had been framed by her, You Yuecheng would not turn his back on her and would help her against Mo Xuetong.

    Making him see for himself how Mo Xuetong framed her was way more powerful than just words!

    If she could make this happen, then what happenedst night would not be a disaster but a blessing!

    Of course, the premise was that Li Youmo would be able to ept a private negotiation.

    Mo Xuemin had nned and plotted and decided to stop Li Youmo at the garden. She did not care what kind of conditions came up with as long as Li Youmo agreed to say that the person he saw was not her! But she had not expected You Yuecheng to be there with Li Youmo, much less that Mo Xuetong would be with them.

    She hid by the side and wanted to follow them. She would reveal herself after Mo Xuetong leaves! However, Li Youmo had imed to be her husband in front of Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng. If it had only been Mo Xuetong, it would have been fine. Anyway, there were on opposing sides and she would eventually beat her. What was frustrating was You Yuecheng¡¯s presence. Even if he had other thoughts about her, it was impossible between them after what Li Youmo said.

    Mo Xuemin charged out in her anger. She forced her anger down and was speaking carefully. However, there was a hint of a threat in her tone. She said that even though Minister Li was powerful, Mo Huawen was a newly appointed high official and was not a simple character. He had been supporting the Emperor since he was the crown prince.

    The Li family had sent an official matchmaker and told the Mos about how Mo Xuemin had met Li Youmo yesterday and their ambiguous interactionsst night. They did not seem like they were asking for Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand and instead, seemed like they wanted to smear the reputation of the Mo daughters. As her father, Mo Huawen would definitely guard against the Lis. There was a fine line between allies and enemies.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but cheer at Mo Xuemin¡¯s words. She could still say something so calm andposed in such a situation and retort against Li Youmo. Mo Xuemin was indeed not a simple person. No wonder Mo Xuemin had been able to marry Sima Lingyun after her first marriage and got Sima Lingyun to give up hers and her child¡¯s life in her past life!

    But could her words really make Li Youmo relent?

    Mo Xuetong looked at Li Youmo carefully from the corners of her eyes. His eyes were narrowed dangerously. A cold smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. Mo Xuemin had probably erred today. If she had said those words to You Yuecheng or any other nobleman who was concerned for their family¡¯s reputation, Mo Xuemin might really be able to capture their heart. They might ept what she said even though they knew she was lying.

    After all, it would be better to have a powerful ally than a powerful enemy. Everyone would choose to be allies!

    But Li Youmo had always been the exception!

    If he really cared about his reputation, would he be so infamous?

    If he cared about the reputation of his family, would he be the biggest yboy in the capital?

    If he really cared whether he had friends or not, he would not have fought for lovers from so many people. There were a few of those people who were daughters from noble families!

    If he...

    There was only one answer!

    Mo Xuetong took a few steps back when she thought of all that. She leaned against the fake stone mountain by the side and was prepared to watch the good show. Others usually got to watch the show, and it was a rare opportunity for her to see such a grand show before the new year! She hoped that a bigger fuss would be made. It was really cathartic!

    She did not know why she felt so rxed today!

    ¡°First Miss, what do you mean?¡± Li Youmo narrowed his eyes dangerously. His eyes were dangerous and dark. He raised his brows and You Yuecheng was secretly rmed. He was about to stop Li Youmo, but he had already started to cause trouble. ¡°First Miss, you hugged me yesterday and we already had skin to skin contact. Are you going to deny it today? Or do you think I am worthless and that we would be a good match only if I were as charming as Brother Yuecheng?¡±

    His words made You Yuecheng, who was about to approach him, take two steps back!

    He had just been brought up. If he went up right now, Li Youmo¡¯s words would grow even uglier. Even though he felt that Mo Xuemin was pretty decent, he did not want to upset Li Youmo. He was an unpredictable character and if he angered him, he would not care that they had grown up together. He had yelled so loudly that First Miss Mo had a dalliance with him. Did he still care for his reputation?

    You Yuecheng felt guilty as well. Mo Xuemin had only left their private room and encountered Li Youmo downstairs. Then, he had stopped Li Youmo in order to save Mo Xuemin. The two had appeared together in Fragrance House. If Li Youmo were to suspect that Mo Xuemin was there to meet You Yuecheng and asked others about it, the matter would be exposed!

    He was the Ming Duke¡¯s son with an excellent reputation. He must not be pinned with having a dalliance with a woman. Furthermore, Mo Xuemin was just a concubine¡¯s daughter and cannot be his main wife.

    You Yuecheng backed away silently. However, Mo Xuemin was forced down a dead end. Li Youmo touched her face slightly and he spoke lewdly. Her handkerchief was about to tear from her wringing. She gritted her teeth and told herself to bear with it. She had to bear with it. However, when she saw You Yuecheng backing away, she could not hold back her anger and exploded.

    She pointed at Li Youmo and scolded, ¡°You are a shameless lecher. I have never seen you yesterday. Those were all your delusions. And now you are trying to ruin mine and Sir You¡¯s reputation. You are so ill-bred. And you are a ssless, vile person.¡±

    Mo Xuemin really admired Mo Xuemin¡¯s guts. She still dared to look at Li Youmo¡¯s dark expression and point at his nose and called him a vile character. She was challenging his temper. The calm Mo Xuemin had lost control. That Li Youmo was really not simple.

    Li Youmo rushed up at Mo Xuemin as Mo Xuetong was deep in thought. His eyes looked as if they could spit fire. She had scolded him for his ill-breeding, and this was something he minded the most. Those close to him knew that those whomented on his ill-breeding usually did not end up well. Thisment had embarrassed him and tore open old wounds.

    He had been used to being a tyrant in the capital. He had always been the one to embarrass others. When had a slut ever embarrassed him? Furthermore, those words pierced through his heart like a poison arrow. Li Youmo had always believed that if he could not bear it, he did not have to. As such, that was always how he behaved.

    ¡°p¡± ¡°p¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s shrill cries could be heard.

    You Yuecheng was stunned. Mo Xuetong held back herughter and looked at Mo Xuemin. She saw that there was arge handprint on both sides of her beautiful, pale white face. The five fingers on the handprint slowly turned from white to red and swelled up. Most importantly, two streams of blood flowed down from her nose, making her beautiful face look like that of a ghost. She did not look like an elegant and gentle noble woman.

    ¡°Giggle...¡± Someone could not stop herself, and the sounds of giggling could be heard apanied by a teasing voice. ¡°Eldest Sister, what¡¯s the matter? Why have you be like that? What¡¯s there that you can¡¯t talk about properly and have to scold others and fight with your arms and legs. If Father finds out about this, he would think that you have not adhered to etiquette again.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was with her two maids on the side of the path. She covered her mouth as she walked over and curtsied politely to You Yuecheng and Li Youmo. Then, she smiled and stood by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and said, ¡°Third Sister, why aren¡¯t you helping Eldest Sister? No matter how bad she is, she can¡¯t go around hitting people. Look at how she is right now. She does not look at all like a First Miss. No matter who sees her...Sigh, can her face still be looked at?¡±

    Mo Xueqiong approached Mo Xuemin as she spoke. She took out a mirror from her sleeves and stretched it in front of Mo Xuemin as Mo Xuemin panted. ¡°Eldest Sister, look, your face looks even worse than Ah Hua¡¯s. Sir You doesn¡¯t even want to look at you anymore.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong pointed meaningfully at You Yuecheng who turned his head away from Mo Xuemin in disgust. There was a vague smile on her lips.

    She was here to make trouble. She was jealous of Mo Xuemin. They were both concubine¡¯s daughters and both had marred reputation, so why was Mo Xuemin marrying better than her?

    Mo Xuemin looked at where You Yuecheng was standing and saw his expression of disgust. She shuddered to herself. Did she look that bad? Ah Hua was the lowest ranking maid in the manor. She was a little silly. If she looked like her, how was she going to go on with her life?

    She had initially decided not to be tricked by Mo Xueqiong and would not look into the mirror. She knew about Mo Xueqiong¡¯s jealousy and hatred for her. But she had never really cared for the silly Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong would definitely cast stones at her while she was down. She would deal with her when she had the time to.

    However, she could not help but look into the mirror because of You Yuecheng¡¯s attitude. A bruised and battered face appeared in the mirror. She screamed immediately, ¡°My face!¡± Then, she pushed away Mo Xiu who hade up to hold her. She did not care about anything else, but covered her face with her sleeves and stumbled back where she came from.

    Mo Xuemin depended on that face of hers. How could she not be rmed now that she looked like that!

 Chapter 146 - You Yuechengs Misfortune

    <h4>Chapter 146 You Yuecheng¡¯s Misfortune</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re so ugly and you want to marry Brother Yuecheng? You¡¯ve dirtied my hands!¡± Li Youmo seemed not to be conscious of the fact that he had been atrociously impolite. He was in someone¡¯s home and had beaten up their daughter. He pped his hands together as if he was getting rid of dirt and walked up to You Yuecheng. He appeared to be considerate towards You Yuecheng and the angry look on his face had long disappeared. Instead, he seemed more rx and even said somewhat apologetically, ¡°Brother Yuecheng, you won¡¯t me me, right?¡±

    However, he immediately turned around, not waiting for You Yuecheng, whose expression was one of awkwardness, to speak. He turned to smile at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Please excuse me, Third Young Miss Mo. But your sister¡¯s flirtatious character is really terrible. We are in the discussion for her hand and yet your first miss is still trying to flirt with Brother Yuecheng and I was too angry.¡±

    He looked righteously angry and selfless, making it hard for others to believe that he was the same ruffian. If Mo Xuetong had not seen the entire thing, she would have been confused by his performance and might even pity him and felt that he was not in the wrong.

    Mo Xuetong had to admit, despite her shock, that he had the ability to turn ck into white with his tongue and was the ultimate shameless person. One would know just by looking at You Yuecheng who had not even said anything to defend Mo Xuemin. But wasn¡¯t he too arrogant?

    This was after all, still the Mo¡¯s Manor. He had hit the first miss in front of so many people. Even if father did not believe Mo Xuemin, he would not just stand by and do nothing.

    Even though it did allow her to blow off steam!

    Mo Xueqiong had also vented. She looked at You Yuecheng and approached him daintily. Then, she curtsied to Li Youmo and said, ¡°Young Master Li, you are too polite. Eldest Sister is feeling unwell today, which was why she had done something so impolite. Please forgive her.¡±

    Then, she exined apologetically to You Yuecheng, ¡°Your Excellency, you have undergone an undeserved cmity today. Eldest Sister would not usually do anything inappropriate. Even though she has always gotten along well with the noblemen, she would not do something that would destroy her reputation. I hope that you will forgive her this once!¡±

    Mo Xuetong sighed to herself. Mo Xueqiong was using this opportunity to drag Mo Xuemin down! What did she mean that Mo Xuemin had always gotten along well with the other noblemen? All the other daughters from noble families in the capital did not leave their homes. They only participated in the asional banquets. How would she have gotten to know those noblemen well and where did she meet them?

    And forgive? What had Mo Xuemin done to require You Yuecheng to forgive her and why did she need You Yuecheng¡¯s forgiveness? Was it her discussion of marriage with Li Youmo? Or was it her involvement with Li Youmo? Her words made one felt rather ufortable. It was obvious that she was using this chance to mar Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation in front of You Yuecheng.

    She knew when she saw the satisfaction in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes despite her frown!

    Mo Xuetong looked at You Yuecheng¡¯s darkening expression and sighed to herself. Mo Xueqiong was really terrible at judging the situation by one¡¯s expression!

    She had to pick the right time even if she was casting stones on someone who had fallen!

    ¡°Fourth Young Miss Mo, what do you mean? What has what happened to your sister to do with me? Could it be that you think I have something going on with your eldest sister, or are you hinting at something?¡± You Yuecheng could tolerate Li Youmo¡¯s nonsense. They have known each other for many years and he knew that the fellow rarely had anything good to say. But who was Mo Xueqiong? She was just a concubine¡¯s daughter but dared to speak to him with that tone. You Yuecheng was annoyed and immediately glowered at her and spoke coldly.

    There was only one statement in what Mo Xueqiong said that he agreed with. This was really an undeserved cmity. When he thought carefully, what happenedst night and what happened today when he apanied Li Youmo here had nothing to do with him. However, he had been involved for some reason. You Yuecheng was very annoyed and he vented his anger on Mo Xueqiong as he questioned her coldly.

    ¡°Ah, I...¡± Mo Xueqiong did not expect the usually polite You Yuecheng would look down on her so. His handsome face was frigid and his eyes looked as if there was a storm brewing in them. His tone was so cold and hard like stone. Mo Xueqiong could not help but feel afraid. She did not have the guts to face the Mingguo Duke¡¯s son who was brewing in anger.

    Mo Xueqiong only realized then that she had brought the high and mighty Mingguo Duke¡¯s son into the matter when she was mocking Mo Xuemin. When she saw You Yuecheng¡¯s dark and cold expression, she did not dare to say anything else and only felt her teeth chattering.

    She felt ufortable from head to tone and was struck speechless.

    ¡°I do not care if Fourth Young Miss Mo is trying to tarnish the first miss¡¯ reputation. That is the Mo family¡¯s business. But if you want to push the me onto me, I apologize. Fourth Young Miss Mo, you think too highly of yourself! Is the Duke¡¯s manor not enough for you and do you wish to marry even higher through this matter?¡± You Yuecheng lifted his chin slightly and looked at the flustered Mo Xueqiong with disdain. He had not spared her at all with her words and was so sharp that even Li Youmo appeared shocked.

    When had the polite and distant Mingguo Duke¡¯s son shamed a girl? He had said everything except that she was vicious and flirtatious. Which girl could tolerate such shame? If this matter were to spread, Mo Xueqiong might as well die. Furthermore, it was the reputable You Yuecheng who had said this.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face paled immediately and her body shook. She wanted to defend herself but could not. She was ashamed and furious when she saw You Yuecheng¡¯s sharp gaze swept over her with disgust. She felt too embarrassed and her lips quivered. She suddenly cried out loudly and ran out of the garden covering her face with a handkerchief. The two maids behind her called out after her and gave chase hurriedly.

    Just great! Of the three youngdies of the Mo family, one had run off after being beaten up by Li Youmo while the other had run away after being scolded by You Yuecheng! Mo Xuetong turned to look at You Yuecheng who was staring at her angrily. She suddenly felt especially innocent! You Yuecheng and Mo Xuemin wanted to work together to frame her but their plot was foiled by Feng Yuran. Mo Xuemin had been caught in her own trap, but why was it her fault now!

    She was the only Mo family member left in the garden now and could not just leave like that. Mo Xuetong sighed to herself. Had she known this would happened, she would have left earlier, or just walked slower. Nothing would have happened if she did not meet the two! Feng Yuran was a little vicious and coupled with her father¡¯s worries had made her feel rather dissatisfied. Looking at You Yuecheng¡¯s angry expression, she wondered if he was going to me her for Li Youmo¡¯s misfortune.

    She snorted coldly. You Yuecheng might want to vent his anger on her, but she did not want to be vented on!

    She lifted her head and smiled at You Yuecheng lightly with a distant expression. Her clear eyes were very dark and looked as if there were dark colors dancing in them. One could not see how she was feeling but You Yuecheng could sense that there was not a hint of fear or panic in them.

    You Yuecheng knew that his cold expression was fear-inducing, especially when he was angry. Even his own sister would avoid him in his current state. He did not expect the delicate girl in front of him to be so brave. A hint of darkness shed through his eyes.

    Li Youmo, who was standing beside him, quickly hid the expression of ridicule on his face.

    ¡°I heard the rumors in the capital say that His Excellency You is the most polite, elegant, gracious person and was a magnanimous person. I hope that you will be as gracious as you once were and forgive my fourth sister for what she said. She is just like me and we are women who live in our boudoirs and are ignorant. If she had said something to insult you, I hope that you will forgive her. You came to the Mo Manor today, but had gotten so angry. It is the fault of the Mo Manor. I will ask father to apologize on behalf of us sisters.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were extremely polite. However, she pointed out that no matter how powerful You Yuecheng was, he was still a guest in the Mo Manor. He had, on thends of his guests, made an ignorant and delicate youngdy of the boudoir cry from his scolding. This was certainly not something that a gentleman should do. You Yuecheng might as well leave the capital if their father, a third grade official, apologized to him.

    You Yuecheng was stunned when he recalled that he was a guest in the Mo Manor. He came to his senses and realized that he was indeed too harsh on Mo Xueqiong. Even though Mo Xueqiong¡¯s words had not been very nice and were full of intent to frame her sister, that was a private matter of the Mo family. As a duke¡¯s son, he should just listen to it graciously as if it were a joke. How could he be so rash and scold her so badly that she had run away?

    He was annoyed. He was indeed too rash earlier.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied deeply, looking extremely guilty.

    Li Youmo had not expected You Yuecheng to lose control and could sense his awkwardness. He continued to fan himself silently and nced at Mo Xuetong. He could not help but admire her. This girl was not simple. It was really unexpected. She was great! When he saw how You Yuecheng was stuck, he stood to the side and watched the rare embarrassed look on him!

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, you are too polite. It was my fault! Some bad things happened at home and I lost control of my emotions. I apologize and please pass my apologies to Fourth Young Miss Mo.¡± You Yuecheng gritted his teeth and humbled himself. He dredged up a smile and reached out to get Mo Xuetong to rise. No matter what, he had to settle this issue today. It would be terrible for his reputation if this were to spread. He was not the son his father doted on the most!

    From Mo Xuetong¡¯s angle, You Yuecheng¡¯s expression looked stiff. Fortunately, she did not intend to argue with You Yuecheng about this. You Yuecheng had only lost control because he had been suffering all day. She knew when to stop and stood up, avoiding You Yuecheng¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Your Excellency You, you do not have to be so kind. It is we, the Mo sisters who have embarrassed ourselves. I will leave now and take a look at my sisters.¡± Mo Xuetong looked up, her charming eyes were distant and held a trace of a smile. One could not me her, her sisters had been shamed and bullied. Was there anyone who could continueughing?

    You Yuecheng could not ask her to stay. He nodded, and in a rare show of humility, smiled at her.

    Li Youmo rubbed his chin and watched Mo Xuetong leave with a thoughtful expression. It was hard to see his thoughts through his eyes.

    ¡°Brother Youmo, what do you think of this incident?¡± You Yuecheng turned around and sighed, panning his hands out in front of Li Youmo with a bitter smile. He regretted his decision to apany Li Youmo to the Mo Manor. First, Li Youmo had proimed that he had to marry Mo Xuemin in Mo Huawen¡¯s study, making Mo Huawen so angry that Mo Huawen had sent them out. He had not even said anything and was given the cold-shoulder together with Li Youmo!

    When had the renowned You Yuecheng been so embarrassed!

    Then, things had deviated from his original n. Mo Xuemin appeared and argued with Li Youmo. Li Youmo had made it hard for him to speak. Then, Mo Xueqiong appeared, and that situation was even worse. All she had left unsaid was that he and Mo Xuemin were having an affair. What kind of person was Mo Xuemin? She was the woman Li Youmo was about to marry. If Li Youmo discovered that he and Mo Xuemin had met in private, it would be a disaster.

    That might make Li Youmo suspicious. Or he might already be suspicious, or why would he say all that! This possibility made You Yuecheng explode in anger after Mo Xueqiong had said her piece. He had retorted against her unkindly. He wanted to show Li Youmo that there was nothing going on between him and Mo Xuemin!

    Because he had only been thinking about Li Youmo, he had embarrassed Mo Xueqiong and she had run away crying!

    This, what exactly happened... You Yuecheng could not help but smile bitterly and admit that he was just unfortunate in this situation.

    This misfortune... was really baffling!

 Chapter 147 - Being Threatened, Sima Lingyun Went Back To the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 147 Being Threatened, Sima Lingyun Went Back To the Capital</h4>

    ¡°I have to thank you for the things today, for that you were troubled for my marriage. I will give you a treat at Zuixian Tower which is located in the east of the capital tonight. Let¡¯s all get drunk before we leave and that will be my sincere gratitude for you.¡± Li Youmo arched his eyebrows and guaranteed. Then he came to hold You Yuecheng¡¯s shoulders like a hooligan and seemed to have a close rtionship with him. ¡°On my wedding ceremony, I shall kneel down before you who is our matchmaker. I¡¯ll be grateful for you for my entire life.¡±

    A matchmaker? He was the matchmaker between Li Youmo and Mo Xuemin! You Yuecheng opened his mouth and gotpletely speechless!

    He quietly evaded Li Youmo¡¯s hand and felt extremely regretful that he had a private date with Mo Xuemin that night!

    If this news got out, Mingguo Manor would be quite disgraced!

    The news that there would be a marriage between the Mo¡¯s and the Li¡¯s was all over the capital the other day because Li Youmo was so famous. It¡¯s really shocking that someone dared to marry his daughter to such a hooligan. And almost everyone was wondering who was the brave girl.

    Hearing that it was the beautiful gentle first miss from Mo Manor, everyone felt the pity. Such a beautiful, talented, gentle girl would be married to Li Youmo, which was a waste indeed.

    Of course, there were also people who heard it andughed that first miss in Mo Manor was a perfect match for the first sir in Li Manor!

    She had so many different tidbits that her reputation was getting worse and worse!

    When hearing such rumors, Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden changed all porcins that night!

    Mo Xuemin stayed alone at the room that night!

    There was no candlelit in the room or a maid by her side.

    ¡°Miss, miss!¡± Mo Xiu called her lightly by the door and listened. But the room was so quiet that there seemed to be no one in it. However, Mo Xiu knew miss was inside all the time.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Mo Xuemin took a long breath and sat up. Then she coldly answered towards the door.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xiu gently pushed the door open with a candleholder in her hand. The candleholder was so bright with three big bright candles in it and brought brightness into the room instantly. She carefully put the candleholder on to the desk beside her bed.

    ¡°Is there any reply from His Excellency of Duke¡¯s manor?¡± In the light, Mo Xuemin¡¯s face revealed no sign of happiness or anger, but the inmmation on her face made her pretty face seem fierce! She didn¡¯t look as gentle as in other days. Her heart was filled with envy and hatred towards Mo Xuetong, and her eyes looked extremely scary in the light.

    ¡°Someone in Duke¡¯s manor came and said that His Excellency would leave for the south of Yangtze River and move the tombs of his cousin¡¯s parents back to capital. So he is not here at the moment. I have taken your letter back.¡± Mo Xiu didn¡¯t dare to say anything more and took a carefully-wrapped letter out from her arms. Then she respectfully presented it to Mo Xuemin.

    He was not here? Moving tombs for his cousin? He was truly a useless one who was still obedient to his weak cousin. Then it was understandable that when she got to Duke¡¯s manor that day, his cousin followed him! She looked so seductive and was perfect to be a concubine!

    Mo Xuemin was so furious that she thought Yun Yiqiu was an evil woman to have a connection with Sima Lingyun. But she forgot her improper connection with Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Tell the man from Duke¡¯s manor that our forth miss don¡¯t want to be a concubine!¡± Mo Xuemin said coldly! Although Sima Lingyun didn¡¯t want to marry Mo Xueqiong, he didn¡¯t dare to offend Mo Manor. Duke¡¯s manor had no power now and could do nothing if Mo Xueqiong was determined not to marry him. But if that happened, it would be Duke¡¯s manor that got disgraced. She didn¡¯t believe Sima Lingyun wouldn¡¯t worry about this!

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go right now.¡± Mo Xiu didn¡¯t dare to go against her order and stepped out feeling frightened.

    The thing between the Li¡¯s and the Mo¡¯s was getting more and more concerns.

    At first, the Li¡¯s went to Mo Manor to seek a marriage alliance and got kicked out. Then duke¡¯s son of Mingguo went with first sir of Li¡¯s to seek marriage and was kicked out again. Atst, the betrothal gift from the Li¡¯s was ced in front of Mo Manor. However, Mo Manor didn¡¯t open the gate for the entire day, which made the passengers look at the betrothal gift all day.

    Then Minister Li came by himself and talked with Official Mo in the study. When the door was opened again, they sat there peacefully without any anger. The official even apanied Minister Li to the gate, talking and smiling.

    Some people said they had reached an agreement and the daughter from Mo Manor would definitely be married into Li Manor. However, nothing ever happened in Li Manor since then, and no one saw Sir Li again. Someone said he was studying and looked very hard-working.

    Maybe they wanted Li Youmo to take an imperial examination? No one in the capital would believe in this possibility and wanted to know more about it. However, nothing else ever happened! Li Youmo didn¡¯te to Mo Manor anymore, and Mo Manor regained its usual atmosphere. It¡¯s almost the New year, and everyone was busy with New Year¡¯s trifles. And no one ever mentioned the marriage.

    In everyone¡¯s doubtful eyes, a beauty entered Mo Manor. It was Old Madam¡¯s niece who entered Mo Manor with the saying of taking care of Old Madam. Just after her arrival, Sima Lingyun got back to capital hurriedly and left Yun Yiqiu behind.

    Sima Lingyun rushed his horse into the capital and went directly to the manor. When he got to the gate, he got down from his horse and handed the rein to the servant who had been waiting there and led the horse aside to feed it.

    Before he had time to get dressed, Sima Lingyun rushed to the duchess¡¯s yard. Seeing Sima Lingyune over, the maid hurried to tell her master. And two nannies waited for Sima Lingyun toe along and took his red robe off. The maid lifted the veil, and said obediently to a thin weakdy who seemed around 40 years old inside, ¡°Madam, His Excellency is back!¡±

    The duchess was dressed in a dark red luxuriant robe and a blue skirt. There was a golden hair sp with a phoenix on it. She looked at the door with joy. When she saw her tall handsome boying in, she got very happy and satisfied with her eyes narrowed into a line. She was most satisfied with her son and thought that she could be proud of him when she died and was faced with all the ancestors of Duke¡¯s manor.

    By the other side of her seated a young girl dressed in light yellow clothes and looked pretty, especially her long eyes, which looked even more attractive with the eyelines. This was Sima Lingyun¡¯s younger sister, who was called Sima Heyan.

    After Sima Lingyun came in and greeted to the duchess, Sima Heyan stood up from the bed and yed a spoiled child in front of Sima Lingyun. ¡°Big brother, you came back. Did you bring me anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. But I was in a hurry, and so all the stuff is in your cousin¡¯s carriage. She¡¯ll be back in a few days, and bring all the stuff to you, which will definitely make you happy! I bought the silk from the south of Yangtze River and some other essories that you like most. I prepared for both you and our mom,¡± Sima Lingyun smiled and said. He really cared about this younger sister and always brought her something wherever he went and no matter whether he had time or not.

    ¡°It was all with my cousin again! Big brother, you have to buy for me alone the next time. I don¡¯t want my things mixed up with hers. Things belong to me is mine, and I don¡¯t want them given to cousin. Besides, I don¡¯t want her to cry over my stuff to you.¡± Hearing all the stuff was in Yun Yiqiu¡¯s hand, Sima Heyan arched her mouth and said unhappily.

    She didn¡¯t like this delicate cousin who always cried at all and acted like everyone owed her a lot, so she really didn¡¯t like her. What¡¯s more, every time she cried, big brother woulde up with some methods to make her happy. Sometimes he used her stuff to make her happy, therefore, Sima Heyan disliked her a lot.

    ¡°She is such a low and mean cousin who would cry when she couldn¡¯t get the good things brother brought for me. When that happens, my stuff would have to be shared with her.¡± Thinking her stuff would be taken away by Yun Yiqiu, Sima Lingyun was quite annoyed and shook her brother¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll put your stuff privately the next time and ask someone to send it back to Yan¡¯er first.¡± Sima Lingyun patted her head with love smilingly.

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re too old to ask for presents and you never feel ashamed. Go away to y for a while. I have something to talk about with your big brother, and you should keep quiet.¡± Seeing her son and daughter getting along so nicely, the duchess was happy inside, but she pretended to be angry and drove her away.

    ¡°I know mom has something serious to talk with big brother and I¡¯ll leave! Mom doesn¡¯t care for me, but you only care for big brother!¡± Sima Heyan pretended to be sad and pouted. Then she made a face to Sima Lingyun and went out with her maids.

    ¡°This girl is even more ignorant...¡± The duchess smiled and showed noint on her face. Instead, there was only a kind smile on her face. Then she waved her hand at the maids, and all the maids and nannies went out. Only a nanny was left to serve.

    ¡°Mom, you asked me to rush back so hurriedly for what?¡± Seeing everyone step out, Sima Lingyun sat on a chair and took the tea offered by the nanny. Then he cleared the leaves floating on the surface, drank a little, and asked seriously. He was really confused.

    When he left, he told his mother that he woulde back after the New year because he had to deal with all the things rted to the Yun Yiqiu¡¯s parents. It had been a long time, so the things couldn¡¯t be easily solved, which his mother also knew. Therefore, he was quite confused when his mother called him back as he hadn¡¯t finished his cousin¡¯s things. He hurried back and left all the things behind. And Yun Yiqiu followed him back because she was concerned about him.

    Sima Lingyun couldn¡¯t think out what made his mother so worried that she asked him back!

    ¡°Yun¡¯er, someone from Mo Manor came and said Mo Xueqiong wouldn¡¯t be your concubine.¡± Seeing her son so worried, the duchess just told him the whole thing. The message was sent by someone from Mo Manor, which didn¡¯t arouse her concern at first. After Mo Xueqiong¡¯s incident, she thought the girl would feel lucky to be her son¡¯s concubine. Besides, Sima Lingyun did that to help her. Even if others knew, they would think he was kind. It didn¡¯t matter whether there was another concubine or not in Duke¡¯s manor.

    However, Mo Xueqiong was Mo Huawen¡¯s daughter and was different from other concubines. She would at least be an honored concubine, which would show their respect to Mo Huawen. Although Duke¡¯s manor couldn¡¯t give a concubine¡¯s child the position of the main wife, they couldn¡¯t treat her poorly.

    The duchess and Sima Lingyun both knew that Duke¡¯s manor only had good fame now, and would have to depend on Mo Huawen¡¯s help for the sake of his daughter. Therefore, although Mo Xueqiong would only be a concubine, everyone in the capital knew about the marriage. Besides, they prepared plenty of betrothal gifts. Mo Xueqiong had already got everything the main wife could have except for the title. Sima Lingyun had seen Mo Huawen privately and promised to marry Mo Xueqiong as an honored concubine at first. After he married a main wife, she would have the same status.

    This would bring Mo Huawen¡¯s reputation back, for which Mo Huawen invited him to stay and have a meal. And they talked happily!

    Why did they change their minds?

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s face darkened!

 Chapter 148 - Four Great Manors Were All In Trouble

    <h4><strong>Chapter 148</strong> Four Great Manors Were All In Trouble</h4>

    They almost imed to the outsiders that Mo Xueqiong would be the same as the main wife. But they couldn¡¯t because Sima Lingyun¡¯s wife was not chosen and it might have a bad influence on his choice of wife. Only Mo Huawen knew that.

    They had reached an agreement in secret and had a close connection, which was known to many people in the capital. The thing happened in the plum blossom forest was hidden on purpose, and many people only knew about the sudden fire that day. Thus, many people were envious of Sima Lingyun, who was so lucky to marry Capital Official¡¯s daughter as a respected concubine.

    This thing had been officially recognized. Once Mo Xueqiong refused the marriage, Duke¡¯s manor would be most disgraced!

    Duke¡¯s manor wouldn¡¯t be able to marry a main wife if they couldn¡¯t fix a concubine!

    This message was sent by a maid from Mo Manor.

    The duchess didn¡¯t want to be in the trouble at first, but then she felt something wrong with it and called Sima Lingyun back hurriedly. There was no main wife in Mo Manor, so, the duchess had no good reason to lower her status to visit those concubines. And the only man in Duke¡¯s manor was Sima Lingyun, so he would be the one to look up what had happened in Mo Manor and why such words got out.

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to get changed in a while and have a few rests. It won¡¯t be easy for Mo Manor to deny the marriage now that the whole capital knew about it. The fourth young miss in Mo Manor couldn¡¯t change the result.¡± Seeing her son in such a hurry, the duchess was unsatisfied with Mo Xueqiong already who was yet to meet her and didn¡¯t let them off even in the New Year. If it¡¯s not for Mo Xueqiong¡¯s father, the duchess would call off the marriage herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, mom. I¡¯ll get changed first and then go to Mo Manor. Official Mo told me to visit him more often when I was free.¡± Sima Lingyun set down his anger andforted his mother.

    Mo Xueqiong was the most ordinary daughter in Mo Manor, so Sima Lingyun had never thought of marrying her. But now, he would have to marry her in the end, which was quite surprising. Besides, his mother wanted to give her the same position of the main wife, so Sima Lingyun agreed with Yun Yiqiu¡¯s advice to go to the south of the Yangtze River full of anger. He thought it might save him some trouble and distress.

    But he didn¡¯t expect more trouble from her. Maybe she really wanted to be his main wife, which was impossible! If he could, he¡¯d rather marry Mo Xuemin, who was smarter, gentler and more attractive. Thus, Mo Xueqiong, the in concubine¡¯s daughter would have no chance.

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. When you¡¯re done telling Official Mo the whole thing,e home early. I prepared Baihe chicken that you liked most for you, and it has been baked for six hours.¡± Seeing his son mature and well-behaved, the duchess feltforted and even more unsatisfied with Mo Xueqiong at the same time. Mo Xueqiong made her son suffer like this and hurry back, which was really annoying!

    Sima Lingyun replied his mother obediently and went into his own room. There was hot water prepared for him already. He got bathed and changed, and then he went to Mo Manor hurriedly with presents. Now that such words came out from Mo Manor, he had to treat it seriously.

    But the minute he entered Mo Manor, Mo Xiu took him along.

    The elegant sound of a qin came out from a pavilion on a rockery. Sometimes it sounded like a smooth stream, which was caught in the rain and whispered. Other times, it sounded superb like pearls falling in the jade te and then a flood spreading away, which was rich and untouchable like the clouds on the sky.

    ¡°Ding!¡± The sound of the qin suddenly stopped!

    White clean fingers were quietly ced on the ck strings.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Her gentle elegant voice sounded attractive like qin.

    ¡°Sir, it was neither in Mingguo Manor nor in Pingguo Manor. I searched the studies and even the female¡¯s studies in the two manors and didn¡¯t find it.¡± A man knelt down with only one side in front of Bai Yihao and replied.

    After a while, Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle voice sounded. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to check their married daughters¡¯ residence. I heard that the stuff was quite pretty, and might get mixed in their daughters¡¯ dowry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and should I search General Manor and Ding General Manor too?¡±

    ¡°Wait and don¡¯t rush. If something happens at Four Great Manors, we won¡¯t be the only one to worry about it!¡± A bright smile appeared on Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face. Then his fingers shifted the strings with much strength and made a loud noise. His pure eyes which looked like ice and snow blinked.

    He was not the only one who knew it, but others didn¡¯t take actions because they were closely connected. But now that he took action, all the others would be frightened. Besides, even the people of the Four Great Manors didn¡¯t know where it was. There were so many daughters getting married in each manor. Therefore, no one could tell where the thing exactly was.

    Everyone was just doing what they could!

    He didn¡¯t mean to take action first, but there was no time! Some people didn¡¯t want to wait! So he just blended in them. They were all looking for it, so if he didn¡¯t, he might be suspected.

    A slight smile appeared by his lips like the sunshine in March which made people feltfortable and refreshing. The first sunshine in the morning shone above him, and his dark eyes looked pure and warm. His face was so handsome and pretty like a fairy that it seemed he could take one¡¯s life in a breath.

    He was such a quiet and handsome young man, but when one took a clear look at him, he would find the cold loneliness hidden in his gentle eyes. Although there was an elegant smile filled in his eyes, his smile looked so distant and vague like the mountain covered by clouds that ordinary people couldn¡¯t approach it.

    ¡°On this side, I just mess up with them. On the other side, I don¡¯t want to be involved in and let them grow freely. Now that I¡¯m in Qin Kingdom, they can do it bravely. It¡¯s nice to do some exercise in such fine weather.¡± Bai Yihao put his fingers on the strings and said slowly.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The secret bodyguard understood his meaning.

    The things happened at Yan Kingdom recently couldn¡¯t be simply described as small moves. They fought against each other all the time, but Bai Yihao was so calm as if he knew nothing about it, and he observed these all with interests. It really surprised the bodyguard! However, he had apanied the sir for quite a long time and had a deep admiration towards him. He knew that the sir had his arrangements and he just had to take his orders obediently.

    Behind him was the pure elegant sound of the qin.

    Aside from Bai Yihao, Mo Xuetong was also ying the stringed instrument. But she was quite annoyed when she was ying and her skills couldn¡¯t bepared to that of Bai Yihao. It didn¡¯t mean her skills were poor. In herst life, Mo Xuetong was locked alone at home and had only got her qin. Then when she got married to Sima Lingyun, she was alone most of the time, and checked on the music score her mother had left behind. Therefore, she was quite skilled.

    But she just couldn¡¯t clear her mind today.

    Her fingers moved irregrly on the qin, and it sounded disturbed!

    ¡°Miss, miss Lan sent some fresh fruit here. I just washed it, and do you want to have some?¡± Mo Ye walked in holding a tray of fresh fruit. It¡¯s pretty hard to see such fresh fruit in such a season in the cold and distant northern area of the capital.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t even lift her hands. She just removed the strings and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t like it, and you should share it!¡±

    ¡°Miss, this was Miss Lan¡¯s special treat for you, and we don¡¯t dare to share it. I heard that there wasn¡¯t much of it, and we got a te of it. Among the rest, Old Madam, first miss, and forth miss each got a te. Even two concubines didn¡¯t get any.¡± Mo Ye smiled and put the te in front of Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong frowned a bit and didn¡¯t even nce at the te. But she didn¡¯t want to fix the strings either. She just felt annoyed and didn¡¯t care about the strings. ying qin had always been the best way to cultivate one¡¯s temperament. Mo Xuetong used to y the qin to calm herself, but today she just couldn¡¯t stay calm.

    She put her hand heavily on the strings and pushed, and her eyes were fixed on the fresh fruit. Then she said coldly, ¡°Take these fruits away. You can either eat it or throw it away!¡±

    ¡°Mo Ye, put it away. Miss has a weak stomach and the fruits are too cold for her stomach.¡± Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s distressed expression and hurriedly told Mo Feng.

    Mo Ye understood what Mo Lan meant and put the fruit te away instantly. She had only been here for a short time and knew nothing about Mo Xuetong¡¯s health conditions. When considering Mo Xuetong¡¯s poor health, she understood she might really feel ufortable.

    Mo Yu came in with a big food box andined about the coldness and her freezing hands before she entered. Mo Lan took the food box from her hand smilingly and said, ¡°Is there something more in it? Why it is such a big box today? It used to be loaded in a nanmu wood basket, but this one today is different with cute knitting. Besides, it is not only big but also convenient and light. But why you feel cold and heavy like this!¡±

    ¡°Miss Lan is quite smart. She changed our food box when she saw the old one which not only was heavy but also only had a small capacity. What¡¯s more, we have to take two boxes when we need extra dishes, which is deed inconvenient. And the new one she gave us all is nice and convenient.¡± Mo Yu took over the oven offered by Mo Feng, feeling warmer and smiling.

    Another stuff came from Lan Xinru. Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. Since Miss Lan moved in, she had been busy keeping a close rtionship with everyone in the manor. She could tell its nice effects from Mo Yu¡¯s reaction. A girl who didn¡¯t get married acted like a married woman. Mo Xuetong suddenly felt that she worried too much.

    That was the difference between a girl from a rich family and a girl from an ordinary family. Girls from ordinary families got in touch with people more and were more warm-hearted than generous and calm. What¡¯s more, girls from rich families were not allowed to show their faces in front of others, while girls from ordinary families had no such rule.

    Lan Xinru was not married and actually had no rtionship with Mo Manor, so she should have behaved as a young miss and didn¡¯t go out unless someone invited her. However, she seemed to be kind and warm-hearted butck of decency. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t defeat Lan Xinru in thest life. She had been the main wife while could do nothing to her. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t imagine how stupid she had been to be defeated by such a woman.

    Maybe Lan Xinru gave her too much pressure in thest life, so when she thought about Lan Xinru, she felt distressed. Therefore, she hated to see the fruit and food box offered by Lan Xinru. Lan Xinru¡¯s existence was a big problem for her.

    That girl who could have lived so well between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun must be hard to deal with. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t care about Lan Xinru¡¯s improper connection with Sima Lingyun, but with her father. Now that Lan Xinru moved in, she would see her father a lot. In the past, Mo Xuemin¡¯s mother was ill and her father didn¡¯t care for Lan Xinru at that time. But now?

 Chapter 149 - Lan Xinru Entered Mo Manor

    <h4>Chapter 149 Lan Xinru Entered Mo Manor</h4>

    Lan Xinru was so thick-skinned and would definitely have Mo Xuetong¡¯s father marry her with every means she could think of. Besides, Old Madam supported her. Even if Mo Xuetong¡¯s father didn¡¯t agree at first, they still had so many reasons to achieve the goal. Was that the reason why Mo Xuetong was so annoyed? She had been hurt so badly sincest life!

    Mo Xuetong leaned aside and thought it wasn¡¯t Lan Xinru or Mo Xuemin who were so smart, but that she was too dumb. She was cheated by her own affections and thought Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin were nice to her. Besides, she thought Sima Lingyun was truly in love with her. So, she got herself ended up in hell!

    Now after she objectively analyzed how Lan Xinru really was, she realized the reason was her stupidity rather than their power.

    Looking at the food box, Mo Xuetong was reminded of herst life and feltplex.

    ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong? Do you feel ufortable? Do you need to see a doctor?¡± Mo Feng had already sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s abnormality and felt doubtful about Mo Lan¡¯s exnation. When she saw Mo Xuetong smiling bitterly, she couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity and asked.

    ¡°Nothing. I just want to know what¡¯s been prepared for today? Did Miss Lan prepare something special and tasty for us?¡± Setting her worries aside, Mo Xuetong stood by the table and nced at the dishes which were ced by Mo Yu and smiled.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re so brilliant and made the right guess.¡± Mo Yu put the stove down and made a fuss. Then she took out a bowl of soup from the bottom of the box which was very eye-catching for its color of white and green ¡°This is called borsch. Miss Lan knows you¡¯re weak and don¡¯t have a good appetite. So she made this appetizer especially for you. She also said she would prepare it for you tomorrow if you like it!¡±

    Lan Xinru did so much to win her favor and cooked for her in person before they met each other. No wonder she won Sima Lingyun¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Okay, just put it there. We should all have a taste of it and see how are Miss Lan¡¯s cooking skills.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, and then Mo Lan ced the soup. They all got their hands washed and got seated. ¡°Mo Ye, you shall go and have a look whether there is Miss Lan¡¯s soup in my father¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Mo Ye understood, lifted the curtains and went out. After a while, she went back with the news that there was a bowl of borsch too and that Miss Lan said Mo Xuetong¡¯s father was so busy that the soup could help him get refreshed!

    ¡°This soup is a panacea and can heal everything.¡± Mo Yuughed and bent over her waist.

    ¡°It is indeed. Miss Lan didn¡¯t see herself as an outsider and did so much to win old sir¡¯s and our miss¡¯s favor.¡± Mo Lan added smilingly.

    ¡°Our manor is so special and Miss Lan isn¡¯t the only one who doesn¡¯t see herself as an outsider.¡± Mo Ye waved her hand and gathered Mo Yu and Mo Lan, smiling sneakily. ¡°I just saw that sir! He was heading to first miss¡¯s residence. If I didn¡¯t know he was forth miss¡¯s future husband, I might mistake him for first miss¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡± Mo Yu blinked her eyes and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Who else could it be? His Excellency from Duke¡¯s manor. I just saw Mo Xiu took him to first miss¡¯s Fuqing Garden through the small path. And I followed them to find that he really went in.¡± Mo Ye smiled and answered.

    Sima Lingyun went to Mo Xuemin¡¯s Fuqing Garden. Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t even fix her own thing, and why did she look for Sima Lingyun? Mo Xuetong put her chopsticks down and wiped her mouth slowly. She coldly smiled and thought Mo Xuemin was really worried now!

    But it¡¯s a good thing. During these days, Mo Xuemin had no way out. Mo Xuetong would see how she would react next. The more anxious Mo Xuemin was, the more mistakes she would make...

    The next morning, Mo Xuetong went to greet Old Madam. Just after she entered, the maids and nannies treated her more warmly than usual. The maid who lifted the curtains said smilingly, ¡°Third miss is here. Come on in. Old Madam is waiting for you, and she just asked how you are doing. It¡¯s cold today and you are so weak, thus you have to be extremely careful.¡±

    Before Mo Xuetong could answer, a voice came. ¡°Xiaolian, why talking to third miss by the door. Let her in and don¡¯t make her cold in such freezing weather.¡±

    ¡°Yes, miss,¡± The maid called Xiaolian stepped backwards and let Mo Xuetong in. She stood by the side and apologized politely. ¡°Third miss, it¡¯s all my fault. Come on in, our miss has been waiting for you for quite a while.¡±

    ¡°Xiaolian? She is Lan Xinru¡¯s first maid.¡± Mo Xuetong quietly nced at the obedient maid. Lianer, how could she forget the girl who had aggressively poured a basin of cold water at her on a cold day? Mo Xuetong and Mo Yu waspletely wet and shivered when the wind blew like a knife cutting on her skin!

    At that time, Lan Xinru stood in the porch holding the stove and dressed in heavy fur. She ate melon seeds and satirized her with the maids. Mo Xuetong could never forget that kind of shame and dreariness!

    In thest life, they were so scornful, but in this life, they were so menial...

    Today, the one who followed Mo Xuetong here was Mo Ye, who was neither gentle like Mo Lan nor careful like Mo Yu. When she saw Xiaolianplimented Mo Xuetong by lifting the curtains for her, she was already unhappy. Then she got angrier when she saw her pretending to be caring for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Ye held out to hold Mo Xuetong and blocked Xiaolian away from her. She snorted and directly ignored herpliment and held Mo Xuetong in, leaving the maid alone by the door.

    As Lan Xinru¡¯s favored maid, Xiaolian flushed and didn¡¯t know how to act when being ignored. Beside Old Madam was Lan Xinru, who was dressed in a luxuriant green dress. Her face turned pale instantly, and Old Madam¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°Third miss, what happened today? Did anyone make you mad? Why are you unhappy in front of grandma? If you have some trouble, tell grandma who made you mad and let grandma do your justice.¡± Mo Xueyan said ironically. She sat by the right side of Old Madam, holding a small oven and looking ironical.

    Mo Xueyan didn¡¯t like Mo Xuetong, who was obviously prettier than her, so she lifted her eyebrows and looked captious and envious.

    Mo Xuetong understood that Mo Xueyan meant she was not filial, obedient and was unrespectful for Old Madam. On hearing her words, Old Madam got more unhappy and just stared at Mo Xuetong coldly without any words. Old Madam had no good impression of Mo Huawen¡¯s three daughters. She had thought that Mo Xuemin was smart and obedient, but the girl caused such a scene.

    It wasn¡¯tpletely solved until now. Although the Li¡¯s family didn¡¯t bring them any trouble and Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident was under control, no one could be sure it wouldn¡¯t be known by others! If the news was let out, Old Madam didn¡¯t care about the reputation of Mo Huawen¡¯s daughters. But she wouldn¡¯t let others ruin Yaner¡¯s reputation.

    Old Madam knew nothing about how it was dealt. Mo Huawen just said it wasn¡¯t the proper time and would talk about the marriageter, which Old Madam needn¡¯t be worried about. Old Madam knew what Mo Huawen said was sensible that it was not the time to agree on the marriage with the Li¡¯s, which wouldpletely ruin Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation. Although Li Youmo stressed that he talked with You Yuecheng in a low voice and no one could have heard it. Except for them, no one would know it was Mo Xuemin who appeared on Fragrance House that night.

    But Mo Huawen was pretty cautious about it and thought it was necessary to slow the whole thing down. After some time when people in the capital no longer talked about it, the Mo¡¯s could discuss the marriage with the Li¡¯s again, and there would no longer be so many harmful rumors. It would benefit both the Mo¡¯s and the Li¡¯s. After all, the Li¡¯s didn¡¯t want an ill-honored daughter-inw.

    However, Li Youmo insisted on marrying Mo Xuemin right away, and Old Madam in Li Manor, who deeply loved her grandson, supported him. But Minister Li was sensible and knew they couldn¡¯t hurry over it. It had something to do with both of their reputations. Therefore, after he discussed it with Mo Huawen, he locked Li Youmo at home to force him to study and ignored Old Madam¡¯s shouts and worries!

    After Mo Xuemin¡¯s affair, Old Madam was unsatisfied with her. When Mo Xuemin came to greet her, she didn¡¯t even let the door open. On Mo Xuetong¡¯s way here, she saw Mo Xuemin locked out in the distance. Then Mo Xuemin just walked out with an obedient smile, and didn¡¯t care about Old Madam¡¯s anger towards her.

    On their separate ways, though they didn¡¯t run into each other, they saw each other in the distance. They both smiled and walked on their own ways!

    Compared with Old Madam, Mo Xuemin was the one hard to deal with!

    ¡°Second sister, Tong¡¯er didn¡¯t dare to be angry in front of grandma. But the maid was so rude that she spoke before grandma. Is there no one to serve grandma? When I thought about that, I felt very sad, so my expression was not so good. I¡¯ll find dad and ask him to send more people to serve grandma.¡± Mo Xuetong gently smiled at Old Madam and exined, but her smile contained something unknown.

    It seemed that Old Madam was the one in charge on the surface, but sometimes, the maids acted out of line. It¡¯s rude for a maid or even a miss or a master and they would be looked down upon. This kind of behavior was presumptuous. It¡¯s improper to let her maid speak before Old Madam to Mo Xuetong.

    Although Lan Xinru was thick-skinned, she got flushed. She had made enough preparation before she came and decided to build a close rtionship with Mo Xuetong even if Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t care for her. Her idea was in ordance with Old Madam¡¯s that once she was here, she wouldn¡¯t leave until she became the mistress in Mo Manor.

    But to be the mistress in Mo Manor, she had to get Mo Xuetong¡¯s permission first. It was said that girl who had been deserted had the most concern and love now. If it¡¯s in the past, Lan Xinru wouldn¡¯t fawn on Mo Xuetong like that. But now it¡¯s different. Her aunt told her that Mo Xuetong was Mo Huawen¡¯s treasure and it¡¯s good to maintain a good rtionship with her.

    ¡°Third miss, you misunderstood what I meant. There were too many people taking care of grandma. Look, who is this? Aunt Xinru is here! She has been busy taking care of grandma the minute she got here and ordered her maids to do the same. She is afraid that grandma isn¡¯t taken good care of.¡± Although Mo Xueyan was harsh, she knew Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were true. Therefore, she rolled her eyes and introduced Lan Xinru, who was standing on the side, without satire.

    When Lan Xinru realized they were talking about her, she walked to them with warm smiles, tired to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, and said warmly, ¡°I wondered who it was with such mor, so did my aunt. There you are. You¡¯re getting prettier and prettier. After a few years, Third Miss must be the first beauty in the capital. Your mor isn¡¯tparable.¡±

    Lan Xinru behaved so warmly that she seemed to have an extremely close rtionship with Mo Xuetong. She ttered Mo Xuetong in order to bring them closer to each other. Those who didn¡¯t know their true rtions might think she was Mo Xuetong¡¯s aunt by blood. Mo Feng was right that Old Madam and Lan Xinru were very thick-skinned. They were nning to have Mo Xuetong call Lan Xinru aunt? Mo Xuetong smiled coldly.

    Mo Xuetong knew once she called Lan Xinru aunt, she would use this convenience to move in. Even if one day when grandma went back, Lan Xinru could stay on this status.

    ¡°She is counting on my young age and shyness that I wouldn¡¯t refuse the trick!¡±

    But it might have to be in vain.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and held back her hand from Lan Xinru¡¯s hand. She walked to grandma and bowed, ¡°Greetings to grandma, how are you today? I¡¯ll send a doctor hereter. Dad can¡¯t sleep well these days because he is worried about grandma¡¯s illness.¡±

    She just left Lan Xinru there. When she woke up from the fighting and miseries of thest life, she was no longer the weak and soft Mo Xuetong she used to be.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is filial obedient. I¡¯m getting much better though I still feel theck of strength. When your father is here, I¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m okay, which will save him a lot of trouble to worry about me! Tong¡¯er, this is your Auntie Xinru, whom you¡¯ve seen before, right?¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong ignored Lan Xinru on purpose, Old Madam held back her anger and smiled kindly. She pointed at Lan Xinru, who was standing there awkwardly, but grimness appeared in her eyes.

    When Xinru became the main wife in Mo Manor, she would give Mo Xuetong a lot to suffer. But now she still needed her recognition, so that Xinru could move in as expected. Old Madam had always wanted Mo Huawen to marry a girl from her home. However, before she decided, Mo Huawen chose Luo Xia by himself back then. They had the support of General Manor, and she was just a concubine of Mo Huawen¡¯s father. So she kept silent.

    She had no chance to decline that marriage!

    Therefore, she seldom came to Mo Manor these years. Every time she came, she gave Luo Xia a hard time. Luo Xia had bad health but a good temper. She didn¡¯t dare to go against Old Madam because Mo Huawen was respectful for her. She never fought against Old Madam with her status as the first miss in General Manor. However, Mo Huawen saw Old Madam getting Luo Xia in trouble for a few times, and helped Luo Xia a lot.

    But it made Old Madam even angrier and she wanted to kill Luo Xia even more. But Luo Xia had strong backgrounds so that Old Madam couldn¡¯t hurt her with the name of filial obedience. So she just left so that she wouldn¡¯t get annoyed at seeing her. After so many years, she still held grudges towards Luo Xia and didn¡¯t like Mo Xuetong at all.

    When Luo Xia was gone, she was determined to get her niece into Mo Manor.

 Chapter 150 - Being Dishonorable, She Conducted Seduction in

    <h4>Chapter 150 Being Dishonorable, She Conducted Seduction in Public</h4>

    ¡°Do you mean Miss Lan? Tong¡¯er have no aunt with close rtions, and the only aunt was Duchess Xiangyang, who asked me toe by the other day. She¡¯lle to visit you in a few days and show her gratitude to you for taking care of me and my father all these years. Grandma, could you please invite Miss Lan to join us when auntes?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Lan Xinru pretending to be confused. Then she wore a happy smile and turned to Old Madam sweetly.

    She had a small figure which looked childish and her pure eyes were so pretty and bright. She knew that Old Madam didn¡¯t like her dressed in normal clothes, so she wore a white dress with the design of butterflies. The color made her look cute and charming like a little granddaughter acting in pettish towards her grandmother.

    Besides, these words were quite reasonable so that Old Madam couldn¡¯t let her anger out. Especially when Mo Xuetong said Duchess Xiangyang would visit her in a few days, Old Madam couldn¡¯t insist on Mo Xuetong calling Lan Xinru her aunt.

    If talking seriously, Old Madam was Mo Huawen¡¯s father¡¯s concubine and had her own son. Besides, she lived in her own son¡¯s residence. Therefore, though she had a connection with Mo Huawen, it couldn¡¯t bepared to that of her own son. That was also the reason why she couldn¡¯t make a decision on Mo Huawen¡¯s marriage. Old Madam¡¯s rtives from her home were not rtives of the Mo¡¯s. There was no rule for a legitimate child to call a concubine¡¯s niece aunt, not in Great Qin.

    So, although Old Madam held a cup of tea with anger and coldly red at Mo Xuetong, she couldn¡¯t say anything about it. She just red at her with hatred with her cold old eyes.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded polite but were, in fact, direct and disgraceful, which made Lan Xinru extremely awkward. Lan Xinru just stood there in nk and wondered when this stupid girl became so strong.

    If it¡¯s not Xiaolian, who held Lan Xinru¡¯s hands and got her seated, Lan Xinru would be caught in a dilemma. She held Xianlian¡¯s hand and shyly sat down, and there was grimness in her eyes. Lan Xinru thought Mo Xuetong was such a bitch, and when she became the main wife in Mo Manor, Mo Xuetong would have a lot to suffer.

    ¡°Are you all right these days? Is the food to your taste? If you want to eat something, just tell Auntie Qing. She is in charge of this, and you don¡¯t have to be too polite with her.¡± There came Mo Huawen¡¯s voice by the door, and the nanny replied with a smile.

    ¡°Old sir, Old Madam lived pretty well. This morning, she was so happy that she ate a half bowl of porridge more with Miss Lan¡¯s help. And now she is chatting with Miss Lan, second miss and third miss in the room!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you should spare more effort to take care of Old Madam.¡± The voice was getting closer and they heard the steady steps.

    ¡°It¡¯s fathering!¡± Mo Xuetong wanted to came forward to greet him, but her hand was caught by Old Madam. Old Madam showed kind expression which didn¡¯t seem to be real, and smiled so brightly, ¡°Tong¡¯er should sit here. Old Madam doesn¡¯t feel so well and hasn¡¯t seen you for a few days, you¡¯re supposed to bring some happiness to me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, third miss. Early in the morning, Old Madam was talking about you all the time and asked me to invite you here. I told her it¡¯s not fine weather today and you were weak that you might get hurt. Then she stopped asking me to invite you. Now you¡¯re here, you should stay with us to have lunch, and we can chat here.¡± Mo Xueyan leaned over on the bed and looked at Mo Xuetong smilingly. But the smile was not kind at all.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know whether she had done something wrong to Mo Xueyan in thest life so that Mo Xueyan had to treat her like this. Mo Xuetong understood what Mo Xueyan meant. She meant Mo Xuetong was not obedient and didn¡¯t greet Old Madam on time. She said that to dad on purpose, though it was Old Madam who said Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have to make greetings.

    ¡°Did second sistere here every day?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and asked lightly. Then she murmured to herself, ¡°Maybe I heard it wrong. Dad said I didn¡¯t have to greet grandma every day. Grandma is pretty weak and can¡¯t get up so early. We shouldn¡¯te to disturb her. Second sister doesn¡¯t know that?¡±

    Mo Xueyan¡¯s face darkened at these words, and Old Madam¡¯s smile also disappeared. Lan Xinru had intended to continue Mo Xueyan¡¯s words, but now she just kept silent.

    ¡°Did Tong¡¯er disturb grandma again? Grandma is in poor health and can¡¯t stand your disturbance.¡± Hearing his daughter¡¯s whisper, Mo Huawenughed aloud and exined for Mo Xuetong. Xiaolian was already standing by the door and lifted the curtains to let Mo Huawen in.

    Mo Huawen was the legitimate son, so even though he was grateful for Old Madam, he couldn¡¯t call her mother. After all, she was only a concubine of Mo Huawen¡¯s father. It was already against the rule to let Mo Xuemin and the other children call her grandma, which could be forgiven for their young age.

    Mo Huawen was in good shape and handsome. So even though he was more than 30, he looked quite attractive with his appearance and behaviors. If not for this, Lan Xinru would not have fallen into his arms and seduced him on purpose. Now, she looked at him again with all her heart and fell in love already when she saw him so handsome as before.

    ¡°Is Old Madam alright?¡± Mo Huawen didn¡¯t notice the maid¡¯s coquettish greetings and went in directly. He nced at everyone in the room and fixed his eyes on Mo Xuetong with a smile for a while. Atst, he looked directly at Old Madam, who was sitting in the middle. Then he walked forward and greeted her.

    He just came back from the imperial pce and went through a few files in the study. Then he thought it was time to greet Old Madam, so he came there.

    A few days ago, Old Madam didn¡¯t feelfortable and told them not to greet her for that she couldn¡¯t get up early and might pass the illness to the children. Mo Huawen asked someone to spread the message, in case that they might forget and disturb Old Madam. Yesterday, it was said from the inner yard that Old Madam was getting much better and wanted to see the children.

    Mo Huawen had toe now that his sons and daughters all went to greet her. This was the usual time Mo Huawen came to greet.

    After Mo Huawen¡¯s greetings to Old Madam, he sat by the side. Then, Mo Xuetong and Mo Xueyan also went up to greet him.

    After Lan Xinru greeted to Mo Huawen, she held Xiaolian¡¯s hand and stepped forward, saying coquettishly, ¡°Brother Huawen, it¡¯s been a while. Do you still remember me?¡± Then she lowered her body and greeted him.

    ¡°You¡¯re Miss Lan? It¡¯s been a while and you got even more beautiful. I¡¯m ashamed to trouble you to take care of Old Madam.¡± Mo Huawen sounded pretty t, and there was detestation in his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t know much about the inner yard as an official, he had already felt something different from Lan Xinru¡¯s coquettish expression.

    He remembered when Luo Xia was ill, Lan Xinru showed up in front of him dressing gorgeously. At that time, he had trouble inside and had to worry about Luo Xia¡¯s health, so he had no time to deal with her and tried to avoid her. But once he walked into Luo Xia¡¯s yard, she would follow behind and left him no chance to go.

    She followed him around and asked all kinds of questions coquettishly while his beloved wife was ill in bed. No one would want to discuss anything with such a woman!

    Therefore, Mo Huawen had an extremely bad impression of Lan Xinru.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you still remember me! ¡°I just thought you might have forgotten me after these years.¡± Lan Xinru stood up and looked at Mo Huawen coquettishly,pletely ignoring the others in the room. She pinched the handkerchief and said gently with shyness, ¡°Xinru came to take care of my aunt. And Brother Huawen is no stranger to me, so you don¡¯t have to be guilty. If you really feel guilty, could you please teach me how to draw? I heard you had perfect skills in painting.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was shocked and couldn¡¯t help shivering at these words. ¡°How could she be coquettish like that at such an age? She behaved like that in front of all the nannies, maids, and even Old Madam, which is really disgraceful for Old Madam. An unmarried girl shouldn¡¯t talk like that.¡±

    Old Madam, who was sitting there lifted her eyebrows and pretended to have heard nothing. She just lifted the cup and had a taste of the tea. Mo Xueyan knew her idea and pretended as if nothing had happened too.

    ¡°Thanks for yourpliment, but my painting skills are quite limited and don¡¯t deserve your praise. If you really want to learn how to paint, I can hire someone to teach you.¡± Mo Huawen smiled at Lan Xinru and then turned to Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you have great painting skills too. If Miss Lan wants to learn from you, you can also help her.¡±

    Everyone understood what he meant.

    But someone just pretended to have not understood. Lan Xinru looked at Mo Huawen¡¯s expression and shyly exined, ¡°Brother Huawen, I know it may sound abrupt, but I have had an affection for you since a young age. If I can¡¯t learn to paint from you, I¡¯ll be regretful for my whole life. Please forgive me.¡±

    The words from her were getting cruder and Old Madam couldn¡¯t help coughing a bit. Though Mo Huawen was well-bred, he was very embarrassed. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t stand these words anymore. She walked directly to Lan Xinru and smiled, ¡°Miss Lan, though my father has great painting skills, he has never taught ady. Besides, my father¡¯s study is in the outer yards, where we hardly got in. So I and my sisters have never received a painting from my father.¡±

    She meant that Mo Huawen hadn¡¯t even taught his own daughters, not to mention an outsider who had no good intention. It must have taken Lan Xinru much courage to ask Mo Huawen to teach her to paint alone.

    ¡°Xinru, Huawen has many things to deal with every day and has no time to teach you to paint. If you really want his advice, you can paint a few by yourself and then ask for his advice. He can¡¯t teach you in person.¡± Old Madam put the cup down andughed.

    Seeing Lan Xinru seducing Mo Huawen in front of so many people, Old Madam couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and exined for her, and her words left Mo Huawen no chance to refuse. It was no big deal for him to give Lan Xinru some advice and say something more in Old Madam¡¯s room, as Lan Xinru couldn¡¯t do anything abruptly with so many people watching.

    Although Mo Huawen was not happy with these words, he had to agree to it. ¡°It can¡¯t be called as advice, just somements.¡±

    Hearing his answer, Lan Xinru was so happy and thought that she could go into Mo Huawen¡¯s study with this excuse. She almost showed her happiness and shyly looked at Mo Huawen and went towards Old Madam. This time, she didn¡¯t say anything out of line.

    However, when she nced at Mo Xuetong, she lifted her chin with disdain as if she was already the main wife!

 Chapter 151 - Its Impossible To Be Her Aunt

    <h4>Chapter 151 It¡¯s Impossible To Be Her Aunt</h4>

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t know Lan Xinru¡¯s intention and thought she was an unmarried girl after all and had to keep her dignity. Now that Old Madam said that, she didn¡¯t dare to pester him any more. He felt relieved inside. Then he just chatted with Old Madam for a while and left. He couldn¡¯t stand Lan Xinru¡¯snguishing eyes.

    Mo Xuetong was also in no mood to chat with them and left too.

    As a result, they walked out of the yard together.

    ¡°Father, how is the thing about big sister going?¡± After they left, Mo Xuetong gently asked. She carefully saw Mo Huawen sigh after he got out of the yard and saw Fuqing Garden. She knew he cared about Mo Xuemin. All these years, he cared most about the gentle kind daughter, and couldn¡¯t give her up because of a single thing.

    Moreover, Mo Xuemin had a good reason. No matter how angry Mo Huawen was, when he calmed down, he thought she was justifiable. And he put all his anger onto Auntie Fang and med her for all the things.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel so angry towards Mo Xuemin. Besides, when Minister Li came to visit, he exined something for her, and it didn¡¯t disgrace other daughters¡¯ reputation. Mo Huawen¡¯s anger towards Mo Xuemin was halved. He just felt that Mo Xuemin was med for Auntie Fang¡¯s fault and it had nothing to do with her.

    She was just unlucky to run into Li Youmo who was a hooligan. Then when he heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s caring words, he smiled and waved his hand. And all the servants and maids stepped backward, which made it convenient for them to talk.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, your big sister didn¡¯t mean to go out... She just went out to find some medicine for Auntie Fang¡¯s illness... Then she ran into Li Youmo somehow and caused such a scene which almost ruined all your reputation. She didn¡¯t really mean it.¡± Mo Huawen sighed and exined with guilty.

    He cared for Mo Xuemin because she was a smart gentle daughter, while he cared for Mo Xuetong because she was the daughter of his beloved woman. Anyway, they were both his daughters, and he didn¡¯t want them to be against each other.

    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to say anything more, I know what big sister was thinking. She was Auntie Fang¡¯s child, and would definitely consider for Auntie Fang. She ignored father¡¯s order because she was worried about Auntie Fang¡¯s illness. I understand. If my mother is ill, I¡¯ll search for good medicine to cure her too.¡± Mo Xuetong said obediently and raised her gentle smiling face. She knew her father didn¡¯t want to listen to herints about Mo Xuemin. She had to say it from Auntie Fang¡¯s side and made him ufortable about it.

    Her father had deep affection for Mo Xuemin which couldn¡¯t be called off for only one thing. What she needed to do was to remind her father. After a long time, Mo Xuemin would show her true appearance and lost father¡¯s love forever.

    Hearing Mo Xuetongpare Luo Xia with Auntie Fang and how Mo Xuemin go against his will for Auntie Fang. Besides, he recalled Sima Lingyun¡¯s seal which was found in a sachet under Auntie Fang¡¯s pillow. Mo Huawen¡¯s face darkened and felt extremely ufortable.

    One was his beloved woman and the main wife, while the other was a vicious concubine who cheated on him. They were so different! After thinking like that, he felt Mo Xuemin was not sensible. She didn¡¯t have to go out and get such trouble over a concubine.

    It seemed that there was something wrong with Auntie Fang¡¯s education!

    Seeing Mo Huawen¡¯s face darkened, Mo Xuetong held Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves and asked smilingly, ¡°Father, how long will Miss Lan stay in our home? Tong¡¯er remembers she came to our home two years age when I was yound and my mum was ill. But my memory has been blurry. I¡¯ve just heard that Miss Lan had a good rtionship with my mum. Grandma and second sister both asked me to call her aunt at grandma¡¯s yard!¡±

    Her little face was smiling in the morning sunshine, and her long eyshes blinked, which revealed her cuteness as if she were just asking casually. Seeing his daugher¡¯s carefree smiling face, Mo Huawen felt soft and a little angry. He understood what Old Madam wanted. She had hoped he would marry a girl from the Lan¡¯s even before he married Luo Xia.

    Though he was grateful to Old Madam, he didn¡¯t want anyone to decide his marriage. He married Luo Xia after he saw her at the first sight. Then Luo Xia was ill, and Lan Xinru dressed like that showing up in front of him all the time. He forgave her because of Old Madam. But now her beloved daughter was framed by Old Madam because of this, so he was really annoyed.

    Being Mo Xuetong¡¯s aunt meant she could stay here for a long time under this title. He couldn¡¯t let such a coquettish woman be the mistress in Mo Manor. Mo Huawen remembered her disgraceful words in front of so many people and felt very furious.

    He was the master at home. Even if he was grateful for Old Madam, he wouldn¡¯t let her decide his marriage.

    He had a decision inside.

    ¡°Your grandma will return home after the New Year and Miss Lan will leave with her. Your grandma got confused, your aunt should be from General Manor, not our side. If your grandma ask you again, don¡¯t bother. Maybe the ce your grandma used to live in had different customs.¡± Mo Huawen thought for a while and exined.

    He was determined that he would find some time to discuss with Old Madam clearly even if she might get unhappy. Thus Tong¡¯er wouldn¡¯t be unfairly treated because she wouldn¡¯t call Lan Xinru aunt. Old Madam didn¡¯t like Luo Xia because she went against her will. Tong¡¯er had already suffered a lot and shouldn¡¯t be treated unfairly anymore.

    ¡°So that Miss Lan will leave after the New Year, but nannies said Miss Lan would stay for a long time and cleaned up the yard with the best view. Do you remember? It¡¯s the one by Chuaihua Men and close to your study. Grandma also thinks it¡¯s proper for Miss Lan to live.¡±

    Mo Xuetong said innovently as if she were just chatting casually with her father. Her voice was sweet and soft, and her smile was bright like the sunshine. When the wind blew, her hair flew, which made her cute and attractive.

    It¡¯s just a daughter being intimate to her father.

    Mo Huawen stood still, and gently touched her head and said with care, ¡°Let Nanny Ming and two concubines worry about such things. They¡¯ll throw a party to celebrate the Queen¡¯s birthday tonight in the pce, you can go with me. Just the two of us.¡±

    When he finished, he found his daughter staring at him with those big watery eyes confusedly, and smilingly added, ¡°If Tong¡¯er wants to take care of family affairs, you can learn from Nanny Ming after the New Year. By then, Four Great Manors will hold parties dividedly, and you can get familiar with that at their parties.¡±

    Four Great Manors would hold parties dividedly? Why?

    ¡°Father, why haven¡¯t I heard there will be a party in the imperial pce tonight? ¡°And Four Great Manors will also hold parties one by one. Is there any good news in the imperial pce?¡± Mo Xuetong tilted her head and asked with confusion. She really knew nothing about it and it was impossible to imagine. Four Great Manors were the most famous in Qin Kingdom.

    It would be a huge deal to receive one invitation from one of them. But this time they seemed to hold parties one after another. She felt the handkerchief with his fingers. In herst life, she had heard of this thing, which had happened before she returned to the capital.

    She hadn¡¯t asked about it carefully because it had nothing to do with her. But she had heard Mo Xuemin mentioned the decorations in the manors proudly, which were luxuriant and unique. This was also the time when Mo Xuemin struck people as a talented and beautiful girl.

    ¡°I knew about the party when Emperor announce it. The parties to be held by Four Great Manors were mentioned by the princes for fun. King Chu first started it and King Yan agreed. All the ministers also thought it would be meaningful for Four Great Manors to hold parties in the beginning of the New Year.¡± Mo Huawen smiled but there was grimness and cold in his eyes.

    The parties to be held by Four Great Manors wase up with by King Chu and King Yan who used to be against King Chu agreed. So it couldn¡¯t be as simple as it seemed. Seeing her father¡¯s heaviness, Mo Xuetong got even more confused. But she knew she wouldn¡¯t get the truth from his father, so she pulled Mo Huawen¡¯s clothes embarrassedly, ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t have new clothes and would make you embarrassed if I go like this. Maybe you should let big sister go instead...¡±

    ¡°Your sister is not suitable for this. Besides,st time in the pce... Never mind, you go to this party instead of her. Tong¡¯er is the legitimate daughter in Mo Manor and can represent Mo Manor. You don¡¯t have to worry about the clothes, I¡¯ve told your concubine to prepare for you. By the time you¡¯re back in the yard, you might see the new clothes. My Tong¡¯er must be a beauty when dressed up!¡±

    Mo Huawen joked with Mo Xuetong and determined that Min¡¯er couldn¡¯t go into the imperial pce. In thest time, such a thing happened. If she went in again, it might be unimaginable. Mo Huawen still rememberedst time when Min¡¯er returned home, her maid had disappeared. When he asked afterward, there was no clue. Someone in the pce must have cleaned her up.

    Min¡¯er might have annoyed someone in the pce, and might cause other problems if she went in again. She had had enough trouble these days. And if she got someone someone in the pce annoyed, it might end her life. After all, there would be another party held by Four Great Manors after this one, and he could let Min¡¯er attend that.

    ¡°But, father, Tong¡¯er is still in mourning period...¡± Mo Xuetong said awkwardly. During the mourning period, one couldn¡¯t take part in any festive ceremonies, or it might be called as not filial obedient.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve told Emperor that I have only one legitimate daughter and it¡¯s necessary for you to be a part of social activities. Besides, it¡¯s not festive or joyous. It¡¯s Queen Mother¡¯s mother and we all have to be serious about it.¡± Mo Huawen touched her head with love. Thinking that she lost her mother at such a young age, and cared about her even more. Besides, letting concubine¡¯s childrene to the party held in the imperial pce was disgraceful. And there was only one legitimate daughter in Mo Manor, so she couldn¡¯t miss the important party because of the mourning period!

    However, he had only a son of a concubine, so he had to take him along!

 Chapter 152 - The Collision in the Palace

    <strong>Chapter 152 The Collision in the Pce</strong>

    After Mo Huawen left Mo Xuetong, he went to the outside courtyard. He went to the study and got the servants to block the back doors of the inside courtyard that was beside his study. Mo Huawen would usually enter the back courtyard from this door when he was tired after reading. Now that this door was blocked, he could only enter and exit from the main doors. Those doors were not too far from his study but was still a certain distance from it. He did not believe that an unmarried youngdy would have the guts to leave from that door.

    Mo Huawen could not ept the Old Madam¡¯s silly ideas. Lan Xinru was not like the daughter of a good family at all. She was like a woman of the night and she wanted to enter his Mo Manor. Was she shameless!

    In Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Xuetong had just entered her courtyard when Auntie Mo arrived with her servants. She entered the room and smiled at Mo Xuetong, who was seated on the heated brick bed. She said, ¡°Third Miss, you are back. I have already sent servants over several times and thought that it¡¯d be fine if I sent the items along. But there were a few sets of clothing that Old Sir picked specifically for you, and I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d like them. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll get the servants to pick new ones for you. We mustn¡¯t let you suffer for you are the only main daughter in this manor!¡±

    Auntie Mo was in her 20s and was a beautiful woman. She was taller than the average woman and one could tell that she was smart from the way she spoke. She had spoken well of Mo Huawen and praised Mo Xuetong in just a few words. She was a decisive person and one could tell that she was someone who could do things well.

    Auntie Mo joined the manorte and Mo Xuetong¡¯s father had taken her as a concubine when her mother was ill. Mo Xuetong was angry at her father then, so when Auntie Mo saw here from afar, she would turn around and leave. Even though Mo Xuetong had changed on her return to the capital and to the Mo Manor, she rarely interacted with Auntie Mo. They would speak asionally but were not as close as they seemed to be right now.

    She had not noticed in the past, but it seemed like Auntie Mo was not a person who could be dealt with easily. From her words, she had raised Mo Xuetong up high and the others were stuck down low. If what she said spread, people would say that Mo Xuetong looked down on the other concubines¡¯ children. They would say that she had made her Auntie serve her because she was the main daughter.

    ¡°Auntie Mo, you are too kind. I have troubled you and made youe all the way here. How can the clothes Father chose not be good? You think too much. Mo Ye, get Auntie Mo some tea. Take the Big Robe Tea that Grandmother gave mest time. I heard that such good quality tea is rare even at Grandmother¡¯s.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around and smiled lightly at Mo Feng, who was making tea for her.

    Mo Lan had already helped Auntie Mo sit down. Her serving maid ced a heated stove in her hands.

    Mo Yu looked at the neat and tidy rows of eight maids standing behind Auntie Mo curiously. The eight maids all bore clothes in their hands. Sunlight shone on several sets of clothing and they glimmered in the light. It was evident that the material of these clothes was extremely precious. Thest two maids were not holding clothes but two exquisitely carved jewelry box. The two maids opened the boxes at Auntie Mo¡¯s instruction.

    The items in the box were brilliant, colorful, and dazzling. They were all exquisite jewelry. Mo Xuetong had seen her mother¡¯s dowry in her past life, and even though the items here were not as good as her mother¡¯s treasures, they were also precious. Furthermore, each and every single item was new. It was obvious that her father had them made not long ago. She nced at Auntie Mo out of the corner of her eye, and indeed, there was greed in Auntie Mo¡¯s eyes that she could not hide. A faint smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Third Miss, look, Old Sir got them made for you personally. He heard that these are the styles that youngdies like the most this year. I heard that you will be attending the pce banquet on behalf of our manor today. If you dress up, none of the otherdies in the capital can hold a candle to you.¡± Auntie Mo could not help but look at the essories in the box. She tried to hide the greed in her eyes and stood up, introducing the jewelry to Mo Xuetong. Her fingers trailed on the jewelry mindlessly. If Old Sir had not arranged them personally, she would have taken one or two for herself.

    ¡°Many thanks for your kind words, Auntie Mo.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and picked up her tea, looking like she was ready to send Auntie Mo off. Her smile was light and distant. Even though Auntie Mo wanted to suck up to Mo Xuetong, she knew that this was not the right time to do so. She stood up and bade Mo Xuetong farewell with a slight smile.

    ¡°Auntie brought so many things over for Third Miss, so why did Third Miss not thank Auntie?¡± The maid beside Auntie Mo, Qingxiang, said resentfully as she looked at Qingwei Garden which was getting further and further away from them.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Auntie Mo yelled coldly. She turned around to re at the insolent Qingxiang.

    ¡°Yes, Auntie!¡± Qingxiang did not dare to say anything else when she saw that Auntie Mo was angry. She hurriedly apologized and lowered her head.

    ¡°No matter her wrongdoings, Third Miss is still a mistress of this manor. She is not someone a maid like you can talk about. You¡¯re just a little maid, what do you know?¡± Even though Auntie Mo felt resentful, she knew that Mo Xuetong¡¯s position in Mo Huawen¡¯s heart was irreceable. As such, she vented her anger on Qingxiang.

    It was the New Year, it was alright if Old Sir gave so many jewelries to the rude chit. But he didn¡¯t even give her any. She was in charge of the manor¡¯s expenses, and despite having received plenty of gifts, this was the first time she had seen such quality jewelry since she entered the manor. It would be weird if she didn¡¯t want some too!

    No, she had to get her hands on a few of them!

    She stopped suddenly, and Qingxiang, who was following her closely behind, almost bumped into her.

    ¡°Auntie...¡±Qingxiang did not know what was wrong with Auntie Mo again, and she backed away fearfully.

    ¡°We are going to Auntie Qing¡¯s!¡± Auntie Mo turned to the left towards Auntie Qing¡¯s Yuerong Garden. She waved at Qingxiang who was behind her and gestured for the other maids to return. Meanwhile, Qingxiang followed closely behind Auntie Mo.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s grand banquet was different from the Hundred Flowers Banquet. This time, only the daughters of third-grade officials and above were allowed to attend. Since the Princes did not manage to select wives during thest Hundred Flowers Banquet, it was said that the selection might ur again this time. Of course, Mo Xuetong did not know this.

    She followed Mo Huawen and Mo Yufeng to the pce. Mo Huawen and Mo Yufeng both rode horses while Mo Xuetong sat in a horse carriage that bore Mo¡¯s emblem.

    ¡°Miss, I saw Mo Xiu. She¡¯s at the wall near the main door and there were people with her wearing pink silk clothing. First Miss must be feeling very resentful.¡± The sharp-eyed Mo Ye was the first to discover Mo Xiu. She tugged on Mo Yu¡¯s and pointed at the clothes. Mo Yu could not care that much. She secretly lifted the door curtains and looked in that direction while telling Mo Xuetong what she saw on the way.

    ¡°Mo Yu, put down the curtains. Eldest Sister has always had good eyesight. She might be looking at you right now.¡± Mo Xuetong flipped through a book casually, speaking without a care.

    ¡°Humph, so what if First Miss saw me? If she, a noble young miss doesn¡¯t feel shame, why do I, a maid, have to fear?¡± Mo Yu wrinkled her nose and spoke with disdain. However, she still put down the curtains in her hand obediently. She was not worried that First Miss might see her, but she was worried that she might incur the wrath of First Miss. Even though, to be honest, everyone already knew that First Miss hated her mistress.

    ¡°Alright, remember to keep your mouth shut in the pce. The situation inside the pce is different.¡± Mo Xuetong looked up from the book in her hand and her nce swept Mo Yu slightly. ¡°One wrong step and you might tread down on a path to no return.¡±

    ¡°Miss, rest assured. I will not say one word or make a sound in the pce. I will definitely not make things difficult for you.¡± Mo Yu could not help but cover her mouth with her hand when she heard the dangers that Mo Xuetong described. Mo Xuetong could not help but smile at her muffled reply and funny expression.

    ¡°Mo Ye, I wonder how Eldest Sister will enter the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Ye, who was also smiling brilliantly.

    Mo Ye¡¯s expression became serious when she heard that. She ced her ear against the carriage walls. She could hear Old Sir conversing with Young Master in the distance. Then, she reported softly, ¡°First Miss definitely knows someone in the pce. I heard that she wants to borrow a pce carriage to attend the banquet. I still don¡¯t know all the details right now, but First Miss is determined to go to the banquet this time.¡±

    Mo Yu saw that the two were talking about serious matters, and she readily moved to the other side of the carriage. She did not y around anymore, instead, she focused on listening to her surroundings for any odd sounds.

    ¡°Miss, I heard that First Miss failed to seduce King Chu thest time and was thrown out of the pce. Then, she put all the me on the maid called Mo Jin, and when she was sent out of the pce, the maid was never seen again. Is First Miss not afraid of something like that happening again? If it does, things would not be as simple as sending her out of the pce.¡± Mo Ye asked softly in confusion. She worked for Feng Yuran and knew about some things in the pce.

    The incident had happened before she started working for Mo Xuetong. When she started working for Mo Xuetong, she heard about the incident from Mo Lan and Mo Yu. When she thought about it, she could not understand what Mo Xuemin wanted to do. Why would she go to the pce to be shamed? She did not think that the sly and vicious Mo Xuemin would do something so silly.

    Mo Xuetong definitely did not believe that Mo Xuemin would do something like that. She leaned against the carriage walls and considered the situation carefully. Why was Mo Xuemin so confident that something like that would not happen this time when she entered the pce? Who was the person in the pce helping Mo Xuemin? What kind of person was that, and why did that person help Mo Xuemin enter the pce again and again?

    The Empress Dowager, the Empress, Concubine Su, Concubine Yu...

    All the other families would shun Mo Xuemin after what happened. Her father was not being biased, so why was Mo Xuemin angry? Mo Xuemin was sometimes very rational and had self-restraint. With just one look at how she still smiled at Mo Xuetong earlier this morning outside the Old Madam¡¯s room, one could tell how terrifying and sinister she was.

    Mo Xuetong was not afraid that Mo Xuemin would explode with anger, causing her to lose control over her emotions and behavior. She was afraid that Mo Xuemin would be calm and behave stealthily! She was like a poisonous snake that was hidden in the corner and waiting to prey on someone.

    Mo Xuetong frowned because she could not understand what Mo Xuemin¡¯s goals were. She closed her eyes and rested while reflecting on Mo Xuemin¡¯s unusual behavior.

    ¡°Crash!¡± The horse carriage seemed to have mmed into something and it tilted sideways before stopping. Mo Xuetong almost fell out of the carriage. Fortunately, Mo Ye acted quickly and pulled her back while holding on to Mo Yu, who was seated at the very front; and she steadied the two.

    ¡°Miss, someone¡¯s carriage collided with others. The path is so big, so why didn¡¯t they watch out? They knocked into us and Old Sir is about to go talk to them.¡± Mo Yu said angrily. She was seated nearest to the door. The door curtains flipped open when the collision happened. They could see a beautiful and luxurious horse carriage that was drawn by eight horses that charged towards them. If their driver had not reacted so quickly, they would have collided head-on.

    Whose carriage was that for they drove so arrogantly in the pce?

 Chapter 153 - The Accident! Mo Xuemin Enters the Palace

    <h4>Chapter 153 The ident! Mo Xuemin Enters the Pce Through Peculiar Means</h4>

    ¡°Miss, it is King Chu¡¯s carriage.¡± Mo Ye¡¯s ears were sharp and she could hear Mo Huawen speaking to someone on the horse carriage from a distance. She hurried to help Mo Xuetong who could not catch her breath while she spoke softly.

    King Chu? The gentle and elegant King Chu would speed in the pce? Mo Xuetong asked subconsciously, ¡°Did you hear wrongly?¡±

    ¡°Miss, my ears are very sharp, how could I have heard wrong? Mo Yu, you¡¯re seated right in front. Lift up the curtains secretly and see if it is King Chu¡¯s horse carriage.¡± Mo Yu pointed at Mo Yu when she heard Mo Xuetong doubting her.

    Mo Yu had already secretly lifted the door curtains. She nodded hurriedly at Mo Ye¡¯s words and said softly, ¡°Miss, I can¡¯t hear what Old Sir and Young Master are saying, but the emblem on the horse carriage definitely belongs to King Chu¡¯s manor.¡± Then, Mo Yu turned around and blinked in confusion. ¡°I heard that King Chu is a gentle and elegant person. Why would he allow his subordinates to speed in the pce and even knock into someone?¡±

    Amongst the princes, King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, had the best reputation. He was a gentleman and was gentle and elegant. There had not been any rumors about him doing anything inappropriate. So why had he sped at a ce so close to the pce? Was he not afraid that the imperial scribe would write about him being arrogant and domineering, and his inappropriate behavior?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, the horse carriage has broken down. Get off with your maids. I will get another carriage from the manor to take you to the pce.¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s gentle voice sounded from the door.

    Even though his voice was gentle, Mo Xuetong could hear the displeasure in his voice! Anyone would be displeased if something like this happened to them on their way to a banquet.

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Mo Xuetong did not hesitate to stand, holding onto Mo Ye. Mo Yu appeared on her side and helped her to put on her veiled hat and assisted her.

    They only discovered, when they got off the carriage, that the carriage wheels had been knocked askew and there was a part that was dented. It could not drive any longer. Mo Huawen stood in front of the carriage. He brought her to the side when he saw her. Mo Yufeng was speaking with Feng Yuran, who was wearing a blue, round-necked cotton robe that had clouds embroidered on it.

    The handsome Feng Yuxuan smiled gently as he listened to Mo Yufeng. He nodded asionally, but he looked past Mo Huawen and his gaze fell on the girl behind him. She wore a hat that had a long veil so her features could not be seen clearly. Only her jade green clothes were exposed and one could see the lotus leaves embroidered on her cor. There were eight pleats to her dress and when she walked, it made her waist seem even more slender as the lotus leaves fluttered.

    ¡°King Chu, this is my daughter.¡± Mo Huawen stepped to the left when he reached Feng Yuxuan, blocking Mo Xuetong as he introduced her. He turned around and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Tong¡¯er, this is His Highness, King Chu.¡±

    ¡°Greetings, King Chu.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied politely.

    ¡°Are you the Third Miss of the manor? I heard that Third Miss Mo is beautiful and intelligent, and is gracious and polite. You are indeed so. I apologize, my servant did not mind the horse properly and I don¡¯t know why the horse went berserk. It is my fault for damaging Third Miss¡¯s carriage.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled gently and bowed to her as he exined.

    ¡°Your Highness, please do not apologize. It was an ident, so how could you be med for it.¡± Mo Xuetong leaned behind Mo Huawen silently as she sensed Feng Yuxuan¡¯s searching gaze upon her. Her tone was polite as she spoke.

    ¡°Third Sister, His Majesty has summoned Father into the pce. King Chu says he is willing to take us. Quick, thank His Highness.¡± Mo Yufeng walked over from the side in a rather pleased manner as he spoke to Mo Xuetong rather brusquely.

    He really thought that he was the future master of the Mo Manor!

    He did not even think before he spoke. In her past life, Mo Yufeng was still considered rather intelligent for he had not done many stupid things. Or perhaps, the two did not have many interactions. Mo Xuetong discovered now that Mo Yufeng was rather ignorant of what was happening around him. She did not know whether he had said what he did intentionally or not.

    Enter the pce together with Feng Yuxuan in his carriage? He really did dare to say that. They would be alone in the carriage, a man and a woman. What would she do in the future? And he wanted her to thank Feng Yuxuan? Mo Yufeng really dared to say that.

    ¡°Many thanks for your kindness, King Chu. However, the manor¡¯s carriage will arrive shortly, so we will not waste your time.¡± Mo Xuetong lowered her eyes to hide the coldness in them. She said gently to Mo Huawen, who was frowning worriedly, ¡°Father, do not worry. Tong¡¯er and Elder Brother will stay here and wait for the carriage from our manor. You can enter the pce first.¡±

    No matter how much Mo Yufeng did not want to, he had to stay now, or it would look bad on him should others hear about it.

    ¡°Why should we wait? The pce banquet will begin shortly. We would not only be impolite if we werete, we would also be faulted for deceiving His Majesty. Third Sister, don¡¯t object any longer. Don¡¯t let King Chu¡¯s good intentions be in vain.¡± Mo Yufeng saw that Mo Xuetong had not only not want to leave with them, but she had also wanted him to stay as well. He could not help but feel impatient.

    He was rather reasonable as well. The banquet in the pce was not an ordinary banquet. They could not just apologize for beingte. If the matter blew up, it could be considered treason, and if it did not, it would imply not respecting the royal banquet. Who would dare to do something like that? Mo Xuetong appeared awkward and she looked at Mo Huawen helplessly.

    Mo Huawen hesitated slightly!

    ¡°Third Miss, do not worry. You will board my horse carriage while I ride on the horse with Young Master Mo. I damaged Third Miss¡¯ horse carriage, so how can I still make things difficult for you.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly and gently. His eyes were bright and she could not see any hint of plotting. He spoke generously and graciously and hade up with a solution to Mo Xuetong¡¯s considerations.

    It was indeed inappropriate for a man and woman to be together in the enclosed space. But this was solved since Feng Yuxuan had actively requested to ride the horse! No wonder Feng Yuxuan¡¯s reputation was so good. Even Mo Huawen was smiling. Mo Xuetong would seem unreasonable if she refused now!

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness!¡± This time, Mo Xuetong curtsied sincerely in thanks!

    This was indeed the best solution. However, she still could not think of a reason for King Chu speeding on the pce grounds.

    Was it just to loan them his carriage? King Chu, who was known for being gentle£¬ and educated would not do something like that! There must be a second part to this! They were in the pce, and there were some things that even King Chu could not do easily. She supposed she did not have to wait long to see what would happen next.

    She looked up andughed coldly. The second part was already happening!

    ¡°Father, Elder Brother, what are you two doing here? Oh, isn¡¯t that Third Sister?¡± ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± The gentle voice was filled with surprise. It was neither high nor low, and her tone waspletely suitable for well-bred youngdies to use when they were surprised. Mo Xuetong looked up. An average-sized horse carriage stopped. Mo Xuemin emerged from the carriage graciously with the help of Mo Xiu.

    There was a happy smile on her beautiful and pale face. She let go of Mo Xiu¡¯s hand and took two steps forward, curtsying to Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Min¡¯er, where are you going?¡± Mo Huawen frowned slightly and looked at his eldest daughter in a rather hostile manner. She had been locked up in the manor, so why was she out running about? However, there were outsiders present and there were some things that he could not say.

    ¡°Father, Min¡¯er heard you coughing really badly in the study a few days ago. You didn¡¯t get better even after taking medicine. I feared that you might hurt your lungs if this goes on, so I wanted to get this pill called the ¡®Hundred Cough Pill¡¯ I once saw at the Yu¡¯s. I heard my cousin say that the pill is really effective, so I thought of getting one. I was about to get some and give them to you tonight.¡± Mo Xuemin smiled gently as if she had not seen the unhappiness in Mo Huawen¡¯s face.

    It was already evening time and lights were lit on the streets. They shone on her in clothing, making her seem rather sad. Mo Xuemin was usually dressed in bright, luxurious colors and had never looked so in and dreary. Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze swept her lightly and she realized that Mo Xuemin¡¯s brows had been artfully arranged and there was a lightyer of powder on her face that was put on just to the right extent. It made her skin look brighter and softer and made one sympathize with her.

    How could their father not feel bad for her when she had always appeared to be beautiful and arrogant but now looked so in? There was also that worry that could not be hidden in her eyes, and how she tried to smile despite feeling aggrieved. Furthermore, she seemed entirely concerned for their father when she spoke, and Mo Huawen¡¯s expression could not help but soften.

    ¡°Father, since Min¡¯er¡¯s carriage is here, then let Min¡¯er send Third Sister in. It would save us from bothering King Chu. King Chu still has to greet His Majesty in the main hallter. It would be inappropriate for Third Sister to take the horse carriage.¡± Mo Xuemin changed the topic quickly and turned to speak to Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Greet His Highness, King Chu.¡± Mo Huawen did not reply, but instead spoke lightly to Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu.¡± Mo Xuemin seemed to have only noticed Feng Yuxuan, who was standing to the side, tall and straight. She turned around and curtsied, looking at Feng Yuxuan with her beautiful eyes before lowering them shyly.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be in awe of her acting. She was a really good actress, for nobody could tell from her behavior that something had happened in the pce between her and King Chu. It was as if this were her first time meeting King Chu, and she was behaving like how a nobledy. How fake was Mo Xuemin for her to be able to behave as if nothing had happened!

    ¡°Please, get up! This must be Lord Mo¡¯s eldest daughter. You are indeed beautiful and gentle. You will definitely shine at the banquet today. How about this, I do indeed have something on today, so I shall visit your manor with a gift of apology another day. Ladies, you might as well attend the banquet together. Even though the carriage is a little small, but you two are sisters, so it shouldn¡¯t matter that much.¡±

    He did not mention the trouble that Mo Xuemin had caused at thest banquet because of him. It was as if it were his first time meeting the Mo sisters. And he had even issued the invite so politely. This King Chu wasn¡¯t simple either.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯sst sentence was directed at Mo Huawen. Then, he waved his hand without waiting for Mo Huawen¡¯s reply.

    A maid emerged from behind him obediently.

    ¡°There is a clothing shop not far ahead. There are clothes and essories there. First Miss and Third Miss are both dressed rather inly today. You two go there and pick out some clothes. It would be a gift from me. You, take the twodies thereter.¡± Feng Yuxuan said with a smile.

    ¡°Your Highness, that is too kind of you. She was not injured...¡± Mo Huawen tried to object with a frown.

    ¡°Lord Mo, if you refuse, you¡¯d be looking down on me. I really have something pressing to attend to and will get someone to take you all there. You all have to pick a few items or I would be berated by my royal father. He will not let me off easily for speeding on pce grounds.¡± Feng Yuxuan got on a fine horse that was brought over by someone. Then, he smiled at Mo Huawen, put his hands together in greeting, and then turned around to leave with his men.

    The obedient servant stayed behind and approached Mo Huawen. He lowered his hand and said with augh, ¡°Lord Mo...¡±

    This meant that if they did not go, they would be looking down on King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. Since this was so, it would be considered unreasonable for Mo Huawen to continue in his objections. He looked at his eldest daughter helplessly. Her expression was one of soft gentleness. Despite knowing that she would not be able to attend the banquet, she still had a smile on her face and did not have a hint of displeasure on her expression. However, her eyes turned slightly and she nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s fitting dress enviously, revealing the special gentleness that only girls had. The smile in her eyes was genuine and beautiful.

    ¡°Father, Min¡¯er will let Third Sister have the carriage. I will go to the Yu¡¯s to get the medicine and get the Yu¡¯s to help me get a carriage home. Anyway, I am not in a rush. It would bete at night by the time you get back from the banquet. I will melt the pills in water for you to drink then.¡± Mo Xuemin saw how awkward Mo Huawen felt and spoke hurriedly. There was a smile on her face, but her eyes glistened in the light, making her look sad and pitiful.

    ¡°Feng¡¯er, go with your sisters to the shop that His Highness spoke of and pick something for your elder sister to change into. Then the two girls shall pick a few sets of essories and we will go to the pce together. I still have something to report to His Majesty, so I shall leave first. Min¡¯er, even though your carriage is a little small, it will do.¡±

    Mo Huawen looked at the three who all had different expressions and sighed to himself. No matter what, they were all his children and he hoped that they would be able to get along well. No matter how evil Auntie Fang was, he still cared for his two children she bore him.

    ¡°Father, are you saying that Min¡¯er can also...¡± Mo Xuemin looked up in joy and surprise. Her eyes shone with joyful tears in the light.

 Chapter 154 - Who Would Become the Crown Prince?

    <h4>Chapter 154 Who Would Be the Crown Prince?</h4>

    ¡°Yes, go. Be careful in the pce.¡± Mo Huawen waved his hand and got onto his horse. Then, he turned around to say to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t need to pick any clothes or essories. You just have to clean up a little. Things are different in the pcepared to at home. Even though you can¡¯t do everything that you want, don¡¯t make the Mo Manor look weak.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was still in the mourning period and could not dress up too fancily. Mo Huawen considered Tong¡¯er¡¯s character and how she was fearful sometimes and was worried that she might be bullied. That was why he had taken care to tell her that worriedly.

    ¡°Yes, rest assured, Father. Eldest Sister would be there too. Even if Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t know anything, or doesn¡¯t understand anything, Eldest Sister would definitely help me, right, Eldest Sister?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled at Mo Xuemin sweetly.

    She already understood!

    What happened earlier was a plot for Mo Xuemin to enter the pce!

    Mo Xuemin wanted to enter the pce like that. It was indeed a good method that would not make their father annoyed at her for leaving the manor by herself, and would also make him feel as if he owed her. In this simple move, their father had to agree to let her attend the banquet. No matter how one looked at it, Mo Xuemin had done this perfectly.

    However, how did she contact King Chu? Mo Xuemin had ended up in King Chu¡¯s hands at thest banquet. If King Chu had pitied her just one bit, Mo Xuemin would not have ended up in that state. Up until now, she still did not know if King Chu¡¯s actions today were just a coincidence or something else. But no matter what, this was not something a girl who rarely left her house could possibly do. This was such an exquisitely crafted n that Mo Xuemin could not possiblye up with no matter how sly she was.

    Was it Qin Yufeng? Did he have something to do with this?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands, which were hidden in her sleeves, could not help but clench tightly.

    Ever since she returned to the capital, Qin Yufeng rarely visited the Mos because the Qins had moved to the capital as well. Even if he visited, he would visit her father, or chat with Mo Yufeng. He rarely entered the inner courtyard and seemed like the perfect gentleman who adhered to customs.

    However, just because he did not appear did not mean that Mo Xuetong was not wary of him!

    Or perhaps, she remembered her past life too clearly. The figure standing behind Mo Xuemin made her feel terrified and suffocated. Every time Qin Yufeng appeared in the Mo Manor, Mo Xuetong would watch him closely and find out his schedule. Sometimes, she would ponder upon and dissect a certain statement that he made. However, he did not seem to have acted since her arrival in the capital.

    It had always been Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang who had done the scheming. But now, it felt different. This simple and effective method was definitely not thought up by Mo Xuemin. Did he act because he could not bear it any longer? Why was he doing this? If he did not like Mo Xuemin that way, why was he helping her? What did he want?

    Or perhaps Mo Xuemin could help him get something?

    All the questions weighed down on her and she felt as if she could not breathe. She felt as if there was arge, endless, dark sea in front of her. There was a massive wave that rose into the sky and she was but just a tiny boat that had been abandoned in the waves. She did not know where the end was and did not know when the eternal darkness woulde.

    ¡°Miss, Miss!¡± Mo Ye practiced martial arts and was the first to notice that something was wrong with Mo Xuetong. She reached out to hold her hand and realized that Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand was clenched tightly into a fist and that her hands were slick with cold sweat. She called out softly and worriedly while pushing Qi into Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Third Sister? Are you feeling unwell? Why don¡¯t we go in front and sit down for a rest?¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s concerned voice rang gently. She looked up and her eyes were filled with sincerity. Before others, Mo Xuemin always portrayed herself to be a good elder sister.

    Mo Xuetong took a deep breath and released her tightly clenched hand. She patted Mo Ye and indicated that she was fine. She looked up with a slight curl on her lips as she smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯ve embarrassed myself in front of Elder Sister. I was feeling a little dizzy earlier because I was startled by the horse. I¡¯m much better now. Then let¡¯s go take a look together. I will help you to pick a beautiful dress and some pretty essories. Elder Sister, you are so attractive and talented, you will definitely outshine all the otherdies who turn up.¡±

    Mo Xuemin knew that she should behave the same as usual and smiled kindly and beautifully. However, she could not really do that. Mo Xuetong¡¯s words had caused her expression to stiffen involuntarily. She had been asking after Mo Xuetong in concern about whether she wanted to rest, but Mo Xuetong had made it seem like she had mentioned that because she wanted to pick out beautiful clothes and essories to attend the banquet. However, she could not defend herself, for everyone had heard what King Chu said earlier.

    Her father¡¯s intentions were also clear. She was the only one who could choose clothes and essories. Even so, she could not really say that, could she! When had her cowardly and useless third sister be so strong? Mo Xuetong had almost made it impossible for her to turn the tide around.

    A vicious look shed in her eyes. Mo Xuetong would be ruined shortly. Then, she would be able to stomp on her as her heart desired. As such, what she had to do now was to endure!

    There were many articles of clothing in the clothing shop. Furthermore, it was the most famous clothing shop in the capital and the clothes on the top-most level could make any girl excited. Even though Mo Xuemin wanted to pick a luxurious but elegant dress under thepany of the servant, she could not help but pick a luxurious dress that she liked the most.

    All women could not control their desire to steal the spotlight with their dressing. Furthermore, her goal today was to attract the attention of everyone present. She did not like Li Youmo, but ording to her father¡¯s will, after the furor over the incident calmed down after some time, the Li and Mo manor would start preparing their marriage.

    Mo Xuemin had always been a proud person. She felt that she was talented and beautiful, so how would she be interested in Li Youmo, who had the worst reputation in the capital? So what if he was the main son of a minister? He was a yboy, so how could she like him? She did not feel anything but disgust and disdain for him, and now, she feared him a little as well.

    Yes, she had heard people saying that Li Youmo was an arrogant and annoying person in the past. After Li Youmo had pped her brazenly, she grew more afraid that he would behave shamelessly and unscrupulously. The noble sons of the capital were all gentlemen. They were praised for being elegant and gentle and would never hit a woman. However, that person was so arrogant that he dared to hit Mo Xuemin in the Mo Manor.

    When Mo Xuemin thought about marrying a man like this, she felt that she might be better off dead instead!

    She refused to marry Li Youmo.

    As such, she did not wish to be hasty at the banquet today. She had to appear at the banquet and be seen by everyone. She had to win the attention of everyone with her graciousness and remove all the negativity surrounding her while attracting the noblemen, or perhaps, King Yan.

    Of course, she also had another goal!

    She picked a pink jacket with buttons running down her front. It was paired with a rose-red dress with golden threads that had a long tail. Even though there was an outer jacket, it cinched at her slender waist. There was a marble flower hairpin in her hair that had a pink crystal center and she worerge colored pearls of the size of a fingertip on her ears. She was stunning after she dressed up.

    Coupled with her soft and lovely expression, she was beautiful and stunning.

    Mo Xuemin immediately attracted the attention of many when she appeared at the banquet. She had been stopped from attending banquets because of all the scandals she had been in. However, some of the nobledies who had just arrived in the city did not know her and was stunned by her beautiful and attractive get-up. They tried to find out secretly who the stunning beauty was.

    When they heard that she was the famous First Miss Mo, they could not help but exim in shock.

    That beauty, that grace, she was indeed worthy of being called the gentlewoman of the nobledies. Some of thedies whom she knew gathered around her and started chatting with smiles on their faces because they had not seen each other in a long while.

    Mo Xuetong had long been spotted by Luo Mingzhu when she first entered the pce gates. Luo Mingzhu pulled her away because she did not want to pretend to be close to Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuetong intentionally walked beside Luo Mingzhu.

    Even though Mo Xuetong had brought two maids, she could only bring one through the pce gates with her. Because she was afraid that something might happen in the pce, Mo Xuetong intentionally kept Mo Ye, who was versed in martial arts, with her and asked Mo Yu to wait outside.

    Before the banquet, was the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday celebration. There was also antern festival after the banquet.

    Those who could personally meet the Empress Dowager and send their good wishes were all prominent officials and their families, as well as the royal family, those from the Ding General Manor, and some others. Mo Huawen was a third-grade official and was no match for these people. As such, Mo Xuetong had never had the fortune to meet the Empress Dowager.

    The Empress Dowager was from the Ding General Manor and was the current Duke Ding¡¯s aunt. However, she had not interfered in official matters in many years. She had a son and a daughter. It was a pity that her eldest son died at a young age, leaving behind a grandson who inherited his father¡¯s title. He was a hostage in Yan Kingdom while her only daughter had married a man from Yan. She was the mother of the Yan crown prince, Bai Yihao.

    That was why the Empress Dowager doted so much on her grandson.

    From what the madam anddies who came from the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce said, Sir Bai¡¯s gift was the one the Empress Dowager was most pleased with. They heard that the Empress Dowager had been searching for that music score for a long time. Ling Fengyan had won the praise of many with a beautiful dance. The person who had surprised everyone most was King Xuan, Feng Yuran. He had gifted the Empress Dowager a nine-fold screen that could be disassembled into 81 smaller screens. It was very interesting...

    Just like what happened in her past life, Ling Fengyan was pushed onto the stage on the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday. The Great Qin¡¯s greatest beauty was known to all then, to be from the Ding General Manor. Those who remembered what happened in the past would discover that the Empress had beaten everyone back then because of her beauty and became a candidate for the Empress spot.

    If things remained the same, and Ling Fengyan became the Empress, was the Ding General Manor intending to continue the myth that all future Empresses would definitelye from the Ling family?

    However, things now were slightly different from 20 years ago. Back then, Emperor Zongwen was already the true crown prince. He would make the Ding General Manor¡¯sdy the Empress just to give the Empress Dowager face. But now, Emperor Zongwen had three princes who were of age. Other than Feng Yuran whom others did not think well of, no one was certain who among the other two princes would be Emperor.

    So what made the Ling family certain that their most beautiful daughter would be able to take that spot?

    Could it be that the Emperor intended to announce the Crown Prince today?

    This thought made everyone even more careful when they spoke. They would rather stay in the middle ground than bet on anyone. If anything went wrong, it would implicate their entire n.

    Who would be the Crown Prince!

 Chapter 155 - A Chance Meeting, Annoying Marquess Mingguo

    <strong>Chapter 155 A Chance Meeting, Annoying Marquess Mingguo</strong>

    The banquet was held at the Rain Pavilion in the imperial garden. The Rain Pavilion was decorated differently from other ces. There was an average-sizedke in the middle and there were two inds next to each other in theke. At the closest point between the two inds, one could cross between the two with just a step. The slightlyrger ind was on the left and that was where the male guests were seated. The slightly smaller ind was on the right where the female guests were seated.

    For everyone¡¯s enjoyment, the Emperor and his officials were seated by theke. Those on the inds were all young people. They would not feel restrained by their fathers and would be able to have fun.

    There were a few decorated pleasure boats that traveled between the inds and thekeside, sending those on the shore to the inds. Because there were not many boats, there were men and women on the boats. The women would be sent to the ind on the right first before the men were sent to the ind on the left. Then, the boats would return to the shore to pick up other people.

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu arrived by theke at the peak hour. Some of thedies and gentlemen were huddled together because they wanted to go to the inds. They gathered together with familiarity. Some youngdies were there with their brothers, so it was not that inappropriate. The Emperor and officials had yet to arrive, so the seats by theke were empty, and there were no parents to watch them. It was a very rxed atmosphere. Some of the youngdies and gentlemen who were not in a hurry to go to the ind gathered under the trees and chatted.

    ¡°Younger Sister Tong, look, there¡¯s my brother. Let¡¯s go there and talk to him.¡± Luo Mingzhu pointed at Luo Wenyou who was not far away with a smile. There were men and women in the group he was in.

    The two arrived to find that Qin Yufeng, Qin Yuxuan, Luo Wenyou, You Yuecheng, and a few other nobledies were there. The first person to approach them was Qin Yuxuan. His handsome eyes shone as he asked worriedly in a soft voice, ¡°Tong¡¯er, have you healed from your injuries? Do you still feel unwell?¡±

    The two had not met since the incident at Qingliang Temple. He was asking worriedly about the injury she had sustained then.

    ¡°Many thanks, Cousin Xuan, for your concern. I have long healed from that minor injury.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled at him gently. Then, she curtsied to Qin Yufeng and Luo Wenyou who approached. The others followed them and everyone greeted each other.

    Mo Xuetong only found out then, that the beautiful girl in pink was You Yuecheng¡¯s younger sister, You Yue¡¯e. The other beautiful girl in the blue dress was called Jiang Yu¡¯er, and the pretty one was called Ai Xue.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze could not help but be drawn to Sima Heyan, who was standing right at the back. This was her first time seeing Sima Heyan since her rebirth. Sima Heyan was wearing a light purple silk dress. There was red embroidery on the edges of her cor and sleeves, making her look adorable.

    Sima Heyan¡¯s life was difficult in her past life. She became her brother¡¯s stepping stone towards power. Sima Heyan still lived at home when Mo Xuetong first married into the Sima manor. However, the two did not have many interactions. Sima Heyan married a month after she married into the Sima manor. In this month, Mo Xuetong was a new wife and was cowardly. She was afraid of making mistakes and saying the wrong thing. Sima Heyan, on the other hand, was busy with her impending nuptials.

    If one were to really look into it, they would found the two had only exchanged a few words. Even though Mo Xuetong could sense from their limited interactions that Sima Heyan did not like her, she did not get along well with her cousin Yun Yiqiu as well. Mo Xuetong recalled that Sima Heyan always looked down on others.

    Mo Xuetong did not have any other feelings about her. She could only sigh and say with pity that Sima Heyan did not have any choice but to marry either. She had to be married after being plotted against by Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Is this Third Miss Mo? You are indeed beautiful. My brother keeps mentioning you, and now that I¡¯ve seen you, you are even more beautiful than he says.¡± Sima Heyan approached her from behind You Yue¡¯e, holding on to Ai Xue as she sized Mo Xuetong up, her head cocked to the side curiously with a smile.

    She had truly heard her elder brother mentioning the youngdies from the Mo family. In the past, her brother praised First Miss Mo, but when Third Miss Mo appeared in the capital, her elder brother started praising Third Miss Mo. What had caused such a huge change in her elder brother? Sima Heyan was really curious.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes today were very in. Mo Huawen knew that she was still in her mourning period. He had already requested for her to attend the banquet, and it would be inappropriate for her to dress in bright colors. As such, he had especially told Auntie Qing to pick clothes that were elegant but in.

    Because her health had been well taken care of recently, while she had not matured much physically, she possessed the beauty of a young girl. On her porcin face was a pair ofrge, clear eyes. Her longshes fluttered under the light. Her pert nose and red, luscious lips seemed to glimmer. Her mesmerizing lip colorplemented her innocent, and yet seductive appearance.

    Even You Yuecheng, who had always hated Mo Xuetong, could not help but find his eyes shining at her sight. He turned around sharply as he tried to control his heart which had suddenly started to beat wildly. His lips tightened as he pursed them.

    He had always hated Mo Xuetong. He felt that the girl was too fake and too vicious. He liked girls like Mo Xuemin, who was gentle and talented. He did not like girls who were so vicious that they would want to kill their Aunties and unborn sibling. Her eyes were still so clear and touched the depths of the hearts of those who looked into them despite having done something so vile. You Yuecheng felt a deep-seated dislike for her.

    How dare a woman like this pretend to be so innocent in front of others! He could not help but frown.

    The others did not notice You Yuecheng, but Mo Xuetong saw him clearly. The obvious disdain and hatred on You Yuecheng¡¯s face did not affect her at all. Like how You Yuecheng felt towards her, Mo Xuetong did not like him at all. Ever since she heard the private conversation between him and Mo Xuemin, she started to despise him. Birds of the same feather flock together. He was a great liar, just like Mo Xuemin.

    She did not wish to have anything to do with him.

    ¡°Younger sister Tong, there will be antern festival after the banquet. The pce organized a festival just like the markets outside. They will get some pce maids to pretend to be peddlers and even set up many booths. The Emperor and Empress even set up prizes. Let¡¯s go take a look together after we return from the ind. I heard that it is even more beautiful than the festivals at the markets.¡± Qin Yuxuan stood in front of Mo Xuetong, blocking her from looking at You Yuecheng.

    Mo Xuetong found it hard to answer his invitation. They were not in Cloud City and she was no longer the orphaned daughter boarding at the Qins. There were too many rules to follow. It was already difficult for the two to meet, and if they were to agree to go to look at thenterns together, it would be a little... If this had happened in Cloud City, it would not have mattered. As long as Mdm Qin agreed, Qin Yuxuan could take her to look at thenterns at night.

    But it was different here! She had to be careful with each step she took, especially with Mo Xuemin looking at her with predatory eyes. Even if she had not done anything wrong, Mo Xuemin would try to find fault with her. Furthermore, it was inappropriate for men and women to agree to meet.

    ¡°Second Cousin, are you being serious?¡± She had not said anything when another woman almost jumped with joy.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s pupils contracted. She was the other Yu daughter!

    ¡°That¡¯s right, we will be able to see the market in the pceter.¡± Qin Yufeng said with a smile. Then, he turned around to say to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Younger Sister Tong, when you go to see thenternster, you can go and see thempke. I heard that it is made of tens of thousands of colorednterns and is stunning. There are all kinds ofnterns and as long as you answer the riddle correctly, you will be able to get one. Many people will go, and if you would like to go, pleasee with us!¡±

    His words were spoken well and he had managed to find an excuse of Qin Yuxuan¡¯s rashness. It made his invitation towards Mo Xuetong sound more like a chance meeting and not a secret meeting between man and woman. Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief. She looked up with a smile at his gentle expression and said, ¡°Cousin Xuan, Cousin Feng, cousin, we will go to guess the riddles and admirenternster. If we meet, you all have to help us. You mustn¡¯t let your cousin go home with empty hands, right?¡±

    Then, she winked yfully. The atmosphere rxed immediately at the beautiful girl¡¯s gentle smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s set then. We will guess thentern riddles together then.¡± Qin Yuxuan said with a smile. Even though he was rash, he was smart too. He realized that the reactions of the crowd were odd after what he said and he immediately reacted to it. However, he could not find a way to salvage the situation. He only rxed when he heard his older brother help him out with a few words.

    He had always been extroverted and they had all been young when they were in Cloud City. They did not pay attention to the etiquette between man and woman then. Mdm Qin doted on him and did not restrain him much, so he never paid attention to all that. However, it was different in the capital. Lord Qin had brought him to his study on the day he arrived in the capital and gave him a lecture. The main gist of it was that they were in the capital and that he had to follow rules, especially etiquette between men and women. His life might be ruined if he were the slightest bit careless... Qin Yuxuan left the study with his head lowered in defeat and he muttered to himself that he might as well stay in Cloud City where there were not so many rules and where it was freer.

    He realized that what he said had brought trouble upon Mo Xuetong. Fortunately, his elder brother was intelligent and had managed to salvage the situation. He secretly gave Qin Yufeng a thumbs up and smiled brightly at him. He totally respected Qin Yufeng.

    Qin Yufeng smiled at him gently and then shook his head, indicating that he had to be careful with what he said.

    Qin Yuxuan nodded hurriedly.

    A boat arrived just then and they boarded the boat. The little inds were not far from the shore, but in order to allow the passengers to better admire the scenery, the boat intentionally made a circle around the shore before reaching the ind. This was also a more personalized touch arranged by the pce this time.

    There was wind on the surface of theke. The wind blew and lifted Mo Xuetong¡¯s skirts. The wind blew right where she was standing as she stood behind the railings and thought about Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin really confused her. What exactly was she up to? Mo Xuetong could not guess what Mo Xuemin was thinking, but she felt a sense of impending danger. Mo Xuemin was too calm today.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, who are you plotting against again? Who would think that the innocent fairy-like Third Miss Mo would be so unscrupulous when plotting against others? It is weird for a woman to be so vicious.¡± A cold, mocking voice could be heard. Mo Xuetong turned around to find that everyone around her had left, leaving behind only You Yuecheng. The others were walking towards the left, admiring arge, luxurious and beautiful boat that was approaching from the distance.

    ¡°I heard that Sir You is a famous nobleman in the capital. I heard that you are known to be a gentleman, young and talented. I wonder what you are doing now? Do you feel that meeting someone is truer than hearing about that person? I feel the same way.¡± Mo Xuetong swept her eyes over him lightly with a cold smile on her lips. You Yuecheng had plotted together with Mo Xuemin against her. It was impossible for them to be friends. Furthermore, she detested how sanctimoniously he was behaving.

    She even felt that while Li Youmo might be rude, at least he was truer than You Yuecheng.

    Meeting someone was truer than hearing about him. Was she implying that he was not as great as people imagined? He said that Mo Xuetong was a vicious schemer while Mo Xuetong said that he was impolite, fond of gossip, and shameless. How could You Yuecheng not be angry at that? He was a gentleman and was praised no matter where he went. When had he ever been mocked by a girl?

    You Yuecheng was furious!

 Chapter 156 - You Yuecheng Threatens Mo Xuetong but is Shamed Instead

    <h4>Chapter 156 You Yuecheng Threatens Mo Xuetong but is Shamed Instead</h4>

    You Yuecheng grew white with rage when he heard what Mo Xuetong said. He shook out his sleeves angrily in disdain and then raged, ¡°You are indeed from the countryside of Cloud City. You don¡¯t know any etiquette and are ill-bred.¡±

    Mo Xuetong hated it when people spoke badly of her mother. You Yuecheng was implying that she did not have a mother to teach her. She looked at him from the corners of her eyes and turned around elegantly. She took two steps away to the side and stood at the railings. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she turned around to say mockingly,

    ¡°Marquess You, you think that Eldest Sister is the most well-bred, and you admire a woman like her, then why don¡¯t you marry her? You¡¯d save her from her current situation. As long as you save her, her well-bred Auntie will definitely thank you. Then, you would get the opportunity to find out where Eldest Sister¡¯s breeding came from. Oh, I¡¯ve made a mistake. If you really marry Eldest Sister, you and Auntie Fang won¡¯t be considered outsiders. You will be able to learn from each other then.¡±

    Even though the status of a concubine was slightly higher than a bed maid, but in the truly powerful and noble families, they were but just ythings. Who would think that a concubine would be a well-bred person? Mo Xuetong even wanted You Yuecheng and a concubine to learn from each other. That was as good as a p to You Yuecheng¡¯s face and his face immediately flushed red with anger.

    You Yuecheng had never been so shamed by a woman before and he was furious. He gritted his teeth and turned around, ring at Mo Xuetong. He took two steps forward and approached her, almost pressing Mo Xuetong into the railings. ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t think I can¡¯t do anything to you. So what if you have a sharp tongue? Crushing you would be as simple as crushing an ant to me.¡±

    His expression was like steel, and his lips trembled in anger. If not for his great self-restraint, he would have strangled Mo Xuetong. He was the Marquess of Mingguo, and had never been shamed like this by anyone.

    ¡°But, don¡¯t you like my eldest sister? Otherwise, why would you two meet secretly at night?¡± Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not feel the approaching danger as she looked at him with wide eyes filled with confusion. Even though she took two steps to the side to avoid him hanging over her, she had not held back with her words. There were some people who just had ill intentions towards you, and if you avoid them, it would only make them feel even more powerful. They would really think that others were afraid of them.

    You Yuecheng wanted to pretend? Then she would strip him of his false pretenses. She did not believe that he would dare to hit her in front of so many people. Duke Mingguo might be powerful, but they were in the pce. The power of a marquess was still different from that of the imperial family. The Emperor might even want to see the marquess embarrass himself in the pce.

    Meeting Mo Xuemin in private? You Yuecheng was shocked and his eyes, which were red with rage, immediately cleared up. No one else knew of his private meeting with Mo Xuemin. Even Li Youmo would not expect that the person he was meeting in the shop was Mo Xuemin. A clear, murderous intent appeared in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes.

    If others found out about it, his reputation would be ruined!

    He lowered his voice and spoke coldly and viciously, ¡°Do you really want to die?¡±

    ¡°Marquess You, you don¡¯t have to be afraid of me. Eldest Sister was the one who told us about it. There are no secrets amongst us sisters, and you don¡¯t have to push me into the water to kill me just to shut me up. We are still a certain distance away from the waters and even if you push me in, Cousin Xuan can save me. Unless you want to embarrass the Mingguo Manor and drag me into the water yourself personally, nothing will happen to me. At most, I will fall into the river.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was calm. There was even a hint of yfulness on her beautiful face as she turned to look at You Yuecheng calmly.

    It was as if she were not looking at You Yuecheng who was looking at her in murderous rage but was his usual calm and gentle self. Her usually clear eyes grew cold.

    She did not care about You Yuecheng¡¯s threat at all. Her disdain and scorn made You Yuecheng¡¯s face blotchy with anger. He had the urge to tear the woman in front of him into pieces. How could she be so calm when talking about life and death...

    ¡°Eldest Brother,e take a look. That¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s boat. How beautiful!¡± You Yue¡¯e¡¯s joyousughter could be heard.

    ¡°Cousin Tong,e quickly! What¡¯s there to talk about with Marquess You? You two look so engrossed, mind you don¡¯t fall into the river. Come and look at this boat.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s voice could be heard too.

    Qin Yuxuan grew impatient when he saw that she was still speaking with You Yuecheng. He jumped lightly from the side of the railings and turned over while saying loudly, ¡°Cousin Tong, when did you be so close with Marquess You. What are you guys talking about?¡± He was about to approach them.

    You Yuecheng hid the viciousness in his eyes but he did not let go of her. He stood in front of Mo Xuetong silently.

    ¡°Marquess You, I am not interested in finding out about what happened between you and Mo Xuemin, and I don¡¯t wish to spread any rumors. But please remember that the truth will always prevail and what you see might not be the truth!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and looked as if she were the most obedient child there ever was. However, her words were cold and distant. She turned around, lifted her skirts and then walked away, holding the railings carefully while avoiding You Yuecheng.

    She really did not care about what was happening between You Yuecheng and Mo Xuemin. But she would not be so easily bullied if they were to annoy her!

    Qin Yuxuan approached her just then and looked at You Yuecheng oddly, for his expression was still cold despite him having calmed down. He did not notice that You Yuecheng¡¯s expression was deader than usual and heined to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Cousin Tong, why did you guys speak for so long? I have been calling for you for a long time, why didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I was speaking with Marquess You about what happened when we met at the city gates. He was there then.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and left.

    ¡°Oh, that incident? It was obvious that someone was trying to frame you. They knew when you would go home and even know the route that you¡¯d take, and then, they met you by such a coincidence. You have to ask Uncle Mo to settle this.¡± Qin Yuxuan¡¯s expression softened when he heard that Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng were talking about that.

    ¡°It¡¯s over. Not much damage was done, but I have worried my cousins.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled as if she did not mind. Then, she poked out her tongue, looking rather mischievous. Her mood, which had soured because of You Yuecheng, turned for the better. Her eyes shone brightly and captivatingly.

    The two of them chatted andughed as they walked away. Behind them, You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes shone and then darkened.

    On the highest point of the boat, Feng Yuranid on a couch. There was a clear ss that had been imported from the west that was fitted right in front of him. His handsome eyes looked through the ss windows, staring at Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng. He lifted his hand and drank all the red wine in the ss in his hand.

    ¡°Get Youmo to visit the brothels less these days and check on You Yuecheng instead.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Feng Yue, who was standing behind him answered immediately. Then, he turned away quickly and left. It had been hard for him over the past few days. He did not know what had made His Highness unhappy and he had been tortured over the past few days. Feng Yuran had made him run errands after errands and had not let him stop. Sometimes, His Highness would even stare at him with his beautiful eyes and then he couldn¡¯t even be angry.

    The mental pressure was too intense. He wanted to leave His Highness¡¯ side especially badly. He sighed heavily when he left the cabin. The sky was especially blue, and for the sake of his life, leaving His Highness had been the right decision. This was especially when His Highness was angry for no reason. Feng Yue felt that he would rather be ordered to kill someone than be stared at by His Highness. What had he done for His Highness to do that to him? He did not understand.

    He touched his head, which felt lighter than it had in the past few days and could not help but look at a slender figure on the little boat further down the river. He had a sudden epiphany and his mouth opened widely. That day, he seemed to have mentioned Third Miss Mo. Could it be... He carefully nced at the ss window and saw His Excellency staring at Third Miss Mo with his deep dark eyes. This, could it be...

    ¡°Feng Yue, are you not certain of your orders?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice rang from the boat. His voice was charming and seductive.

    Feng Yue shuddered violently and answered, ¡°Yes, I am clear!¡± Then, he did not dare to take another look and sped away, jumping from the third floor to the hall on the second floor. He could not anger His Highness because of the same matter. It would make him furious.

    Therge luxurious boat was different from the little boats surrounding it. The word ¡°Xuan¡± emzoned on top of it said everything. The Emperor did indeed dote on King Xuan, he had been spoilt. He did not do anything serious all day and hosted shows and dances in his home. Even though he was grounded, it was not much different from when he was free. Fortunately, His Majesty turned a blind eye to it and others did not report to the Emperor about it. Who would be so dumb to tell him that when they knew the Emperor did not want to punish King Xuan?

    However, everyone liked it when King Xuan behaved like that. Azy King Xuan who did not attend to his duties was better than a King Xuan who would want to climb up to a higher spot! If he was truly capable, the Emperor might even give him the throne.

    And because of that, in order to let King Xuan continue being derelict in his duties and to please the Emperor, not only did the Empress dote on him, King Yan and King Chu would send him all sorts of good food and toys. The arrogant Fifth Princess who did not allow anyone to get one over her would let King Xuan have first dibs on all the good stuff.

    The boat was a gift from the Empress, who had one custom made for him. It was the only one in the pce. The Empress did not even give one to the Fifth Princess, who was her biological daughter. One could see how doted on King Xuan was from this.

    The people on the tiny boat leaned against the railing. They admired theke and the mountains while chatting about the beauty and shape of the boat. They did not speak of anything else in detail. Those present were all at least major officials, third-grade and above. Everyone was politically aware. The fight between the Princes for the Crown Prince position would eventually lead to deaths. It was unfeeling and if one were not careful, they might implicate their entire family.

    There were some things that could not be said.

    You Yuecheng followed Mo Xuetong. He stood by the side and did not say anything. He had always been distant, so nobody noticed that his dark and deep gaze wouldnd on Mo Xuetong from time to time. They chatted for a bit and thedies got off at the ind on the right. They walked onto the ind, chatting andughing while the boat rowed towards the ind on the left.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Third Miss from your family who is known to be cowardly outside but arrogant and rude at home?¡± A girl pointed at Mo Xuetong and asked from a high pavilion on the right side.

    ¡°Third sister is a good person, but she used to stay alone in Cloud City...¡± Mo Xuemin smiled and tried to defend Mo Xuetong. However, the otherdies in the pavilion allughed sharply. Even though Mo Xuemin was speaking up for her, it could not change the fact that she was ill-bred.

    Because while Mo Xuemin seemed to be defending Mo Xuetong, she was actually belittling her. There were not many who bothered themselves with Mo Xuetong. Meanwhile, Mo Xuemin stood with the otherdiesfortably and she spoke gently and graciously. When others mentioned Mo Xuetong, she would defend her warmly.

    She seemed like a good elder sister trying to protect her younger sister.

    Fortunately, they had only spoken for a while before the banquet started. Everyone sat down. The seats were predetermined. The Lords were seated ording to their ranks. And if they were of the same rank, where they sat would be determined by the number of strokes in their names. Mo Huawen was a third-grade official and was considered one of the officials with the lowest rank. Coupled with the fact that there were many strokes to the character ¡°Mo¡±, Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong were seated the furthest away from the main seat. Fortunately, the lights were bright and it did not make a difference even though they were far away. They could still see the imperial consorts seated at the main seat.

 Chapter 157 - The Contest Between the Imperial Concubines and the Competition at the Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 157 The Contest Between the Imperial Concubines and the Competition at the Banquet</h4>

    The Empress Dowager would naturally not turn up.

    Those at the women¡¯s table were mainly the Empress, Imperial noble consorts Su and Wen. Imperial noble consort Su was especially highly regarded because she was King Chu¡¯s mother. Meanwhile, Imperial noble consort Wen gave birth to the Sixth Princess. Even though she was of the same rank as consort Su, she was not as highly regarded. Furthermore, she did not seem to be in good health. The sixth princess, who sat beside her would show her concern from time to time.

    The Empress sat in the middle. Imperial noble consort Su was seated on her right, and to consort Su¡¯s right, was the Fifth Princess, who had an arrogant expression on her face. On the Empress¡¯ left was Imperial noble consort Wen, and on her left was the Sixth Princess.

    The Empress seemed like an overly stern woman. She sat in the middle and did not smile. Her eyes swept down the table andnded on the faces of nobledies present who all trembled in fear. Fortunately, she did not look at them for too long. A faint smile appeared on the Empress¡¯ face and she appeared to be kinder. She smiled and turned to speak with Imperial noble consort Wen.

    Imperial noble consort Wen¡¯s health was poor. Sheughed a little and then started coughing softly, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. The Sixth Princess handed her some tea and she only stopped coughing after taking a few sips.

    On the other side, Imperial noble consort Su had no intentions of entertaining anyone. She looked at the Empress and the Fifth Princess seated next to her and felt bored. She leaned against therge rosewood chair and smiled slightly as she looked at the faces of the nobledies, looking rather thoughtful. Her eyes shone, and no one knew what she was thinking, but she seemed rather kind.

    Everyone stood up and curtsied to the Empress, who waved her hand and gestured for everyone to sit. No one dared to move if the Empress did not.

    ¡°Mother, get them to eat first. Today is Grandmother¡¯s birthday and New Year ising. It is really bustling and they are still going to thentern festivalter. This is my first time seeing thentern festival in the pce.¡± The Fifth Princess said cutely to her mother. She felt excited when she thought of the sea ofntern Feng Yuran designed. There were tens of thousands ofnterns in various shapes. There were even shapes that the Fifth Princess had never seen before.

    ¡°It is not time yet. Your Father said that we can only go at a certain time. It is said that thenterns will suddenly light up then and it would be beautiful. It is still early, and you are a royal princess. Look at all the nobledies down there. They are all more mature than you.¡± The Empress stretched over Imperial noble consort Su and patted the Fifth Princess¡¯ hand with a slight smile.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you mustn¡¯t say that of the Fifth Princess. She is an honorabledy, can she bepared to the girls down there? She is unique in the pce. His Majesty dotes on Fifth Princess the most and even I can only hope to have a daughter like her.¡± Imperial noble consort Su smiled as she spoke. She reached out her long, slender and soft hands for a teacup on the table and sipped at it.

    The noblewomen and their daughters seated at the front all lowered their heads, pretending not to have heard what consort Su said. The ministers all knew that the Empress and consort Su pitted against each other. One of them was the Empress of the pce, the mother of the nation while the other had given birth to the gentle and elegant First Prince. No one dared to interrupt them. Even the usually arrogant Fifth Princess heard the underlying currents and only harrumphed coldly. She turned around and ignored them.

    All the women in the pce wanted to give birth to sons. If they had a son, they would not have to worry for the rest of their lives. They would enjoy an unmatched status. So what if girls were obedient? They would still be married off. The fact that she had no sons was an eternal wound in her heart. If she had a son, would there be so much trouble in the pce?

    If the Empress had a son, who could say anything?

    The Empress looked at Imperial noble consort Su coldly. Consort Su was growing more and more audacious. She had dared to say something like this in front of so many daughters of court officials. This was practically revealing her thoughts.

    ¡°Whether she is honorable or not is up to His Majesty. Even though the Fifth Princess¡¯ status is different, as a child of His Majesty, she has to listen to him. She has to behave like a princess and must not be like others and lust after wealth and name. Whether she is good nor not, and capable or not, only what His Majesty says counts.¡± The Empress smiled as if she was only talking about the Fifth Princess.

    Lust after wealth and name? And whether she was capable or not? Imperial noble consort Su understood, as did Imperial noble consort Wen, the Fifth Princess, and the Sixth Princess. Imperial noble consort Wen¡¯s health was poor and she leaned against the Sixth Princess, who hurriedly wiped the consort¡¯s forehead with a handkerchief. Imperial noble consort Wen only had a daughter and her health was poor. She was no match for the others.

    She could only pretend to be ill to avoid the trouble.

    Imperial noble consort Su looked up with a mocking smile on her lips. She said, ¡°Your Majesty, you are right. Whether one is honorable is indeed decided by His Majesty. I was wrong and thought that since Fifth Princess is most doted on by His Majesty, then she is the most honorable. I have offended the Sixth Princess. Sixth Princess is really caring and His Majesty really approves of her.¡±

    Imperial noble consort Wen and her daughter were targeted even when theyid low. The Sixth Princess looked up and smiled gently at Imperial noble consort Su but did not speak. Instead, she continued to look after Imperial noble consort Wen.

    The Empress was unhappy when Imperial noble consort Su said that the Sixth Princess and Fifth Princess were equally honorable. Her Fifth Princess was the legal daughter of the pce, how could she be the same as the other princesses? Furthermore, Imperial noble consort Su¡¯s words did not count. As long as His Majesty liked that person, that person would be honorable. The eldest royal son was the Emperor¡¯s first son, so he was highly regarded. Then would that make him the most honorable person? What kind of person was the most honorable? A person who sat on the throne? This was a p to the Empress¡¯ face!

    The Empress¡¯ expression turned dark. Just as she was about to retort, Nanny Han, who was standing beside her tugged on the corner of her dress while no one was paying attention. She looked around to indicate to the Empress that there were many people present and they were all women from the families of important officials. There were a few in front who were nobility.

    The fights between the royal consorts as well as the power struggle between the Empress and Imperial noble consort Su was something that everyone was aware of. However, it would not do to bring it to the surface. One had to maintain the bnce on the surface. The women of the pce would affect the court. And turmoil in the pce would often lead to changes in court.

    The Empress gritted her teeth and pretended not to understand. She looked at the time and was about to call for the banquet to begin when a servant hurried up from the shore. He knelt and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, the Princes asked if you would be able to ask thedies to perform so that they can admire their talents.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± The Empress had not even said anything when Imperial noble consort Su flicked her handkerchief andughed. ¡°This is a good idea. We have many talented youngdies present, so they can take this chance to show off their talents. It¡¯s hard to find time for everyone to get together and have fun. You won¡¯t mind, would you, Your Majesty?¡±

    She was fighting to be heard even before the Empress, and this was very impolite. Some of the more educated Madams and youngdies lowered their heads and did not speak. Only those who were slightly ignorant grew excited when they heard that they were going to perform. They felt that it was the opportunity they were waiting for.

    The Great Qin only had a few Kings. They were the three Princes as well as the Empress Dowager¡¯s grandson. Only King Ning was in Yan Kingdom as a hostage and was not present. There was King Jin, but he rebelled and all his family was killed. That was more than 30 years ago. So in the Great Qin, there were only King Chu, King Yan, and King Xuan. No matter which Prince was the one to suggest this, they were all nobility. They were handsome and powerful, and the hearts of the youngdies speeded up when they thought of that.

    Even though they all lowered their heads and yed with their skirts shyly, they all nced at the Empress from the corner of their eyes. Their desire to perform did not have to be said.

    The Empress was reluctant to agree, especially since Imperial noble consort had spoken, and she did not like her at all. However, when she saw the heated gazes of thedies and even the Madams, she knew that she could only agree. If she did not, she would be rebuked by the Emperorter when they returned. Her heart red with anger when she thought about how she had gone against His Majesty¡¯s will a few days ago and had been rebuked in front of many consorts.

    Her expression turned cold and solemn.

    ¡°Lady, the Princes are waiting, what are we to do?¡± Nanny Han was intelligent and she reminded the Empress softly by her ears. The three Princes were not born to the Empress. Even though they all had to respect the Empress as the Empress Dowager in the future no matter which one of them ascends the throne, there was more to the entire thing.

    ¡°Tell them that I have agreed. There will still be antern festivalter tonight. Tell them to be careful and not drink too much right now. I will test themter during the festival.¡± The Empress regained her wits and swept her gaze coldly at Imperial noble consort Su, who appeared to be more subdued.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The servant answered and ran towards the ind on the left. He crossed over to the other ind at the point where the two inds were the closest.

    The banquets on the two inds were not held too far away from each other. They could see the people on the other ind clearly, and those with sharp ears can even hear what¡¯s being said on the other ind. As such, the noblemen who practiced in martial arts already told those beside them what they heard when the Empress agreed. Cheers sounded on the ind on the left immediately. Thedies all flushed shyly and yed with their handkerchief, unable to look up.

    On the ind on the left, the gentle and elegant King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, sat at the main seat. On his left and right, were King Yan, Feng Yuyan and King Xuan, Feng Yuran, who was lyingzily on a seat. The three Princes raised the cups in their hand when they heard the cheers and gestured for those seated in front of them to drink. Those present were all young men, and the three Princes, who led them, were also all young men. Compared to the shore, where the Emperor was leading the other officials, and the other ind, where the Empress was leading the other youngdies, the atmosphere here was more rxed.

    Feng Yuran held the cup in his hand and smiled charmingly at You Yuecheng who was seated to the side. He turned around and spoke to You Yuecheng softly, pointing at a beautiful woman in pink who sat right in front of the Fifth Princess. He askedzily, ¡± Marquess, is that beauty your sister?¡±

    You Yuechengw as shocked by his question and followed where Feng Yuran was looking. Indeed, at the seat right in front of the Fifth Princess, was You Yuecheng, who was dressed in pink. He nodded and said, ¡°That is my sister.¡±

    ¡°Your sister is indeed good looking. She is beautiful. How old is she and is she engaged?¡± Feng Yuran looked at You Yue¡¯e with a smile in his eyes and asked with a sigh.

    This...You Yuecheng turned around to look at Feng Yuran in shock. His face was pale.

    ¡°Such a beautiful face, such beauty, belongs to the heavens. Her beauty is second to none.¡± Feng Yuran seemed as if he had not noticed You Yuecheng¡¯s expression as he muttered to himself. He picked up the wine ss beside him and took a few sips. He continued looking at You Yue¡¯e while muttering to himself softly. Even though he was soft, it was not really that soft. There were a few noblemen who were seated across him who heard his mutters. They all followed in the direction of where Feng Yuran was looking and looked at You Yue¡¯e.

    Theyughed and pointed at her. Even though they spoke softly, they sounded rather flippant.

 Chapter 158 - Two Butterflies on a Splendid Dress, Rouge was

    <h4>Chapter 158 Two Butterflies on a Splendid Dress, Rouge was Unevenly Spread</h4>

    ¡°My younger sister is no good and is not worthy of such praise from King Xuan. Furthermore, my younger sister is already promised to someone else. She came to apany my mother today.¡± Even though You Yuecheng was unhappy, he still smiled as he answered.

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s already engaged! That¡¯s a pity. I wonder if you renege on that?¡± Feng Yuran did not look away because she was engaged. Instead, he smiled and turned to look at You Yuecheng carelessly.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s expression changed drastically as he stuttered, lost for words. ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°Eighth Brother, the reputation of nobledies are very important. Thedy of the Mingguo Manor is a famous talenteddy in the capital and has a ster reputation. Don¡¯t joke around and ruin her reputation.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled as he helped You Yuecheng. He made Feng Yuran¡¯s discussion of You Yue¡¯e sound like a joke in just a few words, calming the stirring storm that had been caused by Feng Yuran.

    You Yuecheng heaved a gentle sigh of relief and looked at Feng Yuxuan gratefully.

    ¡°Miss You is a famous talenteddy in the capital, and Elder Brother knows about it as well. I have only just returned not long ago and did not know about this. I thought that all the nobledies are all the same. That they are kept in their homes and no one knows about them. That¡¯s why I was so impressed by Miss You when I first saw her! So this is so, and everyone knows about it!

    Feng Yuran did not grow angry because of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s interruption. Instead, heughed and leaned towards Feng Yuxuan, looking as if he had found someone who had the same interests as him. He even lowered his voice intentionally as he said, ¡°Elder Brother, tell me, other than Miss You, who is the most beautiful amongst the nobledies?¡±

    Even though he spoke softly, it was loud enough for Feng Yulei, You Yuecheng and the other noblemen in front of him to hear clearly.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s face flushed red and Feng Yuxuan¡¯s smile froze. The fan that he had been waving in his hand did not move as freely as it did. After a moment, he said to Feng Yuran softly and sternly, ¡°Eighth Brother, Father put us three in charge of the banquet tonight. It is impolite to discuss the nobledies here.¡±

    This was especially since he did not look the slightest bit respectful when he talked about thedies. He seemed more like he was talking about the girls in brothels. What did he mean by everyone knew? He was saying that these nobledies had been going out and appearing in public and did not know any etiquette. He had mentioned You Yue¡¯e especially, so how could You Yuecheng not flush with embarrassment?

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone like the stars in the night sky when he heard what Feng Yuxuan said. His eyes swept around him and then, he poured Feng Yuxuan a ss of wine and handed it to him. He winked at him and said softly, looking as if everyone knew exactly what they were saying, ¡°Elder Brother, rest assured. I won¡¯t say anything now. I will go over to yourster and you can tell me everything in detail about this most beautiful girl.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression grew ugly while Feng Yulei¡¯s expression grew even uglier. The green veins on his forehead throbbed. Even though he looked in front of him with a smile, he gripped the ss in his hand tightly.

    Who was the most beautiful girl in the capital? It was of course, Ling Fengyan of the Ding General Manor. That was the Queen he had chosen. The two had grown up together and had liked each other since young. Furthermore, the Empress had hinted before, that as long as he ascended the throne, the Ling family will send him a suitable candidate as Empress. Who else could it be other than Ling Fengyan? As such, he had already treated Ling Fengyan as his woman.

    But that day, he heard his men say that Feng Yuxuan had brought Ling Fengyan to thentern festival at night. Then, the two had gone to a private booth in Fragrance House alone. How could Feng Yulei bear that? He walked around his house for a bit before charging to Fragrance House angrily with his men.

    Fortunately, he was still rational and knew how to behave graciously when he got his men to knock down the door to the private booth in Fragrance House. Fortunately, they were just chatting inside as well and nothing inappropriate happened as he imagined. The three left, chatting happily, and returned to their own homes. Nothing inappropriate happened.

    But, it was still a thorn in his heart!

    Now that he heard that Feng Yuxuan still wanted to discuss Ling Fengyan with the yboy Feng Yuran, Feng Yulei felt anger rushing into his head. He was about to explode.

    Feng Yulei was not the only one about to explode of anger. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s forehead throbbed and a hint of anger shed in his eyes. Then, they turned gentle again and he epted the wine that Feng Yuran held out to him. He took a sip and ced it on the table before pouring Feng Yuran another ss. He smiled and said, ¡°Eighth Brother, Father was angry at the many dancers and singers in your manor a few days ago. He only agreed to let you out for the celebration tonight. You mustn¡¯t make him angry again. It is better not to be so lusty.¡±

    His handsome and elegant appearance, coupled with his sincere smile and the soft sigh as he patted Feng Yuran¡¯s shoulder made him appeared to be a good elder brother who was trying to persuade a phndering younger brother.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, Elder Brother is right. You must not say something like this again when you see Fatherter. Your idea for tonight was good and Father intends to reward you. I heard that Father used 999 pearls to make the most beautifulntern. We will see who will get itter.¡± Feng Yulei calmed down then and smiled at Feng Yuxuan, changing the topic.

    ¡°Many thanks for your teachings, Elder Brothers. I will definitely not say that much. I have to make Father give me thatntern no matter what. Eldest Brother, Third Brother, you two mustn¡¯t fight me for it. I need thentern for something urgent.¡± Feng Yuran narrowed his handsome eyes, and his gaze flitted from a servant who hurried in.

    ¡°Alright, Eldest Brother won¡¯t fight you for it since you have use for it.¡±

    ¡°Do you need Third Brother to help you?¡±

    No one would fall behind if they could use such a toy to win Feng Yuran¡¯s goodwill.

    Speaking of the sea ofnterns at thentern festival tonight, it was made of hundreds of thousands ofnterns that were of various shapes. Everyone spoke about it and they talked about the beautifulnterns and how they were different from the ones outside. Thesenterns were crafted by pce craftsmen. They were all different and were elegant and luxurious.

    Thedies on the other ind were ready to perform then. Because there were too many of them, not everyone can perform. The Empress picked a fewdies. Some of them were going to y on instruments, others were going to dance, recite poetry, and sing. Some of thedies even passed them their poetry for them to critique.

    In order to make it entertaining, Feng Yuxuan also asked the gentlemen on the ind on the left to each write a poem to send to thedies for their critique. The pce maids came and went, and one could see pce maids holding on to a stack of paper passing by each other.

    The way of critiquing was simple. The names were hidden and the papers were passed around to all thedies. If they liked the poem, they would put a tick on it. The poem with the most number of ticks would win. Thedies¡¯ poems would be handled in the same manner. No one would know who had written the poem, but look at whether the poem was ster or not. The poems were not judged by those on the main table like in the past and this seemed even fairer.

    Because of the bustle, the Empress allowed thedies who ere performing to continue while the otherdies prepared their poetry to be sent to the other ind. This would save some from being able to perform while some won¡¯t and feel bad about it.

    Mo Xuemin felt ufortable. In fact, she felt extremely ufortable. She wrung the handkerchief in her hand and almost could not keep the gentle smile on her face. She had always thought that she was beautiful and intelligent, and could be considered one of the more outstanding noble girls in the capital. However, the Empress had not called on her today, so how could the smile on her face not stiffen?

    Almost all the nobledies standing with her earlier had all been picked except for her. She was still feeling rather mopey about it when she suddenly heard the Empress suggest that the nobledies who had not been picked to write a poem or a phrase. This would be sent to the other ind for the noblemen to critique. Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes brightened immediately.

    She did not object and immediately wrote a poem to be shuffled in the pile of poems.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, what did you write? Can you show it to me?¡± Mo Xuetong sat beside Mo Xuemin with a small smile. Her eyesnded on Mo Xuemin¡¯s poem, which she had not yet folded up. Her smiling gaze immediately deepened, and in just a moment, filled with hate and anger. Her fingers stabbed into her palms under her sleeve and her expression turned cold.

    ¡°Two butterflies on a splendid dress, red rouge was unevenly spread. Standing alone in a colorful dress, waiting for the swallow toe back in the mild rain.¡±

    How could she not recognize that poem? It was just one word away. It was the exact same poem that Sima Lingyun had wrote for her in her past life when they first met. He said that even though she had been disfigured, she was still the most beautiful woman to him. She had been wearing a dress with two butterflies on it. Because she had just came out from the mourning period, Mother Xu had insisted that she wore a brightly colored dress. Mo Xueqiong had even mocked her because of that, saying that ugly people always liked to do extra things. She had almost been pushed by Mo Xueqiong into the lotus pond.

    Sima Lingyun had entered her heart then. She remembered how he had appeared like a gentleman and helped her up after she was pushed onto the ground by Mo Xueqiong. He brought her to rest at the pavilion by the side and praised her lovingly. He had written that poem right there and then, and that was how she, who had been weak and helpless, had fallen for him at first sight. Then, because of Auntie Fang¡¯s instigation, she insisted on marrying him despite the objections from her grandparents and her father.

    She understood everything when she saw this poem in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands.

    In her past life, she had only found out by ident that the poem in Sima Lingyun¡¯s poetry book was not in fact authored by himself. He had used the fruits of someone else¡¯sbor. Furthermore, this had happened many years ago. Sima Lingyun had imed to have written it himself with the permission of the original author. It had been done just to make the Duke¡¯s manor look better, so no one knew about it.

    However, she did not know how Sima Lingyun would react when he finds out that Mo Xuemin had stolen his poem.

    Furthermore, that person was at the banquet as well.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew brilliant once more, like the flowers that had just bloomed in spring. Her smile was so stunning that Mo Xuemin, who had just turned around, could not actually pick on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s just alright. I just thought about it and wrote it down.¡± Mo Xuemin smiled and answered humbly. She looked around her at the other nobledies who were still thinking, and could not help but smile, pleased with herself. She had already gained the upper hand in terms of speed. Furthermore, she felt that the poem was really apt for right now. This scene and these feelings, the splendid dress and the beautiful girl were all present.

    There would definitely be many nobledies who agreed with her poem.

    She covered the poem with her hand, blocking it from Mo Xuetong, and folded it. She handed the paper to a pce maid beside her and then went to the side to wash her hands. Most of the noble girls had alreadypleted their poems by this time. Mo Xuetong also went to wash her hands and returned to her seat.

 Chapter 159 - The Love Poem at the Banquet

    <strong>Chapter 159 The Love Poem at the Banquet</strong>

    ¡°Third Sister, what poem have you written? Do you want to recite it for us to appreciate?¡± Mo Xuemin was very pleased when she saw thedies around them were still washing their hands, and she could not help but ask with a smile.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, you are joking. How would I know how to write a poem. I only know a few words, I don¡¯t even know how to put them together to make a poem. Judging by Eldest Sister¡¯s speed, I know that your poem is definitely good. You must teach me if you have time in the future, or I would embarrass you when there are such banquets again.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled like a beautiful flower, intentionally raising her voice as she spoke respectfully.

    She had really not put much thought in her poem. Mo Xuemin had to be the star of the show tonight.

    Mo Xuemin rather liked what Mo Xuetong said and she pretended to show concern to Mo Xuetong, saying, ¡°Third Sister, it is your fault that you don¡¯t know how to write. You have been living in Cloud City and father was busy with official matters. He did not even hire you a nanny. It is normal for you to not know many things. When Father is less busy, I will suggest to him to find you a nanny to teach you.¡±

    Thedies of wealthy families have all been hired nannies at a young age. The nannies would teach them how to behave and the ways of women and wives. They would study how to manage a household and learn the ssics for Women and how to behave appropriately. They would also study music, chess, reading, and painting...They all studied these from young. It would be toote for them to start when they were older.

    No family would want a girl who did not know anything and was a girl whom her father did not love. They did not want a daughter-inw who was useless to their family.

    As such, when Mo Xuemin said that, the other Madams who heard what she said all looked at Mo Xuetong with disdain. A few of them even sized up Mo Xuemin. She was a talented concubine¡¯s daughter and was doted upon by her father. She might even be a legal daughter and was actually a rather good catch.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile grew even softer when she sensed the Madams looking at her. She seemed even more gracious and the pleased expression she had disappearedpletely, leaving behind a gentle and humble smile. She sat there graciously and the Madams who looked at her were rather pleased with her. They thought about sending someone to the Mo Manor to ask about her.

    ¡°Many thanks, Eldest Sister.¡± Mo Xuetong did not seem to mind at all. The smile on her face was innocent and childish and gave others a good impression of her. She continued, ¡°No wonder I always hear others say that you are very talented. You have written such a good poem. How impressive! If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t be able toe up with such a good poem even in ten days or two weeks. Just a nce at your poem gives one lingering feelings.¡±

    The higher her praises, the greater Mo Xuemin¡¯s fall would be!

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s sincere smile and incessant praises for Mo Xuemin displeased the other nobledies by the side.

    Those in attendance today were mostly third-grade officials and above. Other than that, were descendants of those who had done meritorious service for the nation. Mo Huawen was not one of them but was a third-grade official, which was why he could attend. Sima Hyan could attend because she was the former. Sima Lingyun was waiting to be made Duke.

    The old Zhenguo Duke had died a long time ago, and Sima Lingyun, as the Duke¡¯s son should have long be the Zhenguo Duke. However, because of various reasons, the Emperor had not brought it up. His subordinates did not dare to say anything as well. Sima Lingyun had been the Zhenguo Marquess for 20 years.

    But tonight, news in the pce said that it was possible for Sima Lingyun to be the new Zhengguo Duke. As such, Sima Lingyun had not onlye today, but he had also brought his sister who rarely appeared in public along. The Duchess had note because she was feeling unwell.

    Sima Heyan loved poetry. Because Sima Lingyun had not yet be the Zhenguo Duke, she was seated at the back beside Mo Xuemin. When she heard Mo Xuetong praising Mo Xuemin, she grew curious. She turned around and asked, ¡°First Miss Mo, what good poetry have you written? Let us all hear it.¡±

    The other Madams and youngdies who were seated there all joined the conversation.

    Mo Xuemin was very pleased, and just as she was about to open her mouth and recite the poem, she caught a nce of Mo Xuetong¡¯s sincere and beautiful face from the corner of her eyes. Her mind cleared immediately and she shut her mouth tightly. Mo Xuetong was no longer that useless Mo Xuetong or the Third Sister who trusted in her wholeheartedly. She had lost in their previous confrontations and she must not ruin things this time.

    ¡°Third Sister is too polite. How could my poem be good? I only just thought about it and wrote it casually. I am not worthy of the praises by Madams and Misses here.¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Then, she continued to pretend to be gentle and humble.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, don¡¯t be so humble. It is rare to see such good poetry. Just one look at it and one can tell that it is exceptional.¡± Mo Xuetong did not intend to let her off so easily. She smiled even more sincerely and even tugged on Mo Xuemin¡¯s clothes cutely, looking as if she was proud of Mo Xuemin.

    The damned little slut. Mo Xuemin did not know what Mo Xuetong was up to. She was so insistent on getting her to recite her poem. Even though Mo Xuemin did not know why Mo Xuetong was doing so, she had already grown wary of Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuemin had wanted to shine at the banquet tonight and make everyone look at her so that Mo Huawen had to value her. However, she felt that something was wrong now that Mo Xuetong was being so insistent. She did not know what Mo Xuetong¡¯s goals were but she decided to do nothing.

    She had lost to Mo Xuetong in their previous encounters because she had been too anxious.

    She had once seen the poem in Sima Lingyun¡¯s poetry book when she had snuck to the Duke¡¯s Manor and was waiting for Sima Lingyun in his study. The beautiful poem seemed like the work of a woman, and she had paid attention to it then and memorized it. Since Sima Lingyun liked her, he would not say anything even if he knew that she had copied his work.

    As such, Mo Xuemin felt at ease despite the giarism. She was not worried that anyone would expose her. However, she had not expected that Sima Lingyun was not the author of the poem. If one were to really discuss this, only one or two poems in Sima Lingyun¡¯s poetry book was written by himself. The others had been written by ghostwriters, or he had found them somewhere else. He rarely read it, and even if the poem was ced in front of him, he might not know that it was written by him.

    Mo Xuemin agreed with the poem and wanted to take the opportunity to showcase it here. It was such a beautiful love poem. Sima Lingyun would not use it in public. The noblemen present were all great poets. The beautiful words and emotions in her poem would definitely leave a deep impression on them, and they might even start to like her.

    With such an opportunity, she would be able to marry well. She might have the opportunity to marry a Prince, and even if she did not, it would be a wealthy and noble family. Even though Li Youmo was the minister¡¯s son, and Minister Li was an important and powerful person, he still had to answer to someone. As long as one of the Princes or the sons of the Four Great Manors were interested in her, it would not be difficult for her to marry into a good family with her wits and beauty.

    Then, she would definitely trample that slut that was Mo Xuetong. She would make her kneel at her feet and beg her! She felt as pleased as a punch and her expression grew even more gentle and humble.

    ¡°It is really not a good poem but just a casual work. Don¡¯t say anymore, Third Sister. If you say anything more, others will think that you are intentionally boasting about your Eldest Sister.¡± Mo Xuemin said with augh.

    Mo Xuemin was a really good actress. Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. Even though she hid it well, there was still a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

    Anyway, she was in no rush. She did not wish to make trouble today, but some people cannot wait. There would be a good show waiting for herter!

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything else. The poems of the noblemen were passed down. They looked at the poems and either nodded or shook their heads. The focus was not on what they were talking about earlier. Only Sima Heyan wanted to talk about poetry with Mo Xuemin several times, but Mo Xuemin only smiled at her. Sima Heyan saw that Mo Xuemin was not interested in talking, so she went back to paying attention to the poem she was holding.

    Under the flickering light, the beauties held the poems. Some of them were standing, and some were sitting as they discussed the poems. The noblemen on the ind on the right all grew excited. There were beautiful girls and fragrant wine. That alone was already wonderful. There were not many who were paying attention to the poems they held. They men grew excited and wanted to jump up when they thought of how the poems thedies were critiquing might be theirs and how they could be chatting about them.

    The gazes at the ind on the left grew even hotter.

    Feng Yuran picked up a poem. He did not look at it but passed it to You Yuecheng who was beside him. He patted You Yuecheng¡¯s shoulder with a vague smile and said, ¡°Marquess You, look at this poem. It is indeed written by ady in love. It is considered one of the better works. Take a look at it.¡±

    You Yuecheng was speaking with a servant softly. He took the paper hurriedly when he saw Feng Yuran passing a sheet of paper over. He said with a slight smile, ¡°Since King Xuan thinks it¡¯s good. Then I have to take a look. What kind ofdy had written such a beautiful poem?¡±

    The servant left and he picked up the poem. He looked through it and passed it to the next person saying, ¡°Sir Qin, you took second ce at thest imperial exam. What do you think of thisdy¡¯s poem?¡±

    He felt that the poem was not that good, but since Feng Yuran said that it was alright, You Yuecheng would not go against him directly. He looked down on Feng Yuran secretly. The ignorant and ipetent King Xuan was not that great. All that talk about him were just unfounded rumors started by thedies. How great could he be!

    ¡°Marquess You thinks it¡¯s bad?¡± He did not expect that the person did not intend to let him off. He stood up suddenly, his handsome and charming eyes flicked up. His expression was ugly and he had stood up so abruptly. The young men who had been immersed in admiring the beauties were all startled. The bustle stopped suddenly when they saw that the person who had stood up was King Xuan.

    Their elders had reminded them over and over again before they came to the pce that they must not offend King Xuan, whose moods were unpredictable. Even though he did not attend to his duties, he was the son the Emperor doted on the most. No one dared to offend her.

    You Yuecheng frowned when he saw that Feng Yuran had grown angry for no reason. This person was really unpredictable. Fortunately, he had seen many things. He put down his ss and stood up, bowing at Feng Yuran politely. He said with a smile, ¡°It is not that Yuecheng feels that it is bad. It is just that I don¡¯t understand all this. The words and phrases are too beautiful that this is almost erotic. However, it is indeed rare to see something like this, so Sir Qin, please critique it.¡±

    He had been mild and indirect, and his smile was neither obsequious nor arrogant. He had exined the whole matter clearly in just a few short statements. He was elegant and gracious, just like how a nobleman should be, leaving a good impression on others.

 Chapter 160 - A Secret Date in the Palace, and the Maid Sent a Secret Message

    <strong>Chapter 160 A Secret Date in the Pce, and the Maid Sent a Secret Message</strong>

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Let me have a look.¡± The attention of Feng Yulei who was sitting by the other side of Feng Yuxuan and always liked this kind of poems was caught by their beautiful sentences and got quite curious. Thus, he asked for it from Sir Qin who was sitting by the other side.

    Sir Qin was actually in the middle of trouble and didn¡¯t know what to do with it. He was wondering what to say next. When he heard that King Yan wanted to have a look at it, he stood up right away and handed it over to Feng Yulei obediently.

    Feng Yulei didn¡¯t have many concerns, taking it over and started to read, ¡°Two butterflies on a splendid dress, red rouge was uneven. Standing alone in a colorful dress, waiting for the swallow toe back in the light rain.¡± He put down the poem letter with a slight smile when he finished reading the poem, ¡°It¡¯s a nice love poem which describes the loneliness of an unmarried girl. The misses waited for the swallows toe back and waited alone in the rain. The splendid dress and red rouge made the poem so gorgeous. Eighth brother and His Excellency You are right about it.¡±

    This was supposed to be a normal poem for those unmarried girls, but it gained unexpected coquetry after his exnation. Many people revealed content smiles and thought that this miss was so misbehaved to have written such a shy poem.

    ¡°Third brother also thinks it is great, isn¡¯t it? I think so, too. I haven¡¯t seen such talented sentences back in Hongxiuzhao. It can bepared to the best poem there. I wonder who wrote it. Third brother, do you have any clue? Such a poem should be from a beauty.¡± Feng Yuran waved his hand at You Yuecheng smilingly, which showed he didn¡¯t care about it. Then he smiled at Feng Yulei with interest.

    Hepared this poem from an unmarried girl with those shy ones from the prostitutes in Hongxiuzhao and said it could bepared to the best of them. After his remarks, this nice poem didn¡¯t have any sobriety at all. Besides, it sounded like he wanted to see the girl in person, which made both Sir Qin and Feng Yulei embarrassed.

    They were all sons from famous and rich families and couldn¡¯t smear a girl¡¯s reputation like that. At first, Feng Yulei thought it was fun. But then he felt ufortable and passed the poem to the servant standing by the side, which meant he wanted the poem to be passed on.

    In front of all the sirsing from rich and famous families, he couldn¡¯t disgrace his own family. Feng Yuran¡¯s behavior smeared the whole imperial family and he was also disgraced. The servant following him was pretty smart. He stepped back and walked to the other end, which was distant from Feng Yuran and wouldn¡¯t catch his attention.

    ¡°Eighth brother, I heard that you had just built Mingyue Pavilion in your manor recently, which was opposite to your Jinwei Pavilion. And there were not only rockery, stream, bridges and lotus pool but also some rare plum blossoms which are of two different colors. Is it because that you don¡¯t want to live in Jinwei Pavilion and want to move out?¡± Feng Yulei smiled, took a cup of tea from the table and asked smilingly.

    Everybody knew King Xuan had moved into Jinwei Pavilion because of instant enthusiasm. But none would imagine that he had the energy to change his residence just after he got grounded by Emperor. He was a dandy indeed.

    Hearing them talking about his room, Feng Yuran blinked his eyes and seemed to be interested. He forgot about the poem and leaned on the banister behind, ¡°Mingyue Pavilion is not finished yet. I do want to move in, third brother, but there are not enough plum blossoms. Maybe you can talk to dad about it and bring me some of the plum blossoms from King Jin¡¯s old residence?¡±

    Although it had been more than thirty years after King Jin¡¯s attempt to seize the crown, some of the big families knew Emperor Zongwen cared about it, so they didn¡¯t dare to mention it. No one would even mention King Jin¡¯s old residence so recklessly like King Xuan. Through all these years, no one dared to mention it to bring up Emperor¡¯s unhappiness though all knew it was King Jin¡¯s old residence.

    He was so reckless! Everyone was shocked inside, but they didn¡¯t reveal any of it. Under their chattings, they were all listening to conversation between Feng Yulei and Feng Yuran secretly.

    ¡°Eighth brother must be kidding. I don¡¯t dare to mention that in front dad which will definitely make him scold at me. It¡¯s no big deal. If you really like plum blossoms, you can have mine which are also precious plum blossoms with two different colors. Do you like that?¡± Feng Yulei nced at Feng Yuran, tasted the wine and said smilingly.

    ¡°Thank you so much. When I finish building Mingyue Pavilion, I can appreciate the bright moon and soft breeze there. By then, I¡¯ll definitely invite you there with me, and we can dance with the beauty again, which will be a great fun and joy? Do you agree with me?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes brightened and he smiled.

    Invite the beauty to dance? How could he say such words in front of so many people? But he had to be polite for the sake of the royal family. He foung the situation very awkward...

    ¡°Let¡¯s see then. I¡¯ll definitely interrupt you at your manor if I have a chance.¡± Feng Yuxuan temporized.

    ¡°Yes,e with first brother if you have a chance.¡± Feng Yulei didn¡¯t seem to be embarrassed at all though he was temporizing him. And he dragged Feng Yuxuan into this. They were pretty clear that they both had their own business to mind and couldn¡¯t mess around like Feng Yuran.

    During their conversations, all the girls had packed their poem letter. The servant gathered all the poems in a beautiful box and delivered it from the left ind.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know many people and didn¡¯t have much to say to the others like Mo Xuemin. So she just quietly sat aside and looked at Mo Xuemin who was in the middle of the crowd and smiled gently and generously. She seemed to be the center of the party. By the time when the party was almost finished, those misses who had been in the performance walked back. They gathered in small groups of three or four and chatted withughter.

    Mo Xuetong felt peaceful because she knew few of them. She watched the view alone. The two indsy across to each other in the beautiful surroundings were like two hands holding tightly.

    A maid came over to refill her tea. When she was about to take over the tea, it didn¡¯tnd on her hand. Mo Xuetong lifted her head in astonishment. Then she saw the maid blinking at her, signaling at her to follow.

    She looked around and saw everyone talking in small groups. She was the only one in the corner and was not noticeable. She put down the cup and stood up silently. Then she followed the maid to the other side. Beside them, Mo Xuemin was talking to some girl. Then she lifted her eyes and saw the color of Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes. A slight sign of pride and viciousness appeared by her lips. Then it turned into tenderness, and she continued her chatting andughter with those misses.

    ¡°Where are you from? Is there anything wrong?¡± Mo Xuetong followed the maid to a quiet corner and stopped to ask.

    The maid who was walking in the front turned around and bowed to her, ¡°Are you Third Young Miss Mo? A young master asked me to give this to you.¡± She presented a piece of paper after the words.

    Mo Xuetong took over the note and nced at it. There were only a few words on it, which said ¡°See you in Qingfang Pavilion at midnight! I knew something about your mom¡¯s death¡±. There was no signature left on it. However, Mo Xuetong clenched her fist because it¡¯s about her mother¡¯s death.

    ¡°Miss, that sir left with the only sentence. He said that if you doubted about it, you would know the truthter. I¡¯lle to lead you there at the right time.¡± The maid saw her eyes got clear and cold and answered swiftly before she could ask.

    ¡°Where is that sir from?¡± Mo Xuetong asked though she knew she could get no answer.

    The maid hesitated for a while as expected and replied obediently, ¡°I really don¡¯t know which family he belongs to, so I can¡¯t tell you even if I want to. Please forgive me. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on the note. If you really don¡¯t want to go, I¡¯ll go tell him. Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°There is no need. Thank you for telling me.¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a while and smiled lightly. Then she took a hairpin with a red diamond from her hair and gave it to the maid. She said gratefully.

    ¡°Thank you, miss. I didn¡¯t do much for you and of course can¡¯t take your jewelry.¡± Seeing such a beautiful golden hairpin, the maid hesitated but finally said no to the temptation.

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. You¡¯ve done me a big favor and I have to give you something in return.¡± Mo Xuetong held her hand smilingly and warmly put the hairpin in her hand.

    ¡°Then I can only be thankful to you. Third miss should stay there by the river bank and wait for me to guide you there.¡± The maid refused a few times, but in vain, so she just epted it smilingly and added. After the words, she bowed to Mo Xuetong and left.

    This maid was not an average one, for that she naturally avoided her questions. She didn¡¯t tell her where she was from. On one side, she said she knew nothing about the note. On the other side, she offered to lead her there. To tell her the truth about her mom¡¯s death? Mo Xuetong felt the pain in her heart and then smiled coldly. Someone wanted to frame her for this cause, which meant someone knew what happened to her mom and her and that she was doubtful about her mom¡¯s death.

    Such a person must be from Mo Manor!

    Someone that was from Mo Manor and had something to do with her mom¡¯s death. Now this person had a connection in the pce...

    It seemed that Mo Manor was more thanplicated...

    But she wondered how the maid found her in so many girls. She had been in the pce for only one time. Before that, she had been in Cloud City and hadn¡¯t seen many people. So how could she recognize her so quickly? Thinking of how the maid looked around when she got in and how her eyes brightened when she saw Mo Xuemin, she understood it.

    No wonder Mo Xuemin acted so prominently tonight and attracted all the madams and misses around her, leaving her alone and ignored. Mo Xuemin had always acted so gently and would never leave her alone so obviously, which would disgrace their sisterhood.

    Her eyes quickly nced at Mo Xuemin who was standing near, and her eyes turned bleak!

    Mo Xuemin had something to do with it again!

    When she got back, the party was almost ended. Queen was announcing the list of the final winners. However, unexpectedly, Mo Xuemin was the winner and there were so many crosses on her poem paper, which showed those young masters all appreciated her poem.

    Therefore, Mo Xuemin was brought to Queen by maids.

 Chapter 161 - To Find Out Who Wrote The Love Poem And The Secret Relationship Behind It

    <h4>Chapter 161 To Find Out Who Wrote The Love Poem And The Secret Rtionship Behind It</h4>

    ¡°Did you write the poem?¡± Queen picked up the poem and frowned. She didn¡¯t like such love poems, which shouldn¡¯t be from the hand of an unmarried girl from a rich and famous family.

    ¡°To answer Queen¡¯s questions, it was written by me.¡± Mo Xuemin concealed her smile and replied obediently with her head lowered. She loved the letter at first sight. She thought it was so beautiful and delightful. But she didn¡¯t expect it would win Queen¡¯s appreciation and felt quite proud.

    ¡°This poem is too gloomy and sentimental for your young age. You¡¯re not supposed to be so maudlin as a young miss from a famous family.¡± Queen said and put it on the table. Imperial Concubine Su took it over and then said to Mo Xuemin, who was speechless and aggrieved at Queen¡¯s words,

    ¡°This poem is so nice that so many sirs like it. Grant her a reward!¡±

    A maid behind Imperial Concubine Su came out holding a jewelry box. It was pretty clear that there was something precious in it from its magnificent look.

    But Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t dare to ept it when Queen had just criticized her poem. Now that Imperial Concubine Su wanted to award her was actually to go against Queen¡¯s idea. Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t dare to do such a thing.

    So she knelt down trembling with no answer.

    ¡°First young miss Mo, please take the award.¡± Seeing that she didn¡¯t take the award, the maid got impatient. She was Imperial Concubine Su¡¯s confidant, and knew that she was going against Queen¡¯s idea in public. Everybody in the pce knew Imperial Concubine Su had a bad rtionship with Queen. Queen had a respected status but no son. First Prince was the eldest and the most respected, which gained him much recognition from Emperor Zongwen. She couldn¡¯t offend either of them.

    ¡°Imperial Concubine doesn¡¯t have to be so polite. Before my mom finishes her reward, you can¡¯t wait to award her. Please wait for my mom to finish her words. By then, my mom will give your essory to her as well.¡± Fifth Princess smiled and saved Mo Xuemin from the dilemma. She noticed Queen¡¯s cold face and said lightly.

    Talking and giving an award in front of Queen was not actually an award, but an excuse to make Queen ashamed. Although Imperial Concubine Su dared to do this, she didn¡¯t dare to admit it. If Emperor heard what Fifth Princess said, she would have to suffer.

    This Fifth Princess who looked innocent was much more difficult to deal with than Queen.

    Though Imperial Concubine Su was impudent, she didn¡¯t dare to disgrace Queen in front of these misses anddies, especially after being exposed by Fifth Princess. She held her handkerchief in front of her lips and smiled, ¡°Fifth Princess is right, and I haven¡¯t thought it through. I just wanted to award her for Queen, but I was too impolite. I shall beg Queen to forgive me!¡±

    Imperial Concubine Su acted as she didn¡¯t do it on purpose. She titled her head to Queen and looked delicate.

    Queen was very angry but didn¡¯t know what to do with her. She was in no mood to talk about the poem any more and just thought Mo Xuemin was the same like Imperial Concubine Su, who was coquettish. She even admired her love poem. So she just said coldly, ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t matter to me whether Imperial Concubine Su likes first young miss Mo or not. Now that Imperial Concubine Su likes first young miss Mo, I shall marry her to King Chu. King Chu is so grown up that he needs a main wife. Once first young miss Mo marries him, she could not only take care of King Chu, but also manage the inner yard.¡±

    She would marry Mo Xuemin to King Chu Feng Yuxuan just because she wrote a good poem?

    All was lost inplete silence!

    Mo Xuemin who was kneeling before Queen held the hem of her dress and was lost in ecstasy.

    She didn¡¯t expect this sudden joy.

    She was so lucky and she almost wanted to thank Queen already.

    Queen¡¯s words made Imperial Concubine Su hesistate for a while, but she didn¡¯t refuse it. Mo Huawen was quite trusted by Emperor recently, and if his daughter became her son¡¯s concubine, it would be an honor for the Mo¡¯s. And then Mo Manor would be by her son¡¯s side and it would be of great use for her son¡¯s future.

    Now that Feng Yuxuan had his own manor which was called Great Qin, he could have a Queen, two side Queens and four normal Queens as well as main concubines and other concubines. But only the Queens were able to be on the pedigree of the royalty, which was admitted by the royalty. Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t have a respected status, and it would be an honor for her to be a normal Queen. And it was partly because her father¡¯s status.

    Imperial Concubine Su didn¡¯t say much. But Queen was regretful to have said those words out of anger. Mo Huawen had always been Emperor Zongwen¡¯s confidant, and though he wasn¡¯t in a highly respected position, he had real power. If he helped Feng Yuxuan, it would be definitely harmful for Feng Yulei.

    However, she couldn¡¯t take it back now that her words were not opposed. So she was about to promise the marriage.

    ¡°Emperor, that poem is not written by first young miss Mo but my elder brother.¡± An angry voice came from behind.

    In the crowd, Sima Heyan came to the front and knelt down gently before Queen. She responded to Queen¡¯s words obediently. All thedies and misses were shocked at her words and started to discuss over it. The meaning behind the sentence shocked them all.

    It¡¯s such a shame to steal other people¡¯s poem. But it¡¯s worse for an unmarried girl to go into a man¡¯s study. Although Mo Manor and Sima Manor had a close rtionship, she couldn¡¯t go to Sima Lingyun¡¯s study in private. After thinking over it carefully, it was this improper rtionship that was even worse.

    Besides, it happened to Mo Xuemin who had a good fame, which made them astonished!

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Queen¡¯s face suddenly darkened and proud filled her eyes. Such a thing happened when Imperial Concubine Su was about to award Mo Xuemin. She must be more than embarrassed. She nced at her and found her facial expression turned terrible and anger filled her face. She felt much more relieved and interested.

    ¡°All that I said was true.¡± Sima Heyan replied with certainty.

    ¡°Queen, that¡¯s not true. I stay at home every day and haven¡¯t even been to Duke¡¯s manor. So how could I steal His Excellency Sima¡¯s poem? If you don¡¯t believe me, you can send someone to ask if I went to Duke¡¯s manor!¡± After feeling rattled, she calmed down, lifted her head hurriedly and said with watery eyes innocently.

    She had a gentle appearance and she acted like she had been framed, which made her quite believable and more sympathetic than Sima Heyan who was so angry. Almost everyone believed her after her words. The duchess was ill, and the misses always apanied her, so they had no chance to organize a party. It was known to all that almost everybody there had never been to Duke¡¯s manor. Mo Xuemin also didn¡¯t have a chance to go into Duke¡¯s manor.

    Seeing that everyone looked at Mo Xuemin sympathetically, Sima Heyan got anxious and exined, ¡°That poem is actually written by my big brother. There is collection of poems and this poem is on it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask someone to look into it.¡± Sima Heyan knew that poem was from her hand and it couldn¡¯t be wrong.

    ¡°Miss Sima, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve offended you to make you frame me like that. That poem was written by me just now and it couldn¡¯t be your big brother¡¯s. Your big brother is on the ind right in front, and you can send someone to ask him directly.¡± Mo Xuemin had tears in her eyes and bit her lips. Besides, she looked at Sima Heyan with her beautiful eyes with innocence and anger.

    Mo Xuemin was hurry-scurry! In the crowd, Mo Xuetong stepped back and lowered her eyes to hide her disdain.

    Sima Heyan was so imprudent, but she didn¡¯t believe Sima Lingyun would be the same. She didn¡¯t expect that such a change would happen to her before her frame against Mo Xuetong. She was just being happy for that she might be married to King Chu¡¯s Manor when such a horrible usation fell on her. It made her want to tear Sima Heyan apart.

    She couldn¡¯t imagine Sima Heyan could be so stupid. She and Sima Lingyun would be both ashamed! She hadn¡¯t expected she would be in such a dilemma because of this stupid Sima Heyan.

    If it is believed to be true, she would not be able to get married! Even a normal family would not be willing to marry a girl who had improper rtionship with others.

    To ask her big brother? Sima Heyan didn¡¯t think it was a good idea. Because she knew clearly that it was written by herself. Though it was in Sima Lingyun¡¯s collection of poems, but her big brother might have not read it, not to mention remember it. So the best way was to find the collection of poems from her big brother¡¯s study. But she couldn¡¯t deny Mo Xuemin¡¯s proposal. If it was written by Sima Lingyun, he couldn¡¯t have forgotten it.

    ¡°Someone go and get Sima Lingyun here.¡± Queen ordered. The truth was quite a confusion, and both sides seemed reasonable. So she just asked Sima Lingyun here to ask about the truth.

    After a while, Sima Lingyun was taken here with several servants. Severaldies with sharps eyes found the servants were not those servants who had just went out. And there were three of them who went their separate ways. It was clear that the three dukes got the message and sent someone for more information.

    ¡°Sima Lingyun, is it written by you?¡± After Sima Lingyun¡¯s greetings, Queen¡¯s maid took the letter to Sima Lingyun and Queen asked.

    It was such a big ident that people on the right ind had already knew. Sima Lingyun didn¡¯t expect that his own blood younger sister would be against Mo Xuemin and was very worried. There must be someone wrong between them, but he didn¡¯t know who it was. Queen¡¯s maid came to him when he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    He didn¡¯t dare to admit it was his letter. The three dukes were just joking over the poem and most of them chose the poem for fun. They just wanted to see who wrote the poem, or else there wouldn¡¯t be so many crosses on the letter. Sima Lingyun was one of them. He still remembered himself making fun of it, ¡°I wonder who this miss is to have written such a love letter. She must have someone in mind to miss.¡±

    Besides, if he admitted the poem was written by him, his rtionship with Mo Xuemin would be exposed, which would definitely disgrace his reputation. Especially when he was trying to get the position of the duke, he would lose the positionpletely if his reputation got disgraced, which he would never be willing to see.

    But if he didn¡¯t admit, it would be his younger sister trying to frame Mo Xuemin, which would definitely ruin her future.

 Chapter 162 - Trapped In Trouble After The Feast

    <h4>Chapter 162 Trapped In Trouble After The Feast</h4>

    Comparing his younger sister¡¯s future with his own, Sima Lingyun quickly decided to put his own future first. Once he was sessful, he could choose a good marriage for her and have arge dowry prepared, which would be fairpensation for what he was about to do.

    He took the poem and looked at it for a while, then calmly ced it on the tray in the maid¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t even nce at Sima Heyan, and replied to the empress obediently. ¡°Although this poem is quite simr to mine, it wasn¡¯t written by me. Please do me justice.¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t write it, why would your younger sister say it was yours and that First Miss Mo went to your study and stole it?¡± the queen said coldly as she fixed her eyes on Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuemin knelt on the ground, not daring to show any emotion.

    ¡°Your Majesty, may I ask my younger sister about it?¡± He turned to Sima Heyan. ¡°How do you know the poem written by First Miss Mo was exactly the same as mine?¡±

    When Sima Heyan saw her brother¡¯s expression,she thought he really knew nothing about it. ¡°Big brother, that poem is exactly the same as yours. Several days ago, I went to your study to find books and noticed that poem in your collection, which was the same as the one written by First Miss Mo.¡±

    Sima Lingyun seized a chance to nce at Mo Xuemin who was kneeling on the other side with watery eyes. Now he was determined and said with a smile, ¡°Sister, there are plenty of simr people in the world, not to mention poems. But even though the poems seemed simr, they were different. You must have made a mistake. Maybe you should have a look more carefully?¡±

    They were only simr? Impossible!

    Sima Heyan blinked her eyes and took the letter again. She looked at it carefully, and her face turned pale. She pointed at the poem and her lips trembled, not saying a word.

    Sima Lingyun watched closely at Sima Heyan¡¯s expression and was afraid she would insist that Mo Xuetong copied his poem. However, he was relieved to see her shocked face. ¡°Sis, did you misread it? You don¡¯t feel so well these days, and I¡¯ve told you to rest more, but you wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Now that you have been out for only a short time, you are already having delusions. Although the poem from First Miss Mo was simr to mine, they were different. You should apologize to her and go home to have a good rest until you recover.¡±

    This had all happened because of Sima Heyan, so Sima Lingyun med her for it and his voice was sharp. Though the words themselves were gentle, they made her feel cold. She lifted her head and looked at Sima Lingyun in disbelief. Did her big brother even care about her, anymore?

    It was his poem , and now she had to apologize to the person who¡¯d copied it. Indeed, there was a one word difference between the two poems, but she had been too busy to notice.

    Her brother¡¯s poem was:

    Two butterflies on a splendid dress, red rouge was uneven. Standing alone in a colorful dress, waiting for the swallow toe back in the mild rain.

    Mo Xuemin wrote:

    Two butterflies on a splendid dress, red rouge was uneven. Standing alone in a colorful dress, waiting for the swallow toe back in the light rain.

    Yes, one word was different, but it was still a tant copy of Sima Lingyun¡¯s poem. If Mo Xuemin had never seen it before, she couldn¡¯t have written such a simr one. Nobody would believe Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t copy his brother¡¯s!

    Her own brother asked her to apologize to Mo Xuemin, which was unbearable for Sima Heyan, who was always proud. She wanted to make a scene and have them look for the collection of poems in her big brother¡¯s study. Mo Xuemin wouldn¡¯t be able to deny it, then.

    Sima Lingyun knew Sima Heyan well and knew that she was angry when she rolled her eyes. He lowered his voice andforted her gently. ¡°Sis, don¡¯t you remember what Mom told you? She let you get into the pce to serve the empress and princess . You can¡¯t be so ignorant and me others before you see it clearly. If our mother knows this, she¡¯ll be very angry.¡±

    Sima Heyan opened her mouth but said nothing! She understood what Sima Lingyun meant, and her mom told her to stay calm and not get into trouble when she went into the pce. After years of effort, her elder brother¡¯s status was rising, and she couldn¡¯t be allowed to make him look bad.

    Thinking about her mother, Sima Heyan had to take the me, though she felt quite aggrieved. She bit her lips and concealed her anger. She couldn¡¯t ruin her big brother¡¯s future.

    She turned to Mo Xuemin and said, ¡°Miss Mo, I¡¯m sorry I was too abrupt today. But these poems are too alike with only one word¡¯s difference, so I thought it was from my brother.¡±

    Sima Heyan was so angry that she had to tell the truth, even if she had apologized. She believed others would understand . She admitted there was a word that was different. But did it mean they were from different people?

    Seeing Sima Lingyun¡¯s appearance, Mo Xuemin was relieved and pretended to be innocent with teary eyes. It would not only win Sima Lingyun¡¯s favor but also leave a good impression on everyone there.

    Even though she was crying, she didn¡¯t seem to be sad at all. Seeing Sima Heyan talking to her, she just wanted to reply, but herst words made her scared. She felt anxious and began to cough.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s smile froze on his face. It was not a small thing to let others know it¡¯s only a ¡®s word¡¯s difference, ¡°Sis, you¡¯re a young woman from the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s manor and should admit your own fault. Do you want me to invite our mother here?¡±

    The Zhenguo Duke¡¯s manor couldn¡¯t bear such a rumor.

    The elder brother who used to speak gently to her was scolding her in public and wanted to invite her mother to crucify her. Though Sima Heyan was a proud girl, she began to worry, and tears filled her eyes. ¡°Brother!¡± she cried.

    Imperial Concubine Wen coughed and tried to cover it up for her. ¡°Okay, now that the truth is clear and it is only a small mistake made by thedy from the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s manor, we shall forget about it. You should be careful about what you say from now on.¡±

    She wanted to let it go, but knew Imperial Concubine Su wouldn¡¯t. She looked up at Imperial Concubine Su and began to speak, but was interrupted by the empress.

    ¡°It seems that the young miss from the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor is ill. She shouldn¡¯t havee here when she feels ill. Hold her arms and take her out in case that something happens and disturbs the emperor.¡±

    The empress understood what they meant now. The feast would be over soon, and if it was known to all that such a thing happened, she would be disgraced. She had just appreciated Mo Xuemin¡¯s poem in front of everyone before it was revealed the poem wasn¡¯t really hers. Her reputation as the empress would bepletely ruined. Besides, if the emperor knew it, he would think she was useless. And Imperial Concubine Su would say something to the emperor coquettishly. She just couldn¡¯t hold her anger back and took it out on Sima Heyan.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for her, her feast wouldn¡¯t have been such a joke.

    Being scolded in public like that, Sima Heyan knew she was in in the empress¡¯ bad books, and no otherdies of the court would be friends with her. Even worse, her marriage would be badly influenced. Sima Heyan¡¯s face turned pale, and when she noticed her brother¡¯s cold eyes, she felt so sad that she just knelt down and let her tears stream down her face.

    There came a noise indicating the feast hosted by the emperor had ended.

    The empress stood up and coldly nced at Sima Heyan and Mo Xuemin, then headed to theke with the nannies. The ships waiting there were different from those when they came. These were allrge ships which could contain hundreds of people. The feast on the right ind had also just ended, and everyone was headed to the ships.

    The emperor and the officials were waiting by the river bank. They didn¡¯t leave, because there would be antern show after the feast which catered to the young people of the court. Those maids by the bank all went to find their masters.

    The emperor and empress left with thepany of Imperial Concubines, and this ce was filled with young people.

    These lords anddies didn¡¯t have to behave themselves, because the emperor wanted them to have as much fun as normal people and would also appear in thentern show in the pce. So they should just act like they were in the normal streets and markets, rx, and have fun. The entire pce was lit up like as though it was daytime. The beautiful clothes and sweet voices added to the atmosphere.

    Those who were familiar rtives would chat and appreciate thenterns together. There were no family members watching them, so they felt rxed.

    Mo Xuetong had just stood still by the corner of the river bank when Mo Ye came along. Before they could talk, a maid holding antern appeared under a tree and waved at her.

    ¡°Miss!¡± Mo Ye was nervous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go have a look.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darkened and sheforted her with a smile. Mo Ye was not Mo Yu or Mo Lan, and she was diplomatic. She could easily deal with a maid.

    Mo Xuemin was watching Mo Xuetong and saw her leave with the maid. A cold, vicious smile emerged on her lips and she waved at Mo Xiu toe to her. Then she pointed to Sima Lingyun and said, ¡°Go ahead and leave him there. Tell him that I¡¯m already here.¡±

    Mo Xiu obeyed her order and quietly walked in Sima Lingyun¡¯s direction.

    Mo Xuetong took Mo Ye to the maid and saw her signaling to keep up.

    They walked to a small path. There were not manynterns on the path but only a few of them which were dimly lit and appeared cold.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly stopped her steps, holding Mo Ye¡¯s hand to stand still and asked. ¡°Do you know who that lord is?¡± By then she was already on the small path, and what happened inside couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside. This secluded ce was so different from the outside. Only in this ce did she realize it was still winter, and her dress rustled in the wind.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t go ahead, the maid felt anxious and answered her impatiently. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re supposed to go along quickly. This path leads to Qingfang Pavilion. That lord asked me to get you here after he got out of the ship, and it will be toote if you don¡¯t set out right now.¡±

 Chapter 163 - A Gentle Trap In The Darkness

    <strong>Chapter 163 A Gentle Trap In The Darkness</strong>

    There was a grand feast in the pce and all the maids had their own business. She couldn¡¯t be away for too long, or she might get herself in trouble.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was pure and morous. It looked like she was chatting with a warm-hearted elder sister. She nced at the maid. ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m Third Miss Mo? I¡¯m Fourth Miss Mo.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not Third Miss Mo? It¡¯s impossible. You and First Miss Mo were the only ones who came to Mo Manor. You sat behind First Miss Mo, so you must be Third Miss Mo. Fourth Miss Mo is not here in the pce.¡± The maid said, realizing toote that she shouldn¡¯t have.

    ¡°So the one who was sitting behind my first sister must be me!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and it was all clear to her. No wonder Mo Xuemin insisted that she should sit closely in front of her today. Previously, somedy wanted to sit close to Mo Xuemin but was refused because she wanted to sit with her sister, and acted as though they had an intimate rtionship. In fact, she just wanted to make it convenient for others to identify Mo Xuetong in order to frame her.

    The maid realized something was wrong. She looked at the dim lights that surrounded her and felt scared. She just wanted to lead her to the destination, but Third Miss Mo was too smart to follow her without a reasonable cause. ¡°Third Miss Mo , let¡¯s hurry...¡±

    Before the maid could finish, she fell down on the path. Thentern flew through the air and was caught by arge hand emerging from the shadows.

    ¡°You¡¯re too stupid to escape from a trap, even when you know you are in one.¡± In the shadows stood Feng Yuran, holding a dimntern in his hand. There was anger in his eyes, which showed his dissatisfaction towards her.

    Not knowing why, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed and she angrily stared at his beautiful eyes and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡±

    They had not seen each other since... that night. Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t allow herself to admit how much she¡¯d enjoyed it, and couldn¡¯t help feeling angry when she thought of Feng Yuran at the moment. He just disturbed her emotions and showed up in front of her like nothing had happened .

    She didn¡¯t know how his wound was doing; he was so busy recently, he hadn¡¯t told her about his health, and she was too shy to ask Mo Ye or Mo Feng about it.

    Feng Yuran blinked and smiled widely. Mo Ye had already walked away from them and was acting as lookout. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry? You shouldn¡¯t be mad, because I came to help you.¡±

    Seeing his handsome face, Mo Xuetong got even angrier. She turned around and felt very ufortable. It was a strange feeling she couldn¡¯t describe, and she was just too annoyed to see that face. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    Mo Ye was astonished. She used to serve Feng Yuran and knew how unbridled he was. She had never seen any girl being so rude to him!

    He shouldn¡¯t be angry with her mistress! If he really was angry, what could she do to help? She couldn¡¯t stop him from doing what he wanted, and she couldn¡¯t fight him, either.

    While she was hesitating, Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuteong¡¯s firm but slim figure in the wind and felt his heart soften. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you. Is that okay?¡±

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know why she was so angry. She turned her back on him and said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. I¡¯ll fix my own problem. Please don¡¯t show up like this anymore, or I may misunderstand you.¡±

    She immediately regretted her words, and her face turned red.

    But Feng Yuran just smiled. The beautiful bright eyes on his perfect face seemed to be able to read one¡¯s mind. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and ignored her unwillingness. He pulled her behind a tree and whispered in her ear, ¡°Someone ising!¡±

    The scent of his warm breath made Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flush. She was too shy to say a word. Her whole body was hot, as if she had got a fever. His scent contained light ambergris . She wanted to re at him, but instead turned away, fixing her attention on what was happening in front of her.

    However, Feng Yuran was quite satisfied. He held her tightly, and the smile remained on his face.

    Mo Ye also heard someoneing. She quickly grabbed the fallen maid and pulled her to the other side of the path.

    Just after they hid, three figures showed up at the end of the road. One of them stood far away to keep watch. The other two slowly walked towards the ce where Mo Xuetong hid. There was nomp, and they saw, under the dim light which came across the shade, that they were Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Min¡¯er , do you really want me to go there?¡± Sima Lingyun asked, frowning.

    He was interested not only in Mo Xuetong¡¯s status but also in her. He didn¡¯t care if he was found with Mo Xuetong, but not now when he was suspected because of the poetry incident. If something bad happened again, he would never have a chance to be a duke.

    ¡°Maybe we should find another man to go there, then it will be him and Mo Xuetong who will get caught. With the usation of secret dating in the imperial pce, Mo Xuetong will never get married.¡± Mo Xuemin was angry that something which should have gone smoothly had been ruined by Sima Heyan¡¯s interruption.

    Mo Xuemin had the same concern as him. The ident had already connected them together. If Sima Lingyun did something wrong now, she would also be involved. She just wanted to stay out of trouble and let the incident be forgotten.

    Sima Lingyun hesitated, eventually asking, ¡°But who could we find with so little notice?¡±

    ¡°Just find someone with low status and a bad reputation. Even better, someone who already has plenty of wives and concubines. Thus, even if Mo Xuetong marries him, she would be a second wife, at best. By then, there would probably be rumors that she was a legitimate daughter who doesn¡¯t respect herself and has improper rtions with others. Mo Xuetong would be very disgraced and may end her own life, which would be for the best.¡± Mo Xuemin smiled, and her face looked eerie in the moonlight.

    Sima Lingyun kept silent for a while and finally asked, ¡°But won¡¯t this be bad for your reputation, too?¡±

    ¡°So what? You feel sorry for her? Or you want to y this scene with her and make her marry you? It¡¯s such a pity that we have nned it like that, but your stupid sister ruined everything. If you get into trouble again, there will be nothing left for you.¡± Mo Xuetong said, ncing at Sima Lingyun.

    Thinking about the position of duke, which he was so close to obtaining, Sima Lingyun decided to that in front of everything else. It was indeed difficult to run into such a beauty, but he didn¡¯t have to risk his whole life for her. Besides, Mo Xuetong would be married to a horny, useless man. He could get her back after he had sorted out his career.

    A smile emerged on Sima Lingyun¡¯s face. He hurriedly said something to Mo Xuemin and left through the path.

    Mo Xiu approached from the darkness and asked nervously, ¡°Miss, is this okay?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuemin stared at Mo Xiu viciously and said, ¡°This time, Mo Xuetong will either die or marry a useless man and she will not even be the main wife. She won¡¯t be able to manage what happens in Mo Manor. Then the Yu¡¯s will have to take over, and my father will forgive the concubine for the sake of me and my younger brother. When Auntie Fang gets the position of the main wife, I¡¯ll be the legitimate daughter and have Mo Xuetong kneel down by my feet to beg for forgiveness.¡±

    She hated Mo Xuetong so much that she would trample her if she had the chance.

    A grim smile appeared on Mo Xuemin¡¯s lips. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see how my younger sister would seduce a man shamelessly in the imperial pce!¡±

    She wanted Mo Xuetong to feel the same pain she had. In Mo Xuemin¡¯s mind, Mo Xuetong deserved to live in the darkness forever.

    Seeing Mo Xuemin gently hold Mo Xiu¡¯s hand and walk away, Mo Xuetong came out from behind the tree and frowned. The fact that Mo Xuemin was framing her was expected and unexpected at the same time.

    That maid didn¡¯t seem normal and must have quite a status in the pce. Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t have such influence, but maybe there was someone supporting Mo Xuemin...

    Feng Yuran leaned in to ask, ¡°Do you want to go to Qingfang Pavilion to have a look?¡±

    ¡°What kind of ce is Qingfang Pavilion?¡± Mo Xuetong was not a bit familiar with the pce. In herst life, she had no connection with the imperial pce and was locked in the duke¡¯s manor until her death.

    ¡°Qingfang Pavilion is a good ce. Um, it¡¯s quite a great ce.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly smiled, and he was even more attractive in the moonlight. As she looked at him, her heart raced. Reminding herself that she was still mad at him, she turned and ignored him.

 Chapter 164 - Get a Good Spot to Watch an Affair

    <strong>Chapter 164 Get a Good Spot to Watch an Aff</strong>air

    ¡°Go quickly, we won¡¯t be able to watch the show if we gote.¡± Feng Yuran snapped his fingers, and a figure appeared in the dark. He had men in the pce as well ¨C Feng Yuran was extraordinarily powerful. Mo Xuetong was shocked!

    ¡°Rx. Come with me.¡± Feng Yuran was in a good mood when he saw that she was not afraid. He reached out to wrap an arm around her slender waist and, before she could cry out, leaped in the air. She could hear hiszyughter as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We will be there soon. We had better find a good spot to watch the show.¡±

    Mo Xuetong struggled weakly, but did not manage to wrench herself out of his grasp. They were still rising, and she didn¡¯t dare make a sound. She wrapped her hands around his neck subconsciously and stole a nce down. The roofs of the buildings below them sped by quickly, and she hurriedly closed her eyes. Her lips trembled slightly and she bit down on them tightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We will be there soon.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s seductive voice sounded by her ear with a gentleness that was not usually present. As he hugged her tightly, she felt herself calm down.

    This was a calmness that she had not had since her rebirth. She always felt that there was a pair of eyes peeping at her, watching her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She could only try to find her way forward, step by step.

    She tried to find her way alone in the dark, but she could not find a single speck of light. Even though she hade out on top every time she crossed swords with Mo Xuemin, she still felt a sense of hopelessness and sadness. However, when she listened to the wind and Feng Yuran¡¯s strong heartbeat and breathed in the faint scent of ambergris incense, it soothed and calmed her.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but tighten her arms around him. The warmth from his body had a power that could prate one¡¯s heart. It was as if everything was in control.

    ¡°Alright, we are here. Look, isn¡¯t this a good spot?¡± Feng Yuran put Mo Xuetong down and pointed around them. Mo Xuetong opened her eyes and realized that they were on the ground. It was very dark, but there was sufficient light below. The moon tonight was like water. They were in a pavilion high up on a fake mountain . Screens were already set up around them and the wind did not get to them.

    She looked down and could clearly see a pavilion on the fake mountain diagonally across them. It was slightly lower than where they were and was very close to the main grounds of thentern festival. As such, it seemed very dark, especially in the darkness of the night. One could see what was happening there very clearly.

    The pavilion had screens as well. They were not high, blocking the view from the front but not the top. From where they were standing, they could see right from above the screens.

    ¡°How do you like this ce? It is warm andfortable and you can even admire the scenery while you are at it. Didn¡¯t I choose exceptionally well?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a smile, looking rather pleased with himself. He pulled up a nanmu wood lounge chair and told Mo Xuetong to sit on it, then got another, ced it beside her, and sat down.

    ¡°How would you know?¡± Mo Xuetong nced at his pleased expression from the corner of her eyes. Moonlight shone on his handsome face, making it look luminous. His eyes were so bright that one did not dare to even look into them. They shone with a gentleness that she had never seen before. In the past, Feng Yuran was devilish, seductive, wild... but he had never been so gentle. His bright eyes that shone like glittering gems made her flush despite herself. She could not find anger within herself. It had already disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°Of course I know. Everyone has to find a good spot to watch a show, especially the kind where there¡¯s an affair. There will be a crowd, so we have toe early.¡± Feng Yuran winked at her, chuffed. He pointed at arge rock outside the pavilion and smiled, saying, ¡°Look at that one. He¡¯s been squatting there for so long, but still didn¡¯t get to watch the show!¡±

    Mo Xuetong followed his finger to where he was pointing. She could make out a figure lying on the ground. She could not help but look at Feng Yuran in shock. Despite her usual steadiness and calmness , she wrung her handkerchief with her fingers, clenching her fingers tightly as her heart grew cold. There were others watching her closely other than Mo Xuemin, and they had been waiting here long ago. This meant that he knew about Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun working together to plot against her.

    Who was that? And why would he pay attention to a girl who rarely left her manor?

    As if he could sense her unease, Feng Yuran turned around tofort her. He stood against the moonlight and she could only see his glittering eyes. They were so bright that they overshadowed the stars in the sky. However, Mo Xuetong could see a hint of a smile on his face, and she calmed down slightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay! He is just a servant from Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Are they Emperor Chu¡¯s men?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly after a moment of silence.

    Feng Yuran leaned back into his seat without a care as he answered with a roguish smile. ¡°It is my elder brother. Ever since we watched that great show that he was in thest time, he started watching you. I don¡¯t know if he realized that it was you that day.¡±

    Of course, he would not tell her that Feng Yuxuan had been paying attention to her since they met in Cloud City. Feng Yuxuan had already sent men to find out who the owner of the orchids was before he returned to the capital.

    Last time, he could see from Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes that he suspected Tong¡¯er was there that day! He did not like it when others concerned themselves with her.

    ¡°Emperor Chu recognized me?¡± Mo Xuetong swallowed with difficulty as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with wariness. If Emperor Chu was really paying attention to her, she had to act even more carefully in the future.

    The girl was alert, but she was just a weak woman who did not leave her manor. Rare determination and sharpness shed in her beautiful and innocent eyes. She appeared weak and soft usually, but that was just a false mask. When Feng Yuran realized that she was being herself right now, he felt sad for her butforted at the same time.

    ¡°He is just suspicious. It¡¯s nothing. You just rx and do whatever you need to do. That elder sister of yours is not very trustworthy. Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°No need, I will handle my own matters.¡± Mo Xuetong answered decisively. She turned her head to the side, her eyes growing hazy. It was as if there was ayer of fog on her eyes. She sighed deeply. Her enmity with Mo Xuemin had started in her past life. So many bloody incidents filled with hate. She would not foist it off on someone else. She could only gain true release if she sought her revenge herself. She would return the pain and hate that Mo Xuemin had given her bit by bit.

    The many lights below glowed brightly, lighting up the sky, leaving it in a fiery mess. The painful struggles in the fire came to mind. Blood rushed into her eyes, obstructing her sight . However, she could still see Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s mockingughter in the fire. They wereughing at her stupidity, at how she had overestimated herself! Her hands clenched tightly into a fist under her sleeves.

    She swore that if there was a next life, she would seek revenge. She would let them experience the pain she felt. She was willing to take them down into the endless cycles of reincarnation, even if it led her to hell.

    ¡°Alright, you handle it first. If you need anything, let me know,¡± Feng Yuran said sulkily. He seemed not too pleased with her distant reply. He suddenly breathed lightly into her ear, saying with augh, ¡°Look, down there. The show is starting!¡±

    His warm breath rushed into her ear and made her heart race. In the dark, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed. She moved away from him hurriedly and turned to look below. It was, indeed, starting to get busy down there.

    ¡°We are going to watch from here?¡± Mo Xuetong could see everything clearly from her spot. Mo Xuemin was lying across a couch with her clothes in disarray. She was sitting up slowly right now, holding her head. She seemed to have awakened. She was certain that Mo Xuemin had been knocked out and brought there by the person beside her.

    Thinking of how vicious Mo Xuemin was, Mo Xuetong would not underestimate her even in such a situation.

    Judging by the current situation, this was a disaster for nobledies. However, if Mo Xuemin was so easy to deal with, Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t have died in herst life . All of this was due to the secret plotting by Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang. As such, Mo Xuemin might not be ruined here, and she needed to be vignt.

    ¡°Do you want to see it even more clearly? You are a nobledy, but you want to see even more.¡± Feng Yuran looked at her with his mesmerizing eyes, intentionally twisting her words.

    He had made it sound so impolite as if she wanted to go down to see the man clearly. Mo Xuetong was secretly angry but knew that she could not show it! Feng Yuran was spurred by anger, and the best way to deal with him was to ignore him. After so many interactions with him, she knew how to deal with him.

    She bit her lips and intentionally ignored the teasing in his words. She rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°I want to go down. My elder sister is not one to give up without a fight.¡±

    Those who had never been hurt by Mo Xuemin would never be able to imagine how vicious she was and how good she was at the waiting game. Behind that veneer of gentleness was slyness and viciousness. She would not be willing to be captured in someone¡¯s plot just like that. Mo Xuetong did not hope that Feng Yuran would understand but at least hoped that he would be more vignt and put more importance to the matter. Such a simple plot would not be able to take Mo Xuemin¡¯s life and might even lead to retaliation.

    And the person who would be retaliated against would most likely be her. Her heart grew cold.

    If that happened, she would not even be able to point out who the culprit was. Nothing was ever clear in this sort of situation. Mo Xuemin would not allow this to happen without a fight.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind whirled, her hands clutching onto the window frame tightening subconsciously. No. She had to go down. They were too far away from Mo Xuemin right now. They were so far away they could not tell what she was saying. She believed that the first person Mo Xuemin would think of would be her when she found herself in this situation. She had not been there during thest incident at the pce, and she had only just returned to the capital and was not capable of something like that then. Otherwise, Mo Xuemin would have insisted that she was involved in that incident.

    Mo Xuemin always knew when to drag someone down to be her scapegoat!

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That eldest sister of yours is no easy target! Beg me. Beg me, and I will take you down there!¡± Feng Yuran saidzily, a careless smile appearing on his lips. It was rather annoying.

    ¡°I beg you, please take me down there.¡± Mo Xuetong said, looking straight at Feng Yuran. There was a hint of softness and shyness in her eyes and her perfect lips lifted slightly. She seemed helpless and innocent and looked at him without blinking. One could not see any anger in her, only anguish.

    Feng Yuran could only surrender to her gaze.

 Chapter 165 - The Interesting Show at Qingfang Pavilion

    <h4>Chapter 165 The Interesting Show at Qingfang Pavilion</h4>

    Mo Xuemin woke up bleary-eyed, holding her head. She did not know where she was and could hear the voices of people talking and yelling. An urgent sense of danger gripped her, and her mind quickly cleared. She turned around to find a man she did not know lying on therge couch behind hers, his clothes in disarray.

    Looking down, she saw that her clothes were equally untidy...

    She heaved herself into an upright position. She remembered everything. She wasing to Qingfang Pavilion with Mo Xiu earlier. They had taken a more secluded path, because it was shorter. The shortcut was much darker than the main roads, which were lit brightly. She had intended to take the main roads when she reached Qingyu Pavilion .

    You Yuecheng had mentioned in his letter that Qingyu Pavilion was meant for people to rest in, especially on holidays, such as today. The emperor would be at the festival as well, which meant the empress and the other consorts would go with him. With so many members of the nobility present, there had to be a ce for them to rest while they kept the New Year¡¯s vigil.

    The pce had already set up an area for ces simr to Qingyu Pavilion for people to rest in. The pavilions had one distinguishing feature ¨C they were all built close to the main road. It was interesting to view thenterns in the pavilion as well. There were a few pavilions that were meant for the emperor and his consorts.

    Most of the other pavilions were for the young lords anddies to rest in. After all, the emperor said he woulde, but he probably wouldn¡¯t stay long.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s n had been simple.

    The empress had been present when the nobles were eating on the inds, so they couldn¡¯t fully enjoy themselves. Now that they could rx, a few of the weaker youngdies would find somewhere to rest, and Qingyu Pavilion was a good spot. Should someone mention going there to rest, there would definitely be youngdies who would go.

    The youngdies had all brought their brothers along, so there would be a crowd to witness Mo Xuetong and a man rolling around with their clothes in disarray, and her sister would be too embarrassed to live. Causing trouble while the emperor enjoyed the festivities with his people would not only embarrass her, it was also disrespectful towards the emperor.

    Then, even if Mo Xuetong did not want to die, the emperor would decree that she did. Of course, even if the emperor was benevolent because of her father and let Mo Xuetong off, she would never be anything more than a concubine. Mo Xumin had asked Sima Lingyun to find a useless man who had many concubines. Mo Xuetong was the legal daughter of a third-grade official, and such a scandal would not only be an embarrassment to the Mo family, but also to the General Manor.

    Then, if Mo Huawen were to marry Auntie Fang, their granddaughter would be a concubine, and the General Manor would be too embarrassed to interfere.

    Mo Xuetong would probably die of depression after being used by the useless man, and Auntie Fang would be the legal wife without any hindrances! Mo Xuemin had nned everything with minute detail.

    One thing Mo Xuemin hadn¡¯t nned for was getting dizzy when she approached the shortcut to the pavilion. Her sight turned ck, and she lost consciousness. Mo Xuemin, who had always been a plotter, knew that she had fallen into a trap.

    She could make out the muted sounds of conversation outside. The doors and windows were high and there was nothing around them that was blocking them. It would be impossible for her to get out of here without being seen. Mo Xuemin pushed the man away and smoothed down and retied her dress. She saw a cup of tea on the table and her eyes brightened.

    The man¡¯s swollen face grew red. Judging by the smell of alcohol surrounding him, he had been drinking and passed out in this room. The tea had also been there for some time, and was growing colder in the chill winter air, certainly cold enough to wake a drunk.

    The cold tea sshed onto the man¡¯s face and trickled down his neck.

    The man leaped up and raised his right hand, wiping off the liquid with his wide sleeves before he even opened his eyes. ¡°Who did that?¡± he shouted. ¡°It¡¯s freezing, and you dare to pour cold water on me? I¡¯m going to tear your skin off!¡±

    He did not even see who it was before he started yelling. He was, indeed, a fool.

    Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t hesitate ¨C she picked up a white ceramic vase with a narrow neck and handed it to the man with the neck facing him. All he could make out was the liquid in his eyes, and he could not see clearly who was opposite him. He only felt someone stuffing something into his hand. It was the size of his wine bottle, and he epted it.

    Theughter and chattering of a few youngdies from outside was growing louder, interspersed with male voices.

    They were getting closer and closer. They were here!

    It would be toote if she did not act now!

    A cold viciousness shed in Mo Xuemin steeled herself. Guiding the man¡¯s hands, she lifted the vase high, gritted her teeth, and smashed it down violently...

    There was a dull thud, followed by a scream.

    Mo Xuemin crawled to the door, opening it just as a maid dressed in yellow was reaching for the handle on the other side.

    She fell on the maid, screaming ¡°Help! Help! He tried to kill me!¡± She pitched her voice to sound shocked and afraid. It was something she had a lot of practice with as a noblewoman, as it was the kind of reaction people expected her to have.

    The youngdies behind the maid yelled in shock. A young master wearing pink long robes walked up and stood in front of them and asked the figure, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Everyone looked at the woman who had emerged from the pavilion. She was clearly flustered, with blood flowing down from a cut on her head. There was so much blood, one could not even see her face clearly, and her luxurious clothes were askew from rolling on the ground with the maid. Mo Xuetong was a pathetic site to behold.

    A few youngdies with sharp eyes recognized her, even through the blood. ¡°It is First Miss Mo!¡± A few youngdies with sharp eyes realized it was Mo Xuemin. If this had been any other time, others would not be able to recognize her. Her hair was messed up and her face was smeared with blood. However, after tMany of the nobles had been present at the fake poetry incident, so Mo Xuemin couldn¡¯t keep a low profile, even if she wanted to.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, what happened?¡± a woman in the crowd asked in shock.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone inside who wants to kill me. I saw, I saw...¡± Mo Xuemin pressed her hand to her chest. She seemed so afraid that she was about to faint.

    The maid dressed in yellow whom she had knocked down had since gotten to her feet. She was annoyed that Mo Xuemin had knocked her down and embarrassed her before so many handsome young masters, but didn¡¯t dare say anything about it now. She leaned down to help Mo Xuemin up.

    Meanwhile, the crowd chattered in confusion. ¡°Did Mo Xuemin see something she was not supposed to? Was that why she was being pursued and almost lost her life?¡±

    A few of the bolder young masters charged into the pavilion immediately. They saw the man who was sitting up from the bed with his clothes in disarray. He was still holding on to the vase that was drenched in blood.

    Without hesitation, two strong young masters pressed him down on each side. The bloodied vase fell from his hands and smashed on the floor.

    As the culprit was dragged outside, there was more murmuring from the crowd.

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±

    ¡°How could it be him?¡±

    ¡°How could he be here today? Didn¡¯t the rumors say that he found a beauty at Qingxiang House whom he is smothering in affections the past few days and won¡¯t leave her?¡±

    ¡°Your news is out of date. Last night, he even fought for an actress with Minister Li¡¯s son. I heard that Minister Li found his son went out and then brought him home by force, leaving the actress behind.¡±

    ...

    A few others recognized the man and they looked at each other. The crowd began to mutter to themselves. Those who recognized the man all looked at the man with disdain. He was being pressed down onto the ground and was struggling to get up.

    ¡°Let me go! What are you doing? Why have you pinned me down?¡± The man on the floor shook his head around and struggled angrily. Despite his blurry vision, the scene swam into focus as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

    ¡°Yu Mingyong, what are you doing here? You assaulted First Miss Mo with a vase! When did you stop caring for women?¡± The voice was smooth and mocking.

    The crowd spread apart, and a young man wearing dark red robes with gold embroidery emerged from the middle. Had it not been for his roguish smile, he would be considered handsome. Despite the chill, he was vigorously fanning himself with a fan, unconcerned for those around him.

    Mo Xuemin knew that there would be trouble as soon as she saw him.

    It was Li Youmo.

    When Mo Xuemin thought of how he had once pped her without mercy, not only did her hand hurt, her face hurt, as well. She shuddered involuntarily. She hadn¡¯t expected Li Youmo to be here. They were on different sides, and she didn¡¯t know how Li Youmo would use this situation, considering the current rtionship between their two families.

    She could only pretend to be weak and wait to see what would happen next. She dived onto the maid, pretending to faint.

    Yu Mingyong freed himself from the grasp of the two men holding him. He stood up and yelled, pointing at Li Youmo,¡±You again? You failed to win Little Red Peach from me, so you¡¯ve gotten this slut to frame me. You can¡¯t fight me in public, so you¡¯ve tried to do me in secretly. When have you be so shameless?¡±

    Of course, the two men who had been holding Yu Mingyong down now recognized him for who he was, and they immediately backed off. This wasn¡¯t something they wanted to be involved in.

    Everyone knew that Li Youmo was considered the biggest yboy amongst the wealthy sons of the capital. The only man who could be considered his equal was Yu Mingyong. Like Li Youmo, he also had a formidable backing, as his sister was Imperial Consort Yu of Caiwei Pce, much doted on by the emperor.

 Chapter 166 - Yu Mingyongâ€™s Rashness

    <strong>Chapter 166 Yu Mingyong¡¯s Rashness</strong>

    Consort Yu had been in the pce for five or six years. While there was not much news about her in the previous years, she had won the affections of Emperor Zongwen in the past two years. The usually cold, empty Caiwei Pce became a ce Emperor Zongwen frequented the most. Lady Yu quickly became Consort Yu, jumping several ranks in one go.

    Being an imperial consort in Great Qin was a great dividing line. Imperial consorts could continue to stay in the pce and be supported by the new emperor even after the current emperor passes. If they had any sons, they could leave with their sons and travel to theirnds freely. Once one became an imperial consort, their path would be bright than that of a meredy.

    Consort Yu had jumped through ten ranks in two years and was very much doted on by the emperor. However, she had not managed to have any children. She was very fond of her younger brother, though, and thought of him often. As such, young master Yu Mingyong¡¯s yboy nature was not due to his parents spoiling him, but because of his elder sister.

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s position in court was not high, but he had an elder sister who was a favorite of the emperor, and as such, he had been given an invitation to this banquet. The emperor naturally did not care about insignificant matters like this, those who worked for him knew the value of doing a favor for Consort Yu.

    In truth, Yu Mingyong did not want to attend the banquet. Being around the emperor would mean all kinds of restrictions, and he¡¯d have to be on his best behavior. But his sister had told him to go, and he couldn¡¯t refuse. He needed her, and it wasn¡¯t worth it to make her angry.

    Yu Mingyong was given a seat with the other noble young masters. He was seated considerably forward due to his status as Consort Yu¡¯s brother. However, some of the other young masters looked down on him, because he refused to act like a gentleman. While they wouldn¡¯t go so far as to insult him directly, they avoided sitting or speaking with him whenever possible.

    He actively sought out people to speak with but was ignored. Then he realized that being at Qingxiang House was better than being at the banquet. He could not move or eat as he wished, and he even had to pay attention to the moods of the three princes. It was very boring. He had long regretteding here by his elder sister¡¯s order.

    As such, he started drinking alone. Yu Mingyong could usually hold his liquor well, but he had been in a bad mood and guzzled his alcohol,pletely losing count of the bottles. But no matter how much he drank, no one cared about him. He was in a terrible mood. Everyone catered to him usually, and he rarely had to be subservient.

    He left the ind with the others after the banquet. He couldn¡¯t go anywhere alone. Even though he saw some beauties, he knew that they were not the prostitutes that he usually yed with. If anything were to happen, not even his elder sister could help him. As such, he walked around and grew more and more bored.

    In the end, he found a ce to rest. He was feeling tipsy from the alcohol and found a couch to nap on. He nned to wake up and leave the pce after the banquet. He thought about the actress he fought for yesterday. Her skin was so smooth...

    In his dreams, he was entangled with the actress; they were so passionate, they could not bear to leave each other.

    Later, Yu Mingyong had been woken as his face was doused with cold water. He sat up in shock, and a bottle was ced in his hands. He could not open his eyes, and there was a sudden pressure on his hand as he was knocked back onto the couch.

    When he¡¯d gotten up, he shook the water off his hand vigorously. He had only just opened his eyes when two people rushed in from outside and held him down.

    Yu Mingyong felt angry when he recalled that. He was spoiled and always got his way. The three princes were not present here ¨C there was no one he was afraid of!

    When he saw his nemesis, Li Youmo, he pointed at him without even trying to find out what exactly was happening. The two had always been at loggerheads. If they were not fighting over an actress, they would be fighting for a courtesan. Yu Mingyong had always felt that it was intentional on Li Youmo¡¯s part. Nine out of ten times he had anypetition for a woman, it was Li Youmo.

    Without a doubt, this whole scenario had been set up by Li Youmo, as well. And it didn¡¯t take much convincing for Yu Mingyong to unleash his anger on him.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to do you in secretly?¡± Li Youmo pointed at himself in shock as he looked at Yu Mingyong with wide, innocent eyes.. He pulled Yu Mingyong out of the room and pointed to Mo Xuemin who was lying on the ground. She had regained consciousness after being helped up by two maids who were holding her up. He said, ¡°Young Master Yu, this is the person who framed you. I have nothing to do with what happened today. I am just here to watch the show and have not done any scheming. I am just another spectator and won¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    Li Youmo even winked at Yu Mingyong after he said that. It was as if he were implying that Yu Mingyong would understand his intentions.

    Yu Mingyong was so angry he gritted his teeth. While he was a yboy, he knew that everyone present today were powerful people ¨C nobility, third-grade officials, and above. Furthermore, they were in the pce; he must not get into trouble today. His sister had reminded him over and over again that she would send him a few beautiful pce maids tomorrow if he behaved himself.

    Even the princes would act carefully when they were in the pce. It did not matter if he bullied others and unted their powers outside the pce, usually. If he were to cause trouble here, he might even lose his life. As such, he red viciously at Mo Xuemin, the cause of all this trouble. If not for this woman, he would still be sleeping soundly inside and would not have offended anyone!

    Mo Xuemin got up with the help of Mo Xiu and a maid dressed in yellow whom she did not know. Mo Xiu ced a handkerchief over her forehead. The cut itself wasn¡¯t big, but the amount of blood on her face made her injuries look serious.

    Mo Xiu did not have time to wipe the blood off her face and could only press the handkerchief against the wound to stop the bleeding.

    ¡°You are the one who called out for help. I wonder why you are screaming so. Could it be that I, a drunk, have done something to you?¡± Yu Mingyong narrowed his eyes. His tone was filled with disdain. He could hear what the crowd was saying clearly and knew that the woman was First Miss Mo. He didn¡¯t know her family, but he did know that he was very angry, and she was the cause of it.

    How had he offended this woman for no rhyme or reason! Everyone was here to watch the scene that she had created! He had only somewhat understood what happened, so how could he bring himself to speak to Mo Xuemin nicely?

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face flushed red when she heard that. Her face was covered in blood, and he could not see her usual elegance. Yu Mingyong was a rough man who had at of saying things that could be easily misinterpreted.

    Mo Xuemin would not speak with someone like him usually, but it was impossible now. He would not allow the man to besmirch her reputation before so many people.

    She trembled fearfully as she held on to Mo Xiu and backed away fearfully. If Mo Xiu had not caught her quickly enough, her legs would have given out and she would have fallen.

    The crowd could not bear to watch any longer when they saw how frightened she was.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, he will not do anything to you in front of so many people. Even if he wants to kill you, we are in the pce. This is not a ce where he can do anything he wants. Just tell us why Yu Mingyong wants to kill you!¡±

    ¡°First Miss Mo, did you see him doing something illegal? Is that why he wants to silence you?¡±

    ¡°Miss Mo, do not be afraid. We are in the pce and he cannot behave as he wishes. No matter how favored Consort Yu is, she cannot hoodwink the public. He would not dare to do anything in front of so many people.¡±

    Everyone had something to say. While Mo Xuemin did not look up, Yu Mingyong was enraged by their words. He had never been so angry before. He had not done anything and had only just been lying down on the couch to rest for a while, and now he had be someone who had done something illegal. When he saw Li Youmo standing by the side with a vague smile, watching him as he was being embarrassed, he felt anger welling up inside him. He could not hold back any longer.

    He smiled at Mo Xuemin exaggeratedly. His words grew more and more unpleasant. ¡°You must be First Miss Mo. Everyone had taken part in this willingly. You sounded like you were enjoying yourself earlier! You kept sticking to me. Why are you saying something else now? If I had known that something like this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t havee! First Miss Mo, you can¡¯t be thinking of pinning all the me on me, are you!¡±

    Most young masters would not say something so shameless in publ, and those present today were all sons and daughters of officials who were at least grade three and above. Even though Li Youmo was a scoundrel whom Mo Xuemin turned her nose up at, he, at least, would not say something so trashy in front of others.

    No matter how much Mo Xuemin hated to speak with Yu Mingyong, she had no choice but to respond.

    As such, even though she was speechless at Yu Mingyong¡¯s ridiculous words, she looked up, and her hand pressed against Mo Xiu¡¯s forcefully. If she did not speak up, her good reputation would be ruined. The situation right now would not allow her to stay silent.

    ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t know what you are doing here, and I don¡¯t understand who you¡¯re trying to protect. Someone asked me to meet them here, or I would not havee. I did not know the way, so I have only just arrived. I did not see anything, and finding you was unintentional.¡± Mo Xuemin lifted her soft and pale face, looking at Yu Mingyong in tears. She had to rearrange her thoughts against a rough man like him. She knew that a show of weakness was her only option!

    She would be as weak and helpless as Yu Mingyong was fierce and impolite! Comparing the two, who would believe that she was involved with the rude and arrogant Yu Mingyong?

    Furthermore, Yu Mingyong had changed his statement, so it made him seem less credible! She was betting that Yu Mingyong did not know what had happened, which was why he kept changing his story. The more confusing his statements were, the better!

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t see anything, why did you say that I was a murderer? Is this what an educated youngdy should say? Who have I killed? Or are you making things up? You are a nobledy, and you did not bring your servants along and came alone. Why so secretive? Were you meeting someone? But you didn¡¯t expect me to be sleeping there and you were afraid that you would be discovered, which is why you created such a scene,¡± Yu Mingyong said with augh. He truly did not like her. Mo Xuemin¡¯s delicateness was coupled with a face that was covered in blood. She did not look appealing at all.

    Li Youmo waved his fan casually. The smile on his face grew even wider, as he said in a mocking tone, ¡°What happened exactly? Miss Mo meant that you were meeting someone in private here and she saw you, which is why you want to silence her. It can¡¯t be! How dare you be so audacious even in the pce? Were you meeting a pce maid or something... that¡¯s a serious offense that could get you killed.¡±

    Yu Mingyong was a rash man, but he knew his limits. If his opponent was someone like Li Youmo, he could not be rash. Anyone who was notpletely stupid would learn this, as did Yu Mingyong.

 Chapter 167 - The Interesting Show at Qingfang Pavilion

    <h4>Chapter 167 The Interesting Show at Qingfang Pavilion</h4>

    Yu Mingyong saw that Mo Xuemin was weeping quietly. He figured that she must be the nobledy of a man who was at least a third-grade official. Meanwhile, his only backing was his elder sister, a consort who had the favor of the Emperor. It would be best if he did not offend anyone. Right now, there were beautiful women everywhere. It would be unwise to fight with a woman. As such, he would let her off the hook. Since he was not the one who had been injured and had not lost in their verbal spar, he needed to appear to be more gracious.

    However, if his opponent were Li Youmo, it would be different!

    Li Youmo was his biggest nemesis. One could say that the slightest provocation by Li Youmo would spur Yu Mingyong into action.

    Li Youmo was treating the woman differently. He was helping her! This was a threat in Yu Mingyong¡¯s mind.. At first, he was going to let the matter go and ept having lost the verbal spar. Now, however, his cleared this out of his mind.

    There was something going on between Li Youmo and the woman who had framed him. They tried to charge him with having an affair with someone in the pce.

    Even though his elder sister was favored by the Emperor, she would not be able to save him now. Yu Mingyong could not help but grit his teeth bitterly when he thought of that.

    He saw how Li Youmo pretended not to care but gave secretive nces at the woman whose face was smeared with blood. There was a hint of concern in Li Youmo¡¯s eyes that was well hidden. Who was Yu Mingyong? He was Li Youmo¡¯s enemy. They had fought several hundred times. One could say that he knew Li Youmo¡¯s better than himself. And he could see that Li Youmo was hiding his concern for that woman.

    Yu Mingyong was overjoyed. He had been frustrated about not being able to deal with Li Youmo in the past, but now he had finally found one of Li Youmo¡¯s weaknesses. If he attacked the woman today, it would be like attacking Li Youmo. He would be able to get back at him for all those grudges he bore.

    Yu Mingyong would not let Mo Xuemin off easily, even if Mo Xuemin wanted to. He had not done anything wrong today, and usually, he would argue even if he was wrong. His eyes gleamed as he plotted. Since Li Youmo cared about this woman, he would ruin her reputation. He wanted to see if Li Youmo would marry a woman whose reputation had been besmirched.

    ¡°I want to silence her? Li Youmo, are you mistaken? I had too much to drink and fell asleep. This woman barged in andy beside me shamelessly. So how is this my fault? She only got up hurriedly when she heard that someone wasing. She got angry when she saw my face clearly and even smashed the vase against her head so that she would bleed all over her face. Why has the story suddenly be me meeting someone in private? It might be thisdy mistook me for someone she wanted to meet in private. She did something like this out of desperation!¡± Yu Mingyong nced at Mo Xuemin with disdain and then shifted to look at Li Youmo.

    Mo Xuemin was frightened when she heard that and her face grew paler.

    Unexpectedly, Li Youmo did not get angry. Instead, he suddenly smiled brilliantly as he spread out his fan.

    Mo Xuemin began to cry. She trembled and almost fell. Fortunately, the two maids held onto her tightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I came on the invite of my third sister to rest here together. We were almost here when Third Sister¡¯s maid said there was something for Mo Xiu to do, which was why she left. When I entered, I saw Third Sister¡¯s dress sh by and then I saw this gentleman. Then, he did not say anything and smashed the vase on the table. I was so frightened that I ran out of the door...¡±

    Yu Mingyong pointed at Mo Xuemin and mocked her mercilessly. ¡°You say you saw your third sistering, but why didn¡¯t I see her? Is this a lie? The only person I saw where I was sleeping was you. So where did this third sistere from? Are you saying that your third sister asked to meet you here just to frame you? Or are you the shameless one who was meeting someone in private here?¡±

    Mo Xuemin looked as pitiful as a bunny at Yu Mingyong¡¯s scolding. She was extremely agitated and the maids held her as she shook like a flower in the wind. ¡°Third Sister really did ask me to meet her here. It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t believe me. I will find my Third sister... She is still here... She has to be here... I saw her dress...¡±

    The blood on her face had been wiped off carefully by Mo Xiu, revealing her beautiful face. Furthermore, she had practiced her expression and behavior in front of the mirror more than a thousand times. Each and every action of hers had been carefully designed to make her seem beautiful and delicate.

    There were many noble young masters present and it was natural for men to pity the weak. She had behaved like this in the past to win the affections of men in the capital, and she would definitely seed this time.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but watch Mo Xuemin¡¯s acting carefully. There was a cold smile on her lips. Indeed, Mo Xuemin was trying her very best to pull her down with her. She sighed to herself and shook her head secretly. There was indeed no mistake that she had lost to her and died in her hands in her past life. Any man would probably find it hard to escape from Mo Xuemin¡¯s plots. Of course, Feng Yuran, the devil himself, was the exception.

    Feng Yuran was standing beside her. His handsome face was filled with a yful expression as he watched the scene with a smile. He wanted the matter to blow up, the bigger the better.

    The crowd could not bear to watch any longer. The beauty was crying, and her head was bleeding, making her look very pitiful. Furthermore, Yu Mingyong¡¯s reputation was bad, so who would listen to him? Most people were sure that Yu Mingyong was speaking nonsense. They all spoke up.

    ¡°Young Master Yu, have you been mistaken? How could First Miss Mo do something like this? She is a delicate youngdy who rarelyes to the pce. She is not familiar with the pce routes even if she wants to do something in private. Maybe the two sisters really nned to meet here and she was mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Young Master Yu, did you dream of this and thought it was real? First Miss Mo is both beautiful and talented and would not do something like this. Lord Mo is a close subordinate of the Emperor and their family upbringing is very strict. How would he allow his daughter to do something like that?¡±

    ¡°Could it be Third Miss Mo...?¡±

    Someone could not bear to watch any longer. The beauty was crying and her head was bleeding, making her look very pitiful. Furthermore, Yu Mingyong¡¯s reputation was bad, so who would listen to his nonsense? Most people were sure that Yu Mingyong was speaking nonsense. They all spoke up. Even though they did note right out and say that Yu Mingyong was speaking nonsense to besmirch Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation, everyone could understand the underlying meaning.

    Some people even brought up Mo Huawen! There were those who were suspicious of Mo Xuetong. But because the focus right now was on Yu Mingyong, those who were suspicious of her spoke softly, not feeling very confident.

    Mo Xuemin was secretly angry because of this. She wanted them to speak out loud. If she could frame Mo Xuetong, she would be able to extricate herself cleanly. However, she could not make it too obvious. She pinched Mo Xiu¡¯s hand in a secret gesture. The two had been mistress and servant for a long while and some things did not have to be said out loud to be understood. Mo Xiu nodded towards Mo Xuemin imperceptibly.

    She quickly stuffed a note into Mo Xuemin¡¯s sleeve while she was holding her up. She did not put it in too deep. It hung in the sleeve, which was why few saw it. Only Mo Xuetong, who was standing at the top and was watching them, noticed the movement.

    Mo Xuemin had a backup n! But who was the one who had set up the backup for her? Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed and she searched through the crowd. Indeed, she discovered Sima Lingyun, who was hidden in the crowd.

    It was him! Mo Xuetong bit down tightly on her lips and her eyes grew cold. They had plotted together again. Her fingers shook imperceptibly. This scene reminded her of the scene in which the two of them plotted together to poison her to death. She hated them ¨C how could she not?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There will be a good showter!¡± Feng Yuran seemed not to have sensed her odd behavior. He leaned against the fake mountain and smiled roguishly. His handsome eyes glowed in the moonlight. His gleaming eyes and the way he was looking at what was happening below made it seem as if he were hunting. Mo Xuetong nced at him. When had Mo Xuemin offended him? Otherwise, why would he go to such a distance to get her into trouble?

    The smile on her lips was cold as she turned away. There was a hint of joy deep in her eyes. For some reason, she liked watching Feng Yuran dealing with Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun very much!

    Mo Huawen was a close subordinate of the Emperor, and almost everyone knew that. When Yu Mingyong heard that, he realized that the woman in front of him was Mo Huawen¡¯s daughter. His heart skipped a beat. He recalled his sister telling him to butter up to Mo Huawen when he visited her in the pce a few days ago.

    Mo Huawen was now the governor of the capital. He was in charge of thends of the capital and even though the capital was full of powerful people and nobility, he was in charge of all of them. While the governor of the capital was just a third-grade position, it was true power. Furthermore, it was a power that the Emperor supported. Everyone had to bow to him.

    Yu Mingyong had always been one raring for a fight. He would make trouble in the capital from time to time. Small matters could be forgotten, butrger issues happened frequently as well. He could not enter the pce to look for Consort Yu all the time. There were rules for that and the Emperor had already been merciful in allowing him to see Consort Yu. It was impossible for him to visit more frequently.

    If they were on good terms with the Mos, Mo Huawen could turn a blind eye to such things. Grave matters could be resolved then! This was why Consort Yu told Yu Mingyong to butter up to Mo Huawen. He had intended to visit the Mo Manor tomorrow morning and send gifts, befriending the Mos. When he heard that this woman in front of him was Mo Huawen¡¯s daughter, he could not help but feel upset.

    His sister¡¯s reminder rang in his ears. Yu Mingyong did not dare to go against his sister. No matter how foolish he was, he could still tell who the breadwinner was in his family.

    Li Youmo spoke at the crucial moment, looking as if he were trying to settle the dispute. ¡°Yu Mingyong, forget it. Everyone knows you are bullshitting. Do you want to drag First Miss Mo down with you? Look at how her beautiful face has been smashed by you. Even if you weren¡¯t awake, you wouldn¡¯t have hit the person beside you, would you? Forget it, forget it. Apologize to the youngdy and we will call it quits.¡±

    If he had not spoken, Yu Mingyong would not have done anything. However, Yu Mingyong was no longer willing to concede after Li Youmo spoke. He immediately forgot his sister¡¯s orders and felt that he must not let Li Youmo win. He sniffed loudly and pointed at Mo Xuemin, saying, ¡°since you said that your third sister asked to meet you here, get her here so we can ask her about it. Why has the story turned into me hitting you and framing you? You were right beside me. Pfft!¡±

    Yu Mingyong was determined that since the matter had already blown up, he would not just let it go like this. He would just apologize to his sister after this. At most, he would go to the Mos and ask to be punished. Yu Mingyong had never considered that a woman¡¯s reputation could not be salvaged with an apology! Still this foolish idea came to his mind and he would not listen to any others.

 Chapter 168 - Who Is the One Conducting the Affair

    <h4>Chapter 168 Who Is the One Conducting the Affair</h4>

    When Mo Xuemin heard Yu Mingyong mentioning Mo Xuetong without being prompted, a sh of viciousness appeared in her eyes. Good. The person in front of her was a scumbag. If she dragged Mo Xuetong in, Yu Mingyong might even just insist that Mo Xuetong was the one he was meeting. After all, she was beautiful and which man could resist her? Furthermore, Mo Xuemin had alreadyid the groundwork for him. If Yu Mingyong insisted that Mo Xuetong was the one who invited him to meet secretly, then she would be able to walk out of this scot-free.

    Mo Xuetong would not be able to live with her head held up high after this. Mo Xuemin was pleased and her expression grew even more delicate.

    ¡°Young Master Yu, my third sister is a noble youngdy. Is she someone you can meet when you want to? Furthermore, my third sister did not know that you would be here when she asked me to meet here. How could she be trying to frame us?¡± Mo Xuemin looked up tearfully and tried to defend Mo Xuetong fearfully. She looked as if she did not want to let Yu Mingyong get close to Mo Xuetong at all. She appeared totally different from the previous times she brought up Mo Xuetong.

    However, the implications were clear. She was trying to say that it was intentional on Mo Xuetong¡¯s part. Mo Xuetong had brought her here intentionally and got someone to hurt her. She had intentionally put her and Yu Mingyong together...

    This was so hateful!

    Yu Mingyong had already long forgotten Consort Yu¡¯s orders. He was a rogue, and he really did not care about his manners when angry. He thought that Mo Xuemin was pushing the me onto him. He walked up and was about to grab her as he scolded, ¡°Are you still not going to get that third sister of yours here? She¡¯s just as troublesome as you. You¡¯ll know if I¡¯m telling the truth or not then.¡±

    He was a man, but he dared to hold the hand of a nobledy in front of so many people.

    Mo Xuemin was so frightened that she took two steps backward. She tripped on her long skirt and almost fell. Two maids caught her hurriedly and Mo Xiu grabbed her hands, catching her just in time. A note drifted out from Mo Xuemin¡¯s wide sleeve then. Mo Xuemin was startled, and she moved quickly, trying to catch it.

    Yu Mingyong discovered the note as well. He was a man, after all, and his reactions were faster. He pped Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand away and grabbed the note. Then, he backed away and read it angrily. Then, he started yelling, ¡°You still won¡¯t admit it? You were the one who made ns to meet a man here secretly and tried to frame your sister and me. You are a shameless woman. I don¡¯t know why Lord Mo treasures you so. Why was I so unlucky to have encountered this? So unlucky, so unlucky! I have to burn this set of clothes when I get home to get rid of bad luck.¡±

    Then, he threw the note onto the ground and looked at Mo Xuemin with disdain. Then, he quickly looked away as if the sight of her would pollute his eyes. The crowd was shocked by Yu Mingyong¡¯s unusual reaction. A few people went forward to try to see what was written on the note that had been tossed onto the ground.

    How could this be? Mo Xuemin was stunned and the satisfied look in her eyes froze. This note was the one Mo Xiu had stuffed in her sleeve earlier. Sima Lingyun would definitely be aware that something like this had happened to her. She saw Sima Lingyun in the crowd and gave him a look before gesturing the word ¡°three¡± with her hands. Then, Mo Xiu ced the note into her sleeve.

    Even though she did not have time to see what was written on the note, she was sure that Sima Lingyun had written about Mo Xuetong inviting her to meet. As long as she could prove that Mo Xuetong was the one who invited her here and tried to frame her, she would be able to extricate herself from the situation. This n was the result of a sh of inspiration!

    Rationally speaking, Yu Mingyong¡¯s first reaction after reading the note should not be to look at her with disdain but with pity. After all, the delicate and beautiful First Miss had been framed and was crying so pitifully. Everyone would sympathize with her and pity her. The more pitiful she seemed right now, the more they would feel that Mo Xuetong was shameless and vicious. Then, she could pretend to care for her sister deeply and try to defend Mo Xuetong. She would then talk about Mo Xuetong¡¯s damaged reputation. She wanted to see how Mo Xuetong would deal with it then! Would she die? Or would living be worse than dying? It all depended on what Mo Xuemin would say.

    But something unexpected happened!

    Why was Yu Mingyong behaving so oddly? What did he mean by her meeting a man in secret? Her fingers shook violently beneath her sleeves and a sense of cold dread welled up within her. She had a bad feeling and her eyes turned cold. She could not help but look at that note. She wanted to see what was written on it so she could deal with it appropriately.

    Li Youmo moved the fastest. He snatched up the paper that drifted to his feet and read it. After that, he startedughing out loud and dangled the note from his fingers. He did not speak but passed on the note to others. Some of the young masters anddies began to look at Mo Xuemin mockingly and with disdain after reading the note.

    The ominous feeling in Mo Xuemin¡¯s heart grew even stronger. She bit her lips and stared at the note that was being passed around.

    Li Youmo¡¯s oily voice was a little scornful as he nced at a person standing in the crowd. ¡°His Excellency Sima? Isn¡¯t he here? Look, Your Excellency Sima, were youte? We got to watch a good show. Pleasee here, Your Excellency. Your beauty is here. She has already done so much for you; you must not hurt her feelings!¡±

    ¡°Look, His Excellency has been watching this for so long. It is time for him toe up on stage.¡±

    The crowd parted voluntarily and Sima Lingyun, who was hidden in the crowd, appeared awkwardly. The smile on his face was stiff.

    Sima Lingyun had not expected to be involved in the matter. He hade to Qingyu Pavilion slightlyter than the others. He caught Mo Xuemin rushing out with blood streaming down her face. Then, their gazes met. He understood that Mo Xuemin intended to push the me onto Mo Xuetong. He quickly found a quiet spot and casually faked a note, which read Mo Xuetong wanted to meet Mo Xuemin.

    He stuffed the note into Mo Xiu¡¯s hand while everyone was busy ming Yu Mingyong. Then, Mo Xiu secretly ced the note into Mo Xuemin¡¯s sleeve. No one noticed the entire process as everyone was focused on Yu Mingyong. Mo Xuemin appeared to be the victim and seemed so delicate and weak, no one paid her any attention.

    Everything should have gone ording to n. As long as Mo Xuemin revealed the note that had Mo Xuetong¡¯s invitation to her to meet here, all the me would be pinned on Mo Xuetong. No matter whether she was the one having an affair or if she was trying to frame her elder sister, Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would be ruined.

    However, Sima Lingyun could never imagine that the situation would change! He had wanted to keep a low profile but had be the focus of attention. Furthermore, everyone was looking at him disdainfully and with ridicule in their gazes. This feeling made him feel cold all over his body and he felt confused and helpless as well.

    ¡°Your Excellency, did you forget? You have a note as evidence, too. If you really nned to meet a beautiful girl at dusk, you have to be able to leave the pce. It is the New Year, and I really would not dare to do something like this in the pce! I have underestimated Brother Sima. We are actually the same sort of people. I admire you!¡±

    Li Youmo¡¯s exaggeratedughter could be heard. His statement had made it sound as if Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuetong¡¯s secret rtionship were a fact. Mo Xuemin had mistaken him for Sima Lingyun, but it was toote for her to leave when she realized that, which was why she fabricated this dispute.

    Furthermore, he had even appeared to be letting them off, smiling and admitting defeat. He was totally treating Sima Lingyun as a person who was like him. Being so shameless in the pce was not something an ordinary person could do.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the rascal who did it. I don¡¯t care which beauty you are with, but how could you let me take the me?¡± Yu Mingyong understood what was happening and immediately grabbed Sima Lingyun with a roar. He punched him without a second thought. Yu Mingyong did not care about Sima Lingyun, who came from a fallen family.

    He would not treat Sima Lingyun as carefully as he did with Li Youmo!

    ¡°Brother Mingyong, we are in the pce. Even though there¡¯s a scoundrel amongst us, we cannot do something like this in the pce. I thought the two of us were thergest rascals, but I didn¡¯t expect Sir Sima to be even more of a scumbag than us. It is such a shame that the two of us have such a reputation, so we have to take the me for others.¡± He sighed. ¡°It is true that your reputation will get you into trouble.¡± Li Youmo fanned himself as he spoke, looking really sympathetic to Yu Mingyong.

    It was as if he had also suffered a major grievance and became Yu Mingyong¡¯s buddy in just mere moments.

    Everyone watching felt chilled and got goose bumps. This man really had a glib tongue! He had made a yboy look so good, as if he were a good person who had been framed by a scumbag. Look at how he was behaving! Did he even look like that?!

    However, while some did not agree, others seemed convinced.

    Yu Mingyong had never gotten along with Li Youmo. When he heard Li Youmo defending him, he suddenly felt that Li Youmo truly understood him. He felt emotional. He did not expect that the person who understood him the most would be his nemesis, Li Youmo. His feelings towards Li Youmo immediately took a turn for the better.

    He felt that Li Youmo was not an entirely detestable person, but rather intelligent and wise.

    He pushed Sima Lingyun away and approached Li Youmo. He put his hands together seriously and thanked him. ¡°Many thanks, Brother Li, for speaking up for me. Those two were the ones who were meeting up secretly and implicated me. Only you know that I am a good person. Oh, being in love is a good thing, but why did they have to be so shameless? It is an embarrassment to the polite society.¡± He even recited a few phrases of a poem, looking like a dignified gentleman who could not bear to see people behaving shamelessly.

    Yu Mingyong had be a gentleman who was defending justice. This made everyone watching feel shivers down their spine and they shuddered in the cold winter day. There were all kinds of people in the world!

    ¡°So First Miss Mo really has something going on with His Excellency Sima. It seems that she really got the wrong person and intentionally created such a scene.¡±

    ¡°The Duke¡¯s Manor¡¯s youngdy even let First Miss Mo copy His Excellency¡¯s poem at the banquet earlier. I thought it was impossible and His Excellency also said that it was not true. But it seems like it was the truth. The two are having a secret affair, so is there anything that His Excellency cannot agree to give her? It is just a poem after all.¡±

    ¡°You all don¡¯t know about it. But I heard that the girl His Excellency carried out of the fire at the Mo¡¯s was First Miss Mo and not Fourth Miss Mo.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be! How can they do that?¡±

    ¡°Of course, look at her. She might have framed Fourth Miss then. Look, didn¡¯t she try to drag Third Miss down too earlier!¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t there rumors long ago...? You really can¡¯t tell. She usually looks so delicate, gentle and gracious. So it is all fake. She¡¯s really vicious to frame all her sisters and besmirched their reputations. She¡¯s thest one with a good name in her family. Lord Mo can¡¯t dote on her too much.¡±

    ...

    Life was like that. Now that the matter had blown up, everyone would think about it. And the more they talked about it, the more they felt that they were right!

 Chapter 169 - They Brought the Duke Along to Have a Look

    <strong>Chapter 169 They Brought the Duke Along to Have a Look</strong>

    ¡°All right, all right. We all have had enough of the show and should put an end to it. We¡¯re not supposed to bother their romance. Brother Mingyong should also let it go after such grievance and I¡¯ll treat you after we leave the imperial pce. Would you like to go to Hundred Flowers Complex?¡± Li Youmoughed towards Yu Mingyong in a ruffian¡¯s way and put the fan behind. Then he just dragged Yu Mingyong away from Sima Lingyun with much strength and tried to stop the fight smilingly.

    Hearing his words, all the sirs and misses around ironically looked at Sima Lingyun who was knocked down onto the ground and Mo Xuemin who stood unsteadily by the side. They all thought it was farce indeed and that the first young miss Mo was so misbehaved and knew nothing about the rules in the boudoir. She dared to have a secret date in the imperial pce and framed her own younger sister when she got caught, which was soscivious and vicious.

    Who would dare to marry such a girl! They all decided to tell their rtives back home that they no one should marry this girl from Mo Manor.

    Now that they had known the whole thing, they intended to leave right away and stay out of this trouble. The crowd dispersed and was about to set out on their separate ways.

    ¡°Hold on, Sir Yu. You have to tell me what happened, or I¡¯ll strike my head here to death.¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand which was holding Mo Xiu¡¯s trembled. This time, she was really worried, rather than pretending to be worried. Now that the people were still gathered here, she had to rify it. By the time the rumor got out, her reputation would actually be ruined.

    Therefore, she had to exin for herself.

    Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth and angrily red at Yu Mingyong, and there was a sign of bitterness and sadness by her lips, which could arouse others¡¯ pity and sympathy. She held Mo Xiu¡¯s hand and blocked Yu Mingyong¡¯s way with much difficulty. If she let Yu Mingyong leave, she would never have a chance to im herself innocent.

    ¡°What, you want to drag me in to have a look at your improper rtions with others? I¡¯m really sorry that I don¡¯t have that kind of interest.¡± Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t care about others¡¯ opinions and sounded pretty rude. Tears suddenly streamed down Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes, and she just let go of Mo Xiu¡¯s hand and let her tears drop. Then she just walked to the note and picked it up. When she looked at it, her face turned pale. It said that see you in Qingyu Pavilion this midnight, and it was signed by Sima!

    No wonder everyone used Sima Lingyun of it, but she was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t written by Sima Lingyun. Sima Lingyun couldn¡¯t have done such a thing when she was already trapped in a dilemma. Then when did this notee into her sleeves? That was definitely the one Mo Xiu gave her. She was surrounded by maids and there was a quite a distance between her and the others. She wondered who secretly changed the note and imputed her.

    Mo Xuemin thought about a lot of things when she was standing up. No matter what would happen, she could not give up but only stick to her words!

    ¡°Sir Yu, how did you know the note was for me and I was the one who had improper rtions. I came here to my third sister¡¯s invitation and don¡¯t have any improper rtions with others. The minute you saw me, you knocked at me with the bottle. In this way, you should just kill me directly which would not ruin my innocence.¡± Mo Xuemin cried so hard like a pear blossom in the rain. With the note in her hand directly pointed to Yu Mingyong, she bit her lips and asked bitterly.

    ¡°How did it fall from your sleeves if it¡¯s not yours?¡± Yu Mingyong said impatiently. Though Mo Xuemin looked pitiful with her crying, he didn¡¯t care about her feelings after her words of nonsense.

    ¡°It¡¯s not mine, it¡¯s my third sister... No, I found it on my way here...¡± A slight sign of grimness appeared in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about your third sister or fourth sister. It¡¯s apparently your own business.¡± Yu Mingyong interrupted Mo Xuemin¡¯s words impatiently.

    Li Youmo, who was standing aside, showed a sign of mockery by his lips. He stopped persuading Yu Mingyong. Instead, he took out the fan and fanned it very hard. The people around him couldn¡¯t stand this cold blow in such a cold winter day, so they just walked back and saw how they would continue this drama.

    ¡°It¡¯s not our miss¡¯s business. She did this out of good intention.¡± Mo Xiu came to get Mo Xuemin up and turned around to exin for her.

    ¡°Your miss had a good intention? What is her good intention? Maybe she had an improper affair with another man and wanted me to be a scapegoat for them. If they had a child, I might have to suffer for the kid!¡± Yu Mingyong shouted and scolded.

    Although the words were rude, it actually vented the hatred. Thinking about first young Miss Mo¡¯s improper behaviors, allughed aloud.

    Mo Xiu¡¯s face turned red instantly and turned around hurriedly as if she wanted to say something. But she was stopped by Mo Xuemin¡¯s hug from behind. Mo Xuemin covered her mouth and said hurriedly, ¡°Mo Xiu, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±

    ¡°See, your miss admitted it for herself. As a maid, your only duty is to watch for her and needn¡¯t say anything else. Maybe His Excellency from duke¡¯s Manor wanted you to be his concubine too? That sounds great. The miss and her maid serve the same one. His Excellency from duke¡¯s Manor is so lucky!¡± Yu Mingyong¡¯s words got even ruder and wanted to let all of his anger out as if he would die of this anger.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s skills which were used in the backyard were of no use whenpared to Yu Mingyong¡¯s skills used in themunity!

    If this scene went on, Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation would be ruinedpletely!

    She gave Mo Xiu a vicious wink, and Mo Xiu understood her right away.

    ¡°Miss, I have to say or you¡¯ll be wronged. You may care about third miss, but you¡¯ll die soon!¡± Mo Xiu suddenly broke away from Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand and knelt down. She cried at Mo Xuemin.

    Then she turned to everyone present, ¡°Please don¡¯t wrong first miss. This note doesn¡¯t belong to her but third miss. Our miss only came here because third miss invited her. When we arrived here, we saw this note, which would definitely ruin third miss¡¯s reputation. Therefore, she would not tell the truth even if you all wronged her. But I can¡¯t stand it anymore. It wasn¡¯t our miss¡¯s fault, but our miss has to suffer from it. Please return the innocence to our miss!¡± Then she leaned on her knees and kowtowed hard.

    Fresh blood came out from her forehead and streamed down her beautiful face!

    ¡°Mo Xiu!¡± Mo Xuemin hurriedly staggered from behind. She softly held Mo Xiu and cried heavily before she could say anything, which proved Mo Xiu¡¯s words were true.

    ¡°Miss, please forgive me. I really don¡¯t want to see that you were wronged and couldn¡¯t tell the real reason. You can only digest the bitterness by yourself. Miss, you are so kind to third miss and can do nothing more fo her. If third miss were sincere to this sisterhood like you, she wouldn¡¯t...¡± Mo Xiu was kowtowing and crying hard at the same time, so she couldn¡¯t calm her breath. She hugged Mo Xuemin with much care. Both of them just hugged tightly and cried.

    This performance made Mo Xuetong want tough out of no reason. Mo Xuemin was so determined to frame that she wouldn¡¯t stop until Mo Xuetong was dead. In thest life, Mo Xuetong had been cheated by her sincere performance, so she had died so miserably.

    After the pain consisted of fire and blood, Mo Xuetong saw this only as a drama!

    A slight smile emerged by her lips, while there was coldness in her eyes.

    There was a certain scene that was quite simr to the one right now that they strangely got mixed together. It was also Mo Xuemin and Mo Xiu who kowtowed with blood all over her face. She looked at Sima Lingyun who was knocked down on the ground embarrassedly with a swollen face. She clenched her fist so hard and let the pain spread from her hand.

    At that time, Sima Lingyun was sitting in a high broad chair and looking at Mo Xuemin with much sympathy and care, listening to her words which were to cover up for her younger sister. He cared for Mo Xuemin so much that he didn¡¯t care about his own wife who was knocked onto the ground and walked to hold Mo Xuemin up first and gently cared for her. Mo Xuetong felt the same pain like that in herst life. She never expected she could run into this scene again in this life.

    All the blood rushed to her brain at the same time. The disdainful look from Sima Lingyun and the vicious look from Mo Xuemin from her memoried appeared in front of her. By that time, Mo Xuemin also framed her to have improper rtions with a servant from her yard. Mo Xuemin wouldn¡¯t stop when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s face got disfigured and wanted to get her much more pain. At that time in herst life, Mo Xuemin also argued with her hypocritically, as if she hid the truth for Mo Xuetong. However,ter, Mo Xiu disclosed the truth despite everything.

    She seemed to have heard Mo Xuemin¡¯s rampant mockery, the truth on her mother¡¯s death and her painful struggle when she was forced to drink the poison. On that day, there was a big fire and she painfullyy in the fire and blood, while they wereughing contently and watching her pain outside of the fire. Suddenly the feeling of extreme hatred came over her heart.

    She thought she could pretend that she didn¡¯t care about it and could forget it little by little, by she forgot this pain was so harsh that the hatred had already entered her blood and bone. Since she had a second life, she lived for revenge. This hatred was so deep that she didn¡¯t even want a new fresh life and tried to bring them to hell even if she had to go down with them.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly clenched her fists, and her fingernails stabbed into her palms with a sticky feeling.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Even if you don¡¯t want to see me, you don¡¯t have to put so much strength into it.¡± There came a softzy voice by her eye with some teasing, ¡°There, there. Rx!¡±

    Who was talking to her with such intimate voice? The voice sounded so caring to her, so gentle and sympathetic.

    She lightly lifted her eyes which showed the color of blood and clearly saw the beautiful eyes blinking at her with much mor. Then she realized it was Feng Yuran and that she was not stabbing her own palms and let it go. He aggrievedly reached out his hand and there was a wound and some blood in his pure spotless palm.

    She bit her lips and didn¡¯t say anything else. She turned her eyes which still showed the color of light blood, but they out of focus. Her bright eyes were filled with a coldness like that of a ghost. Though she fixed her eyes on the front, it was unknown where she was looking at.

    The way she behaved made him feel extremely unfamiliar as if she was not the pure, spotless girl anymore, but a ghost from hell. It made him feel frightened!

    Was it because of hatred? Feng Yuran narrowed his long beautiful eyes and wondered what kind of hatred would bring so much hate to her delicate cute little face... It was so strong!

    As she slowly fixed her eyes, he looked in her direction and found that the situation suddenly changed in such a short while. Mo Xuemin, who was crying and hugging Mo Xiu tightly, passed out because of sadness. Mo Xiu was screaming and shouting when holding Mo Xuemin in her arms. Yu Mingyong, who was standing by the other side, frowned and walked backward. Someone came up to him and whispered by his ear.

    That man disappeared in the crowd, and then Yu Mingyong stopped being proud and disdainful. His attitude suddenly changed and he politely said to Mo Xuemin, ¡°First young miss Mo, I¡¯m sorry that there are mistakes in it. I¡¯m so sorry that I¡¯ve done such a thing.¡±

    All were amazed by this sudden change!

    No one could imagine the one who was just speaking rude and made her shameful would be so gentle and elegant in such a short time.

    ¡°Uh, what are you doing now?¡± Li Youmo blinked his eyes and leaned over his head. He lifted his eyebrows and asked the question that everyone else had in mind.

    ¡°It was a mistake which I didn¡¯t remember just now. I drank too much today so that I fell asleep. So when I saw someone came in, I thought it was a thief in a trance and used the bottle to beat. However, it hit first young miss Mo. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Yu Mingyong said smilingly and acted in a handsome way. If it¡¯s not for that he really didn¡¯t look elegant at all, he would really make others believe he was gentle and elegant, which was totally different from the Yu Mingyong a moment ago.

 Chapter 170 - Quietly Stayed Alone in Mingzhu Palace

    <strong>Chapter 170 Quietly Stayed Alone in Mingzhu Pce</strong>

    ¡°And the thing with the note?¡± Li Youmo revealed a cold smild secretly and pretended he couldn¡¯t understand it. His face was filled with confusion as if he didn¡¯t expose others¡¯ secret.

    ¡°That is also a mistake for sure. Maybe His Excellency Sima drunk too much and was tricked by someone when we were guessing the riddles. Someone wrote the note and put it in his clothes. However, it was somehow left here, and made first young miss Mo think it belonged to Third Young Miss Mo.¡±

    Bai Yihao appeared from the crowds in a loose robe and wide sleeves. Though he was simply dressed in normal white clothes, he looked so handsome like the jade and the moon. His beautiful eyes were gentle like jade and his voice was so pure. When he stood there smilingly, he caught everyone¡¯s attention instantly.

    His eyes were bright as water with the beauty of the moon. Though he was standing near, he seemed so far away. He slightly nced at Mo Xuemin, which made other misses red at Mo Xuemin angrily. They couldn¡¯t understand why she got the handsome beautiful boy¡¯s attention and why he exined for her.

    In a short distance by the rockery, Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were also fixed on him and she couldn¡¯t understand how Bai Yihao was rted to this and why he would say for Mo Xuemin!

    ¡°Now that Sir Bai said it like that, it must be true.¡± Someone in the crowds already cheered for Bai Yihao.

    ¡°Yes, it really seemed like a mistake.¡±

    ¡°Okay, dismiss, everyone. We¡¯re not supposed to bother Emperor!¡± ...

    ¡°What are you all looking at? He is just a hypocrite.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes got cold and opened his mouth, saying unhappily. He really didn¡¯t like the guy from the bottom of his heart, who always seemed to be so pure and saw himself as a supernatural being. Bai Yihao was the one that was the most difficult to deal with in the entire capital.

    However, so many people believed he was innocent and pure. He got even more nervous especially when Mo Xuetong looked at him in an exploring way!

    He reached out his hand and circled around her slim waist. He didn¡¯t care about whether she agreed or not and just flew out andnded in the pavilion they had just stayed at. He brought her there to hear more clearly. Now that Bai Yihao came and said it was a mistake, there would be nothing interesting about it.

    It¡¯s not the right time to argue with Bai Yihao, so getting out of the ce might be the best way!

    ¡°Can we reach the back of Qingyu Pavilion from this way?¡± Mo Xuetong came back to herself and moved her eyes from the boy¡¯s beautiful face which looked like the moon and a demon. His face was filled with dissatisfaction, but she was not in the mood to speak. Therefore, she just closed her eyes and sighed. Then she just opened her eyes and asked calmly.

    No matter whether it was a mistake or not, she was already involved in it. She had to find a witness who could prove they were together for the whole night. The best one she could think of was Luo Mingzhu. As long as Luo Mingzhu said they were together for the whole night, the rumors would all disappear.

    ¡°Miss Luo was with her elder brother, and You Yuecheng and some other sirs and misses were also with them.¡± Feng Yuran lifted his lips and smiled. Hepletely understood what she meant and calmly leaned himself over the bed. It was the middle of a month and there was a big round moon in the sky. The moonlight came in from the window and spread on his beautiful face.

    It made his mour face even more attractive in the light. When he was there, everything else was only his foil, including the people, the moon, or even the beautiful moonlight by the horizon. From Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction, he was leaning by the window with the round moon shining like a silver te. He looked just like a beautiful teenager in the round moon!

    The whole skyline was eclipsed because of him!

    Mo Xuetong moved her eyes away and didn¡¯t dare to look at his morous beautiful face anymore. She lowered her head and set aside the strange feeling inside. She insisted in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go to find my cousin.¡±

    Except for Luo Mingzhu, she couldn¡¯t find anyone else to prove for her.

    Feng Yuran waved his hand to show his disapproval and an indolent smile appeared by his lips, ¡°She was surrounded by several brothers and had no time to prove for you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyebrows frowned and she said nothing.

    Apparently, Luo Mingzhu was not the best to be a witness, but she couldn¡¯t find anyone better than her.

    She hadn¡¯t been in the capital for a long time and had no other people she was familiar with. If she couldn¡¯t find a firm witness, her own reputation would be half-ruined after this farce caused by Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin¡¯s words which seemed light would fall hard onto Mo Xuetong.

    The best way to defeat Mo Xuemin was not through words but sound proof! She intended to let Mo Xuemin¡¯s n be invalid.

    Only if someone with a high status proved to be with her the whole time, Mo Xuemin¡¯s words would not be trusted. Even if Yu Mingyong eventually denied his own words, everyone would see the doubtful points and then Mo Xuemin¡¯s words would not be trusted anymore!

    But now the problem was that she couldn¡¯t find the right man.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± She casually sat by the side and pouted. Then she frowned and asked Feng Yuran subconsciously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m still here!¡± Feng Yuran picked up a piece of fruit by the table which was grape-shaped. Then he lifted his eyebrows towards her contently, feeling satisfied that she put all her attention to him.

    ¡°I wonder who is the one you find for me, a person who can not only handle the situation but would also be willing to prove for me.¡± Mo Xuetong nced at him and gently asked. She knew for sure that he would not prove for her, but he must have found another person who had a high status and could handle the situation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and do as I told you.¡± Feng Yuranughed aloud and stood up. Then he bowed to her as if he was inviting her to do something and looked very confident. He nced at her as if he was about tough. His proud face made Mo Xuetong re at him subconsciously, but she felt reassured at the same time.

    She just stopped asking him and stood up by herself. Then she followed him out of the pavilion from the back door. They walked out of the pavilion and through the rockery and the lonely plum blossoms at a corner of the garden. The noisy pce suddenly turned cold and lonely, and the loneliness was shown in front of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What¡¯s this ce?¡± Mo Xuetong stood still and doubtfully looked at the lonely pce walls while asking.

    It was so deste indeed. There were twomps hanging lonely by the door of the pce, without anyone waiting there. If it¡¯s not next to the center of the pce, Mo Xuetong would even doubt if it was the cold pce. However, though it seemed cold and deste from the outside, it was splendid inside, which obviously showed it was not ignored.

    Having followed Feng Yuran across the wall and to the door, Mo Xuetong finally saw it clearly that there were three vigorous characters on the door of the pce, which read Mingzhu Pce!

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help taking a breath of cool air and couldn¡¯t say a word!

    There are tears on the moon pearl in the sea, and smoke on the warm jade in the blue field!

    It was known to all in herst life, and even though Mo Xuetong was locked in the yard, she also knew it.

    Princess Royal Feng Mingzhu used to live in this Mingzhu Pce. It was said thatst Emperor loved Princess Royal most and once said he would treat her as the apple of his eye. Therefore, he especially built Mingzhu Pce for her. After Princess Royal got married, her husband passed away at a young age and left no child fo her. Princess Royal had moved to Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, but then she returned to Mingzhu Pce because she felt sad after her husband¡¯s death.

    Emperor Zongwen also cared much for this younger sister, so he just ignored the rules and let her move back to the pce, which had never happened before.

    As soon as the princesses in Great Qin got married, they would have to move to the manors for princesses and couldn¡¯t return to the pce for their whole life. However, Princess Royal Mingzhu moved back to the pce, which was partly because of her husband. But the most important reason was that Emperor Zongwen liked Princess Royal a lot.

    After Princess Royal moved back into Mingzhu Pce, the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor outside of the pce was still kept for her. It was seldom used to treat writers and poets. Though she was a woman, she had pretty good fame in the officials and was admired by some talented writers. Though she was a woman, she had a wide horizon and man friends, which Emperor Zongwen didn¡¯t prevent at all. Instead, he was happy to see Princess Royal interested in it and was no longer lost in the pain caused by her husband¡¯s death.

    Therefore, this Princess Royal was very famous!

    But in thest life, Princess Royal finally broke up with Emperor Zongwen and moved out of Mingzhu Pce. This was quite a hit in Mo Xuetong¡¯sst life. No one would imagine Princess Royal who was quiet and simple would annoy Emperor Zongwen and get locked in Princess Royal¡¯s Manor in the end.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know why the famous Princess Royal would end up like that. She only knew that by the time she died, Princess Royal was still in her manor. It was said that Princess Royal was in poor health and was supposed to have more rest. But in fact, she was locked in the yard. She had her whole life filled with prosperity and honor but ended with only fallen leaves.

    In thest life, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t live for too long so she didn¡¯t know how Princess Royal ended. Maybe by the time the new Emperor ascended to the throne, he would let her out.

    But she couldn¡¯t imagine that respected and honored Princess Royal lived in such a poor and deste ce.

    There was only one servant standing by the door, who was not surprised when he saw Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetonging over. He just walked forward to greet obediently and said softly, ¡°Your Highness, the princess is waiting for you.¡±

    Princess Royal was waiting for Feng Yuran? Although Princess Royal and Feng Yuran were aunt and niece, she shouldn¡¯t have waited for Feng Yuran till sote in the night. She got more confused in her mind. She wanted to catch something in her mind, but she couldn¡¯t.

    She followed Feng Yuran through the door and walked inside.

    As soon as she walked in, she saw a few red plum blossoms on the branches, shining in the snow and coldness. Though they looked lofty, they looked more charming than the white plum blossoms. They lit the whole yard with liveliness and made people forget about the coldness outside and start to calm down.

    The maid, who was guarding by the pce, saw them and came up to them smilingly. After she greeted to Feng Yuran, she said smilingly, ¡°Your Highnesses sote that the princess has asked to look for you for several times. We thought you might have too much fun and forgot about the princess¡¯s words. I alsoforted Princess Royal that King Xuan was filial obedient that he would never forget about Princess Royal and woulde to visit her. Just after my words, you are here. And then Princess Royal¡¯s sighs wouldn¡¯t be in vain.¡±

    The maidughed and looked very smart. It seemed that she was about 17 and was in her best times. She was stunning and graceful. If Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t meet her in the pce and hear her calling herself a maid, Mo Xuetong might have misunderstood her for a first miss. She had good qualities and manners. Although she didn¡¯t talk to Mo Xuetong, she smiled to Mo Xuetong while speaking as a greeting.

    The one served for the prime minister must have a high status, not to mention the first maid of Princess Royal. Those first maids were always the confidant. Besides, Princess Royal had a special and respected status, so when some imperial concubines wanted to fawn on Princess Royal, they had to fawn on this first maid. Therefore, she was lucky to get her smile!

    Mo Xuetong also smiled back as a way of greeting. Now that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t introduce her, she couldn¡¯t do too much and had to wait and see how he would deal with it!

 Chapter 171 - The Royal Brothers

    <h4>Chapter 171 The Royal Brothers</h4>

    ¡°Bai Ling, how is Aunt feeling? Father has locked me up and I had to sneak around to visit my Aunt. It is inconvenient to enter the pce and it was difficult for me to enter the pce openly. So I had to take this opportunity to visit her. When have I ever broken my promises to her?¡± Feng Yuran said to Bai Ling as he walked forward carelessly. He nced at Mo Xuetong through the corners of his eyes, behaving rather mboyantly.

    ¡°Princess Royal is almost recovered. She was worried that Your Highness might feel bored being locked up and that you would anger the Emperor by misbehaving. She even told the maids to send someone to tell King Xuan to behavest night. But then she thought that it was not actually Your Highness who was misbehaving but that she was worried about you.¡± Bai Ling walked on slightly in front of Feng Yuran¡¯s left while lifting her skirts slightly, leading the way.

    They reached the doors. Bai Ling smiled and pushed the door open and led them in.

    ¡°You rascal, you¡¯re always so disobedient. You sell me out whenever you see Little Eight.¡± The lightughter and scolding of a woman could be heard from inside. Even though she was scolding Bai Ling, her tone was gentle and peaceful and she did not seem angry at all.

    ¡°Your Highness, you are the one who cares most about King Xuan, and you won¡¯t allow me to say so! I will definitely be more obedient next time and won¡¯t tell anyone about how Your Highness went to the door to look out of it several times. Your Highness worries about King Xuan so much, but you are worried that he would find out.¡± Bai Ling smiled at the Princess who was seated on the couch.

    ¡°Youss, why are you so glib? I only said one sentence and you started to natter on and on. Anyone who dares to marry you would be nagged to death by you.¡± The Princess Royal scolded with a smile. Then, her gazended on Mo Xuetong who entered after Feng Yuran.

    Her gaze froze and then grew warm again. She lookedpletely different from how she had that day when she was enraged.

    ¡°Your Highness, I will not marry and will serve you in the future.¡± Bai Ling flushed and replied before leaving.

    Feng Yuran bowed naturally and then sat down on arge nanmu seat on the side.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her head and curtsied to the princess graciously. ¡°Greetings, Your Royal Highness.¡±

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, I did not expect that we would meet so soon again. Are you getting used to the pce?¡± The Princess¡¯s lips lifted in a faint smile as she gestured for Mo Xuetong to stand. She seemed gentle and gracious.

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Your Highness. I am doing well.¡± Mo Xuetong replied gently.

    ¡°We met in Cloud City and I received your orchid. If you are free,e and visit me in the pce in the future. People rarely visit and it gets rather quiet.¡± The Princess smiled gently. The smile appeared sincere on her youthful face. ¡°Little Eight brought you here, so you don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony. If there is anything that you need help with, you maye to me.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness.¡± Mo Xuetong replied politely.

    The Princess waspletely different from how she appeared thest time. She only mentioned the orchid but not their previous meeting in the pce...

    Feng Yuran had grown impatient and he smiledzily before saying to the Princess, ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t ask so many questions. There will be opportunities to do so in the future. I need your help today.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten into trouble and are looking at me for help again. When your father scolds you next time, I cannot speak up for you again.¡± The Princess could not resist smiling even as she scolded him when she saw hiszy expression.

    ¡°Father scolds me all the time anyway, you don¡¯t have to speak up for me. But you have to help me today and stop the rumors. Nothing happened, but the rumors would make it sound ugly and embarrass me. Aunt, you would be embarrassed too.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. His small, slitted eyes, which were slightly upturned shone like the stars in the sky seductively.

    ¡°You were the one who caused trouble but you are making me take responsibility for it. I won¡¯t do that. Furthermore, when has your reputation ever been good? You¡¯ve done embarrassing things more than once anyway, so when have you be concerned about your reputation?¡± The Princess said, sounding rather annoyed. However, one could see the love andughter in her eyes. Bai Ling, who was also smiling by the side invited Mo Xuetong to take a seat.

    Bai Ling served some tea with a smile and then retreated to stand behind the Princess, giving her a back massage.

    ¡°Aunt...¡± Feng Yuran said pleadingly and cutely, ¡°Aunt, love me!¡±

    He was like a little girl who was acting cute before an elder. There was even a hint of delicateness in his eyes. Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips could not help but twitch as she watched him. She felt that the man was really interesting. His expression was really on point and he even winked at her in the end.

    ¡°You rascal...¡± The Princess could not help but point at him andugh out loud!

    ¡°Tell me what happened today. I¡¯ll say this first. I won¡¯t help if it¡¯s too difficult. Your Father can punish you so you will learn your lesson. You¡¯re already so old, but you¡¯re still so mischievous. The Emperor will choose a wife for you tomorrow so that someone can control you. It will ease my worries then.¡± The Princess picked up her tea and took a sip of it with a hint of a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early. Father won¡¯t be in a hurry to find me a wife. I still have Eldest Brother and Third Brother. He would choose a wife for them before he chooses one for me. It would still be another year or two before that happens.¡± Feng Yuran looked up with a smile as he spoke carelessly. He pointed at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Please, Aunt, say that you were chatting all this while with Tong¡¯er. You don¡¯t need to say anything else, and everyone will understand.¡±

    Mo Xuemin said that Mo Xuetong had once appeared at Qingfang Pavilion, implying that Mo Xuetong was responsible for what happened there. Then, he would get Princess Royal to be their witness.

    ¡°Alright, I will let everyone know that Third Miss Mo is someone I like. Are you satisfied with that?¡± The Princessughed out loud. Her eyes grew gentle as she turned towards Mo Xuetong. She said with a smile, ¡°Third Miss Mo, did something interesting happen at the banquet earlier? Why don¡¯t you tell me about it and let me be entertained as well.¡±

    Something interesting that happened at the banquet? She must mean what happened between Mo Xuemin and Sima Heyan!

    ¡°Your Highness, I was behind my eldest sister then and was far away from where the Empress was sitting. I only heard that there was something odd about my sister¡¯s poem. Then, my sister and Miss Sima went up to argue before the Empress, but I don¡¯t know what happened. After that, the Empress ordered for the banquet to end and that we were to get on the boats. So I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    She did not know what the Princess¡¯ intentions were. As such, she chose to put some things gently and politely.

    ¡°That eldest sister of yours is truly interesting. There have always been many interesting people in the pce.¡± The Princess seemed to be talking about something else. There was a sh of darkness in her eyes and the smile on her lips turned cold.

    Mo Xuetong could not reply to what she said, so she turned to look at Feng Yuran uneasily.

    ¡°Aunt, that¡¯s why I say you¡¯re the best. You¡¯ve always sat and watched as the drama unfolds in the pce.¡± Feng Yuran winked and smiled naughtily at the Princess.

    A servant entered as they were speaking. She reported, ¡°King Chu is outside Mingzhu Pce right now. He is asking to meet the Princess.¡±

    ¡°Eldest Brother should be meeting his lover at this time. What is he doing here!¡± Feng Yuran wrinkled his handsome and tall nose. There was a hint of ridicule in hisughter.

    Feng Yuxuan entered, wearing an elegant and exquisite wide robe. When he heard what Feng Yuran said, he answered with augh, ¡°Eighth Brother, you are joking. I don¡¯t have any lover at home.¡±

    His gaze could not help but settle on the girl in white robes. The girl before him was clothed in white and looked clean and pure. She wore a tight light pink jacket. The silk ribbons of her jacket hung down to her ankles. Her porcin skin had a healthy glow to it. It was smooth and wless like the purest piece of white jade there ever was. She was more delicate and more beautiful than the most beautiful flower. Her mouth was tiny and her eyes were crystal clear. She was unspeakably elegant and seductive.

    One could not help but be drawn into the ripples in her eyes.

    Mo Xuetong got up and curtsied to Feng Yuxuan. She must not be impolite in the room filled with royals.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, please, get up. When did youe to Aunt¡¯s? I heard Aunt¡¯sughter when I entered. It seems that she likes you a lot.¡± Feng Yuxuan waved his hand and gestured for Mo Xuetong to get up as he questioned her with a smile, seeming as if he did not care. His eyesnded on Feng Yuran, who was smiling rather naughtily. He coughed lightly.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo is indeed an interesting person. I have already liked her since Cloud City. We were fated to meet. I heard that she was here for the banquet, so I especially sent someone to bring her here. The two of you came while we were talking. Could there be something good in my pce that has attracted all of you here? You two rarelye, but you are all here now.¡±

    The Princess said lightly, reaching out to wave Mo Xuetong towards her. Mo Xuetong approached hurriedly and stood beside the Princess. There truly was nowhere for her to sit with the three of them present. Standing beside the Princess was the most suitable. Mo Xuetong took over Bai Ling¡¯s chore and started to massage the Princess¡¯ back. Bai Ling smiled at her and turned to make Feng Yuxuan tea.

    ¡°It is rare for Aunt to find someone she likes. Third Miss Mo, you have toe to the pce often in the future.¡± Feng Yuxuan said with a smile. Then, he turned to say to the Princess, ¡°Aunt, how are you feeling? I did not have time to visit thest few days. I heard you were ill and could not wait toe even though it iste now. I have disturbed your rest.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan behaved elegantly and spoke gently. His concern was obvious and he was really pleasant. The Princess¡¯ smile grew even wider. She nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. Something joyful has happened to me on Mother¡¯s birthday as well. My two nephews are here to apany me. But I don¡¯t know if the otherdies out there will me me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. They will me you only because Eldest Brother is here. You know as well, who could be bothered with someone like me. They would just hide and be afraid to see me. I shall stay here and apany you lest I be tiresome to others. Otherwise, I might be med for something that happened to another one of those youngdies.¡± Feng Yuran smiled roguishly, lifting his handsome brows lightly. His lips were as red as blood and he was undeniably seductive.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, you are too humble. I heard that Her Majesty is interested in ying matchmaker for you. There were nobledies who came just for you to take a look at them. So why have youe here? Someone from the Empress¡¯ pce mighte to fetch you in a bit.¡± Said Feng Yuxuan with a smile.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, talk about yourself. Which girl are you interested in? Is she from the Ding General Manor or from the Mingguo Manor? I heard the youngdy from Mingguo Manor is really pretty. And the daughter of the General is also here today. The Empress has put these youngdies at the first table specially. You have to grasp the opportunity.¡± Feng Yuran said with a light smile.

    The two brothers exchanged words, seeming to be on good terms...

 Chapter 172 - The Beauty Who Followed After

    <h4>Chapter 172 The Beauty Who Followed After</h4>

    Mo Xuetong massaged the Princess¡¯ back lightly. From where she was standing, she could see the sh of anger on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face. The elegant and calm Prince was not as elegant as he was said to be after all. He was angered by Feng Yuran¡¯s repeated mention of the Ding General Manor.

    She nced at the man who did not seem at all to notice that Feng Yuxuan was angry. He was lyingzily on his seat, but it did not hinder his good looks at all. His figure was long and slender and his eyes were charming. They shone under the light. They were deep and shone yfully as he lifted his long brows.

    How could a charming youth be stupid? Mo Xuetong, who had interacted with Feng Yuran all this while would not believe that his actions were unintentional. She rolled her eyes subconsciously. However, he turned aroundzily and looked at her charmingly. Mo Xuetong did not know if she had seen wrongly, but there was a hint of unhappiness in his deep, dark, and extremely handsome eyes.

    Who had made His Highness angry again?

    It was obvious that the petty Prince was angry at someone beside him.

    Mo Xuetong did not want to be implicated in the matter and secretly sympathized with the person he was angry at. King Xuan was extremely petty and his moods were unpredictable. He was also especially good at bearing grudges. She wondered who had annoyed him. It would not be just one person who would be implicated when he was annoyed. She really did not know who the unlucky fellow who angered King Xuan was. That person was doomed!

    While Mo Xuetong sympathized with that person, she did not dare to bring trouble onto herself. When she saw how he was looking at her, she hurriedly to rearrange her features and pretended not to see him while turning her head away. She started to massage the Princess¡¯ shoulders carefully.

    Feng Yuxuan quickly adjusted his mood and pasted an elegant smile on his face. He hid the darkness in his eyes and said, ¡°Eighth Brother, you are joking. The Ding General Manor is the family of the Empress, so how would they be interested in the two of us. I am not interested in marrying a girl from a noble or powerful family. I just want someone I love. That is why whatever happens to the youngdies of the noble Manors has nothing to do with me. The Empress is more interested in Third Brother and is choosing a wife for him this time! Furthermore, Father will make the decision regarding the important matter that is our marriages. Why do we need to talk anymore about it.¡±

    He seemed to be expressing his feelings but also seemed to be avoiding suspicion at the same time. His statement was well-spoken and was graceful, just like him. It did not feel odd at all and was hard to dislike. One only felt that he was but just human and emotional. He was looking for his dream girl and had no other desires.

    But why would he say all that in front of the Princess if he really did not have any other desires!

    What had the Ding General Manor or the Empress to do with his visit?

    Feng Yuran stood up and got Bai Ling to serve him another cup of tea. He took the tea and stood up before approaching Feng Yuxuan with a smile. ¡°Eldest Brother, you were right. I only need to drink and have fun. Father should make the decisions over thesends. Let¡¯s pray for blessings for our father tonight. Eldest Brother, we cannot drink here at Aunt¡¯s, so let me toast you with this cup of tea.¡± Then, he brought the tea to Feng Yuxuan respectfully with a smile on his lips.

    Feng Yuxuan could not refuse given his polite tone. He stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Many thanks, Royal Eighth Brother. Let¡¯s meet Father together in a while and toast him to longevity.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I heard that the second miss of Ding General Manor is here today as well. It is said that she has been interested in you for a long while. When I got here, Aunt said that the second miss of the Ding General Manor will be here to visit herter. She can go with youter and Father would be pleased to see that.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone. He waved at Bai Ling who was waiting by the side and asked, ¡°When did Second Miss Ling say that she woulde?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan who had just taken half a sip from the teacup spluttered. He coughed violently, spewing out tea. His expression grew stiff.

    ¡°She should be here soon. The Empress specially sent someone to inform us earlier.¡± Bai Ling frowned in thought and answered gently.

    Feng Yuxuan, who was seated by the side, could not help but react to that. His handsome face turned dark immediately.

    Even though what happened on the night before New Year¡¯s Eve was considered a royal scandal, and it was not just one person who had seen the two brothers appear there one after another...

    To be honest, Feng Yuxuan did not really like Ling Fengyan. He just wanted to make use of her. However, after the incident came to light, Ling Fengyan was no longer much help to him but instead, was a huge hindrance. If the Emperor thought that his eldest son loved a girl who had grown up with his other son, he would definitely scold Feng Yuxuan for not being a good brother.

    The Ding General Manor stood behind the Empress, and the Empress supported Feng Yulei. Even though Ling Fengyan was beautiful, she was not of much use to the grand scheme of things. And after the incident, he had to give up on some of his ns. It was not wise to continue having any ties to Ling Fengyan.

    As such, Feng Yuxuan came to the Princess Royal¡¯s abode to avoid Ling Fengyan, who was in the Empress¡¯ pce amongst other reasons. However, he did not expect that Ling Fengyan woulde to the Princess Royal¡¯s Mingzhu Pce to pay her respects to the Princess. A hint of annoyance shed through his gentle eyes. The Empress meant for Ling Fengyan to stick to him.

    Even if she wanted to trap him using a beautiful girl, he first had to be interested in the girl. He could not help but look at the beautiful face across him. There was a brilliant smile on that face that shone with life. One could not help but be drawn to it.

    ¡°Your Highness, Second Miss Ling wants to meet you. She is here to greet you.¡± A servant hurried in and reported.

    ¡°Invite her in!¡± The Princess could not help but frown impatiently. ¡°What¡¯s with my pce today? You are alling here and it is more crowded than the New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Aunt, this is a good ce. Of course, your nephews have toe and pay our respects to you. It is the New Year¡¯s, and we are here to ask for a ss of wine and wish you joy and good health.¡± Feng Yuxuan said with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Aunt. It is usually so quiet here. There are so many people who thought of you this year, and that¡¯s a good thing. Second Miss Ling is said to rarely leave her home and no one knows about her. She is said to be the most beautiful in the capital. I am blessed today thanks to you, Aunt. I can see the the most beautiful girl in the capital here today. It could be counted as a blessing from Aunt to your nephew in the new year.¡± Feng Yuran drawled. His voice was mellow and thick and was very attractive. It sounded like music ying in one¡¯s heart.

    Ling Fengyan who had just entered the room heard his voice and could not help but look up secretly. She saw an extremely handsome young man with dark glittering eyes. He looked at her with a vague smile. He wore luxurious purple robes embroidered with dragons. The embroidery trailed down his sleeves, making him so handsome that he seemed almost inhuman. His tall nose and red, luscious lips, as well as the exquisite and perfect curve to his chin made him look noble and perfect.

    He closed his handsome eyes slightly. His long slender fingers were pale and shone like elegant bamboo. He was holding on to a cup of tea. His eyes were filled with emotion as if they could speak. A look from him was sufficient for ones to lose their soul.

    Ling Fengyan had been ordered by the Empress to go to the Princess Royal¡¯s pce today. She had onlye after she heard that King Chu was here. As such, she arrived only a few minutester than Feng Yuxuan. She was to appear before Feng Yuxuan as a girl who was deeply in love with him. Ling Fengyan did not dare to treat the Empress¡¯ assignment lightly, and she left the Empress¡¯ pce in a hurry.

    However, she did not expect Feng Yuran to be here as well!

    She could not stop thinking about him for some reason after their meeting that night. Even though she felt as if she could not like the young master who was only interested in games and girls, it was not Feng Yulei or Feng Yuxuan who appeared in her dreams.

    As such, when they met again, she felt slightly excited. She almost could not control her joy and excitement. Fortunately, she had grown up by the Empress¡¯ side and could control her emotions well. She bit her lips and hid the excitement she felt. She held on to her maid and approached the Princess Royal shyly. She curtsied and said, ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. May you forever be happy and healthy.¡±

    Every step she took was as light as the wind caressing the willows. Her quiet voice carried the gentleness of a young girl and struck a chord in one¡¯s heart. Furthermore, with her intentional posturing, she seemed even more seductive and gentle. Her polite gesture showcased her good breeding and politeness. One did not know how many times she practiced this in front of the mirror. She was very confident that every step she took made one¡¯s heart flutter.

    However, when others watched her, they felt that she was rather fake.

    There was not a person in the room who had a favorable impression of her. As such, no one liked her.

    Feng Yuxuan only wanted to distance himself from her. He knew what the Empress was thinking even if she didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    He did not want to have anything to do with Ling Fengyan. As such, he pretended not to see her gentle and delicate behavior.

    On the other side, Feng Yuran sized Ling Fengyan up without hesitation. He felt that she could notpare to Mo Xuetong. Her figure, her appearance, her fakeness and that extremely fake smile on her face... How could she be the greatest beauty in the capital? She was no match for his Tong¡¯er. Look at how thoserge and bright eyes were staring viciously at him. She was as quick as you could want her to be and she was as angry as you wanted her to be. How could she bepared to a fake wooden person!

    Feng Yuran looked at Ling Fengyan whileparing her to Mo Xuetong whom he looked at from the corners of his eyes. He saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression growing darker and darker as she red at him angrily. However, when she saw that he did not care at all, she ignored him and turned her head to the side. One would never be able to have a clear conversation with a useless person like him. How dared he behave so audaciously in front of the Princess!

    The Princess noticed their reactions and nodded to herself. A faint but noble smile appeared on her lips. She said, ¡°Second Miss Ling, please get up. Many thanks for remembering me though I live alone. I wonder if you have brought a message from the Empress?¡±

    Ling Fengyan had never been to Mingzhu Pce and she hade for an ulterior motive today. While the Princess had a good temper, she was rather annoyed at this point. She did not care about what happened in the Empress¡¯ Pce. However, they did not have toe to her Mingzhu Pce. She liked spending her days quietly ever since her husband died. Even though Mingzhu Pce was considered to be in a central location in the pce, she had told the Emperor to try to make her pce be as quiet as possible.

    Ling Fengyan understood the Princess¡¯ intentions and her face paled. However, her eyes reddened and seemed a little moist, making her look delicate and pitiful.

    ¡°Your Highness, I came to chat with Your Highness on behalf of Her Majesty. So...¡± She said, sounding slightly aggrieved. She was still kneeling on the ground because the Princess had not told her to rise.

    ¡°I have received the Empress¡¯ good intentions. However, it is the New Year¡¯s and everyone wants to have a reunion with their family. You had better return home or the Ding General Manor would be missing a filial daughter.¡± The Princess said lightly. It was as if she had not noticed how sad Ling Fengyan seemed. Feng Yurany against the back of the chairzily, watching the show.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression remained stoic, looking gentle and elegant.

    Only Bai Ling, who was standing beside the Princess took a second look at her. There was a sh of something in her eyes. However, she was just a pce maid. Despite being a well-liked servant of the Princess, she did not dare to say anything in this situation.

    The Ding General Manor¡¯s filial daughter was not at home but here at the pce. She was not a rtive of the Princess, so why was she here? This was not just a refusal but a stark p in the face. Even though the Princess was an unapproachable person, she had always seemed strong before others. The Empress had behaved irrationally to send Ling Fengyan over today. They were ying tricks right in front of her. Did they not take her seriously anymore?

    Ling Fengyan flushed red and then her face lost all color as she looked at the two handsome princes.

 Chapter 173 - Resentment. The Chaos Starts Again.

    <h4>Chapter 173 Resentment. The Chaos Starts Again.</h4>

    ¡°I, I...¡± Ling Fengyan hid her annoyance and shame hurriedly when she saw the anger on the Princess¡¯ face. Her eyes reddened and she cried delicately as she knelt on the ground, ¡°I heard that there were other youngdies who havee to greet the Princess, so I came as well. I did not know that I behaved rashly.¡±

    The other youngdy she was talking about was Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong was the daughter of a third-grade official. Youngdies from noble and wealthy families like Ling Fengyan spurned her. As such, she was mentioned at this time by Ling Fengyan, who was feeling resentful.

    Since Mo Xuetong coulde, why couldn¡¯t she? She was instructed to be here by the Empress. If the Princess mocked her again, it would mean that she was going against the Empress. The back of the pce was still governed by the Empress. Even though she did not have any sons, she still held the position and the status that came with it. No matter which Prince take the throne in the future, she would still be considered their legal mother and the Empress Dowager. Nobody could deny that.

    However, if the Princess allowed Ling Fengyan to stay, should there be rumors circting in the back of the pce regarding Ling Fengyan and Feng Yuxuan, what transpired today would definitely be mentioned. The two of them had apanied the Princess and they had chatted all night. This meant that they are acknowledging the rtionship between Ling Fengyan and Feng Yuxuan! This also meant allowing the Empress to extend her reach into Mingzhu Pce. The Princess could not ept that.

    Chasing Ling Fengyan away meant going against the Empress. If she did not chase Ling Fengyan away, it meant agreeing to the Empress¡¯ interference. It also meant surrendering to the Ding General Manor.

    Mo Xuetong sighed to herself. The people in the pce were all not simple. The Empress yed a mean hand of chess!

    But she could not do anything. She could only wait silently as others picked the game apart. She looked at Feng Yuran who sat there calmly and knew that he had a n. As such, she lowered her head and looked at her toes silently.

    Ling Fengyan realized that all was silent after she spoke and felt confident. Then, she thought of how the Princess used to be arrogant and overbearing and she could not help but start to fear. Sweat started to appear at her forehead. She bent down and did not dare to say anything else.

    Feng Yuran stood up suddenly and walked up to the window. It had started to snow lightly. A red plum tree stood outside the pce in the snow. Its long branches with a stark difference in the pure white snow made the sky looked even more colorful and beautiful.

    He looked at the scene outside and then turned around to smile at Mo Xuetong seductively. He said, ¡°Third Miss Mo, it is gettingte. Aunt is busy here. You are a girl, so you don¡¯t need to stay in the pce. Thentern festival is about over and I am going to return to my manor. I shall send you home on the way back.¡±

    He had said that really casually, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room. He did not ask Mo Xuetong if she had any opinions. Instead, he turned and smiled at the Princess. ¡°Aunt, have pity on your nephew. Look, it¡¯s snowing again. I might as well return to my manor, get warm and have some hot wine. I will definitely bring you a New Year¡¯s gift that you like tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Oh you, don¡¯t forget to bid your father goodbye before you leave the pceter or he will think that you are still in the pce. I don¡¯t need anything from you. Just give me that red coral tree tomorrow. Don¡¯t bring those mediocre things here.¡± A smile appeared on the Princess¡¯ somber face.

    ¡°How would I dare? Aunt, you just wait. If I don¡¯t send you that red coral tree, then you can trash up my manor.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile in his eyes. Then, he bid Feng Yuxuan farewell. Mo Xuetong took the opportunity to bid the Princess and Feng Yuxuan farewell as well.

    This was for the best. As long as she left, Ling Fengyan could not use her as an excuse to stay. Furthermore, if King Chu was not interested, he would leave as well. The Princess had nothing to do with everything else!

    That devilish man was not simple indeed. He had ruined the Empress¡¯ n with just a few words. Mo Xuetong could not help but admire him. He was indeed different from the yboy prince who was good for nothing that everyone thought he was. He was a treacherous man!

    He had dealt with the stalemate with just a few words.

    Thenterns lit up the dark as white snowkes fell from the skies. It brought an additional beauty to thentern festival in the pce. The snowkes drifted as skirts swayed. The young men were handsome and the youngdies, beautiful. The young people were easily pleased and were in good spirits which were further enhanced by the beautiful scenery.

    The incident between Marquess Zhenguo, Sima Lingyun, and Mo Xuemin, the eldest daughter of the Mo family, had long disappeared in the beautiful snow. No one remembered that Mo Xuemin had been sent out of the pce early on and that Sima Lingyun had been reprimanded by the Emperor. The Dukeship that he had been about to get his hands on was now put on hold indefinitely. Sima Lingyun was still the Marquess of Zhenguo.

    He had behaved improperly in the pce and had annoyed the Emperor. Even the other officials felt that he was flighty. A few of them had agreed in private to speak up for Sima Lingyun when the Emperor mentioned him so that he could take the dukeship.

    However, the Emperor had been in a bad mood even before he spoke. They did not dare to say anything else. Emperor Zongwen was a powerful ruler. There were no other dissensions in court since he assumed his position. Great Qin was considered orderly and he was a fair ruler. The families of those who helped to establish the nation remained titled so that their descendants could be taken care of.

    The descendants of these lords were already in straitened circumstances. They were no longer the legendary figures they once were and now depended on the court for money. The Duke¡¯s Manor was a representation of these people. Sima Lingyun was determined to make the Duke¡¯s Manor rise again, which was why he became interested in the Mo Manor and wanted to marry their legal daughter. This was how he could be rted to the General¡¯s Manor.

    Due to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s power, only the Four Great Manors in the Great Qin retained actual power amongst those who helped to build the nation. This power was one that not even the Emperor could underestimate. If he received the help of General Manor, it would not be an issue for the Duke¡¯s Manor to rise again. However, Sima Lingyun did not expect something like this to happen in the pce.

    First, his sister had gotten into an argument with Mo Xuemin and the matter had even been escted to the Empress. Then, what happened at Qingfang Pavilion was something that he could not exin no matter how much he tried. Coupled with what happened thest time, his rtionship with Mo Xuemin had be reallyplicated. However, she was just a concubine¡¯s daughter and he was not interested in her.

    He was already very annoyed and angry for having Mo Xueqiong as a concubine for no rhyme or reason. If Mo Xuemin joined her, he would truly have nothing to do with Mo Xuetong anymore! How could he bear that! He would do anything it took thisst time...

    He sat in the horse carriage outside the pce and watched the entrance coldly. It was just past 12 and his carriage stopped at an inconspicuous corner outside the pce.

    It was an ordinary horse that was not striking. Compared to the other horse carriages outside the pce entrance, his carriage could be considered dull. Fortunately, no one took any notice of the inconspicuous horse carriage at all. No one noticed someone was inside even though it had parked there for some time. Furthermore, inside sat the Marquess Zhenguo who had been chased away earlier.

    A few servants chatted andughed outside the pce entrance. It was the New Year and the patrols were not very strict. Everyone was rxed. There would be rewards in the pceter and they did not know how much they would be given. The servants chatted excitedly and even mentioned how much they received in the previous years. In recent years, the rewards from the pce had increased and the servants smiled so widely that their teeth showed. They were not in the mood to care too much. It was cold and their masters in the pce did not have much on, so they were free as well. No one could care to walk in the wind and snow to examine each and every horse carriage.

    This was the pce entrance, thergest entrance in the world. Who would dare to do anything here!

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran parted ways not long after they left. Feng Yuran needed to bid Emperor Zongwen farewell before he could return to his manor. Mo Xuetong was apanied by the Princess¡¯ maid. She found Luo Mingzhu and the Princess¡¯ maid told Luo Mingzhu that Mo Xuetong had met the Princess in Cloud City, which was why the Princess had sent someone to fetch her earlier.

    Luo Mingzhu was not alone. She was apanied by a few other youngdies whom she got along well with. Together with thedies were their brothers and friends. When they heard what the Princess¡¯ maid said, those who suspected Mo Xuetong because of what Mo Xuemin said discarded their suspicions. Third Miss Mo had been with the Princess, so how could she have asked to meet her sister? It seemed that the elder sister was the vicious one who wanted to get her younger sister into trouble.

    The incident at Qingyu Pavilion had happened very suddenly and ended oddly. Even though it was said to be a misunderstanding at the end, any girl who ended up implicated would find their reputation tarnished. A girl¡¯s reputation was already hard to defend. Anyone who came close to such an incident would try to avoid it as best as they could. No matter what happened, Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was tarnished and there was one usation that Mo Xuemin would not be able to defend herself against.

    She had tried to frame her younger sister, saying that she was meeting a man in private. That was vicious and infuriating!

    Furthermore, Mo Xuetong behaved graciously and only just bit her lips when Mo Xuemin was brought up. Despite the sadness in her eyes, she had still tried to defend Mo Xuemin in public. She only said that her elder sister was mistaken, or that someone had pretended to be her and arranged to meet her elder sister. She truly seemed to be defending Mo Xuemin.

    However, because of this, it made others feel even more so that Mo Xuemin was evil and shameless!

    Which noble family would dare to marry a girl like that? Those who had thought that they might be interested in bing inws with the Mo family after Mo Huawen¡¯s promotion, all shook their heads then. First Miss Mo must not be married into their family!

    After observing the new year, the pce gates opened. Thentern festival had ended. Mo Xuetong held on to Mo Yu as they followed Luo Mingzhu. They followed the crowds to the exit. There were many horse carriages stopped outside the pce. So many young masters anddies had appeared at the same time and the drivers could not react in time, jamming the entrance.

    Mo Ye went out to search for Mo¡¯s carriage. It was a mess and difficult to move.

    The servants hurried to clear the traffic. Fortunately, everyone knew each other and as such, scuffles for space did not happen. The people stood by the side of the road and chatted with smiles on their faces. They did not notice the curtains of a horse carriage being lifted surreptitiously. A pair of eyes shone sinisterly behind the curtains before the curtains were dropped down once more.

    ¡°Head over there!¡± The cold, sinister voice ordered softly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The carriage driver answered softly. Then, he drove the Mo¡¯s horse carriage over.

    Mo Xuetong and the others did not know they were being watched as they continued chatting softly.

    ¡°Cousin, you might as welle back to the Luo Manor with us. It would save you from that reputable elder sister of yours from weaving a story about youter.¡± Luo Mingzhu suggested and tugged on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She had only found out about what happened at Qingyu Pavilion afterward. She was so angry she had almost copsed a lung. What kind of person was Mo Xuemin! She had gotten into trouble and had tried to shift the me to her sister.

    She had seen evil people, but she had never seen someone so evil. She was forcing Tong¡¯er to her death! Ever since Luo Xia passed away, the Luo family had be extremely dissatisfied with the Mo family. Now that Luo Mingzhu saw her cousin being framed, she could not bear it any longer. She had always had a bad temper and she was determined to bring Mo Xuetong home.

    ¡°Cousin, I am fine. I will visit Grandmother in a few days to wish her a happy new year.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and refused. The rules of the Great Qin were that one had to spend the first day of the new year in their own homes so that they could remain safe and the family would be happy in the new year. It was already considered to be the first day of the new year, so it was against the rules to go to the Luo Manor now.

 Chapter 174 - Kidnapped. The Scuffle Outside the Palace

    <h4>Chapter 174 Kidnapped. The Scuffle Outside the Pce</h4>

    ¡°Be careful then. Come by and tell Grandmother immediately if anything happens. Don¡¯t be softhearted again and be bullied.¡± Luo Mingzhu knew that it was against the rules as well. However, she had asked Mo Xuetong to go with her because she was angry and wanted the Mos to see the displeasure the Luos felt. When she saw Mo Xuetong smile in refusal, she knew that Mo Xuetong would not go with her. As such, she did not insist.

    The Luo¡¯s carriage was already nearby. Mo Xuetong smiled and agreed. She pushed Luo Mingzhu onto the horse carriage even though Luo Mingzhu still had things to say. Luo Wenyou got onto the horse as well. He did not spur the horse immediately. Instead, he looked at Mo Xuetong and said gently, ¡°Come back if anything happens at the Mo Manor. The Luo Manor will forever be your home.¡±

    Luo Wenyou did not say much and he spoke calmly as he usually did. He had only sought out Bai Yihao in a fluster thest time Mo Xuetong was ill. Otherwise, he was usually a calm person. Even though he did not say much, Mo Xuetong felt warm all over. What she wanted was a home filled with warmth, without any plots or schemes.

    However, in her past life, her home had been ruined and her family had been killed!

    Pain filled her heart. She bit her lips and hid the tears that welled up in her eyes. Hershes fluttered and she looked up at Luo Wenyou with a smile. She said, ¡°Rest assured, Cousin. Tong¡¯er is a coward and will definitelyin to Grandmother if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Remember toe and wish Grandmother a happy new year the day after tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied. Another horse carriage drew up at the entrance. The Luo carriage had no choice but to move forward. Most of the crowd had already left and there were not many carriages left behind. Mo Yu stood on her toes and looked around but did not find their carriage. She could not help but worry.

    ¡°Oh, I remember now. We took First Miss¡¯ horse carriage here. She must have taken it when she left earlier. Won¡¯t anyone pick Miss up after First Miss went home?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did take Mo Xuemin¡¯s carriage to the pce. But no matter what Mo Xuemin said after she returned to the manor, they would still send a carriage to pick her up. The Emperor and his officials had retired early. Her father would have already known what happened in the pce. How could he not send a carriage for her?

    ¡°Miss, quick get in. Old Sir told me toe and pick you up.¡± An inconspicuous horse carriage pulled up in front of Mo Xuetong just as she was thinking about it. Mo Xuetong found the driver somewhat familiar. He seemed to be from their manor. She had not gone out often after moving to the Mo Manor, so she did not recognize everyone working there.

    Mo Huawen had given her her own carriage and she only recognized that driver. However, that carriage had been damaged and it probably could not be used in a while. That was why her father had sent such a small carriage to pick her up. The carriage looked ordinary and there wasn¡¯t any emblem to signify that it belonged to the Mo Manor. If the driver had not looked familiar, she would not know that it belonged to the Mo Manor either.

    ¡°When did we have such a lousy horse carriage in the manor?¡± Mo Yu muttered to herself unhappily while she helped Mo Xuetong onto the carriage.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a horse carriage, why do you have so much to say about it? Your tongue is really sharp.¡± Mo Xuetong did not mind because they were right in front of the pce entrance. She took Mo Yu¡¯s hand and entered the carriage. The curtains lifted and Mo Yu had not gotten on when a hand emerged from the curtain. The hand caught hold of Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and tugged her into the carriage forcefully. Mo Xuetong lost her bnce and fell into the carriage.

    She reached out subconsciously to push herself up. She realized that she had fallen into a man¡¯s embrace. The masculine scent of the man invaded her nostrils. The hand that wrapped tightly around her wrist had made her understand that the person was definitely a man. Who was trying to kidnap her!

    ¡°Miss!¡± Mo Yu who was outside the horse carriage realized that something was not right. She yelled shrilly.

    ¡°Mo Yu, it¡¯s alright. Wait for Mo Ye. I shall leave first.¡± Mo Xuetong said calmly. Actually, she was flustered. She could not see who the other party was in the dark. She only knew that the man bore ill-intentions towards her. He was kidnapping her in front of the pce entrance in the middle of the night. She was in his hands and her reputation had been ruined. She forced down the fear she felt. The horse carriage had already started moving. If she left Mo Yu behind for no rhyme or reason, others would definitely find out about this.

    She must not scream now. If she did and others found out that she had been kidnapped by a man, her reputation would be ruined if she were saved.

    The horse carriage pulled away slowly. She could hear Mo Yu¡¯s soft confused utterances. It would not startle those around her. Mo Yu should not be too far away. She warned herself not to panic. As long as Mo Yu informs Mo Ye, Mo Ye would definitely find a solution. Furthermore, Ying Jiu was hidden somewhere. There should not be any issues.

    Even so, Mo Xuetong was still very nervous. She was soaked in cold sweat!

    Fortunately, the person in the dark did not make any other moves. He only held her hand tightly, and his hand grabbed her soft slender wrist tightly with no intentions of releasing her. Mo Xuetong did not move. She could feel her body knocking onto the carriage walls. Her head hurt and her mind quickly ran through a list of people. She realized that there were not many who would do something like this.

    She was just a daughter of the Mo Manor who had been abandoned in a small city by the countryside. Even if her father was promoted now, he was not a major figure. The person in the dark did not speak or move. If not for the soft breathing by her ear and the pain in her wrist, she would not have sensed him.

    She had only juste to the capital and other than the mother and daughter pair, she had no other enemies. Who hated her so much that he would try to hurt her again and again? Mo Xuemin was in too much trouble to care about her right now. She did not have time to get someone to do this to her. Even if she wanted to, it was impossible. What happened in the pce was a chance urrence that Mo Xuemin could not have imagined. It would be a rush for her to deal with it.

    It was impossible that she had sent a horse carriage outside the pce beforehand to kidnap her.

    So who was this person? He wanted to ruin her reputation and was someone she knew. That was why he did not speak. He was afraid that she might recognize him. Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind quickly ran through a list of names. She realized that only Sima Lingyun would do something like this. Sima Lingyun did not be Duke Zhenguo. He was just a titled Marquess because of what happened today.

    Mo Xuetong had heard many youngdies talking about that in the pce earlier. That was how she knew about this.

    Sima Lingyun had only gained wealth and reputation after marrying her in her past life.

    But in this life? In this life, Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had worked together to plot against her several times.

    However, she could see from all these incidents that Sima Lingyun had always had the intention to marry her. She was different in this life. She had not been disfigured and was wary of Sima Lingyun. She would avoid him whenever she saw him, and they did not have any actual interactions. Hadn¡¯t Sima Lingyun given up on her yet?

    She opened her eyes wide secretly, wanting to see if the person was Sima Lingyun from the faint light that streamed through the windows. However, it was a pity that the person cast a shadow on her from where he sat. She could not see clearly at all. However, her faint intuition told her that the person was Sima Lingyun.

    What was Sima Lingyun going to do? Was he going to kidnap her and take her to the Duke¡¯s Manor? Then, he would make it an established fact and ask her father for her hand. Her father would have no choice but to agree then. Or did he want to use this kidnapping as an opportunity to tell others that her reputation has been damaged? Then, he would go to the Mo Manor to propose to her. Her father would feel grateful and it would even make him look magnanimous.

    If so, Sima Lingyun would not allow her to see his face. Perhaps that was why it was so dark in here. Or perhaps, she would still have time to fight! She felt lucky that she did not scream earlier at the entrance of the pce. She had evenforted Mo Yu and told her to find Mo Ye. If she had screamed irrationally then, or perhaps, if Mo Yu had screamed because the carriage left so suddenly; everyone in the capital would know that she had been kidnapped.

    How could she exin being kidnapped? If others gave chase and Sima Lingyun tore her clothes, she would not be able to im innocence even if she died.

    She could only hope that Mo Ye and Mo Feng would realize that something was wrong. She hoped that they would give chase silently. Given the current situation, the only thing she could do now was to stall for time.

    ¡°You, who are you?¡± The girl¡¯s fearful voice shook. It sounded especially fragile in the dark, sounding like a girl who knew nothing of the world.

    The man in the dark did not reply. The hand around her wrist squeezed even tighter. The pain radiated upwards and she could not help but yell in pain. ¡°Ouch!¡±

    She must not y hardball in a situation like this. She had to be smart!

    She must not force Sima Lingyun to his wit¡¯s ends or she might be dragged down by him as well.

    She needed time. She had to stall for time so she can escape. As long as she could flee from Sima Lingyun¡¯s control, she would be able to escape from danger. No one would find out that she had been kidnapped and her reputation would not be tarnished.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk.¡± A low rough voice rang in the dark.

    It was Sima Lingyun indeed. Mo Xuetong knew Sima Lingyun very well in her past life. She could tell that it was Sima Lingyun¡¯s voice. Of course, only those who knew him very well could tell that he was trying to make his voice sound different intentionally.

    ¡°You, where are you taking me? My father has money. You can get my father to give you a reward.¡± The girl¡¯s sweet voice shook and sounded as if she were going to cry. Even though she had already tried to suppress the fear she felt, she could not control it. Sima Lingyun could not help but feel pleased.

    Mo Xuemin said that Mo Xuetong was no longer that cowardly girl she once was. However, she had reverted to her natural state under such circumstances. She did not appear to be a person one should not overlook like what Mo Xuemin said. Her calmness when she first got onto the carriage had long been forgotten in the dark carriage. He did not believe that Mo Xuetong could be calm when she was being kidnapped. After all, she was just a girl of 13. How smart could she be?

    She was still thinking of asking Mo Huawen to pay a reward for her? Did she think that he was a ruffian who kidnapped her for money!

    Sima Lingyun harrumphed coldly. He did not pay attention to Mo Xuetong. She was a weak girl, what could she do? He closed his eyes. Judging by how long the carriage had been on the move, they would be safe once they left this road. It was not that he was afraid of creating a scene. If Mo Xuetong had screamed earlier at the entrance of the pce, he would have fled by the time the guards at the pce realized and gave chase.

    The harm to a girl in this situation was endless. It would be easy for him to marry Mo Xuetong if he disappeared with her for a day and then appeared in front of the horse carriage like a hero and save her from the kidnapper. After all, her reputation would be ruined then. Mo Huawen would be grateful that he was willing to make Mo Xuetong his legal wife. Even the General Manor would feel that he was heroic. Mo Huawen and the Luo Manor would both be his to use then.

    He would have a future and the beauty. What else did heck?

 Chapter 175 - Fleeing the Carriage and The Struggle between Life and Death.

    <h4>Chapter 175 Fleeing the Carriage and The Struggle between Life and Death.</h4>

    ¡°Do, do you have any water?¡± The girl¡¯s voice sounded fearful in the dark. It was difficult for anyone to raise their guard around her.

    ¡°There¡¯s water on the table.¡± Sima Lingyun could not be bothered with Mo Xuetong right now. He was nning when his body double should appear. The carriage had traveled quite a distance and they should be near the city gates. It was the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday today and the whole nation was celebrating it. There would be a lot of people on the streets. There was also antern festival on the streets at night. The city gate was a good spot since it was brightly lit.

    As long as a fuss was made at the city gate, the Mo Manor would not be able to cover this up even if they wanted to.

    There was a sudden crash that startled Sima Lingyun. His eyes flew open.

    ¡°My, my hands are weak and I can¡¯t hold the water.¡± She exined fearfully. Sima Lingyun felt disdain for her. How could she be considered crafty? Mo Xuemin had overestimated her. She was a girl who had grown up in Cloud City. She was ignorant and a coward. What could she do? He would control her in the future and he would get whatever he wanted.

    Mo Xuetong patted the carriage boards in the dark while she muttered fearfully. ¡°S-sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±

    Pain shot up her fingers. She had touched something sharp. It was a broken piece of porcin from earlier. She could not be bothered with the sharp pain in her hands. She touched the object carefully and was surprised and pleased to find that it was a sharp and long piece of porcin shard. It could be used to defend herself. She held the shard in her other hand. She could hear Sima Lingyun saying impatiently, ¡°I¡¯ll tie you up if you cause any more trouble.¡±

    She replied fearfully, ¡°I, I won¡¯t make another sound.¡±

    While she seemed to sound afraid, she held the porcin shard tightly between her fingers. Blood stained her fingers without her noticing. She held the porcin shard in her pale hands tightly, the sharp edge facing Sima Lingyun in the dark. She hade for revenge. How could she allow Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin to hurt her again and again?

    She had already died once. What else was she afraid of!

    Even if she died again, she would not let them off easily. In her past life, she wanted to drag them into the burning fire to burn with her. However, she ended up dying in the burning mes. In this life, she would not allow them to live well. Even though her hand hurt, it could not dispell the hatred she felt for them.

    The hatred could burn heaven and earth. It burned in her heart!

    She was not in love with Sima Lingyun in this life. Sima Lingyun wanted to tarnish her reputation. This time, she would not let him off. Those who owed their lives had to pay with their lives. Sima Lingyun owed her not only her life. There was also Mother Xu, Mo Lan, and Mo Yu. They had all died in the hands of the adulterous pair. Her eyes were filled with the color of blood...

    In her past life, she had not been able to aplish much even when she had paid for it with her life. In this life, she would not allow something like that to happen again!

    That was why she would not let Sima Lingyun off this time. She would cause him true harm.

    Noises could vaguely be heard outside the carriage. The sounds of people talking joyfully could be heard from time to time. He was going to be the hero and save the beauty in a crowded ce! Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shone in the dark. She was so nervous her fingers were shaking. She pointed the porcin shard at the man¡¯s throat!

    They were both waiting for an opportunity to strike!

    They could hear the joyful voices while they sat in the dark. It made the atmosphere in the carriage seem even more stifling. Mo Xuetong, whose left wrist was being held tightly, could sense how determined Sima Lingyun was. She had lived two lives and knew what that meant. Sima Lingyun was going to tarnish her reputation today, by hook or by crook. He was going to make it so that she had no choice but to marry him.

    Pain that could not be hidden appeared in her eyes which were supposed to be crystal clear. Rage filled her eyes!

    A chill spread from her soles to her limbs. Even her blood and bones felt as if they were frozen. The pain intensified.

    However, there was a brilliant smile on her face. The smile was brilliantly cold! It was a vicious and demonic smile.

    She could not forget. She could not forget. She had felt cold even in the burning fire. The hatred was carved in her bones!

    The volume of the voices outside lowered. She could still hear the voices of people talking in the distance. The carriage stopped hastily at an angle far away from the street. Snow continued to fall from above. Therge snowkes fell from the sky. The street turned in a few meters from where they were. Even though it waste at night, there were still happy people walking on the streets and admiring thenterns...

    Most of the shops were still opened and the voices were everywhere. They were all celebrating the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday. There would asionally be the sounds of firecrackers being lit and the startled cries of children.

    At the corner was a restaurant that did not get many customers usually. However, it was filled to the brim today. The private rooms upstairs were all filled. The manager was so happy that he calcted his earnings over and over again. It was a satisfying New Year. The year had only just started and he could already see theing prosperity.

    Upstairs, facing the corner of the street, Mo Xuemin sat with Mo Xiu. The room was dimly litpared to the brightly lit streets outside. The darkness made it hard to see the vicious and cold smile on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face.

    ¡°Miss, look. Is it His Excellency? Look, over there. That carriage.¡± Mo Xiu had been sprawled out behind the window all this while to keep watch on the situation outside. She suddenly turned around and called out to Mo Xuemin who was sitting by the table. She could not help but turn pale at the cold and vicious expression on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. She hurriedly repeated herself softly.

    ¡°Are those people there?¡± Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth and asked coldly. She stood up and took a few hurried steps.

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve been there for a while. They are behind the tree. It is a good hiding spot. His Excellency said that as long as something this big happens to her, what happened in the pce would be considered a small matter. People will start to forget it slowly. His Excellency says that you do not have to worry.¡± Mo Xiu tried to please Mo Xuemin when she saw the dark expression on her face.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s face seemed terrifying under the light. Sheughed coldly and walked up to the window. She pushed the window up softly and could see everything clearly. A carriage appeared across the street. The dark carriage was inconspicuous, making it easier to do things. The driver of the carriage belonged to the manor. In order to make Mo Xuetong trust them, they had used a trusted servant of Auntie Fang. It was worth it in exchange for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuemin closed the windows. Then, she picked up her cape which was draped on the screen and put it on.

    ¡°Miss, you...¡± Mo Xiu hurried over to help her and asked her in a puzzled voice. She did not understand why Mo Xuemin was not watching from here but was putting on her cape and about to leave. This was a good spot. His Excellency had especially chosen it for her mistress to vent. It was so she could clearly see Third Miss losing her reputation.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see clearly from here. I want to see it even more clearly. There will be a lot of people who will go up to the carriage now. There will be many people seeing Third Sister lose her reputation. She won¡¯t notice me. I really want to know if she would be so ashamed and want to die when she sees that so many people have seen her being kidnapped by a man. Mo Xiu, how can I not watch such an interesting scene?¡±

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes glowed with viciousness and jealousy under the dim yellow candlelight. In the dark room, her eyes shone like the devil¡¯s fire and her beautiful features twisted.

    Mo Xiu was shocked by her bloodthirsty and vicious words. She could not help but avoid Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes as she reached out carefully to help her put on her veil.

    When she thought of how Mo Xuetong was about to lose her reputation, Mo Xuemin felt extremely satisfied. It was as if she had taken an icy cold drink in the hot summer. She had always lost to that little slut. She would make sure that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t get back up again this time. She would crush Mo Xuetong beneath her feet forever. So what if she was beautiful? How would Mo Xuetong find a good man if her reputation was ruined? She would find a chance in the future and toss her into a brothel. She would see how the legal daughter would be able to do anything about it.

    Mo Xuemin moved even faster when she thought of that. She put on her veil impatiently and opened the door. She hurried out together with Mo Xiu. She kept an ear out for what was happening outside as she walked down the stairs. When she was descending the stairs, there was a loud collision. The entire building shook. Everyone was shocked and they all asked around to see what was happening.

    An evil smile appeared on the face hidden beneath the veil. Indeed, just like what she had nned, the horse carriage had run into arge tree. The person waiting there pretending to be Sima Lingyun jumped out, wanting to save Mo Xuetong who was inside the carriage. Sima Lingyun, who was inside the carriage, would get off. The two would swap and Sima Lingyun would be the hero who saved the beauty. Mo Xuetong would have to appear before all because of the collision. Her kidnapping by a man couldn¡¯t be hidden then.

    This could ruin a woman to the point of no return!

    The carriage crashed into the tree. Mo Xuetong was tossed around in the carriage as well. The horse carriage flipped and Mo Xuetong hit her head hard on the carriage walls. Her head buzzed and her vision grew hazy. She could not even hold the porcin shard in her hand tightly. Her mind halted.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo?¡± Someone outside eximed.

    ¡°Quick, save Third Miss Mo.¡±

    ¡°His Excellency Sima, there¡¯s someone in the carriage. Did someone take Third Miss Mo hostage?¡±

    ¡°Quick, quick save her!¡± A cold smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips when she heard the voices. The porcin shard in her hand jabbed down viciously on the body of the man who attempted to climb out of the carriage. She plunged the shard down, using all her strength to drive it in.

    She did not know where she stabbed the man in the dark. Sima Lingyun could not help but yell out in pain. Mo Xuetong bit her lips and pulled the shard back. Then, she mmed her right hand down forcefully once more. She stabbed him over and over again, filled with desperation and hate. Her mind was in a mess and it was as if she had returned to the day she died.

    The wedding hall draped in red. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s mocking gazes. The hate that seeped into her bones. All of that was sufficient for her to forget where she was. She only wanted to take Sima Lingyun¡¯s life now and seek revenge for her child, Mother Xu, Mo Lan, and the others. She would not care even if she were to sink into despair once more.

    The porcin shard lifted and fell. She could not see much in the dark. She only felt a heavy p at her chest. She could not help but fall from the half-opened doors. There was a metallic taste at her throat and she threw up blood. Her body flew out of the carriage door like a windswept leaf.

    She could not see anything clearly as she emerged from the dark and saw the snowy skies. There was a patch of nothingness. It was just like the red that she would never forget. Mo Xuetong wanted tough. She had died in a fire in her past life. She had been burned to death. This life, she was to die in the icy cold snow. She would be frozen to death.

    She did not know what sins she hadmitted. Though she was reborn again, she still ended up dying like this.

    How many bad things had she done for her to die so tragically each time?

    In her past life, she had been burned to crisps in the fire after she had been poisoned. In this life, she was beaten up and had thrown up blood before she died in the snow.

    She suddenly felt likeughing. It was a pity that the pure white ground would be dirtied because of her!

 Chapter 176 - Saved. The Trashy Couple.

    <h4>Chapter 176 Saved. The Trashy Couple.</h4>

    The blow of death did note. Her body, which had hurtled into the air slowed down. Then, a handsome and wless face appeared before Mo Xuetong. There should have been a roguish smile on that extremely handsome face, but right now, it was terrifyingly dark and somber. His handsome face was icy cold and there seemed to be frost in his eyes. One felt cold looking at him.

    Was it Asura? Asura was elegant and beautiful in the legends. Yet, the Asura killing on the battlefields was soaked in blood...

    Asura was mighty and threatening, looking at her viciously as if he wanted to eat her up.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not feel afraid at all. She felt more rxed than she ever had. Her lips could not help but loosen, wanting to reveal a rxed smile. The sharp porcin shard she clutched tightly in her hands fell onto the ground. She was about to speak but then realized that she could not move at all.

    Her nerves were so tightly wound she was in an extremely fatigued state. She saw Feng Yuran approaching and felt assured for some reason. She could not hear what he was saying and could only see his handsome lips moving. However, she could not hear him.

    She subconsciously wanted to reach out to smooth out the anger in his eyes. However, she did not have the strength to lift her hand. Her head fell back and her hand dropped.

    Feng Yuran saw her body rxed suddenly and red at the two people beside him. His brows knotted in anger. He nced meaningfully at the guards beside him, and then looked at Sima Lingyun who had just crawled out from the horse carriage not far away. Sima Lingyun¡¯s face was covered in blood and could not be seen clearly. The two men standing behind the tree who were about to approach him were shocked.

    The two men had been hired to act with Sima Lingyun. They were going to swap positions with him once he emerged from the horse carriage. Sima Lingyun would be the hero who saved the beauty. Their words would be taken as the truth then. Mo Xuetong was just a girl whose reputation had been tarnished. What could she say?

    However, they had not expected the current situation. They saw that some people had already heard what was happening here and was running towards them. Sima Lingyun groaned on the ground. A woman flew out from the horse carriage andnded in the arms of an extraordinarily handsome man. The man looked bloodthirsty and powerful. He made them feel suffocated. The two men were just hired thugs. Even though they were just regr folks, they could tell what a person was like with just one look.

    The man looked like someone they should not offend. The two did not know if their employer, Sima Lingyun, was dead or alive. They looked at each other and ran. However, it was toote. There was a glint of light from a sword which struck the men. The sharp de swung at a man¡¯s chest while the other man lost his head. The head flew into the air andnded beside Mo Xuemin who was exiting the corner in a pleased manner.

    Mo Xuemin looked at the shaking head and the terrifying eyes which bulged out. She did not have time to scream before she fainted together with Mo Xiu.

    ¡°Clean up this ce.¡± Feng Yuran wrapped Mo Xuetong up carefully in hisrge cape. His eyes had never been so cold. The light in his eyes grew colder and colder and the intent to kill grew stronger as well. Those who went against him now would definitely be doomed.

    The guards by his side already understood his intentions without him having to say anything. The coldness in his eyes said everything. They replied respectfully.

    The two guards did not hesitate to move after they watched their master leave with Mo Xuetong in his arms. One of the guards went up to pull Sima Lingyun¡¯s clothes open while the other dragged Mo Xuemin from the corner of the street. He did not hold back at all. He pulled her dress half-open. Because he wanted to make it look realistic, Mo Xuemin¡¯s dress was torn apart...

    The guard who tore Sima Lingyun¡¯s clothes open kicked the porcin shard that Mo Xuetong dropped. He nudged it beside Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand. The bloodied shard pierced Mo Xuemin¡¯s fingers. She felt dizzy and her fingers could not help but twitch.

    The guard kicked Sima Lingyun to Mo Xuemin¡¯s side. Sima Lingyun sustained even more injuries. His chest and face had already been stabbed several times. If not because he already understood what was happening, he would have already howled in pain. The guard kicked him viciously and he felt his injuries hurting. He could not hold back any longer. He cried out in pain as he flew into the air andnded on Mo Xuemin. Pain filled her vision and she almost fainted.

    The voices of people in the distant were getting nearer and nearer. The sounds of people talking could be heard. Sima Lingyun¡¯s mind was still rather clear. He tried to lift himself off Mo Xuemin. However, the blows that he had suffered made him lose his strength. His hands, which were propping him up, lost their strength. He mmed down on the soft body below his once more. His vision blurred because of blood loss and pain!

    Mo Xuetong came around, feeling dizzy and faint. She looked at the lightly colored bed curtains with clouds embroidered on them. Then, she smelled the faint refreshing and calming scent of the incense burning on her headboard. She knew that she was back in her room.

    She felt very dizzy and her head hurt. She wanted to reach out to touch her head. But when she lifted her hand, she could not help but yelp in pain.

    Her palm felt as if they had been cut. It felt as if it had been bound tightly.

    ¡°You know how pain feels like too, and you know how to yell in pain. I thought you were made from a piece of wood. If you know everything, why can¡¯t you do anything now? You can¡¯t even lift your hand.¡± The cold mocking voice rang in the dark. Mo Xuetong turned in the direction where the voice wasing from. She could see him from the light that streamed in from the windows. There was another person in her room.

    The man stood up when he heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice. His purple robes with dragon embroidery sparkled in the light. He approached her and looked at her from above, his face slightly turned towards the window. Mo Xuetong could see the somber expression on his handsome face from where she was. His dark ck eyes were like frozen pools of water. His long, slotted eyes were slightly narrowed and his brows arched coldly. He was not his usualzy self. Today, he seemed like Hades with his sharp and cold look. His aura was dangerously menacing.

    Those purple robes looked as if they were shone upon by a purple light. He approached Mo Xuetong and looked at her coldly.

    It was Feng Yuran again. And it was a different Feng Yuran. It was an angry Feng Yuran.

    She bit her lips. Mo Xuetong did not know why she could not speak to him boldly and confidently. She lifted her hands slightly and nced at them. They were wrapped up tightly and she found it hard to move her finger even the slightest.

    ¡°Err, what are you doing here? Have I made a mistake? This is my room, right?¡± Sheughed dryly. Her pink lips lifted slightly with a guilty conscience. Herrge eyes looked like calm pools of water. If one looked at her carefully, they could see that she looked rather ill. One could not help but feel bad for her.

    However, Feng Yuran could not be bothered with that. He said coldly, ¡°I have already given you Mo Ye, and Mo Feng serves you too. How could Mo Ye not know what was happening after what Mo Yu told her? Are you really that worried that you have to act yourself? You don¡¯t trust me?¡± His words were stern.

    While Mo Xuetong wanted to pretend not to care, her heart twitched. Her eyes grew red even before she could speak. While she believed that Mo Ye and Mo Feng would definitely help her in secret, she was still not confident. Especially when she held the sharp porcin shard, she was filled with hatred. It was a hatred that seeped down into her bones, and she could not tell fantasy from reality because of that.

    The hatred and pain she felt would not allow her to think. She only had one thought. She wanted to eat Sima Lingyun¡¯s flesh and drink his blood. Sima Lingyun had hurt her in her past life and she had died at his wedding. He wanted to ruin her in this life as well. It was a hatred that spanned two lifetimes. She wanted to seek revenge herself.

    She had made meticulous ns earlier, but after that, she had just acted in anger.

    ¡°Look at you, you are a girl, and yet you risk your life to beat them. So what if you win? That ce is full of writhing snakes. As long as someone sees you, you would have no choice but to end up with Sima Lingyun. Do you think the Duke¡¯s Manor has good scenery or that Sima Lingyun is handsome? Do you want to marry him? Why don¡¯t you use your brains instead of acting rashly in all things you do?¡± Feng Yuran saw that Mo Xuetong was not speaking. He could not see her slightly red eyes in the dark and could not resist reprimanding her.

    It was bad luck for anyone involved in this matter. It did not matter whose fault it was. If someone saw that Mo Xuetong had been abducted by a man, her reputation would have been ruined. If Sima Lingyun touched her bare skin while saving her, then she would not be able to escape marrying into the Duke¡¯s Manor.

    Or perhaps, Sima Lingyun would allow her the position as his legal wife because of Mo Huawen and the General Manor. But so what? Something like this had happened before their marriage. What would the Duke¡¯s Manor say in the future? Sima Lingyun would be allowed to do whatever he wanted. If they wanted to be nice about it, they could even say that they have helped her to save face.

    If they did not put it nicely?

    If that happened, Mo Xuetong knew that she definitely would not marry Sima Lingyun. She would not just watch as the tragedy that was her past life happened again. She would rather die than allow Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s plot to seed. She could not hold back the resentment she felt after she heard Feng Yuran¡¯s sharp and cold, mocking words. She pped her hand over her face, wanting to hide her tears. But she had only just lifted her head when she felt a piercing pain. She realized then that her hands were wrapped up tightly.

    ¡°Why are you not talking? Why are you not exining? Aren¡¯t you usually good at talking? Why are you mute today? You hurt your hands and not your mouth. Don¡¯t tell me that you have injured your mouth in such a short amount of time.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s veins twitched on his forehead. He could not help but scold her when he thought of how she had almost crashed into the tree.

    It was a tallrge tree. How could her slender body take it!

    She would have died!

    If he had not met Mo Fenging back to report just as he stepped out of the pce, if he had been slightlyter, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. He could not force down the anger he felt. He wanted to drag her up and give her a stern beating to make her understand how weak she was.

    How dared she go against Sima Lingyun so directly with a porcin shard. Where had her usual intelligence gone?

    Feng Yuran¡¯s cold mocking voice broke thest straw. Mo Xuetong¡¯s tightly gritted teeth rxed and she could not hold back her tears any longer. They surged out. All the sadness, resentment, and fear she felt all turned into tears. She said, ¡°Exin? Why should I exin? Why do I need to exin myself to you? Who are you to me to care so much?¡±

 Chapter 177 - A Deeper Check and A Mess

    <h4>Chapter 177 A Deeper Check and A Mess</h4>

    If Mo Xuetong had not been rational and knew that she was in her room and that it waste at night, she would have started yelling.

    Her voice was full of pain and resentment, as well as indescribable despair. She said, ¡°Why must I be the one to ept it when they try to hurt me again and again? Why can¡¯t I fight back just once? Isn¡¯t that ridiculous? I thought that I could seek revenge and get payback for the hurt that they caused me. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve overestimated myself? You are high above all and you will never understand why people down here like me have such thoughts. Is this reason sufficient?!¡±

    She reached out forcefully wanting to prop herself up. She ignored the pain in her hands. It did not hurt her much. Her heart felt as if it had been torn open and all her old wounds were revealed. It was only after her heart had been torn and tattered and covered in blood did she realize that it was not that she did not hurt. She had hidden the pain deep down inside.

    The pain was sufficient to make her forget everything, her rational, and her life. She could abandon anything.

    She had returned for revenge. So what if she died? What was the point of living if she could not seek revenge? In her past life, the pain had reminded her at all times of the viciousness of those two people. She could not just watch as they plotted against her and tried to destroy her again and again. She could not just watch as they forced her down the path they wanted, until she ended up in the painful abyss.

    If the result were to be the same, then she would rather die now.

    At least it would be better than what the future held!

    As such, she had done whatever she had without abandon despite trusting Feng Yuran would save her. So what then? Perhaps Feng Yuran would save her and her life would not be endangered. If she still ended up in the Duke¡¯s Manor, how different would that be from death? No, she should say that it would be worse than death.

    She would rather die than marry into the Duke¡¯s Manor. She would rather die than have anything to do with Sima Lingyun.

    Her eyes were wide open in the dark as tears slid down soundlessly. She could not control the sobs at her throat. Her young tender face was filled with despair and pain. If so, she would use her life to make sure that she could wash off the shame. As long as she died, her father would investigate, as would her maternal family. He would investigate as well, and they would clear her name.

    No matter it was the General Manor or Feng Yuran, they all had many men to order around. It would not be difficult for them to investigate the matter. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin would be caught. She was willing to die if it meant that the two would be destroyed! An eye for an eye. She would smile even if she were in the pits of hell should that happen. She would thank the heavens for a chance to seek revenge.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er!¡± Feng Yuran could sense Mo Xuetong¡¯s despair and pain. He could not hold the icy cold expression on his face any longer. His heart hurt for her and he felt as if he could not breathe. His expression softened and he sat at the head of her bed, pulling Mo Xuetong who was struggling to sit up tightly into his embrace.

    Mo Xuetong did not struggle this time. She felt as if she had used up all her strength in her screams earlier!

    Her tears continued to fall, soaking Feng Yuran¡¯s purple robes. She could feel the strong embrace around her wrist. Feng Yuran patted her back softly with one hand, holding her as if he were holding a newborn. She bit her lips but could not stop her tears from falling.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er!¡± His mesmerizing voice rang in her ears. With it, was a strong concern for her she could not ignore.

    She stopped thinking. She did not have the strength to. She only felt a warmness she had never once felt fill her chest. She did not think any longer at this moment. Neither did she plot. She allowed her tears to fall. This was the first time since her rebirth that she had allowed herself to do what she wanted. She cried silently until she couldn¡¯t feel anything.

    In the end, she rxed and fell asleep.

    Feng Yuran helped Mo Xuetong lie down carefully. Then, he pulled her nkets up and tucked her in. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying and there were still tears at the corners of her eyes. She sobbed even after she had fallen asleep, whimpering like a kitten.

    Tears slid down her pale face and there was a hint of pain between her brows. His heart hurt for her.

    Feng Yuran wiped the corners of her eyes. Two beads of tears fell onto his hand. They were cold. She was fragile and beautiful after she had been stripped of her strength and armor. Sheid there silently as if she were sleeping beauty. Feng Yuran¡¯s hand clenched up slowly and his eyes narrowed, revealing a sharp and icy cold aura.

    Sima Lingyun, Mo Xuemin...

    There was a sh of a figure outside the window. Mo Feng appeared at the window and knelt.

    ¡°Master, Sima Lingyun and First Miss Mo went off in different directions after they left the pce. After the incident at Qingfang Pavilion, the two did not interact again. First Miss Mo¡¯s maid left something behind when they got on their horse carriage. Sima Lingyun¡¯s driver picked it up when his carriage drove by. Then, Sima Lingyun went to the entrance of the street and turned into the back door of an essory shop. After a while, an inconspicuous horse carriage appeared. The driver belongs to the Mo Manor. Sima Lingyun boarded the carriage and went to the pce entrance.¡± Mo Feng reported in detail. He had started to feel suspicious about his Master¡¯s intentions ever since he started to shadow Third Miss Mo.¡±

    He was even more certain this time when he saw how angry his master was. As such, he had investigated what happened in detail and did not dally. He returned to report to his master immediately.

    Even though Mo Feng could guess that Third Miss Mo had a different ce in His Highness¡¯ heart, he could not help but feel in awe when he saw how sharp and bloodthirsty his master was.

    Mo Feng had never seen Feng Yuran like this. No matter what happened, his master was alwayszy and seemed as if he did not care. He had always appeared charming, fearless, and was a yboy. His master had only been more careful when dealing with Sir Bai. When had he even cared about anything else?

    When he saw His Highness¡¯ bloodthirsty expression, Mo Feng could not help but lower his head even though he knew that His Highness was not mad at him. He felt coldness gripping his heart after being looked at by the man¡¯s gaze.

    It seemed that he had underestimated Third Miss Mo¡¯s ce in his master¡¯s heart.

    ¡°When did Mo Xuemine out?¡± Feng Yuran asked coldly. He turned around. His tall and handsome figure was imposing and felt suffocating.

    ¡°After First Miss Mo returned to the manor, the main doors were tightly shut. However, not long after her return, First Miss Mo and her maid left through the back doors. They headed to their destination after leaving. Someone had already booked the private room. It was said to be someone who looked like a steward. He did not have any special identifying characteristics.¡± Mo Feng thought for a while before exining what happened clearly. The incident tonight had been strange.

    While Sima Lingyun was the Marquess of Zhenguo, it was just on paper. Everyone who was in the know knew that the Duke¡¯s Manor was just for show. They did not have the power to arrange such a detailed n. What happened in the pce had urred so suddenly. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin leaving the pce had also been sudden. Who had the ability to set up such a detailed n in so little time?

    The preparation of the horse carriage, the Mo Manor¡¯s driver, the private room booking, and Mo Xuemin¡¯s appearance; all of those things had been nned in detail. This was definitely not Sima Lingyun¡¯s work. A young master like him would only be capable of setting up plots like causing someone to fall into theke and saving that person. It was impossible for him to make such an exquisite n outside the pce.

    ¡°Find out to whom the essory shop belongs to. If you can¡¯t find out anything, send someone to watch my First and Third Brothers.¡± Feng Yuran looked out of the windows. The sky was getting dark. It was the darkest moment before dawn. This was also when people¡¯s guards were at their lowest. A cold smile appeared on his lips. ¡°If you see someone who looks like a stewarde and go, ignore him when he goes in, but capture him when hees out.¡±

    Such an extravagant n could not be set up by an ordinary person. If not for his two elder brothers, then of course, Bai Yihao could have done it too...

    They might not be able to find out much at the clothing and essory shop. But there was a key person involved. It was the mysterious person who seemed like a steward. That person could not have been from the Duke¡¯s Manor or the Mo Manor. The person had appeared so suddenly, it was worth it to investigate him. If someone else had sent the person, he or she would have been present at the scene.

    He had brought Tong¡¯er away and left behind that scene. The sudden change in the situation would mean that the person would definitely return to report to his master immediately as long as he had a master. His master would secretly get them to leave at the darkest moment before dawn because he would be afraid of others finding out.

    That person would not have had slept the entire night and would feel very tired. Because the sun was about to rise, he would definitely start getting careless. It was the best time to leave!

    ¡°I understand.¡± Mo Ye stood up and was about to jump out of the window.

    ¡°Hang on.¡± Feng Yuran called out for him. ¡°Hand this matter over to Feng Yue. Stay here and watch over her. If something like this happens again, youe and find me.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Feng did not dare to say anything else and he disappeared out of the window.

    When all was quiet in the room again, the already cold expression of the man turned even colder. It was as cold as frost. He clenched his hands into a fist and smashed it against the table and yelled angrily, ¡°Damn it!¡±

    There was a light knock on the door. Mo Ye asked softly, ¡°Master, what¡¯s the matter?¡± She had been guarding outside all this while. The lights had been extinguished, but she had not slept. After all, her mistress was still an unmarried young woman. It would be bad if rumors that tarnished her reputation spread. Mo Ye had gotten all the servants to go to bed while she stayed outside so she could keep a watch out for her master.

    Mo Lan was a smart girl. When she saw that Mo Xuetong was unconscious when she was brought back and heard what she said, she did not say anything else. She dragged Mo Yu to bed. As such, Mo Ye was the only person who was standing guard that night.

    She had long heard the voices in the room. The guard that came with her master informed her that he was here. Mo Xuetong had been changed out of her blood-stained dress and her tightly wrapped hands were hidden under her sleeves. Mo Ye had half-carried her in when they entered while Mo Ye held her up on the other side. They told the others that Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart had started hurting after leaving the pce, which was why they were helping her back.

 Chapter 178 - To Whom is the Chaos Beneficial

    <strong>Chapter 178 To Whom is the Chaos Beneficial</strong>

    It was alreadyte at night and it was dark. Furthermore, Mo Ye and Mo Yu intentionally blocked the others from seeing Mo Xuetong. As such, no one had noticed. Mo Huawen had returned to the manor early and had already slept. The other two concubines were also in their courtyards and had gone to bed early. Nanny Ming came to visit despite the cold but Mo Lan stopped her with a smile and asked that she turn back.

    Then, Mo Lan and Mo Yu went to bed. Her master had appeared inside the room not long after. She heard her master¡¯s voice. Mo Ye, who had kept an ear out, dragged her soles against the floor and went to the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Do you know how to deal with what happens tomorrow?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s cold voice could be heard.

    ¡°I do.¡± Mo Ye lowered her head respectfully outside the room.

    ¡°Take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mo Ye stood outside the door silently. She did not hear anything for a long while and knew that her master had left. Then, she exhaled slowly. Her master was really scary today. She could sense the suffocating sharpness even outside the room. She wiped off the sweat gathered on her forehead and pushed the doors open softly.

    It was quiet inside. The windows were tightly shut. It was evident that he had closed the windows after he left. Mo Ye approached the bed and lit the candles by the bed. Then, she blew and extinguished the match. There was a young girl lying on the bed quietly beneath the flickering candlelight.

    She was delicate and weak, looking like a lone plum blossom pressed under the snow. Her beautiful face was pale and fragile. Beneath her usual calmness and wits, she was but just a girl of 13. No matter how intelligent she was usually, how could she not be tired and fearful after such an incident?

    It was fortunate that her master was there this time. Or she really could not image the consequences.

    She gently ced Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand back under the nkets where it had escaped from. Then, she walked to the windows and closed the windows once more from the inside. She extinguished the candle and closed the door behind her. There was not much time until dawn. She had to take this time to sleep for it would definitely be busy in the Mo Manor tomorrow.

    While she could sleep peacefully, someone could not fall asleep.

    At the same time, in King Chu, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s luxurious bedroom. Feng Yuxuan was dressed in white. He could not be as calm andposed as he usually was in front of others. He picked up a jade seal beside him and threw it away forcefully. The crisp tter scared the counselor who knelt in front of him. The wine cup in his hand felt onto the ground with a tter.

    ¡°Tell me what happened. Why did those changes happen to our n? Sima Lingyun is so stupid. He can¡¯t even handle a weak girl. What else can he do? You always tell me that Sima Lingyun is a talent of great use and that he is vicious. Why is he weaker than a woman? He¡¯s been stabbed bloody all over and even got caught with that woman?¡± Feng Yuxuan did not have to pretend to be gentle and gracious because he was in his own home. His expression was dark as he yelled angrily. He kicked the man who looked like a steward kneeling before him.

    How could he not be angry? His ns, which had been perfect, had beenpletely derailed in just mere moments. The situation, which had been to his advantaged hadpletely spiraled out of control. He felt his forehead twitch when he heard that Sima Lingyun had failed and had almost kicked Mo Xuetong into a tree. How could he control his anger?

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± The man wanted to say something. Feng Yuran looked at him coldly. He shrunk back and swallowed what he was about to say. He did not dare to say anything else. It had been his idea to look for Sima Lingyun, but he was not the only one who had given the suggestion. His Highness had even imed that the n was good. Why was he the one being med when the n took a nosedive?

    However, if he spoke now, he would get into trouble. The man shut his mouth obediently and lowered his head.

    ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t have to use Sima Lingyun to get close to the Mo Manor and their property. Perhaps we can attack from other areas and it might even be more effective. Sima Lingyun and that woman are ruined, so you might as well let them go.¡± The voice was calm and even had a hint ofughter in it. It swept away Feng Yuxuan¡¯s annoyance.

    He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Hiding the annoyance he felt, Feng Yuxuan waved at the counselor sitting in the room. He gestured for the rest to leave. The other counselors took the opportunity to leave after they said their farewells. An inconspicuous handsome young man sitting at the corner of the room was left behind. If Mo Xuetong were here, she would have yelped in surprise.

    The man was none other than Qin Yufeng, whom Mo Xuetong had always had her guard up against.

    Who would have guessed that the second young master of the Qin family, who was known to be a talent, would be a counselor working for Feng Yuxuan? Furthermore, he seemed like a highly valued counselor. His identity had been hidden well, no wonder he was unwilling to be an officer during Emperor Zongwen¡¯s time. He had other ns.

    ¡°You can return to your courtyard as well. Don¡¯te out these few days. I will send someone over once the matter is over.¡± Feng Yuxuan said impatiently when he saw that the man who looked like a steward kneeling where he was. Since Feng Yuran had interfered in the matter, he could not just let it go like this. A hint of viciousness shed in his eyes and he gestured to the guard beside him.

    The guard understood what he wanted and he nodded at Feng Yuxuan silently. Then, he followed the man who looked like a steward out of the room.

    Everyone in the room had left. Feng Yuxuan returned to sit by Qin Yufeng¡¯s side. He asked, ¡°Yufeng, what should I do now?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, there is no rush!¡± Qin Yufeng lifted his hand calmly and poured Feng Yuxuan and himself a cup of wine. Then, he slowly picked up the teacup and drank it while Feng Yuxuan looked at him anxiously. Heughed softly and said, ¡°Your Highness, do you feel like you are missing a power that can control the Mo Manor?¡± ¡°The original n had been for Sima Lingyun to marry the legal daughter of the Mo family, just like what he wanted. With the fourth Mo daughter, who was a concubine¡¯s daughter marrying him as well, Lord Mo would definitely think well of his son-inw. Then, they would help that concubine be the legal wife. When Third Miss Mo is about to marry Sima Lingyun, she would definitely organize the dowry her mother had brought with her from the Luo family. Aunty Fang is her stepmother and will organize her wedding. She would definitely let us pick through the dowry in order to thank us. We would be able to find whatever we want then!¡±

    Qin Yufeng picked up two empty cups and ced them on the floor. Then, he stacked another cup on them. The cup had not beenpletely emptied, but it sat steadily on the cups and the liquid did not spill at all.

    ¡°But what are we to do now? Sima Lingyun and Auntie Fang are both stupid. None of them seeded.¡± Feng Yuxuan frowned and looked at the cups. He could not understand what Qin Yufeng was doing and could not help but ask anxiously.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be considered that they did not seed at all. At least we now know that the yboy Eighth Prince is not as useless as he is rumored to be. He is so skilled, so how could he just be a useless yboy? Your Highness, it looks like we have to pay more attention to this King Xuan.¡± Qin Yufeng was not hurried at all and he flicked the top-most cup lightly. The cup shook and then the cups below started shaking as well.

    ¡°But, Yufeng...¡± While Feng Yuxuan felt that it made sense, he could not calm down when he thought of how his ns had beenpletely ruined. He was in no mood to further examine what Qin Yufeng said. Instead, he continued to press him.

    ¡°Your Highness, do not worry. You are a noble and elegant Prince! We will be more rxed now. Since what has happened has happened, then we might as well give the pot another stir. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. We might as well make it even more chaotic. Don¡¯t you think that it would be more advantageous to us?¡± Qin Yufeng said calmly. He poked at the cups and the wine cup slid down from the two empty cups.

    Feng Yuxuan had been too anxious earlier. He had calmed down after listening to what Qin Yufeng said. He looked at the two empty cups and the elegant smile he usually wore appeared on his face once more. He could not help but nod lightly in agreement.

    There will be no fish if the water is too clear. If they wanted the fish, they would have to dirty the water.

    At the same time, there was yet another person who was still awake. The handsome young man was dressed in white as heid on the couch reading a book. There was a smile on his lips and his eyes were clear. He listened to the reports from his guards half-heartedly as if he did not care. Only Qiu Ju, who had been holding up the light for him realized that his master had not flipped the pages of his book in a long while.

    Because he was about to go to bed soon, he wore only a snow-white long robe. The robe hung nicely and was wide and casual. His long dark hair was tied up with a single silver thread. There were no pins in his hair either. A few strands of hair fell onto his handsome forehead, shrouding his handsome face, but yet, making him seem noble. His eyes were so clear they looked as if they could see through one¡¯s heart.

    He had not gone to the banquet tonight. He had only entered the pce to keep the Empress Dowagerpany for a while before leaving. The Empress Dowager¡¯s health was poor and she could not have fun with her people or stay upte. Bai Yihao helped her to bed and left the pce. As such, while he had heard of what happened afterward in the pce, he did not interfere in it.

    ¡°Sir, should we continue watching them?¡± The secret guard asked. He had finished his report but received no reply even after a long while.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, and there is no need to send someone to watch Feng Yuran closely anymore. We are on his territory and he will always have more men than us. Since someone already knows that he is capable, they would try to deal with him. We just need to wait and watch.¡± The gentle voice was crisp and clear. Bai Yihao leaned back. His long dark hair was scattered casually across his handsome face, making him seem ethereal. He looked at the candle that was almost extinguished and gestured for Qiu Ju to move it away.

    Qiu Ju understood and took two steps back. He put the light on the table and then lowered his head, hiding in the shadows. He did not dare to say anything else. Qiu Ju had noticed his master¡¯s odd behavior. His master¡¯s bright eyes shone differently and he kneaded his right index finger and thumb together.

    The young master was not as calm as he appeared to be!

    ¡°The First Prince has already entered the capital. Sir, do you think...¡±

    ¡°Find a chance to bring the thing to First Prince. I trust that Elder Brother would have gained plenty on his trip to the Great Qin this time!¡±

 Chapter 179 - Duchness Zhenguo Came Over to Start a Fight

    <h4>Chapter 179 Duchness Zhenguo Came Over to Start a Fight</h4>

    The Chinese new year¡¯s eve was destined to be a troublesome day!

    Moreover, the first day of the new year was not as quiet and simple as that in the past.

    It was widely spread that in new year¡¯s eve, His Excellency in duke¡¯s manor drank too much in the pce and got driven out of the pce. Besides, it was said that he had improper rtions with First Miss Mo and tried to rape her. But First Miss Mo didn¡¯t agree so that the carriage got out of control and knocked on a tree when they fought against each other.

    When they fell down from the carriage, First Miss Mo picked up a chip of porcin which was next to her hand and stabbed His Excellency hard with it. It resulted in His Excellency¡¯s damaged face anda. If he hadn¡¯t been saved by a passenger, he might have been stabbed to death by this tough first miss.

    Everyone felt surprised that it was actually not Mo Xuemin¡¯s fault, but all med her because the one who hurt her was in aa and his life was in danger, which aroused people¡¯s sympathy and got him rid of people¡¯s nders.

    On one hand, it happened in the imperial pce which made their rtions seem like lover¡¯s secret dating. On the other hand, Mo Xuemin had always pretended to be generous and kind, so it was unimaginable that she would use a sharp chip of porcin to stab someone like a shrew. More people disdainfully thought that they had already had improper rtions and didn¡¯t have to pretend to be so faithful.

    Besides, after such a thing that they were caught hugging together indecently, if Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t want to be a nun, she had to marry Sima Lingyun. The feudal ethical code was stricter with women than with men, and Great Qin was known for its respect for feudal ethical code. As a result, no matter who was wrong in this incident, after such a great entanglement, it might be a romantic affair for a man but a big event of a lifetime for a woman.

    The one who found them took them to Duke¡¯s manor, and Mo Xuemin was forced to stay in Duke¡¯s manor and take care of Sima Lingyun who passed out by duchess at the night. Early on the new year¡¯s day, Duchess Zhenguo took Mo Xuemin to the gate of Mo Manor furiously.

    ¡°ng dang, ng dang!¡± A ringing and powerful sounding from the knocking on the doorbell woke up the guard who overslept because ofst night¡¯s drama.

    ¡°Wait, wait, what are you so hurried for? Are you rushing to get reincarnated?¡± The guard rubbed his sleepy eyes and murmured to open the door and said with no good attitude. No one would like to get up so early on a new year¡¯s day.

    ¡°Is your Old Madam here? The duchess is here, and needs your Old Madam¡¯s wee.¡± The loud voice shocked the guard a lot that the guard nearly got tripped down. When he lifted his eyes amazedly, his sleepiness waspletely gone. There was a strong man standing by the gate, who stared at him with those round eyes. The man didn¡¯t seem to being to wish them a happy New Year with his hands on his hips and his eyes staring at them.

    ¡°Pardon me, where are you from? And why are you here?¡± Seeing them so tough, the guard¡¯s voice turned soft and bent over to ask carefully. He had been so sleepy that he hadn¡¯t heard them clearly. He just heard that someone wasing and needed Old Madam toe to greet.

    ¡°Our Madam is the main wife in Duke¡¯s manor, and shees to wish you a happy New Year. You should go and find your Old Madam toe here. Our Madam is busy and has to greet Princess Xianjun in a while. You¡¯re supposed to deliver the message right away, or you may hold up our Madam¡¯s arrangement.¡± The people from Duke¡¯s manor came here to niggle. Since His Excellency in Duke¡¯s manor passed out in bed, the duchness was very angry and came here to bring them trouble. However, as a servant, he didn¡¯t dare to offend her and had to scold the people in Mo Manor, echoing her.

    The people from Duke¡¯s manor came to greet Old Madam, but they asked Old Madam to wee them by the gate in person!

    The guard was quite smart and knew what they meant by those words. He tiptoed and saw a big carriage park outside the gate. There was the sign of Duke¡¯s manor on one side of the carriage, and the curtains were lifted. Inside was the duchess with a dark face. She coldly looked at Mo Manor, which looked like asking for payment of debt rather than wishing a happy New Year.

    The guard was scared and held his neck back. He was about to ask more details to tell Master to make thetter satisfied when he saw someoneing from the next carriage. He waspletely shocked and groaned without any words. He just stretched his neck and swallowed saliva.

    No wonder he was so scared. It¡¯s just too surprising to see the person on the next carriage.

    There was a small carriage behind the duchess¡¯s big wagon, which was quite inconspicuous. However, the guard noticed a little character Mo by the curtains of the carriage. It was one of those Mo Manor sent out to deal with trifles. The guard used to see it a lot, so he could easily recognize it.

    What amazed him was that after the curtains were the gentle elegant first miss who looked pale and was in disheveled clothes!

    The first miss who used to wear dignified and graceful clothes was now dressed improperly. She just wore ordinary clothes which looked like clothes for maids. Besides, it was not only untidy but also stained with blood. There were even several holes on the clothes, so she had to hold on to it. She was too uncollected to be recognized.

    The guard trembled and didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. He just hurried in to deliver the message.

    It seemed that there was going to be big trouble!

    By that time, Mo Huawen had already gotten up. He had drunk a lot at the pce feastst night ande back early. As for what happenedter in the pce, he knew nothing about it. He only knew that his eldest daughter had returned soon too. The youngest daughter was left in the pce untilte in the night and wasn¡¯t sent back until her feeling ufortable.

    In the morning, he heard that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t feel wellst night, so Mo Huawen got up early to see her. He didn¡¯t know that Mo Xuemin left from the back door at midnightst night.

    Right at the moment, the guard rushed in hurriedly.

    ¡°Master, something horrible happened. The first miss was caught by the duchess and seemed to have been beaten up. You should go to have a look right away!¡±

    ¡°The duchess caught Min¡¯er and even beat her?¡± Mo Huawen hesitated for a moment, rubbed his ears and asked unbelievably.

    ¡°Yes, Master, there was blood all over first miss¡¯s clothes and she was caught and forced to the gate by the duchess. Besides, the duchess asked Old Madam to greet her in person.¡±

    It¡¯s not the guard¡¯s fault to have misread it. There was actually blood all over Mo Xuemin¡¯s clothes, and some was already dry. Therefore, it looked scary on her clothes. Consequently, it¡¯s normal for the guard to misread it with the duchess¡¯s angry expressions.

    ¡°Bang!¡± Mo Huawen got furiously and stood up fiercely. He gnawed his teeth and said angrily, ¡°Go ahead and invite the duchess inside. Tell her that I¡¯ll greet her in person!¡±

    Although the status of the duchess was much higher than that of Old Madam, Duke¡¯s manor didn¡¯t have much power indeed. Besides, the marriage of Qiong¡¯er and Sima Lingyun was quite assured, so Old Madam could be seen as an elder for the duchess. However, the duchess didn¡¯t even care about their feelings and acted like this on the New Year¡¯s day, which clearly meant they didn¡¯t want to maintain the rtions anymore.

    ¡°Go and check who let first miss out from the back door?¡± Mo Huawen told the servant behind him and then hurriedly rushed to the gate. It was Old Madam who was supposed to greet duchess. In no case was the Master supposed to greet the guests.

    It was not only disrespectful to the female guests, but also a very rude and impolite thing!

    On usual days, Mo Huawen was a modest gentleman. However, now that he was so angry and they wanted to tear the faces apart, he didn¡¯t care about dignity and fame anymore. Qiong¡¯er was still little, and that incident was not concerned with love affairs. Though Qiong¡¯er and that man hugged together, it was forgivable in the big fire. After two years¡¯ time when the incident was forgotten, he would choose another marriage for her. They didn¡¯t have to depend on Duke¡¯s manor on Qiong¡¯er¡¯s marriage.

    The duchess sat in the carriage with a dark face, not knowing that Mo Huawen was hurrying here angrily.

    She was really angry too. About her two children, at first, her daughter was humiliated and locked herself in the room crying. And she said that her big brother didn¡¯t help his own kinfolk and hurt her for another girl. The duchess got this thing through after a long talk.

    When she wasforting her sad daughter, she surprisedly heard that her son was almost killed for this girl. When she saw Sima Lingyun who was carried in and covered with blood, she almost passed out and hated Mo Xuemin so much. Therefore, she wouldn¡¯t let Mo Xuemin go and asked someone to send raggedly dressed Mo Xuemin into Sima Lingyun¡¯s room and let all the doctors who came to check on Sima Lingyun¡¯s disease see her.

    Thinking that her son was stabbed like that by a sharp chip of porcin, the duchess wanted to eat her alive. Thus, she didn¡¯t care about how she was dressed. She just wanted to ruin Mo Xuemin¡¯s innocence and let everyone know Mo Xuemin was in Sima Lingyun¡¯s room for a whole night.

    Since her son cared so much for Mo Xuemin, she¡¯d get Mo Xuemin for him. Even if Mo Manor didn¡¯t agree on this, she would make this marriage happen unless Mo Huawen didn¡¯t want this daughter anymore! When thinking about that, the duchess coldly smiled and leaned over to look. When she saw gaunt pale Mo Xuemin, she couldn¡¯t help frowning.

    She couldn¡¯t see her beauty and thought she was not as pretty as her niece. When she got back, she would ask Yun¡¯er to give Yiqiu a name. Now that they were together, it would be a scandal if they had a kid without a proper name. Of course, such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen in a rich and famous family. It would be extremely disgraceful to have a concubine¡¯s child before a main wife¡¯s child.

    Fortunately, the duchess didn¡¯t care about that. When two daughters of Mo Manor became the concubine¡¯s Sima Lingyun, it didn¡¯t matter who would be the main wife anymore. No miss from a third-ss official would marry into Duke¡¯s manor. Therefore, she would let Yiqiu have the biggest power and make her the main wife. She could trust her own niece.

    After his two daughters married Sima Lingyun, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t have been idle in light of Sima Lingyun¡¯s career and future.

    The duchess¡¯s anger was gradually gone when she had such a perfect n in mind. When hearing the sound of opening the door, she thought Old Madam went out and got out of the carriage with the maid¡¯s support. She tidied her clothes and intended to be politer. Now that the marriage was for sure, she would pretend to be generous, so that Mo Huawen would have nothing unsatisfying to say.

    She put on a slightly lifted face and looked to the gate¡¯s direction arrogantly. She didn¡¯t believe she couldn¡¯t deal with an old madam from the countryside! Besides, she made it clear that this old madam was not Mo Xuemin¡¯s grandmother by blood. Therefore, she just needed to scare her and let her make Mo Xuemin marry her son. Even if Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t want to marry, she wouldn¡¯t let Yun¡¯er down and make him sigh all day like thest time.

    The duchess didn¡¯t know it was a trade between Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin, and she mistook Sima Lingyun¡¯s imagination about Mo Xuetong for that of Mo Xuemin! Thinking that Mo Xuemin almost took Sima Lingyun¡¯s life, she wanted to tear Mo Xuemin apart. Hearing the sound from the gate, her face got cold, which highlighted the strict expression on her square face.

 Chapter 180 - Feeling Ashamed, They Returned to Duke

    <h4>Chapter 180 Feeling Ashamed, They Returned to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Huawen stood by the opening of the gate, although he was thest person the duchess expected to show up ¨C it should have been the old madam, surrounded by servants and maids. The duchess was amazed by his improper behavior. After all, Mo Huawen was a man and shouldn¡¯t greet her at the gate.

    Those who didn¡¯t know the truth might think they were having an affair for him to greet her warmly in person.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s wife was dead and he could get married again, but duchess wouldn¡¯t marry anymore . Besides, in order to help his son be a duke, she not only couldn¡¯t get married, but also had to act faithfully. She definitely couldn¡¯t have improper rtions with a man outside of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    She couldn¡¯t imagine Mo Huawen would humiliate her like a rascal. Was this supposed to be done by a third-ss official?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our manor!¡± she said through gritted teeth. She held the nanny¡¯s hand and hurried into the carriage without greeting Mo Huawen, who had a slight smile. The carriage turned back, and she hurried back to the manor with the servants of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    Sitting in the carriage, the duchess let out her anger and mmed the table so hard that the teacup fell.

    The duchess¡¯s confidant, Nanny Tian, picked up the teacup and poured the remnant tea into the barrel under the table. Then she lifted the boiled water by the other side and made another cup of tea, cing it in front of the duchess.

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be worried. Many people know about yesterday¡¯s incident. It¡¯s not like the one in Mo Manor with only a few servants seeing it, which could be easily solved with some warnings. An unmarried girl hugged a man by the side of the road. She was saved and even stayed in that man¡¯s bedroom for a whole night, which a hundred mouths could not exin away. With such a scandal spread, she had no other choice except for being a concubine in our manor. Once she marries into our manor, her life will be in your hands.¡±

    ¡°That little bitch Mo Xuemin has no good manners, nor did her father. No wonder he had such a disgraceful daughter who seduced her younger sister¡¯s husband. She was a disgraced bitch, indeed. She couldn¡¯t be a good daughter in such a family and should be honored to be a concubine in our family,¡± The duchess said.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re absolutely right. By the time she is in our manor, you¡¯ll have plenty of time to teach her. A concubine¡¯s daughter can¡¯t be well-behaved at all. There was no main wife in Mo Manor, and thus all the misses are taught like concubines. You shouldn¡¯t be too worried in case you hurt yourself. There is a long way to go!¡± Nanny Tian said with a smile.

    After Nanny Tian¡¯s words, the duchess felt a little better and sipped at her tea. Her eyebrows creased as she set the cup down. ¡°I wonder how Yun¡¯er¡¯s wound is doing. Even though he could survive this time, that wound on his face will stay with him forever.¡±

    Though the doctors took care of itst night, some of the doctors shook their heads and said that there might be a scar left on His Excellency¡¯s face, which made the duchess very worried.

    The wound and the scandal would shame him for life!

    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. When I went out this morning, I heard that they brought in a specialist. It is said that, with proper rest, the wound on His Excellency¡¯s face may not leave a scar.¡± Nanny Tian said with a smile. This morning, madam had stormed to Mo Manor, so she didn¡¯t dare to say much.

    ¡°There might be no scar on Yun¡¯er¡¯s face?¡± the Duchess asked, surprised.

    ¡°Yes, madam, with appropriate rests. The wound wasn¡¯t that serious,¡± Nanny Tian said.

    ¡°Okay. Once Yun¡¯er gets recovered, I¡¯ll get a main wife for him. She doesn¡¯t have to be very beautiful, but she does need to be able to handle Yun¡¯er and his two concubines. When Mo Huawen¡¯s two daughters be Yun¡¯er¡¯s concubines, Mo Huawen would never talk about manners and rules in front of Yun¡¯er. When they enter our manor, I¡¯ll teach them how to be qualified concubines.¡± The duchess¡¯ face was frigid.

    Thinking that the two girls from Mo Manor ruined Yun¡¯er¡¯s reputation time after time, she hated them even more.

    In front of the gate of Mo Manor, Mo Huawen coldly looked at Mo Xuemin, who was dressed in rags and covered in bloodstains, her hair disheveled.

    Mo Huawen had gone to sleep early the night before, so he¡¯d only been informed of the situation on his trip to the front gate.

    The nanny by the back door had let Mo Xuemin out. After she got out, she somehow ran into Sima Lingyun, who had been driven out of the pce . They might have said something intimate in the carriage, and then the wagon crashed into a tree. Then it was said that Sima Lingyun tried to rape Mo Xuemin, but was stabbed by Mo Xuemin with a sharp chip of porcin.

    No matter what others thought about this nonsense, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t believe it at all! Sima Lingyun was a teenager with much strength. Besides, the boys from famous families always learnt kung fu to protect themselves. Though Sima Lingyun just learned a bit, he could easily handle a delicate girl. A dozen girls like Mo Xuemin couldn¡¯t hurt him a bit.

    Besides, from the message spread from the pce, Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had already had improper rtions, so the rape was impossible. Everyone in the pce was saying that what really happened was the first daughter was trying to frame the third daughter.

    While this rumor was obviously untrue, it was widely spread. Mo Huawen, who was politically sensitive, felt strange about it.

    Mo Huawen avoided Mo Xuemin¡¯s pitiful eyes. ¡°Inside!¡±

    He turned around and went directly into the study without waiting for her. He had spent so much time and energy on her, thinking she was the best of all his daughters. Now, Mo Huawen was sure that Mo Xuemin had gone out to meet Sima Lingyun in order to deal with Mo Xuetong.

    She wanted to frame her own younger sister and make her marry Sima Lingyun, who was a useless duke¡¯s son! It wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed. Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor which had no real power wanted to have Tong¡¯er. In the past, he didn¡¯t stop Sima Lingyun from visiting at times for the sake of the Duke.

    But he didn¡¯t expect Sima Lingyun to stoop to framing Tong¡¯er with Mo Xuemin. Tong¡¯er would never marry a man like him!

    Moreover, there was Auntie Fang¡¯s affair...

    ¡°Dad!¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s voice came from behind.

    ¡°Get yourself changed and thene to my study,¡± Mo Huawen said, not turning around.

    He was so disappointed. She looked gentle and generous from the outside, but she was just as evil and stupid as her ugly concubine. She wanted to be in control of Tong¡¯er¡¯s life forever. Wanting Tong¡¯er to get a bad marriage was unkind, but this was simply evil!

    This was even more resentful than using Auntie Fang¡¯s unborn child to frame Tong¡¯er. Now, thinking about everything Auntie Fang did, he realized Mo Xuemin might be behind it. Auntie Fang wasn¡¯t smart enough toe up with this n on her own.

    Mo Huawen used to feel bad that Mo Xuemin had such a terrible concubine, but now he realized that he had been wrong. Auntie Fang had simply failed while attempting to enact Mo Xuemin¡¯s schemes. As a mother, she would never tell the fault of her own child, so Mo Xuemin still lived next to him as a gentle first miss in Mo Manor.

    But things weren¡¯t so simple. In the pce, Yu Mingyong¡¯ster words saved Mo Xuemin from losing her dignity. Yu Mingyong was the younger brother of Consort Yu, who was the emperor¡¯s most beloved consort. Mo Huawen knew well about his arrogance and it must have taken a powerful person to make a him change his story.

    Then Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s secret dating was revealed, but somehow the story was changed to rape. It seemed to be protecting Mo Manor from losing its dignity, but in fact, Mo Manor was hurt the most. If it was only Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s secret dating and no one did anything to the carriage, the carriage wouldn¡¯t have crashed into the tree without any reason, and they wouldn¡¯t have exposed themselves.

    He had to admit the person who set this all up was very powerful!

    But it was clearly not the same person who made Yu Mingyong change his evidence, or he wouldn¡¯t have made the story that Sima Lingyun wanted to rape Mo Xuemin, which was clearly different from the story that they already had improper rtions. It¡¯s reassuring that Mo Huawen didn¡¯t feel much hostility from the second person who schemed everything outside the pce, which could be seen from the talk that Mo Xuemin fought against Sima Lingyun.

    Though Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was ruined, the fame of the daughters in Mo Manor wasn¡¯t! It was much better to be an unlucky girl who fought for her chastity and failed than an unmarried miss who had had improper rtions with a man.

    It was obviously a scheme. But if Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t go out, such a thing couldn¡¯t have happened!

    The nanny at the back door confessed that it was first miss¡¯s maid Mo Xiu who bribed her to open the back door. They just said first miss wanted to eat Rose Pastry on New Year¡¯s Eve.

    Mo Xuemin almost confessed to having improper rtions with others. If the truth got out, it would be more unbearable than it was now. Maybe even Feng¡¯er and Tong¡¯er¡¯s marriage would be affected.

    Mo Huawen sat in the study, clenching his fists while taking deep breaths, trying to calm down.

    This daughter was no good!

 Chapter 182 - Another Flattery in Qingwei Garden

    <h4>Chapter 182 Another ttery in Qingwei Garden</h4>

    Sad crying filled the study and then Mo Yufeng appeared by the door. After he got in, he knelt down by Mo Xuemin obediently and begged miserably with them. ¡°Father, please forgive the first sister. What happened yesterday was an ident. She just intended to do something for you, but no one could imagine Sima Lingyun was so shameless.¡±

    Mo Yufeng was Mo Huawen¡¯s only son and Mo Xuemin¡¯s elder brother by blood. If Mo Xuemin really became Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine, Mo Yufeng would never be proud in front of others; even his career would be affected. No matter how angry he was, he couldn¡¯t see Mo Xuemin being sent into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    Now the ident was known by all, everybody knew Mo Xuemin was almost raped by Sima Lingyun. It¡¯s not bad that Mo Xuemin struggled against him, which distanced her from the rumor in the pce. However, Mo Xuemin was forced to stay at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor for a whole night yesterday, which was not good news. Thinking about the duchess¡¯s attitude in the morning, which seemed to treat Mo Xuemin as their concubine, Mo Huawen felt the horrible pain in his chest.

    He would never let Mo Xuetong or Mo Xuemin go through the gates of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    A sign of seriousness showed in his calm eyes. His two daughters were said to have improper rtions with Sima Lingyun. Judging from all the signs, Sima Lingyun might even want to marry Tong¡¯er. Thinking of all these things, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t help feeling furious, and was in no mood to handle Mo Xuemin¡¯s affairs.

    ¡°Someone take first miss back into her own yard and don¡¯t let her out without my order. Anyone who lets her out will be beaten to death!¡±

    The two guards waiting by the door walked in, bowed to Mo Xuemin, and invited her out politely. She was the first miss who had been in the boudoir for a long time and couldn¡¯t be touched by a man. The order was to take her there, but the watch was just nominal.

    Seeing that her father didn¡¯t mention Sima Lingyun again, Mo Xuemin was relieved. She knew her goal had been achieved, and it was no big deal to be locked up by her father. After the affairs with Sima Lingyun were solved and people started to forget about it, she still had a chance. There was no doubt You Yuecheng would fall for her beauty.

    When she became the wife of the duke¡¯s son, You Yuecheng, she wouldn¡¯t even be afraid of her father.

    She stopped crying, covered her face with her sleeves, and bowed to Mo Huawen. Her pitiful behavior, along with her pale face, made her seem innocent and sad as she followed the guards to leave the study with Mo Xiu holding her hand.

    ¡°Father.¡± Mo Yufeng began, but Mo Huawen coldly waved his hand and stopped him.

    ¡°Go back to your study to read your books, instead of going out. Your exam ising soon. You have spent so much time for it; don¡¯t ruin it by focusing on things that aren¡¯t your business.¡±

    ¡°Yes, father!¡± Mo Yufeng didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. He just bowed to Mo Huawen and went out.

    After leaving the study, he saw his servant waiting nervously. When the servant saw Mo Yufenging out, he hurried over.

    Mo Yufeng looked at the study¡¯s direction and found nothing abnormal. Then he held the servant¡¯s hand and hurried from Mo Huawen¡¯s yard. Once they were out, he asked hurriedly, ¡°What did Miss Hongxiu say? Will she pick me up tonight?¡±

    The servant wiped the sweat from his brow, saying, ¡°Sir, Miss Hongxiu sent a letter which said she would pick Sir Yu Mingyong tonight and had to say sorry to you.¡±

    Mo Yufeng¡¯s face froze. Not him again?

    After a moment, he shouted, ¡°Why? She said she would belong to the one who would give the most. What made her change her mind again? That bitch!¡±

    ¡°Sir, it was said that the money that Sir Yu gave was much more than ours, so...¡± The servant¡¯s unfinished words didn¡¯t make Mo Yufeng¡¯s anger disappear; instead, it made him even more furious. Thinking of how Hongxiuy in his arms and said to him that she would belong to him, he couldn¡¯t hold his anger now that she changed her mind.

    That bitch wanted to have his money and stand him up. It was not that easy!

    He was so furious that he left the manor with the servant,pletely forgetting that Mo Huawen¡¯s servants would notice. She was just a prostitute, but she dared to treat him like this? He wouldn¡¯t take this lying down!

    Meanwhile, in the study, it took Mo Huawen quite some time to calm his nerves.

    ¡°Sir, the sir from General Manor asked to see you.¡± A servant reported.

    Mo Huawen paused, then felt relieved. A slight smile emerged on his face, and he nodded to invite him in.

    It was the official in charge of the ministry of the penalty and was much more experienced than him, having just be the capital official. He didn¡¯t know much about what happened yesterday and had much to say to him . They used to have little interaction to avoid each other¡¯s attention. Now that the rtionship between their manors turned smooth, their interaction would seem normal.

    Luo Bin hade to give Mo Xuetong a New Year¡¯s present on behalf of Old Madam Luo from General Manor.

    They had a pleasant conversation before Luo Bin departed. After, Mo Huawen sat alone in the study for a while before going to Qingwei Garden, where Mo Xuetong lived.

    In Qingwei Garden, Mo Xuetong had just gotten up andy on the cushion, her hurt hand swathed and hidden in the sleeves, and all her confidants were in the room. The wound on her hand was not that serious, so it didn¡¯t hurt much with the good medicine and a night¡¯s recovery. The fear, however, had made her face so pale that it was nearly transparent.

    It¡¯s good that she was still ¡°ill in bed,¡± and what happenedst night was unknown to others. It was said she got ill in the pce. Two concubines who were in charge of the manor sent someone to ask how she was in the morning and sent some tonics for her. What was most unexpected was that Mo Xueyan and Lan Xinru came by.

    Mo Xueyan pointed at Lan Xinru who was sitting there quietly and said, ¡°Third sister, Auntie Lan heard you were ill, so she got up early this morning and cooked some millet congee for you. It smelled very nice, but grandma and I didn¡¯t have any. I heard that Auntie Lan brought this millet from the south, so it¡¯s stickier and tastier. There was only a half bag of it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s fair face looked a little pale and she weaklyy on the cushion and said, ¡°Miss Lan, thank you so much. But I already had some when I got up and can¡¯t eat anything more. It¡¯s better for the second miss to eat it, who seemed to want it for a long time!¡±

    She had put her hand into the quilt because she couldn¡¯t let others know about her injury, so she definitely couldn¡¯t stretch her hand out to drink the porridge. However, she had had breakfast, and the bowls were still on the table, which Mo Lan was quietly cleaning.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong had done eating, Mo Xueyan said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the third sister doesn¡¯t drink it. Don¡¯t you want to have some more? You¡¯re too weak and supposed to eat more. Auntie Lan got up early and cooked the porridge for you, and she even got her hand scalded with two blisters.¡± She dragged Lan Xinru¡¯s hand to let her have a look.

    As expected, there were two obvious blisters on her white forefinger¡¯s end.

    Lan Xinru pulled her hand out of Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand with much effort. And she smiled gently. ¡°Xueyan, it was no big deal. It was just scalded a bit, which was nothing serious. But the third miss is so weak, and I think it will be good for her health to drink some millet congee. I had wanted to get here earlier, but I got my hand hurt when I was cooking, which is why I waste for your breakfast. But it¡¯s good to make your refreshment and it does well to your body.¡±

    It had just been two days, but Lan Xinru had be much more clever!

    As expected, just after she finished her words, a voice came from the outside of the door, ¡°Didn¡¯t catch up with breakfast? Tong¡¯er hasn¡¯t had breakfast yet? You haven¡¯t recovered yet?¡± It was not too early, and Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t get up sote. Besides, in regr cases, most people would have finished breakfast by that time.

    Hearing the voice, Lan Xinru had already stood and timidly greeted Mo Huawen with, ¡°Hello, cousin Mo!¡± This time she sounded quite normal. Maybe Old Madam told her how to behave.

    After Mo Xueyan¡¯s greetings, Mo Huawen bowed to Lan Xinru politely and let Mo Xueyan continue to talk. He came to the big chair by Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed. Mo Lan had already cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and then Mo Yu calmly served the tea.

    ¡°How did Miss Lane to Tong¡¯er¡¯s yard so early?¡±

    ¡°I heard that third miss went into the pce for the feast and got ill, so I got up early today to cook some millet congee for her, but I burned my hand and got herete. When I arrived, the third miss had already finished breakfast. I was telling her that it¡¯s good for the body to have some refreshments after the meal. Cousin Mo is here just in time; will you do me the favor and eat some millet congee?¡± Lan Xinru stood up with a charming smile and took the food box to the table.

    Opening the cover of the food box, she saw a big gold-iid bowl full of millet congee. The minute it was opened, the sweet smell spread out, which was quite appetizing.

    ¡°It smells so good!¡± Mo Xueyan lifted her nose and said coquettishly. Then she turned to Mo Huawen, ¡°Uncle, Yan¡¯er wants some, too.¡±

    After their performances, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t say anything to refuse and had to nod his head.

    Right after he said yes, Lan Xinruisantly ced a bowl of congee in front of him. Her fingers, which had been carefully trimmed, were quite fair and slender, and looked even more pure and delicate when ced on the blue cdon bowl. Her face flushing, ¡°Cousin, you should also have a try. If it¡¯s not to your taste, I shall improve it next time.¡±

    After her words, she turned around to pick out the pickles to apany the congee. She did everything by herself, along with an affectionate expression. Someone who didn¡¯t know the truth might think she was a wife preparing a meal for her husband. It was too difficult to refuse her hospitality.

    Mo Huawen had already had breakfast and was worried, because he had no appetite. He lifted his eyes to look at Lan Xinru and frowned a bit. He picked up his chopsticks on the pickles and then put the chopsticks down, saying to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Do you feel all right? Maybe I should send for a doctor for you. Last night¡¯s feast wentte, and you shouldn¡¯t have gotten up so early.¡±

    He had started to talk seriously with Mo Xuetong; although Lan Xinru opened her mouth, she didn¡¯t say anything to interrupt. Her charming eyes were fixed on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and the impatience was obvious

 Chapter 183 - There Were So Many Pieces of Jewelry

    <strong>Chapter 183 There Were So Many Pieces of Jewelry</strong>

    Lan Xinru didn¡¯te here to find Mo Xuetong, and she had nned the exact time of her arrival. She told her maid to ask the servant to watch Mo Huawen in order to know when he woulde to Qingwei Garden. She even cooked for his daughter in person and hurt her hand.

    It was unknown whether Mo Huawen tried to evade Lan Xinru on purpose. But when Mo Huawen went to greet Old Madam, Lan Xinru was not there. Lan Xinru would only stay at Mo Manor for a few days and didn¡¯t have many chances to meet Mo Huawen, which made both Old Madam and Lan Xinru worried, so Old Madam came up with this idea.

    Old Madam¡¯s suggestion was to let Lan Xinru cook the millet congee and bring it over to serve Mo Xuetong carefully, which must be gentle like treating her own daughter. But Lan Xinru had a different idea ¨C she came a bitte on purpose and served the porridge to Mo Huawen, himself. She had intended to show Mo Huawen her injured finger to make him care for her more.

    But Mo Huawen didn¡¯t show much concern. Instead, he asked about Mo Xuetong¡¯s conditions. Therefore, all her anger was fixed on Mo Xuetong and she hated Mo Xuetong even more. But she knew she was in Mo Manor and had to tter Mo Xuetong. She smiled and pretended to be attentively listening to their words until she felt Mo Xueyan pulling on her sleeve.

    Mo Xuetong observed the whole process of the changes on Lan Xinru¡¯s face and smiled to herself. She fixed her attention on her father again and gently said with a smile, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s probably because I went to sleeptest night. I didn¡¯t dare go against the rules and talk too much, but I did chat with the princess for a while. I¡¯m just not rested, which caused the pain toe back. Now I¡¯ve almost recovered, and it will only take a few days more to get all well. When I used to get ill like this, I usually didn¡¯t need to see a doctor or take the medicine, just more rest.¡±

    ¡°You used to get ill like this? Since when have you had this illness?¡± Mo Huawen asked with surprise. When they were in Cloud City, though Tong¡¯er was weak, she didn¡¯t get ill. She just used to be weak and delicate.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a real illness; I just said it like that. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. When we were in Cloud Cityst year, I just got ill for no reason; that¡¯s when it started. Since then, every time I get too tired, I may fall ill again. Grandaunt found many famous doctors for me. They all said it was nothing serious, but I had to take care and couldn¡¯t get too tired.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s sweet voice sounded cute with a daughter¡¯s tenderness, whichforted her father¡¯s emotions, but Mo Huawen¡¯s heart still ached.

    This timest year, he took the other two daughters to the capital for quite a while. When it came to the New Year, Min¡¯er and Qiong¡¯er asked to make many clothes and jewelry for themselves. They had different clothes and jewelry every day and chatted happily likerks. They got everything they wanted and weren¡¯t tired at all.

    He did think of Tong¡¯er at that time, but Auntie Fang confused him. She just said Tong¡¯er didn¡¯t want toe back to see her father. And the presents sent her were returned unopened. By then, he was quite sad and didn¡¯t know his delicate daughter was ill in bed. Even if she said it lightly, it couldn¡¯t be a small thing that she had this uncured disease.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡± Mo Huawen ashamedly looked at his daughter who was pale, but still smiled tofort him. Then he recalled what his beloved first daughter had done and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today, and we can¡¯t say anything sad on such a festive day. Aren¡¯t you supposed to send me some presents? You haven¡¯t sent me gifts for so many years!¡± Mo Xuetong pouted her little mouth, acting coyly to change the topic. There was indeed a tradition in Great Qin that the elders should send the youngsters gifts to ensure their safety.

    But this was the custom when they were young and Mo Huawen hadn¡¯t sent his daughters gifts for a few years. But now he felt warm when he heard the words. Looking at his little girl, he felt his tension melt away, and the sadness on his face was gone. Heughed out loud and walked to feel Mo Xuetong¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ve prepared them for you, already.¡±

    Then he took out an exquisite jewelry box from his sleeves and handed it over. Mo Feng, who was standing by her bedside, took it for her and opened it. There were many pieces of shining gold jewelry inside it. Lan Xinru and Mo Xueyan eyed the jewelry greedily.

    Mo Xueyan was not too surprised. She was born in a merchant¡¯s family, which was quite rich. Though she hadn¡¯t seen jewelry much, she had seen some of it before. Lan Xinru¡¯s family, on the other hand, had declined. Though she was said to serve Old Madam, everyone knew she was aiming for Mo Huawen.

    Lan Xinru had already saw herself as Mo Huawen¡¯s stepwife. When she saw Mo Huawen give a box full of jewelry to Mo Xuetong, she couldn¡¯t help feeling the pity . Before she came, Old Madam promised to make her Mo Huawen¡¯s wife, anyway. The jewelry should have belonged to her.

    She was so jealous that she said, ¡°Cousin, third miss is too little to use so many pieces of jewelry. Besides, she¡¯s so pretty that the jewelry would seem shabby on her. Maybe we should wait until she gets older and pick some for her then.¡±

    She smiled coquettishly towards Mo Huawen and threw a d look to him.

    Mo Huawen frowned even harder...

    Mo Xuetong blinked her big watery eyes and asked Mo Feng who was carrying the box toe near and echoed Lan Xinru¡¯s words. ¡°Miss Lan, is the jewelry shabby? Aren¡¯t they a gift from the pce? Mo Ye, does it say made in the pce at the bottom of the box?¡±

    Mo Yu leaned over to see the box and saw the pce¡¯s signs at the front and both sides. ¡°Miss, it really says made in the pce at the bottom. You have such sharp eyesight and can see it from such a distance. As maids, we don¡¯t have much knowledge of these things and also thought these were average essories. The box of jewelry was actually a gift from the pce.¡±

    Her words praised Mo Xuetong and belittled Lan Xinru at the same time. It¡¯smon for the maids to be ignorant. But Lan Xinru was from a famous family who said they were shabby jewelry. This implied her knowledge was the same as those of the maids.

    However shameless Lan Xinru was, she was ashamed and angry now. Her face turned dark and then pale. She felt so embarrassed that she red at Mo Yu with hatred. However, the maid pretended to be looking at the box and ignored her looks which were as sharp as knives.

    Seeing the jewelry made in the pce, Mo Xuetong rolled her watery eyes and knew it was the follow-up of yesterday¡¯s experience. Last night, the princess proved that Mo Xuetong was in Mingzhu Pce to apany her. And the princess said she liked Mo Xuetong and would give her some presents. ¡°Father, this was given to me by the princess. You can¡¯t lie to me and should give me something on your own.¡±

    When she was in the pce, she saw the empress, imperial noble consorts, and other nobility. But aside from the princess, she wasn¡¯t familiar with any of them, and they definitely wouldn¡¯t give her any gifts. Besides, if it was given to her father, it must be honorable. Therefore, it couldn¡¯t be anyone else except for the princess.

    Seeing that his daughter was so intelligent, Mo Huawen started tough, ¡°All right. My presents for you are ready, as are those from your grandparents. I¡¯ll have them sent to youter.¡±

    It would be quite a lotbing what Mo Huawen prepared with those sent by General Manor . It must be calcted first and then sent here so that Tong¡¯er could have it on her own. When he saw Tong¡¯er¡¯s baggage for the first time, Mo Huawen felt bad for her. He had no idea his truly beloved daughter was so poor and miserable.

    Auntie Fang had cheated him! How could he have believed such an evil woman? Leaving Tong¡¯er under her protection was truly putting a littlemb into the hands of a hungry wolf!

    His hatred towards Auntie Fang was only matched by his shame towards Mo Xuetong! And he thought of Luo Xia who protected him so much!

    This was exactly what Mo Xuetong wanted. She hated Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin so much. When she was burned in the big fire, she felt the pain in her soul and craziness in her heart. She hated Sima Lingyun and Lan Xinru, but she hated the mother and daughter the most.

    Her face got disfigured by Yu Sirong, and she¡¯d married Sima Lingyun because of Auntie Fang¡¯s secret order. And she led a low and disgraceful life in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor because of Mo Xuemin. She had treated them with so much love and trust, but they were just pretending to be nice to her. In the end, it was just a joke nned by them, and they would only treat her tragedy and pain like a joke. Mo Xuetong would never let go of such hatred.

    What she had achieved was far from enough. Mo Xuemin had framed her over and over again, and she would make them as miserable as in hell!

    She had been very thrifty for this day, which was only known by her and her maids. Coming back from Cloud City, Mo Xuetong carried nothing but a few taels of silver. Her mother¡¯s dowry had already been taken to the capital with her father.

    She ate and lived in Qin Manor, which also cost her a lot. Besides, she didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Mo Huawen and never asked him for money. Therefore, she only had a little money which was given by her mother. But there was only a little money and a few essories that were given by her mother in private. When she was in Qin Manor, she began to know how important money was.

    When living in another¡¯s house, if you weren¡¯t generous and gave them money, even a servant could push you around!

    So when she came to the capital, Mo Xuetong¡¯s money had all been used up!

    Those taels of silver were left by Mother Xu, who lived thriftily and saved it for an emergency.

    Seeing them chatting and being emotional, Lan Xinru looked at Mo Xuetong with hatred. Though Old Madam¡¯s idea was mean and cheap, once she married into Mo Manor, she would be the main wife and everything would be in her charge!

    When she got back, she would prepare...

 Chapter 184 - Losing Control, They Started to Plan for Their Own

    <h4>Chapter 184 Losing Control, They Started to n for Their Own</h4>

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t stay at Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard for too long before he left. On one hand, he had to greet Old Madam. On the other hand, he couldn¡¯t say anything intimate with Mo Xuetong in the presence of others. He told Mo Xuetong to have a good rest and then left for Old Madam¡¯s yard.

    Lan Xinru and Mo Xueyan told Mo Huawen that they were also about to greet Old Madam and followed him.

    Seeing her father¡¯s impatience, Mo Xuetong smiled and asked someone to apany them to the door.

    Mo Yu saw them out, turned around and said angrily, ¡°Miss, this Miss Lan is disgraceful to follow the master like that. She didn¡¯t look a bit like an unmarried woman. Even we maids are more dignified than her.¡± She had long felt ufortable about Lan Xinru. She said she¡¯de to see Mo Xuetong, but in fact, she had been throwing eyes at Mo Huawen. When Lan Xinru noticed he hadn¡¯t drunk the congee, she had reminded him to eat, and almost took over the chopsticks to feed him.

    No one could stand such a woman!

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Anyways, my father won¡¯t marry her. After the New Year, if she is well-behaved, she will follow Old Madam to leave. Otherwise...¡± Mo Xuetong gave a strange smile and stopped talking. She had almost forgotten that Lan Xinru had a rtionship with Sima Lingyun!

    ¡°Miss, miss, please tell me. Do you have any good ideas?¡± Mo Yu asked, eyes shining. At the other side, Mo Lan and Mo Ye lightly held Mo Xuetong higher to let her hand stretch from under the quilt. There was a fire stove in the room, so it wasn¡¯t cold.

    Her injured hand couldn¡¯t be wrapped all the time. Besides, she wasn¡¯t hurt too badly, so it would be okay, so long as it was kept away from water and applied with the medicine.

    ¡°Since Mo Yu cared about Miss Lan so much, maybe we can let you take care of Miss Lan?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was pure and sweet and she leaned over to look at Mo Yu. The longer they got along, the deeper their rtions became. Mo Lan and Mo Yu also smiled more because Mo Xuetong was optimistic.

    Life would never be as dull as in herst life.

    earing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, Mo Yu thought she was joking. ¡°Miss...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, from now on, you¡¯re to watch Miss Lan¡¯s behaviors. She¡¯ll take actions today or tomorrow. You should watch close ande to me if you find anything abnormal.¡± There was a slight smile by Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips, and her face expressed some mockery.

    At her age, Lan Xinru couldn¡¯t wait too long to get married.

    Old Madam had said that she would leave after the New Year. If Lan Xinru didn¡¯t win Mo Huawen¡¯s heart by that time, she would have to follow Old Madam to leave, so she would take actions in the next few days. The poison Mo Xuetong drank in herst life must have connections with Lan Xinru. Lan Xinru was from a family of doctors and must know much about medicine. If she wanted to frame someone, she would prepare the medicine needed!

    Mo Yu didn¡¯t understand at first. But then he nodded to Mo Xuetong and promised after Mo Lan¡¯s signals. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll definitely watch Miss Lan closely.¡±

    ¡°Miss, do you need me to watch her for you? Mo Yu doesn¡¯t know kung fu. Can she watch Miss Lan for you?¡± Mo Ye said worriedly. She knew how Miss Lan was the minute she saw her. Everyone could see that she had feelings for Mo Huawen while Mo Huawen didn¡¯t care for her. But Miss Lan seemed to know nothing about it and kept giving him longing stares.

    Mo Huawen had been the only man in the room just now, and her behavior made all the girls ufortable. Everyone could see what Lan Xinru was thinking about. Her intentions were practically written on her face!

    Mo Ye didn¡¯t care about Lan Xinru seducing Mo Huawen, but it would be horrible if she became Mo Xuetong¡¯s stepmother! When Mo Huawen took out the jewelry box, Miss Lan¡¯s face was filled with jealousy and unwillingness, which was so obvious. She would make Mo Xuetong¡¯s life miserable.

    If Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t live a happy life, her master would be mad. Mo Ye had to get rid of Miss Lan as soon as possible, and so offered to do it by herself. It¡¯s much easier to win Mo Xuetong¡¯s affection than to win her mysterious master¡¯s. Though her master always smiled, no one knew whether he would end another life or not at the next moment.

    After what happened yesterday, both Mo Lan and Mo Yu knew Mo Ye was skilled at kung fu, and they were not surprised to hear her words. They knew everyone in the room was trustworthy, so they didn¡¯t have to hide from each other. With this thought, they feltfortable and warm.

    Mo Xuetong leaned on the bed and said softly, ¡°Let Mo Yu do it. Lan Xinru wouldn¡¯t dare to act too outrageous; the most she would do is poison someone. Mo Yu has been following me all the time and knows something about medicine, so she will be perfect for the job.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mo Ye nodded and said nothing more.

    ¡°Miss, what should we do about the Luo¡¯s?¡± Mo Lan asked.

    ¡°After a few days, my hand will be fine, and hopefully no one will notice it. I¡¯ll beg grandma to let my aunt go to the feasts which will be held by Four Great Manors . My father saw my auntst time and should have a good impression of her.¡±

    Although Mo Lan understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, she thought it was a little inappropriate. ¡°But miss, it was Old Madam who was in charge in the inner yard. Miss Xu won¡¯t have a respected position in the manor. Miss Lan lived under Old Madam¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although Old Madam is in charge of the inner yard, she was an elder and her status was not high enough for the feast, which was the same for Lan Xinru and Mo Xueyan. I¡¯m weak, so my father definitely wants to find someone to apany me to the feast. Although the Xu¡¯s declined, my aunt has the title of a Miss Bo and can attend this kind of feast. Besides, she was seven or eight years older than me, which will make her perfect for taking care of me. My father would also like that to happen.¡±

    Mo Yu was also clever and understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s meaning instantly. She couldn¡¯t help pping her hands and admiring Mo Xuetong even more. ¡°Then whenever you feel ufortable, we can ask Miss Xu to apany you. And your father will definitely agree with it.¡±

    ¡°Our miss is so smart. Today, General Manor sent some gifts and I shall requite them. And I¡¯ll highlight on those prepared for Miss Xu,¡± Mo Lan said with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong was Xu Yan¡¯s youngster and couldn¡¯t discuss her marriage, which would only depend on her grandma. Mo Xuetong would only have to give hints properly. She thought that ording to her grandma¡¯s mind, she would definitely be satisfied with Mo Huawen marrying her daughter again. And she wouldn¡¯t worry about Xu Yan taking care of Mo Xuetong because they were from the same family.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s grandma loved her so much that she would definitely want her father¡¯s new wife to take good care of Mo Xuetong and have a good rtionship with her. If Mo Huawen didn¡¯t object, then it was settled.

    The toughest part would be getting Mo Huawen to make the request.

    With marriages, it was always the man who put forward the request first. After discussing in private and both having the same intention, they could ask someone to propose and act as a matchmaker for them, which would avoid the embarrassment of getting refused, which would disgrace both parties.

    ¡°But even if he agrees to let Miss Xu apany you, he may not agree to...¡± Mo Lan¡¯s worries were quite reasonable.

    ¡°The special method has to be used under special circumstance. Besides, we are not the only one to use the special method. Let¡¯s see what Miss Lan will do next,¡± Mo Xuetong said leisurely.

    She fixed her attention on her hand and watched Mo Feng carefully unwrap the tissue. There was more than one wound on her hand, and it had looked bloody and scaryst night. When it was unwrapped, there were so many wounds on it that she couldn¡¯t help gasping.

    Mo Ye was so afraid that her steady hand trembled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t hurt much anymore.¡± Mo Xuetong said smilingly. The medicine she used was really helpful and the wound had already formed scabs. The one in the middle of her palm was the longest.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. I¡¯ll do nothing more these days except for watching Miss Lan. If Miss Lan¡¯s maids can¡¯t find a way to the back door because they are new here, I¡¯ll definitely lead them there warmly and tell them what to say to the nanny guarding the back door to leave.¡± Mo Yu was pretty sure about what she had to do. She almost patted on her chest to promise to help Miss Lan realize her dream.

    The three maids looked at each other and smiled understandingly.

    In Old Madam¡¯s yard, both Lan Xinru and Mo Xueyan were driven out. Only Old Madam and Mo Huawen were left there to discuss over something.

    Old Madam frowned. The duchess hade by and asked to be greeted in person, in an attempt to humiliate her, and she wasn¡¯t in a good mood.

    ¡°Huawen, what should we do about Min¡¯er? Do we really have to send her into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor as a concubine? It¡¯s already inappropriate for Qiong¡¯er to be a concubine there. If two of your daughters be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubines, it will be harmful to both you and Feng¡¯er. You two will be disgraced.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty tough to deal with Min¡¯er¡¯s ident. There were so many people who saw... plus, she stayed at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor for a whole night...¡± Mo Huawen said nervously.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad if it¡¯s only Qiong¡¯er. After all, Sima Lingyun was trying to save people. And we let him marry Qiong¡¯er to show our gratitude, which will let him have the title of a hero. But this time, Sima Lingyun was such a randy and raffish man. Mo Manor can¡¯t send a daughter out again. Wen¡¯er, if you handle it in that way, you¡¯ll always be looked down on.¡± Old Madam sat there seriously withpressed anger in her eyes.

    It was pretty rare that she would take Mo Huawen¡¯s side!

 Chapter 185 - The Sachet, A Token of Love

    <strong>Chapter 185 The Sachet, A Token of Love</strong>

    It was not that she felt bad for Mo Xuemin. If the two daughters of the Mo Manor could only be concubines, then Mo Xueyan, whom she doted on the most, who was the daughter of a businessman, would not be able to marry well. They hade to the capital so that Mo Xueyan could go with Mo Xuemin to the banquet. There, she would be able to gain knowledge or perhaps find a good marriage.

    However, she did not expect Mo Xuemin to keep getting into trouble. Even if her reputation was not ruined, it was not ster. If she let Mo Xueyan follow Mo Xuemin around, it would drag down Mo Xueyan¡¯s reputation. It would not be appropriate for Mo Xueyan to follow Mo Xuetong around either. Firstly, Mo Xuetong had juste to the capital and her health was poor. She did not know many people in the capital and usually needed someone to take care of her. Where would she find the energy to introduce Mo Xueyan to good people?

    Furthermore, while Mo Xuetong was young, she looked beautiful, gentle, and delicate. The Old Madam knew that men like girls like this the most. Mo Xueyan was not as beautiful as her and was not even as beautiful as Mo Xuetong¡¯s maids. Who would take notice of her?

    She hade to the capital to find Mo Xueyan a good marriage and to send Lan Xinru before Mo Huawen. She wanted her to be Mo Huawen¡¯s wife.

    Whether Mo Xuemin became a concubine or not had nothing to do with the Old Madam. However, when she realized that it would affect Mo Xueyan¡¯s marriage, the Old Madam was determined to object to it. Even if Mo Xuemin had to be a nun or had to die at home to maintain her innocence, the Old Madam would not allow her to be a concubine at the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. As such, she insisted on defaming Sima Lingyun¡¯s character.

    ¡°Mother, I understand what you mean. I will definitely find another way to deal with this matter since we have already had a falling out with Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, and Qiong¡¯er and Min¡¯er do not want to marry him. While my daughters might be concubine¡¯s daughters, they can still be the legal wife of some lower-ranked officials. The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor cannot treat them any way they want.¡± Mo Huawen felt disgusted by Sima Lingyun, and he was determined to settle this matter.

    ¡°Alright, then that¡¯s decided. After all, you men are more knowledgeable about things outside the manor. I am an old woman of the inner courtyards and cannot help you much. But, look at your inner courtyard now. There isn¡¯t even an official home keeper. The youngdies of your household were all taught by concubines and they all want to be one. It does not reflect well on you. Right now, the only one who has good prospects is Tong¡¯er. You must not let those Aunties lead her astray.¡± The Old Madam changed the topic and sighed.

    ¡°Mother, your teachings are right. My inner courtyard is indeed a little messy. I have already told the aunties not to go to Tong¡¯er¡¯s Qingwei Garden if they do not have business there. I n to clean out a courtyard. Qiong¡¯er has been with Auntie Qing all these years and hasn¡¯t improved. She might as well move out alone. There are a few empty courtyards in the north-west area. While it¡¯s rather unfrequented, it is also very quiet. It is a good ce for a person to cultivate her moral character. Qiong¡¯er and Min¡¯er can both stay there.¡± Mo Huawen felt angry when he thought of how Mo Xueqiong was to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine.

    The Old Madam knew of that corner. She had wanted Lan Xinru to go there. However, it was too dested, so it had not happened. She had not expected Mo Huawen to ce his two daughters there. She knew that he was furious this time. As such, she sighed and nodded.

    She said, ¡°Since you have already decided, then do that. It is just that you have to have a proper mistress in your inner courtyard. Luo Xia has already passed away for more than a year. You have been a widow for so long, it is considered answering to the General¡¯s Manor. I have only heard of wives remaining a widow for their husbands and never the other way round. Furthermore, the inner courtyard is in such a mess. Even if you do not think for yourself, you have to think of the children. After the new year, the children will be serious about getting married. Do you intend to have a concubine deal with all of that?¡±

    ¡°Mother, please let me consider this!¡±

    Mo Huawen was also feeling troubled. A concubine managing the wedding in the manor was not really appropriate. There were some families who allowed concubines to manage the inner courtyards. But that was because the legal wife had passed away and there was no mistress to take charge. However, when weddings were being arranged, the legal wife had to be the one managing it, or the concubine had to be wedded and made legal before she could appear in public.

    Mo Xuemin was not young anymore and Mo Yufeng was at an age when he should be considering marriage. It would not be considered early for Mo Xuetong and Mo Xuemin to consider marriage. When he thought of that, Mo Huawen felt even more troubled. He thought of making Auntie Fang his legal wife in the past so that it would be easier on his children. Firstly, Auntie Fang was the mother of his only son. Secondly, Auntie Fang knew how to behave and treated Mo Xuetong and Mo Xueqiong well on the surface.

    She treated them carefully and was kind and gentle toward them!

    Furthermore, Auntie Fang¡¯s family background was good. She was the legal daughter of the Yu Family. As long as her family background was revealed to the public, it would be normal for her to be the legal madam of the Mo Manor. Who would have expected Auntie Fang to be so vicious though? Mo Huawen no longer had any intentions of making Auntie Fang his legal wife. Even though the Yu Family had made many hints, both secretly and tantly, he pretended not to understand.

    Later, he did not even agree to meet the Yus even when they came to the manor. His intentions were already clear. The rtives of a concubine could not really be considered true rtives. He was the master of the Mo Manor and did not intend to wee them. Even though the people from the Yu Manor would stille to butter up to Mo Huawen asionally, they rarely mentioned the matter. The Yu Family had juste to the capital and did not have many connections. They did not dare to bring up the matter too often.

    ¡°Then you had best get to it. I think that that girl, Xinru, is not bad. She truly likes you and has liked you and only you for a long time. She is filial and behaves like a nobledy. Even though her family has fallen, she is still considered a young miss from a good family. It will not shame you to take her as your legal wife.¡± The Old Madam¡¯s words made Mo Huawen, who was still frustrated, shudder.

    Tong¡¯er was right. The Old Madam truly intended to match him up with Lan Xinru!

    Mo Huawen saw that the Old Madam was doing this for his own good. He would not forget the kindness she showed him when he was a child.

    As such, he often turned a blind eye to the Old Madam¡¯s doings.

    He knew that the Old Madam did not like his three daughters and son. She also did not stay with them, so they did not have much of a rtionship. That was normal! As such, he did not mind. He just cared about whether his children were respectful to the Old Madam. It did not matter if she was a little harsh on them. She would still leave in the end.

    Ever since the Old Madam had her biological son, she rarely stayed over at Mo Huawen¡¯s ce for long.

    Even so, Mo Huawen had carved out a courtyard especially for the Old Madam in his manor so that she could stay there whenever she was free.

    However, the Old Madam was too much this time. There were things that Mo Huawen told himself he could pretend not to see. But if it happened right in front of him, how could he not see it? First, if there were young men who came to the manor, Mo Xueyan would be the first to go to them. She had gone to the front courtyard even though she was an unmarried youngdy. Mo Huawen was her uncle, so he could not say much.

    He had hinted to the Old Madam and even spoken to her about it. However, she pretended to not hear or understand him.

    Some of the young men who came to the manor did not know who the youngdy who snuck out to the front courtyard was. They thought she was Mo Huawen¡¯s daughter and it had damaged Mo Huawen¡¯s reputation. How could Mo Huawen not mind? Then, he had no choice, so he told the servants to watch the door to the inner courtyards. If Mo Xueyan came out, they were to stop her.

    He did not know what Mo Xueyan told the Old Madam after that. But Mo Huawen received news that she had made things difficult for his children when they went to greet her.

    Mo Huawen was angry. He disliked Mo Xueyan, whom the Old Madam brought with her.

    After that, Lan Xinru had appeared. Mo Huawen thought of all the things the embarrassing things that she did and her lovestruck expression. Mo Huawen hated people like that and did not like her a single bit. When he thought of how the Old Madam had treated Luo Xia carelessly and at how the Old Madam pushed Lan Xinru to him enthusiastically, he felt even more displeased.

    He wanted to treat the Old Madam well but he could not allow her to ill-treat his wife and daughters. Tong¡¯er had once smiled and hinted to the Old Madam¡¯s intentions. He had not thought that it was so serious. The Old Madam would just hint at it. He did not expect her to just suggest it so straightforwardly today. She wanted to force him to agree to it.

    When he thought of having to spend his lifetime with the lovestruck Lan Xinru, Mo Huawen felt like vomiting. The courtyard she was staying in was close to his study. There was once a door that linked the two ces. Since only his wife and daughters stayed in the inner courtyard, Mo Huawen would asionally go through that door to the inner courtyard and not the main door.

    However, that door had been locked since Lan Xinru moved in. He did not know how Lan Xinru found out about it. She had knocked on it specially one night. Mo Huawen was so angry that he did not even want to continue reading his documents. He flicked his sleeves and left the study. That was how the matter ended.

    Mo Huawenined to himself. The Old Madam had brought two people with her this time, and none of them were good. Lan Xinru was shameless and was even worse than Mo Xueqiong, who was ignorant of etiquette. A woman like this entering his inner courtyard to help care for his children would only teach them to be shameless like her.

    ¡°Mother, there is no hurry.¡± Mo Huawen gave an excuse.

    ¡°What no hurry? The children are getting older, and now that something like this happened... Since Xinru is here as well, you might as well settle the matter quickly. I can rest assured if the matter is done and I can take Yan¡¯er back with me.¡± The Old Madam thought that Mo Huawen had agreed. There was a benevolent smile on her face.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression was a little stiff. His lips twitched. He knew that the Old Madam would not give up if he did not deal with the matter today. He pulled out a sachet from his sleeve. Tong¡¯er had prepared this for him. Even though he had not decided, it was a useful prop against the Old Madam today.

    He said, ¡°Mother, I am not in a hurry because I already have a candidate in mind. Miss Lan is just a youngdy from a small family. She is not suitable for me.¡±

    ¡°Xinru¡¯s ancestors are also government officials. How is she not suitable? Furthermore, you said that you had long had a candidate in mind, why have I not heard of that?? Could it be that you are also ruining your reputation with someone else and you are having a secret rtionship?¡± The Old Madam could not keep the smile on her face when she heard Mo Huawen¡¯s refusal. Her expression grew dark and sharp.

    ¡°Mother, how would your son do something so ssless? I am a third-grade official after all. I still know what shame is. Having a secret rtionship, going to an inner courtyard, or if the girl goes to the front courtyard, these are all things that will cause gossip and embarrassment.¡± Mo Huawen smiled and exined leisurely. ¡°My mother-inw, the Old Madam of General Manor, she dotes on her granddaughter. She does not want others to bully her, so she found a youngdy from a good family on her maternal side to be my wife. My second brother-inw came to tell me about this morning and even sent me this sachet. I was about to tell you.¡±

    Mo Huawen smiled and took out an exquisite sachet from his sleeves. He handed it to the Old Madam.

 Chapter 186 - Committing Crimes, Sima Lingyun Gets Caught

    <h4>Chapter 186 Committing Crimes, Sima Lingyun Gets Caught</h4>

    The daughter from Luo Xia¡¯s family. Lan Xinru was no match for that.

    And the Old Madam from the General Manor had decided on the matter. She was considered an elder. Mo Huawen could not be considered to have been in a secret rtionship.

    The Old Madam nced at the sachet angrily. She did not reach out to take it and said coldly, ¡°This matter has only been mentioned. It is not official. Even though the Old Madam¡¯s niece would not be bad, but you have to ask around more about it. This embroidery work is only alright and cannotpare to Xinru¡¯s skills. You had better think about it again. Marrying someone who doesn¡¯t know anything cannotpare to someone whom you know everything about. Get married while I am still here and consider it as fulfilling one of my wishes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Mother, you are right!¡± Mo Huawen said respectfully. However, he did not give her a firm answer.

    The Old Madam was so angry she was no longer interested in talking to him. She threw Mo Huawen out after they exchanged a few more words.

    ¡°Aunt, help me! Aunt, help me!¡± Mo Huawen had only just left the Old Madam¡¯s room when Lan Xinru rushed out crying from behind the screen. She dove into the Old Madam¡¯s embrace and cried.

    ¡°Xinru, it is not that I won¡¯t help you. But you¡¯ve seen it as well. Huawen has someone else he likes and has already decided long ago.¡± The Old Madam was in a bad mood as well. Even though she was exalted, she could not make a decision about Mo Huawen¡¯s marriage. Since Mo Huawen had already said that, it meant that he was agreeable to marry the other girl.

    The Old Madam could not object to Mo Huawen marrying Luo Xia back then. Now that she was in a ce to object, Mo Huawen had already made up his mind. No matter how many opinions she had, she knew that she was not Mo Huawen¡¯s biological mother. Mo Huawen greeting her as his mother respectfully was already a show of his gratitude.

    ¡°Aunt, I truly love Cousin and am willing to do anything for him. Please help me.¡± Lan Xinru knelt down when she saw the Old Madam¡¯s gaze turning dark. She pulled on the Old Madam¡¯s sleeves and cried, ¡°Aunt, I can help out with Xueyan¡¯s marriage in the future once I marry Cousin. I can also help Xueyan to pick out a good man. If he marries someone else, she will not help Xueyan.¡±

    Her words hit the spot with the Old Madam¡¯s dilemma. Mo Xueyan¡¯s marriage was something that troubled the Old Madam. She hade to the capital just for this matter. That was why she had pretended not to get Mo Huawen¡¯s hints and continued to get Mo Xueyan to go to the entrance to look at the young men who visited.

    It was not because the Old Madam did not know the rules. But she could not just let the matter slide.

    However, Mo Xueyan had gone to the doors and looked out secretly so many times, but her marriage was still not settled. There were a few young wastrels who saw a beautiful girl looking out secretly from the doors. However, they teased her with sarcastic words. Mo Xueyan did not like them. However, gentlemen would not even look at her when they walked by. The handsome ones would not even be bothered with her. No one came to ask for her hand.

    In the end, Mo Huawen even made others guard the door to stop Mo Xueyan from going out. And this matter ended.

    However, getting Mo Xueyan married off had not yet seeded and it was something that troubled the Old Madam. How could she not be stirred when she heard what Lan Xinru said?

    The Old Madam thought about what Lin Xinru said. Then, she stood up and said lightly to a servant standing at the side, ¡°It¡¯s cold at night these few days. I heard that Huawen has been staying in the study. Go look for the servant who guards the door and tell her to bring me the keys to the study. I will get someone to send him some hot soup at night. The male servants in the outside courtyard do not know how to take care of others.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Madam.¡± The servant understood what the Old Madam wanted and left.

    Lan Xinru knelt on the ground. A satisfied smile appeared on her face which was streaked with tears.

    In the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, Sima Lingyun had already woken up. After finding out what happened, he almost jumped off his bed. His face was where his worst injuries were. After that, he had fainted from being kicked. His other injuries were minor and he was fine now that he had regained consciousness. However, when he heard that his mother had locked Mo Xuemin up and had just returned from the Mo Manor, he almost fainted from anger.

    How would he want to marry Mo Xuemin? He already had Mo Xueqiong, and having Mo Xuemin was no help to him. It would push Mo Xuetong even further away. He had already lost his chance with Mo Xuetong. No family would marry all three of their daughters, legal and concubine, to a single family. The Mo family was now the family of a third-grade official. Mo Huawen was not old and had a bright future. There were many families he wanted to create alliances with. He would not be hung up with the fallen Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    If the plot yesterday had been sessful, he would not only gain a reputation of being a hero who saved the beauty. He had intended to break off his engagement with Mo Xueqiong so that Mo Xuetong would be more determined to marry him. Mo Xuetong would be grateful to him then, as would Mo Huawen and General Manor. They would all thank him for protecting Mo Xuetong. With their help, the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would rise again.

    However, he did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so tough. She had stabbed him without any care for her own safety. He had gone out of his mind from the pain and had kicked Mo Xuetong out of the carriage. Then, everything that happened after that was beyond his control. Who would have expected that King Xuan, the Prince most doted upon by the Emperor, would save Mo Xuetong? And that he would plot against Sima Lingyun?

    He did not know when he had offended King Xuan.

    King Xuan had not only destroyed the marriage that he wanted, but he had even destroyed the reputation he had carefully protected. Sima Lingyun was so angry he wanted to vomit blood when he thought of how he had been framed. He had been framed trying to rape Mo Xuemin but had failed because Mo Xuemin had struggled to defend herself to death. Furthermore, his mother did not even know what happened before she forced Mo Xuemin into staying in his bedroom for an entire night. It would be impossible for him to exin this even if he wanted to.

    He did not want to marry Mo Xuemin!

    However, this was not Sima Lingyun¡¯s only worry. A servant ran in. He was sweaty and pale as he yelled, ¡°Your Excellency, Your Excellency, something¡¯s happened!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Sima Lingyun asked anxiously. His already pale face grew even paler.

    The Duchess was standing beside him. Her face was also pale because of the shock.

    ¡°Someone from the Ministry of Justice hase... take Your Excellency in for questioning... already in through the second doors.¡± The servant was frightened and he stuttered in his anxiousness.

    Someone from the Ministry of Justice hase. Why would the Ministry of Justice send someone down for something like that? Sima Lingyun was shocked.

    ¡°Oh no, oh no. Men, go and ask them what exactly is happening. Tell them that this is the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor and they should not behave so wildly here.¡± The Duchess stood up hurriedly and yelled. She was feeling worried as well.

    Those from the Ministry of Justice were all men. They had dared to just stride in and through the secondary doors into the inner courtyard. This was an embarrassment to the family of those who had contributed to building the nation. The Duchess was furious and she brought a few servants with her to the secondary doors. The matter between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun was not a huge matter. At most, it could only be considered a noble son creating trouble because he was bored. How did it concern the Ministry of Justice?

    At the secondary doors, the people from the Ministry of Justice did not stride in like what the servant said. Instead, they stood respectfully under the lead of a young officer. When they saw the Duchess rushing out, he smiled and approached her. He held his hands together in greeting and said, ¡°Are you the Duchess? Greetings, I am here on official business.¡±

    Then, he bowed respectfully. It did not seem as if he was being slipshod in his work.

    The Duchess¡¯ anger was greatly appeased. She could not help but look at the fierce-looking guards standing behind the officer. They did not seem as easy to speak to as the young officer. Their eyes were cold and they were muscr andrge. They looked straight at the Duchess without looking away.

    They were people who have killed other people. One could not help but tremble before their aura.

    ¡°My Lord, you are too kind. I wonder why you havee to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor today.¡± The Duchess smiled after she took a look at the situation. She pretended to be gracious and kind. If she did not look at the fierce-looking men, her heart would not beat so fast.

    ¡°Madam, is His Excellency around? Some things happened in the capital yesterday and I heard it has something to do with His Excellency. I was ordered to ask His Excellency to return with us for questioning.¡±

    ¡°His Excellency was injuredst night and is still unconscious. I fear that he cannot go with you. How about I ask him to go over when he awakes?¡± The Duchess said politely.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that will not work. Madam, please do not make things difficult for us. If my superior finds out that I have not brought His Excellency back, there will be more people who will visit. Madam, do not worry, we will just take His Excellency back to ask some questions. He cane back shortly.¡± The officer¡¯s voice was hard, but the smile on his face was gentle. The Duchess did not dare to underestimate him.

    The Duchess sighed and forced down the fear she felt. She smiled and wanted to say something when she heard a feeble sounding voice behind her. ¡°Mother, I am awake. I will go with this official. You go in and rest. Nothing will happen.¡±

    She turned around hurriedly. Sima Lingyun was holding the shoulders of two servants weakly as he came out. The bandages wrapped around him were soaked in blood. It was obvious that he was injured. The young officer waved his hand and two men pushed the servants aside and held Sima Lingyun up.

    ¡°My apologies, Your Excellency. Pleasee with me.¡± The young officer¡¯s smile was polite. If one did not see the fierce guards behind him, they would really think that he was a young gentleman inviting his guests home to have fun.

    ¡°Sir, you have been troubled.¡± Sima Lingyun said softly and smiled weakly.

    ¡°You¡¯re too kind!¡± The young officer waved his hand. A few men took Sima Lingyun away with them, leaving behind the Duchess whose face was pale with shock.

    ¡°Mother, Mother, what¡¯s going to happen to Elder Brother?¡± Sima Heyan emerged from the secondary door in shock. She had been punished because of Sima Lingyun. As such, she had been mad at Sima Lingyun for the entire night when she returned to the manor. Later, she heard that Sima Lingyun had brought Mo Xuemin home. She was so angry that she did not care even though Sima Lingyun was injured. She did not even visit him.

    She grew anxious when she saw that he had been taken away by the Ministry of Justice. She abandoned the grudges she bore against him and questioned her mother anxiously.

    Yun Yiqiu followed behind her fearfully. Her delicate figure was being propped up by a maid. She panted anxiously and could not say a single word. She only looked at the Duchess. She had rushed here but was toote. She did not see the entire scene and did not know what happened.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, your Elder Brother will be fine. He will return soon. Let¡¯s go back in!¡± The Duchess¡¯ voice was soft. One did not know whether she wasforting herself or the two girls. Her straight back stooped and she could not help but cough. She had been in poor health and she had not sleptst night. She had been angered at the Mo Manor early in the morning and had been startled earlier. There were still matters for her to handle but her body was failing her. She coughed twice and copsed.

    Sima Heyan yelled in shock and reached out to help her. The Duke¡¯s Manor descended into chaos.

 Chapter 187 - Changping Palace, the Fifth Princessâ€™ Jealousy

    <h4>Chapter 187 Changping Pce, the Fifth Princess¡¯ Jealousy</h4>

    Compared to the chaos at the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, the Pce was much calmer. What happened in the governor¡¯s manor and the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor did not affect the heavily guarded Pce in the slightest.

    In the morning, the Fifth Princess of Changping Pce clutched her slightly dizzy head and got up with the help of her pce maids. She stretchedzily, and after she was done washing up, the maid in charge, Huanyue, helped her to rub her hair dry with a dry towel.

    The weather outside was very good. Soft couches filled with cotton wereid out at the southeastern corner of the garden in the pce. The sunlight there was good. There were two tall, marble screens that were ced on the northern and western side to block out the wind. It was already near noontime. The sun shone warmly from above. The Fifth Princess leaned against the couch and chatted with Huanyue.

    They were talking about what happenedst night. The Fifth Princess still did not know what happened outside the pce but knew how odd the incidentst night was. The incident was fishy. The Fifth Princess was not so sure about the incident. However, she became certain that something odd had happenedst night after receiving a letter in the morning.

    Furthermore, this certainty made her very angry. The good mood she had woken up with hadpletely disappeared.

    Huanyue was trying tofort her, ¡°Princess, that incident might be fake. I saw Third Miss Mo yesterday and she is just a young girl. How could the Crown Prince be interested in her? First Miss Ling is usually very straightforward and will not lie.¡±

    She was not overly straightforward but was too silly. Everyone knew that You Yuecheng disliked her but she still did not give up and stuck to him. Furthermore, she still addressed herself as You Yuecheng¡¯s fiance. Even though the two families had discussed marriage, it was not confirmed. She was a proper youngdy but behaved like You Yuecheng¡¯s fiance before others. Huanyue could only say that she was straightforward.

    ¡°The girl behind Mo Xuemin we saw from a distance is her younger sister? She does not look like much.¡± The Fifth Princess felt much better when she heard what Huanyue said. A little girl could notpete with her. Even if her cousin paid the girl a little more attention, it was because he was a doctor and she was his patient.

    ¡°Princess, that¡¯s not definite. First Miss Ling said that Third Miss Mo is aware of her beauty and does not think well of her sister¡¯s. She always entertains guests in her inner courtyard even at a young age. I heard that the Crown Prince was invited into her room. Princess, think about it. Would a polite youngdy do something like that? It¡¯s her room!¡± said Lingyue, who brought in a basketful of fruits that had been washed. She nced at the letter by the couch and pursed her lips in disdain. She ced the fruits on the small table by the side.

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ expression grew ugly. ¡°Mo Xuetong allowed Cousin into her room?¡± Her smile dimmed. She had always treated Bai Yihao as hers.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard he even stayed by her bed. Princess, this is outrageous. They are not even blood siblings.¡± Lingyue said angrily, feeling angry on behalf of the princess. Everyone around the Fifth Princess knew that she liked Bai Yihao, the Crown Prince. Everyone outside the pce called him Sir Bai because he kept a low profile. But everyone in the pce greeted him respectfully as the Crown Prince.

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ mood did not improve with Lingyue¡¯s words. Her expression grew furious as she sat up suddenly. She frightened Huanyue who was drying her hair behind her. She pulled on the towel and tugged on the Princess¡¯ hair. The princess could not help but yelp in pain. Huanyue knelt down immediately and said, ¡°Princess, I did not mean to do that.¡±

    ¡°Men, go to the Mo Manor and try to get something out of Mo Xuemin. Since she says that her Third Sister is in a secret rtionship with Cousin, then get her to provide me with proof. If there isn¡¯t, then she is lying to me. I will destroy her.¡± The Fifth Princess said coldly. She could not hide the anger she felt.

    She recalled thest time she was ill. Her cousin only visited her once in the outside hall. When she pretended to faint just to get him to enter her room, he did not do anything. The daughter of a lowly official had dared to make her cousin stay by her bedside. The Fifth Princess was so jealous and angry that she gritted her teeth. She ignored Huanyue who was still kneeling on the ground and nced at her coldly before yelling angrily, ¡°Scram!¡±

    Huanyue felt as if she had been pardoned for a great crime. She did not say anything and immediately went out and gave orders to go inquire at the Mo Manor.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, do you want to meet First Miss Mo? She must have evidence since she said something like that to First Miss Ling. Mo Xuetong knows how to seduce men at such a young age. What would happen when she gets older? Doesn¡¯t Yu Mingyong like beauties? If we leave a portrait of a beautiful girl before him, he definitely would not let her go!¡± Lingyue¡¯s eyes shone as she gave suggestions to the Fifth Princess.

    Yu Mingyong and Mo Xuetong? This was a good idea!

    The Fifth Princess smiled as she praised, ¡°You, go and arrange this. Get those who left toe back. Anyway, the Ding General Manor¡¯s banquet will happen in a few days. Get First Miss Ling to n well and invite Mo Xuemin. I want to hear what she has to say personally.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lingyue smiled and left. There was a gust of wind by the couch. The envelope flipped open, revealing a sentence, ¡°Third Sister has a really good rtionship with Sir Bai in private!¡±

    The atmosphere of the Mo Manor on New Year¡¯s Eve was very somber. It was as if they were not celebrating the New Year. The servants all tiptoed around, afraid that their masters would vent their anger on them.

    What happened to First Miss was major. Minister Li had entered Mo Huawen¡¯s study furiously in the afternoon. He left after a few words were exchanged. Their master had bowed politely and sent the minister to the main doors while apologizing profusely. A few of the servants with sharper ears heard the minister saying, ¡°Since it already happened, then... send her to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor!¡±

    Everyone knew what he meant without having to guess!

    Everyone already knew that nothing had gone smoothly for Auntie Fang, her daughter, as well as Young Master Mo Yufeng. Old Sir was definitely going to remarry. Those who served Auntie Fang and hers have all started to find a new master.

    They definitely could not follow the two other concubines. Old Sir would never marry them.

    However, Miss Lan, who had just moved in was a likely candidate.

    With the Old Madam¡¯s silent acquiescence for her to stay in the courtyard closest to the Old Sir¡¯s, it seemed that she was likely to be the new matriarch of the Mo Manor.

    Everyone smiled exuberantly when they saw Lan Xinru. They all tried to butter up to her and even the stewards who usually could not be bothered, all went up to fawn over her. Lan Xinru was beside herself with joy. This indicated that her Cousin did like her. That was why all the servants were trying to butter up to her.

    She felt even more determined there and then.

    In the afternoon, Xiaolian left through the back door. She said that her mistress was feeling peckish and wanted to buy a few honeyed cakes to try. The female servant at the back door did not say anything and opened the door for her. She even told her several times to return early. The servant had never been so kind to anyone.

    Xiaolian only returned at dusk. She went straight to Lan Xinru¡¯s courtyard upon returning. No one knew what the two did inside the room. However, the room¡¯s door was shut for a long while.

    In Qingwei Garden, Mo Ye was helping Mo Xuetong to apply medicine on her hand. She did not know where Feng Yuran found the medicine, but it was very cooling when applied. The angry-looking cuts scabbed over after a night¡¯s sleep. Her had did not burn in pain after the tight bandages were removed.

    ¡°Miss, Xiaolian went out for an entire afternoon. I asked the driver and he said that she went into a clothes and essories shop for a while. Then, she went to a medicine shop beside the apparel shop to buy Miss Lan some medicine. She said that Miss Lan¡¯s health was poor and needed some adjustments.¡± Mo Yu lifted the curtains and entered. It had started snowing outside and she was covered in snow.

    ¡°What did Father do in the afternoon?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and asked about Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Old Sir stayed in his study to settle matters the entire afternoon. He did not step out of the room. Then, Young Master¡¯s servant visited once. I don¡¯t know what happened, but Old Sir was angry. I heard that he sent people to drag Young Master home from the brothel and locked him up in his courtyard. At night, he got his servant to tell the kitchens to whip up more dishes tonight and send them to all the courtyards. We will not be eating together.¡± Mo Lan replied.

    Mo Yufeng phndering ways were not unheard of in the Mo Manor. Mo Huawen¡¯s only son had be a yboy and so many incidents had happened in the family. Who would be in the mood to have dinner? Perhaps her father really should marry another woman and have a few more legal sons and daughters. Mo Xuetong sighed softly. She moved away from Mo Ye who was about to rece her bandage and said lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t wrap it up. Leaving it to air will help it heal faster.¡±

    ¡°Miss, Old Sir sent someone to invite you over. He asked if you are feeling well and if you can travel. If you can, please go to the study. Old Sir is waiting there for you.¡± Mother Xu entered and said.

    It was already sote. Why was her father looking for her!

    However, when she thought about what was happening now, Mo Xuetong suddenly understood what Mo Huawen was thinking. Right now, she was the only person in the manor whom he did not have to worry about. It was New Year¡¯s Eve and it was a time for the whole family to gather. How could her father feel calm right now? Her heart hurt for some reason.

    Even though her father was in a disadvantageous position right now having trusted the wrong people, at least he doted on her the most!

    ¡°Mo Lan, prepare clothes for me. Mo Yu, help me with my makeup. Mother Xu, get them to go back and tell Father that I am feeling well and will go there shortly.¡± She did not hesitate as she stood up and ordered them around.

    ¡°Miss, what about your hand? You have not healedpletely. If Old Sir sees it...¡± Mo Yu said anxiously. Mo Xuetong would not be able to hide the wounds on her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Mo Ye, get me the handwarmer that you all made me thest time. If I put it on and not take it off, Father will not realize that I¡¯m injured.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand. She felt that simple actions were not an issue to her. She smiled and stretched her hand out for Mo Ye to wrap up.

    Mo Lan had alreadyid out her clothes and found her cape and handwarmer.

    When Mo Xuetong reached Mo Huawen¡¯s study, Mo Huawen had already ordered the servants to prepare wine and food. His figure looked really long under the dim yellow light. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt for some reason. There was a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears. She bit her lips and smiled, allowing Mo Ye to help her into the room.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, sit down.¡± Mo Huawen waved his hand at her as she bowed, gesturing for her to sit down by his side. The table wasden with dishes but there were only two of them. It seemed rather cold and lonely.

    ¡°Father, why don¡¯t we get Fourth Sister here as well? We will have a reunion dinner together?¡± Mo Xuetong sat down obediently and asked. Mo Yu poured tea for Mo Huawen and then left with Mo Ye, leaving the father and daughter pair to talk.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It will just be the two of us. Or she will just make more trouble.¡± Mo Huawen said tiredly and ran his hand through his hair. He could not hide the exhaustion in his expression.

    He would not allow his daughter to enter the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor again. Mo Xueqiong was a disobedient child and would definitely make a fuss when the time came. He thought about all his daughters and how only the one in front of him was obedient and sensible. He could not help but feel sad.

    He had raised his daughters for many years and they all worried him. His son was also...

    How could he not be disappointed!

    Mo Xuetong looked at her Father¡¯s disappointed and lost expression. She could not help but worry for him. She had never thought that she would say those words, but for some reason, they rushed out of her mouth. ¡°Father, why don¡¯t you marry another woman!¡±

 Chapter 188 - The Secret Behind her Motherâ€™s Sudden Death

    <strong>Chapter 188 The Secret Behind her Mother¡¯s Sudden Death</strong>

    The atmosphere in the room grew grave. Mo Huawen was shocked. He smiled after a while and said, ¡°Why do you all want me to remarry? Even you are telling me this. Your mother only passed away less than two years ago...¡± He raised his wine cup and drained it, his smile growing bitter.

    The words rushed out of her mouth, ¡°Father, Mother will understand and she will not me you. She held my hand then and told me that if there is a good girl, for you to marry her. Just remember not to ill-treat Tong¡¯er.¡±

    She held the corner of the table with a shaky hand. It was as if that was the only way she could push down the pain in her heart.

    Her mother¡¯s pale face appeared before her. She had been thrown from heaven to hell that day!

    She could not bear how her mother did not even get to see her father for onest time. She could not bear how heartless the man was. He was still fooling around with a concubine while her mother was on the brink of death. He even threw out the servants that Nanny Ming sent over...

    Her mother died. She stood in the corridor watching coldly as her father rushed over in a panic. He saw how he stumbled and fell into the door. Her heart filled with hatred as she watched him call out ¡°Luo Xia¡±. She felt that everything was a joke. Her mother was already dead. Who was he acting for?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what else did your mother say...?¡± Mo Huawen said with difficulty. His hands, which were holding the chopsticks tightly, shook. His eyes were deep and dark under the candlelight. Yet, they were filled with strong sadness. He reached out for the wine gon beside him with shaky hands and poured himself another cup of wine. He drained the cup once more.

    Mo Xuetong had felt that he had failed her mother then. As such, she had not told her father what her mother had said at all!

    ¡°Mother told me not to me you and that it has been hard on you. She told me to be an obedient daughter who will take care of you. She even ced a flower that you picked for her the day before by her pillow... she only said that it was as if she had been looking at you.¡± Mo Xuetong swallowed with difficulty and could not continue saying anything. Tears slid down her cheeks.

    She was beyond upset then. She held her mother¡¯s hand and refused to let go, waiting for the moment when those hands turnedpletely cold. Her world was cold at that moment too. Other than the coldness, was hate...

    Across her, Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes shone with tears. He said hoarsely, ¡°Your, your mother. Did she leave behind anything?¡±

    ¡°Father, Mother left behind a letter she wrote on her deathbed. It was for you...¡± Mo Xuetong shook as she took out a letter. The letter was already very old; however, one could still see the corner that had once been soaked. The color on the corner was different. She could almost see her mother half-lying on the bed and writing the letter with shaking hands.

    ¡°You, why didn¡¯t you give it to me...¡± Mo Huawen tried to hide the pain he felt as he took the letter.

    ¡°Father, did you even look at me then? Even if I wanted to say anything, you must first allow me to. Furthermore, I did not wish to tell you then...¡± Mo Xuetong took a deep breath and smiled slightly. However, the smile on her tear-filled face made one¡¯s heart twinge for her.

    The child had misunderstood him. Mo Huawen took the letter in his hands and felt that it was unbearably heavy. He had not taken care of the daughter she had left him. He had almost let her die in Auntie Fang¡¯s hands. His heart hurt and felt empty when he thought of that.

    He could not help but say...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I went to Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard that day because His Majesty had sent a secret edict. I must not let others discover that, which was why I went to Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard. It was not because... I only realized that your mother had passed away when I sent the secret envoy away. She was still fine the day before and told me that she was going to take you on a trip. But...¡± Mo Huawen said. It was an exnation he wanted to give to Mo Xuetong for many years.

    He looked at his crying daughter. Her eyes were like Luo Xia¡¯s. He could not stop himself then and felt extremely guilty. He felt that he was a bad father and had failed Luo Xia¡¯s dying wish.

    ¡°Father...¡± Mo Xuetong sniffled and cried out softly. The trouble that she brought with her from her past life was finally released. She felt much more relieved, and the smile on her face grew brighter. Her tears fell into the wine cup before her. She suddenly felt like drinking wine. She stood up abruptly and picked up the wine jug with her slightly less injured hand. She poured a cup for Mo Huawen and then for herself.

    ¡°Father, Mother would not want to see you being so sad. It is New Year¡¯s Eve tonight and we shall treat it as if we were spending it with Mother. Father, drink this cup of wine. I was an insensible child in the past and misunderstood you. I hope you will forgive me.¡± She raised the cup in her hand and knelt down heavily in front of Mo Huawen, raising the cup high up above her head.

    In her past life, she had hated her father her entire life because of this. She had ignored her father¡¯s opinions because of her hate. She had slid further and further away from him and died tragically because of Auntie Fang¡¯s and her daughter¡¯s plots.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er!¡± Mo Huawen hurried to help her up. ¡°Our Tong¡¯er, you¡¯ve grown up!¡±

    Mo Huawen wiped his eyes in a dark corner where the candlelight did not reach. He sighed and a smile appeared on his face. He suddenly smiled, took the wine that Mo Xuetong offered him, and drained it all.

    No matter what, he still had an obedient daughter. She was his daughter with Luo Xia. That was enough!

    ¡°Father, did Mother fall sick suddenly?¡± She picked up the wine cup beside her. It was sweet. Mo Lan had prepared fruit wine, but it tasted bitter now.

    Even her father had felt that her mother had passed away suddenly. That meant that her mother¡¯s illness had not been truly critical. So why did she leave behind herst words in a letter to her father? Did her mother sense that she was going to die? Why? A rush of coldness surged up in her heart. She looked down to hide the coldness in her eyes.

    ¡°Your mother has always been poorly. But she was not that ill that time. The physician even said that she was fine a few days prior to her death. He said that she only needed to rest well. But who would have thought that she would take things so hard... cough, cough, cough...¡± Mo Xuetong did not hear the ends of the sentence clearly. It was as if Mo Huawen had suddenly swallowed those words.

    She clutched the opening of her sleeves tightly and her body shook. Mo Xuetong felt as if she had fallen into a deep and dark trap. Her heart and her body were falling downwards, but there was no end...

    Did her father mean that her mother wanted to die?

    ¡°Father, why?¡± Mo Xuetong did not try to avoid it anymore. She looked straight at Mo Huawen with her deep dark eyes. He tried to avoid her gaze under the light. Her eyes were sad but determined. She was going to find out everything about her mother¡¯s death, no matter what. What exactly happened to her mother? There were so many things involving her mother that was really weird.

    The ruined courtyard in the General Manor, her mother¡¯s sudden death...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, there are some things... you don¡¯t have to know too much about... if we could tell you about it... your mother and I would have told you about it long ago...¡± Mo Huawen regretted his rashness. He had already said what he did. How could he have told her daughter that? Her daughter would only be happy if she did not know about it. He had promised Luo Xia that back then.

    He must not drag Tong¡¯er into that whirlpool, no matter what. What happened in the past was in the past. There was no point in pursuing it any further.

    ¡°Father...¡± Mo Xuetong still wanted to speak.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, it is gettingte. Go back first. You should rest more since your health is poor.¡± Mo Huawen did not wait for Mo Xuetong to say anything else. He stood up and said to the people outside, ¡°Mo Yu, Mo Ye,e and help Miss back.¡± Then, he ignored Mo Xuetong who stood there with tears falling down her face. He turned around and returned to his room. His footsteps were hurried, he was trying to flee.

    ¡°Father, Father...¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were filled with devastation and tears trickled down her face.

    Mo Yu hurried up to hold Mo Xuetong when she saw how sad she was and how she looked as if she was going to fall. Sheforted her, ¡°Miss, let¡¯s go back first. Old Sir is going to rest now. Let¡¯s talk again tomorrow if there¡¯s anything you want to say.¡±

    They had been standing outside through it all. Even though they were far away, they could still hear some things vaguely.

    Why was her father so afraid of talking about her mother¡¯s death!

    Sadness rushed up and the pain that she kept hidden deep in her heart surged. She picked up the wine gon beside her and poured it into her mouth. Mo Ye and Mo Yu wanted to take it away from her but were afraid of hurting her hands. When they finally took it from her, Mo Xuetong had already drunk half of it. The wine gon fell onto the ground with a dull thud and rolled into the corner.

    Her body went limpid. Mo Ye reacted quickly and caught her.

    ¡°Miss, Miss, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. This wine is quite good... I want more.¡± Mo Xuetong tried to stand. Her mind was hazy but she felt as if her heart was much lighter. It was no wonder so many people liked to drink. So wine had such properties. She reached out and shook Mo Yu¡¯s hand which was holding on to her.

    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t drink anymore. You¡¯re already drunk!¡± Mo Yu persuaded her.

    ¡°I¡¯m drunk? How is that possible...? I¡¯m not drunk. Mo Yu, I want more. Being drunk is great. I am no longer unhappy and am not that sad anymore...¡± Mo Xuetong smiled brilliantly like a blooming flower. However, tears started sliding down her cheeks again.

    ¡°Take Tong¡¯er back and take care of her. Get the kitchens to make her hangover soup.¡± Mo Huawen sighed from inside the room. He was clutching on to the letter that had been dampened with Luo Xia¡¯s tears. He was determined once more. Luo Xia had mentioned in her letter again and again not to bother with what happened then. Tong¡¯er was just her daughter and no one was to hurt her.

    Mo Huawen only walked outside when he saw the two maids half-helping, half-carrying Mo Xuetong back. A servant had alreadye to pick up the tables. Mo Huawen sat in front of his study table and read the letter Luo Xia had left him over and over again. Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. He thought of the first time he saw the beautiful girl and how he had lost his heart to her then.

    When he first heard how the General Manor had agreed to marry their eldest legal daughter to him. He was overjoyed and excited then. He was just a measly officer then and was not good enough to be her husband. He thought that he would have no other desires if he had her in his life. However, he had not thought that they would be separated by the veil of death now.

    Luo Xia had not managed to escape fate. Tong¡¯er must not be embroiled into this and must not be someone else¡¯s chess piece. This was all that Luo Xia asked of him. She was their only daughter and Luo Xia only hoped she would be safe and happy. Everything else did not matter.

    He kept the letter and hid it in a secret corner of his desk. There was a portrait there as well. He undid the portrait, revealing a girl who was smiling warmly. She seemed as if she were going to walk out of the portrait.

    Mo Huawen caressed the girl¡¯s face with his finger. He was deep in thought and a smile appeared at the corners of his eyes without him noticing...

    ¡°Cousin, Cousin. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve. I made a few dishes. Shall we eat together?¡± A slender figure stood outside in the light. Her smile was as beautiful as a blooming flower and her dress was patterned with red flowers. Just like the day they first met, he felt as if she had stepped out from a portrait. He could not help but look up and at her.

 Chapter 189 - What Happened on New Years Eve

    <h4>Chapter 189 What Happened on New Year¡¯s Eve</h4>

    In the plum blossom courtyard in front of Tianfeng Pce.

    The Empress was the one who nned the banquet tonight. When one walked down east following the corridors of Tianfeng Pce, they woulde by a forest. One would reach the plum blossom forest once they exited that forest.

    Near to the Empress¡¯ Pce, was a plum blossom garden, an osmanthus garden, and a peony garden. The Empress liked these gardens and would have banquets in different gardens in different seasons. It was very interesting.

    The fruits and cold tters had long been delivered. The imperial concubines greeted each other warmly and gently. The pce grew busier and busier. There were no outsiders because it was a family banquet, as such there was no need to be so punctilious.

    ¡°His Majesty is here!¡± A eunuch outside said loudly.

    The imperial concubines all went out and knelt under the lead of the Empress.

    ¡°Rise, everyone!¡± It was Emperor Zongwen of the Great Qin. He was a middle-aged man who was about 50 years old. He looked ordinary. His expression was cold and stern.

    Three of his sons and his nephew entered with him.

    They were the gentle and sophisticated Feng Yuxuan, the phndering and handsome Feng Yulei, as well as the devilishly handsome Feng Yuran, and the elegant Bai Yihao.

    After the greetings were done, the Emperor and Empress sat. Everyone sat down as well.

    The Empress Dowager, just like in previous years, imed that she was unwell and did note.

    After a few performances, the Empress put down the cup in her hand. She smiled at Emperor Zongwen and said, ¡°Your Majesty, have you heard of the Cloud and Feather dance?¡±

    ¡°Empress, did you prepare it?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked with a smile. The Cloud and Feather dance had been lost for centuries. One could only read about it in a book.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please look!¡± The Empress smiled and pped her hands. The people dancing all moved away, leaving an empty space in the middle. Music sounded up and a group of girls who were dressed in beautiful clothing appeared. Amongst them, was an extremely beautiful young girl. She looked as if she had fallen from heaven. They stood on the dance floor and started to dance slowly with the music.

    They swirled around like the clouds and moved lithely like the moon in the sky. Their skirts flew and ribbons danced. They turned and looked around seductively, moving their slim bodies as they leaped in the air.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, Second Miss Ling is really beautiful. Coupled with this dance, she really is a good catch.¡± Feng Yuran nudged Feng Yuxuan teasingly. He nced at her and teased, ¡°But why is Her Majesty asking her to dance at the family banquet? Is it for Father, or for my two elder brothers...?¡±

    Even though her tone was light, it was enough for the two men beside him to understand him clearly. Feng Yulei¡¯s expression darkened and he pursed his lips tightly. Anger rippled beneath his eyes. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression stiffened and immediately returned to normal.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, don¡¯t speak nonsense. Her Majesty is just allowing us to appreciate the long-lost dance and music.¡±

    ¡°The beauty is more easily appreciated than the dance and music. Eldest Brother, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s hard to find a beautiful woman? It would be a pity to let such a beauty go. If Eldest Brother is truly not interested, I am very much so. I might even ask Her Majesty for her!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone as he stared at Ling Fengyan, who was dancing. His words made those who heard him feel more and more ufortable.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, don¡¯t talk. Father is looking over here.¡± Feng Yulei reminded him.

    Emperor Zongwen was indeed ring at Feng Yuran. However, Feng Yuran did not feel self-conscious at all. He continued looking up and smiling happily.

    The song and dance ended. Ling Fengyan¡¯s long dress swept upon the ground as she knelt and posed like a flower. Then, she kowtowed to Emperor Zongwen thrice respectfully.

    ¡°Good. Empress, your niece is really good. She can dance such a dance. She is a smart one.¡± Emperor Zongwenughed and praised her.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is just a small skill to make you smile.¡± The Empress waved her hand and Ling Fengyan backed away. ¡°Your Majesty, it is getting a little boring in the pcetely. If we can get a few more girls into the pce, we might be able to see dances that are even more beautiful than this.¡±

    The Empress was hinting that the Emperor should hold a selection for concubines. Emperor Zongwen was a hardworking Emperor and did not like holding a selection. In his more than two decades of being the Emperor, he had only held the selection three or four times. He did not choose many girls as well.

    ¡°There are many empty courtyards in the pce and there are only two consorts but four positions. What I mean is, we can pick a fewdies from the noble families. We don¡¯t need to make a big fuss about the selection. The pce is empty and that is my fault.¡± The Empress said gently, looking like the benevolent matriarch of the nation.

    It was true that the pce was empty. There were not many imperial concubines, much less high-ranking ones.

    ¡°Empress, you can make the decision!¡± Emperor Zongwen nced at her and said lightly.

    ¡°Then I shall find a time and pick a few. I did pick a few girlsst time. Shall I bring them over for you to chooseter?¡± The Empress asked with a smile.

    ¡°You can decide. How about the Princes¡¯ wives? Is it decided?¡± Emperor Zongwen pointed at his three adult sons and asked.

    ¡°The Princes all need two consorts and a legal wife. I am making a list but my niece...¡± The Empress hesitated and nced at Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yulei awkwardly. She looked as if she did not know who to choose.

    ¡°Do both number one and three like her?¡± Emperor Zongwen looked at the two brothers deeply. Inexplicable darkness glowed in his eyes as he spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± The Empress, who was familiar with Emperor Zongwen was shocked. She quickly exined, ¡°King Yan has been with her since they were children. He has already vaguely made it known to me. However, when King Chu came to visit me not long ago, Fengyan was there as well. I heard that they left together and it was rumored that the two of them... Even though I know the two have kept to etiquette and nothing happened, I fear the rumors might hurt King Chu. As such...¡± The Empress said awkwardly.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s gazended lightly on the Empress¡¯ beautiful face. He pursed his lips tightly. Even the Empress, who was familiar with Emperor Zongwen, did not know what he was thinking. Her palms could not help but sweat.

    ¡°You can decide this. Since they did not have a secret rtionship, do as you please. They are children of the royal family and should follow the rules even more strictly. Any agreement they make should be done with their parents¡¯ permission.¡± Emperor Zongwen said after a while.

    ¡°Yes, I understand. Then I shall handle this matter.¡± The Empress said graciously.

    ¡°Get Mingzhu to go with you since she is free.¡± Said Emperor Zongwen lightly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± A flicker of darkness danced through the Empress¡¯ eyes. Then, she smiled and did not say anything else. The banquet carried on pleasantly and it seemed as if the royal family was harmonious and happy.

    The New Year¡¯s Eve was destined to be a troublesome night.

    There was a kerfuffle at Mo Huawen¡¯s study that startled everyone in the manor. In the end, even the Old Madam hurried there. Mo Xuetong felt poorly and had too much to drink. She had fallen asleep early and was not bothered at all by the noise.

    When she awoke the next morning and sat up touching her heavy head, Mo Yu rushed in like a gust of wind.

    Something had indeed happenedst night!

    Lan Xinru had found a key somewhere and entered the study. She sent wine and food and had put aphrodisiac in the food so that Mo Huawen would behave inappropriately. However, Mo Huawen sensed that something was wrong and threw the food away. He also dragged the Old Madam over to preside over the matter.

    ¡°Miss, you didn¡¯t know, but that Miss Lan was really embarrassed. I heard that she moved outst night.¡± Mo Yu said with a smile.

    Lan Xinru had moved out? Mo Xuetong washed her face and touched her hurting head. She asked, ¡°She moved outst night?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard Old Sir was furious. He was really angry and even punished the servants watching the door with beatings. They are all lying down and cannot get up now. The Old Madam went to plead with him but was rebuffed.¡± Mo Yu and the others had served Mo Xuetong all this while and they remembered how the Old Madam had tried to make things difficult for her. They were naturally excited about the matter and felt as if their mistress had been avenged.

    It was really unexpected. Lan Xinru had moved out of the manor so quickly!

    Knowing Lan Xinru¡¯s character, she would have stayed here no matter what had happened and begged the Old Madam for protection. However, looking at the current situation now, and at her father¡¯s sternness, she knew Lan Xinru must have shed with her father for him to be so angry!

    ¡°What did the Old Madam say?¡± She did not believe the Old Madam would give up so easily.

    ¡°The Old Madam was furious. She almost fainted. Old Sir felt that he did go a little overboard and stayed with her for the entire night!¡± Mo Lanbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s long dark hair gently as she answered.

    This meant that the situation with Lan Xinru was not yet over!

    Mo Xuetong knew what kind of person Mo Huawen was. He could not even listen to the Old Madam¡¯s counseling when he was mad and had thrown Lan Xinru out. However, he med himself for what happened to the Old Madam. The Old Madam would definitely make use of this and get Lan Xinru back into the manor. It seemed like she had better move fast.

    ¡°Mo Lan, help me send a message to Grandmother. Tell her that I am ill and there is no one to take care of me in the manor. Could she have Aunt Xu Yane and take care of me for a few days?¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. She picked up a gold hairpin and dangled it in front of her.

    ¡°Yes, I will do that immediately.¡± Mo Lan knew what Mo Xuetong was thinking and immediately agreed.

    ¡°Miss, I just returned from the front of the house. I heard that the marquess was brought to the Ministry of Justice yesterday. It is said that he has not been released until now. It seems like that Fourth Miss¡¯s marriage will not happen.¡± Mo Yu was the one who knew least amongst all of them. However, she did not like Sima Lingyun instinctually. She was naturally happy to hear gossip about him.

    Mo Xuetong looked down to hide theughter in her eyes. Anyway, after what happened between Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin, it was impossible for the Mo Manor and the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to enter into any kind of rtionship. The heavy burden in her heart from her past life was finally shed and she felt much lighter. She could not help but look up with a smile.

    ¡°Can a maid like you meddle with what happens to Fourth Miss? Father will make the judgment.¡± It was highly unlikely for Mo Xueqiong to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine now. But that¡¯s good. It would be a clean cut from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. It made her feel as if she had been rebirthed. She was no longer the Mo Xuetong of the past!

    ¡°Miss, how would I dare. Anyway, Fourth Miss is still young and there is no rush. She can still be promised to someone else in two or three years.¡± Mo Yu said sweetly.

    Their moods were all good as they chatted andughed. Mother Xu rushed in, panting as she said anxiously, ¡°Miss, Miss, Fourth Miss is on her way here. She is very angry.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s sheing here for?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned. She covered up the smile in her eyes and asked coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only saw Fourth Miss gnashing her teeth in anger as she approached...¡±

    They heard a sharp voice from the entrance of the courtyard before Mother Xu could finish her sentence. ¡°Mo Xuetong,e out!¡±

 Chapter 190 - Mo Xueqiong Creates Trouble in Qingwei Garden

    <strong>Chapter 190 Mo Xueqiong Creates Trouble in Qingwei Garden</strong>

    Mo Xueqiong stood at the entrance of Qingwei Garden, ring at Mo Xuetong. Her face was as cold as steel and her chest rose and fell heavily.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you¡¯re too vicious. What does my business with His Excellency have to do with you? Were you so jealous that you had to ruin my marriage?¡±

    Her two maids, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao, hurried from behind and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Miss, Miss, you must not listen to those nderous talk. They might not be true,¡± they urged.

    ¡°How could it not be true? If not for her, would Father have locked me up in that faraway courtyard? Would Father have kept me from finding out about what happened at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor? I am his daughter too! How could he treat me like this for her sake?!¡± Mo Xueqiong looked as if she wanted to lunge at Mo Xuetong and bite her.

    ¡°Fourth Sister,e in and say whatever it is you want to. It is the first day of the new year and Father is in a bad mood. Don¡¯t make him angry.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    She turned around. Ignoring Mo Xueqiong and entering the room by herself. It was the first day of the new year and if the two sisters were to fight at the door, it would just be another embarrassment to the Mo Manor.

    ¡°I shalle in if you want me to. Why should I be afraid of you?¡± Mo Xueqiong had sobered up then. She saw several people trying to eavesdrop nearby and huffed, then followed Mo Xuetong inside. She hade here in the heat of anger. Now that she¡¯d had a moment to think, she felt a bit less rash.

    Now that they were alone, she did not know how to start. Instead, she just red at Mo Xuetong silently

    ¡°Fourth Sister, please sit down. It is the new year and I do not know how I have offended you. I¡¯ve been sick for the past few days and don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened outside the manor. I have no idea what happened at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor to make you so angry.¡± Mo Xuetong sat down and ordered Mo Yu to pour them tea.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened outside the manor?¡± Mo Xueqiong was shocked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been sick for the past two days and Father asked me to rest well. I don¡¯t know what happened outside the manor. Did what happen to you have something to do with me?¡± Since someone was trying to sow discord behind Mo Xueqiong¡¯s back, she would watch quietly before making any judgment.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t try to deny it. You intentionally spread rumors that Eldest Sister did something with His Excellency. You said that he tried to rape Eldest Sister. How is that possible? Eldest Sister has always had a good rtionship with His Excellency. How would something like this happen? How dare you say you don¡¯t know anything?¡± Mo Xueqiong was furious. She did not care what she was saying at all.

    ¡°I spread rumors? Fourth Sister, did you see it yourself? Or did you hear someone in my Qingwei Garden say something?¡± Mo Xuetong answered casually. She raised her eyebrows. ¡°As for what you said, I do know some things about it. My Second Uncle sent someone to tell me to stay far away from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. They are now involved in a criminal case and it will probably not end well. Eldest Sister¡¯s reputation is besmirched. But could the attempted rapemitted by the Marquess be something that I can talk nonsense about?¡±

    ¡°His Excellency Sima was arrested?¡± Mo Xueqiong was shocked that it was so serious. Her anger disappearedpletely. Her legs lost their strength and she sat down.

    ¡°Are you speaking the truth?¡± she asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, would Second Uncle speak nonsense? Since he has warned me, I will also warn you. If you rush over to Father¡¯s right now, you will only incur his wrath. You might as well wait quietly. No matter what happens to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, Father will not have you suffer.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    Mo Xueqiong knew who Mo Xuetong¡¯s Second Uncle was, of course. As such, she also knew that Mo Xuetong was telling the truth. If Mo Xuetong was telling the truth, then this incident would definitely not end well. Mo Xueyan was wrong when she said that the matter would be over as long as Mo Xuetong told the public what happened.

    If this was true, and if Sima Lingyun really tried to rape Eldest Sister... Then it was impossible to have any rtionship between them anymore...

    Father would definitely not allow them to be together. However, her reputation was already ruined. If she did not marry him, who else could she marry...

    No, no, it wasn¡¯t possible!

    She was going to ask Eldest Sister what happened between the two of them. Why were they together? Her Elder Sister had sworn that she would never get together with Marquess Sima in the future. Why were the two of them always involved in something together? And now, something like this happened...

    Mo Xueqiong stood up anxiously, ignoring Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, let me caution you, don¡¯t look for Eldest Sister now. She has been locked up by Father. If you make trouble, Father will get angry.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice could be heard from behind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get involved,¡± Mo Xueqiong replied. ¡°Worry about yourself.¡±

    Then, she lifted the curtains and left, her two maids hurrying behind her.

    ¡°Miss, did First Miss cause this?¡± Mo Yu asked.

    She picked up the tea set and began to rearrange the dishes. Fourth Miss had always been unreasonable, using cruel words before she used her brain. It was the first day of the new year, and she had charged into the legal daughter¡¯s courtyard. That alone was very impolite, but she had done it without thinking twice.

    It was a very unlucky way to start the first morning of the new year!

    ¡°Eldest Sister hates me the most. However, she would never do something so obvious. Furthermore, she was implicated in it. Whoever put this in motion wants to create chaos in the manor.¡± Mo Xuetong sat by the table and took a sip of porridge. Her expression looked thoughtful.

    This was too simple. Mo Xuemin would not do something like this. However, who could it be if it was not Mo Xuemin?

    ¡°If there is chaos in the manor, how does it benefit outsiders? At most, they can just say that we do not have a matriarch in the manor.¡± Mo Yu pursed her lips unhappily. Who was so bored they¡¯d intentionally create chaos in someone else¡¯s family as they watched the show?

    That gave Mo Xuetong an idea. A smile appeared on her lips. Who else would be so free to sow discord? It seemed like there was someone who felt uneasy staying in the manor and eating the manor¡¯s food.

    After Mo Xuetong had her porridge, she brought Mo Ye and Mo Yu to the old madam¡¯s courtyard to greet her.

    After the fussst night, Mo Xuetong would be expected to show concern over her grandmother who had ¡°fainted¡±.

    The Old Madam might be in a bad mood, or might be ashamed to meet others because of what happened to Lan Xinru. When Mo Xuetong called on her, she was coldly asked to leave and ended up returning to Qingwei Garden.

    The next few days were calm. The Old Madam of General Fu¡¯s Manor sent Xu Yan over to take care of Mo Xuetong for a few days.

    Ever since Xu Yan moved into Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden, Mo Huawen visited less often. Fortunately, Xu Yan was aware of etiquette. She would hide in her room every time she saw Mo Huawening, but there were a few times they could not avoid meeting. Xu Yan would curtsy with a blush every time and return to her room.

    On the fourth day of the new year, Xu Yan returned home. The fifth day of the new year was meant to be spent at home. After that, they were free to visit rtives.

    The Mingguo Manor banquet was on the sixth day of the new year. Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand was injured and she did not wish to attend the crowded banquet. Thankfully, Mo Huawen refused Mingguo Manor¡¯s invitation. After everything that happened to Mo Manor, he was in no mood to go out and entertain. He thought of what happened to his daughters. It was impossible for them to consider marriage now.

    The other two were only thirteen years old. It was an awkward age, and if they went out at a time like this, he would only end up being gossiped about. Since Mo Xuetong had refused to go, it worked out well.

    Mo Xuetong went to Mo Huawen¡¯s study again before she went to bed.

    She made Mo Huawen a cup of oolong tea, something he drank often, and put it on his desk. Then, she took away the paper in his hand.

    ¡°Father,¡± she told him, ¡°don¡¯t tire yourself out. Let the two aunties take charge of what happens in the inner courtyard. Our rtives will definitely understand given what happened to our family...¡±

    It would be fine if they were regr rtives. But how could they go out and entertain those from wealthy and powerful families!

    Mo Huawen was extremely stressed. In the past, he could still put Auntie Fang in charge. Furthermore, his position then did not require him to entertain those of very high ranks. But the situation now was different. He was a third-grade official but did not even have a legal wife. He recalled what the Old Madam told him the other day. There was no matriarch in the family. There wasn¡¯t even anyone who could take the children out to entertain the guests.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, if Father marries another woman, would you...¡± Mo Huawen coughed. He looked at Mo Xuetong somewhat awkwardly. The Old Madam had taken his handst night and told him that he had to do this sooner orter. The manor was so big and they needed a mistress.

    ¡°Father, you must remarry, or you will not have any legal sons. Furthermore, someone has to take charge of Eldest Brother¡¯s and Eldest Sister¡¯s marriages. Otherwise, you will be doing everything out there alone and be even more tired out by household matters,¡± Mo Xuetong replied, blinking her bright, lively eyes.

    Mo Huawen could finally rest assured when he saw his daughter¡¯s delicate face. Ever since the incident with Lan Xinru, the Old Madam¡¯s cries andints had gotten to him. He would still have to remarry to have someone take care of his children. Furthermore, Auntie Fang¡¯s son was a good-for-nothing. He needed a legal son to inherit the family business so his three daughters would be protected in whatever family they married into.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡± He reached out to tousle Mo Xuetong¡¯s dark hair. This daughter was the most caring and obedient of his children.

    ¡°But Father, I have a condition. You have to promise me, or I will not agree to having a new mother and will be angry at you.¡± Mo Xuetong poked out her tongue and pouted, pretending to be angry.

    ¡°Alright, Tong¡¯er, tell me and I will definitely agree.¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but agree, heart softening as he looked at the adorable child.

    ¡°Father, the new mother you marry has to treat me well. She has to like me. Oh, and she must dote on me in the future like how you dote on me. Is that alright?¡± Mo Xuetong tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeves cutely and said, ¡°Father, if you don¡¯t agree, I won¡¯t agree to let you remarry.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I will definitely marry a woman who will treat you well and who likes you.¡± Mo Huawen sighed at how close Mo Xuetong was to him now. He remembered how alert and distant she was when she first came. She was totally different from how she was now. He definitely had to marry a woman who would treat his Tong¡¯er well. She must not be like Auntie Fang, whose behavior was different when in public and in private.

    However, Mo Huawen started to worry again when Mo Xuetong left. He was a man who worked outside and would not know if the girl was truly gentle or pretending to be kind. If she was like Auntie Fang and only pretended to treat Tong¡¯er well, what was he to do?

    If seemed like he had to n this slowly and tread carefully.

 Chapter 191 - An Anecdote From Fu General Manor On a Grand Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 191 An Anecdote From Fu General Manor On a Grand Banquet</h4>

    On the eighth of the New Year, Mo Xuetong went to Fu General Manor when they were holding a banquet. As a granddaughter of Fu General Manor, she couldn¡¯t be absent.

    On the morning, Mo Huawen asked someone to send her new-made clothes with matching essories. Mo Xuetong had seen these essories before, which had once belonged to her mother. These essories were all splendid and morous, but her mother used to dress inly. Therefore, these essories had only been used few times and looked almost new.

    These days, Mo Huawen always gave her something from her mother and said these would be souvenirs of her mother. But she knew actually her father was afraid that someone to marry himter would want to get her mother¡¯s dowry, so he just gave them to her piece by piece. Her father had inferred many times that he was too tired to manage the stores left by her mother and wanted to pass them over to her.

    Mo Xuetong was very moved after she saw her father¡¯s behavior and how much he cared for her. After the misunderstanding was rified, she cherished the ties between her father and herself which was found back after a life¡¯s time even more. So she just naturally agreed to his words and said she would take over the stores after the Lantern Festival, which could let him off the burden.

    Mo Yu was selecting jewelry for her and pointing at a pair of bracelets iid with rubies which were in the jewelry box and said, ¡°Miss, you can try this bracelet on for a change. It has such a nice gloss, which I¡¯ve never seen before!¡±

    Mo Xuetong saw them and shook her head, ¡°They are too brightly colored and conspicuous.¡± She touched the bracelet on her arm, which was left for her by her mother. She even found a simr one particrly, in case that only one bracelet might seem different. She didn¡¯t know why but she felt she just couldn¡¯t let others know this bracelet was left by her mother especially, ¡°Those on my arms are fine and there is no need for a change.¡±

    Mo Yu pointed at a pair of hairpins in front of the dressing table and asked, surprised, ¡°Miss, this pair of hairpins are so beautiful. Were they sent by Old Sir too? I¡¯ve never seen Madam wore this pair before, and they look like swords.¡±

    Those were that pair! Mo Xuetong kept silent.

    However, Mo Yu thought she agreed and hurriedly put those on for her. The hairpins were cutely designed with some small diamonds on it. It immediately made her pretty face even more attractive, gentler, and more charming.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly hated herself in the mirror. She pointed the hairpins iid with white magnolia by the side and said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Use that one.¡±

    ¡°Miss...¡±

    Mo Xuetong interrupted Mo Yu who wanted to persuade her, ¡°It¡¯s not early now. If we don¡¯t set off immediately, Grandma will get worried.¡± Mo Yu had to pull out the bright and beautiful hairpin and put that one for her instead. Luckily, Mo Xuetong in the mirror looked fresh and clean, which also made Mo Yu satisfied.

    This time they went to Fu General Manor, they had to take Mo Xueyan along. This was Old Madam¡¯s order, so even Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t say anything about it.

    Mo Xueyan was in good mood and already waited in the carriage. When she saw Mo Xuetonging in, she warmly held her arm and said smilingly, ¡°Third Sister is so beautiful dressing like this. It is said that First Miss is the most beautiful one among us sisters. Now it looks that you are the most beautiful. You look like a fairy and even I am attracted by you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong definitely knew the reason why Second Sister who used to ignore her behaved so warmly was that she wanted to rely on her fame. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t care about that, but she just worried that Mo Xueyan would go out to peep at the males like thest time when they were at home, which was really humiliating, ¡°Second Sister is the one who is truly beautiful. The clothes and dress look so suitable on you. If I wear such bright colors, I won¡¯t be as pretty as you.¡±

    But after Old Madam¡¯s words, she could say nothing. She just hoped Second Sister would be better-behaved.

    Mo Xueyan happily looked at her clothes and felt very confident, ¡°Third Sister¡¯s words were so sweet.¡± This morning, she woke up and felt very confident. Though Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pretty, she looked too childish. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t evenpare with her.

    Old Madam and her were determined. Today those came to the feast must all be from rich and famous families. As long as she could be one of them, she would have an easy and joyous life! And she wouldn¡¯t have to look up to others in Mo Manor.

    But she didn¡¯t realize that since she had entered Mo Manor, she was the one to give others a hard time.

    When they were still talking, they arrived at Fu General Manor.

    Today it was very busy and lively in front of the gate of General Manor, a line of carriages parked there in order with the guidance of servants. The carriage from Mo Manor had to find a corner to park. Mo Huawen got off from the horse and went to the gate. Mo Xuetong guided Mo Xueyan to the second door. On arriving the second door, Mo Xuetong saw Nanny Shen who apanied grandma run to her.

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re finally here. Old Madam has asked me several times about it. If you are still not here, I don¡¯t dare to reply to her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong said smilingly, ¡°Nanny Shen, I¡¯m sorry for the trouble. This is my Second Sister.¡±

    Nanny Shen knew that this Second Miss was actually Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin and only the daughter of a merchant. But she had to be respectful to her for Mo Xuetong¡¯s sake, ¡°It is Second Miss. No wonder you have this beautiful appearance like a flower. Second Miss, pleasee in. If you need somethingter, just tell me and don¡¯t be too polite.¡±

    However, Mo Xueyan really regarded herself as a noble miss. She lifted her head and nodded casually, which could be seen as greetings.

    Nanny Shen who had seen so much of the rich and famous families almost lost control andughed out loud.

    How dare she to y cool in front of her? She didn¡¯t even consider if she was qualified or not.

    She just ignored Mo Xueyan and talked to Mo Xuetong along the way. They arrived after a while.

    Today, Mo Xuetong¡¯s grandma sat in the first seat in the inner yard and was surrounded by Old Madams of a simr age. By her left sat an elderdy with a long thin face who seemed a little serious. And when she looked at someone, she seemed to gaze at the person and made the person dare not to lift their head. By the other side sat a kind elderdy and she looked especially easy to get along with when she smiled.

    Mo Xuetong came closer and greeted. ¡°Tong¡¯er wishes grandma good health!¡±

    Old Madam cared for her much and asked Nanny Shen to hold her up from the ground, ¡°Nice kid, get up, get up. Don¡¯t be too polite to me. Come here and let me have a look. You¡¯ve be thinner these days.¡±

    The kind elderdy looked at Mo Xuetong carefully and smiled, ¡°This is the granddaughter you love so much that you are afraid she might melt in your mouth. She is a little beauty indeed. Howe different peoplee from the same water? If my girl looks like this, it will be great.¡±

    These words made Old Madam satisfied. She pointed at Mo Xuetong and smiled. ¡°Tong¡¯er,e here and meet Old Madam Chen from Pingguo Manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong greeted her gently, ¡°Greetings to Old Madam Chen.¡±

    Old Madam Chen pulled Mo Xuetong up and gave her the pair of bracelets which were just taken off from her own hand. She said smilingly, ¡°Get up, get up. This is not the first time I have seen your granddaughter. I don¡¯t expect her to have grown up so quickly. It¡¯s nothing valuable and I shall send them to you as a little gift. It¡¯s like you¡¯re made of water. You look so delicately beautiful that you bring up others¡¯ care and love for you.¡±

    With just a short glimpse of the jade bracelets, Mo Xuetong would tell they were first-ss and could bepared to the ones given by her mother.

    Such a precious gift? Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help looking at her grandma.

    She said smilingly which meant Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have to worry about that, ¡°Quickly, thank Old Madam Chen.¡±

    Thus, Mo Xuetong thanked her softly.

    Old Madam pointed at that serious elderdy and said, ¡°This is Old Madam You from Mingguo Manor. Tong¡¯er should alsoe to greet her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong hurriedly followed her words, ¡°Greetings to Old Madam You.¡±

    Old Madam You awarded her with a hairpin which was also first-ss, but her face was filled with coldness rather than warmth.

    Luo Mingzhu appeared by the door and dragged Mo Xuetong outside the minute she saw Mo Xuetong, ¡°Cousin Tong, here you are. Come quick and observe the flower with me. My cousin found a flower which is very beautiful, but no one knows what it is. You should alsoe to have a look with me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong said embarrassedly, ¡°Second Cousin, there is no one to apany grandma...¡± To tell the truth, she would rather stay here to chat with grandma.

    Old Madam waved her hand with a smile, ¡°Go ahead to appreciate the flower with other children. We olddies can chat together.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu got grandma¡¯s permission and held tightly on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, ¡°Come on, Cousin Tong. Since grandma allowed you to go, you cane with me.¡± She caught Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and pulled her out before Mo Xuetong could say anything. Mo Xuetong had no choice but to hold Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand and led her out too.

    After they went outside, Mo Xuetong had the time to say, ¡°Second Cousin, this is my Second Sister who hasn¡¯t greeted grandma yet!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu carelessly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There are so many people here today, and grandma definitely can¡¯t remember all of them. You can say she has greeted already, and I¡¯ll prove for you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong hesitated, ¡°But, it¡¯s not right...¡±

    Luo Mingzhu said directly and smiled to Mo Xueyan, ¡°There is nothing wrong with it. Second Miss Mo, I¡¯m sorry today. When there are fewer people, I¡¯ll take you to my grandma. Now shall we go to appreciate the flower?¡±

    Mo Xueyan couldn¡¯t say anything else. After Luo Mingzhu¡¯s words, she had to agree to her even though she wasn¡¯t satisfied. Besides, she had another n, so it¡¯s not a big deal in her heart whether to greet the Old Madam or not.

    So she said generously, ¡°Second Miss Luo was being too polite. I have to thank you for taking us to the flower. In such a cold winter day, maybe it¡¯s a rare flower?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu smiled and her face turned red, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. It was brought by my big brother from the outside and was said to be the only one of its kind.¡± Luo Mingzhu was quite excited and she became chattier than in usual days.

    When they arrived at the garden, they saw many misses surrounding and observing a pot of flower.

    That was a beautiful pot of flowers which had lively green leaves in such a cold winter day. There were three flowers which had different colors. One of them was in bright red and looked extremely morous. The huge blossom heldyers of stamen, which looked very bewitching. The one by the left was in light pink, which brought along liveliness to the winter and made it feel like the freshness in spring. The one by the right was still budding, and its color was dark purple.

    ¡°What is this flower? I¡¯ve never seen one like that before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful with three different kinds of red flowers growing together so harmoniously, while their shapes were totally different.¡±

    ¡°The one in the middle is like a peony in Kingdom Wan. The one on the left looks like a camellia. The one on the right looks like an iris ensata. I can¡¯t imagine exotic blooms like this.¡±

    All of the misses whispered, and one of them knew what it was.

    However, Mo Xuetong trembled at these words and almost fell. She was shocked as if a huge wave had surged in her heart.

    It, it¡¯s impossible!

 Chapter 192 - The Root of Trouble was a Strange Flower with Three Different Colors

    <strong>Chapter 192 The Root of Trouble was a Strange Flower with Three Different Colors</strong>

    Luo Mingzhu stopped and asked, and she confusedly looked at Mo Xuetong whose face suddenly turned pale, ¡°Cousin Tong, What¡¯s wrong? Do you feel ufortable?¡±

    Mo Xuetong even hurriedly dragged Luo Mingzhu ahead and said, ¡°No, nothing. I just felt a little dizzy. I¡¯ll be fine in a while. Second Cousin, let¡¯s go up there to check on the flower.¡±

    She wondered how it appeared now and if they had prepared for the scheme for four whole years...

    Three different colors of blooms grew on the same bud and showed no sign of fear with their bright colors in this cold winter day. The three different colors, which were bright red, light pink and light purple were blended together, and made it unbelievably beautiful. It was such an amazing thing for such a beautiful flower to survive in such cold weather and lived so well!

    However, Mo Xuetong only felt the coldness straight from her head to her feet, which made her feel so cold. And it¡¯s like there was a big hole in her heart and it swallowed away all her warmth. Her hands trembled hard and she thought that maybe it was now when the flower was sent into Fu General Manor. And she wondered who sent it into Fu General Manor.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, Cousin Tong...¡±

    By her ears came Luo Mingzhu¡¯s worried voice.

    ¡°Second Cousin, where is this flower from?¡± She heard herself asking with difficulty. Then she dragged Luo Mingzhu out of the crowd.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face which looked almost transparent, Luo Mingzhu held her hand to sit down, ¡°Big Brother said one of his friends paid much for it and brought it here from a faraway ce. Then he heard there would be a feast in our manor, so he sent it to my big brother. It hasn¡¯t been sent to the manor until this morning. Cousin Tong, is there anything wrong?¡± A maid had already prepared a cup of fresh tea and ced it by her hand.

    After taking a lip, Mo Xuetong recovered some of her consciousness. She couldn¡¯t help fixing her eyes on the chatty crowd. There were many misses surrounding the flower and marveled at its beauty on such a cold winter day.

    She calmed herself a bit and then said to Luo Mingzhu smilingly, ¡°Second Cousin, I¡¯m fine. I just felt a little dizzy. Maybe it¡¯s because I have toe today and didn¡¯t get enough sleepst night.¡±

    Seeing her face get much better, Luo Mingzhu felt relieved. She poked Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead a bit with her hand, and said cutely, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be too excited when going back to grandma¡¯s now that you are in poor health. Your home is so close to mine and you cane at any time you want. Thus you don¡¯t have to be so excited like that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because Second Cousin neveres to see me, so I miss grandma and you!¡± Mo Xuetong pouted to show her unwillingness and held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand. She came closer to Luo Mingzhu, pointing at the direction and asking quietly, ¡°Who is that friend of First Cousin who has such a great capability to find a strange flower like that? Is he Sir Bai?¡±

    Bai Yihao had the power to get a strange flower like that, because it was said that the ce the flower was from was rted to the Yan Kingdom. It was in herst life that she looked up all the anecdote books to find out the answer for Fu General. In herst life, she never knew how the flower got in Fu General Manor and she had never seen it.

    If Fu General Manor hadn¡¯t fallen because of this flower, she couldn¡¯t imagine such a flower leading to the falling of Fu General Manor and the biggest tragedy in herst life.

    Luo Mingzhu answered smilingly without even realizing it, and she thought Mo Xuetong was just being curious, ¡°It was not Sir Bai, but a friend my brother just met. I heard they got along quite well, so he sent him such a strange flower, which could add to the atmosphere to the feast in the manor.¡±

    It¡¯s lucky that it¡¯s not done by Bai Yihao!

    Mo Xuetong felt a little relieved, because in herst life, the impression Bai Yihao left on her had been too scary and he seemed to be undefeatable.

    But what kind of friendship made them be so close in such a short time and made the friend offer such a flower?

    The flower was called Jade Owl. This kind of flower didn¡¯t grow on earth but in jade. The more exquisite the jade was, the more beautiful the flower would grow to be. Jade was warm in winter and cold in summer, which provided it with the conditions for the flower to grow. Therefore, its growth was not affected by the season but by the quality of jade.

    In herst life, by the chance when Sima Lingyun went to Fu General Manor, he found the proof of her first uncle colluding with the enemies in first uncle¡¯s study. Hence, Fu General Manor fell. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what the proof was, but she identally heard Sima Lingyun¡¯s drunk talk and knew it was found in a pot of flower.

    A strange pot of flower which grew from jade!

    The flower had three different colors of blooms which all grew on the same stem as a whole.

    When Sima Lingyun was drunk, he had proudly said that there was a secret in the flower and he was lucky to have cracked it and exposed it to the Emperor. Then the Emperor cleared up the entire Fu General Manor and he had the chance to climb to an upper position.

    In thest life, she had only heard about this pot of flower from Sima Lingyun, but she had never seen it. Until now, she suddenly realized that it was a conspiracy.

    Mo Xuetong coquettishly smiled as if she were envious, ¡°First Cousin¡¯s friend is so rich, which can be seen from the value of the jades in the pot. Second Cousin, First Cousin has such a great friend who can be called a friend until death. This friend even sent him stuff so precious.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was not stupid. When she heard the words, herplexion changed a bit!

    Luo Mingzhu suddenly stood up. She realized the seriousness of the matter and said hurriedly, ¡°Cousin Tong, there is something wrong with the flower... No, you wait here. I¡¯ll go to ask my big brother.¡± Today¡¯s feast was very important and it was said that several princes and princesses woulde too. If something really happened in the manor, Fu General Manor would be in serious trouble.

    Mo Xuetong stood up too. She held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand and stopped her. ¡°Second Sister, even if there is something wrong with the flower or not, you can¡¯t get to First Cousin when he is meeting guests outside. Besides, now that the flower has already been in the manor, you shouldn¡¯t attract others¡¯ attention by sending it out. You may just wait until the feast is over and then ask First Cousin.¡±

    She knew that the flower was of no danger now. She knew someone had set up a long line since now and would wait until she turned seventeen. Though they still had some hints now, they would all be cleaned up by then. All she could do was to remind her cousin to find the clue and the causes before everything got cleaned up, which would help them avoid that conspiracy.

    Besides, the flower had beenid out and seen by many misses. If they took it back, it would cause others¡¯ suspicion.

    Luo Mingzhu hesitated for a while, and realized Mo Xuetong was right. Then she just hurriedly told Mo Xuetong a few words, ¡°Okay, Cousin Tong. Then you¡¯re supposed to rest for a while and I¡¯ll go and look after them over there.¡± Then she walked to the crowd. Today every miss in Luo Manor were to be taken care of by her and she must take that suspicious flower out of their sights first.

    Just after Luo Mingzhu left, Mo Yu rushed in and whispered by Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear, ¡°Miss, Second Miss is gone.¡± She had followed Mo Xueyan around. At first, Mo Xueyan just casually walked in the garden, and Mo Yu just casually followed her. But Mo Xueyan was out of sight just in a moment, which made her worried.

    Mo Xuetong got stressed too. ¡°Where did she disappear?¡± She wasn¡¯t worried about Mo Xueyan, only the reputation of the daughters in Mo Manor couldn¡¯t be disgraced any more. After Mo Xueqiong¡¯s incident, Mo Xuemin caused such a disturbance. If Mo Xueyan caused trouble in Fu General Manor again, the entire Mo Manor would be disgraced.

    ¡°It was right at the passage, which was only two turns away from the second door. Second Miss can¡¯t have...¡± Mo Xueyan¡¯s behavior was not a secret at Mo Manor and she had always been near to the second door. If Old Sir hadn¡¯t gotten angry at her, she would have kept making trouble.

    Mo Xuetong knew about that ce, which was really not far from the second door. If she really went out and bothered that respected guest, even Fu General Manor would suffer.

    Instantly, she made a decision, ¡°Mo Yu, you go there through that path and I¡¯ll go along this one. My Second Sister is unfamiliar with the road and may not be able to find the second door.¡±

    Even if Mo Xueyan wanted to ask, she couldn¡¯t say she wanted to go to the second door as a miss apanied by a maid! Moreover, if it¡¯s known by others, it wouldn¡¯t benefit anybody. Mo Xuetong believed Mo Xueyan wouldn¡¯t be that stupid.

    Mo Yu hesitated and didn¡¯t leave, ¡°Miss, I¡¯m worried about you being alone.¡±

    Mo Xuetong only brought Mo Yu along because Mo Xueyan only brought a maid with her. Mo Yu just walked away because Luo Mingzhu was there with her. But now Luo Mingzhu wasn¡¯t here, so Mo Yu couldn¡¯t help worrying about her miss.

    Mo Xuetong said then, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this garden is full of maids and I¡¯m familiar with this ce. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get lost. Hurry up. Otherwise, if something really happens, it will be troublesome.¡± By then, Mo Xuetong was really anxious. After the whole set of incidents at home, she saw how big her father¡¯s pressure was. If Mo Xueyan really did something troublesome at the point, her father would be totally disgraced.

    Mo Yu didn¡¯t dare to say anything more, and she had no choice but to walk towards the other door, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mo Xuetong hurriedly walked out the door of the yard. She knew the next turn was behind the rockery, and there was a shortcut which would save her much time. It might help her catch up with Mo Xueyan. The rockery there was close to bawn of the inner yard. Only people familiar with the ce knew more than half of the rockery was outside of the bawn.

    The narrow path was tranquil. No maid was walking on the trail because it was so quiet. When stepping on the fallen leaves, she heard the leaves rustle, and the path seemed even more silent. Mo Xuetong had something to worry about in her heart and quickly walked by the rockery. When she was about to go across the rockery, she suddenly heard a girl utter a sound. ¡°Ah¡±.

    She suddenly stopped and leaned on the rockery. At such a time, she thought she should evade from anyone who would appear at this ce.

    She hid there and listened carefully, but she couldn¡¯t hear anything. Maybe she had heard it wrong! Mo Xuetong hesitated for a moment. When she was about to walk out from the rockery, she heard a soft voice from a girl again, who sounded quite close to her.

    This time, she heard it clearly. It was a girl¡¯s voice which was on her left side, but she couldn¡¯t see her.

    A muffled masculine voice came, ¡°Tell me, how many studies are there in your manor besides this one?¡± Mo Xuetong crouched and didn¡¯t dare to move anymore. A study. Someone was looking for studies in Fu General Manor. She suddenly remembered what happened at the old house in Cloud City that night.

    Although it was provedter that one of the men in ck was Feng Yuran, how about the other one! What were they looking for? Were they also looking for them in her grandma¡¯s home?

    The timid voice revealed that the girl was totally frightened, ¡°This one is First Old Sir¡¯s study... The one on the left belonged to Second Old Sir. His Excellency owns two. One is next to the outer yard, and the other is in the inner yard. The rest are small ones which belong to misses.¡± Her voice didn¡¯t sound very clear, so maybe her mouth was blocked?

    The voice came from the left behind her and wasn¡¯t far from her. In that direction, there was a strangely shaped stone. Only if she moved a bit, she could see what¡¯s behind the stone. Mo Xuetong thought for a while and stood up carefully. She touched the stone surface on the rockery and silently moved over.

    The oppressive male¡¯s voice lowered and asked sharply, ¡°Where did your First Aunt use to live in the manor?¡±

    Her mother? Somebody was asking about her mother again!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s foot which reached out shivered and identally fell on a high rock, which immediately made a sound which was neither too light nor too heavy.

    Someone shouted, ¡°Who is it!¡±

    Mo Xuetong was terrified! When she was about to step back, a hand reached out from nowhere and dragged her over. She was so frightened that she almost screamed. The other hand of the man tightly blocked her mouth. She unconsciously bit it.

 Chapter 193 - Shocked at the Murder Case in the Back Yard

    <h4>Chapter 193 Shocked at the Murder Case in the Back Yard</h4>

    A warm whisper came by her ear, which sounded familiar and instantly calmed Mo Xuetong down who was just anxious, ¡°Don¡¯t speak. It¡¯s me!¡± Feng Yuran? Since the day she passed out in his arms, his voice had been engraved on her brain. She felt rxed without any reasons.

    As expected, a whisper from him came again to her ear, ¡°Stop biting me. It hurts a lot.¡±

    Therefore, she nkly let go of him. When she was about to ask, she was held tightly in his arms and her body seemed to be lifted a little higher.

    By her ear came the light sound of people walking by, which would have been ignored if she hadn¡¯t been watching. Through the gap in his clothes, she saw a man in ck who carefully walked by with a shiny long sword in his hand. The mottled stains of blood showed that he had already taken an action.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to take a long breath more.

    From their sight of view, she could tell they were in a high position above the rockery cave. Feng Yuran must be hanging up high onto somece while holding her.

    Another man in ck showed up in the scene, also carrying a long sword, ¡°How was it? Did you find the guy?¡±

    The first man in ck, who was obviously the one she had heard before, said gravely, ¡°There is no one. How strange! I¡¯ve heard a sound.¡±

    The second man in ck said impatiently, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a stone falling. Don¡¯t worry about it. We shall take action separately and don¡¯t spoil it.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The two figures disappeared instantly.

    The wind blew by the rockery and made some slight sound. Suddenly, it was quiet there and the heartbeats were the only sounds left there. Mo Xuetong knew it was the heartbeats of Feng Yuran. With no reason, she felt her heart beating irregrly. Her face turned red and she pushed him with a little effort, which meant that she wanted him to release her.

    Azy voice from him sounded like fine wine by her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t move! They haven¡¯t gone yet!¡± The clear sound of the breath of his came into her ear and made that side of her face burn. But she knew he was right, so she just stayed still in his arms and didn¡¯t dare to make any sound.

    As expected, in a while, the two men in ck appeared by the rockery and the cold light of the long sword hurt her eyes.

    ¡°There is really nobody!¡±

    ¡°Then we should go our separate ways. That girl is dead. Did you clean it up?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s donepletely. Let¡¯s go, or we¡¯ll get blocked here in a while.¡±

    They chatted a bit and then disappeared in the darkness.

    Mo Xuetong was afraid they woulde back again, so she didn¡¯t move at all and obediently stayed in Feng Yuran¡¯s arms. She just opened those bright watery eyes and secretly looked outside. Her careful behavior looked extremely cute. If the wound on his hand didn¡¯t hurt like this, Feng Yuran might just think she was a harmless rabbit. Remembering how she sharply and fiercely bit him, he just followed his instincts and held her even more tightly.

    He felt the slim and soft body obediently leaned on him, and a morous smile unconsciously appeared by his lips.

    He felt quite good!

    After quite a while, there was no sound outside. Mo Xuetong curiously moved her body and said nervously in a low voice, ¡°Did they leave?¡±

    She didn¡¯t hear Feng Yuran¡¯s voice for quite a while, and thought there was still somebody left there. She didn¡¯t dare to pant aloud.

    Suddenly, by her ear came Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice, which sounded a bit ironic, ¡°There was no one a long time ago. Why does Tong¡¯er still hold me so tightly?¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt dizzy because of anger, ¡°You...¡± She pushed him with her hand to get away from him. But she suddenly felt he was dropping, feeling shocked, she began to pull him back.

    They lightlynded on the ground. Then Mo Xuetong pushed Feng Yuran away with much effort. However, she got slipped and lost her bnce. Again, she fell back into his arms which were still open to her.

    Feng Yuran lifted his lips and proudly said to Mo Xuetong who was trying to stand steadily, ¡°I¡¯ve just had enough hugging you, then youe again.¡± But his hand was still on her waist and didn¡¯t let go. He signed to her to be quiet. Then his eyes were fixed on a maid next to the rockery and turned cold.

    Mo Xuetong noticed his abnormality and was trying to turn around when he pressed and lift her body out of the rockery. He didn¡¯t let her go until they directlynded on an empty attic across the rockery.

    Mo Xuetong only saw a piece of the maid¡¯s clothes because they moved too fast. There seemed to be bloodstains on the clothes, which made Mo Xuetong shocked, ¡°What happened to that maid?¡± Today there was a feast and all families of important officials showed up in the inner yard. If a maid was found dead in the inner yard, it would be a huge deal.

    Feng Yuran seated himself on the chair, and pointed at the other chair, signaling to Mo Xuetong to sit down, ¡°Dead.¡±

    Dead. She was killed in such a short period. Mo Xuetong hesitated and was nk. She was not afraid of death. Besides, she had already died once. She just thought it was getting weirder and weirder and couldn¡¯t help frowning. There were men in ck in the inner yard, and they were looking for her mother¡¯s old yard. Was it that deserted yard...?

    Feng Yuran changed the topic and his eyes became bright again. His eyesnded on her hand which was covered by the long sleeve and an attractive smile showed up on his face, ¡°What are you doing here? Have all the wounds on your hand recovered?¡±

    Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered what had happened that night and bowed gently, ¡°Thanks for King Xuan¡¯s help. If you have any request in the future, I¡¯ll never let you down.¡± He really saved her life. Under that circumstance, her survival should be owed to his help. She really didn¡¯t know what to do with him.

    She just knew that on that day, in such a desperate condition, she just feltplete trust when seeing him...

    When her brain stopped thinking, she just felt his voice and his body heat which both contained much warmth warming her whole frozen heart. That kind of care was not even given by her mother. At that moment, she really thought she would die and would end up dying with that horrible man.

    But he saved her at that moment...

    By then, her mind was confused. She just held onto that warmth with her instincts. Now she woke up, but she didn¡¯t know how to face him! She couldn¡¯t still treat him with caution. But did he treat her with sincerity? She wasn¡¯t so confident so as to believe she could defeat so many beauties in his manor.

    But if not, why did he do all these! She bit her lips and was indeed confused. Looking at the boy who was handsome like a demon, she just didn¡¯t know what to do. In the past, she could use her alienation and coldness to build a wall of caution between them. But now, she was too confused to do anything about it. She could just behave herself and say in words as a courtesy.

    However, Feng Yuran said impolitely, ¡°Anyway, you owed me and can¡¯t pay me back in a short time. There will be plenty of time in the future, and you just need to keep that in mind. Now, there is a thing you can do for me.¡± His spotless face was quite clear in the light and his gestures looked elegant. He wore a purple robe which was iid with the figures of dragons. It looked like the formal clothing of a duke. At the sleeves of the robe was the head of a dragon which pointed directly to heaven. The robe made him seem even more noble and dignified.

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t follow his mind and said inly, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. My father will choose consorts for me in a while. I don¡¯t like too many women in my manor, so I only agreed to marry one main consort. Too many women in the manor will cause too much trouble. My manor needs a thorough clean-up.¡±

    Your manor didn¡¯t need too many women. If you needed, it might be impossible to go into your gate. Mo Xuetong secretly murmured about that but looked very agreeable to his words. He had done her a great favor and was qualified to say these words in front of her.

    He just said it and she just listened to him!

    Feng Yuran saidzily with his slim eyes lifted up as if he were asking about what the weather was like today, ¡°I need a person who can be in charge of the back yard in my manor, which made my head ache. Would you pleasee to help me?¡±

    Was he proposing?

    Mo Xuetong opened her mouth and didn¡¯t know what to say, ¡°...¡±

    Feng Yuran stood up and lifted his eyebrows. There was a slight smile by his lips, which looked proud and would cause hatred of others, ¡°It¡¯s a deal. You¡¯re still young, and I¡¯m not too old. I can use you as an excuse to put it off. I don¡¯t want everyone in my manor to be others¡¯ spy.¡±

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t keep quiet anymore, and she had to dere her own attitude, ¡°But, Your Highness...¡±

    Feng Yuran arbitrarily interrupted her words, and changed the subject to why she was here, ¡°Forget about that. What are you going hurriedly to this quiet ce for?¡±

    This question reminded Mo Xuetong, she made a sound of ¡°ah¡± and didn¡¯t want to say anything more to him. Now that she counted the time after the incident, something about Mo Xueyan might have happened. She didn¡¯t dare to think about that anymore. And then she lifted up her long dress and ran to the staircase.

    After only two steps, she was pulled by Feng Yuran with much strength, ¡°Why are you running?¡±

    At the moment, she couldn¡¯t think anything more and wanted to get rid of him, ¡°Mo Xueyan was going to the outer yard!¡± By then, something might have been caused by Mo Xueyan, she had to make up for it.

    Mo Xueyan was going to the outer yard!

    Her words were not so clear, but Feng Yuran understood the meaning of her words instantly. But his hand still held onto hers and he said with a calm smile, ¡°You can¡¯t control it if your Second Sister wants to get married. Now, are you going to recognize a rtive?¡±

    It meant she was toote!

    These words made Mo Xuetong even more worried, and she tried to wave his hand away but she couldn¡¯t and wondered what was in his mind. But she couldn¡¯t offend him and only had to turn around, bite her lips, and said aggrievedly, ¡°You should let go of me. My grandma doesn¡¯t know Mo Xueyan is also here. If something really happens, who can put an end to it for her?¡±

    Feng Yuran said smilingly, ¡°No matter who will help her, it won¡¯t be you who is her younger sister. You haven¡¯t got yourself married, but start to worry about your older sister¡¯s marriage.¡± When he saw her face turn dark and unkind, he knew she was really angry and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if your Second Sister wants to go to outer yard, she can¡¯t.¡±

    These words sounded odd. Mo Xuetong stopped for a while, and then her eyes brightened and she cutely looked at Feng Yuran. Although King Xuan¡¯s character was hard to guess, he hadn¡¯t done anything to let her down. Now that he said the words, the situation might not be as bad as she thought.

    Her watery eyes were bright and shiny like a clear spring, ¡°Your Highness, did anything happen at the second door?¡± She fluttered her long eyshes and someone¡¯s heart trembled with them. His mood immediately turned better and he decided to forgive her.

    Feng Yuran calmly walked back and sat down. Then he glimpsed at her and smiled, ¡°What could happen at the second door of Fu General Manor? Besides, the clothes you wore today was not beautiful at all. You should dress more beautifully next time.¡±

    His words were truly annoying and he expected her begging him. However, she really had to beg for his help.

    She nced at him with much nervousness. Then she just put her dignity aside and said obediently, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll get dressed in beautiful purple clothes the next time and make your eyes light up. Now I have to ask you, can you tell me what happened at the second door?¡±

    He liked purple that much. She thought all the other color might be equally ugly in his eyes!

    Hearing her answer his question so honestly, Feng Yuran suddenlyughed out, which was not that kind of vague expression of smiling but pure joy!

 Chapter 194 - Behaving Stupidly, Fifth Princess was Filled with Jealousy and Hatred

    <h4>Chapter 194 Behaving Stupidly, Fifth Princess was Filled with Jealousy and Hatred</h4>

    For no reason, Mo Xuetong got flushed and a little angry. She fluttered her long eyshes and she seemed a little aggrieved. She bit her lips and walked out with anger. It was not far. There was not much distance left to the second door and she could walk there to see for herself.

    Behind her, Feng Yuran held his own arms and leaned over. Then he lifted his thin lips and seemed to be smiling, ¡°Fifth Princess is here and chatting with Cousin Bai in our home at the second door. Your Second Sister can¡¯t be fierce enough to get across the princess.¡±

    Fifth Princess was here? She was chatting with Bai Yihao by the second door! Mo Xuetong opened her mouth and didn¡¯t know what to say.

    All women knew such a thing should be evaded from others!

    But Fifth Princess did it so fearlessly. She had to admit that the children from the pce were different and tough. Although Mo Xueyan had a thick skin, she knew she had to be sneaky to chase after a man. However, Fifth Princess just blocked the door. The society really judged people ording to their status. If Mo Xueyan did such a thing, she wouldn¡¯t be married for her whole life. While Fifth Princess did such a thing, she would only be med for being unruly.

    Nobody dared to judge the things done by the royal family.

    ¡°You should go back now and don¡¯te back again. This is not a safe ce.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly stood up. Before Mo Xuetong spoke, he just lifted her up and jumped out from the back window. After two big leaps, they crossed several bawns andnded on a tree. Then he reminded her again, ¡°After you get out, you should find a ce for yourself to rest. Have you figured out what to say?¡±

    Seeing his serious expressions, Mo Xuetong said obediently, ¡°Yes!¡± After all, there was nobody asking about her whereabouts. When there was, she would have an answer.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Mo Xuetong opened her mouth and said with much certainty, ¡°I got lost!¡±

    After she finished her words, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face immediately turned red. It¡¯s not the first time she had been here. She didn¡¯t know how she came up with such a reason and what unlucky things she had bumped into!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face smiled even more like a demon. ¡°It¡¯s a good reason!¡± He lifted one eyebrow and his thin lips as if he were absorbed in a good show. But she thought he was ironic no matter how she perceived it, so her pink face flushed from embarrassment.

    ¡°Next time you go out, remember to bring Mo Ye with you. There are too many dangerous people in the capital now. Are the undercover bodyguards I assigned to you decorative? Besides, don¡¯t forget what you have promised me!¡±

    Feng Yuran finished his words and carried her tond on the ground quietly. Then he just leaped away before she could reply!

    ¡°The thing she had promised him.¡± What did she promise him? Mo Xuetong frowned and started to recall the conversations between them. After quite a while, she bluntly understood his meaning. She cutely frowned her delicate nose and thought he was being too serious so as to take a joke too seriously.

    She couldn¡¯t say how she felt inside. She couldn¡¯t say whether she hated it or not. They were just words and she couldn¡¯t stop him from talking. Though he was different from her cousins, he couldn¡¯t determine his own marriage as a duke. So she just stopped thinking about it.

    She looked up, trying to find where she was. Unexpectedly, she found herself by the residence she dwelled in thest time she visited. She walked in that direction and finally found a familiar maid. Then she asked the maid to find Mo Yu. Now that Mo Xueyan couldn¡¯t cause a scene at the second door, she was rxed and could rest for a while before she went out.

    Mo Xueyan was very unlucky and very angry! Besides, she was very nervous!

    She made much effort to get away from Mo Yu who was sent to watch her by Mo Xuetong. She circled several times before she reached the second door. Then she proudly walked across the bawn and expected to have an unexpected meeting with some handsome sir from a rich and famous family. However, just after she went out, she got confused. It was such a great scene!

    A dozen of maids who were dressed nicely stood by both sides. In the middle was an elegant beautiful girl talking to a handsome boy!

    Mo Xueyan hadn¡¯t seen such a handsome boy in her whole life.

    He just stood there under a white pine and was dressed in snow-white clothes. He looked so distant and charming that he didn¡¯t look like a real person. He had carefree eyes, long straight nose, red and shiny lips, and elegant lower jaw curve. He looked so attractive and as gentle as jade.

    Such a man was definitely iparable especially when he looked at her gently. Was he being different to her? Mo Xueyan was so excited that she almost passed out.

    It¡¯s good that her maid was still sensible and dragged Mo Xueyan who was trying to run out. The maid pointed at the maids, lowered her voice and said hurriedly, ¡°Miss, it must be a miss from a respected family going out. We have to evade from it.¡±

    ¡°Why do I have to evade? We all came to Fu General Manor as guests. Why can she go to the second door to chat with others while I can¡¯t even go out?¡± Mo Xueyan seemed to have seen the charming young man waving at her, so she didn¡¯t want to give up. She thought the man must have noticed her because he had nced at her several times.

    The quarrel over here had already bothered Fifth Princess, who had been busy chatting with Bai Yihao. Fifth Princess found him glimpsing behind her from time to time, so she turned around too. Then she instantly noticed Mo Xueyan who was pulling and pushing with a maid and got unhappy immediately.

    Seeing Bai Yihao look at them over and over again, Fifth Princess said coldly, ¡°Lingyue, go there and ask them what¡¯s wrong.¡±

    Hearing her words, Lingyue walked to them and sharply criticized Mo Xueyan who was probing. ¡°You¡¯re being too rude. How dare you not to greet in front of the princess?¡±

    The princess! The elegant noble princess!

    Mo Xueyan was shocked and came to herself instantly. She didn¡¯t dare to drag with the maid anymore. Then her feet got weak and she knelt down with a thud. ¡°I, an ordinary girl, greet the princess!¡±

    There was an ordinary girl in Fu General Manor which made Fifth Princess hesitate too. She nced at Bai Yihao who was smiling gently and said smilingly, ¡°Cousin, howe there is an ordinary girl at the feast held by Fu General Manor? Do you want to go with me and have a look?¡±

    The position she was at was right at the door, but Bai Yihao was outside of the door. If they wanted to see it together, Bai Yihao had toe closer to her.

    Bai Yihao stepped up and crossed the second door. Then he walked in front of Fifth Princess. ¡°Since you invited me, I shall have a look with you.¡±

    She had invited him with so many methods, but her cousin wouldn¡¯te to her. But now that the girl was here, her cousin came in so easily. Was it because of this girl? Fifth Princess¡¯s cold and jealous eyesnded on Mo Xueyan and searched her entirely. It was just a normal girl who was not very pretty and couldn¡¯t even bepared to Lingyue in her pce. How did such a girl attract her cousin¡¯s attention!

    She walked quickly and kept up with Bai Yihao. Then they both stopped in front of Mo Xueyan.

    Fifth Princess looked down on her and spoke coldly before Bai Yihao, ¡°How did you get in? Why could an ordinary girl show up at the feast held by Fu General? If you are fake, you¡¯ll be dead!¡±

    When hearing that she would be killed, Mo Xueyan¡¯s face turned pale and she hurriedly exined. ¡°Princess, I didn¡¯t get blended in. It¡¯s my Third Sister who brought me in. But she had other business and left me here just now, and I got lost after a while. I was about to find my way back.¡±

    She also knew how disgraceful it would be for a girl¡¯s reputation to sneak out of the second door. Therefore, she just pushed all the me onto Mo Xuetong.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s face was calm and dark like water, especially when she noticed Bai Yihao¡¯s beautiful eyes were fixed on Mo Xueyan, she became furious. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely find out who your Third Sister is. If it¡¯s fake, you can¡¯t me me for being vicious...¡±

    ¡°My Third Sister was the granddaughter of Fu General, the Third Miss in Mo Manor, Mo Xuetong. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can send for her to answer your question.¡± Mo Xueyan didn¡¯t dare to lift her head. And the maid behind her knelt on the ground and trembled.

    Mo Xueyan had only seen misses from an official¡¯s family. Never in her life had she seen a princess from a royal family. Her pride had already been turned into a weakness. When Fifth Princess asked, she almost answered it in a shivering voice. Just a moment ago, she was hiding away from Mo Xuetong, but now she hoped Mo Xuetong would find her soon.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong?¡± Fifth Princess looked at Bai Yihao with a vague smile, ¡°Cousin, I heard that you had checked on this Third Miss Mo. I wonder how beautiful she can be to make you so gentle and caring.¡±

    She seemed to be joking, but there was jealousy and hatred in her eyes.

    Bai Yihao couldn¡¯t smile anymore and said lightly, ¡°Third Miss Mo¡¯s cousin is my good friend. Now that this miss is Third Miss Mo¡¯s older sister, we have a connection. Fifth Cousin should do me a favor and forgive her for being ill-mannered.¡±

    Hearing that gentle voice begging for forgiveness for her, Mo Xueyan couldn¡¯t help looking at Bai Yihao. That thin tall figure which was dressed in white made her confused. She didn¡¯t have to ask to tell such a man was respected and dignified. Her heart began to beat wildly again.

    Fifth Princessughed out and leaned over. Then she teasingly looked at Mo Xueyan who was nk and Bai Yihao who was a bit disgusted, and lost the interest, ¡°Since you said that you were willing to forgive her, I¡¯ll do as you said. She¡¯s just a poor ordinary girl.¡±

    Her cousin would not notice such a girl!

    After Mo Xueyan was driven away by several maids, Fifth Princess turned around and smiled to Bai Yihao, ¡°Cousin, can you go to watch thenterns with me on Lantern Festival? I heard that this year, thenterns in Chang¡¯an Street are more beautiful than those in the past years. Besides, there are ships loaded withnterns in theke, which would be much more fun than in the past years.¡±

    Bai Yihao smiled lightly, ¡°It will still be a few days before the Lantern Festival. By then, if I have time, I¡¯ll definitely go into the pce and y with you cousins on the street.¡± He was gentle all the time, and his behavior and words were always elegant. Even if he was trying to refuse others, it sounded so elegant and couldn¡¯t arouse others¡¯ anger.

    Fifth Princess stomped on the ground and said coquettishly, ¡°Cousin, I said you would apany me, not the other sisters!¡± She didn¡¯t want to bring along a big crowd of sisters with them. She was not the only princess in the pce who wanted to own this cousin. Sixth Princess looked gentle on usual days, but when she saw this cousin, she acted like that bitch just now.

    As if he hadn¡¯t seen the jealousy in Fifth Princess¡¯s eyes, Bai Yihao lifted his lips and said slowly, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure now. But by then if I have time, I¡¯ll tell you. Now it¡¯s not a good time to talk. I have to leave first. King Yan wanted me just now.¡±

    His voice sounded quite clear and soft, which was like the sound of ice and jade shing. Such a tone, along with his distant temperament, couldn¡¯t arouse Fifth Princess¡¯s anger. Even if she saw him leaving without answering her questions, she just stepped hard on the ground and was angry at herself.

    Lingyue smiled while trying to persuade her, ¡°Princess, you don¡¯t have to be angry with yourself. It¡¯s all that woman¡¯s fault. You can see that the minute you mentioned that Third Miss Mo, his attitude changed.¡± At the same time, Lingyue crouched to rub the foot for her which was hurt when kicking.

    Yes, it must be that girl. Or else her cousin wouldn¡¯t beg for forgiveness for that poor girl!

    Fifth Princess missed Bai Yihao so much that it almost drove her mad and she wanted to marry him as soon as possible. But now it seemed that he was farther and farther away from her. She couldn¡¯t help feeling jealous. There was nothing she couldn¡¯t get in the entire world and it was the same with her cousin. She had to own him and all the women who could win her affection must die!

    Fifth Princess¡¯s eyes were filled with coldness and jealousy, ¡°Lingyue, you have to figure it out for me that where this Third Miss Mo is. I really want to meet this Third Miss Mo!¡±

 Chapter 195 - The Intelligent Grand Secretariatâ€™s Daughter

    <strong>Chapter 195 The Intelligent Grand Secretariat¡¯s Daughter</strong>

    Mo Xuetong did not know what happened. She met Xu Yan and the two started chatting.

    After a few days of getting to know each other, Mo Xuetong found that she was very satisfied with this aunt of hers. That was because while Xu Yan looked gentle and fragile on the surface, she was very opinionated. Otherwise, she would not have dyed her marriage until now and be so picky about her husband.

    That was for the best. Xu Yan¡¯s character would not allow Auntie Fang and Lan Xinru to have a second chance. If Xu Yan had been a weak-willed nobledy, she would definitely be no match for them. One of them had Mo Xuemin pull the strings behind her and Xuemin had someone to back her as well. The other¡¯s backing was the Old Madam. They both had different advantages.

    Furthermore, Xu Yan¡¯s character was a good match for her father. Mo Xuetong knew that even though Mo Huawen doted on her now, she could still sense Mo Huawen¡¯s softness. His strength did not lie in managing the inner courtyard! The hierarchy in the inner courtyard almost did not exist any longer!

    The gossip must have taken effect. Her aunt brought up her father shyly. Even though she was just asking about regr things, Mo Xuetong could sense the underlying currents. She praised her father without hesitation and even mentioned that the pouch Xu Yan gave her was very beautiful. Her father thought that Mo Xuetong made it so he carried it with him.

    This made Xu Yan flush with shyness. She did not say anything and returned to her courtyard.

    What she had to do next was to deal with her father!

    Mo Xuetong had already decided what to do. She turned around and returned to her courtyard. Mo Yu hurried up to her on her way back.

    Mo Yu did not see Mo Xueyan being stopped at the inner doors. However, she saw Mo Xueyan running back, looking very pathetic. She knew that Mo Xueyan must have done something and had been taught a lesson by someone. As such, she ignored Mo Xueyan and went to look for Mo Xuetong. While searching, she received shocking news. When she went to search for Mo Xuetong at the fake mountains, she heard that someone had died there.

    She was frightened and squeezed up in front of the crowd to take a look. The deceased was a maid who had fallen from the rocks into the water for some reason. Her head was covered in blood and Mo Yu did not dare to look. She continued searching, and fortunately, a maid by Xu Yan¡¯s side saw her and told her where Mo Xuetong was.

    ¡°The maid died because she fell into the water and hit the rocks?¡± Mo Xuetong asked Mo Yu as they walked. She had sensed the glint of the sword, so why had the maid died from impacting the rocks instead?

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I could not really see from where I was standing, but there was a lot of blood on her head. I was very scared and ran away.¡± Mo Yu still felt afraid when she recalled the scene. She would not have been so curious if she had not been worried about her mistress.

    The two saw Luo Mingzhu while they were talking.

    There were a few youngdies who were dressed in bright colors and fine clothes around her. They all wore brightly colored coats and had leather on the cuffs of their clothes. The leather and fur made the clothes look especially luxurious. The girls were all beautiful and looked picturesque.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, where did you go? I looked for you for a good while. Come, let me introduce you to a few people.¡± Luo Mingzhu saw Mo Xuetong and greeted her enthusiastically.

    Everyone turned around to look at Mo Xuetong. Their expressions all looked different.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and greeted the otherdies unhurriedly as Luo Mingzhu introduced them to each other.

    The five youngdies who were with Luo Mingzhu included You Yuecheng¡¯s younger sister, You Yue¡¯e, Chen Ya¡¯er from Duke Ping¡¯s manor, Wang Xiuxiu, the daughter of the grand secretariat, a minister¡¯s daughter, Shen Qianxiu, as well as Ling Rui¡¯er from the Ding General Manor. They were all from powerful and noble families. Other than Chen Ya¡¯er and Wang Xiuxiu, who returned her greeting warmly, the other three only greeted her in a lukewarm manner.

    ¡°Elder Sister Luo, so this is the Cousin Tong whom you kept talking about. She is indeed beautiful.¡± Chen Ya¡¯er was a girl who had a round face. She cocked her head and sized Mo Xuetong up, looking rather childish. ¡°If I had a cousin who looked like that, I would unt her off to others as well.¡±

    She seemed like a straightforward person and was rather likable.

    Ling Rui¡¯er said, ¡°Even though I don¡¯t have a beautiful cousin, I have a beautiful elder sister. So I am not jealous of others.¡± She sounded very sarcastic and one could hear the challenge in her voice. Fortunately, everyone knew that the Ding General Manor had never gotten along well with the Fu General Manor. As such, no one spoke.

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s expression turned dark. She was about to express her anger when Mo Xuetong quickly held her back. Luo Mingzhu was the host today and must not make things difficult for her guests. Her Second Cousin was not someone who was good at bearing her anger. All these people must have gathered today for some other reason than her Second Cousin. There must definitely be someone in this group who was good at making everyone get along. Otherwise, her Second Cousin would not have been here together with Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Indeed, Wang Xiuxiu smiled and reached out for Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand. She said, ¡°Younger Sister Ling. Who else can match up to Second Miss Ling¡¯s beauty? She is the most beautiful girl in Great Qin, and even His Majesty is full of praise for her.¡±

    Then, she turned around to smile at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Younger Sister Tong, I heard that you have not been in the capital for long. Tell us about Cloud City. I heard that the sky there is much higher than in the capital. Is that true!¡±

    Everyone chuckled when they heard that.

    ¡°Elder Sister Wang, to think that you are the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter. To think that you would think that the sky would be higher in other ces. The Grand Secretariat will give you a dressing down when you go home.¡± You Yue¡¯e, who had not spoken all this while pulled Chen Ya¡¯er over and smiled. The two of them were really close.

    They had been linking arms all this while.

    The Ping Duke¡¯s Manor and the Mingguo Manor had always had a good rtionship. If they connected with the Ding General Manor, the only manor left would be Mo Xuetong¡¯s maternal family. In her past life, nothing had happened to the other three families. Only her maternal family had gotten into trouble. Was it because the three families had joined hands while her Uncle did not have any support...?

    If that was so, then did the good rtionship between the daughters of these manors signify the cooperation of the two manors? She heard that First Miss Ling of the Ding General Manor had always admired You Yuecheng and the two families had intentions to get the two to wed. Was it possible that the Ding General Manor had started to connect with the other two families after the marriage? That would be a great disadvantage to her maternal family.

    ¡°Elder Sister Wang, there is no saying that the sky is higher and the weather is good in Cloud City. I have only heard that the people there are very greedy. I heard that King Chu went to Cloud City some time ago and got rid of many officials there. I don¡¯t know if that has anything to do with the sky being higher.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said with disdain and raised her brows.

    What she said was highly sarcastic and Luo Mingzhu was about to rage at her. Mo Xuetong held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand and refused to let go. She looked up with her clear eyes and said lightly with a smile, ¡°Miss Ling, you are so knowledgeable. I heard that His Majesty was furious because of this. Yet, you speak of this as if it were a joke. You are indeed from the Ding General Manor, and your family is much more powerful than the families of Princes, Dukes, or Generals. You dare to speak of something that they don¡¯t even dare to speak of in court.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er nched and she spoke angrily, ¡°You...¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at her with a smile. She did not look afraid at all. She did not want to relent but the state of the Mo Manor right now gave her no choice. She had only just arrived in the capital and did not want to be looked down on right from the start. There were some people who would make trouble for you no matter how demure you were. She might as well behave ostentatiously today.

    ¡°Miss Mo, how could you speak like this to Younger Sister Ling. She is a youngdy from the Ding General Manor.¡± You Yue¡¯e immediately spoke up when she saw that Ling Rui¡¯er could not say anything.

    She had always looked down at Mo Xuetong. She used to be close with Mo Xuemin in the past and Mo Xuemin had buttered up to her because she wanted to get close to You Yuecheng. As such, the two were incredibly close. Mo Xuemin had always pretended to be pitiful before her. She always cried when she mentioned her younger sister and always seemed self-reproachful.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and said, ¡°Miss You¡¯s status is noble, of course. However, are you as noble as the Princess Royal? Would I dare to say something like this if the Princess Royal had not? Is my status too low to say something like this to Miss Ling? I wonder how noble Miss Ling is.¡±

    ¡°You, you...¡± You Yue¡¯e was speechless and could only sneer in anger.

    ¡°Miss You, please forgive me. I am from the countryside and have always been very direct. I hope that you will forgive me if I have offended you.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly with a smile.

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er was furious and red at Mo Xuetong angrily. Her beautiful face was dark with anger. Mo Xuetong nced at her casually and ignored her. Then, she started chatting andughing with Luo Mingzhu without care.

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s mood took a turn for the better. It was rare to see Ling Rui¡¯er and You Yue¡¯e being put down together!

    The two had always pitted themselves against her. Furthermore, she was the hostess today and could not say much. Fortunately, her cousin had not let her down. She had gone against the two and had not lost.

    Wang Xiuxiu tried to ease the tense situation then. She smiled at Luo Mingzhu and asked, ¡°Younger Sister Luo, your courtyard must be not far away from here. I wonder if you¡¯ve gotten the servants to prepare tea and snacks. The other younger sisters must all be cold. The hand warmers are all cold as well. We have to get some hot ones.¡±

    ¡°Elder Sister Wang, don¡¯t worry. Everything is already prepared. I immediately got the maids to prepare everything when you said that you wanted toe over and y. I have to make sure everyone has fun.¡±

    ¡°Elder Sister Wang, this small banquet that we are holding secretly is really fun. Let¡¯s go to Elder Sister You¡¯s ce next time. Elder Sister You, you have to take us to your room.¡± Chen Ya¡¯er smiled warmly. She had been standing beside You Yue¡¯e earlier. You Yue¡¯e had let go of her hand while she was arguing with Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong finally saw her face clearly and realized that she was a sweet and beautiful looking girl. She did not look like a schemer.

    She left a good impression on Mo Xuetong. She was unlike You Yue¡¯e.

    ¡°I will hold the banquet next time, of course. All of you have toe.¡± You Yue¡¯e waved her hand around her. Mo Xuetong had naturally been excluded. Fortunately, she did not mind. She continued walking, holding on to Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand.

    Heaters had already been prepared in Luo Mingzhu¡¯s room. It was warm and toasty. The moment they lifted the curtains and entered, a wave of heat rushed towards them. A few maids hurried over and helped the youngdies to remove their capes.

    There was a table set up in the room with seven seats. Luo Mingzhu had not nned this on the spur of the moment and had prepared for this.

    They gathered around the table with smiles on their faces. They looked like a painting of beautiful young girls gathering around in the winter. But who would have guessed that yearster, they would all be standing on different sides and be enemies...?

    They sat down. Mo Xuetong looked up to see Ling Rui¡¯er who treated her with enmity. She was seated across her for some reason and she looked at Mo Xuetong with disdain and hostility. Then, she turned around to chat with You Yue¡¯e.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the girls around her and she frowned. Other than her, they were all daughters of important court officials. The four general manors, the grand secretariat, and the minister¡¯s family. It was like a miniature imperial court session. The backing of the girls, if they gathered together, might affect who the throne belonged to... What did the gentle and intelligent Wang Xiuxiu want to do?

 Chapter 196 - Breaking News. The Imperial Consort Selection

    <strong>Chapter 196 Breaking News. The Imperial Consort Selection</strong>

    There was a hotpot in the center of the table because it was the winter. There were also some fruits such as mandarins.

    The maids peeled the mandarins and served them to their mistresses.

    Chen Ya¡¯er turned around and smiled at Ling Rui¡¯er. ¡°Elder Sister Ling, why isn¡¯t Second Miss Ling here today? I heard that Her Majesty dotes on her the most. I heard that she treats Second Miss Ling even better than First Miss Ling?¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty, my aunt, naturally dotes on my elder sister more than First Sister. How could First Sister¡¯s character and beautypare to my elder sister¡¯s? My aunt has always liked my elder sister since she was young. I went to the pce to visit my aunt with my elder sisters some time ago. My aunt even gave my eldest sister and a pair of really exquisite earrings. Only my sister received earrings and a pair of jade bangles.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er nced at Mo Xuetong with satisfaction.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan is the legal daughter of Duke Ding¡¯s First Wife. Ling Fengyan and Ling Rui¡¯er are legal daughters of the duke¡¯s second wife. They usually do not get along.¡± Luo Mingzhu said to Mo Xuetong softly as she passed a golden mandarin to the maid behind her.

    No wonder the way she addressed them was soplicated. Their rtionship was very different!

    Mo Xuetong epted a slice of mandarin Mo Yu passed her. She ced it to the side. She did not like eating mandarins, so she gestured at Mo Yu to stop peeling them.

    Chen Ya¡¯er said enviously. ¡°Miss Ling, I met your sister at the Empress Dowager¡¯s banquet. She is beautiful and poised. It¡¯s great to have an elder sister like that!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er grew even more pleased and she nced at Mo Xuetong. Then, she said loudly, ¡°That¡¯s right. Having an elder sister like this is definitely something to be proud of. If I have an elder sister who is immoral, I would be too embarrassed to leave the house.¡±

    She was talking about Mo Xuemin!

    ¡°Younger Sister Ling, are you talking about First Miss Mo?¡± You Yue¡¯e said meaningfully.

    The incident had already be a big deal. Even though a few days had passed, it still had not died down. One of the parties involved was the Marquess of Zhengguo while the other was the famous talented daughter of the Mo Family. Furthermore, it was a scandal. Even though Mo Xuemin had appeared to be protecting herself, the reputation of a woman was very important. Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was considered to have been ruined. If she did not marry Sima Lingyun, she could only be a nun.

    ¡°I heard that First Miss Mo used to be a gentle, elegant, beautiful and talented woman. She used to be publicly acknowledged to be a beauty. However, her reputation has gone downhill since Third Miss Mo entered the capital!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said with augh.

    She was implying that Mo Xuemin¡¯s current predicament was caused by Mo Xuetong.

    They were going to gang up against her!

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and replied, ¡°It can be seen from here that the so-called beauty and talent is not really so. One must not believe in rumors so easily.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er had only been unting about how her elder sister was the most beautiful woman in the capital. This statement from Mo Xuetong was like a p to her face! Her expression changed immediately and she said furiously, ¡°Third Miss Mo, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Miss Ling, I am saying whatever it is you mean.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. Her eyes were as clear as water and showed no signs of relenting. If she were to endure being bullied, she would not need to attend any gathering with the nobledies of the capital in the future. She would forever be a joke to them.

    People were like this. If they epted being bullied, others woulde and continue bullying them! If she did not teach the first person who bullied her a lesson, trouble woulde one after another in the future. She was not willing to appear weak before the socialites of the capital here today.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, is whatever that happened to your sister something worthy of praise! Younger Sister Ling, do not be angry. Your elder sister did not embarrass you and there is no need to be angry at someone who does not matter.¡± You Yue¡¯eughed coldly. She appeared to be trying to helping Ling Rui¡¯er out.

    Luo Mingzhu said coldly, having finally found an opportunity to speak. ¡°Second Miss Ling was a great help to the Ding General Manor. I heard that she was out drinking with the two Princes on New Year¡¯s Eve. There are so many royals out there. It must be hard to choose from!¡±

    Not only did Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s expression change significantly, but You Yue¡¯e also flushed brightly too. Ling Fengyan¡¯s encounter with the two princes on New Year¡¯s Eve was no secret to the other noble families. Everyone knew what that meant, but nobody said anything about it. Duke Ding wasughed at because of Ling Fengyan, and Ling Fengyan¡¯s reputation was also damaged.

    Even though Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation had been damaged, she had fought hard against Sima Lingyun. Ling Fengyan, however, flirted with the two princes. She was not any nobler than Mo Xuemin.

    If one were to really consider that, none of them could speak bad about the other...

    ¡°Alright, alright, since we have alle together today, let¡¯s not talk about anything that would damage our rtionships. First Miss Mo is really pitiful. Who would want something like that to happen! Second Miss Ling is both beautiful and talented and would naturally have many admirers. That is not something that we can talk about. Look, everyone¡¯s in a bad mood because of this talk. Let¡¯s talk about something happier. Sisters, look at the pins that I brought here today. What do you all think?¡± Wang Xiuxiu tried to appease everyone. She smiled and pped her hands.

    One of the two maids who followed her around cleaned up the cutlery before her. She took out a clean handkerchief andid it on the table. The other maid brought out an exquisite jewelry box and ced it on top of the handkerchief.

    Wang Xiuxiu smiled and opened the box. There were a few smaller jewelry boxes inside the big box. She stood up andid out the boxes. There were seven of them.

    ¡°Elder Sister, your things are so exquisite. Are these a set?¡± Shen Qianxiu stood up and smiled with her hands covering her mouth.

    ¡°Of course. They are a set. I have put in much effort to get people to make them. There are no others like these. I hope that you all will like it.¡± Wang Xiuxiu opened the boxes. There were slender gold pins in the box. The pins had different flowers on top. There were moutan peonies, Chinese peonies, orchids, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, lilies, and flowering apple blossoms. They all looked different but were all beautiful.

    There was a green-colored gem that made up the branch of the flowers. It was beautiful and exquisite.

    Their eyes all lit up.

    ¡°That¡¯s such a beautiful flower pin. Did you draw the flowers?¡± Chen Ya¡¯er praised as she picked up the orchid hairpin and examined it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I had to pick out the flowers and make the pattern to make us a matching set. It took me a good two weeks. What do you all think? Pick one if you like them. Take it as a new year gift from me.¡± Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s voice was crystal clear and rhythmic. It was like a bell and was pleasing to the ear.

    Her approach really did not seem like something a girl who was just about 16 would do!

    Everyone in the room stood up and looked at the hairpins. Only Mo Xuetong sat to the side with a smile. She was not cold, but not enthusiastic as well.

    ¡°Younger Sister Mo,e and pick one as well. I heard Younger Sister Luo mentioned that she had an intelligent and beautiful cousin, so I counted you in as well. Quick,e and take a look and pick one.¡± Wang Xiuxiu waved her over-enthusiastically when she saw Mo Xuetong sitting there.

    Mo Xuetong could not behave too coldly at Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s enthusiasm. She stood up to look at the hairpins. There were only three pins left on the table.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, this one suits you very well.¡± Luo Mingzhu picked up the orchid hairpin and passed it to Mo Xuetong. The flower was small and delicate. It did not appeal to the otherdies, so it had not been picked. However, Luo Mingzhu knew that Mo Xuetong had always preferred more unadorned things.

    ¡°Many thanks, Miss Wang. However, I have not done anything to deserve this...¡± Mo Xuetong did not want to ept Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s ¡°good intentions¡±. She did not know what happened to Wang Xiuxiu and it was her first time meeting them. How could she ept such an expensive gift? The green leaves on the hairpin were made of good quality jade. The hairpin was at least several hundred taels of silver. She did not think that she and Wang Xiuxiu were so close that they could gift each other such expensive gifts.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, don¡¯t worry. Elder Sister Wang has always been generous. I only mentioned you to her and she immediately included you. She insisted that youe along. If you feel bad about it, Elder Sister Wang¡¯s birthday is approaching. We can celebrate her birthday then.¡± Luo Mingzhu smiled and wiped her face with a handkerchief.

    It was obvious that she was close to Wang Xiuxiu!

    ¡°Younger Sister Mo, don¡¯t think that I am being at a disadvantage here. All of you have toe to my birthday celebration. And don¡¯t forget to bring a gift.¡± Wang Xiuxiu sat down and picked the Chinese apple blossom hairpin for Luo Mingzhu. She ced thest chrysanthemum hairpin into the essory box and told the maids to set out the food again.

    Since she had already said that, Mo Xuetong would seem unreasonable if she refused again.

    She thanked Wang Xiuxiu graciously, took the box that she was given and handed it to Mo Yu to keep.

    The maids stroked the fire and added more vegetable and meat into the broth. The scent of meat permeated the room, whetting their appetites.

    ¡°Younger Sister Tong, your elder sister is really unlucky. I did not expect Marquess Sima to be such a person. He looked like a gentleman. It is such a pity. Your elder sister is beautiful and talented and, just like that... I wonder how your father will handle this matter?¡± Wang Xiuxiu sat down and suddenly started to chat with Mo Xuetong. They were not sitting next to each other. Shen Qianxiu was sitting between them.

    ¡°I am not very sure about Elder Sister¡¯s matter. I do not dare to question my father¡¯s decision.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and put down her chopsticks.

    Children should not discuss their elders. And it was a little too much of them to talk about such private matters as daughters of their respective manors. Mo Xuetong did not feel that she was so close to Wang Xiuxiu that she could ignore etiquette and talk about such private matters.

    ¡°I heard that Marquess Zhenguo had been brought to the Ministry of Justice and has not been released until now. I fear that things would be hard to deal with now.¡± Wang Xiuxiu said with a smile.

    One of them was nobility and the descendant of someone who had built the nation. Meanwhile, the other was a new and uprising official who was on his way up thedder! If the matter were to really be made known to all, it would be an embarrassment to the Great Qin. As such, the matter had not been resolved up till now. It all depended on how the Mo Family reacted to this. However, this was between the Mo Manor and the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Mo Xuetong felt that it had nothing to do with anyone else present here.

    To speak up on behalf of Sima Lingyun?

    That was impossible. Mo Xuetong was Sima Lingyun¡¯s legal wife in her past life. She knew clearly that Sima Lingyun did not have anything to do with the noble girls present here! If Sima Lingyun had the help of these girls, he would not have to marry her. He would have already seeded in the imperial court!

    Of course, Mo Xuetong would not think that the intelligent Wang Xiuxiu had gathered them together just for the sake of a gathering!

    ¡°Elder Sister Wang, why are we talking about such matters? We had better just talk about what girls usually talk about. All those bloody matters are really creepy!¡± Cheng Ya¡¯er said with a naughty smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Elder Sister Wang, you¡¯d better talk about the rumors in the pce. Things like what color the imperial consorts are wearing so that we can learn from them.¡± Shen Qianxiu said with a smile.

    ¡°If we are to talk about what happens in the pce, Younger Sister Ling is the one who is most familiar with what happens there. She would see the imperial consorts from time to time when she goes to the pce. We have to ask Younger Sister Ling about the imperial consorts¡¯ dressing and make-up!¡± Wang Xiuxiu hid her smile with a handkerchief.

    Ling Rui¡¯er lifted her face proudly when she heard her name being mentioned. She said, ¡°The newest gossip in the pce right now is about the consort selection. My aunt said that the selection is about to begin.¡±

 Chapter 197 - The Odd Flower

    <strong>Chapter 197 The Odd Flower</strong>

    ¡°Elder Sister Ling, we asked you to talk about what the imperial consorts in the pce wear. Why are you talking about this instead?¡± Chen Ya¡¯er flushed red. They were all unmarried youngdies. It really was a rather inappropriate topic.

    Ling Rui¡¯er, however, had already been embarrassed several times today. She felt that she had to unt everything she had right now to put Mo Xuetong back in her ce.

    ¡°The imperial consorts have all been worrying about it for days. They are not only picking for His Majesty, they are picking for the princes as well,¡± she said with satisfaction. ¡°My aunt has been so busy these past few days. She even told me to see if there is anyone suitable amongst my friends. I think everyone here is beautiful and has a high enough status. You are all good candidates. I shall tell my aunt tomorrow.¡±

    Her statement made all the youngdies flush red.

    ¡°Younger Sister Ling, you are confused. How could we presume to be involved with matters of the pce?¡± You Yue¡¯e muttered, still bright red.

    ¡°How are you not involved? My aunt said that all daughters of officials who are fifth grade and above, between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, and are beautiful and virtuous have to enter. I think most of us here are.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er looked at Mo Xuetong provocatively. ¡°There are some people who arecking in virtue and Aunt must quickly remove her from the selection. Otherwise, she would just be an embarrassment when she enters the pce.¡±

    She was implying that it was impossible for Mo Xuetong to be selected. She spoke as if she was going to make the final decision and select the consorts for the emperor and princes.

    Mo Xuetong did not intend to argue. She honestly wanted to ignore her. She had heard many sarcastic and mocking remarks in her past life. These sorts ofments didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be. That would mean that the selection would be extended to the whole nation.¡± Shen Qianxiu said, her eyes wide with confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t His Majesty once say that he would not waste the effort and money of his people on this?¡±

    ¡°How could this be a waste of people¡¯s effort and money? Besides, the selection won¡¯t be that wide. The main thing is to find consorts for the three princes. My aunt said that there is no proper mistress in the princes¡¯ manors, so they must pick well this time.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er kept mentioning her aunt. Even though she was talking to everyone, she kept ncing at Mo Xuetong. It was obvious she was showing off. The conversation turned to the consort selection of the princes and Mo Xuetong stayed quiet, only exchanging a few words with Luo Mingzhu.

    It was a small gathering of girls. The conversation was not out of ce. What was strange was that this group normally did not get along. The daughters of the Four Great Manors were all present with the grand secretariat¡¯s daughter being the mediator. It was an entirely different level than the usual gathering of nobledies.

    Wang Xiuxiu had also intentionally gotten Ling Rui¡¯er to talk about the selection. On the surface, they seemed to only be guessing who would enter each manor, but the underlying conversation was which prince His Majesty favored.

    Mo Xuetong discreetly paid attention to the conversation.

    The banquet ended only when the maids came to tell the youngdies that thedy of their manor wanted them home.

    Mo Xuetong apanied Luo Mingzhu and sent them off at the courtyard entrance. She did not send them off any further. They were in the General Manor and she was not considered the host.

    Ling Rui¡¯er lifted her head up high and did not even look at her. You Yue¡¯e continued holding hands with Chen Ya¡¯er, but Chen Ya¡¯er seemed as if she wanted to say something else before she was pulled away by You Yue¡¯e. Shen Qianxiu said goodbye to her politely while Wang Xiuxiu organized for them to have peach blossom wine on her birthday.

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Yu to the courtyard she¡¯d stayed in thest time. Luo Mingzhu was sending off guests and would not return for a while, so she might as well return and rest.

    She had only just settled down when Luo Wenyou hurried in. Mo Yu had not even sent in tea yet.

    He was holding on to that pot of flowers, the Jade Owl!

    ¡°Cousin Tong, do you recognize this flower?¡± Luo Wenyou asked.

    He ced the pot on the table and wiped at his forehead. He had only brought one servant with him and was afraid that the servant might damage the nt, so he¡¯d carried it in himself.

    Mo Xuetong was not surprised to see him. She¡¯d known he¡¯d take what Luo Mingzhu told him seriously.

    ¡°Cousin, I am not sure if it¡¯s really the flower I think it might be.¡±

    Mo Xuetong stood up and approached the flower. It was still a beautiful tri-colored flower. It was so beautiful it seemed unreal. The pot was filled with pieces of jade. She reached out to take a closer look. The shards of jade seemed broken intentionally, but she wasn¡¯t sure how Sima Lingyun had used this to prove that the Fu General Manor wasmitting treason!

    ¡°These flowers might be a Jade Owl nt. It grows in jade and takes in the properties of the jade it grows from. It blooms in any season and is very eye-catching. Usually, each bloom has a different color. It is said that it¡¯s difficult to find a ce suitable to grow such a flower. They usually grow in the middle of jade mountains.¡±

    ¡°Cousin Tong, are you sure?¡± Luo Wenyou¡¯s expression changed.

    The cost of an entire jade mountain was unimaginable. Luo Wenyou had thought that it was expensive due to its rarity. He only realized now that no ordinary wealth could protect a jade mountain. It would be enough wealth to destroy an enemy country, and that was the wealth kind of wealth only held by a nation.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, I think so. I once saw it on a paper detailing rare and odd objects. It takes nutrients from jade and can only grow in jade. It does not change with the seasons. I wonder what kind of friends you have to be given such a nt.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression grew severe. She touched the leaves of the flowers. Even the leaves were like beautiful jade.

    This type of flower could ruin a nation.

    ¡°It was given to me by a wealthy merchant who¡¯d only just arrived in the capital. I had a chance to do him a great favor and I heard he¡¯d saved tens of thousands of silver taels because of my help. I thought that was why he gave me this pot of flowers. He said it was just a ything. I didn¡¯t think too much of it then. I thought that it was just rare, so I brought it to Grandmother for her to admire. I didn¡¯t think it would be so expensive, but actually...¡± Luo Wenyoupletely believed what Mo Xuetong said. He hit his head in regret.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, do you know where this merchant is now?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned without unconsciously. She tapped her fingers against the broken jade, looking at the flower before her coldly. This nt should not exist. Who had expended so much effort to deal with General Fu¡¯s Manor? Or perhaps, one should say, who would benefit the most from the fall of the Fu General Manor...

    ¡°I saw him off this morning.¡± Luo Wenyou stomped his feet. ¡°I sent people to look through his room but they didn¡¯t find anything.¡±

    That was the other reason Luo Wenyou had hurried to ask Mo Xuetong about the flower.

    Mo Xuetong frowned slightly, biting her lip. She was torn. The pot of flower was going to be trouble. They couldn¡¯t keep it, but nor could they ignore it.

    After such a big show of admiring the flower, all the noble families in the capital knew that General Fu¡¯s Manor owned it. If they destroyed it, people would talk. It would make them look as if they had something to hide. Furthermore, if the matter blew up in the future, destroying it would be a silent admission of guilt. No more evidence would be needed.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, check the room carefully. He acted like a wealthy merchant and only left today. He must have left something behind somewhere. You can check what kind of help he wanted and why. Do you think he might have left any evidence behind from that?

    Mo Xuetong had no idea who the man was. She could only give Luo Wenyou her best guesses. It was unlikely the man had acted alone, and he was probably far from his base of power. No matter how well he¡¯d covered his tracks, there had to be something.

    If they had waited for the incident that would happen in four years, General Fu¡¯s Manor would no longer have a voice in politics and there would be no clues left to find. Thankfully, the incident had just happened. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t believe there was nothing to find.

    Her words reminded Luo Wenyou of something and his eyes brightened. He nodded and stood. He said,

    ¡°You are right, Cousin Tong,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ll go check out the jewelry he sold.¡±

    He set down the flower and rushed out.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, hold on. You must have interacted with this person for a while. Do you think that he had a Yan Kingdom ent?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s instinct told her that they were from Yan Kingdom. Of the countries around Great Qin, only the Yan Kingdom had the ability to go against Qin.

    Was Bai Yihao in on this? Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t sure. She couldn¡¯t think of how destroying the Fu family would benefit him. General Fu¡¯s family wasn¡¯t rted to the empress and wasn¡¯t any threat to His Majesty. They weren¡¯t even very powerful. If he wanted to destroy any family, he would target General Ding¡¯s household.

    She¡¯d avoided politics in her past life and only stayed in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. She¡¯d never considered these issues, and had only vaguely noticed Bai Yihao on the day he began to rise through the ranks. They¡¯d never interacted. The distance between them was too great. In their few interactions in this life, Bai Yihao hadn¡¯t seemed like an evil person. Her heart warned her to be careful, but she didn¡¯t find him odd.

    Luo Wenyou stopped, an expression of horror dawning on him.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, do you think he could be from Yan?¡±

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, you can try to ask Sir Bai about these flowers...¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lip. She had to mention it, but it was just a sudden idea.

    Luo Wenyou nodded.

    ¡°Alright, I will visit Sir Baiter.¡± He turned around and hurried out of the courtyard.

    Luo Mingzhu came over not long after Luo Wenyou left. Mo Xuetong apanied her to bid the Old Madam farewell. The Old Madam asked about her health and told her to rest well. Mo Xuetong held on to the Old Madam¡¯s hand and they talked for a while. Farewells finished, she brought a sulking Mo Xueyan, back to Mo Manor.

    When they arrived at the door of the manor, Mo Xueyan did not say anything to Mo Xuetong. She stomped in with her maid.

    ¡°Miss, Second Miss...¡± Mo Yu was furious. She pointed at Mo Xueyan speechlessly.

    Mo Xueyan had almost caused a disaster at General Fu¡¯s manor. Mo Xuetong had not been unkind, yet she acted if it was somehow her fault. She wouldin about Mo Xuetong to Grandmotherter. The Old Madam had never liked Mo Xuetong, so hearing Mo Xueyan¡¯s nder would only give her more excuse to be cruel.

    ¡°Mo Yu, get the cloth that Grandmother gave me and give them out. Send them to Old Madam, my sisters, and my aunties,¡± Mo Xuetong told Mo Yu with a smile as she stepped inside.

    ¡°Miss, you are always so considerate towards them, but look at how they treat you!¡± Mo Yu muttered. It felt so unfair, watching how they all treated her mistress.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a small gift. It¡¯s the new year and everyone should be happy. Take the pouches, essories, and flowers that Grandmother gave me and give them to everyone who lives in the manor,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a soft smile.

    That should help smooth things over nicely.

 Chapter 198 - Mo Xueminâ€™s Secret Meeting

    <strong>Chapter 198 Mo Xuemin¡¯s Secret Meeting</strong>

    Mo Xuemin received the letter from the fifth princess at night. She slipped out the back door and boarded an inconspicuous carriage by the road. The horses pulled her down several turns until she arrived at a store filled with exquisite jewelry. The cases inside the newest and best hairpins, bracelets, bangles, and earrings.

    Even though it waste at night, there were still a few madams and youngdies in the shop.

    A nanny in herte forties waited at the entrance. She looked at Mo Xuemin loftily and gestured for her to follow. She led her down a narrow alleyway and up a small, unlit flight of stairs. Mo Xuemin followed her up into the dark.

    When she reached the top of the stairs and went around the turn, she was blinded by the sudden light.

    Mo Xuemin shielded her eyes with her sleeves. That was when she saw a door to a private room in front of her. There were a fewrge pcenterns hanging in front of the door and four well-dressed pce maids standing respectfully. A pce maid with a round face looked at Mo Xuemin coldly.

    ¡°Wait outside.¡±

    Mo Xuemin stood outside for about fifteen minutes when the round faced pce maid returned.

    ¡°The princess wants you to go in.¡±

    Mo Xuemin did not dare to say much. She lowered her head respectfully and entered.

    The fifth princess was the empress¡¯ only biological daughter. Mo Xuemin had seen her from afar but had never spoken to her. She knelt and greeted the princess, staring at her beautiful dress that shone like iridescent clouds.

    ¡°I heard that your third sister knows Sir Bai very well, so well that he even once entered her bedroom to treat her?¡± the fifth princess asked softly, cing her hand on a string of pearls.

    Mo Xuemin did not dare to offend the princess.

    ¡°Sir Bai was indeed invited overst time my third sister fell ill,¡± she said carefully. ¡°My third sister was unconscious, and Sir Bai stayed until she awoke. It was already very dark by then.¡±

    Mo Xuemin had gotten all the details from the servants her mother had sent to Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    ¡°Are there usually any interactions between the two of them?¡± The princess¡¯ eyes shone with hatred. She was above this girl in ever way, so why did her cousin show concern for this minor noble and not the beautiful princess in front of him?

    ¡°I do not know if they ever meet. My third sister is always very careful and will not let me discover anything. But there is one thing...¡± Mo Xuemin seemed to hesitate a little.

    ¡°Tell me!¡± The cold order was apanied by the sound of pearls mming onto the table. She sounded stern and angry. Mo Xuemin shuddered.

    ¡°The day, when she entered the capital, Sir Bai was the one who helped Third Sister out,¡± she said quickly. ¡°I do not know if they started anything then!¡±

    She though she¡¯d acted as if she was only guessing, Mo Xuemin had pretty much used Mo Xuetong of a secret affair. Her lowered head hid the cold smile on her lips. Mo Xuetong had no chance against the princess. It was an open secret among nobledies that the fifth princess was interested in Bai Yihao. If she saw Mo Xuetong as a threat, the princess would not let her off easily.

    ¡°How dare you. Are you implying Sir Bai some slut who goes around meeting women?¡± She threw the string of pearls and it pped across Mo Xuemin¡¯s forehead. Mo Xuemin was stunned by the assault and she hurriedly kowtowed.

    ¡°I would not dare, I would not dare! I am only speaking the truth on Your Highness¡¯ orders.¡±

    Her pale and delicate forehead was red and swollen, but she did not dare to stop kowtowing.

    The fifth princess¡¯ expression grew warmer when she saw Mo Xuemin fear and respect.

    ¡°Stop. Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?¡± she asked more softly, looking satisfied.

    ¡°I dare not ask for much. I only hope that I can serve Your Highness.¡±

    Mo Xuemin was secretly delighted. And her worries gradually eased. With the fifth princess¡¯ help, it would not be so easy for her father to send her to Sima Lingyun¡¯s manor. She would not allow herself to be Sima Lingyun¡¯s woman just like that.

    After the incident, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s family would only fall further into ruins. If she had once been fond of the gentlemanly Sima Lingyun, she was now disgusted by him. His name felt like identally swallowing a fly. She would never marry such a stupid and useless man. With Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor on the decline, Sima Lingyun was not even worthy to be her backup n.

    She would not marry Sima Lingyun and die with Duke Zhenguo...

    Of course, she also knew that the princess was arrogant. She might not seed if she asked the princess directly, so she focused on seeming loyal. If the fifth princess wanted to deal with Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuemin was her best weapon. If she wanted to use Mo Xuemin, then she would have to protect her.

    ¡°Take the pearls. They¡¯re a gift from me.¡±

    The fifth princess did not agree, but she didn¡¯t refuse the offer either She stood up, her beautiful dress sweeping by Mo Xuemin¡¯s face indifferently. The servants from the pce walked behind her, only leaving behind a string of round pearls that fell to the ground.

    Mo Xuemin picked up the pearls. A dark look crossed her face. Auntie Fang still had a chance. So did she. She could not afford to waste it.

    ¡ª

    In Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Lan distributed the little gifts that Mo Xuetong brought back. Not only did everyone receive a scented pouch, they each got the tael of silver inside. The female servants all received two flowers as well. Everyone was delighted and, when they saw the senior maids walking out, they greeted them with excitement. A few older female servants took leave from Mother Xu to bring the flowers home for their daughters.

    Mo Xuetong rested for a while. Finally, a maid came to report her father was home.

    She stood up quickly and went to greet her father. She had only just reached the door when Mo Huawen picked up the curtains and entered. He was in good spirits.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, the situation at home recently has been tense and Old Madam did not feelfortable spending the new year here. In a few days, I will invite a few of our rtives who live in the capital over and we can liven things up.¡±

    The Old Madam had been in a bad mood ever since the incident with Lan Xinru. She kept sighing, and it made Mo Huawen feel guilty. Besides, it was rare for the elderly woman to spend the new year in his home. He had to make her feel at ease.

    Mo Xuetong served tea to Mo Huawen herself.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s your decision how to handle things, but do you still have the scented pouch I asked you to return to Auntie Xu Yan? Aunt Xu Yan asked me about it this morning. I said you¡¯ve returned it already, but she did not believe me!¡±

    He had already used the scented pouch to deal with the Old Madam. How was he going to return it?

    Mo Huawen flushed, and he took a drink of tea to hide his awkward expression.

    He coughed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I ced the pouch. I haven¡¯t been able to find it since I left the courtyard.¡±

    ¡°What do we do!¡± Mo Xuetong looked at him with wide, sincere eyes. ¡°The reputation of a girl is very important. If someone with bad intentions took it, it would kill her!¡±

    ¡°But it would be such an unlikely coincidence, right?¡± Mo Huawen coughed again.

    ¡°Why not? This is a matter of life and death. Father, I have to go look for it.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up, looking very anxious. ¡°Father, you said you lost it after you left my courtyard? Maybe it¡¯s still in the garden. Even if it¡¯s not in the garden, it should still be in the manor. I have to ask the servants to all look for it.¡±

    She headed to give instructions to Mo Lan.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry.¡± Mo Huawen tugged on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Since you are worried about your Aunt¡¯s reputation, then you shouldn¡¯t make such a show out of it. If someone has ill intentions towards her, it would make things worse.¡±

    Of course, he knew where the pouch was. Old Madam had gotten it when Lan Xinru had upset him, and his mother insisted she was the best person to best candidate for the matriarch of Mo manor. Mo Huawen had gotten so angry he¡¯d shown her the pouch, dering it belonged to a girl he had feelings for and that Miss Lan was not a good match. Old Madam Mo had nearly fainted in rage.

    She¡¯d taken the scented pouch away, saying that it was immoral for a government official to be exchanging secret gifts with a girl. He had not minded then. He¡¯d thought that he had stopped the Old Madam from forcing him to marry. Now that Mo Xuetong suddenly asked him for the pouch, where was he going to find one?

    Furthermore, if Mo Xuetong made a show of finding the scented pouch in her courtyard, the Old Madam would find out about it. If that happened, she would insist he marry Lan Xinru.

    Mo Xuetong pouted.

    ¡°But what should I do if I can¡¯t look for it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll deal with it. I¡¯ll try to find it secretly.¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯sughed dryly, but his forehead was covered in nervous sweat. How was he going to find it? The old madam would never return it to him. He thought he¡¯d managed to dodge the bullet then, not realizing he¡¯d triggered another that was heading towards him now.

    ¡°Please act fast, Father. I heard that Grandmother is picking out a husband for Aunt Xu Yan. If you still do not find it by then and ruin her marriage, you have to take responsibility for it.¡± Mo Xuetong said worriedly.

    She looked at the nervous sweat on her father¡¯s forehead and had to stifle herughter. Instead, she kept staring at him in silent worry.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression grew even more unnatural.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. I will take responsibility for it,¡± he agreed, not really paying attention to the meaning.

    ¡°Father, are you really going to take responsibility for Aunt Xu Yan?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s worried expression rxed as she cried joyfully. ¡°That¡¯s great. Father, if you marry Aunt, she will treat me well. And I won¡¯t have to worry that my new mother will make things difficult for me and bullying me.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Mo Huawen was speechless.

    ¡°Father, if Aunt bes my mother, she cane help take care of me. Ever since Mother passed away, I¡¯ve felt so afraid.¡±

    She looked up, eyes clouded with tears. Even though she smiled warmly, it made Mo Huawen¡¯s heart ache.

    Tong¡¯er did not have a mother to dote on her and he did not have time to take her outshopping or to see friends. He knew how his consorts treated her. His heart softened, and he reached out to hold her close, patting her gently on the shoulder..

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, if you like Aunt Xu Yan, shall we invite her to the manor to keep youpany?¡±

    Xu Yan was gentle, polite, and gracious. When she saw him, she didn¡¯t act like a lovesick fool like Lan Xinru. Besides, she truly treated Tong¡¯er well. She kept Tong¡¯erpany over the past few days and treated her very well. When he came over thest time, he could hear Tong¡¯er¡¯sughter from the courtyard entrance. It had been a long time since he had heard Tong¡¯erughing so happily.

    Thinking of thatugh, his decision was made. Things had already gone this far. He would choose her to be his wife.

    ¡°Thank you, Father!¡±

    Mo Xuetongid in Mo Huawen¡¯s embrace. The joy spread across her face like a flower in bloom.

 Chapter 199 - Lan Xinruâ€™s Challenge

    <strong>Chapter 199 Lan Xinru¡¯s Challenge</strong>

    The death of a maid in the back courtyard of the Fu General Manor did not attract any attention at all. If Mo Xuetong had not seen it with her own eyes, she would not have had a second thought about the matter. The amazing flower, however, became a hot topic. Outside the manor, the excited chatter spread the rumor quickly.

    Only a day had passed, but the news had already spread far and wide.

    Old Madam Mo, who had been sick for a long while, finally felt better in time for the banquet tomorrow.

    Mo Xuetong woke up early to greet the old madam. She was greeted by joyfulughter when she reached the entrance of the courtyard. She could hear Mo Xueyan¡¯s voice. It was obvious that Mo Xueyan was the old madam¡¯s favorite granddaughter.

    ¡°Old Madam, Third Miss is here to greet you,¡± a maid reported.

    The old madam was cheerfully speaking with Mo Xueyan and Lan Xinru. When she heard that, her expression grew cold.

    ¡°Let her in.¡±

    They were in the Mo manor. No matter how much she dislikedd Mo Xuetong, she couldn¡¯t let Mo Huawen lose face. An elderly servant held up the curtain for Mo Xuetong to enter.

    After her greeting, the old madam ordered Mo Xuetong back to her feet.

    ¡°What happenedst night? It was the first time your second sister went to the Fu manor, but you didn¡¯t even introduce her to anyone. You told her not to go anywhere and then disappeared and left her all alone in the garden. Is that something a younger sister should do?¡± she asked coldly.

    Mo Xueyan had indeedined about her sister the moment she got back. She did not mention that the princess caught her trying to slip through the inner door, focusing on Mo Xuetong¡¯s faults.

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently.

    ¡°I was indeed in the wrong yesterday,¡± she said. ¡°I told Mo Yu to take Second Sister around, but she went to the inner doors instead. She bumped into the princess and almost got into a good deal of trouble. After that, I was so worried the princess would punish her that I went to Grandmother for help. I should have kept a better eye on her and been more help. The me is squarely on my shoulders.¡±

    She turned to smile at Mo Xueyan.

    ¡°Second Sister, please forgive me. I am not very experienced at this sort of thing. When I start on something, I forget my other responsibilities.¡±

    Interrupting the princess was no small matter.

    Mo Xueyan hadn¡¯t even fully processed what had just happened when the old madam turned on her. Mo Xueyan had not mentioned anything about this when she¡¯d returnedst night. Annoying the princess meant, at best, a whipping. If the princess was deeply offended, the whole family could have been killed.

    Considering the weight of the mistake, the old madam didn¡¯t give Mo Xueyan a chance to reply.

    ¡°Did you run into the princess yesterday?¡± she asked anxiously.

    Mo Xueyan was frightened by the old madam¡¯s anxiety. She didn¡¯t dare lie but spoke with an obvious look of hurt.

    ¡°I did bump into the princess, but she didn¡¯t say anything. And she let me go after that!¡±

    ¡°The fifth princess did not say anything, but she did punish second miss,¡± Mo Yu cut in. ¡°She was forced to kneel for a very long time. After that, she even went to look for the old madam of the house. I was so frightened that I went to look for my mistress immediately. We had to tell the old madam about the situation before the fifth princess found her so we could have a n to appease her.¡±

    The fifth princess was the only daughter of the empress, the noblest among the princess. It was very dangerous for her toin to the elder madam about Mo Xueyan. Old Madam Mo red at Mo Xueyan. When she turned to Mo Xuetong, she now spoke with warmth.

    ¡°Did the fifth princess say anything when she left?¡±

    Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t sure, but she replied honestly with what she could.

    ¡°I heard that the fifth princess was very unhappy. She did not stay in General Fu¡¯s manor for long before returning to the pce.¡±

    Of course, she¡¯d also heard that the fifth princess had secretly sent men to look for her. Fortunately, she was with Luo Mingzhu and a few other nobledies. When she¡¯s heard that, the princess had returned to the manor without summoning her.

    Seeing the old madam¡¯s rising anger, Lan Xinru cut in, trying to ease the tension.

    ¡°Aunt,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°Yan¡¯er only bumped into the fifth princess because she was careless. The princess is a nobledy and will not fixate on such a small matter. Since it¡¯s already been dealt with, just let it be.¡±

    Mo Xuetong also jumped in to defend her.

    ¡°Grandmother, do not be angry. As long as it doesn¡¯t happen again, it will quickly be a distant memory.¡±

    Hearing that, the old madam remembered that she had asked Mo Xueyan to go to the inner doors tonight. Hearing all this, she decided she could not allow the girl out. After what happened with the fifth princess, they could have no more trouble at the inner doors. If the fifth princess got news, things would only get worse.

    ¡°There will be guestsing to the manor tomorrow,¡± she told Mo Xueyan, voice firm. ¡°Stay in your own courtyard tomorrow and do not go anywhere and make trouble.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother...¡± Mo Xueyan whined. She red viciously at Mo Xuetong. A moment ago, her grandmother had been on her side and she would have been able to go out and sneak a look, but Mo Xuetong had changed her mindpletely.

    ¡°It¡¯s already decided.¡± The old madam¡¯s expression was cold.

    ¡°Aunt...¡± Mo Xueyan turned to look at Lan Xinru and tugged her sleeves pleadingly. Her aunt was around earlier when her grandmother had talked about letting her stand at the inner doors. How could she change her mind?

    Lan Xinru looked at the old madam¡¯s stoic expression awkwardly. Lan Xinru didn¡¯t dare go against Old Madam Mo. The woman was the only reason she¡¯d been allowed to stay here. After Mo Huawen had thrown her out, she¡¯d had to stay in a hotel. She¡¯d been forced to put all her money to rent and food.

    ¡°Yan¡¯er, listen to your grandmother and don¡¯t make her angry,¡± she said gently.

    When Lan Xinru had entered the capital, her n had been to marry Mo Huawen. She¡¯d spent the rest of her money endearing herself to the old madam. In a few days, she¡¯d be at the bottom of her purse.

    As long as she stayed on the old madam¡¯s good side, she might get help tomorrow.

    ¡°You¡¯re all bullying me!¡± Mo Xueyan yelled. She shook off Lan Xinru¡¯s hand, and, finding no one supporting her, ran out crying.

    Mo Xuetong looked worried, as if she hadn¡¯t expected things to go so badly.

    ¡°Grandmother, I will go and check in on Second Sister.¡±

    The Old Madam¡¯s expression softened when she saw how anxious she looked. She harrumphed and shook her head.

    ¡°Give her some time to reflect on her actions. There are some people you cannot afford to offend. If the princess had been so lenient yesterday, the poor girl would die without even understanding what had happened.¡±

    Old Madam Mo doted on her legal granddaughter, but she knew when things should be taken seriously. The capital was full of officials and they could not afford to offend anyone. Mo Xueyan was just from a merchant family. She could not afford to offend the princess.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It will be fine. I will go and talk to herter. Third Miss is really kind. You must have been very troubled since yesterday. You even came over just to tell us. You have suffered.¡± Lan Xinru approached her and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand in a friendly manner, but her words were sharp.

    Come just to tell them? Did she mean that Mo Xuetong hade just to pick on Mo Xueyan?

    The old madam¡¯s eyes sharpened.

    ¡°Miss Lan, I did note just to talk about this. The fifth princess wanted us to tell the elders what had happened. I think Grandmother Mo is the most respected person in our house and I cannot defy orders from the princess. So... I did not expect I would upset Second Sister so much. Grandmother, I will go and apologize to her now.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew red as she spoke. Her eyes were clouded with tears and she behaved as if she had done something wrong. ¡°Grandmother, I will not speak such nonsense in the future again.¡±

    The satisfaction in Lan Xinru¡¯s eyes was reced with annoyance. Mo Xuetong was right. No one could defy the princess¡¯ orders. She had tried to insinuate and reprimand Mo Xuetong foring specially to tell on Mo Xueyan. But if this was the princess¡¯ orders, she had no choice. They could not risk word getting back to the princess.

    The Old Madam shuddered as well. That was truly an order that could not be defied. She looked at how sad Mo Xuetong looked and red at Lan Xinru, evenforting Mo Xuetong softly before telling her to leave.

    Mo Xuetong returned to her own courtyard. As she walked back in, Mo Ye stepped up to whisper to her. Mo Xuetong nodded and told Mo Ye to rest.

    ¡°Miss, is Miss Lan going to stay at the Old Madam¡¯s today and not leave?¡± Mo Yu asked in confusion. She picked up a stick of incense and lit it. She had already been thrown out from the manor. The old madam¡¯s behavior was a p to Sir Mo¡¯s face.

    ¡°She will not stay here today. Anyway, the Old Madam would not make things difficult for Father,¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. She leaned forward to pick up a porcin cup of tea. ¡°At most, she will juste again tomorrow. Father has always been filial, and he will not object if Old Madam mentions it.¡±

    ¡°What else does Miss Lan expect to gain? She is a youngdy and was thrown out by a man. Now she still dares to show up here. Is she not embarrassed?¡± Mo Yu pursed her lips.

    Most people didn¡¯t talk about what had happened in the study. One would only hear about it if they asked around.

    Lan Xinru had dared slip an indecent drug into General Mo¡¯s drink. When General Mo had found out, he made his anger known. Everyone in the manor found out about it. Ady from a good family would have been so embarrassed that she would want to kill herself. Of course, if she had been a properdy, she would not have tampered with his drink in the first ce. She was hoping that the situation between her and Mo Huawen would escte and that, once he¡¯d taken her to bed, his honor wouldpel him to agree to marriage. She acted like a girl from brothel, not a respected guest.

    ¡°I heard that Miss Lan¡¯s finances are tight. If she continues to stay at the hotel, she will soon be broke,¡± said Mo Lan. ¡°The Old Madam can only help her out for that long. What¡¯s the point?¡±

    It was rare for her to say something like that.

    ¡°Since Miss Lan is interested in Father, she will not let go of him so easily,¡± Mo Xuetong exined, smiling slightly. ¡°There will be some guests over tomorrow. If there was a stir, the elders would not give Father a chance to exin himself. And if Old Madam pushes father again, Miss Lan will more than likely get what she wants.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. What do we do?¡± Mo Yu asked anxiously. She knew that Mo Xuetong preferred Miss Xu Yan from the General Fu¡¯s Manor. Since General Mo had already agreed to the arrangement, they could not afford any idents.

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Father is not an official for nothing.¡± She turned and picked up the tea leaves that Lan Xinru gifted her earlier. It was said that it was a specialty product from her ¡°hometown¡± and that she had ¡°picked and toasted them personally.¡± ¡°Take these and make tea for Father. Tell him that Miss Lan just gifted them to me and I have tried them. They tasted good, so I am giving them to Father.¡±

    She spoke gently, eyes confident. Father had encountered many things like this. He would know how to deal with them.

    Not one person in the back courtyard knew what they were in for tomorrow...

 Chapter 200 - A Scheme, An Appearance

    <h4>Chapter 200 A Scheme, An Appearance</h4>

    The next morning, Mo Xuetong woke early to prepare for the banquet.

    She wore a powder blue dress with wide sleeves and an embroidered white lotus. The blue waistband was iid with golden strings. A bolt of pure white cloth gently draped from her hands to the hem of dress. The pure whites against the soft blue made her look like a spirit from the heavens.

    The guest list included members of five families, including Wang Yn from the previous party.

    It was the New Year, so even Mo Queqiong was out to help serve the guests. Only Xuemin was asked to remain away from the guests

    Recently, two concubines had been in charge of the affairs in the manor. Auntie Qing was had more power than Auntie Mo because she was the mother of Mo Xueqiong. Auntie Qing was dressed in a light pink dress that gave her a sweet charm. If one didn¡¯t pay attention, they might think she was really the main wife in the manor. It seemed Auntie Fang wasn¡¯t the only one hoping to be the official wife of the manor.

    Without Auntie Fang pushing her down, Auntie Qing looked fresh and smart. She was busy among the misses and madams and handled them skillfully.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s dressing was much more eye-catching than Mo Xuetong. She was dressed in a yellow-green dress embroidered with enchanting flowers. She wore a number of valuable essories of beads and jade in her hair. Before now, Mo Xueqiong didn¡¯t have money to buy such valuable essories. Though Auntie Qing was from a respected family, they were not rich and had no money to buy essories for Mo Xueqiong. However, after being in charge for a bit, Auntie Qing had made sure her daughter was dressed finely.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong came in, Mo Xueqiong was the first to greet her. Mo Xueqiong held her hand affectionately.

    ¡°Third Sister, why do youe sote? Grandma has mentioned you a few times,¡± she asked with a smile.

    Mo Xueqiong, it seemed, couldn¡¯t let go of a single chance to criticize her sister. Now she implied herteness was a sign that Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t filial.

    Mo Xuetong smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have aroused Fourth Sister¡¯s concern. Dad asked me to see if everything in the kitchen was ready, so I camete.¡±

    ¡°Third Sister, isn¡¯t the kitchen in the control of Auntie Qing?¡± asked Mo Xueyan, forcing her way into the conversation. ¡°Why did you have to go and deal with it? Maybe Auntie Qing can¡¯t control it?¡±

    Mo Xueyan looked enviously at Mo Xueqiong¡¯s expensive clothes and essories. Thinking her forth sister¡¯s newfound mor might overshadow her, she aimed to take her down a peg.

    Auntie Qing was talking with a nobledy. When she heard herself mentioned, she turned around.

    ¡°Third Miss, I just checked the kitchen and everything was ready there,¡± she said casually. ¡°Howe Sir Mo asked you to check at thest minute? Was there anything wrong?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled kindly.

    ¡°Auntie Fang prepared so well that it was impossible to find fault. Father just asked me to see if everything was ready and if any help would be needed. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was the legitimate daughter in the manor. She didn¡¯t have to fight over power with a concubine. She could also make sure Auntie Fang wouldn¡¯t feel that she was about to be usurped.

    Mo Xuetong turned to Lan Xinru.

    ¡°Miss Lan, someone in the kitchen just said that you could go there and cook your dish now. What are you going to make?¡±

    Lan Xinru didn¡¯t expect Mo Xuetong to bring her up so quickly and took a few seconds to respond. Luckily, she was quick and managed to react before it looked too suspicious.

    ¡°Ah... it¡¯s nothing special... My aunt doesn¡¯t have a good appetite, and I just got some medicine for herm, so I want to cook some porridge for her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled politely and didn¡¯t ask more.

    ¡°Third Sister, it¡¯s still early. Shall we take the misses to the garden to appreciate the flowers?¡± Mo Xueqiong asked cheerfully. ¡°It is warmer these days, so some flowers grow buds. They¡¯re very cute.¡±

    Old Madam Mo sat towards the front watching a performance by the Chun troupe. She gave them a happy nod.

    ¡°You three go along. Young girls don¡¯t need to sit and watch a show.¡±

    To keep the house warm and his mother happy, Mo Huawen specially invited the well-known Chun troupe to y the shows at home. The troupe was well known for their excellent singing and handsome appearances. They were quite popr in the capital, and the older women seemed happy to watch them and chat. Still, it was a bit boring for some of the youngdies. When Old Madam Mo spoke, a couple others got up to wander.

    Auntie Qing smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Third Miss. You can all go look. There are already refreshments and tea prepared in the garden pavilion. Please be careful and don¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    Old Madam nodded.

    You¡¯ve considered everything thoroughly today,¡± she said approvingly.

    Most of the guests today were rted to her. By treating them well, Auntie Qing honored her.

    After two requests, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t refuse. She stood up and went with the other girls.

    There were about seven other youngdies who followed. Between them, the three sisters, and all their maids, it became quite the crowd.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Ye walked at the back of the group.

    ¡°Miss, the drug Lan Xinru prepared had no smell or color. I brought some to them. They said it was a kind of...¡± Mo Ye stopped and flushed. She was too shy to say it aloud.

    Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s bright and pure eyes, which just turned to her with innocent curiosity, it felt as if just saying it would damage the girl¡¯s hearing.

    Mo Xuetong, however, narrowed her lips and smiled.

    ¡°Is it the kind of drug which increases sexual desire?¡±

    ¡°Ye-yes,¡± Mo Ye muttered awkwardly.

    ¡°Tell Mo Feng to watch Lan Xinru closely. If she puts her n in action, have him tell my father immediately.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. It was Lan Xinru¡¯sst chance and she was going to take the best shot she could. These days, Lan Xinru had been fawning on Old Madam Mo and staying at her room all the time, hoping to see Mo Xuetong¡¯s father. He made sure she never got a chance. Once he knew she was staying there, he would avoid his mother¡¯s room until he knew she was gone.

    Today, in front of everyone, he couldn¡¯t avoid her if

    But today, in front of so many people, her father couldn¡¯t evade her if they met.

    Mo Xueqiong stopped in front of Mo Xuetong, waiting for her to catch up.

    ¡°Third Sister, you need to hurry up. You can¡¯t walk that slowly, or we¡¯ll lose track of you.¡± She looked overheated and didn¡¯t seem particrly curious.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, go on without me. I want to tell Mo Ye about something my second cousin told me the day before yesterday. When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll catch up with you. We won¡¯t dy you.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was shocked, and a hint of envy appeared in her eyes. It reminded her of her status. She had no powerful mother to rely on. Of course she was frustrated.

    She had never liked Mo Xuetong. Why should all the beautiful clothes and tasty food be given to her? Just because she was the legitimate daughter? Wasn¡¯t Mo Xueqiong her father¡¯s daughter? Why should Mo Xuetong have everything nice? Mo Xuemin was no longer a threat. If Mo Xuetong met simr misfortune, she would be the most prominent daughter. When she thought of that, she couldn¡¯t help smiling.

    She just needed to make sure they were there to watch the show, so she didn¡¯t insist. She walked and chatted with another youngdy.

    Before they went far, several sharp-eyed nannies who walked at the front saw a figure at the rockery and screamed.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    From the color of the clothes, it was definitely a man.

    There were plenty of people in the manor, so it was possible that he¡¯d slipped from the inner yard. If he was lost, that could be excused, but if he¡¯d snuck in, that was deeply disrespectful.

    All of the youngdies stopped. Two nannies walked to the rockery.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you a guest who got lost? If you don¡¯t leave, we¡¯ll climb up there and catch you.¡±

    Right after their words, a man¡¯s voice came from the rockery.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve lost my way and somehow got into the inner yard. I¡¯m sorry to have interrupted the misses.¡±

    His words sounded polite, but his look was very disappointing. A thin man just a bit over twenty walked out of the rockery. He was not ugly, but he looked a bit featherbrained and giddy. He sounded polite, but he kept stealing nces at the youngdies, eyes catching a bit longer on the particrly beautiful ones.

    Which man would be so imprudent!

    ¡°You said you were a guest in our manor, but you can¡¯t tell which family you are from?¡± Mo Xueqiong asked angrily, stepping out of the crowd. The question was just the one on everyone¡¯s mind, and several annoyed young women spoke.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t from my family.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not from my family, either.¡±

    ¡°My father is the only man who came today.¡±

    There were misses from all five of the invited families, and not even one recognized him. If this man was really a guest, how could nobody recognize him?

    ¡°Who on earth are you?¡± Mo Xueqiong asked angrily. ¡°If you don¡¯t say it clearly, I¡¯ll send you to the officials for judgement.¡±

    ¡°I, I came in from the outside... not a guest today... I got wrong... by ident...¡± the man said, tripping over his words in terror.

    He said that he went in from the outside and was lost. It was possible that a guest got lost, but it was impossible that he got into the wrong manor identally ended up in the inner yard.

    Was this man some miscreant who¡¯d snuck in on purpose

    ¡°Beat him!¡± Mo Xueqiong ordered.

    Without words, an older maid stepped up and pped him. Another went over and kicked the joint of his legs to he knelt.

    The other servant women stepped in, picking up the brooms they used to sweep leaves to beat him. They hit him until he began to scream. Instincts taking over, he caught one of the brooms.

    ¡°Why are you beating me? Stop. If your Third Miss didn¡¯t invite me, why would I havee?¡±

    Everyone hesitated and stared at Mo Xuetong. She stepped forward to look at him.

    Mo Xueqiong pretended to be angry on her sister¡¯s behalf.

    ¡°Third Sister, how dare he frame you! Beat him.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes followed hers andnded on Mo Xuetong. Her serious face looked like something from a painting, bright as a lotus on the water. Though she was little and looked a bit childish, the natural charm came from her pure, shining eyes took a breath away. She was the sort of beauty men gave kingdoms to win.

    So that was the third miss.

    He was happy. If he could get a beauty like her, he wouldn¡¯t mind if they beat him every day.

    He didn¡¯t notice that her shining eyes were cold.

 Chapter 201 - The Fate of Betrayers

    <strong>Chapter 201 The Fate of Betrayers</strong>

    Mo Xuetong studied Mo Xueqiong and found the pride in her eyes. Mo Xuetong smiled coldly. She had thought her forth sister was simply petty, but, since Mo Xuemin had lost power, she¡¯d started to show that she was truly cruel. Still, it was too early for pride. She hadn¡¯t beaten Mo Xuetong yet.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mo Xuetong asked coldly.

    ¡°Third Miss, aren¡¯t you the one who asked the servant to bring me here? You can¡¯t have forgotten me so quickly. I¡¯m Li Xiu¡¯an. You came to buy flowers and told me you admired me. You even asked somebody to bring me here.¡± Li Xiu¡¯an looked at Mo Xuetong with genuine affection. He pointed at a woman on the rockery he¡¯de down from. ¡°Third miss, look, the servant you sent to get me is still here.¡±

    I timied maid walked out of the rockery and knelt wordlessly in front of Mo Xuetong.

    Several maids who recognized her screamed.

    ¡°Qing¡¯er!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Qing¡¯er from Third Miss¡¯s garden.¡±

    Hearing the maids, the youngdies began to whisper and turned to look at Mo Xuetong with suspicion. A maid from Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard had led him in. She¡¯d really had an illicit meeting with this man.

    Those nannies stopped scolding and beating Li Xiu¡¯an, but Mo Ye kicked him again.

    ¡°Nonsense! How dare you frame our Third Miss!¡±

    Mo Ye didn¡¯t seem to put much effort into her kick, but she had the technique to make it hurt. When the kick connected, Li Xiu¡¯an went pale. He couldn¡¯t say a single word. Mo Xuetong hid her smile.

    It was quite handy to have a maid who knew kung fu.

    ¡°Third Sister, do you really... How could you... Today, Grandma is so happy but you invited a man like that...¡± Mo Xueyan said, acting like she wasn¡¯t sure what to do. Secretly, she nced at Mo Xueqiong, then turned back to Mo Xuetong, trying to look genuine and helpful. ¡°Maybe we can drag him down first and then let grandma deal with him. We...¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled and pushed away Mo Xueyan out of her way.

    ¡°Why should Grandma take care of it? I want to hear the story of how I seduced such a in man like him and ruined our family¡¯s reputation.¡± There was fury in her eyes.

    Seeing her being so callous with the man, thedies present couldn¡¯t help looking at Mo Xueyan and Mo Xueqiong suspiciously. Being from noble families, they¡¯d all had to deal with these sorts of struggles and schemes. If Mo Xuetong had not asked him toe, then the most likely person to frame her was the one of the two sisters currently defending her.

    ¡°Third Sister, this is such a scandal... dealt with in front of so many people... Is it alright?¡± Mo Xueqiong pretended to be worried, gentle holding Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves. ¡°We should wait until the guests are gone.¡±

    Her reputation would bepletely ruined by the time the guests had gone. Mo Xuetongg smiled coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, this is a scandal. And since it is, it shouldn¡¯t be covered up. It should be seen exactly as what it is.¡±

    By now, Li Xiu¡¯an had managed to catch his breath.

    ¡°Third Miss, you can¡¯t be so ruthless,¡± he said, protecting his chest from another kick. ¡°You¡¯ve even had someone bring me a token of your affection, but now you act as if I made up our rtionship to humiliate you.¡±

    From the bottom of her heart, Mo Xueqiong was happy, but she turned to the man in anger.

    ¡°Do you have any proof? You haven¡¯t shown us any proof. Even if did, it can¡¯t be true. It must be something you made up to frame Third Sister.¡±

    Mo Xueyan watched her sisters fight with glee. She had disliked Mo Xuetong for a long time, and she had told on her yesterday. Now Grandma was watching her, and she couldn¡¯t go near the inner courtyard. She¡¯d heard some of the youngdies today had handsome and prominent brothers. If not for Mo Xuetong, she might havended a good marriage.

    Mo Xuetong deserved to be unlucky. She should have to marry that rascal!

    Li Xiu¡¯an pulled something from his sleeve.

    ¡°I have a proof, a token which belongs to Third Miss,¡± he dered, holding out the object. ¡°You can decide then after you see this.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was glowing with pride, but she forced herself to look worried as she turned to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Ah, what should we do now? Third Sister, how could you...¡±

    Mo Xuetong ignored her, still smiling that ruthless smile. She looked at the item in Li Xiu¡¯an¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s mine?¡±

    Li Xiu¡¯an held the token tightly.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s yours. It¡¯s your maid who gave it to me,¡± he said quickly.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Qing¡¯er who was still kneeling off to the side.

    ¡°Qing¡¯er, what do you have to say about it?¡± Mo Xuetong spoke slowly, pausing at every word, and her voice was steady and clear.

    Qing¡¯er looked at her in fright and began to kowtow.

    ¡°Third Miss, please forgive me. Third Miss, please forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to... get caught by them...¡± she said, starting to cry. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I really don¡¯t know.¡±

    The crowd turned on Mo Xuetong with disdain and disbelief. If even her maid admitted it, it must be true. Still, how could Mo Xuetong, so pure on the surface, be the type to flirt with a man in a shop, then let him be beaten to cover her mistake? You really couldn¡¯t just a person by their looks.

    Mo Ye was so angry she started forward to kick Qing¡¯er as well, but Mo Xuetong held her back.

    ¡°Bring me the token,¡± Mo Xuetong ordered.

    ¡°Yes, miss!¡±

    Mo Ye walked forward and took the token from Li Xiu¡¯an¡¯s hand. It was a golden hairpin.

    ¡°This is the hairpin Old Madam gave to the young misses,¡± Mo Ye said. She turned it over ¡°It can¡¯t belong to my mistress. Her hairpin is on her head.¡±

    Mo Ye pointed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair which had been pulled into a topknot. All around, people turned to look. Her ck hair covered half the pin, but the other half was visible. It was the same as the one Mo Ye held.

    ¡°The Old Madam gave one of these to each of the four young misses. Since Mo Xuetong still has hers, who does this one belong to?¡±

    Mo Xueyan, quick to react, pointed at the hairpin in her own hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s not mine, either. I¡¯m wearing it too.¡± She didn¡¯t own many essories, so she was wearing basically everything she had today.

    Mo Xueqiong hesitated.

    She was going to point at her own pin, but her mother had bought her plenty of essories recently. She¡¯d worn them to try and look prettier than Mo Xuetong and left her old ones at home. Still, she¡¯d told Qing¡¯er to steal Mo Xuetong¡¯s hairpin. How did she still have it? Was it possible Qing¡¯er had stolen hers instead?

    She turned around and red at Qing¡¯er like she wanted to tear her apart.

    Qing¡¯er was also confused. She¡¯d snuck into Third Miss¡¯s room and stolen the golden hairpin. How did Third Miss still have it?

    Mo Xuetong looked icily at Mo Xueqiong¡¯s.

    ¡°Third Sister, where is yours?¡±

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s worry and confusion was genuine now.

    ¡°My, my... Mine is back in my courtyard...¡±

    ¡°Take some servants there and search her courtyard until you find the hairpin,¡± Mo Xuetong ordered, ¡°and bring it here. Then Fourth Miss will be cleared.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong had no choice but to send someone to look. She couldn¡¯t believe Mo Xuetong had managed to avoid suspicion.

    After a while, Mo Yan, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s main maid, came breathing heavily.

    ¡°Fourth Miss, I didn¡¯t find your hairpin. It¡¯s missing!¡±

    She hadn¡¯t witnessed the previous scene and the maid who had told her to find the hairpin hadn¡¯t exined things well. She thought Mo Xueqiong simply wanted to wear the pin and hade back to beg for forgiveness.

    By now, Grandmother Mo had finished watching the show and was slowly walking back. When she saw the group ofdies blocking the path, she knew something terrible had happened. An older maid exined the whole thing to her, and she was bing irritated.

    She joined the crowd just in time to see Mo Yan report the missing hairpin to Mo Xueqiong.

    Everyone present was shocked.

    Mo Xuetong stood and knelt before the old madam, sweet eyes filled with tears.

    ¡°Grandma, Fourth Sister didn¡¯t do it on purpose... She must have been misled! There¡¯s no way Fourth Sister recruited this man. He must have stolen Fourth Sister¡¯s hairpin. You should do her justice.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was dazed. She just opened her mouth as her face flushed.

    Li Xiu¡¯an saw the tide turning and spoke up again.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s true, it¡¯s...¡±

    Mo Ye hated him so much that she just walked up and pped him twice. This time, she didn¡¯t hold anything back. She pped him hard enough to leave him dizzy, face already starting to swell. Again, he was silent.

    Everyone could picture what he would say. He would undoubtedly im that Mo Xuetong framed him. It was easy to see this man was no thief. If he had snuck into the inner yard, somebody had led him. Fourth Miss had brought this man in intentionally.

    She¡¯d even used a maid from her older sister¡¯s yard so that if something went wrong, she could push the me onto Mo Xuetong. The man was from the outside. He couldn¡¯t have known which miss made an appointment to meet him. Therefore, when he got caught, he mistook it for Third Miss.

    ¡°Grandma, Fourth Sister is still young and knows nothing about it,¡± she said, sounding heartbroken. ¡°Please forgive her. She must have been tempted by the maids. You see, that third-ss maid dared to talk with her. And the maid med it on me because she was worried that someone would know the truth... Grandma, Fourth Sister just made a stupid mistake!¡±

    ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s not me. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Mo Xueqiong also realized the picture everyone was starting to form. ¡°I always kept my golden hairpin by my side. I really don¡¯t know how it disappeared. I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s really not me!¡±

    She hurriedly turned back and red at Qing¡¯er, but people just assumed she was trying to threaten a maid into silence.

    Old Madam was furious and turned to the maid as well.

    ¡°Someone drag the maid outside and beat her to death. Beat the man hard as well. That should be fine as long as you leave him alive until he can be sent to the magistrate.¡±

    After all this, she just wanted to keep this from getting in the way of her own affairs. Mo Xueqiong had never had a good reputation so this needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

    As two older maids began to pull him away, sticks in hand, Li Xiu¡¯an started to shout.

    ¡°No, please! It wasn¡¯t my n toe here! Fourth Miss asked me to...¡±

    ¡°Cover his mouth up,¡± Mo Xuetong ordered. ¡°How dare you nder Fourth Sister too!¡±

    One of the servants shoved a rag into his mouth and he was dragged out. Qing¡¯er had briefly fainted from fear. Now she had no strength to fight and could only beg for forgiveness, but there was little she could say. A maid who betrayed her own mistress was not allowed to live. No one would show mercy on her.

 Chapter 202 - Lan Xinru Causes Herself Trouble

    <strong>Chapter 202 Lan Xinru Causes Herself Trouble</strong>

    After watching such a scene unfold, nobody was in the mood to look at the flowers in the garden. Mo Xueqiong was taken back to her courtyard. It was made clear to Consort Qing that, if she didn¡¯t handle the manor¡¯s affairs well, she would also be asked to leave. After hearing this, she went from the clever and skill hostess to her shy former self. She served the old madam with careful diligence, not daring to speak.

    When she looked at Mo Xuetong, her eyes filled with envy.

    The trap had not been Mo Xueqiong¡¯s creation, of course. Consort Qing had recruited Qing¡¯er. Mo Xueqiong just knew about it. After Consort Fang¡¯s incident, Auntie Qing thought fortune had finally smiled on her. When Auntie Fang, the mother of the eldest son, lost her chance to be Mo Huawen¡¯s legal wife, she thought she would be the primary candidate.

    Inside, Consort Qing had been thrilled. Now that she was in charge of the family, she had much more money under her control. Even the servants were obedient when they saw her. It made her feel proud to be treated with respect. She had only been in charge of the family for a few days and had so much money. If she could be in charge all the time, it would all belong to her.

    She used to be under Auntie Fang¡¯s thumb and didn¡¯t dare to move. Now that Auntie Fang had fallen, her life had gotten so much better. She couldn¡¯t just let it go. She became greedy for money and recognition. Besides, Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident reminded her that if the same kind of thing happened to Mo Xuetong, the whole manor would belong to her and her daughter.

    She didn¡¯t expect the shame would fall on her own daughter, which made Consort Qing grind her teeth with rage.

    Old Madam asked someone to block the news but gossip still spread to the outer yard. Mo Huawen¡¯s face turned pale at the news. If there hadn¡¯t been guests watching, he would havee in and pped Consort Qing in the face.

    The feast had already started, so he had to stay outside and entertain the guests. After the feast, he didn¡¯t feel so well and held onto his servant a bit for support. He was obviously drunk.

    He was already had so many things to deal with, so he was even more annoyed when he thought about Mo Xueqiong. He couldn¡¯t resist drinking more, eventually apologizing and excusing himself, leaving Mo Yufeng to treat the guests. He held his servant¡¯s arm for support and wobbled back to his study. Seeing a bowl of alcohol waiting, he had the servant help him drink another bowl and wobbled to his bed. His servant covered him with his quilt and left, closing the door carefully behind him.

    The servant guarded the outside of the door, but the weather was still nice. He found a bench andy back to sleep in the son. General Mo would sleep for quite a while, and the guests would leave soon. He had nothing to worry about.

    Right as he sat down, he saw a little maid sneaking near the doorway. She saw the servant napping and blinked.

    ¡°Little brother? Little brother?¡±

    She said and waved her hand at the same time.

    The servant was only eleven years old. He stood up and walked over, looking confused.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.

    The little maid smiled.

    ¡°Little brother, can you help me to look for Young Lord Mo? Old Madam wants to ask him about something.¡±

    The servant hesitated. He was Mo Huawen¡¯s servant. He couldn¡¯t worry about trivial errands.

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have to guard General Mo. Maybe you should find someone else?¡±

    She circled him nervously, begging for help.

    ¡°Little brother, please help me. I have other things to do too, but Old Madam asked me to find him right away. I really have no time. I walked all the way here but didn¡¯t find anyone else. If Old Madam gets angry at how long I¡¯m taking, I¡¯ll be beaten.¡±

    Seeing her so worried, the servant eventually nodded. It wasn¡¯t far to the feast. It would be easy to send a message to Young Lord Mo.

    The maid thanked him profusely and hurried out.

    ¡°Thank you, little brother. Thank you, little brother. When I get a reward from Old Madam, I¡¯ll give you a treat.¡±

    The servant went into the room and saw Mo Huawen soundly asleep. He walked out quietly and closed the door to the yard. He had to walk a long time before he met a servant he could send to the young lord. When he got back, the door was shut. It was quiet, so he assumed the general was still asleep and rxed.

    He sat back under the tree and dozed off. He was so tired; he had no idea how much time had passed. He woke to somebody yelling.

    ¡°Hey, hey, wake up, wake up!¡±

    The servant immediately opened his eyes. Blearily, he realized he was looking at one of Old Madam¡¯s servants. She let him to the Old Madam. She was surrounded by several otherdies and madams. He woke up instantly, greeting Old Madam properly.

    The old madam¡¯s expression was not kind.

    ¡°Where is General Mo?¡±

    The servant didn¡¯t understand Old Madam Mo¡¯s meaning, so he answered carefully.

    ¡°Old Sir drank too much this afternoon and is sleeping inside. I¡¯ll call him up right away.¡±

    ¡°There is no need. I shall go by myself,¡± the old madam said coldly She gathered a group to follow her into the study.

    By the time they arrived at the door, a few of them with sensitive ears could hear a woman¡¯s breathy gasps and another man breathing heavily. The intruders all hesitated. They were married women who knew that sound, and they looked at the old madam, not believing she nned to keep walking.

    Old Madam Mo nearly tripped as she kicked the door. She and the people with her hurried in angrily. The young servant was too scared to breathe. He didn¡¯t know why there was a woman in the room. She had to havee in while he was fetching a servant.

    Walking past the screen, they found a food basket that had fallen on the ground, food spilling all over the floor. Behind a curtain, a disheveled man and a woman were locked in the throes of passion.

    They didn¡¯t notice the intruders at all.

    Old Madam went pale with anger.

    ¡°You, you...¡± She turned around and sat down. The other women stared at their feet in embarrassment, not sure what to do.

    Old Madam gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Stop them and take them outside.¡±

    Two servants pushed past the curtain and the sounds stopped. After a moment, a woman screamed.

    ¡°Why are you? Why are you... Who are you?¡±

    The question was followed by a series of crashes and thuds.

    ¡°Who are you? Who are you...¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, what¡¯s wrong today? Why do you bring all thedies into my study?¡± somebody asked from the doorway.

    Mo Huawen stood there, blinking sleepily.

    Everyone looked up at Mo Huawen. He stood by the door, hands folded behind his back. He looked tired, but mostly in good spirits.

    If Mo Huawen was outside, then who was there inside? The old madam stood up, and her face turned from anger to horror.

    ¡°Huawen, you, why are you out here? Then who is in the study?¡± she asked, voice shaking like she¡¯d seen a ghost.

    Mo Huawen smiled slightly and walked in. Then he bowed to his mother and the other elders.

    ¡°I just woke up and went out for a walk. Now I¡¯m back. Is there somebody in my room? I had no idea. Maybe some guest got drunk and stumbled inside to rest.¡±

    ¡°Who are you? Go away, go away! Who are you?¡± The woman behind the curtain shouted. Mo Huawen frowned. ¡°Old Madam, who¡¯s the woman inside?¡±

    The old madam was lost. She opened her mouth but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Go inside and check! Who broke into my study?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s face became more serious. ¡°There are all documents inside. If one of them is missing, it might cost the thief¡¯s life.¡±

    Everyone stood in shock.

    A woman walked out from behind the curtain. He clothing was rumpled and her hair was a mess. She rushed to the old madam.

    ¡°Aunt, that¡¯s not my cousin inside. Who is he? Who is he? Howe? How...¡± Lan Xinru cried.

    Old Madam Mo understood what had happened. She held Lan Xinru up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Why are you in there?¡± she asked. She couldn¡¯t let Lan Xinru talk like this anymore. If anyone found it was a scheme, she would be too humiliated to stay.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s face fell instantly.

    Lan Xinru was very confused and couldn¡¯t speak aplete sentence. She just kept asking Old Madam Mo the same question.

    ¡°Aunt, aunt, it wasn¡¯t my cousin inside. Why wasn¡¯t he my cousin? My cousin should be in there...¡±

    Mo Huawen hummed disdainfully.

    ¡°Get the one inside of the room out and let Miss Lan recognize who he really is,¡± he told a servant, ¡°in case she mes it on me.¡±

    Everyone there looked at Old Madam Mo and Lan Xinru with suspicion.

    Just a moment before, Lan Xinru¡¯s maid came in. She imed Miss Lan and her were delivering alcohol to Mo Huawen. The minute they walked in, the general had grabbed Lan Xinru. The maid hurried to get Old Madam Mo for help. Now they walked in to find someone else entirely in bed with Lan Xinru, and the girl talking as if she¡¯d expected the general.

    Mo Huawen was known to be filial and obedient. Though he wasn¡¯t blood-rted to the old madam, he had always been respectful to her, and now she treated him like this. Some people looked at Old Madam Mo with scorn. It turned out the old madam had only asked all the people in the yard here to force her son to obey her order and marry her niece.

    Seeing everyone look at her with suspicion, Old Madam Mo was embarrassed. Lan Xinru, however, was still talking nonsense as if she didn¡¯t know what had happened. She pped Lan Xinru hard.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m asking how you got here?¡±

    After the p, she went silent for a moment and covered her face with her hand. Slowly, she peaked out and looked around her and found Mo Huawen¡¯s face in the crowd. Somehow, she got the courage and threw herself on Mo Huawen. Then she cried,

    ¡°Cousin, cousin, I¡¯m here to give you the drunk decoction. I...¡± she cried.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s stepped to the side, and Lan Xinru stumbled and heavily fell on the ground. Her already loosened robe fell forward and everyone could see that her neck and chest were covered with red hickeys...

 Chapter 203 - It was All Settled and Mo Huawen Got Remarried

    <h4>Chapter 203 It was All Settled and Mo Huawen Got Remarried</h4>

    A servant-looking man was dragged out by the nanny and instantly knelt down before Mo Huawen. He trembled, ¡°Master, I was helping in the feast. Then a few gentlemen wanted to go back and let me ask you. So I came in to call you. When I arrived, I saw no guard here and thought the servant was beingzy. Then I looked inside, but I found no Master but only a bowl of water on the table. I had been too busy to drink, so I drank it up. When I finished, I felt a little sleepy and leaned on the bedside. Somehow the girl walked in.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know how it...¡± The servant said hurriedly and kept kowtowing, ¡°Please forgive me. I have both elders and youngsters to feed. And my wife is ill.¡±

    Lan Xinru woke up after the slip. She suddenly stood up and threw herself at the servant with disheveled hair. She kicked and beat the servant like a shrew.

    How she hated him! She had nned everything and drugged the drink that was going to help Master sober up. She lured the servant away and took the chance to go in. There was a man by the bedside, and she just dragged him without seeing his face. It was dark in the room, and she just got in from the outside and couldn¡¯t see clearly. She figured it wouldn¡¯t be anyone else except for Mo Huawen.

    They had just finished, and she ignored the pain in her body. She just thought that when her aunt came in, all the people would see what had happened between her and Mo Huawen. Then he would have to marry her. However, to her surprise, she didn¡¯t realize it wasn¡¯t Mo Huawen until all the people rushed in.

    It made her hatred more intense that it was only a servant, which was unbearable for her.

    Lan Xinru beat and scolded the servant like a crazy woman. Her face was contorted and she beat the servant so hard that he rolled on the ground and begged for forgiveness.

    ¡°It¡¯s enough!¡± Figuring out the whole thing, Mo Huawen coldly said and waved his hand. Then two nannies came up and held Lan Xinru down. They turned around and asked Old Madam, ¡°Old Madam, are you going to deal with her or...¡±

    By then, Old Madam was disgraced and humiliated and felt great shame. She didn¡¯t dare to deal with anything. She stood up and said, ¡°You can deal with it!¡± Then she had no more words and took all the people back to the inner yard. The minute she got back to the inner yard, she had Lan Xinru sent out with a small carriage, telling her not toe again.

    After such a mess, not only was Lan Xinru disgraced, she was even more disgraced. She just felt everyone knew what she had done and couldn¡¯t calm herself down. After a few words, she said she didn¡¯t feelfortable. Everyone there saw it, and most of them realized the twists and turns and naturally left her alone.

    They just thought the houlseold of Mo Manor was really a mess.

    A younger sister framing her elder sister, and a mother framing her son! It was so ridiculous! The whole manor was in a mess without a main wife. Some of them who got on well with Mo Huawen advised Mo Huawen to remarry soon in case the concubines and daughters caused trouble.

    Mo Huawen sent out the guests out with a dark face. Then he went into the study and even pushed down the desk.

    How he hated it!

    He had known that Old Madam wanted him to marry Lan Xinru. Since thest time Lan Xinru seduced him and failed, he had dered that he wanted to marry another virtuous woman. Old Madam didn¡¯t say anything then and told him to decide for himself. Later, although Lan Xinru came into the manor sometimes, he just avoided meeting her and thought it would save Old Madam the trouble.

    He didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the hangover cure drink Tong¡¯er ced outside the study, and if he hadn¡¯t been cautious with the drink inside and taken a walk instead of sleeping, he would be the one framed.

    Just a moment ago, Tong¡¯er was framed in the back yard, which made him upset. Then the trouble came to himself. Mo Huawen hated it so much. If he was framed today, his reputation would bepletely ruined. Before his daughter¡¯s trouble was solved, he, the father, had already done something so lustful.

    Then how would others look at Mo Manor and the master of Mo Manor? And how could Tong¡¯er and the other girls held up her heads in front of others?

    Old Madam wouldn¡¯t stop until the manor got destroyed!

    Since she entered, he had been obedient and polite to Old Madam and so were all the children. However, though they were obedient, Old Madam was never nice to the children and always said only Mo Xueyan was the only good kid both in front of others and in private. Even Tong¡¯er was scolded all the time just because Tong¡¯er¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t chosen by her.

    Seated in front of the desk, it took Mo Huawen quite a while to calm himself. He took up the pen and wrote quickly. Soon a letter was finished and sealed. Then he said to the servant, ¡°Take it to the Second Sir.¡±

    The servant was quite afraid now and kept shivering since he saw the other servant was dragged out. Such a horrible thing happened when he went out and delivered a letter. It was so shocking. Then he heard Mo Huawen¡¯s voice. Humbly, he just took it over and ran out quickly.

    In Lihua Garden.

    Auntie Fang sat on the bed with a pale face. She was so thin and looked lifeless. The sunshine from the window shone on her pale face and she didn¡¯t have her old beauty.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do as Min¡¯er told me to. I¡¯m locked in the yard now and can only depend on Min¡¯er.¡± She stood up while talking and walked to the back of the room. From under the bed, she took out bags of delicate stuff and gave it to Mo Xiu who knelt down before her outside, ¡°Give these to First Miss and tell her that these are all good stuff. It can only be put little by little in the water. Then the person will get ill with no treatment, and die slowly. It has been used to...¡±

    She couldn¡¯t hide the evilness in her eyes. That woman had told her before and it actually had happened. No one would imagine it was that woman who gave her the poison!

    She didn¡¯t finish her words, but Mo Xiu knew what she was going to say. Thest main wife had been ill for so many years before she died. All the doctors sent for said it was because of her weak health but couldn¡¯t tell the real reason. So the real reason was the stuff in Auntie Fang¡¯s hand. She couldn¡¯t help shivering.

    Auntie Fang said viciously, ¡°You go and tell First Miss to be quick if she wants to take action now that she is no better than me. No one can recognize this kind of drug. Besides, I have a few people in the bitch¡¯s yard and their families are in my hand. So they can¡¯t go against my orders. You should tell First Miss their names so that she can make use of them whatever she wants.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer. There was no one else except for herself in the yard. Her old confidants were nowhere to see, being either dead or sold. Mo Huawen locked her here and only a nanny came here every day to deliver food. A while back, she got some nice dishes after Mo Xuemin¡¯s secret order. But recently, Mo Xuemin was in trouble too. Then there was no one caring about her and even the food she got was cold and stiff leftovers.

    All these were unbearable for Auntie Fang who had been living luxuriously. After the miscarriage, she didn¡¯t recover well and wasn¡¯t in good condition. Being treated like this, her health even worsened.

    Upon hearing that Mo Xuemin had a solution, she instantly took out the drug she had hidden for over a decade. The drug had no scent or color. Luo Xia had died of it. Now she let the little bitch take it, and the little bitch would die within five years, maybe as soon as three years.

    She should have poisoned her the moment she arrived here and got her ill in bed all the time. Then she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against her. She had been too kind. If she had taken action earlier, she would not suffer.

    Mo Xiu dare not say anything more, ¡°Yes.¡± Then she carefully put the paper parcel into her sleeve and went out.

    The incident happened in the yard had been heard by Mo Xuemin already.

    She was embroidering in the room. These days, she had been really calm as if it wasn¡¯t she who had the ident. She just copied the ssics in the morning, then she read and embroidered in the afternoon. She was so quiet the whole day. All the nannies and maids in the yard thought First Miss was framed and tried to defend her during their conversations.

    First Miss had been gentle all the time. It was Sima Lingyun¡¯s fault that such a thing had happened. First Miss struggled and hurt him, which could be called chaste. They shouldn¡¯t put all the me onto First Miss. First Miss was such a nice girl and couldn¡¯t be like that!

    Of course, some other people disagreed. Some servants mentioned the things First Miss had done and implied that she was not as chaste as everyone thought and must have a connection with Sima Lingyun. Or else she shouldn¡¯t appear in Sima Lingyun¡¯s carriage.

    There were already so many disputes in the manor, not to mention the rumors outside of the manor.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s incident hadn¡¯t beenpletely solved, then the Old Madam in Mo Manor¡¯s mind got muddled. Old Madam set up her own son to marry her niece and ended up being a joke. Later on, the Third Miss was framed by the Fourth Miss in Mo Manor and almost ruined her fame. It was heard by the Old Madam in Fu General Manor. She was so worried that she asked her grandson to prepare for the carriage and invited Mo Xuetong over.

    To her surprise, Mo Huawen also came with her!

    After Mo Huawen entered the manor, he first talked to Luo Bin for a while, then he went to the Old Madam¡¯s residence. Hearing that Mo Huawen was here to propose to Xu Yan, Old Madam hesitated for a while, then she sighed and agreed.

    Mo Huawen was not too old and had to get remarried. Now that Mo Manor was in such a mess, there was actually a need of a main wife. Tong¡¯er liked Xu Yan and had a good rtionship with her. It would be nice if Xu Yan could marry Mo Huawen and take care of Tong¡¯er, in case that someone framed Tong¡¯er every once in a while in Mo Huawen¡¯s harem.

    Tong¡¯er was now thirteen and would turn fourteen soon. Even if Xu Yan had a child in the future, Tong¡¯er wouldn¡¯t stay in Mo Manor for too long, so the two wouldn¡¯t have any conflict between them.

    When they discussed it all through, Mo Huawen went back to the manor to prepare for the betrothal gifts. Mo Xuetong stayed at Fu General Manor that night.

    While Mo Huawen¡¯s second marriage had finally been settled, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor didn¡¯t even have a good New Year.

    Since Sima Lingyun got caught before the New Year, he hadn¡¯t been released and was still in the Ministry of Justice. They just said that it was happy and busy days in the New Year and the officials had no time to deal with it. They refused all sent by the duchess, which made her ill and resentful.

    If it was not for the little bitch Mo Xuemin, her Yun¡¯er wouldn¡¯t be like this. Mo Xuemin was called as a chaste woman, while her son¡¯s reputation was ruined.

    Nanny Tian who had served the duchess all the time suggested. ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be worried. Besides, you should have a look at First Miss Mo. Since the ident between First Miss Mo and our First Sir has happened, our First Sir will be fine if First Miss Mo change her words.¡±

    The duchess heavily put the medicine bowl onto the desk and said resentfully, ¡°How will the little bitch be willing to change her words?¡±

    Nanny Tian took over the medicine bowl smilingly, ¡°Madam, First Miss Mo doesn¡¯t have much choice to decide her words. If she wants to hold on to her fame of being chaste, she will need someone to prove for her.¡±

    The duchess excitedly sat up, ¡°Do you have an idea?¡± She coughed fiercely because she sat up too quickly.

    Nanny Tian hurriedly came over, patting her back and saying, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know whether it will work or not. But you can try it first...¡±

    The duchess finally calmed down. She coldly bit her teeth and said, ¡°It will work. Why not? Only if it can save my Yun¡¯er, I will do anything.¡±

 Chapter 204 - The Confrontation between Mo Xuemin and the Duchess

    <h4>Chapter 204 The Confrontation between Mo Xuemin and the Duchess</h4>

    The Duchess acted swiftly in order to save her son. She prepared the betrothal gifts that night. They were all good items she had taken from her dowry. The fall of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor over the years meant that while they did not have to worry about basic necessities, the budget was still a little tight.

    Fortunately, the Duchess had never touched her dowry and there were still some expensive items in it. She thought that if the betrothal was sessful, Mo Xuemin would be considered her daughter-inw. These things would still end up returning to the manor. That eased her anger slightly. Once the little slut entered the manor, she could torture her in any way she wanted.

    The Duchess went to the Mo Manor early the next day!

    Mo Huawen had not yet returned from morning court. The Old Madam had returned to her courtyard, embarrassed and guilty. She was too ashamed to see anyone and let others tell Mo Huawen that she was ill and that he need note and greet her. Had this been any other day, the Old Madam would have treated the Duchess in a friendly manner because of Mo Xueyan. However, now that something like this had happened, she was in no mood to receive the Duchess. She only said that she was not feeling well and told Auntie Qing to receive the Duchess instead.

    Mo Huawen went to Auntie Qing¡¯s courtyard on the day of Mo Xueqiong¡¯s incident. He gave Auntie Qing a scolding while Mo Xueqiong was beaten ten times by the paddle. Mo Xueqiong was lying in bed right now. When Auntie Qing heard the Old Madam¡¯s summons, she could not do anything but ask Auntie Mo to receive the Duchess instead.

    Auntie Mo had never received such a distinguished guest like the Duchess. She felt really apprehensive. She weed the Duchess with a smile.

    ¡°Madam Duchess, why have youe today?¡± Auntie Mo asked with a smile. She did not know why the Duchess was here and carefully invited her into the living room. The maids served tea.

    The Duchess was already feeling displeased when she saw that she was being received by a concubine. However, when she thought of how she was here to plead with the Mos, her eyes grew slightly warmer. She said lightly, ¡°I wonder if you can let me see First Miss.¡±

    She truly could not be bothered to chat with a concubine. It was an insult to her status. As such, she spoke in a straightforward manner and asked to speak with Mo Xuemin. She did not believe that the little slut would dare to say that she was not in a secret rtionship with Yun¡¯er in her face.

    ¡°Madam, you are too kind. Of course you may.¡± Auntie Mo gave it a thought and nodded in agreement.

    She was just a concubine and did not know much. On one hand, she felt that the pressure the Duchess was exerting on her was too great. She felt very ufortable. Since the Duchess wanted to see First Miss, she might as well let First Miss deal with it. She went out and asked the servants to take the Duchess to Mo Xuemin¡¯s courtyard.

    The Duchess brought her own servants who held the betrothal gifts and went to Mo Xuemin¡¯s courtyard. Mo Xuemin had only just woken up and was sitting in her room in a daze, thinking about some things. When she heard that the Duchess was outside, she could not help but be stunned. She suddenly stood up and went further inside the room. She told Mo Xiu to tell the Duchess that she was not in!

    She felt that she had nothing much to say to those from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor after that happened.

    However, the Duchess had already barged in. It was impossible for her to avoid the Duchess. As such, she could only invite the Duchess to sit down.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, what happened that night? Why was Yun¡¯er with you? I heard that you returned to your manor early that day.¡± The Duchess sat down. Her eyes were dark as she spoke coldly. She did not bother being nice to Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin was from a good family. However, she was not at home sleeping in the middle of the night and was instead found on the streets. That itself proved that there was a problem with her.

    Mo Xuemin did not think that the Duchess would be so sharp. She paused and could not speak for a moment. She felt so anxious that her face was flushed red.

    She was certain that Sima Lingyun would not dare to say anything about that matter. However, she did not expect that the Duchess woulde to their home and ask her about it directly.

    Sima Lingyun would not say anything about how the two of them plotted together against Mo Xuetong. This meant that Sima Lingyun would not be able to exin his actions. He could only plead guilty to the count of failed rape. She would then be able to escape with her chastity intact despite the fact that the two was caught hugging with their clothes in disarray. Furthermore, if the Princess helped her secretly, it would be easy for her to get away with her crime.

    However, while she had managed to sessfully scheme against Sima Lingyun, she had not taken the Duchess into ount.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, if the officials of the Ministry of Justice find out that others discovered the secret meeting between you and Yun¡¯er in the pce on the same day, would they think that what happened after was just another secret meeting between the two of you?¡± The Duchess pressed on. Her eyes were cold and sharp.

    ¡°I did not have a secret meeting with His Excellency in the pce!¡± Mo Xuemin defended herself anxiously.

    How would she dare to admit something like that? If what happened in the pce was linked up with what happenedter that night, it would be easy for others to think that she was having a secret rtionship with Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°If not, then why did you not exin yourself clearly then? Instead, the others forced Yun¡¯er out into the light as well. There were so many youngdies and masters there that day. Were they all confounded?¡± The Duchess¡¯ eyes were fierce and vicious. She stared at Mo Xuemin unyieldingly.

    ¡°But that person said that he misunderstood me in the end.¡± Mo Xuemin said, her expression changing slightly.

    ¡°Did that person watch you the entire time, First Miss Mo? Or was he the person you were having a secret meeting with all this while? Is that why he knows you so well! First Miss Mo, I will cut the chase here. Yun¡¯er has been taken to the Ministry of Justice and still has not been released. You just have to admit that you were together with Yun¡¯er that night. The two of you encountered a robbery and Yun¡¯er was injured because he was trying to save you.¡± The Duchess mmed her teacup onto the table. However, there was a hint of a gentle smile on her face.

    If she admitted that she was together with Sima Lingyun when they encountered a robbery, it would mean admitting that she had a secret rtionship with Sima Lingyun. Mo Xuemin would not allow herself to be at a disadvantage. As such, she no longer pretended to be weak and gentle. She looked up and looked straight at the Duchess. She retorted, ¡°Madam, you should not say that. His Excellency knows what happened that day very well. How could you make me bear the brunt of that charge? Even though you want to save His Excellency, you shouldn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t dated Yun¡¯er, he would not have gone out sote at night.¡± The Duchess stood up furiously. Nanny Tian, who was standing beside her tugged on her sleeve.

    ¡°Rest assured, I will have him send a big red sedan to marry you if nothing happens to him. You will be the future wife of the Marquess. I will not let Yun¡¯er mistreat you.¡± The Duchess forced down her anger and sat down again. She was here to plead with Mo Xuemin and had no choice but to lower herself.

    ¡°Madam, you think too highly of me. What kind of abilities do I have to save His Excellency? So many people saw us that day, and no matter what kind of miracles I can pull, I cannot save His Excellency. Please think of a different solution, Madam.¡± Mo Xuemin refused the Duchess. She harrumphed coldly to herself. She was not interested in bing the wife of the Marquess whose family was in ruins.

    ¡°First Miss Mo, are you truly unwilling to save Yun¡¯er?¡± ¡°Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll tell others of your rtionship with Yun¡¯er? You would only be able to be a concubine at the most then when you want to step back into our manor!¡± The Duchess gritted her teeth and threatened. She did not think that Mo Xuemin would be so stubborn.

    ¡°Madam, we did not have a secret rtionship for you to speak of.¡± Mo Xuemin would not relent at this moment.

    When she thought back carefully, she did not think that the Duchess had anything in her hands that could prove that she and Sima Lingyun were having a secret rtionship. She was very careful and told Mo Jin and Mo Xiu to pass on the message most of the time. They did not leave behind any physical evidence.

    ¡°Alright, First Miss Mo, you are really stubborn. Then we shall see!¡± The Duchess was so angry that her voice trembled. She stared at Mo Xuemin coldly, looking as if she wanted to eat her up.

    Mo Xuemin could not help but shudder. She avoided the Duchess subconsciously while still saying stubbornly, ¡°Madam, please go back. Father wants me to stay at home and think about what I have done. I cannot have you over anymore.¡±

    Mo Xuemin was throwing the Duchess out!

    The Duchess was so angry that her expression turned dark. She stood up suddenly and red at Mo Xuemin viciously. She ignored Nanny Tian who was tugging on her sleeve and turned away with her servants. She was a Duchess. She did not believe that she would not be able to deal with a little concubine¡¯s daughter.

    ¡°Miss, what are we going to do?¡± Mo Xiu asked anxiously when she saw the Duchess leaving angrily. She had been standing by the side earlier and felt very anxious on behalf of her mistress. She only realized her palms were sweaty when the guests left.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. What kind of evidence could the Duchess have to prove that Sima Lingyun and I had a secret rtionship!¡± Mo Xuetong harrumphed coldly. ¡°The Duchess must be at her wit¡¯s end toe and plead with me. She wants me to admit that I am immoral and then have her son marry me. She really is a good schemer.¡±

    She was extremely eager to avoid the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor right now. Why would she save Sima Lingyun? If they were to really discuss the matter, she would only be able to walk freely if Sima Lingyun was charged as guilty. Between the two of them, only one of them could take responsibility for the incident. She hoped that Sima Lingyun would take full responsibility.

    Furthermore, she now had the Princess to support her. She was not afraid that the Duchess might seek revenge! If the Duchess really had a solution, she would not havee here.

    The Duchess left the Mo Manor gardens huffily. When she thought of what Mo Xuemin had said earlier, she was so furious that she felt like exploding. She walked even faster. She felt that she might just die of anger if she stayed in the Mo Manor any longer.

    There was a rockery in front. The Duchess turned around it without looking around clearly. She walked forward withrge strides. There was a sh of a figure in front of her. She stumbled and heard a shout of dismay before she could react. Behind her, Nanny Tian had been watching her mistress. When she saw her mistress stumbling, she hurried forward to steady her. The person across them, however, lost control and fell to the ground heavily.

    It was a maid who was about 13 or 14 years old. The fruit bowl she was holding smashed onto the ground. The apples and oranges in the bowl scattered in all directions. The maid was flustered and her face was pale as she picked up the fruits anxiously. She did not even look at the person who bumped into her.

    The Duchess harrumphed coldly when she saw that it was a little maid from the Mo Manor. She stepped over the apples and continued on. She was furious and disliked everything about the Mo Manor. It was naturally the maid¡¯s fault that the fruit bowl was shattered. What had it to do with her?

    ¡°Oh no, Old Madam meant to give this to Miss. I heard that it was Duchess Mingyang who had brought them especially back to the capital. It¡¯s now ruined. Oh no!¡± The maid picked the apples while muttering to herself tearfully. She was shocked and frightened.

    Duchess Mingyang? Duchess Zhenguo stopped and turned around to signal at Nanny Tian.

    Nanny Tian had been following the Duchess and heard what the maid said clearly. Her expression immediately turned to one of joy. She squatted down hurriedly and helped the maid while she said, ¡°Are these fruits really from Duchess Mingyang? Didn¡¯t they say that the Duchess didn¡¯te to the capital?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true!¡± The maid wiped away her tears. When she saw Nanny Tian helping her pick up the fruits, she sniffed thankfully and said, ¡°Thank you, of course it¡¯s true. The Madam has been here for a while but has been keeping the Lady of Xian all this while. The Lady did not want anyone to know where she was, so she said that she was not spending the new year in the capital. Now that the Lady is about to leave, the Madam is bidding farewell to her old friends.¡±

 Chapter 205 - The Legendary Qinglin Academy

    <h4>Chapter 205 The Legendary Qinglin Academy</h4>

    ¡°Madam...¡± Nanny Tian said with a smile as she helped the Duchess onto the horse carriage when they left the Mo Manor.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Mingyang Duke¡¯s Manor.¡± The Duchess looked extremely pleased. Then, her expression changed into one of viciousness. She gritted her teeth. That little slut, Mo Xuemin thought that she would not be able to do anything without her help. However, she did not expect that there was always a different way out. As long as Xiayu was around, Yun¡¯er¡¯s case was not considered to be a big deal. Furthermore, she still had other evidence. Mo Xuemin would have no choice but to admit it.

    It would not be toote to seek revenge against Mo Xuemin when she married into the manor in the future.

    Inside Qingwei Garden, Mo Yu packed up the bowl of fruits that had been damaged in the fall. She rushed in excitedly and put down the bowl of fruits when she saw Mo Xuetong sitting down by the window, reading. She smiled and poured tea for Mo Xuetong and said with bright eyes. ¡°Miss, how did you know that Duchess Zhenguo and Duchess Mingyang are close?¡±

    Mo Xuetong epted the cup of tea and took a sip. Then, she smiled lightly and said, ¡°Both Duchess¡¯ have the surname Zhao. They are from the Hanyun Zhao family, so they would definitely have kept in contact with each other.¡±

    ¡°Miss, you are really smart. You have not traveled, but you know about something like that as well.¡± Mo Yu said with admiration. When she saw Mo Xuetong concentrating on her book, she smiled and left quietly.

    Inside the room, while Mo Xuetong was looking at the book, her mind whirled with other things!

    She had only found out about the rtionship between Duchess Zhenguo, Zhao Mingyu and Duchess Mingyang, Zhao Xiayu after she had married Sima Lingyun in her past life. The two were biological sisters. However, their Eldest Uncle did not have any children, and as such, their father put Zhao Mingyu in her Eldest Uncle¡¯s care. The two sisters were separated and many did not know that they were biological sisters and that they were very close.

    The Mingyang Duke¡¯s Manor was different from the Zhenguo Duke¡¯s Manor. They were not only the descendants of nobility, but also those of a general. Duke Mingyang was now under the King of Xian and was a high ranking official in the army. It waspletely different from the failing Zhenguo Duke¡¯s Manor. Since Duke Mingyang had been stationed outside of the capital, their duke¡¯s manor in the capital had stayed empty all this while.

    Now that the Duchess was desperate and knew that Mingyang Duchess was in the capital, she would definitely seek her out for help. Even though Duchess Mingyang might not be able to say anything in the pce, she would definitely be able to speak to the Lady of Xian Prefecture. If Duchess Mingyang pleaded with the King of Xian, who had always thought highly of Duke Mingyang, he would definitely speak up for her...

    No matter how hard she struggled, Mo Xuemin would not be able to fight her fate of entering Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuemin had killed her in her past life. She had poisoned Yu¡¯er to death. She had done all of that just to marry Sima Lingyun. In this life, she viewed the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor with disdain. However, it was not so easy for her to get out of marrying Sima Lingyun. If she did not get the both of them together, how would she get revenge for all that happened to her!

    There was a hint of a cold smile on her lips. She lowered her eyes to hide the pain in them. How could she forget, the searing and burning pain? How could she forget the sadness and hatred she felt when the poison was drained down her throat? She could see the ridicule in Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes through the mes. That pain. That hate...

    ¡°Miss, Sir Bai¡¯s men sent this over.¡± Mo Lan lifted the curtains and entered with an invitation in her hands.

    Mo Xuetong reached out to take it. It was light pink in color and there were a few words embossed in gold. There were peach blossoms on the edges of the invitation and it lifted one¡¯s mood for some reason. She opened the invitation and read it. On it, written in beautiful handwriting, it said, ¡°There is a Qin meeting tomorrow. Please bring your own instrument!¡±

    A Qin meeting? Mo Xuetong only recalled after some pondering that the Qin meeting was the gathering of nobledies Bai Yihao mentioned thest time. They were all girls who were learning the instrument from him. Her father had allowed her to learn the instrument from Bai Yihao ever since he had, for no reason, told her father that she was very talented at it. Mo Xuetong would not believe that Bai Yihao was so silly to do something like that for no reason. However, she could not guess why he had done that. Could he just be trying to befuddle the public?

    Too many things had happened in the past few days. If the weather was good tomorrow, she should go out and take a walk.

    Mo Xuetong was woken up by Mo Lan early in the morning the next day. The girls going for the gathering were all about her age, so Mother Xu had picked out a long, in colored chiffon dress. There were small purple flowers on the edges of her sleeves and the bottom of the dress. The light blue colored sash at her waist set off her slender waist. She looked elegant and beautiful and her eyes brimmed with beauty and brightness.

    Mother Xu looked at her and smiled happily. She seemed as if she was proud of how Mo Xuetong had grown.

    They got onto the carriage and arrived at the academy where Bai Yihao taught the instrument. It was Qinglin Academy.

    Qinglin Academy was very famous in Great Qin. Ordinary folks would not be able to enter the academy. When the academy first started, it was meant only for male students. Later, a smaller female school was set up for the youngdies of noble families to learn from the master. As the only school in which both males and females could study in, and as an excellent school, only daughters from wealthy families could enter. It was much more difficult for girls to enter the school than for boys.

    Mo Xuetong had heard of Qinglin Academy in her past life as well. It was because Sima Heyan could not enter the school and threw several tantrums at home. Then, she heard that the Princess was enrolled in the school as well. It was a school for the cream of the crop and the noble youngdies would feel proud of themselves if they were able to join the school.

    The test for women was much stringent than for males. The youngdies could learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting in the school. They could also make close friends and connections. Those who had good grades would be known as talented women and this title was different from the talent that Mo Xuemin was said to possess.

    They would truly be acknowledged to be talented by powerful families. The girl would not only be of noble status, she would also be known to be exceptionally talented as well.

    The 15th of the month had not yet passed and Qinglin Academy had not officially started yet. She did not understand why Bai Yihao would hold a Qin meeting at this time. However, he only had a title in Qinglin Academy. He taught only in spring and only took in a few female students. With his status, Qinglin would not be able to interfere with his matters.

    Qinglin Academy was in the north-western side of the capital. The Mo Manor was also in the northern area of the capital and was not too far away from the academy. It took just an hour by horse carriage.

    Mo Xuetong did not know what time the Qin meeting was since it was her first time attending it. As such, she went there earlier. When she reached Qinglin Academy, she realized that there were already dozens of horse carriages parked outside the doors. The first carriage was beautiful and luxurious. One look at it and one could tell that it was no ordinary horse carriage. Mo Xuetong¡¯s sharp eyes found the insignia of the royal family on it. She could not help but frown slightly. Which Princess did the carriage belong to?

    Some youngdies who were dressed up nicely were at the entrance, getting off their carriages daintily. Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage stopped and she got off the horse carriage. She heard a loud female voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Third Miss Mo! Are you here for the Qin meeting as well?¡±

    Mo Xuetong sighed when she heard the arrogant voice that had a hint of a challenge in it. She turned around and looked. It was indeed Ling Rui¡¯er. The Fifth Princess was standing beside her.

    ¡°Princess, Third Miss Mo here is very well-known. She was really wild when she talked about her elder sister a few days ago.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er introduced Mo Xuetong. She was a distant cousin of the Fifth Princess. When she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate beauty, she grew more and more displeased. As such, she started to frame Mo Xuetong.

    The Fifth Princess sized up Mo Xuetong with a sullen face. One could not tell if she was happy or angry.

    ¡°How dare you. You should greet the Princess.¡± A pce maid who was dressed luxuriously and did not look like a pce maid at all yelled sharply.

    ¡°Greetings, Fifth Princess.¡± Mo Xuetong sighed and curtsied deeply.

    ¡°So you¡¯re Mo Xuetong. Were you the one who had once said that Second Miss Ling¡¯s looks were average without feeling ashamed?¡± A sh of coldness appeared in the Fifth Princess¡¯ eyes as she spoke coldly to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°I do not dare to twist yourment. I fear that Third Miss Ling had heard wrongly.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. The Fifth Princess did not allow her to rise, so she remained in a low curtsy. She looked at the ground graciously. She did not want to fight with the Princess with her status.

    ¡°How could I have heard wrongly? You were the one who said that my elder sister looked average and that she was in a tussle with the two Princes and their rtionship was ambiguous.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said loudly. She looked at Mo Xuetong in a pleased manner. There was no one here to help Mo Xuetong today. She was going to see what Mo Xuetong would do today.

    There was a sh of anger on the Fifth Princess¡¯ face when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s distant expression. Sheughed coldly, ¡°Mo Xuetong, how dare you nder my elder brothers. You have ndered the name of the royal family. How dare you. Kneel down!¡±

    ¡°I have never once said something like that. If the Fifth Princess does not believe me, you can speak to the youngdies present that day. I never expected that a fair person like Third Miss Ling would lie and bully others. I wonder if Third Miss Ling will speak so confidently when you see the other youngdies again?¡± Mo Xuetong retorted and smiled lightly at Ling Rui¡¯er.

    However, she still knelt. The Fifth Princess was the legal daughter of the Empress. She had no choice but to kneel.

    The stone floor was icy cold and there was ayer of frost on it. The coldness seeped through her knees and into her bones. But she was not in the mood to care now. Her skirt was dirtied and her legs were cold. All of this did not matter. What was most important right now was that she had to bear it!

    Ling Rui¡¯er flushed when she heard that. She seemed rather uneasy. When she thought that a few of the youngdies would be present as well, she was speechless.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, I heard that your reputation was bad in Cloud City. You bullied your Auntie, and frame your half-sisters when you returned to the capital. You are great. I heard that you are the only daughter in the manor that remained unscathed. Were you the one who plotted everything?¡± The Fifth Princess was steadied by the pce maid. There was a hint ofughter on her face, but the smile made one feel cold.

    The other youngdies in the distance saw what was happening and knew that the Fifth Princess was berating someone. They did not dare to say much and looked at each other before entering the Academy. The Fifth Princess was just as arrogant as King Xuan.

    ¡°Rumors cannot be believed. If I have done anything bad, my father, who is the magistrate of the capital, would not allow such a vicious woman to stay in his home. He would definitely lock up the vicious person for the safety and peace of the family.¡± Mo Xuetong said calmly with her head low. The people who were locked up were Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang. It was obvious who the vicious ones were.

    The Fifth Princess felt extremely jealous and hateful when she saw how Mo Xuetong answered her calmly. Her eyes were clear and beautiful despite her kneeling there. She thought about how such beauty would definitely cause nations to fall in a few more years and felt like tearing the beautiful face apart. She smiled coldly and said, ¡°You reprimanded Second Miss Ling. That is already being disrespectful. And you pay so much attention to my royal brothers. Do you want to marry them? If so, Mother has talked about you before. I can help you let her know. However, you can at most just be a concubine with your status.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s head buzzed. All the blood in her body rushed up to her mind.

    The Empress had mentioned her? Why did she mention her? During the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Empress had summoned her. If not for the Princess Royal meeting her, the Empress would have already met her. Also, sheter heard that the youngdies who went to meet the Empress were all given simr gifts to hers.

    The youngdies were all from prominent families. The Empress was interested in getting more imperial consorts for Emperor Zongwen!

    Was the Empress interested in making her an imperial consort as well? But why did she not act in the end!

 Chapter 206 - Iâ€™m Here to Get the Qin and will Leave Right Away

    <h4>Chapter 206 I¡¯m Here to Get the Qin and will Leave Right Away</h4>

    Several different ideas all rushed into her mind and Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out, though she knew it was not the right time to think about it!

    Mo Xuetong bent over and her forehead touched the ground, ¡°I¡¯m too shallow and ugly to have that thought. You¡¯re from a royal family and are worshiped as the moon. While I¡¯m so shallow and normal, so please don¡¯t make fun of me.¡±

    ¡°Hum, such a humble girl, dare to reach for my royal brother. That¡¯s too overreaching.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong was giving up, Fifth Princess was quite proud. When she suddenly remembered Mo Xuemin¡¯s words, her face darkened, ¡°You are just a daughter of a third-grade official and not qualified to sit equally with me to learn Qin. Get back to your ce right now.¡±

    Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s loss, Ling Rui¡¯er became proud too. She criticized Mo Xuetong andplimented Bai Yihao at the same time, ¡°That¡¯s true. You don¡¯t even observe what status you have and dared to learn Qin from Sir Bai. Sir Bai is like a celestial being and you¡¯re not even in his eyes.¡± Hearing her words, even Fifth Princess showed more hospitality to her.

    Mo Xuetong lifted her head and answered directly and frankly, ¡°It¡¯s not me who wanted to learn the Qin from Sir Bai so much, but Sir Bai firstly mentioned the skills of Qin to my father. Therefore, my father let me learn the Qin from Sir Bai. It doesn¡¯t matter if Princess thinks that I don¡¯t deserve the chance. Please just tell Sir Bai that I¡¯vee here. If I miss the appointment, it¡¯s just because of destiny.¡±

    With Ling Rui¡¯er by her side, Fifth Princess wouldn¡¯t let her leave. Anyway, her father was a third-grade official and was thought highly of by Emperor Zongwen. Besides, her mother¡¯s family was Fu General Manor. No matter how arrogant Fifth Princess was, she had to take these into consideration. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t believe Fifth Princess would do anything to her.

    After feeling shocked and helpless, she had already calmed down. Today Fifth Princess just wanted to teach her a lesson. If she was kicked out by Fifth Princess in front of Qinglin Academy, she would be too degraded to stand among the misses in the capital. So she had to calm herself to face it.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong say frankly with some coldness on her pretty face, still kneel down there and not move even a bit, Fifth Princess paused. She hadn¡¯t expected that Mo Xuetong who seemed to be so delicate would talk back to her and scolded angrily, ¡°How dare you to talk to me like that. Someonee and beat her palms five times.¡±

    While she was talking, a burly nanny came out from behind Fifth Princess. The nanny was holding a one-inch wide bamboo strip which was stained with light red color and obviously had witnessed blood.

    Mo Xuetong said lightly, ¡°Thanks Princess for the punishment!¡± Then she reached out her hand which was as white as jade. She wasn¡¯t terrified or hiding, but her eyes looked even colder.

    Though Fifth Princess had the position of a Princess, Emperor Zongwen was a wise emperor and wouldn¡¯t tolerate his daughter to baffle a respected official¡¯s daughter with no good reason. Besides, even if she was beaten, Fifth Princess would have no reason to baffle her again in the future. Then if anyone in the harem wanted to ask her into the imperial pce, the person would have to take Fifth Princess¡¯s attitude into consideration.

    The servants wouldn¡¯t send her to the Empress if Fifth Princess was not satisfied with her.

    Besides, Fifth Princess wouldn¡¯t beat her too hard. She would be responsible to beat a respected official¡¯s daughter without any reason. If Mo Xuetong really got hurt, it would also bring her trouble and make the officials disappointed. Even if Emperor Zongwen cared about this daughter, he still had to face the officials. So only for this reason, Mo Xuetong knew she was safe.

    Being beaten by Fifth Princess would save her a lot of trouble and would let all the other misses in the capital see her integrity. Mo Xuetong thought it was pretty worthwhile so she directly reached out her hand.

    A gentle voice came directly in time, which sounded clear and elegant, ¡°Fifth Princess has such prestige and wants to beat my apprentice in front of my door. What¡¯s in her that annoyed Fifth Princess?¡±

    Bai Yihao came!

    Fifth Princess turned around and saw Bai Yihao who was walking out of the garden slowly. He was still dressed in a in robe. And there was a simple jade crown iid with pearls. His ck hair flew down like a stream and it spread over his shoulders. His eyes shone like the stars. Moreover, under his tall straight nose were his lips which were as shiny as a cherry. His features were so distinct.

    He talked slightly and elegantly with a smile, which made him look like a celestial being.

    Fifth Princess tried hard to exin. ¡°Cousin, I didn¡¯t mean to disgrace you. But she always has a bad reputation and I was afraid you may get cheated by her. So I want to teach her a lesson.¡± Seeing that gorgeous face, she didn¡¯t dare to let him see her jealousy.

    Bai Yihao smiled lightly, which looked gentle but distant. ¡°Fifth Princess thought I would be lied to? Or did you think I¡¯m an easily fooled person?¡± There was a deep and mysterious sigh at the bottom of his eyes. He seemed to be kidding while he was not joking.

    His words surprised Fifth Princess, who quickly nced at him. Seeing that he was only a little angry and didn¡¯t look at Mo Xuetong, she felt relieved. Besides, she noticed that Mo Xuetong was kneeling on the ground without any moves, which was a clear sign that they didn¡¯t have a connection. Maybe her cousin just got annoyed because she made him disgraced and even politely called her the Princess, which was no good sign.

    Fifth Princess just pushed all the fault onto Ling Rui¡¯er, ¡°How could you get cheated? It¡¯s my fault to have listened to Third Miss Ling and thought it was right.¡± She noticed that Ling Rui¡¯er opened her mouth and tried to speak. Hence, she fiercely gazed at Ling Rui¡¯er, which scared her to close her mouth nervously.

    Fifth Princess smilingly said to Mo Xuetong and pretended to hold her up in person, ¡°Third Miss Mo, please stand up and remember not to quarrel with others from now on. Your fight with Third Miss Ling put me in an awkward position too.¡±

    Fifth Princess criticized her and it was all her fault? Mo Xuetong hid away the cold smile in her heart and replied obediently. ¡°Thanks, Princess.¡±

    Mo Lan who was kneeling with her hurriedly held her up. The hem of Mo Xuetong¡¯s pure white dress was already dirty and there were several stains on it.

    It seemed that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t notice the stains on the clothes. She turned around, gently walked up to Bai Yihao and said, ¡°Sir Bai, I¡¯m not decently dressed and have to leave now.¡±

    Her long eyshes pointed down, and her extremely beautiful face was covered with silence and destion.

    She really wanted to leave and thus cut off the rtions with Bai Yihao. She didn¡¯t know what he wanted, but the best way for her was to leave.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes subconsciouslynded on her knees and saw the stains on her white clothes. He slightly frowned and said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You should go inside first. There was a stove and some clean clothes in the back yard. You can let you maid wash it for you. I have some other errands to tell you today, so don¡¯t leave now that you¡¯re here.¡±

    She was determined not to get into the academy, ¡°There is no need. My clothes were so dirty, which was disrespectful. So that I can¡¯t go into the academy and my father wille to apologize for me someday.¡± Seeing Fifth Princess¡¯s jealous eyes which constantly swung between Bai Yihao and herself, she knew today¡¯s incidence was not a coincidence.

    She didn¡¯t want to pry into Bai Yihao¡¯s heart or be others¡¯ enemies!

    Bai Yihao smiled lightly, turned around to look at Fifth Princess and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fifth Cousin, I have to trouble you for the clothes.

    Being looked by his charming gentle eyes, Fifth Princess replied right away. ¡°Get in now that you¡¯re here. I have clothes in my ce and I will ask my maid to send one for you. From now on, we¡¯re ssmates and should chat with each other. If you still wouldn¡¯t get in, then you¡¯re looking down on me and disgracing me.¡±

    After Fifth Princess¡¯s words, Mo Xuetong would be too unreasonable if she still wouldn¡¯t get in. Even if she really wanted to leave, she couldn¡¯t after Fifth Princess¡¯s words.

    She was helpless and had to hold Mo Lan and entered through the gate of the academy behind everyone else.

    The Qin House was located at the left rear of the garden which was meant for its quietness. Mo Xuetong and Mo Lan didn¡¯t go to the Qin House but the foyer behind the Qin House. It was an elegant Qin House with an old Qin in the middle and a desk and a chair by the side. And there was nothing more to it.

    Across the screen, which consisted of bookshelves, was a soft couch. Although it was only a couch, it wasn¡¯t much smaller than a regr bed. By the sofa was a little table with a half-opened book. In the room, the license was lit, and the stove was on. So they walked in, they felt the warm smell and coziness. Mo Lan closed the door and held Mo Xuetong to sit on the couch. Then she took off the overcoat.

    Just then she realized that not only her overcoat was wet, but her coat inside was also kind of wet. No wonder she felt so cold.

    Mo Lan pointed at luxuriant clothes on the couch and asked, ¡°Miss, this is the clothes sent by Fifth Princess. Do you want to put it on?¡± That was given by a maid when they came in, but Mo Lan didn¡¯t think her miss would like it.

    Mo Xuetong also saw that too luxuriant clothes and frowned. ¡°There is no need. I¡¯ll be okay with my own clothes. You just take it to wash and clean the stains there. Then dry it above the stove. I shan¡¯t wear Fifth Princess¡¯s clothes.¡±

    The clothes was clearly not suitable for her. Not to mention she didn¡¯t dare to cross the line and wear the Princess¡¯s clothes, just the color of the clothes would bring her much trouble. Fifth Princess didn¡¯t n to let go of her so easily. She didn¡¯t know clearly what was Mo Xuemin and Fifth Princess¡¯s scheme, but she did know that Fifth Princess hated her.

    Mo Lan nodded and let her lean on the couch. ¡°Then miss, please wait for a while. I¡¯ll quickly wash it ande back soon.¡± Then she poured a cup of tea for her from the table and put it in front of Mo Xuetong. Later, she took the dirty clothes out and tried to find somece with water to wash it.

    By this side, Mo Xuetong felt bored and took up the half-opened book. Only when she took it over to see did she realize it was a medical book and it was the only copy. She got absorbed in it. It was quiet in the room with only the sound of her turning the pages which was light and slow. It seemed so quiet and peaceful inside.

    The aroma of the license spread and made a sweet atmosphere. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know how much time had passed while she was turning the pages when she suddenly heard someone¡¯s voice. Someone seemed to havee here. She suddenly stood up and then realized she was only wearing a tiny shirt. She didn¡¯t know where Mo Lan went and why it took her such a long time.

    Outside of the door came Bai Yihao¡¯s bright voice, which sounded dignified and gentle. ¡°Is Third Miss Mo still there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m inside.¡± By the time Mo Xuetong spoke did she realize it was inappropriate for her to meet anyone at the moment.

    Then came the sound of knocking on the door and Bai Yihao¡¯s elegant voice. ¡°I¡¯m here to get my Qin. I¡¯ll leave when I¡¯m done.¡±

    He just wanted to get the Qin outside and wouldn¡¯t walk in. Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong sighed in relief and replied. ¡°Pleasee in, Sir Bai.¡± This was actually his room and she wasn¡¯t the owner.

    With the door opened, Bai Yihao walked in!

 Chapter 207 - Shocked, Behind the Gentle Smile were Threats

    <h4>Chapter 207 Shocked, Behind the Gentle Smile were Threats</h4>

    Bai Yihao pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing the room empty, he knew Mo Xuetong must be inside. He had just heard that Fifth Princess had blocked the way and he left right after he set down the book and got down from the bed. He even forgot to bring the Qin. Then after he led all the misses to the Qin House did he realize that he had forgotten to bring the Qin. He knew Mo Xuetong was in the room and no others were suitable to get in. Therefore, he came by himself.

    He had just taken the Qin and was ready to go out when a figure appeared who was a secret guard.

    The secret guard knelt down and replied with something in his hand, ¡°Sir, the First Prince was already...¡±

    Bai Yihao hesitated for a minute and instantly realized something. Then he rushed in.

    Mo Xuetong who was inside also hesitated. Before she could react, a white figure appeared. She was about to talk when her body softened and she passed out intoplete darkness.

    Bai Yihao reached out to hold her waist and asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened?¡±

    The secret guard was shocked. Seeing the sir rushing in so quickly and hearing someone passing out, he thought that his sir was in danger. Then he quickly moved and tried to rush in.

    ¡°Just reply outside.¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s cold voice rarely contained grimness and sessfully stopped the secret guard.

    The secret guard didn¡¯t dare to get in anymore and knelt outside on his one knee, ¡°Sir, the First Prince hasn¡¯t been to the Qin Kingdom since he went back thest time. I put the painting on his desk, and he secretly dispatched people to look for the beauty in the painting. He even hardly went to the Empress¡¯s pce, which made the Empress quite unsatisfied.¡±

    In the room, Bai Yihao lightly held Mo Xuetong with a gentle smile on his face. He reached out to feel her head. And the delicate and soft body leaned on him without the caution and distance she usually held. At the time, she was beautiful like a porcin doll. She had those long and ck eyshes, a small nose and pink lips which were bright and sweet like honey. Her bushy long hair was a little disheveled, and some of it scattered on her pure white little face, which made the childish face look delicate and bring others¡¯ care for her.

    His breath got a little rapid and his strong arms gently held the girl. His gentle face was somehow flushed.

    He leaned over his head and gently put her soft body on the couch. Then he took the quilt over and carefully covered her in it and tucked her in. Atst, he turned around and left.

    Sitting in front of the Qin and touching the strings which made a nice sound, he lifted his lips and smiled, ¡°Send the message out in the Yan Kingdom. How did the investigation go in the Qin Kingdom?¡±

    The secret guard told him all and presented him with all the files he had searched these days, ¡°I still didn¡¯t find who it was. Those misses from the duke¡¯s manors who were all about thirty years old were basically simr to each other. So I am not sure who it was. However, it couldn¡¯t possibly be Ding General Manor. Besides, Fu General Manor was the simplest. Their only miss married to Mo Manor in Cloud City years ago and died young.¡±

    Four Great Manors each were described in separate files. In the files recorded the things happened in Four Great Manors these thirty years.

    It was not detailed but very exining.

    Bai Yihao said lightly, ¡°Pay more attention to the behaviors of King Yan, King Chu and their confidants who were restless.¡± He elegantly took over the files and casually flipped them.

    The secret guard hesitated for a moment as if he didn¡¯t know whether to say it or not, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The secret guard said when he carefully observed Bai Yihao¡¯s expressions, ¡°If you can marry Fifth Princess, then we can use the power of Qin Kingdom. By then even if the First Prince connects the power of the Empress and King Ning, what would...¡±

    In the Qin Kingdom, all the people knew that Fifth Princess had affection for Bai Yihao and overdid it. Even Emperor Zongwen asked him secretly whether he would like to marry Fifth Princess. A marriage between two kingdoms was refused by Bai Yihao smilingly. The secret guard didn¡¯t know what Bai Yihao was thinking about.

    Just marrying Fifth Princess would save a lot of trouble, but Bai Yihao would try the moreplicated way.

    Bai Yihao said lightly and didn¡¯t continue on the topic. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about Fifth Princesster. Be careful about your behaviors and watch clearly the next time you walk in.¡±

    Seeing that his sir didn¡¯t want to say anymore, the secret guard didn¡¯t dare to speak and stepped out. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bai Yihao collected the files, stood up and returned to the room! His fingers flexibly pointed on Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong finally woke up from her deep sleep.

    She opened her watery eyes, and those long eyshes shed with traces of hesitation. She suddenly forgot where she was. In front of her stood Bai Yihao who lowered his head and looked at her gently with raised lips. His smile was so elegant and gorgeous. The morning light shined from the outside, and yellow lightnded on his face. His handsome was filled with a pure and transparent smile.

    Bai Yihao lowered his eyes and his voice was clear and bright. ¡°How are you? Why did you suddenly pass out?¡± Those pure eyes which seemed to be smiling looked at Mo Xuetong. His thin long fingers touched her quilt and then he casually sat on a chair by the bed. He seemed to have a lot to say.

    Being looked at like this, Mo Xuetong felt very ufortable. More than that, her little face flushed and the red color spread to her ears and neck.

    She bit her lips and hurriedly turned over. She didn¡¯t dare to look at those eyes full of tender affection which seemed particrly sincere and pure today. Those pure eyes made it hard for her to say that it was inappropriate for a man and a woman to stay in one room alone. Besides, it was a special situation when she was indecently dressed, lying in bed.

    Though he was decently dressed, he sat by the bed and looked at her like that.

    She bit her lips again and hid away her shyness. Anyway, she had to get Bai Yihao out.

    Mo Xuetong said with a red face, ¡°Sir Bai, could you please get out for a while? I¡¯m not decently dressed...¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to get it for you?¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes fixed on the colorful and shiny clothes, which was from Fifth Princess. She definitely didn¡¯t like it.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face even got redder, ¡°No... Please leave first...¡± She felt like her whole face was burning and got very angry. But when he was talking ambiguously, his actions were still elegant and natural.

    Bai Yihao narrowed his attractive eyes and smiling looked at her. ¡°If someonees in and sees this, he must think something has happened between us!¡±

    His words were quite casual, which were bright and gentle as if he were talking about others¡¯ matters. Bai Yihao who seemed so pure described the situation between them using those filthy words.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked and the flush on her face gradually went away. Her eyes got bright like water and her face turned pale, ¡°What does it take to invite Sir Bai out?¡± She asked gently, and there was more caution in her eyes.

    Bai Yihao smiled naturally, ¡°I¡¯m here today...¡±

    Mo Xuetong pretended to be calm and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone. Sir Bai just took the Qin and left.¡± Her hand was clenched into a fist under the quilt. Under such circumstance, she had to agree to whatever he would say.

    ¡°OK, then I¡¯ll take the Qin out. Third Miss Mo should alsoe out quickly and try the Qin.¡± Bai Yihao smiled naturally, with his long fingers touching her little white face. He cleared some hair which had fallen by her ear and looked at her so tenderly, ¡°There are clothes in the left cab, and you can wear that one. It¡¯s white and suits you just fine.¡±

    Mo Xuetong trembled in the quilt and her head leaned back to avoid his hand. Then she said lightly, ¡°Thank you, Sir Bai.¡±

    This time, Bai Yihao didn¡¯t say anything more. He just stood up, walked out, took the Qin and closed the door to go out.

    Hearing the steps fade away, Mo Xuetong felt relieved and slowly exhaled. She held herself up and found her hand full of nervous sweat. She didn¡¯t know about how Bai Yihao was in thest life. But this life, she knew that just a moment ago, behind Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle smile were threats.

    This Crown Prince was surely difficult to get along with, but it¡¯s fine that she didn¡¯t have a connection with him. She had to stay away from him as far as possible. Just then someone wasing to report to him, but he went first to her and made her pass out. But when she woke up, he didn¡¯t mention anything, so Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t mention it.

    Under that circumstance, she had to agree to whatever Bai Yihao said!

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m afraid the clothes won¡¯t be dry in a while!¡± Mo Lan pushed the door open and walked in with the wet clothes in her hands.

    The white clothes definitely looked pure, but they washed hard. When stained, it couldn¡¯t be cleaned up with a little washing. Instead, there would be a grey water trace around it. Even if it was dried, the color of that ce would be different from before. Therefore, it must be carefully washed up.

    Seeing that the dress was basically not wearable, Mo Xuetong thought for a while and came to the left cab. She hesitated and then opened the door of the container. It was filled with clothes and robes, which were mainly white. But each of them was nicely embroidered. Though there was not much embroidery, it made the clothes have individual elegance and every one of them was excellent.

    These were Bai Yihao¡¯s clothes. Mo Xuetong frowned and fixed her eyes on a dress inside. It was different from the others and was obviously for women. It was also in white with white sleeves. At the bottom of the dress were decorated with delicate blooms which were light blue with pale yellow stamen. It was so vivid that the whole dress looked more charming instead of in.

    Among all of Bai Yihao¡¯s clothes was this dress, which seemed trapped in a cage, so little and so cute!

    Mo Lan followed her and asked surprisedly, ¡°Miss, why is there a dress for women in Sir Bai¡¯s ce?¡±

    Maybe it¡¯s for someone of his, or he had some other intention... These all had nothing to do with her. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to know about that. Now that she couldn¡¯t get out, she had to borrow the dress in his container.

    When she was dressed in the clothes with Mo Lan¡¯s assistance, she realized that the dress was new and suited her so well as if it were tailored for her.

    Mo Lan seemed to have realized something too. Her face turned pale, and she carefully ttened the dress for her, ¡°Miss, this dress suits you so well!¡±

    Mo Xuetong frowned. After she got dressed, she sat down, ¡°When we¡¯re back, I¡¯ll get changed and you¡¯ll send the dress back. Don¡¯t give it to anyone else.¡±

    Mo Lan instantly understood her meaning. ¡°Yes.¡±

    After they cleaned up, Mo Xuetong led Mo Lan out. They passed by a middle-sized garden. Following the sound of the Qin, they arrived at Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin House.

    In the Qin House, Bai Yihao¡¯s hands didn¡¯t even lift. His long fingers just touched the strings and the sound was like a stream on a hill or clouds in the sky, which was extremely natural and free.

    Mo Xuetong stood at the door for a while, then she left Mo Lan outside and calmly walked in.

 Chapter 208 - Thrilled, They Got Assaulted by the Stream

    <h4>Chapter 208 Thrilled, They Got Assaulted by the Stream</h4>

    There were about a dozen of misses in the room and in front of each of them was a Qin. But few of them paid attention to the Qin. Most of them just obsessively looked at Bai Yihao¡¯s charming and attractive face with flushed faces. And several of them looked at his long fingers...

    Mo Xuetong looked and saw an empty seat at her left rear. She quietly turned around and sat there.

    There was a stove burning in the room, so it was quite warm. There was a thick cotton cushion in front of all of them. In front of the cushion was a Qin, and there was an incense by the side, whose scent spread slowly and smelled refreshing.

    Mo Xuetong seated herself on the cotton cushion and impatiently reached out to push the Qin which was too close to her. She couldn¡¯t possibly y in such a close distance. However, of course, most of them didn¡¯te to learn the Qin.

    She suddenly felt someone had noticed her. When she lifted her head, she saw those pure eyes looking at her through the crowd. He tilted his head and seemed to be smiling. It was Bai Yihao who was looking at her with interests. Then she silently held back her hand, dropped her eyshes and head, and put away all the thoughts in her mind to pretend to be a normal miss. She didn¡¯t want to be noticed and envied by someone!

    By the time Bai Yihao finished ying, several misses showed their Qin skills. Even Fifth Princess yed a song. All of the pieces sounded melodious. Though she didn¡¯t have Bai Yihao¡¯s techniques, her skills at Qin were pretty good. Thus several misses allplimented them. It was then that Mo Xuetong realized Wang Xiuxiu was also there.

    She was sitting at the main position with Fifth Princess and she was the daughter of Grand Secretariat. She was kind to others and won many people¡¯s favor. When watching other misses¡¯ performances, she whispered and smiled to those around her. And when her eyes met Mo Xuetong¡¯s, she would kindly smile to her as greetings to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong also responded with a smile as if she didn¡¯t remember she was among those misses who were trying to evade from her by the door of the yard just a moment ago. She was still wearing that light pink dress. Some things were specially intended. However, she just didn¡¯t know one thing. She was just a daughter of a third-grade official, but why did the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter pay so much attention to her so as to especially make a flower hairpin? Then, the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter asked Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin to bring Mo Xuetong to their gathering.

    Mo Xuetong stood up when another miss proudly unted her skills. She was the closest to the door and wouldn¡¯t catch anyone¡¯s attention if she quietly left. Everyone¡¯s focus was on Bai Yihao, and no one would notice that someone was missing. Since she was here and listened to the Qin, she had obeyed her father¡¯s words. She felt it unnecessary to stay here anymore.

    Among such a big group of misses, only a few of them really wanted to learn the Qin. She didn¡¯t want to learn the Qin or be obsessed with Bai Yihao like them. Therefore, she was really not interested in this lecture. Now that she was out on such a fine day, it would be depressing to waste it here.

    Qinglin Academy could live up to its name as a famous academy. In the crooked corridors were ssrooms. Mo Xuetong was bored and looked at them along the way. The school hadn¡¯t started so there was no one else in the academy. It felt kind of peaceful to step on the leaves on the ground.

    Out of some interests, she breathed in cold air and a smile appeared by her lips. When there was no one framing her, even the air was free.

    Mo Lan made a big fuss. ¡°Miss, you see, there are some fish here and they are colorful.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around to find the ce Mo Lan stood was a quiet stream which was shining with warm sunshine. She even saw some colorful fishes at the bottom of the stream which were swimming and looked very cute.

    Mo Xuetong said smilingly, ¡°Where do the fishe from? They are so beautiful!¡± She looked over and saw the fish swimming freely. She was envious of them and subconsciously reached out for the fish in the water. However, she didn¡¯t expect the water was icy. When her hand reached in, she couldn¡¯t help uttering. ¡°Ouch¡± and hurriedly took her hand back.

    When she looked again, her white hand was frozen to bepletely red.

    There came a bright voice. ¡°These are icy fish which are from the coldest ce and can swim freely under the ice. But a person¡¯s hands can¡¯t bepared to the icy fish.¡±

    This ce was quiet and the sudden voice interrupted the quietness. Mo Xuetong covered her hand with the handkerchief and turned around. Then she saw Bai Yihaoing to her slowly with his hands behind her back. She firstly saw his white robe which was different from others¡¯ wide robes. The sleeves were embroidered with golden dragons, which added honor to his mor.

    His beautiful face, along with his bright dark eyes which shed, had made himself an attraction like a celestial being or a moon!

    No matter where he was, Bai Yihao was always a spokesperson for elegance and beauty. Though he was a bit casual, no one could ignore his presence.

    Only Feng Yuran¡¯s wicked charm couldpare to this mor!

    Mo Xuetong thought with hostility how he could be here. Surrounded by so many beauties, he managed to get out, which required determination.

    Mo Xuetong rarely asked disrespectfully, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Sir Bai teaching Qin at the room, but hase to this quiet ce!¡± Her voice sounded a little capricious and defiant. It wasn¡¯t in the room and she wasn¡¯t indecently dressed. So she didn¡¯t have to agree to everything he said.

    Bai Yihao had great demeanor. He raised his lips and rolled his eyes, which seemed very appealing, ¡°The teaching of Qin only needs one performance, and the rest of learning depends on the students themselves. If I have to teach everything by myself, I¡¯ll be exhausted.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lifted her head and shook her head. She looked at Bai Yihao with regrets and said, ¡°Just one performance. The teacher is sozy, then how can the students finish the learning! It seems that it¡¯s impossible to learn the Qin.¡±

    These words made Bai Yihao smiled and he said, ¡°Since so, I have to get the one who cuts ss back. As a teacher, I can¡¯t let my student get out of the ss.¡±

    He was pushing the fault back onto her!

    Mo Xuetong nodded with a smile by her lips, which seemed more charming. She lightly wrinkled her delicate nose. ¡°That is so interesting. I didn¡¯t see any student getting out. Maybe the teacher made a mistake.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to take the Qin ss in the first ce. She didn¡¯t think herself wasn¡¯t good enough at ying the Qin orcking the dreamlike feeling in Bai Yihao¡¯s performance. She just thought her skills had her own characteristics. If her father hadn¡¯t told her how hard ying the Qin was over and over again, Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t havee here to learn today.

    It wasn¡¯t a Qin gathering, and it was not the sound of Qin that spread in the air but girls¡¯ affection, which almost buried everyone inside those pink heart-shaped bubbles. She really didn¡¯t want to see this and would rather sneak out to see the icy fish in the stream.

    Bai Yihao stood across from her. His voice contained a hint of a smile, which sounded like a spring breeze. ¡°I haven¡¯t made a mistake, but the student is too naughty and gets out to y with the little fish when the ss isn¡¯t over. The student isn¡¯t behaving. It was said that there were five different levels in the world, which were the heaven, the ground, the teachers, the husband, and rtives. I wonder which level you will put me in.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and naturally started to refute. ¡°If the teacher can¡¯t behave himself, then the student doesn¡¯t have to mind him. Besides, it¡¯s not decided whether I¡¯m your student or not. I couldn¡¯t have be your student just for listening to a song.¡± When she lifted her head and saw the gentle smile by the handsome man¡¯s lips, she realized she was too presumptuous today!

    Bai Yihao looked at her with a good temper and smiled, ¡°A song is definitely nothing important, but if I put my mind into it...¡±

    These words were too ambiguous and Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed. She stepped back and avoided his smiling eyes. Then she just firmly closed her tender lips and lowered her eyes andshes to cover up the nervousness at the bottom of her heart.

    She had just argued with Bai Yihao. She didn¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she was threatened in the room and got upset or the quietness in the garden that made people let down their guard.

    She hid her thoughts and lifted her head up when her face was filled with a trace of coldness. Her bright watery eyes were cold like two dark pure streams. Then she just politely smiled to Bai Yihao, ¡°Sir Bai, I¡¯m sorry to have offended you. But my father told me that there would be something at home today, so it¡¯s inconvenient for me to stay. I have to bid farewell to Sir Bai!¡±

    Then she gently bowed.

    There was an upper arch beside Bai Yihao¡¯s lips which was different from the tenderness he used to show and made people believe that he was in good mood, ¡°Did anything happen in your home? Do you need any help?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was nk. She never expected Bai Yihao to be such a curious person. That lifted handsome face was filled with intentional naughtiness as if he said that to embarrass her on purpose. Those emotions registering on that wless face was even kind of cute.

    Mo Xuetong was scared by this thought. Thinking that he would be an emperor who was so ruthless, but then he was cute in her eyes, she felt herself possessed and losing her mind. Indeed, a handsome face could win others¡¯ favor.

    Then she remembered that now that Bai Yihao was out for so long, those misses wouldn¡¯t continue practicing the Qin. Fifth Princess had only suspected her and then had tortured her so much in front of others. If she was seen chatting with Bai Yihao in such a quiet ce, she would be the enemy of the entire Qin ss.

    The more she thought about it, the more anxious Mo Xuetong got about her staying. She politely bade her farewell. ¡°Thank you, Sir Bai. There are only some trifles at home and are no big deal. It¡¯s just that there is no one to manage the back yard, so I have to go home early.¡±

    She didn¡¯t need Bai Yihao or the consequences he would bring along!

    At the time, a ck figure came from behind her and reached her very quickly. The sharp dagger shone beside her cheek as if it were right in front of her. Mo Lan screamed and reached for her. However, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have the time to react. When she wanted to move, a huge force hit her back and made her trip. She suddenly lost bnce and directly fell towards the stream.

    In front of her eyes were the shadows of trees which were heading down. Under her body were cold water and stones. If she fell, she would definitely break her head and die.

    Mo Xuetong subconsciously reached out her hand and covered her head. But her rapidly falling body was caught by someone. She leaned back and fell into a warm powerful embrace.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡± By her ears was still Bai Yihao¡¯s clear voice. His hand was on her waist and he carried her up with him. His long fingers held her slender waist while the other hand pointed to a man in ck. He easily flipped something onto the man¡¯s hand, and then the dagger in the man¡¯s hand fell down with a ¡°ng¡±.

 Chapter 209 - Doubtfully, Talking About the Past While Curing the Wound

    <h4>Chapter 209 Doubtfully, Talking About the Past While Curing the Wound</h4>

    The man in ck nimbly reacted. On his one hand, the dagger fell down. In his other hand, another cold light rushed to Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Bai Yihao waved his long robe and blocked it for her, and then blood sshed. He slightly groaned and fell on the ground while holding Mo Xuetong. On the other side, another man in ck clothes appeared, but his face wasn¡¯t covered. He was dressed as a guard and rushed to the man in ck.

    The two of them fought.

    The minute they fell on the ground, Mo Xuetong hurriedly got out of his arms and held his hand to ask, ¡°How are you?¡±

    On the sleeve of the robe was an arrow which was not too long. The blood reddened his white robe.

    Bai Yihao slightly smiled and one wouldn¡¯t notice his pale face if not looking at him carefully. ¡°I¡¯m fine. That¡¯s nothing. You should go back now!¡±

    He got wounded because he tried to protect her from the arrow, or it would be easy for him to evade with his kung fu.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know how she had such strength. She just tore his sleeve apart and saw the arrow on his wrist. Mo Xuetong bit her teeth and seated him on a stone. She took out her handkerchief and fastened it on his arm. Although she had only read the medical books by herself, she knew she had to pull the arrow out first to stop the bleeding.

    Bai Yihao stopped her with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my room, where there is medicine.¡± Though his face was pale, he looked pure and noble as a jade.

    When the arrowed was pulled out, the wound should be treated with medicine. Mo Xuetong thought that since Bai Yihao had such excellent medical skills, he definitely had good medicine to cure the wound. Therefore, she didn¡¯t hesitate and held Bai Yihao in the direction as he pointed. Behind them, Mo Lan nervously followed and didn¡¯t dare to stop for a second.

    This road was different from the one she had taken before. It didn¡¯t take her much time to get to Bai Yihao¡¯s house.

    Mo Lan went to get water. Mo Xuetong bit her lips and held the arrow end with her trembling fingers, then she slightly lifted her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll pull it out now. Can you bear the pain?¡± The wound caused by the arrow was deep, so even though she covered her arm with the handkerchief, it wouldn¡¯t stop the blood from oozing out. The blood flew onto his white clothes through his arm.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s other long arm reached over and steadilynded on her trembling hand. Then he gently smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re afraid, I can do it myself.¡± His light smile was truly unpleasing as if he was looking down on her.

    Mo Xuetong red at him and got rid of his hand. Then she held the arrow in his arm and pulled it out with much strength.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s voice was extremely gentle. ¡°You should look away in case the blood spills on you.¡±

    He was right, and Mo Xuetong slightly twisted her head. Then her hand quickly held onto the arrow and pulled it out. By the time, Mo Lan had already returned with the water and covered the wound with the handkerchief. Mo Xuetong threw away the arrow and took the tissue. Later, she attentively and softly wiped off the bloodstains and sprinkled the medical powders which had been prepared.

    Even if Mo Xuetong was brave in this second life, she was terrified by that badly mutted wound. She carefully wrapped it with a white cloth in case she hurt him. There was sweat on her forehead, and a blush emerged on her little white face. Her childish watery eyes were kind of vague, and her long ckshes fluttered from time to time. Her little pink lips shone like a juicy peach and were truly tempting.

    Such a pretty face was apanied by such a serious attitude and a careful appearance. Bai Yihao suddenly felt he was hit somewhere in his heart and took the handkerchief by the side to wipe off the sweat on her forehead. The smile by his lips was still gentle and warm.

    His behavior truly scared Mo Xuetong. She lifted her watery eyes which had been lost in nkness and hesitantly looked at him. Suddenly, her longshes shivered, and she lowered her eyes and her head again to wrap the wound for him. It could be seen from her pouted lips that she felt a little ufortable.

    A gentle smile appeared on his handsome face again.

    There was no one talking in the room and Mo Lan went out to wash the blood-stained on her sleeve. The wind blew by the window and howled. By the window was the deste sound of the wind, which highlit the peace and warmth inside. Almost subconsciously, Mo Xuetong ufortably stood up after wrapping his wrist.

    Back on her feet, Mo Xuetong gently bowed again. ¡°Thank Sir Bai for saving my life.¡± Moments ago, she saw it clearly that the arrowed was aimed at her, but he quickly lifted up and took the hit for her.

    ¡°There is no need to be so polite. You were involved because of me. It¡¯ll be lucky for me if you won¡¯t me me.¡± Bai Yihao smiled peacefully and tore down the sleeves which had been torn apart by Mo Xuetong. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have such strength. I thought it was a maid who was used to doing heavy chores!¡±

    He casually tore down a strip and tossed it on the ground.

    Mo Xuetong stood still and couldn¡¯t help looking at that blood-stained strip. Nobody would know it was once a part of his superb clothes! She was really worried then and even dared to tear his sleeve apart. Mo Xuetong was a little timid and annoyed.

    It was really annoying. She was in a hurry.

    She answered angrily while she depressedly red at him. ¡°Sir Bai is so delicate and certainly can¡¯t bepared to a suburban girl like me. If Sir Bai really gets wounded because of me, I¡¯ll be guilty for my entire life and do some heavy chores to expiate for my guilt.¡±

    She didn¡¯t know which of these words pleased him, but he suddenly started to smile and picked a cup of tea on the table. He took a dip in an extremely elegant gesture. He narrowed his dark eyes. Then they lit up and he meaningfully looked at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Your mother was the legitimate daughter of Fu General. How would she marry your father?¡±

    The question was so abrupt that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t catch up with him right away. She blinked her watery eyes and looked at him. She didn¡¯t understand why he suddenly came up with this while it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

    Mo Xuetong replied coldly. ¡°My mother marrying my father was definitely arranged. As for the other things, I don¡¯t know about it.¡± The coldness appeared in her eyes again, and grimness filled her face.

    Bai Yihao smiled naturally, ¡°I have an aunt who has disappeared for almost thirty years. When she was gone, I was about one year old. My mother told me to look for her, but I haven¡¯t even though I¡¯ve been in Great Qin for so many years. Today I suddenly remembered your mother seemed to be of the same age as my aunt and wanted to have a try.¡± He used his uninjured hand to pour a cup of tea for Mo Xuetong and brought it to her.

    Bai Yihao still smiled gently but it somehow let Mo Xuetong realize the loneliness in his words, ¡°This tea is from the Qin Kingdom which is my mother¡¯s favorite. Every time she drinks this kind of tea, she¡¯ll tell me about the two missing aunts and shed tears.¡±

    His mother was the Princess Royal Yunruo in the Qin Kingdom who was the powerful Empress in the Yan Kingdom? She should be having the greatest power. And why was there sadness and loneliness at the bottom of his eyes when he mentioned his mother? Besides Princess Royal Yunruo definitely had sisters, but she never heard about a missing princess. Moreover, Princess Royal Yunruo was the legitimate daughter of the Empress Dowager and surely had no blood sisters.

    The Empress Dowager only had a daughter, who was Princess Royal Yunruo, and a son, who was King Ning. Princess Royal married far away and King Ning died young. Therefore, she didn¡¯t have any blood sister. Bai Yihao¡¯s words were truly strange.

    ¡°How did your aunt disappear? Why didn¡¯t I ever hear of it?¡± She took the tea over and tasted it. It was quite different from those she used to drank and was tastier. Maybe it was a present from the pce. She thought and understood it. Princess Royal Yunruo grew up in the pce and was used to the presents in the pce which were definitely different from those she drank.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s face was tender. He slightly lifted his eyebrows and his eyes became cold. ¡°There are things which can¡¯t be learned from the rumors in the pce. It can be true when the rumors certify it to be false and it can be false when the rumors certify it to be true. If the two aunts were still alive, one of them should be thirty-one years old while the other should be thirty-three years old.¡±

    They were both around thirty and both disappeared thirty years ago. What happened in the royal pce thirty years ago? Mo Xuetong really couldn¡¯t recall it. She just knew that the famous King Jin¡¯s rebellion also happened about thirty years ago. Maybe princesses were stolen out of the imperial pce then? It was a huge deal which hadn¡¯t been mentioned for so many years. It was clearly hidden on purpose.

    Indeed, it was kind of a scandal in a royal family and the emperor would definitely hide the truth. But she didn¡¯t expect Princess Royal Yunruo to be so loving and sympathetic, which surely aroused Mo Xuetong¡¯s suspicion. In herst life, she heard that Princess Royal Yunruo was locked by this gentle crown prince without any good reason.

    Looking at how affectionate he was to his mother, she felt it unbelievable that Bai Yihao was the one who locked his mother up for the rest of her life.

    Pausing for a while, Mo Xuetong somehow continued, ¡°Thirty years have passed, and they might have their own children and live a happy life. It may not be happy to be born in a royal family. You should tell your mother to stop worrying about that. One just can¡¯t force things to happen.¡±

    It reminded her that in herst life when she married Sima Lingyun. She thought she had married a good husband and had nothing to worry about. But she was stepping into a deathly trap. After the concubines¡¯ constant provocation and persecution... Atst, she was framed to death by Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun! Life was like this in a wealthy and respected family. It would be even worse in this imperial pce, and it wasn¡¯t necessarily happy to be wealthy and exalted!

    Bai Yihao didn¡¯t look at her. He just picked up the teapot himself and elegantly poured for her and himself. The sunshine slipped in from the window andnded on his handsome face. It made both his fine hair and gentle smile on his face clear to her.

    Mo Xuetong subconsciously lowered her eyes!

    She didn¡¯t know when he left the Qin Kingdom. Nevertheless, she knew that in herst life, he took major actions when he arrived at the Yan Kingdom. At first, he locked the empress and the harem. Then he chased after the first prince in the Yan Kingdom who killed his own father. He crushed the entire army controlled by the first prince which imed to contain millions of soldiers by the Yu River by the Yan Kingdom. It was said that the blood reddened the whole surface of Yu River. After a long time, the water there still stank of blood.

    Then it shocked all that he killed and buried a hundred thousand surrendered captives in the pit. At that time he had the grand fame of a cold-blooded emperor!

    All the things about him became extremely mysterious...

    However, in this life, he was sitting across to her and got hurt for her. Whatever it was, it made Mo Xuetongpletely confused. Maybe things had changed in her second life. She thought about that in mind and frowned. If so, would Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun end up together...

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, it¡¯ste and you should go back now.¡± Bai Yihao lifted his head and his handsome face seemed natural and the free conversation between them seemed to have never happened. He turned around to look at Mo Xuetong and his smile was light and indifferent. ¡°When the ss officially starts, I¡¯ll send an invitation to Mo Manor.¡±

    He was urging her to leave?

    Mo Xuetong was surprised and then smiled, relieved. It would be best if there was no connection between them. Then she smiled at Bai Yihao, ¡°I¡¯lle if you tell me. Thank you for saving my life today, Sir Bai.¡± When she finished her words, she just turned around and gently left before Bai Yihao could say something.

    Their staying together was truly improper. If someone from the Qin House came over and saw how she stayed with Bai Yihao in the same room alone, her reputation would be totally ruined! She just couldn¡¯t ask to leave when Bai Yihao was hurt. He risked his life to save her while she was only thinking about her reputation. It was quite cruel.

    It was lucky that Bai Yihao didn¡¯t like her, either. She wondered if he was annoyed by her words! It should be true. A determined ruthless emperor wouldn¡¯t like the opinions offered by a little girl! It was good for her and she would find another chance to pay back for his saving her life!

    She didn¡¯t notice the gentle smile emerging in Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes because she left without hesitation. There was a smile by his lips. ¡°She¡¯s really a wise girl...¡±

 Chapter 210 - Bookstore, Transcribing a Book on Medicine

    <strong>Chapter 210 Bookstore, Transcribing a Book on Medicine</strong>

    Mo Xuetong returned to the manor at noon and found Mo Huawen actually not in.

    After Mo Huawen settled on his marriage with Xu Yan, the wedding between the two should already be a cut¨Cand¨Cdried decision. Though the Mo Manor hadn¡¯t started to send betrothal gifts, servants at the residence all started to gossip about Old Sir¡¯s getting a new wife. Though not knowing who she was, they were sure she would marry into this family soon, judging by Old Sir¡¯s preparing bridewealth.

    After that incident involving Lan Xinru, Old Madam had utterly taken a backseat to Mo Huawen on his marriage. They had dismissed the male servant, while Lan Xinru was gone. Mo Xuetong never believed that Lan Xinru had beat it after that. Mo Feng had asked around and learned that Lan Xinru was living in a rented apartment near the east gate of the town.

    She had rented it for half of a year. It looked like she nned to stay at the capital for long!

    How could she go home before shended a rich husband! Only, she didn¡¯t have the face to step into Mo Manor again.

    After that thing involving Mo Xueqiong happened, Mo Huawen had Mo Xuetong help the butler. Mo Xuetong had entrusted most of the manor¡¯s affairs to Nanny Ming and Mother Xu. While attending to matters together, the two concubines had to focus on Mo Xuetong. Thus, with the help of Nanny Ming and Mother Xu, Mo Xuetong learned fast.

    However, even under this circumstance, she would only inquire about things when in need. After all, in the future, Xu Yan would be the one who made decisions in the manor. When Xu Yan married into this family, Mo Xuetong would hand the job of the butler to her. Now, she only needed to act as a surrogate, and she had been a butler for some time in herst life.

    Back then, the duchess said she was in poor health and let Mo Xuetong do the job of a butler. At that time, Mo Xuetong was touched, thinking the duchess really treated her as a daughter-inw. Nevertheless, only when she took over things did she discover the manor¡¯s financial imbnce. Therefore, in fear of the duchess picking on her, Mo Xuetong used her dowry to make up the gap.

    Later, with the help of his grandfather and father, Sima Lingyun slowly established his career and gained a fortune. Then, the duchess removed Mo Xuetong from the butler position and said Mo Xuetong needed to nourish herself to have a healthy baby and make Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor flourish.

    Remembering it now, she realized she was merely being used. In the entire Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, from masters to servants, not a single one acknowledged her to be His Excellency¡¯s wife. Finally, when she couldn¡¯t be used anymore, she could only end up in a miserable situation.

    Thinking of that, her eyes turned cold.

    Mo Lan stepped in to ask, ¡°Miss, Nanny Ming just came. She said the workers wouldplete the shrine over there soon and there was still arge space beside it. Should we build a few more side rooms like before, for storage?¡±

    After the old shrine went up in mes, the ce was covered in ashes. Then, Mo Huawen had people build arger one at the same ce. After all, he now was a third-grade official. With his status, he had the right to build arger building.

    Before, five to six side rooms stood next to the old shrine. They also vanished in the fire. Mo Huawen only mentioned the shrine and nothing else. Therefore, arge empty space was left. Even the trees were burned down in the fire, thus the desertednd looked really bleak. That was the reason why Nanny Ming especially reported this to Mo Xuetong.

    After consideration, Mo Xuetong said, ¡°Tell Nanny Ming to build a few side rooms, not too many, and we need trees there. Tell her to act quickly. Soon, if Father marries a new wife, we¡¯ll worship Mother in the shrine. I don¡¯t want it to bete.¡±

    ...

    In Great Qin, it was the custom for the new wife to pay tribute to the original main wife. Unlike the original wife, the new wife¡¯s premarital ceremonial routine didn¡¯t take a year or so. Additionally, Mo Mano¡¯s current state wouldn¡¯t allow a time-consuming one. Mo Xuetong estimated that after January, Father would officially propose marriage to Fu General Manor.

    When she married into Mo Manor, she needed to worship the ancestors in the shrine. Though it wouldn¡¯t take long to build a few side rooms, the workers till needed to paint the rooms. After the whitewash got dry, more days would have already passed.

    Mo Lan hesitantly said, ¡°Nanny Ming said it was a littlete now for side rooms. So they might need to work at night and afraid that they would disturb you. And, it would affect the two misses living nearby too.¡±

    Hearing her, Mo Xuetong realized that the shrine sat close to the back door, while the other side of it adjoined her Qingwei Garden. The building sat really close. Originally, Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin lived away from the shrine. Now, Mo Huawen moved them to a remote house, which was in the range of the shrine area. If the construction continued at night, it would affect them.

    Mo Xuetong said after considering, ¡°Let Nanny Ming tell First Miss and Fourth Miss that Father wants to build the shrine faster. There might be noises and outsidersing in and out. Make sure they mind their own people in the yard.¡± Not only the noise, but also the servantsing in and out of the back yard would be troublesome. If she didn¡¯t remind them earlier, she would be to me should anything happen.

    Mo Lan answered and left. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell Nanny Ming right away.¡±

    After lunch, Mother Xu¡¯s maid went to her. Yesterday, Old Sir wanted new cloth for making clothing for the servants since it was already a new year. The maid asked Mo Xuetong how to choose cloth.

    Father didn¡¯t return yet, and she didn¡¯t get to inquire him. Thinking that she would be free in the afternoon, Mo Xuetong had Mo Yu tell Mother Xu that she would be out today. She would buy cloth and send it to the manor. The sewing maids should first take servants¡¯ measurements.

    Mo Lan stayed in the manor to run affairs for Mo Xuetong, while she bought Mo Ye and Mo Yu to the market.

    After they moved to the capital, Mo Xuetong barely went outside the manor or went out alone. This time, she brought only two maids, Mo Yu and Mo Ye. The two¡¯s eyes lit up after hearing that and then stormed into the carriage with glowing faces.

    Though inly-decorated inside, Mo Manor¡¯s carriage was indeed very spacious and cozy. Seats were heavily-padded, and there was a small charcoal brazier in the center, where charcoal was burning brightly. Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong sit down and smiled. ¡°Miss, where do we go first?¡±

    Mo Xuetong randomly picked up a book by her side, flipped through the pages, and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Premium Garments. I heard their cloth suited almost everyone. We should be able to pick satisfying cloth.¡±

    Mo Ye told the driver the destination, and then the carriage smoothly drove long.

    Mo Yu admiringly looked at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Miss is really amazing. You actually know Premium Garments. I heard many rich families bought cloth for their servants there.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled in reply, but it was a sneer that appeared on her face.

    How wouldn¡¯t she know? In herst life, she bought cloth for all the servants in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Nevertheless, she paid the fee herself. One time, when it was also during the new year, she really couldn¡¯t pay the bill, so she intended to visit the duchess with the receipt. However, before she made it to the duchess¡¯s yard, Nanny Tian said the duchess was feeling unwell and she shouldn¡¯t pay a visit now.

    For the next five or six days, the duchess never showed up. Premium Garments sent bills to her again and again. There was no other way, so she sold one of her shops off cheaply to scrounge enough money to pay the bill. Just on the very day, the duchess recovered.

    She fell ill in time and also recovered timely!

    She could only me herself for not noticing the coincidence!

    As expected, Premium Garments sold many kinds of cloth. On both floors, there was in cloth that suited themon people. That being said, the tailoring was nice. Mo Xuetong picked a few pieces and paid on the spot. After having Premium Garments¡¯ people send the cloth to the manor, she led Mo Ye and Mo Lan to the nearby bookstore.

    In the morning, she found a fascinating book on medicine at Bai Yihao¡¯s ce. The book contained not only the use of herbs, but also herbs¡¯ appearances and origins. Mo Xuetong was self-taught in medicine. In herst life, she didn¡¯t master it. In this life, though she used every minute of her spare time to study, she still didn¡¯t have anyone to coach her. Should there be such a detailed book on medicine, it would be best.

    Their carriage halted at the nearest turn of the bookstore. Mo Xuetong put on the cap and went off with Mo Yu and Mo Ye.

    It was not crowded in the bookstore. This bookstore mainly sold medically oriented references. asionally, they would sell a fewtest story-teller¡¯s scripts and books on various subjects. Maybe it was due to the holiday, people were all having fun on the street.

    Mo Xuetong searched in the medical category shelf for long, finally, she found a one simr to Bai Yihao¡¯s. Though dog-eared, it was readable.

    The shopkeeper was an elder in his fifties and looked schrly. Seeing Mo Xuetong holding this book, he apologetically said, ¡°Young miss, someone has booked this one. Would you please pick another one?¡±

    ¡°Howe? Why is it still here if it¡¯s already sold? Aren¡¯t you tricking your customers into the store?¡± Mo Yu was upset. Her miss had searched for long, she must have liked the book very much.

    The shopkeeper exined. ¡°Because it¡¯s really rare. The buyer booked it and hasn¡¯t fetched it, and several doctors even want to transcribe it. Just now, one was copying it here. Maybe he had something to attend to; he hurried out in the middle of the transcription, so the book is left on the shelf.¡±

    Mo Ye was standing by the side and then he said, ¡°Shopkeeper, how about we triple the price?¡±

    The shopkeeper didn¡¯t seem to surrender. ¡°I really can¡¯t sell it to you. They have already bought the book, and I can¡¯t cancel the order! I won¡¯t sell you even with a tenfold price.¡±

    Hearing them arguing fiercely, Mo Xuetong turned back and gently asked, ¡°Shopkeeper, can people transcribe the book? If it¡¯s convenient for you, can I copy it now?¡±

    The shopkeeper was reasonable, but the buyer was capricious and always blew hot and cold on things. He didn¡¯t know when the buyer would take the book away. ¡°Of course it¡¯s convenient for me if you want to copy it. I don¡¯t know when the buyer picks it up. I¡¯m afraid if hees early, you might fail to finish your transcription.¡±

    Mo Xuetong already sat down by the window. Mo Yu helped her spread the paper and ced the paperweight. ¡°I¡¯m already very thankful since you let me copy it. It doesn¡¯t matter if I finish it or not. Part of the book can also do.¡± In the meanwhile, Mo Ye started to grind the ink for her miss. Seeing this female customer so determined, the shopkeeper refrained from saying anything more and let one of his shop assistants serve the tea.

    Time was ticking away, but Mo Xuetong still sat before the desk, transcribing the book for nearly four hours. Because she didn¡¯t know when the buyer would fetch the book, she only selected pages she deemed useful to her. She even drew some rare herbs. Before, because of her disfigured her face, she spent all of her time painting and ying the Qin.

 Chapter 211 - Motherâ€™s Old Servant, Unexpected Meeting with He Xia By the Carriage

    <h4>Chapter 211 Mother¡¯s Old Servant, Unexpected Meeting with He Xia By the Carriage</h4>

    The sun set early in winter. Now, the sun already hung low in the sky, and the red clouds spread the glowing hue over the sky.

    Against the red clouds, her in clothes seemed to be shrouded in pink color. Between her transcription, a perfect smile appeared on her delicate face. She fluttered her slightly curled eyshes, and slightly opened her cherry red mouth. Her skin was as tender and bright as snow. In the glowing lights, she looked even more beautiful.

    This was what Feng Yuran saw when he stepped in!

    Slowly turning the pages, the girl fixed her crystal clear eyes on them from time to time. She looked so absorbed and mild, the pink color on her clothes was so ethereal.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, what brought you here?¡± Feng Yuran was a little dazed and walked over to ask.

    Mo Xuetong also looked startled, because she didn¡¯t expect to see him here.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness!¡± She rose to bow low to Feng Yuran. It didn¡¯t matter if she was surprised or not, she had to act ritually.

    Feng Yuran nced at the book which Mo Xuetong was transcribing. He frowned and asked in doubt. ¡°Please rise, Third Miss Mo. Copying pages? Why? Just buy it!¡±

    Mo Xuetong exined with a smile. ¡°This book is already taken. Someone bought it and hasn¡¯t picked it up yet.¡±

    Feng Yuran didn¡¯t think it would make much of a difference. It was just a medicine book. Mo Xuetong seemed a little tired, she must have been copying it for too long. Thus, his eyes turned cold and face fell. ¡°Who bought it? Just buy it at a higher price.¡±

    By Feng Yuran¡¯s side, the shopkeeper had been standing with an apologetic smile. Hearing Feng Yuran¡¯s words, he hurried to answer, ¡°Your Highness, you bought the book and left it here...¡±

    Feng Yuran was in a daze. ¡°I bought it? Oh, that book.¡± Then, he remembered. He had a light smile on his lips. He reached out to close the book and pushed it before Mo Xuetong. ¡°Last time I found you liked medicine books so I booked one here. I was just going to gift it to you some time, didn¡¯t expect you found it in advance.¡±

    Did he intend to give this book to her? Biting her lips, she somewhat blushed at the sight of hisnguid and wicked grin.

    She coughed lightly. Initially, she wanted to turn down his offer, but she was really content with the book. Just now, when she was copying down the words, she found most of the herbs recorded relevant to her daily life. If she had one, she would greatly benefit from it. Anyway, she had owed a lot to him. Therefore, after consideration, she decided to stand on no ceremony and curtsied. ¡°Thank Your Highness.¡±

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong agreed, Mo Yu and Mo Ye timely collected the papers and ink on the desk. They folded her unfinished transcription papers and booklets and gathered them.

    Mo Xuetong had been copying in a small single room. Sometimes, customers would read here, thus it was very quiet. The royal guards withdrew outside the room and were blocking the only exit. Mo Yu and Mo Ye hesitated a little and walked there as well. Therefore, in a small ce like a booth, only two remained.

    Mo Xuetong was feeling a little ufortable and was going to leave.

    However, Feng Yuran spoke, slightly irritated. ¡°Why did you attend that Qin gathering? Why did youe to that ce? Did someone bully you?¡±

    He must be talking about the matter concerning Fifth Princess. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t find it surprising at all that Feng Yuran knew about the thing that had just happened. The more she got to know him, the more profound she deemed him to be. If he wanted to, he would naturally know this kind of stuff.

    Mo Xuetong smiled as if she didn¡¯t care about it. At that time, indeed, she felt wronged and sad. Later, when she thought about it, she realized it really wasn¡¯t a big deal to bow and kneel before the princess. Only, it happened at the wrong ce.

    That ce was so cold and the floor was damp. The moment she knelt down, her hand and feet turned cold!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s narrow phoenix eyes shed withplex emotion. He sounded unpleasant but involuntarily curled his lips. ¡°You should kneel before the princess, but why haven¡¯t you kneel for me? Am I, a prince, inferior to a princess?¡±

    He eagerly looked at her with expectation in his eyes, like a kid asking for candies. Mo Xuetong involuntarily red at him, saying, ¡°Does Your Highness want me to kneel before you now?¡±

    She was now pouting her red lips, ncing at Feng Yuran with a pair of watery eyes. Her expression seemed to say that if Feng Yuran dared to bring it up, she would readily do it regardless of everything. ¡°The royal kids are really demanding. All of them enjoy bullying people. One made me kneel on the granite pavement despite the chilling winter weather; while the other required me to kneel just because I haven¡¯t done it in front of him before.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an honest kid and down-to-earth, and now, she looks so angry, wronged, and upset.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯splicated expression, Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t help feeling light-hearted so he chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯ll be too much for me. Don¡¯t go to that Qin party next time, and then you won¡¯t have to run into Fifth Princess. She¡¯s been rude since a child. Shecks proper manners.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, she won¡¯t bump into Bai Yihao either. I¡¯m sure Mo Xuetong won¡¯t take a fancy to anybody else except Bai Yihao. I really can¡¯t say for sure about Bai Yihao. He¡¯s real trouble. Though I don¡¯t fear him, we¡¯ll both suffer if we confront each other. In that way, I¡¯m afraid someone else will take advantage of us.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never do something like that. And I¡¯m also sure that Bai Yihao won¡¯t let anybody else to be the oriole behind our back. I think that¡¯s why we two have been on friendly terms all this time.

    ¡°We both know we¡¯re equally capable, so why do we have to fight to let others pick up the treasure?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled. ¡°Does Her Highness fancy Sir Bai?¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect to hear Feng Yuran call people rude. Few would believe Mo Xuetong even if she spread the word out. However, in terms of being arrogant, if Feng Yuran was ranked second in the list, no one dared to im themselves the top one across the entire kingdom of Great Qin.

    Feng Yuran rolled his eyes andnguidly opened his mouth, he deliberately answered ambiguously, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say for sure about her and Bai Yihao¡¯s rtionship. Anyway, Father is always fixing those two up. But we haven¡¯t heard anything from the Yan Kingdom yet. They might want to wait until the Fifth Sister grows up and can handle things.¡±

    In fact, Bai Yihao didn¡¯t agree at all. The Yan Kingdom Empress didn¡¯t push things either, as if she wasn¡¯t so keen about having a niece as her daughter-inw. Hence, this marriage had been pending. It was the internal affairs of the Yan Kingdom royalty, thus Emperor Zongwen couldn¡¯t have pressed them. He could only hope the two could grow to admire each other in time and then restored the good rtionship between the two countries through a marriage. Therefore, though he knew Fifth Princess had been throwing herself at Bai Yihao, he just let her.

    In time, should Bai Yihao finally fall for Fifth Princess, he would naturally figure out a way to marry her; if not, Emperor Zongwen didn¡¯t think there was anything he could do to help at all.

    Well, of course, Feng Yuran wouldn¡¯t exin things clearly in that way to Mo Xuetong.

    However, Mo Xuetong swiftly detected the ambiguity in Feng Yuran¡¯s words, which made her surer of her spection. She had guessed the rtionship between Fifth Princess and Bai Yihao right. That was why Fifth Princess had been so hostile to every girl who approached Bai Yihao. Luckily, she didn¡¯t tell the princess that Bai Yihao insisted on taking her as his disciple back then. Otherwise, on that day, she would have suffered more than kneeling.

    Her bright eyes fell on Feng Yuran. She decided to leave. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not early. I¡¯ll go back.¡±

    Looking around, Mo Xuetong suddenly became uneasy. Though few people lingered at the shop, the guards were guarding the door as if they wanted to hide what was happening in the booth. She couldn¡¯t quite understand how the cautious Feng Yuran would have done such a thing.

    Seeing her blush and fidgeting in the room, Feng Yuran had a light smile on his delicate lips, so he gently reminded her. ¡°Alright, go back then. You don¡¯t have to go to that Qin party since I¡¯m also good with Qin.¡±

    However, whoever heard these words would have interpreted it in some other way.

    He was good at bragging. While mocking the man in the heart, she put on a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sure Your Highness can y the Qin well.¡±

    By now, Feng Yuran finally dropped the idea of bothering her. He waved, signaling the guards to clear the way. Mo Xuetong led Mo Yu and Mo Ye out of the bookstore. After the three getting in, the carriage slowly rode on.

    Thinking it would lift the miss¡¯s spirits, Mo Yu whispered the news she just had heard to Mo Xuetong. ¡°Miss, just now, King Xuan¡¯s guards told that in this afternoon, Her Highness fell from riding the horse and even hit her head. The pce has sent for royal doctors. They said Her Highness even had people butcher her favorite maroon pony in the heat of the moment.¡±

    Fifth Princess fell from the horse? Mo Xuetong was stunned. Somehow, Feng Yuran¡¯s charming andnguid smile crossed her mind. It had nothing to do with him, right?

    However, on second thought, she deemed it impossible. Fifth Princess was Empress¡¯s daughter, thus Feng Yuran didn¡¯t have any reason to mess with the Empress so as to cause trouble. In the end, she stopped thinking since she really couldn¡¯t figure it out. Moreover, she was a little tired from the transcription work, so she simply closed her eyes to rest.

    At that time, the carriage halted.

    Mo Ye asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The driver quickly answered, ¡°A beggar seemed to have passed out in our way.¡±

    Mo Yu lifted the curtain and looked on the floor. Indeed, a beggar passed on on the ground. They looked so dirty all over the body that Mo Yu couldn¡¯t tell how they were now.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll throw him away.¡± The driver jumped off and walked over, about to pick them up and throw them away,

    Mo Xuetong darted a look when Mo Yu lifted the curtain. Then, Mo Xuetong said mildly, took out a pouch beside her, and handed to Mo Yu. ¡°Wait, give this to them.¡±

    Mo Yu took it and knew there were some silver pieces inside. ¡°Yes, miss!¡± Then, she walked to the beggar. Covering her nose, she slightly pushed them. The beggar moved a little and revealed half of their face covered by the hair.

    At that time, Mo Yu¡¯s face changed. She was a little startled and hurried back before the carriage. She climbed into it, gasping and blurting the words, with her eyes wide open. ¡°Miss, it¡¯s He Xia!¡±

    He Xia? Mother¡¯s main maid who had gone missing long ago? Mo Xuetong sat bolt upright and urged. ¡°Have you seen her clearly?¡±

    Mo Yu looked a little pale. He Xia, why was it He Xia? Or, how did He Xia end up like this? She used to be one of the four main maids who were favored by Her Ladyship. Why would she go missing after thedy passed away? ¡°I¡¯ve seen her clearly. She¡¯s really He Xia. Back then, Her Ladyship really likes her, so I¡¯ve seen her a million times.¡±

    Mo Xuetong quickly ordered. ¡°Go get a carriage and send her into the manor through the back door. If someone asks, tell them I¡¯ve bought some extra cloth and it¡¯s not convenient to go through the front gate.¡±

    Before, when Auntie Fang was in charge, they would send the cloth through the back door;ter, when Auntie Mo took charge, they also stuck to the practice. Now, she ran the affairs and was a legal daughter in the manor. No one could suspect her doing so. However, somehow, Mo Xuetong thought she needed to keep this in a small circle.

    Mo Yu also realized how serious it was and immediately got off. ¡°Yes, miss.¡±

 Chapter 212 - Missing Jade Jewelry Case of Four Great Manors

    <strong>Chapter 212 Missing Jade Jewelry Case of Four Great Manors</strong>

    When Mo Huawen returned, Mo Xuetong had finished dinner and was tidying his study.

    Mo Huawen stepped in and saw the lights were on. Under the lights, seeing the girl in white smiling delicately, a trace of brightness shed through his eyes. Once, he used to be happy. A woman loved him wholeheartedly. However, those outside matters made them took separate ways. In the end, death tore them apart.

    Mo Xuetong put down the books in hand and warmly greeted him. ¡°Father, have you eaten? I¡¯ve had the kitchen prepare a few hot dishes, and been waiting for you.¡±

    Seeing his daughter¡¯s gentle smile, he felt tender in the heart. He reached out to stroke her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten outside, so you don¡¯t have to prepare them for me now.¡±

    Mo Xuetong protected her head and pouted, acting coyly. ¡°Father, please be careful. Don¡¯t tousle my hair. What if others see me like this?¡±

    Seeing his daughter¡¯s cute face and her affectionate innocence, totally different from the alienation feeling when she first came to the capital, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t help feeling lighthearted. Then, he involuntarily stroked her head again and teased her. ¡°Howe you can¡¯t be seen by others? My Tong¡¯er is the most beautiful girl that no one canpare.¡±

    Mo Xuetongined. ¡°Father! You¡¯ve messed up my hair!¡±

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t mind it and pulled her hand to lead her into the study. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s at night. You don¡¯t have to meet anyone. Just let it be.¡±

    Mo Xuetong angrily stomped her feet. ¡°Father!¡±

    Seeing the usual indifferent daughter like this, Mo Huawenughed.

    Mo Huawen tried to justify himself. ¡°Because your hair feels so smooth, just like satin.¡± After the joke with his daughter, he thought he finally rxed a little and also felt more lighthearted.

    Sitting before the table and opening the case scroll he carried from the court, he couldn¡¯t help sighing.

    Mo Xuetong thoughtfully cooked Longjing tea picked before Grain Rain and poured a cup of the tea for him. She stuck her head and curiously asked, ¡°Father, have you been busy with this case scroll the whole day? And that¡¯s why you came home sote?¡±

    ¡°Recently, Mingguo Manor was stolen. Not only the stuff was stolen, but a young miss was also said to be missing too. A married miss of Ding General Manor went to visit her family and ran into burrs halfway. If King Yan hadn¡¯t arrived in time, she might have been held hostage. That day, when your grandmother threw a party, a maid got killed. Yesterday, something happened in Ping General Manor. Burrs barged into their family shrine, threw the tablets all over the ce and even a family tree book went missing too.¡±

    Mo Huawen sighed and told everything in details.

    He really found it hard to solve these cases. These cases seemed not rted, but he somehow felt they were connected in some way. Especially, they were connected to Fu General Manor, and how could he not be alert? He didn¡¯t fully know the thing that happened years ago, but he knew that his wife had always cared. Back then, whey they lived in Cloud City, as long as hearing about the imperial decreed, his wife always looked startled and afraid.

    Her poor health might have something to do with that thing as well. She had never confirmed one of his spections. He didn¡¯t ask her either, but he couldn¡¯t stop doubting!

    Thinking of this, he remembered that strange matter again!

    That day, he received Luo Bin¡¯s letter, which mentioned his wife. Luo Bin asked in the letter if his wife¡¯s old jewelry still remained. Luo Bin said the old madame missed her daughter so she wanted Luo Xiao¡¯s old things as tokens. Because of the old madame¡¯s age, Luo Bin said it would be the best if he could have some jade essories, such as jade bracelet and pendant. In that way, it would not only remind the old madame of her daughter, but also improve the old madame¡¯s health.

    Though in doubt, Mo Huawen still did as Luo Bin requested. Later, he sent some of the jade bracelets and pendants Luo Xiao used to wear. Then, Luo Bin hadn¡¯t written back.

    He failed to exin this matter no matter how hard he thought. Thinking about the things in those great manors these days, he always deemed something was secretly connected.

    With Four Great Manors¡¯ great power, who could have easily shaken them without a trace? He, a newly-selected Lord Mayor, and the four manor¡¯s people were all investigating it. However, so many days had passed, and not a single clue was found.

    If someone could hide so well with his connections, then he must be someone from the royal family!

    Was it King Chu, King Yan, or the rakish King Xuan? Or, was it just...

    That idea left him restless. He even didn¡¯t know if he should work hard on it or just pretened to be working on it as long as people didn¡¯t see him cking.

    Mo Huawen considered for a moment and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, did your mother leave something special for you? Like jade bracelet or jade pendant?¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes, smiled, and said, ¡°Mother indeed had left a few jade essories for me. They are in the secret cabs in Father¡¯s old study. When I first came to the capital, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll stay... so I didn¡¯t bring them and left them there.¡±

    Except a jade bracelet she had taken, she really didn¡¯t touch anything else.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er came to the capital but didn¡¯t bring the jewelry her mother left for her. She might fear that I wouldn¡¯t ept her and sent her back to Cloud City so that she wanted to save herself a backup n!¡±

    Mo Huawen felt so sorry for her and he had to apologetically said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I won¡¯t send you away in the future again. If you should go back to Cloud City, I¡¯ll go with you too.¡±

    Mo Xuetong cutely smiled, pouted, and coyly said, ¡°Tong¡¯er doesn¡¯t want to leave Father. Father can¡¯t leave Tong¡¯er aside, otherwise, Tong¡¯er won¡¯t talk to Father again.¡±

    Seeing his young daughter acting coyly, his heart somehow twitched. He knew very clearly that even if she bore no grudge against him now, he had abandoned her before. At that time, he must have hurt her a lot. Looking back at it now, he almost thought he had gone mad back then so as to cruelly leave behind his young daughter, who had just lost her mother.

    Nimbly rolling her eyes, Mo Xuetong changed the topic and asked, ¡°Why does Father ask about Mother¡¯s jade essories? Are they really relevant in this case?¡±

    Mo Huawen managed to collect himself, opened the case scroll, and pointed at a note, saying, ¡°It was said that the married miss from Mingguo Manor packed a lot of jewelry when she set off. Among them, jade pieces were the most. The miss was a concubine¡¯s daughter but was favored by a widowdy in You Family. Thatdy didn¡¯t have any child so she almost gave all of her dowry to this miss.

    ¡°Thatdy of Ding General Manor used to be the most favored daughter of the old madame in Ding General Manor. When thedy married, they performed a luxurious ceremony, and they said that even the tables were decorated with jade. Though the little maid in your grandmother¡¯s house wasn¡¯t born noble, she served your grandmother. It was said on that day, many of your grandmother¡¯s jade pieces were stolen.

    Frowning, Mo Huawen said, ¡°Then there was the Ping General Manor. During New Year, they put some jewelry, most of them jade, before the ancestor¡¯s tablets. However, they were all stolen, as if someone had been looking for something and that something should be a piece of essory.¡±

    Plus, Luo Bin had been asked for Luo Xia¡¯s old jade bracelets and pendants, which made Mo Huwen guess that thing should be made of jade somehow. Nevertheless, what kind of thing was relevant to Four Great Manors and was at the same time a vable jade piece? Mo Huawen really couldn¡¯t think of it now.

    Rubbing his head, he only felt dull pain after a day¡¯s thinking.

    Mo Xuetong considered and said, ¡°The cases of Four Great Manors seem relevant. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have happened one after another. If Father guesses right, then something should be in the four manors, only they don¡¯t know which manor. That¡¯s why the four manors are consecutively in trouble. Maybe Father can think about why Four Great Manors, which seldom hold parties, would hold banquets in turn during New Year. Was it by design or just a coincidence?¡±

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t expect his slightly childish daughter could say something like that, thus, he increasingly deemed this daughter smart and felt tender for her.

    Mo Xuetong added, ¡°Father, please think about it again. When these things broke out together, was it really coincidental? Or, someone did it on purpose. Which kind of thing could stir four noble families? ording to Father¡¯s words, these things seemed to happen some time ago, then who was after it? In other words, whoever benefited the most from the item would be the top suspect.¡±

    Her words made Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes light up again and again. In his heart, there were some dots and his spections, but he failed to connect. However, now, his daughter had analyzed it for him. Suddenly, he felt all the stars had aligned and he could see something clearly. Four Great Manors¡¯ acting weird was a sign. Or, they knew the fact but couldn¡¯t have told othersiders of the families.

    That was why Ming General¡¯s son would personally chase after the burr. It was not only for the miss with a ruined reputation. Therefore, Ding General denied the theft and didn¡¯t think it mattered; General Manor adopted the same attitude, saying the maid got attempted and was killed by herpanion after the theft; Ping General Manor even wanted to ept the bad luck. They had especially sent people to let the officials drop the case and said they would catch the thief by themselves.

    His daughter was really a genius; she even got such insight when she only kept to herself in the boudoir. Indeed, she deserved to be Luo Xia and his daughter... she was really amazing! If Luo Xia were still here, she must have been pleased to see her daughter like this...

    Suddenly, he felt hot in the nose, so he hurried to turn his head to hide his weakness!

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Huawen thought alike. Since such a case, what would Emperor Zongwen act? They heard that before, a lord mayor was discharged from office because of the Mingguo Manor case. Did the Emperor press on Father? If that was so, then her guess went a little astray. ¡°Father, how does His Majesty think of this case?¡±

    Mo Huawen leaned on the seat. This was also the part he didn¡¯t understand. Since the emperor had taken it so seriously that he dismissed the previous lord mayor. Howe the emperor just casually said something like that since he took charge? ¡°His Majesty didn¡¯t issue any decreed. He just said I should thoroughly investigate and couldn¡¯t let Four Great Manors take the me.¡±

    It shouldn¡¯t be like this. ording to practice, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude should have been tougher. Even Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t see why.

    When the Ming General case just broke out, Emperor Zongwen fired the lord mayor for ipetence. However, after Father ran the affairs, when other three manors got into trouble one after another, Emperor Zongwen, instead, didn¡¯t press Father at all. Did Emperor Zongwen just want anew lord mayor? Or, Emperor Zongwen just pretended to try to solve the cases, while secretly, he was d to see them unresolved?

    Suddenly, she remembered that day, Feng Yuran was also present. Mo Xuetong also recalled what the people said, and then she seemed to discover something vague...

 Chapter 213 - The Harem Line, the Empress Dowagerâ€™s Decreed

    <strong>Chapter 213 The Harem Line, the Empress Dowager¡¯s Decreed</strong>

    Fifth Princessy in her pce and had already thrown pieces of antique porcin decorations. Several maids kelt by her, unable to say a word. Seeing them shivering, Fifth Princess felt angrier and picked up another long-neck white jade bottle to toss it away.

    ¡°Yu¡¯er, behave.¡± A solomen voice rang by the door. The Empress, who was dressed up, looked unpleasant surrounded by her servants.

    ¡°Mother, mother, you must help me. It must be that nasty girl. I just made her kneel, and she dared to cause such trouble for me. She should twist my ankle. How did a daughter of a third-grade official dare to challenge the royal family? Mother has to summon her into the pce to beat her to death.¡±

    Teeth gritted, Fifth Princess arrogantly said. How could things be so coincidental? In the morning, she made that wicked girl kneel, and in the afternoon, she fell from the horse. ¡°She must have done this to me.¡±

    The Empress waved to let the servants withdraw. She sat by Fifth Princess. ¡°Yu¡¯er, the third miss from Mo Family has stayed in a bookstore all afternoon. She hasn¡¯t done anything to you. Plus, how can an official¡¯s daughter get to your horse? It¡¯s the royal family¡¯s horse and special servants serve it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s whereabouts were not secret. In the afternoon, she was transcribing in a bookstore but bumped into the capricious King Xuan. It was said that the moment King Xuan saw her, he got unreasonable. He not only stopped the miss from returning home, but also had guards line up, forming a wall to tease the miss.

    The Empress also heard that Third Miss Mo rushed out and even knocked down a beggar on the street in a hurry.

    After hearing the news, the Empress felt really helpless. Could the willful kid act more rakish?

    Thus, the Empress somewhat sympathized with Third Miss Mo. At such a young age, she met this little monster. Even the Empress failed to foresee what would happen. That little monster was really stubborn. Recently, he even injured Minister Li¡¯s son while fighting him over a courtisan.

    Minister Li¡¯s son was also one of the yboys in the capital. However, after knowing his opponent was King Xuan, he didn¡¯t dare to say anything. It could be seen that how caprious the prince was.

    Nevertheless, the Empress secretly felt lucky that King Xuan didn¡¯t see Fengyan¡¯s portrait. Otherwise, one of her delicate girls would go to waste.

    Recalling Lingyue¡¯s words, Fifth Princess couldn¡¯t let it go like this. Thus she tugged at the Empress¡¯s sleeves and cried coyly. ¡°Mother, Lingyue said it must¡¯ve been that woman, and she also let my cousin treat me like this. It¡¯s just like that. I made her kneel and cousin went over. Before, my cousin never minded me messing up with those women who fell for him. When did he do such things to me?

    ¡°Mother has to help me revenge myself. I don¡¯t care. My cousin treats that woman differently.¡±

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll help you. Now, don¡¯t cry. On the way here, I heard His Highness was visiting your grandmother. He¡¯ll probably see youter. If he sees you crying like this, he won¡¯t like it.¡± The Empress was annoyed by this tugging so she hurriedlyforted her daughter.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s eyes lit up and she sat bolt upright. Nevertheless, because of the jerk, she hurt the would on her feet again so she gasped. ¡°My cousin wille overter?¡±

    The Empress smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re injured. His Highness has such good manners. He¡¯ll definitely visit you. You two have been close since young. Howe he won¡¯te to see you?¡±

    Her daughter¡¯s affection for Bai Yihao was not a secret in the pce. Even though other princesses also had a thing for Bai Yihao, they were not as noble as her daughter. In fact, the Empress didn¡¯t want Fifth Princess to marry to somewhere so far. However, her daughter was willing to and she couldn¡¯t persuaded her. Therefore, she decided to just let it be.

    Gently massaging the muscle around her daughter¡¯s injury, the Empress thought like this. If Bai Yihao didn¡¯t want to marry Yu¡¯er, that would also be fine. Marrying to another ce and helping to establish good rtionships with the Yan Kingdom was indeed very honorable, but it still couldn¡¯tpare with staying by her side. As for the status, she was the honorable Empress and would be Empress Dowager, if Yu¡¯er stayed by her side, who dared to make trouble for her?

    Rubbing her wound, Fifth Princess sat straight and suddenly rolled her eyes. Thinking of something, she tugged at the Empress¡¯s sleeve again, saying, ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t Yan Kingdom¡¯s first prince¡¯sing? I heard he wanted to marry one of the princesses. Mo Xuetong has a pretty face, I say, why don¡¯t we give her to the first prince? We¡¯ll toss her away and I won¡¯t be upset again since I will never see her.¡±

    ...

    Recently, the Yan Kingdom started to mention the first prince¡¯s marriage. Not only Yan Kingdom¡¯s emperor and empress, but also Princess Royal Yunruo also wrote. She hinted in the letter that they would like to marry the first prince to one of Great Qin¡¯s princess to reestablish their good rtionshops. In the letter, Princess Royal Yunruo directly wrote Fifth Princess would be the best candidate.

    The Empress was very dissatisfied. First, she didn¡¯t want her daughter to marry into the Yan Kingdom; second, even if Yu¡¯er would marry to that farawaynd, with Yu¡¯er¡¯s noble status, Yu¡¯er could only marry the next empror. Why would she choose Yan Kingdom¡¯s first prince over Bai Yihao? That being said, she couldn¡¯t ignore Princess Royal Yunruo, who was Empress Dowager¡¯s biological daughter. If she should upset Empress Dowager becasue of this, she couldn¡¯t afford the consequence.

    Therefore, for the past days, she had been selecting the candidate for this marriage. She wouldn¡¯t send a princess. She could promote a duke¡¯s daughter to be a princess and marry her to that first princess, which was also of custom. Since her daughter wouldn¡¯t want to see that Mo Xuetong again, then she would do what her daughter wanted. It was not a big deal. She could just toss that miss away as her daughter had wished.

    The Empress jokingly said, ¡°OK, we¡¯ll do what Yu¡¯er wants. Happy, now? Go wash up and get dressed. Don¡¯t let His Highness think you¡¯re unpretty.¡±

    Fifth Princess smiled coyly and rose, holding the bedpost. Thinking of that woman who was going to be dispatched away and never returned to the capital, she couldn¡¯t help feeling spirited. ¡°Trying to steal my cousin? She¡¯d better weigh herself before she tries.¡±

    Huanyue and Lingyue were summoned to help her wash and dress.

    The Empress waited for another short while and left when she thought it was about time. If Bai Yihao came and she was here, two of them would feel uneasy. The Emperor was happy to marry Fifth Princess to Bai Yihao. Even though the Empress didn¡¯t like the idea, she couldn¡¯t express it so explicitly.

    At Cining Pce.

    The Empress Dowager was sitting high above, smiling mildly. She looked like a gentle elder, of medium weight, and dressed in brown. The cor and sleeves were decorated with fancy phoenix patterns, and only observant people could find those small pearls dotted on her brown clothes. Though small, these pearls were exceptionally round, which showed their high value.

    Lady of Xian was sitting by the side and merrily talking with the Empress Dowager. They were talking about Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s affair

    The Empress Dowager had been well-educated as ady since young, so after hearing the news, she instantly hated Mo Xueming. ¡°Are Duke Zhenguo¡¯s son and First Miss Mo having an affair? It¡¯s not right. The Emperor used to mention Mo Huawen to me, saying he¡¯s honest and capable. How did he raise such a girl?¡±

    Lady of Xian joked and treated it as gossip. ¡°Empress Dowager, I heard many duke¡¯s misses and masters saw what happened in the pce that night. At that time, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s son and First Miss Mo¡¯s affair had been confirmed. Though Consort Yu¡¯s younger brother timely denied part of it, everyone saw that the two had something between them. Then, something should happen outside the pce again.¡±

    King of Xian was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s younger cousin. He worked in the military and had real power. Ding General Manor was also a family with military power. The two families had been on friendly terms. The Empress Dowager also liked Lady of Xian¡¯s straight personality because every time Lady of Xian came to the capital, she would visit the Empress Dowager and could also talk with thetter.

    The Empress Dowager amiably smiled. As a trace of something shed through her eyes, she slowly fingered the rosaries in her hand. ¡°Duke Zhenguo¡¯s son is still locked up in prison.¡± People in the pce all knew that though Empress Dowager didn¡¯t run things, she believed in Buddism. When she was the empress, she had a respected monk enshrine the rosaries and she valued them very much.

    Lady of Xian empathically said, ¡°That¡¯s right. First Miss Mo and Duke Zhenguo even started before the thing in the pce. I heard they exchanged something early in Repayment Temple. Back then, a master from a wealthy family saw them and said there was also a sachet. It makes sense. First Miss Mo is just a concubine¡¯s daughter. They must have done this because the duchess doesn¡¯t agree with their rtionship.¡±

    Lady of Xian was the most qualified toment on this matter. Years ago, Lady of Xian had courted King of Xian because of King of Xian¡¯s noble status. Though she was born into a rtively powerful family, she couldn¡¯t be King of Xian¡¯s main wife. If not for their determination and kneeling before Empress Dowager Cining Pce¡¯s for a day, the Empress Dowager wouldn¡¯t have agreed and sha couldn¡¯t have been a legal wife.

    The Empress Dowager looked annoyed. She heavily snapped the rosaries on the table and told an old eunuch beside her. ¡°Such a thing had happened, does Duchess Zhenguo still want to refuse that Miss Mo because she was born by a legal wife? Ask the Empress to issue a decreed to marry First Miss Mo to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s son. The thing that happened in those noble families will also shame the royal family. Even if Duchess Zhenguo doesn¡¯t want the marriage, this time, she has to.¡±

    The Empress Dowager said in a low voice. She was looking at the bigger picutre. Such a thing would startle all the noble families. Since establishing the sovereignty, not a noble was put into prison because love affairs with women. If they punished Sima Lingyun, themon people would only say the royal family couldn¡¯t choose the right people and the royal would therefore lose face.

    Ding General Manor was also a noble family. Though Ding General Manor was a queen¡¯s family, however, deep down, it was the same with Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. They were bound together for good or ill. Only by suppressing the matter as much as possible could she offset the bad influence.

    Themon people only needed to know the two had an affair. Even if they gossiped, they would only talk about the two¡¯s tainted integrity. Then, there was nothing else they could gossip about, and the royal family would continue to gain a good name among the people.

    Having followed the Empress Dowager for years, the old eunuch naturally knew what the Empress Dowager wanted. He bowed and left. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it right now.¡±

    Lady of Xian smilingly ttered the Empress Dowager. ¡°Your Royal Highness, that first miss from Mo Family really needs to thank you. You¡¯re such kind-hearted and must have collected many merits. But for you, they would be another miserable couple. Probably, in some time, if one of them kills themselves for love. Then, everyone will be shamed.¡±

    The Empress Dowager also chuckled and fingered the rosaries one by one. ¡°Look, hear your words. Your words are indeed sweet. I haven¡¯t seen you and heard your sweet words in a while. No wonder I¡¯ve been missing you.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness is making me happy. I¡¯m so d to be remembered by Your Highness. There seem to be flowers blooming in my heart one after another. Before I came to the capital, King of Xian wouldn¡¯t want me to, but I insisted. I said Her Highness might want to see me, and since then, he¡¯d beenughing at my words. Now, hearing what Your Highness said, I will have every reason toe here in the future. I¡¯ll see if he¡¯ll stop me again or not.¡±

    Lady of Xian affectionately said and looked very proud, which made the Empress Dowager burst intoughter and said, ¡°You little monkey is more and more of a clever tongue. No wonder he loves you so much and knelt before my pce for so long back then.¡±

    Mentioning the past, Lady of Xian blushed and rarely acted coyly. ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    Lady of Xian actually had a straightforward personality but now acted like a cute little girl. The Empress Dowager was so choked with joy that she was almost out of breath. Thus, she could only support herself on the table and shout. ¡°Serve tea and send the guests away. I¡¯llugh to death if you continue talking.¡±

 Chapter 214 - Mo Xueminâ€™s Marriage was Determined

    <strong>Chapter 214 Mo Xuemin¡¯s Marriage was Determined</strong>

    The things that happened in the pce were mostly connected with Mo Manor, but people in Mo Manor didn¡¯t know about it.

    Mo Xuemin even knew less about it. She was pretending to be reflecting and even hadn¡¯t got out of the yard. She was also nice to the maids and nannies. Even Mo Xiu seemed to see the gentle kind First Miss who had appeared to be before Mo Xuetong¡¯s arrival.

    Mo Xuemin thought it thoroughly and knew she had to stay humble these days and would have a chance to go back again after Sima Lingyun got punished and that incident was forgotten. Besides, she had other ns and she didn¡¯t believe that she couldn¡¯t defeat Mo Xuetong if she tried her best.

    With Fifth Princess backing her up, Mo Xuetong would be no big deal.

    However, out of her expectation, Mo Huawen rushed into her yard that night and coldly put an edict from the Empress in front of her.

    Mo Xuemin lifted her face up and asked confusedly, ¡°Father...¡±

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t have any hope in this daughter anymore. He just pointed at the edict and said, ¡°You can see for yourself!¡±

    Today when he got into the imperial pce, at the royal study, he saw not only the Emperor but also the Empress. The Empress smilingly asked him about it and defended Mo Xuemin, saying that it was not easy for a concubine¡¯s daughter to fall in love with Duke Zhenguo¡¯s heir. Therefore, he shouldn¡¯t baffle them anymore but help them!

    He was so angry that he almost lost control and tried to exin.

    However, the Empress let a maidservant present him with a sachet smilingly, on which wrote Min from Mo Xuemin¡¯s name. It made Mo Huawen speechless. He had nothing to say with proof in hand. Thinking of that Sima Lingyun had a rtionship with both Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin, he felt so disgusted as there was a fly in his stomach.

    Although the Empress didn¡¯t say anything directly and just said she would help Mo Xuemin and make her the main wife in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, she couldn¡¯t give the edict directly and could only secretly send the edict to Sima Manor and Mo Manor to decide the marriage. Luo Xia had only been dead for two years, so Mo Xuemin still had a year to prepare. They could get married when everything was settled, which wouldn¡¯t disgrace them.

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t know how he had taken the Empress¡¯s edict and got out of the pce. He just felt that everyone was making fun of him and had no mood to deal with the affairs. He went back to the manor and got into Mo Xuemin¡¯s yard directly.

    If it were in the past, Mo Huawen would care for her if he saw Mo Xuemin¡¯s pale face and feeble posture. But now, Mo Huawen just felt furious about it and thought she was pretending to be pitiful like Auntie Fang. They both had fake masks.

    The more you looked at it, the more disgusted you got.

    Mo Xuemin didn¡¯t know the reason why Mo Huawen¡¯s face darkened. She picked up the edict from the Empress. After she read it clearly, she was astonished and screamed. ¡°Father, why? I don¡¯t want to marry Sima Lingyun.¡±

    Why would the Empress order her to marry Sima Lingyun? She didn¡¯t want to fall with Sima Lingyun and Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. She still had a long way to go and would be the main wife of Ming General¡¯s heir. She wasn¡¯t willing to be connected with the decayed Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    Looking at Mo Huawen, she delicately shook her head and looked desperate. She wept while she talked, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t want to marry into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor or be an heir¡¯s main wife. I just want to apany you, father, please help me.¡± She suddenly knelt down and started to cry. What a weeping beauty!

    Mo Huawen asked indifferently, ¡°Have you finished your words?¡±

    Mo Xuemin lifted her head and looked extremely wronged.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re finished, you can tell me what happened that night. Why did you frame your younger sister at the pce with Sima Lingyun? And why did you stay with Sima Lingyun again out of the pce?¡±

    ¡°Father...¡± Mo Xuemin was shocked and her face instantly turned pale. She almost toppled over. Mo Huawen¡¯s words were like a sudden thunder and made her almost fall. She unbelievably looked at Mo Huawen and quivered her lips. She made many efforts but couldn¡¯t say a word. Her cherry lips began to turn pale.

    She didn¡¯t dare to talk about that night!

    These days, Mo Huawen hadn¡¯t asked her about it. Even when he asked implicatively, he would consider her feelings and had only punished the nanny who had let her out. She had thought if Sima Lingyun couldn¡¯t exin it clearly, it would be settled. Her father would consider her dignity as an unmarried girl, and some problems could be ignored.

    Mo Xuemin was definitely smart enough and knew the minds of men.

    But now she was wrong!

    When a father was annoyed and thought his woman was seduced by a man who would even marry his daughter, his dignity and pride as both a man and a father got him out of control. His face seemed cold now. When he was looking at Mo Xuemin, there was no care in his eyes as if he were interrogating a criminal.

    He was so powerful and seemed to know all about the incident. But he still forced her to tell the disgracing truth in front of everyone to humiliate her!

    Mo Xuemin deplorably screamed and held Mo Huawen¡¯s clothes. ¡°Father, it¡¯s not me. I didn¡¯t do anything horrible to my third sister. I didn¡¯t do the things at the pce. I have nothing to do with Sima Lingyun... The reason why I went out that night was that I was in a bad mood... But I didn¡¯t know why I ran into Sima Lingyun... Father, Father, I don¡¯t want to marry him.¡±

    Her body trembled severely and faintly fell on the ground. She murmured, ¡°I won¡¯t marry him. I will never marry him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote. If you knew it would end up like this, why did you do that?¡± Mo Huawen replied coldly and threw out a sachet which fell in front of Mo Xuemin. ¡°The Empress gave this to me and asked me to punish you. An unmarried girl should have dignity for herself and shouldn¡¯t have ignored the rules and had an improper affair with a man.¡±

    The sachet directly fell in front of Mo Xuemin. The exquisite images, which included the fish ying around lotus leaves, the lotus leaves, and the lotus blooms, all seemed to be ironically looking at Mo Xuemin with a pink smiling face.

    Why would the sachet appear again? Shouldn¡¯t it have been taken back? At the Repayment Temple, when they threw it back, Mo Jin picked it back for her. Mo Jin. Yes, it was Mo Jin...

    Mo Xuemin widened her round eyes which were filled with desperation. Her hoarse voice carried uncontroble emotion. ¡°Father, no, Father, it¡¯s fake. I don¡¯t want to marry Sima Lingyun. I would rather die than marry Sima Lingyun. Please help me refuse him.¡±

    She trembled and tried hard to stand up. She was mumbling, and she held the sachet in her hand as if she wanted to tear the content apart.

    ¡°Then you can die!¡± Mo Huawen said indifferently and went out of the yard.

    He would rather he hadn¡¯t had such a daughter. She had had improper rtions with Sima Lingyun and framed Tong¡¯er with Auntie Fang. The old man and carter who had framed Tong¡¯er by the gate of the pce had all confessed. Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t imagine that his first daughter, who was always his pride, would be so evil.

    Although there was no sound evidence for what happened at the pce, everyone knew it was rted to Mo Xuemin. Especially, what happened between her and Sima Lingyun was known to all. Mo Huawen no longer held any trust in this daughter. Maybe it¡¯s the best result to let her marry into the decaying Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor!

    If she had high self-esteem, she could die and end the terrible rtionship between Mo Manor and Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. By then he would have a reason to defend her and keep her name untainted. Then he could let Sima Lingyun take the me.

    Therefore, when Mo Huawen left, he reminded nobody to care about the amodations and safety of Mo Xuemin. If she still cared about her reputation, she should protect her reputation and die to prove her innocence...

    Behind him came Mo Xuemin¡¯s uncontroble shouts and cries...

    Where it was sad and miserable at Mo Manor, it was quite different at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. The duchess at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor happily looked at Sima Lingyun who had just been released from the jail in Ministry of Justice. The minute Mo Huawen received the edict from the Empress, the duchess also got one from the Empress, which were both secretly released.

    Anyway, it was a scandal, so the Empress could only secretly solve it and suppress it down to the minimum level in case it disgraced the dignity of the royalty. As for whether there was a secret affair between them or not, it was very obvious. There was a sachet and so many people testified for it, so they couldn¡¯t deny it!

    Along with the Empress¡¯s edict was a white jade ruler from the Empress, which were delivered to the duchess at the same time. It meant the duchess should strictly punish and discipline them. It made the duchess happy that she finally found a way to vent her anger. The little bitch, Mo Xuemin, actually wanted to push all the fault onto Yun¡¯er and let him take all the responsibility. Additionally, Mo Xuemin even contradicted her.

    When she entered the manor in the future, she would let Mo Xuemin suffer.

    Looking at Sima Lingyun¡¯s pale face, the duchess hated Mo Xuemin even more, ¡°Son, did anyone hurt you inside? Is there anything wrong?¡± In the duchess¡¯s eyes, Mo Xuemin was an emotionless little bitch. When she married into the marry, the duchess would treat her harshly.

    Sima Lingyun coughed a bit. ¡°Mother, there is nothing wrong. Just the food there wasn¡¯t so good.¡± When he was caught in, he wasn¡¯t in good health. Although the people in the jail in Ministry of Justice treated him nicely, he couldn¡¯t rx when thinking about these problems.

    They nned the entire thing together, but in the end, the me was pushed all on himself alone. He also heard from his mother that she had begged Mo Xuemin to testify for him but was refused without hesitation. Mo Xuemin also drove his mother out, which annoyed Sima Lingyun a lot. When thinking that this evil woman would marry him and be with him for his whole life, Sima Lingyun was terribly worried.

    He couldn¡¯t marry a kind, beauty, and useful girl but that evil mean woman!

    Sima Lingyun also didn¡¯t want to resign himself to it.

    But now in this situation, this would be the best solution. Otherwise, he would have no other choice but to take the me and usation. Thinking about that Mo Xuemin only cared about herself, there was a sign of grimness in Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes. It was of no other use for him to marry this evil woman except for solving the current dilemma.

    He didn¡¯t want to do such a thing which was obviously not cost-efficient...

 Chapter 215 - A Beautiful Girl and a Fine View at a Windy and Snowy Night

    <b>Chapter 215: A Beautiful Girl and a Fine View at a Windy and Snowy Night</b>

    When Mo Xuemin was anxious, Mo Xuetong was quite rxed as if she knew nothing about what happened at the manor.

    That afternoon, there was another heavy snow. Pieces of snow and clusters of snow were flying in the air like cotton. It was endless, and all was covered in the snow. The whole ce was covered in white snow and looked particrly beautiful. Mo Xuetong¡¯s room was warm inside. By the side were several stoves, which were filled with burning first-ss smokeless coal.

    It was already dusk and the snow was falling freely and slowly from the sky which made the sky and the ground all white.

    Mo Lan shook off the snow on her shoulders and walked in.

    Mo Xuetong lifted her head from the books and asked, ¡°Haven¡¯t it stopped snowing yet?¡±

    Mo Lan smilingly nodded, ¡°It¡¯s still snowing heavily. Nanny Ming just sent someone to ask what you want to eat. The Old Sir went out earlier and wasn¡¯t back until now. He sent someone to say that he would have a gathering with his colleagues tonight and may not have time to go back to eat with you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been eating with her father these days. When thinking her father wouldn¡¯t be here today, she really didn¡¯t know what to eat.

    Mo Lan rubbed her hands together by the stove to warm herself. Then she just stood there to wait for Mo Xuetong¡¯s response.

    Seeing her feeling so cold, Mo Xuetong smilingly asked a little maidservant to pour a cup of warm water for her. Then Mo Xuetong put the book down, stood up, and pushed the window open to have a look. Then she noticed that the snowkes had already turned into clusters of snow and the white view was the only thing left outside. There was only an end left out on the roof far away, which was a high eaves angle.

    It was indeed quite heavy snow.

    Mo Xuetong suggested smilingly, ¡°Mo Lan, tell Nanny Ming that there is no need to prepare rice for us today. Some meat will do. I heard that there is some mutton and venison delivered in this morning, maybe we can roast it here.¡±

    On hearing the words, Mo Yu agreed and pped. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll ask them to bring some fruit baskets along. When we finish eating the roasted meat, we can have some fruit. The vor will be so... Well, miss, there is some new fruit wine in the kitchen which I heard to be tasty. I¡¯ll go to ask Nanny Ming to prepare some too.¡±

    Mo Lanined sweetly. ¡°Little maidservant, you are only thinking about eating. You are already naughty before Miss says anything and only care about what to eat.¡±

    Mo Yu secretly smiled and twitched her mouth. She just smiled and blinked at Mo Ye, which seemed really cute.

    Mo Ye also got interested in her words, ¡°Good food must be apanied with good wine. Miss, you can wait for me to go with Mo Yu.¡±

    At the moment, Mo Xuetong had nothing to worry about and her father was not there either. If they could really roast the meat and appreciate the snow happily, it would be a joyous thing!

    After Mo Xuetong decided, she sent Mo Yu and Mo Ye out. Mo Lan organized the maidservants to light the furnace and prepared various seasonings. They ced tes of fruit and cooked fine tea there.

    Before everything got ready, Mo Yu and Mo Ye led the nannies there to send the meat and wine!

    It was busy and warm in the yard. Mo Lan and other maidservants took off the overcoat and the golden and silver bracelets on their wrists. They pulled up the sleeves and roasted the meat above the fire. In only a while, the entire room was filled with the strong smell of kebabs.

    Mo Yu warmed the wine and poured a cup for Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong was eating the meat when she took it up and had a taste. It was so sweet and didn¡¯t taste like those from her father. It was so sweet that it tasted fine with the roasted meat.

    Since there was much meat, they gave the extra to the maidservants and nannies in the yard and let them roast in their rooms. Mo Xuetong ate with Mo Lan, Mo Yu, Mo Ye, and Mother Xu. They all chatted and smiled together, which actually felt like the New Year.

    Mother Xu was of old age and couldn¡¯t stand a long time of sitting. So she went home early to sleep. Mo Yu teased Mo Lan the whole time and made the usually poised Mo Lan drank so much that she became drunk. Then, Mo Lan somehow had the strength to make Mo Yu drink. They both drank a lot and lost their consciousness with a kettle in their hands, which was really funny.

    Mo Ye could drink a lot and could y kung fu. So her face didn¡¯t change a bit even though she also had a lot. She brought Mo Lan and Mo Yu back to the room and then returned to keep Mo Xuetongpany.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t drink much at first and only looked at how Mo Yu, Mo Ye, and Mo Lan yed together. When the two maidservants went back, she was only half fed.

    Mo Ye went to get some more venison, which hadn¡¯t been sliced by Mo Ye. Instead, Mo Ye roasted the venison by sheets and masterly rolled it over while sprinkling seasonings on them. The whole room was full of the smell of roasted venision, which was quite appetitive.

    Mo Xuetong took the fruit wine by her hand and drank it. Then she nced at Mo Ye¡¯s skilled motions and asked smilingly, ¡± Mo Ye, did you use to roast meat. You have such experience skill. I wonder what you¡¯re roasting right now.¡±

    Mo Ye responded smilingly. ¡°I used to go out with my master. He didn¡¯t let anyone serve him and did everything by himself. We did the same as he did. We lived poorly in the mountains and it was the easiest to roast meat. I¡¯m roasting the steak now, which is the most delicious part. When sliced out, the roasted meat will be tastier.¡± Mo Ye handed Mo Xuetong a te and put a steak which was just roasted on it.

    Mo Xuetong knew she was talking about Feng Yuran. She couldn¡¯t imagine that he was so self-dependent when looking so distinguished and rakish.

    She took over the te and tasted it. The vor was really different from just now. It was tenderer, fresher, and tastier.

    She put the te down and had a big mouthful of the fruit wine. She felt extremelyfortable and as light as a feather. She couldn¡¯t help sighing and leaned over on a cushion to seat herself down.

    It was hot in the room, and she had already taken off the overcoat. She was wearing a light blue plumage. At the bottom, she wore a pure white skirt which had embroidered ends. There was a simple white jade hairpin on her head which was decorated with some emeralds. Below it were small silver tassels. Her face turned pink because of the heat by the furnace. With the light, her face got even more attractive with her enchanted eyes, fair skin. And her eyes became even more charming.

    Mo Ye looked at Mo Xuetong and her mind turned nk. Such a beauty would be a perfect match with her master.

    That kind of enchanting charm and cutenguid beauty were just like her former master¡¯s...

    Mo Xuetong opened her misty eyes and smiled. ¡°Mo Yu, tell me more about your master.¡± She didn¡¯t know how charming and attractive she was when leaning over like this.

    Mo Ye thought about the wording and answered, ¡°He is very disciplined and practices kung fu hard. When he was in the mountains, he spent most of the days alone and there was no female around him. We secret guards could only observe him from a distance...¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked doubtfully, ¡°He lived by himself?¡±

    Mo Ye lowered her head to roast for Mo Xuetong and replied. ¡°He lived alone from a young age. The secret guards were only in charge of his safety. So he had to face the difficulties by himself unless there was a life-threatening danger. He worked harder at kung fu than us. He used to wear thin clothes and practiced kung fu by the frozen river and hasn¡¯t stopped for all these years.¡±

    Such a little kid tried so hard to practice kung fu. Somehow, Mo Xuetong could feel how miserable and helpless he was. To survive, a child from a royal family was not as morous as he seemed on the surface. He was not even as happy as her. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why he had such a strange character!

    Mo Xuetong asked gently, ¡°He spent so many years by himself. Even the rtives from his mother¡¯s family didn¡¯t go to see him?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s mother, who was killed by him in herst life, had done something unbearable to him? The longer she got along with Feng Yuran, the more she realized he was not an impetuous person.

    Then why would he impulsively kill his mother¡¯s entire family and never saw rtives from his mother¡¯s family again? What did they do to him? Or maybe they did something to his mother to let him hate them so much...

    A hoarse voice came from a faraway ce. ¡°You are so interested in me?¡± Mo Xuetong touched her burning face and lifted her eyes. As expected, she saw that beautiful boy in front of the window. He wore a in lc long robe and a silver fox fur cloak. He looked stunning and uparable in it. His long eyes were shining and watery, which made people want to get lost in them.

    Mo Xuetong nced at him and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Maybe it¡¯s because she was drunk, she didn¡¯t feel strange about his appearance.

    Mo Ye stood up and obediently bowed to Feng Yuran. Then she walked out and guarded there, leaving space for the two.

    She had always thought her two masters were a perfect match, no matter in figure or character. Moreover, they had a lot inmon.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s weak voice sounded even more charming at this quiet winter night, ¡°You¡¯re so happy drinking here, so I can¡¯t be absent.¡± He naturally took off the cloak and threw it on the screen. Then, he casually sat by her side. Though he didn¡¯t get too close to her, they were not far from each other.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly felt a different temperature by her side, which was a light smell from a man. It was hard to describe the feeling, but it felt pretty good.

    Maybe it¡¯s because she had drunk too much wine, a bit smile appeared on her lips. She didn¡¯t feel strange about hising over. And she just sat up and poured a cup of wine for him. Then she lifted her watery and enchanted eyes to nce at him and asked, ¡°Do you want some wine? It feels great to appreciate the snow while drinking the wine.¡±

    Feng Yuran looked at her face and showed a sign of smile in his bright eyes. He umonly nodded, took over the cup she offered and had a taste. That kind of sweet wine wasn¡¯t the one he used to like. He wouldn¡¯t have a bit of it in the past. But now when he tried it, he realized the sweet vor could also be fascinating.

    Feng Yuran set the cup down and took up the steak which hadn¡¯t been roastedpletely and skillfully rolled it over. ¡°Why do you want to roast meat and drink wine?

    Mo Xuetong naughtily pointed her thin fingers out of the window and nced at him as if he were talking unpleasantly on purpose. ¡°The snowkes are flying like cotton outside while we stay in the room to appreciate the meat and the snow. Shouldn¡¯t there be roasted meat?¡±

    Seeing her being so cute in front of him, Feng Yuran felt very happy and smiled lightly. Then he leaned over and asked tenderly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have asked that question and wasted such beautiful snow and an attractive girl.¡±

    Mo Xuetong subconsciously felt something wrong when he leaned over. She suddenly moved backward and tried to stay away from him. However, the cushions behind her were loose and she almost lost control and fell onto the ground. It¡¯s lucky that it was cushioned behind, so she didn¡¯t feel pain.

 Chapter 216 - Dark Shadows in the Palace, the Empress Dowagerâ€™s Scheme

    <strong>Chapter 216 Dark Shadows in the Pce, the Empress Dowager¡¯s Scheme</strong>

    Feng Yuran lightly smiled and reached out his hand to pull her up. ¡°Why are you so incautious and even can¡¯t sit stably? It¡¯s obvious that you have drunk too much.¡±

    Beingughed at by him, Mo Xuetong instantly flushed. Somehow, she got annoyed and got rid of his hand. She gazed at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not drunk. I won¡¯t be even if I drink one kettle more.¡±

    After her words, to prove that she was not drunk, she picked up the kettle and tried to pour the wine into her mouth.

    Feng Yuran coaxed her. ¡°Okay, you are not drunk. I¡¯m drunk. Since I¡¯m drunk, you should leave the wine to me.¡± He took over the wine kettle from her hand and poured himself half a cup. Then he lifted it up to his lips and drank it up. He enticingly pursed his red lips and some jade-like wine was still left there, which made his lips look more attractive.

    Mo Xuetong felt inexplicably hot, and the hand which had been in his hand felt as if it had been burnt. She couldn¡¯t say what the feeling was.

    She cutely requested. ¡°I want to drink too!¡±

    Feng Yuran nced at her. ¡°The wine is not tasty. I have better fruit wine at my ce. Do you dare to try some?¡± He took the kettle up to avoid her hand and didn¡¯t let her touch the kettle.

    Mo Xuetong pouted unhappily and there was a sign of anger in her watery eyes. He really looked down on her. She was just drinking some wine and it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°Why would I not dare to drink your mine? You can take it along next time and see whether I dare to drink or not.¡±

    Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes and smiled. But his tone was quite teasing. ¡°It can¡¯t prove you¡¯re brave if you take it back here to drink. If you really have the courage, you can go to my manor to have a taste. Do you have the guts?¡±

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t stand that kind of challenge at the moment. She wrinkled her nose and said angrily, ¡°Why would I be afraid of that? You can set a time and I¡¯ll definitely go to your manor and drink up your wine.¡± Her watery eyes had been fixed on the kettle. When she noticed that he drank the wine directly from the kettle instead of using a cup, she thought he came here to drink up all her good wine on purpose.

    Anyway, she had to win her this time. She reached out her white tender fingers to his handsome face. Then, she held up her chin and pouted to show her unwillingness.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes turned dark. He reached out his long fingers to touch hers and said smilingly, ¡°Okay, then next time you can¡¯t refuse me. You can¡¯t break your promise now that you have epted my invitation.¡± His words were truly overbearing, and his expression was quite attentive. There was a smile in his eyes which turned into affection in the end.

    At the time, everything was shaking in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes and she ignored his tone. She thought he was provocating her intentionally and somehow got furious. She held herself up and looked at him from a higher position. Then she said aggressively, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I, Mo Xuetong, am very reliable and definitely won¡¯t be scared back.¡±

    Having finished her words, she went over to pull Feng Yuran up. However, she slipped and fell down.

    Feng Yuran hurriedly reached over to hold her. But she closed her eyes and obediently leaned in his arms. She didn¡¯t move a bit.

    Feng Yuran reached out his hand to feel her flushing face and asked lightly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt very itchy at his touch in her sleep, so she pouted nervously, pushed him, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t touch... sleep... itches!¡±

    The snow outside the windows highlit the fire in the room. The beautiful girl had a white little face which contained a sign of flushing. Her tender skin looked as if water could be squeezed out it. Her delicacy revealed a beauty like flowers and was exquisite like jade. The boy in purple who was holding her leaned on a cushion. He had a good figure and his dark hair was collected by a golden crown. His charming face revealed mor and evilness and the mor between his eyebrows spread out, which seemed quite majestic...

    The snow kept falling down but the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce seemed a little cold and lonely.

    Although the pce was warm with the stoves on, the girl knelt in the front couldn¡¯t feel any warmth. She knelt in the pce shivering and didn¡¯t dare to look at the dignified woman there, who was the most respected one in Great Qin. It was the mother of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager.

    Empress Dowager slowly opened her mouth, which relieved the tension in the air. ¡°You did it well. Do you know what you¡¯re supposed to do next?¡±

    The girl kneeling obediently kowtowed and responded, and there was an obvious sign of trembling in her voice. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s good. When that dayes, you can be the same as me, which is worthy of these efforts.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s voice was low and quiet like the sea on a winter day. ¡°The duke has had an affection for you since a young age and told me to treat you well. If you don¡¯t do this, you two will have no chance to be together forever.¡±

    She lowered her pretty face quietly and answered with appreciation, ¡°Yes, I understand. Thank you for thinking for us.¡±

    Empress Dowager said gently, ¡°You can go now. By the time the truthes out, you can see the result and the duke wille back too.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The girl answered and then asked with hesitation, ¡°If the Empress...¡±

    The Empress Dowager answered as if she was thinking about something, ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask the Empress and don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. If the Empress asks you about it, you don¡¯t have to tell her the entire truth.¡± She knew what the girl was worried about. Although the Empress and her both came from Ding General Manor, they didn¡¯t necessarily hope for the same benefit now.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s voice suddenly turned sharp. ¡°The Empress had another candidate in her mind and may not help the duke. If you tell anything about it to her, not only will you lose the chance to be with the duke, but also your father and your family may be affected and even eradicated.¡± The chilly wind seemed to roar in the pce. And the girl trembled, and lowered her head to show her obedience.

    The destiny of the whole n might be affected by her decision. Her body got totally chilled! It¡¯s no longer an affair only between them. If not dealt with with caution, it might end up in disaster. The girl realized her fragility for the first time. If she hadn¡¯t fallen in love with him or known him, it might be totally different...

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s face softened. ¡°Investigate it carefully. It should be in their hands, and it is rted to the destiny of Great Qin. The stuff hasn¡¯t turned up for thirty years, and the dukes have been investigating over it. You should be more careful. It¡¯s lucky that you¡¯re a girl in the inner yard. It should be more convenient for you to investigate than them if you pay more attention.¡± She narrowed her eyes and her eyes fell on the closed gate behind the girl.

    Some things had been in a distant past and even many people didn¡¯t know its existence. But she knew plenty of people knew about it and it wasn¡¯t forgotten though nobody mentioned it. Especially in this special period, that thing was too important to be forgotten by anyone though almost nobody brought it up.

    Many things at Four Great Manors had been dealt with by many people so that it was hard to tell who did it atst. But these were not the most important. The most important thing was that it still hadn¡¯t been found...

    Such heavy snow fell on the ground, ke by ke. It looked as if the whole ground were white.

    Bai Yihao was wearing a white fox-fur coat and had a kettle of wine in his hand. He sat on the roof of his manor in the Qin Kingdom. Emperor Zongwen was nice to him and granted him arge manor the minute he arrived at the Qin Kingdom. He sat on the highest roof with a Qin on his other hand.

    If Mo Xuetong were there, she would definitely find that the Qin was the one ced in front of her in the Qin House.

    A shadow appeared quickly and then a man in white reported to him on something. ¡°Sir, there is a letter from the Yan Kingdom which says that First Prince has set out and if he gets the message from the assains who had escaped, he will definitely speed up to get here.¡± If not looking carefully, you would not notice the white clothes in this white world.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s fingers elegantly touched several strings on the Qin. The sound of the Qin was quite dulcet which sounded as if it wanted to soar. It wasn¡¯t like the sound in usual days, which was like the free clouds in the sky, wandering in its way.

    ¡°First Prince will definitelye here quickly. Seeing that I have met a girl that I care so much about, he will definitely hurry here. I wonder whether he will still be so interested when he finds out the girl I care about is her.¡± Bai Yihao seemed to be talking to himself with a smile at the corner of his eyes, which looked very graceful.

    The guard asked with hesitation, ¡°You mean...¡±

    It was the most difficult to guess his mind. Though he was his bodyguard, he never knew what he wanted. But he did know the first rule to be a guard was to be obedient. So whening across something he couldn¡¯t understand, he would rather ask him directly than think by himself.

    If he could, the master would definitely tell all about it. If not, his master would naturally say nothing about it.

    Bai Yihao smiled, carefree. ¡°Be quick to the Yan Kingdom and tell them that the First Prince wants to go against the Empress¡¯s order and marry another beauty. I wonder whether my mother would still help him selflessly when knowing her beloved the First Prince fall in love with another woman.¡± His handsome face looked elegant and charming in this world covered with snow. He stood up.

    He took up the kettle by his side and casually tasted it. And then he threw it by the side and deeply stared into one direction. The wind lifted his white fox-fur coat, which looked so enchanting and ethereal. But now it seemed gloomier than before.

    The guard said the confusion in his mind aloud, ¡°Sir, what if Third Miss Mo doesn¡¯t want to marry to the Yan Kingdom?¡± That miss didn¡¯t seem to be obedient. Though she looked young and delicate, it could be seen that she wouldn¡¯t let others determine her destiny considering how determined she had been when she pulled out the arrow for Bai Yihao.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s face suddenly turned cold. ¡°She is just a girl who has no choice in front of the country¡¯s benefit. If Emperor Zongwen decides to let her marry me, how can she refuse? She can¡¯t go against the agreement of two countries with her girlie strength!¡± He used to be elegant and gentle and seemed to have never lost his temper.

    The moment his face got chilled, it was so forceful, and coldness revealed from his body. The guard was scared to tremble and didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. He murmured in his mind and didn¡¯t know which sentence was so wrong as to annoy him so much. The coldness around him was even chillier than the endless snowkes.

    Bai Yihao said coldly, ¡°Go to prepare four different colors of presents and bring along the Qianxia Clothes which was madest time. I¡¯ll go to Mo Manor to visit Lord Mo.¡±

    The guard opened his mouth and couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Why will you go to visit Lord Mo? He is only a lord mayor. Besides, the Qianxia Clothes...¡± That Qianxia Clothes was made by wild silk yarn which was found by Bai Yihao and could keep anyone warm in winter and cool in summer. There was only one of them in the entire world. He thought that it was for the Empress. But now it seemed that he would give it to that girl, which was pretty shocking for the guard.

    There was a carefree smile on Bai Yihao¡¯s face. ¡°If not so, Fifth Princess won¡¯t urge Third Miss Mo to marry to another country.¡± He quietly stepped out and directlynded on the ground. His clothes flew in the air and looked very beautiful. He slowly walked into his own room, leaving the confused guard behind.

    Bai Yihao still didn¡¯t tell him the reason why he wanted to send out that precious Qianxia Clothes. The guard believed that even if he didn¡¯t use the clothes, he would get the same reactions from Fifth Princess as long as Bai Yihao showed a little affection for Third Miss Mo.

 Chapter 217 - A Scheme, the Banquet Held by Princess Royal

    <strong>Chapter 217: A Scheme, the Banquet Held by Princess Royal</strong>

    Mo Xuetong got upte in the morning and could still feel the pain in her head. She leaned on a cushion but couldn¡¯t recall when she fell asleepst night. The quilt was ced meticulously on her without any sign of wrinkles. Could it be Feng Yuran...

    How could he be such a caring person? Mo Xuetongughed at her own guess.

    Hearing her getting up, Mo Lan pulled up the curtain and tucked it behind the hooks aside, which was decorated with jade-like stone. ¡°Do you want to get up?¡± Mo Ye held the wash supplies.

    Mo Xuetong held Mo Lan¡¯s hand and got up. At ordinary times, Mo Yu was always the first one appearing by her bedside. ¡°Where is Mo Yu?¡±

    Mo Lan burst into augh. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t look for her now. Yesterday she tried to get me drunk, but she drank even more herself. She was still drunk and hasn¡¯t wakened up.¡± Last night, Mo Yu urged them to drink, but she couldn¡¯t drink too much herself. Therefore, she also got herself drunk and hadn¡¯t wakened up until now.

    Mo Xuetong heard the words and also smiled brightly.

    Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong to the dressing table and said smilingly, ¡°Miss, please get up quickly. Don¡¯t forget we have to go to Princess Royal¡¯s manor. It won¡¯t be good to bete.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was nk for a while before she remembered there was such a thing indeed. Days ago, Princess Royal especially left a message to invite her. Now, she recounted and found the date was today.

    Mo Ye, who was making the bed, suddenly asked, ¡°Miss, what¡¯s this? It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± She took out a pair of hairpins under the pillow. There seemed to be nature flowing on the light green hairpins. And the jade tassels behind were iid with white pearls. On top of it, they were iid with several red diamonds which were ced among the green color. It looked so beautiful!

    Those sword-shaped hairpins were changed into this?

    Mo Xuetong hesitated for a while and recognized that those were the ones they gotst time when she went out with Feng Yuran. Then she somehow felt that the hairpins were too conspicuous and she couldn¡¯t let anyone find that she had the pair of hairpins. So she asked Feng Yuran to help to change and decorate them.

    However, against her expectation, he made them so beautiful. If she hadn¡¯t had a deep impression of the hairpins, she couldn¡¯t tell what they used to be like.

    The sheath of the sword had been changed into the body of the hairpin, which was more beautiful than before. No one had expected that the sword would get out of the sheath with a little tap on the bloom.

    ¡°From now on, you can take these hairpins along with you when you¡¯re dealing with the royalty. It¡¯s necessary to have a weapon to protect yourself. Now I can¡¯t always show up by your side, so you must be careful.¡± By her ears came azy voice as if a handsome man were gently fondling her long hair...

    Her delicate face instantly turned red. She bit her lips and didn¡¯t dare to look at her pink cheeks in the bronze mirror which looked as if they were covered with rouge.

    She pretended to be casual and said, ¡°It was found out at my mother¡¯s ce. They were so pretty so I put it away. Take them over and help me put them on.¡± She said it was her mother¡¯s dowry. These days, Mo Huawen took out the key to the little warehouse and gave it to Mo Xuetong. And Mo Xuetong actually picked something out of it, so it did sound reasonable.

    But the flush on her face couldn¡¯t be hidden. So she just lowered her head and pretended to fiddle with the pearl ornaments on the table.

    Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong confusedly, not knowing why she was so bashful.

    However, Mo Ye knew about it. The minute she asked, she knew she had done something wrong. Hearing Mo Xuetong exining like that, she pursed her lips and smiled. Then she put the hairpins at the table and quietly turned around to make the bed. After all, she was happy to see her two masters end up together.

    This time Princess Royal didn¡¯t hold the banquet at the pce, which was not a good ce to hold a banquet. If she held it at the pce, everyone would be constrained and couldn¡¯t be themselves. Therefore, she used her own manor instead. Princess Royal spent some time in her own manor every month. It took the carriage from Mo Manor quite a ride to get there because the Princess Royal¡¯s manor was quite far from Mo Manor.

    On arriving at the gate of the princess¡¯s manor, Mo Ye got out of the carriage first. Then she instantly turned around to help Mo Xuetong out of the carriage. Mo Xuetong¡¯s feet had just touched the ground when a mocking voice came. ¡°Howe the lord mayor also received my aunt¡¯s invitation?¡±

    Mo Xuetong lifted her head and saw Fifth Princess who was surrounded by a lot of people. Today, Fifth Princess was particrly gorgeous. Her dark hair was done in a lofty bun, and there was a splendid golden lotus crown on her head, which was iid with star-shaped diamonds. In front of her forehead was a half-arched jade bun. She wore a gorgeous robe and the bangles and pendants shed around her. She was so morous that no one dared to see her directly.

    ¡°Greetings to Your Highness.¡± A gentle smile showed up on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She politely walked over and bowed to her as if there were nothing wrong between them.

    Fifth Princess smiled politely too, but her words sounded very harsh. ¡°I haven¡¯t expected to meet you everywhere I go. It is said that you¡¯re the only miss who can go out at Mo Manor, but you¡¯re almost everywhere.¡±

    Mo Xuetong raised her eyes and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have aroused Fifth Princess¡¯s concern. I haven¡¯t expected to see your beautiful face everywhere I go. I¡¯m so lucky.¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t want Fifth Princess to be her enemy, she wouldn¡¯t let Fifth Princess humiliate Mo Manor like that, as if Mo Huawen asked her to suck up to Princess Royal. Although she didn¡¯t exin for herself, her words clearly showed that Fifth Princess went out of the pce for too many times, which was disgraceful.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to argue with Fifth Princess anymore. She wore a bright smile on her face and said, ¡°Your Highness, there is the banquet held by Princess Royal inside. Therefore, I can¡¯t stay here for too long and shall get in first!¡±

    Fifth Princess got choked and became angry. She stepped in front of Mo Xuetong to stop her from passing.

    ¡°Why does Her Highness do this? Do you want to drive the guests out for Princess Royal?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was still gentle. ¡°Maybe Princess Royal isn¡¯t holding a banquet today. It¡¯s me who has mistaken it?¡± She blinked her watery eyes and looked childishly attractive. She looked at Fifth Princess, but her eyes revealed her detachment.

    This time couldn¡¯t bepared to thest time when Bai Yihao asked her to go there. Last time she didn¡¯t dare to speak it out loud in front of Fifth Princess, which might get her jealous.

    But Fifth Princess didn¡¯t dare to drive the guests out for Princess Royal!

    Although as the Empress¡¯s daughter by blood, Fifth Princess knew how much her father cared about Princess Royal. Besides, Princess Royal was an elder to her, thus she couldn¡¯t evict her guests out.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s face turned cold. She stepped forward and lowered her voice. ¡°You can¡¯t try to win my cousin¡¯s attention. He looks down on you; you¡¯re just a third-grade official¡¯s daughter. You can¡¯t dream of getting Cousin¡¯s attention and bing the Empress in the Yan Kingdom.¡±

    She did do that for Bai Yihao. Mo Xuetong was still smiling, and she said lightly, ¡°Why would you think there is a connection between Sir Bai and me? Sir Bai was royalty and will be a perfect match with a royal princess like you. I¡¯m just an ordinary acquaintance of his. And why would I have any rtions with him? Besides, an ordinary girl like me can never think about the respected position of an Empress.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to be involved with Fifth Princess and Bai Yihao. It had nothing to do with her no matter what happened between them. Compared with Feng Yuran, Bai Yihao seemed more dangerous to her, and she would never be stupid enough to let herself trapped in the war between the two countries. Even though he smiled gently and affectionately, he was still that bloodthirsty emperor.

    Mo Xuetong would rather believe that it was only his camouge, which would let down others¡¯ guard.

    In this second life, she would rather believe in the hearts she could see through.

    Bai Yihao was definitely cruel and cold-blooded!

    Seeing Mo Xuetong speaking like that without hesitation, Fifth Princess was kind of satisfied. She snorted. ¡°You¡¯re sensible enough.¡±

    At the moment, the guard by the gate dered loudly. ¡°Sir Bai is here.¡±

    The noisy ce by the gate suddenly turnedpletely silent. In the sun glows, a man walked out of the carriage. His white clothes flew up in the air and looked very enchanting.

    He raised his handsome wless face which instantly caught everyone¡¯s attention. Though he was far away from them, he seemed to have brought along elegance, freedom, and easiness as carefree as the clouds in the sky.

    He was wearing a light silver cloak which was embroidered with phoenix patterns. Those bright eyes nced through the crowds. He was so elegant and noble that he didn¡¯t seem to belong to this world. The wind blew his hair up and disturbed not only Fifth Princess¡¯s heart. Every miss there obsessively looked at the figure walking out from the light.

    Bai Yihao walked out from the carriage and nced in Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction.

    Mo Xuetong hesitated for a moment and took two steps back to hide. Fifth Princess was already hard enough for her to deal with. If the princess noticed that Bai Yihao paid attention to her, she might have to die for it.

    Bai Yihao was walking in her direction!

    Mo Xuetong lowered her head and looked at the ground. Mo Yu and Mo Ye also politely stood by the side. With their heads lowered, they were not so conspicuouspared with all the maidservants Fifth Princess brought.

    Bai Yihao smoothly walked to her, and his cloak with the embroidery of the phoenix motif raised a breeze which chilled people¡¯s hearts. ¡°I haven¡¯t expected to meet Third Miss Mo here. I¡¯ve ordered someone to send the clothes to you. Have you received it?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned pale and she tightly held the sleeves in her hands. She obediently stepped back to bow and offered a polite smile on her face. ¡°Thank you, Sir Bai. I wore Fifth Princess¡¯s clothes that day and left too hurriedly because I thought it might be inappropriate. Therefore, I left my clothes at your ce. Thank you for sending it back to me.¡±

    After her words, she said to the cold-faced Fifth Princess, ¡°I haven¡¯t thanked Your Highness for giving me the clothes.¡±

    Seeing her talking politely and indifferently to Bai Yihao and mentioning her help, Fifth Princess¡¯s expression softened. Just when she wanted to speak, Bai Yihao smiled tenderly and gently said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal and isn¡¯t worth mentioning again.¡±

    After those words, he turned to Fifth Princess. ¡°It¡¯s so lucky that you¡¯re here. We should get in together now in case Aunt gets worried because of the long wait.¡±

    Princess Royal Yunruo and Princess Royal Mingzhu used to grow up together before Empress Dowager and had a special rtionship. So it was proper for Bai Yihao to use such a close appetion.

    Fifth Princess agreed to him happily. ¡°Okay, Aunt just sent someone to urge us and said you were toote. So I¡¯m here to wait for you.¡± Then she turned around and red at Mo Xuetong as if she were threatening. When she turned back, she was chatting and smiling with Bai Yihao with a sweet face when they walked in.

    They were closely followed by a big crowd of maidservants and eunuchs. Then those misses, who just collected themselves, started to step forward.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t move until they all left.

    Mo Yu couldn¡¯t help murmuring, ¡°Miss, Sir Bai was too...¡±

    Mo Xuetong replied coldly. ¡°Mo Yu, don¡¯t speak improperly.¡± Then she knitted her brows a bit.

    Even Mo Yu knew it¡¯s improper to talk with her in public, Bai Yihao, who was so smart, must know about it. He knew it inside whereas he still talked like that and even mentioned that thing in front of Fifth Princess. If she were Fifth Princess, she would also be annoyed.

    Mo Xuetong definitely wouldn¡¯t believe Bai Yihao did it identally. A person like him wouldn¡¯t let others find a fault with him. The only exnation was that he had another purpose on her. This thought made her chill and her heart wouldn¡¯t stop trembling. When faced with Bai Yihao, she didn¡¯t think she had any chance to win even if it was in her second life.

    Such a person should belong to a totally different world from hers...

 Chapter 218 - History, Secret Past in Harem

    <h4>Chapter 218 History, Secret Past in Harem</h4>

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t imagine the Princess Royal¡¯s mansion to be this fancy before visiting here.

    On the way, she saw ancient trees stretching to the sky. By the fake mountains, strange-looking boulders stood, surrounded by streams. Zigzagging hallways connected pavilions and houses on terraces. From time to time, she could find new scenery she had never seen. Moreover, after the snow yesterday, the branches, rooftops, and trees were all white. Several red plum blossoms stuck out from the snow at the corner of the walls.

    The blossoms made the scene fresher and more romantic. A breeze blew off pieces of snowkes, falling like raindrops on Xuetong¡¯s shoulders. They yfully glided across her jade white face. Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold and beautiful eyes didn¡¯t seem to belong to the immortal world. Fluttering long eyshes, she slowly rolled her eyes, looking indescribably attractive.

    While observing the scenery, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect herself to be the scenic view in others¡¯ eyes.

    The maids led her into a parlor, where many guests had seated themselves there. They all turned out to be young girls who dressed morously and looked delicate. When Mo Xuetong stepped in, many of them paused. Some misses was already asking the people around them who she was. ¡°Who is this young miss?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? She¡¯s the third miss from Mo Manor.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the Third Young Miss Mo. She looks so gorgeous...¡±

    Mo Xuetong nimbly rolled her watery eyes and saw Luo Mingzhu and some other misses who were waving at her the moment she entered. Then, Mo Xuetong walked toward them.

    Luo Mingzhu grabbed her hand while smiling. Luo Mingzhu asked her to sit by the side and teased. ¡°I knew Princess Royal invited you. So I¡¯ve been waiting here watching the door. But you really came sote.¡±

    A slightly surprised voice rang, carrying a trace of exaggeration. ¡°Miss Luo, this is your cousin. She¡¯s so beautiful. In a few years, she¡¯ll be known as the most beautiful girl in the world.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up, only to see a girl in a blue shirt and red dress. She was about 15 or 16 years old, sitting next to Luo Mingzhu. She had a pretty face and a pair of tender and charming eyes.

    Luo Qingzhu introduced. ¡°This is Grand Secretariat¡¯s second daughter, Wang Yueyue. Yueyue, this is the third miss from Mo Manor.¡±

    Grand Secretariat¡¯s second daughter was none other than Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s younger sister. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect that one of the siblings was elegant and calm, while the other was mild and stunning.

    Mo Xuetong lightly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s so kind of you. But I¡¯m afraid the most beautiful girl in the Qin Kingdom is surly Second Miss Ling. That day, when I saw Second Miss Ling¡¯s beautiful figure from afar, I was even ashamed of myself.¡±

    Receiving Mo Xuetong¡¯s nd ttering, Wang Yueyue looked a little displeased. However, soon, she warmly smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m being impolite. When I just saw Third Young Miss Mo, I was impressed by your beauty and said something so arrogating. Is Third Young Miss Mo first time here? If so, you¡¯d have to follow me to make yourself a name board.¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked, confused. ¡°What¡¯s a name board?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu stood up with a smile and grabbed Mo Xuetong to lead her to the inner part of the parlor. Following them, Wang Yueyue also smilingly nodded and rose.

    Out of the parlor, after taking a few turns in the hallway, did Mo Xuetong understand Luo Mingzhu¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t help thinking it funny and boring.

    This time, the Princess Royal invited only unmarried misses and masters. Once in a while, the Princess Royal would convene a gathering of young misses and masters for some unimportant reason. It was because the princess was bored that she decided to throw these parties.

    After lunch, the attending misses would put on performances. Since it was improper for men and women to rest in the same ce and there was an artificialke in the Princess Royal¡¯s manor, boys and girls would rest on separate sides. At that time, the princess would have people prepare boards with names carved on them. Boys would pick girls¡¯ name board while girls would pick boys¡¯. After they drew someone¡¯s name board, they could ask the board¡¯s owner to sing, dance, write or y the Qin.

    If they would like to, they could join the owner to perform together!

    Therefore, Wang Yueyue asked Mo Xuetong to also make herself a name board.

    It was really easy to make one because nk boards were already ready for use. Thus, Mo Xuetong lifted a brush and wrote her name on it in Small Seal Script. Then, it was done.

    Of course, if she wanted to add a personal touch to it, she could paint some simple patterns on it or wrote a few lines of poems. However, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to stand out among the girls so she decided to go casual with it. Therefore, except her name, she decorated the board with nothing else.

    The three turned around to walk out of the room. Wang Yueyue left to attend to her business, while Luo Mingzhu dragged Mo Xuetong to a nearby pavilion.

    Making sure there was no one around, Luo Mingzhu lowered her voice to say, ¡°Cousin Tong, is your elder sister really marrying Sima Lingyun of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled back in doubt. ¡°She might be. Where did Second Cousin hear the news?¡± It was kind of a secret. After all, it was a scandal and the pce had reminded people inside to keep it low-key.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong at a loss, Luo Mingzhu burst into augh. ¡°You can¡¯t hide this kind of thing. People in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor are all talking about it. And Sima Lingyun has already been released. How couldn¡¯t we find out? Something in the pce is well hidden, but they do leave traces. And, the pce won¡¯t pay too much attention to this kind of affair, covering up the most of it will do.¡±

    In other words, the Empress didn¡¯t forbid aristocratic families from spreading this kind of matter.

    Indeed, they all knew Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor fell. Among the noble and exalted families, with such a reputation, even if Sima Lingyun took up a post in the court, he could onlynd some nominal position. His legal wife was a concubine¡¯s daughter. Moreover, she had tainted her reputation. In that way, he couldn¡¯t even socialize through his wife¡¯s connections.

    A concubine¡¯s daughter with a blemished reputation married the man she had an affair with. Even if the two loved each other, people would despise them. Additionally, their rtionship was revealed on the Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday banquet. If the people in the pce took it seriously, they could have punished the couple. Now, in this way, it could be said that the Empress had helped Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor and Mo Manor save face and suppress the ugly incident.

    Nevertheless, they couldn¡¯t stop people from gossiping about it.

    Luo Mingzhu lowered her voice and pointed at Fifth Princess nearby with a solomen face. ¡°Cousin Tong, keep an eye on Fifth Princess.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was dazed, not because of the name Fifth Princess, but because she didn¡¯t expect Fifth Princess had made the entire city know she was envious of every woman around Bai Yihao. Furthermore, if she carefully looked into their rtionship, she didn¡¯t think there was anything romantic between them.

    Luo Mingzhu held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and looked at her two maids. ¡°Do you remember when that elder sister of yours came to the pce to attend the flower-appreciating party?¡± Her two personal maids understood her. One walked out to the exit of the corridor, and the other stood by the pavilion.

    Seeing Luo Mingzhu being so alert, Mo Xuetong was startled, and Mo Ye also returned to stand by the pavilion.

    Luo Mingzhu drew near to Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears and whispered. ¡°Do you know what happened in the pce back then?¡± Looking from afar, people could only see them two merrily talking to each other.

    Mo Xuetong frowned while pondering. Something crossed her mind but she failed to catch them. ¡°They said my elder sister made an appointment with King Chu through secret letters. Fifth Princess found out about them and Mo Jin took the me. And my elder sister was sent out of the pce.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu twisted the handkerchief and said, hinting at something else. ¡°King Chu is careful and different from Fifth Princess. How could Fifth Princess have caught him? In a situation like this, you can either say your elder sister seduced King Chu, or you can say King Chu was having an affair with your sister. With his personality, how could King Chu be caught by Fifth Princess and thus be criticized by people?¡±

    King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, was never a simple person. Compared to him, Fifth Princess was much less experienced in scheming. Except for Feng Yuran, now it was just the time for the two princes to fight for Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favor. How could Feng Yuxuan let others know his secret meeting with Mo Xuemin at such a time? If he didn¡¯t want to be discovered, he could hide it in a million ways.

    For example, he could send people to destroy the letter and have Mo Xuemin scolded. Why did he have to spread it in the entire pce? What good would that do to him? It would only annoy Emperor Zongwen, because a prince should be so casual, which wasn¡¯t decent at all. Furthermore, judging from the situation on that day, Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t really love Mo Xuemin.

    Suddenly, something urred to her. Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes and somewhat doubtfully asked, ¡°Did King Chu... want to get exposed or...¡± Before finishing, Mo Xuetong denied the idea. Though she hadn¡¯t met with him often, she could tell that he must treasure a good reputation very much.

    He was said to be elegant, well-mannered, and respect the wise and schrly. How could he taint his reputation for Mo Xuemin? Mo Xuetong involuntarily twitched her mouth; a trace of surprise shed through her watery eyes.

    Noticing Mo Xuetong¡¯s surprised eyes, Luo Mingzhu knew that Mo Xuetong had realized, so Luo Mingzhu lowered her voice even more. ¡°That first miss in your manor isn¡¯t simple. You need to watch out. Even if she marries Sima Lingyun, she won¡¯t give up. If she gets involved with King Chu... you know, you¡¯d better marry her to someone soon.¡±

    Mo Xuetong fell silent. In quite a while, she collected herself and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mo Jin?¡±

    Since they only told a half-truth at that time, Mo Jin should still be here. She heard that Mo Xuemin was granted marriage to Sima Lingyun mostly because of the sachet she left in Repayment Temple. Mo Xuetong knew that sachet. Afterward, Mo Jin collected the sachet and then it appeared on the Empress¡¯s desk.

    Luo Mingzhu shook her head. She didn¡¯t really know if a maid was dead or alive. Back then, no one would have noticed that. ¡°I don¡¯t know! They only said when Fifth Princess was lured there, your elder sister¡¯s letter was just found. Though it was tossed aside, King Chu seemed to have read it. And they said King Chu was about to go out at that time...¡±

    King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, didn¡¯t fancy Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuetong could tell that in the flower-appreciating gathering. However, why would King Chu want to meet with Mo Xuemin? Who lured Fifth Princess there? What on earth happened in the pce? Why hadn¡¯t any news spread after so long?

    Mo Xuetong felt she was at her wit¡¯s end. Since the noble King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, didn¡¯t fancy Mo Xuemin, why did he see her? If Mo Jin, who was taken away back then, was already dead, then why did Mo Xuemin¡¯s sachet reappear on Empress¡¯s desk? All of the mysteries were extremelyplicated and difficult to unravel. She couldn¡¯t crack them and feel like running out of her wit.

    Luo Mingzhu stared at Mo Xuetong with her bright eyes and lowered her voice again. ¡°I heard a Fifth Princess¡¯s main maid is close to your elder sister. You need to watch out. Last time, your sister got to appreciate flowers in the pce because the maid put in a good word before Her Highness.¡±

    Mo Xuetong suppressed her anxiety and regained a calm face. ¡°What aboutst time in Empress Dowager¡¯s birthday banquet?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu answered, ¡°I don¡¯t really know about the thing in Her Majesty¡¯s birthday banquet, but Fifth Princess seems involved. I heard Fifth Princess likes your elder sister. Have your eyes on your sister while you¡¯re at home. Don¡¯t let her make trouble again in case you take the me for her before Fifth Princess.¡±

    Mo Xuetong realized she was referring to the incident in front of the school that day. Mo Xuetong knew Luo Mingzhu was worrying for her, so Mo Xuetong then smiled and nodded!

 Chapter 219 - The Princess Royal Favors

    <strong>Chapter 219 The Princess Royal Favors</strong>

    Mo Xuetong warmlyforted Luo Mingzhu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, cousin. I don¡¯t have anything that Her Highness can pry into. Before, she might make things difficult for my elder sister. Now, Her Majesty issued the decreed. My elder sister has to marry into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor no matter how unwilling she is. Father won¡¯t let her attend gatherings either. How can she get in trouble again? Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu hesitated and had to remind Mo Xuetong in case thetter was framed while unaware of it. ¡°I always thought the elder sister of yours, that concubine¡¯s daughter, wasn¡¯t nice. When you¡¯re out of the capital, she acted like a legal daughter in Mo Manor. She looks decent, but she¡¯s really good at putting on shows. People also say that she¡¯s connected to Ming General¡¯s heir, You Yuecheng.¡±

    Before, Mo Xuemin had been close with Mingguo Manor¡¯s You Yue¡¯e. Mo Xuemin almost spent time with You Yue¡¯e in every banquet. She was also close to Ming General¡¯s heir, You Yuecheng. Though the two didn¡¯t act intimately on the surface, some observant misses could still notice their interactions.

    Therefore, rumor had it that You Yuecheng turned down the proposal from Ding General Manor partly because of Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu worried about her. Indeed, You Yuecheng and Mo Xuemin¡¯s rtion had been ambiguous. However, Mo Xuetong would rather think that because of Mo Xuemin, You Yuecheng had been holding grudge against herself. Luckily, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t ask for anything from You Yuecheng, thus, it didn¡¯t matter to her anymore.

    Hence, Mo Xuetong just smiled. ¡°Mingguo Manor¡¯s hair is a virgin. Even if he had a fling with my elder sister, he won¡¯t engage with Mo Manor in the future.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu giggled and covered her mouth with her handkerchief. ¡°That¡¯s good. There¡¯s still one year of Aunt¡¯s mourning. We should just keep Mo Xuemin in the manor during this time. When she marries into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, she can do whatever she wants. I heard Sima Lingyun just openly took a concubine. That woman could actually marry him at such a time. She must be resourceful. When Mo Xuemin marries into that manor too, it¡¯ll be fun.¡±

    Sima Lingyun just got into trouble. The Empress issued a decreed to marry Mo Xuemin to Sima Lingyun, then he immediately took a concubine. It was like a p in the face for Mo Xuemin. With her personality, if Mo Xuemin really married into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, how would she let that woman off? Mo Xuemin involuntarily pursed her lips to smile. She was almost sure that this ¡°remarkable¡± and ¡°resourceful¡± concubine was Yun Yiqiu.

    She must ¡°help¡± make Mo Xuetong suffer in thest life!

    For some unknown reason, looking at Luo Mingzhu¡¯s bright smile, Mo Xuetong sighed. ¡°Second Cousin, I heard grandmother wanted you to marry into the royal family. Do you really want to?¡±

    After these words, the smile started to fade from her face. Then, she blinked and forced a smile. Leaning on the rail of the pavilion, she pouted. ¡°Grandmother intends to. They said they got the wind of the news from the Empress. Father and the First Uncle weren¡¯t that satisfied with this marriage.¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked in a low voice, ¡°Who did they select...?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu didn¡¯t continue and looked pale. ¡°The third one. They said he was well-educated and thus well-mannered. But who didn¡¯t know he and Ding General Manor¡¯s...?¡±

    The third one meant King Yan, Feng Yulei. The third prince, Feng Yulei, fancied Ding General Manor¡¯s Ling Fengyan. They grew up together. Last time, on New Year¡¯s eve, something like that happened. In the end, King Yan almost got physical with King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. All of this showed that Feng Yulei and Ling Fengyan more than just knew each other.

    Who wanted to marry a man with a secret lover? Moreover, before the marriage, a detailed rumor of their affair had been flying. The gloomy look on Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face revealed her reluctance. Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu would like to marry a man who loved her for who she was. She would marry him and grow old with him, instead of His Royal Highness King Yan, who was already taken by another woman.

    Additionally, that woman happened to be Ling Fengyan, who had never gotten along well with Luo Mingzhu. How could Luo Mingzhu not mind?

    Mo Xuetong held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Since Her Majesty just sent some signal, she might haven¡¯t decided yet. We might cancel the marriage too. It¡¯s the best that First Uncle opposed it. Next time, I¡¯ll tell Grandmother that King Yan will never be a good husband and he just wants to marry you for First Uncle¡¯s military power.¡±

    Since the Empress considered marrying Ling Fengyan to King Chu, she must have thought about pushing First Uncle with military power to King Yan¡¯s side. In this way, a bnce was formed on the surface. King Chu married Ding General Manor¡¯s daughter, while King Yan married Fu General Manor¡¯s. Both families possessed military power and they were equal.

    However, in fact, Ding General Manor supported the Empress. With the Empress backing King Yan, even if Ling Fengyan married into King Chu, she couldn¡¯t make Ding General Manor loyal to King Chu. Instead, it was like sending a spy beside King Chu. Should King Chu conduct anything in the future, King Yan must know it at once.

    On the contrary, King Yan had not only Ding General Manor¡¯s support, but also Fu General Manor¡¯s. With the help of the two manors, the military power they possessed, and Empress in the harem, King Yan¡¯s chance of taking the throne would tremendously increase. This was the Empress¡¯s real n!

    Nevertheless, when King Yan, Feng Yulei, became the emperor, would Luo Mingzhu really feel happy?

    Most of the previous empresses were deposed by the emperors. The out-going, direct, and lovely Luo Mingzhu could never match the pretentious Ling Fengyan in a war. In the end, she might end up in a plight in the harem and even couldn¡¯t protect Fu General Manor.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her eyshes, hiding the coldness in her eyes. King Yan was never meant for Second Cousin. If he was loyal, he would be thinking about Ling Fengyan all the time; if he was unfaithful, entering the harem for Second Cousin would be like being exiled. The harem nevercked beauties and time only drove women mad. Plus, when everything settled down, you couldn¡¯t tell if King Yan would dispose of her after using her.

    With all the women in the harem, all the wolves surrounding her, how could Second Cousin survive...

    If she knew this was going to fail, how could she watch Second Cousin fall?

    Luo Mingzhu was always carefree. After a moment of sadness, she pulled herself up. She directly stroked Mo Xuetong¡¯s cheek and cheekily said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s forget about the bad news. Anyway, there¡¯s still time until the selection begins. Plus, Her Majesty won¡¯t necessarily pick me. But you, Cousin Tong, you have to watch for yourself. Look at your pretty face. Be careful.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pushed her hand away. Before the Empress issued a decree, they could still change that. They could find a solution. After all, with Fu General Manor¡¯s status, the Empress couldn¡¯t force them. ¡°Second Cousin is teasing me. Look at that young miss who came today. She is beautiful. I¡¯m just a in girl. How can you call me pretty?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu smiled. ¡°Cousin Tong is too modest. I heard when you first came in, you swept those young masters off their feet. And they¡¯re all asking which family you came from.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked into Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes and saw no jealousy, only sincerity. She couldn¡¯t help smiling as well. ¡°How were they asking about me? I¡¯m afraid they were using me as an excuse to chat up those prettydies.¡± ...

    ¡°You¡¯re full of it.

    Returning the parlor, as expected, they saw Princess Royal was already here.

    Mo Xuetong stepped forward to greet her, and the Princess Royal politely asked her to rise. After sizing Mo Xuetong up, the princess actually held the former¡¯s hand and affectionately said to her, ¡°Third Young Miss Mo just arrived at the capital. You can¡¯t have met the noble misses and masters. Today, you should take this opportunity to hang out with them.¡±

    Her words immediately made everyone in the parlor quieter. All the people strangely stared at Mo Xuetong. They didn¡¯t understand it. Why did the cold and unapproachable Princess Royal act affectionately to Mo Manor¡¯s third miss? This had never happened before. Princess Royal had been indifferent to even Fifth Princess and her own niece.

    Some of the guests suddenly remembered that when Mo Xuemin framed her own sister in the pce, Mo Xuetong imed to have stayed in Princess Royal¡¯s pce. Was it true? If it was really so, it could not only prove Mo Xuemin¡¯s scheming against her sister, but also Princess Royal¡¯s acknowledgment for this Mo Manor¡¯s third miss.

    Immediately, some people viewed Mo Xuetong differently.

    Mo Xuetong mildly smiled. ¡°Thank Princess Royal.¡± While bowing, she fluttered her long eyshes to hide her doubt. She was the interested party, but she didn¡¯t understand why Princess Royal acted so intimately with her publicly. In their previous two meetings, Princess Royal wasn¡¯t so close to her.

    Princess Royal dropped Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and rose. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the garden. Tables are set there.¡±

    The guests all followed the Princess Royal toward the garden.

    In the garden, tents were already set up on both banks and stove were burning. The boys went to the other side. Theke was not too wide, so when they sat opposite the river, they could still see each other clearly. On one hand, it was ording to the rule that men and women didn¡¯t sat by the same table; on the other hand, it didn¡¯t leave them too far away from the opposite group.

    This was not too far nor too close, just the right distance!

    Mo Xuetong nced at the opposite side, only to see a pair of gorgeous phoenix eyes looking into her as well. The pair of bright eyes were morous, shining with charming light. For some unknown reason, Mo Xuetong flushed and took her watery eyes off the man. She didn¡¯t remember what she said or how she misbehaved in front of himst night, thus, she failed to stay calm like before.

    On the opposite, Feng Yuran also cocked an eyebrow, averted his eyes, and fixed them on Bai Yihao opposite. Bai Yihao was in white dress as ethereal as snow, and was as eye-catching as his purple clothing.

    With a fleeting smile on his face, Feng Yuran asked Bai Yihao, ¡°King Bai, why are you here today at my aunt¡¯s party? Did you grow to enjoy appreciating beauties like me?¡±

    His words left all the present noble masters upset because he made them all seem as rakish as King Xuan, which was annoying. However, King Xuan had always been unreasonable, and they didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Hence, they all fixed their expectant eyes on Bai Yihao. If King Xuan represented a rakish aristocrat, then this King Bai stood for elegance and he could totally make this party sound tasteful again.

    Bai Yihao lightly smiled and picked up the tea on the table to sip it, then, he gracefully put it down. ¡°How could I deny it when your aunt summoned me? The plum flowers are blooming and beauties resemble jade, which enhances the beautiful scenery before our eyes. We can surely feast our eyes on them.¡±

    Around tents on both banks, red and white plum blossoms were blooming against the snow, as clear as jade. If one could see a beautiful girl among the flowers, it would surely be splendid. Everyone secretly nodded and thought Sir Bai was truly amazing. He turned King Xuan¡¯s coarse remarks tasteful in just a few in words.

    Feng Yuran curved the corner of his lips lightly, forming a smile. His dark pupils were shining with a beautiful iridescence. He raised his hand to pour a cup of wine for himself and another one for Bai Yihao, and toasted thetter. ¡°King Bai is right. It turns out that I¡¯ve been looking down on myself. I came here today to admire the flowers, the scenery, and the beauties. King Bai and I have the same hobbies. Come on, it¡¯s hard to find someone inmon with you. We need to drink to that.¡±

    Like King Xuan, everyone had to feel disoriented again!

 Chapter 220 - Heirs from Four Great Manors

    <h4><b>Chapter 220: Heirs from Four Great Manors</b></h4>

    Bai Yihao lightly smiled. This time, he didn¡¯t say anything and just picked the wine Feng Yuran handed. Bai Yihao also slightly raised the cup and gulped it down.

    Music rang from both banks. A broad boat slowly sailed forward, where high and spacious tforms were set up. On the tforms, a group of dancers from the princess¡¯s manor were dancing to the music. Maids who stood on both sides of the tforms were carrying flower baskets. From time to time, they would draw out dried flowers from the baskets and spread them to the banks. The scene looked very beautiful.

    Beautiful scenery like this in winter was extremely enticing. At that time, the audience burst into cheers.

    At the table where Luo Youwen sat, there were only four heirs from Four Great Manors. Now, Ding General Manor¡¯s hair, Ling Mingfeng, sat at the right side of Luo Youwen. Suddenly, Ling Mingfeng pushed Luo Youwen¡¯s hand and lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Youwen, is the girl opposite your cousin?¡±

    At that moment, Luo Youwen couldn¡¯t understand which one he was referring to. Looking in the direction Ling Mingfeng pointed, as expected, Luo Youwen saw several young misses around Princess Royal. Because there were quite a few people there, Luo Youwen failed to recognize them at the time. ¡°Mingfeng, which one did you point to?¡±

    Four Great Manors had been on good terms with each other, and the four heirs were the future inheritors of the families. In their childhood, the four families had deliberately left them bonding with each other. Therefore, no matter what trouble the families were in on the surface, at least, the four heirs were close in private. They were of simr age and weren¡¯t married, so they didn¡¯t care so much about manners.

    Ling Mingfeng smilingly asked. He was a somewhat delicate young man, dressed fancily. He was beaming as he passed a cup of wine to Luo Wenyou. ¡°That one. The one in in white. She¡¯s sitting by your sister and wearing a jewel hairpin.¡±

    Luo Wenyou ndly nced at him and took the wine, sipping on it. ¡°She¡¯s indeed my cousin. Why? Is there a problem?¡±

    Ping General Manor¡¯s heir, Chen Yanyu, was sitting by them. Chen Yanyu cut in before Ling Mingfeng could answer. ¡°There¡¯s no problem. Lingfeng just wants to chat her up. Don¡¯t you know him? He can¡¯t move his feet before a beauty. I really don¡¯t know what his thing is. Every time Princess Royal throws a party, he¡¯s the first one to show up.¡±

    Embarrassed by Chen Yanyu, Ling Mingfeng red at him, displeased. ¡°Yanyu, don¡¯t talk nonsense. When... when was I so ungrateful? Today, when I arrived, you and Yuecheng were already here.¡±

    Chen Yanyu teased and blinked at him as if saying ¡°We all know you¡±. ¡°We came early because Her Highness asked us to. We¡¯re here to set up the tables. We didn¡¯t know why you¡¯re here so early. In the morning, you must¡¯ve seen enough beauties in the garden. Don¡¯t pretend. We¡¯re all close. Youwen knows who you are.¡±

    Ling Mingfeng pushed away Chen Yanyu¡¯s cup, displeased. Then, he directly approached Luo Wenyou. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. Am I that kind of person? Youwen, your cousin hasn¡¯te here, has she?¡±

    Luo Wenyou nkly exined. ¡°My cousin has lived in Capital City. She came to the capital only recently.¡± He didn¡¯t want to tell too much about Mo Xuetong.

    Though Mo Xuetong had attended the party that these two threw in the pce, she was very low-key. At that time, boys and girls were separated afar. Many didn¡¯t see her. Later, in Fu General Manor¡¯s banquet, she only stayed with Luo Mingzhu and other nobledies, and never showed her faces publicly.

    Instead, her elder sister, Luo Xuemin, had been on everyone¡¯s lips. She had stirred the entire city with her incidents one after another. It was really hard for her not to ¡°shine¡±.

    Chen Yanyu suddenly thought of something and asked, surprised. ¡°Is this cousin the third younger sister First Miss Mo talked about in the pce?¡±

    Though he wasn¡¯t present, the thing had spread widely. Then, something like that happened outside the pce, which was also an affair among the noble families. Naturally, many people spread the story in different versions. The most popr one was that First Miss Mo envied her younger sister¡¯s pretty face and legal daughter status. Therefore, she framed her younger sister in the pce to ruin thetter¡¯s name. They didn¡¯t expect that the younger sister with a pretty face was in Princess Royal¡¯s manor.

    The rumor turned out to false. Moreover, after leaving the pce, unexpectedly, Mo Xuemin secretly met with Sima Lingyun and was so unlucky as to be robbed on the way. In the end, they were found together lying on the street...

    Anyway, because of this First Miss Mo¡¯s fame, the third miss, who was rumored to be very beautiful, was also mentioned in the anecdote. This left many noble young masters interested in Mo Xuetong, who they never met before.

    Luo Wenyou sounded ambiguous, but everyone understood him. ¡°My cousin has been kind. I don¡¯t know what she did to upset First Miss Mo...¡±

    Ling Mingfeng interrupted in a despised tone, looking at You Yuecheng opposite, who was silent and only sipping on his wine. ¡°She¡¯s really mean, that First Miss Mo. I¡¯ve met her once. She looks fine but is a little annoying. She can really talk, but the thing she does is really degrading.¡±

    ¡°Yuecheng, I heard you¡¯re close to that First Miss Mo. I really don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t see it. Such a woman is pretty but isn¡¯t decent. You didn¡¯t avoid her and even testified for her. That thing involved with Minister Li¡¯s son ended up bad, didn¡¯t it? A woman snuck out in the middle of the night. She was definitely meeting with her secret lover. If Sima Lingyun marries her, he¡¯ll be a cuckold instead of a decent official.¡±

    They were talking about the incident that involved Mo Xuemin and Li Youmost time!

    At that time, Mo Xueming was meeting with You Yuecheng!

    You Yuecheng¡¯s face darkened and he clutched the wine cup in his hand. Then, he loosened his grip and smiled lightly, ndly saying, ¡°I was being stupid. I thought she¡¯s just a girl alone... The thing ended up like that. I¡¯m really sorry for Youmo.¡±

    Ling Mingfengughed. ¡°Yuecheng, don¡¯t worry. Master Li won¡¯t me you. Probably he might want to thank you. The thing ended up like that, and he needn¡¯t marry that First Miss Mo in the end, right? If so, why will he me you? That woman is too pretentious. I don¡¯t really like her.¡±

    Seeing You Yuecheng¡¯s face unnaturally sullen, Luo Wenyou secretly sneered and felt satisfied. He always thought You Yuecheng bore grudges aginst his cousin, so now, he pretended to be unaware of it and asked, ¡°Mingfeng, why do you think of First Miss Mo like that? Do you know any behind-the-scene stories about her? Or, are you just making up things?¡±

    Hearing Luo Wenyou degrading him, Ling Mingfeng, who had always deemed himself well-informed, became furious on the spot. ¡°How will I make up things? I only met this First Miss Mo once at the Princess Royal¡¯s partyst time. It was after the party. I was drunk and rested in the backyard. Who would have known she barged in and whined in tears, saying she was tricked into the room? She asked me what to do. What to do? What do you think I should do? I just told her to leave. I didn¡¯t want to take the me if she got a ruined reputation.¡±

    ¡°Guess what? She didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d tell her to leave. She must think I¡¯m a yboy. She looked surprised at that moment. Then, her pretending to cry was not so convincing anymore. Though I like beauties, I don¡¯t think this pretentious kind. So I just left. Do you think I need to deliberately degrade such a woman?¡±

    Ling Mingfeng felt very angry, so his words came out very harsh, totally ignoring the forced smile You Yuecheng barely managed to put on on his face.

    At this time ofst year, it was also at the Princess Royal¡¯s banquet. You Yuecheng met Mo Xuemin at that time. The masters from Four Great Manors were the noblest among all the noble masters. As an heir, how was You Yuecheng supposed to meet Mo Xuemin, a concubine¡¯s daughter from a fifth-grade officer¡¯s family?

    However, back then, he was drunk. His servant helped him into the room to rest. Suddenly, a woman hurried in and was astounded to see him. She tried to run out in a flurry but knocked down a nearby screen. She fell but still rose despite the pain, holding the screen.

    At that time, he saw the two streams of tears on her pink and white face. He couldn¡¯t help but get off the bed to pick her up...

    Thinking of it now, he remembered that Ling Mingfeng was sleeping in the room next to him on the left. Mo Xuemin must have gone to him because Ling Mingfeng rejected her. Immediately, he felt like having swallowed a fly, which made his face look more unnatural. He always thought as a military officer, he was sharp-eyedpared with the rest. He didn¡¯t think that even the yboy, Ling Mingfeng, had been more clearheaded than him.

    Ling Mingfeng was excited, unaware of You Yuecheng¡¯s terrible face. Chen Yanyu noticed it and immediately changed the topic with a smile. ¡°Why bring up such things? Thatdy won¡¯t have anything to do with us in the future anyway. Mingfeng, why didn¡¯t your younger sister, the top beauty in the world,e? She¡¯s a really captivating beauty, even a few princes...¡±

    While saying, he darted a look at the two sitting at the main table and meaningfully smiled.

    Today¡¯s tables were set ording to proper manners. Princess Royal took rituals seriously. Though outside the pce, they still must act by the rules. There were two main tables. King Chu and King Yan sat by one, while King Xuan and Bai Yihao sat by another one. The four masters sat by the third table. Then, the rest guests sat respectively by their grades, the same with the rules in the pce.

    Chen Yanyu was ncing at King Chu and King Yan, and of course, he was referring to the incident that night.

    Ling Mingfeng also darted a look at the two princes at the main table, indifferently pursed his lips, and proudly said, ¡°My second sister is really beautiful. Now that all the noble misses in the capital gathered here. You can see who¡¯s better than her.¡±

    Chen Yanyu tittered. ¡°You were just asking about that cousin of Wenyou. You¡¯ve seen her for yourself. Is she any inferior to your sister?¡± The misses Ling Mingfeng mentioned included his own sister; he couldn¡¯t stay calm at this time.

    That girl looked both innocent and charming. Young as she was, she was enchanting. Moreover, she behaved elegantly. Her clothes was in and simple; her eyes were as bright as water, like a person in the painting. Ling Mingfeng really couldn¡¯t call such a beautiful girl inferior to anyone.

    Finally, he could only force a few words. ¡°Only she¡¯s young...¡±

    Chen Yanyu scorned Ling Mingfeng and turned to face Luo Wenyou, ¡°She¡¯s already so charming when she¡¯s young. In a few years, she¡¯ll be a beauty you¡¯ve never seen in history. Wenyou, is your cousin betrothed to anyone?¡±

    Ling Mingfeng touched his nose and teased. ¡°Wenyou, don¡¯t be hard on him. Your uncle surely won¡¯t like a man like him. Yanyu, I heard there are many beautiful girls in your manor. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t remind you. But Lord Mo is strict, and he must want to choose a perfect man for his legal daughter.¡±

    Chen Yanyu¡¯s face fell and snapped. ¡°I do have many people in my manor but I can never surpass you. Of course, I won¡¯t impress Lord Mo, and you don¡¯t even need to ask. I heard all of your cousins are staying at your manor, waiting for your betrothal gifts.¡±

 Chapter 221 - Qin Rang and Beauties Resemble Jade

    <strong>Chapter 221 Qin Rang and Beauties Resemble Jade</strong>

    After the new year, all the noble young masters had been talking about the many beautiful cousins in Ding General Manor. At the center of the discussion, Ling Mingfeng naturally objected to this decision made by the family head very much. Those girls were all pretentious, always waiting for him on his way home with various excuses.

    They either threw themselves at him or insincerely ttered him. He was so angry that he hadn¡¯t visited his grandmother in the backyard for a while. Once, to avoid those so-called ¡°cousins¡±, he had to hide in Chen Yanyu¡¯s manor, which was really humiliating. At this time, after Chen Yanyu revealed the trouble he had at home, Ling Mingfeng was really angry. His face grew cold and was about to snap.

    Anguid voice rang over. It was nd, slightly cold and displeased. ¡°Please stop talking. Aunt is about to have people send the lot pot here.¡±

    They looked up, only to see the capricious King Xuan. His scarlet lips were glossy, and his extremely beautiful eyes reflected evil light. Though smiling, he appeared even more devilish. His smile was indifferent and could keep people away, and the color of the pupils were weird and dark.

    He seemed to nce at them. His body was very muscr and he slouched at the seat. He slightly curved his red lips and swirled the wine in the goblet with his long fingers. However, he didn¡¯t spill a single drop of the amber wine inside. The wind raised the hem of his purple robe, where the dragon motif looked wickedly beautiful. Moreover, he had those thick and long eyshes that didn¡¯t seem to belong to men.

    They didn¡¯t know who had irritated this noble prince, so the four heirs, who sat next to the prince, exchanged a few nces and unanimously shut up.

    With the personality of King Xuan, Feng Yuran, no one dared to offend him. He had only returned to the pce half a year ago, and had been famous in the entire Great Qin. Emperor Zongwen spoiled him and he was arrogant. People heard that even before the emperor, he din¡¯t act obediently at all. Emperor Zongwen was enraged every time but couldn¡¯t do anything to him.

    They fell silent, but the female guests on the other side couldn¡¯t stop talking.

    Mo Xuetong helplessly noticed that a few girls beside her were darting nces at the man at the first table from time to time.

    Two gorgeous men were sitting there in a position pleasing to the eye. People had to fix their eyes on them.

    Although other young masters present were all handsome, their presence made all the rest like green leaves. The two were the real mellow moonlight which was admired by the stars.

    The young misses who crammed around Mo Xuetong all seemed drunk. They fixed their eyes on the opposite as if the two men were maic. At the sight of this, Mo Xuetong involuntarily sighed secretly. With their looks, they were genuinely maic. Moreover, one was in devilish purple, and the other was in pure white. Their looks were equally beautiful like Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang who were equally matched, which made everyone¡¯s eyes light up.

    These kinds of looks were bound to break people¡¯s hearts.

    They were that noble, extremely handsome, and so ruthless. How could one woman¡¯s heart tie them up? In herst time, Mo Xuetong got swept off her feet by Sima Lingyun¡¯s face and was obsessed with his sweetness. Furthermore, these two were entirely differentpared with Sima Lingyun.

    They were more handsome, and more of devils while acting sweetly...

    After reincarnation, Mo Xuetong already saw this through. Remembering her thoughts in the morning, she involuntarily exhaled deeply. How could I fantasize about a person like him? She raised her lips, lowered her head, and secretly mocked at herself. However, her hand automatically reached for the hairpin in her buns.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s voice rang by her ears. ¡°Is Third Young Miss Mo feeling unwell? You don¡¯t look enjoying yourself.¡±

    Mo Xuetong raised her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Your Highness. It¡¯s a great honor to attend Princess Royal¡¯s banquet. I just remembered something and got lost in my thought.¡± Since sitting by Princess Royal, she found Fifth Princess constantly finding fault with herself. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know if Sir Bai exined clearly to Fifth Princess.

    Anyway, Fifth Princess seemed to be increasingly unsatisfied with her.

    Princess Royal was seated here, so Fifth Princess didn¡¯t do anything excessive. If in another ce, Mo Xuetong believed, Fifth Princess wouldn¡¯t let her off with just a few insults.

    Fifth Princess pursed her lips in displeasure and didn¡¯t seem to want to let her go. ¡°Aunt was going to have people send the lot pot, and you said you¡¯re thinking about stuff. Were you thinking about someone opposite?¡± Her words were harsh. Calling a young miss thinking about another one was like using her of having an affair.

    For a dignified princess to utter such words were truly ungraceful.

    While their conversation sounded displeasing, a few young misses all twisted around to quietly eye Mo Xuetong. The most outstanding ones were surely those two and misses on this side either admired Feng Yuran or fancied Bai Yihao. When they heard Fifth Princess criticized some girl for that admiration, they immediately took cautions.

    Mo Xuetong lifted her clear and watery eyes, full of smiles. ¡°Your Highness really likes to joke. My father went out on a business trip and might get homete. I was worried that Father wouldn¡¯t like the food outside, so I wanted to have people send a meal to Father.¡±

    ¡°Send a meal to Father?¡±

    Fifth Princess couldn¡¯t quite answer to that. Though deep down in her heart, she didn¡¯t buy it, she couldn¡¯t find fault with this exnation. Hence, she directly changed the topic and tried to embarrass her again. ¡°Does Third Young Miss Mo know another noble young miss also came. She¡¯s really gorgeous and out of this world.¡±

    Mo Xuetong dressed in in and elegant clothes and appeared ethereal. Just now, when Mo Xuetong first stepped in, Cousin directly saw Mo Xuetong through the crowd and ignored her. Thinking of this, Fifth Princess felt gloomy and couldn¡¯t help provoking this girl.

    Between their conversation, an extremely enchanting girl walked out from the plum forest. She was wearing a magenta dress made of brocade and embroidered with hibiscus patterns. Her crimson full-length pleated dress looked fancy,ced with golden threads. She was wearing carefully-styled buns, four silver dangling hairpins, and half-moon silver ornamentb in the hair around her forehead. Her crimson short coat wasced with grape patterns. When the wind lifted the hem of the coat behind her, she appeared more attractive.

    Her pink and bright dress didn¡¯t strike people as gaudy. Instead, against the white background of snow, she looked like a blooming peony, splendidly beautiful.

    She was none other than Ling Fengyan!

    Ling Fengyan walked to Princess Royal and deeply bowed. ¡°Your Highness is making fun of me again. I¡¯m sorry, Princess Royal. I got caught up in some matter so I arrivedte. I hope Your Highness will forgive me.¡±

    Princess Royal was smiling and gently said, ¡°Second Miss Ling is reallyte. Even if I spare you, others won¡¯t. Why won¡¯t you y a piece for us now?¡±

    Ling Fengyan smiled brightly and enchantingly. She modestly said, ¡°Yes, I will. If I y it badly, please forgive me, Your Highness.¡±

    Princess Royal nodded. ¡°Her Majesty once told me that Second Miss Ling could y the Qin well. If you y today, it must be a celestial piece. We have a rare opportunity today, so we¡¯ll listen to it carefully.¡±

    Ling Fengyan deeply bowed again and took an ancient Qin the maid passed to her. She sat down and smiled. She gently lifted her fingers and started ying. Ling Fengyan could really y the Qin well. She yed the famous piece ¡°A Joyful Ride¡± so melodiously that people felt like in spring. The warm breeze was blowing, and beauties like jade turned back to beam enchantingly...

    Plus, her eyes were glowing and her delicate face was amiable, which enchanted people even more!

    Sitting in the first table, King Chu picked up the eight-legged silver goblet with flower and bird motif before him and smiled. ¡°Second Miss Ling really can y the Qin well.¡±

    King Yan smiled tenderly, not trying to cover their intimate rtionship. ¡°She¡¯s been practicing the Qin since young. I haven¡¯t seen anyone more diligent than her. She doesn¡¯t even stop practicing even in chilling winters. I really admire her. With persistent efforts like that, she can y so well today.¡±

    King Chu softly smiled. ¡°It turns out Second Miss Ling has been so serious with the Qin. She¡¯s really diligent. No wonder Mother praises her a lot every time Mother mentions her. And every time I see her, she¡¯s as gentle and beautiful as this.¡±

    King Yan¡¯s face became a little unnatural. A trace of darkness shed through his eyes. He didn¡¯t answer King Chu.

    Feng Yuran acted like he wanted to hear more, deliberately touched his forehead and approached Bai Yihao extremely affectionately. ¡°Second Miss Ling is truly graceful. Your Highness, Cousin, you¡¯re a Qin master. Name a few of her weaknesses for me. Next time I go to the pce, I can show them off before Mother. Or, she¡¯ll talk about Second Miss Ling all the time. I¡¯ll be so embarrassed.¡±

    King Yan almost couldn¡¯t keep a smiling face anymore. He picked up the wine on his left and gulped it down. A fit of anger shed in his eyes, and he clenched the wine cup.

    Bai Yihao calmly smiled. The smile on his pretty face was mild and rxed. ¡°King Xuan is making fun of me. Second Miss Ling¡¯s piece is so lovely. Hearing such an enchanting Qin piece in a snowy season makes me feel like in the spring of the southern country. Her skill is excellent. How can I tell you any w?¡±

    He didn¡¯t surprise at Feng Yuran¡¯s sudden affectionate behaviors at all.

    After the performance, everyone apuded. Ling Fengyan elegantly rose to slightly bow to the other bank.

    Princess Royal twisted to face Mo Xuetong with a smile, saying, ¡°Second Miss Ling¡¯s piece is really melodious. Third Young Miss Mo, I heard people said you¡¯re good at Qin back in Cloud City. Can you y a piece for us too?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was dazed. She didn¡¯t have a good reputation back in Cloud City. Why did Princess Royal say something like that? Furthermore, her mother taught her to y the Qin and she only yed in their own backyard; others didn¡¯t know about it. Why was Princess Royal sure that I could y the Qin well?

    That being said, since the princess cued her, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t refuse. Now, Mo Manor could use a miss with a good reputation. Since Princess Royal offered her such an opportunity, she sure wouldn¡¯t miss it.

    She leisurely rose and walked to the Qin. Ling Fengyan already stood up, gently beaming at her and leaving.

    When they passed by each other, all the whispers died down.

    They were both pretty women. When they walked past each other like that, they looked more beautiful together and no one couldpare to them.

    Ling Fengyan was sure ethereal, while Mo Xuetong was charming as well, who was in a in dress and even only wore light makeup. Though when she walked and talked, she appeared childish, she looked naturally beautiful. A light tassel was fastened to her slim waist and the coat on top of her dress fluttered in the wind, looking attractive.

    Ling Fengyan was an eye-catching bright view in winter. At this time, among all the beautiful girls, her beauty made Mo Xuetong appear more heavenly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s white dress was neat and pretty. Standing in all the fancily-dressed young misses, she was like a fairy surrounded by flowers, quiet and enticing. Every man who saw her wanted to care for her.

    Chen Yanyu proudly red at Ling Mingfeng and won the war of words this time. ¡°How about that! I said this Third Young Miss Mo is like an angel in heaven. Even if now, your most beautiful sister in the world is here, she still looks as pure as jade.¡±

 Chapter 222 - Strange Atmosphere between Two Gorgeous Boys

    <h4>Chapter 222 Strange Atmosphere between Two Gorgeous Boys</h4>

    However, Ling Mingfeng didn¡¯t retort. His eyes were fixed because he could only see her bright eyes and white teeth. She was young now, but in a few years, how beautiful would she turn into?

    He stayed silent, while You Yuecheng snorted. ¡°What¡¯s good with a good look? Noble masters and misses should be talented. I wonder what talent this pretty Third Miss Mo possesses!¡±

    He was deprecating Mo Xuetong. Luo Wenyou darted a displeased look toward him and was about to talk. In the meanwhile, Mo Xuetong had started to y the Qin.

    If Ling Fengyan¡¯s piece was as lively as flower¡¯s whisper in spring, then Mo Xuetong¡¯s carried a cold feature, which suited the winter. The audience couldn¡¯t help getting lost in the music. Suddenly, the music sped up like a storm. Between the fierceness are ngs of weapons and horseshoes rang.

    Bai Yihao considered himself a Qin master, but now, he involuntarily fixed his eyes on the girl opposite, who was as delicate as a blossom. Such a fierce and aggressive piece was actually yed by such a girl. He found it hard to believe that between those delicate fingers rang a splendid military piece not a decadent one. It sounded so beautiful and sad...

    Feng Yuran slightly frowned and also fixed his eyes on the pair of nimble fingers on the Qin strings. His eyes somehow darkened. ¡°It sounds so sad and so angry. Is that what she trying to say deep down in her heart? What has she been through to bear such sadness? And for that, she ys such an aggressive piece?¡±

    Though You Yuecheng didn¡¯t like Mo Xuetong, he couldn¡¯t help feeling touched at the moment. He fixed his cold eyes on her and seemed lost in thoughts.

    When the piece ended, the silence was everywhere.

    Mo Xuetong rose and politely bowed to Princess Royal. Only then did everyonee to their senses and burst into a round of apuse.

    Mo Xuetong knew that from now on, the reputation she bore in Cloud City that said she was untalented and weak finally faded away. No one here would believe that rumor anymore. A smile registered by her lips. ¡°Father must love the things they say about me now.¡±

    Princess Royal beamed and awarded a pair of jade bracelets to the two respectively. ¡°Third Miss Mo and Second Miss Ling are both talented girls. It¡¯s my pleasure to have heard both of you y.¡±

    Ling Fengyan rolled her beautiful eyes. ncing at Mo Xuetong, she mildly smiled. ¡°Third Miss Mo¡¯s talent is impressive. I rarely find someone worth appreciating.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lightly smiled and freely admitted her weakness. ¡°Second Miss Ling has overestimated me. I can¡¯t y many pieces, so I yed such a piece, though it¡¯s unsuitable for girls to y. I hope Second Miss Ling don¡¯t mind it.¡±

    It was true. Mo Xuetong¡¯s piece was not so famous, and Ling Fengyan really hadn¡¯t heard it before. However, on asion like this, it was indeed a little inappropriate for a girl to y it. Ling Fengyan couldn¡¯t help smiling a bit. Exchanging a nce with Mo Xuetong, Ling Fengyan didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Since Mo Xuetong had revealed her intention to lose, they were on a par. Moreover, the audience couldn¡¯t exactly say who won or who lost, so Ling Fengyan didn¡¯t need to say anything more.

    Princess Royal had been listening and secretly nodded. ¡°She¡¯s really broad-minded to have admitted her weakness. And she still yed it when she knew it was a losing piece. She apparently had thought about it before. She doesn¡¯t want to win, which is both generous and wise of her. When shepetes against the hyped Ling Fengyan, she only needs to tie the game, because if she really wins, the Empress won¡¯t like it.

    ¡°Soon, the Empress will select consorts for the crown prince and she¡¯s been hyping Ling Fengyan as a candidate. How can she bear to know someone has surpassed Ling Fengyan? Mo Xuetong has been so wise to hide her talent before Ling Fengyan so as to suppress thetter¡¯s anger down. It¡¯s not something every young miss is capable of doing.¡±

    Fifth Princess was keen on finding fault with Mo Xuetong and wasn¡¯t happy with Mo Xuetong receiving any praise, so she had to remind everyone of her opinion. ¡°I still think Second Miss Ling is better. What Third Miss Mo yed sounded so out of ce on asion like this.¡±

    If she said this while Mo Xuetong was admitting her own ws, the audience would think the Fifth Princess was quick to react. However, now, they would only see this royal princess as a narrow-minded person.

    Even if some wanted to suck up to Fifth Princess, they couldn¡¯te up with any ttering words after hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s modest statement.

    ¡°Since Third Miss Mo has admitted defeat, Xueyu needn¡¯t trash her anymore.¡± Princess Royal didn¡¯t take it to heart, just turned around, and asked Yunruo by her side. ¡°Have you prepared the lot pots?¡±

    Yunruo courteously answered, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve had them ready.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡±

    A line of fancily-dressed royal maidservants presented the lot pot on the desk before Princess Royal. All the misses fixed their nimbly eyes on the lot pot, wishing they could draw the names of the people on their minds. They hoped they could talk to the ones they liked and impress them. After thinking about the possibility, their faces all flushed and their hearts flipped.

    King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, presided over the male guests¡¯ tables. He first drew a name from the lot and casually flung it to a eunuch by his side.

    When it was Mo Xuetong¡¯s side, she picked one and stepped back without looking at the name.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, I actually picked my brother. Yuck! I¡¯ve seen every one of my brother¡¯s talents. Who did you pick? Let me see.¡± Sullenly carrying a stick, Luo Mingzhu came back. She swung it in her hand and looked downcast. Suddenly, she saw the name stick in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. Just after she finished, she snatched the stick from Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong did nothing but smilingly let go of the stick.

    The moment Luo Mingzhu saw the fancy handwriting on the stick, she fell speechless. ¡°Wow, Cousin Tong. You actually picked King Xuan. No way. Who dares to... challenge him?¡±

    King Xuan, Feng Yuran, wasn¡¯t someone easy to handle. People said he was so willful and unreasonable that he had even thrown out Ling Fengyan¡¯s portrait. No one wanted to mess up with him, because they knew there would be consequences. No one knew for sure if he would hold his temper to help Princess Royal save face.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect to pick Feng Yuran¡¯s name either. She nimbly rolled her bright eyes and took over the stick to have a closer look.

    In a dilemma, Luo Mingzhu frowned. Suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she stuffed the stick with Luo Wenyou¡¯s name in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. ¡°Cousin Tong, I¡¯ll exchange with you. Take my brother¡¯s name stick.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was dazed and then soon realized her intention. She pushed Luo Wenyou¡¯s stick away with a smile. ¡°Second Cousin, it¡¯s OK. Though King Xuan has been willful, Her Highness set the rules. If he ys the game, he must have agreed on the rules. And, I won¡¯t try to embarrass him or stuff. Judging from his handwriting, he must write excellently well. I¡¯ll ask him to write a few words. I won¡¯t annoy him anyway.¡±

    ¡°That being said,¡± Mo Xuetong had toin secretly, ¡°Feng Yuran is known to be willful.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was still concerned for her, so she again stuck out her hand, while trying to grab Mo Xuetong¡¯s stick with the other hand. ¡°Cousin Tong. You can¡¯t be sure about something like that. You might as well give me that stick. No matter what happens, I have my brother here to protect me. Even if His Highness wants tosh out on me, he¡¯ll keep it down for the sake of Fu General Manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong stuck out her tongue and cutely smiled. She pushed the stick Luo Mingzhu offered away and pointed aside. ¡°Second Cousin, stop! If you still try to snatch my stick, they¡¯ll think you fancy that King Xuan. Look, misses over there have noticed us.¡±

    Indeed, a few young misses nced sideways at them. At the same time, royal maidservants were taking down the names on every miss¡¯s stick.

    Seeing the maidservantsing over, Luo Mingzhu stopped talking and had to withdraw her stick to wait for them to take down the name she drew.

    On the other side, Feng Yuran put on a charming and seductive smile. He nimbly flipped the stick in his hand, and casually flung it to the eunuch beside him to record the name.

    Hezily asked with a hint of a smile upon his glossy red lips and his eyes fixed on the stick in Bai Yihao¡¯s hand. ¡°Cousin Bai, whose name is on your stick? Let your younger cousin see what kind of beauty is in your hand. So beautiful that you don¡¯t want to share with us?¡±

    Bai Yihao casually smiled and directly put the stick down on the table. ¡°Third Miss Mo writes so well. I didn¡¯t know she has such excellent handwriting.¡±

    After he finished, Ling Mingfeng and Chen Yanyu turned their heads at him.

    On it were several slim characters in Small Seal Script. Though casually written, they revealed the writer¡¯s excellent knowledge of calligraphy.

    A young and delicate woman could write in such a style, whichpletely amazed him.

    Ling Mingfeng eximed. ¡°It sure is good handwriting. And a woman wrote them.¡± However, when he tried to snatch it to take a closer look, the eunuch by his side had already took it, so he had to withdraw his hand.

    Chen Yanyu sighed. ¡°Bearing so many skills, Third Miss Mo deserves to be called a talented woman.¡±

    You Yuecheng also nced at the stick. Seeing everyone was praising her, he somewhat felt angry. Thus, he snorted. ¡°Hmph, pretentious. She¡¯s putting on a show again!¡±

    Thinking that he was the only one here who had seen the fierce side of that woman who struck people as a delicate girl, he again considered this woman evil. ¡°At such a young age, she¡¯s fooled so many people.¡±

    Feng Yuran wickedly narrowed his eyes and smilingly asked Bai Yihao, ¡°Third Miss Mo just performed a Qin piece. I wonder what else Cousin will ask her to perform.¡± Now, he was calling his elder cousin sweetly again and again. It seemed they were close. However, between his behaviors, he didn¡¯t strike people as being affectionate to his cousin at all. Instead, he appeared somewhat indifferent.

    Ling Mingfeng and Chen Yanyu exchanged nces with each other and had the sense to stay out of this. ¡°King Xuan is annoyed?¡±

    Bai Yihao mildly smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my cousin. Third Miss Mo is of talent. How will she run out of them?¡±

    The sentences made King Chu and King Yan tilt their heads.

    Feng Yuran cocked an eyebrow and looked concerned. Obvious concern showed on his pretty face. ¡°I sure should be worrying. Last time when I saw this Third Miss Mo, I was impressed. She¡¯s such a virtuous talent. Cousin, don¡¯t try to embarrass her. Well, Cousin, I¡¯m still worried. Why don¡¯t we exchange our sticks?¡±

    Near him, several young masters couldn¡¯t help shaking their head. ¡°King Xuan takes a fancy to the third miss from Mo Manor? How many women has he tried to win this month?¡± King Xuan was known to be willful.

    Several days ago, at the banquet in the pce, he was said to have fallen in love with the fourth miss from Han Family. At the banquet held in Fu General Manor, he became a suitor of second miss from the Yan Family; In Ping General Manor, he again told everyone that he wanted the eighth miss from the Ming Family. Today, he started to care for third miss of Mo Manor.

    Unfortunately, all of these misses didn¡¯t have a rank high enough to be King Xuan¡¯s consort. Of course, no one took it seriously now because none of them knew whom this wilful King Xuan would fall for tomorrow!

    Anyway, he could im to love anyone he wanted, and it would fall on deaf ears.

    Aside, even King Chu wryly smiled. He shook his head and drank a cup of wine himself.

    Bai Yihao forced a smile and answered, ¡°Rest assured. Cousin, I won¡¯t make things difficult for Third Miss Mo.¡±

    Still worried, Feng Yuran reminded him again, as if he feared that Bai Yihao would forget. ¡°Alright. Remember, don¡¯t embarrass herter.¡±

    Others chuckled and diverted attention from them. Instead, they started to ask each other whose name they¡¯d drawn.

    No one noticed a strange atmosphere flowing between the two. One pair of glowing eyes was filled with icy coldness, while the other pair of bright eyes was covered inplex emotions.

 Chapter 223 - Make Everyone Fall for Her, Dancing at the Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 223 Make Everyone Fall for Her, Dancing at the Banquet</h4>

    Everyone had taken their draw and had their names taken down. Then, starting from the female guests¡¯ side, to show their noble status, the maidservants listed the name starting from the noblest one.

    The first one sure was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan; the second was King Yan, Feng Yulei; while the third was King Xuan, Feng Yuxuan; and the fourth was the prince from Yan Kindom, Bai Yihao...

    An assistant minister¡¯s daughter had drawn the stick of King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. She seemed to stutter out of shyness. She only looked at Feng Yuxuan opposite and then her face blushed. Finally, under a few other misses¡¯ encouragements did she timidly asked, ¡°I heard Your Highness ys the Di well. I¡¯m wondering if Your Highness will apany me on my flute.¡±

    They were going to y Di and flute together!

    On the other bank, the male guests all cheered, while on this side, most of the female guests thought it funny.

    Feng Yuxuan smilingly nodded and then a eunuch presented a Di. He drew it to his lips and yed a few notes to test; while the assistant minister¡¯s daughter also had her flute ready and yed a few notes on it. Feng Yuxuan raised his head to signal her to start. Then, the flute began, followed by the sound of Di. The sound of the two instruments sometimes got entangled and sometimes surpassed each other. They apanied and surpassed each other and sounded pleasing...

    Luo Mingzhu whispered by Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears, ¡°King Chu¡¯s Di skill is famous. Few can match him in the capital. Who knew that this Miss Mo canpare with him? It¡¯s quite rare. And she should dare to publicly y the flute with King Chu. She¡¯s quite courageous.¡±

    She was just an assistant minister¡¯s daughter and should dare to invite the prestigious King Chu. Additionally, she looked shy and now she was acting differently than before. Mo Xuetong pursed her lips in a smile. ¡°She¡¯s not necessarily bold. There might have been some other hidden reason.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was slightly dazed and soon realized it. She gently smiled and fixed her eyes on Ling Fengyan sitting next to Fifth Princess. ¡°It seems like Second Miss Ling has lots of barriers to break down before she marries into King Chu¡¯s manor!¡±

    At this time, the sound had died down. That assistant minister¡¯s daughter gracefully curtsied to Feng Yuxuan on the other side, while Feng Yuxuan also politely bowed back. When she stepped back, the young miss tentatively shot a nce at Ling Fengyan and cautiously kept her distance from thetter.

    The second one was Feng Yulei. This time, again, some obscure youngdy picked Feng Yulei¡¯s name. Without any excessive request, she only asked Feng Yulei to write a few words for her. Therefore, Feng Yulei directly wrote some words on the spot and had people send it to the miss as a keepsake.

    Yunruo, who was sitting by Princess Royal, held the name brochure and walked to Mo Xuetong, asking, ¡°Third Miss Mo, what would you like King Xuan opposite to perform?¡±

    On the other bank, Feng Yuran felt bored and was fiddling with a wine cup by his hand. He slouched on the chair and caught a glimpse of Mo Xuetong on the other side. Suddenly, he raised his lips and put down the wine cup in his hand. He straightened up.

    Mo Xuetong gracefully curtsied to Feng Yuran on the other side and smilingly asked, ¡°May His Highness perform a sword dance for us?¡±

    Soon, someone passed the words to Feng Yuran, who nodded. His eyes resembled jade, and he required Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qin apaniment.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t refuse and yed ¡°A Song of Guangling¡±. The music was as impressive as river andke currents and also as grand as the sky. Apanied by Feng Yuran¡¯s sword dance, the piece left everyone lost in the performance. With his appearance, a sword dance suited Feng Yuran the most. His seductively handsome face, apanied by the cold lights reflected on the de, made the snow and other guests fade off into a background behind him.

    Along with everyone¡¯s cheer, the two simultaneously stopped.

    Feng Yuran wickedly smiled to the other side. Then, he smoothly withdrew his sword, flung it away, and sat down.

    His guard took the sword and stood behind him.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied again and stepped back.

    Afterward, because You Yue¡¯e drew Bai Yihao¡¯s stick, she requested a painting from him.

    When the maidservants presented the brochure at the male guests¡¯ table, the sequence was different. This time, they announced the list starting from who first had his stick recorded. Naturally, Feng Yuxuan was again the first.

    It turned out that he drew Ling Fengyan¡¯s name. He mildly smiled and only asked Ling Fengyan to write several words for him. Seeing that he only asked for a scroll from her as a courtesy, Ling Fengyan almost failed to keep her smiling and delicate face natural. Then, she could only be so graceful as to have people prepare brush and ink for her and started writing.

    On such asion, if she could impress the audience, she could gain herself a name, which would only add to her charm. However, Feng Yuran only asked her to write, which was not even her forte. Did that mean he was not interested in her? Sitting opposite Feng Yuxuan, for the first time, Feng Yulei reached out to pour a cup of wine for Feng Yuxuan and handed it to him.

    Feng Yuxuan smilingly took it and raised the cup, proposing a toast to Feng Yulei. The two drank up together and left the matter unexined.

    A strange and mild atmosphere was flowing between the two as if they wouldn¡¯t be enemies in the future.

    Next, Feng Yulei requested another Qin piece from Wang Xiuxiu. However, after Ling Fengyan¡¯s and Mo Xuetong¡¯s performance, the audience got a little picky. Though Wang Xiuxiu yed it with all her efforts, her performance was given a cool reception.

    It was said that Feng Yuran identally broke the stick he drew and after it fell onto the ground, even the writing became illegible. Therefore, he was willing to let them skip him and turn to Bai Yihao.

    However, those who sat by Feng Yuran had seen it. The showy prince wasn¡¯t clumsy at all. After Bai Yihao refused to exchange sticks with him, he grabbed his stick from the young eunuch and snapped it in two with a wicked smile. Then, he casually flung it to somewhere far away in the snow, leaving a curve in the air.

    It would be strange if the writing was still eligible!

    Bai Yihao stood up, and his white robe fluttered. His dark hair flew in the wind and was only collected by blue smooth silk cloth. He mildly smiled, looking gorgeous and charming. He appeared noble and elegant in every way. Every miss opposite all thought he was looking at herself, thus their pink faces all flushed and their hearts raced.

    Mo Xuetong gracefully rose. ¡°I¡¯ll do what you requested.¡±

    As smooth as the flow of water, the music of Qin gurgled between his slim fingers. Unlike Ling Fengyan or Mo Xuetong, Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin skill was different. His Qin piece sounded distant like an immortal overlooking people, high above in the sky. That kind of nobility and feel of distance, apanied by the marvelous Qin sound, could possess people¡¯s souls.

    It was hard to dance to such music. If one didn¡¯t have the ability or they could barely follow the music, they would only dance awkwardly and even looked out of ce.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s face softened and mockingly looked at Mo Xuetong. She fixed her eyes on Bai Yihao on the other side and looked besotted with the handsome and perfect man.

    Ling Fengyan also secretlyughed. However, her attention was fixed on the wickedly attractive Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong started her dancing. Her dance was elegant. The exquisite dancing was apanied by the melodious Qin music. Her slim and white hands danced as smoothly as the flow of water. She flung her long sleeves on both sides of her body. Her body also swirled with the sleeves. Her sleeves freely fluttered in the wind, which made her look like a fairy heading off for the horizon.

    She turned around to smile and looked exceedingly beautiful. The thin gauze she wore flew in the wind and the beauty herself resembled jade.

    The audience was lost in the dance, feeling like the scenery before their eyes were heavenly. A flower-like fairy in white danced by the celestial pool covered in snow. The gauze and short coat she wore fluttered and elegantly circled in the air like the flow of water. Her slim waist was supple like the willow branches, swinging to the rhythm of her footsteps. Her eyes were bright and teeth were white. When she smiled, she made everyone fall for her.

    At the same time, the young man in snow white dress had distinct features which looked like they were carefully carved out by the maker. His handsome face could leave people breathless. Against the flying snowkes all over the sky, when he gently smiled, he looked so pure and attractive. However, he was so innocent that you couldn¡¯t find any w in him. He looked ethereal and elegant, with a hint of a smile on his lips. Like a banished immortal, he appeared extremely enticing.

    The Qin stopped ying and the dance also finished. After a long while, people finally collected themselves and then broke into rapturous apuse.

    Such scenery only belonged to the heavenly world. How many times could they be fortunate enough to witness it?

    No one imagined that Mo Xuetong could dance so skillfully. She not only danced to every beat of the Qin piece but also danced with her spark when the music got up-tempo.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s face looked terrible, sometimes livid and sometimes red with rage. However, in the end, she managed to hold back her anger.

    Ling Fengyan also looked at Mo Xuetong in surprise. She could dance to that piece as well, yet couldn¡¯t have danced as smoothly as Mo Xuetong did. Though Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t fully grown, the way Mo Xuetong moved was pretty attractive. She had to admit that the girl from Cloud City could match herself.

    Feng Yurannguidly slouched on the chair. His face was glowing as fresh peaches and plums. He raised his lips in a wicked smile and slightly narrowed his phoenix eyes, looking somewhat evil and showy.

    King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, looked away from Mo Xuetong. He twisted around to say something to a young eunuch beside him. The eunuch took the order and left.

    Chen Yanyu couldn¡¯t help eximing. ¡°After Third Miss Mo¡¯s dance, today, I finally know how beautiful a girl can be.¡±

    Ling Mingfeng still didn¡¯t let go and turned around to beg Luo Wenyou. ¡°There¡¯s such a girl in this world. Wenyou, you must introduce your cousin to me.¡±

    After getting lost in Mo Xuetong¡¯s dance, Luo Wenyou calmed himself now. He didn¡¯t imagine that his weak cousin could dance like this. After this banquet, all the rumors against her would perish. Thus, he also felt happy for her. Hearing Ling Mingfeng bringing it up again, Luo Wenyou just smiled. ¡°Mingfeng, don¡¯t bring this up again. I heard your family would find you a wife this year. Cousin Tong is too young and not suitable for you.¡±

    Hearing Luo Wenyou¡¯s answer, Ling Mingfeng immediately restored. ¡°Howe she¡¯s not suitable for me? I¡¯m not old. And we can get engaged first. There¡¯s no hurry.¡±

    Chen Yanyu pursed his lips, not trying to help Ling Mingfeng save face at all. ¡°Mingfeng, drop it. All your cousins are waiting for you. If you still don¡¯t decide, they¡¯ll fight over you. This time, your grandmother will find you a wife even if she has to force you. So you should just stay away from Third Miss Mo.¡±

    Seeing Chen Yanyu embarrassing him, Ling Mingfeng immediately patted on his own chest to promise and then elbowed Luo Wenyou, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Grandmother to drive those people away once I get home. Not everyone can live in our Ding General Manor¡¯s backyard. Wenyou, you have to help me. We¡¯re good friends. Trust me, I¡¯ll stay loyal to your cousin.¡±

    After teasing Ling Mingfeng, Chen Yanyu poured Luo Wenyou a cup of tea and started to rmend himself. ¡°You stay loyal? Wenyou, you can¡¯t trust him. I¡¯m more reliable. I don¡¯t have that many cousins at home waiting to marry me. And I¡¯m one year younger than Mingfeng, simr to her. And I don¡¯t have to get married soon since I¡¯m young. I can wait for her.¡±

    Ling Mingfeng red at Chen Yanyu. ¡°You¡¯re young? You¡¯re 18. You¡¯ll be over 20 in a few years, and I know your grandmother wants a great-grandchild more badly than my grandmother.¡±

    Chen Yanyu retorted angrily. ¡°If I¡¯m old, then you¡¯ll be even older. Look how old you are! You don¡¯t get married just to fool those innocent girls. You¡¯re evil!¡±

    You Yuecheng had been watching them expressionlessly. Suddenly, he impatiently dropped his cup on the table, coldly saying, ¡°Just another slick girl!¡±

    Then, ignoring the two, he rose up and walked to the other side.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? He probably got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.¡±

    The two who had been fighting immediately calmed down and attacked aginst theirmon enemy.

 Chapter 224 - I Want to Adopt You

    <h4>Chapter 224 I Want to Adopt You</h4>

    After the banquet, some guests went to rest; a few female guests went to appreciate the flowers with Princess Royal. The red plum blossoms looked very beautiful against the snow.

    Mo Xuetong also wanted to rest but was held here by Princess Royal, thus she had to stay. The guests were all quiet, whispering in twos and threes and worshipping the scenery. Against the white background, plum blossoms were either blossoming or about to blossom. They booked both ethereal and lively, which was extremely beautiful.

    Standing under a tree, Princess Royal looked up at the giant plum trees, appearing calm. She slowly said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Many of the plum trees here were transnted from King Jin¡¯s garden. After a few years, there is already another plum forest.¡±

    At some point, only she remained by Princess Royal¡¯s side, even the princess¡¯s maidservants stayed away. The wind lifted the hem of Princess Royal¡¯s dress, looking bleak, as if she just happened to appear at the noisy banquet.

    Mo Xuetong smiled from the bottom of her heart. Her eyes fell on the branches, and the red plum flowers were in full bloom. The snow covered its branches, and when the wind blew, snowkes would fall, which was so beautiful. ¡°King Jin¡¯s garden is dying, but Your Highness¡¯s is blooming. In a few years, Your Highness¡¯s plums must be a sight to see in the capital.¡±

    Princess Royal¡¯s voice carried an obvious touch of loneliness. She stroked the branches by her side. With a snap, she picked a plum flower and thoughtfully said, ¡°Right. In the years to go, maybe my manor will also be like King Jin¡¯s... even those plum trees will perish.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was dazed. ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    Entirely different from just now, the princess no longer looked exceedingly noble. Instead, she was like a soulless puppet now. While she wanted tofort, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know how to put it at all. She felt the atmosphere heavy and lonely, so heavy that it made people¡¯s hearts ache and feel like suffocating. Yes, Princess Royal should sound a little desperate.

    Why was that? Mo Xuetong looked at Princess Royal from behind her, dazed.

    Last time they met, though looking indifferent, Princess Royal didn¡¯t appear desperate. What happened to make Princess Royal¡¯s heart freeze like ice, frozen in desperation...

    After a while, Princess Royal turned around andughed, slightly cocking an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I was just joking with you.¡± Now, she was once again the elegant and calm princess. The way she acted just now was like a piece of fleet cloud. When it disappeared, it vanished like water, traceless. However, only Mo Xuetong knew that the princess was really feeling something just now.

    ¡°Did your father betray your mother?¡± Princess Royal turned around and started to walk again, and Mo Xuetong followed.

    Thinking of Mo Huawen¡¯s obvious love to her, Mo Xuetong calmly said, ¡°He didn¡¯t. The thing that happened to my mother is too mysterious, but I know I can¡¯t me it all on my father.¡± Though she failed to understand Princess Royal¡¯s words, she knew her father loved her mother. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have loved his daughter so much.

    In herst life, she didn¡¯t know what she missed. She didn¡¯t know if Auntie Fang bad-mouthed her or his father misunderstood her, in the end, her father and she got estranged. However, considering everything, her father didn¡¯t mistreat her except leaving her in Cloud City for three years. Even, when she insisted on marrying Sima Lingyun, her father still managed to agree.

    Then, her father helped Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor revive, which was also for her!

    In thest life, she hated her father. She never took a look at his heart, nor did she let him peep hers.

    In this life, after clearing the misunderstanding, she found that though a little weak, her father loved her more than she had imagined. She was blindfoldedst life and didn¡¯t see how nice he was.

    Princess Royal didn¡¯t listen to Mo Xuetong¡¯s exnation. Seeming lost in the memory, she stonily said, ¡°I heard your father has a son and daughter and they¡¯re both older than you. Isn¡¯t that the proof that he betrayed your mother? Back then your father said he¡¯d stay loyal, never took another concubine, and would only be with her for the rest of his life. Who knew that he should betray her in the end?¡±

    Did Father promise to be with her mother only for the rest of his life?

    Mo Xuetong was dumbfounded!

    She never expected that. Though knowing her father adored her mother, she didn¡¯t imagine he would say something like that. However, why did Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufengter show up in her life? Moreover, they were both older than her.

    ¡°When they first nted the plum trees here, your mother was just at your age. I was two years older than her and we¡¯re close sisters. Then, when she married, we got lost in touch. I thought she married a good man and though she died young, she was better than those in hopeless lives. But who knows that we...¡± Princess Royal couldn¡¯t continue. Standing behind her, Mo Xuetong saw her wiping something.

    At that moment, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t find a word to say and just followed her behind.

    After collecting herself, Princess Royal stood firmly in a ce where the sun didn¡¯t shine. She quietly stood there and held her spine really straight. At that moment, she looked so fragile, yet so strong. ¡°Tong¡¯er, go back to tell your father that I¡¯ll adopt you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was really dumbstruck now.

    She didn¡¯t think she had left such a good impression on Princess Royal. At the pce¡¯s banquet, Princess Royal left soon. Then, between theter few interactions, she didn¡¯t think she had impressed the princess either. However, why did Princess Royal, all of a sudden, act so nice to her and even want to promote her rank?

    Was it for the friendship between the princess and her mother? Nevertheless, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t think that kind of friendship would pass to the daughter.

    Mo Xuetong numbly said, lifting her watery eyes to look at Princess Royal before her. ¡°Princess Royal...¡±

    ¡°I used to have a baby. When I first had her, she was so pure and cute.¡± Princess Royal twisted around to face Mo Xuetong, her gentle eyes falling on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. A nearly untraceable smile appeared by her lips, carrying a hint of sadness. ¡°But then...¡±

    She didn¡¯t continue. Her pale lips were wavering, which made her seem in deep desperation.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what to say and just called the princess¡¯s name, an inexplicable gentleness at the bottom of her eyes. ¡°Princess Royal...¡±

    Princess Royal heaved a sighed, and her eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face, saying, ¡°Go back to tell your father that I don¡¯t want to go after what happened back then. But I can¡¯t let him ignore you. I thought you¡¯re living well in Cloud City, so I didn¡¯t interfere with your matters. I never expected that your mother died just like that, in such a...¡±

    She sounded so mncholy and seemed to have more to say. In the end, she just wearily waved her hand, signaling Mo Xuetong to leave.

    Mo Xuetong silently curtsied and turned around to leave. When she was about to leave, out of the corner of her eye, Mo Xuetong seemed to nce at the flickering brightness by Princess Royal¡¯s eyes.

    She left, walking on the thick snow. Every step she took, she would hear the sound of her aquaced silk shoes on the snow.

    Princess Royal seemed like a mystery, one that got more mysterious if she tried harder to crack. It looked like she was in a good rtionship with her mother. That being said, which kind of rtionship would prompt the princess into adopting her? The princess had so many good friends in the capital. In time, those rtionships either vanished or faded. Even some of themsted until today, they were nearly nominal.

    How could Princess Royal adopt her just because of that kind of friendship? Princess Royal was different because her daughters would be recorded in the royal shrine. That kind of process was veryplicated. She would have to seek permission from the emperor and the Empress Dowager. Even if the princess conducted the adopting process herself, she had to push this thing again and again.

    What kind of rtionship would make Princess Royal do so?

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t understand. Her mother never mentioned Princess Royal in front of her. Moreover, in herst life, Fu General Manor¡¯s fall was also rted to Princess Royal. If she really treasured the rtionship, why didn¡¯t she protect Mother¡¯s family? Instead, she had helped quicken the fall of Fu General Manor?

    Was it really because the son of Princess Royal¡¯s wet nurse was framed?

    Since her rebirth, it was the first time that Mo Xuetong had suspected her spection about Princess Royal. Did she went wrong in her guess, but where did she go wrong...

    ¡°Third Miss Mo!¡± Someone gently called her. Mo Xuetong looked up, only to run into a pair of delicate eyes. It was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan.

    Mo Xuetong collected herself and curtsied. ¡°I bow in respect before Your Highness.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan sat in a pavilion. He was wearing a royal blue velvet cape,ced with golden threads. He looked as pure as jade in it. Sitting in the pavilion, he was facing a chessboard. He seemed to be ying the chess alone. ¡°I heard Third Miss Mo can y chess well. Why don¡¯t you join me?¡±

    He said firmly and openly, which made her hard to find a reason to refuse. Mo Xuetong gently smiled and walked to him. Mo Ye stood by her and followed her closely.

    Seated opposite Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong wryly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not good at chess. Your Highness, please forgive me.¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled and let Mo Xuetong have the ck piece, which was supposed to move first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just for pleasure.¡±

    Mo Xuetong made a move, while Feng Yuran gently smiled and followed her to move. The two didn¡¯t speak, so there¡¯s only the sound of the pieces on the board. After the time of a cup of tea, Mo Xuetong fluttered her longshes and wryly watched Feng Yuran upy another area of hers. She felt speechless while holding a ck piece in her hand, but couldn¡¯t find a proper spot to ce it down.

    She knew herself, and she really couldn¡¯t y chess well!

    In herst time, in four major arts, she was only bad and even lousy at chess. She didn¡¯t know how to n and devise strategies at all. Later, in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, she only practiced Qin, painting, and calligraphy to entertain herself. Now, when she picked up the chess pieces again, how could she match Feng Yuxuan? After a few rounds, she was already facing a losing game.

    Judging from theposition, Feng Yuxuan was chasing after her closely between a few moves, and she seemed trapped.

    Holding a ck piece, Mo Xuetong looked rather awkward. Then, she just ced it at random. As expected, a hopeless case would always be hopeless. After another move, Feng Yuxuan upied anotherrge area of hers. She couldn¡¯t possibly win now.

    Mo Xuetong forced a smile and tried to leave now. ¡°Your Highness, look, my pieces are really...¡± Though the one opposite her stayed silent, he would fix his eyes on her face from time to time, which somehow embarrassed her. To stare at her again and again really was improper for the graceful King Chu to do.

    Feng Yuxuan mildly smiled and asked, looking away from her jade-white face. ¡°Upset? How about another game?¡±

    Mo Xuetong rose and cast her gaze to look at her own chin. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m poor at chess and really can¡¯tpare with you,¡± said she, rather stonily, hiding the impatience at the bottom of her eyes.

    Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t seem to detect Mo Xuetong¡¯s slight anger. With some implications in his eyes, he slowly lifted his head. ¡°What? Are you angry? I remembered the first time I saw you, it was back in Cloud City. You were keeling down before your mother¡¯s tablet, and I only saw you from behind you.¡±

 Chapter 225 - Splitting Skin, Forcing King Chu Away

    <strong>Chapter 225 Splitting Skin, Forcing King Chu Away</strong>

    It was the time when she sent Mo Lan to Princess Royal. Mo Xuetong was slightly dazed and seemed to remember someone indeed walked past her back then. It turned out to be King Chu, Feng Yuxuan.

    Mo Xuetong slightly answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t see Your Highness, please forgive me for my ignorance.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan looked at her and his eyes looked dark. ¡°Does Third Miss Mo hate to be with me or talk with me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong rose and stepped back to curtsy. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s really inconvenient.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t imagine Mo Xuetong to admit it so straightforwardly. He couldn¡¯t help feeling startled, and then he smiled. ¡°When I first saw you, I was thinking about where that girl came from. She looked so fragile and beautiful, yet so determined.¡±

    She sent Mo Lan there and directly turned to leave without even a word! It was hard for a girl like that not to leave an impression!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew even colder, and she lowered her head, eyes downcast. ¡°I was going to the capital at that time. I heard someone liked my Mo Lan. I thought even if I brought her into the capital, I might not necessarily arrange her well. So I decided to give her to someone who liked her. They must be taking good care of her.¡±

    She was trying to stay out of his business and Feng Yuxuan could detect that. However, he still gently continued, ¡°I heard you fell heavily ill in Cloud City. Have you fully recovered since moving here?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up, her bright and watery eyes meeting Feng Yuxuan¡¯s mild and dark ones. She was about to say her farewell. ¡°Thank Your Highness for your concern. I¡¯ve recovered from that past disease long ago.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan managed to find a chance to chat her up, so how could he easily let her go? He lifted his head and smiled. ¡°Can Tong¡¯er keep mepany for a little longer?¡±

    The words sounded ambiguous. He should call her Tong¡¯er, which was obviously affectionate. Mo Xuetong was slightly startled and soon added, ¡°Your Highness is too polite.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan seemed to ignore the anger on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, and waved his hand to make the young eunuch leave while smilingly saying, ¡°After the Spring Festival, there¡¯ll be a selection. You should be selected easily, considering your status. I will take a consort and two second consorts this time. Tong¡¯er, how about you be my second consort?¡±

    Second consort? Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She stared at Feng Yuxuan in disbelief. She never thought King Chu would have his eye on her. Wouldn¡¯t he marry Ling Fengyan? Now, what was this? Did he want to find two obedient second consorts with low ranks to drive Ling Fengyan away?

    One was the assistant minister¡¯s daughter, and now she was the other one?

    ¡°Your Highness, I believe that I can¡¯t match Second Miss Ling orpare with her. I¡¯m afraid I have to turn down Your Highness¡¯s offer.¡± She coldly stared at Feng Yuxuan while saying those words. No matter what he wanted, she wouldn¡¯t marry into King Chu¡¯s manor. Indeed, with her current rank, she would be greatly promoted if she became King Chu¡¯s second consort. However, after how she suffered for love in herst time, she never thought of marrying into a noble family again.

    Love and affection were all fleet clouds. She simply wanted to find a happy family, marry a reliable man, and live a simple life. That was all...

    The royal pce and the duke¡¯s manors were the dangerous ces in the world. Moreover, the royals hadn¡¯t selected the crown prince, so there must be an imminent fight over the throne! She didn¡¯t want to get entangled in this messy war.

    Feng Yuxuan smilingly said and the affection inside his eyes was evident. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. As long as you marry me, I¡¯ll only dote on you. As for Ling Fengyan, it won¡¯t matter to you even if she bes my consort. So what if she¡¯s my consort? The person I love isn¡¯t...¡±

    Mo Xuetong indifferently interrupted him in case she heard some so-called ¡°love¡± confessions. Feng Yuxuan was forcing her to agree, which irritated her. ¡°Please mind your manners, Your Highness. I never want to marry into King Chu¡¯s manor or be doted by someone. Please forgive me, Your Highness.¡±

    She refused him again and again, and thus Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes looked a little cold. He was the prestigious eldest prince with high status and great power. He would get every woman he wanted. Besides, he didn¡¯t even have to ask before many women threw themselves at him. Mo Xuetong was a flower he liked, so he wanted her to live only in his garden, appreciated only by him.

    For her, he even gave up another pawn he owned!

    Feng Yuxuan coldly replied, a trace of anger shing in his eyes. ¡°You must know that I¡¯m now asking you out of respect. Otherwise, I could just ask Her Majesty and she¡¯ll give you to me.¡± Even if it was the flower he cared about the most, it couldn¡¯t go against his will again and again. He never expected someone to turn him down.

    Mo Xuetong assumed a serious expression and elegantly curtsied, saying, ¡°Thank Your Highness for your kindness. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not good at plotting and scheming of the harem. If I marry into the manor, I might perish within days. Please spare me, Your Highness.¡±

    Was she afraid? Right, she was young and innocent like this. She should indeed worry about that! Feng Yuxuan softened his tone a little and said, ¡°In my manor, I¡¯m both in charge of the business and the harem. With me by your side, no one dares to mess up with you. You really shouldn¡¯t worry.¡±

    He was still insisting, and Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of despise. Thus, she looked up, her bright eyes slightly misted. ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t want to marry into King Chu¡¯s manor.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face fell and he asked, staring at her. ¡°Why?¡±

    Mo Xuetong firmly answered, ¡°I¡¯m just a third-grade official¡¯s daughter and only want a good man at the same rank. I don¡¯t seek fortune or power, only a peaceful life. So I must turn down your offer.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan chased after her closely. ¡°What if I just want you!¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll split my skin to thank Your Highness¡¯s kindness.¡± Though smiling, she looked cold in the eye. She snatched something from her hair and then a sword-shaped hairpin appeared in her palm. She stabbed herself in the neck with it. Feng Yuxuan couldn¡¯t react and only managed to grab her hand afterward. The sharp point of the hairpin had pierced through her jade-like skin, blood streaming down her jade-like neck.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Feng Yuxuan snarled while holding her hand, his heart twitching. If he should be a second slower just now, this pure girl would die before him. She was so innocent that she could make people¡¯s hearts shake, bend, and break...

    He roared. ¡°Even if you wanted to refuse me, you shouldn¡¯t have used such an extreme way. What if you kill yourself? Don¡¯t you ever think about your father?¡±

    Mo Xuetong slowly withdrew her hand from his and put on a slight smile on her face. Though pale, her jade-like pretty face made people not dare to directly stare into. ¡°As long as Your Highness doesn¡¯t insist any longer, I won¡¯t hurt myself.¡±

    The blue veins on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s forehead bulged, and then he flung his sleeves and strode away. ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable!¡±

    Mo Ye rushed to Mo Xuetong, cing a handkerchief on her neck. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t severely hurt, and only got bruises.

    Mo Ye snapped. ¡°Miss, how could you do that? It was too dangerous.¡± Just now, Mo Ye stood in the distance but didn¡¯t dare to move a bit because she was a secret guard and couldn¡¯t be found out, especially when she was in front of King Chu. All the time, she must conform to her identity as a normal maidservant. Hence, when Mo Xuetong rushed to stab herself, Mo Ye didn¡¯t react timely.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK. King Chu wouldn¡¯t want me dead.¡± Mo Xuetong feebly sat down with the help of Mo Ye. She didn¡¯t pluck the sword-shaped hairpin out. It was not too sharp, and the wound wouldn¡¯t be lethal. Now, it was the time for selecting the crown prince, and Feng Yuxuan couldn¡¯t risk being charged with killing an official¡¯s daughter. As long as he stopped her, it wouldn¡¯t threaten her life.

    Mo Ye lifted the cloth and saw the wound was still bleeding. She hurried to ce the handkerchief back down, pressing hard against her neck to prevent the blood from oozing out.

    ¡°What should I do then?¡± Mo Xuetong wryly smiled. She knew she was not a tough person and couldn¡¯tpete with Feng Yuxuan. All she could do was surrender, and if that also failed, she might probably have to sacrifice her life.

    In thest life, when she kept to herself in her own room and courtyard, she died a tragic death. In this life, she should found the game of thrones close to her, so close that she got nowhere to hide. Princess Royal, Feng Yuran, Feng Yuxuan, and Bai Yihao...

    Mo Ye applied medicine to Mo Xuetong¡¯s neck and then turned up her cor. Luckily, it was in winter and the cotton-padded coat originally had a turtleneck. It wouldn¡¯t look strange even if her cor was up. Mo Xuetong took Mo Ye to a nearby lounge.

    Just when they took a turn at a fake mountain, a man rushed toward them. Mo Xuetong was startled and hurriedly took a few steps back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to startle Third Miss Mo. Please, don¡¯t be afraid, Third Miss Mo. I¡¯m Consort Yu¡¯s younger brother, Yu Mingyong.¡±

    It turned out to be Yu Mingyong. However, though he sounded polite, his eyes were fixed on her, which was simply annoying. Mo Ye stepped forward to block Yu Mingyong¡¯s vision.

    He was just a yboy, and Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to get involved with him so she turned around, ready to leave.

    Yu Mingyong nearly got obsessed with the beauty before her. He only thought that this girl was so much prettier than her in the portrait. He couldn¡¯t imagine that there was such a beauty in the world. He had seen the women from the royal harem in his elder sister¡¯s pce. However, no one couldpare with her. At that moment, he could only stare at Mo Xuetong, speechless.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong about to leave, he soon collected himself and hurriedly begged. ¡°Don¡¯t go, Third Miss Mo.¡± Then, stirred by some unknown emotion, he knelt on the ground with a thump and started to tug at Mo Xuetong¡¯s dress. ¡°Third Miss Mo, I adore you. If I can marry you, I¡¯ll only be loyal to you and never mess around again. I hope you can have pity on me.¡±

    At that time, Yu Mingyong only thought if he could have such a beauty in his life, he could even die now. Those famous courtesans or belles he used to chase after didn¡¯t even deserve to be a servant of Third Miss Mo. The first miss of Mo Manor really didn¡¯t trick him. Third Miss Mo was the real beauty.

    When First Miss Mo set her up, he should have insisted that he and Third Miss Mo had an affair instead of getting entangled with Mo Xuemin, which was still a huge blemish of his reputation even now.

    This time, when he first saw Third Miss Mo at the river bank, he was dumbstruck. He must approach such a celestial being, therefore, he deliberately waited on the only way to the plum forest. As expected, Third Miss Mo gracefully walked on the path. She only brought a maidservant, and there was no other soul in sight. This was a rare chance. How could he miss it? Therefore, Yu Mingyong jumped out.

    Mo Xuetong thought it ridiculous. She had just put up with Feng Yuxuan, now, someone stopped her to pour out his love for her. She thought she shouldn¡¯t have visited the princess¡¯s manor. Avoiding Yu Mingyong¡¯s hand, she bit her lips and turned around to leave without a word.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, Third Miss Mo...¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong leaving, Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t want to give up and shouted. Just when he tried to pour out more of his love, he felt pain in the head and could see nothing anymore, copsing on the ground. Behind him, a purplembskin and grosgrain tform boot,ced with golden threads, stepped on him without hesitation, as if he had only been a carpet.

 Chapter 226 - Falling in Love and a Secret Promise

    <strong>Chapter 226 Falling in Love and a Secret Promise</strong>

    Feng Yuran stepped on Yu Mingyong¡¯s body and walked up to her, ¡°What happened? Why are you still here? It¡¯s gettingte now. Let¡¯s leave the manor together.¡± A cold smile hung on his handsome lips. He walked up to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand without any hesitation and left.

    There was a strange look in his eyes which were so simr to the devil¡¯s. His eyes shone with beauty under the sunlight and were extremely charming!

    Was Feng Yuran angry? Why was he angry for no reason again...

    Mo Xuetong did not understand why but knew that she should not annoy him at this juncture. She pulled her hand back slightly and said fearfully, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re hurting me.¡±

    ¡°You dared to cut your own neck. This barely hurts, what are you afraid of?¡± Feng Yuran turned around and settled his handsome gaze heatedly on Mo Xuetong. He suddenly smiled, which made him appear even more charming. However, he loosened his grip and did not pull her along.

    Mo Ye backed away and tried to look as if she were not there. She seemed to understand why her master was so angry...

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a flesh wound.¡± Mo Xuetong understood what was happening and answered while biting her lips. However, she did not try to pull her hand from his grasp. Instead, she stopped at the artificial hill. It would ruin their reputation if they continued tugging around.

    ¡°Return the hairpin to me.¡± Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes slowly. He stretched his hand out and pulled the hairpin from her hair.

    ¡°No, you¡¯ve already gifted it to me. You can¡¯t take it back.¡± Mo Xuetong panicked and wanted to snatch the hairpin back. The hairpin was for her self-protection and it had already proven to be useful.

    ¡°I heard that the hairpin is extremely useful in cutting one¡¯s neck.¡± Feng Yuran raised his brows andughed devilishly. He continued, ¡°You only need to jab it lightly and you¡¯ll bleed immediately.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness. It was an ident.¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips and said somewhat grievously. She patted down her hair, which had been messed up by him, with a pale slender hand.

    Perhaps because she had done well in admitting her mistakes, Feng Yuran¡¯s expression lightened after a moment¡¯s of silence. He stuffed the hairpin into her hand and said with a frosty expression, ¡°If I hear that you¡¯re stabbing yourself with things again in the future, I will confiscate everything sharp from you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes secretly. She did not know why what she wore had anything to do with him. However, she also knew that the man was very unpredictable. She did not know what he heard and why he came to her ce and acted so weirdly. She must not offend him.

    She took the hairpin and pinned it in her hair, using the waters by the artificial hill to check on her reflection.

    ¡°Did Eldest Brother look you up for the consort-choosing? It has not even started and they¡¯re all making trouble already. It is such a pity. No matter what he does, it has nothing to do with you. Even if he likes you, one has to see whether he has the ability to bring you into the King Chu Manor. ¡°Feng Yuran smiled slightly. His expression had softened and he reached out to help Mo Xuetong tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ears.

    His gaze made Mo Xuetong a little nervous. Her eyes wandered and she did not dare to look at him.

    ¡°Your beautiful dance today might have destroyed all those rumors about you, but it has also pushed you into the whirlpool that is the current situation. You will not be able to say that there is nothing going on between the two of us in the future, and you will never be able to break cleanly from the royal family. Is that what you want?¡± Feng Yuran leaned against the artificial hill, crossing his arms before his chest as he looked at herzily.

    That had not been Mo Xuetong¡¯s intentions. She had just wanted to show off slightly to destroy those bad rumors about her. That was why she had revealed her achilles heal even though she couldpete with Ling Fengyan and allowed Ling Fengyan to win. However, she did not expect Bai Yihao to ask her to dance.

    One had to dance intently and carefully if they wanted to follow the music of his Qin. One could say that she had to follow the music and if she messed up the dance, all her previous efforts would have gone up in smoke. Now that she thought about it, Bai Yihao had had different intentions towards her since she entered the ce. He had made the Fifth Princess jealous and allowed Mo Xuetong to gain the admiration and praise of everyone.

    Even though she did not know what he wanted, Mo Xuetong understood that she seemed to have be one of his chess piece!

    ¡°I did not want that to happen, but it had to happen.¡± Mo Xuetong paused for a moment before replying lightly after having regained calmness.

    ¡°Since you cannot avoid it, and you have agreed to my request yesterday, then you¡¯d better do as I said. You do not need to care about the consort selection and just go through with the motions.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome lips curled up in a smile. The sun shone on his face. He was blindingly handsome.

    Mo Xuetong paused. She felt her heart beat thunderously and she flushed for no reason. She turned her head around and refused to look at him. ¡°What did I sayst night?¡±

    Her memory ofst night was a nk. There were a few snippets that she felt so embarrassed about so she did not dare to think about them. Was that really her! It must not be.

    ¡°I wanted to leavest night but you pulled on my shirt and told me to rest. I thought that since I was going to marry you in the future anyway, it would not be a big deal to rest. Then, I thought about it again and felt that you would definitely get angry at me when you wake up, so I peeled your hands from me and pushed you away before I escaped your clutches. Say, shouldn¡¯t I be rewarded for this?¡± Feng Yuran jutted his handsome face out at her as if he was looking for a reward.

    What he said was too embarrassing and Mo Xuetong¡¯s face burned. This person was really shameless. However, she knew that while he was exaggerating, what he said was the truth. She recalled that she refused to let him leave so she felt ashamed and annoyed. She could not help but re at Feng Yuran angrily and said, ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that so loudly. I can hear you. You were much nicerst night, and the way you hugged me...¡± Feng Yuran smiled like a fox.

    Mo Xuetong was furious. She flushed and wanted to cut his tongue off. This person was never serious. He was indeed a loose person.

    She was not as thick-skinned as he was and would lose in a verbal spat. She could not continue and did not know what other embarrassing things he would say. Mo Xuetong turned her head huffily and pouted, ignoring him.

    Feng Yuran suddenly felt much better when he saw her pouting childishly. She looked like a little girl. He had been so frightened that he abandoned Bai Yihao and turned around when he heard Mo Feng say that she had stabbed her neck with a hairpin. However, he now felt much better because of her childish anger and embarrassment. He decided to overlook her small ¡°mistake¡±.

    He knew that she was easily embarrassed and that she was going to get angry if he continued. As such, he decided to change the topic. He said seriously, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t remember anything else. But you promised me that you wille to my manor and help me. I shall tell Father that tomorrow.¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not help but panic when she saw how serious he was. She knew he was speaking the truth and she hurriedly turned around and stuttered, ¡°Your Highness... how can you decide on your own marriage... Furthermore, I¡¯m still young...¡±

    She was only 13 years old, alright!

    ¡°It would take a long time for the entire procedure to be a legal royal consort. By the time that¡¯s over, you¡¯d have grown up.¡± Feng Yuran said carelessly. ¡°Furthermore, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you are young. I can provide for you even if you enter my manor now. You are young, but you are already so eye-catching. If I strike anyter, I won¡¯t be able to get anything.¡± You are young, but you are already so eye-catching. If I strike anyter, I won¡¯t be able to get anything.¡±

    Even though he was rather irrational, it was the truth. Mo Xuetong could not help but remain silent.

    She had no other choice now. Bai Yihao had forced her to the front of the stage. If she wanted to protect herself, she had to have the ability to do so. She was just the daughter of a third-grade official. To others, she might be considered someone from a wealthy and powerful family. However, to the descendants of the royal family, she was nothing.

    If she wanted to protect herself, she had to find a backer. Marrying into the royal family was her best option.

    Even though she could not say that she liked Feng Yuran, she did not dislike him either. While there were rumors that he was a licentious person, Mo Xuetong did not believe that he was someone like that. Or perhaps, that was how he protected himself. His birth mother died many years ago and he had almost died. He would not have survived if he did not protect himself.

    There were so many princes in the pce, but only three lived. One could see how powerful the struggles were in the pce. To live, they all had to wear a mask. When she thought about that, her heart hurt for him. A reputation like his was just a way for him to continue living. What right did she have to criticize him?

    She was a hypocrite too!

    ¡°Alright, I will marry you.¡± Mo Xuetong said, gritting her teeth!

    She had never been one to wait for death. Since the heavens had given her a second chance to live, she had to treasure it and live well. She had to live well for those she cared about. There was revenge that she had to take and there were people she would never let off. Her life was destined to be full of turmoil and she hoped that she could continue on strongly.

    Her face still burned for some reason. She lowered hershes to hide the shyness in her eyes. She had never once imagined that a secret promise of love like this would happen to her. She had not secretly promised herself to Feng Yuran. If others found out about it, her reputation would truly be ruined. She had always been so careful, so why had she done what he wanted and promised herself to him!

    They had not been match-made, and their parents had not agreed to it. Was this really right! However, why did she feel happy and why could she not bring herself to say that she regretted it!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes lit up with joy when he saw that Mo Xuetong had finally agreed to promise herself to him. He smiled happily and reached out, wanting to hug her. However, he saw her shiver and was afraid of annoying her. He folded his hands in front of him and said lightly, ¡°This is a real promise this time. Go home and prepare your dowry.¡±

    ¡°The Princess Royal asked if I wanted to be her daughter just now!¡± Mo Xuetong looked elsewhere with a flush on her face as she tried to avoid the awkward topic.

    ¡°Aunt wants you to be her daughter?¡± Feng Yuran was startled. Then, heughed happily.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up in confusion.

    ¡°If you be Aunt¡¯s daughter, things would be much easier for me. Father would not be able to stop me with this again.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s mood was great and he could not help but reach out to hold her hand. Her hand was soft and smooth and she did not avoid him. It made his heart hurt for her. His beautiful lips curled up and he did not look devilish at all.

    It meant that he had already told Emperor Zongwen that he wanted to marry her.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes widened. She was shocked, surprised, and a little touched. It would have been very generous of him to make someone of her status a concubine. However, he had asked Emperor Zongwen to make her his imperial consort. Feng Yuran had hidden everything for a reason, and this reason would not be simple.

    He should have married ady with a powerful family as his imperial consort, not the daughter of a third-grade official like Mo Xuetong. That way, he would be able to hold more chips in his hands and be prepared for his future ns. However, he had given her the position despite knowing that Emperor Zongwen would not be pleased.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips and allowed him to hold her hands in his slightly calloused ones. She knew that this was inappropriate. However, it felt right with him. An odd feeling caused her mind to nk out and she felt that right now, his hands made her feel very safe...

 Chapter 227 - The Confrontation in the Hall

    <strong>Chapter 227 The Confrontation in the Hall</strong>

    After thedies and gentlemen had their afternoon naps, the Princess Royal had snacksid out in the hall for everyone. The people gathered around to chat. The men and women were separated into two different halls. The female guests were led to the parlor. The snow outside had already been swept away and one could asionally see beautiful red plum blossoms peeking out from behind the cornices.

    Plum blossoms were everywhere in the Princess Royal¡¯s manor. Most of the plum blossoms were red.

    Mo Xuetong was brought to the parlor by a maid. There was a luxurious carpetid on the floor and beautiful draperies and decorations hanging above. The entire hall was luxurious and beautiful. The eight-sided pcemps, the pink flower vases, white-jade vases with handles...There were two different sets of sandalwood tables and chairs that were ced in two circles with a heater in the middle. It was ced for people to chat while they enjoyed tea.

    The Princess Royal sat in front with a smile. Fifth Princess sat on her side while Ling Fengyan sat on the other. The otherdies sat where they wished.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo,e and sit here.¡± Ling Fengyan said politely with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong enter the room. She pointed at a chair beside her.

    Mo Xuetong did not want to sit there. It was close to the Princess Royal and she had fought with Ling Fengyan earlier. It was rather annoying. However, since Ling Fengyan had been so enthusiastic, it would make her seem unreasonable. As such, Mo Xuetong walked over to her with a smile, curtsied, and sat down.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, you¡¯rete. Have you been stopped by someone? I did not see you when we took a nap. Have you gone to chat with someone?¡± Someone asked with warmth. Mo Xuetong turned around to see that it was You Yue¡¯e.

    ¡°Oh, Third Miss Mo didn¡¯t take a nap? Who did you meet and have such a good conversation with?¡± Ling Fengyan turned around to asked interestedly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes sparkled. She twisted her handkerchief, looking slightly embarrassed as she said, ¡°I wanted to see the scenery in the Princess Royal¡¯s manor and got lost. Since I wasn¡¯t tired, I decided to walk around. Then, I met a maid in the manor and asked her for directions to get here.¡±

    Fifth Princess, who had been watching Mo Xuetong all this while rxed slightly when she heard that.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, we couldn¡¯t see who you were speaking with in the pavilion earlier. We only know that it was a man dressed in white. He seemed very carefree.¡± You Yue¡¯e smiled gently as she watched silently. She picked up her handkerchief to cover her mouth as if she realized that she had said something she shouldn¡¯t.

    Everyone looked at Mo Xuetong.

    There were two men who were dressed in white today. There were no other men dressed so other than Bai Yihao and Feng Yuxuan.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s eyes grew even sharper while Ling Fengyan¡¯s smile grew even gentler.

    ¡°So Third Miss Mo didn¡¯t take a nap because you were upied by someone. Childe Bai has always been a gentleman and if he meets Third Miss Mo in the plum blossom forest, he would definitely speak with her.¡± Ling Fengyan¡¯s eyes shone as she smiled softly. It was as if she was trying to help Mo Xuetong exin.

    Everyone knew that King Chu was the husband the Empress chose for Ling Fengyan. However, he did not seem to be very interested in Second Miss Ling who was well known throughout the capital. He had only chatted with her briefly earlier during the banquet. Of course, everyone knew that Fifth Princess liked Bai Yihao.

    No matter which of the two men were the person who chatted with Mo Xuetong in the pavilion, Mo Xuetong would still gain an enemy out of one of the two noble women.

    ¡°It is indeed King Chu. King Chu asked me about the youngdies here, so I...¡± Mo Xuetong said somewhat shyly. She twisted her handkerchief in her hands with a humble smile on her face.

    The consort-selection was on the horizon and every youngdy knew about this. They also knew that a few among them would be consorts and second consorts. King Chu might have be interested in someone during the banquet and stopped Mo Xuetong to ask about the girls. However, this would definitely besmirch the reputation of thedies whom he was asking about. Mo Xuetong did not mention it earlier because she was being considerate and they could not possibly think that she was lying to everyone.

    A few youngdies grew excited when they thought of how King Chu had asked about a few youngdies among them. However, they knew that there were some questions that they could not ask. They could only recall shyly if King Chu had looked at them lovingly while he was across them on the other ind earlier.

    ¡°So it is King Chu. I did not expect King Chu to ask Third Miss Mo about these things. I heard that while King Chu might be polite, he does not like talking much with youngdies, but I suppose it¡¯s different for Third Miss Mo.¡± You Yue¡¯e said with a sweet smile. She even mentioned a few examples to describe how while King Chu was gentle and elegant, he was not a person any random person could speak with.

    You Yue¡¯eughed to herself coldly. Since the Empress wanted Ling Fengyan to marry King Chu, Ling Fengyan would naturally be prepared for it. Ling Fengyan was here right now, but Mo Xuetong had spoken with King Chu secretly. Didn¡¯t this mean making Ling Fengyan her enemy? Ling Fengyan was unlike Ling Rui¡¯er. She would be King Chu¡¯s consort in the future and her status would be simr to that of Fifth Princess¡¯.

    The more You Yue¡¯e said, the uglier the expressions of the youngdies who were interested in King Chu grew. A few of them looked at Mo Xuetong jealously. Even though Ling Fengyan, who was seated by the side, did not say anything, a vague smile appeared on her face. One could not tell whether she was happy or angry.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo is exceptional, of course. Not only does Childe Bai think highly of her, but she is also talented in both the Qin and dancing. Even King Chu thinks highly of her.¡± Said Wang Xiuxiu who was seated next to Fifth Princess. Her expression was one of kindness. She looked at Mo Xuetong gently and smiled at her warmly.

    Even though Fifth Princess did not say anything, she red at Mo Xuetong coldly.

    While Wang Xiuxiu sounded as if she were praising Mo Xuetong, it made others feel suspicious. Mo Xuetong did not know what the seemingly kind Wang Xiuxiu wanted, but she knew that she was not as kind as she looked. Her lips curved up slightly and she smiled lightly.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the tea that a maid had just made her. Her smile seemed like an illusion behind the steam of the tea. It was as if she were looking at the people in the world from her ce in the clouds. Her eyes were beautiful but hidden and deep. she blew on the cup and smiled, ¡°King Chu even asked me about Miss You. He only let me leave when I said that I had juste to the capital, am still mourning for my mother, and am young an ignorant.¡±

    ¡°King Chu asked about me?¡± You Yue¡¯e paused momentarily. A trace of surprise shed through her eyes. She had always thought highly of herself and did not think that she was any weaker than Ling Fengyan. Of the Four Great Manors, other than the Ding General Manor, which was the Emperess¡¯ family, the other manors were all of the equal standing. If she could enter King Chu¡¯s manor, her status would not be any lower than Ling Fengyan¡¯s.

    She only realized that she had said something she shouldn¡¯t after she said that. An awkward expression immediately appeared on her face.

    Ling Fengyan, who was seated by the side, looked deeper in thought. She nced at You Yue¡¯e and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words had pointed out that Feng Yuxuan was interested in You Yue¡¯e, and at the same time made it clear that she was still in mourning and was young. How would King Chu be interested in a young girl? The consort-selection was about to happen. Mo Xuetong had no chance.

    Everyone suddenly looked up and realized that Mo Xuetong was just a child. Her innocent eyes were still child-like. It was obvious that she did not know anything. Furthermore, she had only just arrived from Cloud City. She probably did not even know what was happening! A few others turned to look at You Yue¡¯e. They did not expect that the usually arrogant First Miss of the Ping General Manor would be interested in bing King Chu¡¯s consort. This was big news. Could the Ding General Manor and Ping General Manor be fighting for the position as King Chu¡¯s consort?

    What happens in court determines what happens in the pce. It seemed that the path to bing King Chu¡¯s consort would be full of ups and downs. No matter You Yue¡¯e was paying such close attention to King Chu earlier. The eyes of many youngdies lit up. Did this mean that the two General Manors were about to start fighting?

    You Yue¡¯e was speechless. When she saw more and more people looking at her and Ling Fengyan andparing them, she said, not willing to back down, ¡°I thought that King Chu must be treating Third Miss Mo differently since he didn¡¯t ask any of the other youngdies and only asked Third Miss Mo.¡±

    ¡°I thought that King Chu only asked me about Miss You because I am young.¡± Mo Xuetong said in surprise. She looked up innocently and with a childish air and continued. ¡°Furthermore, I met King Xuan on the way back and only spoke with them briefly.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had managed to cleverly exin that not only was Feng Yuxuan there, Feng Yuran was there as well.

    The devilish and mboyant King Xuan might be extremely handsome but everyone was still slightly wary of him. Most of thedies looked at Mo Xuetong with sympathy when they heard that she was around. If one were to meet King Xuan and was not careful and annoyed him, he would not care which family you were from.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. She picked up the teacup by her hand and took a sip. One could not tell what she was thinking.

    Fifth Princess¡¯ expression was easy to guess, however. She red hatefully at Mo Xuetong but did not continue to pursue anything.

    You Yue¡¯e did not dare to say anything else. It was not that Feng Yuran was very powerful. It was just that he was a person who would not spare his sympathies for anyone. If one offended him or annoyed him because of what they said, he might even barge in. Their reputations might be ruined and they would be forced to marry King Xuan without even being given a status.

    They heard that a nobledy had offended King Chu and he had taken her out in her inner-clothes to show everyone. The girl could only enter King Chu¡¯s manor in a little sedan. She was not even granted a concubine status. An unmarried girl¡¯s reputation was very fragile and none of them could bear any reckless trouble.

    The conversation turned towards other topics. The Princess Royal who was seated in the main seat looked at Mo Xuetong with a meaningful and deep nce. It seemed that she wasplementing Mo Xuetong.

    Because of what happened, Mo Xuetong¡¯s sharpness had a hint of innocence. Coupled with her disy of her Qin and dancing skills, somedies began to gain a favorable impression of Mo Xuetong. A few of them chatted with her in a friendly manner. The tea session grew to be slightly noisy.

    Wang Xiuxiu tried to chat with Mo Xuetong in a friendly manner but was rebuffed. After what happened today, Mo Xuetong was no longer the useless and meritless Third Miss Mo. She was not afraid of what others might say behind her back. These people all had their goals and they would cause trouble out of nothing. If she took a step back and attempted to express goodwill, they will only think that she was an easy target.

    Furthermore, everyone knew that You Yue¡¯e was intentionally trying to cause trouble today. Even though Wang Xiuxiu had said nice things, she was the only one who knew what she was trying to say. Mo Xuetong did not wish to be entangled with suchplicated people and matters. Wang Xiuxiu might be more difficult to handle than Ling Fengyan.

 Chapter 228 - Is Madam Here in the Capital Too?

    <strong>Chapter 228 Is Madam Here in the Capital Too?</strong>

    In the imperial study of Tianchen Pce, Lead eunuch Liu Xi stood outside the door, wearing the uniform of an ordinary eunuch. However, the three gold stripes on the edge of his sleeves showed that he was the lead eunuch of Tianchen Pce. Liu Xi only had one master in the pce and that was the current emperor, Emperor Zongwen.

    Of course, most of the people in the pce were all polite. They would always bow respectfully when they saw Emperor Zongwen¡¯s personal eunuch and greet him. Even the Empress would ask after the Emperor respectfully when she saw him. As such, Eunuch Liu Xi was also another word for power in the pce.

    Of course, this did not apply to King Xuan!

    It was almost time for dinner but King Xuan was still not done. He was still talking in the imperial study and it seemed that the matter would not cease if Emperor Zongwen did not agree. Liu Xi did not dare to slip away while the two were speaking, so he stood outside the door and waited.

    A little eunuch appeared in the corner, peeking around. Liu Xi¡¯s expression darkened. He raised his hand and waved at a little eunuch outside the door and grimaced. How dare he peek about at Tianchen Pce? Did he want to die?

    The little eunuch ran over swiftly and grabbed the eunuch who had stuck his hand back. He released the peeking eunuch after a stern talking to and then returned to Liu Xi¡¯s side. He reported softly, ¡°He works for the Empress and asks where the Emperor will be having dinner tonight and if he needs to go to Tianfeng Pce. It seems that the Empress has a letter for the Emperor from the Yan Empress.¡±

    The Yan Empress was Princess Royal Yunruo, the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological daughter. She was also Bai Yihao¡¯s birth mother. Even though she had married to the faraway Yan Kingdom, she and her brother would exchange letters asionally. Her letters would usually reach Emperor Zongwen directly but this time, the letter had gone to the Empress Dowager before it was given to the Emperor by the Empress. This was different.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Liu Xi thought for a moment before asking.

    ¡°I told him to leave first and said that if the Emperor was to say that we will go to Tianfeng Pce, we will report it to the Empress.¡± The little eunuch said quickly. His sharp voice was still a little child-like, but it did not sound annoying.

    ¡°Little rascal. Not bad, go outside and fend them off. When King Xuan emerges, send tea in.¡± Liu Xi patted the eunuch¡¯s head in a scolding tone but with a smile on his face. No matter what, they still had to give the Empress face. Even though they did not know when King Xuan woulde out, waiting outside was the right thing to do. King Xuan¡¯s arrogance was really boundless. There were many times when he angered the Emperor who chased him out. Liu Xi shook his head.

    His Majesty was such a powerful person, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about this son of his! Liu Xi was a servant and he felt anxious for the Emperor.

    ¡°Yes, I will go and prepare it now.¡± The little eunuch answered and ran off quickly.

    ¡°Crash!¡± The sounds of angry yelling could be heard from the imperial study. ¡°You unfilial son. Do you want to drive me to my death?¡±

    ¡°Father, I just want her. I don¡¯t want anyone else but her. Don¡¯t be so anxious about picking a consort for me since I will not like them. I will just torture them to death and you won¡¯t be able to answer to your subordinates.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy and uncaring voice drifted from the room.

    Liu Xi sighed. Alright, the father and son are fighting again! They smashed the teacups.

    He took the tea that the little eunuch brought over and walked to the door quietly. He saw Emperor Zongwen sitting behind his desk angrily. The ground in front of him was littered with white-jade shards.

    Feng Yuran was wearing purple robes, standing on the other side. There was a peony on his purple robes that were embroidered with gold threads. His handsome face was much more attractive and nobler than the peony.

    Liu Xi could not help sigh even though he was used to the happenings in the pce. King Xuan was highly attractive and resembled thete Consort Xian closely. No wonder the Emperor was so lenient with him for thedy had died tragically! King Xuan was the son of the Emperor¡¯s lover, and as soon as he looked pitiful, the Emperor would not be able to refuse him anything...

    Liu Xi carefully ced the tea to one side. The little eunuch who had been behind him was already cleaning up the shards on the ground.

    ¡°Father, I am still young, so what if I wait another year? Even if the matter is decided now, it would still take more than a year for the whole betrothal procedure. She would be out of the mourning period then. I am not as capable as my elder brothers and marrying the daughter of a third-grade official is enough. Anyway, I don¡¯t need the help of my wife¡¯s family since I will live as a leisurely prince all my life.¡± Feng Yuran said as he looked up at Emperor Zongwen.

    Emperor Zongwen was incensed by his roguish words. He picked up his tea angrily and tried to take a sip. He realized that it was boiling hot then and mmed it back on the table. His expression was furious as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t even know what the girl is like and you want to make her your main consort. She is so young, how will she control all those beauties in your manor?¡±

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely treat her well and those women in my back courtyard will not dare to anger her. even if she is young, no one will bully her. Since I havee to beg you personally, I will definitely treat her well, or it would be an insult to you, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Feng Yuran smiled as he saw the Emperor Zongwen showed signs of relenting. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly as he scrambled to assure the Emperor. As long as Emperor Zongwen agreed to his request, he would do anything the Emperor wanted in the future.

    His cheeky expression rendered one speechless with anger.

    He was indeed a profligate prince for he dared to make such assurances for a woman. Liu Xi could not help but shake his head secretly.

    ¡°Go. I am tired.¡± Emperor Wenzong looked exhausted. He massaged his head with one hand while he waved King Xuan off with another.

    ¡°Then Father, what do you say?¡± Feng Yuran asked insolently as he stood up and did not leave.

    ¡°Let me think about it before we speak again.¡± Emperor Wenzong said helplessly.

    ¡°Your Highness, please.¡± Liu Xi was very sharp and he hurried up to raise the curtains respectfully.

    Even though Feng Yuran did not look satisfied, he did not look angry either. He was in a rare good mood as he raised his brows at Liu Xiu. It scared the old eunuch so much that he did not dare to say anything else. King Xuan was someone he could not afford to offend.

    Liu Xi returned after sending Feng Yuran off. He wiped off his sweat as he entered the study and saw Emperor Zongwen standing in front of the window silently. It appeared that the Emperor was still thinking about what happened earlier. A son had dared to say something like that to his father, and had even barged into the imperial study for a woman.

    ¡°Liu Xi, did someone from the Empress¡¯ pcee earlier?¡± Emperor Zongwen was a middle-aged man in his 50s. He questioned Liu Xi as he sat down, massaging his head.

    ¡°Yes. Her Majesty wants to know if Your Majesty will go to her pce for dinner. She also has a letter from Princess Royal Yunruo for you.¡± Liu Xi put his hands together and answered softly.

    ¡°Little Eight wants to marry Mo Huawen¡¯s legitimate daughter and make her his main consort.¡± Emperor Zongwen sighed.

    Liu Xi knew Mo Huawen. He not only knew Mo Huawen, he knew him rather well. Mo Huawen supported the Emperor even before he had ascended the throne. He was rather close to Liu Xi. However, after His Majesty ascended the throne, Mo Huawen was sent to Cloud City and their contact lessened. It was said that Mo Huawen had married the legitimate daughter of General Manor. Could the girl King Xuan want to marry be their daughter? If so, even though Mo Huawen was a third-grade official now, the youngdy came from a significant background.

    However, she was stillcking to be the main consort of King Xuan, whom the Emperor doted on the most.

    ¡°Your Majesty, King Xuan has always been wilful. If you do not agree...¡± Liu Xi felt that he was letting Mo Huawen down. His daughter would be marrying the unpredictable King Xuan. King Xuan treated the people he liked well, but if he did not like them anymore, he would just throw them away. It was hard to guarantee that the passion King Xuan felt for the girl wouldst.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s legitimate daughter¡¯s status was more than sufficient for her to be the legal wife of a son from a noble family. However, it was a pity that her fate was poor to have King Xuan take a fancy to her. It was such a pity.

    Emperor Zongwen did not say anything. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Go to Tianfeng Pce.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I will make preparations now.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had already long returned to the manor then. She went to a small narrow room in Qingwei Garden. There was a heating stove in the room. Even though it was not big, it was sufficient to warm a person who just came in.

    There was a girl sleeping on the bed in the room. She was so pale she was almost translucent. She opened her eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong agitatedly. She reached out to pull on Mo Xuetong¡¯s shirt as she said incredulously, ¡°Miss, is that you? Is it really you?¡±

    Her hands shook slightly due to her excitement. She did not manage to catch hold of Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°He Xia, it is me. It¡¯s really me.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and sat down by the bed. She took the medicine bowl from Mo Lan and ced it to He Xia¡¯s lips. She said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Drink this medicine first and then speak slowly.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had rushed into the room anxiously because He Xia had woken up after so many days.

    He Xia took the medicine bowl. She did not even look at it before gulping it down. She put the bowl down and tears streamed down her face. She said, ¡°Miss, I did not think that I would be able to see you again. I did not think that I would be able to see you while I am still alive...¡± She sobbed tearfully. Her face was extremely pale and she did not dare to speak loudly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s alright.¡± Mo Xuetong reached out tofort her, patting her shoulders. Mo Xuetong saw that she had been feeling upset for a while. She seemed very fearful for she did not dare to be loud despite being very agitated. Tears slid down her face silently.

    ¡°Elder Sister He Xia. It is alright. We are in the capital. How did youe to faint in front of Miss¡¯ carriage?¡± Mo Yu asked. She looked at the torn and tattered beggar clothing that He Xia had been dressed in. One could not tell whether she was male or female in those clothing then.

    ¡°This is the capital?¡± He Xia was shocked and she clutched at Mo Yu¡¯s hand anxiously. Fear filled her eyes and she started to shake. She looked as if she was very frightened. Xue Dong seemed to have gone mad like that.

    Mo Xuetong red at Mo Yu and said softly. ¡°We are in my Qingwei Garden. Mother named it for me when we were in Cloud City. She even made a sign and you were the one who hung it on. I will show it to youter. See if it had been hung straight and if it is just like before.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently. Her sweet voice made one feel rxed. Furthermore, she was talking about random things about the house and the fear in He Xia¡¯s eyes ebbed away.

    ¡°Miss, where is Madam? Did Madame to the capital? I want to see Madam.¡± He Xia¡¯s eyes widened as she looked around. She held on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and panted anxiously.

    He Xia didn¡¯t know that Madam was dead? The people in the room looked at each other and saw the shock in the other person¡¯s eyes. Could it be that He Xia had left before Madam died?

    Why did no one say anything about this before?

 Chapter 229 - The Mysterious Past and the Uncertain Facts

    <h4>Chapter 229 The Mysterious Past and the Uncertain Facts</h4>

    ¡°Elder Sister He Xia, are you feeling better?¡± Mo Xuetong held her hand and took her pulse.

    ¡°I am fine, Miss. I need to see Madam immediately. I have something to tell her.¡± He Xia said firmly. Then, she sighed heavily and slowly calmed down.

    ¡°Elder Sister He Xia, Mother has already passed away.¡± Mo Xuetong said slowly, rubbing He Xia¡¯s icy cold hands as she looked at her. Her mother had already been dead for two years. He Xia had never returned to the manor but had drifted about outside. Why was this so?

    ¡°Madam is gone?¡± He Xia was stunned. It was as if she could not understand what Mo Xuetong had said. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and asked her the same question repeatedly.

    ¡°My mother passed away two years ago. She passed away shortly after you left.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes filled with sadness. She could almost see her mother¡¯s smile when she looked at her mother¡¯s ex-maid. She bit her lips softly as tears filled her eyes.

    It had been two years. She had been left behind in Cloud City after her mother¡¯s death. The people in the Qin Manor had never allowed anyone to mention her mother. They only said that it was bad luck. So whenever she thought of her mother and wanted to pray to her mother, she could only do it secretly. There had never been anyone who cared about her mother. How could she not feel sad upon hearing how emotional He Xia was when she spoke of her mother?

    ¡°Madam is gone. No. No, that can¡¯t be. Even though Madam was ill, she can¡¯t just pass away like that. The physician said that she would be fine with some rest.¡± He Xia held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand anxiously. It was as if she was searching for a different answer from her. How could her Madam be gone?

    Madam was so gentle, so kind. She was always smiling. How could she be dead?

    ¡°This can¡¯t be true. It can¡¯t be true!¡±

    ¡°He Xia, Madam is truly gone. Not only is Madam gone, Ying Chun died in front of her memorial table and Xiang Qiu died of illness not long after. In the end, even Xue Dong went mad. You are the only one left of Madam¡¯s four maids.¡± Mother Xu said. She was an elder in the manor and had been promoted to this job by the Madam. She used to be close with the Madam¡¯s four personal maids and could not help but sigh when she saw how they had ended up.

    ¡°He Xia, why did you leave then? How was Mother¡¯s health when you left?¡± Night had fallen and candles were lit in the room. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was equally pale under the light. Now that she had been allowed to live again, she had to find out what happened to her mother. She would make sure her mother received justice.

    Her mother was beautiful and gentle in her memories. She had never offended anyone. Why would she die such mysterious circumstances!

    He Xia seemed unable to ept what happened. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and refused to let go. She muttered, ¡°Ying Chun, Xiang Qiu, Xue Dong... How could they...¡±

    ¡°He Xia, don¡¯t ask about this. Tell me first, what did Mother ask you to do. Why did we not know when you left? The people in the Manor all thought that you disappeared only after my mother¡¯s death.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pale and her lips trembled slightly.

    Her mother had passed away, and then, various things had happened to her four personal maids. No one brought the matter up again afterward. Then, it was as if everything were hidden in the mist. In her past life, she had not thought about the suspicious circumstances behind her mother¡¯s death even until her own death. She had also never met He Xia. Mo Xuetong had struggled bitterly in the back courtyard and had never once suspected anything.

    Yet now, there were some things that she could not help but feel suspicious about.

    He Xia looked up and slowly let go of Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She sat up, her eyes calmed down gradually. She took a cup of tea from Mo Lan and drank it before looking up at Mo Xuetong. She said, ¡°Miss, Madam told me toe to the capital to check the ounts of Xiuning Workshop. That was why I left secretly.¡±

    Xiuning Workshop? Mo Xuetong recalled the shop that was a dowry her mother had left her. She had gone to check itst time but it was just an ordinary shop. She did not find anything odd about it other than the fact that the shopkeeper seemed slightly soberer and steadier.

    ¡°Why did Mother want to check Xiuning Workshop¡¯s ounts? Didn¡¯t Mother ask you guys to check it only a few days ago?¡± Mo Xuetong could hear her own cold voice asking the question.

    They only checked the ounts once a year but He Xia went to check it twice. It was just a little shop, was there a need to put in that much effort to travel such long distances to check the ounts again and again?!

    He Xia did not expect Mo Xuetong to know about Xiuning Workshop and that she would know that He Xia had gone to check the ounts not too long ago. Since Miss already knew some things, there was no reason for her to hide any longer. While Madam was around, Madam was in charge, but now that Madam was no longer around, Miss was in charge. This was what Madam had told her over and over again back then.

    ¡°Miss, the ounts are fake. I came here to meet somebody. I will meet with that person every time Ie to the capital using the ounts as an excuse. I will then bring things back for Madam.¡± He Xia told the truth.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mo Xuetong could not stay calm any longer. Her voice shook.

    ¡°I do not know who the person is either. That person woulde alone every time we met in the backyard of Xiuning Workshop. It was a man. The maids stay in the room, and the man would leave some letters at the front. We just had to take the letter and bring it back to Madam. However, the man did note on a schedule. That is why we had to wait in Xiuning Workshop for about a month sometimes.¡± He Xia recalled.

    She knew that meeting the man was a matter of chance. She stayed in the room with Ying Chun that day. When they realized that someone was there, they did not dare to make a sound. They could not see anything in the dark and Madam had told them not to speak. They only had to wait inside. The two of them stayed in the room and saw the tall slender figure put down something before turning to leave. He Xia saw a pair of long ck boots when he turned away.

    Only court officials wore boots in this style. However, there were so many court officials in the capital. He Xia could only tell that the person was a man because of this.

    ¡°Since you were working for Madam and nothing happened all this while, what happened this time?¡± Mother Xu asked in confusion.

    ¡°I was really unlucky. I was not careful when I came out and lost the money bag I brought with me. Then, I had to beg for a living. It took me great difficulty to get to the capital and to Xiuning Workshop. Then, I found someone. I saw him at Madam¡¯s before and he threatened Madam with a sword then. Xue Dong saw it and screamed, and he got scared off.¡±

    ¡°I caught a glimpse of him while he was escaping. I did not dare to enter Xiuning Workshop when I saw him going in, so I waited outside. However, I realized that there were a lot of people who were walking around outside Xiuning workshop with swords. I waited outside for a few days but could not enter. So I thought of going back to Cloud City.¡±

    ¡°But I did not have money, so I could only stay with beggars and led a vagrant life. I was begging outside the capital a few days ago and a few gangsters started hitting the beggars on the street. I was hit by them and ran away in a fluster. Then, I don¡¯t know what I knocked into and fainted. I found myself here when I woke up.¡±

    They found He Xia on the streets of the capital but hearing what He Xia said, she had already left the capital. So why had she appeared in the capital again and why did she appear right in front of her carriage? Did someone set this up intentionally? Or was this unintentional? After the painful experience of her past life, Mo Xuetong would rather believe that this was all done by somebody.

    Someone had threatened her mother with a sword. Who was it? Her mother was just the wife of an official based in Cloud City. Even if she was from the General Manor, it should not matter. Why were there so many suspicious circumstances surrounding her mother?

    It was as if there was a thread weaved around a ball of thread. However, there were too many threads in her hands right now and she could not untangle it.

    ¡°Elder Sister He Xia, did you know that Auntie Fang was trying to kill Mother? Was she the one who killed Mother?¡± Mo Xuetong said after a moment of deep thought.

    ¡°Auntie Fang did want to hurt Madam. Madam was weak because she had been poisoned by Auntie Fang. But Madam had precious medicine that could neutralize the poison. Madam said that she would recover after eating that. Later, she sent me to the capital and I don¡¯t know what happened after that. Madam¡¯s condition was not bad then and she would not have died so quickly even if she did not eat the medication,¡± He Xia said tearfully, ¡°or perhaps, Auntie Fang might have increased the dosage after that.¡±

    Auntie Fang had indeed poisoned her mother!

    Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. Auntie Fang had killed her mother just for her mother¡¯s position. No wonder Mo Xuetong had told her viciously that her mother had been killed by them while she had forced Mo Xuetong to drink poison. Then, Mo Xuetong had died in their hands, and there was Yu¡¯er...

    A blood debt was to be paid with blood. In this life, the vicious mother and daughter pair had killed her mother. She was here for revenge. She was willing to drag them to hell with her.

    ¡°Miss, have a cup of water to warm you up.¡± Mo Lan ced a new cup of tea by her hands thoughtfully.

    Her hands were icy cold and she sat before the window silently for almost an hour. The room was lit and the faint light outside reflected off the drizzling rain outside. It had started to rain. The snow on the ground outside was slowly starting to melt. The snowfall had been heavy yesterday but the weather was already turning warm today. The weather changes were really quick.

    ¡°Put it there. I don¡¯t want to drink it.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly as she looked out of the window. The lights outside the window shone on her face which were marred with two tracks of tears. Her mother¡¯s death definitely had something to do with Auntie Fang¡¯s poison. Auntie Fang had killed her.

    She felt terrible when she thought of how her gentle and kind mother hadid on the bed silent and pale!

    She had been so helpless then. Her father had not left Auntie Fang¡¯s courtyard and her mother had already passed on. She was only a child of 11. She was so helpless, so afraid. Her mother seemed to be her everything. She did not know anything and could only cry and shake as she held her mother¡¯s hand.

    She had been so afraid it was as if her entire world had copsed...

    Her mother would not have died if not for Auntie fang. Without Mo Xuetong, her past life would not have been so miserable! She had struggled in hell. She would definitely get revenge even if she were to be crushed into pieces!

    ¡°Miss, do you want to have some dinner first? You did not eat much during lunch at the Princess Royal¡¯s manor. How can your body take it if you do not eat.¡± Mo Lan persuaded her gently.

    ¡°Get someone to set up dinnerter. Is anything happening at Lihua Garden recently?¡± Mo Xuetongposed herself and asked Mo Lan coldly. Auntie Fang and her daughter had not yet gotten what they deserved. How could she fall now?

    ¡°Young Master snuck in to visit Auntie Fang once. First Miss did not. However, First Miss¡¯ maid, Mo Xiu went several times. She went there at night once. A few maids and elder servants from our courtyard went out when there were works done to the back courtyard.¡± Mo Lan said meaningfully.

    ¡°The ancestral hall is almost done, so that matter must be about settled. Sima Lingyun¡¯s marriage has been settled, so Eldest Sister must not be able to stay calm for much longer.¡± Mo Xuetongughed coldly. Mo Xuemin had been defeated by her time and time again and she must be about to reveal her sharpest dagger. Auntie Fang¡¯s fall would be the biggest blow to her.

    She would never be able to be a legitimate daughter!

 Chapter 230 - Thatâ€™s Odd. Mo Jinâ€™s New Master

    <strong>Chapter 230 That¡¯s Odd. Mo Jin¡¯s New Master</strong>

    Mo Xiu left from the back doorte in the afternoon. Everyone in the manor knew that First Miss was feeling poorly these days and needed medicine from time to time. The physician prescribed a medicine that was out of stock in the medicine halls. The shopkeepers only said that the medicine was arriving but they did not know when. As such, Mo Xiu would go to the shops every day to ask about it.

    Mo Xiu arrived at Renan Hall and spoke with the shopkeeper before going to the back. Most of the medicine was ced at the back. There were small rooms there where different medicines were stored. The shopkeeper lifted the curtains of one of the rooms and invited Mo Xiu in politely.

    There was a woman seated inside who turned around when she heard their voices.

    ¡°Mo Xiu, why did you onlye now?¡± She looked rather anxious and she frowned unhappily when she saw Mo Xiu.

    ¡°Miss made Old Sir unhappy recently and everyone is making things difficult for her. In the past, we just had to inform someone if we were going out. But now, we have to ask Auntie Qing for a token and she even held me back for a long while to ask where I was going when I was heading out before she let me out.¡± Mo Xiu said angrily as she sat down beside the woman.

    ¡°Mo Jin, how are you doing now? The King¡¯s Manor must be much better than the Mo Manor.¡± Mo Xiu said enviously.

    Mo Jin sighed. She was just a little maidservant in the King¡¯s Manor. She did not even get to see the King. Even though she did not amount to much in the past when she was working in the Mo Manor, she was still the head maidservant of First Miss Mo. No one dared to look down on her. Mo Jin did not want for much now. How dare she, when someone took her in and allowed her to live under those circumstances!

    What happened in the pce was so shocking and she almost died there. What she did not expect at all was that First Miss would be so vicious. She had pushed her into the pit to save her own life!

    If not for the benevolent King Chu who saved her, she would have died long ago.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. The King¡¯s Manor is not Mo Manor, after all. There are many rules, but the rewards are great too. The pay is several times higher than at Mo Manor.¡± Mo Jin smiled as if it did not matter. She took out a bag and removed a box of rouge from it. She pushed it toward Mo Xiu and said, ¡°This is for you. King Chu rewarded it to mest time, and I have my monthly pay. I don¡¯t need so much, so I brought it to give it to you.¡±

    ¡°For me?¡± Mo Jin pulled the box toward her happily. The box was exquisitely made, it was definitely of good quality. First Miss probably didn¡¯t have something so luxurious. The King¡¯s Manor was really a good ce to be. Even a maid was so rich. She opened the box. The rogue was smooth and faintly fragrant. It was indeed an expensive product.

    ¡°Mo Jin, thank you for thinking of me. You are lucky that you left. First Miss is getting more and more...¡± Mo Xiu sighed as she thought of her current predicament. She pushed the box back to Mo Jin and said, ¡°This is such good rogue, but I have no time to use it. I will make First Miss angry if I do.¡±

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s personal maids knew of her temper. She seemed to be gracious and kind on the surface, but in private, she would hit and scold if things did not go her way. She would vent her anger on her two maids. In the previous years, when things had gone well for First Miss, things were still easy on them. However, ever since Third Miss entered the manor, First Miss¡¯ temper grew more and more vtile. It was normal for her maids to wear bruises all over.

    ¡°Mo Xiu, don¡¯t worry. When First Miss gets through this difficult predicament, her mood will naturally take a turn for the better. She will definitely treat you well then.¡± Mo Jin sighed andforted her. She pushed the box toward Mo Xiu again and said, ¡°Even though you can¡¯t use it now, just keep it and use it when First Miss rises again.¡±

    Rise? Mo Xiu¡¯s expression grew weary. Did First Miss look like she could rise again!

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. This is what First Miss wanted. I got someone to make it for her and used up all the silver that King Chu gifted me thest time. After all, First Miss and I were once mistress and servant. We were once very good friends, please ask First Miss not to look for me if there¡¯s nothing going on. I am just a maidservant and do not have the abilities to help her.¡±

    Mo Jin pulled up a tightly wrapped bundle from a bag and gave it to Mo Xiu. ¡°This is a sin. If not for First Miss...¡±

    Even though she did notplete her sentence, Mo Xiu understood her. She hurriedly ced the bundle into a bag that she brought. She looked slightly anxious. She stood up after cing the bundle into the bag and hesitated slightly. Then, seeming as if she had made a decision, she put down the bag and held Mo Jin¡¯s hands. She said, ¡°Mo Jin, does the King¡¯s Manor need another maidservant?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to leave First Miss?¡± Mo Jin was shocked.

    ¡°Look...¡± Mo Jin pulled up her sleeves which were hiding mottled bruises on her arms. Her arms werepletely covered in bruises, burns and needle pricks. She said softly and sorrowfully, ¡°Mo Jin, I can¡¯t take it anymore. First Miss keeps using me as a punching bag.¡±

    ¡°Mo Xiu, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely help you to ask King Chu when I have the chance. You go back for now, and if First Miss is sessful this time, then you will not have to suffer any longer.¡± A sh of hatred crossed Mo Jin¡¯s eyes. However, she smiled and persuaded Mo Xiu for now. She did not have much to say about Mo Xuemin. If Mo Xuemin could be a better person, she would not have abandoned Mo Jin to the wolves.

    If King Chu had not saved her, she would have died a sorrowful death. When she had been used as a scapegoat and to be flogged, First Miss did not even look at her with pity. She had only pushed the me on her. It was impossible for one to seed with such a mistress.

    But now, in order to repay her debt, she had to console Mo Xiu and appease her so she did not startle First Miss.

    First Miss! She could not wait to see Mo Xuemin¡¯s fall from grace.

    She did not expect Mo Xuemin to still make use of her now. It is a pity that she is no longer the old Mo Xiu from the Mo Manor any longer! A hint of a cold smirk appeared on her lips.

    When Mo Xiu left, Mo Jin stood up respectfully. Footsteps rustled from behind the screen. As servant lifted the screen, revealing Qin Yufeng who was drinking tea leisurely.

    ¡°Sir Qin, I have done as you ordered and given the things to First Miss.¡± Mo Jin said respectfully.

    ¡°You have done well!¡± Qin Yufeng stood up elegantly. He smiled at Mo Jin lightly and nodded before leaving. The servant threw a bag of money at Mo Jin before following Qin Yufeng out.

    Mo Jin only straightened up when Qin Yufeng left. She grabbed the bag of money and left hurriedly. Without King Chu, she would have died. However, without Qin Yufeng, she would also have died. It was much more dangerous in the King¡¯s Manor than in Mo Manor. She was just a little maidservant and had to tread carefully.

    Her current master was not King Chu or Mo Xuemin. He was Qin Yufeng! She did not dare to ask for much, she just wanted to live. However, if she could see Mo Xuemin get her retribution while she lived, she would be even more pleased!

    It was already dark outside Renan Hall. Lanterns were hung up by the door and there were some patrons walking to and fro. Mo Xiu looked around at the entrance before getting onto the carriage stopped outside when she saw that no one was looking at her. The driver brought her around several bends before arriving at the back door of the Mo Manor.

    The maids behind the door nced at her disinterestedly and could not even be bothered to talk to her. Ever since the maid guarding the entrance had been implicated by First Miss and had gotten a flogging, fewer and fewer people thought well of her. Furthermore, after what happened recently, they looked down on her even though First Miss would marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor and be the duchess.

    However, how much power did a duchess with a ruined reputation have? And how long would she be doted on? The servants could all tell. Furthermore, no one knew whether Sima Lingyun would be able to inherit the dukedom.

    Mo Xiu saw that she was being ignored and returned to the courtyard after entering fearfully.

    The maid guarding the entrance opened the doors for her but stopped her from entering. She said, dragging out her words, ¡°Oh, Miss Mo Xiu, you¡¯re back. First Miss was so anxious, she asked about you several times. She said to bring some medicine to Auntie Fang when you get back and to give the rest to First Miss.¡±

    Mo Xiu was gripped with cold fear. However, she did not let it show. She answered in affirmative softly and did not dare to go against the orders. She turned around and went to Lihua Garden.

    Her hands, which were holding on to the bundle, shook. She almost walked into the tree in front of her in the dark. She felt as if the winds were blowing straight at her heart and she felt very cold. First Miss was indeed vicious. She was plotting against her birth mother. If someone discovered this, Auntie Fang would be the first to get it.

    But what about herself? She would definitely be implicated because she had been to Lihua Garden. Then, First Miss would definitely sacrifice her like how she had Mo Jin. She would push Mo Xiu forward as the scapegoat while she escaped scotfree. Mo Xiu hade back at night and did not return to First Miss¡¯ courtyard but had headed to Lihua Garden straight instead. If anything, it would be between her and Auntie Fang. First Miss would still be the gracious and generous First Miss, or perhaps, she might even be known to be an impartial person...

    Mo Xiu stood at the crossroads for a long while. She suddenly gritted her teeth and walked in a different direction. That was Third Miss¡¯ Qingwen Garden.

    Sima Lingyun was in a foul mood these few days!

    After what happened, he was too embarrassed to take guests. Even though those people did not say anything, their facial expressions made it clear. Even though their expressions were nicer now, there was a rumor about his secret rtionship with Mo Xuemin. And these rumors grew as Mo Xuemin¡¯s past was dug up. He felt as if he had been a cuckolded!

    He knew about what happened at the Repayment Temple. But what about the others? What was this thing with You Yuecheng? And with Li Youmo? And the rumors in the pce, her meeting with King Chu, were they true? He thought about how Mo Xuemin had snuck into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. He had thought that she was truly concerned for him, which was why she had been in such a hurry to visit. However, now that he thought about it, he felt that it was truly slutty behavior. She had barely stepped into womanhood and she was already meeting men outside of the family secretly. She even had amorous rtionships with others. What else was this other than sluttiness!

    The most important thing was that he was about to marry the woman. This made Sima Lingyun feel very ufortable and annoyed!

    His friends, the sons of noble and wealthy families, were all avoiding him. Even those whose statuses were lower than his who used to butter up to him were avoiding him as well. They all looked at him with disdain. This enraged him. If Mo Xuemin had not set up the plot, this would not have happened to him.

    Not only had he not gotten the dukedom, he had not even gotten any help!

    In the past, some old friends of her father would still try to help him in front of the Emperor on his father¡¯s ount. However, when he tried to look for those people, they were either busy or ill and could not receive guests. They all had good reasons for not meeting him and refused to help him.

    When Sima Lingyun thought about how Mo Xuemin had caused all that, he felt a surge of fire rushing up from within him.

    As such, on the second day after the Empress had decreed their message, he listened to his mother and made Yun Yiqiu his concubine.

    Anyway, he and Yun Yiqiu had already had a physical rtionship long before that and he had to answer to her. On the other hand, this was as good as a p to Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. Sons from noble and wealthy families usually only had maids in the bedchamber but would not have any concubines. However, Sima Lingyun was very much annoyed. Even without Yun Yiqiu, he would still find someone to annoy Mo Xuemin.

    He could not be bothered with how she would appear to the public!

    When he thought of how he might have been cuckolded, and how his reputation had beenpletely ruined by Mo Xuemin, Sima Lingyun wanted to hit Mo Xuemin to vent his anger.

 Chapter 231 - When Trash Meets Trash, Meeting Lan Xinru

    <strong>Chapter 231 When Trash Meets Trash, Meeting Lan Xinru</strong>

    The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor carriage traveled along the streets. Sima Lingyun, who was seated in it, looked awful. He thought about how he had been looked down upon in the Mingan Duke¡¯s manor and how he had been teased. His handsome face twisted slightly and he clutched at the soft seat cushion beside him. He mped down viciously on the roar in his heart. One day, he would show those people that he was not that useless.

    The horse carriage seemed to have hit something and stopped suddenly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Sima Lingyun asked coldly. He forced down the urge to pick up a teacup and throw it outside.

    ¡°Your Excellency, the horse carriage hit a girl.¡± The driver answered respectfully.

    Hit someone? Sima Lingyun frowned and released his hold on the teacup. He lifted the door curtains and walked out. Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was the subject of gossip recently. How dare he create any trouble?

    ¡°Miss, Miss, how are you? Is everything alright? What am I to do if you¡¯re injured?¡± The anxious sobbing of a maid could be heard. Sima Lingyun looked in the direction and saw a beautiful woman whose expression had a hint of fragility. She was pale and teary-eyed as she held her leg, sitting on the ground. However, she could not say a single word and looked extremely pitiful.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Where were you hurt?¡± Sima Lingyun squatted down and asked her gently.

    ¡°You are...¡± Lan Xinru lifted her beautiful face and questioned him shyly.

    ¡°This is Marquess Zhenguo.¡± The driver answered.

    Marquess Zhenguo? Lan Xinru was ted. She looked at Sima Lingyun¡¯s young and handsome face. Her face hurt. She held her leg, looking as if she wanted to stand. She had only just sat up before she could not help but fall into Xiaolian¡¯s embrace. The corners of her lips shook slightly and she could not speak.

    ¡°Is your leg hurt?¡± Sima Lingyun reached out to touch the area that Lan Xinru was covering. He found that blood was flowing from the wound slowly. She had been injured.

    ¡°I can¡¯t move my leg.¡± Lan Xinru looked up tearfully and pitifully.

    She looked soft and weak, and this greatly satisfied Sima Lingyun, who currently felt as if he had been abandoned by everyone else. He immediately felt that the beauty in front of him was both pure, beautiful, and adorable. He thought of how the beautiful woman had been hurt by his horse carriage and could not be bothered with anything else. He scooped her up, brought her into the carriage, and ordered the driver to head towards the clinic at the end of the street swiftly.

    Xiaolian had already gotten onto the horse carriage when Sima Lingyun scooped Lan Xinru up.

    ¡°How is your injury? Does it hurt badly?¡± Sima Lingyun thought about it and lifted the corner of her pants. He saw a bleeding wound on her calf.

    Lan Xinru flushed. She wanted to move her leg away, but Sima Lingyun held on to it tightly. Her body softened and she could not help but lean toward Sima Lingyun. She said tearfully, ¡°It hurts, young sir, it hurts.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s alright. The clinic is right in front. It will be fine.¡± Sima Lingyun heaved a sigh of relief as heforted her. It looked like it was just a scrape and she did not break any bones. It was not a big deal, and it could have been worse.

    ¡°I, is it broken?¡± Lan Xinru looked at Sima Lingyun tearfully. ¡°What will I do if it¡¯s broken? I still need to find my aunt. If I can¡¯t find her, I¡¯m alone...¡± Then, she started to sob.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. It will be fine. It¡¯s not broken.¡± Sima Lingyun patted her shoulder hurriedly andforted her in tender tones. That was when he realized that she was huddled in his embrace. She was soft and fragrant and looked pitiful. She shook slightly from the pain and looked extremely fragile and pitiful.

    ¡°Is it really not broken?¡± She looked at Sima Lingyun fearfully with tears in her eyes as if she was looking for support. Sima Lingyun puffed up with pride. He had been emascted the past few days, and he felt pride rushing through him. He touched the edge of her wound gingerly and said gently, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It will be fine after it¡¯s been bandaged.¡±

    ¡°But it still hurts!¡± Lan Xinru said with tears in her eyes. She looked at him pitifully. The fear in her eyes assuaged Sima Lingyun¡¯s masculinity. He felt that the girl in front of him was adorable, pitiful, and loveable. He cuddled her and asked gently, ¡°Are you not from the capital?¡±

    ¡°No, I came here to look for my aunt. She gave me her address, but I couldn¡¯t find her. I had to rent a ce in the city. But it¡¯s been a few days and there are still no signs of her. What will I do if I still can¡¯t find her?¡± Lan Xinru sobbed in his embrace. Her cries made Sima Lingyun¡¯s heart hurt for her. He could not help butfort her with gentle tones, ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you can¡¯t find a ce to go, you can stay at my ce first. I ran into you and have to show how sorry I am.¡±

    Then, Sima Lingyun was shocked by himself. After so many things happened in his manor recently, he really did not have the mood or energy to care about such things. He felt rather regretful the moment he said that.

    ¡°Can I really?¡± The frightened voice, along with the soft white hands that tugged on Sima Lingyun¡¯s shirt dispersed the regret he felt. He hugged her even tighter and nodded forcefully. Since he was getting a concubine, what would another one matter? At least he would not feel as angry after embarrassing Mo Xuemin.

    He did not see Lan Xinru¡¯s satisfied expression at all!

    Didn¡¯t the Mo Manor chase her out! She would not let them off so easily. She heard that the man hugging her was going to marry Mo Xuemin. She would steal his affections away from her and make Mo Xuemin sad. She would make Mo Huawen regret throwing her out.

    She had med her dire circumstances entirely on the Mo Manor. However, she had never considered that she deserved if. Otherwise, why would she be in her current predicament?

    In Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Xuetong sat in front of the window, flipping through the medical text that Feng Yuran gave her. There were diagrams in the book and it was easy to understand.

    It was quiet in the room and only the sounds of pages being flipped could be heard. It was in the middle of winter but the room was warm. Mo Xuetong let her hair loose andid on the couch.

    ¡°Miss, you can sleep first or you might hurt your eyes.¡± Mo Lan entered the room softly and chided Mo Xuetong when she saw that she was still reading. Mo Lan brought her a cup of tea.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I will go to bed in a while. Is Mo Yu back yet?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up with a small smile. She felt a little tired after hearing what Mo Lan said and she leaned back into the couch.

    ¡°Mo Yu has just returned. She has to find a ce for her distant aunt to stay in. However, the First Prince of Yan Kingdom ising so security is very strict these few days. No one can guarantee that they can really rent a room.¡± Mo Lan smiled and helped to put another cushion behind Mo Xuetong¡¯s back.

    Mo Yu¡¯s distant aunt wasing to find a job in the city. However, the lunar new year was not yet over and there were not many ces that were hiring. She might as well stay in the city first. Mo Yu¡¯s mother asked Mo Yu to find her aunt a ce to stay, so Mo Yu went out in the afternoon and only just came back. It seemed that it was difficult to find a ce.

    ¡°Why did the First Prince of Yane so quickly? Didn¡¯t they just mention it a few days ago?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. The matter was only brought up before the new year. Judging by the distance, the First Prince hade very quickly. It was as if he had not been in the Yan Kingdom. How did he get here so quickly? It was not as if he was visiting for any request, so what made the First Princee so quickly?

    It was said that the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom was born to the first Empress of Yan. He was the eldest and also the legal son. However, no one knew why Bai Yihao became the Crown Prince. What was weird was that holding hostage sons was just a superficial matter, yet the Yan Kingdom had sent their noble Crown Prince to Qin. They were not afraid that anything untoward might happen to their Crown Prince and the Yan Kingdom would have to choose another Crown Prince.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong knew that that would not happen. With Bai Yihao¡¯s capabilities, he could totally protect himself. However, the problem was that was the Yan Emperor not at all worried that something untoward might happen to his chosen heir in Qin? The Yan Emperor had more than one son. Other than his first legal son, he had a second legal son and also many other descendants. So why did he choose Bai Yihao toe to Qin?

    ¡°Miss, it is said that this prince came here so quickly because he wants toe for the consort-choosing. There were rumors that the First Prince is here to marry a wife. Only if the two countries are in good rtions will we stop fighting.¡± Mo Lan said with a smile and pushed the candle towards Mo Xuetong.

    This meant that the consort the First Prince of Yan wanted did not have to be a princess?

    Why!

    Mo Xuetong rubbed her head and decided not to think about these matters. No matter what, the Yan Kingdom was too far away from her and had nothing to do with her. It was reasonable for her to not participate in the consort-choosing in Qin that many girls were excited about if she did not want to, much less something that involved the Yan Kingdom.

    She was still in mourning for her mother, so it was reasonable for her to not participate in it. As long as the Emperor did not ask for her personally, it had nothing to do with her.

    Mo Xuetong put down her book and stretchedzily. She looked at the flickering mes and smiled softly. She said, ¡°Go and see if Mo Yu¡¯s eaten. If not, heat up the food we left for her tonight. Rest early after eating. There are still things for us to handle.¡±

    ¡°I have already gotten someone to heat the food up. Do not worry, Miss. You¡¯d better go to bed first. Mo Ye said that Mo Xiu has already entered Lihua Garden ording to n. Things will probably blow up in the next few days. The Empress¡¯ marriage decree has alreadye to us, First Miss can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Mo Lan answered with a smile. She brought over a leg warmer and ced it in Mo Xuetong¡¯s nkets.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s leg curled upon touching the heated stove. She felt warm and toasty and reached over to snuggle by it. Even her nkets were soft and warm. She said, ¡°How goes Father¡¯s bridal price preparation? Since Auntie has lowered her status to marry Father as his second legal wife, we must not treat her unfairly. Mother left some things behind, take them and bring them to Father.¡±

    Mo Huawen had been preparing the bridal price for the past few days. He did not prepare much because he was taking a second legal wife. Furthermore, Mo Huawen had done it himself. He was a man and did not know much. Mo Xuetong who had been married in her past life knew more than him. Sima Lingyun had prepared an extremely luxurious bridal price as a show of respect to her.

    ¡°Rest assured, Miss. I already brought the things that you organized to Old Sir¡¯s courtyard yesterday. I even told the servants to clean the courtyard up.¡± Mo Huawen had his own courtyard. However, he did not stay there, so it had stayed empty. Since he was taking a new wife, they would naturally stay in the courtyard. It was best for them to stay there. Mo Huawen had told Mo Xuetong that he was going to stay there. As such, Mo Xuetong decided to bring in some suitable decorations.

    ¡°He Xia moved out these few days. Mo Yu is looking for a ce to rent today, so we might as well get her to find He Xia another room. It is going to be busy in the manor these few days and I¡¯m afraid that someone might discover her.¡± Mo Xuetong said seriously to Mo Lan after thinking about it. She felt, for some reason, that He Xia must not be discovered.

    ¡°Alright, I will tell Mo Yuter. Miss, rest assured. Auntie Fang will not strike tomorrow for sure. We still have time.¡± Mo Lan said reassuringly.

    Mo Xuetong nodded andid down slowly. Her longshes fluttered. She wanted to say something but did not in the end. Mo Lan blew out the candles and left the room quietly, closing the doors softly behind her

 Chapter 232 - The Empressâ€™ Servant

    <strong>Chapter 232 The Empress¡¯ Servant</strong>

    He Xia was sent away early in the morning. Mo Yu led her out from the back door because they were afraid someone would see her.

    Mo Xuetong woke up, did her ablutions and went to greet the Old Madam.

    Mo Xuetong stood in the cold for an hour before the Old Madam got up. The Old Madam sat on the heated stove-bed and grew tired after they exchanged a few words. She then chased Mo Xuetong out.

    ¡°Miss, put on more clothes when youe to do your greetings. The winter wind is really cold and you might fall ill.¡± Mo Ye red at the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard. The female servants told them to wait where the wind wasing in. Mo Xuetong was so cold her face and lips were pale after standing in the cold wind for an hour. Her hands and feet were icy cold.

    The handwarmer had long turned cold. Mo Xuetong had always been poorly. She had only stayed in the warm room for a while before being chased out and could only walk with the help of Mo Ye.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll warm up after walking around.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled with some effort. She was really cold. It was obvious that the Old Madam was dissatisfied with her father¡¯s decision and was unleashing her anger on Mo Xuetong. It was not true that the Old Madam was still in bed. She could hear Mo Xueyanughing and talking inside the room. However, when she entered, she only saw the Old Madam.

    ¡°Old Madam is too much. She has her own granddaughter, but she doesn¡¯t dote on her and dote on others instead. Old Master is her legitimate son while the other side is a descendant of a concubine.¡± Mo Ye reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and warm her up. She was versed in martial arts and was very healthy. She had been moving around and so did not feel cold.

    Mo Xuetong was amused at Mo Ye¡¯s righteous anger. Sheughed softly and said, ¡°You are wrong. They are her real son and granddaughter. Father and I are not her true rtives.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam is a concubine?¡± Mo Ye was shocked. She had stayed by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side all this while, and because she hade into the manorte, there were some things that she did not know about the manor. She thought that the Old Madam was Mo Huawen¡¯s biological mother. Mo Huawen was in charge of the family, so that would naturally make him the legitimate son. The mother of the eldest legitimate son would be the matriarch of the family. Mo Ye thought that it was weird that Old Master had not requested for a rank for the Old Madam since she was her mother.

    The Old Madam was a concubine! No wonder...

    ¡°Old Madam was good to Father when he was a child. She had put in a lot of effort to raise Father.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a light smile. So many years had passed and her father had never ill-treated the Old Madam. However, the Old Madam was so biased. She vented her anger on Mo Xuetong just because Mo Xuetong¡¯s father did not listen to her and married her niece.

    Mo Xuetong did not think that she was responsible for letting the Old Madam vent her anger on herself. She was well aware of her health. If she waited three or four times at the coldest spot outside the door, she would definitely fall ill.

    ¡°Get someone to spread the news that Lan Xinru has entered the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to the Old Madam tomorrow.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. She pulled her hand from Mo Ye¡¯s grasp. Even though she was still shaking from the cold, some color had returned to her face.

    ¡°First Miss would definitely find out about it if what happened with Lan Xinru spreads in the manor. What will we do when she makes a fuss?¡± Mo Ye asked in confusion.

    ¡°First Miss will not dare to make a fuss nowadays. She would definitely make ns after that matter is settled. If she manages to stop it from being found out, she would definitely have a thousand and one ways to break off the engagement.¡± Mo Xuetong said unhurriedly with a hint of a cold smirk on her lips. Given Mo Xuemin¡¯s viciousness, the first thing she would think of to hurt Mo Xuetong was to kill her.

    The marriage was still some time away. With the help of her backer, King Chu, it would be easy to settle these matters.

    However, Mo Xuetong would never be able to imagine that Mo Xuemin¡¯s backer was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan.

    Of course, the person she could never imagine being involved was Qin Yufeng!

    Mo Jin was still alive and had gone to work at the King Chu¡¯s Manor. Mo Jin had secretly spoken with Qin Yufeng and then Qin Yufeng had gone to King Chu¡¯s Manor. Even though Qin Yufeng had appeared to go casually and it seemed as if it was a chance meeting between him and Feng Yuxuan, Mo Xuetong could sense that Qin Yufeng was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s man.

    Then everything had a reasonable exnation!

    No wonder Mo Xuemin could go for the Hundred-Flower Banquet that only legitimate daughters could go to. No wonder her carriage had been bumped into by Feng Yuxuan¡¯s when she entered the pce. Mo Xuemin had appeared then and entered the pce naturally then. Given Feng Yuxuan¡¯s abilities, setting up a plot to destroy her reputation in the pce was no big deal.

    With Feng Yuxuan¡¯s power, Qin Yufeng¡¯s wits, and Mo Xuemin¡¯s viciousness, it was obvious how she had ended up in her predicament in her past life!

    Any one of them was someone that she could not have beaten in her past life. Furthermore, they were working together against her. She was a weak girl who had no means of defeating them. What did they want?

    Mo Manor was nothing special. What did it have that Feng Yuxuan, the high and mighty King Chu, was interested in!

    Mo Xuetong could be certain that Feng Yuxuan was not interested in Mo Xuemin romantically. Or perhaps, Mo Xuemin did not know that there was someone pulling the strings behind Qin Yufeng! Why was Qin Yufeng doing this then?

    ¡°Miss, First Miss would have given up after this and marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor obediently.¡± Mo Ye said softly.

    ¡°She will never give up as long as she is Mo Xuemin.¡± Mo Xuetong hid the questions that she had and shook her head. She smiled faintly. Mo Xuemin was like a poisonous snake that could not be killed. As long as she was able to, she would definitely extend her fangs and hide in the dark corner, waiting for her chance to strike.

    Mo Ye could not understand and she asked in confusion, If Auntie Fang fails this time, would First Miss still be able toe up with anything? Even if she marries into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, she would just be an insignificant Duchess who will not be doted upon. Would she be able to harm you?¡±

    Mo Ye¡¯s line of thought was linear. To her, a woman would not be able to do much other than being locked up deep inside the courtyard for the rest of her life, much less a woman with a damaged reputation.

    A cold smirk appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. She shook her head. She and Mo Xuemin had been opponents in both her past and present life. She understood Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin would not do nothing about this!

    Mo Xuetong could not help but stop as she stood on the path that led to the outer gardens. She saw some maidservants walking towards the outside with fruits and snacks. Mo Ye went up to ask them and quickly returned to Mo Xuetong with information. ¡°The pce has gifted the manor with some things. Old Master is talking with a eunuch outside.¡±

    Gifts from the pce? Mo Xuetong looked at the maids walking past her in confusion. They were all holding precious fruits and food that were usually kept for honored guests. Why did they bring out such things to host a servant from the pce?

    ¡°He¡¯s from the Empress¡¯ pce?¡± Mo Xuetong asked calmly.

    ¡°He¡¯s indeed from the Empress¡¯ pce. I heard that he is the lead eunuch who serves the Empress.¡± Mo Ye had gathered the information and immediately answered with a smile upon hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s question.

    Why did the Empress show her goodwill towards the Mo Manor again and again?

    In her past life, she had not interacted with anyone other than those from the Sima family and had never met the Empress. As such, she did not know what the Empress was like. However, in this life, Mo Xuetong could see that the Empress was a cautious and ambitious person from how she had dealt with Ling Fengyan and Feng Yuxuan¡¯s marriage.

    A person like this would often have her own goals. She would not show goodwill towards the Mo Manor for nothing!

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s matter had already been dealt with, so why was the Empress behaving like this?

    Perhaps the Emperor¡¯s consort selection had not ended!

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be shocked. She broke out in nervous sweat and had to sit down at a pavilion by the side. She wrung at her handkerchief as her eyes wandered upon the fake mountain in front of her.

    The Empress had shown her goodwill towards the Mo Manor again and again. She seemed to be hinting at something! Was she reminding Mo Xuetong that if she continued on the path that the Empress wanted her to, it would lead to a dead end?

    No, that would not be. Mo Xuetong shook her head with a bitter smile on her lips. That could not be. She would not be chosen in the consort-selection. There were so many beautiful girls in the pce. Furthermore, even without the selection, there were already many consorts in the pce. The Emperor was not a bad ruler and would not do something like that.

    ¡°Miss, shall I go and get more answers?¡± Mo Ye hurriedly asked when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s frown.

    ¡°No. Let¡¯s walk around in the garden.¡± Mo Xuetong answered with a faint smile. She picked up her worries. It was pointless for her to be anxious right now. Since the Empress has already set her sights on the Mo Manor, her target would be none other than her father and herself. It seemed like her father was the more likely target out of the two of them.

    The lord mayor was not a high post in the capital. However, the position had military power. If the Empress wanted to do anything, she could control the lord mayor¡¯s military power. Meanwhile, Mo Xuetong was just an underaged girl who was still in mourning. There were some things that the Empress would not be able to say because of her status.

    ¡°Miss, Third Miss.¡± A maidservant ran over from the end of the path. She startled Mo Xuetong from her jumbled thoughts.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Ye stood forward to stop the maid who was hurtling toward them.

    ¡°Old Master wants Third Miss to dress up and go to the front.¡± The maid panted hurriedly, holding on to the pir.

    ¡°The eunuch wants to see Miss?¡± Mo Ye asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, the Empress sent a eunuch. He said he wanted to see Third Miss after giving us the gifts that the Empress sent. Old Master told me to send the message immediately.¡±

    The Empress¡¯ man wanted to see her?

    What was happening?

    ¡°What did Father say?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up with wide eyes as she questioned the maidservant.

    ¡°Old Master says to ask Third Miss to hurry over there and not let the eunuch wait.¡± The maidservant said hurriedly, thinking that Mo Xuetong did not believe her.

    ¡°Alright, then let us hurry over.¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and understood Mo Huawen¡¯s intentions. She smiled faintly and got up. She looked better but was still very pale. Her lips looked to be a little dry and she seemed more haggard than she usually was.

    ¡°Third Miss, Old Master wants you to go there after you¡¯ve cleaned up. I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be right for you to go there like this.¡± The maidservant said anxiously as she followed after Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What¡¯s not right about this? Making an honored guest wait is not right.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    ¡°Third Miss, he¡¯s an honored guest from the pce. What are we to do if you offend him looking like this?¡± The maidservant said fearfully.

    ¡°Are you not going to let me go!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled coldly.

    ¡°Third Miss, I don¡¯t mean that, it¡¯s just because...¡± The maidservant saw that things were going pearshaped and she hurriedly knelt and asked for forgiveness.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t mean that, then what do you mean? Are you trying to make the Empress¡¯ personal eunuch wait?¡± Mo Xuetong rebuked her sharply. She stood up tall and looked at the trembling maidservant who knelt in front of her. ¡°Why are you trying to stall me?¡±

    ¡°No, I did not. Miss, you are mistaken. I just thought you might want to clean up. I...¡± The maid answered anxiously.

    ¡°Since you are not trying to stop us, then move aside. Don¡¯t be a nuisance.¡± Mo Ye walked up to the maidservant coldly and moved her to the side. Then, she turned around and helped Mo Xuetong towards the outside courtyard.

    The maidservant stood behind them and shook nervously. Then, she thought about it and ran in a different direction.

 Chapter 233 - The Secret Relationship between the Princess Royal and Mother

    <h4>Chapter 233 The Secret Rtionship between the Princess Royal and Mother</h4>

    ¡°That slut Mo Xuetong is so smart. She didn¡¯t even leave us any cracks. I haven¡¯t even spoken to the eunuch from the Empress¡¯ pce before she came and she even makes Father give me a scolding.¡± Mo Xueqiong entered huffily and sat on a chair. She picked up the tea Mo Xiu poured for her and took a sip.

    ¡°Father only cares about her. You¡¯d better be more careful. So what if you send word to the Empress? Father will still only dote on her. Don¡¯t do something like that in the future. Your situation will get worse if Father finds out.¡± Mo Xuemin looked up. She put down the embroidery she was doing andforted Mo Xueqiong with a smile.

    However, Mo Xueqiong felt that Mo Xuemin¡¯s smile was as if she was mocking her and she grew angry.

    She stood up furiously and pointed in the direction of Qingwei Garden. She said, ¡°It can¡¯t just end like that. She messed up my marriage and made Father n to send me to the old manor in Cloud City. She¡¯s ruling this manor. Why? If she can do that, then I can one up her. Anyway, at the worse, I will just be sent to the old manor at Cloud City. What can she do to me?¡±

    Mo Xuemin pursed her lips and smiled. She asked Mo Xiu to bring Mo Xueqiong another cup of tea gently and shook her head with a smile. ¡°Fourth Sister, you can¡¯t beat Third Sister like this. You are direct and she is sly. If you really send word to the Empress through her servants today, Father would have punished you. You are too direct and gutsy and that will only make Father angry.¡±

    This made Mo Xueqiong even angrier. However, she understood that if she had spoken badly of Mo Xueqiong in front of the Empress¡¯ servants, her father would not let her off so easily. However, she could not just allow Mo Xuetong to parade in front of her arrogantly.

    Since her marriage to Sima Lingyun waspletely hopeless and the Empress has already decreed that her eldest sister be married into the Duke¡¯s manor, her father had told her not to think about Sima Lingyun anymore. This infuriated Mo Xueqiong, who had always secretly pined for Sima Lingyun. This was all Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault. How would Mo Xueqiong let her off easily?

    However, since Mo Xuemin mentioned it, she also understood that it was silly for her to go against Mo Xuetong head-on. Her father waspletely devoted to Mo Xuetong and listenedpletely to her. Mo Xueqiong had no status in the manor at all. And after what happenedst time, Auntie Qing had been punished as well, so Mo Xuetong was now in charge of the household.

    Mo Xueqiong could not hold back on the anger she felt as she thought about that.

    Ever since she moved to the little courtyard near the backdoor entrance, the servants all treated her badly. That day, when she saw Mo Xuemin who had also been treated badly by the maids, she immediately pitied her for they shared the same fate. One of them wanted to marry Sima Lingyun while the other did not. The two immediately buried the hatchet.

    Mo Xueqiong thought of ways to deal with Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, you werepetent in the past, but why have younded in your current predicament just months after she entered the capital? I heard word from Lihua Garden that Auntie Fang is very ill. If she is not released and treated, her days would be limited.¡± Mo Xueqiong thought quickly and said with a grim twitch of her mouth when she saw how calm Mo Xuemin was.

    She did not believe that Mo Xuemin was not worried. Even though her reputation was damaged, it could not bepared to Mo Xuemin¡¯s. ¡°Eldest Sister, the rumors outside are fervent. They are all about you. They not only say that you have something going on with Sir Sima, but also that you have something going on with Minister Li¡¯s son and Sir You. It¡¯s a mess.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes glinted with pleasure at Mo Xuemin¡¯s misfortune. However, her expression was one of pity as she said fakely, ¡°Eldest Sister, you have suffered.¡±

    Then, she slowly picked up the teacup by her side.

    Mo Xuemin clenched her hands into a fist secretly. Her sharp kneels pressed into her palms which throbbed in pain. However, she did not show anything on her face as she said, ¡°Since things are already like this, Fourth Sister, what else can I fight for? Third Sister has gotten everything that she should. I am barely alive. I don¡¯t want for much now. I just want to leave this ce as soon as possible. Third Sister¡¯s jealousy is too stronger than anything else. She is too jealous.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong could not say anything sarcastic when she saw Mo Xuemin¡¯s despondent expression. She pursed her lips and thought about how Mo Xuemin would be able to leave the Mo Manor in a year at most. However, after what happened to her, she would not be able to marry into a good family. She might even be worse off than Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, we can¡¯t just be bullied like that. We have to find a way to show Father how vicious Mo Xuetong is. She has made us like this. If we don¡¯t fight this, she will bully us to death.¡± She turned around and said to Mo Xuemin passionately.

    Mo Xuemin sighed and did not speak. Then, she sighed again and stood up with Mo Xiu¡¯s help. She walked into the room with a despondent expression.

    Mo Xueqiong stomped her foot angrily when she saw how useless Mo Xuemin was. She mmed her teacup down and walked out angrily!

    She gritted her teeth. No. She was not Mo Xuemin. She would not just let matters rest after taking such a hit.

    Inside Mo Huawen¡¯s study.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the tableden with gifts in surprise, unable to react for the moment.

    There were a few bolts of beautiful and luxurious cloth, a pair of clear jade bangles with precious stones engraved in them. The bolts of cloth were all brightly colored and had a high thread count. They were expensive and were unavable in themon market. There was also an opal headdress. The opals shone brightly and the one in the middle was especially eye-catching.

    One could tell how precious the items were at one nce. Mo Xuetong had not done anything worthy of praise. In fact, she had not said anything to the Empress, so how had she caught the Empress¡¯ attention?

    ¡°Father, what does the Empress mean?¡± Mo Xuetong looked away from the luxurious and beautiful bolts of cloth. Her expression turned grave. She had seen such cloth before in her past life, but she had only just seen them. The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor gradually prospered under Sima Lingyun and the Emperor gradually thought highly of him.

    The Emperor had gifted them with some items on the Duchess¡¯ 50th birthday. Amongst the items were bolts of cloth such as this. It was said that not many were given to the pce as a tribute and there wasn¡¯t enough of such cloth to go around to the consorts the Emperor favored. The Empress had given the Duchess¡¯ two bolts of such cloth, which was very generous. So what had she done now for the Empress to give her four bolts of such cloth at one go?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you said that the Princess Royal wanted to adopt you as her daughter. I have already discussed it with the Princess Royal. It will happen on the 15th of the month after spring. The Princess Royal said that you should not go anywhere and if there is a banquet invitation from the pce, you should not go and say that you are feeling poorly.¡± Mo Huawen reached out to pat Mo Xuetong¡¯s head, his expression was grave.

    Mo Xuetong looked up with lively eyes in shock. She told her father what the Princess Royal said to her on the very same day. However, her father had not said whether he agreed or not then. It had only been two days and her father was already done with his discussion with the princess.

    The fragrance from the incense at the window drifted through the room. In the smoke, Mo Huawen¡¯s expression was somber and a little blurred. A hint of worry shed through his eyes. Even though he did not understand what the Empress wanted, it made him very wary. The Empress would not be nice to an official¡¯s daughter for no rhyme or reason.

    So what did the Empress want?

    The consort-selection wasing. Tong¡¯er had a good reason not to participate in it. It had only been two years since her mother¡¯s passing. She could join in it if she was ordered to. Just like how the Emperor could call on an official to work for the nation and not mourn even when an elder in a highly-regarded official¡¯s family passed away.

    The problem was that his daughter had only just returned from Cloud City. Furthermore, she was so young, so what need did the Empress have for her?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, the Princess Royal used to be good friends with your mother. If you have her protection, there are many things that you will not need to do.¡± Mo Huawen looked at his daughter meaningfully. His eyes were filled with love for her.

    No matter what, he would not allow his daughter to be in any form of danger again.

    ¡°Father, why didn¡¯t Mother tell me about the Princess Royal?¡± Mo Xuetong tugged on Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeve and asked in confusion.

    This was a nagging thought she had had for some time. She felt that there was something more behind this!

    ¡°Your mother grew up with the Princess Royal. Their rtionship was different from others... Your mother once said that if you are really in trouble, you can find the Princess Royal and ask her for help.¡± Mo Huawen frowned deeply. He continued, ¡°However, your mother also said not to tell others about her rtionship with the Princess Royal.¡±

    They must not let others know about her rtionship with the Princess Royal? What was her mother hiding?

    ¡°Then why is the Princess Royal taking me as her adoptive daughter now?¡± Mo Xuetong pressed tightly. No matter whether it was her mother or the Princess, they both tried to hide their past. So why was the princess bringing it up now?

    There were some things that had been kept from Mo Xuetong. Now, she felt as if she could catch a glimpse of light!

    She wanted to find out the truth even more!

    ¡°The Princess Royal told me that you are growing up and are beautiful. If you grow up any more, there would definitely be trouble. Even though I am a third-grade official in the capital, I do not have much power here and cannot protect you. She was a close friend of your mother¡¯s and she could not bear to see you...¡± Mo Huawen looked at Mo Xuetong. He knew very well how his daughter looked. Her childish face was growing more and more beautiful.

    She was young in the past and rarely interacted with others. Others did not know about her. However, she was growing older and she was now in the capital where the wealthy and noble were gathered. She would attend banquets from time to time. And people had already said that if Tong¡¯er were to grow up more, she would definitely surpass the greatest beauty of the capital from the Ling family.

    If one was extremely beautiful and did not have sufficient power for protection, then it would lead to tragedy.

    Luo Xia had been ill-fated. How would she allow her daughter to end up with the same ill-fate? Mo Huawen secretly decided that he would not allow his daughter to suffer one bit no matter what happened.

    ¡°Father, do you know exactly what Mother and the Princess Royal¡¯s rtionship was like?¡± Mo Xuetong could not help but press him for an answer when she saw his sad eyes. Her mother had hidden more than one thing from her. No matter what she did, she always had a hidden motive. What was her mother¡¯s goal in this? Mo Xuetong did not know, but she had a feeling that everything her mother did was for one thing.

    She would definitely be able to find out her mother¡¯s end goal as long as she continued investigating!

    She had died without knowing what happened in her past life. This time, she would definitely investigate till the very end...

 Chapter 234 - Stopping Mo Xuemins Plot

    <h4>Chapter 234 Stopping Mo Xuemin¡¯s Plot</h4>

    ¡°Your mother said that the Princess Royal is nobility while she is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor. Their close rtionship would only draw attention. That¡¯s why your mother remained low-key and never mentioned this to anyone else since we moved to Cloud City.¡± Mo Huawen frowned and a bitter smile appeared on the corners of his lips.

    He still remembered the loneliness on her beautiful face when she exined this to him. All his confusion had turned into gentleness. And ever since then, she had not mentioned it at all. However, he knew that she jolted awake from her nightmares in his arms, and there were many times she called out the Princess¡¯ name, ¡°Elder Sister Mingzhu.¡±

    She had called the Princess by her name. His wife was that close to the Princess Royal!

    They were not just regr friends. But now, he could not tell his suspicions to Tong¡¯er. There were some things that Luo Xia had not said, and she must have had her reasons for that. There were suspicions that he could only keep to himself, buried deep inside his heart.

    Mo Xuetong did not miss the bitterness that shed in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. She did not continue to press him. Instead, she ruminated on what was said and pointed at the gifts. She asked, ¡°Father, what shall we do with these things?¡±

    They could not return it since the Empress had sent it here.

    Mo Huawen sighed deeply and said, ¡°There will be many people there to watch the ceremony when the Princess Royal takes you as her daughter in a few days. Wear a dress made out of this cloth and the jewelry gifted by the Empress. We have to let more people admire the things the Empress gifted you with.¡±

    No matter the Empress¡¯ intentions, if Tong¡¯er wore the clothes during the adoption ceremony, others would think that the Empress had only gifted Tong¡¯er with those things because of the Princess Royal. The Princess did not have any children, so her adoptive daughter would be written into the royal family¡¯s documentation. They must not take this lightly so it was natural for the Empress to gift her with things.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but smile mischievously. She reached out to tug on Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeve adorably and smiled with understanding. She did not expect that her righteous father would do something like that. If she wore the things that the Empress gifted her with, everyone would think that she was gifted those things because of the Princess. The Empress would not be able to do anything with this matter.

    Even if the Empress had any plots, she would not be able to use this point.

    Her father had been involved in politics for a long while. Changing things up a little would have such an unexpected effect. It had made the worrying gifts from the Empress be so important.

    ¡°Father, your idea is great. I will definitely do as you say.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled.

    Mo Huawen smiled at Mo Xuetong dotingly when he saw that his intelligent daughter had understood his intentions. Then, he said, somewhat frustratedly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, ask Auntie Qing to clean up Lihua Gardenter. The Yu family wille tomorrow.¡±

    Mo Huawen did not like the Yu family. He had investigated what their legitimate daughter had done to Tong¡¯er and found out what happened. She was so vicious despite her young age and had reaped what she sowed. Auntie Fang¡¯s matter made him even more disgusted.

    Despite that, he had no choice but to let Yu Feng in.

    He did not know how Yu Feng had gotten through to Consort Yu, but the two now imed each other as rtives. It was said that an ancestor of the Yu family was a second cousin of Consort Yu¡¯s maternal grandmother. Even though the rtionship was distant, it did not stop the family from wanting to make a connection with Consort Yu.

    Mo Huawen, who had worked as an official for many years, knew that this familial rtionship was beneficial to both parties.

    Even though Consort Yu had some power in the pce, she did not have any backing in court. Yu Mingyong was useless and it was fortunate enough that he had not created trouble for Consort Yu. Since she did not have a maternal family to support her in court, she did not have much strength despite being doted on by the Emperor. Simrly, Yu Feng was not very sessful in court, and through Consort Yu, he would be able to find a backer in the pce who would whisper in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s ear for him.

    Consort Yu was not connected with Mo Huawen, but they now were because of Auntie Fang.

    Yu Feng had gotten Consort Yu to make a decree for Auntie Fang, a long-lost sister from the Yu family, to enter the pce and keep herpany. It was very good news indeed. Yu Feng was going to visit Auntie Fang tomorrow to check up on her. He could also, at the same time, indicate that he would hold Mo Huawen responsible if anything happened to Auntie Fang.

    ¡°Father, are you going to release Auntie Fang?¡± Mo Xuetong did not know about that and she asked him in surprise.

    ¡°The Yu family went through Consort Yu to get Auntie Fang released. Yu Feng thought that I would listen to him now that he had the support of Consort Yu and make Auntie Fang my legal wife. She is such a vicious woman, how could I want her?¡± Mo Huawen said coldly. There was a sharp glimpse that shed in his eyes. Yu Feng thought that Mo Huawen would do anything that Yu Feng wanted him to do just because he had the support of the Empress.

    Since Yu Feng badly wanted to take Auntie Fang from Lihua Garden, then he would get Yu Feng to take her home tomorrow.

    ¡°Father, you mean...¡± Even though Mo Huawen did not say much, Mo Xuetong could hear the strength in his voice. However, she did not expect that the Yu family had reached their fingers into the Pce. Consort Yu! She appeared in her past life as well. However, she did not expect that the unknown consort in her past life would dare to make connections outside the pce.

    If they were really her family, Emperor Zongwen would not say anything. However, they were so distantly rted and yet she still wanted to make a connection. Were they not afraid that the Emperor would be suspicious of her! Consort Yu was really ambitious, but she did not know why! She was just an unknown consort and even if she wields great power now, it would notst.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave your courtyard tomorrow. The Yu family has nothing to do with you so you do not have to care. Since they have acknowledged Auntie Fang as their daughter, I will naturally get them to take her back with them.¡± Mo Huawen said coldly. He felt depressed every time he thought of how Auntie Fang had an amorous rtionship with Sima Lingyun.

    Then, when he thought of how Mo Xuemin was about to marry Sima Lingyun, he felt disgusted. He did not want to see Auntie Fang again. His heart felt as if it had been pricked by needles and he med this all on Auntie Fang. The Yu family¡¯s appearance indicated that they wanted to help Auntie Fang. How could he be fond of them?

    ¡°Father, did the Yu family just send a letter here?¡± Mo Xuetong asked after thinking about the matter.

    Mo Huawen stood up and paced around in the study frustratedly with his hands behind his back. Then, he said, ¡°They said that they would be here tomorrow a few days ago. It¡¯s as if they are afraid that I will hold their family member hostage. If they want toe, then they shoulde earlier and take her with them lest she soils our ce. Clear up Lihua Garden for other use in the future.¡±

    His tone seemed a little anxious and angry. The green veins on his forehead twitched.

    They had already made preparations a few days ago. Auntie Fang had indeed plotted again!

    Mo Xuetong immediately understood Mo Xuemin¡¯s evil plot. As long as they find something wrong with Mo Xuetong, and with the Yu family as a witness, she would not be able to absolve herself of her sins even if she killed herself. As for Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin, they could push all the me on her. Auntie Fang¡¯s viciousness and Mo Xuemin¡¯s ruined virtue were all caused by her. Mo Xuemin¡¯s plots were getting better and better.

    If it was discovered that everything had been caused by her... Father would not forgive her. If he were to punish her, her maternal family would definitely not allow it. The rtionship between her father and her maternal family would sour. And if that happened, her father¡¯s marriage with Aunt Xu Yan would be no more.

    Then, Auntie Fang bing the legal wife would not just be a pipe dream!

    Mo Xuetong lowered hershes to hide the icy coldness in her eyes. She looked up, her eyes clear and beautiful, as she consoled her father in gentle tones. ¡°Father, what about Elder Brother? No matter what Auntie did, she is still Elder Brother¡¯s mother. If he gets angry at you, Aunt Xu Yan will not be safe even when she enters the manor.¡±

    Her words got through to Mo Huawen and dissolved all his anger.

    ¡°Is the rascal son going to mind my business now? He¡¯s an unfilial ingrate. I want to see if he¡¯d dare to do anything.¡± Mo Huawen said hatefully as he mmed his hand at the table forcefully.

    Auntie Fang was a vicious woman and her children she raised had ruined the Mo family. When he thought about how Mo Yufeng had caused him trouble a few days ago, Mo Huawen grew angry. Mo Yufeng had tried to be like those yboys and fought for the popr courtesan at the brothel with someone. He had even hit the other party. It waswless!

    How could a son like that be his heir?

    Mo Xuetong knew that Auntie Fang would never be able to get back to the position she once had when she saw how angry Mo Huawen was. Mo Xuemin might have many ns, but she had underestimated a person¡¯s heart and the hurt her Father felt. Even though Auntie Fang had not done anything wrong, her secret meeting with someone else had made Mo Huawen angry. She would never have another chance at being the legal wife ever again.

    No matter it was the Yu family or Mo Xuemin, they were all betting on Auntie Fang. Then she would give them a betting chance!

    ¡°Father, then shall we inform the family tomorrow... If the Yu family tries anything...¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently, chewing on her lips.

    It was no big deal to throw a concubine out of the house and one did not have to consult the elder rtives about it. But the Yu family was too arrogant, and if they did not inform the elders and take the chance to stop Auntie Fang from trying to mber back to her old position of glory, issues would keep cropping up. They should just cut things off here.

    Mo Huawen ced his forehead against his hand and thought about it for a moment. Then, he nodded decisively. This matter could not drag on any longer. It had been a personal matter in his manor in the past but now that the Yu family brought Consort Yu into this, he would be dragged into Consort Yu¡¯s camp if he did not cut ties with Auntie Fangpletely. Mo Huawen was thought highly of by the Emperor despite his low position in court because he was a righteous man and was not connected to anyone in the pce. He was loyal only to the Emperor.

    The Emperor admired independent subjects like him the most.

    Mo Huawen was very enlightened after his stint in politics. He knew what the Emperor was wary of. As such, he did not think highly of the Yu family¡¯s move!

    Since he was decided, it was impossible for there to be peaceful negotiations with the Yu family tomorrow. Mo Huawen had always been a careful person. He sat behind his desk while Mo Huawen helped him to grind his ink. Mo Huawen picked up a brush, thought about it, and started to write. Then, he ordered a servant to send a few letters.

    ¡°Father, if the Old Madam could speak up for you, would it be even better?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly asked him with a smile.

    Mo Huawen frowned. It would be for the best if the Old Madam could speak up for him. After all, she was the only true elder in the manor. Furthermore, the inner courtyard involved the womenfolk. He had had no choice but to interfere in it as a man.

    Mo Huawen looked at his daughter and saw the worry in her eyes. He knew that she was worried that his reputation would be dragged down by the matters of the inner courtyard. The concern and admiration on her child-like face could not be hidden. Mo Huawen felt the anger in him fade. He reached out to pat her head and smiled at her.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I will go to the Old Madam¡¯ster. She should handle these matters.¡±

    ¡°Father, you¡¯ve messed up my hair again.¡± Mo Xuetong said adorably and pushed his hand away. Her soft and gentle smile and her slight pout made one¡¯s heart melt.

    Mo Huawen could not help butugh loudly. His heart was filled with warmth when he looked at his adorable daughter.

 Chapter 235 - Framing, Something Evil Has Got Me

    <h4>Chapter 235 Framing, Something Evil Has Got Me</h4>

    Yu Feng arrived early the next morning, and Mo Huawen received him in the living hall. Mo Huawen looked up, only to find an old eunuch sitting beside Yu Feng, thus, he smilingly greeted them by asking, ¡°I¡¯m wondering which pce youe from.¡±

    The old eunuch slightly raised his head and nced at Mo Huawen, answering, ¡°Consort Yu of Caiwei Pce sent me to see her long lost older sister. Will you do me that favor?¡±

    ¡°As expected, Consort Yu sent him.¡± Mo Huawen coldly smiled. Since taking office, he had been smooth in handling all kinds of affairs, therefore, he immediately saved the guest¡¯s seat for the old eunuch and seated himself in the ce of the host.

    Yu Feng directly cut to the chase, ignored the manners, and rudely put his teacup on the table. ¡°Sir Mo, you haven¡¯t borated on the thing about my younger sister yet. My sister has always been nice, and how could she be so cruel to hurt her baby? A woman relies heavily on her children. How could she do such a stupid thing?¡±

    Mo Huawen faintly smiled and a trace of fierceness shed through his eyes. ¡°So who do you think did it?¡±

    With an evil intention, Yu Feng pushed the me on Mo Xuetong. ¡°I heard Sir Mo¡¯s third daughter is also involved. You don¡¯t have a legitimate son, but only this legal daughter, Third Young Miss Mo. In the eye of any sensible man, this Third Young Miss Mo must have hated her concubine mother¡¯s child and was the most likely to do it.¡±

    Since he couldn¡¯t finish this nicely, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t mind the manners anymore. He directly said coolly, ¡°That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it¡¯s real. And, how can you be so sure that Auntie Fang has always been kind? Do you know everything that happened during those years when Auntie Fang went missing?¡±

    His words left Yu Feng dazed. Yu Feng found the question hard to answer.

    Auntie Fang went separate from home since young. Yu Feng really couldn¡¯t tell how nice she had been. Just now, he dered her kindness just to harden his tone. Right now, when Mo Huawen questioned him, he found it hard even to utter a single word. Auntie Fang grew up outside his family, which was known to everyone. Since she had gone missing since childhood, who could be sure that she was still kind when they got her back?

    Moreover, Yu Feng, of course, knew his family too well. In his manor, there¡¯s not really someone who could be called nice.

    The old eunuch was quick to react and answered Mo Huawen¡¯s question with a bad attitude. ¡°Sir Mo, no matter how ruthless your concubine is, she couldn¡¯t have harmed her own child, could she?¡±

    ¡°If she¡¯s pregnant with my child, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have. But what if it¡¯s not my child? In time, the child will grow less and less like me. Her getting of the child can stop people from suspecting and also finish Tong¡¯er¡¯s life. It will only be beneficial for her. There¡¯s not a single drawback.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t tell these kinds of things to others. Hence, Mo Huawen could only snort and ignored him with his increasingly cold face.

    Hearing the old eunuch making the conversation worse, Yu Feng immediately helped ease the atmosphere. ¡°Sir Mo, let¡¯s drop this topic first. Consort Yu heard that my sister is at your home and especially sent people to see her. Can you arrange for us to meet?¡±

    He didn¡¯te to pick up a fight today. If he could take Mo Manor without any force via Consort Yu¡¯s power and made his sister Mo Huawen¡¯s wife, he would have dragged Mo Huawen into Consort Yu¡¯s team. In the future, he would have Consort Yu in the harem and the connection of Mo Huawen at court. Although they both didn¡¯t have high ranks right now, they were bound to achieve something extraordinary. Additionally, if Consort Yu could give birth to a child, he would definitely connect to royalty.

    Therefore, he was being very polite right now!

    Mo Huawen knew Yu Feng¡¯s intention and also knew that he brought Consort Yu¡¯s people so that he couldn¡¯t deny it. Then, bearing a n on his mind, he nodded and had people send for Auntie Fang.

    After the time of a cup of tea, a maidservant helped Auntie Fang walk in.

    Looking at the skinny Auntie Fang, Yu Feng was stunned. It was just after a few days, but his sister had lost so much weight. Her cheekbones stuck out on her face, which made her look 10 years older. She was nowhere near the charming Auntie Fang she used to be. Secretly, he couldn¡¯t help deeming his sister miserable. Since childhood, she had been away from her family. Later, she married someone as his concubine. In the end, after going through all those years, she¡¯s still disposable in her husband¡¯s eye.

    Now, something like this happened, and she turned so bony. She couldn¡¯t have rested well since the abortion. Then, in his heart, he subconsciously felt sorry for his own sister. He red at Mo Huawen and then hurried to support Auntie Fang.

    ¡°Brother!¡± At the sight of Yu Feng, Auntie Fang¡¯s eyes brightened. When she turned around, she found Mo Huawen ignoring her and sipping on his tea as if she were a stranger to him. Then, her eyes became red, dragged Yu Feng¡¯s hand to call brother, and burst into tears.

    Recently, she did lead a tough life. Being out of favor, those servants in no way treated her nice. In the past, they served her with tasty dishes. Then, those dishes gradually turned into cold leftovers. Since entering the manor, Auntie Fang hadn¡¯t suffered like this, so in the beginning, she would smash the bowls and pour the dishes to vent her anger.

    Then, slowly, she found everyone was ignoring her.

    When she trashed the food, she could only starve. In the midwinter, the room felt like ice, and there should not be a stove. She shouted herself hoars, but no one came to her. Old maidservants who guarded the door were eating sunflower seeds and gossiping about Mo Xuemin. During that kind of time, Auntie Fang nearly thought she couldn¡¯t hold on anymore.

    Luckily, Min¡¯er said her brother would definitelye to rescue her.

    Today, seeing Yu Feng, she immediately felt there was still hope.

    Yu Feng patted her shoulder, supported her to sit up, and pointed at the proud-looking old eunuch beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, my sister. Come meet Eunuch Wei. He¡¯s from Consort Yu¡¯s pce, and Consort Yu is our younger cousin. She heard you¡¯re in Mo Manor so she especially sent people to visit you.¡±

    ¡°Consort Yu?¡± The name didn¡¯t ring a bell with Auntie Fang, but she received Yu Feng¡¯s signaling, and so she immediately wiped her tears with the good sense and curtsied to the old Eunuch Wei. ¡°I bow in respect before Eunuch Wei.¡±

    Seeing her pay such a salute to him, Eunuch Wei involuntarily grew fond of her. He made a gesture to hold her smilingly. ¡°You¡¯re being too polite. I came today to visit you on behalf of Her Highness. I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯re ill like this.¡±

    He turned around to face Mo Huawen and said with a solemn face, ¡°You don¡¯t even send for a doctor when your wife is ill like this? If you can¡¯t find a good doctor, I can request a royal doctor from Her Highness for your wife.¡±

    ¡°Wife? He should really call that! ¡°To win Yu Feng over, Consort Yu really came so far as to send a royal doctor to treat a concubine who can¡¯t even show up in public.¡±

    Mo Huawen sneered and put his teacup on the table with a thump. ¡°Eunuch Wei, she¡¯s my concubine, not my wife. My wife was Fu General¡¯s first legitimate daughter. If you call her my wife, you don¡¯t seem to respect Fu General Manor or the Emperor in the court.¡±

    Back then, the Emperor had personally agreed on Mo Huawen¡¯s marriage. The old eunuch should call a concubine as his wife. He really disrespected the Fu General Manor and the Emperor.

    ¡°You...¡± The old eunuch was chocked with anger hearing this. He moved his throat and stretched his neck, but still, he couldn¡¯t say a word. If someone wanted to make trouble out of this, he could even be sentenced to be captivated. Therefore, the old eunuch didn¡¯t dare to talk back.

    Before the royal family, a third-grade official didn¡¯t matter at all. However, they mattered much in front of others. How did the old eunuch dare to directly confront Mo Huawen? The most he could do was threaten Mo Huawen in the name of Consort Yu. He wanted to make Auntie Fang a legal wife by this and then drew Mo Huawen into Consort Yu¡¯s team.

    ¡°Old sir, I did nothing. It was not my fault that the child was gone. I didn¡¯t know how that happened either. On that day, I first felt dizzy, and then when I woke up, the mistake had been made. Old sir, I¡¯ve been serving you for many years and gave birth to a son and a daughter for you. How could I kill your son myself? It¡¯s my child too.¡±

    Auntie Fang dived into Mo Huawen¡¯s arms, tugged at his clothes, and cried until she was out of breath. Her eyes, words, and face all carried sorrow. She clung to Mo Huawen and nearly fainted from whining.

    ¡°Old sir, show some pity on Auntie Fang. On that, Auntie Fang really knew nothing. When she got out, she looked lost. I was following her, and when I saw her not as spirited as before, I asked her to go back to the room to rest. But Auntie Fang looked nk as if she had been possessed and she insisted on going out. Then, after you punished her, she finally looked clearheaded. That night, Auntie Fang cried untilte at night. I couldn¡¯t bear to walk in, seeing her unable to support herself because of crying. Auntie Fang really liked the child. How would she not want the little master in her?¡±

    The maidservant, standing aside, couldn¡¯t take it anymore, knelt beside Auntie Fang while crying. At the same time, she kowtowed to Mo Huawen. ¡°Old sir, you must look into for the sake of Auntie Fang. She¡¯s obviously possessed that day.¡±

    Meanwhile, Mo Huawen still coolly watched the master and her servant putting on a show, while Yu Feng was shocked, walked to them, and lifted the young maidservant from the ground, snapping. ¡°What¡¯s that? Auntie Fang was possessed? Was it on that day or before? What happened? Tell me!¡±

    ¡°Since the abortion, Auntie Fang had been feeling unwell but nothing serious because the servants in the manor served her well. But, a few days before the thing happened, she acted strangely and looked absentminded. Sometimes, she would sit there in a daze, and when she woke up, she didn¡¯t know what she¡¯d done.¡±

    The little maidservant still had traces of tears and dirt on her face. Those streaks made her look very pitiful and sincere.

    ¡°She¡¯d been absentminded. She didn¡¯t know what was happening or sober up until the thing finished... Ah, something¡¯s going on!¡± The old Eunuch Wei frowned while murmuring to himself. Suddenly, he changed his face and eximed.

    Yu Feng hurriedly let go of the maidservant and asked, ¡°Eunuch Wei, what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, Auntie Fang had been put under a spell. Someone must have affected your sister¡¯s brain with evil things. Oh, that makes sense. Why did a mother get rid of her child? Evil things were working. In the past, a consort had been controlled and killed her son in her. The Emperor was furious and looked into it, only to find another consort had trapped her with evil things.¡±

    After that, the old Eunuch Wei twisted around to face Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo, there were indeed evil things. I used to see some in the pce. Today, Her Highness sent me to visit the daughter of the Yu family. I couldn¡¯t ignore it after such a thing had happened. Sir Mo, please let me look into this matter in your manor, and I might clear Auntie Fang¡¯s name.¡±

 Chapter 236 - Write Them Down, Words Donâ€™t Count

    <h4>Chapter 236 Write Them Down, Words Don¡¯t Count</h4>

    Mo Huawen had been sitting coldly by the side as if he had been an outsider. At this time, he looked up with a nk face. He knew Yu Feng was suppressing him with Consort Yu¡¯s power, however, he had to kowtow to that power because he wasn¡¯t a royal officer. Consort Yu was a consort in the pce, and now, she considered Auntie Fang from her parents¡¯ home. If something bad really happened to Auntie Fang, Consort Yu would definitely demand an exnation.

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t believe Auntie Fang¡¯s words in the least. He was on the scene that day and saw how Auntie Fang pretended to be drunk, how she defended herself, and how she pushed the me onto a maidservant. She did those without the slightest hesitation. This time, she brought this up because she estimated that he couldn¡¯t possibly shun from the incident. Hence, right now, he hated Auntie Fang very much.

    Yu Feng, too, stepped forward and sincerely stared at Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo, anyway, since such a thing happened, you must give an exnation to my younger sister. She¡¯s a woman and has been reduced to such a desperate plight for her baby. If you don¡¯t do justice to my sister, how can you convince all the people in your manor?¡±

    ¡°Old sir, I really didn¡¯t do such a cruel thing. I¡¯m also flesh and blood, how could I bear to lose my kid?¡± Auntie Fang timely added, crying, ¡°Unless I was crazy, stupid! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing in a million years.¡±

    Eyes downcast, Mo Huawen asked ndly. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Eunuch Wei proudly raised his head and mentioned Consort Yu again. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many things in the pce, so I can at least recognize some. As long as Sir Mo let me walk around your manor, I¡¯ll certainly sense it. After the tour, whether there is such a thing or not, I can at least have something to report to Her Highness.¡± He must be thinking that Mo Huawen feared Consort Yu very much.

    Mo Huawen suppressed his anger, stood up, and got rid of Auntie Fang¡¯s hands. He walked to the corner of the living hall and had a manservant fetch the prepared brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. After they were all settled on the desk, he pointed to the spread paper and said, ¡°Sir Yu, today, you brought Eunuch Wei to visit your sister in my house, I didn¡¯t have any problem with that. But if you want to check my inner residence, I¡¯ll have to make some conditions.¡±

    Seeing Mo Huawen so fierce, Auntie Fang had a bad hunch and nervously turned to look at Yu Feng.

    Yu Feng shook his head at her, signaling her not to act rashly.

    At this time, he finally remembered that Mo Huawen was no longer the low-ranked official in the capital. Now, he was an important one in court, and Yu Feng¡¯s rank was lower. If Yu Feng really irritated Mo Huawen, Mo Huawen might insist on refusing his demand. He didn¡¯t have another way to clear his sister¡¯s name. After all, Auntie Fang was his sister, and no outsider knew her.

    Therefore, Yu Feng immediately softened his tone. ¡°Please go ahead, Sir Mo. To clear my sister¡¯s name, I¡¯ll do as you say as much as possible.¡±

    When he talked, he deliberately saved himself a backup n. He didn¡¯t make his answer sound too absolute.

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t care and pointed to the paper, fiercely saying, ¡°Since you consider Auntie Fang as your sister, then you, her older brother, can act as her father and decide things for her. Today, after searching my manor, if you don¡¯t find anything evil, you¡¯ll have to bring your sister back. This sort of evil woman can¡¯t be tolerated at my inner residence.

    ¡°Is he kicking Auntie Fang out?¡±

    Both Auntie Fang and Yu Feng were stunned. They couldn¡¯t believe their ears and stared nkly at Mo Huawen, unable to react.

    Never did they expect Mo Huawen to drive Auntie Fang away. His only son was given birth by Auntie Fang, therefore, she felt confident about her status in the manor, and thought Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t do anything to her no matter what she did. At most, he would lock her up in the yard to starve her for a few days. He wouldn¡¯t really do anything to the mother of his only son, would he?

    She didn¡¯t expect Mo Huawen to be so heartless.

    ¡°Old sir, I¡¯m Feng¡¯er¡¯s mother!¡± Auntie Fang just realized and then she wailed. As she was about to cling to his robe, Mo Huawen stepped back. Then, she fell heavily on the green stone ground and couldn¡¯t make a sound because of the pain.

    Yu Feng looked like he was worrying about Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo, how can you joke about things like this? Feng¡¯er and Min¡¯er are both your children. How will they see you if you treat their mother in such a way?¡±

    ¡°Sir Yu, if you want to search, sign the paper. Since you insist Auntie Fang is innocent, what are you afraid of? If you solve the case, don¡¯t you think I¡¯ll clear her name?¡± Mo Huawen said calmly. However, he looked very determined. ¡°If you want to search my house, you¡¯ll have to sign the paper!¡±

    Eunuch Wei gently coughed and answered, ¡°Sir Yu and Mrs. Yu, you¡¯d better sign it since Sir Yu has spoken about his concern. It¡¯ll be impolite if we still decline.¡± He blinked at Yu Feng, signaling that it was OK to sign since everything had been carefully arranged.

    Receiving the old eunuch¡¯s signaling, Yu Feng remembered their n. Immediately, he felt there was nothing to worry about. However, to stop Mo Huawen from suspecting, he still put on an angry face on the spot. Walking to the desk, Yu Feng picked up the brush. ¡°I¡¯ll sign it. Why not? In time, please, you have to do justice to my sister.¡±

    Nevertheless, Auntie Fang didn¡¯t feel that confident. At the moment, when she saw Yu Feng lift the brush, soak it, and about to put it onto the paper, she was really anxious. She remembered in the past, she felt sure about the ns every time; however, she would inexplicably lose to that little wicked woman in the end. Thus, ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet, walked to Yu Feng, and dragged his hand, silently begging.

    However, Yu Feng was convinced that he¡¯d win. Noticing the fear on his sister¡¯s face, heforted her and hardened his voice. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be afraid. You¡¯re framed. If I don¡¯t sign it, we¡¯ll look guilty. Wait for your brother to clear your name. At that time, Sir Mo will give Feng¡¯er and Min¡¯er good status for your sake.¡±

    ¡°Good status? What¡¯s a good status? Legitimate bloodline is the base of a family. Making Auntie Fang, a concubine, a legal wife is giving Mo Yufeng and Mo Xuemin good status. But making Auntie Fang my wife...¡± Mo Huawen sneered. ¡°The Yu family really like to dream.¡±

    At that moment, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t respond. He saw Yu Feng pushed Auntie Fang away and put the brush down onto the paper under her startled gaze.

    He signed it and it was a proof.

    In the end, he even dipped his finger into the ink and left his fingerprint in the margin.

    Mo Huawen pointed to another margin and called Eunuch Wei, ¡°Does Eunuch Wei want this too?¡±

    Just now, Eunuch Wei talked so confidently, therefore, now he couldn¡¯t back off. He rose at once, walked to it, and left his fingerprint in the margin as well.

    When the ink slightly dried, Mo Huawen ordered a manservant to put it away in the study, while he led a few people to the backyard.

    Earlier, a maidservant went back to the backyard to remind misses of the arrival of strangers and told them not to walk out of the room. It was not a big deal for the old Eunuch Wei to walk around the inner residence, however, Yu Feng was still a man. Though he imed to be Auntie Fang¡¯s brother, he wasn¡¯t a proper rtive before he and Auntie Fang went through a family reunion ceremony. Furthermore, a concubine¡¯s brother was never really a rtive.

    Mo Xiu held a cup of tea and sent it to the inner room. ¡°Miss, Sir Yu brought a eunuch into the house.¡± Inside the room, Mo Xuemin was not doing needlework. She cautiously spread the cloth bag and used a silver needle to test the powders in it. She asked Mo Xiu to put the teacup on the table and carefully shook the powders off the needle into the tea.

    The powders melted into the water, but it remained transparent. There was nothing unusual. Mo Xuemin sniffed and didn¡¯t smell anything funny either.

    Mo Xuemin picked up the cup and slowly swirled the tea in it. The water slightly rippled but stayed crystal clear. She couldn¡¯t hide the satisfaction on her face. ¡°Has Auntie Fange out?¡±

    Mo Xiu¡¯s eyes involuntarily fell on the teacup. Her body shivered and fear spread in her eyes. ¡°Auntie Fang has been released. She¡¯s heading to third miss¡¯s Qingwei Garden with Sir Yu and that eunuch. I guess they¡¯ll arrive at third miss¡¯s ce in less than the time of a cup of tea.¡±

    Mo Xuemin smilingly pushed the tea in front of Mo Xiu, saying, ¡°Since a eunuch from the pce is present, Father can¡¯t solve this in private even if he wants to. Lucky for that wretched Mo Xuetong. She even attracts someone from the pce. Alright, I¡¯ll let her enjoy the attention before she dies.¡±

    Mo Xiu looked up in fear and shrank back in terror. She wrang her hands behind her back. ¡°Miss, do I have to drink that?¡±

    Mo Xuemin nced at the fearful look on Mo Xiu¡¯s face and suddenly felt funny. She covered her mouth with the handkerchief and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t die. Remember, if the thing is exposed, you should testify for Auntie Fang. Don¡¯t mention my name in this, in any circumstances. I¡¯ll, of course, have a cure for you. You see, Mo Xuetong has been using it for so many days and she doesn¡¯t feel unwell. I guess I should say the drug really isn¡¯t effective.¡±

    Seeing Mo Xiu still shivering, frozen on the spot, Mo Xuemin suddenly changed her face and snapped. ¡°Are you thinking about betraying me?¡±

    Mo Xiu was startled and flopped to the ground to kneel. She grabbed Mo Xuemin¡¯s feet and screamed. ¡°I don¡¯t dare, Miss, I don¡¯t dare.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing? Do you want to kneel before me forever? With such a crying face, how can you finger the third sisterter? Look, your face is ruined. It¡¯s going to end up bad.¡± Suddenly, Mo Xuemin grinned. ¡°The nephew of your brother is pretty. I wonder if such a little kid can stand a few cups of this drink.¡±

    Her eyes fell on the drugged tea.

    Mo Xiu was shaking even harder. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll drink it. I¡¯ll drink it now. Please, spare my nephew. He¡¯s young and knows nothing.¡±

    After that, she grabbed the teacup on the table to gulp it down. Because she drank it too quickly, some of the water spilled onto her clothes, and she pped a hand over her mouth to suppress her violent cough.

    A grim smile appeared by Mo Xuemin¡¯s lips. Evident jealousy, endless hate, and satisfaction from a sessful plot were reflected in her eyes. ¡°Be careful. This is precious stuff. I don¡¯t want you to waste it. I have to save more for Mo Xuetong in case she wants more. She¡¯ll be miserable if she can¡¯t either die or live, right?¡±

    She wanted Mo Xuetong dead. She wanted that wretched woman to die. Not only this, she wanted her to die in pain and desperation...

    The drug had no cure. It was the top poison in the world! If that wicked woman took it for another while, even immortals couldn¡¯t save her!

    A somewhat twisted smile registered on her slightly green and pale face. In Mo Xiu¡¯s eyes, Mo Xuemin looked as hideous as an evil monster. She coughed in pain and turned around, tears streaming down her face. She had no other way. Her nephew was in the hand of the first miss. She couldn¡¯t withdraw even if she wanted to.

    If the first miss fed this to her nephew who just turned one year old, how could such a small kid stand this?

    Like her parents, her brother had only one son as well. The entire family put their hope on her nephew. How did she dare to risk her nephew¡¯s life?

    For her nephew, she had to drag third miss into this. She hoped that when she entered the underworld to apany the third miss, the miss wouldn¡¯t me her.

 Chapter 237 - Setting Up, Direct Confrontation

    <h4><strong>Chapter 237: Setting Up, Direct Confrontation</strong></h4>

    Eunuch Wei shot a nce at Auntie Fang and received her signal. Then, he solemnly pointed at Qingwei Garden and said in a serious tone, ¡°Here, here it is. I feel evil things.¡±

    Mo Huawen was choked with anger. If not for his good manners, he would have driven them out directly!

    As expected, they made trouble at Tong¡¯er¡¯s ce again. It looked like the wicked woman Auntie Fang wouldn¡¯t stop before she killed Tong¡¯er.

    With a sneer, he stood before the garden to stop Yu Feng. ¡°Sir Yu, this is my daughter¡¯s yard. How can you, a man, enter my daughter¡¯s house?¡±

    Eunuch Wei interrupted with a smile. ¡°Sir Mo, he¡¯s not alone. He¡¯s with us, a group of people. Moreover, we¡¯re investigating. And, Sir Yu is a close rtive, not a stranger.¡±

    ¡°Close rtive! Who¡¯s close with this wicked man?¡± Mo Huawen was raged. Clenching his teeth, he said coldly, ¡°Auntie Fang is just a nobody in the manor. Since when is a concubine¡¯s rtive close to me? I heard Sir Yu has many concubines, and will you invite those close rtives to your manor during holidays and events?¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s words left Yu Feng speechless. Yu Feng was so awkward that he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Which dignified family would treat a concubine¡¯s rtive as a proper rtive? Normally, they weren¡¯t even allowed to visit the family their daughters married into.

    Hearing Mo Huawen depreciating her, Auntie Fang¡¯s eyes shed with enmity!

    ¡°Sir Mo, this is not how it works. Just now, we¡¯ve signed the paper and so we have to search it.¡± Being a eunuch, it wouldn¡¯t matter if he entered the inner residence. Moreover, at this time, given he had signed the paper, Mo Huawen really couldn¡¯t stop him.

    Auntie Fang suddenly echoed and said in a bitter and tearful tone, ¡°Old sir, I just want to find out who did it. Even if I¡¯ll die, I want to know what I die for.¡±

    While they were talking about it, Yu Feng spoke. ¡°Sir Mo, listen to my sister. Will you still trash her after that? Eunuch Wei said it was here. You should let us have a look. If we found nothing, I¡¯ll personally apologize to your daughter.¡± He¡¯s made up his mind. He would go in whatsoever.

    Later, he could not only act as a witness, but also suppress Mo Huawen in the name of doing justice to Auntie Fang.

    He¡¯d heard the third miss from Mo Manor was not easy to handle. Thinking about his daughter¡¯s resentful face and distorted look, he was more determined. Whether it was for his sister or daughter, this time, he must destroy that third miss.

    Mo Huawen realized that Yu Feng had thrown away his dignity. Yu Feng kept mentioning the matter, which irritated Mo Huawen more.

    Teeth gritted, Mo Huawen said in a hateful voice. ¡°If that¡¯s so, then get in. If you can¡¯t find anything, don¡¯t me me for being heartless.¡±

    After that, Mo Huawen stepped back to make way for them to get in.

    In the yard, several nannies and maidservants were sweeping floors, while others were doing their duties. From the main room, they could hear asional girlish giggles. They sounded in peace and happy.

    Auntie Fang¡¯s eyes grew increasingly vicious. She darted a grim look in the direction of the main room and then looked in another direction. A smug expression registered on her face. ¡°In a while, that wretched woman can¡¯tugh as frivolously as that.¡±

    Eunuch Wei led Mo Huawen to stop under a peach tree in the southeastern yard. ¡°Sir Mo, there¡¯s something under that tree.¡± In winter, nothing was hanging on the peach tree¡¯s branches, not even a single leaf. Under the coiled roots, as expected, the soil looked like it had been plowed.

    ¡°Father!¡± A gentle voice rang behind, and they involuntarily turned around.

    Under the eaves, Mo Xuetong was standing and looking in the direction of the group. Her watery eyes looked crystal clear and carried a somewhat tender smile. The wind lifted her dark hair. She looked as beautiful as the clear water. Her temperament was elegant and she looked noble and gentle.

    Eunuch Wei couldn¡¯t help but feel stunned. ¡°She should be such a beautiful girl, prettier than thedies in the pce.¡±

    Mo Huawen looked at Mo Xuetong, saw how she stayedposed at the arrival of so many people, and eased his tone to ask, ¡°Tong¡¯er,e and have a look. What¡¯s this thing here?¡±

    Mo Xuetong turned to Mo Lan who had been following her behind. Mo Xuetong seemed to be also surprised at the plowed soil in the yard. ¡°Mo Lan, Do you know what¡¯s that?¡±

    Mo Lan shook her head, stepped forward to check the mark, and said in doubt, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Maybe the nannies in the yard plowed it in their spare time for fun.¡±

    Yu Feng pointed to the tree beside him. ¡°Sir Mo, we¡¯ll know if we get it out from the ground.¡±

    Earlier, some menial nannies had been waiting aside. Now, hearing that, they immediately picked up the tool to plow the ground. Soon, they found a green cloth bag under the soil.

    Standing behind the group, Auntie Fang looked shocked and sad on the surface, however, she had been sneering in her heart.

    Of course, she buried the clothes before. Moreover, she even nned Yu Feng¡¯s visit to the manor today with Mo Xuemin in advance. Under the noise from the construction work in the backyard, it was too easy for her to bury something. With her brother and Eunuch Wei from Consort Yu¡¯s pce testifying for her, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t favor his daughter anymore.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked to see the item under the ground. At the time, she couldn¡¯t say a word. Her hand that grabbed Mo Lan was slightly shivering. Her face turned pale from fright. Apparently, she had been so shocked that after lifting her lips, she could only utter such a short sentence. ¡°Father, what¡¯s that?¡±

    A young maidservant who had just started to wear a teen hairstyle elbowed through the crowd. At the sight of the pouch under the tree, she trembled, flopped to the ground to kneel, and sputtered. ¡°Miss, me it on me. It¡¯s my fault. Old sir, I was wrong. It has nothing to do with Miss. She didn¡¯t do it.¡±

    She rushed out to shoulder the me, which stunned everyone.

    Mo Lan¡¯s face changed, and she immediately walked out from the crowd, snapping, ¡°Why is a third servant who sweeps the floor making a fuss here? Now get lost.¡±

    Stunned by Mo Lan¡¯s fierce aura, the little maidservant shivered in silence and could only keep kowtowing to Mo Huawen on her knees.

    Mo Lan scolded. ¡°Take her away. What¡¯s she got to do here?¡±

    Two nannies came over and shot a hesitant look at Mo Huawen. Mo Lan red at them, and then did they start to drag the young maidservant who was still on her knees.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Eunuch Wei stopped them and walked to the maidservant, snapping. ¡°Say it, what did you do? You know what¡¯s inside the pouch, don¡¯t you? Who made you do this? If you tell one single lie, I¡¯ll send you to the Ministry of Justice immediately. Under torture, no lie can be tolerated.¡±

    The servant was reduced to tears by his words. Her body weakened and the next moment, she was half lying on the ground. Darting a nce in the direction of Mo Xuetong, she suddenly wailed. ¡°Miss, please spare me. I don¡¯t dare to lie. I need to look after my mother at home. Please, don¡¯t me me.¡±

    She implied Mo Xuetong was behind everything they saw now.

    Of course, she was rted to the weird pouch too.

    ¡°Nonsense. What¡¯s it got to do with Miss?¡± Mo Lan snapped and then knelt before Mo Huawen. ¡°I¡¯ve been with Miss, and why didn¡¯t she order us first servants but instead let a third maidservant do it?¡±

    ¡°Sister Mo Lan, Miss asked me to bury it. She gave it to me herself and said the fewer people knew about it, the better. It was even better to hide it from her first servants. In that way, it would be perfect. Others couldn¡¯t have guessed that Miss didn¡¯t use the servants she trusted the most.¡± The young servant knew she must stick to her story against Mo Xuetong now. Therefore, she was now wailing and using Mo Xuetong.

    As long as she sessfully framed the third miss, even if she had to bear a beating, she would get the money Auntie Fang promised her afterward. Then, she didn¡¯t need to be a servant anymore.

    Another hesitant voice rang. Another menial nanny also knelt and reported in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s Miss. I saw it too that day. Third miss... I remember it was before the thing happened to Auntie Fang...¡±

    With the two servants leading them, a few more maidservants and menial nannies echoed. They told their own version of the story, but those stories were basically the same.

    They all fingered Mo Xuetong for secretly ordering the young servant to bury the item. Then, terrible things happened to Auntie Fang and the first miss. Going through each and every one of the cases, they found Mo Xuetong seemed the most likely to be associated with all those things.

    Mo Lan was choked with anger. Her finger pointed to one and another familiar face and she thought they looked somewhat twisted. ¡°You¡¯re all bullshitting. All of you have been bought to frame third miss...¡±

    Eunuch Wei sneered. ¡°Sir Mo. It looks like it¡¯s really your daughter. She¡¯s so vicious at such a young age. She not only harmed her concubine mother but also killed your son. Does Sir Mo want to turn a blind eye and hide such an evil woman from us?¡±

    Auntie Fang flopped to the ground and cried. ¡°Old sir, please do justice to me.¡±

    Yu Feng followed. ¡°Sir Mo, please do my sister justice. Though it¡¯s your family affair, my sister and niece are involved. An unborn baby was lost like that. It was a homicide. If Sir Mo doesn¡¯t punish her, I will even if I have to take her to the court of the Ministry of Justice.¡±

    He was forcing Mo Huawen to punish Mo Xuetong, otherwise, he would take this to court.

    Under everyone¡¯s eye, such a thing happened. Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t help Mo Xuetong even if he wanted to. He couldn¡¯t help regretting his previous decision. His grim eyes fell on Auntie Fang. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this vicious woman should frame Tong¡¯er. All the servants and nannies in the manor fingered Mo Xuetong one by one. They look righteous, however, no one except Auntie Fang can order so many people around.¡±

    Auntie Fang had always been in charge of the inner residence affairs. She knew everyone¡¯s personality and family background. If she was up to something, no one could do it better since she knew the best how to order people about. However, Mo Huawen knew Auntie Fang selected most of the servants in Qingwei Garden. Tong¡¯er was new here, and those people must obey to their only master, Auntie Fang.

    He didn¡¯t expect to be set up by the wicked woman and drag Tong¡¯er into this too. Mo Huawen almost wanted to jump up to tramp on Auntie Fang¡¯s face. He wouldn¡¯t put Mo Xuetong at their disposal in any case. Nheless, now, there were witnesses and physical evidence. He couldn¡¯t deny those and only secretly gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that wretched woman want status as a legal wife? I might as well promise her and cover this thing up now. Later, I¡¯ll find other ways. I can¡¯t let her harm Tong¡¯er, can I?¡±

    Having made up his mind, he was about to speak it out. However, suddenly, someone shouted in shock. ¡°Aargh, what¡¯s that?¡±

 Chapter 238 - Out of the Bag, Auntie Fang Reaped What She Sowed

    <strong>Chapter 238 Out of the Bag, Auntie Fang Reaped What She Sowed</strong>

    Hearing the nanny¡¯s scream, everyone turned back in shock. It turned out that the pouch got loose. Blown by the wind, some clothes stuck out of the bag. Inside, there should be two palm-sized dolls. They had head, arms, and legs. Moreover, five silver needles about one inch long were deeply stuck in them. At one nce, they looked like two wavering skeletons, which was horrifying.

    Everyone¡¯s face changed.

    ¡°What, what is this?¡± Auntie Fang shivered and pointed to Mo Xuetong. She cursed through clenched teeth. ¡°Third miss, though we don¡¯t know you because of your stay in Cloud City for a year or so, you shouldn¡¯t have harmed me and your sister. No wonder I went crazy and lost my baby. And since you¡¯re here, things kept happening to your sister. It turns out it¡¯s all because of you. Third miss, how can you be so cruel? They¡¯re your brother and sister!¡±

    Seeing the two dolls, Auntie Fang finally felt relieved. Though she¡¯s crying miserably, her eyes shed with traces of smugness. This time, the physical evidence was here. The wretched woman wouldn¡¯t end up in any other way no matter how hard she tried to turn the tables.

    ¡°It¡¯s Miss, not me, not me.¡± The young maidservant shook more violently. She was practically lying on the ground. She pointed at Mo Xuetong but seemed not to dare to say anything. However, everyone understood and all fixed their eyes on Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes were cold. He ignored them and stepped forward to pick up the two weird dolls. Holding them in hand, he observed carefully. Suddenly, he stormed and threw the dolls to Yu Feng. ¡°This is the evidence, the so-called evil thing, you found for that wicked woman. This is the thing you¡¯ve been trying to do to Tong¡¯er. Fair enough, since we¡¯ve gotten into such a mess, we should take this to the Emperor together.¡±

    No one expected that Mo Huawen acted so tough after they found the item. Auntie Fang and her group were all rattled. They had a bad hunch.

    Yu Feng quickly caught the dolls Mo Huawen threw at him. Agape, he gawked at the words on the dolls. The words in smeared ink were not the familiar birth dates of Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin. Apparently, the dolls weren¡¯t used to curse them, but then who?

    A perfect n in their eyes should go out of control, which unnerved them at once.

    ¡°You want to know whose birth dates they are, don¡¯t you?¡± Mo Huawen sneered and stared closely at Auntie Fang. Evident disgust was in his eyes. ¡°They¡¯re Qiong¡¯er¡¯s and Tong¡¯er¡¯s birth dates. Wicked woman, now, do you still call them your and Min¡¯er¡¯s birth dates?¡±

    ¡°Why is that! How could such a perfect n go wrong?¡±

    Auntie Fang looked shocked and scared. She only felt the blood rushing to her brain. She had been in bad health, now, her knees weakened and her vision became blurry. ¡°How? How did the nasty woman get out of the trap this time? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve buried the dolls with my and Min¡¯er¡¯s birth dates.

    ¡°As long as I can charge Mo Xuetong with ying those evil tricks. The things I¡¯ve done, Mo Xuemin¡¯s blemished reputation, and her affair with a man will all be justifiable. Many people will forgive what we¡¯ve done after we¡¯d been put under a spell. It was all Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault. How can an unmarried girl be so vicious? Even if she doesn¡¯t have to atone her crime with death, she can only spend the rest of her life in the family temple.¡±

    Auntie Fang¡¯s face paled. She couldn¡¯t collect herself at the moment, staggering her way and murmuring, ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible. They are mine and Min¡¯er¡¯s. They should be mine and Min¡¯er¡¯s. Howe they¡¯re not...¡±

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t let her off. Eyes fixed on Auntie Fang, she asked thetter at once. ¡°How does Auntie Fang know the birth dates on the dolls are yours and eldest sister¡¯s? Is it that you¡¯re involved? Or did you bury them to frame me?¡±

    Auntie Fang¡¯s soul was almost out of her body. She looked absentminded and was murmuring. She could only subconsciously refute Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, and then, her knees softened and she flopped on the floor. ¡°No, it¡¯s not me... I didn¡¯t write them. I didn¡¯t, I never did something...¡±

    Seeing she was about to let the cat out of the bag, Yu Feng hurried over to add, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t you dare talk nonsense.¡±

    Mo Huawen coldly stared at the shocked and speechless Eunuch Wei and ruthlessly attacked Consort Yu. ¡°Eunuch Wei, do we still have to search? Or do you think we should report this to the Ministry of Justice or even the Emperor himself? This is the good sister Consort Yu found. I wonder if His Majesty will love Consort Yu more if he knows about such an evil sister of hers.¡±

    He was mild-tempered indeed, but this time, he was raged!

    ¡°When Consort Yu is found to have such an evil sister, will His Majesty love her more!¡±

    Hearing that, Eunuch Wei suddenly realized. ¡°If His Majesty knows about this, he¡¯ll only think less of the Yu family. How will a woman from such a family be kind? When she¡¯s only a concubine, she¡¯s already turned her husband¡¯s family into a mess. If she got to be in charge of the harem, what a mess there would be!¡±

    Thinking about the Emperor¡¯s rage toward this, or the possibility that Consort Yu would even be exiled by the Empress because of this, Eunuch Wei felt a chill from head to toe. At this time, he had no n to talk arrogantly at all. He hurriedly apologized with a smile on his pale face. ¡°Since you¡¯ve looked into this matter, Your Grace should decide since it¡¯s inside your family. It¡¯s lucky that such an evil woman only shares a surname with Her Highness and isn¡¯t really rted to her.¡±

    He was cutting off the ties with the Yu family in case he got into trouble.

    Seeing Eunuch Wei withdrawing, Yu Feng got anxious. He turned around to call. ¡°Eunuch Wei...¡± Without Eunuch Wei¡¯s backer, Consort Yu, he didn¡¯t dare to challenge Mo Huawen. Both his rank and status were much lower than Mo Huawen¡¯s. Moreover, Mo Huawen was not only a third-grade official in the capital, but also someone with real power and a close connection with Emperor Zongwen. He was one of the Emperor¡¯s trusted subordinates.

    In a confrontation, Yu Feng could only lose and never win!

    Eunuch Wei snickered and gently warned Yu Feng. ¡°Sir Yu, is this vicious woman your sister? After many years, a child can change a lot. I don¡¯t want you to get fooled by others. The Yu family is a schrly family, with such a sinister woman, the entire family¡¯s name will be ruined.¡±

    These words left Yu Feng dazed. He instantly realized. ¡°Now, Auntie Fang is already a bad woman in people¡¯s eyes, but except Mo Huawen and the group, the others don¡¯t know we¡¯re rted. If I ept her as my sister, I¡¯ll certainly harm the Yu family.¡±

    Last time, Yu Sirong¡¯s scandal already made the Yu family famous and disgraced him among his peers. When people saw him, they¡¯d still asionally talk about if they had had a sinister daughter at home... Other than Yu Sirong, he still had other children. Therefore, he decided to send Yu Sirong to the family temple in Cloud City, which was almost the end of Yu Sirong¡¯s life.

    However, even after that, he couldn¡¯t easily marry his children to good families because of a blemished name. Just when he found a well-matched official¡¯s family for the second daughter, they immediately canceled the marriage learning he had an evil daughter with poor education at home. They also said that if such a girl married into their family, the entire family shrine would be tainted.

    Now, if another vicious girl came from his family, all the juniors in his family wouldn¡¯t marry into good families.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t let her ruin the family!¡± Thinking like that, he slowly took a few steps back.

    Auntie Fang also came to her senses. Seeing Yu Feng¡¯s grim face, she knew that things were going terribly wrong. At this time, without Yu Feng¡¯s backing, she had no one to rely on anymore. Therefore, she supported herself up and scrambled on her knees to Yu Feng. She clung to his legs and cried. ¡°Brother, brother, save me. I didn¡¯t do it!¡±

    Yu Feng looked at his bony sister. She was crying so sadly, and thus he couldn¡¯t help but pity her. ¡°She¡¯s miserable, being abducted and ending up in a poor family when she¡¯s little. She was sold into Mo Manor as a maidservant and only became a concubine after sessfully seducing her master. She must¡¯ve suffered a lot.¡±

    Eunuch Wei¡¯s cold voice sounded beside his ears and made hime to his senses. ¡°Sir Yu, you must consider your entire family!¡±

    ¡°Right, no, I can¡¯t take her!¡±

    He tried to get his legs out of Auntie Fang¡¯s grab, but she had clung to his calves. Under the situation, he had to kick her. Taking the kick, she was sent back flying, crashing against the nearby tree roots. Immediately, blood streamed down her forehead, and she stared at Yu Feng in disbelief, crying, ¡°Brother, brother!¡±

    Her weeping voice made Yu Feng feel sorry for her. He remembered how soft and cute she looked when she was born. At this time, he felt a heartache. ¡°She¡¯s my sister. She¡¯s been away from home for years and couldn¡¯t return to the family. If I really ditch her today, she¡¯ll die.¡±

    Auntie Fang murmured and her pale face resembled a ghost¡¯s. Her eyes were out of focus and the blood tainted her face. Half of her face was blood-stained and looked very scary.

    As if grabbing thest draw of hope, Yu Feng immediately turned to Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo, it can¡¯t be her. She can¡¯t have done something like this. It must be a trap. Someone wants to frame her. She was locked in Lihua Garden. How could she get out and find her way into Third Miss Mo¡¯s yard?¡±

    They had lost the best chance. Now, all he wanted was to get Auntie Fang out of trouble. It was no more possible to frame Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes were like nails. He fixed them on Yu Feng and said with a sneer. ¡°Then who does Sir Yu think did this? And why does this wicked woman know it so well? Why is she certain that her and Min¡¯er¡¯s birth dates are on the dolls? How could she be so sure if she hadn¡¯t known it before?¡±

    As a Sir mayor, he had handled many cases. Of course, he could saw and pick up cues from Auntie Fang¡¯s words. It was no different than a confession. Eyes on the nannies and maidservants by the side, he thought about their previous framing Tong¡¯er together and felt furious. He could only suppress it down to calmly nce at their faces.

    ¡°These people can¡¯t stay!¡±

    Under his gaze, the nannies and maidservants all shivered. None of them expected a carefully-arranged n to go badly astray. Notably, the girl on her knees was now receiving the cold smile from around Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips and the disgust in her own master¡¯s eyes. She knew she was in trouble!

    The little maidservant screamed and pointed at Auntie Fang to expose her. ¡°Old sir, old sir, I didn¡¯t do this. It¡¯s her. She sent people to tell me that as long as I helped her frame the third miss, she¡¯d free me and give me money. My family won¡¯t need to be servants. My life is in her hand, and I don¡¯t dare to disobey her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong ndly said, ¡°Who did she send?¡±

    The servant couldn¡¯t control herself now. Like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, she told everything she knew. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s Mo Xiu from the first miss¡¯s yard. It¡¯s her, really. The night beforest night, she came to me from Lihua Garden. I heard when she came back from outside the manor, she directly went to Lihua Garden before visiting the first miss. Then, she came to me after leaving Lihua Garden and gave the thing to me.¡±

 Chapter 239 - Sending the Evil Woman Back to the Yu Manor

    <strong>Chapter 239 Sending the Evil Woman Back to the Yu Manor</strong>

    ¡°It has something to do with First Miss?¡± The veins on Mo Huawen¡¯s forehead twitched. It was obvious that he was about to lose control. He gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Did First Miss plot together with this evil woman to hurt Third Miss?¡± If Min¡¯er was already so vicious, he would rather send her to a temple than to let her marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. It would harm and embarrass the entire Mo family.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Auntie Fang found First Miss¡¯ maid, Elder Sister Mo Xiu. First Miss did note. Auntie Fang was locked up and only Elder Sister Mo Xiu woulde to visit Auntie from time to time...¡± The little maidservant answered whatever she could. She was afraid that she would be beaten to death on the spot if she answered too slowly.

    Scheming to hurt one¡¯s master was punishable. She could be flogged to death on the spot.

    ¡°Sir Yu, do we still need to question her? If we continue to, we might even find out who was the instigator. Sir Yu has to remember to give us justice.¡± Mo Huawen smiled coldly at Yu Feng. Then, he turned to say to a servant standing by the side, ¡°Go and get Mo Xiu from First Miss¡¯ courtyard. Ask her to corroborate her ount.¡±

    He was very certain that Yu Feng was not innocent in the whole matter. Of course, he would not let go at this point. Yu Manor wanted to plot against and kill his child. They had to bear responsibility for this.

    A sharp glint appeared in Auntie Fang¡¯s eyes when she saw Mo Huawen persisting in his investigation. He was going to fight Yu Manor to the end. She knew that Mo Huawen was really angry and she pulled herself up using a tree by her side and screamed, ¡°Old Sir, please don¡¯t investigate any further. I was the one who did it. It was all me and it has nothing to do with anyone else. But should I not!¡±

    She seemed mad. She only thought about all the grievances she had suffered all these years as she gritted her teeth. Her face twisted furiously as she said, ¡°When Madam was ill, I waited on her by her bedside. What did you say then? You said that I was virtuous and that you would make me your legal wife if Madam were to pass away. Then, Madam passed away and you said you wanted to mourn for her. I have been waiting since then.¡±

    ¡°Feng¡¯er is a concubine¡¯s son, and Min¡¯er is a concubine¡¯s daughter. Do you know how people look down on them when they go out? Is it wrong of me to want to be your legal wife? Furthermore, you were the one who promised me. However, ever since the little slut returned to the manor, Old Sir, you¡¯ve paid more and more attention to her and didn¡¯t even mention anything about making me your legal wife.¡±

    ¡°Old Sir, since you have not shown thought for our children, I have to. Without the little slut, our family would be perfect and happy long ago. Old Sir, I did it for our children. Was I wrong! If you were a woman, you would also probably do everything for your children...¡±

    ¡°Crack!¡± A palm mmed down heavily and interrupted her.

    ¡°Slut, what do you mean our family would be perfect? You are just a ything. What family? My legal wife is my wife and she is my family. It is not your ce to question anything. How dare a concubine like you dare to say we are a family.¡± Mo Huawen was so angry he was going mad. He pped her forcefully in his anger.

    Auntie Fang fell and hit the tree again.

    ¡°Auntie said she waited on my mother by her bed but did not know why she got weaker and weaker as she served her. Auntie solved my doubts today. Father had promised to make you his legal wife, so my mother did not need to live! Since things are already so, tell me, Auntie, so that my mother can rest in peace.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glinted with a cold smirk. She stared at Auntie Fang with a razor-sharp re.

    ¡°You had a hand in Luo Xia¡¯s death?¡± Mo Huawen was very shocked. He did not expect that she was involved in this matter as well. His voice shook as he asked, ¡°You, you... vicious wretch, what did you do?¡±

    Auntie Fang had given uppletely after being pped by Mo Huawen and having seen her brother backing away fearfully. She was not afraid of anything now and only felt that her life was just a delusion. When Luo Xia was still around, she had lived in fear even though she had given birth to his only son. She had not dared to behave arrogantly.

    Then, Luo Xia had died. She was in a position of power then and she wanted to make Mo Huawen satisfied so that he would quickly make her his legal wife.

    However, she did not expect that all her hard work and ns would end up being destroyed by Mo Xuetong that little slut. Auntie Fang gritted her teeth hatefully. Her eyes were bloodshot. Auntie Fang was dizzy with anger and she did not wish to hide anything any longer. She only wanted Mo Xuetong to hurt more and to feel even worse.

    ¡°I poisoned your mother to death. It was a pity. Your mother did not know that the water she drank every day was filled with poison. She drank it bit by bit and it would have been difficult for her to survive. Since that stupid mother of yours refused to leave her ce as the legal wife, then I have to make sure she dies. Didn¡¯t you think that it was odd, why you almost died in the Qin Manor¡¯ske...¡±

    ¡°Sister!¡± Yu Feng shouted hurriedly for her to stop.

    Auntie Fang ignored him. She red at Mo Xuetong viciously and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I got Mo Zhu to do it. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so lucky. That you would survive even after that and that you would regain consciousness. Do you want to know more? Do you know why you were so ill after your mother died and couldn¡¯te to the capital with us? I was the one to do it too, of course. If I had been more vicious then and taken your life, would you be able to run wild now?¡±

    Her mother had indeed died in Auntie Fang¡¯s hands. Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers shook. Tears rolled down her pale face. Her eyes, which were like pieces of dark jade, shone with icy coldness, sadness, pain, anger, and hatred... The various emotions swirled together. Theplicated emotions made her heart hurt. For who would be so pale and shake like her unless they were in enormous pain?

    Mo Huawen could not bear it any longer after listening to what Auntie Fang said and seeing the pain on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. He walked up to Auntie Fang and kicked her forcefully. Auntie Fang was thrown into the air and almost stopped breathing.

    ¡°Sir Yu, take your sister away. You have already signed the documents, you would not go back on your words, would you?¡± Mo Huawen hated the Yu family and would not be nice to them. If not for the fact that she was the birth mother of his two children, he would have flogged her to death.

    He did not expect Luo Xia to have died because of his careless words. Mo Huawen felt his heart twinge with pain and dark spots appeared before his eyes.

    He looked at Mo Xuetong who was crying silently but he could not say a single word. He could hardly be bothered with how Yu Feng and his sister would appear to the public right now.

    He hurried toward Mo Xuetong. His lips moved as he wanted to say something but he did not know what he could say...

    He reached out to touch her head, but it started Mo Xuetong. Tears rolled down from her longshes. Then, tears fell like broken strings of pearls. She turned around, covered her face and ran out of the room crying.

    Mo Huawen wanted to run after her but stopped. His eyes were filled with a burning fire.

    He had never thought that his wife would die in Auntie Fang¡¯s hands. That vicious woman had pretended to be so virtuous and waited on Luo Xia by her bed every day. She had done her best to settle the matters in the back courtyard and was very respectful to Luo Xia. He did not expect that she would be so vicious. It was no wonder Luo Xia had died so suddenly.

    It was no wonder she had suddenly died of illness shortly after having gotten better!

    And there was Tong¡¯er!

    He had been wrong. He had listened to the vicious woman and left Tong¡¯er in Cloud City.

    Mdm Yu of the Qin family was Auntie Fang¡¯s elder sister. It was so easy for them toe together and plot against and kill Tong¡¯er!

    There were so many doubts that arose because of that woman. No wonder Tong¡¯er had not replied to all the letters he wrote her. He had thought that Tong¡¯er was cold and unfeeling and was unfilial towards him. All these years, he had thought that Tong¡¯er was unfilial, unteachable, incapable...

    These incidents all arose because of Auntie Fang. For all the years he had studied, he had been lied to by a woman of the inner courtyard. He had handed over his beloved daughter over for her to care for. He had thought that she was a gentle and kind woman... He thought of the situation Tong¡¯er was put in when she first came to the capital. Auntie Fang¡¯s men were still in the courtyard now. One could tell how badly Tong¡¯er had suffered then.

    ¡°Eunuch Wei, Sir Yu, shall we see the handprint that you pressed down earlier? If you do not want to acknowledge that evil woman, we can meet in court tomorrow.¡± Mo Huawen said sharply. He pointed at the agreement that a servant brought over, his eyes cold and sharp.

    Eunuch Wei only recalled then that he and Yu Feng had both signed the agreement. His face paled as he realized that things were growing more and moreplicated and was not to Consort Yu¡¯s benefit. As such, he decided to leave the cesspool of troubles behind and wash his hands off it. He said to Mo Huawen, Sir Mo, I apologize for what happened today. Her Highness did not know that this woman was so vicious. Since this is so, I will return now to report this to Her Highness and have her punish this evil woman.¡±

    Then, he did not even wait for Yu Feng to stop him before turning away and leaving in shame.

    Something like that had happened in the Mo Manor, and he had been involved in it. The imperial consort might be implicated in it as well. Had he known that the Yu family had such a figure, he would have done anything to persuade the imperial consort and Yu Feng to keep a distance. Any family that had such a woman in it would definitely be implicated.

    Eunuch Wei left. Yu Feng shook out his hands. He did not know what to do!

    ¡°Men,e and take this evil woman to Sir Yu¡¯s Manor. If anyone doesn¡¯t like that, have them look at this piece of paper. The imperial concubine in the pce made a guarantee. I don¡¯t believe that justice doesn¡¯t exist in this world.¡± Mo Huawen did not look at Yu Feng as he gave his orders to the servant.

    The servant answered in affirmative. Then, two men brought a straw mat over and wrapped Auntie Fang in it. They took her by her head and legs and left the manor.

    ¡°Sir Mo, Sir Mo...¡± Yu Feng shouted. He knew that Mo Huawen was truly angry when he saw Mo Huawen ignoring him and how Auntie Fang was brought out of the courtyard in a straw mat. He knew that the Yu family¡¯s reputation would take a beating if Auntie Fang were to be sent home like that.

    Furthermore, the Fu General Manor would not let them off easily. Mo Huawen might take care of the two children but the Fu General Manor would not need to act carefully. From now on, the Yu family would have an enemy in the Fu General Manor and be suppressed by them. Yu Feng would rather his younger sister had died years ago!

    He stomped his feet furiously and left, chasing after the men!

    He had to get home before them to let everyone know what happened!

    ¡°Men, take those who framed Third Miss out and give them 30 strokes of the canes. Sell them all. Have First Miss pick a few new ones tomorrow.¡± Mo Huawen stood where he was and watched as the maids and servants stood in a row. He smiled coldly, and his snow-white teeth glinted with a never seen before viciousness under the sunlight.

    ¡°Old Sir, Old Sir...¡±

    ¡°Old Sir...¡±

    There were screams and sobbing as the maids and servants who spoke earlier all knelt down in fear.

    ¡°Flog that one to death!¡± Mo Huawen pointed at a trembling maid. Then, he turned to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s door with a sigh before leaving.

    He was too embarrassed to see his loveable daughter...

    Luo Xia had died because of what he said. He could not even protect his beloved daughter. The guilt he felt made him wish that he was the one who had died then...

    Mo Xiu hanged herself in her room. The men that Mo Huawen sent to Mo Xuemin¡¯s courtyard saw people gathered around when they arrived. Mo Xuemin cried over Mo Xiu¡¯s body and could not get up.

 Chapter 240 - The Estrangement between Father and Daughter

    <strong>Chapter 240 The Estrangement between Father and Daughter</strong>

    Auntie Fang was sent back to the Yu family. The Mo Manor elders and the Old Madam who were waiting in the front hall struck her name off the family register.

    Auntie Fang was not an ordinary concubine for she had given birth to Mo Huawen¡¯s only son. She was naturally well-regarded and was noted down in the family register. However, after what happened, she could not remain on the Mo family register. Mo Huawen officially threw Auntie Fang out from the Mo Manor in front of the elders.

    Mo Yufeng was thest to find out. He had been having fun at the brothel while the incident happened. A servant had passed on the message to him but it was all toote by the time he came back. Auntie Fang had already been sent away.

    After hearing what happened, Mo Yufeng went to Qingwei Garden.

    He kicked the maid who answered the door and rushed into Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    ¡°Young Master, Miss is resting and is not taking guests.¡± Mo Yu came out from the room and hurriedly tried to stop him.

    ¡°How dare a lowly maid try to stop me.¡± Mo Yufeng pped Mo Yu and she fell onto the ground, bleeding from the corner of her lips.

    ¡°Elder Brother, what do you mean by this? Did youe to teach my maids a lesson?¡± Mo Xuetong stood at the entrance. Her eyes were cold as she looked at Mo Yufeng. Her eyes were deep and sharp andpletely unlike her gentle and weak self.

    ¡°You unfilial slut. How dare you treat my mother like this. She is considered your elder, and you, you dared to...¡± Mo Yufeng roared and rushed up to the threshold but was stopped by Mo Yue. Mo Yufeng wanted to barge in but was pushed aside by Mo Ye gently each time. He was so angry he could only yell at Mo Xuetong from where he was standing.

    ¡°You are here to scold me. If so, you¡¯d better leave. You are not wee here.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the furious Mo Yufeng coldly. She felt sad for her father. The boy did not look like the son of a noble family but like a ruffian.

    She was not in the mood to interact with someone like this. As such, she turned and entered the room.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, do you dare to say that you have not framed my mother? You dare to say...¡± Mo Yufeng felt even more furious when he saw Mo Xuetong avoiding him. He pointed his fingers at her back and yelled at her.

    ¡°Mo Ye, throw him out.¡± Mo Xuetong paused and suddenly turned around, speaking coldly at Mo Yufeng.

    Mo Ye cracked her fingers when she heard that. She walked down the steps with a sinister smile.

    ¡°You dare to hit me? You dare to send someone to hit me? What has the worlde to? I am your elder brother!¡± Mo Yufeng said angrily. He was shocked by her expression.

    ¡°Elder brother? I don¡¯t really dare to have an elder brother like you. Can the son of a concubine really be the elder brother of a legitimate daughter? I heard you say something happened to your mother. It¡¯s a pity, your mother hurt mine. We are destined to be enemies. Furthermore, after what happened, do you still think you will inherit the family¡¯s properties and businesses? You are the son of an evil concubine. Will my father not do anything about it?¡± Mo Xuetong stood at the threshold and looked at Mo Yufeng coldly.

    Her eyes shone deeply like sharp needles. She looked at Mo Yufeng, and the coldness from her eyes made him afraid of looking straight at her. Mo Yufeng turned away uneasily, avoiding the angry fire and frigid ice in her eyes.

    The powerful hatred and anger made Mo Xuetong feel like breaking Mo Yufeng¡¯s neck.

    In her past life, Auntie Fang had no fear because of his existence. It was also because of him that Mo Xuemin wanted to kill her. If not for the fact that her father only had him as his son, would she have ended up in that miserable state? Auntie Fang had admitted to killing her mother today but her father had only sent her back to the Yu family.

    It was all because Auntie Fang had given birth to the Mo family¡¯s only son.

    Mo Xuetong hated her. How could she not!

    ¡°Bullshit. Auntie isn¡¯t someone like that!¡± Mo Yufeng could not help but back down against Mo Xuetong¡¯s shocking presence. He argued against Mo Xuetong but also secretly changed the way he addressed Auntie Fang.

    ¡°Father is only in his 30s. It would not be a problem for him to marry again and have a legitimate son. You are the son of an evil woman like Auntie Fang. Do you think Father will still trust you like he did, and do you still think you will inherit everything in this home? Do you think everything in this family belongs to you!¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly. Her every word stabbed right at Mo Yufeng¡¯s heart.

    Mo Xuemin had escaped again and again. Auntie Fang being returned to the Mo Manor had also made her heart sink. She wanted to vent the anger she felt. She could not hold back any longer as sheshed out angrily at Mo Yufeng.

    Since the brother and sister pair had never treated her as their family, then she would not let them have their way any longer.

    The painful experience of her past had made her understand that there are some people who will always step on others. If you are weak, then you will be stepped on. In this life, she wanted to be the sly and fierce fos. She would no longer be a helplessmb anymore.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. Everything in Mo Manor belongs to me. Auntie said so. She said that everything that belongs to Father belongs to me. They are all mine.¡± Mo Yufeng was aggravated by Mo Xuetong. He red at Mo Xuetong viciously with blood-red eyes. He continued, ¡°So what if Father marries again in the future? I will make sure that she cannot have any sons. Then, I will be the only son in this manor. Everything here will belong to me when I take charge of the family.¡±

    Mo Yufeng gritted his teeth angrily when he thought of how his mother had been thrown out alone while his father was going to marry another woman. Auntie Fang had always taught him since he was a child, that everything in the Mo Manor belonged to him. In his mind, everything was his. Now that he heard that it was possible for a legitimate son to appear, he felt a terrible pain and bitterness. It was as if someone were taking everything that belonged to him.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, when I take charge of the family, you will answer to me. I will send you to the temple and you will forever be an unmarried old woman. I will make sure you die from unknown causes, just like your mother.¡±

    Mo Huawen heard Mo Yufeng¡¯s deration when he entered. He also saw how he waved his fists angrily at Mo Xuetong. Mo Huawen could not control his anger any longer. He pped Mo Yufeng forcefully and yelled angrily. ¡°You unfilial son!¡±

    He already felt too embarrassed to face Tong¡¯er. How dare the son of that slute to threaten her.

    Mo Huawen saw how Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness and strength, and how she bit her lips. Her face was pale and yet she stood there, her fists clenched. His heart hurt badly for her. He had still failed Tong¡¯er.

    He looked at his son who had been shocked by his appearance. Mo Yufeng was covering his face with his hand. Disappointment filled Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes.

    A concubine¡¯s son was still indeed a concubine¡¯s son. He was not educated at all. What kind of rumors would spread should others see this?

    Perhaps he really should remarry quickly. He must not let Tong¡¯er be alone and helpless in the family. For the first time every, Mo Huawen wanted to quickly marry Xu Yan. That woman seemed to get along well with Tong¡¯er. Furthermore, they were rtives and she used to stay at the Fu General Manor. She would treat Tong¡¯er well and help her to get over her emotional troubles.

    ¡°Father!¡± Mo Yufeng looked at Mo Huawen, who had appeared suddenly, in shock. He saw the anger in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes and felt a chill run down his spine. He shivered and sobered up. He knelt down forcefully and said, ¡°Father, Father. It is my fault. I should not havee to make trouble for Third Sister. I drank too much earlier, so I had spoken nonsense. Please forgive me, Father.¡±

    Mo Yufeng was not so rash usually. He was so frightened he shook. Auntie Fang had just caused such a big scandal and now her son was threatening his younger sister. His father had always doted on the little slut, so he would definitely be even angrier.

    ¡°I do not dare to be your father. Aren¡¯t you not going to let me have any legitimate sons? Didn¡¯t you say that everything in this manor belongs to you? Aren¡¯t you going to send your sister to the temple and have her die from unknown causes!¡± Mo Huawen asked coldly. His voice turned even more frigid with every statement.

    ¡°Father, Father. It was a careless mistake. It¡¯s not true. I was flustered when I suddenly heard what happened to Auntie Fang, which was why I behaved so out of character.¡± Mo Yufeng pleaded as he kowtowed frantically.

    ¡°Men, take Young Master away. Have him study in his own courtyard. If he goes out and makes trouble again, break his legs.¡± Mo Huawen said coldly with a frown on his face.

    Servants came up and dragged the crying and screaming Mo Yufeng away.

    Mo Xuetong watched Mo Yufeng being dragged away and then looked at her father coldly from the tall steps she was on. Her eyes were distant and cold and devoid of their usual softness and gentleness. Even though she wanted to understand her father, she truly could not. Her mother had been killed by Auntie Fang. Her father knew that, but he had not handled the matter well.

    Her mother¡¯s hatred, anger, heart pain... Was she receiving such treatment only because she did not have a son!

    Sons. Sons were really important to men!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡± Mo Huawen looked at Mo Xuetong who was standing under the eaves. She looked so fragile but determined. That pain, the pinched lips on her pale face, the sadness in her eyes that could not be hidden. She was like a small injured animal as she looked at others warily. She hid behind a mask of strength, clothing herself with coldness and sharpness.

    ... Mo Xuetong slowly said, ¡°Father, please go back. I am tired.¡± Her voice was a little hoarse and tired. Mo Xuetong felt exhausted. Her hands were clenched tightly and the sharp pain in her palms slowly brought her back to consciousness.

    She was truly tired. She did not know what she said to Mo Huawen. She only felt that her life waspletely devoid of any trace of light.

    So what if she had found her mother¡¯s killer? Her mother could note back to life and her father had not sought revenge for her mother. Then what was the point of finding the real killer?

    Mo Huawen¡¯s heart throbbed as he looked at his daughter¡¯s fragile face. He felt pathetic as he tried to smile. He said gently, ¡°Then go to bed early since you are tired. Don¡¯t fall ill.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything. She turned around with the help of her maids. She looked like Luo Xia, for she was strong in her fragility. That woman had borne everything with those gentle and weak shoulders of hers. For him, for her child. She had left silently just to ensure their safety. But for the first time, Mo Huawen doubted her decision.

    Why had she been so stubborn then? Why did she not discuss things with him before making a decision? Why did she not wait for him to talk? Did she not trust him despite all those years of being husband and wife? He would do anything she asked. She was the one who had strongly requested that he take a few concubines.

    She wanted him to have sons and daughters, so he had a few with his concubines.

    She wanted her child to be in an inconspicuous position. He had done that too. Mo Xuetong was the third child. Not in front nor behind. She had older and younger siblings.

    He listed to her in everything and would do anything for her. However, she still left him and their daughter behind. Was that right! Why did she not wait, wait for him to find another way out before making a decision? Even if they had to leave their home and go to the countryside, it would still be much better than their current situation.

    His heart hurt so much that he could not breathe. He looked at the dejected expression on his daughter¡¯s face. Mo Huawen propped himself up on a tree and looked up, hiding the pain he felt in his heart...

    There were things that could not be said upfront! Could his Tong¡¯er really understand him?

 Chapter 241 - King Xuan Meeting a Beauty at Night

    <strong>Chapter 241 King Xuan Meeting a Beauty at Night</strong>

    That night, moonlight shone into the gardens of Qingwei Garden. It seemed especially silent.

    Most of the servants and maids had already been beaten and sold. There were not many left. Mo Xuetong would pick a few that she liked tomorrow.

    Only the original cast was left in Qingwei Garden. Mo Yu and Mo Ye swept up the garden while Mother Xu prepared a few dishes in the side kitchen. Mo Lan packed up the room. It was as if they were back in the Qin Manor. Back then, the people in the manor had all looked down on Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong did not have money and was not doted on. She was also a guest staying with the Qins. Even the servants could not be bothered with her. As such, Mo Xuetong¡¯s servants had done all the tasks around the house!

    Mo Xuetong sat before the window. She was not reading as she usually did and had gotten Mo Lan and the others to leave the room. She still felt sad when she thought of what happened in the day. She looked out of the window and at the sky that shone with silvery light. From her corner, she could see the shimmery lights in the sky. There was not a trace of dark clouds in the sky and the moon could be seen clearly.

    The smile on her lips froze and tears slowly slid down her cheeks.

    On the night of the silvery moon, it was so quiet it felt as if she were the only person on earth. She did not know why the sounds of the works on the ancestral hall that she could hear from time to time in the back courtyard were now gone. The entire world was so silent that she could hear her breathing and the sounds of her heart beating.

    Everyone said that her mother and father loved each other deeply. Even the Princess Royal had once thought that her mother had married a good man. She said that her mother was blessed even though she passed away early. The painting in the study was done by her father. In the painting, her mother appeared to be young. She smiled coyly and her beautiful eyes shone. She looked full of life.

    One could tell that her mother was happy then. You could see the smile lurking beneath the corners of her eyes.

    A corner of the painting showed slight signs of age. It was evident that someone would look at the painting from time to time. Who else could it be other than her father!

    But, since this was so, why didn¡¯t her father seek revenge for her mother? Instead, he had let that woman off lightly.

    What happened to Mo Xuetong in her past life was the best answer to how evil that woman was.

    Mo Xuemin was very pleased then. She had told Mo Xuetong how her mother had killed her mother in detail. They had tortured her for their own pleasure. The amount of guilt and hate she felt now was the amount of pain she felt then. Her mother had trusted that woman so much. She had allowed the woman to serve her. However, who could have imagined that she would be so vicious? Shouldn¡¯t a woman like that die?!

    Was it not enough for her to die to avenge her mother?!

    Why was the woman¡¯s punishment for killing her mother just being sent to the Yu¡¯s? Why did Mo Xuemin escape even though she was the one who had instigated everything? She continued to be the gentle and virtuous First Miss Mo. Mo Xuetong hated her. She hated her so much! She had died in the mes in her past life. Her body and soul burned in agony.

    Her heart burned with a searing pain these days. The fire burned within her, almost wanting to burst forth! She knew that that was hatred. It was a deep burning hatred that cannot grow anymore! In the hands of the evil mother and daughter pair, the innocent Mo Xuetong had died. She had been reborn as a vengeful Mo Xuetong.

    She looked up at the sky as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had once sworn during her rebirth, that she would make those who hurt her cry!

    There was a slight rustling in the courtyard. Mo Xuetong looked over and saw a figure in purple under the round moon. He jumped off the walls andnded onto the ground silently. A handsome young man appeared under the moon with a devilish smile on his face. His smile was extremely seductive. Dark ck hairplemented his pale face that was parallel to none.

    It was Feng Yuran!

    Who else other than him would dare to go to a woman¡¯s courtyard at night? He was indeed a phnderer.

    The man hade into her courtyard again and again, not afraid that he would cause her reputation to be ruined.

    Feng Yuran walked up to her windows and knocked on the half-opened windowpanes. Then, he swiftly flipped over the windows and entered the room. He walked up to her confidently with a slight smile. His eyes were as clear as the waters in spring. He did not speak and just looked at her fixedly. There was a curious fire in his eyes.

    Unable to bear his heated gaze, Mo Xuetong avoided him and stood up. She walked up to the table and poured herself a cup of tea to hide the redness in her face. She took a sip of it and then said impatiently, ¡°You came here sote. Are you here for something?¡±

    Even though the rtionship between the two was not simple, nothing was happening right now. How could he enter her room again and again at night?

    ¡°Can¡¯t Ie if nothing¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows. His eyes shone under the bright light of the moon. He lowered his head and looked at her without any hesitation. ¡°I guess we can consider thinking about you these days a matter!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, if there is nothing else, please leave.¡± Mo Xuetong felt rather annoyed after being looked at by him. Her jade-white ears were blushing lightly. This man was inappropriate. He hade to her room in the middle of the night to say something like this. She had, in recent times, thought that his frivolity was just an act.

    Feng Yuran smiled lightly. He was in a good mood. It was as if he had not noticed the shyness and anger she felt. He said, ¡°Aunt took you as her goddaughter and even asked for status for you today.¡±

    Children of princesses all received an official permit to be monks and nuns but godchildren did not. Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned for a moment. She did not expect the Princess Royal to do this for her. Did she really treat Mo Xuetong well because she and Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother were good friends while they were children? Then why did the Princess Royal do nothing to help her despite her tragic situation in her past life? Instead, the Princess Royal had a hand in the fall of the Fu General Manor.

    She frowned slightly and bit her lips. She said after a moment, ¡°Why is the Princess Royal so good to me?¡±

    There is no love that has no rhyme or reason in this world!

    Not only had she changed after her rebirth, everything happening around her had changed as well. She had thought that she would be ahead of things because of her rebirth and that she would be able to know things before they happened. However, she realized that some things had already deviated from their paths and she had no way to find out what was about to happen.

    ¡°Aunt feels that the two of you are fated. There has never been a girl whom she likes as much. You are blessed.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and handed her a box. ¡°This is from Aunt. She wants you to wear it on the day for the Empress to see that she is not the only one who has stunning essories.¡±

    Mo Xuetong epted the box subconsciously and opened it. There was a sh of light in the box as the items in it glittered and shone... It was an entire box of precious jewelry... They were from the Princess Royal. Why?

    She had only met the Princess Royal a few times and even her being made the Princess¡¯ goddaughter was because of her mother. Why would the Princess Royal be so nice to her? She looked up and blinked somewhat confusedly at Feng Yuran and asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    The moonlight shone on her beautiful and innocent face. She was a little silly and adorable in her stunned state. She was usually calm andposed, and even in her childishness, she seemed intelligent. When had she ever appeared to be dazed and silly? This expression evoked a sense of joy in Feng Yuran.

    He picked out a gold hair essory that had two pearls embedded in it and passed it to Mo Xuetong, saying, ¡°I heard that the Empress Dowager gave this to the Princess Royal when she was young. The two pearls on it are winter pearls and they were a pair. They change colors under the moonlight if you look at them closely. They are the highest grade of winter pearls avable.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took the essory and turned it about under the moonlight. Two rays of faint light reflected off the pearls and the lights changed color when she moved them again. There were different effects as the light hits the pearls from different angles.

    Mo Xuetong had never heard of such winter pearls. Winter pearls were precious and only those the royal family had them. It was a great blessing and fortune for a regr person to be able to get one. She believed that there should not be many of this kind of treasure in the pce as well.

    Feng Yuran took out another essory. It was a white-pink floral chain for the hair that draped with pearls. ¡°The Empress gave this to Aunt. The white and pink are not painted on. This sort of gold is more expensive than regr gold. The Empress saw that Father trusted Aunt a lot and gave this to her to curry favor with her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had never even imagined that such a metal existed. She looked at the box that was still half-filled with jewelry. The pieces that Feng Yuran handed her were not the most precious. Luo Xia had also left her some good things. Mo Xuetong knew that some of them were even more precious. There was a resplendent chain with tourmalines draping off it in the corner. They were all as good as the essory she held in her hands.

    Mo Xuetong ced the head essory back into the jewelry box and pushed it to Feng Yuran. She said with a light smile, ¡°These things are all from the pce to the Princess Royal. I do not have the status to use this.¡± Her father¡¯s official grade was far from sufficient for her to use these essories.

    ¡°Rest assured, you will use it in the future after youe to my manor. I still have some that I kept for you. Keep the jewelry from Aunt and wear it on the day.¡± Feng Yuran blinked and smiled. He leaned against her couch, not behaving at all like a guest.

    His words, especially, implied that she would definitely marry him. She flushed red and felt a little regret. Had she known that he would be more and more presumptuous, she should not have agreed to anything in a moment of rashness. Her gaze suddenlynded on the jewelry box, and her heart skipped a bit. Her face heated up and grew red.

    ¡°Why did the Princess Royal ask you to bring these to me?¡±

    Even if the Princess Royal wanted to give her the things, she should have sent someone with them. Why did she ask Feng Yuran to jump over Mo Xuetong¡¯s wall in the middle of the night?

    ¡°Aunt didn¡¯t ask me, of course. I told her I would do it. I said that my method was the fastest and no one would find out. Everyone would think that Aunt gave these to you on the day of the banquet!¡± Feng Yuran said carelessly.

    What was the difference between the Princess Royal gifting it to her on the day of the banquet and now? Mo Xuetong pouted and looked at Feng Yuran unhappily. Her pale face flushed slightly red and she seemed even more beautiful under the moonlight. Her unhappy expression did not displease Feng Yuran. Instead, it made himugh.

    Heughed and stood up straight. He extended a handzily and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His long slender fingers skimmed past her pale, smooth, and shiny face. Feng Yuran could not help but touch her face tenderly.

    Mo Xuetong pushed his hand away in annoyance. However, he took her hand in his.

    ¡°If the Empress finds out that Aunt has valued you since that day and is not treating you like that because of what others say, she would not look down on you so much again. She would not dare to do some things to you either.¡± His voice had a suffocating charm. It was sweet and thick, like mead.

    Mo Xuetong understood what he meant in an instant.

    The Empress might be plotting against her. Even though she was now the Princess Royal¡¯s goddaughter, thanks to their fate, it was not guaranteed how long she would have the princess¡¯ favor. While the princess might gift her with some jewelry, it could just be for show. However, the jewelry that the princess gifted her this time was different. They were considered the princess¡¯ dowry. She had given her dowry to Mo Xuetong, and it was evident that she genuinely liked her.

    The meaning would bepletely different if Mo Xuetong received the jewelryter.

 Chapter 242 - On the Roof-Entering Private Property at Night

    <h4>Chapter 242: On the Roof-Entering Private Property at Night</h4>

    How could the Princess Royal do so much for her? Mo Xuetong looked up in confusion and shock. Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze could not help butnd on her face. The two stood extremely close to each other. They were so close that he could see her wless pale face. His gaze could not help but fall upon her eyes, forehead, and lips. It felt as if a thousand years had passed in those seconds.

    Mo Xuetong retracted her hand, wanting to pull her hands from his grasp. However, she realized that he was holding her really tightly. It was so tight that she could not go against him. His eyes were extremely deep and dark in the moonlight. He looked straight at her, without hiding anything. Their gazes met and it was as if she had received a message. Aplicated cocktail of emotions surged up from within her. It was as if there was something growing subconsciously.

    Mo Xuetong felt very shy and also very annoyed. She red at him angrily and tugged her hand out of his grasp.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will take you to do something important today.¡± He said softly with a smile on his lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s sote, what kind of important thing could it be? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the night of the 15th.¡± Mo Xuetong said reluctantly. Her face was ming red it was as if she had been burned by a fire. She did not know what to say to him. It was sote, was he going to take her out like thest time. It was the 15th of the month tomorrow and there were nonterns to see.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you saying that you want to look atnterns with me on the 15th?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes lit up and his smile grewzy and devilish. However, one could see that the smile hidden in his eyes was sincere and gentle. Who would have thought that the devilishly charming man would be so gentle?

    ¡°Who wants to look atnterns with you?¡± Mo Xuetong realized that she had messed up then and red at him in annoyance and shyness. This man was really even more shameless.

    ¡°You, of course. But the First Prince of Yan Kingdom would probably arrive tomorrow night. Father will definitely set up a banquet in the pce tomorrow and I won¡¯t be able to escape even if I want to. How about we string upnterns ourselves to admire next time?¡± Feng Yuran said seriously as his gaze suddenly grew solemn. A crafty glint shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to stringnterns with you in the future? You can admire thenterns yourself.¡± Mo Xuetong was so shy that she did not know what to do. However, he was still holding her hands and she could not wrench her hands out of his grasp no matter what. Her face was so red she felt as if she was burning. Even her powerful words sounded weak to her. She tried hard to wrench her hands from his.

    Her expression was one of shyness and annoyance. She suddenly felt that he was too much. While she had no choice but to say yes to him due to circumstances, the two of them truly had nothing going on. He had looked down on her was treating her like the other women out there. This thought suddenly rushed through her mind.

    She blinked and suddenly felt aggrieved. She shook his hand off forcefully and said angrily, almost crying, ¡°You, let go!¡±

    Feng Yuran had been looking at Mo Xuetong with a hidden smile and was listening to her every word seriously. He saw the tears in her eyes. Those brightrge eyes misted over and her longshes fluttered. Her mouth was slightly parted and she seemed as if she was so annoyed she was going to cry. His heart clenched and he could not help but let her go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t be angry. I really am here for business. You¡¯ll definitely be able to vent your angerter.¡± Feng Yuran coaxed her immediately in gentle tones. ¡°Tong¡¯er, you¡¯re not allowed to be angry at me.¡±

    ¡°Go, I don¡¯t want to vent.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around, not daring to look at his beautiful eyes. They were so deep that she could not see what was shining in them. She felt her face heat up and her heart racing. She did not dare to delve any deeper subconsciously.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, it¡¯ll allow you to vent your anger. I¡¯ll take you somewhere to look at something. You¡¯ll definitely feel better.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was so soft and gentle it was like the murmur between lovers.

    Mo Xuetong truly did not understand. He had emphasized many times that he would take her to vent her anger. She was angry but even she did not know who to vent her anger on, how would he? While he definitely knew what happened today, she did not know what he was nning.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I really found it for you to vent. Come, put this on.¡± He turned around and picked up the fox leather cape Mo Lan had kept in a corner and passed it to Mo Xuetong. He said temptingly, ¡°I guarantee that you will feel refreshed and won¡¯t feel angry again after you see it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at him doubtfully. However, the tears in her eyes abated slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. I promise not to make you angry and it will definitely make you happy.¡± He looked at her. She still looked slightly upset. ¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡±

    Had he never lied to her? He had fooled with her since the first time they met. Was that not a lie?

    Mo Xuetong felt angry once more by his pestering. She recalled what happened in the past. When had he lied to her? The first time they met, the second time, the third time... it was uncountable.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to vent. I want to sleep.¡± Mo Xuetong recalled what happened in the past and pushed the cape that he handed her away in annoyance.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, go with me...¡± Feng Yuran suddenly said with warmth in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong was furious at his impoliteness. Her face flushed red again. She was both shy and furious, she looked rather enraged. She said, ¡°If you talk to me like this again, then don¡¯te again. I shan¡¯t be bothered with you again.¡±

    He was used to teasing her that he really treated her as someone he could tease. An inexplicable annoyance filled her. She thought of how he used to tease others like this and how he was treating her the same way and was immediately annoyed. He picked up a cushion beside her and hit him forcefully.

    Then, he realized that he was the extremely devilish King Xuan and immediately sobered up. She swallowed but still appeared to be angry. She intended to try to outmaneuver him with his aura. However, her wandering eyes revealed her weakness.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s expression grew dark after being hit. He looked at Mo Xuetong and did not speak.

    Mo Xuetong grew flustered. He would not be so petty, would he!

    However, this prince had always been arrogant and impolite. He might not even do Emperor Zongwen a favor.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darted away, looking anxious. She backed away subconsciously. He wouldn¡¯t really be angry, would he!

    He looked at how the anger in her eyes disappeared and was reced with anxiety as well as weakness. The expressions on her face were highly entertaining. A sh ofughter shone in his beautiful eyes. She was so lively, it proved that she had forgotten her sadness earlier. He would not forget how sad and in pain the beautiful girl looked when he first stepped in.

    He would not forget how her hands shook slightly in his.

    ¡°Remember, you¡¯re not allowed to hit me the next time. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be so kind. Apany me to watch a show now or I will not forgive you so easily.¡± Feng Yuran picked up the cape and threw it at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned. She did not expect him to still be thinking about that. He did not seem like someone who would go to random ces because he was bored. Could it be that there really was something happening? She was not in the mood to read anyway.

    She took the cape and put it around herself silently. Feng Yuran reached out to help her smooth out the long fur on her cor and put the hat over her. He pushed the windows open slightly and reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist. Then, he jumped out forcefully and leaped into the air,nding on the wall of the courtyard nimbly.

    He looked at Mo Xuetong who was in his embrace. She was so frightened that she had shut her eyes tightly. Her longshes fluttered but she did not dare to open her eyes even when they stopped. He arranged her hat over her once again and felt her pale face blushing slightly under his hand. His dark eyes shone even brighter and his lips twitched up silently into a charming smile.

    He hugged her to him and they quickly left the Mo Manor¡¯s courtyard wall in a few jumps.

    Mo Xuetong did not know where they were going. However, she knew that Feng Yuran would not act without a n. She did not know where he was running towards and as such, opened her eyes secretly. She felt the objects around her blurred and hurtling backward. She shuddered slightly and wrapped her arms around his waist even tighter and did not dare to look again. Hiszyughter was carried to her ears and they sounded rather teasing.

    She was so annoyed she pinched his waist without even thinking.

    ¡°Hush, don¡¯t move around. Or I shan¡¯t do anything if you fall down.¡± His gentleughter sounded by her ears.

    Mo Xuetong could sense her body suddenly falling and she screamed. She hugged him even tighter, disregarding everything else. He wouldn¡¯t drop him, would he!

    Fortunately, the falling sensation slowed down. It was as if he had spotted a ce and theynded steadily. However, he continued hugging her tightly to him and she did not know what he was doing. She could hear the soft sounds of things being moved but one would not be able to hear it in the wind if they did not listen carefully.

    Mo Xuetong hesitated for a while before finally opening her eyes. It waspletely dark and she could only see his bright eyes that seemed to be smiling at her. He was extremely handsome. How could this man be so good-looking? His soulful eyes seemed to be full of emotions.

    How many women out there could withstand this gaze of his?

    Mo Xuetong avoided his eyes subconsciously and looked around. However, she realized that they were in a very odd ce. These tiles... they were on a roof!

    She could not help but sigh. This person was really unique. He walked on roofs as if he were on t ground. It was in the middle of winter and they were once again enjoying the cold breeze on a roof. She wondered what he was up to again.

    ¡°Where... Where is this?¡± Mo Xuetong was just about to speak when another gust of wind swept by. She closed her mouth hurriedly and lowered her head.

    Were they going to watch fireworks again! It¡¯s not the 15th of the month today.

    ¡°Guess?¡± Feng Yuran tugged her cape down and hugged her closer to him before he asked her with a light smile.

    ¡°On a roof.¡± Mo Xuetong answered honestly. Anyone could guess that.

    ¡°Whose roof is it?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a sweet smile. He did not stop what he was doing as he carefully moved the roof tiles away, piece by piece. The tiles looked expensive. They were reallyrge and only wealthy and noble people would have tiles like that.

    ¡°Are we in the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong swallowed and asked hesitantly. He watched as he nimbly lifted yet another piece of tile. They could already see some light from beneath. The room below was still lit. They could also hear soft voices. Was he really peeking at others on the roof of the pce?!

    If he were anyone else, Mo Xuetong would not make this guess. However, he was King Xuan. He could do anything that was impossible and ludicrous.

    ¡°How is that possible? Am I a person who does not know my limits?¡± Feng Yuran gave her the side-eye but did not stop working. He hugged her to him with his left hand while he moved the tiles with his right hand nimbly. He looked as if he had always been doing this.

    If he did not know his limits, then who did!

    Mo Xuetong was speechless as she watched him move the tiles of the roof dazedly. He did not make a single sound. If she was not watching him, she would not believe that he was so familiar with this action. Was he still the high and noble, phndering King Xuan?!

    The light beneath grew even more obvious and the voices were also clearer.

    Mo Xuetong grew curious. As such, she leaned into his chest quietly and waited for the answer to appear.

    A familiar voice could be heard with the removal of arge tile. When she heard what the person said, Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew cold as hatred shed in them. She sat up forcefully from his embrace. If Feng Yuran had not been watching her, the two of them would have fallen in.

 Chapter 243 - Beautiful Jade and King Xuanâ€™s Plots

    <strong>Chapter 243 Beautiful Jade and King Xuan¡¯s Plots</strong>

    Even though the boxes were notrge, they were so exquisite when put together that it made one sigh. One could tell that everything there was a treasure.

    No matter the jade bangles, earrings, or jade pieces and locks... they were all either made of jade, had jade embedded in them, or were jade with precious stones embedded on them. The color of the jade pieces was clear and extremely dazzling.

    ¡°This is from the Ding General Manor and this is from the Ping General Manor. This is from that youngdy from the Mingguo Manor and First Miss Mo of the Mo Manor sent this secretly.¡± Qin Yufeng pointed at the four boxes of varying sizes with his fan.

    ¡°It¡¯s not there?¡± Feng Yuxuan frowned, asking while he squatted down and riffled through the boxes.

    ¡°No. I checked it earlier. Other than the fact that these are all precious stuff, there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Qin Yufeng picked up a piece of jade and looked at it under the bright light in the room. It was as bright as day in the room.

    Feng Yuxuan did not say anything. He carefully checked through the jade in the four boxes before moving away disappointedly. He stood up and asked Qin Yufeng, ¡°How could it be possible that it¡¯s not there. If it¡¯s not here, are there things that still have not reached us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is still a portion in the manors. However, the target is too big and it would not be easy to find it.¡± Qin Yufeng frowned. In this case, the target was still big. Even though they knew that the treasure would not have been gifted to servants, there are many masters in the manor. It would not be easy to find if any one of them hid it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a mess now at the Mo Manor. You implied that you were not going to help First Miss Mo anymore, so why did you help her with this?¡± Feng Yuxuan asked casually as he took the warm towel a eunuch handed him and wiped his hand.

    Qin Yufeng smiled bitterly and also wiped his hand. Then, he walked to a nanmu wood chair and sat down. ¡°I was going to give up. But when I thought of how Yu Feng and Consort Yu were working together, I figured that if we could strike Mo Xuemin¡¯s sister and keep her down, it would be a good choice. On one hand, we would be able to continue going through Madam Mo¡¯s dowry through Mo Xuemin. On the other hand, we can also use Consort Yu to plead for His Highness. No matter how much trouble Consort Yu goes through, she does not have a son and would not be able to rise again.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan understood what he meant. If he were to secretly use Consort Yu¡¯s consolidated power, it would only be a good thing even if they failed and Consort Yu were to be implicated.

    As such, they had secretly instigated Consort Yu to work with other officials, and that was why the incident today had happened. Consort Yu meddled in Auntie Fang¡¯s matters. However, she did not imagine that the tides would turn so quickly. She had lostpletely in just mere moments. They heard that the concubine had been brought out of the Mo Manor in a mat. The matter had blown up after she was taken from the Mo Manor.

    After such a huge incident, Consort Yu did not dare to do anything and had already fled long ago.

    ¡°That Third Miss Mo is not one to underestimate!¡± Qin Yufeng put down his fan and took a cup of tea that was offered to him. He took a sip from it.

    One could not tell that the slender and weak woman was so capable. In just mere moments, she had turned the tides so stealthily. Even Qin Yufeng, who had always had good foresight and nning could not help but praise her. For some reason, she thought of her clear, beautiful eyes that were lively and cold. His head hurt. She had appeared in some of his dreams. That was odd. They had not interacted much.

    ¡°Yu Feng, this matter cannot be rushed. Since we can¡¯t find it and the Empress would not be able to get anything either. Since Father is not yet decided, anyone could be named the heir. We just have to stop the Empress from finding it. What do you think if I marry Third Miss Mo as a second consort?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s words shocked Qin Yufeng. He held his teacup and turned away, coughing softly to hide his shock. Then, he turned around, his expression having calmed down. He put down his teacup and picked up his fan, waving it as he cocked his head with a smile. He asked, ¡°Your Highness, when did you think of this? Are you giving up on First Miss Mopletely?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan stood up and paced around in frustration. Then, he stopped in front of Qin Yufeng and said, ¡°Since the Mo Manor has already be like that, First Miss Mo has long since lost her usefulness. Last time in the pce, I was dragged down by her and she almost got me a punishment from Father. Yet, you still protected her maid.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was just a maid, I would just employ her. She might be useful in the future. But it seems like the woman is stupid. She just wants to marry up and is a flirtatious sort. Who would be willing to marry her? Only Sima Lingyun, that idiot. She is a useless chess piece, what¡¯s the point of keeping her around?¡± Feng Yuxuan said sarcastically.

    ¡°If Your Highness marries Third Miss Mo as your second consort, First Miss Mo, as well as those working with and for her would be made useless. Do you think its worth it?¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s smile was light. He lookedpletely unconcerned as if he were watching on the scenes as someone who were not involved in the matter. He waspletely disengaged emotionally.

    Nheless, his tight eyes reflected something different.

    However, it was faint. It was so faint that King Chu, Feng Yuxuan did not notice at all.

    Feng Yuxuan frowned. He understood what Qin Yufeng was saying, of course. Mo Xuemin was useless now, but she had the support of the Yu family as well as Consort Yu, who was rted to the Yu family. He needed that desperately now. What was better than a secret alliance that he was not part of but could use!

    In recent days, his mother did not enjoy the favor of his father. Consort Yu, who had just entered the pce did though. If he buried this spy by his father¡¯s side, his father would never expect that he, who had nevere into contact much with the women of the pce, would be able to make use of his lover. This was much more important than anything else.

    In the future, when a crown prince is elected, his chances would be greater with the help of Consort Yu. And, should his father not elect a crown prince, and when his body fails, he would be able to gain a huge opportunity when the tides turn. Thepetition between him and Feng Yulei had already made his father be wary against the Empress and his mother. Only consorts who do not have children can gain his father¡¯s trust and he would listen to them.

    That was the most important thing during the most crucial period.

    ¡°We shall see.¡± Hesitance appeared on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s elegant face.

    ¡°Your Highness, you still have a different choice.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled leisurely. ¡°If Your Highness can take both sisters, you will be able to get the best of both worlds.¡±

    Marrying both sisters. Feng Yuxuan paused for a moment. This was a viable method, but when he thought of that gentle and beautiful face that had a hidden strength beneath, he fell silent. A girl like that would definitely not agree. Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong had already be enemies. The concubine had killed her mother, and Mo Xuemin had tried to hurt her again and again. Her life and reputation had almost been damaged by Mo Xuemin. How would that stubborn girl be able to share a husband with that woman?

    Furthermore, whenever he thought of Mo Xuemin, he felt disgusted, as if he had swallowed a fly.

    Feng Yuxuan flung out his hands and then objected, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that first. We should check through these things.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will investigate again. After all, many years have passed.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled and walked out. Nobody saw the relief in his eyes. He unfurled his clenched up left hand, looking like the intelligent Young Master Qin once more.

    On the other side!

    On the Yu Manor roof, Mo Xuetong stayed in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace. Her eyes were cold as she listened to the conversation below.

    It was Auntie Fang, Yu Feng, a woman she did not know, as well as Yu Feng¡¯s wife, Mdm Chen.

    ¡°Feng¡¯er, your sister did not mean to end up like that. We should think of a way to help her. How is that little slut from the Mo Manor so smart? Even you can¡¯t deal with her.¡± The old woman sounded like the Old Madam of the Yu Manor as she spoke sharply to Yu Feng. Auntie Fang had cried andined earlier, and looking at how pathetic Auntie Fang looked now, the olddy felt her heart breaking.

    ¡°Mother, sister was the one who did this to herself. Why did she admit to hurting Mdm Mo? This would not be forgiven no matter which family it is. Mo Huawen did not flog her to death because she is the mother of his two children. I can¡¯t do anything to send her back to the Mo Manor now.¡± Yu Feng just wanted to hit Auntie Fang to death. Mdm Chen had already analyzed the matter to him earlier, and there were a hundred disadvantages and not a single advantage to keeping Auntie Fang around.

    However, he could not tell that to his mother, and he could only answer her in a roundabout manner.

    ¡°She is your younger sister. Someone took her away when she was younger. Otherwise, how would she be a concubine? Feng¡¯er, no matter what, you have to think of something for your younger sister. You have to let her return to the Mo Manor through legal means. When Feng¡¯er takes charge of the Mo Manor, your younger sister would be the Old Madam of the manor.¡± Old Madam Yu hit the ground with her cane, unwilling to back down.

    Since Auntie Fang had been thrown out, even if Mo Yufeng were to take charge of the Mo Manor in the future, Auntie Fang would still not be a proper madam.

    However, a concubine who had been thrown out and hadmitted such crimes would not be epted again by the Mo Manor. Yu Feng paced around in frustration, feeling extremely troubled. This matter had definitely affected the Yu family. First, it was Yu Sirong, then, it was Auntie Fang. How would others think of the girls in the Yu family in the future?

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. We can¡¯t rush this matter. We might as well send her to the countryside to recuperate. Your daughter-inw set up a house out there, the scenery is pretty good. Send her there to recuperate and then we can discuss the matter again.¡± Mdm Chen persuaded the Old Madam. She had her ns and Auntie Fang was a hinderance right now if she were to stay in the capital. Furthermore, her reputation was terrible. Even though she hated the little slut, she knew that they could not keep Auntie Fang here.

    ¡°Shut up, when is it your turn to talk? Son, if you want to send your younger sister to the countryside, you might as well send me there. We women really have terrible lives. I worked hard to raise you all, but look at what¡¯s happening now. You have your wife and you have forgotten about your mother...¡± The Old Madam pushed her daughter-inw who was standing in front of her aside and bellowed.

    ¡°Mother, Mother...¡± Auntie Fang howled.

    ¡°Mother, I did not mean that...¡± Mdm Chen sweated profusely.

    ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t mean that? I¡¯ve seen useless people, but I have never seen someone as useless as you both. Your daughter¡¯s reputation has been ruined and she was disfigured. Yet, you didn¡¯t even say anything. Now that your own sister has beennded in such a terrible state, you still think of avoiding the matter. If everyone in the Yu family behaves like you, we would be too embarrassed to go out. She¡¯s just a little slut, and to think that you work out there...¡± The Old Madamined.

    This infuriated Yu Feng. His daughter was disfigured. She was his eldest legitimate daughter and was beautiful. She could have married someone in court to hook him up with powerful and wealthy connections. However, something like that had happened not long after they came to the capital. Her life was ruined. How could he not hate the instigator from the Mo family?

    ¡°Mother, I was wrong. Younger Sister can rest here and I will not let that little slut off easily.¡± Mdm Chen¡¯s ire was stoked as well. A hint of viciousness shed through her eyes.

    ¡°Sister-inw, Consort Yu will definitely help us. As long as the little slut is around, my children and I will not be safe. As long as we beg Consort Yu for help, I will give most of Luo Xia¡¯s jewelry to her.¡± Auntie Fang had long sobered up by then and a sh of darkness glinted in his eyes.

    She did not expect the little slut to be so smart. She had distracted her so much that she had even mentioned what happened back then.

    She did not have much hope of returning to the Mo Manor now. She only hoped that they can get rid of that little slut Mo Xuetong. She knew that if she did not get rid of her, Min¡¯er and Feng¡¯er would never be able to seed.

    The people beneath gathered together and started to plot softly...

 Chapter 244 - You Bit Me, Id Be Embarrassed

    <h4>Chapter 244 You Bit Me, I¡¯d Be Embarrassed</h4>

    Mo Xuetong could not remember how Feng Yuran sent her home. Her hands and feet were still icy cold when she returned to her room.

    Auntie Fang was still well and alive to plot against her. This made her feel terrible.

    She thought of her deceased mother and how she had died in that woman¡¯s hands. Rage filled her vision earlier and she had almost rushed down if Feng Yuran had not hugged her tightly and covered her mouth. She did not know why she was so rash, she had even bit the hand Feng Yuran ced over her mouth.

    The hand was ced before her under the light. The clear teeth marks proved how irrational she was earlier.

    ¡°You bit my hand. If Father sees this tomorrow, he will definitely ask who did it. I would be embarrassed then.¡± Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows at the end of his deration. A hint of a smile passed through his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips and felt a little ashamed. She had always had self-control, so why had she lost control earlier? Was it because she heard how disrespectful they were to her mother or was it because they mentioned poisoning her during their conversation? She did not expect that Auntie Fang had long since met up with the Yu family.

    They met up not long after Auntie Fang became a concubine.

    She did not expect that the Yu family had been the one to deliver the poison that had poisoned her mother.

    The seemingly kind and benevolent Old Madam Yu was the instigator behind Auntie Fang. Mo Xuetong wanted to tear her face off. In her past life, the Old Madam Yu had always acted very benevolent after Auntie Fang became Mo Huawen¡¯s legal wife. She would bring the same good food and things for Mo Xuetong and Mo Xuemin every time she visited the Mo Manor. Mo Xuetong had been very grateful to her then.

    She even thought that her maternal family was not as considerate as Old Madam Yu was.

    She had never imagined that the old woman was the most vicious one. She had helped Auntie Fang to plot against Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother just so her daughter would be the legal wife.

    Her eyes were cold and filled with hurt. The forbearance in her eyes made one¡¯s heart hurt for her. She bit her lips, which were pale and bleeding, forcefully.

    Feng Yuran could not help but reach out as if he wanted to hold her hand. However, he suddenly stopped beside her hand and then moved away, instead, pulling her into his embrace. The girl in his embrace shook slightly. ¡°Be good, don¡¯t cry. The Yu family will not be able tost any longer. Then, I will get rid of the entire family to help you vent your anger.¡±

    Heforted her gently, disying a clumsiness he did not usually show. It was obvious that he had neverforted anyone before. Furthermore, it was obvious that this person, who did not know how tofort others, had wanted to find a way to torture her enemies earlier when he said he would take her out to vent her anger. He thought that thinking of ways to torture them would make her feel better, but did not understand why she was even angrier upon their return.

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment. She did not expect him to be so forward. Their hugging on the roof was out of necessity, but if they still hugged here, it would be inappropriate. However, she felt that his solid chest was warm and was what she needed most now. Tears filled her eyes for some reason.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cry if you wish to!¡±

    This was thest straw. The tears in her eyes rolled down her icy cold cheeks like pearls. She was cold, even her heart was. At first, there was still a forced smile on her face but in the end, she was engulfed by sadness.

    At this moment, she hadpletely forgotten her self-restraint, coldness, and distance. She felt that this hug was her harbor. She could cry to her heart¡¯s content and did not need to care that others might be watching her. She had to be extremely careful at all times in the past and was unwilling to have much to do with King Xuan.

    She did not have to care about all that now.

    Her mother¡¯s hurt, pain, and wrongful death. Her father had let Auntie Fang off so easily. All of this remained in her heart and she found it hard to bear. The warmth he provided allowed her to cry so much she choked with sobs.

    Mo Ye, who had been waiting outside heard themotion inside. She wanted to stand up when a figure shed outside the window. She looked carefully and found that it was Mo Feng. Mo Feng made a sign with his hands and gestured that King Xuan was inside and for her to ignore what was happening inside. Mo Ye sat up and listened carefully. She shook her head and went back to sleep when she only heard her mistress sobbing silently.

    Her mistress had never been afraid in the face of danger and was gracious, intelligent, and witty. This had all left a deep impression in Mo Ye. She saw everything that happened today and knew what troubled her mistress. However, her mistress had not cried and went to bed early.

    That was not right!

    Mo Ye had been trained and knew that if a person did not vent his or her emotions, it would damage one¡¯s body. This was especially so for Mo Xuetong, who was in poor health. She had heard that Mo Xuetong had almost died in the Qin Manor. If she was upset and kept it bottled up, she would eventually fall sick and that would be bad.

    Many women in the inner courtyards died early because of poor health brought about by depression.

    It was good, for at least Mo Xuetong was crying now. Her master had not made a wasted trip.

    Mo Xuetong cried for a long while against Feng Yuran¡¯s chest. She did not know where she was and how much time had passed but she stopped after a long while.

    She pushed Feng Yuran away. Her voice was stuffy and muffled as she said, ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Feng Yuran said with a light smile. However, his eyes shone brightly. One could feel his heated gaze even in the cold night.

    Mo Xuetong looked up into the sky, feeling lost and helpless. Her long slender fingers were pale because of the strength she had exerted as she ced them at her knees. They were more beautiful than her ne skirts and shone in the light like porcin.

    She turned around slowly when she heard Feng Yuran¡¯s questions. Her gazended on his handsome and gentle face. Her expression was one of confusion whichter cleared up. Her fingers moved by her skirt and her eyes grew more lively.

    ¡°Do you want to avenge your mother?¡± Feng Yuran nced at her and asked her temptingly. It was as if he had not found her regaining her wits awkwardly at all or the blush on her cheeks.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s shyness and guilt abated because of his acting naturally.

    She bit her lips but did not say anything. She had embarrassed herself by crying bitterly in his chest. She really could not discuss important matters as if nothing happened immediately after that. She looked down, trying to hide the awkwardness she felt.

    ¡°Say, if your maternal family finds out about this, what would they do? Would they seek out the Yu Manor for justice? I heard that your maternal grandmother was a mighty character back in those days. Would she go straight to the Yu Manor to beat up that evil old woman?¡± Feng Yuran did not care about her attitude and instead started to speak whileughing.

    Have her maternal grandmother go to the Yu Manor to fight that evil old woman? Mo Xuetong immediately rejected this thought. Her mind whirled. The Fu General Manor was not in a very positive situation now. The flower that had been sent to the manor out of nowhere was something that had troubled her. She would not allow anything to happen to the Fu General Manor.

    The enemy from an unknown ce was thinking of turning the Fu General Manor upside down.

    At this time, the Fu General Manor must not take one wrong step and allow others to get information that could be used against them.

    She would avenge her mother and would not implicate her family doing so.

    ¡°Forget it, since you are undecided, I will decide for you. Men.¡± Feng Yuran called out.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± The figure outside the window startled Mo Xuetong. She ignored the awkwardness she felt earlier in her current haste and said anxiously, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t tell my maternal grandmother about this!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Feng Yuran asked.

    ¡°Tell your men to leave and I will tell you in detail.¡± Mo Xuetong was focused entirely on the matter and had forgotten all the awkwardness she felt earlier.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Feng Yuran waved his hand and the figure disappeared in a sh. ¡°Do you not want to avenge your mother?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to implicate my maternal family. Since those people want me to die, I won¡¯t sit around and do nothing either. If we did not let Auntie Fang go home today, we would not know that the Yu family was involved as well.¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly. A sh of sharp coldness appeared in her eyes.

    The people of the Yu Manor deserved to die!

    Did Auntie Fang think that everything was over after she returned home? She couldn¡¯t take it even now? Mo Xuetong wondered if her ability to withstand this would be as strong as her viciousness as she watched her daughter¡¯s fall from grace!

    ¡°Then it means that your father has done the right thing in letting Auntie Fang back today. If she had not made such a scene, you would not have known that your greatest enemy is the Yu family,¡± said Feng Yuran with a raised brow.

    Mo Xuetong fell silent and the chilliness in her eyes melted slightly. Did her father really mean for this to happen? If this was so, her father would definitely want to find out what happened then more than she did. Then why did he not tell her about it? Could it be that her father was intentionally hiding something from her?

    ¡°When we were in the Yu Manor, we saw a man in ck inside the room. He came after us and left before us, so he did not realize we were there. I got someone to follow him and that person returned to the Mo Manor and entered your father¡¯s study.¡± Feng Yuran reminded her.

    Her father had sent someone to watch Auntie Fang? That meant that her father knew that Auntie Fang had tried to hurt her!

    Mo Xuetong suddenly lifted her head.

    ¡°Oh right, your father is making a move as well. He will not allow the person who killed your mother to get off so easily.¡± Feng Yuran nodded, giving credence to this idea.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly felt her heart twist in pain at that moment and she felt like crying for some reason. She forced her heart to calm down, telling herself again and again that she did not have to be sad. Her father had not forgotten her mother. He would not let that evil woman off so easily and will definitely avenge her mother.

    However, this made Mo Xuetong even sadder. Her usually strong heart seemed to have be extremely fragile. Just a slight touch made it so painful she could not breathe. She clutched the table, letting the corner gouge into her palms. Yet, the pain could not cover the fragility in her heart.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s heart clenched when he saw the wetness in her eyes. He immediately turned around and said with a frown on his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s the 15th of the month tomorrow but I might not be able to apany you to view thenterns tomorrow night. I don¡¯t know why the First Prince of Yan Kingdom is in such a hurry to arrive on the 15th so coincidentally. He¡¯s ruined my ns.¡± Feng Yuran said in extreme dissatisfaction. His eyes shone with stronger grief than Mo Xuetong¡¯s. ¡°How about youe with me to wee the First Prince of Yan Kingdom tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Who am I to do that? I won¡¯t go.¡± Mo Xuetong answered subconsciously while her mind ran wild with thoughts.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you¡¯re ming me for not giving you a title. Alright, then I shall ask Father to let me marry you.¡± Feng Yuran said teasingly even though he saw the dissatisfied look on her teary face. She looked extremely pitiful.

    Mo Xuetong paused and realized that she was being teased. Her face med up and she red at him.

    This person was simply too shameless!

    She said gloomily, ¡°I¡¯m still mourning.¡±

    ¡°Then can you marry me immediately after the grieving period passes? Let me calcte, that¡¯s still more than a year away. You have to recuperate well, you¡¯re too skinny.¡± Feng Yuran nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s skinny frame, looking rather serious.

    That scoundrel!

    Mo Xuetong grew angry and she picked up a cushion by her side and tossed it at him.

    In terms of shamelessness, she was far from Feng Yuran¡¯s match. The man had already had many women to be so shameless. Mo Xuetong felt annoyed when she thought of that. She picked up another cushion and tossed it at him fiercely.

    Feng Yuran caught it swiftly. A charming smile appeared on his handsome face. Then, he tossed the cushions onto the bed. Theynded with one on top of the other.

    Mo Xuetong flushed red and she could not help but look at him. She was flustered by his smile. There were not many women in the world who would not be affected by the handsome man¡¯s brilliant smile. Furthermore, she did not miss the gentleness in his eyes.

    Her heart softened for some reason!

 Chapter 245 - Suspicion and Bai Yihao The Physician

    <h4>Chapter 245 Suspicion and Bai Yihao The Physician</h4>

    Mo Xuetong woke up very early the next day. She cleaned up a little and set off for the Fu General Manor. She had to stop her maternal grandmother before she red up. She arrived at just the right time. The Old Madam had brought her servants and some other men with her early in the morning. It was a mess and Mo Xuetong arrived at just the right time.

    She finally managed to persuade the Old Madam to return to her room after a long while.

    She said that her father had a way to deal with the Yu family and asked the Old Madam to wait. The Old Madam only barely managed to keep her anger in check then. However, she asked the servants to get Mo Xuetong¡¯s second uncle, Luo Bin and ordered him to ¡°take care¡± of the Yu family in the future. He was not to allow the people of the Yu Manor to ck off. The Old Madam felt upset when she thought of how her daughter had been poisoned to death.

    She looked at Mo Xuetong who was lying in her embrace and thought of how the girl had lost her mother at such a young age and started to weep.

    Mo Xuetong cried along with the Old Madam. She suddenly realized that the woman¡¯s face was very pale and hurriedly called for Luo Wenyou.

    Luo Wenyou hurried to find a physician while Mo Xuetong helped the Old Madam toy down. The entire ce was thrown into chaos.

    Bai Yihao was dragged to the room by Luo Wenyou then.

    Bai Yihao took his hands off the Old Madam¡¯s wrist after taking her pulse and looked at Luo Wenyou. Luo Wenyou immediately understood his intentions and followed him out of the room. Mo Xuetong was worried and followed them out as well.

    ¡°Sir Bai, how is my grandmother? Is she alright?¡± Luo Wenyou asked worriedly before Bai Yihao could sit down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She was just too worried and angry. She is in poor health, which is why she is so weak. She just needs to rest well and not be so worried and angry and she will be fine.¡± Bai Yihao said lightly. He picked up a brush and wrote a prescription.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but look at the wless and handsome youth when she heard that her grandmother was fine. Unlike how he was usually, Bai Yihao wore a blue cape with dragon embroidery over his white outer robes. His ck hair was tied up with a ribbon andid casually over his shoulder. He looked elegant and noble.

    However, his appearance today made him seem even more solemn, majestic, and nobler.

    He could just stand there silently, but his aura, disposition, and elegance were way more evident than many in the world. There were not many who couldpare to him.

    However, he obviously looked ready to go out. Could he have known that her grandmother was ill and was just waiting there? Mo Xuetong could not help but raise her brows.

    ¡°Sir Bai, I invited you here in a hurry because my grandmother was very ill. You must be tired.¡± Luo Wenyou said guiltily, having calmed down then.

    It¡¯s alright, but I heard that Eldest Brother ising, so I want to go to the pce to take a look. However, the pce still has not sent any message yet, so I think he is not here yet.¡± Bai Yihao looked up and ced the prescription in Luo Wenyou¡¯s hand. Then, he smiled politely at Mo Xuetong as if he had just noticed her.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her head as he looked up to hide the wariness in her eyes. He was the one who had pushed her into the spotlight, causing her to lose her hiding ce. She had appeared before all but did not have the ability to protect herself. Why had he done this?

    Given his abilities, he did not have to pretend to be a noble person before others, as if he was not interested in politics. If he wanted, Mo Xuetong knew, the Yan Kingdom throne was his. Even though he was not the Yan Emperor¡¯s only legal son nor the eldest, he had been made the Crown Prince.

    Mo Xuetong even had a feeling that he was the one who had wanted toe to Qin to be a hostage!

    But why did he want toe to Qin? This was something Mo Xuetong could not understand no matter how she tried to think about it. Just like why he had focused on her. This was something Mo Xuetong could not understand.

    When Mo Xuetong saw him and thought of his cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness in the future, Mo Xuetong felt numbness crawling up her spine. She thought of how she hade to his attention but she did not have the ability to fight him and felt afraid. This person was too mysterious and dangerous. Furthermore, he was using Mo Xuetong as a chess piece. What did he want?

    She could not understand but had to.

    Her lowered eyesnded on the simple and sleek jade belt he was wearing. She suddenly realized that he was slowly approaching him and could not help but feel nervous.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, was the Old Madam ill before?¡± He asked casually.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be more appropriate if he asked her cousin this?

    Mo Xuetong could not help but unclench her tightly clenched fist. She loosened her tight facial muscles and looked up with a smile. He was indeed looking at her. His gaze was silent, but there was something in it that she could not understand. His voice was clear and gentle, just like jade.

    It was a voice that could leave a good impression.

    ¡°Grandmother has always been poorly, and when Aunt...pased away, she was gravely ill. We got many physicians to treat her and she only left the bed after six months.¡± Luo Wenyou answered. He hesitated when he mentioned his aunt and looked at Mo Xuetong carefully.

    ¡°No wonder...¡± Bai Yihao smiled lightly. He turned around and started writing again before passing the paper to Luo Wenyou. ¡°This is to regte the Old Madam¡¯s body. She is too weak and eating nourishing things would not help. It would be more helpful to regte her diet.¡±

    Luo Wenyou epted the prescription and said happily, ¡°Cousin Tong, keep Sir Baipany here. I will get someone to make the medicine immediately.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Mo Xuetong answered softly. Her expression had already returned to normal.

    Luo Wenyou left hurriedly while ordering the servant beside him to buy medicine and getting the maid waiting at the door to see how the Old Madam was. He also ordered the maids outside the room to do various things.

    It was very quiet inside the room.

    Bai Yihao looked at Mo Xuetong with gentle eyes and pointed at a chair, gesturing for her to sit.

    After an awkward silence, Mo Xuetong walked over to the other side of the table and sat down. He picked up the books ced on one side, put it between them, and gestured for her to put her hand on the stack of books.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, you seem to have even gotten thinner recently. Are you feeling unwell? Let me take a look.¡± He pointed at the books and gestured for her to put her hand on the books.

    Bai Yihao stretched out his long, slender, and pale hand and ced it by the book. His smile was light and his eyes distant. One could not see anything odd from here.

    He was so gracious, so Mo Xuetong did not want to be petty. She stretched out her hand after a moment of hesitation.

    His long slender fingersnded on her tender and pale hand. His hand made hers look pale and weak. Mo Xuetong watched Bai Yihao¡¯s expression silently, trying to find out why he was doing this. However, he was elegant and quiet and did not seem to be behaving out of the ordinary at all.

    ¡°The other hand please, Third Miss Mo.¡± Bai Yihao looked up with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong pulled back her left hand and ced her right hand onto the stack of books with a slight frown.

    The diagnosis was taking a longer time than usual. It was much longer than the time he took to diagnose her grandmother. His clear eyes were hidden beneath his longshes and she could not tell what he wanted to do. It made her feel grave for some reason.

    ¡°Sir Bai, is something the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in confusion.

    Given Bai Yihao¡¯s abilities, did he need this long to diagnose a person?

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, did you have your period recently and was upset and tired? Your body is a little weak. If you do not lighten up, and your periods will be unpredictable. It would affect your children in the future.¡± Bai Yihao looked up slowly with a smile. His voice was just as gentle and elegant before. He was calm and did not sound angry.

    However, Mo Xuetong flushed immediately when she heard that.

    Her cold, beautiful face immediately med up. How could he say that to an unmarried girl!

    Her health had always been poor. That was true. She did start her period a few days ago, signifying that she was an adult now. However, this was something so embarrassing. Mo Xuetong felt herself flushing when she heard him say that. Even though he was a physician, he should not be saying something like that to a girl.

    This, this was too much!

    Mo Xuetong almost wanted to leave right there and then. Was this a topic that an unmarried girl could speak about with a handsome young man?!

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, please hold on. Let me write you a prescription, or you will definitely fall gravely ill within the year and might not be able to recover.¡± Bai Yihao stood up as if he did not see the bright red flush on her pale face. He turned his back to her and went to the table. The papers he wrote prescriptions on were stillid out there.

    He thought for a moment before writing.

    Mo Xuetong was startled when she saw how naturally he was acting. The shyness on her expression abated a little. And because he was not looking at her, the awkwardness she felt faded slightly as well. She pondered on what he said and frowned slightly. Was her health that weak? Wasn¡¯t she almost recovered after this period of recuperation?

    Even Mother Xu was happy at the arrival of her period. She had secretly hinted several times and expressed that Mo Xuetong was really recovered. She would be able to have children when she married. Why did Bai Yihao say that there was something wrong with her?

    Mo Xuetong did not believe that Bai Yihao would lie to her about something like that. He did make use of her and push her into the spotlight. Furthermore, he was such a prideful person. He would not do something as low-ss as this.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, eat less cold foods in the future and consume less nourishing things. You need to slowly recuperate and should not eat foods that are too heaty or cold. The items written on this prescription are the best for you. You have always been reading medical texts and should know about them.¡± Bai Yihao turned around and handed the prescription to Mo Xuetong with a slight smile.

    ¡°Many thanks, Sir Bai.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was still burning but her expression had already calmed down. She curtsied to Bai Yihao and took the prescription. Indeed, she had seen most of the herbs on the prescription and knew that they were beneficial to the human body. However, she had never thought that they could be used together like this.

    ¡°I heard that you quite like medicine. I wonder if you like acupuncture?¡± Bai Yihao asked suddenly and stared into Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    Acupuncture! Mo Xuetong liked it, of course. However, there was no one to teach her so she did not dare to start anything. She had once wanted to learn it, but acupuncture was different from medicine. Even though she wanted to try it, she could not do anything about it and could only give up. When she heard Bai Yihao¡¯s question, she could not help but look up in shock. She did not understand why he was asking her that.

    ¡°If Third Miss Mo is interested, I can teach you acupuncture.¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s voice was elegant, gentle, and gracious. Coupled with the faint smile on his handsome face, many would put down their guards against him. However, Mo Xuetong backed away and lowered her head, saying, ¡°Many thanks for your kindness, Sir Bai but I cannot learn acupuncture from you.¡±

    Firstly, it was inappropriate for an unmarried girl to keep meeting a man whom she was not rted to.

    Secondly, she did not wish to be so close to Bai Yihao! He had only met her a few times before making use of her. She still did not know why until now. Mo Xuetong did not think that learning acupuncture from him was a good idea. Not knowing acupuncture was better than being used as a chess piece by him. Behind his gentle, elegant, and harmless face, was a cold and vicious heart.

    She would not be tricked by such appearance in her second life.

 Chapter 246 - Abandoned. The Yu Family Falls

    <strong>Chapter 246 Abandoned. The Yu Family Falls</strong>

    In the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, stood a beautiful red jade screen on a luxurious tform that separated the room into two. There was arge table near the window of the inner room. A yellow jade hindustan scalloped vase sat on the table with two red plum blossoms in it. There was a painting of a man listening to the stream hung on the wall. There were three sticks of incense in a jade incense pot with heron patterns on it beside the painting. Incense smoke wafted in the air.

    On the other side was a fake daffodil nt with jade adornment. It looked very realistic and even the crystal-like petals shone brilliantly. It was obvious that it was a precious object.

    There were twomps hanging on themp holders by two sides. Themps were iid with gold and diamond with floral patterns made by precious stones. There were also amber tassels hanging from themp holders.

    Everything in the room was extremely expensive and belonged to the Princess Royal, whom Emperor Zongwen doted on. However, the Princess Royal who was seated in the room was unlike her usual gracious self. She pinched the jade beads in her hands and threw it on the table.

    ¡°How could the Fu General Manor find her a husband like that? They¡¯re too terrible.¡± The Princess Royal said angrily.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Fu General Manor does not know about this either. Who would have thought that the man would marry such a vicious woman who would hurt Miss Luo?¡± said an old woman in her 50s in a wizened voice.

    There was no one else in the room. It was evident that the Princess trusted the old woman.

    ¡°Princess, don¡¯t say that. Everyone knows that the Old Madam likes Miss Luo. She must not have considered things carefully and it had to be a careless mistake. Didn¡¯t you use to say that Mo Huawen was very elegant, noble and talented, and would make a good husband?¡± The Old Madamforted her.

    ¡°But wet nurse, Luo Xia...¡± The Princess Royal wanted to continue but suddenly stopped. She stood up and said hatefully, ¡°I won¡¯t just let this rest. The Yu family has to pay the price since they dared to touch her. Consort Yu has just entered the pce and I fear she thinks she has managed to soar up the socialdder to be a phoenix.¡±

    Then, she ignored the wet nurse who called for her from behind and left the inner chambers with an angry expression. She was about to think of a way to enter the pce and make things difficult for Consort Yu.

    Inside the Pce, Consort Yu did not imagine that she had infuriated the gracious and elegant Princess Royal for no reason.

    She was having a hard time as well.

    First, the Emperor had sent an edict rebuking her. The eunuch who worked for Emperor Zongwen had treated her coldly when she received the edict. He did not even take her silver pin before leaving after he read out the edict!

    That had never happened before. Consort Yu was a favored concubine right now and everyone in the pce who saw her greeted her politely. Even the lead eunuch by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side, Liu Xi, greeted her politely every time he saw her. When had she ever been treated so coldly?

    The Empress sent an edict just as Consort Yu was trembling in anger. She had sent a pair of jade rulers as a sign that Consort Yu should be punished.

    ¡°Your Highness, Consort Yu, the Empress wants you to remember your ce. The things that happen outside the pce has nothing to do with a consort. Officials will take charge of what happens in court. If you reach too far, your hands will be chopped off.¡± The lead pce maid who worked for the Empress smiled coldly and put down the jade rulers before leaving.

    If one were to say that Emperor Zongwen had only disyed his displeasure slightly, then the Empress¡¯ words were a direct p to her face.

    When everyone left, Consort Yu unclenched her tightly wound fist. When had she ever been shamed as much?

    However, she knew that she did not have the power to fight.

    In the days since she entered the pce, she had been doted on by the Emperor who favored her. That was why she contacted the Yu family. However, she did not expect the Yu family to be so useless and to get into such trouble, implicating her. The Empress had already reached out to give her a stern warning.

    However, the two edicts had also reminded her that without the protection of Emperor Zongwen, she was nothing. What she had to do now, was to gain the forgiveness of the Emperor. She did not have any children and if she lost favor, there would be many other imperial consorts who wille to shame her. As for working with the officials outside, she had to wait for when she had children before she could do anything.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Yu family sent someone here. Do you want to meet the person?¡± A pce maid entered and helped her up, whispering in her ear.

    ¡°Tell the person that I am busy and do not have time for them. We are only distantly rted and are not really family. They do not have toe if I do not call for them.¡± Said Consort Yu coldly. She had already found a good backing but did not expect that the backing was a trap.

    Consort Yu who had finallye to her senses would cut them off immediately.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The pce maid did not dare to say anything else. She moved to the side hall where Mdm Chen had been waiting for long anxiously. When she saw the pce maid, she hurried up to her and asked, ¡°What did Her Highness say?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness said that you do not need toe to the pce again. She cannot help with what¡¯s happening with your family. Please leave!¡± The pce maid said coldly.

    Mdm Chen was startled. She did not expect Consort Yu topletely ignore her. Consort Yu was trying to break things offpletely with the Yu family. Mdm Chen felt extremely anxious and spoke carelessly, ¡°Please, Miss, please report to Her Highness again and say that I have a way to deal with the Mo Manor.¡±

    Deal with the Mo Manor? Why would the consort need to deal with the Mo Manor? The consort¡¯s final goal is to bring Sir Mo into her camp. They were about to be enemies in this situation, why would she still need to deal with them? The lead pce maid looked at Mdm Chen with a disdainful expression.

    ¡°Madam, Her Highness will not care about what is going on between your manor and the Mo Manor. Please leave.¡± The pce maid did not wish to speak with Mdm Chen any longer. She waved her hand and ordered two eunuchs toe forth. She continued, ¡°Mdm Chen, please return to your manor. Our Caiwei Pce is too small for the Yu Manor.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Two eunuchs came forth and they each took one of Mdm Chen¡¯s arm and dragged her out without hesitation.

    They dragged her out of the pce and closed the doors of Caiwei Pce behind them. Mdm Chen could not do anything but leave the pce. She saw many people on her way out and noticed their disdainful nces at her from time to time. Mdm Chen did not expect to be treated like this in the pce and could not even think of a way to deal with it at the moment. She left the pce with her head lowered in shame.

    Mdm Chen had not even reached home with the orders from the Ministry of Personnel arrived. Yu Feng had been a fifth-grade government sub-prefect. It was an official position. He intended to stay in the capital after being sent to various ces for so many years. The Ministry of Personnel had at first wanted to give him a position as a fifth-grade assistant head in the Office of Imperial Kitchen. Even though it was the same grade position, being an official in the capital was different from being a local official.

    It was a promotion in actual fact.

    However, the position that Yu Feng now received was to be a sixth-grade overseer in the Office Imperial Kitchen. It was a two-grade demotion and he did not have any power in his official position. These positions were usually for the sons of noble families. All they had to do was to take the roll-call asionally. Nobody cared if they really went to work or not. All they did was to receive their sry.

    It was a reward from the court to the noble families. Who would really allow capable subordinates to take up such a job?

    Yu Feng epted the task. He was so angry he stood up and asked the official who sent the task, ¡°Sir, why is it a post as an overseer in the Office of Imperial Kitchen? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be the position as an assistant head of the Office of Imperial Kitchen?¡± He had heard about this two days ago. Why had it changed so suddenly?

    ¡°Sir Yu, these are orders from above and I do not know. As for the position as assistant-head, my peer has gone to announce it earlier. The edict must have already been given.¡± The person who had sent the tasks had a good temper. He even managed to rub his hands together and smile in such a situation.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Yu Feng asked with gritted teeth.

    ¡°It is no one special, but Sir Yu would definitely know this person. He is Sir Wen Lin who came with you to the capital to take up a position here. I heard that the two of you are of the same age. You two will definitely be able to get along harmoniously to deal with matters in the future.¡± The person smiled and exined.

    Yu Feng was so angry when he heard that he almost fell backward.

    Wen Lin. Of course, he knew of that person. Wen Lin had been in thest ce when they took the exams and he was the most incapable among all of them. Whenever their peers met, they would always talk about Wen Lin, smile and shake their heads. They had alle to the capital to take up official positions, and Wen Lin saw Yu Feng, he used to address him politely and butter up to him. However, Wen Lin was now Yu Feng¡¯s superior now.

    How could Yu Feng take that lying down?

    ¡°Sir Yu, I still have something on and shall not keep youpany. Congrattions on your promotion.¡± The person smiled and left with his servants trailing behind him.

    Why did his words sound as if he were mocking Yu Feng?

    Promotion? He wanted to congratte Yu Feng on his promotion? Who was promoted? Yu Feng kicked someone from the family who went up to congratte him and entered his room angrily.

    He had only just sat down when Mdm Chen returned from the pce, her clothes untidy and ruffled. She pulled out a n from her shirt and pushed it to Yu Feng. It was the n they hade up with that day. However, Consort Yu had thrown her out before she could even execute it. Consort Yu had not even taken a look at it.

    ¡°Old Sir, I heard many people talking about the Mo Manor on my way back. Your younger sister is now known to be evil and vicious. It this goes on, your reputation...¡± Mdm Chen felt very annoyed. She had been very confident about getting rid of Mo Xuetong when she entered the pce earlier. However, she was only worried about her own matters now.

    If this went on, Yu Feng¡¯s future would be ruined. Even if he stayed in the capital, he would just be an insignificant sixth-grade official. There were so many people on the streets and a sixth-grade official was one with no power. He was no better than a servant in an important department.

    ¡°Old Sir, should we send your sister to the countryside?¡± Mdm Chen could not help but ask.

    ¡°That, that¡¯s not very good. My mother will not agree. My younger sister suffered a lot since she was a child. We should help and protect her at a time like this.¡± Yu Feng could not help but sigh. He still felt a brotherly sense of responsibility and love for his sister.

    ¡°It was not your fault. It is already very lucky that we found your younger sister. Why do you have to suffer the consequences? Even though Mother dotes on younger sister, how can she not dote on you? When Rong¡¯er got into trouble. Mother had said that we should send her to the family temple in Cloud City to protect your reputation. Why can¡¯t she bear it now that it is your sister who had gotten into trouble?¡± Mdm Chenined, unable to hide the anger she felt.

    Her daughter had always been filial to the Old Madam, but the Old Madam had not doted on her. Rong¡¯er had been abandoned after she got into trouble. Her daughter was so young. That evil woman was so evil and vicious, and yet, the Old Madam wanted to protect her. Mdm Chen gritted her teeth silently when she thought of how she was treated in the pce.

    Yu Feng paused at what she said and was speechless.

    ¡°Old Sir, if we keep her in this house, you will bear the brunt of all the gossip in the city. The Fu General Manor has not yet struck yet. You are a sixth-grade official and cannot fight with them. They are a legacy family with hundreds of years of history. Consort Yu said that she would not bother herself with the matters of our family. You went through so much trouble to get her to acknowledge us as her rtives...¡± Mdm Chen said with a cold smile on the corners of her lips.

    Yu Feng felt troubled when he thought of how powerful the Fu General Manor was. He stood up suddenly and said to the servants outside, ¡°Men, take the concubine to our home in the countryside.¡±

    He did not even call her his sister. He pretended to be confused and refused to acknowledge their rtionship.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give in to her too much when you send her there. She is a concubine and did many chores in the past. You don¡¯t have to worry that she will be too tired from doing chores.¡± Mdm Chen went to the halls and secretly ordered the maids there. It would be for the best if they could torture Auntie Fang to death. It would stop more trouble from happening.

    ¡°Furthermore, who knows what will happen in that sort of ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡± The maid understood and left. Yu Feng, who was in the main hall, pretended to not have heard anything. He turned around and went into the inner courtyard.

 Chapter 247 - Wang Xiuxiu Framed Xuetong at the Lantern Festival

    <strong>Chapter 247 Wang Xiuxiu Framed Xuetong at the Lantern Festival</strong>

    The night market at the Lantern Festival was fun. Just after dinner, the market was brightly lit. The bright lights shone on the surface of theke, which made the lights even brighter. With all the lights, the sky seemed sparkling. On the streets, many young men and women walked in pairs. At the Lantern Festival, the manners between a man and a woman weren¡¯t so strict anymore.

    From time to time, the street would witness a couple walking by hand in hand, which added a more romantic feeling to the chilly night.

    Mo Xuetong was now in charge of the food and drink in the manor. Now, she was holding one half of the token slip and leading a few maidservants out of the door.

    Mo Huawen had earlier sent some bracelets and waist pendants, but he didn¡¯t show up in person. After that kind of thing happened, both of them didn¡¯t know how to face each other. Therefore, even after a whole day, they still didn¡¯t meet.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage was riding to the south avenue where there was the most energetic market. It even was the most energetic market in the entire capital. She heard thatter, the grand firework show would also be held there. Recently, the weather had been getting warmer, and even the snow that had piled up on the ground thawed. However, at night, it was still cold. Mo Xuetong was dressed inyers of clothes and didn¡¯t feel hot at all.

    Her carriage halted by the moat before the south avenue. In front of them, it was packed with people. There were so many people that it was possible for them to get through by carriage. All kinds of luxurious carriage all stopped around there. Luckily, the administration had arranged for people to help manage the parking here. Her carriage slowly came to a halt and then they got off, supporting each other.

    Mo Xuetong was wearing an ivory dress. Because it was in the Spring Festival, the dress was decorated with pale pinkish-purple blossoms. She wore a pair of purple crystal earrings and a golden butterfly pattern hairpin. Then, there was nothing else. However, she looked even more fair-skinned, even fairer than the premium jade. Her cherry-like lips were already red without any lip rogues and looked tasty and fresh. Her eyes were as clear as water. When she looked around, her eyes shone.

    When she smiled, no one couldpare! She was from the capital and grew up fast. In just a few months, she didn¡¯t look childish anymore. Instead, a teenage girl¡¯s tender young branches sprouted.

    The moment she stepped off, she attracted attention from many people. They all started to ask which family the young miss came from because she was even prettier than Second Miss Ling who showed up earlier.

    Mo Xuetong only had Mo Ye apany her, letting Mo Yu and Mo Lan hang out on the streets on their own. They seldom got a chance to go out, therefore, when there was such a chance, she should let them have fun.

    After reminding Mo Ye again, Mo Lan then left with Mo Yu. Among the three, Mo Ye was the best person to protect the miss. Therefore, Mo Lan felt more reassured leaving the miss to Mo Ye.

    A familiar and enthusiastic voice rang from behind. ¡°Third Miss Mo, how coincidental! I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±

    Mo Xuetong turned around, only to see a girl in a crimson dressced with golden threads. She was wearing a brocade breast-high dress and a short coat decorated with jade, and casually fastened a few delicate jade hairpins ornamented with jewels. She looked as pretty as a flowering peony. She was Wang Xiuxiu.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied and smiled. Toward Miss Wang Xiuxiu who seemed to be popr, Mo Xuetong always felt odd. Last time in Princess Royal¡¯s ce, she clearly felt Wang Xiuxiu was trying to drive a wedge between her and the princess. ¡°How coincidental! I didn¡¯t expect to see you either.¡±

    ¡°Are you here alone too?¡± ¡°Well, we should go together. Or I¡¯ll get bored if I¡¯m alone.¡± Wang Xiuxiu smiled brightly. ¡°Am I interrupting you?¡±

    Her words sounded cheesy and only applied to best friends, something which they were clearly not now!

    Mo Xuetong politely smiled back. She couldn¡¯t figure out why Wang Xiuxiu acted so enthusiastic. However, if Wang Xiuxiu was going to stick with her, she wouldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°You¡¯re being too polite. This is the first I¡¯ve spent the Lantern Festival in the capital. Please show me around if you find me cheerfulpany.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu, too, only brought one maidservant. The four people strolled through the crowd. Along the way, Wang Xiuxiu had been very warm to her. As long as Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on something, Wang Xiuxiu would surely exin it to her. Sometimes, she would quote articles or cite ssics, which greatly showed her knowledge. Wang Xiuxiu indeed was cultivated.

    Mo Xuetong sat slightly by her side with a smile, hearing her showing off what she knew about the world. Along the way, with the crowd, Mo Xuetong really feasted her eyes.

    Wang Xiuxiu pointed at a simple tea concession stand and pulled Mo Xuetong to it while saying, ¡°Third Miss Mo, are you tired? Why don¡¯t we rest for a while here? At this ce, you can get a view as good as the one you get from the highly-built restaurants, and even better.¡±

    Since their masters both went in, Mo Ye and the other maidservant had to follow in.

    From the way she ordered two cups of tea, Wang Xiuxiu looked like she had frequented here. Her smiling eyes fell on Mo Ye. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk between ourselves and let our girls go to have fun? It¡¯s once in a year. I don¡¯t want their fun to be spoiled by us.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded. ¡°Mo Ye, go enjoy yourself on the street. I¡¯ll have tea here with Miss Wang. You cane back in a while.¡±

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what Wang Xiuxiu wanted and why Wang Xiuxiu got her apanying maidservant out of the way. Nheless, Mo Feng was watching, hiding somewhere. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t worried that Wang Xiuxiu might do something to her. The two had met by chance. Even if Wang Xiuxiu had a n, it couldn¡¯t have included her. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to get in Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s n and watch how it went.

    After exchanging a nce, Mo Ye took the order and withdrew with the other maidservant.

    ¡°Your girl ispetent and exceptionally loyal.¡± Watching Mo Ye walking away, Wang Xiuxiu was praising her. Then, Wang Xiuxiu turned to Mo Xuetong, her eyes shining. ¡°Third Miss Mo, what happened earlier in your manor? How did your concubine mother even get involved? Was it a rumor?¡±

    She looked surprised as if she were just being curious. Nevertheless, her words didn¡¯t make sense.

    The basic rule for a girl from a noble family was that she must be virtuous, pretty, eloquent, and knowledgeable. With a Grand Secretariat father like hers, a noble girl like Wang Xiuxiu must have taken strict lessons at home. How could she recklessly talk about other people¡¯s family affairs likemon people? Furthermore, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was involved.

    Mo Xuetong ndly spoke. Looking sullen, she still refrained from anything harsh, keeping the good manners on the mind. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t get mad at me. I was just wondering how a humble concubine got in charge of the inner residence. Hadn¡¯t your mother felt something? How was she so stupid to...¡± Having seemed to notice her rudeness, Wang Xiuxiu covered her mouth to smile. ¡°I offer my apology if I¡¯ve offended you. I hope you can forgive me this time.¡±

    Her words sounded very sincere. However, they carried a deeper meaning.

    Wang Xiuxiu was just weird today!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face fell. ¡°As the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter, You really are polite to others. Later, once I get to talk with the other misses, I must say that in all the young misses in the capital, Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s daughter is the best.¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter if Wang Xiuxiu apologized or not. She could forgive and forget when Wang Xiuxiu tried to frame her. However, she could never let Wang Xiuxiu depreciate her mother. She looked up and nkly said, ¡°Miss Wang, you can leave if you¡¯ve got other matters to attend to and you can exin what you said today to otherster however you want.¡±

    Not having expected such words from Mo Xuetong, Wang Xiuxiu was choked with embarrassment. At that time, she should not know what to do. Should she leave under the situation or stay to exin?

    She didn¡¯t expect a country girl to be so clever. ¡°I¡¯ve just started and she knew I was deliberately provoking her. If she really told others what I said today, my name would be ruined. I would be ruined if people started to take me as a terrible gossip.¡±

    Even if the man took the position, she, as an unvirtuous woman, wouldn¡¯t apany him at that high position since they were also protecting their secrets from each other.

    A trace of grimness shed across her eyes. Once she started this, she couldn¡¯t stop. Why must Mo Xuetong be so clever? ¡°You can only me it on yourself.¡±

    Deliberately pausing for a while, Wang Xiuxiu then snapped. ¡°Third Miss Mo, I was just being careless and said a few wrong words. And I¡¯ve apologized too. Will you still not let it go and pester me with that?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up and said with a sneer. ¡°Miss Wang, I don¡¯t care about what you want. But, please, don¡¯t try to provoke me with your insults to my mother. Didn¡¯t you want me to witness this when you asked me to hang out with you? Didn¡¯t you want to leave when you snapped on purpose? Wasn¡¯t it so? Not all people want to be made a fool.¡±

    Her voice was not loud, yet Wang Xiuxiu could just hear it perfectly.

    Wang Xiuxiu angrily stood up with a livid face. She seemed to really be mad. ¡°Third Miss Mo, you¡¯re too rude.¡±

    ¡°Miss Wang, you first insulted my mother. How will you justify yourself with that?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly raised her voice and she even sounded she had been wronged. ¡°Miss Wang poked your nose into my manor¡¯s business and insulted myte mother, saying a concubine can¡¯t run the house. But that¡¯s the way things should be. Miss Wang, in the future, you¡¯ll run the family affairs too. How could you say something like that?¡±

    She suddenly raised her voice, and she even sounded she had been wronged and felt aggrieved. At that time, all the people were looking at Wang Xiuxiu.

    The entire capital had known Mo Manor¡¯s matter. Anyone knew the Mo Manor¡¯s concubine killed the legal wife. Then, people were all criticizing those seductive concubines. The entire city now detested concubines. In just today, people had already heard a few cases about concubines harming the legal children and the legal wives.

    ...

    In just one day, a couple dozen cases like this were exposed.

    Now, was there another one? While fixing their suspicious eyes on Wang Xiuxiu, they were wondering which family she came from. ¡°Was she born by a concubine? So she was talking nonsense now?¡±

    ¡°A concubine¡¯s daughter is always a concubine¡¯s daughter. Looking like a noble miss, she¡¯s still rotten in her bones.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it and thought she¡¯s a decent miss. Who knew she¡¯s so ruthless and speaks for those shameless women?¡±

    ¡°No one will get hurt if you can see through other¡¯s hearts. It¡¯s really rare for a girl to want to be a concubine at such a young age. She must be a maidservant!¡±

    Some rakish man deliberately whistled at her andughed. ¡°She¡¯s really pretty. If you want to be a concubine, well,e to me, my deardy. I promise I¡¯ll love you deeply.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu didn¡¯t expect Mo Xuetong to put on such a fantastic show. Her face was sometimes green and sometimes red. Then, she directly stopped pretending and sneered. ¡°Third Miss Mo, it was a pure slip of the tongue. Since you insist, we¡¯ll separate here. Just wait and see who willugh to the end.¡±

    She was already threatening.

    After that, she put her teacup on the table with a thump. Standing up and not even having paid for the tea, she elbowed through the crowd and stormed out.

    Did she just leave in the heat of the moment? Mo Xuetong slightly frowned. ¡°What was Wang Xiuxiu up to? Who did she want to see when she put me in the center of the show?¡±

    It was no ordinary romantic rendezvous!

 Chapter 248 - The First Target of the Empress Dowagers Rebellion

    <h4>Chapter 248 The First Target of the Empress Dowager¡¯s Rebellion</h4>

    Suddenly, a few people, who had been standing outside the group, elbowed to the front. They looked like thugs in their 20s. Clearly, they bore no good intentions and then surrounded her. ¡°You look so pretty. Why are you alone? Have you gotpany? Why don¡¯t you let us keep youpany?¡±

    ¡°You must feel lonely while you¡¯re walking alone. I see that you don¡¯t have anyone by your side. Your face is really pretty, even a top courtesan in the Flower-Blooming Hall can¡¯tpare.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I thought Xiao Yanyan in the Flower-Blooming Hall is the prettiest girl. Now, she doesn¡¯t seem to deserve to be your servant. Youngdy, don¡¯t be afraid,e to my home. I¡¯ll feed you with good food and drinks.¡±

    Did Wang Xiuxiu arrange these people?

    Mo Xuetong was thinking of numerous possibilities in her head. These people were obviously just thugs, who Wang Xiuxiu couldn¡¯t have contacted. Moreover, Wang Xiuxiu couldn¡¯t have thought aboutying a finger on her. They entered the tea concession stand just because she shot a curious gaze at it. Then, Wang Xiuxiu didn¡¯t set these people here.

    The surrounding crowd gradually dispersed. Thus, these people must be the local thugs and mafia, and difficult to handle. Therefore, othermon people didn¡¯t dare to say anything even if the thugs caused trouble. However, if Wang Xiuxiu didn¡¯t set this up, what was Wang Xiuxiu up to?

    Mo Xuetong managed to stay calm and reached for her belt. She didn¡¯t wear the two sword-shaped hairpins on her head but put them in her belt. People would surely suspect if she had worn the same hairpins every time she went out.

    ¡°In the capital, someone should harass an innocentdy.¡± Someone shouted on top of their voice. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t make out who they were. However, she didn¡¯t let her guard down and slightly tilted her body. Before she was done shifting her position, a sword shadow dived at her. It should travel across the crowd and be exactly directed at her face.

    Before the cold and sharp weapon arrived, the sword aura struck first.

    Did Wang Xiuxiu want to kill her? Mo Xuetong was startled and thought. ¡°When have I threatened Wang Xiuxiu?¡±

    On the other side of the bamboo tent, a sword shadow as fast as lightning, giving out a chilly light and slicing through the curtains. It pierced through the curtains and warded off the sharp weapon in the nick of time.

    ¡°Assassin.¡± Someone shouted and the entire crowd got restless. They ran to tell each other the news. If they couldn¡¯t avoid other people, they would tramp on them. A fewnterns fell on the ground and then the mes rose up, igniting the nearby curtains. The sword shadow still carried that chilly light. No one knew who had been hurt. Some were shouting, some were screaming, while some were madly snapping...

    A piece of the curtains on fire fell before Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. The burning sparks almost touched her face. Flustered, Mo Xuetong retreated and almost hit the table and chairs behind her. As she just supported herself on the edge of the table, she was already facing a sea of fire and there was no way she could make it out of here. No matter how poised she had been, she couldn¡¯t stay calm at this time.

    Just as she didn¡¯t know where to go, a purple shadow slid to her side. She felt someone grab her waist. Mo Xuetong immediately froze but then soon her body softened.

    By her ears, somewhat seductive andnguidughter rang. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Hold me tight.¡±

    Mo Xuetong subconsciously hugged Feng Yuran tightly and closed her eyes. Feng Yuran picked up Mo Xuetong and dashed out of a nearby door. His narrow, long, and pretty eyes nced at his arms. When he saw the person in his arms clinging to him wholeheartedly, the smile by his lips grew bigger.

    He dashed and ran, moving lightning fast. In an instant, he already left the crowd, which seemed restless.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong andnded on a rooftop after a few jumps and falls. Afternding, he patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and smiled gently. ¡°Do you miss me that much? You don¡¯t let me go until now?¡±

    He was really...

    Mo Xuetong flushed. Feeling her feet on the solid ground, she pushed him away with force. Then, she found herself on a rooftop again. After knowing Feng Yuran, she had been on top of a rooftop several times.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and awkwardly looked away to ask, ¡°Mo Feng is still entangled with that man there. Will he be OK?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s bright eyes shone, his white-jade-like handsome face glistening under the moonlight. He was in a good mood and helped Mo Xuetong sit by him in afortable position. ¡°Rx. Mo Feng is better than the man. They¡¯re both shadow guards. At least, mine is better than the other¡¯s.¡±

    The man was also a shadow guard?

    Mo Xuemin slightly knitted her brows. ¡°When have I offended some noble official who possesses shadow guards. And I don¡¯t have any important secrets they might want to know. Who hates me so much that they sent shadow guards to kill me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked, ¡°Are they King Yan, King Chu, or the royal¡¯s...?¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled with his eyes squinted, and he fixed his eyes on Mo Xuetong all the time. ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡± The enthusiastic eyes carried tenderness Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t ignore. With moonlight as clear as water, she felt her heart skip a beat. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to look at him any longer and only felt her cheeks hot.

    Looking away, she asked, flustered. ¡°Wang Xiuxiu doesn¡¯t seem simple. Who is his father, Sir Grand Secretariat, close to now?¡±

    While speaking, she casually tapped her feet on the rooftop. She looked awkward and her heart was racing.

    Feng Yuran smiled. ¡°Grand Secretariat Wang is either Eldest Brother or Third Brother¡¯s person.¡±

    Chewing over Feng Yuran¡¯s words, Mo Xuetong looked up in surprise. ¡°He¡¯s yours?¡±

    Looking at her confused and watery eyes, Feng Yuranzily speak. His voice contained a feeling of affection. When it rang in the tender night, the atmosphere even became ambiguous. ¡°Howe? The cunny fox is very sly. He won¡¯t so easily take sides. And if he¡¯s my person, I¡¯ll disable him if he dares to hurt you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips and managed to focus on his words. ¡°People in the court all think either King Yan or King Chu will take the throne. Doesn¡¯t the Grand Secretariat think so? In the future, no matter which one takes the throne, people who take sides earlier will be promoted. I heard Sir Grand Secretariat is still young, and he wants to retire so much?¡±

    This was the key point that Mo Xuetong felt the most confused about!

    The Grand Secretariat had one of the highest positions in the cab. He was nearly second only to the one and was on top of all of the rest. Since Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s father had taken the Grand Secretariat position, which this Grand Secretariat Wang was said to have defeated many people to get, he shouldn¡¯t give it up so early. Three years hadn¡¯t passed since his taking office. Was the power-oriented Grand Secretariat content with only three years?

    One must know that once the new emperor took the throne, he would first promote his group of supporters. If the Grand Secretariat didn¡¯t take sides now, he would surely lose the position. With this Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s political talent, how couldn¡¯t he sense it? Was it that Grand Secretariat Wang had lost his ambitions and couldn¡¯t carry on because of his declined energy at an old age?

    It couldn¡¯t be. Just a few days ago, Mo Xuetong heard that he had issued a few essays on politics, which clearly showed that he was full of energy.

    Feng Yuran blinked, looking happy. The smile on his handsome face was too seductive for people to stare at. When his smile looked the brightest, it would stir people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Well, he¡¯s a sly wily old fox. There¡¯s no way he wants to retire. He¡¯s always wanted to gain a big name in the political world. But he¡¯s set his heart on the Empress Dowager¡¯s power, so he¡¯ll only suck up to Her Highness.¡±

    What a devilish man!

    Mo Xuetong eximed in her heart and couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him at that moment. Feeling his warm and masculine breaths around her, which carried his usual pleasant smell, she felt herself like a tiny flower surrounded by fragrance. She was breathing in his smell. When seeing his smug smile, she suddenly came to her senses.

    She quickly looked away and secretly med herself for the bad manners.

    Though a handsome man like him was devilish, she shouldn¡¯t be affected by one¡¯s looks in her second life.

    However, when thinking like that, she still had to praise him in the heart. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s famous for being rakish. With his looks, how many women can escape? If he stares at them with these tender eyes, he can almost get all the girls in the world.¡±

    A lecher!

    Thinking about his reputation, Mo Xuetong felt a little upset. She looked up to re at him. Feng Yuran had been smiling brightly, and now he was confused by her stare. He didn¡¯t know what he had done wrong to upset her.

    Mo Xuetong red and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Empress Dowager¡¯s person the Empress¡¯s? And what¡¯s Empress¡¯s is also King Yan¡¯s. Why are you ying these word games with me?¡± She didn¡¯t know her re, in the moonlight, made her look like she was pretending to be mad. Thus, the man with the handsome face was first startled and then raised the corner of his lips.

    Wait? The Empress Dowager¡¯s person?

    Mo Xuetong paused, and her open cheery-like lips quivered but didn¡¯t make a sound in the end. A thought that never urred to her popped into her mind. Looking at Feng Yuran in shock, she should not make a sound at that moment.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is indeed smart.¡± Feng Yuran knew she had realized it and gently chuckled. Reaching out his slender fingers, he mildly flicked her white and soft forehead, making her cover her forehead with a cry of protest.

    Both the Empress and the Empress Dowager came from Ding General Manor. The Empress had always been in charge of the harem affairs. Mo Xuetong heard that the Empress didn¡¯t even receive visitors, but only asionally chatted with those old officials, and spent the rest of her time in the temple. She seemed to live in seclusion. No matter what trouble the Empress and King Yan had caused, never did she put in a good word for King Yan before Emperor Zongwen.

    She seemed to be fair.

    Nheless, Mo Xuetong knew the Empress Dowager wasn¡¯t. She remembered one thing clearly from herst life. Not long before her death, something big happened in the harem. The Empress was rted to a rebellion case and Emperor Zongwen removed her from the power of running the harem. The power didn¡¯t fall on any of his beloved consorts but the Empress Dowager, who had always been living in seclusion.

    In other words, when the Empress fell from power, the person who benefitted the most should be the Empress Dowager!

    At that time, she never thought about the difference. Both of them came from Ding General Manor, and no matter who ran the harem, Ding General Manor wouldn¡¯t be involved. That being said, now, the deeper meaning in Feng Yuran¡¯s words immediately reminded her.

    She was wrong!

    She was heading in the wrong direction!

    The Empress and the Empress Dowager were heading in different directions!

    She first startled herself with this shocking conclusion, asking in broken words, ¡°Does Her Highness, Her Highness has her own... choice...¡± It was too shocking that the secluded Empress Dowager had her own thought and the sessor to the throne she chose was another person.

    The two who were most favored in the country and the one beside her were obviously not the Empress Dowager¡¯s choice, and then he should be...

    Sensing her shock, Feng Yuran felt tender for her. He involuntarily held her soft and warm hands in his palm, smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Her Highness never sees my father as her son, so she hides behind the scene after my father came into power. All these years, she¡¯s been secretly nning and gains much more power than the Empress who draws too much attention before people.¡±

    Mo Xuetong forgot his rude behaviors, swallowed, and looked at him. A chill surged up through her spine. All the shock she had felt in her previous and this life couldn¡¯tpare to the one she was feeling now.

    Empress Dowager didn¡¯t treat Emperor Zongwen as her son, and then she wouldn¡¯t choose Emperor Zongwen¡¯s sons. If the person she selected wanted to seed Emperor Zongwen, he must plot a rebellion.

    It was said that more than 30 years ago, the entire King Jin Manor was executed because of a rebellion attempt.

    It was said that even the royal descendants of the peerless talent, King Jin, weren¡¯t spared. Once, when her mother told Mo Xuetong about the matter, she should quiver and couldn¡¯t carry on. Then, she deeply sighed and started to weep. They must have killed many people, which was really horrifying.

    Mo Xuetong never expected after only more than 30 years, history repeated itself. How could Mo Xuetong not feel shocked?

    More importantly, her father was in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s selected contender¡¯s manor and must be loyal to the ruling Emperor. He supported an entirely different person from Empress Dowager¡¯s choice. Should the selected man attempt a rebellion, the man would first kill Mo Xuetong¡¯s father, the lord mayor, to turn the capital into a mess, leaving the capital short of military power. Then, the man could seize the power in the mess and take the throne.

    Her father was the first target of the Empress Dowager¡¯s rebellion.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s rosy cheeks instantly turned ashen in fright.

 Chapter 249 - Rendezvous, Another Rendezvous

    <h4>Chapter 249 Rendezvous, Another Rendezvous</h4>

    Mo Xuetong slightly knitted her brows. ¡°Who is he?¡± In her memory, the Empress Dowager didn¡¯t seem to have such a man worthy of that much of effort. She even killed her royal descendants for him. One and another names popped into her mind, he was...

    A familiar voice rang below, slightly quivering with excitement. ¡°Brother Zhen, you¡¯re finally back.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s body wavered, which instantly made here to her senses. She gently pushed Feng Yuran, but only saw his bright eyes shining, like the stars in the sky. He drew his slender fingers to his lips to shush her. She immediately understood him, leaned on the rooftop, and looked through the ce where he lifted a tile.

    As expected, they were Wang Xiuxiu and a man Mo Xuetong had never seen before. Though d in normal brocade clothes, the man looked tall and handsome.

    Wang Xiuxiu wanted to secretly meet someone so she used Mo Xuetong to attract people¡¯s attention? However, who was this man? Mo Xuetong had never seen him in the capital!

    Shouldn¡¯t she stay quiet before a rendezvous? How did she dare to make such a fuss? Of course, the fuss might have been out of her control. Nevertheless, Mo Xuetong could see that Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s meeting this time was different than those usual ones. Wang Xiuxiu didn¡¯t fear that her secret meeting would be exposed. Instead, she first found someone who could prove that she was in the tea concession stand at that time.

    Mo Xuetong was the idental woman in Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s n. She raised her lips in a cold smile.

    The man¡¯s eyes were full of tenderness, as if they were slim willow branches swaying in the spring breeze, carrying enormous feelings and affection.

    Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s face blushed and affection filled her eyes. He fixed her eyes on the man and seemed unable to take them off him.

    The man gently held her in his arms. ¡°When can I have you forever and not have to leave you?¡± Her voice carried a kind of mncholy and sadness hard to describe. Lifting his hand, he lightly stroked Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s hair and patted her shoulder with a slightly sorrowful face. ¡°It must be hard for you.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu looked up and tenderness filled her eyes. In tears, she repeated it again and again. ¡°Brother Zhen, it¡¯s not, it¡¯s not hard for me at all. As long as you cane back and be with me forever, it¡¯s not hard at all.¡± All those previous hardships and faltering all melted before the man¡¯s affection.

    At that time, she felt she was even willing to pay him back with her life.

    The man¡¯s handsome face looked in a dilemma and his voice sounded slightly sad. His caring eyes fell on her face warmly as if she were the thing he treasured the most. ¡°Xiuxiu, when Ie back, I¡¯ll marry you and share my glory with you. You¡¯re a girl and should attend to my affairs. I¡¯m so weak and useless that I couldn¡¯t give you the best.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu was moved to tears, held the man¡¯s waist, and ced her head against his chest. ¡°No, Brother Zhen, you¡¯re the best. I believe you¡¯lle back soon and be with me. I¡¯m willing to even if I have to die for it.¡±

    Only the two on the rooftop noticed the man¡¯s eyes shed with a trace of smugness.

    The man should not be serious with Wang Xiuxiu! Mo Xuetong looked up at Feng Yuran in surprise, only to find him smilingzily and attractively. He raised his brows at her and blinked toward the two below, seeming to tell her to keep watching and he¡¯d tell her the inside storyter.

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes at him and turned back to keep watching the two below.

    With her shrewdness, Wang Xiuxiu should have been tricked. The man¡¯s acting skill was perfect.

    Because she had been moved to tears, after a long while, Wang Xiuxiu finally snuffled and said, her voice husky but somewhat vicious. ¡°Brother Zhen, I used your shadow guard just now. Has anyone found out?¡±

    A trace of anger shed across the man¡¯s eyes, but he still managed to lower his voice and gently said, ¡°Who¡¯s that woman? Didn¡¯t you say you only needed a witness? Howe you caused such a fuss and even lit up the concession stand? What if you¡¯re hurt?¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu felt even more touched, thinking that she would do anything for this man, and she only wanted to be with him in her lifetime. However, she knew now it was no time for confessing her love. Thus, holding his waist, she looked serious and said, ¡°That woman is the newly-elected lord mayor¡¯s daughter. I wanted her to be my witness. If someone asks, I¡¯ll say that I was with her and separated because of a disagreement.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu calmly analyzed. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know she was so smart. She should doubt my intention. If she tells her father about thister, you might be exposed. You secretly entered the capital and you can¡¯t get into any danger. So I made your shadow guard assassinate her. Anyway, it was in a mess and a fire. No one would notice even if she died there, and they wouldn¡¯t rte it to you at all.¡±

    On top of the rooftop, Mo Xuetong had nervous sweat hearing this. ¡°Wang Xiuxiu should think about assassinating me in such a short time. She¡¯s even crueler than a man.¡±

    Maybe feeling Mo Xuetong¡¯s scare, Feng Yuran slightly tightened his grip on her hands. Then, Mo Xuetong realized Feng Yuran was still holding her hands without manners. However, under such circumstances, she couldn¡¯t make a sound to argue. She had more important matters to attend to. She started to realize the identity of the man below.

    She had to hear more so she red at Feng Yuran and directly averted her eyes from his smile which looked like he had run into a gold ingot. She really didn¡¯t know why he felt happy and his lips had been raised all the time since him sitting on the rooftop.

    Feng Yuran felt wronged because of the stare. He was just trying tofort her, but why did she re at him? Luckily, her warm and soft hands were still there, which made the corner of his lips raise in a smile again. However, when he turned around to look down, the smile carried more grimness and chilliness.

    The man didn¡¯t seem to have guessed Mo Xuetong¡¯s identity and asked in surprise, ¡°The daughter of Mo Huawen and the first miss of Fu General?¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu smugly said, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s Mo Huawen¡¯s legal daughter, had lived in Cloud City before, and only moved to the capital recently. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so smart and have immediately guessed my intention. But I guess she didn¡¯t expect to lose her life because of that. I wanted to befriend her to reach Mo Huawen. She could only me herself for thinking herself clever and saying those unnecessary words.¡±

    The man felt a little upset and said, ¡°You¡¯re too reckless. Mo Huawen doesn¡¯t take sides now, and if we can draw him to our team, it¡¯ll greatly help us.¡±

    The lord mayor was an important official in the capital, and more importantly, he had military power. Though there were guards inside the royal pce and the five administrations and imperial guards in five cities... they weren¡¯t as important as Mo Huawen. As long as Mo Huawen opened the city gate and the outside armies rushed in, the capital would copse by itself.

    The five administrations and imperial guards... those people weren¡¯t many. If the outside armies rushed in, the royal pce would be like thrown there, naked. How could it stand the soldiers¡¯ attack?

    Mo Xuetong realized that. ¡°This was why Wang Xiuxiu acted nice to me! But what about the Four Great Manors? What does Wang Xiuxiu want from the Four Great Manors?¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu felt wronged and red at him. ¡°Brother Zhen, the woman found my intention. If she tells it to Mo Huawen, I¡¯ll be suspected. Or, she might even sabotage Brother Zhen¡¯s n. Don¡¯t you worry about my safety?¡±

    The man gently said, ¡°Howe I don¡¯t worry about you? You¡¯re the most important person in my heart. If I don¡¯t want to be with you, why did I listen to my grandmother to... But now things get tricky. If I can¡¯t make it, I can only die to atone my sins. Xiuxiu, at that time, don¡¯t tell others about us. Then, you can survive.¡±

    Looking at his affectionate eyes, Wang Xiuxiu was choked with gratitude. How could she notice the hole in his words? She only thought her lover put herself in his heart and she was more important than the country in his eyes. She was very excited and only murmured, ¡°Brother Zhen...¡±

    Then, she couldn¡¯t say anything else.

    ¡°If I make it, you¡¯ll be my wife, my empress. I¡¯ll only let the person I love the most by my side, in time, we¡¯ll share the great country between us. When I grow old, I¡¯ll make our son the next emperor. Then, our descendants will run the country all the time. Xiuxiu, are you really willing to be my wife?¡±

    The man stroked Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s cheeks and held her to sit in a nearby bed. In the dim yellow light, the two held tightly together. Wang Xiuxiu seemed to see the happy scene. Such a beautiful and pleasant scene would belong to herself and him. What she suffered now was nothingpared to it.

    So what even if she bet her parents and family on it?

    He would win!

    Though spellbound by the man, Wang Xiuxiu remembered the thing that always haunted her and her sparks of joy dimmed. ¡°I heard you have a few serving concubines there and they¡¯re said to be very pretty.¡±

    The man said mncholy, ¡°They¡¯re just ythings. How can theypare with you? When Ie back, they¡¯ll disappear, but not now. They can help me set up a rakish image. Xiuxiu, you know how painful I am. Every day I see those women, I¡¯ll think of you. How can I want to y with them? But I have to pretend that I like them before people.¡±

    Reaching out, he drew Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s hand to his lips and gently kissed it. Looking at her still somewhat suspicious eyes, he affectionately said, ¡°In my entire life, the only person I love the most, is you!¡±

    His hand was hot and was holding Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s with affection.

    Wang Xiuxiu had long believed his words and didn¡¯t doubt it at all. She was so happy in the heart that her body involuntarily softened, and then the two couldn¡¯t help but fall on the bed together.

    A gentle kiss hit her lips and she felt a pleasant tingling as if her body had melted into water. Though she still had remaining senses, she subconsciously responded. ¡°Bro-brother Zhen.¡±

    The man¡¯s breath brushed against her face and soft kissesnded on her face and body. ¡°Xiuxiu, I miss you so much. Don¡¯t refuse me.¡± Wang Xiuxiu could only see his handsome face and tender eyes and subconsciously tightened her grab on his head.

    The two instantly rolled together.

    Feng Yuran had covered Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes earlier when Wang Xiuxiu was pressed against the bed. He quickly and carefully put the tile back. At this time, he believed that even if he made some noise, the two inside who were drunk on love wouldn¡¯t notice.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s body, jumped over the rooftops, and stopped at some building. He held Mo Xuetong and climbed into the building through the windows.

    Afternding on the ground, Mo Xuetong pushed Feng Yuran away and seriously said, ¡°That¡¯s King Ning!¡±

    It was not a question but a statement!

 Chapter 250 - When the Fireworks Were Bright in the Sky..

    <h4>Chapter 250 When the Fireworks Were Bright in the Sky...</h4>

    He was King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, who was said to be untalented and useless and had been sent to the Yan Kingdom as a royal hostage.

    Mo Xuetong was one hundred percent positive about that and then knitted her brows. In herst life, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen really even didn¡¯t return to the Qin Kingdom and directly died in the Yan Kingdom. When Bai Yihao led his soldiers, this King Ning was affected and died in the battle even without putting up a fight.

    In Mo Xuetong¡¯s eye, Mo Xuetong always found King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, the most innocent person.

    The Yan Kingdom sent the crown prince as the royal hostage, thus the Qin Kindom at least should send a prince. Who knew that they sent none of Emperor Zongwen¡¯s sons but King Ning, Feng Yuzhen?

    However, if one thought about it carefully, he would found it make sense to send King Ning. He was the Empress Dowager¡¯s legal grandson and seeded his father¡¯s position as the new King Ning. His father, who should take the throne, died early, therefore, Emperor Zongwen came into power. If his father hadn¡¯t died so early, he would have been the real crown prince.

    No one would feel peaceful after such an incident.

    After that, everything could make sense.

    The Empress selected King Yan because as his legal mother, she would be the Empress Dowager. Moreover, she supported King Yan the most, and after his seeding to the throne, King Yan must respect her, rather than treating her as a nominal and powerless Empress Dowager. However, the current Empress Dowager didn¡¯t think so. She just wanted to make her grandson ascend the throne because he was her real legitimate grandson.

    That being said, if her legal grandson wanted to be the emperor, he must dethrone Emperor Zongwen. When Emperor Zongwen fell out of power, the Empress would lose her status as well and the Empress Dowager dream would break. Therefore, in terms of this, the Empress and the Empress Dowager would never stand together. In terms of benefit, King Yan taking the throne was much more beneficial than King Ning descending the throne for the Empress.

    The Empress could clearly tell the difference between an Empress Dowager and a prisoner.

    Feng Yuran slightly smiled and hisnguid voice flowed like moonlight in the dark night. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. King Ning won¡¯t seed.¡±

    The room was warm. It seemed to be equipped with heating. Mo Xuetong sat beside the table and considered, saying with a frown. ¡°King Ning came with Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince. Then, Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince is already here?¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled and warmness filled his eyes. He gently tapped on the table. ¡°The Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince hasn¡¯t arrived, but I guess it¡¯ll be soon. He¡¯ll arrive about tomorrow.¡±

    The closed door was opened, and a maidservant-looking girl walked in, carrying a tray.

    There were two cups of tea on the tray.

    Gently cing the tea and respectfully curtsying before Feng Yuran, the maidservant quietly left and thoughtfully closed the door for them.

    Mo Xuetong said in surprise. ¡°This is your ce?¡± When they entered, it was already heated in the room. Feng Yuran skillfully jumped through the windows. The maidservant behaved herself and remained quiet... suddenly, a trace of displeasure shed in her eyes, and she rose, saying slightly angrily, ¡°Send me home.¡±

    Feng Yuranughed and soundednguid like a touching melody, carrying a hint of teasing. However, he saw through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. ¡°Rx. It¡¯s not my manor. How will I disrespect you like this? If I want to take you to my manor, I¡¯ll marry you in a grand wedding and send you to my manor in arge sedan chair carried by eight people. How can I have you secretly in my manor like now as if we were afraid of being seen?¡±

    Mo Xuetong flushed and very awkwardly red at him. Biting her lips, she couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Where is here?¡±

    Feng Yuran casually said and nced at her with his attractive and shining eyes, looking quite smug. ¡°This is my private property outside the pce. Even a wily rabbit has three burrows, and I must be smarter than a rabbit, right?¡±

    ¡°In the future, when you miss me, you can meet me here.¡±

    ¡°Who will miss him? And who will see him? Why is he so thick-skinned?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at him with a glower of annoyance, but didn¡¯t expect her bright eyes, while on an angry face, looked cute. At the sight of this, Feng Yuran felt sweet and stared at her as if he were possessed.

    Being stared at by him with his passionate eyes, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t feelfortable. She looked away and gently coughed, saying, ¡°Though you said he hadn¡¯t arrived today, his men are already in the city. How can he not enter the capital?¡±

    Feng Yuzhen must hide in the guards of Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince. The guards protected the First Prince, and only when First Prince entered the city, those guards would show up. Mo Xuetong knew Feng Yuran must know the causality. However, she couldn¡¯t help reminding him. ¡°Have you sent people to watch him?¡±

    The Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince hurrying to the Qin Kingdom was already very suspicious. Now, when he was almost here, he dyed his entering the capital, which aroused more suspicion.

    Feng Yuran smiled widely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have sent people to watch this Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince¡¯s whereabouts.¡±

    While saying this, he suddenly looked cold. His smile seemed to carry a blood-thirsty and devilish feeling, and a trace of fierceness shed through his eyes. ¡°The Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince should have Tong¡¯er¡¯s portrait. Who sent it? If one can do this without anyone¡¯s notice, he must be Bai Yihao.¡±

    Bai Yihao was really trying to set Tong¡¯er up with that prince.

    Feng Yuran smilingly patted his forehead. ¡°Tong¡¯er, I really can¡¯t attend the party when Princess Royal adopts you tomorrow. Luckily, the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince didn¡¯t publicly enter the capital today, or I couldn¡¯t have spent the Lantern Festival with you. Ah, don¡¯t go out since tomorrow. Only when the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince returns can I have the time to keep youpany.¡±

    He sounded very shameless. Mo Xuetong glowered at him. In terms of being thick-skinned, Feng Yuran was definitely the top one.

    Though angry, Mo Xuetong detected the more profound meaning in his words. After consideration, she looked mncholy and picked up the teacup beside her to sip at the tea, asking, ¡°I heard the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince is here to marry someone. Is she one of the princesses?¡±

    Feng Yuran shook her head and looked worried, but the hint of a smile in his eyes betrayed his feeling. ¡°I guess Father hasn¡¯t decided. I heard Aunt wants Fifth Sister, but Fifth Sister loves Bai Yihao. It¡¯s really a tricky love triangle.¡±

    It seemed that Fifth Princess¡¯s pestering Bai Yihao made him happy.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t notice his smug face, frowned, and asked the question on her mind, ¡°Princess Royal Yunruo, Bai Yihao¡¯s mother, of course should think for her son. Even if she marries his son to some princess, she should pick Fifth Princess for his son. So, Bai Yihao will have the Qin Kingdom behind his back and take the throne in the Yan Kingdom. But, now...¡±

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t understand the current situation!

    If the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince sessfully married Fifth Princess, the prince would have a powerful backing, the Qin Kindom. With such strong power, how was the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince willing to give up? He definitely would fight for supremacy. Letting other¡¯s kid steal the throne from her own son, what was Princess Royal Yunruo thinking?

    Feng Yuran chuckled and his fingers gently flicked on the table, looking casual and calm. Though somewhat enchanting andzy on his handsome face, his smile greatlyforted people. ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t have to worry about these things. My aunt isn¡¯t a nice person. You should just make sure you stay away from her.¡±

    He changed the topic, walked to the nearby big windows, and waved at her. ¡°There¡¯ll be a firework show. Come and have a look.¡±

    Looking at his brightly smiling face, Mo Xuetong suddenly felt tender for him. For some reason, she didn¡¯t reject him and rose to follow him there. Feng Yuran lifted the curtains, and then Mo Xuetong found it was the liveliest market down there. It was crowded and brightly lit. From time to time, the wind would carryughter of joy here.

    Feng Yuran smiled. ¡°Come here. It¡¯ll start soon.¡± Just as he finished, a shrill sound rang, and big fireworks surged up to the sky, making the night bloom like a flower. One and another iridescent fireworks exploded in the air, and the falling sparks were glowing like jade.

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help leaning against the windows like him. The fireworks were reflected in her eyes and as beautiful as a dream.

    ¡°Is it beautiful?¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded and looked up to watch the fireworks in the sky, remembering the firework show when she was 11. It was her birthday and when her mother had slightly recovered. To celebrate her birthday and amuse her mother, his father spent a lot of money to have people prepare many beautiful fireworks.

    On that day, they also set off the fireworks outside the city like this.

    Back then, she was smiling while running and joyously pping. Her father personally held the fuse to ignite the fireworks. When the fireworks soared to the sky, he held her hand, and they ran to her mother¡¯s carriage, with her hiding by her mother.

    The curtains on the carriage were lifted high, and her mother leaned against the lounge, all smiles. A rosy glow of health appeared on her pale and colorless face. Looking at the chuckling father and gentle mother, Mo Xuetong felt full of happiness.

    She thought days like that were perfect.

    However, since her mother was gone, nobody remembered her birthday. Evert time during her birthday, only Mother Xu would make a bowl of ¡°long-lived¡± noodles with two eggs in it...

    Looking at the sky, she felt her eyes turning hot. Biting her lips, she suppressed the pain in her heart!

    Her clenched fingers clung to the window frames. Thinking that the vicious woman killed her mother, she felt her heart ache so much that she became breathless.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s voice rang beside her. ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡±

    Mo Xuetong nkly turned back. Before she could see it clearly, he wrapped his arms around her and gently whispered to her, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯ll set off fireworks for you on your birthday, OK? Just like the time when your mother was still with you, alright?¡±

    He sounded so anxious that he didn¡¯t seem as carefree as usual at all. At that moment, Mo Xuetong should feel at ease.

    His chest was broad and seemed able to protect her. Blinking her eyes, she gave up suppressing the urge and let tears well up in her eyes. She clung tightly to his robe and for some reason, she knew she didn¡¯t have to be so tired now and didn¡¯t have to fake it to hide her sorrow.

    The firework show took ce in Cloud City, and only a few first maidservants knew what happened on her birthday. He should ask around to know so much and that her father and mother used to celebrate her birthday with firework shows. How could he, like this, not moved her?

    Though she knew he was dangerous, and when he camouged himself with a rakish image, he must be up to something, even the supremacy, at this moment, she forgot he was the unreasonable King Xuan who was as handsome as a devil, and that he was so cold-blooded that he would kill his biological uncle, letting his family¡¯s blood stain the noble royal court.

    She only knew that he really moved her now!

    At some point, he was no longer the devilish and difficult King Xuan. Instead, he was the gorgeous man who would smilenguidly from time to time. When he looked at her with a half smile, his every look reassured her...

 Chapter 251 - Ling Fengyanâ€™s Misunderstanding

    <strong>Chapter 251 Ling Fengyan¡¯s Misunderstanding</strong>

    Outside, columns of fire and smoke rose into the sky followed by intense screams. The screams were so loud as if it were right by her ear. Mo Xuetong¡¯s vision cleared slightly and she lowered her head and tried to push Feng Yuran away forcefully. She bit her lips, not knowing how to face the situation.

    ¡°Why are you so shy? We are about to be engaged anyway. What are you afraid of!¡± Feng Yuran lifted his brows and smiled at her charmingly while looking at the top of her head.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Mo Xuetong flushed and almost bit her tongue. When did they be engaged? Nothing was set in stone yet but it sounded so naturaling from him. Anger filled her eyes. She had wanted to make small talk at first but could not say anything now.

    ¡°Alright alright, it was my fault. Let me show you something good.¡± Feng Yuran smiled charmingly and turned his body away to lead her. He pointed at a curtain that separated where they were from the inner chambers as if he was presenting her with treasures. He said, ¡°Come and take a look.¡±

    The curtain seemed to be made of an exquisite white fabric that was dotted with red plum blossoms. Mo Xuetong did not notice it earlier, but upon taking a closer look at the fabric, she realized that it would be beautiful even if it were made into a dress. She did not know why someone would use it for a curtain.

    ¡°Did you notice anything?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at the fabric for a moment and said sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s really pretty. It¡¯s such a pity to use such beautiful fabric for a curtain.¡±

    He was really wealthy to use such gorgeous and expensive fabric as a curtain.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you take a closer look?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face fell as if he had been hit. He pointed at the curtain and pulled her closer to it.

    Mo Xuetong looked at it closely and realized that it was a little different from what she had seen earlier. The color seemed to have changed with the light. It had seemed white and shiny earlier. But now that she was closer to it, it seemed to be a faint blue like the sea and it sparkled slightly.

    ¡°It changes color as well. How pretty.¡± Mo Xuetong praised it once more sincerely.

    ¡°You women only know how to look at colors. Come it.¡± Feng Yuran nced at her with a vague smile. He took her hand, lifted the curtains and entered.

    ¡°You can look out from here so clearly?¡± Mo Xuetong said with wide-eyed incredulity as she looked at the outside chambers from behind the curtain with shock. It was as if the curtain were not there at all.

    ¡°Of course. This is the only piece of fabric I found that can be used as a curtain. You can see everything that the people outside do from in here clearly.¡± Feng Yuran said with a satisfied smile. He took her hand and sat her at a couch by the side. There was only a couch in the room with a nanmu wood table by the side.

    There was andscape painting on the wall. In the painting, a tiger appeared hidden in the forests.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze ended up on the curtain once more. Her eyes flickered and she suddenly smiled, saying, ¡°Is it true that the people outside can¡¯t see you if you are seated here but you can see them clearly?¡±

    She did not notice how clearly she could see the inside when she was out there. She guessed that at the most, she would be able to make out that there was someone inside. However, the person outside would not have expected that the curtain was so different. The person inside would be able to hear and see every single thing that the person outside did.

    She would not think that Feng Yuran had hung this up just for fun. The special curtain was definitely useful.

    She smiled, more graciously than before and turned to size him up. She said, ¡°Your Highness, who are you meeting today?¡±

    He had taken her behind the curtain especially. He did not just want her to admire it.

    Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes slightly. His eyes were as beautiful as the peach blossoms in March. He reached out for the kettle on the table and poured her a cup of tea. Smiling, he said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are indeed smart. Someone you would not expect willeter. Do you want to watch it with me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mo Xuetong rejected him swiftly. She knew that he was up to no good just by the devilish smile on his face.

    ¡°You should have said so earlier then. It¡¯s toote now.¡± Feng Yuran said with a sweet smile and sat down on the couch. He leaned back casually and propped his head upzily.

    Said so earlier? Didn¡¯t they just arrive! How could she tell him any earlier?

    Mo Xuetong was stunned. Just as she was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. A person said, ¡°Your Highness, Second Miss Ling wishes to see you!¡±

    Ling Fengyan? Mo Xuetong shut her mouthpletely, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°Enter!¡± Feng Yuran said lightly.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The door opened slowly. Ling Fengyan, who was wearing a light blue dress appeared at the entrance. Her in dress cinched at her chest, showing off her slender waist and limbs. She also wore a jade pendant tied at the top of her dress. The pendant made a pleasant crisp sound when she walked. However, she looked rather pathetic. There was also some dirt on her face.

    There were a few strands on loose hair that escaped her hair tie and she looked extremely scared as her maid helped her in. There were also some dirty spots on her dress.

    Had she been robbed? Mo Xuetong turned to look at Feng Yuran. However, he only raised his handsome brows. He reached out and held her hand.

    Mo Xuetong red at him and wanted to shake his hand off. However, he pointed at the outside and put a finger at lips, gesturing for her to stop talking and moving. Mo Xuetong did not dare to move when she thought of how Ling Fengyan was still outside. She squeezed his hand tightly but he only scrunched up his face and pretended to be in pain. Mo Xuetong was speechless.

    He was still ying in such a situation. She did not know whether he was brave orpletely uncaring.

    However, she did not dare to y even if he did. When she saw that he hand no intention of letting her go, she pinched his long slender pinky tightly.

    ¡°Fengyan greets King Xuan. Many thanks, King Xuan.¡± Ling Fengyan curtsied with the help of her maid. Even though she looked pathetic, she still behaved like the daughter of a good family.

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, what were you doing there? Were you... with the man...¡± Feng Yuran said to Ling Fengyan as he held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and allowed her to pinch him. He smiled as if he did not feel the pain at all.

    ¡°Your Highness, how could you say something like that? How would Fengyan do something like that?¡± Ling Fengyan said with a flush and she almost cried, feeling extremely aggrieved.

    She had been really unlucky today. She had been admiring thenterns on the streets with her maid when she suddenly saw King Yan in front of her. Ever since what happened on the night before New Year¡¯s Eve, King Yan, Feng Yulei, had ignored her. Sometimes, when Feng Yulei went to the Ding General Manor, Ling Fengyan would pretend to meet him by coincidence. However, Feng Yulei had only treated her distantly and politely.

    He hadpletely distanced himself from her.

    They were no longer as close as before. Ling Fengyan knew that Feng Yulei was angry. She was not the only one who had been embarrassed that day. Feng Yulei had been as well. There were many times in the past when Feng Yulei would tell her again and again that he would make her his consort. She had also agreed silently and shyly.

    However, after the huge misunderstanding by the Empress, Feng Yulei must have misunderstood as well.

    She had to exin the situation to Feng Yulei.

    As such, she ran after him with his maid when she saw him.

    Feng Yulei had walked very quickly and she and her maid almost lost him several times in the crowd.

    When they finally saw Feng Yulei, he entered a little alley. Ling Fengyan followed him and saw the doors closing after he entered a courtyard.

    The door of the courtyard was not the back door of any manor. The courtyard walls were ordinary, the house was ordinary, it seemed to belong to an ordinary family. There were tens and thousands of such ordinary dwellings in the capital. Why would Feng Yulei visit a ce like this? Ling Fengyan stood outside dazedly. However, when realized that Feng Yulei was King Yan and was usually followed by guards wherever he went. However, he only had one guard today.

    That was odd.

    If she missed the chance today, he would be surrounded by people once more. There were things that they could not speak about in person.

    As such, Ling Fengyan decided to wait for him outside.

    The door creaked open after about ten minutes. Feng Yulei left with his head lowered.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Ling Fengyan said softly when he passed her.

    ¡°You are...¡± It was the sharp voice of a stranger.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The light was dim and she could only tell that the man¡¯s features were rather simr to King Yan¡¯s handsome ones. However, it definitely was not him.

    She suddenly thought of something in that moment and pushed away her maid¡¯s hand forcefully. She rushed onto the main street, her maid falling down behind her. She could hear rushed footsteps. The man was chasing after her. The dim lights at the entrance of the alley were right in front of her. However, Ling Fengyan could also sense that the person behind her was getting closer and closer to her.

    She could almost sense the breath of death behind her.

    She did not dare to turn back and could only charge forward. She had not expected that the person who had entered earlier was not Feng Yulei. No wonder he was behaving so secretively. She had seen the man a few years ago. The Empress Dowager had a good rtionship with the Ding General Manor meant that she knew him as well. But shouldn¡¯t he be in Yan Kingdom?!

    However, this was not the time to be asking questions. Ling Fengyan knew that her life was in danger if he caught her.

    He would not want others to know that he, the royal hostage, had been here.

    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± A figure appeared at the entrance of the alley. The person asked with hesitation after seeing her.

    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Ling Fengyan said hurriedly.

    ¡°Why have you onlye now. His Highness has been waiting for you for a long while.¡± The person said somewhat unhappily. However, that was still better than dying.

    Ling Fengyan said almost subconsciously, ¡°Please have His Highness wait for a little. I will be there immediately.¡± What popped into her mind right now was Feng Yulei, King Yan.

    The footsteps behind her hesitated a little. When she saw the well-lit main street, Ling Fengyan felt as if she was alive once more.

    ¡°You¡¯re not Miss Ling?¡± A surprised voice said by her ear.

    ¡°I am.¡± Ling Fengyan panted, holding the walls.

    ¡°Miss Ling Ya¡¯er of the Drunken Blossom Hall?¡± The voice hesitated as if he did not believe her.

    Drunken Blossom Hall? Where was that? A brothel? Ling Fengyan looked up and realized that it was a guard in front of her. It was a guard she did not know. He was not one of Feng Yulei¡¯s men.

    Feng Yulei had note to look for her. The licentious King Xuan had nned to meet the most popr courtesan of Drunken Blossom Hall here.

    And thus, the beautiful coincidence had been enacted, nned by someone thoughtful!

 Chapter 252 - Feng Yurans Plot

    <h4>Chapter 252 ¨C Feng Yuran¡¯s Plot</h4>

    ¡°Since you haven¡¯t, then what were you doing there? I heard that some of the courtyards in that alley are upied by beautiful women.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s light voice could be heard from behind the curtain.

    Ling Fengyan could vaguely make out the figure of a woman inside as well. Feng Yuran was leaning onto the woman.

    Ling Fengyan could tell that the woman was extremely beautiful even from just her silhouette.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Ling Fengyan stood up with tears in her eyes. She took out her handkerchief and tried to dry her tears. She continued before she even wiped her eyes, evidence of how sad she was, ¡°Your Highness, I just wanted to pass through from there to get to the other side to see the fireworks. I didn¡¯t expect someone toe after me and try to kill me. If not for your help. I fear I would have already...¡±

    Then, she curtsied deeply and wiped her tears away in a frightened manner. Any man who did not have a heart of stone would feel their hearts stirred by such a beauty.

    Mo Xuetong sat on the couch and sized Ling Fengyan up silently. The advantage of sitting behind the curtain was that you could watch someone carefully while not having to be worried that the other person would be observing you.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s face had been carefully made up. There was ayer of translucent white powder on her face that showed off her gentleness. Her tears did not make any ugly tracks on theyer.

    Even though her hair was messy, she seemed soft and charming. Her clothes were in slight disarray, but she was beautiful and seemed inviting...

    Was Ling Fengyan trying to seduce Feng Yuran?

    This knowledge made Mo Xuetong feel something that she could not describe. To Ling Fengyan, Feng Yuran should be a licentious prince. He was a useless yboy to her. Why would she be interested in him? Could it be that Ling Fengyan felt that having two princes fight for her was not enough and she wanted to add Feng Yuran into the mess?

    ¡°So I have saved your life then?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice waszy and charming. It sounded flirtatious for some reason. However, his expression was one of faint mocking and Ling Fengyan, who was outside, could not see this.

    How could this guy have such an expression while saying something like that that could make a person blush? Mo Xuetong could not help but nce at him.

    ¡°Fengyan owes Your Highness a big favor. I will definitely repay you.¡± Ling Fengyan¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as she spoke softly. She sounded grateful and pitiful.

    A woman whose eyes were filled with tears would be able to stir a person¡¯s heart especially if her eyes were filled with emotion. Mo Xuetong did not expect Ling Fengyan to behave so pitifully. Coupled with her beautiful face, she was extremely beautiful and charming and would make a man want to protect her.

    Her tear-filled eyes and porcin skin, as well as her small trembling lips, made the beautiful girl look gentle and fearful...

    Ling Fengyan had really given her all to seduce Feng Yuran. If Feng Yuran had been the yboy that he appeared to be, he would definitely have been seduced by the beautiful woman.

    Indeed, an extremely interested voice rang out from behind the curtains. ¡°How about you marry me then!¡±

    He really dared to say something like that! Mo Xuetong was shocked. However, she realized that he squeezed her hand lightly, as if telling her that she could rest easy.

    Rest easy? What was she worried about? Mo Xuetong was stunned by her question. She felt the heat rushing from her hand to her heart and then to her face. Her pale face immediately blushed a light red. She was afraid that he would see her. As such, she looked straight forward and did not even dare to move.

    She was just here to watch the show. Since the two people involved were not even shy, what did she have to blush about?

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± The coy voice sounded pitiful. One had to admit that Ling Fengyan was more skilled than Mo Xuemin. She had not even said anything but had already conveyed her intentions.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s set.¡± Behind the curtain, Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice sounded careless. This made Ling Fengyan secretly happy. However, she appeared to look shy.

    If she could marry Feng Yuran, she would get what she wanted. Her eyes had always ended upnding on the beautiful youth. Despite having heard of his licentious behavior, she believed that she was different. She was beautiful, and every man who saw her would be interested in her. They would just fall before her.

    On the other hand, this was the only way she could think of to get out of the difficulty that the Empress had posed. The Empress liked Feng Yuxuan, King Chu. She wanted Ling Fengyan to enter King Chu¡¯s manor and test him out. If Feng Yuxuan was so easy to deal with, he would not have be Feng Yulei¡¯s opponent. The Empress, her aunt, would not have been helpless against him either.

    She did not want to end up being coteral damage!

    She rather picked the most undependable Feng Yuran.

    Feng Yuran would not be able to fight with the two. No matter who took the throne in the future, they would not ill-treat their only brother. She would be able to have the riches as well. Furthermore, she was rather interested in Feng Yuran. As such, her eyes shed with satisfaction when she heard what he said.

    ¡°I will go to the pce and tell Her Majesty in a few days. I will take you as a second consort. You will be in charge of my inner courtyard before I marry my first consort.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s statement made Ling Fengyan look up suddenly at the man behind the curtain incredulously.

    ¡°The people in my inner courtyard right now are those who cannot behave well in public. After we marry, take charge of them. When there are many women, the ce bes a mess. They give me a headache. Had I known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have taken so many women in.¡± She lost hopepletely when she heard what Feng Yuran had to say.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s blushing cheeks paled immediately and she almost fell. Feng Yuran¡¯s words were like a thunderbolt and she was so shocked that she could barely remain standing. This man, how could he? How could he say something like that given how she had behaved earlier? He wanted the legal daughter of the Ding General Manor to be his second consort?

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Her voice sounded extremely aggrieved. Ling Fengyan looked up. There were still tears at the corners of her eyes from her acting earlier. She was beautiful and charming. Any ordinary person who looked at her would sympathize with her. They would not want to make the beautiful girl sad and make her their legal consort immediately.

    Mo Xuetong thought about it. However, given her interactions with Feng Yurantely, Feng Yuran was no ordinary man. As such, she could only sigh for the beauty.

    ¡°What is it, are you not willing, Second Miss Ling? That¡¯s such a pity. I do not have such a beautiful girl as you in my inner courtyard. I would regret it for life if I missed out.¡± Feng Yuran sounded as if he was sighing. His voice waszy yet also filled with regret.

    ¡°Your Highness, I fear that I will not be able to marry you. My aunt once said that the legal daughters of the Ling family have to be legal wives.¡± Ling Fengyan shook slightly out of fear. She only clearly realized how much in danger she was. Who was the person in front of her? He was the wildest son of Emperor Zongwen. He was a prince who dared to speak his mind and offend Emperor Zongwen in front of him.

    If he insisted on making her his second consort, and if he goes to the Emperor and asks for her, her aunt would not be able to say anything no matter how unwilling she was. No, no. She cannot be a second consort. If she were to marry him, she wanted to be the real master of the King¡¯s manor.

    If he forced her, she would rather die!

    ¡°Oh, then forget it. Men, escort Second Miss Ling out. It is sote at night, and if there are rumors of how Second Miss Ling is secretly dating me, my reputation will be ruined.¡± Feng Yuran said lightly.

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes. Did he even have a good reputation? His words were so annoying...

    His words had shocked Ling Fengyan though and her thoughts scattered. He was releasing her just like that. Could it be that her unparalleled beauty was not attractive to him?! She had wanted to make Feng Yuran concede to her. Was Feng Yuran not interested at all despite her beauty?

    The door opened and the guard who escorted her over gestured toward the door. He said very politely, ¡°Second Miss Ling, please!¡±

    Lazyughter that could make one¡¯s heart beat faster and flush sounded from behind the curtain when he saw her standing at the door dazedly. ¡°What is it, Second Miss Ling, are you unwilling to part with me?¡±

    Ling Fengyan was shocked and she hurriedly said to Feng Yuran, who was behind the curtain, ¡°Thank you, King Xuan.¡± Then, she tugged on her maid and stumbled out. It was as if Feng Yuran would change her mind if she left anyter.

    The guard closed the door lightly.

    ¡°She wants to enter my manor without the approval of my consort. That¡¯s a pipe dream. Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t you agree?¡± His expression, which had been distant grew charming immediately. He smiled at Mo Xuetong and patted her pale hands, trying to ingratiate himself to her.

    Mo Xuetong stood up suddenly and flung away the hand that was caressing the back of her hand. She nced at him from the corner of her eyes and asked, ¡°Your Highness, you aren¡¯t really going to marry Second Miss Ling, are you?¡±

    Feng Yuran leaned back andid on the couch. His expression was one of aggrieved as he said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you¡¯re my consort. If you don¡¯t agree, how would I dare to?¡±

    He was never serious even for a moment. Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes at him and decided to ignore him. She said directly, ¡°Did you lure her here because of King Ning who came to the capital secretly?¡±

    King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was his real target.

    Even though Mo Xuetong did not know what he had done she knew that something else was going on from how Ling Fengyan was behaving. They had even talked about her marrying Feng Yuran because of him saving her life. With Ling Fengyan¡¯s family background, who would dare to hurt her in the Ding General Manor? Unless they were from the royal family, or unless Ling Fengyan found out about something others should not know about. For example, the thing about King Ning. That would bring death upon her.

    The Empress would protect her from the royal family. King Chu and King Yan both liked her and Feng Yuran seemed to have saved her. All of that pointed to King Ning.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, why are you so smart? I am really lucky.¡± Feng Yuran turned to look at her from where he was lying on the bed. His eyes were gentle under the light as he looked at Mo Xuetong. They looked at each other for a while and then Mo Xuetong looked away.

    ¡°Ling Fengyan is an unparalleled beauty and this is such a good time. It is the time when a talented man meets his beautiful lover. If there is any drama about how a man is meeting his lover in secret, the Empress would not be able to ept it. She had said confidently that the next Empress woulde from the Ding General Manor. This is not good news.¡± Feng Yuran raised his brows. Even though his voice waszy, it was filled with something deeper. He waspletely different from how he usually was.

    Even though he was lying on the couch, he seemed to be hiding something. Even though he was smiling, his eyes were sharp. This was the real Feng Yuran!

    Even though Feng Yuran shocked Mo Xuetong, it was expected. She nced at him and said, ¡°Your Highness, aren¡¯t you afraid that Ling Fengyan might notice something?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a woman. Who would dare to say anything out there carelessly after so many things that could ruin her reputation had happened. Even though she has suspicions, she won¡¯t be suspicious of me. Furthermore, Ling Fengyan is a prideful woman and has many ns. I am azy yboy who doesn¡¯t do anything. It is normal for me to do ludicrous things.¡±

 Chapter 253 - How Could He Treat Her like That

    <h4>Chapter 253 How Could He Treat Her like That</h4>

    Mo Xuetong fell silent. She immediately understood what Feng Yuran meant.

    Ling Fengyan was an important chess piece in the Empress¡¯ hands. She was incredibly useful no matter whether she married King Yan or King Chu.

    However, no matter who she wanted to marry, Ling Fengyan¡¯s reputation could not be damaged.

    As such, Ling Fengyan would not speak about what happened tonight. She would not say anything even to the Empress. That was because the Empress¡¯ interest was not hers. She would not allow the Empress to manipte her. She would not be able to retaliate if the Empress had any information that could be used against her.

    Mo Xuetong was speechless when she understood that.

    He had already thought of what she had long ago. And he had set up a trap for Ling Fengyan to fall into. Even though Mo Xuetong was not sure what hew as up to exactly, she knew that this was not his only plot. Ling Fengyan was not the only one involved either. There was still King Ning as well as the Empress Dowager who stood behind him.

    When she thought of how the Empress Dowager, who had always been working behind the scenes, was the one with the most ns, Mo Xuetong could not help but be secretly shocked.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Mo Xuetong said. Then, she realized what she said and hurriedly turned away to hide the shyness in her eyes.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you concerned for me?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes gleamed. He had been lying on the couch but immediately sat up when he heard that. He straightened his clothes out and smiled widely.

    His handsome eyes were like the starry skies at night. They were brilliant and full of life. His eyes looked as if they were lit up in mes. Then, he said again happily, ¡°Tong¡¯er is indeed concerned for me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not help but roll her eyes. She did not see the brilliant smile behind her but knew that he was extremely pleased. She wanted to bite her tongue off. How could the words just slip out of her mouth? She sounded like a wife who was concerned for her husband.

    Her face flushed when she thought about that. However, sheined, ¡°Your Highness, even though you are talented and courageous, you must not let your guard down. Since we are hanging on the same thread, I would naturally have to be considerate towards you.¡±

    ¡°On the same red thread?¡± Feng Yuran twisted her words, making her blush.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he was doing it intentionally and was secretly shy and annoyed. She then steeled herself and turned around to look at him. She said, ¡°Your Highness, you reminded me not to go out too much during this period. Is there something about to happen that has to do with me? Please let me know. Otherwise, I might ruin your ns. I believe that solving the problem early is more important thaning up with conjectures.¡±

    She had wanted to say this earlier and rxed for some reason after she said that. This was something she needed to solve right now.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are indeed smart. You noticed this so easily.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and waved, gesturing for her to sit.

    Mo Xuetong hesitated for a moment before moving toward him slowly. Since she had decided to marry him and to go through thick and thin with him, they must not be split on some things. In her past life, she had been hurt emotionally. In this life, she just wanted to be alive to protect those she should protect. She did not want to think about anything else.

    It was already a blessing to marry someone who could protect her. What more could she ask for!

    But why did her heart lose control as he approached her...

    Indeed, Feng Yuran was not the sort of person who could sit down quietly and talk about things. He smiled handsomely and leaned into Mo Xuetong¡¯s side even though she was seated far away. He flung his sleeves out and arranged his robes and sat down. He looked at her with his devilishly charming phoenix eyes and smiled. There was an emotion in his eyes that she could not make out.

    ¡°Does the First Prince of Yan Kingdom have something to do with me?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, intentionally avoiding looking at his handsome face as he moved towards her.

    In her memories, the royal descendants were too far away from her. In her past life, the only ce she was active in was the inner courtyard of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Just a few concubines were enough to torture her to death. She did not expect that after leaving the inner courtyard in this life, she would find that the world was much moreplicated than what she thought it would be.

    Some thoughts from her past life came to the forefront of her mind. She did not know what to do.

    The sense of loss made Mo Xuetong, who had thought that she had the lead due to being reborn, enter a cloud of confusion. Everything around her was foggy and she could only continue forward based on her instincts. She did not know when she would fall off the clouds and sink down.

    She tried hard to remember to whom Emperor Zongwen passed down the throne to no avail.

    She could only remember Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin¡¯s frightening smile. They burned her broken heart. She could not help but clench her heart. Her face paled and sweat beaded on her forehead.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Feng Yuran asked anxiously. She was swaying and about to fall and he reached out to hold her.

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and sighed. The pain in her chest disappeared and it felt as if everything earlier was just an illusion and was not real.

    They were not in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor and he was not Sima Lingyun. She reached up subconsciously to hold his shirt and felt the smooth silk between her fingers. She rxed. She even seemed to be able to sense his warm and bouncy skin beneath his shirt. It was as if her blood flowed with his.

    He was not that person.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± A gentle smile appeared on her face and her longshes fluttered. She looked up with her clear eyes at his sharp features, her expression rxed.

    Things werepletely different from before!

    The tragedy in her past life would not happen again. She would not be forced to drink poison by Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin again.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes looked as if there were mes dancing in them. He held her hand with hisrge slender ones and hugged her tightly.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked by his passion. She suddenly realized that she was being embraced tightly by him and everything around her went nk. Only his heavy breathing reverberated around her ears teasingly. Her face flushed as if she had been burned.

    Mo Xuetong could not describe how she was feeling. She felt shy and guilty but did not know how to react after being tightly embraced by him. It was as if she was embedded in him. His shoulders were very broad and his muscles tightly wound. It did not take him any effort to press her against himself. However, sheid softly in his chest not knowing what to do. She clutched his shirt tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with mist and confusion.

    She looked pitiful, like a lost sheep not knowing what to do.

    She had lived through two lives but Mo Xuetong had never experienced such a feeling that seared through her mind and left a nk space behind. She rejected in subconsciously. The feeling as if it would burn everything made her very afraid.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I will ask for your hand when you turn 15.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice grew thick without him knowing. It was as if he had been holding on to his emotions for a while. His gaze made her heart race and he held on to her tightly despite her objections.

    Mo Xuetong felt anxious subconsciously and rejected him subconsciously. She was suddenly very afraid, afraid that she would catch fire and would be lost because of this. She fell forward and sunk bit by bit. Did something happen while she was unaware? It made her feel lost, not knowing what to do. She lost her usual calmness and only wanted to flee.

    She wanted to flee from this man. He was too dangerous!

    It was a feeling that came from deep inside her heart. There was no rhyme nor reason. She only felt that she would lose all her inhibitions and thoughts should she allow him toe any closer to her.

    Feng Yuran seemed to have sensed her struggle and his hug became gentle. However, he refused to let go and he patted her back softly, calming her. His other hand wrapped around her slender waist as heforted her softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. I am here. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±

    Perhaps his gentleness and almost doting tone calmed her emotions that she lost control of. Dazed, Mo Xuetong opened her eyes and focused. All she saw was his handsome face that was filled with pain and pity. He was so gentle as if he were protecting his most precious treasure.

    Had he be so gentle because of her?!

    But why would he treat her like that? An almost impossible thought appeared in her mind...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, be good. What¡¯s the matter? Tell me.¡± Feng Yuran could sense that she was calming down. He found a handkerchief and wiped her tears away gently. The crystal-like tears stained her soft and pale face. Her eyes looked like the shining stars in the sky but they were filled with a sense of loss and confusion that made one¡¯s heart stir with pity.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes darkened when he thought of what happened at the Mo Manor. A sharp viciousness glinted in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Tong¡¯er, believe me. I won¡¯t let anyone bully you.¡± One would hardly believe that the devilishly handsome King Xuan would have such a clumsy moment. His long slender fingersnded on her face. He was so gentle that it would make a person¡¯s heart stir...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes cleared up. She knew that she should push him away and behave like how a nobledy should. However, she did not know whether she should push him away or hold on to him and not let go. The feeling of being protected was one that she had searched for her entire life thest time. She had paid with her life for that feeling.

    Could she really believe in it in this life?

    Her doubts shed through her clear eyes. Dazed, she looked at him with some refusal and distance. However, there was also reluctance to leave him and some anticipation.

    She had hurt once, been hurt once, died once. She was really afraid!

    ¡°Father has already agreed to our marriage. He will release an edict for us to marry after you are past your mourning period.¡± Feng Yuran said gently by her ear having sensed her fear.

    He had really gone to Emperor Zongwen? Mo Xuetong was startled and she looked at him incredulously.

    ¡°Rest assured. I will throw the women in the manor out when you marry me. None of those women are truly mine.¡± He whispered softly into her ear. However, his voice was like a startling strike of thunder in her ear.

    There were many women in King Xuan¡¯s manor. Some, he had stolen, and some others had sent to him. There were even some who had entered the manor willingly. But anyway, it was said that his manor was where all the beauties gathered. They came in all shapes and sizes and colors. Even Emperor Zongwen had chided him several times because of this.

    But now, he was telling her that none of the women belonged to him...

    How could she not be shocked!

    However, Mo Xuetong believed him for some reason. She looked at his face that was scrunched up in his anxiousness and at his deep and charming eyes. They were exceptionally clear and she could clearly see the love and tenderness in his eyes. The gentleness in his eyes was overwhelming and hot tears pooled in her eyes.

    How could he say that to her!

    How could he say that to her!

 Chapter 254 - Backyard, the Accident in King Xuans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 254 Backyard, the ident in King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Xuetong raised her head and stared at him nkly.

    Her eyes, which ought to have been a little cold, glowed. There was some misty mist in her big, inky eyes. Her long eyshes quivered a little, and her small mouth was half-open, but she could not utter a word. She had an ineffable charm. On her attractive, pointy, oval face, her peerless beauty was dreamlike as if it were covered with a light mist.

    She, too, seemed to be as poor as an abandoned little animal.

    Feng Yuran felt that his heart had never been so soft. His eyes were as tender as water! He held her more and more tightly in his arms, as if she were the most precious treasure.

    It was a long time before Mo Xuetong bit her upper lip and gave him a gentle push, beckoning him to let her go. This time, however, Feng Yuran did not exert too much force. He loosened his grip after she gave him a gentle push. However, after experiencing the intense passion just now, the two were speechless for a time. Sensing the awkwardness of the atmosphere between them, Mo Xuetong pretended not to care. She looked down and brought up a topic.

    ¡°Where did you get all those women in your manor?¡±

    With that, she almost bit off her tongue.

    As expected, the manughedzily with unspeakable joy. ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you jealous?¡± Laughing, Feng Yuran pulled her sleeve.

    Mo Xuetong repressed the shyness deep down in her heart. She lifted her head, puckered her lips deliberately, and red at him to show that she really didn¡¯t mean it. But she had not expected a tinge of shyness in her eyes to make her more guilty and charming.

    ¡°You¡¯re indeed jealous, Tong¡¯er.¡± If there was doubt in the first sentence, then this one was a tant affirmation. Feng Yuran dared not make too much fun of her, seeing tears well up in her eyes out of anger and shyness.

    He said hurriedly with a smile, ¡°Most of those women were given to me by my considerate eldest brother, third brother, the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort Su, and even the Empress Dowager. I just couldn¡¯t refuse to ept so many prettydies. Then I also went outside to abduct a few famous courtesans back. Of course, I took somedies back home on purpose. The more people, the merrier. It¡¯s much easier to fish in troubled water.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had no idea of theplicated situation in his manor. Perhaps the beauties that those people had sent him were spies under the disguise of beautiful faces!

    No wonder he had been acting so flirtatiously and ostentatiously. It was all forced!

    Every step he took was not that easy. Every time, he walked as if he were dancing on the edge of a knife. He couldn¡¯t make any mistakes.

    If he behaved as if he had the intention of contending for the throne, the people who had sent him the beauties would not tolerate his existence. Even if he was a man of great ability, he couldn¡¯t deal with so many people by himself. So he tried to dodge the attacks from overt and covert means by indulging himself in sultriness.

    Mo Xuetong could not help remembering his background. She remembered that he had been sent away from the imperial pce alone shortly after his mother was dead and that he had almost been poisoned to death as well. As a prince, his life would possibly not be that easy!

    As she thought of this, a flicker ofpassion shed through her eyes. In an instant, it was caught by the discerning Feng Yuran.

    ¡°When you marry me, I guess that the women in my backyard will almost be dead, and you will be left alone and have a haven of peace and tranquility.¡± His tone was yful, but his eyes were looking at Mo Xuetong very seriously, making her panic. She could only re at him, turn around, and push him aside, saying, ¡°Who said I was going to marry you?¡±

    With a slight movement of his hand, Feng Yuran drew her to him. He squinted with a smile of delight and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s you, Tong¡¯er. If you don¡¯t help me with my inner courtyard, I don¡¯t want anyone else.¡±

    The more he talked, the more ambiguous the atmosphere became.

    Mo Xuetong gave him a push. She was about to speak when suddenly there came a soft knock on the door.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran asked coldly with a long face.

    He was interrupted in the midst of their tenderness. How could he be in a good mood!

    ¡°Your Highness, some people in the manor have had an ident. The steward urges you to go and have a look.¡±

    ¡°Some people in the mansion have had an ident? Those women?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes flickered. She knew at once that it must be these people. Feng Yuran took them into the mansion without any refusal, but they would definitelypete with one another, for they all had backers. Perhaps in front of him, they were gentle and feminine, but when he left the mansion, all of them were eager to injure and even kill theirpetitors.

    Mo Xuetong was a loser from the intrigues of the backyard. And of course, she knew all the tricks and intrigues.

    ¡°You shall go back first so that no one can notice your absence,¡± Mo Xuetong said as she pushed him. Since so many things had happened tonight, Feng Yuran must not be found outside the manor. At this moment, the women were creating a disturbance. Probably, they did that just to find out about him. If he was found out of the manor, some people would suspect him.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you care about me, right?¡± Feng Yuran blinked his beautiful eyes and smiled brightly. He was clearly in a good mood again.

    Seeing that, Mo Xuetong red at him. Then he saidzily with a smile, ¡°Rest assured, Tong¡¯er. Those women are so tough that they won¡¯t die for a while. Today, King Ning came into the city, and he will certainly visit the Empress Dowager. My manor is in a mess, but other manors are no exception. I pretend to be nice to those women, but most of the time, I just ignore them. If I went to them early now, I¡¯d be suspected.¡±

    ¡°Even so, you should go back early.¡± Mo Xuetong gave him a disapproving look with her watery eyes. She looked rather dissatisfied.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll go at once. Will you go back first or still hang around?¡± Feng Yuran immediately smiled and bowed his head.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯d better go back.¡±

    Both King Ning and the First Prince of Yan Kingdom went into the city. With so many force groups still in the city, God knew what would happen next. Even if she longed to see fireworks peacefully, it was impossible. What a pity! She had no chance to see fireworks at ordinary times.

    Seeing her regretful look, Feng Yuran said with a gentle smile, ¡°You do have to go back first. There¡¯s no telling what might happen in the street. If you truly want to see fireworks, I¡¯ll show you somewhere next time.¡±

    She raised her eyes to look at him. In her watery eyes, there were mixed emotions. Her eyes glistened, like a pool of clear water, rippling slightly.

    Feng Yuran involuntarily stretched out his hand, turning hisziness into the charm. He said gently, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I think I need to marry you soon.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was struck down by his sudden words. She could only re at him for a moment, but he thought she was coy.

    There was no time to lose. Feng Yuran ordered someone to send Mo Xuetong back secretly, and he, too, returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Outside Jinwei Pavilion of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Everything was a mess.

    A beauty sent by the Empress Dowager and another sent by King Chu¡ªFeng Yuxuan, actually fought each other.

    All the beauties created a scene outside Jinwei Pavilion and shouted, asking His Highness to do justice to them. They were beauties, but the noises they made were quite annoying.

    It was actually quite simple. The beauty sent by King Chu was in his good graces these days. Therefore, she always behaved arrogantly and even dared to mock the one sent by the Empress Dowager. Thus, that beauty had been nursing a grievance against her. So today, while thetter was passing by, the former ruthlessly poured a basin of water for washing feet on her, making her a stinky, drenched chicken.

    Being poured by a basin of unknown water in the harsh winter and looking at the dirty, white, dust-like stuff on the ground, the beauty sent by King Chu red up on the spot. She stepped forward and struck the other beauty.

    The battles between men were nothing more than hand-to-handbats involving the exchange of punches.

    Women, however, fought differently. The beauty sent by the Empress Dowager hadn¡¯t expected that the one sent by King Chu could be so arrogant that she dared to beat her. Thus, she was caught off guard. And when she came to her senses, a few strands of her hair had been torn off. She was initially a troublemaker, so how could she be willing to let the other off. Then two beauties started to fight, and so did their maids. Everything was in a mess at that time.

    Shrills, curses, and screams of pain all mixed together. Then they actually scuffled to Jinwei Pavilion and asked His Highness to do them justice. Neither of the two beauties would give in. They stared at each other and wanted to swallow each other. And the gentility and virtuousness they imed before His Highness at ordinary times vanished without a trace...

    Steward Wang shook his head at the sight and simply ignored them.

    The door of Jinwei Pavilion was opened. Feng Yuran, who was exceptionally handsome and wearing a luxurious fur coat, walked out of it. His hair fell freely behind his head and was tied only with a ribbon. Obviously, he just got up. He blinked his attractive eyes and wore a smile on his handsome face. His eyes glistened as he looked around.

    Behind him, Feng Yue took two steps back and pretended to be a stake.

    He told himself secretly that at this time, whoever came forward would suffer because His Highness was in a rage!

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell me what happened?¡± Feng Yuran smiled broadly, as if looking at something that had nothing to do with him.

    ¡°Your Highness, when I passed by, this bitch poured a basin of dirty water on me. She wetted the dress that Your Highness gave me the other day, and I¡¯m wearing it for the first time today...¡± The beauty was a skillfuliner. She flung herself to Feng Yuran and tried to go further, but the guards moved forward and stopped her.

    There was no beauty in her muddy and wet dress and her face with the tangled hair.

    Feng Yuran stepped back in disgust and motioned to the other beauty to speak.

    ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t do it deliberately. I just washed my hands, went to the door, and poured the water, but somehow, I bumped into her. Then she swore at me. I thought Your Highness was the most reasonable man and would never let someone unreasonable into the manor, so I reasoned with her. Unexpectedly, she jumped over and beat me.¡± She cried bitterly, and there were a few more scratches on her face. She looked more miserable than the previous one.

    She looked at Feng Yuran with a pitiful look. However, such a look, coupled with her expression, would only make Feng Yuran feel more disgusted.

    Steward Wang stepped aside calmly. The two women, who had just fought and shouted at the top of their lungs, acted so effeminately that it was truly disgusting.

    ¡°Did you two fight?¡± Feng Yuran did not seem to see them in a sorry fashion. He looked intently at the two with his attractive eyes, and suddenly, his smile became even more devilishly charming.

    Seeing the charming smile on his handsome face, the two women were suddenly infatuated with it. They all nodded their heads vigorously to show that they had been wronged the most.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send you all back. I dare not keep you in my manor.¡± Feng Yuran turned around with a smile and waved his hand. Two guards came forward, and each dragged one of them out.

    He was going to throw them out of the manor. If that were the case, they would meet their fate!

    The two beauties suddenly turned sober. One held on to a pole beside her, while the othery down and pretended to be a dead dog. They cried and begged for mercy. ¡°Your Highness, I dare not do it again. Please forgive me. We will get along well with each other in the future. The Empress Dowager (King Chu) sent me to you to serve you well.¡±

    Once the pawns who had been sent out were returned, they would surely die.

    ¡°They¡¯re daunting me using their backers,¡± Feng Yuran thought. He turned his head, his smile fading, and his eyes cold. ¡°Does that mean the Empress Dowager and my eldest brother want to create a disturbance in my mansion?¡±

    How did the two beauties dare to say such a thing? They froze at once and shuddered all over.

    ¡°No... No, Your Highness...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness... No...¡±

    The two muttered and looked at Feng Yuran imploringly, their faces as white as snow. They dared not say anything.

    ¡°You guys make me think the Empress Dowager and my eldest brother really want to make trouble for me.¡±

    Feng Yuran turned and entered his room. The door of Jinwei Pavilion was closed. The guards were no longer polite to the two women. Each of them dragged one in their hands, as if they were pulling dead dogs. Behind them, Steward Wang order some people to deal with the aftermath of the matter. Some of the beauties who looked on were frightened and felt their hands and feet cold. They were secretly d that it wasn¡¯t them who caused the trouble today.

    For the first time, they wondered if they were wrong toe to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    His Highness King Xuan was so capricious and moody. Was it really possible to pry into his mind?

 Chapter 255 - Princess Royals Private Inquiry

    <h4>Chapter 255 Princess Royal¡¯s Private Inquiry</h4>

    It had been announced early in the morning that Princess Royal Mingzhu would ept Mo Xuetong as her adopted daughter.

    Princess Royal Mingzhu had arranged the affair of entertaining guests without any exnation. Only in the morning, when the whole Princess¡¯s Manor was busy with the matter, did it spread profusely and disorderly. The number of those who knew it immediately increased like a snowball. Some envied, some despised, some mocked, and some people suspect...

    In Prime Minister¡¯s Manor.

    Wang Xiuxiu had not gone out since returning to her boudoirst night. Given the strength of Feng Yuzhen¡¯s shadow guard, to kill a physically weak woman in a boudoir was a piece of cake. Wang Xiuxiu was delighted to think of what Feng Yuzhen had promised her the night before. The two had indulged themselves in a deep passion for a long time before they had parted sweetly.

    Wang Xiuxiu had left cautiously by the side door, not knowing what was happening at the back door, lest she should be seen walking with him.

    But early this morning, the news came when she was dressing up.

    ¡°Princess Royal is going to ept the third miss of Mo Manor as the adopted daughter.¡± The ornaments Wang Xiuxiu was holding fell to the ground with ttering sounds. Her face suddenly changed in shock.

    The maid whobed her hair had not noticed her abnormality. She said enviably with a smile, ¡°Exactly. Aren¡¯t you going to Princess Royal¡¯s Manor for dinner today, Miss? I heard that the banquet today is a disy of splendor, and even some imperial concubines have given Princess Royal a lot of rare treasures. How blessed is Third Young Miss Mo! She suddenly makes herself a member of the royalty. Princess Royal is childless. Therefore, everything Princess Royal possesses will be hers.¡±

    ¡°Is that Third Young Miss Mo at the banquet now?¡± It took Wang Xiuxiu a long time to retrieve her voice. She managed to ask calmly as she clenched her hands under her sleeves.

    ¡°I heard that she got into the carriage that Princess Royal¡¯s Manor had prepared for her early in the morning. That makes sense. Everyone will be quite happy and will go to the banquet early when this happens.¡± The maid smiled and asked Wang Xiuxiu in the mirror, ¡°What bun would you like today, Miss? How about a low ponytail? You are the prettiest in that way.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Wang Xiuxiu answered stiffly, utterly confused. ¡°Mo Xuetong is still alive and sound and safe. What about what I did yesterday? Will she reveal it? If anyone finds out that I¡¯m having an affair with King Ning, I will be beheaded.¡± For a moment, she was rmed and frightened and did not care what hair she was going to wear.

    On the other side, in Mo Xuemin¡¯s yard.

    Mo Xuemin had been leading a much worse life these days.

    Mo Huawen found some sutras from nowhere and asked her to copy them every day, saying this conduct could cultivate her moral character. She was so angry that she almost tore the books. The two first-ss maids around her were gone. Therefore, the two second-ss maids in the yard became her first-ss maids. They were, of course, not as good as Mo Jin and Mo Xiu.

    Auntie Fang lost her power and influence and was expelled from the manor by Mo Huawen. Several maids and elderly female servants in Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard who were close to Auntie Fang were either beaten to death or sold. Thus, no one dared to be close to Mo Xuemin. Her yard was initially deste. If it were not for the tickling sounds of making the ancestral templeing from outside, her courtyard would be even more deserted since few people could be seen there at ordinary times.

    The two elderly female servants who guarded the door also got the news. On the surface, the first miss was asked to cultivate her moral character, but in fact, she was imprisoned. Thinking that she could not create a disturbance any longer and there were no strangers except for the several maids in the yard, they made a pot of tea and sat on the corridor, chatting.

    ¡°Third miss does lead a charmed life. She actually wins the favor of Princess Royal and bes her daughter. She really bes the descendant of the royal family,¡± an elderly female servant said jealously.

    ¡°Of course. The third miss was born to Madame. As a legitimate daughter, she is surely different from those who were born to those vicious women. The one inside the yard is uncultivated. She even caused her personal maid to die. That maid was a poor bitch. She couldn¡¯t meet a good master,¡± another elderly female servant nced askance at Mo Xuemin¡¯s house not far away and said mockingly.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. A concubine¡¯s daughter can always be a concubine¡¯s daughter. There¡¯s no way for her to raise her status, no matter how hard she tries. After the New Year, our master will marry a newdy, and he will be less fond of her.¡± The other elderly female servant pointed in Mo Xuemin¡¯s direction. That unruly girl thought she was the master.

    ¡°The bitch Mo Xuetong is protected again.¡±

    Thinking of that, Mo Xuemin gnashed her teeth in the room. She grabbed a half-copied sutra at hand and threw it at the head of a maid near her. She cursed in rage, ¡°Howe you can¡¯t grind the ink stick? What else can you do? You¡¯d better die.¡±

    The paper and ink were all smashed to the maid. Regardless of the ink all over her, the maid fell to her knees in fear and cried, saying, ¡°First miss, I haven¡¯t ground the ink stick before. I¡¯ll regrind it for you right away.¡±

    Mo Xuemin was not in the mood to hear her exnation. She mercilessly kicked the maid to the ground, picked up the teacup near her, and poured the tea over her. Fortunately, the tea was made a while ago and was not hot. But the maid¡¯s clothes got wet. Since it was in the winter, the maid immediately shivered.

    Mo Xuemin turned and stormed into the inner room. As she gritted her teeth, she picked up the vase with the patterns of four cirrus clouds beside her and smashed it on the ground. It never urred to her that Mo Xiu would rathermit suicide than shift the me on Mo Xuetong.

    If Mo Xiu had risked her life to testify that Mo Xuetong had framed a concubine of her father on purpose, Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would have been ruined, even if she could not remove Mo Xuetong from high status. And now, of course, it would be impossible for Mo Xuetong to be adopted by Princess Royal and be a royal from then on. How could Mo Xuemin not feel resentful when she had almost seeded?

    She had almost, almost seeded...

    She just couldn¡¯t resign herself to this oue!

    The officials in the capital knew the arrival of the ambassadors from the Yan Kingdom from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. They had already prepared a post house for both the First Prince of Yan Kingdom and hispanions. A grand wee banquet was prepared at the imperial pce, and most of the senior officials in the capital were present. The noblewomen came here to attend Princess Royal¡¯s daughter-adopting banquet.

    Mo Xuetong knelt before Princess Royal and kowtowed respectfully, saying, ¡°Mother.¡±

    She had dressed herself up today. Her upper outer garment was light blue and was made of a gauzy material and gold brocade. She was wearing a lunar white pleated dress with its hem embroidered with red plum blossoms. Moreover, she wore a soft shawl made of silk gauze with gold embroidery. On her neck was a string of sapphire ne, exuding ultimate temptation like water.

    Because she was still observing mourning for her mother, she did not wear bright red clothes. The brightest color on her was the ring of red plum blossoms at the hem of her dress, which seemed to bloom in the snow. Mo Xuetong was slender. In this outfit, she looked gorgeous yet not coquettish, beautiful yet not shy. She had an air of natural beauty.

    She had a smile in her crystal clear eyes, making her as pure and sweet as an orchid. Her appearance took the breath of everyone present away.

    Many nobledies in the capital had never seen Mo Xuetong. That was why they felt shocked while seeing her. She was young, but she appeared fair and feminine. They could not help wondering how gorgeous she would be in a few years. Furthermore, as she now became the adopted daughter of Princess Royal, her status raised rapidly. Some well-informed people had said that the imperial pce would bestow a title upon her.

    Those who heard it were in an uproar.

    An average royal adopted daughter could by no means get a title from the royal family and had her name written on its genealogical record, for it represented the importance that the royal family and Princess Royal ced on her. Most of those responsive nobledies were wondering if there was a legitimate son in their family to marry the soon-to-be princess. They looked at Mo Xuetong with burning eyes.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s decree was sent after the rituals of the daughter-adopting ceremony had been conducted.

    And it was lead eunuch Liu Xi beside Emperor Zongwen who sent the decree. Even the concubines fawned on Eunuch Liu. It could be seen that Emperor Zongwen really attached importance to the adoptive daughter of Princess Royal. This caused thedies to whisper to each other in their seats.

    As expected, Emperor Zongwen bestowed Princess Anping upon Mo Xuetong and wrote her name on the genealogical record on the spot. Everyone present became envious.

    After the banquet, Mo Xuetong followed Princess Royal into a garden. The first thing that caught her eye was a vast expanse of red plum blossoms in full bloom. Because spring was round the corner, these were thest red plum blossoms. There were quite many calyces on the ground. Anyone who stepped on them would have a feeling that they were treading on fallen flowers and would feel ineffable sorrowful.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, your mom used to like the forest of red plum trees outside King Jin¡¯s Manor most, especially the plum blossoms on those branches.¡± Standing in front of a red plum tree, Princess Royal looked up at a thick branch that pointed straight into the sky and said in a sorrowful tone, ¡°I was not then able to nt such a forest of red plum trees for her. Now I¡¯m able to do that, but she¡¯s gone...¡±

    Her figure was somewhat bleak.

    ¡°Mother(Princess Royal), you don¡¯t need to be sad. My mom has nted some plum trees where we lived. Every time the plum blossoms bloomed in winter, my mom always moved the couch to the window. Her maid said that she would catch a cold in that way, but she would not leave.¡±

    They were red plum trees too. Although they were a few and could notpare to Princess Royal¡¯s forest, they received proper care. ¡°Both my mom and Princess Royal like plum blossoms so much. Are there some inside stories about it?¡±

    There was a light smile on Princess Royal¡¯s face. But Mo Xuetong thought her smile lonely. Princess Royal looked like a dying woman, and no vitality could be seen in her. She seemed to have one foot in the grave. Mo Xuetong was stunned. How could Princess Royal, who was only in her thirties, have such a look in her eyes? Mo Xuetong felt unexinably anxious and fearful deep in her heart.

    Anyhow, she felt that there was something different about Princess Royal today.

    Princess Royal said nothing. She led Mo Xuetong into an octagonal pavilion, treading on the fallen flowers and walking through the forest of plum trees. There were a tea set and a stove in the pavilion, which didn¡¯t look very old. It must be a special ce to drink tea and enjoy plum blossoms at ordinary times.

    It was great to warm oneself by the stove and enjoy plum blossoms at the same time. If everything outside were shrouded in snow, the scenery would be fantastic.

    They entered the room after walking through the octagonal pavilion and corridor. As soon as Mo Xuetong entered, she felt cold. She pushed open the somewhat dusty doors and found that everything inside was in a mess. As a gust of cold wind blew in, the edges of the windows inside trembled, and a few pieces of scattered paper flew out.

    Princess Royal reached out her hands and took the pieces of paper that were flying in the air. She motioned Mo Xuetong in and closed the door.

    The sunlight fell on the ground through the window sills. In the dusty light, Mo Xuetong could only see that on the ground, there were some pieces of scattered paper, seemingly covered in graffiti from children. Princess Royal stood in the messy room and walked over the paper calmly. It was as if she could not see the scene that did not suit her status.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Princess Royal stood in front of a chair, smiling and waving at her.

    Mo Xuetong took the path that Princess Royal had taken and avoided treading on the scattered paper. She approached her carefully.

    ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    Mo Xuetong then discovered that the sole table and two chairs in the room were clean, as if they had been scrubbed every day. It seemed that no one had cleaned the abandoned house on the surface. Who woulde here every day and wipe the table and the chairs? It was a strange room.

    Princess Royal sat poised in the rough chair, as if it were a big chair made of purple nanmu wood with gorgeous brocade on it. She stared at Mo Xuetong for a long time before she said with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, did your mom leave you any jade ornaments?¡±

    ¡°Jade ornaments? Is Princess Royal looking for a jade ornament?¡±

    As Mo Xuetong heard that, she was struck by lightning inwardly. If she had not concealed her feelings well, she would have been frightened out of her wits.

 Chapter 256 - Stampeding Horses & a Handsome Man

    <strong>Chapter 256 Stampeding Horses & a Handsome Man</strong>

    As the carriage sped along the road, Mo Xuetong frowned at the jade bracelet on her wrist in the carriage. It was the only jade ornament that her mom had left her to pick up. But just now, when Princess Royal asked about it, she lied, not knowing why.

    Inexplicably, she felt that she could not tell Princess Royal about it.

    She was born again, and something grew darker in her heart. Auntie Fang was the chief culprit who was responsible for her mom¡¯s death, but somehow, she had a feeling that there was something that one wished to keep secret. The weird man in ck, Xiuning Workshop, He Xia¡¯s affair, her father¡¯s enigmatic look, and Princess Royal¡¯s inexplicable favor...

    This string of events kept her from trusting anyone and telling anyone about it.

    She had never encountered such a thing, nor had she gone for the jade bracelet in her previous life. She had no idea where it was atst. Perhaps one day, when her father came back to Cloud City, he would check his study and find that. Or that person in ck hadbed the study and discovered the secret.

    But whatever happened to her in her previous life had nothing to do with her. Until her death, she did not know what the jade bracelet her mom had left had to do with anyone else.

    But in this life, something seemed to have changed fundamentally. She left Cloud City and went to the capital early. She knew Princess Royal and defeated Auntie Fang early...

    ¡°Is it possible that there is another hint of revtion to me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was d that she hadn¡¯t taken any of the other things that were there that day. If anyone had found them someday, he would not have thought that she had taken the jade bracelet which her mother had left for her. Mo Xuetong believed that they had been arranged on purpose by her mother to make the enemies suspicious.

    Her mother was merely a weak daughter of Fu General. Why did she need to n all this!

    ¡°Miss, Xiuning Workshop is ahead. Shall we go there and have a look?¡± Mo Lan asked, sitting outside the shaft and seeing their destination.

    Mo Xuetong wanted to take a closer look at Xiuning Workshop, for she was suspicious.

    Mo Xuetong gave a long sigh and said, ¡°Stop here. I¡¯ll go in and see if there¡¯s any suitable silk thread.¡±

    She wanted to prepare a piece of embroidery for Princess Royal. It was said that her birthday wasing soon. Princess Royal was so wealthy that if she gave her something else, she might not like it. Thus, she decided to send her a piece of embroidery she made. Although it was not worth much, it was an expression of her regard.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The carriage slowed down. The coachman drew the reins in his hands, ready to draw the carriage to the side of the road. Suddenly, a man rushed out of the shop opposite. The coachman had just pulled back the reins, so it was toote for him to avoid that man. The two horses gave long neighs and shied. The whole carriage gave a sudden jolt.

    Mo Lan was quick. Exploiting the situation, she jumped into the carriage and put her arms around Mo Xuetong to prevent her head from hitting it.

    The horses gave long neighs and raised their hoofs. No matter how hard the coachman pulled the reins, it was no use. As the horses neighed, they reared up and dashed out. ¡°Get out of the way, the horses are frightened!¡± roared the startled coachman, who had been holding the reins.

    He tried to pull the reins back with all his strength. But the horses were moving so fast that he could not hold them for a moment.

    The spectators on both sides fled. Everyone was in a mess, screaming.

    Just then, in front of the carriage, a handsome young man in white suddenly appeared. He whirled andnded rapidly on one of the horses. The reins in the coachman¡¯s hands fell into his as though they had eyes. The handsome young man pulled the reins lightly and casually, and the two horsesnded firmly in the center of the street.

    Mo Lan had been protecting Mo Xuetong. All at once, her heart was in her mouth. She clung to Mo Xuetong, though she had been knocked against the carriage a few times. She asked hastily when the carriage had stopped, ¡°Miss, Miss, how are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Mo Xuetong said gently. The carriage jolted badly. Although she did not sustain any injury, she felt as if somebody had tossed her from side to side. The bones all over her body were almost falling apart. It was good that she could make such a weak sound when Mo Lan was pinning her against the carriage.

    Mo Lan listened to her carefully and then realized that she was on her. She loosened her grip, panting with tears in her eyes. After her shock dissipated, she still let Mo Xuetong take her hand. Even though she was calm, she broke out in a cold sweat.

    ¡°How are you, Miss?¡± the coachman was shouting anxiously outside.

    Mo Lan lifted the curtain and gasped, saying, ¡°It¡¯s all right. Miss is fine.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s you, Princess Anping. Well, are you hurt?¡± The gentle and cultivated voice had a smile that seemed soothing.

    Through the angle that Mo Lan lifted the curtain, Mo Xuetong saw Bai Yihao¡¯s wless face. He was always a cool guy. He merely stood there casually, but all eyes were drawn to him by his noble charm.

    ¡°Why is he here?¡± Mo Xuetong thought, and her heart fluttered. It was not a prosperous road, selling mostly women¡¯s textiles and the like, and it did not lead to his manor. She had no idea of meeting him here.

    But she immediately stood up and bowed her blessing to the man outside the curtain, saying, ¡°Thank you for saving me, Sir Bai.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to meet by chance than through an invitation. I have something to ask you, Princess Anping. May I have a word with you?¡± Bai Yihao jumped lightly from the horse and threw the reins to the coachman aside.

    Mo Manor¡¯s carriage drew up to the side and stopped at the entrance to a quieterne. Mo Xuetong put a veil over her face and got out of the carriage with Mo Lan¡¯s help. ¡°Sir Bai, why don¡¯t we go to Xiuning Workshop and have tea there?¡± Mo Xuetong said with a light smile. Although there was a teahouse not far ahead, she didn¡¯t want to publicly have tea with Bai Yihao, who was in the limelight.

    The Fifth Princess always eyed her with hostility. She didn¡¯t want to antagonize the Fifth Princess further because of the scheming and inscrutable Bai Yihao.

    ¡°All right,¡± Bai Yihao replied straightforwardly and led Mo Xuetong to bypass the teahouse ahead. His elegance and beauty held all the passers-by transfixed, and at once, many maidens blushed. They cast envious eyes on Mo Xuetong, as they cast shy ones on him.

    Being watched by so many people, both of them showed no abnormality and walked into Xiuning Workshop at an appropriate speed. The shopkeeper stepped forward to bow to them, and Mo Xuetong returned a bow. Then she took Bai Yihao to the private room on one side.

    There were three or four private rooms in Xiuning Workshop. They were designed for madams and misses who were tired to rest as they were waiting for their embroidery. Furthermore, some young masters who apanied their wives or sisters would take a rest here as well. There were also refreshments. So, it was as good as the average teahouse.

    Mo Xuetong chose a private room by the window and sat down. Unlike the teahouse outside, the room had no door, only a curtain. It was more appealing andvish, without the hidden space that would arouse other people¡¯s gossip.

    The waiter served them the tea. ¡°Thank you for your rescue just now, Sir Bai,¡± Mo Xuetong said, smiling as she pushed a cup of tea to Bai Yihao¡¯s front.

    ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± With a smile, Bai Yihao took the tea, picked up the lid, and pushed the foams aside. Amidst the rising steam, his handsome face became more and more ethereal. He always wore a smile and acted gently, like a pure and wless immortal.

    ¡°I wonder what you want to see me about, Sir Bai?¡± Mo Xuetong took off her veil and took a sip of her tea, asking with a light smile.

    ¡°I do have something to talk with you. The Qin gathering will be held a few dayster. I wonder if you¡¯lle this time?¡± Bai Yihao asked with a smile. He reached into his bosom and took out a box of white marble. The box was carved into a delicate shape of a flower, just like a plum blossom in full bloom, with yellow stamens. It was as if it had just been plucked from the branch and was as natural as though it were living.

    ¡°This is a gift for you. Congrattions on bing Princess Anping.¡± Bai Yihao looked at her with a mild smile.

    ¡°Bai Yihao came here today especially to give me a gift?¡± There was a gleam of suspicion in Mo Xuetong¡¯s crystal, watery eyes. Of course, she could figure out that his first sentence was a pretext. The Qin gathering actually had little to do with her. She was humiliated by the Fifth Princess in the Qin gatheringst time. Most people who had such an experience would not go there again.

    Besides, she was somewhat wary of him and did not want to get too close to him.

    So how could she possibly go to the Qin gathering again? Given Bai Yihao¡¯s cleverness, he was undoubtedly aware of that.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes unconsciously fell on the jade box. The box alone was worth a lot of money. She did not think that they were on such good terms.

    ¡°The gift is just a little token to show my respect to you. I meant to send it to the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, but because my eldest brother just arrived in the capital today and I was apanying him in the banquet just now, I started offte. I thought I could never send the gift to you in person, but I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Thus, I took it out and gave it to you straight away. You will not think I¡¯m insincere, will you?¡± With a smile, Bai Yihao lowered his head and began to sip his tea in the blue-and-white porcin teacup.

    The sun shone in through the window, making his face as smooth and beautiful as jade. He did live up to the address ¡°wless Young Master¡± he got from the women in the capital.

    Mo Xuetong drew her eyes slowly away from his face and involuntarily sighed gently. Such a man was made to break women¡¯s hearts. It was not a blessing for women with such a cold and handsome man in the world. She inexplicably thought of another handsome and enchanting face, which was a scourge as well.

    She was somewhat displeased as though the women on the street were looking at someone else. The women in his manor, perhaps herself too, were willing to go to him!

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it, princess?¡± Bai Yihao asked in a slightly mocking tone, smiling as he watched Mo Xuetong in a daze. The natural, familiar tone did not seem to belong to Bai Yihao.

    When were they so familiar with each other?

    ¡°Thank you for the gift, Sir Bai. How could I not like it? It is pleasing to see the perfect, white box,¡± Mo Xuetong replied politely and coldly.

    When Bai Yihao saw that there was a note of vignce in her estrangement, his handsome eyes darkened, but it suddenly turned clear. ¡°Would you like to open it?¡± he asked softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll appreciate it when I get back.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded slightly and chuckled. She drew the box of white marble toward her. Against the white color of the box, her tender fingers looked fair, soft, and enchanting.

    This was a rejection!

    ¡°Come to the Qin gathering. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Bai Yihao smiled gently and looked up at Mo Xuetong. His eyes were as limpid as the stars, bright and gentle to the extreme. It was as if something else had been mixed in them.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her head and chuckled. She then raised her head, and her water-like eyes glistened as the sparkling surface of ake. Her hand touched the plum blossom on the jade box, and she said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, Sir Bai. I¡¯m not feeling well these days. So I won¡¯te.¡±

    Now she was a princess, though not one who was born to an imperial concubine, she was a member of the royal family now. Even for Princess Royal¡¯s sake, the Fifth Princess could not insult her at will.

    ¡°Do you like plum blossoms?¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes followed her tender hand and rested on the red plum blossom. So he suddenly changed the subject and raised the question.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Bai Yihao in confusion. She couldn¡¯t understand why his mind jumped so fast.

 Chapter 257 - Xiuning Workshop, Suspicious Shopkeeper

    <strong>Chapter 257 Xiuning Workshop, Suspicious Shopkeeper</strong>

    Before Mo Xuetong answered, Bai Yihao turned around to look out of the windows. His gaze seemed to travel through the crowd andnded somewhere further way. ¡°People say that King Jin manor¡¯sdy used to love plum, so they nted therge plum forest outside the capital. King Jin nted them for his lovely wife, but many premium plum flowers are missing from the forest now.¡±

    ¡°In the inner residence of King Jin lies the most beautiful red plum forest. Thedy loves to visit there the most. When it¡¯s winter, the red plums will blossom against the white snow. When the wind blows, the snowkes swirling in the sky are dreamlike. So, the small red plum forest and thedy¡¯s yard are collectively called the Dream Yard.¡±

    Bai Yihao said slowly and his handsome profile looked jade-like white and wless in the sunlight. However, it seemed to carry something else.

    Today, Bai Yihao was very different.

    Mo Xuetong raised her lips in a light smile and gently said, ¡°The red plum forest must be pretty to match its title, the Dream Yard. If I can see such a plum forest in my life, it¡¯ll be a life worth living for.¡±

    In King Jin¡¯s old manor, only the small plum forest could be seen from the outside. After so many years, the rest of the house was still sealed in the old manor. She remembered that day, Feng Yuran took her into King Jin¡¯s manor out of the blue. She saw arge number of buildings and couldn¡¯t see the end of it. It could be seen that King Jin used to be bustling.

    Thinking of King Jin manor¡¯s old glory and seeing the ruins left today, Mo Xuetong had to eximed that, in the pce, as long as you were involved the fight of the throne, even your royal decedents would be sentenced to death, and it would even drag more people into the fight. If not for supremacy back then, King Jin who loved his wife and hisdy might have be the perfect couple in people¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You will.¡± Bai Yihao turned around and stared at her. Suddenly, he rose up and smilingly said, ¡°Three dayster, there will be a Qin gathering. Schrs will meet and if you¡¯re avable, do meet us there.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and agreed straightforwardly.

    This time, Bai Yihao didn¡¯t say anything else and turned around to leave. His snow-white clothes fluttered and soon, it faded out of Mo Xuetong¡¯s view.

    Mo Xuetong sat back down and Mo Lan, who had been staying behind the curtains, passed a cup of water to her.

    Mo Xuetong flicked her finger gently on the table and looked out of the windows thoughtfully. When Mo Lan was done with the errands, she suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Mo Lan, send for Mr. Xing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, miss.¡± Mo Lan turned around to leave and soon brought back Mr. Xing.

    ¡°Please sit.¡± Mo Xueotng pointed to the seat opposite and mildly smiled.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, there will be no ce for me. I might as well stand.¡± Mr. Xing wouldn¡¯t sit and stubbornly stood by the side after curtsying to Mo Xuetong.

    Seeing him insist, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t urge him further. She slightly raised her lips and asked, ¡°Do you know He Xia? She used to serve my mother.¡±

    Mr. Xing thought for a moment and asked in reply, ¡°Is she the one who¡¯s tall and slim?¡±

    ¡°Yes. After herdyship passed away, Sister He Xia went missing. Since you know He Xia and many other people out there, can you ask around about her whereabouts for us? She used to run the ount book for herdyship. If you can find her, she will help our miss figure out something about herdyship.¡±

    Receiving Mo Xuetong¡¯s signal, Mo Lan smilingly said to Mr. Xing.

    ¡°If you can find Sister He Xia, our miss will thank you generously.¡±

    ¡°Miss is too polite. If you want to find He Xia, you can just tell me. There¡¯s no need to thank me. I used to serve herdyship, and now I must serve you as well.¡± Mr. Xing said in fright and showed his respect. He looked like a regr person who just received an important mission from his master. However, Mo Xuetong could tell that something was hiding in Mr. Xing¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re too modest. From your ent, you must be native in the capital. Your parents have been living here all the time, right?¡± Mo Xuetong chuckled and gently changed the topic.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m from the capital. I used to work at Fu General Manor, then I went to Mo Manor with herdyship and ran the shop for her.¡± Mr. Xing smiled again and answered skillfully.

    Mo Xuetong mildly smiled and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve stayed long in Fu General Manor and must know my mother¡¯s other shops. Father wants me to handle my mother¡¯s dowry but I didn¡¯t know how many shops like this my mother used to have. Can you tell me that?¡±

    Last time, her father said that, after the New Year, her mother¡¯s shops andnds, and the profit her mother made after marriage, along with the profitless jewelry and essories would all be hers.

    ¡°Herdyship has 20 shops in total and they are about the same size as mine. They sell all kinds of stuff and most of them are situated in the capital. When herdyship left the capital back then, she asked the second uncle to run the shops for her. When Old Sir returned to the capital, the second uncle gave all of them back to Old Sir.¡±

    ¡°The second uncle has taken care of my mother¡¯s ount book for a while? Why didn¡¯t he handle your shop?¡± Mo Xuetong was startled and asked with a frown.

    Mr. Xing seemed to fail to understand as well. A trace of nkness shed in his eyes and he murmured, ¡°Maybe herdyship didn¡¯tpletely trust him so she saved herself one.¡±

    ¡°My mother didn¡¯tpletely trust the second uncle?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze swept the overcautious shopkeeper and a light smile appeared by her lips. Her mother sent her four first servants and came all the way from Cloud City to the capital to see a man in the name of managing the ounts.

    How daring that was! However, when the shopkeeper mentioned it, he said her mother was just cautious. A trace of grimness shed through her bright, watery eyes. She might fail to figure out something, but she was sure Mr. Xing wasn¡¯t innocent.

    He Xia was just a maidservant and she hadn¡¯t visited the capital often, yet she still found that was a man. Mr. Xing had been sophisticated and couldn¡¯t have known nothing. He thought he made a perfect reply before her, however, the holes in his story were very obvious. From He Xia¡¯s ount, Mo Xuetong also knew that someone had been watching Xiuning Workshop back then.

    If Mr. Xing was a normal person, how couldn¡¯t he reveal the least doubt to his young master?

    Furthermore, she just made it clear that she would run her mother¡¯s shops. If he failed to catch such an obvious hint, he must be guilty.

    However, in herst life, Xiuning Workshop had always stood by her side. Before she died, they didn¡¯t do anything to hurt her. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what to do now.

    Mo Xuetong beamed and rose up. ¡°Thank Mr. Xing for exining it for me. Then I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡±

    Mr. Xing respectfully escorted her to the door. ¡°Miss is too polite. Just ask if you need anything.¡±

    Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong get into the carriage that had just arrived. Before boarding, she said to Mr. Xing again. ¡°Please pay attention to Sister He Xia, thank you.¡±

    Mr. Xing nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll send people to find her. I believe we¡¯ll find her soon.¡±

    The carriage slowly rode on. Because of the previous ident, the driver rode exceptionally carefully. He followed behind other carriages and didn¡¯t try to cut ahead of others, driving steadily.

    ¡°Is that Princess Anping? The girl Princess Royal recently adopted?¡± On a tower southeastern from them, Feng Yuzhen stood behind the windows. He asked with a frown. In his view, he could see the top of Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. When she came out, she wore a veil, so he couldn¡¯t really see her face.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her. She should not die that night.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong alive before her own eyes, Wang Xiuxiu couldn¡¯t help changing her face. She grabbed Feng Yuzhen¡¯s fingers, pointed down below, and said in broken words.

    Because of fear, she even skipped the lunch at Princess Royal and hurried to see King Ning.

    ¡°The shadow guard didn¡¯t return.¡± Feng Yuzhen said lightly and knitted his brows tighter. The shadow guard vanished without a trace. This morning, before entering the city, he had sent people to find the guard, but in vain. The tea concession stand getting caught in a fire was just an ident from the Lantern Festival firework show.

    People only heard some people get hurt but no one died. It was no big deal. The people who saw it didn¡¯t take it seriously at all. They were telling it like a joke. They said the girl in white was as beautiful as an immortal and disappearedter. They said she might be an immortal who secretly went into the mortal¡¯s world. Then, heaven got raged and lit up a fire. The beautiful immortal was startled and got away.

    He thought the shadow guard and the girl had died in the fire and their bodies went missing because no one found out about their deaths.

    Today, seeing the girl breathing and showing up here, Feng Yuzhen had a bad hunch. ¡°Wang Xiuxiu really can¡¯t do anything well.¡±

    Watching the carriage leave out of his sight, Feng Yuzhen turned around and eyed the restless Wang Xiuxiu. He suppressed his displeasure and asked, ¡°Did you tell her anything?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. I just said something to upset her. I want her to get mad so I can get away with that excuse.¡± Wang Xiuxiu instantly waved her hand. ¡°But she was smart to have found my intention and she mocked me, so I...¡±

    Feng Yuzhen asked stonily, ¡°So you sent a shadow guard to kill her?¡±

    ¡°But, I couldn¡¯t let her find my strangeness, my secret. I couldn¡¯t skip the meeting with you! I hadn¡¯t seen you in such a long time, I...¡± Seeing Feng Yuzhen¡¯s angry face, Wang Xiuxiu was anxious with tears in her eyes. She approached to tug at Feng Yuzhen¡¯s sleeves and hurriedly confessed her love.

    ¡°Now, she¡¯ll find your secret and your strangeness.¡± Feng Yuzhen sized her up and the impatience in his eyes grew more intense. He thought the woman would be different. However, she still tried to kill someone for such a trivial matter. She didn¡¯t even check the girl¡¯s background.

    Since Princess Royal had decided to adopt her, she must have guards around her. They wouldn¡¯t allow her to get hurt at all. Now, Feng Yuzhen was sure that his shadow guard had already been killed. In the fire, someone rescued the girl and finished the shadow guard too. That man should be capable. Princess Royal should have such a good shadow guard. Feng Yuzhen¡¯s eyes grew colder. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve noticed me because of Wang Xiuxiu.¡±

    Seeing Feng Yuzhen¡¯s grim face, Wang Xiuxiu asked in a low voice, ¡°But, now, what to do?¡±

    Feng Yuzhen said coldly, ¡°Hmph, you shouldn¡¯t have acted on your own. So what if we met one dayter!¡±

    His words instantly made Wang Xiuxiu feel so wronged. Tears streamed down her face. If she wasn¡¯t anxious about meeting him, why should she do such a dangerous thing? Once it was exposed, she would be the first to die. How couldn¡¯t he understand her heart? Seeing Feng Yuzhen¡¯s stern face, she thought all of the plotting and ns she made for him were in vain. She couldn¡¯t get any reward from him.

    At that moment, she was desperate and looked up at Feng Yuzhen in tears, saying emotionally, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Your Highness trust me? Do you doubt my faithfulness? If that¡¯s so, I can only prove it by killing myself.¡±

    Then, she covered her face in her sleeves and hurried to bump into the edge of a nearby table.

    Now, he could still use Wang Xiuxiu. Sure enough, he couldn¡¯t let anything happen to Wang Xiuxiu. Furthermore, this was his ce, it would be troublesome if people found out about her.

    Therefore, he grabbed her sleeves and then held her in his arms. He put on a mild face and gentlyforted her. ¡°Xiuxiu, how will I suspect you? Even if I don¡¯t trust the entire world, at least I have you by my side. But, for our future, we must n carefully. There can¡¯t be any mistakes. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Being gently held in Feng Yuzhen¡¯s arms, Wang Xiuxiu instantly felt no matter how she felt wronged, it was nothing. She was immediately in tears and immersed herself in his affection. She nodded yes repeatedly to forget her previous sadness and resentment. She only wanted to cling to his warm chest. As long as he said something like this, she could forget everything else.

    ¡°Look, it was just an incidentst night. At most, it was just a fight between girls. Even if she guesses it right, so what? With her status now, she can¡¯t talk about nonsense without evidence.¡± Feng Yuzhen continued to lead her into the story he made up; a trace of fierceness shed in his eyes. Anyway, as long as Wang Xiuxiu exined the matter in this way, the girl couldn¡¯t rte it to him. At most, it was only Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s reputation that would get tainted.

    Wang Xiuxiu didn¡¯t think further so she could lean on Feng Yuzhen¡¯s chest to breathe in the pleasant scent of his. Thinking ofst night¡¯s passion, she found her body soften and she could only obey Feng Yuzhen¡¯s every word. She coyly put her arms around his neck. ¡°Your Highness, now that you¡¯re in the capital. In the future, I¡¯ll listen to whatever you say. You can do whatever you want.¡±

    She looked very attractive, and a blush appeared on her delicate face, making her look more arousing than usual. Feng Yuzhen¡¯s heart raced. He also thought of her burning bodyst night. He felt the heat rushing down below so he stopped preaching. He grabbed her neck through her slightly opened cor and lifted her up with another hand. He strode inside and pressed her on the bed, putting his hands on her.

    While pieces of clothes were carelessly thrown on the floor, the sounds of panting rang in the room...

 Chapter 258 - Disturbances Arose and the Marriage to Unite Two Countries

    <strong>Chapter 258 Disturbances Arose and the Marriage to Unite Two Countries</strong>

    Mo Xuetong did not know that she had been targeted by Feng Yuzhen.

    At the moment, she was preparing dinner in the yard.

    Mother Xu personally cooked, including frying and boiling. The yard smelled delicious.

    Most of the young and old maids in the Qingwei Garden were newly chosen, and some of those maids were deployed by Mo Huawen from other ces. They were all smart and capable, keeping the garden clean and tidy. The previous situation¡ªthe servants received their master¡¯smand but did not carry out¡ªnever happened again.

    It was a littlete when Mo Huawen came. The Yan Kingdom¡¯s envoys came to the capital, and he had to arrange for an escort to protect them. Anyway, he had to finish his business before he came back. Besides, the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom didn¡¯t live in the posthouse.

    As soon as Mo Huawen arrived at the gate of the yard, a young maid with sharp eyes saw him and ran in quickly to report to Mo Xuetong.

    Then Mo Xuetong took Mo Yu to the gate to meet him.

    It was the first time they had met since they were estranged because of Auntie Fang. Mo Huawen felt sorry for his daughter and did not know how to face her. However, his daughter came up to him lightly, and said, bearing no grudge, ¡°Father, pleasee into the house. It¡¯s windy and cold in the yard.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up at Mo Huawen, with the respect that could not conceal in her eyes. Her eyes were moist like water that stirred. Mo Huawen felt a twinge of pain in his heart and couldn¡¯t speak for a moment. He only made a wave and walked on, his eyes somehow watery.

    It was not until he reached the house and sat down that he calmed down.

    ¡°Father, who are the people from the Yan Kingdom today? Have they brought anything interesting to the Emperor?¡± Mo Xuetong poured Mo Huawen a drink and looked up at him. She did not seem at all angry with her father for what had happened a few days before, and she was still his innocent daughter.

    Seeing that his daughter was so schemeless and did not feel sad, Mo Huawen felt more and more sorry for his generous and lovely daughter. A warm current ran through his heart, but he still felt sorry for his daughter. He took the cup from Mo Xuetong and took a few gulps. His body, chilled by the wind, warmed, and so did his heart. He looked at the smiling face of his daughter, feeling as if the haze of the past few days had been swept away.

    Hiding the emotion in his eyes, Mo Huawen pretended nothing had happened and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Princess Royal¡¯s Manor is bustling today. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯te today because of the pce banquet.¡±

    The envoys of the Yan Kingdom entered the city today on a temporary basis. ording to their schedule, Mo Huawen thought that they would enter the city on the Lantern Festival. Unexpectedly, the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom said he needed a rest, so those envoys entered the city today. This disrupted Mo Huawen¡¯s ns. He had nned to make his daughter look good this time so that no one would look down on Tong¡¯er and think that she had been promoted to a higher ss by someone else.

    However, man proposes, God disposes. Or, in any case, Mo Huawen didn¡¯t expect the First Prince, who was rushing into the capital, to spend two days on a matter. How could Mo Huawen not be depressed? He thought that Tong¡¯er would be sad when he came back today.

    To his surprise, he was greeted by his daughter¡¯s sweet smile, and his daughter had no grudge against him, her eyes full of joy.

    ¡°Father, please don¡¯t say that. The Yan Kingdom¡¯s envoys entered the capital today, and the Emperor held a banquet for them in the main hall. I should be worried if you couldn¡¯t make it,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a sweet smile. She lifted her chopsticks and ced two of her father¡¯s favorite celery dumplings on his te.

    ¡°Father, taste this. This is what I made when I came back. I wonder if it¡¯s to your taste. I went out to watch the fireworksst night and didn¡¯t have time to have a reunion dinner with you. So I make up it. Father, you must not say I am too fond of y or dislike me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious. What you made is, of course, delicious.¡± Mo Huawen was moved to pick up a dumpling. He did not even sample it carefully and just chewed a few times and swallowed. He felt veryforted and praised Mo Xuetong loudly.

    ¡°Father, have you been busy these days? You must have not eaten well. You look thinner. Eat more at my ce today.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on Mo Huawen, only to find that her father seemed to have lost weight when she had not seen him for only two days. She guessed that it was not only because of business but also privacy, and felt a little bitter.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been a little busytely, but I¡¯ll be a lot more rxed after the Spring Festival. Among those cases, the case of the Mingguo Manor is the most troublesome. Fortunately, we¡¯ve got a lead. It is said that she was seen entering a carriage with her maid, so she wasn¡¯t robbed,¡± said Mo Huawen in obvious annoyance, rubbing his forehead.

    Mo Huawen had thought that thedy of the Mingguo Manor had been robbed. It was a big deal for a bad man to take away one¡¯s daughter and ruin her reputation. Moreover, the girl was from Mingguo Manor. You Yuecheng went to his office every now and then to inquire about that, which annoyed him a lot. He sent a lot of people to investigate it and finally got such a result.

    Investigating elopement didn¡¯t belong to the jobs of the Ministry of Justice. As Mo Huawen put the confession file in front of You Yuecheng, You Yuecheng immediately went speechless. This was a private matter for the Mingguo Manor. They knew that there was no need to make a big deal out of it. It would be better for You Yuecheng to solve the matter by himself, so as not to embarrass the Mingguo Manor.

    After settling the affair of the Mingguo Manor, the others were nothing urgent, except that the woman of the Ding General Manor asionally sent someone for inquiries. Mo Huawen finally felt he could slow down. He was really tired recently. After all, he had to juggle pce and family affairs. Who knew how outsiders talk about him? He could only sleep a few hours a day and felt exhausted while resting.

    ¡°Father, do you mean that the youngdy of the Mingguo Manor went away with someone else? Howe? She is a youngdy in the inner manor, so she has no chance to meet outsiders. How could she go off with anyone? Is she not afraid of being deceived?¡± Mo Xuetong put her hand on the table, propped herself up and asked in confusion.

    Her question reminded Mo Huawen. He picked up another dumpling into his mouth and chewed slowly. Then he said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s truly strange. The average man can¡¯t get into the inner yard at all. It is not possible for others to see the daughter of such arge family unless one is the family¡¯s acquaintance.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that a young master of some well-known family has taken a fancy to thedy of the Mingguo Manor, but feared that their families would not approve of that, so they...¡± Mo Xuetong asked, blinking her bright eyes, with a smile.

    This was the only situation that made sense for this to happen in such a well-known family. The one missing from the Mingguo Manor was the daughter of a concubine. If she really fell in love with a man of high rank, it was impossible for her to be his wife, so they fled. But another thing happened. Putting all this together, it was not hard to conclude that this was not a simple elopement.

    ¡°What do the youngdies who stay at home usually think? They should read more ssics for Women.¡± Mo Huawen understood what Mo Xuetong said and shook his head. Then he reached out his chopsticks and offered Mo Xuetong some food.

    An idea came to his mind for no reason, but he shook his head and threw it out because he felt a little annoyed. Then, he told Mo Xuetong about what happened today at the pce banquet.

    It turned out that the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom really came here for marriage. He wanted to marry a beautiful girl here to make the rtionship between the two countries better.

    This kind of thing was supposed to be done by a royal daughter, and of course, the Princess was the best choice. Mo Huawen didn¡¯t know what Emperor Zongwen thought. The Emperor didn¡¯t make it clear and only asked the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom to choose a beautiful girl himself. For the Qin Kindom¡¯s slight to him, the First Prince didn¡¯tin but thanked the Emperor on the spot.

    Finally, it was settled. A banquet was to be held in the imperial pce in three days. All girls over the age of 13, whose father was an official of five grade or above, were required to attend the banquet.

    ¡°Father, shall I go too?¡± Mo Xuetong wanted to talk about something happy with her father, and she didn¡¯t expect it to involve her. Her long eyshes fluttered and ck eyebrows raised.

    ¡°If you¡¯re all right, of course, you have to go.¡± Mo Huawen found that it was a headache when he remembered that Mo Xuemin had to attend the pce banquet too.

    Unfortunately, Mo Huawen¡¯s three daughters all fell into that category. Mo Xueqiong was kind of crazy; Mo Xuemin was too discredited to be seen now. Except for his third daughter, his other daughters embarrassed him. However, Mo Huawen did not want Mo Xuetong to attend the banquet because he thought it was an asion for the First Prince to pick up ady to marry.

    Watching his daughter¡¯s pretty face, Mo Huawen became increasingly worried. He was determined not to prevent the First Prince from selecting Tong¡¯er. Mo Xuetong was now the only daughter he foundforting. Moreover, the Yan Kingdom was far away from the Great Qin. If Mo Xuetong suffered grievances after she married to the royal family of the Yan Kingdom, she would be helpless and could only endure them alone.

    Mo Huawen got nervous that Tong¡¯er might be chosen.

    His greatest wish now was that Tong¡¯er would be happy, marry a husband who loved her, and live happily ever after.

    Mo Xuetong blinked her eyes and caught the bug in Mo Huawen¡¯s words. She asked, ¡°Father, if I have something else to do then, can I stay away from that banquet?¡±

    Seeing how astute his daughter was, Mo Huawen became more determined that he would not let her marry to the Yan Kingdom.

    After thinking about it for a moment, Mo Huawen hesitantly asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, why don¡¯t you pretend to be sick then?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at her father in surprise and suddenly burst intoughter. Then, looking at her prim father, sheughed harder and could not lift her head. It had never urred to her that her serious and sober father should have said such things in such a childish way, without any sense of self-consciousness.

    Confused by his daughter¡¯sughter, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t understand what was wrong with him.

    ¡°Father, if most of the youngdies refuse to go to the banquet for this reason, and you were the host of the banquet at the imperial pce, will you consent to their request?¡± Mo Xuetongughed for a long while before she took the handkerchief from Mo Lan and covered her mouth, panting and asking.

    If he were the host of the pce banquet, he certainly would not believe the reason of being sick. He believed that not many people would like to marry their daughters to the Yan Kingdom far away. The First Prince was not the Crown Prince in the Yan Kingdom, and he was held down by Bai Yihao, so he could only be an idle sovereign without real power.

    Considering his background, who would like to marry his daughter? This was also the reason why the Emperor did not directly agree to marry the Princess to him!

    As the father of the Princess, the Emperor must love her, but who did not love his daughter? The First Prince would definitely choose a pretty girl from a family. To marry such a beautiful daughter to King Yan¡¯s Manor or King Chu¡¯s Manor must be better for the family than to marry her to the Yan Kingdom far away.

    There must be a lot of peopleing up with such an idea. When Mo Huawen knew it, he found that there would be a lot of people who used the reason of being sick to avoid the chance of bing the First Prince¡¯s concubine. The pce would eventually take a lot of trouble, and all requests would not be allowed.

    Mo Huawen never made this kind of mistake before. The reason why he was so important to the Emperor Zongwen was that he was careful and considerate. How could hee up with such a superficial excuse? The concern for his daughter disturbed him. A wry smile crept over his lips and he said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I was wrong.¡±

    If he could simply solve this problem, he would not have seen so many colleagues looking sad when he came out of the hall...

 Chapter 260 - A Thief Entered the Mo Manors Backyard at Night

    <h4>Chapter 260 A ¡°Thief¡± Entered the Mo Manor¡¯s Backyard at Night</h4>

    When the old nanny came back to the bed, the Old Madam understood what she meant. The Old Madam¡¯s face darkened a little. She looked at the nanny, frowned, and asked, ¡°You mean the ancestral temple...¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Madam, think about this, whichdy should we put this on if we want to seed?¡± the old nanny reminded the Old Madam, sitting down on the stool in front of the bed. Then she brought the light closer so that the Old Madam could see it clearly. The Old Madam¡¯s face was dark and sinister in the light.

    ¡°Yes, but there must be a good n as to where it will lead. My original target was Mo Xuetong, but now she is Princess Anping. It¡¯s not good to do it,¡± the Old Madam said hesitantly, unable to make up her mind. It was best to target Mo Xuetong.

    After all, the twodies in the backyard could not have a worse reputation. If Mo Huawen insisted on taking them there, the Old Madam had nothing to say, but Mo Xuetong was different from them. Mo Xuetong was Mo Huawen¡¯s official wife¡¯s daughter with a good reputation. If her reputation was damaged, Mo Huawen would not take her out to avoid embarrassment.

    Mo Huawen paid more and more attention to this daughter, so Mo Xuetong was doomed to be the Old Madam¡¯s target.

    But things were different now. Mo Xuetong became the Princess Royal¡¯s sworn daughter, with the title of the princess. If she was involved in this matter and was eventually charged with defaming the royal family, she might be beheaded. The Old Madam did not dare to think of the consequences, but calcting against the other twodies did not work. So the Old Madam had been nning it but never implemented it.

    ¡°Old Madam, we have to target the third miss. If our target is someone else, the eldest sir won¡¯t take it seriously. The other day I heard that the eldest sir has shut the yard of the first miss. Now she is like in detention. Who knows if she¡¯ll be locked up for a year or so until she gets married. When a father treats his young daughter in this way, he has no fatherly affection for her.¡±

    The old nanny whispered persuasively, ¡°Then think of the fourth miss, who has never been favored by her father since her birth. Nothing serious happened this time, and she was shut up in the yard with the first miss. Though the eldest sir has not spoken of punishing her, it shows that she is not loved by her father.¡±

    ¡°But..¡± The Old Madam was still hesitating. If this had happened some time ago, she would have done it without hesitation. She wanted to frame Mo Xuetong and take it out on her for her granddaughter, making Mo Huawen ufortable. However, as the situation changed, Mo Xuetong was even luckier.

    ¡°Old Madam, this is a pce banquet, not just for the usual scions. If the second miss loses this chance, she¡¯ll never get a chance to marry into a rich family. The second old sir wille and fetch you in a few days. When you came, you said you would only stay here after the Spring Festival. Think of the second miss, she is so clever and lovely. Perhaps she can get a princess¡¯s attention, and win a title of the princess to make you look good. By then, you¡¯ll get a title. Unlike now, you are not mandated yet.¡±

    The nanny handed the Old Madam a cup of tea and whispered to her about Mo Xuetong¡¯s identity as Princess Royal¡¯s sworn daughter.

    The Old Madam¡¯s face became a little red, and her breath was fast as she thought of the riches Mo Xueyan might bring her. It was obviously a great temptation for her. Thest time the duchess came here, sheughed at the Old Madam¡¯sck of title. If the Old Madam did get a title, she would be more confident among her rtives.

    ¡°Besides, the man likes the third miss. I hear he is a cheeky man. What if he starts a fight and pulls you out after finding out that we cheat him? At best, he will be used of being too romantic. After all, he has people in the pce, who can protect him. But Old Madam, what shall you do?¡±

    The Old Madam shuddered at the thought of the man¡¯s reputation!

    The old nanny¡¯sst words made the Old Madam determined. She stopped hesitating and began to n.

    The two heads came nearer and nearer in themplight, and their shadows fell on the window. In the high tree outside the window, Mo Feng was sitting bored, his eyes closed, his ears keen to catch the sound below. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, with a pale and cold smile. Mo Xuetong was right¡ªthe old maid was really up to no good, and had already nned to frame Mo Xuetong.

    But the old woman could never expect that Mo Xuetong had been wary of her. If she did nothing and stayed quietly here, Mo Xuetong would not deal with her. If she had bad intentions, Mo Feng would not be polite to her. Mo Feng got up from the tree, tightened his belt, and took a long breath. ¡°It¡¯s time to loosen up,¡± he murmured quietly. He had been in the Mo Manor for so many days, and he could not find a chance to beat someone up.

    Most part of the Mo Manor was quiet at night. In the cold season, who did not rest early? Even though Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong were too excited to sleep, they closed the gate first.

    In order to finish the painting work as soon as possible, the ancestral temple was brightly lit, with a few workers in and out sometimes. Some old maids who guarded the gate had grown sleepy, but they could not sleep with the gate closed. They could only sit in the little porter¡¯s lodge, eating sunflower seeds and chatting. Every now and then they checked to see if anyone else wasing in.

    At the time, several people pushed a carload of bricks in. Two of the old maids talked about the quality of the bricks, saying that the building materials of this ancestral temple were not all brick and stone, so, even if it was fired, this ancestral temple would not be totally burned.

    When the carload of bricks was pushed through the door, only two men who carried the bricks remained, and the rest withdrew.

    At the end of the night, the back door closed as usual. The two old maids locked the door, yawned, and went to bed. Who didn¡¯t want to sleep under the covers in winter?

    No one noticed that two people had made their way along the wall to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden.

    The person in front was the guide, stopping every now and then to wait for the person behind.

    The plot took ce in the dark.

    Mo Xuetong was awakened in the middle of the night. When she opened her sleepy eyes and saw Mo Ye standing by her bed, dressed, she felt wide awake. Under Mo Lan¡¯s service, she got out of bed quietly. Through the unlit window, she saw a figure turning over on the wall of the yard and asked quietly, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°The dissolute son of the Yu Manor, the younger brother of Consort Yu,¡± Mo Ye answered dryly while picking up Mo Xuetong¡¯s lined jacket and draping it on her shoulders. Mo Lan had deftly buttoned up all her buttons. Mo Yu took a hand stove and put it in her hands to keep her warm. Mo Xuetong, who had juste out of bed, was still warm. When she left the quilt, she felt cold, and her limbs were soon cold.

    ¡°Do it,¡± Mo Xuetong said, covering a sneer on her lips.

    Mo Ye, standing at the window, gestured outside. Getting the instruction, Mo Feng jumped up to a tall tree nearby. He dressed in ck, covered his head and face, like the man in ck, who Mo Xuetong had seen in the Cloud City the other day.

    Mo Feng in ck punched Yu Mingyong. Yu Mingyong, who was a real dandy, couldn¡¯t stand being beaten, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Before he saw the figure clearly, he fainted uselessly.

    Mo Feng picked Yu Mingyong up like a pocket and ran across the roof to the inner yard.

    Mo Huawen went to bedte. Because he did not think of a way to let Mo Xuetong not to attend the pce banquet, he was tossing and turning in bed. With the approach ofte night, he finally felt sleepy. Just as he was falling asleep, he heard someone outside shouting, ¡°Stop the thief! Stop the thief!¡± The silence of the night was suddenly broken by shouts apanied by the shocking gong and drum.

    The Mo Manor was immediately boiling up; someone was calling, and someone was shouting...

    As soon as Mo Huawen got up, he saw Mo Xuetong stumbling over with Mo Lan and Mo Yu.

    Mo Xuetong looked flustered and pale, as if she had been frightened. She held Mo Lan¡¯s hand and faltered. ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Huawen asked, stepping forward to help her.

    ¡°Father, father, there¡¯s a thief in the backyard. The old maids said he was going to grandmother. I was afraid, so I came to you.¡± Mo Xuetong panted. She was pale and could not calm herself. There was fear in her eyes, and Mo Huawen felt her hands trembling.

    The thief went to the Old Madam?

    Mo Huawen was also worried, but from the way Mo Xuetong walked, Mo Huawen knew that she must have sprained her ankle. He immediately took her to his own study, arranged for outside guards, and then took the others to the inner yard.

    The butler had told Mo Huawen what had happened.

    The butler said that an old maid in the Old Madam¡¯s yard was the first to notice something unusual when she saw someone climbing into their yard. The old maids were so frightened that they took up their brooms and struck the man. And someone saw a man in ck walking by outside and immediately cried out in fear.

    It was said that more than one servant saw the man in ck. One of the old maids spoke eloquently of seeing the man with a package of gold and silver jewels in his bosom, which was taken out from the Old Madam¡¯s house. Mo Huawen did saw a string of beads on his way to the Old Madam¡¯s yard.

    Someone robbed his house!

    Mo Huawen just thought his nose was out of joint. He was the official in charge of security in the capital but he was robbed today. It was like punching him in the face!

    After inquiring whether all the yards were safe, the servant reported that thieves had appeared in the yards of the first miss, the third miss, and the fourth miss, but those young and old maids in the yards had beaten them away. The two concubines lost a lot of ornaments and were crying at the moment. Mo Huawen asked the butler to send someone to cate them and then headed to the Old Madam¡¯s yard.

    There were many thieves this time, but only the one who went to the Old Madam¡¯s yard was caught. Mo Huawen was determined to find out who challenged him anyway.

    ¡°What is the matter with the third miss¡¯s feet?¡± Because the Old Madam¡¯s yard was still some distance away, Mo Huawen asked the butler beside him while walking.

    The butler was a man in his fifties. He had to jog to keep up with Mo Huawen and was now a little breathless. Hearing Mo Huawen¡¯s question, he said simply, ¡°After the man in ck, who went to the third miss¡¯s yard, was beaten away, the third miss worried about you and ran out of her yard with the maids. When they passed the second gate, a branch of the tree fell across the road. As it was dark and they walked fast, the third miss didn¡¯t see it and tripped. She went to your study without a rest.¡±

    Tong¡¯er was hurt? And it was because she was worried about him. Mo Huawen¡¯s heart clenched in pain.

    The thieves had entered the yard of his other daughters, but Mo Xuetong was the only one who cared about him. The other two just knew to protect themselves and didn¡¯t care about him. The butler also told Mo Huawen that his two other daughters were asleep. His two concubines were even more useless. They were crying. In the middle of the night, everyone knew they were crying.

    Mo Huawenpletely favored Mo Xuetong, forgetting that he had forbidden Mo Xuemin to go out a long time ago. He thought only of the fact that his favorite daughter had broken her foot for him, and he did not know how it was.

    He stopped so suddenly that the butler, trotting after him, almost ran into him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to the Old Madam¡¯s yard. Arrange someone to see the injury of the third miss. Have someone to boil some hot water. See if the injury is serious. If it¡¯s serious, bring a doctor,¡± Mo Huawen ordered urgently.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The butler turned and trotted back. He knew that Mo Huawen was worrying about the third miss. If there was something wrong with the third miss, it would be a big deal.

 Chapter 261 - The Wicked Playboy and the Malicious

    <h4>Chapter 261 The Wicked yboy and the Malicious Woman¡¯s Aplice</h4>

    Mo Huawen came to the Old Madam¡¯s yard. As he entered, he saw a group of people whispering around a man who was lying on the ground.

    ¡°Was he killed?¡±

    ¡°No, he shouted very loudly just now.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like a man in ck. Look at his expensive clothes, he doesn¡¯t look like a robber.¡±

    ¡°Is he from some well-known family, who went the wrong way?¡±

    ¡°How can that be? This is the Old Madam¡¯s yard, not a miss¡¯s...¡± said a maid.

    Then she was immediately reprimanded by another, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m talking nonsense, nonsense.¡± The maid immediately responded and gently pped herself in the face.

    As a maid saw Mo Huawen entering the door with a grim face, she warned, ¡°The old sir¡¯s here! The old sir¡¯s here!¡±

    The crowd quickly made way for Mo Huawen. When he saw the man lying on the ground, he called his servant toe and turn him over. As he saw the man clearly, his face grew more sullen. The Old Madam was up by this time. She was awakened from a short sleep. At first, she cowered under the covers, and now she finally put on her clothes and came out of the room.

    Mo Huawen told his servants to take the men to the Old Madam¡¯s inner room. The room was warmed by the stove. Presumably, because he felt warm, the man slowly woke up.

    ¡°Who are you? How dare you break into the inner yard of the Mo Manor?¡± shouted an old maid who managed the inner yard.

    The man was now too ck and blue to be recognized. He dressed in a bright green robe made of fine silk from Hangzhou. Ordinary people could not afford such silk, and it was not something that money could buy. Most of such cloth was sent as tribute to the pce, which meant that the man was no ordinary robber.

    Yu Mingyong just woke up and had no idea what was going on. He touched his head and looked at the Old Madam at the head and Mo Huawen next to her. His heart did a flip, and he was secretly d that their n had been exposed!

    But he was beaten too hard. Fortunately, he wore many clothes today, or his leg might have been broken. He looked at the Old Madam with some anger in his eyes.

    ¡°Sir Mo, it¡¯s me.¡± Yu Mingyong pulled himself up against a chair beside him. He tried to salute Mo Huawen, but suddenly he felt a pain in his waist. He quickly reached out to support his waist, grinning painfully and unable to greet Mo Huawen clearly.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mo Huawen eyed him up and down and asked coldly.

    ¡°I am Yu Mingyong, the younger brother of Consort Yu in the imperial pce. We met at thest banquet, Sir Mo.¡± Realizing that Mo Huawen didn¡¯t seem to recognize him at all, Yu Mingyong said anxiously as he looked over to the Old Madam and beckoned her to help him.

    As the Old Madam realized that the man was Yu Mingyong she sent someone to contact, she got angry.

    She red angrily at an old maid beside her. She clearly asked her to take the man to the Qingwei Garden. Why was this man in her yard? It was really hard for her to deal with this thing when it came up to her.

    The old maid, shuddering at her nce, bowed her head aggrievedly. She was really wronged because she did take this man to the Qingwei Garden and didn¡¯t leave him until he was climbing the wall. She could not understand why the man hade into this yard.

    ¡°Sir Yu, why are you here?¡± Mo Huawen asked coldly, his eyes following Yu Mingyong¡¯s eyes to the Old Madam, who looked a little nervous. Then he frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been asked here. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to get into your back door,¡± Yu Mingyong answered carelessly, covering the corner of his cracked lip. Although he suffered a lot, at the thought that he would get the beauty, Yu Mingyong thought it was worth it. Then he rolled his eyes and went on as nned.

    ¡°Nonsense. How could ady stay up at midnight and ask you to meet her in the back garden?¡± fumed a nanny beside the Old Madam. ¡°And this is the Old Madam¡¯s yard. Are you in the wrong ce?¡±

    The nanny put Yu Mingyong on a date with one of thedies. So, no matter this matter involved which youngdy, people could say that Mo Manor¡¯s daughter lost their reputation. Mo Huawen gave a cold look at the old maid who had been following the Old Madam. A trace of sharpness shed through his eyes.

    He certainly did not think that the old maid said that on her own. How could an old maid say such things in his face without the Old Madam¡¯s permission?

    Before, he thought the Old Madam was a reasonable and kind person, so he respected her very much. Even though she was his father¡¯s concubine, he demanded that his children should treat her as if she were their own grandmother. Now it seemed that no matter how much he respected her, she was doomed to be ungrateful.

    Mo Huawen looked at them coldly and clearly saw that the Old Madam got nervous. Yu Mingyong had no fear. The nanny behind the Old Madam targeted his daughters. Did she think she was the master of the house? Mo Huawen¡¯s deep eyes fell on the old nanny, and a cruel smile came over his lips.

    ¡°You have again framed my daughters. Do you really think I¡¯ll let you have your way?¡±

    The nanny, startled by his re, felt that the old sir¡¯s face was full of malice, not the same as usual. His eyes looked as if he had searched everything. The nanny ducked behind the Old Madam, her head bowed, afraid to speak again. Anyway, she had said what she wanted to say. It was up to Mo Huawen to understand.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t your daughter ask me here? Why else would I climb the wall? How could I have stayed up at night,e here, and been beaten up, if someone in there hadn¡¯t invited me? Sir Mo, you know, my sister is a decent person in the imperial pce. How could she put up with the humiliation of her only brother bearing?¡±

    When someone started the topic, Yu Mingyong became even more defensive and threatened Mo Huawen, pointing to the wounds on his face.

    There were many bruises on his face, ck and red, which had been inflicted by the servants.

    ¡°Sir Yu, are you sure the people in this courtyard asked you here?¡± Mo Huawen asked coldly.

    The Old Madam shuddered. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, Mo Huawen¡¯s cold eyes stunned her.

    ¡°If anyone in this room dares to utter a word, he will be sent to the court to be punished forplicity with the thief.¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s cold eyes moved from the Old Madam to the old maid behind her. Seeing his unmistakable warning, everyone knew that the old sir was really angry. The old maids knew that things went wrong, and all bowed their heads and dared not speak.

    ¡°Someone from the yard asked me here, of course. The messenger was a young maid, and she brought me in. I don¡¯t know how I became a thief. Sir Mo, I did not take anything from your house, nor did I destroy anything in your house. How can you think I am a thief?¡± Yu Mingyong still didn¡¯t figure out the situation and how he became a thief.

    He happily came to the appointment, in order to have an affair with the third miss, the Princess Anping, and then sessfully marry her home. Ever since he got a picture of Mo Xuetong, he had been thinking about the beautifuldy in the picture. So, although he knew he would be beaten, he came here as soon as he received the letter.

    ¡°Who came to fetch you?¡± Mo Huawen asked coldly.

    The room full of people was quiet now. As it was quiet, the Old Madam¡¯s rapid breathing was audible.

    The Old Madam sensed it herself. She calmly picked up the blue and white porcin teacup and took a sip of tea, trying to calm down before making ns.

    ¡°Who brought me here? Of course, the people who are with the Third Young Miss Mo.¡± But Yu Mingyong knew that he couldn¡¯t say it so obviously. ¡°It¡¯s an old maid. As it was too dark, I didn¡¯t see who it was. The maids all look alike. I can¡¯t tell now,¡± he answered, after a moment¡¯s reflection.

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s night, there¡¯s moonlight tonight, so you should be able to see what color she¡¯s wearing,¡± Mo Huawen pressed on.

    ¡°Color... I have a little impression. She seemed to be wearing a blue coat.¡± Cornered, Yu Mingyong turned his head and saw the old and young maids in the same blue coat and blue dress. So he randomly pointed at a person and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Everyone has dressed pretty much the same anyway. I didn¡¯t see it clearly.¡±

    As soon as these words were spoken, the Old Madam¡¯s hands trembled, and her teacup tinkled. Although the sound was very light, in this quiet room, the sound seemed to hit hard on the heart. All the maids winced quietly.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what she was wearing?¡± Mo Huawen sneered.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what she wore.¡± Yu Mingyong also sensed that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the room, but he was on the spot, and could only answer.

    ¡°If so, then, Sir Yu, you do have something to do with the people in this yard. What do the people in this yard ask you to do?¡± Mo Huawen looked up with a cold sh in his eye. His eyes rested on the Old Madam, who was somewhat prim, and faint mockery crept over his lips.

    Tong¡¯er had bought the blue cloth for the maids. But when the cloth was sent home, she found that the cloth had some quality problems. It seemed to have been washed by the rain and had faded in many ces. Since this batch of cloth could not be made into clothes at all, she returned the cloth for another batch.

    However, the Old Madam did not like the second batch of pale pink cloth and thought that it was not dignified for the old maids. She sent someone to pick out some of the blue cloth. As the number of purchases was small, only the maids in her own yard and Mo Xueyan¡¯s yard wore the dress made of such cloth. That was to say, the maids in other parts of the house were dressed quite differently.

    Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t know this and thought all the maids he saw were from Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard. He was thrilled and cheered up when Mo Huawen finally asked him the crucial question.

    Ignoring the pain, he took two steps forward and dropped to his knees in front of Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo,¡± he said, ¡°the third miss and I love each other so much that we met at night. If you will marry the third miss to me, I promise to love her forever.¡±

    His words were sudden and blunt, and the room was stunned by his shameless remarks.

    It was not the word of a gentleman at all. He talked so grandly of meeting ady privately.

    The Old Madam, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yu Mingyong was not too stupid. She thought that it was right to find this man. She ced her teacup on the table beside, put on a fake face of exasperation, and scolded, ¡°How dare you say that, you lecherous pig?¡±

    When the Old Madam began to speak, the nanny standing behind her also snapped, ¡°Who are you? How dare you have such feelings for our third miss? You must havee on purpose to ruin the third miss¡¯s reputation. Do you think our third miss is as shameless a person as you to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°I have proof. I have a token from the third miss.¡± Yu Mingyong put his hand into his bosom triumphantly. It was something he had been prepared for, and it was the highlight of the evening. He must y well at all costs.

 Chapter 262 - Besmirching Her Good Name

    <h4>Chapter 262 Besmirching Her Good Name</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Mo Huawen saw the gold hairpin in Yu Mingyong¡¯s hand and asked coldly.

    It was a totally undistinguished gold hairpin, utterlymonce. Although Mo Huawen did not quite know women¡¯s jewelry, he could still tell that this gold hairpin was unremarkable.

    ¡°Who gave you this?¡±

    ¡°A housekeeping nanny by Third Young Miss Mo¡¯s side. That nanny even kept a door open for me. She wanted me to sneak into your ancestral hall with the other servants.¡±

    ¡°What did she say when she gave you this?¡±

    ¡°She said Third Young Miss Mo had fallen for me. She wanted to meet me under the moon.¡±

    ¡°Since she has arranged a rendezvous, why did you climb the wall? Why had you fallen from the wall into the courtyard?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to enter through the door. But a nanny saw a figure whizz by and escape in a panic. In order not to disappoint Third Young Miss Mo, I could only climb the wall. But they thought I was a burr. I had been wrongly used.¡± Yu Mingyong was determined to stick to his story. The story had been well thought out and had no loopholes. He sounded as if he was telling the truth.

    The Old Madam became silent. The expression on her face seemed angry and frustrated, but a sh ofcency shed across her eyes.

    The thief had stuck to his story which seemed to be true. Ignoring whether it was the truth or not, Mo Xuetong had lost face. A fly will not attack an uncracked egg. This is a generally epted dictum. Why was Yu Mingyong interested in no one else but her? Wasn¡¯t it because she was coquettish and frivolous?

    Mo Xuetong had encountered Yu Mingyong and beaten him up so badly. Consort Yu would not let him off.

    She smugly cast a nce at the nanny by the side and nodded appreciatively.

    Since Mo Xuetong was too embarrassed to enter the pce, Yan¡¯er could go on her behalf. If Yan¡¯er met an eminent personage in the pce and marry into a distinguished family, no one would look down on her. So what if she was to be a concubine? Perhaps Yan¡¯er could get herself imperial conferment. She could inherit a post by deign of her elevated status. She would be among those who could earn it.

    Mo Xueyan was still not reacting. But the Old Madam was already overjoyed. She almost could not hide her tion.

    Mo Huawen was still cross-examining the man, sentence by sentence.

    ¡°You said that you and Tong¡¯er had fallen for each other. So why did you say Tong¡¯er was the one who had arranged the rendezvous? When did you see her?¡±

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo has taken a fancy for me. So she arranged a rendezvous. Clearly, we are in love with each other. As for my first meeting with her, it was of course during the imperial banquet.¡± Yu Mingyong was not outstanding in anything but in women. The moment he became entangled with a woman, he would be extremely excited. So right now he could argue his case craftily.

    He would stick to this story no matter what.

    The joy in the Old Madam¡¯s eyes almost could not be restrained. She took the opportunity of drinking tea to disguise her smile.

    ¡°Are you sure it was the servant of this yard? Are you sure it was a nanny dressed in this attire? And are you sure you were asked out by the owner of this hairpin?¡± Mo Huawen asked three consecutive questions, not stopping to take a breath.

    Yu Mingyong immediately replied without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s someone from here. If it wasn¡¯t someone in this attire, you could jab my eyes, Sir Mo. The owner of this hairpin has sent her personal item to me. Of course, she must have fancied me.¡±

    Yu Mingyong said all this in one breath. Suddenly, they heard some noise from behind a screen. It seemed to be some bench being overturned.

    Mo Huawen cast the screen a cold nce. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°Un... Uncle... it¡¯s me!¡± A trembling voice rang out from behind the screen.

    Old Madam heard her and felt that something was amiss. She was about to speak when Mo Xueyan created this racket from behind. She frowned, signaling one of the grannies to go and find out what was wrong.

    The granny left and saw Mo Xueyan sitting on the ground, dazed. A maidservant by her side was trying to pull her up but she did not react. Her entire person was shivering and her pallid face seemed almost transparent, not understanding what had ensued. The maidservant helped her up. Outside, things were getting interesting. They did not care for her and the granny turned around and departed, standing by the side to watch the scene.

    Mo Huawen knew it was Mo Xueyan behind. He was toozy to care. He said to a servant by his side, ¡°Go and look at that hairpin.¡±

    The servant assented and took the gold hairpin from Yu Mingyong¡¯s hand. He stared at it, turning it repeatedly in his hand, and suddenly said, ¡°Old sir, this hairpin isn¡¯t third miss¡¯s. There¡¯s a character on it... Let me see.¡± The servant lifted the hairpin under the brightmp and cried out in shock. ¡°Yan. The character is a ¡®Yan.¡¯ ¡±

    The character ¡°Yan¡± on the gold hairpin?

    The Old Madam, who had just bitten a mouthful of orange from the nanny, instantly choked. She coughed vigorously. The nanny behind her also panicked, patting her back forcefully. Another servant started to caress her chest. Finally, she recovered.

    The Old Madam drank a mouthful of water and recovered. She pointed at the hairpin in the servant¡¯s hand and said anxiously, ¡°Bring it here and let me see.¡±

    There was a ¡°Yan¡± on the hairpin. Other than her own granddaughter in the manor, no one else¡¯s hairpin would be engraved with the character ¡°Yan.¡± No wonder she found the hairpin familiar! The Old Madam started to panic. She could no longer care about her equable bearing.

    Another granny came and took the hairpin, bringing it to the Old Madam. Thetter looked at it and nearly fainted from anger. It was really Yan¡¯er¡¯s hairpin.

    ¡°It¡¯s second miss¡¯s hairpin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s second miss¡¯s hairpin.¡±

    ¡°So second miss was too lonely and created all this trouble.¡±

    ¡°No wonder he had to climb in by the wall. The second miss¡¯s yard is quite simr to this one. Only the maids of second miss and we would wear robes in such a color.¡±

    Sarcasticments resounded from outside the screen. Mo Xueyan¡¯s mind was in aplete nk. She started to feel her ears buzz.

    ¡°That must be why second miss had tried to get into our yard. She was pretending to be third miss, meeting her lover. What was she thinking? Was she trying to deceive her man? When what¡¯s done cannot be undone, this man would have to admit to the affair.¡±

    ...

    ¡°Where was this hairpin from? Someone must have engraved this character to frame Yan¡¯er.¡± Old Madam¡¯s face flushed green and red by turns. She grabbed the hairpin from the granny and threw it vigorously on the ground. She even got up and trampled on it, twisting her feet twice¡ªas if that would make the hairpin disappear.

    How could it be Yan¡¯er¡¯s? This hairpin must have been stolen from Mo Xuetong¡¯s dressing case before Auntie Fang¡¯s servants departed Qingwei Garden. How could it be someone else¡¯s?

    ¡°Old sir, this is certainly not third miss¡¯s belonging. Third miss¡¯s jewelry is left behind by Madam. Given General Manor¡¯s finances, they would note up with something of such poor workmanship.¡± The servant was still trying to exin. He had been a follower of Mo Huawen and had seen him judge cases. So he obviously knew a thing or two about deduction.

    He started to exin eloquently. It was hard for anyone to refute him.

    Yu Mingyong now detected something was wrong. He was lost in a daze, watching Old Madam¡¯s face turn green and ck by turns. Then he nced at the nonchnt Mo Huawen. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s Third Young Miss Mo, it really is her,¡± he remarked in great rm. He got up strenuously and tried to offer more evidence, but found himself with none.

    ¡°Sir Yu, you sneaked into an official¡¯s manor and were in cahoots with burrs. You stole our possession in the fracas and tried to frame my niece. I must report this matter. Men, take Sir Yu to the prison. Tomorrow, I will report this case to His Majesty and get my justice.¡± Mo Huawen was not interested in taking part in this scene anymore.

    He instructed his men to drag the yelling Yu Mingyong away. He would try him as if he was a criminal case.

    When Yu Mingyong had been dragged away, the Old Madam said hurriedly, ¡°My son, it really isn¡¯t Yan¡¯er. She¡¯s a good girl. Why would she do such a thing? It must be that libertine trying to smear her name.¡±

    Mo Huawen looked disappointingly at the Old Madam, grief and sadness clouding his eyes. When he was young, he always thought that she was the most impartial. In his memory, this mother, his father¡¯s concubine, had always been a magnanimous and gentle woman. She always treated he and his second brother equally well. Everyone in his n would praise her for her fairness.

    After he grew up and won for himself honors in the imperial examination, his second brother became a businessman. Although they seldom met each other, the two brothers were still amicable and loving thanks to this mother. He did not expect some of their rtionships to have soured after many years. They were no longer as loving as before. Whether it was because of the environment or his mood, he wondered if she was the same tender-hearted mother she once was.

    For the sake of her own granddaughter, she would sacrifice Tong¡¯er to help Mo Xueyan.

    ¡°Uncle, it really wasn¡¯t me. I don¡¯t know him.¡± Mo Xueyan dashed out from behind the screen, running to Mo Huawen¡¯s front and sobbing.

    ¡°Old Madam, please take a rest first. There¡¯re burrs in this manor and everything¡¯s topsy-turvy. I need to inspect the other yards. Tong¡¯er has hurt her leg. I wonder if the physician¡¯s here.¡± Mo Huawen stood up and said quietly. He ignored Mo Xueyan, turning to leave.

    He really did not wish to continue watching this farce!

    He had been a judge for years. He did not need to say anything when he could discern the truth.

    It was clearly the Old Madam trying to frame Tong¡¯er. She got Yu Mingyong to confess, trying to force Mo Huawen to give in. If that person was a man without any status, they could easily beat him up and kill him. No one would know. But Yu Mingyong was not undistinguished. His sister, Consort Yu, had been reprimanded a few days before but she was still the Emperor¡¯s beloved. If she learned that her only brother was in trouble, she would not let them off.

    Letting Tong¡¯er marry such a libertine¡ªthe Old Madam¡¯s scheme was too vicious!

    When he thought of this, Mo Huawen¡¯s rage surged. That was why he had ignored Mo Xueyan and left, waving his sleeve.

    He had already made up his mind. Before the two of them fell out, he must send the Old Madam away. If she remained in the backyard, she would stir up more trouble. First, it was the affair of Lan Xinru. Now, it was worse. She had even tried to hurt Tong¡¯er. When he thought of Tong¡¯er¡¯s snowy-white and innocent face, Mo Huawen started to panic.

    He could not see where Mo Xueyan was superior to Tong¡¯er. She could make Old Madam scheme so viciously. If they seeded, Tong¡¯er¡¯s life would be ruined. Although he had received the Old Madam¡¯s kindness as a boy, he could not sacrifice Tong¡¯er¡¯s life in exchange. He felt himself to have swallowed a fly. He felt nauseated yet regretful.

    The reason he did not continue trying the case was that he felt there was no more need to. He would treat it as a simple case of burry. If another romantic affair was unraveled in Mo Manor, even Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation would be besmirched, even if the offender was Mo Xueyan. After all, they were both daughters of the manor.

    So he stormed out, returning to his study. Before he reached the study¡¯s door, he heard his butler report that Mo Xuetong¡¯s leg was badly hurt. She would not be able to walk for at least a month. He furiously kicked the trunk of a nting tree. Unable to relieve his rage, he cursed, ¡°Bastard!¡±

    The butler stared agape at Mo Huawen. He did not expect his refined master to act so abnormally.

 Chapter 263 - A Feigned Rejection: Mo Xueyan Entered the Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 263 A Feigned Rejection: Mo Xueyan Entered the Scheme</h4>

    In the study, Mo Xuetong¡¯s leg had been bandaged. A strong herbal aroma permeated the air. Her face pale, Mo Xuetong sat askew against the couch. Mo Lan and Mo Yu were picking up the discarded strips and dressings!

    Mo Huawen lightly coughed from outside the room.

    He heard his daughter¡¯s joyful voice. ¡°Father¡¯s back. Mo Lan, don¡¯t pick up the bandages anymore. Pour Father a cup of hot tea to warm his body.¡±

    ¡°I will, Miss, right away,¡± Mo Lan said with a smile.

    Following that was the noise of someone plonking things down. It was a little disorganized and noisy¡ªunlike how the quiet study used to be.

    But this feeling made warmth surge up Mo Huawen¡¯s heart.

    There used to be a woman keeping himpany in the study. Her charming smiles and conversation diluted its cold severity. She was like the warm sun in winter, always illuminating his heart whenever he needed her.

    But since her departure, his study had resumed its austere silence. He had not noticed that silence before, yet now he was feeling its coldness. Even the air to him seemed chillingly dense. He rarely allowed those concubines of his to enter his study. Even if they had something to report, they would have to wait outside.

    Even the favored Mo Xuemin would not be allowed into the study.

    This room seemed to be the undeniable center of his heart. For most days of the year, he would remain in the room.

    He was already used to that cold, lifeless silence. But now that he heard Tong¡¯er¡¯s voice in the room, he felt that it sounded so suitable. It was as if she should be in this room¡ªupying the most important position in his heart.

    His frosty face involuntarily rxed and a slight smile rose from the depths of his eyes.

    The butler behind him heaved a sigh of relief. Atst, the master had recovered.

    After leaving the butler to deal with the incident¡¯s aftermath, Mo Huawen strode into the room. Mo Yu was already at the door weing him. When she saw him enter, she greeted him respectfully, ¡°Old sir.¡±

    ¡°Father,e here, quick. It¡¯s warm here. Mo Lan has got servants to add burning coals underneath.¡± Mo Xuetong tried to struggle out of her couch. She held to its side, one leg on the floor. She was tottering.

    Mo Huawen immediately advanced two steps and helped her up. ¡°Your leg¡¯s hurt. Why go to all this trouble? You used to be a quiet girl when you were young. Why are you so mischievous now?¡±

    Although he seemed to be reprimanding her, they were mild reproaches. The love in his eyes could not be disguised. Still, he pretended to be indifferent. Mo Yu by the side was pursing her lips, secretly delighted.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The physician said that I have only hurt my tendons. No serious injury, although I must rest properly and not go out.¡± Mo Xuetong said this sweetly and smilingly put her hand on Mo Huawen¡¯s arm. Since she would totter, she decided to sit down instead. She took Mo Lan¡¯s tea and offered it to Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Father, this is freshly brewed tea. Have some. Because of some urgent matter, I got up this morning in a hurry. You must have caught a cold, Father. I¡¯ve prepared hot water a long time ago and was waiting for you.¡±

    Her pale face seemed even a little flushed from the zing stove in the room. Her childish endearments, trying so hard to please him, was so adorably heartfelt that Mo Huawen¡¯s heart ache.

    After taking the tea and sipping a mouthful, he felt the coldness in his heart to have been swept awaypletely, as the hot drink trickled down his throat and coursed warmly through his limbs. Mo Huawen put the tea to one side and lectured her with a solemn face. ¡°In the future, don¡¯t do these trivial things. You¡¯ve hurt your bone and tendon. Stay in bed for 100 days and recuperate quietly, if nothing¡¯s the matter.¡±

    ¡°But your affairs are not ¡®trivial things¡¯, Father. I did them willingly. Besides, I have nothing to do. I was just instructing them with my mouth.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled.

    Watching his daughter¡¯s innocent smile, Mo Huawen suddenly recollected what happened tonight. If they got their way, Tong¡¯er¡¯s life would be ruined. He knew how Yu Mingyong was. Although also a libertine, Li Youmo from Minister Li¡¯s family was so much better. At least, he had more refined taste.

    He was unlike this man, who did not care whether he knew the girl well. As long as he fancied her, he would drag her to his mansion even if she stank. No one in his family would rein him in. His only sister was in the pce and he was the most important person left in his house. He could do any dissolute act he liked. He would even grab women and men from outside his mansion at will. Or he would shut the door of his mansion to torment them.

    He heard that one woman had been abused half-dead by him and waster sold.

    Which girl would dare to marry such a man?

    Although Li Youmo had seized many girls to his mansion, at least he did not abuse them, leaving them half-dead. If a girl wanted to go, he would send her away with good food and a pleasant face. His reputation in the brothel appeared quite good. He seemed to be someone who could be reformed. Besides, his father¡¯s discipline was so strict that no serious issue would ensue.

    In the past, Mo Huawen had wanted to marry Mo Xuemin to Li Youmo. This had been his thought. Mo Xuemin¡¯s identity meant that she could not marry those distinguished, eminent young scions as a primary wife. But after her affair with Li Youmo, she would surely be the primary wife of Li Youmo, given his dissolute reputation and Mo Huawen¡¯s office.

    Heter conferred with Minister Li and they came to an agreement.

    If Mo Xuemin was clever, she would marry into the Li Family and restrained her husband. With Minister Li in support, she might be able to reform this libertine and bear him many children. With Mo Huawen and her father-inw supporting her, it would be no difficult feat.

    It was already the best marriage he could arrange for Mo Xuemin.

    But the whole n had failed because of Mo Xuemin¡¯s dubious rtionship with Sima Lingyun.

    Although they had simr temperaments, Mo Huawen preferred Li Youmo to Yu Mingyong. Thetter was not born into a distinguished family and was not taken in hand while he was young. The moment their family became exalted, they were fawned over and lost their heads. How could such a man win the approval of a politician like Mo Huawen?

    Besides, Consort Yu was a restless mistress!

    The moment he thought about these, he felt more aggrieved against the Old Madam. He felt that he could not let her have her way all the time. He had not disclosed her schemes because he was indebted to her kindness as a boy. Next time... no, no, there wouldn¡¯t be the next time. He would not let Tong¡¯er feel any more grievance.

    Since Mo Huawen gave no answer, Mo Xuetong stretched out her hand and tugged displeasingly at his robe sleeve. ¡°Father, tell me what has happened tonight. Why has someone barged into our mansion?¡±

    She had changed the topic, asking like a pampered child.

    When he saw her, Mo Huawen¡¯s heart ached. He stretched out his hand and fondled her hair, smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Tong¡¯er. It¡¯s nobody important. A few burrs entered our manor from the backdoor and stole a few items. The Old Madam has sustained the greatest loss.¡±

    He could only suppress the issue like this. No matter what, Mo Xueyan was still a member of the Mo Family.

    Yu Mingyong had been thrown in jail. His all-powerful sister would surely find a way to release him. This matter had caused such a ruckus tonight and might have alerted some people. Perhaps even the imperial pce woulde to know about it. Consort Yu would certainly not allow herself to be implicated.

    It could have been a major or minor issue. Looking at it as a minor issue, Mo Yueyan was the daughter of a concubine and involved in an affair with Yu Mingyong. She had a poor reputation and her social status was low, as the daughter of a merchant. Given the fact Consort Yu had contacted Yu Feng, she would surely be dissatisfied with such a lowly sister-inw.

    Since he did not wish to admit to the disgraceful scandal, he could only nip this in the bud. It would be better to im this a mistaken burry than an affair.

    Mo Huawen spected that Consort Yu would keep Yu Mingyong mum. He would then be able to treat this case as one of themon burries.

    It would not tarnish the reputation of Tong¡¯er one bit.

    This was Mo Huawen¡¯s n. It was the reason why he had taken up the case with a heavy hand and let it go lightly. He had to consider the feelings of both the Old Madam and his daughter.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s good that the burr hase. Look, my leg¡¯s hurt.¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly smiled sweetly. She extended her arm and pulled Mo Huawen down to sit, pointing at her injured leg.

    ¡°What a silly girl. Still so happy when your leg¡¯s injured.¡± Mo Huawen gave a helpless smile, caressing Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Father, this time I¡¯m really hurt. Tomorrow, the whole city will learn about it. If after three days... ¡± Mo Xuetong gave a crafty smile. She pouted and signaled for Mo Huawen to look at her leg.

    After three days... what would happen after three days?

    Mo Huawen watched her heavily bandaged leg, half-exposed under her skirt. For a moment, he did not react.

    ¡°Father, the banquet three dayster... ¡± Mo Xuetong said in an innocent voice.

    Her words reminded Mo Huawen. At first, he started, then was in a momentary daze. Following that, he started to guffaw. His mouth could not help but mumble, ¡°Yes, the burr hase at the right time...¡±

    Tomorrow, there would be a tumult in the city after everyone learned that his manor had been burgled. When they learned that Tong¡¯er¡¯s leg was hurt after dashing out to see him, she would not need to attend the banquet three dayster. In other words, she would not be selected as the Consort of Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince. This meant that she would not leave him. He could find her a suitable husband and let her live a happy life.

    He would not demand the most handsome man or someone in the highest office. It would be good enough if he was true to Tong¡¯er and treated her well.

    When he thought about Tong¡¯er¡¯s happy life toe, Mo Huawen¡¯s mood immediately lightened. He could not suppress hisughter and started chortling.

    ¡°Shhh. Father, don¡¯tugh so loudly. You can¡¯t let her know that you¡¯ve been robbed and yet are so happy.¡± Mo Xuetong deliberately suppressed her voice when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s features unfold in delight. She muttered with widened eyes.

    Looking at his daughter¡¯s adorable face, Mo Huawen exhibited rare good humor. He whispered teasingly, ¡°Sure, Father will speak softly.¡±

    All their problems had been resolved. Mo Huawen had to chuckle again. But as heughed, he suddenly stopped, a dilemma presenting itself in his brows.

    ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you happy that I can¡¯t attend the banquet?¡± Perplexity shed across Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, her keen eyes sparkling brightly.

    ¡°Of course, it would be best if you can¡¯t attend the banquet. But His Majesty gave us three invitation cards. So three girls must go. It¡¯s difficult to exin to the Emperor if you can¡¯t.¡± Mo Huawen furrowed his brows. He remembered all the officials excusing themselves over the banquet and the Emperor¡¯s subsequent fury. The Emperor then insisted on giving them invitations based on the number of girls in their mansion. So everyone must attend.

    Therefore, as many girls from each family must attend as their invitation cards¡ªnot one more or less.

    ¡°Father, did His Majesty especially ask for my attendance?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then it will be fine. We have another daughter in the manor. Didn¡¯t Second Sister try all means and ways to attend the royal banquet? I heard that she threw a tantrum and wept in Grandma¡¯s room. Grandma was so upset that she did not sleep well.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, seemingly naive.

    The eyes of Mo Huawen sparkled and became profound.

    If it had been anytime before, he would surely prohibit Mo Xueyan¡¯s attendance. She was such a simple girl, a merchant¡¯s daughter. Yet she kept harboring thoughts of making a good marriage. If she turned up in the pce, trouble might ensue because of her presence.

    But after the incident just now, Mo Huawen would just let her be!

    The Old Madam had tried to harm Tong¡¯er tonight. It must have been Mo Xueyan¡¯s instigation, weeping andining behind her back, ndering her. Perhaps Mo Xueyan wanted to attend the banquet and had as such smeared Tong¡¯er¡¯s name. She would not let Tong¡¯er attend the pce banquet. The invitation should be hers instead.

    No one could see this unless they pondered over it with hindsight. Now that he noticed, troubles seemed to be following one another in quick session. That must be the reason. He was doing all these for the good of Mo Xueyan but had nearly caused Tong¡¯er harm. Mo Huawen was so angry that his hands started to shake. After taking the tea offered to him by Mo Xuetong, he took a big gulp and set the teacup heavily on the table. He said coldly, ¡°Fine. Let her have the invitation then.¡±

    Life and death are ruled by destiny. Prosperity and wealth depend on Heaven.

    So let it be!

 Chapter 264 - Trouble Caused By a Beautys Portrait

    <h4>Chapter 264 Trouble Caused By a Beauty¡¯s Portrait</h4>

    A painting was ced on a broad table. It slowly rolled open and a girl who was smiling brightly appeared in the painting.

    The long-sleeved coat was decorated with hibiscus, and the dress wasced with golden begonia. Red and golden pearl tassel made the girl look more charming. Authentic pearls dotted magenta topced with silver threads were, forming the shape of a Chinese rose. She wore a jade and flying swallow pedant, dancing in front of a bouquet of purple peony. She looked vivid and more delicate than the flowers.

    ¡°Your Highness, this is the top beauty in Qin Kingdom, the legal second miss of Ding General Manor. It¡¯s said that the emperor of Qin will marry her either to King Chu or King Yan.¡± The aide was an elegant-looking schr in his 30s. He spread his fan and pointed to the beauty in the painting, introducing. He looked casual and seemed to think little of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that this top beauty is on good terms with both of the two princes. The Emperor of Qin really doesn¡¯t seem to know how to choose.¡±

    Standing beside the table, Bai Yichen sneered and looked closely at the beauty in the painting. He turned around to sit down and said meaningfully. ¡°King Chu and King Yan are in a heated fight over supremacy. I didn¡¯t expect they would also fight for women so hard.¡±

    He was handsome, young, and resembled Bai Yihao. However, he wasn¡¯t as ethereally handsome as Bai Yihao. Moreover, he didn¡¯t look as pure as Bai Yihao. Between his brows, there was more fierceness.

    The schr smilingly lifted his fan and patted on his sleeve, saying, ¡°I heard they are at peace on the surface. But if this doesn¡¯t work out well, the situation won¡¯tst long. They can wait for the country but not the beauty. Soon, there will be a selection for consorts.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen wouldn¡¯t step down in a short while, but the selection was imminent. If not properly handled, it might ignite the war between the two princes.

    Bai Yichen said thoughtfully, ¡°If Feng Yuzhen really makes it, we might as well give it a little push. I want to know whether they love country or beauty more.¡±

    This time, Bai Yichen brought Feng Yuzhen back. On the one hand, the Empress demanded it; on the other hand, Bai Yichen offered an opportunity for him. Otherwise, as a royal hostage, how could Feng Yuzhen escape from Bai Yichen¡¯s people and return to Qin Kingdom?

    Thinking of the capable and powerful Empress in the central pce, the schr slightly knitted his brows. Walking to and fro, he stood before Bai Yihao and asked in doubt, ¡°Your Highness, do you really want to marry the newly-promoted Princess Anping? Her Highness hopes you can marry her legal niece, Fifth Princess in the Qin Kingdom. I heard Her Highness¡¯s family all care for the Fifth Princess. Even the emperor of the Qin dotes on her because he has no legal children in the central pce. If you marry her...¡±

    The benefit of marrying her was obvious. The schr didn¡¯t need to remind Bai Yichen of that. The Empress knew, and the First Prince too. However, why did First Prince give up on the most beneficial Fifth Princess? Instead, he wanted to marry Princess Anping who had no connections whatsoever. She was only recently adopted by Princess Royal Mingzhu.

    Because of that painting?

    The schr was restless because of First Prince¡¯s stubbornness.

    Seeing his aide doubt his decision, Bai Yichen chuckled. ¡°Do you also think I¡¯m obsessed with her beauty?¡±

    ¡°You mean, you pretended to...¡± The schr smiled wryly and shook his head. He had been assisting Bai Yichen long and never believed that his master would fall out with Empress, disobey her, and hurry to head to the Qin Kingdom for some woman. He thought his master had been lured by the woman¡¯s beauty. He didn¡¯t expect that his master could put on such a wonderful show that even he got fooled.

    Bai Yichen¡¯s smile slowly faded away. ¡°I surely had acted that prurient and you even bought it. I guess everyone else, including my sharp brother, will think in that way!¡±

    It was a trap for the crown prince.

    ¡°Last time you¡¯re here, did you also trick the crown prince? But why did you gift the pair of hairpins that you tried hard to get from the eastern pce?¡± Though satisfied with his master¡¯s attitude, he felt relieved. However, though he thought his master didn¡¯t betray Empress¡¯s trust, he still had some doubt on his mind and brought it up.

    The pair of hairpins took much effort to get. They were said to be closely rted to the crown prince, who loved them very much. His Highness had managed to steal them out of the eastern pce. They were supposed to be the trump card during his master¡¯s war against the crown prince at a crucial moment. Nheless, His Highness gifted them for no reason. He really couldn¡¯t understand that.

    ¡°That day, I met King Xuan and King Chu of Qin Kingdom. I gifted the hairpins to the girl, who is close to King Xuan of the Qin Kingdom. I heard the emperor of the Qin Kingdom cares for this King Xuan. If Bai Yihao gets into a fight with this prince...¡± Bai Yichen didn¡¯t continue and let the schr finish the sentence on his own. He raised his lips in a smug smile.

    What kind of man was King Xuan, Feng Yuran? He was so arrogant that no one couldpare. Should Bai Yihao conflict Feng Yuran for a pair of sword-shaped hairpins, even if he was resourceful, Bai Yihao couldn¡¯t have gotten away safe and sound. Therefore, though Bai Yichen secretly entered the Qin Kingdom, it wasn¡¯t so hard to track him.

    The schr¡¯s eyes lit up and he smiled understandingly. His gaze swept from Bai Yichen to a painting scroll on Bai Yichen¡¯s right. Though closed, he knew the painting portrayed another dancing beauty.

    Her dark eyebrows were long. Instead of pearl-decorated tassels, she only wore a pattern hairpin in her dark hair. She put on light makeup and looked as ethereal as an immortal. She danced in the snow and her fair and white skin against the snowkes made her resemble an immortal from heaven. Such a girl was Princess Anping from the Qin Kingdom.

    For the first time, the schr became interested! He averted his eyes from his master and there was a trace of darkness inside his eyes. He lowered his head to hide his suspicion. ¡°Does he really not care about such a girl? Then why does he always carry the painting with him?¡±

    The news that Mo Manor had been robbed at night spread around the city the next day. The entire town was talking about it. The manor of the lord mayor, who was in charge of the safety administration, should have been stolen. Emperor Zongwen was raged and immediately ordered Mo Huawen to investigate thoroughly. If he found anything suspicious, he could directly arrest them for interrogating with inadequate evidence.

    If anyone acted suspiciously, he could be deemed as viting thews.

    Instantly, the entire capital was going through an intense investigation. At that time, those young thieves were all doomed. The patrol found them from all kinds of rats holes and asked them what they were doingst night, as if they wouldn¡¯t let the young men go unless they provided at least some information.

    Their immediate boss¡¯s manor had been robbed. How embarrassing that was!

    Knowing her brother was involved, in the Caiwei Pce, Consort Yu couldn¡¯t sit tight anymore. She first knelt on the road which Emperor Zongwen took every day and stopped Emperor Zongwen¡¯s imperial sedan chair to beg Emperor Zongwen for sparing Yu Mingyong. She swore and promised that Yu Mingyong absolutely didn¡¯t have the guts to do this kind of thing.

    At most, he would only want to do steal some incense or jade!

    Kneeling on the ground and begging hard, she promised that she could directly found Yu Mingyong to make him tell the truth.

    If he told a single lie, she was willing to let Emperor Zongwen punish him.

    Looking at the way his beautiful consort cried, Emperor Zongwen finally felt soft-hearted for her and sent for Yu Mingyong into the pce.

    At this time, Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t dare to conceal anything anymore. He told everything from Mo Xuemin¡¯s sending a beauty¡¯s portrait to him to an old woman¡¯s visiting him to n together. The old woman told her to poison Third Miss Mo¡¯s reputation. He told all of these from the beginning to the end. Moreover, he also told the final part where someone knocked him out for no reason. He told them all in detail and didn¡¯t dare to hide anything.

    Somebody fetched the portrait from his house and presented it before Emperor Zongwen along with his confession.

    Anyway, it was Mo Manor¡¯s family affairs. Therefore, Emperor Zongwen pushed all this to Mo Huawen.

    When Mo Huawen saw this, his face was livid with rage. He directly went into Mo Xuemin¡¯s yard.

    Inside her room, looking at the new clothes before her, she couldn¡¯t help but raise her lips in a long-lost elegant smile.

    This was her chance, even her onest chance. With her talent and looks, she could easily find a husband better than Sima Lingyun. Before, because she had set her heart on You Yuecheng, she missed many suitors from the aristocracy. Though iparable to You Yuecheng, they were much better than Sima Lingyun.

    If something really happened and someone from the pce saw it, then the man could never get rid of her.

    While she was pondering on the idea in a good mood, the yard door was pushed open. Mo Huawen stormed inside and before the gatekeeping nanny reported, he lifted the curtains into the room.

    Mo Xuemin was startled for a moment. ¡°Father.¡± Then, she stood up, as elegantly as usual. If not for the smugness that she failed topletely seal at the moment, Mo Huawen almost thought he was seeing his past graceful and beautiful first daughter.

    Mo Huawen stonily looked at her and averted his gaze from her coy face to the morous dress aside. ¡°You don¡¯t have to prepare clothes because you don¡¯t need to attend the royal banquet.¡±

    As if struck by lightning, Mo Xuemin couldn¡¯t keep her poised manner at all. She was shocked all over her face. ¡°Why, father, why?¡±

    Mo Huawen didn¡¯t want to say anything. Staring coldly at her, he was about to turn around to leave. Suddenly, he found there was nothing he wanted to say to her. ¡°There¡¯s no why. You just can¡¯t attend the banquet.¡±

    Was this pretentious girl before his eyes really his daughter?

    ¡°Father, is this because of that wretched woman, Mo Xuetong? Is it for her again? Because she broke her leg and couldn¡¯t go, so all of us don¡¯t need to go? Why, ever since she entered the manor, all you see is her. Except her, am I not your daughter? And isn¡¯t elder brother not your son? How can you abandon all of us for that wretched woman?¡±

    ¡°You treat Auntie Fang and elder brother like this, now, you even treat me this way. For her, you¡¯ll marry me to the underdog, Sima Lingyun. You drove Auntie Fang away and ignored elder brother. Now, you even want to take away my only chance. You must care so much for her as to treat your daughter, me, like dirt.¡±

    Seeing Mo Huawen cut off her only hope with the snap of a finger, Mo Xuemin immediately broke down.

    She suddenly jerked her head up, threw away her previous elegance, and snarled with bloodshot eyes. She looked so vicious that she seemed to be able to tear Mo Xuetong apart if she were present.

    She should say something so disobedient.

    Mo Huawen was raged and flung his hand in the air to p her face.

    ¡°p!¡± A crisp sound rang in the air. Mo Xuemin was startled. Covering her face, she looked at Mo Huawen in disbelief. Rage and hatred darting out from her eyes seemed to be able to set him on fire.

    Like a flow ofva, the umted hate rushed out. She grabbed the brocade by her side. Her sharp nails cut into the smooth surface of the silk and she scratched the cloth. Her eyes were so fierce that she looked like she could swallow a person alive.

    She said word by word. ¡°You hit me for that wretched woman! I curse her. She will end up more miserable than my mother. People will hate her and disdain her. Her stomach will be torn open and she¡¯ll die in a fire without aplete body.¡±

    Sheughed madly. Strands of hair fell from her forehead and scattered on her face. She arrogantly and viciously looked at Mo Huawen. She wasn¡¯t the adorable and delicate young miss anymore.

    This was herst chance. However, Mo Xuetong ruined it. How could she not go mad and out of control?

    ...

    Looking at Mo Xuemin who was as hideous as a monster, and hearing her shrillughter, Mo Huawen felt an ache in the chest, and his vision got blurry.

    When did his daughter who always made him proud be so vicious!

    ¡°Who did this? If you and Auntie Fang hadn¡¯t framed Tong¡¯er again and again, you wouldn¡¯t end up here today. Now, you should me it all on others. Well, very good... you don¡¯t have to hate anyone anymore because I¡¯ll marry you into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor as soon as possible.¡± Mo Huawen was livid with rage and the blue veins on his forehead bulged. He kicked the door open and stormed outside the yard.

    Furiously, he ordered the servants to lock up the gate. Without his order, Mo Xuemin couldn¡¯t go out or have any visitors.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to marry Sima Lingyun, I don¡¯t want to. Father, I don¡¯t want to marry into the declining Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. I¡¯m your daughter who always makes you proud...¡± Behind him, Mo Xuemin¡¯s shrill howling, along with the sounds of the wind, chilled people¡¯s blood in the middle of the night...

 Chapter 265 - Mo Xueqiong Passed a Secret Letter in the Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 265 Mo Xueqiong Passed a Secret Letter in the Banquet</h4>

    The state banquet was held in Chengyun Pce.

    As an international banquet between Great Qin and Great Yan, it was the biggest party since New Year. It was like a party thrown on a National Day. Officials and their families were invited to celebrate in the royal pce.

    It didn¡¯t matter if they brought wives or sons. However, they must bring their young unmarried daughters. Everyone had a post. Two rows of beautiful maidservants from the pce stood aside. Every time they received a post, they would give a beautiful golden hairpin to the young miss. Every hairpin with a pearl pendant was the same, yet they were still pretty.

    The maidservants took the hairpins and put them into their misses¡¯ hair to distinguish their young mistresses from the women of the pce.

    Recently, it was already getting warmer and the sky appeared exceptionally clear. Several clouds in the blue sky were like girls dancing in blue waves. They looked vivid and at the same time ethereal and beautiful.

    The imperial garden was already sprouting some flowers¡¯ branches in the early spring. In less than two or three days, one seemed to be able to smell the spring in the air of the garden.

    Before the banquet officially started, the pce prepared some snacks and tea for the guests. Because it was a state dinner, men and women didn¡¯t have to follow the manner so strictly. In epted areas, they gathered in groups of three to five to cite poems, make couplets, exchange views on literature, and y other games.

    Mo Xueqiong excitedly raised her head as if she were a proud golden peacock. A morous chest-high iridescent golden striped dress made her stand out in the crowd. Beside her were the same excited Mo Xueyan and another girl of 15 or 16 who was a little shy.

    They were the three people in the invitation sent to Mo Manor.

    Mo Xuecai was Mo Manor¡¯s distant rtive. Though she was born into the aristocracy, her family didn¡¯t have a very high status. Initially, she wasn¡¯t qualified for such a banquet. However, for no reason, Mo Huawen sent her an invitation. Therefore, she decided to attend the party to broaden her vision. She found everything she discovered eye-opening, and she would be amazed by every single thing she saw.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, let¡¯s go there. Some flowers seemed to have bloomed there.¡± Mo Xueyan rolled her eyes and suggested.

    However, her gazended on several young masters there. No matter how she perceived them, they were handsome and tall, carrying a noble feeling. She could tell at one nce that they were the real nobility.

    Mo Xuecai also saw a few young masters there. Moreover, of course, she saw those young misses surrounding them, so she murmured, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fine! There are too many people there...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a redneck. Why bother worrying about others?¡± Mo Xueqiong said disdainfully. Today, she felt very relieved. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯te, and Mo Xuemin was reced because she had offended Father yesterday. Now, here, she was the only real young miss from Mo Manor.

    In the past, she lived under the shadow of Mo Xuemin. Few people knew Fourth Miss Mo. Even there was some party; her father would always let her stay at home because of her young age. Later, when Mo Xuetong entered the manor, she became even more obscure. The only time when people heard of her was when she was involved with Sima Lingyun.

    She hardly went out of the manor and saw few men outside the manor. Though elegant-looking, Qin Yufeng appeared distant. Sometimes, the darkness inside his eyes would keep her from getting nearer to him. Only Sima Lingyun was both handsome and gentle. Sometimes, he would gift some gadgets to her and Mo Xuemin. When they met, he acted affectionate for her as well. Therefore, she naturally set her heart on Sima Lingyun.

    Hence, she was bent on marrying Sima Lingyun, even as a concubine.

    Nheless, recently, she hadpletely changed her mind.

    With the Empress¡¯s order, Mo Xuemin would marry into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, and she wouldn¡¯t be Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine in a million years. Later, knowing that Mo Xuemin wasn¡¯t willing to marry and even threatened with her life, Mo Xuetong faltered too. Therefore, this time, she had finally decided and dressed up to show up in the royal banquet.

    Mo Xuetong was already Princess Anping. If some noblewoman appreciated her, she could also be promoted!

    Compared with Mo Xuetong, she onlycked a chance. If she attended parties like today¡¯s several times more, she was sure that she would be more famous than Mo Xuetong and even found a high society husband sooner than Mo Xuetong. It didn¡¯t matter if she was a legal daughter or not, what mattered the most was if she would marry into a powerful family.

    Of course, this was only on Mo Xueyan¡¯s mind.

    Mo Xuecai felt wronged at the scolding. However, she couldn¡¯t persuade the other two. She could only follow them pitifully. This was the first time she had been in the royal pce, and she didn¡¯t dare to wander alone.

    Someone gently eximed. ¡°Gee, isn¡¯t that Fourth Miss Mo?¡±

    Mo Xueqiong stopped and turned around to look. On the left side of the road, a girl in a pink skirt was chatting with other girls. When the girl looked at her, she looked a little curious, disdainful, and somewhat mocking.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s said that she¡¯s with Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor¡¯s...¡± A girlnguidly echoed and aroused mockingugher in the crowd.

    ¡°Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor¡¯s heir is destined to be with Mo Manor¡¯s girls. He not only saved the younger sister in a fire but also got the elder sister back from a burr. I wonder if Sir Mo will marry both of his two daughters to Sima Lingyun.¡± Her giggle instantly made Mo Xueqiong blush.

    She was not embarrassed. Instead, she was furious!

    ¡°The elder sister bes the wife, and the younger sister is the concubine. The younger sister must love him so much as to marry into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor in every way she can think of.¡± Mockingughter rang again.

    Her voice was either loud or low and could just reach her. She was livid with rage and saw those noble masters, who she paid attention to, also heard it. They turned around to closely look at her. She wished there were a hole on the ground so she could crawl into it.

    She stomped, embarrassed and angry. She couldn¡¯t face those young noble masters anymore. Teeth clenched, she directly walked on another road.

    Behind her, Mo Xueyan faltered and didn¡¯t follow finally. She turned to another path, thinking that with her good reputation, she couldn¡¯t walk with Mo Xueqiong lest Mo Xuetong blemished her good name.

    Mo Xuecai stood at the intersection of the paths. She looked to the left and to the right. At that moment, she didn¡¯t know who to follow. Originally, she didn¡¯t have her own opinion and kept herself very much to herself. At this time, seeing the two take different roads, she was in a dilemma. She didn¡¯t know who to follow. Then, after consideration, she followed Mo Xueyan.

    She didn¡¯t want to follow Mo Xuetong to be humiliated for no reason, either.

    Noticing the two sisters didn¡¯t follow her, Mo Xueqiong tore off the leaves on a tree beside her. She stormed into a nearby yard. ¡°It¡¯s better the unintelligent two don¡¯t follow. They burden me.¡±

    ¡°May the young miss please stop for a moment?¡± After just a few steps, she suddenly heard a man¡¯s gentle voice ring, sounding polite.

    Mo Xueqiong turned around and her eyes lit up. A handsome and elegant nobleman was standing at a nearby moon-shaped gate. He wore a navy brocade robe with a stand-up cor, which made him look taller. There were leaf patterns embroidered with gold silk at the cor and sleeves. He looked both graceful and morous.

    It was a young master dressed in fine clothes. Mo Xuetong suppressed the joy in her heart. She coyly curtseyed and asked, ¡°What do you want me for?¡±

    ...

    The noble master walked to her and gently asked, ¡°Are you from Mo Manor? I wonder how you call Princess Anping.¡±

    He was inquiring about Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong cursed in her heart but still carried a smile on her face. ¡°She¡¯s my Third Sister. I wonder what you want from my Third Sister.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I heard Princess Anping was talented and beautiful so I wanted to meet her. I don¡¯t know if Fourth Miss Mo could pass a letter to Princess Anping for me?¡±

    A letter? In secret?

    Mo Xueqiong was so excited that her eyes lit up. Mo Xuetong was indeed guilty. Usually, she looked weak and distant from people as if she wanted to keep all the people away from her. Well, she actually had an affair with a man outside the manor. Moreover, the man had found her sister to send a letter. How could Mo Xueqiong not be excited about this?

    As long as she presented the evidence before Father, she didn¡¯t think Father would still think Mo Xuetong the most sensible and well-behaved.

    She just needed a way to drag Mo Xuetong down. Now, she couldn¡¯t miss the chance.

    Immediately, she stepped forward and enthusiastically said, ¡°If you have any items or letters, you can give them to me. I¡¯ll give them to Third Sister as soon as I get home. She¡¯s been at home and feeling boring, if she...¡±

    If she received a letter offort from her lover, she must be overjoyed.

    ¡°Unluckily, this time, I get the letter...¡± She was feeling smug and managed to suppress herughter by pinching her wrist.

    The nobleman heard that and faintly smiled. As expected, he took a letter from his inside pocket and presented it before Mo Xueqiong.

    ¡°Third Miss Mo, please give it to her. Thank you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Mo Xuetong hurriedly took the letter lest he regretted it. The more she pondered on the idea, the happier she felt. As long as she dragged Mo Xuetong down, she would be the noblest miss in the manor. It didn¡¯t matter if she was a born or adopted princess, her reputation would be tainted once involved in such a thing. She didn¡¯t think Mo Xuetong could prove herself innocent.

    Mo Xueqiong had the letter, the physical evidence. No matter how she justified herself, Mo Xuetong would fail.

    Mo Xuemin, who thought herself cleverer than Mo Xueqiong, was still locked in her yard now. Only she could do such a thing without a trace, so how could Mo Xueqiong not feel smug?

    Putting away the letter, she remembered to ask his name. ¡°Young master, may I have your name please and how I...?¡±

    She looked up but found the figure had faded away. There was only a hollow gate. On the branches on the gate, in the winter, withered leaves curled.

    If not for the actual letter in her hand, Mo Xueqiong almost thought she just had a dream.

    Mo Xueqiong walked to and fro on the spot and then entered the yard, only to find an empty and unupied yard. Then, she had to give up and return. Luckily, she still had the letter. No matter what happened, the fact that a man sent a secret letter to Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t change.

    ¡°Fourth Miss Mo?¡± Nearby, in a pavilion surrounded by a rockery, Feng Yuxuan picked up the cup. Sipping at the wine, he thoughtfully looked at Mo Xueqiong, who faltered on the spot.

    ¡°Yes, she nearly became Sima Lingyun¡¯s concubine. Do you want her as well?¡± Qin Yufeng smiled. He was dressed in a pale pinkish purple brocade robe embroidered with gold silk. Compared to Feng Yuxuan who was wearing a jade belt and golden crown, he looked more casual. Maybe he had had a few drinks, because he appeared tipsy, nced at Mo Xueqiong and smiled.

    He always thought himself too graceful to say these kinds of mean words. Today, when he casually said it out loud after drinking, he still didn¡¯t strike people as flippant.

    Feng Yuxuan knew he was joking too, so he looked up to ask, ¡°In this way, we don¡¯t need to watch Mo Manor anymore. She¡¯s really not our girl. The other side doesn¡¯t seem to care about her. They don¡¯t know Third Miss Mo until now?¡±

    Qin Yufeng put down his wine cup and his eyes fell. He faintly smiled and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t take it lightly. Do you think it¡¯s just a letter when they sent it at such a ce and time? It looks like they¡¯re fighting all over the ce in the Yan Kingdom too.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan was startled and asked, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°Initially, I wasn¡¯t sure if she was involved. However, I can almost be positive about that now.¡± Qin Yufeng stood up, picked up his cup and drank it up. He gently put down the cup on the table with a crisp rat-tat, pleasing to the ear.

    ¡°Your Highness. Since they¡¯ve taken action, we can also follow suit. Whoever first finds it has the biggest advantage.¡±

 Chapter 266 - Eavesdropping Xueyan Got Herself in a

    <h4>Chapter 266 Eavesdropping Xueyan Got Herself in a Dangerous Situation</h4>

    Mo Xueyan turned to leave Mo Xueqiong and took another road.

    After a few steps, she heard Mo Xuecai calling. ¡°Cousin, wait for me.¡±

    Mo Xueyan didn¡¯t look pleased and turned around to ask, ¡°Why are you following me?¡±

    Mo Xuecai was startled. Knitting her brows, she couldn¡¯t figure out why her cousin asked so.

    ¡°The royal pce is so big and we like different things. Fourth Sister likes to hang out there and I want to be here alone. Can¡¯t you find a ce on your own to amuse yourself?¡± Mo Xueyan sounded displeased.

    ¡°This is the royal pce and I don¡¯t dare to wander alone.¡± Mo Xuecai looked down, fidgeted, and murmured.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go astray, you should follow the crowd. Look, you should hang out with the group of young misses over there. With your status, you¡¯ll benefit from befriending them.¡± Mo Xueyan pointed, which was where they had been just now. Some misses and masters were chatting in groups of three or five.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know them...¡± Mo Xuecai sounded timid.

    Mo Xueyan snorted and stonily said, ¡°Can¡¯t you offer to introduce yourself to them?¡± She flung her sleeve and impatiently turned around to leave.

    She didn¡¯t want to stay with the redneck Mo Xuecai, who acted awkwardly and would only make people think poorly of her. Once in a blue moon, she got a chance to go out of the manor.

    ...

    At the turn in front of her, Mo Xueyan saw a passing handsome and tall figure. She clenched her handkerchief and her eyes lit up. Her heart was racing.

    Though the figure passed by quickly, she recognized him. He was the heir of Ming General. Last time when You Yuecheng brought Li Youmo to Mo Manor and got into a fight with Mo Xuemin, she was hiding aside and saw the whole thing. At that time, she had fallen for this young heir who looked both distant and elegant.

    If things hadn¡¯t gone wrong and out of control, she would have rushed out on the spot back then.

    He was walking fast and no one apanied him. Did something happen to him?

    Mo Xueyan felt both curious and excited. She followed the man closely and soon forgot about Mo Xuecai.

    You Yuecheng was wearing a pale golden robe and looked cold. He looked around and found no one, then he entered a yard on his left. Mo Xueyan had never been in the royal pce, so she naturally didn¡¯t know here, only servants lived in such a normal residence. That being said, judging from the appearance of the door, she could also tell no masters or consorts would live here.

    Why did the heir of Ming Generale to such a ce?

    With his status, he should show up in spacious and morous pces. Mo Xueyan felt suspicious.

    Watching him enter, she faltered and then followed. Just as she lifted her dress to walk to the door, she heard a cold voice ring. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    She trembled at the voice and nearly fell! She opened her mouth and was about to exin for herself. However, she heard a snicker ring again. ¡°Yuecheng, rx. I won¡¯t do anything to your sister. Think about it, it won¡¯t benefit me or you in any way.¡±

    The voice rang from the right side room, and it was a man¡¯s voice, which aroused Mo Xueyan¡¯s curiosity even more.

    The heir of Ming General should secretly go here to meet a man. It was really strange.

    Tiptoeing along with the wall, she snuck to the side room.

    You Yuecheng, who appeared faintly fierce, looked at King Yan, Feng Yulei, and said, ¡°Your Highness, you like Second Miss Ling and you will absolutely dote on her. Though my sister is pretty, she can¡¯tpete with Second Miss Ling over your love. So, Your Highness might as well change your suggestion.¡±

    Feng Yulei smiled, ¡°Yuecheng, how can you think like that? A beauty is hard to get and it¡¯s even harder to get a country. If you really choose the beauty over the country, you can just ask the Empress to grant you a marriage right now. As long as I say she¡¯s mine publicly, Ling Fengyan can¡¯t marry anyone else even if she wants to. Even Elder Brother can¡¯t have her anymore. Otherwise, if Father knows it, he¡¯ll think the elder brother is fighting his younger brother over a woman.¡±

    ¡°If you help me now, you¡¯ll surely be in my cab in the future. And how will I treat your sister shabbily? I don¡¯t deny that I like Ling Fengyan, but I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll marry me in the end or have a proper title even if she¡¯s with me. But I can tell you this today, if I marry your sister now, she¡¯ll be my main consort. No matter what will happen, she¡¯ll still be my main wife.¡±

    Feng Yulei frankly told You Yuecheng and at the same time promised him. Feng Yuleiid his cards on the table to show his sincerity for cooperation. ¡°No one will threaten her position, not even Ling Fengyan.¡±

    He didn¡¯t deny his feelings for Ling Fengyan and also said it would be best if he could marry Ling Fengyan. However, if that didn¡¯t work out, he would definitely choose the country over beauty. Besides, if You Yue¡¯e could keep her position in the central pce, there¡¯s no way Feng Yulei would give up on her for Ling Fengyan.

    It was a promise for You Yuecheng, and also for Mingguo Manor.

    You Yuecheng raised his cold lips. Of course, he knew the Empress and King Yan were holding out an olive branch; if he agreed, Mingguo Manor would officially belong to King Yan¡¯s team.

    ¡°Your sister is pretty and adorable, and I¡¯ve long set my heart on her. If I can have her as my main consort, I¡¯ll care for her very much. If she has children in the future, they¡¯ll also be superior to my other kids.¡± Seeing You Yuecheng not responding, Feng Yulei added on his bargaining chips.

    It meant that if he obtained supremacy in the future, he would definitely make her son the crown prince. In Four Great Manors, Ding General Manor had the greatest power just because he came from the empress¡¯s family and was very close to the emperor¡¯s family.

    You Yuecheng hesitated but still stonily answered. ¡°Will Her Highness agree?¡± A light shed through his eyes. Something must be discussed.

    ¡°Mother will surely agree. She always said she liked your sister and praised your sister as being gentle and graceful. If your sister moves into the central pce, she must...¡± Feng Yulei stood up, walked to You Yuecheng, and solemnly patted on his shoulder, saying, ¡°Rest assured, I will never let your sister down.¡±

    You Yuecheng looked up to say. ¡°I hope you do keep your promise.¡±

    Feng Yulei looked at You Yuecheng and sincerely said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I break my promise, I¡¯ll receive punishment from heaven.¡±

    It was almost like an oath. When Feng Yulei did that, You Yuecheng felt pretty satisfied. Anyway, if his sister¡¯s belly wasn¡¯t a disappointing one, and if she could give birth to the first son in the manor, in the future, even if Ling Fengyan had children for Feng Yulei, Ling Fengyan had already lost the chance. Moreover, he didn¡¯t think Mingguo Manor, which he would be in charge of, would be worse than Ding General Manor. With his help for his sister, Feng Yulei didn¡¯t dare to mistreat his sister.

    The two discussed and then the matter was deemed settle. Therefore, they dropped the topic right away.

    Feng Yulei picked the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for You Yuecheng. He smilingly pushed the teacup to thetter and suggested. ¡°Yuecheng, Princess Anping is in favor of Princess Royal right now. You¡¯ll benefit a lot if you marry her.¡±

    The Empress Dowager and the Emperor all doted on Princess Royal. She lost her husband young and didn¡¯t have any children. Now, she got such a beautiful daughter so she must want to give the best to the newly-adopted daughter. People heard that, to dress Mo Xuetong up, Princess Royal had sent all the morous essories to Mo Manor before, and Mo Xuetong wore them on the day of the promotion ceremony. People could see that how much Princess Royal valued and appreciated Mo Xuetong.

    Now, this kind of appreciation was something worth fighting for in any party¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make her your consort?¡± You Yuecheng frowned. He sounded cold and there¡¯s more grimness in his eyes.

    Hearing that, Feng Yulei chuckled, lifted up his teacup and sipped at the tea. ¡°Since I¡¯ve chosen your sister as my main consort, I can¡¯t make any other woman superior to her. And, Princess Royal also wants it too. Only when you marry Princess Anping, will Princess Royal stand by my side.¡±

    Being a main consort, the woman would be superior to all the other concubines in the manor. If other concubines¡¯ status were higher than the main consort, the harem would get in chaos. Furthermore, Princess Royal newly adopted her. As a princess, she could never be someone¡¯s concubine. Feng Yulei could only have her as his main consort, which was naturally not included in the Empress¡¯s agreement.

    Somehow, an innocent-looking and charming face popped into You Yuecheng¡¯s head and he felt somewhat restless. He snorted. ¡°A conceited girl. Don¡¯t you take her too seriously.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m taking her too seriously, but I do know someone thinks highly of her. If you don¡¯t really want her, the flower-like beauty will fall into someone else¡¯s hands.¡± Noticing You Yuecheng¡¯s unusual anxiety, Feng Yulei couldn¡¯t help but put on a half smile.

    You Yuecheng involuntarily asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°I heard my good Eighth brother had met Third Miss Mo back then in the streets. He was amazed by her and was said to have blocked her in a bookstore for more than two hours. I guess he really likes her. You know, Old Eight has been rakish and how will he let go of such a charming beauty? That day, in Princess Royal¡¯s manor, I saw her too. Such a beauty really belongs to the world and is rarely seen in the mortals¡¯ world!¡±

    Feng Yulei lifted his teacup and drank the warm tea. He faintly smiled and said, ¡°If you are slower, the beauty might belong to others.¡±

    You Yuecheng never liked Mo Xuetong. In the past, he felt so because of Mo Xuemin¡¯s words. Later, he found they just couldn¡¯t see eye to eye with each other. For no reason, he found the girl annoying. Moreover, he even thought the girl vicious and cruel. She was really not a girl to get close to, therefore, he decided to never meet her again.

    However, right now, realizing King Xuan, Feng Yuran, wanted to marry her, he felt a fit of anger surging inside him. He didn¡¯t know where the hate came from and grimness shed through his eyes. He coolly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s up to. But there¡¯s no way she can move into King Xuan¡¯s manor and be King Xuan¡¯s main consort!¡±

    That woman just wanted to climb up. She used some despicable means to hook up with King Xuan. Now, You Yuecheng secretly decided that he could never grant her wish.

    ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡± asked Feng Yulei, ¡°Though Old Eight doesn¡¯t want that position, if Father likes him and he gets the favor of Princess Royal, things will get a little tricky.¡±

    You Yuecheng rose and looked at the other. They both saw a deeper meaning in each other¡¯s eyes. His eyes instantly grew sharp and he nodded. ¡°Since she matters to both of us, I¡¯ll marry her if that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    Feng Yulei cocked an eyebrow and snickered. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Sir Mo won¡¯t necessarily agree on it. I heard Princess Anping was still in mourning and didn¡¯t ept a proposal.¡±

    Fierceness shed through You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. Now, he was the deputymander of the imperial guards. Though he couldn¡¯t use some of the files, he could read them. Now, on his desk, he had a file on Mo Huawen¡¯s. Among them, he learned some secrets he only recently knew. He might as well make use of that. ¡°Sometimes, he must ept something.¡±

    ¡°Well, then it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Looking at the time, Feng Yulei knew he couldn¡¯t linger anymore. There were too many people in the royal pce and it was not a good ce to talk. After he made things official with You Yue¡¯e, he could openly enter Mingguo Manor to discuss business.

    Hearing footsteps, Mo Xueyan shrank her neck and awkwardly crouched under the windows. She couldn¡¯t move and a potted nt happened to hide her shape. Just now, she didn¡¯t dare to walk near in case they found her. Now, her face even paled with fear.

    Though inexperienced to the outside world, Mo Xueyan still knew they were conspiring. If she was found, she would definitely die.

    Hearing the footsteps fade away and the long silence out there, Mo Xueyan felt relieved and slowly stuck her head out from behind the flower rack to see if they were really gone. However, just as she showed her face, she saw a pair of cold and fierce eyes. She was so shocked that she stepped back and couldn¡¯t help crying out.

    However, the scream didn¡¯t make it out of her throat. Mo Xueyan only felt a fatalrge hand at her throat. With life-threatening suffocation, all the air in her chest was squeezed out. She fiercely kicked and bit. Nheless, she couldn¡¯t fight You Yuecheng or see anything andpletely cked out.

    In herst memory, she remembered hearing You Yuecheng¡¯s cold voice. ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±

 Chapter 267 - A habit that lasted 10 years, through rain and shine

    <h4>Chapter 267: A habit thatsted 10 years, through rain and shine</h4>

    Mo Xueyan did not expect that joining this pce feast was one of the most correct decisions that she made.

    She had sessfully gotten married!

    Even though she was married to You Yuecheng¡¯s brother and not His Excellency Ming General, he was still married into Mingguo Manor. Furthermore, she was married to a reputable aristocrat, someone she had never imagined herself marrying in the past. The only concern was that he was the son of a concubine.

    However, that would not be the problem since she could enjoy all the riches in the world after she gets married into Mingguo Manor.

    She felt herself being strangled by Ming General You Zi and felt herself falling into theke and being saved by You Yuelin. In front of the crowd, You Yuelin saved her from theke, hugging her tightly. As if she was dreaming, the Empress opened her mouth and spoke. Even though she did not directly order the marriage, she allowed the two to exchange tokens of love.

    With the Empress as a witness, this matter was pretty much settled.

    From a desperate route, Mo Xueyan suddenly entered a sunny path of sess. She was first confused before being surprised and finally became proud of herself. Her joy and excitement increased by the minute.

    The servants were all waiting by the side and congratted her, as they had heard the news prior. Having a good mood, she rewarded the servants handsomely, a rare gesture from the usually stingy girl.

    At a forked route, Mo Xueyan stopped and sighed quietly before turning and walking towards Qingwei Garden, where Mo Xuetong stayed. Forcing her grandmother to act paid off since she obtained such a good marriage. Even though the process was troubling, the result was not bad.

    Believing that she would be married into an aristocrat¡¯s family immediately as his wife, Mo Xueyan, was uncontrobly arrogant and prideful. She could not wait to show off in front of Mo Xuetong and share this delightful news with her.

    Mo Xueyan had never been someone who restricted herself. She decided to go to Qingwei Garden to see Mo Xuetong immediately.

    Inside Qingwei Garden, Mo Xuetong was still injured.

    ¡°Oh my, Third Sister, you should have seen how polite the princes of Mingguo Manor were. Seeing that I had identally fallen into theke, he hurriedly jumped in to save me. Indeed, it was fate that made me meet him. Our oldest sister can only marry herself to someone from Duke¡¯s manor. How can a dukepare himself to a real prince.¡± Mo Xueyan smiled, entuating her bright red lips, which had been decorated with a thickyer of lipstick. Before Mo Xuetong even spoke, she slumped onto her chair and continued, ¡°You cane and see what the princes¡¯ manor looks like when you get married over.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your invitation.¡± Mo Xuetong was lying on her bed, a faint smile on her face.

    ¡°No need to thank me, we are family. When I am rich in the future, I will reward you too. If I have the chance, I will help you find a good husband too.¡± Mo Xueyan was beaming with happiness, squeezing a teacup tightly with her polished hands. Her newly trimmed long nails were poised as if they could prate the porcin cup.

    ¡°Second Miss, mydy is tired. You should go back soon.¡± Mo Yu was trying her best to restrain her anger, especially since she knew it was Mo Xueyan who harmed herdy.

    ¡°Hey, you are just a servant...¡± Mo Xueyan was annoyed to have been interrupted in her delightful speech by Mo Yu. A tinge of hatred showed on her smiling face. If not for her good mood, she would have sapped Mo Yu already.

    Mo Xuetong raised her hand to stop Mo Yu from talking. Smiling faintly, she continued, ¡°Second Sister, our grandmother is looking for you. She wants to know what happened in the pce. Don¡¯t stay here for too long, lest our grandmother gets annoyed.¡±

    The thought of her grandmother made Mo Xueyan more prideful. She smiled brighter and decided not to punish Mo Yu. Even though she was arrogant and delighted, she pretended to be caring and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Third Sister, don¡¯t be anxious or jealous of my luck. When your leg recovers, I will bring you to more feasts and parties, and you will naturally find a good marriage.¡±

    Before Mo Xuetong could even answer, she left with her servant, with her head up in pride.

    ¡°Miss...¡±

    ¡°Mo Yu, help me find out what exactly happened in the pce.¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes. She did not understand why Mingguo Manor would choose Mo Xueyan as the match for their prince. There must be something that she was not aware of.

    You Yuecheng is not a fool.

    It was strange that why would Mingguo Manor allow their sons to marry the daughter of a businessman, and why did the Empress interfere in the decision. Mo Xueyan was confused by the happenings, but she did know that something was amiss.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression turned stone cold, Mo Yu did not dare to express her anger of Mo Xueyan further. She hurried, ¡°Miss, I shall go and gather information now. I will visit Nanny Ming tomorrow as well.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded her head. She knew that Mo Yu was talking about He Xia. Ever since He Xia settled down, her health slowly recovered. To evade attention, she was staying in her mother¡¯s Manor. Two days ago, she sent someone to hint that she had remembered something again. Nanny Ming sent someone trustworthy to ask, and she should have received the information by now.

    Mo Yu retreated quietly. Only Mo Ye was left in the room apanying Mo Xuetong.

    The room was tranquil, such that even the sound of the wind blowing past curtain could be heard. Staring at the porcin teacup in front of her for a long while, Mo Xuetong asked.

    ¡°Mo Ye, did Mo Feng find anything stalking Mr. Xing?¡±

    ¡°Mo Feng reported that Mr. Xing had a very normal schedule. He usually travels to and fro his shop and his house. He has a wife and two children left at home, and no one else.¡± Mo Ye answered.

    Ever since Mo Xuetong found Mr. Xing¡¯s reply suspicious, she allocated someone to stalk him. However, Mr. Xing did not appear suspicious at all. If he was not innocent, he must be hiding his secrets extremely carefully. Mo Xuetong believed that Mr. Xing had hidden his tracks well as there is a huge conspiracy surrounding this matter.

    ¡°But...¡± Mo Ye hesitated here.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in shock as she stopped threading.

    ¡°Before Mr. Xing goes home every day, he will buy some snacks from a neighborhood restaurant. He repeats this day after day. I have asked Mo Feng to check, and we discovered that the restaurant¡¯s specialty is their roasted chicken, which attracted many costumers. They will run out of chickens from time to time, but they always reserve one for Mr. Xing for the past ten years. Perhaps it was because he is an old costumer.¡±

    Only single men who are toozy to cook will visit restaurants often. Since the roasted chicken is a specialty, it will naturally be more expensive. Even though Mr. Xing had a pretty good ie, he had to fend for his family, and thus, this was a strange act.

    ¡°Mr. Xing loved that roasted chicken and will always buy from there. Even if the weather is horrible, Mr. Xing will still go.¡±

    What kind of chicken will tempt Mr. Xing so much?

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that the servant that her mother had left behind will be soplicated.

    ¡°Ask Mo Feng to continue monitoring the man. If he does anything unusual, inform me immediately.¡± Mo Xuetong raised her head slightly and ordered. She had a gut feeling that this seemingly honest shopkeeper is harboring a big secret. Regardless of what secret that her mother¡¯s store had been hiding, the fact that her father never suspected it for all these years made it impressive.

    ¡°Alright, I also asked Mo Feng to investigate the restaurant, but we have no discoveries yet.¡± Mo Ye exined, nervous.

    ¡°Go and find out the owner of the restaurant,¡± Mo Xuetong sighed. ¡°And find out how long the restaurant had been open. Mr. Xing only took over Xiuning Workshop for these few years. There could be a connection.¡±

    ¡°Are you suspecting that Mr. Xing knows the owner of the restaurant?¡± Mo Ye asked, confused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. All is possible.¡± Mo Xuetong lowered her head. The more she found out about her mother, the more she did not believe that the ignorant Auntie Fang harmed her mother. Even though Auntie Fang was malicious, her mother also harbored many deep secrets, which meant that there must be someone capable of her side.

    Like Mr. Xing...

    Will a woman with such secrets be so easily harmed by Auntie Fang? Mo Xuetong regretted not opening her mother¡¯s letters. In the act of respect, she did not look at the letters her mother sent to her dad. Perhaps the answer lies within the letters. But now, she had to gather clues by herself to find out the secrets of her mother.

    She even did not speak of this important matter to her father!

    The curtain was gently lifted as Mo Lan entered. ¡°Miss, Forth Miss is here.¡±

    ¡°What a special day to have both my sisters are looking for me after returning from the pce!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded, inviting Mo Xueqiong in.

    As Mo Xueqiong entered, Mo Xuetong put down the embroidery in her hand. She did not want to sew but instead was thinking about the strange matters she had encountered while looking at the embroideries.

    ¡°Third Sister, I hurried over to send you a letter. A man asked me to bring a letter to you.¡± Mo Xueqiong took a sip of the tea that Mo Lan handed over before mming down the teacup, with a tinge of mockery lingering on her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my Third Sister to have such a closepanion that asked me to deliver a letter to you. I wanted to hand the letter to father, but I figured that you are more anxious, and thus, I rushed over.¡±

    Actually, she had already sent the letter to Mo Huawen but she wanted to see how anxious Mo Xuetong would be.

    ¡°She was using me of having an affair!¡±

    Mo Xueqiong will not let go of any opportunity to mock her.

    Mo Xuetong snickered as she replied calmly, ¡°How dare someone to send me a direct letter! Fourth Sister, you should have sent the letter directly to father, and let him judge! How can you send me a letter for no reason? Did you forget the teachings from ¡®ssics for Women¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Third Sister, I am merely a messenger. How am I at fault?¡± Mo Xueqiong did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so unconcerned and thus became embarrassed. It was an unsatisfactory feeling as if she had just punched cotton.

    ¡°Forth Sister said that the letter was for me. But what evidence do you have? For us girls, a clear name is important. If you help others deliver letters, you might be tainting your reputation.¡± Mo Xuetong looked straight at her with her pure ck pupils, making Mo Xueqiong look away out of difort.

    ¡°I had already handed the letter to my father...¡± Unwilling to be weak, Mo Xueqiong threatened her.

    ¡°That should be the case. Father will handle the matter perfectly.¡± Mo Xueqiong took up the teacup and sipped on the tea, not afraid at all by the threat. She did not want the letter, be it crafted by Mo Xueqiong or not.

    She did not think that anyone will send a letter to her through Mo Xueqiong.

    ¡°The man said to hand over the letter personally to you.¡± Mo Xueqiong sneered, ¡°Were you corresponding with him and deliberately lied to me to prevent me from knowing the truth?¡±

    She wanted to force her to admit that she was having an affair.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face sank. ¡°Fourth Sister, you shall be direct with your words and not to frame me without any reason! You found a letter from nowhere and wanted to send it to me?! Come,e, let¡¯s go to father and see what he had to say. Fourth Sister, you brought a letter from nowhere and dared to bring it to us?¡±

    She did not want to waste her time here with Mo Xueqiong, who merely wanted to gain the favor of her father. However, this method is too superficial.

    Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xueyan returned to the manor together, but they entered their gardens one after another because Mo Xueqiong went to see their father.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t be arrogant! How can you defend yourself for your affairs!¡± Mo Xueqiong was provoked by Mo Xuetong and stood up, mming the table. Regardless of the truth, she wanted to insist that Mo Xuetong did have an affair.

    A snort came from the doorsteps. ¡°Who dare use Tong¡¯er of having an affair!¡±

 Chapter 268 - Facing a difficulty, Mo Xuetong explains herself

    <h4>Chapter 268: Facing a difficulty, Mo Xuetong exins herself</h4>

    ¡°Daddy, Third Sister had been sending letters to someone, but yet she refuses to admit it. I showed you the letter just now, but she mes me instead!¡± Hearing Mo Huawen¡¯s voiceing from the doorstep, tears wailed up in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes immediately. As if she had been wronged, she pointed at Mo Xuetong with teary eyes. ¡°Third Sister scolded me for merely wanting to know who the man is.¡±

    She decided to frame Mo Xuetongpletely.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, I wanted to ask you about the man, but you asked me instead. Didn¡¯t you receive the letter?¡± Mo Xuetong retorted coldly. Mo Xueqiong was a fool in daring to receive such a random letter so carelessly from the dangerous pce.

    If she was not careful, she could easily make trouble that results in her execution. Thus, Mo Xuetong did not want to linger further in this pointless argument with Mo Xueqiong. Hence, she turned and looked at Mo Huawen, asking. ¡°Father, what is the letter about?¡±

    Having been ignored by Mo Xuetong made the prideful Mo Xueqiong extremely dissatisfied. Her face turned green with hatred and embarrassment. Just when she was about to vent her anger, she was shut down by the cold stare of Mo Huawen. Hence, she merely stomped and stared at Mo Xuetong angrily before leaving quietly, grinding her teeth.

    Mo Huawen passed the letter over, saying, ¡°Fourth Sister said that the man was dressed elegantly, about twenty years of age. He wanted me to pass the letter over.¡±

    The envelope was open, and Mo Xuetong knew that Mo Huawen had seen the letter already. Receiving it, she pulled out the letter.

    Only a few words were written on it: I wish to meet you at Qin gathering.

    ¡°Is the Qin gathering the one organized by Sir Bai?¡± Mo Huawen frowned.

    ¡°It should be the Qin gathering organized by Sir Bai. However, that should a gathering fordies to discuss Qin ying skills, and no man should be present.¡± Mo Xuetong was confused too. However, since the letter did mention Qin gathering, the gathering should be different from what she imagined it to be.

    She neither participated in it in her previous life nor heard anyone talk about it, making her more confused.

    Bai Yihao is a creative and unpredictable man. The purpose of this Qin gathering should be different from the previous one, with a specific motive in mind.

    ¡°There are two types of Qin gatherings organized by Bai Yihao, the female Qin and the elegant Qin. Female Qin gatherings are restricted to female participants only, with him as the mentor. Ladies talk to each other casually, and no outsiders will be present. The other type is the elegant Qin gatherings, where he will invite famous young men over to watch thediespete over their Qin skills. Many important figures will be present, making the event much more prestigious. Many are honored to be invited to Bai Yihao¡¯s elegant Qin gatherings.¡±

    Mo Huawen is a refined man and knew many significant figures. Thus, he was aware of this situation.

    ¡°Did Bai Yihao invite you to participate in the Qin gathering?¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong was deep in thought, Mo Huawen asked.

    ¡°Father, how do you find Bai Yihao?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly asked, looking at Mo Huawen with bubbly eyes that were full of questions and doubts.

    Mo Huawen was stunned before understanding the hidden meaning behind Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. ¡°Bai Yihao is a dragon amongst man, and he will not stay unknown for long.¡±

    ¡°Since he will not stay unknown for long, he will make it out. The Yan Kingdom sent his brother to the Qin Kingdom in hopes of marrying the Fifth Princess of Qin Kingdom. If the First Prince did manage to marry Fifth Princess, it would be detrimental for him.¡± Mo Xuetong analyzed as she drew circles on the table with her jade white fingers.

    Mo Huawen was stunned as such words should not being from the words of his daughter. He turned around immediately and noticed that the door had already been closed, with the servants all outside. He was then satisfied by the servants in Qingwei Garden.

    ¡°Father, Mo Lan is outside the door. No one wille in.¡± Noticing Mo Huawen¡¯s worry, Mo Xuetong exined. The appearance of Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince, the return of King Ning Feng Yuzhen, and he hidden conflicts within the Four Great Manors made her worried about her father. Thus, she must remind him to take care of himself.

    The situation was not yet clear, and vouching support for anyone could evoke the Emperor¡¯s jealousy and worry!

    Seeing that his daughter is knowledgeable and cautious, Mo Huawen was extremely gratified. Tong¡¯er was indeed a smart child for having the same thoughts as him in the face of such a dangerous situation. Looking at the childlike face of her daughter, he was somewhat nervous and heaved a quiet sigh.

    ¡°Thus, as the future Emperor of Yan Kingdom, Sir Bai will make sure First Prince fails, like now. The Emperor did not want to marry Fifth Princess, or any other Princess, allowing Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince to choose only from aristocrats.¡± Mo Huawen touched his head, visibly tired.

    It was an annoying imperial edict, more so because he has a beautiful daughter.

    ¡°Rest assured, father, I shall not meet Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince then.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that Mo Huawen was worried and thus smiled gently and a little sheepishly. ¡°The pce feast had ended, and perhaps the First Prince of Yan Kingdom had already found his wife.¡±

    ¡°Not yet. In this pce feast, the Empress ordered for the first miss of Mingguo Manor to marry King Yan as the head concubine and married the second miss of Ding General Manor to King Chu. A few peasants entered the Emperor¡¯s harem as well.¡± When he saw his daughter¡¯s innocent smile, Mo Huawen¡¯s heart tightened as hemented with worry.

    ¡°You Yue¡¯e is engaged to King Yan, Ling Fengyan is engaged to King Chu, and a few peasants entered the harem? The Empress acted? Isn¡¯t this feast organized such that Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince can choose his concubines? Why did the Empress decide on what to do?¡± If she did not remember wrongly, the few that entered the harem must be those that the Empress had chosen personally in the Baihua festival.

    Remembering that she had almost entered the pce as a concubine, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run down her spine. The Empress is not as kind as she appeared to be.

    ¡°What do you think, father?¡± Mo Xuetong lifted her head and asked. Anyways, her father had more information concerning the matters within the imperial pce. She wanted to see if she could find some clues from her father¡¯s information.

    ¡°If Mingguo Manor supports King Yan too, King Yan will be more favoredpared to King Chu. However, the Emperor is a strong and non-disabled man, and the acts of the Empress is inappropriate.¡± Mo Huawen had a headache as he was the lord mayor, in charge of order within the imperial city. He naturally understood what the actions of the Empress meant.

    This matter had nothing to do with him as he only needed to be an assistant to the Emperor, someone with no cliques.

    However, General Manor had to be involved in it. And judging by the rtionship of General Manor and Tong¡¯er, he had to be included as well. Furthermore, Tong¡¯er is now the foster daughter of Princess Royal. That was meant to protect her, but it entuated her identity as a princess currently, making Mo Huawen felt that he was trapped in a crisis.

    Tong¡¯er¡¯s identity is too sensitive.

    If Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Princess could not marry a princess, Qin Kingdom would undoubtedly prepare a suitable aristocrat for him. The aristocrat will at least be the daughter of top officials in the country. Tong¡¯er¡¯s status was initially been not ideal for this marriage, but her identity as the foster daughter of a princess made her meet the criteria, bing the most suitable candidate.

    It was most appropriate for the foster daughter of the royal family to marry in the recement of the actual daughters. When the King of Yan Kingdom asked to marry someone from the Qin Kingdom, Princess Royal Yunruo was still a foster daughter. She had been the best candidate together with Shuann. However, Shuann was afflicted with King Jin and disappeared, making Yunruo the only possible candidate.

    Thinking of this made Mo Huawen¡¯s head hurt out of nervousness.

    ¡°Father, if the First Prince wanted to be the next Emperor, he will naturally ask to marry the Fifth Princess. The only reason why he did not ask yet was to create suspense. Furthermore, even if I had Princess Royal as my mother, she is only a powerless royal aristocrat. It will bepletely different from marrying the daughter of the Empress, who had the entire support of Ding General Manor behind.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled andforted Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Think about it, if the First Prince does not care about that position, why will he send someone here before himself. And why did he spread rumors about marrying Fifth Princess. Naturally, it was because he was afraid of Bai Yihao interfering.¡±

    Mo Huawen was slightly stunned, but he thought that it did make sense.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡± After a slight pause, he pointed at the letter on the table and asked.

    ¡°Someone must be guiding him for him to be able to find Fourth Sister in the crowd. He appeared in front of her directly, not afraid of rumors, making him unlikely someone from the Qin Kingdom. Thus, he should be from Yan Kingdom, perhaps even the First Prince himself.¡± Mo Xuetong analyzed.

    As she spoke, the room became silent as the two were deep in thought.

    The daffodil on the table spits out light smoke, which made the air more fragrant.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do not go to the Qin gathering. You should not act since someone wanted to manipte you using Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin gathering. Anyways, you are injured, providing a sufficient reason not to go.¡± Mo Huawen lifted his head, determined.

    ¡°Sure, Tong¡¯er will listen to you.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and took a sachet from beside her, passing it to Mo Huawen. ¡°Father, aunt specially sent this over for you. She said that the previous one was old, and you can rece it with this.¡±

    After a few days, Xu Yan will be married. He had prepared the gifts and everything, waiting just to be married over. The girl was reminding himself.

    ¡°My girl...¡± Mo Huawen smiled involuntarily. Naturally, he did not believe that Xu Yan asked Tong¡¯er to give it to him. The girl must have begged Xu Yan for it.

    ¡°Father, aunt Xu Yan spent two nights doing it after hearing that you are in dire need of the sachet. You must treasure it.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled.

    Looking at the cute demeanor of Mo Xuetong, Mo Huawen¡¯s heart softens as he rubbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s head, smiling. ¡°Stupid girl.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not want to participate, in Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin gatherings anyways as she was not curious about the man inviting her. However, she was sure of his malicious intent of passing the letter over to Mo Xueqiong in the pce.

    When Mo Huawen left, Mo Yu hurried in before closing the door. Mo Lan was still doing needlework outside when Mo Yu hurried before the bed of Mo Xuetong, exining nervously, ¡°Miss, He Xia said that she remembered something, and I asked Nanny Ming about it. At first, Nanny Ming initially refused to tell the truth. I had to force her for her to tell me one sentence.¡±

    Remembering Nanny ming¡¯s nervous and horrified expression, Mo Yu swallowed her saliva and continued, ¡°He Xia said that she remembered that your mother had arranged a marriage for you. Nanny Ming also verified that and confirmed that the two families exchanged gifts.¡±

    Such a piece of important news made Mo Yu¡¯s face turn pale due to shock. She rushed back to inform Mo Xuetong without asking any more questions.

    Despite being with her for a long time, she had never heard of this matter, which made her horrified.

 Chapter 269 - A Letter Luo Xia Left For Her Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 269 A Letter Luo Xia Left For Her Daughter</h4>

    Had she already engaged?

    Mo Xuetong froze on the spot. Whether in her previous life or this life, she had never thought that she would be someone that would set a marriage beforehand. If her marriage had already been set, then who was the other person? Why did he set her for marriage and yet not make a single move? In her previous life, her father forbidden her to marry into the Duke¡¯s manor, but because she was so determined to do it anyway, she let the cat out of the bag eventually.

    If she had a marriage set up for her, her father would use it to stop her from marrying Sima Lingyun. In that case, her father did not mention it, which meant that he did not know anything about it! But how could something like this happen?

    What was happening? Her mother promised her marriage to someone else, yet she did not inform her father!

    She had never thought that such a thing could happen. If it was real, then why did her mother have to do that! What exactly was she hiding? Why did she hide it from her father? She even had to make a decision on her own for her daughter¡¯s once-in-a-lifetime event.

    However, subconsciously, Mo Xuetong had a hunch that this was real! Her hand, which rested at the corner of the table, tapped against it twice involuntarily. At that moment, her heart was flustered.

    ¡°Miss, can Ie in?¡± Nanny Ming¡¯s slightly trembling voice came from the door.

    ¡°Miss...¡±Mo Yu also heard Nanny Ming¡¯s voice, and she looked at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong heaved a long sigh and controlled her palpitations. She closed her eyes and said, ¡°Let Nanny Ming in.¡±

    Mo Yu responded and went out. Soon, Nanny Ming came in.

    ¡°Miss, please forgive your old servant. I did not want to lie to you intentionally, but Madam...Madam....¡± Upon entering the door, Nanny Ming fell to the ground on her knees in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed. Her old tears started flowing, and she instantly burst into silent tears.

    Mo Xuetong opened her eyes. Her vision had be clear and calm again as if the fear she experienced earlier was just ayer of smoke. Once the smoke passes, blue water still met the sky.

    She replied coldly, ¡°Please rise, Nanny Ming. You are an elder who stays by Mother¡¯s side, and you also nursed her. I cannot have you kneeling in front of me. Mo Lan, why aren¡¯t you helping Nanny Ming up?¡± She politely ordered Mo Lan, who had followed Nanny Ming into the room, to help Nanny Ming up. However, this just made their rtionship even more alienated.

    Mo Lan stepped forward to help Nanny Ming up, yet she refused to get up. ¡°Miss, if you are not willing to forgive your old servant, then I shall kneel here until I die and never get up! I¡¯m truly sorry for you!¡±

    ¡°Nanny, what are you doing? Miss did not say that she does not forgive you. Ever since we lost Madam, Miss had no one that doted her. She thought that you¡¯re the one that loved her the most and had never treated you as an outsider. Even when the Qin family had to live in someone else¡¯s house, Miss always thought of you when there was good food or good things to use. She treated you as a real elder, yet you always...¡± Mo Lan tried to pull Nanny Ming up and said between tears.

    They had gone through that period when they were abandoned at Cloud City together. Mo Xuetong was an orphan, and no one paid attention to her. She wanted to go back to the old house at Cloud City, yet it was not that simple. Once, Old Madam Qin gave her some osmanthus cake, and she thought about how Nanny Ming liked to eat it in the past and sent someone to deliver it to her.

    The one who was given this task was Mo Lan. She was afraid of being caught by the Yu family, who would then use this or that reason to make their lives difficult, so she deliberately hid it in her inner-wear. When she arrived at the old house in Mo Manor, she had scalded her body. Even so, she could still take out the cake with a smile on her face and gave it to Nanny Ming.

    It was as if that scene was right before her eyes now. That rtionship was formed based on absolute trust. Yet today, it caused Mo Xuetong to feel the sorrow and coldness of being betrayed. That feeling of being betrayed by your family caused the few of them to feel a sinking destion in their hearts.

    Thinking of all these, Nanny Ming cried so much that even her nose was running. She pushed away Mo Lan¡¯s hands and stretched out her trembling hand to tug on Mo Xuetong¡¯s draping clothe. ¡°Miss, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know better, nor is it because I don¡¯t dote on you, but Madam gave me an order. She said that if you do not know, then I shouldn¡¯t let you into this dirty mess. I need to ensure that you can live this life safely and peacefully.¡±

    It was as if Madam¡¯s hopeful gaze was right before her eyes. She was thinking about it. Nanny Ming¡¯s heart ached so much that she could not suppress it!

    To keep her safe throughout this life. The tears that were hiding at the bottom of Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes could not stay still anymore. In her previous life, she indeed knew nothing. She seemed to have been protected well, yet she ended up dying in her husband¡¯s hands, the one closest to her. She was also lied to by her ¡®good¡¯ elder sister, whom she trusted the most. A bowl of poison medicine seemed to be not enough. There were also burning mes. She died a torturous death.

    When the poison eroded her organs, when the mes tore her skin, it only left her with a hatred so profound as if it came from hell. The hatred burned...Starting this life, to not repeat the same mistakes, each step she took was painful. She wanted to take revenge for herself and her Mother, yet eventually, she realized that she had personally brought all these troubles upon herself...

    Peace throughout this life, this was the peace her Mother wanted to give her!

    The tears that contained an inexplicable sorrow and fell onto the satin quilt in front of her. Her heart was in tremendous pain as if she could not breathe. She thought that after her meticulous nning, she would not have to suffer a betrayal again in this life. But in the end, she still could not escape from this circle. She had never thought that her mother had been lying to her all these while. Her previous life had been lied to by ¡®peace¡¯!¡±

    ¡°How did Mother die?¡± Mo Xuetong suppressed her whimper at her throat. Her throat was sore and she seemed to be unable to breathe through it. Yet she still expressed her idea clearly. In her previous lifetime, she had died for an unclear reason. In this lifetime, she hoped that even if she were to die, she must know the reason why. She really did not want those superficial ¡®peace¡¯.

    ¡°Madam was really poisoned by Auntie Fang. That poison had no antidote.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong lower her heard and cry, Nanny Ming¡¯s heart pained even more. She took out a letter from her embrace and passed it to her. She said between tears, ¡°Madam said that if one day Miss was to notice something, I must pass this letter to you. Otherwise, I will have t destroy it.¡±

    No antidote? Mo Xuetong bit onto her lower lip, hiding the fragility in the bottom of her eyes. She felt as if a burning me and wrenching pain were co-existing in her heart. It was scorching her so severely that it felt like it was going to burst. That kind of hatred, that kind of deep-rooted hatred of two lifetimes existed in this life. That innocent and cute Mo Xuetong had died a long time ago, leaving behind a soul full of hate, extreme sorrow, and anger...

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you look for a doctor?¡± She heard her loud voice. It sounded coarse and piercing, like sand that was burnt by fire.

    ¡°That poison had no cure. When Madam found out, there was not much time left. She was afraid of troubling you and old sir, so she deliberately made me not tell him. She did not wish for riches, but only wished that Miss will grow up safe and sound. But Madam did not expect Auntie Fang¡¯s poison to be strong malicious. Before she could make arrangements for everything, she passed suddenly.¡±

    Nanny Ming exined in detail, and her eyes became blurry from all the tears. It was as if she saw Madam struggling to hand her the letter. Her face was so pale it almost seemed transparent, yet it came with a gentle smile. Even though her whole body was seizing from the pain, she still grabbed onto her hand tightly, repeatedly reminding her to make sure Miss grow up peacefully.

    Nanny Ming firmly believed that Madam doted on Miss. Even though she had to make such a decision, it was for her good. Hence, she must follow her orders. But after seeing Miss¡¯ heartbroken expression for the first time, Nanny Ming doubted if Madam¡¯s decision back then was right. Could Miss grow up peacefully, given her orders!

    ¡°You guys can leave.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand exhaustedly. She felt a dizzy spell, and the hand holding onto the letter wavered a little before falling onto her quilt with no energy.

    ¡°Miss!¡± Mo Lan cried out anxiously.

    Mo Xuetong could not say anything. Her whole heart and body were exhausted, and she whispered, ¡°Help Nanny Ming up and leave, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing her close her eyes so determinedly, Mo Lan knew that she had already made her decision. She helped Nanny Ming up and walked out. Nanny Ming was still crying at this point in time.

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes, and numerous scenes from her childhood shed across her eyes.

    Her mother¡¯s body was sometimes good and sometimes bad. In the beginning, she was not that weak, and she was still in charge of the family¡¯s matters. The concubines were also well-behaved. Although Auntie Fang gave birth to the eldest son and daughter, Father loved Mother a lot, so she dared not be boastful and arrogant. During winter that year, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother even made a clothe personally.

    Back then, she was so happy. She wore it and twirled around before her mother. Father, who had just returned home, saw the scene and also smiled happily. He ordered someone to heat the buns he brought back and serve them. Father chose one and fed it to her. The tasty and juicy meat was so delicious that it almost caused her to swallow her tongue.

    During then, she thought that her mother must be as happy as her.

    Now that she thought of it, her poisoned mother must have suppressed her pain. In her previous lifetime, although she was poisoned, she did not die of it. However, the pain from the poison¡¯s erosion tore her heart. How could Mother, who was so weak from staying in bed for a long time, handle it?

    This was why she would often wipe away the sweat off her face. Those cold sweat from enduring the pain were all kept in her handkerchief. But she told Mo Xuetong that she was feeling too hot because her medicine was hot in nature, causing her to sweat in the cold winter...

    During then, she had believed her wholeheartedly. She even went to grab a hand-held fan and fanned her mother with all her energy. Her mother was already having a hard time breathing due to the pain, yet she still smiled and told her that she could barely speak because of the fan and told her to sit still and not y around. The young Mo Xuetong was so ignorant, so she did not notice that hidden pain at the bottom of her mother¡¯s eyes...

    Mo Xuetong bit onto the bitterness on her lower lip. She looked up and opened up the letter.

    The letter contained a chain of familiar handwriting. The characters were neat and tidy. Only at thest few characters could she see a line stretching across the paper. Her tears blurred her vision instantly. There were no outsiders in her room. A harsh and painful feeling intertwined in her heart, yet she could do nothing about it. She could only let her tears fall.

    ¡°This letter is written to my daughter Tong¡¯er. I believe that when you read this letter, you must be full of doubts. I hope that you will not mourn over me. I have now passed on, and my only hope is that you will be peaceful and happy and to stay away from the royal family! Ever since I came to earth, I have been blessed by General Manor. I married your father as the eldest daughter of General Manor. I enjoyed my time with him and thought that it wouldst forever. However, things changed, and I could not just care about myself. I was born with a pitiful status and have been entangled by a cursed fate. I can¡¯t me anyone for it, and I don¡¯t want to pass it on to you. My cursed fate gave me too much trouble, and I cannot take care of you anymore. I¡¯ve kept some things for you and have put them in a safe ce. Do not show them to anyone. If anyone were toe asking for it, perhaps you can protect...¡±

    Mo Xuetong sat on her bed, dumbfounded. Her mind was nk. Drops of tears remained at the tip of her long eyshes and did not fall. They slid slowly onto her tender white cheeks. Her mother was not the daughter of General Manor! How could it be possible! Back then, her grandmother gave birth to a daughter and passed, unfortunately, so General Manor took her in.

    Her true grandfather was King Jin!

    Her mother was the posthumous child of King Jin!

    Her hands trembled beneath her sleeves. She had never thought that King Jin, who loved this ce so dearly, was her biological grandfather. King Jin, who was so outstanding that he was just one step from that high position. That King Jin who killed everyone, even those in his pce could not escape. That King Jin who loved his wife so dearly.

    In that massacre more than 30 years ago, how many lives lost in that bloody-filled fight!

    She thought that she was too far away from it to be affected, yet she ended up being among it.

    Her body that leaned against the mattress was already so stiff that it did not felt like hers anymore. The vengeance of the blood was so deep, yet her mother had to carry its weight. Her mother must be heartbroken after knowing that her parents had died and that she was a runaway child. Her mother must have been so desperate and sad. Did she lose the motivation to live because of this?

    Mo Xuetong did not know. She only knew that her heart was fully wrenched in pain. Her face had lost its usually cool and calm look. She held the piece of paper in her hand, and her fingers trembled slightly!

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    The voice that came to her ears sounded as if it came from the skies. Mo Xuetong turned her head in a daze. It took her a while to see through her tears an incredibly handsome face was in front of her. He was looking at her, full of concern. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She curled her lips, wanting to show a smile. The croak in her throat sounded like a cry and alsoughter. It entailed the sorrows of desperation and grief.

    That beautiful face of hers looked so fragile as if it would fall apart once touched.

 Chapter 270 - Strong Love, Feng Yuran Enters Mo Xuetongs

    <h4>Chapter 270 Strong Love, Feng Yuran Enters Mo Xuetong¡¯s Room</h4>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran held her to his chest and asked urgently. He patted her back lightly.

    Mo Xuetong gradually came back to her senses as she heard the man¡¯s thick and gentle voice. She did not have the strength to push him away and grabbed his shirt instead. She did not know what she wanted at this moment and did not think to reject him either. She did not ask Feng Yuran why he was so daring as toe into her room in the middle of the day.

    She did not want to know anything, and neither did she want to ask any questions. She only knew that her heart hurt severely. There was a burning fire that tore through her heart.

    How could it be! How could it be! How could it be!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. I am here. Father has agreed to decree our marriage.¡± Perhaps Feng Yuran could sense Mo Xuetong shaking fearfully in his embrace. He hugged her even closer to himself, his heart aching for her. He could sense that the person he was holding in her pain. He said gently, ¡°Cry if you want to. Don¡¯t be afraid. I am here! It will be alright!¡±

    I am here. It will be okay!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart exploded. It was as if something was no longer as strong as before. The copsed corner fell into the middle of her heart. All that strength flowed out of her, and her defense was no longer as strong.

    What she wanted was someone to protect her genuinely and sincerely!

    That was all she wanted!

    No matter in her past life or this, no one epted her so, who would protect her no matter what. No one had told her that she was fine and that ¡°I am here, it will be alright,¡± no one had given her a ce of calm...

    Large tears slid down her soft skin and onto her cheeks. Her tears fell without stopping. She had cried earlier for her mother, and now she was crying for herself.

    She already saw through the person in front of her through her tears. He was King Xuan, Feng Yuran. He was the charming man who kept saying that he wanted to marry her. He was not the vicious and cold-hearted man who had stepped over her body to take the throne that she remembered.

    However, for some reason, she wanted to cry. She just wanted to cry. She wanted to cry hard only once!

    In her rebirth, she was careful even when she cried. She did not expect that the protective defenses in her heart would fall at this time. She could not help it, but tears fell down her cheeks.

    The warmth of the hug around her made her feel lost. The man had always been devilish, seductive, and heartless. However, he was looking at her, lost, and concerned. He patted her somewhat clumsily. He was a little surprised and worried. His eyes, which had always shone with charm, was filled with apparent concern and hurt for her.

    The sobs that she had been swallowing suddenly erupted. She did not know how she felt, but she tried to vent her sadness and pain. Complicated emotions swelled in her chest, filling itpletely. It was as if she wanted to cry out all the pain she had experienced in her two lives. She leaned into his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. For that moment, she felt lost...

    She cried, messily inside. Outside, Mo Lan was worried. At first, Mo Lan had thought that Mo Xuetong was venting, and she gave her some space. After what happened, her mistress had been hurt. It would be good for her to cry it out. She did not expect that her mistress hurt so much inside, though. Her health would worsen if she were to continue crying like so.

    She could not hold back and went up to knock on the door. She said, ¡°Miss, Miss. How are you feeling, Miss? Miss, Miss...¡±

    ¡°Mo Lan, don¡¯t worry. His Highness is inside.¡± Mo Ye¡¯s hand suddenly reached out to stop her.

    His Highness? Mo Lan served Mo Xuetong slightly closer than the other maids. She knew that Mo Xuetong and King Xuan frequently interacted recently. Even Mo Ye, who served Mo Xuetong, was gifted to her by King Xuan. However, what was King Xuan doing in her mistress¡¯ courtyard at this time! However, she would not be so silly to ask that. What her mistress needed at this moment was someone tofort her.

    Mo Lan nced at Mo Ye and silently stood by her side. She did not leave.

    ¡°Shall we call your maids toe in and help you wash up? If you continue crying like that, I will think that you want to marry me so badly that you were so excited and lost control of your emotions when you heard that my father has agreed to let us marry.¡± Feng Yuran said gently with a smile. He reached out to wipe her tears away carelessly. He practiced martial arts, and his palm was slightly rough. However, it did not feel wrong on her tender face.

    Mo Xuetong nibbled on her lips and ignored him. She started to sob again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Father wishes to see youter. How will you go to see him looking like that? He would definitely think that I am forcing you to marry me.¡± Feng Yuran said with a hidden smile.

    Did she still have to meet Emperor Zongwen? Why? Mo Xuetong was shocked. There were still tears hanging on her longshes. She looked extremely adorable.

    ¡°I need someone toe here quickly.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze grew gentle, and he called out loud suddenly.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye, who had been waiting outside silently, waiting for orders, hurried in when they heard that. They saw King Xuan sitting before a couch. They were shocked to see him and their mistress embracing each other tightly and could not help screaming, ¡°Miss.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was startled from her reverie when she sensed Mo Lan¡¯s shock. She flushed and shoved Feng Yuran away. Her cheeks were tinted with a faint red blush.

    Feng Yuran was not affected, and he turned to walk to the table. He was calm andposed as he sat down. Mo Ye served him tea.

    ¡°Bring some ice cubes to help your mistress reduce the swelling. She needs to go outter to meet someone.¡± Feng Yuran ordered Mo Lan around as if he was her master. However, Mo Lan did not even take a few steps when he suddenly called out again, ¡°Don¡¯t use ice. That¡¯s too cold. Her health is poor, and she won¡¯t be able to take it. Use an egg!¡±

    Mo Xuetong almost teared up again when she heard that.

    There was a flurry of activity. Mo Lan did not allow anyone to help her and did everything herself. A man had appeared in her mistress room, and if this were to spread, her mistress¡¯ reputation would be ruined. However, she did not dare to do anything to King Xuan, so she could only stay by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and was unwilling to leave.

    Feng Yuran sat and watched as they busied around. He did not hurry them.

    ¡°Mo Lan, you can leave.¡± Mo Xuetong looked down and leaned into the couch, rubbing the egg on her eyes gently. The atmosphere in the room was even more awkward with two more people, and she did not know what to say for the moment other than to turn around to speak to Mo Lan.

    ¡°Miss, I...¡± Mo Lan looked at Feng Yuran. She wanted to speak, but stopped herself before she could.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You may leave. I have something to ask the prince.¡± Mo Xuetong sniffled and tried to smile at Mo Lan to assure her.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Lan could only leave when she saw that.

    The door was closed, and the room quietened down. Mo Xuetong rubbed her eyes with the peeled egg, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°Is it better?¡± Feng Yuran put down his teacup and approached her with a smile. Sunlight streamed in from behind him. The charmingyer of purple was extremely vivid and touching. The gentleness that danced on the corners of his eyes held a tiny trace of teasing. For some reason, it felt a little naughty.

    Mo Xuetong flushed, and she felt shy and guilty. She put down the egg in her hand and bit her lips, saying. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still a little swollen.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile.

    ¡°Then I shall massage it more.¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the egg again.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is good. There will be people in the pce who will like that you look like that¡±, said Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong thought that he was joking, and she felt embarrassed and annoyed. She could not pick up the egg in her hand, and neither could she put it down. She bit her lips and chose to ignore his bright and shiny eyes.

    ¡°The Empress would not be pleased that you were given to me. If she sees that you have cried your eyes out, she would love it.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and sat by the couch. He took the egg in her hands and tossed it into the empty bowl on the table urately.

    Mo Xuetong felt a little awkward given his close proximity and now that her hands were freed up. She bit her lips and said after a long pause, ¡°Why would the Empress like that I cried?¡±

    ¡°The Fifth Princess likes Bai Yihao. She hates you because she heard that you and Bai Yihao are close and that Bai Yihao seemed to be very aware of you. She begged the Empress to marry you to the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. She wants you to be married far away. However, the Empress does not agree with Princess Royale Yunruo¡¯s suggestion. She does not wish to marry her daughter to the First Prince of Yan.¡±

    ¡°The Empress and the Fifth Princess are both dissatisfied with the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. You are naturally their target. You are a member of the royal family and have no power. If they marry you to the Yan Kingdom, they would be able to shut Princess Royal Yunruo up and can also prevent the Fifth Princess from having to marry far away. Why would they not do it?¡±

    Feng Yuran stretched his hand out and pulled her into his embrace. His hand wrapped around her slender waist.

    Mo Xuetong wanted to push him away subconsciously.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t move. I want to hug you.¡± A gentle voice could be heard from above her head. ¡°They thought that I would not dare to strike since you are still in mourning. However, they did not expect that I would ask my father straight. Even though he cannot decree that we marry now, he can send for you.¡±

    He seemed to have thought of something, and he smiled lightly. The vibrations of his chest were apanied by warmth. Her face pressed against his chest. As if something was burning her face, it was slightly hot.

    She knew what he meant. She was still in mourning, so they cannot get engaged openly. Even Emperor Zongwen would not dare to break this moral standard. However, he could get Emperor Zongwen to send for her by using asking the Emperor for her hand as a reason. Since the emperor knew that King Xuan was interested in her, he would agree. Even if she could not get married, for the time being, there would not be a single person who would dare to interfere with her marriage from now on. She was protected to a certain extent in this aspect.

    However, his reputation would grow even worse. He would not also let a girl who was still in mourning off. How licentious was he? He would be gossiped about!

    Mo Xuetong felt touched for some reason, and she felt warm. Her head was still in his chest. She leaned in and did not move any longer. After a moment, she said gloomily, ¡°Will this affect you?¡±

    ¡°What kind of impact would it have on me? At most, they will say that I am lecherous and licentious and will not even let a girl who is still in mourning off.¡± His voice, which sounded aggrieved, came from above her head. Then, heughed charmingly. He was never earnest and used such a tone even when he was talking about serious matters.

    However, it rxed her for some reason. She pushed him away gently to indicate for him to let go.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry when we go to the pceter. When Father sees how you look, he will naturally think that you have suffered, and he will not make things difficult for you. As for the Empress, if you meet her, you can just curtsy as you wish. You won¡¯t meet the other consorts, and even if you do, you don¡¯t have to bother. I have always been known to be arrogant, and I will not allow my consort to be bullied.¡±

    Was he worried? Is that why he reminded her again especially!

    ¡°Alright. I get it.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded in reply.

    In her past life, she had done what her mother had instructed her to. She knew nothing about anything and stayed far away from the pce. However, she could not stay away from the plotting of others. She had been so innocent, and yet, she had ended up dead, her soul in a million pieces.

    In this life, she would not flee. Since she could not stay away from it, she would choose to face it head-on...

    The corners of her eyesnded on the letter by the pillow. There were many stains on the surface, and the words on the paper were barely legible. The paper was filled with tear stains and was extremely fragile. One could see the tear stains on some spots from this angle. They were old stains. Were they her mother¡¯s tears?!

    Her tears had fallen on her mother¡¯s. Had her mother been like her, crying as she read the letter, sobbing so hard she could not make a sound? Her mother had no choice but to abandon her young daughter. She must have been very painful and sad...

    Her tears could not help but well up when she thought of that...

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t look at it any longer. Quick, think of what you are going to say to my father when we go to the pceter.¡± Feng Yuran followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze and saw the letter. However, he did not pick it up to look at it curiously. Instead, he smiled and softly flicked at her pale and tender forehead. He said with a smile, ¡°If Father is not satisfied and won¡¯t allow you to be King Xuan¡¯s consort, you will have something to cry about.¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not help but want to tsk at him. He had only just made a few severe remarks but had now be like this. Mo Xuetong red at him as she saw a devilish smile appear on his handsome face. He was like the king of a hundred flowers blooming on a spring day. He was as devilishly charming as could be.

    When Feng Yuran saw her looking at him somewhat dazedly, his smile grew even more handsome. He nudged her arm and said, ¡°Do you feel that your husband is extremely handsome beyondpare? And that you¡¯ve lucked out to marry me?¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. Who¡¯s my...hus...¡± Mo Xuetong stuttered slightly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your husband the handsome and amazing me! Or is there someone else?!¡± He said with an expression of arrogant pride.

    ¡°...¡± This man was really narcissistic. Mo Xuetong was speechless!

 Chapter 271 - Jealousy and Hatred. The Fifth Princess Intention to Kill

    <h4>Chapter 271 Jealousy and Hatred. The Fifth Princess¡¯ Intention to Kill</h4>

    The edict from the pce came in thete afternoon. The little eunuch who delivered it first went to see Mo Huawen and then brought Mo Xuetong to the pce.

    It was rather awkward for Mo Xuetong because she had injured her leg. Fortunately, it was not obvious with the help of Mo Lan even though she was a little slow.

    A horse carriage was already waiting outside. Mo Xuetong boarded the horse carriage and went to the pce with Mo Lan.

    They entered through the main gates of the pce and went onto a pnquin that was set up for them especially. A eunuch holding a box approached them. This must have been the will of the consorts who were appointed at the banquet today, along with King Yan and King Chu¡¯s consorts. Pce maids followed along with nimble steps and the neat procession moved outwards. There were also some women who were destined to stay in the pce forever.

    When they arrived outside of Tianchen Pce, Mo Xuetong got off the carriage. A pce maid had been waiting for her and helped her off carefully.

    ¡°Princess Anping, please.¡± The lead eunuch Liu Xi had already been waiting there. He approached Mo Xuetong with a smile when he saw her.

    Mo Xuetong did not dare to be rude to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s lead eunuch. She hurriedly smiled and nodded and walked forward. She saw Feng Yuran the moment she entered. He looked refreshed. Emperor Zongwen was sitting on the throne. His eyes were dark and she could not tell what he was thinking. Mo Xuetong released the pce maid who was helping her and knelt down with some difficulty. She kowtowed respectfully and said, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live, Your Majesty.¡±

    She sounded slightly afraid because of her nervousness. Coupled with the swelling around her eyes, she looked very pitiful.

    Emperor Zongwen looked at her expressionlessly for a moment. He could not help but smile lightly when he saw that she remained to kneel respectfully but did not show any signs of being flustered. He said, ¡°Rise.¡±

    Liu Xi nced at the pce maid who quickly understood his intentions. She went up to help Mo Xuetong stand.

    ¡°The Princess Royal mentioned you to me. She said that you are obedient. I was going to meet you in a while but I did not expect Old Eight to be so anxious. He urged me to meet you now. How is your leg? Have the imperial physician take a look before you leave. It would be bad if it leavessting damage while you are young.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not expect Emperor Zongwen to be so kind. She nced at Feng Yuran with some surprise but saw that he was smiling with satisfaction. He even raised his brows when he saw her looking at him. His behavior was really mboyant. Mo Xuetong looked away to the ground quietly.

    She replied softly, ¡°Many thanks for your kind love, Your Majesty. I am not so delicate. Furthermore, the physician already said that it is no big deal. I just have to rest.¡±

    Her injury was not serious and was just a slight sprain. It was no big deal. Honestly speaking, it was not too much trouble for her to walk either. She only had to rub it with medicated oil. However, her leg was wrapped up only to show how serious it was. She must not let the imperial physician see it.

    ¡°Even so, you were injured. Old Eight, do you still have that superior-grade medicinal oil at your ce? Give it to Princess Anpingter.¡± Emperor Zongwen smiled and turned to speak to Feng Yuran who was standing beside him. He did not insist that Mo Xuetong see the imperial physician.

    ¡°Father, even though the medicinal oil I have is good, it is not as good as the one in the pce. Father, why don¡¯t you be generous? She seems rather pitiful, give her some.¡± A handsome smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. It was rare that he was showing Emperor Zongwen the adorable side of his.

    This prince seemed so different today! Was it because of the girl in front of him?

    Liu Xi turned to look at Mo Xuetong who was waiting with her head lowered respectfully. His eyes showed the deep thoughts that he had.

    However, Emperor Zongwen smiled. ¡°Alright, alright. I will give her some medicinal oil. But just that. Why did you say that she looks pitiful? Princess Anping seems well, don¡¯t bully her.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen looked at Mo Xuetong again, sizing her up once more. Even though she looked rather frail, she was gracious. That was rare. Furthermore, it was obvious that she had cried earlier. However, there was not a hint of sadness in her face. It made her seem gentle and showed off her good breeding.

    No matter whether it was in the pce or outside of it, a man had to marry a virtuous wife who was gracious and understanding. Even though Mo Xuetong was still young and had an air of childishness that made one¡¯s heart hurt for her, she seemed like an intelligent and gracious girl. She could be so silent and unaffected at such a young age. That was difficult. She was the right match for Old Eight.

    Even though there were rumors about his son being licentious, he was truly unfeeling. Emperor Zongwen knew about it. Feng Yuran had never treated a girl kindly. It was rare that he cared so much for a girl. Emperor Zongwen was rather satisfied.

    The girl¡¯s character and behavior were both rare.

    ¡°Father, am I a person like this? Anyway, there are not many in your pce who likes that smell. But I quite like it, and it has a light fragrance when one uses it. I shall ask you for it on her behalf.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. Tong¡¯er would definitely like the rare medicinal oil that had a light fragrance.

    Mo Xuetong was so embarrassed by his impudence that she was speechless. She could only look at her feet with a red face and pretended that she did not exist. Even though they understood what Emperor Zongwen meant, the two of them were still not officially engaged. Feng Yuran¡¯s words made them sound as if they were family.

    Even though her heart was warm, she could not hide the embarrassment and anger on her face.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I shall give it to you. Liu Xi, get someone to send the medicinal oil to the Mo Manorter. And give Princess Anping two sets of phoenix wings essories as well as ten bolts of good cloth.¡± Emperor Zongwen said with a smile. It was rare that his two-faced son would speak with him in such a familiar manner. He could not help but feel pleased and give his son face there and then.

    Phoenix feathers head essories were only gifted when a prince gets engaged to his official consort. However, Emperor Zongwen was already treating Mo Xuetong as his daughter-inw. He naturally did not think that it was weird to give something like this to her. It meant the heralding of the phoenix and phoenixes were meant to be partnered with dragons. It was rare that his son would be so happy and serious about this marriage. How could he not agree as a father? He had to help his son out.

    Mo Xuetong, however, was speechless, ¡°...¡±

    They were not married yet but Emperor Zongwen had already gifted the head essories to her. She could not refuse and could only thank the emperor for his gifts.

    Emperor Zongwen asked a few more questions before allowing the two to leave the pce.

    Mo Xuetong leaned back into the soft pnquin. Feng Yuran strode beside her and chatted with her. The two of them had gone through the right channels and do not need to go around secretively anymore. Furthermore, Feng Yuran had no intention of hiding anything. There was not just one person who was going after Mo Xuetong. This was a good method to fend against them.

    However, they had only just passed through the first pce gate when Liu Xi ran after them to tell Feng Yuran that Emperor Zongwen wanted him to stay.

    ¡°You go back first. When Father¡¯s gift arrives, ask Mo Ye to help you massage your leg. You¡¯ve hurt your leg in deep winter and it¡¯s easy for it to be asting injury. The medicinal oil has a light plum fragrance and you will definitely like it.¡± Feng Yuran looked down and smiled at Mo Xuetong, speaking to her quietly.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Mo Xuetong replied with a blush. Even though the two eunuchs who were carrying the pnquin looked stoic as if they had not heard anything, the slight curve on their lips made Mo Xuetong feel so embarrassed that she could not speak. She leaned back to avoid his warm breath.

    They were in the pce, so he could behave so insolently. However, she could not. Furthermore, not everyone knew that they were now engaged. The two of them could not be so close to each other.

    ¡°Then I shall leave now. You go back.¡± Feng Yuran said with a charming and satisfied smile on his handsome face. Then, he turned to leave.

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly!¡± Mo Xuetong turned her gaze away from Feng Yuran¡¯s retreating back. The pce was a dangerous ce. Feng Yuran was there earlier, and perhaps no one dared to do anything. However, she was alone now. It was different. She had better leave as soon as possible.

    However, man proposes, but God disposes. Even though Mo Xuetong was in a hurry to leave, it was not that simple.

    The pnquin moved even faster after Mo Xuetong ordered it so. They headed towards the pce gates in a hurry. However, they were stopped just after a few steps.

    ¡°Who is that in front? Why have you note down to greet me after seeing me?¡± It was an arrogant voice that came from the front. Mo Xuetong sighed and called out, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Even though she wanted peace, others had to be able to give her that too. The Fifth Princess obviously had different thoughts.

    Mo Xuetong got off the pnquin with the help of Mo Lan. She saw the Fifth Princess blocking their way, dressed luxuriously. Mo Xuetong did not expect that Bai Yihao would be beside her.

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s the brand new Princess Anping. What is it? Have youe to suck up to my father after sucking up to my aunt? It¡¯s a pity that you are toote. Father has already taken a few concubines earlier in the day. The edict should be out already.¡± The Fifth Princess suddenly smiled. Her bell-like voice was pleasing to the ear.

    However, what she was saying was not. She made it sound as if Mo Xuetong had entered the pce to seduce Emperor Zongwen.

    The Fifth Princess looked as if she had returned from horse-riding. She was wearing a beautiful horse-riding costume and was holding a horsewhip in her hand.

    ¡°Greetings, Fifth Princess. Many thanks for your reminder.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied at the Fifth Princess. Then, she slowly got up and looked at her with a vague smile. Her eyes sparkled with beauty and she looked as if she did not care about what the Fifth Princess had said earlier. She did not even retaliate.

    Thest time she saw the Fifth Princess, she had been bullied. She had epted it because of her insignificant status. However, she was a princess now. Even though her status was still slightly lower than the Fifth Princess, she was not someone the Fifth Princess could easily bully. Furthermore, she would encounter the Fifth Princess in the future when she married into the royal family. If she seemed too weak, she would only be bullied.

    She did not wish to entertain the Fifth Princess today either!

    She looked at the clear and beautiful eyes before her and listened to the clear sweet voice. The Fifth Princess could not help but turn to look at Bai Yihao. Even though his expression remained the same and he looked just as indifferent, the Fifth Princess could sense that Bai Yihao¡¯s gaze had strayed on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and stayed there for some time.

    Anger rose within her. She disliked the girl before her since the first time she saw her!

    She harrumphed coldly, holding her horsewhip. A sh of sinister coldness glinted in her eyes. She raised the whip and swished it at Mo Xuetong¡¯s tender face.

    The Fifth Princess enjoyed riding and training horses. As such, her horsewhip was different from regr horsewhips. There were two sharp barbs at the tip of it. If the horses did not obey her and annoyed her, she would have someone hold the horse while she hit it.

    The horse would often be severely injured and covered in blood. If the horse could not withstand the beating, it might even die.

    She had whipped the horse that had thrown her off to death like that.

    She did not believe that Bai Yihao would dare to protect this woman so openly. A satisfied smirk appeared on her lips. She could almost see the shock on Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face under the shadow of her whip. However, she did not see Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes that shed coldly with anger. He held a thin needle secretly between his fingers.

    ¡°Xueyu, are you making trouble again?¡± A gentle voice suddenly sounded from a path beside them. The Fifth Princess¡¯ arm stilled in mid-air. Then, she moved it and turned around with a brilliant smile. ¡°Aunt, you are going to lecture me again. How could I make trouble? I am just chatting with Princess Anping.¡±

    Nobody noticed that Bai Yihao¡¯s hand, which were hidden in his wide sleeves, rxed slightly when the Fifth Princess moved her hand away from her horsewhip. A bloodthirsty desire to kill shed in his cold eyes. If Feng Yuran were here, he would definitely notice that Bai Yihao was ready to kill earlier. The thin needle that he held in his palms slid back into his sleeve silently.

    There was a blue substance on the shiny needle. It was some sort of poison that would kill a person with a single strike!

 Chapter 272 - Fifth Princess Defeated While Drinking Plum Wine

    <h4>Chapter 272 Fifth Princess Defeated While Drinking Plum Wine</h4>

    Fifth Princess did not know that she had almost died just now.

    ¡°Greetings to Mother from Tong¡¯er.¡± Seeing that Princess Royal had arrived, Mo Xuetong moved forth to pay her respects.

    ¡°What took Tong¡¯er so long? I waited for quite a while already. Come, let me examine your foot.¡± Princess Royale moved her nce from the beautiful face of Mo Xuetong to Bai Yihao. She squinted her eyes as a simmer of light shed across her eyes, so fast that Mo Xuetong could not even tell the emotion they concealed.

    ¡°Aunty, it¡¯s rare for me to meet Anping. Perhaps we can visit your pce? I heard that your plum wine is ready for consumption. Is it possible to gift one cup to Xueyu?¡± Fifth Princess blinked repeatedly with a pleading smile,pletely different from her malicious expression just now. She had transformed into a naive and cute girl again.

    If Mo Xuetong did not see what had just happened, she would have beenpletely fooled by Fifth Princess.

    ¡°Alright,e together. Yihao, do you want to join?¡± Princess Royal asked, turning her head at Bai Yihao.

    ¡°Since Aunty invited me, I naturally have to oblige and have a taste of your plum wine.¡± Bai Yihao smiled. His face was as beautiful as flowers in spring, elegant yet profound. He was as pure as the moon but yet as delicate as a fairy. His long sleeves were slightly exposed, entuating his gracefulness. It was almost inevitable for everyone to focus their nce on him. It wasn¡¯t unnatural for Fifth Princess to like him.

    Mo Xuetong thought to herself silently as she kept her gaze to herself. Supported by Mo Lan, she followed Princess Royal to Mingzhu Pce.

    She did not believe that Princess Royale just happened to pass by the area. Even though everyone knew when she will be entering the pce, they would not be aware of when she would be leaving. Just when Feng Yuran left, Fifth Princess appeared, followed by Princess Royaling over to help her. This meant that Feng Yuran had probably already negotiated with the Empress already. She was touched thinking about his help even though he wasn¡¯t at her side.

    Princess Royal¡¯s Mingzhu Pce had always been a quiet ce. A parrot in the garden shouted excited as it saw numerous guests approaching, ¡°Guests here, guests here! Lanruo,e and wee our guests!¡±

    Everyone was slightly stunned by the words and chuckled. This ce was not like the formal and proper pce, but the casual and elegant room of a beautiful woman.

    ¡°Oh my, how can my Eighth Brother teach the parrot such crude words. Aunty, let me find you a beautiful one tomorrow that can speak properly.¡± Fifth Princess chuckled and suggested.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your effort. You know your Eighth Brother. If you send a different one here, he will train it again. I will make do with this. Anyways, it only knows these few crude sentences, it¡¯s not that terrible.¡± Princess Royal followed her gaze onto the parrot and smiled gently, with her eyes and lips curved up in the shape of a crescent moon.

    The door opened, and Princess Royal¡¯s head servant Lanruo came out to bring everyone into the hall.

    It was already dusk and the sun was setting, bringing itsst bit of warmth into the hall. However, the wind was strong as well. Princess Royal asked the servants to bring up the newly brewed plum wine, and Lanruo followed her orders immediately. Before long, a jar of wine was brought in.

    cing a jade bowl in front of each guest, Lanruo poured a cup of wine for each of them.

    Before even drinking the wine, a simmer of cool plum fragrance emerged from the clear wine.

    A sip of the wine brings a taste of refreshing sweetness. The wine is not cloying and is extremely easy to enjoy. As it travels down the gullet, it warms the body, creatingfort.

    ¡°Indeed a good wine! Aunty, how many jars do you still have? Can you gift one to me for a party at my pce tomorrow? I will invite you over to drink as well.¡± Fifth Princess pleaded, ¡°You cannot be stingy now that both my cousin and I are present!¡±

    She mentioned Bai Yihao in her speech but he was busy ying with the chess pieces, not noticing her as well. Remembering her gentle nce towards Mo Xuetong just now, and his indifference towards her, she became annoyed. However, she dared not vent her anger on Bai Yihao, and could only stare at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong quietly removed her gaze from Bai Yihao¡¯s chess pieces before holding up her jade cup to sip on her wine.

    She did not want to be involved in this matter and was only curious about what Bai Yihao was doing. It was not necessary to have invoked such a jealous response from Fifth Princess.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much wine anymore. I am running out after gifting Empress Dowager. If Xueyu wants any, you cane over and drink.¡± Princess Royal smiled politely.

    She truly had only a few left after gifting Empress Dowager some. Furthermore, she had not gifted any to the Empress and thus would be inappropriate to gift any to Fifth Princess. That made Fifth Princess even more frustrated as she had always been in the center of attention, and was always pampered, never neglected or rejected. However, she dared not be angry at Princess Royal as well.

    Although Princess Royal stayed alone in the pce, she was well trusted by Empress Dowager and Emperor Zongwen, and might not even listen to her mother. Thus, it was expected to be rejected. However, Fifth Princess got more furious at the thought of being rejected in front of Bai Yihao. She could only vent her anger on Mo Xuetong and disliked her more and more, more so that she wanted to destroy that seductive face.

    Furthermore, she could promise to have seen that little bitch smile when Princess Royal rejected her.

    Mo Xuetong, however, was extremely innocent. As she had offended Fifth Princess without even speaking much.

    ¡°Aunt, did you know that my father specially invited Princess Anping here today? It was because she did not participate in the feast today and so father did not see her. I didn¡¯t expect Princess Anping to be so adored by Father, so much so that the pce agreed that shees in a sedan chair.¡± Fifth Princess nced at Mo Xuetong once before walking to Bai Yihao¡¯s side to sit beside him.

    She then tugged at his sleeves and whined, ¡°Isn¡¯t that true, cousin?¡±

    Bai Yihao pulled his sleeve back quietly and smiled faintly as if he had not heard anything. Frowning, he focused on the chess pieces below and ignored her.

    That sentence implied that Emperor Zongwen was having an affair with Mo Xuetong. If this rumor spread, Mo Xuetong would be ruined as no one would dare marry her. The malice of Fifth Princess was beyond just arguing, she wanted to frame Mo Xuetong as well.

    Even if she defended herself, it would not work well. Of course, Fifth Princess did not know that Feng Yuran allowed Mo Xuetong into the pce or she would have kept her mouth shut for fear of offending the even more arrogant Feng Yuran. Feng Yuran was someone dominant in character, and was well-loved by Emperor Zongwen as well. Thus, no one dared to provoke him.

    ¡°Xueyu, watch your words! A princess should be careful with what she says!¡± Princess Royal¡¯s expression changed and she chided Xueyu.

    Fifth Princess was shocked and stared at the usually graceful Princess Royal in disbelief.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er was invited into the pce by the Emperor for the matter concerning your Eight Brother. If Xueyu¡¯s rumor spreads, are you not afraid that the Emperor be angry at you? Even your mother dared not misinterpret the meaning of the Emperor¡¯s words.¡± Princess Royal smirked as she stared furiously with a cold gaze. The elegant and gentle Princess Royal had changed.

    Fifth Princess was scared out of her wits after having understood what Princess Royal meant. A cold shiver ran up her spine as she stared at the cold unforgiving face of Princess Royal. Suddenly, she remembered that when she was young, she saw her mother being chided by her father when hiding in mother¡¯s bedroom. Her father was furious while her elegant mother was on all fours, kneeling on the ground trembling, not daring to speak. She had been severely warned by her father.

    Because of that, her mother almost lost her position as the Empress. Her crime was misinterpreting the Emperor¡¯s words, and that scared even the proud Fifth Princess.

    ¡°Aunt, I didn¡¯t...¡± Fifth Princess rushed to exin herself.

    ¡°Regardless of whether you meant it, you need to remember your status as the princess of the royal family. You need to maintain the decency of the royal family. If even a girl like you gossip about your father and your brothers, what will the others think about the royal family? What will others think about your father¡¯s reputation?¡± Princess Royal exined calmly, disappointed.

    The chill from her spine made Fifth Princess recall that terrible moment of Emperor Zongwen¡¯s anger. She grabbed Bai Yihao¡¯s hand and exined, ¡°Aunt, I wasn¡¯t spreading rumors. Both my cousin and I saw Princess Anpinge from my father¡¯s pce. Am I right, cousin?¡±

    She wanted Bai Yihao to help her.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, so what if you see Princess Anpinge from the Emperor¡¯s pce? Did you not hear that King Xuan came with her?¡± Bai Yihao smiled and went to pick up a chess piece, pulling his sleeve away from Fifth Princess naturally.

    ¡°I heard that the princess is well-versed in the skills of chess, will you have a game with me?¡± He pulled his sleeve with one hand, holding a chess piece on the other hand as he invited Mo Xuetong, ignoring the pale Fifth Princess and her resentful nce.

    He hadpletely ignored the true princess of the royal family!

    Hearing Bai Yihao, Fifth Princess was not staring at Mo Xuetong with a chilling poisonous nce. She held on the whip in her sleeves and resisted her urge to whip the beautiful face of Mo Xuetong. She had focused all her jealousy and malice on Mo Xuetong! Ever since she saw Bai Yihao, she loved him. However, he had always had a nonchnt attitude towards her, making her unable toprehend him.

    However, he came forth to invite another woman and was smiling at another woman. This was great shame and defeat to Fifth Princess. She ground her teeth and her fear of Princess Royal dissipated, reced by hatred of the beautiful face in front of her.

    How dare the daughter of a small third-grade official oppose her! How could she wink at cousin and seduce cousin! The only thing good about her was her seductive face. Fifth Princess swore to herself that she would make Mo Xuetong pay as a simmer of hatred ran across her eyes. However, she knew that it was not the right time and slowly changed her expression to one of embarrassment. When facing Princess Royal again, she was smiling.

    ¡°Aunt, I was wrong. I dare not do that again. Please keep this secret while I hurry back now and copy scriptures to pray for the health of father.¡± Before Princess Royal could reply, she turned back and left. However, when she was turning the corner, she nced at Mo Xuetong with hatred and snickered.

    ¡°That little bitch used her seductive face to seduce all these men! I shall destroy her life! I don¡¯t believe that cousin can ask to marry that little bitch.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been forcefully retained by Bai Yihao in the pretense of a chess match. She sighed silently as she knew that Fifth Princess now hated her. Looking at the handsome Bai Yihao, she became more and more frustrated. Without him, she could at least get Fifth Princess not to hate her, and might even be a good friend of Fifth Princess. The nce Fifth Princess threw at her when she left meant that she hated her.

    This man wanted to utilize her to make the situation more confusing. He was extremely dangerous.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Your Highness to have good chess skills along with good dance and Qin skills.¡± As if he had not noticed her hidden frustration, Bai Yihao smiled as he ced a white piece onto the chessboard.

    Collecting her thoughts, Mo Xuetong smiled. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, Sir Bai. It is merely minor skills.¡±

    Before her rebirth, she was always unwanted and had to focus on training her skills to find inner peace. After being reborn, she wanted herself to do better. Regardless of any weather conditions, she would trained her dance, Qin, writing and drawing every day. For revenge, she could do even more and better.

    It had always been easier to be cruel to other than to yourself. She could bepletely cruel to herself and thus practicing such minor skills meant nothing to her.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s forlorn eyes fall on her as he judged her silently before smiling handsomely, while his pupils seemed to be harboring a deep secret. He ced down his white pawn and asked quietly, ¡°Princess Anping, did you remember the Qin arrangement that you gifted me that day. It was a unique piece and Empress Dowager was delighted to see that. She specially asked me for the origins of the arrangements as such a piece could not be found even within the pce.¡±

    A simmer of light shed across Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart as she hastily ced down her ck pawn, with a thousand thoughts racing across her mind. After a while, she exined, ¡°It is rare toe across such a unique piece of Qin arrangement. In the previous dynasty, a few pieces of Qin arrangements were left outside the pce as these men refused to join the court as officials. What a pity.¡±

 Chapter 273 - Beauty Disfigured Due to Her Plan

    <strong>Chapter 273 Beauty Disfigured Due to Her n</strong>

    Even though she did not know what Bai Yihao was asking about, Mo Xuetong could not be too careful. She would not have so many unnecessary thoughts if she did not know about her mother¡¯s background. But now... she could not control herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, many schrs were left out of the pce, a great loss to the imperial court. Do you wish to see some true schrs out of the court in the Qin Kingdom, Your Highness? True schrs always longed for freedom and you could be considered to be one of them. It will be a real pity if you do not join us.¡± Bai Yihao smiled.

    ¡°Just like the piece that the Empress Dowager praised.¡±

    Bai Yihao seemed to be inviting her to participate in the Qin gathering, even threatening her. Involuntarily, Mo Xuetong lifted up the jade bowl beside her and sipped at the wine. Together with the warmth brought by the wine, her eyes became cold and unforgiving. ¡°Thank you for your invitation, Sir Bai. My foot is injured or I would definitely be willing to know those schrs.¡±

    ¡°I can help you examine your injured foot, and ensure that you can participate in this Qin gathering.¡± Bai Yihao nced down at Mo Xuetong¡¯s foot. Even though he could not see anything, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment as she attempted to retract her foot. Bai Yihao¡¯s rude behavior was unusual for a gentleman like him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble you. The doctor merely told me to rest it.¡±

    Only she knew about the conditions of her injury and she would never show it to Bai Yihao, well-known for being a great doctor.

    ¡°One needs tobine work with rest. Such a good opportunity is not so easy toe by.¡± Bai Yihao ced down a chess piece and smiled handsomely.

    ¡°An opportunity for others might not be an opportunity for me.¡± Mo Xuetong replied calmly as she ced a piece in the corner, engulfing an entire portion of Bai Yihao¡¯s pieces. The chessboard immediately emptied out, with distinct white and ck pieces. It was obvious that there were more ck pieces.

    Bai Yihao seemed to be oblivious to his imminent defeat and raised his head to look at his opponent, smiling even more calmly. ¡°The treatment of a unique Qin arrangement and chess form would bepletely different in and out of the pce.¡±

    ¡°In and out of the pce! What does he know!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand trembled as she forced herself to remain calm. As she ced down another pawn, she realized that she had lost her initiative after cing this piece, rendering the entire corner Bai Yihao¡¯s territory. Even though she had removed his pieces from the board, she also entered his trap. However, she had to do it or it would be an immediate defeat for her.

    Bai Yihao has superb chess skills!

    Any move will lead to her defeat!

    She frowned slightly as she nced at Bai Yihao secretly, trying to figure the mysterious man out. Since both advancing and retreating would result in worries, Mo Xuetong might choose to retreat in her previous life. However, Mo Xuetong chose to face her difficulties in this current life. She ced down her pawn and pped, smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve won! I admit defeat!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s merely luck.¡± Bai Yihao threw his pieces into the basket as he waved his sleeves across the chessboard, not willing to discuss the match at all. If Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know that he had great ambition, she would have thought that he did not value fame and fortune.

    He merely didn¡¯t care about partial victories.

    Mo Xuetong reminded herself again about the danger of the man before her. The corner of her eyes rested on the chessboard, worried.

    Bai Yihao smiled and turned to Princess Royal, saying, ¡°Aunty, thank you for your plum wine. It is alreadyte and I will leave first. I wille back to visit another day.¡±

    The sky had darkened, signaling that it was alreadyte. The pce lockdown would be happening soon and Mo Xuetong had to leave too, albeit after Bai Yihao left to prevent unnecessary rumors. However, Princess Royal¡¯s thoughtful eyes made her stressed. Her eyes seemed to convey pity, worry, and some other strange emotions.

    She had always been wondering about the rtionship between her mother and Princess Royal. Did Princess Royal know about her mother¡¯s identity? If she did know, why did Princess Royal make such a friend? If she didn¡¯t, why did she treat her mother so well? She had a feeling Mother and Princess Royal were not just friends.

    The previous emperor killed King Jin, his brother, and took his crown. That meant that Prince Jin was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s uncle, and Princess Royal was Mother¡¯s cousin. Was Princess Royal really as peaceful as she seemed to be on the surface? Did she really not participate in politics? Through her interactions with Princess Royal, she discovered nothing about Princess Royal¡¯s involvement in the battle of the heirs other than her favor towards Feng Yuran.

    However, she noticed that something seemed amiss amidst the entire mess.

    In her previous life, the only ce where she met Princess Royal was at the downfall of General Manor, which Princess Royal yed a big role in. Why was Princess Royal so determined in dealing with General Manor? After her rebirth, she slowly became familiar with the royal family, and she changed her mind about Princess Royal. Could such a calm Princess Royal really dare to rush and destroy General Manor just for the son of her wet nurse?

    If she was truly so, where did she ce Mother?

    In her previous life, Mother never mentioned Princess Royal voluntarily, and Princess Royal seemed to be just part of a legend. However, she seemed to be involved in everything that was happening in this world. She also mentioned the items that Mother left behind. But how could she know about that? Was the Plum Garden a coincidence as well?

    Impossible. There must be something that she did not know.

    Mo Xuetong did not use the sedan this time, as she used Mo Lan¡¯s hand as a support. As she walked, she pondered about the matter just now. She felt that Princess Royal was a different person just now, but she could not say exactly why.

    Was it because of Bai Yihao? Something shed across her mind but she could not catch it.

    ¡°Are you Princess Anping?¡± Under a tree full of blossoming flowers, a beautifuldy stood tall. She asked with a friendly tone as she blinked when seeing Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°You are...¡± Mo Xuetong stopped and asked hesitantly.

    ¡°This is Beauty Liu.¡± Her servant beside her answered.

    Under the light, Beauty Liu really did deserve the title of Beauty as her pale skin shines like the moon and her charming eyes sent off signals of seduction.

    ¡°Oh, Beauty Liu! Sorry for being impolite.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at her and smiled.

    ¡°Is Princess Anping leaving the pce now? I am on my way out as well, let¡¯s go together.¡± Beauty Liu invited her with full intimacy as if they were friends for many years.

    Mo Xuetong almost mocked her as her face turned stone cold, her brain contemting. She didn¡¯t believe that she met Beauty Liu coincidentally as matters rarely happened ¡°by chance¡± in the pce.

    A meticulously nned encounter was as idental as a meticulously nned assassination.

    ¡°What a coincidence! We do go on the same path.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled as she looked at her.

    ¡°Did youe from Princess Royal¡¯s pce just now? I have nevere inside Princess Royal¡¯s pce ever since I entered the pce. Is it really a ce as elegant and peaceful as the rumors say? It is known for being one of the prettiest ces in the pce?¡± Beauty Liu was all smiles as she walked next to Mo Xuetong naturally.

    It was a pleasure to have such a beauty speaking to you with such a gentle and amiable voice.

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently as well as she chatted with the Beauty. As she walked out slowly, she noticed that the little eunuch bringing them around was still the same one who invited her in. He followed behind them quietly, implying that she took the right path.

    Pine trees stood on the side of the road, and green shoots emerged from the numerous branches. It seemed that the climate transformed from winter to spring in just these few days, as patches of green appeared on stones, trees, and bushes.

    ¡°Is this the way out of the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the route in front and asked curiously, smiling. This route was covered by flowers and trees, withnterns lit up at other ces. Shadows covered the ce, which made the route seem even smaller. This route indeed seemed too small to be the main road out of the pce.

    And it was also too fancy.

    ¡°This is a shortcut that we like to use, and few outsiders know of it. However, you are not an outsider. Furthermore, this ce reminds me of spring and I involuntarily brought you here. Sorry for not informing you.¡± Beauty Liumented as she stepped on the stone steps. Her voice was seductive even with the seemingly cold tone. Women in the pce did need skills to survive.

    Mo Xuetong smiled as she felt coldnessing from within the twilight. The two walked side by side silently, with only the crisp rustle of their dresses in the wind.

    ¡°Princess, your hairpin is truly unique. I have never seen anything like that before. Can I see it? So I can make one with a simr pattern tomorrow.¡± Perhaps to break the awkward silence, Beauty Liu smiled andmented on the hairpin that Mo Xuetong had had.

    After Feng Yuran¡¯s upgrade, the hairpin was no longer extremely special to the eye and was only a beautiful hairpin. No one would have thought that beneath the beautiful surface hid an extremely sharp knife that could pierce through all defenses and take someone¡¯s life.

    As Beauty Liu spoke, she extended her hand to touch Mo Xuetong¡¯s hairpin.

    ¡°Thanks for thepliment. It is just a normal pin but it contains a special meaning for me as myte mother left it. I usually keep it with delicate precaution for worry of damaging the pin.¡± Mo Xuetong evaded the hand of Beauty Liu, giving off a bitter smile in return.

    She asked politely, ¡°So that¡¯s why. You are indeed a filial girl.¡± Beauty Liu put down her hand and seemed to have identally touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s long sleeves, pulling inside her sleeve. Immediately, she stopped to apologize, ¡°I apologize, Your Highness. I messed up your dress. Perhaps you cane to my pce to change for another dress?¡±

    ...

    ¡°No need for such formality, Beauty. There is no need to change this dress.¡± Mo Xuetong tidied up her sleeves and smiled nonchntly.

    Going around a corner, a few trees of unknown species stood there. Unlike other trees, these trees of medium height were extremely vibrant with energy, having a full crown of green leaves in winter. They werepletely different from other trees.

    The pce is full of everything, and even such unique trees that differ from pine trees exist as well.

    Perhaps because it was too cold, Beauty Liu retracted her hands into her sleeves as a strong aroma rose in the night. Mo Xuetong suddenly pointed at the ground and asked, ¡°Beauty, what is this on the ground?¡±

    Before Beauty Liu could even answer, Mo Xuetong squatted down as if she had discovered something strange.

    Beauty Liu was shocked as she shook her hand as if she wanted to get rid of something. However, at that moment, a sharp roar descended from the sky as a bright yellow shadow emerged, ws shing on her face.

    ¡°Ah! My face! My face!¡± Beauty Liu screamed frantically as blood flowed out from between her fingertips.

    The two servants next to Beauty Liu were horrified as they rushed forth to help her.

    Mo Xuetong stood up and stepped back in panic, shivering in fear. She leaned on Mo Lan, unable to use any strength.

    A hidden smile flowed out from the corner of her mouth.

 Chapter 274 - Fifth Princess Got into Trouble at Tianfeng Palace

    <h4>Chapter 274 Fifth Princess Got into Trouble at Tianfeng Pce</h4>

    Within the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce.

    The Empress sat high up with a cold and ugly expression. Beside her, Fifth Princess sat quietly, watching the servants walk in and out of the hall with pails of bloody water. Her face turned pale.

    Mo Xuetong sat below, squeezing Mo Lan¡¯s hand tight as she was a bit nervous. Her eyes turned misty and watery, making her look worried and helpless. Her fingers hooked on Mo Lan¡¯s hand as her knuckles were white from using force. However, from the corner of her eyes hid a slight tinge of coldness.

    ¡°How is Beauty Liu?¡± Seeing that a servant had rushed in, the Empress asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Beauty Liu¡¯s face...¡± The servant hesitated to choose her words but her meaning was clear.

    The Empress could not sit and wait anymore as Beauty Liu was a new concubine of the Emperor. She had to answer to the Emperor for damaging the face of his new lover.

    Standing up, she led the group to the side hall, where the smell of blood was mixed with that of sandalwood, and herbs, making all extremely ufortable.

    ¡°Doctor, can my face be treated? Will I have a scar?¡± Beauty Liu shouted out with her sharp voice. As a piece of white cloth covered Beauty Liu¡¯s face, only her eyes could be seen.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that a scar... is probably difficult to avoid.¡± The old doctor retreated and answered carefully.

    ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t Beauty Lin leave no scar behind after having her face hurt? Why can¡¯t I be like her?¡± Beauty Liu asked anxiously.

    A month ago, the Emperor¡¯s another beauty fell while walking, knocking onto the tree in front, damaging her looks. Fortunately, the doctors in the imperial hospital were skilled enough. Just when other beauties were secretly delighted, Beauty Lin camest week with merely a pale face and no other injuries.

    The Empress¡¯ gaze fell on the doctor as she asked him the same question. ¡°Why can¡¯t Beauty Liu avoid any scar since both of them injured their face?¡±

    The doctor frowned and replied after seeing the Empress¡¯s dissatisfied face. ¡°Beauty Lin was merely injured by a normal tree branch. However, Beauty Liu was injured by both the sharp ws of monkey, as well as the poison on the ws.¡±

    ¡°Poison? Why?¡± The Empress asked anxiously as she nced at Fifth Princess, frowning slightly.

    ¡°Please say, what poison?¡± Seeing that the doctor was hesitating, Beauty Liu was anxious and prompted.

    ¡°It is an unusually vicious poison. The poison invades the skin, creating a scar on the face and damaging the parts around it. Even if we use the best medicine, deadly grey scars will appear after itpletely healed.¡± The doctor replied as he lowered his head respectfully. He secretlymented on the viciousness of these women in the Emperor¡¯s harem. Indeed, only they would use such extreme means to destroy someone¡¯s looks.

    However, as a doctor, it was not in his position to say that.

    ¡°What? How can such poison exist under a monkey¡¯s ws?¡± The Empress¡¯ face changed and she expressed her shock.

    ¡°Perhaps a monkey stepped on such poison identally and left the poison into the scar.¡± The doctor forcefully exined even though no one believed in his exnation. However, everyone in the pce was too smart to openly doubt his im.

    ¡°No, impossible! Impossible to leave a scar.¡± Beauty Liu was extremely anxious as she grabbed her head in a frantic. She kept asking the doctor to gain even ast simmer of hope.

    The doctor turned around and replied, ¡°Beauty, my shallow knowledge limits me from knowing this exact poison. If I could know what it is, I can use the antidote immediately and perhaps there¡¯s still hope.¡±

    Women in the pce need their pretty face for love from the Emperor, and for survival within the pce. A woman with a broken face will not be loved by the Emperor. A woman without love from the Emperor and children will always have a miserable ending in the harem.

    The cold hard pce walls will lock out all the vitality of such women, and their families too.

    ¡°Impossible! Impossible!¡± Beauty Liu screamed in fear, struggling to get up from the bed. She looked around the bed at everyone, stopping at Fifth Princess, who was standing behind the Empress. ¡°Fifth Princess, save me! Please save me! Where is the antidote?¡±

    Her screams made the Empress and Fifth Princess shocked.

    ¡°Beauty Liu, please be careful in your words. Fifth Princess had always been in Tianfeng Pce and had nothing to do with you!¡± The Empress chided.

    Thinking about her tragically disfigured face, as well as the sympathy on the face of servants and eunuchs, Beauty Liu could not help but break down.

    She was going insane and had no other ways. She knew that Fifth Princess used the poison and assumed that she must have the antidote. Hence, she tugged the Empress¡¯ sleeves and begged, ¡°Empress, please let Fifth Princess give the antidote to me. Fifth Princess said that I only need to bring Princess Anping there and shake out fragrance to attract monkeys. Princess Anping was rude to Fifth Princess and she merely wanted to punish her. Please ask Fifth Princess.¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Enough with your gibberish! Come and shut her mouth!¡± Seeing that she had spilled out the entire truth, the Empress had a bad feeling, and thus shouted out.

    ¡°It¡¯s really Fifth Princess. Really! Empress, the Emperor will be here soon and I will say the truth in front of him if Fifth Princess does not give me the antidote.¡± Beauty Liu was insane. Her scar tore open from her agitated speech and blood sipped out from her face, making her look even more sinister and awkward.

    ¡°Shut up! I am the Fifth Princess! Why would I harm Princess Anping? You must have set up this trap as you see that my father would rather focus on Princess Anping than you!¡± Fifth Princess looked at Beauty Liu with cruel merciless eyes, chiding her.

    Two servants came and pulled Beauty Liu apart. One used a handkerchief to press into her mouth while the other held her hand, preventing her from swaying.

    Mo Xuetong stood aside and pretended to be unaware of it. However, she had no sympathy for Beauty Liu as there were numerous concubines in the pce. Furthermore, Beauty Liu had the malicious intention of disfiguring her to please Fifth Princess.

    Fortunately, she was learning medicine and knew about herbs and drugs. Such an abnormal fragrance made her immediately alert. Moreover, Beauty Liu brought her on a split path, which indicated an obviously insidious intention. Mo Xuetong thus immediately kneeled down and got rid of the scent that Beauty secretly ced in her sleeves.

    The corner of her eyes swept to the obviously flustered Fifth Princess with a tinge of hatred. She was truly too arrogant in thinking that she could escape so easily from her crime.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, why do you want to harm me?¡± She looked up suddenly, directly taunting Fifth Princess, instead of Beauty Liu. She was tempting her to retaliate.

    Fifth Princess immediately stood up, and angrily retaliated.

    ¡°Harm you? Why will I harm you? Do you really think you can seduce my cousin with your pretty face?¡±

    Even though she did not admit it, she did not hide her hatred and murderous intents in front of everyone. Compared to this adopted princess, she was a true princess of the royal family, and she did not believe that her father would punish her just because of such a humble girl.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Fifth Princess meant. Sir Bai had nothing to do with me and he merely agreed toe by invitation of Mother and Fifth Princess. We had a few words and it was nothing like what the Fifth Princess thought. Perhaps you are indeed retaliating me for what happened previously.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned watery as she was about to cry, as if she had met with great injustice.

    ¡°Fifth Princess was willing to disfigure me just because I talked to Sir Bai?¡±

    Furthermore, this was in Princess Royal¡¯s pce, which meant that Princess Royal could testify. Fifth Princess started to panic as she remembered that Princess Royal was dominant even in front of Mother. Furthermore, she was the one that Father trusted the most. If she stood up for Mo Xuetong, Fifth Princess would be in trouble.

    ¡°Gibberish! Why are you ming me for your matter with Beauty Liu? I never once left the pce! I shall not take responsibility for Beauty Liu¡¯s gibberish!¡± Fifth Princess¡¯ face turned cold as she stood up, chiding Mo Xuetong.

    She had asked her servants to talk to Beauty Liu¡¯s servants previously, making sure that no me could be assigned to her. Furthermore, she did not believe that Mo Xuetong could interfere with pce affairs.

    ¡°Princess Anping, do you know that framing the royal family can result in the death penalty?¡± The Empress¡¯ face sank and she shouted solemnly.

    ¡°Exactly. It is a death penalty to frame the royal family, but who shall die since Anping was the one being framed?¡± An angry voice came from the door of the hall.

    At this time, a servant outside shouted, ¡°Princess Royal Mingzhu arrived.¡±

    Everyone present was all stunned. Mo Xuetong secretly smiled as it was now impossible for the Empress and Fifth Princess to suppress her using authority.

    ¡°Save me, Princess Royal. Quick, let Fifth Princess take out the antidote, same me...¡± Beauty Liu jumped out first. Knowing that her face was gone, she could not endure anymore and struggled out of the servants¡¯ control. She spat out the handkerchief in her mouth and jumped out, kneeling in front of Princess Royal.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Princess Royal stopped and asked harshly.

    ¡°Fifth Princess wanted to disfigure Princess Anping, not me. Fifth Princess had the poison on the monkey and the monkey belonged to Fifth Princess too...¡± The sharp pain on Beauty Liu¡¯s face reminded her of her fear. She was afraid that even a second of dy would ruin her face.

    She kneeled and wed towards Fifth Princess, begging her, ¡°Fifth Princess, give me the antidote. Save me, and I will always listen to you.¡±

    ¡°Beauty Liu has gone mad. Bring her aside, she should not be kneeling in front of Xueyu.¡± Seeing that the situation was a mess now, she turned and ordered the servants.

    Even though beauties had no real power, they were still concubines of the Emperor. It would be utterly inappropriate for the Emperor¡¯s wife to beg and kneel in front of the Emperor¡¯s daughter. Even they were different in status, they made it up with age. It did make sense for the Empress to say that Beauty Liu was crazy.

    Mo Xuetong smirked as she knew that the Empress wanted to push all the me to Beauty Liu by saying that she was mad and incredible.

    ¡°Go away, crazy woman!¡± Fifth Princess looked at Beauty Liu¡¯s bloody face and kicked her away, disgust written all over her face.

    A few servants came and pushed Beauty Liu down, pushing the handkerchief back into her mouth. The skillful actions made Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skip a beat.

    She knew that she could have been severely punished by the Empress if not for Princess Royal¡¯s arrival! Her cold eyesnded on Fifth Princess, who was patting her dress because of disgust toward Beauty Liu. She knew that the girl wanted to disfigure her merely because she talked to Bai Yihao.

    No wonder she could be a good friend of Mo Xuemin. The two were simr in their malice and arrogance. Their small age did not limit their ability to manipte the life of others. Mo Xuetong hated them as they ced themselves at the center of the universe, controlling the life and death of others...

    However, Fifth Princess was too ¡°clever¡± and had harmed herself!

 Chapter 275 - Being Born Noble Doesnt Mean Always Being Noble

    <strong>Chapter 275 Being Born Noble Doesn¡¯t Mean Always Being Noble</strong>

    Both the words of Beauty Liu and the actions of the Fifth Princess made all understood the truth of the matter, as none of the bystanders were fools. If anything was amiss, that would be the mistake in the execution by Beauty Liu. However, she shouldered all the responsibility herself.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you have any other matter that requires Anping here? If not, I need to speak to her.¡± Princess Royal spoke solemnly as she looked at Fifth Princess with a disapproving nce. That sharp nce made Fifth Princess shudder as she turned her head away, scared to speak.

    ¡°Nothing. I merely asked Anping toe so we can get aplete knowledge of the situation. Since it was an ident, and that Beauty Liu has gone insane after injuring her face, the investigation will not lead to any more oue. Please bring Anping back, Princess Royal. It must be quite a fright for a girl like her!¡± The Empressforted Mo Xuetong as she walked up and looked at her with eyes of sympathy as if she were worried about Mo Xuetong.

    Princess Royal did not pursue the matter, meaning that she hadpromised. The Empress naturally returned the favor and showed leniency to Mo Xuetong.

    One always prioritizes their own benefits in the pce.

    ¡°Come and gift the newly-obtained headdress with pearls and colored stones to Princess Anping, so as to calm her down.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Fifth Princess was about to retort when the Empress stared at her, making her shut up.

    A servant came with the headdress, and Princess Royal ordered her servant to receive it. She then said goodbye to the Empress before turning around to leave.

    Mo Xuetong slowly inched behind Princess Royal as she walked out.

    ¡°Please wait a minute, Princess Anping.¡± As she was about to leave the door, Fifth Princess suddenly shouted.

    The Empress was about to speak when Fifth Princess walked up. Mo Xuetong stopped while Princess Royal continued forth at a leisurely pace.

    ¡°You are indeed malicious to hurt Beauty Liu. Such a good move!¡± Fifth Princess walked beside Mo Xuetong and snickered. She was angry that her delicate n had failed, and thus refused to put on a show.

    ¡°Fifth Princess is more malicious to hide the antidote from Beauty Liu. Are you not afraid that Beauty Liu will hate you so much to destroy your appearance!¡± Mo Xuetong retorted coldly, full of disgust in her innocent eyes, with the same impoliteness in the tone.

    ¡°How rude!¡± Fifth Princess chided as a satisfying smile appeared on her face. ¡°So what if you know that I tried to harm you? I merely wanted to destroy your foxy face so you cannot seduce my cousin. Even if you escaped just now, you cannot escape for the next few times. I will not let you escape so easily next time. I am a princess and I can kill you with no consequences to myself! As the daughter of a third-grade official, you can neverpare to my royal status!¡±

    ¡°Unjust? So what if it¡¯s unjust? You will not be nobler than me!¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong was quiet, Fifth Princess became more sinister.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, do you want to bet and see who willugh longest!¡± Mo Xuetong smirked, her innocent eyes full of hatred, sending chills into Fifth Princess¡¯ heart. Her smile froze but she became immediately furious. As the most doted Fifth Princess of the Emperor, there was no need for her to be afraid of a fake princess!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er,e over. The Empress will take charge of matters within Tianfeng Pce.¡± Princess Royal¡¯s voice came from behind.

    The Empress¡¯ expression became extremely solemn as she stood up and walked towards the duo, smiling. ¡°Xueyu, do not take up too much of Anping¡¯s time even if you are closer with her. Princess Anping still needs to leave the pce.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mother, I shall send her out.¡± Seeing that the Empress had interfered, Fifth Princess replied and stared at Mo Xuetong cruelly, smiling while raising her voice. ¡°Please, Princess Anping. Princess Anping is like my long-lost friend, and I would love to have a longer conversation with you next time!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Fifth Princess.¡± Mo Xuetong replied politely and turned around to leave.

    She could no longer stay here for any second longer, as the smell of blood rested heavily in the air. The Fifth Princess indeed dared to be arrogant as she was not even chided for such an evil act, and even threatened Mo Xuetong at the pce gate. Even though Princess Royal protected her, Mo Xuetong could not punish Fifth Princess.

    Now that she had a rivalry with Fifth Princess, Fifth Princess would definitely not let this matter go. Of course, Mo Xuetong would also not just wait for her demise! She stared into the night sky with forlorn eyes, frowning.

    ¡°Are you ming me, Tong¡¯er?¡± Princess Royal slowed down and asked Mo Xuetong as she came up.

    ¡°Thank you, Mother. Why would Tong¡¯er me Mother? If not for Mother, I will...¡± Mo Xuetong smiled bitterly as a flicker of confusion shed over her eyes when she lowered her head. The light from pce streetmps scattered onto her small jade-like face. Fan-shaped shadows of her long eyshes formed on her face, making her seem particrly helpless.

    ¡°I apologize for their wrongdoing. Living in the pce, you can never have everything in your way. You can¡¯t do something, can¡¯t speak some words, and freedom is impossible.¡± Princess Royal¡¯s eyes turned away from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. These words seemed like casual remarks but they meant a lot of things once one started deciphering its message. It did hide a subtle sadness from within.

    ¡°Is the noble Princess Royal so helpless too?¡±

    ¡°Mother, freedom is not only restricted in the pce but in other ces too. There is no need to feel sad for Tong¡¯er as I don¡¯t feel sad for myself. The nobility of Fifth Princess is not something I canpare myself to. Compared to Fifth Princess, it is a great blessing that Tong¡¯er can safely retreat.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face shimmered in the night sky as if she were a beautiful dream. She smiled with a tinge of determination hidden in a fragility. Anyone seeing her then would feel tender for her.

    Being born noble meant being born in a royal family. If not for what happened back then, perhaps Tong¡¯er was now nobler than Xueyu! Princess Royal¡¯s heart ached as she resisted sharing that information. She did not have a daughter and treated Luo Xia¡¯s daughter as her own.

    However, she really was not in the position to do certain things.

    Her eyes fell on the cute face of Mo Xuetong. She could see her restraint and calm, as well as the determination, hid in her fragile body. Even though she kept quiet about what she was thinking, Princess Royal could understand her!

    What a pity for her to be a woman! Princess Royal sighed before feeling happy for Luo Xia.

    If Xia¡¯er knew that she had such a sensible daughter, she would certainly feel happy!

    Being born noble does not mean always being noble. The nobility of a woman is first given by her parents, and then by her husband. Even though Fifth Princess had a unique status, a Princess without influence would have no nobility, and Princess Royal knew that far and well. She could only hope that Tong¡¯er understood that, and not have any conflicts with Fifth Princess for now.

    For the next section of the route, none of them spoke, with only the rustle of their dresses. It was peaceful and quiet, engulfing all the rage in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. Looking at the Princess Royal in front of her, Mo Xuetong somehow felt touched as she realized that Princess Royal looked like Mother from this angle.

    Perhaps the night was too quiet today, or perhaps it was because Mother and Princess Royal were cousins. She felt that such a Princess Royal had connected with Mother to be one, for both their demeanor and their appearance. Even when Princess Royal did not speak to her at all, she could feel the sympathy of Princess Royal towards her.

    Standing at the gate of the pce, Princess Royal stopped and turned around, giving instructions. ¡°You can go out from here. The carriage is still waiting outside, I have already sent someone to Mo Manor to inform your father that we will be keeping you for a while and thus you can returnte. When you meet Fifth Princess next time, there is no need to be too polite. Even though we cannot punish her, we can still protect you.¡±

    She regained herposure and touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s head, blinking. She then smiled and waved to her, signaling goodbye.

    Before Mo Xuetong could respond, she turned and left.

    Many servants were around her. Some were in front of her, holdingnterns, while others are behind her, afraid to overtake her. She stood amidst them, with her back straightened as she walked slowly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes followed her unconsciously as she left.

    She somehow felt that Princess Royal was too thin.

    Out of the pce, she saw her carriage outside the doorsteps. Anxiousness was written all over the driver¡¯s face until he saw Mo Xuetong and Mo Lan appear by the doorsteps. He then rxed and drove the carriage forward.

    ¡°Third Miss, old sir has sent someone here several times. Old sir wille personally if you still don¡¯te out.¡± The driver jumped down the horse and eximed.

    ¡°Father sent someone here to rush me? Did anything happen in the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong was dumbfounded as she remembered that Princess Royal had sent someone to inform Father already, and he shouldn¡¯t be rushing her anymore.

    ¡°Nothing, but I heard that Second Sir¡¯s family is here. Old Sir wanted them to move to the garden near Yushui Street but he refused to do so, and was arguing with old sir and Old Madam.¡± The driver lowered his voice. ¡°Old Sir was afraid that you will venture in recklessly, and thus asked me to bring you to his study room to hide, instead of going to your own garden.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lowered her gaze as she thought of the arrival of Second Sir. Second Sir was Father¡¯s brother and Mo Xueyan¡¯s father. To let Mo Xueyan enter the pce, Old Madam unexpectedly tried to harm her. Father must have been unable to endure anymore and was forcing the Second Sir to move to the garden in Yushui Street, a ce bought over by Second Sir long ago.

    For her, Father had been in conflict with Second Sir.

    That¡¯s alright as she remembered that Second Sir did spread rumors with Auntie Fang about her in her previous life. They lived in the garden at Yushui Street but they came over consistently so much so that even Mo Yufeng became close to him. At least a portion of the misdeeds to her was instigated by her Second Uncle.

    As she stepped on the carriage and lifted the curtains, she heard anguid voice before even entering the carriage. ¡°Why sote? I waited for so long.¡±

    Before Mo Xuetong could react, her wrist was grabbed and with a gentle grip, she was pulled into the carriage, which made her fall heavily inside. Her hands stretched out to support herself but she was then immediately hugged by the man inside. The man¡¯s warm breath was beside her ears as he smiled jokingly, ¡°Such a warm wee from Tong¡¯er! We just met not long ago!¡±

    Mo Xuetong sighed as she could already guess the man from his shameless remarks!

    But why hasn¡¯t he returned to the pce at this ungodly hour?

 Chapter 276 - Bai Yihaos Suspicious Identity

    <h4>Chapter 276 Bai Yihao¡¯s Suspicious Identity</h4>

    ¡°Why? How did you be so excited when you just met me a while ago?¡± Feng Yuran gave a sly smile as he hugged Mo Xuetong tight. His profound smile hid a tinge of seduction as he whispered to her, grabbing her by her slim waist.

    ¡°What happened, Miss?¡± Hearing the voice of in the carriage, Mo Lan asked anxiously.

    ¡°Mo Lan, I¡¯m alright.¡± Mo Xuetong became conscious of the situation as she struggled out of Feng Yuran¡¯s hug, staring at him fiercely in the process. Sitting aside, she found the man inching nearer to her. She then pushed him out of embarrassment and annoyance, ¡°Go... go away!¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are already mydy wife, don¡¯t be so polite.¡± Feng Yuran smiled as he focused his gaze on the beauty in front, extremely delighted.

    ¡°Who is yourdy wife? I have nothing to do with you. The royal family knows only to order others and to lie, treating others¡¯ lives as nothing. They are self-centered, killing and disfiguring others when they are merely unhappy! I don¡¯t want anything to do with a King like you!¡± Mo Xuetong pushed his hand aside, venting her anger at the man in front.

    Feng Yuran was extremely innocent but he still looked at her lovingly before suddenly giving off a seductive smile. She then squeezed her nose slightly and smiled evilly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will seek revenge for you, and you won¡¯t get bullied for nothing.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned before frowning. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Feng Yuran was deeply loved by Emperor Zongwen, but so was Fifth Princess, who was the most loved princess. Moreover, the Empress was behind Fifth Princess too, and the strong Ding General Manor was behind the Empress. She did not want to ruin Feng Yuran¡¯s n, and allow others to discover his hidden power.

    He did not have a powerful mother and had a bad reputation as well. He merely wanted to hide in the crowd and not expose himself. If his n was upleted, showcasing himself in front of others would set him in danger, which was something that Mo Xuetong did not want to see.

    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± The handsome face was all smiles; he was obviously in a good mood.

    Those bright and shining eyes made Mo Xuetong turn her head away. She lowered her gaze, her eyshes forming a curved ribbon that fluttered several times to hide her panic.

    Seeing that she was quiet, Feng Yuran smiled like a devil and leaned back on the soft cushion. His devilish face turned cold as a bloody light shed across his face, a sinister look appeared on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be fine. Ding General Manor will love to see Fifth Princess find a good marriage. If she can be the Empress of a kingdom, Ding General Manor will even be willing to sell her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned as he did not expect him to tell her such information. Looking at him, she asked with some hesitation, ¡°Do you mean that they want to marry Fifth Princess away to the Yan Kingdom?¡±

    Feng Yuran looked at her with appreciation, before nodding leisurely. ¡°The First Prince of Yan Kingdom came to the Qin Kingdom to find a wife. My aunt, the Empress, refused to consider for her own son, wishing to instead marry Fifth Princess to this First Prince. The letter of request even went to Empress Dowager.¡±

    ¡°Since Empress Dowager was involved, she must have agreed. What about the Empress herself?¡± Mo Xuetong was shocked as she was quick to understand Feng Yuran¡¯s words, asking.

    Since knowing that King Ning Feng Yuzhen had entered the city that night, Mo Xuetong understood that the Empress was not on the same side as the Empress Dowager. It should be the same for this matter too. The Empress only had one daughter, and would not wish to marry her away, preferring her to stay by her side. But Empress Dowager had a different perspective, as the Empress of Yan Kingdom was her daughter.

    For her daughter, she must marry Fifth Princess away to the Yan Kingdom, bing their Empress. When the two generations of Empresses were all Qin Kingdom¡¯s princesses, Qin Kingdom would benefit greatly along with the empress¡¯s family. Such a n would only benefit Ding General Manor, and they would be more than willing to do it.

    Understanding this matter, Mo Xuetong eximed on Feng Yuran¡¯s extreme meticulousness, for having noticed all these small nuances.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Empress of Yan Kingdom Bai Yihao¡¯s birth mother? Why is he not helping her son, instead of rebelling with the First Prince?¡± Mo Xuetong eximed.

    ¡°How did you know that my aunt will rebel?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s words made Feng Yuran stunned.

    That question made Mo Xuetong choke on her words as the words came naturally from experiences in her previous life. In her previous life, the Empress did not have a good end as she was locked up by Bai Yihao. However, that had not happened yet and she could not exin the situation clearly to Feng Yuran. She had to find a vague excuse.

    ¡°Since the Empress¡¯ heart was not for Bai Yihao, she had to rebel. As the Crown Prince, Bai Yihao will not give up his throne so easily, even if that person is his mother.¡±

    She imagined this based on the plot of Bai Yihao as an iron-fisted Emperor in her previous life.

    That sentence somehow made Feng Yuran delighted as he smiled handsomely, showing off his good emotions without any restrain. His sharp gaze was inconsistent with hiszy and sly smile. ¡°Tong¡¯er is right. Bai Yihao is not an easy character to deal with. I¡¯m afraid that my aunt had miscalcted the ferocity and ambition of her son. She had not managed to destroy her son.¡±

    ¡°Destroy?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked profusely and chose to ask the question hidden in her heart for two lives. Biting on her lips, she asked, ¡°Is your aunt really not Bai Yihao¡¯s birth mother? Or rather, she hated her son to such an extent to even help others obtain his throne?¡±

    Feng Yuran smirked. ¡°Tong¡¯er is indeed smart!¡±

    ¡°Bai Yihao is really not Princess Royal Yunruo¡¯s son?¡± Mo Xuetong was shocked and asked again, whispering this time. She had never heard such rumors before, even in her previous life. Even when Princess Royal Yunruo was imprisoned, no such rumors spread out. Bai Yihao was indeed harboring deep secrets.

    The reason why he could walk in and out of Qin Kingdom, in and out of the pce, was because he was the son of the Princess of Qin Kingdom. For his status, he need not inform Emperor Zongwen when hees back to Qin Kingdom. When she had just entered the city, he also just returned from Yan Kingdom.

    ¡°It was rumored that my aunt¡¯s servant gave birth to him. She was rumored to be extremely beautiful but apparently no such servant existed on the records. Moreover, no concubine in the Yan Emperor¡¯s harem was close to Bai Yihao too.¡± Feng Yuran exined.

    He meant that this rumor was only a story, with no real evidence.

    If this matter was true, but with evidence missing, that meant that someone on Bai Yihao¡¯s side hid everything to conceal his identity.

    If such a matter is false, and such stories still spread outside, someone must be antagonistic to Bai Yihao, spreading doubts on his legitimacy.

    Mo Xuetong somehow was convinced that it was the former of the two possibilities. It would be less likely for anyone to spread rumors and more likely for people to cover this incident up. Princess Royal Yunruo and First Prince of Yan Kingdom eventually all lost in his hand, and he had the charisma to kill 100,000 prisoners of war.

    Furthermore, she had faith in Feng Yuran. Since he could uncover the truth on this matter, he must have had concrete evidence. She would not have forgotten her shock when she saw Feng Yuran in Repayment Temple. He was not like the arrogant prince he was rumored to be.

    ¡°We shall marry Fifth Princess to the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, in case he ns here and there, falling into his rival¡¯s trap in the process.¡± Feng Yuran exined casually as if he were talking about a random Ah Hua, instead of a princess.

    ¡°This man, he is really...¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned for a while before she broke outughing. As sheughed, she realized that the devilish handsome face had moved in front of her face. She pushed his face away, unable to contain herughter.

    ¡°Do you not trust me?¡± Feng Yuran pretended to be angry. He seemed to want to force an answer out of Mo Xuetong. With a childlike stubborn nature, he stretched out his hand to grab Mo Xuetong.

    The carriage moved forward slowly. Mo Xuetong was about to stop him and was about to hit his hand when she overstretched, falling forward. She could onlynd her hand on his chest, preventing them from rolling on each other.

    ¡°Do you not trust that I can help you out?¡± Feng Yuran was still trying to stretch his hand over, trying to wrap his hands around her slender waist lustily.

    ¡°Trust, I trust you.¡± Mo Xuetong sighed as she tried again to push his hand away, embarrassed and frustrated. ¡°If you do this again, I shall ignore you.¡±

    ¡°This man is really so stubborn! He¡¯s not willing to give in as well.¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, why not participate in that Qin gathering?¡± Feng Yuran released his hand satisfactorily. He turned his eyes aside and smiled. ¡°Why note and enjoy the drama since everyone wishes for you to attend it?¡±

    This man! How did he know that? Mo Xuetong was no longer surprised by the knowledge of the man. She sighed and asked, ¡°Who sent me the letter?¡±

    ¡°It certainly had to be the First Prince of Yan Kingdom.¡± Feng Yuran gave off a cold smile, with hatred written over his eyes. He felt extremely unhappy thinking about the lively drawing of Mo Xuetong by Bai Yichen¡¯s desk. He did not want to be involved in matters concerning the Yan Kingdom until it involved Tong¡¯er.

    Don¡¯t me him for protecting his love!

    ¡°Why is he inviting me?¡± Mo Xuetong was confused.

    ¡°He wanted to use you to attract Bai Yihao¡¯s attention. The two brothers both wanted to use you as bait as if I had been useless.¡± Feng Yuran squinted his eyes, suddenly giving off an eerie chilly feel. He seemed so annoyed that a devilish murderous gaze appeared in his eyes.

    He was no longer the provocative and sly eighth prince, King Xuan. As if he were an unsheathed sword, a majestic aura flows through his entire body, as he covered himself in the sharp arrogant aura of an Emperor.

    This was the real Feng Yuran!

    However, Mo Xuetong was unafraid of the man and somehow whined softly. ¡°They want to take advantage of me, and you have to take advantage of them too. Don¡¯t let me suffer!¡±

    After saying this, she immediately understood what she was doing, and opened her mouth in embarrassment. A glow rushed up her face as she turned her gaze aside awkwardly, biting her tongue in shyness.

    Feng Yuran was stunned too but he then smiled. He then ignored her refusal and hugged her forcefully. Smelling her fragrance, hiszy voice could not contain his joy. Caressing her head with his chin, he assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will be mine. I will not let anyone bully you. Anyone eyeing you will be stopped by me.¡±

 Chapter 277 - Fathers and Daughters Two Marriages

    <h4>Chapter 277 Father¡¯s and Daughter¡¯s Two Marriages</h4>

    When arriving at the manor, Mo Xuetong happened to see Old Madam storming out, taking her son and granddaughter to Yushui Street. She looked as if they would never return. Mo Huawen coldly saw them off at the gate.

    After such a thing, though they didn¡¯t talk about it straightforwardly, they all knew it perfectly well in their hearts. People weren¡¯t necessarily unaware of something even though they didn¡¯t discuss it openly. Yu Mingyong¡¯s confession was presented on her father¡¯s desk. For only an invitation to the royal banquet, Old Madam should want to destroy her, which was too vicious. It made sense that Father would drive her away.

    Mo Xuetong got off the carriage and waited aside with hands on her both sides. When Mo Huayan walked past her, supporting Old Madam, she only politely curtsied.

    Old Madam frowned and didn¡¯t even look at Mo Xuetong. She strode past thetter, putting on airs, as if she weren¡¯t driven away but walked out on Mo Huawen because he had pissed her off.

    When walking past Mo Xuetong while supporting Old Madam, Mo Huayan wanted to say something; however, Old Madam pulled him with force, and he had to walk directly past Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xueyan walked at the end of the line and hinted with her lips pursed. ¡°Didn¡¯t Third Sister decide not to attend the royal banquet because of her sprained feet? Why is she hurrying there now? Is she meeting someone?¡±

    Mo Xuetong rose up and nkly nced at Mo Xueyan. Seeing Mo Xueyan¡¯s smug face, Mo Xuetong knew that she must be very satisfied with her marriage. Mo Xuetong raised her lips in a cold sneer. ¡°Mo Xueyan really thinks it easy to marry into Mingguo Manor! A person like You Yuecheng will only let his brother marry a woman outside the royal pce like Mo Xueyan when she¡¯s of use to him.¡±

    ¡°Mo Xueyan won¡¯t know what she dies of eventually.¡±

    She didn¡¯t let her expression betray her thought, so she just faintly said, ¡°Since His Majesty summoned, I have to go. I won¡¯t try to ruin anyone¡¯s reputation simply for an invitation, so I¡¯m not going to meet someone at all!¡±

    Mo Xueyan knew the incident about Old Madam; therefore, when she heard Mo Xuetong bringing it up again, she grew increasingly guilty. Immediately, she bluffed. ¡°Why are you happy? If Grandmother didn¡¯t order us to keep your things secret, you can¡¯t go out to face anyone.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lightly smiled, and calmly looked at Mo Xueyan, smilingly saying, ¡°I heard Yu Mingyong¡¯s confession has been passed to His Majesty. When scolding her brother, Consort Yu said she wanted to punish the mastermind behind. Second Sister, I wonder if Consort Yu will attend your wedding ceremony with the master from Duke You¡¯s manor.¡±

    After such an episode, Yu Mingyong¡¯s official career had already ended. He could at most be a useless yboy, and wouldn¡¯t be of any use to Consort Yu in the royal pce. How could Consort Yu not hate the person who lured his brother to make mistakes, which was Mo Manor¡¯s Old Madam? The next was Mo Xueyan. It was hard to tell if she would spare them or not.

    Mo Xueyan involuntarily trembled at the words, but she didn¡¯t want to surrender. She lowered her voice, stretched out her finger to point at Mo Xuetong¡¯s nose, and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think you can get away. So many people saw Yu Mingyong sneak into our manor. If my marriage goes wrong, I¡¯ll tell others you have an affair with Yu Mingyong. If something happens to me, I¡¯ll make sure they happen to you as well.¡±

    Jealousy filled her heart like a viper circling her bones. Mo Xueyan¡¯s eyes were red and she red at Mo Xuetong as if she wanted to tear Mo Xuetong into pieces. ¡°Why? We¡¯re all legal daughters from Mo Manor. Why does Mo Xuetong enjoy high status and enormous prestige before people while I can only hide behind others and be looked down upon?¡±

    Mo Lan couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She stepped forward, reached out to knock Mo Xueyan on the hand, and said coldly, ¡°Second Miss, please lower your hand. And don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re pointing at the royal Princess Anping. Second Miss, you¡¯ve been the first one to have pointed at a royal princess and insulted her.¡±

    ¡°How dare a servant treat me like this!¡± Being scolded by a servant like this, Mo Xueyan couldn¡¯t stand it and raised her hand, ready to p Mo Lan in the face. However, Mo Ye stopped Mo Xueyan and forcibly dragged her to the side. If Mo Xueyan¡¯s two maidservants hadn¡¯t reacted quickly, Mo Xueyan almost had lost her bnce and fallen into the dust.

    ncing at Mo Xueyan with disgust, Mo Xuetong then directly ignored her and turned around to face Mo Huawen.

    Behind her, Mo Xueyan¡¯s voice rang through clenched teeth. ¡°Mo Xuetong, wait and see.¡±

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t even answer her. She followed Mo Huawen into the manor. When the thick gate was closed with force, and when she heard the bam, she felt like it was in another life. ¡°In this life, Father even drove away the ill-intentioned Old Madam. Does that mean I finally get away fromst life¡¯s entanglement?¡±

    Seeing her absentminded, Mo Huawen thought she was worried about the Old Madam, so he turned around to tried to change the topic, and affectionately asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, is everything going well in the royal pce?¡±

    Mo Xuetong lightly smiled and followed Mo Huawen into the manor. Maybe because Old Madam had been gone, she felt somewhatfortable, and even her expression looked rxed. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that Fifth Princess¡¯s pet monkey has scratched some consort¡¯s face.¡±

    Mo Huawen knew too well of the situation in the pce. ¡°Though Tong¡¯er didn¡¯t say anything, things can¡¯t be as easy as what she said. It¡¯s lucky that she came back safe and sound and I can finally stop worrying. I know what His Majesty wants, but if we look at things closer, I don¡¯t think King Xuan will be a good husband.

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing I can do now. I only hope the yboy can change his mind and really care for Tong¡¯er.¡±

    Mo Huawen put his hands behind his back. He walked in front of her and looked a little gloomy. ¡°Later, some sirs from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor wille visit us. Tell Nanny Ming to receive them. If they propose a marriage, she can just agree on it. I only need you for your mother¡¯s mourning. As for if those poorly-behaved ones stay in mourning or not, your mother won¡¯t care and neither will I.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was shocked. ¡°Father means that Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor wants Eldest Sister to marry into their manor now?¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s face looked terrible because the matchmaker Duchess Zhenguo sent to propose a marriage talked scornfully. When he thought of it, he felt the veins on his forehead bulging. ¡°They said their heir was severely injured from saving your eldest sister and would faint from time to time. So they want your eldest sister to bring them good luck through marriage. He got injured because of her, and of course, she must be responsible for it.¡±

    In the matter between Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin, when they said Sima Lingyun saved Mo Xuemin, they were simply trying to save face for the two manors. They didn¡¯t expect Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor to openly try to get some ¡°interest¡± from Mo Manor. They said it was because of saving Mo Xuemin. However, who really caused this, anyway?

    Even if Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor had been so shameless to say it out loud, Mo Huawen really couldn¡¯t bear to hear it out. However, when he thought of Mo Xuemin¡¯s cruelty and rebellion, Mo Huawen nearly couldn¡¯t wait to send her into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Therefore, he decided to ignore the way people from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor talked. Anyway, Sima Lingyun wasn¡¯t a nice guy whatsoever.

    Mo Xuetong would be more than d to see Mo Xuemin marry the unfaithful guy, Sima Lingyun. However, she was before Mo Huawen now, so she deliberately knitted her slender brows and said, ¡°Will Eldest Sister agree on it?¡±

    ¡°In herst life, Mo Xuemin framed me to death just to marry Sima Lingyun. In this life, I want to see how you two will end up without me!¡±

    Neither of them wanted to marry the other now!

    A burning fire seemed to sh before Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, and in the fire, Mo Xuemin¡¯s grimugh seemed to ring somewhere. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned vicious. ¡°I¡¯ll have them taste the desperate hate and bitterness in theherworld!¡±

    Mo Huawen looked stony and his tone carried a trace of disgust, which was something that never happened before. ¡°Things havee to this point. On what grounds can she refuse?¡±

    Mo Manor and Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor lost face because of the forced marriage. Even now, when some peers talked about this, they kept the sentence unfinished with a smile on their lips, which Mo Huawen all took as jeers. Toward such a daughter, how would Mo Huawen care about her?

    Mo Xuetong shed her bright, watery eyes and enchantingly smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell Nanny Ming right away. I¡¯ll ask her to prepare a dowry for Eldest Sister. She¡¯s Father¡¯s eldest daughter and the dowry must be well-prepared. Father, you should prepare yourself too. In a few days, the new concubine mother will move in. We should wait after she moves in to decide on some things. We really need a new mother to be in charge of the matters in the inner residence.¡±

    Mo Huawen felt somewhat awkward talking about his marriage with his daughter. However, now, in the inner residence, he could only discuss matters with this daughter, and now she was managing the inner residence. Mo Huawen hesitated and still said, ¡°You can do it in your way. We¡¯re just trying to save face for your grandmother¡¯s family. You don¡¯t need to make it too fancy, that¡¯s all.¡±

    He meant the ceremony shouldn¡¯t be too grand.

    Mo Huawen was marrying a new wife and she turned out to be his previous wife¡¯s younger cousin. There should not be too many rules. They could just go through the procedures and send her into the manor.

    Though not having held such a ceremony, Mo Xuetong knew that when moving into the manor, the new wife needed to pay her salute to the former legal wife. Therefore, the rituals should be simple. Moreover, Father even cared less about it. He only hoped to satisfy her grandparents. However, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t think so. She already lost her mother and Father had only one son left. When Xu Yan married into the manor, Mo Xuetong hoped she could give birth to sons for Father to pass on the family bloodline.

    To end Auntie Fang and her daughter¡¯s dream for good!

    To pave the way for Xu Yan¡¯s future son to earn good status, the wedding ceremony should be magnificent. When a woman married into her husband¡¯s family, how the family treated her decided her future power in the manor and decided if she could be superior to those concubines. She had to let Xu Yan get in charge once marrying into the manor, and then Xu Yan could help Father run the inner residence.

    Mo Xuetong obediently said, smiled and looked at Mo Huawen to promise. ¡°Rest assured, Father. I have Nanny Ming¡¯s help, and I¡¯ll surely arrange this well. When my new mother enters the manor, I¡¯ll no longer have to run the inner residence.¡±

    Her bright eyes were as tender as water. Mo Huawen looked at the pair of remarkably simr eyes and felt a heartache. He reached out to stroke Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. At that moment, he was lost for words. Through the pair of eyes, he seemed to see another woman. Though bedridden, the woman still smiled as gently as water.

    He remembered the encounter when they were young, the joy on their wedding night, the happiness of their life after marriage, the perfection when Tong¡¯er was born, and finally, her death. However, she left him with such a problem. Sometimes, he would also me her and felt angry with her. After so many years of marriage, she should never mention it. A couple¡¯s coordinated power could cut gold. However, when did she ever remember that?

    She kept all things to herself, suffered and felt startled all by herself. In the end, she hid it from him even after she had been poisoned and she died eventually. How could Mo Huawen¡¯s heart not ache!

    Closing his eyes and breathing out heavily, he suppressed the emotion welling up inside him. He felt mixed feelings and in the end, there was only bitterness left.

    He turned around, paused and asked to change the topic. ¡°Tong¡¯er, King Xuan just sent an invitation for some Qin gathering. He said you would find it useful?¡±

    He remembered that Tong¡¯er said she would not go out. How would she find the invitation useful?

    ¡°Father, people are already talking about me. There are things I can¡¯t avoid. I didn¡¯t go to the royal banquet, yet they sent letters home. And I nearly became the heroine of an affair. Father might not know thatst time in the Lantern Festival, someone tried to assassinate me. If I hadn¡¯t been lucky, I might never return.¡± Mo Xuetong looked into Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. This was why she apanied him to the door of the study.

    Things changed fast in the capital. She couldn¡¯t let her father be kept in the dark and get set up. She needed to rify something sooner. Her father was in charge of civil security. He must have known what she meant.

    Mo Huawen was shocked and eagerly asked, ¡°What, someone tried to assassinate you? Who are they?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know who they were, so Father must be careful too.¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated, bit her lips, and still carried on, ¡°I heard King Ning is Empress Dowager¡¯s biological grandson. When he was kept as the royal hostage in the Yan Kingdom, he was on good terms with those princes from the Yan Kingdom. Back home, in the Qin Kingdom, he¡¯s also the ruling Grand Secretariat¡¯s student.¡±

    At that moment, Mo Huawen couldn¡¯t follow her daughter¡¯s words. He looked at Mo Xuetong in shock. Then, he suddenly realized and his face changed dramatically. He drew back his hands and walked on the spot to and fro. He didn¡¯t have time for Mo Xuetong anymore. After sending her away, he immediately ordered people to investigate.

    When it was dinner time, a file was ced on his desk! Indeed, it was intelligence he had ignored.

    It read: King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, has secretly returned to the capital!

 Chapter 278 - Mo Xuetong Goes to the Qin Gathering

    <h4>Chapter 278 Mo Xuetong Goes to the Qin Gathering</h4>

    Mo Huawen was the lord mayor and was in charge of the security of the capital. If he did not manage to find out that King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, had secretly returned to Qin, and the matter was discoveredter, the Emperor would be enraged. Her father would be the first to be implicated. As such, Mo Xuetong revealed the matter to him in a subtle manner.

    Her father had not thought of it for the time being. But he would definitely be able to find out if he were to put his mind to it! Furthermore, the rtionship between Grand Secretariat Wang and Feng Yuzhen was known to all. His daughter was really close to Feng Yuzhen right now. When more time passed, they would definitely make a mistake. While Grand Secretariat Wang, the Empress Dowager and Feng Yuzhen were all smart and sly, Wang Xiuxiu was not yet at that level.

    One could tell that she was still a littlecking from how she had violently reacted thest time.

    Mo Xuetong was a hundred percent sure that news of Feng Yuzhen secretly returning to Qin was already sitting on her father¡¯s desk!

    With the information, no matter whether Feng Yuzhen really wanted to start a rebellion or not in the future, it would not implicate her father.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s wedding had been decided upon early on.

    It was set for the next month. The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had sent someone to pass on the message that Sima Lingyun was very ill. They hoped that the Mo Manor would be able to give them a little leeway and marry First Miss Mo over a little earlier. Since it was a marriage that was bestowed upon by the Empress, it was set in stone. They might as well move it forward a little.

    This was not appropriate. The Madam of Mo Manor had passed away. And as her daughter, Mo Xuetong had to be in mourning for three years.

    However, the excuse the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor gave was good enough. Since the matter between the two was set in stone and Sima Lingyun was gravely ill. It was naturally more important for there to be a wedding to bring in a blessing rather than to mourn. The dead were not as important as the living.

    As such, the matter was decided.

    Mo Huawen ordered Nanny Ming to help Mo Xuemin prepare her dowry. Even though he disliked this daughter of his now, he would make sure that she was notcking in the dowry that she needed.

    Xu Yan would marry into the Mo Manor in another ten days. The Mo Manor would be having an auspicious event. A father was marrying a new wife and a daughter was about to be married. Both events were to be held within a short period of time and those who could help were all busy. As such, it was quiet over where Mo Xuetong was staying. Even Mo Lan had been brought along to Yanyu House by Mother Xu to help.

    Mo Xuetong had been the one to name the courtyard Yanyu House. It was where the nuptial rooms were. A character from Xu Yan¡¯s name had been used to name the courtyard. Mo Xuetong had long asked Xu Yan if she was agreeable through Luo Mingzhu. It was said that Xu Yan had nodded with a blush on her face. It showed that she was pleased with the name and that was how the name of the courtyard was decided.

    It was very busy outside and it was very empty and quiet at Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard. As such, she decided to think about what to do at the Qin gathering. There were so many people who were plotting but she did not know who would be victorious in the end.

    Mo Xuetong did not arrive early at the Qin gathering.

    Mo Lanbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair and brought her new clothes that Feng Yuran sent. It was a simple, wide white robe withrge sleeves. There was a silk sash at the waist. Mo Xuetong¡¯s long hair was not adorned with the most beautiful essory. Instead, it was tied up with a in colored sash that had floral edges.

    Her dark and beautiful hair cascaded down her back. It brought out the stunning charm in her eyes as well as the coldness within. Her skin was supple and her features were wless. Her snow-white clothes brought out her perfection and she seemed ethereal. Her maids were stunned and praised her incessantly.

    Mo Xuetongughed and chatted with them for a while. She got Mo Ye to check out something and only brought Mo Lan out with her.

    The Qin gathering was not within the city and the horse carriage sped toward the east. After about an hour or so, a river that ran through a cluster of mountains appeared before Mo Xuetong. There were some tents by the river. She could see from time to time, young men dressed in simple, wide-sleeved robes and some young girls ying the Qin and singing by the river.

    There were servants waiting at the entrance who took the invitations that they were given respectfully.

    Mo Lan handed over the invitation and helped Mo Xuetong off the horse carriage. They walked in slowly and took a turn to realize that it was much more interesting inside than what it seemed from the outside.

    There were boats on the surface of theke. Like the wind, they stirred up little white ripples. There were some people who were dressed in snow-white clothes standing at the front of the boats. Their clothes fluttered behind them, making them look like fairies.

    There were some women who were sitting at the front of boats docked by the shore. Theyughed and talked without care or restraint that they usually showed. It was as if this were the only elegant and noble ce in the world.

    There were rows and rows of mountains on both sides and streams that flowed down from the mountains gently. There were some people seated by the streams and cups of wine bobbed up and down from upstream toward them. They lifted the cups of wine and drank while listening to the elegant melody of the Qin. It was all an elegant matter.

    There were signs of early spring arriving. New shoots have already sprouted between the trees and grass. There were signs of green in some trees. Winter was showing signs of leaving but was still present. Together with theke and the streams, the blue sky, and the clear waters, the majestic peaks, the ce looked beautiful and magnificent.

    Mo Xuetong looked up and around her. She closed her eyes slightly and breathed in deeply. She felt refreshed and rxed.

    No wonder people praised Bai Yihao¡¯s Qin gathering so highly. It was indeed a good ce to rx.

    ¡°Miss, shall we go there?¡± Mo Lan had never been to such a Qin gathering and did not know where to take Mo Xuetong. There were no decent looking chairs or tables and there wasn¡¯t even somewhere for guests to sit down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go there!¡± Mo Xuetong pointed to an empty boat near the shore with a small smile.

    The snow-white waves lifted the boat up and down and it brightened her mood for some reason. She picked up her long skirt and boarded the boat with a smile. She sat at the front of the boat and the boatman asked, ¡°Miss, do you want to have a ride?¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Mo Xuetong immediately agreed.

    The boat moved away from the shore slowly. Mo Lan brought out the Qin that they had brought along. Mo Xuetong sat at the front of the boat and strummed her fingers gently. A familiar melody flowed forth like flowing water. It was as if it hade from the heavens. It was ethereal, lively, and carefree. The music flowed in the air, bringing with it a liveliness that seemed to be able to touch one¡¯s heart.

    It was very apt for where they were currently.

    Those present studied the instrument and how to y it. Many put down what they were holding and turned to look at where the music wasing from. They saw a woman standing on the small boat. Her shirt and sash fluttered in the wind and her long ck hair was tied behind her. Her white dress pooled around her and her snow-white face was tender and like porcin. Her eyes were like deep pools of water in autumn. She was beautiful and looked like a fairy.

    Her dress fluttered in the wind as her dark hair flowed in the wind. She was utterly gorgeous!

    ¡°She is Princess Anping! I didn¡¯t expect her toe! She is much more beautiful than in pictures.¡± Bai Yichen took up a cup of wine that flowed down from upstream and tipped it into his mouth slowly. He looked at the beautiful girl in a tipsy daze. He muttered to himself momentster and a dark deep look shed in his eyes. It was a look that only appeared naturally when a man was deeply interested in a woman.

    Even though he had sent the letter, he did not expect Princess Anping to reallye. He had just been trying to trick Bai Yihao. Since Bai Yihao had brought his attention to this woman, he would naturally do what Bai Yihao thought he would do. He would continue forth and make Bai Yihao think that he really liked Princess Anping. He would make him think that he was so enthralled that he was not willing to marry the Fifth Princess.

    That was why he had sent the letter during the royal banquet in the pce. Even though there were not many around, there were many guards in the quiet pce! Given Bai Yihao¡¯s ability, it was not difficult for him to find out that Bai Yichen had sent the letter to Princess Anping.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. It is Princess Anping. Many say that Second Miss Ling is the most beautiful woman of Great Qin, but that is not true.¡± The scrivener sat on a closeby rock and nodded with a smile.

    ¡°I wonder what Yihao would do if I were to marry this Princess Anping? I heard that he likes her and is willing to be hurt than for her to be injured.¡± A smile appeared on Bai Yichen¡¯s face. His eyes were deep and dark and one could not tell whether he was serious or not.

    The scrivener was stunned and he watched Bai Yichen carefully. He picked up the wine cup that he was holding and knocked it against the rock beside him. Heughed and said, ¡°The reeds are green, dew and frost gleam. The beautiful woman stands beyond the stream. The way upstream is long and down the stream she stands along. White are the reeds, the dew has yet to dry. The beautiful woman stands beyond the stream. Upstream I go, the path is hard. Downstream I go, she is far away. Bright are the reeds, the dew and frost blend. The beautiful woman, at the river¡¯s end. Upstream I go, the path winds, Downstream I go, in the stream she stands.¡±

    A thoughtful expression appeared on Bai Yichen¡¯s face. His gaze followed the white figure on theke. The look in his eyes could not be read.

    Feng Yuxuan and Qin Yufeng both saw Mo Xuetong as well. Qin Yufeng pretended to look as if he met Feng Yuxuan asionally and the two drank and yed music. The gentle and elegant Feng Yuxuan and Qin Yufeng, who smiled gently were both simr indisposition. When they spoke, it felt as if they regretted not having met even earlier.

    It made others feel that the young master Qin was really blessed to have King Chu¡¯s trust.

    ¡°Your Highness, it would be a good thing if you can really marry Second Miss. Why would Your Highness need to worry if you can have the most beautiful woman in the world!¡± Qin Yufeng said softly as he knelt on the ground and fiddled with the Qin strings. However, he did not y.

    Feng Yuxuan did not reply. Qin Yufeng turned to look at where Feng Yuxuan was looking at. His gazended on Mo Xuetong and his warm eyes grew dark and deep.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Second Miss Ling might be physically present, but her heart isn¡¯t.¡± Feng Yuxuan said lightly and looked away.

    ¡°Given Your Highness¡¯ abilities, it would not be difficult to deal with a woman. Furthermore, the Ling family is using her as a chess piece. If she is smart, she will work with Your Highness. You just have to tell her inly. She does not seem stupid and will understand.¡± Qin Yufeng looked away silently. He plucked at the Qin strings and a crisp sound emerged.

    ¡°If you are loyal to her in the future, there will not be a single woman who will be able to escape from you.¡±

    Loyal to Ling Fengyan? Feng Yuxuan suddenly felt terrible, it was as if he had swallowed a fly. He thought of the ambiguous rtionship between her and his third brother and how she had tried so hard to seduce him. Feng Yuxuan could not bring herself to like her. He found it difficult even to pretend.

    He could not bring himself to like a woman like that. He looked up again and could not help but be drawn to the beautiful image on the boat.

    ¡°After the matter is settled, Your Highness, you can have everything you desire!¡± Qin Yufeng nced at him and said with a meaningful smile.

    ¡°Yufeng, don¡¯t worry. I will not lose sight of the main goal because of an insignificant matter. I will send ten bolts of cloth to Second Miss Ling when I return and ten makeup boxes. I will go to the Ding General Manor personally to ask for her hand.¡± Feng Yuxuanughed after receiving a sudden epiphany. He turned around and ignored what was on theke. No matter how beautiful the sight was there, he could not want it right now.

    Even though he did not know when he started to like the woman, it was not the right time now. Compared to a woman he liked, he was more focused on his career. Women were not as important! When he ascended that position in the future, the woman would be his. She would not be able to escape from his grasp.

    Qin Yufeng did not speak. It was as if he had not sensed the greed in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes. His figures continued plucking out notes on the Qin. His lips curved up without him noticing.

    There was someone else who was taking notice of Mo Xuetong with malicious intentions!

    ¡°Lingyue, are you done?¡± The Fifth Princess turned around and asked with a sinister expression as she sat on another boat staring at Mo Xuetong with jealousy and hatred. The intense hatred made her eyes cold and crazed. She wanted to see how the slut would embarrass herself today. Everyone present here today were from noble families. Even the First Prince of Yan Kingdom was here.

    If Mo Xuetong embarrassed herself here today, she would not be able to face anyone in the future.

    ¡°Princess, I have done everything you ordered me to.¡± Lingyue swirled the wine in the cup and handed it to the Fifth Princess.

    ¡°Take that away. Be carefulter and don¡¯t spill it.¡± The Fifth Princess pushed the cup away with disgust. Her gaze turned to her left and she saw the noble and elegant Bai Yihao looking at Mo Xuetong. He was elegant and even though he wore his usual warm and gentle smile, he could not hide the gentleness in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong, that slut, she had indeed seduced her cousin!

    When the Fifth Princess thought of how she had chased after her cousin for many years but had never been looked at like that by him, her eyes grew red with jealousy. She was the mighty nobledy, born into wealth and nobility. Mo Xuetong was a lowly slut and could not even bepared to her finger. She only had that face of hers.

    The Fifth Princess wanted to tear Mo Xuetong into pieces. She wanted to scratch that slutty face of hers that she used to seduce others. Mo Xuetong was lucky thest time that nothing happened to her. This time, Fifth Princess wanted her to lose everything.

    Her cousin was the Crown Prince of a country. He would not marry a woman who embarrassed herself in front of others!

    Slut, just wait...

    Lingyue did not dare to speak when she sensed the Fifth Princess¡¯ intense emotional change. She left quietly.

 Chapter 279 - The Fire Caused by a Painting

    <h4>Chapter 279 The Fire Caused by a Painting</h4>

    Mo Xuetong took a leisurely boat ride. She had not felt so rxed since her rebirth and was in a good mood.

    She heard Luo Mingzhu¡¯s voice when she reached the shore. ¡°Cousin Tong, why didn¡¯t you ask me along. Otherwise, I could have taken the boat ride with you.¡± She stomped her feet with an expression of jealousy. She said with regret, ¡°I was just a tiny bit behind you and could have caught up with you.¡±

    ¡°Then Second Cousin, shall we ride again?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glimmered and sheughed.

    ¡°Emm... maybe not.¡± Luo Mingzhu looked at the little boat that bobbed up and down on the water surface and swallowed. She backed away hesitantly. She was only just kidding. If she really dared to board the boat, she would have waved and asked Mo Xuetong to take her along.

    Mo Xuetong could not helpughing when she saw how Luo Mingzhu wanted to get onto the boat but did not dare to. She was just saying that because she knew that Luo Mingzhu would not dare to get on.

    ¡°Good, Cousin Tong. How dare you trick me.¡± Luo Mingzhu discovered Mo Xuetong¡¯s teasing smile and pretended to be angry.

    ¡°Second Cousin, don¡¯t be mad at me. I won¡¯t do it again. I will definitely have the servants build a sturdy boat when I take a ride next time. I won¡¯t let Second Cousin ride this kind of unsteady little boat with me.¡± Mo Xuetong poked out her tongue, teasing Luo Mingzhu.

    They were about the same age and were thus casual when they spoke to each other. They linked arms and walked on while they chatted andughed.

    They could hear Qin music from time to time and it made the ce they were in seem even more carefree and leisurely. The tall mountains were reflected on the surface of theke and coupled with the music, they seemed even more lively.

    ¡°Elder Sister Mingzhu, Princess Anping, quick,e here and y.¡± Shen Qianxiu was seated behind a table nearby and watching people write. She looked up and spotted the two, so she waved and shouted at them.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, let¡¯s go take a look.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement and she dragged Mo Xuetong over.

    There were men and women gathering around arge table. There was someone painting but the person was surrounded and they could not see who it was. There were many people sitting around the table and one could tell that the painter was popr.

    Mo Xuetong was now a princess. Even though it was a Qin gathering today, it was also a banquet for the wealthy and famous. These people were unrestrained and did not speak about wealth. However, there were not many people who would not be affected by wealth and status, especially youngdies from such families. They were only here with their brothers and to pretend to enjoy acting like an unrestrained bachelor. They could also look at the handsome Bai Yihao openly while they were here.

    Most of the youngdies parted courteously for Mo Xuetong and allowed her to take a seat when they saw her. Mo Xuetong could not refuse even if she wanted to. They just pushed her into the crowd. Finally, before she could react, she bumped into someone.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Princess Anping? Why did you rush in in a hurry? You don¡¯t have to do that even if it was for Sir Bai!¡± The voice was neutral and the person sounded a little spoilt. Mo Xuetong could only sigh. Enemies always end up meeting. Why did she bump into them?

    ¡°Miss You, Miss Chen, Miss Wang, and Miss Shen. It is rare for everyone to be here.¡± They were none other than You Yue¡¯e, Chen Ya¡¯er, Wang Xiuxiu, and Shen Qianxiu. At least two of the four bore enmity against her. Judging by You Yue¡¯e¡¯s tone, she knew that there would be trouble ahead.

    You Yue¡¯e nced at her uncaringly. Chen Ya¡¯er was about to speak but You Yue¡¯e nudged her and she stopped. Even though Wang Xiuxiu smiled gently and seemed genuinely happy, only she herself knew what¡¯s going on in her heart. Only Shen Qianxiu greeted them happily.

    ¡°Miss You, you are here really early. You even knew that Sir Bai is going to paint. You are really resourceful unlike me and my cousin. We¡¯ve bumbled around and don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    With that, You Yue¡¯e flushed bright red. She had just said that Mo Xuetong had squeezed herself through the crowd, disregarding her status, to see Bai Yihao. With what Mo Xuetong said, it now seemed like she had followed Bai Yihao here and had intentionally asked about what Bai Yihao was going to do and waited for him here.

    This was embarrassing to an unmarried youngdy.

    Since You Yue¡¯e was trying to embarrass Mo Xuetong for no rhyme or reason, Mo Xuetong would not sit and allow her to do so. Her sharp words were hidden beneath ayer of gentleness.

    ¡°Princess Anping is really glib. We came early because we wanted to see what the Qin gathering would be like. This is the first time we¡¯ve received an invitation after so many years. You are really capable to receive one just upon your return to the capital. It is true that beautiful people have the advantage.¡± Wang Xiuxiu turned around with a smile as if she were trying to make excuses for You Yue¡¯e.

    However, Mo Xuetong knew that Wang Xiuxiu did not have kind intentions. She smiled at her and said, ¡°Miss Wang, you are wrong. I coulde to this gathering, not because of my appearance. It is because of the princes.¡±

    Mo Xuetong intentionally emphasized the word ¡°princes¡±. Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s smile stiffened and she did not reply.

    ¡°Prince? Which prince invited you here? It cannot be King Chu for he is about to ask Elder Sister Yue¡¯e for her hand.¡± Shen Qianxiu smiled with wide eyes. She brought up how You Yue¡¯e was about to be King Chu¡¯s consort without knowing anything and this stopped You Yue¡¯e who was about to say something.

    It was inappropriate for a youngdy to talk about her marriage in front of everyone. You Yue¡¯e could not help but lower her blushing face.

    ¡°It was not any prince who invited me. Some of the princes invited my mother. But she said that she is getting old and gave the invite to me. So isn¡¯t it because of the princes!¡± Mo Xuetong said, her eyes wide and innocent. She smiled wlessly and looked adorable.

    She had not only mentioned the princes but also the Princess Royal. Everyone remembered that Princess Anping was a daughter that the Princess Royal had recently acknowledged. She was no longer the Mo Xuetong whom they used to look down upon. Even though You Yue¡¯e despised Mo Xuetong, she had to admit that Mo Xuetong had a natural elegant disposition. Her current dressing gave her a neutral beauty.

    While they were squabbling, someone had already started to praise Bai Yihao¡¯s painting. The person said, ¡°Sir Bai¡¯s paintings are indeed great. The force behind the brush is strong and it is rare amongst those our age.¡±

    Bai Yihao put down his brush and wiped his hands with a handkerchief his servant handed him. Then, he lifted his head leisurely and looked at Mo Xuetong in the eye. After a short pause, he smiled at her gently. Even though there was a crowd between them, the burning sensation was very clear.

    Mo Xuetong turned away hurriedly. She pretended to be speaking with Luo Mingzhu to avoid his gaze.

    She did not wish to have trouble brought upon her once more because of his tender gaze. She did not know what he wanted for he always looked at her tenderly when there were others around. It was as if there was love swirling in his eyes and he looked at her with much more emotion than when he looked at others. However, Mo Xuetong knew that he was making use of her, and that he would hurt her!

    The Fifth Princess hated her mostly because of Bai Yihao. He was also the main reason why the nobledies had so much against her. Mo Xuetong even regretted asking Bai Yihao for help when she first entered the city. If she had not been so forward then, she might not have needed Bai Yihao¡¯s help and she would not have been entangled with him after that.

    His eyes were too clear and cold.

    Everyone else could only see the tenderness in his eyes. However, Mo Xuetong could see his ruthlessness and plots.

    She would avoid him as far as she could!

    Bai Yihao could not help but allow a hint ofughter to enter his eyes when he saw how Mo Xuetong pretended not to see him and to speak with someone else. His lips curled up and he turned around with a helpless smile. A warmth appeared on his lips that even he did not notice.

    The painting had already been hung up to dry. There were many who crowded before the painting and eximed over his skills.

    ¡°How can there be a painting without poetry? I heard that the princess is talented at making poetry. Why don¡¯t youpose now one to embellish Sir Bai¡¯s painting?¡± You Yue¡¯e did not like Mo Xuetong. She was from a little vige. She heard from rumors that Mo Xuetong was stupid and awkward. Mo Xuetong had only been in the capital for a few days and she did not believe that the little duckling could be a beautiful white swan!

    You Yue¡¯e used to get along pretty well with Mo Xuemin and she liked how gentle and gracious Mo Xuemin was. She even wanted her elder brother to marry Mo Xuemin, which was why she had specially introduced Mo Xuemin to You Yuecheng. She would also take Mo Xuemin with her whenever there was a gathering. It could be said that she was the main reason for Mo Xuemin¡¯s good reputation.

    However, the fact was that Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation had ended up in tatters in the end and that not even thergest nket could shield her from her embarrassment. She could only marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor because of the Empress¡¯ edict. She even heard recently that Mo Xuemin had ignored her mourning period and was in a rush to marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Anyone would feel embarrassed when they recalled that she was once a friend with a woman like that.

    One of the most embarrassed people was You Yue¡¯e. She was the one who introduced Mo Xuemin to the other nobledies. There were already rumors that birds of the same feather flock together. You Yue¡¯e got along so well with Mo Xuemin, so she had to be vicious and shameless.

    All of this happened because of Mo Xuetong. If not for her, Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputations would not be in tatters. If not for her, she would not be implicated by Mo Xuemin. She was implicated by Mo Xuemin wherever she went. There were some nobledies who had said outright that they were not willing to hang out with her. How could You Yue¡¯e not hate Mo Xuetong!

    You Yue¡¯e tried to make things difficult for Mo Xuetong and to her, Mo Xuetong was like a thorn in her side.

    ¡°The Princess¡¯ poem together with Sir Bai¡¯s painting would make good artwork. I heard that the Princess recentlyposed a poem for the Princess Royal. I wonder if we can have the honor for the Princess to showcase her literacy aplishments today?¡± Wang Xiuxiu said with a soft smile as she twisted her handkerchief.

    She sounded as if she were praising Mo Xuetong. However, when one listened carefully, one would realize that if Mo Xuetong could not produce a good poem today, it would mean that she was looking down on everyone present today. There were some famous people present today who were not afraid of the nobility and wealthy. So what if she was the Princess Royal? They did not care. Anyone who took them lightly, even if it was the Princess Royal, meant that they looked down on them.

    Anyone who looked down on them would be kicked out by these truly famous people from the Qin gathering. Being kicked out by these people would mean that she would be too embarrassed to attend any other sort of banquet in the future!

    She was forcing Mo Xuetong topose a poem. And it had to be a good poem that was fit for purpose!

    The painting had ignited a fire. Mo Xuetong had once again been ced on a stage by Bai Yihao. She was ced on the fire. They were all certain that she could notpose a good poem.

    This time was the second time he had used her to create trouble. Even though she was mild-tempered, she could not hold back anymore. Furthermore, she had never thought to be her usual mild-tempered self all the time. Some people were like that. If you continued to be soft, and be easily bullied, they would step on you all the time. Then, they would stand on the highest branch to make themselves stand out and for others to respect and admire them.

    ¡°Then we have to see Sir Bai¡¯s work.¡± Since she could not refuse, then there was no need to. Mo Xuetong pursed her lips into a smile and turned to look at Bai Yihao¡¯s painting.

    Their quibble had attracted attention. When others heard that Princess Anping was going topose a poem for Sir Bai¡¯s painting, there was a furor. Everyone moved away so that Mo Xuetong could see the painting.

 Chapter 280 - True or False, Being Forced by the Su Meier

    <h4>Chapter 280 True or False, Being Forced by the Su Mei¡¯er</h4>

    In Bai Yihao¡¯s painting, there were bamboos in the background. There were green tender shoots that had recently sprouted. However, the bamboo was lush and green.

    The sky was bright and there was a round moon hanging in the sky. A man wearing a long robe with wide sleeves sat before the bamboos, holding an antique Qin elegantly. There was a sk of wine beside him that was ced haphazardly. It was evident that it had been used. The man seemed a little tipsy, making him seem even more beautiful. The painting was extremely beautiful no matter in terms of the scenery or the intention behind it.

    It also fitted the theme of the meet today where there were elegant nobility and music. If the poem did not match well, it was easy for others to feel that she was doing something unnecessary.

    It was very difficult!

    It was very difficult to get the intention of the painter and describe the scenery and figure in the painting!

    You Yue¡¯e smirked with satisfaction. She even cocked her head and asked, ¡°Princess Anping. Look, what should be written here?¡± She asked for help fakely.

    Wang Xiuxiu did not speak. She twisted the handkerchief in her hands and hid the satisfied smile on her lips. As long as Mo Xuetong failed here, no one would believe what she said in the future. Mo Xuetong could only stay silent on what happened between her and King Ning. King Ning¡¯s idea was indeed good. Without any evidence, what could Mo Xuetong say?

    Both of them each had their own intentions and they watched intently, waiting for Mo Xuetong to embarrass herself.

    Luo Mingzhu noticed it and tugged at Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves worriedly. She said softly, ¡°Cousin Tong, wait here first. I¡¯ll look for Eldest Brother to help you write one.¡±

    Then, she moved to get up. Mo Xuetong held her back and shook her head imperceptively, gesturing for her to stay. Then, she pointed at herself and gestured that she was fine.

    She knew that Luo Mingzhu had good intentions and wanted the talented Luo Wenyou to help herpose a poem. Then, she would pass it to Mo Xuetong. However, everyone was looking at her now. If Luo Mingzhu did that now, Wang Xiuxiu and the others who were watching her closely would definitely catch them. It would implicate Luo Wenyou and he would be embarrassed as well.

    ¡°Sir Bai, may I borrow paper and a brush?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up and asked with a smile. There were no brushes other than the one that Bai Yihao had used earlier.

    ¡°Please help yourself, Your Highness.¡± Bai Yihao smiled gently. His handsome face was as gentle and bright as the moon. The noble girls around him stared at him.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s attention was not on him. She did not even look at him. She picked up the brush with her right hand and then looked at Bai Yihao¡¯s painting. After some thought, she began writing on the white silk paper with a flourish. Then, after she was done writing, she hung the brush onto the brush rack on the side and picked up the paper. She handed it to Bai Yihao courteously with a faint smile and said, ¡°Sir Bai, please give us yourments.¡±

    As long as Bai Yihao said that it was good, Wang Xiuxiu and the others had no choice but to agree no matter how powerful they were.

    Bai Yihao smiled and took the paper. He frowned slightly as he looked at the poem he was holding. He could not help but look surprised.

    ¡°Sitting alone in the quiet bamboo forest, the Qin sings long and distant. There is no one else in the deep forest, the moon shines bright and distant. Good!¡±

    ¡°This is a good poem, it¡¯s really good. The princess is very talented and is the most talented woman in the capital.¡± There were already people standing beside Bai Yihao who saw the poem. They praised Mo Xuetong effusively.

    ¡°It is indeed a good poem that fits the theme. It cannot fit any better. I did not expect Your Highness to be so learned and talented despite your young age. You are really talented!¡± There were others who were stunned by the poem. It was evident that there were true talents at the Qin gathering. Their critique was naturally much more genuine than those who pretended to be elegant and learned.

    You Yue¡¯e watched wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock. She stood up suddenly, wanting to see the poem. She did not believe that a country bumpkin could write so well and that her poem would fit the theme so perfectly.

    ¡°How can she write so well? Even a famous and talented schr would not be able to write such an apt poem. Princess Anping is a true talent.¡± Wang Xiuxiu said. She was also shocked. A glint shed in her eyes and she quickly hid the soft smile she had on her lips.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Princess Anping is the true talent.¡± Shen Qianxiu smiled and joined the crowd in their praise for Mo Xuetong. She did not look like she had any ulterior motives.

    This time, it was not just You Yue¡¯e who looked cross. There were many talented women in the capital. Beautiful women did not just stand out because of their appearances. Their beauty had to be critiqued by the masses, especially when there was aparison between two girls. As such, to raise the poprity of their daughters so that they could marry well in the future, the wealthy and noble families would publicize the poetry that their daughtersposed from time to time.

    It was true that some of them were good works. Coupled with some publicity, there were many girls who were thus known to be both talented and beautiful no matter whether it was true or not. Those youngdies all felt that they were different from the masses when they went out and were usually very proud. They looked down on others. Now that they heard that a country bumpkin was not only known to be talented but also questioned their talents, they immediately grew angry.

    ...

    ¡°The poem is indeed beautiful, but I wonder if it wasposed by her. There was once Aunt asked me to critique poetry and I realized that there were a few right at the top that was giarized.¡± A beauty in pink sitting on Bai Yihao¡¯s right nced at the poem in Bai Yihao¡¯s hands with a disdainful smile.

    She was Consort Su¡¯s niece, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Su Mei¡¯er. She was considered beautiful and was famous for her talents in the capital. Furthermore, because she was King Chu¡¯s cousin, there were many who fawned over her. As such, she was known to be both beautiful and talented. Usually, she despised the other beauties and felt that they were all vases and had nothing to be proud of.

    When she heard that there was someone who doubted her identity of being a talent, Mo Xuetong became the focus of her ire.

    ¡°Miss Su, I didn¡¯t think about it until you mentioned it. I feel like I have heard someone reciting this poem before.¡± You Yue¡¯e calmed down then and nced at Su Mei¡¯er. She hid her smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Could it be in the poems that my Aunt showed me thest time? I can¡¯t remember right now.¡± Su Mei¡¯er continued. She held her head in her hands as if she were thinking hard but could not remember. Together with You Yue¡¯e, the two of them were just one step away from pointing at Mo Xuetong and saying that she hadmitted giarism!

    ¡°You liars. Cousin Tong did not giarize. This poem is so apt. Are you saying that Sir Bai and Cousin Tong are working together to lie to everyone here?¡± Luo Mingzhu was enraged. She hated losing out usually and when she heard the nobledies using Mo Xuetong of giarism, she immediately mmed the tables angrily and stood up to retaliate.

    ¡°Younger Sister Mingzhu, take a seat. I believe that Princess Anping will not do anything like that. Sir Bai would not work together with Her Highness to do this either. Would Sir Bai tarnish his own reputation to help Her Highness?¡± Wang Xiuxiu pulled Luo Mingzhu back into her seat and counseled her softly.

    Several unkind nces pointed at Mo Xuetong immediately.

    Bai Yihao must really like her to protect her carefully. There were many youngdies who were secretly in love with Bai Yihao and most of the girls sitting beside him were secretly in love with him. When they heard that Bai Yihao would do something like that for Mo Xuetong, they all felt jealous. They all looked at Mo Xuetong unkindly.

    Wang Xiuxiu was not an easy opponent. She had made Mo Xuetong the public enemy with just a few words. Mo Xuetong was truly speechless.

    She saw how the people in front of her spoke from time to time and made sarcastic jibes at her. They were truly shameless and they would do anything to ruin her. It was a pity that while they had a good sword, and it was a double-edged one!

    Mo Xuetong cated the angry Luo Mingzhu and got her to sit down. Then, she patted her shoulders and gestured for her to not worry. Mo Xuetong turned around to ask Su Mei¡¯er with a smile, ¡°Miss Su, you mentioned that you¡¯ve seen this poem before in the donsort¡¯s pce. I wonder if it wasposed by another youngdy? Could you let me take a look? Which youngdy¡¯s work have I giarized to incite the ire of the youngdies here so much that you would not mind besmirching Sir Bai¡¯s reputation to frame me?¡±

    With this, everyone¡¯s gaze could not help butnd on Su Mei¡¯er doubtfully. If Mo Xuetong had written the poem herself, then why would Bai Yihao need to protect her? Furthermore, other than smiling gently, Sir Bai had not even said anything. He just sat there and watched the scenes unfold before him and did not look like he was trying to protect Mo Xuetong especially.

    Ladies from noble families were all very sensitive to that and there were a few who immediately spoke up against Su Mei¡¯er.

    ¡°Miss Su, tell us which youngdyposed this poem.¡±

    ¡°Miss Su, is it a poem by thedies for the consort selection? Tell us which youngdy wrote it?¡± The consort selection was on-going and various noble families sent their daughters into the pce. Even though the main consort for the prince had already been selected, the second consort and other positions had not been set. Furthermore, it was said that there was a need for a few more beauties in the pce.

    Because the scale of the selection was notrge and it was said that the selection would be for those who had talents and were virtuous, thedies allposed some poems and sent them to the pce. Other than the poems from thesedies, there would not be much of others in Consort Su¡¯s pce.

    Su Mei¡¯er was stunned by the questions. She had only just made a casual remark that she had seen the poem somewhere and was just bringing up Consort Su¡¯s name to make her remark more credible. She only realized then that she really should not be making things up. There were only a few girls in the consort selection and even if she were not present here, her rtives would be.

    She should not have made things up.

    Su Mei¡¯er flushed red as everyone looked at her. She felt that she would not be able to extricate herself from this gracefully. She immediately steeled herself and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°There is a poem like this, but it is a poem that was sent into the pce. So how can I just speak of the author so casually.¡±

    A poem that a prospective consort wrote that sounded so was likely to be epted. She would be a consort in the pce in the future and would be of noble and high status. How could she reveal her name so casually? Furthermore, since the results were not out yet, who would bear responsibility if any changes were to ur after the news was revealed so casually?

    It was very reasonable for Su Mei¡¯er to say something like that.

    ¡°Oh, so it is a poem by the youngdies in the consort selection. But that¡¯s not right. Her Highness was injured that day and did not enter the pce.¡± Wang Xiuxiu sat there, looking as if she were trying to help Mo Xuetong. However, she sounded hesitant as if she were unsure.

    Wang Xiuxiu was a deep one. She brought everyone¡¯s attention to the fact that Mo Xuetong did not enter the pce without much effort. If Mo Xuetong had not entered the pce, she would not be able to giarize the poems in the pce. However, what if she had entered the pce? Wang Xiuxiu knew that Mo Xuetong had entered the pce once after that.

    ¡°Her Highness entered the pce on the day of the pce banquet. I heard that something happened after Princess Anping entered the pce. Beauty Liu¡¯s face was injured.¡± Indeed, You Yue¡¯e had caught on deftly and spoke with a cold smirk.

    ¡°Princess Anping, is there proof that you wrote this?¡± Su Mei¡¯er said, pleased. She immediately perked up with the support that she received.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Princess Anping, we will believe you if you have proof.¡± You Yue¡¯e smiled. Her expression was one of innocence but her eyes were cold and mocking. She approached and turned to look at the poem in Bai Yihao¡¯s hand with a look of disdain.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, how can we believe you without any proof!¡± Su Mei¡¯er¡¯s lie grew more and more fluid and she smiled as she forced Mo Xuetong into the corner. She looked at Mo Xuetong as if she really had wanted to see if Mo Xuetong could take out any evidence to prove her innocence.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s gaze swept over Su Mei¡¯er calmly. He smiled softly and did not speak. He put down the poem he held and turned around to pick up the brush and started writing on the painting. It was the poem that Mo Xuetongposed. Being presented on a painting invoked apletely different feeling from just reading it.

    The painting and the poemplemented each other perfectly. It was as if the painting had been painted for the poem and that the poem had beenposed for the painting!

    Bai Yihao wrote in cursive. The painting and the calligraphy were wild and made the painting seem distant. It was exactly Bai Yihao¡¯s style. It made it feel as if their poem and painting were one and was a match made in heaven.

 Chapter 281 - The Fifth Princess Falls into the River and is Saved

    <h4>Chapter 281 The Fifth Princess Falls into the River and is Saved</h4>

    ¡°Miss Su, do you want me to prove that Iposed the poem?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, raising her brows.

    ¡°Of course, you can only say that it is yours with proof. Does the Princess have no way of proving it?¡± Su Mei¡¯er looked extremely satisfied. So what if Mo Xuetong was a princess? The Princess Royal only had the affections of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She did not have any true power. Mo Xuetong was her goddaughter and did not have any support.

    Compared to her, a first miss of a noble family, Mo Xuetong was just the country-bumpkin daughter of a rich man. She did not believe that Mo Xuetong would have any way of proving that she hadposed the poem. However, her face stiffened before she could even show how pleased she was when she heard what Mo Xuetong had to say.

    ¡°I said that Iposed the poem, but Miss Su said you¡¯ve seen the poem in the pce. Since Miss Su cannot say who wrote the poem, then does it mean that Miss Su is making things up? How can Miss Su prove that what you said was the truth? It can¡¯t be that only what you said is right, can it?¡±

    Mo Xuetong raised her brows lightly and spoke with a gentle smile. However, she did not stop there, ¡°Miss Su, do you think that you are very trustworthy or do you think that I, the new princess acknowledged by the royal family, has a bad reputation? Is that why you can just wave your arms and just say that you feel that I havemitted giarism? Miss Su, where do you think the royal family stands?¡±

    Su Mei¡¯er¡¯s smile froze. Her face cycled between red and white and she could not speak. She was furious and ashamed. She red at Mo Xuetong hatefully, wanting to sew her lips together.

    Mo Xuetong could not be bothered with how Su Mei¡¯er felt. She said clearly, enunciating every word, ¡°The consort selection is decided by the Empress. When did the Empress pass on this right to the imperial noble consorts!¡±

    That was harsh! The youngdies who had joined Su Mei¡¯er earlier all could not help but lower their heads. Their expressions were extremely interesting.

    The Empress was the one in charge of the consort selection, and she would be the one looking at the poems. Furthermore, everyone knew that the Empress and Consort Su had not been on good terms in years. They just had not torn through the veneer of civility yet. Imperial noble consort Su gave birth to the eldest royal son, King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, whom the Emperor doted on very much. However, the Empress did not have any sons and only had her title.

    The two of them were like fire and water. It was impossible for the Empress to give Consort Su the power in consort selections. If the people who were all brought into the pce belonged on Consort Su¡¯s side, how would the Empress be able to rest easy?

    Everyone only recalled then that while Mo Xuetong had be a princess mostly due to luck, she was a true royalty now. In terms of the dignity of the royal family, no matter how nicely Su Mei¡¯er put it, they should all believe in someone from the royal family. The dignity of the royal family is not one that anyone can besmirch.

    Furthermore, there was no proof now. They only had a statement made by Su Mei¡¯er. If they were to really drag in the dignity of the royal family, no one would be able to get out of this unscathed.

    Earlier, the youngdies had spoken up one after another. Those who had brains would immediately understand that Su Mei¡¯er was framing Mo Xuetong. When they thought of how they had worked together with Su Mei¡¯er to nder Mo Xuetong, the smarter ones immediately red at her.

    Su Mei¡¯er flushed and paled. The colors on her face changed like a palette. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Princess, since you cannot prove that you wrote it, then I naturally cannot prove whether you are speaking the truth or not. This matter...¡±

    She could not vilify Mo Xuetong anymore. However, she hoped that she would be able to extricate herself from the matter.

    ¡°If I can prove that I wrote it, what will happen to you, Miss Su? If I go to see the Empress now, I wonder what Miss Su will think? Or does Miss Su think that these poems are still in Consort Su¡¯s pce and that it would be useless for me to see the Empress?¡± Mo Xuetong did not intend to let Su Mei¡¯er off today.

    They all thought that she was easily bullied, and then they could bully her whenever they wanted!

    Su Mei¡¯er did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so forceful. She was both angry and embarrassed and did not dare to ept the bet. If this matter were to be known to the pce, it would not just be a matter of giarism. She thought of what her aunt had told her in private a few days ago. Her aunt had told her to watch and think before doing anything and that she must not rush into doing anything.

    When her cousin settled down, he would definitely make her his second consort. He would definitely allow her to bear him a son. When he ascended the throne, she would take charge of the central pce. However, this was not the right time to raise a fuss. She must not fight with anyone right now.

    She did not expect that today and was forced into a corner right now. She felt both embarrassed and regretful. She hated that Mo Xuetong would not let her off and she just did not want to back down. She swayed and had a sudden epiphany. She shut her eyes and fell backward. Bai Yihao was right behind her. He was known to be gentle and elegant and would definitely catch her.

    Bai Yihao had just finished writing the poem. He picked up the brush and took two steps backward as if he were going to admire his handiwork. He managed to miss Su Mei¡¯er who fell toward him.

    Su Mei¡¯er fell to the ground just like that. Because of the forceful blow, her head smashed against the stone ground forcefully. Her head started to bleed. She screamed and did not have to act any longer, having truly fainted.

    The winds were really strong and because she fell really quickly, the wind lifted her long skirt. Her long skirt flipped over her head and the pink pants that she wore beneath were immediately shown to all.

    It was a really shameful and disreputable incident. If it had just been one person who saw this, it could have been hidden. However, there was more than one man present and many young masters approached when they heard themotion. They saw Su Mei¡¯er falling to the ground and her underpants that had been revealed in her pathetic state. This evoked a loud round ofughter immediately.

    Su Mei¡¯er¡¯s maid hurriedly helped to pull down her long dress, but it was already toote.

    Fortunately, Su Mei¡¯er had really fainted. Otherwise, she might have fainted from the embarrassment.

    It was chaotic and nobody noticed themotion by theke until someone screamed, ¡°Help! Someone¡¯s fallen into theke!¡±

    Everyone immediately turned to look in the direction of theke. There was a lone boat on the surface of theke but it was empty.

    Everyone immediately ran toward theke. A few of the faster runners jumped into theke to save the drowning person.

    When Mo Xuetong arrived at the scene, the person had already been saved. No one expected the person who had fallen into theke to be the Fifth Princess. While the handsome man who saved her was nobility, no one had ever seen him.

    ¡°Your Highness, quick, put on some clothes.¡± A servant hurried over and ced a white fox leather coat over the man. Another handed him a hand stove and helped him to the tent on the shore to change. There were servants helping the Fifth Princess as well and she was carried into a tent to change.

    It was early spring and while it was considered warm, it was bitterly cold in the water.

    ¡°First Prince is really strong, you noticed that there was something off with Fifth Sister so quickly. You were amongst the first to save Fifth Sister amongst the others. Many thanks, First Prince.¡± Feng Yuran stood up and thanked Bai Yichen on behalf of the Fifth Princess. He had been waiting for the First Prince to change and emerge from the tent.

    ¡°It was no hassle. I did not expect the Fifth Princess of your country to be so brave. She dared to go on theke despite not knowing how to swim. She is really brave.¡± Bai Yihao epted a handkerchief that his servant handed him. He wiped his wet hair and smiled carelessly.

    ¡°Fifth Sister has always been a match for men. She is also very gracious when dealing with things. She is the legal daughter of the Empress. Our parents and the Ding General Manor all like Fifth Sister.¡± Feng Yuran was a very charming man. His gazended on the First Prince, who was listening to him intently and then looked away. Then, he stopped smiling and said lightly, ¡°Fifth Sister has always been in poor health, it is not good for her to travel too far.¡±

    Then, she immediately looked into Bai Yichen¡¯s deep eyes. His tone changed and he saidzily with augh, ¡°First Prince, if Father and Mother find out that you saved my Fifth Sister, they will definitely thank you profusely. When I return to the pce, the pce will definitely visit with many gifts to thank you.¡±

    He was going to use the ties between their countries to deny that anything else happened between the First Prince and the Fifth Princess!

    Bai Yichen¡¯s plot to make the Fifth Princess fall into theke was not just for the ties between the two countries. His original intention was for him and the Fifth Princess to hug closely in their drenched clothing. The Fifth Princess would lose her reputation then. The rules of the Great Qin was even more strict than that of Yan Kingdom. ordingly, Emperor Zongwen would definitely want him to take responsibility and marry the Fifth Princess.

    However, if the matter was to escte to be that of two countries, then the reputation of the princess would not be at stake!

    After such a long time spent on his plots, the First Prince would not allow the Fifth Princess to escape from his hands just like that.

    Bai Yihao felt displeased when he heard what Feng Yuran said. However, his expression remained dispassionate as he said, ¡°King Xuan, you are too kind. It is just a small matter, you don¡¯t have to inform the Emperor. It is more important that the Fifth Princess is alright.¡±

    When he returned, he would immediately ruin the Fifth Princess¡¯ reputation and pull the carpet from under Bai Yihao¡¯s feet. He did not believe that Emperor Zongwen would not give him the Fifth Princess¡¯ hand if rumors of him and the Fifth Princess hugging while their clothes werepletely drenched, as if they were not clothed, were to spread.

    If one were to say that he was interested in the Fifth Princess earlier, it was mostly because she was suitable. She was important to many parties and was the best partner for marriage. Even Feng Yuran, who was always mboyant was hinting for him to not marry the Fifth Princess. However, this made Bai Yichen even more determined.

    He would get arge boost in help if he were to marry the Fifth Princess. His chances of defeating Bai Yihao would be greater.

    His plot this time seemed to be going against the Empress so he could have the beauty, and it could also be seen as him rushing to Great Qin just for the beauty. All of that was to bring Bai Yihao¡¯s attention somewhere else. It was said that Bai Yihao was very invested in the beauty who was Princess Anping. She was indeed very beautiful. He saw her from a distance earlier and felt as if his soul had been taken by her.

    Even the most beautiful woman could notpare to a country!

    As long as he could take the country, it would not be difficult for him to get Princess Anping. Furthermore, Princess Anping was still young. Bai Yichen had already asked around. She was just 13! He still had time.

    ¡°First Prince saved the Fifth Princess of my country. How can this be a small matter? Father still does not know about this. If he does, he will definitely thank you profusely. I will also prepare a gift of thanks.¡± Feng Yuran said, his long upturned eyes glimmering and flowing with beauty. There was a hint of joy in his eyes that could not be hidden and he seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.

    Rumors were that the Fifth Princess and King Xuan were both doted upon by the Emperor. Now, it seemed that the Emperor doted more on the Fifth Princess. The Fifth Princess grew even more important to Bai Yichen then.

    Bai Yichen was sure of his decision then. He indicated politely once more that it was alright. After the matter between the two was settled, the two emerged from the tent, a picture of happiness and harmony.

    Because of what happened to the Fifth Princess, the little boats on the surface of theke were scrapped. Everyone gathered by theke in small groups. They chatted, yed the Qin, recited poems or painted. They were very carefree and rxed.

    Mo Xuetong rested in a small tent with Mo Lan apanying her. She was not tired, but she had received a letter. There were only a few characters in the letter, asking her to go to the right-most tent and that the person had something to tell her.

    Those were the only few characters in the letter.

    However, Mo Xuetong hade for a reason. It was because the handwriting was simr to the one on the letter Mo Xueqiong had brought her thest time.

    She knew that, or perhaps one could say, was certain, that the letter had been written by the First Prince of Yan Kingdom.

    Mo Xuetong did not know why someone would give her a letter like that. She had realized earlier that the target of Bai Yichen, the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, should be the Fifth Princess. Earlier, when the Fifth Princess had fallen into theke, Bai Yichen had saved her. It was impossible that he wanted to meet her. If something were to happen again, it would not be to his advantage.

    However, who else could it be if it were not the First Prince of Yan Kingdom? She was not valuable. Was it because of her father? Or her mother? Mo Xuetong did not know right now and she could only take one step at a time. Of course, she felt rather frustrated as well. She only wanted to live a low-profile life but there was always someone trying to make trouble using her. She had to take a look at who it was who kept making trouble for her.

 Chapter 282 - Trapped, Mo Xuetong Was in Danger

    <h4>Chapter 282 Trapped, Mo Xuetong Was in Danger</h4>

    It was a small tent. Because it was temporarily set up, there was only a table, a few chairs. There were several baskets of fruits and sunflower seeds. It was so simple that she saw them all in a nce. She arrived a little early and there was no one else.

    Mo Lan wiped the table and found it turned out to be clean. Therefore, she helped Mo Xuetong sit down. ¡°Miss, there¡¯s no one else. I¡¯ll go check at the door to see if I can get a cup of tea for you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°How will there be tea?¡± She remembered on their way here, they didn¡¯t even see a few servants. It was really quite here, which was also dangerous. However, to figure out the other party¡¯s identity, she had to risk herself.

    The tent was set up on a small hill. If they waved hands from here, someone might spot them. ¡°Miss, should I check at the door? Perhaps I¡¯ll find one.¡±

    Since Mo Lan insisted, Mo Xuetong had to nod approval. Anyway, Mo Lan wouldn¡¯t go too far; she would only get to the door.

    Mo Xuetong picked up an orange from the table and slowly peeled them while carefully listening to the surroundings.

    It was quiet outside, and the human voices sounded scattered in the distance; she couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying. Qin sound varied from slow and quick. Because of the Qin sound from all directions, she didn¡¯t find it quite pleasing to the ear. In the end, she only felt noisy! The Qin gathering Bai Yihao organized was really disordered. However, it was just because of the disorder that everyone could rx at the gathering.

    They could throw away all the rules they had to obey in the usual days.

    They could talk to whoever they liked, and they could y aloof in front of anyone they disliked. It didn¡¯t matter if one called them difficult, lofty, or true to themselves, today, these features all belonged to schrs. All of the other people, instead of viewing you with a sophisticated eye, would only think you¡¯re a real schr.

    This must be why those Qin gatherings Bai Yihao organized turned out to be sessful!

    He made use of the weakness in humanity and used all kinds of means to let down people¡¯s guard. In this way,pared with in the rigid daily lives, something could be done easier. In such a rxing atmosphere, people would let their guard down. That was how the human heart worked. Factors like environment and vibe could all rx people.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips raised in a small curve. She was about to put the peeled orange into her mouth. Suddenly, she put it down and her face paled. She listened carefully and suddenly rose up. Nheless, before she got back on her feet, her body heavily copsed. Her vision turned blurry and she could hear familiarughter ringing by her ear.

    ¡°Such a vignt girl! Rx, don¡¯t be afraid! You¡¯ll feel better once you get there!¡±

    ¡°Who is it? Who is trying to hurt me and meanwhileforting me!¡± Before she could sort it out, she soon fell into heavy darkness.

    mes, numerous mes soared up!

    Trapped in the sea of mes, shey on the ground, blood dripping down her forehead. She couldn¡¯t feel the burning pain on her body and only stared at two people outside the fire. They were Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun, who were dressed in red wedding garments. Though looking awkward as well, they were not hurt.

    Mo Xuemin watched her struggle in the fire with a sneer and at the same time dragged Sima Lingyun¡¯s hand. The two seemed to be in a quarrel. She couldn¡¯t hear them. ¡°Will Sima Lingyun try to save me or something?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and fingered a burning stick beside her. Despite the pain, she grabbed it and flung it at Mo Xuemin.

    She could no longer see anything and all she heard was a drone. Blood of tears started to ooze out of her bright eyes. However, she seemed to see a man dashing into the fire. For some unknown reason, she felt she knew him. ¡°What is he doing here? Save me?¡±

    It was toote!

    It was toote to do anything!

    In the dark, Mo Xuetong jerked awake and started panting as if she could still see that red sea of fire and feel that burning pain that could almost rip her. Her hands and feet were twitching and her forehead was covered with beads of sweat. She hadn¡¯t had such a dream in a long time. Ever since she woke up from her resurrection, she had been having nightmares every day; then, they urred less until she finally ceased having them.

    It never urred to her that she would dream it now, and it should be slightly different from before!

    A man showed up in fire and rushed to save her!

    She even could vaguely hear the man calling her! Did she miss something from herst life...?

    She slightly moved her numb hands and feet.

    Her hands crept over the couch but stopped because a man¡¯s voice rang. ¡°Has she waken up?¡±

    It sounded like someone opened the door. After a squeak in the dark, she felt light fall on her body. She instantly shut her eyes, afraid of opening them and got into trouble.

    Another man¡¯s voice rang. ¡°No. It¡¯s still early. The drug effect can¡¯t wear off so soon.¡± Afterward, the light vanished; the door was closed again.

    Mo Xuetong slowly opened her eyes. Previously, when she put a segment of orange into her mouth, she suddenly remembered that Mo Lan wasn¡¯t outside the tent. She heard everything except Mo Lan. Mo Lan was going to get a cup of water for her. How could there be no sound at all? Even if Mo Lan walked out, there would still be footsteps.

    At the moment when she felt something went wrong, she held her breath right away. Therefore, though she did pass out then,ter, she woke up earlier than they expected.

    Her hands and feet still felt sore and weak, therefore, she could only lie there in the darkness. She seemed to be in a room, but she felt the slow and rhythmic swinging. Instantly, Mo Xuetong realized it was not a room but a moving carriage.

    Someone abducted her and threw her into a carriage.

    A driver, who was in his 30s, said to another one in his 40s. ¡°Old Mo, will we really send her there? Such a shame. Master is really generous to give away such a pretty girl.¡±

    Old Mo shook his head and sighed. ¡°So what even if he¡¯s reluctant? Old Qin, you don¡¯t get your eye on the girl in the carriage, do you? She¡¯s Master¡¯s lover. I¡¯ve been serving Master since young and I don¡¯t remember seeing Master looking at some girl so affectionately. Master has never cared about girls. She¡¯s blessed to have Master¡¯s love.¡±

    Recalling the jade-white and pretty face he just saw, Old Qin suddenly smiled sinisterly. ¡°Blessed? Cursed more like. If he loves her, why does he want to send his lover into another man¡¯s bed? He sends her there without good cause; she will at most be a serving concubine. Such a misfortune for a pretty miss like her. She¡¯s so beautiful and she might kill herself by bumping into a piece of furniture tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll hit her head on a piece of furniture anyway. Such a shame for a beautiful girl like her. Why don¡¯t we...¡±

    Old Mo pped him in the back and red. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny. Otherwise, you don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll wind up dead once Master knows. Don¡¯t forget what happened to Old Han after what they¡¯d donest time. Unlike you, I still want to survive.¡±

    Old Qin trembled remembering those bodies covered in blood because they had been cut many times. His face paled and he murmured, ¡°Master won¡¯t know anyway. When that chick finds herself waking up in a man¡¯s bed tomorrow, she¡¯ll kill herself. Why can¡¯t she serve...¡±

    Old Mo grew impatient. ¡°Why can¡¯t you stop gibbering? You¡¯ll die because of women one day. How can we get our eye on such a pretty girl? If you want to live, don¡¯t touch anything on her. I¡¯ve been following Master long, and I haven¡¯t seen Master so serious for a woman. Just watch, Master will manage to get her back tomorrow, and then...¡±

    Old Qin was immediately startled by those words and no longer leered. Thinking of Master¡¯s methods, he couldn¡¯t defend himself in front of Old Mo anymore. He only bitterly lowered his head and casually cracked his whip from time to time.

    Old Qin looked grumpy and Old Mo had tofort him. ¡°When it¡¯s done, we¡¯ll have some fun in Drunken Blossom Hall. We can have all kinds of women there. Why don¡¯t we risk our lives for one single woman?¡±

    ¡°Alright. But it¡¯ll be your treat.¡±

    ¡°You bet!¡±

    ¡°Someone wants to send me into another man¡¯s bed. I don¡¯t know who that resourceful master behind those two is, but I must know him. When I passed out, I seemed to fall into someone¡¯s arms. I think he¡¯s the one those two call master.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Mo Xuemin. First, that someone is a man; second, if Mo Xuemin caught me now, she would directly kill me. She no longer fancies those little name-ruining games. We¡¯re like ice and fire now and can¡¯t stay in the same room. Rather than managing to get me back, the thing Mo Xuemin wants the most now is to tear me apart.

    ¡°From the way they talk, their master should be powerful and he doesn¡¯t want me dead. Instead, he wants to send me into some man¡¯s bed to benefit himself.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s analysis hade to a dead end. ¡°He¡¯s too vicious. Even if I don¡¯t die tomorrow, how will I end up any better?

    ¡°What does he want from me even if it means ruining my life?¡±

    She went through all the names in her head but couldn¡¯t find a possible suspect. ¡°And they call me his lover? I don¡¯t remember anyone who loves me except Feng Yuran. But I don¡¯t suspect Feng Yuran, because I just don¡¯t believe he¡¯ll set me up.¡±

    She carefully sat up and felt her hair. After making sure the pair of sword-shaped hairpins remained, she slightly rxed. She couldn¡¯t see the outside circumstances behind the firmly shut windows. They were two adult men. Even with the short swords, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily match them. It must be at night because it¡¯s quiet outside. When listening carefully, she only heard the ng of horseshoes.

    It was not a good time to attack. Even if she could kill them now, after that, there was nowhere for her to hide. The carriage rode on a road where nobody was in sight. Moreover, it was at night. None of these factors benefited her. She must wait, wait for the best chance to pull off one strike to survive.

    Outside, Old Qin¡¯s impatient voice rang again. ¡°Are we there yet?¡±

    Old Mo said, ¡°Take the turn and we¡¯ll be there soon. When we get there, you just shut up and let me do the talking.¡± Then, Old Qin grumbled again in a low voice and Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t quite hear it.

    Mo Xuetong immediatelyy back down. ording to their expectancy, the drug effect shouldn¡¯t have worn off by now, so she pretended she was still in aa.

    After riding for another short distance, the carriage slowly halted. Someone asked and it was a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Have you got her?¡±

    It was Old Mo¡¯s voice. ¡°She¡¯s here. Look for yourself.¡±

    The door was opened, and someone seemed to have gotten in. It was a woman because she carried a faint scent. It was not a tacky type, but one which could only be smelled on those elegantdies. Mo Xuetong had detected it on some girls in the royal pce. Therefore, the woman who just got into the carriage had a high status.

    Someone shed her with antern. Then, it was the woman¡¯s voice again. ¡°I¡¯ll take her. You should leave as soon as possible too. These are yours.¡±

    With a thump, Mo Xuetong felt something like a quilt surrounding her. Two people respectively held her feet and head, carrying her off the coach.

 Chapter 283 - Terrified, Trapped in King Yans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 283 Terrified, Trapped in King Yan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Xuetong waspletely shrouded in the quilt and couldn¡¯t see anything no matter she looked up or down. However, she knew the two people were dexterous. Though being carried, she didn¡¯t feel ufortable. Apparently, these two were good at carrying people. ¡°Is there a yard where they especially send abducted girls to? I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    She felt that they had walked for a long distance. It must be a big family¡¯s mansion. ¡°Since that somebody wants to use me, he might from those great manors. And I heard that only in prince¡¯s manor do they have the practice of wrapping up women after washing, like what the Emperor and consorts do in the pce.¡±

    The two people walked steadily and quickly. ¡°They must have been doing such things all the time.¡± Remembering the things she just heard, she had a vague idea in her mind.

    ¡°Someone wants to trap the person in this manor, and I am his ¡®tool¡¯. If I¡¯m found in his bed, Father must be furious. Father is in charge of the security in the capital and has been the first one to know those princes¡¯ war over supremacy. But Father has always been only loyal to the Emperor and doesn¡¯t want to take sides in the war at all.

    ¡°Someone is trying to force Father into taking sides!¡±

    She bit her lips and her hands quivered in the quilt. She felt a chill from head to toe and even her heart had been frozen. ¡°Someone wants to set up Father, and I¡¯m the chess piece that will force Father into a corner.¡± Her heart raced and then she collected herself. ¡°I must stay calm. Thest thing I want right now is to get flustered.

    ¡°That person not only wants to destroy my life, but also take Father¡¯s life. How vicious!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears were pping for any sound outside the quilt. She didn¡¯t know how long they had been walking when they stopped. Then she heard a woman¡¯s coy smile. ¡°Aunt Ling, who¡¯sing over today?¡±

    Aunt Ling, the woman Mo Xuetong had heard previously, answered smilingly, ¡°Who else could it be? Of course it¡¯s Her Highness Han. His Highness loves her the most. When His Highness left today, he especially told me to fetch her.¡±

    The woman politely chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s Her Highness Han! Quickly, send her in. It¡¯s already heated in the room and His Highness wille back soon. The people in the front yard have told me.¡±

    After the two women changed a few words of greetings, Mo Xuetong felt the two who had been carrying her moved again. This time, they seemed to have entered a room because she immediately felt warm around her body.

    Aunt Ling didn¡¯t follow and just smilingly said to Yirong, ¡°Sister Yirong, we¡¯ll ce Her Highness Han in the inner room. She just washed and you don¡¯t need to attend to her right now. It¡¯s warm inside. Her Highness Han said she felt tired so she¡¯d sleep for now. When His Highness returns, she¡¯ll attend to him.¡±

    Since Aunt Ling was blocking the door, Yirong wouldn¡¯t want to be rude to barge in. Furthermore, Her Highness Han was now in His Highness¡¯s favor, so Yirong didn¡¯t want to interrupt her n, because she might havee up with a new trick to cater to His Highness. She remembered that one time, Her Highness Han came in such a flimsy dress. Her Highness Han herself didn¡¯t feel awkward or something, but those maidservants in the room all blushed.

    Yirong secretly snorted. ¡°A girl from those whorehouses. She¡¯s seen many things and people. Even if she didn¡¯t ever receive anyone, she can¡¯tpare to girls from good families. When His Highness grows tired of her, she¡¯ll know who¡¯s in charge in this manor.

    ¡°She just looks slightly like the one, and she should really see herself as His Highness¡¯s first wife!¡±

    Though thinking like that, Yirong talked even more courteously. ¡°Since Her Highness is willing to wear herself out, we¡¯ll waitfortably in the outer room. His Highness is about to return. Tell Her Highness Han not to worry.¡±

    In the inner room, the two people unfolded the quilt. Mo Xuetong rolled out from the quilt. One of the two servants listened for any sound at the outside, and then she pouted her lips to gesture at another. Mo Xuetong immediately felt that a hand reached her. Next, the person ripped the clothes that covered her chest, which nearly shocked her to death. ¡°Well, servants in the prince¡¯s manor who carry and wash beauties must be girls too.¡± Thinking like that, she managed to control her emotions and didn¡¯t let out a cry.

    ¡°They must have wanted to make the scene look more provoking.¡±

    As expected, a woman asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Elder Sister, are we done yet?¡±

    Another hand gripped her and loosened her belt. Another female voice rang. ¡°We¡¯ll leave her like this!¡±

    Then, they left and footsteps rang.

    Mo Xuetong shut her eyes andy still on the bed, listening carefully to the surroundings. It was quiet in the room and there must have been nobody else. A faint orchid scent flowed into her breath. They must have lit scented incenses in the room. Mo Xuetong opened her eyes slowly, only to see a spacious bedroom and a too wide bed. Sky blue curtain embroidered with golden silk was hung on the bed, fastened by arge golden hook decorated with spiral cloud patterns.

    She saw a thin amethyst camlet quilt embroidered with iridescent silk, a jade partition painted with ¡°Beauty like Jade¡± painting shrouded in a red gauze, and a potted narcissus whose rugby pot was decorated with jade on a nearby treasure rack. In front of the windows, there was a table with a carved nanmu wood crossbar and decorated with silver ornaments. On the table, there was a silk hollow scent ball decorated with pomegranate flower patterns, along with rare bird and exotic nt motifs. It was giving off the fragrance of orchid.

    One could tell from the furnishing in the room that the owner had a fortune.

    ¡°Moreover, they call him His Highness. He must be King Chu Feng Yuxuan, or King Yan Feng Yulei.¡±

    Swallowing, Mo Xuetong picked herself up on her one arm, only to feel still a little sore and weak. She got up in a hurry and almost fell down. She supported herself on the bedpost and then got back on her feet. She first tidied up her clothes, refastened her belt, and slowly walked to the windows. She must carefully observe the situation to find a chance to run awayter.

    Maidservants must be guarding outside, so she couldn¡¯t make any loud noise.

    She carefully lifted the curtain and found it was a brightly-lit yard outside. Royalnterns were hung high from the door of the room to the gate of the yard. Furthermore, besides thenterns, fancily-dressed royal maidservants also stood below thenterns. Because their master hadn¡¯t arrived, they causally chatted in groups of two or three.

    The so-called Aunt Ling seemed to have already left by now.

    Trying to escape out of here in such a circumstance was practically impossible.

    Though not knowing the situation outside, she knew there¡¯s no chance for a weak girl like her to escape out of the yard. Besides, there were royal guards outside, who should not be taken lightly.

    She was now some else¡¯s chess piece, being thrown into some manor to trap some prince. ¡°If that some prince knows my existence in his manor, I don¡¯t have to be a genius to see that I will be killed after that. Only by killing me can this prince get out of this trap.¡±

    Therefore, she couldn¡¯t just show up in front of this prince and told him about the trap.

    She didn¡¯t think her rtionship with Feng Yuxuan or Feng Yulei was good enough for them to save her and take the me.

    Bam. The door seemed to have been opened, and there were whispers. Mo Xuetong pondered and walked to the door, leaning to listen. She listened carefully but couldn¡¯t hear things clearly, so she didn¡¯t dare to act recklessly.

    A woman asked in a despised tone. She seemed to be collecting things because ngs rang. ¡°Yirong, do we really not need to serve the one inside? What if she finds fault with us, saying we didn¡¯t look after her?¡±

    Yirong said in a disdained tone. Apparently, she really didn¡¯t like the master inside the room. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to look after her. Just now, Aunt Ling said something like that. If we enter now, we might spoil her mood. Anyway, the main wife is about to move into the manor. And Her Highness Han can only boss people around for a few days. Miss You is the first miss in Mingguo Manor, and surely can¡¯t bear any ws.¡±

    A somewhat gloating voice rang. ¡°Since she¡¯s in the manor, she¡¯s been bossing people around, thinking that His Highness loves her the most. She¡¯s just a fake. In a few days, His Highness will forget about her. I¡¯ll see how she bosses people around then.¡±

    King Yan Feng Yulei?

    Mo Xuetong was startled and then immediately connected what they said with what she heard before. It should be King Yan Feng Yulei. He was the one about to marry You Yue¡¯e from Mingguo Manor, and he seemed to be in a rush. The two families seemed to have only set down the marriage recently, and King Yan wanted to marry her sooner. Royal marriages were bound to be special.

    It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerated if the processsted for half a year or a year. King Yan¡¯s marrying her so soon was really rare.

    However, luckily, Emperor Zongwen wanted his soon married soon as well. Therefore, he didn¡¯t question his son and directly set the ceremony two monthster, when it was suitable for marrying and going on journeys. That was why the marriage was so imminent.

    Before she came to a conclusion, Mo Xuetong heard someone shouting outside. ¡°His Highness has returned. Someone,e and help His Highness.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lifted the curtains and could see Feng Yulei walk to her, supported by servants. His staggering showed he had been drunk. A few maidservants stepped forward to rece the male servants. Another one shouted. ¡°Sister Yirong. Quickly, His Highness is drunk. Prepare soup.¡±

    The maidservants were walking none other than to the room where she was hiding.

    Mo Xuetong felt restless and blocked the door by her shoulders in a hurry. Her fingers couldn¡¯t stop twitching. No matter how calm she was, she had never experienced something like this. If she really got trapped in someone else¡¯s bed, she could only kill herself to protect her reputation. In that way, her father would hate Feng Yulei and would even risk his life.

    Feng Yulei had the Empress behind him, and he had Ding General Manor, which made him easy to aplish anything. Father¡¯s making him an enemy would only lead to death.

    No, she couldn¡¯t let Father be backed into such a desperate corner.

    ¡°Calm down. I must calm down now.¡± Outside the room, unsteady footsteps were already ringing, along with some flustered greetings. The footsteps drew closer, and Mo Xuetong stopped blocking the door. She reached out and drew the pair of small swords on her head. She held one in her hands respectively and quickly walked forward. She shrank and immediately hid under the bed.

    It was spacious under the bed, and tassels hung down from the bed. Through the strings of tassels, she could see at a height where people¡¯s knees were.

    The door was forcibly kicked open.

    A group of people helped Feng Yulei into the room.

    When finally managing toy Feng Yulei down on the bed, Yirong looked around and slightly let out a ¡°gee¡±, murmuring to herself, ¡°Where¡¯s she!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right here just now. Why can¡¯t I see her?¡±

    Someone shouted. ¡°Sister Yirong. Quickly, feed His Highness with the soup.¡±

    Yirong didn¡¯t have the time to think and hurried to have hangover-cure soup prepared. After the hubbub, she finallyid Feng Yulei down on the bed. Other maidservants all left, and only Yirong and Yiyun stayed to clean the room.

    Now, Yirong finally had the chance to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Her Highness Han?¡±

    Yiyun put down Feng Yulei¡¯s robe and also asked in surprise, ¡°Right. It¡¯s in such a mess in the room. And why didn¡¯t we see Her Highness Han?¡±

    Just now, the room was in chaos, but no one saw Her Highness Han. Where could she be if she¡¯s not in the room!

    Yirong hesitantly asked, ¡°Did anyone get out?¡± Earlier, it was really too messy. They were all attending King Yan, and no one paid attention to anyone else.

    Yiyun stood up and also brought Feng Yulei¡¯s stained robe. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them.¡±

    After a while, Yirong returned, her face a little pale. ¡°No one has got out. Girls in the yard said they only saw His Highness return and never saw anyone get out.¡±

    In that way, she was still within the yard!

 Chapter 284 - In Desperate Danger, Blood-Stained Dress

    <h4>Chapter 284 In Desperate Danger, Blood-Stained Dress</h4>

    Yirong was Feng Yulei¡¯s lead maidservant and naturally knew that someone missing in His Highness¡¯s room mattered. She immediately and calmly ordered Yiyun. ¡°Quickly, you go search outside while I search inside.¡±

    Anyway, she must find Her Highness Han. Even if Her Highness Han was dead, she must see the body!

    Yiyun made a throat-cutting gesture. None of them was an ordinary maidservant. They followed Feng Yulei to not only serve but also protect him. Yiyun ced her hand on her waist, where there was a soft sword. The sword had tasted blood and killed people.

    Mo Xuetong hid under the bed, and she could just see Yiyun¡¯s fierce face from her position. At that moment, she could only clench her teeth to suppress her scream. It never urred to her that since Feng Yuran had female guards like Mo Ye, how did Feng Yulei not have them?

    Yirong and Yiyun were roles like Mo Ye.

    In front of them, she couldn¡¯t match a single of them, let alone two of them together.

    She felt sweat in her palms. Swords in her hands were trembling. She tried hard to hold her breath to hide her traces. She would hold on as long as she could.

    If the man who sent her here wanted to trap Feng Yulei, now was the best time for the man to barge in. If he saw she and Feng Yulei lying together, clothes disheveled, even if nothing happened between the two, people would still think she had been tainted by King Yan.

    If she, out of embarrassment, killed herself by bumping into the walls, Father and Feng Yulei would genuinely be enemies.

    If she didn¡¯t die on the spot... seeing the two maidservants armed with swords, Mo Xuetong suddenly realized that they had carefully nned everything. They could totally kill her amidst the chaos, and Feng Yulei¡¯s two maidservants were to me. Since two servants carried weapons, they could naturally kill the two to protect their master.

    It meant that no matter if she wanted to die or not, things would still end the same!

    The man nned so carefully and acted so heartlessly!

    Now, she must wait, wait for Mo Ye to find her missing and track her here.

    Nimble footsteps drew nearer to Mo Xuetong, and she could asionally hear things rustling. Yirong was looking for her. One could only hide in a few ces in this room. Mo Xuetong subconsciously felt nervous and tried hard to slow down her heartbeats. She was afraid of being found out because of her abnormality.

    They said that kung fu practitioners could find where you hid by the speed of your heartbeats.

    The footsteps grew even closer. The patterned dress slowly floated to her. At that moment, Mo Xuetong seemed to hear Death calling her, so her fists grew even tighter. She didn¡¯t need to hold her breath anymore because her breaths and heartbeats almost stopped. At that instant, Mo Xuetong should wish the person who framed her would show up.

    She knew that the next moment, if Yirong found her hiding under the bed, Yirong¡¯s sword would stab into her throat without hesitation and kill her in one strike, leaving her not even a chance to speak.

    She even desperately realized that the swords in her hands were so short that they couldn¡¯t block Yirong¡¯s longsword at all, and she was, again, a delicate girl who practiced no kung fu whatsoever.

    Ten steps, nine steps, eight steps...

    She was getting closer and closer!

    Three steps!

    Sweat dripped down from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯t wait for death. Even if she had to die, she would die dignified. After calction, she ced one sword in front of her and pointed in the direction where the tassels were hung. Her finger seemed to have pressed on a red switch at the bottom of the sword on its own, calcting.

    Shepletely failed to know why she would nimbly press on the inconspicuous button at the end of the handle as if she would have known it without looking, or as if she had known it in herst life and now she just found it by instinct.

    Now, Yirong was only three steps away from her. One step closer, Yirong¡¯s hand would lift the tassels hung down from the bed, and she would show up before Yirong, defenselessly. The moment of life and death was about toe. Sweat almost soaked her inner clothes. However, no matter what would happen, she would fight to death.

    The longsword reflected the candlelight in the room, so dazzling it blurred her vision.

    The tip of the sword lifted the tassels as if Death were lifting its eyelids, ferocious and scary.

    Would she really die with a tarnished reputation again in her second life?

    No, she did not want to! Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth and opened her eyes wide open. By instinct, she forcibly stabbed out the sword. At least, she would gain some advantage or hold on a little longer before she died. She was racing against time! She stabbed right at where Yirong¡¯s feet were and wished that the venom which Feng Yuran smeared on the sword could save her.

    The sword seemed to have stuck into something. Subconsciously, her arm pushed further with force. Blood sshed on the hanging tassels, and a few drops of them squirted onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. The hot fresh blood burned and her hands and feet weakened; she almost lost grab of the short sword in her hand.

    Then, she heard a flop. Something seemed to have fallen to the ground.

    Mo Xuetong was still holding her sword, while her bodypletely copsed to the ground, her eyes full of terror and scare. Thick blood smell instantly permeated the air, rushing to her mind, chest, and stomach. She wanted to throw up. Pale-faced, she looked at the pair of lifeless and open eyes that were once shining through the tassels.

    Dead, that girl should die!

    ¡°She should be killed by my short sword!¡±

    Her hand trembled and the sword almost slipped out. If she hadn¡¯t risen from the ashes and gone through life and death, she would have passed out.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know how to name the feeling she was going through. She could only tell herself again and again: Don¡¯t be afraid. Now you need to get out of here as soon as possible. It isn¡¯t over yet.

    Just now, she was hoping that someone woulde; now, she thought differently. She hoped that people woulde aste as possible so that she could find a way out of here.

    However, things always went contrary. She clearly heard people¡¯s voices ring again outside in the yard.

    There was more than one man, instead, several men¡¯s voices rang. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face instantly became ashen. She couldn¡¯t escape from this room. Furthermore, a maidservant died in the room, and she couldn¡¯t get away with the bloodstain on her body, head, and face. Mo Xuetong knew that this time, she might really fail to survive.

    She kept her eyes open and breathed heavily to suppress the surging emotion in the chest because of the blood smell. She forced herself not to look at Yirong¡¯s open eyes and crawled out from under the bed. She pointed the sword in her hand at Feng Yulei on the bed. ¡°If Father is destined to be his enemy... if Father is destined to die by his hand...¡±

    Then, she might as well finish him and then kill herself!

    The scene was already in chaos. If three of them in the room all died, and with her being a delicate girl who showed up here for no reason, people would only think Feng Yulei had abducted her here, and things ended up like this only because she refused to be contaminated and would rather die. Emperor Zongwen was a great emperor and should not get angry at Father because of this.

    Having decided, she stabbed the short sword in her hand toward Feng Yulei...

    The door was forcibly pushed open. They were a group of young masters who usually hung out with Feng Yulei. The leading one said in a drunk tone. ¡°Quickly, I want to see His Highness. Something... big happened!¡±

    Being drunk, he stuttered and his words sounded muffled. However, he looked anxious because he forcibly pushed aside the few maidservants aside who were slow to open the door.

    Yirong was searching in the yard with her people. Hearing the noises, she hurried to stop them. ¡°May I ask why you want our master? His Highness just went to sleep.¡±

    The young master was very anxious. ¡°Well, please... Sister, please fetch His Highness for me. Something, something big happened.¡± Though his words were polite, he pushed Yiyun aside to barge in. Then, those behind him also followed. Yiyun was good at kung fu, nheless, she could not publicly show it. At this moment, she could only act like a normal maidservant and stagger out of the room.

    She supported herself by clutching a young maidservant. ¡°Young masters, please hold on...¡± She wanted to say something more, but several people had already rushed in. They looked like they must see His Highness today.

    The young masters usually associated with Feng Yulei, and Yiyun had seen them before. That being said, she never saw them so rude. They should barge into His Highness¡¯s inner room. How impertinent they were!

    Thinking that Yirong, who was more dexterous than her, was still in the inner room so she could stop them from startling His Highness, Yiyun just followed behind them and pretended to be anxious, shouting, ¡°Young masters, His Highness is drunk and sleeping. No one should disturb him.¡±

    She was signaling at Yirong in the room, however, the one in the room couldn¡¯t have been deader.

    There was no one else in the room. Previously, Yirong implied to Yiyun that Her Highness Han might be up to something. To stop others from knowing, she directly sent all the people away. Just now, some shadow shed across the yard, and she didn¡¯t know if they were an assassin or not. If Her Highness Han was really up to something, after Yirong stabbed her to death, it would be easier for Yirong to find an excuse to cover it up.

    Nevertheless, she never expected such a situation. At that time, several people all rushed in.

    Those young masters had all been drinking and got drunk. They were startled and even forgot about the usual manners. They should be bold enough to dash into Feng Yulei¡¯s inner room. They rudely lifted the jade green curtain made of pearl and gauze and noisily jostled into the room.

    The leading young master grumbled. ¡°Your Highness, wake up. Those people are rude. They should block the gate with soldiers and get in our way. They said even if Your Highness came, you couldn¡¯t get out. Who are they to treat you in this way? Your Highness, please get up. You should let them know you¡¯re not someone to be trifled with. They can¡¯t be sure who will take the throne now...¡±

    His words were a little out of line. Behind him, a rtively sober young master pushed him with force. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Do you want to die or something?¡±

    He was trying to warn the person in front of him not to talk nonsense. It was a significant matter concerning the royal rivalry for supremacy. Before it was settled, anyone who gossiped about it should be killed. Both the talker and the listener were guilty.

    However, being drunk, he couldn¡¯t control his force and pushed a little harder. The leading one just entered the inner room; before he turned at the partition, he staggered and leaned sideways because of the push. He heavily bumped into the partition and made the eight-fold partition waver and fall backward.

    Bam! The noise almost deafened them. The crowd all closed their eyes at the noise. A few of them who stood before the partition couldn¡¯t even dodge it. They fell together with the partition. At that instant, screams and flops rang together. Yiyun who followed them contemptuously sneered.

    ¡°A bunch of weaklings. Yirong must have made those noises to stop them from going in. They fretted like that just because of such noises. Useless!¡±

    However, the next second, everything quieted down. Something sluggish seemed to have frozen. A kind of uneasiness was brewing. Yiyun suddenly had a bad hunch. She was at the door, far from the inner room. She ran to the room but heard screams ring in terror before she got in.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Quickly, someone assassinated His Highness.¡±

    ¡°Somebody, help, someone assassinated His Highness...¡±

    Yiyun was running and stumbled in shock hearing that, almost knocking over a nearby two-handled green jade vase. Her face suddenly turned as white as snow. ¡°Something, something happened to His Highness...¡±

 Chapter 285 - King Xuan Confessed His Love in the Moonlight

    <h4>Chapter 285: King Xuan Confessed His Love in the Moonlight</h4>

    On therge bed in the room, Feng Yulei was lying on his back, blood all over him. At the beside, a woman dressed in maidservant¡¯s clothesid on the ground. She kept her eyes open and stared nkly into the air. Blood oozed out of her and to the door. The base of the partition was already tainted with blood...

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help trembling in fear. That blood-covered face of that servant, Yirong, seemed to have shown up before her. Almost like a reflex action, she jerked her eyes open.

    By her ears, a familiar voice rang. Thenguid voice no longer sounded as casual as before, instead, it carried affection she could even feel. Faint masculine smell and his particr scent seeped into her lungs. Her restless heart gotforted by the low whispers offort. ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s just a dream. I¡¯m here.¡±

    She subconsciously circled her arms around Feng Yuran¡¯s waist, her voice uncontrobly shaking. As if in need offort, she pitifully used the maidservant. ¡°That, that woman wanted to kill me.¡±

    Feng Yuran hugged her and gently patted her back tofort her. ¡°Tong¡¯er did right. If she wanted to kill you, we¡¯d have to kill her first. There, there, it¡¯s all over.¡±

    He saw her standing there so helplessly, her fair face with desperate aura. Though her hand that held the sword was shaking, she still stabbed down, determined. At that moment, strings in his heart almost snapped broken. Fierceness seeped out from his usual attractive eyes. If he should be here one secondter, Tong¡¯er would have...

    Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t bear to imagine it!

    Perhaps Feng Yuran¡¯s gentle and calm voiceforted her. Mo Xuetong looked up, with only vulnerability and helplessness in her eyes. She started to see things clearly. It was in her room and Feng Yuran was sitting beside her. There was no Feng Yulei, no killing or getting into a trap. She escaped!

    She finally didn¡¯t need to die, and Father didn¡¯t need to confront King Yan. What happened to Feng Yulei wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with her anymore. She felt she had survived a disaster. She couldn¡¯t suppress her tears anymore. She felt such desperation under such a circumstance. Though she had led two lives and had a heart of stone, she couldn¡¯t ept her killing someone at that moment.

    She killed someone whose face she didn¡¯t even recognize!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s faint voice rang by her ears tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She deserved to die. If she didn¡¯t die, you would, and she¡¯d also drag your father down.¡± She slowly rxed and her terror gradually faded away. Just now, the moment she saw Feng Yuran, shepletely rxed and then fainted.

    ¡°Is King Yan alright?¡± Eyes closed, she let him hold her in his arms. His temperature spread from his clothes onto her body. It seemed to sweep away the ice and terror in her heart. After quite a while, she feebly asked.

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s alright. He¡¯s just frightened. He won¡¯t take a maidservant so seriously. Now, he¡¯s going to the pce toin to Father.¡±

    If he could stillin about it, it meant he was fine. When heined about it before Emperor Zongwen, it meant he knew who set him up but couldn¡¯t do anything to that person so he reported it to Emperor Zongwen, which meant it had nothing to do with her father.

    Mo Xuetong leaned her head against him without her noticing it. She felt relieved and her brain started to calm down. ¡°Is it King Chu?¡±

    Feng Yuran faintly said as if it were about other people. ¡°What a well game Eldest Brother yed, throwing you into Third Brother¡¯s bed! After it¡¯s exposed, he¡¯ll not only force your father to back him up, but also make Third Brother and me enemies.¡± However, there were traces of cold grimness in his attractive eyes. Whoever dared to touch his woman couldn¡¯t walk away unharmed.

    Mo Xuetong pushed him away, leaned on the headboard, touched her head, and closed her eyes to ask, ¡°How did you find me?¡±

    He spoke very casually as if he just had identally found her. ¡°You¡¯re missing all of a sudden. In the Qin Kingdom, only my two elder brothers can act so suddenly and escape my notice. Third Brother was throwing a party and Eldest Brother wasn¡¯t in. I heard Third Brother liked to wash the beauty and send her into his room so I decided to drop by. Well, then I found you.¡±

    However, Mo Xuetong saw he had never been so flustered when he saw her. She could feel his terror back then! An explicable urge to cry surged up in her. ¡°Someone really cares about me in this word. I didn¡¯t chase after him and he isn¡¯t like Sima Lingyun in myst life, who was kind to me on the surface, but in fact, he didn¡¯t care about me at all.¡±

    At that moment, she already felt desperate, but then, she saw his pretty and charming eyes, which instantly cheered her up, as if as long as he were by her side, everything would turn out just fine. Biting her lips, she found tears streaming down her face. Nevertheless, she was faintly smiling. Sniffing, she should find herself a little lighthearted. Warmth rushed up to her heart and relieved her fear and anxiety.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was low and faint, but Mo Xuetong cried even harder. ¡°What, why are you crying and smiling? In the future, if you¡¯re in danger, don¡¯t decide on your own. Wait for me to rescue you. Trust me!¡± In herst life, she was hurt by love and burned herself to death. She thought she would never love in this life.

    She would respect her father¡¯s wish to marry a decent man. She did not seek fortune or power, but only a safe life. Perhaps her husband would have a few more concubines, and maybe she would give birth to some children. However, that was all. If she didn¡¯t love, she wouldn¡¯t get hurt. That was whyter, when Feng Yuran proposed, she just casually agreed.

    Moreover, she could also protect herself by doing so. After her mother¡¯s strange death and a series ofter incidents, she found it hard to protect herself on her own. She needed stronger backup to avenge her mother and herself. Therefore, it was also part of her n to agree to Feng Yuran¡¯s proposal.

    She thought the pretty and rakish prince must be in the same situation as her. Since they all took things lightly, they could just respect each other. In the future, he could have as many concubines as he liked, and she only wanted the title of a main wife. Perhaps, her heart would race for his asional affection. However, she never expected that she would see his real heart as she did now.

    ¡°Does he really love me?¡± How could it not shock her so much that she didn¡¯t know if she should feel happy or sad? Tears uncontrobly dripped down. Through her blurry vision, she looked at his pretty and charming face in tears. She couldn¡¯t say a word. She only felt no matter what she wanted to say, they all turned into a low sob when they reached her lips.

    Feng Yuran picked up a handkerchief to wipe her tears, teasing her. ¡°Aright, what¡¯s this for? I¡¯ve told you to give yourself to me. You¡¯ll be mine sooner orter, so I definitely would have defended you.¡±

    Well, he couldn¡¯t act seriously on any asion.

    After quite a while, Mo Xuetong finally collected herself. She wiped her tears andy against the headboard. Feng Yuran smilingly said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you must have known Qin Yufeng, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The name made Mo Xuetong uncontrobly shiver. In herst life, the man left a great shadow over her heart. In her memory, the man never failed. Something suddenly urred to her, and she grabbed Feng Yuran¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Qin Yufeng follows King Chu, so he set me up?¡±

    ¡°No wonder I sensed something weird and seemed to have witnessed such a scheme inst life. The man chased me closely and didn¡¯t leave any chance for me to escape. He must have been Qin Yufeng. In thest life, he let Mo Xuemin and her people feed me with a fatal potion, made me see them bow in their wedding ceremony, and made me light the fire...¡±

    ...

    Everything was part of his n. No matter it was in herst or this life, he was still against her. ¡°I thought he hid behind the scenes for Mo Xuemin. Now I know that he serves Feng Yuxuan. So that¡¯s why he backed Fu General Manor into a corner, right?¡±

    In the dark, he was the man who held herst, wasn¡¯t he?

    Mo Xuetong analyzed, unable to calm down. ¡°He serves King Chu, so he set me up. On the one hand, he wanted to force Father to support King Chu; on the other hand, he did it because of grandparents¡¯ family. If I die, Father and Fu General Manor will fight King Yan to death. So today, I should have died!¡±

    Knowing he was the mastermind behind, she could slowly figure something out!

    ¡°Right, how can a man like him take it lying down? Assisting the future emperor is much more rewarding than supporting others! This is what he wants! I¡¯m just one of his shields. I can figure out something I didn¡¯t understand before. Everything happened because of the fight over the throne.¡±

    She thought in herst life, she was hurt and lost everything because of the fight in the harem in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. It turned out that she was already plotted against long ago. It was a shame that in herst life, when she died, she couldn¡¯t see that she was already in a trap. She was so stupid to look only within the family and failed to know Death was already waiting for her at the end of the road.

    In herst life, Qin Yufeng had nned her death; in this life, he again wanted to force her to death. She really didn¡¯t know if their destinies were about to crash. However, would she really escape from his trap this time?

    He seemed to notice her uneasiness. Feng Yuran held her hand and squinted his beautiful eyes, smiling. ¡°Should we avenge ourselves?¡± Moonlight flowed in from the windows. The seeminglyze eyes seemed to carry ice, and no trace of a smile could be seen. Was he angry?

    For some unknown reason, she said, ¡°How to do it?¡± Instantly, she blushed and involuntarily lowered her head. She knew Qin Yufeng was a great plotter and she should believe Feng Yuran could set Qin Yufeng up, as if as long as Feng Yuran said it, she would trust him. ¡°Since when do I start to do things by instinct?¡±

    Feng Yuran detected uncontroble dependence and trust in her words. He felt happy and couldn¡¯t help smiling. His handsome face seemed to be shining. His narrow and long eyes carried a trace of affection. In the pale moonlight, they looked like a piece of light feather, gently streaking across her heart, which left her limbs pleasantly soft.

    Feng Yuran was in a good mood, blinked, and grabbed her hand to affectionately pat on it. ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯m your husband and I¡¯ll help you get back at him.¡±

    Looking at the smile on his handsome face, Mo Xuetong red at him and said coyly, ¡°I want it sooner.¡± She somewhat just wanted to stop his smug smile. It was a kind of childish mindset. Nevertheless, the smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty face grew even wider. He fixed his pair of phoenix eyes on her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll never bete. I promise I won¡¯t let you down.¡±

    Finishing his sentence, he tightly grabbed her hand and iridescent lights burst out from his eyes. ¡°Tong¡¯er, my heart is yours!¡±

 Chapter 286 - Mesmerized, Infatuated

    <h4>Chapter 286 Mesmerized, Infatuated</h4>

    Feng Yuran had never said anything with such rity before, and thus Mo Xuetong could not decipher if he was beingpletely honest, hiding nothing behind his seductive features. However, she saw that his eyes were extremely beautiful in the dark night, shining even more brightly than the most brilliant stars, more colorful than even the rosy clouds.

    Mo Xuetong seemed to be mesmerized by the deep emotions hidden within his eyes. She was confused and yet nervous, unable to retract her hand away from him. She blinked and blinked again, with her brain ordering her to reject him but her heart telling another story.

    She felt that she was like a moth who threw herself at the mes, worrying about him while voluntarily throwing herself to the burning mes of love that she longed for in both of her lives.

    She had died in her previous life due to love herself. Having been reborn again, she could totally understand the sincerity in his eyes. The act of the usuallyposed man hugging her tight uncontrobly just now made her immensely touched. Her heart had be inexplicably tender, and any simple act of care could turn her protectiveyer of vignce to mere smoke.

    She liked him!

    She liked him even though she knew that he would eliminate his mother¡¯s family cruelly and enter deep into the southern wilderness. Even though she knew that he was as cold-blooded and ruthless as Bai Yihao.

    Even though she knew that he had too many secrets, and being together would mean trouble for her, and perhaps even crippling her own ns.

    However, her rationality could not control her emotions. Unconsciously, he was no longer just the enchanting and devilish King Xuan, he had be a man who protected her and guarded her! He had entered her heart.

    This man seemed to have azy demeanor, staring at her with his lips curved upwards in a smile. He seemed to be awaiting her response carelessly, but a tinge of cautiony within his eyes. His calm eyes could not hide his worry about her rejection. He was indeed nervous, perhaps he was afraid of being rejected!

    Biting her lips, Mo Xuetong¡¯s cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Her face was scorching with her heart, and she seemed to be unable to control her mouth. Unconsciously, she muttered an ¡°erm¡±, as her jade-like cheeks turned even rosier, shining like the pearl.

    Feng Yuran had always been a touchy man. He controlled himself as he was afraid of scaring her. Hence, he chose the most appropriate way and melted her heart slowly through his actions. He knew that this girl was cruel enough to herself to jump into a water tank in winter.

    However, her kindness made him care for her as she had done it for a mere servant. He had been attracted to her initially due to her strong emotions. However, as he saw her grow every step of the way, his yful attitude became one of care. Thus, he helped her time after time, pleading to his father for him to marry her even though she was still serving her grievances. He even made a vow in front of his father.

    Staring at her charming face now, his restrained affection finally exploded out.

    He carried her soft body in his arms, kissing her tender cherry lips. He could only taste the sweetness of the soft lips as everything around them seemed to disappear. No longer satisfied by merely touching her lips, he swallowed her lips wholly, as if they were the most precious things in the world. His heart softened and became warm in the process as it filled itself up with satisfaction...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s body became incredibly stiff to the kiss. She looked into his eyes with a puzzling gaze as she felt his handsome lips on hers. It was a strange feeling that made her brain go nk. She could only smell the strong masculine aura of the man as her tender body was tightly hugged.

    A numb feeling was transmitted from the tip of her tongue to her body, making it impossible for her to move her limbs. She could not push him aside and had allowed him to swallow her lips. Finally, she became sober from the confusion and wanted to push him aside. However, he grabbed her hand tight and pressed them beside her slender waist. His body then copsed against her delicate body.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you love me. You do love me.¡± He muttered into her ears, delighted. It seemed to be a hegemonicmand, or perhaps an innocent way to express his infatuation. His lips and tongue intruded again, this time with a more fiery passion.

    Mo Xuetong had almost run out of breath because of his kisses. She breathed heavily, her eyshes fluttering slightly. She had closed her eyes, hiding her clear pupils. Her bodyy wasted on the ground as if she were water.

    It was an indescribable feeling!

    The passionate involvement of the two seemed to havebined their souls.

    In her previous life, even when she liked Sima Lingyun, she had never felt anything like this before. It seemed that the two hadpletely merged together, be it in the body or in the soul. That mesmerizing feeling of drunkenness made the two unwilling to turn sober. She did not expect that it would be so satisfying to be with the one that she loved.

    For the first time, she discovered that she had fallen in love with Feng Yuran. He had inexplicably entered her heart. At that moment, all her worries and concerns were blown away with the wind. She did not care for his secrets or the difficulties in the future, and she would be willing to apany him wherever he went, simply because he was Feng Yuran.

    No one could rece him.

    She opened her eyes slightly and looked at Feng Yuran. Long eyshes grew on her chubby white face, making her seductive face even more beautiful as if she were the moon devil. The corner of her eyes sent out an inexplicable charm that would be able to attract any man.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡± Feng Yuran murmured to himself as he breathed more heavily. His seductive gaze was burning with passion as if he had wanted to swallow this girl whole. He wanted to taste her entire body, wishing to hug her tightly, obtaining herpletely.

    He wanted her to bepletely his.

    Mo Xuetong becamepletely mesmerized by him. With that handsome face in front of his face, she discovered that his beauty was unparalleled. She felt her body trapped in mes of passion, and suddenly understood what she was doing as she looked at his frantic face.

    Something was about to happen...

    Suddenly, from deep within her body, a memory was unleashed. Her mind suddenly became clear as she shivered, biting her lips unconsciously. However, she bit his lips identally, and could only see him squinting his eyes on top of her. He looked at her dangerously. ¡°Stunned from the bite?¡± Mo Xuetong thought to herself but decided to lower her head and close her eyes due to embarrassment.

    However, she felt that he stood up suddenly. Mo Xuetong was confused as she did not understand what he meant. Red with embarrassment, she opened her eyes to peek. He stood up and was tidying his clothes and tightening his belt. He then opened the golden hook and opened the bed curtain embroidered with floral silk with one hand, all flexible.

    ¡°What is happening...?

    ¡°How can he be so calm?¡±

    A wave of fury swept up Mo Xuetong¡¯s head as she became angry and embarrassed. As she was confused about his strange behavior, she didn¡¯t know what to say and what to do.

    Feng Yuran did not care about her. Walking to the window, he asked solemnly. ¡°What happened? Give me a proper reason.¡±

    ¡°Your Royal Highness, we found the whereabouts of King Chu.¡± Someone outside the window replied timidly.

    The reply outside made Mo Xuetong understand Feng Yuran¡¯s actions. She pulled the quilt on top of her, wrapping herself uppletely. She could not hear the replies of the man outside but there seemed to be many men. Then, what she did with him... could be heard by many.

    Mo Xuetong would want to hide in a hole right now! She waspletely oblivious to the conversation outside, wishing only for no one to discover who she was...

    ¡°Where is he?¡± A simmer of intellect shed across Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes as heposed himselfpletely. He smiled devilishly as he flicked his finger on the table.

    ¡°He is staying in a courtyard. There are many guards there and we dared not approach carelessly.¡± Feng Yue replied properly.

    ¡°Is Qin Yufeng inside?¡± With his hands behind his back, Feng Yuran asked.

    ¡°He is not. Our men saw him outside King Yan¡¯s pce, but we haven¡¯t caught sight of him after the incident at King Yan¡¯s Manor.¡± Feng Yue did not understand why Qin Yufeng would visit the ce after setting the trap. He figured that a smart adviser would be hiding in the safest ce, watching his n work out. Hence, he did not understand why the intelligent Qin Yufeng would be dumb enough to arrive at the scene, trying to save his own bait.

    ¡°Unless Qin Yufeng does care about his bait!¡± Such a guess seemed ridiculous and Feng Yue did not mention his hypothesis in front of the prince for fear of ruining the prince¡¯s mood, which could make their life more difficult.

    ¡°My brother is really too free so as to set up such a conspiracy. It¡¯s time to show everyone our investigations on the previous matter. Let¡¯s see how much time my good brother has to care about his women.¡± Feng Yuran satposed in his chair and slowly gave hismands. Chilly gazes shed across his eyes as he shone devilishly under the light.

    ¡°Prince, but... we haven¡¯t discovered the entire truth yet. We should wait before striking, this is not good timing yet...¡± Feng Yue was stunned and hesitated before he fully understood what Feng Yuran meant. Immediately, he advised.

    ¡°The opportunity is right in front of us. It will be a pity not to strike. My father would love to use this as the opportunity for his ns.¡± Feng Yuran looked at Feng Yue with his enchanting and determined gaze.

    Feng Yue, being familiar with Feng Yuran¡¯s temperaments, knew that his master had his ideas set. He thought for a moment before bowing. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±

    ¡°Let Shen Kun do it. Just take care of my safety. Many things have been happening in the capital these days, especially concerning the other few princes. I got to take care of myself too.¡± Feng Yuran raised his handsome eyebrows and smiled.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get to it immediately.¡± Feng Yue understood the order and retreated from the window. He then ordered the guards to have heightened vignce in protecting the Emperor before leaving.

    Feng Yuran closed the window and walked to his bed. Lifting the curtain aside, he attempted to pull away Mo Xuetong¡¯s quilt. However, she hugged it tightly, making it difficult for him to pull it away. He thought it was funny and sat on the bed, patting her quilt. ¡°Do you want me to stay so much that you don¡¯t even want to say goodbye to me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong could hear his words clearly and thus she bit her lips and slowly peeped out from the corner of the quilt.

    Immediately, Feng Yuran erged the opening and pulled the quilt away, putting her in his arms, his handsome face caressing against her delicate one. As if he were a rouge, he said shamelessly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I promise not to do it again. Don¡¯t push me away, I will control myself next time.¡±

    He was exining his previous actions...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was burning again. She did not know what to say and pushed him aside, signaling for him to let her go.

    ¡°I will only let go if Tong¡¯er forgives me. If not, I will always be here.¡± This man became even more shameless as he tried to seduce her with his innocent puppy eyes, charming her and melting her heart. Her anger immediately dissipated, especially since she realized that she was also mesmerized by him. However, Mo Xuetong was not satisfied with just letting him go as he might behave even more oundishly next time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. I won¡¯t be so outrageous next time, I am still waiting for the night of our marriage...¡± His soft seductive murmur resounded beside her ears, making her heart tender with love.

    ¡°You...¡± This man was always so uncouth.

    ¡°We still have a long way to go. I won¡¯t let my Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation be tarnished.¡± He promised her with full sincerity in his eyes. Mo Xuetong understood that as sheprehended what he meant. If she really did something with him now and did not bleed during their marriage night, her reputation would bepletely tarnished!

    Living in the royal family meant more rules and restrictions than in normal families. He would not let anyone look down on her...

    Such a promise was due to the guilt of his oundish behavior just now!

    There are many men who lied about loving but were unwilling to shoulder responsibilities. But he was guilty of his lust and was worried about her fear, promising her in advance. Mo Xuetong felt as if her heart were brushed by a feather, making it sore and tender. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she was touched!

 Chapter 287 - Bai Yihaos Feast to Anger First Prince

    <h4>Chapter 287 Bai Yihao¡¯s Feast to Anger First Prince</h4>

    What happened that night shook the entire court.

    The drama started in King Yan¡¯s Manor. A concubine disappeared, King Yan was drunk on his bed, wearing bloody clothes. In front of his bed, a servant died in the strangest manner.

    The drama then continued in a house of King Chu, where an assassin gravely injured King Chu.

    The most unfortunate king was King Xuan, who got caught under the brothel that he frequented. The lusty King Xuan was trapped beneath the rubble and was still in aa when he was rescued. Good medications were sent in heaps to his manor as if they had been free of charge.

    Since all three princes suffered greatly in one night, King Yan, who suffered the least loses (only a dead servant), became the most suspicious individual of them all even though he was also a victim. He suffered no injuries other than some mere bloodstains. Of course, some suspected King Chu of staging his own assassination.

    After all, no one saw what happened within King Chu¡¯s house that day. All evidence was from servants of King Chu, which might not be credible.

    The most innocent prince would be King Xuan. He was always known for being promiscuous, and his visit to the brothel was unsurprising. Everyone thought that he was unlucky when the building copsed as he was dancing with the girls. It was truly suspicious for the copsed building as it was unprecedented. Furthermore, it was rumored that there were marks on therge pirs which indicated that they had been cut off.

    That meant that someone wanted the enchanting King Xuan dead!

    Only King Chu and King Yan would do that!

    On the court meeting the second day, before the investigation of this matter was even discussed, a few officials were kneeling and crying in front of the imperial court about the corruption rting to the funds for disaster relief at the twokes. They exined that peasants were left without a home, even eating their children for a living. Furthermore, they took out the pieces of evidence from the investigation.

    The official seal of the court was stamped on it!

    Thousands of peasants wrote in toin about their rough living conditions. The ones still alive wrote the letter using blood, just so the Emperor could address the issue.

    The entire imperial court was astonished by these discoveries. Instantly, requests came like snowkes, all wishing to be in charge of the investigations. They all wished to leave a good reputation in the historical records.

    However, some officials were suddenly quiet. They were those that supported King Chu. They used to say that King Chu was the smartest and most benevolent prince of all time. However, everyone knew that the political and military leaders in the twokes were all subordinates of King Chu. Furthermore, Consort Su¡¯s family originated from the twokes, which gave King Chu power in that area.

    All funds to relieve the disaster at the twokes must go through the hands of King Chu.

    If such a matter was really rted to King Chu, the matter would definitely not end well for him. King Yan¡¯s men were immediately energized. A few old court officials came to court even in their old age. They kneeled by the imperial Emperor, crying their old tears, begging Emperor Zongwen to save the peasants of the twokes and to punish the mastermind behind it.

    They were referring to King Chu.

    Anyone with a tinge of political sensitivity knew that the fight for the throne was about to get increasingly intense. Such a matter urred in all dynasties. The next emperor would either be King Chu or King Yan, with officials forced to discuss quietly and choose a stance.

    King Chu¡¯s supporters were in danger.

    Seating high up in the jade-white throne of the nine dragons, Emperor Zongwen watched the quarrels of his officials nonchntly.

    All the officials requesting he punish the officials of the twokes belonged to Feng Yulei¡¯s side. While all those that wanted him to take the slower approach were on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side. Some officials helped neither of the two princes, but that did not mean that they didn¡¯t have a stance. Some were still waiting for more information, watching others fight without expressing their own.

    Many officials were looking down at their boots as if flowers would grow from them.

    Before the matter cleared up, those jumping up and down in excitement might not be the real winners.

    The two parties argued consistently throughout the meeting as if the court were a marketce. Some knocked their head on the floor, others kneeled down; some cried out words of passion, while others debated with logic... Emperor Zongwen did not speak at all, choosing to merely analyze the situation. Finally, he mmed down a blood-red jade seal, silencing all in the room.

    ¡°Immediately send out my order to investigate matters in the twokes.¡± Emperor Zongwen left these orders and left.

    He immediately pushed this responsibility to the parliament. Grand Secretariat Wang had to bring the officials in and discuss in the internal court, failing toe up with a solution after half a day¡¯s discussion. After all, this matter involved two princes with the most support. Any mistakes could mean the end of them as no one knew who the future leader of Great Qin would be.

    If they supported the wrong prince now, none of them could afford to bear the consequence in the future. When the emperor raged, tens and thousands would pay their price. Furthermore, the future emperor might be suffering in their hands now, making matters even more confusing in the future. Even though Emperor Zongwen was not old, no one could guarantee what would happen in the future.

    The most conservative way was to not have any stance, supporting only Emperor Zongwen. However, being an official with no party affiliates had its downsides too, as none of the future emperors would treat them as confidants. Older officials were all sly and each had their own ideas, with no one sure of their alliances.

    Thus, they all looked extremely fair, discussing matters strictly based on facts.

    However, in that case, the squabble became impossible to resolve. They had to send out a letter for Emperor Zongwen to order someone to investigate matters at the twokes, seeking evidence before making decisions.

    Inparison, there was not much attention given to the story of Fifth Princess falling into the pond!

    No one even cared about Mo Xuetong!

    Few even knew that Mo Xuetong disappeared in the Qin gathering and returned to her household that night. Even though there was something amiss with that, the entire atmosphere was focused on bigger issues instead of the small problems between the women. The consequence of the matter was so small that no one noticed that Mo Xuetong¡¯s disappearance was rted to King Yan and King Chu.

    However, someone was still aware of the issue.

    Staying in his peaceful pce house, it seemed that the political situation of the Qin Kingdom had nothing to do with Bai Yihao. He was still a hostage, a hostage closely rted to Qin Kingdom¡¯s royal family.

    Bai Yichen came to the imperial city and his brother Bai Yihao naturally had to treat him. He invited some friends and some dancers. Music was yed in the feast as they watched the slender waists of the dancers in a delightful mood.

    On the white banquet hall, Bai Yihao held the feast on a table from the Jin Dynasty. He lifted up his cup and drank it all while ncing at Bai Yichen. The elegance of his actions was deep in his bones. The exact actions would have a different aura to it if done by a different person.

    The romantic demeanor could make any man lower his head in shame.

    ¡°I heard that brother came here to marry a wife. Are women from our Yan Kingdom not outstanding enough?¡± Bai Yihao smiled and asked Bai Yichen, showing a tinge of warmth in his smile to appear sincere. However, such a question made Bai Yichen felt that he was mocking him.

    ¡°Mother wishes Qin and Yan Kingdom to have an alliance, and thus Father sent me here. There¡¯s nothing to do with the women of our Yan Kingdom!¡± Bai Yichen was alerted by his remarks as he knew the brilliance of his brother and hence told himself to be careful.

    The plot for the Fifth Princess was initially to surprise him. However, he did not expect a drama in the Qin Kingdom at such timing. Now, Emperor Zongwen had no time to deal with Fifth Princess¡¯ marriage, even though the matter spread far and wide.

    ¡°There are no beauties in the Qin Kingdom. Most of them are less pretty than the women of the Yan Kingdom!¡± Bai Yihao seemed to still be mocking him. ¡°I heard that your childhood sweetheart also moved into your harem, and are you going to wrong her?¡±

    Bai Yichen did have a childhood sweetheart. However, that woman was born of the peasantry and had no official title in his harem. It was rumored that she was recently pregnant but had been drugged and had a miscarriage. Furthermore, her vitals were injured. That was a sore spot of Bai Yichen, and he immediately became hostile now that Bai Yihao mentioned it.

    ¡°What do you mean, Fifth Brother? I have no childhood sweetheart. However, I heard that in the Yan Kingdom, you got injured saving a woman. That certainly made me envious!¡±

    He was referring to Bai Yihao saving Mo Xuetong. Even though he believed that Bai Yihao used that as a distraction when he received the news, he was sure that Fifth Princess would hate him if she was convinced that Bai Yihao liked someone else. He then could naturally marry Fifth Princess.

    His words made Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face freeze before he turned nonchnt. ¡°It was merely a coincidence. We hadn¡¯t been close to each other at all.¡±

    After he finished talking, he held up his cup and drank his wine. His long sleeves covered his face, hiding the suspicious fierceness in his eyes.

    ¡°I heard that woman is a princess, someone important...¡± Bai Yichen curved his lips upward in a smile.

    ¡°Merely a nominal princess...¡± Bai Yihao changed his tone and the topic. ¡°What kind of nobility is Big Brother looking for? I have stayed in the Qin Kingdom for a long time, and have seen and heard of many beauties.¡±

    His calm and peaceful eyes were all smiles, making it difficult for anyone to dislike him. However, that made Bai Yichen more vignt.

    It was not the first day that he had dealt with Bai Yihao. Failures after failures made him extremely alert or he would have lived all these years in vain. Furthermore, he remembered that when he plotted to marry the daughter of the prime minister, Bai Yihao somehow got wind of his n and sabotaged it. The girl married his cousin instead. Now, he would not let Bai Yihao ruin his marriage once more.

    Not only would he not give him a chance, but he would also ruin Bai Yihao¡¯s marriage.

    ¡°Please, tell me about the beauties in the Qin Kingdom.¡± He pretended to be indifferent to the topic but focused his gaze on Bai Yihao, observing his every facial expression.

    ¡°The most famous beauty will be the second miss of Ding General Manor. However, you have no hope with her as King Chu is going to marry her!¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s tender eyes hid a slight shimmer of brilliance. It was like ake in autumn, with elegance and purity hidden deep within.

    ¡°However, there is a young beauty that will suppress Second Miss Ling after a few years. I have never seen a beauty like such in the Yan Kingdom, and it will be a blessing for any man to marry her!¡± Bai Yihao nced at him, the corner of his mouth slightly tilted upwards. He seemed to be smiling. ¡°Can Big Brother guess who this beauty is?¡±

 Chapter 288 - The Heartless Prince Had the Beautiful Servant Executed

    <h4>Chapter 288 The Heartless Prince Had the Beautiful Servant Executed</h4>

    ¡°Princess Anping!¡± Bai Yichen¡¯s pupils contracted as he became angrier. Bai Yihao had consistently made the conversation about Princess Anping as if he were really lusty.

    ¡°Turns out my Big Brother do know about her. I can¡¯t believe that the reputation of Princess Anping spread far and wide. After two to three years, her name will be known all over the Qin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom.¡± Bai Yihao looked at Bai Yichen¡¯s angry expression, satisfied. He sighed slowly and continued. ¡°Brother, if you are looking for a beauty, she will be the best choice! It¡¯d be a pity if you miss her!¡±

    ¡°Since she is so outstanding, why are you not interested in her?¡± Bai Yichen¡¯s rage was apparent as he retorted. Like he had expected, Bai Yihao wanted to use this beauty to lure him in giving up pursuing Fifth Princess so that he could marry her himself. Judging by the background of Fifth Princess, his influence would instantly increase.

    His tricks were apparent in his eyes.

    After his words, he realized that he overreacted and thus lifted up his wine cup to drink, hiding the anger in his eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I am merely a hostage here.¡± Bai Yihaoughed out and ridiculed himself as if he were mocking Bai Yichen for not knowing his status. After all, even though he was a hostage in the Qin Kingdom, he was still the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom, making him more prestigious than Bai Yichen.

    If he couldn¡¯t match up to the woman, how could Bai Yichen do?

    ¡°This must mean that I am no match for Fifth Princess!¡± Bai Yichen tried hard to suppress his anger as he stared at Bai Yihao with gloomy eyes. He would let him know who was unfit to marry Fifth Princess. With Fifth Princess¡¯ influence at his side, it would be much easier for him topete with Bai Yihao.

    When he became the emperor, he would then ask Bai Yihao who was not worthy of Fifth Princess, and who was her ideal match.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Bai Yichen¡¯s face was cold and a trace of cruelty shed across his eyes. Anyway, he must marry Fifth Princess regardless of anything. He would leave that beauty to Bai Yichen, who would have nothing to protect his beauty after he lost his kingdom.

    Only a powerful man could protect a woman of such beauty. Without power, such a woman would only bring disaster.

    The two had always hated each other and this feast was just for show, as the two had nothing inmon at all. Lifting up his cup of wine, Bai Yichen drank up all the wine and bid his farewell with a sneer.

    He used to live in Bai Yihao¡¯s manor but moved away now as he did not want to stay in Bai Yihao¡¯s ce, feeling restricted there. Since he wanted Fifth Princess¡¯ heart, he would need to spend time. Thus, he did not hesitate to buy a house.

    ¡°Big Brother, leaving so soon?¡± Bai Yihao ced down his cup of wine and smiled as if he had not seen Bai Yichen¡¯s indignation.

    ¡°Yes, when I settle down, I will invite Fifth Brother over for a feast.¡± Bai Yichen¡¯s eyes carried a trace of cruelty as he turned around to leave without waiting for Bai Yihao¡¯s reply.

    There existed so much hatred between the two that none of their words would be taken seriously by the other.

    ¡°Goodbye, Big Brother. Till we meet again.¡± Bai Yihao exined elegantly and slowly as he received another cup of wine from his servants. Smiling, he flicked his finger on the cup, producing a clinking before cing it down.

    This sequence of actions was extremely natural and elegant, and was gentlemanlike even though no one noticed.

    ¡°Sir, what if First Prince really did marry Fifth Princess?¡± One of the dancers waved her hand, signaling everyone to retreat. She moved up elegantly and took over the wine bottle from the servant. Kneeling in front of Bai Yihao, she rolled up her sleeves and asked curiously.

    ¡°It would be great if Big Brother can marry Fifth Princess!¡± Bai Yihao sighed slowly as if releasing all the air stuck in his throat.

    ¡°But, sir...¡± The woman did not understand and was confused.

    ¡°Yu Mei, what did you find from investigating yesterday¡¯s matter?¡± Bai Yihao smiled and waved his hand, signaling her to stop. His eyes were calm and elegant.

    Even though her master smiled calmly, she could see the dissatisfaction in his eyes. Sitting upright, she reported respectfully. ¡°Yesterday, we chased all the way. However, the figure in front disappeared fast with someone returning to attack us. We were forced to stop and thus the figure disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Yu Mei, you have been following me for a while!¡± ying with the wine cup with his long fingers, he smiled.

    However, this smile was sinister in Yu Mei¡¯s eyes. Uncontrobly, she kneeled down and begged, ¡°Sir, I have been following you since young and you have saved my life. I shall repay you with my life! If there¡¯s something I didn¡¯t do well, please tell me.¡±

    ¡°Very well! Extremely well! Perhaps too well!¡± Bai Yihao was looking at her with a tender smile.

    ¡°No, sir! I won¡¯t dare to do it again! I won¡¯t dare!¡± Shivering, Yu Mei knocked her head against the ground repeatedly, his jade white forehead red and swollen but yet she dared not stop.

    ¡°Talk about what you saw that day.¡± Bai Yihao stared into the distance as if he had not seen the charming beauty who was yet pale in front of him. He asked after a long pause.

    ¡°That day, I followed Princess Anping and discovered that she was sent into the back garden of King Yan, into his bedroom. Seeing that King Yan hadn¡¯t arrived, I decided that the time was not right and waited at the side. After a while, King Yan was sent there and hey down. His servant discovered that something was amiss and started searching the room. Thinking that no one had entered the room and that no one saw Princess Anping and King Yan together, I waited aside.¡±

    ¡°When the men outside charged in and saw the two together, I would then save Princess Anping. However, I did not expect that the servant tried to kill Princess Anping and that Princess Anping killed her out of self-defense instead. Before I could even react, Princess Anping came out of the bed and pointed the sword at King Yan... Then, then, someone took Princess Anping away...¡±

    Yu Mei¡¯s voice became lower and lower as her shoulders shivered uncontrobly. Shivering, she confessed, ¡°I lost the opportunity because I waited and I didn¡¯t dare to make my own decision that day.¡±

    ¡°Losing the opportunity will cost you your life!¡± Bai Yihao smiled tenderly as he ced down his wine cup. Rising up from his seat, he prepared to leave.

    ¡°Sir, sir, I did do something wrong and I disobeyed you! I am willing to pay my life for that mistake but please, please do not risk your life for the girl again. The matters in the Qin Kingdom had little to do with us, and the girl mattered even less. She is only a small part of your n, you must disregard...¡± Yu Mei held on to Bai Yihao¡¯s legs, tears all over her face as she pleaded.

    ¡°Sir, for your grand n, you must be aware! She is only a girl, you cannot change your mind, I...¡±

    ¡°So, you disregarded my orders and wanted her to assassinate King Yan. You thought when that happened, I would be unable to protect her even if I tried to?¡± Bai Yihao turned around and smiled gently. Squatting down, he lifted Yu Mei¡¯s face. That tender face was covered in tears and looked very pitiful.

    ¡°How did you know that she was only a small part of my n, and could be disregarded?¡± He seemed to be deep in thought but that action sounded too murderous in the ears of Yu Mei. Eyes that were originally clear as the moon were now as cold as the winter. He stared at Yu Mei harshly without any emotions in his eyes. It was as if she were merely an item.

    He could adore or dispose of anyone at his will, with no emotions attached.

    ¡°Sir...¡± Yu Mei cried out.

    Bai Yihao stood up and kicked her down the stairs. Her body mmed down below the many jade stairs, lying on the ground. She knocked her head on the pir and blood was spilled on the morous hall. A shriek was stifled in her throat, making that thest voice she ever made in this world.

    ¡°Come, clean up the ce.¡± Bai Yihao gave his orders calmly. After cleaning his hand with his handkerchief, he threw it down at the lifeless face below.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Servants ran out from behind the tent and cleaned up the ce after just a moment. No one knew that a beautiful girl died here.

    Mo Xuetong did not know the chain reactions of her action. She was then staring at the lead eunuch in front of her, who had three golden strikes sewed on his sleeves. That meant that he was the eunuch in-charge of pce affairs. He was from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce as she wanted to meet the girl at Cining Pce.

    The Empress Dowager of Qin Kingdom was not Emperor Zongwen¡¯s birth mother and had always been a low-key person. Other than the children of Ding General Manor, she had never asked to see any of the otherdies before. Thus,dies nowadays could only catch a glimpse of her during festivals.

    She did not expect this peaceful Empress Dowager to want to see him.

    What made Mo Xuetong uneasy was that the Empress Dowager appeared to have her own ideas, unlike what the rumors painted her to be. What exactly did she want? Feng Yuran promised her that no one would know about her return to her house at midnight, as he had settled the matter, sending someone back to her house after the Qin gathering in the name of her.

    Then, she came back in the middle of the night, and she was sure that no one could have known about it!

    However, she did not understand what Empress Dowager wanted from her, as it was unusual for the Empress Dowager to wish to see a small princess like her. Furthermore, she was only a nominal princess.

    ¡°Princess, please apany me to the pce. Empress Dowager is waiting for you.¡± The old eunuch smiled.

    ¡°Yes, please wait while I change into another attire.¡± Mo Xuetong dared not reject the request and smiled back.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so troublesome. You are now the daughter of Princess Royal, the granddaughter of Empress Dowager. There is no need to be so polite when seeing your grandmother. Please get in!¡± The old eunuch was extremely polite and all smiles. However, he was determined to send her into the pce at once.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xuetong responded and ordered Mo Ye. ¡°Tell Father that I will be going to the pce.¡±

    Mo Ye understood what she meant and nodded her head before retreating.

    Afterward, Mo Xuetong boarded the carriage outside her manor and followed the old eunuch into the pce. The carriage ran straight to Cining Pce.

 Chapter 289 - Meeting with Empress Dowager in the Palace Sets Her in a Dangerous Situation

    <b>Chapter 289 Meeting with Empress Dowager in the Pce Sets Her in a Dangerous Situation</b>

    After getting out of the carriage, the old eunuch smiled and greeted her. ¡°Your Majesty,e with me. Her Majesty has been waiting for a long time.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took the opportunity to slip a silver ticket into his hand, smiling. ¡°How do I address you?¡±

    ¡°You can call me eunuch Yu. I am a servant in Cining Pce, taking care of Empress Dowager. Usually, I help my master with the garden.¡± Eunuch Yu received the silver ticket and became even more polite.

    Inside his heart, he approved of the girl as he recognized her as a sensible woman despite her young age. It was no surprise that Princess Royal had her as a foster daughter as she was indeed a bright woman.

    Following him in, Mo Xuetong smiled as she chatted. ¡°So it¡¯s Eunuch Yu. Eunuch Yu, I apologize for my ignorance as I was extremely nervous just now, having never received an order from Empress Dowager before. I wonder why Empress Dowager would want to meet me.¡±

    She was sincere and respectful, showing a modest and docile attitude.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. Empress Dowager heard that Princess Royal had a new foster daughter, and wanted to see you for herself. Empress Dowager is extremely kind and loving, especially to the younger generation. If you can get Empress Dowager to like you, you will naturally have a good life.¡± Eunuch Yu smiled, as he expressed wishes for Mo Xuetong to appease Empress Dowager.

    However, his words conveyed a vague meaning as Empress Dowager had always been residing deep within the pce, leaving the management of the Emperor¡¯s harem entirely to the Empress herself. It was as if she did not care about worldly matters. However, even since she discovered that King Ning entered the pce, Mo Xuetong knew that Empress Dowager was merely waiting for an opportunity to strike for King Ning to be the next emperor.

    However, she was unsure about why she was involved.

    Perhaps now wasn¡¯t the most ideal time for Empress Dowager yet?

    She was full of doubts but still chatted with Eunuch Yu all the way to Cining Pce.

    The current Empress Dowager sat on the throne at Cining Pce. She wore in but prestigious clothes. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were poised like an ancient well without ripples. However, her ordinary demeanor could not hide the royal aura that she involuntarily gave off. Lady of Xian, whom Mo Xuetong had met once before, and a woman in herte forties sat beside her.

    There was another beauty sitting by her other side. She wore a morous dress and was holding a fan with a jade pendant hanging on it. The drawing on the fan indicated that it was a treasure.

    Mo Xuetong went in and kneeled down in front of the Empress Dowager, who was sitting in the middle. ¡°I bow in respect before Your Majesty. May you have prosperity and good health, together with eternal mour.¡± As she spoke, she paid her respects.

    ¡°So you are the foster daughter of Mingzhu. Lift up your head.¡± Empress Dowager focused her nce on her face and examined it as she lifted up her head slowly.

    ¡°Empress Dowager, Princess Royal¡¯s new princess is really pretty,parable to the one from your family. If no one told me, I would have thought that she is your birth granddaughter.¡± Lady of Xian, who saw Mo Xuetong before, joked with Empress Dowager.

    ¡°Your words are really sweet. People willugh at you.¡± Empress Dowager replied jokingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I dare to joke before Your Majesty only because you¡¯re extremely kind. Even if I am a little overboard, Your Majesty will always forgive me.¡± Lady of Xian continued.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone knows that Empress Dowager follows the Budda, and will not be angry at us. Take me, I could not find my direction when I entered the pce for the first time. It was due to the generosity of Empress Dowager that I was not punished, even though I forgot to pay my respects. Even thinking about it now makes me extremely thankful.¡± Duchess Mingyang, who was seated by them, joked as well.

    Those words made Empress Dowager extremely happy as she giggled. ¡°You are also so talkative, working with Ruoling to just tter me.¡±

    Then, she smiled and turned to Mo Xuetong. ¡°Anping, please sit. If you kneel for too long, you will injure your own knees, and Mingzhu will be angry at me!¡±

    Her words were very casual as if she were just joking with her own granddaughter, showing a faint sense of intimacy. The servants lifted Mo Xuetong up and sent her to sit on arge chair at the side. The servants then sent a cup of fragrant tea to her and then left.

    ¡°I heard that Princess Anping is not yet fourteen but she is so beautiful. Her beauty is unmatched by anyone within the imperial pce.¡± Sitting beside Empress Dowager, Consort Yu covered her lips with her fan and smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s ironic because you are the prettiest in the entire pce!¡± Empress Dowager chided her jokingly before introducing her to Mo Xuetong. ¡°Meet Consort Yu from Caiwei Pce!¡±

    Consort Yu from Caiwei Pce was the sister of Yu Mingyong. Even though Yu Mingyong managed to not get jailed in the end, he was frightened by the Ministry of Justice and couldn¡¯t eat or sleep well. Thus, he was sick upon his release. Furthermore, the affairs with the Yu family wereplicated as well. It was definitely not easy to judge Consort Yu.

    ¡°Well wishes to Madame Yu.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and bowed to Consort Yu respectfully. Anyway, Consort Yu was not only Emperor Zongwen¡¯s concubine but also someone older than her. She had to act carefully and not show any weakness in front of her, for Consort Yu was not someone as harmless as she appeared to be.

    ¡°You are too polite, please sit.¡± Consort Yu replied politely, smiling as if she had forgotten about the conflict with Mo Manor. Standing up, she pulled Mo Xuetong up and examined her for a while before replying to Empress Dowager. ¡°Empress Dowager, you are being too polite, my beauty cannot bepared to that of Princess Anping, for it is the first time that I have seen such beauty since my birth. It¡¯s all thanks to the rule of Empress Dowager that we can have such a beauty in the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not understand how her beauty was rted to Empress Dowager¡¯s rule. However, she lowered her gaze in embarrassment upon hearing thepliment of Consort Yu, unable to utter a word. Her watery eyes were full of panic as she stared at Empress Dowager, blinking innocently.

    ¡°Alright, alright. You scared her. Come here, Anping,e to me.¡± Empress Dowager gave a kind smile as she pointed to beside her. A smart servant had already ced a stool next to Empress Dowager for Mo Xuetong to sit on.

    ¡°Anping, I heard that your mother is Luo Xia from Fu General Manor. I¡¯m sorry for her early demise. It¡¯s truly a pity that she left you behind alone. Mingzhu used to be extremely close to your mother but then they fell out with each other, and thus she had not contacted you all these while.¡± Empress Dowager sighed and touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s head, looking at her with a peaceful and loving gaze.

    ¡°My mother had always been in poor health. She suffered from her illness for years, and finally...¡± Tears welled up in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes as she struggled to continue her sentence. On her jade-like fair skin, her bright eyes misted. Without any makeup, her face looked delicate and made people feel pitiful for her.

    Sorrow was shown on her face but her mind was thinking of other things. ¡°Princess Royal had a conflict with mother? What type of conflict resulted in two best friends splitting paths till death?¡± In her previous life, not only did Princess Royal not ask about Mother at all, but she also brought down Fu General Manor. Could there be other hidden secrets?

    Smiling, Empress Dowager patted her hand as she stroked the rosaries with her other hand. Sheforted her. ¡°At least your mother left such a beautiful daughter like you. Now that you became Mingzhu¡¯s daughter, and since she was your mother¡¯s best friend, you should treat her as your real mother and love her as such. Mingzhu has had a bitter life too but at least now you can be herfort.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, you do love Princess Royal greatly. It is her blessing to have you as her mother, how can she have a bitter life? It¡¯s even better now that she has a daughter. In the future, when she gets a good husband, Princess Royal will enjoy her life even more!¡± Lady of Xian smiled.

    ¡°That might not be right. Given the princess¡¯s position today, not anyone can marry her.¡± Duchess Mingyang continued this topic smilingly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Princess Royal will not want her precious daughter to marry any ordinary man, and I¡¯m sure our Empress Dowager would want her to have a good marriage as well.¡± Consort Yu¡¯s fan swayed as sheughed out loud, rebutting Duchess Mingyang.

    ¡°Indeed, Consort Yu. But there are not many who can match up to the position of our princess other than princes and kings. However, many of them already have wives, granted by the Emperor. Furthermore, our princess is too young and it would be toote to marry her to them. If Empress Dowager had known that she had such a beautiful granddaughter long ago, she would definitely have married her into the royal family, making for a proper and delightful marriage. Princess Royal would be satisfied too.¡± Duchess Mingyang said slowly.

    As she spoke, she turned around and asked Empress Dowager, ¡°Your Majesty, isn¡¯t that true?¡±

    ¡°Your words are indeed very sweet. No wonder the duke is so mesmerized by you, having only a few old concubines and no one new.¡± Empress Dowager chided her jokingly again.

    Duchess Mingyang was immediately embarrassed. Indignant, she continued, ¡°Empress Dowager, don¡¯t listen to those rumors! I dare not meddle with the duke¡¯s matters. Furthermore, it was Empress Dowager who arranged the marriage for me. Talking about it now makes me embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my fault now. Could it be that you are unsatisfied with the marriage I arranged?¡± Empress Dowager smiled and put down the rosaries to sip at the tea the maidservant had just presented.

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Duchess Mingyang was red with embarrassment.

    ¡°So she is Duchess Mingyang, the sister of Duchess of Zhen Manor!¡± Mo Xuetong alerted herself as she realized that only the intentions of Lady of Xian were unknown. She did not believe that the other three merely wanted to talk to her as the sly Empress Dowager should not have much time for mere chats.

    ¡°What is their purpose for today? Their topics all centered on marriage, so could it be that they want to marry me to someone?¡±

    Even though there was no direct order given as for her marriage, all those in the pce would have known what Emperor Zongwen wanted for her. If the Empress Dowager wanted to settle her marriage now, wouldn¡¯t she be worried that she might enrage Emperor Zongwen? If she would grant Mo Xuetong a marriage, who would the Empress Dowager marry her to? Was he someone equivalent to a king or prince?

    Even though Mo Xuetong was still smiling with embarrassment, coldness shed across her eyes. She immediately lowered her head to hide the harsh coldness in her pupils as she wrecked her brains to think of a possible target that could match up to potential emperors like Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°King... Ning!¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered someone and froze. Her pupils widened as she gasped on cold air! Indeed, King Ning Feng Yuzhen could bepared to the likes of Feng Yuran.

    Empress Dowager wanted to marry her to King Ning Feng Yuzhen!

    She would use her title as Empress Dowager to force her. What could she do? What exactly could she do?

    The best way was to leave when Empress Dowager had not started on the matter, but it was impossible for her to leave now!

    Suddenly, her heart pumped faster as cold sweat covered her body!

    Even Emperor Zongwen could not oppose the orders of Empress Dowager.

 Chapter 290 - Mo Xuetong Refuses a Marriage in Cining Palace

    <h4>Chapter 290 Mo Xuetong Refuses a Marriage in Cining Pce</h4>

    ¡°Princess Anping, the Empress Dowager dotes on you so much. Why don¡¯t you have the Empress Dowager bestow upon you a good marriage? Look at how blissful Duchess Mingyang is, and you will know how satisfied she is with her marriage.¡± Consort Yu smiled and steered the topic to Mo Xuetong. She wanted Mo Xuetong to ask the Empress Dowager herself.

    If she asked the Empress Dowager to bestow marriage upon her, what could Emperor Zongwen say!

    The Empress Dowager and Emperor Zongwen would not make things hard on her. They would only think of her as a youngdy who had no definite views and treated marriage as a game in order to butter up to the Empress Dowager. This would annoy Emperor Zongwen.

    However, could she refuse? The Empress Dowager bestowing a marriage was a great honor. If she did not ept it, she would be going against a royal decree. Furthermore, while Emperor Zongwen had already agreed to bestow her marriage with Feng Yuran, he had not said so openly. She could not use that as an excuse. Mo Xuetong felt very anxious when she thought of that and broke out in a sweat.

    ¡°Princess Anping...¡± Consort Yu said with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong lowering her head and not answering. It was as if she would not allow Mo Xuetong to leave if she could not answer them.

    Mo Xuetong had no choice but to answer. She calmed down slightly and lifted her soft cheeks. There was soft dust of pink on her paleplexion and she looked charming and beautiful. She said, ¡°Your Highness, Consort Yu, you must be joking. How can an unmarried youngdy ask for this herself? My father should be the one to decide this.¡±

    Even though her father might not be able to take charge of her marriage, he was her father. It was most appropriate for her to push the responsibility onto her father.

    ¡°Princess Anping, do you not want me to bestow your marriage?¡± The Empress Dowager looked up with a smile. Even though the smile on her face was benevolent and kind, one could not help but shudder when looking at her with rosaries in her hand.

    Mo Xuetong was secretly shocked. The Empress Dowager¡¯s question was difficult to answer. She was a daughter of an official, so she did not dare to say that she was unwilling for the Empress Dowager to bestow her marriage. However, if she said that she was willing, the Empress Dowager would definitely do what she wanted and say that it was Mo Xuetong who asked her for it. Even if Emperor Zongwen were to be dissatisfied, Her Majesty would be able to push the me onto her.

    The Empress Dowager had lived in the pce for many years and was not a simple woman. Just a simple statement from her was enough to push Mo Xuetong off the precipice.

    Consort Yu leaned back into her wide nanmu chair back and smiled softly. There was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes as she waved her fan lightly. She did not speak, but she was listening intently for Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply.

    The room quieted down as everyone looked at Mo Xuetong, waiting for her answer.

    If Mo Xuetong did not answer well, she would end up in endless trouble. There was a shy smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Her longshes fluttered and she stood up. She knelt before the Empress Dowager and said with a flush on her face, ¡°Many thanks for your kind love, Your Majesty, if I were not engaged, I would definitely ask Your Majesty to...¡±

    ¡°You are already engaged? When did that happen? Are there any witnesses?¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s smile froze on her face. She did not expect Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply. Her expression cooled.

    ¡°Princess, you must not make things up and lie to the Empress Dowager. That¡¯s a crime worthy of death.¡± Duchess Mingyang said with disdain. It sounded as if she were reminding Mo Xuetong, but she was actually threatening her.

    Even though Emperor Zongwen might have intended the marriage to happen, he had not done it openly. It was not truly considered a betrothal. Mo Xuetong could not speak about it. That was why the Empress Dowager had asked her when she got engaged and if she had any witnesses.

    Even though Mo Xuetong was still blushing, and a shy smile appeared on her face. It was difficult for girls to speak about their own marriages. She looked down and said gently, ¡°I have been engaged since I was a child. This was decided by my mother and I was promised to her good friend. The two families have once promised that if we do not get engaged by 15, then the matter will not be considered again. Mother left behind a pair of jade bangles as proof and my second uncle knows about this as well.¡±

    Even though she was soft, everyone present heard her clearly.

    ¡°Why would the matter not be considered again after 15 years? Could it be that the two families have already lost contact long ago?¡± Consort Yu asked, not willing to give up.

    ¡°I heard Mother¡¯s wet nurse say that a woman saved her when she was gravely ill. That was how the two met. However, that family moved away and told Mother that the engagement was off on that day. However, Mother was very grateful to them and was unwilling to do so. As such, that family and Mother made this promise.¡±

    ¡°They said that if we are fated, they wille and marry me. If not, they will also send a letter and that our marriages in the future will be decided by our own families.¡±

    Mo Xuetong answered shyly but also exined the situation clearly. What she had just said was true. Nanny Ming had told her very clearly about this marriage pact. Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were mostly true. In fact, Nanny Ming did not know who that family was either, but the part about marrying her before she turned 15 was true.

    She had been especially careful here and had phrased her sentence carefully. She did not say 15 years old for she was not at all interested in this marriage.

    Mo Xuetong remembered that the person had not appeared even after she died in her past life. He would naturally not appear again in this life. As such, she might as well make use of it as her shield. No matter how powerful the royal family was, they would not make her back out of this engagement and marry a royal. She was not even 14 now.

    While the Empress Dowager wanted Mo Xuetong in her camp, or perhaps, one should say that she wanted Fu General Manor and her father in her camp, she would not drag it out for too long. King Ning had returned from the Yan Kingdom and needed a legitimate reason for it. Otherwise, leaving without permission as a hostage son was enough to make trouble for Feng Yuzhen.

    ¡°To think that there is something like that. Why didn¡¯t I hear anyone talk about it?¡± Lady of Xian said curiously.

    ¡°Mother has always been in Cloud City and in poor health. She did not keep in contact much with her family in the capital and only mentioned it to Second Uncle before. After that, she passed away...¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were filled up with tears as she spoke. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief and sniffed before continuing, ¡°Father said that since that whether the engagement will work out cannot be determined right now, it would not be toote to speak about it after we end the mourning for Mother.¡±

    There should not be any auspicious events while they mourned for her mother. Mo Xuetong had spoken about it politely. She had not only mentioned why they did not speak about it, but she had also indicated that she was still in mourning. Discussing this was not something a filial daughter should do. The Empress Dowager forcing her to talk about her marriage today was simply too unreasonable.

    ¡°Get up!¡± The Empress Dowager could not say anything at this moment. There was a sharp glint in her eyes as she spoke coldly to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong stood up with tears in her eyes and bit her lips. Her hands fell by her sides and she looked extremely aggrieved. However, no one discovered the sh of light in her eyes.

    ¡°I am tired now, you can all go,¡± said the Empress Dowager coldly. Even though the Empress Dowager was still smiling, she did not seem as benevolent as before. She seemed a little cold and she picked up the rosaries and thumbed through it. She looked slightly displeased. The matter was already almost set, but then she realized that reality conflicted with her ns. She no longer felt in the mood.

    The others did not dare to say anything else. They answered in affirmative and left.

    After everyone left, the doors of the pce closed behind them.

    ¡°Zhen¡¯er, what do you think?¡± The Empress Dowager put down the rosaries she was holding and turned to look at the drapes in the corner.

    The heavy drapes moved slightly and a tall young man wearing light purple robes emerged. He went up to the Empress Dowager and bowed politely. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°This Princess Anping is indeed different.¡±

    It was rare for a woman to be so intelligent. She had been able to handle the matter earlier very graciously, even in such a situation before the high and mighty Empress Dowager. From where he was standing, Feng Yuzhen could see Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips lifting up slightly when her eyes filled with tears and shyness.

    If he had not seen that, even he would have thought that the youngdy was shy and very cowardly and was forced to say something that youngdies should not. He would have believed that what she said in that situation was true. The fear on her beautiful face had almost tricked even him.

    A young girl who was not even 15 had an expression that did not befit her age. She put on a facade before different people. Which one was she truly? Perhaps that was what made her different. How many sides did she have...?

    ¡°Grandmother, if she really agreed just now, what will happen to Wang Xiuiu?¡± Feng Yuzhen reigned his running thoughts and asked with a smile. He did not tell the Empress Dowager what he saw earlier.

    ¡°Grand Secretariat Wang is still being very careful and has not indicated where he stands. You do not need to worry about Wang Xiuxiu. I have already spoken to her. There is only be one consort. If she loves you, she will let the position go. I promised that she can have the position if she wants in the future once the matter is done.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s voice did not shake at all. She spoke so lightly it was as if what she was saying had not concerned her at all.

    Feng Yuzhen fell silent. Wang Xiuxiu was an ambitious woman. Feng Yuzhen knew that his grandmother would not agree to this matter if she did not need the support of Grand Secretariat Wang. His grandmother still favored the cousins from the Ding General Manor. However, this was not the best time to act.

    He could not marry the daughters of the Ding General Manor, he also had to let the position of his main consort off to marry a pawn that would be of use to him. He was a prince, and even if he were a hostage son, the position as his main consort was not low. Mo Xuetong, the new princess met all the criteria as his main consort.

    Princess Anping did not seem as if she had any real power, but her position was a good one. However, when she considered the power she had backing her, the Empress still chose her amongst all the other nobledies in the end.

    Even though Fu General Manor had been keeping a low key in recent years, they still had power. They had power both in the army and in court and they could settle any matter that arose quickly. They were also an old and noble family with strong roots. Even though the Ding General Manor had promised to stand by the Empress Dowager, they were hesitant about the Empress¡¯ chosen heir. They were waiting to see who was stronger.

    Considering the other side of the argument, this meant that Ding General Manor was not reliable!

    With the help and support of Fu General Manor, the power of their faction would definitely increase. Furthermore, Mo Huawen was doing well as an officialtely and he was in charge of the safety of the capital. He was also a close subject of the Emperor. He would be able to send them the information quickly if anything was to happen. They would be able to find things out before anyone else did. Even though Grand Secretariat Wang had Emperor Zongwen¡¯s trust, it was obvious that there were some things that the Emperor would rather let Mo Huawen settle and not the Grand Secretariat.

    A person in a position that was average and not eye-catching was the best.

    ¡°Grandmother, let¡¯s talk about my marriageter. The matter of the two factions is more important. Who will the Emperor favor?¡± Feng Yuzhen said with a frown. The marriage could not be rushed. They might as well wait and set this up first. Then, they could appear before all with a good excuse.

    ¡°The matter of the two factions is just a struggle between King Chu and King Yan. On the surface, it looks as if King Chu¡¯s power has been affected but this incident happened on such arge scale. Half the people in court are involved in this. Anyone can see that someone is stirring the matter behind the scenes. The Empress thought that she had dealt with the matter seamlessly but never thought that the Emperor knows everything.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s appearance seemed a little blurry behind the smoke of the incense.

    ¡°What will happen to the Ding General Manor? If they are to be involved...¡± Feng Yuzhen said hesitantly.

    ¡°I will take care of the Ding General Manor and tell them not to be involved in these murky waters. The Empress was in too much of a hurry. The matter is not yet settled!¡± The Empress Dowager sighed and a smile slowly stretched on her lips.

 Chapter 291 - The Change in the Fu General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 291 The Change in the Fu General Manor</h4>

    Politics underwent arge change following that. First, Emperor Zongwen was incensed and immediately sent someone from the inner court to investigate the matter between the two factions. Then, he immediately got rid of the most powerful figures. They were either all killed along with their families or banished from the country. Some were demoted or fired. Arge number of positions became empty in court.

    The inner cab was directly affected by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s ire. They were all fearful and afraid that they would cause even greater trouble should they make the slightest mistake. The three adult princes were all in trouble, especially Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favored son, the eighth prince, King Xuan. He still had not awakened.

    Emperor Zongwen unleashed his frustrations and anger on his officials.

    King Yan was affected as well. He knelt in the great hall and was harshly berated. He did not even know how a maid in his inner courtyard had died and dared to drink with others. The next time he got that drunk, someone might cut his head off!

    King Yan felt that he had been scolded for no reason but did not dare toin. He knelt in the hall and then was ordered to go home and study. This meant that he could not go anywhere and had to stay at home. If he was to go anywhere and make trouble again, the consequence would not be as simple as this.

    King Yan was just coteral damage in this incident.

    A huge reversal urred in court and one could not tell whether Emperor Zongwen was supporting King Yan or King Chu. More and more people stopped to watch.

    The trouble out there, however, had nothing much to do with the Mo Manor. Xu Yan finally married into the Mo Manor!

    The wedding was very sessful. Other than Mo Yufeng behaving like a mad man after drinking too much and saying something, nothing else happened.

    Mo Xuetong handed over the household matters to Xu Yan on her second day of marriage. Mo Xuetong could rx and do what an unmarried young woman should do. The matters of the household would have to be handed over to Xu Yan in the end. Even though Xu Yan might not say much right now if Mo Xuetong took charge, it was not right as time passed.

    Mo Huawen had already portioned out her mother¡¯s dowry for Mo Xuetong. This was her portion and she would manage it herself. After the new year, she would manage that portion. When it finally reached her hands, she realized how great her mother¡¯s dowry was. She had to admit that she had been weak in her past life and there was a reason why Auntie Fang and her daughter had plotted against her.

    On the surface, the viges andnds were not shocking. It befitted her mother¡¯s status as the legal daughter of the Fu General¡¯s Manor. It was also said that Fu General Manor doted on their only legal daughter. However, when she looked at the situation carefully, Mo Xuetong realized that there were quite a few mysteries surrounding her mother¡¯s dowry.

    For example, there were 10,000 acres ofnd in her mother¡¯s dowry. This was not especially high amongst nobledies. However, if these 20,000 acres ofnd included ten viges and some of them had hot springs, the significance changedpletely. These sorts of holiday viges took up several hundred acres. What was rare was there were hot springs, they were near mountains and waters. They were all very valuable.

    However, this was just one part of the dowry. All of these exceptional dowries all meant that her mother¡¯s dowry was very generous. It surpassed its surface value. Did her grandparents know her mother¡¯s identity or did her maternal grandmother prepare this for her mother?

    Mo Xuetong could not guess what the truth was. However, when she thought of her past life and how she did not even have silver to give to the servants and had to sell some of her jewelry to maintain the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, she knew that Auntie Fang had swapped out her dowry.

    Those viges had disappeared without her knowing. Now that she thought about it, she was really stupid. She believed when Auntie Fang had said that thends were a little far, and took her suggestion to sell those and buy new ones. She had thinned out her generous dowry and then, Mo Xuemin had taken away arge chunk of it.

    In the end, what was left behind could not even support her. She had never thought how much Auntie Fang had taken from her. She only realized in this life that while she had so much wealth, she had no power to protect it. How could she not have ended up so pathetic in her past life?

    Life settled down after Xu Yan married into the Mo Manor. She visited Xu Yan every morning to pay her respects. Then, she would stay in Yanyu House to chat with her before returning to Qingwei Garden to have lunch. After that, she would rest a little. No matter how great the trouble brewing outside was, it did not affect the Mo Manor much.

    Mo Xuetong loved those days. However, she did not expect the peaceful days to pass by just like that.

    In the morning, the Fu General Manor sent someone to pick Mo Xuetong up. They said that the Old Madam had fallen illst night and was making a fuss about seeing her granddaughter.

    Mo Xuetong immediately got onto the horse carriage and went to the Fu General Manor. However, it was not her grandmother who was waiting for her in her grandmother¡¯s room, but her second uncle.

    ¡°Second Uncle, what happened?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she asked anxiously when she saw Luo Bin¡¯s expression. She thought of how her grandmother was getting old. Did something... Her hands shook slightly.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your grandmother, she just caught a cold. She just took her medicine and went to bed.¡± Luo Bing frowned. His expression was grave as he looked at Mo Xuetong with his deep dark eyes. He pointed at the room to their right and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, let¡¯s speak there.¡±

    He wanted to avoid others! Her second uncle had tried to stop others from watching them and used her grandmother¡¯s name to get her here. There must be something going on, and it was something that he could not speak with others. Mo Xuetong suddenly thought of her mother¡¯s background and her eyes darkened. She followed Luo Bin into the room at right.

    The room on the right was notrge. Mo Xuetong followed Luo Bin into it. She sat down on a chair while Luo Bin sat near the window. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon him. It cast a shadow on his face, making it hard to see his expression. His gazended on Mo Xuetong and there seemed to be something in his look.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, the betrothal your mother made for you...¡± He said with some difficulty as if he had not known what to say. Then, he reached out to touch his head, creases appearing on his forehead.

    ¡°Second Uncle, you are talking about the family that sent me the engagement bangle. Nanny Ming said that that we are not in contact with that family, I don¡¯t think they will reach out to us again.¡± Mo Xuetong had an idea of what would happen. After she mentioned the engagement, she spoke with her father in secret and knew that her father knew something about it.

    However, her mother had told her father not to worry about it. The marriage would not happen!

    This meant that other than the bangle that they sent, there was no other item that signified their betrothal. That family seemed to have just disappeared, so nobody paid any attention to them.

    Mo Xuetong knew that that family had not appeared in her past life. She had been plotted against by Auntie Fang and her daughter in her past life and had no choice but to marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. If the family had really appeared, her life would have been different. However, what was in the past was in the past. Her mother had passed away long ago. Nobody could exin why she had agreed to such an odd betrothal, and nobody paid any attention to it.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, your mother set up this betrothal for you because she was afraid that you would be bullied after she died...¡± Luo Bin did not answer Mo Xuetong. He nced at Mo Xuetong and aplicated emotion appeared in his eyes. His eyes shone with some unease and avoidance. However, if he was avoiding Mo Xuetong¡¯s question, why did he bring it up then?

    Mo Xuetong looked up with surprise. Was he exining why her mother had set up this betrothal for her?

    ¡°Second Uncle, I am doing very well now. I have Grandmother, Uncle, and Father. They all love and dote on me.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was gentle. However, it also had a trace of coldness and dejection.

    After her mother died, her past life had been terrible. But there was no one who pitied her. Did her mother¡¯s n go wrong or did that family not pay attention to the betrothal at all? Or perhaps her reputation then had been bad and they decided not to marry her? Or was it really for no reason at all...

    Mo Xuetong did not wish to pursue the empty possibility. But in her past life, they had not taken care of her at all like her mother had hoped. Then in this life, even if that person was to appear, she felt that it had nothing to do with her at all. It no longer mattered whether her mother had ced her trust in the wrong people or not.

    Most importantly, she did not want to have anything to do with that person who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared for no reason.

    She would not allow what didn¡¯t happen in her past life to happen in this life even if he was to appear!

    That betrothal was just a mention. She doubted that anyone else would care about it other than her mother! Her mother had intentionally left that bangle for her. She had been thinking about that matter even on her deathbed. Was her mother serious about it?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I asked you toe here especially not because of this matter. I cannot corroborate what happened then. Your mother only said that if someonees to marry you with the bangle, that person would be the one! If no onees, then the matter would be forgotten and your Father will be in charge of whoever you marry.¡± Luo Bin sighed and stood up. He walked up to a rack, picked out something and put it in front of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, look at what this is.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked down at what Luo Bin brought out. It was a jade token the size of a person¡¯s palm. There were patterns on it that made it look old. The jade was crystal-like and it almost looked as if there were water flowing in it. The jade looked moist and warm and it was obvious that it was a very high-quality jade.

    ¡°Second Uncle, what is this?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned and asked. She picked up the token and flipped it around in her hands. She realized that the same pattern appeared on the back as well. For some reason, she felt that the pattern was quite familiar but she did not know where she had ever seen it.

    ¡°Have you seen the pattern on this jade before?¡± Luo Bin did not answer her question but asked her one instead. He looked slightly nervous.

    ¡°Second Uncle, you must be kidding. Where would I have seen this sort of jade before? It looks like it¡¯s from somewhere important. Where did you find it?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the jade and nced at it before looking at her second uncle in confusion.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you remember that pot of jade flowers that someone gave your eldest cousin?¡± A bitter smiled appeared on Luo Bin¡¯s face.

    That pot of Yuxiao Flower! Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered it. She heard that her cousin had sent the flower to the pce with an excuse. What happened!

    ¡°The odd flower bloomed with bright colors in the middle of winter. Of course, I remember it. Didn¡¯t Eldest Cousin say that he sent it to the pce? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong asked curiously, her eyes flickering. While the Yuxiao Flower was amazing, she had looked over it several times and did not discover any rtionship between the flower and the fall of her grandparent¡¯s family.

    How did Emperor Zongwen determine the Fu General Manor¡¯s crime because of the flower in her past life?

    In the noble and wealthy families, one wrong move could implicate an entire family. This was especially so for the Four Great Manors. Furthermore, while the Fu General Manor was powerful, it was not that powerful. If Emperor Zongwen could ept even the Ding General Manor and the other manors, why could he not ept her grandparent¡¯s family?!

    ¡°This jade token was found in the pot of flowers.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned at what she heard. Coldness sprang forth from her heart and her head buzzed. Her face paled and a terrifying answer appeared in her heart. Her fingers, which were holding the jade token, rxed. The jade token fell onto the table with a crisp thunk.

 Chapter 292 - A Startling Appearance and an Old Reason

    <h4>Chapter 292 A Startling Appearance and an Old Reason</h4>

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth opened but she did not make a sound. Her fingers, which were hidden under her sleeves, clutched the table tightly. Her eyes tightened as if this would give her strength.

    The pot holding the Yuxiao Flower was covered with pieces of jade and covered more than half the pot. The flower grew on top of that. It looked very auspicious and beautiful. Mo Xuetong once looked at the flower for a long time and had once wondered whether the flower meant anything. However, she had never thought of searching the flower pot.

    Did the jade token cause Emperor Zongwen to fear the Fu General Manor in her past life? Then how was he going to deal with the jade token that appeared today?

    ¡°Is there something wrong with the jade token?¡± Mo Xuetong sighed and calmed down as she turned to look at Luo Bin.

    Luo Bin nodded to himself in approval when he saw how Mo Xuetong quickly emerged from her shock and how her question was quick to the point. He walked to have the servants waiting outside move three feet away before he entered the room and closed the doors.

    He returned to his seat and sat down. He looked at Mo Xuetong with a fiery gaze as he said softly, ¡°This jade token can dispatch the royal secret guards. It is a token that His Majesty gave to King Jin but it disappeared with the fall of King Jin¡¯s manor. The emperor once sent people to investigate the matter secretly but it had disappeared without a trace.¡±

    ¡°So the Emperor was reminded of what happened after he saw the token?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the jade token with confusion. She asked, ¡°It was the previous emperor who fought with King Jin for the throne, right? Since King Jin Manor has already fallen, why is His Majesty investigating this matter now? Furthermore, the secret guards are from the royal family and are loyal to the current emperor. Is there anyone who can use this token to give orders?¡±

    Being able to order some of the secret guards in the royal family might be useful in the era of King Jin. However, that was two generations ago. The emperors had changed and so, the jade token must be useless now. The jade token was just a simple jade token now and no longer had the power it once had.

    There was something else she did not say. If her mother was really King Jin¡¯s daughter, then she was his descendant. Was Emperor Zongwen going to find her mother and kill them all?!

    The incident had happened more than 30 years ago. Her mother had only just been born then. Why had the Emperor searched for a newborn girl child for more than 30 years? This was not logical.

    ¡°King Jin rebelled and everyone in the manor was killed. Their resplendence is something of the past, leaving behind only King Jin¡¯s manor. Back then, some of the precious items in King Jin¡¯s items went missing during the investigation. This jade token was one of those items. His Majesty wants to find these objects so he immediately had me investigate when he saw the jade token to see if there is anything simr. I heard that there are other simr jade tokens.¡± Luo Bin¡¯s expression was one of worry.

    Second Uncle was the assistant minister in the Ministry of Justice and the original owner of the pot of flowers. It was right for Emperor Zongwen to leave this matter to him. However, why did her second uncle look for her and tell the matter to a weak woman? He had not dared to meet her openly as well and had thought up of a ruse and used her grandmother to invite her here. Did her second uncle know about her mother¡¯s background?!

    ¡°Then, Second Uncle, you asked me here today to...¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Luo Bin and asked him in astonishment. She pretended to be confused and she forced her wildly pounding heart to calm down.

    ¡°Your grandmother prepared some jade and pearls when your mother married your father. Your grandparents bought a lot of jade and pearls because your mother liked them. A lot of the things they bought were very precious. Since the Emperor wants to find a jade token like this, perhaps there would be some in your mother¡¯s dowry. That¡¯s why I asked you here to ask you about this. This is a matter of the Ministry of Justice and it is not good for a girl like you to be involved in this. That¡¯s why I used your grandmother to ask you here.¡± Luo Bin exined with a smile.

    That sounded reasonable and she could not find any ws in his arguments. If Mo Xuetong did not know that her mother was King Jin¡¯s daughter. She would not suspect Luo Bin and think that he was being considerate towards her by asking her toe secretly. However, she would not think like that now.

    Her mother hiding in the Fu General Manor might not be a well-kept secret. There were some people who knew that, for example, her grandmother and her second uncle. Perhaps there were others that she did not know of. She suddenly felt a pain in her heart. Her mother had lived in such circumstances. She knew who she was then.

    Was she fearful and uneasy or was she lonely and fragile?

    She was an orphan with no family. Even though she lived in the manor, she would not dare to be careless. Even though the matters of King Jin manor had nothing to do with Emperor Zongwen, had King Jin been sessful then, he would not be the current emperor. When she thought of that, Emperor Zongwen might be enraged and want to get rid of King Jin Manorpletely.

    This must be one of the reasons why her mother married her father!

    Otherwise, why would she, a legitimate daughter of a general manor marry an insignificant fifth-grade official? Furthermore, she lived far away from the capital after she got married. Could this be the reason for the fight between her mother and the Princess Royal?!

    No wonder her mother had always had poor health in her memories. She had such a heavy burden on her heart and she did not tell anyone about this, not even those closest to her. She was a weak woman, how could she take this?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew warm for some reason. It was as if she could see the ill and weak woman. She seemed fearful even though she smiled gently. She was always so careful in protecting her family and did not want others to realize that she was different. As such, she allowed her husband to take a concubine so that he could have illegitimate children just like everyone else.

    If they surrounded themselves withmoners, they would not be discovered!

    Her heart hurt and pain wed at it. Yet, she smiled. Mo Xuetong looked at the jade bangle she wore and stretched out her hand in front of Luo Bin. She said, ¡°Second Uncle, I have not seen such a jade token in Mother¡¯s dowry. There are not many such high-quality jade pieces but the bangle I am wearing is passable. Do you want to take a look?¡±

    She was going to take it off for Luo Bin to take a look at it.

    Luo Bin looked down to see the clear jade bangle. He reached out to stop her and looked at the jade carefully. Then, he released her hand and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t have to take it off. This jade did not belong to your mother¡¯s dowry. It belongs to the person you are betrothed to. This was the jade bangle they gave. The jade banglese in a pair, just like couples do. That happened not long after you were born. No one mentioned it after so many years, it probably does not count anymore.¡±

    So that was true!

    ¡°Is this the item from back then?¡± She asked. A slight frown marred Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead as she waved the jade bangle on her hand.

    ¡°You were one then. I went to visit your mother and your mother brought it out to show me. She asked me to be a witness and if someone was to bring the other jade bangle in the future, I can speak for you.¡± Luo Bin smiled when he recalled what happened. Luo Bin¡¯s voice gradually dulled and pain shed through his eyes.

    Second Uncle was truly good to her mother! That was why even though he smiled when he mentioned her mother, he also seemed sad and lonely.

    ¡°Second Uncle, it is possible that Tong¡¯er did not look through them clearly. I will return to the manor to check againter. There is a lot of jade precious stones and gold in Mother¡¯s dowry. Father already organized a few boxes. I did not pay attention to them in the past and did not look through all of them.¡± Mo Xuetong gave it a thought and smiled sweetly. Her longshes fluttered and she hid the bitterness in her eyes.

    ¡°Good, good. Then Tong¡¯er, go home and take a careful look. It is not a good thing to have the jade token in your hands. Just like the jade flower, if we had not sent it to the pce on our own ord, it would be troublesome for the jade token to be found in our hands.¡± Luo Bin smiled and tousled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. The love in his eyes could not be hidden.

    ¡°Why?¡± Mo Xuetong asked. She blinked and her eyes were filled with confusion. She bit her lips and hid the shock she felt.

    She had wondered why the Fu General Manor would fall from grace and why she had ended up like that in her past life. The Princess Royal was part of the reason but she was still a woman after all. She was just a princess without any power. Was she really so powerful to grasp the fate of the entire General Manor in her hands?

    With a second chance at life, she could see the Princess Royal¡¯s helplessness. Even though she wanted to protect someone, she could only do certain things. The Princess Royal waspletely unlike how Mo Xuetong thought she was in her past life. She was not entirely powerful and could not get everything she wanted.

    Then the problem was how Sima Lingyun found the pot of Yuxiao Flower at the Fu General Manor, or perhaps, one should call it the jade token.

    ¡°This jade token cannot order around the royal secret guard now. However, King Jin manor had secret guards back then. After what happened... some of the secret guards from King Jin¡¯s manor disappeared without a trace.¡± Luo Bin sighed when she saw how determined Mo Xuetong was. He said softly, ¡°If they find the jade token here at the manor, His Majesty might think that the Fu General Manor are supporters of King Jin...¡±

    Mo Xuetong already understood before Luo Bin couldplete his statement. If she had not been sitting, she would have fallen. So this was the reason for what happened.

    The Princess Royal might have started the matter, but this was the most important reason. No wonder Sima Lingyun would step on the Fu General Manor to move up thedder. With Duke Zhenguo¡¯s background and status, he would definitely be aware of it even though it was a royal secret. He had immediately gone to the pce and received credit from Emperor Zongwen after getting the jade token from the pot by chance.

    He could even add fuel to the fire and say certain things. Some things might not be suspicious alone but if Emperor Zongwen had started to suspect the Fu General Manor for hiding her mother, and coupled with the fact that the secret guard jade token was hidden in the manor, the two incidents would have be proof that the Fu General Manor was up to no good.

    Her First Uncle was in charge of soldiers guarding the borders. If he really had the intention, he could create huge chaos. As the emperor, that would be what he was most afraid of. He would rather kill by mistake than to let anyone off. In her past life, the Fu General Manor had fallen because of the jade token. It had caused so much trouble and her life had be a tragedy because of this jade token.

    Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth to force the tears that were about to fall back. She held her shaking hand to her chest. Her chest hurt as if there were a fire burning through it. She could not breathe, think, or act. Her mind was nk and her memories were reduced to ashes...

    Luo Bin had left for some time but she remained seated. She did not move at all it was as if she had be petrified. Slowly, and with some difficulty, she recalled the tragedy she encountered in her past life. The scenes shed before her eyes, she used to feel so helpless and desperate. There was no one who could protect her.

    She was forced to marry Sima Lingyun and her already distant rtionship with Mo Huawen was broken. Then, with Auntie Fang¡¯s interference, she did not have a family to depend on even though she had one. Her most beloved maternal grandmother had died just 6 monthster after the fall of the Fu General Manor, and she did not have any support at all. She had no choice and wanted to drag Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin to hell with her...

    That was how pathetic she had been in her past life. She had not only been tricked by Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun, in the end, but she also could not even find the reasons that led to the tragedy that was her life!

    ¡°Miss, are you alright? The Old Madam is awake and is looking for you!¡± Mo Lan knocked lightly and entered to find Mo Xuetong sitting in a daze. Her face was as pale as a sheet and she looked listless. Mo Lan was immediately flustered and she hurried in to hold Mo Xuetong while calling out, ¡°Miss, Miss...¡±

    She patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s shoulder.

    Momentster, Mo Xuetong turned around to look at Mo Lan dazedly. She emerged from her reverie. There was a faint metallic taste on her lips. She had bitten through it. She asked hoarsely, ¡°Where is Second Uncle?¡±

    ¡°Second Sir has something on and he went out. Old Madam heard that you were here and she got out of bed happily looking for you. Can you head there now?¡± Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong up and asked her worriedly after they took a few steps. Even though she did not know what happened to her mistress, something major must have happened to ruffle her usually calm andposed mistress. Her mistress¡¯ expression was a little stiff.

    Mo Xuetong knew what was going on. She stood up and shut her eyes,posing herself. When she opened her eyes again, she had regained her usual graciousness and calmness. She said, ¡°Mo Lan, it is fine now. Let¡¯s go and see Grandmother.¡±

    No matter what, everything had changed in this life. The jade token that had once caused the fall of the Fu General Manor had eased the suspicion of Emperor Zongwen because they had handed it up. The emperor had even ordered her second uncle to investigate the matter. This meant that Emperor Zongwen trusted the Fu General Manor. They had evaded the trouble.

    The Fu General Manor would not fall and her grandmother would not pass away so quickly!

    In this case, her life had taken on apletely different trajectory than it had in her past life. In her past life, the Fu General Manor had been implicated because of her. She had felt guilty even until her death. In this second chance at life, she had been worried at all times, afraid that she might bring trouble to her grandparents if she was not careful. It was great now. The heavy burden in her heart could finally rest.

    Why did she have to feel upset then? One should look forward. With hope, she believed that she would be able to better protect those she wanted to protect! She would not let the tragedy that happened in her past life happen again.

 Chapter 293 - A Chance Encounter and the Accessories Similar to the Fifth Princess

    <h4>Chapter 293 A Chance Encounter and the essories Simr to the Fifth Princess¡¯</h4>

    After Mo Xuetong visited the Old Madam, she stayed in the Fu General Manor to have lunch with the Old Madam. The Old Madam was feeling alright and had just caught a cold. Older people were like so. She felt better after seeing that Mo Xuetong hade especially to visit her and she immediately felt better. She even had an additional half a bowl of rice at lunch.

    When Mo Xuetong left, she even held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand tightly and told her to visit when she had time. The two manors were closer now that Xu Yan had married into the Mo Manor. Now that Xu Yan had taken charge of the household matters, it was not hard for Mo Xuetong to go out.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and agreed. Then, she guaranteed the Old Madam again that she would visit in a few days. Then, the Old Madam allowed Mo Xuetong to leave reluctantly.

    After the horse carriage pulled out from the manor, Mo Xuetong was not in a hurry to return home. Instead, she went to a famous jewelry shop on Yushui Street. The styles in the shop were the most famous in the capital. There were many beautiful essories that were custom made in the shop. Mo Xuetong had drawn a picture of a phoenix and got someone to make it into a hairpin. She could probably collect it today.

    It would be the Fifth Princess¡¯ birthday in a few days. She heard that it would be a big affair. As Princess Anping, she naturally received an invitation. The Princess Royal had told her that she just had to send a passable gift. Mo Xuetong heard that the Fifth Princess had fallen ill after falling into theke the other day. It was the first celebration since she got better. As such, the celebration was different and there would be a banquet.

    Mo Xuetong, however, knew that this was just a reason told to the public. The true reason was that the Fifth Princess and Bai Yichen had been hugging together with their clothes in disarray. There were many people who were talking about it. A royal daughter served as an example for all youngdies. Emperor Zongwen had ordered the Fifth Princess to marry to the Yan Kingdom.

    The Fifth Princess refused and made a huge fuss. As such, she had been locked up!

    However, there was now a grand banquet set up for her. Did that mean that the Fifth Princess had agreed?

    Mo Xuetong truly did not dare topliment the prissy and vicious Fifth Princess. She only wanted to leave quickly after sending the gift.

    A worker in the shop spotted Mo Xuetong and hurriedly brought her to a room that was the deepest within the shop. The most expensive and precious essories were ced there. They were all custom made, unique and very expensive. Most of them were ordered by someone. This was also one of the reasons why the shop¡¯s essories were always at the front of the essory industry.

    ¡°Miss, look, this is the phoenix hairpin you ordered. See if there¡¯s anything wrong with it. If not, I will package it for you.¡± The worker quickly took the order form that Mo Lan handed him. He looked at it and then picked up a nine-feathered phoenix hairpin from the counter. The golden phoenix had ruby eyes. Coupled with wing feathers that were carved out of jade, the hairpin looked gorgeous.

    ¡°Miss, look. This gem is carved from arge ruby that was formed naturally. We only have these two gems in our shop. The other is being made into a smaller hairpin and the color cannot bepared to yours. It is the most exceptional in terms of its color and rity.¡± The worker brought out a set of ruby head essories in order to sound more convincing.

    There were a pair of earrings, a set of ruby hairpins, and a ruby ne. Other than a tiny ruby phoenix on the hairpin, the set could notpare to the hairpin in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Look, even though this is our new style, one can tell the difference in size at one nce when they see the one in your hands. This is an order from the pce. I heard that the Fifth Princess wanted this. Our shop worked hard on it. Look at the color of this, this is really good. Most importantly, the ruby you hold in your hands is much more precious than these small chips of ruby. That is why it looks so much better.¡±

    The worker said with practiced ease and passion.

    The Fifth Princess ordered it? Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought. She smiled and picked up the earrings and ced it next to her ears. She seemed rather satisfied. She asked after putting it down, ¡°Since it is your shop¡¯s new style, can you make me a set as well? It is so beautiful, it is really rare. One item itself might not be able topare to the phoenix hairpin that I ordered but the entire set put together is much more beautiful than just one item.¡±

    The worker said a little awkwardly, ¡°Miss, the only two rubies that we have were used for your hairpin and this set of head essories. If you want to order another set, we do not have any more rubies.¡±

    ¡°I heard that this shop has a special channel that can purchase precious stones and items such as opals. If I give you double the price, can you make me a simr set within the next three days? The Fifth Princess¡¯ set is really nice and suitable for youngdies.¡± Mo Xuetong said harmoniously with a slight smile.

    Her gazended on the red ruby essory set. Her eyes were a little dark and deep.

    The set of red ruby head essories were suitable for a normal youngdy. The style, color, and rity of the stone were all top-notch. It was extremely suitable!

    The Fifth Princess could have any kind of head essory set she wanted. There were special craftsmen in the pce who would do everything they possibly could to make her what she wanted. Because it was a special group of craftsmen, the goods they produced could notpare to the goods in the market no matter in terms of beauty or luxury.

    The Fifth Princess was a person who loved to show off. Why would she have someone else make her essories? Unless she had other use for it. The Fifth Princess should be more concerned about her marriage now. Mo Xuetong found it odd that she would especially get someone to craft a set of red ruby head set that did not befit her status. If she remembered correctly, she should be the person the Fifth Princess hated the most!

    ¡°Miss, if you can wait for a second, I will go and ask the shopkeeper.¡± The worker was not in a position to decide and he rubbed his hands uneasily.

    Mo Xuetong nodded in agreement.

    The worker left and came in after a moment with a smile. He said, ¡°Miss, it is a coincidence, there was a shipment of red rubies about the same size earlier that came in. However, the quality is not as good but it looks the same. If you need it, maybe we can make you a set just like the one earlier?¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded and then made some slight changes to some of the designs she was not satisfied with before she left with Mo Lan.

    There were many people on the streets. Mo Yufeng sat in a teahouse with a dark expression. His face looked a little pale. It was already spring and the weather was decent. The heavy drapes hanging outside the small booth had been removed and a lighter bamboo curtain was hung up instead.

    Watching the peoplee and go on the street from the window with a slightly warm breeze should make one feel refreshed. However, Mo Yufeng was not in a good mood because of the thoughts in his mind. He put down the teacup he held in his hand heavily.

    The curtains were lifted lightly and a clear voice with a hint ofughter in it could be heard. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look so frustrated. What¡¯s making you so anxious?¡±

    Then, a handsome young man entered. He wore blue robes that looked elegant and he seemed like a gentleman.

    ¡°Yufeng, you have to help me this time or I¡¯m screwed.¡± Mo Yufeng stood up hurriedly when he saw Qin Yufeng enter. He knocked into the corner of the table because he was too anxious. However, he did not even yelp in pain when he held on to Qin Yufeng and pushed him into a chair beside him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qin Yufeng sat down unhurriedly and epted the tea Mo Yufeng poured him. He sipped at the tea and smiled slightly.

    ¡°Something big¡¯s happened. The woman I told you aboutst time, you know, the one I met in the alley dressed in red...¡± Mo Yufeng stuttered and he scuffed his foot anxiously on the ground and wiped the sweat on his forehead before he continued, ¡°You said she was beautiful thest time and she looked like she was from a wealthy family.¡±

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just a woman we met on the street. What has it to do with you?¡± Qin Yufeng turned around and asked in confusion.

    Mo Yufeng could not answer the question. He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea while muttering to himself. He drank half the cup of tea and put the cup down before wiping his mouth casually. Then, he pulled Qin Yufeng¡¯s chair toward him and said softly and shyly, ¡°I did it with her!¡±

    ¡°You did it with her?¡± Qin Yufeng repeated again as if he had not understood it. Then, he widened his eyes and asked hurriedly, ¡°Why did you do it with her? She was dressed really inly and is obviously a widow. Why did you...?¡± ...

    ¡°I know, I know...¡± Mo Yufeng swallowed hurriedly.

    ¡°Why would you do something like that if you knew? Your father will break your legs if he finds out. I told you that the woman looked like a new widow even though she seemed like a girl from a wealthy family.¡± Qin Yufeng cocked his head and asked. Sunlight streamed in from the window and onto his face. There was an imperceptible lift on his lips on his face, which carried a worried expression.

    ¡°I know, but when I heard what you said, I felt pity for the woman, so...¡± Mo Yufeng said anxiously. ¡°Who would expect that the slut would be someone¡¯s mistress?¡±

    ¡°Mistress, then who is she mourning for?¡± It was obvious that not even Qin Yufeng expected that. He was startled and put down the cup in his hand with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s for her mother. She is from the brothel and was bought by someone. He has her live out there and was at her ce and caught me. He took my handprint and told me to give him 5,000 taels of silver. How would I have money right now?¡± Mo Yufeng gritted his teeth angrily when he thought of what happened that day. She¡¯s really a slut. He thought he had seduced the daughter of a good family but did not expect her to be such a person. He was embarrassed and now could not solve the problem.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t give him the money, he will take that paper with my handprint to the Yamen. Forget what the Yamen would do. If my father is to find out, he will break my legs immediately. Yufeng, you have to save me, you have to save me.¡±

    ¡°5,000 taels of silver. That¡¯s too much.¡± Qin Yufeng said with difficulty.

    ¡°Yufeng, you have to help me this time, or I¡¯m dead. I swear I will return you the money and give you two percent interest. How about that?¡± Mo Yufeng was highly flustered. He felt his wits leaving him when he thought of how the paper might end up before Mo Huawen. Ever since Xu Yan entered the manor, Mo Huawen had caught him trying to make trouble. He had given him a beating in front of everyone. From then on, his life in Mo Manor had gotten even harder.

    Anyone would expect the new Madam to have a legal child. He was just concubine-born and would not be thought highly of by his father. Even his younger sister, who was the smartest, had been locked up by their father. Mo Yufeng had no one to discuss his problem with. Qin Yufeng used to live in the Mo Manor and they were on pretty good terms. He was the only one Mo Yufeng could think of.

    No matter whether Qin Yufeng had money or not, he would just have to do what he could. He only hoped that he would be able to hold on to Qin Yufeng, his safety float. He did not care whether he could return the money in the future or not but he dared to say anything right now.

 Chapter 294 - The Framing of the Qin Manor

    <h4>Chapter 294 The Framing of the Qin Manor</h4>

    Mo Yufeng looked at Qin Yufeng hopefully. He only hoped that the intelligent and resourceful Qin Yufeng could help him and save him this once.

    ¡°Yufeng, I really do not have the money.¡± Qin Yufeng considered for a moment before he looked up and said gravely to Mo Yufeng.

    ¡°Then what will I do? What should I do? They even said that if I do not have money, they will take my life. They won¡¯t send me to the Yamen.¡± Mo Yufeng howled and leaned into the chair despondently. He looked in front of him listlessly. It was as if all the bones in his body had been removed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that there isn¡¯t a way, but...¡± Qin Yufeng said after a short silence.

    ¡°What? What is it? Yu Feng, I will do whatever you say.¡± Mo Yufeng sat up suddenly when he heard what Qin Yufeng said. He tugged at Qin Yufeng¡¯s sleeves urgently.

    ¡°This... how about, forget it!¡± Qin Yufeng said, looking as if he was in a difficult position. He frowned, hemmed and hawed as if he did not know where to start.

    It was obvious that there was hope. Mo Yufeng was very happy and did not care about anything else.

    ¡°Yufeng, quick, talk. Tell me what it is. I am willing to do anything.¡± There was a ray of hope, Mo Yufeng would not allow it to disappear just as it appeared. He felt as if he was willing to do anything.

    ¡°It is difficult. If I say it, it would sound like... I am being evasive. Yufeng, you know, oh, forget it!¡± Qin Yufeng shook his head as if he was not willing to continue. He patted Mo Yufeng¡¯s hand and gestured for him to calm down.

    ¡°No, you have to tell me. If you don¡¯t then you¡¯re not treating me as a brother. Or many years of brotherhood would be gone just like that. I will cut off all ties with you today.¡± Mo Yufeng was truly anxious and he did not even choose his words carefully. He pulled on Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand saying that he wanted to cut off all ties with him but refused to let his hand go.

    Qin Yufeng saw that it was about time that he could start talking. He put on a helpless expression and said, ¡°Yufeng, I told you that I have to marry someone that I am satisfied with but my mother found me a daughter of a wealthy merchant. She said that the family is rich and is a famous wealthy merchant in Jiangnan. Yes, no doubt they are rich. If you marry her, you would not need to worry about money and I can escape this marriage.¡±

    ¡°But I thought if I told you about this at this time, it¡¯s really...¡± Qin Yufeng said with slight frustration.

    Mo Yufeng¡¯s eyes, however, lit up. He asked hurriedly, ¡°That family is very wealthy?¡±

    ¡°That family said so. Money is not an issue as long as we treat their daughter well. Everything else can be discussed. Furthermore, the family seems to be rted to Ding General Manor. That is why my mother wants me to marry her even though there is some difference in our status. We cannot resist their wealth. Furthermore, they have the support of the Ding General Manor while I have nothing. It would be easier to be an official with the help of their wealth and connections.¡± Qin Yufeng turned the fan in his hands and said lightly.

    There¡¯s such a good candidate? Mo Yufeng¡¯s heart soared. Someone who could match up to Qin Yufeng, the legal son of the Qin family was naturally even more of a good match to him, the concubine¡¯s son of the Mo Manor. Power and wealth were the things that he needed most right now. Mo Yufeng understood that after his fall from grace. He had gone from being the only son of the Mo family to the concubine¡¯s son of the Mo family who no one cared about.

    If anyone asked him who he hated the most, it would naturally be Mo Xuetong!

    If the little slut had not appeared in the manor, Auntie Fang would not have lost her power. His younger sister would still be the renowned talent of the capital. When Auntie Fang became his father¡¯s legal wife, he would be the legal son of the Mo Manor. Everything in the Mo Manor would be his.

    However, who would have expected that everything would change after Mo Xuetong returned to the manor. This was all because of that little slut.

    However, he could not do anything to her!

    He did not have a support that was as powerful as hers. She was now also the Princess Anping of the royal family. He had failed at studying and while he wanted to be an official, Mo Huawen had ignored him. He could only hang around in brothels and indulge in women. His misfortune this time was also because of Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Yufeng had attributed all his misery to Mo Xuetong and hated her so much he wanted to tear her apart.

    He had a sudden thought, that if he could marry this wealthy and powerful young woman, he would have an easy path from then on. His father had to look at him differently. When he had the chance, he would get rid of the little slut that was Mo Xuetong.

    He was very pleased when he thought of that and would not let go of this opportunity. He held on to Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand tightly and said gratefully, ¡°Yufeng, you are indeed a good brother of mine to let me have this marriage. If you need any help from me in the future, I will not forget the great kindness and favor you have done for me.¡±

    Then, he felt extremely excited. He felt that he owed his brother a lot. He knelt down and kowtowed to Qin Yufeng despite how inappropriate it was.

    ¡°Yufeng, don¡¯t do that. Quick, get up. If you think of me as your brother, then get up quickly. I still have something to say.¡± Qin Yufeng said hurriedly. He did not want him to kowtow to him. He was just a weak schr and could not pull Mo Yufeng up, who was expressing his gratitude sincerely.

    ¡°Tell me, you are willing to give such a marriage to me. Tell me quickly. I will do anything you say.¡± Mo Yufeng said, touched, as he stood up.

    He was willing to listen to whatever Qin Yufeng said right now. He only felt that Qin Yufeng was an extremely good friend.

    ¡°Yufeng, listen to me. I still feel like I have done you wrong. Forget it...¡± Qin Yufeng said awkwardly and helplessly. He stomped his feet heavily and said under Mo Yufeng¡¯s hopeful gaze. ¡°My mother locked us up together alone so that I will acknowledge this wedding. Even though nothing happened, what would others think? I think this is not too good... Oh, I¡¯d better get my mother to send betrothal gifts to them tomorrow. Let¡¯s think up of another way to get you your money.¡±

    The money, beauty, and power which were almost in Mo Yufeng¡¯s hands flew away just like that. Mo Yufeng still had to find a way out himself. When he thought of how fierce and ruthless those people looked, he shuddered. He did not care about all of that. It was just a little tarnish to his reputation. It was nothing much. He truly believed in his brother, Qin Yufeng. In the past, when they went out, he had never behaved inappropriately with a woman.

    He only said that he wanted to find someone he loved and he had to save himself for her. Mo Yufeng had teased him many times because of that.

    However, he also knew that if Qin Yufeng did not want to marry that woman, nothing would happen. He patted his chest and said, ¡°Yufeng, you are too kind. Are you worried that our rtionship would be affected if I listen to those rumors? Rest assured. I understand. You are a good friend. I will not bear any grudges towards you because of this incident and I will treat thedy well. You can rest assured.¡±

    ¡°But the rumors will turn up eventually. You will be implicated then...¡± There was a trace ofughter in Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes. However, he sounded more and more touching. He turned the fan he held in his hands over and over, looking as if he were being put in a difficult ce.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Since you told me about it today, I would take responsibility for it. Anyway, the most they can say is that you have an affair with the youngdy. I will ept this. I will get my father to ask for her hand when I return. I will say that I have an affair with thedy and she is pregnant with my child. If I do not marry her, she and the child will die.¡± Mo Yufeng promised once again. He was going to give his all for this marriage.

    He was worried that Qin Yufeng would not believe him and would marry the girl himself.

    Then, he ignored what Qin Yufeng was about to say. He stood up and went to look for his father, leaving Qin Yufeng behind in the teahouse. He hurried back to the Mo Manor.

    Qin Yufeng paid for the tea and strolled out of the teahouse leisurely. He boarded a waiting horse carriage which sped out of the bustling city and into the Qin Manor.

    He got off the horse carriage at the Qin Manor and saw that the butler¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Qin Yufeng. The butler hurried up and said, ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re back. Old Madam was very angry just now and even scolded Master and Madam. They are waiting for you inside right now!¡±

    ¡°Is that family around?¡± Qin Yufeng entered unhurriedly while he yed with the folding fan in his hands.

    ¡°Old Madam tossed them out long ago. They swore that they would not let you off and will crush you. They are even going toin to General Ding.¡± The butler was astonished by the fuss. He did not expect the seemingly wealthy and honorable family would have a matriarch who would behave like a shrew. She had yelled and screamed and rolled around on the ground.

    The Qin family was a family of schrs and had never seen anything like that. The Old Madam had been so angry she had almost fallen over. She kept shaking her hands and telling the servants to throw them out. She was naturally venting her anger on Qin Yufeng¡¯s parents.

    Qin Yufeng and the butler arrived at Old Madam Qin¡¯s courtyard. A maid had already gone in to report their presence. He had only just entered the room when something flew at him. Qin Yufeng dodged and a porcin cup flew by him.

    ¡°Unfilial son, kneel down.¡± Qin Zheng¡¯s expression was filled with rage and the veins on his forehead twitched.

    ¡°You are the unfilial son. How dare you scold your son? Kneel down.¡± Old Madam Qin banged the cane that she held on the floor angrily and scolded the man when she saw her beloved grandson almost being hit on the head.

    The father and son had no choice but to kneel down.

    ¡°Father, Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. The matter will be resolved tomorrow.¡± Qin Yufeng said unhurriedly.

    ¡°How dare you say that? You... with that sort of woman... I would not allow that sort of woman into our home even if I were to die.¡± Qin Zheng, who was kneeling in front of the Old Madam, turned around and yelled. He grew even more enraged when he heard that.

    ¡°Shut up and let Feng¡¯er talk.¡± The Old Madam thudded the cane in front of Qin Zheng heavily. The cane made a thunk.

    ¡°Grandmother, the matter will not drag on past tomorrow. Someone will ask for that woman¡¯s hand and she will no longer have anything to do with us.¡± Qin Yufeng looked up and said. There was not an ounce of worry in his expression.

    ¡°There is more than one person who saw that. Feng¡¯er, you¡¯d best think through this carefully!¡± Mdm Yu was very anxious as well. She hurriedly questioned Qin Yufeng when she heard that he had a solution.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Even though there were many people who saw it, I covered my face with a fan when I came out. As long as there is someone who is willing to take responsibility, that woman will not hang on to me.¡± The Mo Manor was rather high ranking as well and the woman should be satisfied.

    Mo Yufeng was willing to take responsibility, so that woman would not have any objections. When he thought of how the woman had appeared in his room out of nowhere, a hint of darkness shed in Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes. He did not think that it was an unintentional mistake. Someone had appeared at the door and blocked his exit just as he discovered the woman whose clothes were in disarray.

    That was too much of a coincidence!

    With Qin Yufeng¡¯s intelligence, he would naturally not believe that there was such a coincidence in this world. Someone was trying to frame him!

    ¡°Feng¡¯er, it¡¯s true that someone will take responsibility?¡± The Old Madam frowned in confusion when she heard that there was still a chance.

    ¡°Grandmother, Mo Yufeng sought me out earlier and said that he was willing to take responsibility. He likes that girl very much.¡± Qin Yufeng said with a smile and took the tea that a maid brought him. He gave it to the Old Madam and exined. ¡°Grandmother, given Mo Manor¡¯s status, it is already a good thing for that woman to be able to marry him.¡±

    ¡°Mo Yufeng? It can¡¯t be!¡± Lord Qin said in surprise and doubt.

    ¡°Father, if you don¡¯t believe me,e and seeter. Rest assured, I will not allow that woman to enter our family.¡± Qin Yufeng guaranteed with a smile. Lord Qin¡¯s expression rxed slightly with his assurance.

 Chapter 295 - Mo Yufeng Was Wronged

    <h4>Chapter 295 Mo Yufeng Was Wronged</h4>

    It was already the second day when Mo Xuetong heard that Mo Yufeng was going to marry Lady Li. His father had already sent the message out.

    This matter originally had nothing to do with her. This morning, when she went to greet Xu Yan, she heard that Father was angry the previous night, and had beaten Mo Yufeng so harshly that he could not get out of the bed. Furthermore, he was also grounded and wasn¡¯t allowed out of the house.

    She could not understand how so much drama originated from this marriage. Furthermore, she was amazed at the hastiness of the event. Ever since the message had been sent out, Father arranged for the marriage gifts. He did not specify quantity or quality, asking Xu Yan to decide, which meant that he did not intend to put any effort into it.

    The sloppiness of Father¡¯s actions was unlike that of his meticulous personality, especially towards the marriage of his only son.

    Mo Xuetong was full of doubts. After thinking about it for a while in Qingwei Garden, she sent Mo Ye out.

    At noon, the messenger came back with a reply for Xu Yan. The marriage had been settled!

    Mo Xuetong thought about it before going to Yanyu House, meeting the delightful messenger on her way there.

    When she entered Yanyu House, before she even spoke, Xu Yan ordered the servants to retreat, leaving the space private to Mo Xuetong and her.

    ¡°Mother, why is my brother¡¯s marriage so rushed?¡± Sitting beside Xu Yan, Mo Xuetong asked curiously. The marriage came iprehensibly quick.

    ¡°I heard... that it would be toote if he does not marry...¡± Xu Yan blushed and uttered the words out. It¡¯s difficult for her to exin the situation to her unmarried stepdaughter. However, rumors would eventually spread to her ears, and the truth of this unmorous marriage would be known sooner orter.

    ¡°How can that be the case!¡± Mo Xuetong understood and asked in shock, unable to believe what she heard.

    It this matter was true, her father, who cared a lot about his reputation, must be furious.

    Sighing, Xu Yan continued, ¡°Therefore, your father suggested that the two families will merely send each other some simple gifts. After all, he is the son of a concubine and there¡¯s no need to put so much effort into the wedding.¡± Xu Yan didn¡¯t seem to be upset as she exined the situation.

    That¡¯s true. If Mo Yufeng was apetent child, it would be very difficult for her son toplete in the future. Luckily, in his father¡¯s eyes, he was merely a useless son of a concubine. Xu Yan was probably secretly delighted.

    Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief too as she realized that those words meant that Father had given up on Mo Yufeng. That¡¯s good as great expectations would only bring great disappointments in the future. Giving up on him early would mean that his bastardly actions would not anger Father as much in the future. She was never close to Mo Yufeng anyways, for Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang bullied her in her previous life because they had Mo Yufeng as their support.

    Mo Xuetong exchanged some polite words with Xu Yan before returning to Qingwei Garden.

    As she entered her room, she found that Mo Ye had been waiting there. Seeing that Mo Xuetong arrived, she came forth to report her findings. Thus, a spectacr drama appeared before Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. The twists and turns within it were absolutely no less than an actual show, perhaps even more dramatic.

    It was rumored that Lady Li was born from a wealthy family, the daughter of a rich businessman from Jiangnan. She was sixteen years old, the best age for a woman. She was pretty and her mother was a cousin of Ding General, meaning that she was rted to the empress¡¯s family.

    She just came to the imperial city from Jiangnan a few days ago and was living in a new mansion. With mysterious reasons, someone kidnapped the girl one day. Afterward, she was found meeting with a young man, scantily dressed. After having found out, the man hid his face with a fan and left, disappearing.

    People then heard rumors that the house was a property owned by the oldest son of Qin family. Thus, the Li family went to Qin family and asked Qin Yufeng to bear responsibility for his actions. This matter spread far and wide, and the entire imperial city knew about this joke of a matter.

    The proper descendent of Qin family, the handsome and famous Qin Yufeng, would never marry the daughter of a businesswoman under such indecent circumstances. However, this matter had already spread far and wide, and it would be impossible to cover it up. It was also rumored that those from the Qin family had chased the Li family out.

    It was reasonable as the knowledgeable Qin Yufeng would find it difficult to enter politics if he was involved in such scandals. Lord Qin always had high hopes for his son and would not let a woman ruin his son¡¯s future. Moreover, no one saw his son there and he would definitely deny the usation.

    While Qin family refused to acknowledge their wrongdoing, Li family spread the news that Lady Li had a token of love that Qin Yufeng left. When thee over again, they would show everyone the token and ask everyone to witness it. They had to let the young master of the Qin family be responsible for his actions or their girl could never get married.

    Everyone was interested in how the drama unfolded. The more mysterious the matter, the wider it spread.

    No one expected Mo Yufeng to suddenly involve himself in the drama.

    He announced that the man was him, and thus he came forth to ask for the maiden¡¯s marriage.

    Li family was d that someone was willing to take responsibility, and was delighted that it was the only son of lord mayor. Even though he was only the son of a concubine, he could take over the entire family in the future and thus Li family agreed on the spot. They awarded the messenger ten pounds of silver and asked Mo family to quickly marry the girl, as she could already bear the child of Mo family.

    Although Li family was the family of a rich businessman, they were always in contact with the peasants and thus their words were vulgar. Hence, when Mo Xuetong asked Xu Yan, she struggled to exin what they said, embarrassed.

    If she did not ask Mo Ye to investigate the details, she would not have expected such huge drama.

    ¡°Miss, Lady Li is so stupid. How did she not know who the person was when she was scantily dressed with him for so long.¡± Mo Yuined in disdain as she was curious about how Lady Li did not know who the person was when the two were together for so long.

    Mo Xuetong smiled happily as she picked up needles beside her, sewing casually. Smiling, she eximed, ¡°Lady Li wasn¡¯t the stupidest. The stupidest would be my brother!¡±

    ¡°Miss, why would sir be stupid. He is so sly! Once Auntie Fang got into trouble, he never mentioned her name again. Before that, he had always mentioned Auntie Fang with respect and filial piety.¡± Mo Yu never liked Mo Yufeng as she remembered that he had always been arrogant towards her master. Thus, she mocked him.

    Mo Xuetong ced down the needles in her hands and did not continue the conversation. Turning to look at Mo Yu, she smiled thoughtfully.

    Mo Yu was confused at Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile and thus looked at her with confusion.

    ¡°Mo Yu, did Nanny Ming ask you to investigate young master?¡± At the side, Mo Lan smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true...¡± Mo Yu¡¯s face reddens as she ced down the box she was arranging, kneeling in front of Mo Xuetong at once. Frustrated, sheined, ¡°Miss, please do not ask Nanny Ming to send me there again. There¡¯s no information at where young master resides. Out of the ten servants in his house, eight slept with him. Those seductive bitches all thought they were the masters! They made me mad.¡±

    ¡°They all treat you like their servants?¡± Mo Xuetong asked inly, trying to hide her smile from her chubby white face.

    Beside her, Mo Ye found her expression familiar.

    ¡°They won¡¯t dare!¡± Mo Yu was annoyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just treat what you saw and what you hear as stories. Regardless of the taste, it¡¯s important that you experienced it. We don¡¯t need you to do anything. If you join them, they would be busy ttering you!¡± Mo Xuetong exined casually as she mocked her.

    ¡°Miss...¡± Mo Yu pulled on the clothes of her master.

    ¡°Alright, alright, get up. Nanny Ming can only ask you to go as she only trusts you three. She will be worried if she didn¡¯t have you covering that ce.¡± Mo Xuetong pulled Mo Yu¡¯s hand, trying to pull her up.

    Seeing that herdy personally came to pull her up, Mo Yu didn¡¯t resist. Thinking about it, she realized that only the three of them were useful to her master as they followed Nanny Ming from Cloud City. Mo Ye knew kung fu and was naturally in charge of protecting herdy. Mo Lan was alwaysposed and had to stay next to herdy to settle problems. Only she seemed to have no talent, with only one way of contribution.

    ¡°Only stupid things ever ur in the young master¡¯s household.¡± She continued toin.

    She was mostly unsatisfied that the roles of concubines and servants were ambiguous in that household, as all the servants tried to convince her to be a sexual servant for the young master. They exined that the young master had long been interested in her, and she would be his concubine if she followed him.

    If she gave birth to a son in the future, she could even be his wife.

    Even though Mo Yu was not asposed as Mo Lan, she was smart too. She knew that the young master was only interested in her because she was the confidant of herdy. She knew that the young master would love to find an opportunity to harm herdy, and he would definitely force her to harm herdy if she followed him.

    However, as an unmarried woman, she was afraid to voice out her concerns, choosing only to hint to Mo Xuetong. Hence, she took the opportunity and pretended to beining. Since the young master tried to entice him, her other servants could be enticed as well.

    She also wanted to show her loyalty.

    In this case, the intelligent Mo Xuetong immediately understood what she meant and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mo Yu. I really could not bear to leave you. Just visit the ce from time to time, and leave the rest of the problem to Nanny Ming.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will always listen to mydy.¡± Mo Yu promised.

    Mo Xuetong did not intend to pursue Mo Yufeng¡¯s matter as she knew that Qin Yufeng was definitely involved. As sly as Qin Yufeng was, he would never get the bad end of a deal. Furthermore, he was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s adviser, advising him on how to obtain the Great Qin for himself. A promiscuous man like Mo Yufeng could not bepared to him at all.

    He would definitely lose out!

    However, she did not know who set Qin Yufeng up. It¡¯s extremely hurtful to Qin Yufeng for such rumors to spread. Furthermore, they even came over to his house and spread the matter all over the city. It¡¯s truly a defeat for him as he almost married Lady Li.

    She wondered if Qin Yufeng had ever experienced such a big loss in his life.

    However, being Qin Yufeng, he threw the problem to Mo Yufeng at once. It seemed that Mo Yufeng would lose out more.

    In the afternoon, the manor became busy as everyone was looking for possible gifts from inside the manor due to the haste. When he returned to the manor, Mo Huawen merely said ¡°There¡¯s no need to be exquisite¡± before throwing the problem to Xu Yan.

    It was a mess in the manor.

    Mo Xuetong had settled her gifts and was thus not involved. After having her dinner, she became sleepy and slept early. She had numerous headaches during this period of time and checked her pulse to see if she was sick, but found no abnormality. She knew that winter wasing and thus she might be tired from the change in seasons.

    She woke up groggy and remembered a strange voice in her dream. In her previous life, when the fire was burning around her, someone did charge in to find her...

 Chapter 296 - Heartbroken as Feng Yuran Was Hurt

    <h4>Chapter 296 Heartbroken as Feng Yuran Was Hurt</h4>

    The scorching fire burnt her, making her unable to open her eyes out of pain. Thus, he could not see the man who charged into the fire to save her, regardless of the burning fire on her body. The passionate hug and the frightened voice signaled that the man was afraid of losing her...

    However, she wondered who could be the one saving her as she could not see the person¡¯s face with the zing fire surrounding her. She gradually became unconscious, remembering only the shriek of a man. The man teared up. She was dreaming again. Then, she pondered who the man could be as few cared about her in her previous life!

    She was only a tool to be used by others and loved by none. She could not figure out who would care so much about her to call out her name in fright as he charged into the fire for her. In her previous life, she was so naive that she would sacrifice everything for such a man.

    However, in her previous life, she was surrounded by deception, and no one truly cared about her despite this humble wish.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡± Someone called out beside her. His voice was full of concern. She wondered why was she still dreaming. Could it be because she longed for care and love?

    Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt intense heartache as if her heart were about to be torn apart. As she tightened her fist, she realized that she did not want much from the world.

    Looking at the desperate and fragile expression on the beautiful face in front of him, Feng Yuran stretched out his hand to touch her face, swapping away the cold sweat on her forehead. Concerned, he cried out, ¡°Tong¡¯er, wake up! Wake up!¡±

    This voice and action finally made Mo Xuetong open her eyes in surprise. Looking at the delicate handsome face in front of her, she was stunned as she was confused about her situation. Unconsciously, she tightened her fists and put them in front of her breast. This action of caution made Feng Yuran disheartened yet sympathetic.

    What kind of experiences could make a young girl so afraid!

    Looking at the cold sweat and tears all over her face, his heart hurt like never before! Could this injured, fragile, and even desperate girl really be the strong, intelligent and sly Mo Xuetong!

    No matter who hurt her, he would make them pay the price.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what happened? Did you have a nightmare?¡± He took out a white handkerchief and wiped the tears off her face. Hiszy voice seemed to be like an ancient wine, warming the heart of the girl.

    Slowly, Mo Xuetong became sober as she blinked her eyes, regaining her bright eyes. Suddenly, she sprung up from the bed and surveyed the surroundings. ¡°Where is this?¡±

    This was not her room!

    There was a row of bookshelves next to the window on her left. On her right was a wide table, with a bed inside the room. She was lying on the couch with Feng Yuran. Even though the two were fully clothed, which meant that someone had dressed her, she panicked as the two were extremely close on the bed.

    Immediately, she forgot all about the dream, leaving only a slight panic in her eyes.

    She was not suspicious of Feng Yuran, but he was in a terrible state.

    Therge purple robes around him were not tightened as he did not use a belt. His long ck hair was not bundled up as well,plimenting his pretty face. His hair looked messy, perhaps because he was lying on the bed. A few strands of hair rested on his shoulders, making him lookzy and casual.

    The interior was lit, making the small ce bright. The beautiful features shone pale under the light as his eyes spoke of fatigue. Even though he was smiling gently, he did not look well. The incense by the window side gave off a simr smell like his, a light and refreshing one.

    However, Mo Xuetong did smell something amiss.

    He examined at thezy Feng Yuran beside her, who was still wiping tears off her face, with suspicion. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Feng Yuran frowned as he put down the handkerchief, joking, ¡°Do you want to ask the first or second question? You asked me question after question, giving me no time to respond.¡±

    ¡°Second one!¡± Mo Xuetong rejected the hand that stretched out to toy with her hair. Her hair was still the same as when she went to bed, scattered all over her shoulders. She looked weaker but brighter.

    ¡°Long story...¡± Feng Yuran smiled as he spoke.

    Mo Xuetong stopped him impolitely, stretching out to his robe as she spoke, ¡°So the point is...¡±

    ¡°Sigh, Tong¡¯er, even though father has approved of my marriage, but we are still not yet husband and wife. It¡¯s not proper to do this now.¡± Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand towards him as he squeezed it, joking around in the process.

    ¡°Are you going to say, or am I going to look at it myself?¡± Mo Xuetong stared at him, determined. She was angry as the slight sandal scent could not cover the smell of blood on his body.

    Under her fury gaze, Feng Yuran gave in and smiled bitterly, pampering her. ¡°Tong¡¯er, I am injured.¡±

    ¡°How? Let me see.¡± Mo Xuetong pped his hand away and insisted on opening his robe. His robe was not tightened and thus was easily pulled open. As she pulled the robe open, she realized that he had a thickyer of cloth covering his chest, making it impossible to tighten the robe. Blood sipped from under the cloth. Even though she could not see his injuries, she knew he was severely injured.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips turned pale at the discovery as her lips shivered. He was indeed injured! Like the rumors, he was severely injured!

    No wonder he had an incense here.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I¡¯m in pain.¡± Feng Yuran smiled gently as he pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand towards her. His eyes were watery, making his expression extremely moving.

    Angrily, Mo Xuetong knocked his hand away from her and asked coldly while pointing at his chest. ¡°What is this?¡±

    She never believed in the rumors outside.

    He could feel the concern Mo Xuetong had for him and thus his bright eyes lit up more, flickering under the light as if they were light reflecting on pure water.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, someone stabbed me. It¡¯s an assassination.¡± Feng Yuran nodded his head bitterly as if he were greatly wronged.

    ¡°Lie down properly.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed Feng Yuran away and sat upright so he could have the full space to lie down. She then removed on one of the pillows behind him as she asked him angrily, ¡°Did you really go and drink in the brothel?¡±

    He was obviously being stabbed, and yet he spread the news that it was due to the copse of the building.

    ¡°Please, Tong¡¯er, I will never go and drink in a brothel! Someone tried to frame me. Come, look at me Tong¡¯er, does this injury looks like it¡¯s from a copsed building! Come on, Tong¡¯er, you must never believe in what they say about me as all sorts of people exist nowadays. You must believe in my character, Tong¡¯er!¡± As if he had been greatly wronged, Feng Yuran eximed angrily. He was trying to pacify Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and ignored him!

    He had to be the one who spread the news out as everyone was convinced of the incident at the brothel! Yet he still imed otherwise!

    ¡°Who sent the assassin here? Why do you not want to tell the truth?¡± Mo Xuetong raised her head and frowned. He shouldn¡¯t be hiding the assassination as everyone was injured, with his injury being the worst. As long as Emperor Zongwen saw this wound, he would believe that someone wanted his life, and there was no need to hide that.

    As she spoke, she reached out to remove the cloth covering his wound. As blood had sipped out, it was time to change the bandage.

    ¡°It¡¯s not good for brothers to keep trying to kill each other. I shouldn¡¯t tell Father or he will be mad again.¡± Frowning, Feng Yuran twisted his body, making it easier for Mo Xuetong to untie his bandage.

    Mo Xuetong was a bit annoyed at his tant lies and thus pressed on his wound lightly. He screamed out in pain, with endurance written all over his pale face. Suddenly, Mo Xuetong was reluctant to touch his wound anymore as her hand trembled.

    After a long while, she took a deep breath and continued untying the bandageyer byyer, regaining herposure. When all the cloth was untied, Mo Xuetong was shocked to find arge wound from the left chest to the lower right abdomen. Even her heart trembled with this discovery.

    She almost couldn¡¯t see him again!

    This understanding made her pale with fright, as her limbs turned cold. At this moment, even her heart seemed to stop beating. He, how could he...

    Tears rushed up to her eyes and she had to bite her lips to control the emotions in her heart.

    She could not understand that emotion as it seemed to be a mixture of fear and sadness. She could only feel the blunt pain on her heart.

    She was afraid! It was the first time that she had ever felt fear since her rebirth. Beside her, a warm hand surrounded her and grabbed her hands. She seemed to use that as a support, grabbing on to it immediately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not painful.¡± His voice was deep and cheerful.

    However, it was painful for her. She was in great pain and great fear. Biting her lips, she was unable to form a sentence. Staring at the long gash on his body, the calmness in her eyes disappeared. Instead, she was overwhelmed by emotions.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s long slit eyes spoke of gentleness as he smiled, promising her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. I didn¡¯t make himfortable as well. He was still lying on the bed now and his hand would nearly be useless. He could at most write a few words from now on.¡±

    Someone¡¯s hand was injured, and could not get up from his bed.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes blinked as she suddenly understood the situation. As tears flowed down her face, she became immensely angry. Pushing his hands away, she asked coldly, ¡°Where are the bandage and medication?¡±

    Feng Yuran did not expect Mo Xuetong to be suddenly angry and became anxious. His seductive face disappeared as he called out, ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Mo Xuetong ignored his call and searched the medicine box beside her. Indeed, she found white cotton and medication inside. Smelling the drug, she was sure that those medications were for external injuries and thus ced them aside at her disposal. Quickly, she applied the medicine onto his wound before cutting arge part of the white cotton away.

    With a cold gaze focused on him, she signaled for him to lift his body up. Feng Yuran followed her request, ttering her as he stared at her puny face. Mo Xuetong carefully bandaged himyer afteryer. Every single time she approached him to bandage his wound, Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were all smiles.

    Tong¡¯er was worried about him! She was angry that he did not take care of himself!

    That understanding made him touched, as he felt sweetness akin to drinking a full jar of honey!

 Chapter 297 - The Truth behind Qin Yufengs Case

    <h4>Chapter 297 The Truth behind Qin Yufeng¡¯s Case</h4>

    ¡°Why did you go and find Feng Yuxuan?¡± Mo Xuetong was about to cry, and thus she turned her head around to hide her tears.

    Nonchntly, Feng Yuran replied, ¡°It was more satisfying to do it myself.¡±

    She did not believe in it herself as Feng Yuxuan was immediately injured after he tried assassinating her. Furthermore, his severe injury made her teared up in regret. She didn¡¯t know what exactly she was feeling, as she was being overwhelmed by pain and hatred. For that instance, she knew not what to say, choosing to ignore him and focus on bandaging.

    Biting her lips, she stared at the man with her red eyes. She was shocked, surprised, upset, and a little touched... All these different emotions merged into that of anger. However, her pitiful and fragile look concealed her anger, as it looked more like a moan than anything else. A light mist covered her watery eyes, making her even more distressed and delicate.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong did not reply and was instead focusing on the bandage, as well as the fact that her face was one of displeasure, Feng Yuran stretched out his hand to pull her clothes. Touching her hair gently, he asked with anticipation, ¡°Are you worried about me, Tong¡¯er?¡±

    Even though the pair of eyes were seductive still, he could not suppress the anticipation and nervousness in his eyes!

    She waited and begged for her entire life, even sacrificing her life, just so she could have such a moment. In her previous life, she had always been met with nonchnce. But now, Mo Xuetong saw the concern from this devilishly handsome King Xuan. She bit her lips to suppress the surging emotions in her heart.

    This man had always been at a high status, being the most doted son of Emperor Zongwen. However, he was willing to be in danger for her and injured himself just to get revenge for her. It would be heartless for her to not be touched by these actions. The heartwarming emotions in this life and the disappointment in her previous lifebined into a veryplex emotion.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. You can enter my manor anytime you want. If anyone dares to stop you, I will sh them.¡± Feng Yuran was serious in his words. Holding on to her thin shoulders, he suddenly used strength, forcing Mo Xuetong to fall on him involuntarily.

    Seeing that she was about to fall on his wound, Mo Xuetong stretched out her hand to support herself to prevent further injuries.

    ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Mo Xuetong was annoyed and was about to straighten her body when the ground trembled. She then fell on him identally. Fortunately, she was quick to act and slented her body to fall in Feng Yuran¡¯s open arms. He hugged her tightly as if he had nned it all along.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness, there is a rock under the carriage. I didn¡¯t see it just now. Are you OK?¡± Before Mo Xuetong couldin, someone outside spoke.

    No wonder this ce seemed weird. It¡¯s a carriage and not a house!

    Mo Xuetong only had time to react to that statement when the man beside her answeredzily. ¡°I¡¯m OK!¡±

    The voice outside disappeared.

    Mo Xuetong wanted to seat upright when Feng Yuran turned around and pushed her body under his, with his handsome face was inches away from hers. That handsome face wore a devilish smile that also contained emotions of love and concern. He did nothing and merely stared at her intensely, his solid and wide chest against her breasts. The masculine aura of him attacked her senses.

    At that moment, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face blushed red as she immediately turned her face aside and pushed Feng Yuran¡¯s face away. ¡°Get... get away from me.¡±

    When she raised her hand, she found that her hands were pushed to her sides, and she found it difficult to pull them out. Anxious, she shouted, ¡°Let go...¡±

    She sounded like she was pleading softly, with tremors in her voice. The anxious voice was coupled with a touch of tenderness that evoked sympathy.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s pupils darkened as he lowered his body. Before she could catch what he wanted to do, he had already swallowed her cherry lips in his mouth.

    The faint fragrance on her body, coupled with the smell of testosterone and blood formed a dominating aura that enveloped her. His lips gently fall on hers as if they were his most precious treasure. Mo Xuetong became dizzy as she struggled to think properly, with her brain at a nk state.

    She did not know why she was there, was unaware of why she was on the carriage and didn¡¯t want to ask where the carriage was heading towards. Tightly hugged by the man she loved, she could hardly breathe as she was suffocated by his strength. She could only struggle to push his hands away but she was too feeble inparison to his strength.

    In that situation, the devilish gaze focused only on the beautiful face of the girl under him.

    Feng Yuran kissed her forcefully as she hugged his head and smelled it, sensing the enchanting aura she gave off. Suddenly, he pushed her away, gasping for air. However, he did not leave her, choosing instead to stare at her with his dark pupils. His beautiful face turned red seductively. He had always been devilishly beautiful, and now his dominating aura merely made his charm irresistible.

    Mo Xuetong gasped for air too. As she enjoyed the fresh air, she was still entranced by the beauty before her, staring at him with ecstasy. She could not utter a single word.

    She was staring at him and he was also doing the same!

    Her watery eyes were clear yet confused, as if she could not understand the situation. She fluttered her long eyshes as she gasped for air, giving off an unusually seductive vibe. The taste of his lips still lingered on her bright red lips. The pinkness that shone through them seemed like a silent invitation.

    Feng Yuran pushed her down again. He used one hand to control her hands, preventing her from moving, while his other hand hugged her slim waist. While he was definitely not experienced at the art of lovemaking, he was smart enough to invent these moves.

    In her previous life, she had never been so doted by any man before. That jade-like skin beneath the bright light made her shiver as she gazed back at him with her misty eyes, which gave off a gentle grace.

    Suddenly, she remembered that when she married Sima Lingyun, he never cared about her pain when they made love during the night of their marriage. He even left after the act was done.

    She was cold and in pain that night while being extremely embarrassed.

    Even though it was in her previous life, Mo Xuetong¡¯s body shivered involuntarily as she thought of her past. Immediately, she became sober as she revealed her fragility and fear.

    Noticing that she was ufortable, Feng Yuran stopped as a simmer of guilt shed across his eyes. He reflected on his action as he thought that he had scared Tong¡¯er and she was still young.

    Mo Xuetong did not know how to react, and could only look at his handsome red face with embarrassment. She saw as he tried to control his breathing and calm himself down. He closed his eyes and opening them after a while when he had regained hisposure. He had returned to thezy prince with a gentle smile.

    He released both the hands holding her andid back down on the bed. Feng Yuran took a deep breath and blinked as he tilted his head. Suddenly, he smiled at Mo Xuetong, ¡°Tong¡¯er, let me take you to a good ce!¡±

    Feng Yuran immediately stood up and Mo Xuetong turned sober in the process. She stared at him before focusing on his chest. Fortunately, the bandage was still white, signaling that his wound did not break open.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. I am almost fully recovered. Feng Yuxuan was not so lucky though. Even though he had a master hidden next to him, I struck unpredictably. Now, his hand had all its nerves broken, and could only move a bit.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were full of confidence, as his pupils shimmered like the dark jade. Heid asidezily, as enchanting as mellow wine.

    ¡°Why do you have to go personally, instead of asking your assassins to do it?¡± Mo Xuetong disagreed with his actions.

    ¡°My assassins were distracting his assassins. I didn¡¯t expect Qin Yufeng to be a master, being able to guard him so perfectly. It was indeed indicative of a guilty man who did do something wrong. Since the two of them did hurt you, I would not let them go so easily.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes appeared cold.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s memory shed as she pulled his sleeves, wide eyes opened as she eximed, ¡°Did you n Qin Yufeng¡¯s matter too?¡±

    It was no wonder that even a smart man like Qin Yufeng was forced into such a state, having his drama known all across the city. It waspletely differentpared to his normal low-key demeanor. Normal men could never deal with the sly Qin Yufeng, and she vowed to stay away from him in this life.

    Of course, this cunning fox in the shape of amb in front of her was no average man.

    ¡°How can I forgive Qin Yufeng, who was the mastermind behind all this! It will be great to have him marry a slut! But unfortunately, your useless brother did admit his own doing. It would be interesting to let the Qin kid take care of someone else¡¯s son.¡± Feng Yuran nced at her and smiled.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s brother was no kind man, and Feng Yuran had long wanted to teach the man a lesson. However, this would mean that Qin Yufeng would resolve his problem, making Feng Yuran unsatisfied. If not for the fact that he was still injured and wanted to lie low, Qin Yufeng would seek revenge on this matter. But for now, Feng Yuran would be the one targeting Qin Yufeng.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked that Lady Li was bearing a kid! How would things work out then?

    Even though Father was indeed disappointed with Mo Yufeng, he would not allow a woman to bring a kid from another family under his household. Judging Lady Li to be indeed a horrible woman, Mo Xuetong was at a loss of words, choosing to nkly stare at Feng Yuran. She blinked her eyes, looking stunned.

    Looking at the confuzzled expression of Mo Xuetong, Feng Yuran smiled. He was not smiling devilishly like before but was instead bearing a pure smile like any other normal 16-year-old teenager. The dazzling brilliance on his gorgeous face made people hard to take their eyes off them.

    Noticing the delighted expression of the man, Mo Xuetong felt happy for him before feeling sympathetic.

    His mother died when he was then, and he almost lost his life soon after. To stay alive, he practiced kung fu in the depths of mountains before returning to the pce. In those environments, it must be rare for him tough out loud and let his mind rx. In theplex environment of the pce, he must be on his toes at all times!

    Therefore, he spread rumors of his provocative nature. If not for that, he would be public enemy number one, and the pce would not protect him from that. He must have suffered a lot and worked very hard to have such power today...

    Pondering about his sufferings, Mo Xuetong examined his wound once more. Softly, she asked, ¡°Is it painful?¡±

    Perhaps the expression of Mo Xuetong pleased him, Feng Yuran nodded his head in joy. ¡°Tong¡¯er, it¡¯s painful. You must treat me better in the future.¡±

 Chapter 298 - The Commotion in Front of Qin Manor

    <h4>Chapter 298 The Commotion in Front of Qin Manor</h4>

    Mo Xuetong was at a loss for words as she could notprehend his logic. After a while, she smiled bitterly and asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bringing you to see a show. I promise that you will like it.¡± Feng Yuran smiled gently as he inched closer to her. ¡°Look at how I seek revenge for you.¡±

    ¡°Whose show?¡± Mo Xuetong asked curiously.

    ¡°Who else? Definitely the genius Qin Yufeng who thought that he had your brother under control.¡± Feng Yuran said as he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face with caution. Seeing theughter and delight on her face, he was immediately delighted. His men had personally seen Qin Yufeng and his men outside King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    That meant he wanted to kidnap Mo Xuetong. Qin Yufeng also ordered his men to never hurt the girl.

    Feng Yuran was extremely upset that Qin Yufeng had Tong¡¯er in his mind. Thus, even though Qin Yufeng escaped from his trap, he must let Qin Yufeng be embarrassed in front of Tong¡¯er. Hence, he ¡°abducted¡± Mo Xuetong despite his injury. He could not endure others spying on his woman.

    Since Qin Yufeng tried to harm Tong¡¯er, he should not expect the woman to have gratitude towards him.

    He brought Mo Xuetong over hastily towards Qin manor to see Qin Yufeng in trouble. The greater trouble Qin Yufeng was in, the happier he would be.

    Qin Yufeng was indeed in trouble, having the worst headache he ever had.

    Originally, he thought that the matter was resolved but there was an aftermath to this incident. Someone revealed his recent visit to Jiangnan and hinted that Lady Li was pregnant. Furthermore, the infant was conceived around a simr time when he was in Jiangnan. That¡¯s incredible news and Mo Huawen immediately rejected the marriage in the evening.

    Qin Yufeng was involved in the entire matter.

    No one dared to bear responsibility for the child in Lady Li¡¯s womb, and thus the Li family refused to settle down. Even though it¡¯s evening, he charged with Lady Li to Qin Manor. Front of the manor was well lit withnterns, with a small carriage in front of the door and the crying of a woman inside. Amotion was created before the two families even met, as many gathered around to see the drama.

    The troubled Lord Qin was facing an extravagant dressed middle-aged man with two thick gold nes on his neck. He was speechless in this confrontation. As the left imperial censor, he was in charge of debaters in the government, and he had to be innocent and clear to convince others.

    With such a scandal, he would not be able to have the respect of his men. Furthermore, he would need to confess his crime on court tomorrow morning, for having raised a son that conducted such an improper act. Although he had faith in his outstanding son, he could not deny the evidence of the jade that they brought.

    The jade was a family heirloom of the Qin family, with one held by Qin Yufeng and the other held by Qin Yuxuan. When the two jade werebined together, they form a whole piece. Qin Yufeng held the right half and Qin Yuxuan held the left half. With one nce, he knew that it was Qin Yufeng¡¯s jade.

    Qin Yuxuan was unconvinced and wanted to jump out and argue with the Li family. As a reckless fellow, he could not endure such usation and had been suppressing himself for a long while. He knew his brother well and was convinced that his brother was not a man who was particrly interested in women, and would not have such a fling.

    Qin Yufeng frowned and pulled Qin Yuxuan to stop his impulses. If he could not handle this matter well, he would get Father into trouble. Now, he was unsure of who he had offended that got him into trouble time after time, making him suffer in silence.

    He went to Jiangnanst time for King Chu, and the person knew he could not exin himself on this matter.

    Qin Yufeng, who was known for his wit, had never suffered such a loss before. Fortunately, he remainedposed and ventured forth towards the talkative man. He replied calmly, ¡°You said that your daughter is a good woman who never ventured out of the house on her own, meaning that I must have abducted her, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! How can my innocent girl be involved in such a matter? She had always stayed in her house and was always like otherdies. Even though we are businessmen, we followed thew of Ding General Manor, and our girls are no less inferior than those from the officials¡¯ families as they learned everything from inside the manor.¡± The middle-aged man pounded on his chest and promised.

    ¡°Since your back garden is so secure, how did I enter your house to meet yourdy? How did I have sex with her with no one noticing? Furthermore, how can a weak schr like me enter your garden?¡± Qin Yufeng smiled coldly and pointed out the ws in his argument.

    The face of the middle-aged man froze as he was at a loss for words, with his face turning purple and ck in confusion. Biting his teeth, he wanted to continue arguing when Qin Yufeng insisted, ¡°You imed that I was the one abducting your girl. Alright, bring your girl back. When she had her child, I will conduct a parental blood test with the child. If it is really my child, I will marry your girl immediately. If not, you will need to be jailed for framing me, with all your wealth confiscated and all your members turned into servants!¡±

    Towards the end, Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes turned cold with hatred.

    He was angry since he had been repeatedly provoked.

    The middle-aged man did not expect Qin Yufeng to not argue with him and promised to ept the marriage if they did have a blood parental test. However, their family could not handle the consequences as his daughter¡¯s son was his nephew¡¯s one, and he dared notmit to the agreement.

    He came to the imperial city today to get rid of the useless nephew and marry his daughter. However, he did not expect his daughter to be pregnant already. Furthermore, he did not expect his daughter to sleep with this man, clothes disheveled. It¡¯s a great opportunity to marry his daughter to someone, especially since he visited Jiangnan a while back.

    The coincidental time and behavior made Old Sir Li delighted, as he was worried about his daughter¡¯s marriage. Now, he would pester the young man to the very end.

    However, someone else was willing to take the me. Old Sir Li was delighted to know that the man was a son of a third-grade official. His daughter could easily be the wife of an aristocrat, with her son possibly inheriting the entirety of Mo Manor. That¡¯s an excellent deal!

    However, Old Sir Li could not anticipate the changes within the capital city itself.

    While the deal was sealed in the morning, news erupted in the afternoon and Mo Manor was determined to reject the marriage. With his daughter¡¯s reputation ruined, Old Sir Li went to Qin Manor to create amotion, determined that Qin Yufeng must bear the responsibility since his daughter had his lost jade pendant.

    Who else could prove it other than the two parties themselves?

    Old Sir Li was convinced that this marriage would be settled but he did not expect Young Sir Qin to be so calm in even suggesting that the girl should give birth to her child first. A born child could not be returned to the womb, and it would be devastating to the Li family if it was not Qin Yufeng¡¯s child.

    Furthermore, the cold arrogance from Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes made him froze with fear. However, he was unwilling to settle the matter and thus bit his teeth, putting up a front. ¡°Young Master Qin, how can you deny the im! You, you are outrageous! I am going to find Ding General for justice.¡±

    He believed that Qin Manor would give Ding General Manor face as Ding General Manor was an extremely prestigious family, having two generations of their children as empresses. Even though they did not know him, he could bluff the Qin family into it.

    Knowing that he was using the power of Ding General to suppress him, Qin Yufeng sneered as he walked up, whispering, ¡°Old Sir Li, you must be clear about matters concerning your daughter. If I say now that I gave my jade penchant to a servant in my manor, would your precious daughter be willing to marry him and be a maid here?¡±

    His eyes were ferocious and threatening like a sharp de that fell on Old Sir Li¡¯s face and made him shiver in fright. If that was the case, he could only marry her daughter to a servant. The thought of her precious daughter being ordered around made Old Sir Li afraid.

    He dared not to sacrifice everything. Furthermore, he knew that Ding General Manor would not be concerned with his marriage, as his maid had been chased out of Ding General Manor this morning. However, what could his daughter do now?

    He was dumbfounded!

    ¡°Old Sir Li, I will settle your daughter¡¯s marriage. It would be easy for her to enter an aristocratic family. Just let her abort the child and I will have a n to let her marry into a family without ruining his reputation. If you still want to focus on me, your family will be ruined regardless of which path you take.¡± Seeing that he was hesitant, Qin Yufeng frowned and tempted him.

    ¡°My daughter can... marry into an aristocratic family?¡± Bearing love for his daughter, Old Sir Li asked with uncertainty.

    ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t believe me. You can hold my jade penchant and return me when your daughter marries into the aristocracy.¡±

    Holding the hade pendant meant that they had evidence of Qin Yufeng¡¯s acts. Even if Qin Yufeng did notmit his promise, they cane here and stir up anothermotion. Upon further thought, Old Sir Li decided that this idea was excellent. He could not afford to offend this gentle yet vicious young man.

    Furthermore, as the Young Master in aristocrat family, he could sacrifice his career to ruin their lives if they forced him to have another man¡¯s son.

    Having understood that, Old Master Li immediately stopped making trouble. He went to the front of the carriage and said something before stamping his feet in rage as if he wanted to beat up the person inside the carriage. The maid in front of the carriage pulled him away, shouting, ¡°Old Sir, forgive miss. Miss was afraid and just uttered a random name! Forgive her!¡±

    ¡°What did I tell her before? Not only did she not follow a woman¡¯s conduct, but she also lied and hurt both us and them! I shall beat her to death!¡± Old Sir Li was jumping up and down, apparently, he was so angry that he lost control of his voice.

    Everyone around them was all stupefied! This was a new situation!

    ¡°Old Sir Li, since your daughter said that I was not the one, let¡¯s not make a fuss here. It¡¯s not good for her reputation if you continue making a fuss. Please return andplete the marriage with her husband when hees to the capital.¡± With his handsome face, Qin Yufeng¡¯s was all smiles as he held on to Old Sir Li¡¯s hands as if he wereforting him.

    This meant... he was the wrong person? The crowd was confused!

    That¡¯s an absurdly fast change!

    ¡°Young Master Qin, I¡¯m so sorry for today. My girl is ill-disciplined to have had stated a huge lie and has tarnished your reputation. It¡¯s truly my responsibility. Please forgive me and I wille forth to apologize officially another day.¡± Old Sir Li¡¯s face was red with shame as if he were greatly disappointed in his daughter, sighing and shaking his head.

    He sped his hands together and left with his family, saying nothing much with Qin Yufeng. With those staging the drama gone, the audience looked at each other in disbelief, as they did not expect the show to end this way.

    Lord Qin heaved a sigh of relief. Ignoring the crowd, he returned to his manor. Anyway, this matter was resolved easily, and his family would not be criticized tomorrow.

    Qin Yufeng and Qin Yuxuan followed him in before the door was closed shut!

    ¡°Big brother, you are so amazing, convincing that thug family to retreat just by using a few words. Thatdy is just a slut to have a kid even before marriage. How dare shee forth to our family to stir amotion! It is indeed because of big brother¡¯s wits that they retreated.¡± Qin Yuxuan was standing close to Qin Yufeng and heard what he said to Old Sir Li. Immediately, he felt admiration for his big brother as they had won this battle.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Lord Qin scolded him before staring harshly at Qin Yufeng, scolding him, ¡°You are grounded this few days. Learn in the study room and get good grades in the exams! Don¡¯t horse around anymore.¡±

    With anger and annoyance, he rushed back to the yard.

    ¡°What happened to Father?¡± Qin Yuxuan touched his head, confused.

    ¡°Alright, I shall go back and study. You shall go back and rest!¡± Qin Yufeng smiled but did not answer, walking instead to the study room. It was indeed time for him to take the imperial exam. He was too weak and could not always do what he wanted. If he had men under him, such a drama today would not have happened!

 Chapter 299 - Lets Get Married

    <h4>Chapter 299 Let¡¯s Get Married</h4>

    In the carriage, Mo Xuetong put down the curtains.

    ¡°Are you still hungry? I¡¯ve had people prepare dinner. I haven¡¯t had it so can you have it with me?¡± Feng Yuran unwillingly averted his eyes from her face. He suddenly raised his lips in a smile and then pointed to a small chest under the tea table. ¡°Look over there.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind was still on what she had seen and didn¡¯t instantly react. When she realized, she found there was already a smile on his handsome face. His slim finger was right beside her, pointing at that ce. Suddenly, she remembered the feeling when his hand tightly hugged her so she blushed.

    To cover it up, Mo Xuetong hurriedly turned to take a few bowls of dishes from the chest under the table.

    The dishes had been kept warm. When tearing open the protective thick cloth, the aroma of food permeated.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± Feng Yuranzily said.

    Instantly, the carriage drove slowly and steadily.

    ¡°You actually slept with an empty stomach and didn¡¯t even wake up when I carried you out. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done to exhaust yourself so much!¡± Coldness shed across Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, and he thought inside, ¡°People in Mo Manor really don¡¯t how to look after her.¡±

    ¡°Eat some. I¡¯ll send you hometer.¡±

    It was indeed different from herst life. He, was not Sima Lingyun!

    Just now, she wasparing him with Sima Lingyun. However, they couldn¡¯tpare at all. She had been worried that he might hurt her. Now, she found it really funny. He cared about her health, and it greatly eased her mind.

    Moving the tea table over, she scooped a bowl of rice for Feng Yuran and then prepared one for herself as well. She sat aside, bit the chopsticks, and found that those should all be dishes she enjoyed. At that moment, she turned to look at him.

    ¡°This is your favorite, stir-fried vegetables in season. Have a state. It¡¯s still warm.¡± Feng Yuran tidied his robe, titled his body and put a cushion to support himself. It was really inconvenient for him when he had injuries in his chest and stomach.

    ¡°How do you know I enjoy this?¡± It was stir-fried fresh bamboo shoots and they should be very rare right now. It was just in spring and they should juste on the market not long ago!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful eyes contained pride and many other kinds of affections. Darting a nce at her, henguidly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy to know what you like?¡±

    His words left Mo Xuetong speechless. Then, she pouted and picked up some bamboo shoots to have a taste. It was so fresh and crisp that she almost screamed.

    It was a really well-cooked dish, but, most of all, the fresh bamboo shoots in season whetted her appetite.

    Seeing her enjoying the dish, Feng Yuran picked some more with his chopsticks and put them into her bowl, smiling. ¡°Eat more if you like them! If you keep losing weight like this, you¡¯ll be bony when you marry me.¡±

    His words made Mo Xuetong blush. She didn¡¯t say anything and just red at him in embarrassment, picking some dishes and cing them in his bowl.

    Feng Yuran was a little surprised and then squinted his handsome eyes. Satisfaction filled his phoenix eyes and he quickly took a bite of the food.

    It was quiet in the carriage. The atmosphere was sweet and there was an affectionate feeling in the air!

    When they finished dinner, Mo Xuetong cleaned the table a bit, sat back on the couch, and gave him a handkerchief. Feng Yuran was grinning from ear to ear and wiped his mouth when the handkerchief was still held by Mo Xuetong. When she ced the handkerchief back on the table, he grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how about I marry you first?¡±

    His words startled Mo Xuetong, who raised her hand to feel his forehead in surprise and then feel hers as well.

    ¡°I mean it. Tong¡¯er, you should just marry me first. We don¡¯t need to live together for now. You can still be in mourning for your mother. Two is better than one when you¡¯re in mourning. And I can stop worrying about you when I know I can take care of you. Now, things are getting messy. It¡¯s true that your father has a high rank, but he won¡¯t necessarily be able to protect you.¡± Feng Yuran pulled her white, delicate hand and pressed his cheek against it, coaxing.

    ¡°I want to protect you, but I don¡¯t have a proper reason. Now, the Empress Dowager has targeted you and you couldn¡¯t have exined yourself clearly just because your father hadn¡¯t agreed on us yet. During the following days, King Ning will act more quickly and so will Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and Bai Yichen. It¡¯s really wrong to promote you to be a princess recently. The Princess Royal wants to protect you but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s stretching thin.¡±

    He slightly squinted his eyes and coldness shed across his eyes. He didn¡¯t say the words in the depths of his heart. ¡°Tong¡¯er actually have been engaged, and she¡¯s most likely to be engaged to...¡±

    Such knowledge was enough to make him anxious.

    No matter what happened, Tong¡¯er would be his, and no one could take her away from him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will work!¡± Mo Xuetong considered and shook her head without giving an explicit answer. Recently, things indeed had happened to her one by one. In the harem, more than one had targeted her. Though Princess Royal was nice to her, as Feng Yuran had said, her ability fell short of her wishes. For instance,st time in the monkey incident involving Fifth Princess, Fifth Princess did it, but no one punished her in the end!

    She could understand that, after all, she was not a real royalpared to Fifth Princess!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you may rest assured that when you finish the mourning, I will exin it to Father. But I¡¯m really worried about you now! If things like that happen again, I don¡¯t know if I can still control myself.¡± Feng Yuran turned his head, affection and sorry in his ck eyes obvious. He reached out to stroke her smooth air and said dejectedly, ¡°I failed you and have let them kidnap you. I might head to the uncivilized south recently, and I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    The thick helplessness in his words swept away her hesitation like a gust of wind.

    Moreover, the meaning of his words even made Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair stand on end, and she instantly looked sober and alert.

    In herst life, the man ruthlessly and publicly killed his mother¡¯s family in the royal hall, then went to the uncivilized south, and had never been heard from again!

    What made himmit such a crime and then exile himself in such a cruel way? How could a citizen of the central ins understand the uncivilized south? Being away from the centralnd meant staying away from the center of the fight over supremacy and also the throne itself. What made him so desperate that he ceased to care about anything in the Qin Kingdom?

    If he went there, he might never return. Thinking about the possibility, she suddenly found that maybe heaven brought her back to life not just to avenge herself and stop the fall of Fu General Manor. Maybe heaven did it for the man as well, because she didn¡¯t want him to lose his life in the barren south!

    She didn¡¯t want him to repeat hisst life where he gave up on himself!

    Her jade-white hand took the initiative to touch his face. At that moment, she made up her mind. She fluttered her eyshes and looked at his pretty face. She suppressed the embarrassment in her eyes, bit her lips, and said while looking at him in the eye. ¡°If you don¡¯t go to the south, I¡¯ll marry you earlier!¡±

    Feng Yuran didn¡¯t expect her to agree so easily. He was originally going to give her puppy dog eyes, but now he just froze. Luckily, he reacted fast to hold her and said in an excited tone, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you really willing to marry me earlier?¡±

    Feeling satisfied, he found his lips lifting up involuntarily. Well, he could finally sleep well then. His Tong¡¯er was so fine that he lost count of the people who secretly wanted her, which was really disturbing! If he married her earlier, he could stop those people from coveting her. They couldn¡¯t have expected that he married Tong¡¯er when she was still in mourning.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go to the south!¡± Falling into his arms while being careful not to touch his injuries, Mo Xuetong insisted.

    ¡°OK, I won¡¯t go. I won¡¯t go anywhere Tong¡¯er forbids me to go.¡± Feng Yuran happily patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s shoulder. The happiness in his ck eyes settled down like dense ink. Now, he would regard whatever she said right and should listen to her, and he just agreed to everything she proposed!

    Anyway, he was just saying and wouldn¡¯t really go there.

    ¡°But, about my father...¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated a bit.

    Feng Yuran immediately understood what she meant and, out of joy, patted his chest at once to promise her. ¡°Tong¡¯er may rest assured that I¡¯ll talk to your father. I promise I¡¯ll give you a proper title and won¡¯t mistreat you in the future.¡±

    The pair of shining eyes was shing with spectacr brilliance, so bright that people could not take their eyes off him. There was even a dazzling smile on his handsome, wless face. Seeing him smiling so brightly, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help feeling happy and having a faint and shy smile on her lips as well. She tried to cover it up while leaning in his arms, feeling reassured like never before.

    She didn¡¯t have to try, and he would help her get rid of problems!

    The feeling of being greatly doted on melted her heart, and it was never as cold as before!

    Her heart shook, felt joy and sweetness, and even flipped and jumped...

    Sensing Mo Xuetong¡¯s joy, Feng Yuran smiled even more widely. When themp in the carriage cast light on his gorgeous face, especially when it did so to his eyes, they would shine like stars and sh with numerous strong emotions. At that moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say and could only hold her tightly. Things quietened down in the carriage.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you may rest assured that I will never betray you. I¡¯ll only love you, only you!¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s words rang by her ears like vows. ¡°He only wants me and will only love me...¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt her nose turning hot and tears welling up in her eyes!

    She already became lost for words. In herst life, she died because of the fight in the harem. If one were to really look at it, she would be considered as a loser. Though rising from the ashes in this life, she could still feel that shadow over her heart. Therefore, the best solution she came up with was to safeguard her heart. When she did that, she could finally turn ruthless.

    Only by being heartless could she bear watching her husband keeping taking concubines and then coolly handle traps and plots from those concubines. Only when she became ruthless could she stay invincible, away from a broken heart or a mental breakdown, and have everything done in her way.

    She would only need to be a strong-willed matriarch!

    In the future, her children, the inheritance, and her love life wouldn¡¯t matter!

    She didn¡¯t know when she started to believe that Feng Yuran only acted rakish to shun the war in the royal family, and he actually kept things to himself and had self-discipline. Nheless, it was all in her guess. Now, hearing him saying such words in such a sincere tone, she felt greatly touched!

    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you listening?¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t respond, so Feng Yuran reached out, ready to scoop up her head. However, she clung to his chest and would not let go no matter how he tried.

    ¡°I am listening.¡± She said through a muffled voice, slightly wriggled, and then mildly added, ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Though she did not respond directly, this kind of reaction also made Feng Yuran¡¯s heart flip, and he involuntarily held her even tighter.

    ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯ve reached Mo Manor.¡± Outside the carriage, the coachman gently knocked. They didn¡¯t know the carriage had stopped.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I¡¯ll walk you in.¡± Feng Yuran slowly sat up and Mo Xuetong hurriedly crawled out of his arms. While taking the time to straighten her hair, she wiped the tracks of tears by the corner of her eyes and then asked gently, ¡°Do your wounds still hurt?¡±

    ¡°These kinds of wounds don¡¯t matter when I have had them for you. Now, Qin Yufeng will at least stop messing around for a while. Since Eldest Brother has injured himself, my third brother really can¡¯t do anything big on his own. We might as well take a break together.¡± He sounded jokingly, reached for the cloak by his side to wrap her up, and then carefully fastened it to reveal her face, which would make it easy for her to breathe.

    The cloak tightly wrapped around the palm-sized, small face appearing pitifully before him; so Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t resist stealing a kiss on her cherry lips. Then, when she was about to erupt out of embarrassment and anger, he again reached out to hold her and opened the door. He slid out of the carriage, treading the familiar road to her Qingwei Garden.

    When Mo Ye opened the windows and apanied Mo Xuetong into the room, Feng Yuran held her hand and gently said, ¡°Wait for a few more days.¡± Then, he turned around to leave.

    Mo Ye unfastened the cloak, helped her take off the coat and led her to the bed. Mo Ye had already prepared a stove and the bed was warm. Sliding between the sheets, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help but groan out offort. After a deep sigh, she suddenly remembered what she had promised him earlier and blushed scarlet. She lifted the quilt to cover the smile at the corner of her mouth!

 Chapter 300 - In Ailing Health, Princess Royal Entrusted Her Wet Nurse

    <h4>Chapter 300 In Ailing Health, Princess Royal Entrusted Her Wet Nurse</h4>

    Mo Yufeng didn¡¯t marry that young miss from the Li family in the end; however, another affair surfaced. He didn¡¯t dare to exin clearly and only knelt before Mo Huawen, wailing and trying to justify himself. Mo Huawen was so angry that he threw a paperweight at Mo Yufeng and injured his head. Then, Mo Huawen asked people to lock Mo Yufeng up in the yard.

    Then, after sending people to investigate, he stormed back to the inner yard and asked Xu Yan to arrange Mo Yufeng¡¯s marriage as soon as possible because it would be better if someone could control him.

    Because of a series of incidents in Mo Manor, Mo Huawen felt so ashamed that he didn¡¯t go out often except for the necessary gatherings.

    At the same time, things were boiling up in Qin Manor as well. Qin Yufeng had kept a low profile and been considered a talent, but this time, he was also involved in the scandal. Though in the end, the woman retreated and confessed, people weren¡¯t sure if there was untold truth or not.

    After all, no matter how audacious she was, a woman didn¡¯t dare to use someone of things like this so casually, plus Qin Yufeng had always been resourceful. How would he let things go just like this? Had the woman really just picked up a random scapegoat? Or was she telling the truth, only Qin Yufeng had been so smart to cover it up?

    People couldn¡¯t figure it out at the time being but were all discussing!

    Things like this were, of course, humiliating, so people in Qin Manor seldom came out as well.

    Another one which all the people were talking about was King Xuan, Feng Yuran. They heard that the pretty and rakish eighth prince was now still in aa, drifting between life and death. Emperor Zongwen himself had personally visited him several times, but his son justy on the bed, unconsciously, without even any responses, which disturbed the emperor so much that he looked for divine doctors all over the country. They said that as long as they could cure King Xuan, the emperor would give them anything, be it a position or fortune.

    Mo Xuetong could only purse her lips at such rumors!

    Fifth Princess¡¯s banquet took ce as expected.

    On that day, Mo Xuetong first brought presents to the Princess Royal¡¯s manor, ready to visit the royal ce with the princess. However, when she arrived there, she learned that the princess had been ill for some time.

    Mo Xuetong hurried in and the maidservant ushered her to the door of Princess Royal¡¯s bedroom, and then the servant went in to report.

    Mo Xuetong waited before the door with Mo Ye. Soon, the servant came back and curtsied to her. ¡°Princess Anping, Her Highness wants you alone.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xuetong let Mo Ye guard outside and lifted her dress to get in.

    Walking past a ten-fold screen with iys and floral and bird pattern, Mo Xuetong heard low coughsing from behind the screen. Did Her Highness really fall ill?

    After walking past the screen, Mo Xuetong saw the princess lying on the bed. Just after a few days, the princess should really lose so much weight, looking pale and haggard. She leaned on the headboard and appeared listless. An old nanny about the age of Nanny Ming was standing at her bedside, holding a bowl of herb soup. She was trying to make Princess Royal drink it but the princess just kept shaking her head with a frown.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong enter, the nanny quickly put down the bowl, fetched a stool with iys to put it at the bedside for Mo Xuetong, and then stood aside with hands on her both sides.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied and pick up the bowl to blow on it. Carrying it to Princess Royal, Mo Xuetong said apologetically, ¡°What happened, Mother? Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re ill? It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ve been taking care of things in my family and didn¡¯t visit you.¡±

    The princess coughed a bit and smilingly pushed away the soup in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. Her gentle gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, and then she mildly said, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯ve been having this disease for years and always cough for a while when springes. It¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯ll heal after some time and might as well skip the soup.¡±

    Standing aside, the old nanny urged. ¡°Your Highness, you have to drink it. You¡¯ve had it for years and you can¡¯t bear to suffer from it anymore.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always worried.¡± Princess Royal smiled feebly and coughed again. Then, she pointed at her nanny and said while twisting around to face Mo Xuetong, ¡°Tong¡¯er, she¡¯s Nanny Qin, my wet nurse. If something happens to me, I can only entrust her to you. For the sake of me, you have to look after her and make sure she lives well in her remaining years.¡±

    The princess¡¯s words startled Mo Xuetong, who immediately put down the bowl and curtsied to Nanny Qin, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re Mother¡¯s wet nurse. Please forgive me for my rudeness.¡±

    She was the wet nurse Princess Royal treasured in thest life. In herst life, the princess went against her grandfather¡¯s family for the nanny¡¯s son, which showed how much the nanny mattered to Princess Royal.

    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve this. You can¡¯t curtsy to me like this.¡± Nanny Qin, who was standing aside, flustered. She trembled and was about to kneel down to respond to her curtsy. No matter how much Princess Royal treasured her, she was still just a servant. How could shepare to Mo Xuetong, the Princess Anping promoted by the royalty?

    Mo Xuetong was quick to stop her from kneeling.

    By their side, the princess coughed again and the mildly said to Nanny Qin, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. I¡¯m here today all because of you. In the future, if I¡¯m gone, Anping can take care of you for the sake of me. Consider it what I and Sister Luo Xia should do for you.¡±

    Her words came out too seriously, and Nanny Qin was immediately reduced to tears. She walked to the bedside and held the princess¡¯s hand with her trembling hands, saying in a choked voice, ¡°Your Highness, how can you say something like this? I¡¯m still healthy when I¡¯m so old. You¡¯re still young, and how you can say something like this? How will, will I...?¡±

    Unable to finish her sentences, she started to weep, her face covered in her hands.

    ¡°Nanny Qin, don¡¯t cry. Go ahead. I want Anping alone.¡± Though Princess Royal smiled gently, Mo Xuetong saw bright tears welling up in her eyes. Mo Xuetong had to wonder. ¡°Her Highness said such inauspicious things today, but ording to thest life, she will live a long life. Why did she say such things?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you have to drink it first so I can clean the bowl.¡± Nanny Qin wiped her tears and picked up the bowl on the table again. She handed it to Princess Royal, insisting on the princess¡¯s drinking it.

    Seeing Nanny Qin so determined, Princess Royal sighed and said nothing. She took the bowl and drank up the soup.

    Then, Mo Xuetong followed up to send honey water. The princess took a sip of it and wiped her lips with a handkerchief.

    When Nanny Qin had cleaned the table and left, Princess Royal signaled Mo Xuetong to sit down.

    Princess Royal watched Mo Xuetong, stroked her head, and sighed. ¡°Nanny Qin and Nanny Ming know each other. If something bad happens to me in the future, take Nanny Qin with you to keep Nanny Mingpany, and make sure she lives well in her remaining years. I would like to do that if I could. I¡¯m just like your mother, even entrusting my wet nurse to you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong grew even more doubtful hearing such words from the princess. ¡°Her Highness again said something ominous, and even wants to entrust her wet nurse to me.

    ¡°Did something happen without my knowledge? Has this life changed so much because of my resurrection and even Princess Royal¡¯s fate turns for the bad?¡±

    Ever since she adopted Mo Xuetong, though not having seen this new daughter frequently, she often sent people to Mo Xuetong with stuff like cloth to make clothes or exquisite head ornaments, which were all premium products. Some of them were even more precious than those left by her mother. The princess really treated Mo Xuetong as her daughter.

    Mo Xuetong could feel her affection. For example, now, though pale-looking, she carried tenderness in her eyes, only the tenderness was shrouded by a touch of sadness. The hand on Mo Xuetong¡¯s head was also exceptionally heavy.

    What happened...

    Mo Xuetong fretted and looked up, grabbing Princess Royal¡¯s hand. ¡°Mother, did something happen and I don¡¯t know about it? Tell me, and I can solve this with you.¡±

    She tried hard to remember the things in herst life. Though Princess Royal had always been coughing, the illness was not fatal. If it was not caused by the disease, it must be because of other things. With her status, nothing would happen to her unless she enraged Emperor Zongwen. In thest life, she indeed infuriated the emperor and became locked in her manor, but that was far away from getting herself the death sentence.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK, don¡¯t worry about me. I just feel a little lonely thinking about the past and my old sisters. All of my elder and younger sisters had left, left me alone. I really feel a little lonely.¡± Princess Royal looked sad, stroked Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, and tucked away a strand of Mo Xuetong¡¯s ck hair.

    ¡°Elder and younger sisters? The younger sister must be Mother, but who¡¯s the elder one?¡± Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°She can¡¯t be some elder princess in the royal family. There are only a few of them and they all lead healthy lives; no one has suffered from any diseases. What¡¯s more, Princess Royal must be as close to the elder sister as she was to my mother.

    ¡°That being said, my mother has died long ago, but why does Princess Royal suddenly feel so sad now? Though there is joy in her eyes, those eyesck vitality.¡± Mo Xuetong quietly felt the princess¡¯s pulse, and as expected, she found stagnation. The qi seemed to have stagnated in the princess¡¯s heart.

    What struck Princess Royal so much that she looked so listless?

    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you still have me? I¡¯ve already lost my birth mother, and finally, now I have you. Don¡¯t you want to take care of me? After my birth mother fell ill and passed away, I¡¯d been drifting in Cloud City. Now that you care so much for me that I even feel she¡¯s still with me, so if you... how can you put me into this? How will I endure?¡±

    Mo Xuetong grabbed Princess Royal¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t let go, tears streaming down her face.

    Her tears were not just for persuading Princess Royal. Instead, she remembered every detail of her life before, her tragic death in herst life and the people who abandoned her in this life. In Qin manor, even servants and nannies could ignore her and she could just endure it. The feeling ofpletely depending on others could make her feel sad at any time.

    If she hadn¡¯t seen the reality earlier in this life, she would still live in Qin manor in Cloud City, following others¡¯ rules.

    Moreover, though she fretted about Princess Royal¡¯s sudden promotion of her, after all, the princess showed her real love. The love carried the affection she had always wanted, and she did hope the princess could live healthily on ever after.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t leave me!¡± Mo Xuetong cried out loud, looked at the princess with a sad face, and begged. This moment even made her remember her birth mother, who seemed to have said the same thing. At that time, Mo Xuetong was still young and didn¡¯t know what the word ¡°mother¡± meant. Now, in front of her new mother, her eyes misted all of a sudden and tears dropped down.

    Seeing her so sad, Princess Royal reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and said in tears, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er, it¡¯s not that I want to leave you alone. It¡¯s just something that makes me and your mother...¡±

    Seeming to realized she nearly let the cat out of the bag, the princess immediately stopped talking.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly got away from Princess Royal, jerked herself up, and knelt at the bedside, saying in a tearful tone, ¡°Mother? What are you trying to say? Tell me about it, OK? I can help figure out a way. Two heads are better than one, and every cloud has a silver lining. My mother, she, she left a letter to Nanny Ming for me, and on the letter...¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart raced. She was betting that the princess knew her birth mother¡¯s identity. Princess Royal had a plum forest, loved red plums, and was close to Mo Xuetong¡¯s birth mother; Nanny Ming and Nanny Qin knew each other well and Princess Royal had that close but strange sisterhood with Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother... Everything led to the conclusion that the princess was in the know, but how would she felt if she really knew...

 Chapter 301 - In the Princesss Banquet, Consort Yu Got in the Way

    <h4>Chapter 301 In the Princess¡¯s Banquet, Consort Yu Got in the Way</h4>

    ¡°What did your mother say?¡± Princess Royal suddenly sat up and grabbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. Her knuckles went white, which showed how much force she had exerted.

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t continue and only wept with her face in her hands. ¡°My mother, my mother, she said...¡±

    Princess Royal was anxious and tried hard to pull up Mo Xuetong. She tried so hard that she sweated and uncontrobly started to cough again. Mo Xuetong immediately got up and poured the princess a cup of hot tea and wiped the sweat on her forehead.

    Atst, the princess stopped coughing and then grabbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand to ask eagerly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, what does the letter your mother left say?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had never seen Princess Royal fluster so much. Even when talking about life and death, the princess just appeared m. Now, she looked so anxious, with a look of worry on her white face and blue vines slightly bulging on her forehead. She actually looked a little frightened. Princess Royal really knew!

    Sighing deeply and gritting her teeth, Mo Xuetong looked at the princess with a sad face and said, ¡°She said if I¡¯m in trouble, I only need to find you and you¡¯ll definitely save me. She said I would only be carefree when you¡¯re with me, and if you¡¯re gone... I will only count on myself...¡±

    She said thest few words in a shivering voice. She looked at Princess Royal with her teary eyes, like she wanted to obtain some emotional support from the princess¡¯s face.

    It didn¡¯t seem to be what was on Princess Royal¡¯s mind.

    Princess Royal apparently heaved a sigh of relief. She covered her chest and coughed a bit. When she finally breathed normally, she wiped the tracks of tears on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face with a handkerchief. For the first time today, the princess smiled, put down the handkerchief, and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t cry. You¡¯ll go to Fifth Princess¡¯s birthday banquet. You won¡¯t look pretty with swollen eyes.¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡±

    Princess Royal faintly smiled andforted Mo Xuetong. She looked much calmer now. Though looking tired, she finally had a touch of glow on her cheeks. ¡°Good girl. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve been having this for years and will always cough in springs. It¡¯s really annoying, and with that, I¡¯ll find every other thing annoying too, but I didn¡¯t expect to have made your worry.¡±

    ¡°Mother, how about I feel your pulse and make a diagnosis for you?¡± Mo Xuetong wiped the tear marks with the handkerchief, bit her lips, and held the princess¡¯s hand, acting like she wouldn¡¯t let go if she couldn¡¯t feel the princess¡¯s pulse. Only the slightly red rims of her eyes indicated her worry. At the sight of this, Princess Royal felt warm in the heart and could only reach out helplessly.

    ¡°Take a look if you want. Since when did you be a doctor?¡±

    ¡°I can diagnose diseases. Send for me if you fall ill again.¡± Mo Xuetong blushed with embarrassment, but still, she held Princess Royal¡¯s hand and quietly listened to the princess¡¯s pulse. Back then, she was in a hurry, now, she could finally carefully feel it.

    It was indeed simr to the pulse she just felt, but obviously, the stagnation had been alleviated. Apparently, the thing that was on her mind had disappeared. Mo Xuetong felt relieved, knowing that what she said worked, and so she looked up and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. You only need to take a few days¡¯ rests. But, you have to take medicine. I¡¯lle visit you the next few days and make sure you take them.¡±

    Just now, Princess Royal refused to take medicine but then drank it up. Obviously, she did not dislike the taste but had refused it because of other things.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded rude but at the same time brought the two even closer. The princess smiled even more warmly, caressed Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and agreed.

    The two chatted for a while, and then Princess Royal urged Mo Xuetong to go to the banquet and brought her presents as well. Mo Xuetong reminded the princess, again and again, to take care of herself. Then, Mo Xuetong left with Mo Ye.

    Just when Mo Xuetong walked out, Nanny Qin entered the room. Seeing the faint smile on the princess¡¯s face, she felt a little reassured. She stepped forward to persuade. ¡°Your Highness, look how cute our little princess is! Someone must protect her. If something happens to you now, what is our little princess supposed to do? Who can she rely on?¡±

    ¡°Nanny Qin, I understand.¡± Princess Royal leaned back and rxed her body, sighing deeply. ¡°Send someone to the pce to send for an imperial doctor. Tell them I¡¯m ill again, and they¡¯ll know how to handle this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll send someone right away.¡± Nanny Qin understood at once and excitedly took the order. Tears nearly welled out of her eyes. Of course, only the little princess could make her listen. Otherwise, if Her Highness still refused to take medicine and suffered from the disease longer, her body would fail.

    Princess Royal wanted to die!

    Nanny Qin knew that but couldn¡¯t do anything. Luckily, here came the little princess...

    While in Princess Royal¡¯s manor, Nanny Qin happily sent some servant to the royal pce to send for an imperial doctor, Mo Xuetong boarded the carriage and became lost in thinking.

    ¡°Did Princess Royal fret because she feared my mother telling me her real identity?

    ¡°Mother didn¡¯t tell me because she didn¡¯t want to drag me into this, and did Princess Royal also hide it from me because of this? After hearing what I said, Her Highness actually felt relieved. She decided to live on because she wanted to take care of me. She must have been so close to my mother that she cares so much for me now.

    ¡°Mother is King Jin¡¯s daughter, and Princess Royal is the former emperor¡¯s daughter. They were cousins but turned against each other because of the fight over supremacy. How could they be close sisters who knew each other¡¯s secrets and even entrusted their daughters to the other? And why did Mother think Her Highness wouldn¡¯t spoil the beans?

    ¡°Judging from the current situation, Princess Royal must have known my mother¡¯s identity. Mother had been so discreet that she even hid it from Father, so how would she trust Princess Royal? And, once Mother¡¯s identity is confirmed, Fu General Manor would be involved as well. Why did Mother tell Her Highness the truth?

    ¡°If Mother hadn¡¯t said it herself, then how did the princess know my mother¡¯s identity!¡±

    All these doubts and questions filled Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. She had many thoughts but couldn¡¯t trace it back to the origin. She must have miscalcted somewhere. There must be a reason which could exin the sisterhood between Mother and Her Highness. However, now, she couldn¡¯te up with a single one.

    That was why when Princess Royal asked her about the things her mother left, the princess tried to keep her rtionship with her mother secret.

    Now, when the old problem remained, a new problem surfaced. Princess Royal must have encountered something so that she wanted to finish it all with her death. What could make her lose hope in life and resort to death? If Princess Royal¡¯s younger sister was Mother, then who was the elder sister she talked about?

    It looked like Mo Xuetong had to ask Nanny Ming who the elder sister Princess Royal mentioned was. If Mother and Princess Royal were friends who could die for each other, then as Mother¡¯s wet nurse, Nanny Ming should have known more than Mo Xuetong.

    Having made up her mind, she heaved a sigh of relief and opened her eyes.

    The carriage didn¡¯t drive for too long before it arrived at the gate of the royal pce.

    In front of the gate, many carriages already parked there. A number of young noble misses and masters all came early to celebrate Fifth Princess¡¯s birthday. Having visited the Princess Royal¡¯s manor, Mo Xuetong arrived a littlete. Right now, only a few people were entering through the gate. When looking back, she should find no one behind her.

    Mo Ye helped Mo Xuetong get off the carriage and then they walked through the gate.

    Mo Xuetong wore a in silk coat with cut designs and a trailing silk dress with apricot plums embroidered at the bottom. Tassels hung down and made the solid color lively. She looked delicate and charming. Her watery eyes seemed to contain rivers in spring, as ethereal as an immortal.

    People had said long ago that, Princess Anping didn¡¯t need to wait for two or three years more because she could take the title of the first beauty now!

    On the way, the young misses and masters who ran into Mo Xuetong all scrutinized her. Some of them envied her, while some adored...

    Taking a turn at a garden, she suddenly spotted a morously-dressed woman who was worshipping flowers in a nearby pavilion. Seeing Mo Xuetonging over, the woman said something to the maidservant beside her. Then, the servant immediately walked out of the pavilion and came to Mo Xuetong, asking, ¡°Are you Princess Anping? Her Highness wants you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up and found the woman was Consort Yu. She nodded and followed the girl to the pavilion with Mo Yu.

    Arriving in front of Consort Yu, Mo Xuetong gracefully curtsied. ¡°I bow in respect before Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Never mind the rules. We¡¯re of the same rank. You don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡± Consort Yu smilingly waved. In terms of rank, they were really at the same level. However, how could a consort in the royal ce in favorpare to her, a powerless adopted princess?

    Mo Xuetong rose after what Consort Yu said, nheless, she faintly added, ¡°You¡¯re older than me, of course, I should act politely.¡±

    She was implying that Consort Yu¡¯s rank indeed wasn¡¯t high enough. Consort Yu¡¯s face fell and dark clouds were brewing in her eyes.

    Mo Xuetong felt unnecessary to talk to the consort favored by Emperor Zongwen. Though they were not archenemies, they still took different sides. No matter it was the Yu family, Yu Mingyong, or atst, Consort Yu¡¯s taking sides with Empress Dowager to plot against her, any one of those could leave Mo Xuetong feeling no need for a chat.

    Of course, maybe Consort Yu wanted to trap her again!

    Nevertheless, Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t easy to be plotted against. If Consort Yu wanted to provoke Mo Xuetong, again and again, using her status as a consort in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favor, Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t hold down either.

    Therefore, when they were exchanging a few blows just now, Mo Xuetong gently prickled her.

    Consort Yu looked sullen but soon she put on a bright smile again, pointing to her side. ¡°There¡¯s still time before the banquet starts. Why don¡¯t you sit for a while with me? I happen to want to tell you something.¡±

    She sounded polite and tried to suppress the anger in her eyes. It looked like today, Consort Yu really wanted her into some trap again, otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have forced herself to be polite to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong secretly sneered while putting on a gentle smile on her face. She nodded and sat by the consort. Since Consort Yu awaited her here, then however she tried to escape, the consort would always have a way to stop Mo Xuetong. Then, she would rather sit and watch what show Consort Yu was going to put on.

    Mo Xuetong sat down, looked up, and asked with a baffled smile. ¡°I wonder what that is.¡±

    Consort Yu waved and her two maidservants left the pavilion. In a distance of five or six steps to the building, the two servants stood with their backs facing them.

    ¡°Princess Anping, I wanted to tell you this thest time, but there were really too many people in Empress Dowager¡¯s ce.¡± Consort Yu looked a little embarrassed. ¡°I feel really sorry for the thing about my brother. I hope you can forgive him.¡±

    The thing about Yu Mingyong? Consort Yu had already brought Yu Mingyong out of jail long ago. Nevertheless, Mo Xuetong heard the young master had received too much shock and was now still lying on the bed. At this time, when Consort Yu brought this up, she didn¡¯t seem to want to criticize Mo Xuetong. Therefore, Mo Xuetong hesitated for a few seconds and then smiled. ¡°When Sir Yu showed up in my grandmother¡¯s yard, we all thought he was a burr. Then it turned out that your young master took the wrong road at night. If one is to judge it, it¡¯s our manor¡¯s fault. But since my father has been handling this, I don¡¯t know too much about it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong meant that if she wanted to apologize, Consort Yu coulde to her father. It was a nominal exnation and people could choose to believe it or not to decide if it would stand. Furthermore, Yu Mingyong and she didn¡¯t rte in any way. If she really got involved with him, she would only get a tarnished reputation.

    On this topic, she wouldn¡¯t answer to anything Consort Yu said.

 Chapter 302 - Bai Yifeng Uses Her as a Chess Piece

    <h4>Chapter 302 Bai Yifeng Uses Her as a Chess Piece</h4>

    Consort Yu was not angry after being rejected by Mo Xuetong. She looked at Mo Xuetong gently and smiled warmly, saying, ¡°Anyway, it was my brother¡¯s fault. I apologize to the Mo Manor on behalf of my younger brother.¡±

    Then, she took a ruby hairpin from her hair and handed it to Mo Xuetong. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to express how sorry I am. I shall give this to Your Highness. Your Highness, please take this and let the Mo Manor forgive my useless younger brother.¡±

    The hairpin was very beautiful and the rubies on it glittered brightly. One could tell from a single look that it was not an ordinary item. The style was new, as was the craftsmanship. It was indeed a precious item. If it had been any other time, Mo Xuetong would not take anything from Consort Yu. But this hairpin was really quite familiar. Mo Xuetong smiled and epted it graciously.

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness. I thank you. This was just a misunderstanding and the Mo Manor knows that too. I thank my father on his behalf for your kind understanding.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and stood up. Then, she curtsied to Consort Yu again. She picked up the hairpin and looked at it under the sunlight as if she liked it very much. The glittering rubies shone brightly under the sunlight and blinded Consort Yu.

    Consort Yu closed her eyes andughed coldly to herself. Mo Xuetong was indeed uncultured. She could not hide her shabbiness even after she became a princess. She had only received the hairpin and already looked so pleased. She was making a fuss out of a molehill.

    She was so pleased that she did not realize that the light cast off the shimmering precious stone onto a few young masters anddies not far away. Their gazes followed the light and turned upon Consort Yu and Mo Xuetong.

    They went up and said, ¡°Your Highness, your clothes are a little in today and match this perfectly. Put it on and try it!¡±

    Then, she took the hairpin from Mo Xuetong and helped her to put it in her hair. She picked up a mirror that was left beside her and let Mo Xuetong take a look at her reflection. Mo Xuetong epted the mirror and looked at it. She smiled and thanked Consort Yu, saying, ¡°This is beautiful. Many thanks, Your Highness.¡±

    A pce maid suddenly approached while they were speaking. She spoke with the pce maid standing outside and the maid entered hurriedly. She reported to Consort Yu, ¡°Your Highness, Her Majesty is looking for you. She would like for you to reply to her immediately.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Consort Yu nodded. She turned to smile at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Princess, you look beautiful wearing this hairpin. Leave it on for today. This is a token for how guilty I feel. I am going to leave now and I will see you at the Princess¡¯ banquetter.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, this is a token of your affection. Of course, I will wear it. Please hurry!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and nodded.

    Consort Yuughed coldly to herself even more so when she saw how certain Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply was. She did not say anything else but left hurriedly with her pce maid.

    ¡°Miss...¡± Mo Ye said uneasily when she saw the hairpin on Mo Xuetong¡¯s head.

    ¡°Is it pretty?¡± Mo Xuetong removed the pin from her hair and looked at it in her hand as if she liked it very much so. She looked into the mirror at her reflection again. With the mirror and Mo Ye blocking her, she quickly slid the pin into her sleeve and took out a simr pin to put in her hair.

    Mo Ye saw all of that and was delighted. She did not say anything else and went to help Mo Xuetong do her hair.

    Mo Xuetong left with Mo Ye. After their short stop, there were a few other youngdies on the way who werete. They walked in together.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up slightly withughter as she heard the other youngdies chatting andughing. She did not speak. Instead, she seemed rxed and amiable and left a good impression.

    Suddenly, someone pointed up in front of them and called out in surprise, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sir Bai and the First Prince of Yan Kingdom to both be here.¡±

    Mo Xuetong followed their gazes and saw a few formidable men on the path. The person in front was tall and slender and wore simple white robes. He wore a dark jade pendant at his waist and his ck hair was tied up in a jade cap and flowed down his shoulders like a waterfall. His eyes were like stars and he was as handsome as a fairy. He glowed brightly and his aura was magnificent. He was iparably handsome.

    He was Bai Yihao and the person behind him looked a lot like him. Even though he was not as ethereal looking, he was also very handsome. Apanying them was You Yuecheng. He nced at Mo Xuetong indifferently with his beautiful eyes. His dark gaze settled on her for a few minutes before he turned to leave.

    ¡°It¡¯s Sir Bai!¡±

    ¡°It really is Sir Bai!¡±

    ¡°I heard that he and the Fifth Princess were childhood sweethearts. It¡¯s really true.¡± Someone sighed.

    There were even more people who looked at the beautiful young man who was noble and elegant with admiration. They followed them subconsciously. Even though there wasn¡¯t anyone who went up to speak with them, the soft voices of youngdies could be heard from time to time.

    It seemed that there was more than one noble youngdy who was interested in the Crown Prince of Yan.

    Bai Yihao, who was walking in front, saw Mo Xuetong and slowed down. He turned to look at Mo Xuetong softly. When she approached, he smiled and said to her, ¡°Your Highness, you must havee today to participate in the Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet. We are headed the same way.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took two steps back, wary of his behavior. However, she still appeared gracious on the surface. She said with a smile, ¡°No wonder the Fifth Princess spoke of Sir Bai the day before. She said that you will definitely be here. I thought that Sir Bai would bail just like you do usually, but it seems like it is true.¡±

    ¡°You will definitelye for the Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet, so I shoulde even more.¡± Bai Yihao turned to look at her with a smile. His intentions were not clear and his words seemed rather flirtatious.

    Mo Xuetong was startled. She hid the anger in her eyes. This person was too much. He wanted to drag her into the cesspool of trouble from time to time and kept wanting to involve her in his matters in everything he said. She really did not know how she had caught his attention for him to keep getting her into trouble.

    ¡°Sir Bai, you are kidding. I would not dare to miss the Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet. However, I heard that sir Bai has never cared about other banquets. Why are you paying so much care to the Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet?¡± Mo Xuetong was furious and her words were not friendly. Even though she did not seem to be backing down, her expression was one of distaste. It was as if she had been very annoyed by how Bai Yihao tried to pretend that they were close.

    Bai Yichen noticed everything and he grew even more interested. Judging by how Princess Anping was behaving, the two were not close at all and she did not seem to like Bai Yihao. He could not help the cold smirk that appeared on his lips. Bai Yihao was determined to draw his attention to Princess Anping. He had intentionally said those seemingly mushy words so that Bai Yichen would mistake Princess Anping for someone Bai Yihao was in love with. Then, Bai Yichen would ask to marry Princess Anping. This was such a good idea!

    Bai Yichen recalled how he had always lost to Bai Yihao and decided that he was going to ruin Bai Yihao¡¯s n this time no matter what happened. He would not let Bai Yihao seed again. Marrying the Fifth Princess was a conclusion that he hade to after a discussion with the Empress. It was the best solution no matter how they looked at it. He would not mess up just because of a few mushy words Bai Yihao said.

    He had to marry the Fifth Princess.

    He could not help but turn to look at Mo Xuetong. He could see her even more clearly now that she was so close. She was truly beautiful and looked like a picture. Her eyes were innocent and yet charming. Even in her anger, her beauty was startling.

    Her beauty and her charm were something that all men would like to possess. Bai Yichen sighed to himself once more. Yet,pared to his nation, the beauty was just not as important.

    You Yuecheng, who was standing on Bai Yihao¡¯s other side, could not help but feel upset. One could even vaguely sense his anger.

    Mo Xuetong looked at him in confusion. She did not understand why he was ring at her viciously. Other than what happened to Mo Xuemin, she had no other interactions with the Ming Duke¡¯s Son. How had she annoyed him?

    Mo Xuetong looked away because the most important thing right now was to deal with Bai Yihao. She walked alongside them and they slowly moved forward. The youngdies all followed closely beside Mo Xuetong. It was an extremely lucky thing for them to be able to apany the handsome men.

    Perhaps because Mo Xuetong had spoken rather impolitely, Bai Yihao was rendered speechless for the moment. He touched his nose with a slight smile and did not speak. A cloud of silence fell among them.

    They could hear the leisurely music after passing a fake mountain. The voice was gentle and clear. It sounded like the passing clouds and flowing water and was mesmerizing. A peach blossom forest appeared before them. There were already a few blossoms on the branches. They were partially bloomed and the ce was beautiful, it was as if they had been in heaven. The wind blew and a woman sat before a Qin under the blossoms.

    Her clothes fluttered in the wind. She wore a pink flowy dress with eight pleats. Her hair was adorned with a gold hairpin with dangling pearls. Itplimented her beauty and her pale white skin. She was the most beautiful woman, Ling Fengyan and the girl standing beside her was her younger sister, Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Ling Rui¡¯er saw that everyone was looking at her elder sister. She grew even more pleased and stood even taller. She looked at Mo Xuetong in an unfriendly manner.

    Mo Xuetong was secretly surprised when she saw that they were all looking at her in such an unfriendly manner. However, she could only follow the crowd and approached the two.

    Ling Fengyan stood up when she saw Bai Yihao approaching. She curtsied deeply to Bai Yihao and said, ¡°Greetings, Sir Bai. Greetings, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, please, stand.¡± Bai Yihao reached out and waved his hand, gesturing for her to get up with a smile.

    Ling Fengyan stood up and smiled at You Yuecheng and Mo Xuetong. She was very polite and elegant. She was indeed a good match for Feng Yuxuan, especially when one took note of the details.

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, you are indeed the most beautiful woman of Qin. Your beauty is ravishing and King Chu is really blessed to be able to marry such a beautiful woman.¡± Bai Yihao sized Ling Fengyan up and said with a smile.

    The news of Ling Fengyan marrying Feng Yuxuan had already been announced. However, Ling Fengyan still blushed slightly when someone brought it up. She lowered her head and answered, ¡°First Prince, you are too kind. I do not deserve such praise.¡±

    ¡°It is certainly my fault for interrupting Second Miss Ling¡¯s ying the Qin. Please, continue. We will leave after we listen to you.¡± Bai Yihao said with a warm smile. His eyes grazed over Mo Xuetong as if he was seeking her opinion.

    Mo Xuetong wanted to leave desperately. She did not know what was going on today. Bai Yihao kept trying to bring other¡¯s attention to them. The Fifth Princess was not here either, who was he trying to aggravate into attacking her? Bai Yichen? Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She felt that something was wrong. She took two steps backward subconsciously, increasing the distance between her and Bai Yihao. She could not hide the anger in her eyes.

    ¡°Sir Bai, I still have something on. I shall take my leave.¡± She did not even want to say anything else to him and she turned to leave.

    She was telling everyone clearly that she did not like Bai Yihao at all!

    It would save herself from being used as Bai Yihao¡¯s chess piece!

    Earlier, she had suddenly realized why Bai Yihao was doing so. The man was trying to use her to destroy the marriage between the First Prince of Yan and the Fifth Princess!

    Mo Xuetong had received the sudden epiphany at that moment and her heart beat wildly. Her palms were filled with cold sweat! She could sense how unwell she felt as she held on to Mo Ye. She held on to Mo Ye tightly and managed to stop herself from falling due to her legs weakening.

    ¡°Princess Anping, please wait.¡± The voice of a girl sounded from behind her.

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment. After realizing it was not Bai Yihao, she heaved a sigh of relief and turned around to see Ling Rui¡¯er speaking to her with an unhappy expression.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ling Fengyan asked softly. She looked at her younger sister in confusion.

    ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t worry. I have something to ask Princess Anping.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er moved forward to stand in front of Mo Xuetong menacingly. She pointed at the hairpin in her hair and asked, ¡°Princess Anping, where did you get this hairpin?¡±

    Not far away around a corner, Consort Yu approached with a few pce maids and eunuchs with a smile on her face.

 Chapter 303 - Ling Fengyan Raises False Charges in the Peach

    <h4>Chapter 303 Ling Fengyan Raises False Charges in the Peach Blossom Forest</h4>

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, what are you saying?¡± Ling Fengyan pulled her back and said to Mo Xuetong apologetically, ¡°Rui¡¯er is mistaken. Please forgive her, Princess.¡±

    There were so many people and Ling Rui¡¯er looked so angry and wronged. If Mo Xuetong did not find out what was wrong, she would have been wronged. There were many who looked at Mo Xuetong curiously and their attention was on the ruby hairpin in her hair.

    ¡°It is really Second Miss Ling¡¯s hairpin. She said that she lost it earlier, so it...¡±

    ¡°I heard that the Princess Royal gave her many pieces of jewelry. Why did she take what belongs to others?¡±

    ¡°No one can have enough beautiful essories. This is the newest style that has to be specially ordered. You can¡¯t buy it even if you have money. It was long gone when I went to the shop.¡±...

    Everyone chattered on. Suddenly, a dismissive voice sounded, ¡°She¡¯s a mighty princess and has seen all kinds of precious jewelry. Why would she steal an ordinary hairpin and wear it so openly on her hair? Furthermore, I heard that Princess Anping has never been to the Ding General Manor. Did she jump over walls in the middle of the night or what?¡±

    If someone had gone into Ling Fengyan¡¯s room in the middle of the night, it would tarnish her reputation.

    Everyone could not help but look at Ling Fengyan suspiciously. She was about to be King Chu¡¯s consort and something like that should not happen.

    Ling Fengyan did not expect that someone would speak up for Mo Xuetong at a time like this and that the person would so smartly turn everyone¡¯s attention from Mo Xuetong to her. She looked up and saw Li Youmo who was leaning against a tree and watching the show. A hint of cold viciousness shed through his eyes. She tugged on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s sleeve to give her a signal.

    ¡°Second Sister was wearing this hairpin this morning and she lost it aftering to the pce. I wonder where Her Highness got the hairpin.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er received the massage and attacked relentlessly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and did not attempt to hide from the suspicious gazes cast upon her. She lifted her brows and said lightly, ¡°Third Miss Ling, I fear you must have been mistaken. Her Highness Consort Yu gave me the hairpin when I came to the pce. When did this be Second Miss Ling¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I fear you must have been mistaken. When we spoke, I only mentioned about some matters in the pce. When did I give you this hairpin? And why would I give you a hairpin?¡± Consort Yu¡¯s voice wafted from behind. The crowd parted. Consort Yu suddenly appeared, her face stern and righteous.

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s matter was not something that anyone spoke of. If it were to be revealed, it would be bad for both the Mo Manor and Yu Mingyong. Yet, it would damage the reputation of the Mo daughters more. Consort Yu was certain that Mo Xuetong would not dare to say anything about Yu Mingyong in front of everyone.

    ¡°Your Highness, you were the one who gave the hairpin to my mistress. Why are you saying that?¡± Mo Ye said angrily, emerging from behind Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°When did I say that? I am a consort. When is it your turn as a servant to question me? I wouldn¡¯t have given the hairpin to the princess for no reason, would I? Princess, tell us, why have I given you the hairpin?¡± Consort Yu yelled coldly. She turned to look at Mo Xuetong with a hint of pleased smile on her lips.

    There was a sh of darkness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. Her mocking gaze turned from Ling Fengyan to Consort Yu. What had she done for King Ning and King Yan¡¯s factions to work together against her?

    ¡°Or perhaps Your Highness made a mistake? Perhaps someone really gifted it to you. The hairpin might really belong to Her Highness.¡± Ling Fengyan said. It sounded as if she were trying to make excuses for Mo Xuetong but actually, she had already determined that Mo Xuetong was in the wrong. It might not be Mo Xuetong¡¯s mistake, but it was most likely her mistake. They could already be sure that Mo Xuetong had stolen the hairpin.

    Mo Xuetong had not had many interactions with Ling Fengyan. She really did not know how she had offended the most beautiful woman of Qin. Mo Xuetong saw that Ling Fengyan¡¯s gentle eyes were hiding an almost imperceptible hint of satisfaction. She felt that it was funny. If not for all her fights with Mo Xuemin, she would not have noticed that.

    This was yet another woman like Mo Xuemin who hid her viciousness and ruthlessness under a veneer of gentleness.

    ¡°Second Sister, I can¡¯t be wrong. Someone¡¯s hairpin is on her head. Furthermore, you had a set made, what use would it be if she took a hairpin?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said angrily. She took a jewelry box from the maid behind Ling Fengyan. She opened the box containing the ruby jewelry set and showed it to everyone.

    Other than a missing hairpin, the others were all simr!

    Ling Rui¡¯er picked up another hairpin and stared at Mo Xuetong, saying, ¡°Princess Anping, look at this carefully. This pin and the one on your head are a pair. How did it be yours? If you say that it is yours, then take out your set. I remember that the best products from the shop are matching jewelry pairs.¡±

    Everyone was convinced when they saw how detailed Ling Rui¡¯er was. Their gazesnded on the pin that Ling Rui¡¯er was holding and to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. When theypared it carefully, it was indeed the same style and ruby. Even the degree of the shine of the ruby when shone upon by the sun was the same. What else could they be if not a set?

    ¡°Your Highness, how are you going to exin this?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said, pleased.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and pulled out the pin on her hair. She raised it up beside Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s pin and put the two pins together. They could see the two pins clearly. ¡°Third Miss Ling, do you think I need to exin? I ask that you retract your statement. Libel is a much more serious crime than theft. It also tarnishes the reputation of the royal family. Third Miss Ling, are you sure you can bear responsibility for this?¡±

    The two hairpins glittered under the sunlight. The rubies shone brilliantly.

    Ling Fengyan felt that something was not right when she saw how calm Mo Xuetong was! She was just about to say something to get Ling Rui¡¯er to back off.

    However, there was a loudmotion just before she could say anything.

    Li Youmo¡¯s voice was the loudest. ¡°The Ding General Manor¡¯s eyes are really sharp. They can¡¯t even see such a big difference. Look, Princess Anping¡¯s hairpin has two raised flower stems. Why does Miss Ling think that it belongs to them? I have to watch my jade pendant carefully the next time I go out. I don¡¯t know when someone will frame me for sneaking into their rooms. My father would kill me.¡±

    Then, he scrunched up fearfully as if he had been afraid he¡¯d really be beaten to death.

    How dare he say something like that given his reputation? Ling Fengyan and Ling Rui¡¯er were both angry and embarrassed. Their faces were flushed. Li Youmo was a licentious man and was known throughout the city to be a wealthy yboy. He never had anything good to say. His words made it sound as if the rooms of the Ding General Manor daughters were like brothels that he coulde and go as he pleased.

    ¡°Li Youmo...¡± Li Youmo was here to make trouble. Ling Rui¡¯er was furious!

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really different.

    ¡°Look, did I see wrongly? Her Highness¡¯ hairpin has two more dots, they really look like flower stems.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really different!¡±...

    ¡°Second Miss Ling, Third Miss Ling, are you still sure that I took your hairpin?¡± Mo Xuetong asked unhurriedly.

    Everyone already saw that the two pins were simr. However, there were two slight flower stems on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hairpin. Other than that, the two pins were practically the same.

    Ling Fengyan flushed and paled. The situation had changed too quickly. She had gotten Ling Rui¡¯er to force Mo Xuetong to reply earlier but there was no need for her to reply to Mo Xuetong¡¯s question now. Everyone could see that Mo Xuetong¡¯s hairpin was not hers.

    Mo Ye took out a jewelry box and opened it, revealing a set of ruby head essories. Other than the hairpin in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair, the others were all inside. She said, ¡°Third Miss Ling, this is an entire set. Could it be that my mistress snuck into your manor? The Princess Royal gave my mistress so many essories. Would my mistress be a thief and go over the Ding General Manor¡¯s walls! Or did someone steal it and gave it to my mistress?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er flushed bright red when she heard that and she was rendered speechless. She stuttered and then turned to look at Consort Yu while stomping her foot angrily. Didn¡¯t Consort Yu say that she had put the hairpin on Mo Xuetong¡¯s head? It was a matter that they had confidence in. Why had it be so?

    Consort Yu was shocked as well. She looked at the hairpin carefully. It was not the one she had given Mo Xuetong. She turned to look at Mo Xuetong bewilderedly as if she thought it was impossible. How did Mo Xuetong swap out the hairpins? She had helped Mo Xuetong to put the hairpin in her hair. Why was the hairpin different?

    ¡°Princess, did Consort Yu give you that earlier? Just now when I approached, the hairpin that Consort Yu helped you to put in your hair certainly blinded us. It glimmered under the sunlight. It is really different.¡± Li Youmo said with augh, sessfully directing everyone¡¯s attention to Consort Yu.

    Earlier, Consort Yu had denied that she had given Mo Xuetong a hairpin and had forced her to say the reason why she had done so. Now that Li Youmo brought up the matter, everyone turned to look at Consort Yu suspiciously.

    Mo Xuetong had once taken put the hairpin against the sunlight earlier but she had not done it for too long. Consort Yu did not expect that the ruby would reflect the sunlight and attract the attention of those standing not far away. Her eyes immediately widened and she felt a little awkward. She was about to say something to defend herself.

    ¡°Sir Li, you might have been mistaken. Her Highness Consort Yu said she did not give me any hairpin, so of course she didn¡¯t. What Third Miss Ling was so certain about earlier has changed, so what Her Highness said earlier must not count as well.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile. Then, she slid the hairpin back into the air, looking as if she wanted to appease everyone.

    She sounded as if she were trying to defend Consort Yu. However, because she was the one who said it, it made her seem magnanimous and even if Consort Yu wanted to defend herself, she could not do so. It felt as if she were punching a soft pillow, and that it was entirely futile. She had forced Mo Xuetong to speak up earlier, and there was now eyewitness that saw her giving Mo Xuetong the hairpin. It made others suspicious of her intention.

    Consort Yu did not have many family members but got closer to the Yu family some time ago. What happened to Auntie Fang had spread throughout the city. It was said that she had tried to hurt the legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor. That daughter was Princess Anping. The others could not help but be suspicious that Consort Yu was intentionally trying to frame Mo Xuetong.

    She was indeed a vicious woman.

    Some people backed away without a sound, trying to distance themselves from Consort Yu.

    Consort Yu was so angry she almost fainted. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so smart. Even though Mo Xuetong had not questioned her and had instead foiled the plot herself and defended Consort Yu, Consort Yu now could not defend herself. Mo Xuetong had not said anything and if she did, others would grow even more suspicious of her.

    She clutched onto the hand of the pce maid beside her tightly. The pce maid paled and shook as she looked at the ground.

    Ling Fengyan immediately looked at Mo Xuetong with a gentle smile when she saw everyone¡¯s attention on Consort Yu. She said apologetically, ¡°Your Highness, it is my Third Sister who saw wrongly. It is because the two hairpins look so simr. Even I was mistaken. Please forgive us.¡±

    She had tried to apologize simply for framing someone for theft. Furthermore, she did not seem apologetic for after all, it was a simple misunderstanding because the two hairpins were so simr.

    If she had not seen the Fifth Princess¡¯ ruby head essories by coincidence, she would have fallen into their trap today. It was obviously a trap set for her. Otherwise, even if the hairpins did look simr, they would not need to put on such a big show as if they were afraid that others would not find out.

    There was a light smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips as she said, ¡°Second Miss Ling, you are too polite. Since I did not steal anything, I did not have to worry. However, since Second Miss Ling¡¯s hairpin is indeed missing, and there are so many people present, why don¡¯t we check? It might appear now.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly.

    They were going to conduct a body search with so many people present?

    Everyone present quietened down and looked at Ling Fengyan.

 Chapter 304 - The Failure and Consort Yus Panic

    <h4>Chapter 304 The Failure and Consort Yu¡¯s Panic</h4>

    There were so many youngdies and masters present. Not only was the crown prince of Yan Kingdom present, so was the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, the Mind Duke¡¯s son, and the son of the Military Minister... All of these people were not to be trifled with. Even the noble prince of Yan Kingdom was involved in the disappearance of a mere hairpin. The Ding General Manor would gain many enemies because of this. Ling Fengyan would not do something so stupid, and she would not dare to either.

    However, she was already forced into a corner. If she did not check, then Ling Rui¡¯er trying to force Mo Xuetong into a corner would look suspicious. Were they just targeting Princess Anping?

    ¡°It is just a mere hairpin. Forget it!¡± Ling Fengyan said with a smile. Her eyes darkened.

    ¡°Second Miss Ling is wrong. All the youngdies here are either wealthy or noble. None of them can take this blow to their reputation. Since Second Miss Ling¡¯s hairpin has really gone missing, it is best to check carefully lest the young masters anddies present here be pointed at by others after this. It is not very meaningful, is it? Second Miss Ling, please prove our innocence.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile. Her smile was as gentle was flowing waters. She seemed even more innocent than Ling Fengyan and her eyes were like pools of water in autumn. It was as if she was truly being considerate towards everyone present.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s beautiful lips curled upwards.

    Ling Fengyan was forced into a corner and could not speak. Behind her, Ling Rui¡¯er grew anxious. She pushed Ling Fengyan aside and said, ¡°It is just a hairpin. The Ding General Manor can afford to lose it. Your Highness...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, something suddenly fell from her sleeve and onto the ground. It shone a brilliant red and there was a golden sh beneath that. The red was brilliant and the yellow was stunning.

    ¡°It is a hairpin!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Second Miss Ling¡¯s hairpin. Why is it with Third Miss Ling?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say they lost it? Was it intentional?¡± Someone had a sudden epiphany and looked at the hairpin in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand and then at the hairpin on the ground. ¡°They are obviously a pair!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er waspletely shocked. She stared at the hairpin on the ground and then at the hairpin in her hand.

    ¡°Third Miss Ling, the hairpin is obviously with you. Why did you keep pressing Her Highness and insisted that she took it? Did you guys hide it intentionally to frame Her Highness?¡± Mo Ye¡¯s reaction was quick as well and she pointed at the hairpin on the ground. She said to Ling Rui¡¯er, ¡°No wonder you kept refusing when Her Highness asked you all to check. So...¡±

    ¡°Framing a royal princess is as good as framing the royal family. Second Miss Ling, Third Miss Ling. The two of you are gutsy!¡± There was an odd and loud mockingughter. It was from Li Youmo.

    Ling Fengyan was so embarrassed that she could not say anything when she saw the hairpin on the ground. She flushed and paled. Even though she was usually wittier than most, she could not say anything right now.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was even more shocked. She looked down at the hairpin that seemed to be mocking her and listened to the sarcastic jibes made at her. Then, she looked up to see the look of disdains the other youngdies gave her. She quickly paled and then nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s smiling face. She turned to look at Consort Yu and suddenly raised her hand and said urgently, ¡°Consort Yu, it¡¯s you, right?¡±

    She thought of how Consort Yu had taken the hairpin and said that she was going to frame Mo Xuetong with it. Then, the hairpin had appeared in her sleeve for no reason and she had been caught by many. Ling Rui¡¯er could not control her anger and she pointed at Consort Yu.

    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t...¡± Consort Yu was panicking as well. She clearly remembered putting the hairpin in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. Why was it different now? And now, Ling Rui¡¯er had another hairpin. She looked up at Mo Xuetong. The smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s innocent face seemed to hold a hint of mocking.

    ¡°How can it not be you? You...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er had lost all her wits after being aggravated. She red at Consort Yu and spoke hatefully, refusing to back down.

    Ling Fengyan saw that the situation was not right and she quickly pulled Ling Rui¡¯er back. Ling Rui¡¯er stumbled backward and almost fell.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone. My third sister and I made a mistake today. We searched for the hairpin but did not find it earlier and my third sister thought we lost it. That was why... I did not expect that the hairpin to have been caught in my third sister¡¯s sleeve. It is a misunderstanding.¡± Then, she curtsied to everyone with an apologetic expression.

    ¡°Forget it since it was a misunderstanding. It is just a hairpin and was no big deal anyway.¡± You Yuecheng said lightly after he took a step forward. He wanted to watch the show from the side but did not expect the sly girl to escape like that. The two youngdies from the Ling family had fallen into the trap instead.

    As someone from the Third Prince¡¯s faction, he was naturally on the Ding General Manor¡¯s side. He would of course step out to diffuse the situation.

    ¡°His Excellency is right. It is just a small matter. The Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet is about to start. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Bai Yichen also smiled and helped to diffuse the situation. He was going to marry the Fifth Princess and must not be on bad terms with the Empress¡¯ family. It was not difficult for him to do them a favor this time.

    ¡°Since the matter has been resolved, I will take my leave.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. She looked at Consort Yu and Ling Fengyan with a deep silent gaze. There was an ambiguous smile on her lips that was very misleading.

    Everyone present who was smart enough knew that Ling Fengyan and Ling Rui¡¯er had tried to frame Mo Xuetong. Consort Yu had of course given Princess Anping the hairpin. Everyone said that Ling Fengyan was beautiful and gentle while Consort Yu was known to be virtuous. It seemed that that was all false.

    Everyone sighed once more. Rumors were really not to be believed.

    The two of them were obviously plotting and were vicious. They even dared to plot against a princess. It would do them well to stay far away from the two women. One would not know when they would be the ones they plotted against and one wouldn¡¯t even know how one died.

    ¡°Since the matter has been made clear, then let¡¯s go together.¡± Bai Yihao looked at Mo Xuetong with his beautiful eyes, expressing his concern.

    ¡°Many thanks, Sir Bai, for your kind intentions. But I suddenly remembered that the present mother meant to give Fifth Princess is in Mingzhu Pce. I have to go and retrieve it.¡± Mo Xuetong refused decisively with a smile. Then, she curtsied and left in a different direction with Mo Ye.

    Ling Fengyan seemed gentle on the surface but was a vicious woman. Mo Xuetong felt slightly confident going against her. However, against Bai Yihao, who was ruthless, Mo Xuetong knew she was no match for him. The only thing she could do was try to stay as far away from him as possible. In this way, she would not inadvertently be one of his chess pieces.

    Just like what happened earlier, given Bai Yihao¡¯s intelligence, how could he not tell what happened? Instead, he stood by the side and watched on. If she was not capable enough to escape the plot, he would not give her any help at all. That was because after what happened earlier, she would not hold the First Prince of Yan¡¯s attention anymore. How could a woman of poor moral character be any match for the Fifth Princess?

    She had only just managed to extricate herself from the situation and he was trying to be close with her again. She had her guard up against him.

    ¡°Fifth Brother, Princess Anping seemed not too pleased with you?¡± Bai Yichen could clearly see the annoyance and distant expression on Mo Xuetong so he naturally brought it up to mock Bai Yihao.

    Bai Yihao continued to smile gently. He took a step forward and smiled lightly, saying, ¡°She¡¯s a girl who had been framed. Of course, she can¡¯t keep it off her expression. Someone was able to put the hairpin in Third Miss Ling¡¯s sleeve. All the experts in the pce are being used against women now.¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s expression froze when she heard that. Her lips trembled and her face paled. Yet, she could not say anything.

    Bai Yihao was clearly implying that she was the one who had secretly plotted the whole thing. The matter had started because she had given Mo Xuetong the hairpin but refused to admit it. She was the main instigator of the whole thing. However, Consort Yu could not say anything and she couldn¡¯t even defend herself.

    Bai Yihao was not any other man. Given his status and how he had said that, it was certain that he had already seen through everything. Even though he had not said anything earlier, everyone knew he had been watching. Now that he said something like that Consort Yu felt her entire body feeling week and she could not take another step.

    The experts in the pce. How could an insignificant consort like her have the right to have experts in the pce? That meant that she had them secretly. As for why she had to have experts... Given Emperor Zongwen¡¯s character, he would not really dote on her that much. When Consort Yu thought back to what her little brother had done and how Emperor Zongwen had berated her and gave her the shoulder, as well as how the other consorts spoke to her coldly, Consort Yu felt her heart sinking.

    If someone else were to talk about this, the other consorts who had never liked her would strike her when she was already down. Secretly having experts in the pce was a death sentence. It would cause her entire family to be beheaded...

    She continued this line of thought... Consort Yu did not dare to continue thinking. Her limbs were cold and sweat beaded on her forehead. She ignored what the Ling sisters were saying and hurried toward the pce with her pce maids. She had to tell His Majesty about what happened before anyone else did. She had to make things clear, otherwise...

    Being able to have Emperor Zongwen¡¯s affections while hanging around the Empress Dowager meant that Consort Yu was not a simple person!

    ¡°Second Sister, look, she is indeed feeling guilty.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was just about to pull Consort Yu back and ask her to exin herself. However, Consort Yu had hurried to the pce without saying anything else. Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry she stomped her feet.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, that¡¯s enough!¡± The crowd had already left. Ling Fengyan¡¯s expression cooled and she said angrily, ¡°Have you not made enough trouble today? Who do you think you are to meddle in the business of the consorts of the pce? Should Consort Yu tell you where she wants to go?!¡±

    ¡°But she...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said, feeling aggrieved.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ling Fengyan was so angry she was trembling. She reached out and pped Ling Rui¡¯er in the face forcefully.

    ¡°Second Sister, you...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er did not expect her Second Sister who always doted on her to hit her like that. She put her hand on her face and her eyes turned red.

    ¡°Do you know where we are? We are in the pce. It is where the Emperor and his consorts live! Who are you? You are the young miss of the Ding General Manor. You are just the daughter of a subordinate. What rights do you have to rebuke a consort and meddle in her affairs? If you don¡¯t wish to live anymore, don¡¯t drag me down with you.¡± Ling Fengyan gritted her teeth and scolded her softly and angrily.

    She was truly angry. This was actually no big deal. As long as they admit that they were wrong, what could Mo Xuetong do? At most, they just had to apologize. However, Ling Rui¡¯er words had implicated Consort Yu. Coupled with what happened to Consort Yu earlier, this matter became a joined plot on theirs and Consort Yu¡¯s part. They looked like they had worked together to frame Mo Xuetong.

    This almost caused trouble they could not deal with!

    Consort Yu might be punished but would they be any better off being known as Consort Yu¡¯s fellow plotters?! She was about to marry King Chu. If something like that happened, she might not be able to marry King Chu. Ling Fengyan would not be contented with that.

    As such, even though Ling Fengyan had always beenposed, she could not keep the gentleness on her face. She said viciously, ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass yourself here today. Go home!¡±

    Then, she turned around to say to Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maid coldly, ¡°Go, and take Third Miss home. She is sick.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two maids did not dare to say anything else. They half helped and half pulled Ling Rui¡¯er home. Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes were red and she held a hand to her face.

    Ling Fengyanposed herself when she saw Ling Rui¡¯er being taken away. An elegant smile appeared on her face once more. She sat behind the ancient Qin and waved her hand, gently caressing the Qin. Immediately, a soulful tune sounded. The girl beneath the tree was once more beautiful and elegant, overshadowing the beautiful peach blossoms on the tree.

    Mo Xuetong remained unscathed after what happened. Given the Fifth Princess¡¯ character, she would not be able to bear this and would make trouble for Mo Xuetong again. If she went over now, she would be the Fifth Princess¡¯ weapon. However, the Fifth Princess can¡¯t use the Ding General Manor as she pleased. The Fifth Princess wanted to take a back seat and have Rui¡¯er act but she had to be capable of that first.

    A princess who was about to be married out of the kingdom was not as valuable as someone who was about to be a consort. So what if she was born into the royal family? One had to marry well!

 Chapter 305 - The Threat at the Fifth Princess Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 305 The Threat at the Fifth Princess¡¯ Banquet</h4>

    It has been said that when two nations are at war, there would be no good wine nor good banquets. Yet, when had this applied to fights between women? Mo Xuetong was speechless.

    When she had been summoned by the Fifth Princess, the princess was already seated inside. She was dressed in luxurious clothing that was vibrantly colored and was embroidered with gold threads. It made the princess look like a fairy in legends. She appeared before Mo Xuetong and Mo Xuetong was in awe of the royal family¡¯s nobleness and elegance. The price of the princess¡¯ outfit waspletely beyond estimation.

    It befitted the Fifth Princess¡¯ status as the Emperor¡¯s legitimate daughter.

    ¡°Anping greets the Fifth Princess.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied. She was also a princess now and did not have to address herself as a subordinate¡¯s daughter. Even though she was not as noble as the Fifth Princess, she did not have to appear too humble.

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ sharp eyesnded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. There was a hint of disdain on her proud expression. Her head was lifted up high and she said without any hesitation, ¡°I want you to ask to be married to the Yan Kingdom.¡±

    The Fifth Princess was trying to use her status to force Mo Xuetong to marry to Yan so she did not have to. Mo Xuetong wondered if it was the Fifth Princess who did not take the situation seriously enough or if the princess was being wishful.

    Mo Xuetong rose. She looked up lightly and said without any signs of eptance, ¡°I wonder what Your Highness¡¯ status is to order Anping.¡±

    ¡°I am a princess of the royal family and the daughter of the Empress. Is this status not enough to ask you to do something? You are just a fake royal. Isn¡¯t your status just so you can take over the ce of a true royal daughter like me to be married off far away! If you are married to the Yan Kingdom, you would at least be a consort. That¡¯s already not too bad considering your status.¡± The Fifth Princess lifted her chin and said proudly. She sat up straight. She thought that she was extremely noble. She was the legitimate daughter of the Empress and there was no one else in the Great Qin who was as noble as her. She usually did not speak with the other princesses.

    She had also taught other princesses a lesson, much less a mere princess of themandery!

    ¡°Since Anping¡¯s status is befitting of this, why don¡¯t Fifth Princess go to the Emperor and tell His Majesty that?¡± Mo Xuetong replied. Her eyes were sharp and her expression was calm andposed.

    ¡°I¡¯m allowing you to go tell His Majesty yourself because I have a good opinion of you and I am allowing you dignity. You might end up not being able to marry to Yan even if you want to and end up with a poor man.¡± The Fifth Princess threatened. She was very angry and her heart was filled with hatred. She had not only failed to poison Mo Xuetong¡¯s wine in time, but she had also fallen into the river for no reason. In the end, she had even been saved by the First Prince of Yan Kingdom.

    After she regained consciousness and returned to the pce, she was told that she would be married off to the Yan Kingdom. How could the Fifth Princess, who was certain she was going to marry Bai Yihao, ept that? She made a fuss. However, she did not expect that her father, who had always doted on her, had been enraged and locked her up. He had warned her that if she did not marry the man, she would never be able to leave the pce again.

    After much consideration, the Fifth Princess med Mo Xuetong for everything.

    She would not have attended the Qin gathering if not to poison Mo Xuetong. If she had not attended the Qin gathering, she would not have fallen into the river. If she had not fallen into the river, she would not have been saved by the First Prince of Yan. If he had not saved her, she would not have to marry him. She looked at Mo Xuetong hatefully, as if she would tear her apart if Mo Xuetong dared to not agree.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, forgive Anping for not being able to agree. My father and mother will decide about my marriage. We are children, how would we dare to talk about marriage?¡± Mo Xuetong said with a light smile. One could not tell how she was feeling by her expression. However, she seemed cold. Her eyes were calm and she did not seem afraid at all.

    ¡°You!...¡± The Fifth Princess was so angry she almost hit the table. Mo Xuetong had not only disobeyed her, but she had also implied that the princess was not a gentlewoman to dare to plot her own marriage. If they were not in a temporary shelter and the wind-proofing was not done well, she would have thrown a tantrum.

    Fortunately, she recalled then that Bai Yihao was out there not far away. She managed to reign in her temper.

    ¡°Do you like my cousin?¡± The Fifth Princess forced herself to calm down as she stared at Mo Xuetong coldly.

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ cousin was Bai Yihao. Mo Xuetong could not wait to escape this man. She truly did not dare to like him.

    ¡°Rest assured, Fifth Princess, Anping will not like Sir Bai and Sir Bai will not like Anping. If he treats Anping differently, it is because Anping is now the daughter of the Princess Royal.¡± Mo Xuetong described the fact lightly. She felt very wronged. She did not know what the handsome Sir Bai wanted to do to make the Fifth Princess jealous from the very beginning.

    It made the vicious princess ¡°take care¡± of her time and time again! She would of course take the chance to let the princess know that there was nothing going on between the two of them.

    ¡°Bullshit. If you don¡¯t like my cousin, why are you always following him? It was the same at my aunt¡¯s banquet, at the Qin gathering, and this time as well. I heard you even came in with him. Do you still im that you don¡¯t like him!¡± The Fifth Princess asked Mo Xuetong angrily.

    Mo Xuetong was speechless at the im that she was following Bai Yihao around. The silly Fifth Princess really thought that Bai Yihao was a loving man who would stop to wait for someone if they went after him. There were so many young women in the capital of the Qin Kingdom, and arge half truly wanted to go after Bai Yihao. Should he just stand still and stop walking then?

    ¡°Fifth Princess, no matter whether you believe it or not, I do not like Sir Bai. Even if you want me to admit it, I can¡¯t.¡± Mo Xuetong said, indifferently.

    ¡°If you dare to go close to my cousin again, I¡¯ll get rid of you!¡± The Fifth Princess warned again. She could only find a different way if Mo Xuetong refused to tell her royal father that she wants to be married off to Yan. She had to find a way to marry off the woman to Yan. Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would be in tatters then and she wanted to see if the girl could still marry her cousin or not.

    Mo Xuetong was angered by her words. She thought of how she had almost been disfigured by the monkey and how Consort Yu and the others had worked together to frame her. Now, the Fifth Princess was telling her in her face that she was going to ruin her. Her eyes grew cold as she said, ¡°Fifth Princess, it¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve tried to ruin Anping. What¡¯s another one or two times?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you are admitting that you like my cousin now!¡± The Fifth Princess stood up angrily. She was furious and her voice grew louder as she was unable to control her volume.

    ¡°So what if I admit it? Will you disfigure me? Or frame me for stealing? Of course, there are others...¡± Mo Xuetong did not wish to speak with the willful and vicious princess any longer. As such, she mocked her.

    How was she going to ruin her? Was all that not enough?!

    ¡°If you dare to hang around my cousin again, I will definitely ruin you. Even if I can¡¯t do that, he would not allow you to have him! If anyone dares to fight with me for someone I like, they will lose their lives.¡± The Fifth Princess was suddenly not angry anymore. She looked at Mo Xuetong coldly and spat out every word venomously.

    Mo Xuetong did not wish to continue speaking with the Fifth Princess who could not have whom he loved. It was all because of Bai Yihao. She curtsied respectfully and ignored the vicious expression on the Fifth Princess¡¯ face. She turned to walk out of the door. This was the Fifth Princess¡¯ birthday banquet and the Emperor had personally ordered the banquet. The Fifth Princess would not dare to make trouble.

    The Fifth Princess was really idealistic to want to marry Mo Xuetong into the Yan Kingdom.

    The moment she left, someone appeared before her in a sh. Before Mo Xuetong could speak, someone wrapped an arm around her slender waist and brought her to the room beside.

    It was a room meant for guests at the banquet to rest in. Other than the room for the Fifth Princess, which was the biggest, the other rooms were all about the same size. There were no doors for the rooms either, and they were only partitioned by a curtain. Mo Xuetong was about to say something but the person covered her mouth and pulled her in.

    Mo Xuetong opened her eyes when the person steadied himself. She looked at the handsome face in front of her in shock and was speechless.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking? You were really glib earlier.¡± Bai Yihao released her hand and took two steps back. He stood by the side politely. He flicked his long sleeves and turned to the side to look at her leisurely with a smile.

    It was as if he had not been the one who had grabbed her earlier.

    ¡°Can I ask what the matter is, Sir Bai? Why have you brought me here?¡± Mo Xuetong calmed down and took two steps back. However, she was standing against the wall earlier, and if she backed away even more, she would look afraid. She calmed herself down and did not look too stiff.

    ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to see you!¡± Bai Yihao said leisurely. Light shone through the curtain and into the room. His eyes were crystal clear and he looked at her deeply.

    He sounded serious even when he was saying something so flirtatious.

    Mo Xuetong looked up with a whoosh at Bai Yihao. Her eyes were filled with wariness and were distant as she said, ¡°Sir Bai, since I have your deep affection, can you please let me go? I am just the daughter of a third-grade official and not true royalty. I do not dare to set my sights upon you as well.¡±

    She looked up at Bai Yihao and did not blink. Her eyes did not hold any of the gentleness or love that wasmonly found in the eyes of women. In fact, one could say that her eyes were filled with stubbornness and willfulness. She had gotten into trouble with the Fifth Princess all because of him. She had been warned by the Fifth Princess earlier and the anger she felt earlier was imbued in what she said.

    If he had not appeared to look as if they were close around others and in private, would the ensuing troubles still ur?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you really angry?¡± Bai Yihao smiled slightly as if he had not seen how angry she was. She reached out as if he was going to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

    Mo Xuetong turned her head to avoid him. She looked up and said, ¡°Sir Bai, please stop pretending to be gentle. There is no one else around to admire it and I do not wish to be your chess piece.¡±

    ¡°Can I only do this when there are others around?¡± Bai Yihao seemed not to understand what she was saying and he looked at her curiously.

    ¡°Sir Bai, you show me some attention because you want the First Prince of Yan to abandon the Fifth Princess and marry me. Sir Bai, you have put in a lot of effort just so you can marry the Fifth Princess. If the Fifth Princess finds out about this, she will definitely cry tears of joy.¡± Mo Xuetong said openly. She did not think that she needed to hide in front of Bai Yihao. He was very sharp so she did not need to beat around the bushes with him.

    ¡°Oh, you think I want my eldest brother to marry you?¡± Bai Yihao raised his brows. His smile was gentle.

    ¡°If not, why would you need to spend so much effort pretending?¡± Mo Xuetong breathed in, not backing off. Her longshes fluttered and her gaze was even more certain.

    Bai Yihao smiled, revealing his snowy white teeth and said, ¡°What if I said I want my eldest brother to marry the Fifth Princess?¡±

    ¡°Sir Bai, don¡¯t bother saying anything. I thank you for your affections and I hope that you willvish less of this affection on me in the future. I still have something on, so I shall take my leave lest the Fifth Princesses out and think that I am going after Sir Bai again.¡± Mo Xuetong walked past Bai Yihao and curtsied to him lightly before turning to leave.

    She knew that the Fifth Princess would definitely be watching her when she left earlier. If she discovers that she and Bai Yihao were ¡°together¡± again, the irritable Fifth Princess might throw a tantrum right there and then. If this matter were to blow up, it would not be to Mo Xuetong¡¯s benefit at all. It might even be just what Bai Yihao wanted. The First Prince of Yan might take notice of her and the loss outweighed the gains.

    Mo Xuetong hurried out. Then, she calmed down and paused. She turned around to look at Bai Yihao.

    Bai Yihao stood there in his flowing white robes. The wind lifted his wide sleeves and it made him seem ethereal. There was a smile on his lips and he seemed carefree. He was like a fairy, perfect and wless.

    She looked at his gentle eyes with her clear ones and a smile slowly crept up on her lips. Her smile was brilliant and Bai Yihao looked at her in surprise. She looked at him and said, ¡°Sir Bai, I might consider working with you if you do not use me as a chess piece! There are quite a few people watching in Yan Kingdom!¡±

    Then, she smiled and flicked her sleeves, prepared to leave.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you said you will work with me if I do not use you as a chess piece?¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle voice sounded from behind her.

    Mo Xuetong paused but did not turn around. She nodded sharply, ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Bai Yihao watched her back and revealed a row of shiny white teeth. He smiled and said gently and elegantly, ¡°Then from now on, we are considered partners!¡±

 Chapter 306 - The Battle of Wits at the Fifth Princess Banquet

    <strong>Chapter 306 The Battle of Wits at the Fifth Princess¡¯ Banquet</strong>

    The banquet began and everyone presented their gifts. Emperor Zongwen and the Empress appeared for just a moment before leaving the banquet to the young people. Men and women were sat separately in two rows that spread out from the center table. Mo Xuetong sat on the left of the Fifth Princess. She was now the Princess Anping of the royal family and was thus more noble than the other youngdies. Ling Fengyan, You Yue¡¯e, Luo Mingzhu, and Chen Ya¡¯er followed.

    The male guests were sat on the other side of the Fifth Princess. Bai Yihao sat directly next to her followed by Bai Yichen, Ling Mingfeng, You Yuecheng, Luo Wenyou, and Chen Yanyu. Even Sima Lingyun, who had not appeared for a long time was here as well.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on Sima Lingyun, who was seated at the very end of the row that held the male guests. His dressing was still high-ss. However, he looked wretched, both in terms of his disposition and his appearance. He was no longer the handsome and spirited Marquess Zhenguo. Nobody bothered him as he sat there.

    After what happened, his family¡¯s reputation waspletely ruined. He even had to marry a concubine¡¯s daughter as his legal wife. Most importantly, the reputation of the concubine¡¯s daughter was terrible. No one knew if she had already had any dalliances with other men. He had ruined his family¡¯s reputation for a woman like this. All the men treated Sima Lingyun with disdain.

    Even though the Duke Zhenguo family had fallen in the past, they were still considered nobility. Some of their old family friends would still help them out from time to time. It was easy for them to find someone to help them. Even though they were not really in official career, it was not impossible. However, they deemed the position too lowly and was not willing to take it, which was why they took short cuts. However, in the end, nobody could be bothered with him now.

    If not because of his aunt¡¯s help, he would not even receive an invitation to the Fifth Princess¡¯ banquet.

    He was sat at the end and wanted to find an opportunity to speak with the other noble sons so that they would speak up for him. It would be fine even if he could get a humble position. When he thought of how he would marry Mo Xuemin in two weeks, he could not bring himself to be excited. He only felt frustrated. If not for that woman, he would not have ended up in his current predicament.

    He looked up as he thought of that and poured himself a cup of wine. He was about to drink it all. He had only been in the pce for a short time and there were already many people who looked at him with disdain. He could only douse the anger he felt with alcohol.

    He saw Mo Xuetong sitting right up in front as he looked up and he paused for a moment.

    That beauty had once been so close to him. She had been so close he could have controlled her. That was why he had plotted time after time. He only realized now that the distance between the two was so wide it was the distance between heaven and earth. He suddenly felt emotional and his hand shook. He spilled the wine he was holding.

    Mo Xuetong smirked coldly when she saw how wretched Sima Lingyun was. She looked away with a cold smile on her lips!

    In her past life, Sima Lingyun had stepped on her to gain a court position. In the end, he had killed her after she had lost her value. He had discovered the Yuxiao Flower in the Fu General Manor and used it to his advantage. He probably had never considered then that she was the reason for his ascend. In her rebirth, she stepped upon them, pushing them into the dirt.

    There was so much enmity, so much blood. The fall of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was not enough to pay for all that...

    Bai Yihao¡¯s gaze moved casually from her and onto Sima Lingyun. His eyes were deep. He leaned back slightly and a pce maid hurriedly filled his cup shyly. Then, she backed away respectfully and avoided the Fifth Princess¡¯ cold gaze. She lowered her head and stood behind them.

    ¡°Cousin, the present that you gave me is beautiful. I really like it. How about you take me out of the pce to have fun tomorrow?¡± The Fifth Princess smiled at Bai Yihao. Her gaze was filled with adoration. The princess did not hesitate to announce all that she felt even in front of so many people.

    Bai Yihao had given the Fifth Princess a small horse. It was a newborn ten-thousand-mile horse. It was notrge and was very suitable for a female rider. The Fifth Princess had already seen it and liked it very much. She would naturally use it as an excuse to raise the matter of going out on a trip. She smiled coyly as she spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. My royal brother will only be going home a few dayster. Why don¡¯t Your Highness apany him for a few days and go on a spring trip?¡± Bai Yihao put down the cup in his hand elegantly. He knocked on the table with his fingers lightly and nced at Bai Yichen with a sudden smile.

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ expression grew ugly. She bit her lips and looked at Bai Yihao coyly.

    Bai Yihao smiled and leaned backward. He caught the Fifth Princess¡¯ dress by ident and immediately sat up straight. Then, he smiled and said gently to the Fifth Princess, ¡°Hang on, I will get a pce maid to undo this. Don¡¯t move, or your beautiful clothes will be ruined.¡±

    The Fifth Princess smiled happily at his words. A pce maid had already seen it and immediately approached to remove the loose thread that was tangled in Bai Yihao¡¯s long slender fingers.

    After it was removed, Bai Yihao tugged on the Fifth Princess¡¯ belt lightly. Then, he removed it as if nothing had happened. It was an intimate move that had never happened before. All the Fifth Princess could see was his handsome smile. She was stunned and looked at Bai Yihao, dazed. When she came back to her senses, she quickly picked up her wine cup and took a sip to hide the flush on her cheeks.

    She nced at Bai Yihao from the corner of her eyes and saw him leaning on the back of his seat. His handsomeness and elegance were unique and second to none. His eyes were dark and deep and in them shone gentleness. Even though the Fifth Princess could not understand what his eyes were saying, she could not look away. Her eyes were filled with adoration.

    ¡°The little horse is indeed good. I spent a long time picking up and it is very suitable for you. Let¡¯s go on a ride to rx in a few days. It is a rare asion for my eldest brother to be here in the Qin Kingdom and it¡¯d make a good trip if he were toe along.¡± He said softly. If not for Bai Yichen¡¯s good hearing, he would not have heard it.

    ¡°Alright!¡± The Fifth Princess did not know what to say. She held on to her cup and looked at Bai Yihao in a daze. She liked Bai Yihao since the first time she saw him and she wanted to marry him. There were other princesses who liked him secretly as well, but they did not dare to be close to Bai Yihao after the legitimate Fifth Princess taught them a lesson. They grew distant from her as well.

    Only Bai Yihao remained, not close and not distant. His gentleness and handsomeness were like the moon in the sky. He was wless and she yearned for him. As they grew up, she fell for his handsome appearance and she grew to yearn more and more for Bai Yihao to show only her his gentleness and to smile only at her.

    The Empress Dowager resided deep inside the pce. If Bai Yihao wanted to meet her, he would have to enter the pce. Some of the pce maids looked at Bai Yihao with great affection and some of the braver ones would use all sorts of excuses to lean into him. The Fifth Princess had them flogged to death or hung after she found out. She treated any woman who was interested in Bai Yihao harshly. She would not hold back.

    He could only belong to her!

    However, even though Bai Yihao had always been gentle towards her, he was also very distant. He had never behaved amorously toward her and had never smiled at her only. He had never been so affectionate towards her. The Fifth Princess¡¯s heart soared and she could not be bothered about anything else. She only had eyes for Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face.

    Bai Yichen was certain of his decision then. He looked away and drank arge cup of wine with a determined expression. A sh of determined coldness appeared in his eyes.

    Bai Yihao had set up an odd plot. He had shown affection for the beautiful Princess Anping earlier. And after Bai Yichen had seen through his plot, he had set up another and shown affection to the Fifth Princess. However, no matter what he did, it would not shake him from his determination to marry the Fifth Princess. On one hand, marrying the Fifth Princess led to the greatest benefit, and on the other, Bai Yihao had made him angry.

    Did he really think that Bai Yichen was a cricket in his hand he could crush as he wished?

    Bai Yichen drained the wine cup in his hand. His eyes were filled with anger and contempt. There was a hint of viciousness on his arrogant expression. He watched as Bai Yihao and the Fifth Princess interacted and almost blew his top. He would not allow Bai Yihao to get what he wanted. He had done so much, but wasn¡¯t all that he had done to convince Bai Yichen to give up the Fifth Princess?!

    ¡°Eldest Royal Brother, I will go with the Fifth Princess to race our horses in a few days. Will you go as well?¡± Bai Yihao seemed unable to see that Bai Yichen was in a bad mood. He turned around and smiled casually, saying, ¡°It is spring and the weather is warming and flowers are blooming. The weather is good too. Royal brother, leave the nation¡¯s matters for a while and rx for a couple of days.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured that I will definitely be there.¡± Bai Yichen said, seemingly as if he was gritting his teeth. His gazended on the beautiful small face diagonally across him. After being plotted against by Bai Yihao, Princess Anping¡¯s expression had remained stony. Perhaps it was because she had some wine, her eyes were misty and there was a slight blush on her face. She seemed even more beautiful.

    ¡°Princess Anping, we will go and ride together in a few days. Will youe as well?¡± He suddenly stood up and said to Mo Xuetong loudly.

    His voice towered over the whispers from the crowd. Everyone looked at Bai Yichen in shock and then looked at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that Bai Yihao would suddenly speak to her. After a momentary pause, she regained herposure. She stood up and curtsied to Bai Yihao, saying, ¡°First Prince, you are too kind. I wish to go out on a trip with you all as well. However, my mother is ill and I have to take care of her. I shall not bother Your Highnesses.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was very polite but she did not wish to participate in the trip at all. Anyone with sharp eyes could see what was happening given the situation in Yan Kingdom. If she were to be married over there, she might die. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong had never thought of marrying over to the Yan Kingdom. She had never thought well of Bai Yichen even though he seemed to be much of a better catch than Bai Yihao right now.

    In her past life, she had personally witnessed Bai Yihao¡¯s victory. So what if Bai Yichen worked with the Empress to make chaos? In the fire, Bai Yihao smiled proudly and heroically. Mo Xuetong was certain that even if the Fifth Princess were to marry Bai Yichen, Bai Yihao would have a way to deal with it.

    ¡°Aunt is sick? When did that happen? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me that?¡± Bai Yihao nced around and he asked with concern.

    ¡°It is not a major illness, but she has a slight cough.¡± Mo Xuetong answered politely.

    Bai Yichen was even more certain that Bai Yihao appeared to be very interested and affectionate toward Princess Anping to trick him so that he would give up the Fifth Princess and marry Princess Anping. They were not close at all and were even a little distant. Mo Xuetong had not consulted the skilled physician, Bai Yihao, even though his aunt was ill. From this, one could tell that the two were not close.

    Bai Yichen sat down, satisfied, having seen through Bai Yihao¡¯s plot. He did not mind Mo Xuetong¡¯s refusal!

    He did not know that the Princess Royal had intentions ofmitting suicide. She would naturally not tell anyone that she was ill. She did not even ask for a royal physician she was familiar with from the pce. She had just found a random physician and took some medicine. Even Mo Xuetong had not been informed, much less Bai Yihao.

 Chapter 307 - Stopped after the Princess Banquet

    <b>Chapter 307 Stopped after the Princess¡¯ Banquet</b>

    After the banquet ended, everyone left the pce. Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu walked right at the back. They were seated far away earlier and did not have the chance to speak. They only met each other now and were speaking with each other softly.

    Luo Mingzhu nced at Bai Yihao and Bai Yichen who were not far away ahead in front of them. She pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand in concern and pointed at the two men. She said softly, ¡°Cousin Tong, you must not go on the riding trip with them. The First Prince of Yan came to marry a noble woman from the Qin Kingdom. You are in a perilous seat and be careful lest you be plotted against.¡±

    Even the usually careless Luo Mingzhu could see it. How obvious were the Bai brothers!

    ¡°Second Cousin, do you think that the royal brothers will plot against me?¡± Mo Xuetong held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand with a vague smile. She remembered that her cousin was one of the girls who liked Bai Yihao. She did not expect Luo Mingzhu to speak badly of him.

    Luo Mingzhu red at her angrily. She knew what Mo Xuetong meant, and she pursed her lips, saying, ¡°If you continue saying that, I will ignore you. I¡¯m worried for you and am afraid that you won¡¯t know even if someone hurts you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. I know Second Cousin treats me the best.¡± Mo Xuetong swung their hands, trying to butter up to Luo Mingzhu. Bai Yichen, who was speaking with Bai Yihao turned around then and caught sight of how adorable she was. He could not help the elegant smile that appeared on his lips.

    ¡°As long as you know. since the Princess Royal is ill, you can use this excuse and stay at home in peace. Don¡¯t go anywhere. I think the Fifth Princess has some enmity against you. Be careful.¡± Luo Mingzhu smiled sincerely and warned Mo Xuetong, afraid that Mo Xuetong would be ignorant given her young age.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart softened when she saw the smiling face of her cousin and her sincere concern. There was also a bittersweet feeling. In her past life, her cousin treated her very well too. However, Mo Xuetong never listened to her and always ignored what she said. She had told Mo Xuetong to be wary of Mo Xuemin many times but Mo Xuetong had ignored her thinking that she was jealous of her friendship with Mo Xuemin.

    They could see the entrance of the pce. Luo Wenyou brought Luo Mingzhu in a different direction. Their horse carriage was parked there and it would be faster if they were to head there. Mo Ye went to call for the Mo Manor¡¯s horse carriage and told Mo Xuetong to wait for her.

    Mo Xuetong stood under the tree. She suddenly saw a horse charging towards her. It was as quick as lightning and it seemed about to run into her. A few people by her side screamed in shock and they could not help but run in all directions. However, Mo Xuetong stood there silently. She was gracious and there was a rxed look on her tender face. She did not seem to have sensed the danger at all.

    Her skirt flew in the air and then floated down again. She looked dignified and elegant,posed and gracious. Her beautiful eyes were innocent and charming. Yet, her expression was distant and did not match her appearance at all. The mismatch made her even more charming. And on her slender figure, she seemed even more elegant and captivating.

    The horse was reined in forcefully when it was just two steps away from her. The horse raised its legs and almost touched her skirt. It was very dangerous.

    Bai Yihao had just gotten on his horse not far away. He turned around and his eyes darkened. The gentle smile on his face seemed to turn icy cold in mere moments. He saw You Yuecheng on the horse and a bone-chilling coldness shed through his eyes. He watched as You Yuecheng stopped the horse before he tightened his horse reins and left with Bai Yichen.

    He moved his hands away from the pocket at his waist surreptitiously. His secret daggers were hidden there!

    You Yuecheng sat atop his horse and looked at the calm and beautiful face below. He wanted to look away as if nothing had happened. However, he saw her rxed gaze that looked at him calmly. Their eyes met and for a moment, and he forgot what he was about to do.

    ¡°Your Excellency, is there anything you need?¡± Mo Xuetong arranged her sleeves and asked lightly.

    ¡°Princess Anping, don¡¯t we have something to settle between us?¡± You Yuecheng regained his wits. His deep dark eyes were icy cold. He recalled the information he received yesterday. Mo Xuetong knew of his secret meeting with Mo Xuemin.

    This meant that everything that happened after might be part of Mo Xuetong¡¯s plot. That included how Mo Xuemin had been teased, her meeting with Li Youmo, and how he had no choice but vouch for her and implicating his reputation, and what happened to Mo Xuemin after. He had been implicated in the rumors about Mo Xuemin.

    He thought of all that and how many still suspected that he and Mo Xuemin were having an affair. They would bring up Mo Xuemin from time to time during conversations with him. They all meant to imply to say that something must have happened between her and Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°Xuetong does not understand what Your Excellency means.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at him with a gentle smile. She seemed really dismissive as if she did not care what he was saying.

    ¡°The night before New Year¡¯s Eve, where were you?¡± You Yuecheng stared at Mo Xuetong, pausing between each word.

    ¡°Your Excellency, why are you asking this? I don¡¯t think I have to exin to you what I did!¡± Mo Xuetong answered uncaringly.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you are a young unmarrieddy. You should adhere to the teachings and behave in a noble and dignified manner!¡± You Yuecheng said coldly.

    ¡°Your Excellency, did youe to tell me that? Are you going to teach me how to behave! We are not rted at all, so I won¡¯t trouble Your Excellency.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you are too much. How dare you plot against your sister!¡± You Yuecheng shouted angrily.

    ¡°Plot against her sister!¡± A dark look appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She looked up and said coldly, ¡°Your Excellency, aren¡¯t you meddling too much? That sister and auntie of mine tried to kill my mother and ruin my reputation. If I were not as lucky, I would have been stomped on firmly by them. Having a sister like that is truly a lucky thing. I wonder if the youngdies in the Mingguo Manor are like that!¡±

    She did not expect You Yuecheng to be so biased against her. Mo Xuemin had been the one who hurt her first. He had worked together with Mo Xuemin to hurt her and yet, he seemed so righteous right now berating her. She truly did not know whether her own thinking was too old-fashioned or if he was too evil.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s expression changed the moment he heard that!

    You Yuecheng had heard what happened that day and even had someone investigate it especially after the matter happened. He knew very well that Mo Xuemin was not as gracious as she appeared to be. It was not her first time trying to hurt Mo Xuetong either. However, the issue was that Mo Xuemin had gotten what she deserved. Why did he have to be implicated? He vented all the anger he felt on Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, so what if I stop you here today? Do you think His Majesty will think that something happened between us and bestow a marriage upon us?¡± He said angrily, narrowing his eyes and looking at the calm young woman.

    You Yuecheng was certain that Mo Xuetong would not dare to do anything to him. Mo Xuetong looked around her. It was obvious that some of the youngdies and masters were shocked by what happened. They were all looking at them. Mo Xuetong had been blocked by a man at the entrance of the pce because he was certain that there was no one to protect her. The Princess Royal was ill and the Fifth Princess held enmity against her. The Luo siblings were not there either.

    He had behaved so wildly, and might even really have the intention to make Mo Xuetong marry into the Mingguo Manor. Mo Xuetong did not think that You Yuecheng had done this because he wanted to marry her. It was because he wanted her inside the Mingguo Manor so that he could deal with her.

    Her clear eyes shone with a deep dark look. It was as if there were embers of me dancing within them. She curled up her lips coldly and said, ¡°Your Excellency, do you think that no one will deal with you if you behaved so grantly at the entrance of the pce? Even though the Empress might have power over the women in the pce, she is not the most powerful woman. The Empress dowager is the true ruler of the pce. Your sister is about to be King Yan¡¯s consort. If something were to happen now, it would definitely implicate King Yan. Do you think that my mother is so ill and cannot get up that she cannot help defend me?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± The words caused an impact on You Yuecheng. He had only found out about the chasm between the Empress and the Empress Dowager recently. She naturally knew that the Empress Dowager had something on the Empress. If he really did anything inappropriate today, the Empress dowager would definitely use Yue¡¯e to implicate King Yan.

    He bit out viciously, ¡°Do you think the Empress Dowager will believe you!¡±

    ¡°How would we know whether the Empress Dowager will believe me or not? In any case, it would just ruin my reputation, but for you and King Yan...¡± Mo Xuetong rxed slightly and she smirked coldly. Her beautiful lips curled up with a hint of ridicule. It would be fine as long as You Yuecheng had something to hesitate about!

    The Empress Dowager had remained hidden behind the scenes partially because Emperor Zongwen was not her biological son and also because she wanted to keep a low profile. If she had the chance, who knew how she would react? You Yuecheng did not dare to make the wager. If the insignificant matter today caused the fight between the Empress and the Empress Dowager, it would be more of a loss than a gain.

    Anyway, he had a n and she could not escape from his grasp. A cold expression appeared on his handsome face. He said, ¡°Princess Anping, you had best think carefully. You can enjoy endless glory and wealth if you were to marry into the Mingguo Manor. Will you not consider it?¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Excellency, for your affections. The glory and honor are not something that I can afford to enjoy.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that what she had said had worked. She said, with a mocking jeer in her voice, ¡°I trust that you are even more sure of what happened exactly that day. Why do you think that I will sit there and allow her to hurt me without retaliating? This is how the daughter of a noble family should behave!¡±

    You Yuecheng¡¯s ridiculous enmity frustrated Mo Xuetong. She did not even deny that she had plotted against Mo Xuemin. Her gentle and beautiful eyes were frozen and there was undisguised anger in her tone. What right did he have to think that she should be hurt by Mo Xuemin? The hatred of her past life crashed around her and the color of blood appeared before her.

    In her past life, she had been forced into a corner by Mo Xuemin and had been killed. No one had spoken up for her. Why were there so many people who could not resist jumping out to me her loudly when she had only just caused Mo Xuemin her reputation? They seemed righteous as if they were going to bring her to justice. Did they think she was someone they could easily bully and that anyone could stomp all over her?

    The intensity of her attitude shocked You Yuecheng. He paused for a moment. He did not expect Mo Xuetong to have such a huge reaction and that she would be so sharp with her words, not even allowing him anywhere to back into. However, he had been threatening as well and had not allowed her anywhere to back into. He hadid things out in the open. Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation had been affected after she was found that day. But if he were to be discovered with Mo Xuemin, her reputation would bepletely ruined.

    Some of the youngdies and masters seemed to have seen the fight then. They were strolling casually towards them.

    You Yuecheng gritted his teeth. He did not dare to truly tear through the veneer of civility in the end. He calmed down and said to Mo Xuetong coldly, ¡°Princess Anping, you¡¯d better watch out! See you!¡± Then, he pulled the horse reins and the horse turned around. It lifted its front legs and sped away, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

    He would return to the manor and have his First Uncle go to the Mo Manor to ask for Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. He wanted to see what reason the Mo Manor would use to reject him!

 Chapter 308 - Forceful and Rushed proposal by His Excellency

    <strong>Chapter 308 Forceful and Rushed proposal by His Excellency</strong>

    You Yuecheng escorted the carriage of You Yue¡¯e back to Mingguo Manor. You Yuecheng left the carriage hastily, throwing the bridle to his apanying servant. Before You Yue¡¯e alighted from the carriage, he hurried off inside the manor.

    ¡°What happened to big brother?¡± Coming out of the carriage, You Yue¡¯e asked the iing butler as her servant helped her out of the carriage.

    The butler smiled and shook his head. ¡°His Excellency seemed to be mad. What happened in the pce?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps that girl is annoying.¡± You Yue¡¯e exined unhappily as she remembered the grumpy face of his brother ever since he chatted with Mo Xuetong a while ago on his horse.

    She did not like Mo Xuetong at all as she had an inexplicable difort about her demeanor, in particr about the beautiful little face that seemed cold and innocent at the same time. Furthermore, her pure look and seductive eyes made her a slutty little devil.

    ¡°First Miss, don¡¯t be mad, Princess Anping cannot be as prestigious as you! You will be the future wife of King Yan and could even be... Even though she is a princess now, we never know who she will marry. When she sees you in the future, she shall call you ¡®My Lady¡¯ too.¡± The servant walked behind You Yue¡¯e. Knowing that her master was displeased at Mo Xuetong, especially due to their sitting arrangements at the party, she immediately ttered her.

    Her tter was of a high standard and You Yue¡¯e immediately felt better. It¡¯s urate that Mo Xuetong¡¯s position as a princess meant nothing if she did not marry a good man. If she was unlucky and married into the Yan Kingdom, she would die soon. As a future Empress, she had no intention of dealing with the useless girl, especially with Fifth Princess¡¯ hatred towards her.

    She said nothing much and entered the manor with the help of her servant.

    You Yuecheng rushed to the study room. He had invited his uncle this morning and he should be there already. You Yuecheng¡¯s uncle, Hua Xiangfeng, is the Duke of Hanyang and the assistant minister of the workers¡¯ department. The two are colleagues of simr rank. His uncle had already been waiting in the study room for a while, a little anxious.

    With the door opened, You Yuecheng strode hastily inside. After paying his respects, the servants sent tea to You Yucheng. He then waved his hand and the servants left, closing the door in the process.

    ¡°Uncle, I want to marry Princess Anping.¡± You Yuecheng went direct to the point.

    Hua Xiangfeng was stunned as he frowned slightly. ¡°Princess Anping is just a powerless princess! She will give you no benefits!¡±

    Judging from the career of You Yuecheng, the benefits of marrying Mo Xuetong would be negligible. Fu General Manor behind her would be as powerful as Mingguo Manor and it did not matter that whichever would support him. It would be more beneficial to marry the daughter of Luo family.

    Princess Royal was merely a lone woman. Even though she could influence Emperor Zongwen, her influence was not significant as it stemmed out of the Emperor¡¯s care for his own sister. In front of the national matters, such concern would ount for nothing.

    ¡°Yue¡¯e was about to marry King Yan soon. From his perspective, he needs more power and the support of General Manor would be the upmost importance to King Yan¡¯s n. Furthermore, Mo Huawen was in charge of the biggest force about the capital. If we can control them...¡± You Yuecheng regained hisposure as he analyzed meticulously.

    Hearing his analysis, Hua Xiangfeng could not help but nod his head in agreement. Even though this benefit seemed outstanding, he still frowned as he thought of another matter. ¡°What about Ping General Manor? I heard that the first miss of Ping General Manor always loved you. Furthermore, the daughter of Ding General Manor only wanted to marry you. If we marry her, wouldn¡¯t it be more beneficial to King Yan?¡±

    Daughter of Ding General Manor? He was referring to Ling Mingyan, an extremely arrogant and self-righteous woman. You Yuecheng was annoyed merely thinking about her face. ¡°How dare she proim to only marry him at such an old age?¡± Once, she rushed into his house and had beaten one of his servants to death.

    Such a woman was distasteful to him and he would never marry her.

    ¡°Uncle, even though Ding General Manor is powerful, they are the Empress¡¯ family and naturally stood on the side of King Yan. A further marriage proposal will bring us no more benefits. We should maximize our benefits and garner even more alliances. I have already discussed with King Yan and we have decided that Princess Anping would be the most suitable choice. Even though Princess Royal is powerless, he could affect the Emperor¡¯s decisions on some matters.¡± You Yuecheng exined.

    Both of them understood the hidden meaning behind his words. Even though Princess Royal has no power in national matters, Emperor Zongwen doted on his sister. When Emperor Zongwen did choose his sessor, a few good words for King Yan from Princess Royal could seal the deal for the two. Hence, Princess Royal had power in her influence.

    ¡°I agree with you. However, Princess Anping is not yet fourteen years old, and his family is still guarding filial piety for the Luo family. Is it toote to wait a year for her marriage?¡± Hua Xiangfeng frowned as he was hesitant, deep in thought. He was from King Yan¡¯s Manor, and thus focused primarily on the benefits of King Yan.

    No one knew when the Emperor would choose his sessor, and preparations had to be done early. If this matter dragged on for a year and more, the sessor might already have been chosen. No one knew what Emperor Zongwen was thinking, as the Crown Prince could be chosen tomorrow.

    You Yuecheng was naturally well prepared for marriage, while it was too young for Princess Anping herself. Even though there are prior instances of early marriage in the Qin Kingdom, it did not make sense for her to do that since she was mourning for her mother¡¯s death. Thus, Hua Xiangfeng believed that this matter would be harmful to King Yan since it would drag on.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, uncle. Just propose her marriage to Mo Huawen, and I promise you that he will agree. Since she can marry one daughter half a monthter, she can marry his third daughter after a few months too.¡± A sharp simmer shed across You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. He stood up and walked to the study table, taking out a document from the drawer underneath before passing it to Hua Xiangfeng.

    ¡°Look, uncle!¡±

    Everyone knew why Mo Huawen agreed for his daughter to marry during the year of mourning, as her mother killed Mo Huawen¡¯s sworn wife and she refused to mourn for her. It did not matter to him when she would marry. However, it was rumored that he doted on his third daughter, the only daughter of his sworn wife. As Princess Anping now, he would not agree to a marriage proposal so easily.

    It made neither logical nor emotional sense, and he pondered about the blind confidence of his nephew.

    However, Hua Xiangfeng knew about his nephew¡¯s personality and understood that he was someone who spoke with certainty. Even though he was young, he wasposed and decisive, qualities that few aristocrats have. Even though he was still only a sessor, he was actually in charge of handling many of the matters in Ping General Manor, proving his capabilities.

    With many questions, Hua Xiangfeng opened the document given to him. He was shocked at first before fear struck him. Looking up at You Yuecheng, he asked, ¡°Is this real?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± You Yuecheng did not hesitate.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t marrying her send you in danger then?¡± Hua Xiangfeng was confused as he dropped the document he was holding as if it was something fearful. His fingers trembled involuntarily as the information struck him. He was not a coward but the incident written in the document was too bloody, with many aristocrats and officials exterminated in the affair!

    ¡°Uncle, did His Majesty ever mention King Jin¡¯s manor all these years?¡± You Yuecheng asked casually.

    Hua Xiangfeng thought for a while before shaking his head. The King Jin incident erupted before he even became an official, and thus he knew little about the matter. Afterward, he heard that some descendants of King Jin have escaped. The pursuit was fierce at the beginning, but it was never mentioned again since Emperor Zongwen took over. Everyone seemed to be convinced that King Jin had no descendants, and Emperor Zongwen never investigated on the matter as well.

    However, King Jin Manor¡¯s wall broke down in the process, exposing the plum garden within. The Emperor asked to remove the walls surrounding the plum garden and build a tall wall within, surrounding King Jin Manor once again, preventing anyone from entering it. Thus, the mysterious King Jin Manor had always been shrouded by ayer of suspense.

    Theyer of suspense had unexpectedly stayed there for 30 years!

    ¡°Not only did the Emperor never mention King Jin Manor, but he also never investigated the descendants of King Jin, even protecting King Jin¡¯s Manor from others. I heard that he even rejected the Empress Dowager¡¯s request to build a royal house at that location.¡± You Yuecheng hinted at something.

    Hua Xiangfeng took in a chilly breath. He knew that the Emperor loved the Empress Dowager like his own mother. He did not know if it was merely for show or if it was really because he was close to her. Anyways, the Emperor rarely rejected the Empress Dowager. It was indeed interesting that the Emperor rejected the Empress Dowager¡¯s request over a seemingly unimportant manor.

    ¡°Is it because His Majesty wanted to reinstate the name of descendants of King Jin?¡± He guessed.

    Many years had passed since that matter. King Jin was the brother of the previous Emperor, the uncle of the current one. His descendants would be Emperor Zongwen¡¯s nephew, a distant rtionship from the throne and no direct rtionship to Emperor Zongwen. Perhaps he could forgive King Jin¡¯s attempt at usurping the throne.

    It was indeed unusual for Emperor Zongwen to protect that manor.

    ¡°No matter what the true intention of the Emperor is, we can see that he did not want to punish the descendants of King Jin. Thus, even if her identity was discovered, the distant rtionship and theck of conflict of interest will prompt the Emperor to resolve this matter in a well-thought-out manner.¡± You Yuecheng was confident.

    A sessful emperor solved problems using not only force but also love. A distant granddaughter of King Jin would not threaten the Emperor¡¯s throne. It would be an opportunity to show off the magnanimous nature of the Emperor, a great deal for him.

    However, You Yucheng did not mention one secret to Hua Xiangfeng. Since he became a close ally of King Yan, he knew an even deeper secret to the imperial family, one that he could not even mention to his uncle.

 Chapter 309 - Princess Royals Hidden Bamboo Building within the Peach Blossoms

    <h4>Chapter 309 Princess Royal¡¯s Hidden Bamboo Building within the Peach Blossoms</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not know that someone was nning her marriage. Then, she was apanying Xu Yan to look at the dowry for Mo Xuemin¡¯s marriage. After all, she was the eldest daughter of Mo Manor, and she was going to be married into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Hence, the dowry must be well-prepared and 36 full sets were prepared, with none deducted by Xu Yan.

    However, none of the items bore historical significance to the manor, as all of them are normal products bought in the marketce. The dowry was slightly better than a normal daughter, but not much better. This made Mo Xuetong remember her own dowry in her previous life. She had 108 full sets of dowry but only a few of them bore true significance, not even a fraction of the dowry.

    It was because of theck of dowry that she was looked down upon by the duchess of Duke¡¯s Manor. She could not bepared to Mo Xuemin having extravagant dowry. The memory of the devious n by Auntie Fang to harm her mother made her heart hurt from hatred. Regardless of what her mother¡¯s reasons were, it was true that Auntie Fang poisoned Mother!

    In her previous life, Auntie Fang poisoned her mother and Mo Xuemin poisoned her and her child. In this life, Auntie Fang still murdered her mother. Her hatred for the devilish woman remained throughout both her lives and would not be dissipated by the exile of Auntie Fang and the marriage of Mo Xuemin into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Blood piled the way to her rebirth, and the woman from hell would naturally want to avenge her mother by destroying the lives of her enemies...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, this should be enough. More dowries would be a waste because even the bride was not they wanted.¡± Xu Yan ced down the silk on her hands and held on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold hands, asking out of concern, ¡°Are you OK? Feeling unwell?¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a deep breath, smiling as she used Xu Yan as support. ¡°Mum, I¡¯m alright, just a little weak.¡±

    ¡°How can you be weak at such a young age! This will be problematic in the future!¡± Xu Yan apanied her to her room. It already Spring and the room was well lit. Since the wedding was happening recently, the aura of love was everywhere. One can spot delicate feminine atmosphere everywhere, from a small sachet on the curtain to the embroidered flower on the muslin bed curtains. The room was filled with a gentle feminine vibe.

    ¡°Madame, you should know that mydy¡¯s health had been deteriorating ever since Spring started. She feels tired often, from time to time.¡± Mo Yu replied anxiously as if she wasining about Mo Xuetong¡¯s current situation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mum. I am fine. I know medicine and I know my own body. Don¡¯t listen to Mo Yu, it was merely Spring drowsiness.¡± Smiling, Mo Xuetong stared at Mo Yu as she took a cushion and ced it down for Xu Yan to sit.

    She was not merely being polite in her words. She was indeed feeling increasingly fatigued recently, as her mental energy deteriorated as well. She was curious about the reason and thus checked her pulse. However, she found no abnormalities and figured that it was because of her weak body that resulted in more Spring drowsiness. Thus, she didn¡¯t mind it too much.

    ¡°Even though it might be nothing, you should still be careful. Your body is growing now and you shouldn¡¯t treat yourself badly. It will be good to ask a doctor to check on you. You can always condition your body even if you are not ill. If you are ill, it¡¯s better to get treatment early or it might be untreatable in the future.¡± Smiling, Xu Yan sat down.

    Xu Yan had an excellent life ever since she entered Mo Manor. Mo Huawen respected her and always visited her every night, treating the other two concubines as invisible. As they were not doted by Mo Huawen, the two could only treat her with respect. The daughters and sons of concubine were all disappointing and were grounded, with none of them showing disrespect in front of her.

    Furthermore, she was extremely satisfied with her cousin¡¯s daughter, Mo Xuetong, who was also the granddaughter of Fu General Manor and the foster daughter of Princess Royal, Princess Anping. In any aspect, Xu Yan would treat Mo Xuetong well. She would need to rely on Mo Xuetong for support if she gave birth to children in the future.

    She understood that as Princess Anping, Mo Xuetong would definitely marry into a prestigious family. When her children grew up, Mo Xuetong would be able to have a huge influence at that time. In her time at the manor, Xu Yan could see that her stepdaughter was not weak; she was someone witty and capable, managing the manor well at just thirteen years of age.

    She had defeated Auntie Fang within half a year of entering the manor, a feat impossible for any ordinary woman.

    Thus, Xu Yan was clear that she had to rely on Mo Xuetong for sess.

    ¡°Then I shall trouble Mother.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded as she epted Xu Yan¡¯s good intentions.

    The two continued their friendly chat before Mo Xuetong returned to Qingwei Garden. Mo Lan helped her remove her make up as Mo Yu settled her bed. Mo Xuetong sipped on the water before untying her hair for her afternoon nap. She only woke up in the evening and quickly tidied up before saying goodbye to Xu Yan and advancing to Princess Royal¡¯s manor.

    Princess Royal was not feeling well. As her daughter, she should stay by her side tonight, and not return to Mo Manor.

    She brought Mo Lan and Mo Ye on the carriage as they turned two corners to arrive at Princess Royal¡¯s manor.

    Nanny Qin, the wet nurse of Princess Royal, came out to wee them.

    They greeted each other before moving into the mansion. As they walked, Mo Xuetong asked out of concern, ¡°Nanny Qin, how is my mother? Is she feeling better now?¡±

    Nanny Qin smiled and responded, ¡°The princess¡¯ health had recovered. Ever since you left this morning, we asked a familiar doctor toe. He gave us some medication and the princess had just fallen asleep. I came to wee you once I heard you are here.¡±

    Nanny Qin seemed much more energeticpared to this morning. She looked delighted and she seemed to be feeling great.

    Hearing that, Mo Xuetong smiled as she rxed. Princess Royal¡¯s illness should be under control. It shouldn¡¯t be a serious illness since it was an old problem, one that often erupted during Springtime. However, what could have caused Princess Royal¡¯s previous actions?

    A thought flickered in her heart as she asked casually, ¡°When did this problem of Mother ur?¡±

    ¡°A few days ago. She was fine at the start, not much worse than in past years. At first, she was still taking the medication that we had long prepared. However, after a few days, Her Highness said that she no longer wanted to have those medications, stating that the smell was disgusting. She ordered us to throw the medication away.¡±

    Nanny Qin frowned as she remembered what happened. Ever since then, the Princess did not pay much attention to her health, taking medications only when she wished. Furthermore, her words always seemed to be dismissive, making Nanny Qin anxious to no avail. Luckily, Princess Anping came here today and convinced Princess Royal to see a doctor.

    ¡°Did anyone see Mother before she threw the medications away?¡± Mo Xuetong asked as she thought that it was unusual for Princess Royal to have a sudden change in behavior. Something unknown must have happened, and that must be an important factor.

    ¡°No strangers came here but the Crown Prince visited that day. He said something to Her Highness that made her turn pale as she was lost deep in thought. She threw her medications away the next day.¡± Nanny Qin thought about it and pondered about her choice of words. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not what the Crown Prince said, but merely memories that Her Highness had.¡±

    ¡°How long had Sir Bai stayed here? Did Nanny hear their conversation?¡± Mo Xuetong asked calmly as her instinct told her that something was amiss. She knew Bai Yihao¡¯s character very well. If Nanny Qin was merely suspicious of Sir Bai, she was convinced of his misdeeds. Judging by Bai Yihao¡¯s intellect, it would be difficult to say what he knew of Princess Royal. She never forgot that in her previous life, Princess Royal was imprisoned after bing an enemy of Emperor Zongwen.

    ¡°The Crown Prince does visit the Princess from time to time and is a very filial person. He will check Princess Royal¡¯s pulse from time to time, even leaving some medication from time to time. I did not hear anything he said as I was preparing tea then.¡± Nanny Qin thought for a while and decided that Bai Yihao wasn¡¯t the problem. Everyone in Princess¡¯ Manor knew that the Crown Prince was a filial kid.

    He would send all good things to Princess¡¯ Manor, even objects awarded by Emperor Zongwen. He was more filial to Princess Royal than the average son.

    Thus, after Nanny Qin finished exining, she shook her head. ¡°Your Highness, it will not be because of what the Crown Prince said. It must be something else that I could not remember.¡±

    As she spoke, Nanny Qin led Mo Xuetong to a garden at the periphery of Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, exining apologetically, ¡°Your Highness, Princess Royal is still sleeping now. I shall not bring you to visit her since it was rare for her to have such a deep sleep in these few days. I wille over to invite you once she wakes up. Can you rest here for a while?¡±

    Pushing open the garden gate, she saw an entire pasture of peach blossoms. Peach flowers covered all trees. It was precisely the season for blooming and thus the branches were colored by a seductive pink.

    A small path came sprawling out from the peach flowers, and a few houses hid behind the peach trees. Entering this garden was like entering heaven. She also saw green bamboo sticking out at the far end of the garden, giving a green undey to the peach surface, creating a refreshing aura.

    The wind blew and peach flowers flew!

    It was an extremely beautiful ce.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect such a heavenly garden within Princess Royal¡¯s Manor and was stunned by its beauty. The peach blossoms and bamboo sticks made one feel refreshed as one entered its ethereal grounds.

    ¡°Please rest here for a while, Your Highness. There are books and paintings inside the houses inside. If you are tired, you can rest on the bed there as well.¡± Nanny Qin smiled.

    Mo Xuetong brought her two servants into the peach forest.

    She turned a corner around the path and saw green bamboo sticks shooting out of the ground, standing tall and appearing straight.

    The garden was huge and they turned two more corners before finding a bamboo house.

    A creek bent itself around the bamboo house and a few rocks lie on it. It only took one nce for Mo Xuetong to fall in love with the bamboo house within the peach blossoms. The elegance here was dreamlike.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye could not help but gasp at the sight in front of them, despite Mo Lan¡¯sposure.

 Chapter 310 - Confession of a Marriage Engagement within the Peach Blossoms

    <h4>Chapter 310 Confession of a Marriage Engagement within the Peach Blossoms</h4>

    She walked up the bamboo tower and pushed open the snow ridden window, seeing the peach blossoms outside. She saw the clear stream and crooked rivers outside, apanied by the long slender bamboos nearby and the distant white clouds on the azure sky. It was indeed a picturesque ce to visit. The scenery itself was enough to make one lose their mind.

    ¡°Mother has such a good taste in decorating this ce! It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Standing in front of the window, Mo Xuetong blinked, rxed and joyful in her demeanor.

    Nanny Qin had already arranged for tea to be served as she exined, ¡°This ce is not decorated by Her Highness. She only liked plum blossoms and thus there are many plum trees here, making there no room for other flowers. The Crown Prince himself found this precious peach tree and transferred it here. He decorated the entire ce and would rest here from time to time when visiting Her Highness.¡±

    She did not expect the garden to be decorated by Bai Yihao but it made sense since the decoration of the ce was entirely different from that of the manor. Perhaps only such a beautiful garden was worthy of a handsome man like him.

    Nanny Qin only spoke a few words to her before leaving to tend to Princess Royal.

    Mo Ye and Mo Lan moved the soft couch to the window side before resting on it to enjoy the scenery. Mo Xuetong found a few books on medicine at the room beside her, books that she had never been exposed to. She was delighted to find that one of the books specialized inmon and unusual poisons.

    She had died from poison in her previous life, which was impossible for her to escape.

    Having been reborn, she was not willing to die from the assassination of others again!

    Resting on the sedan that Mo Lan arranged for her, she took the medical book and rested. Instantly, she felt a wave of fatigue attacking her after merely flipping the cover of the book. Immediately, she turned to Mo Ye and ordered, ¡°Mo Ye, do not apany me here. Go look for my mother,e and inform me personally when she wakes up.¡±

    In the entire Princess manor, perhaps Princess Royal only trusted Nanny Qin. Mo Xuetong could feel Princess Royal¡¯s loneliness and sadness for she was the only one still staying in this huge manor. Perhaps the reason for her unhappiness today would be that her fame and glory outside were not reflected inside her manor!

    Would that also be the reason for the spoilt behavior of Princess Royal in her previous life!

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Ye nodded as she retired.

    Mo Lan lit up the golden incense burner before retreating quietly. The swaying peach blossoms outside apanied the fragrance inside the room.

    The room was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing past the light golden muslin bed curtains that had clouds sewed on them. It was very quiet except for the sound of Mo Xuetong flipping her book.

    Bai Yihao walked slowly into the room to see an extreme beauty leaning on the imperial sedan couch by the window, reading naturally. She wore a jade sleek blouse with a light green dress, of which its bottom wasced with pink pearls that resembled the color of dawn. Her dress made her seem even more adorable.

    Her long eyshes fluttered and her tiny mouth opened as if she had read something unexpected. She seemed unknowingly seductive with her small delicate face, her upright nose, and her delicious red lips that shone. Strands of her hair fell like seaweed but seemed as pure as lotuses.

    He smiled but stood quietly at the doorsteps, choosing not to disturb the tranquility of the room.

    However, Mo Xuetong raised her head as she seemed to have noticed the man. Her watery pupils shone as if her eyes had been covered by ayer of mist, giving off an aura of innocence. As if everything had happened too fast, she stared at him, stunned for a while before her eyes turned sober again.

    The man in front of her was dressed in all white, his ck silky long hair casually arranged with a purple silk tie. He stood upright as if he were a god. Light shimmered on his jade white skin as he was all smiles, with eyes shining like the stars. He was like a man who just stepped out of a painting, elegant, beautiful, shining with grace and majesty.

    His natural favor of gracefulness andposure made him seem like a fairy from the paradise, especially since a few pink peach petals fell on his white clothes.

    The two stared directly into each other¡¯s eyes for a while before Mo Xuetong responded. cing down the medical book on her hand, she stood up hurriedly, ¡°When have you arrived, Sir Bai? You should at least send someone to inform me?¡± She showed displeasure in her tone as it wasmon courtesy to announce the guest of his arrival, even though he designed the ce.

    Bai Yihao slowly walked in, a pair of handsome eyes smiling gently. As if he had not seen the embarrassment of Mo Xuetong, he sat down on a chair and exined casually, ¡°I am merely here to see my aunt. The servants say she was still sleeping and thus I came here to stay, not wanting to disturb her. Little did I expect Your Highness to be here yourself!¡±

    ¡°Did you not see Mo Lan?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned as she remembered that Mo Lan was guarding outside.

    ¡°That servant? I asked her to bring me tea.¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes were full of delight and pleasure, bringing the distance of the two closer. However, his words made Mo Xuetong speechless.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned cold as fury started rising in her heart. She no longer bothered about Mo Lan¡¯s problem as she knew that the man could have tricked her toe down if he wanted to, much less for a servant.

    ¡°Your intention ofing here was not just to see Mother, right?¡± She asked coldly. Even though Bai Yihao¡¯s response was impable, she believed that he had other wishes.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is indeed a smart girl! I came specially to see you!¡± Bai Yihao exined with a serious yet casual smile. He looked at Mo Xuetong with his handsome eyes romantically. Even though it was not the first time that Mo Xuetong had experienced this, she still turned shy with his stare.

    Suddenly, a peach blossom petal flew andnded on her silky hair, decorating her to make her even more beautiful.

    ¡°There are no outsiders here today. There is no need for Sir Bai to say such polite words.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s thickshes shed as she smiled mockingly. Stretching out her hand, she retrieved the petal with her fingers before turning back to smile at Bai Yihao, stunning him!

    Involuntarily, Bai Yihao smiled as he retrieved a simr petal from his shoulder. He pinched it as well before blowing on it. His handsome face looked forlorn and pure like a distant cloud. ¡°I won¡¯t say the same thing about you if others are present.¡±

    He spoke those words as if there were something scandalous between them. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyshes fluttered as her watery eyes spoke of displeasure. Calmly, she exined, ¡°Sir Bai, you must be joking. Your words even made me misunderstand you! That will make Fifth Princess angry!¡±

    Her back was facing the light and thus she could only look at Bai Yihao with her eyes squinted. She acted naturally, gracefully, and extremely casually, as if she was merely chatting with an ordinary man. She waspletely unlike normal girls whose face reddened and heart beat faster upon seeing the man!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, there is no need to worry about Fifth Princess. Do you not know that I liked you for a long time!¡± Bai Yihao smiled again as he took the cold tea on Mo Xuetong¡¯s table casually. Lifting the tea up to his lips, he nced on Mo Xuetong before sipping on it. Before the girl could show her rage, heughed and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how about I propose our marriage right now?¡±

    Such a frivolous move and such flirty words seemed elegant and graceful in his mouth as if he were supposed to be like this. Mo Xuetong bit her teeth twice to stop her anger and remained calm and cold.

    She tucked away the strands of hair by her forehead as she attempted to suppress thest bit of her anger. Mo Xuetong smiled and looked at him. ¡°Sir, why do you think I will agree to the proposal? Why do you think my father will agree to the proposal? It is already a fact that the First Prince is looking for an aristocrat from the Qin Kingdom. What makes you think that Qin Kingdom will agree to your proposal to marry another aristocrat? Perhaps Sir Bai was not confident of his ability and was now seeking alliances?¡±

    If Qin Kingdom married the Fifth Princess over to Bai Yichen, they would not marry any other royal aristocrat to Yan Kingdom, not even if Bai Yihao was the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom. The two kingdoms would surely maintain their peace through marriage alliances but the country could only choose one political rival over the other, and not bet their choices on both.

    Emotions should not y a role in the game of politics. Mo Xuetong believed that Bai Yihao understood all that and she merely used those words to mock him for his tactics for seeding to the throne.

    Her mockery appeared to have no effect on Bai Yihao as he continued exining casually, smiling. ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you really not want to marry me? I will gift you my entire kingdom, and bring to see the rivers and mountains of Yan Kingdom.¡±

    His words showed extreme arrogance as it implied that he had everything under control. Suddenly, a domineering aura rose from his pretty and pure face. His delicately carved facial features, his thin lips and his deep pupils all seemed to be hiding a particr sharpness!

    That¡¯s the true character of this man!

    However, this had nothing to do with her!

    In her previous life, the rumors of a cruel, heartless and domineering Bai Yihao was frightful. In this life, Mo Xuetong was harmed because of Bai Yihao¡¯s calctions, ns, and meticulousness. She did not want to be involved with the man.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned gloomy as she looked at him calmly. After a while, she replied, ¡°Your Excellency, I do not want to marry you!¡±

    Regardless of the truth in Bai Yihao¡¯s words, she did not want to be involved with him. The fear of betrayal by close rtives was ingrained deep in her bones, and she naturally wanted to avoid the cruel and heartless Emperor of Yan Kingdom. From the situation of the two brothers today, Mo Xuetong was convinced that he would be thest one standing.

    The one to be the almighty emperor!

    But, that had nothing to do with her!

    She was helpless and begged him for help when she first met Bai Yihao, trading her Qin arrangement in the process. He was full of murderous intent then, and she understood that she would be dead if she did not y her cards right. Afterward, he helped her and saved her. She did believe in him for a while.

    However, the calctions by him that followed trapped her. She then understood that the concern and heartlessness of this man alle from his n. Perhaps she was already ced as a pawn when she was trading with him, used by him to manipte the game of chess as he took the final victory.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I shall promise to never lie to you in the future. I am willing to treat you, and only you, with sincerity.¡± He smiled even brighter. At this moment, she could see his emotions, and it was truly tenderness and concerning out of those handsome eyes.

    He stood up slowly as he walked gracefully yet hastily to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. His handsome face was like a dream as he stared at the girl with joy and love, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are my fianc¨¦e!¡±

    ¡°Fianc¨¦! Him? Why him?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was gravely shocked, unable to hide the astonishment from her eyes. She could not help but gasp as she almost fell, her body weak!

 Chapter 311 - An Odd Marriage Agreement

    <b>Chapter 311 An Odd Marriage Agreement</b>

    Mo Xuetong did not know how she managed to leave as the Princess Royal nagged kindly. She did not know how she managed to refuse Bai Yihao¡¯s smiling sendoff at the main entrance either. She was all out of sorts. She did not know how she got onto the horse carriage, how she returned to the manor, or how she entered her courtyard. She was staring into space in a daze on the couch.

    ¡°Miss, Miss...¡± Mo Yu hurriedly tried to reach out to shake Mo Xuetong when she saw how out of sorts she was.

    Mo Lan reached out to stop her. She made a cup of tea for Mo Xuetong and stuffed it into her icy cold hands. The warmth in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands eased the shock she felt and she subconsciously returned back to reality. She looked up and looked at the flickering light in front of her. She looked at the familiar surroundings around her and that was when she realized she was home.

    ¡°Miss, why don¡¯t you have dinner before you start thinking about this matter. You¡¯ve been busy all afternoon, you must be tired!¡± Mo Lan did not know what happened to Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maids have not changed how they addressed her. They still called her ¡°miss¡± when there was no one else around.

    Mo Lan had been waiting outside the door and saw Bai Yihao walking in. She was going to report the man¡¯s arrival to Mo Xuetong, but Bai Yihao had made her go to pour them tea. The courtyard was really empty and there was not any fire nor food. They did not even have a cup of hot tea. Mo Lan had no choice but to go out and search for tea. When she came back with the tea, and even before she could enter the door, she heard her mistress¡¯ quick and soft cry.

    Mo Lan knew that her mistress was a calm andposed person. If Mo Xuetong were to make a startled sound, it must definitely be something shocking.

    She hurriedly lifted the curtains and entered!

    Except what she saw made her turn away and she hurriedly lowered her head.

    A handsome man and a beautiful woman were hugging each other in front of the window. His handsomeness and perfectionplimented her beauty and gentleness. What a shocking feeling! However, she saw her mistress pushing Bai Yihao away quickly the next moment. It was as if Mo Xuetong had seen a ghost. She was extremely shocked and she took two steps back. If Bai Yihao had not reached out to hold her, she would have fallen.

    Mo Lan reacted then. She immediately went forward to hold Mo Xuetong. After that, Mo Xuetong did not say a single word and seemed afraid to look at Bai Yihao. She pushed his hand away anxiously as if she had suffered an enormous blow. Her face was as pale as snow and she left for the Princess Royal¡¯s courtyard hurriedly with Mo Lan.

    ¡°Mo Lan, go and get Nanny Ming here! Mo Yu, get someone to set the table.¡± Mo Xuetong exhaled a breath of cold air and said as she blinked. Her eyes had regained her usualposure. Her icy cold fingers shook beneath her sleeve without a hint of warmth in them. She had not gotten over what happened yet.

    The news was too shocking!

    ¡°Yes, I will get Nanny Ming right now.¡± Mo Lan answered. Then, she got Mo Yu to arrange the dishes she brought over and went out to seek for Nanny Ming.

    Mo Xuetong did not have much of an appetite. She got the servants to take the food away after a few bites. Nanny Ming had arrived then and He Xia was with her.

    When they entered, the two knelt down before Mo Xuetong could ask anything.

    ¡°Nanny Ming, did you really not know anything about my marriage?¡± Mo Xuetong sat there, her eyes dark and deep. One could not tell whether she was pleased or angry and she seemed calm andposed.

    ¡°Miss, I...¡± Nanny Ming uttered awkwardly.

    ¡°Forget it if it is difficult for you to say. Mother has already passed away and Nanny Ming cannot help me at all here. You might as well return to Cloud City. At least if anything happens to me, it will not implicate you. This will appease my mother in heaven.¡± Mo Xuetong said darkly, her eyespletely calm. However, her face was pale.

    She had said this viciously and heartlessly. She would notpromise at all!

    ¡°Miss!¡± Nanny Ming was extremely shocked and she appeared to be very flustered. She took two steps forward and hugged Mo Xuetong¡¯s knee. She looked up with a terribly sad expression and said, ¡°Miss, I did not mean to hide it from you but Madam would not allow me to say. Madam told me to swear on your life that I must not tell you anything unimportant unless it¡¯s truly necessary or it¡¯d endanger your life.¡±

    ¡°What did Mother say?¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips and buried the sadness she felt in her heart. Blood rushed up to her chest and she pinched her handkerchief tightly to hide the bloody taste in her throat.

    ¡°Madam said that I can only say something if Miss were to find out something and ask about it. If you never ever ask about it, then I won¡¯t say anything even if I were to die. Otherwise, Miss will... the promise... no, I, I hid it intentionally from you...¡± Tears slid down Nanny Ming¡¯s cheeks as she looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face and thought of how sad and determined Madam was before her death. She cried even harder.

    Madam had forced Nanny Ming to swear on her death bed and swear on Mo Xuetong¡¯s life. She had kept the secrets and did not dare to say anything. If Mo Xuetong did not ask her about it, she would let it rot in her forever. She would never bring it up. Madam had said that it was not good to tell Mo Xuetong about all that. Since Madam had thought that, she must have had her reasons. Furthermore, that day, Madam had coughed up blood while telling her that. It was a scene that made Nanny Ming¡¯s heart hurt as if it had been torn apart even when she thought about it now.

    She had brought Madam up like her own daughter. How could she watch on as Madam struggled and stared at her with wide eyes, pleading her to agree?

    ¡°Did Mother tell you that if you go back on the promise, I will die a terrible death?¡± Mo Xuetong could hear that her voice was calm and indifferent. There was not a hint of a ripple in her voice. She was like a stranger and she could smile even though she was saying something so vicious. However, her smile was not just cold but it was also sharp and vicious!

    ¡°Miss...¡± Nanny Ming kowtowed furiously. She hit her head hard on the ground guiltily as if she couldn¡¯t feel the pain. Blood and bruises immediately showed up on her forehead, but she continued kowtowing forcefully as if she could not feel the pain...

    It was as if this had been the only way to ease the ache in her heart slightly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s wits felt as if they have been torn apart when she saw the fresh blood. All the hatred and despondency that could not be vanished turned into pain as she looked at the thick red blood. It tore through her and wrecked her heart. She felt as if she were being torn apart!

    She suddenly felt likeughing. ¡°Die a terrible death!¡± She truly had died a terrible death.

    Didn¡¯t she die a terrible death in her past life?! Everything turned dark in front of her and her vision blurred...

    ¡°Miss, Miss, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Lan was the first to realize that something was wrong. She immediately held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and realized that it was very cold. She clutched it tightly and blood flowed from her palms. However, she continued to clench her fist tightly.

    ¡°Miss, let go.¡± Mo Ye held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand forcefully to stop her from hurting herself. However, she did not dare to use too much strength. Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers were stiff and straight and if Mo Lan were to use direct force on them, they might break.

    ¡°What are we to do? What are we to do?¡± Mo Yu paced around worriedly. She held Nanny Ming back and then jumped on the spot saying, ¡°Nanny Ming, what are you hiding from Miss? Just tell her everything, look, you are making her so anxious.¡±

    Nanny Ming realized that something was wrong with Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong was dazed. Nanny Ming did not even bother wiping the blood from her forehead and she quickly got up with the help of Mo Yu. She said beside Mo Xuetong, ¡°Miss, Miss, wake up, wake up!¡±

    ¡°Quick, help Miss to the couch.¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll get water...¡±

    The servants hurried around and helped Mo Xuetong to the couch and patted her back gently. Mo Xuetong sighed after drinking the tea Mo Yu brought her. She slowly regained some rity in her eyes, but they remained cold.

    ¡°Miss, ask me. As long as you can ask me the questions, I will definitely answer you. If you can ask it, then I have not gone against my promise. Nothing will happen to you, Miss.¡± Nanny Ming cried hurriedly. She carefully wiped off the sweat on Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead, ignoring the fact that the blood had trickled down her forehead and onto her shirt.

    ¡°Nanny, wipe the blood off your face and tell me about my marriage.¡± Mo Xuetong was aggravated by the blood she saw and quickly regained her wits. She breathed out slowly.

    ¡°Yes, as long as you can ask me the question, I will not lie if I know the answer.¡± Nanny Ming answered hurriedly. Her heart truly hurt for Mo Xuetong. When she saw that Mo Xuetong looked slightly better, she immediately took the handkerchief Mo Lan handed her and wiped her hands quickly.

    Ever since Madam passed away, Miss¡¯ life had been difficult. Nanny Ming saw this and knew. But she did not dare to say certain things if Miss did not ask her. Madam¡¯s words reverberated in her mind and she did not dare to disobey. Especially since Madam had pointed at a bronze buddha and made her swear. The buddha¡¯s expression was ferocious and with the blood on Madam¡¯s lips, Nanny Ming still felt frightened and anxious when she thought about it now.

    Now that she thought about it, she wondered why Madam was so heartless. Why did Madam not allow her to say anything and made her swear such an oath?

    ¡°Who am I engaged to?¡± Mo Xuetong stared at Nanny Ming; she could not help but tremble.

    ¡°Madam engaged you to a young master from Yan. She did not allow me to stay by her side and I could not hear clearly. I only know that the young man is from the Yan pce. It seems that the young master¡¯s status is noble, or maybe he is a prince. Madam told meter that it was unlikely that everyone in the Yan pce would survive.¡± Nanny Ming recounted.

    She had seen clearly the first time the woman entered. Even though she was dressed ordinarily, one can tell with just a nce that she was of noble status. Nanny Ming nced at her, and the person exuded a faint coldness. It pierced through Nanny Ming¡¯s heart and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again. Later, Madam had asked her to stand outside and not allow anyone to enter. She heard the words ¡°Yan Kingdom¡± and ¡°pce¡± several times.

    She did not hear anything else!

    After she sent the visiting Madam off, Madam told her that she had settled Miss¡¯ marriage. The elegant bangle that was the color of water was the engagement gift...

    ¡°Does Father know about this?¡±

    ¡°Old Sir does not know about this. Old Sir looked at the bangle and told Madam to keep it. Madam told Old Sir that this is not for certain. She said that if they do note before you turn 15, you can marry anyone you want after you are grown. That family agreed to this as well. There is also an engagement agreement that has this stated on it too.¡± Nanny Ming recounted.

    ¡°Why did Mother agree to something so weird?¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. However, her eyes were icy cold and her finger shook, beyond her control.

    This matter was very unreasonable.

    ¡°I do not know why Madam would agree to such a disadvantageous condition. I asked herter on, but she just smiled lightly at me and did not say anything. The Madam came only a few more times and then never appeared in Cloud City again,¡± said Nanny Ming.

    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Mo Xuetong could not remember this at all. It must have happened before she had any awareness.

    ¡°Miss, you were just born then and was not even a year old. The Madam appeared then and then visited a few times surreptitiously. Then, the engagement was set and she disappeared.¡± The matter had been very weird and Nanny Ming had asked about it more than once. However, Madam had kept mum about the matter. Even though Nanny Ming was her nursemaid, she had never said anything to Nanny Ming.

    Mo Xuetong had only just turned one. Her father did not know anything. A noble Madam. A few secret letters and her mother decided on her marriage. It sounded like a noble marriage but she was just the daughter of a fifth-grade official. What did the noble Madam see in her...?

    It was said to be a marriage, but Mo Xuetong thought it resembled an agreement more, or even a threat. If they did note to marry her before she turned 15, she could marry someone else. Yet, in her past life, she had never heard anyone say anything about this even though she was close to 20 years old. No matter it was her father or mother, no one mentioned about this marriage.

    This marriage was not a true engagement. It was like a contract! A contract with her mother! Since her mother had passed away, then the contract no longer existed. Was that why she had never heard of it in her past life?

    ¡°Did Mother say what I should do if they fulfill the agreement?¡± Mo Xuetong asked coldly. She sat up, propping herself up with the cushion and looked up at Nanny Ming.

    Nanny Ming answered everything Mo Xuetong wanted to know. Since Miss already knew the matter, then it did not count as her going against the oath and mentioning it on her own ord. She replied, ¡°Madam said that it was unlikely. Firstly, your status does not befit them. It was said that the person is extremely noble, so your status does not befit him. Then, she said that if theye to marry you one day, it means that they truly want to marry you. You will not be at a disadvantage even if you¡¯re to marry him.¡±

    A contract. It was a single-sided contract!

    Mo Xuetong felt exhausted. There was great pressure on her chest. She could not breathe. What was it that made her mother use her only daughter to force Nanny Ming into an oath? She did not know anything at all in her past life and had died a terrible death. She had turned into ashes in that fire. How could a mother be so vicious!

    Her heart hurt so much she could not breathe. It tore at the wounds she had ignored and she could not help but curl in at the pain.

    She could not ask anything else! The sharp pain in her palms told her that this was real and what was most real was that Bai Yihao, the person she did not want to do anything with the most was the owner of this contract. Without him releasing her from the contract, she had no right to make her own decision about this marriage agreement.

    Her mother, whom she respected the most, had granted the right of hers to someone else on behalf of her...

 Chapter 312 - Xuetongs Sadness in the Night

    <strong>Chapter 312 Xuetong¡¯s Sadness in the Night</strong>

    This marriage contract was reallyughable!

    She was the only one who had formed the contract, but she did not know who was reeling the line in on the other side. Yet, she was the one locked in the prison that was the contract. Whether she would be released or not depended entirely on someone¡¯s decision!

    ¡°Nanny Ming, you all can leave. If He Xia wants to tell me about Xiuning Workshop, it can wait.¡± Mo Xuetong said hoarsely. She forced down the pain she felt in her heart and looked up.

    She felt weak all over and there were all sorts of emotions in her heart. She could not tell whether her heart hurt, whether she was sad, hopeless, or helpless. That sense of weakness surged up in her heart like a wave and the coldness drowned her. Her mind was nk and she did not know what she was going to do in the future.

    ¡°Miss, Madam was afraid that you would be hurt if you found out. That¡¯s why she kept it from you. It is not that she does not love you. Madam... it was hard for her too!¡± Nanny Ming said, looking at Mo Xuetong worriedly.

    ¡°You all can leave.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand weakly. She just wanted to have some peace and be quiet now.

    Nanny Ming and the other maids looked at each other when they saw how pale Mo Xuetong was and how cold and distant her eyes were. They all saw the worry in each other¡¯s eyes.

    Everyone could only leave. Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong to shut the windows.

    Mo Xuetong curled up in the corner and sat down wrapping her arms around her knees. A nketid haphazardly by her feet. The candles in the room were all extinguished. She looked at the dark sky outside the window. Her heart felt out of ce and she felt as if the blood in her body had be solid. Coldness spread throughout her on the cold Spring night.

    However, all of this could not beat the coldness she felt in her heart. It was as if there were arge hole in her heart. No matter what she believed or supported, it was all meaningless.

    She remembered the woman who used to call her name gently, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er¡±. The voice seemed to grow closer and closer. There was a hint of sickness and weakness in her gentle voice. However, the face that appeared to love Mo Xuetong deeply was highly blurry. It was as if that ce had been frozen shut. It was shut to light and shadow.

    What followed was a tearing and piercing pain!

    The pain grew even more intense!

    She covered her lips with her hand and vomited blood without any warning. The bright red blood appeared before her eyes, the light from the window shone on it. The calmness andposure Mo Xuetong had broken. Her beautiful eyes settled on the red puddle and cold tears slid down her cheeks and onto her bloody hands and white skirt. They looked like blossoming red plum blossoms.

    But to Mo Xuetong, it looked like mes glowing in the air. The fire that rushed up into the skies burned the infatuation she once hand and thest of her life. It also burned the anticipation she once had...

    In that life, she just wanted to marry a husband who loved her. She had only wanted to live a calm and peaceful life. However, the oath that her mother had made Nanny Ming swear came into y. She had watched as the young life in her arms grew cold. His adorable eyes never opened again. That pain had broken all rational thoughts within her.

    She had lit the fire personally and it had engulfed everything. She was so hopeless that she could only watch as the two wicked people died along with her. Yet, she was the only one who had died. She remembered how they mocked andughed her and how they watched as she struggled in pain in the mes. She had howled in pain...

    She swore that she would drag the two wicked ones into the depths of hell. She was willing to swear it on her soul. She wanted revenge for her mother, for her child, for herself. At the end of her life, she hated the fact that she was too weak, too trusting. In this life, she was going to throw the two into hell so that they could have a taste of the agony she once felt.

    In the days that followed, there had always been a burning pain in her chest. It hurt as it burnt. She knew that that was hatred. That hatred was so great, and she had shoved it down in the bottom of her chest firmly.

    After she had been given a second chance in life, she had never expected that no matter in her past life or this life, her beloved mother would be the one who had lied to her the most. Her mother, whom she had sworn to protect. Her mother, whose death she wanted to avenge...

    How could she stand it!

    She could not help the tears that slid down her cheeks in the dark. She hugged her knees to herself in the corner, but she still felt the pain and the cold. The pain and cold came from within her bones and her body shook slightly. She had to bite down hard on her lips to press down the pain and coldness that surged up from within her heart.

    She felt as if she were submergedpletely in icy cold water. Her consciousness felt that it had been battered by the ice, and she lost all control...

    At this moment, she would rather be ignorant. It would not be that bad if she were to descend into hell like this forever!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± She had almost lost all senses in her haze of pain. She was suddenly enveloped in a warm embrace. She could hear a familiar voice that sounded anxious. Thezy voice was filled with anxiety and anger. Someone shook her violently.

    Mo Xuetong tried hard to open her eyes. She looked through a grey lifeless fog and saw an extremely handsome face.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er!¡± Feng Yuran reached into his shirt and took out a jade bottle when he saw that something was not right with her. He flicked the bottle open and took out a pill from within before throwing the bottle to the side. He forced her mouth open and fed her the medicine. A cool liquid slid down her throat and wisps of energy flooded into her limbs and meridians. She regained a little rity in her eyes.

    However, her eyes were still confused and she looked at the handsome and concerned face in front of her.

    ¡°Go! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly said coldly. She pushed his hand away and lifted her nkets stubbornly despite the dizziness that overcame her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep youpany!¡± Feng Yuran reached out to hold her face in his hands, wiping her tears away carefully. He frowned and Mo Xuetong felt a lump in her throat when she saw his clear eyes. She desired the gentleness in her past life and wanted it now as well. But she did not deserve it. She did not deserve such happiness!

    ¡°I don¡¯t need yourpany, go!¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away again. She pursed her lips tightly. There was not a hint of a smile on her face, and there was a cold, distant look on it. ¡°King Xuan, Your Highness, we do not have any rtionship at all. It is inappropriate for you to be in my room now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did Bai Yihao make you angry?¡± Feng Yuran looked at her and asked gently. He reached out to tuck a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. Mo Xuetong wanted to turn away to avoid him but he reached out to hold her chin. She could only bite her lips stubbornly while she looked at him.

    ¡°No!¡± She said gloomily. She reached out, wanting to push him away, but he grabbed hold of her hand. He saw the blood on her hand then.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s expression changed. A blood-thirsty look appeared in his dark eyes. He grabbed her hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Tell me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly. She did not know what to say at that moment. She could only avoid his hand and turn her head away from him.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I will not hesitate to carry you over to your father and ask him about it.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly stood up. He was very domineering when he stood and he carried Mo Xuetong¡¯s lithe figure in his arms and turned to leave the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go!¡± Mo Xuetong grew anxious when she saw that he was really going to leave the room. She reached out to hold his head and twisted her body hurriedly, wanting to escape his hug. However, his strong arms hugged her tightly and her struggles were futile. He ignored her and tookrge steps toward the outside.

    It was veryte at night. She was an unmarried youngdy in thin clothes being carried in his arms. If he were to cause such trouble in the manor, she would be embarrassed! In her past life, she had ended up in that miserable and tragic state because her reputation had been ruined.

    The pain she buried in her heart broke through her rationality. Mo Xuetong started to sob loudly, almost losing control of herself. She hit him forcefully and said, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t go!¡± She did not know where she got the strength from but she opened her mouth and bit down on his chest. She was really forceful as if she wanted to bite down on all the hatred and pain she felt.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s chest hurt and he could not help tensing up. He looked down at the confused eyes that were filled with tears. He was afraid that her teeth might hurt and he slowly rxed and allowed her to bite him. He turned around to put her back on the bed. He watched as she shivered uncontrobly and stiffly. The pain on his chest reminded him of how forceful she was.

    She only rxed slightly when the taste of iron filled her mouth.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, be good. Stop biting. Be careful, you might hurt your teeth.¡± His affectionate voice rang by her ear. There was familiarziness to his tone along with gentleness. There was even a hint of teasingughter in his voice.

    ¡°Who loves her so! Such sweetness and gentleness!¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up confusedly at the handsome young man in front of her. There was still ayer of fog in her eyes and tears slowly rolled down from them. They dripped onto his chest and onto the traces of blood on it.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. No matter who it is, no one can control you because you are about to be my wife, my consort. I will not make you so sad in the future.¡± Feng Yuran said with a gentleugh. He reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes and kissed her softly on her forehead. He was as gentle as water.

    She looked at his serious and gentle face. She could see his determination. He was so proud, and there was no need for him to put in so much effort to coax a girl. There was a hint of warmth in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She bit her lips lightly and looked up with her tear-filled eyes. There were a thousand and one different emotions that she felt and she did not know where to start from.

    ¡°Is it about your marriage contract?¡± Feng Yuran looked into her eyes and said seriously.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Your father told me about it. He said that it was not serious and that we don¡¯t have to take it seriously if they do note to marry you before you turn 15.¡± Feng Yuran said softly. He ignored the shocked expression on her face and pressed a kiss on her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t care who the person is, but I will not allow the person to appear and ruin our marriage. I will not have you suffer unnecessarily, even if that person is Bai Yihao.¡±

    His tone was very ordinary and there was boundless affection for her in his eyes. It was as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary. She could not help but be touched in her dazedness. She wrapped her arms around his waist subconsciously. She felt an immense fear for Bai Yihao. Was he someone that they could defeat?

    That fear made her unable to recall how Feng Yuran found out about the matter.

    ¡°That person is really scary.¡± She could not help saying. She did not manage to finish her sentence before she bit her lips shut. She could not hurt Feng Yuran. In her past life, while the two had not fought straight up, Feng Yuran had been on thends of the Southern barbarians when Bai Yihao became the Yan Emperor. She did not even know whether Feng Yuran was dead or alive then.

    ¡°Is Tong¡¯er going to give him what he wants easily and allow him to marry you if he wants or throw you away if he doesn¡¯t want to marry you because you are afraid of him?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze was so clear it looked like a clear stream under the sun. Yet, it was also as dark as an ancient well. He smiledzily andid her down on the bed. He helped her to pull up the nkets and patted her back.

    Mo Xuetong stopped sobbing. How was that possible? She had been given a second chance at life. She was not going to be someone¡¯s pawn. She could not lose, for herself and for those around her. In her past life, she had lostpletely. How could she give up just like this in this life?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. The paper that has the marriage contract written on it will not appear. Bai Yihao will not ask for your hand. No one will know about this contract.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was elegant and calm. His eyes glittered and heughed freely. One could not see any trace of burden on him at all.

    He looked confident with his slight smile.

    This, for some reason, made Mo Xuetong rx. This life was different from her previous one. She was no longer alone. There was someone willing to protect her. Even though he knew the marriage contract between her and Bai Yihao, he would not give her up. It was as if the pain she had felt the entire night abated slowly.

    So what she cared about was not just her mother¡¯s lies but also the marriage contract!

    The marriage contract weighed heavily on her heart and almost robbed her of her wits. For that one moment, she had fallen apart! She did not know how she was going to proceed from now on. The marriage contract that had not existed in her past life had now be a sword hung above her head. She just wanted to avoid everyone at that moment.

    ¡°Let me see, your hand is injured. Don¡¯t do that next time. Tell me if there¡¯s something wrong. What do you need to be afraid of with me around?¡± Feng Yuran took a handkerchief lying by the side and helped her to clean the blood on her hands. After that, he kissed her palm lightly. There was a sharp wound there and one could tell that Mo Xuetong had gouged the flesh with her nails.

    ¡°Cut your nails next time. They are so long. Aren¡¯t you afraid of scratching yourself.¡± Feng Yuran muttered with dissatisfaction. It was like a feather trailing gently over Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. Mo Xuetong could not help but reach out to touch his handsome face. He looked up in shock and then smiled sweetly.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly realized what she was doing and whipped her hand back. A blush appeared on her cheeks!

    She had been so daring to touch a man¡¯s face!

 Chapter 313 - Consort Yu is Banished to the Cold Palace

    <strong>Chapter 313 Consort Yu is Banished to the Cold Pce</strong>

    Consort Yu shuddered and knelt at the jade stairs. Her knees hurt and felt a little numb and her forehead was pressed to the ground. She did not move an inch.

    She had already been kneeling for several hours. If the two pce maids apanying her were not holding her up, she would have already fainted.

    ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty invites you in.¡±

    Lead eunuch Liu Xi stood at the entrance with a smile on his face. However, to Consort Yu, his smile was cold and sinister.

    ¡°Yes!¡± She did not dare to say anything else. She stood up with some difficulty, holding the pce maid¡¯s hand. She stumbled for it was hard for her to even move.

    ¡°Your Highness, please hurry. His Majesty is waiting for you.¡± Liu Xi seemed not to notice how difficult it was for her to move. He continued rushing her with a smile.

    Consort Yu did not dare to dawdle. She leaned against the pce maids and they helped her to move forward as she dragged her numb feet forward.

    She heard Emperor Zongwen¡¯s angry roar the moment they entered the study. Consort Yu did not manage to remain standing and she immediately knelt at the threshold that was carved with dragons.

    ¡°You are in charge of the women in the pce, and yet, you have been so neglectful. Alright then, I shall have three judicial chief ministries go and investigate and question that gentle and gracious daughter of yours.¡±

    The Empress knelt down in fright, her expression was one of fear. She opened her eyes wide incredulously and pleaded with Emperor Zongwen. ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive Xueyu. She is just young and ignorant. She is just jealous and it is her first time doing something like that. Furthermore, a princess should not be punished nor interrogated by the judicial ministries. Please, Your Majesty, forgive Xueyu!¡±

    ¡°Can a jealous girl do something like that that will ruin someone¡¯s reputation! She is so young but vicious. I wonder who she learned it from. ¡°The Emperor¡¯s expression darkened. Then, he said angrily, ¡°This is my edict, lock the Fifth Princess up and send her to...¡±

    The Empress paled when she saw that the Emperor was truly angry. She reached out to clutch the Emperor¡¯s robes and pleaded anxiously, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t you want Xueyu to marry to the Yan Kingdom? If her reputation is ruined, it would not reflect well on our country. The First Prince of Yan likes Xueyu, so it would not be suitable if you send another princess.¡±

    The Empress had never approved of this matter, but she had no choice but to bring it up now. She looked pleadingly at Emperor Zongwen with a tearful gaze as she pleaded. Could Xueyu even stay in the cold pce? That ce was dark, cold, and deste. There were many consorts there who had died because of her. She could feel their anger even when she walked by in the day. When the Empress thought of that, she felt a chill go down her spine and her limbs felt icy cold.

    Her daughter could not end up there.

    ¡°So you are not going to allow me to punish her?¡± Emperor Zongwen nced at the Empress from the side of his eyes. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes as he spoke to her coldly from where he was standing.

    ¡°I do not dare. I will definitely educate her well and make sure she does not do anything to Princess Anping. She will be married far away in a while and it would be impossible for her toe back again. Your Majesty, please, let Xueyu and I spend thest of our days together. I fear... it would be difficult for us to meet again!¡± The Empress could not help but cry softly when she said that.

    The Princess was to be married off to a neighboring country and it would be impossible for her to return. Any parent would feel sad about it. Furthermore, Emperor Zongwen doted on this daughter of his.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression softened when he heard that. He gave it a thought and that waved his hand to the person who came to hear his edict. Liu Xi left the room respectfully.

    ¡°Empress, I do not wish to hear anything else about the Fifth Princess pestering Yihao. I do not wish to hear any rumors about her and Yihao. Her behavior has made sure that she can only be the Yan¡¯s First Prince¡¯s consort. She must not have any other entanglements with Yihao. It has nothing to do with her who likes Yihao or who Yihao likes.¡± Emperor Zongwen rebuked coldly.

    ¡°Yes, I understand. I will educate her well.¡± The Empress did not dare to say anything else. Then, she bid Emperor Zongwen farewell and left.

    The Empress stopped when she passed Consort Yu who was kneeling at the threshold. She looked at the consort coldly and sinisterly before leaving.

    If not for Consort Yu, that slut, and her provocations, why would Xueyu do something so stupid? She only found out when she asked Xueyu that Consort Yu was the person who started the matter. The Empress thought of how Consort Yu was especially close with the Empress Dowagertely and found out that some of her maternal family felt that they were even closer with King Ning¡¯s bloodline. She felt even angrier.

    King Ning was rted to the Empress Dowager but had nothing to do with her. If Feng Yuzhen, King Ning, were to ascend the throne, then the Empress would have no ce with the Empress Dowager and the Empress would also not be the Empress Dowager. When she thought of that, the Empress could feel the anger surging up within her. She could not do anything to the Empress Dowager, but could she notin about Consort Yu? Earlier, she had already openly and secretly pushed the me to the slut. She believed that the slut would not be able to get out of it unscathed.

    A consort who was only favored for a few days wanted to surpass her? She really did not know her ce.

    ¡°Consort Yu, look at what you did!¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression was cold as he looked down at Consort Yu from where he was standing.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I, I only said...¡± Consort Yu looked up after a moment of being startled. She slid on her knees to the Emperor¡¯s feet and started crying.

    ¡°There were so many people who saw you giving the ruby hairpin to Princess Anping. The ruby reflected light and shone on their faces. The shine and glitter were so bright. I suppose you didn¡¯t expect that!¡± Emperor Zongwen did not look at her and kicked her away indifferently.

    Liu Xi, who was standing by the side lowered his head and took two steps back, avoiding Consort Yu who fell in his direction.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will not dare to do this in the future.¡± Consort Yu sprawled out on the ground. She was very pale and her lips trembled as she pleaded, ¡°Your Majesty, I only listened to the Empress Dowager...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Emperor Zongwen bellowed. The sudden yell shocked Consort Yu so much that she could not say another word. She suddenly realized something and bit her lips tightly. She did not dare to say anything else. Instead, she kowtowed forcefully. Everyone in the pce knew how filial the Emperor was to the Empress Dowager.

    And everyone knew how benevolent and harmonious the Empress Dowager was. If she said that, it would look like she was intentionally sowing discord between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager! The result of that was not something a mere concubine could afford to bear.

    ¡°The women in the pce are gracious and demure, but you are so vicious. Consort Yu, I was wrong about you!¡± The Emperor¡¯s eyes were filled with disappointment. Consort Yu trembled when he looked at her and she almost fell to the ground. She pleaded once more, ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°Send forth my edict, Consort Yu is prideful and does not know her limits. She dares to meddle in politics. Send her to the cold pce!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± There were guards waiting outside the door. Two of them came up and dragged Consort Yu away!

    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I was wronged, I was wronged!¡± Consort Yu was very frightened and she started crying loudly. She struggled and attempted to crawl back into the study. However, the two guards did not care at all and dragged her out.

    When Consort Yu¡¯s cries grew distant, Emperor Zongwen sighed. He said coldly to Liu Xiu, ¡°Send forth my edict, put up boards at every pce that said women should not interfere in politics. Anyone who does not obey will have their heads cut off!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will have someone do that now.¡± Liu Xi immediately answered and left.

    After he left the study, he issued orders to have boards ced outside the entrance of every pce.

    ¡°Sir, do we need to put one at Cining Pce?¡± A smart little eunuch asked carefully.

    ¡°Is that a pce?¡± Liu Xi asked coldly. Then, he turned to enter the study. The little eunuch did not dare to say anything else and immediately ran away.

    The Emperor putting up these boards was obviously not just meant for the Empress. The Empress Dowager was most likely to interfere with politics among all the women. Liu Xi had followed Emperor Zongwen for many years and understood him. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor seemed like a pair of loving mother and son, but they had always struggled against each other.

    The Empress Dowager retreating to Cining Pce and not interfering with the matters of the back of the pce was already her way of stating where she stood. The Emperor had also given her a true honor because of this and she enjoyed a status simr to that of a true Empress Dowager. However, this woman was trying to sow trouble in the back of the pce and it was obvious that she was attempting to first undermine the inner courtyard and then the court. Anyone would be able to understand what the Empress Dowager was thinking.

    Otherwise, why would King Ning be sent to the Yan Kingdom early on to be a hostage prince? He had thought that the Empress Dowager would not act for some time since King Ning was not around. He did not expect that in just a few years, the Empress Dowager would not be able to hold still any longer.

    It seemed that trouble was brewing among the women of the pce!

    The Emperor was furious and even the Empress was rebuked. News of that spread throughout the back of the pce.

    Consort Yu had been banished to the cold pce! Even though the Fifth Princess had not really been locked up, the intention was there. She was brought to the Empress¡¯ pce so that the Empress could educate her. She was already so old, what was there to teach her? Everyone could see that the Emperor was angry. There was a signboard in front of every pce in the back of the pce that they should not interfere in the matters of the court.

    There was even such a sign in front of Cining Pce, where the Empress Dowager, who did not interfere in anything, stayed. The officials who havee to greet the Empress Dowager all felt a shiver run down their spine. They could not help but stop visiting. Otherwise, there would usually be officials visiting Cining Pce every couple of days. Yet, after the sign was set up, no one visited again.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce became very quiet.

    Inside Cining Pce:

    Feng Yuzhen sat on a nanmu chair. He was frowning and did not speak. On his other side, sitting on a high seat, was the Empress Dowager who watched therge hall coldly. There was a hint of vicious fire in her eyes that was interspersed with coldness. Her benevolent appearance seemed a tad scary.

    ¡°The Emperor has done well this time. He has not only made the Empress jealous of me, he even managed to warn everyone using me as an example. He wants to shock me like that. What a good move!¡± The Empress Dowager said coldly. She held the Buddhist prayer beads in her hands so tightly they almost broke into pieces.

    ¡°Grandmother, why must you let Consort Yu provoke the Fifth Princess into acting? The Emperor would definitely be suspicious of your intent. Even those officials could see what the Emperor means. They all do not dare to visit you now.¡± Feng Yuzhen said lightly with a smile.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s gazended on the Buddhist prayer beads in her hands. She flicked it through her fingers and suddenly stopped, lowered her eyes and said coldly. ¡°Even though the Emperor will be suspicious about the thing with Consort Yu, he has no evidence. Furthermore, Consort Yu¡¯s brother is still in our hands. I don¡¯t believe that she would dare to say anything. Except, I didn¡¯t think that thatss would be so sly. She managed to deal with such a matter. I have underestimated her.¡±

    Feng Yuzhen knew that she was talking about Mo Xuetong. That woman had a rare cunningness. There were so many people working together against her, but it had not worked. That was really unexpected. Now that they had failed at it, he did not expect that his faction would be affected the most.

    ¡°Grandmother, what shall we do now?¡± He banished the odd thought in his mind and looked up with a frown.

    ¡°The matter now cannot drag on any longer. I will have the Emperor bestow marriage upon you in a few days. Then, you can appear here openly.¡± The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and answered. The matter could not drag on any more. They had already aroused Emperor Zongwen¡¯s suspicion. He would only need to send someone to the capital of Yan and will find out that Feng Yuzhen was not there.

    As a hostage prince, he was not supposed to leave the Yan Kingdom for anything unimportant. If he did, it would be returning home on sly. It was the same as treason and was a crime worthy of being beheaded. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to protect him, she had no reason to.

    ¡°Grandmother, which youngdy do you think I should marry?¡± Feng Yuzhen asked nonmittedly. It was not important who he married. What was important was who would be most advantageous for him to marry. Wang Xiuxiu was already his. His grandmother had already expressed that to her openly. Feng Yuzhen had already eliminated her. It would be too much of a waste to give her the ce as King Ning¡¯s consort!

    The Empress Dowager thought for a moment. Then, she stopped flicking through her prayer beads and looked up. ¡°Luo Mingzhu of Fu General Manor!¡± She said decisively.

 Chapter 314 - A Visit from the Assistant Minister, Hua Xiangfeng

    <strong>Chapter 314 A Visit from the Assistant Minister, Hua Xiangfeng</strong>

    King Chu weed King Yan, Feng Yulei, at his manor today.

    King Chu being injured by an assassin was not really news. The news said that King Chu was badly injured but no one actually saw his injuries. The only information that was released was that the physicians were trying their best to treat him.

    When Feng Yulei arrived, Feng Yuxuan was lying on therge empty grounds in front of his courtyard, suntanning. Other than his paleplexion and haggardness, he looked fine. On the long soft couch, tworge marble screens shielded him from the wind. The sun shone down warmly upon him and it added some life to his dark eyes.

    He reached out with his left hand and lifted the pitcher by his side with some difficulty. He poured Feng Yulei a cup of tea, his sleeves hiding the bulging veins of his hand. His hand felt so weak that he almost could not hold on any longer. His wound hurt but he kept a faint smile on his face. Putting down the pitcher, he pushed the cup of tea to Feng Yulei and smiled, saying, ¡°Third Brother, why are you so free toe to my ce today?¡±

    Then, he ordered the little eunuch beside him, ¡°Go, bring that chair over for King Yan.¡±

    The little eunuch rushed off to bring over a nanmu wood chair with gold trimmings. He even put a soft cushion on it especially.

    ¡°Big Brother, how are your injuries? Our Royal Father and Mother are worried and told me toe and take a look.¡± Feng Yulei bowed and took a seat with a smile. He epted the tea that Feng Yulei pushed over to him and took a sip. Then, he praised, ¡°The tea here is good. The new tea that I have just gotten isn¡¯t as vorful as yours.¡±

    Feng Yulei said and lifted the cup in his hands, peering at the color of the tea as he praised it.

    ¡°Take some back with you when you leave lest you keep saying that my King Chu¡¯s Manor is better than your King Yan¡¯s Manor. Even the same tea leaves have different vors. I have to go over to your ce to have a look to see what good things you are hiding.¡± Feng Yuxuan nced at Feng Yulei with a vague smile as he spoke.

    ¡°It must be the people here then. They manage the tea leaves with all their hearts. I truly don¡¯t have anything good that you might like.¡± Feng Yulei joked. Then, he put down his cup and asked with concern, ¡°Big Brother, how are your injuries? Father is truly worried. Shall we get you a royal physician?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan shook his head with augh, saying, ¡°I have worried Father. It is no big deal; it is just a small injury to my arm. It¡¯s better now but I have to recuperate for some time. It is hard for me to move around these days, so help me to tell Father this.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Are you figuring out chess ys alone?¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s gazended on the white jade chess table in front of Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°I was bored and ying against myself is considered a form of self-entertainment. It is not anything grand.¡± Feng Yuxuanmented and shrugged.

    ¡°Big Brother, you have more and more chess y under your belt now. Look at this, you are much better than me now.¡± Feng Yulei picked up a chess piece and put it down. The chess piecended in the middle coincidentally and blocked the formation that Feng Yuxuan was going for coincidentally as well. One could tell who was going to win immediately.

    ¡°Third Brother, and you were just saying that you are bad at chess. There is nothing else I can do after your move.¡± Feng Yuxuan picked up a chess piece and hesitated for a moment. He did not put it onto the board straight away. Instead, he knocked it against the board a few times looking like he could not make up his mind.

    ¡°I am truly bad at chess. Amongst us brothers, Yuzhen¡¯s the best at chess. You win at having the most chess ys while I know some little tricks. Forget Eighth Brother, for he pokes around without any ys in his mind. He is just ying. Only Yuzhen has the ys of a chess master. He is the best amongst us and even grandmother praises him for it.¡± Feng Yulei said casually as he lowered his head and picked up the teacup by his hand. He took a sip while looking over the cup at the chessboard.

    ¡°No matter how good Yuzhen is, he is not here. He has been gone for so many years. Father once said that he will definitely allow him toe back when he gets married. It should be about time for that.¡± Feng Yuxuan looked at the chess pieces on the board and said leisurely.

    Feng Yuzhen was the hostage prince who had gone to the Yan Kingdom but everyone knew that the hostage son Bai Yihao would eventually return. That meant that Feng Yuzhen woulde back as well. However, he could not return before Bai Yihao did unless he got married. The rules of the Qin Kingdom stated that one had to worship their ancestors before getting married.

    Feng Yuzhen¡¯s ancestors were the ancestors of the royal family. He had to go to the family temple to pray and worship...

    Even though the Qin and Yan Kingdoms had exchanged hostage princes, Bai Yihao was given more freedom. He could return to the Yan Kingdom from time to time while Feng Yuzhen rarely returned. On one hand, it was because Bai Yihao¡¯s status was higher than Feng Yuzhen because he was the crown prince. On the other hand, Emperor Zongwen rarely had anything on for Feng Yuzhen to return. Without the orders of the emperor, returning secretly was as good as treason.

    Feng Yuxuan smiled. He naturally understood why Feng Yulei had brought Feng Yuzhen up. However, there was no hint of that on his expression. He said with a warm smile, ¡°Third Brother, why are bothering with his matters? Isn¡¯t the Empress Dowager helping King Ning to pick a consort? I heard that the daughter of Grand Secretariat Wang is known for being demure. She should be the one!¡±

    Grand Secretariat Wang was an official who worked under the previous Emperor. He was rted to the Empress Dowager as well and would naturally be close to her. He would visit the Empress Dowager from time to time at Cining Pce and speak with her. His daughter would apany him as well and she met with the princes several times as well. Judging by the Empress Dowager¡¯s intent, it would be normal for her to pick Wang¡¯s daughter.

    ¡°Big Brother, I heard that there are a few girls from noble families in the consort selection this time. Even though we have already picked our main consort, the spots for secondary consorts and concubines are still empty. The Empress Dowager wants us to pick a few for ourselves and for King Ning.¡± Feng Yuxuan changed the topic.

    They had not yet married their main consort and were picking their secondary consorts and concubines. Even though this had happened before, it wasn¡¯t very nice especially since the consorts they picked were noble youngdies from noble families. The Empress Dowager sending in more new people was not done very well. Furthermore, ording to what they knew, Wang Xiuxiu was not chosen this time.

    The Empress Dowager wanted to pick more women for King Ning.

    This meant that they wanted to pick another young woman from a noble family to back King Ning. The Empress Dowager had really put in a lot of effort for King Ning.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression grew solemn. Then, he sighed and said, ¡°I do not have any objections if the Empress Dowager has such thoughts. When I am better, I will go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce to thank her. She not only has to help King Ning, she thought of us as well. This is touching.¡±

    While his words sounded nice, it did not sound like they were close. Fortunately, the two both knew what the Empress Dowager was nning and they did not care much about the familial rtionship between them and the Empress Dowager. One of them would speak and the other would listen. As for what happened after, that was something spoken of in private. They just had to maintain a veneer of civility and respect.

    Feng Yulei listened quietly and drank his tea. Then, he poured Feng Yuxuan a cup of tea and filled his own cup as well. He sighed and said, ¡°Big Brother, you should go to Cining Pce to thank the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager went to Father especially when she found out that you were hurt and asked Father to send the royal physician over. Father refused since you were not badly injured. However, he was still worried about you, so he sent me here to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Oh, when I am better, I will visit the Empress Dowager to thank her.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled ndly and looked at the chess y before him. He looked as if he did not hear Feng Yulei. There was a gust of wind and the scent of flowers washed over the ce. It was the most fragrant time of Spring and the flowering trees exuded a faint fragrance.

    The two of them chatted for a while before Feng Yulei left, saying that he had something on. Feng Yuxuan stood up and sent him off. Then, he turned around and sat down again. He waved his hand and everyone left. The smile on his lips grew cold and rather sinister.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. Since King Yan came to feel you out today, you just have to be more careful in the future and others will not find out.¡± The tightly shut doors behind him opened. Qin Yufeng emerged with a faint smile.

    ¡°Yufeng, did hee especially for King Ning¡¯s matters or was he reminding me that the Empress Dowager is suspicious of me?¡± There was a sh of darkness in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes and a dark murderous intent filled the courtyard.

    ¡°King Yan came to sound you out and to remind you to be careful of the Empress Dowager. King Ning is already in the capital.¡± Qin Yufeng said with a smile as Feng Yulei sat down.

    ¡°What? He came to the capital secretly?¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression changed drastically.

    ¡°Is there anything he did not dare to do? As long as the Empress Dowager finds him a consort from a noble family, he would not havee to the capital without permission. With the Empress Dowager¡¯s help, who would check even if they knew that he was hiding in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce?¡± Qin Yufeng picked up a chess piece and ced it on the board. The deadlock situation came alive once more.

    ¡°Your Highness, we do not need to do anything now. We just need to stir this pool of murky waters.¡± Another chess piecended on the board. This time, the piece that Qin Yufeng picked up was the opposite of the one he put down earlier. The moment he ced this chess piece on the board, the path on the board was immediately broken. The clear path that could be seen earlier disappeared.

    ...

    Mo Xuetong slept deeply at night. When she woke up, it was already noon.

    Before Mo Xuetong could oversleep, Mo Lan had already smartly gotten someone to inform Xu Yan that Mo Xuetong had been startled yesterday and had fallen ill.

    Xu Yan hurriedly sent servants to visit and they found Mo Xuetong lying in bed with a pale face. They did not wake her up. They ordered Mo Xuetong¡¯s servants to take good care of her and returned to Xu Yan.

    Mo Huawen came home during lunch and wanted to visit Mo Xuetong when he heard that she was ill. However, before he could get up, he heard that the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Hua Xiangfeng was here. He spoke hurriedly to Xu Yan before leaving the courtyard.

    Hua Xiangfeng was already waiting in the study. He smiled and bowed when he saw Mo Huawen. The two were of simr positions and were both highly regarded by the Emperor. As such, they met regrly and were familiar with each other. However, Mo Huawen did not know why Hua Xiangfeng was here. A servant served them tea and left.

    They were both court officials and there were some things that a servant should not hear. As such, he left obediently.

    ¡°Sir Mo, I heard that your first wife is the eldest legal daughter of the Fu General Manor. Is this her?¡± Hua Xiangfeng walked around the study and saw a painting of a beauty in spring hanging on the wall.

    Mo Huawen took a look and smiled. He said, ¡°This is a painting done by my wife during her free time. There are no other meanings and she is not the eldest legal daughter of the Luo Manor.¡± Xu Yan had herself painted sleeping in spring just a few days earlier. The woman in the painting resembled her and also Luo Xia. There was some meaning to the painting, but Mo Huawen would not tell this to an outsider.

    He was rather confused and did not know why Hua Xiangfeng would ask about Luo Xia. Hua Xiangfeng would not do anything without a concrete reason.

    ¡°Oh, I thought this was your first wife.¡± Hua Xiangfeng smiled and sat down. Then, he looked at Mo Huawen and said, ¡°I found someone outside the city gates a few days ago who said they knew your deceased wife. They also said that they were a servant in her household.¡±

    How would a mere servant in the General Manor know Luo Xia? Furthermore, they had mentioned Luo Xia especially. Mo Huawen looked at Hua Xiangfeng in confusion. His eyes darkened and he frowned, waiting to hear what came next. The people of the court would not mention past history for no reason. Furthermore, he and Hua Xiangfeng were not extremely close but he hade to talk about Luo Xia...

 Chapter 315 - The Marquess Forces Mo Xuetong to Marry Him

    <h4>Chapter 315 The Marquess Forces Mo Xuetong to Marry Him</h4>

    ¡°The servant said that he escaped with the little princess but he fell because he was in a hurry and left the little princess behind. A nobleman passed by on his horse carriage and the servant was very frightened and hid. He saw the man carrying the little princess onto the carriage and they left. The servant ran after them and saw the words, Fu General Manor, on the carriage...¡± Hua Xiangfeng said vaguely. One could not tell if he really knew or if he was postting.

    Mo Huawen could hear a crash in his mind and his face turned pale immediately. If he had not always hidden his feelings well, he would have already stood up and questioned the man anxiously.

    He did not really know what happened to Luo Xia when she was little. However, from the little detailster, he found out who she really was. He had never told anyone else about it. When he heard what Hua Xiangfeng said, he had a vague idea in his mind and his expression changed greatly.

    Hua Xiangfeng looked at him coldly and saw a slight change in Mo Huawen. He knew then that it was real. He could not help but sigh at his nephew¡¯s amazing means for he was able to find out about such a secret. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if the person was speaking the truth or not. Why would the princess flee with a servant? I think this must be false, so I had the servants lock him up.¡±

    The royal princess was of the royal bloodline. Mo Xuetong had be a princess because the Princess Royal had named Mo Xuetong her goddaughter. What about the other princess!?

    It was said that King Jin had had two beautiful daughters and they were born princesses. There were rumors that said that the princesses managed to escape the chaos and also rumors that said that they perished together with King Jin. But anyway, they were true princesses!

    They were more convincing than Mo Xuetong, who was Princess Anping.

    ¡°Lord Hua, why are you telling me this?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s expression changed slightly and his voice became harsh. He said coldly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go to Fu General Manor for their matters? Why have youe to me?¡±

    He did not believe that this illusionary servant would be able to convince anyone.

    As long as Fu General Manor insisted that the incident did not happen, the servant had no evidence and could not prove anything.

    ¡°Sir Mo, don¡¯t be angry. My nephew investigated and found this matter. He even collected some materials because of this. I heard that the First Miss of Fu General Manor had always been ill. The Old Madam brought her to receive treatment and she returned healthily 6 monthster. Some people also say that your first wife does not look like the Old Madam nor Old Sir of Fu General Manor.¡± Hua Xiangfeng watched Mo Huawen closely with a smile.

    It was You Yuecheng!

    Mo Huawen could not say anything. If it was just a servant, the servant was no match for Fu General Manor, of course. However, You Yuecheng was the son of the Mingguo Manor and also had a position in the army. He was young but Emperor Zongwen thought well of him. Furthermore, if he had evidence, it would not be difficult for the matters back then to surface again.

    Ever since Luo Xia passed away, Mo Huawen began to find out traces about her. The more he investigated, the more shocked he was. The woman who had slept beside him for years might be the descendant of King Jin. He felt frightened every time he thought of this and he finally found out everything from Luo Bin¡¯s letter.

    If someone were to find out about this, Fu General Manor would be implicated and even Tong¡¯er might die. Mo Huawen knew how important this was!

    He gritted his teeth and looked up, saying coldly. ¡°What does Sir You intend to do?¡±

    Since You Yuecheng already guessed what happened then, or perhaps he had evidence in his hands but did not submit it ande to tell him instead, it meant that he wanted something. Mo Huawen heaved a sigh of relief. It was good as long as he wanted something from Mo Huawen. Mo Huawen would try his best to protect Tong¡¯er¡¯s life and Fu General Manor.

    It was good as long as he wanted something from the Mo Manor!

    Hua Xiangfeng smiled slightly when he saw that Mo Huawen questioned him despite not acknowledging the matter. He took a few sips from his teacup and put it down. Then, he slowly said, ¡°Lord Mo, your daughter, Princess Anping, is a rare beauty. She is also dignified and polite. My nephew likes her very much. It would be great if our families can be joined in marriage. Then, Sir Mo, what concerns you will concern my nephew.¡±

    It was clear from what he was saying that You Yuecheng wanted to marry Mo Xuetong.

    The man was interested in Tong¡¯er. Mo Huawen paused when he thought of how You Yuecheng used to pester Mo Xuemin and he was unhappy. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes. He forced down the anger he felt after a few moments and said coldly, ¡°It is a pity that my daughter is still mourning. We have let His Excellency down.¡±

    Tong¡¯er still had to mourn for a year while You Yuecheng was almost 20. He did not think that You Yuecheng could afford to wait.

    Hua Xiangfeng froze. He did not think that Mo Huawen would reject him so decisively. He frowned and then said with a smile, ¡°Sir Mo, I heard that your eldest daughter is going to be married soon. Since your eldest daughter does not have to mourn, your younger daughter can be excused as well. Furthermore, Princess Anping is now the Princess Royal¡¯s daughter. She should be filial to the Princess Royal, so why can¡¯t she get married?¡±

    This was rather ridiculous, but it was not entirely wrong too. At least, the Princess Royal was Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother in name now.

    ¡°Sir Mo, are you worried about Princess Anping? Rest assured, are you not aware of what kind of man my nephew is? If he likes anyone so easily, the Mingguo Manor would have already been filled with women. Why would the inner courtyard be so quiet? Only Third Miss Mo from your manor is good enough for Yuecheng to ask for her hand so humbly.¡±

    He had especially pointed out that Mo Xuetong was the Third Miss of the Mo family. This also meant that the Mingguo Manor did not care that Mo Xuetong was a princess. Compared to these century-old noble families, Mo Xuetong¡¯s status sounded good enough, but did not pose any threat at all. Even if she were a true princess of the royal family, the son of the Mingguo Manor would be more than sufficient for her.

    Mo Huawen fell silent.

    To tell the truth, You Yuecheng¡¯s reputation was not bad. Compared to the wealthy yboys in the capital who loafed around, he was much better. He was not only thought highly of by the Emperor, but he was also very self-disciplined. There were not any rumors about there being concubines in the Mingguo Manor. There were only two bed maids and that was considered very good for someone of his status.

    Furthermore, he was very promising at a young age. No matter how you looked at it, they were a good match and it even seemed that Mo Xuetong was marrying someone of a higher social position. You Yuecheng was from a noble and wealthy family that had such deep and strong roots. The Mo Manor could notpare to that and even though Mo Xuetong was a princess, her status was stillcking.

    Hua Xiangfeng knew that Mo Huawen was interested when he saw that he had fallen silent. He flicked at the corner of his shirt and said, ¡°Sir Mo, think about it. The First Prince of Yan is in the capital now and is saying that he wants to marry a noblewoman. The Emperor¡¯s will is not clear and other than the Princess, your daughter¡¯s status is considered high too. If the Emperor orders that Princess Anping should be married to the Yan Kingdom, can your ¡®mourning period¡¯ be used to defy the edict?¡±

    Of course not!

    If Emperor Zongwen wanted Mo Xuetong to be married to the neighboring country, she would not be able to mourn even if her mother had just passed away, much less the fact that Luo Xia had passed for many years.

    Mo Huawen hesitated a little. This was what upied his thoughts the most recently. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude was not clear and he did not say anything about marrying the princesses off. There were rumors that Tong¡¯er was the most likely candidate. How could he bear to marry his daughter off to the far away Yan Kingdom? Furthermore, judging by the First Prince¡¯s attitude, he did not seem like a loyal man.

    If his attempts at treason in the future failed, Tong¡¯er would die!

    Mo Huawen understood that. Bai Yihao was no ordinary person as well.

    If he thought about it, even if the First Prince were to be the Yan Emperor, Tong¡¯er was a woman from another country and was not a true royal descendant of the Qin Kingdom. She would not have the backing of her family, so how could she be the Empress of Yan? In the end, she would just die tragically in the Yan pce. Mo Huawen¡¯s heart hurt when he thought of that possibility.

    He would not allow Tong¡¯er to be married to the Yan Kingdom. As such, the best way was to settle her marriage before the First Prince of Yan made a decision. Given the Mingguo Manor¡¯s background, the Emperor would not be able to say anything even if Tong¡¯er were to marry You Yuecheng.

    But about Luo Xia...

    Mo Huawen looked up with aplex look in his eyes. He paused for a moment and then looked at Hua Xiangfeng. He said, ¡°Lord Hua, I cannot give you an answer now.¡± He had to go back and think about this. He could not doom Tong¡¯er¡¯s future in a rash act.

    ¡°Sir Mo, this matter cannot wait. It is not easy to shut the servant¡¯s mouth, and the First Prince of Yan will make his decision soon.¡± Hua Xiangfeng smiled slightly and sighed. He pulled out a letter from his sleeve and put it down before Mo Huawen. ¡°Sir Mo, please take a look...¡±

    Mo Huawen grew anxious and he grabbed the letter and tore it open. He read the letter and the more he read, the more shocked he felt. He could feel sweat running down his back. The information in the letter was more detailed than what he already knew. He was the Lord Mayor of the capital and also an expert in punishments. He naturally knew what the letter meant.

    The person had written this willingly! There was not a hint of hesitation in his writing and the strength of the brush was strong. How could an ordinary servant write something like that? The idea Mo Huawen had was verified and his hand holding the letter shook slightly.

    You Yuecheng did have evidence!

    ¡°I will definitely reply in the next two days.¡±

    When Hua Xiangfeng left, Mo Huawen calmed himself down and picked up the letter again. He moved it to the incense and lit it. When the letter was reduced into ashes, he threw it into the incense pot and wiped his hand carefully with a handkerchief. He sighed deeply before returning to Xu Yan¡¯s Yanyu House.

    A maidservant caught sight of him and hurriedly reported it to Xu Yan. Xu Yan went to wee him at the entrance and the two entered the room. Xu Yan personally made Mo Huawen a cup of tea that he liked the most and handed it to him. She said with a smile, ¡°Old Sir, why do you look so tired after a trip out? I went to visit Tong¡¯er earlier and she is a little tired. She might have received a shock yesterday and went to the Princess Royal to take care of her. She has probably fallen ill from all that rushing about but it is not serious.¡±

    Mo Huawen recalled what happened in the pce when Xu Yan mentioned the matter. He thought of how while his daughter was smart, she was not liked by the Fifth Princess. The Fifth Princess had worked together with the youngdy from the Ding General Manor to plot against her. If Tong¡¯er had not been smart, her reputation would have been ruined. To tell the truth, it was because Tong¡¯er did not have much of a background and that was why the princess and youngdies bullied and shamed her. It seemed that it was not a bad marriage if Mo Xuetong were to be able to be married into the Mingguo Manor.

    Furthermore, there was the thing with Luo Xia that could not be found out by others.

    ¡°I want to marry Tong¡¯er to the Mingguo Manor, what do you think?¡± Mo Huawen put down the teacup in his hand, turned to look at Xu Yan, and said seriously.

    ¡°Marry her to the Mingguo Manor?¡± Xu Yan was startled. She did not expect Mo Huawen to suddenly talk about Mo Xuetong¡¯s marriage. She said subconsciously, ¡°But Tong¡¯er is still in mourning. This... how can she discuss her marriage now?¡±

    ¡°Since Min¡¯er can be married off, so can Tong¡¯er. She can continue mourning after she marries into the Mingguo Manor.¡± Mo Huawen suddenly retorted angrily with a frown. His voice grew louder without him realizing it.

    Could what concerned Mo Xuemin bepared to what concerned Mo Xuetong?!

    Even though Xu Yan did not agree, she did not dare to say anything else when she saw how determined Mo Huawen looked. She said gently, ¡°The Marquess Mingguo is a talent even the Emperor praised him. I heard that he only has two bed maids who have been with him for many years and no one else. If Tong¡¯er is to be married to him, she will be the Duchess of Mingguo. That¡¯s not too bad.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled then.¡± Mo Huawen did not know why, but he felt disinterested. Even though Xu Yan was right, he felt anxious when he thought of Luo Xia. He was not in the mood for anything now. He stood up, waved his hand and gestured for Xu Yan, who was about to pour him another cup of tea, to stop.

    ¡°I will go and visit Tong¡¯er now!¡± Then, without waiting for Xu Yan¡¯s reply, he left for Qingwei Garden, leaving behind Xu Yan, who looked aggrieved. She did not know what she had said wrong to upset Mo Huawen!

 Chapter 316 - A Mess in the Palaceâ€”the Fifth Princess Committed Suicide

    <h4>Chapter 316 A Mess in the Pce¡ªthe Fifth Princess Committed Suicide</h4>

    The Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce was in a mess.

    The Fifth Princess was trying tomit suicide! The news was blocked in the pce, for fear that it would spread to those with evil intentions. And then, the story might go like that: the Princess on the throne did such a thing just out of frustration, which would apparently bring disgrace on the royal family. What if it spread to the Emperor? No one would tell how furious the Emperor would be at the news.

    The Empress was in an agony about her daughter with a mixed feeling of love and anger. She trotted into the well-guarded main hall.

    ¡°Xueyu, Xueyu, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The voice came in before the Empress arrived.

    Standing on the high stool, the Fifth Princess with her hair disheveled held a loop of white satin strap in her hands while the other end of the strap hung on the beams. Hearing the voice, she winked at Lingyue who was standing beside and thrust her feet to the stool to kicked it off. She shoved her neck into the loop, as she cried and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to live! I don¡¯t want to live any longer.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, please don¡¯t think things too hard. If you just leave the world in this way, what should Her Excellency, the Empress live without you? Even if you don¡¯t cherish yourself, you should cherish the Empress¡¯ motherliness. You are her only child. She will not tolerate any injustice on you. If you talk to the Empress, she will help you certainly.¡± Lingyue said and burst into tears. She just held the Fifth Princess¡¯ feet and pushed up hard, unwilling to loosen her hands.

    Other pce maids all came up to help Lingyue to lift up the Princess¡¯ feet. Cries and persuasions were jumbled up in the main hall.

    The hall door was opened heavily. Pale and worried, the Empress stood at the door. Looking at the mess inside, especially the Fifth Princess hanging on the loop, she felt the sweat on her forehead. Immediately, she rushed over and shouted anxiously, ¡°Hurry up! Hurry up to untie the rope! Xueyu, Xueyu, don¡¯t think things too hard. If you die, what should I do?¡±

    The Empress rushed to hold the Fifth Princess¡¯ feet with an attempt to hold her down, but it was useless as the Empress was too weak.

    Some eunuchs had already carried a stool quickly, and one stepped on the stool and cut the rope immediately. Then, the Fifth Princess fell down feebly, and all the pce maids crowded up, caught the Fifth Princess, and put her down. Some rubbed her chest to help her breathe, and some cried for help. How miserable the scene looked like after the wretched mess!

    Even a faint smell of blood floated in the air. Slight bloodstains could be seen on the Fifth Princess¡¯ neck, which seemed to have been strained.

    Being grounded only for a day, the Fifth Princess seemed to be deprived of her spirit, just looking at the front dully. And she was not her unparalleled distinguished daughter as bright and clever as before. The sight of her daughter¡¯s pale and weak look tugged the Empress¡¯ heartstrings, and the Empress came up and called in a trembling voice. ¡°Xueyu...¡±

    ¡°Queen Mother!¡± The Fifth Princess looked at the Empress, as if it took a long while to recognize her mother. Then, her eyes reddened and tears started to well up in the Fifth Princess¡¯ eyes. She just looked at the Empress in anguish.

    ¡°Xueyu, Yu¡¯er, is there anything you can¡¯t talk to me? Why did you choose tomit suicide? You are the most honorable Princess in the royal family. Is there anything to make you pessimistic and drive you to desperation?¡± Looking at her daughter¡¯s lifeless face, the Empress asked anxiously. Her daughter, who used to be as pretty as a flower, now turned so embarrassing. The sight of her daughter¡¯s disheveled look, a look without any dignity and calmness, broke the Empress¡¯ heart.

    ¡°Queen Mother, Yu¡¯er cannot bear to leave Queen Mother. But, Queen Mother, Yu¡¯er cannot live any longer.¡± The Fifth Princess shouted hoarsely, as she held the Empress¡¯ hand and trembled. The voice that was wounded by the rope twisted the Empress¡¯ heart harder, because the Fifth Princess was her most precious daughter!

    ¡°Yu¡¯er, listen, don¡¯t do that. Except for that, I will give you anything you want.¡± The Empressforted her softly.

    ¡°Queen Mother, without him, why should I bother to live in the world any longer? Queen Mother, you just let Yu¡¯er die. In this way, a bone will not be cast between you and my Emperor Father for me. If Yu¡¯er leaves the world, Queen Mother, please take care of yourself, so that I can rest my mind in theher world.¡± The Fifth Princess choked with tears, as if she were tellingst words. She was exaggerating the atmosphere to the extremes of grief. The Empress was too heart-ached to react to her words, but just subconsciously held the Fifth Princess tightly.

    ¡°Yu¡¯er, I can¡¯t promise you. Your Father Emperor is drafting the decree and nning to announce the world tomorrow. If the decree is issued, the matter will be conclusive. Even if Yu¡¯er died, you would still be considered to be one of the members of the royal family of the Yan Kingdom.¡± The Empress knew well what her daughter wanted, so she hurried to persuade her.

    Although she loved her daughter deeply, the Empress did not dare to disobey Emperor Zongwen. Considering Emperor Zongwen¡¯s mighty domination, the Empress knew why she was able to maintain the decency as the Empress was that she was tender and considerate on the surface, never confronting Emperor Zongwen.

    Regarding the marriage between the Fifth Princess and the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom, Emperor Zongwen had made up his mind, and no one could change him. When the decree was promulgated the next day, the Fifth Princess had no alternative to marrying as nned.

    Although the Empress¡¯ heart ached for her daughter, she did not have a way to help her daughter.

    ¡°Queen Mother, Mother, you have to help Yu¡¯er. Yu¡¯er is not asking Queen Mother to enrage Emperor Father, but begging Queen Mother to let Yu¡¯er go out of the pce tonight. Only one night! I will go to ask Cousin to bring up a proposal of marriage in front of Emperor Father. As long as cousin proposes, Emperor Father will surely agree. Queen Mother, it is Yu¡¯er¡¯sst chance. Please help Yu¡¯er!¡± Tears beaded down the Fifth Princess¡¯ cheeks, and she looked at the Empress helplessly with tearful eyes.

    Her grieved look, shaky body, bloodless face, plus the ghastly bloodstain all twirled the Empress¡¯ heart and made her almost fall down. If it weren¡¯t for the pce maids, the Empress¡¯ legs were so weak that she would have hardly stood.

    ¡°Why did her Yu¡¯er, the noblest princess of the Qin Kingdom, have to marry the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom? The man was just a prince. And her Yu¡¯er should marry the crown prince, be the Empress in the future, and enjoy the wealth and rank for good.¡±

    ¡°Yu¡¯er, only one night, what can you do? If your cousin really has a crush on you, will he wait till now? Since the thing hase to that, Yu¡¯er, why do you bother to cause so much trouble to upset your Emperor Father?¡± The Empress suppressed the stinging pain in her heart and waved her hand, and then, all the pce maids and eunuchs retreated out.

    When the pce door was closed gently, the Fifth Princess struggled to sit up and said with tears and emotions, ¡°Queen Mother, only for this time. As long as Queen Mother frees me this time, I will promise to return to the pce tomorrow. No matter what the result is, I will give up the idea forever. If Emperor Father still insists on my marrying the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom, Yu¡¯er will follow his order willingly.¡±

    ¡°What if your cousin is still unwilling to marry you?¡± A hint of viciousness shed in the Empress¡¯ eyes. She would not just sit by to see that her beloved daughter was overwhelmed with sorrow, as her daughter failed to get the one she longed for.

    ¡°Queen Mother, could you tell me what I should do? I have been framed in such a condition by Mo Xuetong, that bitch. I will take revenge certainly.¡± The Fifth Princess said in tears. But when she turned around to wipe her tears, cruel light shot out of her eyes. ¡°With the Queen Mother¡¯s assistance, it¡¯s not so easy for Cousin to refuse to marry me! Cousin is mine! Whoever dares to have a mind on him must die!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I will prepare things for Yu¡¯er in a moment. You can take them to find your uncle out of the pce to see if he can help you. As for Mo Xuetong, the little bitch, I will avenge you for sure. Does she fancy herself with noble status? I will let her unable to marry anyone else, but just be a concubine, a concubine of your Ling family¡¯s cousin...¡± The Empress¡¯ sepulchral voice sounded more vicious in the empty main hall. Even in the dark corner where the candles failed to light, there seemed to be a ghost shadow flickering faintly...

    ¡°Being Ling Mingfeng¡¯s concubine? So I will torture her as I like.¡± The possibility cheered up the Fifth Princess, and a hint of cruelty shed in her eyes.

    At that moment, no one noticed that a person in ck hanging upside down out of the pce. But the person disappeared instantly from the dark.

    It was at night in Bai Yihao¡¯s mansion.

    Suddenly a me burst into mes, and rose into the sky to light up the whole night.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s mansion was presented by Emperor Zongwen. Although only Bai Yihao lived there, there were a number of servants there. Compared to those of the King Yan¡¯s, the King Chu¡¯s, and the King Xuan¡¯s, Bai Yihao¡¯s was not inferior in any respect. Obviously, it could reveal that Emperor Zongwen did have a very high opinion of his nephew. Or in other words, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favor demonstrated his attitude.

    If there was no ident, Bai Yihao would be the future Emperor Yan. Although the ties of kin mattered, nothing couldpare to the territory dominion. Therefore, courting Bai Yihao meant courting the future Emperor Yan. As for such an economical thing that could yield long-term interests, Zongwen was really good at it.

    All the articles in the Bai Yihao¡¯s mansion were precious: some were presented by Emperor Zongwen, some by the Empress, and some by the Empress Dowager. Of course, he himself also added some. ording to Bai Yihao¡¯s refined taste, the things he replenished were all valuable.

    For example, the blue and white t bottle with farming pictures on it, the yellow and pink two-ear vase colored blossoms of four seasons, the brush pot made by rosewood, the censer carved with a green dragon, and so forth... At that moment, the guards did not know which one should be rescued firstly. The scene in the fire was chaotic where asionally the guards would collide each other and picked up the broken utensils together.

    ¡°Master, it is the white jade box as you said.¡± A guard rushed out hurriedly. Bai Yihao strode up to take the jade-carved casket from the guard. Bai Yihao pressed his finger on the dark button. Then, the box opened abruptly, and there was only a scrap of paper folded into a square inside, which looked a bit dated.

    ¡°Well, let them fight the fire here. I will stay with my big brother tonight.¡± In the mes, Bai Yihao smiled. Although he smiled as gently as usual, this time his smile revealed some more genuine warmth, as if he had returned from heaven to the ground. He was no longer the inessible beautiful boy.

    His smile was so indolent andfortable!

    The guards did not understand what his master meant, as the mansion had been burnt so heavily. How could the master still be so idle? The guard watched open-mouthed as his master walked out leisurely, and then, the guard suddenly collected himself and followed up hastily. Some of the other guards put down the things in the hands and followed as well. Based on Bai Yihao¡¯s current status, it was worrying to let him go to Bai Yichen¡¯s mansion alone.

    Therefore, some more people followed him secretly.

    In the Bai Yichen¡¯s mansion. He had just received a letter and hurried out. Someone had hidden in the corner and seen him leave, then, the person returned to the mansion beside in a hurry.

    In the courtyard sat the Fifth Princess, Feng Xueyu!

    ¡°The fire broke out there. Will my cousine here?¡± The Fifth Princess askedcently. The me ascended to the sky and lit up the whole night. How could the Fifth Princess not notice it? She knew well that since the cousin¡¯s mansion was burned, he would go to find Bai Yichen for sure. In such an awful situation, if the blood brothers did not unite together, they would be thought ill of. The Fifth Princess believed her cousin was so clever that he could not do such a stupid thing.

    ¡°His Highness ising here, and the First Prince has gone out of his mansion.¡± The scout replied, as he witnessed Bai Yichen left the mansion.

    ¡°Okay, then it¡¯s time for me to go there.¡± The Fifth Princess smiled triumphantly. She held the pce maid¡¯s hands and stood up slowly. Her pink dress made her look tenderer and lovelier. The makeup on her crystal face was just perfect. Her white neck was immacte without any bloodstain. Her delicate appearance did catch one¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 317 - Fifth Princess Seduced and Fallen into a Trap Late night.

    <h4>Chapter 317 Fifth Princess Seduced and Fallen into a Trap

    Late night.</h4>

    It was destined to be a sleepless night in the residence of the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. Firstly, the back garden where a lot of servants lived was burnt down in a fire.

    When Bai Yihao entered the residence, a few horses entered quietly from the back door, under the cover of the night sky.

    The dark clouds over the sky covered the bright moon, making the sky pitch ck, where no stars could be seen. The tall and ck walls reflect dim light from the moon.

    A brisk carriage came to the front door of the manor under the night sky.

    The coachman stepped forward and knocked on the door with the knocker.

    The gatekeeper was still awake from themotion just now. Hence, he was annoyed at the sudden uninvited guest since he had toe out and open the door himself. As he opened the door, he saw that the coachman was dressed elegantly, with a ssy aura surrounding him. He then knew that this was no ordinary guest, and hurried forth to invite them.

    ¡°Excuse me, this is?¡±

    The coachman came forth and whispered into the ear of the gatekeeper. As he spoke, a woman wrapped in a dark coat with a golden cloudy silk neckline alighted from the carriage. Her exposed face was that of extreme beauty. The gatekeeper immediately understood the situation and bowed, ¡°Please, miss. My master is waiting for you inside!¡±

    ¡°Where is your master?¡± The woman¡¯s face was full of annoyance as she entered the manor. The coachman was left outside as the gatekeeper closed the door. His master had left but he reminded him to take care of the woman from the brothel properly if she came, and to bring her to his room immediately.

    As the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, he could not visit the brothel of the Qin Kingdom so openly.

    Hence, the question by the coachman on Sir Bai¡¯s whereabouts made the gatekeeper understand the entire situation!

    He rushed in front, leading the way while ttering the woman. ¡°It¡¯s been long, Miss. Sir has been waiting for you for a long while.¡±

    ¡°Waiting for me?¡± Fifth Princess smirked as she was sure that he was waiting for that little bitch Mo Xuetong. It was indeed of no surprise that her cousin agreed to bring her over when she asked like how Mo Xuetong would, and he even let the gatekeeper lead her to him.

    The gate of the courtyard was wide open, and the two guards left quickly when they saw that the gatekeeper brought a woman in.

    ¡°Miss, Sir is right inside.¡± The gatekeeper pointed at a door.

    Fifth Princess waved her hand and the gatekeeper left obediently.

    Pushing the door open, she realized that the room was unlit, and one could not tell the items inside. In front of the window, a man sat by the table and even his white shirt seemed darker in the night.

    Fifth Princess looked at the upright figure proudly as she was sure that she would be marrying her cousin after tonight. The bitch Mo Xuetong would never dare to be arrogant in front of her again after she got married to her cousin, and her dream marriage would be crushed! She would love to have the bitch marrying the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, or bing a concubine for Cousin Ling. She would be tortured every day as if in hell!

    Her triumph made her took off her coat and hang it on the hanger beside her. She walked forth slowly, thinking about nothing as she sat red-faced in the arms of the man.

    The man immediately hugged her, with his hands on her slender waist and his kiss on her face. He was strong with masculine aura, yet gentle.

    Fifth Princess¡¯s body softened as sheid down like a pile of water on the man¡¯s arms. Her hands were around the man¡¯s neck as she felt electricity traveling across her body, as he touched her with hisrge strong hands. In her lust, she thought about her cousin¡¯s unusually passionate behavior today. Could it be because of Mo Xuetong? Did they really have sex! Inside her heart, she criticized Mo Xuetong for being sluttish as she believed that Mo Xuetong had slept with a man at such a young age. Moreover, the man was someone who she liked.

    After this incident, she must tell Mother about this incident, and Mother would definitely punish Mo Xuetong harshly.

    As she cursed on the shameless nature of Mo Xuetong, she breathed heavier and heavier.

    Suddenly, the door was knocked open and an arrow came flying through the night. The man carrying her was still sensible and evaded the arrow as he tilted his head. The shiny arrowhead seemed to be aiming for Fifth Princess, and thus she shrieked out of fear. Fortunately, the arrow shed across her eyes and was nailed to a wooden post.

    ¡°Hurry, there¡¯s an assassination!¡± Someone shouted and a huge group of people came rushing in before Fifth Princess could react. Some had lit up the lights in the room, making it as bright as daytime.

    A handsome, elegant and graceful man dressed in all white walked in casually. His clothes were tinted with snow, which entuated his elegance and beauty. He was all calm andposed.

    ¡°Cousin...¡± Fifth Princess was all pale as she stared at Bai Yihao with widened eyes. She suddenly had an epiphany as she turned around to p the man who was hugging her, shouting, ¡°Why is it you?¡±

    ¡°Why not me? Who did Your Highness think it was?¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s hand retracted from Fifth Princess¡¯ body as he tidied his clothing, staring at the partially undressed Fifth Princess with interested eyes.

    Indeed, if not for his quick reaction of returning to his manor from the backdoor, Bai Yihao would have been having sex with Fifth Princess now. He then flicked his brows at Bai Yihao arrogantly. He had won this round, and Fifth Princess would have to marry him now.

    ¡°Bai Yichen! Why you? Why you!¡± Fifth Princess was raging, her two eyes furiously fixated on Bai Yichen as if she had wanted to eat him. Trembling, she caressed her clothes and tried her best to tie her buttons but to no avail. She felt her body burning yet freezing at the same time.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s calm andposed eyes were staring at her. His nce was like a hot iron, sizzling.

    ¡°Interesting, Your Highness. Shouldn¡¯t I be the one here? The manor is mine, the garden is mine, and the house is mine too! Who else would be here? Don¡¯t worry, Fifth Princess. I will take full responsibility of our doings here. I will go to the Qin Emperor and ask for our marriage, and will never damage the Fifth Princess¡¯ name.¡± Bai Yichen smiled confidently as he was delighted to have finally won Bai Yihao once.

    That was not just a single victory against Bai Yihao, but an understanding that Bai Yihao was not someone that could not be defeated. A single victory sets the precedence for further victories. With the help of the Fifth Princess, the situation would be increasingly in his favor. Before long, he would be the Emperor of Yan kingdom.

    ¡°Sir Bai, this is...¡± A tall man with a square face entered the room following Bai Yihao. He surveyed the room and gasped, not knowing what to say, only to look at Bai Yihao with a doubtful nce.

    He was Xie Qing, the Assistant General of the Golden Elite Forces. He came with Bai Yihao today as his manor was set on fire. Even though Bai Yihao was merely a hostage, he was the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom. It would be a huge diplomatic error if he got injured, and even war might be started between the two kingdoms.

    Immediately, Emperor Zongwen sent out his Golden Elite Forces to Bai Yihao¡¯s residence so as to put out the fire. He met Bai Yihao, who had just escaped from his house. Hearing that he wished to go to First Prince¡¯s residence, Xie Qing immediately offered to protect him and send him over. As an imperial guard, he had to be always careful and cautious.

    He acted with tact. Following Bai Yihao into the manor, he rested awhile, nning to return if nothing happened, sending Bai Yihao out. As he passed by the garden, he heard an arrow shot and calls of assassination. Thus, he rushed in with his men and Bai Yihao immediately.

    As he came in, she saw Fifth Princess sitting in the arms of the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. Fifth Princess¡¯s clothes had been disheveled, signaling an affair between the two. Xie Qing did not know how to deal with this situation. Furthermore, the group of Golden Elite Forces behind him saw the same situation.

    He dared not conceal the fact that Fifth Princess was hugging together with the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, as he would be charged with deliberate concealment from Emperor once such a matter was discovered. As part of the Golden Elite Forces, he should not hide anything from the Emperor.

    Furthermore, the matter was more interesting than just that. Fifth Princess seemed to have recognized the wrong person. If he pretended to not know the matter, he might just disappear one day. The elimination of key personnel to shut them up was not umon in the pce. With the cruel nature of Fifth Princess, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

    This made Xie Qing clear as he turned to the two, asking them harshly, ¡°What is happening? Why is Fifth Princess hugging the First Prince of Yan Kingdom?¡±

    Bai Yihao did not move, staring nking at Fifth Princess. One could not tell any emotion from his eyes. He merely lowered his head coldly as a simmer of gloom shed across his face. He did not answer Xie Qing, choosing to instead turn around and leave. He was dragging his steps as if he was extremely disappointed.

    He looked lonely and depressed under the night sky.

    Fifth Princess was hurtful and could not care much about Bai Yichen. She screamed in sorrow, ¡°Cousin!¡±

    She was about to chase after him.

    ¡°Wait, Fifth Princess.¡± Xie Qing could not let her leave now and reached out to stop her.

    ¡°Leave me alone.¡± Fifth Princess pped hard on Xie Qing¡¯s face as she threatened, ¡°If you dare to stop me again, I would ask Mother to kill you!¡±

    Xie Qing was appalled by the chiding of the Fifth Princess and was rmed at the possibility. However, he remembered his mission and was determined to not be assassinated. Mustering up his courage, he said, ¡°Fifth Princess, I dared not hide such a matter from the Emperor. Please follow me to see his majesty, and he will make the decisions.¡±

    ¡°You did not see anything so better shut your mouth, or...¡± Fifth Princess threatened further.

    If they sent her to the Emperor, she would definitely be chosen to marry Bai Yichen.

    She was raised in the pce since she was a child, and was always the center of attention as the only daughter of the queen. She had support from the powerful Ding General Manor and no one dared disobey her. Only she could punish others and no one dared to disobey her. Hence, her words were harsh and certain.

    However, Xie Qing was determined to not settle this matter here. However, her threats, coupled with the devious rumors of the princess, some of which stated that she would beat her servants to death or disabilities if they displeased her, made him even more certain of his stance of not letting her go.

    ¡°How did Fifth Princess enter the manor? Why did you enter the manor?¡± Bai Yichen had kept silent all this while, putting more pressure on Xie Qing. Xie Qing let all loose now.

    ¡°Outrageous! How dare you ask for my whereabouts.¡± Fifth Princess chided as she turned around to scold Bai Yichen, ¡°First Prince of Yan Kingdom, let me ask you! Why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be out of the manor?¡±

 Chapter 318 - The Desperate Decision within the Imperial Study

    <h4>Chapter 318 The Desperate Decision within the Imperial Study</h4>

    Fifth Princess regainedposure from her previous wrath. Her two eyes fall on Bai Yichen like two poisonous snakes, and she became as mad and stubborn. From her reaction, Bai Yichen affirmed his belief that there was an affair between Fifth Princess and his fifth brother. He secretlymended Bai Yihao¡¯s n of stealing his most worthy asset.

    If not for her high value, he would not have taken any interest in her. He would naturally not be interested in Bai Yihao¡¯s used woman if not for the great value that she would bring to him. When she entered just now, Fifth Princess¡¯ seductive act of taking off her coat, and the natural act of putting it on the hanger all signified the familiarity of such scandalous acts.

    He smirked and scorned, ¡°How did Fifth Princess know that I left my manor? It is truly unusual for Fifth Princess to be so acutely aware of my whereabouts in the middle of the night! Even if I did leave the manor just now, I can still return! Fifth Princess, I promise you that I will take responsibility, please believe in me.¡±

    His words were with a slight mockery as if he were just talking about a casual affair with an ordinary woman, with not a slight tinge of guilt. Fifth Princess had to resist her urge to pounce forth and p her.

    ¡°Come.¡± Xie Qing waved his hand and a man was forced in by his soldiers. It was the gatekeeper, who now kneeled on the ground with fright and panic written all over his face.

    ¡°Are you the gatekeeper of Yan First Prince¡¯s manor?¡± Xie Qing did not care about the menacing face of Fifth Princess and asked in a matter-of-fact way.

    Bai Yichen¡¯s expression changed slightly but he soon regainedposure.

    Fifth Princess¡¯ expression changed drastically. When she entered just now, she signaled her coachman to ask if Sir Bai was at home.

    Father locked her in the pce for Mother to look after her. If she did have an affair with her cousin today, she could avoid punishment due to her Grandmother¡¯s doting of her cousin. Father would naturally listen to Grandmother. However, she did not expect the situation to go drastically wrong. Since her cousin saw her entangled with Yan First Prince, he would naturally not speak in her favor.

    She was convinced that Bai Yichen lured her in but she then discovered that it was impossible to exin her situation clearly, especially the reason she appeared here and the questions she asked the gatekeeper, which all signified that she nned this encounter.

    ¡°Sir, I am the gatekeeper here. Tonight, thisdy came and asked me if Sir Bai is here. His Majesty had just entered Qin Kingdom and thus concealed his identity as an average gentleman. I heard that he had recently known a beautifuldy from the brothel, who is rumored to be extremely enchanting, and that she would visit us tonight.¡±

    ¡°Since thisdy asked me, I replied affirmatively and told her that Sir Bai is waiting for her inside. She followed me in and signaled me to retreat. I figured that those from the brothels are so bold and liked such things, so I...¡±

    Before the gatekeeper could finish his sentence, he nced at the Fifth Princess. Everyone immediately understood what she meant, which was that Fifth Princess knew that a man was in this room when she came in. She did everything willingly, without anyone forcing her.

    ¡°Rubbish!¡± Fifth Princess was raging as she stared at the shivering gatekeeper with rage, grinding her silver teeth in the process. She did not expect things to turn out this way. She came to meet Bai Yihao and had no idea why Bai Yichen was here. Turning to Xie Qing, she ordered, ¡°They are all Bai Yihao¡¯s minions, and they listened to his orders to frame me! Drag him down and beat him to death!¡±

    ¡°Fifth Princess, if all these are untrue, then why did Fifth Princesse forth to my manor? Who do you want to meet? Could it be that you are having an affair with another man in my manor?¡± Bai Yichen stood up and looked around with a cold and disdainful gaze. In Bai Yichen¡¯s manor, the only prestigious individual was Bai Yichen, and the rest were either servants or guards.

    Bai Yichen betted that Fifth Princess dared not admit her affair with Bai Yihao.

    He was mocking the provocative nature of Fifth Princess, and implied that she chose to have an affair with his servants!

    Fifth Princess naturally understood his meaning and was so mad that she bent her willow brows downward. ¡°Mind yournguage, Bai Yichen!¡±

    ¡°I am speaking humannguage, could Fifth Princess not understand? Fifth Princess was found half-naked in my bed and on my arms, with all reputations lost. Could it be that you still want to marry someone else?¡± Bai Yichen was frustrated by this drama and asked directly.

    In such a situation, he believed that it would be impossible for Emperor Zongwen to deny the marriage of him and Fifth Princess.

    Tonight, he did want to check on Bai Yihao¡¯s manor, which was set on fire, so as to satisfy the superficial brotherhood between the two. However, his guard received a letter addressed to Bai Yihao by Fifth Princess, using the name of Princess Anping. If not for the fact that Bai Yichen¡¯s servants confirmed the woman as Fifth Princess, he would believe it to be Princess Anping.

    The letter exined that Fifth Princess wanted Bai Yihao toe to Bai Yichen¡¯s manor since his one was on fire, and she would visit him tonight.

    Bai Yichen, who had always seen Fifth Princess as his wife since he had an interest in her, was all mad. He could not understand why Fifth Princess needed to use Princess Anping¡¯s name but decided to use this n instead to leave his manor and then return via the backdoor. He then told the gatekeeper that a prostitute from the brothel would visit tonight, and asked him to lead her to his room.

    Indeed, Fifth Princess was tricked and slowly entered his room, going straight to his arms without hesitation. Immediately, he did not spare any politeness and started touching her, warming up the atmosphere.

    He had arranged the arrow himself to draw Bai Yihao here. He wanted Bai Yihao to give up on Fifth Princess, as well as to blow up the matter.

    He mentioned that Fifth Princess came to meet him so as to cover up Fifth Princess¡¯ true intention. He originally thought that Fifth Princess would thank him for such an act, but she did not return the favor. Hence, he decided to be impolite instead. Indeed, only Fifth Princess¡¯ reputation would be severely damaged by this matter.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Fifth Princess was angry and annoyed at Bai Yichen¡¯s harsh words. She was releasing all her anger on Bai Yichen, refusing to hear what he had to say. Her two eyes were staring intensely at Bai Yichen with hatred and resentment, making Bai Yichen turn his head away.

    The matter was already clear. Xie Qing believed that Fifth Princess came to the manor to meet Bai Yihao since it was no secret that she liked him. However, she mysteriously turned up in the room of the First Prince and was tangled up in his arms. He would never forget what he saw when he entered the room, where Fifth Princess sat on Bai Yichen¡¯sp, her cheeks blushing from lust. Bai Yichen¡¯s hand retracted from under her clothes, bringing out a corner of her undergarments. The two already had done a scandalous act that no amount of talking would remove them from.

    However, as a small Assistant Commander, he had no right in interfering in such an affair.

    One party was the prestigious royalty Fifth Princess, while the other was the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom. Any mishandling with such a matter could result in war between the two nations. Xie Qing was already at a loss of what to do and had sent a letter to the pce. He did not know how the pce would react but a reply should being soon.

    While he was thinking, the door to the courtyard opened, and a few eunuchs and guards came in.

    ¡°Sir Xie, His Majesty wants Fifth Princess and Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince to enter the pce at once!¡±

    Fifth Princess was stunned. She had to support herself using the corner of the table as her body softened due to fear. She looked at Xie Qing with hatred. It¡¯s no wonder that he dared to ask her questions so confidently since he had already reported the matter to Father. If Father knew that she left the pce to meet her cousin, her mother would be implicated. Last time, she had already implicated her mother and had to kneel down and beg for forgiveness in the Imperial Study, now...

    Furthermore, shemitted more mistakes than just that!

    Bai Yihao¡¯s manor was gifted by Father, and naturally had a lot of Father¡¯s spies around. Fifth Princess dared not meet Bai Yihao here and could only set fire to Bai Yihao¡¯s manor, passing a letter to Bai Yihao using Mo Xuetong¡¯s name, asking him to meet her in Bai Yichen¡¯s manor.

    Bai Yihao was a hostage. Even though Emperor Zongwen did not directly spy on him, he did have many secret agents spying in Bai Yihao¡¯s manor. If Father knew that his efforts were burnt down by a fire set by her... Thinking about that made Fifth Princess shiver as if she were ced in immense coldness!

    No, Father could not know about this!

    Inside the Imperial Study!

    Emperor Zongwen nced coldly at the kneeling Fifth Princess, with dark pupils that hid all emotions.

    Turning around, his nce swept from Fifth Princess to Bai Yihao and Bai Yichen.

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked harshly.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you have to ask Fifth Princess about this. I am staying in my room all by myself before Fifth Princess came into my arms, hugging me tightly... When Sir Xie came in, he saw what happened. No one is to me for this. Since this matter has already ended up like this, I will admit responsibility. Furthermore, I have a romantic interest in Fifth Princess. Please marry Fifth Princess to me, and I will treat her like a treasure.¡± Bai Yichen came out to speak, staring gently at Fifth Princess, while sping one hand over the other. He did seem to look at Fifth Princess with love and concern.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s nce fell on Fifth Princess. He saw that her cor was messy and loose, which was apparently tidied up in a hurry. Had the two really done some scandalous act! For a royal princess to do such an act would mean disgrace for the imperial family, and that made Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes re up in anger.

    ¡°First Prince, why did you return from the back door after going out?¡± Xie Qing asked expressionlessly for Emperor Zongwen. Emperor Zongwen was mad then and Xie Qing dared not ask useless questions, going straight to the point.

    It was a true disgrace for such a matter to happen in the imperial family! As a subordinate, he dared not ask much.

    ¡°I heard that a fire erupted from my fifth brother¡¯s manor and thus brought my men to take a look at the situation. When I reached, I was informed that my fifth brother had gone to my ce, and thus I returned. I chose the backdoor since I was closer to that. Then, I returned to my manor.¡± Since Bai Yichen designed this entire scheme, he had prepared an excuse for his actions. He exined calmly, confident that he had no ws in his argument.

    Beside him, a slight smirk seemed to creep up on Bai Yihao¡¯s face before it disappeared. He frowned at the drama as if he werepletely detached from the situation as if he had not purposefully revealed the letter to his brother. Only astonishment was written on his handsome face.

    ¡°Fifth Princess, why did you go to the Prince¡¯s manor?¡± Xie Qing questioned Fifth Princess.

    Fifth Princess was at a loss for words. She dared not reveal that she went there to meet Bai Yihao as that secret would bring more trouble for everyone. Even though everyone knew Fifth Princess liked Bai Yihao, people in the imperial family were not idiots and would not neglect the doubt on how she knew that Bai Yihao would be going to Bai Yichen¡¯s mansion.

    If they knew that she set fire to Bai Yihao¡¯s manor, they would question her on where she obtained her manpower. She got her manpower from her Mother¡¯s family. If that was known, Ding General Manor would be charged not only with burning Bai Yihao¡¯s manor. They might even be charged with rebellion.

    That would mean exterminating her entire family!

    Of course, the Emperor would not exterminate her family. But Ding General Manor would be eliminated.

    Fifth Princess was shivering uncontrobly. She was at a loss for words. Raising her head, she noticed the anger hidden behind Emperor Zongwen¡¯s peaceful eyes. She suddenly remembered secrets she had heard in the secret documents of the imperial family, which mentioned that even the Empress¡¯s family could be eliminated if they were found to have personal troops. Even the Empress was executed.

    She dared not, and could not say anything!

    Fifth Princess was desperate. For the safety of herself, her mother, and the entire Ding General Manor, she dared not gamble.

    Behind the study table, Emperor Zongwen squeezed the pitch-ck teacup with golden curving on his hand tight, staring intensely at the people below. He released his hand and the teacup rolled on the carpet, apanied by a string of muffled sounds as the teacup tumbled. The string of noise seemed to hit Fifth Princess¡¯ heart like thunder. Her body softened as she fell paralyzed onto the ground.

 Chapter 319 - Conflict in the Harem Initiated By Fifth Princess

    <strong>Chapter 319 Conflict in the Harem Initiated By Fifth Princess</strong>

    Actually, Emperor Zongwen did not want his Fifth Princess to marry Bai Yichen. She had been by his side for many years and was the daughter of the Empress, which naturally meant that she should be used to maximize the interest of herself and the imperial family. If she was to marry, she should definitely marry Bai Yihao, the Crown Prince. The two families were rtives, to begin with, and the marriage between two cousins would naturally strengthen the rtions between the two families. When the next Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom was born, his bloodline would be closer to the Qin Kingdom, greatly benefiting the Qin Kingdom.

    However, it seemed that only he was interested in this matter. His sister, who was born from a different mother, never requested for her son to marry the Princess of Qin Kingdom. However, she did send in a letter requesting the First Prince to marry Fifth Princess instead. Emperor Zongwen knew that something was amiss and that this matter was probably rted to the woman in Cining Pce.

    Hence, he paid no attention to Yan Kingdom First Prince¡¯s request for marriage. If Bai Yichen appeared too desperate, he would just send a random princess over for marriage as he did not want to satisfy the desires of the Yan Kingdom and that woman in Cining Pce. He was sure that there must be a devious n being plotted behind his back. As the woman in Cining pce was his birth mother, he could not act as he wished as well.

    However, he did not expect Fifth Princess to fall into a scandal herself and ruin her reputation in front of everyone, especially Bai Yihao. With the Bai brothers both in the know of the affair, it would never be possible for Bai Yihao to marry her while Bai Yichen would insist on the marriage. There was no other way other than to marry Fifth Princess to Bai Yichen.

    However, Emperor Zongwen was not as naive as Fifth Princess, for he smelt the scent of conspiracy. He identified the plotter as Bai Yichen.

    Who would benefit the most from this matter?!

    The answer was undoubtedly the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. If not for this matter, Emperor Zongwen would never marry Fifth Princess over to him. If there was a need to marry a princess over to him, there were plenty of concubines¡¯ daughters in the harem for the Emperor to choose. All of them were less prestigious and irreceable than Fifth Princess.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s mood turned gloomy at the thought of being tricked by Bai Yichen.

    On the second day following the scandal, a bunch of pces next to Cining Pce was set on fire. Even though Cining Pce was unaffected, Empress Dowager was so terrified that she fell sick. Immediately, fleets of imperial doctors were sent into Cining Pce, afraid of any slight injury that Empress Dowager would have. The Emperor sent orders that any untreated mishap to Empress Dowager would mean the death of the doctors.

    Compared to the bustling Cining Pce, Tianfeng Pce was like a desertednd.

    The Emperor¡¯s orders came early, chiding its owner for herck of virtues that caused disarrangements in the harem, with the heavens even damaging Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce. The order was for the Empress to write a reflection letter, and to let Consort Su and Consort Wen help her with harem affairs, citing sympathy on her heavy workload as an excuse.

    The true reason was to constraint the monopoly of power that the Empress had in the harem by using Consort Su and Consort Wen to restrict her power in the harem. That was a p to the face to the Empress¡¯ family.

    Everyone knew that disarrangement in the harem and anger of the heavens were all excuses made by Emperor Zongwen to punish the Empress for Fifth Princess¡¯ matter. Since she was to be married to the Yan Kingdom as a representative of the Qin Kingdom, one could not naturally be impolite about the matter. Since a fire erupted in the pce, he naturally med that on the Empress.

    Silently, the Empress kneeled and received the order before sending her lead eunuch to lead the Emperor¡¯s eunuch Liu Xi away. cing the script that wrote the Emperor¡¯s orders on the table, she read the words one by one, grinding her teeth out of hatred. In this round, not only did she lose, she lost the love of the Emperor and her only daughter. The thought of Xueyu marrying far away made her heart twitch in pain.

    Tianfeng Pce was all silent as all the eunuchs and servants knew that their master was unhappy. They would be looking for death if they sought trouble then.

    However, someone came knocking at the door just past noon. The little eunuch at the front door came in and reported the person to be a servant from Consort Su.

    ¡°Why did she send someone here?¡± The Empress smiled sternly as a cold simmer shed across her eyes. ¡°Could she be here to humiliate me due to my defeat? No, Consort Su is not so stupid. It is too soon for her to be arrogant as she is a subtle person.¡±

    ¡°Send her in!¡±

    Her reputation would be further tarnished if she rejected the servants from Consort Su and Consort Wen immediately after orders were given for them to work together. She had to act humble and low-key to survive now.

    ¡°Empress, ourdy heard about the fire at Cining Pce that caused Empress Dowager¡¯s poor health. We would like to request for the Empress to initiate a prayer session with all the concubines in the harem for Empress Dowager¡¯s health and prosperity.¡± The woman speaking was a servant of Consort Su. After bowing, she asked politely. However, her eyes resembled Consort Su, and seemed to be hiding a simmer of arrogance, making the Empress ufortable.

    Suppressing the anger in her heart, the Empress smiled gently. ¡°It is truly my fault that Empress Dowager suffers poor health now. It¡¯s a great idea that Consort Su wanted to pray for Empress Dowager. However, Fifth Princess is about to get married, which is a big matter between the two nations. I have too many things on my hands now, please tell yourdy to help arrange this matter.¡±

    Since Consort Su wanted to please that old woman, there would be no need to stop her. The Empress knew all the actions that Empress Dowager did behind her back since the two came from the same family. In her family now, her brother was the one in power. Empress Dowager would be less close to her brother than she was, and hence she knew all about Empress Dowager¡¯s actions within her family.

    The elders in her family favored Empress Dowager. However, her brother in power naturally favored his sister.

    The Empress analyzed the situation and decided that the only possible way of discovery for Fifth Princess¡¯ matter would be the fact that her brother utilized his men to help. Since Empress Dowager had a huge influence in Ding General Manor, she would know this situation and hence she would know what happened that night.

    Therefore, she was ready to strike...

    Fifth Princess¡¯ affair was indeed shameful to the royal family. However, she would still be married to the Yan Kingdom and Bai Yichen would notin about it. Everyone would be careful to conceal the matter and even though she was at fault for her not teaching the Princess well, she would not be chided harshly. Since Fifth Princess was to get ready for her marriage, the Emperor would not be willing to shame the Empress at this point in time, which would reduce the matter to nothing.

    She did not expect a fire to erupt near Cining Pce, spreading even to the pce itself, scaring the sly Empress Dowager in the process. The Empress did not believe in such lies as she decided that Empress Dowager nned the whole matter so that the Emperor would not dote on her and chide her instead, preventing King Yan Feng Yulei, the prince she supported, from gaining power.

    When she thought that her defeat was all due to the ns of Empress Dowager, the Empress couldn¡¯t help but feel rage burning in the heart.

    She would wish for the old woman to die! She would never pray for her, as her death would be a blessing to her!

    ¡°My thanks to Your Highness. Your Highness is the mother of the world and naturally had many things to take care of. Such small things should not bother you and mydy had the intention to settle this matter. Since you gave us her permission, mydy would have the right to n this event. I shall retreat and report to mydy.¡± The servant replied cleverly, stating that herdy thought that she must obtain permission from the Empress, as if the Empress would have been dissatisfied with the decision of the Emperor.

    The Empress smiled. She was in a bad mood then and was tired of acting benevolent. Waving her hand, she signaled the servant to leave.

    Consort Su immediately grasped on the power once she got chided, creating more distance between her and the Emperor. In the morning, the Emperor¡¯s order came. In the afternoon, she sent someone over, seemingly to signal her respect for the Empress, but actually to imply that the Empress was unsatisfied with the Emperor¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Mydy, don¡¯t bother being angry for them. You think that you would be hopeless since Fifth Princess was to be married to Yan Kingdom. However, look at Empress Dowager at Cining Pce, she married her daughter to Yan Kingdom too and gained the support of an entire kingdom, securing her position as Empress Dowager. This matter is far from settled and there¡¯s no need to be angry, mydy.¡± Seeing that the Empress¡¯ expression turned more gloomy, Yan Miao came forth tofort her.

    Sitting silently for a while, a cold glimmer shed across the Empress¡¯ eyes. Standing up, shemanded, ¡°Even though I am not the one settling Empress Dowager¡¯s praying session, I shall not let others look down on my filial piety. Go and prepare a few precious Buddhist statues and send them to Consort Su¡¯s pce. Inform her of my wishes and remind her not to fail my expectations.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, we don¡¯t have many Buddhist statues here as we sent all of our best statues to Empress Dowager¡¯s pce since she loved that. We could no longer find any more good ones now.¡± Yan Miaoined as good statues were usually sent into Cining Pce at once, and no precious statues could be found now.

    ¡°Mydy, maybe we can send those inferior ones?¡± She suggested.

    ¡°No. Send a message to Ding General Manor and ask them to find a few precious Buddhist statues for me. Tell them I need to pray for the health of Empress Dowager.¡± The Empress replied calmly as her eyesy on the corner of a tall wall. That wall was not near to her but she could see the structure as the building was too magnificent.

    That was the real Tianfeng Pce. As for the Cining Pce where Empress Dowager resided in now, ever since Empress Dowager resided there, she did not leave the real Tianfeng Pce to the Empress.

    ¡°We¡¯ll not only choose the most precious ones, but also need to tell my brother to spread the news that I will be having a vegetarian diet within Tianfeng Pce for half a month to pray for Empress Dowager, in hope that my filial nature would touch the heaven and give Empress Dowager good health.¡±

    She would join Empress Dowager in this show!

    ...

    The sickness of Empress Dowager and the prayer session for her spread to the ears of various nobledies, and many heard the news that the Empress was seeking precious Buddhist statues and eating vegetarian dishes for Empress Dowager¡¯s good health. Immediately, such information spread in and out of the pce. Emperor Zongwen was known for his filial nature, and the Empress did show a good example herself. Increasingly, manydies started imitating her and started praying and eating vegetarian dishes for the Empress Dowager.

    Precious Buddhist statues became increasingly difficult to find.

    At this time, Mo Xuemin was about to get married!

    The date of the marriage was determined long ago, and there was no reason to dy the marriage to pray for Empress Dowager.

    Duchess Zhenguo carefully sent her sister to ask Lady of Xian for permission for the marriage. Lady of Xian replied that the Empress Dowager did not want her illness to affect the public. Marriage was a blessed event, and should not be dyed due to her.

    The Duchess became contented after hearing the news. However, she discovered new problems while preparing for the marriage.

    What should she prepare for the wedding banquet?

    Traditionally, fishes and meat were a natural part of wedding banquets, and all food muste from good origins. However, in this case, all thedies were eating vegetarian food for Empress Dowager, and no one woulde and attend a non-vegetarian banquet. Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor required support from the other nobilities, and this banquet must be held to strengthen their rtionship with otherdies.

    The servant in-charge was at a loss on what to do, and thus threw the problem to the Duchess Zhenguo.

    The Duchess bit her teeth and decided that the banquet for male guests would be as usual, while the banquet for female guests would contain only vegetarian food. She prayed that thesedies would not be here just to take a nce as Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor required more poprity.

    ¡°Mydy, if we have a vegetarian banquet for thedies, would your daughter-inw feel...¡± As she had never heard about such a wedding banquet before, the servant asked out of concern.

    ¡°She is not the one in charge of this house.¡± Remembering how Mo Xuemin caused her son to lose his reputation and the Emperor¡¯s favor, Duchess Zhenguo put down her teacup angrily and spoke out of hatred. It would be impossible for that bitch to enjoy a good life in this household, and it would be a blessing for her to even have a vegetarian banquet!

    The Duchess suddenly became depressed as she thought about how she had to invite that unlucky woman in with a sedan carried by eight people. It would be best if that little bitch knew her ce, as she would teach that woman a lesson if she dared to create trouble.

 Chapter 320 - Commotion during Mo Xueminâ€™s Marriage Night

    <strong>Chapter 320 Commotion during Mo Xuemin¡¯s Marriage Night</strong>

    Many expressed interest in the marriage between Mo manor and Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. The matter between these two had been a result of many twists and turns, making it a great interest to many bystanders who were here just to see thisughing stock, judging the two parties. Nobody thought positively of this marriage as they decided that it was a facade to save the face of the two families. It was rumored that the son of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor had always been interested in adding concubines to his harem, and did not seem genuinely interested in a marriage.

    Obediently, Mo Xuemin entered the marriage sedan, bowing respectfully to Xu Yan and Mo Huawen before. Holding onto Xu Yan¡¯s hand, she said farewell to her mother affectionately in a tearful tone. To those ignorant of her family situation, they would believe that Xu Yan was marrying her birth daughter away.

    Dressed in red, Sima Lingyun could be considered to be handsome. However, he could barely force out a smile on his face as he looked at Mo Xuemin, who had her face covered with a red veil. A tinge of hopelessness shed across his eyes as he went up the force. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a beautiful face that had bright eyes and charming white teeth. She was dressed in a snowy and silky dress, with pink flowers sewed on the bottom of the skirt, making her look more cheerful. As the wind blew up her dress slightly, she seemed to be as sacred as a fairy that just descended from the nine heavens.

    That was the woman he wanted, the woman he liked.

    Across the crowd, she was looking at him too, seeming to eye him up and down. Slowly, a mocking smile appeared out of the corner of her lips before she turned and left with her servant.

    His heart seemed to be hit by something hard, and the expressionless Sima Lingyun suddenly felt pain. With difficulty, he turned his gaze away from the beautiful back of thatdy and returned it to his sedan. He frowned as he pondered on what went wrong. Shouldn¡¯t Mo Xuemin be the one sitting inside here!

    A few memories shed across in his head but he could not piece them together. When he pictured his grand wedding thatsted five kilometers long in the street in his dreams, he didn¡¯t imagine it to be like this.

    ¡°His Excellency, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Seeing that Sima Lingyun was frowning and staring at his sedan, his servant reminded him for fear of beingte.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sima Lingyun suddenly collected himself and ordered coldly, returning to his expressionless demeanor.

    The brigade moved towards Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, sting music along the way.

    Listening to the gradually distant sound of music, Mo Xuetong¡¯s pink lips curved up into a mocking smile. Her watery eyes seemed cold with hatred.

    In her previous life, Mo Xuemin secretly had an affair with Sima Lingyun to kill her just to marry Sima Lingyun. In this life, she sent them to this marriage but she saw the hidden discord between the two. ¡°Mo Xuemin, you shall see how this man who marries you in both two lives will dote on you. For two lives, you shall end there.¡±

    The difference was that Mo Xuemin married herself there in her previous life but Mo Xuetong had sent her in this life just to see how marvelous her life would be. With the contrived Yun Yiqiu, the licentious and shameless Lan Xinru, and the vicious and toxic snake Mo Xuemin, an extremely interesting show would begin in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    Mo Xuemin decided to not make trouble anymore. In this situation, it would be useless for her to make trouble. While being locked up, her rage turned into indignance, which then turned intoposure. Regardless of what Auntie Fang was like, she was still the daughter of the Mo family. She lost her father¡¯s favor as she kept making trouble. If she stopped making trouble and obediently be the wife of Marquess Zhenguo peacefully, her father would naturally help her.

    As long as Father helped her, she believed that Mo Xuetong would not dare to disobey her father and touch her. With Auntie Fang gone, there was one less reason for Mo Xuetong to strike. However, with Mo manor¡¯s influence, she could help Sima Lingyun to rebuild Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor¡¯s reputation.

    Mo Xuetong was Princess Anping now, and she was still her sister despite their bad rtions. Mo Xuemin would not be herself if she did not make use of this background. Thus, she acted reluctantly while holding on to Xu Yan¡¯s hand, all for the hope of softening Mo Huawen¡¯s heart.

    Once Mo Huawen¡¯s heart was softened, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor could rely on Mo manor, and Mo Xuetong had to help Mo manor!

    Thinking of her brilliant n, Mo Xuemin felt so excited that she squeezed her handkerchief hard. Under her red veil, she gave a proud smile.

    As the princess of the royal family, Mo Xuetong needed to be more polite and recognize her as a true sister in the public eye as she had to put up a facade! As long as Mo Xuetong remained silent, she could take the opportunity to do whatever she wanted...

    If there was no ce for her to develop herself in Mo manor, there must be a ce for her in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    As for the affection of Sima Lingyun, Mo Xuemin was confident that as long as she waved at him, he would crawl over obediently. Since before, he had always listened to every word she said and was interested in her. Before, she was uninterested in him but as long as she acted humble, Sima Lingyun dared not disobey her instructions.

    The Duchess was merely an irrelevant passerby in her eyes. Thinking about how she could control the entire Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor in the future, she could not suppress herughter andughed in a muffled voice.

    The bridesmaids beside her looked at each other, disdain written all over their faces. Everyone knew about how she became the wife of Marquess Zhenguo. She was really a reckless woman. Now, she did not even bother to put up the etiquette necessary for a bride, and was nothing like a noblewoman.

    The sedan stopped and Sima Lingyun received the bow and arrow handed over by his family. Every nobleman in the Qin Kingdom practiced archery and chivalry, and Sima Lingyun was no exception. He raised his hand to shoot the arrows, with the three arrows heavier by the sequence. Theynded on the door of the sedan chair. As the strength used was too much, the sedan chair swayed. If not for the fast reactions of the bridesmaid by the side, the sedan chair would have fallen.

    Thinking about the origin of the marriage, all smiled involuntarily, shouting andughing at the couple as they had seen many events like this.

    Such rudeughter made Mo Xuemin a little angry. Did Sima Lingyun really believe that he could suppress her with just a few arrows!

    The sedan chair was shaking so badly that she had to use her hands to stabilize her body. She would be so humiliated if she fell before even entering Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor!

    The bridesmaid helped her out of the sedan chair. The red veil covered her eyes but she could feel the silk bridal handkerchief on her hand being pulled to lead her since Mo Xuemin could only see a corner of the floor beneath her feet. Regardless, since today was her marriage day, everything must go right or it would be unlucky for her.

    Any woman would be extremely concerned about her wedding.

    The music resumed and the bridesmaids sang loudly. The couples paid their respects to the heavens, their parents and each other subsequently. Even though the process was long, it made Mo Xuemin restore herposure. At least Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor still respected her as the long procedure represented a long and prosperous marriage, giving her the respect required as the wife.

    After the procedures, Mo Xuetong was sent into the marriage room. Mo Xuemin was ced on therge bed. To maintain her image, she maintained her back upright as it was necessary for a wife to do so while waiting for her husband. While Auntie Fang never taught her how to be a real wife, Auntie Fang kept repeating these procedures out of envy, and Mo Xuemin remembered all of them.

    It should be time to lift up my veil now! Thinking about Sima Lingyun¡¯s handsome face, Mo Xuemin was a bit anticipated. As long as Sima Lingyun treated her as usual, she would live well with Sima Lingyun, making Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor thrive.

    Her face blushed slightly.

    But after a long, long time, no one came to lift up her veil, and no one came to disturb her either. It seemed as if everyone was just here to see the procedures. She sat upright until her legs and back were sore and stiff, and even her nerves seemed to slow down. The room was silent and she did not know if anyone was around.

    Not only did Sima Lingyun not appear, but also not even a single servant was heard as well. This time, two new servants that Mo Huawen found, Qing Xiang and Qiu Qiao, came with her. Ever since entering her marriage room, she did not hear the voice of these two servants.

    Suddenly, she heard the door outside open and then quickly, footsteps were heard. Remainingposed, she took the effort to eavesdrop. Under the heavy veil, she could not hear clearly.

    ¡°How? His Excellency went away without even taking off the veil! Should we tell First Miss?¡± Qing Xiang lowered her voice and asked hurriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, First Miss¡¯ red veil hasn¡¯t been lifted yet. If we go over now, others will gossip about her.¡± Qiu Qiao lowered her voice as well.

    ¡°We cannot let them bully First Miss like this. Today is the day of First Miss¡¯ marriage and that one chose to create drama now! They must be doing it intentionally. His excellency is also horrible to have run over there without even looking at his proper wife, First Miss.¡± Qing Xiang wasining in her favor. She was being a little too loud, and Qiu Qiao quickly shushed her.

    It was suddenly quiet outside.

    ¡°Who did Sima Lingyun went to see to not even remove my veil?¡± Subconsciously, Mo Xuemin believed that it was a woman. Anger shot up in her heart as she thought that her husband chose to leave her here alone for some random bitch.

    With a cracking noise, the door opened and someone came in.

    ¡°Miss, would you like to rest for a while? His excellency is busy and may note over tonight.¡± Qing Xiang spoke timidly. Ever since the servant came to her side, she had always been so timid, making Mo Xuemin ufortable. She believed that others would think her as someone easy to be bullied when they saw her servant as such.

    She tore her red veil away, exposing her expressionless face, which was covered in heavy makeup. Coldly, she asked, ¡°Which bitch is Sima Lingyun seeing?¡±

    ¡°Miss, His Excellency, didn¡¯t...¡± Qing Xiang was frightened and stared at her face in shock, unable to speak a single word. Her body trembled uncontrobly.

    ¡°I want to hear the truth. If you are not honest, you¡¯ll see how I deal with you.¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s cruel expression stifled any word out of Qing Xiang¡¯s mouth.

    Seeing Mo Xuemin¡¯s ck face, Qiu Qiao dared not conceal the matter anymore. ¡°Miss, His Excellency went to Concubine Yun¡¯s ce. I heard they were childhood lovers and she had been staying here for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Staying here for a long time?¡± Mo Xuemin could not remember such a person as Sima Lingyun did not have any concubine before to maintain a good reputation, much less a concubine Yun as a childhood lover. Since she was locked up for this period of time, she did not know that Sima Lingyun had married Yun Yiqiu long ago.

    ¡°Her surname is Yun and is his childhood lover.¡± Mo Xuemin suddenly remembered something and raised her head to ask, ¡°Is that bitch Yun Yiqiu?¡± How dared such a little bitch dare to not respect her during her marriage, luring Sima Lingyun away instead? If she did nothing, how would anyone else respect her as the proper wife!

    That little bitch did it purposely!

    ¡°I heard that¡¯s so. Before, when she was still just His Excellency¡¯s cousin, she lived here since she was young. She knew how to suck up to Madame.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuemin¡¯s face darkened, Qiu Qiao hurriedly spoke. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be angry. You must be hungry now after all these procedures. Let¡¯s eat first. After the meal, I shall bring you to find His Excellency.¡±

    After saying that, she opened the food basket in her hand.

    The dishes inside were extremely simple, with a te of tofu burned with bamboo shoots, a te of steamed dried tofu, a te of braised tofu, and a bowl of tofu soup. One could not even find a tinge of oil on the surface of the soup.

    ¡°Those are the dishes for me?¡± Seeing that the dishes for the bride were so simple, Mo Xuemin¡¯s face turned pitch ck with anger. Snorting, she wrapped her fingers around the tassels on her red veil, pulling out them one by one to suppress the rage in her heart. As the bride, she ate worse than a prisoner! Even while she was locked up by her father, she still had meat and vegetables for every meal!

    Furthermore, for her own wedding banquet, what did they mean to give her such a in meal!

    Her rage increased to a point where she could not suppress even when she pulled the tassels off.

    ¡°Go, throw the food away, and bring me to His Excellency!¡± She suddenly stood up, dropped the red veil, and pulled the red wedding curtains off, storming out.

    ¡°Is this a marriage or a funeral? Why am I eating a tofu meal...?¡±

 Chapter 321 - Farce at the Wedding Night in the Duke Zhenguos Manor

    <h4>Chapter 321 Farce at the Wedding Night in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Shuangyun Court was the ce that Sima Lingyun prepared specially for Yun Yiqiu. The name of the court could tell what it meant.

    In Sima Lingyun¡¯s arms, Yun Yiqiu frowned slightly and looked a little ufortable. Sima Lingyun rubbed her belly gently and coaxed, ¡°Qiu¡¯er, are you feeling well now? Is it still hurt?¡±

    ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m okay. I just walked so fast that I got a pain in my belly.¡± Yun Yiqiu nestled against Sima Lingyun¡¯s chest and answered softly. She held Sima Lingyun¡¯s hands and said sadly with crystal eyes, ¡°Cousin, you should go to see your wife, and don¡¯t let her find you here with me...¡±

    Yun Yiqiu would never forget that b**ch who dared to have a tryst with cousin. That slut had entangled cousin into a perplex rtionship before marrying cousin, and now she did marry her cousin and tried to suppress me as the legal wife. Thinking about how arrogant the woman used to be, Yu Yiqiu would not let cousin leave tonight, and a glint of insidiousness shed in her eyes.

    ¡°Today, I will make the woman stay alone in the vacant room and see if she dares to swagger before me!

    ¡°Just at the wedding night, her husband has disregarded her. Mo Xuemin is unable to keep her chin up from now on. Thus, she would not dare to put on airs as a legal wife in front of me!¡±

    The love and admiration shown by the sick beautiful woman lit up Sima Lingyun¡¯s gloomy mood, and made him feel warm.

    He touched her head and snorted coldly, ¡°What a slut! No one knows how many people she has slept with! Dare to hope to be my wife! Doesn¡¯t she know herself?¡±

    Thinking of the various disgraceful rumors about Mo Xuemin, the ambiguous rtionship between Mo Xuemin and You Yuecheng, Mo Xuemin and Li Youmo, Mo Xuemin and Yu Mingyong... Sima Lingyun could not help getting angry. Today, he married the cheapest woman in the capital, but he had to pretend to be happy all day long in others¡¯ presence. Although those noble young masters did not speak it openly, their eyes betrayed them and said they were here for a show.

    Whenever he thought of this, he felt sick!

    As for Mo Xuemin, he had no intention of treating her as his real wife from the moment when their marriage had been settled.

    A loud noise rang outside. Before Yun Yiqiu replied, the door was kicked open.

    Mo Xuemin dressed in a red embroidered dress stood at the door, and her face turned livid with rage. Her eyes moved from Sima Lingyun to Yun Yiqiu. The sight of the bewitching face made Mo Xuemin recall the unpleasant night, and she almost rushed up to tear that delicate face.

    ¡°Sima Lingyun, who is she?¡± Mo Xuemin snapped.

    ¡°Cousin...¡± Yun Yiqiu shuddered and huddled herself into Sima Lingyun¡¯s arms with a terrified look.

    Feeling the delicate woman shivering, Sima Lingyun patted her on the back tofort her and raised his head to say in a sullen tone, ¡°Come here and see. This is Qiu¡¯er. Shees to the family earlier than you. So in the future, you two should discuss the things in the manor together and share my burden.¡±

    ¡°Comes to the family earlier, the things in the mansion, you two should discuss...¡±

    Mo Xuemin red at them more coldly. Sima Lingyun dared to bring his cousin into the manor ahead of me! And judging from his words, he even intended to elevate her to enjoy the equal status as me and asked them two to discuss with each other.

    The veins on Mo Xuemin¡¯s forehead popped. She remembered what Sima Lingyun had told her in the past that he nned to bring Mo Xuetong into the manor, and when the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was rejuvenated, he would divorce Mo Xuetong immediately and marry her. He even promised that he would not have any concubines, because having her was enough!

    That was one of the important reasons that Mo Xuemin came around and agreed to marry Sima Lingyun.

    But out of her expectation, on her wedding day, Sima Lingyun had already brought a new woman into his backyard. He seemed to have forgotten hismitment to her. But Mo Xuemin herself had also forgotten her past love affairs, instead, she just vented all her anger to Yun Yiqiu. All in Mo Xuemin¡¯s mind was that the woman in front seduced Sima Lingyun by dirty means and made him forget her!

    At the thought that when she had been locked in the house by her father and not allowed to go out, Sima Lingyun had pleasure with the woman in his manor, Mo Xuemin clenched her fists in the sleeves. Her mind was crowded with her being locked, Auntie Fang¡¯s being adrift, and her elder brother¡¯s being imprisoned... All of the things were caused for assisting Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Sima Lingyun, you promised me that after marrying me, you would not have any concubines or other women.¡± She said resentfully, stressing each word.

    Sima Lingyun did promise to her, but he just wanted to curry her favor and pleased her ears. And he did n to make use of Mo Xuetong to get promoted, and then get rid of Mo Xuetong and marry Mo Xuemin atst. It could also fulfill his dream. However, at that time, Mo Xuemin was a gentle and virtuousdy, totally different from what she was now, a loathsome and discredited woman.

    ¡°Cousin, will you abandon Qiu¡¯er?¡± Yun Yiqiu clenched Sima Lingyun¡¯s clothes and asked timidly. Her watery eyes turned a bit reddish. She bit her lips, and tears dropped out of her eyes instantly. She looked at him helplessly, as if they were going to part forever, and said, ¡°If cousin doesn¡¯t want Qiu¡¯er, Qiu¡¯er has no way but to...¡±

    She even choked with sadness and burst into tears.

    The pretty sick woman was sobbing tenderly. How could thrusting Mo Xueminpare to her? Today, Mo Xuemin wore heavy makeup which made her beautiful face ghastly and disgustingly white. Obviously, delicate and charming Yun Yiqiu gained the upper hand.

    ¡°Qiu¡¯er, don¡¯t cry. How can I abandon you? No matter where you go, I will keep you by my side. See, don¡¯t cry, as it is bad for your body, and my heart will ache for you.¡± Sima Lingyun lowered his head andforted her gently. He wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes, totally ignoring Mo Xuemin as if the woman had not stood there.

    ¡°Yun Yiqiu, I am talking to His Excellency. How can you, a humble concubine, intervene our talk? How can the great Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor not discipline a concubine?¡± Staring at Yun Yiqiu, Mo Xuemin chipped up slightly withmanding eyes and asked severely.

    ¡°She¡¯s not a humble concubine, but a noble concubine. After she gives birth, Mother said she would let Qiu¡¯er enjoy the same status as a wife. So you should not put on airs as a matriarch in front of her.¡± Sima Lingyun said to Mo Xuemin impatiently, as he saw Yun Yiqiu being bullied and crying sadly in his arms.

    ¡°Noble concubine, enjoy the same status as a wife, child...

    ¡°She dares to conceive the eldest son!

    Sima Lingyun dared to betray me and had another woman conceive his child. I had done so much for him, even at the cost of my reputation. Now, I had no alternative but to marry him. It was forgivable that he was not grateful to me, but how could he still have pleasure with another woman instead of thinking about how to help me when I was in trouble?

    Had it not been for him, how could I have been ended like this...

    Staring at Yun Yinqiu¡¯s inconspicuous belly, Mo Xuemin was gut-wrenching and resentful. Her eyes turned red with anger. She could not control the rage in her heart, so she rushed up to pluck Yun Yiqiu¡¯s hand back and thundered, ¡°Since the mistress hasn¡¯t entered the manor, how can a concubine conceive and give birth to the eldest son? The rules in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor are really different from others.¡±

    Looking at the delicate face, Mo Xuemin was burnt with anger. So her other hand threw out a p fiercely. Then, the voice of ¡°Dear me!¡± rang. Yun Yiqiu¡¯s frail body ran into the bed edge, and she screamed, ¡°Husband, cousin. Ah! Qiu¡¯er¡¯s belly hurts. Cousin, child, save our child quickly.¡±

    The people in the room fell into a sudden silence and looked at the fallen Yun Yiqiu in astonishment.

    ¡°Blood, Concubine Yun is bleeding!¡± A little maid shouted.

    Yun Yiqiu fell on the ground, and blood flowed out of her skirt. Sima Lingyun was shocked at the winding and thick blood, then collected himself immediately.

    He pounced and shoved away the stunned Mo Xuemin, and then, he held Yun Yiqiu up and called anxiously, ¡°Qiu¡¯er, are you okay now? Is it hurt? How about you now?¡±

    Seeing her face turning pale with pains and she was unable to say a word, Sima Lingyun urged the servants beside anxiously, ¡°Hurry up! Find the doctor! Find the doctor right now!¡± After finishing words, he held Yun Yiqiu up and rushed out of the door, without casting a nce at Mo Xuemin.

    The people in Shuangyun Court were all in a panic, and most of them ran out after Sima Lingyun. No one took notice of the bride who was supposed to be the matriarch.

    Tonight, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was bound to be a new topic.

    Early in the next morning, everyone was talking that at the wedding night, Sima Lingyun stayed in the concubine¡¯s room instead of the bridal chamber, which irritated the Mo Manor¡¯s first miss, so the first miss made a terrible scene there, even beat the concubine to miscarry.

    Speaking of this matter, even though Mo Xuemin did something wrong, Sima Lingyun did not do the right thing. Why did he not stay in the bridal chamber at the wedding night but choose the concubine¡¯s ce? The fight between his wife and concubine did disgrace himpletely. Besides that, the wedding banquet and the legend of the pure white tofu added more ludicrousness to the wedding of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    When the words reached the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen just waved his hand to signal the servant to leave, and continued to read over the official documents,pletely indifferent to the words.

    Since the master of the Mo Manor did not say anything, the duchess of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor gave harder punishment on Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuemin had been kneeling on the ground fromst night until this morning, even unable to take a sip of soup. She just knelt in a trance in the ancestral hall. Her head was wrapped in a piece of white cloth which obviously was torn off somewhere randomly. Blood still oozed from her forehead. Last night, she was knocked to the table corner. But for two maids¡¯ quick reaction, she would have been knocked to death.

    Then, no one came to see her. What¡¯s worse, the duchess even coldly punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall.

    In the history of Great Qin, there was no new matriarch as being humiliated as her¡ªkneeling in the ancestral hall at the wedding night. Mo Xuemin gnashed teeth in anger and thought her humiliation could only be washed away by blood.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Duchess asks you to serve tea to the rtives in the front hall.¡± Qingxiang came in and said timidly. Mo Xuemin¡¯s furious lookst night frightened her and made her more fearful of Mo Xuemin. So she stopped at a long distance away from Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°Come here, help me up.¡± Mo Xuemin said calmly. She struggled to stand up, but failed because she had been kneeling for a long time. Then, she fell down heavily.

    ¡°Qingxiang,e to help hurriedly.¡± Qiuqiao stepped up and helped Mo Xuemin in advance.

    Seeing Qiuqiaoe to help, Qingxiang took the courage to help Mo Xuemin¡¯s other side. The two exerted themselves to help Mo Xuemin up.

    ¡°How is concubine Qiu now?¡± Mo Xuemin asked about Yun Yiqiu first, even if Mo Xuemin¡¯s legs got stiff and merely a stretch could twitch her legs.

    ¡°The child in her belly could not be kept, and her body is injured. Whether she can conceive a baby in the future has to depend on...¡± Qiuqiao helped Mo Xuemin move a few more steps and panted.

    ¡°Is His Excellency still in her ce?¡±

    Looking at Mo Xuemin¡¯s deadly calm face, Qing Xiang trembled and almost failed to support her. For some unutterable reasons, Qingxiang thought what Mo Xuemin looked now was more ruthless than a look of cold sternness, so timid Qingxiang did not dare to look at her master, but just lowered her head immediately to shift her eyes to the ground, afraid of making any sound.

    ¡°His Excellency has been staying by the concubine¡¯s side, but he has gone to the front hall and asked young madam to go there quickly,¡± said Qiuqiao.

    He was telling me that he had to see the rtives in the front hall with me. A wan smile shed on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face. It was the marriage that I determined to build up, and it was the marriage that Mo Xuetong gave me...

    Smile on her face, but coldness in her eyes! All her hatred was on Mo Xuetong!

 Chapter 322 - Encounter Cold You Yuecheng in the Peony Garden

    <h4>Chapter 322 Encounter Cold You Yuecheng in the Peony Garden</h4>

    In March and April, it was getting warmer with blossoming flowers. Pedestrians in the street were dressed brighter. In order to match the beautiful clothes, youngdies began using various moon-shaped fans. It was a good time for spring outings to appreciate flowers, nts, and other scenery.

    Mo Xuetong put on the clothes sent by Mo Huawen early in the morning. It was a piece of fine-gauze pce dress embroidered with colorful clouds. The bright blue color looked simple and elegant, and it seemed pure white when looked close and turned slight blue in the distance. Her hand held a white fan painted with andscape in Chinese ink. Her slim and white fingertips were revealed from the sleeves, appearing more beautiful and delicate.

    She grew taller, and her slender and soft waist was outlined apparently in such a floor-length dress.

    ¡°Miss, old sir said the peony over there is very famous in full range. Common people are not permitted toe there. Even with the invitation, anyone dressed unseemly is not allowed toe, either.¡± Mo Yu said with a serious look. But after finishing the words, she was a bit puzzled and asked with curiosity, ¡°Miss, is it true? Who is the master of the garden? So awesome that he could im that he just values dressing rather than personality.¡±

    It was the capital of the Qin Dynasty. Merely a person met in the street would have a connection with the government. So how could the garden master im it in such a supercilious tone?

    Peony Master, proud and aloof in the world.

    His name and age remained unknown, except that the mysterious Peony Master wore a mask with formidable power.

    Mo Xuetong grinned, and some memory shed into her mind. What a distinctive and independent Peony Master!

    In herst life, she had met with him once not in the capital but in Cloud City. On that day, Mo Xuetong managed to get Mdm Yu¡¯s permission to worship her mother in the temple. And Yu Sirong insisted on following her. When getting out of the sedan at the gate of the temple, Mo Xuetong was tripped by Yu Sirong and knocked to the doorframe immediately.

    Such idents often urred in Yu Sirong¡¯s presence.

    Mo Xuetong had to resign herself to covering her face, closing her eyes, and enduring theing pains and shame.

    But this time she didn¡¯t hit the ground but fell into a person¡¯s arms.

    An elegant but deep voice rang, ¡°Miss, have you got hurt?¡±

    The soft voice with a touch of concern floated into Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears. She raised her head with surprise, only to see ruddy lips, and a half mask. A pair of bright and deep eyes exposed from the mask were looking at her gently with some smile in them.

    At such a mere nce, it was enough to tell he was an extraordinarily handsome man.

    The maids beside and Yu Sirong all looked at him spellbound.

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Mo Xuetong collected herself, hurried to push him away, and took two steps back. Yu Sirong behind also reacted and held Mo Xuetong to look her up and down with superficial care. And she asked worriedly, ¡°How about you? Did you get injured? Don¡¯t be so reckless when you walk next time.¡±

    Hearing the girl¡¯s soft and genial words, the man showed more smiles in his eyes.

    He stepped to Mo Xuetong, handed the peony in his hands to her and said, ¡°We are destined to meet this time. But after that, I don¡¯t know when we will meet each other again in the future. Miss, I would like to give this purple peony to you as a gift. If we have chances to meet one day again, feel free to find Peony Master.¡±

    After finishing his words, he put the peony into Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands who was still in a daze, and led his people away...

    As soon as the man left, Yu Sirong snatched the precious purple peony from Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands.

    It happened by ident, so Mo Xuetong had never taken it to her heart in thest life. It was all about a man who had never shown his true face and gave her a peony. It was not a matter of romantic fate. Later, when she came to the capital, she just knew him from others¡¯ words. Peony Master was quite mysterious about his whereabouts.

    He did have not only impressive bearing, but also unusual preference.

    It was said that he was fond of gorgeous robes embroidered with peonies...

    It was also said that whosoever could enjoy the peonies in his garden shoulde from a noble family and wear beautiful clothes...

    Emphasis on the dressing rather than the personality illustrated the Peony Master¡¯s attitude.

    It was also said that he loved peony deeply. All the peonies in the garden were fostered by himself, so even the Peony Fairy was attracted to the garden, which made his peonies stand out of its kind...

    However, all the rumors could tell Peony Master was not amon person. In the capital, Peony Master who dared to make such ims must have strong connections.

    Besides, it was said that Peony Master just showed up in March and April. Every time he emerged, he would wear a mask with his perfect chin exposed. Therefore, people all guessed that he was a great handsome man. But pity that no one had ever seen his true face.

    The time when Mo Xuetong came to the garden was the most prosperous time.

    An incessant stream of horses and carriages was stopped outside the garden. The Mo Manor¡¯s coachman took a look and was about to row in. Right at the moment, someone asked him, ¡°Is theer Princess Anping?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± The coachman stopped the carriage and answered.

    ¡°Please follow me.¡± The person leading the way was a clever servant. He led the Mo Manor¡¯s carriage to take two turns to another door, where only three or four carriages were stopped. Obviously, the owners of these carriages had nobler status than those at the front door.

    Mo Yu helped Mo Xuetong get off the carriage, and came to the door to hand in the invitation. The servant at the door took a casual nce and pointed the way affably. He said, ¡°Your Highness, please take this way and turn right.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a polite smile and took Mo Yu inside the door.

    ¡°Miss, this Peony Master is so snobbish that he asksmon people to queue at the front door and checks their invitation one by one for fear that some unqualified people will get in here. However, the back door is quite empty, butmon people are not allowed to enter from here.¡± Mo Yuined in a low voice.

    ¡°You should feel content that you can enter the garden from here. Mo Yu, Peony Master may be hearing yourints, and he may ask us to queue in the front door again.¡± Mo Xuetong raised the corner of her lips and bantered Mo Yu.

    ¡°It is impossible, right? Miss, how can a man like Peony Master overhear a little maid?¡± Frightened by Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, Mo Yu covered her mouth immediately and looked around. When her eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s teasing look, Mo Yu stomped and said pettishly, ¡°Miss, you are making fun of me again. I don¡¯t want to talk to you any longer, but go to enjoy the peony now.¡±

    Then, Mo Yu ran forward.

    Mo Xuemin turned around and found a number of peonies well-spaced before her eyes. They flourished in different shapes and with bright colors in various presences. Even though Mo Xuemin had a preference for plum blossom¡¯s exclusive nature, she had to admit that only the peony could be called the national flower, as its flowering time could cheer up the whole capital.

    Some of the peonies were as red as fire, some as yellow as gold, some as pink as sunglow, some as white as jade, to name but a few... The breeze came and blew up refreshing fragrance of the flowers. Besides, butterflies dances among them, forming a vivid picture of butterflies¡¯ flitting flowers. The beautiful scenery everywhere was a feast for the eyes.

    Mo Yu had run to the far front. Mo Xuetong appreciated the peonies as she walked ahead. The sight of these flowers did help a person forget all the worries. In such a sea of flowers, every peony demonstrated its unique beauty in various ways. What a charming scene!

    But she just took several steps when a hand reached out from a blooming peony.

    The strong hand was just in front of her and blocked her eyes. The blue robe sleeve with golden lines was set in her way like a ban.

    Mo Xuetong stopped and raised her eyes, only to see the hand retract slowly in an aloof manner.

    Under the flower tree, the man raised his head slightly. The blue robe on him looked inconspicuously noble and reflected the coldness on his face.

    It was undeniable that You Yuecheng in this way looked charming. No wonder Ding General Manor¡¯s Ling Mingyan was attracted and hung up on him, and was obsessed with marrying him. His temperament and aura were remarkable.

    But no matter how remarkable he was, Mo Xuetong did not want to see him here. She remembered clearly that the man did not have a good feeling for her, and even tried to frame her in collusion with Mo Xuemin. Although their plot had failed, Mo Xuetong thought it was not pleasant to meet such a person at such a refreshing moment.

    ¡°Your Excellency, do you alsoe to enjoy the peony in a good mood?¡± Mo Xuetong saluted and said with a smile.

    Her voice was extremely sweet, and now mixed with a girl¡¯s tenderness, it sounded more pleasant to ears.

    You Yuecheng looked at the girl in front and darkened his eyes. The face was so pure with a girl¡¯s unique childishness but a sense of attractive charm. Her watery eyes glowed with enchanting brightness, showing a girl¡¯s most lovely elegance.

    But no one had ever imagined that under the beautiful face hidpletely opposite coldness, indifference, and cunning...

    As for such a girl, how many faces did she have on the surface and behind the scenes? You Yuecheng thought he was curious to dig them outpletely.

    ¡°Was it you again?¡± You Yuecheng said inhospitably. He meant the matter about Mo Xuemin. The marriage in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor had be a widely-spread farce.

    ¡°Your Excellency, what are you asking? I... seem to have no intersection with you?¡± Mo Xuetong curled up the corner of her mouth slightly and asked with a smile, pretending to be unaware of it.

    She said softly with a smile on her face. Her bright watery eyes reflected the peony. She was more delicate and beautiful than the flowers. However, You Yuecheng could still feel the slight coldness in her watery eyes, which showed her feelings of repugnance.

    Although she was talking to him, she really did not want to do so in her heart.

    Somehow, he just could feel it, so his eyes darkened a bit.

    ¡°Frame your sister into such a situation. Your Highness, don¡¯t you feel guilty?¡± You Yuecheng said frigidly and fell his eyes on her gorgeous face. The girl in front was so delicate and graceful.

    ¡°Your Excellency, if you want to defend my sister against what happened yesterday, please go to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. If my sister sees you seeking justice for her, she will be moved to tears of gratitude.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a nd smile, which made her tender face more attractive just like flowers in full bloom. Her long eyshes flickered with some irony.

    If Mo Xuemin had known that You Yuecheng had sought justice for her again and again, she would not have stayed in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor any longer, or would have even run to find You Yuecheng. But Mo Xuetong was pretty sure that You Yuecheng did not have the courage to do so, otherwise, he would not have bothered to wait till now. The man, who pretended to care about Mo Xuemin and often set himself against Mo Xuetong, was really annoying.

    Her expression displeased You Yuecheng. His inky eyes stared at Mo Xuetong as deeply as if two Mo Xuetongs woulde out of his eyes.

    ¡°Has your father ever mentioned our marriage?¡± He darkened his eyes and leveled down his lips into a tight line, which made him look moremanding. But in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, nothing could be more shocking than his words!

    Their marriage? When? Why did she totally know nothing of it?

    She looked up at You Yuecheng, and just met with his eyes, deep and serious.

    Marriage? She and he? How can it be?

    She opened her pink and tender lips slightly with a look of surprise in her eyes, but soon, it turned into indifference, as if what she had heard were the marriage about others.

 Chapter 323 - The Unilaterally-Obeyed Engagement Paper in Bai Yihaos Hand

    <h4>Chapter 323 The Unterally-Obeyed Engagement Paper in Bai Yihao¡¯s Hand</h4>

    ¡°Your Excellency, if you are telling a joke, I would like to listen to. Just at the flowers-blooming moment, it is not bad to listen to a joke.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and said disapprovingly. She shook the fan in her hand with a look of listening to a joke. Her bright eyes curled up charming. Obviously, she was in a good mood.

    ¡°What if it is true? And your father has agreed!¡± You Yuecheng sneered with some anger. How could the little woman treat the marriage indifferently and describe the most important thing in life as a joke? It did make him angry, as no woman dared to neglect his presence.

    ¡°Even if my father agrees, I won¡¯t agree.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and picked up a peony, then continued to say, ¡°Your Excellency, this peony is named ¡®Qu Rong¡¯. It only blossoms in the spring that it likes. As for other days, it will not blossom even if the environment is made as the spring days.¡±

    She seemed to talk to You Yuecheng inadvertently, but turned over the whole thing in her mind quickly. No wonder father looked so weird today, even asked me to dress up myself today. I thought he just gave consideration to the Peony Master¡¯s rules. Unexpectedly, father did it for You Yuecheng, as father had arranged a date for me and You Yuecheng.

    It was a pity that father¡¯s hope woulde to nothing. The fight between You Yuecheng and Mo Xuetong was not only a matter of a couple of days, and they had been disagreeing with each other for a long time. Moreover, Mo Xuetong had never considered You Yuecheng, as this guy¡¯s mind was quite unpredictable and he had unpresentable rtions with Mo Xuemin. So Mo Xuetong did not ever give him a thought.

    ¡°Since ancient times, marriage is arranged by parents¡¯ order and on the matchmaker¡¯s word. As ady of a noble family, do you want to disobey it?¡± You Yuecheng said in a resentful voice, as he looked at Mo Xuetong severely and could not hold back his anger.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you¡¯re wrong. My father hasn¡¯t yet agreed, and the parents¡¯ word is groundless. Besides, you may not know that I have been engaged since I was a child. So the marriage is not at your will.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a sweet smile with cunning in her eyes. She leaned against the flower tree behind her and broadened into a bigger smile.

    Mo Xuetong guessed her father might have such an idea of bringing her and You Yuecheng together, but obviously her father was still hesitating. Otherwise, there would not have been such a date today if the thing had been settled. She did not know what You Yuecheng have to coerce her father, but she assumed that it should be something about her mother. Now, what Mo Xuetong decided to do was to dispel You Yuecheng¡¯s idea, as he had never shown that he wanted to marry her.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong would not narcissistically think that the reason why You Yuecheng wanted to marry her was that he fell in love with her after being hostile to her for a long time.

    Therefore, the purpose of You Yuecheng¡¯s intention to marry her was quite intriguing.

    Mo Xuetong had been engaged? It had never urred to You Yuecheng. He raised his head with astonishment, and rage burst out of his eyes. No wonder Mo Huawen dragged on the marriage proposal again and again and atst, he had to offer a settlement of arranging a date where the thing would be done if Mo Xuetong felt satisfied.

    For this reason, You Yuecheng even paid more attention to his look today before leaving home.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I ever heard of your engagement?¡± He looked surly with grim eyes.

    ¡°It is natural that a girl¡¯s engagement cannot be spread to outsiders. Your Excellency, so it is quite normal that you haven¡¯t heard of it before.¡± Mo Xuetong said calmly with a smile.

    In thest life, Mo Xuetong did not have any connection with him, and this life, she still did not want to have any link with him. For her, You Yuecheng was just an unimportant person. She did not want to talk with him any longer.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you could enjoy the scenery here. I want to go to other ces to see more. Well, see youter.¡± Before You Yuecheng replied, Mo Xuetong turned around, about to leave.

    Sure enough, Mo Xuetong was still immune to both soft and hard tactics and kept typically cunning. Seethed with anger, You Yuecheng reached out his hands, trying to repeat his trick. He stopped Mo Xuetong and nned to say more forcibly. At that moment, a figure appeared suddenly on the road ahead. A hoarse but decent voice rang, ¡°Is it the son of Ming General? Somedies have a fight ahead. It¡¯s said that they are for you. You¡¯d bettere to have a look.¡±

    The wind blew up the peony embroidered in his blue fabric clothes. Great peonies on him, plus the fragrance of the real flowers, gave a sense of extravagance for no reason. A pair of bright and deep eyes were exposed under the mask. Theer was the owner of the Peony Garden, Peony Master.

    You Yuecheng frowned and suddenly remembered that when he entered the door, Ling Mingyan¡¯s carriage was behind him. Did he mean Ling Mingyan? Whichdy did she quarrel with? Without a doubt, it is about me! Annoyance took on You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes, and he turned to look at Mo Xuetong and left in the direction where Peony Master hade.

    ¡°Princess Anping?¡± The Peony Master looked her up and down and asked with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong felt strange, because the Peony Master did appear in time as if he came right at the moment when You Yuecheng was making trouble for her.

    ¡°Peony Master?¡± Mo Xuetong lightly smiled and fixed her eyes on his face. He was wearing a half mask, and a smile broadened from his red and thin lips. No wonder she thought the Peony Master was quite strange. It turned out to be him!

    They did have a destiny. He was the only outsider amicable to her in thest life, and this life...

    Yes. It was in Cloud City when seeing him at that moment. It was quite a coincidence.

    ¡°Has Princess Anping been engaged? It is really a pity. I¡¯ve nned to prepare four-color gifts to propose a marriage with you.¡± The Peony Master said with a smile. Although his face was covered by the mask, he unutterably shimmered with gentle and refined charm. But the air mixed with extravagance and mystery did not affect his excellence.

    Mo Xuetong arched her eyebrows and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. Then, she raised her eyes and gave a sweet smile. Her beautiful eyes, though with shyness, looked right into his bright and deep eyes. In thest life, she did not know who he was because he was unfamiliar to her; but now, only at one nce, Mo Xuetong could not conceal the delight in her eyes.

    ¡°Well, Master should take action quickly. Otherwise, I have to marry another person.¡±

    Her eyes glittered, sweet and charming.

    ¡°Smart girl, you guessed it!¡± A familiar rxing voice rang, along with helplessughter flowing out of the Peony Master¡¯s mouth. The voice was mingled with indulgence and love. He walked to her and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender waist. In a sh, they disappeared.

    ...

    ¡°Are you okay now?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Feng Yuran who took off his mask casually and asked. Sure enough, it turned out to be Feng Yuran¡¯s extremely handsome face under the mask. Since he used to wear purple clothes, this suit of robe embroidered with peonies could manifest his aggression and dignity more obviously and reveal his magnificent but rxing temperament.

    ¡°Be at ease. My wound has almost healed.¡± Feng Yuran moved to Mo Xuetong carelessly. Their brocade stools were so close that Mo Xuetong got a little nervous for no reason. So she turned to one side subconsciously to avoid his fiery gaze.

    ¡°Are You Yuecheng¡¯s words true?¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lip with a little frown and shifted the topic deliberately. Her face became slightly flushed because of their close distance.

    ¡°Rx, wait for some time. And Emperor Father¡¯s imperial decree of granting the marriage wille to your manor, and anyone else will not dare to think of getting you in the future.¡± Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and said softly, ¡°You just need to prepare to be married.¡±

    ¡°Will You Yuecheng...¡± Mo Xuetong turned red with a little shyness and asked uneasily.

    ¡°You Yuecheng is busy enough with his own affairs now. He cannot decide which girl he wants to marry. Just now, the Ding General Manor¡¯s Ling Ling Mingyan quarreled with some youngdies who had favorable impression on him secretly. So he cannot get away in such a short time.¡±

    In fact, not only in such a short time, but also in the future, You Yuecheng could not get away.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan is the woman whom You Yuecheng is bound to get married with, because he dares to put his mind on Mo Xuemin, my woman. And he even intended to force the woman to marry him when I was injured. But for the finger man ced in the Mo Manor, You Yuecheng would have imposed the marriage on Mo Xuemin sessfully,¡± thought by Feng Yuran.

    Thinking that when he and Bai Yihao were fighting with wisdom and courage, You Yuecheng was intending to reap the spoils of their fight effortlessly, Feng Yuran could not hold back his anger and decide to vent it out by any means.

    Didn¡¯t You Yuecheng want to get married? Fine! Feng Yuran thought he would achieve You Yuecheng¡¯s dream. After today, You Yuecheng had to get married despite his unwillingness.

    Mo Xuetong nodded at Feng Yuran¡¯s affirmative tone. But You Yuecheng was settled, how about Bai Yihao?

    ¡°That engagement...¡± She raised her head and stammered with a frown.

    After all, Bai Yihao was not You Yuecheng!

    ¡°Is it the paper?¡± Feng Yuran loosed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and flipped his slender fingers. Then, a piece of old paper appeared in his hand. The faded pages could tell its long-time existence.

    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, as she was so overjoyed that she reached for it hurriedly.

    ¡°Bai Yihao exploited the Fifth Princess to set fire to the mansion, so I stole the engagement paper in that chaotic situation. After all, he did not take it seriously and just put it aside. But for me, it would have been burned into ashes.¡± Feng Yuran said with a triumphant smile. He would not tell Mo Xuetong that how nervous Bai Yihao got about the box and the engagement paper in it.

    No matter what happened, Tong¡¯er was mine. No one was allowed to take her away.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s attention was all fixed on the paper in his hand.

    Counting in thest life and this one, she lived a life as a human being twice. But it was the first time she saw the engagement paper that her mother had made. Mo Xuetong wondered what her mother had done and whether her mother knew how important the unblemished name for a girl. How could mother jest about such an important matter and sign the engagement paper that both sides did not agree with?

    When she was fifteen years old, if her betrothed husband did note to her family to talk about the marriage, they could choose to marry another person freely they liked without any intervention.

    But the restrictions only worked on Mo Xuetong. Unless she knew that Bai Yihao was also at an early age when the engagement was made, she would assume that it was Bai Yihao¡¯s plot.

    The restrictions on one side while the respect on the other side! And the time to fulfill the paper was set at her fifteen years old. In herst life, she remembered clearly that this engagement paper had never appeared.

    ¡°Mother, why did you sign this marriage paper?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands were cold, and she bit her lip hard to suppress the pains welling up from the bottom of her heart.

    In the Qin Kingdom, the best age for a girl to be engaged was thirteen or fourteen years old. If any girl could not get engaged at fifteen years old, it was rather hard to choose a suitable one. Mo Xuemin wondered what evidence her mother based on to believe that Mo Xuemin should wait until Bai Yihao thought she was valuable and then married her.

    In thest life, Bai Yihao¡¯s name appeared asionally in the people¡¯s talks. The proud Crown Prince and she were just two people living in different worlds. Even if they were on the same ne, they would never intersect. She was just a daughter of amon official in the Qin Kingdom. How could her mother assume that the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom would marry a humble girl?

    ¡°Is this why Mother herself did not take it seriously?¡±

    But if it was true, why did Mother did not speak it out straight but made the engagement paper to constrain me and give Bai Yihao absolute freedom?

    Regardless of whether Bai Yihao married her or not, she had to wait until she was fifteen years old. If he wanted and took the engagement paper, she had to marry; only if he was unwilling, they could marry the one they liked without limit.

    What a ridiculous engagement!

    Nothing could be more ridiculous than it in this life. The paper was torn into pieces and thrown into the air. Mo Xuetong squatted down on the ground to pick up pieces one by one, took the flint from the side and lit a fire. She threw all the pieces into the fire and watched the fire swallow them.

    No more entanglement ever since.

    It was such in thest life, and so should it be in this life!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, it¡¯s over. No such thing anymore...¡± Feng Yuran held her slim waist, patted her shoulder gently, andforted.

    Being embraced in his arms to feel his solid chest, Mo Xuetong could not hold back her tears any longer. How could she not have anyints? She could not figure out the matter about her mother until now and thought her mother left her in the dark, which was really the biggest mistake.

    Her mother ordered Nanny Ming to take an oath in her own name, but exercised her responsibility unterally. Was it the thing that a natural mother should do?

 Chapter 324 - The Long-Awaited Marriage Between You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan

    <h4>Chapter 324 The Long-Awaited Marriage Between You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan</h4>

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s edict arrived not long after Mo Xuetong returned to the manor.

    The edict dered that Princess Anping was demure and virtuous. The Emperor has bestowed marriage upon her and the eighth prince, King Xuan. They were to be married after a date was picked.

    The edict hade suddenly and it waspletely unexpected by Mo Huawen even though he knew that Emperor Zongwen had the intention of letting Tong¡¯er marry Feng Yuran. They hadmunicated about this in private but Mo Huawen was biased against Feng Yuran and he also felt that since Mo Xuetong was in mourning, the Emperor would not bestow a marriage so soon. However, he did not expect the edict toe so quickly, and he was flustered.

    ¡°Eunuch Liu, when does His Majesty think the marriage should be held?¡± Mo Huawen almost could not smile and he asked lead eunuch, Eunuch Liu, worriedly.

    ¡°His Majesty says that it should be as soon as possible. Sir Mo, as you know, King Xuan is hurt and still has not recovered. The wedding would be an auspicious event and might help his injuries heal.¡± Liu Xi smiled and ced the imperial edict in Mo Huawen¡¯s hands respectfully.

    An auspicious event? Mo Huawen¡¯s smile grew bitter.

    Indeed, he had heard that King Xuan had been unconscious ever since he was injured. He needed the blessings of an auspicious event. Mo Huawen felt resentful that his beloved daughter would be married just to create an auspicious event.

    Everyone knew that King Xuan was badly injured and it was still unknown whether he would even regain consciousness. If he did not, his daughter would be as good as a widow.

    ¡°Eunuch Liu, my daughter is still mourning her mother. Do you think we can...¡± Mo Huawen asked carefully with a smile.

    ¡°No! Sir Mo, I heard that your eldest daughter married a few days ago. Furthermore, if anything were to happen to King Xuan, can anyone take responsibility for that? His Majesty is very worried about this.¡± Liu Xi objected decisively, his expression going hard. Emperor Zongwen had a hard time sleeping and eating recently. If anything were to happen, the Qin Kingdom would be thrown into chaos. Eunuch Liu saw Mo Huawen¡¯s worried frown andforted him.

    ¡°Sir Mo, don¡¯t worry. Princess Anping is born into great fortune and her birth dates are well-matched with His Highness¡¯. She will bring great fortunes to her husband. His Majesty has had the imperial astrologer do the calctions and the two are a match made in heaven.¡±

    The Emperor had already gotten the imperial astrologer to do the calctions. What else could Mo Huawen say? He was speechless as he epted the imperial edict. He stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Eunuch, please give me some pointers.¡±

    ¡°King Yan¡¯s and King Chu¡¯s weddings will be held in a month. His Majesty said that it would be troublesome to have it on two days, so they will be held together.¡± Liu Xi said with a smile. His Majesty had said that it was imperative that the marriages of the three princes be settled on the same day. Furthermore, he heard that King Xuan had done some things in secret when His Majesty mentioned about bestowing marriages.

    King Xuan might be able to regain consciousness in a month.

    Mo Huawen heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that the marriage would not be taking ce immediately. After he sent Liu Xi off, he sat in the study alone to think. There was still one more month. If King Xuan were to recover, the marriage would be a good one. Other than being a little profligate, Mo Huawen had not heard that the prince had any bad habits of hitting women. Tong¡¯er was a quiet person and all she had to do was to hold on tightly to the position as the main consort.

    With Mo Huawen and Fu General Manor around, King Xuan would give them some face and not make things difficult for Tong¡¯er.

    If King Xuan were to die before the month was up, then the marriage would not happen. Since Xuetong had not married the man, the Emperor probably would not ask Tong¡¯er to be the prince¡¯s widow. Tong¡¯er was still young. If that happened, Mo Huawen would send her to Cloud city and in a year or two, when others forget about the incident, he would then find a good family to marry her.

    They did not have to be high-ranking officials or wealthy. All they had to do was treat Tong¡¯er well. With him around, no one could even think about bullying Tong¡¯er.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s furrowed brows rxed slightly when he thought of that. One month, there was still at least one month for things to happen. Whether King Xuan would survive depended on his fate.

    Mo Huawen suddenly thought of You Yuecheng. You Yuecheng wanted to marry Tong¡¯er. That was in to see. He had even used Luo Xia¡¯s identity to threaten Mo Huawen. If You Yuecheng did not get to marry Tong¡¯er and if he were to spill the beans, the results were not something Mo Huawen could afford to bear. The struggles of the imperial family had never been ck and white.

    He did not want to know what happened back then. He just wanted to protect his young daughter.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s cold and sharp face appeared in his mind. A person like that would not be persuaded to back away with a few simple words.

    Mo Huawen had to think of a way to talk things through with You Yuecheng. Furthermore, he must not make You Yuecheng angry lest he spilled the beans! Mo Huawen was put in a very difficult ce and he felt that Tong¡¯er¡¯s marriage had been troublesome. He did not even eat dinner as he was deep in thought. Then, he asked Xu Yan to cook for him personally and he ate some food for dinner.

    After he pushed the food away, he started worrying once more.

    ¡°Old Sir, are you worried about Tong¡¯er¡¯s marriage?¡± Xu Yan asked gently as she cleaned up. She visited Mo Xuetong earlier and found out a little about You Yuecheng. The imperial edict hade today bestowing marriage upon Tong¡¯er and King Xuan, then, Old Sir had be worried. She thought Mo Huawen was embarrassed to speak with Mingguo Manor.

    ¡°Old Sir, if it is about the Marquess of Mingguo, then you do not need to worry. Even if you were to agree, he cannot marry Tong¡¯er.¡± Xu Yan smiled, holding her hand to her lips.

    ¡°You Yuecheng had said that he was going to marry Tong¡¯er, is this not true?¡± Mo Huawen asked in confusion. He would not tell her how You Yuecheng threatened him. He only told her that You Yuecheng liked Tong¡¯er very much and would not marry anyone else but her and that was why he was embarrassed to refuse him.

    ¡°Old Sir, you did not go out at all today and I fear you do not know something interesting about Marquess Mingguo.¡± Xu Yan smiled thinly and praised Mo Xuetong for being smart secretly. Mo Xuetong had sent her with the message because she knew that Mo Huawen would be so worried he would not be able to eat.

    Unlike Mo Huawen, Xu Yan got along well with Mo Xuetong and wanted her to marry well. At least her children would have backing in the future. She would naturally be Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears outside and help to send Mo Xuetong¡¯s messages along.

    ¡°You went to Peony Gardens today. Did anything happen?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he frowned. He recalled getting Tong¡¯er to dress up nicely before going out so that they could meet in private. If Tong¡¯er liked You Yuecheng as well, then the matter would be settled. He would send her birth dates over to You Yuecheng in a couple of days then.

    However, he did not expect the imperial edict toe right after Tong¡¯er returned to the manor. Tong¡¯er not only had to marry King Xuan to bring about blessings, but the marriage also had to bepleted in a month or so. The agreement he hade to with You Yuecheng in private was useless now. Did You Yuecheng hear something in the peony gardens and do something?

    ¡°Old Sir, The First Miss of the Ding General Manor likes the Marquess of Mingguo. You know that right?¡± Xu Yan covered her smile with her handkerchief.

    This was an embarrassing matter, especially since it involved Ling Mingyan, who was the eldest legal daughter of the Ding General Manor. She followed a man around day in and day out. The Ding General Manor was known to be the Empress¡¯ family and thedies from the family were all elegant and gentle. However, Ling Mingyan was not.

    She had not only dared to chase after You Yuecheng, and she ran after him for many years. This had resulted in her marriage being held up.

    What happened today was a coincidence as well. There were twodies whispering to each other in the peony flowers talking about how much they liked You Yuecheng. However, Ling Mingyan, who was walking by overheard them. She flew into a rage there and then and pped the girls. One of the girls was from a family of martial artists and was also someone with a temper.

    How could she bear it being pped by someone and then being called a little slut? She fought with Ling Mingyan. The two tore at each other¡¯s clothes and not even their maids could stop them.

    Then, You Yuecheng appeared to stop them. While they jostled about, Ling Mingyan was pushed into theke beside them. Ling Mingyan was still the eldest legal daughter of the Ding General Manor. If anything were to happen to her while You Yuecheng was there, the two families would certainly get into an argument. You Yuecheng had no choice but to get her from theke personally.

    No one knew if Ling Mingyan¡¯s clothes had been loosed in the fight or if they had loosened due to her struggles in the water. In any case, when You Yuecheng finally saved her from theke, most of her shirt had already fallen off her, revealing her red undershirt. You Yuecheng¡¯s hand was pressed firmly on her chest...

    After this, the Mingguo Manor could not even say that nothing happened. Everyone had seen You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan hugging with their clothes in disarray. How could he not marry her after this? As such, the families were negotiating their marriage. You Yuecheng¡¯s interest in Mo Xuetong was nothingpared to the faces of both families.

    ¡°As such, Old Sir, don¡¯t worry. The Marquess of Mingguo will note to ask for Tong¡¯er¡¯s hand again.¡± Xu Yanughed when she thought about what happened. Mo Xuetong described it to her vividly and evenmented that Ling Mingyan had finally gotten what she wanted after so long.

    She thought it was so too.

    The Ding General Manor had waited a long time for his long-awaited marriage.

    However, some people¡¯s ns were destined to be messed up. They could not sleep at all that night.

    King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Your Highness, please tell Her Majesty what happened. Ling Mingyan tore off her clothes herself.¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s face twitched as he gritted his teeth. He never thought that that stupid woman who was Ling Mingyan would frame him and that he would be tricked.

    ¡°Yuecheng, since this matter...¡± Feng Yulei, King Yan, was in a difficult spot as well. After all, he was not the Empress¡¯ biological son. There were some things he could only hint at. Previously, Her Majesty had agreed to let You Yuecheng marry Princess Anping to increase power on her side. However, now that something like this happened, if You Yuecheng did not marry Ling Mingyan, the entire Ding General Manor would be embarrassed, as would the Empress.

    ¡°I do not want to marry that woman.¡± You Yuecheng said coldly. If he were not a nobleman and could not scold a woman, he would not have been able to control himself. He had never thought that Ling Mingyan would be able to pull him into her plots. He was so angry he gritted his teeth. Even that stupid woman dared to plot against him.

    ¡°First Miss Ling might not be a good match, but you would have the Ding General Manor as your backing. Yuecheng, it would only bring you benefits in your future path towards officialdom.¡± Feng Yuleiforted him. He did not want You Yuecheng to marry Ling Mingyan either. While the First Miss of the Ding General Manor was passable in terms of appearance, she was useless. A good political match had been ruined by the stupid girl. King Yan was not in a good mood.

    Despite so, He was with the Empress. Since the Empress had this intention, there was no use of him begging her. Nothing was set in stone yet, and he still needed the Empress and the Ding General Manor to back him. He would not really make things difficult for them. It would not be to his benefit if he were to make the Empress angry. When he thought of how he still had to butter up to the Empress because of Ling Mingyan, King Yan could not control the angry expression on his face.

    You Yuecheng understood as well, but he could not bear the anger he felt. He paced around with a grave expression, looking as if he were going to blow up. In the end, he managed to push his anger down. He gritted his teeth, and then smiled coldly, revealing his sharp white teeth, saying, ¡°Since this plot did not seed, I do not feel good at all. But if I don¡¯t feel good, she wouldn¡¯t either.¡±

    Feng Yulei paused for a moment and looked at You Yuecheng in confusion. Suddenly, a guard ran in. He bowed at Feng Yulei and then said to You Yuecheng, ¡°Your Excellency, the manor sent someone for you. They said that there¡¯s a fire in your study and everything in it has been burned to ashes. Please return to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s expression was mutinous. His eyes glinted scarily as it had never before. He did not even bid Feng Yulei farewell before he hurried outside.

 Chapter 325 - Bai Yihaos Plans

    <h4>Chapter 325 Bai Yihao¡¯s ns</h4>

    The Emperor excused the Mo Manor from official duties and had Princess Anping, who was still in mourning, marry the seriously ill King Xuan to bring him blessings. The wedding was on the same day as King Yan¡¯s and King Chu¡¯s, which was in a month. The betrothal gifts have started arriving, but because it waster than King Yan¡¯s and King Chu¡¯s, it was slightly hurried. However, since it was an order from Emperor Zongwen, everything that was supposed to be presented was there.

    Since the Empress Dowager was ill, the matters of consort selection continued quietly. It was a very low-key affair. Only a few consorts were brought into the pce. King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Chu¡¯s Manor had a few new concubines, but the consort position remained empty. After all, the two Kings had not yet had their marriages, it was not appropriate for them to take second consorts. As such, they would wee consorts after they married.

    However, no new concubines entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Firstly, King Xuan was ill. Secondly, what King Xuan¡¯s Manor had the most were women.

    Bai Yihao stared at the white jade box for a long while in his room. Lin Yu stood at the door, his back straight. However, he could not help but look at Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome side profile. The sun was setting, and the remnants of sunlight shone on Bai Yihao¡¯s face, casting a beautiful shade on his jade-like skin.

    His eyes were lowered and his longshes fluttered as he stared at the opened white jade box in front of him in a daze. He had been sitting like this since lunchtime. There was only a sheet of yellowed paper in the box. It was unclear what was written on it, but Lin Yu knew that his master looked at the paper with a deep and dark gaze that he could not decipher. Bai Yihao¡¯s expression on his handsome face was still as distant as usual.

    However, he seemed more and more ethereal.

    What exactly was written on the note that made his master look at it so intently?

    Lin Yu was very curious.

    ¡°Come, take this box to the study.¡± Bai Yihao stretched out his long slender fingers and shut the white jade box. Then, he tossed it casually to Lin Yu who approached him. There seemed to be a pained look in his handsome eyes that stunned Lin Yu. He took the white jade box nkly and looked at Bai Yihao incredulously.

    ¡°What is it? Why aren¡¯t you going?¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s brows picked up as he spoke to Lin Yu gently and elegantly.

    Lin Yu blinked furiously and realized that he had seen wrongly. How could his master, who was elegant like a fairy in heaven have a pained expression that only ordinary people would have? He took the box and walked to the study.

    Speaking of the white jade box, his master was really weird. His master always took charge of the box personally and never gave it to anyone else. Why did he toss it to me today so casually? Lin Yu did not understand. Fortunately, he always left the things he could not understand to his master anyway. He had such an intelligent master, he just had to listen to orders.

    When Lin Yu came back from the study, Bai Yihao was already sitting in front of the window. His eyes were as clear as water and they were gentle as always. For some reason, Lin Yu rxed.

    ¡°The First Prince will leave after he marries the Fifth Princess. Is everything settled on that side?¡± Bai Yihao asked gently. He stood up slowly and went up to the window. The setting sun shone from behind him, blurring his handsome face. However, one only felt that he looked extremely handsome,parable to none as the rays of sunlight shone upon his face.

    ¡°Sir, everything is set. Our men will enter immediately after the Fifth Princess and the First Prince leaves after their wedding. What would you like to be done on the Empress¡¯ side?¡± Lin Yu asked respectfully.

    ¡°Send word that Emperor Zongwen has agreed to marry the Fifth Princess to the First Prince and is sending along a bountiful dowry as well as private soldiers only the legal princess of Qin has. This is what the Empress and the First Prince wants. It is a pity that the sword is in someone else¡¯s hand at times. So what if they can dream about it?!¡± Bai Yihaoughed coldly. He exined. ¡°Have someone guard Father. If there¡¯s anything wrong, report to me immediately.¡±

    The Yan Emperor had always been in poor health. Some of his powerful subjects were already in the First Prince¡¯s pocket without him knowing. With the help of the Yan Empress in the back of the pce, as long as the trouble that was the Fifth Princess, the Yan Empress would definitely be so busy she would find it hard to cope. Then, Bai Yihao was going to watch how the two of them would try to hide the matter in their flustered state.

    Bai Yihao was very confident that he could make the Yan Empress and Bai Yichen panic for a while. This was the price Bai Yichen had to pay when he tried his best to marry the Fifth Princess. He had not even gotten any benefits and had already reaped trouble. Bai Yihao wondered if Bai Yichen would regret it!

    The Qin Kingdom treated legal princesses differently from the other princesses.

    They would maintain a few hundred private soldiers for a legal princess! Or they could also be called secret guards.

    Each of these private soldiers was as good as 10 men. They were trained from young and were very loyal to their masters. Even though a hundred of them were not many, they were irreceable during crucial moments. Furthermore, these people did not guard the legitimate princesses as guards but hid by their side using various identities.

    They would go to their deaths upon the princess¡¯ orders!

    They were also known as death guards!

    It was extremely difficult to train and select such death guards. They not only had to have good martial arts skills, but they also had to have a clean family background. They should be loyal only to the princess.

    Fortunately, there had never been many legitimate princesses in the Qin Kingdom. Emperor Zongwen only had one Empress and they only had the Fifth Princess.

    The message that Bai Yihao was sending out was that Emperor Zongwen had married the Fifth Princess to Bai Yichen. This meant that the Emperor supported Bai Yichen. After all, no one would marry their legitimate princess to a loser.

    This meant that Emperor Zongwen supported Bai Yichen.

    Of course, no one would tell the Yan Empress about how the Fifth Princess had her reputation tarnished after she was found hugging Bai Yichen. This would be an embarrassment to both countries.

    If his father fell critically ill again and considering the advantage Bai Yichen had now, the Yan Empress would definitely make a big move. Bai Yihao wondered if she would be able to handle the deep ¡°surprise¡± that was ahead of her.

    ¡°Father can fall ill now.¡± The corners of his handsome lips lifted slightly as his finger hooked up a white jade hook by the window. While his smile was gentle, one could not sense any warmth from it.

    Lin Yu had a feeling that his master was growing more and more godlike! He carefully backed away. With a master who did not know anything and lived like a deity, one had to have a strong mental psyche.

    When news of Mo Xuetong¡¯s impending marriage to Feng Yuran reached Qin Yufeng, Qin Yufeng was reading some odd tales.

    ¡°Big Brother, Big Brother, Cousin Tong is about to marry that phndering King Xuan.¡± Qin Yuxuan barged in angrily. His face was covered in sweat as he hurried in. He tugged at Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand. There were many rules since he came to the capital. Qin Yuxuan had only seen Mo Xuetong a few times and it was from a distance. They did not even speak with each other.

    Qin Yuxuan found it hard to express himself as a young man. But anyway, he felt angry when he thought of how Cousin Tong, who was a good girl, was going to marry King Xuan. King Xuan had so many women, Qin Yuxuan doubted if even the man himself knew how many women he had. Furthermore, he had gotten injured because he had gotten drunk.

    King Xuan was the most useless and most licentious person!

    This was how Qin Yuxuan felt about Feng Yuran! Forget it if he were not interested in improving himself as a royal descendant. When Qin Yuxuan found out that his beloved Cousin Tong was about to suffer in King Xuan¡¯s manor and be bullied by his concubines, Qin Yuxuan felt angry and sad.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Cousin Tong still in mourning? How...¡± Qin Yufeng paused for a moment and put the book in his hand down. He had a sudden epiphany in the middle of his sentence and his expression grew grave. King Xuan¡¯s life hung on a thread and Mo Xuetong marrying him now would be to bring blessings to him. If it was so, who would care if she was still mourning or not?

    Furthermore, the blessing was for Emperor Zongwen¡¯s most beloved son, King Xuan, Feng Yuran.

    There was deep darkness in his eyes. He had not considered this possibility.

    ¡°Big Brother, Cousin Tong is such a good girl, but she is going to marry King Xuan.¡± Qin Yuxuan did not realize that something was wrong with his brother as he continued to natter on angrily. He smashed the table forcefully with his hand, looking like he was going to right things for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What has this to do with you all?¡± Qin Zheng¡¯s cold harrumph came from the entrance.

    The two brothers stood up hurriedly and went to the entrance respectfully.

    Qin Zheng entered and looked at his reckless younger son. He said angrily, ¡°How can you talk about a royal marriage like that? And who are you to say whether King Xuan is good or not? If you are free, go and study. Do not go run about outside and listen to rumors and gossip. The Mo Manor did not say anything, who are you to be angry about this?¡±

    ¡°Father, I...¡± Qin Yuxuan said anxiously.

    ¡°Go.¡± Qin Zheng did not allow him to defend himself and told him to leave. Qin Zheng watched as Qin Yuxuan left reluctantly. Then, he looked up at his eldest son whom he had always been proud of and said, ¡°The exam is in a few months. Study and do not meddle in the affairs out there.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Qin Yufeng answered with a smile. Then, he hid the book on odd and obscure happenings without even blinking. On the page of the book, there was something the color of blood with a trace of ck in it...

    Qin Zheng had always been satisfied with his eldest son. Other than what happened thest time, he knew that his eldest son, who had always been careful, would not do something like that. Someone must have framed him. It might be his political enemy. He was a censor and had offended many people. He really could not tell who it might possibly be.

    He could only lock his eldest son up at home. Fortunately, the exams wereing and studying at home beats creating trouble out there!

    ¡°Study then. Don¡¯t make trouble with your younger brother. No matter how King Xuan is, it is not up for us to discuss it. If anything were to happen to King Xuan, His Majesty would definitely be furious and find out all that has been discussed about him. This is what they call settling ounts after autumn.¡± Qin Zheng told Qin Yufeng.

    If nothing happened to King Xuan, it would be for the best!

    If something were to happen to King Xuan, it would not just be the imperial physician who would be implicated. There were many whose necks were linked to the unreliable King Xuan.

    There was some headway in the investigation regarding the money going to the disaster relief of Lianghu. It was said that of all the officials in Lianghu, 80 to 90 percent of the officials were involved in it. There were so many people involved. How many belonged to King Chu¡¯s camp? King Chu had been kneeling in the great hall of the pce to seek forgiveness since early morning despite being sick. He had almost been hit in the head by the Emperor¡¯s teacup.

    However, King Yan did not fall behind either. He was scolded badly by Emperor Zongwen about another matter and was kneeling in Qianqing Pce.

    The two princes were both being rebuked and scolded. The other was not scolded but his life was hanging by a thread. The entire court was in a mess. No one knew which prince to side with. Some, who had fingers in all factions, were all silent now.

    In the back of the pce, the Empress was rebuked by the Emperor, Consort Su was promoted, the Empress Dowager had been taken ill... It was as if there were an invisible line leading to the Qin Kingdom¡¯s throne. However, no one could catch the line.

    No one knew what the Emperor, who was sitting up in the high throne, was thinking. If he was not satisfied with the three adult princes, should he be looking amongst the younger ones? However, Emperor Zongwen had no other sons other than the three. Was he hoping that one of his consorts would give birth to another son for him?

    No one knew what to do in court. No one spoke up for King Yan or King Chu anymore, and no one dared to scold someone from another faction. The two were scolded and told to go home and study. A rare silence and peace overcame the court. Every day, the officials settle necessary matters and did not speak about anything else. Even the inner cab became faster at handling matters and things no longer dragged for weeks as before.

    The court and the back of the pce seemed calm.

    However, this calmness was suddenly broken!

    Consort Yu fell pregnant!

 Chapter 326 - The Empress Versus Consort Su

    <strong>Chapter 326 The Empress Versus Consort Su</strong>

    Emperor Zongwen had many sons, but most of them died young. The only sons who survived were the First Prince, Third Prince, and the Eighth Prince. Feng Yuran was the youngest. The following births were princesses. The first two princes were each given 50 strokes of the cane while no one knew if the third was alive or dead.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s intentions were not clear. Under such circumstances, with news of a new pregnancy after a long period of silence, many parties were quietly guessing that if Consort Yu were to have a little prince, what happened in the future might not be certain. The selection of the future heir to the throne might not be conducted amongst the three princes at all!

    Once news of Consort Yu¡¯s pregnancy spread, the Empress Dowager, who had been ill in Cining Pce, got up from her sickbed with difficulty and asked for the Emperor. No one knew what she said, but they knew that Emperor Zongwen immediately released Consort Yu from the Cold Pce once he left Cining Pce before returning to Caiwei Pce.

    Caiwei Pce, which had been empty for some time immediately, came alive again. It was a stark contrast to the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce, which became rather deste.

    The Emperor began to give out rewards like flowing water. Everyone in the back of the pce seemed to grow excited, starting from Caiwei Pce.

    Consort Yu was pregnant. This news was enough for the old officials to savor!

    In Tianfeng Pce.

    The Empress lit up three sticks of incense and stood respectfully in front of Buddha. She wore a in dress, making her face, despite not looking young, look at peace and benevolent. The smoke cleared, and one could not see any hint of anxiety on the Empress¡¯ face. Instead, she looked extremely indifferent.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the Ding General Manor sent several Buddhist treasures. Do you want to...¡± A pce maid called Yan Miao entered, holding a jade tray. She spoke hesitantly because she was bothering the offering of incense in the pce.

    The Empress turned around to see the jade tray in her hands. There was ayer of silk cloth on top of it. There were three Buddha sculptures the size of a palm on top of the red velvet cloth. They were not too big but were exquisite. One could tell that the carver had an extraordinary technique by just one look. He could make the small Buddha sculpture look life-like and with a benevolent and kind expression. It was very lovely.

    One of the jade-green Buddha sculpture, especially, looked kind and gentle. If one looked at it carefully, there were dark moonstones that made up its eyes. They glimmered naturally and matched the jade perfectly as if it had belonged there naturally. One could tell that the sculpture was extraordinary from one look.

    A Buddha sculpture like this was truly a treasure. Only a family with wealth and power would possess something like this.

    ¡°What did Duke Ding say?¡± The Empress asked lightly.

    ¡°Duke Ding sent someone to say that the Buddha has been blessed by the main abbot of the Repayment Temple ording to your instructions. It has been put before Buddha as an offering and if this were to be sent to Consort Su¡¯s pce, other Buddha sculptures would pale beside it.¡± Yan Miao repeated what the servant sent by the Ding General Manor said.

    Even though she did not understand what the Empress nned to do, she continued respectfully ording to what the Empress wanted.

    ¡°Then send it to Consort Su¡¯s pce. Tell her that this is my good intention and have her pray on my behalf when she gathers thedies to pray for blessings for the Empress Dowager. I will thank her for it first.¡± The Empress said lightly. Her gazended on the Buddha sculpture and there was a sh of dark coldness in her eyes.

    Only the Empress could take charge of leadingdies to pray for blessings for the Empress Dowager. However, Consort Su did not even say no and just epted the job. However, the Empress did not know if the consort would remain alive to enjoy this honor!

    ¡°Yes, what about the Empress Dowager?¡± Yan Miao held the tray and was about to leave when she suddenly thought of this question.

    There was a sh of annoyance in the Empress¡¯ eyes. The Fifth Princess¡¯ matter had gone wrong because of the Empress Dowager. When the Empress thought of how her only daughter would be married to a farawaynd because of the old woman¡¯s plots, and that she would marry a useless prince, the Empress could not keep the calm expression she had on her face.

    If there was not a portion of people in the Ding General Manor who sided with the Empress Dowager, no one would have released the information that the Fifth Princess had once burned down Bai Yihao¡¯s manor. Then, the Fifth Princess would not have been immediately plotted again after her plot fell through. If the Empress Dowager had not pretended to be ill, the Empress would not have been punished by the Emperor openly and lost her rights to manage the back of the pce.

    When she thought of that, the Empress felt a raging fire burning in her chest.

    They were all daughters from the Ding General Manor, and she had some idea of what the Empress Dowager¡¯s intentions were. However, she had not cared in the past. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was sent so far away anding back was a problem for him. There was a probability that he might annoy the Yan Emperor and be killed. It was impossible for him to fight for the throne.

    As such, she had never worried about the Empress Dowager!

    She had been staying deep in the pce and naturally knew that Emperor Zongwen treated the Empress Dowager with distant respect. Even though he was respectful on the surface, he did not really care about her. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was well aware of matters and did not interfere in the back of the pce. The Empress had always been in charge of it. The Empress Dowager was not only her aunt, but she was also her mother-inw. They had no conflict of interests and always had a harmonious rtionship.

    It was different now. Her elder brother had revealed to her that King Ning was about to return. Then, the Empress Dowager started to cause trouble. What followed had dragged the Empress in. How could the Empress not view the Empress Dowager with enmity after that given her character?

    The two started to truly stand against each other.

    ¡°Did the Ding General Manor speak of King Ning?¡± The Empress asked after some muttering.

    She suspected that Feng Yuzhen was already in the capital. However, her elder brother said that there was no indication of that after some investigation. If that was so, why were there activities in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce? Why was the Empress Dowager poking her nose into Consort Yu¡¯s pregnancy? The Empress would not forget that Consort Yu was the woman who caused the conflict between the Fifth Princess and Princess Anping. She had not only embarrassed herself, but she had also lost the Emperor¡¯s favor.

    If not for all that happened, the Fifth Princess would not have taken risks and what happened after that would not have happened either. She had not yet had time to deal with Consort Yu in the Cold Pce before the woman found a way to get out. How could the Empress not grit her teeth in hatred?

    ¡°Duke Ding said that there is still no news and that Your Majesty does not need to worry. If there is news, he will send it to the pce immediately.¡± Yan Miao replied.

    ¡°Go, if someone from the Ding General Manor is toe, let me know immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Yan Miao replied and left. She suddenly stopped at the door and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Consort Wen would like to see you.¡±

    ¡°No, say that I am busy praying and don¡¯t have time to deal with matters.¡± The Empress¡¯ voice rang coldly from inside.

    ¡°Yes, I will tell her that.¡±

    In Consort Su¡¯s pce.

    Consort Su looked at the exquisite Buddha statue sent by the Empress. There was a gloomy expression on her beautiful face as she stared at the statue as if she wanted to see some cracks or ws in it. However, she had looked at it over earlier and it seemed really precious. It was much better than the ones she collected.

    Everyone would only pay attention to the Buddha statue the Empress sent when the statues were put together. Her statues would only be essories to that one. How could Consort Su take that? She finally had a chance to stand out but was being pushed back by the Empress. She could not bear that.

    ¡°Men.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Someone answered quickly.

    ¡°Go, tell my family to find more precious Buddha statues. I don¡¯t want them if they are not precious. Tell them that money is of no issue. I will reward them if they find one that is better than the Empress¡¯.¡± Consort Su ordered angrily.

    How could she lose to the Empress?

    Furthermore, the Empress had been scolded by the Emperor.

    If she were to stand out in handling the prayers for blessings for the Empress Dowager, the Empress promised her that she would help the Empress to manage the back of the pce. This was a power only the Empress had. Even though she was an imperial noble consort, she could only just watch.

    She thought of the first son she bore the Emperor. He was handsome and had a good disposition. Consort Su felt that she was no weaker than the Empress. The Empress was only more powerful because she had a position in the pce. Meanwhile, she had borne the Emperor his first son. Her son had the highest possibility of ascending the throne next. If her son were to be the Emperor, she would be the Empress dowager. The Empress¡¯ seat should have been hers long ago.

    Consort Su treated the Empress casually because she had Feng Yuxuan. She was the birth mother of the First Prince, what could the Empress do to her? As such, everyone in the back of the pce knew that Consort Su was very arrogant. She might not even give face to the Empress, or even if she did, she would speak coldly and make sarcastic jibes.

    She now had the chance to shine alone, why would she give the Empress face?

    The Empress was going downhill. Consort Su would not let the Empress take the spotlight away from her. Her Buddha statue had to be more precious than the Empress¡¯ no matter what would happen.

    Her family was new nobility. It did not mean that they did not have money. They just did not have strong roots in terms of power. She was not afraid of spending money as long as she could truly defeat the Empress.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The person serving Consort Su would of course know what she wanted. The person replied hurriedly and went in search of others.

    She had to find a Buddha statue that was better than the Empress¡¯. Only then, would Her Highness be pleased.

    Using prayers for blessings for the Empress Dowager as an excuse, the Empress and Consort Su battled.

    There were people fighting outside of the pce as well.

    Mo Xueqiong came to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden early in the morning.

    Mo Xuetong had already woken up and was having her long hairbed in front of her dressing table. Mo Lan picked up a jadeb andbed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s long hair. Her dark ck hair was fine and smooth and was very beautiful.

    ¡°Third Sister, you got upte.¡± Mo Xueqiong entered with a smile.

    Mo Huawen released her ever since Mo Xuemin was married off. However, he ordered her not to appear before others. Even though she did not end up marrying Sima Lingyun, her reputation had suffered. She could only appear after some time passed and when the memory of what happened faded. The manor only announced that Fourth Miss Mo was ill.

    ¡°Fourth Sister, you woke up really early.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled in the mirror. She did not think that her sharp-mouthed younger sister hade early in the morning to be nice to her.

    Mo Xuetong had not forgotten how Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong had worked together against her!

    Mo Xueqiong was not a good person. She was involved in thest time the Old Madam tried to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation! She wondered why Mo Xueqiong was here today.

    ¡°Eldest Sister ising back today. Let¡¯s go over earlier to see her. It has been some time since west saw her. I wonder how she is doing in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor?¡± Mo Xueqiong smiled innocently. However, she looked rather sly and her eyes flickered with mocking light. It was difficult for one to believe that she was truly innocent.

    She wanted to see Mo Xuemin?

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly. Mo Xuemin¡¯s predicament in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had spread. She heard that there were peals ofughtering from Mo Xueqiong¡¯s courtyard. It appeared that Mo Xueqiong had never given up. Was she still plotting to marry into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor?

    ¡°Father said he would send someone to get us when Eldest Sister and Brother-inwe.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and replied, speaking neither quickly nor slowly. She did not know what Mo Xueqiong was thinking. Mo Xueqiong was an unmarried youngdy, how could she head over there straight away?

    It was not only impolite, but it was also inappropriate for ady.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to go with you to Mother¡¯s. Third Sister, you¡¯d better hurry. Mother woke up early in the morning.¡± There was a trace of hatred in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes when Mo Xuetong reminded her to take note of her status as ady. However, she immediately smiled, her expression changing really quickly. She spoke politely and with familiarity as if she had reallye especially to wait for Mo Xuetong.

    What was Mo Xueqiong up to today!

    Mo Xuetong smiled and nodded. She looked down at the ice silk handkerchief in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s hand. It was a beautiful handkerchief. It was pure blue and had stunning peonies on it. The peonies were plump and about to bloom. The petals were half-unfurled and it made one feel as if the handkerchief were a beautiful woman. It was as gentle as water and was very charming.

    ¡°Fourth Sister¡¯s handkerchief is really pretty.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up in a gentle smile.

    ¡°Oh, Auntie got someone to bring this back for me especially.¡± Mo Xueqiong¡¯s smile flickered as she exined. She retracted her hands subconsciously, hiding the handkerchief under her sleeves.

    Mo Xuetong knew there was only one ce that had ice silk handkerchiefs with such color and pattern. It was the pce!

    She did not expect her sister, who was a concubine¡¯s daughter, would be so capable. She managed to get together with someone in the pce before she got married! The smile on her lips grew cold and distant...

 Chapter 327 - Mo Xuemin Returns to Her Mothers Home and Plots Again

    <h4>Chapter 327 Mo Xuemin Returns to Her Mother¡¯s Home and Plots Again</h4>

    Mo Xuetong cleaned up and went to Xu Yan¡¯s Yanyu House with Mo Xueqiong.

    They only sat for a while when they heard someone announce that First Miss and First Sir were here. Old Sir would like the two youngdies to greet them.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Xueqiong left together.

    In the study, Sima Lingyun¡¯s expression was one of defeat and his eyes were cold. He was newly married and should be energetic and happy. However, his smile seemed forced for some reason. It did not look like it was sincere at all. He nced at Mo Xuemin and there was a sh of disgust in his eyes. Mo Huawen saw that and his eyes darkened.

    ¡°Father, I heard that you are having a slight cough. Mother told me to bring this hundred-year-old ginseng. She said that one will catch a cough and hurt the lungs easily during this season. You have to be careful.¡± Mo Xuemin said in concern with a gentle smile on her face. She seemed not to have noticed Sima Lingyun¡¯s forced look as he sat beside her.

    If not for the blue swelling at the corner of her eyes, everyone would feel that the two newlyweds were very happy.

    Mo Huawen could not help but look at the corner of her eyes. There was a sh of anger in his eyes. Mo Xuemin¡¯s appearance was different as well. Her thick fringe wasbed above her eyes. Even so, one could see arge scar on her forehead when she turned.

    ¡°I heard that Your Excellency is not satisfied with this marriage?¡± Mo Huawen pushed away the ginseng Mo Xuemin brought him and spoke coldly to Sima Lingyun.

    No matter how bad Mo Xuemin was, she was still his daughter. She had been beaten up by the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor and still had to plead to return home. Sima Lingyun had yet to bring up anything about the wedding. Mo Huawen hated Sima Lingyun even more. While Mo Xuemin was vicious, what about Sima Lingyun? Mo Huawen balled up his hands tightly into fists when he thought of the rtionship between Sima Lingyun and Auntie Fang.

    Sima Lingyun paused for a moment when he heard Mo Huawen speaking to him in an angry manner. He could not react in time. Mo Huawen had always been friendly for as long as he could remember. He had never seen Mo Huawen like this.

    ¡°Your Excellency, if you do not wish to marry my daughter, please go to the pce and ask the Empress for a separation.¡± Mo Huawen mmed his hand heavily on the table. He stood up and pointed at Sima Lingyun furiously.

    ¡°Separation? Ask the Empress?¡±

    Sima Lingyun shivered. He only recalled then that the Empress had bestowed the marriage upon them. If he asked for separation only a few days after their union, this would be an embarrassment to the Empress. He paled immediately and stood up hurriedly, saying, ¡°Father-inw, why would you think so? Min¡¯er and I grew up together, how can I be dissatisfied with this marriage? What happened on the wedding day was just an ident.¡±

    ¡°Your concubine caused trouble at your nuptials on the day of the wedding. She infuriated the legal wife so much she wanted to teach the concubine a lesson. She miscarried in the chaos and then you make the legal wife kneel in the ancestral hall for an entire night. Your Excellency, that was a great means, you have truly brought honor to the Empress. The Empress even told me that I found a good son-inw that night!¡± Mo Huawen did not intend to let Sima Lingyun off.

    The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had not been the only one to be embarrassed by the farce that was the wedding. Mo Huawen had not gotten even on behalf of Mo Xuemin on that day because Mo Xuemin was a disappointment. Furthermore, it was a marriage bestowed upon them by the Empress. It would not be to anyone¡¯s benefit if the matter were to be blown up. As such, Mo Huawen decided to let the matter calm down before he dealt with it. However, he did not expect the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to be so unreasonable to shame and bully Mo Xuemin.

    No matter how bad Mo Xuemin was, Mo Huawen would not allow Sima Lingyun to bully and shame her like so.

    ¡°Father, it is not Lingyun¡¯s fault. I was at fault too. I caused Younger Sister Yun to miscarry when we jostled around...¡± Mo Xuemin looked upset. She stood up as well and started to cry before she could speak. She bit her lips and swallowed. Her face, which was red and swollen but covered with white powder, looked pitiful.

    Sima Lingyun sweated when Mo Huawen brought up the Empress once more. Mo Xuemin suddenly appeared to help him out, so he could not care less about how he and Mo Xuemin did not get along. He hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Father-inw, it was my fault that day. I did not notice that Mother stated the rules to Min¡¯er because I was settling the matters regarding my concubine¡¯s miscarriage.¡±

    No one could say that it was wrong for a new wife to be taught rules by her mother-inw. While it was a little early, it was also because of the incident that had happened suddenly. As Mo Xuemin¡¯s father, Mo Huawen truly could not make a fuss because of this.

    A cold smirk appeared in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes. Was kneeling in the ancestral hall also called being taught rules? That slut Yun Yiqiu was in the wrong for having a concubine-born eldest son. Sima Lingyun had been seduced by that woman on their nuptials night. Was that right?

    However, this was not the time to be fighting about this. Mo Xuemin had other goals today. As long as she could aplish those goals, she would be able to live in great fortunes in the future. As such, she could bear with it. She must not only not fight, but she also had to appear virtuous, intelligent, and gracious. In this way, others would not suspect her after the incident happened. Of course, she was very much willing for Mo Huawen to berate and shame Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Father, Min¡¯er was wrong. Mother was right in teaching me and she did not hit me intentionally.¡± Mo Xuemin pretended to lower her head sadly. She looked frightened and tearful. Inside, she was pleased. Her father would not just abandon her. As long as she seemed weak, her father would stand on her side.

    As long as her father stood on her side, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would not be able to do anything to her!

    Sima Lingyun and that slut dared to create trouble for her on her wedding night. She would not let the slut off easily. Furthermore, that person had promised that as long as she killed Mo Xuetong, he would take her away from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. She would no longer have anything to do with the bastard that was Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Hit you? Did someone hit Eldest Sister?¡± Mo Xueqiong¡¯s surprised voice could be heard from the door.

    The three turned around to see Mo Xuetong and Mo Xueqiong at the entrance.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, you were beaten. Who beat you?¡± Mo Xueqiong entered, making a fuss. She yelled out loud when she saw the injuries on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face as if she had been shocked. This made Mo Xuemin ashamed and angry. Her face became mottled. She had never been so pathetic, having been mocked at by her concubine-born sister whom she had always looked down on.

    She gritted her teeth with hate and in secret but smiled gently. ¡°Third Sister, Fourth Sister, you are here. Qiu Qiao, bring the bolts of cloth I brought for the twodies here.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Qiu Qiao, who was standing behind Mo Xuemin, quickly presented the cloth she held in her hands.

    There were six bolts of beautiful cloth in total. It was obvious at one look that the cloth was the most fashionable Sunset Cloud Cloth from the pce. The beautiful patterns were paired with the colors of the clouds at sunset. It was so bright it blinded Mo Xueqiong. Greed shed in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, you are too kind to give us such beautiful cloth. Thank you.¡± Mo Xueqiong smiled coyly and gestured for the maid behind her to take all the cloth.

    ¡°Third Sister, I will help you take your cloth. Come to my courtyard to pick them out when you are free and we can have clothes made together.¡± Mo Xueqiong turned to smile at Mo Xuetong.

    It meant that she wanted the cloth and did not intend to give even one of them to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong smirked. She did not want anything from Mo Xuemin anyway. She first curtsied to Mo Huawen and then thanked Mo Xuemin. Then, she nodded at Mo Xueqiong and said in gentle tones, ¡°Fourth Sister, if you like them, you can have all of them.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes sparkled and she held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand with a happy smile. She said, ¡°Third Sister is so generous. Then I shall help myself since Third Sister is a Princess and you¡¯ve seen all kinds of good stuff. I am the most pitiful, I don¡¯t even have a nice set of clothes.¡±

    She sounded miserly as if she were from a poor family and were as pitiful as a beggar. She did not seem like a noble youngdy at all. Furthermore, Sima Lingyun was there as well. Mo Huawen stared at her coldly from where he was sitting and sighed to himself. His fourth daughter was really greedy and ignorant.

    ¡°Third Sister, Fourth Sister, today is the first time I returned home since my marriage. I want to go to the Repayment Temple outside of the city to light incense for Mother. No matter what Auntie did then, Mother truly doted on and loved me. What Auntie did, I... I feel guilty toward Mother. In the future, I will copy scriptures for Mother in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor...¡± Mo Xuemin said sadly and suddenly knelt in front of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Third Sister, please forgive me for not being able to seek revenge for Mother. No matter what Auntie Fang did, she is still my biological mother. I am willing to live as a fervent Buddhist to pay for Auntie Fang¡¯s sins...¡±

    ¡°Eldest Sister, what¡¯s the matter? Third Sister would not make you kneel before her no matter what had happened. You are her elder sister!¡± Mo Xueqiong made a fuss and pulled Mo Xuemin, wanting to drag her up. However, Mo Xuemin was very stubborn. She looked up with tears in her eyes at Mo Xuemin, looking as if she would kneel to death and not get up if Mo Xuetong did not forgive her.

    What was Mo Xuemin ying today?

    Mo Xuetong nced at Sima Lingyun indifferently and realized that he was equally shocked. It was obvious that he had nothing to do with what Mo Xuemin was nning. She realized that was right when she thought about it. After what happened on their wedding night, an invisible chasm had already appeared between the two. Even though Mo Xuemin was sly and crafty, Yun Yiqiu was not an easy opponent either. How would she allow Sima Lingyun to return to Mo Xuemin¡¯s side?

    ¡°Third Sister, quick, forgive Eldest Sister. She is our elder sister, how can she kneel before her younger sister? Furthermore, she¡¯s a newlywed and if brother-inw sees this, he will think that our family...¡± Mo Xueqiong said urgently. She called out to Mo Xuetong after she nced at the confused Sima Lingyun standing beside them.

    What would he think about our family? Would he think that Mo Manor did not have any rules? That the sisters of the Mo Manor had a bad rtionship? That Mo Xuetong was ruthless and heartless to her concubine-born sister...

    All of this was left unsaid. When did Mo Xueqiong learn to speak like that? Furthermore, what was most important was that Mo Xueqiong was so sincere and enthusiastic. She had always enjoyed creating trouble and watching the chaos. Mo Xueqiong enjoyed watching people fight until they bled, but she had such a trick up her sleeves like that. One could not help butment that a despicable person would have no enemies.

    Mo Huawen frowned and his eyes darkened. It was unknown what he was thinking about.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, get up. About Auntie Fang hurting my mother, thew will take care of that. Whoever did harm will be punished by God. Since Eldest Sister didn¡¯t hurt anyone, why would you need to beg for my forgiveness?¡± Mo Xuetong helped Mo Xuemin up gently. Sheughed lightly. However, there was not a hint ofughter in her eyes at all.

    Blood will be paid by blood. That was the universally epted principle.

    So many lives, so much bloodshed, and hatred. It was not that she was not seeking vengeance but the time was not right yet!

    Those with hatred will get their vengeance and those with anger will unleash their wrath. The sea of blood could not blur away the hatred she felt when the blood soared into the skies. The hatred was like the depths of hell, the tears of ghosts, they cried blood in her heart every day. Mo Xuetong would never forget that in this world, only she or Mo Xuemin could exist at one time. In her past life, it was Mo Xuemin. In this, it could only be her!

    ¡°Eldest Sister, Third Sister forgave you. Quick, get up.¡± Mo Xueqiong said happily and helped Mo Xuemin up on her other side.

    ¡°Third Sister, have you really forgiven me?¡± Mo Xuemin seemed delighted as she held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand excitedly.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, you were not in the wrong, so of course I won¡¯t me you.¡± Mo Xuetong pulled her hand back without any expression. She hid the coldness in her eyes. She would not me her if she had not been in the wrong. But what if she had...

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Third Sister, Fourth Sister, will you please go with me to Mother to beg for her forgiveness? Let¡¯s go light incense for Mother and tell her that the three of us are all well and have her be at peace.¡± Mo Xuemin held Mo Xueqiong in one hand and Mo Xuetong in another. Her expression was filled with hope and she smiled happily.

    ¡°Father, Min¡¯er was wrong in the past. I will definitely treat my younger sisters well in the future and be filial to you.¡± Mo Xuemin turned around and knelt in front of Mo Huawen. She cried and looked pained, looking as if she were paying penance for her mistakes. Tears slid down her pale cheeks and red swollen marks appeared. One could not say that she looked beautiful.

    What was the slut ying at? Sima Lingyun watched in disgust. He turned his head around and listened quietly for what would happen next.

    ¡°You want to go with Tong¡¯er and Qiong¡¯er to light incense for your mother?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes were deep and dark and one could not tell what he was thinking.

    ¡°Yes, I will not behave as I once did. I want to be filial to Father together with my sisters.¡± Mo Xuemin looked at Mo Huawen tearfully as she said with thick emotion in her voice. She looked as sincere as she could be.

    It was as if she had truly been enlightened, and that she felt regretful and guilty. She even seemed to have struggled in pain. Mo Xuemin kowtowed heavily as if she were not afraid of pain. Her head made loud sounds as she kowtowed, pleading sincerely for Mo Huawen¡¯s forgiveness.

 Chapter 328 - Mo Xuemins New Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 328 Mo Xuemin¡¯s New Conspiracy</h4>

    Looking at Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong posturing, Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed a cold feeling of hatred. She thought, ¡°The two vicious sisters won¡¯t stop bullying me till my death.¡± Mo Xuetong turned to Mo Huawen and said with a smile, ¡°Father, since the eldest sister and the fourth youngest sisters insist on apanying me to worship andfort my mother in the other world, Tong¡¯er, as a daughter, should go with them. Father, let us go together.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought, ¡°I haven¡¯t avenged my mother¡¯s death. Although Auntie Fang was sent to that ce, she hasn¡¯t died yet. And I won¡¯t allow her to die so easily. The hate is absolutely irreconcble.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. Father, let us go with the eldest sister.¡± Mo Xueqiong closed the door and answered before Mo Huawen spoke. She looked innocent seemingly, but a glint of cruelty andcence shed in her eyes, and she took a sideways look at Mo Xuetong.

    As it hade down to the point, Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes scanned his three daughters and fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Mo Xuetong nodded at him slightly.

    ¡°Well, you shoulde back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± The three sisters saluted together to their father respectfully. For an outsider, the scene was flowing with deep sisters¡¯ love.

    ¡°Your Excellency, Min¡¯er will go with the two younger sisters to the Repayment Temple tofort the deceased. Your Excellency, please go back first. When the things are settled, Min¡¯er will go back to the manor immediately.¡± Mo Xuemin turned around and smiled at Sima Lingyun who was watching coldly for a long time. Her sweet smile looked graceful and obedient, and she did not im herself as ¡°I¡±, as if to draw Sima Lingyun¡¯s care, so she insisted on calling herself ¡°Min¡¯er¡±.

    After their marriage, the rtion between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun sank below the freezing point. Until now, the two did not sleep together. Except that they met once when visiting the rtives the day after their marriage, they did not say a word. Usually, Mo Xuetong had to stand beside and serve the duchess at the table, and she was ordered around, while Sima Lingyun stood with coldness and disgust, totally ignoring her.

    Now in Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes, Mo Xuemin was nothing but a disgusting and wicked woman who did not follow the woman¡¯s way. He waspletely not in the favorite mood as he once had before. If it were in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, he would fling out of the room and disgrace her. But now in the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen was still staring at seriously him beside.

    The sternness in Mo Huawen¡¯s words forced Sima Lingyun to look squarely at Mo Xuemin for the first time.

    Considering that this was the marriage granted by the Empress, plus Mo Huawen¡¯s threat, Sima Lingyun did not dare to reject Mo Xuemin¡¯s request on the spot. He had nothing left. If he was disgusted by the Empress, how could he make any achievement in his life? But it was hard for him to pretend to love Mo Xuemin.

    So he just said simply and coldly, ¡°Since you have already made the n and Father has agreed, just go there.¡± After finishing the words, he did not talk to Mo Xuemin any longer; instead, he turned to Mo Huawen to bid his farewell. The purpose of this return to Mo Xuemin¡¯s home was to show his attitude. Now, he did it, which could answer the Empress¡¯ expectation for the granted marriage. If Mo Xuemin got into any troubleter, it was permitted by Mo Huawen and had nothing to do with Sima Lingyun.

    A sneer shed over Mo Xuemin¡¯s lips. She did not say anything more, but just took two steps back to conceal the sneer. She thought, ¡°As long as the thing is done well today, I will not go back to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Now, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor has no hope but instead some bitchy seductresses. Do they really think I am willing to marry into their family?¡±

    She bent her fingers a bit, and the slight pain reminded her of some big blisters on her fingers, which was caused by the pouring hot soup.

    Thinking that the duchess poured down the soup to her ruthlessly, Mo Xuemin had the urge to smash that tart and rigid face. If not Mo Xuemin had not acted quickly to tilt her head, her face would have been disfigured. However, Sima Lingyun wore a faint smile, as if he could not see his legal wife was forced to kneel in front of Yun Yiqiu, and was poured the soup.

    What¡¯s worse, he even softlyforted Yun Yiqiu, the slut. How could the conceited Mo Xuemin bear it?

    Since Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor treated Mo Xuemin so meanly, she could not allow those cheap women to live afortable life, and she thought her vicious counterattack was reasonable. Coldness shed in her eyes. Sima Lingyun dide back at the right time.

    Mo Huawen did not ask him to stay, but waved his hands coldly instead.

    After Sima Lingyun left, Mo Xuemin and her sisters also said goodbye to Mo Huawen, and left the Mo Manor together.

    Sima Lingyun had left and Mo Xuemin¡¯s carriage stopped outside. Except for a coachman, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor did not leave any manpower for Mo Xuemin, which obviously showed that Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor¡¯s grudge for Mo Xuemin had worsened to an unreserved level.

    Mo Xuemin held Qiu Qiao¡¯s hand to get on the carriage, followed by Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuetong. There was not much space in the carriage, and even a bit crowded for three people to sit in it. Considering the three maids outside, Mo Xuemin asked the Mo Manor¡¯s servant to prepare another carriage to take them.

    The curtain was pulled and the horse rattled. The wooden wheels ran in a low voice. Mo Xuetong looked at the window, and her sharp eyes found a thin slit on the gauze curtain. Unbelievably, it was broken.

    This carriage was rather small, different from thest one which Sima Lingyun used to take them out...

    ¡°Eldest sister, your carriage is not so good. It can only hold our three sisters, even the maids can¡¯t get in.¡± Mo Xueqiong mocked. She pointed to a scratch on the carriage beside and said with a fuss, ¡°What! Eldest sister, it is broken. As the newly married wife, how can you use this broken and small carriage which should be used by the domestic servants? Does the bother-inw love anyone else and treat you badly?¡±

    Her words seemed to defend Mo Xuemin against the injustice, but the other two people in the carriage could clearly feel her pleasure in the misfortune. Now, things about Mo Xuemin were being spread in the whole capital. How could Mo Xueqiong remain unknown of them?

    Mo Xuemin felt her breath panting by the jeer and almost burst into rage. She struggled to suppress the rage and pretended to sigh indifferently, ¡°To be honest, fourth youngest sister, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor is just rich on the surface. No one has ever imagined that it is just a hollow shell. Perhaps several yearster, we cannot even take a carriage like it. Fortunately, you did not go there with me. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid we cannot even get a carriage like it.¡±

    These words sounded ironic and sardonic, which meant if Mo Xueqiong married to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor as well, she could only enjoy the status as a concubine, lower than Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin made the words seem sincere, but her meaning was rather apparent. Mo Xueqiong blushed and clenched her teeth in anger.

    Was Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor so poor? Or did Mo Xuemin even notpare to a servant in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, so she could only use such a carriage? Mo Xuetong sneered in her heart and looked down at her waist, where one of the sharp daggers was hidden. The pair of swords was reduced to the forms of daggers, and one of them was used for Feng Yuran to protect himself.

    Although the pair of swords was made into an elegant hairpin, Mo Xuetong could not always wear on the head. So she took Feng Yuran¡¯s advice and got rid of all theplex designs to make the scabbard and dagger lighter, shorter and easier to carry.

    After stabbing a person to death in the King Yan¡¯s Manor, Feng Yuran once exined to her that the pair of blue daggers was singrly good swords. Press the dark button on the swordtail, and the sword would shoot out rays. As long as the rays of the sword swept to any person, it functioned as sharp des. That¡¯s why the maid who was good at kung fu would die as long as she was shot by the rays of the sword.

    If Mo Xuemin took an unusual action, the dagger would be triggered quietly.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t believe that Mo Xuemin came to deliberately show her to make nice. She and Mo Xuemin were so ipatible like water and fire. No one would believe that the other one would show kindness sincerely. Mo Xuetong had heard of things in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.

    Not only did Mo Xuetong heard the same at the others that Mo Xuemin was treated coldly in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, but also she heard that the duchess forced Mo Xuemin to kneel on the ground and serve soup to Yun Yiqiu for forgiveness, but Yun Yiqiu pretended to be weak and tender and fell into Sima Lingyun¡¯s arms, and then, the duchess was so angry that she poured the soup to Mo Xuemin...

    Under such a circumstance, if Mo Xuemin still had the intention to take her to worship the mother, Mo Xuetong did feel confused.

    Although Mo Xuemin had hidden her contempt on Sima Lingyun in her eyes during their talks, Mo Xuetong could see it clearly. When Sima Lingyun turned away, Mo Xuemin¡¯s gaze on him changed into undisguised grudge and arrogance. Mo Xuemin seemed to be utterly indifferent to Sima Lingyun¡¯s intentional indifference.

    Under what circumstances did a newly married woman care nothing about her husband?

    If a newly married woman was disgraced in her husband¡¯s home quite soon, and had to kneel down in front of a concubine, even almost got burned, any ordinary woman could not endure, let alone Mo Xuemin. If she had not wanted to take revenge, she would not be Mo Xuemin.

    ¡°But what does it have to do with me?¡± Mo Xuetong thought.

    ¡°Why did Mo Xuemin try every means to take me out? And Mo Xueqiong¡¯s unusual behavior showed her ulterior motive. As for the icy silk handkerchief, no one in the manor but I had it. It was not amon thing that could be purchased by money, but the tribute for the imperial. It was quite rare in quantity. And the handkerchief in my hands was bestowed by the Princess Royal.¡±

    ¡°My elder sister, you are so pitiful. As a talented and beautiful girl in the capital, you have even married into such a declining family. If one day, I can have a good marriage, I will take care of eldest sister for our deepest sisterhood for fear that elder sister cannot even have a carriage to go out.¡± Mo Xueqiong couldn¡¯t help but answer back sarcastically. She waved the ice silk handkerchief in her hand and covered the smile on her lips. She deliberately wiped her mouth with the handkerchief, and it glittered in the carriage dazzlingly.

    ¡°Thank you, fourth youngest sister.¡± Mo Xuemin took a jealous nce at the handkerchief in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s hands. Light and shadows shed alternatively on Mo Xuemin¡¯s face, reflecting the coldness in her eyes. She thought, ¡°Mo Xuetong assumed that since she earned that handkerchief, she could earn the man¡¯s heart. However, Mo Xueqiong did not have a beautiful appearance or wisdom. How dare she imagine entering the man¡¯s manor? If not for the need of her assistance to cheat Mo Xuetong, I wouldn¡¯t have time to deal with her.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she think about her identity? To be the Prince¡¯s second consort? How dare she to imagine?¡±

    Hearing Mo Xuemin showing weakness, Mo Xueqiong felt satisfied and could not keep her eyes from ncing at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face, and then, her triumphant eyes turned as vicious as Mo Xuemin¡¯s.

    As long as Mo Xuetong died, she, Mo Xueqiong would win the King Yan¡¯s love, as King Yan had made a promise to Mo Xueqiong that he would immediatelye to ask for her father¡¯s permission of marrying her. In other words, Mo Xueqiong would marry King Yan who was the most promising candidate of the Crown Prince, and be King Yan¡¯s second consort, the Royal Consort, or even the Empress one day. This possibility made Mo Xueqiong too excited to sleep for several nights.

    In the past, she fell in love with Sima Lingyun because of his excellent family and gentle manner. But now, King Yan was as high above Sima Lingyun as the clouds were from the mud. How could Sima Lingyunpare to King Yan? Therefore,pared to Mo Xuemin who had married Sima Lingyun, she, Mo Xueqiong would enjoy high social standing also as the clouds were from the mud.

    The exciting thought made Mo Xueqiong¡¯s smile overflow the corner of her lips. Not until sheughed out, did she realize it, so she covered her mouth with the handkerchief and said in the pretense of calmness, ¡°Our three sisters seldom go out together. I am really happy now.¡±

    Of course, nobody believed this. The other two people in the carriage took a look at her without saying a word.

    Suddenly, the horse screamed, and the carriage shook violently and jolted on both sides.

    ¡°The horse took fright.¡± Someone shouted outside, and it seemed the driver¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Hurry up! Save our Miss!¡± Mo Yu yelled.

 Chapter 329 - Mo Xuemin Tried to Stab Her Biological Sister to Death

    <h4>Chapter 329 Mo Xuemin Tried to Stab Her Biological Sister to Death</h4>

    Then, screams rang. Mo Xuetong got dizzy by the violent jolt. She raised her head, seized the curtain and pulled it down heavily.

    Outside the carriage, the scenery quickly regressed, indicating that the horse which pulled their carriage was galloping forward crazily. The coachman had been bumped out of the carriage. That was to say, the carriage waspletely out of control.

    ¡°Third Youngest Sister, be careful.¡± Mo Xuemin walked wobbly to Mo Xuetong and grabbed the carriage with one hand. The carriage was shaking so severely that the three of them were all unable to stand still but just reeled. So Mo Xuemin could not walk to Mo Xuetong at that time. The caring words in her mouth could not hide the ruthlessness in her eyes.

    The real intention was revealed in the end. It hade to thest moment.

    ¡°Third Eldest Sister, Ie to help you.¡± Mo Xueqiong also struggled to Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction, as if to reach hands to hold her.

    What a deep love among sisters!

    Of the three, Mo Xuemin got in the carriage first, and Mo Xueqiong intentionally came close to Mo Xuemin, which left the ce near to the door to Mo Xuetong. Now, the carriage was bumping. Mo Xuetong had no way but to clench the door frame tightly to prevent herself from falling down. The carriage ran so fast. If Mo Xuetong fell off the running carriage, she would die without doubt.

    ¡°Third Eldest Sister, I will give you a hand.¡±

    ¡°Third Youngest Sister, don¡¯t be afraid, I aming to help you.¡±

    Their words sounded genuine and sincere, even Mo Xueqiong said in a trembling voice, as if she had really feared that Mo Xuetong would fall off. However, the two people could not conceal the arrogance and fleer in their eyes. Their hands stretched out in the pushing rather than pulling posture.

    Instantly, Mo Xuetong understood their intentions: the two conspired to kill her. A glint of coldness shed in her eyes. With the strength born of desperation, she grabbed the door frame and moved into the carriage a bit. However, the door frame fell down by the jolt. If Mo Xuetong had not grabbed the window frame, she would have fallen out.

    If she had fallen from here, she would die without doubt.

    At the nce, Mo Yu¡¯s figure who was rushing behind the carriage became farther and farther away. Only her despaired voice could be heard, ¡°Miss, Miss...¡±

    Mo Yu had rather good martial skills, but she was still unable to catch up with the running carriage. All in all, she was too careless.

    Mo Xuetong just foresaw that Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong would gang up against her, and at most do something insidious to her like disgracing her as most women in the backyard would do. But Mo Xuetong still underestimated the two people¡¯s insidiousness and frenzy. They dared to conspire to kill her. Obviously, they could not have figured out such a venomous n.

    Seeing the door frame fall but Mo Xuetong still in the carriage, Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong exchanged nces. And both of them could see the viciousness in each other¡¯s eyes. They reached out their hands to push Mo Xuetong. Then, Mo Xuetong waspelled to fall backward, and half of her body had been out of the carriage.

    Mo Xuetong grabbed the remnant of the door frame with all her strength. An inverted reflection shed in her eyes and flew back. The mountain wind ruffled her long hair. She was almost unable to grab the frame because of the pain on her fingertips. She knew that her strength was too limited to support her for a long time. She looked in the distance in despair, and her heart sank.

    Ahead, not far ahead was a cliff. For some unknown reason, the carriage ran on the mountain road to the edge of the cliff.

    The road to the Repayment Temple should be a spacious official road. And the carriage could stop in front of the Repayment Temple, and continue to the mountain door of the Temple through a mountain road. Because Mo Xuetong hade several times to worship Luo Xia, it was rather familiar to her. So she wondered when the road led to a cliff end.

    Why did the carriagee here? If all were conducted by Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong, judging from the current situation, the two would not be able to survive. It would kill them three all.

    Now Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong served themselves to death for those people, but those people just wanted their lives.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you don¡¯t bother yourself to wait. No one can save you. Do you want to fall off to death yourself? Or do you want us to push you down? It makes no difference. Just which one can make you die content, the former or thetter?¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s chilly sneer rang from the carriage. She grabbed the edge of the window with one hand and took off a sharp hairpin from her head with the other.

    Under the checkered light and shade, the hairpin glistened with chilly light. Mo Xuemin did not hesitate to pinch to Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers which still grabbed the door frame tightly.

    The piercing pain well up from the heart. The point of the hairpin immediately pierced into Mo Xuetong¡¯s white fingers, and the blood instantly appeared between her fingers. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help giving a choked cry, but she bit her teeth so hard into the lips. At that time, she could not loosen her hands, because if she did so, she would fall to pieces. The carriage was dashing so quickly that she could not survive if she just jumped down in her current condition.

    Because people seldom came there, the road was bumpy with stones. So Mo Xuetong had to find a fairly t ce. Ahead, there seemed to be a meadow at the intersection. If she could jump on the meadow, she might have some chances to survive.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, such a slut! You don¡¯t feel hurt! I really have looked down on you.¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s face looked ferocious and vicious. She held the hairpin to pinch Mo Xuetong¡¯s another finger and said fiercely.

    The second finger was stained with blood instantly. Mo Xuetong felt darkness by the splitting pain and almost loosened her hands. A smell of blood filled her lips and teeth.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you are really good. Eldest Sister, I will help you.¡± Mo Xueqiong said virulently, as she also changed her hand to seize one side and drew her hairpin out with the other hand.

    If her fingers were pinched again, Mo Xuetong knew no matter how amazing her will was, her fragile body could not sustain her to the meadow ahead. What¡¯s worse, the cliff was over there.

    ¡°At this moment, Eldest Sister and the Fourth Youngest Sister, you are still thinking of stabbing me... Could it be that once I am dead, you can live...? The running horse is heading to the cliff... None of us will survive.¡± She bit her lip with cold sweat on her forehead and panted as she said.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you talk nonsense. When you fall off the carriage, someone will save me. And I will live a happy life with that person and be never pinned down by Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. It was you, such a slut, that made Auntie unable to enjoy the status as the principal wife and made me obliged to marry Sima Lingyun. Today, you will die in my hands. Just go to meet your dead mother now!¡± Mo Xuemin burst into wildughter, totally deaf to Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. With a cold light, Mo Xuemin pierced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s another finger.

    She was at deep enmity with Mo Xuetong for a long time and believed that all of her misfortune was caused by Mo Xuetong. Now, she had a chance to kill Mo Xuetong. How could it not make Mo Xuemin go wild with joy?

    But Mo Xueqiong was a little nervous.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, could she be right? It is not the road to the Repayment Temple.¡± Mo Xueqiong pulled Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands and said in a hurry. The carriage bumped over the mountain furiously. Mo Xueqiong was in a horror. As the scenery quickly passed by, it was impossible to see the two sides clearly. When Mo Xuetong spoke, Mo Xueqiong peeked out and found something unusual. Why was the carriage driving to the mountain road?

    It was obviously not the road to the Repayment Temple.

    Not the road to the Repayment Temple? Mo Xuemin was stunned and turned to one side hurriedly. On the window opposite her, the curtain had been pulled down by Mo Xuetong. So looking out of the window, Mo Xuemin only saw the mountain road go up and the horse galloping. The carriage did go up to the mountain, not to the Repayment Temple.

    The road to the mountain was an unknown one. That was to say, You Yuecheng¡¯s promise that the carriage would stop after Mo Xuetong fell off could not be realized. And Mo Xuemin would fall with Mo Xuetong into mutted pieces. Mo Xuemin¡¯s hands could not help trembling, and the hairpin nged down to the ground. She stared in a trance.

    On the winding mountain road, a gorgeous carriage slowly walked. The curtains on the carriage were rolled up half, and a perfectly handsome face could be seen in the carriage. Hearing the cries below and the sound of the speeding horse, Bai Yihao put down the book and asked lightly, ¡°What¡¯s up below?¡±

    The carriage stopped. Lin Yu who followed the carriage shed, stood on the treetop and said after taking a look down, ¡°Master, something happened to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor¡¯s carriage. It seemed that the horse got frightened. Not far away is the cliff. It may fall off.¡±

    Lin Yu answered indifferently and looked at Mo Xuetong whose body had been half out of the carriage. But because Lin Yu could not see the face clearly, she did not who the woman was.

    ¡°Keep on going.¡± An elegant and gentle voice sounded from the carriage.

    Bai Yihao picked up the book again and continued his reading with a frown.

    On the carriage, Mo Xueqiong was frightened and pulled the window frame. She sweated all over with worry, tugged at Mo Xuemin and asked, ¡°What to do? What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Release your hands!¡± After a short trance, Mo Xuemin collected herself and took on a vicious look in her eyes. She pushed Mo Xuetong away, picked up the hairpin on the ground and said to Mo Xuetong ruthlessly, ¡°Mo Xuetong, you slut. No matter what will happen today, I want you to die. I want you to die into iplete and mutted pieces. I want to stamp on you forever.¡±

    She cursed wildly and pierced the hairpin fiercely with a whiz.

    Different from Mo Xueqiong, Mo Xuemin did not have a way back. If Mo Xuemin failed to push Mo Xuetong out of the carriage to kill her, You Yuecheng would not ept her as a concubine secretly and promise her to find a new identity for her. If one day, she could give birth to his child, he would make her enjoy the status as a legal wife. Mo Xuemin had never imagined it before she married.

    It was due to Mo Xuetong that Mo Xuemin lost that chance o marry the honorable son of the Ming General. Now, it was Mo Xuemin¡¯sst chance. At the thought, Mo Xuemin was seethed with grudge and jealousy. She would not allow Mo Xuetong to survive anyway.

    Mo Xuemin looked like a beast in despair. The hatred surged up in her heart, and her face was dark with horrible enmity.

    As the finger was pricked hard again, Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands trembled with pain. She felt the darkness in front of her eyes; her legs got weak, and had to fall to one side. Now, three fingers had been hurt, so her hand was unable to grab any longer. Suddenly, a sharp pain spread from the other hand before she could seize tightly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on a pair of embroidered shoes with colorful flowers and feathers.

    She tried to look up, only to see Mo Xuemin¡¯s wildly grinning face. That beautiful face now looked like a ghost¡¯s. And the face¡¯s owner was stepping on Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingertips and twisting her foot mercilessly.

    Mo Xuetong waspelled to loosen her hands and closed her eyes. This time, she could not find a way out.

    Because she had underestimated her enemy, she refused to bring Mo Feng out. She thought she had clearly seen through Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong¡¯s plot and asserted that they did not dare to take any action against her. But she did not know that she had been others¡¯ pawn. And the real attack camest.

    The situation waspletely beyond Mo Xuetong¡¯s control and arrangement. All in all, she was just an unmarried weak woman. So she had no alternative but to release her hands and fall off the wildly running carriage. She did not have the ability or the power to stop the pace into hell. She did not expect that after her resurrection in this life, she was still killed by Mo Xuemin.

    And still died into a mutted skeleton beyond recognition.

    Mo Xuetong thought, ¡°No matter in the previous and present lives, should I have to repeat the same tragedy and have no trace of chance to take revenge? The God did y a joke on me and let me repeat the tragedy this life as in myst one¡ªto make me die in Mo Xuemin, this poisonous woman¡¯s hands again.¡±

    She was not reconciled to the fact. How could she be reconciled?

    She had not taken revenge for so many people and removed their hatred. But her resurrection of this life had to end up in this way. She was willing to swear by her soul.

    ¡°If I were to be born again, I would pay back ten times to the people whose hands were covered with blood.¡±

    Blood fell from the air, and the beautiful young girl fell helplessly from the carriage. Before hitting the ground, her clear eyes were closed tightly, and two lines of tears slipped from her gorgeous face. And the tears seemed to be faintly red. The bloody tears were being shed, and the shedding tears were blood...

 Chapter 330 - Fall off the Cliffâ€”Xuetong in the Deathtrap

    <h4>Chapter 330 Fall off the Cliff¡ªXuetong in the Deathtrap</h4>

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s figure fell down.

    Suddenly, a figure in white ran faster to hold Mo Xuetong who was dashing to the ground. He stretched out his hands to hold up Mo Xuetong and was about to fall to the grass on the left.

    However, the shaft of the carriage was broken unexpectedly. As it shook violently, the broken carriage lost its bnce and leaned to the left. Then, it crashed into the man in white who just stood well. The carriage broke up instantly. The man in white did not expect the ident and was knocked back to the cliff.

    ¡°Young Master, let go!¡± Lin Yu shouted hurriedly. Because with the Master¡¯s martial arts skills, he was able to jump up easily if he did not hold anyone else.

    The back of the carriage also fell off the cliff. A heavy thudding noise with the crack sounded against the rock cliff.

    A huge crack apanied by Lin Yu¡¯s scream spread to the ears of Mo Xuemin and Mo Xuetong who were in the front half of the carriage. The two were frozen in horror just now, but at that moment, they yelled as they collected themselves. Then, the carriage crashed into the tree heavily. Before they could yell as loudly as possible, they went faint together.

    In front was a huge wall of rock, everywhere bumpy. ¡°Where is it?¡± It seemed to be a cave. Mo Xuetong stared nkly at the handsome face in front, unable to identify it was reality or illusion. She closed her eyes, and things rolled up like a windmill. Mo Xuemin¡¯s brutal face, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s jealous and vicious facial expression...

    The hairpin stabbed into her fingers and brought the pain piercing to the bone, as if she could see Mo Xuemin¡¯s brutality and coldness. Mo Xuetong shrank her fingers subconsciously, but pains surged up like a tide. She could not help letting out a moan.

    ¡°How are you feeling now? Does it still hurt?¡± The gentle and elegant voice was right in the ear with strong prating power. Mo Xuetong opened her eyes again uncontrobly.

    The beautiful young man in white with slightly disheveled hair appeared in front of her, and she looked at him, puzzled. Even in such an embarrassing situation, he still wore a gentle and elegant smile without a trace of anger. His bright eyes were fixed on her as gentle as water, mixed with tender affection.

    It turned out to be Bai Yihao!

    Mo Xuetong then remembered that herst memory stayed on Bai Yihao¡¯s unparalleled and beautiful face!

    ¡°Where is it?¡± Mo Xuetong struggled to sit up. But she just moved her fingers, and then she felt piercing pain to the heart. Her hands felt weak and she fell down involuntarily again. Then, a long and thin hand that resembled jade stretched out to hold her and helped her lean against the rock beside.

    ¡°This is a small cave under the cliff. I don¡¯t have much energy now, and let¡¯s go up when I recover myself.¡± Bai Yihao smiled softly. His eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s tightly-wrapped fingers. A deep chill shed in his eyes. Almost, just almost, he was about to lose her.

    He had never had such a feeling before, as if the most important thing in his life were about to disappear. Bai Yihao almost broke away from the carriage, jumped down and hugged her tightly. A NARROW RESCUE! He felt his calm and nd heart was almost about to pop out of his mouth.

    That¡¯s why he was too flustered to notice the situation under his feet and was knocked down by the carriage and fell off.

    He did hear Lin Yu¡¯s voice, but he just subconsciously hugged the fainted woman more tightly in his arms. How could he abandon her?

    ¡°Are you injured?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes and noticed his shoulders in the white shirt where bloody color bloomed.

    ¡°A little.¡± Bai Yihao smiled and nodded, tearing off the broken white shirt on his shoulder directly.

    Mo Xuetong looked at her tightly-wrapped fingers and the other hand stamped by Mo Xuemin. The wounds had been carefully treated. But the hand was swollen, and any move or bend could bring pains as great as the tightly-wrapped hands. Mo Xuemin did stamp on Mo Xuetong with all her might.

    Her eyes fell on the hem of his white robe, and it seemed to be torn off several pieces of cloth. The color was the same as that of her fingers¡¯ bandage.

    She sighed softly. No matter how wary she was of Bai Yihao, she was really grateful to Bai Yihao at that moment. Without him, Mo Xuetong would have been killed by Mo Xuemin again. If so, how could she die in peace? As for the blood vengeance between her and Mo Xuemin, Mo Xuetong was willing to return with her own hands.

    ¡°Let me take a look, okay?¡± She raised her head with a smile and supported herself to sit up with palms carefully instead of fingers.

    Bai Yihao went nk and then nodded with a smile. He turned around a bit painstakingly. His blood-stained back stunned Mo Xuetong. His injury was more severe than she had thought. No wonder he just sat there without any words or any thought of going up.

    His back blended against the light outside, which dazzled Mo Xuetong¡¯s slightly apathetic eyes.

    She stretched out her hands to take away the scatter of pieces. Some of the broken cloth had been stuck to the wounds on the back. Mo Xuetong¡¯s swollen hands trembled and moved away the pieces of cloth with great care. She clenched her lips to hear the sound of tearing cloth strips from the flesh with fear.

    After tearing them all down, Mo Xuetong thought for a while and turned over her dress, ready to tear off the white cloth skirt inside.

    With a hissing sound, a clean cloth came from the front and a voice rang. ¡°Don¡¯t tear your skirt. Use this.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took the cloth strips silently and cleaned the wounds one by one gently.

    Bai Yihao turned his back on her, so she did not know his facial expression. But not knowing why, Mo Xuetong could feel that he was smiling. The man was really an iron emperor, even ruthless to himself.

    ¡°If it hurts, you can scream. There is no one else here.¡± Sensing his tremor, Mo Xuetong said in a soft voice and cleaned more carefully.

    It was very quiet in the cave, and they two breathed slightly. Although Bai Yihao didn¡¯t look back, his heart was filled with an upsurge of emotion like overturning rivers and seas.

    He had never thought that he would really fall in love with this woman. In the past, he thought he just cared about her, cared about her happiness, sadness, injuries and so on... However, these could notpare to grand ambition. Therefore, even if the engagement paper had gone, he was just sad for a while and never really looked for it.

    Since they were not destined to be together, why not just let her go?

    There were plenty of fish in the sea! A lot of women in this world wanted to marry him!

    But when he heard her name appear on the carriage below, he was out of control and rushed out without thinking. Looking at her falling down, he felt he could not breathe and his heart could not beat. He panicked with a nk mind. His heart ached fiercely. Only one idea was in his mind, which was no matter what to pay, he would not allow her to meet with a mishap! Never!

    When falling down, he leaned against the rock and held her tightly in his arms, fearing that she would get injured. Then, he managed to find the cave and held her into the cave. Although he had been exhausted, he still put her down on the ground carefully and sank to the ground with relief.

    It turned out he liked her so much!

    Even to the point where he could marry nobody but her.

    There had never been a woman before who could draw his attention. But now since his heart was opened for her, he did not n to let her go. No matter by which means or at what cost, the little woman could only belong to him.

    No one knew that Bai Yihao, the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom, who enjoyed the superiority, now had the same abundant emotions as mostmon people. He felt quietly the girl¡¯s soft wiping who had always been on the alert against him and felt her tenderness and appreciation. At that moment, he was brimmed with happiness. For the first time, he knew how happy it was to be noticed by the woman he cared about.

    Happier than controlling everything.

    More reassuring and rxing than revenging for Mother.

    After wiping the wound, Mo Xuetong looked at her hands in embarrassment and asked softly, ¡°Do you still have this medicine?¡±

    The coolness on the fingertips alleviated the tingling pain a bit. It must be excellent medicine.

    A slender hand stretched over to hand a jade bottle. The gentle voice rang with a faint smile, ¡°This.¡± Along the bottle was a long cloth belt.

    Mo Xuetong took it silently and applied the medicine to the wounds carefully. Sometimes, she blew to the wounds gently. Her long eyshes flickered, and her beautiful watery eyes shone with tenderness and shyness. So pretty! She was pouting her little mouth to puff the medicine in all directions. She looked serious but elegant. For an inexplicable reason, he felt warmth in his heart by the sight. And he swore he would never let her go.

    After applying the medicine, Mo Xuetong panted slightly and wiped the sweat on her head which was caused by nervousness and hurt. Then, she raised her head and said, ¡°Sir Bai, please be patient for a while. It will be all right.¡± The medicine must be very painful, as he breathed uneasily.

    ¡°There is no rush!¡± His gentle voice rang, which still sounded cid and calm, as if he were not the one who had got injured.

    Mo Xuetong wrapped the cloth strips carefully circle by circle and bound up. In this life, she had read many medical books and tried bandaging. So she did the bandage quite well. When things were settled, Mo Xuetong let out a long breath of relief, and her body leaned back a bit feebly.

    Bai Yihao turned around, pulled his torn robe well and smiled at himself. He raised his eyes to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers, his eyshes flickering, and said with a pure smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, when I recover, let¡¯s go up.¡±

    ¡°Sir, if you¡¯ve recovered, you can go up yourself. Don¡¯t bother to take me.¡± Mo Xuetong raised her eyes quietly, as if ink-colored ze had flowed in her watery eyes. So enchanting!

    However, she did not risk her life for him. As long as Bai Yihao went up, he could find someone to save her. There was no need that two people were trapped there together. This time, she owed him too much, and she did not want to owe him anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay; we can go up in a while.¡± Bai Yihao smiled gently.

    Seeing he was so persistent, Mo Xuetong felt into silence and lowered her head. She moved her stiff and swollen fingers a bit, not knowing what to say. Last time, when they met, he still mentioned the engagement to her. Although the engagement paper had been burnt, she still felt diffident.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are my fianc¨¦e. Have you made it clearly?¡± A glimmer of amusement showed in his gentle voice, just as he was, as warm as jade.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart missed a beat at his words. She blinked her watery eyes in a fluster but calmed down immediately. She raised her head, looked at Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face without fear and said, ¡°Sir Bai, you are wrong. My father said it had never happened.¡±

    Anyway, the engagement paper had been destroyed. No matter what Bai Yihao said was not true. She could not make any concessions. Otherwise, he would suspect.

    ¡°Already destroyed?¡± Looking at her bright and clear eyes which seemed to sincerely look at him, Bai Yihao curled up the corners of his lips slightly and said gently. A glint of tease showed in his deep eyes, as if he were looking at an innocent child. And his eyes were filled with indulgence and love.

    His remarks were so urate. She did burn it. Mo Xuetong found her heart shiver uncontrobly, but she clenched her teeth and shook her head nkly, ¡°Sir Bai, what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Bai Yihao was too smart. In front of him, she felt she found no ce to hide, just as everything she did was just embarrassing events done by a naughty child, not worth mentioning!

    She must ovee this psychogenic assumption. Otherwise, she would always be inferior to him.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t need to understand, but know that I will marry you.¡± Bai Yihao said with a rxed smile. He leaned back to avoid hurting his wound. H smiled gently. Even he was in such an embarrassing and shabby situation, he still behaved like an elegant emperor, as if all were in his grasp.

    ¡°Huh! You have to ask my permission first!¡± Before Mo Xuetong replied, an attractive but cold voice rang. Mo Xuetong was surprised, and then her eyes brightened. A man in purple shed in quickly.

 Chapter 331 - King Xuan Became Jealous As the Crisis Was Resolved

    <h4><strong>Chapter 331 King Xuan Became Jealous As the Crisis Was Resolved</strong></h4>

    Feng Yuran carried Mo Xuetong up while Bai Yihao jumped up with help from his bodyguard Lin Yu.

    After jumping on the cliff, Bai Yihao was seriously injured and was helped by Lin Yu to return to the carriage first.

    Mo Xuetong, however, didn¡¯t go away. She walked slowly to the first half of the carriage left. The door to the carriage dropped out and the carriage dropped out, nted on the road. There were still traces of blood inside the carriage, which showed that the people inside were not unharmed too. With the high speed of the carriage, the reaction force was great and it would be impossible for the people inside to remain unharmed.

    ¡°You must bring Mo Feng along next time, and be careful to not let him too far away from you. He is good at Qinggong (the skill of making one light so as to move fast and speedy). Shall I help you take care of that bitch who tried to harm you?¡± Following her, Feng Yuran¡¯s devilishly handsome face was cold with murderous intent. His mouth curved up in a smile as he asked coldly.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred as he thought about how that bitch almost caused Tong¡¯er¡¯s death. He had already seen Mo Xuetong as his possession and pretended to be sick to convince Emperor Zongwen to marry Mo Xuetong to him. However, he did not expect such a matter to happen.

    Hearing Mo Feng¡¯s report, he could no longer bother pretending to be sick, rushing over immediately. Seeing Lin Yu, he realized that Bai Yihao carried Mo Xuetong in his arms as they fell down the cliff. Immediately, he became jealous and byed himself down with a rope down the cliff to find Mo Xuetong. Even though he did not like Bai Yihao, he could not help but admit that Mo Xuetong¡¯s chance of survival increased exponentially with his presence.

    Even though he purposely ignored the reason why Bai Yihao jumped down with his Tong¡¯er, he still could not help feeling jealous when he heard wordsing from the cave. He stopped Bai Yihao immediately as he did not expect Bai Yihao to be so narrow-minded, insisting on marrying Tong¡¯er even though the marriage proposal was burnt.

    It was as if the woman he loved was being peeped by others, and that made Feng Yuran mad.

    However, because of that, Feng Yuran was d that he had nned and destroyed Bai Yihao¡¯s marriage proposal, or he would be the third party now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch them. I will deal with them myself.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face showed a piercing cold smile, much like that of Feng Yuran.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need my help?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face drooped with a tinge of unwillingness, as he looked at her with unhappiness as if he wasining that she saw him as an outsider. Holding her wrist with his hand, he carefully examined her delicate hand before picking it up and blowing on it, with a tinge of hatred shing across his eyes.

    He would allow Tong¡¯er to seek revenge for herself if those two bitches were alone. However, there must have been someone behind those two bitches, or they would not dare to murder his wife. They must know that Tong¡¯er was more or less his wife, a person of the imperial family. How dared a daughter of Mo manor and a concubine who fell out of favor with Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor dare to murder Tong¡¯er with no backing and support!

    ¡°I want, why would I not want?¡± Mo Xuetong replied slowly. Her heart melted as she felt the love and doting from him.

    With a stiff hand, she took the initiative to grab his long slender hands, where there are a few visible scars. It was merely a moment ago when the prestigious King Xuan jumped down to save her. How could she be unaware of his heartache and anxiousness?

    Her eyes fell on his chest. It was tightly covered up and nothing was shone out of his purple coat. However, when she was hugged in his arms, when her face was leaning on his chest, he could smell thick blood and could feel a tinge of wetness. His scar had broken open again. She did not know what she felt but could only feel pain and sourness, with a slight joy of being doted.

    Holding his hand, he headed for the carriage at the side.

    Hearing that Mo Xuetong required his help, Feng Yuran immediately became delighted. His eyes opened up in delight as his pupils lit up. He smiled gently as if he just drank honey. Then, he pulled her meticulously onto the carriage as if he were afraid that she would break apart.

    ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± As he entered the carriage and sat nted on the couch, Mo Xuetong ordered impolitely.

    Feng Yuran was shocked initially but a smile crept up his face involuntarily. He ignored the sharp pain on his chest and sat upright. Taking off his coat, heid down diligently, her devilish eyes shining like a reflective ck diamond. Staring at Mo Xuetong, his smile was insanely beautiful.

    Looking at his delightful manner, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red as she dared not examine that overflowing gentleness in his eyes. Sitting aside, she pulled on his inner clothes. A pile of blood was printed on his white clothes like red plum flowers in snow, obvious to the eye.

    Feng Yuran followed her gaze to his clothes before discovering the bloodstains on it. Immediately, he understood what she meant. Pulling her tiny hands, he asked gently, ¡°Are you concerned about me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red and turned around out of shame due to his intense stare. She wanted to rebandage him but she realized that both her hands were incapable of such actions when she reached out. Mo Xuemin was vicious and three of her fingers were pierced right through. Even though Bai Yihao had excellent medication, all the fingers were connected to her heart, and movement of each made her heart ache.

    Her other hand was red and swollen due to trampling. If not for the fact that Mo Xuemin could not control her strength on a rushing carriage, her palm would be rotten by now.

    Such two hands had no capabilities in helping Feng Yuran rebandage himself. She looked at her two hands with guilt and sighed, pursing her lips.

    ¡°Come over.¡± Feng Yuran understood what she meant and his eyes lit up in delight. With the mere move of a hand, Mo Xuetong¡¯s tiny body was pulled over to his side. His hand was on her slender waist and his eyes were all smiles. He flipped over, putting his head on one hand before examining her intensely, his smilezy yet beautiful.

    Looking at the man¡¯s bare open chest, Mo Xuetong could not help but blush out of embarrassment. Her little hands were still in front of Feng Yuran, whose strong chest muscles made Mo Xuetong¡¯s face burn further. Not knowing what to do, she closed her shy eyes, with her long eyshes flicking and shivering in the process.

    Sounds of heavy gasps made by her traveled in the air, making Feng Yuran¡¯s mind run wild. He could only feel that he loved the beauty in his arms to her bones. Those eyes that could lure a woman¡¯s soul away were full of tender love, without a tinge of evil and moodiness.

    The most arrogant and promiscuous Eighth Prince King Xuan was now just an ordinary man crazy in love. Staring at the lovely girl in her arms, his brows were raised and were full of happiness. He could feel Mo Xuetong¡¯s concern and her shyness. His beautiful eyes linked as his smiles widened even more, hugging Mo Xuetong even more tightly in his chest.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I only have you in my heart, and no one else could enter. You are the same, right?¡±

    Feng Yuran was now a man as tender as water. Even though he had made ns to make Mo Xuetong agree to his marriage proposal, he was unsure now after these few incidents. That was because Tong¡¯er was always so calm, requiring no help at all as if she did not want him to interfere in her matter.

    In particr, Bai Yihao¡¯s vow to Mo Xuetong previously made him a little more flustered.

    He didn¡¯t care what others thought but Bai Yihao was different!

    Feng Yuran knew that even though Bai Yihao seemed soft and gentle, he was an extremely heartless man. Fifth Princess chased her for many years and even utilized Ding General Manor¡¯s hidden forces for him, jeopardizing Ding General Manor¡¯s security in the process. However, he was not touched at all, using Fifth Princess ever so mercilessly.

    Feng Yuran knew that Fifth Princess¡¯ sess in burning Bai Yihao¡¯s manor down this time wasrgely due to Bai Yihao and his efforts. He wanted to get Bai Yihao¡¯s box during the chaos, as he knew that it must have contained important documents of Bai Yihao.

    However, now from Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes, he could only see the love of a man for another woman.

    For a man like Bai Yihao, a marriage proposal would be unrecognized and unmentioned if not for the fact he loved her.

    Since that marriage proposal was ced in Bai Yihao¡¯s most valued jade box, he must have treasured it and have been willing to admit it.

    Fifth Princess burnt Bai Yihao¡¯s manor down and Feng Yuran took the chance to stole the marriage contract, showing Duke Ding¡¯s strength and power so as to invoke Father¡¯s suspicion. Bai Yihao took the chance to move into Bai Yichen¡¯s ce, sessfully luring Fifth Princess and Bai Yichen together, making Emperor Zongwen¡¯s spies useless in the process.

    After all, Bai Yichen was the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. Even though his status was not as prestigious as Bai Yichen, he was a guest in the Yan Kingdom and not a hostage. Thus, Emperor Zongwen had no reason to allocate spies in Bai Yichen¡¯s residence. Furthermore, most of those in Bai Yichen¡¯s manor were his own men and all personnel were thoroughly checked, making it more difficult to allocate one.

    Therefore, in this incident, Feng Yuran and Bai Yihao were sessful. The conceited Bai Yichen and Fifth Princess, who believed that this was all part of Bai Yichen¡¯s n, hating him to the core, failed.

    For such a person to indicate his wishes so clearly, it must mean that he was confident of obtaining it.

    Feng Yuran knew that Bai Yihao was extremely simr to him in that they would either not love or not give up after falling in love. How could Feng Yuran remain calm when he knew that Bai Yihao loved Tong¡¯er too? Thus, after the question, he stared nervously at Mo Xuetong, his rapid breaths hitting her tender white face, making a few gentle waves of emotions.

    Mo Xuetong dared not open her eyes but she could feel the scorching sight from him on her face. After two lives, she had understood her feelings for Feng Yuran and continued even though she had doubts that her mother was killed by the imperial family. As she was afraid, she never mentioned it to him and was seeking the truth alone and silently, praying that it would not hurt her.

    She didn¡¯t know when her emotions overcame her rationality. He had entered her heart with his devilish demeanor.

    Her longshes blinked but she did not have the courage to open her eyes. The hand pulling on the corner of his clothes tightened, refusing to release herself. Instantly, her face turned red as if she were being scorched. Her head hid within his chest as she lowered her head, not knowing what to do.

    Feng Yuran saw her jade-like profile and sensed her reliance on him. Even though she merely moved a little, he could feel that at that moment, love was sprouting out.

    He hugged her tightly in his arms and pressed down against her. Then, he pressed his lips tightly onto her cherry-like lips.

    At first, he did it carefully. However, when touching those soft and gentle lips, he could not control himself, and let go of the gentleness that he diligently controlled to obtain.

    All his senses seemed to be focusing on the two soft lips as if that were everything he had. Everything else seemed unimportant. Not satisfied with such a brief touch, his lips and tongue seemed to have minds of their own, moving towards where she exhaled her fragrant aroma.

    That was his Tong¡¯er, the woman he adored. In this life, she would be his woman and he would never let her go, not even in his death!

 Chapter 332 - Red Lips Touching When Love Is Deep

    <h4><strong>Chapter 332 Red Lips Touching When Love Is Deep</strong></h4>

    When Feng Yuran¡¯s lips came pressing down, Mo Xuetong froze initially. She could feel his thin red lipsbining with hers, and felt a strange sense of numbness as her body lost all strength. Immediately, she felt her entire body scorching from head to toe. Thinking about his tenderness and his pampering, she unconsciously kept her head there, allowing his lips to press against hers.

    Under such an atmosphere, Mo Xuetong even forgot breathing as a warm stream surged up in her heart. Subconsciously, she stared at him as if she were in a beautiful yet vague dream, where there were only them, embracing each other.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s actions became more and more rapid as a thought shed in his head. He wanted to devour this fragile girl in his arms bit by bit, tasting her entire body and leaving his mark on every inch and every crack of her. However, suddenly, he pushed Mo Xuetong aside and tilted his head to gasp quietly, his handsome face blushing.

    Seeing the redness on his devilish and beautiful face, Mo Xuetong blushed even more. She hurriedly closed her eyes andy there motionlessly, as if only that would make him ignore her embarrassment and her existence. Just now, she dared to kiss him back!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what help do you need from me?¡± For a while, there were only two gasping noises in the carriage, a thick one and a thin one. It took a while before Feng Yuran calmed down and asked, smiling and tilting his head.

    Anyway, he would not harm Tong¡¯er, and would wait for her to grow up! His Tong¡¯er was still too young. Furthermore, she was still mourning for her mother, which was a condition he allowed to marry Mo Xuetong. He had always been devilish and had a disdainful attitude towards rules and regtions. However, in front of her, he only wanted to be his best.

    Mo Xuetong regained herposure too and her eyes regained their rity. She stared at Feng Yuran but responded obediently, ¡°Help me investigate You Yuecheng. I think he is involved.¡±

    Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong were not on good terms and it would be nearly impossible for the two of them to cooperate and harm her. The two started mocking each other after merely a few exchanges of words.

    Ever since she was married into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, Mo Xuemin could not even handle her own business and thus had no intentions to care for her. Furthermore, no one in the manor was from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor except Mo Xueyan, who was about to marry You Yuecheng¡¯s brother, who was born by a concubine. There were no obstructive people in her manor.

    Mo Xuemin could not have gifted Mo Xueqiong that Ice Silk as well!

    Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was no longer favored by the Emperor and could not obtain such a handkerchief. Even if he had it, Sima Lingyun would not gift it to Mo Xuemin. He was in love with another woman.

    There was only one person who could string Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin together! That was You Yuecheng!

    Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin were now like water and fire, and thus they would not conspire to hurt her. Other than Sima Lingyun, only You Yuecheng was left with the motive to hurt her. Mo Xuetong did not forget that during New Year¡¯s Eve, she dated him and sessfully caused him to be dissatisfied with her.

    Furthermore, You Yuecheng was Mo Xueyan¡¯s uncle! An extremely powerful uncle would be extremely influential to his concubine brother!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er! It won¡¯t take long for the dogs to bite each other.¡± Feng Yuran smirked and saidzily. He smiled extremely devilishly and his handsome face had a seductive nature like that of a devil, which brought about a kind of cruelty that was graceful and elegant. An extreme chill that could freeze a man at once was emitted from his smile, making the atmosphere extremely cold.

    He would naturally investigate them, especially You Yuecheng¡¯s new master, King Yan Feng Yulei!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were tainted with malice and bloodlust when he remembered that Tong¡¯er would be dead if Bai Yihao was slightlyte. His handsome lips curved ever so slightly for he promised to take the lives of those who dared to hurt his woman. How could he not act when the woman he loved was hurt!

    He stretched out to pull Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, caressing her tightly-wrapped fingers. His eyes were full of hatred when he realized that he could not even see the knuckles of her other hand, as the white tender hand was now extremely swollen.

    Feeling her nervousness and hatred, Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and was about to speak when he hugged her tightly once again. This time, the hug was so tight that she could barely breathe. She did not know why he suddenly became so crazy when his light whisper came rapidly into his ears.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, please don¡¯t do this again! I¡¯m scared!¡± With his voice trembling, not a single tinge of arrogance and mboyance could be found in him, with only nervousness left as if he had just survived a disaster.

    Feng Yuran was in a state she had never seen him in before. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart softened as her eyes misted.

    In her life, never ever had any made her feel so loved and cared before, making her heart melt instantly as if she was surrounded by gentle waters. It turned out that a man can be worried about a woman, caring for her safety to a degree that it overtook his own personality. Now, he was just a gentle young man looking for love, with only her in his eyes.

    How could Mo Xuetong, a woman hurt by love in her previous life, not be touched?

    In her previous life, she longed for love and sacrificed herself and her child for it.

    In this life, true love was ced in front of her with a gentleness that almost drowned her.

    She used to be so afraid of his advances, afraid that she would be dead if she let herself close to him. However, she was no longer regretful now. She needed to fight to avenge her mother, herself, and her child. It was her life and she needed to n and act herself to achieve what she wanted. Even if this was a path of no return, she would be willing to fight a path out of it.

    Even if she flew away in ashes in the end, she did not waste her life.

    ¡°I will never do it again.¡± Mo Xuetong replied softly, blinking her bright eyes obediently. She leaned into his arms voluntarily. Even though that ce had a slight stench of blood, it made herfortable.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s promise made Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty brows all smiles. He let go of Mo Xuetong lightly as if she were fragile porcin before he kissed carefully and ever so lightly on her cheeks. His devilish eyes were teary too and his jade-like face smiled so sweetly.

    Everything in his ears and arms made him at ease. Tong¡¯er was his, only his!

    Everything at this moment was real to him.

    ¡°Are you alright, like this?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed on his handsome but dumbfounded face before pointing to the bandages on his chest. The patch of blood seemed to erge itself, making her extremely uneasy.

    ¡°Alright. I am fine as long as Tong¡¯er is fine.¡± Feng Yuran was at his most joyous and was all smiles. Having recognized Tong¡¯er¡¯s thoughts, he heaved a great sigh of relief. Even though Bai Yihao was also an extremely handsome man, he was the one who captured Tong¡¯er¡¯s heart first. No matter how diligent Bai Yihao would be, Bai Yihao was a stepte than him. Such a thought made his smile more brilliant.

    ¡°Did your father know that you had already woken up?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him aside and sat upright, asking him worriedly.

    Feng Yuran used the excuse of him fainting to make Emperor Zongwen agree to their marriage. If his father came to know that he had little injuries, even running to the cliff to save others, his father might punish him for lying to the emperor. After all, Feng Yuran¡¯s carriage was conspicuous, and many saw it on its way here.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I woke up once yesterday night and my father was delighted to see me. I naturally had to react when something happened to you. Furthermore, when I jumped down the cliff, I checked and made sure no one was around to see me.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and whispered to Mo Xuetong, looking at her with a graceful and gentle smile.

    Seeing his proud smile, Mo Xuetong knew he had a n already. Mo Xuetong was slightly relieved and sighed, afraid that she would upset his n with her mistake.

    Feng Yuran reminded Mo Xuetong of something with a few words before sending her back to her manor.

    When Mo Xuetong¡¯s figure disappeared in her manor, Feng Yuran¡¯s gentle smile slowly disappeared.

    The carriage slowly drove back.

    His servants helped Feng Yuran rest in his room and the doctor came forth to remove his clothing and rebandage him before quietly retreating.

    ¡°Wang Fu, check on You Yuecheng¡¯s recent actions.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s gloomy eyes were staring at Steward Wang.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing that his master was angry, Steward Wang dared not say much and nodded to agree, secretly wiping the sweat off his forehead. You Yuecheng did really provoke his master this time, who would naturally not let him off so easily.

    ¡°I heard that the daughter of a concubine from Mo Manor likes Third Brother. Even though Third Brother liked You Yuecheng¡¯s sister, but we shall be kind and help Third Brother. I also heard that Grand Secretariat Wang also has a daughter. We shall package them and send them all into our Third Brother¡¯s manor. He will naturally be so thankful.¡± Feng Yuran orderedzily as if he were merely talking about ordinary everyday happenings. However, the corner of his eye was bloodthirsty and sharp, making one chill at the bottom of his heart.

    He wanted to package these two women into King Yan¡¯s Manor. For the two women, one had a promiscuous rtionship with many men while the other had a lover already... If that happened, the back garden of King Yan¡¯s manor would resolve into a mess. With the addition of the arrogant First Miss from Mingguo Manor, his harem would be like a pot of messy congee, with fire sparking off it before it was even cooked.

    Steward Wang immediately understood his instructions and carefully asked to confirm, ¡°Your Highness, do you mean that you want King Yan to have those two as his concubines?¡±

    If he didn¡¯t remember wrongly, it was stated in his notes that Miss Wang had sexual rtions with King Ning Feng Yuzhen, and had always dated each other. King Yan would be a cuckold if she was sent into King Yan¡¯s manor as a concubine. Even though the one in Mo manor had nothing going on with Sima Lingyun, but the matters in the plum garden and the fire in the back garden made the two hug, ruining her reputationpletely.

    It would be utterly shameful for King Yan to be a cuckold for two women! If everyone knew about it, King Yan would have no face left to argue with others on the court. His Highness said that he had evidence that King Yan was behind this matter. It would only take the Emperor a little investigation to find out the evidence pointing to King Yan, and King Yan would never be able to talk himself out of it.

    Facing such a defunct situation, would King Yan n to eliminate His Highness if he knew the ending? The answer was a definite no!

    No one could offend his master.

    ¡°I shall enter the pceter toin to my father. I was desperately sick and had just found a wife, but these people wanted to murder her! They wanted me to die! Since they hurt my woman, I shall not be polite.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome lips curved up in a mocking smile, his eyes deep with darkness.

    Since Feng Yulei chose to strike at him, Feng Yulei had to withstand his fatal blow back...

 Chapter 333 - A Pair of Second Consorts Enters King Yans Manor

    <strong>Chapter 333 A Pair of Second Consorts Enters King Yan¡¯s Manor</strong>

    When talking about the drama of marriage, King Yan Feng Yulei¡¯s marriage was by far the most dramatic one of them all.

    First, the Empress ordered him to marry Mingguo Manor¡¯s first miss You Yue¡¯e, which was a perfect marriage. Mingguo Manor¡¯s status was also suitable for that of the imperial family, and the Empress was so satisfied that she kept nodding. She particrly adored the gentleness of thedy, even though that could just be a facade. The truth was that she came from a prestigious family and could help Feng Yulei greatly.

    However, no one expected the situation to turn near the marriage date. Unexpectedly, Emperor Zongwen ordered to send Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s daughter and Mo Manor¡¯s unpopr daughter into King Yan¡¯s manor, making them his second consorts. When the order was passed down to him, King Yan was discussing strategies with You Yuecheng in Mingguo Manor.

    Hearing that the Emperor sent a message to his manor, he rushed back to acknowledge it. When he heard the order, he kneeled on the ground, pale and stiff, unable to utter a single word.

    ¡°Your Highness, please rise to receive the order.¡± Seeing the stunned Feng Yulei, Liu Xi stepped forward quietly, as if he wanted to pull Feng Yulei up.

    Feng Yulei reacted and grabbed Liu Xi¡¯s hand, standing up but not releasing his hand. His face turned ck as he urged, ¡°Eunuch Liu, what does Father mean? I have not been married yet and naturally could not have second consorts. Did Father forget that I can¡¯t take second consorts before having a main consort?¡±

    His strong support now was from You Yuecheng and he required more support from Mingguo Manor in the future. He could not offend Mingguo Manor now. Furthermore, it would be important for Feng Yulei to find out if this was the intention of the Emperor or others. If someone purposefully spoke badly of him in front of the Emperor, he still had hope of turning the table.

    If not, the Emperor meant what he said and that possibility made Feng Yulei¡¯s body turn cold from the chill running up his body.

    Behind Liu Xi, two small sedans were ced there. The several servants carrying the sedan seats were all kneeling at the side. The curtains were ced down, with only shoes with embroidered patterns seen from outside.

    There was never a precedent for someone from the imperial family to marry concubines before wives. Throughout history, it was acknowledged that families were the foundations of countries and that a prince would be incapable of settling national affairs if he couldn¡¯t handle his family.

    This was not merely humiliating him, but rather chiding him. That made Feng Yulei scared, angry, indignant, and panic.

    Moreover, he did not know what Mingguo Manor would react if he epted these concubines. Mingguo Manor would probably be upset and angry at his act of marrying concubines before his proper wife, and might not really put in the effort to help him in his battle for the throne. Thinking about that made Feng Yulei extremely ufortable and his usual calmness dissipated.

    He disregarded his prestigious status as he was eager to find out what happened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. The Emperor said that since you were interested in these twodies, even gifting your handkerchiefs to them secretly, akin to soliciting marriage. Even though the Emperor did not know if you have maintained your decency, but it would be unwise if a long time has passed and our imperial descendants were lost outside. Thus, he decided to order you to marry them.¡± Liu Xi seemed to be smiling and have a benevolent demeanor. However, he had a slight tinge of disdain hidden in his eyes.

    In the past, he recognized that King Yan was someone extremely decent, and did not expect him to be doing such things privately. If not for the fact that King Xuan was crying in the imperial study with his injured body, he would not have expected such malice from King Yan. To harm his brother, he would even be willing to hurt his future sister-inw.

    After the matter was exposed, he wanted to remove the two women as well. If not for the fact that King Xuan acted fast, the two women would have been dead. The Emperor merely conducted some investigation before the whole matter came clear. How could he not be angry when King Yan decided to wave the fly off the tiger¡¯s head?

    Liu Xi, who was always by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side, was a true confidant of him.

    The Emperor valued King Xuan much more than he valued the other sons.

    How could he be left unpunished if he touched the Emperor¡¯s favorite child? This was just punishment from the Emperor.

    ¡°Secretly sending handkerchiefs?¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s heart sank as his fingers trembled, unable to speak. He looked at the two sedans in front of him with horror. He knew nothing about Wang Xiuxiu but he did know about Mo Xueqiong. How could the two secret guards of You Yuecheng not seed? Could the two women be still alive?

    No, no. You Yuecheng¡¯s two subordinates were all extremely capable people, and could definitely handle two weak women.

    ¡°Your Highness, the two women resided inside all came from proper families, and were fit for your status. His Majesty said that there was no need for ceremonies since they were just second consorts, to prevent putting too much pressure on your future proper wife. Hence, we just sent them in like that. You can consummate the marriages tonight. His Majesty also said that since Your Highness had been busy with your marriage today, there was no need to care about court affairs and Your Highness should just rest.¡± Liu Xi smiled as if he had not seen the horror residing deep within Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes. He slightly lifted the imperial order and ced it in Feng Yulei¡¯s hand before retreating.

    Father actually found out! Father actually found out!

    Holding the imperial order, Feng Yulei was trembling and was about to drop it and fall when the eunuch next to him reacted fast and supported his hand. He was so weak that he could not stand. Father implied that he needed not to go to court anymore, making him even more fearful and horrified.

    Could his diligence over the years be ruined by these two bitches?

    ¡°Come, send the pair of second consorts to their houses.¡± He ground his teeth and reminded himself to beposed. He must be calm so that others could not see his panic and fear.

    ¡°Which two houses?¡± The little eunuch asked timidly.

    ¡°Any two, just make them far away from me.¡± Feng Yulei ordered fiercely.

    He knew about Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s affairs. Empress Dowager thought that she was secretive, but many were aware of it. How could Feng Yulei, who always considered himself decent, be able to endure it when an hical and promiscuous woman who had an affair with Feng Yuzhen became his second consort!

    There was also that pig-like stupid woman from Mo Manor who longed to be his second consort. She was just a materialistic bitch in his eyes and he believed that she also had an unknown affair with Sima Lingyun.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± A purposefully gentle voice rang from the sedan behind. Mo Xueqiong came rushing out happily, with a veil covering her face. She rushed towards Feng Yulei, excited.

    She thought she would be dead and did not expect herself to be the second consort of King Yan. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s heart was swaying on heaven as she couldn¡¯t believe this to be real. At this time, she heard the eunuch outside reading the orders and could not suppress the excitement in her heart. She pulled the curtains aside and was delighted to see that handsome face.

    She could not care about etiquette, rushing over to seekfort.

    Since the things that had happened today were too horrifying, she had been in a state of panic as if she had lost her soul.

    After pushing Mo Xuetong down the carriage, the carriage copsed and her head hit the carriage walls heavily. The window fell on her face, creating a few scars there before she fainted. After she woke up, she was harshly interrogated by someone unknown. She dared not hide anything and exined everything she knew urately.

    Afterward, she was sent on a sedan towards King Yan¡¯s manor.

    She thought she must be dreaming to be married to the young and handsome King Yan as a second consort. She believed that she would be rich and famous in the future, enjoying all the resources out there. When Feng Yulei became the emperor in the future, she would be a doted concubine, or even the empress, enjoying a position second only to the emperor himself. Thinking about that made Mo Xueqiong not afraid anymore, as a surge of passion rushed through her veins.

    If she had known that killing Mo Xuetong was so beneficial, she would have struck earlier!

    She had always been unsatisfied and envious at that bitch for her position as a princess and for her future marriage to a king, especially when she believed that she was not inferior to Mo Xuetong at all. She believed that she could achieve the same feat. See, as long as that bitch died, she was now bing the concubine of a king, enjoying numerous riches.

    She became prouder as she pondered on the possibilities. Shen then faked her affection and called out again, ¡°Your Highness!¡±,pletely ignoring the ck face of Feng Yulei, who was about to explode in anger.

    ¡°Screw off!¡± Looking at this pretentious woman, Feng Yulei¡¯s veins emerged from his face out of anger. Only this woman was possible of revealing to the Emperor the fact that he gifted her a piece of handkerchief. He stretched out his leg and kicked at the running Mo Xueqiong with great force. He was immensely angry and was nothing like his usualposed self.

    Mo Xueqiong did not know that Feng Yulei would kick her and thus flew out without any defense. Her body knocked onto the white jade pirs behind, spitting blood upon impact with it. Her veil slipped off and a disfigured face was revealed. Two deep scars were across her face, dividing her nose and splitting her pretty face into two sinister halves.

    ¡°Your Highness, you...¡± She raised her head in disbelief. Looking at Feng Yulei, her eyes diverted away as she tried her best to utter words. However, her head just feebly fell down and then she fainted.

    ¡°Hurry and pull her down.¡± Feng Yulei looked at Mo Xueqiong in disgust and ordered harshly.

    Seeing that their master¡¯s attitude, the two eunuchs came and pulled Mo Xueqiong down like a dead dog, grabbing her two arms respectively. After they were gone, only two light trails of blood remained. Nobody cared about her life. Once inside this manor, she became an asset of the manor. Feng Yulei, as the lord of this manor, would naturally destroy the lives of the people who failed to satisfy his heart.

    In the other sedan, Wang Xiuxiu was shivering uncontrobly. She did not expect King Yan with a good reputation to be so violent. Now, she dared not speak at all. The thought of her being kicked just now made her face turn snow-white as she touched her stomach subconsciously.

    Her fingers were pulling on the curtain as she tried her best to not make a single sound.

    ¡°Bring her down too.¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s cold voice came from outside.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Someone answered and the sedan was lifted up and slowly away from Feng Yulei. Throughout the entire process, Wang Xiuxiu did not utter a single word.

    In King Yan¡¯s Manor, Feng Yulei became angry and anxious, pacing in the room uncontrobly. Another person was equally furious.

    King Ning Feng Yuzhen was pacing in Cining Pce at the same time. Empress Dowager sat gloomily on her throne. There was only one candle lit in the hall and the hall was dim as if many demons were inside it.

    ¡°Grandma, what now?¡± ¡°You asked me not to marry Wang Xiuxiu, what now?¡± Feng Yuzhen¡¯s face was dreary as heined anxiously to Empress Dowager.

    In the past, the decision to not marry Wang Xiuxiu was because he was not afraid of her escaping his control since he had promised her of a prestigious position in the future. With Wang Xiuxiu unable to escape, Grand Secretariat Wang would naturally be at his side. As long as he lured Wang Xiuxiu on, Grand Secretariat Wang could only help himself. With Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s power in the court, his development would naturally be smoother.

    However, with Wang Xiuxiu entering King Yan¡¯s manor, everything came crashing down. Grand Secretariat Wang was now no longer his helper. If Grand Secretariat Wang betrayed him, it would be devastating since many of his secret intelligence came from Grand Secretariat Wang.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He dared not do so.¡± Empress Dowager answered coldly. Her wrinkled face under the candlelight made her seem as eerie as a ghost. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zhen¡¯er. I have information that could be used against him.¡±

    ¡°Grandma, do we need to ask for marriage from General Manor now?¡± Feng Yuzhen heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Empress Dowager¡¯s words. He wiped the cold sweat off his head. They had decided for Empress Dowager to order marriage of General Manor but now did not seem to be the time since such an incident happened. Emperor Zongwen must be unhappy now, and if General Manor was unsatisfied with this marriage, the Emperor would naturally investigate further.

    Fu General manor was not any ordinary aristocrat, for a quarter of Great Qin¡¯s military was under their control. Feng Yuzhen dared not attempt this gamble However, he had left Yan Kingdom for a while already, and Emperor Zongwen must have sent people to investigate. If evidence was found proving that he was no longer in the Yan Kingdom, it would be an utter disaster for him!

    That made more cold sweat emerge from Feng Yuzhen¡¯s head.

    ¡°Zhen¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I shall take care of this matter. I will ask the Emperor to send you back tomorrow.¡± Empress Dowager¡¯s Buddhist beads seemed to be pulled on hard as the beads fell onto the ground, giving off a dull sound. In this mysterious hall, the sound made one inexplicably afraid.

    It could not beter than tomorrow as the Yan Kingdom had sent the message that special messengers from the Qin Kingdom had entered their state, reaching the city tomorrow! It would be impossible for Empress of Yan Kingdom to conceal the information that Feng Yuzhen was not in the Yan Kingdom then!

 Chapter 334 - The Empress Dowager of Cining Palace Is Gravely Ill

    <h4>Chapter 334 The Empress Dowager of Cining Pce Is Gravely Ill</h4>

    News of the Empress Dowager¡¯s severe illness was sent to Emperor Zongwen immediately. Emperor Zongwen, who was a filial son, immediately stopped his talks with his inner cab about the nation¡¯s matters and went to Cining Pce. On his way, he met the Empress, who was hurrying in the same direction as well. Emperor Zongwen did not care that the Empress was still being punished and they went to Cining Pce together.

    The eunuch guarding the door paused for a moment when he saw them entering together. Then, he quickly went up to them and knelt in wee.

    Emperor Zongwen got off his pnquin and rushed in while he asked, ¡°The Empress Dowager was doing fine yesterday night. Why did she...¡±

    The eunuch did not dare to hesitate when he saw the grave and angry expression on Emperor Zongwen. He ran behind Emperor Zongwen, wiping the sweat off his brows while he said, ¡°Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager was still fine when she went to bed and she had a great half bowl of rice for dinner. We saw that she was fine so we left only a few people behind lest we make too much noise. We did not think that we would find the Empress Dowager ill this morning.¡±

    The eunuch shook nervously. The Emperor was known to be filial to the Empress Dowager. If anything happened to her, everyone in the pce would have a bad time.

    ¡°You useless ve. If anything happens to the Empress Dowager, you all can only dream about staying alive.¡± Emperor Zongwen said coldly. There was a sh of icy coldness in his eyes. The eunuchs and pce maids who were standing by the side were all so frightened that they lowered their heads and knelt down.

    They felt wronged though. Before the Empress Dowager fell asleepst night, she was still in pretty good health. She even ate more for dinner than she usually did. Then, she had told them to leave early to rest. The Empress Dowager had not been feeling well recently and she slept very early at night. As such, this was considered a regr urrence and no one took extra note of it.

    The other servants left after leaving the Empress Dowager with lit candles that she specially asked for. Only Eunuch Yu, the manager of the pce and also the Empress Dowager¡¯s most trusted servant stayed behind. All was silent that night, but no one expected to hear that the Empress Dowager had fallen ill the next morning. Everyone in Cining Pce was afraid and filled with trepidation. They were all afraid that they might be beheaded if they were not careful.

    There were a few imperial physicians outside the pceing up with a prescription together. When they saw Emperor Zongwen, they knelt down hurriedly and kowtowed.

    ¡°How is the Empress Dowager?¡± Emperor Zongwen stopped to ask. His face was dark and grave.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager had a shock thest time and still has not recovered from it. Furthermore, she has a cold and due to her advanced age, she...¡± The imperial physicians did not dare to hide anything and they spoke truthfully.

    It was spring and Cining Pce was deep inside the pce. There were so many people looking after the Empress Dowager, who was already ill, and they all did their best. Furthermore, she was not a child, how could they let her catch a cold? Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes darkened and he pursed his lips. He looked menacing as he swept his gaze upon the imperial physicians, from the first man to thest and then back again.

    The coldness in the air made them all stand frigidly as the Emperor looked at them. The imperial physicians felt sweat dripping down their backs and they could not speak.

    ¡°Is the Empress Dowager in danger?¡± He asked coldly.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager¡¯s body is weak and she often catches colds. We are preparing medicine and do not dare to say anything for now...¡± The imperial physicians could not make their difficulty known. The Empress Dowager¡¯s illness seemed grave but it was not really a big deal. However, because of her advanced age and the fact that she had yet to recover from her previous illness, they were afraid that something bad might happen to her.

    The imperial physicians all did not dare to take responsibility for that. As such, they all treated the ordinary cold as a grave illness. They were all frightened when Emperor Zongwen stared at them coldly and they conveyed their message murkily.

    ¡°If you cannot cure the Empress Dowager,e back with your head in your hand.¡± Emperor Zongwen said coldly and strode into the pce with his robes swishing behind him.

    The imperial physicians paled with fear. Two of the older physicians fell down, shaking so hard they could not get up.

    A few of the younger physicians stood up and helped them to the side.

    The Empress, who was surrounded by many pce maids and eunuchs hurried over then.

    The imperial physicians had only just sat down but wanted to greet the Empress. She waved her hands to stop them and then brought her entourage into the pce hurriedly.

    ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, you are the eldest amongst us. What do you think?¡± An imperial physician saw how hurried the Empress was and asked Imperial Physician Wang after he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Earlier on, they had been hesitating about whether they should give a heavier dose of medication, afraid that the Empress Dowager would be thoroughly ill. Now that the Emperor said that they would be killed if they could not treat the Empress Dowager, they had to think up a new treatment.

    The focus of the discussion turned from treating the symptoms to treating the root of the problem. It did not matter as long as they could cure the Empress Dowager. They could discuss whatever happened in the future when it happened. They had to get through this first. At the most, they could just find a way to resign after the Empress Dowager recovered from this illness. The imperial physicians all had this idea.

    ¡°Alright, we will use the third prescription that we discussed earlier. What do you all think?¡± Imperial Physician Wang gritted his teeth and set his mind to it. He was already quite old. After he treated the Empress Dowager from this, he would retire and return to his hometown.

    This was no longer a matter of who was taking responsibility. If they did not manage to cure the Empress Dowager, they would die. No one dared to treat the matter lightly.

    However, this was already the best n. They could only live when the Empress Dowager was cured.

    ¡°I agree!¡±

    ¡°I agree!¡± The imperial physicians said one after another.

    The third prescription was the one that they had the most dissensions about. It looked like it would treat the illness quickly and they might even be able to cure the Empress Dowager with a few medications. After all, the Empress Dowager¡¯s illness seemed dangerous but it was not actually a big deal. However, they did not dare to dawdle since there was such a hugemotion in Cining Pce.

    However, the greatest disadvantage of this prescription was that it would hurt the fundamentals of the body!

    All medications were made up partially of poison and the third prescription had many effects that were nourishing. It seemed harmless, but the elderly should not receive too much nourishment or it would lead to problems in the future. If the Empress Dowager were to fall ill again, she would need even stronger medication. A person¡¯s body could only hold that much medicine and it would affect the person in the future. If the Empress Dowager were to have a slight illness in the future, it might even endanger her life.

    However, to stay alive, the imperial physicians could not care about that.

    They examined the prescription again before submitting it.

    Emperor Zongwen hurried into the inner hall. The Princess Royal and Duchess Ding were kneeling before the Empress Dowager¡¯s bed in greeting.

    A eunuch had already lifted the veil above the bed and the Empress Dowager¡¯s face could be seen behind it. She was deeply asleep.

    The Empress Dowager looked haggard and the flush on her cheeks was brighter than usual. Her lips were dry and cracked and her eyes were tightly shut. She was very drowsy and seemed to be unconscious. She did look rather gravely ill.

    ¡°Who was the one who served the Empress Dowagerst night?¡± Emperor Zongwen stood before the bed and swept his eyes across the eunuchs and pce maids kneeling there. He was so sharp that even Duchess Ding, who had been ncing at him surreptitiously, lowered her head.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I did...¡± Eunuch Yu who was kneeling at the front of the bed scooted up forward on his knees. He cried. ¡°Last night, the Empress Dowager was still well when she went to bed. She joked with me for a while and then fell asleep. I waited outside the entire night after Her Majesty fell asleep. Nothing happened all night. This morning, I went to rouse Her Majesty but she would not wake. I was flustered and caused Your Majesty toe.¡±

    Even though Eunuch Yu was crying, he was very glib and managed to recount what happened in detail.

    Nothing was said all night? A cold glint shed through Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes as he stared at Eunuch Yu coldly. Silence descended upon the hall immediately and the air felt so thick with tension that one could hardly breathe. The Empress, who arrivedter, waved at the back and gestured for those behind her to remain silent. Then, she lowered her head and stood at the entrance, appearing to be very respectful.

    Only the slight curl of her lips revealed her faint cold smirk.

    She did not know what the old woman, who had pretended to be ill for a long while, was nning today.

    ¡°Men, take this useless ve down and beat him to death.¡± Emperor Zongwen said coldly after a long while.

    Eunuch Yu was startled. Two guards took hold of his arms before he could even react and they dragged him out coldly. Eunuch Yu was flustered and he screamed in shock. ¡°Your Majesty, please spare me, Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, please spare me!¡±

    Eunuch Yu could not be bothered to reiterate how gravely ill the Empress Dowager was, just like she had told him to. The Emperor had not said anything else before deciding to have him flogged to death. This was something both he and the Empress Dowager had not thought of before. He was flustered now and screamed urgently as he rushed to the bed where the Empress Dowager was pretending to be unconscious.

    Eunuch Yu screamed and struggled, trying to get out of the hold the two guards had on him. However, the Emperor¡¯s guards were all highly skilled. How could an old eunuch be able to get out of their grasps? Duchess Ding who was kneeling by the side moved her legs. She looked up and wanted to say something to help Eunuch Yu. However, she had only looked up when she saw the Empress¡¯ icy cold gaze turning upon her.

    The Empress¡¯ gaze was icy cold without a hint of warmth in them. They looked as if they were icy cold stars shining in them. Duchess Ding shuddered in fear and lowered her head, pretending not to hear anything.

    The Ding General Manor was ced in a difficult position when the Empress and Empress Dowager fought. The two did not get along but they both came from the Ding General Manor. It was truly difficult to deal with, and if they were not careful, they would offend both parties. Duke Ding hadined many times to Duchess Ding that he only hoped that the two royals would let each other off seeing that they both came from the Ding General Manor.

    Of course, Duke Ding supported his young sister more than the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was, after all, just a distant rtive. The Empress was much closer to him than the Empress Dowager. He hoped that the Empress Dowager would allow all of them to get out of the situation without much embarrassment since they were from the same family. However, the Empress was the one who was angry now...

    It seemed that the chasm between the Empress and Empress Dowager had widened. It was not just that the Empress Dowager disliked the Empress, the Empress disliked the Empress Dowager greatly as well. Duchess Ding did not dare to provoke the Empress at this moment and she immediately behaved herself.

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Just as Eunuch Yu was about to be dragged out of the pce, the Empress Dowager moved on the bed. She breathed heavily and slowly opened her eyes, calling out for the Emperor with some difficulty. She pressed her hand on the bed, making the move to sit up. However, her hand was weak due to her illness and she fell back heavily onto the bed.

    The Princess Royal, who had been kneeling by the bed quickly held her up so that the Empress Dowager did not fall too badly.

    The Empress Dowagerid in the Princess Royal¡¯s embrace and panted. Then, she said softly with some difficulty, ¡°Your Majesty, release the servant... it was not his fault.¡±

    ¡°Empress Dowager,¡± Emperor Zongwen squatted when he heard the Empress Dowager. He leaned forward to help the Princess Royal prop the Empress Dowager up. He said, ¡°It is all because those dratted servants were not careful and caused you to be ill. I have to punish them.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, it is I... I wanted to cool down, so I... caught a cold... It¡¯s not their fault...¡± The Empress Dowager tugged on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s sleeve urgently when she saw that he was determined to punish the servants. Her breath hitched and she almost could not catch her breath. She coughed violently but did not let go and pointed in the direction where Eunuch Yu was dragged off.

    Eunuch Yu was her most trusted servant. How could she really allow Emperor Zongwen to kill him?

    Those scripted lines and her illness were all nned.

    ¡°Men, he might be spared from death, but he still has to be punished. Flog him 20 times.¡± Emperor Zongwen patted the Empress Dowager¡¯s back lightly, helping to ease her cough. However, he insisted on punishing the servant. Even though Eunuch Yu did not have to be killed, it was still 20 strokes of the cane. While that would not kill the old eunuch, he would lose ayer of skin from that.

    The Empress Dowager caught her breath and panted heavily. There was a hint of viciousness that shed through her murky eyes. However, she did not reveal anything. Instead, she tugged Emperor Zongwen¡¯s hand weakly and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I have enjoyed so many years of blessings, and that has to be because I prayed for it in my past life. I have many children and grandchildren, and even if I die, I have been blessed. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    There was a slight smile on her lips and she seemed very gracious. However, there was a hint of bitterness at the corner of her lips. She made a move to speak but stopped herself.

    ¡°Why are you saying such things? You are healthy. I have already asked the imperial physicians and they said you are fine. You just have to rest and recuperate well.¡± Emperor Zongwen smiled andforted her.

    The imperial physicians had submitted the prescription and he had looked at it briefly. Then, he nodded and allowed the physicians to leave and get the herbs to make the medicine.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are very filial, so is Zhu¡¯er.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s murky eyes slowly turned from Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face to the Princess Royal¡¯s. Then, she sighed contentedly. She held Emperor Zongwen¡¯s hand again and said, ¡°If I die, ask Zhen¡¯er toe back and light incense for me. He is far away in Yan alone, and I worry for him.¡±

    So that was what the fuss was about. There was a sh of ridicule in the Empress¡¯ eyes, who stood not far away.

    ¡°Empress Dowager, do not worry. I will send an imperial edict to have King Ning return. You just have to recuperate.¡± Emperor Zongwen said immediately. He was known to be filial and he would not go against his mother¡¯s wishes on her sickbed. He immediately announced his edict and had someone speed to the Yan Kingdom to bring King Ning back to the Qin Kingdom so that The Empress Dowager would not worry.

 Chapter 335 - Mass Poisoning at Duke Zhenguoâ€™s Manor

    <h4><strong>Chapter 335 Mass Poisoning at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor</strong></h4>

    Emperor Zongwenforted the Empress Dowager. Then, seeing the imperial physicians sent medicine over, he personally fed the Empress Dowager. He left after the Empress Dowager nagged at him to. The Empress stayed behind to serve the Empress Dowager medicine.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er, go back and rest as well. Your health is not so good either, don¡¯t fall sick again.¡± The Empress Dowager looked slightly better after taking the medicine. Her brows rxed and she patted the Princess Royal¡¯s hand benevolently.

    The Princess Royal Mingzhu¡¯s illness rpses from time to time. She seemed slightly thinner than usual. She had rushed into the pce early in the morning and the bruises under her eyes could not be hidden even with the thickest powder she put on her face. The worry in her eyes was obvious and it was certain that she was truly worried about the Empress Dowager¡¯s illness. She was just a princess without any power and her interests did not conflict with anyone else¡¯s. As such, she was treated well.

    She had grown up under the care of the Empress Dowager. After the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological daughter, Princess Royal Yunruo was married off to the Yan Kingdom, the Empress Dowager lived alone and the Princess Royal Mingzhu was rather close to her. When she heard that the Empress Dowager was gravely ill, she did not even care about herself before she hurried into the pce. When she saw that the Empress Dowager was fine, she rxed and felt cold all over.

    ¡°Mother, I am fine. I am just worried about your health, so I was in a hurry when I came here. I must have been too anxious.¡± The Princess Royal¡¯s face was pale,parable to how the Empress Dowager had looked earlier. She sighed and tried to smile.

    ¡°Princess Royal, you¡¯d best return. I will take care of Mother lest you fall ill when Mother recovers. His Majesty will me me for it then. There are truly many things happening in the pcetely and everyone is feeling anxious.¡± The Empress smiled and said warmly to the Princess Royal.

    It did not sound nice at all, as if all that happened in the pce had been done intentionally. Of course, what happened in Cining Pce today was just a show as well.

    Duchess Ding lowered her head silently, pretending that she did not exist.

    One of them was her husband¡¯s younger sister, the Empress. The other was her husband¡¯s aunt, the Empress Dowager.

    She could not offend any one of them.

    ¡°It is hard on you. If I get better, I will go to Buddha and ask him to protect the Qin Kingdom.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled warmly, touching the Buddhist beads by her pillow. The Princess Royal reached out to pluck out the beads with familiarity and passed them to the Empress Dowager.

    ¡°If the Empress Dowager does get better, it would be worth it even if my life is shortened. I will go with you to pray to Buddha.¡± The Empress smiled looking like a filial daughter. The atmosphere in Cining Pce was harmonious as if they had all forgotten that the lead eunuch of Cining Pce was being flogged right outside.

    Meanwhile, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor was in chaos!

    Yesterday, Sima Lingyun returned to find that not only Yun Yiqiu was poisoned, but Duchess Zhenguo and his younger sister were also both unconscious.

    When he had the matter investigated, he realized that the three of them had eaten mushrooms with stewed chicken.

    When he checked carefully, he realized that Mo Xuemin, who had never sent anyone to the kitchens, had sent her personal maidservant for soup on the day of the incident.

    After what happened on their wedding night, Mo Xuemin, his legal wife, had been forced to beg his concubine for forgiveness. One would only need to think to realize what sort of status Mo Xuemin had in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Nobody cared about the Marquess¡¯ new wife, and she was not even treated as an ordinary maid. She lived far away in an out-of-the-way spot. The food the kitchen sent her was cold.

    However, Mo Xuemin had never gone to the kitchen to say anything.

    Early this morning, Mo Xuemin¡¯s personal maid, Qiu Qiao, had gone to the kitchen to ask for hot soup.

    Because it was too early, there were not too many people in the kitchen. This was the time fresh ingredients were sent to the manor. Most of the servants had gone to fetch the ingredients and the mushroom stew was on the stove.

    Duchess Zhenguo was from the south and loved such small mushrooms. Yun Yiqiu and Sima Heyan both enjoyed the same food. The dish was made for the three of them. Everyone in the manor knew because they were very careful when they made it. Even though most people had gone to work, they left a little maid to watch the dish.

    Qiu Qiao entered then and got the little maid to make soup. The maid ignored her and was pped forcefully by Qiu Qiao. The two bickered and then Qiu Qiao left angrily. After that, everything happened as normal and nothing extraordinary happened. However, something major happened.

    ¡°Marquess, these are the usual maids, and they are still working here. We know that Madam, Miss, and Auntie are eating this, so the servants did not dare to make any mistakes and poison the dish no matter how gutsy we are. We would not dare to harm our masters.¡± The old servant who was in charge of the kitchen screamed and knelt before Sima Lingyun. Her sobs were startlingly loud.

    Now that the three female mistresses of the manor had taken ill, it was not something a small kitchen manager like her could take responsibility for.

    Mo Xuemin! The veins on Sima Lingyun¡¯s face twitched. There was no other doubt. Mo Xuemin must have done this.

    It was not the first time that he had dealt with Mo Xuemin. He knew how vicious she could be. However, he did not realize it when they were working together to deal with Mo Xuetong. He only thought that she was very intelligent. She was now pointing the gun at him, and that was when he realized that she was extremely vicious.

    No wonder she wanted to go to light incense with her younger sisters. She wanted to evade responsibility.

    ¡°Men, go to the Repayment Temple and ask Madam to return.¡± He gritted his teeth and said fiercely as he picked up a porcin cup beside his hand and threw it onto the ground.

    Did Mo Xuemin think that he would not be able to do anything to her since she was at the Mo Manor!

    He had not even sent anyone out yet when a little servant suddenly ran in. He yelled as he ran in, saying, ¡°Your Excellency, Your Excellency, go and take a look. Madam is back.¡±

    She¡¯s back. Mo Xuemin dared to return. Sima Lingyun said furiously, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you letting her in since she¡¯s back? Do you want me to go and pick her up?¡±

    ¡°No, Your Excellency, Madam, Madam was sent back. She is outside the manor.¡± The little servant stuttered a little unclearly in his anxiousness. He pointed outside the door while he wiped off his sweat. He was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

    How could he not be anxious? There were many people surrounding Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, watching the show.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you¡¯d best take a look!¡± The little servant pointed outside and said nervously, ¡°Madam and a man... there are many people watching.¡±

    Mo Xuemin and a man were making a show outside his home, and there were people watching!

    The veins on Sima Lingyun¡¯s forehead throbbed and anger soared through him. He ran out, kicking aside the little servant as he said sharply, ¡°Move!¡±

    Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had be the butt of jokes again and again. The officialdom that was before his eyes moved further and further away. How could he not be mad?!

    There were many people surrounding the empty Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. They were all here for the show.

    There were two people who were tied up outside the doors. Their clothes were thin and tousled clothing revealed the inner bellyband. The two were tied up with a red rope tightly. The woman was a beauty and her hands were tied tightly behind the man¡¯s back. The man was rather good-looking as well. His one hand was on the woman¡¯s bellyband and his other around the woman¡¯s slender waist.

    No matter how the people looked at it, they found that the two looked like an adulterous pair caught in the bed.

    They looked flustered when they saw so many people and they tried to escape their bindings. However, when they did that, the pitiful clothing that they wore almost fell off. The man¡¯s hand was still on the woman¡¯s chest. When he moved forcefully, her bellyband which hung off her neck, shook and was about to fall. The woman was so frightened she could not help but scream and she leaned into the man subconsciously.

    ¡°Is that the Marquess¡¯ wife? What is she up to now?¡± The crowd standing outside pointed at them. Someone had already guessed that the woman whose clothes were in disarray was the famous wife of the Marquess Zhenguo from the startled yells of the guards.

    ¡°She can¡¯t take it just after three days of marriage. This Marquess¡¯ wife is really unique. Could it be that Marquess Zhenguo cannot satisfy her? It¡¯s just been three days...¡± Someone said lecherously. They looked at Mo Xuemin as if they had wanted to pierce a hole through her with their eyes.

    Mo Xuemin wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. While she was usually vicious and ruthless, she was still a youngdy and had never been so ashamed. She was not only hugging a man with her clothes in disarray, but the man¡¯s hand was also on her chest. He was pressed against her in public. She was so ashamed she wanted to die.

    She did not even know what happened.

    Mo Xuetong fell off the carriage and the carriage hit a tree and toppled over on the cliff. She had not even celebrated that Mo Xuetong was finally dead while she was still alive when she hit her head against the horse carriage and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was in this state. Furthermore, the words on the manor clearly read that it was Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    She had been sent back to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor! How could she not be anxious!

    She had thought that she would never return to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor again. To vent her frustrations, Mo Xuemin had gotten her maid to create trouble in the kitchens. She had put poison in the Duchess¡¯ favorite mushrooms stewed chicken. She was going to poison the three sluts. Even if someone were to discover the matterter, Sima Lingyun would not be able to do anything if he couldn¡¯t find her!

    As long as she changed her identity, she could be Marquess Mingguo¡¯s concubine. So what if Sima Lingyun recognized her in the future? Would the insignificant Duke Zhenguo dare to fight Duke Mingguo?!

    Yet, her ns would never be able to catch up with how quickly things changed. What was happening? Why was she in front of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor again? Mo Xuemin was ashamed and angry, then, she felt frightened, nervous, and fearful. She was very afraid when she thought of what Sima Lingyun would do when he found her. She wanted to flee.

    Before she could think of a n, the doors of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor opened with a ng.

    ...

    Sima Lingyun appeared at the entrance with a furious look. His vision turned red when he saw the scene before him. He red at Mo Xuemin, his eyes were colder than ice. If he had a sword right now, Sima Lingyun would definitely stab Mo Xuemin with it. To him, Mo Xuemin poisoning his family was a small matter. The scene before him had thrown the entire Duke¡¯s Manor into the deep end. After this, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would be too embarrassed to even meet other people.

    Mo Xuemin was such a slut who could sleep with anyone!

    He hated Mo Xuemin to death. He felt that she was not only vicious and ruthless but also a wanton slut.

    ¡°Brother Sima, Brother Sima, save me, save me!¡± Mo Xuemin had not said anything when the man suddenly yelled urgently as he struggled to run towards Sima Lingyun.

    There was a furor and everyone appeared shocked. The adulterer knew Sima Lingyun. Was the man stealing from his friends, pawing at his friend¡¯s women? More and more people came to watch them and they surrounded the three. This was the most interesting gossip of the year. Marquess Zhenguo¡¯s wifemitted adultery with her husband¡¯s friend!

 Chapter 336 - Mo Xuemin Caught In the Act of Adultery

    <strong>Chapter 336 Mo Xuemin Caught In the Act of Adultery</strong>

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Sima Lingyun asked, gritting his teeth. No one would be able to calm down after being made a cuckold. Some of the spections by the people in the crowd made his already stony face even darker.

    The man¡¯s hair was all over his face and was a mess. Sima Lingyun truly could not tell who he was.

    ¡°It¡¯s me! Brother Sima, it¡¯s me, the Second Young Master of the Ping General Manor.¡± The man shouted, feeling anxious with so many people watching him. He thought that the whole situation was very ridiculous. He had hugged a prostitute to bed in the brothel but had woken up in a different ce. Furthermore, the girl he was hugging was not the prostitute who had gone to bed with him. It even sounded as if she was Sima Lingyun¡¯s wife.

    His Aunt!

    ¡°You Yuelian?¡± Sima Lingyun¡¯s expression darkened as he asked the man hesitantly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me. Quick, untie me. I do not know your wife and I don¡¯t know why I was tied up together with her.¡± You Yuelian nodded hurriedly and exined himself once he saw that Sima Lingyun recognized him.

    ¡°Men, undo the ropes and bring them in.¡± Sima Lingyun¡¯s lips were pursed coldly as he ordered the servants around.

    After what happened, he could not let people just watch the show outside his door. They could talk about whatever they had to inside.

    The servants came forward and undid the red rope. A maidservant appeared and threw a shirt at Mo Xuemin and then dragged and pushed her in. You Yuelian was much more gracious. He shook out his shirt and followed Sima Lingyun back in.

    The door of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor was tightly shut and the curious people could only leave. As the crowd left, news of the Marquess¡¯ wife and the young master of Mingguo Manor spread. Those who were well informed mentioned that the second young master You was the husband of the Second Young Miss of the Mo Manor. The situation became even more hrious.

    The woman had an affair with her sister¡¯s husband. This gossip was so interesting that it spread far and wide!

    In the sitting room, Sima Lingyun sat at the front. His eyes glinted sharply and coldly as he looked at Mo Xuemin and then at You Yuelian. After a moment, heughed coldly and said, ¡°Second Young Master You, how would you exin this matter?¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, you are mistaken. Nothing happened between me and your wife, I don¡¯t even know your wife. Someone must have framed us deliberately and tied us up together so that it would tarnish your wife¡¯s reputation. I feel so bad about this.¡± You Yuelian did not feel that he was wrong but still admitted guilt superficially.

    He looked down on Sima Lingyun. Would the fallen Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor truly dare to do anything to him? Even if something were to happen between him and Mo Xuemin, so what? Would Sima Lingyun be able to do anything to him? That was what You Yuelian thought. As such, even though he said he ¡°felt bad¡± about it, he did not sound sincere.

    There was a faint smile on his lips and he sat down on a stool by the side, not caring about being polite to Sima Lingyun. Even though he sounded apologetic, he did not look guilty at all. Instead, he seemed pleased as he sat there graciously with his leg crossed over his knee.

    He did not even care about Sima Lingyun.

    Sima Lingyun was so angry he almost vomited blood. He pinched the corner of the table with his fingers and calmed down after much difficulty.

    ¡°Second Young Master, where were you before this?¡± Sima Lingyun asked coldly. He nced at the little servant by his side. The servant immediately understood what he wanted and went to investigate the matter.

    ¡°I was at...¡± You Yuelian suddenly stopped talking. He opened his mouth and stuttered. He blinked and looked as if he was put in a tough spot.

    The Mingguo Manor was very strict and the young masters of the manor were all obedient. There were not any bad rumors about them. As such, even though You Yuelian was a concubine-born son, his reputation was also ster. If he said that he was in a brothel, his father would break his legs when he returned home. His father would not let him off easily if he were to damage the reputation of the Mingguo Manor.

    When You Yuelian thought of that, he did not dare to tell the truth. He averted his eyes and said, ¡°I was walking on the streets and suddenly passed out. I don¡¯t know what happened after that. When I regained consciousness, I was tied up with your wife. To tell the truth, both your wife and I are victims. Brother Sima, if you don¡¯t believe me, do you doubt the love your wife has for you?¡±

    You Yuelian thought that Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were passionately in love since they were newlyweds. Furthermore, Mo Xuemin was beautiful and her figure was amazing. They should be deeply in love. Sima Lingyun would definitely believe that his new wife loved him wholeheartedly and would not cheat on him.

    If Sima Lingyun believed that his new wife was alright, he would also believe in You Yuelian¡¯s lies. After this was dealt with, he would go home and get his eldest brother to find out who was trying to get him into trouble.

    You Yuelian did not care whether Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation would be damaged or not!

    He made to speak and then stopped again, his eyes looking flustered. Sima Lingyun saw that and he took it as proof that Mo Xuemin was having an affair!

    When he heard You Yuelian saying that Mo Xuemin was deeply in love with Sima Lingyun, Sima Lingyun felt that it was a sarcastic jibe. He did not know how many men the vicious slut bedded. She was filthy. She didn¡¯t deserve to be in love. He felt that he was filthy just by association with her.

    ¡°Second Young Master You, if you do not know where you were, I will have my men investigate.¡± Sima Lingyun said coldly. He was so angry he was going mad. First, the women in the house were poisoned, and now, something like this had happened. Mo Xuemin had something to do with both incidents and he wanted to tear her apart.

    ¡°Second Young Master You, where were you earlier? Please tell the truth.¡± Mo Xuemin was flustered too and she turned to yell at You Yuelian.

    She did not want to know who this Second Young Master You was. However, why was he so stupid? He was obviously lying and no one believed him. Did he think that Sima Lingyun would believe him?! Mo Xuemin felt cold when she saw Sima Lingyun¡¯s cold and hateful re. She felt that if anything were to happen between her and Second Young Master You, she would be dead.

    ¡°Truth, this is the truth!¡± You Yuelian did not know that they had all seen through his lies. He looked at Mo Xuemin and saw that even though her clothes were in disarray, she was beautiful. There was no one around them and he was still the gentlemanly Second Young Master of the Mingguo Manor. With that, he thought of how smooth her chest was when he touched it earlier. He rxed and his expression softened.

    To Sima Lingyun, their conversation was them flirting. Sima Lingyun wanted to kill the adulterous pair. They had not only embarrassed him, but they were also still flirting now.

    No wonder Mo Xuemin dared to poison the women of the manor. She was going to elope with You Yuelian!

    Sima Lingyun understood everything in his anger! He red at Mo Xuemin viciously. If his eyes were capable of killing someone, Mo Xuemin would have already died several times.

    A little servant hurried into the room and muttered beside Sima Lingyun¡¯s ears. Sima Lingyun¡¯s expression darkened. He stood up suddenly and walked up to Mo Xuemin. He pulled Mo Xuemin¡¯s hair and kicked her with his leg. She sprawled out on the ground!

    ¡°Slut, who did you meet at the back door yesterday?¡±

    Mo Xuemin was shocked. You Yuecheng had sent his servant overst night to tell her to make sure that she did not fail today. To make You Yuecheng feel at ease, she had met up with the servant the Mingguo Manor sent at the back door. There were no other traces. She did not expect Sima Lingyun to find out.

    How could she tell Sima Lingyun about hers and You Yuecheng¡¯s plots?

    She reacted quickly and immediately gritted her teeth, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t meet anyone. I met someone selling rogue.¡± You Yuecheng had specially arranged for an ordinary servant toe by.

    Sima Lingyun was so angry he glowered when he saw that she was still trying to talk her way out of the situation. He pulled her by her hair and pped her viciously. Mo Xuemin¡¯s soft and pale face immediately swelled up.

    ¡°Brother Sima, your wife was a victim today as well. Just let her go. Look at how badly you¡¯ve hit your beautiful wife. Can you bear it?¡± The man by the side had already forgotten that he was known as an adulterer. He pitied Mo Xuemin when he saw how badly her beautiful face was beaten.

    If he dared to behave like this in front of Sima Lingyun, what was he like behind Sima Lingyun¡¯s back? Sima Lingyun was almost entirely sure that the two were having an affair. When he thought of what Mo Xuemin was like and when he looked at how You Yuelian was behaving, as well as how the servant was from the Mingguo Manor, he was even more certain!

    Mo Xuemin had only just married into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. A new bride should have plenty of makeup, so why would she need to buy some three days after her marriage? It was obvious that the two were contacting each other in secret. She had hurt his entire family so that she could be together with the man. Sima Lingyun saw red when he thought of that.

    He turned around and grabbed You Yuelian who approached to cate him. He said angrily, ¡°Second Young Master You, how gentle and elegant you are. You are not only having an affair with this slut, but you also tried to hurt those from my manor. Good, good. We will go to a judge now and see whether you adulterous pair are in the right or the people in my manor are wronged.

    Now that the situation was so, Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor was thoroughly embarrassed. Sima Lingyun wanted to kill Mo Xuemin and he hated You Yuelian as well. He felt that he must not let the adulterous pair off so easily. If he reported the matter, he would be able to vent the anger when the adulterous pair were drowned.

    You Yuelian did not expect that Sima Lingyun would dare to go against him and he was momentarily stunned. He only reacted after he was dragged several feet away by Sima Lingyun. He held Sima Lingyun¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Brother Sima, listen to me. This was a misunderstanding. Nothing happened between me and your wife.¡±

    If the matter were to blow up and tarnish the reputation of Mingguo Manor, his father would not spare him. You Yuelian was anxious then as well and he dragged Sima Lingyun backward. He did not dare to see the judge no matter what had happened, whether the affair was real or not. However, he would not be able to escape this.

    Even though there was only one Marquess of Mingguo, there were many concubine-born sons. If he did not have the approval of Duke Mingguo, he would never be able to aplish anything as a concubine-born son. You Yuelian did not dare to take responsibility for tarnishing the reputation of the family which Duke Mingguo thought was of utmost importance.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. Tell that to the officials of the Ministry of Justice.¡± Sima Lingyun was angered so many times he had lost all rational thought. He pulled You Yuelian with one hand and Mo Xuemin¡¯s long hair with the other toward the outside. He said sharply, ¡°Take the slut along. We will see what kind of discipline the Ping General Manor has to teach their sons to steal other people¡¯s wives and harm others.¡±

    Sima Lingyun was so angry he was incoherent. He felt that he was a joke everyone wasughing at. Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor waspletely embarrassed this time!

    He only had one thought now, which was that he must not allow Mo Xuemin, the slut, to live. He was going to ruin herpletely so that she would be a slut of the lowest level in the hierarchy.

 Chapter 337 - You Yuecheng Exerts Pressure on Duke Zhenguos Manor

    <strong>Chapter 337 You Yuecheng Exerts Pressure on Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor</strong>

    Sima Lingyun felt that Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had not only failed to prosper after he had gotten together with the slut Mo Xuemin, but the Manor had even fallen further into ruins. He was embarrassed more and more and was too embarrassed to meet anyone. Sima Lingyun shook with anger whenever he thought of that.

    He was determined to have the adulterous pair pay today.

    ¡°Brother Sima, Brother Sima, listen to me.¡± You Yuelian was truly panicking now. He held Sima Lingyun¡¯s hand and dragged him backward. He knew that Sima Lingyun was mad. Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes were red as he red at Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian. He looked as if he wanted to eat them up.

    Mo Xuemin refused to see a judge. If she did, she had no other way out than to be drowned. She was the wife of a marquess but she had been found with a man in a state of undress in broad daylight. How could she possibly have a way out alive? She did not care that her scalp was hurtling like there were needles piercing it. She struggled toy on the floor. She grabbed a pir close to her and refused to move.

    It was a chaotic scene between the three and the servants standing beside them were a mess as well. They did not know what to do. Someone came up to persuade them to let go, others came to pull them away. There were a few sly ones who took the opportunity to touch Mo Xuemin while her clothes were messed up.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± An icy cold voice could be heard from the entrance. The cold and sharp aura immediately caused everyone involved in the tussle in the living room to look up in surprise. You Yuecheng stood coldly at the entrance of the sitting room. He looked furious and his eyes were icy cold. The coldness in his eyes made Sima Lingyun shudder and he could not help but let go.

    His mind slowly began to work normally again.

    You Yuelian and Mo Xuemin could not help but sigh in relief when they saw You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell me what happened?¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s gaze swept coldly from You Yuelian to Sima Lingyun, and then to Mo Xuemin. His lips curled up coldly. He flicked his sleeves behind him and strode into the living room. He did not stop and was filled with hatred, anger, and some indescribable emotion.

    He sat in a daze in the study ever since he found out that the three Mo sisters were heading toward the Repayment Temple. He read but did not flip a single page. His mind was filled with the scene of a horse carriage flipping over and people dying. His mind was filled with the sweet beautiful face. Even though it was hateful and annoying, he could not stop recalling it. His hand, which was on the desk, clenched into fists.

    Mo Xuetong marrying King Xuan would make King Xuan even more powerful. King Xuan had not been punished while the other two princes were rebuked. This put King Yan, Feng Yulei into danger. Furthermore, Emperor Zongwen said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s and Feng Yuran¡¯s birth dates were a good match. The imperial astronomer also said that Mo Xuetong would bring blessings to the family when she got married. The probability of Feng Yuran getting better was very high.

    As such, he had to stop Mo Xuetong from marrying Feng Yuran no matter what would happen. It would stop Feng Yuran¡¯s progress and prevent Mo Xuetong from bringing luck to her husband!

    Emperor Zongwen had King Xuan¡¯s manor guarded extremely well. King Yan¡¯s man could not enter at all. If they wanted to stop the marriage from taking ce, they could only work from the Mo Manor¡¯s angle. As long as Mo Xuetong was dead, the marriage would not take ce. Feng Yuran might even die. King Yan liked to see that this would kill two birds with one stone.

    Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng began to plot to have the other two sisters of the Mo Manor push Mo Xuetong off the speeding horse carriage. Mo Xuetong¡¯s weak body would not be able to make it.

    Even if someone were to find out in the end, they would only find that the Mo sisters killed the legitimate Mo daughter and it had nothing to do with the marriage. No one would think that there was someone plotting all of this, and it would not implicate King Yan.

    Coincidentally, Mo Xuemin sent someone to feel out You Yuecheng then and You Yuecheng went with it. He agreed to find a way to change how Mo Xuemin looked and to have her enter the Mingguo Manor and be his concubine once Mo Xuetong died. On the other side, they got Mo Xueqiong to see King Yan in private and had You Yuelian tell Mo Xueyan that King Yan liked Mo Xueqiong. They got Mo Xueyan to give Mo Xueqiong the ice silk handkerchief and to say that it was a pity.

    If Mo Xueqiong could not marry King Yan, then he would take Mo Xueqiong as a second consort!

    The Mo Manor was not that noble and there could not be two daughters who married into the royal family! If Third Miss Mo did not exist, then...

    You Yuecheng had nned everything out neatly and led Mo Xuetong to her death step by step. In the end, he had even led the horse carriage toward a mountain path and tried to send all three women to their deaths. If Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong all died, then there would not be a culprit for this case. No one would think that the matter had anything to do with King Yan and the Mingguo Manor.

    However, he realized that he felt very flustered when he really enacted the n. He did not know why her beautiful face kept appearing in his mind. The face that evoked feelings of hatred and pain kept appearing. He felt panicked when he thought of that now. If that girl were to die and be pushed off the speeding horse carriage, she would not live.

    He sat in the study on tenterhooks for the entire morning. You Yuecheng did not even eat lunch and his servant, who had never seen him get angry, was given a thorough scolding. Then, You Yuecheng drove the servant out and paced around in the study, frustrated. He could not stop and felt anxious. It was as if there were something weighing down on his heart and he could not breathe.

    Could it be because thess was too annoying that he could not wrap his mind around the fact that she was about to die?

    While he was pacing around confusedly, his servant ran in and yelled that something was wrong. Second Young Master was tied up together with Marquess Zhenguo¡¯s wife outside Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    His frustration dissipated immediately and You Yuecheng immediately realized that something was wrong!

    He had sent You Yuelian to send word to Mo Xueqiong and he had not returned all night. You Yuelian also knew that as long as he did not go to brothels openly, You Yuecheng would turn a blind eye to it.

    Why was he with Mo Xuemin? And why was he tied up with his clothes in disarray? Didn¡¯t Mo Xuemin go to hurt Mo Xuetong? Did something happen?

    You Yuecheng could not be bothered to think too much then. He hurried to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. The guards behind him pushed the servants guarding the manor gates away so that they could not report his arrival. Then, he strode into the sitting room. No matter what had happened, they must not allow this matter to blow up. Something must have happened where Mo Xuetong was. He did not expect that the slyss might not be dead. You Yuecheng suddenly felt rxed in the fluster.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, I don¡¯t know what happened. I was outside Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor when I woke up and was tied up with the Marquess¡¯ wife.¡± You Yuelian heaved a sigh of relief when he saw You Yuecheng. He had always followed after You Yuecheng. When he saw You Yuecheng, it was as if he saw his master and he shook his sweaty head and spoke urgently to him.

    Did that madman Sima Lingyun not know that blowing up the matter would not benefit anyone?

    ¡°Your Excellency, save me. I... There¡¯s really nothing going on between me and Second Young Master!¡± Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes brightened as if she had seen a savior. She crawled up from the ground and hurriedly exined, afraid that You Yuecheng would really be mistaken and think that there was something going on between her and You Yuelian.

    She had been beaten ck and blue and was not as beautiful as she was. Her clothes were also in disarray and her bellyband could not hide the supple flesh beneath. Earlier, Sima Lingyun had given her a beating and she looked like a mess. She was like a dirty madwoman and wasn¡¯t really a sight for sore eyes.

    You Yuecheng frowned in disgust and then looked away silently. He turned to look at Sima Lingyun and saw that he was so angry the veins on his forehead were throbbing. He knew that Sima Lingyun was furious and he said lightly, ¡°Brother Sima, please sit down. Don¡¯t be anxious and let us talk about this. You¡¯ve only been married for three days and it was the Empress who bestowed the marriage upon you. Such a noble and dignified matter has been foiled by someone. It is trouble for both our manors and if we don¡¯t deal with it well, we will not be the only two who will be affected.¡±

    Sima Lingyun shuddered anxiously when he heard that and he immediately started sweating. He finally realized what was happening.

    Her Majesty was the one who had bestowed this marriage. Furthermore, it had been bestowed because of an undignified matter!

    However, no matter what had happened, even if Mo Xuemin had made trouble, Sima Lingyun would not dare to divorce her since their marriage was ordered by the royal family. If he did, it would be akin to pping the Empress in the face! They would say that the Empress did not know how to judge people and had thought that the slut was a nobledy and sent the slut into Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Or would they say that Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor did not care if they embarrassed the Empress¡¯ and caused trouble deliberately? Everyone would have something to say, and they would gossip about it.

    Sima Lingyun did not dare to make the Empress angry. The rumors and gossip might destroy Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    However, he did not want to let Mo Xuemin off just like that. He said coldly and sharply, ¡°That slut not only had an affair, but she also tried to kill my mother and sister. She poisoned them in the manor.¡±

    When he thought of how his mother and sister almost died, Sima Lingyun red at Mo Xuemin viciously, wanting to tear her apart.

    Mo Xuemin had tried to kill someone by poisoning them. She was indeed a vicious woman!

    You Yuecheng grew more disgusted with Mo Xuemin. There was a sh of coldness in his eyes. This was unexpected. Mo Xuemin was a useless slut who could not aplish anything.

    ¡°There¡¯s really such a thing...¡± You Yuecheng said, pretending to be surprised. It was as if he did not know anything. Then, he said sincerely, ¡°Brother Sima, this is really troublesome for your manor. How are your mother and sister? I know a few imperial physicians. Shall I get them to take a look at thedies?¡±

    Duchess Zhenguo was still unconscious. Sima Lingyun was in a terrible fix. The Zhenguo Manor did not have the ability to invite imperial physicians over and only found a few physicians casually. They were not very skilled, of course, as such, Sima Lingyun thanked You Yuecheng. ¡°Many thanks, Marquess You.¡±

    You Yuecheng gestured at a guard standing by the side. A guard immediately left respectfully, taking You Yuecheng¡¯s order to get an imperial physician.

    The atmosphere was not as tense after You Yuecheng¡¯s show of kindness. The tenseness eased up.

    ¡°Brother Sima, my younger brother was in a brothel all night yesterday. If you do not believe him, you can ask the brothel. It is impossible for him to have an affair with your wife. Someone must have done this deliberately to frame them so that our manors would be dishonored. I am feeling anxious, just as you are.¡± You Yuecheng frowned.

    This was why he came. The matter must not blow up no matter what had happened!

    Given Emperor Zongwen¡¯s wits, King Yan would be implicated if the matter blew up. If something were to happen, King Yan would really have no chance of making aeback.

    ¡°I have to send the slut to a judge after what she did.¡± Sima Lingyun said resentfully as he red at Mo Xuemin viciously. He would not let her off so lightly. His vengeful gaze made Mo Xuemin curl up subconsciously. She looked at You Yuecheng fearfully and hoped that he could save her.

    She could not help but move toward You Yuecheng. She was afraid of dealing with Sima Lingyun alone. His vicious gaze made her feel terrified! She looked at You Yuecheng pitifully and pleaded with him silently to take her with him. She knew that given Sima Lingyun¡¯s vicious character, he would torture her to death if she stayed.

    ¡°If you send her to a judge, the Empress...¡± You Yuecheng said awkwardly. He did not even look at Mo Xuemin. His eyes turned cold and said, ¡°Furthermore, our manor cannot embarrass ourselves like that!¡±

    He sounded as if he was still trying to discuss the matter in the earlier half of his statement. However, the second part of his statement was an attempt to subdue Sima Lingyun. You Yuecheng stared at Sima Lingyun coldly and sharply with a hint of murderous intent. It drilled into Sima Lingyun¡¯s heart. The strong icy cold aura made him seem noble as he stared at Sima Lingyun. It was as if he would use forceful methods against Sima Lingyun if he said something wrong.

    You Yuecheng, who was like that, was not someone Sima Lingyun could deal with!

    However, Sima Lingyun was very sharp and his mind whirled. He found a few points that were beneficial to him. Duke Mingguo was going to suppress the matter no matter what would happen and he felt resentful about that. Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation was already ruined and Sima Lingyun wanted to get rid of her by drowning her.

    However, since the Mingguo Manor did not share the same idea, then they had to pay a price for it!

    A hint of greed shed in Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes. Given the Mingguo Manor¡¯s capabilities, it would not be difficult for them to help him get a promotion or two.

    ¡°Second Young Master and she did something like that. You aren¡¯t asking us to just ept it, are you? Even though the Zhenguo Manor is not as noble as the Mingguo Manor, we are still nobility and have served the country. We still have integrity and dignity. We will not allow a slut to cause trouble in the manor.¡± Sima Lingyun said stiffly.

 Chapter 338 - Mo Xuemin Fails and Gets into Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 338 Mo Xuemin Fails and Gets into Trouble</h4>

    ¡°Brother Sima, are you really going to pit yourself against this woman? Or are you pitting yourself against the Empress?¡± There was a sharp sh in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip from it. He did not look up at Sima Lingyun. Compared to Sima Lingyun who seemed to be very anxious and was putting up a show, You Yuecheng was much moreposed.

    You Yuecheng could tell what Sima Lingyun was thinking at just one nce. It was not that he could not help Sima Lingyun, however, he would not allow Sima Lingyun to do as he wished.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s words were slightly jarring and Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes flickered with fear. If he dared to shame the Empress, he would have refused to marry Mo Xuemin then. Then, all of this would not have happened.

    ¡°Lingyun does not dare. I just want justice for the Zhenguo Manor. Even though the Zhenguo Manor has fallen, we are still meritorious subjects of the previous emperor. Now that we are being bullied and shamed, Lingyun will get justice even if I have to pay with my life.¡± Sima Lingyun might sound tactful, but his stance was rigid.

    He had emptied his coffers in order to revitalize Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Now that he had such an opportunity, he would hold on to it tightly.

    He could not help but look at Mo Xuemin¡¯s swollen face. There was a hint of a cold smile in his eyes. He did not think that Mo Xuemin, that slut, still had some use. He could still use her to exchange for a position in court.

    ¡°Since Brother Sima thinks so, then I have nothing to say.¡± You Yuecheng smiled lightly. He looked at Sima Lingyun coldly and suddenly stood up. It was as if he really did not want to bother himself with this matter and was about to leave the room. ¡°Your Excellency, you can sue my second brother and your wife for adultery. I will return to my ce and prepare for this. We will see each other in court!¡±

    He seemed carefree and uncaring as if he were not going to care about the matter anymore. The three in the sitting room were shocked.

    ¡°Your Excellency...¡± Mo Xuemin cried out pitifully.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, save me!¡± You Yuelian was panicked as well. He stood up along with You Yuecheng. He was so frightened he paled when he thought of the consequences.

    Sima Lingyun did not expect You Yuecheng would go from wanting to suppress the matter to being uncaring in just a second. He was flustered too and he realized that it would not benefit Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to blow the matter up. They would bepletely embarrassed and he might not be able to divorce the evil woman. The Empress had bestowed this marriage and they could not divorce just like that. Furthermore, he would even offend the Empress if the matter blew up.

    ¡°Your Excellency, please sit down, we can discuss the matter.¡± He could not help but speak more gently as he stood up and invited You Yuecheng to sit down again.

    ¡°My second brother was wronged. It would be best if we can suppress the matter. My father thinks highly of my second brother. He likes my second brother very much even though he is concubine-born.¡± You Yuecheng looked at You Yuelian and said indifferently.

    Since he mentioned that You Yuelian was concubine-born, he also intended to say that his concessions would be limited as well. Then, he mentioned that he had no choice but to make concessions because of how highly their father thought of You Yuelian. You Yuecheng¡¯s statement caused Sima Lingyun¡¯s soaring hopes to fall back to the ground. He had too many high hopes but was powerless in reality.

    ¡°But having such a vicious womane from our manor is truly... God will forbid if I don¡¯t deal with her.¡± Sima Lingyun was furious when he thought of how Mo Xuemin actually dared to hurt his mother. He wanted to kill her and his murderous intent showed in his eyes.

    ¡°Brother Sima, the Mingguo Manor is willing to help you get a double promotion to be part of the Golden Elite Forces because of your graciousness.¡± You Yuecheng could not be bothered to say anything else. He had some thoughts weighing down on his heart. He did not know what happened to Mo Xuetong and was not willing to tarry any longer with Sima Lingyun.

    He knew exactly what Sima Lingyun wanted and it was not difficult to resolve the matter.

    Sima Lingyun was Marquess Zhenguo and inherited a leisurely position as a fifth-grade official. If he were to be promoted twice, he would be a fourth-grade official. As part of the Golden Elite Forces, he would be able to stay beside the Emperor. Compared to how hard he had to try to appear in front of the Emperor in the past, this was a much more powerful position. Sima Lingyun would definitely agree now that such arge present had fallen from the sky.

    A fourth-grade position as part of the Golden Elite Forces!

    Sima Lingyun was so excited he almost stood up. He did not look angry anymore and was ecstatic. His eyes shone brilliantly. It was a position he had wanted for a long time and he did not expect to get it so easily. He almost could not believe it. He blinked andposed himself, suppressing the joy that he felt. He put his hands together at You Yuecheng, pretending to be indifferent, and said, ¡°Your Excellency, then this is settled.¡±

    He still knew his own limitations. If he continued to talk, the deal might go bust. You Yuelian was just a concubine-born son after all. While the Mingguo Manor cared for him, there was still a limit. Furthermore, as long as Sima Lingyun could appear before the Emperor, he would bath in luxury and glory in the future. As long as he was able to perform well before the Emperor, he would have opportunities.

    ¡°Brother Sima, you are truly straightforward. I shall take my second brother home now. Wait for the letter that wille in a few days.¡± You Yuecheng stood up. He had no intention of keeping his volume down. He smiled lightly and nced at Mo Xuemin with a cold look in his eyes.

    ¡°Alright, I will wait for good news from Your Excellency!¡± Sima Lingyun smiled with satisfaction when he thought of the court position he was about to get. His life would be smooth-sailing from now on. He had already forgotten all the anger and frustrations he felt earlier. He only felt that it was impossible to push luck away when it came.

    ¡°Your Excellency, save me, Your Excellency, save me!¡± Mo Xuemin panicked when he saw that You Yuecheng was about to leave. She could not be bothered with anything else and hurtled toward him, wrapping her arms around his legs and calling out anxiously.

    She knew how much Sima Lingyun hated her. If she were to stay here alone, she would die. Her hair was in a mess and she did not care how messy her clothes were. She sobbed loudly while she held onto You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Madam, why are you doing this?¡± There was a sh of hatred in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes as he looked at Sima Lingyun, pretending not to understand what Mo Xuemin was doing.

    Sima Lingyun was so angry he was about to vomit blood. He was having good luck; how dared she offend You Yuecheng? He did not even think why Mo Xuemin had hurtled toward the man and only thought that she was confused. He went over to her and kicked her. He said, ¡°Men, take this slut to the woodshed.¡±

    A few servants appeared and dragged Mo Xuemin away rudely, grabbing her legs and arms.

    ¡°Your Excellency, save me. Your Excellency, save me...¡± Mo Xuemin struggled as she screamed. She did not want anything else but to leave Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. After what happened, would she be able to stay alive here?

    It was a pity that a servant picked up a smelly sock and stuffed it into her mouth before she could say anything else.

    ¡°Your wife is really pitiful that she has gone crazy after what happened. I wonder who did this. Brother Sima, you have to investigate the matter.¡± You Yuecheng shook his head and sighed as if he truly pitied Mo Xuemin.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes flickered and he immediately understood. He immediately put on a serious expression and said, ¡°My wife¡¯s reputation has been damaged after what happened. She has always been weak; how can she take it? She has gone mad. Your Excellency, please help me. We have to find the person who did this to clear my wife¡¯s good name.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You are working for your wife¡¯s good name while I am working for my second brother¡¯s good name. Those who framed them cannot escape.¡± You Yuecheng said sinisterly as he nced at Sima Lingyun. Sima Lingyun could not help but look down.

    Sima Lingyun had something to ask of You Yuecheng, which was why he could not say anything. Furthermore, Mo Xuemin¡¯s reputation being damaged benefited him. No matter what had happened, Mo Xuemin was his wife. Her having an affair with someone else and him being made a cuckold was embarrassing to him.

    Sima Lingyun looked up and watched as You Yuecheng left with You Yuelian. A sinister smile appeared on his face. Her reputation was damaged, she was mad! It was a good idea. It was a great idea!

    ¡°Your Excellency, Madam has been thrown into the woodshed. There are a few men keeping watch.¡± His trusted servant reported.

    ¡°Madam¡¯s clothes were destroyed. Tell the people keeping guard to bring her some clothes.¡± A warm smile appeared on Sima Lingyun¡¯s lips. There was not a hint of warmth in his eyes as he spoke coldly.

    ¡°They are all male servants, Your Excellency. Should I get someone from the inner courtyard to send the clothes in?¡± The servant hesitated for a moment before he asked. The servants who had dragged Mo Xuemin out earlier were all men. By the time they dragged her to the woodshed, all her clothes had been dragged off her. She was almost naked. Some of the male servants looked at Mo Xuemin lecherously and reached out subconsciously to touch her as they grinned at hersciviously.

    If they sent clothes in, something might happen.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, let them send the clothes in.¡± Sima Lingyun gritted his teeth and said coldly.

    The servant could not help but take in a breath of cold air. He looked at Sima Lingyun with wide eyes and was speechless.

    ¡°Go quickly. Even though Madam is mad, we cannot ill-treat her.¡± Sima Lingyun said in a seemingly warm tone as he turned his cold gaze upon the servant. His eyes were like poisonous vipers.

    The servant shivered in fear and did not dare to say anything else. He turned around and ran out of the room.

    In the woodshed.

    Mo Xuemin wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she huddled in the corner. She looked anxiously at the men who were grinning at her lustfully. She said with a shaky voice, ¡°What are you all trying to do? I, I am the Marquess¡¯ wife...¡± She wed at her tattered clothing tightly, wrapping the cloth around her front. She was so frightened she cried.

    ¡°What are we trying to do? His Excellency has given us orders, does Madam not know?¡± The first man reached out and pulled Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand, lifting her off the ground. Heughedsciviously.

    Many pairs of hands reached out and Mo Xuemin screamed shrilly in fear. She hit their hands wildly as she said, ¡°Which one of you would dare to do this? I am the eldest daughter of the Mo Manor. I am Marquess Zhenguo¡¯s wife. If my father finds out, you will all die. Scram.¡±

    ¡°The Marquess¡¯ wife? It is a pity that His Excellency is the boss here.¡± The men rubbed their hands together and pounced on Mo Xuemin. The one at the front pulled Mo Xuemin forward. The strips of cloth she wore had already been torn off. The men pounced on her in a frenzy and pressed Mo Xuemin onto the ground.

    ¡°No, let go, you bastards.¡± Mo Xuemin screamed. She shook in fear but could not escape those devils...

    In the back courtyard of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    The imperial physician put down the needle in his hand and said to Sima Lingyun, ¡°Your Excellency, you do not need to worry. Even though Old Madam and Young Miss were poisoned, it was not arge dose. They will be fine after a good rest, but the Auntie...¡±

    The auntie in question was Yun Yiqiu. She just had a miscarriage and was the weakest among the three. Sima Lingyun still had feelings for her and he asked anxiously, ¡°What about her? Can you not treat her?¡±

    ¡°It is not that she cannot be treated, but it is a little troublesome. This auntie here just had a miscarriage and her body is weak. Even though there is not arge quantity of poison in her body, her reproductive system has been damaged. I fear she might not be able to get pregnant again...¡± The elderly imperial physician shook his head and shut his medicinal box. The poison had gone deeply into her body and her reproductive system. It would be difficult for her to get pregnant again.

    ¡°Is there no other way?¡± Sima Lingyun asked, not willing to give up when he thought of how important children were to Yun Yiqiu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other ways to treat her. If Your Excellency does not believe me, you can find someone else.¡± The elderly imperial physician said angrily, picking up his medicinal box and left. He thought that Sima Lingyun did not believe in his medical skills.

 Chapter 339 - Xuetong Hears of the Empress Dowagers Plots

    <h4>Chapter 339 Xuetong Hears of the Empress Dowager¡¯s Plots</h4>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, does the medicine work? Does your hand still hurt?¡± Feng Yuran gently applied the medication on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand under the candlelight. There was a sh of dark purple light in his clear, sparkling eyes as he looked at her red and swollen hands that had traces of blood on them.

    The extremely careful expression was out of ce on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. However, Mo Xuetong felt warm and toasty for some reason. Even the injury on her hands did not hurt as much. She nodded subconsciously and then shook her head. She looked at Feng Yuran, whose beautiful phoenix-eyes were widened and was looking a little lost. Then, sheughed.

    How could this man be so nervous and adorable? He was not at all arrogant as rumors said he was. He was just a handsome child-like youth.

    ¡°Your hands have been so badly damaged. How can you still smile? Next time something like this happens, think of a way to get rid of the other person. Don¡¯t let yourself be tortured.¡± Feng Yuran pinched her wrist lightly with some dissatisfaction. He raised his eyebrows and wrapped her wound with a bandage carefully.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he was talking about Mo Xuemin. She blinked her clear and lively eyes and stoppedughing. ¡°Will You Yuecheng think that someone had tried to foil his plot?¡±

    It was Feng Yuran¡¯s idea to tie You Yuelian and Mo Xuemin up together and leave them at the entrance of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Even though Mo Xuetong did not say anything, she still felt rather avenged by it. It was impossible for her to forget the immense pain when Mo Xuemin had plunged her hairpin through her fingers. She had held on to the frame of the carriage for dear life so that she could survive.

    In her past life, she had burned to death in fiery mes. She had rolled and screamed in pain in the fire, her skin and flesh had burned... Mo Xuemin watched with satisfaction and she had pulled Sima Lingyun along with her and mocked Mo Xuetong as she struggled in the fire. It was as if she were watching a show, watching herself die in those mes.

    In this life, Mo Xuemin had tried to ruin her reputation multiple times and then, she had wanted to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s life!

    She felt that no matter what form of revenge she took, it was not enough!

    It was said that blood debts had to be paid in blood. How could just a simple blood debt describe the rtionship she had with Mo Xuemin!

    She had lost everything now. Mo Xuemin had also gotten to experience what it felt like to lose everything.

    In her past life, Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun had worked together to kill her. They had built a path toward sess on her dead body. In this life, the two would never imagine that they would be the victims. Mo Xuemin had attempted to kill the Duchess of Zhenguo and had been disyed to all outside the manor, unkempt and with another man. As long as Sima Lingyun was a man, he would not take this lying down...

    One could imagine what awaited Mo Xuemin! Sima Lingyun only appeared to be gentle but was a vicious person beneath all that. He would not go easy on her.

    Previously, when Mo Xuetong thought of the tragedy that awaited Mo Xuemin, she felt appeased. But now, she was a little worried. Feng Yuran had truly offended the Empress¡¯ faction this time. Even though he had some power, it was difficult to say who would win if he were to go against the Empress. Furthermore, there was still King Chu and King Ning who were watching predatorily by the sidelines.

    ¡°Rx. You Yuecheng will not be able to find anything. I am just known to be a wild and licentious prince without any power.¡± Feng Yuran smiled when he saw that Mo Xuetong was worried about him. He helped Mo Xuetong to bandage her wounds and then wiped his hands with a handkerchief. He smiled beautifully and thenid backzily against Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed and yed with the tassels on the bed.

    ¡°There is no evidence that Second Young Master You and Mo Xuemin had an affair. If anyone were to find out that they were framed, others would take notice.¡± Mo Xuetong said uneasily. She did not realize that Feng Yuran was lying against her headboard inappropriately. She reached out to kick him to get his attention.

    If one incident was false, then everything else would not be true. If someone were to find out that the Second Young Master of Mingguo Manor and Mo Xuemin were framed, then the same could be applied to what happened to King Yan. If the Emperor were to think about it, he would think that Feng Yuran might have deliberately defamed Feng Yulei. Feng Yuran might be punished if the Empress were to tack on anything then.

    Mo Xuetong would never forget how Feng Yuran had gone far away to thends of the northern barbarians in her past life. If he had not truly given up, why would a young and promising prince be so ruthless and heartless? What had made him like that? Mo Xuetong did not have an idea right now, but she felt like she wanted to fold him in her arms and protect him. She did not want him to take the same path as he did in his past life.

    And because of this, she was especially sensitive to what happened in the pce. She would think about it deeply whenever she was free. She was afraid that she would implicate Feng Yuran if she were not careful and the tragedy in her past life would happen.

    Feng Yuran smiled when he saw the nervousness in her lively eyes and the pout on her lips. She looked very uneasy. He sat up and reached out to ruffle her hair gently. He said, ¡°Rest assured, Second Young Master You went to the Repayment Temple yesterday. Furthermore, there were people who saw what happened to you all and that Second Young Master You had once been there and left with the injured Mo Xuemin.¡±

    You Yuelian being there on that path was already a confirmed thing.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything when she returned home about how Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong wanted to kill her. Yet, this did not mean that she would let them off. She just did not want her father to be sad. He had three daughters and two of them wanted to kill the other. In any way, this would be an immense blow to a father.

    While her father was displeased with the two of them, he would still be sad about it.

    It would be a mistake to be hasty. She would use her own methods to exact revenge.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager kept asking the Old Madam of Fu General Manor to visit the pce recently. Did you know that?¡± Feng Yuran reminded her with a smile, directing her attention somewhere else. There was a sh of coldness in his eyes. The matter had already passed, and nothing else woulde out of it.

    ¡°What does the Empress Dowager want?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind whirled and understood that there was definitely something lurking underneath. She questioned Feng Yuran anxiously. She knew what kind of person the Empress Dowager was. She would not do anything if it did not benefit her. And she would not ask Mo Xuetong¡¯s grandmother to enter the pce if it did not benefit her either. Mo Xuetong did not know what happened and she felt threatened.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager¡¯s desires have something to do with King Ning.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone with devilish coldness.

    Something to do with King Ning? What did King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, have anything to do with her maternal family? Her uncle might be able to get military support for King Ning. That¡¯s not right. Her First Uncle was very loyal, why would he stand on King Ning¡¯s side in private? So what if the Empress Dowager hinted at it again and again? Furthermore, the Empress Dowager would not dare to openly seek support for King Ning.

    Emperor Zongwen was on the throne right now and in the future, only the three sons of Emperor Zongwen would have a chance at the throne. No matter what would happen, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, would never have the opportunity. If he wanted to be the Emperor, his only chance would be to rebel. The Empress Dowager would not let anyone catch on their weakness unless she was absolutely sure that Mo Xuetong¡¯s maternal family would not divulge this information.

    Why was the Empress Dowager certain that her uncle would definitely support King Ning? Why did she think that he would protect King Ning who did not even have a likely chance at the throne and not the three official princes?

    Mo Xuetong could not understand. She looked at Feng Yuran with her lively eyes and tugged at Feng Yuran with her tightly wrapped hands with a pleading look on her face. In her past life, her activities had been restricted to the back courtyard. She did not know much about politics.

    Feng Yuran looked at the pleading look in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes sparkled like clear waters and her longshes cast a shadow on her cheeks. They looked like resting butterflies. He could not help but reach out to touch her snow-white skin gently. She curled backward and looked up in shock. However, she only just curled back a little and red at him. She was not threatening at all. He felt an itch in his heart and felt happy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a cousin!¡± He smiled gently and reached out to cup her chin. She pushed him away. He looked at her tightly-wrapped hands and did not dare to tease her again. He stood up and picked up Mo Xuetong¡¯s cup. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip before turning to nce at her with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart tightened and her lips parted slightly. She had a sudden epiphany.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager wants King Ning to marry my cousin?¡± She stuttered with difficulty, a pained expression on her face.

    So that was what the Empress Dowager was nning. As long as King Ning married her cousin, Fu General Manor would be considered to be on King Ning, Feng Yuzhen¡¯s side. Then, as Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maternal family, Fu General Manor would be branded with King Ning¡¯s name no matter what Feng Yuzhen wanted to do. Even if they did not support him, they would be thought to be of the same faction. In that case, her uncles would not have a choice!

    When Mo Xuetong thought of how King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, would rebel in the end, and at the current situation, she did not see any chance of Feng Yuzhen seeding. Disregarding how Emperor Zongwen would react, Mo Xuetong knew just by looking at Feng Yuran that Feng Yuzhen¡¯s every step was being watched. While Feng Yuran seemed to be wild and unrestrained on the surface, he was a deep one with many hidden ideas. If he wanted to go against Feng Yuzhen, Feng Yuzhen had no chance of winning at all.

    Then, Feng Yuzhen would drag Fu General Manor down with him.

    When she thought of that, she could not help the sweat that beaded on her forehead. No, she would not let Fu General Manor fall like that. She had to stop her cousin from marrying King Ning.

    ¡°Even if King Ning were to return immediately, it would take more than ten days!¡± Feng Yuran looked at her silently for a while. Then, he approached her again andforted her gently, sitting by her side.

    Mo Xuetong looked up at him. This man was really smart, he saw through her worries again! He was telling her that he still had time. If the Empress Dowager wanted to bestow a marriage, it had to be done after King Ning returned. The two of them knew that King Ning was already by the Empress Dowager¡¯s side. However, no one could speak about it. As such, King Ning had to enter the pce quickly after ten days.

    That was when it would be a good time to bestow a marriage!

    If it was any earlier, the Emperor would get suspicious. The Empress Dowager was a sly and crafty woman and she would not do that. She would find an opportunity to raise the matter of the marriage with the Emperor so that he would have no choice but to agree.

    As such, they still had ten days. Fu General Manor still had a chance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, let nature take its course. Tell your grandmother and she will definitely have ns. You do not have to be so anxious to take charge. She is not useless after experiencing so much. You worry too much.¡± Feng Yuran reached out to hold her hands lightly. He helped her to lie down and covered her with nkets.

    He looked at her pale face and could not help but look at her hands. There was a hint of cold, blood-thirsty anger in his handsome eyes. The smile on his lips turned sinister without him noticing.

    That¡¯s right, she still had her grandmother! Mo Xuetong blinked and a smile appeared on her pale face. Her grandmother would definitely have a good idea that could help Fu General Manor evade this trouble.

    ¡°Alright, be good and go to sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up tomorrow.¡± Feng Yuran patted her head affectionately.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and closed her eyes. Everything that happened in the afternoon was like a nightmare and she still felt terrified when she thought about it. However, with his hands holding her arms, the warm touch made her feel assured. She recalled that she would be marrying him in her drowsiness and that she would share his bed in the future. A shy smile appeared on her face as she dreamt.

    Feng Yuran waited for Mo Xuetong to fall asleep. He looked the beautiful smile on her face in the darkness for a long time before he left reluctantly.

    There were some things that he had to deal with right now. He had to do things even more neatly at night to lure them into King Chu¡¯s manor.

 Chapter 340 - Reminding the Old Madam

    <h4>Chapter 340 Reminding the Old Madam</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not know why, but perhaps Feng Yuran¡¯s words had reassured her. She slept very well that night. It was alreadyte in the day when she woke up. Mo Lan had already prepared her clothing. Xu Yan would visit her after she got cleaned up.

    What happened at the Repayment Temple yesterday had been exined by the horse carriage crashing into a tree by the road and causing the carriage to fall off the cliff.

    This was what happened.

    The horse carriage crashed into a tree by the road. Mo Xuetong and Bai Yihao fell off the cliff together while Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong were knocked unconscious.

    Feng Yuran rushed to the scene despite his injuries and difficulty moving after he found out about it. He jumped down the cliff with a rope and saved Mo Xuetong and Bai Yihao. After he sent Bai Yihao away, and despite Mo Xuetong¡¯s objections, he helped Mo Xuetong out and caused trouble. Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian met each other coincidentally and the two were taken away together. Those spying on them disappeared while Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong somewhere else secretly.

    When Mo Xueqiong woke up and returned to the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen rushed out with his men to save Mo Xuetong. That was when Feng Yuran had his men send Mo Xuetong home and said that he saved her earlier and was about to send her home. Then, he went to the pce andined to Emperor Zongwen angrily.

    At this time, the incident that involved Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuemin, and You Yuelian had already been exposed. You Yuecheng was on his way to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    When Mo Xuetong returned to the manor, she only said that an ident happened that caused the horse carriage to fall off the cliff. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s edict was released before Mo Xueqiong could calm herself down. Mo Xueqiong was taken away along with Wang Xiuxiu to King Yan¡¯s Manor. Just as King Yan, Feng Yulei was angry and anxious, Feng Yuran fainted in the pce. The imperial physicians in the pce were all extremely busy.

    All these matters happened and were linked. Mo Xuetong could not help but be in awe of Feng Yuran¡¯s deviousness and careful nning. The incident had happened suddenly but he was able to adapt and change in a short period of time. This was not a simple plotting. Yet, this also made Mo Xuetong feel even more pity for Feng Yuran¡¯s predicament.

    He was just a young man who had just turned 17. Given his status, how could a child who had lost his mother be able to survive if he had not been careful with every step he took? There were so many princes in the pce, but only three survived.

    King Chu had Consort Su to take care of him while King Yan had the Empress¡¯ support. However, Feng Yuran had nothing. While Emperor Zongwen doted on him, he had almost died. If a child was truly innocent in the pce, he would just die even faster. Disregarding the pce, she herself, in her past life in the Mo Manor, had died a terrible death. The pce was a much more dangerous ce than the back courtyard of a manor.

    When she thought of that, Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt as if it had been torn apart. She bit her lips slightly, causing a twinge of pain. That was when she realized that she had bitten through the skin of her lips yesterday when she had tried to bear down on the pain.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tong¡¯er? Does it hurt badly?¡± Xu Yan asked, sincerely caring for Mo Xuetong. She thought that Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands hurt. Her hands were wrapped up in bandages yesterday, having been scratched by the branches when she hung on to them on the cliff. When Xu Yan thought of how such a young girl had experienced such an ordeal, she was very frightened and pitied the girl.

    She reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s bandaged hands which were on the table and said, ¡°Let me take a look. How are your injuries?¡±

    ¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to look at it. It doesn¡¯t hurt as much now. I just need to recuperate for a few days and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mo Xuetong avoided Xu Yan¡¯s hand with a smile. Mo Lan served up tea and distracted Xu Yan.

    ¡°Your hands are so badly injured and look at what happened to your eldest sister. Even your fourth sister has been sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor for some reason.¡± Xu Yan epted the cup of tea and sighed. Then, she continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know why things turned out like this when you all were just going to the mountains to pay your respects to Elder Sister.¡±

    ¡°Where is Father now?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up and said delicately, changing the topic.

    ¡°Your father went to court early in the morning and has yet to return. I don¡¯t know what happened!¡± How could Mo Huawen not be suspicious after all that happened to his three daughters? He had sent all his men to investigatest night and had not slept well. He only rested a little in his study when dawn broke.

    Xu Yan visited him in the morning and he was already up. He told Xu Yan to take good care of Mo Xuetong and had not said anything else. He did not mention anything about Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Xu Yan was intelligent as well and knew that there were things happening that she was unaware of. As such, she did not ask about anything and only did as Mo Huawen asked.

    ¡°Mother, rest assured. Nothing will happen to Father. Perhaps His Majesty asked Father to stay to ask him about what happened yesterday. Fourth Sister has gone to King Yan¡¯s Manor to be a second consort before King Yan even wees a first consort. It is reasonable for His Majesty to do this.¡± Mo Xuetongforted Xu Yan. Then, she continued, ¡°Fourth Sister going to King Yan¡¯s Manor is also worthy of celebration. Don¡¯t worry, Mother.¡±

    Even though it had not been long since Xu Yan entered the manor, she was speechless about Mo Xueqiong¡¯s character.

    Even though Mo Xueqiong usually seemed sharp and acerbic, she did not have much foresight and was a vicious person. There was once when Xu Yan visited her and saw Mo Xueqiong in the garden, stabbing a little maidservant with her hairpin. The little maidservant screamed and cried. The maidservant had only identally broken a goldfish tank that Mo Xueqiong liked. It wasn¡¯t a big deal!

    Mo Xueqiong was extremely narrow-minded and selfish. She also did not hide how vicious she was. A person like her entering King Yan¡¯s Manor was not really considered a blessing and one would not know when she would implicate the Mo Manor. When Xu Yan thought of that, she felt that she had to speak with Mo Huawen about it lest Mo Xueqiong got into trouble and implicated the Mo Manor.

    ¡°Did your horse carriage crash into a tree yesterday? Why were you the only one to fall down the cliff?¡± Xu Yan decided not to think about Mo Xueqiong and then had new doubts again. She took a sip of tea and ced the cup on the table. Then, she looked at Mo Xuetong sincerely and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, if anyone has wronged you, tell Mother. Even though I do not have much power to help you, I will definitely stand on your side.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mother. But I truly have not been wronged. Perhaps I sat on a bad spot.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile froze a little before she regained calmness. Her gentle smile remained on her face, but there was an obvious sh of sadness in her eyes. Xu Yan grew more suspicious.

    However, since Mo Xuetong refused to say anything, Xu Yan could not force her to.

    The two chatted for a while. Mo Xuetong told Xu Yan that she would visit her grandmother at Fu General Manorter. Fu General Manor already found out about what happened yesterday. Mo Xuetong sent men to tell them that she was alright. However, the Old Madam did not believe her. She sent servants early in the morning to ask when Mo Xuetong would visit.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, get the horse carriage to drive slower when you goter. You have to be slow even in the bustling city. Your hands were injured and the Old Madam would be even more distressed. She would definitely ask you to stay for lunch if you go now. If there¡¯s something that you can¡¯t eat, you have to tell the Old Madam.¡± Xu Yan instructed her.

    Xu Yan¡¯s gentle behavior and her simrities to Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother made Mo Xuetong think of her mother for some reason. She could not help but find her eyes turning warm. She turned her head to the side and dabbed the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief before she nodded with a soft smile.

    The two of them chatted for a little while more before Xu Yan left.

    Mo Xuetong left the manor and boarded the horse carriage with her three servants, Mo Ye, Mo Lan, and Mo Yu.

    After what happened yesterday, Mo Ye refused to leave Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. Mo Lan and Mo Yu had the same idea and as such, the three maidservants could only be assured when they were with Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong could not persuade them not to and could only bring all three of them along with her.

    At the entrance of Fu General Manor, Luo Wenyou paced in front of the entrance. He stopped asionally to look at the sun. He had already been waiting at the entrance for a good hour. When he heard the sound of a horse carriage stopping, he hurried out of the door.

    Mo Xuetong was just getting out of the horse carriage. Her hands were wrapped tightly. Even though there was a warm and gentle smile on her face, her face was as pale as snow. She looked haggard and it was obvious that she was feeling unwell.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, how are you?¡± Luo Wenyou strode forward to wee her. He looked down at Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and questioned her anxiously.

    ¡°Cousin, I am fine, I just injured my hands and it is slightly inconvenient, that¡¯s all. I have worried you and grandmother.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled warmly. She held up her hands, which were tightly wrapped, and let Luo Wenyou look at them. She looked mischievous and adorable and did not seem unwell.

    ¡°I will go with you the next time you go to the Repayment Temple. Don¡¯t go with them. Why are they all fine while you almost lost your life when you went with them?¡± Luo Wenyou ordered Mo Xuetong as they entered the manor. He was not convinced by Mo Xuetong.

    The matter was weird no matter how they looked at it. The three girls had gone out together. The other two had not fallen off the carriage despite the crash while Cousin Tong had fallen off the cliff. If she had not caught on to a tree branch, she would have died. Luo Wenyou felt that the other two sisters of the Mo Manor were really vicious when he thought of how Mo Xuetong had almost died.

    He had always been a gentleman and rarely spoke about others behind their backs. He was furious now and Mo Xuetong felt touched when she saw how angry he was. An affectionate and gentle expression appeared on her face. She said softly, ¡°I will ask you to take me there in the future. Cousin, if you are not free, tell me early so that I won¡¯t wait for you in vain.¡±

    ¡°I will definitely apany you there. I¡¯ll definitely have time!¡± Luo Wenyou said sternly. Then, he realized he sounded overly confident and could not help but cough softly.

    They entered the house and the Old Madam looked at Mo Xuetong anxiously. She insisted that Mo Xuetong unravel her bandages to show her injuries. Luo Wenyou had to help Mo Xuetong convince the Old Madam not to and Mo Xuetong did not have to unravel her bandages.

    ¡°Grandmother, my injury is not that serious. I will be fine in a few days. I will definitely let you see if I have any scars.¡± Mo Xuetong said, looking adorable. Even though she did not look very energetic, she looked lively. The Old Madam felt rest assured. When she thought of how her granddaughter almost died, her anger was all directed at Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong.

    Her anger and hatred rose again when she thought of how Mo Xuemin¡¯s birth mother, Auntie Fang, killed Luo Xia. She pped the table and said, ¡°Is that Auntie Fang still alive? She killed Xia¡¯er but she is still well and alive. Does the Yu family think that there is no one left in our family? I will bring the men from our manor to the Yu family and see what they are going to repay us with for Xia¡¯er¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, do not worry. Look, didn¡¯t eldest sister get what she deserved!¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips and said. She did not want to hide the hatred she felt for Auntie Fang and her daughter in front of the Old Madam. There was a sh of hatred in her eyes, and she continued, ¡°Tong¡¯er will definitely get revenge for Mother after some time has passed.¡±

    She would definitely get revenge for her mother. She would make it so that Auntie Fang and her daughter would live a life worse than death! The vengeance of her past life and the hatred she felt in this life could not be paid so simply with their lives, with the blood of so many people, and the hatred of so many of them. Did the Yu Manor intend to get rid of Auntie Fang quietly?! She would not let them get what they wanted!

    ¡°Alright, I will listen to Tong¡¯er. We will see how karma will get to them! Also, what¡¯s the matter with your younger sister? Why did she go to King Yan¡¯s Manor? Did King Yan ever say he wanted to take her as his concubine?¡± The Old Madam changed the topic to Mo Xueqiong. The bestowing of marriage was too sudden. Furthermore, with what happened to Mo Xuetong, the Old Madam could not help but be suspicious.

    ¡°Perhaps King Yan wants to marry a few second consorts who have power.¡± Mo Xuetong said, pretending to be confused. ¡°Look, Wang Xiuxiu is the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter. Her status is not any less than the First Miss of You Manor. She entered King Yan¡¯s manor as well. The royal princes are all of a marriageable age. Of course, he has to marry a few wives who have power.¡±

    Her longshes lowered slightly. She pretended not to see the Old Madam¡¯s expression which suddenly turned sharp. Her grandmother had acute senses!

    She would naturally think of a way to deal with the matter just like what Feng Yuran said. She did not have to think too much. Her grandmother would definitely have a way. Mo Xuetong rxed slightly when she thought how Fu General Manor would be able to distance themselves from the Empress¡¯ plot. Feng Yuzhen was not a good person and he would not be loyal to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Second Cousin. He had even promised Wang Xiuxiu that she would be the empress in the future.

    That meant that even if her Second Cousin were to be Feng Yuzhen¡¯s legal wife right now, he might allow her to get hurt in the future. Mo Xuetong thought of her previous life. Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had killed her together. Sadness welled up within her. She would not allow her cousin to repeat the tragedy she experienced in her previous life. She had to hold destiny in her hands this time.

 Chapter 341 - Luo Mingzhus Resistance

    <h4>Chapter 341 Luo Mingzhu¡¯s Resistance</h4>

    Afterforting the old madam, Mo Xuetong had lunch at Fu General Manor. She chatted with Luo Mingzhu happily. After that, Mo Xuetong felt a little tired and she returned home with her maids after informing the old madam. Luo Mingzhu sent them to the door and bid her farewell reluctantly. Then, she told Mo Xuetong to be careful with her injured hands again and nagged at her to not touch water before she was healed.

    Mo Xuetong agreed with everything she said and reassured her that she would not do anything but rest at home. Then, Luo Mingzhu allowed her to leave, satisfied.

    ¡°Second Miss, Old Madam wants you to look for her once you are done sending Miss Mo off.¡± Nanny Shen arrived in a hurry and said to Luo Mingzhu. She was the old madam¡¯s personal maid.

    ¡°What does Grandmother want?¡± Luo Mingzhu agreed and asked curiously as she followed Nanny Shen into the house. Her grandmother had been worried about Cousin Tong before she arrived but why was her grandmother so distracted the moment Cousin Tong arrived? Even though her grandmother was still worried about her cousin¡¯s injuries, she had been looking at Luo Mingzhu thoughtfully.

    ¡°Second Miss, you just have to go. Second Sir and His Excellency have already been there.¡± Nanny Shen answered with a smile.

    Her father and eldest brother have all gone to her grandmother¡¯s. It must be something big. Luo Mingzhu did not dare to dawdle and she hurried inside.

    Nanny Shen did not follow her in when she lifted the curtains. Instead, she sat at the entrance of the hall and started on her needlework.

    Luo Mingzhu entered the room and felt that it was rather stifling. Her grandmother was seated on the couch with a grave and worried expression while her father and eldest brother were seated on both sides of her. Even though she could not tell whether they were happy or angry through their expressions, it was obvious that they were feeling troubled. They wore frowns on their faces.

    Before she could speak, the old madam pointed to the side and said, ¡°Mingzhu, sit down too.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Luo Bin looked up and said.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er is grown up too and there are some things that she can know about. There is no need to hide it from her. When will she grow up if you all keep protecting her? A family like ours will have to bear as much responsibility as the blessings we receive. This matter involves her. We should tell her about it so she can make decisions about it.¡± The old madam said lightly, her expression calming down.

    ¡°Grandmother, Father. Did something happen?¡± Luo Mingzhu was shocked when she heard what the old madam said. She sat down beside the old madam and tugged on her sleeves while questioning her anxiously. She looked like an adorable child.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er, you¡¯re grown up now. Why are you still behaving like that? You do not behave like an adult at all. Look at your cousin, she is so young but has suffered so much. Your aunt passed away early and she grew up early as well.¡± The old madam could not help but pat Luo Mingzhu¡¯s head when she saw her expression as shemented.

    ¡°Cousin Tong had no one to dote on her in the past, but she has you now! You have to dote on her plenty and it will not be as tough on her then.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes sparkled and she smiled.

    The old madam sighed and then patted Luo Mingzhu¡¯s head again. One could not tell what she was thinking.

    The room quietened down. Luo Bin and Luo Wenyou did not speak. The room was heavy with silence and it made it feel as if there was a breath stuck in one¡¯s chest. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes turned grave. She knew that something happened and she stopped fooling around. Instead, she listened to what her grandmother had to say quietly.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, wants to marry you. Are you willing?¡± The old madam said gravely after a moment, looking at Luo Mingzhu.

    King Ning, Feng Yuzhen?

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s mouth opened in shock. She could not understand what the old madam had said at that moment. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

    ¡°I heard that King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, is very close to the Grand Secretariat¡¯s daughter. There were rumors about them a long time again in the capital. It is not news.¡± Luo Wenyou was not truly a useless schr. He looked up at Luo Mingzhu with solemn eyes.

    Luo Mingzhu blinked and understood after a moment. Her expression turned from confusion to shock.

    The matter was not any secret news in the capital. Grand Secretariat Wang was Feng Yuzhen¡¯s teacher and was also very close to the Empress. They naturally had a good rtionship. Rumors said that the young Miss Wang was very interested in King Ning. Wang Xiuxiu, Luo Mingzhu, and a few other youngdies were very close as well and would mention King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, from time to time. Their interest in him was known to all.

    Even though King Ning was sent away to be a hostage son, and Wang Xiuxiu gradually stopped mentioning him, they could still see that something was going on as time passed. Wang Xiuxiu and Feng Yuzhen were truly in love with each other. Otherwise, Wang Xiuxiu would not be so anxious whenever she heard any news about King Ning, Feng Yuzhen.

    Shouldn¡¯t a man like that marry Wang Xiuxiu?

    ¡°Grandmother, Feng Yuzhen and Wang Xiuxiu...¡± Luo Mingzhu muttered. It was after all, inappropriate for a girl to talk about her own marriage. However, Luo Mingzhu trusted her grandmother. Her father had asked her about it so seriously, and there must definitely be a reason for that. As such, she ignored her embarrassment and tried to look up and pretend to be calm andposed.

    However, her ears were flushed.

    ¡°Wang Xiuxiu is King Yan¡¯s second consort now. She entered King Yan¡¯s Manor yesterday.¡± The old madam said lightly.

    Of course, this incident was not the main reason for King Ning¡¯s proposal. The Empress Dowager had been extremely friendly to the old madam recently. The old madam thought that it was because the Empress Dowager was getting on the years and was ill, so she missed her old friends. They were close friends when they were younger. However, the Empress Dowager married the then Emperor, and they gradually grew apart given the difference in their statuses.

    However, they had still been friends as children. As such, the old madam did not give it much thought at first.

    She only understood when Mo Xuetong mentioned it.

    ¡°How did Wang Xiuxiu be King Yan¡¯s second consort? Wasn¡¯t the one she liked King Ning?!¡± The marriage had happened yesterday and there were a bunch of reasons that could not be clearly exined. It had something to do with the royal family¡¯s image and no one dared to spread rumors about it. Luo Mingzhu rarely went out and this was her first time hearing about it. She could not help but felt that the whole situation was odd.

    ¡°The Emperor bestowed the marriage in an edict. Who would dare to go against it? King Ning is on the way back. If the Empress Dowager decrees that you marry King Ning, Zhu¡¯er, what do you think about that?¡± The old madam picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. She looked at Luo Mingzhu deeply.

    ¡°Grandmother, I am not willing!¡± Since her grandmother had asked her, Luo Mingzhu decided to speak up about what she thought. She knew about some things since she lived in such a family. She knew that the Empress Dowager would not bestow marriage upon her and King Ning for no reason.

    If she were to be dragged into those murky waters, her entire family would definitely fall as well!

    This was not just a simple marriage anymore.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er, why are you unwilling?¡± Luo Bin asked, looking at his daughter.

    ¡°King Ning, Feng Yuzhen is the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological grandson, and he is also a legitimate son. I heard that the previous Emperor once wanted to make the old King Ning the crown prince when he was on the throne. King Ning would have be the next Emperor. However, he died early and the throne went to the current Emperor. Father, I don¡¯t know how others think but this is what I think. The utmost highest position was right in front of them, but then, it floated away...¡± Luo Mingzhu looked at Luo Bin and tried to hide the furious beating of her heart.

    If there was something that you would never be able to touch, you would respect and admire it.

    However, when it was something that you could reach out and take hold of but then, it floated away, further and further away from you, how would you feel? You would feel that the thing belonged to you. Why did someone else take it away? You would fight hard for it, and...

    This was something Cousin Tong had told her earlier with a smile. She had held on to Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand then. Luo Mingzhu did not understand why her cousin would say something like this. Now, she understoodpletely. She suddenly felt that her cousin was talking about this matter. Cousin Tong had told her many things, but these words were the main point.

    A sh of delight appeared in Luo Bin¡¯s eyes when he looked at his obedient daughter. His daughter was not a useless girl. She had a keen sense too. He turned to look at the old madam and said, ¡°Mother, Zhu¡¯er has thought about this clearly. You deal with it as you deem fit. No matter what... we cannot drag the whole family into it.¡±

    It was clear what the Empress Dowager was nning. She wanted to use Luo Wenyou¡¯s power with the military to fight for King Ning. The Empress Dowager and King Ning were too good at plotting.

    ¡°There are still more than ten days. The journey from Yan Kingdom to Qin Kingdom...¡± The old madam said meaningfully.

    ¡°Grandmother, that¡¯s impossible!¡± Luo Wenyou said urgently, his heart chilled.

    ¡°Rest assured. I will not do such dangerous things.¡± The old madam looked at Luo Wenyou who had not managed to remain calm. She had never thought of causing an ident for King Ning on his way to the Qin Kingdom. Doing something like this was considered treason. Fu General Manor had already been involved in an incident and they must not make another wrong move.

    ¡°Mother, engage Zhu¡¯er to someone these few days.¡± Luo Bin said as he also looked at his disgruntled nephew.

    Luo Mingzhu was so shocked her lips trembled. She did not know what to say as she wrung the handkerchief she held under her sleeves tightly. How could she not be worried when her marriage was nned so hastily? However, when she thought of the plot the Empress Dowager and King Ning cooked up, she could only purse her lips tightly.

    ¡°Second Uncle, is that not too hurried?¡± Luo Wenyou who had just rxed slightly grew worried again. A youngdy of Luo Mingzhu¡¯s status should have a long engagement process. It was not appropriate for her to be engaged so hastily. How could they tell others to hurry the entire negotiation process?

    Luo Wenyou and Luo Mingzhu grew up together by the old madam¡¯s side. Even though they were cousins, they were as close as siblings. He was worried that Luo Mingzhu would not marry well because of the haste.

    However, there was no other way out. The Empress Dowager would not be able to say anything if Luo Mingzhu were engaged.

    Everyone knew that but this was extremely unfair toward Luo Mingzhu. Her future might be affected if her marriage were to be settled so hastily. Everyone only got engaged after asking around several times. The official engagement process only started once every criterion was met. Everyone knew how important marriage was to a girl.

    This was also what the old madam was worried about. She even asked Luo Mingzhu about it especially. The old madam doted on her only unmarried granddaughter and wanted to keep the girl by her side for another year. As such, they had not negotiated an engagement for her. However, she did not expect that the Empress Dowager would take advantage of this. There was no other way out in their hurry.

    ¡°Grandmother, Zhu¡¯er will leave my marriage for you to decide.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s heart fluttered. She said firmly, disregarding the embarrassment she felt. She understood what the old madam meant.

    In order not to implicate her family lest they were drawn into King Ning¡¯s and the Empress Dowager¡¯s plot, she had to settle her marriage as soon as possible. Thest dateline was in ten days. If they waited for the Empress Dowager to issue a decree, Fu General Manor would not be able to refuse the marriage. Luo Mingzhu knew that she had to get engaged and it had to be done quickly so that the Empress Dowager would not be able to say anything even when she found out.

    ¡°Zhu¡¯er!¡± The old madam was reassured when she saw how sensible her granddaughter was. She looked at the girl¡¯s beautiful face and felt sad. She reached out to hug Luo Mingzhu and sighed softly. She had postponed her precious granddaughter¡¯s engagement because she doted on her. However, she did not expect that it would harm Luo Mingzhu instead.

    ¡°Mother, you do not need to be sad. It might not necessarily be a bad thing for the engagement to go through quickly. I will definitely find a satisfactory husband for Zhu¡¯er. He does not need to be wealthy but at least he has to treat Zhu¡¯er well.¡± Luo Bin stood up and said. Given Fu General Manor¡¯s abilities now, what they wanted was not another powerful faction to work together with. If there was too much power between several big manors, it would only cause the Emperor to feel threatened. Luo Mingzhu might as well marry down.

    For one, it would make the Emperor feel assured. On the other hand, they could make sure that Luo Mingzhu would not be bullied after she got married. With Fu General Manor as their backing, no one would dare to look down on Luo Mingzhu.

    ¡°Find someone who has a strong character and will. Don¡¯t find a man who cannot take any beatings...¡± The old madam patted Luo Mingzhu¡¯s head and said softly.

    They had to find a man of strong character who can withstand storms. No one would know how the fight for the throne would turn out. If it implicated Fu General Manor, they had to make sure Zhu¡¯er had strong and firm support. They must not let the same tragedy happen again!

    How could a girl with many burdens not be weak and sickly? She would then die young...

 Chapter 342 - The Weird Book from the Southern Barbarian Lands

    <h4>Chapter 342 The Weird Book from the Southern Barbarian Lands</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not know that the old madam thought about Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother, Luo Xia, because of Luo Mingzhu.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage sped out of Fu General Manor and onto the streets. Even though she was injured, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s decree that they should get engaged and married could not be changed. She would be married in another two weeks. She had thought that she would be able to embroider her own wedding gown, but she would not be able to do so now. Mo Xuemin was vicious and three of her fingers were badly damaged.

    Even though it was just the tips of her fingers that were injured, the pain was unbearable even if she just moved slightly. She was unable to pick up a needle during this period.

    ¡°Is that Princess Anping in the carriage?¡± The horse carriage suddenly stopped and a gentle and elegant voice could be heard from outside.

    Qin Yufeng?

    Mo Xuetong was startled and nced at Mo Lan.

    Mo Lan knew what Mo Xuetong wanted. She lifted the door curtains and asked, ¡°It is the Princess, is it Young Master Qin?¡±

    When Mo Lan saw that the man outside was indeed Qin Yufeng, she was startled. Then, she asked in confusion, ¡°Young Master, why are you looking for the Princess?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the princess got into danger yesterday. Grandmother was worried and asked me to visit. I did not expect to meet the Princess on the streets, so I came specially to ask about her.¡± Qin Yufeng said politely with a smile. He looked at the curtains and his gazended on a pair of shoes embroidered with flowers. His lips curled up slightly.

    Mo Xuetong dared not ignore Old Mdm Qin asking about her. She told the driver to stop by the road and got off with the help of Mo Lan. Then, she thanked him gently, saying ¡°Many thanks to Grandaunt for keeping me in her thoughts. It was nothing major, I only injured my hands.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and curtsied.

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s smiling eyes turned to Mo Xuetong¡¯s tightly wrapped hands. Then, he looked up at her pale and haggard face. A dark sh of light appeared in his eyes. The emotion wasplicated and Mo Xuetong did not understand it.

    ¡°Grandmother asks Cousin Tong to be more careful. It is not safe to travel in a horse carriage, so you might as well rest at home. The weather is not good recently, do not go out often.¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s voice was soft and gentle. There was a tender smile on his handsome voice as he showed his concern to Mo Xuetong on behalf of Old Madam Qin. His hands were behind his back and he held on to a book. He looked very carefree.

    ¡°Many thanks for Grandaunt¡¯s concern. Please help me to thank her. I shall visit when I have recovered.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glowed with life and her longshes fluttered. A smile crept up onto her lips. She had the liveliness of a young girl and was gentle and amiable.

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes darkened as something seemed to sh through them.

    ¡°Your hands, are they really okay?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re truly fine. It just slightly inconvenient but there are no other major issues.¡± Mo Xuetong said. She lifted her hands slightly and waved them to show that she was fine.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, then I shall leave. Tell grandmother what you said yourself when you¡¯ve recovered.¡± Qin Yufeng bid her farewell politely with a smile.

    ¡°Alright. I will definitely visit grandaunt. Many thanks, Cousin Feng. Are you buying books because you are taking the exam?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyesnded on the book in Qin Yufeng¡¯s hands which he held behind his back. She could not help but notice Qin Yufeng. It was as if every move that he made were meaningful.

    As such, she paid attention to the book in his hands as well.

    ¡°It is not a book for the exam but it is just for leisure reading.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled and waved the book in his hands slightly. Mo Xuetong could not see them clearly but saw an odd symbol on the cover. However, she could not see the symbol clearly. She suddenly felt her heart racing. It was as if there were blood surging up from her chest. She froze.

    There seemed to be something rising from her heart. Blood colored her sight...

    ¡°Cousin Tong, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Qin Yufeng asked in confusion. He noticed that Mo Xuetong was behaving oddly. He looked at the book in his hand and then at Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression.

    He had found the book in the book market earlier and had bought it because he felt that the interesting tales discussed in the book was much more interesting than others. He did not know why he was interested in such topics recently. Even though the imperial examinations were about to begin, he could not focus on it at all.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, where, where did you get this book?¡± Mo Xuetong asked subconsciously. Her body was wound up tightly.

    ¡°At the bookstall right up there. Cousin Tong, take it if you like it.¡± Qin Yufeng handed the book over with a slight smile.

    Mo Xuetong was so frightened she backed away. There was a hint of fear that shed through her eyes. She did not know why either but the book made her feel terrified and afraid.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Cousin Feng. I do not like this kind of books.¡± Mo Xuetong tried to smile. She could feel her heart beating wildly. She did not feel so nervous even when she had been pushed off the horse carriage by Mo Xuemin yesterday. However, she felt terrified for an unknown reason when she saw the book.

    Her hands, which were tightly wrapped up, shook. A sharp pain traveled from her hands and her eyes cleared.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, I have something on and I shall take my leave.¡± Mo Xuetong bid her farewells anxiously. After curtsying to Qin Yufeng, she boarded the horse carriage holding on to Mo Lan¡¯s shoulder. The horse carriage rolled away slowly.

    ¡°Miss, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Lan asked, looking at Mo Xuetong in confusion.

    Her mistress had always been calm andposed. When had she ever been so afraid? Young Master Qin did not say anything inappropriate earlier either!

    Mo Xuetong was still reeling in shock and she leaned away subconsciously. She held her chest with her hand and could feel her heart beating frantically. She felt fearful for an unknown reason. Some empty scenes shed before her eyes. The odd design, the intense me, the shrill cries of a woman...

    ¡°Miss, Miss!¡± Mo Ye called urgently. She realized that something was wrong with Mo Xuetong as well.

    Mo Xuetong sighed deeply and her eyes cleared. She closed her eyes slowly and leaned against the back of the seat. She shook her head weakly to gesture that she was fine.

    Qin Yufeng had not behaved any differently from before, so why did she feel so frightened?!

    Mo Xuetong had always been wary of Qin Yufeng. She knew that he was not as gentle as he was on the surface and also knew that he was adept at plotting against others. In the beginning, she thought that he was interested in Mo Xuemin. Gradually, however, she got to know more about him. The man did not want Mo Xuemin.

    He was King Chu¡¯s puppet master and he wanted to get King Chu the throne. In her past life, he had tricked everyone and made everyone think that he was loyal to Mo Xuemin to hide his true intentions. Everyone believed him, they believed that he had not married because of Mo Xuemin. Even his mother had thought that was the reason and had made a fuss in private about it several times. He had declined every time gently.

    Even though Mo Xuetong did not know why Qin Yufeng was doing this, it definitely had something to do with King Chu¡¯s attempts at the throne. Or perhaps, he had not married because he wanted to marry a noble legitimate daughter after the matter was dealt with. It could also be because he wanted to trick his enemies and make them think that he was a lovesick man and would not be able to make much trouble...

    Yet, no matter what, in her past life, Mo Xuetong had been coteral damage and had be a tool for Qin Yufeng to please Mo Xuemin. In this life, Mo Xuemin and Qin Yufeng did not have much of a rtionship. However, no one would know when Qin Yufeng would try to plot against her again. As such, Mo Xuetong had always been polite and distant to Qin Yufeng.

    Yet today, she felt terrified!

    Was it because Qin Yufeng had something on him? That book?

    Mo Xuetong could not understand. She felt that her heart was still beating very quickly. She was confused and afraid...

    Various emotions welled up within her and she could not make them out clearly!

    She truly could not see through Qin Yufeng!

    Qin Yufeng looked at the book in his hands behind the horse carriage, dazed. Mo Xuetong had looked afraid after she saw the book.

    It was just a novel about interesting stories. Qin Yufeng had flipped through it earlier. The book was from the Southern Barbarian Lands and was about odd and interesting stories there.

    The Southern Barbarians were not from the central ins and were not civilized and they had incredible shaman crafts. There were not many books recorded in words there. As such, Qin Yufeng was delighted when he saw the book and bought it. He brought it with him to wait for Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage.

    He had trulye on Old Madam Qin¡¯s orders. He guessed that Mo Xuetong would definitely be called to visit by the Old Madam of Fu General Manor, so he waited there for her.

    At King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Feng Yuranid on the couch, his face was pale. An imperial physician helped him to bandage his wounds. His long ck hair flowed down, revealing half of his extremely handsome face. His face was charming and he looked dangerous. He wore purple robes with crimson flowers. The vines of the nts curled on the edges of his robes, making it look extremely beautiful and odd.

    The imperial physician did not dare to look up and only carefully wrapped the wound. It was obviously a knife wound and not at all like the rumors outside that say King Xuan was hit by a copsed staircase. However, he did not say anything else. The more he knew, the faster he would die. Since King Xuan was concealing his assassination, he definitely had his reasons for doing so.

    As an imperial physician, he was also an intelligent man. Since His Majesty sent him here and did not ask anything about it, it meant that the Emperor knew about it. If the Emperor did not say anything, why should he, an insignificant imperial physician reveal the truth? He would only just die faster in that case.

    ¡°Imperial physician, how long before I will be healed?¡± Feng Yuran askedzily. His red lips were charming and seductive. His handsome appearance was legendary and charming. Feng Yuran looked at the imperial physician with handsome and sharp eyes as he picked up a cup of tea with his pale and slender right hand. The imperial physician felt as if he could not breathe.

    ¡°Your Highness, you only need to rest for two weeks however, you tore your wound yesterday. I fear that you will have to rest for an entire month now. If Your Highness does not take care of yourself, your injury will worsen.¡± The imperial physician said with reservation. The prince¡¯s injuries were shocking and it was already not bad that the prince could be healed. He did not expect the prince to be so uncaring of his own injuries and to have injured himself again.

    Having his wounds tear open is as good as stabbing his old wound. He did not understand why the prince was so not careful with himself. This was a matter of life and death.

    ¡°Will my wedding be affected?¡± Feng Yuran asked, his eyes flickering.

    ¡°Your Highness, it might be a little difficult if you wish to hold the wedding.¡± The imperial physician answered honestly. He reached out to wrap thest bits of the bandage. Then, he backed away with sweat beading on his forehead. He continued, ¡°Your Highness has to rest in quiet on the day of the wedding. You must not be too excited.¡±

    ¡°You have worked hard, Imperial Physician. Tell my father that I will not interfere with the matters of the wedding. But I will personally attend the ceremony at the end.¡± Feng Yuran thought about it for a moment before he said that. He looked down. His long ckshes were like fans cast over his face. They hid the shing colors in his eyes.

    He would not allow anyone else to take his ce at the ceremony. He was marrying a woman he loved, so how could he back away?

    ¡°But, His Majesty said...¡± The imperial physician said weakly. Before he left, the Emperor had told him that he had to persuade King Xuan not to attend the ceremony personally. He had thought that if King Xuan cared about his own body, he would definitely agree.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything else. Just say that I insist!¡± Feng Yuran said coldly and closed his eyes. He leaned backward and revealed a perfect chin. He was determined.

    ¡°Imperial Physician, please!¡± Steward Wang emerged from behind the screen and gestured at the physician.

    Not daring to disturb Feng Yuran¡¯s rest, the imperial physician bowed at Feng Yuran helplessly and followed Steward Wang out quietly. He smiled to himself bitterly. At least he managed to do one thing. He did not know if the Emperor would punish him.

 Chapter 343 - King Xuans Anger and the Imperial Noble Consort Gets into Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 343 King Xuan¡¯s Anger and the Imperial Noble Consort Gets into Trouble</h4>

    The imperial physician left uneasily. Steward Wang returned to the outside of Feng Yuran¡¯s bedroom. He hesitated for a moment before he entered. He truly could not make a decision.

    ¡°Why were you walking up and down outside?¡± Feng Yuran asked lightly, not opening his eyes. He tapped his long and slim fingers by the bed casually and seemed to be in a good mood.

    ¡°Your Highness, the He family also sent someone to congratte you on your wedding. Should we leave them inside or outside the manor?¡± No matter what, the He family was the prince¡¯s maternal family. If they were to be set up outside the manor, it would not look good. However, not only would the prince be upset should they be settled inside the manor, but it would also be inconvenient.

    Even though Steward Wang knew that Feng Yuran did not like the He family, he still reported the news to the prince. No matter what had happened, since the He family was here, the prince had to entertain them.

    ¡°Who from the He family came?¡± Feng Yuran asked with an interested tone. He continued tapping the sides of the bed with his slender fingers.

    ¡°First and Second Sir of the He family came as well as two youngdies from the He family who just turned 15. They are said to be the daughters of the two men.¡± Steward Wang answered carefully. He sighed to himself. Everyone knew what the two men were plotting. Yet, they still said they were here to congratte the prince with a sincere look on their faces. He did not know what the two men were thinking. Did they think the prince would acknowledge them after what happened?

    ¡°Let them stay outside the manor. I can¡¯t afford to feed them.¡± Feng Yuran said with closed eyes and azy tone.

    ¡°But I fear others might...¡± Steward Wang¡¯s meaning was clear.

    ¡°When have I ever cared about what others say?¡± Feng Yuran opened his phoenix-eyes with a vague smile. He nced at Steward Wang and said, ¡°Have them stay outside the manor. I have two beautiful cousins, there must be some use of them.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you mean?¡± Steward Wang¡¯s eyes glimmered and he suddenly understood. He knew Feng Yuran well after serving him for a long time. He understood Feng Yuran¡¯s intentions before he even finished his sentence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to have any intentions. They already have their own. You don¡¯t have to care much about them. Just settle them down outside the manor. I do not want my little wife to be challenged by others before she even marries me.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful lips curled up slightly. A brilliant smile appeared on his handsome and wless face.

    The He family had never been peaceful. There were some things that he did not even have to help along with. It was a coincidence; he heard his father talking about it a few days ago. Consort Zhao, who had always been locked up deep in the pce was interested ining out. Then, the He family made their move at the same time. It seemed that the woman locked up deep in the pce was notpletely unaware of what was happening outside.

    ¡°Yes, I will arrange it immediately.¡± Steward Wang understood what Feng Yuran wanted. He nodded and was about to leave.

    ¡°Is Shen Kun back?¡± Feng Yuran asked.

    ¡°He just returned to the manor and was waiting outside earlier.¡±

    ¡°Get him toe in.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Steward Wang left the room. Then, Shen Kun entered. He bowed to Feng Yuran respectfully before moving to stand at the side with his hands by his side.

    ¡°How does the matter go?¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. You Yuelian did appear near where the ident happened yesterday. More than one person saw him. However, they only saw his back and his clothes. After the ident, only some traces were left behind. It was not obvious.¡± Shen Kun reported, his head hung low.

    ¡°That is enough.¡± Feng Yuran waved his hand. Then, he smiled thoughtfully, ¡°You do not need to care about what is happening at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. I don¡¯t even have time to deal with my own matters, much less others. Imperial Noble Consort Su and the Empress are fighting right now. Have our men be more careful with what they are doing. If nothing happens, they just have to watch the show.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. Our men rarely make moves and will not act rashly. They only give the matter a small nudge on your orders at the crucial moment. No one will suspect us. However, we cannot deal with small matters either. We still do not have concrete evidence against Grand Secretariat Wang and Duke Ding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Father has already yed this move of chess for us. We will see how Third Brother will get himself out of this. King Ning can¡¯t get peace, neither can King Yan. Your men just have to wait. The people in the back of the pce should not make any moves for now.¡± Feng Yuran said, waving his hands.

    ¡°You Yuecheng found Sima Lingyun a position on the Golden Elite Forces. It is said that he is waiting for a chance to tell the Emperor about it.¡± Shen Kun said.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. Then, he shook his head and smiled, ¡°You Yuecheng is willing to tie himself with Sima Lingyun. We do not need to make trouble. Someone like Sima Lingyun will not seed and will get into trouble instead. Furthermore, he is like a medicine patch. You can¡¯t remove it once you stick it on. Let them stick together but we must not let him get that spot so easily.¡±

    Those in the Golden Elite Forces were all descendants of warriors who contributed to the nation. It was no big deal for Sima Lingyun to join them. However, Feng Yuran was really unwilling to have Sima Lingyun and You Yuecheng settle their debts just like that. If You Yuecheng did not owe Sima Lingyun anything, Sima Lingyun would not be able to get any closer to You Yuecheng. Feng Yuran had to make sure that they would find it hard to part from each other.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Shen Kun understood immediately. This was what he was in charge of and he naturally knew what to do.

    ¡°Eldest Brother and Third Brother have nned this for so many years. Send the message to Eldest Brother. He would definitely be more than happy to do something like that and upset Third Brother.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice turned cold. His voice was sinisterly frigid as he continued, ¡°The two of them are always plotting against me. It is a pity they have underestimated me. Even if they are tigers, they will have toy down in front of me.¡±

    Shen Kun blinked, not understanding what the prince meant for the moment. King Yan and King Chu have plotted against him for many years. Yet, he had never seen the prince got angry. Why was he really angry about it today?

    ¡°Shen Kun, do you know what to do?¡±

    Shen Kun quickly organized his thoughts and answered, ¡°Yes, I understand. Please rest assured. I will make King Chu embed shrapnel in King Yan without anyone knowing anything. There is naturally someone more suited for Sima Lingyun¡¯s position. I fear Marquess Mingguo¡¯s plot is not very reliable.¡±

    ¡°When those from the He familye, tell Steward Wang to take them out on walks often if there is nothing going on. The capital is a flourishing ce and is much better than a corner of a remote ce.¡±

    It was flourishing and grand, and could not bepared to a distant ce in a corner of Jiangnan. The more reluctant the He family was, the more trouble there would be. The more trouble there was, the more incidents would happen. He would find out what happened then no matter what it was. No matter who it was in the pce who killed his mother, he would not let her off.

    ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Steward Wang saw Feng Yuran lean backward and lie t on the bed. He knew that Feng Yuran did not want to say anything else and he left.

    In the pce.

    Imperial Consort Su picked a day on which there was good weather to pray for blessings for the Empress Dowager.

    Imperial Consort Su felt the mostfortable when the Empress Dowager was ill!

    King Yan had been taken down a notch for no reason and had two second consorts allocated to him. Then, he was locked up.

    The second consorts had arrived before the first consort. It was an embarrassing matter no matter what. It was embarrassing to the Mingguo Manor and King Yan. How could Imperial Consort Su not be delighted about it?

    The matter earlier had toned down slightly. Even though Feng Yuxuan was berated as well, at least nothing embarrassing happened to him.

    The Empress had been ordered by the Emperor to take care of the ailing Empress Dowager. She did not have the energy to manage matters of the back of the pce. Imperial Consort Wen did not care, so Imperial Consort Su was now in charge. This pleased her greatly.

    The Emperor rebuked the Empress because of what the Fifth Princess did. They were slightly distant from each other now. She heard that the Emperor had not visited the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce in a long while. This news was a huge blow to King Yan. Of course, to Imperial Consort Su, this news was amazing. The Empress¡¯ fall from grace meant that she would be able to climb upwards. It would be great if the Empress was dethroned. Then, she would be able to take the Empress¡¯ ce. Xuan¡¯er would be a true legitimate son. Then, there would be nothing to fight for...

    ¡°Your Highness, which pin would you like to use today?¡± The pce maid stuttered, pointing at a box filled with pins.

    ¡°This one.¡± Imperial Consort Su picked an ordinary pinzily. However, her gaze was on the nine-feathered phoenix pin at the most inside of the box. Her gaze was filled with desire.

    ¡°Your Highness, shall we use this phoenix pin? It is the most beautiful of them all.¡± The pce maid was quick to catch on and she immediately raised the phoenix pin in front of Imperial Consort Su. The phoenix pin with gold pearl tassels was beautiful and dignified. It was like a proud phoenix.

    ¡°This one can¡¯t be used right now.¡± Imperial Consort Su pushed the nine-feathered phoenix pin in front of her away. she could not use the phoenix pin. The nine-feathered phoenix pin represented the Empress¡¯ status. She was only just an imperial consort right now. There was practically no chance of her bing an empress in her lifetime unless Xuan¡¯er became the Emperor. She would then be the Empress Dowager. She would then be of equal footing with the Empress and that was when she would be able to use the nine-feathered phoenix pin.

    Other than that, there was no other way she would be able to wear it.

    As such, she could only look at it secretly now.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Empress will not be there anyway. You are now in charge of the pces now and there is no difference between you and the Empress. Why would it matter if you wear it for a while!¡± The pce maid said with a smile when she saw that the consort was still looking at the nine-feathered phoenix pin longingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. This pin will do.¡± Consort Su took the nine-feathered phoenix pin away from the pce maid and threw it into the jewelry box. There was a cold smile on her lips. She should not make any hasty mistakes now even more so. There would be plenty of opportunities to wear that in the future. Why should she do something that would cause others to speak badly about her at such a crucial time?

    ¡°Pick the nicest Buddha statue and ce it together with the one from the Empress. Let the others see which one of us is more sincere.¡± Imperial Consort Su smiled coldly as she looked at her beautiful face in the mirror.

    Her eldest brother had not let her down. He found a Buddha statue that was even better than the Empress¡¯ at thest moment. She did not believe that she cannot make the Emperor see how sincere she was.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Buddha statue is so precious and is embedded with so many precious stones and pearls. One look at it and people can tell that it is a precious treasure that has been blessed. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor would definitely be pleased if they know how sincere you are. They will definitely think highly of you even more so.¡± The pce maid gently slotted in the pin into Imperial Consort Su¡¯s fine hair as she buttered up to the woman. From the mirror, one could see the reflection of a beautiful woman.

    The blessing ceremony was in an empty pce hall. The hall was filled with Buddha statues from various pces and families. The one in the middle was from the Empress, and slightly below that, was Imperial Consort Su¡¯s. It was reasonable for her statue to be ced together with the Empress since she was in charge of the ceremony today.

    Women, who were titled, all knelt on the floor to pray for blessings for the Empress Dowager.

    The women knelt for a while and prayed for a while because the ceremony was going to take up an entire day. Smoke drifted in the air and wafts of incense scents could be smelled. An eminent monk had been invited to discuss religious rites in front. It was dignified and grand.

    Most of the noblewomen were slightly tired after half a day. However, when they saw Imperial Consort Su, who knelt at the very front with her back ramrod straight, they immediately pulled themselves together again. They were in the pce and there was more than one person watching them. If they were to be just the slightest bit careless and something untoward happens to the Empress Dowager, they would be the first to get into trouble. No one could take responsibility for their entire family being ughtered. As such, they perked up and tried their best to listen to the monk speak and prayed for the Empress Dowager.

    Imperial Consort Su knelt at the front with her head lowered. She seemed extremely devout. She was made up inly today and wore only an ordinary pin in her hair and nothing else. She seemed gentle and gracious and very elegant. The other consorts were all dressed inly as well, none of them going against the rules.

    It was very silent inside the hall. The monk¡¯s calm voice washed over them. It was vaguely passionate!

    The sound of urgent running could be heard suddenly. A pce maid ran in, lifting her skirts up without decorum. The calming atmosphere in the hall was broken. The noblewomen opened their eyes and looked at Imperial Consort Su, whom the pce maid was running towards. Shocked expressions appeared on their faces. The pce was a ce in which decorum was most important. Why was Imperial Consort Su¡¯s pce maid behaving so inappropriately?

    Before anyone could react, the pce maid whispered something into Imperial Consort Su¡¯s ears. The consort¡¯s face paled immediately and seemed to want to stand. However, she could not stand as she held on to the pce maid¡¯s hand. She shook and almost fell. Then, she got up and did not speak with anyone. She hurried towards the outside with the help of the pce maid.

    Some of the women with sharper eyes even saw Imperial Consort Su pale in shock and her stumbling steps.

    Something serious happened...

    The noblewomen in the hall looked at each other, unable to react.

    Even the monk seated in front watched on with wide eyes. Then, he lowered his head again and started to chant once more!

 Chapter 344 - Imperial Noble Consort Sus Ruthless Decision. Towering Hatred!

    <h4>Chapter 344 Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s Ruthless Decision. Towering Hatred!</h4>

    ¡°Your family is really rich and powerful. I heard that the precious Buddha statue is only worth 300 taels of silver. But I don¡¯t know that the ancient jade of thousands of years is only worth that. I also wonder if your family will have a guilty conscience. Dare to put this ancient Buddha statue stained with blood in front of divine Buddha, even pray for the Empress Dowager.¡±

    In the imperial study room. Wearing a peevish expression on his face with the nerves jumping, Emperor Zongwen picked up the teacup on the table and smashed it fiercely at the feet of the Imperial Noble Consort Su. He snorted coldly.

    The Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s feet were stuck by several pieces of the broken jade-red porcin Tang teacup, and the corner of her skirt became faintly red. Obviously, she got her skin pierced. But she had no eyes for her sharp pain, and just begged with a pale face and tears. ¡°Your Majesty, please spare my family. It was all because I wanted to do good deeds in front of you, but I am too eager to seed, that my family was so anxious to find such a psychic Buddha statue for me.¡±

    ¡°Psychic Buddha statue? If it did work, your family should be paid blood for blood!¡± Emperor Zongwen thundered.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please punish me and spare my brother. I beg you. My father only has such a son. Could you please spare him?¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su was totally unconscious of the pains on her knees and stepped forward on her knees. She pulled Emperor Zongwen¡¯s sleeve and cried.

    She never thought that the thing was blown into such big trouble just forpeting against the Empress. Now, the Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s brother evenmitted murder for the Buddha statue. And it was reported to the Emperor. Thinking that her father only had a legitimate son whom the whole Su family would rely on to steer in the future, the Imperial Noble Consort Su screwed her face into an expression of pain and terror.

    If Feng Yuxuan wanted to ascend to the throne in the future, it wouldrgely depend on his mother¡¯s family. Without strong support from the mother¡¯s family, how could Feng Yuxuan stand out to win the throne? This thought wrenched her heart. She clenched her fists, and sharp nails pierced her palms. She looked anxiously at Liu Xi beside.

    Since she had been in the pce for many years, Liu Xi respected her every time he saw her and did not forget to send gifts and presents to her at usual times.

    Naturally, Liu Xi saw the appeal in her eyes. In fact, he got many good benefits from the Imperial Noble Consort Su at ordinary times. Feng Yuxuan was a refined and elegant person and never stingy about giving rewards, so he won warm support. So Liu Xi thought he could not turn a blind eye to the appeal. Then, he stepped up, served a new cup of tea to Emperor Zongwen and said, ¡°Your Majesty, please calm down and have a cup of tea. It happened so suddenly. Her Highness made efforts to show her filial piety, but unexpectedly, her intention led to bad results.¡±

    ¡°Filial piety? Her filial piety is stained with others¡¯ blood. How can the Empress Dowager be cured by her filial piety? I¡¯m afraid it will cut short her normal span of life!¡± Emperor Zongwen said chilly with a gloomy look, and cast a nce at Liu Xi¡¯s serving tea but did not take a sip.

    Obviously, the Emperor had made up his mind to punish the Su family¡¯s eldest son! So Liu Xi did not dare to say more and just stepped back and bowed his head down. Being in the pce for so many years, Liu Xi knew well who his master was indeed. Without the Emperor Zongwen¡¯s trust, Liu Xi would be nothing in this pce, and why was the Imperial Noble Consort Su polite to him?

    He had said the words he could. As for those he could not, he would not naturally cause trouble for himself.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, could you please look it up again? Look it up again? It was not my brother¡¯s fault, but it was I who asked my brother to buy it. And we never forced...¡± Seeing Emperor Zongwen was still in a rage, the Imperial Noble Consort Su said quickly with a pale face. There was only one legitimate son in the Su family, and she only had a legitimate brother. How could she be hard-hearted to see her brother pay for life with life?

    She cried and kowtowed unceasingly. Her white forehead thumped heavily on the blue-stone ground.

    ¡°Buy? This is a family heirloom passed on from ten generations. It has been blessed by several generations of senior monks and worshiped in the ancestral hall. It is the family¡¯s treasure. So how much did your Su family spend buying it? It was imed that over one million taels of silvers were needed to offer it. Your family is really wealthy. In such a condition, you dare toe to the family. Apparently, you do have an extremelyrge amount of money.¡± Emperor Zongwen gave a sudden sneer with a sh of coldness in his eyes.

    The Imperial Noble Consort¡¯s face became ghastly pale, and she could not help quivering. A chill soared up from the bottom of his heart and rushed to her limbs immediately. She was impotent as if being soaked in the ice. She fell on blue-stone ground feebly. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something from the mishap, and her lips trembled, about to speak.

    But Emperor Zongwen looked at her and said coldly, ¡°The lianghu disaster relief fund is said to be over one million tales of silver. But it disappeared without a trace. No official of lianghu could tell where the fund has gone. I remember your Su family in lianghu is a greatly influential family.¡±

    The Emperor¡¯s words cut her heart like a knife. The Imperial Noble Su could not tolerate any longer, as her face turned livid with ckness in front of her eyes. She fell backward involuntarily. The two pce maids kneeling behind hurried to support her and looked at Emperor Zongwen in fear, but did not dare to yell.

    Emperor Zongwen took no notice at the weak the Imperial Noble Consort, but just turned to Liu Xi and said, ¡°Pass the order that the threew divisions hear the case together. No leniency shall be shown in punishment. Dare to take advantage of the royal power to do such an illegal thing! It is to despise the dignity of the royal family. How did they think of the majesty of the royal family?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will dere it.¡± Liu Xi bowed his head and answered respectfully.

    The Imperial Noble Consort Su still felt weak in her own pce after being supported back from the Imperial Study Room. She looked paled and sat on the front of the couch. One of her hands held the desk besides, and the other smashed a beautiful vase into pieces.

    The flowers in it suddenly withered, and the broken branches and porcin badly marked a dark trace of water on the ground.

    ¡°Your Highness, please calm down. please.¡± The pce maids knelt down in fear and begged involuntarily.

    ¡°Get out, get out of here all!¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su yelled sharply, as she looked ferocious without any tenderness on her beautiful face.

    Several little pce maids stumbled up from the ground and scampered away the hall, not daring to take a look at her.

    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t get angry. The senior master may think about some methods.¡± Qiong¡¯er, her close-fitting pce maid, held a cup of tea and put it in front of the Imperial Noble Consort Su. She patted the Imperial Noble Consort¡¯s back and pacified. ¡°No matter how angry you are, you should not hurt yourself. You still have His Highness, right?¡±

    She was a close-fit maid brought by the Imperial Noble Consort Su from the Su family, so she dared to say something that others did not dare to say.

    ¡°Bitch, bitch...¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su snarled in rage as she grabbed the corner of the desk and widened her eyes asrge as a brass bell.

    ¡°Your Highness, no matter how angry you are, those people will be happy. So, please take care of yourself. Even if you don¡¯t care about yourself, you should care about His Highness, King Chu. Right?¡± Qiong¡¯erforted, as she held a fragrant towel to softly wipe the Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s face.

    The fury on the Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s face faded away, but a look of viciousness took on.

    ¡°If the Empress had not brought that Buddha statue and said those words, I would not have asked my father to find a more precious Buddha statue to steal her thunder. In fact, my brother was a person holding aloft from the affairs. So how could my father feel assured to leave that matter to my brother? Now, it was the crucial juncture for Xuan¡¯er. No matter how unruly my brother was, it was impossible for him to provoke a murder case at this moment.

    ¡°And atst, even the formerly uproar case about the lianghu disaster relief fund was also involved in!¡±

    As so many coincidences were present, if the Imperial Noble Consort Su still had note to realize the truth, she did waste her life in the pce for more than two decades!

    She was fooled! Fooled by the Empress!

    Although she did not know who provoked her brother to do that, she was pretty sure that it must have something to do with the Empress.

    A few days ago, King Yan was scolded by the Emperor. And the Empress was also upbraided due to the matter that a second consort was brought into the family ahead of the unseemly first consort. The Imperial Noble Consort Su only thought that the opportunity for Feng Yuxuan wasing, so she behaved more proudly. But the Empress forbore patiently and did not argue anything against her. So the Imperial Noble Consort Su thought the Empress finally confessed her fate. But out of her expectation, the Empress had dug a trap waiting for the Imperial Noble Consort Su to jump in.

    ¡°Qiong¡¯er, you ask someone to send a message to my father and tell him to let my brother confess the crime.¡± She said as she gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Qiong¡¯er was shocked and put down the fragrant towel in a trance, not knowing what to do. She was a servant from the Su family and knew well how highly the Su family thought of the eldest son. The Su family had made great efforts cultivating him, and now, he also worked in an important department,ying a foundation for supporting King Chu in the future.

    How could the Imperial Noble Consort Su give such an order at this time?

    A life for a life! If confessing the crime, the eldest son of the Su family had no way but to pay his life for the crime!

    ¡°Your Highness, you are nning...¡± Qiong¡¯er asked but ceased when feeling it inappropriate.

    ¡°The woman actually wanted to use my brother to harm Xuan¡¯er and drag Xuan¡¯er into the lianghu case. I will protect Xuan¡¯er even at the cost of my brother¡¯s life. Father still has some concubine¡¯s sons. I believe that Father will understand me. You just have the words passed.¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su said in a deeply sorrowful but firm voice.

    Choosing Xuan¡¯er instead of brother, the Imperial Noble Consort Su believed that her father would understand her tough decision. It was the Imperial Noble Consort Su herself who was too careless to be framed by the Empress. But fortunately, her Xuan¡¯er still had chances. As long as her brother confessed the murder for the Buddha statue and the Emperor punished him, there was nothing to be investigated more. As for the so-called the lianghu disaster relief fund, it had little to do with Xuan¡¯er.

    Feng Yulei was reprimanded and confined as a punishment. If Xuan¡¯er was also reprimanded, he would be confined at most. There was no conclusive evidence, and the brother confessed the crime, so the Emperor had no ground to conduct a thorough investigation to the Su family any longer.

    And the impact would not spread too much!

    At this point, the Imperial Noble Consort Su wanted nothing but let Feng Yuxuan keep out of the affair.

    ¡°Yes, I will as someone to send the message.¡± Qiong¡¯er responded respectfully.

    Having been serving the master for so long, Qiong¡¯er was quite familiar with the Imperial Noble Consort Su¡¯s consummate tactics and knew that the Emperor¡¯s favorite concubine was good at pleasing the Emperor. Even if the Imperial Noble Consort was not young anymore, the Emperor still heaped his favor on her and came to the pce from time to time. To investigate the reasons, for one thing, the Imperial Noble Consort looked always ravishingly charming and beautiful; and King Chu was another reason.

    Since the Imperial Noble Consort who could even read others¡¯ minds suffered such a great setback, how was she willing to leave the matter at that easily?

    ¡°You go to the Buddha Hall and turn over the things in the Hall to the Imperial Noble Consort Wen. You just say I suddenly suffered a heart attack and fainted.¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su gritted her teeth and called Qiong¡¯er who was about to leave, and her face became atrocious. ¡°Then, you go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce and report that I was scolded by the Emperor and fainted in the Imperial Study Room. So I am now unable to host the praying ceremony. Please ask the Empress Dowager to forgive my impiety.¡±

    Two exnations were made for one thing: one was for the rumors on the surface; the other was to incur the wrath between the two Pce.

    It was known to all in the pce that the Empress Dowager believed in Buddhism. But now, the grand event to pray for the Empress Dowager had been interrupted, as the host had been changed temporarily and even a serious murder had been caused. As long as the Empress Dowager used her head, she could guess that it was all conspired by the Empress, which would inevitably stir up resent in the Empress Dowager¡¯s heart.

    The Imperial Noble Consort Su heard that the Empress and the Empress Dowager were at odds these days, which made Ding General Manor in a dilemma!

    The Imperial Noble Consort Su could recognize her situation very well now, that was, she should act discreetly to seek survival in the whirlpool of the discord between the pces.

    ¡°Yes, I will do it now.¡± Qiong¡¯er replied in a low voice.

    ¡°If anyone of the Su family enters the pce, no matter who he is, he should be allowed to be in after getting the imperial permission.¡± The Imperial Noble Consort Su said calmly and firmly after some contemtion.

    ¡°How about the Old Sir and Madam?¡± Qiong¡¯er asked hesitantly.

    ¡°No matter who will be treated equally!¡± The Imperial Nobel Consort Su clenched her teeth. She would no longer let the Empress find any chance to defame Xuan¡¯er and thought that the pressing matter of the moment was to behave herself to turn over a new leaf so that she could arouse the Emperor¡¯s pity...

 Chapter 345 - The Fifth Princess Plot

    <h4>Chapter 345 The Fifth Princess¡¯ Plot</h4>

    The Fifth Princess¡¯ wedding was being held officially.

    Because it was a marriage between the two countries, the ceremony was notpleted until the Fifth Princess returned to the Yan Kingdom from the Qin Kingdom.

    The Fifth Princess wore the wedding dress and covered the red bridal veil. Then, she was supported to the sedan obediently, which was quite rare. The Empress stood in the high and looked in tears at the sedan going far away

    ¡°Princess, all the Empress¡¯ servants have returned to the pce.¡± Inside therge and beautiful wedding sedan, a pce maid lowered down the unveiled curtain and said softly to the Fifth Princess in the red bridal veil.

    The red bridal veil was ripped down, revealing the Fifth Princess¡¯ venomous and crazy face. In the red bridal dress, her face looked distorted and atrocious.

    ¡°Have you brought the things all?¡± She looked outside and asked sharply in a low voice.

    ¡°Ye... ye... Yes.¡± The pce maid shivered and took a dagger and a bottle of medicine out of her arms. She begged nervously, ¡°Your Highness, could you please not do this? It will incur something terrible. I... I...¡±

    ¡°Shut up. If you dare to say more, I will kill you!¡± The Fifth Princess snarled and took a cold nce at the pce maid. Then, the Fifth Princess took the dagger and opened the porcin bottle. A faint fragrance floated out of it and blended into the pollen. It was impossible to smell something unusual.

    She drew out of the dagger adroitly, poured down the medicine from the small porcin bottle on the tip of the dagger, and then said to the pce maid coldly, ¡°Wipe it evenly!¡±

    ¡°Yes... yes!¡± The pce maid quivered and reached out her hand to wipe the liquid medicine at the tip of the dagger.

    ¡°You, hurry up!¡± The Fifth Princess ordered impatiently, as she curved her red-painted lips coldly. Seeing the pce maid acting so cautiously and lightly, the Fifth Princess got angry and demanded. ¡°With more strength. It is not painful!¡±

    It was not painful, but lethal!

    As long as the skin was excoriated, and stained with the medicine, it would take away anyone¡¯s life. The pce maid had seen it a few times, so how could she not know about it? But she did not dare to disobey the Fifth Princess¡¯ urgent order and had to move her fingers a bit faster in tears and terror. However, the sharp dagger identally struck her finger.

    Blood gushed instantly.

    ¡°Your... Your Highness!¡± The pce maid screamed in horror as she looked at the gushing blood on her fingertips turning ck.

    ¡°Why are you screaming?¡± The Fifth Princess¡¯ attention waspletely not on her pce maid. Looking at the ck blooding out, the Fifth Princess felt relieved and thought that the medicine seemed to work well, though it had been out of use for a long time.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± The pce maid fell beside with her hands and feet twitching and her eyes turning ck. She just looked imploringly at the Fifth Princess¡¯ face with beautiful makeup, but the pce maid¡¯s lips became ck and she was unable to speak.

    The Fifth Princess did not pay any attention to the pce maid. Instead, she drew the dagger wiped with the flower liquid into the sheath, put it back into her new sleeve and tied it carefully to the bottom of the sleeve. When she finished, the pce maid hadin on the ground motionlessly with a dark face.

    The Fifth Princess kicked the pce maid¡¯s body, reached out her hand to feel the maid¡¯s breath, and then showed acent smile.

    She took out a cup from the shelf on the side, poured the remaining medicine in the medicine bottle into the cup, and shook it. Then, the water inside was as clear as before.

    She grabbed the pce maid¡¯s hair to raise her head and poured the water from the cup into her slightly-opened mouth. Although most of it fell to the ground, a small part still flowed into the pce maid¡¯s mouth. Then, the Fifth Princess pushed the pce maid away, threw the cup in her hand heavily and let out a scream.

    The woman¡¯s sharp scream and the sound of broken things startled the wedding procession.

    Before anyone could react, a screech rang out of the sedan, ¡°Hurry up! Come on! Help... help!¡±

    The woman¡¯s frightened voice came out with a slight trembling sound of panic.

    Bai Yichen was the first to react, and he quickly jumped from the horse to the carriage where the sedan was on. He pulled the red curtain in front of him, but unexpectedly, the oing was a shiny dagger...

    The wedding procession of the Yan Kingdom left the Qin Kingdom. Another princess married to the Yan Kingdom far away from her home.

    There had been no war between the Qin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom for several decades, somon people did not pay too much attention to the marriage. It seemed to be an unquestionable moral truth that the princess married the prince. Especially, two decades ago, there was once a case. Therefore, the grand ceremony today did not create much of a stir. But the wedding ceremony of two decades ago could create waves of emotions.

    At that time, the friction between the Qin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom was so apparent that several small-scaled wars were taken on the borders from time to time. Therefore, Princess Royal Yunruo¡¯s imperial marriage had a different meaning.

    But it seemed to have little to do with Mo Xuetong now.

    She was now taking Mo Ye and He Xia to select the embroidery in the Xiuning Workshop. A few dayster, it was the date for her marriage. So she should not havee out personally at this time, but the sudden message sent by He Xia made Mo Xuetong disguise herself as amondy and take out Mo Ye who was good at martial arts and He Xia who had clues.

    The three did not go to see the shopkeeper. Instead, they walked into the Xiuning Workshop slowly with their faces veiled up.

    There were still a lot of customers in the shop, and most of them were women and some from the official families. Among them, some wore veils as Mo Xuetong did while others did not.

    ¡°Miss, this way.¡± Mo Ye pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve secretly. Sure enough, they saw Shopkeeper Xing talking to a person in the dark corner of the stairs. The person was dressed in a dark robe. But his face was invisible, because he stood in the shadow, facing the crowd diagonally.

    ¡°Miss, this is the man. I thought his figure was rather familiar when I noticed hime in. In the past, when Madam asked me to reconcile, I once saw him. I guess he should be a guard or something, because sometimes in the shadow is that man.¡± He Xia said with certainty.

    ¡°Miss, the man is very strong. Please do note any closer. He is in a good position where he can see others clearly, but others cannot. Obviously, he is vignt. If youe closer, he will notice you.¡± Mo Ye said in a low voice, as she pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and pretended to pull her to see the embroidery beside.

    Mo Xuetong pretended to nce unconsciously over the man¡¯s side face, and it was just amon face without any special features. He was thirty years old or so, and anything else about him was rather invisible. The man did choose the right ce, as if he had calcted before. He did not reveal any more information, just like amon person talking to Shopkeeper Xing.

    ¡°Miss, should we go and see clearly?¡± He Xia picked up a small embroidered handkerchief, put in front of Mo Xuetong, and asked in a low voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go there. That person is watching here.¡± Mo Xuetong looked serious and sensed that there was absolutely a secret in the Xiuning Workshop. The secret was even concealed to Mo Xuetong¡¯s closest maid. So what did her mother try to hide?

    Mo Xuetong thought, ¡°It happened more than 30 years ago. Even if my mother was King Jin¡¯s daughter, judging from the mother¡¯s age, she had been born for a short time, or just born. Then, mother fled away as the legitimate daughter of Fu General Manor. But there were no more detailster. With mother¡¯s age at that time, she was unable to escape alone.

    ¡°If Mother did not escape alone, who helped her? Where was the person? Why have I never seen the person for so many years!¡±

    In other words, there was another possibility, which shocked Mo Xuetong more!

    Perhaps, King Jin¡¯s Consort had not died at that time!

    If King Jin¡¯s Consort gave birth to Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother during her fleeing, where had she ger?

    The deste yard shed inexplicably through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. Though deserted, it faced her mother¡¯s yard right, from where it was clear to see every movement in Mother¡¯s room. So, did someone spy on mother, or lean against the window to watch mother tenderly? The thought surged up as tempting as having roots in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind.

    The King Jin¡¯s Consort, Mo Xuetong¡¯s real grandmother, was not dead at the time, but was just hidden.

    Because of the mother¡¯s affairs, Mo Xuetong had secretly inquired that when the King Jin rebelled and was sentenced to death by the previous Emperor, the King Jin, the King Jin¡¯s Consort and their daughter at an early age were killed together. It was said that the King Jin¡¯s Consort was pregnant and about to give birth to the baby. So would it be possible that the baby was Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother?

    ¡°If my mother could survive at that time, did it mean that the King Jin¡¯s Consort secretly escaped? But how about the King Jin?¡±

    Mo Xuetong nced at the guard¡¯s face and a chill rose up in her heart. She gripped the handkerchief. Why did her second uncle show her the jade token? Was the current Emperor, Emperor Zongwen, still investigating his uncle¡¯s conspiracy case? Was it the root cause of the fall of Fu General Manor in thest life?

    Emperor Zongwen was an excellent king, so why did he still cling to the old case 30 years ago? Since the chief plotters had been executed and no offspring had escaped, why did he bring it to the spotlight now? Emperor Zongwen still cared about the old case, so in thest life, Mo Xuetong¡¯s grandfather¡¯s family was involved. And then, was it the reason that the jade token was needed to be found from the jade flower?

    A thread of thought began to emerge.

    The former Emperor knew that the King Jin¡¯s Consort had escaped and thought the baby in her belly was a boy, so the former Emperor wanted to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, leaving no chance for hope!

    But it was not right. Mo Xuetong thought. Judging from her mother¡¯s words, her mother had been suspected and living in the panic. That is to say, someone investigated what had happened, and even tracked to mother. However, Mother was a woman and posed no threat to the current sovereignty. Why did those people not let go of her?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind was in a mess, and she could not give shape to her idea. She wondered what she missed so that she could not find a thread out.

    ¡°Miss, that man is leaving!¡± He Xia pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve and said anxiously.

    Exactly, after exchanging some words, the man took out of copper coins and handed it to Shopkeeper Xing. And Shopkeeper Xing smiled, took out of cloth bag from the counter and handed it to the man.

    Everything seemed normal. And there was nothing unusual. It was just an ordinary business.

    The man looked around at the people in the shop and took the cloth bag in hand when seeing nobody notice him. Then, he smiled and nodded at Shopkeeper Xing, and strode out.

    ¡°Follow him.¡± Mo Xuetong watched the man walk past her, winked at Mo Ye and said voicelessly.

    Mo Ye nodded and followed.

    Shopkeeper Xing, like amon businessman, weighed the money bag in his hands and threw it to the ountant, about to leave. But he noticed the girl in front, raised his head and narrowed his eyes. It was hard to see the face under the veil, but a pair of bright and watery eyes.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, are you busy? Is there any good embroidery? Ie to select some new embroideries. I wonder if it is proper.¡± A sweet and gentle voice came into the Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s ears.

    Shopkeeper Xing could not help tightening himself, and a trace of acridity shed in his eyes. But he grinned to a wide smile instantly, saluted her and said, ¡°Your Highness, this way, please. There are some new goods. I n to send some to your manor. And what a coincidence! Your Highness, youe to my shop, and I don¡¯t need to send them now.¡±

 Chapter 346 - A Destroyed Engagement Paper

    <h4>Chapter 346 A Destroyed Engagement Paper</h4>

    The conversation with Shopkeeper Xing left no clue. His natural exnation was wless. Even if Mo Xuetong mentioned that man in ck consciously or unconsciously, Shopkeeper Xing did not show any look of surprise or suspect, but just said with a smile that the man was just a passerby and bargained with him for a few items.

    No crack could be found!

    It showed that either there was no secret trick indeed, or Shopkeeper Xing was a crafty old scoundrel. Mo Xuetong preferred thetter possibility.

    After having some casual talks with Shopkeeper Xing and looking around the shop, Mo Xuetong took more new embroidery in the shop and led He Xia out of the shop.

    The carriage stopped outside. Mo Xuetong pondered, as she raised her leg to the carriage. A voice rang suddenly. ¡°Is that Princess Anping?¡±

    ¡°You are...¡± Mo Xuetong looked up at the clean servant.

    ¡°My master is in the teahouse in front. He invites Princess Anping to have a talk. And he brings some medicines, and perhaps they can help Princess to cure your hands more quickly.¡± The servant replied politely and pointed to the teahouse beside. Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face was exposed in the upper left window, with a faint smile, and he nodded at Mo Xuetong.

    If it were before, Mo Xuetong would have pretended not to see him and got on the carriage to leave. But after the event that Bai Yihao hugged her to fall into the cliff, wrapped her regardless of his own safety and took her out of the cliff when he recovered himself, Mo Xuetong thought she could not regard him as a stranger any longer, no matter for which assistance.

    Although it was not the proper time to meet with him at this time, Mo Xuetong thought she needed to make some of her thought as clear as possible to him. In thest life, the two seemed to be destined, but seemed not. In this case, why were they entangled any longer? That engagement paper was just a casual remark. Even Mother did not take it seriously, and who would care?

    Her marriage was oing. She was unwilling to marry into the King Xuan¡¯s manor with such entanglement, and did not hope there were inexplicable affairs between her and Feng Yuran. Some matters, as long as made clear, were not a big deal. Therefore, even if it was inappropriate to some extent, Mo Xuetong still wanted to see Bai Yihao make things clear in person.

    She followed the servant into the teahouse and came to a box on the second floor. She pushed the door open, only to see Bai Yihao sit there with a gentle smile on his face as beautiful as the moon. He looked refined and elegant. He pointed the seat with his fan and said with a natural and unrestrained smile, ¡°This scenery is very wonderful, and it is good to sit here!¡±

    He behaved like an old friend without any alienation, as if they just met yesterday. His white sleeves drew a beautiful radian elegantly. On his handsome face, he wore a gentle expression, lofty and charming. Even though Mo Xuetong was always alert to Bai Junhao, she had to admit that Bai Yihao was as handsome as the fairy in the legend.

    Mo Xuetong just walked into the box and sat there. She looked out of the window. It was really a good position where she could see clearly the pedestriansing and going on the street, even the bright smiles on the pretty girls¡¯ faces. But looking from the position, Mo Xuetong could also see her own carriage clearly as well.

    The position was just where Bai Yihao sat.

    ¡°You retire now.¡± Bai Yihao waved his hands contentedly, stood up to pour a cup of tea for Mo Xuetong, and served it to her.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s servant replied and retired, but He Xia looked at Mo Xuetong a little uneasily, unable to identify who the man was and whether she needed to retire.

    Mo Xuetong softly said, ¡°Just retire.¡±

    As for some affairs, Mo Xuetong thought she had to make them clear to Bai Yihao, and now she just grasped this opportunity.

    After receiving Mo Xuetong¡¯s order, He Xia retired and closed the door slightly. Judging from Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, He Xia knew that herdy had something to say with the man. He Xia was the senior maid around Luo Xia, so she was good at taking the cues.

    ¡°This bottle of ointment is much better than thest bottle, because that was the one I brought with casually. Take this one back and try it, the injury on your hands will recover faster.¡± Bai Yihao said with a smile as he raised his eyebrows slightly to look at Mo Xuetong, took a jade bottle out of his arms and pushed it in front of Mo Xuetong leisurely.

    The sunlight radiating from the window fell on the jade bottle, exuding faint shiny rays. So just judging from the appearance, it was easy to guess how valuable the jade bottle was.

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Bai. Since I still can¡¯t pay for your life-saving kindness, how dare I ept your precious gift?¡± Mo Xuetong gave a polite smile, reached out her wrapped fingers and pushed back the jade bottle to Bai Yihao.

    Today, she did note for the sake of epting kindness. She would try her best to thank him for saving her life, and she did not want to owe him anymore.

    ¡°My mother and your mother were like sisters, and they made an engagement for us. So can our rtionship be weighed by an ointment?¡± Bai Yihao smiled slightly and pushed the jade bottle back to her.

    His words dragged Mo Xuetong into a trance. The engagement paper was rather strange. Inexplicable arranged child marriages. Inexplicable decision right to the man. And the woman¡¯s only role was to wait till 15 years old. Then, it had nothing to do with her afterward.

    Mo Xuetong wondered whether Bai Yihao chased her so hard merely because she would get married before 15 years old.

    Mo Xuetong let out a sigh in her heart and raised her head with a look of apology on her tender white face. In any case, the engagement paper which Bai Yihao could use to put pressure on her was stolen by Feng Yuran, and then, was burnt by Mo Xuetong. Perhaps, it would dy some of his ns. But Mo Xuetong showed great trust in his ingenuity, believing that he could go through it safely.

    Moreover, she could not figure out what rtionship was between her waiting to turn 15 years old and Bai Yihao¡¯s grand cause!

    In herst life, she had obviously been 15 years old, but still never heard of anything!

    The most important was that she did not want to have any entanglement with Bai Yihao. The man was too dangerous...

    ¡°Sir Bai, the past is past. There is no need to talk about these things anymore. I am grateful to you for saving my life. If you have any requirements, I will do all I can to meet them.¡± Mo Xuetong answered politely, as a gentle smile took on her lips.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you¡¯re wrong. The engagement paper was made by our mothers. How can I treat it randomly? A few dayster, I will take the engagement paper to marry you.¡± Bai Yihao gave a clear smile, as if he did not notice Mo Xuetong¡¯s alienation. His eyes fell on her tender white face, and he raised the cup in his hand and took a sip. His smiling eyes were fixed on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, revealing unpredictable meaning.

    Mo Xuetong was stunned at his words. Her eyes widened and stared at Bai Yihao in astonishment. She was temporarily unable to speak.

    ¡°What does Bai Yihao mean? What does it mean that he wille to marry her with the engagement paper? Where does he get the paper? Hasn¡¯t it been stolen by Feng Yuran and burned by myself? Is it possible that the paper that I burned was not the engagement paper? How can it be possible? Feng Yuran did tell me that the engagement paper had been destroyed. How can Bai Yihao still have it?¡±

    ¡°Sir Bai, you¡¯re kidding!¡± She constrained her puzzle in her heart and showed an indifferent smile with calmness in her watery eyes. She could not act rashly, but find out more. Perhaps, the engagement paper in Bai Yihao¡¯s words was not totally different from what Mo Xuetong meant.

    Bai Yihao could not definitely have another engagement paper.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you think I¡¯m kidding? My mother had arranged my marriage with Your Highness because we¡¯re perfectly congenial. Your mother and my mother hoped we could be much closer. Does Your Highness want to destroy the life-and-death rtionship made by our mothers?¡± Bai Yihao said with a faint smile, as he put down the cup and leaned back.

    What did he mean? Mo Xuetong was taken back a bit!

    Life-and-death rtionship? Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother and Princess Royal Yunruo¡¯s closest pce maid. If the memory did not fail Mo Xuetong, her mother did not have too much rtionship with Princess Royal Yunruo. If Bai Yihao was really not the sun of Princess Royal Yunruo, it had nothing to do with her mother. Or perhaps, Bai Yihao¡¯s mother was actually Princess Royal Yunruo. And the rumors were not true?

    Those rumors came only because of the discord between Bai Yihao and his mother.

    However, it was not right. The former emperor was the murderer of the Jin king. There was a blood feud between Princess Royal Yunruo and Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother, so how could the Princess Royal make the engagement paper with Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother?

    Could it be that Princess Royal Yunruo saved the Jin King¡¯s consort? So Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother made that unreasonable engagement paper. No, it was impossible. Because Princess Royal Yunruo was at an early age. And how was she able to save the Jin King¡¯s Consort? Besides, Princess Royal Yunruo was just a princess. How was she able to have helpers to rescue, even cheat the previous emperor? All of these could not be achieved by a little princess!

    However, if this was not the case, how to exin that Princess Royal Yunruo made acquaintances with Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother, became sister-like friends, and even made an engagement paper!

    And if Bai Yihao¡¯s mother were a pce maid of Princess Royal Yunruo, it even made no sense. What could a humble pce maid do? How could she move freely in the Yan pce? Or was Bai Yihao¡¯s mother Prince Royal Yunruo... Of course, Mo Xuetong tended to believe that Bai Yihao was Princess Royal Yunruo¡¯s son.

    Mo Xuetong only felt her mind was in a whirl and was unable to figure out clearly. However, she needed to handle the current issue. Anyway, she decided not to admit it. So she took on a calm look and said with a smile, ¡°Sir Bai, what are you talking about? I really don¡¯t understand. My mother has passed away and said nothing to me. Besides, the marriage between the King Ning and I has got the Emperor¡¯s permission, and the wedding date has been set. Princess Royal Yunruo was indescribably beautiful and striking. She married to the Yan Kingdom and became the Empress. And at that time, my mother was still very young and still unmarried. How could she arrange a marriage for the child in her belly?¡±

    Her remarks were to make excuses, but the more Mo Xuetong said, the more she felt reasonable. When Princess Royal Yunruo married to the Yan Kingdom, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was still unmarried, so how could she make an engagement paper with Princess Royal? She did not believe Bai Yihao¡¯s words that Princess Royal went to the Cloud City secretly to set the marriage with Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother.

    It was not impossible for a princess to return to her own country, but why did she bother to act sneakily? There must be reasons behind, and the reason could not be told to the outsiders.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you think that as the engagement paper has been destroyed, I cannot put it on the table anymore?¡± Bai Yihao took up the teacup and turned it around in his hand. He did not answer but just gave an oblique look and raised another question.

    When asked by him so inly, Mo Xuetong was a bit embarrassed. She never doubted Bai Yihao¡¯s IQ, and even was deeply afraid of it. As for using the Fifth Princess, he was doing, while Feng Yuran was doing as well. They two had different objectives, but both seeded. However, after several thoughts, Bai Yihao could realize that the engagement paper had been in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands.

    If there was someone else knowing about the engagement paper, no one but Mo Xuetong herself was the person!

    ¡°Sir Bai, no words can express my thanks to your great kindness. But I really don¡¯t know what Sir Bai said. I want to select some embroidery here, so please forgive me that I cannot chat with you any longer. On my wedding day, I hope Sir Bai has time toe to enjoy a ss of wedding wine. ¡°Mo Xuetong stood up and said all her wanted to say. She thought Bai Yihao could understand her words. Besides, only a man and a woman stayed in the same room. If it was seen by someone with evil intention, it was really inappropriate.

    After finishing the words, Mo Xuetong saluted to Bai Yihao and turned to leave before he gave her an answer.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I will get that engagement paper and will marry you. Just wait for me!¡± Bai Yihao behind smiled and looked at Mo Xuetong tenderly, ¡°Very soon, I will return to my homnd. I am so happy to meet you today. Tong¡¯er, remember to miss me!¡±

    ¡°Bai Yihao was leaving?¡± Mo Xuetong paused for a moment and resumed after a short trance.

    Feng Yuzhen was about to return his homnd. As a royal hostage like Feng Yuzhen, Bai Yihao was about to go home naturally. Although the Qin Kingdom never detained Bai Yihao, he was still nominally the royal hostage of the Yan Kingdom, so he could be exchanged with Feng Yuzhen as this identity. Of course, Feng Yuzhen was being detained in the Yan Kingdom without any liberty, while Bai Yihao was allowed to go back from time to time. It wasrgely due to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude.

    But now Feng Yuzhen was parading back to his homnd. So how could the Yan Kingdom put their Crown Prince in danger again?

    And then, would the Yan Kingdom¡¯s First Prince conspire the rebellion?

    It seemed to happen much earlier than thest life. But all linked with one another appeared more clearly in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind.

    The First Prince of the Yan Kingdom came to the Qin Kingdom and brought Feng Yuzhen secretly. In order to make Feng Yuzhene back officially, the Empress Dowager fell seriously ill. Andter, Feng Yuzhen came back while Bai Yihao returned to the Yan Kingdom... However, Mo Xuetong could feel that someone was setting a trap step by step, and an invisible line strung all up...

    She hoped she was not in the trap!

    ¡°Wish you all the best, Sir Bai.¡± Mo Xuetong whispered and then left quickly. She did not notice that the tender smile took on the handsome man¡¯s eyes behind her, even extending to the bottom of his eyes.

 Chapter 347 - Empress Dowagerâ€™s Plans in Cining Palace

    <h4>Chapter 347 Empress Dowager¡¯s ns in Cining Pce</h4>

    At the back garden of Princess Royal.

    Bai Yihao came here to say goodbye to Princess Royal. As the aunt of Bai Yihao, it¡¯s normal for Princess Royal to talk intimately and personally to him, and hence she ushered all her servants out, with only Princess Royal¡¯s nanny, Nanny Qin, guarding the door. The conversation inside made Nanny Qin shudder in fear.

    That was nothing like the intimate conversation between an aunt and her nephew, it¡¯s clearly...

    The voices in the inner hall were not loud, with a certain kind of gracefulness andposure even though they were talking about a topic that devastated others. Nanny Qin suppressed the chill in her heart and stood further away, cautiously monitoring situations outside the room. She was afraid that someone could be eavesdropping and use the information to hurt Princess Royal.

    ¡°Aunt, did you forget the hatred we had before? Did you forget your parents, who sent you into the imperial family just to save your life? Aunt, do you still remember the sister that loved you? The one that ran away and died far away just to protect you?¡± Bai Yihao took the teacup beside him and drank, exining casually. The meaning behind his sentences hit Princess Royal like a thousand-pound hammer, pouncing on his heart multiple times.

    Each time, it hit the softest part of her heart!

    Princess Royal, who sat opposite him, was all pale, her fingers on the tabletop trembling and unconsciously convulsing. Her illness had turned better but she was still pale for she had been to the pce these few days to visit Empress Dowager. Now, there was no trace of blood flowing in her face.

    ¡°Hao¡¯er, must you really do this?¡± She took a deep breath and picked up her teacup with trembling hands. She sipped at it and asked anxiously, raising up her head, taking advantage of the heat that the tea brought her.

    That was an intimate call of his name that she had never used before!

    ¡°Aunt, do you really not care about all those bloody feuds we had? Are all these lives lose irrelevant to you? Did all the years of extravagant life made you forget the feud from your birth parents? Aunt, if our grandfather didn¡¯t pass awayst time, you will still be a princess, a proper and official princess. You need not live so humbly all these years, not able to interfere in even your sister¡¯s death.¡± Bai Yihao exined coldly.

    ¡°Hao¡¯er...¡± Princess Royal could not suppress her painful expression as the fingers holding on to the teacup trembled. Her expression was sad and bitter. ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°If Aunt was unwilling to do it, I will avenge for my grandfather, grandmother, mother and aunt myself! I shall burden all the responsibilities, and you just need to be the princess of Great Qin, enjoying the luxurious life brought by the blood of your loved ones.¡± Bai Yihao stood up indifferently,pletely disregarding Princess Royal, who had a stiff expression. She bowed to Princess Royal and just left, ignoring her.

    ¡°Hao¡¯er, Hao¡¯er...¡± As if hit by something heavy, Princess Royal stood up immediately. She tried to grab onto Bai Yihao¡¯s hand but he casually pushed her away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Aunt, I am fine. I have so many responsibilities and burdens! How can I let something happen to myself since I¡¯m the only one left!¡± Bai Yihao stood away, his handsome face bearing a cold smile. He seemed to be smiling peacefully but there was no warmth in his smile, which made Princess Royal even more heartbroken.

    Seeing Bai Yihao turning away, Princess Royal chased out and almost fell. She then turned around and started coughing loudly.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, what happened to you?¡± From the door, Nanny Qin rushed in and supported the weak Princess Royal.

    Princess Royal coughed heavily, covering her mouth with her handkerchief. She then said difficultly, ¡°Help me into the inner room.¡±

    A light touch of blood was seen from the handkerchief. Seeing that, she tightened her grip on the handkerchief.

    Seeing her fragility, Nanny Qin felt sad and dared not disobey her. She carefully brought her to the inner room and helped her lean down on her bed.

    ¡°Nanny Qin, Hao¡¯er insists on revenge. Later, tell him that he can use my men like his!¡± Princess Royal untied her blouse, taking out a tiny jade piece from inside. It was merely the size of a finger and was shaped cylindrically, with jade being crystal clear. ¡°Since I won¡¯t use them anyways, I¡¯ll give it to him!¡±

    ¡°Princess, this is to save your life, how can you...¡± Nanny Qin was shocked and kneeled down, pulling on Princess Royal¡¯s hand, preventing her from pulling the jade piece off.

    ¡°It is useless to me and is merely an essory in my hands, and can only be used to evoke jealousy. I am not an official princess and should not have men secretly under my wing! Others will say that I am not loyal to the imperial family! I shall gift it to Hao¡¯er as my good wishes.¡± Princess Royal looked into the air with sorrow and despair. ¡°Hao¡¯er would hate me less! If not for me, my First Sister would not need to run away.¡±

    ¡°What happened before had nothing to do with Princess yourself. His Excellency and herdy had clearly told you that everything was unrted to the Princess. The fight for the throne in the imperial family was neither feuds nor blessing. His Excellency nned to dethrone the previous Emperor and that was his fault. He would not want Princess to avenge him just because of his death! All these had nothing to do with the Princess!¡± Nanny Qin hurriedlyforted the Princess.

    Many years had passed since then and Nanny Qin did not want the past memories to hurt Princess again. After all, she was merely a woman and her thoughts could change little. The fight for the throne was deadly and emotionless, and His Excellency was clear on this, having provided a way out for the Princess.

    For so many years, the Princess had been raised by Empress Dowager, who doted and loved Princess greatly to the extent that even the Emperor doted the Princess. After so many years of affection, the Princess had been stuck in an emotional dilemma. How could she hurt them?

    ¡°Nanny, say no more. Give this to Hao¡¯er, he will naturally know what to do with it. He is in a difficult position now too. Fifth Princess was now married to the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. As a proper princess, she must have several secret guards that arepetent. After returning to his homnd, Hao¡¯er must be under a lot of pressure. As an aunt, I have little to help him other than manpower.¡± Princess Royal pushed Nanny Qin aside, pulling the string on the jade piece off and exined with resolution.

    No matter what would happen, she had to protect Hao¡¯er as he was the only bloodline left from her older sister. In her memory, her older sister was always gentle and Bai Yihao¡¯s gentle eyes reminded her of her older sister, making her impossible to resist him. ¡°Go, give it to Hao¡¯er! If you arete, he will be gone! Don¡¯t make me worried!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Princess!¡± Seeing the determination in Princess Royal¡¯s eyes, Nanny Qin knew that any persuasion would be useless. She took the jade piece and turned away, teary.

    It was at the imperial pce.

    It was at Cining Pce.

    Empress Dowager was sitting in her bed looking well. She had just drunk her medicine and was a little tired. Waving her hand, the servants and eunuchs knew that Empress Dowager wanted to rest and retreated. Thest one carefully closed her door and stood at a ce two steps away from the door.

    The position was perfect!

    If Empress Dowager wanted to call for him, she only needed to raise her voice. If she was talking to someone, he could not hear what she said clearly.

    ¡°Has King Ning arrived in Yan Kingdom yet?¡± In the vast and empty hall, only lead eunuch Yu was by the side of Empress Dowager. He had been beaten a few days ago and was still limping. Hearing Empress Dowager¡¯s question, he hurried over and answered quietly.

    ¡°His Royal Highness King Ning had arrived in Yan Kingdom, returning to our country soon. Please rest assured, Empress Dowager.¡±

    ¡°Well, when Zhen¡¯er enters the pce, let the Emperor order for him to marry the second miss from General Manor. She is pretty and has a good personality. If she is true to Zhen¡¯er, it will not be difficult for him to obtain that position.¡± Empress Dowager nodded satisfyingly.

    ¡°Empress Dowager, what about the Wang family?¡± Eunuch Yu asked respectfully.

    Wang Xiuxiu and King Ning had been having affairs for a long while, even bringing their affairs to fruition. They had originally wanted to bring Wang Xiuxiu in as the second consort of King Ning, with the child in her heart to pacify the Wang family. Even though the second miss of Luo family was now the proper wife of King Ning, a son that Feng Yuzhen liked would propel Wang Xiuxiu to a high position in the pce once the matter had beenpleted.

    Then, it would be just a simple order to get rid of Luo Mingzhu.

    Therefore, even if they were not to grant Wang family the position of proper wife, they would not say anything about it.

    However, the situation was different now. Wang Xiuxiu was now carried into King Yan¡¯s manor, making the matter more confusing!

    ¡°Later, let someone go to Grand Secretariat Wang to inform him that I said this. When King Ning returned, he would marry the second miss of Wang family as a second consort. If Wang Xiuxiu does give birth to a child, the child will be under the name of the second miss of the Wang family. Tell him to rest assured that with Zhen¡¯er¡¯s ability, this matter can be easily aplished.¡±

    With a daughter married to King Yan and another married to King Ning, it would seem that King Yan was in favor as the elder proper daughter married King Yan. However, the child in the womb of this proper elder daughter belonged to King Ning. She believed that the Grand Secretariat Wang would be clear about who he should support. Empress Dowager promised to bring the child over to King Yan. She spoke nothing about the mother but implied that King Ning would settle her business.

    With the power of King Ning, it would not be hard for him to protect a woman!

    At that instance, both of the daughters would belong to King Ning, and Empress Dowager was sure that Grand Secretariat Wang would be clear about the situation and knew who he should support.

    ¡°Yes, I shall send someone to exin to him.¡± Eunuch Yu nodded and retreated, limping.

    ¡°Did Consort Yu came today?¡± Empress Dowager stopped his retreat.

    ¡°Madame Consort Yu came once today. However, she didn¡¯t disturb you when she knew you were resting. She promised to be back againter.¡± Eunuch Yu replied.

    Ever since Consort Yu was released from the Cold Pce, she always came to pay respects to the Empress Dowager every morning and night and was even more diligent than the Empress. She was neverte,ing regardless of rain or shine. Even the Emperor praised her filial piety and her gracefulness, stating her as a model for all in the harem to learn. She was well rewarded and was doted by the Emperor even more so before she was banished to the Cold Pce. Furthermore, the child in her womb propelled her to be the most doted consort in the pce, even more doted than Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Treat her well when shees overter. Wake me up if I fall asleep as I have something to talk to her about.¡± Empress Dowager exined slowly, a cold sly smile shing across her eyes. ¡°I hope that Consort Yu can make me more pleased this time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand!¡±

 Chapter 348 - Conversation between Feng Yuran and Bai Yihao

    <h4>Chapter 348 Conversation between Feng Yuran and Bai Yihao</h4>

    Wangjiang Tower was situated next to the river, the front of the tower faced the river. Sitting on the tower and looking across the river, one could see vast distances ahead and vague figures of gulls and herons flying across the horizon, disturbing the calm water at times. At the side of the rivers, willow trees lined up and their long branches swayed in the wind gently as the wind caressed them.

    Feng Yuran was wearing a mboyant purple coat, with extremely extravagant datura flowers embroidered on his neckline. He stood on the tower, his hand behind his back as he looked at the beautiful view upon him. However, his eyes were merely nkly staring ahead, obviously not enjoying the view.

    ¡°King Xuan, you came so early. But I waste. Forgive me.¡± Behind him, a calm voice appeared with a gentle smile. Without looking, he knew it was Bai Yihao.

    Feng Yuran turned around and walked to the table beside. He held up the kettle and poured two cups of tea, pushing one over. His handsome and devilish face smiled seductively at Bai Yihao. ¡°You¡¯re indeed a littlete, Mister Crown Prince. You almost missed the beauty here.¡±

    As if he could not understand the hidden meaning in his words, Bai Yihao walked over and sat down at an empty seat beside. He used his slender fingers to pick up the teacup, gently sipping on it and cing it down, smiling in the process. His lips spoke ofposure and elegance, showing his handsome nature. ¡°King Xuan, that¡¯s not urate. Being early has and beingte each has its own advantage, and a different view to enjoy. You will not be at an advantage merely because you are early.¡±

    He was wearing a white coat that was embroidered with a golden dragon, making him look a little less gentle but a little nobler unconsciously. On his coat, the golden dragon was lifelike, especially its eyes that were lying on his shoulder, enhancing his majesty.

    That was the real Bai Yihao!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes squinted slightly!

    Even though his robe was purple in color, it did not disy the same level of nobility. Therge patches of blooming red datura flowers were bright and eye-catching as itid in contrast to his purple robe, especially at the sleeve entrances and at the bottom of the coat. His long ck abundant hair also was in contrast with his porcin white skin, with a pure and devilish beauty shinning from his seductive face.

    He gave out vibes of mystery and prestige! Apanied by a bloody chill! He revealed his true identity too!

    The same level of shock was provided by different types of beauty. The two extremely handsome men stood side by side there, and it was impossible to believe that a pair of such beautiful and perfect men existed!

    Understanding Bai Yihao¡¯s hidden meaning, Feng Yuran lifted his teacup and drank. After cing it down, he frowned and examined Bai Yihao¡¯s fairy-like face before turning to smile. ¡°Mister Crown Prince, a miss is a miss. Turning around will do you no good. Also, I heard that the Empress in Yan Kingdom has been waiting for your return day and night. Cousin, you got to improve!¡±

    ¡°My mother naturally hoped for my early return. However, I have one thing to make clear to King Xuan, so as to prevent Your Excellency from making a mistake that will cause your entire life.¡± Bai Yihao hid his smile.

    ¡°Will the matter that you are talking about me my marriage? It¡¯s a pity that Father had already approved of my marriage, which will happen after a few days. It will be a big pity for dear cousin not to stay for my wedding!¡± Feng Yuran stared at Bai Yihao, emotions tumbling and hidden in his eyes. In the end, he merely smiled as if it were no big deal.

    ¡°I will not give up!¡± Bai Yihao retracted his sharpness and smiled at Feng Yuran.

    Both of them understood the subtext of the conversation.

    ¡°So what if you don¡¯t give up? Are you thinking about snatching away my fianc¨¦e? It¡¯s a pity that you are in trouble though, unable to handle even more problems. I heard that the First Prince of Yan Kingdom gained tremendous support and strength after marrying Fifth Princess. Does Mister Crown Prince have the confidence to triumph him?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s mixture of emotions in his eyes turned into an enchanting smile in the end.

    Hearing his words, Bai Yihao smiled and knocked on the tabletop twice with his fan, ignoring his provocative words and remainingposed. He raised his head and exined. ¡°She has been my fianc¨¦e all these years. When Ie back with the marriage agreement, it will be King Ning yourself who has to do the exnation.¡±

    ¡°Marriage agreement? I have never heard of such nonsense so please don¡¯t spread rumors, Mister Crown Prince. If you do have such agreement, bring it to Father now for a fair trial?¡± Feng Yuran appeared to be tremendously stunned as if he had heard that for the first time. His handsome face was full of puzzlement as he blinked at Bai Yihao innocently, trying to anger him.

    ¡°His Excellency, I shall be absolutely honest. Even though you burnt one of my agreements, I kept one for myself. When we wrote the agreements, I have two and gave one to Tong¡¯er¡¯s mother. However, she left early and left that for me. I came to Qin Kingdom this time with one of the agreements. I shall bring the other one over soon enough.¡± Bai Yihao smiled calmly.

    ¡°Two marriage agreements?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s heart became flustered but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled handsomely and said casually, ¡°But, so what?¡±

    He seemed to not care about that knowledge.

    Seeing that he was calm as if he had not known the consequences of the matter, fury rose in Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes as his smiles dissipated. ¡°Your Highness must understand what it means for a woman to marry others when she is not retracted from her previous marriage agreement.¡±

    A woman must marry the man she was engaged to! Even the imperial family could not interfere with that!

    If the woman was married to another man before the marriage agreement was retracted by her fianc¨¦, and when the marriage agreement was still intact, her marriage would be unestablished. The woman would ruin her reputation. She would either be forced to be a nun ormit suicide, with no third route ahead.

    If Bai Yihao could really produce that marriage agreement, Mo Xuetong would never be able to marry Feng Yuran, even with Emperor Zongwen¡¯s orders.

    ¡°So what, Mister Crown Prince. I will protect Tong¡¯er well and naturally protect her from any harm. How can your marriage agreement remain intact?¡± Feng Yuran turned solemn too as his curved lips signaled a majestic arrogance. His eyes were full of gloominess but he did not retract a single step. The corners of his eyes were sharp and fierce, with a tinge of arrogance and pride.

    ¡°Your Highness, I do not wish to harm Tong¡¯er too. How about let¡¯s take a bet?¡±

    ¡°What bet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be willing to help you if youe to seek assistance from me. But please return Tong¡¯er to me?¡± Bai Yihao said seriously. He had hoped that his marriage agreement in the pce was still present but Feng Yuran¡¯s expression seemed to show that it was unlikely. He knew that the promiscuous and mysterious Feng Yuran was the most powerful prince in Qin Kingdom.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er had always been mine, in the past, the present and the future. Hence, I will never bet using Tong¡¯er. Please refrain from making such jokes, Mister Crown Prince.¡± Feng Yuran said with determination as he stared at Bai Yihao with a mixture of unpredictable emotions in his eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness, is this beautiful scenery of Qin Kingdom not more desirable than a mere girl?¡± Bai Yihao sighed and asked another question. He knew that the conflicts between the princes in Qin Kingdom were also intense, not much better than that of Yan Kingdom. Even though Feng Yuran was the most powerful prince, his mother¡¯s family had not much power, which reduced his support. He might not have thestugh.

    ¡°The good scenery here will be mine as long as I want it.¡± A cold smile lit up on Feng Yuran¡¯s devilishly handsome face. He spoke arrogantly without any hesitation.

    ¡°Your Highness, I have nothing to say since you already made your stance so clear. However, here are myst words. I hope you can look closely.¡± Bai Yihao stood up and moved the teacup aside. His slender fingers dipped in the cup before he wrote a few words on the table.

    After writing, he looked at Feng Yuran. ¡°Dear cousin, it¡¯s up to you if you want to believe any of this. If you don¡¯t, you can investigate the information yourself. You cane and find me if you have no solution.¡± After speaking, his fingers wiped the table clean, removing all words on it before slowly descending Wangjiang Tower.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s smile slowly disappeared as his nce turned ice-cold, staring directly at the tabletop with the erased words.

    After a long while, he raised his head and shouted. ¡°Come!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Feng Yue flew up from the ground floor and replied respectfully.

    ¡°Investigate details about Duke Zhenguo¡¯s daughter-inw. See if she had died. If she was not dead, protect her from having her life taken. Before my decision, she must stay alive.¡± Feng Yuran ordered harshly, his lips slightly curved. Even though it was a smile, it mysteriously reminded others of his bloodthirsty nature.

    Feng Yue heard snippets of conversation from the ground floor. He wanted to ask about the situation but Feng Yuran¡¯s gloomy expression made him shut his mouth instead, nodding obediently.

    ¡°I heard that Sir Mo locked his eldest son up and hadn¡¯t released him after all these days. That¡¯s worrying. You shall see if there are any good jobs for my future brother-inw. We mustn¡¯t waste his ¡®good potential¡¯. After all, he is Tong¡¯er¡¯s brother.¡± Feng Yuran gave a second order.

    He was in a bad mood now and decided that he shall not forgive any single person who had harmed Tong¡¯er.

    Feng Yue was however rmed at his order. He wondered what the Crown Prince told his master that enraged him so much so as to punish these clowns that he never cared about. It looked like he was not going to forgive any single one of them.

    Having followed his master for many years, Feng Yue naturally knew the hidden personality under his master¡¯s seemingly yful facade. His master was meticulous, heartless, cruel and calctive. When he cared about a girl, he naturally cared about others around her.

    He had to be extremely careful after his master married her.

    She had a significant ce in his master¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Yes, I shall go about it immediately.¡± Even though Feng Yue¡¯s mind was a mess of thoughts, his words were careful and well-prepared. He took a deep breath and suppressed the messy thoughts in his head, replying respectfully.

    He did not know what those people did to provoke his future female master, making his master so angry to even specially mention their punishment. It looked like these people would never have a good life.

    ¡°Let Shen Kun prepare the job for Mo Yufeng. Try to make everyone satisfied.¡± Feng Yuran ordered coldly, a harsh hatred nce in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Feng Yue dared not say much, bowing before flying down the tower.

    As Feng Yue left, Feng Yuran looked at the river surface as hatred shed across his seductive eyes, with a tinge of bloodthirst hidden within. He would not forgive anyone who tried to harm Tong¡¯er.

 Chapter 349 - Mo Ye Lost the Man He Was Following

    <h4>Chapter 349 Mo Ye Lost the Man He Was Following</h4>

    Mo Manor, Qingwei Garden.

    Mo Ye was already back, reporting to Mo Xuetong with guilt. ¡°Miss, I lost track of the man.¡±

    How did Mo Ye lose the man? Mo Xuetong ced down the embroidery he was holding and touched her swollen head, a little lost.

    ¡°Miss, please rest for a while. King Xuan¡¯s manor had sent someone over to inform us that we need not prepare anything due to the tight schedule. The King had prepared everything, including the embroidered dress, and he wille at a prosperous timing to send them over.¡± Mo Lan ced down the embroidery she was holding and took over Mo Xuetong¡¯s. She ced it aside and stood behind her, helping her massage her forehead as sheforted her.

    When the word came, Mo Lan and the rest were delighted. That did not only mean the significance that King Xuan attributed to her miss, but also the fact that King Xuan survived and woke up from the verge of death. That made the entire Mo manor joyful as their Miss would not immediately be a widow when married over.

    The few grieving servants on the ground were immediately filled with energy. They began to choose embroideries and prepare gifts... When they were free, they would be sewing on essories. When she married over, those would be a sign of her status regardless of whether she would be gifting them out to others or her servants. Even though she didn¡¯t need an embroidered dress anymore, these were necessary essories.

    Mo Xuetong did prepare a few clothes for Feng Yuran herself. When a woman married over, she would usually prepare clothing for the man. For a prestigious man like Feng Yuran, eight sets must be prepared for each season, showing the respect the woman had for the man. However, the time was too short.

    It was toote for Mo Xuetong to make so many now, and thus she merely prepared one casually, but even that was still in the process. Like her servants, she would take that out to work on anytime she was free.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, just a little tired.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. Even though her body had recovered, she was pretty tired, perhaps due to the fact that she stayed uptest night.

    Seeing that even though her miss was tired, she seemed vibrant, Mo Lan heaved a sigh of relief. Her nce fell on the halfpleted clothing of Mo Xuetong and shook her head helplessly. The servants would have helped if this was anything else, however, Mo Xuetong must personally prepare the clothes of her husband. Furthermore, her miss herself was dedicated to this task, and a servant like her was in no position to do it.

    She remembered that some Ginseng soup was left in the kitchen, and made a mental note to heat it up for her misster.

    ¡°Mo Ye, where did the person disappear?¡± Mo Xuetong sipped at the tea that Mo Yu provided for her and frowned. She did not expect that Mo Ye would lose the man. Even though she was merely a woman, Mo Ye was capable, and even Mo Feng admitted that Mo Ye was more powerful than him.

    ¡°I followed the man out of Xiuning Workshop and turned a corner into an alley. The alley was long but straight and hence I could only follow from a distance as I could not approach him without him discovering. Unexpectedly, the man disappeared just when I blinked. I rushed to hisst known location and discovered a door present there. I passed the door to another long and narrow alley before entering the main street, where no one was present.¡± Mo Ye recalled her experience.

    She did not expect to lose the man and was extremely gloomy. She felt sad knowing that this was the first time that had happened since she became a real secret guard.

    She looked disappointed.

    ¡°Who were the ones staying at the sides of the streets?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a while before asking.

    ¡°I have investigated the location. They were all ordinary merchants, with the back doors of a few shops. The ce was right at the backdoor of many houses located in the main street. Not only were there normal shops, numerous customers, brothels, theatres, tea houses, and bodyguard agencies were all present. It was a mess.¡± Mo Ye¡¯s face turned red as she remembered what she saw at the back door of the shophouses.

    It was not only just a mess.

    However, she couldn¡¯t tell her miss that.

    Mo Xuetong caressed her brows as she knew that the man was probably gone. The man was definitely intelligent enough to choose such a ce where people of all kinds of types mix together. It would be extremely easy for an ordinary man to sneak in and was an excellent ce to n the escape. Finding someone there would be like finding a needle in the ocean.

    That was no normal man.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since he appeared once, he would appear again. Please let Mo Feng keep an eye on the surroundings, and ask him to follow immediately after he discovers anything amiss.¡± Seeing Mo Ye¡¯s disappointed face, Mo Xuetong chuckled. Even though it was unexpected that Mo Ye lost the man, she did not expect to find him so easily either, as she had never heard of this matter in her previous life.

    Which meant that nobody suspected them. Since nobody suspected them, they must be deeply hidden.

    Naturally, it would be difficult to catch them.

    ¡°Yes, I will inform Mo Feng to guard thereter. When there¡¯s any news, I will guard the ce myself and see if he can escape again!¡± Mo Ye ground her teeth as she became even more upset thinking about this matter. She could be considered to be one of the best secret guards around, and hence she could not understand why she was swindled so easily, failing her miss¡¯s faith in her.

    Seeing Mo Ye gritting her teeth, Mo Xuetong smiled involuntarily and said to Mo Ye, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s nothing. Go and rest first, and don¡¯t rush out so soon. This is to prevent spection on the busy nature of us Qingwei Garden, where all of youe in and out all the time.¡±

    ¡°I shall go down and rest first, leavingter at night.¡± Mo Ye nodded obediently.

    Ever since she followed her miss, the disdain in her disappeared. Even though her miss was weak, the intellect, decisiveness, and wit of her miss were far above others¡¯. Even an ordinary smart man could not bepared to her miss.

    ¡°My miss, would you like to rest too. Your mother had said that spring drowsiness wasmon for this period of time, and you should rest more. Before long, you will be going to King Xuan¡¯s manor, which might not be asfortable as our ce. I heard that there are many concubines present in King Xuan¡¯s manor too, and you should naturally be energetic and well-rested.¡± Mo Lan came out from behind Mo Xuetong and offered herforting advice.

    However, she revealed the dissatisfaction she had toward Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s Manor as if she were going to fight them instead of marrying her miss over.

    Those words made Mo Xuetong gave a gentle smile. ¡°Will that idiot be angry if he knew that¡¯s how everyone else viewed him!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, my miss. You got to be well-rested and scare everyone in that manor. Anyways, the king will still be injured then and will not be able to get up. My miss got to be dominant and sell all those who don¡¯t listen to you, making it easier for you to secure your position in the manor.¡± Once Mo Yu thought about the many concubines in King Xuan¡¯s manor, she started toin on behalf of Mo Xuetong.

    It was not a good thing for a beautiful and kind woman like her miss to marry that promiscuous King Xuan!

    However, nobody could resist under the imperial edict!

    ¡°Mo Yue, stop gossiping so much and annoying our miss. King Xuan is in charge of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. How will others view our miss if she removes all the concubines right after her marriage?¡± Mo Lan shook her head and helped Mo Xuetong to her bed. She removed her coat and helped her down, covering her with the nket.

    ¡°Why not? King Xuan¡¯s Manor is a mess now and King Xuan is injured. Our miss is the only one in charge.¡± Mo Yu straightened her neck and argued, indignant.

    Mo Xuetong chuckled. ¡± Mo Yu, we shall not care so much about King Xuan¡¯s Manor. We will have to see what King Xuan¡¯s attitude is after our marriage. However, you should change your own attitude. If you are still like this, others can take advantage of that.¡±

    As she spoke, she thought of Mo He and her smile disappeared.

    Mo Lan saw the change in her expression and knew that she remembered Mo He¡¯s matter. She immediately threw a nce at Mo Yu and Mo Yu was obedient enough to not continue the topic, giving a serious promise instead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my miss. I will naturally follow the rules in King Xuan¡¯s Manor and not make things difficult for my miss.¡±

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was not Mo Manor, with many more rules and regtions. Mo Yu had reflected about it and decided to be careful and not to follow the footsteps of Mo He, who was oblivious to being used by others.

    ¡°Where is Mo He now?¡± The room became silent as Mo Xuetong asked, closing her eyes.

    ¡°Ever since Mo He left the manor, she disappeared. Some said that she returned to her hometown. Does my miss want to find out?¡± Mo Yu asked in confusion. Mo He¡¯s matter reminded all the servants who were close to their miss. Of course, Mo He¡¯s actions were despised upon, and hence no one went to find out more about her after she left.

    Having suffered and enjoyed so much with her master, how could she have given up on so many years of rtionship between the two just because of Auntie Fang¡¯s lure, harming and hurting her miss with Auntie Fang. Mo Yu thought about it and decided that she had a wrong judgment of Mo He, whom she decided was a straightforward person!

    ¡°Mo Lan, help me investigate where Mo He is now. He Xia said that she saw Mo He that day.¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and smiled lightly.

    That day, on the carriage, both of them saw Mo He. She was well dressed and was nothing like when she was chased out of the manor. She was obviously sessful as an old woman followed her, bowing and nodding to her at times. It was obvious that Mo He was well respected.

    Normally, servants chased out by the manors would either suffer terribly or return and live with their parents. However, both of Mo He¡¯s parents were in Cloud City, making her impossible to survive here on her own, much less sessful. The only possibility was that someone took her in as a servant. However, who would ce so much emphasis on a servant who was chased out?

    An ordinary family would buy diligent girls from the human traffickers, and would naturally not use those chased out, unless the connection was long established.

    It was truly disturbing that this rtionship was not severed even though she chased her away!

    ¡°He Xia saw Mo He? My miss, could she be mistaken?¡± Mo Yu asked inplete disbelief, opening her mouth open and gasping. They all knew the situation of a servant being chased out, and hence they found the knowledge to be even more unbelievable.

    Mo Lan stood at the side and did not say anything. Her pupils darkened as she realized that it would be ruining her miss¡¯s reputation if the news that they were finding a servant they chased away started to spread before her miss¡¯s marriage. It was an unwise move.

    ¡°I¡¯m not mistaken!¡± Mo Xuetong responded lightly. ¡°Please go and investigate. Many people in the manor knew Mo He, and we should send many more out. Say that I left an object with Mo He and I could not find it now. Hence, I send my servants out to look for her. Anyone who found her will be well rewarded.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I shall do it immediately.¡± Mo Lan heaved a sigh of relief and responded. Her miss was indeed so bright as this excuse would eliminate suspicious on if she had any other interests in finding Mo He. Mo He was the top servant of her miss and was in charge of objects in the manor. Hence, it would be possible that the object was in her hands if it could not be found. It would not be suspicious when people in the manor reported the information of Mo He over as well.

    The two retreated. Mo Lan left to find the girl while Mo Yu sat outside, sewing the embroidery meticulously.

    Inside the room, Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and fell asleep. She had been extremely tired these days and would feel down with no energy if she did not sleep every afternoon.

 Chapter 350 - Old Madam Arrived, Causing a Commotion

    <h4>Chapter 350 Old Madam Arrived, Causing a Commotion</h4>

    Bai Yihao leaving the country did not create much news as the subsequent marriage of the three kings in one day interested the public much more, making them unable to divert their attention to the matters of other countries. Furthermore, Bai Yihao had always had a low profile, and aristocraticdies only knew this piece of news after a few days, when they were devastated.

    However, the man was already gone and could only remain in the dreams of these infatuated women, making them sad.

    Mo Xuetong had a couple of days of peace as she did not leave the house these few days nearing her marriage, other than to greet Xu Yan. She spent the rest of her time sewing in Qingwei Garden. She wasn¡¯t preparing for arge number of clothes, but she insisted onpleting this set. In her previous life, she could only barely make ends meet and learnt sewing with the servants to help in household expenses, selling those that she sewed. Hence, her embroidery work was excellent.

    However, others did not wish that she was so at peace.

    Waking up in the morning, she was prepared to greet Xu Yan after her breakfast when Mother Xu came in.

    ¡°Mydy, Old Madam is here. She brought second miss along, and they want to move the things in the garden.¡±

    ¡°What? Move what?¡± Mo Xuetong was stupefied. Before she could speak, Mo Yu asked in confusion.

    The people present looked at each other, not able toprehend the situation.

    ¡°Old Madam said that all the things in the garden belonged to her, and hence she brought second miss here to move them away, promising to gift a portion of it to second miss as dowries. She insisted that Madam open the door to the garden.¡± Mother Xu was anxious andined eagerly. ¡°Since Madam just married here, she¡¯s unaware of the situation, and thus she wants you to go and have a look.¡±

    Old Madam wanted to use the things in her garden as dowries for Mo Xueyan. That¡¯s...

    Standing beside Mo Xuetong, Mo Yu was the first one to voice her concern, ¡°When Old Madam came in, there were only a few people present, much less those objects. All these things belong to Old Sir; how did they be Old Madam¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°I know! But Old Madam insisted that she brought them here. Second Miss brought her people too and there was a hugemotion in the main house. Thus, she sent me here to ask my miss what to do.¡± Mother Xu stomped her feet anxiously. Nobody expected Old Madam to be so shameless, creating amotion when Old Sir was not around.

    If this matter spread, others would say that Mo Huawen was harsh to his elders, badly affecting his officialdom reputation.

    The Old Madam was bing more and more selfish and shameless.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and walked out. She did not believe that Old Madam wanted these objects. Even though the objects in the garden were valuable, they shouldn¡¯t be enough for Old Madam toe over and demand them. There were only somerge objects. Even if there were some valuable ancient porcins, it was not worth it for her to break the rtionship with Mo Manor.

    Mo Xueyan was in a business family and did not need so much money, requiring only power and status. Hence, she would not want objects that others have used. However, she was unsure of their intention if they are not here for the objects. Hence, she must examine the situation personally as she believed that something was amiss, especially since Mo Xueyan and Mingguo Manor were alliance by marriage, making her more difficult to deal with.

    Last time, the n to harm her had failed. What other devious plots did she have now?

    In the main hall, Old Madam sat in the main seat with a ck face, raging. Behind her, four to five bulky women stood, showing off their strength. Mo Xueyan was there, chiding Xu Yan impolitely and sarcastically. ¡°Little Auntie, you weren¡¯t there then! How did you know if those objects were not Old Madam¡¯s objects! They are just ordinary stuff that I paid no attention too! What can I say since my grandmother likes them! Do you not find it rude to stop us like this!¡±

    Calling Xu Yan little auntie signaled a sense of contempt that made her ufortable.

    The usage of words ¡°little auntie¡±, ¡°weren¡¯t there then¡±, and ¡°rude¡± all implied that Xu Yan was merely a step-aunt to her and not the true owner of the house. That should not be something a niece said to her aunt!

    Behind Xu Yan, a nanny rushed out, eager to rebut in anger.

    Xu Yan reached out and stopped her, raising up her eyes smilingly and exining calmly. ¡°Second miss was right; I am not sure of the situation either. Hence, I sent someone to ask the third miss. If the third miss agrees, I will send people to move everything here belonging to Mother away for her.¡±

    Waiting for Mo Xuetong? With that sharp mouth of Mo Xuetong, her n would be thwarted. Mo Xueyan believed that it would be disadvantaged and refused harshly, ¡°Little Auntie, move grandmother¡¯s objects away! There is no need to send Her Highness here regarding such small matters. Now, Her Highness is at a prestigious position, marrying into the imperial family as a king¡¯s wife soon. For us ordinary citizens, we shall not bother Her Highness as much. Furthermore, do you not trust Grandmother? Or do you think she will take therge objects from your manor!¡±

    Those words made Old Madam¡¯s face turn cold. She knocked her crutch on the ground twice andined. ¡°My eldest son, eldest son! Send for him quickly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Old Madam. Old Sir will be fair to you.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, if Old Sir heard that you are here, he will rush over immediately. Don¡¯t be angry. Remember how you raised Old Sir up back then, he will not forget his mother.¡±

    ¡°Old Madam, you can give your things to anyone you like. There¡¯s no need to discuss. In my opinion, we should just move them away, and prevent the eldestdy from being so stingy.¡±

    ¡°Well, the eldestdy is quite pitiful still. She lived under the roof of Fu General Manor for so many years, under the jurisdiction of others. Finally, she can be the master of her own household, and so she chooses to hold everything tightly in her hands.¡±

    ¡°Even if that is the case, this is still wrong! After marriage, one naturally listens to one¡¯s mother-inw. Not only does she not wish to help, but she also seems to be eyeing her mother-inw¡¯s stuff.¡±

    Her nannies¡¯ words became nastier and nastier. They nced at Xu Yan, refusing to give her the proper respect she deserved as a proper wife. That made Xu Yan shiver in anger. Previously, in Fu General Manor, even though she was merely a guest, the old madam there loved her, and the cousins treated her as their real sisters. She had never been so angry before and was hence at a loss for words.

    ¡°Little Auntie, see! This is such a simple matter, just let us move the stuff away! Don¡¯t make my uncle seem unfilial and unkind. If he does get such a reputation, it¡¯ll be bad for his career. If he bes angry then, you will be the one suffering. It will be a true pity if that happens just a few days after your marriage.¡± Mo Xueyan continued arrogantly, more and more disdainful of Xu Yan as she mocked Xu Yan.

    She knew that the new step-aunt could do nothing to her.

    ¡°It seems like my second sister knows that one uses filial piety to govern the world, and we must be respectful to elders. However, it doesn¡¯t seem that second sister behaves like this.¡± Outside the door, a sweet crisp voice chided.

    The door opened and Mo Xuetong walked over. Her aura was not weak either as eight strong women were behind her as well,parable to those behind Old Madam. Old Madam¡¯s eyes darkened as she became deep in thought.

    Wearing a pain lotus long dress, the flowers danced beneath her as she walked, with simplicity apanying her pure beauty. It entuated her pink face, making her look holy and scared, and yet she had a breathtaking aura despite her fragile appearance.

    ¡°Greetings to grandmother.¡± Mo Xuetong came over and greeted Old Madam calmly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice had made Old Madam sober ande to her senses. She replied calmly. ¡°Tong¡¯er is back. It¡¯s unreasonable to chide your sister once you are back. Please apologize to her, don¡¯t be rude to your sister.¡±

    What a biased olddy. Before she could even speak, Mo Xuetong was charged with a crime.

    If she apologized to Mo Xueyan, it would seem that she was indeed rude; If she didn¡¯t, she would seem to be rude to her grandmother. The reputation of a woman was like water. It easily got corrupted and could not withstand such rumors. However, Mo Xuetong was now of a different status. As the princess of the imperial family, she could afford to be a little rude.

    Furthermore, she was about to have a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. It was impossible that Feng Yuran would cancel the marriage because of some rumor.

    She was sneering in her heart but her face gave a gentle and surprising look. Straightening up her body, she confronted Mo Xueyan. ¡°Is it right for second miss to be here to bully her aunt?¡± Her face was extremely naive as if he really did not understand what was going on, so direct that Mo Xueyan was at a loss for words. Her face turned pale and purple as she was speechless.

    She dide with that intention, but she could not make it so obvious.

    Seeing that Mo Xueyan was being suppressed by Mo Xuetong, Old Madam had to interfere herself. She chided angrily. ¡°Even if your second sister is a little at fault, you cannot make such a bigmotion as a younger sister! As sisters, you should settle this internally, and not be so rude!¡±

    ¡°Settle this internally with Mo Xueyan?¡± Mo Xueyan could shout at Xu Yan but she could not straightforwardly talk with Mo Xueyan. Old Madam wanted to suppress her. Even though she did not know what Old Madam wanted, the olddy did note with a kind intention. Luckily, she was well-prepared.

    ¡°Third Sister, how dare you bully be like this when grandmother is still here. You don¡¯t even greet me, chiding me immediately. Are you really disregarding our sisterhood once you be a princess?¡± Mo Xueyan recognized the situation and immediatelyined in front of Old Madam as if she were greatly wronged, pointing at Mo Xuetong.

    Her eyes were full of unwillingness, and jealousy for Mo Xuetong¡¯s high status. Why should she be bullied by Mo Xuetong like that!

    She originally thought that it was incredibly lucky to marry the second son of Mingguo Manor as that handsome man did grab Mo Xueyan¡¯s heart at first. Mo Xueyan smiled even in dreams when she thought that she would marry the love of her life and enjoy the ever-ending wealth and prosperity. Furthermore, the two times when they met in private, he was tender and warm to her as well.

    However, before her marriage, the matter between Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian¡¯s affair broke out as the two were thrown together in the main gate of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Rumors were everywhere. Even though it was unconfirmed, most people believed in it, and the two people¡¯s reputations were ruined. In awaiting her marriage, the attitudes of the servants and nannies in her household turned from one of envy for her good marriage to disdain, and they had all been gossiping about her.

    That made Mo Xueyan mad!

    She was also involved in hurting Mo Xuetong, which was plotted by Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong, as she gave the icy silk handkerchief over to Mo Xueqiong. Even though she did not know the exact details of their n, she knew that it involved Mo Xuetong and they wanted to destroy Mo Xuetong, which was a great idea to her. Thus, she asked You Yuelian to pass the handkerchief.

    Unexpectedly, Mo Xuetong was unscathed, but Mo Xuemin and You Yuelian were rumored to be having an affair, with the servants and nannies mocking her marriage to a promiscuous husband. She believed that it was Mo Xuetong¡¯s revenge after their failed n. Hence, all her anger was poured on Mo Xuetong. Staring at her beautiful face now, she wanted to bite her to death and naturally would not speak anything good to her.

    She did not want to keep Mo Xuetong alive. She must get rid of her, she must!

 Chapter 351 - Old Madam Rudely Insists On Moving Objects

    <h4>Chapter 351 Old Madam Rudely Insists On Moving Objects</h4>

    After hearing that, Old Madam put on a fiercer face as she became angrier, knocking on the ground a few times with her walking sticks, chiding with her deep voice, ¡°Girl Tong, you¡¯d better apologize to your second sister now. Families like us ce value on respect. Don¡¯t fool around and lose your decency.¡±

    Apologize? Mo Xuetong lifted up her head and sneered. Not only was she a princess, but her position as a consort after marriage would also mean that there¡¯s no need for her to apologize to a businesswoman like Mo Xueyan. Furthermore, her apology today would invoke rumors everywhere, judging from the unfriendly faces of the nannies beside her.

    It was merely one purpose to move the objects today, but not the main objective!

    Before the matter was made clear, Old Madam needed to suppress her and mess around, thinking she was still the doted on Mo Xuetong like before.

    Many more entered the living room then and Mo Xuetong saw a retreating figure at the corner of her eyes. She pulled on Mo Lan¡¯s hand, signaling her to follow the person from the crowd.

    A simmer of coldness shed across Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as her face turned serious, ¡°Old Madam, I am a woman of the imperial family, and that surely is a prestigious position. However, Second Sister was merely the daughter of a business family, having a lower status in society. Comparing our status, it is clear who the more prestigious one is. Is it so that the face of the imperial family cannot bepared to that of a businesswoman? Where do you ce the face of the imperial family and that of thew? If someone reports this to the Emperor, second sister can be charged because of the few words she said.¡±

    Her words were extremely sharp and direct as if she wanted to seriously deal with Mo Xueyan. The crowd was shocked at her response and the few nannies behind Old Madam retreated a few steps, shutting their mouths in the process. If they angered Princess Anping, the Old Madam and Second Miss might not be harmed as they were rtives. However, their lives might be lost.

    Mo Xueyan froze and was speechless and nervous since her sister had upgraded this small conflict between girls to a higher level, suppressing using her status. She gritted her teeth since Mo Xuetong called her a businesswoman but she dared not rebut since it did concern the imperial family¡¯s status, something a peasant like her should not talk about.

    Furthermore, she was about to marry into Mingguo Manor, and she knew her ce.

    Even so, she could not just suffer in silence as she ran to Old Madam and cried to her, ¡°Grandmother, Third Sister uses her status to suppress me! Is there a need to talk about status in our family!¡±

    She implied that Mo Xuetong was using her power to bully her.

    ¡°Of course we shouldn¡¯t be talking about status amongst sisters. However, if the second sister insisted on discussing this topic, it would be my fault if I didn¡¯t rify my stance.¡± Before Old Madam could reply, Mo Xuetong answered coldly.

    She directly ignored Mo Xueyan¡¯s useless ramblings and used her own words against her own argument. Mo Xueyan was shamed by that, as she noticed that she was not as weak as when she first saw her. Old Madam looked at her in hatred as she figured that her sharp mouth was like the bitch Luo Xia, and thought that it was indeed a terrible idea to follow the Luo Xia bitch.

    Old Madam was not Mo Xueyan and knew that there would be no consensus on this topic. Hence, she coughed, suppressing the many whispers in the room. She then patted Mo Xueyan¡¯s head as her face turned into once of benevolence. ¡°Girl Tong, let¡¯s not talk about these. I only came here to take my things. I used them for a long time and thought that they werefortable for me. Now, I was living with your second uncle and figured that I shall bring everything there so we need not buy new ones.¡±

    Old Madam spoke as if that¡¯s the right thing to do. Even though she did not say that those objects were hers, she implied it by saying that she was merely moving them after using them for a long while. That was difficult to rebut, making Xu Yan at a loss of what to do. She was merely a stepmother and could not say much.

    No one could afford the criticism of being unfilial!

    They did this as they were sure that nobody here dared to oppose them when they moved her father¡¯s objects to Mo Xueyan¡¯s manor.

    ¡°So grandmother is here to move your things?¡± Hiding the cold sneer under her smile, Mo Xuetong appeared as if she only knew the information.

    ¡°Of course grandmother was here to move her things. See, we even brought our own people here. Let your men go, we are very busy and will go once we finished moving.¡± Upon hearing the change of topic, Mo Xueyan stood up from Old Madam¡¯s arms and exined proudly. She was excited at the thought of the many antiques and decorations in Old Madam¡¯s household. Those were priceless objects that excited her immensely.

    ¡°What are the objects that you are moving away?¡± Dumbfounded, Mo Xuetong asked.

    ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s the objects in the grandmother¡¯s room. Grandmother said that most of those objects were for my dowry when I marry into Mingguo Manor.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong dared not rebut her, Mo Xueyan became even more arrogant.

    Seeing her arrogance, the nannies and servants beside her all looked at her with disdainful eyes. It would require an unmarrieddy to be extremely shameless for her to discuss her own dowry in front of everyone.

    Even Old Madam was ufortable as she gave Mo Xueyan a stern stare.

    ¡°The objects in grandmother¡¯s room...¡± Mo Xuetong seemed to be in deep thought as she asked hesitantly, ¡°The ones that grandma bought?¡±

    ¡°Of course grandma bought those objects in her own room. Third Sister, let¡¯s not waste time and allow us toe in and move the objects. We are busy and have other things to settle.¡± Seeing the reactions of those around her, Mo Xueyan eximed ever so proudly, even smiling joyously. With filial piety as their excuse, even with the position of Princess Anping, Mo Xuetong could not stop them from moving those objects.

    ¡°Mo Yu, which objects in our grandmother¡¯s room are bought by grandma? It¡¯s not right to ask her to settle this, and we should find out ourselves.¡± Mo Xuetong feigned ignorance and asked Mo Yu.

    Mo Yu came forth and exined cleverly, ¡°Miss, the objects in Old Madam¡¯s room were bought by Old Sir. Old Madam didn¡¯t spend a single cent.¡±

    This statement causedmotion in and out of the garden, and the nces people threw at Old Madam were different.

    ¡°Did you mean that Ie deliberately to lie and steal from my eldest son?¡± Old Madam lowered her voice and stared at Mo Yu harshly, ¡°What does a cheap ve know?¡±

    ¡°Even though uncle bought those items, grandma spent her money on it. Naturally, those objects still belong to our grandmother. If you don¡¯t believe in me, you can ask uncle yourself.¡± Mo Xueyan agreed with Old Madam.

    Obviously only Old Madam¡¯s servants would vouch that she gave money to Old Sir for the purchase of those items. Since Old Sir was not around, only Old Madam¡¯s words mattered. Furthermore, she was the concubine-mother of Father and her insistence on the matter made it hard for Mo Xuetong to reject.

    Mo Xueyan and Old Madam insisted as they knew that Mo Xuetong had to give in. The two of them had eyes that spoke of their arrogance.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, if so... let them move.¡± Xu Yan pulled on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves and whispered out of concern. It was detrimental to Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation if she argued with her grandmother. It would not be worth it to ruin one¡¯s reputation for a few objects, especially since Old Madam¡¯s words were the most decisive ones in Old Sir¡¯s absence.

    They had to take the loss silently!

    However, Mo Xuetong did not want to suffer this loss. She was unwilling to let the unkind Old Madam get what she wanted.

    For some people, retreating repeatedly would merely increase their momentum in bullying you, making them swallow your whole in the end. That¡¯s how she suffered in her previous life, and she would not allow that to happen in this life.

    ¡°I asked your father to buy those objects for me. I wanted to live here for a long while, but I didn¡¯t expect...¡± Old Madam shook her head as if she didn¡¯t want to say anything. ¡°Since your second uncle brought me over, I should treat him better and give them those things!¡±

    She was criticizing Father for chasing her out. As a concubine mother, she would naturally want to spend time with her birth sonpared to a legitimate son born by the wife. That made no sense even if Mo Huawen was grateful to Old Madam.

    But now, her words made the arrangement seem logical, and Mo Xuetong respected Old Madam¡¯s ability to spin tales!

    ¡°Did grandma say that she bought everything in that room?¡± She had no intention to listen to Old Madam¡¯s usation of her father, merely replying calmly.

    ¡°When grandma and I came here, there was nothing inside and we brought the things one by one. Of course, they all belonged to grandma. Could it be that third sister was unable to let go of these objects? With your status now, you surely are not interested in our grandmother¡¯s belongings!¡± Mo Xueyan retorted cleverly as a simmer of malice shed across her eyes. She knew that it would be easy to enter the inner garden with grandmother¡¯s help.

    How could they possibly live here if nothing was inside when they moved over!

    Xu Yan could not endure their usations anymore and replied, ¡°Old Sir did know that Old Madam was going to enter the manor. How was she going to live if the room was empty!¡± She was not someone who was timid and scared, but as a stepmother who just entered the manor and who knew nothing about the situation, she thought that she should minimize the impact of the matter. However, Mo Xueyan became ruder and ruder, not only spinning up lies, but also secretly using Old Sir of being unfilial.

    ¡°Even if there was anything, it was only a bed.¡± Mo Xueyan knew she exaggerated too much, but she bit her tongue and insisted.

    ¡°Girl Yan, stop with that irrelevant information. Bring someone to move those things.¡± Old Madam stared at Mo Xueyan and ordered her.

    Since she already gave the orders, any disobedience would mean that Mo Manor was at fault! Even with the position of a princess, Mo Xuetong dared not be unfilial.

    She hid the cold disdain in her eyes as she lowered her head as if she had nothing to say. Mo Xueyan straightened her body proudly as she smiled arrogantly at Mo Xuetong, bringing the group of nannies in aggressively. Mo Xuetong followed in after with her nannies.

    The group walked towards Old Madam¡¯s garden. She didn¡¯t live far away as the garden was specially prepared for her in consideration of her old age and the winter weather, with the main door facing the south direction. Afterward, Old Madam was chased out and the ce was left vacant. Ever since Xu Yan entered the manor, she left only one or two servants to clear the ce as no one was living there, moving everyone else away.

    The garden was long empty!

    Therge crowd came over, making the empty garden immediately lively.

    Someone had taken out the nanmu wood chair from inside to tter Old Madam, asking her to sit. Mo Xueyan rushed in excitedly, unable to contain her happiness as she touched the objects inside. Those things were all priceless objects unable to be bought from the marketce, a four-legged sofa made from white jade, scented balls with patterns of precious creatures weaved from pomegranate flowers, a golden bomb with patterns of the jade flower birth, a sapphire bamboo cup...

    Any single item was better than those in the marketce! That made Mo Xueyan drool happily!

    She could finally move these objects to her own house, and that little bitch Mo Xuetong could say nothing to that!

    Mo Xuetong followed over as she nced at Mo Xueyan¡¯s greedy face, snickering inside her heart. Mo Lan came over secretly and whispered to Mo Xuetong before standing behind her.

    Mo Xueyan¡¯s nannies were now already moving Mo Xueyan¡¯s objects and clearing them out. They moved them to the field while Xu Yan and a few servants were tending Old Madam outside. After all, Mo Huawen was grateful to Old Madam and they had to treat her well.

    With that incident, any sensible person would be too shameful toe over. However, she came here to snatch her son¡¯s objects!

    Of course, any sensible olddy would notmit such an act. Mo Xuetong waspletely disappointed in her. Seeing Mo Xueyan proudly pointed at the objects to have people move them out one by one made Mo Xuetong speechless.

    It was impossible for this ridiculous grandma and this ridiculous granddaughter to be not from the same family!

    Two nannies were moving a flower rack that Mo Xueyan liked, with Old Madam¡¯s bed behind. A nanny was in front and a nanny was behind. However, one of them swayed and fell, pouncing on the flower rack. With the sounds of ¡°boom¡±, ¡°crash¡± and ¡°ouch¡±, a few nannies fell down, and an object dropped on the ground before everyone¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 352 - Entrance to the Drama by Second Son of You Family

    <h4>Chapter 352 Entrance to the Drama by Second Son of You Family</h4>

    That was a small booklet, not enormous. However, strangely, it looked more like the book of ounts. It opened up once it fell onto the ground, with numbers and names of people shown.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Before anyone could react, Mo Xueyan rushed forth and flipped through the booklet, reading it, ¡°Assistant minister manor, Fu General Manor... money... money?¡±

    She seemed to be aware of something and turned away in fright, running out with the booklet in her hand towards Old Madam, who was resting in the garden. She was unable to express herself clearly, stuttering as she exined, ¡°Grandma, grandma, it¡¯s a booklet about the silver that uncle gifted to others... what to do.¡±

    She was loud enough and everyone around them heard it. Instantly, the whole garden turned silent.

    Old Madam was chatting casually with Xu Yan. Hearing that, she immediately stood up, ¡°Girl Yan, don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡±

    Even though she was chiding the girl, she was louder, attracting everyone¡¯s attention.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curved up into a slight mocking and eerie smile. Since Old Madam and Mo Xueyan were so devious, she would be ruthless too.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, grandma, it is real. It is really the ount book of the silver uncle gifted others. How, how, the whole family would be killed...¡± Mo Xueyan was anxious and nervous, frightened and overwhelmed. She continued to put on a show.

    They meant that her father gifted silver to other officials in an attempt to bribe them. However, Mo Huawen had always been a small fifth-grade officer and had just obtained this position, making it impossible for him to be so rich, especially since Mo Xueyan saw many precious and expensive objects written on the list.

    ¡°Forgive me, forgive me, Old Madam! I didn¡¯t know that an ounting book was hidden behind and identally knocked it down just now. Please do not punish me, Old Madam!¡± Two nannies ran out, crying and shivering in front of Old Madam.

    That meant theypletely didn¡¯t know that it was inside. Furthermore, this was not something that two women like Old Madam and Mo Xueyan could n all by themselves. Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile turned even more chilling as she stood by the side, watching their drama.

    ¡°Why will there be such a booklet inside?¡± Old Madam was shocked as she turned around to look at Xu Yan.

    ¡°Bribery? Gifting money to others?¡± Even though Xu Yan was knowledgeable after staying in Fu General¡¯s inner residence, she had never encountered such an incident before. Great Qin was especially strict when it came to matters of bribery. If a crime of such matter wasmitted, a harsh punishment was issued; sometimes even executing the entire family would happen.

    Everyone in the garden panicked.

    It turned out that the objective of Old Madam was to frame Father of bribery. As long as Father was involved in this matter, no one in the family could escape from punishment. Furthermore, this matter coincided with the disappearance of the silver meant for disaster aid at lianghu, and it seemed like the person wanted these two matters to be linked up together. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t believe that this was the idea of the ignorant Old Madam and the greedy Mo Xueyan.

    There was a mastermind behind them!

    They wanted the lives of everyone in Mo Manor! What a waste since Father was so nice to them!

    Blood rushed up onto her heart as she felt a chill run down her body. She tightened her fist and felt her blood turn cold!

    No wonder they came rushing in! They came in to frame Father through themotion! If this booklet was reported to the Emperor, he would execute their entire family without hesitation, and that¡¯s devious!

    ¡°Old Madam, we are carrying all these things? Are they all dowries of Second Miss?¡± A gentle and tender voice came from the door, as You Yuelian brought people from Mingguo Manor into the garden.

    There were indeed people behind this! Indeed, in this case, all the links were tightly connected, and nobody from Mo Manor could escape the guillotine.

    That was the person who would expose the entire matter!

    Be it the Old Madam or Mo Xueyan, they had no right to report such political matters. However, You Yuelian was different; he was someone from Mingguo Manor.

    Now, Mo Xuetong finally knew the person plotting against Mo Manor!

    ¡°Second young master, second young master, there is an ounting book of the silver that my uncle gifted to others.¡± Mo Xueyan rushed over to im the credit. It was obvious that the two had long been in love. Perhaps it was because of the benefits that this report could bring, Mo Xueyan forgot to pretend and smiled like a flower.

    ¡°ounting book? What ounting book?¡± You Yuelian¡¯s face turned solemn as if he didn¡¯t know anything and was frightened by the knowledge.

    ¡°It seemed that it was an ounting book about the silver uncle gifted to others. They are such precious gifts! Uncle is so rich!¡± Mo Xueyanughed exaggeratedly and swayed the book around towards Mo Xuetong purposefully.

    ¡°What happened?¡± You Yuelian¡¯s face turned cold and he turned around to chide Xue Yan.

    Xue Yan¡¯s face turned white but she was speechless. She knew that the whole family would be executed if such a crime was proved. As a woman, she could not bear the consequences.

    Mo Xuetong walked over slowly and held her hand, noticing the deepyer of cold sweat beneath it. She squeezed her hand andforted her worrisome heart, taking a deep breath in the process.

    ¡°Excuse me, but why is Second Young Master You doing in my manor?¡± Mo Xuetong asked peacefully.

    You Yuelian¡¯s eyes fell on Mo Xuetong and realized that this girl in the light blue dress was asposed as the water, her looks inexplicably stunning, with a tinge of gentleness hidden within her purity, a tinge of seductiveness hidden in her coolness. It was a matter indescribable by word, a type of charm caused by the perfectbination of elements, and extreme beauty!

    That was Princess Anping!

    You Yuelian could not help but secretlypliment her! He didn¡¯t expect the girl to be so beautiful but it was such a pity that she became an abandoned piece in his brother¡¯s n. The thought of his brother made his heart turn cold as he shivered and became sober. If he made another mistake, he would be an abandoned piece in his brother¡¯s hand.

    He calmed down and replied, smiling, ¡°Greetings to Princess Anping. I came here to move the dowries for Second Miss of Mo Manor. I heard that she left some dowries in this manor and thus came to move them away.¡±

    Couples were not supposed to meet each other before marriage. However, both Mo Xueyan and You Yuelian came to move their dowries personally. This couple was indeedpatible in the shamelessness!

    ¡°Second Young Master, what do we do with this ounting book?¡± Noticing that You Yuelian was examining Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, Mo Xueyan stared at Mo Xuetong in jealousy. She walked over and stood in between them, holding the ounting book up high.

    ¡°Sir Mo had always been an upright official and it¡¯s impossible for such matters to happen. We need to give this to the Ministry of Justice and let the officials there hold an investigation so as to clear Sir Mo¡¯s name.¡± You Yuelian looked at the booklet in Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand and smiled deviously. With this booklet, he could im credit for the exposure of bribery and enter the political field, bing brother¡¯s assistant. In the future, perhaps he could overtake his brother and be an important subordinate of King Yan.

    The hidden meaning of his words was the exact opposite of the just words that he said. Xu Yan had calmed down and walked forth to stop them, ¡°What do you mean, Second Miss? What gifted silver that you¡¯re talking about? Do not spew nonsense as framing others is a crime.¡±

    ¡°It is very obvious to me! Are you afraid, Little Aunt? That¡¯s right; you were only married here for a while and didn¡¯t get to enjoy much before getting beheaded. That¡¯s truly sad, but it¡¯s useless now! You can¡¯t escape now that Unclemitted such a crime! A crime that will result in your execution!¡±

    Mo Xueyan was so proud of herself that she waved the booklet in front of Xu Yan. Thinking of Mo Xuetong¡¯s demise made her the mostfortable like never before.

    Fuming, Xu Yan wanted to snatch the booklet away. However, she was avoided.

    ¡°Little Aunt, many lives depend on this booklet. I won¡¯t give it to you so easily.¡±

    ¡°Second sister, how did you know that this is the booklet about the silver that Father gifted others?¡± Mo Xuetong pulled onto Xu Yan¡¯s anxious hand as she stared at Mo Xueyan coldly.

    ¡°That question should not be asked. It is obvious on the booklet that Uncle sent assistant minister and Fu General Manor many objects and much silver. Seeing that Grandma had just left, this ce became the best ce for Uncle to hide his ounting book. Uncle was so smart to have chased Grandma away as no one would have thought that Uncle would hide such an important thing here.¡±

    At this moment, You Yuelian interrupted, seemingly unbiased. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Second Miss. Sir Mo might have his own reasons, there might be a hidden motive to it.¡±

    ¡°What hidden motive. Uncle must have gifted so much silver for his current official position. It is of no wonder that Uncle was promoted several ranks after remaining stagnant for a few years. How is this normal if no silver was gifted?¡± Mo Xueyan smirked and looked at Mo Xuetong provocatively.

    ¡°Third Sister, it seemed that even your status as a princess of the imperial family will remain irrelevant. See, being imperial was useless before execution. Second Young Master You, do you know if Third Sister¡¯s position as a princess would cause exoneration by the emperor? Perhaps her status as the future consort?¡±

    ¡°Any crimemitted by the imperial family is punished based on the samews as the peasants.¡± You Yuelian¡¯s expression was all just.

    ¡°Oh my, what a pity. It seems like Third Sister will be beheaded too. Don¡¯t worry, when Uncle and you were executed, I won¡¯t forget y¡¯all and I will burn some paper money for you during festivals, to the headless ghosts... Tsk tsk tsk, such pity that you will be lone ghost outside without even food!¡± Mo Xueyan feigned an expression of sympathy and anxiousness for Mo Xuetong as she swayed her waist and mocked her casually.

    It was as if she really did see Mo Xuetong die after being beheaded.

    ¡°Mo Lan, p her.¡± Mo Xuetong smirked chillingly as she raised her voice. Everyone thought that her voice was cold and harsh.

    Before anyone could react, Mo Lan pped Mo Xueyan harshly. She had been shivering in anger behind Mo Xuetong and thus released her fury in one tight p.

    Even though she was slim, she didn¡¯t hold back due to her hatred of Mo Xueyan harming her master. As Mo Xueyan was pped, she turned around dizzily, her left face swollen, and the roots of the teeth even came loose.

    ¡°How dare you little bitch p me!¡± Mo Xueyan didn¡¯t expect a servant to p her and turned angry instantly. With one hand covering her left cheek, she turned to p Mo Lan. ¡°You are just a little bitch like your master, and both of you should be beheaded. Go and die!¡±

    Mo Ye walked forth to stop Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand. She threw her aside, making her tumble for a few steps, almost falling.

    Mo Xueyan fell back two steps before hitting Old Madam, who just stood up angrily. Old Madam then sat down again due to the impact.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, how dare you hit your own sister.¡± Old Madam pulled Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand, stopping her impulse before chiding.

    ¡°Grandma, the crime of framing others is also a major crime. Are you not afraid that Second Sister willmit such a crime?¡± Mo Xuetong stared directly into Old Madam¡¯s eyes, with a hidden chill within.

    Old Madam inadvertently shuddered as she was being stared by the chilly nce. However, she immediately toughened up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Yan¡¯er for having reported that booklet? It¡¯s a merit, and not a crime!¡±

    ¡°She used her uncle¡¯s blood for her own credit, and Grandma thought that it was reasonable? What exactly is my father¡¯s ce in your heart?¡± Mo Xuetong retorted back coldly. ¡°You tried to kill my father by having alliances with outsiders and harming him. Grandma, are you looking for your death, or is Mo Xueyan looking for her death? Are you not afraid of being executed together?¡±

    She decided to openly discuss the matter and take the opportunity to get rid of Old Madam. She could not allow her to use filial piety to suppress Father. Also, in this way, Mo Xuetong could prevent Old Madam from turning back on the family again.

    Old Madam was shivering in wrath after being directly scolded by Mo Xuetong. She exined viciously to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Your father had nothing to do with me, and had no blood rtions to me. If not for your grandfather¡¯s will which stated that he would chase Yan¡¯er out of the Mo family if I do not bring your father up, I will not bring your father up at all if not for Yan¡¯er. Thus, the death of your entire family had nothing to do with me. I have nothing to do with all of you.¡±

    Believing that Mo Huawen¡¯s entire manor would be executed, Old Madam tried her best to desperately rify the rtionship between the two, bringing up old matters that no one knew about.

    ¡°So this is the reason why you worked hard to raise me up!¡± Before the rest could recover from the shock, a disappointed voice came from the door.

 Chapter 353 - Insistence by Jerk and Bitch

    <strong>Chapter 353 Insistence by Jerk and Bitch</strong>

    Outside the garden, Mo Huawen stood there peacefully, sadness in his eyes.

    She was an elder that he had respected for years, one that he was willing to forget the fact that it was not his birth mother. Even though she had nned to hurt Tong¡¯er before, he did nothing to her due to the fact that he owed her for raising him up. He merely sent her to his brother¡¯s house to prevent her from causing trouble and hurting herself.

    He didn¡¯t expect that everything was just a facade due to her father¡¯s threat to this woman. If not for his father¡¯s ns, he might have been long dead!

    Everything that he saw was merely a facade. The peaceful and kind nature of the woman was merely for she dared not provoke him!

    A slight cold smile on his face hid the sadness within. He had proper matters to attend to. Turning to look at You Yuecheng, he asked casually, ¡°Why are you here, Second Young Master You?¡±

    Old Madam didn¡¯t expect Mo Huawen to be here. After the initial shock, a tinge of hatred shed across her eyes as she remembered that the whole household was going to be beheaded. Mo Huawen¡¯s crime had nothing to do with her as he was the son of the other woman and not her own. In the end, her husband did make the wrong decision!

    A wave of hatred swept in her heart at that thought. Her husband must be tumbling in his grave to see his beloved sonmit such a great sin.

    You Yuelian¡¯s eyes flickered and avoided Mo Huawen¡¯s nce but he still came forth smiling. Even though Mo Huawen¡¯s arrival was unexpected, the small booklet was great evidence and the scene was ideally set. Mo Huawen¡¯sst struggles would mean nothing. He mustered his courage and answered, ¡°Sir Mo, I came here to move Second Miss¡¯ dowry but did not expect to find this little booklet. I shall bring this to His Majesty, Sir Mo, beware!¡±

    He was proud and could not help but vocalize his joy.

    Mo Xuetong snickered and walked forth slowly, holding Xu Yan¡¯s hand.

    Seeing Mo Huawen and Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm demeanor, Xu Yan rxed inadvertently too. She stared coldly at Old Madam with fury in her eyes. Even though Old Madam was long gone when she entered the house, those from the manor were still around. Even though no one was entirely clear of what had happened before, the bright Xu Yan was able to deduce from her servant¡¯s words about the devious nature of the olddy.

    However, she did not expect the old woman to be so malicious as to wish to eliminate the entire household.

    ¡°It seems that Second Young Master has great concern on Mo Xueyan¡¯s dowry.¡± Mo Huawen exined coldly as he nced at Mo Xueyan, disdain in his eyes. ¡°However, why are youing to my manor to move her dowries, instead of that of my second brother. I believe that my second brother is the one marrying her daughter to you, not me.¡±

    His words turned from disdain to sharpness as he stared sternly at You Yuelian. He hurried over just now and was told the approximate circumstances of the matter. When he entered the main door, he didn¡¯t appear instantly but took the time to listen to their conversation for aplete understanding of the situation. His pupils darkened. Even though he was gentle inside his house, he was sharp and fierce outside. As the lord mayor, he had seen many criminals and was not a friendly individual who could be easily dealt with.

    He suppressed You Yuelian using his aura!

    You Yuelian was a little ufortable as he tried to evade the stare of Mo Huawen. He found it difficult to answer the question as he did seem a little desperate toe over as a fianc¨¦ in obtaining the female dowry in her uncle¡¯s house.

    It¡¯s not that Mingguo Manor wanted Mo Xueyan¡¯s dowries as that was just an excuse for obtaining the small booklet in Mo Xueyan¡¯s hand. The n was to charge Sir Mo for bribery after having found the little booklet in the empty room of Old Madam, involving Mo Xuetong in the process.

    Only with her death could Mo Xuetong¡¯s marriage with King Xuane to an end, stopping King Xuan from relying on Fu General Manor, Princess Royal, and Mo Huawen, who all had Mo Xuetong¡¯s back. That would be like removing a limb from King Xuan, and was the precise reason for You Yuecheng and King Yan to set this n.

    However, it would be difficult for the two women to settle this matter. Even if they did obtain the booklet, Mo Manor could have kept its doors shut, preventing anyone froming out. What could Mo Xueyan and Old Madam do if a random crime was just assigned onto them?

    Therefore, You Yuelian¡¯s appearance was especially important. To prevent Mo Manor from acting desperately, You Yuecheng purposely arranged a few martial artists inside the servants to snatch for the booklet if Mo Manor attacked. If they obtained the booklet, the entire Mo Manor would be gone as the booklet he gave You Yuelian contained information linking to the missing silver in lianghu.

    You Yuelian believed that the Emperor was mad now that the silver was still missing, and was waiting for more evidence to surface. If a rted booklet was found in Mo Huawen¡¯s manor, he would be more and less gone.

    However, You Yuelian did not know that You Yuecheng only ordered his men to protect the booklet, even at the expense of the lives of others.

    If something really did happen in Mo Manor, Mo Xueyan and he would die first!

    ¡°Uncle, Grandma gifted everything that she bought to me. Thus, I am here to move these objects as my dowries.¡± Mo Xueyan swayed the booklet in her hand as if protesting. She was afraid of Mo Huawen before this but the thought of Mo Manor¡¯s execution made her less afraid.

    ¡°Grandma¡¯s stuff? Second sister, surely you are spouting nonsense. Which one of the objects is grandma¡¯s stuff? Second sister purposefully came here to frame Father. Do you know that framing a court official is punishable by death.¡± Mo Xuetong sniggered and raised her voice, speaking like a wind chime swaying in cold wind, her words sharp and sultry.

    ¡°You are the one spouting nonsense. All these objects belonged to Grandma. She paid for them and did not tell anyone to save her face.¡± Of course, Mo Xueyan refused to admit her crime and insisted. She did not believe that Mo Xuetong could provide a single piece of evidence as nobody would be able to prove if Grandma did give Mo Huawen silver privately or not.

    So what if Mo Xuetong refused to admit it?

    ¡°How does second sister prove if these objects belong to Old Madam? If you cannot prove it, does it mean that you are framing Father by having an alliance with Mingguo Manor.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled as her eyes turned even more eerie and cold, bringing a chilly atmosphere that suffocated everyone.

    She was teasing and taunting her!

    That expression angered Mo Xueyan immensely. Without even thinking about her words, sheshed out, ¡°I can¡¯t prove it, but can you prove what you said? Mo Xuetong, even if Uncle did not admit that Grandma gave him the money, we would not know who was speaking the truth. We cannot just assume that Uncle was telling the truth but Grandma was lying. Just based on the evidence of bribery, I know that Uncle must not be an honest man, and could very much lie about such stuff.¡±

    A bloodthirsty murderous intent appeared on his face. He had originally wanted to let Mo Xueyan off because of her blood rtions with him but he did not expect her to be so rude and unforgiving.

    ¡°Second Miss Mo, there is so need to be so angry. Give me the booklet and I shall send it into the pce, and Sir Mo will know whether your usation is true.¡± You Yuelian had no patience for such nonsense. His goal today was to obtain the booklet. Under the ufortable stare of Mo Huawen, he merely wanted toplete his task and leave.

    Even though he was the son of a concubine, he was born in Mingguo Manor and was doted on by Duke Mingguo, living a rich life since his birth. He had seen many ces before and even though he acknowledged the precious nature of the objects, he knew that it was not the time to be concerned about that, as his primary task was to frame Mo Manor.

    ¡°Stop, Second Young Master You!¡± Mo Huawen shouted to stop him.

    ¡°Do you not think that it¡¯s messy to just have this conversation between us two families! Come, bring those officials from the Ministry of Justice in.¡± Mo Huawen sniggered as he stopped You Yuelian with his hands.

    The servants outside sent those officials from the Ministry of Justice, who had been invited by Mo Huawen, into the garden.

    After Mo Huawen greeted them, he prepared chairs for them to sit down.

    Seeing hisposed demeanor, You Yuelian thought that something was amiss as he looked around, frowning. The matter was totally different from what he imagined it would be like.

    Mo Xueyan, however, waspletely unaware of the difference as sheughed at their demise. ¡°Mo Xuetong, looks like your death wille sooner with so many people proving your crime. I shall await your execution when all your belongings shall be mine.¡±

    Her state of arrogant drew disdainful looks from the few officials. They looked at You Yuelian and sighed, thinking that it was a pity for him to marry such a woman. However, this state showed that this famous and prestigious son of Mingguo Manor was not so legitimate too, proving the rumors wrong.

    Old Madam felt embarrassed too and tugged Mo Xueyan¡¯s sleeves, signaling for her to shut her mouth.

    ¡°Since everyone is here already, I shall let Second Sister see my evidence.¡± Mo Xuetong smirked and received a piece of paper from Mo Lan¡¯s hands before passing it to Mo Huawen. Mo Huawen looked at it before passing it to the nearest official.

    The official looked at the paper before frowning and turning to look at the antiques and furniture outside the house. He didn¡¯t speak, but instead, he smiled mysteriously before passing the paper to the next official. The next official seemingly smiled out of mockery before passing the paper to the next person. The paper was circled around before it was passed back to Mo Huawen, and everyone roughly understood the situation.

    Assistant Minister Qian of the Ministry of Justice sat in the middle. He raised his head to look at You Yuelian before asking gently, ¡°Second Young Master You, are these the reason why you are here? Is Mingguo Manor really that interested in the miss¡¯ dowries? Or is there another reason?¡±

    Interested in Mo Xueyan¡¯s dowries, thus he ran over excitedly to move them after hearing the existence of his dowries here. Those were the meanings implied behind the official¡¯s words. You Yuelian always had a good reputation other than what happened with Mo Xuemin a few days ago, and many believed that he was being framed then as well. After returning to his house, Duke Mingguo didn¡¯t say much as well.

    He was unable to endure the insult after being asked directly if he came here just for the dowries, especially when Official Qian implied that he was working with Mo Xueyan to frame Mo Huawen, a crime that he could not admit anyway.

    He mustered his courage and rebutted, ¡°Officials, Second Miss Mo told me that she could not move the objects herself as she was afraid that Mo Manor would stop here. Thus, she asked me toe and help. Is that uneptable?¡±

    Of course, they were not breaking thew. However, this was an abnormality to the norms and customs of marriage, especially for a young aristocrat. His actions make others wonder if he was really a nobleman.

    ¡°How could Second Young Master You just believe that these items belonged to you just based on Second Young Miss Mo¡¯s words, and hence decided to snatch it from Sir Mo¡¯s manor?¡± Official Qian was an interrogation master and lured him gently on with his question.

    ¡°I naturally believed in what Second Miss Mo said.¡± You Yuelian was sly even though he did not believe that they could prove that Mo Xueyan was lying. As long as Old Madam insisted on her im, Mo Huawen¡¯s words would prove nothing. Even though the paper that they passed around made him ufortable, he decided that it was a lure for him to deliberately expose himself!

 Chapter 354 - Assholes Were Caught As Their Scheming Plot Was Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 354 Assholes Were Caught As Their Scheming Plot Was Exposed</h4>

    ¡°However, now we can prove that all these items belonged to Mo Manor. How can Second Miss Mo exin this? How can Second Young Sir You exin this?¡± Official Qian exined.

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡±

    Mo Xueyan and You Yuelian eximed at the same time. Mo Xueyan was sharp and talkative,ining, ¡°Sir, they are spouting nonsense! Those were obviously bought using Grandma¡¯s money.¡± She then turned around to Mo Xuetong, in a false attempt to convince her, ¡°Third Sister, it¡¯s useless for you to continue holding onto these objects now that your entire household is about to be beheaded. There¡¯s no point for you to get charged for another crime of trying to deceive Grandma and obtaining her properties!¡±

    Her words were extremely harsh and were proudly insidious, especially spewing such toxic words towards her uncle and cousin. The few officials all threw cold and disdainful looks at Mo Xueyan.

    ¡°Second Miss Mo, are these really your grandma¡¯s money?¡± Official Qian asked coldly.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Mo Xueyan had no choice but to insist as she could not change her words at this juncture.

    ¡°What if that is not the case?¡± Official Qian continued probing.

    ¡°If not, I am willing to bear all the punishment.¡± Mo Xueyan replied with resoluteness as she did not know that she was slowly entering a trap, even challenging Mo Xuetong provocatively.

    ¡°Come, arrest Second Miss Mo! Her crime will be embezzling personal property and framing government officials.¡± Official Qian altered his voice into a sterner one and ordered two guards toe over. They came over behind Mo Xueyan and pulled her hands behind her back, disregarding her painful screams. They pulled her up and kicked onto her leg, making her kneel involuntarily.

    ¡°Sir...¡± Looking at her beloved granddaughter, Old Madam¡¯s face turned pale as she became speechless. She stood up anxiously.

    Before she could even defend her granddaughter, two more servants came over and pulled her down, making her kneel in the same position as well. However, Old Madam was a little stiff as she kneeled, and that made her lie on the ground and unable to get up, much less speak.

    You Yuelian took two steps forward and wanted to talk, but Official Qian spoke. ¡°Sir Mo, show this to Second Young Master You. Let him see if that¡¯s evidence.¡±

    Mo Huawen wiped off the chilly smile in the corner of his lips and passed the paper over, exining, ¡°Second Young Master You, look at this closely. All these were dowries we brought over from Fu General Manor, even with the list of dowries as evidence. It also consists of some objects that His Majesty gifted the wife of Fu General, including the perfume balls curved with pomegranate flowers and rare birds and the goldenb with jade flower bird carvings. If this does not convince you, Official Qian, you can send someone to Fu General Manor to check the dowry list andpare them.¡±

    There were gifts from the Emperor amongst the dowries of Mo Huawen¡¯s wife?

    You Yuelian¡¯s smile froze as his eyes fall on two objects on the list. He was busy framing Mo Huawen when he entered the garden and did not take a careful look at his surroundings, only noticing now that these objects were not purchasable from the market as they were clearly imperial objects.

    Furthermore, there was a list as proof!

    Clear and convincing physical evidence!

    At that moment, he spoke in anxiousness, ¡°Sir Qian, even if all these were made up by Second Miss Mo, it only proves that she was greedy. However, this booklet was clear and concise. Second Miss Mo couldn¡¯t have possibly made up Sir Mo¡¯s crime, could she?¡±

    Even if Mo Xueyan confessed to this crime, it was no big deal for him. He merely needed his brother to use some connections for her to be acquitted. You Yuelian was now more convinced about that booklet. As Mo Xueyan was pressed down and kneeling on the ground, the booklet fell beside her feet and could be easily treated as rubbish.

    The two old nannies kneeling at the side reacted immediately and knocked their heads on the floor in a hurry. ¡°Sirs, that booklet really did fall when we were carrying objects. They were not ced in by Second Miss.¡±

    What they wanted was to convince the officials of Mo Huawen¡¯s crime regardless of the price. Inparison, Mo Xueyan¡¯s crime was iparable to Mo Huawen¡¯s one. The senior officials of the Ministry of Justice would only focus on major crimes, and would easily dismiss Mo Xueyan.

    Mo Xuetong stood behind Mo Huawen, still smiling calmly as if she were a ss of clear ice water, without any temperature. Now that her father was here, there was no need for her to strike. She had sent someone to exin the situation to her father before and she believed that this problem shouldn¡¯t be difficult for Father to resolve.

    ¡°Please take a look; this is the ounting book that Second Young Master You insists that I have.¡± Mo Huawen sneered and ordered his servants to pick up the book and send it over.

    Indeed, the thin booklet had words such as ¡°Fu General Manor¡± written within, as well as objects and their prices. However, this booklet was very simr to that list of dowries before. It was merely an extremely ordinary booklet with a whole list of Mo manor¡¯s dowries. Because Mo Xuetong was about to be married to King Xuan manor, the booklet was exquisitely designed, and there were the prices and origins of each and every object attached in the booklet.

    Most of these dowries came from Fu General Manor, which meant they were dowries that Mo Huawen¡¯s deceased wife gifted to her daughter. There was a portion that came from other manors, which were gifts from friends of the princess in Mo Manor, awaiting her return gift. It was an ordinary dowry list, but one that was much more detailed than others, with words written in beautiful cursive, proving that the princess wrote the list herself.

    In some subtle ces, the gifts¡¯ original owner was also specified. Tiny names of individuals appeared under the objects, which was meticulous and careful. When one examined it closely, one could see that they were all prestigious individuals.

    The faces of those officials from the Ministry of Justice all sank.

    ¡°Second Young Master You, is this the booklet that you use to frame Sir Mo for bribery?¡± Even though Official Qian was still smiling, there was not a single tinge of joy on his face. Even though Mingguo Manor was an aristocratic family, he dared not cover their wrongdoings. He came at the order of the Emperor. Even though he did not know how Mo Huawen managed to obtain the Emperor¡¯s order, he knew that the Emperor greatly valued Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Sir... is there... anything wrong?¡± You Yuelian thought that something was amiss and his voice weakened. His eyes turned dark and cold as he looked at Mo Xueyan in suspicion. Did she put the wrong booklet in?

    ¡°That¡¯s the booklet. Definitely this booklet.¡± Mo Xueyan finally recovered from her shock. As she saw You Yuelian¡¯s devious stare, she knew he was skeptical of her and struggled to scream in anxiousness.

    ¡°Second Sister, you are wrong. This is not your booklet.¡± Mo Xuetong turned to her side, exining withposure and some arrogance. That made Mo Xueyan extremely angry, shouting and screaming while struggling, ¡°That¡¯s the booklet. It¡¯s impossible to be wrong, that¡¯s definitely the booklet! I read it! Second Young Master gave me that.¡±

    Her words rmed everyone in the garden.

    You Yuelian¡¯s eyes could tear Mo Xueyan apart. However, before he could do anything, the two guards came over and arrested him too.

    The matter was already settled and the truth was clear to everyone. Hence, it was passed down to the Ministry of Justice. They took You Yuelian, the indignant and cursing Mo Xueyan, and the half-dead Old Madam away.

    Mo Huawen sent everyone out.

    Xu Yan and Mo Xuetong went to Yanyu House nearby.

    The two sat down and the servants sent them tea. Xu Yan sipped at it to calm herself down, and her face brightened up slightly. Putting down her teacup, she exined, ¡°Tong¡¯er, who wanted to hurt us? Mingguo Manor?¡±

    You Yuelian had no official position and had no power to set up such a delicate n.

    ¡°Mum, Mingguo Manor used Mo Xueyan to frame Father and attempted to wipe us out. Do remember to keep a distance from Mingguo Manor during your visits outside.¡± Mo Xuetong exhaled and sipped at the tea. She only spoke when the warm tea heated up her cold heart.

    ¡°Why, isn¡¯t it possible for Mingguo Manor to be destroyed as they hadmitted such a huge crime. Is His Majesty going to protect them?¡± Xu Yan asked in confusion. The crime of framing government officials should be significant enough.

    ¡°Nothing will happen to Mingguo Manor. As long as they pushed You Yuelian out as a scapegoat, nothing will happen to them.¡± Mo Xuetong eximed casually. You Yuecheng was not someone that she could deal with easily. He knew the consequences of failure and thus he sent You Yuelian, the son of a concubine, out to deal with it. Duke Mingguo would at most be punished for his poor education, and it would be impossible for his entire household to be implicated by the crime of the son of a concubine.

    In an aristocratic family, the son of a concubine had low status.

    Xu Yan asked no more as she thought of that as well. She sighed and remained silent.

    The room turned quiet as the atmosphere became solemn. They were now at odds with Mingguo Manor, and it would be difficult to say who woulde up on top!

    A servant came to invite Mo Xuetong to the front garden as Mo Huawen wanted to talk to her in his study. Xu Yan stood up and sent her to the door. As she watched the beautiful figure leave, deep thoughts shed across her eyes.

    The matter today seemed to be resolved by Mo Huawen. However, if not for the fact that Mo Xuetong had taken early control of the situation, the three individuals would not have been able to be apprehended at once. She had nned herst sentence to make Mo Xueyan mad and scream the evidence out in rage. It was indeed unimaginable for a young girl under 14 to have such charisma.

    It seemed that her affection towards the girl was the right decision. If she did bear any child in the future, she would ask them to befriend this sister as well. Xu Yan made a vow to herself to remain true to Mo Xuetong. She believed that Mo Xuetong was outstanding beyond her imagination, and was not someone that a woman like her could deal with.

    Inside the study.

    Mo Huawen sat behind his broad study table, her face solemn, gloomy and sad.

    ¡°Father, did you call me?¡± A girl outside the door came in, with her beautiful and pure small face that made his heart tender. He should have treated her daughter like his treasure, but instead, she was harmed again and again. His eyes moved from her face to her sleeves and saw that her hands were still injured.

    He became even guiltier!

    If not for the fact that his weak and fragile daughter had been through so much pain and suffering, she would not have be so strong andposed. His heart ached at that thought.

    Suppressing the guilt in his heart, he waved outside as he squeezed out a smile. ¡°Come in, Tong¡¯er.¡±

    Mo Xuetong came over smiling. She bowed and greeted before she came over, pouring a cup of tea for Mo Huawen. ¡°Father, please have tea.¡±

    Mo Huawen sipped on the tea as he felt warmth in his heart. Smiling, he asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how did you know that they were not merely interested in those objects?¡±

    ¡°Father, you underestimated Tong¡¯er. If Old Madam did want these objects, she would have ordered her men to move them immediately and would not bother arguing whether they belonged to her. What could Father do if she did move them away forcefully? There was no need for her to create amotion.¡± Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and cutely smiled.

    Her words made Mo Huawen speechless. He patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. In that situation, Mo Huawen still treated Old Madam like family and would not be so stingy. He would have given her those objects based on the many years of gratitude he had for her bringing him up.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do tell Father if you meet any difficulties at King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡± Seeing her daughter¡¯s beautiful smile, he sighed deeply. His tone changed as he thought that his brilliant daughter would not be bullied in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. However, he was afraid that she had not enough subordinates in that manor, and hence informed her.

    King Xuan manor was rumored to be the messiest manors out of all the princes. He heard that numerous serving concubines resided in it. If not for the Emperor¡¯s order, he would not want his daughter to marry King Xuan. Luckily, King Xuan woke up and his daughter would no longer be a widow. With her intellect, she should have a firm ce in King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Furthermore, she still had himself, Fu General Manor, and Princess Royal behind her. Even if King Xuan wanted to bully Tong¡¯er, he would be afraid of these forces.

    Mo Huawen felt uneasy at the thought of her delicately beautiful daughter marrying that arrogant and promiscuous King Xuan.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I know and I will inform Father if anything is amiss so that Father can help me.¡± Happiness and joy were hidden in Mo Xuetong¡¯s smiles, showing that she was truly delighted and excited about the marriage. That made Mo Huawen a little more rxed as heforted himself that Tong¡¯er had himself to count on no matter what happened. He promised himself that he had to remain strong for Tong¡¯er.

 Chapter 355 - Wedding Atmosphere in Five Kilometers, Married Off

    <strong>Chapter 355 Wedding Atmosphere in Five Kilometers, Married Off</strong>

    Once the thing in Mo Manor spread, people from and outside the court were all stunned. It was already not a simple case where the children fought for the inheritance. Instead, it was intentioned framing. Immediately, officials from the Ministry of Justice went to inquire about it in Mingguo Manor. However, all of the conclusions led to the fact that the concubine-born son coveted the dowries of Mo Manor¡¯s second miss. Therefore, he disgraced himself by personally carrying the dowries and then caused trouble.

    After all, he didn¡¯t personally touch the brochure with his own hands. Everything started with Mo Xueyan, so he pushed all the me onto Mo Xueyan.

    Later, before people figured out what had happened, news that Mo Xueyanmitted suicide in jail came. Then, You Yuelian followed to kill himself as well. Both of them died. Emperor Zongwen became furious and demanded a thorough investigation into it. However, even after a thorough investigation, people only found the improper love affair between Mo Xueyan and You Yuelian which started a long time ago. They had secretly met each other more than once.

    Actually, Mo Xueyan put the brochure among those dowries.

    When people rushed into Mo Manor to make a scene, she snuck into the Old Madam¡¯s yard to put it there. However, Mo Xuetong¡¯s lead maidservant saw Mo Xueyan and then reced it with the dowry list she had written for her master in her inner pockets.

    In this case, You Yuelian only seemed indecent. Mingguo Manor would at most be med for not having properly educated their children. Furthermore, he was just a concubine-son, which was not a big deal. Since the two sinners had already died, it would be useless to keep detaining Mo Manor¡¯s old madam any longer; therefore they asked Mo Huayan to take her home.

    The old madam had been startled and shocked in jail and finally died from illness just a few days after returning home.

    The incident had caused quite a stir; however, it resulted in no serious consequence. In the end, only two obscure people died, which really didn¡¯t matter. However, many people did not think so in their hearts. Mo Manor was King Xuan¡¯s wife¡¯s family, and Mingguo Manor was King Yan¡¯s wife¡¯s family. King Xuan was injured, while King Yan received punishment. People needed to clearly figure out the twists and turns inside this. They didn¡¯t want to both lose their opportunities and lives once taking the wrong side.

    Therefore, though so many disputes took ce in the two families, no one pursued it. Even those hard-headed censors who were known as being men of integrity also obediently stayed quiet. They just watched the cases slip away before their eyes and lost the opportunity to make their names remembered in history.

    It was inside You Yuecheng¡¯s study.

    Dark-faced, You Yuecheng tossed the file in his hand onto the ground, iciness deep in his eyes.

    It never urred to that in the end, he failed again, and she escaped at the eleventh hour again! The delicate and gorgeous little woman made him miss the target again and again. With his personality, how could he not grow angry?

    By the door, a manservant gently knocked on the door and timidly said, ¡°Your Excellency, she¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Send her in!¡± Suppressing the anger in depths of his eyes, he only kept his eyes cold. Still, he was the distant Marquess Mingguo who people found hard to get close to.

    The manservant left. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Soon, a maidservant-looking girl showed up by the door. She blinked and then walked into the room to courteously curtsy, saying, ¡°I bow in respect before Your Excellency.¡±

    The manservant obediently left the door slightly ajar and then sat at the yard door to bask in the sun.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes carried traces of coldness. He snorted, displeased, and then coldly said, ¡°Tell your miss that I can¡¯t do it. Please find someone else.¡± He picked up a cup of tea on the table, drank it and dropped it back down. He looked down and his eyes appeared icy and sharp.

    The maidservant unconsciously shrank back, but thinking of her miss¡¯ order, she suppressed her shock and fear, looked up and said, ¡°Your Excellency, this will benefit us both. Does Your Excellency really want to see her marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Don¡¯t you want to take her? If you do that, she¡¯ll be Your Excellency¡¯s woman from then on!¡±

    You Yuecheng¡¯s nk face showed a trace of coldness. He mmed on the table and shouted, looking proud and cruel. ¡°Audacious. How dare a little maidservant to say such things? If I hear such things again, even your master won¡¯t get married. Go tell your miss that I don¡¯t want to meddle with your things. What she wants has nothing to do with our Mingguo Manor. Since she told me, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you on purpose. But I won¡¯t help either. So please tell her to behave herself.¡±

    Finishing his words, he couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk with the maidservant anymore and asked the manservant to directly take her away.

    How dared a woman to want to set him up? She really wanted to meet her maker! However, that woman was really crazy because she even had done such things. She looked smart in the usual days. However, when something really happened, she was not only conceited but also then became fodder for gossip. That was fine because he could just use part of this.

    He might as well see if she could seed and then nned ordingly.

    Seeing You Yuecheng in a rage, the maidservant was terrified and paled. She didn¡¯t dare to talk anymore and hurriedly followed he manservant to the backyard.

    Time passed quickly. Soon, more than 10 days had passed. It was Mo Xuetong¡¯s wedding day.

    On the day, the entire capital was stirred.

    Because it was the wedding day for three princes, who were all Emperor Zongwen¡¯s sons. Furthermore, he only had these three sons. Common people really couldn¡¯tprehend the message behind this with just a few thoughts.

    Choosing which prince¡¯s manor to visit the ceremony was a big thing on the officials¡¯ minds.

    It was not a thing to be taken lightly. With the order of their visiting the manor, some people might attack them with that, making them be fodder for gossip. In the end, most people decided to first visit King Chu¡¯s manor to watch the ceremony, then King Yan¡¯s Manor to greet the couple, and finally King Xuan¡¯s Manor for the wedding banquet.

    This order was in ordance with their ages, and no one could find fault with that.

    Of course, officials from the brides¡¯ families only needed to send wedding gifts to the other two families.

    Ding General Manor had the grandest ceremony. The empress came from Ding General Manor and they had always been aristocratic. Their daughter, the first beauty in Great Qin, now was marrying the current First Prince, King Chu. Therefore, no matter in what aspect, Ding General Manor should be the best. In terms of dowry, they prepared 128 chests of them, which was equivalent to a princess¡¯.

    Mingguo Manor wasn¡¯t left behind either. In terms of dowry, they prepared as many as Ding General Manor¡¯s. After, Mingguo Manor¡¯s eldest wife-born daughter was much nobler than Second Miss Ling. In the 128 chests of dowries, what was ced in the front was a pair of jade Ruyi bestowed by the Empress, which implied blessings.

    Mo Manor¡¯s third miss was neither a wife-born nor the eldest daughter. Her family hadn¡¯t been aristocratic either. However, her status was nobler than the other two. Being the Princess Anping promoted by the Emperor, no matter how people saw it, she was rather prestigious. Plus, her maiden home was Fu General Manor. Fu General Manor treasured her the most and would never disgrace her; therefore, they also prepared 128 chests of dowries. Plus, her marriage was deemed as an auspicious event for King Xuan. The Emperor personally bestowed a set of redbird flowers and they were put in the first chest.

    On the redbird flowers, beautiful jade and pearls were hung. They were transparent and shiny. With one look, people could tell they were worth a lot, much more precious than the jade Ruyi bestowed by the Empress.

    Mo Xuetong followed the Blessed Lady¡¯s every instruction like a puppet. Princess Royal invited the Blessed Lady, a well-raised marchioness from a meritorious family, who had parents-inw, sons, daughters, and a good husband. She was indeed a real blessed woman. Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face, she kept praising. ¡°Your Highness is really pretty. I¡¯ve been a Blessed Lady for so many years and haven¡¯t seen a bride as pretty as you.¡±

    It was the first time that Mo Xuetong had been stared at and praised by someone. She lowered her face and couldn¡¯t speak a word with a blushing face.

    Princess Royal sat by the side and looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. She seemed to see another beautiful face and her eyes darkened with indescribable sorrow. Though they didn¡¯t have the same social status, their sisterhood was still clear on her mind. Only, now, they had been separated by death.

    Instead, Xu Yan didn¡¯t have so many thoughts on her mind. She just smiled. ¡°Our Tong¡¯er is smart and beautiful. I really can¡¯t see you marry away just like this.¡±

    Beside her, Luo Mingzhu, who had worn makeup, nced at Mo Xuetong. Her eyes were slightly moist. She reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and lingered for quite a while.

    With so many eyes on her, even Mo Xuetong was a calm person. Now, she was sweating in the palm. For some unknown reason, she felt intense. Lowering her head, she couldn¡¯t tell if she felt happy, worried, or even excited...

    The imperial groom¡¯s procession arrived strictly at the auspicious time, without those rituals such as knocking and shouting at the door. When it was the auspicious time, the bride would be sent out. After all, the groom was the prince, whose family¡¯s prestige shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. A woman¡¯s marrying into their family already meant a great connection for her family; how could her family ask them to take her home asmon people did?

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor had already sent peoplest night, informing the bride¡¯s family that though the prince regained consciousness, he still couldn¡¯t get back on his feet. Therefore, the prince¡¯s lead guard Feng Yue would receive the bride on behalf of him.

    Outside, firecrackers were already crackling. People¡¯s hooting rang and someone shouted out loud. ¡°Now it¡¯s the auspicious time. Let the bride in the sedan chair!¡±

    The matron of honor pulled the bridal veil over Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. She could only see red in front of her eyes. Someone stuffed a big apple into her hands and then she just held it. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to move because she couldn¡¯t see anything in front of her. She could only support herself on the matron of honor, who was chirping merrily.

    ¡°Be careful. There¡¯s a threshold in front of you. Walk to the...¡± When she walked outside, she felt the entire space boisterous. There were so many voices that she couldn¡¯t tell anyone from the crowd.

    Mo Yufeng had long been released and carried Mo Xuetong on his back into the bridal sedan chair.

    It was spacious in the sedan chair and the padded mat was also very soft. After she sat down, before she said anything, suddenly, a nearby hand reached out to her. She heard Mo Ye say in a lowered voice. ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll fasten the band on your hand.¡±

    From under the red bridal veil, Mo Xuetong reached out a white and delicate hand. Mo Ye quickly fastened a red band on her wrist and decorated it with a butterfly-shaped jade ornament. On the jade ornament, a small pure gold bell was hung. The butterfly-shaped ornament on the white and delicate hand made the hand look as pure as snow.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m done!¡±

    Mo Xuetong drew back her hand and kept holding the apple with both hands, which implied safety and blessing.

    During the time when the bride wore the bridal veil, she couldn¡¯t talk. Now, she could only obediently sit inside. She could only saw red shadows shing in front of her eyes and hear the matron of honor shout at the outside. ¡°Lift the sedan chair!¡±

    The sedan chair was steadily lifted and then carried away.

    Outside the bridal sedan chair, Feng Yue sat on top of a high horse. Without the groom¡¯s gown, he was only d in a red satin robe. People could easily tell that he was filling in for the groom, which was something usual in Great Qin. His gaze calmly swept beside the bridal sedan chair. Mo Ye, who had been apanying the sedan chair, nodded to him to signal him to feel rest assured. Then, he turned around and rode forward with a smile.

    The wedding decoration hadsted for five kilometers, and it was a princess marrying a prince. How many times would people see something like this in their lives? On the way, citizens kepting to watch the groom¡¯s procession. In the front, the ritual was set up in a way that suited a prince¡¯s wife. Then, there was the bridal sedan chair, and then there came the 128 chests of dowries. The red carpet wasid wherever the procession went. Beside, people from the administrations were maintaining order.

    The crack of firecrackers rang in the sky. It was something that the Imperial Household Department would do. On the streets, firecrackers kept cracking.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor, King Yan¡¯s Manor, and King Chu¡¯s Manor all sat at the busiest streets in the capital. From Mo Manor to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, from Ding General Manor to King Yan¡¯s Manor, and from Mingguo Manor to King Chu¡¯s Manor, processions marched on every route. Plus, their bridal sedan chair set off during the same period, so they were bound to meet on the way. People from the Imperial Household Department had long decided that if they really met, they would proceed ording to their masters¡¯ ages in case the processions got into chaos. They couldn¡¯t afford to recklessly stop any one of those bridal sedan chairs.

    As expected, the three manors¡¯ bridal sedan chairs met at an intersection.

    Mo Manor came from the east and was heading south.

    Ding General Manor¡¯s bridal sedan chair came from the north and was heading west.

    Mingguo Manor¡¯s bridal sedan chair came from the south and was heading west.

    As discussed, Ding General Manor¡¯s bridal sedan chair would go first, while the others should stop and wait. The sedan carrier kept lifting the bridal sedan chair, keeping it above the ground. Ding General Manor¡¯s sedan chair was ready to march forward. The guard of honor walked past and the bridal sedan chair was turning around. Suddenly, a few strings of firecrackers were tossed here out of nowhere. They were flung above the bridal sedan chairs. On the rooftops on both sides, some men in ck clothing and masks suddenly appeared.

    With sabers and swords in hand, they suddenly pounced on King Chu and King Yan on those high horses.

 Chapter 356 - Assassination Caused a Stir on the Weddings

    <h4>Chapter 356 Assassination Caused a Stir on the Weddings</h4>

    The guard team reacted and immediately pounced on the two masters on horses.

    The guard of honor was immediately startled. The bridal sedan chair was pushed to the side. The watching passers-by even scattered, flustered. They didn¡¯t care about the rules that they could not get in the way of a bridal sedan chair anymore; now, they only cared about their own lives. Some who had acted slowly were already butchered by the sabers and swords of the men in ck.

    Screams rang shrilly into the bridal sedan chair. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart shrank and she subconsciously held the apple tighter. The bridal sedan chair shook violently. It seemed that the sedan carriers also started running. Mo Xuetong reached out to grab the padded board under the seat to keep herself steady.

    Suddenly, the bridal sedan chair seemed to hit something. It titled greatly and then, with a ¡°bang¡±, it was thrown on the ground. The sound of the shake made Mo Xuetong involuntarily gasp. She found it hard to breathe and felt dizzy. She felt like she was suffering suffocation and a thinyer of nervous sweat instantly covered her forehead.

    The apple she was holding almost fell onto the ground.

    She heard a drone by the ears. After a long while, she finally caught her breath. Recently, she should be weaker and weaker; was it because she didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?

    Mo Ye¡¯s lowered concerning voice rang by her ears. ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡±

    She gently waved the bell on her wrist. The bell let out a crisp and pleasant sound to indicate that she was fine. Since the bride got into the bridal sedan chair, she couldn¡¯t talk. If she did, she wouldn¡¯t live peacefully for the rest of her life. People in the Qin Kingdom all believed that, therefore, now, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t talk.

    Outside, it was in chaos. While having people to protect the bridal sedan chair, Feng Yue asked the others to butcher the men in ck with him. After the initial chaos, King Chu and King Yan also calmed down at this time. They ordered their men to orderly besiege those men in ck. The wedding music had already stopped; now, shouts and nging sounds rang everywhere.

    On the princes¡¯ weddings, something like this happened, which was really a big deal. Who dared not to fight back!

    If anything happened, all of them would be buried too! The watchingmon people had long run off the scene.

    Some men in ck were already butchered own; the rest were surrounded by the crowd. They judged the situation and exchanged nces. Then, they respectively took out a ball from their inner pockets. They tossed it onto the ground, and it exploded with a bang. White lime soared into the sky with smoke, blurring everyone¡¯s eyes.

    When the crowd twisted their heads to avoid it, the men in ck had already run off in the middle of the chaos.

    King Yan Feng Yulei brushed off the lime on his red dress. His refreshing and handsome face carried anger. Anyone wouldn¡¯t feel happy at their wedding being ruined, plus, they tried to assassinate the newly-wed.

    A trace of fierceness shed across King Chu Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes. He said meaningfully. ¡°They should want to capture us all here.¡±

    Though his face was all smiles, there was not a trace of happiness inside Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes. ¡°I heard King Ning will soon arrive at the capital. I wonder if he arrives yet.¡± Bringing up King Ning at this moment could really be suggestive.

    Feng Yuxuan coldly said with subtext so clear that anyone could understand, ¡°He will tomorrow, if not today. If he¡¯s faster, he should arrive today.¡±

    The matrons of honor popped out of nowhere. They dusted the ash from their heads and faces and squeezed in to interrupt. ¡°Your Highnesses, it¡¯s not a time for talking now. It¡¯s almost the auspicious time. Let¡¯s first rearrange the sedan chairs.¡±

    Because of the chaos at the time, bridal sedan chairs crashed into each other and toppled onto the ground. The sedan carriers scattered out of fear. Now, they couldn¡¯t even recognize their own sedan chair.

    Instead, the apanying maidservants obediently stood in front of their own sedan chair and didn¡¯t look too flustered.

    It was already the auspicious time and they shouldn¡¯t dy. Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran rearranged their bridal sedan chairs, while Feng Yue also rearranged his team and kept it in order. He waited for the two processions in the front to march first. King Xuan was the youngest among them; therefore, his bridal sedan chair should be thest one to leave.

    The sedan carriers walked back to carry the sedan chairs again ording to the positions the maidservant stood at. They respectively dusted the white lime on the bridal sedan chairs and then got the sedan chair horizontal. The brides in the sedan chairs couldn¡¯t talk. Luckily, previously, they were more scared than hurt. The apanying maidservants all brushed off the ash over their hair and then set off following the bridal sedan chairs.

    Outside the sedan chair, Mo Ye lowered her voice and again asked in concern. ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s wrist moved again and a crisp tinkle of the bell rang. Though not aloud, it was enough for Mo Ye outside to hear it clearly. She raised her head to nod at Feng Yue, who was just looking at her. Then, she quietly looked at the other two bridal sedan chairs.

    The two sedan chairs were already moving outward in order.

    The bridal sedan chair steadily moved on. While the guard of honor was in the front, the bridal sedan chair was in the middle, and the dowries were put at the end of the line. They rearranged the line and carried on.

    Arriving at King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the bridal sedan chair was put on the ground. The matron of honor got in to help Mo Xuetong off the sedan chair. The apple was already taken away, and the bridal veilpletely blocked her vision. Until when the other end of the red silk cloth in her hand was taken away by someone else, she looked down and saw a wedding robe with red and gold embroidery. It was Feng Yuran. She felt inexplicably sad in her heart.

    In herst life, though she hadn¡¯t married Sima Lingyun with a wedding decoration thatsted five kilometers long, she still had beautiful wishes back then. She used to think that she had found her beloved and she would spend the rest of her life in peace. However, she didn¡¯t expect she would end up like that.

    By the ears was his gentle voice. ¡°How are you feeling? Have you bumped into anything?¡± His hand improperly reached over. From under the sleeve, he squeezed her hand and carefully felt her wrist.

    The way he gently cared for her, like a warm stream, poured into her sad and bitter heart.

    Yes, today was her wedding day with Feng Yuran, not Sima Lingyun. The past nightmare had already passed. Now, after her rebirth, she gained another real love. The man really cared for her and was willing to protect her by the side and get rid of the people who wanted to hurt her.

    She felt inexplicably touched. She slightly moved her fingers to briefly hold his hand too and then let it go.

    Thinking of how stunning the handsome man would look in the wedding robe, who was nearly devilish, she couldn¡¯t help smiling shyly. At this moment, she really felt that she was going to marry him. From today on, she had him in her life, while he had her in his life, and they were intertwined. Her heart pounded...

    The wedding music rang and it was time for the couple to perform the three bows!

    They were sent into the bridal chamber.

    Inside the bridal chamber, Mo Xuetong was ced in front of the bed. At some point, Feng Yuran lifted her bridal veil and sat in the east. As expected, today, he was iparably handsome. His dark pupils were shiny and lively. When he slightly moved them, he looked enormously charming. Some misses anddies who came to see the bride couldn¡¯t help feeling enchanted by him and looked at the handsome youth in front of them, nearly stupefied.

    King Xuan deserved to be called iparably handsome. No wonder so many people secretly admired King Xuan. Though he had the reputation of being rakish, still, some buttered his family up and tried to marry their daughters into King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    The audience couldn¡¯t help fixing their gazes at the bride, who was sitting on the bed with a red face and lowered head and looking as stunning as a flower. She had that face that could even topple a country. When the two sat together, people thought them infinitely harmonious, suitable, a perfect match both in heaven and on earth.

    The eyes of some misses and maidens, who set their hearts on Feng Yuran, immediately dimmed. Before such a face, how many of them could be positive about their sess?

    ¡°The bride is so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking. The pair of the bride¡¯s shiny eyes can¡¯t be more charming!¡±

    ¡°She really gets more and more beautiful. Just in a month, Princess Anping has grown into such an outstanding beauty.¡±

    Some bolddies ttered. ¡°Pretty. When she¡¯s with King Xuan, they¡¯re a perfect match, like immortals descending to the world!¡± These words made Feng Yuran unable to conceal the smile by the corner of his eyes. Hearing people praised Mo Xuetong as being pretty, he felt like they were talking about him. He proudly raised his head with a gloating look,pletely different from his usual arrogant andcent face. His gaze fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as tender as water. Obviously, he was extremely satisfied with his bride.

    Seeing King Xuan¡¯s satisfaction, thedies ttered more enthusiastically.

    After nearly one hour of merrily talking and joking, thosedies and misses gradually dispersed because they didn¡¯t dare to bother them any longer. That was how the imperial wedding proceeded. Just a slightly stirred-up atmosphere should be enough, and they shouldn¡¯t horse around without any rules. Furthermore, Feng Yuran was still in a poor physical condition.

    A maidservant walked up carrying a gold-and-silver-rimmed wooden tray, on which gold, silver, and some misceneous nuts were ced. The matron of honor grabbed some of them and scattered them on the bed, saying, ¡°Scatter them in the east of the bed. Behind the curtains of the bridal bed, the candle lights flicker, auspicious aura grows thick and never disperse, spring breeze blows through the fancy room every day...¡±

    After the matron of honor scattered the things on the bed and served the wedlock wine to them, she left with the others.

    The door was gently shut. Mo Xuetong suddenly grew nervous. At that time, she didn¡¯t even dare to breathe normally. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wearing a red gold-rimmed robe, which had been the first time that he had worn a red robe. The red and glowing color put a touch of blush on his slightly pale face, making him look even more devilishly charming. When he nced at her sideways with his handsome and long eyes, he looked extremely enchanting.

    He had been hurt, so he didn¡¯t need to toast her.

    A gentle and deep voice rang from the bedside. A big hand reached over to lift the tassels all over the head and the man smilingly said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you should remove your essories first. You must¡¯ve been tired wearing them!¡±

    With all those luxurious essories, she was really wearing something very heavy on her. After all this while, she already felt dizzy and extremely ufortable with them above her head. Now that he said that, she immediately looked up with her watery eyes and blinked them, asking gently, ¡°Can I?¡±

    Her looking dazed amused him. Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t help lifting the corner of his lips. He said with a smile and was going to reach out to take it off for her. ¡°Sure you can. As long as it¡¯ll make youfortable.¡±

    He was pushed away by her with her hand. She said, both cutely and foolishly, ¡°I want a shower!¡±

    After saying that, she realized she was saying that to a man. Her pink face instantly blushed and she stuttered to exin herself. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the shower room is!¡±

    Looking at her blushing face with a touch of fluster from embarrassment, Feng Yuran found it really funny. However, he also knew she was thin-skinned, so he didn¡¯t make fun of her any longer.

    Mo Lan and other maidservants guarded at the door. Hearing her call, they walked in, helped her take off the headdress and the fancy robe, and took her into the shower room at the right side. After walking in, they found it was a pool made out of white jade, with warm water already filling half of the pool. The two serving maidservants told them the pool was connected with a hot spring outside. If the water got cold, they could refill the pool at any time.

    Cold water came out of the tap made out of white jade, while hot water came out of the tap made out of green jade.

    Mo Yu blinked her shiny eyes and eximed. ¡°Miss, His Highness is really rich. He should have this kind of pool. It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±

    Mo Lan smiled and helped Mo Xuetong take the white jade stairs down into the pool. The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor cold, making people feel reallyfortable. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll help you get into it first. You¡¯ve really been startled today.¡±

    Sitting in the pool and feeling the warm water brushing against her skin, Mo Xuetongfortably exhaled. Closing her eyes, she seemed to see the scene where she set off on the bridal sedan chair through a kaleidoscope. She couldn¡¯t help faintly smiling and felt warmth inexplicably welling up inside her. With the surging feeling, she felt kind of tipsy!

    For the first time, she didn¡¯t need to focus on saving herself out of trouble. It turned out that it felt so good to have a man protecting her!

    She didn¡¯t need to fight for anything, and someone was already caring for her! It seemed that during her two lives, it was the first time that she had felt warmth so soft and gentle, which was just like water.

 Chapter 357 - Looking for Fun at the Wedding Night

    <h4><strong>Chapter 357 Looking for Fun at the Wedding Night</strong></h4>

    Inside the bedroom, Feng Yuran had already taken off the red wedding robe and changed into a light white robe. Hey on his side and loosely wore it, revealing a small part of his smooth chest and exquisite corbones. Long hair scattered around his shoulder. Henguidly leaned sideways on the bed with his extremely young and handsome face. A pair of ebony eyes was sparkling. His eyebrows expanded into his hair and his curved lips were red without rouge.

    Every one of his features was exquisite and fell just at the right ce on his face. When a man grew such a face, he was naturally extremely charming. How many women could resist such an allure? He had that natural rakish aura around him, giving off numerous kinds of elegant feeling. He was both noble and devilish. Moreover, his eyes were as deep as stars, which seemed to contain really deep affection.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong enter, he smiled gently. Putting down the book in his hand, he should stand up and grab Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. He held her in his arms and sat by the bedside.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I finally married you!¡±

    Such direct actions and words made Mo Xuetong¡¯s face blush even harder. When his masculine breath heavily hit her, she felt a little refreshing. His eyes fell on her extremely white and delicate face as tender as water. Because she had just washed her hair, after drying it, she only collected it with a strip without any decoration, which made her look as pure as water even more.

    God knew how ted he felt. Finally, he could marry her!

    He didn¡¯t need to worry about her being bullied in the manor while he couldn¡¯t help her out because he didn¡¯t have the title!

    Mo Xuetong had been married in herst life; however, it was the first time that she had been so affectionately and gently stared at by someone. She felt she could only see his handsome face before her eyes. A smile escaped her lips. She bit her lips and melted her nervousness in the smile.

    The man¡¯s fervent breath enveloped her, leaving her kind of lost. His eyes looked a million hotter than just now, which made her feel as if her heart had been melted. She couldn¡¯t say a single word and only felt dizzy like a shrimp being roasted on a fire. She should just nkly stare at him, lost for what to do.

    That lost look and her kind of delicate and helpless eyes dimmed Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes for a brief moment. His two hands tightly shackled her. Embarrassed, she subconsciously tried to push him away, but instead, her hands were held by him. Without much effort, he circled her slim and delicate hands.

    It sounded like a question, but there was no doubt at all. ¡°Tong¡¯er. How about we go to sleep!¡± Feng Yuran reached out to take off her shoes, held her, and fell on the warm and soft sheets together. Before they fell on it, his lips already hit her crimson cheery lips, with a touch of enthusiasm and careful affection.

    Mo Xuetong nervously pushed him away, wanting to get out of his arms. ¡°You, don¡¯t...¡± However, he held her tighter and tighter; she couldn¡¯t fight back at all.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been so badly injured that he couldn¡¯t move? How is he so strong now?¡±

    Nearly breathlessly, Mo Xuetong tried to breathe. She wriggled her body nervously. He promised that the marriage wouldn¡¯t be consummated on the wedding night. How could he go back on his words?

    Fortunately, his lips didn¡¯t advance further. They only stayed on her lips. After a while, at the moment when she was almost in a trance, Feng Yuran let go of her, who gently breathed, with small drops of sweat on her forehead.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s breath gradually became steady. She shrank her body as much as possible. With tears in her eyes, sheined. ¡°You¡¯ve gone back on your words.¡± She fastened her clothes and looked at Feng Yuran. Just now, his hands seemed to reach out on their own.

    He reached out and suddenly pulled her into his arms. ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡± This time, he was really gentle. He reached out and tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear. ¡°Tong¡¯er, rest assured. I won¡¯t hurt you. Just now, it was because I¡¯d been missing you too much... so...¡±

    The youth also started to stuttered. He should seem to feel shy. Looking in the direction of his ear, she saw the red on his ear. ¡°He should feel shy.¡± The thought slightly eased Mo Xuetong. Suppressing the tears in her eyes, inexplicably, she gently nipped his slightly crimson ear.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s body shook and turned around to bite her cherry lips as some kind of punishment. He scolded. ¡°Little girl, if you dare to seduce me, I won¡¯t promise you anything.¡±

    When such ambiguous words were said in such a mellow tune, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help blushing all over her face. She tugged at the corner of his shirt and coyly lowered her head, speechless. ¡°What a man! He really dares to say anything!¡±

    It was a little cold in the spring night. Feng Yuran pulled the sheet and covered both of them. Looking a little affectionate, he held Mo Xuetong in his arms. Looking at her leaning against him feebly, the excitement that he had managed to suppress surged up again. He looked sideways and gently coughed.

    Mo Xuetong thought his wound hurt again. She sat up and pouted her soft and pink lips, saying in displeasure. ¡°What? Does it hurt? I told you to stay still.¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled devilishly and whispered by her ear. ¡°As long as you stay still, once you move, I¡¯ll...¡± Instantly, Mo Xuetong felt her face burning again. Once again, she felt him being really shameless.

    Embarrassed and annoyed, she directly ignored him and turned her head around.

    Feng Yuran gently said by her ear, ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯m a noble man. When I said I wouldn¡¯t touch Tong¡¯er, I won¡¯t.¡± He reached out one hand to hold her while putting the other one below her neck.

    Mo Xuetongined in her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t move? Then who moved just now?¡± She felt her cheeks burning. With them holding each other so tightly, she really felt ill at ease. However, he just told her not to move, so she really didn¡¯t dare to. She only felt the breath around her became hotter as well. Her body grew stiffer and stiffer. She wanted to change her position but found it awkward to do so while in his arms.

    Mo Xuetong was feeling really ufortable so she directly changed the topic. ¡°So, tell me this. Who do you think did she do it for today?¡±

    Feng Yuran said solemnly. ¡°Of course not for me.¡± The red candlelight shone on his handsome face. Though slightly serious, his look made him look kind of guilty.

    Mo Xuetong burst intoughing and pushed him. ¡°Then who is it? I don¡¯t know how you hooked her up. She even dared to act under such a situation.¡± She slightly changed her position. After the joke, the invisible ambiguity should be lighter. The intensity in her heart involuntarily eased off.

    Feng Yuran said seriously, ¡°I didn¡¯t, Tong¡¯er, I really didn¡¯t. Everyone knows that I only love you. I don¡¯t want anyone else if it¡¯s not you.¡± After saying that, he evenughed himself. He was really overreacting. People who didn¡¯t know the situation would think he was proving himself innocent. He really hadn¡¯t felt so guilty before, while in fact, the thing had nothing to do with him at all.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t intend to let him go. She pouted her lips and coylyined. ¡°That¡¯s highly impossible. Why doesn¡¯t she let go of you even now? She¡¯s the universally acknowledged first beauty. Do you really not like her?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s slim fingers held Mo Xuetong¡¯s. He slightly tugged them and wore a smile by his lips. ¡°What beauty... In my heart, Tong¡¯er¡¯s the most beautiful and I don¡¯t even have to look at other girls. Or do you think I didn¡¯t touch today because you¡¯re not in my heart? So...¡±

    ¡°He can use some colorfulnguage even when he¡¯s talking about such serious things.¡± Mo Xuetong was so embarrassed that she pushed away his handsome face which had just approached her. By that, Feng Yuran fell sideways while mumbling. ¡°Do you think Liu Xiahui was originally a eunuch!¡±

    ¡°What a man!

    ¡°When he can¡¯t hold it down, he starts to insult others!¡±

    Mo Xuetong instantly blushed all over her face again. She felt her helpless. He must have been as thick-skinned as a city wall. She really couldn¡¯t knock him down. Therefore, she directly closed her eyes, pretending asleep. She shrank back, but the hand around her waist moved again, and then she fell back into his arms.

    By her ears was hiszyughter. ¡°Tong¡¯er. Let¡¯s not sleep for now. Let¡¯s wait and see if there¡¯s funter. It¡¯s not good to fall asleep too early at night!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s not good about sleeping early?¡± Since when she got up tonight, she didn¡¯t rest for a while until now. It was all noisy and busy, which was really tiring. However, even now, she still felt excited. Therefore, she really couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    Mo Xuetong also wanted to watch the fun. She directly leaned against him, cleverly blinked her watery eyes, tugged at the corner of his shirt, and asked both cutely and foolishly, ¡°When she set up others like this, she wasn¡¯t afraid she¡¯d enrage the two families?¡±

    Three bridal sedan chairs bumping into each other was never anything usual.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s slim fingers fell on her hair and gently stroked it and he said, ¡°She¡¯d gone to Mingguo Manor. She¡¯d sent people to contact with You Yuecheng in private.¡±

    If he could find out things so detailed between the two duke manors, he was really not as boastful as he seemed on the surface. It was lucky that he had known it all. Otherwise, this time, she would have really suffered. She couldn¡¯t imagine what she would do if she got swapped and married into another duke¡¯s manor. Some kind of fear surged up inside her, making her face slightly pale.

    Seeing her shock and fear, Feng Yuran held her tightly and reassuringly said, ¡°Rest assured. I won¡¯t give you to others.¡± A trace of bloodthirsty coldness shed across his handsome eyes. Except her, anyone who wanted to be his main consort would only die. He only wanted Tong¡¯er, and it wouldn¡¯t matter even if she performed the three bows with another man!

    Looking at his devilishly attractive yet serious eyes, Mo Xuetong felt as if she were immersed in warm water. Warmth surged up in her heart. Leaning against him, she felt her heart inexplicably rx. While her eyes were closed, she suddenly had another doubt.

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t think of the answer. At that time, she raised her head and asked, ¡°So she plotted it together with You Yuecheng?¡± However, she raised her head too quickly that she hit his chin and she also involuntarily let out an ¡°ouch¡±.

    Feng Yuran smiled leisurely and touched the ce she hit. ¡°Why are you so anxious? How could You Yuecheng act personally? Now things areplicated in Mingguo Manor. How dared he to interfere? Even if people find out something, he can still walk away unharmed. Even the entire thing is exposed; nothing bad will lead to him.¡±

    Thinking about how You Yuecheng set up Mo Xuetong again and again, Feng Yuran had a trace of hate shing across his eyes. Since You Yuecheng was in the know and deliberately got into the procession, then they naturally would have to bear the consequences. Tong¡¯er had the bell fastened on her wrist, while Mo Ye followed her closely, so he would just take the scene as a show on his wedding night!

    He thought, a little upset. Anyway, he couldn¡¯t have done anything. It had been nice to watch a show and take it as something fun to celebrate his wedding.

    Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help feeling concerned. ¡°Will they doubt you?¡±

    ¡°I was badly injured and just woke up. I couldn¡¯t even perform the thing between a man and a woman. How was I strong enough to do such a thing.¡± Feng Yuran said without a care.

    ¡°He¡¯s always horsing around!¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt speechless and pinched his waist hard with her hand. She directly buried her head in his arms and wouldn¡¯te out even when he pulled.

    Feng Yuran smiled lightly and then hugged her. His kiss gently fell on her hair, with the tender care that he didn¡¯t try to conceal. After a while, he suddenly lightly asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, have you heard the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    The words suddenly woke Mo Xuetong up. She jerked her head up and was almost in terror. She blurted out without thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t go to the Southern Barbarian Lands. You promised me.¡±

    In thest life, he got trapped in the Southern Barbarian Lands and never came back. When she died, she hadn¡¯t even heard any news about him. She only heard that he wasn¡¯t well and his life seemed to be in danger. Though it was just a rumor back then, many people believed it. The Southern Barbarian Lands was a wilderness. Being a delicate prince, when he went there, he must have been in great danger.

    When she decided to marry him, the Southern Barbarian Lands was like an insurmountable barrier that weighed her heart down.

    She couldn¡¯t let him go there. It was too dangerous there!

    Feng Yuran didn¡¯t expect Mo Xuetong to have reacted in this way. Looking at her nervous and delicate eyes, he felt his heart melt into a lump. His kissnded on her forehead. ¡°I know. I was just asking how you knew it.¡±

    She grabbed his shirt and didn¡¯t let it go. Her bright eyes slightly misted, looking charming and miserable. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it. But I assume it isn¡¯t a good ce by the name of it. Don¡¯t go.¡± He felt tenderer in the heart for her. He felt it wouldn¡¯t be enough no matter how much he spoiled the woman in his arms, and so there¡¯s nothing he wouldn¡¯t promise her.

    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t go.¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked, feeling unsure and wronged. ¡°You really won¡¯t go!¡±

    Again, he answered in a confirmed and positive way, ¡°I really won¡¯t go!¡±

 Chapter 358 - Ling Fengyans Plot about the Bridal Sedan Chairs

    <strong>Chapter 358 Ling Fengyan¡¯s Plot about the Bridal Sedan Chairs</strong>

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor had smoothly sent the newly-wed into the bridal chamber.

    However, King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Chu¡¯s Manor weren¡¯t that lucky.

    King Chu¡¯s Manor¡¯s bridal sedan chair was carried into the manor and it was the auspicious time for the three bows. Just when they were about to bow to each other, Marquess Mingguo suddenly ran over, grabbed the bride¡¯s hand and called her sister, which immediately startled the audience. Mingguo Manor¡¯s first miss married King Yan; how was she carried into King Chu¡¯s Manor? The red bridal veil was pulled off by the shocked Feng Yuxuan. Under the bridal veil, You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face shocked everyone present.

    They had carried the wrong bride!

    What to do? Before the people recovered from the shock, another question arose. Where¡¯s King Chu¡¯s bride now?

    The guests had all heard of what happened at the crossroad. Three princes¡¯ wedding processions had suffered an assassination. Luckily, the princes were all fine, and everyone just took it as a joke. Though they guessed who could have done this, after all, nothing big happened; they had been discussing it in a light tone.

    However, now, something like this happened, which was no less severe than assassinating princes.

    It was directly a p in the imperial family¡¯s face.

    In Great Qin¡¯s capital, on such an auspicious day when three Great Qin¡¯s three princes got married, it was such a shame that they had carried the wrong bride.

    A prince¡¯s main and second consorts had all been recorded in the imperial family. They couldn¡¯t change however they wanted. Plus, it was about such a thing. If they changed it, it would prove the scandal.

    On the spot, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face ckened. He didn¡¯t say anything to anyone and just tossed away the big red flower ball, having people prepare a horse for him and directly rushing to King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    You Yuecheng slightly hesitated and again pulled on the red bridal veil for the startled and lost You Yue¡¯e, asking the matron of honor to help her into the bridal sedan chair. The sedan chair was lifted up again and they headed for King Yan¡¯s Manor, while he personally rode on the horse to escort.

    On the other side, because King Yan¡¯s Manor had been close, Feng Yulei was the first to receive the bridal sedan chair. They had already performed the three bows and then went into the bridal chamber.

    People didn¡¯t know if King Yan had been drunk, because after they went into the bridal chamber, he only allowed the matron of honor to have said a few auspicious words and then drove all of them away.

    He closed the door and turned around. Without lifting the bridal veil, he directly held the person under the bridal veil. Only lifting half of the bridal veil, he excitedly kissed the person¡¯s face under the bridal veil. In the end, he seized the pink and soft cherry lips and kissed her hard. Under the bridal veil were the cherry lips he had longed for. They were soft, just like how they felt when the two people secretly kissed beside the garden¡¯s artificial hills. She was also almost out of breath from the kiss.

    Under the red bridal veil, Ling Fengyan felt ted, feeling the man¡¯s heavy breath streaking across her ear. The softening andfortable feeling made her shake all over her body. However, she felt eased at heart. She didn¡¯t expect King Xuan to be so anxious. As expected, he was just like the person in the rumor. Even before lifting the bridal veil, he was already acting like this. Subconsciously, she kissed him back. The same excitement made her heart shake.

    She had already nned this. As long as she seeded at this, even if Mo Xuetong came back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯tpare to her, who had performed the three bows and been carried into the bridal chamber in front of everyone. Mo Xuetong would at most be a second consort. In the future, she could do whatever she wanted to Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong¡¯s life would be in her hands. Plus, when something like this happened, it was not her fault, so she could exin herself to her aunt, the Empress. She wouldn¡¯t marry into King Chu¡¯s Manor as the spy of her aunt, the Empress, and wouldn¡¯t marry King Yan, who had adored her for a long time either. No one could guess that she secretly plotted this. Though her eldest brother was a chatterbox, he wouldn¡¯t make mistakes about such a big thing. His men didn¡¯t know the purpose of the assassination either.

    Earlier when the bridal sedan chairs crashed into each other, the maidservant who had followed Ling Fengyan dashed to King Xuan¡¯s sedan chair. As long as she said the sedan chair was King Yan¡¯s Manor¡¯s and then signaled at the maidservant who followed the sedan chair, hers would be King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s. To keep it fair, the Imperial Household Department had made the three bridal sedan chairs look equally fancy. No one could top the others, and they were made ording to the same specifications.

    Assassination took ce at the crossroad. The bridal sedan chairs toppled and were in chaos. No one could tell who it belonged to. Furthermore, brides in the bridal sedan chairs couldn¡¯t talk. They could only tell which family it belonged to ording to the maidservant standing outside the sedan chair. Ling Fengyan wanted to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. At some point, the handsome and charming King Xuan had walked into her heart.

    He could make her heart burn hotter than King Yan did, who was her decade-long childhood sweetheart.

    Of course, the thing was in need of her plotting. In any way, it was a nice move.

    On the one hand, she could marry the man she loved; on the other hand, she didn¡¯t need to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor to be the Empress¡¯s pawn. The thought grew hotter in Ling Fengyan¡¯s heart day by day and also stirred her heart, making her unable to wait for one more day.

    She would never want other women to marry Feng Yuxuan and to see other women apanying him. He was iparably handsome and she was unprecedentedly beautiful. It would be most suitable for the two of them to be together. The third girl from the Mo family was just an immature kid. ¡°What has she got topete with me?¡± With her body shape and face, she believed King Xuan would definitely be seduced by her, a top beauty, just by looking at her.

    She had always only enjoyed men¡¯s obsessions and always looked down at men from above. Since when did she fail to get a man she wanted? In Ling Fengyan¡¯s life, there was no such word as rejected! Therefore, she had nned every step clearly and thought she had seen through everyone¡¯s heart.

    As long as the die was cast, with her status, she would not fail Feng Yuran. The Emperor would definitely find a solution for her. With her being a victim, and Ding General Manor as her backing, the position of King Xuan¡¯s main consort would only be hers. While proudly thinking like that, she leaned closely in Feng Yulei¡¯s arms. Even behind the red bridal veil, her hand had involuntarily reached out to respond to his hug.

    Feeling Ling Fengyan¡¯s enthusiasm and passion, King Yan¡¯s passionate love seemed to suddenly find an outlet. Ling Fengyan only felt her blood on fire.

    Though she had gotten intimate with Feng Yulei in the past, she still acted ording to the rules for thedies from the noble families and didn¡¯t do anything too out of line. Even ifst time, when she was pulled behind the artificial hills and kissed by Feng Yulei, she wasn¡¯t paying attention and so she let Feng Yulei seed. Then, she immediately pped Feng Yulei in the face ruthlessly and then left. After that, she didn¡¯t meet with Feng Yulei in private for one time.

    However, now, all she wanted was to be Feng Yuran¡¯s woman and made the die cast early. Thinking about Mo Xuetong¡¯s desperate eyester or the possibility that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t handle the shock and directly bumped into a wall tomit suicide, she couldn¡¯t suppress the excitement in her heart. Therefore, she didn¡¯t care about the rules and just followed her senses, unable to resist him. Plus, she didn¡¯t want to either.

    Feeling her response, Feng Yulei acted more rashly. Now he had only one thought, which was to swallow down the girl before his eyes, who he had been missing day and night. To hell with the Empress¡¯s rules or Ding General Manor¡¯s acting arbitrarily to marry her into King Chu¡¯s Manor, he only wanted to eat her inch by inch now.

    From now on, he wanted her to be his woman and stand at the high ce with him.

    He didn¡¯t expect happiness toe so soon. Originally, he thought he could at most secretly be with her in this life. However, now, he could publicly perform the three bows with her. Feng Yulei was so excited that he jerked his hand; the red bridal veil was tossed by the side. Under the bridal veil, Ling Fengyan¡¯s pretty face carried a blush, looking exceptionally delicate and charming.

    With her eyes closed, she really looked very attractive, which made it hard for Feng Yulei, who had been wholeheartedly missing her, to suppress his feelings.

    At this moment, even time seemed to stop...

    Bang! Thump! The door was suddenly kicked open. In the same red wedding robe, Feng Yuxuan stood in front of the door with a dark face, his usually gentle face darkened. Looking at the two people in disheveled clothes in the room, he felt his veins on his forehead bulging. He clenched his fists and felt furious.

    Anyone would find it hard to bear when they saw their wife-to-be seductively lying in another man¡¯s arms with her clothes unbuttoned.

    The two people in the room were now in a really awkward situation.

    The man¡¯s hand reached onto the woman¡¯s body, while the woman¡¯s hand also improperly reached out at the man¡¯s waist. Her red and swollen cheery lips because of the kisses and her face with desire all showed how she felt right now...

    Perhaps she had let it all out just now, Ling Fengyan couldn¡¯t collect herself now, staring nkly at Feng Yuxuan and somedies and misses who followed him to warm up the bridal chamber, at a total loss for what had happened.

    Feng Yulei, nevertheless, immediately realized. After the shock, he calmed down and tidied his clothes. He lowered his voice to say, somewhat awkward. ¡°Brother...¡±

    Feng Yuxuan was so enraged that he almost pped him in the face. He roared. ¡°Do you still see me as your brother? A younger brother has taken advantage of his elder brother¡¯s wife. Third brother, we¡¯ll meet at Father¡¯s ceter.¡±

    Any man couldn¡¯t suppress it down when he became a cuckold.

    It was not about him liking his wife or not; it was about a man¡¯s image. Being an official prince, he should have suffered so much. Feng Yuxuan couldn¡¯t keep his gentle mask anymore.

    Feng Yulei covered his face after the hit. ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t know what happened...¡± At this time, he also became flustered. Though he had been calm at usual, after this kind of thing, he couldn¡¯t exin it. After the passion just now, he found things went wrong. If they really took it to Father, what should he do? A few days ago, Father had just scolded him and then sent two second consorts into his manor. If Father found something like this happened today, what should he do?

    Watching the two brothers, Feng Yulei and Feng Yuxuan, talking, Ling Fengyan finally collected herself. Then, she looked at the people who stared closely at her. Among them, there were women and men. She immediately fastened her clothes and involuntarily shrieked. ¡°Ahh!¡±

    The sharp voice attracted both of the two.

    Ling Fengyan shrieked, grabbed her clothes, and shrank back. ¡°King Yan, how, how was it you?¡± She was really terrified. If he was not Feng Yuran, why was he Feng Yulei?

    Being dazed at her question and seeing her indifferent but hateful and fearful look after seeing him, Feng Yulei also felt a little angry and immediately asked in reply, ¡°Should it be anyone else if it wasn¡¯t me?¡±

    Now, Ling Fengyan was really scared. ¡°How was it you, how was it you!¡± She had clearly nned to marry King Xuan, Feng Yuran, but why did it turn out to be King Yan? Moreover, looking at what happened before her eyes, she found that King Chu discovered it, while she should be hugging and kissing with Feng Yulei in disheveled clothes.

    She couldn¡¯t exin herself in any way!

    Feng Yulei gritted his teeth, asking, ¡°Why was it not me? Who did you want it to be if it wasn¡¯t me?¡±

    Thinking about Ling Fengyan¡¯s previous taking the initiative and passion, which he had never felt before, Feng Yulei felt jealousy surging up. ¡°She didn¡¯t want me. So could it be that she¡¯s responding so passionately for another man, Feng Yuxuan?¡±

    Thinking about how she struggled under him just now with another man on her mind, Feng Yulei showed his anger on his face. He suddenly walked there and wanted to lift up Ling Fengyan to make her say who she thought it was just now.

    At this time, Feng Yuxuan finally calmed down. He coldly stared at Ling Fengyan, who was grabbing her clothes and crying at the corner of the walls. A trace of coldness shed across his eyes. He ignored her, turned around, and strode outside.

    ¡°Men, prepare the horse. I¡¯m going to the pce.¡±

    Inside, Feng Yulei, who originally wanted to argue with Ling Fengyan, didn¡¯t feel jealous at all now. Thinking about being scolded by Father, he found all of his desires gone. He slightly tided his robe, ignored Ling Fengyan, and run out to have people prepare a horse for him to go to the pce.

    Before Ling Fengyan stood up again, You Yue¡¯e, the real King Yan¡¯s consort, also arrived. Different from the two princes, the moment she entered the bridal chamber and saw Ling Fengyan curl up at the corner of the bed in disheveled clothes, she directly pulled off her bridal veil. Despite the maidservants¡¯ tugging and stopping around her, she directly gave Ling Fengyan two ps in the face.

    She almost wanted to tear Ling Fengyan apart with her gaze. She angrily cursed. ¡°Slut!¡±

    When a man became a cuckold, he would be angry. When a woman thought her husband-to-be should be screwing around with another woman in the bridal chamber, an inexplicable me of fury would surge up. Furthermore, it became known to everyone; how could You Yue¡¯e bear it?

    ¡°Slut. You couldn¡¯t even suppress it after just being sent into the bridal chamber. You¡¯re a miss from Ding General Manor. What a shame for Ding General Manor.¡±

    The two ps hit her so hard that Ling Fengyan lost her sense of direction and fell down. You Yue¡¯e stood at a high ce and coldly said. If the slut hadn¡¯t been so anxious, they would at most have just performed the three bows. How could it be like this now? At that moment, she felt sullen and walked up to kick Ling Fengyan again. At this time, Ling Fengyan¡¯s maidservants also arrived and ran over to protect Ling Fengyan.

    At that time, inside King Yan¡¯s bridal chamber, maidservants from Ding General Manor and Mingguo Manor were fighting each other.

 Chapter 359 - The Wedding Proceeds and Feng Yulei Gets Demoted

    <h4>Chapter 359 The Wedding Proceeds and Feng Yulei Gets Demoted</h4>

    In the pce, Emperor Zongwen had already received the message. When he heard that something so embarrassing had happened, he was so angry that he smashed the dragon-patterned jade paperweight on the table into smithereens. Then, he paced inside the hall, frustrated.

    Nothing so embarrassing had ever happened in the Qin Kingdom!

    The princes¡¯ bridal sedan chairs had been mixed up on their wedding day. Not only had that happened, but a pair had also already been anxious to consummate the marriage. Even though it had not happened, it was already a great embarrassment to the royal family. This was a matter of the Empire¡¯s dignity. Furthermore, his eldest son had been made a cuckold. Even if Emperor Zongwen had never been especially close to Feng Yuxuan, the Emperor was still furious.

    He felt that the Ding General Manor¡¯s daughter was a slut!

    It was human nature to be selfish and people often felt that if their family was in the wrong, the others had to have made even worse mistakes.

    ¡°Your Majesty, since the matter has already reached this stage and before a grave mistake is made, why don¡¯t we let them return to their manors.¡± The Empress Dowager forced herself to go to the imperial study to persuade the Emperor.

    The Empress was kneeling on the ground. She had been scolded badly and could only cry.

    Even though the Empress and the Empress Dowager did not get along and each served a different master, they were both from the Ding General Manor. The reputation of the daughters of the Ding General Manor would affect their reputations. No matter what had happened, they must not allow Ling Fengyan¡¯s reputation to be ruined. They could only stand hand in hand and speak up for each other at a time like this.

    ¡°Empress Dowager, you do not have to persuade me. The royal family cannot afford to marry a woman like that. It would be best to let her return to her own home lest the Ding General Manor be embarrassed.¡± The Emperor¡¯s expression was stern and furious. He nced coldly at Feng Yulei, who was kneeling beside the Empress. The Emperor clenched his hand into a fist, wanting desperately to hit Feng Yulei¡¯s face.

    Everyone knew that Feng Yulei and Ling Fengyan were childhood sweethearts. Earlier on, Feng Yulei had even made a fuss and said he wanted to marry Ling Fengyan. It was hard for anyone to believe that he was not involved in the matter. Furthermore, Feng Yulei¡¯s behavior was odd today. It would have taken some time for the matron of honor to tear the canopy after the newlyweds were brought into the nuptial chambers. After that, he had to go to offer wine to his guests. It should bete at night after he was done with that. Why was Feng Yulei so anxious to scream that he wanted to consummate the marriage?

    If his eldest son had not gone quickly enough, it would have been a done deal!

    The Emperor truly did not believe that Feng Yulei did not know anything about it!

    In ordinary circumstances, who would be so anxious to seal the deal? It was a respectable and serious wedding. It was not as if he had found a woman randomly.

    ¡°Father, please seek justice for me.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression was dark and he seemed haggard. It was as if he had suffered blows. He knelt in front of Emperor Zongwen, and even though he did not say anything, anyone could tell that he felt wronged and had suffered grievances.

    If they really wanted to talk about it, he was the one who had suffered a loss!

    ¡°Son, get up first and stand at the side. Speak to me again after I ask my questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Feng Yuxuan showed an incredible amount of grace. Even though he was so angry his expression was dark and twisted, he did not make a fuss nor shout. He stood by the side and listened quietly with a cold expression on his face. Emperor Zongwen could not help but feel that his eldest son was sensible and gracious.

    ¡°Number Three, tell me what happened.¡± Emperor Zongwen said sharply. The white jade paperweighty broken by Feng Yulei¡¯s feet. If he had not moved his head quickly enough earlier, the paperweight would have hit his head.

    ¡°Father, I really don¡¯t know why the bride was swapped. I thought the girl was Miss You. Miss You is gracious, virtuous. I have always admired her. I am really pleased to have married Miss You and wanted to have some time with her. I did not truly mean to consummate our marriage. However, Second Miss Ling was too passionate, and, and, that... was what happened.¡± Feng Yulei only wanted to find an excuse for himself at the moment and could not be bothered about Ling Fengyan.

    Even if others thought of her as a slut, it would still be better than his father being disappointed in him. Furthermore, he realized that Ling Fengyan truly had someone in her heart and that person was not him. She was really a slut. They had only parted not long ago and she was already thinking of another man. Since she was heartless, then he would be faithless. Feng Yulei found a reason for himself in his heart.

    When he saw Emperor Zongwen¡¯s furious expression, he was not in the mood for anything but to escape this unscathed. He must not be embroiled in such a scandal. If his father truly suspected that he had a hand in this and was so uncaring for brotherly ties because of a woman, he would kick him out of the running for the throne given his father¡¯s character and what happened a few days ago.

    Then, he thought of the men in ck. His father wouldn¡¯t think that he had a hand in that, would he! That was a suspected case of attempting to kill his own brother. He thought of his father¡¯s suspicions and how he would be in trouble if he could not prove his innocence. He would not be eligible for the throne in the future and might possibly get killed.

    When Feng Yulei thought of the throne, which was just inches away from him, how could he not feel wronged?

    Someone must have framed him this time. Otherwise, why did he manage to catch a sight of the mole on the woman¡¯s right wrist under her red wedding gown and under her veil? He had been close with Ling Fengyan in the past and knew that she had a tiny mole on her right wrist. If not for the mole, he would not have been so anxious to seal the deal. He just wanted to take the beauty he loved for himself.

    The odd behaviors he exhibited after that was all because he knew that it was Ling Fengyan who was underneath the red bridal veil!

    It had not just been a day or two that he had been thinking of Ling Fengyan. However, the Emperor had refused him and he had no choice but to marry You Yue¡¯e. He did not expect it to be Ling Fengyan who would be sent to his manor. How could he not be delighted? He had lost his wits because of the unexpected joy and they had entered the marital chambers without much thinking on his part. That was how the trouble started.

    ¡°Father, Father. Someone framed me. Yes, that must be it...¡± He scooted forward on his knees, crawling over the broken pieces of jade. Blood bloomed on his knees as he tugged Emperor Zongwen¡¯s robes and pleaded with him.

    ¡°Framed? Who, who framed you? Who dragged you into the nuptial chambers? Who made you so anxious? Number three, tell me clearly.¡± Emperor Zongwen looked at Feng Yulei coldly. He whipped his robes out of the prince¡¯s grasp and then sat down behind the desk.

    ¡°Father, I was really framed. If I had plotted this, why would I let others discover it so easily. Why would I still make you angry. Father, think about it, why would I be so dumb and not consider my own interest in this? I, I really cannot defend myself...¡± Feng Yulei cried even more. There was hatred in his voice that he did not notice.

    He truly felt that he had been tricked!

    Why was it so coincidental and why did the incidents fit together so well? Everything pointed to him and painted Feng Yuxuan to be the most innocent one. A dark glint shed in Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes as he looked at Feng Yuxuan who was standing by the side. If he were punished, Feng Yuxuan would have the most to gain.

    He had appeared as a victim, so he already had an advantage over Feng Yulei.

    He had said that in desperation but at the same time sounded sincere. Everyone in the pce was all touched.

    After living in the pce for so long, everyone would protect themselves. If they really wanted to hurt someone, they would at least try to appear a little harmless. Or perhaps, they might even appear as a victim to achieve a better effect. There was hidden meaning in Feng Yulei¡¯s words and everyone could not help but turn to look at Feng Yuxuan.

    If they were to really discuss the matter, they would really think that Feng Yuxuan was most likely the plotter. Feng Yulei was usually intelligent. How would he allow someone to exploit him so easily?

    Feng Yuxuan saw the suspicion in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes as well. However, since Feng Yulei had not said that he was involved directly, he could not say anything. Otherwise, his father might really grow suspicious of him. He continued standing by the side stoically.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Lei¡¯er must have been framed. Even though Lei¡¯er grew up with Fengyan, they are as close as siblings. How would they do something like that? But that Miss You, Lei¡¯er was full of praise for her, how could he bear for Miss You to cause such a matter that would put him at a disadvantage?¡± The Empress looked up tearfully and said as she wiped the tears that she had shed when Emperor Zongwen rebuked her.

    ¡°Your Majesty, this matter has to be investigated carefully. However, the matter now must not be dyed as well. If the matter blows up, it would be detrimental to everyone. The royal family would be embarrassed. It would be best to let the matter go.¡± The Empress Dowager said with a sigh, looking as if she was trying to gloss things over.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s gaze turned from Feng Yuxuan to Feng Yulei. His eyes were dark. They really could not tarry over this matter. If the matter were to be blown up, it would be the Great Qin that would be embarrassed. If it could be kept under wraps, then it would be best to keep it under wraps. As long as he orders everyone not to speak about it, he believed that no one would dare to say anything about what they saw in King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Bring the bridal sedan chairs to the manors and continue the ceremonies. Then, send them to the nuptial chambers. Say that the bridal sedan chairs have gone to the wrong ces and it was fortunate that Marquess Mingguo realized it early on. The ceremonies are notpleted so swap the girls over.¡± Emperor Zongwen said after ncing at Feng Yulei.

    With this edict and his secret order for everyone not to speak of the matter, they should be able to keep it under wraps.

    ¡°Father...¡± Feng Yuxuan said anxiously as he hurried forward. He was unhappy since the Emperor wanted to send Ling Fengyan to his manor. Ling Fengyan and Feng Yulei had already gotten to that stage and she had as good as lost her virginity. Feng Yuxuan felt cuckolded if he had to take that woman who had lost her virginity back to his manor.

    ¡°This is my edict.¡± Emperor Zongwen said, looking at Feng Yuxuan coldly.

    ¡°Here.¡± Liu Xi hurried forward to listen to the edict.

    ¡°King Yan is arrogant and argued with his father. He will be locked up in his manor after the wedding. No one is to visit him. King Chu is gracious and kind. He is granted three days of wedding leave and will hold court at the great hall.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s expression changed after the edict was made. Feng Yulei could not remain to kneel any longer and he slid down onto the ground. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something. However, he could not. His mind waspletely nk. He felt overly shocked and he could not even make a sound.

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± The Empress wailed and started to cry sadly.

    The Empress Dowager and Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression changed as well. However, the Empress Dowager was shocked while Feng Yuxuan was delighted. A hint of excitement and pleasure shed through his face.

    This edict had not only knocked Feng Yulei out of the match, but it had even elevated Feng Yuxuan¡¯s position. It had wiped away the fact that he had been punished earlier on. Being able to go to court and hold court was something no one else did other than the useless King Xuan, Feng Yuran.

    However, King Xuan had been severely injured and almost died. Holding court was just a passing mention. Feng Yuxuan was the one who will hold court now. Did that mean that Feng Yuxuan would be the future Crown Prince and that the Emperor had picked him? The Crown Prince position would be his in the end.

    ¡°Yes, I will announce the edict immediately.¡± Liu Xi ignored the various emotions in the study and left silently after that.

    This was the Emperor¡¯s way of making up to Feng Yulei. No one dared to raise any objections.

    Weddings continued. You Yue¡¯e married King Yan while Ling Fengyan cleaned up and put on make-up again before she was sent to King Chu¡¯s Manor. The groom went out to toast his guests while the bride remained in the room. No one dared to say anything about consummating the marriage after what happened and everyone returned home. They were afraid of causing more trouble. After the orders to remain silent about what happened earlier, those who were unimportant had all disappearedpletely.

    No one dared to ask why. They only pretended not to know anything and they did not dare to discuss anything.

    ¡°Miss, what will we do now?¡± The maid asked anxiously inside the room.

    ¡°What are you so anxious about? Since it already happened, there¡¯s nothing I can lose either. King Chu receiving the Emperor¡¯s recognition means that I, as his consort, will also be elevated in position as well.¡± Ling Fengyan gritted her teeth as she sat on the bed, dressed entirely in red.

    Since things had already progressed to this state, she could only look on the bright side. King Yan¡¯s demotion had nothing to do with her. She was still King Chu¡¯s consort. This was also the reason for what she did earlier. Even though trouble had ensued, everyone thought that she was a victim. Who would ever guess that she was the one who had plotted the whole thing?

    ¡°But miss, King Yan...¡± The maid was still nervous. She felt frightened when she thought of what happened in the day.

    ¡°What are you afraid of? I am now King Chu¡¯s consort. I have nothing to do with anyone else.¡± Ling Fengyan continued viciously, ¡°If you dare to say another word...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to, I don¡¯t dare to.¡± The maid did not dare to say anything else. She knelt hurriedly and pled for forgiveness when she thought of how her mistress appeared to be gentle on the surface but was actually very vicious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear something like this again in the future. I am the victim and was sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor for no reason. What happened after that had nothing to do with me!¡± Ling Fengyan looked at the maid coldly. She felt uneasy. She would find a chance tomorrow to have the maid killed. Then, no one would know about this matter in the future. Then, she would truly be the victim.

    ¡°Yes, yes, I understand. I understand.¡± The maid shook in fear.

    ¡°My Lady, but I do not know why!¡± The doors to the nuptial chambers were kicked open without any warning. Feng Yuxuan entered with a vicious expression...

 Chapter 360 - Consort Zhao of the Mingyue Palace

    <h4>Chapter 360 Consort Zhao of the Mingyue Pce</h4>

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran found out about the news very quickly. Feng Yuran had been speaking with Mo Xuetong as shey in his arms. When they heard the news, the two smiled and their eyes crinkled with delight.

    Ling Fengyan had nned well indeed!

    She managed to get Feng Yulei locked up. Mo Xuetong felt avenged no matter how she thought about it as Feng Yulei had once plotted to kill her. You Yuecheng had helped Feng Yulei to plot against her several times as well. It was great now. Even Feng Yulei had fallen. This was great news.

    ¡°Ling Fengyan had plotted well. No matter whether she marries you or is sent back to King Chu¡¯s Manor, she would not lose.¡± Mo Xuetong pouted her pink lips. She felt angry when she thought of how Ling Fengyan¡¯s plot had almost affected her marriage. She leaned against Feng Yuran¡¯s chest andined.

    Ling Fengyan had plotted well indeed. If Mo Xuetong had been sent to King Chu¡¯s Manor or King Yan¡¯s Manor while she was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, everyone knew that Feng Yuran was injured and would not go out to drink with his guests. The two of them would stay in the bridal chambers together. If she were to take the initiative, it would not be difficult to seal the deal. If that happened, she would not be sent back and the Emperor could only just let things be.

    How could Mo Xuetong not feel mncholic when she thought of how precarious the situation had been. The Emperor punished Feng Yulei but Ling Fengyan had pretended to be the victim and had not been punished. She had plotted so carefully. That woman was not simple but she was just too annoying.

    ¡°Rest assured, Tong¡¯er. Even though Father has let her off, my eldest brother has no intention of that. Even though she has managed to bank on the Emperor¡¯s kind heart, she has not considered what a man would do.¡± Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers and kissed each of them. His voice was gentle andzy and there was a hint of yfulness in his charming eyes.

    Ling Fengyan thought it would be easy for her to gain the affection of a man because she was the most beautiful woman in the world. As such, she never worried about how she would survive in King Chu¡¯s Manor. She thought that Feng Yuxuan would definitely be seduced by her and he would let her off. However, she had never thought that the man already had someone else in his heart. It was more difficult for her to gain Feng Yuxuan¡¯s love than for her to fly.

    Feng Yuxuan had always appeared to be gentle and elegant and there were traces of him copying Bai Yihao. Even though he was not as elegant or noble as Bai Yihao, who was like the floating clouds in the sky, he was also known to be a gentle and elegant prince. He was kind to everyone and was very gracious. He seemed to be a gentleman to all the nobledies. But in actual fact, he did not like the little tricks that women used. As such, it was impossible for him to like a woman like Ling Fengyan.

    Of course, Feng Yuran felt displeased when he thought of who the woman Feng Yuxuan liked was.

    If not for that chance encounter, he would not have known that his eldest brother liked Tong¡¯er. If he had not seen the portrait his brother had ced in a secret spot, he would not have known when his eldest brother started liking Tong¡¯er. There were too many people who were interested in Tong¡¯er. He had to take her for himself first and would not allow anyone to get her first.

    ¡°Yes. King Chu will not let her off.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes blinked and she smiled when she understood that point.

    ¡°Silly girl, are you very happy?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded frantically. How could she not be happy when she thought of how she managed to fell two of her enemies today in a single day? However, she also knew that Feng Yuran had yed a part in this. She did not pull her hand back. Instead, she caressed his handsome face. Then, she said with a smile, ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    Her smile was sweet and beautiful and her eyes had a hint of yfulness in them. Her longshes fluttered. She was shy and charming. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes could not help but darkened. However, he remembered his promise. He did not know whether he should feel regretful or depressed. There was a delicacy right in front of him, but he could only look at her and not touch. He had really overestimated his self-restraint.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t you think marrying me is a delightful thing?¡± He said, pretending to be upset. He nipped at her soft pale ears in an act of punishment. He watched as the thin and almost translucent ears med up and his heart heated up as well. He felt that it was really his great fortunes to marry the girl in front of him.

    He would never let her go!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face grew red and her body heated up. Even her heart warmed up as well. She could hear him muttering by her ear gently, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I like you! I like you very very much!¡±

    His slightly trembling voice waspletely different from his usualzy casualness. She could feel the heat and intimacy from his tightly wound body. However, he did not hurt her. He hugged her and did not do anything else. Was it because he had once promised her that he would allow her to continue to mourn for her mother?

    She was deeply touched and a blissful and happy smile appeared on her face. There was a hint of charming coyness on her face along with the blush on it. She wrapped her arms around his muscr waist and hugged him somewhat anxiously. She buried her head in his chest and said softly, ¡°I like you too!¡±

    ¡°Really? Tong¡¯er likes me too?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s ears were very sharp. He reached out to touch Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, wanting her to look up as she spoke. His eyes were so shiny, they were like clear skies. He was extremely happy.

    Mo Xuetong could only raise her head from his chest as he prodded her. She said shyly, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t fool around.¡±

    ¡°Call me by my name.¡±

    ¡°Feng... Yu... Ran.¡± Mo Xuetong was slightly hesitant. However, she bit her lips and said his name softly under his encouraging nce. Her longshes fluttered and she seemed slightly shy. She had only called his names when she was very angry. She was always prim and proper otherwise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say my surname. Call me Yuran.¡± Feng Yuran said, insatiable.

    This man was truly stubborn. Furthermore, that was way too intimate. Even though Mo Xuetong already belonged to him since they were married, she was still a little shy. She buried her head and did not speak.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er, call me that, call me that, won¡¯t you...¡± The man was not giving up. He touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, making her feel shy and angry. She bit his chest and then started ying around, ¡°Yuran, Husband, it is gettingte. Shall we rest now!¡±

    Since he could not see how red her face was, Mo Xuetong decided to give him what he wanted!

    Feng Yuran shook violently. He was very excited. He nudged Mo Xuetong¡¯s flushed face from his chest and started kissing her face wildly. He muttered, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er, be good. Call me husband again!¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not breathe as he smothered her with kisses. She could not speak. When he finally stopped kissing her, she gasped for breath. There was sheen of fog in her beautiful eyes. She was as innocent and pitiful as a child. She scrunched up her nose and pouted before saying in righteous anger, ¡°You bullied me!¡±

    She was innocent and charming, and also seemed as lost as a little dear. Feng Yuran felt hot and he pulled her close against him. He buried his head into her shoulders and growled softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I will not bully you. I never will.¡± However, he also knew that his entire person was burning and he did not dare to tease her any longer. He hugged her obediently and panted without moving.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had been married as well. She did not dare to move as she watched his gentle face grow stiff. She nervously allowed him to lean into her and shut her eyes. Her longshes fluttered but she did not dare to make another sound. She was truly afraid that she might stir up something in him. He always did the unexpected. She must not cause him to tear his wounds open again.

    One of them was worried that the other was tired and had received a shock while the other was worried about the other¡¯s wounds. The two of them did not y around anymore and they hugged each other to sleep.

    It was in Qianqing Pce.

    Emperor Zongwen looked at the painting in front of him. There was a rare hint of gentleness in his eyes.

    The woman in the painting was seated on a swing that was adorned with flowers. The young girl in a snow-white dress swung slowly on the swing. There was an innocent smile on her beautiful face. She looked so realistic it seemed as if she were going to walk out of the painting.

    ¡°Xian¡¯er, our son got married today. Are you happy? Our son has finally grown up and he will definitely make something of himself in the future. Rest assured, I will protect our son and will not let anything else happen to him.¡±

    He caressed the girl¡¯s loveable face with his fingers. Tears shimmered in his eyes under the light. He breathed in deeply and the tears disappeared.

    After looking at the painting for a while, he rolled it up carefully and kept it.

    ¡°Your Majesty, would you like to visit Consort Zhao?¡± Liu Xi asked carefully. He put down the freshly-brewed tea in his hand as he observed the Emperor.

    Emperor Zongwen hesitated for a little. Then, he got up and nodded.

    ¡°His Majesty is going to Mingyue Pce!¡± A perceptive little eunuch ran out and called out.

    Consort Zhao of Mingyue Pce was the most doted on consort in the pce.

    It was not Consort Su, who had be doted on because of her son, neither was it the Empress, nor Consort Yu, the new favorite. Consort Zhao of Mingyue Pce might not have an exceptionally high status or sons. It was not because she was young either. However, everyone in the pce knew that the consort Emperor Zongwen doted on the most was Consort Zhao. She was a woman who had the affections of the Emperor for 10 years.

    It was extremely difficult for a woman in the pce to keep the affections of the Emperor. Every woman in the pce knew that even if they were beautiful or even if their beauty was unparalleled, it would only be for a few years. When they were no longer young, there would be a bunch of young and beautiful woman outside of the pce who would gain the Emperor¡¯s affection.

    It was evident how difficult it was to gain the Emperor¡¯s affection. It was hard to guess what the Emperor thought!

    But Consort Zhao had Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart. She was ahead of every other woman in the pce.

    The consorts of the pce all had to wake up early to greet the Empress unless they were ill or if there were any special circumstances. However, the mistress of Mingyue Pce, Consort Zhao, had never once greeted the Empress.

    She seemed to have appeared in the pce just like that. She did not have any backing or any significant family background. In fact, no one knew who her family was. She stayed in Mingyue Pce and never once appeared before others. However, the Emperor had never once stopped doting on her. Her pce received any gifts from the pce first. Even though she did not receive as much as the Empress, she definitely received the same amount as the Empress did.

    The Empress made a fuss about it several times but it only raised the ire of Emperor Zongwen. As such, she did not ask about it again. Anyway, everyone in the pce knew of this Consort Zhao but they had never once seen her before. Some consorts wanted to barge into Mingyue Pce as well, but it always made the Emperor even angrier. In the end, a few consorts were thrown out.

    As if he wanted to stop the weak and fragile Consort Zhao from being hurt, Emperor Zongwen even had guards guarding the door. No one dared to visit again after that.

    Emperor Zongwen would stay in Mingyue Pce every month to visit Consort Zhao. It had been 10 years and he had never once stopped. This Consort Zhao was the Emperor¡¯s favorite, and that was an indisputable fact!

    However, for the past 10 years, this Consort Zhao had always been a legend others spoke of!

 Chapter 361 - The Blissful and Loving Marriage

    <strong>Chapter 361 The Blissful and Loving Marriage</strong>

    Mo Xuetong thought that she would find it difficult to go to sleep. She had always found it difficult to sleep in a new bed and when she first came to Cloud City, she had a hard time sleeping. She would startle awake from her sleep and wake up several times at night. She did not expect to sleep so well in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace this time. She did not dream at all. When she opened her slightly heavy eyes, what she saw was his handsome face.

    He leaned slightly on his sight; his beautiful slender right hand was under his head. His long ck hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spread around him. He seemed extremely handsome, charming and elegant. Mo Xuetong pursed her lips. She had to admit that the man in front of her was too handsome. Otherwise, why would the most beautiful woman of the capital, Ling Fengyan, want to plot against him?

    And he was the one who had caused all that trouble at the wedding. He was truly trouble!

    Speaking of which, he and Ling Fengyan had only met a few times and spoken briefly. Earlier at the Princess Royal¡¯s, when he saw Ling Fengyan, she thought that she was rather interesting. Yet now, Ling Fengyan was entangled with Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yulei. One was her new husband while the other was her childhood sweetheart. She had wondered who Ling Fengyan would be interested in, but did not expect it to be Feng Yuran.

    Of all the unexpected things in the world, this was truly the most unexpected!

    The arrogant beauty liked the licentious and wild prince. It was not that difficult to guess! The man was handsome and so charming, he was born to make women sad.

    What was difficult to guess was the Prince was not interested in the most beautiful woman at all! One could not help butment that while the flower was in love with the water, the water flows undtingly and heartlessly!

    Of course, when she thought of that, Mo Xuetong was very pleased. No matter what would happen, she did not want Ling Fengyan to be interested in him. She looked at his handsome face almost dazedly. She smiled shyly and could not help but reach out to pinch his handsome face. Her heart was filled with sweetness.

    Feng Yuran watched her silently. He watched her pale and soft face lean into his chest and watched as her long ck hair tangled with his long hair. Her longshes fluttered over her eyelids, giving her an additional sense of coyness and charm. His heart was filled with delight and he rxed.

    She was finally his!

    She belonged to him and him only! In the future, he could protect her openly and no one else could desire her.

    ¡°Are you awake?¡± He asked softly. He reached out to catch her teasing hands. His beautiful vermilion lips rose slightly. They were faintly charming. His handsome eyes were so bright they were like the stars in the sky. They shone with life as he looked on at her slightly dazed expression, pleased.

    ¡°Is itte?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly regained her wits. She realized that she had been staring at him earlier and had even reached out to pinch his face. She flushed and turned to look away. She suddenly realized that this was the first day of their marriage and they had to enter the pce.

    They had to serve tea to their elders on the first day of their marriage. That was a rule! Even the royal family was no exception to this rule.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have to wait for Father to leave the morning court session!¡±

    ¡°Is there anything I should take note of?¡± She asked slightly hesitantly. Entering the pce was a big deal. First impressions were very important!

    In her past life, she had served tea on the second day of her marriage. She heard what Mo Xuemin said earlier and had especially chosen a brightly colored dress and wore almost all her jewelry. However, the Duchess had only said one thing, ¡°Ugly people always make more trouble!¡± Then, she left her tea Mo Xuetong offered her by the side and got a servant waiting by the side to give Mo Xuetong a bangle.

    It was inauspicious to give newlyweds things in single digits.

    Her Mother-inw had given her a single bangle on the second day of her marriage. It showed how much the woman disliked Mo Xuetong!

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. You just need to go to the pce to meet my father. I heard that the Empress fell illst night. She even stopped the other consorts from visiting her.¡± Feng Yuran smiled andforted her when he saw that she was slightly panicking.

    Mo Xuetong was stunned, not because the Empress fell illst night. After what happened yesterday, the Third Prince had almost no chance of getting onto the throne. The Empress had suffered such a blow, so it was normal for her to fall ill. What Mo Xuetong was surprised about was how he found out about what happened yesterday so quickly.

    She had known long ago that Feng Yuran was not simple. However, she had never expected him to be so powerful. He knew about each and everything that happened within the pce.

    ¡°After we serve Father teater, we just have to go to Cining Pce. The Empress Dowager¡¯s ailing body is getting better, on the other hand.¡± Feng Yuran paused. Then, he said with a teasing lilt in his voice. ¡°Just agree with whatever the Empress Dowager sayster. You don¡¯t have to go against her. Since she wants to be an elder and cannot lose face, just push all the me on me. Anyway, I am known to be arrogant and licentious.¡±

    He was worried that she might suffer at Cining Pceter, which was why he was giving her this advice now. Mo Xuetong understood and leaned into his chest. She nudged his chest with her face and smiled coyly while nodding. She felt so sweet inside it was as if she had drunk honey. There was no one who had protected her so wholeheartedly ever before. He treated her so carefully and dotingly as if she were really a fragile treasure in his hands. She smiled, in a good mood, and leaned into him.

    ¡°Alright, I will listen to you.¡±

    Feng Yuran looked at how coyly Mo Xuetong was behaving and could not help butugh. He knew that the closer she was, the more he wanted her, and the less he was able to restrain himself. However, he really wanted to be close to her. It was when he could feel, more than ever, how she was truly by his side.

    ¡°You¡¯ll listen to me?¡± He asked softly, reaching out to hold and knead Mo Xuetong¡¯s soft, tiny, and slender hands.

    He dragged his words our really long as if he was thinking about something. His heart itched and he felt an indescribable sense of difort. She flushed and red at him, saying, ¡°We are talking about something serious!¡±

    ¡°How is this not serious? A wife goes wherever her husband goes. Can I, a husband, not make my wife listen to me?¡± He said seriously. Feng Yuran suddenly felt that the air had be thin as he looked at the angry little face. Her pink lips were fatally attractive and they attracted his attention wholly.

    He had always been proud of his calmness and self-restraint, but they had all disappeared. He could not help butugh bitterly to himself. If it had been any other woman who was stark naked in front of him, he would not have any reaction. Only Tong¡¯er, when he saw her, he wanted to tease her, hug her, and... Furthermore, she seemed ripe for the picking. How could he not be overwhelmed by desire? Yet, he had promised not to touch her while she mourned for her mother.

    Oh, he was torturing himself. The tragedy!

    His mind had not yet reacted before his body did. He hugged the slender body tightly and kissed her crimson lips. Fortunately, there was still a thread of rationality in his mind and he did not kiss her deeply. It would be hard for him to end it there. As such, he spread open his arms andid down. Then, he pushed Mo Xuetong to the side and said seriously, ¡°Stay far away from me. It¡¯s notfortable here!¡±

    It was arge bed. How could it not befortable for two people to sleep on it? Mo Xuetong was speechless, especially when she saw the faint flush on his handsome face as he pretended to be serious. As such, she did what he asked and scooted to the side.

    Yet, before she could turn around, therge hand stretched out again and pulled her into his embrace. She could feel his urgent breathing. Mo Xuetong felt shy and also warm in her heart. He still cared about her. He had said he would not force her and he did not. However, she did not dare to move around lest she really aggravated him.

    After a long while, his heated body started to cool down.

    The two of themid down, hugging each other. They were silent. The wind blew through the half-shut curtains. The beautiful girl and handsome young man on the bed became the most beautiful and harmonious objects of this scene. The two leaned into each other. Flower petals fell before the windows. It was extremely charming, and the scene was beautiful.

    ¡°There are not many rules here. You don¡¯t have to bother with the women in the back courtyard. If any gives you trouble, you don¡¯t have to give me face. Just hit them. Don¡¯t care about anything else. If there is anyone in the manor who makes you unhappy, then how can I say that I am protecting you?¡± Feng Yuran ordered her after he calmed down and rubbed his chin against her hair.

    Some of the people in the manor were no longer needed. He would get rid of some of them when the time was right lest they caused Tong¡¯er trouble.

    ¡°Then what are you going to do with those serving you?¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and asked. Even though she knew everything about him, she was notpletely aware of his behavior and habits. She might as well ask him everything she wanted to know at one go. There were some things that were better off said clearly than not when they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. If they kept guessing, misunderstandings would ur.

    She also had a lot of worries when she married him. However, for some reason, she believed that he was not that sort of person. He did not bring all the women he saw out there back to his manor unlike what the rumors outside said about him. Given his handsome appearance, even Ling Fengyan would be seduced by him. It was easy for him to get any woman he wanted. Why would he need to create such rumors?

    This terrible reputation of his had spread so far and wide!

    Given his status as a prince, if he had not deliberately spread such rumors, how would the rumors have spread so quickly and so far?!

    ¡°Just live as how you lived in the past. Most of my servants are eunuchs and there are not many women. I do not have any personal maidservants.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile, sounding like he was teasing Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red and she pinched his waist, feeling a little shy and annoyed. She would not admit that she was trying to find out if he had a bed maid. However, she did not expect that he did not have a single maidservant. Did the eunuchs who served him arrange all of this?

    Did that mean that he was really as innocent and clean as she thought he was?

    ¡°You can look for Nanny Chen about the matters of the inner courtyard. Regarding the women of the back courtyard, you can find someone called Xiann and for the front courtyard, look for Wang Fu. Feng Yue is in charge of the guards. If I am not around, you can trust these people. Look for them if anything happens.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and reached out to catch her naughty hands, caressing them.

    Mo Xuetong tried to pull her hand out of his grasp but did not manage to do so. She allowed him to knead her thin arms and the flush on her face grew. She said, somewhat embarrassedly, ¡°Alright. We have to get up. Those concubines of yours are waiting to serve tea!¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you really want them to serve you tea?¡± Feng Yuran turned to look at her teasingly. He continued, ¡°I heard there are many of them. If you drink tea from all of them, then you won¡¯t be able to go to the pce!¡±

    So he knew there were a lot of them as well, but he was still dawdling. Mo Xuetong stopped herself from nagging at him. They only managed to speak seriously for a bit before he went off-topic again. He really talked about everything under the sun and his thoughts jumped from one topic to another really quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, aren¡¯t they all yours!¡± She said, gritting her teeth.

    ¡°My Lady is so magnanimous. That is great. Then I can be more generous when I y around in the future.¡± Feng Yuran pretended to be pleasantly surprised. He pleasantly supported his head with his right hand again and turned to look at her.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness, go ahead. I will prepare nutritious soup for you here.¡± Mo Xuetong was gentle, behaving like a little housewife. However, she could not help but turn around and take a bite at his chest when she mentioned ¡°nutritious soup¡±. She said dejectedly, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry that you won¡¯t be able to find me when youe back.¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, where are you going?¡± Feng Yuran asked. Heughed and pulled her head, messy hair and all, away from his chest.

    ¡°I did not ask where you are going, so you can¡¯t ask me either.¡± Mo Xuetong said, annoyed.

    ¡°That will not do. How can my consort leave without informing me?¡± Feng Yuran smiled charmingly. He wrapped his hand around Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and caressed it. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be mad. I only want you. I don¡¯t like anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Who wants you to only want me...¡± Mo Xuetong wanted to smile but immediately forced it down. She pretended to not care.

    ¡°Then why are you smiling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±

    ¡°Your mouth is twitching upwards!¡±

    Their voices were blown away with the wind. One was sweet and the otherzy. Mo Xuetong¡¯s maids stood guard in the corridor and could hear theirughter. They could not help but smile and heave a sigh of relief. King Xuan was alright, and he cared about their mistress. Seeing that it was gettingte, Mo Lan went up to knock on the door and said, ¡°Your Highness, My Lady, it¡¯s time to get up!¡±

 Chapter 362 - Ling Fengyanâ€™s Retribution

    <strong>Chapter 362 Ling Fengyan¡¯s Retribution</strong>

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran entered the pce. The first thing they did was to visit Emperor Zongwen.

    They entered the great doors of Qianqing Pce to realize that the other two pairs of newlyweds were already there. They were thetest.

    Feng Yuxuan was still as gentle as usual while Feng Yulei seemed as if he had suffered a blow. He had lost a lot of weight and seemed to have aged ten years. He did not seem as elegant and noble as before. When he looked at others, his eyes did not hold the same sinister look they usually did. After what happened, if there were no other incidents, he would only be able to live the rest of his life out within high walls.

    He was a prince, but all his desires and thoughts had been beaten out of him. Even though he was still a prince in name, he was to live the life of a criminal. There was no other color or light in his young life. However, Mo Xuetong could keenly sense that there might still be a chance for King Yan to turn things around.

    If the Emperor truly wanted to lock him within high walls, he would not have allowed King Yan toe to the pce today. Perhaps,ing to serve tea was just an excuse. However, one could see that Emperor Zongwen did not intend to lock King Yan up until his death. Since he was able toe out today to serve tea, then would he be able toe out should there be a good enough excuse like the new year, or when elder rtives visited?

    Of course, these were all guesses that Mo Xuetong had. After all, Mo Xuetong was not familiar with the Emperor, not in her past life, and neither in her current one.

    Compared to King Yan¡¯s haggardness, You Yue¡¯e seemed to be very lively. She looked at Ling Fengyan, who was standing beside Feng Yuxuan, with eyes that were as sharp as swords. She seemed as if she wanted to tear Ling Fengyan apart. Ling Fengyan, on the other hand, who had always been prideful and arrogant, seemed to be in a very bad state. If not for Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle expression and him holding her a little, she seemed as if she was going to copse.

    She was pale and her breathing was ragged. She was so weak she could not even stand.

    Her change overnight was shocking. It seemed as if the lively, elegant, and gracious Second Miss Ling had disappeared. She looked at the ground fearfully, hiding half of her body behind Feng Yuxuan. She seemed dark and despondent and her beautiful face seemed like a flower which had not blossomed well. She looked lifeless.

    ¡°Your Highness, Lady, the Emperor is waiting for the two of you!¡± A smile bloomed on Liu Xi¡¯s face when he saw Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong and he approached to wee them. He had stood outside for a long while unhappily. Other than King Chu who was slightly normal, the other three did not seem as if they were newlyweds. It would be odd if the Emperor did not feel angry after he saw them. That was why he had ignored them up until now.

    This pair seemed sweet and happy and looked like a pair of newlyweds. The Emperor would definitely feel less angry when he saw them.

    ¡°Eunuch Liu, you are too kind. Thank you for waiting.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and said courteously. The two of them followed Eunuch Liu to stand in front of Emperor Zongwen.

    Emperor Zongwen sat on the main seat which was right in the center. He nodded only when he saw all three pairs of newlyweds present.

    Someone had already ced a pair of bright yellow futons on the ground.

    King Chu was the oldest. He held onto Ling Fengyan¡¯s hand and went to the futon. They knelt down and bowed thrice and kowtowed nine times. Ling Fengyan served tea to the Emperor with trembling hands. The Emperor took the tea and did not drink it, cing it to the side casually. The little eunuch was shocked but did not dare to say anything. He took the serving tray away, his head bowed.

    In the great hall, the air was so heavy that no one could breathe. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s gazended on Ling Fengyan. It was cold and terrifying.

    ¡°You are King Chu¡¯s consort in the future. Remember to take King Chu into consideration in all things. If you make the slightest mistake...¡± Emperor Zongwen said coldly, his eyes turning dark. Even though he did notplete his sentence, the killing intent behind his words made one feel cold for some reason. You Yue¡¯e, who had been staring at Ling Fengyan all this while looked away subconsciously. She no longer dared to show how angry she was.

    That was an intent to kill. It was a clear intent to kill!

    Everyone understood that the youngdy of the Ding General Manor whom the Emperor detested so much was probably finished.

    ¡°Father, I do not dare!¡± Ling Fengyan was so afraid she did not even dare breathe. She lowered her head and did not dare to move as well. She silently hid the hopelessness she felt in her eyes. Her aunt, the Empress had hoped that she would be able to find out information for King Yan. But after what happened yesterday, she did not dare to put a toe out of the line.

    In the past, she felt that King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, was the gentlest prince!

    She seemed never to have seen him angry before. However, she did not expect him to be the scariest one!

    She had plotted against Mo Xuetong and wanted to swap ces with her. She had sent her won bridal sedan chair to Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She thought that if she and Feng Yuran sealed the deal, then Mo Xuetong would not be able to say anything even if she wanted to. After all, the power of the Ding General Manor was still greater than Princess Royal who had a title and nothing else. They were much more powerful than her.

    If she and King Xuan sealed the deal, then no matter whether for the face of the Ding General Manor or the royal family, she would definitely be King Xuan¡¯s consort. Meanwhile, Mo Xuetong could only marry King Chu. Ling Fengyan had considered all of this. However, she had considered everyone¡¯s reaction but for the most important person.

    What kind of reaction would Feng Yuxuan have!

    He was elegant and calm. As such, Ling Fengyan had never thought that he would have an extreme reaction should the brides be swapped. If he got Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong while might not be as beautiful as her and unparalleled in her beauty, was still a beautiful girl. Furthermore, since the deed was done and the Emperor had already given the orders, what could King Chu say?

    However, the fact was that she had failed and she did not know why. She did not know why her bridal sedan chair was sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor, and did not know what was wrong with Feng Yulei for him to want to consummate the marriage without even toasting his guests. This made her think that he was Feng Yuran, which made her very receptive and she had taken the initiative as well.

    Feng Yuxuan had even seen her with her clothes in disarray!

    She had thought that as long as she was careful at night, she would be able to gain Feng Yuxuan¡¯s affections. It seemed as if she was a victim as well. It was not her fault. At most, it was a misunderstanding!

    Given the rumors of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentleness and graciousness out there, he would definitely be understanding and would love her.

    As such, she had thought of how to seduce the gentlemanly and gentle prince.

    She did not expect him to be so violent!

    He had whipped her relentlessly after she entered his manor. He did not even allow her to defend herself and had hit her so badly sheid on the ground crying. That was when he tossed the whip aside.

    Then, he tugged her bloody dress off and rode her on the ground without a hint of gentleness. He treated her like the lowliest courtesan in the brothel and took her roughly. The immense pain made her think that she was dying...

    After that, King Chu left her as if she was a dirty woman and he was afraid of dirtying his hands. He allowed her to lie on the bed haphazardly. In the end, it was the Ling family¡¯s maid who entered fearfully after Feng Yuxuan left to discover her lying on the ground naked. Ling Fengyan did not move andid on the ground, unconscious.

    After she was brought onto the bed and cleaned up, everyone was frightened. In the morning when the nannies from the pce came to collect the belt from the first union, they realized that the belt was as white as snow. The maids and maidservants were all so frightened that they all knelt. However, Feng Yuxuan entered and asked the two nannies to leave gently. He told them that Ling Fengyan felt unwellst night, which was why they had notpleted their coupling. This had helped Ling Fengyan out of the tough spot.

    However, she would never be able to forget what Feng Yuxuan¡¯s vicious eyes from the night before. She had lost all confidence in the morning and only hoped that Feng Yuxuan would be kind to her. She would do anything he wanted. She thought of how her aunt, the Empress, wanted her to plot against him. She only realized that he was not as gentle as he appeared to be after she married him.

    Even if the Emperor did not tell her to behave, she would not dare to be disobedient either!

    The Emperor waved his hand and Ling Fengyan and Feng Yuxuan backed away.

    Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e knelt together in front of Emperor Zongwen. Emperor Zongwen took a sip from the cup of tea You Yue¡¯e offered him. Then, he ced it to the side and got someone to give You Yue¡¯e a pair of Yn Magnolia Parrots screens that were painted with genuine gold. It meant that he was still satisfied with this daughter-inw. However, he only sniffed coldly at King Yan and did not bother with him.

    The two of them got up.

    Mo Xuetong helped Feng Yuran to kneel down. Feng Yuran was injured and he only knelt for a while. Emperor Zongwen got him to stand up. However, when Mo Xuetong served the Emperor tea, he did not ept it. Mo Xuetong could feel the Emperor¡¯s gaze on her. She raised the teacup in her hands and did not dare to move.

    After a long while, they heard the voice from above saying, ¡°Anping, from now on, you are Old Eight¡¯s wife. His health is poor, you have to take note of that. Don¡¯t leave the manor if there is nothing you have to do. Old Eight¡¯s health is the most important. You are the youngest, so don¡¯t go making unnecessary trouble.¡±

    Was he worried about her and afraid that she would not serve him well? Or was that a warning?

    ¡°Yes, I will!¡±

    Mo Xuetong agreed obediently. She knew she had to do that at least. She had married Feng Yuran to bring him blessings and it was for his good health. Otherwise, they would not have broken the rules and allowed her into the family. It seemed like the Emperor truly doted on Feng Yuran. He was worried about handing Feng Yuran to Mo Xuetong, which was why he was doing this today.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. I am already better. When I came in earlier, there was a certain path where I didn¡¯t even need someone to help me.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. Someone helped him to sit down. Since he was the youngest, he could not possibly let the other two older princes stand up. As such, the three princes all sat down. However, of the three daughters-inw, two stood while one knelt.

    Mo Xuetong was the one kneeling. She could not help butment that it was difficult being a daughter-inw of the royal family.

    ¡°How can I not worry! You are so rash and she is so young. She looks like she isn¡¯t sensible. If not for her eight characters matching yours, I would not want her to marry you. Look at her, she is so young, how is she going to give you children?¡± Emperor Zongwen sighed and looked at Feng Yuran somewhat dotingly. It seemed like he was very worried. Then, when he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s childish face, his expression was one of helplessness.

    Everyone followed the Emperor¡¯s gaze and turned to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She did look very young and innocent.

    The enmity in someone¡¯s eyes lessened.

    Feng Yuxuan nced at her silently and lowered his eyelids to hide the darkening in his eyes! He clenched his fists slightly under his sleeves and then released them.

    She was just a woman. In the future, when he ascended the throne, he would still have a chance to have her.

    ¡°Father, rest assured. She is very sensible. She managed her family when she was in Mo Manor.¡± Feng Yuran said with an open smile.

    ¡°Someone does need to take charge of that manor of yours. The women in your manor have to be managed as well. Don¡¯t have so many of them. Once you are healed,e with your eldest brother to hold court. Don¡¯t loaf around and do something serious.¡± Emperor Zongwen said suddenly as he frowned unhappily.

    ¡°Father, my health is poor!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s expression became downtrodden when he heard that he had to hold court. Even the charming smile on his face dimmed. His expression grew bitter.

    ¡°Throw all the women in the manor out if you are feeling unwell.¡± Emperor Zongwen said swiftly.

    ¡°Father...¡±

    ¡°What is it, are you unwilling? If you are unwilling, thene to court. You are a prince. Now that you are married, you have to set a good example for your woman and do something proper. Don¡¯t go loafing around.¡± Emperor Zongwen seemed even more displeased. He nced at Mo Xuetong who was still kneeling on the ground. His threat was obvious.

    ¡°Alright, alright, alright, Father. I will do something proper after I recover. Look at my wife, the tea is getting cold. Father, drink the tea please!¡± Feng Yuran promised with a naughty smile. Emperor Zongwen then epted the tea from Mo Xuetong. He took a few sips and then gifted her with some things.

 Chapter 363 - Anhe Palace and Consort Xianâ€™s Past

    <h4><strong>Chapter 363 Anhe Pce and Consort Xian¡¯s Past</strong></h4>

    They did not go to Cining Pce in the end. The three pairs of newlyweds had only just left Qianqing pce when the Empress Dowager¡¯s servants came to tell them that the Empress Dowager was ill. She had fallen asleep after taking medicine and told them to visit when they are free. That meant that she was not in the mood to receive them. The Empress Dowager¡¯s status was still higher than theirs, as such, everyone just said something to show their concern.

    Then, the three pairs of newlyweds left!

    Feng Yuxuan wanted to take Ling Fengyan to see Consort Su. Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e returned to King Yan¡¯s Manor. Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong to a pce that had not been lived in for a long while!

    Anhe Pce.

    It was silent in the great all. Consort Xian had long passed away. However, while it was quiet in the great hall, it was not in ruins. It was obvious that someone had been keeping it clean and even the incense in the incense pot was kept burning, releasing wafts of fragrance. The faint floral scent was veryforting.

    Feng Yuran dragged Mo Xuetong to kneel on the carpet in front of the couch. His longshes lowered to hide the pain that flickered in his eyes. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand for a long while without speaking.

    Even though he was smiling, his smile had a hint of sadness in it.

    He thought of how he had lost his mother at a young age and was almost killed by others. Then, he had no choice but to leave and go to other ces.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt for him. She held his hand andforted him softly, ¡°If Mother knows that you are still healthy and alive, she would definitely be very happy.¡±

    ¡°So what, she cannot see anything now.¡± Feng Yuran said lightly. He pulled Mo Xuetong up and made her sit on a chair by the side.

    ¡°How can she not see? Mother is watching you in the sky and she can see that you are happy.¡± Mo Xuetong did not let go and pulled him into a chair beside hers. In the pce, children who lost the protection of their mother would find it extremely difficult to survive. One would know just by looking at the many princes born in the pce and at how many who survived to adulthood.

    The Empress protected the Third Prince while Consort Su protected the First Prince. He was the only one without a mother and had almost died. She thought of what Mo Ye said. He had worked hard on his martial arts. She felt pity for him. She reached out and hugged Feng Yuran¡¯s waist. She leaned her head over and said, ¡°We have to be happy in the future so that Mother will be happy when she sees us in the sky.¡±

    Feng Yuran reached out to hug Mo Xuetong and smelt the faint fragrance of incense on her. He exhaled and felt for the first time thating to this ce did not make him sad. His heart, which had been heavy, suddenly felt lighter. He kissed her hair gently, the kiss filled with tenderness and love.

    He suddenly had the urge to share some of the things he had never told anyone.

    ¡°Mother was not favored in her family. She was just an adoptee and was not really a First Miss. She did not have a good time there. The family was also normal and if Father had not had a chance encounter with her, she would still be an unfavored adopted child.¡± Feng Yuran recalled lightly.

    So she was adopted. But even so, Feng Yuran should not hate his maternal family that much. Even biological daughters might not be close to their families, much less adopted daughters. She did not believe that Feng Yuran would destroy his mother¡¯s family just because of such an insignificant matter. Furthermore, there was still Emperor Zongwen. The Emperor had not stopped him, which meant that there was another reason why Feng Yuran¡¯s mother¡¯s family was destroyed.

    But what was the reason?

    Mo Xuetong did not want to be bothered with a family like that. However, she did not want Feng Yuran to suffer a blow. In her past life, if Feng Yuran had not suffered a blow, why would he go to the Southern Barbarian Lands? There must be a reason that Mo Xuetong was unaware of. However, she did not want to peel open his wounds. She asked him cautiously, ¡°Did Mother not keep in contact with the family and never returned?¡±

    Mo Xuetong believed that the matter did not end there. If everything was fine after she left, then that family would not contact Feng Yuran after that. However, a family who was not wealthy had an adopted daughter who became a doted consort of the Emperor. Even people who were not vaguely rted to her would try to butter up to Feng Yuran¡¯s mother. Furthermore, they were her adoptive parents.

    If the family had any backbone, they would not have ill-treated an adoptive daughter!

    ¡°The He family said that they adopted Mother because they thought that she was pitiful. They did not treat her well after they adopted her and ordered her around like a maid. The young masters and misses in the manor bullied her. If Mother was not beautiful, she would have died. After she entered the pce, the He family brought the entire family here to be acknowledged as family. Father did not make things difficult for them on Mother¡¯s ount. He picked a few suitable men and gave them official positions. Even though they were not high-ranked, it was an honor the He family never had.¡±

    Feng Yuran seemed to be talking about someone else. His expression was distant. However, his eyes were deep and dark. He ran his thumb gently over her hair as he continued speaking coldly.

    ¡°Did something happen after that?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly. It was not that she was insistent about finding out things. She just wanted to find clues about what was wrong with the He family. Even if the He family was in the wrong, Feng Yuran should not have to bear the sins of killing the entire family. That hurt was enough for Feng Yuran to want to abandon the world and journey to the Southern Barbarian Lands!

    ¡°The He family behaved arrogantly using Mother¡¯s name. Mother could not watch on any longer and pleaded with Father to take away their positions. Then, they were sent to a county in Jiangnan where they were originally from.¡±

    Feng Yuran spoke calmly and lightly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt for him when she heard that. When would a consort say something like that? If her family had not behaved so badly, why would she raise such a request? One could see that Consort Xian truly had no choice. In a city filled with nobility, the He family wanted to take the top spot just by using the name of a consort. They had truly underestimated the other noble families.

    If Consort Xian had not moved fast, the He family might not only implicate her, they might even bring death to the whole family. Consort Xian did not do anything wrong in her position. Even if she were their biological daughter, she would also make such a request. With Consort Xian in the pce, the He family would have been able to live wealthily if they did not make any serious mistakes. This would have repaid them for bringing her up.

    ¡°That¡¯s the end of the He family?¡± If the He family was smart enough, they would not have done something like that. The capital was filled with nobility. The distant family of a consort who had be wealthy through her was not something great. While others might be aware of this, the He family might not necessarily be aware of that.

    ¡°How would they return just like that? They said that Mother was ungrateful and they cried and made a fuss. They asked Mother to beg Father to forgive them and not chase them away. Furthermore, they also spread the news about how unfilial Mother was. It caused a furor. I had only been just born then and Mother was afraid that I would be harmed. She took care of me and had no time to be bothered with them. After that, I heard that Father chased them away. Not long after that, Mother fell ill and passed away!¡± Feng Yuran did not sound angry. There was no anger in his voice and only a hint of coldness in it.

    Mo Xuetong hugged his muscr waist tightly. She buried her head in his chest. Her heart truly hurt for him!

    On the surface, Feng Yuran seemed arrogant and unrestrained. It seemed as if he did not care about anything. However, he was born in the royal family. How could he have survived without a facade?

    There were so many princes who were born and they had all died, leaving only three behind. Some of them might have been born ill but it was impossible for so many male children to all have died without anyone being able to cure them. The pce had all sorts of precious medicine, yet not many male children survived. One could see how dangerous it was in the pce.

    In her past life, she had also died of unnatural causes because of the struggles in the back courtyard. It was just a small back courtyard and that had happened. Then what about the pce? It was such a big ce. There were so many women who would do anything for power and affection. A consort who did not have the support of her family and had given birth to a son would be ced in a perilous situation since she had to protect him.

    ¡°Then there was no contact with them after that?¡±

    ¡°The He family woulde to the capital to express their goodwill from time to time ever since I returned to the capital and had my own manor. More than one person from the He family came to our wedding.¡± Feng Yuranughed coldly. ¡°They not only came, but they also brought two of my female cousins along. They must havee after they heard of my reputation.¡±

    Mo Xuetong fell silent. What was Feng Yuran¡¯s reputation like? He was licentious and unrestrained and would bring any woman he saw back to his manor. The He family had brought their daughters here because of that. They still could not forget the wealth and prosperity the royal family could bring them!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, we don¡¯t have to care about them. I have arranged for them to stay outside. I will not ept them even if theye to the manor. They hope to strike it rich through me, but they are just dreaming.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was dark and cold. He stood up, helped Mo Xuetong up and they left.

    Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought. She tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Have they left?¡±

    ¡°Why would they leave before they achieve their goals? They even sent someone here with an invite this morning.¡± Feng Yuran blinked; his longshes fluttered. His skin was a smooth as jade and he was handsome and charming. Yet, he seemed evil and cold.

    Why would they leave before they manage to send their daughters to his manor? It was obvious that they wouldn¡¯t give up before they attained their goals. That¡¯s alright. He would watch on and see what kind of fuss they would make. He wanted to see if the person in Mingyue Pce would react...

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother yourself with them. They will leave after some time.¡± Feng Yuran pinched Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and said somewhat apologetically when he realized that this might implicate Mo Xuetong. There were some things that he would naturally take care of. ¡°The He family has nothing to do with you. So you don¡¯t have to care about them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not too good. After all, they are your uncle¡¯s family. Furthermore, they did not make much trouble. What would others say about you if you stop your family from entering the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips twitched upwards and she smiled beautifully.

    ¡°My reputation has never been good!¡± He said righteously.

    ¡°It¡¯s different now. Didn¡¯t Father tell you to enter politics!¡± Mo Xuetong gave him the side-eye and teased him. Earlier on, Emperor Zongwen seemed to be pressuring her and making her take care of Feng Yuran. She had to ce her focus on Feng Yuran. However, Feng Yuran did not seem to agree.

    Feng Yulei had been punished while Feng Yuxuan was promoted. However, Emperor Zongwen did not seem to be very satisfied. If not for what happenedst night, would Feng Yuxuan have a part in it? If so, Emperor Zongwen definitely would not have been satisfied with him!

    ¡°Youss.¡± Feng Yuran did not agree nor disagree. He patted her head affectionately and brought her out with him.

    This was not a good ce to have a conversation.

    The horse carriage was already waiting outside. Mo Xuetong got onto the horse carriage and a little eunuch helped Feng Yuran in.

    They had only arrived at the manor when the gifts from the pce arrived. They were from Emperor Zongwen, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager. The eunuchs ced the gifts down politely and congratted Feng Yuran. Mo Xuetong got Mo Yu to give them the red packets that they prepared. The little eunuchs turned to leave happily after they received the red packets.

 Chapter 364 - Luo Mingzhuâ€™s Belated Marriage

    Chapter 364 Luo Mingzhu¡¯s Bted Marriage

    In the following days, everything went well. Because Feng Yuran was seriously injured, Mo Xuetong returned her paternal home alone the three days after their wedding ceremony. Therefore, Feng Yuran had prepared generous gifts for her, for fear that Mo Xuetong would be wronged since he was unable to apany her there. Although Emperor Zongwen asked Feng Yuran to learn to administer affairs of state, Feng Yuran was still ¡°injured¡±, and it was eptable that he was recovering from his injury at home.

    Even he did not receive any visitors. As being refused, many people knew cleverly not toe anymore, except Feng Yuran¡¯s uncles. His two uncles brought two beautiful cousins to the manor almost every day. Even if they got the reply that the King was ill, and the King¡¯s consort was looking after him so as not have time to receive them, they still did not give up.

    The two uncles insisted every day regardless of winds and rains, showing their determination that they would note back unless being received.

    Mo Xuetong had intended to meet them, as she wanted to ask about something from the two uncles. However, a piece of news disturbed her that Luo Mingzhu and Li Youmo were about to get engaged. Li Youmo? The ruttish son of the minister of the Ministry of War? The news made Mo Xuetong unsettled.

    So she took Mo Ye to the Jinwei Pavilion where Feng Yuran lived.

    It was said that the vantage ground to monitor the fire that night was where Feng Yuran was living now. He did not sleep with Mo Xuetong in their bridal chamber, and had to wait till Mo Xuetong finished her observance of mourning duty. Therefore, they had to live in separate ces nominally. Now, Mo Xuetong was living in the Feng Yuran¡¯s former ce, which was the main yard of the manor.

    Mo Xuetong entered the courtyard of the Jinwei Pavilion. Since the guards had already informed Feng Yuran, she came to the room without any hindrance.

    There were several files in front of Feng Yuran, and he was reviewing them as leaning against the couch beside the window. He took up the writing brush beside his hand and made somements on them from time to time. Hey there casually, as therge purple robe was also casually on him. At the sight of Mo Xuetong, his phoenix eyes took on some smiles, and his handsome face brightened up.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er,e here and sit.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetonge in, Feng Yuran put down the files and patted his couch. His eyes gleamed with amorous feelings, making his beautiful face brighter and more striking. How could the man be so beautiful? Mo Xuetong could not help staring at his beautiful face, and her heartbeat quickened uncontrobly.

    No wonder someone was determined to marry him regardless of defying the rules.

    Exactly, he was born to seduce women!

    ¡°I sit here.¡± Mo Xuetong retracted her watery eyes and said solemnly.

    Today, she came to talk with him something serious and should not be disturbed by him. Mo Xuetong took an oblique at him consciously and thought she¡¯d better stay away from him today. Thinking that he hugged and kissed her too tightly to take a breath, Mo Xuetong felt her ears were burning. ¡°This man...¡±

    He was never serious at any serious moment.

    ¡°I never thought that Tong¡¯er has such a hobby.¡± Feng Yuran said intentionally, as his lips twitchedzily and his eyes blinked.

    ¡°What hobby?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked and asked with a smile.

    Feng Yuran pouted his lips, pointed in her directions, and said, ¡°Does Tong¡¯er like to talk to me on the floor? I didn¡¯t know it before!¡±

    His remarks made Mo Xuetong realize that there was no ce to sit in his room except the couch on which he was lying. It waspletely domineering. Looking at the empty floor, Mo Xuetong flushed uncontrobly and gave him a pretty re. And she simply walked to him and sat beside his feet.

    ¡°Come here. What are you afraid of? We are not the same as before. We don¡¯t need to do it privately.¡± Feng Yuran looked at her and said with a tease.

    Mo Xuetong went pink again by his words and thought Feng Yuran¡¯s words were rather obscure, as if they two had been having some private affair. Luckily, there was no one else there. Otherwise, what would the others think about them two? He was so shameless that he dared to mock her up. Ashamed and annoyed, Mo Xuetong simply stood up, pouted her pink lips, and said to him.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡±

    Before Mo Xuetong spoke more, Feng Yuran stretched over his hand to hold her slim waist and pulled her to the couch. He leaned his body and asked her, displeased, ¡°What are you calling?¡±

    ¡°Yuran, my husband.¡± Mo Xuetong immediately understood what he meant and answered obediently as her face was flushed with embarrassment.

    Feng Yuran rejoiced with her words. His slim lips fell on her face, and then, her curved-up cherry lips. He tasted them carefully, as if she were the worthiest treasure.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect his fast movement. She clung to his warm and thick chest, and got burned by his kiss before he did anything else. She could feel nothing but his flexible lips just dipping into her lips and teeth and sucking peremptorily her sweetness, enjoying the red lips.

    After a long time, Mo Xuetong was allowed to take a breath. She shoved away his red lips which were about toe again and said in annoyance, ¡°I have something serious to say.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doing the serious thing. The thing about human rtions!¡± He said seriously. But for his handsome face as amorous as the spring ripples, and his narrow eyes gleaming with ecstasy, his words sounded real.

    ¡°Ie here for a serious matter.¡± Mo Xuetong covered her red lips and rolled her watery eyes, with a lovely look of fearing his one more movement.

    ¡°More serious than our affair?¡± Feng Yuran said with an enchanting smile, as he did note closer this time but just blinked his eyes and tucked Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair behind her ears.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you anymore.¡± Mo Xuetong pouted and murmured, depressed.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay, you keep saying and I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. Looking at her smart watery eyes and florid face, and the flush on her tender and jade-white face, he could not resist his desire to kiss her and hug her into the arms to let her melt into him. He reached out his hands to embrace her tightly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s still one more year ahead! Why has the time not arrived?¡± thought by Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Is Li Youmo really a rakish dude? What happened to his former wife?¡± Seeing him did not make fun of her, Mo Xuetong collected her thoughts and asked.

    She had never thought that her grandmother would be rtives with Minister Li by their children¡¯s marriage. How could Mo Xuetong rest assured for Li Youmo¡¯s fame and his deeds? Knowing Feng Yuran was a good source of information, she came to find him immediately.

    ¡°Li Youmo¡¯s former wife was not killed by him. The girl had been in poor health when they got married. But they had been gotten engaged since childhood. It was said that she was sick before their marriage. Minister Li wanted to retract the engagement, but Li Youmo thought the girl would die definitely by the withdrawal of the marriage, so he just married her. But unexpectedly, she died soon after their wedding ceremony. And it badly affected Li Youmo¡¯s fame, and Minister Li rather regretted about it.¡± Feng Yuran made the matter clear as he hugged her gently.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes flickered, and she asked in puzzlement, ¡°If so, Li Youmo is not a rakish dude, but a righteous person?¡±

    If a woman was forced to break off engagement by a man, she almost had no way out in such a condition. To Mo Xuetong¡¯s surprise, Li Youmo insisted on marrying that girl, even if he had to bear the name of losing his wife afterward. It was undeniable that he was a righteous man. But why was he so bad in other¡¯s words?

    Mo Xuetong really couldn¡¯t figure it out.

    Feng Yuran smiled but did not reply. Instead, he took up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip, then, handed it to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong responded quickly this time. She immediately took the teacup, turned her head one side, and snuggled up to him fawningly. Then, she said sweetly, ¡°Just tell me. Why did the rumor go like this?¡± She had to sell her charms for the sake of her cousin¡¯s happiness.

    Seeing her clinging snugly in his arms, Feng Yuran was in a good mood and decided not to keep her guessing. He held her slender waist with a smile and answered her leisurely, ¡°Doesn¡¯t your elder sister enjoy a good reputation? And You Yuecheng also enjoys a good one? But how about the fact?¡±

    He squinted at her with some amorous feeling and boasted finally, ¡°Your husband has a bad reputation, but what do you think now?¡±

    His nce seemed to im the credit, as his eyes glittered with charms. Mo Xuetong immediately understood it. She raised her small face and nced at him who was waiting for her reply. Then, she nodded her head dramatically and praised turgidly, ¡°My husband is naturally the best. No matter how the rumors go outside, I just know that my husband is the best.¡±

    The words were favorable to Feng Yuran¡¯s ears. He blinked his eyes and pinched Mo Xuetong¡¯s pink face, then, burst into augh, ¡°Sure enough, Tong¡¯er knows me the best!¡± After saying it, he could not help kissing her flushed mouth.

    Well, the rumor was not credible. Li Youmo was a pearl that had not been found. But Mo Xuetong still had a question, so she pushed his head away, took a breath and continued to ask, ¡°My senior uncle is amander to lead the soldiers. Now, my cousin is going to marry the son of the minister of the Ministry of War. Will your royal father fear it?¡±

    Since ancient times, seldom exchanges were allowed to make among promising officials, especially those with the military power of different political parties, otherwise, it would induce cmities. Take the Ding General Manor as an example, the manor held a quarter of the military power of the Qin Kingdom, so he could support the childless Empress Dowager to the throne as the first person in the harem.

    Then, he sent the Empress into the pce to ensure her to be firmly in the dominant ce just second to the Empress Dowager in the harem, though the Empress did not have a child. No one would believe that it could achieve without the Duke King¡¯s holding military power.

    Now, Mo Xuetong¡¯s senior uncle also held a quarter of the military power. If he became rtives with the Minister of the Ministry of War through their children¡¯s marriage, would the Emperor not know the underlying meaning? Would the Emperor not fear it? Merely with a strange jade, the Emperor had seen the entire General Manor as a thorn. At present, Fu General Manor was going to be rted to Minister Li of the Ministry of War. Would Fu General Manor be used of rebelling in collusion? What¡¯s worse, it was the crucial moment of fighting for the throne. No one could tell whether amon marriage would be an excuse for the Emperor to deal with Fu General Manor.

    Thinking of the fall of Fu General Manor in thest life, Mo Xuetong was rather uneasy, afraid that any carelessness would irritate the Emperor. She opened her watery eyes round and pulled Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeves.

    Seeing her nervous and coquettish look, Feng Yuranughed brightly. Then, he raised up his beautiful eyes, cuddled her and said to her ears gently, ¡°Tong¡¯er, just feel assured. It is my royal father¡¯s decision to make them rted through marriage.¡±

    ¡°The Emperor¡¯s decision?¡±

    As for that the Emperor deliberately arranged Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin to marry Li Youmo, it was not discussed firstly whether the Emperor cared about if Li Youmo would ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin¡¯s lifetime happiness, but it looked strange that the Emperor purposely linked the Mo Xuetong¡¯s senior uncle and the minister of the Ministry of War together. ¡°Was the Emperor integrating military forces?¡± thought Mo Xuetong.

    As for the military force of the Great Qin, one quarter was in the Duke Ding¡¯s hands, one was in Fu General Manor¡¯s, one was in the King of Xian¡¯s, and the rest were scattered. The three took thergest share, equally. Among them, Duke Ding and the Fu General were both old and well-known families enjoying hundreds of years. Only the King of Xian had the royal blood. But nowadays, Lady of Xian and the Empress Dowager were too close, so it was possible that the King of Xian had be members of the Empress Dowager¡¯s part.

    At this time, the Emperor arranged the marriage between the families of the Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of the Ministry of War, and the underlying meaning was not so simple! Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes blinked, and she fell into silence. ¡°What does the Emperor mean? At this point in fighting for the throne, King Yan failed, and only King Chu and Feng Yuran are left. Of course, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, whom the Empress Dowager supports secretly, is not counted in. But if Feng Yuzhen wants to be the Emperor, he has to prepare the military forces as well!¡± thought Mo Xuetong.

    Would the Emperor know that King Ning was going to rebel, so he deliberately integrated the military forces?

    She had a bold assumption, but she didn¡¯t know whether to speak it out!

 Chapter 365 - Whom was Emperor Zongwenâ€™s Favorite Candidate?

    <strong>Chapter 365 Whom was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s Favorite Candidate?</strong>

    ¡°Well, rest assured. Li Youmo is definitely a good husband. It is a good thing that Your cousin can marry Li Youmo, since she can both escape from the Empress Dowager¡¯s scheme, and enjoy happiness. Your grandmother is so prescient. Could she make the wrong decision? Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡± Seeing her confused but smart eyes, Feng Yuran said with a smile and stretched his hands to her and kissed her hair on the temple.

    ¡°Your Royal father is not...¡± Looking at his handsome and gentle face, Mo Xuetong felt unountably rxed, and the words rushed out involuntarily. Before finishing speaking, she covered her mouth hurriedly, and her long eyshes shed. She clung to his chest without saying a word. Even though something was no secret, it was still clearly unpleasant.

    Sure enough, the atmosphere froze immediately. Feng Yuran did not answer her but closed his eyes and fell into a silence.

    Mo Xuetong was annoyed about herself a little. She knew clearly that something was inappropriate to speak out. Why did she just mention it? But he ignored her, which made her a bit embarrassed. Then, she felt uneasy to lean over him, wondering whether she should stand up and leave, or continue to be in his arms. The sight of his coldly closing his eyes was rather chilly to the bones.

    It was as if his warm smile were just an illusion.

    But at this time, if Mo Xuetong stood up and left, it might seem...

    ¡°My mother was murdered.¡± It took a long time before Feng Yuran opened his eyes and said calmly.

    Didn¡¯t she die of illness in the rumors? But Mo Xuetong did not ask, as seldom rumors were true. Consort Xian died of illness when she won the Emperor¡¯s dominant favor. She was just about 20 years old at that time, so why could she die so abruptly, leaving a young prince in the pce? The reason for this was not talked in a few words.

    A woman, who did not have power or influence, even no strong family background, won the Emperor¡¯s favor and gave birth to a cute child. Definitely, she was also envied in the whole harem. How could she survive. No matter how deeply the Emperor loved her, it was impossible for him to guard her 24 hours a day. There were various deadly tricks in the pce. How could ordinary people know them?

    Therefore, Feng Yuran almost lost his own life at an early age, and had to be sent out of the pce. A prince could finally return to the pce after so many years. His bitterness and sadness were not less than Mo Xuetong¡¯s rebirth. And he was a man, so he was unwilling to say something. But she understood him well and felt sorry for him.

    She stretched out his white-jade hand to touch his unparalleled handsome face and said heartily, ¡°We will take revenge for our mother.¡±

    After saying the words, Mo Xuetong flicked her eyes and thought about his words. She was stunned for a moment. She bit her lips, only feeling the faster heartbeat, held her breath and asked, ¡°You, you want?¡±

    Although she had thought he was not simple long before, she did not expect that he could win the Emperor¡¯s support rather than that of his mother¡¯s family. From the first time they met, Feng Yuran always behaved in a romantic and arrogant manner in public. No one could ever imagine that the Emperor¡¯s favorite candidate was the King Xuan, the least likely one to seed to the throne.

    Then, something would make sense. Feng Yuran was not seriously injured, but he had to pretend to be badly ill and stay at home. On the first day of the wedding, the words when they served the tea sounded reprimands to him that demanded him to do some decent work and to administer affairs of the court, but in fact, all were paving the road for him.

    Seemingly, King Xuan was spoiled by the Emperor, and the Emperor did pamper him practically. It seemed that the more the Emperor pampered King Xuan, the more it showed that King Xuan was good for nothing. But unexpectedly, the hopeless Feng Yuran was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite candidate. If the news was spread out, the other princes would collide to deal with him. At the thought, a worry took on Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°My royal father is in poor health. He didn¡¯t give much time to me.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice sounded like a breeze blowing out of the window, nd and trackless, but peaceful and calm, which made her uneasy heart rest for a while.

    But she was more shocked by his words.

    ¡°The Emperor was in poor health? Howe? He was radiant with vigor that day, a look at the prime of the life.¡± thought she.

    She breathed quickly and thought on the condition that Emperor Zongwen was really in poor health and the Crown Prince had not been yet settled, the Qin Kingdom must be in chaos. Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Royal Consort Su were supported by different parts, as the military forces were shared almost equally by different people. Besides, even judging from other strengths, Feng Yuran had no advantage over others.

    If the Emperor¡¯s poor health was revealed, the whole situation would be more chaotic and dangerous. How could Feng Yuran just tell Mo Xuetong so frankly and boldly, as if he were talking about an ordinary thing instead of a state secret? How could he just touch on it lightly?

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know how to respond to him. Or, any response was redundant at this time. She just leaned on him quietly and felt his strong heartbeat. And strangely, her flustered heart was calmed down by his firm heartbeat. She told herself silently that she did not need to be flurried and everything would be fine, as he was always with her, and they two would go through it hand in hand.

    Perhaps, Feng Yuran felt her silence. He lowered his head, let out a long breath, and kissed gently her forehead and eyes. Then, he asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you willing to go through it with me? I feel lonely to struggle on the road myself. Only with my beloved woman can I feel relieved.¡±

    After saying the words, he hugged her more tightly and pressed her pink face to his face. His lips curved up into a faint smile.

    Mo Xuetong twisted her head sideways to cling to his face and only saw his slightly curly long eyshes from the angle. With only one nce, she reached out her hands to embrace involuntarily his broad and said firmly, ¡°I will apany you, even if we will vanish together.¡±

    Regardless of going through the wind or heavy rain, a foul wind or a rain of blood, she would apany him to the end, because she had him in her heart, and because he could tell such a thing of great weight to a house woman without any hesitation.

    She believed that he could do well. No matter what would happen in the future, even if he wanted to be the Emperor, she would apany him. Since the Emperor had set his choice on Feng Yuran, the Emperor surely left the room to him for maneuver.

    Suddenly, Mo Xuetong understood the Emperor¡¯s purpose. Arranging the marriage between the families of Mo Xuetong¡¯s uncle and the minister of the Ministry of War was to seek military support for Feng Yuran; asking him to participate in the state affairs was to help him to get rid of the dissolute reputation and to be a royal prince in the real sense. The condition at present was very much different from that of the past. The dissolute reputation could help him extricate himself from the fight for the throne in the past.

    But it was useless now!

    From now on, he would be much busier...

    The wind blew with some scent of flowers. The two people justy on the bed quietly, cuddling each other, just like a couple of mandarin ducks.

    In the Cining Pce, the Empress Dowager almost recovered, and was apanied by Lady of Xian, Consort Yu, and Duchess Mingyang.

    Consort Yu had just been released from the Cold Pce. No matter what she ate or used in that ce could not bepared with those outside. Therefore, she looked wan and sallow. Although she was not obviously pregnant, she assumed a sheer posture, surrounded by several pce maids, as they were afraid that Consort Yu would be ufortable and did not dare to leave behind her.

    ¡°You have to take care of your belly. As you are in such poor health, how can you give birth to the child for the Emperor?¡± Empress Dowager asked with concern. The Buddha pearls rolled gently in her hands. With a benign look, she looked at Consort Yu¡¯s belly with a smile and asked servants to take a cushion for Consort Yu.

    ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency. My health was slightly hurt in the Cold Pce. But I feel better recently.¡± Consort Yu smiled a bit shyly, setting off her face more charming.

    ¡°Your Highness, you look rather good now. Your Excellency, please don¡¯t worry. Before long, you will have a little grandson.¡± Duchess Mingyang came to say in amusement and look with a smile at Consort Yu¡¯s inconspicuous belly.

    ¡°Yes. Your Excellency, please feel assured. It must be a baby boy. There hasn¡¯t been a new prince born in the pce for a long time. So it is a great event.¡± Lady of Xian congratted with a quick tongue.

    Empress Dowager looked sullen at the words and sighed with some depression, ¡°How can I feel assured? After Consort Xian gave birth to King Xuan, no more prince has been born in the past more than 10 years. I thought the Emperor would have just three sons. But luckily, Consort Yu is pregnant now. God bless us!¡±

    Seeing Empress Dowager frowning slightly, Lady of Xian persuaded, ¡°Your Excellency, don¡¯t worry about it so much. As you said, the Emperor has already had three sons. It is not a problem. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±

    Frankly speaking, Emperor Zongwen had already had three adult sons. Even if Consort Yu could give birth to a baby boy, what could she do? Would the Emperor choose the youngest son as the Crown Prince instead of his grown-up children? Impossible! However, someone did not think so, even though it was an acknowledged fact.

    A glimmer of gloom shed in Consort Yu¡¯s eyes, but then faded in her gentle smile.

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t need to worry about it, I still need to worry about other things. Zhen¡¯er hase back. He has grown up, but doesn¡¯t have a consort. It does make me worried, as he is older than King Xuan and King Yan. As for his consort, no one will select for him, and I still have to decide for him.¡± Empress Dowager said with a sigh.

    This was really hard to answer. Would the Empress Dowager me the Emperor for not selecting a consort for King Ning, or would she just mention it? Although Lady of Xian was straightforward, she knew it was hard to answer, and just reply with a smile, pretending that she didn¡¯t understand what the Empress Dowager meant.

    ¡°King Ning is young and handsome. Your Excellency, you should choose a gentle and polite one. Well, the family background does not matter. With your presence, who dares to cheat?¡± Consort Yu answered with a smile.

    ¡°That being said, I am sick, so I cannot choose the proper one now. Can you help to rmend some to me?¡± The Empress Dowager put down the Buddha pearls, took a sip of tea, and said with a gentle smile, as if she were just an ordinary Old Madam who cared about her grandson¡¯s marriage.

    ¡°Your Excellency, don¡¯t pick up any longer. I will rmend one to you. You are bound to agree with me!¡± Duchess Mingyang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled. She took a nce at Lady of Xian and teased. However, Lady of Xian¡¯s eyes looked a little sullen.

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Empress Dowager showed interest in her remarks.

    ¡°There is a niece in Lady of Xian¡¯s maternal family. The girl is not only beautiful but also demure, elegant and decent. She is 15 years old, a flower-like age. If she will marry King Ning, I think, Your Excellency, you can rest your mind.¡± Duchess Mingyang said.

    A hint of anger shed in the eyes of the Lady of Xian who sat beside, and she refused with a smile before Empress Dowager replied.

    ¡°Your Excellency, although my niece is always with me, she does not have a powerful background, and her father is just a small official. I am afraid it will disgrace King Ning¡¯s name and she is not good enough for upper King Ning.¡± Lady of Xian declined uneasily. Since she had no daughter herself, she raised her niece around her and loved her niece as her own daughter. Lady of Xian would usually keep one more for her niece equal to her son¡¯s. In fact, the reason why the Lady of Xian came to the capital was for her niece¡¯s marriage.

    But the situation in the pce was unknown now. How could she feel assured to marry her niece into the pce?

    Moreover, it did not only involve marriage.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t be so modest. Your niece is good-looking and good-tempered in a million. If she marries King Ning, it is really great marriage. If so, the niece of your maternal family can enjoy superior wealth and rank. Two royal consorts came from the same family. How envious it is!¡± Duchess Mingyangughed and said.

    Seeing Duchess Mingyang mention the niece again and again, Lady of Xian felt a bit unpleasant, but she did not manifest it and just said to the Empress Dowager with a smile, ¡°His Highness, King Ning is really the one in a million. My niecees from a humble family and cannot marry above herself. Besides, although I am her aunt, I cannot decide for her, as her marriage should be decided by her own parents. It may be half a year before her parentse to the capital. If it causes any dy in King Ning¡¯s marriage, it will be too terrible.¡±

    The engagement could be made after half a year? The Empress Dowager pulled a long face and thought it was really a long time. she had nned to draw Lady of Xian to her side, but did not expect that Lady of Xian did not know how to appreciate the favor. The Empress Dowager, though smiling, looked unhappy and said, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the matterter. I feel tired now, so I will not keep you here.¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, we will not disturb you.¡± The three stood up and leave, as they saw the Empress Dowager close her eyes tiredly and knew that she was going to rest.

 Chapter 366 - The Cousin Who Wanted to Marry from the King Xuanâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 366 The Cousin Who Wanted to Marry from the King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, did return to the Qin, but did not stir up too many waves, and was received by King Chu, Feng Yuxuan on the second day of his marriage. Then, Feng Yuzhen came with Feng Yuxuan to learn to administer the affairs of the government. And the days passed leisurely. Feng Yuran almost recovered himself. After being urged by the Emperor several times, Feng Yuran also came to learn with them.

    Then, Feng Yuran went to the court normally, just as the Emperor said, ¡°Old Eight finally grew up after getting married and can do business!¡±

    Only one thing made Mo Xuetong depressed. That was, she had to take medicine every day which Feng Yuran got from somewhere. The medicine was too bitter and astringent. But she had to take it and just was told that the medicine would heal her health injured by Auntie Fang¡¯s plot in childhood. Therefore, Mo Xuetong was required to take medicine to tonify primordial Qi. Otherwise, it would affect her pregnant capacity.

    Mo Xuetong had no choice but to take the medicine once at noon every day, just like having a meal.

    Afraid that the medicine was too bitter for her, Feng Yuran even came to supervise personally, as if confronted by a formidable enemy, which made Mo Xuetong sweet and depressed.

    Was she so finicky? At most, she felt slightly dizzy and exhausted sometimes. It was lucky that the medicine was so effective that she felt better than before. But Feng Yuran thought it was not effective enough. From time to time, he even asked some familiar doctors to consult for her. It was really troublesome.

    Mo Xuetong was about to take a rest after taking the medicine.

    ¡°My Lady, thedies of the He familye to pay a visit again.¡± Mo Ye lifted up the curtain and said.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t they left? Didn¡¯t they say they were leaving?¡± Mo Yu put down the feather duster in her hand and asked curiously.

    Mo Xuetongy aside as she was reading a book. Then, she put down the book and looked at them.

    They both followed to name her ¡°My Lady¡±!

    ¡°They said they have something to tell you and hope you can give a hand to them. They look rather anxious.¡± Mo Ye also lost her temper with them. The girls from the He Family looked quite good, but why did theye to send their regards every day? The family had not contacted Feng Yuran for so many years. But when Feng Yuran was invested with the title king, the He family sent their daughters immediately. Their purpose waspletely bared there and then. If something went wrong, they must stay in the manor and wouldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡°My Lady, you are not well. How about taking a rest and letting me go out to answer them?¡± Mo Yu put down the feather duster and said unhappily. Everyone knew clearly what the two cousindies wanted¡ªthey wanted to enter the manor and did not leave, as they saw the king¡¯s handsome appearance.

    Since they saw himst time, they came to the manor more often. Several days ago, they said they were about to leave. Mo Yu felt relieved that the two finally woulde back. But unexpectedly, they decided to stay shamelessly. It seemed to be endless.

    After Mo Xuetong married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, her close maidservants all felt satisfied as they had not expected that King Xuan who was said to be promiscuous outside behaved so decently after the marriage. Although they did not consummate, he showed great respect for Mo Xuetong, never permitting those numerous women in his back garden to disturb her, including the regards sent from the main room.

    As a matter of fact, it was against the rule. However, King Xuan¡¯s order overrode it. Otherwise, Mo Xuetong might feel angry at the sight of those people.

    Mo Yu and other maidservants became more satisfied with Feng Yuran and thought theirdy was so lucky to marry King Xuan, the one who loved her so much.

    Therefore, Mo Yu would not want to let the two coquettishdies of the He Family enter the manor.

    Because she was afraid they would ruin the rtionship between Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong!

    Therefore, Mo Yu nned to drive them back after finishing the words.

    ¡°Just let them in. Anyway, it¡¯s the maternal family of the king. It will be bad if it is spread out.¡± Mo Xuetong said indifferently, as she sat up and sat down in front of the makeup mirror supported by Mo Lan.

    Last time, Feng Yuran felt better, so he invited them to the manor. Then, a message came from Fu General Manor that something happened to Luo Mingzhu. So they just met for a while without saying anything more. Butter, Feng Yuran¡¯s uncles brought their daughters to ask to see Feng Yuran every day. But he happened to be busy at that time, and even was not at home, so he always used it as an excuse to refuse them.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that the two cousins would find her directly, even note with their fathers. So it was inexcusable that she refused to see them this time.

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and lead them to the parlor. Mo Yu, go to prepare some tea.¡± Mo Xuetong instructed.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The two maidservants retired.

    She needed to figure out some things before deciding what to do next.

    Not long after Mo Xuetong arrived at the parlor, did He Yufen and He Yuxiu arrived, too.

    He Yufen was the daughter of the eldest brother of the He family while He Yufen was the one of the second eldest brother. So they were almost at the same age, but He Yufen was superior to He Yuxiu. They two looked quite beautiful with pink tender faces and shy cheeks. Their lovely and shy appearances were rather attractive.

    ¡°Yufen pays respects to my sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Yuxiu pays respects to my sister-inw.¡± The two walked in front of Mo Xuetong and bowed in salute prettily.

    Only judging from their current appearances, He Yufen behaved decently, and He Yuxiu appeared more active, ncing at the furnishings around with glowing eyes, so she looked delicate and cute.

    ¡°Two young sisters, why so courteous? Please take a seat.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a polite smile and asked the maidservants to prepare seats and serve tea.

    ¡°Thank you, my sister-inw. It is so beautiful here with a typical royal style. Sister-inw, you are really blessed.¡± He Yuxiu smiled innocently and looked around with a cute expression.

    ¡°Second sister, behave yourself. Sister-inw is here.¡± He Yufen hissed at her.

    ¡°Behave yourself? Sister-inw is here. What if she¡¯s not here? Interesting!¡±

    ¡°Elder sister...¡± He Yuxiu felt grieved and took on a pitiful and teary look.

    ¡°Yufen, don¡¯t mind. Make yourselffortable just like at home. Mo Lan, serve some delicate dessert to the two cousindies.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    Mo Lan took the order and retreated, and then, served the dessert in a moment. Looking at the delicate dessert, He Yuxiu could not help asking, ¡°Sister-inw, it is really nice here, not only with resplendent furniture, but also such exquisite dessert. Can Ie here every day?¡±

    She looked so tender and simple, as if she hadn¡¯t known what the words e here every day¡± meant.

    A cousin who should get married lived in her infamous cousin¡¯s house. Could she go out?

    ¡°Second sister, what did you say? How can sister-inw have so much time with you?¡± He Yufen said, displeased, and turned her head to Mo Xuetong and made an apology, ¡°Sister-inw, my second sister is too innocent to know the world. Please forgive her.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She is just a kid.¡± Mo Xuetong followed the remarks and answered.

    ¡°Eldest sister, see, sister-inw is so great. She said it didn¡¯t matter, which means she has promised me toe here every day. Sister-inw, you are so great, greater than my eldest sister.¡± He Yuxiu pouted her nose to He Yufen cutely, as if putting on a rival show against her.

    These two people, one ying the hero and the other ying the viin, meshed perfectly. Mo Xuetong could not help sighing inwardly that the He family did have many talents.

    ¡°Two sisters, what can I do for you? Why are you so nervous? Didn¡¯t you say that you are ready to return to your hometown?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a smile.

    The words of returning hometown were mentioned when they metst time. But months had passed, and they did not take any action. Their excuse was really needed to change. ¡°What will they make a scene for this time?¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, we won¡¯t return hometown now. My senior uncle has set a marriage for my eldest sister in the capital. It wastes a lot of time for one turn. So my senior uncle said we¡¯d better stay in the capital. Therefore, I will have a lot of time toe to the manor to apany sister-inw.¡± He Yuxiu answered without any thought, as she was enjoying the dessert.

    He Yufen got flushed at the words and lowered her head in shame immediately without speaking.

    Getting engagement in the capital? It was getting more and more interesting.

    ¡°Then youe here today for?¡± Mo Xuetong followed to ask and took a sip of the tea from the table to conceal the smartness at the bottom of her eyes.

    He Yufen was sent by the He family to curry favor with Feng Yuran. Such a beauty who had been used to mend the rtionship broken for many years got engaged now?

    ¡°My senior uncle wants to ask my cousin if he can allow my eldest sister to marry from King Xuan¡¯s Manor. If so, we will gain face. And once my eldest sister marries there, she will not be bullied.¡± He Yuxiu twittered and even came to Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears and said warmly, ¡°Sister-inw, my eldest sister is too bashful to ask you, so I will say it for her.¡±

    After saying the words, He Yuxiu grinned with an innocent and inattentive look.

    The words brought gloom on the faces of the maidservants around. ¡°How daring the He family is! Marry from our manor? Can they deserve the status?¡±

    ¡°It is not possible, as the royal rules are here that only the members of the royal family can marry from here. I am afraid that the two sisters are not allowed.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled apologetically and avoided quietly He Yuxiu¡¯sing close, and said to Mo Lan, ¡°Let second miss choose her favorite desserts and send the desserts in double to themter.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Lan took the order, invited He Yuxiu to sit back with a smile, and then asked what her favorite desserts were.

    He Yuxiu returned to her seat smilingly. After pointing some, she turned around and said anxiously, ¡°Sister-inw, well, what should we do now? My eldest sister wants to marry in the capital, but doesn¡¯t have the ce. What should we do? It would be settled if we were at home. At least, there are several residences there...¡±

    Speaking of residences, He Yuxiu brightened her eyes to look at Mo Xuetong suddenly and said, ¡°Sister-inw, do you have any residence avable now? How about letting us stay there first? It is not so good to always live in the hotel. Besides wasting money, it may create idle talks about my cousin that such a great king has no way but to let his uncles live in the hotel.¡±

    After that, she added in grieve, ¡°It seemed tock family love, anyway.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled and listened to her speaking word by word. She looked at He Yuxiu¡¯s animated face. Normally speaking, a girl at 15 or 16 years old had been engaged. He Yuxiu was so clever and beautiful, and even could adopt a sweet look of suffering. Obviously, the He family had spent a lot cultivating her who could speak so smoothly without missing a single circumstance.

    However, any superficial innocence could not hide the greed and hypocrisy in her eyes.

    She was calmly telling Mo Xuetong that if they still lived outside, it would be bad. And the rumors that the King Xuan¡¯s Manor was so ruthless to arrange the uncles to live outside might spread, which would tarnish King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s reputation, especially at the moment when Feng Yuran was ¡°abandoning the depraved way of life and returning to the path of virtue¡±, and no gossip could be caused.

    What perfect timing!

    ¡°It is true that there is a house. If uncles and cousins are willing, I will ask servants to lead you there.¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently as she smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you so much, sister-inw.¡± He Yuxiu could not hide hercency, but soon put on an innocent smile instead with a face of joy.

    ¡°Thank you, sister-inw!¡± He Yufen bowed bashfully to thank Mo Xuetong in a courteous manner, behaving with decorum.

 Chapter 367 - Tricks by the He sisters

    <h4><strong>Chapter 367 Tricks by the He sisters</strong></h4>

    After achieving their objectives, the two sisters did not linger and said their goodbyes to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°My Lady, they did it purposefully.¡± Mo Yuined unhappily while she kept the tea set.

    ¡°You saw through that too? Mo Yu is smarter and smarter now.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled as she asked.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯spliment, Mo Yu could not help butugh proudly. But the thought of the intentions of He sisters made her face swell up in anger again.

    ¡°Of course I saw through it, the He sisters¡¯ intentions to live inside here or they would tarnish His Highness¡¯ reputation was written all over their faces.¡± Mo Yuined angrily for herdy¡¯s sake.

    The two sisters were indeed shameless. They pretended to be aristocrats but came personally to talk about their marriage, something that was too crude for any aristocraticdies. The two looked around in greed at the objects in the manor, and were all about to drool! The two cooperated shamelessly and seamlessly to achieve their shameless goal of entering the manor.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed not easy for Mo Yu to see through that!¡± Mo Xuetong mocked her.

    On the other side, Mo Lanughed uncontrobly, with Mo Ye lowering her head to hide herughter too.Read more new novels on

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s so funny? Did y¡¯all not understand that.¡± Mo Yu turned around to ask Mo Lan as she didn¡¯t know why she wasughing. She blinked her eyes in confusion.

    Then, everyone smiled and Mo Xuetong wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

    ¡°How can a smartdy like ourdy not understand when you can.¡± Mo Lan exined, smiling.

    Seeing how everyoneughed, Mo Yu finally understood what happened andmented, ¡°My Lady, you are bullying your servant! I am merely afraid that you will fall for their tricks.¡±

    After speaking, she stared at Mo Lan to hide her embarrassment in her anger. She had already packed up the tea set and she was about to leave.

    ¡°Alright, I know Mo Yu did it for my good and was conscious over them for my sake. Mo Yu, tell me, why do you think they want to live in a side garden of the manor. Is it really to have a ce to stay before their marriage?¡± Mo Xuetong extended her hand to hold Mo Yu¡¯s hand, the corner of her eyes inexplicably filled with smiles.

    However, her face turned solemn at once! She returned to the topic as she knew Mo Yu would be mad with embarrassment if she continued mocking her.

    ¡°I think that they wanted to live here to meet His Highness coincidentally so as to enter our manor.¡± Seeing that her miss stopped making fun of her, asking for her advice instead, she ced down the tea set and pondered about it before answering. She believed that their lengthy methods were all to secure a ce in the manor.

    ¡°My Lady, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily the case. His Highness does not visit the side gardens and periphery houses, and they knew that His Highness was never interested in them. Hence, they will have no chance with His Highness even if they live there for a year. Therefore, I believe that they are scheming other things.¡± Mo Lan answered after thinking carefully for a moment.

    The situation before and theck of familiarity meant that the prince would not be interested in them. When he was not in power, they were nowhere to be seen. However, they all came ttering him when he gained power, rushing and begging to enter the side garden. That was indeed interesting.

    Mo Xuetong nodded her head in approval. Mo Lan was indeed more thoughtful than the rest. On the surface, the two sisters came in joyously. However, their joy made little sense since they knew that Feng Yuran was not interested in them. That made their intentionsplicated. Their objective was indeed mysterious if their main intention was not to enter the manor.

    Why exactly did theye here to deliver such a speech!

    If this happened before, Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong would not be interested in them since he required a poor reputation as his facade. However, the situation had changed since then. After his recovery, he was slowly returning to the right path, slowly entering the court and slowly administering policy matters, moving away from the numerous women in his back garden. He shouldn¡¯t be surrounded by scandals now!

    At this juncture, the suggestion for the two sisters to move to the side garden was too coincidental!

    They struck at almost the perfect timing, a timing that was impossible to grasp without a keen sense of political sensitivity.

    Her thoughtful smile slowly turned into a smirk.

    She was not disdainful of the two sisters but the two sisters did perform indecent actions. They wanted to live in the side gardens of a prince¡¯s manor for their marriage. However, she pondered if the groom would be deserving of such a blessing.

    ¡°Mo Ye, ask Mo Feng to go to the side garden in the western city to monitor their family. Report to me if anything is amiss.¡± Mo Xuetong gave her order casually. ¡°Please investigate and find out who this first cousin is marrying. How can she request to be married from His Highness¡¯ manor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I shall tend to it immediately.¡± Mo Ye replied before she retreated.

    She had always been a quiet girl and was usually replying to orders instead of talking. She could seem a little cold and indifferent especially when no one was around, and there was no need to pretend. However, after having followed Mo Xuetong for a long while, she smiled more now and seemed a little more human.

    ¡°My Lady, did you suspect that someone sent them here?¡± Mo Lan blinked her eyes and asked, frowning.

    ¡°If not, their arrival is too coincidental!¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and replied. Mo Yu helped her up and whispered, ¡°Should we tell His Highness?¡±

    Feng Yuran was indeed busy these days, even sleeping directly in Jinwei Hall sometimes as if his back garden were merely a decoration. He restricted people from reaching him in ces other than Mo Xuetong¡¯s main garden. Mo Yu and Mo Lan had been extremely satisfied with Feng Yuran¡¯s behavior as they knew that theirdy took entire control of the back garden. However, since the matter today involved the two cousins from his uncle¡¯s family, they had to be careful.

    Even though their prince did despise them, their blood rtions were impossible to break!

    ¡°Mo Lan, inform Steward Wangter that His Highness has two cousins who intend to enter our side garden for their marriage. Ask His Highness toe over when he is free.¡± Mo Xuetong ordered Mo Lan.

    Feng Yuran was missing these two days and she decided to inform him through Steward Wang. She was still unclear over certain matters and would like to discuss it with Feng Yuran directly.

    Feng Yuran came in the night that day. After he arrived, he chased everyone out before pushing Mo Xuetong, who rose to greet him, onto the bed. His handsome eyes blinked as he asked joyously, ¡°Did you miss me, Tong¡¯er?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not expect him to pounce on her without even speaking a word. Under his broad chest, her chubby white face turned red, making her more seductive. She bit her lips in embarrassment before pushing him,ining, ¡°No! Where did you go these two days! You didn¡¯t even tell me!¡± Even though her words were tough, her voice became softer and softer, as if she was moaning.

    She blushed even more when she heard her own voice and decided to instead bite his chest to hide her shyness.

    The slight pain on his chest meant nothing but to give him an itchy and numb feeling. He saw her seductive face and felt his heart turn sweet and tender. He did feel that his woman turned more adorable after not seeing her for two days and hence decided to press onto her without even speaking, using his slim lips to kiss the pair of attractive and lovely cherry lips.

    There was no point in talking at this moment!

    He did miss her greatly after not seeing her for two days!

    Her soft and fragrant body was under his body as Mo Xuetong¡¯s slight fragrance entered his heart through his nostrils. His entire nervous system and the whole body rxed at that smell. It was indeed true what the ancestors said about how holding a beauty in one¡¯s arms was like holding a piece of precious jade.

    That¡¯s especially true since the beauty was someone he loved dearly, and that made Feng Yuran excited, sweeping his two days of fatigue away, with only her soft flowery lips in his sight.

    He did not allow Mo Xuetong to dodge, kissing using his soft wet lips. He held her tightly using his strong muscr arms as he showered his woman with his numerous kisses. The hard and rough kisses under his lips and tongue brought out his passion and enthusiasm, his deepest love and heartache...

    Deep and rapid breathing came from within the room. That was Mo Xuetong panicking and Feng Yuran suppressing.

    Her hands were pressed over her head by hisrge palm. He slipped into the nket she was leaning against, with her breasts pressing against his chest. Mo Xuetong panicked as she felt his excitement.

    He did promise, that he would not...

    She was a wife in her previous life too and thus she knew what was happening. She was anxious and was at a loss for what to do. When she finally had a chance to breathe, she breathed in heavily and was about to talk before she was showered by hot bleeding kisses once more. Her initial resistance had faded away, turning her heart softer, from ice to water.

    She was no longer as cold and as nonchnt as she was before.

    When her shoulders were kissed, Mo Xuetong finally had the chance to talk. ¡°Yuran, you, you cannot...¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± A hoarse voice came from her shoulder. Feng Yuran was breathing heavily, resting there with his eyes closed. He then realized that he made the most foolish mistake in allowing her to pay her filial respects. This abstinence would be impossible to sustain as he would die from enduring it. No, he had to think of a way to initiate sex earlier.

    Also, he needed to get rid of the poison early too!

    Thinking about the poison on Mo Xuetong¡¯s body, Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes darkened as the passion in his heart receded!

    ¡°You did it even though you knew...¡± Mo Xuetongined in anger and embarrassment. This man was indeed reckless to have acted in this way even though he knew that the two should not touch each other.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er seduced me.¡± Feng Yuran closed his eyes andposed his breathing, retorting with confidence.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? Didn¡¯t you call me here? This will not have happened if you didn¡¯t ask me toe!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was dull and hoarse as he spoke dumb phrases. His rationality was indeed frustrating!

    ¡°I asked you toe for proper matters.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s breath was stifled under his body but she dared not move much for fear of evoking his lust. She had stayed with him before and knew that he was enduring himself and controlling his body. Even though she knew that he was extremely well-disciplined, she didn¡¯t know how much he could control himself anymore.

    That made her a little guilty as the two were married and sexual matters were inevitable. If he did force himself upon her, she could not do much. However, he always stopped at the most critical juncture without making her situation worse. Even though he did take advantage of her from time to time, he never did...

    A question popped up into her head. Would he develop any illness from enduring?

    This question made her face burn and turn bright red out of embarrassment. No, she could not do this any longer. She needed to find a topic to discuss and distract him. His masculine warm body on her shoulder made her mind go nk for a long while before she realized why she asked him over.

    Embarrassed and annoyed, she said, ¡°The He sisters wanted to live in our... side garden... the one at the western gate!¡±

 Chapter 368 - The Masterminds Behind A Simple Wedding

    <strong>Chapter 368 The Masterminds Behind A Simple Wedding</strong>

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just let them stay, it¡¯s empty anyway.¡± His hoarse voice brought out the unconsciousziness within. Mo Xuetong felt that his manhood was still and thus dared not move much, allowing her breast to be pressed under him and her limbs to be controlled by his hands.

    ¡°But...¡± If this continued, she would be crushed!

    ¡°No buts! Turns out my uncle wasn¡¯t as simple as I thought.¡± Feng Yuran flipped over from her body and released his hands on her. His breathing rxed as he kissed her hairs softly, a tinge of mockery in hiszy voice.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± Mo Xuetong understood what he meant and turned around too. She blinked her clear pupils and widened her eyes, asking anxiously.

    ¡°Do you know who will be marrying the eldest daughter of He family?¡± Feng Yuran blinked his eyes deviously, a seductive smile appearing on his enchanting face, mockery amidst his devilish aura. ¡°You know him.¡±

    A man that she knew. Mo Xuetong believed that she didn¡¯t know many men, especially one that was as prestigious as implied by the He family. She frowned and pondered on the possibilities.

    It was impossible for the man to be You Yuecheng. With his cunning nature, he would not be stirring up trouble now. Anyway, he would not be interested in that pair of sisters.

    Who else could it be?

    Raising his bright eyes, Mo Xuetong stared at him with dissatisfaction. She pinched his waist and pretended to be angry. ¡°Say, who is it!¡± Her tender and sweet voice made her seem to be flirting rather than demanding. Hence, she turned shy after saying and instead decided to enter his arms. She took his long slender hand and bit him gently.

    ¡°Yu Mingyong!¡± Feng Yuran touched her hair with care, a tinge of hatred shing across his eyes.

    That was a man who had been interested in Tong¡¯er!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Yu Mingyong sick?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned and slipped out from Feng Yuran¡¯s arms. She blinked her eyes and asked in confusion as she could not understand what had happened.

    ¡°Ever since Consort Yu came out of the Cold Pce, Yu Mingyong recovered from his sickness. The changes in her circumstances were tied with his sickness; such a good coincidence!¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a brief moment before understanding the situation. Holding hisrge hand, she then asked in a cold tone, ¡°Is the Yu family still unsatisfied? They wanted to rise using Consort Yu¡¯s status?¡±

    In the Yu family, be it Yu Sirong, Auntie Fang or the Old Madam from Yu family, no one was truly benevolent. How could such a family not rely on as theirst straw of hope ¡ª Consort Yu. Mo Xuetong was not surprised that the Yu family interfered in the matters of Consort Yu. She was merely curious about the confidence the family had on the Consort Yu¡¯s rise in status to help Yu Mingyong in his ns.Read more new novels on

    She wouldn¡¯t mind dealing with the Yu family again for she would never forgive Auntie Fang!

    Feeling her stress and rigidness, Feng Yuran touched her cheeks twice gently, calming her down. ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious. There will be plenty of times for your revengeter. Now that the Yu family is involved, they won¡¯t be able to retract themselves from this drama so easily. No matter what happened, you have me and I will be here to protect you.¡±

    His low hoarse voice brought out noticeable care and concern that flowed gently into Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. The rigid and hard portion of her heart turned soft and tender again. He was right. She wasn¡¯t alone now. She had someone to guard her against the danger outside, someone to apany her through the blessing and the trouble.

    The pain in her previous life would not appear again!

    This time, she didn¡¯t push his hand away, but instead rubbed her tiny face on his giant palm, bringing out her bitterness and sadness.

    His concern for her had always been unconditional!

    How could it be? How could someone love her so much without her using any tricks or plotting? He was truly who he was, the magnificent and charismatic King Xuan.

    ¡°Who is behind the Yu family?¡± Supported by his palm, Mo Xuetong asked gently.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is indeed so smart!¡± Feng Yuran sighed.

    ¡°Do you not like it!¡± Mo Xuetong stared at him seductively, pursing her lips and feigning displeasure.

    ¡°I like it, of course, I like it! With such a beauty as Tong¡¯er, I am extremely satisfied!¡± Seeing that even though her face turned red, she spoke with great affection, Feng Yuran felt intense joy as his lips curved into a devilish smile. Satisfied, he exined, ¡°Consort Yu is on Empress Dowager¡¯s side. She can¡¯t have thought that her brother¡¯s Yu family is on my eldest brother¡¯s side.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side? Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered how Mo Xuemin and Yu Mingyong had a conflict in the pce that day. At first, Yu Mingyong insisted that Mo Xuemin was the one before changing his mind and exining that it was a misunderstanding. Thinking about it now, she had many questions regarding this matter. With the personality of Yu Mingyong and the status of Consort Yu as a doted concubine, it would be hard for him to change his mind and assume responsibility.

    At that time, Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin all belonged to Feng Yuxuan. With Qin Yufeng settling the matter, Yu Mingyong naturally changed his mind!

    It seemed that Yu Mingyong had been one of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s men long ago!

    ¡°Why will he want to marry He Yufen?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned and asked eagerly.

    Even though Yu Mingyong was an extravagant aristocrat, his status would not warrant him marrying any ordinary woman. With the He family was based outside of the imperial city and holding a lowly official position, it seemed strange that Yu Mingyong, or rather Consort Yu, would be interested in them. As the sole younger brother of Consort Yu, she would have the final say on his marriage, and it seemed strange that she would approve this.

    ¡°There are some twists and turns going on. Don¡¯t worry, I will settle this affair. It seemed quite alright to lend them the side garden in the western city. However, don¡¯t disturb them and allow them to do whatever they want for it doesn¡¯t concern us. Even if anything happens, they can¡¯t fault us for it. Everyone knows the intention of my uncle, who only came to my side now.¡± Feng Yuran exined coldly. He didn¡¯t expect that this extravagant kid would be interested in his matters.

    It¡¯s fine for them to stay in his side garden. Feng Yuran was never afraid of someone who tried to suppress him by using filial piety. If they did anything despicable, he would have no qualms disregarding blood rtions at all. After all, he was unrted to them both in blood and in emotions. Even if they were rted by blood, Feng Yuran did not see them as family.

    He would not be soft if he struck!

    ¡°What if the sisterse over?¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and asked. That girl said that she woulde and apany her every day. She seemed to have not given up on Feng Yuran, thinking about him even till today. That¡¯s understandable considering Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face, which created much trouble. Even a calm and calcting woman like Ling Fengyan would be mesmerized by that, and much so more for the little vige girl He Yuxiu to be seduced by him.

    Thinking of that suddenly made her depressed! What¡¯s the use of this man¡¯s handsome face!

    It could only attract women!

    Unconsciously, her mouth pursed. ¡°Seriously, you keep attracting women here. They said that they woulde to see you often from now on. Do you still want people for your back garden? Just send them there to prevent them froming over and snooping around.¡±

    She said it unconsciously and became gloomier after speaking her mind. Why did trouble keeping when there were already so many unresolved problems in the back garden!

    Feng Yuran found the key point in Mo Xuetong¡¯s depressed words. He couldn¡¯t contain his smile as he reached over to pinch her chin, which had turned away. ¡°Why? Angry? Jealous?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. It will be a great help to me if Your Highness can stop attracting women from outside. Come, look at your back garden. There are all sorts of people inside, even aristocraticdies. I heard that they had been creating trouble these few days. They seemed to believe that I did control you these few days. Your Highness, if you are free, do go and take a look. Don¡¯t let them think that your love for them has been gone even before they age, giving you a reputation for being heartless.¡±

    She spoke faster and faster, louder and louder, even sitting upright unconsciously. Towards the end, she felt more and more wronged and was about to cry.

    ¡°Why? Did someone bully you?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s gentle smile disappeared as a harsh glimmer shed across his bright eyes. He was the one who selected the women into his back garden. Every type of woman was present, including aristocraticdies. However, he never cared about them since they wanted to enter the manor themselves. Anyway, they couldn¡¯t enter any other ces other than the piece ofnd at the back of the manor.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Xuetongined unhappily as her tiny mouth pursed more, uttering some indecipherable words. Hearing his words of concern and feeling his warm hug made her feel that her anger was unjustified. He had already exined to her about the women in the back garden, and it was nothing like what she imagined it to be. It was indeed unreasonable to bother him with this matter.

    She asked Xiann and Nanny Chen to be in charge of the back garden. One of them was his nanny since birth while the other was the head of nannies, and had been in charge of the back garden before her arrival. The garden behind was independent of where she stayed, and Feng Yuran prohibited them from entering the front part of the manor. Their matters shouldn¡¯t be of her concern, but rumors spread that as the proper wife, she discriminated against the concubines and hogged on to Feng Yuran, preventing him from seeing them.

    They even said that his love for them broke down before they even turned old.

    ¡°If rumorse from within the back garden, do investigate. If they are creating trouble, just chase them out!¡± Feng Yuran hugged her back. The tiny body and her depressedints all showed her youth. He became even tenderer for her as he kissed on her hair,forting her.

    He didn¡¯t expect this tiny woman to be so insistent when jealous. While he was surprised, his mood turned better. After he had settled his matters, he would help Tong¡¯er with problems of the back garden, preventing her from getting a bad reputation for controlling him. However, it wasn¡¯t time now. He had to use them for his means...

    Mo Xuetong calmed down now andid on his body, turning to look at him as she breathed out, her curved eyshes blinking. She suddenly discovered that she had forgotten something important. Biting her lips, she turned around regretfully and raised her head. ¡°Should I trace the rumors?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Tong¡¯er, your hubby has to rely on you for the matters in the back garden!¡± Looking at her bright and seductive eyes, her cuteness was stunning to the bones. Feng Yuran pinched her nose and smiled dotingly.

    ¡°I shan¡¯t hold back then, hubby!¡± It was apanied by sweet and seductiveughter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, Tong¡¯er! Do it for your hubby!¡± Laughter erupted from his mouth too, full ofziness and tenderness.

 Chapter 369 - The Mystery Surrounding the Past Affairs of Queen Jin

    <strong>Chapter 369 The Mystery Surrounding the Past Affairs of Queen Jin</strong>

    This was no normal dispute between consorts and the proper wife since the main nanny of the house heard rumors from the tightly restricted back garden. It seemed that the Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s Manor was not invulnerable even though his own Jinwei Hall did seem like to be a solid stronghold.

    In dealing with these people, Mo Xuetong would not be kind and gentle for she was defeated in her previous life because of her kindness. When she let her opponents off, she was harmed in return again and again. If she used harsher methods once she entered Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, and beat all those who created trouble or chased all of them out, none of the following troubles would have urred.

    At that time, her maternal family was holding a high status, and no one dared to oppose her.

    Hence, this was a great opportunity to punish and beat up a group of people. She had the idea long ago but was merely finding a suitable opportunity.

    Even though Mo Xuetong came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor as his proper wife, it was not convenient for her to intervene in many matters. Fortunately, Steward Wang took care of the many matters that Feng Yuran was not interested in dealing with. She wanted to chase those annoying people out and get rid of them! This was perfect timing to do so.

    Following that, she handled the matter down to Steward Wang.

    Mo Xuetong rxed as well. She continued sleeping and embroidering day after day, tending to her flowers from time to time. Life was good and medicine was still made day after day. Even though Mo Xuetong was reluctant, Feng Yuran used all the methods to send the medicine down her throat, even forcing her at times. This made her depressed every time she needed to take medication.

    In the end, in order to not bother Feng Yuran, she drank the medicine with her lips pursed every time!

    ¡°My Lady, He Xia has something to report to you.¡± Mo Lan entered, holding a white porcin cup containing the chicken soup just cooked for Mo Xuetong. Feng Yuran specially ordered his chefs to put herbs like wolfberry inside to help Mo Xuetong¡¯s body recover after taking her medicine. However, the taste of the herbs was too strong, making Mo Xuetong unwilling to drink it.Read more new novels on

    However, seeing how Mo Lan handed over the medicine firmly, Mo Xuetong sighed in unwillingness. She took the cup over with her bare hands before looking at the chicken soup with eyes of disgust. It was indeed ufortable to even look at the soup. She pondered on Feng Yuran¡¯s intentions in sending her both the herbal chicken and the numerous medicines as if she were really so fragile that she would copse at the slight tinge of wind. Now, drinking the chicken soup was like drinking Chinese herbal medicine, making her vastly uninterested.

    However, it would be to disregard Feng Yuran¡¯s concern for her if she chose not to drink it. Mo Xuetong held up the porcin cup gloomily and started gulping down on the soup. The soup smelled and tasted bad but Mo Xuetong eximed at the freshness of the ingredients, which gave off a thick fresh smell. However, it would be disgusting to drink the same soup every day. She made a mental note to talk to Feng Yuran about this the next day. She ced the cup aside after finishing more than half the soup. cing the soup aside, she cleansed her lips with the handkerchief and replied.

    ¡°Let He Xiae in and report.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I shall bring her in now.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong finished the chicken soup in one gulp, Mo Lan smiled as she started collecting the bowls and the chopsticks. She was happy as it was rare that her miss finished the soup without making a fuss, drinking it so obediently. His Highness must be happy upon hearing that.

    He Xia and Mother Xu followed Mo Xuetong into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mother Xu¡¯s son was the head of the Mo Xuetong¡¯s vige and was about to have a son after his marriage. Hence, Mother Xu went back to her hometown to tend to her grandson, leaving soon after Mo Xuetong¡¯s marriage.

    He Xia¡¯s role in the manor was to monitor Shopkeeper Xing of the Xiuning Workshop. She should be back here to report on Xiuning Workshop¡¯s matter. It had been a long time since Shopkeeper Xing acted. The mysterious man never appeared as if nothing had happened.

    Mo Xuetong naturally did not believe that it was supernatural and hence asked He Xia to monitor the situation. He Xia was a smart girl and she had seen the man before, making her the most possible person to recognize him.

    ¡°My Lady, I saw the man.¡± As the pearl curtains were lifted open, He Xia came in with a pale face, kneeling in front of Mo Xuetong as she reported.

    ¡°Where is that man now?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned solemn as she straightened her body to ask him. Having been searching for so long, it was the first time that Mo Xuetong heard such news, and hence she ced great emphasis on the matter.

    The man was not backed by normal forces for even the trained Mo Ye could not find him. He was no ordinary man!

    ¡°My Lady, I saw him right at the shop in that alley. I immediately went to where he disappeared to wait for him and saw him walking into a bodyguard shop. He went in through the backdoor and seemed familiar with both the people at the backdoor and inside the shop. I dared not ask the people inside and merely observed from a corner, but I was sure he was from that shop.¡± He Xia took a deep breath and reported affirmatively.

    She knew that it was impossible for her to follow the person given his martial arts skills. Hence, she used the stupidest method of waiting where the man disappeared until he appeared again.

    ¡°Did he not discover you?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯srge watery eyes blinked as she asked him. Since the man was so familiar with those inside the bodyguard agency, it was not the first day that he had hidden inside there. If he was really affiliated with Mother, the time would be longer. Her mother had Xiuning Workshop in her possession for more than 10 years.

    After her mother died, Xiuning Workshop did not turn chaotic. Hence, she should not alert the enemy now!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, My Lady. I am merely a little servant resting there. Different people from all sorts of upations travel in and out of the area, and many are little servants like me. Furthermore, I dared not follow him and did not even enter the bodyguard agency, merely observing outside the shop. Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t discover me.¡± He Xia exined for she was concerned that Mo Xuetong would be worried.

    ¡°You did well, He Xia. There is no need to monitor the situation now. Serve me first and I will give you other instructionster.¡± Mo Xuetong made up her mind in an instant. In her house now, there were merely three maidservants, and it was convenient for He Xia to serve her when she was originally the head maidservant of her mother.

    Even though He Xia was indeed quite old, Mo Xuetong dared not release her until her mother¡¯s matters were fully resolved. She had to wait until things were clearer.

    She said apologetically, ¡°He Xia, you were the head maidservant beside my mother. I should have released you, but now...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t want to go. I will follow My Lady.¡± Unexpectedly, He Xia¡¯s face turned even paler as she heard the words. She pulled onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s skirt and begged anxiously.

    Ever since Mother died, He Xiacked support and her fellow sisters either turned crazy or died, as if a wave of misfortune followed them. Hearing that Mo Xuetong wanted to release her now, she was frightened to her core. Shivering, she pulled onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes tightly, refusing to let go. Two trails of tear flowed down her eyes as she cried. ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t chase me away. Don¡¯t chase me away.¡±

    Seeing her fright, Mo Xuetong understood that she had misunderstood her words. She looked at Mo Lan who immediately understood what she meant. Mo Lan came forth to pull He Xia up, exining, ¡°Sister He Xia, you misunderstood. How could My Lady not want you anymore? You were the only head maidservant of her mother; how could she not care about you? What My Lady meant was that it would be inconvenient for Sister He Xia to get married now, so she had to dy your marriage. How could a smart woman like you not understand what My Lady truly meant!¡±

    She exined with great rity and He Xia¡¯s pale face blushed with embarrassment. She wanted to kneel down to pay respect to Mo Xuetong but was stopped by Mo Lan. She could then only look at Mo Xuetong with excitement, ¡°My Lady, there is no need to worry about my matters. I do not want to marry! I only want to help My Lady, to help Madam to take care of her daughter!¡±

    As she spoke, her face turned sadder and sadder as she was choked with emotions. After she finished her speech, tears fell down from her face.

    When she thought about her mother, Mo Xuetong also felt sad and was at a loss for words.

    Seeing that both of them had a gloomy demeanor, Mo Lan interjected and joked around. ¡°Since sister He Xia does not want to marry, My Lady can save the money for the dowries. Sister He Xia is indeed considerate for My Lady. She was stillining yesterday about theck of money for daily use, and was threatening to take some from her servants!¡±

    This was extremely funny and even the sad Mo Xuetong was amused by her joke. She chided, ¡°Now I can take money off your dowries for my daily use! Alright, you shall not marry in the future either and apany me. That will save me plenty of dowries too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to marry, to begin with.¡± Mo Lan blushed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s joke. She turned around and pretended to collect things and reply casually but she could not hide the blush on her face, and that made He Xia chuckle as well.

    After Mo Lan sent He Xia away, Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and entered deep thought. Now she was 100% sure that those men belonged to her mother, or rather gifted to her mother by King Jin. Thinking about the situation in Fu General Manor, she believed that what happened back then was as such.

    King Jin was met with trouble and had to send King Jin¡¯s consort away. The pregnant consort escaped to Fu General Manor for whatever reason, where her grandmother was also pregnant, or perhaps had already given birth. However, the kid died and hence she kept King Jin Manor¡¯s child on her side, treating her as if she were her own child.

    That deserted and hidden courtyard was where King Jin¡¯s consort stayed before. However, how the consort died and what happened to her men after her death was mysterious. Did none of them remain behind? Were there any pieces of evidence left behind in Fu General Manor.

    Perhaps King Jin¡¯s consort didn¡¯t die. But if she didn¡¯t die, where would she be? Would she know if her mother was already dead? If she didn¡¯t die, what would she do...

    Perhaps the matter urred like this. Even though King Jin died from his fight for the throne, his men didn¡¯tpletely die out, with a portion hidden away. That portion could belong to Xiuning Workshop, or to other ces! Did Mother control these men, or did anyone else?

    The numerous clues made Mo Xuetong feel a heavy weight on her heart. She did understand some issues, but others remained even more unclear.

    One of the mysteries was regarding what happened before. Since the Emperor suspected King Jin¡¯s consort had escaped, why did he not search the entire world for her? It would not be difficult to arrest a pregnant woman without any support. Why did the past emperor not act upon it? Was he not afraid of the possibility that King Jin¡¯s consort would give birth to a son to avenge him and snatch Great Qin from his hands!

    Or did the past emperor always know that King Jin¡¯s consort gave birth to a daughter? If he knew that Fu General Manor was helping King Jin, how could he forgive Fu General Manor? During the cleansing after the snatch for the throne, how did Fu General Manor escape from it? In that case, the past emperor knew nothing about it.

    If he knew nothing, then why was Mother always so anxious as if danger was right ahead of them. She was worried even in Cloud City. Also, why did Mother enter into such a hasty marriage arrangement with Bai Yihao¡¯s mother? Her mother was definitely in a weaker position in that marriage and Mo Xuetong found that to be not simple!

    Was there anotheryer of rtionship between the two that could not be conveyed to the outsiders!

    There was ayer of the rtionship between Mother and Bai Yihao that made it impossible for Mother not to arrange that one-sided marriage between the two even though she was weaker.

    Mo Xuetong could not think of a reason as she massaged her head to relieve herself of the headache. She breathed out and believed that the matter would not be so simple!

    There was way more to the matter than she had originally imagined, involving people even in bodyguard agencies. She needed to be meticulous and patient in searching and investigating. She believed that the matter had much more to do with her, which would erupt one day, throwing her to the depths of despair...

    Hence, regardless of the situation, she needed to seize the opportunity and figure everything out.

    As she was touching her head and thinking, Mo Yu charged inside her room in a panic, even ignoring a few beautiful peach branches in her hand. She shouted anxiously, ¡°My Lady, no, no, hurry, take a look, something happened... to His Highness!¡±

    Did something happen to Feng Yuran?

    Mo Xuetong was stunned as she shot up from her bed, her face extremely pale as her voice trembled. ¡°Yes, His... Highness. What happened... to His Highness?¡±

    Holding the corner of the table, she almost could not support herself as she felt her world engulfed by darkness as she turned dizzy. With the tense political situation, could Feng Yuran, the prominent prince now, really be hurt!

    Who plotted against him again!

 Chapter 370 - The Sudden Visit by Lady of Xian

    <strong>Chapter 370 The Sudden Visit by Lady of Xian</strong>

    Feng Yuran was indeed met with an ident. He fell down from his horse and injured his leg. Even though it was fortunate that this did not make his disabled, he still had to rest for a few days at home due to his prestigious status as a prince. Furthermore, the imperial doctor stated that his leg could really be disabled if he did not rest well!

    The entire King Xuan¡¯s Manor was immediately on high alert as good medications and herbs were sent into the manor consistently. Even the imperial pce sent bountiful amounts of medications to King Xuan¡¯s Manor as they were afraid of any mishaps happening to the doted prince of the Emperor, for no one could take responsibility for his injury.

    Some were sad, some were disappointed, but others were delighted!

    This matter happening at this crucial junction made everyone who had been paying attention to Feng Yuran rx!

    He had to rest for at least three to four weeks after having injured his leg. It would be even better if his leg was broken as the Great Qin¡¯s imperial rules stated that a disabled man could not be the emperor. As the face of the country, the Emperor needed not to be handsome, but he had to be able-bodied.

    If Feng Yuran did break his leg from falling off a horse, he would lose the opportunity to fight for the throne. Even though not many spectors were interested in this prince despite him ¡°turning over a new leaf¡± for these two days. Many believed that he was merely putting up a show and could not endure long. However, they still showed their concerns to him as he was, after all, an imperial prince.

    It was at Feng Yuran¡¯s Jinwei Hall.

    Mo Xuetong was sitting in the little study on the middle floor. She was on the couch next to a desk, embroidering peacefully while being surrounded by the fragrance of the burning sandalwood. Next to the couch, a few precious antiques were ced in the well-decorated cab. Inside the long white beautiful porcin bowl, a few branches of deviously beautiful flowers were blooming within.Read more new novels on

    A passionate sense of elegance was born out of the beauty, giving the peaceful room a shade of light pink.

    She knew that above her, Feng Yuran was discussing with his confidants. Thus she had nothing to do but to embroider instead. With His Highness injured, his consort had to naturally stay here to tend to him or others would use her of not being concerned about Feng Yuran. King Ning had entered the pce already. He had gained a good reputation for recing the imperial princes as the hostage and for his filial piety in rushing back to tend to Empress Dowager¡¯s sickness.

    At this time, several princes were met with different incidents and King Ning¡¯s splendid reputation made him the center of attention. Many court officials insisted on choosing a consort for King Ning. Hence, the Emperor had to put up a show and announced that he would allocate an obedient and virtuous girl as his consort. The responsibility of choosing the girl naturallyid with Empress Dowager, who had just recovered from her illness.

    The Empress turned sick either due to Feng Yulei¡¯s matters or poor health, which made her unable to tend to matters in the harem from Tianfeng Pce. Thus, Empress Dowager naturally took the power from the Empress, taking control of all the situations from within the internal pce. No matter how enthusiastic imperial noble consort Su was, her position as a consort could not bepared to Empress Dowager.

    Even though Feng Yuxuan was involved in politics as well, his support from the imperial harem was less significant than Feng Yuzhen. However, in the official court, Feng Yuxuan held the position as Emperor Zongwen¡¯s son, which made Feng Yuzhen conceal his actual thoughts on the throne, if he did have any.

    Even though Feng Yuran had little outsiders¡¯ support, he was the most doted son of the Emperor. He could also be considered a sessor to the throne ever since he stopped being a promiscuous bum. It used to be a triangr struggle for power between him, Feng Yuzhen, and Feng Yuxuan. However, due to his leg injury, it was now the conflict between two parties.

    The situation became clearer and more intense!

    Because of Feng Yuran¡¯s exit, the situation in the imperial city became tenser!

    ¡°My Lady, Lady of Xian came to visit.¡± Mo Lan hurried in and reported.

    Mo Xuetong was stunned. King Xuan¡¯s Manor had not much contact with Lady of Xian, and they usually did not visit each other.

    Why was Lady of Xian here!

    Ever since the meeting with Empress Dowager, Mo Xuetong had never seen Lady of Xian again, and hence she bore no attention to her. Then, Empress Dowager wanted to marry her to King Ning and forced her to admit that she had a marriage contract. Even though Lady of Xian was there, her attitude was unknown. However, Duchess Mingyang and Consort Yu behind her were obviously setting up a trap for her to fall into. Hence, she was particrly concerned about those two individuals!

    Ever since entering the imperial city, Lady of Xian had been close to Empress Dowager, greeting her from time to time. Why would shee at such a sensitive time!

    ¡°Did shee all alone?¡± Mo Xuetong ced down her embroideries and asked, frowning.

    ¡°Lady of Xian came alone. She ordered a batch of embroideries from Xiuning Workshop and wished to increase the speed for their productions. She heard that Ny Lady is the owner of Xiuning Workshop, and hence came to discuss with My Lady about the production of these goods, as she is in a hurry to use them.¡± Mo Lan answered, knowing the intention of her master.

    ¡°Who told you this?¡± It was obvious that Lady of Xian purposely spread the news to everyone before even seeing her. Mo Xuetong was curious about her intentions of being so high-key and hence asked after pondering for a while.

    ¡°The head maidservant who received Lady of Xian said that.¡± Mo Lan responded.

    The head maidservants of imperial families were the most well-disciplined and would not spread the news of anything before approval from their masters. It did seem that Lady of Xian used this matter as an excuse to talk to her, even though she was unsure of for what purpose, as only Lady of Xian would know what she wanted. Due to Mo Xuetong¡¯s young age and Feng Yuran¡¯s numerous idents, she almost never left the manor, and only visited Princess Royal once during her stay here.

    With Feng Yuran¡¯s leg injury, she had to stay in the manor to tend to him. It did seem that Lady of Xian was intent in meeting her now!

    Even though she thought about the situation in her heart, she still had to bring the woman in. As an imperial rtive, Lady of Xian was even of a higher status than Feng Yuran. Mo Xuetong stood up immediately and replied to Mo Lan, ¡°Please ask Lady of Xian to wait in the garden. I will be there immediately.¡±

    This was where Feng Yuran did his office work and was not a suitable ce for entertaining guests. Hence, she arranged to meet her in the garden, which was the main garden of the manor. That would show her hospitality.

    Mo Lan immediately retreated to bring the guest out. Mo Xuetong ordered a servant to inform Feng Yuran of the matter before bringing Mo Ye to the garden. When she just arrived in the garden, Mo Lan came in with the guest. Mo Xuetong rose at once and saw the inly dressed Lady of Xian who came with four maidservants. Mo Xuetong walked forward to the doorsteps to greet her. Even though Feng Yuran was of a more prestigious status as King of Xian, King of Xian was more senior than him.

    The two exchanged words of greetings before entering the door and sitting down.

    ¡°Has King Xuan¡¯s leg recovered?¡± After sitting down, Lady of Xian asked out of concern.

    ¡°His Highness¡¯ leg is fine. But he shouldn¡¯t move much and I was tending to him just now. Your Highness, you know he is of a bad mood now because of his injury, and thus...¡± Mo Xuetong sighed. Even though she was smiling, everyone could see the hidden concern under her brows.

    It¡¯s understandable that this young consort was really anxious due to the numerous incidents happening after her marriage.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. King Xuan is still young and he will recover soon after resting. At his age, he will love to y, jumping up and down, making it easy for him to be met with an ident. You have to take care of him well for he is, after all, a prince. With better health, the Emperor, the Empress, and Empress Dowager will not be so worried in the pce.¡± Lady of Xian received tea from Mo Lan, moving the tea leaves away with the teacup cover before sipping at the tea, as sheforted Mo Xuetong calmly.

    She spoke with a lot of concern as if she really did came to give her elderly advice. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned red as they misted, with shinning watery marks in her bright eyes. She discovered it and hurriedly turned around to wipe the tears off her eyes, before turning back and forcing a smile.

    ¡°Sorry for the embarrassment, Your Highness. But given His Highness¡¯ personality, I really... really... I tried to convince him a few times, but...¡± She could not even finish her words and bit her lips instead. Her helplessness and sourness in her words were extremely apparent.

    It was again understandable that a young consort who had just married would know little due to her young age, even though she was extremely pretty. She was doing a really great job when she did not cry or make amotion when things went wrong. Furthermore, it was rumored that she grew up in a little down and was never exposed to such affairs!

    Her expression of naivety and innocence gave Lady of Xian the feeling that she shouldn¡¯t havee today.

    King Xuan¡¯s little wife could really get things done!

    She squeezed her handkerchief and put on a fake smile despite the gloominess in her heart. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, men will be more stable after a few years. Just handle his back garden well. I heard that his back garden was properly and well managed by you, and that¡¯s your credit in front of the Emperor!¡±

    Why did she mention the back garden? A simmer of skepticism shed across her eyes as she turned embarrassed at thepliment, ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t deserve thepliment. I am only in charge of my own garden of all the back gardens. The nannies are in-charge of other areas. His Highness said that I was too young now and I could only be in charge of them after a few years.¡±

    Was Lady Mo not in charge of the back garden? This waspletely different from what she guessed. Before this young consort got married, Feng Yuran had the reputation of being promiscuous, with a messy back garden consisting of all sorts of women. Dramas andmotions between the consorts happened all the time. No one expected the marriage by the young consort to change the back gardenpletely. Not only did no one enter the back garden, but there were also no rumors about dramas inside it either.

    She used to believe that Lady Mo was an impressive woman to control thatwless King Xuan. However, that seemed to not be the case, which made Lady of Xian reconsider her purpose of her visit.

    She did not understand why his husband valued this seemingly ignorantdy so much.

    However, the matter that she was involved in had a tight deadline, and she could not find someone she could trust. Lady of Xian often followed King of Xian in bringing troops to the borders, and thus had little contact with the aristocraticdies of the imperial pce. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t have much contact with the aristocratic families as they had the military under their control, and doing so would raise the suspicions of the Emperor. Thus, even when Lady of Xian stayed in the imperial city, she seldom visited guests. The only person she was close to was Duchess Mingyang, who came to the imperial city with her, and whose husband was the subordinate of King of Xian.

    However, she could not dy the matter further as Empress Dowager was awaiting a reply from her!

    ¡°Never mind, I shall just make ast-ditch attempt!¡±

    ¡°King Xuan is indeed concerned about you to have arranged everything for you once you entered his manor. It did seem that His Highness loves you greatly to ¡®turn over a new leaf¡¯ for you. When His Majesty mentioned King Xuan recently, his tone was not like how it was used to be. You can see His Majesty acknowledges your credit too. It must be a blessing for His Highness to marry a wife like you!¡± Lady of Xianughed as she changed the topic, smiling. ¡°That¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s very important to marry a suitable wife!¡±

    Was she going to talk about taking consorts? As she pondered on who the possible consort would be, her watery eyes turned as she covered her face with her handkerchief out of embarrassment, smiling, ¡°Stop mocking me, Your Highness!¡±

    ¡°How am I mocking you? I am really envious of Your Highness. You are the first one to be so loved by King Xuan in the whole imperial city. If my niece were like you, I, as an aunt and a mother, would have nothing to worry about.¡± Lady of Xuan spoke casually at first before she sighed with a look of seriousness.

    Lady of Xian had no daughter and hence took care of a niece from her maternal family as her own daughter. The niece was always by her side and she doted on her greatly, with the story being known by everyone in the imperial city!

    Mo Xuetong suddenly had an idea.

    Did something happen between that young miss and King Xuan?

 Chapter 371 - Worries Aplenty, King Ning Takes a Consort

    <strong>Chapter 371 Worries Aplenty, King Ning Takes a Consort</strong>

    The Lady of Xian had always been close to the Empress Dowager. If there was anything that troubled her, she would tell the Empress Dowager. However, she did not go to the Empress Dowager whom she was close to. Instead, she was alone with a grave expression. Her niece¡¯s marriage had something to do with the Empress Dowager and she was not too pleased with that. A prince who was rted to the Empress would be none other than King Ning, who caused a huge furor.

    The Empress Dowager wanted the Lady of Xian¡¯s niece to marry Feng Yuzhen? Mo Xuetong was worried.

    This was not a suitable marriage. Given the Empress Dowager¡¯s expertise in plotting, this should not have happened.

    No matter whether it was in status or position, it was not a suitable match. Lady of Xian¡¯s family did not have a high position in court. At most, the youngdy was just a daughter of a fourth or fifth-grade official. At the most, a title like that would make her a second consort of Feng Yuzhen. Did the Empress Dowager want to find Feng Yuzhen a second consort? Even so, that girl was already considered to be marrying up. Why did Lady of Xian not agree to it?

    Even though Mo Xuetong felt anxious, she did not reveal it at all. A faint smile appeared on her soft cheeks. She asked gently, ¡°Lady, please do not worry. I already heard that your niece is virtuous and gentle. When will you bring her over for me to look at? Even though I want to go out, I can¡¯t since His Highness is still injured. It would be great if there is someone who cane and chat with me.¡±

    ¡°I want to bring her along too but the Empress Dowager says she likes that the girl is gentle and sensible. She was summoned into court this morning. Rou¡¯er has never been to the pce and I am worried that something will happen to her in the pce. She just turned 15 and her character is weak. It is so worrisome.¡± Lady of Xian frowned and she could not hide how worried she felt.

    The Empress Dowager had summoned the legitimate daughter of a lowly official to her. She was being too obvious! She did not even allow Lady of Xian, the girl¡¯s aunt toe along, which meant that the Empress Dowager was certain that the marriage would happen. While the Empress Dowager thought highly of King Ning, he did not have toe personally to take a look at an insignificant second consort! What did the Empress Dowager mean!

    ¡°Lady, rest assured, the Empress Dowager likes your niece and will definitely protect her. Thedies in the pce are usually kind and friendly, they will not allow your niece to get into trouble.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled andforted the woman as she tended to the tassels running down the table.

    ¡°Sigh, I can only think of it this way. I do have something to trouble you with, Lady. I heard that you own Xiuning Workshop and that the embroidered goods in there are amazing. I have something I need your help with.¡± Lady of Xian changed the topic to what she came to the manor for, realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Please speak, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°If my niece¡¯s marriage is settled, she will get married here in the capital. His Highness wants me to prepare what she needs and I have chosen your Xiuning Workshop for the embroidered goods. His Highness and I have always wanted a daughter but we did not have any more children after having a few sons. I treat this niece of mine like my daughter and His Highness dotes on her very much. I am afraid that the embroidered goods will not be prepared well or fast enough, so I hope that you will be able to rush the work for us and see if our stuff can be done first.¡±

    An embroidery workshop like Mo Xuetong¡¯s Xiuning Workshop had embroidery maids groomed especially in embroidery. They also bought goods from outside and sold them in the shop. However, most of what they sold was bespoke items. Even though Mo Xuetong¡¯s Xiuning Workshop was not considered to be the best in the capital, it was one of the best workshops. They were many customers and it would be a little troublesome if the customers made a rush order. The orders were all lined up ording to when they came in.

    Lady of Xian was right to find Mo Xuetong to talk about this matter. However, no matter what would happen, Mo Xuetong felt that it was a little odd.

    She smiled and asked, ¡°When does the King¡¯s Manor require these goods then?¡±

    Was the Empress Dowager rushing them so?

    ¡°If the engagement is set in a hurry, it would be in the next few days. They might require us toplete the wedding ceremony in one month and to have all the betrothal gifts ready. As such, if we order the gifts then, I hope that My Lady would be able to have the workshopplete the embroidery for the wedding gown and other embroidered items this month lest we embarrass ourselves in the capital.¡± Lady of Xian sighed. There was not a hint of joy on her face.

    They would choose the helpers necessary for the wedding and the couple would be wed within the month. Even the betrothal gifting would be done within the month. It was rather rushed for a Prince taking a consort. Of course, Mo Xuetong¡¯s wedding was rushed as well, but it was because Feng Yuran was ¡°gravely injured¡±, and could not wait. The Empress Dowager rushed the matter so much there wasn¡¯t enough time to breathe. Was she trying to build a reputation for Feng Yuzhen, or was she trying to find Feng Yuzhen powerful partners?

    Mo Xuetong could not think of an answer at the moment. When she saw Lady of Xian ncing at her from time to time, she thought for a moment and then looked up. She said, ¡°My Lady, this is not a problem. If you need it, I will have the servants tell the shop to work on your job first. Even though it is a little rushed, I will have them work a little harder at night. It should be possible.¡±

    ¡°Then, thank you very much, My Lady!¡±

    ¡°Lady of Xian, you are too kind. You speak so politely to me even though I am younger than you are.¡±

    They chatted with smiles on their faces about the matter as if they were really talking about embroidery products. Then, they even discussed the most fashionable styles then. One of them seemed as if she were truly sincere about marrying her daughter off while the other seemed to be promoting her business. They also chatted about other matters. Then, Lady of Xian left with a smile an hourter.

    Mo Xuetong sent her to the door and watched as thedy¡¯s horse carriage drew away slowly!

    Inside the horse carriage, Lady of Xian wrung her handkerchief and sighed. She could see Mo Xuetong¡¯s young and innocent face as the curtains swung. She felt that she was wrong to visit. However, it was King of Xian¡¯s orders, and she had thus visited. She did not want her niece to be King Ning¡¯s second consort.

    Disregarding the status of being King Ning¡¯s second consort, just King Ning¡¯s current status made Lady of Xian feel miffed.

    The Empress Dowager liking King Ning was no secret in the capital. King Ning was the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological grandson. He was unlike King Ning and King Yan. He was also the legitimate son of the deceased Crown Prince. It sounded like the throne was going to be his. How could the Emperor not be guarded against him in this situation?

    While the girl would be a legitimate consort after she entered King Ning¡¯s Manor, Lady of Xian felt that it was not very suitable. She truly hoped that the Empress Dowager would change her mind about this.

    However, judging by the Empress Dowager¡¯s actions, she seemed to be trying her best to make the match sessful. She even summoned Rou¡¯er into the pce today. Even though the Empress Dowager would not do anything impolite, Lady of Xian was still worried.

    She was from a family of warriors and generals and always spoke her mind. She did not mind marrying the King of Xian and was loyal only to the Emperor. It did not matter who the Emperor was for they all needed a loyal general. As such, even when they entered the capital, they did not interact with other officials lest the Emperor started to suspect them. They would not be involved in this matter where the princes tried to be the next in line of session.

    However, while she did not wish to be involved in the matter, the Empress Dowager was not of the same mind. The Empress Dowager had implied in all ways, openly or not, that she was interested in Lady of Xian¡¯s niece. She had even summoned the girl away and not allowed the girl¡¯s aunt to apany her. Lady of Xian was worried and could only use the method King of Xian had sent in a letter a few days ago and tried to seek out the King Xuan¡¯s Manor for help.

    Even though she did not believe that the wild and unrestrained King Ning would have any ideas, much less the young and immature consort would know anything, she was at the end of her tether. She could only listen to her husband. After all, just like what King of Xian said, there would be a way out. She wondered if the little consort understood that she did not want to marry her niece to King Ning!

    It was so worrisome!

    Mo Xuetong watched as the horse carriage drew away before she entered the manor holding on to Mo Lan¡¯s hand. As she walked, she instructed Mo Ye, ¡°Go and see who the youngdies the Empress Dowager invited today are.¡± The Empress Dowager was finding people for Feng Yuzhen!

    ¡°Yes, I will go immediately,¡± Mo Ye answered before leaving through the side doors. She was just a maid and would not be able to leave through the maid doors if she was trying to buy some daily necessities for her mistress.

    Mo Ye was very fast and she returned to the manor in less than two hours.

    Mo Xuetong sat in her chair, pondering for a while after she heard the news that Mo Ye brought back. Then, she brought Mo Ye to Jinwei Pavilion. She had only entered when she saw a eunuch leaving. The eunuch was sweating profusely and when he saw Mo Xuetong, it was as if he had seen his savior. He stammered and ran up to Mo Xuetong with a brilliant smile.

    ¡°My Lady, you are here. His Highness was making a fuss, looking for you. He had only just woken up and he had not even taken his medicine before he started getting angry.¡±

    The eunuch felt very anxious. When he entered the pavilion earlier, he heard that the first thing King Xuan asked for when he woke up was for his consort. They knew that the consort had gone out but did not know where. After that, the prince had kicked them. He did not even dare to wipe the mark off before he ran out hurriedly. How could he not feel as if he had seen his savior when he saw Mo Xuetong then?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the shoe print on the front of the eunuch¡¯s robe, and then, looked at his bitter expression. Her lips curved slightly. She really did not know what to do with the man. He had managed to do something like that after speaking with his subordinates. It was as if he was afraid that others would not know that he was in a bad mood.

    ¡°You all can leave. I will serve His Highness medicine.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will get all of them toe out.¡± The eunuch was relieved and excited. He turned around and yelled, ¡°The Lady is here!¡±

    His back was ramrod straight and he did not look at all like the lost and flustered man earlier.

    The eunuchs inside hurriedly dealt with the prince. They all had shoe prints on their robes. The prince, whose leg was still extended, was not satisfied. He looked at them through his charming eyes, making them go all around the room to do his bidding. The prince found the pottery ugly, the curtains disgusting, the cement of the flowers wrong. He was so difficult to please!

    ...

    When they heard ¡°The Lady is here!¡±, they all heaved a sigh of relief. They backed away respectfully and made way for thedy. The charming man lying on the bed lost all his frustration when he heard that Mo Xuetong wasing. He leaned backward and his beautiful eyes shone. His handsome lips curled up, expressing his joy. He did not look like he was upset and trying to make trouble anymore.

    The people in King Xuan¡¯s Manor had to admit that the new consort was really a good treatment for the prince who liked to make trouble. No matter what kind of mood the prince was in, he would feel happy and pleased whenever he saw the consort. It was an expression that the servants of King Xuan¡¯s Manor had never seen before.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re making trouble again after just waking up. When will your injuries heal?¡± Mo Xuetong said, gently, pretending to be angry as she entered and red at Feng Yuran. She looked at the medicine on the table that was still piping hot.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to drink it when I woke up and didn¡¯t see you!¡± Feng Yuran said glumly. He waved his hand and gestured for the eunuchs to leave.

    The eunuchs were smart enough to understand and left. Thest eunuch to leave even helped them to close the doors. They all knew that His Highness cared about this consort! The consort would coax the prince into drinking the medicine. The prince would not even drink a single drop of the medicine without the consort now.

    Who would have thought that the scene ying out in the room waspletely different from what they imagined?

    The virtuous and gracious consort was throwing a tantrum. She did not want to take the medicine!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, quick,e here. It¡¯s time to take your medicine!¡± Feng Yuran waved her over with a smile.

    ¡°No! It¡¯s bitter!¡± Mo Xuetong pouted her pink lips, standing just out of Feng Yuran¡¯s grasp. She looked at the piping hot medicine and sniffed at it. She refused to move and said despondently, ¡°Yuran, I¡¯m really not ill. I am very healthy. I don¡¯t want to take the medicine!¡±

    She was truly upset. She had been taking the medicine for so long. There was nothing wrong with her. Why did she have to drink it every day?!

 Chapter 372 - Feng Yuranâ€™s Theory on Opportunism

    <strong>Chapter 372 Feng Yuran¡¯s Theory on Opportunism</strong>

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you!¡± Feng Yuran smiled and then stood up suddenly. Mo Xuetong did not have the time to react before he swept her into his arms. He brought her to the couch and sat down with her in his arms. He pointed at the bowl of medicine on the table with a charming smile and said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you intend to drink it yourself or do you want me to help you?¡±

    ¡°Help?¡± Mo Xuetong pouted, feeling extremely mncholic!

    He thought that pinching someone¡¯s nose was considered helping. However, when she saw the determination in his eyes, she knew that she had to drink the medicine. He allowed her many concessions but insisted that she take the medicine. She picked up the bowl helplessly and looked at Feng Yuran bitterly. Then, she blinked herrge eyes at him, looking wronged, and asked, ¡°Do I really have to drink it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hurry up!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s long eyes seemed to glimmer. He looked at her with a vague smile on his red lips.

    This meant that he was about to do something if she did not take the medicine. Mo Xuetong sighed and picked up the medicine, epting her fate. She chugged the medicine down. No, she must find out what Feng Yuran was hiding from her. Even though her health was poor, she did not need to take nourishing herbs every day. Furthermore, he would not be so anxious!

    There must be something going on!

    She closed her eyes and put down the bowl. A candied fruit was stuffed in her mouth before she even opened her eyes. It was sweet and sour and immediately neutralized the vor of the medicine.

    She opened her eyes and nced at Feng Yuran. She pushed him onto the couch and asked sweetly, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯d better rest well. You have to rest well after taking the medicine so your leg can heal quickly.¡±

    Feng Yuran leaned into the couch, dragging her along with him. Mo Xuetong fell onto the couch as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just taken the medicine. Let us chat. What did you do today!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was slightly louder as heughed. It was obvious that he was in a good mood.

    His voice was a little loud. Among the group of eunuchs standing outside, a few nced around furtively. Then, they stopped moving and behaved just like the others.

    It was time for them to switch shifts. Another group of eunuchs arrived to take over. Since Mo Xuetong was inside and they knew that the prince did not like it when others bothered them, they stood about a foot away.

    Feng Yuran hugged her as they leaned back into the couch. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± He reached out to pinch her soft pale cheeks with a smile. Since she did not go out, she wore simple home clothes. Her dress was blue and cinched in at the chest. She also wore a light snow-white, satin short coat. She looked tender, gentle and weak, like a lotus flower bud on the verge of blooming. She was beautiful and pure.

    Her pouty red lips made her entire person even more sweet and charming!

    Putting together purity, liveliness and sweet charms together made her extremely seductive! One could not help but dote on her. Feng Yuran looked at her and felt protective of her.

    ¡°The Empress Dowager wants to marry King of Xian¡¯s niece to King Ning¡¯s Manor. She will probably decree it in the next few days. Lady of Xian is not willing to and wants us to help!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes held a trace ofughter. She leaned into his chest and sought out afortable position as she blinked intelligently andughed.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Feng Yuran kissed her hair gently and asked her.

    ¡°Nothing much. I just said that I will pay more attention to the wedding gown and embroidery items. I already asked Mo Ye to find out more. The second daughter of Grand Secretariat Wang, Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s younger sister went, as did Minister of Finance¡¯s daughter.¡± Mo Xuetong said softly, telling Feng Yuran what Mo Ye found out.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were filled with mirth, a hint of mockingughter shed in his beautiful eyes. His red lips curled and he said, ¡°The Empress Dowager is so anxious to find Feng Yuzhen powerful backing. Now that Third Brother is in trouble, the Ding General Manor will definitely be pulled to her side. With the help of the Grand Secretariat, King of Xian¡¯s military power, and the finance ministry¡¯s grains, the literati can help to ensure peace and the military power can help to strengthen the country. It would not be a problem even if they wanted to rebel.¡±

    His tone was cold and his handsome face seemed to be carved out of stone. Even as heughed charmingly, one could not feel a hint of warmth from him. The corners of his lips were tinged with bitter coldness and thought. He did notugh openly as before.

    ¡°He will take his first consort from Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s family because his position is the highest and also because Wang Xiuxiu is already Feng Yuzhen¡¯s. She¡¯s pregnant and being sent to King Yan¡¯s. If she really has a son, they have to find a way to get the child back to satisfy Grand Secretariat Wang. The other two will probably be second consorts!¡±

    So there was still that. Mo Xuetong asked, not understanding, ¡°Does Grand Secretariat Wang have so much power in court that the Empress Dowager will toss him an olive branch again and again?¡±

    One of his daughters had married into King Yan¡¯s Manor in a mix-up. The other was going to be married to King Ning. The Empress Dowager thought too highly of Grand Secretariat Wang. Even though he was in charge of the inner cab, he did not have all the say. Why was the Empress Dowager so certain about Grand Secretariat Wang then?!

    ¡°Grand Secretariat Wang and the Empress Dowager are cousins. The Empress Dowager¡¯s mother and Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s mother are cousins. Their rtionship was already pretty good many years ago. When the previous Emperor was still alive, Grand Secretariat Wang was promoted and he had not fallen even after serving two emperors. He intends to be an official who served three emperors!¡± Feng Yuran analyzed carefully.

    So the two had such a rtionship. Mo Xuetong understood now. Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager was from the Ding General Manor. However, not many knew that Grand Secretariat Wang had such a rtionship with the Empress Dowager. Even though they were distantly rted, this rtionship, coupled with some other things would make Grand Secretariat Wang tilt obediently to the Empress Dowager¡¯s side.

    This was also why the Empress Dowager was so insistent that Feng Yuzhen married Wang¡¯s daughter!

    It seemed that Feng Yulei¡¯s incident had prompted the Empress Dowager into action. She was no longer working in secret and was prepared to fight against Feng Yuxuan openly!

    It was right, for the opportunity right now was the best.

    Mo Xuetong reached out to tug on Feng Yuran¡¯s hair on the pillow. She turned around to look at him and asked, ¡°What shall we do now?¡±

    The Empress Dowager had such an idea and was intent on forcing the King of Xian¡¯s hand, disregarding what they thought. She would just bestow the marriage upon them. Once the edict was made, even the Emperor would find it difficult to go against it!

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry!¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. The flower pattern embroidered with gold thread unfurled from his wide-sleeved robes. It made him seemzy and gracious. His eyes were filled with mirth and life. ¡°The Empress Dowager wants to have all three families under her control, but she has to see if they are willing or not!¡±

    Mo Xuetong nced at him. ¡°If they are willing, are we going to let the Empress Dowager gets what she wants?¡±

    ¡°That is, since they are all willing, why do we have to stop them? We have to give them some strength so that they can resist, no?¡± Feng Yuran smiledzily. He hugged Mo Xuetong even tighter as a devilish and deep look shed in his eyes along with some anger!

    There were some people who would keep their talents hidden if you did not give them the opportunity to show them. He might as well dangle the opportunity in front of them and allow them to be pleased with it. When the time came, it would be easier to deal with them in secret.

    ¡°The Lady of Xian...¡± She immediately understood his intentions. However, there were still some problems. Mo Xuetong looked up and parted her lips slightly.

    ¡°Rest assured. Since the King of Xian has an idea of what is happening and asked us for help, how can I just let them be?¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly. His eyes narrowed slightly and sparkled. He looked very charming. He sat up and flipped around and Mo Xuetong was now positioned on the inside of the bed. He patted her pale and soft cheeks with a smile, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve only just taken the medicine. Sleep a little and let the medicine do its job!¡±

    Mo Xuetong knew that he had some things to settle and nodded obediently. She was a little tired. She felt a little dazed after taking the medicine and felt lethargic.

    Feng Yuran stood up and picked up the nkets to cover her.

    Then, he brought over the peach blossom that she liked and carefully ced in front of a window close to her.

    He turned around to see her lying down with her eyes closed. Her tender face had a hint of tiredness on it as she yawned softly. She muttered softly, ¡°You sleep for a whileter too. You¡¯ve been going to bedte these few days.¡±

    A few wisps of hairnded on her face. She was sweet and beautiful and his heart was filled with love for her!

    She was truly sweet and gentle!

    He sighed softly, filled with satisfaction and happiness. He reached out to put his hand on her face. Mo Xuetong felt his hand and she nudged it softly with her face in her sleepiness. She hummed softly and his heart melted.

    He felt her nudging her face into his palms, and it felt as if there was a stream that flowed through his veins and into his heart. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes sparkled and a satisfied expression appeared on his charming face. After a long while, he smiled and stood up, releasing the light satin drapes. Then, she left through the door and went straight to the third floor. On the third floor, Feng Yue saw his approach and hurriedly bowed.

    ¡°Have the two of theme over as well. There are some things to be changed a little.¡±

    Since the King of Xian understood what the Emperor intended and was willing to submit to Feng Yuran, Feng Yuran would not let go of such an opportunity. The Empress Dowager wanted military power. The Ding General Manor would definitely follow. Even without the support of the King of Xian, the Empress Dowager and King Ning would only lose oneyer of security. They would not feel as if they had lost.

    The Empress Dowager was unwilling to be an Empress Dowager who had lost power and wanted to control thends once more. She brought King Ning, Feng Yuzhen to the front. Over the years, she had carefully plotted and pulled on the strings. How would she be willing for all that hard work to go to waste? As long as there was hope, she would not give up.

    Then he would continue to let her have that hope...

    King Ning, Feng Yuzhen¡¯s marriage was decreed three dayster. There were two decrees. One was sent to Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s and the other to the Minister of Finance¡¯s. Wang Yueyue would be King Ning¡¯s first consort while Shen Qianxiu would be his second. They would conduct the ceremony on an appointed day!

    The appointed day was a monthter. Since King Ning was older than King Yan and King Chu, but they had gotten married before him, the Empress Dowager used this as an excuse to ask the Emperor to set the wedding date for a monthter. The imperial astronomer said that it was a good day as well. The Empress Dowager wasforted when she heard that and her mdies disappeared as well. The pce began to get busy preparing for King Ning¡¯s wedding!

    A month¡¯s time passed quickly.

    It was King Ning¡¯s wedding day. To encourage the festivities the first consort¡¯s bridal sedan chair made its rounds around the city. It was said that they would be able to send out blessings to everyone. The Empress Dowager agreed readily. The first consort¡¯s bridal sedan chair was carried out of Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s manor and circled half of the capital. It was lively and magnificent and was not any less fancy than the wedding of the three princes previously.

    There were even some who said that King Ning¡¯s wedding was even fancier than the previous weddings of the three princes!

    The splendor of the royal family was indeed extraordinary!

    Compared to the bustling activities in the King Ning manor, King Yan¡¯s manor diagonally across the street was cold and deste. The doors were wide opened. It was said that the Emperor had shown mercy. Even though he allowed King Yan to attend the wedding, he had not released King Yan¡¯s from his house arrest. However, the other princes went to Qianqing Pce and knelt in front of the Emperor and begged him on ount of their brotherly affections. Even the injured King Xuan had gone as well. The Emperor had shown mercy and allowed him to show up at the wedding banquet.

    This time, King Yan brought with him a first consort and a second consort to the banquet!

 Chapter 373 - Second Consort Yan Causes Trouble at King Ningâ€™s Wedding Banquet

    <h4><strong>Chapter 373 Second Consort Yan Causes Trouble at King Ning¡¯s Wedding Banquet</strong></h4>

    The wedding ceremony was happening. The handsome and noble groom brought the happy bride into the bridal chamber.

    He removed her bridal veil. The bride, who was dressed in splendid clothing, was beautiful. She sat on the bed shyly, her face ming red. She nced at the handsome Feng Yuzhen and then was so shy she did not look up again.

    This was also the first time that Mo Xuetong had truly faced Feng Yuzhen.

    The princes of the Feng family were all rather handsome. Other than Feng Yuran, who was extremely handsome and charming like the devil himself, Feng Yuxuan was gentle and elegant. Feng Yulei was handsome and sophisticated while Feng Yuzhen was handsome and pure. He was a pure gentleman. His eyes were real and truthful and he seemed dependable. His actions were friendly and solid and it gave others a good impression.

    Mo Xuetong stood by the side holding on to Mo Ye as she watched Feng Yuzhen carefully.

    It was hard to believe that a person like him would be cruel and vicious and would do anything to achieve his goals. He looked at his bride lovingly, his eyes were filled with love and joy. His burning gaze made the bride even shier. However, while she was shy, her face was filled with joy as well. Any woman would be filled with delight at being able to make her groom satisfied at his first nce at her!

    ¡°The bride is really beautiful. They are a match made in heaven.¡±

    ¡°The bride is beautiful. They will definitely be happy together in the future.¡±

    ¡°The groom truly loves his bride. Earlier, he even carried the bride when he jumped over the stove. He truly knows how to dote on others.¡± The marrieddies watching the newlyweds teased as they spoke blessings over the two.

    King Ning was now a favored candidate and there were many people who wanted to butter up to him, especially in this sort of situation. They only had to say a few words of blessings and they could make King Ning happy. Who would be stingy with that? As such, the room was filled with people and joyousughter. asionally, they would hear a few words of praising Feng Yuzhen and Wang Yueyue.

    It seemed as if everything were romantic and perfect in front of them. However, no one could have imagined that right now, and in the future, this was a tragedy!

    Mo Xuetong watched silently for a while before leaving. There was a small cold smile on her lips. Wang Xiuxiu had wanted that position for a long while but she did not imagine that it would end up in the hands of her sister, Wang Yueyue. Mo Xuetong wondered if Wang Xiuxiu could sit through the wedding banquet peacefully. She wondered how the new King Ning consort had managed to snatch her elder sister¡¯s man from her. Was everything really okay?

    Mo Xuetong looked at her surroundings and only saw You Yue¡¯e who was ring at her coldly. She did not even see Ling Fengyan. Of course, she did not see Wang Xiuxiu as well. She heard that King Yan had specially brought her to the banquet. She would definitely be brought to a banquet like this. If it was not King Yan¡¯s intentions, the girl would havee for something she wanted. Or perhaps, the two of them both had something they wanted to get out of this banquet.

    ¡°My Lady!¡± There were not many people outside the courtyard as they had all gone into the house to send their congrattions. Mo Ye pushed Mo Xuetong gently and gestured for her to look to the left.

    Feng Yuran was worried about Mo Xuetong. As such, Mo Xuetong usually brought Mo Ye with her when she left the manor. A maidservant who knew martial arts was really very useful. Furthermore, she was a maidservant whom Mo Xuetong had brought with her into the manor from before she got married. As such, no one thought that the maid would know martial arts. It would be a deciding factor during critical moments.

    Mo Xuetong looked where Mo Ye secretly gestured. She saw a sh of a pink dress behind arge tree.

    A first consort would wear bright red clothing while concubines would not be able to wear the same color. Even the second consorts of the royal family were considered concubines. They would have a title but would only be able to wear pink clothing.

    ¡°King Ning seems really happy. He can¡¯t stop smiling.¡± Two madams approached slowly as they chatted softly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that King Ning used to like the second miss of the Wang family. He went to their manor many times just to see her. I also heard that the two had already sealed the deal. It¡¯s great now, they¡¯ve gotten what they wanted and it ended happily.¡± The other madam said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s such a thing?¡± The madam in front was interested.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. People used to say that King Ning liked the first miss of the Wang family. However, they were wrong. This second miss is the one King Ning likes. However, he could not ask to marry her since the first miss had not yet wedded. Now that the first miss was married, he immediately married the second miss. The wedding was so hurried that it is as if he were afraid that the girl would run away. One can see how much he likes the second miss.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s such a thing. It¡¯s great now. The two lovers are finally together and it¡¯s a happy ending. The wait was worth it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at how King Ning looks at his bride. He loves and likes her so much. In the future, Consort Ning is going to control King Ning.¡±

    The two madams chatted andughed as they neared Mo Xuetong. Even though they did not know her, judging by her elegant beauty and the seven-feathered phoenix hairpiece in her hair, they knew that she was not an ordinary madam. They smiled and curtsied to her while Mo Xuetong also smiled and returned the curtsy. Then, she brought Mo Ye with her as they walked slowly towards the outside. King Ning¡¯s marriage had brought him more power. There would definitely be others who would be jealous!

    There were some things she just had to watch!

    She did not even need to cause trouble; someone would already start it!

    What kind of trouble would a jealous and vicious woman cause? It was really unpredictable!

    Behind the tree, Wang Xiuxiu bit and tore the handkerchief in her hands. There were no tears in her eyes and only cold viciousness!

    She wore a pink dress and was thinner than before. It had been a few months and she was already showing. Her stomach was raised, slightly making her seem skeletal. Her face, which had been beautiful, now looked vicious because she had lost weight. She seemed sinister. She was only 16 but seemed to be in her 20s.

    How could she bear it? Hatred ate at her heart like mes of ice. Feng Yuzhen was going to marry her as his first consort. However, even though the Empress Dowager had refused that, she had allowed her to have the child before they get rid of the first consort and made her the first consort. The first consort was just going to help Feng Yuzhen politically. As long as they gave her a title, everything would belong to Wang Xiuxiu in the end.

    Even if Feng Yuzhen were to ascend the throne in the future, she would be the empress!

    This was what Feng Yuzhen and the Empress Dowager promised her!

    Who would have thought that it would be her younger sister who would enjoy that? How could Wang Xiuxiu not be filled with hatred and envy and viciousness!

    She naturally had a different idea at a time like this. She thought that Feng Yuzhen and Wang Xiuxiu had already been together long ago. Wang Yueyue, that slut, was a really good actress. In the past, when Feng Yuzhen visited their manor, Wang Xiuxiu wanted to bring Wang Yueyue out to see him but Wang Yueyue had refused. Wang Yueyue thought that Wang Xiuxiu really wanted Wang Yueyue to meet Feng Yuzhen in private. Wang Xiuxiu did not think that it was intentional on Wang Yueyue¡¯s part!

    That little slut had intentionally spread rumors about Wang Xiuxiu meeting Feng Yuzhen in private and had tricked her. She behaved like the daughter of a noble family before Wang Xiuxiu but was lying in the arms of Feng Yuzhen behind Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s back. She said that Wang Xiuxiu would be able to keep her child by her side after she had it and Wang Yueyue would acknowledge the child as her own. That slut behaved differently in front of other people. She would definitely harm her child!

    When she thought of that, Wang Xiuxiu wanted so badly to rush in and tear Wang Yueyue¡¯s face apart. She wanted to tear off her disguise and let others see Wang Yueyue¡¯s heart. Wang Yueyue talked about how close and in love the two of them were. They were all lies!

    A maid in green walked out from the doors. She looked around and scampered up to the tree. She whispered to Wang Xiuxiu, ¡°Miss, I went in and saw. King Ning and Second Miss were really happy. The two of them looked...¡±

    ¡°Did you show the thing to King Ning?¡± Wang Xiuxiu interrupted the maid loudly and furiously.

    When the maid saw how angry Wang Xiuxiu was, she shuddered and said anxiously, ¡°There were too many people inside and I could not get up there in front. Second Miss¡¯ Ziyue and Zifang also squeezed me away intentionally and would not allow me to go up.¡±

    First Miss was no longer the same since she entered King Yan¡¯s Manor. She became vicious and cruel. She would hit and scold the maids around her when she was the slightest bit upset. The maid did not dare to say anything else.

    ¡°Slut, slut, they are all sluts!¡± Wang Xiuxiu yelled angrily and she could not help shaking. She clenched her hand on the tree viciously. The sharp splinters of the bark pierced through her skin. However, that did not alleviate her anger. If she did not have a hint of rationality left and covered her lips with her hand, her screams would have filled the courtyard.

    The maidservant was so afraid she did not dare to look up when she saw the cruel and vicious expression on Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s face. She knelt and shook violently.

    ¡°Go there. When you are outside, you have to find King Ning and hand the thing to him and make hime to find me in the Jade Garden on the left.¡± This was not the first time that Wang Xiuxiu had been to King Ning¡¯s Manor and she was very familiar with the structure of it.

    The Jade Garden was considered the main courtyard of King Ning¡¯s Manor. It was where King Ning rested. In the past, when Wang Xiuxiu visited in secret, the two of them would meet secretly in Jade Garden. She was quite familiar with it. However, Wang Xiuxiu was unfamiliar with the Hua Garden where Wang Yueyue was staying in now.

    Hua Garden was the courtyard of the first wife. Jade Garden was far away and was on the left, behind King Ning¡¯s Manor. The back door was not far away from it and it was convenient to enter and leave it. Feng Yuzhen had found it for Wang Xiuxiu especially and it naturally became the reason for Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s viciousness. When Wang Xiuxiu visited, she went to Jade Garden. However, when Wang Yueyue married King Ning, he allowed her to stay in Hua Garden.

    All of this was a plot that had been set in ce a long time ago!

    Sluts. She would not let them off easily.

    ¡°But, if Second Miss¡¯ maids keep stopping me...¡± The maidservant said fearfully. She was born in the Wang Manor and knew the maidservants that served Second Miss. She knew that they were all very smart and it would not be easy to get close to them. Furthermore, First Miss was not in power any longer. Second Miss was the one whom everyone buttered up to now.

    ¡°Rest assured. When you go out there, those maids would not have time toe out yet. You just have to give it to King Ning while there are a lot of people around.¡± Wang Xiuxiu said sinisterly. She could see the scene in the bridal chambers shing before her eyes. A hint of viciousness shed in her eyes. Slut, she would not let that woman off so easily no matter what would happen. Didn¡¯t she want to raise Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s child?!

    Alright, she would make Wang Yueyue raise her child wholeheartedly!

    Perhaps the viciousness in Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s eyes was too obvious. The maid did not dare to say anything else. She hid the object under her sleeve well and turned to run out.

    Wang Xiuxiu did not leave. Instead, she stood there silently and listened to theughtering from inside. Theughter and voices were all words of praise for the newlyweds. They tore through her heart like des. Blood flowed from her palms and dripped onto the ground. The wood shards drove deeper into her hand but she seemed unable to feel the pain.

    Or perhaps one could say that even though it hurt, it did not hurt as much as her heart did!

    She had always hoped that Feng Yuzhen woulde to take her away. That was why she stayed in the corner of the manor even though she had entered King Yan¡¯s Manor. She was not Mo Xueqiong. She only hoped that no one would notice her. She was not like that stupid woman, Mo Xueqiong, who thought that she was King Yan¡¯s favorite. She even walked around the manor proudly. How could she not be beaten almost to death and thrown into the woodshed?

    King Yan was under house arrest. He would definitely find someone to vent his anger on. Wang Xiuxiu was not Mo Xueqiong. She already knew that King Yan had done something to make the Emperor angry. That was why he had betrothed Wang Xiuxiu and Mo Xueqiong to King Yan. Then, they were sent to the King¡¯s Manor on a small bridal sedan. The second consorts had already entered the manor before the first consort. No matter what had happened, this was an embarrassment to King Yan!

    It was bad for King Yan¡¯s reputation!

    She did not know why Mo Xueqiong entered the manor. However, she wondered if she herself had been sent here because she had a secret rtionship with King Ning and that had roused the Emperor¡¯s ire. That might have been why he had passed that decree so suddenly and bestowed her to King Yan. There were many things going on. She had participated in this in the past, but she did not understand it well. Fortunately, she believed that Feng Yuzhen would definitely save her which was why she had put up with everything.

    Even when she heard that Feng Yuzhen was getting married, she hade to the manor happily. However, she could no longer bear it. She released the hand that clutched onto the tree bark tightly. She reached into her shirt and found a sachet. She pinched it. It was soft. Her lips curled upwards into a sinister smile. That slut Wang Yueyue had dared to seduce Feng Yuzhen long ago and even stopped Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s servants from finding Feng Yuzhen. She must not me her older sister for being so vicious...

 Chapter 374 - Consort Yu Heads to the Banquet and Causes More Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 374 Consort Yu Heads to the Banquet and Causes More Trouble</h4>

    Many people came to the wedding of King Ning¡¯s since it was important to the Empress Dowager.

    Even though the Empress Dowager and the Empress did not turn up personally, they sent Consort Yu over with their gifts.

    Mo Xuetong hade early and had intended to just hang around for a while before leaving. After all, she could use Feng Yuran¡¯s injury and her having to care for him as an excuse to leave. Someone would let her know what kind of trouble happened in King Ning¡¯s Manor in the end. She really did not wish to be involved in it lest someone grow suspicious. It was difficult for her to be active outside since Feng Yuran was still ¡°injured¡±.

    Yet, she did not manage to leave just because she wanted to!

    Mo Xuetong had not reached the entrance before someone yelled shrilly, ¡°Consort Yu is here!¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s arrival represented the pce¡¯s arrival. No one would be able to leave before Consort Yu did! Consort Yu had arrived at a very coincidental timing, just when Mo Xuetong was about to leave.

    ¡°My Lady, should I send word to get His Highness to pick you up?¡± Mo Ye asked uneasily as she realized that something was up.

    She was aware of the turbulent rtionship between Consort Yu and the Mo Manor, and she also knew that Consort Yu had ill intentions towards Mo Xuetong. Consort Yu was sent to the Cold Pce in the past because of the Mo Manor. She might make things difficult for Mo Xuetong when she saw herter.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. His Highness is hurt, let him have more rest!¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. Since someone did not want her to leave, she would not. She would not only be impolite if she left now, but it would also make her look guilty. Consort Yu would not do anything overboard in front of so many people here. No matter what had happened, Mo Xuetong was King Xuan¡¯s Consort and was once Princess Anping. Her rank was higher than Consort Yu¡¯s.

    The procession had already entered. Consort Yu sat on the pnquin. She had used an uncovered pnquin. Duchess Ding¡¯s expression changed slightly. She looked at Consort Yu with unfriendly eyes. The pnquin was meant specifically for the Empress. Even though Consort Yu used an uncovered pnquin, the significance behind it was distasteful.

    No matter what, the Empress was from the Ding General Manor. Consort Yu was behaving too mboyantly by using the Empress¡¯ pnquin, especially with this procession.

    The procession stopped and Consort Yu appeared at the entrance, holding a pce maid¡¯s hand. She was dressed in a blue dress and her hair was held up to the side with a pin. Pearls draped down the pin and hung in front of her face, adding to her charms. It even gave off a sense of licentiousness. If not for the obvious rise of her stomach, it was difficult for one to believe that the woman was pregnant.

    Consort Yu moved carefully and slowly with the help of the pce maid, not daring to be the slightest bit clumsy.

    The youngdies and madam had all dressed in bright colors for King Ning¡¯s wedding. However,pared to Consort Yu, Consort Yu seemed more charming and beautiful. She was indeed the favored consort of the Emperor. She was still beautiful and charming under such circumstances.

    ¡°Wee, My Lady!¡± No matter how unwilling Duchess Ding was, she still went up to greet the consort with a smile. She curtsied deeply. Consort Yu now represented the pce and no one was her match.

    ¡°It has been hard on you, Duchess Ding. I am only here on taking a look on behalf of the Empress Dowager. King Ning¡¯s wedding banquet is indeed bustling and I¡¯ve managed to catch it.¡± Consort Yu enjoyed the gazes of everyone upon her. Her eyes roved over the many faces and she smiled lightly.

    Consort Yu seemed calm but Mo Xuetong could still feel the consort¡¯s gaze settling on her face for slightly longer than the others. The other person who enjoyed this treatment was King Ning, Feng Yuzhen!

    Mo Xuetong could understand why Consort Yu¡¯s gaze was on her for slightly longer. Consort Yu had never liked her and it was normal for her to take a longer look at Mo Xuetong. But what about King Ning? Consort Yu visited the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce often and was familiar with King Ning. She would like King Ning, even if it was just because of the Empress Dowager.

    Was this also a reason for her to take a longer look at King Ning?

    Mo Xuetong did not think so!

    But why did Mo Xuetong feel that the smile on the consort¡¯s face when she looked at King Ning was different from the cold smirk she had when she looked at Mo Xuetong? The Emperor¡¯s favored consort had a small, gentle smile on her face when she looked at the Emperor¡¯s nephew. Mo Xuetong had a sudden epiphany. She lowered her head slightly and avoided Consort Yu¡¯s nce when she looked over again.

    ¡°Your Highness, you are too kind. Please!¡± Duchess Ding smiled and extended her arm to wee her guest. King Ning went to the front courtyard. He would receive the male guests there.

    He turned around to say something to Duchess Ding, who nodded with a smile. King Ning bowed deeply and politely to Duke Ding. Then, he looked up and saw Consort Yu¡¯s smile and bright eyes. The two looked at each other. Consort Yu smiled gently while Feng Yuzhen¡¯s lips tugged upwards slightly. He smiled politely and turned around, flicking his wide sleeves.

    It was a very normal scene. However, Mo Xuetong felt that the two were very close to each other.

    An understanding passed through both of them with a single nce. This was something that could not be cultivated in a short period of time!

    ¡°Consort Xuan, long time no see. The Empress Dowager asked about you not long ago. Shall we visit the Empress Dowager together? She wants to know how King Xuan¡¯s injuries are.¡± Consort Yu approached Mo Xuetong, holding on to the pce maid¡¯s hand. She pushed the pce maid away and reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand in a friendly manner.

    ¡°Consort Yu, you are too kind. Please greet the Empress Dowager on my behalf. I do not have time to go and chat with her right now. When His Highness ispletely healed, we will go and kowtow to the Empress Dowager together.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently. Her lively eyes flickered as she answered Consort Yu.

    News out there was that Feng Yuran¡¯s injuries were very serious. As his consort, it would not be justified if Mo Xuetong had the time to go out and walk around leisurely.

    ¡°Oh, then forget it. The Empress Dowager has been missing King Xuan recently. If the Emperor had not stopped her, the Empress Dowager would have visited King Xuan personally. How did he hurt his leg? He is so young but managed to do something like that.¡± Consort Yu smiled and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as they walked into the building. She seemed friendly as they spoke in detail.

    However, she suddenly shook and seemed to copse before she could finish her sentence. She leaned slightly into Mo Xuetong and panted. Her face was a little pale.

    ¡°Your Highness, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A pce maid approached and asked anxiously. She pushed away the hand of the other pce maid who was holding Consort Yu.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine... Just a little tired and dizzy...¡± Consort Yu shook her head. She looked unwell and her voice sounded as if it was squeezed out in her throat. Her face was pale and she seemed like she would fall if Mo Xuetong released her.

    Everyone present knew that Consort Yu was very unwell.

    ¡°Your Highness, why don¡¯t you rest in the parlor?¡± Duchess Ding was not willing to take responsibility for this. She said anxiously, ¡°Consort Xuan, please hold Consort Yu!¡±

    She did not dare to let anything happen to Consort Yu here since the Emperor looked forward to another son.

    Many heard themotion and they all looked over!

    ¡°Alright, then many thanks, Consort Xuan!¡± Consort Yu said softly, extremely unwell. She shut her eyes and frowned. She definitely wanted Mo Xuetong to hold her.

    ¡°Madam, Her Highness is pregnant and I am afraid that something might go wrong if I help her. Why don¡¯t you get a few other maids toe over so that they¡¯ll hold Her Highness in a more stable way?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Consort Yu awkwardly as she discussed the matter with Duchess Ding softly.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, it will be fine. Just hold on to me first!¡± Consort Yu said weakly before Duchess Ding could speak. The other madams immediately urged Mo Xuetong. ¡°Consort Xuan, just help to hold Consort Yu. She is feeling unwell and we don¡¯t know if it will affect the royal child in her belly. Something might happen if we dy this.¡±

    Many of the other madams spoke in agreement.

    Listening to them, they meant to say that if Mo Xuetong did not help Consort Yu in to rest, the me would be on her if something were to happen to the unborn child.

    Mo Xuetong nodded in agreement with a light smile on her lips. Together with Consort Yu¡¯s pce maid, they helped Consort Yu into a parlor beside the bridal chamber to rest. A few other little pce maids followed.

    Consort Yu went to rest and did not need the procession. Everyone stood by the side and allowed them to pass.

    In the room, the lead pce maid removed Consort Yu¡¯s cloak and helped her to lie down on a couch by the side. She asked Consort Yu softly, ¡°Your Highness, are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I might have gotten off the pnquin too quickly earlier.¡± Consort Yu said, opening her eyes slightly.

    ¡°I will get someone to bring some hot water. We brought some medicinal cream from the pce we can use after dissolving.¡± The lead pce maid pulled a nket over Consort Yu as she spoke softly.

    Consort Yu nodded. The lead pce maid left, leaving a few other junior pce maids outside the room.

    Mo Xuetong approached Consort Yu with a slight smile and said, ¡°Consort Yu, just rest here. I have to return to take care of His Highness and won¡¯t stay here to apany you.¡±

    Even though she did not know what Consort Yu was nning, it was definitely not something good. What was coincidental was that Consort Yu felt dizzy while she was holding on to Mo Xuetong and speaking with her.

    ¡°I will be left alone here if you leave.¡± Consort Yu looked at Mo Xuetong with a smile. However, her smile did not reach her eyes. Instead, hatred colored her eyes.

    Consort Yu did not like Mo Xuetong! Of course, Mo Xuetong did not like Consort Yu who was determined to plot against her.

    ¡°Your Highness, would you like to speak with me?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. No matter whether it was Yu Mingyong¡¯s incident or what happened in Yu Manor, it was destined that the two would not be on friendly terms. Why was there a need to pretend? Since Consort Yu wanted to hurt her, would she let Mo Xuetong off if Mo Xuetong became gentle?

    Consort Yu did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so forthright and not want to hide anything. Shock appeared in her eyes. She then sat up slightly. Her expression was no longer weak as she looked at Mo Xuetong. She said coldly, ¡°You hurt my younger brother and caused me to be sent to the Cold Pce. You nned all of that. Do you think nobody would find out what you did?¡±

    There was a sh of light in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes as she looked at Consort Yu. She was not afraid of Consort Yu¡¯s sharpness. She smiled gently and said, ¡°Your Highness, you are in the pce and do not have anything to do with me. You were sent to the Cold Pce, but how could it be because of a daughter of an official not in the inner cab? As for Sir Yu, I do not know what that has to do with me. I have never seen him, so how could I have caused him harm?¡±

    Consort Yu looked at Mo Xuetong hatefully with coldness in her eyes that could not be hidden. There was not a hint of weakness in her at all any longer. She had only pretended to be ill earlier. Was she just trying to spar verbally with Mo Xuetong? If so, Consort Yu was really petty!

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you bullied your concubine-mother and threw her out. That¡¯s not enough. You even spread rumors and tried to kill her. All that must be true, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, I do not know what it has to do with Consort Yu. Are you very free in the pce that you are now taking charge of private matters of court officials?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled faintly. She turned around to sit down on a chair by the side. She was the first consort of King Xuan and was ranked slightly higher than Consort Yu. Consort Yu was not one of the four first consorts. If they were to follow etiquette, Consort Yu had to curtsy when she saw Mo Xuetong.

    Meddling with the matters concerning court officials meant having private dealings with those from the court. When Consort Yu thought of how the Emperor set up signs in front of her pce stating that the women of the pce should not interfere in politics, she felt a chill run down her spine. She pulled the sheets beneath her viciously and her hand croaked throatily.

 Chapter 375 - The Affair at the Wedding Banquet

    <strong>Chapter 375 The Affair at the Wedding Banquet</strong>

    ¡°My Lady, you are an imperial concubine and you manage matters within the pce. I heard that the Emperor values the child in your belly a lot. If you tire yourself out minding so many things, you might incur the Emperor¡¯s wrath.¡± Mo Xuetong seemed not to notice the fury on Consort Yu¡¯s face. There was a calm and leisure smile on the corners of her lips. Coupled with her lively eyes, she seemed concerned for Consort Yu. However, there was a hint of contempt in her eyes that could not be hidden.

    ¡°You dare!¡± Consort Yu yelled angrily and covered her stomach subconsciously.

    ¡°I am King Xuan¡¯s consort. The child in your stomach has nothing to do with me. If you are not careful and push the me on me, that¡¯s not right either. No matter how great you are, you are just a concubine of the Emperor. I heard that King Xuan had once kicked a favored imperial consort from the prayer tform.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. Her gazended on Consort Yu¡¯s face. They shone brightly.

    This incident happened before Mo Xuetong entered the capital. It was said that Feng Yuran had only just entered the capital then as well. Emperor Zongwen brought a few of his sons and his favored consorts to the prayer tform to worship their ancestors. A favored consort mocked Feng Yuran and looked down on Feng Yuran¡¯s birth mother. She spoke down to him with contempt!

    Feng Yuran had not spared her at all and kicked the favored concubine off the worship tform. It was said that the favored concubine¡¯s skirt hooked onto the railings and managed to stop there. She was saved but was never doted on again or consoled by Emperor Zongwen. Instead, she was thrown into the Cold Pce because of an insignificant matter and died there after a few months.

    Yet, nothing happened to Feng Yuran. He was just locked up at home for two days and continued to stroll around arrogantly and licentiously in the capital.

    The woman was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favored concubine. If she had not lost favor, Consort Yu would not have received any attention! When Consort Yu thought of that, she shuddered. There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness, if you wish to use the child in your belly to hurt me, that¡¯s fine too. The Emperor is old and whether or not he can have any more children in the future is a problem. It will not be easy for you to have another child if you lose this one. Without a child, life in the pce will be...¡± Mo Xuetong smiled faintly.

    If a consort in the pce did not have any children, they would be sent to a deste pce at the back. They did not have much hope of leaving again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be kind. You don¡¯t need to care about my business. You just have to care about yourself.¡± Consort Yu retorted sarcastically.

    The lead pce maid had returned while they were speaking. She ced the hot water on the ground and turned around to retrieve a bottle of medicinal ointment. She poured some of the ointment into the water. Mo Xuetong saw that she did not have much business there anymore, so she smiled and turned to leave.

    ¡°King Xuan¡¯s Consort, can you help me to hold up thedy?¡± The lead pce maid suddenly said as she looked up at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong nced at Consort Yu who was lying on the bed and then at the pleading look on the lead pce maid¡¯s face. Her face suddenly grew stern and she said coldly, ¡°There will definitely be servants from the pce to wait on Consort Yu since she is ill. Does it definitely have to be me!¡±

    There were so many pce maids outside who were not doing anything but the pce maid insisted on the noble King Xuan¡¯s consort helping Consort Yu. Did the pce maid think that she did not have a temper?!

    Mo Xuetong had always been gentle and she appeared to be beautiful and youthful. As such, everyone thought that she was sweet and kind and was easy to get close to. However, when she appeared stern and angry, she was dignified and poised. The lead pce maid was so afraid she did not dare to say anything. Her lips tremored as if she was trying to exin herself. However, Mo Xuetong¡¯s aura stopped her from doing so.

    ¡°Alright, we can¡¯t afford the help of the great first consort. Go and don¡¯t scare my servants. I wouldn¡¯t dare to have you help me! I will get up myself!¡± Consort Yu retorted unhappily.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Consort Yu expressionlessly. Consort Yu was frowning slightly and there was a hint of urgency in her eyes. She seemed very impatient.

    Even though the lead pce maid was scared, there was a sense of urgency within her as well. Furthermore, anyone with the slightest bit of temper would definitely be infuriated by what the maid said earlier. Was it intentional?

    ¡°My Lady, I did not mean to do it.¡± The lead pce maid said fearfully.

    ¡°You ordered me around unintentionally? If you meant it, would you order the prince around too?¡± There was a hint of severity in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She did not leave but red at the lead pce maid coldly.

    ¡°My Lady, I saw that you were a little close...¡± The lead pce maid did not dare to stand any longer when she heard King Xuan being brought into the equation. She knelt down forcefully and begged for forgiveness as she tried to exin herself.

    ¡°I was just a tiny bit closer than the maids at the door. Is that considered close? Am I very strong and am just a servant for you, a ve, to order around?¡± Mo Xuetong said sharply. She did not intend to let the maid off.

    ¡°I did not mean that, I thought...¡± The lead pce maid tried to exin.

    ¡°You thought, you thought. You are a servant, what do you dare to think? You should consider whether your rank is high enough to treat me like this!¡± Mo Xuetong did not spare the maid. Her expression was dark and grave.

    ¡°Alright alright, you don¡¯t have to show off here if you don¡¯t want to help me up! You¡¯re putting on airs here!¡± Consort Yu grew more impatient. She sat up by herself and pped the bed angrily as she spoke. Her sharp voice waspletely different from the gentle and gracious appearance she assumed when she entered.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s longshes fluttered and she hid the coldness in her eyes. She harrumphed and left.

    Consort Yu seemed to be really anxious to be so angry with Mo Xuetong. She refused to let Mo Xuetong go earlier but wanted to throw her out when the pce maid returned.

    Mo Ye was waiting for Mo Xuetong when she reached the entrance. Mo Xuetong slowly left the courtyard holding Mo Ye¡¯s hand. She heard Consort Yu¡¯s voice growing gentle. The angry woman had immediately returned to being gentle immediately. If Mo Xuetong had note out from in there earlier, she would not dare to believe that Consort Yu had once been so vicious and hateful!

    Even though they were close to the bridal chamber, it was not in the same courtyard. Duchess Ding was afraid that Consort Yu would be disturbed and specially chose the parlor here. It was obviously also because of the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly. Everyone knew how fervent the entire pce was over the unborn child. They must be very careful about it!

    ¡°Did you see King Ning, Feng Yuzhen?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly while she held Mo Ye¡¯s hand.

    Mo Ye replied certainly. ¡°I did not see King Ning, but someone definitely entered the courtyard earlier. Someone came not long after the pce maid went out with the basin. A few maids blocked my vision intentionally and if I had not known some martial arts, I would not have been able to see the corner of the person¡¯s clothes. It was a man¡¯s robe!¡±

    She did not know if it was King Ning but was certain that the person was male. Furthermore, the person was skilled as well and had slipped into the courtyard very quickly. The man hid himself in a room by the side. Mo Ye only saw the edge of a sky blue robe. There were many who wore clothes like that. Furthermore, King Ning was a new groom today and probably would not wear such a color.

    Ever since Mo Ye started serving Mo Xuetong, she admired Mo Xuetong¡¯s capable way of handling matters. As such, even though she was uncertain whether the man was King Ning, she felt that herdy was definitely right!

    It was just an article of clothing. It would not be difficult to change! Since the King¡¯s consort was certain that the man was King Ning, then it was highly possible that the person was King Ning. However, Mo Ye could not understand. Wasn¡¯t King Ning receiving guests at the front? Why did hee to the back of the courtyard where the Emperor¡¯s consort was? Just thinking about this made one afraid.

    ¡°Get Mo Feng to lure Wang Xiuxiu here.¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly said after taking a few steps forward holding on to Mo Ye.

    ¡°Lure her here?¡± Mo Ye agreed immediately. Then, she said, put in a tough spot, ¡°What will you do if I leave? This is King Ning¡¯s Manor, who knows... This will make His Highness angry.¡±

    Mo Ye did not dare to leave when she thought of what the man would do should anything happen to Mo Xuetong here.

    While Mo Feng had followed them here, they had entered the inner courtyard and there were many people. Since it was also daytime, Mo Feng did not follow them inside. If Mo Ye was to go out and find him, Mo Xuetong would be alone in the inner courtyard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Go!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly as she looked at Princess Royal who was approaching them slowly from not far away.

    Mo Ye did not say anything else when she saw Princess Royal. With Princess Royal around, nothing would happen to Mo Xuetong. Mo Ye turned to leave from a side path after seeing Mo Xuetong walking up to Princess Royal. She was walking in the direction of the back door. It would be faster for her to leave this way.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er greets her mother!¡± Mo Xuetong approached Princess Royal with a bright smile. Even though she was smiling, there was a hint of dampness in her eyes. Her eyes were filled with grievances and it was obvious that she had been bullied.

    Princess Royal frowned. She pulled Mo Xuetong up and asked her, ¡°Tong¡¯er, did something happen? Did Consort Yu make things difficult for you?¡± Even though she hadete, she found out that Consort Yu had felt unwell earlier and pulled King Xuan¡¯s Consort to rest somewhere. Princess Royal was displeased when she heard that.

    How was it possible for Consort Yu and Tong¡¯er to get along so well for Consort Yu to take her away to speak with in private!

    Princess Royal was afraid that something might happen to Mo Xuetong, which was why she hurried over. Consort Yu was pregnant with a royal descendant. Should something really happen, no one could bear the responsibility for it.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Consort Yu only told me to look out.¡± Mo Xuetong said tearfully. She stood straight and a suspicious hint of weakness appeared on her beautiful face. Her longshes fluttered and she tried to smile.

    ¡°Consort Yu is getting braver and braver to dare to meddle in the matters of the royal family.¡± Princess Royal smiled coldly. Even though she was the Empress Dowager¡¯s descendant, she did not like Consort Yu. Consort Yu usually buttered up to the Empress Dowager and did not leave even when King Ning visited the Empress Dowager. She acted as if they were family and as if she were not an imperial concubine. It was inappropriate for her to see a man unrted to her.

    ¡°Mother, do not be angry. Consort Yu is only pregnant and not feeling well. She¡¯s not trying to make trouble for Tong¡¯er.¡± Mo Xuetong exined sweetly as if she were trying to help Consort Yu smooth things over.

    ¡°Not trying to make trouble for you? She¡¯s trying to make things difficult for you. Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t hang out so much with Consort Yu in the future lest you be med if she loses the child!¡± Princess Royal instructed Mo Xuetong. The Princess grew up in the pce and had seen many things like that. She pulled Mo Xuetong along with her and they walked toward the outside of the courtyard.

    She had onlye because she was worried about Mo Xuetong. Since Mo Xuetong was fine, she did not wish to see Consort Yu. She was the Princess Royal of the royal family and it was below her position to visit a lowly concubine. So what if she had a son? The Emperor would not just hang on to the throne and not pass it on to his three adult sons and make a young boy the Crown Prince!

    It was impossible no matter how much Consort Yu buttered up to the Empress Dowager!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er knows. I will take note in the future!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her eyes shimmered, making her seem sweet, gentle and lovely!

    She was truly touched. The Princess Royal stood on her side without any hesitation as if she were truly Mo Xuetong¡¯s biological mother. This made Mo Xuetong think of her biological mother. If her mother were still around, she would definitely be like the Princess Royal, protecting Mo Xuetong without any hesitation!

    Mo Xuetong looked up and felt that the Princess Royal¡¯s face merging with her memory of her mother¡¯s face. Her mother and the Princess Royal were considered cousins. It was normal for them to look alike! If her mother were still alive, would she look like this?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart wrenched and hurt!

    ¡°Mother, let us go look at the bride. Second Miss Wang looks beautiful.¡± Mo Xuetong hid the sadness she felt and looked up with a smile. It was still early and there was nowhere to go. Most of the women of the Wang manor were probably there. The best solution was to hang out there!

    Or perhaps they could use that to fan the mes!

 Chapter 376 - You Yuee Stirred up Trouble in the Bridal Chamber

    <strong>Chapter 376 You Yue¡¯e Stirred up Trouble in the Bridal Chamber</strong>

    Some unmarrieddies and girls were all in the bridal chamber, watching the new bride boisterously. And seeing Princess Royal and Mo Xuetonging, they hurried to stand up and greeted them respectfully.

    ¡°Consort King Xuan, didn¡¯t you go to see Consort Yu? Why can youe here so fast? You Yue¡¯e took a nce at Mo Xuetong, since she was never agreeable with Mo Xuetong and found any chance to make Mo Xuetong ufortable. Mo Xuetong did not understand why You Yue¡¯e still detested her so much as You Yue¡¯e had been imprisoned with King Yan.

    What You Yue¡¯e meant was that Mo Xuetong was driven out by Consort Yu.

    Mo Xuetong just overlooked You Yuecheng¡¯s frame-up again and again. However, You Yue¡¯e always made a fuss about Mo Xuetong. Did she think Mo Xuetong was the one she could bully?

    Mo Xuetong sneered inwardly and said indifferently, ¡°Consort Yu knew that the King is injured, and there is no capable second consort in the Manor to preside over the whole situation, so she asked toe back earlier. If our King could marry two second consorts, I can feel a sigh of relief now and don¡¯t have to run around here and there in a hurry.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e got embarrassingly red by the remarks. As for the two second consorts in the King Yan¡¯s Manor, if You Yuecheng had not stopped her and told her that it had no alternative, she would have definitely made a scene. Two second consorts entered the manor before the main consort. How could You Yue¡¯e, the main consort, have any face?

    And what kind of people those two second consorts were?

    Thinking that the trouble-maker in her manor was Mo Xuetong¡¯s younger sister, You Yue¡¯e got more annoyed now.

    It was a really raw punch on her face!

    At that moment, her hands trembled slightly with anger!

    So You Yue¡¯e answered back sarcastically, ¡°There is no any capable master in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor indeed. But His Majesty, King Xuan, is so lucky that he has so many beautiful women in the back garden. Consort Xuan, as long as you ask one of them to help you, you can serve the King happily. Well, you don¡¯t need to do it hurriedly. I think, the King does not want the Consort to be too tired.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e satirized Mo Xuetong with the women kept in the backyard by Feng Yuran. To mock Mo Xuetong, there was even no need to make a fuss about Feng Yuran, as a lot of beautiful women in the backyard of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor could be talked. With Feng Yuran¡¯s temper, he was probably happy to see Mo Xuetong did not return home. Thinking about Feng Yuran¡¯s romantic fame, You Yue¡¯e was full of momentum.

    She raised her head and chin up, took a nce at Mo Xuetong and said with gloat, ¡°But anyway, you should be careful. It is well-known that King Xuan loves beautiful women. You should keep an eye on him. Otherwise, any carelessness will...¡±

    She did not finish her words, but everyone knew what she meant and could not help fixing their eyes on Mo Xuetong, seeing her pink tender face glittering with bright and excellence, big limpid eyes and slightly curve-up long eyshes. What a stunning little beauty from head to toe! Everyone there took on a pity expression all at once.

    What a pity that such a beautiful woman would marry the notorious King Xuan. The beautiful woman as tender as a flower was ruined in King Xuan¡¯s hands. Although the people present were women, they could not help whispering ¡°a reckless waste¡±.

    Everyone looked at Mo Xuetong with pity, and of course with relief!

    Fortunately, she had been married!

    ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re very emphatic. Since the King was injured, he has reported the matter about the backyard to His Majesty, and the Majesty imperatively ordered to restrain the women in the backyard. When the King feels better, he will rearrange the backyard.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly with a smile, as if not understanding the irony in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words.

    With soft eyes and childlike expression that could not be found on a married woman, she looked amiable and extremely decent.

    Princess Royal stood beside and smiled gently, without speaking.

    The emperor paid attention to the backyard of a prince. What a great favor it was! Everyone then remembered that the King Xuan¡¯s Consort did marry a dissipated person, but the person was the Emperor¡¯s deeply-loved son. And some well-informed people remembered that it was heard the King Xuan¡¯s Consort was beloved and cherished by King Xuan since she married into the King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    She had the final say on all the matter in the Manor, even the dissipated master seldom went to his back garden. In other words, she won the King Xuan¡¯s heart, and could tame the King. An obedient prince did meet the Emperor¡¯s satisfaction, and she was bound to get all she wanted, ordingly. No wonder though she got married, she could still have a childlike streak in her. Obviously, she did have a good life.

    After making some judgments on Mo Xuetong, all the people could not help looking at the other one. Before marrying, You Yue¡¯e was a realdy with a capable whole brother. She did not bother to worry about anything and led a leisure life. However, she married King Yan who was grounded on the second day of their wedding ceremony. It was said that the restriction this time was rather meaningful.

    All the masters of different noble families understood that King Yan was actually under house arrest and not allowed to take part in fighting for the throne, which meant he had been kicked out directly. So as for the King whom You Yue¡¯e married, the Emperor would not spare any pity to him. By contrast, King Yan could notpare to King Xuan. At least, King Xuan not only looked remarkably handsome, but also won the Emperor¡¯s favor. As long as the prodigal could return to be good, it would be a great blessing.

    Somedies who had seen Feng Yuran with their own eyes even assumed that if they could be loved by him for a while, they were willing to die!

    The thought of his handsome and admirable appearance did make their face flushed and their heart beat faster.

    Seeing everyone enviously looking at Mo Xuetong and seldom looking at her, with some even deliberately stepping back to keep a distance, You Yue¡¯e felt her chest ache with anger and pressed hard down her fury. In the past few months, she had seen the decline of the manor and the fickleness of the world. She was no longer the overbearing first miss of the Mingguo Manor.

    She gritted her teeth to suppress the hatred in her heart, squeezed a faint smile and said, ¡°His Majesty does care about the King Xuan. But now, Consort Yu is the most loved by His Majesty now, because she is conceiving the most precious son of His Majesty. Just now, King Xuan¡¯s Consort didn¡¯t upset Consort Yu, did she?¡±

    She seemed to ask a question but just shifted the topic to Consort Yu. You Yue¡¯e heard of the rtionship between Consort Yu and the Mo Manor. Although the two parts were not like water and fire, they did had a terrible rtionship. Today, Consort Yu held Mo Xuetong deliberately and spoke to her warmly, which seemed to be something fishy. Didn¡¯t Consort Yu felt an ache on her belly?

    It was good that Consort Yu had a miscarriage since Mo Xuetong would be to me for it. Mo Xuetong was the Prince¡¯s Consort. If the miscarriage did happen, she would be used of killing the imperial son, which was a serious crime, and her life as the King Xuan¡¯s Consort really came to an end.

    Therefore, You Yue¡¯e shifted the topic on Consort Yu intentionally or unintentionally.

    ¡°Does Consort Yu feel well or not?¡± Duchess Ding took up the topic first and asked with great concern. In fact, she had wanted to ask just now, but You Yue¡¯e was so aggressive that Duchess Ding had no chance to interrupt. And she showed her concern immediately this time and took a dissatisfactory look at You Yue¡¯e. If something happened to Consort Yu, King Ning Manor could not escape the me as well.

    ¡°Consort Yu felt her belly ache... So she asked for hot water and ointment. When I came out, I still heard her painful voice. Is she all right now?¡± With a serious look, Mo Xuetong said with an assumed worry. Her eyes were slightly nk with some flurry and helplessness.

    Just now she still contrasted sharply with You Yue¡¯e, but now she took on such an expression, which made all the people present worried about Consort Yu¡¯s belly. If there was something wrong with Consort Yu, not just one or two would be involved, because several people approached Consort Yu deliberately to tter her. If the thing was really looked into, none dared to foresee what would happen.

    ¡°She looks like having been pregnant for four or five months. Nothing will happen!¡±

    ¡°Who knows? There are seldom sons in the imperial family. If there is any...¡±

    Ady asked Duchess Ding worriedly, ¡°Shall we go to see Consort Yu together?¡±

    They had left Consort Yu alone in the cold parlor; if something really happened, what should they do? All the people present might take the responsibility.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see her together. Consort Yu seldomes out of the pce and always feels weak. We shoulde to see if we can help her.¡± You Yue¡¯e answered before Duchess Ding and shot an arrogant nce at Mo Xuetong, because she knew that Consort Yu and Mo Xuetong were on bad terms. And she, together with Consort Yu, could humiliate Mo Xuetong there.

    Duchess Ding hesitated. ¡°Well...¡±

    You Yue¡¯e stood up and whispered to the ears of Duchess Ding, ¡°Just go to have a look. If something happens, it will have nothing to do with us.¡± And the Duchess Ding¡¯s eyes shed immediately, but she still stood up and took all the people to the yard beside.

    The moment Consort Yu entered the manor, she felt an ache on her belly. No one knew what happened. The backyard of King Ning Manor was now chaired by Duchess Ding. If anything really happened, she was the first one to carry the responsibility. But she was unwilling to bear the burden for nothing. Moreover, it was not amon burden that she could afford to shoulder.

    It was good to have so many people toe with her. At least, they could serve as witnesses.

    Princess Royal walked in front, as she held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands and said with concern, ¡°Tong¡¯er, if you want to return to take care of Old Eight, just return to your manor.¡±

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry about me. I have sent a message back to the manor that I will go back when Consort Yu returns to the pce. Besides, I am still worried about Consort Yu. When I left there, she felt really ufortable.¡± Mo Xuetong knew Princess Royal was concerned about her, though Princess Royal said she would take a look at Consort Yu who was feeling ufortable. All in all, Princess Royal was the Emperor¡¯s younger sister.

    But Mo Xuetong was different, since she was the junior and had seen her before. It was not rude even Mo Xuetong left.

    The real reason why Mo Xuetong was unwilling to leave was that the interesting part of the show was yet toe. So she wanted to see it anyway. Mo Ye hade back to her side and helped her to walk slowly behind Princess Royal. Mo Ye tipped Mo Xuetong a wink to show that everything was done, and just to wait for the show to begin.

    Mo Xuetong concealed the smile at the bottom of her eyes. At this moment, she would not leave even if Feng Yuran came to drag her away.

    Moreover, if Consort Yu imed her belly hurt at this time, or pretended to be injured by Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong was easier to defend for herself in her presence. Consort Yu never showed kindness to her, so perhaps she would me everything on Mo Xuetong. If so, there would be no room for Mo Xuetong to defend herself. And she did not intend to bear such a charge!

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go together. It is good, otherwise, others will think you¡¯re scared.¡± Princess Royal raised her volume up rather than lowered down, as her cold eyes fell on You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face. As the first imperial princess, Princess Royal was always domineering. No matter how indulgent You Yue¡¯e was, she knew that she could not provoke Princess Royal, so she just lowered her head, pretending not to see the anger in the Princess Royal¡¯s eyes.

    Anyway, no matter how Consort Yu would stump or frame Mo Xuetongter, it had nothing to do with her, You Yue¡¯e, since You Yue¡¯e just brought Mo Xuetong there.

    Knowing that Princess Royal got the idea, Mo Xuetong stretched out her hand and held Princess Royal¡¯s hand in a childish way. Then, Mo Xuetong said with a smile, ¡°When I left there, Consort Yu looked not bad. I think, she is okay.¡±

    Before the man left, Consort Yu still red at Mo Xuetong. But after that, Consort Yu behaved so gently. That man was audacious in the extreme, even dared tomit adultery with the Emperor¡¯s consort. Mo Xuetong felt a sh of intuition, as she thought about the arrogance and indifference shing in Consort Yu¡¯s eyes when she said that the baby in Consort Yu¡¯s belly was not easy to get.

    Did it mean she could conceive a child anytime anywhere?

    The Emperor was too old and there was no more new child born in the imperial harem these years. Besides, Consort Yu did not enjoy the Emperor¡¯s favor alone. How could she not care about the child so much, as if it were not difficult for her to conceive a child? And she was allowed to be released from the Cold Pce after she was pregnant.

    At that time, Consort Yu got close to Empress Dowager when Feng Yuzhen had returned to the capital secretly. The time was so...

 Chapter 377 - King Ning and Consort Yu Had a Tryst in the Parlor

    <strong>Chapter 377 King Ning and Consort Yu Had a Tryst in the Parlor</strong>

    Wang Xiuxiu was very angry, clenched her fist, and almost screamed out.

    Her beautiful face turned livid and twisted, her forehead vein bulging. Her horrible look of gritting her teeth and ring with vicious eyes made the maidservant kneeling down on the ground shiver.

    ¡°You said he wouldn¡¯te?¡± Wang Xiuxiu gritted her teeth and asked, stressing word by word. She only felt a smell of blood welled up to her throat. Her forehead was sweating, and her abdomen dwelled. Twinges of pains struck her. But for a strong spirit supporting her, she would have fallen to the ground.

    ¡°King Ning said he was very busy and had no time to see Your Highness. When the little new master is born, he will figure out a means to get the little master out.¡± The maidservant answered in a trembling voice, the beads on her forehead rolling down.

    The whole air seemed to be frozen by ice, and even the breathing became heavy and cold.

    ¡°No time? When the little new master is born? Figure out a means?...¡±

    When had he said no time to her before? Her memories were all about his soft and warm face. Every time they met, he would hold her in his arms and spoke to her in a gentle voice. As long as she wanted to see him, he would think of ways toe regardless of wind and rain and never stopped, because she was the only one whom he loved in his heart and would never betray.

    The once-sweet solemn oath of eternal love now turned into sharp swords to cut her heart. How sweet it used to, how much it hurt now...

    Now, did hepletely abandon her? Did he not want her any longer?

    Waiting till she gave birth to the little master? Was it a son? If not, the means meant no means. The King Yan¡¯s Manor was not amon ce. How could he figure out means? As a matter of fact, King Ning did not care about Wang Xiuxiu and the baby in her belly at all. The excuse was made to alienate their rtionship!

    She hated, hated to the extreme...

    If she had known he was so fickle, she would not have acted willfully, let alone giving herself totally to him, and then, she would note to the situation where she was disdained in the King Yan Manor and had no chance to approach King Yan. But King Ning was able to marry Wang Yueyue, that b**ch, enjoying a happy life from now on.

    No, this was not true. This must be not true. Wang Xiuxiu thought she must see Feng Yuzhen and make it clear to him in person. No matter how it would develop, she must stay in the King Ning Manor. And Wang Yueyue could go to the King Yan¡¯s Manor. King Yan would definitely not say anything, as a woman who conceived another man¡¯s child was reced by a real virgin.

    ¡°Yes, yes, it will work. It is the best means,¡± Wang Xiuxiu thought, ¡°As long as I tell this means to Feng Yuzhen, he will definitely agree with me. After all, I still conceive his child. Doesn¡¯t he say he wants the child?¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu looked more excited, as if she had found a way out of her muddled andplicated thoughts. She got a bit frenzied, patted her belly with trembling hands, and asked anxiously, ¡°Where is he now? Is he still receiving guests outside?¡±

    ¡°His Highness is not receiving the guests now. I saw a pce maid looking for him and him following her to a parlor on the other side, the one beside the bridal chamber.¡± The maidservant was afraid of being beaten for not finding King Ning, so she had been staring at Feng Yuzhen and tried to find a chance to talk to him more. And she happened to see him following a pce maid there.

    She roughly understood theyout of the King Ning¡¯s Manor, since she had followed Wang Xiuxiu here several times.

    ¡°Who is he going to meet?¡± Wang Xiuxiu couldn¡¯t wait to go to the left, because there was a path closer to the parlor off the beaten track.

    Seeing Wang Xiuxiu about to run, the maidservant stood up in a hurry, helped her to the path, and answered, ¡°It was Consort Yu from the pce. But it¡¯s said that she feels her belly ufortable, so she takes a rest there.¡±

    Since the emperor¡¯s concubine was ufortable, didn¡¯t shee to find the imperial doctor? Why did she find King Ning? Wang Xiuxiu felt subconsciously something strange, but she was too frenzied to think about more, but she just wanted to see Feng Yuzhen as soon as possible.

    She held her belly with one hand and the maidservant with the other and came there in a hurry. In any case, Wang Xiuxiu would see him. She felt a sore pain on her belly and heavy feet, even sweat began oozing on her forehead. But she did not care and was only eager to see Feng Yuzhen immediately and believed that he would definitely agree with her proposal, for sure...

    She had a bad feeling in her heart that if she missed the chance this time, the two would miss each other forever this life.

    She hurried over to the parlor and silently went through a small door behind the parlor.

    In the main room of the parlor, Consort Yu was winningly lying on Feng Yuzhen and kissing him with great affection. They kissed rather fervently, and Feng Yuzhen hugged her tightly. They cuddled each other, and the pce maid had retreated simply.

    After a long while, their lips separated...

    ¡°Your Highness, congrattions to you. You can have a beautiful consort and enjoy a happy life from now on.¡± Consort Yu said in an affectedly sweet voice, as she held Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hands which were running wildly on her.

    ¡°It sounds rather acid. Are you jealous?¡± Looking at the tender and enchanting woman in his arms at his mercy and thinking that the woman was the Emperor¡¯s woman, Feng Yuzhen was in an excellent mood, hugging her more tightly and kissing her. Then, he asked with a satisfied smile.

    ¡°I am conceiving your son, and you just marry another woman. Your Highness, don¡¯t you think you are too fickle?¡± Consort Yu grumbled in a flirtatiously disobedient way. Although she was pregnant, her belly was a bit but not obviously bulging, and her fascinating charm was more seductive than those verbally-decentdies.

    Thinking of their first tryst in the Cining Pce where they had sex willy-nilly, Feng Yuzhen did feel something changing in his body and simply kissed her more. And he said vaguely, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When our goal is aplished, you will stay with me. At that time, the baby in your belly, perhaps, will be...¡±

    Stunned, Consort Yu mumbled unconsciously and took a few breaths, then she said, ¡°Now, not only I conceive a baby. I heard that that woman also conceives a baby. Your Highness, will you get her inter? If so, I will have no advantage at that time.¡±

    After saying that, she pushed Feng Yuzhen¡¯s head on her chest with a grievance.

    ¡°How can shepare to you? Even though she gives birth to a baby boy, I will not get him from King Yan. Besides, she has been in the manor for so many days. Who knows what had happened between her and Feng Yulei? Feng Yulei has been restrained in his Manor, and perhaps she has been doing the wild things with him every day. What a torn and tattered woman! I will not want her even if she is given to me!¡± Feng Yuzhen only had Consort Yu in his eyes. In order to trick Consort Yu into setting on to him, he belittled Wang Xiuxiu as a worthless person casually.

    At the window, Wang Xiuxiu turned livid at the remarks, her teeth biting into the lip and her fingers clenching into fists. Her eyes almost cracked with fury, and her chest heaved violently.

    ¡°Your Highness, did you mean me?¡± Consort Yu grumbled in a flirtish manner.

    ¡°Howe? You are different from her. After you conceive my child, you have kept your integrity and never served the Emperor. I know that. So you are true to me in my heart, totally different from the licentious woman. With her temperament, she will immediately climb into Feng Yulei¡¯s bed at his beckon.¡±

    Feng Yuzhen stuck his head out of Consort Yu¡¯s arms. Looking at her displeased face, he conciliated her in a gentle voice immediately. As for the baby in Consort Yu¡¯s belly, he had pinned great expectations on him, because the baby would be another defense for his ambition. He would do all he could to safeguard the baby, as he could have chances to fight for the throne by the right of Consort Yu¡¯s son.

    At that time, he only needed to fully support the newly-born prince, and help the prince to the throne, and Feng Yuzhen himself could be the prince regent in charge of the affairs of state. So what¡¯s the difference between the prince regent and the Emperor? And after some time, he would transit the throne smoothly, which was not a difficult thing. Therefore, as for Consort Yu, Feng Yuzhen not only caressed her as possible as he could but also made her set on to him. That was why Feng Yuzhen tried every means to coax her.

    So when he heard that Consort Yu came over, he still didn¡¯t hesitate toe to see her even if he knew today was his wedding day and it was unwise to leave, because he was afraid that Consort Yu would think too much and would make a fuss. Women were too jealous, and so was Wang Xiuxiu.

    Today was his wedding day, but he could not allow any misunderstanding to grow in the woman¡¯s heart. After all, he needed to rely on her in the pce. Most importantly, Feng Yuzhen quite understood how important the child in her belly was, especially when he could use Consort Yu and she could help him to do somethingter which his grandmother could not do for him openly.

    ¡°Your Highness, you treat me so well!¡± Hearing Feng Yuzhen pacifying her so patiently and thinking that he sneaked to see her on his wedding day, she thought he only loved her in his heart and sweetness welled up from her heart, as if the whole heart were soaked in the honeypot. And her voice became delicately prettier. She twisted herself in his arms and sent her body deliberately into Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Why not ept the woman sent to me?¡± Feng Yuzhen squeezed her gently with deep love in his eyes. Then, he reached out his hands to put on her titled close well and said softly, ¡°You are pregnant now. We should be more careful. Don¡¯t hurt yourself. There are so many years ahead of us. We have abundant time to be togetherter.¡±

    Seeing that he was so affectionate with a worried look and hearing he said so many years ahead, Consort Yu felt her heart melted for him and thought her life was full to get his love. Although the Emperor was in his prime of life, he could not stillpare to young and handsome Feng Yuzhen. A woman was more willing to marry a younger and handsome man.

    ¡°Your Highness, I will listen to you.¡± Consort Yu said softly and stood up to let him put on her clothes well. Looking at him soothing the pleats on her clothes carefully, she broadened into a smile with moved tears in her eyes, only thinking that it was worthwhile that she could meet Feng Yuzhen this life, even if she would die for him.

    ¡°You are the only woman in my heart. No matter whether I have children with other women in the future, you must remember what I said today.¡± Seeing Consort Yu was moved with tears, Feng Yuzhen stood up, held her into his arms, and kissed her gently on the forehead with a serious and gentle look.

    It seemed as if he were vowing, so gently and warmly, together with his handsome face and affectionate eyes, which all made Consort Yu nestle against his arms softly.

    Since Consort Yu had been coaxed sessfully, Feng Yuzhen thought of the time and found it was a bitte, for he could not leave the banquet for too long, and someone would find the groom. So he gently disengaged himself from her, about to say he was going to leave, and a chilly voice rang. ¡°Feng Yuzhen, you¡¯ve said that I was the only woman in your heart. You¡¯ve said you will make me the Empress in the future. You¡¯ve said, everything from you will be my child¡¯s in the future.¡±

    That voice sounded familiar. That¡¯s because she had whispered in his arms countless times!

    The dark shadow shed in front of Feng Yuzhen, and he had no time to think when Wang Xiuxiu came in, but just immediately disengaged himself from Consort Yu in time. Then, he was pushed down by the pouncing Wang Xiuxiu and felt his face ache. Before speaking anything, he heard Consort Yu screaming and he pushed Wang Xiuxiu away subconsciously to see what happened to Consort Yu, because the baby in Consort Yu¡¯s belly was his hope, and nothing could happen to the baby!

    With a bang, the door was kicked open. Arge group of people stood at the door, staring at the room in a trance. A cold silence prevailed.

 Chapter 378 - In the King Ning Manor, Wang Xiuxiu Lost Her Baby in the Belly

    <h4>Chapter 378 In the King Ning Manor, Wang Xiuxiu Lost Her Baby in the Belly</h4>

    The room was in a mess. Consort Yu leaned down on the side of the bed with a pale face, and could not say a word. On the other side, Wang Xiuxiu fell to the wall, her clothes stained with blood, and the flowing blood was clearly visible on the skirt. Wang Xiuxiu covered her belly and painfully called to Princess Royal standing at the door. ¡°Child, my child! Save my child!¡±

    A hint of pleading shed in her eyes.

    As for Feng Yuzhen, he fell to the ground. His handsome face was scratched two blood strains that nted down from the bridge of his nose, which pulled and twisted his face.

    ¡°Yuzhen, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Princess Royal was the first to collect herself and ordered people to help Wang Xiuxiu and Consort Yu up, and then came to ask Feng Yuzhen who just got up from the ground. The two women in the room were pregnant, and the only man was the groom who had nothing to do with them. The matter seemed weird anyway.

    ¡°I...¡± Feng Yuzhen looked bad, but fortunately, he responded quickly and continued to say immediately, ¡°I heard in the former hall that Consort Yu felt ufortable, so I came to see her. When we were talking, Second Consort Wang dashed in for some unknown reason in a frightening way. So I subconsciously wanted to protect Consort Yu, and was wed by Second Consort Wang. And then, then...¡±

    The bloodstains on Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s nails would not lie, so Feng Yuzhen could not cover it by any means.

    And what he said was a half-truth, but sounded reasonable. He med everything on Wang Xiuxiu and took on a nk look as if he had not known what had happened.

    Although it was extremely inappropriate that he appeared alone in the parlor where Consort Yu was, and it was rather suspicious, Consort Yu felt ufortable, and he, as the master, came to see her, which was usible. Now, there was no mistress in King Ning¡¯s Manor. Although Duchess Ding was a close rtive, she could not represent Feng Yuzhen after all. So that he came to see Consort Yu in person meant nothing but just some concern.

    It looked weird that there was no pce maid serving in the room.

    But judging the distance between the two people and their quite normal dressing, all the people¡¯s eyes on them became vague.

    ¡°Aunt, could you please have a look at Second Consort Yu? Is she all right?¡± After the exnation, Feng Yuzhen said anxiously and turned around to see Wang Xiuxiu.

    Wang Xiuxiu closed her eyes tightly, and her skirt had been wet with blood. Feng Yuzhen was oppressed by some unknown sinister forebodings. Anyway, Wang Xiuxiu was conceiving his child, and the two used to enjoy great tenderness. Now, the child was knocked off by him, and he felt ufortable as well. But thinking that Wang Xiuxiu dashed so furiously, he thought if she had dashed into Consort Yu¡¯s belly, Consort Yu¡¯s baby would have been knocked off as well.

    At the thought, Feng Yuzhen¡¯s heart turned frigid immediately and sighed that, ¡°What a near thing that was. So lucky...¡±

    And he felt fortunate that he responded so quickly to push Consort Yu away, that he kicked Wang Xiuxiu away, and that it was Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s baby that was knocked off...

    Although he thought that in his heart, he still put on fake concern on his face. He stared at Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s pale face, as if losing his mind, and only uttered the words. ¡°What to do? Aunt? What to do? Her belly, her child...¡±

    He put on a panic-stricken and bewildered look.

    Wang Xiuxiu opened her eyes slightly, only to see the flustered eyes mixed with agony and pleading as if he still cared about her and lost his mind for her. The two deep bloodstains on his face were still bleeding, and his hair was disheveled. Now, he was not the calm and dashing gentleman as he was always.

    He, still cared about her!

    He, still cared about her!

    Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, and drops of tears rolled into the dust. He still had her in his heart. It was true. Seeing him standing there so awkwardly and looking at her sadly, Wang Xiuxiu felt her heart also ached and thought, ¡°Yes, how can he not care about me? He couldn¡¯t have known that the person dashing towards him was me, so he kicked me so mercilessly.¡±

    Now he was flustered and regretted...

    ¡°Second Consort Wang, how do you feel now?¡± You Yue¡¯e came to ask. As the mistress of King Yan¡¯s Manor, she knew that she could not lose her grace. Besides, she knew well how the baby came in Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s belly. It was not Feng Yulei¡¯s child at all. To raise the child for others, You Yue¡¯e felt grieved for Feng Yulei, but Feng Yulei just said that the time had not yete.

    The thought that another man¡¯s child would steal the title of the eldest son made You Yue¡¯e filled with anger.

    If it had not been You Yue¡¯e¡¯s eldest brother who had persuaded her that the time had not yete and told her not to provoke Wang Xiuxiu, the baby in Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s belly would have been messed to death. So You Yue¡¯e was gloating over Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s mishap.

    ¡°I, my belly... My child...¡± Wang Xiuxiu said in a difficult way. Although she tried to see Feng Yuzhen clearly, she felt a red in front and was able to say these words, and then she could not continue but just gasped for air.

    ¡°Hurry up! Hold her to the other side. Please call for the imperial doctor. Now!¡± Duchess Ding was senior and had great experiences, so she ordered people to hold Wang Xiuxiu to the wing room beside. And Consort Yu also had much trouble. Although no blood was seen, she still held her belly and screamed with a pale face.

    Then, all the people were in a mess again.

    Since the Manor was in chaos, Wang Yueyue, the bride, was informed that the matter and knew of the rtionship between her eldest sister and her husband, afraid that something awful was about to happen. So Wang Yueyue ignored her identity of a new bride and rushed there with her maidservants immediately. No matter what had happened, she was the mistress in the Manor.

    No matter whether Consort Yu or Wang Xiuxiu had trouble in the banquet, it must have something to do with Wang Yueyue herself. On the great wedding day, it would be a scandal that she was involved in such a rtionship.

    Thinking of thest marriages of the three royal princes, Wang Yueyue heard of some scandals, but only King Xuan¡¯s Consort had a happy life. Wang Yueyue felt deeply rm, fearing that disaster would fall on her.

    Wang Yueyue hurried there, paid respects for Princess Royal first and spoke no more words. She took a nce at Consort Yu and swept her eyes at Feng Yuzhen standing under the corridor, and narrowed her eyes slightly. No matter what had happened between Feng Yuzhen and Wang Xiuxiu, Wang Yueyue thought she was the real Consort of King Ning, so from her perspective, she should defend him.

    Therefore, when she saw Want Xiuxiu¡¯s maidservant squeezed in the crowd, trying to walk to Feng Yuzhen among so many people, Wang Yueyue ordered her maidservant to push Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s maidservant away on purpose. In any case, Wang Yueyue would not allow the rtionship between Feng Yuzhen and her sister to be exposed, especially on the wedding day when the guests were all the consorts of the kings and princesses. If any cause for gossip was left this time, how could Feng Yuzhen get along with King Yan in the future?

    Although there were some things known to everyone, they had not yet been brought into the open and still had some room. If the affair came into the open, King Yan would not swallow the humiliation. If King Yan went against King Ning, King Ning had no chance of winning. Wang Yueyue knew clearly that King Ning also had no chance of winning the throne.

    Because the Emperor would not be so muddled that he would choose his nephew to inherit his throne instead of so many sons avable. Now, Wang Yueyue knew that her father and eldest sister had been misled, and now Wang Yueyue herself had to tread on the muddy water. She felt a great sadness, however, sadness could not handle everything. She knew the first thing was to appease Wang Xiuxiu.

    If her sister still wanted to take a chance desperately, not only the King Ning¡¯s Manor, but also their father would be ruined...

    ¡°Eldest sister, eldest sister, are you all right?¡± Wang Yueyue asked anxiously, as she was holding Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s hand.

    Wang Xiuxiu had been cleaned up, and she opened her eyes weakly, looked at Wang Yueyue, and said sadly, ¡°Child, my child...¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu was full of hatred, as she hated herself so recklessly to dash into the room. If it had not been for her recklessness, her child would have been in her belly. After entering the King Yan¡¯s Manor, the child was her only hope. Now, the child was gone. What hope did she have afterward? At the thought, tears fell on her face silently.

    There was no one else in the room. All the madams anddies came tofort Consort Yu, because she was the most important one at that time. Wang Xiuxiu was just a second consort, and now was being looked after by her younger sister. So all the people left the room to them consciously to let the two sisters have a private talk.

    ¡°Sister, it¡¯s okay. Your body is important. You can have another child.¡± Wang Yueyueforted gently, her eyes falling on Feng Yuzhen¡¯s face outside the window. That man looked sad and panicky. Following his eyes, Wang Yueyue noticed him looking at Wang Xiuxiu.

    Wang Xiuxiu also noticed Feng Yuzhen, and looking at his affectionate and sad eyes, she felt a thousand words rushing to her heart. At that moment, she forgot that her child was knocked off by him, and cried loudly. ¡°Zhen, Zhen, child, child...¡±

    The burst of cry frightened Wang Yueyue and Feng Yuzhen. And a hint of ruthlessness shed in his eyes. He had intended to make her shut up by his tenderness, and signal her to fabricate an excuse of being scared. And the whole thing would be over. But out of his expectation, Wang Xiuxiu dared to burst into tears wildly. Not only was there Consort Yu beside, but also Princess Royal. It would be terrible if it was spread out!

    Feng Yuzhen thought Wang Xiuxiu could not be kept any longer.

    ¡°Sister, sister, I know that the child is really gone. You¡¯re sad and having a hard time. But the child is really gone. There is no way. Just take care of yourself, and you will have a child in the future.¡± Wang Yueyue responded quickly, and hurried tofort her when she burst out crying, and stressed on the word ¡°really¡± as if Wang Xiuxiu were not calling Feng Yuzhen¡¯s name, but just thought her child was really lost!

    ¡°Child, my child!¡± Wang Xiuxiu cried wildly, pushed Wang Yueyue¡¯s hands away, and stared at Feng Yuzhen fixedly. She could not speak for her sobbing, helpless and hopeless.

    The child was her and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s. The losing of the child meant that Wang Xiuxiu had no rtionship with the man any longer. Even if she could be pregnant in the future, the child would not be his. Thinking that she would not have any rtionship with him, Wang Xiuxiu felt darkness in front. She did not want that! She wanted the child! Because the child was she and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s.

    She felt sorry for him, even unable to keep his child. What she wanted most now was to throw herself into his arms and cry out her sorrow loudly. Now, her mind was in chaos, and she thought he was the only real person in front of her.

    ¡°Miss, the medicine is prepared.¡± One of Wang Yueyue¡¯s maidservants served the medicine in. Wang Yueyue took it, blew it, and sent it to Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s lips with a spoon, then said, ¡°Elder sister, take the medicine and take a rest.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu cried nkly, unable to gather thoughts in her brain. ¡°I don¡¯t want it; I want my child...¡±

    ¡°Take it, and everything will be fine after taking it.¡±

    Wang Xiuxiu looked at Wang Yueyue with stupefied eyes, seekingfort. ¡°Will it be fine? Will my childe back?¡±

    Wang Yueyue appeased softly, and served the medicine to Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes, it will be fine.¡± Wang Xiuxiu took a sip subconsciously, and some even dropped out of her lips. Until now, Wang Xiuxiu had notpletely awake, but just opened her eyes by one breath. After taking the medicine, she closed her eyes slowly and calmed down.

    When Wang Xiuxiu slept, Wang Yueyue wiped the medicine on the corner of Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s lips, stood up and told maidservants to take care of her sister. Then, Wang Yueyue turned around and left.

    Outside the door, Feng Yuzhen finally felt relieved and bowed to Wang Yueyue. ¡°My Lady, thank you for all the trouble you¡¯ve taken.¡±

    She understood what he meant.

    ¡°This is what I should do. I¡¯ve left some servants here, and should go back. Your Highness, you can go to the former hall as well.¡± Wang Yueyue said softly, as she took a deep look at him and returned a salute.

    The wedding banquet was still going on, and it was extremely against the rules that the bride and the groom were not there. And Princess Royal said just now that nothing happened to Consort Yu; she just had some scare, and Consort Yu returned to the pce at this time.

    Feng Yuzhen gave her a gentle look and instructed. ¡°Okay,e to send My Lady to the Hua Garden.¡±

    With the order, some maidservants in the manor came to surround Wang Yueyue and followed her to leave, but none of them noticed the glistening tears and sadness in Wang Yueyue¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 379 - The Empressâ€™ Concerns

    <strong>Chapter 379 The Empress¡¯ Concerns</strong>

    The matter concerning Consort Yu¡¯s fright, Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s miscarriage, and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s sudden appearance ended with Wang Xiuxiu¡¯s bloody death.

    Even though a second consort that the Emperor had officially instated had died, the matter created nomotions as King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Ning¡¯s manor remained silent, with Grand Secretariat Wang keeping quiet as well. As a second consort was merely a concubine, a matter concerning her would not stir up much drama, especially since her presence made others feel threatened and ufortable.

    Then, there was no need for her to exist!

    Ever since Consort Yu returned to her pce, she stayed in Qingwei pce every day to tend to her baby. It was rumored that she had a great fright and dared not venture out casually ever since.

    Inside Cining Pce.

    The emperor came forth with the sickly Empress to greet Empress Dowager. The Empress had been sick for quite some time and was only getting better now. After she was able to move around, she specially came to greet Empress Dowager.

    ¡°You should rest more if you are not feeling well, and shouldn¡¯te over. Do take care of yourself, it will be harder to treat when you are older if your illness now umtes.¡± Empress Dowager looked at the Empress with benevolent eyes as she touched her thin and withered hands, asking her out of concern. The Empress was indeed extremely skinny for this period of time, looking emaciated.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so concerned, Empress Dowager. Your body is weak as well, and that made your daughter-inw extremely worried. I haven¡¯t seen you for quite some while and missed you quite a bit.¡± The Empress lifted up her head to look at Empress Dowager, emotions hidden in her eyes as she replied calmly ording to Empress Dowager¡¯s wishes.

    In the past, she used to call Empress Dowager Mum. However, she called her by her title respectfully now.

    ¡°I know that you are filial. However, you should onlye when you arepletely well and have rested. Don¡¯te these few days and onlye after you have fully recovered. Only then will I be at ease.¡± Empress Dowager nodded her head as she smiled lightly, ying with the Buddhist beads in her hands.

    A eunuch walked in from outside and reported, ¡°Empress Dowager, Empress of Yan Kingdom send you a gift to wish for your good health.¡±

    The Empress of Yan Kingdom was Empress Dowager¡¯s birth daughter. It¡¯s normal for her to send gifts over.

    ¡°Bring it in. This kid is also filial and thinks about me from time to time. But she does live too far away.¡± The first sentence was an order to the eunuchs but the rest of the sentences were to the Empress and the Emperor.

    ¡°My sister is Empress Dowager¡¯s birth daughter; how can she be not filial? Even though the Yan Kingdom was far away, it is a blessing for you for she still thinks about you.¡± The Empress was reminded of her daughter too and looked at Empress Dowager with sadness and hatred hidden within her eyes.

    At least Princess Royal Yunruo was the Empress of a nation, her daughter was only the wife of First Prince. It was obvious that Bai Yihao had the upper hand in the Yan Kingdom and she was curious about the intention behind Yunruo¡¯s decision to force her daughter to marry Bai Yichen. How could her daughter possibly survive when Bai Yihao gained the throne in the future?

    To force Yu¡¯er to marry into the Yan Kingdom, Yunruo yed plenty of tricks in harming her. In the end, Yu¡¯er¡¯s marriage to Bai Yichen was because of a devious scheme. Thinking about that made the Empress turn bitter. Her hand holding the handkerchief tightened as she remembered the words that the Emperor told her this morning.

    That¡¯s right. No matter which prince became the next Emperor, they would make her Empress Dowager. Everyone would do that except for King Ning Feng Yuzhen. If Feng Yuzhen took the throne, Empress Dowager would still be in charge of the harem and she could only be thrown into the Cold Pce even as an Empress. Hence, she would not allow King Ning to take the throne.

    Empress Dowager wouldn¡¯t be naive enough to think that her tactics to harm Lei¡¯er would make her brother support Feng Yuzhen instead of Lei¡¯er.

    From what the Emperor said and from sources outside, the Empress gained the conclusion that the matter at the wedding was a conspiracy against King Yan. Unfortunately, King Yan fell into the trap.

    The Empress analyzed the situation. Who profited from this matter?

    It would not the humiliated Feng Yuxuan, or the injured Feng Yuran relying on his marriage for luck. The only man remaining was King Ning Feng Yuzhen, who just entered the pce. The fact that King Ning Feng Yuzhen, who had always stayed out of politics, managed to enter the court so sessfully made the Empress came up with conspiracy theories.

    Empress Dowager, her men again...

    Hatred jumped from within the Empress¡¯ eyes. She lowered her head and took in a deep breath, suppressing the hatred in her heart. She pondered how the old women lived for so long without dying. She knew that the old woman was like Buddha in front of everyone but was actually devious and evil. On the surface, she cared nothing about politics, but privately, only she knew how much she enjoyed power. However, she would not let her seed this time!

    ¡°You, your mouth is bing sweeter and sweeter.¡± Empress Dowager giggled as she yed with the Buddhist beads in her hands slowly as if she were ying with the lives of others.

    Emperor Zongwen smiled and hid the fierceness in his eyes as he listened to the conversation.

    After the conversation continued for a while, the two retreated. The Empress came back to her Tianfeng Pce andid on her bed. After thinking for a long while, she called Nanny Lin over.

    ¡°Do you have a goddaughter in Empress Dowager¡¯s pce?¡± The Empress was straight to the point.

    ¡°Yes, I knew my godsister since young but we parted ways when we grew up. When we met again, her daughter had grown up. Because she struggled to make a living, she asked me to send her daughter into the pce. I was worried that her matters would affect the Empress and me, hence I never told anyone about it.¡± Nanny Lin knew what the Empress meant and immediately replied.

    ¡°Does she listen to you?¡± The Empress¡¯ eyes were cold and her voice made one shudder within the vast empty hall.

    ¡°No worries, Your Highness. Shepletely listens to me. Her mother and her brother are still outside and are tended by my men.¡± Nanny Lin knew that Empress Dowager and Empress had hidden grievance with each other despite their friendly demeanor and hence left her there to control Empress Dowager¡¯s servants.

    ¡°Have her monitor Empress Dowager. Tell me immediately if anything is amiss.¡±

    Nanny Lin replied as she dared not ask much about her master¡¯s affairs. ¡°Yes, I shall do it immediately.¡± She then retreated carefully.

    Even though a storm was brewing in the pce, Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan Manor was still so peaceful.

    Mo Xuetongid on her bed and refused to get up as she waszy. She opened her eyes and discovered that Feng Yuran was already lying beside him. He was gone since yesterday after she came back, and still did not appear when she fell asleepte at night. However, Mo Xuetong knew that this wasmon for a busy man.

    Her watery gaze fell on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face, one that¡¯s white, sulent and inexplicably gorgeous. His long eyshes drooped from his eyes, perfectlyplementing his upright nose and his light red lips. Even though Mo Xuetong was already long aware of Feng Yuran¡¯s beauty, she was still mesmerized at that instant.

    That face was so beautiful!

    It made one intoxicated with love at one gaze. No wonder numerous women tried to attract his attention despite his terrible reputation. That¡¯s all due to his looks! Such a man was a true devil! How could someone be as beautiful as him, how could someone be so attractive!

    Her long white thin fingers gently caressed his handsome and beautiful eye as she became all smiles. She knew that the man belonged to her now. His beauty, coupled with his gentleness, made her question if she was dreaming.

    Mo Xuetong moved closer and kissed his upright nose lightly before sighing satisfyingly. Heaven was indeed nice to her. Despite her miserable previous life, she managed to get reborn and seek revenge for herself, not to mention obtaining such an incredible man. Hence, Mo Xuetong felt that she was dreaming.

    Just looking at him vaguely, she felt that she obtained the entire world!

    Happiness and joy jumped out from her heart as she could not stop smiling.

    Azy and soft voice appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Am I pretty?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was like a frightened kid who immediately closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. If not for her obvious red blush, her pretense would be pretty urate. The corner of Feng Yuran¡¯s mouth lifted up as he had been awoken since when Mo Xuetong stared at her obsessively. He merely pretended to be asleep to see what she was doing. Now, he was all joyous as he stretched out his hand to hug the woman tight and kiss her on her forehead, saying, ¡°Why are you not looking anymore? So scared? Aren¡¯t you very obsessed just now?¡±

    ¡°Who is scared? Who is obsessive?¡± Mo Xuetong replied silently in her stomach but still insisted on not speaking. If this man realized that she was awake, he would force himself on her again. He did have a low endurance level and would be taking a cold bath very soon after that. Thinking that he was still recovering from his injuries, she decided that it would just be greater trouble for herself if she lured him on.

    She decided to keep pretending to prevent him from being impulsive.

    Remembering that he still kept his promise to her, Mo Xuetong felt sweetness as if she just ate honey. No matter what happened, she was still ced first in his heart.

    Seeing that she was still pretending, Feng Yuran¡¯s long fingers pinched her chubby pink cheeks as his handsome gaze inadvertently fell on her lips. Her lips were beautiful and pink, shining brightly like a ripe and plump cherry that could be easily plucked.

    Her mouth was slightly pursed, making her seem a little coquettish and charming!

    He lowered his head and covered his beautiful thin lips on hers. He kissed her lips lightly. When he felt her cherry lips on his, he inadvertently moaned softly with a voice akin to that of soft and appealing cotton. Feng Yuran¡¯s heart was itchy and a little paralyzed as if thin silk brushed across his heart.

    His breathing quickened as hisrge hand grew a mind of his own, reaching into her clothes.

    The sudden coldness made Mo Xuetong shudder as she suddenly became sober. Her hand grabbed his one as she tried to push him aside,ining in a pitiful and yet seductive voice. ¡°Don¡¯t, Yuran, don¡¯t be like this, you will...¡±

    She was so embarrassed as she struggled toplete her sentence. With her watery eyes wide open, she bit her lips and forced her moaning to stay in her throat, merely letting out a soft gasp as she could not speak another word. She didn¡¯t expect herself to look even more seductive like that, with a sense of confusion amidst her beauty. She looked at Feng Yuran, confuzzled, like a little beast with her eyes wide open.

    Feng Yuran felt a part of his body changing. The heat and the pain made him uncontrobly want to engulf her.

    Mo Xuetong felt his excitement too and dared not move at all, staring at him with her fearful and watery eyes. She felt his hand, tight and numb, shivering with her eyes like water. Such natural and seductive nature could make one irrational with just one nce.

    ¡°Liu Xiahui is truly not a man!¡± Feng Yuranined dully as he pinched her once again. He immediately took his hand out and wrapped her clothing back with shivering hands. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. The woman he loved was sleeping beside him for him to enjoy but he was unable to touch her, making Feng Yuran extremely depressed.

    He was starting to suspect if he was truly a man!

    He repeated to himself that he had to speed up the process, regardless of anything!

    The male body¡¯s heat came over, with the heavy breathing of him by her ears. Those things made Mo Xuetong¡¯s body burn as her heart beat fast and her mouth became dry. If not for the fact that she closed her mouth, she could feel her heart jumping up. She could do nothing but to remain still, with her eyes closed.

    Inside her heart, she scolded him. ¡°How can you say that he is not a man when you can¡¯t achieve what he did!

    ¡°You have such a thick skin.¡±

 Chapter 380 - Beautiful Women of King Xuanâ€™s Manor

    <strong>Chapter 380 Beautiful Women of King Xuan¡¯s Manor</strong>

    The wind blew outside the window, sending light fragrance of the flowers in. Lifting up the bed curtains, one could see waves falling and a slight bulge present.

    After long, the breathing of the man beside her became lighter. Mo Xuetong felt her body stiffened and thus changed her position, twisting to another side. However, just as she moved a little, a strong arm stretched over and pulled her in his arms before hearing his satisfying moan.

    ¡°Did you see anything interesting today?¡± He asked with a yful voice, with a tinge ofziness hidden within.

    Mo Xuetong stretched her limbs and found a morefortable position in his arms. Her long eyshes fell as she blinked, closing her eyes. ¡°Did you know the situation long ago?¡±

    The matter between Consort Yu and Feng Yuzhen didn¡¯t happen overnight, and it was difficult to be done inplete secrecy as well. With the ability of Feng Yuran, he would have known about the matter for a long time.

    ¡°Empress Dowager thought that her n was wless. She used the child in Consort Yu¡¯s womb as a bargaining chip to seek an advantage for King Ning. If King Ning fails, the kid is a useful chess piece to be used.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curved into a smile, mocking, ¡°Empress Dowager was indeed worked painstakingly for this child, even moving her subordinate to Cold Pce to help Feng Yuzhen act! As the Empress Dowager of a nation, who would have thought that she was helping someone cheat.¡±

    ¡°Emperor, does the Emperor know...¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated before asking the question as she felt that something was amiss.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care about her, Tong¡¯er. But take note that she might hurt you. I heard that she especially asked you to bring her in today. What a great n! Unfortunately, his master behind her might not agree with this n!¡± Feng Yuran repliedzily as he stretched out his hand to caress Mo Xuetong¡¯s white hands before kissing it using his lips affectionately.

    This remark made Mo Xuetong remember Consort Yu¡¯s attitude. At the start of the day, she came to her andined that she wasn¡¯t feeling well before asking if she could help her into her room. After dismissing her head servant, she exchanged a few words with her. Her words conveyed a deeper meaning and her attitude seemed to be one of nonchnt when she was asked about the child she was pregnant with, as if it were extremely easy to bear a child!

    ...

    Hence, she wanted to use the child she was bearing to frame Mo Xuetong. Any sign of miscarriage or stomachache would be framed as her fault. Of course, this was because Consort Yu did not ce a heavy emphasis on the child she had. If anything did go wrong and a miscarriage was induced, she could seduce Feng Yuzhen again due to her young and beautiful appearance. As they were both extremely young, it was not difficult for her to bear another child.

    Hence, she set up such a n to get Mo Xuetong involved.

    If not for the ident induced by Wang Xiuxiu, Consort Yu would naturally me her for the problem. Facing the entire court of aristocrats, Feng Yuran was unable to save her even if he believed in her. Unless she could provide concrete evidence, the death of the child would entirely be her fault.

    It was extremely devious how she used the child in her womb as a bargaining chip, just like Auntie Fang!

    Such women were not worthy of being women.

    Having remembered that Auntie Fang had simr ns to frame her before, chilly waves shed across the clear eyes of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Rest assured, even if she wants to frame you, she has to see her status. As for the one in her womb... other than those few people... no one cared!¡± Having felt that the woman in his arms was biting her lips due to anger, Feng Yuranforted her gently.

    If not for the usefulness of the child, no one would have kept that illegitimate child! Consort Yu thought that her n was perfect but she didn¡¯t know that many people were eyeing her unborn child.

    ¡°If Consort Yues to disturb you again, you can just leave. After all, she was merely a second-grade consort, a grade lower than you. If you ignore her, she can¡¯t do anything about it. I shall leave her child a while more as it¡¯s not yet time...¡±

    ¡°What if she keeps disturbing me?¡± Mo Xuetongined unhappily, her cherry lips pursed. If she dragged her hand like what happened today, it was not possible for her to just throw her hand away or Consort Yu could have just fallen and pretended to be hurt. Lying on his broad chest, Mo Xuetong was almost depressed.

    ¡°Oh, so this is...¡± Seeing how she was moaning, Feng Yuranughed and pinched her upright nose, a seductive smile appearing on his handsome face. ¡°If Tong¡¯er promises me something, I will let Consort Yu stay in her pce until I need her to leave...¡±

    He didn¡¯t finish his words but Mo Xuetongpletely understood what he meant. She stared at him andined in shame, ¡°No!¡±

    A red blush appeared on her jade white face, making her face beautiful and picturesque.

    ¡°Really no? Don¡¯t regret your decision, Tong¡¯er!¡± Feng Yuran lifted his brows as his lips curved up in a mocking smile, his long slender eyes as clear as the crescent moon. His brows moved as he examined the beautiful and innocentdy in front of him; the red blush on her cheeks enhanced her beauty further.

    He stretched out his hand to hug her tightly before releasing. He loved this little woman with all his life!

    ¡°Of course no, we¡¯re talking about proper stuff!¡± Even though Mo Xuetong was chiding him, her voice seemed to be coquettish. Coupled with her red blushing face, she had no momentum and power, making him even prouder as heughed more. Together with his pride was a sense of love that he didn¡¯t realize himself.

    ¡°Of course we¡¯re talking about proper stuff. Or is Tong¡¯er reminding me that I can do some indecent stuff now?¡± Feng Yuran lifted up Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin, examining her pretty little face which had nowhere to hide. A seductive smile curved up on his handsome face.

    Having her chin lifted up, Mo Xuetong was unable to turn her head away and decided to stare at him, and saw that he was looking at her with a mysterious smile. As they were lying on the bed, his robes were untied and his ck hair was spread on the bed,plementing his extremely handsome look. He looked seductive and devious, making one¡¯s heart thump fast involuntarily.

    How could such a beautiful man exist in this world? He was like a seductive purple lotus blossoming in the dark night.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, is your husband handsome enough for you?¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong was staring at him nkly, blushing. Feng Yuran felt extremely delighted, loosening his robes even further as he nced at her deviously. He pulled her hand to caress his handsome face, giving a seductive look as he asked mockingly.

    Mo Xuetong turned sober at once as the blush on her face turned even redder. She could not help but rebut him due to the narcissistic nature of the man, especially since they were just having a serious conversation. Mo Xuetong ground her teeth and replied sarcastically, ¡°My husband is so pretty that even a woman like me is jealous of your beauty. With your looks, you merely need to change your clothes to be an extreme beauty!¡±

    With such thick skin and such arrogance, the more embarrassed you were, the further the man would go. If you became as shameless as he was, he would tone down.

    The man flicked his brows. Ignoring herment that he looked like a woman, he smiled devilishly. ¡°I wonder if my face is desirable for My Lady¡¯s eyes and heart?¡±

    Even though Feng Yuran¡¯s face was extremely gorgeous, the well-curved features and the elegant and handsome nature waspletely different from the charm of women!

    ¡°It¡¯s easy for such a pretty face to enter anyone¡¯s heart!¡± Mo Xuetong replied resentfully as she remembered that she was almost sent to another king¡¯s manor because of this face. She then turned the hand resting on his face and pinched him hard.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts! Since I did enter My Lady¡¯s heart today, how about you serve me tonight?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face turned bitter as he saw that she feigned nonchnce despite her extreme embarrassment, with even her jade white ears turning red. After some deep thought, he asked, with the smile on his lips turning more seductive.

    ¡°Serve him tonight?¡±

    Suddenly, Mo Xuetong felt that she could no longer sustain a conversation with this man. His skin was so thick that her abilities could not counter him. If shamelessness were apetition, ten of her would not be able to match up to one of him.

    Mo Xuetong exerted strength and threw his hand away before pinching his hand again. This time, she ignored him andid down on his chest, pretending to be asleep.

    Hisughter was muffled at her ears. ¡°Are you really angry?¡±

    Mo Xuetong replied dully. ¡°No!¡± There was no way she could talk to him now.

    Feng Yuran exined to her gently but Mo Xuetong heard the chilly meaning hidden within. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry, Consort Yu won¡¯t being out to harm you from now on. I¡¯ll let her stay in the pce obediently to tend to her baby. If she still has a miscarriage because of that, that¡¯ll be the end of her life as a concubine.¡± He was angry!

    ¡°Is it because of me!¡±

    A warm stream filled her heart as she rubbed her puny face against Feng Yuran¡¯s body, feeling his softness and tenderness. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Let¡¯s sleep for a while more.¡±

    Feng Yuran obviously didn¡¯t sleep for the entire night. Since she didn¡¯t see him when she woke upst night, she deduced that he must have juste in.

    Seeing her unguarded and innocent demeanor, and listening to her sweet and provocative voice, Feng Yuran found the anger residing in his chest disappeared. He always had Tong¡¯er to apany him. She was his wife, the one he loved. It was a great blessing that he was able to be together with the woman he loved in this life!

    Hugging her soft and fragrant body tight, he rubbed his ruby red lips at her neck, feeling her skin and warm breath. He gently said without any trace of awkwardness, ¡°Alright, I shall sleep too.¡±

    Since Feng Yuran didn¡¯te backst night, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have proper rest as well. Resting in his arms now and being in his fragrance embrace, she felt her eyelids became heavy as she found afortable position and continued sleeping.

    Outside the room, the few servants were all Mo Xuetong¡¯s close servants. They saw that the King had just entered the room and that they didn¡¯t order them in, they knew that their masters were resting and hence retreated, whispering in fear of disturbing their masters inside.

    The spring breeze blew as flowers fell gently down and branches gently swayed. asionally, servants smiled and giggled, peaceful and quiet.

    ¡°Sister Mo Lan, Sister Mo Lan.¡± Outside the garden, Mo Yu hurried in, pulling a corner of her long skirt up. As she was anxious, her voice changed as if she was frightened. When she entered the door, she stumbled on the threshold. If not for the fact that she grabbed onto the door frame, she would have fallen.

    ¡°What happened? Why in such a hurry?¡± Mo Lan put his hand on her lips, signaling for her to lower her voice before chiding her gently.

    Seeing Mo Lan¡¯s actions, Mo Yu took two deep breaths. Wiping the sweat off her face, she lowered her voice and replied, ¡°Sister Mo Lan, something happened in the manor. Old Sir would like ourdy to take a look.¡±

 Chapter 381 - The Marital Fraud at the Duke Zhenguoâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 381 The Marital Fraud at the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor</h4>

    After entering the room, Mo Lan woke Mo Xuetong up softly. Mo Xuetong pondered as she got up from the bed lightly. However, Feng Yuran caught her and askedzily, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is something wrong? Shall I go with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you get some sleep. I will get someone to fetch you if something goes wrong!¡± Mo Xuetong said sweetly. She pushed him away and got up, slipping off the bed easily with the help of his arm.

    ¡°Do you really not want me to go with you?¡± He got up with concern. Even though a charming smile still hung on his lips, there was a hint of darkness in his eyes.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hands. No way! He was ordered to rest and had only just gotten slightly better. He still wanted to participate in these shenanigans with her. He would be ¡°tired out¡± before the matter at home was settled. That one in the pce was still angry. He might tear her skin off!

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Feng Yue take a few men and go with you.¡± Feng Yuran said gently. He was a little worried. He held her face and kissed her gently on her lips.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Mo Xuetong did not object this time. She nodded and then pushed him back onto the bed. She tucked him in and then carefully arranged theting around the bed before turning to leave.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s phoenix eyes blinked under the red mandarin duck nkets. His eyes shone brilliantly as he smiled brightly!

    He flipped around and turned on his side towards the warm spot she left behind. A smile with a hint of devilish coldness appeared on his thin lips. The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor really could not restrain themselves. That¡¯s good. They dare to overestimate themselves and hurt his woman. That was a sin that could not go unpunished. After all, he had always been a good chess yer!

    The matter started at Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Duchess Zhenguo brought Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin to the Mo Manor angrily in the morning, all the while yelling that they should get a divorce! She said that the good daughter the Mo Manor brought up was an immoral woman and she suspected the Mo¡¯s of marital fraud. They had intentionally sent that slut over to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s marriage was decreed by the Empress. Usually, they would not be able to get a divorce or a separation. But if there was really a case of marital fraud, the marriage could be dissolved. They would be able to get a divorce or a separation! The Empress would not be able to say anything but the party who had engaged in marital fraud would have to take great responsibility in the whole matter.

    However, the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor ming the Mo Manor for marital fraud was like the pot calling the kettle ck. It was rather ludicrous.

    Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun had plotted against Mo Xuetong but received retaliation from Feng Yuran, causing the two of them to be found together with their clothes in disarray. Mo Xuemin had pushed Sima Lingyun up in front and lied that Sima Lingyun wanted to rape her. She had tried her hardest to resist, which resulted in what everyone saw. What she said had ruined Sima Lingyun¡¯s reputationpletely.

    If not for the Duchess asking her younger sister, Duchess Mingyang to push the Lady of Xian to send a message to the pce, the marriage decree would not have passed either!

    Then, Mo Manor had not stopped the marriage because the Empress had decreed it. Furthermore, Mo Huawen was extremely disappointed in Mo Xuemin. As such, he had not said another word before epting the decree. The decree sessfully turned what Mo Xuemin spun as being raped into the two of them having a secret affair. The decree had hidden the ugliness behind what truly happened and nobody would be despised in this situation.

    The matter was considered to have blown over even though the nobility of the city looked down on Sima Lingyun even more so. Sima Lingyun never again appeared at the ces were wealthy men often frequented. Even if he was seen there, he was always subjected to mocking by others. Sima Lingyun was downtrodden and this caused the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to fall even further.

    Meanwhile, after Mo Xuemin married into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, she caused another scandal!

    She was found with a concubine-born son of Duke Mingguo hugging each other tightly outside the main doors of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. It was such an embarrassment!

    No matter what the truth was, it had ruined her reputation. If a woman truly cared about her reputation, she would die without doubts after what happened. Even if she did not kill herself, she would ask to be sent to the family¡¯s temple and stay there to pray and never again care about matters of the world. One could thus see how important a woman¡¯s reputation was in the Qin Kingdom.

    However, what happened in the end was unexpected. Nothing happened to Mo Xuemin, the Marquess¡¯ wife. She continued to stay in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor while the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor did not issue any statement regarding the matter at all. It was as if it was no big deal. Everyone was waiting to watch the spectacle they would make but did not manage to see anything. They just mocked Sima Lingyun even more for being made a cuckold.

    The Marquess rarely appeared before others and the matter gradually died down.

    However, something else happened just a few months after that incident. It was a grave matter that shocked the entire capital. Duchess Zhenguo dragged Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin to the Mo Manor angrily. She mentioned separation and marital fraud, bringing up what happened once more.

    She was going to seek justice for Sima Lingyun!

    However, she did not expect that Sima Lingyun¡¯s terrible reputation could never be recovered again.

    Of course, after hearing about what happened, Mo Xuetong felt that things were not that simple. Duchess Zhenguo had brought the two of them along under the gazes of so many people. If she thought about it carefully, there was something lurking beneath this all.

    After staying by Feng Yuran¡¯s side for so long, Mo Xuetong¡¯s way of thinking had be simr to his. She had also be more thoughtful. She felt that things would not be so simple. Why would the Duchess put in so much effort to get rid of Mo Xuemin and restore the name of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor?

    Who had given Duchess Zhenguo the confidence to do so? And who had given Sima Lingyun such confidence!

    Sima Lingyun had never been a responsible man!

    In her past life, he had cheated her of her dowry and tricked her into believing him. In the end, he turned his affections to her father¡¯s favorite and eldest daughter, Mo Xuemin, because of the fall of Fu General Manor. Mo Xuemin would not believe that there were no plots that had led up to this. He had exchanged a disfigured and unloved wife for a beautiful and talented one. The new wife he had gained was also a trusted daughter of Mo Huawen.

    No matter how one looked at it, Sima Lingyun did not make any losses!

    Furthermore, as long as she died, her dowry would go to Mo Xuemin. Her father would not ask the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor for dowry again. Since his other daughter was going to marry into the same manor, then all of that could be used as dowry!

    But in her past life, Sima Lingyun had made every possible effort to get together with Mo Xuemin. He had even hurt his wife and child. In this life, Mo Xuetong did not expect karma to bite him in the arse so quickly. The two of them had only gotten together for a few months before they were now making a fuss to separate. They dared to even go against the Empress¡¯ edict.

    Taken seriously, it was as good as pping the Empress in her face!

    ¡°My Lady, just watch the show when you go thereter. First Miss has nothing to do with us. Anyway, the fuss is their business.¡± Mo Yu walked out, holding on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as she muttered softly, ¡°First Miss making a fuss like that was something they asked for anyway.¡±

    She thought of how Mo Xuemin had tried to hurt them again and again after her mistress entered the manor. Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants truly did not like Mo Xuemin. In the past, Mo Xuemin was the proud and haughty First Miss who shone in public and was gracious. However, away from the public, she was vicious and evil. Mo Xuetong had almost been hurt by her time and time again. Especially thest time, Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands had been covered in blood from the stabbing by her and Mo Xuetong had almost died.

    The maids were furious and they all went today in a good mood to watch what was going to happen!

    The three maids were all present. If not for He Xia not being able to appear in the Mo Manor, she would have gone no matter what would happen.

    They were going to watch the beautiful snake that was Mo Xuemin get into trouble. It would be extremely satisfying!

    ¡°Alright, I know. I will just watch the showter on, alright!¡± Mo Yu had puffed up in anger and it made Mo Xuetong smile as she answered the servant.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. My Lady, don¡¯t stay quiet either. You must be hard-handed when appropriate.¡± Mo Yu said hurriedly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be lenient to her.¡± Mo Xuetong guaranteed.

    She would not be lenient. A poisonous viper like Mo Xuemin would just retaliate with a bite if she were lenient. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had been so friendly to Mo Xuemin. She had treated her like her sister and thought of her no matter what she did. She even gave Mo Xuemin some of her dowries and did not say anything about that.

    But what had happened in the end?

    In exchange, she had been betrayed and abandoned, beaten bloody. When she had been rebirthed, she told herself that she would definitely get revenge.

    An eye for an eye. She was willing to do that even if she had to go to hell for it!

    ¡°My Lady, I heard that the matter today involves what happened to you thest time. The manor has sent someone to invite you over.¡± Mo Lan said with a frown.

    ¡°Was it the time Sima Lingyun held me hostage?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment before asking.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I took note and interrogated the servant who came to send the message. It was said that Marquess Zhenguo said that he did not do anything that day. He only saved thedy. He really does not know about anything else. He had been framed and ended up in a pile with Mo Xuemin for no rhyme or reason. That was how those rumors started.¡± Mo Lan answered after some thought.

    She was not a reckless person and had gotten all the information before telling them to Mo Xuetong in detail. This would prepare Mo Xuetong so that Mo Xuetong could think of what to say at the Mo Manor. Mo Lan believed that her mistress would be able to handle the matter even better if she understood what happened.

    ¡°Were there witnesses?¡± Mo Xuetong asked lightly with a slight frown.

    ¡°I¡¯m not very sure about that. I wanted to get even more information but the servant was very tight-lipped. She shut her mouth tightly after she realized that she might have let something slip. She just joked with me and refused to say anything else.¡± Mo Lan said with a smile as she recalled what happened.

    ¡°Did you know that servant beforehand?¡± Mo Xuetong asked.

    Mo Lan paused for a moment and then understood. She said, ¡°I do not know that servant. I heard that she only entered the manor a few months ago, about the same time as when thedy got married and entered the manor. I heard that she was an old servant from Madam¡¯s maternal family. She came specially to depend on the Madam. Madam saw that she was a capable person, so she kept the servant in the inner courtyard to be a minor steward.¡±

    The maid was from Xu Yan¡¯s maternal family? From Mo Xuetong¡¯s memory, there were not many people left in Xu Yan¡¯s maternal family. If there were, Xu Yan would not have been brought up in Fu General Manor. She did not have many old servants. Furthermore, she was not from the capital, so even if those servants were still around, they would not be very close.

    So why did the servante all the way to depend on a lonely mistress who was leading a hard life?

    Only those from the capital knew that Xu Yan had married Mo Xuetong¡¯s father. They were the only ones who knew that Xu Yan was no longer the helpless niece who was being fostered in Fu General Manor.

    ¡°Go and investigate when we enter the manor, how many new servants entered the manor this month and how they entered. What are they doing now?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the horse carriage outside the manor gates. Therge and expensive horse carriage had the emblem of King Xuan¡¯s Manor on it. If the carriage had purple pearl door curtains and window blinds... Mo Xuetong would have thought that it was Feng Yuran¡¯s horse carriage.

    That man really liked the mboyant purple color! It was as if he was afraid that others would not know that the person sitting inside was the wealthy, arrogant, and rude master of King Xuan¡¯s Manor...

    It waspletely unlike the horse carriage of the Mo Manor. The carriage only had the Mo Manor¡¯s emblem on the corner. Even though it was clear, it was not obvious.

    ¡°I will enter the manor in a while and find out more from someone I know.¡± Mo Lan nodded in understanding. She also looked at the beautiful carriage and then turned to look at Mo Xuetong with a smile. She teased Mo Xuetong, ¡°His Highness truly dotes on you. This horse carriage is really a match with his horse carriage. Everyone will know that Your Lady is sitting in it wherever you go.¡±

    She made it sound as if Feng Yuran could not leave Mo Xuetong even for a second. A flush appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale skin. She said with annoyance, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go if you speak nonsense again.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, I will not speak anymore. Please let me go with you. We won¡¯t be able to see anything if we reach therete.¡± Mo Lan pleaded with a smile.

    They got onto the horse carriage,ughing and talking, and headed towards the Mo Manor!

 Chapter 382 - The Farce in the Mo Manorâ€™s Hall

    <h4>Chapter 382 The Farce in the Mo Manor¡¯s Hall</h4>

    It was not just the Mo¡¯s and the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s family that was present in the Mo Manor¡¯s Hall.

    The matter had blown up. Furthermore, it was a marriage decreed by the Empress. They had to call for witnesses no matter what had happened!

    The witness had been invited by the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. No one expected the man to be Grand Secretariat Wang. However, the Grand Secretariat seemed displeased. His daughter was dead. Anyone would be unhappy.

    However, the man listened gravely and did not say a single word. He just drank his tea quietly. His eyes were a little cold. No one knew why Sima Lingyun would invite him.

    Mo Huawen and Xu Yan were seated on one side of the hall while the Duchess and Sima Lingyun were seated on the other side. Mo Xuemin was present as well. She was a few months pregnant and a maid helped her to sit down beside the Duchess with some difficulty. Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes were lowered and she seemed to be very careful. Only the corners of her eyes were lifted slightly. When her gazended on Sima Lingyun, hatred and viciousness shed in her eyes.

    However, when one looked at her again, she seemed like a docile wife.

    She had be very thin recently and her face was tinged with green. Even though her belly was raised high, she seemed very weak. She knew very well that if someone had not helped her secretly that day, she would not have been able to leave the shed alive. If it could be said that she wanted to live her days well with Sima Lingyun in the past, at this present moment, her heart and mind were filled with bitterness and hatred.

    The child in her belly was not Sima Lingyun¡¯s son. It was the evil fruit of the punishment Sima Lingyun had nted in her. She must have Sima Lingyun take responsibility for this. She was still his legal wife, and the child that she gave birth to would be his eldest legal son. In the future, everything in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would belong to the child in her belly.

    Their marriage was decreed by the Empress. Her father had a good position in court. Furthermore, she had the support of Consort Yu and Yu Manor. She did not believe that Sima Lingyun would dare to do anything to her or try to get rid of the child in her belly. She wanted the entire Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to fall with her. Anyway, Sima Lingyun did not dare to say what happened that day. He was too embarrassed to say anything either. As such, he could only acknowledge the child.

    Sima Lingyun did not care about her when she lived in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. She lived carefreely as well. Even though she did not have much to eat or wear, Mo Xuemin felt that it was worth it to make Sima Lingyun suffer such a loss. She wanted that man slut to acknowledge the child in her belly. In the future, everything in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would belong to her. All her suffering right now was nothing.

    There was someone helping her behind the scenes so that she could escape the plotting of the Duchess, Yun Yiqiu, Lan Xinru, and Sima Lingyun.

    She would bear with it. She was bearing with it...

    In the future, she would get her revenge. She would make sure that those who humiliated and bullied her would die terrible deaths. The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, and the Mo Manor, she would get revenge on them. This had happened because of that slut, Mo Xuetong. If not for her, would she have been brought together with Sima Lingyun? If not for her, would she have been tied up with another man in front of the manor doors?

    It had brought about Sima Lingyun¡¯s ire. She had been raped and they had left a bastard child in her womb.

    That slut was probably having a terrible time now!

    There was still hope if she bore with it. However, that slut would die. When Mo Xuemin thought of that, she felt that her enduring would bear fruit. As such, she was able to endure and she felt that there was a need to continue to do so...

    However, she did not expect that Sima Lingyun was not able to endure any longer. He had sought a different way and brought her to the Mo Manor. He told everyone that she hadmitted marital fraud and he wanted to have a separation. He wanted to back away from this marriage. Dream on. Since Sima Lingyun dared to leave her to his manservant, then he should be able to take how it felt like to be cuckolded.

    He had to acknowledge the child in her belly as well!

    She was going to take Sima Lingyun down with her. She was going to see what he could do to her.

    ¡°Sir Mo, I did not have any designs on her that day. I was just angry after seeing her do something that would make anyone furious. That¡¯s why I rushed out. Who would have thought that something like that would happen? After I saved Third Miss Mo, Third Miss Mo was afraid and fled, leaving me behind. I could not even exin myself and was forced to marry this evil woman.¡± Sima Lingyun looked at Mo Xuemin as if she were a poisonous snake. He could not hide the hatred and disgust in his eyes as he spoke to Mo Huawen angrily.

    ¡°Your Excellency, this was not what your manor said that day. You only said that you wanted to marry my eldest daughter. I heard you even went to the pce to plead with the Empress. If not for the Empress¡¯ decree, we would not have married our daughter to you. She is already pregnant, and yet you are hashing out the matter now. Isn¡¯t it toote!¡± Mo Huawen said calmly and coldly. His words were very sharp and he was not as warm and gentle as usual.

    He was very disappointed in Mo Xuemin.

    However, Sima Lingyun was pping his face now. He was pping the face of the entire Mo Manor!

    Sima Lingyun said that Mo Huawen¡¯s eldest daughter wanted to plot against his third daughter. If Sima Lingyun had not interfered, nothing like this would have happened. However, he was now pushing all the me onto Mo Xuemin. She was pregnant with his child now, and yet, he had said something so heartless. Mo Huawen doubted if Sima Lingyun was really a man!

    If not because he did not have any piece of evidence then, Mo Huawen would rather have Mo Xuemin be a nun than to marry her to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.

    He did not care about Mo Xuemin at all now. Even though he was not sure what happened that day, there were various incidents that happened afterward and especially the Emperor¡¯s attitude, that he knew to investigate. After investigation, he realized that his other two daughters hade together to plot against his third daughter. He almost rushed out to beat those two unfilial daughters of his to death.

    Xu Yan had held him back. Daughters who were married off were like water that was sshed away. No matter Mo Xuemin or Mo Xueqiong, they had nothing to do with him in the future. He just had to focus on Tong¡¯er and would not allow them to bully her again.

    Mo Huawen had learned his lesson and thought it through after that. He would just pretend that those two evil women were never his daughters. In the future, he had nothing to do with them. However, Sima Lingyun was humiliating him right now and was tarnishing Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation. Mo Huawen would not back down.

    The Mo Manor was his and did not belong to those two evil daughters. Even if it was for the reputation of his own manor, he would not allow Sima Lingyun to nder his name.

    ¡°Then, my son was ndered and was panicked. That was why he pleaded with the Empress to help him. However, he did not expect the truth to be like that. It was toote to regret by then and we thought we would forget about it. We would just be more careful after she marries into our family. Who would have thought that this vicious slut would cause Yun¡¯er to miscarry on the first day she married in? Then, she caused Yun¡¯er to be unable to have children again. Sir Mo, you have to answer to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor.¡±

    The Duchess thought of what Mo Xuemin did to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor and then looked at the bastard in Mo Xuemin¡¯s belly. That child would be the eldest legal son of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. The Duchess was furious and was almost going to throw a fuss as she gritted her teeth and spoke hatefully.

    ¡°Madam, this happened some time ago. Why did you not say anything then? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little toote to be mentioning it now? Are you not afraid that a child of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor would be left outside the family?¡± Mo Huawen said to the Duchess darkly.

    Nobody could deal with the matter today nicely. He naturally was not interested in ying nice with them!

    Mo Xuemin was evil and vicious but Sima Lingyun had never been kind.

    To Mo Huawen, the two were a perfect match.

    One of them had entered the room of his doted on and arrogant concubine on the day of his wedding. The other had caused the concubine to miscarriage. They were both the same and neither of them was a good person.

    ¡°Mother, why are you saying something like that now? You¡¯ve said that you forgive me that day and you said that you will not allow His Excellency to dote on his concubine and ignore his wife. Then, you even asked me to sleep with His Excellency. The baby is already so big, how can you say something like that? I know that you like Younger Sister Yun and Younger Sister Lan. However, you can¡¯t allow a child of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor to grow up outside!¡± Mo Xuemin keenly sensed the opportunity to speak up. She knelt down and spoke shakily and immediately started to cry as she looked at the Duchess incredulously.

    The two maids beside her were from the Mo Manor. They held on to her on both sides and yelled urgently, ¡°Madam, be careful. You are pregnant with the young Marquess and must not suffer. If you lose the babe, the Madam will be scolded by other people out there. She can¡¯t even ept the Marquess. How can there be someone like that in the world!¡±

    They were just one step away from calling the Duchess a beast!

    The Duchess could not help but curse loudly after being angered by the two maids. The veins on her forehead twitched as she glowered. If Sima Lingyun had not realized that something was off and went to hold her, she would have fainted after ranting at the maids.

    Mo Xuemin said that she had forgiven Mo Xuemin and asked Sima Lingyun to consummate the marriage with Mo Xuemin. When did that happen? Why was she unaware of it!

    She even said that the child in her belly was a marquess. It was just a bastard.

    However, she could not say that. She was so angry that her throat was stiff as blood rushed up to her head. ¡°You slut, you are a slut... You dared to kill a child of the manor. Is that right of you?¡±

    ¡°I had only just arrived at the manor then and was dissatisfied with what happened on my wedding night. The concubine had upied the groom. That was why I went to confront her. However, I bumped into her and she miscarried. The child in my belly is a recement for you, Mother. In the future, I will teach him to be filial to Younger Sister Yun.¡± Mo Xuemin said tearfully. Her expression was one of helplessness and guilt as she sobbed. She looked at the Duchess mournfully as if she were the real victim.

    Sima Lingyun was in the wrong with regards to this matter! Mo Xuemin mentioning it was as good as shoving it in the Duchess¡¯ Achilles heel. The Duchess was filled with anger and annoyance but could not exin herself!

    She could only re at Mo Xuemin. Her lips were pale and trembling but she could not say a single word.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry. You won¡¯t be able to outspeak this evil woman. Let me do it.¡± Sima Lingyun saw that the situation was going pear-shaped and hurriedlyforted the Duchess. He looked at Mo Xuemin coldly. He was not the Duchess and did not need to keep mentioning all that happened. Those incidents had happened some time ago. There was nothing they could do about them even if they talked about what happened.

    ¡°You must, you must chase this evil woman... out.¡± The Duchess panted. Her face was pale and slightly green. She almost fainted as she spoke hatefully.

    Sima Lingyun nodded. He turned around and looked at Mo Xuemin gloomily. A sh of coldness appeared in his eyes, especially when he nced at her stomach. It was as if he were looking at a cold and sinister poisonous snake. He felt that the woman before him was really a poisonous snake. If he had known this, he would have been more decisive then and just killed her. Nothing would have happened then!

    He wanted to act now but she kept evading his ns. There was someone supporting behind her!

    However, even though this thought made him fearful, he would not take this lying down. He would not acknowledge that bastard as his oldest legal son!

    ¡°Sir Mo, did the horse carriage there that day belong to the Mo Manor?¡± Sima Lingyun turned around to speak to Mo Huawen, ignoring Mo Xuemin.

    The horse carriage that day had broken into pieces. However, the people who investigated what happened could still see the emblem of the Mo Manor. There were records and nobody could deny it!

 Chapter 383 - Dogs Biting Dogs, A Mouthful of Fur

    <strong>Chapter 383 Dogs Biting Dogs, A Mouthful of Fur</strong>

    Sima Lingyun continued without allowing Mo Huawen to question him, ¡°That day at the pce gates, everyone saw Third Miss Mo exiting from the Mo Manor¡¯s horse carriage. There were even people who said that they vaguely heard Third Miss Mo screaming. Third Miss Mo had appeared stiff when she was dragged onto the horse carriage. It was obvious that she had been taken hostage. Her two maids were left behind. Sir Mo, I ask, if Third Miss Mo had gotten onto the horse carriage normally, why would so many unusual incidents happen?¡±

    She was a nobledy and had maidservants by her side at all times. However, her maids were left behind when she left the pce gates. Then, Mo Xuetong was heard screaming. There were also people who said that Mo Xuetong seemed stiff when she got onto the horse carriage. No matter how one saw it, Mo Xuetong seemed like she had been taken hostage.

    If that was true, it would definitely besmirch Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s half-truths were difficult to refute. He had been on the horse carriage then and knew what exactly happened. With some embellishments on his part, it would make it difficult for others to find anything suspicious. Mo Xuemin was so furious she could not even pretend to be upset any longer. She wanted badly to tear Sima Lingyun¡¯s face apart.

    Grand Secretariat Wang who was seated by the side put down his teacup. His gaze turned from Mo Huawen to Sima Lingyun, and then onto Mo Xuemin¡¯s face which had an expression of endurance. Yet, he did not say a single word.

    Mo Huawen was startled by Sima Lingyun¡¯s questioning. He started to feel anxious. If that was true, Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation would be damaged. Fortunately, he specialized in dealing with cases and his feelings did not show on his expression. His eyes turned dark. Just as he was about to say something, a voice at the door stopped him.

    ¡°Your Excellency Sima, you are so aware of what happened. Were you present then and saw and heard what happened more clearly than others? If I did not recall wrongly, Sima Lingyun and Eldest Sister were removed from the pce together. I left the pce after the two of you, so how could you be so clear about what happened then?¡±

    The sweet voice at the entrance was a little cold. Everyone could not help but turn to look at the door.

    Mo Xuetong was dressed in a camel-colored Ruqun. The bottom part of her skirts had the image of butterflies flitting through hundreds of flowers. A belt of the same color was cinched around her waist with a jade pendant hanging from it. Her long ck hair wasbed up in the most fashionable hairstyle of that time. A tendril of hair hung down in front of her ears. A golden phoenix hair essory with pearls draping from it hung in her hair. Her lips were as red as the sunset and her skin was as pale as snow. Her longshes were like butterfly wings. Her eyes were clear and lively as she looked around her.

    A few months had passed since theyst met. Mo Xuetong had grown more beautiful. She was so beautiful that she could be described as stunning. However, there was a hint of coldness in her eyes. When she looked at Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin, one could not see any hint of warmth in her eyes. They were so cold they could freeze a person¡¯s heart. Her lips curled up in a vague mocking smile.

    Sima Lingyun was dazzled by her beauty. He opened his mouth but could not speak. However, he could not help but shiver when he saw her cold and sharp gaze. He could only watch dazedly as she entered and then curtsied to Mo Huawen and Xu Yan. Then, she greeted Grand Secretariat Wang before sitting down on Mo Huawen¡¯s other side.

    She was present today as King Xuan¡¯s consort. As such, Grand Secretariat bowed to her first when he saw her and then quickly invited her to sit down.

    ¡°Your Excellency, what did youe here today to talk about? Please speak.¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly as she sat down. A sh of disgust appeared in her eyes.

    She had felt the man¡¯s treasuring her in her past life. She was determined to grow old with him but had died due to his heartless plots. When she looked at him again now, she only felt disgusted especially when he looked straight at her. A sh of infatuation appeared in his eyes and it made Mo Xuetong felt nauseated.

    He could still feel something like that at a time like this. He was indeed a piece of crap.

    She was truly blind in her past life to feel that he was gentle and loving. She must have been blind to think that he treated her sincerely.

    Mo Xuemin was so furious her eyes grew red when she saw how Sima Lingyun looked at Mo Xuetong, infatuated. Her eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred. Sima Lingyun truly liked that slut.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned to meet Mo Xuemin¡¯s. She looked at Mo Xuemin quietly. A cold smirk suddenly appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. A hint of ridicule marked her lips silently. Mo Xuetong lifted her jaw and then nced at Mo Xuemin¡¯s stomach. Then, she turned her head away disdainfully, ignoring Mo Xuemin.

    The two hadpletely torn any veneer of civility. Mo Xuetong would not support Mo Xuemin now. She was just seeking justice for the Mo Manor and not seek any benefits for Mo Xuemin.

    In her past and this life, Mo Xuemin had tried to hurt her again and again. There were so many vicious acts against her and she had to seek revenge for them...

    The Duchess also saw the infatuated glint in her son¡¯s eyes. He did not retort to anything Mo Xuetong said. The Duchess was furious at her useless son and she yelled, ¡°Yun¡¯er!¡±

    It was unknown whether it was because the Duchess¡¯ anger was evident in her tone or whether it was because of the cold nce he was given, but Sima Lingyun regained his wits quickly. He coughed twice and then got back into exining, ¡°My Lady, even though I left early that day, I was in a bad mood because I was framed. I wanted to find a few young masters to exin myself. As such, I returned after leaving, which was why I saw what happened.¡±

    In order to stop others from questioning him, he had memorized these answers very early on. He did not feel that there were any difficult questions. As such, he was filled with confidence. Since he could even guess that others might ask questions like that, the other questions would not be difficult. It seemed that divorcing that vicious Mo Xuemin would not be an issue today.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you saw my eldest sister taking me hostage. Then, you followed the carriage and got onto it to save me. However, the horse carriage smashed into a tree unexpectedly and both you and my eldest sister were knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, I returned to the manor because I was afraid after I regained consciousness. Then, I did not dare to speak up for you because I was afraid, which caused that scene that was difficult to exin?¡± Mo Xuemin asked lightly.

    This was what Sima Lingyun had thought up. He did not expect Mo Xuetong to mention it first. He nodded frantically but felt that it was odd after he said that. Wasn¡¯t that what he wanted to say! He had an ominous feeling about this.

    ¡°Eldest Sister, do you think so as well?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and handed the baton to Sima Lingyun. She was not worried. She wanted to see how Mo Xuemin would retaliate. Given Mo Xuemin¡¯s character, how would she admit to something that would doom her eternally? Being evil and vicious, attempting to kill her legal sister, or pressuring Sima Lingyun and forcing him to marry her; she would not be able to admit to any of that.

    With Mo Xuemin defending herself, all she had to do was to watch the show!

    A dog biting another dog would just result in both of them eating mouthfuls of fur. She believed that what happened next would be very interesting.

    Indeed, when Mo Xuemin heard that Sima Lingyun wanted to direct the matter in that direction, she turned around and looked at Sima Lingyun coldly. She suddenly cried at Sima Lingyun, ¡°Your Excellency, how could you say something like that? How could you abandon your wife for those two concubines of yours? How could you be so heartless? You are forcing me to death. Are those two women so good? One of them had a long-standing affair with you even before she entered the manor while the other once climbed onto Father¡¯s bed. Does the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor only need sluts like that and cannot make a spot for me, your legal wife!¡±

    She spoke with emotions and her lips trembled. She seemed as if she was so angry she spoke without thinking.

    However, the meaning in her words was enough to make the Duchess¡¯ and Sima Lingyun¡¯s faces burn.

    One of them had an affair before marriage while the other had climbed onto someone else¡¯s bed. No one would take in concubines like that but the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had taken two. Others would definitelyugh at them. How could others not? The Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor waspletely embarrassed.

    ¡°Bullshit. Qiu¡¯er and Yun¡¯er did not have any affairs.¡±

    ¡°Who said that Xinru¡¯s been bedded?¡± The Duchess and Sima Lingyun retorted at the same time.

    ¡°Grand Secretariat Wang, if you do not believe it, you can go and check at the manor. That Miss Yun and His Excellency started having an affair a long time ago. The two of them even brought Yun Jiqiu into the manor after she got pregnant. As for what embarrassing deed Auntie Lan did, any servant in the Mo Manor knows about it. She wanted to crawl into Father¡¯s bed, but Father found out about it and threw her out. That was when she tried to seduce His Excellency.¡± Mo Xuemin cried to Grand Secretariat Wang as she sat on the floor, looking aggrieved.

    The matter turned from the kidnapping at the pce gates to Sima Lingyun abandoning his wife in favor of his concubines. It meant that everything Sima Lingyun did today was because he listened to his dratted concubines. They wanted to make trouble for Mo Xuemin, his legal wife, and kill her. The Duchess had joined in and behaved like this for her niece.

    It was the truth and just a simple check would verify it.

    Grand Secretariat Wang nodded and got someone to take away one of the Duchess¡¯ maids and a servant from behind Mo Huawen. They were brought to the side for questioning.

    Grand Secretariat Wang¡¯s presence represented the royal family¡¯s will. He even specially mentioned that he would call on two more people. If there were any errors, the side that was lying and their family would be ves.

    When they heard that, the two servants did not dare to say anything and immediately told the truth.

    The Mo Manor did not have any pressure since they were telling the truth and it had nothing much to do with his master. It even made his master look good for he was not seduced by beauty. The servant from Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor was very fearful and kept peeking at the Duchess while speaking. Her expression was pale and her voice grew softer and softer.

    However, no matter how soft she was, everyone could still hear her clearly. Yun Yiqiu and Sima Lingyun had already long been together. The two had gotten together more than a year before Yun Yiqiu was brought into the manor as a concubine. This could not be hidden from those in the manor.

    With such results, it seemed that Mo Xuemin was being truthful. Sima Lingyun had indeed abandoned his wife in favor of his concubines and that was why he was making things up about what happened at the pce gates back then.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you are from a noble family as well. You should rule a nation and manage a household peacefully. If you cannot even manage a household, what great things can you achieve?¡± Grand Secretariat Wang immediately said gravely.

    This was basically the conclusion he made after he watched everything that happened!

    It was such a boring farce!

    He stood up and intended to leave. He was a grand secretariat. If not for someone asking for his favor, he would not have the time to watch a man abandon his wife in favor of his concubines.

    Sima Lingyun did not expect something like this to happen. Talking about what happened that day could have established that Mo Xuemin was a vicious woman who tried to kill her younger sister. However, it had be him abandoning his wife in favor of his concubines and him having an affair. What was worst was that Lan Xinru had even been on Mo Huawen¡¯s bed. How could he even look at others in the future? When he thought of that, the green veins on Sima Lingyun¡¯s forehead twitched uncontrobly.

    Calm down, calm down. He had to calm down now. He must not fuss about all that. He had to foil the evil woman¡¯s plot right now.

    He looked at Mo Xuetong and could see the hint of viciousness and satisfaction in her eyes. Rage med in his heart and anger appeared in his eyes. Slut. She wanted the position of his eldest legal son and wanted the bastard in her belly to be a child of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. That could not happen.

    He would take her down with him today even if he had to die doing so.

    ...

    Sima Lingyun bowed deeply to Grand Secretariat Wang when he saw that the man was about to leave. He said, ¡°Hold on, Sir Wang, it is indeed not right for me to meet with my cousin in private. As such, even though we are cousins, she can only be a concubine. Then, if I meet other people in private, does that mean that they cannot be my wife either and can only be a concubine?¡±

    Wasn¡¯t Mo Xuemin unwilling to leave! Alright, then he would make her a concubine!

    A woman would only be a legal wife when she publicly married a man, and she could only be a concubine if she first eloped with him. This was a truth that did not change with time. Even if the matter was brought up to the Empress, it would still be justifiable.

    He did not believe that he would not be able to remove that slut from her position as his wife if he wagered his own reputation!

 Chapter 384 - The Couple of Bad Guys Suffered Together

    <strong>Chapter 384 The Couple of Bad Guys Suffered Together</strong>

    From his words, Mo Xuemin realized that Sima Lingyun was close to a breaking point and that she was going to fall on hard time. At the thought, Mo Xuemin was eager to tear him off with anger, but could not help bing flurried inwardly.

    Sima Lingyun! What a bastard! He did have the impertinence to firm up the adultery between him and Mo Xuemin before the marriage. Mo Xuemin once saw him a lot for the sake of dealing with Mo Xuetong. Although the two did not touch the bottom line, they did always hug, touch and kiss each other. Even once they were encountered by Yun Yiqiu once. If Sima Lingyun spoke of it, it would be really terrible.

    Mo Xuemin stood up fiercely, no longer pretending to be weak, and spoke with a stern look. ¡°Your Excellency, you are always a noble gentleman and enjoy a good reputation among people. How can you say that?¡±

    She was threatening Sima Lingyun with his reputation. If it was in the past, Sima Lingyun would never do the things that brought harm both to the enemy and himself. But nowadays, he did not have any good reputation. And thinking about being cheated, he could not bear it any longer.

    Whenever he thought that the baby in Mo Xuemin¡¯s belly would take up his manor, Sima Lingyun was so desperate to tear Mo Xuemin off.

    Burnt with anger, the duchess found that Mo Xuemin finally showed a hint of fear, so she immediately apuded and echoed her son¡¯s idea. The duchess looked at Mo Xuemin and said coldly. ¡°Yun¡¯er, you don¡¯t have any worry. A woman who misbehaves before marriage can only be epted as a concubine.¡±

    ¡°You are talking nonsense!¡± Mo Xuemin screamed, jerked her head, and red at the duchess. Mo Xuemin¡¯s face turned livid, as if she were going to swallow the duchess.

    ¡°Sir Wang, Mo Xuemin had misbehavior before marriage and had secretmunications with different men. Besides, she always seduced me privately, and even ran to my manor to see me. The maidservants and doorkeepers in my manor can testify.¡± Sima Lingyun had been driven mad with fury. Now, he had only one purpose that he would not allow Mo Xuetong, the slut, to take up the position of his wife.

    And he would not allow the bastard in her belly to take up the status of his legitimate eldest son. Even if at the cost of ruining his reputation, he would not let go of the slut. What was worse was that, after marrying the vicious bitch, he, Sima Lingyun, had no reputation at all. It was so ridiculous that he used to believe that Mo Xuemin was a kind and gentle girl and think that she would frame up her younger sister merely in order to help him.

    Now, judging about the things in the past, if Mo Xuemin was really a kind and gentle girl, how could she do those evil things? Sima Lingyun thought he was really blinded by the venomous woman so that he finally fell to such a situation.

    Sima Lingyun med all the vicious things on Mo Xuemin, but he never thought that he was not clean, either. In fact, he was one of the masterminds, colluding with Mo Xuemin. The two were both in an unfavorable situation, and the two scumbags were conducting a dogfight for the fear of getting the worst.

    Sima Lingyun¡¯s words were so shocking that everyone in the hall had different expressions.

    Mo Xuemin even had a private rtionship with different men, and even ran to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor at midnight?

    Then, there was an explosion of noise in the hall.

    Hearing Mo Xuemin had conducted such shameful deeds, Mo Huawen looked stern and did not say a word while sitting beside. Mo Xuetong took a nce at Xu Yan and found Xu Yan pulled Mo Huawen¡¯s sleeve quietly tofort him. No matter how awful Mo Xuemin was, she was still his daughter.

    ¡°When did she meet you privately?¡± Grand Secretariat Wang sat down again and asked.

    ¡°On the night that the fire broke out in the Mo Manor, she once sneaked into the manor,¡± When speaking of it, Sima Lingyun paused, took a nce at the gloomy Mo Huawen and the silent beautiful woman sitting beside him, and continued his words ruthlessly, ¡°the bitch is not only loose in moral, but also does cruel things to her younger sister. Because she envied her younger sister was the daughter of the legitimate wife, Mo Xuemin tried every means to ruin Third Young Miss Mo¡¯s reputation again and again. She even ordered people to set fire on the Mo Manor that night, because she knew that Third Young Miss Mo was kneeling in the ancestral hall for punishment. In other words, the fire was set on purpose. That night, she came into my manor to meet me secretly and asked to save Third Young Miss Mo deliberately.¡±

    ¡°As long as I could hold the disheveled Third Young Miss Mo out of the fire, Mo Xuemin said she could have a way to make Third Young Miss Mo as one of my concubines.¡± Fearing that Mo Huawen and Mo Xuetong would help Mo Xuemin, Sima Lingyun went ahead regardless and spoke out what had happened that day.

    The audience burst into an uproar.

    Was Mo Xuemin thescivious and vicious woman as Sima Lingyun said, even more vicious than her brutal Auntie Fang?

    Grand Secretariat Wang immediately sent people to ask the doorkeepers and some other people in Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Although it had been carried out secretly, there were still some people knowing about it. After all, it was impossible that a sedan could be carried into the manor without any sound.

    Mo Huawen¡¯s face turned livid with hatred. Although he had known that Mo Xuemin was not so kind, he had not expected that she did harm to Tong¡¯er again and again. But for the luck on Tong¡¯er, she would have been sent into the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor, or lost her life. Mo Huawen clenched the chair handle on one side and almost crushed it.

    If he had ever considered giving a hand to Mo Xuemin for the sake of saving Mo Manor¡¯s fame, now he totally abandoned that idea. If he still wanted to help Mo Xuemin, how was he able to see Tong¡¯er upright, and how was he able to see Luo Xia after death? Mo Huawen felt he failed Luo Xia, because he was almost unable to protect their only daughter.

    He turned to look at Mo Xuetong, and his lips quivered, unable to say a word. At that moment, he felt nothing but guilty. He thought he was not fit to be a husband and a father, because he had not found there were two poisonous snakes hiding around him for such a long time.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s all over.¡± Mo Xuetongforted him, as she pulled his other sleeve, raised her eyes filled with grieved tears, and shook it gently.

    What a well-behaved daughter! How could he have the heart to let those two vicious women bully her for years?

    That past which had been forgotten quietly now became des of swords to stab into his heart and made him too aching to breathe...

    The past was vivid in his mind: how he obeyed Auntie Fang¡¯s words to leave Tong¡¯er in the Cloud City, and how he lent his ears to Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang¡¯s nders that Tong¡¯er was so disobedient that had done so many deeds of impiety. Mo Huawen wanted to stand up and leave, but did not know where to go.

    He stretched out his hand, pointed at Mo Xuemin, and said in a trembling voice, ¡°You, why did you harm your sister? Even if you were the daughter of a concubine, I never treated you as you were. Why were you so vicious?¡±

    Seeing that Grand Secretariat Wang had sent someone to investigate and that Sima Lingyun denounced her in such a convincing way, Mo Xuemin knew that the servants in the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor would not help her without a doubt. And judging from the obvious disgust on her father¡¯s face and the sneer and contempt on the people¡¯s faces in the hall, she also knew that her day had gone and no one would help her. A hint of crazy red shed in her eyes.

    ¡°You are good to me. But father, I am just a daughter of a concubine just as you said. No matter how I try, I am just a daughter of a concubine. I want to be a legitimate daughter and stand in front of people with dignity. I don¡¯t want to be mocked. Where is Mo Xuetong better than me? She just owns the identity of a legitimate daughter, so she can marry into the royal family and bes a king¡¯s consort. Why? Father, if you really treated us well, you should have made me as a legitimate daughter before.¡±

    ¡°From an early age, everyone said that she was a legitimate daughter and I was not. I tried my best to do everything well with the only hope to attract your attention, so that you could see my advantages and talents. In the past, Luo Xia was still alive, so Auntie Fang could not be your legitimate wife. Then, Luo Xia was dead. But why didn¡¯t you make Auntie Fang as your legitimate wife? Father, you said you were good to me. But why could you not even fulfill my little wish? As long as Auntie Fang became your legitimate wife, I would be your legitimate daughter and I would be filial to you, too. Why did you always fail us?¡±

    Mo Xuemin pointed at Mo Huawen and screamed crazily.

    ¡°Why, why am I just an illegitimate daughter? I deserve better!¡±

    Based on her talents and temperament, why was she unable to be a legitimate daughter? But why was Mo Xuetong able to? At this moment, Mo Xuemin was on the verge of going mad. Almost, almost, she could do it. She hade very close to her dream. But now, why did it happen? Mo Xuemin did not reconcile herself to the fact. How could she reconcile to it?

    Mo Xuemin turned to Sima Lingyun and said crazily. ¡°And you, Sima Lingyun, you dreamed to get both Mo Xuetong, that bitch, and the support of Fu General Manor behind her. Therefore, you wanted to ruin her reputation again and again, so that she would have no way but to marry you. But pity that it was your daydream. That bitch finally became King Xuan¡¯s Consort. It was beyond your fond dream.¡±

    Looking at her crazy look, Sima Lingyun became more disgusted and shouted, ¡°Vicious woman, no matter what you say now, you cannot change anything. Until now, you still refuse to admit your viciousness and try to drag others into the water!¡±

    ¡°Drag you into the water? Sima Lingyun, you really think too much of yourself! Do you need dragging? You are already corrupt into the heart and soul. In the plum blossom forest, you pulled that bitch deliberately so as to frame up a scene where you two had an affair, but out of your expectation, the one you pulled was Mo Xueqiong. And for the burning fire, you wanted to get the good fame that a hero saved a beauty and could gain both fame and beauty. Besides, the things in the pce were all done by you. Everything was done by you. Sima Lingyun, the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor has been rottenpletely from inside.¡±

    Mo Xuemin was not afraid of anything now and screamed. She pushed away the two maidservants who were supporting her and threw herself to Sima Lingyun with hatred.

    If it weren¡¯t for this cheap man, she would still be a virgin and could go out of the manor to meet You Yuecheng secretly and could get the man¡¯s support by her body. But now, she was done and had nothing but an illegitimate child in her belly. All were given by Sima Lingyun. Since he wanted her to die, she would not let him live afortable life, either.

    Sima Lingyun did not expect that Mo Xuemin would pounce on him, so before he had time to avoid her, his face had been scratched heavily by Mo Xuemin. He screamed with pains. The duchess yelled and ran to help him. But Mo Xuemin kicked her away with inexplicable strength and still rushed to Sima Lingyun rashly.

    Because in the Mo Manor, Sima Lingyun knew when to stop and control himself, and then, he just dodged to avoid Mo Xuemin. But unexpectedly, the sharp hands scratched towards him again. And he even could not close his eyes. With a scream, he kicked Mo Xuemin off with great pains, fell to the ground with his eyes covered, and shouted wildly, ¡°My eyes, my eyes.¡±

    Blood continued to flow out of his covered eyes and stained the ground.

    Mo Xuemin was kicked and hit the corner of the column. She covered her belly and burst into wildughter. Blood spread out under her skirt. She took no notice of it but justughed wildly and desperately at Sima Lingyun¡¯s pitiful sight like a ferocious ghost. Other people in the hall stepped back subconsciously.

    The duchess stood up, ran to Sima Lingyun, and shouted anxiously, ¡°Yun¡¯er, Yun¡¯er.¡±

    However, Sima Lingyun rolled on the ground in pain, and she couldn¡¯t get close to him but just kept yelling on the side.

    At this time, the person sent by Grand Secretariat Wang came back and confirmed Sima Lingyun¡¯s words. But the things had developed into such a situation, totally like a farce, so Grand Secretariat Wang said nothing but made obeisance to Mo Huawen and left, since he had to report the things to the Emperor.

    ¡°Father, lead the eldest sister into the room and ask the doctor to check her.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and nced at Mo Xuemin. The blood flew fast and fiercely. Obviously, the child in Mo Xuemin¡¯s belly could not be kept. Mo Xuetong looked around the mess in the hall, and a chill took on the corner of her mouth with slight bloodthirsty satisfaction. She did not feel any sad for Mo Xuemin at all.

    That Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun ended up like this was due to what they had done in thest life, and they owed Mo Xuetong. It was also due to the trouble they brought to themselves this life!

 Chapter 385 - The Past Things about Mo Huawen

    <strong>Chapter 385 The Past Things about Mo Huawen</strong>

    ¡°I don¡¯t have this daughter!¡± Mo Huawen stood up, looked at Mo Xuemin with red eyes, and helped Xu Yan walk inside slowly and firmly.

    ¡°Come here, help the first miss to tidy up and send her to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor.¡± Mo Xuetong ordered coldly as she looked at the chaotic scene indifferently. Her father¡¯s attitude was clear, and she did not want to be a good person. The matters between Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun should be settled by themselves.

    Looking at their dogfight, Mo Xuetong felt an inexpressible feeling of joy in her heart!

    In thest life, they two drove her to desperation and made her die so miserably. This life, it was their turn to suffer the disaster. The bloody feud made Mo Xuetong have no mercy for them. Some people were destined toe to a sticky end. It was nobody¡¯s fault but their own.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you bitch! Don¡¯t be socent. You are going to die, too. You wille to apany me soon. At that time, we will continue to fight for the status of the legitimate daughter to see who the winner is.¡± Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice, Mo Xuemin turned around, looked violently at Mo Xuetong andughed wildly. Now, Mo Xuemin looked disheveled with bad hair, and blood spread under her skirt. She now was just like a real madwoman, and only the viciousness in her eyes made her like a poisonous snake.Read at

    She looked as if she were going to eat people, and her red eyes looked so manic and atrocious...

    Mo Xuetong totally ignored her and just ordered people to send her back. Mo Xuetong knew clearly that since Sima Lingyun¡¯s eyes were scratched blind by Mo Xuemin, Mo Xuemin would not be treated well after being sent back to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor. Looking at the duchess¡¯ eyes filled with hatred, Mo Xuetong only had sneers in her heart.

    Coincidentally, the whole family were all cold-blooded, ruthless, and vicious. And they came together in piles.

    Mo Xuemin finally was sent to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor with Sima Lingyun. A person came from the pce to pass the order that Mo Xuemin was demoted to be a concubine and left a ruler for Sima Lingyun. Besides, the que of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was revoked. That was to say, from now on, it was only the Sima Manor, but not the mansion for any noble lords or dukes.

    The title of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was over! Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manorpletely fell!

    Sima Lingyun was blind in one eye, Mo Xuemin lost the child in her belly, and the title of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor was deprived! All were over at once!

    People in the whole capital talked about it with great excitement, and all felt it a cheerful satisfaction. The couple of bad things deserved such retribution. Otherwise, there was no natural justice in the world. Before that, the two people¡¯s fame had been worsening, as scandals about them came up from time to time. Before Mo Xuemin got married, it was said that she had secretmunication and affairs with more than one man.

    Sima Lingyun was not a good person who used to have affairs with different women and even had a child before the marriage. It was really ridiculous.

    Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin got married because of the Empress¡¯s order. Then, such a scandal rose, and the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor became the center of the scandal immediately.

    There was a burst of nasty remarks about them!

    They were described morescivious and vicious than the most evil-minded men and women on the stage.

    It was also said that they were perfectly matched. The natural rule was invalid if the two did not stay together. Besides, there were a number of concubines in that manor, so vicious,scivious and promiscuous. Now, the Sima Manor had an infamous reputation, even the servants did not dare to go out.

    They would be surrounded and thrown rotten vegetable leaves and stinky eggs...

    All the people knew that Sima Manor was without any prospect!

    After all the people left, Mo Huawen went to the study room alone. He took out a painting from the innermost locker and looked at the woman in the painting quietly. A sudden sorrow hit him. He touched gently the woman wearing the soft silk dress, his eyes nk and miserable. Then, he pressed his hands on the table heavily and wobbled to avoid falling to the ground.

    He held the corner of the desk and sank down heavily. Overwhelmed by a feeling of sorrow, he felt his eyes got red unconsciously.

    Was all today his retribution? His heart ached as if it were beating on the knife-point with every step made with blood. The more it beat, the more it stuck. In his memory, her beauty was so sparkled that he fell in love with her silently. Even until now, he was still reluctant to believe that she was gone.

    She thought that he knew nothing about it, but he had discovered the truth from trails of clues.

    She didn¡¯t know that he had known she was the posthumous child of King Jin and not the natural daughter of Fu General. In fact, Fu General¡¯s natural daughter died soon after the birth, and at the same time, King Jin¡¯s Consort gave birth to Luo Xia. Then, the Old Madam of Fu General used Luo Xia to rece her natural daughter and treated Luo Xia well like her own daughter.

    If he had not met her, he would not have fallen in love with her. If he had not fallen in love with her, he would not have suffered the pain of losing her!

    In this life, she was the only woman he loved.

    He was the Emperor¡¯s confidant. But in order to marry her, he had no alternative but to go to Cloud City so as to take her away from the center of power and the source of turbulent days. He was afraid that she was recognized, and that the Emperor could not tolerate her presence. Therefore, he chose to take her away to avoid being spotted and suspected by the Emperor.

    But even so, he did not know whether the Emperor knew the truth or not, but just had an inkling that the Emperor knew Luo Xia¡¯s identity. However, the Emperor mentioned nothing about it, so Mo Huawen just pretended to know nothing as well. It was fine that all the people still saw her as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Fu General Manor.

    No one could guess the Emperor¡¯s mind.

    Because he could not know what the Emperor thought, Mo Huawen did not dare to give all his love to her. She asked him to get some concubines, and he just followed it but ignored the bitterness in her eyes.

    Although they were in the Cloud City, the Emperor still sent his undercover agent to Mo Huawen¡¯s manor to ask about Mo Huawen¡¯s condition. In order not to draw her attention, Mo Huawen deliberately arranged the meeting ce in a concubine¡¯s yard, because he knew that she was always kind to the concubines, and that she was not the concubines. Even if something went wrong, she would not get involved.

    He thought that he had paid enough attention to her and even abandoned the reward that was paid because he helped the Emperor to the throne. In order to stay with her, he came to Cloud City as if being demoted. He thought that the concubines were carried into the manor at her agreement, and that he was there to stay with her, so the concubines would be obedient and did not dare to cause any trouble.

    She was always in poor health. He knew that she asionally sent people to the capital to check the ounts. He also knew that she and a woman from the Yan Kingdom were as close as sisters and even made engagement for the children. He just let her do it. Looking at her uneasy face with pretending smiles, he really wanted to tell her not to be afraid, as the Emperor perhaps did not want to call to ount. After all, she had nothing to with the event.

    But the Emperor did not issue any order, so Mo Huawen did not dare to say because he was afraid of causing any doubts and any suspicion from the Emperor!

    Therefore, he had no way but just to helplessly watch her getting scared, thin and weak day after day. He could just protect her quietly with nothing else he could do.

    He thought as time went by, she would get rid of the misunderstanding of scare and nervousness, as well as the fear of being discovered. But unexpectedly, Auntie Fang dared to poison her secretly. Afraid that her husband and child were involved, Luo Xia chose to die and let the poison erode her life gradually.

    In the end, she just passed away...

    Looking at Tong¡¯er¡¯s face simr to her, Mo Huawen only felt guilty and regretful. That night, he fell on her bed, crying with pain, and his heart seemed to be empty, and his life would never beplete again. If he had not had too many scruples, he would not have helplessly watched her die at her young age!

    Then, her senior maidservant crashed to death in front of her coffin. And Auntie Fang imed that Tong¡¯er was cruel and forced the maidservant to die. Although he did not believe it, he was unable to verify it. Later, Tong¡¯er became more and more distant from him. When it was time to return to the capital, Tong¡¯er was ill. Auntie Fang defamed that Tong¡¯er assumed airs and advised Mo Huawen to leave Tong¡¯er in the Qin Manor to put down the air of her arrogance.

    Not knowing whether he was afraid to see that simr face or unwilling to see Tong¡¯er¡¯s reproachful eyes, he agreed without hesitation and just left her alone in the Cloud City.

    It was more than one year since he left. He seemed to deliberately erase her existence from memory. Although he still wrote some letters to her, there was no reply and he did not look into it. Auntie Fang imed that the child was more and more spoiled and uncourteous. So, he took less notice of her ever since...

    Now when he recalled the past, only regret stayed with him.

    ¡°Father!¡± A light knock on the door, apanied by a gentle voice, came from the door.

    Mo Xuetong stood at the door just like when she was not married, her hands holding a tray with a bowl of porridge and several side dishes. She said, ¡°Father, you haven¡¯t had breakfast. Tong¡¯er went to the kitchen to help. Mother made some and let Tong¡¯er send some.¡± Her face flushed faintly. Through the tearful eyes, Mo Huawen felt she looked like Luo Xia even more.

    ¡°Father!¡± Seeing Mo Huawen staring at her in a trance with red eyes, Mo Xuetong called him lightly again.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t youe back to your manor? Come in.¡± Retracting the sadness, Mo Huawen turned his head to the side, wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, and said with a gentle smile.

    As such a terrible thing happened, Mo Huawen thought Mo Xuetong had alreadye back to her manor.

    ¡°Father hasn¡¯t had breakfast. How can Tong¡¯er return? See, the porridge and dishes prepared by Mother are so good, so Tong¡¯er has taken half of a bowl.¡± Mo Xuetong came into the room with a smiling look, served the porridge and dished adroitly on Mo Huawen¡¯s desk, and put the files to the other side of the desk.

    ¡°It turns out that you have tasted them secretly. No wonder you say it is delicious.¡± Looking at his daughter¡¯s pretty and charming face, Mo Huawen conjured up a smile, took the bowl of porridge from Mo Xuetong and tasted. The porridge smelt good, which was made by Xu Yan. Since the daughter in the manor got married, Xu Yan would get up in the morning to make porridge for him.

    However, no matter what, when he saw the porridge, he always remembered Luo Xia at first nce. After the newly-married day, she also made food for him. Except for that secret, she would talk to him about anything. Those days were the happiest day of his life. They two supported mutually and enjoyed thosefy days.

    When did changese? Did they happen when concubines were carried into the manor one by one...

    The bitterness hidden behind her pretense of a joyful and generous smile slowly wiped away her true joy. She became so preupied with some troubles that she tried to hide her thoughts and got weaker day after day...

    ¡°Father, as for the eldest sister, do you think it is necessary to open the ancestral temple?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, as she was helping Mo Huawen the food with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, youe here again tomorrow, and I will invite the vigers in the n toe here, too. I will expel Mo Xuemin from the Mo family and she will have nothing to do with the Mo Manor in the future.¡± Mo Huawen answered after he collected his thought.

    It was imperative. For the Mo n, he had to drive this vicious daughter out of the n so as to save the Mo¡¯s good reputation that hadsted for more than 1,000 years.

    ¡°Just now, Mother asked if it was necessary to call Auntie Fang here.¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated for a while, and her eyes shed and got dimmer but did not avoid her father¡¯s eyes. She just looked at him and asked firmly. As Mo Xuemin was exposed, Mo Xuetong thought that Auntie Fang, that vicious woman, should be handled together so as to save the trouble in the future.

    Her clear eyes were mixed a feeling of dissatisfaction, me, grievance, and pain.

    She bit her lips, her clear eyes bing wet with anguish.

    They all knew that Mo Huawen had not opened the ancestral temple to give Luo Xia justice.

    He owned her an exnation!

 Chapter 386 - The Kidnap and Disappearance of Mo Xuetong

    <strong>Chapter 386 The Kidnap and Disappearance of Mo Xuetong</strong>

    Everyone knew that Auntie Fang was not dead. Even though Mdm Yu was forced to keep Auntie Fang outside her household, she did not punish her, allowing her to enjoy life outside. It was even rumored that she sent her men to meet with Mo Xuemin and Mo Yufeng privately. Mo Huawen knew this but did nothing, to protect the face of the Emperor, as well as that of his son Mo Yufeng and his daughter Mo Xuemin.

    If he really did charge Auntie Fang with the crime of poisoning his legal wife, she could only be punished by death, and her children forever shamed by her crime, never being able to raise their heads in front of others.

    However, now, he was tired...

    He felt that he had wronged the woman in his heart and the girl she gave birth to. He owed her an exnation and justice.

    ¡°I will send my men to the side garden of Yu manor to seize Auntie Fang and give your mother an exnation.¡± Mo Huawen breathed out heavily. He did not want to think about it any further. The words came out of his mouth easier than he imagined it to be. At that point in time, he rxed and smiled gently.

    That¡¯s good. He had to give Luo Xia an exnation or he would be too ashamed to see her in heaven.

    ¡°Father.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s tear rushed out of her eyes. She bit her lips and could not help but sob. Her pretense of being strong disappeared immediately. She retreated for two steps before sitting on the chair at the side and cried covering her face. She did not know what she wanted to say but she wished to cry aloud, with tears dropping.

    It had been a year since her rebirth and she had never cried so much before. She had originally believed that she would not be so emotional anymore after being hurt immensely by her past rtionships, especially in front of this man. In her previous life, if only he cared more about her, had more pity for her and had more consideration for her...

    If so, things could be different and the oue would be different!

    Finally, due to her own efforts, she sought justice for her mother and Auntie Fang was finally destroyed!

    The hatred and feud thatsted for two lives had finally ended. At that time, she could only let tears drop and cry, unlike the usual calm andposed self. It seemed that her deep resentment had been released through these sad tears. The suffocating feeling in her heart was turned into tears as she cried.

    Once she started crying, she could not stop.

    Mo Huawen was obviously rmed and ced down his utensils. He reached over to touch her head but he then retracted his hand.

    From the blurry vision by her teary eyes, she could see the guilt and regret in his eyes! The man she called father did genuinely love and dote her. It was not something fake borne out of calctions. Suddenly, she released the controlled crying from her throat and started crying out loud, holding on to Mo Huawen¡¯s hand.

    She released the pain in her body and mind. For the past two lives, only she knew how in hurt she was. She had been bearing her devastating fate in her previous life alone, smiling as she interacted with her numerous enemies. For numerous times, only hatred supported her way forward. As long as she had a glimmer of hope, she would not give up...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, be good, don¡¯t cry!¡± Mo Huawen sobbed too as he spoke. He hugged Mo Xuetong tightly and felt his daughter¡¯s devastating cry, influencing Mo Huawen to cry himself too. He owed his legal daughter too much, and he owed his legal wife too much.

    With her status now, Auntie Fang should have long been dead. She was only fine now because of his tender heart and his many worries.

    After throwing all of them aside, he had realized that he owed the woman in his heart too much, too much...

    Mo Xuetong had longed to see the end for a devious woman like Auntie Fang, who calcted her entire life, having killed her mother and plotted many times to kill her too. How could Mo Xuetong not hate her?

    However, Mo Xuetong did not manage to see Auntie Fang being brought there, where Mo manor opened their ancestral hall to expel Auntie Fang and her daughter.

    Because she was kidnapped!

    She was kidnapped on her way out of Mo manor, with only a few cluttered footprints left behind other than other marks. It seemed that she had just disappeared so silently. Even Mo Ye, who followed her, was thrown out after she had been knocked out, showing that the abductor was very capable.

    ¡°Your Highness, thedy had disappeared!¡± Feng Yue rushed onto the third floor of Feng Yuran¡¯s Jinwei Hall and eximed.

    ¡°When? Where?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was suddenly covered by dark clouds that signaled a thunderstorm; his gaze turned icy at once as he ced down the files he was holding.

    ¡°Just now. I was protecting mydy on the way to Mo manor. As we entered a crowded street, a horse sped over and I rushed down to lure the horse away. At that instance, someone rushed into the carriage to knock Mo Ye down and abduct mydy.¡± Feng Yue stiffened as he reported.

    ¡°I immediately sent someone to chase, but the abductor seemed extremely familiar with the surroundings and disappeared within seconds.¡±

    The downtown area was where rumors flew. If Mo Xuetong was abducted like this, her reputation could be ruined regardless of how the matter was settled.

    ¡°Where is the carriage?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curved into a bloodthirsty smile as he asked coldly.

    ¡°I asked my subordinates to scream that mydy was hurt by an assassin as I brought the carriage back. I made Mo Lan take thedy¡¯s cloak and bring Mo Ye, who disguised herself as ourdy, into the back garden.¡± Feng Yue dared not hide from Feng Yuran and confessed to what he did after eyeing Feng Yuran¡¯s angry face.

    That¡¯s the best method to protect Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation now. The man was fast and he acted suddenly, abducting thedy without a tinge of hesitation. He did it without any hesitation, was decisive and bold, acting at the precise moment. It was indeed an incredible man who would not have revealed to the people that he had abducted anyone, especially since the person was King Xuan¡¯s wife.

    ¡°Alright, you did a great job...¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curved into a sinister smile as he released the files he was holding. He gave an emotionless order as he tapped his fingers on those files. ¡°Alright, good, go...¡±

    Before he even finished his sentence, there was amotion at the doorsteps.

    ¡°His Highness is settling official matters inside. No one is allowed to disturb him.¡±

    ¡°I need to enter... I have something...¡±

    ¡°Anyone is not allowed in with anything unless order by His Highness is given.¡±

    ¡°I have news about mydy. I knew where she is at. Your Highness, please help save mydy!¡± A sharp and uncontrolled voice came from the doorsteps.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Feng Yuran dimmed the sharpness in his eyes as he smiled meaningfully.

    At the door, Mo Lan rushed in stumbling. She could not say much more as she kneeled down and exined her suspicions. It was rare that she was so frightened but the thought of herdy being abducted made her usually calm demeanor disturbed as well. ¡°Who are those people, why do they bring mydy away...¡±

    Mo Xuetong touched her dull head as she examined the surroundings!

    She felt a little dizzy as the matter happened out of a sudden. It was when the horse was charging towards her carriage and when she held on to a window grill in fright when a man appeared in the carriage. She could only hear the groan of Mo Ye before she cked out and her body softened. Thest memory she had was a man¡¯s face.

    She was staying in a small room that was clean and ordinary. The bed curtains were made from grey silk that¡¯s even inferior to that in Mo Lan¡¯s room. At the leg of the curtain were a few carefully embroidered flowers, making the ordinary muslin bed curtains more beautiful.

    The window was small and tightly closed, with a few nails locking it further with branches from the trees. It was obvious that these branches were newly removed from the trees as they smelled like fresh sap.

    Mo Xuetong was slightly relieved. This was a jail of decent condition that was hurriedly made. The abduction shouldn¡¯t be something that was nned long ago!

    Having heard the footsteps from the doorway, Mo Xuetong closed her eyes as her eyshes flickered. She closed her eyes, leaving a slit for her to glimpse at the surroundings secretively.

    The door opened and a girl of seventeen to eighteen years old entered. She looked pure and cute and was holding a tray of food. The fragrance of the food filled the entire room immediately, making Mo Xuetong swallow her saliva involuntarily. She was anxious to go to Mo manor in the morning and did not have much porridge. She did not know what time it was but she was aware of her hunger.

    ¡°Mydy, you can eat now!¡± The woman ced down the dishes and walked to her bed to examine her for a while before calling out.

    Even though Mo Xuetong had her eyes closed, she could feel the sharp gaze by that woman. She dared not move and even slowed down her breathing. She was certain that she had never seen the girl before.

    Auntie Fang, Mo Xuemin, and Mo Xueqiong were all in deep trouble and they naturally would not have the effort to do this to her. Could it be someone from Consort Yu? Or someone from Yu family? Mo Xuetong guessed but rejected the idea immediately. Consort Yu was now under heavy house arrest in the pce. She had no contact with the Yu family and it was nearly impossible for her to have such a n.

    If they were not the perpetrator, then it must be someone from the other princes who kidnapped her to ckmail Feng Yuran? No! Feng Yuran was an irrelevant figure. Even when his status and reputation had slightly improved now, it was now nearly impossible to alter others¡¯ impressions of him. Furthermore, he had injured his leg and was staying at home all this while. Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen were busy fighting amongst themselves, and they had no time for him.

    However, if they were all not the mastermind, who would it be!

    ¡°Mydy, I know you are awake. Get up and eat!¡± The girl increased her voice and said directly into her ears.

    ¡°Does she really know that I am awake?¡± She realized that she had no external injuries and figured that they must have used drugs, which usually had a time limit. It was not difficult to calcte when she would wake up.

    Now, she needed to quietly find out who these people were.

    She gently groaned as if she had just woke up, flickering her long eyshes. She touched her head and opened her eyes in confusion, looking at the curtain on top of her. Suddenly, her eyes turned from one of confusion to shock as she lifted her body up in difficulty. Her eyes fell on the girl next to her who was observing her all this while, examining her in confusion. ¡°Where, where is this?¡±

    She knew no martial arts and she believed that since they kidnapped her, they must have known of this fact. However, the locked windows using nails and branches showed that they were quite preventive of her escape.

    ¡°Mydy, please eat first. After your meal, we will naturally exin the matter to you.¡± The girl nced at her twice and had a bad attitude. She pointed at the food on the table and did not say much to her before retreating. She was not shocked that Mo Xuetong had woken up at this juncture.

    The dishes were very ordinary, consisting of two vegetables and one soup. They were green vegetables with shiitake mushrooms, oily spring bamboo shoots, and tofu soup. The rice was ordinary yellow rice that was not delicate at all. On one side of the te which oily spring bamboo shoots were ced on was a tiny fracture line.

    Mo Xuetong ate a bowl of rice, which was more than what she originally had. The dishes tasted alright and the door swung open right after she finished her meal. The same girl walked in to collect the utensils but she did not speak this time.

    ¡°Miss, can I trouble you to inform my husband that I am well-rested here. No one can stop him if he insisted on finding me.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and did not move at all, not even examining the surroundings with her eyes, as if she were only here to have some fun.

 Chapter 387 - The Secret Guards by Luo Xias side

    <strong>Chapter 387 The Secret Guards by Luo Xia¡¯s side</strong>

    Feng Yuran did not have a good reputation in the imperial pce and was well known for creating trouble and being promiscuous and arrogant. If one did annoy him, no one would be able to pacify his anger and thus it affirmed his position as the number one spoiled kid in the imperial city. Furthermore, since hisdy had disappeared this time... no one knew how he would act!

    Even though Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly, she was obviously threatening the girl.

    The woman stopped tidying up the tes and nced mysteriously at Mo Xuetong, replying, ¡°Wait.¡±

    She then brought the tes and the bowls down. After a while, an ordinary man wearing a long robe came in. His hat was pulled down, with only his mouth exposed beneath it. Behind him, the previous woman followed on and ced two cups of tea down on the table before retreating.

    ¡°What do you want me for? Money?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the teacup and took a sip leisurely. She nced at the man sideways who was observing her and smiled gently.

    Herfortable posture seemed to show that she had not at all realized that she was caught and in danger.

    ¡°Are you Consort Xuan, the third miss of Mo Manor?¡± The man wearing the long robe had a low voice, making him sound like someone fifty or sixty years old.

    ¡°If that was your question, then congrattions, you did not catch the wrong person.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the man in the long robe and replied calmly. She ced down the teacup in her hand and smiled at the man meaningfully.

    ¡°The third miss of Mo manor is indeed not simple. Being ady, it is really admirable that you can remain soposed in this situation.¡± Seeing her tepid look, the man in the long robe praised her.

    ¡°No matter how admirable I am, I am still kidnapped by you. I wonder what business you have with me?¡± Mo Xuetong ced down the teacup, flickering her eyes and smiling slightly,posed. She did not look like a prisoner. Her watery eyes had a little calmness hidden within, as if she were in no rush at all.

    ¡°Mydy, do you know who your mother, Lady Mo, was?¡± The man in the long robe asked.

    This sentence connotated a few different meanings. Mo Xuetong was rmed and raised her head to look at him and saw that his jaw was still as if he was anticipating her response. Now, he was merely probing to find out how much she knew. There were few people in the world now who knew Mother¡¯s true identity.

    ¡°Everyone knows that Mother is the First Miss of Fu General Manor, a true aristocrat. Why did you ask that?¡± Mo Xuetong replied with a politically correct answer. Everyone knew that and the answer was not incorrect. Regardless of the true identity of Mother, she should only be the first miss of Fu General Manor in the eyes of others.

    Even though many people knew the truth, they kept the secret to themselves and remained silent to protect Fu General manor. Anyway, King Jin rebelled then and Fu General Manor hadmitted a hideous crime to have saved Mother. If Emperor Zongwen were insistent about investigating the crime, Fu General Manor would not be spared.

    ¡°Mydy, you are wrong. The firstdy of Mo Manor is not the eldest daughter of Fu General Manor, but the daughter of King Jin, real royal blood and the daughter of heaven. The Princess Royal today should give her position to your mother.¡± The man in the long robe was excited as his body and voice trembled, his voice inappropriately cracking.

    Completely different from theposure he initially showed!

    Mo Xuetong could sense that he was eagerly anticipating her response. He rushed to expose the secret that he kept for thirty years, the one that Mo Xuetong was interested in and had secretly been investigating...

    The man¡¯s goal was to expose her family line? But why?

    So what if she knew the truth? Why did they waste so much effort just to tell her what had happened before? What benefit did it serve them? Mo Xuetong did not believe that the man was kind enough to just tell her the truth.

    Her fingers tapped on the tabletop as she thought of a n. She lifted up her watery gaze and did not show any special emotions, not even that of astonishment. Looking at the man in the long robe, she asked calmly, ¡°So what?¡±

    It was as if she were merely saying, ¡°The weather is bad today, but so what!¡±

    Not a single tinge of her emotions was seen.

    The man in long robe opposite her turned stiff as he restricted his lower jaw, astonished beyond words!

    A secret that he hid for thirty years, a matter that concerned the imperial descendants, a family hidden beneath a bloody case and a prestigious position that could have been obtained... such an explosive matter was only met with a ¡°so what¡± from the gentle girl wearing a calm expression.

    Yes, so what?

    As if all his emotions were interrupted, the man in the long robe could not continue the conversation, staring at Mo Xuetong in astonishment, as if he was trying to find the hidden fright and excitement from her bright eyes. Actually, he was indeed wrong, the eyes were extremely beautiful, ethereal and seductive. A brief nce was enough to make him intoxicated. However, other than that, there was nothing else.

    After a while, he realized in defeat that this small girl was already able to conceal her emotions!

    ¡°Mydy, do you not wish to seek revenge for your maternal grandfather, and clear the name for your mother?¡± The man in the long robe asked difficultly, unable to believe that the calm girl in front of him was still under 14 years of age.

    ¡°To clear the name for Mother, to reobtain her position as the Princess? Seek revenge for my maternal grandfather, and usurp the throne of the Emperor? As a little girl, how can I have the ability?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled faintly and suddenly nced at the man in the long robe sideways, deliberately tricking him. ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, after so many years, are you still attempting to seek revenge for King Jin?¡±

    The other party was suddenly shocked, looking at Mo Xuetong in pure shock under the edge of his hood.

    Mo Xuetong merely observed the man in the long robe silently as if they were not talking about rebellions but about business in Xiuning Workshop. There was not the slightest tinge of anger. She heaved a sigh of relief in her heart as she confirmed her suspicions that it was really them. Only they would know the matter regarding Mother and had knowledge about her whereabouts.

    It was as if a thousand years had passed yet it seemed to be just a second for the man in the long robe as he sighed. He stretched out his hand to remove his hat, revealing the face of Shopkeeper Xing and revealing his clear voice as well. He smiled bitterly, ¡°Mydy was indeed sharp. May I know when did your subordinate make a mistake?¡±

    As he self-identified as her subordinate, Mo Xuetong involuntarily and slowly rxed the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°Not only did I know that you brought me over, but I also knew that you have around a hundred men under you.¡± Mo Xuetong did not answer Shopkeeper Xing directly, merely smiling.

    ¡°Mydy...¡± Shopkeeper Xing examined Mo Xuetong repeatedly with an incredulous look. He had many encounters with Mo Xuetong before and only decided that thisdy bore theposure of an aristocrat under her gentle nature. Without much exposure to her, he did not expect that she would be soposed when the secret that he had protected for many years was presented to her. That made him respect her.

    ¡°Your people should be the secret guard of Mother!¡± Mo Xuetong sighed as her beautiful eyes turned dark with depression. Ever since knowing that Bai Yichen wanted to marry Fifth Princess, Mo Xuetong asked Feng Yuran to understand the reason why the Yan Kingdom¡¯s imperial family ced such high value on Fifth Princess.

    That was because she was the legal princess of the Qin Kingdom. The difference between the legal princess and other princesses of the Qin Kingdom was that she had secret guards belonging only to her. The men inside were all secretly trained, with a man as capable as ten normal guards. Furthermore, they were extremely loyal, being the experts of experts in both assassination and protection.

    She thought about King Jin¡¯s rebellion and decided that it wasn¡¯t a hoax for her maternal grandfather not only prepared his own troops but even trained his daughters¡¯ secret guards, passing it to them. When he did take the throne, her daughters would be the legal princesses.

    ¡°Yes, we are the secret guards of the third princess. I am their captain.¡± Shopkeeper Xing was stunned before kneeling and paying his respects.

    ¡°Please raise, Shopkeeper Xing.¡± Mo Xuetong pretended to help him up.

    ¡°Thank you, mydy.¡± Shopkeeper Xing rose and did not sit anymore. He stood aside like a real subordinate.

    ¡°I wonder why did Shopkeeper Xing bring me here?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned and asked. This hugemotion was definitely not just to exin to her the matters concerning her mother.

    ¡°Please forgive me, mydy. His Highness ordered me that if the princess passed away, we are passed down to her descendants. If the princess¡¯ death was abnormal, her descendants must seek revenge first before obtaining us.¡± Shopkeeper Xing answered respectfully.

    A tinge of obvious pain and frustration shed across the corner of Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    Even though Mother was right to be afraid of execution if she revealed her identity, her body condition turned weaker due to her constant worries. However, the main cause of death was still the poison of Auntie Fang. If not for the poison, Mother would not have died so soon. Even if she was afraid to burden her father and herself, she would not have died.

    Thus, Auntie Fang was indeed the murderer of Mother.

    Before, even though Father had chased Auntie Fang away, he did not remove her from the ancestral hall. Yesterday, because of the exposure of Mo Xuemin and because of her deliberate words, Father became guilty and thus was forced to open the ancestral hall to chase away Auntie Fang and her daughter, truly avenging her mother.

    Hence, the scene today urred!

    If she was still like she was in her past life, with no power to avenge her mother, these people would merely be by the side to witness the drama. They would never save her and would rather see her die in the devious ns of others than to break the promise they made to the old King Jin!

    Her long eyshes flickered as she concealed her coldness.

    When she raised her head up, she regained her calmness and elegance. Shopkeeper Xing exined to her the reason why he did not help her, as she did not obtain their approval yet. ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, there¡¯s no need to be polite. I know that you are all honorable men. How can I be a filial daughter if I do not avenge my mother?¡±

    In her previous life, she did not give up on avenging but she was instead fooled as no one bothered to reveal the true intentions of Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang to her. Mother¡¯s secret guards merely watched at the side, with no one helping her. As secret guards, theycked any form of faithfulness.

    ¡°Thank you for your understanding, mydy. We shall stay at your side to protect you, mydy.¡± Shopkeeper Xing sighed slightly. Only he knew how difficult it was for a hundred men without additional support and backing to work carefully and in unity. Some people¡¯s faith was already fading.

    They felt that there was no end to protecting the daughter of Third Princess!

    Unlike a son who could gain power! Disunity started to form.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. Just stay at your original bodyguard agency. If I have something that I need, I will find you.¡± Mo Xuetong thought about it and replied. She did believe in Feng Yuran but these people were too obvious and those who monitored King Xuan¡¯s Manor must be rmed at the sudden appearance of such arge group of men.

 Chapter 388 - Feng Yurans Rescue in Xiuning Workshop

    <strong>Chapter 388 Feng Yuran¡¯s Rescue in Xiuning Workshop</strong>

    Now was when Feng Yuran¡¯s ns were in ce. She would not have allowed these changes to spoil his ns.

    Honestly, she had no faith in these secret guards. If they could have stayed by her mother¡¯s side all this time, Mother would not have died so early. Perhaps they would exin that her mother didn¡¯t give them the order, but there would be no one to guard and protect once she was dead. Furthermore, all of them knew that Auntie Fang was the one who harmed Mother.

    However, no one killed Auntie Fang and they all had to wait for the ignorant and weak girl to act before appearing as secret guards. In that aspect, Mo Xuetong did not find them to be particrly loyal. Hence, she would not let these men spoil Feng Yuran¡¯s amazing n.

    Having been exposed by Mo Xuetong about the bodyguard agency, Shopkeeper Xing was stunned as he retreated for two steps, having higher regard for Mo Xuetong now as he became more respectful toward her.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. If mydy requires our assistance, we need...¡± Shopkeeper Xing hesitated and looked at Mo Xuetong, speechless.

    ¡°You require another token?¡± Having seen the conflicted expression of Shopkeeper Xing, Mo Xuetong understood the situation. As a secret guard, to ensure security purposes, they would only recognize the token and not the person. However, as she did not remember any token left behind by Mother, she frowned.

    ¡°It is a jade token. Third Princess must have passed it down to mydy. Please think about it carefully.¡± Shopkeeper Xing blinked his eyes and replied respectfully, bowing his head.

    A jade token? Suddenly, Mo Xuetong remembered the jade flower and the jade token that her second uncle had shown her and asked if she had one as well. Could that be the one? Mo Xuetong rejected the idea once it popped up. Her mother almost never left the house, not evenmunicating with her own secret guards, and naturally would have nothing to do with the Yuxiao Flower.

    The flower was mysterious and secretly bore a murderous intent. In her previous life, Fu General Manor¡¯s downfall was caused by the flower. Even though the devious n by Sima Lingyun and others had added on to their demise, Yuxiao Flower was the key cause regardless. It was already suspicious how it mysteriously appeared in Fu General Manor.

    ¡°Mother sent her people to Xiuning Workshop to meet with your man?¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and asked casually as if she had just thought of it. She remembered that He Xia reported that the man she saw wore official court clothing. Being the previous officials of King Jin, it was normal for them to have such clothing.

    ¡°Yes, even though we do have a proper job in the bodyguard agency, our ie is barely enough to sustain our needs. Any essential items will require the Third Princess to privately obtain.¡± Shopkeeper Xingmented on his difficulties.

    Even though Shopkeeper Xing did not mention what objects they were, Mo Xuetong knew he was talking about swords and weapons. There were many such weapons in the marketce, but few were sharp. If sharp weapons were sold, they were sold at a high price. Even though the bodyguard agency had its ie, not everyone could afford to bear such good weapons.

    Furthermore, in order to guarantee the loyalty of the secret guards, spending money was definitely necessary.

    Seeing how Mo Xuetong remained quiet, Shopkeeper Xing thought that she was ming them for their extravagant expenditure, exining immediately, ¡°Even though we do spend quite some money, it isn¡¯t too much in the grand scheme of things. We just need some help from Xiuning Workshop, just like what Third Princess did.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s follow the old rules then!¡± Mo Xuetong replied calmly. She had been investigating Xiuning Workshop all this time and discovered that the ounts were too perfect, with each sum being extremely clear. However, she found something to be amiss and now she realized that it was because of the unusually high price of purchase of raw materials. Products from the same time period shouldn¡¯t have such a high cost, but Xiuning Workshop bought them using a slightly higher price.

    The artificially higher costs meant that money was slowly funneled to the bodyguard agency from Xiuning Workshop.

    It was her mother¡¯s shop, and as long as her mother didn¡¯t say anything, it was not apparent at all. At most, people would feel that the shopkeeper was toox in cost-management, and had a price that¡¯s too high.

    ¡°I shall listen to mydy, and follow the rulesid by Third Princess.¡± Shopkeeper Xing smiled and agreed.

    As the two were talking, the woman rushed in. Before she could even say anything to Mo Xuetong, she whispered to Shopkeeper Xing. His face immediately changed as he looked at Mo Xuetong in shock, as he suddenly pulled the woman beside him down to kneel together.

    ¡°Mydy, the men from King Xuan¡¯s Manor are here. Please go over.¡±

    They could not hide their fright as their existence was as the loyal subordinates of King Jin, the sworn rival of Emperor Zongwen. They hid in the dark in an attempt to protect their past masters and rise. If they were known by the royal family, they would be eliminated.

    As the most doted son of Emperor Zongwen, if Feng Yuran knew that these people were present, they would cease being alive. The two powers were sworn rivals and it¡¯s a pity that they met each other here. The power of King Jin¡¯s Manor could not be revealed to the world today. With theck of manpower, they could only be eliminated.

    ¡°Where is this?¡± As if she did not feel the fright of Shopkeeper Xing, Mo Xuetong raised her eyes and examined the surroundings. The corner of her eyesid on Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s pale face as she slowly released her smile and asked faintly.

    ¡°This is the bodyguard agency, a stronghold where King Jin left behind to protect Third Princess. If King Xuan discovers this ce, we will have no strongholds left.¡± Shopkeeper Xing anxiously answered. King Jin¡¯s force had all been eliminated other than these people who did not appear before the public. If they were really discovered, theirck of manpower would result in their defeat even though there were plenty of experts around.

    He was a little regretful now to have listened to the man in his suggestion to abduct thedy, luring the arrogant overlord here.

    The man was known to bewless in terms of reputation.

    ¡°Is this ce close to Xiuning Workshop?¡± Mo Xuetong groaned slightly.

    She was not worried if Feng Yuran would know about this for he could easily found out her identity if he utilized his hidden power tounch an investigation into her. She was now worried about the loyalty of these men. The matter today seemed mysterious and strange regardless of how she looked at it. It was unnecessary to abduct her just to reveal her identity, as if they wanted this matter to be blown out of proportion.

    Furthermore, after more than 30 years, the secret guards had entered into civilian life, could they still be as loyal to her as before? In her previous life, as she died miserably in Fu General manor, those people still did not act, as if they never existed and never had the responsibility to protect her.

    If they were really loyal, they only need to send a few people to protect her to prevent her miserable death. That meant that there was a problem within this group of people. She could not believe in them without any precautions. In her previous life, it was informed to her that danger often came from her side.

    Being overly gullible would only make her more susceptible to danger. She had much more ritypared to her previous life.

    However, to prepare for her future, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to turn against them now.

    Mo Xuetong could not feel any blood connections to her maternal grandfather King Jin. Someone who tried to usurp the throne would not be a benevolent person.

    Even her sweet and gentle Mother calcted on her, making Nanny Ming swore a vicious oath so she could not understand anything.

    That made her heartbroken.

    However, no matter what had happened, she still loved her mother. Be it in this life or in her previous life, the love from her mother was the motivation for her to continue in her journey, but that did not include the unconditional trust in the group of secret guards next to her mother.

    ¡°Very close, two bends away if we go by the back door.¡± Shopkeeper Xing understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s hidden intention as he stood up and led Mo Xuetong out of the house. They descended down a flight of secret stairs and turned into a door, walking past a narrow hallway. Mo Xuetong¡¯s Xiuning Workshop was on the other side.

    At the narrow pathway, Mo Xuetong turned back.

    King Jin¡¯s Manor had retreated to their very end for choosing such a position. Now, the prosperous King Jin Manor only had wilted branches and broken walls left. Other than his family members, no one would remember the previously well-known King Jin. With the passage of time, how many would be as loyal as they were 30 years ago!

    Feng Yuran sat at the small living room where Shopkeeper Xing normally met his guests. In front of the door, Feng Yue stood there with his head lowered. Mo Xuetong came over and his eyes lit up, standing upright and whispering respectfully to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Mydy, His Highness is inside for a while already. He smashed a teacup just now.¡±

    He then pointed at the broken pieces of the teacup outside the door, signaling the wrath of the man inside.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, go and take a look at the goods. I shall tend to His Highness. Tell your men to send a few more pots of tea, as well as the specialty snacks from the restaurant opposite.¡± Mo Xuetong ordered.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Shopkeeper Xing replied respectfully and retreated, asking his man to prepare.

    She pushed the door open and before she had time to examine the interiors of the room, she was tightly hugged by someone inside. The familiar voice made her body soft involuntarily as the door was mmed shut due to his heavy kick, giving off a loud noise.

    Outside, Feng Yue¡¯s neck retracted at the loud noise from within. He touched the cold sweat on his forehead and felt like he had revived. His master was really angry!

    ¡°Are you alright? Are you injured?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s long slender eyes examined Mo Xuetong and only became calm after he realized that she was alright. A simmer of light shed across his eyes as he secretlymented those people for touching his woman, as if he became useless after breaking his leg.

    ¡°Why did youe out? Isn¡¯t your leg still ¡®injured¡¯?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away and pulled him to the chair at one side, asking him with a soft and tender voice. He had excused himself from court using his injury as an excuse so as to retract himself from the conflict between Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen. If someone realized that his leg was uninjured, his n would fail.

    ¡°How can I still pretend when something happened to my Tong¡¯er. Hmph, those people have been too bored these days.¡± Feng Yuran snorted as he gave a cold chilly smile. His handsome face wore a devious and bloodthirsty charm, instead of an arrogant demeanor.

    She wanted to tell him the truth slowly, but some people did not want him to wait.

    ¡°What will you do if I am hiding something from you?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes carefully and asked.

    Her upright body was pulled down into his warm embrace. As she was hugged in front of him, she could not see his body but could hear his cold groan which signaled his unhappiness. Immediately, she pulled his sleeves and exined hurriedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to purposefully hide this from you. I merely do not know how to break it to you.¡±

 Chapter 389 - Who Does the Loyalty of the Previous Secret Guards Belong To?

    <h4>Chapter 389 Who Does the Loyalty of the Previous Secret Guards Belong To?</h4>

    She heard matters regarding her mother before her marriage. She was anxious and frightened, with no idea how to handle the issue by herself. Furthermore, Mother had made a vicious vow on her life to Nanny Ming to prevent her from exposing this secret and to only answer when asked. She felt shamed by that her mother was so harsh and cruel to her.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to admit it but she had to admit that she did not know how to deal with it when she first obtained the knowledge.

    She merely wanted to suppress all the information in her heart and drown everything with her, as ignorant as she was like in her previous life. Since Mother hoped that for her, there was no need for her to search for the truth. Even if she did find it, the so-called magnificent scene of King Jin¡¯s Manor was history too long ago for her.

    It was so long ago that shepletely could not remember the blood kinship and the vendetta she had with them!

    Fighting for the throne was a game of battling royal. Without the initial defeat which turned into an underground movement with lesser forces and an unsuitable leadership, the chances of sess became almost nonexistent!

    Since Mother made a vicious vow with her daughter¡¯s life, she did not want her to be involved at all!

    As a weak woman, she had no power to usurp the throne, and it would be pointless to overthrow the rule of Emperor Zongwen.

    She was merely a little girl who died so miserably in her previous life, where no one lent a helping hand to save her from the abyss of suffering...

    Thinking about this, sadness rose in her heart as her nose turned sore. Speechless, she felt that tears filled her eyes as she bit her lips to suppress the pain in her heart.

    Feeling that the woman in his arms was stiff and quiet, Feng Yuran thought that there was something wrong with her and hence dropped his pretense of anger. He rushed to lift up her lower jaw and see her teary eyes,forting her. ¡°Tong¡¯er was referring to the secret guards. OK, I know about it now and I¡¯ll forgive you for now. But this is the only exception.¡±Read more at L isnovel

    Forgiving her now meant that he would still want to settle ounts with her!

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and thought about it depressingly. However, she did not argue further, choosing to lean further in his arms, asking depressingly, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t suspecting the power of Feng Yuran as she had long known that Feng Yuran was not the useless king in the eyes of others who only knew how to find prostitutes. If there was a ranking for disguise, no one in the imperial city could match up to him. Toplete his provocative image, he housed arge number of concubines in his manor.

    She had only confirmed the existence of the secret guards today.

    Before that, even though she had many guesses, she could not confirm her suspicions. How could he be so urate to scare them in the bodyguard agency and to wait for her in Xiuning Workshop? This was obviously deliberately nned, and not a temporary measure.

    Of course, she did not fully believe in what Shopkeeper Xing said. Out of the 100 secret guards, there was only one Shopkeeper Xing in Xiuning Workshop, with the rest all being women. Even though there could be women in secret guards, they should not form the majority. There were at most 30 to 40 individuals in the bodyguard agencies, which was not a sizable number in the imperial city. Where was the rest of them?

    Mo Xuetong would not forget the unrestrained habit of Shopkeeper Xing, which showed that he did not tell her theplete truth of the matter. Perhaps he was waiting for the jade token from her mother, but anyway, none of that led Mo Xuetong to believe in the loyalty of these men. Loyalty was dependent on power, and her position as King Xuan¡¯s Consort meant that she did not have the power that they respected, and hence they were still waiting.

    ¡°I had a few suspicions before, but I did not know where. At first, I thought they were in Cloud City... before I realized that it¡¯s not the case. I then turned around and suspected this bodyguard agency. A bodyguard agency works in Jianghu and it was of no surprise that the people there would know martial arts. The strange thing was the reason why they had this agency at such a prosperous location. Unlike other businesses, a bodyguard agency needs not to have a shop in the busy streets.¡± Feng Yuran hugged her and pulled her dropping sleeves up, exining causally.

    As if he did not see her conflicted eyes, he patted her back.

    ¡°You suspected it long ago? Not just today?¡± Mo Xuetongid in his arms, feeling his gentle touch and closed her eyesfortably before asking coyly.

    ¡°A little bit today as well. Mo Lan was worried about you. She heard that those abducting you ran in this direction and remembered your matters, hence she ran and told me everything. Having all the lines connected made me understand the whole process. Tong¡¯er, do you need these men?¡± Feng Yuran exined. Even though thest sentence seemed casual, Mo Xuetong could still see the nervousness and anger hidden in his eyes.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want their protection. When I was in Cloud city, not a single one came to help me. They didn¡¯t evene around when Mother was poisoned.¡± Mo Xuetong knew what he was worried about and bit her lips to give a response. Not only did those things happen, in her previous life, they never helped her even till her death, making it difficult for her to feel close to them.

    For thest order of their master, they waited for thirty years, showing their loyalty. However, this loyalty was for King Jin or their little master who could realize thest wish of King Jin. A useless woman like her or her mother was long abandoned in their mindset. The legacies in their hearts werepletely unaligned with the women in boudoirs.

    Mo Xuetong did care about her mother forcing Nanny Ming to swore using her life, but she now felt that her mother was both pitiful and cruel. To not continue the hatred, or to obtain a better life for herself, she would rather have Nanny Ming bury everything from then on.

    She had no power to solve anything. Hence, she let herself go naturally when she became aware that she was poisoned by the concubines. She was powerless!

    Mo Xuetong did not believe that these secret guards would bepletely unaware of the powerless behavior of her mother. However, they merely looked at the struggle of this weakdy, who sacrificed her life for the peace in Mo Manor...

    They said that they would only see her if she avenged her mother. When King Jin¡¯s consort escaped with her mother, these secret guards must be by their side. She only left that order to prevent her mother from dying without justice. If not for her exposure of Auntie Fang, the secret guards would not recognize her as their master!

    Mo Xuetong felt sad that they judged her role as a master based on her usefulness!

    ¡°So we just leave them here?¡± Feng Yuran questioned her but did not push further. He gently caressed her hair as a sh of hatred shed across his eyes. If Tong¡¯er exined that she did not want to leave them here, he would immediately take care of these people. Feng Yuran deemed this group of secret guards with shaky loyalty unnecessary.

    ¡°If we keep these people here, they will be a danger to Tong¡¯er. They can betray her again given their history.¡±

    ¡°Leave them here!¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes in fatigue! She only wanted to sleep. She knew what Feng Yuran meant but she could not be so cruel at the thought of them waiting in this corner for 30 years.

    ¡°What if I touch them?¡± The corner of Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes spelled indifference, with a bloodthirsty smell that Mo Xuetong could understand.

    ¡°Touch them. They are not loyal to me.¡± Mo Xuetong opened her eyes as she stared at Feng Yuran¡¯s face and saw his explicit love for her. She sighed slowly, her words disappearing like fallen leaves on trees, with pain and hatred hidden within fatigue.

    She did not know how to deal with these people!

    These people were loyal towards the faith of restoring King Jin¡¯s empire, they were loyal to King Jin¡¯s agenda. She was nothing like their master. They purposely kidnapped her in front of everyone to prevent her from staying together with Feng Yuran.

    How could she continue being Consort Xuan? A consort that lost her virtues could only be dead or divorced. Was what they did to her really loyalty?

    They did something that they knew they should not do!

    It meant that she was again an abandoned chess piece!

    In her past life, and in her current life!

    She was really tired...

    Seeing and acknowledging her fatigue, Feng Yuran reached over to arrange her hair. He saw her eyshes flicker as he tilted his head to hide the tears in his eyes. That made his eyes fill up with hatred before they got engulfed by a thick gentle love. He whispered into her ears and avoided this annoying question.

    Tong¡¯er was still too soft-hearted. Forget it, even though she allowed him to take care of these people, she was a little hurt at the thought of doing so. Forget it, I should keep them since she desired so. Anyway, their loyalty was wavering like a double-edged sword. They could be used by him just like how they were used by others.

    Listening to Feng Yuran¡¯s words, Mo Xuetong opened her eyes in shock, looking at Feng Yuran with an amazed look. Her watery eyes were wide open, and her lips trembled as she could not believe what she was hearing. She felt a drone in her brain as if it just turned into paste. She had never thought about the most obvious possibility, which was the only possibility to exin the whole matter.

    If the two were really rted this way, something would make sense now.

    ¡°Princess Royal Yunruo never saw Princess Shuann. Even though Princess Royal Yunruo was one year older than Princess Shuann, the princess had always been sick and weak, resting in King Jin¡¯s Manor all the while. As King Jin¡¯s second daughter died not long after birth, King Jin doted his sole daughter greatly. After the King Jin Manor incident, Consort Jin and Princess Shuann all disappeared. She was only seven to eight years old then.¡±

    Feng Yuran exined. ¡°Princess Royal Yunruo married to the Yan Kingdom when she was 16. Many servants apanied her on her way there, including Shuann. I could not understand what happened after that, but I heard that she was doted by the Yan Emperor, giving birth to Bai Yihao, who somehow became the son of Princess Royal Yunruo.¡±

    ...

    He utilized a lot of manpower and resources to investigate this matter, but the details were not precise. Some secrets became something where no one knew but could only be revealed by those people involved in it themselves. Even Empress Dowager would not know such pce secrets.

    If not for the fact that he found Princess Royal Yunruo¡¯s attitude suspicious, he would not have investigated the matter. She was so nonchnt towards her own birth son, but so close to the First Prince, asking for him the permission to marry the legal Fifth Princess, who had secret guards. That should not be something done by a normal mother.

    Mo Xuetong was astonished...

    No wonder in her previous life, Bai Yihao imprisoned the Empress in the pce. No wonder the Empress had an alliance with First Prince. Princess Shuann, or her aunt in public, had disappeared. That¡¯s why in her previous life, after Bai Yihao became the Emperor, he never set an Empress Dowager, hiding all the secrets to his birth.

    However, that had nothing to do with her!

 Chapter 390 - The Feud between Princess Royal Yunruo and Princess Shuanglan

    <strong>Chapter 390 The Feud between Princess Royal Yunruo and Princess Shuann</strong>

    It seemed that the marriage contract between her and Bai Yihao was probably the promise that her aunt made just to gather support from her mother. Her mother bore no attention to it, and her aunt either. After all, with the status of Bai Yihao, Qin Kingdom would rather marry a princess than her.

    No wonder she never saw a single marriage proposal in her previous life. She was bullied and knew nothing, unable to resolve her own matters. The arrogant Bai Yihao would not be interested in her and thus destroyed the marriage proposal.

    However, why did he bring out the marriage proposal this time? Even though she was different from her previous life, she was merely a small princess who married Feng Yuran. Why would Bai Yihao want to kidnap her? She did not suspect the news that Feng Yuran told her as she had full faith in his ability to get to the end of the matter.

    She never imagined that Bai Yihao was the shadow behind the abduction today. Didn¡¯t the man return to the Yan Kingdom today? A few days ago, she still heard the news of the conflicts between him and Bai Yichen, which was the most crucial moment for him. It was unexpected that he still had time to be involved in matters of the Qin Kingdom.

    Of course, she never once doubted his chance of victory. He had always been the one hinged on sess!

    She was merely curious as to why he would want to deal with her!

    Could it be because of the marriage proposal she burnt that evoked his anger? Or was it because he wanted the secret guards to be by his side, using her as a tool? To destroy her reputation before kidnapping her! Indeed, he treated her as a chess piece, and that made her involuntarily angry!

    ¡°Is this real?¡± Even though she believed in him, Mo Xuetong still pursed her lips and asked in anger.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely true. Otherwise, why would your mother set a marriage proposal with such a man, having no consideration for you? Knowing your mother, would she write such a marriage proposal if she was not forced?¡± Feng Yuran was satisfied by the anger hidden in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. Pulling Mo Xuetong¡¯s slim hand up to him, he ced it at his lips and kissed it. Enjoying the fragrant andfortably soft skin, he smiled devilishly.

    For her, having her palm gently kissed by him was like feeling a tiny warm stream flowing through her body. It made her fatigued body livelier and made her feel doted and loved. This resulted in a gentle smile appearing in the corner of her lips and she followed his words, ¡°So that¡¯s why. No wonder he would arrange a marriage proposal with me. No wonder these secret guards would be listening to him. After all, he was their real master, their real master who could obtain the throne!¡±

    She cared lesser once she understood the whole situation. After all, Mother did love her greatly. She hugged his muscr waist and remained quiet.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK. Everything is history. I won¡¯t let him take you away.¡± Feng Yuranforted her as a tinge of hatred shed across his eyes. Tong¡¯er was his woman and he would not allow Bai Yihao to snatch her away from him. As a man, he could notice the difference in Bai Yihao¡¯s seemingly uninterested eyes.Read more chapters at L isnovel

    It was a kind of love from a man to a woman!

    No matter what would happen, Tong¡¯er could only be his! He would cure the poison that Tong¡¯er had and would not see Tong¡¯er end up in the hands of Bai Yihao.

    ¡°Who else was involved?¡± After her minutes of silence, Mo Xuetong gathered her thoughts. She was a smart woman who was merely distressed because of the sudden changes. She thought about it carefully and had a new question. Even though Bai Yihao had people in the Qin Kingdom, he would not have many of them. How could he have the time and effort to be involved in the Qin Kingdom since he was still settling the matters inside the Yan Kingdom?

    It was impossible for him to control the situation here.

    ¡°Feng Yuxuan!¡± Feng Yuran exined calmly.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked as she raised her head to look at Feng Yuran, ¡°Why is he involved with Bai Yihao?¡±

    ¡°Since Bai Yichen can form an alliance with Feng Yuzhen, Bai Yihao can form an alliance with Feng Yuxuan. The enemy of an enemy is a friend.¡± Feng Yuran exined.

    Mo Xuetong believed in that. The man dressed in white like a fairy was highly intelligent and did not usually follow the rules. However, she did not expect his deviousness to be used on her with a scheme that was so cruel. That made Mo Xuetong angry and frustrated.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back first and discusster.¡± Seeing that she was in deep thought, Feng Yuran let her down and stood up, hugging her waist before letting it go. He announced, ¡°Feng Yue, prepare the horses.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Hearing the usualzy voice inside, Feng Yue heaved a sigh of relief at the knowledge that his master regained hisposure. He replied and went down to prepare the horses.

    At the other end, Mo Xuetong helped Feng Yuran out of the room. After all, this man¡¯s leg was still injured, making it difficult for him to walk.

    ¡°Greetings to Your Highness and My Lady.¡± Outside the door, Shopkeeper Xing greeted politely and respectfully, with his head lowered. He was all proper, making it difficult to imagine that he had just kidnapped Mo Xuetong a while ago.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Mo Xuetong exined calmly.

    Shopkeeper Xing stood up and unconsciously nced at Feng Yuran. He was astonished and retreated for two steps before stopping.

    He had seductive red lips and a pair of extremely handsome brows. The eyes hid a slight chill, emitting a deep dark light from within. Looking at him, Shopkeeper Xing found his lips curved into a seductive curl. He wore a mboyant purple robe, making him seem as elegant as jade. As that pair of majestic eyes examined Shopkeeper Xing, the hatred and bloodthirstiness from within made him seem like a demon from hell.

    His devilish smile was like a flower that could engulf a human in one instant...

    ¡°Why? Are you afraid of me?¡± Thezy voice came from his body, without any charisma. If not for the high self-control of Shopkeeper Xing, he would have screamed out as if he just saw a ghost. How could thezy and handsome youth in front of him really be the bloodthirsty and chilly person that he just saw?

    ¡°No, no. It was my first time seeing Your Highness, and hence I was frightened.¡± Shopkeeper Xing was an experienced man and turned sober instantly from that frightening look. He lowered his head and exined meekly, not daring to look at him anymore.

    ¡°There is no need to be afraid of me. I naturally will like the subordinates of mydy, and will not treat them harshly.¡± Holding on to Mo Xuetong, Feng Yuran raised the corner of his lips in an undecipherable smile.

    A chilly tingle spread from his feet to his body. Looking at the mboyant purple in front of him, Shopkeeper Xing struggled to form a sentence, and could only feel cold sweat from his back. He followed King Jin before and even being the most doted prince, King Jin was nowhere as mboyant as the man in front of him. Inparing charisma, even King Jin paled inparison to the man before him.

    Shopkeeper Xing believed that any sense of disagreement would mean the death of him from that prince. That was the prince¡¯sst warning!

    If he dared to betray thedy, the prince would use his own cruel ways to kill him and all his men.

    The bloodthirsty feel from him made him seem toe from hell. It would only be possible if he had the blood of numerous men in his hands.

    This was really the most useless and extravagant King Xuan!

    For the first time, Shopkeeper Xing felt that Yan Yue¡¯s n might not be suitable for everyone. He must discuss the matter further, and not to sacrifice therge goal for something minor.

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± He only dared to agree and evade Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze. This handsome man had ced immense pressure on him. As a secret guard amidst themon people, he lived as a small shopkeeper for many years and became more street-wise. Facing the dominance of Feng Yuran, he dared not say anything more.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, do use the original price for those goods. Even though it might be more expensive, they are worth this price. However, if they increase prices again, there is no need to entertain them further. There are plenty of other suppliers outside for us to choose from.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly as if she were really talking about goods rted to the embroideries. Her voice was gentle and sweet!

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Shopkeeper Xing sweated as he lowered his head, grinding his teeth.

    This couple seemed harmless, but he felt a chill run down his spine as if he were being stared at by a vicious wolf.

    No, he still had to go back and discuss the matter with Yan Yue!

    Inside therge bedroom, the flying curtains fell gently. Pearl beads draped gently down. He wore white-colored clothing that was as pure as snow. His handsome face was elegant and ethereal, calm and graceful. He sat behind his table and his hand holding the documents was jade white, shining brightly like a beautiful piece of jade!

    The wind blew up a corner of the curtain. The servants standing in the garden could only see a corner of the white clothing, and yet they were mesmerized by the man, with them staring like drunkards until the curtain fell again. They then sighed, wishing for the wind to blow again.

    That was their master, the elegant and gentle Crown Prince that¡¯s akin to a fairy!

    Such an elegant man should only exist in myths. How would that not make them mesmerized!

    Lin Yu came in hastily and saw such a scene. He saw the blushing faces of the four servants outside and frowned before entering. Those servants were gifted by the Empress, and the Crown Prince left them here after epting the gift.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Lin Yu wishes to see you.¡± Lin Yu walked to the front of the door and asked respectfully.

    ¡°Come in!¡± The gentle and leisure voice came from within the room. His voice was like an angel¡¯s, with a slight maism that was akin to a gentle spring breeze.

    Outside, the few servants threw their heated nces over. One moved as if she wanted toe over, but was pulled back by another servant who reacted.

    On the other side, Lin Yu entered the door amidst the jealous stares of the servants. He closed the door and Bai Yihao sat in front of therge wide table inside. His handsome face wore a gentle smile as he ced down the documents he was reading. A natural majestic aura emerged from him.

    As he was no longer a hostage by the Qin Kingdom, he needed not to conceal his sharp edges.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you need me to take care of those people in your garden?¡± Lin Yu was unhappy about the servants outside. His Highness had many things to take care of and sometimes needed to avoid others. It was inconvenient for him to be monitored directly by these people.

    ¡°Since the Empress sent them there, I should let them feel rest assured.¡± Bai Yihao smiled as he said gently. He should follow what the Empress wanted since she was suspicious of him. Even though they were here, what they could see and what they wanted to see was all ording to his orders.

    Seeing that the Crown Prince had made up his mind, Lin Yu didn¡¯t press on further about the issue. He took out a secret report and passed it over. ¡°Your Highness, a secret report from the Qin Kingdom. The matter did not seed!¡±

    He was talking about the kidnap of Mo Xuetong. Slowly examining Bai Yihao¡¯s calm demeanor, he moved his mouth but did not know how to continue.

    As the bodyguard of Bai Yihao, he naturally knew what he was thinking about. It was a good thing for his cold-hearted master to fall in love. However, the timing was bad and the choice was even worse!

    At this time, the Empress and the First Prince had the alliance to suppress him in court and in the pce with numerous devious ns. Anyway, the Empress had the status as the stepmother of His Highness, which was well-hidden due to the Emperor¡¯s orders. Even though no one knew this matter, the two were unrted to each other and had no care and concern akin to that of a parent and a child.

    The Empress used numerous ns she could think of in session to make His Highness fall out of power!

    His Highness should focus on dealing with the crisis, and should not care about the useless girl in the Qin Kingdom. Furthermore, that girl was the consort of Feng Yuran.

 Chapter 391 - Bai Yihao Advanced At Every Step

    <strong>Chapter 391 Bai Yihao Advanced At Every Step</strong>

    Although King Xuan, Feng Yuran, had a bad and dissipated reputation, Lin Yu, as the guard of Bai Yihao for years, knew clearly that King Xuan was the most terrible person in the Qin Kingdom. Superficially, King Xuan seemed to lead a raffish life as if he were a fatuous King who indulged himself into pleasure-seeking life, and although he was the most favorite son of Emperor Zongwen, he was just a little overlord like a straw bag.

    But how was the fact like!

    King Xuan had extremely atrocious means and took action resolutely without any dy. Besides, he was good at calction, able to get 100% sess every time he hit.

    He could alwaysunch an attack at the most suitable opportunity, no matter when he was grounded, reprimanded or injured... Every step he took was the most appropriate. It did make Lin Yu who once carefully investigated Feng Yuran¡¯s file begin to worry about his own master. To provoke such a person merely for a woman was not a blessing for the Crown Prince.

    As for Feng Yuran who was most likely to be the next emperor of the Great Qin, Lin Yu thought they should make friends with him instead of bing foes. Otherwise, it would only bring trouble to the Yan Kingdom. After all, no one wanted to make any powerful enemy like Feng Yuran.

    He was so calm and easy to y political trickery and handle things perfectly through simple talks andughs. For many years, Lin Yu only saw one of this kind¡ªhis master who was able to advance at every step to make the enemy fall into the trap, even if he was tens of thousands of miles away. And now, there was one more person able to do so, Feng Yuran!

    Diamond cut diamond! And the two were evenly matched!

    They were just like a Rnd for an Oliver. Lin Yu had to admit that if there was someone else in the world who could meet His Highness¡¯s match, the one must be King Xuan.

    How could such a person be offended casually? Besides, it was said that he loved his wife so deeply. It was not worth provoking him for a woman. Did His Highness have any other n? Lin Yu did not dare to ask more, as he admired his brilliant and brave master from the bottom of his heart and believed that the master would not do such stupid things that even Lin Yu himself could see.

    Therefore, Lin Yu did not cling to the previous idea too much and followed Bai Yihao¡¯s order wholeheartedly.

    But why was Lin Yu still entangled with doubt and anxiety?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s unsessful. Let them check the jade token. When the Third Young Miss Mo takes the jade token to ask them to take action, just go to get the jade token and take the Third Young Miss Mo to the Yan Kingdom.¡± Bai Yihao raised up his eyebrows and smiled thoughtfully, as if he was not annoyed at the inappropriate arrangement.

    ¡°Your Highness, should you pay more attention to the First Prince...¡± Lin Yu could not help asking after thinking for a while.

    His words meant to remind Bai Yihao to put on the focus on the First Prince. The jade token was important, but the person was not so. Why did Bai Yihao insist on taking the person here? Lin Yu had a bad feeling.

    ¡°There is no need to worry about the First Prince. How is the investigation about his consort who is staying in Prince Manor since she arrived, my fifth cousin, going on?¡± Bai Yihao gave a slight smile on his glossy face and leaned leisurely against the wide chair back with a look of elegance and calmness on his wless handsome face, as if all were in his grasp.

    Lin Yu knew that his master did not want to talk about it, so he had to answer, ¡°I have investigated that the Fifth Princess and her secret guards are not there, but only a woman looking like the Fifth Princess is in the manor. On the day when the First Prince fetched the bride, the whole weing team encountered robbers on the way back. More than half of his manpower was lost during the fight, and most of them were master hands whom the First Prince gathered privately.¡±

    Speaking of this, Lin Yu showed greater admiration for His Highness.

    Fortunately, His Highness had mapped out a strategy. The First Prince thought he could tie down the Qin Kingdom by marring the Fifth Princess and seek profit by using the Fifth Princess¡¯s secret guards. But out of his expectation, the Fifth Princess would assassinate him, and he even killed the Fifth Princess with only one stroke, and then, the Fifth Princess¡¯ secret guards fought against his own armed escort fiercely.

    Although he had killed all the secret guards of the Fifth Princess, he also suffered a huge loss of manpower, which rattled Bai Yichen a lot. He did not dare to announce to the public that the Fifth Princess had died for fear of bringing the anger of the Qin Kingdom, because it was the crucial moment to fight for the throne. How could he dare to expose the thing at this moment?

    Even if he said that the Fifth Princess tried to assassinate him, no one would believe him. After all, the Fifth Princess had died, and a dead person told no tales, so he could make up anything he liked.

    His ally, Feng Yuzhen, once asked about the situation of the Fifth Princess for the Empress. Bai Yichen had to make an excuse that the Fifth Princess was ill because she was a neer there, and he arranged a person simr to her in his own yard. At this time, Bai Yichen extremely regretted what he had done. If he had not married the Fifth Princess, there would not have been so much trouble. Just as the saying goes, ¡°go for wool ande home shorn¡±, it exactly described the First Prince¡¯s feeling.

    His manor had been in a mess before. In order to conceal the matter, he made great efforts to rearrange his backyard, so he had not time to deal with Bai Yihao¡¯s returning to the Kingdom, which gave enough time for Bai Yihao to set a firm footing in the Yan Kingdom.

    ¡°Go to check the woman¡¯s identity to see if she has any rtives, and then to the ce where the Fifth Princess was killed and light candles to mourn for her. If someone asks you, you can say youe there for the family love that I have grown up with my cousin.¡± Bai Yihao instructed evenly after thinking for a while.

    ¡°The family love between the Crown Prince and the arrogant Fifth Princess? Did they have it? How can I not know it?¡± Lin Yu said to himself inwardly.

    But he did not dare to say anything but took the order and retreated. Lin Yu knew that the Crown Prince had his own strategy, and every step the Crown Prince took was so meaningful that he could advance step by step.

    Did he fail? Inside the room, Bai Yihao stood up, walked to the window andid up his handsome smiling face. He looked out of the window nkly. The peach trees were in full bloom. As the wind blew, peach blossoms flew down to the ground. He seemed to return to the day when the peach trees were also in full bloom, and saw the beautiful but delicate face, striking and attractive. Since when could such a woman enter his heart and even he could not remove her...

    Originally, Bai Yihao did not take the engagement paper seriously and even had some grudge of his mother. Since the third aunt did not want to take revenge for grandparents, how could his mother use such a method to force the third aunt to agree with the engagement that he did not like?

    Didn¡¯t his mother think he was unable to get married?

    But when did the womane into his heart? He did not know, and really could not tell, but only knew that he had meant to frame her up in the beginning. He did n to use her to provoke enmity between Bai Yichen and his mother Empress in the pce so as to destroy their strong alliance.

    The man-and-woman love rtionship was rather unreliable. Besides, it was the Empress¡¯s plot that the woman, Bai Yichen¡¯s childhood sweetheart, could enter into the manor, but she could not keep the child in her belly and even could not get pregnant this life. It was impossible that there was no hatred inside. And what Bai Yihao did was just to give some strikes to their shallow rtionship.

    And the strikes directly split their intimate rtionship.

    Butter, he changed his mind!

    He maneuvered to send the Fifth Princess to Bai Yichen and carried out another n. But frankly speaking, Bai Yihao did not like the current n, because it would take a tortuous course and cause more trouble. That was why he did not choose the n in the beginning. But when he recalled now, he still thought that this n was good, at least, he promised her not to use her again.

    Compared to Bai Yihao¡¯s indifference, Feng Yuxuan got some exasperated.

    An angry expression appeared on his usually gentle face!

    He kept circling in the same ce while Qin Yufeng held a book and read carefully.

    ¡°Yufeng, it is not so easy that youe here. Please tell me what I should do now.¡± Feng Yuxuan stopped circling, stood beside Qin Yufeng, and asked anxiously.

    How could he not be in a fluster? He thought that he had taken a clever step. But he did not expect that none of the secret guards came back, and that he knew nothing about the condition. Even the group of manpower whom he thought he could use at any time also disappearedpletely. How could he not reel in the current situation?

    ¡°Your Highness, what is the matter indeed? Why did those people seek to cooperate with you? Your Highness, have you ever thought about it?¡± Qin Yufeng put down the book in his hand and asked lightly. These days, he had been locked by Lord Qin in the room and read books, totally having no time toe out. If Feng Yuxuan had not sent people there, Qin Yufeng would not have sneaked out.

    ¡°The group of people were so powerful. When my people fought with them, both sides suffered loss, but they suffered less than I did. So I intended to recruit them, but they made a request that I had to help them to take King Xuan¡¯s Consort away. So I set up the route...¡± Feng Yuxuan seemed to think about something and banged the table so angrily that the teacups on the table were shaken to bounce up. Then, he sank on the seat beside in anger.

    It was only then that he figured out the whole thing, and he was too annoyed and regretful to say a word. How could King Chu suffer such loss? It was really infuriating.

    ¡°Your Highness, can you tumble to the fact now?¡± Qin Yufeng raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile.

    Obviously, the opponent took advantage of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eagerness to recruit manpower and framed up Feng Yuxuan to set the whole n to take away the King Xuan¡¯s Consort. From the preparation and implementation of the n to the inquisition, all were done by the people of King Chu¡¯s Manor. And the opponents just hid behind the scenes and just ran away when the Consort was captured. When Feng Yuran investigated, the matter would fall on Feng Yuxuan.

    Every step taken was watertight. Any trace exposed would provoke conflict between King Yan and King Xuan, and the opponents could keep out of the conflict. What a set of interlocking strategies! Sure enough, Feng Yuxuan was framed up by them as well. The opponents were so shrewd to read other¡¯s minds urately.

    ¡°Who set the trap? Dare to provoke trouble between Feng Yuran and me, and he could enjoy the fight beside. But it is a pity that I am not so easy to fool, and Feng Yuran cannot be used as he thought. That person thought it could pin down and disturb me.¡± Feng Yuxuan said fiercely, with cold anger filling his eyes.

    Only he could scheme others, and when was he schemed like that?

    He guessed a person because no one but he dared to scheme him at this time!

 Chapter 392 - Feng Yuxuans Imaginary Enemy

    <strong>Chapter 392 Feng Yuxuan¡¯s Imaginary Enemy</strong>

    ¡°Your Highness, what do you think of King Xuan?¡± Qin Yufeng asked with a smile, as if he did not see that Feng Yuxuan was too furious to maintain his refined image.

    ¡°The Eighth Brother is just a yboy and cannot achieve anything. He will pose no challenge. No matter how he racks his brains to fight, it is in vain that he has no background. All the people know that the Father Emperor spoils him. What waves can he make? It will only disturb the Father Emperor...¡±

    Feng Yuxuan covered his head and said indifferently. At that time, he just felt frustrated and feared if the Emperor knew all about it, he would get the fame that his behavior was so indecorous that he dared to cast greedy eyes to his brother¡¯s consort. With his favor to Feng Yuran, the Father Emperor would not spare Feng Yuxuan. Besides, that fame was not really good, different from his public image.

    Feng Yuran was just a yboy? Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes flickered with contemtion in the bottom of his eyes. But he did not go deeper into the topic. Instead, he took up a cup of tea and took a sip. He narrowed his eyes, tasted the tea, and gave a faint smile. ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t you want to take this opportunity to get the beautifuldy?¡±

    ¡°Well... I...¡± Feng Yuxuan rarely got red and embarrassed, turned his head one side and coughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it all for her.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, have you not dropped the idea? Do you want to be King Xuan¡¯s enemy?¡± Qin Yufeng tapped his finger twice on the teacup and asked casually.

    Since Qin Yufeng and Feng Yuxuan had been friends for years, Qin Yufeng knew well what Feng Yuxuan thought though he did not speak out openly. Feng Yuxuan always had some evil thought for that beautiful woman. Qin Yufeng knew Feng Yuran¡¯s thought well. And who was the woman? She was King Xuan¡¯s current consort¡ªthe previous Third Young Miss Mo.

    But Qin Yufeng did not expect that Feng Yuxuan still had the hardihood to think about Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Rest assured. I know what matters now. It is not the time to talk about it. And my backyard cannot contain such a woman.¡± Feng Yuxuan looked serious and chilly. Although the woman was beautiful, he knew that he could not have a dream of her right now. But when he ascended to the throne, it was just a piece of cake to get her.

    At that time, what could Feng Yuran, an untitled King, do to resist Feng Yuxuan¡¯s order? Instead, Feng Yuran would have no way but to trade his own wife for a safe ce to stay. At that time, the beautiful woman would still belong to him, Feng Yuxuan.

    It was true that Feng Yuxuan¡¯s backyard could not contain King Xuan¡¯s Consort, but his harem could have a pretty consort...

    ¡°Your Highness, it is best that you can think like this. Recently, King Ning made a scene in the imperial court. It is said that many old officials have a close rtionship with him. As for the group of people, Your Highness, don¡¯t get worried. Those people tried to capture King Xuan¡¯s Consort just because they wanted to frame you up. At this time, you should not act rashly.¡± Qin Yufeng said after thinking for a while.

    ¡°So just let go of the group of people?¡± Feng Yuxuan said in a resentful voice. He could not reconcile himself to be cheated by others. Thinking that when he schemed others, he was also schemed, he was burnt with fury, as only he could scheme others.

    ¡°If not, don¡¯t you want to fight against them to the end? Don¡¯t you fear that the Emperor will know you also get involved in the whole case? Perhaps King Ning is waiting for your rash action so that he can meddle in it.¡± Qin Yufeng said with a light smile.

    If King Ning plotted the whole thing, his purpose was to deal with Feng Yuxuan. And Feng Yuxuan also thought that it was King Ning who was behind the plot. Thinking their attacks and counterattacks in the imperial court and they both shared wins and losses, Feng Yuxuan was rather angry, because Feng Yuzhen was just the Emperor¡¯s nephew. Did Feng Yuzhen dare to dream about seeding the throne?

    Feng Yuxuan rubbed his painful head and gritted his teeth. He knew Qin Yufeng was right, so he suppressed his anger and said coldly, ¡°Fine, I will not deal with him temporarily.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it is good that you can think in this way. If we don¡¯t get flustered, the opponent perhaps will be in disarray. Has the person that you nted beside King Ning kept a close eye on him?¡±

    ¡°Well, just do as you said. I will send a message to the person to watch what action King Ning will take. It was said that several days ago, King Ning got close to Consort Yu of the Caiwei Pce. Could it be possible that he ns to use the unimportant child in her belly to make any fuss?¡± Feng Yuxuan withdrew his annoyance and talked to Qin Yufeng sincerely.

    He really thought that Qin Yufeng was his own good counselor, so he did not continue with too much courtesy.

    ¡°Yufeng, don¡¯t take an imperial examination for the top candidate any longer. Won¡¯t it be more useful to be a high official in the future? Youe to help me now! You are indispensable for me!¡± Feng Yuxuan was indicating that he, Feng Yuxuan, would be the Emperor in the future, and he would grant the position of Grand Secretariat to Qin Yufeng.

    During these days, Qin Yufeng was grounded in the Qin Manor. The counselors around Feng Yuxuan just gave him the awful advice that made him lose his judgment. Thinking the times when Qin Yufeng could have the situation well in hand, Feng Yuxuan had never felt so frustrated, so he had a high aspiration of getting Qin Yufeng to help him.

    Although Feng Yuxuan said in a polite way and smiled with the eagerness for talents, a coldness had taken on his eyes, showing he had some doubt!

    ¡°Qin Yufeng has note to help me. And now, he is trying to turn me down. Has he found a better choice?¡± thought Feng Yuxuan.

    If so, Feng Yuxuan thought, he could not let Qin Yufeng live in the world any longer, because this person knew a lot about Feng Yuxuan¡¯s past. If Qin Yufeng turned traitor one day, it would be greatly destructive, and if he publicized what Feng Yuxuan had done before, the Emperor would not spare Feng Yuxuan definitely, and the life imprisonment would be the least severe punishment. At the thought, Feng Yuxuan held the cup and turned it around in his hand. The cup almost fell to the ground at the corner of the table. The falling of the cup on the ground indicated the killing order.

    Feng Yuxuan had arranged several secret guards and killers beside his room. As long as he issued the order, those people would let Qin Yufeng die.

    He could not tolerate that anyone was out of his control, instead, he liked controlling other¡¯s life and death.

    Qin Yufeng nced around and saw all clearly in his eyes, and felt bitter, as the friend who grew up together had doubts about him now. Anyone would feel said. But the bitterness shed in his eyes, and he regained his calm and easy look.

    ¡°Thank you for your favor. But my father is too stubborn. If I fail to bring credit to my family and get any official rank this time, perhaps he will lock me in the home forever. But it is good anyway. I will try my best to go out at your disposal. If I can get any official rank through the imperial examination, I can assist you in a right and proper way.¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s words showed his consideration for Feng Yuxuan.

    Although the Number One Schr was not at a high rank and even could not be a great officialpared to those really influential officials, the Schr was admired by all the schrs in the world and served as an example for them. What he said carried a lot of weight among schrs. In the past, Feng Yulei enjoyed the virtuous reputation because he used the schr. In this regard, if Qin Yufeng could be the Number One Schr and spoke for Feng Yuxuan before the schrs, it would yield twice the result with half the effort.

    ¡°However, will Qin Yufeng lie to me?¡± Feng Yuxuan thought.

    ¡°Your Highness, there is no other way out actually. I was also framed up! If it had not been for that... So, we have to meet trick with trick now. If I am not around you, others may rx their vignce.¡± Qin Yufeng sighed, as if depression piled up in his heart. He frowned, took a gulp from the teacup and put it down. ¡°It was my fault that I was too careless and fell into the trap at that time!¡±

    He was talking about the uproar that the woman came to Qin Manor and madest time. Although the thing was appeased, Qin Yufeng who was an upright gentleman was described as having some affairs with the woman. However, it could not be exined clearly, just like a dyed white cloth. No matter how hard one wiped, the cloth could not be as pure as before.

    But if one really needed to get the bottom of the thing, Qin Yufeng encountered the undeserved misfortune for Feng Yuxuan.

    Feng Yuxuan softened the stern look in his eyes and put down the teacup on the table steadily. He said in a gentle and apologetic voice, ¡°It was because of King Yan¡¯s dirty tricks that Yufeng was set up. I really did not expect that King Yan could have so powerful men. And I also got serious injured at that time.¡±

    As Feng Yuxuan said, his face got darkened and his eyes shed with cruelty.

    This was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s biggest secret right now. Even if he had a good rtionship with Qin Yufeng, he always mentioned it appropriately. Judging from the appearance, Feng Yuxuan was still the King with graceful bearing and his arms were the same as ordinary people. But only a few people knew that his arms were badly injured. Even until now, he was just able to pick up some light things like chopsticks, and even for a book, he could not take it for a long time.

    In a word, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hands were actually disabled and could not be recovered, because the tendons under the arms were broken. If the Emperor knew it, Feng Yuxuan was utterly deprived of the chance to fight for the throne. Based on the rules for being the Emperor in the Qin Kingdom, the candidate for the Emperor was at least a sound and healthy prince.

    Thinking of this, Feng Yuxuan gritted his teeth with hatred. Until now, he had not found out who hurt him, but he mainly suspected Feng Yulei and Feng Yuzhen. Well, just to be sure, he did not exclude the possibility of Feng Yuran, though it was not so possible. The assassin was so vicious that he could find out Feng Yuxuan¡¯s deepest tendon in a blink and made the arms unable to get effective treatment instantly.

    Aftering out of the King Chu¡¯s Manor, Qin Yufeng went to a bookshop, just beside the one where he met with Mo Xuetongst time. He came into the bookshop and scanned some books for the imperial examination, and found some light readings about anecdotes and strange things before he came out.

    A carriage passed in front of him. The wind heaved up the corner of the curtain, and a delicate and pink face was seen inside. Her skin was smooth and fair with a lovely face enough to cause the downfall of a country. She seemed to see him, raised her eyes and gave him a faint smile like spring water. She was really an unusual and quite individual beauty. The wind blew away and the curtain fell to cover her gorgeous appearance.

    There seemed to be a sigh spreading in his heart. He felt too painful to breathe. If those dreams were true, his life could continue on her life, and he owed her in hisst life, so this life, he would give her back.

    Mo Xuetong also saw Qin Yufeng, but because she had something urgent, she just passed by with a smile. In thest life, she had lived in the shadow of Qin Yufeng. In this life, she had no intersection with Qin Yufeng. If she had not seen clearly that he always stood behind Mo Xuetong, she would have almost regarded him as an ordinary person in this life!

    ¡°My Lady, will you really go to the subsidiary manor? But His Highness asks you to have a good rest and not to run here and there.¡± Mo Lan took out a few snacks from the cupboard in the carriage, served them on the table and asked worriedly.

    Although King Xuan had added more secret guards around the Lady, Mo Lan still felt worried.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t go out today, the rumor that I have been captured will be truth. So whether I am busy today, I shoulde out.¡± Mo Xuetong answered with a soft smile. Although yesterday Feng Yue said the one who had been taken away was the Lady¡¯s maidservant, someone with evil intention implied that it was Mo Xuetong who had been taken away in fact.

    So if Mo Xuetong did not show up today, no one knew what the rumor would be tomorrow!

    ¡°My Lady, you just need to hang out on the street. Why do you bother to go...¡± Mo Lan asked with puzzlement. The two so-called cousins were really annoying and came to the Manor almost routinely. After being scolded by the King, they would like to invite the Lady to go to the subsidiary yard.

    Mo Lan was afraid that the two would cause trouble again, so she could not set her mind at rest.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry about them. They still need our help, so do not dare to do harm to us.¡± Mo Xuetong answered slowly, as she smiled with an easy look on her beautiful little face.

    ¡°What do they want to get from you, My Lady? Do they have the pipe dream to enter the manor?¡± Mo Lan did not understand. Since the King¡¯s disgust to them was so obvious and merciless, would they still bear the thought to attach themselves to the great? As for Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants became more and more satisfied.

    Since the Lady married into the manor, all the people could see how well the King treated her. Although it was said that there were a number of women in the back garden, fortunately, the King did not allow those women to disturb the Lady, even to serve the tea. His action showed that those women could not even be concubines. To deal with those women who were not concubines, the Lady, as the legitimate wife, had the right to beat or sell them, equal tomon servants.

    A bare word from the Lady could decide their being beat or sold!

    Seeing the King¡¯s so deep love for Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong¡¯s several maidservants could not help thanking the Buddha and thought their miss could finally reap the rewards and lead a happy life. Therefore, when they discovered the two sisters of the He family had some special ideas for Feng Yuran, the maidservants had a low opinion of them two and always blocked their ways of getting close to Feng Yuran.

 Chapter 393 - Mo Xuetong Met the Sisters of the He Family in the Subsidiary Manor

    <strong>Chapter 393 Mo Xuetong Met the Sisters of the He Family in the Subsidiary Manor</strong>

    ¡°Mo Lan, don¡¯t you think it is unusual that the two sisters always ask about the things in the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the tea cup thoughtfully with a dim smile in her eyes.

    Her words reminded Mo Lan, and Mo Lan thought for a while and nodded. ¡°Yes. I remembered that the Second Young Miss He once privately asked Mo Yu about the things that we followed you into the pce, and the things about different consorts in different pces, and who those more favored consorts were.¡± Mo Lan was not stupid and immediately understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s words.

    ¡°Mo Lan, why do you think they asked so many details about the consorts in the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong wore a smile, leaned back andy down on the couch. The design inside the carriage was rather good and fully equipped. It wasfortable and convenient to take. However, this seemingly ordinary carriage had something special.

    There was a button beside Mo Xuetong. As long as the button was pressed, another set of iron tes would pop up from the wooden carriage to protect the person inside. And from another mechanism, numerous arrows would be drawn out in all directions like a cloud of arrows, making the hijacker shot like a hedgehog.

    This design was fast, resolute and urate, and took any possibility into consideration. So to speak, whosoever dared to attack the carriage in any direction woulde to a dead end.

    This was the new carriage designed by Feng Yuran for Mo Xuetong. It was just delivered yesterday, so Feng Yuran dared to let Mo Xuetonge out.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate fingers to touch the button, and a sweet smile took on her face. She thought Feng Yuran was born to be resourceful. How could he even consider it?

    Mo Lan did not see Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curl up, and said with some uncertainty after some careful thoughts, ¡°Do they want to inquire about the things about King Xuan¡¯s Mother, Consort Xian? However, Consort Xian has passed away for years. What is the point of asking about her? Will it be any good for them?¡±

    Although Consort Xian enjoyed the greatest favor, no one remembered her now. Numerous beautiful women came into the pce one after another, so who would remember the face as beautiful as flowers?

    Hearing Mo Lan¡¯s reasonable analysis, Mo Xuetong raised her eyes and encouraged her to continue. ¡°Go on...¡±

    Mo Lan thought for a while and continued to say with her thought. ¡°Consort Xian has passed away for years. It is useless that the He Family inquire about her. Do they want to do something by the name of Consort Xian?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was silent, and her smile faded away from her eyes, as her eyebrows wrinkled involuntarily. In thest life, Feng Yuran harbored such an intense hatred for his uncle¡¯s family that he shredded them in the main hall. But until now in this life, although Feng Yuran disliked them, he did not have any killing desire for them. So what happened afterward to bring great changes to his temperament?

    It was like a thorn in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. If she could not make it clear one day, she could not set her mind at ease, because it concerned Feng Yuran¡¯s future, which really vexed Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong raised her eyes and said, ¡°After entering the manor, you let the nannye with us to ask around about what they are doing recently.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I will do it.¡± Mo Lan replied. It was the subsidiary manor where most of the servants came from King Manor. It was proper to let the nanny from King Manor ask about some information, because when Feng Yuran knew Mo Xuetong was going to the subsidiary manor, he asked Steward Wang to send the nanny to follow Mo Xuetong since the nanny¡¯s daughter was serving in the subsidiary manor. It was good to let the mother meet her own daughter.

    Feng Yuran was so astute that he knew what Mo Xuetong was going to do before she said anything to him.

    Thinking the gentle tease on his remarkably handsome face, Mo Xuetong felt warmth welled up from her heart. In this life when she was reborn, meeting Feng Yuran was her most thankful thing to God.

    She thought she would not love anyone in this life. Because her heart had been broken deeply in thest life, she was unwilling to suffer any heart-breaking pain this life. As long as she did not love anyone, she would not be loved, let alone be heartbroken.

    She only needed to marry amon person, be his legitimate wife and take some concubines for the person. However, she must take the position of legitimate wife firmly in her hand. Then, she would give birth to a boy and a girl. That life was enough for her. Love was just a ridiculous story for stupid worldly people. This was her original thought.

    But this person could not be Feng Yuran!

    If the person was him, she was unwilling to see him take concubines. Even though she knew that his back garden was just a disy, she still felt sad about it. Fortunately, she had strong self-control and knew that steps should be taken one by one. If he performed too strikingly well and drew all the attention, it was not good for him.

    Thinking of his thoughtful care, Mo Xuetong could not help grinning, and her face turned red with beautiful charm...

    ¡°My Lady, Ma Lady...¡±

    ¡°Ah, what happened?¡± Mo Xuetong woke up from her contemtion suddenly and looked at Mo Lan nkly.

    ¡°My Lady, we¡¯ve arrived. And someone has been sent to report.¡± Mo Lan said with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong blushed and felt Mo Lan¡¯s smile today carried some special meaning. So she took a re at Mo Lan, but the manner was not imposing enough, instead, it seemed to be a bit bashful, which gave Mo Xuetong away by conspicuously protesting her embarrassment. So Mo Xuetong felt ashamed and annoyed at that moment.

    Mo Lan also found that Mo Xuetong flushed because she was missing the King, but Mo Lan knew that Mo Xuetong had a thin skin, so she did not dare to tease Mo Xuetong. So Mo Lan lifted up the curtain, jumped down first and reached out to help Mo Xuetong get off the carriage.

    ¡°My sister-inw, you are here. We have been waiting here for a long time.¡±

    The moment Mo Xuetong got off the carriage, the He sisters came out from the manor to greet her smilingly. He Yuxiu¡¯s voice arrived faster than her. He Yufen, who came with her, also wore a smile and gave a salute to Mo Xuetong politely.

    ¡°There is something on the road, so we arete. Sorry to have you waiting for a long time.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It is our blessing to have sister-inwe here. Pleasee in.¡± He Yuxiu grinned and said. She called Mo Xuetong sister-inw more warmly than calling her own brother¡¯s wife. At the scene, an outsider might think that the two families had a close rtionship and that the enthusiasm and sincerity would warm anybody.

    ¡°Where are the two uncles?¡± As a junior, Mo Xuetong would greet the two seniors of the He family naturally.

    He Yuxiu answeredcently, as she pointed at some mahogany furniture ced vaguely on the left side of the yard. ¡°My father and uncle went out early in the morning because they needed to prepare some things for the eldest sister¡¯s marriage. So they went out early to see if there was anything new.¡± The set of mahogany furniture was quite expensive. As for the daughter¡¯s marriage, the He family unexpectedly spent a lot preparing the brand-new furniture.

    He Yufen blushed with shyness, looking like a newly married woman.

    Mo Xuetong stopped, pointed to the other side and asked, ¡°Are these your eldest sister¡¯s dowries? Let me have a look.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just want to take sister-inw to see if there is anything improper orcking in the dowry. Sister-inw, please give us some advice. After all, we are from a small ce and prepare the dowry in the way as 20 years before. Uncle prepared the dowry by feeling and thought the eldest sister could not be treated poorly.¡± He Yuxiu took on an innocent look and pointed to the other side, ready to take Mo Xuetong there.

    It seemed that she really wanted Mo Xuetong to give some advice.

    ¡°Second young sister...¡± He Yufen hesitated. No matter how she was, she was still a miss to be married. How could she bring others to see her dowry so shamelessly? He Yufen thought she could not do it, so she did not know whether to follow them or not.

    He Yuxiu seemed toe to senses, looked at He Yufen bashfully, and said, ¡°Eldest sister, go to do embroidery. I will apany my sister-inw. It will be fine. Right? Xuetong?¡±

    He Yufen flushed by the words.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s crystal-clear eyes fell on He Yufen and said with a meaningful smile, ¡°Your sister is right. You should do your things now. In only a few days, you should finish all the embroidery as nned.¡±

    ¡°Thank... thank Xuetong very much.¡± He Yufen ran away hurriedly with a bashfully red and tender face, as she held her handkerchief to run to her own garden.

    On the other side, the nanny had walked to another familiar road when she entered the manor. Coincidentally, He Yufen also walked on the same road. Mo Xuetong smiled more meaningfully.

    ¡°Xuetong, see if they are selected well. Senior uncle said the dowry needn¡¯t be too extravagant but could not degrade the King¡¯s manor. After all, we also stand for the King¡¯s face. If the King¡¯s manor is humiliated, not only the King but also our ancestors at home will be angry.¡± He Yuxiu said in a peevish manner. She acted like a lovely girl. Although she was two years older than Mo Xuetong, He Yuxiu looked more naive.

    If He Yuxiu¡¯s body had not happened to block Mo Xuetong¡¯s sight; if Mo Xuetong had not happened to see the arrogance in He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes; if He Yuxiu had not worn a sneer when her fingers pointed at the dowry vaguely...

    ¡°Senior Uncle picked them, and the design is really good.¡± Mo Xuetong followed He Yufen inside the house and cast a nce at the materials of the dowry. She found they were really good, made of genuine solid mahogany. It seemed that the He family was rather satisfied with the marriage, or specifically, with the fact that Yu Mingyong had an elder sister who was enjoying the greatest favor.

    He Yuxiu said with a smile, ¡°Senior Uncle knows a person here who has made such preparation before. It is easier to finish things with acquaintances¡¯ help.¡± She touched the corner of the cab with envy in her eyes.

    Mahogany furniture was not umon in the capital. But to prepare a whole set of mahogany furniture was not affordable by ordinary people. It would cost a lot. Even though the He family served in the government, it was just a low official position in the remote area. How much money and power could they afford to pay for such a set of dowries in such a short period? Looking at the dowry, Mo Xuetong was filled with questions.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the furniture while pretending to ask unconcernedly, ¡°The person that the Senior Uncle knows is so powerful that he could prepare the set of dowries in such a short time. They must have a close rtionship. When did Senior Uncle know him?¡±

    ¡°Senior Uncle knew him 20 years ago when we still lived in the capital,¡± He Yuxiu seemed to be reluctant to talk more and shifted the topic after mentioning a little. ¡°Xuetong, looked at it. Is furniture proper? Will Consort Yu be satisfied with it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, this set of furniture is very suitable. Uncles did work hard on it. But I am afraid that Consort Yu cannot go out that day. Otherwise, she will be very satisfied when she sees the eldest cousin¡¯s dowry.¡± Mo Xuetong pretended to feel sorry.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I heard Consort Yu does not feel well and she is conceiving the Emperor¡¯s baby. Nothing can go wrong. His Majesty let Consort Yu have a good rest in case of an ident.¡± Mo Xuetong exined. It was just the official story that sounded that Consort Yu was enjoying the Emperor¡¯s greatest favor. But actually, the day before yesterday when Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong, he said to her in a low voice that Consort Yu¡¯s criminal conspiracy would be unmasked soon, so Mo Xuetong should be more careful and keep away from Consort Yu.

    The matter about Consort Yu?

    Obviously, the matter meant the rtionship between Consort Yu and Feng Yuzhen. They two had an illicit rtionship. If it was disclosed, it would be a great scandal. A nephew slept with his Uncle Emperor¡¯s consort, which would bring disgrace upon the whole imperial family.

    But how could the Emperor tolerate being cheated by his consort? He would find a reason to kill the baby in Consort Yu¡¯s belly and threw her into the Cold Pce. Therefore, for Consort Yu who was still living in the dark and making fantastic dreams, Mo Xuetong just felt pitiful and ridiculous.

    He Yuxiu raised her face and blinked her eyes with a look of innocence, as if she were really a little girl ignorant of the worldly affairs. She asked curiously, ¡°Is Consort Yu the most favored consort in the pce? She hasn¡¯t given birth to the imperial prince, but His Majesty has loved her so much.¡±

    If an elder person saw her look, they would think the little girl was quite cute. However, Mo Xuetong was younger than He Yuxiu. To show off innocence in front of a younger girl, He Yuxiu looked rather artificial.

    Mo Xuetong looked at He Yuxiu¡¯s pretentious expression, and her eyes shed with a faint smile. The He family inquired about the imperial consorts again and again, and they acted too impatiently. Just like this time, Yu Mingyong¡¯s fame was known to all in the capital. So why was the He family still willing to allow He Yufen to marry him? Because of Consort Xian?

    But Consort Xian had passed away. Why did the He Family refuse to stop?

    What was their intention?

 Chapter 394 - He Brothers Plan

    <strong>Chapter 394 He Brothers¡¯ n</strong>

    An idea popped up in Mo Xuetong¡¯s head as she blinked her eyes in a pretense of being in thought. With an uncertain demeanor, she said hesitantly, ¡°I heard that the most doted concubine in the pce is not Consort Yu, but Consort Zhao of Mingyue Pce. It was rumored that she was doted on for many years, and even the Empress can do nothing about her.¡±

    ¡°Consort Xian, Consort Zhao?¡± He Yuxiu was beaming with delight. However, she had a fast reaction and murmured to herself before immediately suppressing the exhration in her eyes, feigning envy. ¡°How doted must Consort Zhao be for the Empress to have no power over her. I wonder how ethereal she must be!¡±

    He Yuxiu thought that she hid her emotions well but she did not expect Mo Xuetong to be cing close intentions on her reactions. The sudden change of emotions in her face was well observed by her Mo Xuetong. ¡°What is the rtionship between Consort Zhao and He family?¡±

    Just now, He Yuxiu involuntarily spoke of Consort Xian together with Consort Yu, which must signify something.

    ¡°I heard that Consort Zhao had always been staying in Mingyue Pce. Emperor also exempted Consort Zhao¡¯s need for any greetings and allocated guards in front of her pce, providing tight protection due to the fear that someone will harm her.¡±

    Such incredible efforts to dote this beauty didn¡¯t evoke much jealousy from the rest of the concubines from the harem as Consort Zhao came from a small family with none of her family members holding official positions in the imperial city. Furthermore, even though Emperor Zongwen had a tight guard to her pce, he did not always stay in Mingyue Pce, going there only once to twice per month. This resulted in peace amongst the concubines.

    Even though she had a reputation of being doted on, she was not actually doted on since she neither benefited her family nor left any child behind. Thus, neither the official court nor the harem dealt with her harshly. Some concubines were quite pleased with her presence since they would not be so conspicuous if they were being doted. Thus, Consort Zhao was invisible in the pce, but yet everyone knew her.

    Since the He family was involved with Yu Mingyong, Mo Xuetong was sure that they knew about it!

    ¡°Consort Zhao is so doted.¡± Deep within He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes, excitement could be seen before she turned it into an innocent smile. She pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves and begged affectionately, ¡°Cousin, if I can see thisdy¡¯s beauty, I don¡¯t mind even if I die!¡±

    ¡°Second cousin, you want to see Consort Zhao?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, smiling.

    ¡°Can I? Cousin-inw?¡± He Yuxiu asked pitifully, with a look of eagerness. Even though she concealed it a little, everyone could see the desire in her eyes.

    With such a pair of longing and innocent eyes, it was really hard to refuse her!

    However, the only thing ipatible was that the woman opposite her seemed more innocent and childlike.

    ¡°If second cousin really wishes to see Consort Zhao, you can apany me to the pce for the pce feast a few dayster. What do you think? I heard that Consort Zhao will appear then.¡± Mo Xuetong invited her casually, giving off a pure and bright smile.

    That¡¯s the most popr news for these few days. It was a spectacle to see Consort Zhao, who had been locked in her pce for ten years, attend the Spring Wind Feast.

    Spring Wind Feast would happen in three days, with a feast in the pce and other events in the harem. It was rumored that the concubines were all ready to present their beauty in front of the Emperor in an attempt to catch the eye of the Emperor, recing other doted concubines. Even though there were many women in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s harem, he never had a special interest in one particrdy. However, all these women believed that they could make the Emperor fall in love with them using their seduction.

    Every spring, there would be one day where all the flowers blossomed. It was indeed a joy to see beauties amidst the flowers. It was an open festival amongst the peasants as well, where couples went on dates. Hence, the pce would host a feast to invite aristocraticdies in.

    Hearing the words of Mo Xuetong made He Yuxiu hide the joy in her eyes as she gave an innocent smile, nodding repeatedly out of happiness. ¡°Thank you, thank you, cousin-inw! I know you dote me the most!¡±

    This expression was the most adorable on the face of a teen girl. However, this seemed strange since the girl she was facing seemed even purer than her. Mo Lan lowered her head quietly to hide her ridicule at the coquettish nature of the girl, who really pretended to be the cousin of herdy.

    After exchanging a few more words, Mo Xuetong left with Mo Lan on her carriage back to her own household.

    After Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage turned the corner and disappeared, He Yuxiu removed the smile on her face and returned with her servants. As her servants locked the door behind her, she brought her servants to the room on the left taking the small road.

    A small study room was ced there, with two servants from He family waiting at the doorstep. Seeing He Yuxiu, they retreated, leaving a space to enter. Respectfully, they said, ¡°Second Miss, the two sirs are waiting for you!¡±

    He Yuxiu nodded her head as she left her servant outside when she entered.

    The Old Sir and Second Sir of He family sat within. On the right was First Miss He Yufen from He family, who was rumored to be so embarrassed that she hid to embroider her dowry!

    ¡°How was it?¡± Seeing He Yuxiu, Old Sir from He family, who sat in the middle, raised his head and asked.

    ¡°No worries, Uncle. The Lady had promised to bring me in for the pce feast three dayster.¡± He Yuxiu greeted the two men in the middle before she sat down on the seat on the left. Strangely, no one was in the room other than the few masters. The rest were all stationed outside the door.

    ¡°If she really agrees, we can say those words once we say the consort in the pce. Our family can finally make it out.¡± Second Sir of He family did not expect the situation to be so smooth and heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Father, why must we see the consort. The consort has no children, and cannot be as powerful as our cousin?¡± He Yufen asked in confusion as she did not understand why they came all the way to the imperial city to see Consort Zhao instead of their cousin King Xuan.

    Consort Zhao was merely a woman. Without any child, there would be no future for a doted woman!

    She could not understand the happiness of her father and her uncle.

    ¡°What do you know, you little kid!¡± Old Sir of He family stared at her, showing off his excitement. He was naturally excited at the chance that of the sess of He family, especially after many years of waiting.

    ¡°Father, the marriage with Yu family...¡± He Yufen hesitated for a while before asking daringly as she stared at her father with anticipation.

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s reputation was well-known in the imperial city. Since her father¡¯s objective had been fulfilled, she wished to backtrack on this marriage. The thought of Yu Mingyong made her feel as if she had swallowed a fly. Every time he saw a beautiful woman, his eyes would light up. His nce on her and her second sister was lusty, as if he was peeping at them, naked.

    No woman would want to marry him!

    ¡°Consort Zhao is doted on and Consort Yu is well-loved as well, especially since she has a prince in her womb. If the two consorts can work together, in the future...¡± Second Sir of He family spoke his mind due to his joy. He immediately turned sober after he saw the astonishment in the eyes of his daughter and his niece, coughing twice as he concealed his smile.

    ¡°We cannot run away from this marriage. Consort Yu is doted by the Emperor now, and she only has one brother. She will naturally rely on her brother in the future. Once Fen¡¯er marries into Yu family, you will be the sister-inw of Consort Yu, and she will be nice to you. Once she gave birth to her son, her status will rise even higher. You shall just wait and enjoy it!¡± Old Sir of He family smiled.

    He did not reveal his entire intention. Consort Zhao rarely exposed herself. If He Yufen got the chance to enter the pce, she could naturally see the mysterious Consort Zhao. If she knew Yufen was from He family, she would naturally wish to help He family more. Consort Zhao was not a foreign product, and would naturally treat He family well.

    He family would be arge aristocratic family soon!

    ¡°Father...¡± He Yufen did not think so far ahead as she could not endure the lusty nature of Yu Mingyong. Squeezing her handkerchief, she anxiously asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this matter can be disregarded once we see Consort Zhao?¡±

    ¡°Alright, as a girl, you shouldn¡¯t be discussing this. This marriage is the most suitable.¡± Seeing the look on the face of his eldest daughter, his face sank as he raised his voice, a cold chilly light shing across his eyes.

    That sentence made He Yufen¡¯s face turn pale. Her lips shivered as she could not even speak of grievances.

    They had an agreement that the marriage was a temporary affair, and now they wanted her to marry that yboy. It will be a problem of her survival, much less if she could enjoy herself. He Yufen¡¯s servants had found out that her future husband was a punk who raped women and bullied man. He dragged all beautiful women to his house, regardless of their age or marital status. How could she be blessed to marry such a man!

    No! She did not want to marry that kind of man!

    However, she dared not confront with Old Sir He.

    ¡°Sister, did the nanny just now ask about us in our garden?¡± Seeing that her expression was amiss, He Yuxiu changed the topic, smiling.

    ¡°Yes. I asked the other servants to call her away. Those that don¡¯t talk to us barely get the chance to see us. I let her ask a few questions for fear of raising suspicions if we had too tight a control on them.¡± He Yufen feigned a smile and raised up her head.

    ¡°Sister, there¡¯s no need to be so careful. Our little cousin-inw is not a smart woman. I heard that she is easily bullied in Mo manor. Otherwise, how can a legitimate daughter be bullied to such an extent? Not only was she thrown in Cloud City for many years, but she was also heavily suppressed by the other daughters.¡± He Yuxiu snorted and smirked.

    She had no regard for Mo Xuetong. If not for that pretty face, she would have no chance of marrying a good man like her cousin. Thinking of his cousin¡¯s handsome and ethereal look, shemented at him marrying such an unlikeable woman who could not help her cousin at all. If she could marry her cousin, she would help him wholeheartedly!

    ¡°Alright, be careful, everyone. Even though Consort Xuan was small, she is not to be underestimated. Xiu¡¯er, be careful, and not let her take advantage of you and notice our intentions.¡± Second Sir He stared at He Yuxiu, who obviously had no regard for Mo Xuetong. Consort Xuan did seem innocent and pure, with no calctions. She agreed to almost everything they said!

    The result of their investigation showed that she was bullied by her stepsister, resulting in her abandonment in Cloud City. All the news signaled that Consort Xuan was useless. But was that true? Those destroyed now were her stepsister and stepmother, and her only stepbrother had a terrible reputation!

    Was such a woman really uncalcting, innocent, and even dumb?

    The answer was negative!

    The two sirs of He family dared not underestimate Consort Xuan.

 Chapter 395 - The Suspicious History of Consort Zhao

    <strong>Chapter 395 The Suspicious History of Consort Zhao</strong>

    ¡°Who is Consort Zhao?¡± Lying in the arms of Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong asked. It was rare that both of them were free in the afternoon and thus they took a nap together. Mo Xuetong knew that Emperor Zongwen sent a huge portion of official documents secretly to King Xuan¡¯s manor for Feng Yuran to read privately. He was indeed busy!

    She wondered how much disbelief those court officials would be when they knew all their documents were signed and read by Feng Yuran, especially since they had disdain for the mboyant and ipetent demeanor he put up.

    ¡°Consort Zhao?¡± The gentle smile of Feng Yuran turned cold as his pupils turned dark upon hearing this name. He snickered, ¡°Tong¡¯er won¡¯t know that Consort Zhao is my mother¡¯s sister.¡±

    He was obviously a little angry and cold!

    ¡°The birth daughter of He family?¡± Mo Xuetong pulled his hand over and rubbed it on her face, asking him with a little surprise.

    Consort Xian was the adopted daughter of He family and not a real family member. This woman must then be the biological daughter! No wonder He Yuxiu mentioned Consort Zhao time after time, smiling in the process. She did want something from her.

    ¡°Yes, as they were afraid that their wealth would run out, He family sent their biological daughter together with their adopted daughter, allowing the two to look after each other in the pce.¡± Feng Yuran exined coldly, his chilly smile hanging on his face as he blinked. He lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions in them.

    She knew he must be sad as he thought of Consort Xian.

    Mo Xuetong hugged his muscr waist and buried her head in his chest, rubbing it on. Sheforted him gently, ¡°Consort Zhao is merely a recement of Mother, not the real one. See, she barely left the pce for all these years. In the mind of the Emperor, she was merely the woman like Mother.¡±

    How could a favored concubine not leave the pce at all, especially when she belonged to the He family? With the temperament of the He family, it was hard for Mo Xuetong to imagine Consort Zhao to be a cold individual. If she was truly doted and chose not to show off, it would be akin to walking at night in a gown, something extremely depressing.

    Since Consort Zhao never left Mingyue Pce for the past 10 years, she must be imprisoned by Emperor Zongwen.

    How could a favored concubine be treated like this!

    Of course, from another aspect, the rumor about her being favored must bergely untrue!

    Thinking a little deeper, she realized that Consort Zhao caught the attention of the Emperor more than ten years ago, around the time when Consort Xian died. The two were sisters and the Emperor visited her once or twice per month, not much... Regardless, Consort Zhao seemed like a recement of Consort Xian.

    ¡°She is already dead! It¡¯s toote to think about it now!¡± Feng Yuranined out of frustration and closed his eyes. He did not let go of his hand and grabbed Mo Xuetong tightly, his face stone cold.

    He would never forget the death of his mother. During that warm morning, he saw his mother turn cold in front of him, without any warmth emitting from that small body and only the smile of her lingering in his ears. However, the memories of her smile would not be able to warm her body.

    What was that man doing? He was flirting with other women, and didn¡¯t even see his mother for onest time!

    It was amusing to him. Before, he thought that he was the happiest kid in the world, with Father and Mother who loved him dearly and everything he wanted. However, everything turned cold when that bowl of soup was sent in. The warmth was lost from his world together with the cold body of his mother.

    ¡°Yuran, Yuran, how are you?¡± Feeling the stiffness of Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong pushed him aside carefully and struggled to get out. She turned around to examine his expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Feng Yuran heaved a sigh of relief as he suppressed his frustration. He lifted his eyes to look at Mo Xuetong, full of concern in his eyes as his heart turned warm again. He felt a slight pain, a slight itch, and a tinge of warmth in his heard as he patted her slim shoulder and pulled her to his body,ughing. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with He family?¡±

    ¡°He family wanted to tter their Consort Zhao and see your aunt. Since they wanted to go into the pce, I shall help him and see how powerful that Consort Zhao really is!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curved into a smile as her red cherry lips gave off seductive vibes, as if she was quite amused by the drama.

    Consort Zhao seemed like a difficult character but she did not know what role she yed in the affairs of He family. Mo Xuetong hoped that she was not the mastermind that harmed Feng Yuran in his previous life.

    Her flirtatious look made Feng Yuran inevitably rx as he pinched her upright nose. ¡°You want to enjoy their drama?¡±

    ¡°Why did you pinch me again!¡± Mo Xuetong pushed away his big hand and covered her nose with the other hand, eximing, ¡°I merely wanted to enjoy their drama. Who asked them toe and visit you from time to time, not respecting me as the Lady at all?¡±

    ¡°So sour! Are you jealous?¡± Feng Yuran was stunned for a while beforeughing. His handsome gaze focused on Mo Xuetong, full of happiness without a tinge of his depressed self just now.

    Seeing his arrogant look, Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth. ¡°Sour, my foot.¡±

    Suddenly, the sound of her teeth gritting turned into a peal of slightughter as she feigned graciousness, saying.

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous! I¡¯m the most gracious. Tell your cousins that there¡¯s no need to watch you secretly anymore. I shall bring them in tomorrow and send them to your back garden. This is so to appease a certain someone who keeps wanting to lure them in.¡±

    ¡°Darling, I didn¡¯t want to lure them in. They wanted to sneak in by themselves. Darling, you must protect me from them or I would not be able to face you anymore.¡± Feng Yuran gave a timid look as he turned around, pushing Mo Xuetong under him. He kissed her lips gently and teased her, and the gentleness written all over his eyes could almost drown Mo Xuetong.

    This man was a luring peach blossom!

    Seeing the mocking smile of Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong blushed as she turned sober, realizing that she had been staring at him for a while.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you an expert at attracting these bees and butterflies? This group in the back garden came just for you, and you n to leave them like this?¡± Seeing his indecent look, Mo Xuetong pulled him up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long. You will not need to feel wronged anymore, darling.¡± Feng Yuran was addicted to calling her darling tonight as he spoke of it more often. Looking at the beauty under him, he felt lusty as his heart heated up. Immediately, he flipped over and got up from Mo Xuetong¡¯s body,ining, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    Sensing the changes of his body, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face burnt. This man was really annoying. It was fine just now, but why did he suddenly...

    ¡°What kind of person is Consort Zhao?¡± To divert his attention, Mo Xuetong blushed and deliberately changed the topic.

    She had a feeling that this matter regarding Consort Zhao and He family would not be so simple. The bloody casemitted by Feng Yuran in her previous lifeid on her heart like a heavy stone. She figured that the matter was 100% rted to this mysterious Consort Zhao. She must investigate and resolve this matter before Feng Yuran got mad.

    ¡°Consort Zhao was around the age of Mother and is the proper daughter of He family. She entered the pce soon after Mother entered. Initially, Father did not notice her, letting her stay in the side pce of Mother¡¯s pce. I heard that she was extremely nice to Mother, tending to Mother¡¯s needs every day when she was pregnant. She was approved by Father and was somehow allocated the position of concubine. However, she was not favored but she did save the face of He family through Mother¡¯s position.

    ¡°Afterwards, He family was met with trouble and Mother did not protect them, Concubine Zhao as well. She agreed to whatever Mother said. Later, He family was chased out and they did notmunicate again. Mother was then met with that incident and I almost died too. I was sent away and Concubine Zhao became Consort Zhao, staying in Mingyue Pce now.¡± Feng Yuran frowned as he realized that Consort Zhao was indeed suspicious!

    ¡°Was Consort Zhao never jealous of your mother?¡± Mo Xuetong asked puzzledly.

    ¡°No, Consort Zhao was always very respectful to Mother. She said that it was because she entered the pce through Mother and did not serve Father initially, only giving her the title of a concubine. She followed Mother from time to time and did not attempt to seduce Father. She was rumored to be verydylike, and many servants of Mother praised her.¡±

    Feng Yuran frowned slightly.

    The more he spoke, the more suspicious he became. He was young initially and did not understand the mind of women, merely feeling that Aunt Zhao was someone likable. When he re-entered the pce, he only saw Consort Zhao once. Even though he felt that she had a gentle voice, he felt separation from her. As his mother had died, and since he did not like the He family, he never remembered the low-key Consort Zhao.

    As he exined the matter, he felt very doubtful! His handsome face turned gloomy.

    Was there really such a good woman in this world? Someone who could give up his husband and be gentle and gracious to another woman? The two women shared the same husband but only one was doted, with the other not even serving the husband in bed. She merely followed his mother, as if she were her servant!

    Would this environment create a gentle and gracious woman?

    Mo Xuetong felt amused. With the fact that Consort Zhao was favored all these years, she seemed to be an intelligent woman. She had seen such a woman before, and that was Mo Xuemin. She was gentle normally and seemed sincere to her, merely destroying her in onest blow.

    Such a woman could only be described as evil and vicious. Mo Xuetong was 100% sure that Consort Xian¡¯s death in her previous life was rted to this woman. Perhaps He family sent her into the pce for an evil motive. Consort Xian had little attachment to He family, who mightmit the crime for their position...

    ¡°I shall order my man to investigate the matter about Consort Xian.¡± Feng Yuran pushed Mo Xuetong aside and sat upright, wearing his coat outside.

    ¡°Alright, help me investigate the Yu family as well.¡± Mo Xuetong squintedzily as she pulled his shirt, pursing her tiny mouth at his gloomy but handsome face.

    Seeing her coquettish look, Feng Yuran sighed and rxed, pulling her face instead as he appeased her, ¡°OK, there is a separate document for Yu family. I shall let Feng Yue bring the document over for you to examine carefully.¡±

    ¡°Help me choose some practical ones.¡± Mo Xuetongined coyly. She knew that Feng Yuran had a lot of documents, with every single one more than three books in volume. It was really time-consuming to read them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will only pick the important ones.¡± Feng Yuran took his jade belt from the screen and tied it around his waist. ¡°I will bring one about Princess Royal too. You can read it as well.¡±

    Princess Royal¡¯s documents. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart jumped as she stared at Feng Yuran with her watery eyes.

    ¡°Simr to what you imagined. I shall tell you the entire truth in case your mind wanders off. However, you must promise me not to act rashly!¡± Feng Yuran tied his belt and squatted in front of the bed, kissing her lips gently and dotingly.

    ¡°OK!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart was filled with sweetness as she wrapped her hands around his neck, nodding obediently.

 Chapter 396 - 6 King Jin Manor Was Infinitely Close to the Throne

    <b>Chapter 396 King Jin Manor Was Infinitely Close to the Throne</b>

    Feng Yuran was indeed a reliable man. When Mo Xuetong woke up from her afternoon nap, the two documents were already sent to her table.

    She merely read the second half of the document about Yu brothers, choosing to focus on matters recently. Indeed, the Yu brothers were close to Yu Mingyong now, helping him resolve his sexual scandals, meaning that they had already formed the alliance with Consort Yu. Mo Xuetong flipped the documents as she thought about the situation. She then closed it and engaged in deep thought before picking up the document about Princess Royal.

    Her expression immediately changed once she had flipped two pages of the document! She ced the document down after reading it meticulously twice. She frowned as a chill ran into her heart, and her limbs turned cold as if they had been immersed in cold water.

    No wonder her secret guard would call Mother Third Princess!

    No wonder those secret guards would be plotting against their ¡°little master¡±!

    No wonder Princess Royal cared a lot about Mother but yet was worried that others might know about it. She broke all rtions with Mother after Mother married away, as if they were just ordinary friends.

    Bai Yihao was in the Yan Kingdom. Even if he wanted to hurt her and subdue those men, it would be hard for him tomand them with ease. Amidst these affairs, Princess Royal had always been involved.

    In her previous life, Princess Royal lived in a different world from hers. She figured that the downfall of Fu General Manor was rted to Princess Royal. Initially, she wanted to avoid Princess Royal so that Fu General Manor would not evoke her jealousy and hatred.

    Hence, she used the silk from Cloud city to tter Princess Royal as she carefully removed her men.

    After she entered the pce, Princess Royal had always been nice to her, acknowledging him as her daughter when she was in difficulty, giving her the title of Princess Anping for her to protect herself. She cared for Mo Xuetong deeply, sending all treasures to her as if she were her real mother. Actually, Mo Xuetong did treat her as her real mother at the bottom of her heart.

    However, she did not expect such a person to coborate with Bai Yihao to ruin her reputation!

    Her hand trembled slightly. Touching the teacup on the table, she sipped on the water to swallow her pain and bitterness.

    ¡°Mydy, Princess Royal sent her man here to invite you and His Highness to her banquet tomorrow.¡± Mo Lan came in, lifting the curtain to ask her.

    ¡°Is there any event happening tomorrow in Princess Royal¡¯s Manor?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. She said that she wanted to host a banquet for her nephews and their wives since the weather was good and Empress Dowager had recovered.¡± Mo Lan replied.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there tomorrow morning.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded in agreement. No matter what, she had to attend the banquet tomorrow. As for Feng Yuran, he could do whatever he wished since he was injured.

    However, her heart was a mess...

    ¡°Yes, I shall reply them.¡±

    Mo Lan retreated!

    In the evening, when Feng Yuran entered, he realized that the room was empty, without a single servant. A lonentern gave off yellow light, making the beautiful silhouette look bitter and lonely as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Feng Yuran pushed the door open and asked urgently, stunned by what he saw.

    Because of his anxiety, hiszy voice was unconsciously rushed.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Mo Xuetong raised up her head and looked at Feng Yuran for a while in a daze before entering his warm embrace. She then turned sober, her dull eyes recovered. However, her voice was still a little hoarse.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran touched her face with his hand. Her face was like a cold jade, with a cool air beneath the smoothness. His hand tightened as he hugged her.

    ¡°Was Mo Ye and Mo Feng sent by Mother as well?¡± Mo Xuetong allowed his hand to touch her face. His warm hand sent warmth into her body, washing away her chillness through her skin into her heart.

    ¡°When I returned to the pce, Aunt told me about the matter in private. She asked me to agree to whatever demands the person with the token make. If I was just an ordinary prince, I would not have known that it was the private token of King Jin. After all, I was not born when the matter urred.¡± Feng Yuran hugged Mo Xuetong tight, his thin lips moved as his starry eyes turned bright. He chose to speak slowly after thinking for a while.

    He had always wanted to tell Mo Xuetong these things but hecked the opportunity. Given this chance, he wanted Mo Xuetong to understand what was going on.

    ¡°Actually, I saw this private token before as I found it in the secret scrolls of the imperial family. Father had always been secretly investigating this affair. When King Jin died then, he left a few important things for his children, even though he only had three daughters. Father knew about your mother first and hence I knew her identity all along. Thus, I visited your old house when I went to Cloud City.¡±

    Mo Xuetong remembered that Feng Yuran appeared then as a man in ck. Then, she remembered the man in ck looking through her mother¡¯s belongings. No wonder as a prince, Feng Yuran would appear in an old house in Cloud City dressed in all ck.

    ¡°Did everyone know that Mother was the daughter of King Jin?¡± After a brief silence, Mo Xuetong asked.

    ¡°The others merely suspected. No one knew that Consort Jin was saved by Fu General Manor before giving birth to your mother. They only knew that Consort Kin had a child that was saved by an aristocrat, but no one was sure which family it was. Hence, they targeted the four great manors. In that year, there was no male offspring from the four great manors. Hence, Consort Jin must have given birth to a daughter.¡±

    Feng Yuran touched her warmed face gently.

    Involuntarily, Mo Xuetong rubbed her face on his long slender palm. She squinted as her long eyshes brushed against his palm, sending warmth from within which heated her cold heart. ¡°The reason why that incident happened in the four great manors was that the thing was hidden with a jade ornament?¡± She asked slowly.

    Mo Xuetong turned sober now as she organized the details in her head.

    Servant incident in the back garden of Fu General Manor; the missingdy of Mingguo Manor; kidnapped concubine of Ding General Manor and the theft of ancestral offerings in Ping General Manor were all rted to each other and were all rted to jade ornaments. With what Feng Yuran told her, Mo Xuetong had a rough idea of the whole situation.

    ¡°I heard that it was in a piece of jade ornament.¡± Feng Yuran replied.

    ¡°Is it important to you?¡± Mo Xuetong narrowed her eyes, but couldn¡¯t help peeping at the expression of Feng Yuran, her hands tightly clenched beneath her sleeves.

    Her sharp fingernails prated her palm as she bit her lower lip to suppress the throbbing at the bottom of the heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s not important to me.¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly as he kissed her closed eyelids. It felt like a feather brushing across her face softly, destroying the thick castle she built in her heart. Her tears fell uncontrobly due to her inexplicable grievances and impulse. She could only grab his sleeves but could barely make clear the flying butterflies on his purple robe! Her body was no longer stiff as she started shivering.

    She could not stop crying!

    If he was making use of her too, if he approached her for that object too, there was no one in the world she could trust anymore, no one...

    ¡°Feng Yuran, Feng Yuran...¡± She cried as she tried her best to look at his face and smile to him, calling out his name as if she could only feel his presence then. Just now, she felt that she was about to die. She was afraid that he would admit that it was important to him, afraid that he would say that it was his everything.

    She was afraid that she was his chess piece, a piece that could be easily abandoned on his way to power.

    She knew his ambition and she was willing to advance and retreat with him. However, she did not want him to approach her and marry her for that purpose.

    His reply wasn¡¯t long but it seemed like an entire life for her as blood froze in her heart. She was only revived hearing what he said, as her blood flowed again in her veins. Previously, under the light, she became more and more afraid, almost unable to face him.

    If he was merely using her like everyone else, she would not have the courage to stay alive!

    In her previous life, she was used by Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun. Her body burnt in the mes and was never buried. Having lived a miserable life, she vowed to not have such a desperate end in this life...

    She would wish that she had never revived if she was met with the same end.

    ¡°I am here, Tong¡¯er. I am here and I will always be here.¡± Feeling her uneasiness and fear, Feng Yuran hugged her tightly and whispered in her ears to calm her.

    His chin was tightly pressed against her forehead. His breathing brought out a thick warm sensation that surrounded her. He could feel cold water droplets dripping on his body. As if it could prate his clothes, it burnt his heart, making him hurt.

    ¡°Why... not important... to you...¡± Finally, she stopped crying. Mo Xuetong¡¯s fingers were twisted in his clothes as she asked, stuttering. Her bright watery eyes seemed to be just cleansed, showing a clear yet mysterious color, like misty clouds. She looked both pitiful and distressing.

    ¡°A private sale of King Jin lies inside. But most importantly, there was a nk edict stating the session of the throne, with the imperial seal of the emperor stamped.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s words seemed casual as he smiled gently as if it were just an ordinary business. However, it was like thunder to Mo Xuetong. Her eyes widened in shock, with tears still lingering on her eyshes. She looked at Feng Yuran in utter disbelief, almost forgetting to breathe.

    She tightened her grip on Feng Yuran¡¯s clothes as her knuckles turned white. This was even more shocking than when she discovered in her previous life that Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun were lying to her. How was that possible! How could such a thing happen? Was the then emperor mad?

    This was incredible!

    An empty edict! An empty imperial edict for session!

    Even a woman like Mo Xuetong knew what that signified. No wonder King Jin had secret guards for her daughters when it was only for legitimate Princesses of the imperial family. No wonder King Jin¡¯s manor was as prosperous as the pce. No wonder even under the siege of thete Emperor, the descendants of King Jin could still escape.

    That was an answer that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t believe.

    King Jin used to be infinitely close to the imperial throne!

    It was almost at his fingertips!

 Chapter 397 - The Long Hidden Identity of Princess Royal

    <strong>Chapter 397 The Long Hidden Identity of Princess Royal</strong>

    ¡°How... how did King Jin obtain that edict?¡± After a long while, Mo Xuetong finally found her voice, with her shocked eyes turning bright once more. She lifted up his head difficultly to ask Feng Yuran, a bitter smile passing across her lips. The news was too incredulous.

    Such an incredible edict ced King Jin in a position of definite victory. However, thete Emperor still won the throne. What exactly happened that made King Jin, who was so close to the throne, turn into a rebel!

    Feng Yuran leaned back and pulled Mo Xuetong to his chest, patting her gently on the back of her hand. The gold and silver cor shone brightly on his purple coat,plementing his dazzling and emotionless gaze. He was as beautiful andposed as a painting.

    ¡°King Jin was incredibly powerful back then, with one of his spies next to the Emperor. He stole the empty edict out of the pce. However, thete Emperor caught wind of that and acted first, destroying King Jin manor. King Jin was caught off guard and could not retaliate. After searching King Jin manor, the edict and a personal seal of King Jin could not be found. The counsel of King Jin said that these two objects were hidden within a jade ornament, taken away by Consort Jin or Princess Shuann.¡±

    ¡°It had disappeared since then?¡± Mo Xuetong gasped heavily twice, asking with bewildered eyes.

    King Jin was extremely bold to steal such an edict!

    ¡°No, that¡¯s why they are searching for it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was silent as a chill ran up her heart. She felt her body turn cold at the thought of the empty edict with thete Emperor¡¯s seal. It was an effective document that would be an official edict about session if itnded into the hands of King Yan, King Chu or King Ning, where they would fill in their own name. No wonder the four great manors were all involved despite their influence.

    With such a decree, anyone could be the Emperor officially. That surely enticed everyone!

    ¡°Your father supports you?¡± The bright and watery eyes shone of brilliance.

    From the performance of Emperor Zongwen and the hidden power of Feng Yuran, it could be seen that Emperor Zongwen was most satisfied with this seemingly illegitimate King Xuan. Since Feng Yuran fooled others with his provocative ways, he allowed his soon to think that Feng Yuran had the least chance, making them fight amongst themselves.

    The most popr candidates, Feng Yulei and Feng Yuxuan, were all covers for Feng Yuran. This Eighth Prince who was ignored by court officials was the one that Emperor Zongwen adored.

    That was the method of Emperor Zongwen. Obviously, he seeded!

    No one treated Feng Yuran as a real opponent; they thought him a man to deal with casually. If they did be the emperor, every single one would love to have such a useless and arrogant brother, so as to gain a good reputation for themselves.

    Mo Xuetong eximed at the cruelty Emperor Zongwen had to his other sons, and the love he had for Feng Yuran! She felt sadness and coldness as she realized that the family rtionship in an imperial household was different from that of ordinary people.

    ¡°Only for his miserable guilt.¡± Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and exined coldly. He smiled coldly as his eyes shone devilishly under his long eyshes, showing disdain beneath.

    ¡°Is Mother...¡± Mo Xuetong thought about it before biting her lips. However, she could not endure it and still asked carefully. That was the only reason why Feng Yuran had no gratitude for Emperor Zongwen despite his love for him.

    ¡°Mother was poisoned. The imperial doctor in the pce lied to me when I was young and told me that Mother had died due to her poor health. However, I obviously saw the ck blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Mother died after eating the cakes that the Empress served, but he did nothing to avenge her.¡± Feng Yuran smirked, a tinge of hatred shing across his eyes.

    ¡°I was hiding beneath the bed and Mother asked me not toe out. I heard Mother thank the servant of the Empress and I heard her eat the cake. I was scared but I dared note out. When Mother heard that the Empress had arrived, she pulled me in and reminded me with a frightened voice. That woman brought her men personally, and Mother died when they left.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s cold dark pupils had no warmth within. His seductively handsome face had deep devilish hatred curved within. He was bloodthirsty like a blossoming flower, extracting the breathing of other people in one instant. Cold loneliness was hidden within his eyes as his words traveled far, as if he were talking about something unrted to him.

    He held a cold and bright smile!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart hurt as she grabbed his hand. He was merely a little kid when he saw his mother swallow those deadly cakes. How much hatred and pain did he harbor?

    ¡°Mother will be d that you want to avenge her.¡± Mo Xuetong hugged him andforted him, kissing his slim lips voluntarily. Ding General Manor was a strong powerful ally that gave Emperor Zongwen power. Even if Emperor Zongwen did want to punish the Empress, he could not do that.

    ¡°If he had no ability to avenge Mother, I will do it.¡± Feng Yuran promised coldly as he grabbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand tight. The Emperor said that Mother was the woman he loved the most yet he saw Mother die under his nose, agreeing to whatever the imperial doctor of the Empress said. If not for the fact that he feigned being poisoned too, he would not have survived in the harem as well.

    Seeing his handsome eyes contain coldness and sharpness never seen before, with the light in his pupils dimming and filled with murderous intent and hatred. Mo Xuetong caressed his hand tofort him and to attract his attention. He could not rush into revenge as Ding General Manor was still powerful now. He must n this matter for a longer time.

    If he rushed forth and lost hisposure, Ding General Manor could easily fault his ns and they would have gone to waste.

    Lying on his chest, she changed the topic. ¡°Mother would want us toe over tomorrow for a family banquet at Princess Royal¡¯s manor. Do you want to go together?¡±

    Feng Yuran closed his eyes for a while before opening them, with the usually seductive smile returning to his face. ¡°How can I not go to my aunt¡¯s family banquet? She¡¯ll believe that I¡¯m too arrogant if I miss it!¡±

    Princess Royal had always been nice to Feng Yuran, loving him the most and helping him most of the time. Even though Princess Royal had a family banquet this time, everyone who came was connected. On this asion, the four possible candidates of the throne would be together.

    With the prestigious status of Princess Royal in the imperial family, everyone would join this banquet!

    ¡°What does Mother want?¡± Mo Xuetong yed with the buttons of Feng Yuran, buttoning it and unbuttoning it profusely as she asked in confusion.

    She believed that Princess Royal had a deeper intention to this matter. If Princess Royal was the second daughter King Jin sent secretly into the pce, she must be affiliated with Bai Yihao, who was someone Mo Xuetong was also jealous of. Furthermore, Princess Royal had helped Bai Yihao in his recent n to hurt Mo Xuetong. That made it hard for Mo Xuetong to believe that Princess Royal merely wanted to talk to her nephews because she was bored.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will apany you; it will be alright.¡± Feng Yuran touched her head and smiled.

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you worried that she¡¯ll kidnap all of you for Bai Yihao?¡± Mo Xuetong asked depressingly. The thought of Princess Royal, whom she treated genuinely with all her heart, hurting her secretly made her unhappy.

    Qin Kingdom would have no future if she kidnapped all these four princes and sent them to Yan Kingdom. Bai Yihao would have the most to gain, increasing his territory.

    Mo Xuetong did not know how Bai Yihao found Princess Royal but the thought of his mother, Princess Shuann finding Mother made her realize that it wouldn¡¯t be a difficult task for her to find her own sister. Princess Shuann was not an easy character, having everything under her control. Her son was equally amazing.

    ¡°Aunt won¡¯t do it. After all, she is descendent of the Feng family.¡± Feng Yuran exined.

    The thought of Mo Xuetong worrying for his safety made him smile involuntarily. He was all smiles and was truly happypared to before.

    ¡°However, what if Bai Yihao forced her?¡± Mo Xuetong could not help but be reminded of the bitter end of Princess Royal, where she was imprisoned by Emperor Zongwen. She had originally thought that a princess like her with no children would not need to get involved in the mess of session, as she did not know theplicated details within. To think about it, as a niece, she was ced of a much lower priority than Bai Yihao.

    If Emperor Zongwen knew that Princess Royal helped Bai Yihao to hurt children of the Royal family, she would naturally be imprisoned.

    Bai Yihao was extremely arrogant and heartless but he would not force Princess Royal to do something she did not want to do. After all, Princess Royal was his aunt, and he would treat her nicely for King Jin or for Princess Shuann. I heard that Princess Shuann was extremely close to Princess Royal. As Consort Jin¡¯s second daughter died early, she loved Princess Royal, who was born around the same time as her second daughter. Hence, she kept inviting her over to y, developing a good rtionship with her.¡± Feng Yuran squinted, hiding the darkness from within.

    ¡°Which meant that Princess Shuann knew about all these, and must have contacted Princess Royal before.¡± Mo Xuetong frowned.

    ¡°She did contact her. However, as a woman, it was inconvenient for Princess Shuann to leave Yan Pce, restricting their interactions with each other. But when Bai Yihao was sent to Qin Kingdom as a hostage, Princess Royal treated him nicely and even spare a garden in her manor for him to stay.¡±

    A garden? Mo Xuetong thought of the garden full of peach blossoms and the man dressed in snow white within. She shivered involuntarily.

    That man gave her an extremely dangerous and disturbing feeling. He was not here but every time she thought about it, she would be uncontrobly nervous! As if there were still a web in the dark, silently opening its mouth!

    ¡°Focus, you can only think of me now.¡± Sensing her distraction, Feng Yuran lifted her small head unhappily. His eyes fell on her crimson lips as his lips covered hers as a punishment.

    At first, he merely touched her. But when she moaned uncontrobly, his kiss continued eagerly and enthusiastically. He pierced open her cherry lips arrogantly and kissed her gently, an inexplicable excitement within the slight pain.

    She felt as if she were in a fire, where every part of her body burnt. The fear and panic just now dissipated in the fiery mes. His body smelled like the aura of masculinity as he opened his arms to hug her slender waist. He reassured her inexplicably.

    The fiery passion of the man beside her made her lost. Not knowing what to do, she could only open her cherry lips to let him intrude.

    Her body was tightly wrapped in his arms. His shoulders were wide and his muscles were tight, and it was easy for him to turn around and cover her body. Her soft body was the best encouragement for him as he pounced on her.

 Chapter 398 - The Three Princes Gathered at Princess Royals Manor

    <h4>Chapter 398 The Three Princes Gathered at Princess Royal¡¯s Manor</h4>

    In the end, this kiss that almost went out of control ended with the escape of Feng Yuran. After taking a cold water bath, Feng Yuran came over and saw Mo Xuetong already asleep on her bed. When he saw her red and swollen lips smiling, Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curved up involuntarily as well.

    He took off his outer coat and climbed onto the bed, rxing only when he hugged the slim figure of Mo Xuetong. In his arms, all of Mo Xuetong¡¯s fear and anxiety had disappeared. Sheid beside his body and nestled like a kitten that just found itsfortable nest. She sighed satisfyingly and slept in his arms.

    Seeing the gentle smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s cute face and the twitching of her long eyshes, Feng Yuran could not help but lower his head to kiss thiszy and adorable woman before closing his eyes.

    When he woke up the next day, no one was around her. She touched the cold nket next to her and realized that Feng Yuran had been awake for a while. Perhaps it was because of the spring weather, she had been entering a deeper state of sleep recently and did not even realize that the man next to her was gone.

    Hearing the voice within, Mo Lan and Mo Yu brought toiletries and entered.

    ¡°What time is it? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Mo Xuetong sat upzily and asked. She had to go to Princess Royal¡¯s manor today. It would be terrible if she waste for she was the daughter of Princess Royal, not just the wife of his nephew.

    Mo Lan hooked up the muslin bed curtains with gold embroideries with golden hooks and smiled.

    ¡°Just past 9 am. His Highness said that there¡¯s no rush for it¡¯ll be alright for an injured man like him to bete.¡±

    ¡°His Highness specifically instructed for you to sleep more. He has prepared all the presents and you merely need to tidy yourself up. You won¡¯t bete.¡± Mo Lanughed too.

    His Highness was truly nice to theirdy. They were still worried before marriage that the women in His Highness¡¯ back garden would create trouble for theirdy, or that His Highness would dote on those women and be indifferent towards theirdy. Now, the situation was that His Highness was truly concerned about theirdy, and not a single woman dared to provoke her. As the servants sent over through marriage, all of them were happy for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be toote.¡± Mo Xuetong stared at Mo Yu and Mo Lan with displeasure for she realized that her two servants have been on Feng Yuran¡¯s side, speaking for him instead. She wrinkled her nose and flirted jealously, ¡°Are you my servant or his? Calling him His Highness so affectionately?¡±

    Seeing Mo Xuetong flirting with them, Mo Yu and Mo Lanughed and was about to joke around when Feng Yuran¡¯s voice appeared by the doorsteps.

    ¡°Who calls for His Highness so affectionately?¡± A little servant opened the door curtains and Feng Yuran walked in wearing a purple coat, with jimsonweed sewed on it elegantly,plementing his perfect figure. He wore a crown that allowed his ck hair to fall unimpeded. They fell on his shoulders, showcasing his red lips and his devilish demeanor. His eyes and brows were of extreme beauty, which made all the seductive peach blossoms pale inparison.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but exim at the devilish looks of the man!

    Such a face was the root of trouble!

    ¡°I see that Your Highness woke up early today to rush to see Mother.¡± Mo Xuetong exined and held Mo Lan¡¯s hand to get up. Sitting in front of her makeup table, she stared at him through the makeup mirror.

    She gave him face in front of others and called him Your Highness affectionately. Her watery eyes moved as she pursed her red lips.

    ¡°So sour. Did Tong¡¯er spill vinegar here? This seems to be old vinegar, with this sourness...¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes contained seductiveness amidst her adorable face, Feng Yuran was extremely satisfied. He waved his hands, signaling the two servants to retreat as he walked to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side to help her with her makeup.

    ¡°There is still vinegar in this manor? I thought someone ate all the vinegar!¡± Mo Xuetong nced at him with an emotionless face as he helped her change her hairpin solemnly. His usage of the pin was quite skillful, which made Mo Xuetong purse her pink lips. ¡°Your Highness is truly talented to have such a great skill even in brushing my hair. I wonder how many people you¡¯ve trained this skill on.¡±

    ¡°No more vinegar in the manor? That¡¯s not alright since my Tong¡¯er drinks a huge tank each time. I will order for my man to buy someter.¡± Feng Yuran frowned and lowered his head to whisper into Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears. He kissed and smiled, ¡°Tong¡¯er, rest assured. I practicedbing these few days on Feng Yue¡¯s head.¡±

    Only God knows how tempted he was when he saw the few servants helping her tidy her ck hair. Hence, he experimented with Feng Yue.

    The thought of a man like Feng Yue being forced to sit in front of a mirror to tie such a seductive ponytail by Feng Yuran made Mo Xuetongugh. Her eyshes twitched as she flirted, ¡°Why did Feng Yue not kick you out.¡±

    ¡°How dare he! It is a blessing for him to bebed by me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then I have to thank Your Highness too for such a blessing!¡±

    ¡°No need, just be more proactive next time.¡± The man with the thick skin retorted casually while the woman with thin skin could only be red in the face with embarrassment, staring at him fiercely.

    However, the pair of watery eyes looked adorable despite how much she red, as no strength came from within.

    As the two joked with each other, they tidied themselves and entered the carriage to Princess Royal¡¯s manor.

    When they arrived at Princess Royal¡¯s manor, Mo Xuetong went off the carriage holding Mo Lan¡¯s hand as a support. She then turned around and supported Feng Yuran. He was an injured man and they had to show everyone that. However, Feng Yuran did not wish to tire Mo Xuetong and hence ced much of his weight on the little eunuch beside him.

    He was long and slender and his heavy body made the little eunuch grimace in pain.

    ¡°Is my Eighth Brother¡¯s feet alright. My sister-inw has a weak body, you should let me support you.¡± A gentle smile came from beside them and the two turned around to see a carriage parked behind. Feng Yuxuan strode off the carriage and hurried over as if he wanted to support Feng Yuran.

    Behind him, on the carriage, Ling Fengyan boarded off holding on to her servant¡¯s hand. Mo Xuetong was shocked to find that the previous top beauty had aged. Her eyes shone no more and she was extremely skinny, making it difficult for her to walk. If not for the tight grip of the two servants by her side, she would be blown away by the wind. She did seem 10 years older.

    And she was nothing like her beautiful self before.

    ¡°My gratitude to brother. I have Tong¡¯er to help but my sister-inw does not have you. You should help my sister-inw instead. After so many days, is her illness turning better?¡± Feng Yuran secretly pushed Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand towards Mo Xuetong away and smiled. He did not like anyone using his name to get close to Tong¡¯er.

    As a man, he would not miss the delight hidden beneath Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes! He turned gloomy at once.

    His elder brother was really not a good husband to throw his wife aside once he saw Tong¡¯er.

    The news of Ling Fengyan¡¯s sickness had been spread throughout the city a month ago. They didn¡¯t expect her toe.

    Mo Xuetong let go of Feng Yuran¡¯s hand and greeted Feng Yuxuan, paying respects to her. Before he could say anything, she greeted Ling Fengyan, who walked over with her servant. She called Ling Fengyan sister-inw and also curtsied to thetter.

    ¡°There is no need to be so polite.¡± Ling Fengyan was extremely sick. Even her voice was hoarse and was no longer crisp as before. It was indeed unbelievable that thedy was still light and graceful a while ago.

    What ns would she pull off her sleeves foring even though she was so sick!

    Although Ling Fengyan looked weak and fragile, Mo Xuetong still caught nce of desperation and hatreding from her gaze!

    The nce was not directed at one person, but everyone.

    Ling Fengyan hated everyone present!

    That understanding made Mo Xuetong shocked. She could understand why Ling Fengyan hated her, but what about Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran?

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you rest at home? You shouldn¡¯te out when you are so sick.¡± She came forth to hold Ling Fengyan¡¯s hand as she checked her pulse secretly. Darkness shed across her eyes as she then retreated and smiled.

    ¡°She has been at home for too long and thus decided toe out for a walk when I heard that Aunt is holding a party. Please do pay some attention to her, sister-inw, she is too weak.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled and replied. He looked a little worried since they were newlywed and since his wife was a precious beauty.

    However, only Feng Yuxuan knew his true intentions.

    ¡°Big Brother, Eighth Brother, you are all so early. We rushed here but are stillte.¡± A gorgeous carriage stopped at the gate of Princess Royal Manor. Feng Yuzhen jumped down before picking up Wang Yueyue. The two were peaceful and smiled elegantly.

    Compared to the first two pairs, this pair was the most ordinary!

    Even though Feng Yuzhen was not ranked in the princes, he called them their respective titles since he was younger than Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yulei but older than Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Cousin, you are indeedte. Let¡¯s enter together.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled as he patted his shoulders affectionately. No one could tell the two¡¯s rivalry at courts.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go in together.¡± Feng Yuzhen held his hand and walked in together.

    Wang Yueyue apanied Ling Fengyan at the back. The two knew each other before and hence were closer to each other than Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Stay away from herter.¡± Feng Yuran ced most of his weight on the little eunuch as he nced the Ling Fengyan in front, whispering to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°I will.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded thoughtfully.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s body was extremely strange. Her pulse was entric and irregr, fast at times and slow at others as if it was being suppressed by something. It was as if she was poisoned but it was not obvious. If one was not meticulous, the irregrity could be because of her weak body. Anyway, Ling Fengyan should note here.

    If things were out of the ordinary, it must be a devious n. No matter what Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan nned, Mo Xuetong merely wanted to stay away from it.

    ¡°I want to take a nap in the afternoon after lunch. Come and serve me.¡± Feng Yuran was notfortable and reminded her.

    This time, his voice was at a normal volume but it seemed like a casual remark. The four people in front all heard this but they didn¡¯t show any signs of emotion as they continued talking to each other. Each with their own intentions, the few walked into Princess Royal¡¯s manor!

 Chapter 399 - All With Their Own Ideas in the Princess Royals Manor

    <h4>Chapter 399 All With Their Own Ideas in the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor</h4>

    It was spring. All the followers bloomed in the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor. Along the corridor, flowers blossomed in a riot of color. What a unique scenery among the corridors and pavilions. Six of them walked into the mall, as theyughed and talked.

    Princess Royal arranged the banquet in the inner parlor. Because a few people attended it, and most were close rtives, there was no need to avoid any inconvenience. So the guests were served around one table in the middle of the parlor, chatting and talking with happiness.

    Princess Royal sat at the head of the table, with Feng Yuxuan, Feng Yuzhen, and Feng Yuran sitting sessively on her right hand while Ling Fengyan, Wang Yueyue, Mo Xuetong on the left. It was proper arrangement in the age order. Feng Yuran was most satisfied with it, because he and Mo Xuetong were the youngest, that was to say, sitting around the table, they could sit side by side finally ording to the arrangement.

    Feng Yuran said to Princess Royal smilingly, while he was serving Mo Xuetong¡¯s favorite dish for her. ¡°Aunt, you asked us toe here. Is there anything delicious today?¡±

    Princess Royal pointed at the te of watermelons in the middle of the table and said, ¡°I know you like it. See, it is the fresh fruit given recently. Well, I give it to you first.¡± It was spring with blooming followers. Although it waste spring, it was not summer, and it was rare to have watermelons to eat.

    ¡°Father treats aunt so well. The fruit sent from the south is not easy to transport. It¡¯s said that there are only a few baskets in the capital. And we even don¡¯t have any of it, but aunt has. So please do not hide it today and just let us taste it.¡± Feng Yuran reached out his hand to take a slice from a little eunuch, gave it to Mo Xuetong, and then, he took another, took a bite and admired. ¡°It does taste good. Father is so partial to aunt.¡±

    ¡°Has Feng Yuran not been given the watermelon?¡± Feng Yuxuan quietly withdrew his eyes. Although there were just a few watermelons sent from the south, Feng Yuxuan also got two. ¡°How could Feng Yuran, the most favored prince not receive any? Would it be possible that Father Emperor did not like Feng Yuran, so he forgot to bestow Feng Yuran deliberately?¡±

    At that moment, Feng Yuxuan could not guess what Emperor Zongwen thought.

    On the other side, Feng Yuzhen also cast his skeptical gaze on Feng Yuran. But Feng Yuran, totally ignorant of the gaze, just ate the watermelon slice by slice bluntly. And only for a while, except several slices he took out for Mo Xuetong, he finished almost half of the watermelons in the te.

    ¡°Eat as you wish. Is your father too serious? Even if he punishes you, he should not deduct your fruit.¡± Princess Royal shook her head smilingly and asked a servant to send the te of watermelon in front of Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Aunt, when you go to the pce, you should tell Father how poor I am now. Just tell him I cannot eat or sleep well. I am so desperate for fruits that blisters appear in my mouth.¡± After putting the watermelon, Feng Yuran took on a pitiful look on his handsome face, his eyes shing. What a poor look he pretended!

    Mo Xuetong secretly jerked the corner of her mouth, thinking that the man was really an actor.

    Yesterday it was Feng Yuran himself who finished half of a watermelon and still imed it was not enough!

    ¡°I dare not tell your Father that you have blisters in the mouth. If you Father sees what you are now, perhaps he will beat you till you have blisters in the mouth.¡± When she Feng Yuran act like a spoiled child, Prince Royal¡¯s heart softened and she teased him involuntarily. Although Prince Royal got used to living alone and was not close to people because of the secret of her life, Feng Yuran was a high-maintenance boy who got around her since childhood. So in Prince Royal¡¯s heart, she thought more highly of Feng Yuran than Mo Xuetong, her natural niece.

    ¡°Aunt, I know you love me the most. Why don¡¯t you help me? I will listen to Father from now on. When I recover, I will go to the imperial court and help Father deal with the political affairs, so that Father won¡¯t punish me, then?¡± Feng Yuran looked pure and innocent, as if he had irritated Emperor Zongwen just because Feng Yuran was fun-loving.

    Prince Royal scolded smilingly. ¡°Look! Just as you are now, how can your Father set his mind at rest for you? It is not a game to learn to administer affairs of state. Be careful not to ruin it. It will be terrible!¡±

    ¡°Aunt, rest assured, I will study hard in the future, as long as Aunt puts in a good word for me to let Father grants me two watermelons.¡± Feng Yuran gave a suave smile, and his dark eyes gleamed shiningly with charm. Ling Fengyan sitting beside could not help but set her eyes on his unparalleled and handsome face and fall into a trance for a moment.

    But immediately she lowered her head, covered all the thoughts in the corners of her eyes, and regained more chills between the eyebrows.

    ¡°Since Eighth brother loves eating watermelon so much, and I have two in my manor, you don¡¯t have to bother Father, and I will send them to you.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled elegantly and signaled his servant toe.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t trouble to do so. You just keep what you have. Since Father still has some in the pce, how can Father be so partial?¡± Feng Yuran smiled bewitchingly, reached out his hands to stop Feng Yuxuan, and blinked to him. The bantering look on Feng Yuran¡¯s face seemed to tell that no matter how, he would get two watermelons from Emperor Zongwen. His childish expression could ease people down.

    Since Feng Yuran got used to living a free life, how could he bear any responsibility? How?

    ¡°Fine, you...¡± Feng Yuxuan shook his head helplessly, and said with a smile to Feng Yuzhen beside, ¡°Cousin, Eighth Brother is in poor health. Since you live closer to him, please see him at your convenience so as to avoid his making trouble usually and annoying Father.¡±

    ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t worry. Eighth Brother is favored by the Emperor. As long as he doesn¡¯tmit any major matters, the Emperor will let go of Eighth brother, and at most give some light punishment.¡± Feng Yuzhen replied also with a smile.

    They showed love and respect as good brothers should. What a merry scene filled with cheerful chatting andughing, as if there were no grudges among them!

    The king¡¯s consorts joined the conversation asionally, and the atmosphere was very friendly.

    Wang Yueyue and Ling Fengyan sat close to each other and got along well. So seeing Ling Fengyan was not well today, Wang Yueyue asionally helped Ling Fengyan to the food.

    After dinner, the brothers went to the pavilion outside to have some talks and help to digest. Princess Royal left there temporarily, and three of the princes¡¯ consorts chatted in the parlor about what had happened in the capital. However, Mo Xuetong was not familiar, so she stood up after listening to them for a while. She smiled at Ling Fengyan and Wang Yueyue. ¡°Royal sisters-inw, I will go to see Mother and then, to serve His Highness. So I am sorry that I cannot apany you now.¡±

    She was the daughter of Princess Royal, and it was a matter of courtesy to see Princess Royal.

    Ling Fengyan smiled and tried to make Mo Xuetong stay. ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t be so hurried. Princess Royal is busy now, and she will not have time to apany you. How about talking with us more? It is rare that the three of us can get together.¡±

    Wang Yueyue came to hold Mo Xuetong to sit down and smiled warmly. ¡°That¡¯s right. Eighth Sister-inw, just stay with us and have more chats. We are a family, and there is no so much courtesy. It is too lonely that only King Chu¡¯s Consort and I are here. Their Highnesses are talking now, and cannot have a rest at this moment.¡±

    Judging from their words, they both tried to stop Mo Xuetong, as if Mo Xuetong would not treat them as family members if she left right now. They said so sincerely that an outsider might think three of them were really good sisters.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not want to stay any longer. Obviously, Ling Fengyan had an ulterior motive. Based on the current situation, Feng Yuxuan was most likely to scheme against Feng Yuzhen, because Feng Yuran had achieved nothing and looked good-for-nothing, who did not deserve a lot of efforts that Feng Yuxuan made to deal with.

    But Feng Yuxuan¡¯s thought did not represent that Ling Fengyan would do as he thought. Mo Xuetong did not know what had happened between Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan, and she could sense something weird between them. Ling Fengyan wore heavy makeup on her face but still could not cover her drawn expression. And even Ling Fengyan¡¯s gaze at Feng Yuxuan was not affectionate as before, instead, it became chilly with hatred, the same way Mo Xuetong used to stare at Sima Lingyun.

    How could such two peoplemunicate in a heart-to-heart way?

    It wasn¡¯t Mo Xuetong¡¯s style to suffer an undeserved disaster, and she did not leave any evidence that could be got held of in the future.

    ¡°It would be ungracious not to ept your invitation, but Father Emperor specially sent people to ask me to take care of His Highness, because his leg has not recovered. If he does not take a good rest and suffers the aftereffects of his injury, it will be all my fault. It is not easy to be the King¡¯s consort. If anything goes wrong, I will be responsible for it. So how dare I rx a little? When the King takes the rest in our manor, I am bound to invite two of you to drop in on me and pleasee at that time.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded full of remorse, and still she sincerely nned to invite them to the manor, but actually she took the Emperor as an excuse. Since neither of them dares to disobey the Emperor¡¯s words, Ling Fengyan and Wang Yueyue were unable to reply to that question at that moment.

    Ling Fengyan stood up by holding the maidservant, walked to Mo Xuetong and held her hands. Ling Fengyan said with smiles on her face. ¡°Among different Kings¡¯ consorts, you are the most favored. In the Emperor¡¯s heart, he cherished King Xuan most. I have a bottle of vulnerary gained from abroad. It is rare and particrly effective for injury. You can take it to His Highness, King Xuan.¡±

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s hands were cold and greasy as if coated with something. Oily and slippery, her hands clenched Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands tightly, which made Mo Xuetong quite ufortable. So Mo Xuetong stood up calmly, took two steps back to avoid Ling Fengyan¡¯s hand, and showed the thankfulness by a bow. ¡°Royal sister-inw, thank you very much. Well, I will take it. When the King recovers, we wille to give our gratitude to eldest brother and eldest sister-inw together.¡±

    Feng Yuran was still injured. As a wife, Mo Xuetong could refuse all the gifts except this kind.

    Ling Fengyan said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We¡¯re a family.¡± And then, she asked her maidservant to submit an opened box of ointment. The light aroma was refreshing and pleasing. Ling Fengyan pointed at the light yellow transparent ointment, about to say something more. But Mo Xuetong asked Mo Lan to take it first, covered the box and retired with a smile.

    A hint of chilly and vicious smile shed in the eyes of Ling Fengyan standing behind, and her eyes full of resentment!

    Since she could not get him, she was unwilling to let others get!

    Only after walking out of the parlor for a few meters, Mo Xuetong immediately took Mo Lan and Mo Yu to enter an empty room beside. Mo Xuetong took off the clothes on her. Sure enough, she saw a faint oil stain on the wide sleeve cuff. The oil stain was too invisible to spot instantly.

    ¡°Mo Yu, go to fetch my clothes from the carriage. Mo Lan, pack up the clothes and ask people to take it back to the manor and check what the oil stain is. And don¡¯t mix it with the ointment¡±. Mo Xuetong instructed as she pointed at the ointment in Mo Lan¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Yes, I will do it now. And I will ask a secret guard to deal with the clothes now.¡± Mo Yu nodded and retreated hurriedly, as she realized that the situation was serious.

    When going out to attend a banquet, the girls from influential families would bring another set of clothes in case of any ident.

    The smell irritated Mo Xuetong, and her eyes became cold. She would not smell wrong. In thest life, the incense lit in her room smelt exactly the same as it. But the smell, not stronger than that of the ointment Ling Fengyan gave her, almost made her infertile. Therefore, Mo Xuetong was absolutely sure that the oil stain on the cuff was a kind of guiding drug. If it was mixed with the ointment, the effect would be far stronger than that in thest life.

    This was to cut off her possibility of pregnancy!

    Was it Ling Fengyan¡¯s idea or Feng Yuxuan¡¯s...

    But no matter who it was, Mo Xuetong would spare neither of them. But for the simr experiences in thest life, Mo Xuetong would have been framed up by Ling Fengyan.

    Sitting on the side of the couch, Mo Xuetong was still contemting what she was going to do. Mo Yu hurriedly came in holding the change of clothes, and cried out, ¡°My Lady, something terrible happened. King Chu¡¯s Consort died.¡±

 Chapter 400 - Ling Fengyan Died Suddenly in the Inner Yard

    <b>Chapter 400 Ling Fengyan Died Suddenly in the Inner Yard</b>

    Did Ling Fengyan die who had talked with Mo Xuetong smilingly just now?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned serious, and she stood up and asked immediately, ¡°When did it happen?¡±

    ¡°It was just now after I told the secret guard and passed the front yard, I heard people in the front yard screaming that ¡®Something happened to King Chu¡¯s Consort and some yelling that ¡®King Chu was poisoned¡¯. So she died of poison.¡± Mo Yu panted and paled, as she also felt something terrible.

    Mo Yu went out of here, took the clothes and came into the front yard, which would at least take about 10 minutes. That was to say, Ling Fengyan died 10 minutes after Mo Xuetong left. Just now, she still talked with Mo Xuetong cheerfully, and even held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands forwardly. If something had happened to Ling Fengyan, and Mo Xuetong could not give any evidence to prove her innocence, it would be hard for Mo Xuetong to clear of the suspect.

    A sh of intuition shed into Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. She put on the clothes quickly and asked, ¡°Where is the King?¡±

    ¡°The secret guard said His Highness has taken a rest in the guestroom on the left, and asked you to go there quickly.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, there is a small door over there, and we can go there without passing the front yard. I think, the time is enough.¡± Mo Lan said, as she also knew the importance of time. Since Mo Xuetong often came to the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, her maidservants also became familiar with all the roads and paths.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± Mo Xuetong, along with two maidservants, went out hurriedly. Because where she was now was close to the parlor, if she was found to stay there, it was hard to exin clearly. The most important thing was to leave the spot and have others as witnesses. Mo Xuetong did not worry about the clothes she had changed, because someone would take it away.

    Mo Xuetong, followed by the two maidservants, headed to the ce where Feng Yuran was. They did not choose the main road but the small paths instead. Fortunately, Princess Royal¡¯s manor had been in chaos, and lots of people ran to the parlor, so Mo Xuetong did not encounter anyone on the way. After turning around several corridors, Mo Xuetong was blocked by a high wall.

    ¡°Ah, My Lady, the back door is always locked. What should we do?¡± Looking at the closed door, Mo Lan stomped her feet anxiously. Just now, she was too flustered to remember that although there was a back door in the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, it was always locked, and it was impossible to get the key right away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just wait a second.¡± Mo Xuetong gasped for breath, as she looked at the high wall and gnawed her lips. At that moment, she was also at a loss as to what to do, only hoping Feng Yuran could think that she was there. Mo Xuetong spun around with sweat oozing from her white tender forehead. She knew that if she was involved in the matter, Feng Yuran would be dragged into the water without a doubt. No matter whom Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan had nned to scheme against, or who had schemed against them, Mo Xuetong would not allow herself to fall into the trap.

    Her eyes fell on the rockery beside. There was a small pool next to it. It looked not big but deep. Mo Xuetong gnashed her teeth quietly and decided that if there was no other way out, she would drop into the pool herself, because she had to squeeze out the timeg, as well as to prove what she was doing during that time.

    ¡°Why do youe sote?¡± The voice, like the sound of nature, came leisurely from the high tree beside. Feng Yuran jumped down from the tree, followed by Feng Yue. For Mo Xuetong, she threw herself into Feng Yuran without saying a word, as if she saw a savior.

    ¡°My Lady, you miss me so much, as we just part for a while.¡± Feng Yuran gave a fascinating smile to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have time to banter with him. Besides, he was thick-skinned and finally it was she who would feel bashful and annoyed. Therefore, Mo Xuetong just ignored his words, and pinched his arms instead, motioning that he should take her away there as soon as possible.

    Feng Yuran also knew that he could not afford wasting time, so he did not say more and held Mo Xuetong to jump over the wall. Behind him, Feng Yue took the two maidservants across the wall as well.

    Behind the wall was the guest room in the outer yard. Because Feng Yuran did not recover and needed good rest, all in the yard were his people. When they saw Feng Yuran holding Mo Xuetong to fly into the yard, they just stood with their heads lowered, as if they hadn¡¯t seen it at all.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong into the inner room, and Feng Yue disappeared with a sh. The two maidservants did embroidery in the outer room, and the atmosphere was so calm.

    When they just settled, Feng Yuzhen led some people to rush into the yard, and he pushed away the guards standing outside the door and hurried in, yelling, ¡°Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother.¡±

    He lifted up the curtain and rushed in.

    Mo Lan and Mo Yu put down the embroidery in their hands, but before they gave a salute to Feng Yuzhen, he had rushed into the room.

    ¡°Sister Mo Lan!¡± Mo Yu said hurriedly, ready to follow in.

    Mo Lan shook her head slightly, signaling Mo Yu not to take any rash action. With some thoughts, Mo Lan took the teapot beside, made a cup of tea and sent it in.

    In the inner room, Feng Yuran opened his eyes slowly as if he just woke up, and asked drowsily, ¡°Cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    At the edge of the bed, Mo Xuetong stood up in astonishment and was so shocked that she dropped the book on the ground. Perhaps being frightened, she shivered, unable to say a word.

    Feng Yuzhen nced at Mo Xuetong, and a hint of astonish shed in his eyes. But soon, he collected himself, came to pull Feng Yuran, and said anxiously, ¡°Eighth Brother, something terrible happened to the Eldest Royal Sister-inw. Aunt has gone there and asked us to go there, too.¡±

    ¡°The Eldest Royal Sister-inw!¡± Mo Xuetong paled with shock and screamed. She seemed to be scared, held the corner of the table and almost fell to the ground. Mo Lan, who just came into the room, hurried to hold her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran seemed startled, sat up by the support of theing little eunuch, and put on the robe. At that moment, Mo Xuetong also reacted to herself. She quickly took Feng Yuran¡¯s jade belt at the folding screen and lowered her head to wear it for him. Her face turned pale with fright.

    ¡°I am not quite sure. I was so anxious to tell you and had no time to ask about the situation clearly. Was Xuetong there as well? Did she find any problems?¡± Feng Yuzhen turned to ask Mo Xuetong with a nk look, as if he knew nothing about it.

    The descendants of the royal family were definitely not of themon sort. Mo Xuetong could not help but eximing inwardly that Feng Yuzhen was not only good at acting but also scrupulous and smart. He pretended to be ignorant of the matter. Obviously, he was shirking responsibility.

    Just now, he stayed with Feng Yuxuan, so both of them got the news together. Even if Feng Yuxuan left in a hurry, based on Feng Yuzhen¡¯s nature, how could he not inquire clearly? And Feng Yuzhen came to find Feng Yuran at the moment, merely wanting Feng Yuran, the cob, to be a witness.

    In this way, Feng Yuzhen could easily get away with any suspect, who had the same idea as Mo Xuetong.

    Or there was another n in case that Mo Xuetong appeared suddenly so that Feng Yuzhen could push the me onto Mo Xuetong. Since Ling Fengyan died in the inner yard, it must have something to do with the people in the inner manor. Ling Fengyan had her own maidservants and nannies, so anyone was unable to approach her, except Mo Xuetong and Wang Yueyue. In other words, Mo Xuetong and Wang Yueyue had be the most suspicious people.

    In order to help Wang Yueyue get rid of this suspicion, Feng Yuzhen had to prove Mo Xuetong guilty. And it would be the best proof that Mo Xuetong could not prove her whereabouts during that period. That was why Feng Yuzhen rushed in without allowing the servants to report to Feng Yuran because he wanted to catch Feng Yuran unprepared.

    ¡°Feng Yuzhen was really full of guile!¡± thought Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Just now, because I had to take care of Yuran¡¯s rest, I left there early when the two sisters-inw were talking merrily. Unlike me, they were old acquaintances, but I even could not join in their talks.¡± Mo Xuetong raised her head with clear eyes and asked nervously, ¡°Did something bad happen to Fengyan? What happened?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked nk and totally ignorant of what was going on, even more innocent than Feng Yuzhen looked. As a matter of fact, before Feng Yuzhen¡¯sing, Feng Yuran had told her all: when seeing Mo Xuetong did not appear for a long time, Feng Yuran realized that the situation changed, so he asked a person wearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes toe around the backyard into this one. And it could serve as the strongest evidence.

    A deep confusion came over Feng Yuzhen¡¯s eyes because someone imed to see Mo Xuetong in the inner yard when it happened, but how could she appear in Feng Yuran¡¯s room in such a short time? Moreover, Mo Xuetong¡¯s remarks just showed that the deep friendship between Wang Yueyue and Ling Fengyan, and that Mo Xuetong herself was just an outsider, even having no chance to talk.

    ¡°Cousin, stop saying anything more. Let¡¯s go to see it together now.¡± Feng Yuran had prepared well, so he held the little eunuch¡¯s hand and go first impatiently.

    Feng Yuzhen had to keep up hurriedly. And Mo Xuetong, followed by Mo Lan and Mo Yu, walked at the end.

    In the parlor, Feng Yuxuan held the pale and bleeding Ling Fengyan and cried anxiously, ¡°Fengyan, Fengyan, wake up, please wake up.¡± All the Ling Fengyan¡¯s maidservants and nannies were kneeling on the ground in the parlor. Wang Yueyue stood beside, her face pale with fright. But for being supported by her own maidservant, Wang Yueyue would have knelt on the ground with a scare.

    Ling Fengyan died suddenly. The most suspicious person in this parlor was Wang Yueyue, so she had been frightened out of her wits and tried her best to pull Mo Xuetong with the hope that Mo Xuetong could serve as a witness for her. Based on her understanding of Ling Fengyan, Wang Yueyue knew that Ling Fengyan today was not normal as usual.

    Wang Yueyue was always on guard against Ling Fengyan. Since Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen were ipatible like water and fire, Wang Yueyue did not dare to be close to Ling Fengyan as before. But Wang Yueyue did not expect that Ling Fengyan did not do harm to her, but instead, she was suspected of killing Ling Fengyan. But how could Ling Fengyan use her own life to frame up Wang Yueyue?

    If Wang Yueyue was confirmed, she knew that she would have no way out, and not only Feng Yuzhen but also the whole Wang family would be incriminated. At the thought, Wang Yueyue felt paralyzed as if she was falling down, and twitched with a scare. Her stomach twitched in pain, but she did not dare to cry out.

    She was the most suspicious, so how dare she add trouble now?

    On the other side, Princess Royal frowned and nodded to the manor doctor who just came in. The manor doctor crouched down and put his hand on Ling Fengyan¡¯s wrist. Just one take of the pulse, he knew that Ling Fengyan¡¯s pulse did not beat any longer, so he stood up and shook his head at Princess Royal.

    ¡°Yuxuan, put down Fengyan. She has passed away. You should calm yourself down. Let me see what the matter is! No one is allowed to leave unless it is clear.¡± Princess Royal was rather angry with a gloomy expression. No one would be happy when such a thing happened in his/her manor. Particrly, it was Princess Royal who invited Ling Fengyan to the manor.

    And Ling Fengyan just died in Princess Royal¡¯s manor. It was impossible to say that Princess Royal had no responsibility.

    ¡°Who dared to carry out the murder in my manor? How dare! ¡± Princess Royal thought.

    ¡°Aunt, what happened?¡± Feng Yuran and Feng Yuzhen came into the door together. Mo Xuetong came behind them and got shocked at the sight in the parlor.

    Feng Yuxuan stood up and tottered back. His legs were so weak that he had to take a seat beside him. His eyes were red and sadly staring at Ling Fengyan, and the corners of his lips were stained with dark red blood. He did not say a word.

    ¡°You¡¯ve juste in time. Take a seat.¡± Princess Royal said grimly.

    ¡°Your Highness! Your Highness!¡± Wang Yueyue screamed when her terrified eyes spotted Feng Yuzhen, as if finding her reassuring medicine. She rose at once and threw herself into Feng Yuzhen. She was scared, extremely scared, not knowing what to do, because the situation waspletely beyond her father and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s calction!

    Her sharp screams rang in the cold parlor. The stupefied Feng Yuxuan finally shifted his eyes from Ling Fengyan to Wang Yueyue, and then, the eyes turned chilly. As Wang Yueyue looked at Feng Yuzhen, Feng Yuxuan said coldly, ¡°Cousin, please serve the justice for me today.¡±

 Chapter 401 - In the Princess Royals Manor, Wang Yueyue Framed Xuetong

    <strong>Chapter 401 In the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, Wang Yueyue Framed Xuetong</strong>

    Before Feng Yuzhen uttered, Wang Yueyue had answered first, which made him glower with displeasure in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me. It¡¯s not me. It¡¯s really not me.¡± Wang Yueyue did not notice Feng Yuzhen¡¯s unusual expression, and all she was eager to do was to prove her innocence. She shook her hands at a loss, her pale face screwing up.

    ¡°Who would do it except you!¡± A nanny kneeling on the ground raised her head and said angrily, and then, she kowtowed to Feng Yuxuan and burst into tears. ¡°Lady felt better as she walked out today. King Ning¡¯s consort got along well with the Lady, so Lady asked us to stand farther from them, so they could have some private talks. Even they helped themselves with tea. But unexpectedly, just after a while, Lady was poisoned to death. Your Highness, please exercise justice for My Lady.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, please exercise justice for My Lady!¡± The kneeling maidservants and nannies kowtowed and cried.

    Since such a thing happened, a King¡¯s consort died, and she came from the Empress¡¯ family. The fury from the Ding General Manor, from the royal family, and from King Chu was impossible to bear for anyone. Only by using Wang Yueyue could they probably have a way out.

    Princess Royal neglected them, looked at the manor doctor, and asked coldly, ¡°Doctor, what do you think?¡±

    The manor doctor took a silver needle, pierced it into Leng Fengyan¡¯s finger, and took another to pierce into her throat. Then, he took out the needles and found that the tips of the needles turned ck. He said, ¡°The Lady was poisoned to death, and the poison came to her body through throat. I think, she drank it directly and died.¡±

    The poisone through the throat. At that time, all the maidservants and nannies stood away from them, and the only suspect was Wang Yueyue.

    All the people stared at Wang Yueyue with suspicion.

    ¡°Poisoned, came in from the mouth.¡± Mo Xuetong standing behind Feng Yuran thought and frowned slightly. She had a doubt in her heart that since Mo Xuetong had felt Ling Fengyan¡¯s pulse before and realized that Ling Fengyan¡¯s pulse had gone wrong when she was alive, the pulse showed that Ling Fengyan had poisoning symptom. Besides, Ling Fengyan acted strangely today and was rather weird.

    Wang Yueyue stepped back in fright and defended herself immediately. ¡°Your Highness, it is not me. It is really not me. I did stand close to her, but the tea was poured by herself, and it had nothing to do with me.¡± Her flustered eyes drifted on Ling Fengyan¡¯s dead face. And that face was no longer calm and beautiful as usual, and turned chilly and livid instead, scaring Wang Yueyue to step back more. She felt her belly falling with pain.

    ¡°Lady Ning, how can you say that? Just now you said you and My Lady were as close as sisters, and My Lady died when she was with you. So how can you im that it has nothing to do with you?¡± The nanny who was kneeling in the front asserted emphatically, and the other servants kneeling behind her all pointed at Wang Yueyue immediately.

    ¡°Feng Yuzhen, give me an exnation.¡± Feng Yuxuan stared grimly at Feng Yuzhen and rebuked him. Wang Yueyue and Ling Fengyan were as close as sisters, so there would not be any personal resentment between the two. The only resentment came from the ipatibility between their respective husbands. If Wang Yueyue wanted to kill Ling Fengyan, it meant that Feng Yuzhen cut off one arm of Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°Why did you let her poison Fengyan? You can ignore anything but Fengyan is your cousin. You¡¯ve disposed of Third Brother. Why are you still so greedy? Do you want to cut off all the people¡¯s ways to survive? Do you want to sacrifice anyone¡¯s life merely for the sake of power?¡± Feng Yuxuan was so grieved that he pointed at Feng Yuzhen and rebuked sharply word by word.

    It was known to all that Feng Yulei was backed by the Empress and the Empress¡¯ family, Ding General Manor, and Feng Yuzhen was backed by the Empress Dowager and Ding General Manor as well. Feng Yulei¡¯s being imprisoned seemed to be beneficial to Feng Yuxuan, but actually, Feng Yuzhen was the biggest winner because he would get the support of Ding General Manor himself. But at the same time, as the son-inw of Ding General Manor, Feng Yuxuan would get some support definitely.

    Even the Empress, who lost her agent, Feng Yulei, would turn to Feng Yuxuan. No matter if Feng Yuxuan or Feng Yulei would seed to the throne, the Empress would ascend to be the Empress Dowager. If Ling Fengyan gave birth to heirs, she would be the next Empress, which would guarantee the glory and wealth of the Ding General Manor in the following decades. What a great opportunity! Ding General Manor would not sit by and do nothing.

    Ling Fengyan was the bond between Ding General Manor and Feng Yuxuan. Now, the bond was broken, and the leading gainer was Feng Yuzhen. Besides, all the evidence was pointed at Feng Yuzhen. Even if Feng Yuxuan was quite level-headed, he could not bear it anymore. His eyes reddened with hatred, and his remarks totally disregarded Feng Yuzhen¡¯s face.

    Princess Royal had thought to stop them but fell into silence at this moment. It was not amon poisoning case. If it was handled improperly, it would resort to arms. Although she was a princess, she did not want to get involved and be used by others. So she just sent people to the pce to report and sat beside, frowning.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and sat down as well. His leg had not recovered, so he could not stand for a long time. Because Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen, and Wang Yueyue all stood, Mo Xuetong felt it improper to take a seat and had to stand behind Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Eldest Brother. Please wait. If it was she who administered the poison to sister-inw, I will not cover up her guilt. Here, take my manor doctor here to check when the sister-inw was poisoned and what poison it is.¡± Feng Yuzhen had sweated on his head. The things had gone beyond his calction, so he had no alternative but to drag it on.

    Wang Yueyue wobbled and looked at Feng Yuzhen unbelievably. She knew what he meant. If he was unable to prove her innocence, she would be pushed out as a victim. A glimmer of despair took on in her eyes. Although they were a newly-married couple, all the honeyed words could not outweighed the sentence that Feng Yuzhen said today, like a sharp sword piercing into her heart.

    Sure enough, all he said were lies!

    ¡°My Lady, calm down. Please calm down.¡± Her nanny shook Wang Yueyue¡¯s hand violently and seeing Wang Yueyue staring at Feng Yuzhen nkly, the nanny pinched Wang Yueyue¡¯s hand hard.

    The strong tingling awakened Wang Yueyue from the trance. She put her hands to her belly and knew that she could not get flustered because she had a baby in her belly.

    The doctor of King Ning¡¯s manor was brought in soon. And the doctor of Princess Royal¡¯s manor retreated at the sign of Princess Royal. Since Feng Yuzhen did not believe her manor doctor, Princess Royal was unwilling to bring trouble and just let them deal with it themselves.

    ¡°Your Highness, King Chu¡¯s Lady was poisoned about 2 hours ago, and the dosage was not much, so she did not die on the spot. But the King Chu¡¯s Lady was in poor health, so she could not hold on and die of the poison. And the poison is named poisonous orchid. She drank it through her throat.¡± The doctor of King Ning¡¯s manor knew better than that of Princess Royal¡¯s manor, because he not only told the time of the poisoning but also what kind of poison it was.

    The poisonous orchid was not a rare medicinal material in the Qin Kingdom. It was avable in all aristocratic families, which was used to punish disobedient people like concubines.

    Two hours ago? It was when the banquet was about to end. That was to say, all the people present were suspects.

    ¡°Your Highness, at that time, Lady Ning was sitting beside our Lady, and some even helped dishes to our Lady.¡± The nanny kneeling on the ground said immediately.

    ording to the seat arrangement at that time, Ling Fengyan had Princess Royal on the right and Wang Yueyue on the left. Princess Royal was a senior, and she never helped Ling Fengyan for any food. But Wang Yueyue was the cousin¡¯s wife, so she did help Ling Fengyan some food mannerly when seeing Ling Fengyan¡¯s feeble look. It was not a big deal, but now when it came to this matter, Wang Yueyue¡¯s movement at that time was quite inexplicable.

    ¡°Lady Ning, what else can you say?¡± Feng Yuxuan said coldly.

    Wang Yueyue had already collected herself at this time and realized that Feng Yuzhen was unreliable and that she had to rely on herself. She did not step back but came up to curtsy to Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°Your Highness, as the manor doctor said, Lady Chu was poisoned for about 2 hours. That is today, the timested after the closing of the banquet. During that period, Lady Xuan was also present, and three of us still had some talks. And Lady Chu did not feel ufortable. But after Lady Xuan left, Lady Chu told me that she felt ufortable. Then, Lady Chu and I talked for a while. And Lady Chu spat ck blood and died. If I really conducted it, why did Lady Chu react like that?¡±

    In every possible way, Wang Yueyue was trying to get Mo Xuetong under the spotlight. Only when people thought Mo Xuetong was one of the suspects could Wang Yueyue get away! As long as Wang Yueyue was of use to Feng Yuzhen, he would not abandon her!

    Her brunt was directed at Mo Xuetong!

    ¡°Yueyue, what you said is not true. I was a little far away from Fengyan at that moment. Why did it have something to do with me? Besides, the rtionship between Fengyan and I was not so close, and I was turned away from you far. Later, I left in a hurry because I went to take care of my King. During that period, I did not give anything edible to Fengyan. Do you want to shift the me on me? Have you ever considered King Xuan? Have you ever considered Her Highness?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up, and her bright eyes were faintly misty. With a grieved look, She defended herself in a timid manner, her eyes full of grievance and sorrow. Anyone would feel she was wronged for no reason. Mo Xuetong looked at Princess Royal for help.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s remark, Princess Royal felt angry inwardly and could not help giving a snort.

    Although Mo Xuetong was Feng Yuran¡¯s consort, she was Princess Royal¡¯s daughter. Wang Yueyue¡¯s words showed great suspicion to Mo Xuetong that Mo Xuetong was much more likely to poison Ling Fengyan to death undetected. However, Wang Yueyue¡¯s words also led the fire to Princess Royal.

    Because if Mo Xuetong could do it undetected, it could not bepleted without Princess Royal¡¯s help. Otherwise, how could Mo Xuetong have done it reconditely?

    Wang Yueyue was stunned and did not expect that Mo Xuetong could react so quickly and deliberately misinterpreted her words to shift the topic on Princess Royal.

    Wang Yueyue tried to exin, but merely met with Princess Royal¡¯s cold eyes. It was undeniable that if Mo Xuetong did poison Ling Fengyan to death, Princess Royal could not escape responsibility for it. So just now, Wang Yueyue deliberately bypassed the topic about Princess Royal with the attempt to bear down Mo Xuetong first, but out of Wang Yueyue¡¯s expectation, Mo Xuetong¡¯s counterattack made Wang Yueyue fell into a dilemma and not dare to speak carelessly.

    Wang Yueyue thought that Mo Xuetong was really not so innocent as she looked, instead, she was so crafty.

    However, at that moment, Wang Yueyue could not retreat and could even feel the Feng Yuzhen¡¯s eyes as chilly as ice behind. Wang Yueyue got a bit stiffened, gritted her teeth and wailed. ¡°If Lady Xuan does not believe, you can ask those maidservants on the spot at that time. Lady Chu felt ufortable when you left.¡± Wang Yueyue turned to ask the nannies kneeling on the ground, ¡°Lady Chu asked you to bring a basin of water and washed her hands and face, right?¡±

    It was true. As soon as Mo Xuetong left, Ling Fengyan said that she felt dizzy and ufortable, and ordered people to take a basin of water to wash her face. And then, she sat down and chatted with Wang Yueyue.

    The kneeling nanny thought and nodded. ¡°Yes. I served My Lady to wash the face. Because I was unfamiliar here, I requested a maidservant in the Her Highness¡¯ manor take it away.¡±

    This was to say that Mo Xuetong was more suspicious than Wang Yueyue.

    For a moment all the people in the room set their eyes on Mo Xuetong, and fell into silence, so deadly and suffocating.

    ¡°Lady Xuan, why did you change your clothes in a while? Why did you change your clothes suddenly?¡± A sharp-eyed girl screamed abruptly.

    Immediately, people¡¯s eyes on Mo Xuetong became astonished. Indeed, the clothes on Mo Xuetong was not what she wore when she came here before.

 Chapter 402 - Wang Yueyue Was Pushed and Miscarried

    <strong>Chapter 402 Wang Yueyue Was Pushed and Miscarried</strong>

    ¡°Consort Xuan, could you please exin why you immediately changed after leaving Consort Chu? Could it be...¡± Feng Yuzhen did notplete his sentence. However, the suspicious look on his face made others cast suspicious gazes unto Mo Xuetong.

    Her clothes had not been dirtied at the banquet, so why did she change? Even though girls from wealthy families would prepare an extra set of clothes when they go out, the extra set would not be as appropriate as the one she wore. Ady would not change into her extra set of clothing under usual circumstances unless there was something else going on.

    And Ling Fengyan¡¯s incident had happened then. What a coincidence!

    Everything changed in that instance. Mo Xuetong had be the most likely suspect for Ling Fengyan¡¯s murder.

    ¡°Consort Ning, I do not know what reason I had to kill Consort Yan. My husband is just a leisurely prince. Why would I have to do something like that!¡± Mo Xuetong calmed down as everyone focused on her. Her clear eyes were as ck as ink as she looked at Wang Yueyue who looked pleased.

    ¡°I heard that Consort Xuan had once had an argument with Consort Yu and Consort Yan in the pce. Someone framed Consort Xuan then and Consort Yan was implicated. As for what happened exactly, I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± Feng Yuzhen looked as if he was deep in thought as he brought up some of his suspicions.

    Consort Yu had been punished for the matter and Ling Rui¡¯er had been grounded. Rumors started to spread that Ling Fengyan, the most beautiful woman of the capital, was a fake. She pretended to be gentle but was actually evil and vicious. The enmity between the two started then.

    Even though Feng Yuzhen stated that he was uncertain what happened, he hadid out the motive Mo Xuetong had to kill Ling Fengyan.

    The time was right, and she had the motive and also behaved oddly by changing her clothes. Furthermore, Ling Fengyan had mentioned that she felt unwell. All of this pointed to Mo Xuetong being the culprit. Even Princess Royal looked at Mo Xuetong with a hint of coldness in her eyes. It was the perfect n and Feng Yuzhen managed to lead everyone into suspecting Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Your Highness, this is no small matter. Consort Xuan had almost lost her reputation. She would have been driven to her wit¡¯s end if what she was used with that day had been proven true. It is right for her to be angry. However, her behavior today is truly... Consort Xuan is very young and there are some things that she had not considered thoroughly.¡± Wang Yueyue took the opportunity to speak up when she saw that everyone was looking at Mo Xuetong suspiciously.

    Even though she had not used Mo Xuetong directly, it made it seem as if what Mo Xuetong had done could be excused. It also hinted that Mo Xuetong was behind the vicious killing of Ling Fengyan.

    If it was really Mo Xuetong... The Princess Royal¡¯s eyes darkened.

    Feng Yuxuan nced at Wang Yueyue and then at Feng Yuzhen. Finally, he looked at Mo Xuetong and paused. Momentster, he turned around and waved his hand. A man by his side went out. Soon, an imperial physician appeared at the door who walked up to Ling Fengyan and started examining her silently.

    ¡°Consort Ning¡¯s maid has really sharp eyes. She even managed to see whether my consort changed or not. Then should we inform King Ning¡¯s manor every time I change my clothes? King Ning is even more impressive. You were at the capital of Yan but you know the little matters of what happened between women in the Qin pce.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly saidzily. His handsome eyes were clear and dark. His sharp features were handsome and charming.

    Feng Yuzhen was shocked and he paled. He suddenly looked at this cousin of his he had always looked down on. Feng Yuran¡¯s words were not just a statement made in a moment of pique. He was truly sharp and managed to point out the heart of the matter! Everyone knew that he was in the Yan Kingdom then, so how would he know of a tiny incident in the Qin pce so well? He would not have unless he was in the pce or if he had arranged for spies to be in the pce.

    No matter which of the above possibilities, they would both arouse Emperor Zongwen¡¯s suspicions!

    Feng Yuzhen could feel that he was in danger. Emperor Zongwen had not dealt with him only because he did not have the opportunity to! He would not allow what happened today to be an excuse for Emperor Zongwen to punish him.

    Heughed in a forced manner and said, ¡°Eighth brother, you must be joking. Your sister-inw told me about it after the matter happened. She even defended you then.¡±

    He did not forget to drag Mo Xuetong down with him even as he tried to defend himself.

    Feng Yuran ignored him as he looked at Wang Yueyue¡¯s side with a vague smile.

    Everyone followed his gaze and saw the maidservant whose screams had aroused their suspicions standing beside Wang Yueyue.

    ¡°Eighth brother changed clothes as well.¡± Feng Yuxuan said lightly, a hint of darkness clouding his eyes. He was an intelligent man and he felt rage welling up inside him. If there were not anyone beside him, he would have gone up to kick Ling Fengyan already. Ling Fengyan was a slut who had ruined his ns even after her death. He wanted to drag King Ning down with him but the slut had ignored his instructions and intentionally made it seem as if Mo Xuetong was involved instead.

    When he heard what Feng Yuran implied, he quickly followed up with what Feng Yuran wanted him to say.

    Feng Yuran was just an idle prince who was very arrogant. When Feng Yuxuan became the emperor, it would do good to his reputation to continue supporting Feng Yuran. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, however, would never be of any help to him and would instead be a hindrance.

    Everyone turned to look at Feng Yuran. Indeed, the clothes he was wearing were not the ones he wore when he entered the manor.

    The hint of darkness in Feng Yuxuan did not escape Mo Xuetong. She lowered her head to hide the coldness in her eyes. She was even more certain of her earlier thoughts. Feng Yuxuan and Ling Fengyan had plotted this matter together. And it seemed like they had intended to me Feng Yuzhen for it and get rid of himpletely. However, what Feng Yuxuan did not expect was that Ling Fengyan would disregard his instructions and try to drag Mo Xuetong down instead.

    She would not forget how Ling Fengyan had looked at her with eyes filled with venomous hate!

    She also did not know how she had offended Ling Fengyan for Ling Fengyan to try to me her for her death!

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s odd pulse showed that she had been poisoned long ago. She was just missing another poison that would trigger her death. No matter where she was, as long as a hint of the poison was triggered, Ling Fengyan would die. She did not understand what Feng Yuxuan did to force Ling Fengyan to walk to her death and to frame Feng Yuzhen for it.

    It was a pity that Ling Fengyan had other ns to frame Mo Xuetong for her death. Thisplicated the matter and also plunged Mo Xuetong into danger. If Mo Xuetong could not absolve herself suspicion, she would die together with Ling Fengyan. However, Ling Fengyan¡¯s plots and Wang Yueyue dragging the matter out, as well as Feng Yuxuan¡¯s ns would all fail.

    A sinister smile appeared by her lips. Someone was trying to frame her. She would not just stand there and allow it to happen. Even though Feng Yuzhen had worked together with Ling Fengyan this time, his ns were different from Feng Yuxuan¡¯s. Furthermore, there was still Feng Yuran. She would win for sure this time. She definitely would!

    No matter why Ling Fengyan walked to death by her own ord, she must not have done it willingly. She had not managed to outwit Feng Yuxuan when she was alive and thus would be unable to veer Feng Yuxuan¡¯s n in her death. Furthermore, Feng Yuran had already made ns for Mo Xuetong. She would not lose even if Feng Yuzhen and Wang Yueyue refused to let her off!

    ¡°Consort Ning¡¯s maidservant has really sharp eyes and is really concerned about me. This set of clothes is really simr to the set I wore earlier. Only those who are close to me would be able to differentiate them. I did not know that Consort Ning¡¯s servant had been keeping an eye on me. Or did Consort Ning already know that I was going to change?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up with a hint of confusion shing through her eyes. She looked at Wang Yueyue in surprise, as if wondering how Wang Yueyue was so sure about her change of clothes.

    She implied that Wang Yueyue had nned this and intentionally led everyone to focus on Mo Xuetong. When Wang Yueyue saw how everyone looked at her suspiciously, she hurriedly opened her mouth and tried to exin. However, Feng Yuran interrupted her.

    ¡°My consort and I rested for a while and changed. How did that make her my royal sister-inw¡¯s murderer? I wonder if King Ning has a very rich imagination or if she intentionally cast suspicion on my consort.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s smile was as sharp as a sword as he spoke coldly.

    His eyes were extremely cold and sharp as he stared at Wang Yueyue. Wang Yueyue could not help but lower her head and shrink back fearfully.

    ¡°Eighth brother. Yueyue and Consort Yan were as close as sisters and they have never fought. It¡¯s impossible that she would do something like that.¡± Feng Yuzhen immediately said.

    ¡°King Ning is implying that I am suspected of killing Consort Yan since there is bad blood between us and we are not close. I wonder how I managed to poison Consort Yan!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze did not change. She held the hand Feng Yuran extended to her and could sense the warmthing from it.

    Since Feng Yuzhen insisted that there was bad blood between her and Ling Fengyan, then why would the two of them be so close and not take anything else into consideration?

    Feng Yuzhen¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that and he could note up with a retort.

    ¡°Your Highness, Her Lady was not killed by a poison she ingested. Someone had intentionally given her a poison and only a tiny amount entered her throat. It would not have killed her. There is some transparent salve on thedy¡¯s sleeve. This salve, coupled with the incense in the parlor can cause death. Any ordinary person would only fall unconscious. However, thedy is weak and the poison went to her heart and caused death.¡±

    The imperial physician stood up and reported to Feng Yuxuan.

    She had not been killed by ingesting poison. There was salve on her sleeve and the incense?

    A kneeling maid stood up suddenly. Her dazed gaze spun and thennded on Wang Yueyue. She leaped at the woman and screamed hysterically, ¡°It¡¯s you, it¡¯s you. You were the one who lit the incense earlier. You said that the incense was bad and changed it intentionally. You were the one who killed the consort.¡±

    The servants around Wang Yueyue did not react in time to catch her when the maid leaped at her like a mad beast. The maidservant jumped onto Wang Yueyue heavily. Wang Yueyue screamed pathetically and the servants around her immediately came to their senses and tried to pull the maidservant away!

    The maidservant struggled frantically but could not escape from the grasps they had on her. She could only scream at Wang Yueyue, saying, ¡°It¡¯s you, it¡¯s you! You were the one who killed the consort. You changed the incense and you were the one who put the transparent salve on the consort.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, oh, Her Lady is bleeding. What should we do? Come quickly to hold thedy.¡± Even louder screaming ensued as the servants around Wang Yueyue grew flustered. Wang Yueyue, who was lying on the ground was bleeding slowly, staining her light-colored skirts red.

    ¡°Child, my child. Save my child!¡± Wang Yueyue clutched her stomach and screamed. Her eyes were wide with panic as she searched through the crowd for Feng Yuzhen¡¯s face. She screamed in fear as she felt the child in her belly dying. It was her child. Didn¡¯t they say just had to pretend to suffer? Didn¡¯t they say she just had to set up Ling Fengyan and Mo Xuetong?!

    Why had thingse to this!

    It was almost as if she had lost all her strength as sheid on the ground weakly. She could not stop crying bitterly!

    It was over, it was all over. Her child was gone!

 Chapter 403 - Going to the Emperor and Wang Yueyue Dies

    <strong>Chapter 403 Going to the Emperor and Wang Yueyue Dies</strong>

    No, no, it must not happen. She wanted her child! Wang Yueyue looked up in panic and fear at Feng Yuzhen. Her eyes were filled with bitter pain and pleading.

    Didn¡¯t they say that she just had to put on a show? Didn¡¯t they say that lighting the incense would make it look like her child would seem poisoned and there would be signs of a miscarriage? But it should not really happen. They had nned this all out and nothing had gone wrong. But why had it ended up like this? Her child, her child with royal blood. How did she miscarry just like that?

    As long as Ling Fengyan and Mo Xuetong stayed there for just a while, she could push the me on them. She would be able to drag Mo Xuetong down while framing Ling Fengyan. This would clear all the obstructions for Feng Yuzhen. That was why she decided to work with him and plotted this scene in which she would use her child to frame Ling Fengyan.

    However, she never expected that Ling Fengyan would die!

    Furthermore, it was a poison that had been triggered by the incense she lit. She had intentionally mentioned that the incense in the parlor was bad to frame Ling Fengyan. And together, they changed the incense. She had secretly gotten servants to change the incense. They did not belong to the Princess Royal¡¯s manor. When something happened, she could say that Ling Fengyan had gotten servants to change it in private to hurt her child.

    This was not difficult as long as Wang Yueyue insisted that Ling Fengyan and Mo Xuetong had yed a part in it! She was the one who decided the fate of her unborn child. There only needed to be a hint of a miscarriage and have a physician prove it. Ling Fengyan and Mo Xuetong would not be able to deny it even if they wanted to.

    However, how did the originally foolproof n turn out like this!

    Ling Fengyan was dead. She could not use this excuse to frame Ling Fengyan. Instead, this intimate action was now turned against her. She could not even keep the child in her belly. No, no, this could not be true.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness...¡± She muttered to herself. The loss of her child did not only hurt her physically but also emotionally. She had always wanted a child. To her, this miscarriage was like her losing her life. She cried so hard she lost her voice as she reached out weakly to Feng Yuzhen. She cried while she panted in pain. Her eyes were filled with confusion and pain, and she looked miserable and hopeless.

    Feng Yuzhen felt pity for her as he looked at her. Even though they had only been married for a few days, the gentle and obedient Wang Yueyue had given him a different feeling Wang Xiuxiu gave him. They had been husband and wife for some time, and he truly did feel something for her. As such, he pushed the onlookers away and scooped Wang Yueyue up. He said hurriedly, ¡°Yueyue, Yueyue, how are you? How are you?¡± His forehead was beaded with sweat and he seemed truly worried.

    Wang Yueyue had not managed to get the job done and he was mad about that. However, Wang Yueyue as well as her supporter, Grand Secretariat Wang, had a power that he was not willing to offend or to give up. Furthermore, if he abandoned his wife, who was having a miscarriage, it would just lead to reproach. As such, he pretended to appear deeply in love. Furthermore, he did care for Wang Yueyue. After all, to him, she had always been an obedient wife.

    However, there were more important things to settle right now. Wang Yueyue¡¯s attempt on Ling Fengyan¡¯s life was already a fact. If he were implicated, he would not have a way out either. Even if he managed to stay alive, he would never be able to enter politics again. He could only be an idle prince. How could Feng Yuzhen ept that?

    No matter what had happened, he had to minimize the impact of this incident.

    He had originally wanted to drag down Feng Yuran and his wife down together with him. However, he did not expect that the usually useless couple he always looked down on would be so extraordinarily gracious and calm. They had foiled all his plots. However, it was not the end yet. He still had a chance to save himself!

    There was a cold glint in his eyes. Then, he looked at a servant standing beside Wang Yueyue. The older women seemed like someone Wang Yueyue trusted a lot and she stood right beside Wang Yueyue right now. Receiving Feng Yuzhen¡¯s unspoken message, she nodded slightly and immediately turned around while she continued yelling, ¡°My Lady, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°Servants, take Consort Ning to a wing room.¡± Princess Royal noticed that something was off with Wang Yueyue as well and she immediately ordered the servants around anxiously.

    The Princess Royal¡¯s servants brought Feng Yuzhen to a wing room. Princess Royal wanted to follow them but a eunuch from the pce arrived at the main gates. Other than Wang Yueyue, who was unconscious because of the miscarriage, everyone was called to go to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce.

    Inside the Imperial Study!

    Emperor Zongwen sat at the front with a solemn expression. There was a line of eunuchs and pce maids standing by his side. The imperial physician was already waiting by the side.

    ¡°Son, tell me what happened.¡± The Emperor nced at everyone who was knelt in front of him. He allowed Princess Royal and Feng Yuran to sit before turning to speak to Feng Yuxuan. The pearls on his dragon robes shimmered in the eyes of the dragon and shone with cold light.

    ¡°Father, please seek justice for me!¡± Feng Yuxuan covered his face and wept. He scooted forward on his knees and cried, ¡°My wife has been poor in health since she married me. I brought her along with me to raise her spirits since Aunt has set up a banquet today. I did not expect, I did not expect Consort Ning to actually plot against her. She, she is gone.¡±

    He seemed to be extremely pained as he fell onto the ground and wept sadly. A man crying so mournfully was extremely sad.

    The two were newly married and were at their most passionate. However, one of them died suddenly. It was understandable for him to be so sad! Emperor Zongwen¡¯s gaze softened slightly.

    ¡°Father, my wife¡¯s servants can be witnesses. Consort Ning was chatting with my wife and I don¡¯t know when she nted the poison on my wife¡¯s sleeve. It got onto her arm. Then, she intentionally said that the incense in the parlor was bad and lit a poisonous one instead. She caused my wife to die. Father, please seek justice for me.¡±

    ¡°Imperial physician, is that true?¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at everyone in front of him. He swept his cold gaze across everyone¡¯s face and then turned to speak to the imperial physician who was standing by the side.

    The imperial physician immediately stepped forward and answered respectfully, ¡°Your Majesty, I have already seen Consort Yan. Her death was indeed caused by the medicinal salve on her hand and the incense. If it was only one type of poison, it would not have been a big issue. The two poisons mixed together would at the very least cause someone to be infertile, and at most, take someone¡¯s life.¡±

    A sharp glint appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She blinked to hide the coldness in her eyes. It was indeed a medicine that would cause infertility. Ling Fengyan was truly vicious. She wanted to plot against Mo Xuetong even at death¡¯s door. If Mo Xuetong had not discovered it early, she would have fallen into Ling Fengyan¡¯s plot.

    ¡°Did Consort Ning miscarry?¡± Emperor Zongwen turned to ask Princess Royal.

    ¡°She bled a lot earlier; I fear that the child in Consort Ning¡¯s belly is lost.¡± Princess Royal sighed deeply. They could not control Wang Yueyue¡¯s bleeding. It seemed that she had miscarried.

    ¡°King Ning, what do you have to say?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked gravely as he looked at Feng Yuzhen and rested his gaze upon him.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Yueyue would not do something like that. She is so kind and has never hurt anyone. How could she try to kill Consort Chu? Yueyue once mentioned that she and Consort Chu used to be very good friends. Consort Chu was so talented and Yueyue admired her. Why would she do something so vicious and evil? Furthermore, she, she is pregnant with my child...¡±

    Feng Yuzhen¡¯s eyes were slightly red and his voice shook with pain. While he tried his best to appear calm, he trembled from his sadness as he tried to defend Wang Yueyue.

    He also mentioned that Wang Yueyue was pregnant. How could a mother allow her unborn child to be in danger?

    Earlier on, at the Princess Royal¡¯s manor, Feng Yuzhen had not been so loving. When Wang Yueyue copsed and tried to look for him, he had hesitated for a moment before he hurried forward. It was obvious that he had other ns. However, he was now trying to show everyone how deeply in love he was. He also kept trying to defend Wang Yueyue. Those not in the know would truly think that he was very much in love with Wang Yueyue.

    No wonder Feng Yuzhen dared to aspire to the throne even though he was a hostage son. He was truly a treacherous and sly man!

    He could immediately use this method to escape from Feng Yuxuan¡¯s plots. He was truly quick, vicious, and urate!

    Mo Xuetong stood beside Feng Yuran. Her eyes were cold. This man had made use of everything that could be made use of in women. She was more disgusted by him than anyone else. There was Wang Xiuxiu, Consort Yu, and now, Wang Yueyue. This bastard reminded him of how Sima Lingyun used to be. That bastard had made use of everything she was worth and then fed her poison.

    Feng Yuzhen seemed to turn into Sima Lingyun in front of her. He looked savage as heughed madly with Mo Xuemin as they watched her struggle in the fire and being burnt into ashes.

    Her icy cold fingers dug into her tender palms. She allowed the pain to travel to her heart. Nothing hurt more than her heart!

    A warm and slender hand reached out to her and held her sweaty hands. Mo Xuetong subconsciously wanted to pull away from that hand but was held tightly. A warmth traveled from her pained hand. It was very warm and she could not help but look up at the pair of concerned and loving eyes.

    The extremely handsome face was just as charming as usual. However, he was missing the usualziness that was in his eyes. Instead, he seemed cold and angry except for the warmth he exuded when he looked at her.

    She exhaled deeply and rxed her clenched hand subconsciously below his slender andrge hand. The man beside her right now was not Sima Lingyun. It was Feng Yuran who truly loved her. She did not have to be angry, afraid or be in pain. She had already nned that bastard¡¯s demise.

    What happened had taken ce in mere seconds. Mo Xuetong grew calm once more with the help of Feng Yuran. She stood beside him silently and continued listening to Feng Yuzhen¡¯s tale.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Yueyue would not dare to use the poison if she knew that it would cause infertility. She is pregnant with my child. She must have been framed by someone.¡± Feng Yuzhen now pretended to be a loving husband and he imed that he did not believe that Wang Yueyue would do something like that. Tears escaped from the corners of his eyes as he grew even more enthusiastic in his performance.

    He would not admit it no matter what had happened. In any case, if they wanted to arrive at a final decision regarding the matter, it had to wait for Wang Yueyue to regain consciousness.

    The time that this would take was what he was after!

    Furthermore, he had the support of the Empress Dowager. As long as he had enough time, the Empress Dowager would definitely receive news of this. She would naturally think of a way to help him.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please do justice to Yueyue. She, she is just a girl who doesn¡¯t know anything. She wouldn¡¯t know how to do all that. Only those who are skilled in medical skills would know all that.¡± Feng Yuzhen forced down his sadness and kowtowed. His face was pale as he tried his best to act as if he were very much in love.

    ¡°Rest assured. I will investigate the matter thoroughly. No matter who did it, I will not let the matter rest.¡± Emperor Zongwen frowned unhappily. Of the two consorts, one was dead and the other was injured. The matter also involved the Grand Secretariat and the Ding General Manor. It was not something that could be easily handled no matter in any aspect. He had to investigate the matter seriously.

    The Emperor¡¯s words meant that the matter had infuriated him. He would punish those involved severely.

    Mo Xuetong nced at Feng Yuzhen and then at Feng Yuxuan. One of them acted as if he were in pain and deeply in love while the other acted as if he were sad and angry. Both of them looked as if they wanted the matter investigated thoroughly. The two of them plotted against each other so that the other would die!

    However, their plots had tangled together and foiled their ns. None of them would have expected the matter to turn out like this. Even though Feng Yuzhen had walked into the plot, he still had a back-up n. He would not allow Feng Yuxuan to get what he wanted. However, since the matter had already escted to this state, so what if he did not admit to what he did? Unless...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand shook slightly and Feng Yuran immediately sensed it. He turned to look at herfortingly. There was just a slight hint of a smile on his lips that was extremely cold. His almond-shaped eyes were as clear as water and there was a shimmer of brilliance in them. He hid the sharpness in his eyes and shook his head slightly at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong immediately got the message and lowered her head!

    Emperor Zongwen turned around and ordered the servants behind him to investigate at the Princess Royal¡¯s manor. The matter had happened suddenly and the masters and mistresses have all entered the pce. No matter who the culprit was, they would be sure to find some hints amongst the servants. This was also the reason why Emperor Zongwen called everyone into the pce.

    ¡°Many thanks, Father!¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Majesty!¡±

    Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen thanked the Emperor and was then helped up to their seats by the side.

    The people in the pce had not yet left when a little eunuch stumbled in. He knelt down and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty. The Princess Royal¡¯s Manor just sent word that Consort Ning has passed away!¡±

    All was silent in the room.

 Chapter 404 - The Brothers of the Ding Manor Marry off Their Daughters In King Chus Manor.

    <strong>Chapter 404 The Brothers of the Ding Manor Marry off Their Daughters</strong>

    <strong>In King Chu¡¯s Manor.</strong>

    It was early evening by the time Feng Yuxuan returned to the manor. The night was approaching and the lights on the streets were already lit. He stood in front of the window and breathed out slowly, releasing the pent up energy in him. A cold and sinister smile appeared at the corners of his lips. No matter what would happen, a crack had appeared in the rtionship between Feng Yuzhen and the Ding General Manor. Why would a woman plot against Ling Fengyan for no reason? If she had truly done something like that, it could only be because of her husband.

    This meant that Feng Yuzhen had killed Ling Fengyan!

    The enmity had begun.

    The Empress Dowager had nned to have the Ding General Manor stand on Feng Yuzhen¡¯s side because he was her blood kin. It seemed that the effect of that was going to be greatly reduced. Furthermore, there was the Grand Secretariat Wang. His two daughters had gotten into trouble one after another in Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hands. Could he truly not care and continue to be a loyal subject of the Empress Dowager?

    ¡°Your Highness, the Second Young Master of Ding General Manor wishes to see you.¡± A little eunuch entered and stopped at the door respectfully, looking at the dark and unlit room.

    The Second Young Master of the Ding General Manor was Ling Fengyan¡¯s father and was the brother of Duke Ding. Even though Duke Ding was now the patriarch of the family, the Second Young Master of the Ding Manor did not be a branch family. He was now working as a censor in the Yamen and was Lord Qin¡¯s assistant. Together, the two brothers had their hands in the military and the civil service. They both benefited from this arrangement. Even though Second Young Master Ding was not Duke Ding himself, he was still a powerful man.

    ¡°Quick, invite Second Young Master in.¡± Feng Yuxuan strode out with wide steps.

    He was the Emperor¡¯s son and was a prince. No matter how powerful Second Young Master Ding was, he was still a subject in front of Feng Yuxuan. How could he approach the man instead? The middle-aged man who appeared to be in his 40s hurried forward and tried to bow.

    ¡°Father-inw, there is no need to be so polite. Pleasee in.¡± Feng Yuxuan said hoarsely and hurried forward to hold the man up.

    He had spent the entire afternoon in the pce. He had been questioned in the Princess Royal¡¯s pce and his voice was now strained. When he spoke, he sounded exhausted. There were traces of blood in the corners of his eyes and he looked extremely pale. It was as if he had aged several years in just a day. He appeared exhausted and sad.

    ¡°Your Highness, is Yan¡¯er truly gone?¡± He asked with a trembling voice as he looked at the prince.

    Even though the news from the pce hade early, he did not believe that his beautiful and young daughter had passed away just like this. Thest time he saw her, she had been a newlywed and returned to her maternal home for her first visit. Even though she had been thin and weak, she seemed to be in good spirits. Later, he heard that she was ill and sent servants to visit her. They only said that she was gravely ill.

    However, they all felt that she was young and would get over the illness.

    Who would have thought that that would be thest time he saw her? Even though Ling Hai was a heartless man, his heart could not help but softened. His eyes welled up with hot tears as he thought of his beautiful daughter. His voice trembled.

    ¡°Father-inw...¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s voice was filled with sadness. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but then could not find the words for what he was about to say. He sighed and pulled Ling Hai into the room. When they reached the living room, he directed Ling Hai into a seat and then knelt down with a thud. ¡°Father-inw, I was incapable. Fengyan was hurt by someone... your son-inw was useless...¡±

    When he thought of the incident that pained him to the extremes, he could not even speak. He clutched his chest and punched the floor. His fist hit the stone ground and tore. Blood stained the stone floor red.

    Ling Hai heaved a secret sigh of relief when he saw how sad and hopeless the man before him was. He stood up suddenly. He was just an ordinary official. How could he ept such a great show of courtesy from Feng Yuxuan? Feng Yuxuan was the high and noble, and powerful King Chu. He pulled Feng Yuxuan up hurriedly and said, ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t say that. It is my ill-fated daughter who doesn¡¯t have the good fortune to serve you.¡±

    ¡°It is not Fengyan who does not have the good fortune. It is I, who was incapable of protecting her.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes were filled with pain, anger, and sadness.

    The intense feeling of losing his partner and having to go on alone from now on in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes made Ling Hai feel much better. King Chu did love Yan¡¯er. The hatred Ling Hai felt for King Ning grew. He felt that King Ning was too vicious toe up with such an evil plot. He had killed Ling¡¯er, and Ling¡¯er had passed on at such a young age. Wasn¡¯t his intention to break the rtionship between King Chu and the Ding General Manor?

    He was trying to make it so that the Ding General Manor could only support him!

    He and Duke Ding were brothers and were also brothers of the current Empress. King Yan, Feng Yuyan was the son of their cousin. They were considered to be close. As such, they were more willing to support Feng Yulei, who was closer to them in terms of blood and not the grandson of the Empress Dowager, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen. Furthermore, the most important thing was, it was perfectly justified for King Yan to take the throne.

    King Ning was just a hostage son. What right did he have to ascend the throne?!

    If he insisted on taking the throne, he would have to revel. The Ding General Manor was arge and sessful family. Why did they have to do take this path of no return?

    As long as the Ding General Manor did not rebel and as long as he insisted on supporting King Yan and stood on King Yan¡¯s side, they would still be the empress¡¯s family. That glory and honor were equivalent to being part of the royal family. Why would they rebel then? The cost was too great and the benefits were too little.

    If they seeded, they would only be the empress¡¯s family.

    If they did not, they would be sentenced tomitting a crime that would lead to the entire family¡¯s death!

    As such, the two brothers of the Ding General Manor had always only appeared to support the Empress Dowager but was truly supporting the Empress in helping King Yan onto the throne. However, who would have expected King Yan to have enraged Emperor Zongwen? He had been imprisoned so swiftly nothing could be done about it. The Ding General Manor had not even had the time to react.

    Of course, they were even more suspicious that the Empress Dowager had been behind that. However, they did not have any evidence and they did not dare to argue with the Empress Dowager about it.

    On the surface, they seemed to bepliant to the Empress Dowager and supported King Ning. However, the two brothers thought that King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, was more likely to be Emperor. Ling Fengyan had already married Feng Yuxuan. If she had a son, the rtionship between the two factions would be even closer. Furthermore, if Feng Yuxuan became the Emperor, the child would be the true legitimate son of the pce. The child might be able to rule in the future.

    The royal family of Qin would flow with the blood of the Ding General Manor. Just the thought of it overwhelmed the siblings of the Ding General Manor with excitement!

    Meanwhile, Ling Fengyan would be nobler than the current Empress in the future. After all, the current Empress did not have any sons. That would always be a mark against her.

    Given Ling Fengyan¡¯s beauty and grace, it would be easy for her to catch Feng Yuxuan.

    However, what they had never imagined was that Ling Fengyan would die in the hands of Wang Yueyue. The woman had broken the rtionship between King Chu and the Ding General Manor just like that. The two brothers of the Ding General Manor hated the Empress Dowager. If she had not done anything, would Feng Yuzhen dare to do something like that?

    If the two brothers had not sworn to be loyal to the Empress dowager before the deathbed of their father, they would have already fallen out.

    When they received news that Ling Fengyan had been poisoned to death by Wang Yueyue, the two brothers immediately shut themselves in the study and started discussing the matter. The conclusion they got to was that they must not lose their connection with King Chu no matter what would happen!

    Ling Fengyan was not the only daughter from the Ling family!

    With that thought in mind, and seeing how upset Feng Yuxuan was, Ling Hai felt satisfied. The sadness he felt at the passing of his daughter lightened. He helped Feng Yuxuan into a seat and then leaned over. He said sorrowfully, ¡°Your Highness, I can see how much you love my daughter. Thank you, Your Highness. The Ling family is not fated with Your Highness!¡±

    He turned Ling Fengyan into the Ling family! His intentions were clear!

    ¡°It is all my fault. I did not take notice of her and managed to let that evil woman seed. Father-inw, I will definitely seek revenge for Fengyan.¡± Feng Yuxuan was very upset and he clutched his chest with his bloody hand. He was very agitated, and coupled with his hoarse voice, he seemed to have been dealt a severe blow. He seemed unable to express how he felt with his words and was unlike the usual gracious and elegant King Xuan.

    Ling Hai noted all of this and was secretly delighted. It seemed that the n his elder brother mentioned would not be an issue. As long as King Chu was unable to forget his love for Feng Yan, this matter would be a done deal. His mind was full of ns and hepletely forgot his sadness.

    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t say things like that. If Yan¡¯er knows how much you love her, she would definitely feel grateful to you. Your Highness, when Yan¡¯er was still alive, she had once said jokingly that if she passes on, she hopes that her younger sister would be able to serve you so that she would not let you done. She does not need you to give her status and only hopes that she can take care of you. Your Highness, I did not expect that she would pass on just like that after saying that. I, I... My heart hurts so badly!¡±

    Ling Hai hit his chest and cried while he spoke.

    There was a message lurking beneath what he said. Ling Fengyan¡¯s younger sister was Ling Rui¡¯er, who was also the legitimate daughter of a duke¡¯s manor. If she were to truly marry into a king¡¯s manor, how could they not give her status? Furthermore, King Chu loved Ling Fengyan deeply and would not allow her younger sister to suffer. The position of King Chu¡¯s first consort would still end up in the Ding General Manor. They would still be able to support Feng Yuxuan secretly.

    Even though Ling Fengyan had been reced by Ling Rui¡¯er, they were both legitimate daughters of the Ling family. They would be the empress in the future and the child they had would be the legal eldest son... When he thought of that, Ling Hai could not help the sh of satisfaction that passed his eyes.

    Feng Yuxuan noticed the look of satisfaction and a hint of ridicule shed in his eyes. He said sadly, ¡°Father-inw, how can you say that? I was the one who let Fengyan down. After I send Fengyan off, I will ask Father to grant my marriage and ask to marry Fengyan¡¯s younger sister as my first consort. I will not forget Fengyan¡¯s love for your son-inw.¡±

    He had changed the way he addressed himself to ¡°son-inw¡±, making their rtionship sound close and affectionate.

    Ling Hai grew even more pleased and he pretended to sob for a while longer. Then, he left, satisfied, and about to prepare for Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s impending marriage. Ling Fengyan¡¯s death meant that the royal family owed the Ding General Manor. As long as King Chu asked to marry Ling Rui¡¯er, it would not be an issue for the girl to enter King Chu¡¯s manor. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er would be King Chu¡¯s second wife, and there would not be a big celebration, she was still the legitimate daughter of the Ding General Manor. They would not allow others to look down on her. As such, he would have to return and quickly get her dowry made.

    He had already gotten over the death of his eldest daughter. She was already dead and no longer had value. It had not been easy for him to cry earlier.

    Feng Yuxuan smoothed out his pained expression as he watched Ling Hai leave, pleased with himself. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression turned dark and a cold smile appeared on his lips. Ling Fengyan, who had cuckolded him was dead and was being exchanged with the obedient and stupid Ling Rui¡¯er. He had not made a loss at all. Ling Fengyan had dared to plot against him and embarrass him on the day of their wedding. He would not have let her live no matter what would happen.

    Feng Yuxuan felt annoyed when he thought of that slut. If that slut had not wanted to drag Mo Xuetong down with her as she was dying, nothing like this would have happened. Feng Yuzhen would not have been able to escape. However, the current situation was not bad either. A chasm had appeared between the Ding General Manor and Feng Yuzhen. Feng Yuxuan would see how much more power Feng Yuzhen had to fight him.

    ¡°Your Highness, the servants are asking if you want to see thedy.¡± A little eunuch asked cautiously.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s body had been brought back long ago. They had to clean it and was waiting for it to be ced in the coffin. In the Qin Kingdom, it was said that the deceased had to be ced in a coffin with their family present before they can be reincarnated. If they did not have any family to ce them into the coffin, they would be reincarnated as beasts. As such, the steward has asked the little eunuch to ask the prince.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Help me bathe and get changed. Then, send some wine and food in. I have not yet eaten.¡± Feng Yuxuan flicked his sleeves and walked into the room.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The little eunuch did not dare to say anything else and hurried to carry out his orders.

 Chapter 405 - The Face-off Between the Princess Royal and King Xuan

    <b>Chapter 405 The Face-off Between the Princess Royal and King Xuan</b>

    It was still early when Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong returned.

    The matter did not involve them a great deal and Feng Yuran¡¯s leg was still not healed. As such, they were allowed to return to their manor early.

    After Mo Xuetong got Feng Yuran to lie down when they returned home, news of the Princess Royal¡¯s arrival came.

    As such, Mo Xuetong received Princess Royal in her courtyard.

    Princess Royal came in a hurry and only brought a few people. When Mo Xuetong entered the room and curtsied, the princess nodded. She looked at the servants around Mo Xuetong with narrowed eyes and did not say anything.

    She wanted to speak with Mo Xuetong alone.

    Mo Xuetong waved her hands and Mo Lan and the other servants left. The servants around Princess Royal followed them and left as well. Mo Lan, who was thest to leave closed the door and waited a few steps away from the door. After serving Mo Xuetong for so long, she knew what she should do at a time like this.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you know of your mother¡¯s past?¡± Princess Royal did not tarry and went straight to the point. She looked at Mo Xuetong with deep and worried eyes. She seemed a little lost. This was a topic that the two of them had not spoken about inly. However, Mo Xuetong knew that Princess Royal knew about it.

    The kidnapping thest time had actually been a test.

    ¡°Mother!¡± Mo Xuetong looked shocked and opened her small mouth. Her expression was filled with fear and shock, panic and unease. She stood up suddenly as if she had been shocked.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do not be afraid. I am your aunt and will not hurt you.¡± Princess Royal held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and patted her soothingly when she saw how afraid Mo Xuetong was. She pulled Mo Xuetong into her seat and exined softly, ¡°Your maternal grandfather was afraid that the situation would get worse. When I was born, a maid in my uncle¡¯s courtyard had a baby too. Your grandparents swapped the babies. I never thought that the swap would part us forever.¡±

    Princess Royal sighed after saying that.

    So that was why Princess Royal had not been killed together with King Jin¡¯s family. Mo Xuetong had once suspected that something like this might have happened. King Jin must have been afraid that he would fail and his entire family would be killed. As such, he had swapped one of his daughters out. If he seeded, he would acknowledge her. If he didn¡¯t, he would have been able to protect one of his bloodlines.

    ¡°Mother, you mean...¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips, looking lost. Her bright and shiny eyes were still filled with fear and confusion that matched her age.

    She did not think that Princess Royal hade in such a hurry today to talk about the past with her. What happened today had been sudden. The Emperor had sent men to investigate what happened in the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor. Princess Royal should not have the time to discuss what happened long ago with her. Then, what was she doing here today? Princess Royal was having a showdown with her. What would happen next?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind whirled while she still appeared to be frightened. She looked afraid, nervous, and a little lost.

    ¡°Did your mother leave you with an important jade piece?¡± Princess Royal wiped the smile off her face and spoke seriously as she examined Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression carefully.

    Mo Xuetong naturally knew of the jade piece her mother left behind. The jade bangle was something her mother had especially asked her to take with her in both her lives. It was said that the jade bangle had been a token of love from Bai Yihao¡¯s family. Mo Xuetong keenly sensed that this had something to do with Bai Yihao.

    ¡°I fell ill after Mother passed away. Then, I was sent to the Qin¡¯s and was kept deep inside the courtyard. I did not return to our old home again after that. Mother was in Cloud City then as well and you must have heard of my plight. I was just a weak girl who was being raised by the Qin family then. I did not have any freedom in myings and goings.¡± Mo Xuetong said unhurriedly. There was pain in her eyes as she bit her lips and looked up with a forced smile.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother leave you anything?¡± The Princess Royal¡¯s eyes were dark and deep. She appeared to be testing Mo Xuetong as she continued to press her.

    ¡°Mother passed away so suddenly. She could not speak by the time I got there...¡± Mo Xuetong said sadly with tears in her eyes. When she thought of how her mother held her hand and looked at her with pain and pity, sorrow surged up from within her. She would not forget that even though she had lived through two lives. Her mother had forced herself to speak and her words were filled with intent. In her past life, Mo Xuetong had naively believed that her mother had repeated herself because she could not bear to leave her.

    However, when she thought of it now, every word and sentence her mother said was meaningful. Her mother did not want her to know and had made Nanny Ming swear not to tell her what happened. Her mother had wanted to get her out of the situation in which the royal sons try to get their hands on the throne. However, in thest moments of her life, her mother had been worried about her.

    In everything she said, she had been trying to hint at something. She wanted Mo Xuetong to be prepared!

    She had left the jade bangle to Mo Xuetong. It must have been for in case she needed it!

    No matter what had happened, that was her mother. Mo Xuetong could not help but feel upset. Her eyes reddened and she lowered her head.

    Princess Royal frowned and sighed when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s show of true emotions. She said gently, ¡°Tong¡¯er, trust me. I will not harm you. Your mother has a jade piece. Inside, there is a jade pendant that is proof of your mother¡¯s identity. It also serves as a warrant that can order the secret guards around you. When they see the warrant, they will do anything for you, even die for you. You look for it. It is very important to you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong finally understood why Princess Royal came to her!

    This was because of the rumors surrounding the legitimate princess of the Qin royal family.

    Every legitimate princess had their own secret guards. Her mother had secret guards and the Princess Royal must have known about this long ago. However, since some of the secret guards had always been hidden in the wild, the Princess Royal was not able to find them. Or perhaps, it could be said that the Princess Royal did not look for them. No matter what happened then, she was still a princess who had grown up in the royal family and was grateful to the royal family for her upbringing and care. Furthermore, she was just a woman and there was no need for her to cause waves. As such, she had always maintained a low profile.

    She had not even been overtly close to her own mother!

    That meant that she had no intention to seek revenge for King Jin¡¯s Manor. After all, in trying to get the throne, one would either seed or die. The strong would emerge victoriously and no one could me anyone else but for the fact that they were not as vicious as the victor. The Princess Royal maintaining a low profile was worth it. However, what did she want now? Could she be trying to seek revenge for King Jin?

    Mo Xuetong could not understand what the Princess Royal was trying to do. She sent the Princess Roya away after they had a small chat and then immediately headed to Jinwei Pavilion.

    In her past life, the Princess Royal had changed drastically in the end. In the end, she had gone against Emperor Zongwen and was imprisoned for the rest of her life. Was the Princess Royal going to take the same path again in this life? No matter what had happened, Mo Xuetong could sense that the Princess Royal truly cared for her.

    Or perhaps, there was something else about this. But no matter what had happened, she would not have been able to get together with Feng Yuran today without the Princess Royal. Furthermore, the Princess Royal was her biological aunt. Mo Xuetong had to understand what the Princess Royal was doing no matter what would happen so that she could rescue her from her tragic end.

    ¡°The Princess Royal is asking you for the jade pendant. It is a jade pendant that represents the orders of a legitimate princess of the royal family. If I have not guessed wrongly, the Princess Royal wants to give the jade pendant to Bai Yihao. Or perhaps, Bai Yihao had asked the Princess Royal for it.¡± Feng Yuran put down the book in his hand and leaned against the headboard of the bed. He patted the side of the bed and gestured for Mo Xuetong to sit after seeing the frown on her face.

    ¡°Bai Yihao wants these secret guards?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he?¡± Feng Yuran nced at her from the corners of his handsome eyes. He smiled lightly and turned the question back to her as he caressed her long hair gently.

    Mo Xuetong fell silent. King Jin had left behind these secret guards so that his bloodline can seek revenge. He did not pin any hopes on his daughters. But what about the sons of his daughters? Of his three daughters, the Princess Royal did not have any children. Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother had one daughter. That left Bai Yihao. As such, Bai Yihao was the one with the most right to inherit King Jin¡¯s dying wish. The secret guards were naturally meant for him.

    ¡°But he is the crown prince of Yan. Could he inherit thends of Qin?¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lips and asked in confusion.

    ¡°Even if he cannot be the Emperor of Qin Kingdom, he can at least ruin it. Of your mother and the Princess Royal, one has never seen King Jin while the other grew up in the royal family without knowing her birthright. They do not have any feelings for King Jin. However, it is different for Bai Yihao¡¯s mother. She is the noble princess of the royal family and was doted on. She became the lowest of the low in just one night. How could she not have anyints? She ended up in a foreign country and had tried her best to have a son so that he can be the crown prince. The more effort she put into this, the more hatred she has for the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong down so that she was lying on his arms. He exined the matter to her softly and massaged her tight frown.

    He had not wanted to exin too much about these matters. As such, he had not said anything after they got married since Mo Xuetong did not ask about them. For example, what happened in the old family home of the Mos in Cloud City, the secret guards... But, it seemed now that Tong¡¯er would be involved even if he did not mention it.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s heart suddenly felt as if it was wrangled when he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughtful expression. His heart hurt. If he were not around, Tong¡¯er could have lived a peaceful life and would not have to enter the tough life of the royal family step by step. She could serve her husband and teach her children, leaving a regr life and be an ordinary blissful woman.

    However, Feng Yuran could not help but breathe in deeply when he imagined Mo Xuetong in the embrace of another man. He would not allow that. Tong¡¯er could only be his. No matter how hard it would get, he would protect her. What could Bai Yihao or the Princess Royal do? He would hug her tightly in his embrace and not allow anyone to hurt her.

    If he encountered God, he would kill God. If he encountered Buddha, he would kill Buddha!

    Mo Xuetong looked up and into Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze. She could see the pain guilt in his clear eyes, as well as his determination and anger. His almond-shaped eyes were deep and dark. They did not hold his usual charm. Instead, his eyes were filled with death and coldness.

    It took just a moment for Mo Xuetong to guess what Feng Yuran was thinking. She smiled and turned around, leaning into his chest. She held his hand and said, ¡°Yuran, you don¡¯t have to be like that. I am not afraid!¡±

    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± The anger dissipated. He was once again the handsome and charming prince. His gentle smile could ruin a nation.

    He wanted to change the topic. However, Mo Xuetong did not want him to hide anything from her. Even though he was protecting her, she wanted to know. She did not want to end up like how she did in her past life. She did not know anything even up till her death. Furthermore, there was still the thing with Feng Yuran. Without his cooperation, they would not be able to investigate the matter with the He family.

    She wanted to tell him that she was not a fragile porcin doll. She could be strong and she could help him.

    Her hatred and pain had died along with Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang. The fall of Sima Manor had soothed her. She did not want them to die immediately because death was not the end. Living as if they were in hell on earth was much harder for them to bear than death.

    But what about Feng Yuran?

    The matter stayed in her heart and became a sharp thorn. It hurt with the slightest movement. She must not allow the matter to infect the rest of her. She had to remove the thorn before she could truly rx.

    She needed him toe clean and for the both of them to shoulder this together. When she married him, she knew that she was willing to stand next to him. She was willing to shoulder all the burdens he had. If he had any doubts, then she would start first.

    ¡°Yuran, does the jade pendant have any other uses? I can¡¯t find the empty imperial edict and King Jin¡¯s stamp.¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly and gently. She moved her hand in front of Feng Yuran. On her pale white hand, was a jade pendant the size of a thumb. It was not a straight pendant but was a little wavy. There was a small hole on the side.

    It was the jade pendant that could give orders to the secret guards!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened!

 Chapter 406 - Mo Xuetongs Poisoning

    <strong>Chapter 406 Mo Xuetong¡¯s Poisoning</strong>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, where did you get this?¡± Feng Yuran asked carelessly when he saw the jade pendant in Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale hand.

    ¡°Mother intentionally left behind a jade bangle. I was bored these few days and examined it to discover the secret thatid within. There is a small secretpartment and this little jade pendant was inside it when I opened it.¡± Mo Xuetong told the truth without hesitation.

    She was going toe clean to Feng Yuran today.

    She would brave through the storms with him.

    Feng Yuran did not look at the jade pendant. His eyes were grave as he looked at Mo Xuetong. He looked at the determination in her clear eyes for a long while. In the end, he sighed softly and kissed her hair. He was gentle and loving as he said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be involved in such matters in the future.¡±

    He understood what was on her heart in an instant.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I am your wife. I am the person who has to stand by your side. Do you hope that I am someone who cannot carry any burdens? I will only drag you down that way. Let me tell you. I am not willing to do that.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him and said somewhat strongly.

    He wanted that position. So how could she be weak? She wanted, even more, to stand by his side in times of trouble and brave the storms with him.

    ¡°I will protect you.¡± Feng Yuran said softly as he buried his head in her neck and breathed in her sweet scent. He felt that he was the one who had dragged Tong¡¯er into the center of the storm. If not for him, perhaps no one would have noticed her and she would not have be the thorn in some people¡¯s eyes. Just like what happened to Ling Fengyan. If not for him, Tong¡¯er would not have been implicated.

    ¡°Even if you wanted to protect me, there are some times when you can¡¯t. Just like today. Even though you thought of getting someone to pretend to be me and to enter the front courtyard from the back courtyard, but if I had not taken the chance to take the shorter path, we would have gotten into trouble today.¡± Mo Xuetong still felt frightened when she thought of what happened in the morning. If not for the fact that the two of them had the same idea, they would have be the scapegoats for what happened this morning.

    The two of them hade up with a plot but instead had attention drawn to them. It would just make others suspicious of them.

    This time, it was because both of them had the same idea. But what about next time, or the time after that? They would not always be so lucky.

    Feng Yuran closed his eyes when he heard that and did not say anything for a long while. All was silent in the room. She could only hear his soft breathing by her ear. His rxed body was wrapped around Mo Xuetong and it made her feel safe and calm. She looked up at his face. He was extraordinarily handsome.

    Everyone only knew of his charming looks but did not know that when he did not speak or smile, he felt extremely powerful. He was majestic and cold. It was a noble aura that he had since he was a child. It was not only charming but it was also uncontroble. One could not resist it.

    She knew that he was considering her suggestion. She also knew that he was powerful. However, she was willing to face the storms with him. In her past life, she had been a flower, tended to in the greenhouse. She did not know anything about the world and had died a miserable death in just a gentle storm. This time, she not only had to be strong. She was going to work together with him to rule the world. As such, she needed to be stronger.

    ¡°Alright!¡± His clear eyes suddenly flew open and hiszy voice entered her ears.

    ¡°Truly?¡± Mo Xuetong widened her eyes in shock and joy.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Feng Yuran sighed helplessly and kissed her lovingly. ¡°I will not hide anything that you need to do in the future.¡±

    Feng Yuran felt afraid now when he thought of how he had allowed Tong¡¯er to be ced in danger today. Ling Fengyan had smeared medicinal cream on Tong¡¯er before she died. Together with the box of things she gave Tong¡¯er, would have made Tong¡¯er infertile. There was a cold glint in his eyes. He would make them pay the price for plotting against Tong¡¯er.

    ¡°This is for you. Make a fake one and leave that with me.¡± Mo Xuetong said meaningfully with a slight smile. She was gentle and sweet as she reached out and stuffed the jade pendant into Feng Yuran¡¯s hands.

    Feng Yuran did not object. He took the pendant and ced it aside. He understood what she meant. Tong¡¯er should have a jade pendant with her. The Princess Royal hade in such a hurry, Bai Yihao must have asked her toe. Mo Xuetong could vaguely guess what Bai Yihao wanted. He would first plunge the Qin Kingdom into internal strife. Then he would be able to give the imperial edict and King Qin¡¯s personal seal to two people so that these two people would fight.

    The Qin Kingdom would be thrown into chaos!

    Once he dealt with the First Prince and took royal power, he would be able to return and engage in war with the Qin Kingdom. By then, the fight for the throne would be out of control. He might not even have to make a move and the country might be torn into pieces. If he invaded Qin with the power of the entire Yan Kingdom behind him, taking over the nation would be as easy as pie.

    In her past life, upon her deathbed, she had heard that the Yan Kingdom had invaded them!

    While she did not understand how Bai Yihao had managed to get the royal brothers to fight within themselves without using her, it did not matter. He had already achieved his goal!

    ¡°Yuran, have I been poisoned?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly looked up at Feng Yuran. She smiled faintly, her smile lighting up her beautiful face sweetly. Hershes fluttered and she made it seem as if it were a sure thing.

    Since she had decided toe clean to Feng Yuran, she also hoped to find out the truth about her physical condition. She did not want to see a hint of graveness and worry in his eyes when he smiled charmingly. No matter what happened, she had to find out about her current health.

    Feng Yuran was shocked by her sudden change of topic. A hint of worry shed through his eyes. He suddenly could not speak as he looked at Mo Xuetong the way she was now. However, he smiled faintly and then nodded. He said, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s alright. You are getting better. The imperial physician said that you just have to take the medicine and you will be cured over time.¡±

    He had always wanted to tell her this but could never find the opportunity to. He was also afraid that she would be frightened. However, when he saw her determined but gentle gaze, he hesitated slightly before telling her the truth. He did not want Tong¡¯er to feel as if he was hiding something from her.

    ¡°Mo Xuemin did this!¡± It was not a question but a statement. She already had many conjectures when she felt sleepy and started taking medicine. There were many in this world who wanted her life, but the person who wanted her dead most was Mo Xuemin.

    She did not expect to be poisoned by Mo Xuemin even though she had kept her guards up against Mo Xuemin. No wonder she had died so tragically in Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand in her past life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will get better.¡± Feng Yuran reached out to wrap his arms around her slender waist andforted her.

    ¡°Is it the same poison that killed my mother?¡± Mo Xuetong leaned into his embrace and asked obediently. Her tone was calm as if she were speaking about someone else. There was even a hint ofughter in her voice.

    Feng Yuran felt a little uneasy. He pushed her head away and examined her face carefully. There was a hint of a smile on her face as she turned around to nce at him teasingly. Her expression was extremely simr to the usual vague smile he wore on his face and this made him rx for some reason. He said, ¡°The antidote to the poison is about to be done. Rest assured. Nothing will happen.¡±

    ¡°I am not worried.¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her beautiful and clear eyes. Then, she said with a determined smile, ¡°I want to see Mo Xuemin.¡±

    Feng Yuran examined her expression carefully and did not see anything odd. Then, he nodded forcefully and replied, ¡°Alright, but promise me. You must not be disappointed.¡±

    His hand, which was wrapped around Mo Xuetong, tightened and a dark glint rippled through his eyes.

    He had kept Mo Xuemin alive and not allowed Sima Lingyun to kill her because he wanted to get the antidote from her. He did not expect the woman to be so vicious that she would drag Tong¡¯er down with her even as she was about to die. If not for the fact that she was still useful, Feng Yuran would have already ground the vicious woman into ashes.

    However, she could not die now. The antidote. He needed Tong¡¯er¡¯s antidote.

    When Feng Yuran thought of Bai Yihao¡¯s threat, anger welled up within him. He had to help Tong¡¯er find the antidote no matter what would happen!

    ¡°I promise!¡± Mo Xuetong was as gentle as the waters in spring.

    The incident at the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor was settled very quickly. An imperial edict was sent out even before the various officials could react.

    Wang Yueyue had plotted against Consort Chu andmitted suicide when the truth was revealed. She had been pregnant with King Ning¡¯s child! She had gotten what she deserved.

    After such a big hoo-ha, Grand Secretariat Wang being punished was something everyone expected. His position as Grand Secretariat was taken from him and he was to reflect on his mistakes at home.

    In just moments, the usually bustling Grand Secretariat front doors grew empty and deste.

    King Ning and King Chu both lost a consort. One could say that they both suffered losses. However, Consort Chu had been killed while Consort Ning was the culprit. As such, King Ning was punished and had to pay a year of his dues.

    On the surface, it seemed that King Ning did not suffer any losses. However, everyone knew that King Ning¡¯s power was greatly reduced.

    Some of the older subjects stood on the Empress Dowager¡¯s side together with Grand Secretariat Wang. Now, the Grand Secretariat had stepped down and was reced by a young Grand Secretariat. The new Grand Secretariat was loyal to the Emperor and had nothing to do with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager could no longer hold on to these men.

    The me was pushed entirely onto Wang Yueyue. There was news from the capital that said that King Ning was unsessful and pushed all the me onto a woman which caused Wang Yueyue¡¯s death as well as the death of the child in her belly. King Ning was known to be cold-blooded and heartless. One could see that all at one nce. Even though King Ning still had some supporters, they all had to consider if they would be pushed to be the scapegoat should they fail.

    He was so ruthless even to his pregnant wife. What else could he not do?

    Like the storm that was happening in politics, the back of the pce was in chaos as well.

    Many porcin goods were smashed in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce that day. The head steward and porcin goods in the pce were all changed. When news of this was spread to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Pce, the Empress, who was in ill health drank another half a bowl of porridge on the spot. Then, she got up and went to Cining Pce, where she had not gone in a long while, to greet the Empress Dowager.

    When she returned, she appeared gentle and gracious. She did not seem frustrated or annoyed as she did before.

    Imperial Consort Su had managed to get a hold of herself this time and did not appear arrogant at all. She seemed to know how to hide her feelings now after what happened thest time!

    Consort Yu pottered around the garden every day and practiced self-cultivation. Her stomach was getting bigger and bigger. Rumor had it that she might be having twins. The Emperor was so happy that he sent her more and more things. There were even some who said that if Consort Yu were to have a prince, she would get the Emperor¡¯s affections. It was possible that the mysterious Consort Zhao would not sit and do nothing and be forced into action.

    However, the mysterious Consort Zhao seemed unable to sit still any longer. At the banquet two dayster, Consort Zhao appeared before all and led to endless reverie amongst the people.

    The storm did not seem heavy on the surface. However, deep down below, no matter whether it was the court or the back of the pce, plotting was happening. Everyone wanted the greatest benefit. This was not just a question of who would take the throne, but also whether the noble families would continue to live in nobility and luxury. Everyone had their own secret thoughts, and that was not a bad situation.

    When the ruler of a nation changes, the cards of the deck are reshuffled. No one wanted to be on the lowest rung of society and be the new round of losers. When King Jin had fought for the throne, some nobility fell with him. It was obvious that the fight for the throne was not just one between the royal sons, but also between noble families, and between noble families and the royal family. It was a never-ending war!

    The blood that flowed between sess and failure could fill a river!

    Mo Xuetong did not care about these things. She was on the way to Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Oh, no, she should call it Sima Manor. Ever since Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor lost their title, Sima Lingyun was blinded and lost his power. No one among the nobility mentioned Sima Manor again. Everyone knew that Sima Lingyun had already fallen. His face and eyes were injured and it was impossible for him to rise again.

    The horse carriage stopped in front of the doors of Sima Manor which had been flourishing once upon a time. Mo Xuetong got off the horse carriage with the help of Mo Lan. This ce was somewhere she had once visited often. Her memory of the ce gradually melded with the dpidated building in front of her. Mo Xuetong suddenly lost her hatred as she took in the ruins before her!

    Mo Xuemin had plotted again and again and had ended up with Sima Lingyun in the end. The lowly pair was a great match for the dpidated manor.

    Many things had changed in this life and Mo Xuetong felt as if she had experienced the vicissitudes of life.

    She held Mo Lan¡¯s hands and slowly approached the tform which had not been swept in days. An old doorkeeper hurriedly wiped his eyes when he saw Mo Xuetong approach and jogged over to her.

    A guard stopped him and said loudly, ¡°Consort Xuan is here,e and greet her.¡±

    The doorkeeper hurriedly knelt on the dirty floor in a frightened manner. Then, he kowtowed respectfully and said, ¡°Greetings, My Lady!¡±

    His frightened voice drew the attention of a maid. She perked up when she heard the voice and immediately ran into the manor.

 Chapter 407 - See Mo Xuemin in the Sima Manor Again to Clear the Past

    <h4>Chapter 407 See Mo Xuemin in the Sima Manor Again to Clear the Past</h4>

    Mo Xuetong met Mo Xuemin in an empty courtyard.

    The yard¡¯s door was locked, and there were a few littered bowls on the ground with some spoiled leftovers. It was not too cold today, but the dishes had been sour. Obviously, the food had been put there for a long time.

    Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong into the yard and saw Mo Xuetong at first sight.

    Mo Xuemin was all skin and bone with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones. She looked like a middle-aged woman in her 30s and 40s at first nce, totally dispossessed of her beautiful face. She was dressed in rags and her broken clothes were screwed randomly. But her eyes were still full of wickedness.

    Seeing Mo Xuetonge in finery, Mo Xuetong fixed her eyes on Mo Xuetong tightly and said in a trembling and hoarse voice full of hatred. ¡°It¡¯s you, right?¡±

    Mo Xuetong wore an ice-blue light gauze dress with silk sash at the waist and a hemmed skirt of the same color to make her slender figure softer and more charming. Her ck hair was sculpted into a graceful shape with little headwear and semi-curved jewelry on the forehead, noble and gorgeous, which lightened her face as beautiful and bright as the lotus just out of water.

    Her eyes were glittering. She was no longer as weak and shy as she was seen in the capital at first sight.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t answer her, but just raised her eyebrows slightly to look Mo Xuemin up and down with a flicker of mockery in her eyes. Mo Xuetong stood there, peaceful and beautiful like a fairy.

    Mo Xuemin just felt that hatred rushed into her head and thought that things should not have been like this. How could Mo Xuetong, the bitch, live so well, but she, Mo Xuemin end up so miserable? Because of resentment and hatred, Mo Xuemin just felt that Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face seemed to jeer at her. Then, Mo Xuemin gritted her teeth and screamed loudly with hate. ¡°Now, I end up like this. Are you satisfied? Do you like it very much? It is all because of you, slut! If it were not you, I would have be the legitimate daughter of Mo Family, and married into a rich family. I will kill you. I will kill you...¡±

    Mo Xuemin rushed to Mo Xuetong madly with her hands grabbing to Mo Xuetong¡¯s face fiercely. Mo Xuemin was going to tear that beautiful face. Since Mo Xuemin was unable to live a good life, she did not allow Mo Xuetong to live well. Both of them were daughters of the Mo family. Why was Mo Xuemin a daughter of a concubine, but Mo Xuetong born to be a legitimate daughter?

    Mo Xuemin thought she had worked herself to get everyone¡¯s recognition. But Mo Xuetong¡¯s appearance destroyed everything she had. Mo Xuemin refused to ept as final!

    Mo Ye¡¯s figure flickered and blocked in front for Mo Xuetong, and raised her hand to hit Mo Xuemin exactly.

    Mo Xuemin was beaten back two steps and crashed to the trunk heavily. A spurt of blood sprayed out of her mouth, and her body fell down along the trunk.

    ¡°If you can, just hit me to death.¡± She said maliciously and gave a cold smile, as if she feared nothing. She would rather die than continue to live life like that.

    ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t dare?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°You will die without an antidote. Don¡¯t you want to go to hell to apany me?¡± Mo Xuemin burst into wildughter. She did not believe that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t want to live and that with the antidote, Mo Xuemin herself would not die. So what did it matter that Mo Xuetong lived a good life? Without an antidote, Mo Xuetong would also have a dead end. Perhaps, she would die earlier than Mo Xuemin. At the thought, Mo Xuetong could not helpughing wildly and arrogantly.

    ¡°What if I say you have no antidote at all?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at her calmly, and then, smiled indifferently.

    Mo Xuemin trembled as if she had been burnt by sparks and changed her countenance instantly. She goggled at Mo Xuetong with a sh a fear. But she still bluffed sharply. ¡°Mo Xuetong, I have an antidote, but I put it in a special ce. If I die, you will never get the antidote, and you will die with me.¡±

    Her fear did not escape Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong curved up her lips slightly and waved her hand to signal Mo Lan and Mo Ye to retreat.

    The two maidservants hesitated for a while, and then backed out slowly when seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s persistent look.

    The two maidservants did not dare to stay too far from them, but just stood at the door of the yard. Although they could not hear clearly, they could see them. If something went wrong, Mo Ye would have time to help. No matter how fierce Mo Xuemin was, she was just a woman too weak to stand a gust of wind and unable topare to Mo Ye who had swift movements and strong skills.

    Mo Xuetong walked to Mo Xuemin slowly and stood in front of her. She narrowed her eyes to look down at Mo Xuemin. ¡°Eldest Sister, have you ever thought you would end up like this when you pushed me out of the carriage that day? Have you ever thought it is punitive justice when you poisoned me? To tell you the truth, your situation today is caused by me. Don¡¯t you want me to marry Sima Lingyun and pave the way for you? Don¡¯t you want to grab my dowry and upy my position as a legitimate daughter?¡±

    ¡°Do you know why didn¡¯t Father look into the baby in Auntie Fang¡¯s belly?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled softly and continued to say before Mo Xuemin¡¯s answer. ¡°Because in Father¡¯s heart, it is just a bastard. Even if she escapes the miscarry this time, Father will put an end to the baby next time. How can our father endure his concubine to cheat him and make him a cuckold?¡±

    ¡°You and the second son of the Duke Mingguo were tied together and thrown in front of Sima Manor, and it was also retribution to you. You framed me again and again, but have you ever thought that your evil-doings would rebound on you, and that you would be bound and thrown with another man in untidy clothes, and let people crowd around you? Is the baby in your belly not Sima Lingyun¡¯s child? Pity that you and Auntie Fang are both pregnant with bastards!¡±

    Although Mo Xuetong wore a smile on her face, this smile was piercingly chilly and grim in Mo Xuemin¡¯s eyes.

    How could Mo Xuetong forget that in thest life, the baby she had given birth to was scolded by Mo Xuemin as a bastard? It was Mo Xuemin who had poured the drug into Mo Xuetong¡¯s baby. Hugging the baby¡¯s body and feeling the body bing cold, Mo Xuetong felt her heart was broiled in the hot oil. Therefore, Mo Xuetong would drag Mo Xuemin to hell at any cost.

    Mo Xuemin was struck by Mo Xuetong¡¯s chilly and grim look and crawled back two steps involuntarily, but paused and shouted hysterically as Mo Xuemin was still unwilling to acknowledge defeat. ¡°You, it is you! Little bitch, I will never forgive you!¡±

    ¡°Mo Xuemin, blood will have blood! I don¡¯t need your forgiveness. In this life, you are destined to be ruined in my hands.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled more and more tenderly, but there was bloodthirsty hate in her eyes. What happened before eyes ovepped inexplicably with some scenes of thest life. Blood incarnadined her eyes.

    Mo Xuetong could sense that the fire was burning her bones and skins fiercely. Outside, two people wereughing wildly and watching her writhing in the mes. At that moment, a person rushed into the mes. It was a man, and he held her out of the fire. The two people outside stopped their wildugh, looked unbelievably at the person in front and eximed, ¡°Mr. Qin!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin...¡± Mo Xuetong staggered back and held the trunk beside to calm herself down. She wondered if she had not died at that time in the mes. Some fragments shed in her mind, and unexpectedly, they were about Qin Yufeng.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, I curse you. Curse you not to die a natural death!¡± Mo Xuemin did not notice Mo Xuetong¡¯s unusual expression, and just hid back frantically and scolded. ¡°I will not give you the antidote. I will never give you the antidote.¡±

    Mo Xuetong collected herself, looked calmly at Mo Xuemin and asked, ¡°Do you have the antidote?¡± The corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips rose slightly. She seemed to smile, but the smile was alienated and indifferent. Her words sounded like a question but a negative remark actually.

    The scolds ceased instantly. Mo Xuemin goggled at Mo Xuetong in horror, unable to say a word.

    ¡°With your character, if you do have the antidote, you have used it to coerce Yuran. Mo Xuemin, you don¡¯t need to pretend to have it. Then, King Xuan¡¯s Manor will not give consideration to you any longer. You just fend yourself from now on.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a faint smile, and then, the smile became pleasant when she looked at Mo Xuemin¡¯s scared face. Mo Xuetong picked her skirt and left slowly.

    Today, Mo Xuetong did note to get the antidote. Mo Xuemin could not have the antidote. If she did have, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother would not have died so early. Although Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother had had a firm death wish, Mo Xuetong was too young at that time. If given more time, Mo Xuetong¡¯s secret guards were able to get the antidote from Auntie Fang¡¯s hands.

    However, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother still died at a young age!

    This meant that Auntie Fang and her daughter did not have the so-called antidote at all. ording to their dispositions, they were bound to put Mo Xuetong and her mother to death, so what use of antidote was?

    Usually, Feng Yuran was deep and astute in schemes. But this time, he was cheated by Mo Xuemin. It was called ¡°concern makes trouble¡±. Mo Xuetong did not let Feng Yuran caught by others. At this crucial moment, any details caught by others would lead to a fatal disaster.

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s frantic voice came behind.

    ¡°No, I have the antidote. I have! Mo Xuetong, save me! Take me out here! I will give you the antidote. I will give it to you right away...¡±

    Mo Xuemin¡¯s scream came in an entreating but crazy way, along with her recklessly rushing figure. But this time, Mo Xuemin was kicked and rolled back again. She bumped into the steps behind the tree, and blood sprang up from her forehead immediately.

    Mo Xuemin covered the blood on the forehead and roared like a beast. ¡°Sima Lingyun.¡±

    At the gate of the courtyard, Sima Lingyun stood there with a nk look. He, who used to be a chivalrous gentleman, lost one of his eyes, and now, he stared at Mo Xuemin with ruthlessness in his only eye, as if he were about to eat her.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye came to help Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not throw a nce at him and walked past him slowly.

    She once loved this person, and loved him with all her life. However, he and Mo Xuemin schemed her basely. After rebirth, Mo Xuetong was determined to wreak vengeance on him. But now, he had no trace in her heart. But for seeing him today, Mo Xuetong could not remember his face at all!

    But it was just a pity that his final expression fixed in her mind was a screwy smile.

    ¡°Consort Xuan!¡± Sima Lingyun¡¯s timid voice came behind.

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment, and took a firm step forward.

    When walking out of the gate, Mo Xuetong felt the sunshine was right brilliant. The sun inte spring was a little hot, and people could feel its warmth. The sunshine seemed to sweep away the dullness and give Mo Xuetong a feeling of being alive again. She exhaled fully, letting out all the inner remnant breath. This ce made her feel it was deadly silent.

    She sat on the carriage, lifted the curtain, and watched the heavy door close in a spiritless manner, just like Sima Lingyun¡¯s face.

    ¡°My Lady, shall we go back to Mo Manor now?¡± Mo Lan let out a long sigh. Everything was too depressing in Sima Manor. A few servants were too old and shaky. The flowers and nts were left unattended in some yards. When entering the manor, Mo Lan could not hear any sound, as ifing into a grave. It was really stifling.

    ¡°Go back to the manor first. And then, you send some children¡¯s items to the madam as mypliments.¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes slightly. What she had sensed just now disturbed her heart. It was not suitable to return to Mo Manor, so she decided to change her schedule. Xu Yan was pregnant, so Mo Xuetong asked Mo Lan and other maidservants to embroider the items for the child.

    ¡°My Lady, how about sending the gifts in a few days? Madam will be d to see My Lady present in person.¡± Mo Lan persuaded in a low voice and knew that Mo Xuetong was not in the mood now. No one would have the mood to speak more, as they had seen the crazy and dull scene just now.

    However, it would be proper that the Lady gave the gifts to the Madam¡¯s children in person!

 Chapter 408 - The Past That Had Been Wiped Out in the Memory

    <h4>Chapter 408 The Past That Had Been Wiped Out in the Memory</h4>

    ¡°Okay,¡± Mo Xuetong nodded, knowing that Mo Lan hoped her to think a lot of the child, so that Mo Xuetong could gain her father¡¯s favor more. A married woman still needed to rely on her own brother and father. Although Mo Xuetong did not have an elder brother, if Xu Yan conceived a baby boy, the boy would be Mo Xuetong¡¯s younger brother, as well as the support in her paternal family.

    As for Mo Yufeng, Mo Xuetong did not have any expectations.

    It was said that Mo Yufeng became more muddled and messed up his own yardpletely. All of the good-looking maidservants belonged to him, and he had a house of concubines and maidservants with confusing ranks. It was rather ignominious. So father also had no expectation for him. And because Auntie Fang was expelled from Mo¡¯s n, Mo Yufeng¡¯s presence seemed awkward.

    Mo Huawen just gave him a yard and drove him there directly, totally indifferent to him.

    Aftering back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong found Feng Yuran was not there, so she had lunch herself and went to bed for a nap.

    She did not sleep well and could see the mes soaring to the sky from time to time. Burnt in the fire, she was too hurt to breathe, tumbling and wailing. No one came to save her. And she even could hear Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun sneering. She knew what they were waiting for was to see the fire burn her to death.

    In this way, Mo Xuemin could be Sima Lingyun¡¯s legitimate wife reasonably.

    A man in a robe rushed into the fire, shouted her name and saved her out of the fire. But she was unconscious and unable to see his face clearly. But inexplicably, she knew that the man was Qin Yufeng. His painful cry rang, ¡°Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qin, why did you...¡± came Sima Lingyun¡¯s nervous voice!

    At that time, Qin Yufeng was a favorite of Feng Yuxuan, so Sima Lingyun, the Marquess Zhenguo, did not dare to offend him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to poison her unconscious and send her away? Why was she here?¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s voice was not as gentle as usual, even with some anger and resentment. It was so strange that the calm and deep Qin Yufeng could lose control.

    ¡°It was not what we wanted to do, but that she looked for death herself! It has nothing to do with us!¡± The scene became clearer. Mo Xuetong could see Mo Xuemin wiggling seductively forward and trying to persuade Qin Yufeng. Qin Yufeng was always friendly with Mo Xuemin, so she felt Qin Yufeng was interested in her. Although Mo Xuemin did not understand why Qin Yufeng tried to protect this ugly woman, she still felt that it was not a big deal that the stupid woman was burnt to death.

    ¡°She looked for death?¡± Qin Yufeng sneered, chilly and atrocious. Mo Xuemin was stunned to recede subconsciously, but her chest was pricked heavily by a sword. When the tip of the sword prated through her, blood stained her red wedding dress instantly. She covered her chest with her hands, looked at Qin Yufeng in puzzlement, and fell to the ground without saying a word.

    ¡°Qin Yufeng, you are crazy!¡± Sima Lingyun screamed in shock, and hurried to take two steps back when seeing Qin Yufeng holding the sharp sword.

    ¡°I¡¯m crazy! Sima Lingyun, if you can¡¯t treat her well, why bother to marry her? And since you¡¯ve married her, why do you do harm to her? You¡¯ve promised to send her to me, and why did you burn her to death here? Since... your blood... rebirth...¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s consciousness blurred and faded awaypletely.

    She struggled to hear clearly, but only heard a scream, quite familiar...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er.¡± Urgent cries awakened her. She opened her eyes nkly and panted heavily, only to see Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face in front who was looking at her anxiously with his mouth opening and closing. He seemed to be calling her, but she could not collect herself at that moment and had to look at him nkly.

    Feng Yuran shook her in suspense. Seeing her opening her eyes with a nk and lifeless look, Feng Yuran got flustered and screamed again, ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er!¡±

    ¡°Yuran, I¡¯m okay.¡± It took a while for Mo Xuetong to collect herself. Hearing his anxious scream and looking at the cold sweat on his forehead, Mo Xuetong felt rxed immediately and thought no matter when she had died in thest life, it was enough to have him in this life. Why bothered to be entangled with others? Although she had been framed in thest life, she was willing to live a free and happy life in this life after rebirth.

    To find someone who loved her and to live a good life!

    She reached out her cold and sweaty hands to hold Feng Yuran¡¯s hands tightly. His hands were warm and dry, which were quite reassuring.

    Feng Yuran gave a sigh of relief, but still asked uneasily, ¡°Really okay?¡±

    ¡°I am okay.¡± Mo Xuetong sat up as holding Feng Yuran and took the handkerchief beside to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead. She could not help snorting withughter. Feng Yuran always behaved himself in an enchanting and calm manner. When would he be so anxious? It really made her surprised, as well as moved indeed!

    In this life, she did not live for nothing. Finally, a man did love her wholeheartedly.

    It was enough, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°You¡¯re stillughing. It¡¯s scary!¡± Feng Yuran pulled away the handkerchief in her hand and hugged her as a punishment. It felt like he was trying to melt her into his blood and bone. Although it hurt, the heart had softened into a pool of water.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a nightmare, not a big deal. Why are you fussing?¡± Mo Xuetong threw a sidelong look at him and teased.

    Feng Yuran did not n to shift the topic, so he raised her chin to ask seriously, ¡°Scared by Mo Xuemin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was scared. I didn¡¯t expect that she was like this. She didn¡¯t have an antidote in her hand, so there is no need to keep an eye on her any longer.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled indifferently without any trace of being scared. Feng Yuran looked at her carefully and felt relieved after finding nothing unusual on her.

    As a matter of fact, he also guessed that Mo Xuemin had no antidote, but he just did not give up hope. But now, since Mo Xuetong was of no use, he decided not to notice her any longer. But the poison on Tong¡¯er...

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t the poison in my body be handled without the antidote?¡± Seeing him not reply, Mo Xuetong twisted her head sideways and asked archly, her beautiful eyes blinking and long eyshes flickering. So lovely and witty.

    ¡°How could it happen? The imperial physicians have developed it, but justcked some kinds of medicine now. But it will be done soon. I thought it would be more effective to take the antidote from Mo Xuemin¡¯s hand. But I did not expect that she dared to cheat me! Well, that¡¯s not bad. I feel more reassured to use our own medicine.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and continued, ¡°but remember to take more medicine in the future!¡±

    ¡°Okay. I will listen to you and take medicine on time.¡± Mo Xuetong leaned in his arms obediently and gave a sweet reply with a look that said she had full confidence in him.

    ¡°How about the things you do for me?¡± She flung her arms around his neck with a backhand and smiled enchantingly like a fox.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since Tong¡¯er asked me to do the things, I will finish it for you first even if I don¡¯t sleep. Otherwise, if Tong¡¯er is unhappy, what can I do if you don¡¯t let me go to bed?¡± Looking at her sweet expression, Feng Yuran could not help but kiss her and continued to say, ¡°but it just troubles Tong¡¯er, as it is my business.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I should enjoy the top priority concerning the matters in the inner yard. Could it be that you don¡¯t acknowledge my position as the mistress of the manor and want to divorce me to marry another?¡± Mo Xuetong said in a fierce voice, as she pretended to be tough, reached out her hands and squeezed his handsome face.

    But her tender and beautiful countenance, even though in the disguise of malevolence, was not frightening at all, instead, so adorable. Even if Feng Yuran had a myriad of thoughts in his mind, now he had only one thought. He looked at her smiling cherry lips and kissed hard. The little woman could always provoke his anger, even dared to mention the divorce and remarriage.

    ¡°Get divorced? In this life, just perish the thought!

    ¡°Even though by using ties, I would tie you around me.

    ¡°In this life, you can only be my wife!¡± thought Feng Yuran.

    On the day of the pce banquet, He Yuxiu came early and kept pushing Mo Xuetong to go into the pce early, as if it were toote.

    Mo Xuetong was not difficult about her, and just freshened herself up early and went into the pce with He Yuxiu. Feng Yuran had been recuperating for some time, but he was still unable to drive the horse, so he got into the carriage as well. Of course, he would not take one himself. So Mo Xuetong and he took therge carriage in front, while He Yuxiu took the little one that she had taken when she came with her maidservants and nannies.

    ¡°Second Miss, don¡¯t be annoyed. It is natural that His Highness sits with Her Highness.¡± The nannying with He Yuxiu had sharp eyes and tried to persuade He Yuxiu when seeing her staring enviously at the manor¡¯srge carriage.

    ¡°Cousin is so handsome. Why is he married to such a young girl? Look at her slim figure. Is there any use?¡± He Yuxiu said as she gritted her teeth hard and almost wrenched her handkerchief into pieces. Every time she thought she had to tter Mo Xuetong in public, she felt jealous!

    ¡°Mo Xuetong is just a little girl who has not turned 15 years old and not fully developed. How could shepare to my attractive stature?¡± He Yuxiu thought.

    As for Mo Xuetong¡¯s enchanted little face, He Yuxiu just turned a blind eye!

    ¡°Second Miss, don¡¯t be angry. When seeing Her Highness, Consort Zhao, you can request Her Highness to decide for you. Then, it will be a piece of cake that you will marry His Highness. As being back by Consort Zhao, is it still difficult to get the position of Consort Xuan?¡± The nanny was both He Yuxiu¡¯s wet nurse and trusted servant, so the nanny knew clearly what her masters and misses thought, and herforts sounded pleasant.

    He Yuxiu¡¯s face softened a bit. She put down the curtain, raised her chin and said proudly, ¡°When my aunt decides for me, I will drive that woman out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor without a doubt. If she dares to disagree, I will beat her to death. Does she really think she is the Consort Xuan and consider us as declined rtives? Two of my aunts are both the most favored consorts in the pce. What qualifications does she, such a little girl, have to speak?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. When you contact Her Highness, Consort Zhao, and win her support, my miss, you cane into the pce whenever you want. When His Highness, King Xuan, turns his eyes on you, my miss, your status will ascend high. If one day His Highness, King Xuan... Miss, you will be the Empress, a motherly model of the nation.¡± The nanny was so smooth-tongued that He Yuxiu was highly delighted at her words and began imagining that her handsome cousin was looking at him affectionately with his charming eyes.

    He Yuxiu felt a sweetness in her heart but heat on her face. She gave a snort and said bashfully, ¡°Don¡¯t say such unruly words. The things in the future, let¡¯s just wait and see. Wait till the cousin can really take the throne.¡±

    Although her words sounded perfect, the triumphant expression in her eyes betrayed her, as if she were the Empress, the motherly model of the nation now.

    Although He Yuxiu¡¯s voice sounded harsh, she still wore a smile without any annoyance. The nanny knew that her remarks fitted in exactly with He Yuxiu¡¯s wishes, so she amused He Yuxiu. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Miss, what you said are decent. I am just a humble servant and speak nonsense. After being reminded by miss, I will not dare to talk recklessly in the future.¡±

    ¡°Be careful in the future, and don¡¯t talk nonsense, especially in the pce.¡± He Yuxiu scolded seriously.

    ¡°Yes. I will be careful and never ruin miss¡¯ matter. However, I have no chance to enter the pce, and have to wait in the carriage outside the pce. I don¡¯t have that good luck to enter the pce.¡± The nanny sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When I marry my cousin in the future, I will take you into the pce. You can go there whenever you want. Perhaps, we will live in the pce in the future.¡± He Yuxiu answered insolently without any prudence when she had demanded the nanny. Obviously, He Yuxiu had seen herself as the future mistress of the pce.

 Chapter 409 - He Yuxiu Saw Consort Zhao by Plot

    <h4>Chapter 409 He Yuxiu Saw Consort Zhao by Plot</h4>

    When the carriage came to the gate of the pce, the little eunuch guarding at the gate trotted toward at the sight of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s carriage, and led it into the pce fawningly. A long line of carriages moved backward to give way to the carriage. King Xuan was the Emperor¡¯s favorite prince, and no one dared to offend him.

    When the carriage stopped well, Mo Xuetong got off first and helped Feng Yuran to get off. And He Yuxiu behind had already came out of her carriage.

    A little eunuch guarded there and hurried to kneel down when seeing Feng Yuran get off the carriage. ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty asks you to go to the Qianqing Pce.¡±

    Feng Yuran frowned and looked at Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he was worried about her, so she squeezed his hand in the sleeves, took a sideways nce at He Yuxiu who wasing towards them, and suggested. ¡°You just go. I will go to the Cining Pce first and pay my respects to Her Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you be more careful and don¡¯t leave Mo Ye.¡± Feng Yuran nodded and said to her. Then, he entered an imperial coach that was prepared by the little eunuch especially. It was not the Emperor¡¯s dragon coach, but a transporting tool sedan when the masters in the pce were unable to walk. Although it looked like a sedan, the coach was more gorgeous and spacious with a yellow umbre over it and silk yarn hanging beside.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s leg was still injured, so no one dared to let him walk. The little eunuch helped him into the coach, and it headed to the Qianqing Pce stably.

    ¡°Yuxiu, I will go to pay respects to Her Majesty first. You can enjoy the scenery in the garden with thedies and misses. I will find youter.¡± Mo Xuetong said apologetically to He Yuxiu who wasing to her.

    As a member of the royal family, it was the rule to pay respects to Empress Dowager and Empress in the pce. However, He Yuxiu did not have this honor and had no right to seek an audience with the two Highness without imperial permission.

    ¡°Xuetong, just feel assured and go. I will walk around in the garden and won¡¯t go anywhere else.¡± He Yuxiu was thinking about how to leave. Seeing Mo Xuetong about to leave, He Yuxiu was so pleased to take on an obedient look.

    ¡°The imperial garden is really beautiful! I will stay here and have a good look.¡±

    In the spring, a variety of flowers were blossoming on the branches in bright red, light yellow and other colors, and dancing in the breeze with their diversified shapes. What a beautiful sight! So He Yuxiu¡¯s remarks orded to her first experience to appreciate the fine view. If her eyes were not rolling so sneakily, her words would sound convincible.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a gentle smile and held Mo Ye¡¯s hand to leave.

    As for the favorable ce and time, Mo Xuetong had created for He Yuxiu, while as for winning the support, it would depend on He Yuxiu herself!

    He Yuxiu saw Mo Xuetong hold Mo Ye¡¯s hand and disappear in her sight.

    He Yuxiu also didn¡¯t go in further. Her status was inferior to Mo Xuetong, so she could not take her own maidservant and nanny to the pce to serve her. But there were manydies with moderate statusing into the garden in small groups. Thesedies were born in the capital and all had their own friends aspany. So they were not lonely.

    He Yuxiu strolled along with them in the garden!

    The Imperial Garden was sorge, and youngdies and madams were admiring the beautiful scenery in the garden while talking about everything under the sun. It was rather pleasing.

    ¡°Have you heard that Her Highness, Consort Zhao, attends the banquet this time. I saw Her Highness 10 years ago. I haven¡¯t thought that since a decade has passed, she is still so beautiful.¡± A madam of some ages said smilingly to other madams around.

    Someone asked curiously. ¡°Mrs. Han, have you ever seen Her Highness, Consort Zhao?¡±

    ¡°Of course. At that time, Her Highness, Consort Zhao, was just around Her Highness Consort Xian, and kept a low profile. Well, Her Highness Consort Xian was the most favored consort in the pce. But unfortunately, she had passed away. Then, His Majesty put all his heart on Her Highness, Consort Zhao. In this respect, Her Highness, Consort Zhao owes thanks to Her Highness, Consort Xian.¡± Obviously, the madam knew the story. Seeing all the people looking at herself admiringly, she was too dazzled to realize that some of the imperial secrets were not allowed to speak, and just spouted out feverishly.

    ¡°Her Highness, Consort Zhao was rted to Her Highness, Consort Xian? What¡¯s the rtionship between them?¡± Consort Xian had passed away for years. If she could be remembered, it was only because she gave birth to King Xuan, Feng Yuran, a licentious prince, who was too impressive for the public. So all the people present fixed their eyes on Mrs. Han.

    Everyone¡¯s stunned eyes flustered Mrs. Han, and then she realized that those people were unknown of it, but she just spoke it out openly. It did vite the royal taboo. Cold sweat ran from her forehead, and she did not dare to say more about it. ¡°Ah, Her Highness, Consort Zhao was not beside Her Highness, Consort Xian? Well, I... I made a mistake.¡±

    She stuttered and imed that she was dizzy and had to rest, so she pushed the crowd away and walked to the direction of flowering shrubs. She did not dare to stay there any longer, afraid of being imprisoned for her carelessness.

    Mrs. Han left, but the chat did not stop, and the topic shifted from what Consort Zhao used to be to what she was now.

    ¡°Have you met Her Highness, Consort Zhao, just now?¡± Ady asked anotherdy. With a mere nce from afar, she did not see Her Highness clearly. And with the second sight, she could only see a slender and beautiful figure surrounded by pce servants, but the face was still invisible.

    ¡°I stood there and only took a nce. Her Highness is really beautiful. No wonder she is able to enjoy the favor for years.¡± Thedy who asked praised with an envious look.

    ¡°She is really beautiful. If anydy can win Her Highness¡¯ support, she will definitely do as she pleases in the pce.¡±

    ¡°It has been for years since someone talked about Her Highness¡¯ paternal family. I am afraid there is no one else in that family. What a pity! Her Highness wins His Majesty¡¯s favor, and her paternal family members could live in ease andfort...¡±

    He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes flickered, and she came up to ask with a smile, ¡°Are you talking about Her Highness, Consort Zhao? Where can I seek an audience with her?¡±

    ¡°Just in the pavilion in front, but there are eunuchs and guards outside. No one is permitted toe in. It is a pity to let the pool of lotus go to waste. It is impossible to see the early lotus in this season outside the pce.¡±

    Seeing He Yuxiu was strange but kind, the twodies answered regretfully, because they had enjoyed the scenery there, but all the people were driven out there at the Consort Zhao¡¯s arrival. It was a waterside pavilion with a pool of locus beside. In this season, a few flowers had bloomed pleasantly above the water.

    He Yuxiu didn¡¯te to appreciate the lotus with them, so she just exchanged some greetings and then deliberately shifted the topic about the routes to the pavilion. After getting precise information, He Yuxiu hurried to the road that thedies pointed to her. At the same time, behind her near the flowers, a woman wearing the pce dress held the fruit tray in her hands and traced back He Yuxiu slowly.

    ¡°How dare you! Her Highness is resting in the pavilion in front. Retreat now!¡± Two guards stretched out the swords and blocked He Yuxiu with stern faces. Viewed afar, a pavilion was exactly there where Consort Zhao was surrounded by a group of pce maidservants. With the breeze passing by, the ornament and jewelry jingled. Consort Zhao did look strikingly opulent.

    Imagining that she would live such an opulent life, He Yuxiu was too agitated to be scared, so she said to the guards peevishly, ¡°Elder Brother, would you kindly make an exception for me this time and go to report that I am Her Highness¡¯ niece from her paternal family? And Ie here to beg for an audience especially.¡±

    Her Highness¡¯ niece?

    The two guards looked at each other and saw the doubt in each other¡¯s eyes. For so many years in the pce, they had never heard that Consort Zhao had any family members.

    ¡°How dare you! Where are you from? Dare to pass yourself off as Her Highness¡¯ niece?¡± A harsher guard scolded coldly and pointed his sword at He Yuxiu, showing no intention to let her in.

    ¡°Get away!¡±

    ¡°My dear guard, I am really the niece of Her Highness. Please help me to report to Her Highness. I will be at your disposal if I am fake.¡± He Yuxiu was reluctant to drop the idea, but did not dare toe forward. Seeing it was not far from the pavilion, she yelled suddenly, ¡°Her Highness, I am your niece from your paternal family. Please grant an audience to me!¡±

    When the two guards saw He Yuxiu did not leave but made a loud noise instead, they got angry, and one of them came up to directly drag He Yuxiu¡¯s clothes to pull her out. It was in the pce where no one was allowed to create a disturbance, let alone a moderate woman. If it disturbed His Majesty and he looked into it, the two guards would be killed without a doubt.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Her Highness gives an order to allow the woman¡¯s audience.¡± A eunuch ran over and wheezed.

    The two guards released her, looked at each other, and retreated.

    On the ground, He Yuxiu was almost scared to death, just staring nkly at the eunuch running to her and unable to react. Just now, when she was dragged by the guards, she thought she was going to die.

    ¡°You are Her Highness¡¯ niece?¡± The eunuch came over to stand beside and looked disdainfully at the embarrassed woman on the ground. The eunuch thought that the woman looked pretty at the age of 15 or 16, but the pce was full of beautiful women, so her appearance was just ssed as amon one in the pce.

    Although she had many ornaments on her hands and head, none of them were precious. She seemed not to be ady from a high, noble family.

    Given her coward appearance, shecked the air that a girl from an eminent family should have, and looked too frumpy to be presented. And now she fell on the ground with a disheveled look, which was rather unsightly.

    Being in a state of shock, He Yuxiu raised her head and answered pitifully. ¡°I, I am.¡±

    The eunuch threw a nce at her and said indifferently, ¡°Come with me.¡± Then, the eunuch simply turned around and led the way even without paying a salute to He Yuxiu. Obviously, the eunuch did not take her seriously. He Yuxiu who hade to herself gritted her teeth secretly with anger, but she also knew that it was not the time to get cross and that all the things should be left till she met Her Highness, Consort Zhao. He Yuxiu¡¯s senior uncle and second young uncle had said that Consort Zhao was so conscientious that she would not act like Consort Xian who had forgotten her origin and driven her paternal family members to a remote ce and let them live and die there, and enjoyed a luxurious life in the pce herself.

    In the pavilion, Consort Zhao sat there, wearing a gorgeous pce suit, like a beautiful woman about 20 years old. She was looking mildly at the awkward He Yuxiu.

    He Yuxiu did not dare to take more looks at Consort Zhao, but took two steps forward, knelt down respectfully, kowtowed and said, ¡°He Yuxiu pays respects to Your Highness, and wish Your Highness a long life and good health.¡± She had not expected that things would go on so smoothly and that she could see Consort Zhao so easily. She was in such an excited mood that her voice began trembling slightly.

    He Yuxiu thought, ¡°My elder uncle and father racked their brains to see Her Highness, but both failed. But I could aplish it today after I entered the pce just for a while. In this regard, I should take a big share in the glory and wealth in the future.¡±

    ¡°You are He Yuxiu?¡± Consort Zhao did not let her stand up but looked at her carefully. ¡°Raise your head.¡±

    ¡°I am He Yuxiu.¡± He Yuxiu raised her head slowly and looked up at Consort Zhao. Just now, she did not dare to move. But now she felt a bit relieved inwardly and dared to looked at Consort Zhao carefully.

    Although the woman sitting above was not young, she was still exceedingly fascinating and charming and wore luxurious clothes. Looking at the glittering clothes, He Yuxiu could not help but swallow and tried hard to shift her eyes from them, thinking that judging from the treasures on Her Highness, Her Highness did gain great grace in the pce.

    At the thought that Her Highness would probably grant some of the treasure to her, He Yuxiu felt a surge of excitement run through her.

 Chapter 410 - The Empress and Consort Join Hands

    <h4>Chapter 410 The Empress and Consort Join Hands</h4>

    Mo Xuetong was only in Cining Pce briefly. Consort Ning had plotted to and killed Consort Chu. This was a grave matter and changed King Ning, Feng Yuzhen¡¯s nspletely. Everyone knew that the court was no longer in two factions. It seemed on the surface that this matter was caused by King Ning¡¯s foiled plots.

    However, in actuality, King Chu had not suffered any losses in this matter. It was said that the Ding General Manor was prepared to marry their Third Miss, a legitimate daughter of the family, to King Chu. She would be his second wife. The Ding General Manor had lost a daughter just like that and the royal family owed the Ding General Manor one. It was necessary for them to allow the Ding General Manor to have another Consort Chu in their family.

    It was different for King Ning. Wang Yueyue¡¯s death was not something that could be exined. She had miscarried early on in the pregnancy and it would not have put her life in danger. Everyone knew someone who had a miscarriage. At most, it would just affect their ability to have children in the future. However, one would not die just like that. It was also a coincidence that she had not left any message and took the me for the whole matter.

    It was a very curious incident and those who had been in politics for a long while all felt that something was off.

    A chasm had grown between the Wang Manor and King Ning. There were even rumors that said that the First Miss of the Wang Manor had died an inexplicable death because she had something going on with King Ning. Some even described vividly what happened on the day of King Ning¡¯s wedding. Wang Xiuxiu had lost her child and died. These matters could really be rted!

    While Grand Secretariat Wang had retired, he had been an official for many years and was well-known to all. Both his daughters had died in King Ning¡¯s hands. He could not be unmoved about it. As such, more and more people watched King Ning in the shadows. Some officials who had long agreed to side with King Ning slowly broke ties off with him.

    The internal branch of the Ding General Manor also had a slight disagreement with the Empress Dowager after this. They even treated the men the Empress Dowager sent to them lightly. Even though they did not refuse to do anything they were supposed to, they were not eager about doing it either.

    All her ns that she hade up with over the years were nowpletely useless. The Empress Dowager was furious andid in Cining Pce, ill. She was not in the mood to deal with those younger than her and only picked a few older nobilities to chat with. She did not want to deal with people like Mo Xuetong, the consort of a prince, even more so. She told the eunuch at the door to say that the Empress Dowager was tired and to have her guests return. As such, Mo Xuetong only curtsied in the direction of the Empress Dowager outside the inner hall and was then brought out.

    Meanwhile, it was bustling in the Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce. The Empress¡¯sdies were all waiting outside for her to call them in.

    A servant had already entered to report Mo Xuetong¡¯s arrival when they saw her. A smiling eunuch appeared with a smile and brought Mo Xuetong in.

    The Empress was seated at the highest seat in front. She exuded a sense of wealth and nobility in her luxurious and beautiful phoenix robes. Even though she seemed a little pale, her expression was one of peacefulness and calmness. It was evident that she was in a good mood. A few consorts sat beside her. Consort Su, who had never gotten along with the Empress was there as well. It was a rare sight to see the two get along peacefully andughing as they spoke.

    Mo Xuetong was granted a seat by the side after she greeted the Empress.

    ¡°Is King Xuan¡¯s leg better?¡± The Empress asked kindly as a pce maid served up tea.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. His Highness¡¯ leg injury is mostly healed. However, he is stillcking in strength. The imperial physician said that even when he ispletely healed in the future he has to use less of his legs. If he injures his bones again, it would be difficult to make a full recovery.¡± Mo Xuetong bowed respectfully and answered with a smile.

    ¡°King Ning is yful or he would not have injured himself. I heard that you have managed the back courtyard pretty well. You have to get rid of some of those things that cannot be seen in public. Don¡¯t cause any trouble in the future.¡± Consort Su said with a close-lipped smile.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s back courtyard was like arge provision shop. Everyone knew about that. The other women looked at Mo Xuetong when they heard that and their smiles were tinged with ridicule. So what if Mo Xuetong was strict in her management of the household? How much could she reign King Xuan in? He was known to be unwieldy.

    There were so many beautiful women in his back courtyard. How would he bear to let them leave? Who knew when he would return to his licentious behavior and bring the women into his manor one by one?

    They were newlyweds now and Mo Xuetong was beautiful. Feng Yuran would definitely like her very much. It did not mean much for him to abandon his entire back courtyard. But what would happen in the future? Given Feng Yuran¡¯s unruly reputation, no one knew how long his affections for Mo Xuetong wouldst.

    Mo Xuetong did not know why Imperial Noble Consort Su was displeased with her. Fortunately, she did not mind. She figured that Consort Su would not have liked her anyway since she was Consort Xuan. As such, she pretended not to mind and replied graciously, ¡°His Highness has his ns for those in the back courtyard. I do not dare to meddle. His Highness will do what he wants.¡±

    No matter what Consort Su meant, Mo Xuetong just had to pretend to be a gracious and open-hearted Consort Xuan.

    ¡°Consort Xuan is really a gracious and intelligent person. Look at how thin you have gotten from taking care of King Xuan.¡± Consort Su eximed and put her hands together. Then, she turned to say to the Empress sweetly, ¡°Your Majesty, you have to reward Consort Xuan well. I heard that she¡¯s been keeping King Xuanpany in the manor and he¡¯s been reading. His Majesty has already asked King Xuan to go over. I suppose His Majesty will ask if King Xuan has been readingtely!¡±

    She turned to look at the Empress after having said that.

    The Empress looked at Mo Xuetong and nodded. She said with a smile, ¡°You are a virtuous one. If King Xuan does you wrong in the future, don¡¯t mind it as much. I will help you. You have to deal with the things in your courtyard but don¡¯t deal with all of them. Just get rid of the ones who don¡¯t know their ce and the ones who are just inferior. Then, settle on a few concubines so that the royal family will not be embarrassed.¡±

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes internally. However, her expression grew more respectful. The royal family had already embarrassed themselves many times. Ever since the Princes married, embarrassing incidents had happened one after another. Why would she cause an embarrassment! Why was the high and mighty Empress focused on King Xuan¡¯s back courtyard? Even Consort Su mentioned it over and over.

    ¡°Yes, I will return and remind His Highness.¡±

    She was just a consort. Furthermore, she was the consort of a prince who was known to be licentious. She could just push all the responsibility to Feng Yuran lest the others kept talking about whether she was virtuous or not. No matter whether it was the Empress or Consort Su, none of them were people she could afford to offend right now. Without the ability to fight them, Mo Xuetong was more willing to keep a low profile.

    Seeing that there was not a hint of unwillingness on Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression and that she was respectful and smiling gently, the Empress was satisfied. She waved her hand and said, ¡°You may leave first. Go and walk around in the gardens. You must not have the time to walk around since you usually spend your time taking care of King Xuan. You are a young girl and don¡¯t have to keep us old womenpany. You should go out there and take in the scenery.¡±

    Mo Xuetong immediately left. No matter whether it was the Empress or Consort Su, she did not wish to get too close to them. Even though Feng Yuran had no choice but to enter the game, she would still rather have people think that she was someone who was not in the game. An arrogant and licentious prince, together with a gentle consort who had no opinions would calm those with any thoughts for some time.

    ¡°I do not agree with Your Majesty. Anyone can see that I look like your elder sister when we stand side by side.¡± Consort Su¡¯s sweet voice could be heard from behind her. The two women now had amon goal and their rtionship immediately improved. They forgot about what happened in the past. Those who were not in the know would really think that they were fast friends. There were too many women in the pce and they all wore masks before others.

    ¡°Your Majesty and Consort Su are both so young. I am an old woman here. If we go out, people would think that we are now one generation older.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you twodies are beautiful. If you go out just like that, you would both be even more striking than those young girls. Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re old.¡±

    The other consorts buttered up to them andughter filled up the great hall. Everything they said was directed at the Empress and Consort Su and they even ced the two women on the same pedestal. News in the pce traveled fast as usual. The moment King Chu gained an upper hand, the entire pce seemed to have changed. If Feng Yuxuan were to take the throne in the future, one of the women would be the Empress Dowager while the other would be the Emperor¡¯s biological mother. Even though their status might have a little difference, it was not certain which one of them would be more powerful. Those who could butter up to them would, of course, butter up to them.

    However, they did not know if the Empress would be upset upon hearing such things.

    ¡°Consort, Second Miss He has already gone over. His Highness sent word for you to go to Anhe Pceter. He will wait for you there.¡± Mo Ye helped Mo Xuetong away from Tianfeng Pce. After they walked away to somewhere with fewer people, she took the opportunity to speak softly while Mo Xuetong admired a blooming peony.

    Even though she did not say much, Mo Xuetong understood. She nodded. Feng Yuran must still be with Emperor Zongwen. It was useless for her to go early. She might as well walk around. She always walked through the imperial gardens quickly and rarely had such a chance to admire the flowers quietly. It was spring and the flowers were blooming at their peak.

    Mo Xuetong walked through the flowers casually with the help of Mo Ye and admired the beautiful sights of the garden. There were beautiful flowers of all colors on the branches.

    ¡°Is Second Miss He chatting happily with Consort Zhao?¡± Mo Xuetong picked a hibiscus casually.

    ¡°From afar, it looks like Second Miss He has been given a seat and Consort Zhao likes her very much. I heard that Consort Zhao gave Second Miss He some hair essories.¡± Mo Ye replied. Consort Zhao guards had been looking at her and she did not dare to go too close. She only watched from afar. However, it seemed that Consort Zhao liked He Yuxiu a lot. She was given a seat in just moments.

    Mo Xuetong slowly walked forward and twirled the hibiscus in her hands. The faint fragrance tickled her nose. She frowned slightly, bit her lips, and asked, ¡°Mo Ye, why do you think the He Family sent two consorts into the pce? Consort Xian should have been the most favored then, right?¡±

    ...

    That was something she could not understand. If a family already has a daughter who was a favored concubine, why would they send another into the pce? If that daughter was not favored, then it would be a waste of a daughter. If the daughter was favored, it would just be taking affection away from the other daughter. The He family seemed smart, so why would they do something so stupid?

    It was something Mo Xuetong could never understand. She felt as if she had forgotten something important. However, she could not recall it at that moment, which was why she asked Mo Ye that casually.

    Mo Ye answered casually as well after hearing the question. ¡°Perhaps the He family thinks that sending one daughter only would not get them any affection!¡±

    Mo Ye admitted that she was not as meticulous as Mo Xuetong and did not consider the whole situation fully. She never thought that Mo Xuetong would ask her a question like that and so gave her a casual reply. After answering the question, she felt that it was not right and hurriedly said, ¡°My Lady, I just said it casually. A family like the Hes isplicated. Who knows what is going on in their minds? Perhaps they think that this would be safer. I am just saying this casually, and don¡¯t think too much into it.¡±

    Safer? Why would the He family think that Consort Zhao would gain the Emperor¡¯s affections for sure? What kind of great ability did they have to make the Emperor dote on someone!

    ¡°Mo Ye, have you seen Consort Zhao?¡±

    ¡°I have never seen her. But she is said to be very beautiful. Earlier, there were some old servants in the pce who said... they said...¡± Mo Ye hesitated.

    ¡°What did they say?¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently.

    ¡°I heard that Consort Zhao resembles Consort Xian very much. They look very alike. Consort Xian passed away many years ago and many of the old people in the pce can no longer remember how she looks like. They only said that the two of them look very much like each other at one nce.¡± Mo Ye was versed in martial arts and had very sharp ears. She heard some of the titled women gathering together and discussing Consort Zhao when she was guarding outside Tianfeng Pce. The women all said that Consort Zhao resembled Consort Xian greatly.

 Chapter 411 - She Would be With Him, No Matter Life or Death

    <h4>Chapter 411 She Would be With Him, No Matter Life or Death</h4>

    Mo Xuetong was dumbfounded and stopped suddenly. She touched her head and stood under the flower tree beside. She felt shocked that Consort Zhao looked so simr to Consort Xian. Although Consort Zhao was Consort Xian¡¯s younger sister, the two were not rted by blood. How could they look so alike?

    Feng Yuran also said that his mother consort was an orphan and the rtives of her parents had passed away all. So his mother was barely rted to He family in any way. How could it be possible that her mother had a sister who resembled her so much? Even if luck had happened, it was too unusually coincident.

    Mo Xuetong felt somewhat that something weird was in it.

    ¡°What kind of family is He¡¯s family?¡± After Mo Xuetong saw Feng Yuran in Anhe Pce, it was the first question that came to her mind.

    Feng Yuran reached out to keep his hand around her waist and walked slowly into the main pce. Now there were only a few elderly maidservants and eunuchs here to take care of it, and they had retreated. The empty pce, though still brilliant, looked lifeless without the presence of the master.

    No matter how gorgeous the pce was, it was just a barren pce without people¡¯s presence.

    ¡°The family has always been profit-seeking. They are probably willing to do anything for the sake of wealth and prosperity. ¡± Feng Yuran raised the corner of his lips slightly with a look of coldness and said indifferently. The family was like bedbugs which were unable to get rid of as soon as sticking to others.

    Disgusting! Extremely disgusting! In his heart, he never considered He family was his mother¡¯s rtives. That family never thought his mother as their own rtive, but only a pawn for them to seek wealth and prosperity. When his mother had passed away, He family did not even send a person to offerfort.

    Mo Xuetong took a secret nce at him, and felt that he looked mild, and then shook his sleeve and asked prettily, ¡°Do you know Consort Zhao looks like our mother?¡±

    ¡°I Know. Just because she looked like our mother and was our mother¡¯s younger sister, she could gain the favor. But in fact, Consort Zhao is just a fake but has been favored over a decade. If she did treat our mother sincerely, how could she just sit by and see our mother killed in other hands? ¡± Feng Yuran answering indifferently with a gleam of coldness shing in his eyes, and his hand held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand unconsciously tighter and his voice sounded a bit angry.

    He must resent Emperor Zongwen. He was so young when his mother died. And how could his heart not get broken when watching his mother die while his father did not want to avenge her? Andter, he was almost poisoned to death. Although it was due to theplicated interest rtionship in the harem, couldn¡¯t Emperor Zong bear any responsibility?

    A truly capable emperor was even unable to keep his lover alive.

    Anyway, Feng Yuran had reasons to have grudges in his heart. No wonder although it was said that he was the most favored prince of Emperor Zongwen, Mo Xuetong never saw Feng Yuran find the Emperor actively. Instead, the Emperor was always favorable to him again and again. Feng Yuran and his father held totally different attitudes towards the death of Consort Xian.

    But who could be to me?

    Feng Yuran lost his mother at a young age, and then, was sent outside the pce and trained with the secret guards. The hardships in it made Mo Xuetong full of distress. How old was he then? Five or six? Thinking about that time he had lost her motherly love, Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart ached for him.

    How had such a little prince got over it?

    Mo Xuetong held her hand tightly against Feng Yuran andforted softly. ¡°His Majesty, maybe... had no alternative but to...¡±

    ¡°Had no alternative! They both enjoyed the favor! Why can the fake live so well, but my mother has passed away...¡± Feng Yuran lowered his hand slowly, with his eyes filled with pain and struggle. No matter what he did, he was always full of spirits. This enchanting and handsome young man had a charming bearing in every move he took. The purple color highlighted him as the most dazzling sun in the sky, fresh and bright.

    However, he was not the frivolous young man but was redolent of chilly rage, like a sword out of the sheath that stabbed with coldness to the bone. His eyes were so sharp and stern that no one dared to meet.

    Suddenly, Mo Xuetong wanted to cry. And she bit her lip and raised her head, deliberately ignoring the pain at the bottom of his eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Or is there any other reason ounting for the death of our mother, and His Majesty fails to find it?¡±

    ording to Mo Xuetong¡¯s understanding, Emperor Zong was rather infatuated with Consort Xian. Since she had passed away for years, he still couldn¡¯t forget her and arranged the whole Anhe Pce the same as it used to be and loved Feng Yuran so much. Mo Xuetong did not know what the rumors outside were, but she could truly feel Emperor Zong¡¯s feelings.

    This throne, the Emperor was bound to pass to Feng Yuran!

    However, the Emperor did not want Feng Yuran to be put in the limelight and framed by others. Therefore, Feng Yuran remained unscrupulous after returning to the pce. Except for showing some knowledge about horse-riding in Zhangtai, he knew nothing about the affairs of the court. Such a useless prince would not draw those ambitious princes¡¯ attention.

    With his current performance, Feng Yuran kept himself away from the fights for the throne, but controlled the overall situation indifferently outside the fight, and would give the most powerful blow at the appropriate time, Mo Xuetong did not know whether Emperor Zongwen was full of tenderness or ruthlessness. Those princes were all his sons as well, and they would be sacrificed in vain. As a father, Emperor Zong was so heartless!

    However, even if this was the case, it would not make up for the pain in Feng Yuran¡¯s heart!

    Looking at the love passed by Mo Xuetong¡¯s bright eyes, Feng Yuran stared at her closely, as if he could put her heart in the heart in this way. For a long time, his face brightened, with a fascinating smile on his lips, and he held Mo Xuetong and walked inside.

    How lucky it was to have such a precious heart and to have such a precious person!

    ¡°Consort Zhao just talked with He Yuxiu so happily, and now she even took her to the pce to dwell on some details. And it¡¯s said that Consort Zhao sent someone to report to His Majesty, iming that she has found her paternal family members and hoping His Majesty to see at his earliest convenience,¡± Feng Yuran said meaningfully.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a while and asked puzzledly, ¡°Consort Zhao likes talking with people?¡±

    ¡°She has been imprisoned for so many years. Although it¡¯s said that she has been enjoying the most favor, what¡¯s the difference that she is imprisoned? Do you think she could convince the people in the harem only by not having to pay respects to Her Highness?¡± Feng Yuran sneered. His father sought temporary ease and security for Consort Zhao by such conduct. Feng Yuran thought that his father became even more self-righteous.

    ¡°You mean, His Majesty imprisoned Consort Zhao to protect her in order to get the understanding of the others in the pce?¡± Mo Xuetong stopped and stared with a stunned expression. No wonder she always felt strange about what had happened about the past. No matter how much favor a Consort gained, she did not dare to challenge Empress¡¯ rights frontally. No distinction between legitimate and illegitimate status would stir up the chaos in the country. His Majesty was a wise emperor, so how could it be possible that he would do that?

    Apart from Empress, the court would not agree, nor would Ding General Manor!

    ¡°If the things would not be carried out in this way, how could Consort Zhao live to the present!¡± Feng Yuran gave a cold snort and did not stop his footsteps and continued to walk inside. When into the inner pce, he ced Mo Xuetong onto a wide chair beside, and he leaned to the side of the couch. Since his legs and feet were not good, he specifically got Emperor Zongwen¡¯s permission toe to rest in Anhe Pce.

    Afraid that Mo Xuetong¡¯s newlybed hair would be messed up, he ced her on the chair beside.

    Most of the attendants today weredies and youngdies with good grades. It would be disgraceful if the hair buns were messed up. Although Feng Yuran did not care, he did not want Mo Xuetong to be criticized by others.

    ¡°The He family brought two daughters in, and even found a woman simr to our mother in appearance... Does... does the He family know something?¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lip and decided to speak out the doubt in her heart.

    In fact, Mo Xuetong was 100% sure that the death of Consort Xian had something to do with the family. In thest life, Feng Yuran must have found something out, so he had ughtered the He family in the main hall to vent his anger. If He family was just greedy for wealth, with Feng Yuran¡¯s temperament, he would have just ignored them and would not have done it so ruthlessly, and then, left downhearted.

    What exactly had happened? Mo Xuetong thought that Feng Yuran had the right to know.

    But unlike thest life, she would always follow Feng Yuran to soothe his soul, and would never let him leave the capital as desperately as thest life! Of course, it was best if she knew the reason first, and then she could find a specific way to undo the knot in his heart. In any case, in this life, she would never let Feng Yuran in disappointment fall into a perilous position.

    This was why she wanted to be stronger, and wanted to stand next to him. As for that hurdle, Mo Xuetong hoped that Feng Yuran would treat him calmly . He had always stood in front of her to protect her, and she also wanted to support him with her tender shoulders when he was desperate, even if the power was so tiny, she was willing to give out all.

    She stood up from the chair, walked over to squat down, reached out to hold his long slender hand, and looked up at his handsome and cold face.

    ¡°He family knew that Consort Zhao would win the favor!¡± Feng Yuran immediately understood what Mo Xuetong implied and gritted his teeth to say slowly . But the words sounded chilly to Mo Xuetong. She also caught his meaning instantly, and then reached out to his hands and put them on her face. She said to him softly.

    ¡°Yuran, promise me that in any case, you can¡¯t be furious and lose yourself. I... I¡¯ve been waiting where you can see. Our mother is unwilling... unwilling to see you sad... If it¡¯s them... don¡¯t be grieved... I, will always be with you!¡±

    She said incoherently, and even she did not understand what she said. Suddenly, tears dropped from the corners of her eyes and then ran down. After finishing her words, she stood up and sat beside him, just bit her lips and looked at him. Although she had made up her mind, she still felt inexplicably afraid at the sight of his face full of grudge.

    After being reborn in this life, perhaps because this life was gained by luck, she seldom felt scared, and felt nothing terrible even if she had to die again. But now, she did feel scared, for fear that he would leave her, would be demoralized, and would evene to an end that he had to travel far away to the Southern Barbarian Lands without a return.

    In this life, she didn¡¯t cherish her life, but cherished his, unwilling to see he meet with any mishaps.

    ¡°Why remind me?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s face became tender, and he reached out to hold her tearful face, and stared at her.

    ¡°Because I know Feng Yuran always keeps a cool mind. He doesn¡¯t need me to say anything, and he will know what he wants and how to get it. He is the most cunning, knowing what is the hardest blow. He is the person who will not be crushed by any difficulties and will not lose the opportunity because of someone, and he always has the game in his hands, and... ¡± Mo Xuetong choked with tears.

    ¡°And what?¡± The grudge on his face faded a bit, and he asked her softly as watching her.

    ¡°And he knows I¡¯m waiting for him, and he has two lives on him, he will never act recklessly.¡± Mo Xuetong pulled his sleeves and cried breathlessly, as if she were a beast to be abandoned. Her charming limpid eyes were full of tears. Her grievance, scare and fear all turned into tears and flowed from her heart. She really thought she could not lose him. No matter what happened, she would be with him.

    She would be with him, no matter life or death!

    Feng Yuran kept calm. Even though he knew that his mother was probably killed by He family, he just took on a look of grudge. But now, Mo Xuetong¡¯s undisguised words made his eyes mixed with excitement, rejoicing, love and even some relief.

    Only he knew how apathetic the woman around him was. Even if he tried to slowly warmed her heart, the heart remained tepid, and he was unable to catch it. Even though he knew he had a ce in her heart, he did not know how important the ce was. Every time he tried to sound out by making fun, he could not get too much response, as if she just took it, but never opened up to him.

    He could know what other people thought, thought he drifted away different forces, expect this apathetic and alienated heart. But now, she opened up her heart and made him reassured.

    Such a woman was the one he would love for life, so was there any reason why shouldn¡¯t he love her from the bottom of his heart?

 Chapter 412 - He Yuxiu Fell into the Water in the Imperial Garden

    <h4>Chapter 412 He Yuxiu Fell into the Water in the Imperial Garden</h4>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, rest assured. I will deal with this matter calmly.¡± Feng Yuran made the promise gently and hugged the young girl who trembled with tears in his arms.

    Mo Xuetong also hugged him tightly, refusing to loosen her hands. Her tears ran down silently and then fell in clusters. She did not know why she cried, but only felt her heart broken with bitterness that made her unable to speak for that moment. She just told herself vaguely that he could fulfil his promise, and that he would not make the mistake as he had made in thest life, and he would not suffer like that, and they would live a happy life...

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er...¡± Seeing her so miserable but he was unable to find the cause, Feng Yuran just murmured her name again and again. His lips gently fell on her cheeks, eyes, and lips. He was so confused that he did not know how tofort her, but just kissed her cheeks subconsciously and sensed her warm body as soft as water in his arms.

    Mo Xuetong did not stop crying until a long time. She leaned in his arms and found afortable ce on his chest autonomously. After wiping her face with a handkerchief, she braced herself against his robe contented. The room became quiet, and she could feel his hands tucked some strands of her hair behind her ears.

    The serene and cozy atmosphere warmed both of them, and they felt the warmth from each other¡¯s body temperature.

    After a long while, lying in Feng Yuran¡¯s arms, Mo Xuetong asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Do you think it was He family behind the scenes?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t wait for others to raise the question but wanted to reveal the truth in front of him little by little herself, so that he would avoid losing his temper in rage if he heard it from others and causing an irreversible mistake. In Mo Xuetong¡¯s view, He family should perish without doubt, and it had much to do with Feng Yuran. But she hoped it was she who uncovered the truth to Feng Yuran.

    ¡°The He family is the most likely to do it. And Consort Zhao must have something to do with it.¡± Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes with a hint of coldness shing in his eyes. At this moment, he returned to himself. If he had not been reminded by Mo Xuetong, he would not think in this way. But with careful thoughts, he realized that since His Majesty had protected his mother so thoroughly, how was Empress able to take the poison to his mother?Read more new novels on

    If there had not been any nted agent, how could Empresse to Feng Yuran¡¯s mother¡¯s Anhe Pce coincidentally when His Majesty had just left the pce? Feng Yuran still remembered that it was Consort Zhao who had handed it to his mother. At that time, Feng Yuran just felt Consort Zhao disgusting. If she could not protect his mother, why had she bothered toe to the pce? Now, when Feng Yuran recalled it again, he realized that Consort Zhao and Empress had collided already at that time.

    No wonder Consort Zhao could live peacefully in the pce with Empress for so many years.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like Consort Zhao. She always looked gentle, as if my mother were reborn. But how is it possible that there is an umon likeness between two people in the world, even their characters are so alike, unless one of them is designed intentionally?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to tell His Majesty?¡± Mo Xuetong raised her head and asked.

    ¡°How can he believe that the woman as gentle as my mother is so vicious? In his heart, perhaps he believes that Consort Zhao is gentle and kind.¡± When talking about Consort Zhao, Feng Yuran¡¯s tone was rather indifferent, as if he were talking about a stranger. But Mo Xuetong could still feel the coldness under his calm tone. She clung herself deeper to his chest and nuzzled him with her face, and then said with some hesitation, ¡°Since He family are going toe to the capital, they are bound to contact Consort Zhao. I think that Consort Zhao cannot keep calm now. Shall I...¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Feng Yuran understood her meaning immediately and interrupted her assertively. He shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to step in it.¡±

    He did not want Tong¡¯er to suffer any damage. The imperial pce was the inner court, and sometimes he was unable to control everything he wanted.

    ¡°You don¡¯t treat me as yours?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up and med. Her rosebud lips pouted with displeasure, and her long eyshes fluttered with sorrow in her misty eyes. What a poor look!

    ¡°Consort Zhao is not Consort Yu. It is not safe for you to go there.¡± If it were something else, Feng Yuran¡¯s heart had softened at the sight of her expression. However, as for this matter, he refused her without a second thought.

    ¡°You, you don¡¯t think I am yours, and is unwilling to let me avenge our mother. I don¡¯t want you anymore!¡± Mo Xuetong bit her lip to push him away. Her watery eyes shed tears with grievance again. She had just been pacified, but now cried again. Looking at her blurred eyes full of tears, Feng Yuran thought he was unable to adhere to his persistence any longer.

    This woman was the goblin sent by the God to torture him!

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to go there, but be careful.¡± Feng Yuran sighed helplessly and said. And his anger about what He family had done to his mother was dulled for a moment.

    ¡°Rest assured. I will act ording to circumstances. You ask the person who has tailed He Yuxiu to keep watch on Consort Zhao. Now, the ban on Consort Zhao has been lifted, and just guess where she will go most.¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a smile.

    What would a person want to do most since she had been released from restriction? It could tell the person¡¯s temperament. As for Consort Zhao, Mo Xuetong thought she needed to get to know Consort Zhao¡¯s style before taking the proper action.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s all up to you.¡± Feng Yuran smiled. His fingers gently brushed her glossy skin, and he continued to said charmingly, ¡°rest assured. The alliance between Empress and Imperial Noble Consort Su is not so unbreakable. Consort Zhao thought she could do at her will in the pce by the favor she has gained for ten years. I¡¯m afraid that she will be disappointed.¡±

    Ten years ago, Consort Zhao could probably win the favor by her appearance and temper simr to Consort Xian. But how could it be the same after ten years? Just judging from the current situation in the pce, it was easy to see that Emperor changed his favor so quickly that no one could tell where the Emperor¡¯s love would hang around and whom he would favor next.

    ¡°When you meet her, you should be careful, too. After all, she is His Majesty¡¯s favorite consort.¡± Mo Xuetong reminded unassured.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Tong¡¯er, even if she doesn¡¯t like me, she doesn¡¯t dare to expose it. She can ascend to what she is now all because of her temperament and appearance simr to my mother. If His Majesty knows she is always pretending, how can she continue to keep her prime in the pce?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s slender fingers ran on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face caressingly. ¡°Tong¡¯er, you just need to deal with He Yuxiu. Besides, she lives outside the pce andes to disturb us from time to time.¡±

    Feng Yuran had made clear analysis that the hypocritical He Yuxiu was no Tong¡¯er¡¯s opponent at all. Base on Tong¡¯er¡¯s cleverness, it was a piece of cake to deal with He Yuxiu. And it was much easier to start from He Yuxiu than from Consort Zhao whom they knew nothing at all.

    Mo Xuetong contemted for a while and agreed with the method. In the past, she had just wanted to fish out Consort Zhao by He Yuxiu. And now, Consort Zhao came out, but He Yuxiu was ignored. No matter how sly Consort Zhao was, to have a paternal family member like He Yuxiu was not a happy thing.

    ¡°Okay, I listen to you.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes gleamed, with a bright smile. She nodded and continued to say, ¡°I guess even if I won¡¯t go to find her, she wille to see me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Feng Yuran asked curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who has so many bad romances, and ites one after another restlessly.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a bit of resentment. Being annoyed for the unknown reason, she reached out to pull his sleeve and took a hard bite on his wrist. In the past, Ling Fengyan was his crazy adorer, and now came He Yuxiu.

    The former one had tried to take Mo Xuetong down before the death. And thetter one did not have that gut before, but now with the backer, Mo Xuetong wondered how He Yuxiu would cause trouble to her. The thought made Mo Xuetong depressed, and she thought why the man looked so enchanting and handsome that a swarm of bad romances flooded to him endlessly, and that being King Xuan¡¯s consort was rather a dangerous thing.

    Looking at her peevishly ring expression, Feng Yuran chuckled and felt his heart melted. Then, he answered with a doting look, ¡°Okay. From now on, I will drive away the bad romances one by one myself, okay?¡±

    As for those women, he felt disgusted. They made grand gestures and showed off ostentatiously, even deliberately yed some tricks to attract his attention.

    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Mo Xuetong pouted.

    With the mouth upward, Feng Yuran gave a fond kiss on her ck hair.

    After they had made an agreeable n, Feng Yuran asked servants to freshen Mo Xuetong, and then took her to the banquet. When they had juste out of the Anhe Pce, a sweet voice rang, ¡°cousin, Xuetong, where have you been? I am looking for you for a long time.¡±

    The sharine voice made Mo Xuetong quiver. How hard did He Yuxiu squeeze her throat that she could make that voice?

    Not far from the road ahead, a beautifuldy stood beside the water, her skin as white as snow in that gorgeous pce dress. Her ck hair was braided up with some tear-shaped golden hairpins stuck in it. The hairpins would gleam dazzlingly by any slight move. What apellingly luxurious look! With a careless nce, He Yuxiu did look like ady from a grand family.

    Her slim waist swung lightly and put on different flirtatious airs. But somewhat, she also looked like a prostitute. Had He Yuxiu seen it much outside the pce? Or was there any problems with He family¡¯s cultivation nanny? He Yuxiu disyed herself like a prostitute.

    How did He family raise their daughters?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you go todies¡¯ seats, and I will go where His Majesty is.¡± Feng Yuran put down the hand holding Mo Xuetong, and said to her with a smile, giving no response to He Yuxiu.

    The banquet was divided into two sides of seats between gentlemen anddies. Thedies led by Empress took seats in the inner room, while the ministers and the young gentlemen were arranged outside.

    He Yuxiu seemed not be affected by Feng Yuran¡¯s cold shoulders, and walked in front of him to block the way. She turned around to show the jewels on her, and said proudly, ¡°Cousin, do you know what I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯ve seen the young aunt, Her Highness, Consort Zhao. She also granted me this dress and the ornaments. Are they beautiful?¡±

    She totally disregarded Mo Xuetong.

    Now, with the Consort Zhao¡¯s support, He Yuxiu was not afraid of Mo Xuetong at all . Thinking that Consort Zhao had promised to let her marry into the manor as the second consort, and to removed Mo Xuetong step by step, He Yuxiu could not conceal the exultation in her heart and behaved rather arrogantly . She dared to pester Feng Yuran who always took no notice of her and kept speaking to him, totally paying no attention to Mo Xuetong, her cousin¡¯s consort.

    ¡°It looks good!¡± Feng Yuran showed azy smile on his handsome face and said gently.

    The smile made He Yuxiu stunned, and she stood there still to look nkly at Feng Yuraning to her slowly. She felt her heart was about to jump out of her mouth. She thought Consort Zhao was right, as Consort Zhao had said, ¡°Feng Yuran will love you, as long as you dress yourself up beautifully.¡±

    See, her cousin, who had always been cold to her, smiled to her now...

    Looking at He Yuxiu¡¯s infatuated look, Mo Xuetong let out a sigh inwardly and stepped back. She did not want to get into trouble when the trouble would be stirred upter. Feng Yuran was King Xuan with unbearable insolence, while Mo Xuetong was just an oppressed and cowardly King Xuan¡¯s consort. Therefore, they should y their proper roles in the pce.

    One should keep a high profile, as high as possible to let everyone know!

    The other should keep a low profile, as low as possible not to let everyone know!

    Mo Xuetong could only sigh that people were different.

    ¡°I¡¯ll dress you up more beautifully. Do you want it?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s enchanting smile, matching with his gentle voice, hoodwinked He Yuxiu all right. She did not know what to do but just kept nodding her head. It was the first time for her to be noticed by her unparalleled handsome cousin. Her heart pounded inside her chest,pletely unaware of what she was doing.

    ¡°Remove this, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°This one doesn¡¯t look good. Throw it?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    ¡°And your bun isn¡¯t pretty . I tie it for you again, okay?¡±

    ¡°I listen to my cousin!¡±

    Her headwear was taken off piece by piece and thrown aside. At the end, even her gorgeous buns were randomly messed up, leaving disheveled hair. Now He Yuxiu¡¯s grand dress up was utterly destroyed, and she looked like a fool, even her eyes became stupid, and were fixed on Feng Yuran, smiling.

    Dared to look at him with such obsessive eyes.

    A flicker of disgust shed in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, and he turned his head and gave a fierce kick to the foolish He Yuxiu. With a ssh, a woman screamed, and then came the guard shout, ¡°Come here. Someone is crazy and drown herself in the river. Come here!¡±

    The guard¡¯s voice soared to the sky and shocked all the people who had heard it. Many people ran all the way to the bank of the river. And Feng Yuran walked to a side road calmly while Mo Xuetong left the scene with the protection of Mo Ye.

 Chapter 413 - Consort Zhao Fought For The Favor In Front Of Emperor Zongwen

    <h4>Chapter 413 Consort Zhao Fought For The Favor In Front Of Emperor Zongwen</h4>

    ¡°Who? Who jumped into the water?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It seems that the youngdy does take things too hard.¡±

    ¡°Go down and save her. Quickly.¡±

    ¡°Why did she choose to do that in the imperial garden? Isn¡¯t she afraid of affecting her own family?¡±

    ...

    Many youngdies on the bank chattered about the ident with various opinions. The guards dragged the unconscious He Yuxiu ashore. Her clothes were soaked, and it was in Spring, so her good figure was exposed in sightpletely. And her disheveled hair with some strands on the forehead made her more like a mad woman rather than a normal one.

    Her pce dress had been snagged somewhere and was torn considerably, making her private area inside expose slightly and glutting the guards¡¯ eyes.

    Fortunately, it was in the pce. No one dared to act unruly, and all the guards retreated.

    ¡°This woman is crazy!¡±

    ¡°She must be crazy, otherwise she would note to the Imperial Garden to jump into theke.¡±

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Nor do I!¡±

    All the people shook their heads. Since He family had already fallen, they could not enter the circle of the wealthy. Besides, He Yuxiu was not a local citizen, so no one knew her there.

    ¡°Get out of here! Get out of here! Her Highness ising!¡± Someone shouted in the distance, and all the people retreated voluntarily.

    Surrounded by pce servants, Empress came first, followed by Imperial Noble Consort Su and Consort Zhao.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Empress stopped and asked at the sight of the soaked He Yuxiu thrown randomly on the ground. Several eunuchs pushed He Yuxiu¡¯s disheveled hair to reveal her face.

    Someone came over and whispered some words to Empress. Then, Empress¡¯ expression became weird, and she turned to look at Consort Zhao behind and said with a faint smile, ¡°Consort Zhao,e to see whether she is your paternal family member.¡±

    Consort Zhao, a little bit slower than Empress, changed her countenance at the sight of He Yuxiu. The pce dress was quite familiar, so Consort Zhao recognized He Yuxiu at the first sight. She wondered why her so-called niece from the paternal family behaved so disappointingly just after they had met just now. Looking at He Yuxiu¡¯s embarrassing appearance, Consort Zhao felt her stomach ached with anger. But asked by Empress on the scene, Consort Zhao could not turn a blind eye to He Yuxiu, as she had advised Empress to allow He Yuxiu to be a second consort of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    At the moment, Consort Zhao came up, gave a graceful salute, and smile softly. ¡°She is my niece from my paternal family. It is the first time that she has been in the pce, so she knows nothing about the imperial rules. I¡¯m afraid that she bumped into someone. I don¡¯t know whom she bumped into, and the person threw the girl into theke. Come here, help Miss He to get changed.¡±

    What Consort Zhao meant was that someone deliberately threw He Yuxiu into the river. Compared to He Yuxiu¡¯s current situation, it was the best exnation. To shift the responsibility to others and create a good reputation for herself was Consort Zhao¡¯s wishful thinking.

    A eunuch and a pce maidservant beside Consort Zhao held He Yuxiu to leave the scene.

    The Empress¡¯ face remained weird, and she curved her lips slightly and said, ¡°My sister, you¡¯re so generous. Shall I help you to inquire who bumped Miss He into the river? Miss He came to the pce for the first time and just imed kin with you. But the ident happened. Just now, she was reduced by the guards, and her reputation was stained. What should she do now? Besides, King Xuan...¡±

    Consort Zhao¡¯s face stiffened instantly, and a gleam of coldness shed under her eyes. She had been restrained in the deep pce for a decade. Seemingly, it was said to protect her, but in fact, she was imprisoned there without any freedom. This time, she could manage toe out of the pce by the name of attending the Spring Wind Feast, so in any case, she was unwilling to return to the old days when she had to live in the pce alone for her whole life.

    Others did not know, but Consort Zhao knew clearly that every time Emperor came to her pce, he just talked about her elder sister. Being the only young sister of Consort Xian in the pce and having a simr look with her, Consort Zhao knew Emperor used her to cherish the memory with her sister, which was all her role in the pce. Emperor said to restrain her in the deep pce just for fear that she might be framed by Empress. But the restrictionsted over a decade. Perhaps, the Emperor¡¯s tenderness and expectation had deteriorated already.

    Now she just wanted to appear in front of everyone as a favored consort, enjoying the superiority above others. She wanted to get greater rights. Whether with the original motivation or in the current purpose, she felt that she was the right person to enjoy the glory and wealth.

    With ten years passing, perhaps Consort Zhao had gradually entered Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart, and she thought she was able to rece Consort Xian. With her face and gentleness simr to Consort Xian, Consort Zhao did not believe that Emperor Zongwen remained indifferent to her. In the past, he always ignored her requests, but now, he allowed her to appear in front of people.

    She believed that as the Emperor¡¯s mind changed, she could get more!

    Of course, she also needed someone¡¯s support. At this time, the He family that emerged became her best tool, as she could bond herself to Feng Yuran by using He family and show great kindness to him. Consort Xian had passed away for years, and Consort Zhao thought, as Feng Yuran¡¯s aunt, she was his closest person in the pce, and she could even put in a good word for him in front of Emperor at an appropriate time.

    If Feng Yuran could seed to the throne, she, as his aunt, could ascend to the position of Empress Dowager. It was all Consort Zhao¡¯s n. Of course, she had totally forgotten Consort Xian¡¯s death, and believed that woman was too stupid and died indirectly in her hands, leaving her husband and son to her. What a stupid person Consort Xian was!

    He Yuxiu was Consort Zhao¡¯s niece whom she nned to marry to Feng Yuran. That was, He Yuxiu was a necessary means for Consort Zhao to associate with Feng Yuran, so Consort Zhao was so kind to He Yuxiu. But out of Consort Zhao¡¯s expectation, He Yuxiu, such a foolish woman, had such an ident when she had just left Consort Zhao for a while. How could Consort Zhao not get angry?

    What kind of person secretly set to destroy her n? Consort Zhao thought that she would not let the person go if she found out who the person was.

    Just now, since those guards were men, and He Yuxiu was pulled up by them, even her clothes was torn, her reputation was stained. How was such a woman able to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor? King Xuan was Emperor¡¯s beloved son. How could Emperor let his son feel aggrieved?

    Thinking of what she resented most, Consort Zhao could not help gritting her teeth secretly, but she disguised it well on her face and gave a gentle smile, and continued the Empress¡¯ topic. ¡°Your Highness, thank you so much. If Your Highness could help my niece find out the person who hit her into the water, I would be grateful to Your Highness. Pity that she is just a girl at her 15 years old and knows little about the world. Even if she does offend someone identally, it is unintentional. Why did the person make so hard reprisals to her?¡± Sorrow came over her face, mixed with tenderness and fragility, which could arouse others¡¯ fondness.

    The people present were all sophisticated. Imperial Noble Consort Su took a sideways nce at Consort Zhao, waiting to see her y.

    Everyone knew that Consort Zhao must extremely resent the person who had pushed He Yuxiu into the water, but she still pretended to be magnanimous and aggrieved. Who did she show that look? All the women there did not like Consort Zhao¡¯s seductive appearance.

    The most powerless consort in the pce was Consort Zhao. Except a few old maidservants, there was no one else around this consort who had been restrained in the deep pce for over ten years. Therefore, other consorts had got the news that it was King Xuan, Feng Yuran, who had kicked the woman into the river, but no one told Consort Zhao, just waiting to see her y.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, just forget it. It¡¯s not a big deal to be identally hit into the water. Just tell Miss He to be careful next time.¡± Consort Wang who had just entered the pce covered her lips with a handkerchief and suggested with a smile. She med all on He Yuxiu. A boorish woman from a humble family annoyed arrogant King Xuan. Could she get a good result? Impossible!

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Highness, don¡¯t hold onto it. This time, the people entering the pce are all from well- known and influential families, and they are noble. Miss He hasn¡¯t entered the pce before, so it is normal for her to encounter that. Well, it¡¯s fine that His Majesty gives some warnster.¡± Another young consort took the hint and said smilingly.

    Of course, no one knew whether Emperor Zongwen would reprimand Feng Yuran or not. After all, Feng Yuran was so unruly that anyone who dared to provoke him would be given a hard time without doubt. All the people were worldly-wise to protect themselves.

    However, Consort Zhao was rather annoyed at the remarks. What was called ¡°don¡¯t hold onto it¡±? What were called ¡°hasn¡¯t entered the pce¡±, and ¡°it is normal to encounter that¡±? Consort Zhao was almost unable to remain her smile, and the smile became a bit stiffened. Just now, it was Empress who imed to investigate for her, but why did all the fault fall on her, and why did she be a mean person now?

    Besides, they dared to satirize Consort Zhao¡¯s paternal family member was not noble-spirited. But for being restrained for over ten years, and having cultivated herself well, Consort Zhao must have burst into anger. But even so, Consort Zhao¡¯s hand which held a pce maidservant¡¯s hand pinched it so heavily that the maidservant turned pale with pain, but did not dare to make a sound.

    Empress took the topic and said mildly, ¡±

    ¡°Sister Zhao, it seemed that the sisters are unwilling to cause trouble. How about forgetting it? It is not a big deal. Be more careful next time.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± A majestic voice came behind the crowd. And all the people turned around involuntarily. It was Emperor Zongwen followed by a group of people. He saw Empress and other people were there, so walked towards them slowly.

    ¡°Your Majesty, my niece was kicked into theke and almost died. I, I...¡± Before Empress answered Emperor, Consort Zhao walked first with a face of tears and said with grievance. Her tearful eyes simr to Consort Xian were full of depression and sorrow, which instantly caught the Emperor¡¯s heart.

    Shepletely ignored the presence of Empress, Imperial Noble Consort Su, and other consorts, which made all the people shocked and looked at her askance. Was she showing off the Emperor¡¯s enduring favor to her?

    ¡°My loved consort, don¡¯t be afraid. I am here and I will redress the scales for you.¡± Emperor Zongwen held Consort Zhao¡¯s hands and appeased gently.

    At that moment, including Empress, all the consorts present cast their jealous eyes on Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Empress, go to investigate for Consort Zhao to see who pushed Consort Zhao¡¯s niece into the water. How can the harem be messed up like this? Who will dare toe to the banquet afterward?¡± Emperor Zongwen turned back and said unhappily.

    This was not only about He Yuxiu, but also a p on Empress. Not long ago, Empress was sick, and Imperial Noble Consort Su helped to manage the harem. And now, Empress recovered and took charge of it herself. But unexpectedly, just after a few days, Empress was reprimanded by Emperor for Consort Zhao. Her dissatisfaction should turn into fury.

    However, Empress did not show any difort in her eyes, but smiled more gently. She stepped up calmly and said softly in the Emperor¡¯s ears, ¡°Your Majesty, Second Miss He acted frivolously and dared to speak flirtatiously to King Xuan. So she was thrown into theke by King Xuan. I don¡¯t know how to handle it...¡±

    King Xuan, Feng Yuran, was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s most beloved prince, and no one wanted to offend him for nothing.

    Feng Yuran had such an enchanting face that those women who did not know him would try to approach him obsessively . And quite a few had been kicked into the water before. But what the difference was that Feng Yuran was not so mboyant as this time, and in the past, those kicked women had people to rescue them, so the disturbance was not so terrible. And Emperor Zongwen also knew that his son hated those women looked at him with infatuation.

    ¡°How could Second Miss He behave this way?¡± Emperor Zongwen frowned and looked at Consort Zhao displeasedly. He knew his son well and believed that it must be Miss He who offended Old Eight and caused the trouble. ¡°If it is case, just do it.¡±

    After finishing his words, Emperor Zongwen released Consort Zhao¡¯s hands, turned around and left, showing no willingness to handle the matter.

    The tearful Consort Zhao was left behind, and was at a loss whether to catch up or not!

    She just felt that other consorts beside had a goodugh at her, so she gritted her teeth, smiled obsequiously to Empress, and said, ¡°Your Highness, it is all my fault that got you into trouble. It is due to my brother¡¯s terrible education of his child. I will send her out of pce soon.¡±

    Consort Zhao knew well that she had no strength in the pce, and had to rely on the Emperor¡¯s favor, so she could not turn hostile to Empress at this moment. Fortunately, she also had the evidence against Empress. As long as she backed down, Empress would not deliberately embarrass her.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. But I have no ability to help you.¡± Sure enough, Empress let out a sigh and answered casually with a generous expression. But the sigh did not sound sincere at all!

    Just now, when Emperor was here, Consort Zhao¡¯s performance was extremely disgusting...

 Chapter 414 - Nanny Ming of King Xuans Manor Expresses Her Doubts

    <strong>Chapter 414 Nanny Ming of King Xuan¡¯s Manor Expresses Her Doubts</strong>

    Mo Xuetong only found out from Feng Yuran when she left the pce that Consort Zhao had lost badly.

    ¡°Consort Zhao cannot just depend on Mother¡¯s affection for her if she wants to pit herself against the consorts in the pce.¡± Feng Yuran said coldly. He picked out some fruits from the rack beside him while he spoke and ced them in front of Mo Xuetong. Then, he picked up the hot water that was warming on the stove and made a cup of tea for both of them. They watched as the tea brewed and fragrance filled the air. His handsome face seemed as noble as the faces of gods.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that He Yuxiu woulde onto you!¡± Mo Xuetong teased him and smiled sweetly. She had been shocked by what he did earlier but felt relieved at the same time. He Yuxiu had made use of every chance she got in the past few days to show off how close she and Mo Xuetong were. If they could both serve one husband, they would get along better than the wives and concubines of other men.

    If Mo Xuetong had not wanted to use her to lead Consort Zhao out, she would have exploded long ago. Even though Feng Yuran¡¯s behavior today was uncouth, it had been very satisfying. Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips were curled up high and she did not seem at all like she was ming Feng Yuran despite what she said.

    ¡°I was not the one who saw through her wet clothes. Out of the ten guards in the courtyard, eight saw her. Does she want to marry all of them!¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. His eyes glowed behind the light mist from the cup. They were full of charm.

    How could a woman marry that many guards!

    He was really mean.

    Mo Xuetong red at him and said, ¡°Will Consort Zhao suspect you?¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, there are many people she should be suspicious of now but I am the only one she cannot show she is suspicious of!¡± Feng Yuran said meaningfully. He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand so much that she had no choice but to lean into the long couch.

    ¡°Anyway, I am just the arrogant and rude King Xuan. You will hear the same thing about me no matter who you ask.¡± Feng Yuran wrapped his arm around Mo Xuetong and pulled her into his embrace.

    The direction of the winds blowing in court was mostly fixed. Feng Yuzhen might still be thinking of making use of the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly. However, he did not know that the child was also his weakness. He could make use of it but so could others!

    Feng Yuran was very busy in the next few days. He was already gone when Mo Xuetong woke up in the morning. Sometimes, he slept at Jinwei Pavilion because it was toote.

    Ling Fengyan¡¯s funeral was very simple. Soon after, Ling Rui¡¯er was brought into King Chu¡¯s Manor. Less than a month had passed between both incidents.

    After what happened to He Yuxiu in the pce, her reputation waspletely ruined. She did not visit King Xuan¡¯s Manor again. However, First Miss He would visit from time to time. The He Manor and the Yu family were in the talks of marriage. However, the bride was changed to He Yuxiu instead.

    There was a back story to this. First, Yu Mingyong was found in an alley having an affair with a married woman. After he was beaten up for some ridiculous reason, a fuss about it was made. The He family wanted to break off the engagement. However, for some reason, the two families changed the brides after some discussion. He Yuxiu would take Hu Yufen¡¯s ce to be married into the Yu family.

    The weather had turned warm. The warm and beautiful spring gradually transitioned into the verdant summer. Mo Xuetong grew more and more sleepy. Sometimes, she would feel tired even when she was sitting down. However, only those who were close to her knew about this. She was given medicine very day and Mo Xuetong drank it all obediently. She did not pour it away secretly anymore.

    Only she knew that she was getting weaker and weaker!

    It was noon when someone brought Nanny Ming around. Feng Yuran was usually not around at this time.

    Mo Xuetong got everyone to leave the room. Mo Lan stayed outside to do needlework and would serve them tea.

    Mo Lan was the most prudent out of all the maids. She was also the one Mo Xuetong relied on the most. She would not keep any secrets from her.

    ¡°Nanny Ming, did Mother know that she cannot be healed by any medicine? Is that why she did not get a physician to heal her?¡± Mo Xuetong put down the sachet she was holding and asked Nanny Ming lightly. The sun shone through the gauze curtains. The faint white light shone on her beautiful face, making her seem pale and sad.

    Nanny Ming hesitated.

    ¡°I remember you telling me that you will tell me anything if I asked you. Does that still count?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Nanny Ming¡¯s face. There was a warm and gentle smile on the corners of her lips. However, the smile was a little cold.

    ¡°Miss, I... I...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even no physician can cure me, I will not give up on myself. Being able to see everyone happy is already a blessing!¡± Mo Xuetong said. She looked up and outside at the window. The trees were green and filled with life. Mo Xuetong sighed lightly. She really felt that she had lived a happy life!

    There were no betrayals nor lies after her rebirth. Mo Lan, Mo Yu, and the others were all fine. Feng Yuran also loved and doted on her. If she died now, she would only feel regret and nothing else.

    She would also feel pained and sad when she thought of what Feng Yuran would do if she were to die young. She would be sad about that.

    She was worried that he would be too cold, or too warm. She was worried that he would be sad if she died.

    She had thought of all that, but there was no other way. She still felt that heaven had been kind to her. She had such a doting husband who loved her so. She honestly felt that it was worth it.

    However, she wanted more. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She even wanted to have a few children and to live with him happily ever after. However, these were all things that she kept in her heart. A flower would not bloom forever, and a person would not always live well. Perhaps, she was unable to live long because she was too blessed.

    When she thought of Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful and gentle face, her heart hurt. It was as if something had torn apart. The pain made her feel as if she could not breathe. Mo Xuetong only realized then that she could not behave indifferently in the face of death. Everything had changed after her rebirth. In the past, all she had wanted was revenge.

    She had already gotten her revenge!

    Mo Xuemin had already turned into ashes together with the century-old courtyard of Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. Sima Lingyun was tossed out of Sima Lingyun because of his debts. The Duchess had died from anger and no one knew what happened to Sima Lingyun¡¯s younger sister. The two concubines, Yun Yiqiu and Lan Xinru had long run away with their money.

    All that should have been returned had been returned! It was as if it did not matter whether she died or not!

    However, she did not want to die now. Furthermore, she wanted to live blissfully with Feng Yuran forever. Did the heavens me her for being too greedy? Was that why she had to die?

    ¡°Nanny, sometimes, I wonder why Mother was willing to leave me behind. I was so young. How could she just leave like that? Did she not love me enough? Or was she too weak and not know how to protect herself? She could not shield me from the storms. But now, I realize that Mother couldn¡¯t not die. She had to die.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were red. She looked up slightly and bit her lips.

    She did not like that she was too weak. That feeling reminded her of her tragic past life. It would make her hate herself!

    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s not that. Madam loved you. She truly loved you. She wanted to leave but she couldn¡¯t...She really couldn¡¯t!¡± Nanny Ming could not help but cry when she saw how hard Mo Xuetong was trying to appear strong and smile. She knelt down forcefully in front of Mo Xuetong, tears streaking down her face. Her wrinkled face was filled with pain.

    ¡°Nanny Ming, you once told me that I will die a tragic death if you were to tell me everything. If I tell you now that I will indeed die a tragic death, do you think that Mother¡¯s heart would ache for me?¡± Mo Xuetong tried to lift the corners of her lips to make herself appear warm and calm. Tears slowly rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

    The mes raised into the skies, burning her skin. Every time she woke up from her nightmare, she would feel as if she had been burned. She was in so much pain she could not breathe. If her mother had used this to stop Nanny Ming from saying anything, then she had seeded. In her past life, she had indeed died a tragic death. In this life, she would be poisoned to death. That was not a good death at all!

    ¡°Miss, that won¡¯t happen. That won¡¯t happen to you. There is still hope. There will be a way...Madam left a way out for you!¡± Nanny Ming cried so hard that she not speak. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as she spoke, wanting Mo Xuetong to understand her. Mo Xuetong was still immersed in her pain and did not notice Nanny Ming¡¯s erratic behavior.

    ¡°Nanny, please get up. You are Mother¡¯s wet nurse and you watched her grow up and sent her off. I have to trouble you to send me off too now.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she reached out to help Nanny Ming up. Then, she used a handkerchief to wipe off her tears and made herself appear happier.

    Her slightly red eyes as well as the tears on her porcin skin coupled with the forced smile made Nanny Ming¡¯s heart hurt even more. She had heard from Mo Lan that Mo Xuetong was poisoned. She was utterly shocked. How could that be? How did Mo Xuetong get poisoned too? Furthermore, it was the same poison that Madam had gotten. It was said that there was no cure for it.

    When she looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression, she was flustered.

    ¡°Miss, you cannot die. You will be fine, you will be fine...nothing will happen...¡± Nanny Ming stood up with the help of Mo Xuetong. She wiped her tears and said determinedly, ¡°Miss, there is still hope. Madam left behind hope for you.¡±

    ¡°Hope? Why didn¡¯t Mother leave it for herself?¡± Mo Xuetong had already calmed down and wiped the tears off her face. She sighed and smiled lightly. She had suddenly felt unable to think properly today. She was feeling troubled recently and gradually felt frustrated, making her lose herposure.

    ¡°There was hope for Madam, but she could not leave. What would you do if she left? What would Old Sir do? What would everyone in the manor do?¡± Nanny Ming started to wipe her tears away again. Madam had thought too much back then. She had once tried to persuade Madam but she refused to leave Mo Xuetong and her father behind. She would rather be poisoned to death than to leave.

    ¡°Where... was Mother going to go?¡± Mo Xuetong asked hesitantly. Was there something else that she did not know about!

    ¡°It¡¯s Madam¡¯s elder sister. She has a way to cure the poison. She has the recipe for the antidote. However, I heard that one of the ingredients has to be put into the medicine fresh. The herb grows in the Yan Kingdom. If Madam wanted the antidote, she has to leave... Madam felt that someone was watching and she did not dare to...to just leave!¡± Nanny Ming¡¯s heart ached when she thought of what her Madam was like then. She now knew that the woman, whom Luo Xia entered Mo Xuetong into a marriage arrangement with, was Luo Xia¡¯s elder sister.

 Chapter 415 - They Mystery Behind Luo Xias Poisoning

    <h4>Chapter 415 They Mystery Behind Luo Xia¡¯s Poisoning</h4>

    Her kind and gentle Madam had died so young because she cared too much! And now, Miss was going to walk on the same path.

    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. Madam was worried that you would be poisoned by that evil woman in the future. The engagement was to give you a reason to go to Yan Kingdom. Miss, go to Yan Kingdom now and there will definitely be a way to save you.¡± Nanny Ming did not care how much Mo Xuetong knew. She just said everything. She thought of how young Mo Xuetong still seemed, and how she was going to end up like Madam!

    Nanny Ming¡¯s heart hurt as if it were being cut up by knives!

    Mo Xuetong was stunned by what Nanny Ming said. Her fingers shook as she tugged at the corner of her handkerchief. Her eyes widened and she sat down heavily after a moment.

    The engagement that seemed as if a great advantage had been given had another use to it!

    Since Nanny Ming had already said everything, there was nothing to hide anymore. She began to recount what happened in detail to Mo Xuetong.

    When Princess Shuann found Luo Xia, Luo Xia was already married to Mo Huawen and had given birth to Mo Xuetong. The family of three was very blissful. Even though Luo Xia got Mo Huawen to take a few concubines and had a few concubine-born children, Mo Huawen was in love only with Luo Xia. He usually would not go to the courtyards of his concubines.

    This changed when Princess Shuann came. When she found them, she asked Luo Xia to go to the Yan Kingdom with her and then to find a way to avenge their parents. Luo Xia had given birth to Mo Xuetong and was in love with Mo Huawen. She could not bear to leave. Furthermore, she had always treated the Madam of the Fu General as her own mother and did not think that two women would be able to aplish much. As such, she refused Princess Shuann gently.

    Princess Shuann stayed in the Mo Manor for a while then. When she saw that Luo Xia had no intention of leaving with her, she left angrily.

    After some time, Princess Shuann visited once more. Madam was already unwell then. Princess Shuann said that there was an antidote in Yan and she had a divine doctor under her retainer who could help her rid the poison. However, Madam did not want to leave. Furthermore, it was not serious then. If they found someone suitable, someone in the Qin Kingdom might be able to treat her.

    Princess Shuann saw that she could not convince Madam and suggested that the two families be one through marriage. She said that the two of them were sisters and should be even closer. They would be able to take care of each other in the future. If they felt that the children were not suited for each other when they grew up, they could just break off the engagement. Anyway, it was just an engagement agreed upon secretly. Princess Shuann continued to talk about getting revenge and Luo Xia felt helpless. She had already refused the princessst time, she would not refuse her this time!

    Furthermore, Madam could not find out how she had gotten poisoned. She was afraid that Mo Xuetong would be poisoned in the future as well. It was a good idea to have an engagement with Princess Shuann. If something were to truly happen in the future, her daughter would be able to go to Princess Shuann for help. On the ount of the betrothal contract, Princess Shuann would definitely help Mo Xuetong to get the antidote!

    That was how the engagement was settled!

    Then, Princess Shuann left!

    This time, she did note back for a whole year. The next summer, Princess Shuann suddenly came to Cloud City again. This time, Luo Xia could feel that she was thoroughly poisoned. However, all the physicians could not tell and only say that she was weak. They said that she was overly weak and had to take care of herself well.

    Princess Shuann once again tried to convince her to leave. Luo Xia did not agree. In the end, Princess Shuann scolded Luo Xia for being unfilial and told her to hand over her secret guards. Luo Xia had not made use of those secret guards since she found out about them. After that, when she got married and moved, she kept them by her shop in Cloud City. She was intentional in not letting them appear in public.

    Then, Luo Xia kept feeling that people were watching her. She did not dare to move those people even more, afraid that the pce would discover. Then, she would implicate the enter Fu General Manor and the Mo Manor. She could not help but refuse Princess Shuann. Princess Shuann was furious and even threw a couple of things around and yelled at Luo Xia. Then, she left and never returned!

    A letter came from the Yan Kingdom during thest few months of Luo Xia¡¯s life. After reading it, Luo Xia burned the letter and said that she could not return. Even though there was an antidote in the Yan Kingdom, she would not leave. She passed away soon after.

    Nanny Ming cried while she recounted the past. Her heart hurt as she spoke and wept.

    Mo Xuetong helped Nanny Ming to a chair and poured her a cup of tea. She put the teacup in Nanny Ming¡¯s hands and sat beside her. She frowned, not able to digest what Nanny Ming said for the time being.

    This was the first time Nanny Ming was telling her about her mother detailedly and systematically. It had something to do with Bai Yihao¡¯s mother, Princess Shuann. To the public, Bai Yihao¡¯s mother was the Empress, the Princess Royal, Yunruo of Qin. Princess Shuann was an impressive character to have taken advantage of the Princess Royal and make it so that the Princess Royal had no choice to acknowledge the son of her rival.

    But this person did not stand out in the Yan Pce!

    Mo Xuetong had once gotten someone to investigate. They said that of the consorts that the Yan Emperor doted on, Princess Shuann was not one of them. Furthermore, Nanny Ming said that Princess Shuann hade to the Qin Kingdom more than once. No matter how much affection a consort of the pce was given, she would not be able to leave the pce as she wished. Did Bai Yihao always have her support?

    ¡°Miss, even though you have married King Xuan now, the Crown Prince of Yan is your cousin. If you go to the Yan Kingdom, you will be able to get the antidote to the poison.¡± Nanny Ming felt a little anxious when she saw that Mo Xuetong was silent. She wiped the tears off her face and tried to persuade Mo Xuetong.

    Bai Yihao was known to be highly skilled in medicine in the Qin Kingdom. With his help, Nanny Ming believed that Mo Xuetong would be able to get through this. Nanny Ming thought that even though Mo Xuetong did not marry Bai Yihao, it was not because she had intentionally forsaken the marriage contract. She had been forced by the situation and Bai Yihao had never mentioned it.

    Even though the two cannot be a couple, they were still cousins. Bai Yihao was such a perfect gentleman. He probably would not mind!

    ¡°Nanny Ming, how long did Mother take to die from the poison?¡± Mo Xuetong asked. In her memories, her mother had always been poor in health. However, she could still manage the matters of the back courtyard. It was until the end when she had no choice but to hand it over to Auntie Fang. Could it be that her mother had been poisoned for more than ten years but had not been affected by it? Then, it could be a slow-acting poison. Why did Mother die suddenly then!

    She had gone through quite a few medical texts. However, she had never seen anything like that. She thought that was too incredible!

    ¡°Even though Madam was poisoned, it was not serious. She was just weak. She would have been fine if she was not over-tired. If not for Princess Shuann¡¯s reminder, we all would not have known that she was poisoned. Then, there were many physicians who treated her but no one said anything about being poisoned.¡± Nanny Ming said after some thought.

    ¡°Miss, Madam had so many considerations then but she had no choice. It is different for you.¡± Nanny Ming felt a little anxious and tried to persuade Mo Xuetong again when she saw that Mo Xuetong was not taking any action.

    Different? It was indeed different! Her mother had to deal with the secret guards and treat herself viciously. She thought of ruining her reputation and to go to Yan Kingdom. Mo Xuetong did not know where Nanny Ming got her confidence from to think that Bai Yihao will definitely save Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong had secretly stolen the betrothal contract and burnt it. There was enmity between the two.

    However, she did not have to tell Nanny Ming that. She nodded with a smile and said, ¡°Nanny, please go back. Allow me to think about this.¡±

    ¡°Miss, what else is there to consider? As long as you go to Yan Kingdom, you will be able to get the antidote. It won¡¯t take too much time.¡± Nanny Ming refused to leave and could not help but try to persuade Mo Xuetong again.

    ¡°Alright, I will speak with His Highness tonight.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and nodded.

    This was a huge matter she definitely had to discuss with Feng Yuran. Nanny Ming had seen for herself that King Xuan treated her mistress very well. Even though there were numerous women in the back courtyard, but the only true woman was her mistress. King Xuan doted on her mistress so much. If Mo Xuetong said she wanted to go, he would definitely agree.

    When Nanny Ming thought of how her mistress still had hope, she heaved a sigh of relief. A pleased smile appeared on her face as she said, ¡°Miss, I will go to the temple outside the city to give thanks. I will donate some money for incense and oil. If anything were to happen in the future, may all the retribution be upon me. I am so old anyway and I am all alone. It would not be bad luck even if I were to die now.¡±

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was talking about the vow her mother made Nanny Ming swear. Even though Nanny Ming had told her the truth, there were some things she revealed that Mo Xuetong had not asked her about. She was afraid that there would be retribution. Mo Xuetong was touched and she nodded with a smile. She said, ¡°Get Mo Yu to go with you. I will feel more at ease if she¡¯s there to help you!¡±

    ¡°Alright. Thank you, Miss!¡± Nanny Ming sighed and stood up to thank Mo Xuetong. She seemed to have aged ten years. She had told Mo Xuetong everything rashly earlier and only started to worry now that her mind was clear. She kept praying in her heart and was intent on going to pray before buddha now. She was going to ask for all the bad things that would happen to her mistress to happen to her.

    Mo Xuetong understood what Nanny Ming was thinking and could not bear for her to feel too guilty. She called for Mo Yu to go with Nanny Ming. After staying in the room to think for a long while, she called Mo Lan in. She got cleaned up and then brought Mo Lan and Mo Ye to the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor. There were some things that she could not understand. However, Nanny Ming would not tell her anything else again.

    She had only managed to get information out of Nanny Ming earlier because Nanny Ming was shocked upon hearing that Mo Xuetong was poisoned. However, she could not do that again.

    She could not bear to make things difficult for Nanny Ming again!

    Inside Mingyue Pce, Consort Zhao sat alone at the table silently facing the steaming dishes on it. Her expression seemed gloomy under the light. Pce maid Caichun entered cautiously and reported, ¡°My Lady, His Majesty is visiting Consort Yu tonight. He asks that you eat first. He might not be able toe today.¡±

    The child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly was what all the women in the pce were most envious about. Even though Consort Zhao had just left Mingyue Pce, she also knew to nod when appropriate. She picked up her chopsticks and picked at the dishes. After taking a mouthful, she felt that it tasted nd and tasteless. She threw her chopsticks down and looked at the pce maids waiting outside. She did not speak.

    The pce maids were all sent by Emperor Zongwen since the Mingyue Pce was opened to the public. It meant that she would be like the other consorts in the pce from now on. She had to greet the Empress every morning.

    ¡°My Lady, do you not like these dishes? His Majesty said that if you do not like them, we can get new dishes made. What do you think, My Lady?¡± Caichun asked with a smile. She had remained by Consort Zhao¡¯s side since Consort Zhao entered the pce. She knew that Consort Zhao did not like the food when she put her chopsticks down.

    ¡°No need to be so troublesome. I¡¯ll just have some food. I have only just appeared before the masses and don¡¯t want to offend anyone.¡± Consort Zhao picked up her napkin and wiped her face. Then, she said with a slight smile, ¡°What about the thing I got you to do? Have you investigated it?¡±

    Caichun knew that Consort Zhao was asking about Consort Xuan. She immediately recounted what she got others to investigate. ¡°Consort Xuan is said to be the daughter of the lord mayor. It was said that her mother is the legitimate daughter of the General Manor. However, she passed away early. Back then, she was left behind in Cloud City, a small ce, by Lord Mo. It was for more than a year. After that, the General Manor brought her back. She is said to be beautiful. King Xuan used to be a yboy. However, he didn¡¯t take in anymore woman after he married her.¡±

    She was just the daughter of the lord mayor. Even though that was considered a high position, it was not much amongst truly powerful families. Consort Zhao nodded. It seemed that Consort Xuan was from an insignificant family. Furthermore, her father did not dote on her. She probably only managed to reign in Feng Yuran¡¯s phndering because of her beautiful looks.

    Even though she was Princess Anping, everyone in the pce knew that it was a powerless position. Compared to her status as King Xuan¡¯s Consort now, her title as Princess Anping did not bring her many benefits.

    A woman like this seemed much easier to deal with than the devilish and arrogant Feng Yuran. Consort Zhao heaved a sigh of relief when she thought of that. She decided then that since Consort Xuan seemed like a pretty vase, then she would start from her!

    ¡°Invite Consort Xuan over tomorrow to chat. Tell her I wish to see King Xuan¡¯s wife. I am happy for Elder Sister since she had gotten such a great daughter-inw.¡± Consort Zhao said slowly.

    ¡°Yes, I will have it arranged now.¡± Caichun nodded with a smile and left.

 Chapter 416 - A Meeting with Consort Zhao

    <h4>Chapter 416 A Meeting with Consort Zhao</h4>

    ¡°Consort Zhao is inviting me to the pce today?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in surprise.

    Behind the satin curtains on the bed, Mo Xuetong woke up with her long hair spread out around her. Waking up in the morning was theziest time of the day. She saw that Feng Yuran had left her side long ago and sat up with the help of Mo Lan.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The edict came early this morning. I heard that Consort Zhao wants to see you and even mentioned that she was helping Consort Xian take a look at her daughter-inw.¡± Mo Lan also did not understand why Consort Zhao would suddenly think of Mo Xuetong. However, she did not dare to drag her feet and came to report to Mo Xuetong immediately.

    Help Consort Xian visit her? A cold mocking smile appeared on the corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. She grew more and more aware that Consort Zhao was not a good person. Why would she treat Feng Yuran from her heart? Of course, she could not be like what the rumors say, that she would help Consort Xian, who was as good as a sister to her, to take a look at Mo Xuetong.

    However, just by this move she made, one could tell that she had skills.

    She had done a great set up to get Mo Xuetong to enter the pce. First, she could show the Emperor that she and Consort Xian were as close as sisters. She could also express goodwill to Mo Xuetong. Perhaps, others would see that she was kind and friendly. After all, when Consort Xian was still alive, she was just an insignificant consort. After that, she was locked up in Mingyue Pce. Even though she was mysterious, not many knew of her.

    She was now officially in the game with Feng Yuran!

    ¡°Did His Highness leave before the eunuch came to send Consort Zhao¡¯s edict?¡± Mo Xuetong askedzily as she sat in front of the make-up table after cleaning up.

    ¡°Yes, the eunuch entered right after His Highness left. It was as if he had timed this.¡± Mo Yu interrupted from the side.

    Calcted? It was indeed calcted. That person was afraid that Feng Yuran might cause trouble. After all, Feng Yuran was known to the public as being unpredictable. He was a troublemaker and no one knew what he would do next. Even though he was much better now and was considered to be helping the Emperor in managing politics, who knew when he would go back to his old behavior?

    It seemed that Consort Zhao was still afraid of Feng Yuran!

    This also meant that Mo Xuetong was easily bullied!

    ¡°Then let¡¯s leave after a simple meal lest the people in the pce wait for us.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a faint smile. There was a sh of darkness in her clear eyes. She wanted to meet this Consort Zhao as well and see if she could find out anything about what happened in the past. In her past life, Feng Yuran had used such intense methods against the He family. She felt a little worried and hope that she could find out what the He family had done to Feng Yuran before he did.

    Since Consort Zhao asked for her, it would save her from trying to find a way to find out what happened.

    The horse carriage was already waiting outside. Mo Xuetong left the manor and got onto the carriage with Mo Ye and Mo Lan after having some porridge.

    The little eunuch from the pce had been waiting outside. When he saw Mo Xuetong, he sent her onto the carriage respectfully before following behind the horse carriage and entering the pce together with them.

    After entering the pce, Mo Xuetong followed the little eunuch toward Mingyue Pce. Mingyue pce was a distance away from the main pce gates. It could be said that it was hidden in a corner. However, when she arrived at the pce, she found that the decorations of the pce were all extremely luxurious and beautiful. It was evident that Consort Zhao truly had the affections of the Emperor. There were some precious goods there that Mo Xuetong had once seen in the Princess Royal¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuetong stood outside the pce while the little eunuch reported her arrival. Soon, a beautiful pce maid who was about 20 years old appeared.

    ¡°I am Consort Zhao¡¯s maid, Caichun. Greetings, Consort Xuan.¡± Caichun sized up Mo Xuetong and curtsied respectfully with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong nced at Caichun as well. She was certain that the woman was Consort Zhao¡¯s lead pce maid. Under usual circumstances, pce maids of her age would have already been released from the pce. Only Consort Zhao could not find any close servants for the time being. Those who were still serving her had served her for more than 10 years. They were locked up deep in the pce, and just like that, many years passed.

    ¡°Dispense with the formality.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand. Caichun straightened up and led the way.

    Mo Xuetong followed her, lifting her skirts up and walked up the steps. After entering, she saw Consort Zhao inside the main hall. Consort Zhao was seated on a pearwood high chair. Her eyes were lowered as she drank tea.

    ¡°Greetings, Consort Zhao. I am here to pay my respects to you.¡± Mo Xuetong went up and curtsied.

    Consort Zhao looked up as if she hadpletely forgotten that her niece had been embarrassed by Feng Yuran. She smiled gently and said, ¡°Rise, please sit.¡±

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye who were following behind Mo Xuetong kowtowed formally. Consort Zhao waved her hand and gestured for them to get up.

    Mo Xuetong sat down at the top seat with the help of Mo Lan. She nced at the people in the room and saw that there were a few young pce maids standing behind Consort Zhao. They were all looking down and seemed very respectful. They seemed to be about 13 or 14. Mo Xuetong knew then that they were new pce maids sent by the Emperor to serve Consort Zhao.

    Consort Zhao sized Mo Xuetong up. She saw that while Mo Xuetong was young, she seemed charming. Her eyes were as bright and clear as pools of water in spring. They gleamed when Mo Xuetong lifted her eyes. She was a beautiful woman. No wonder Feng Yuran would be attracted to her despite his phndering character. However, Mo Xuetong was still a little young and shecked certain stability in her actions.

    ¡°Consort Xuan is indeed young and beautiful. My sister will be pleased even down below to know that Yuran has such a consort. I will burn incense and tell Elder Sister to not worry.¡± Consort Zhao sighed and wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. She looked as if she felt upset thinking about her elder sister.

    One would not be mean to those who were kind to them. Furthermore, Consort Zhao appeared to treat Mo Xuetong with familiarity. Mo Xuetong looked up with her slightly childish and naive gaze. She said gently, ¡°Consort Zhao, you are too kind. You are of noble status and you are also an elder. Please call me by my name.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I will call you Tong¡¯er. I think my ill-fated sister would definitely love you if she were still alive. You are a great daughter-inw.¡± Consort Zhao sighed again.

    The servants served tea. Mo Xuetong held her teacup but did not drink from it. She pondered about how to reply to Consort Zhao appropriately.

    Consort Zhao, however, seemed to change the topic quickly. She put down the handkerchief and looked at Mo Xuetong. She said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, why aren¡¯t you drinking tea? This is the new tea that His Majesty just granted. I heard that there is only about 1 kilogram of this tea leaf in the pce. I have quite a bit though.¡±

    Mo Xuetong put down the tea and leaned forward respectfully. ¡°Your Lady¡¯s tea is very good. However, I had breakfast earlier and can¡¯t drink it now. I have wasted good tea here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, take some back with you when you go back. I don¡¯t usually drink tea anyway, it¡¯d be a waste of this good tea. Yuran likes to drink tea. It¡¯d be good if he can have a cup after dinner when he is resting.¡± Consort Zhao casually insinuated that they were closer than they were and even called Feng Yuran by his name intimately.

    Indeed, Mo Xuetong only declined a little before epting the tea.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are dressed so simply. You are already Consort Xuan, why are you dressed so simply? Those not in the know will think that Yuran is mistreating you.¡± Consort Zhao said, half-teasingly. She nced at Mo Xuetong and her gaze stopped at Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. Then, she said to the pce maid behind her, ¡°Go inside and bring that pearl phoenix hairpin with sapphires and wear it for Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The pce maid replied and went into the room. She emerged quickly with a beautiful hairpin. The blue top was the phoenix¡¯s beautiful head feathers. It was also littered with tiny precious stones. There were also three long lines of pearls dangling from it. The phoenix¡¯s eyes were made of rubies and seemed alive. It was beautiful.

    One could tell from a nce that it was a very expensive and precious essory!

    Caichun took the hairpin and was about to put it in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair.

    Mo Xuetong dodged awkwardly. Mo Ye went up and stood in front of Caichun, blocking Caichun¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Do you think that the things here in my pce are no good?¡± Consort Zhao asked with a smile.

    Mo Lan knelt down and replied, ¡°Consort Zhao, please do not me mydy. Our Lady is still in mourning and cannot wear such gorgeous things. We have disappointed you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why. Caichun, let Consort Xuan take the hairpin back with her. Take it as a gift for our first meeting. I did not know about this and have disturbed Consort Xuan.¡± Consort Zhao said with a careless smile.

    Caichun delivered the pin to Mo Ye and stepped backward respectfully. She stood behind Consort Zhao as if she had not been the one to behave rudely earlier.

    ¡°Many thanks for your understanding, Consort Zhao!¡± Mo Xuetong looked up, touched.

    ¡°Elder Sister is no longer around. There are only two of us women now. What¡¯s there to not understand?¡± Consort Zhao behaved with even more familiarity. ¡°If you are free in the future,e and visit me often. Only you all are my blood-rted rtives. I wanted to see Yuran all these years. I did not think that he would already be married the next time I saw him. It reminds me of my ill-fated elder sister and I feel so sad about that.¡±

    ¡°His Highness also misses you. I heard that Consort Zhao and Consort Xian were as close as sisters. I was touched even when His Highness told me about it.¡± A trace of sadness appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face as she spoke softly. Her voice had the charm of a young girl. It was as if she were unaware of what was happening in the world and this suited her current age.

    She also seemed as if she did not know how to please Consort Zhao.

    Consort Zhao was secretly delighted when she heard that Feng Yuran mentioned how close she and Consort Xian were as well as when saw how Mo Xuetong was behaving. She touched her turquoise bangle and smiled at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Biological sisters cannot bepared to other people. The blood that flows through us cannot be changed. How can we not be close? That is why if there is a family member who marries into the manor, that manor would be more powerful than the others.¡±

    So that was what Consort Zhao wanted. This meant that she was in a hurry to bring someone in...

    Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. Deep down inside, she thought it was funny even though she did not show it. She appeared not to have understood. She opened her lively and clear eyes wide open and looked at Consort Zhao confusedly. It was as if she did not know what Consort Zhao meant.

    She blinked and appeared toply with Consort Zhao obediently even though she did not know what was going on. She said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If a family member is to enter the manor, they can take care of each other.¡±

    Consort Zhao smiled and nodded. ¡°You are indeed a wife who cares for her husband. I heard that Yuran used to be a great phnderer. Tong¡¯er, you have to watch him carefully and must not allow him to go out and flirt with girls anymore. He is a prince and is the prince whom His Majesty dotes on the most. He can have any woman he wants but he still goes out to create trouble. He might ruin the reputation of the royal family and draw the ire of His Majesty.¡±

    She sounded as if she was on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. However, she also med Mo Xuetong for not being generous enough, sounding as if Mo Xuetong was making decisions for Feng Yuran.

    ¡°My Lady, did... did something happen to His Highness outside?¡± Mo Xuetong looked frightened and stood up suddenly. She looked at Consort Zhao tearfully while Mo Lan hurried forward to hold her.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big...¡± Consort Zhao appeared to want to speak but stopped. She flicked her handkerchief and frowned.

    ¡°My Lady, please tell me!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pale with fright. The tears that gathered at the corners of her eyes seemed about to fall. She sniffled and her lips trembled. She said, ¡°Please tell me what happened to His Highness!¡±

    Consort Zhao had tried to be mysterious and appeared to be talking about something else other than what was on the surface. Mo Xuetong knew what Consort Zhao was going to tell her. However, she would make it so that Consort Zhao could say whatever she wanted!

 Chapter 417 - Meeting King Chu in the Palace

    <h4>Chapter 417 Meeting King Chu in the Pce</h4>

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Yuran is still young. If he has only you by his side, others would gossip about him. He is a prince and is of noble status. Furthermore, look at his character. He is also a young man. He would like it if there were more women by his side. He still dotes on you now because you are newlyweds. However, after this...¡± Consort Zhao leaned into Mo Xuetong as if she was confiding in Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°My Lady, did His Highness... did he say something?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pale. She looked up with her gentle little face pitifully. The corners of her lips shook and she appeared to have been shocked by what Consort Zhao said.

    ¡°Yuran did not say anything. He only said that the women in his manor do not please him. Sometimes, he does not even feel like returning to the manor. Tong¡¯er, think about it. Is Yuran going back to the manor lesser and lesser? Does he return veryte sometimes?¡± Consort Zhao saw and felt that Mo Xuetong was easily bullied and her words grew even more serious.

    Compared to before Feng Yuran was more serious in his work. He naturally could not bepared to before. There were asions where he would return to the manor. However, Consort Zhao lived deep in the pce and only became public after so many years. Her understanding of Feng Yuran¡¯sings and goings could not be exined.

    Mo Xuetong grew suspicious. However, her expression grew more and more flustered. She blinked and seemed as if she was about to cry. She twisted the handkerchief in her hands, looking as if she was depressed and upset by the questions so much so that she could not speak.

    She had always been gentle and charming and seemed even more pitiful now. After a moment, she looked up, looking as if she was feeling extremely aggrieved. However, she still tried hard to smile and said, ¡°Many thanks, Consort Zhao, I... I...¡±

    She could not speak when she saw Consort Zhao¡¯s concerned gaze. Her eyes reddened immediately.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you do not have to worry. Yuran will treat you well. Anyway, you are his legal wife. He is still young and his character is still changing. He might like this today but like something else tomorrow. That¡¯s normal.¡± Consort Zhao appeared to be benevolent and kind. Her smile was full of concern for Mo Xuetong and she seemed to bepletely on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side.

    ¡°My Lady, what, what should I do?¡± Mo Xuetong continued to pretend to be pitiful, looking as if she did not know what to do.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t have to worry. I already told you that since you have to bring others into your manor, you might as well bring in someone from your family. First, the two of you can take care of each other, and she can also help you to keep a firm hold on Yuran¡¯s heart. Tong¡¯er, do you have any unmarried sisters? If two women can serve a husband, it would be good.¡± Consort Zhao smiled winningly.

    Since Consort Zhao knew that Feng Yuran had been returning home veryte these days, she would definitely know about the sisters of the Mo Manor. She was just ying hard to get. Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself but did not show that to Consort Zhao. She looked as if she would listen to whatever Consort Zhao said. She thought about it and said shyly, ¡°My sisters are all married.¡±

    ¡°Then are there any close female rtives?¡± Consort Zhao said temptingly.

    Mo Xuetong already understood why Consort Zhao had asked her to visit today. A sh of coldness appeared in her eyes. The sisters of the He family were interested in Feng Yuran. Things were already like that and they still dared to think about him. First, it was the younger sister. Now that the younger sister was in trouble, they were going to swap out the sisters and marry He Yuxiu, who had a bad reputation, to Yu Mingyong.

    That would leave He Yufen to be ced with Feng Yuran!

    Mo Xuetong looked up. She suddenly reigned in the tears in her eyes. She said, fragile, but also graciously, ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Consort Zhao. I will go home and ask His Highness for his opinion. If His Highness really wants to... I, I will not stop it. I will leave everything up to him.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    ¡°My Lady, it is gettingte. I shall return home now. When, when I am free, I wille and visit you again.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied to Consort Zhao respectfully. Then, she held Mo Lan¡¯s hand as if she could not bear her sadness and left dejectedly, forgetting all about etiquette.

    Who would have thought that Mo Xuetong would leave at this juncture?

    ¡°My Lady!¡± Caichun ran after them and then turned around when she saw that their goals had not been achieved.

    ¡°Come back!¡± Consort Zhao¡¯s expression was cold as she growled softly.

    Caichun returned to Consort Zhao¡¯s side hurriedly. She waved her hand and the other servants left respectfully.

    ¡°My Lady, why didn¡¯t you say anything about the First Miss of the He family!¡± Caichun asked hurriedly when she saw that everyone had left.

    ¡°Do you think Consort Xuan doesn¡¯t know?¡± Consort Zhao¡¯s expression was grave and a hint of anger shed in her eyes. Even though Consort Xuan was young, she would understand what Consort Zhao meant as long as she was not stupid. She pretended not to understand and found an excuse to leave. How could Consort Zhao not be angry?

    ¡°Since Consort Xuan understands, how dare she go against your will?¡± Caichun always thought that Consort Zhao was favored and felt that His Majesty cared a lot for her mistress. When she heard that Mo Xuetong had intentionally pretended not to understand, she was furious.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Consort Zhao grew even angrier when she heard that. A hint of viciousness glinted in her eyes. She had given Mo Xuetong a way to live, but it was alright if she did not want it. It was better if her niece could be Consort Xuan. It would also be easier for her to control Feng Yuran. Anyway, she had to keep a tight reign over Feng Yuran.

    Her greatest disadvantage was that she did not have any children. With Feng Yuran in her hands, she would be able to climb up onto the lofty ce as Empress.

    Since Mo Xuetong was not smart enough to block her way, she would, of course, kick her away.

    ¡°Have someone prepare the gifts and send it to King Xuan Manor for Consort Xuan. Say that I like Consort Xuan a lot.¡± After all, Consort Xuan had been through some storms. She gradually reigned in her anger and looked up. She took a sip of her tea and said with a cold slight smile. ¡°Say that Consort Xuan likes the tea here, so I¡¯ve given her some.¡±

    ¡°Yes, My Lady!¡± Caichun understood immediately. She went in and took out the tea leaves inside as well as the gifts that had already been prepared. She told the eunuch who had been waiting outside toe in and send the tea leaves and gifts to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuetong and the two maids left Mingyue Pce. Mo Ye kept looked behind them vigntly. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and took the chance to say softly, ¡°My Lady, no one came after us. Will Consort Zhao just let you go like that?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Consort Zhao has not gotten what she wanted yet before we threw her ns into chaos. She must hate me so.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. She epted the handkerchief Mo Lan handed her and dabbed at the realistic tears that had emerged from the corners of her eyes.

    Mo Lan was shocked and she said urgently, ¡°What shall we do then?¡±

    ¡°Since Consort Zhao nned to use us and now think that I am a thorn in her side, she would probably want to get rid of me. She is deep in the pce, so how will she seed in infiltrating King Xuan¡¯s Manor without help!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, her eyes shone brilliantly.

    No matter in her past life or in this, Consort Zhao and the He family were destined to be Feng Yuran¡¯s enemies. Then they would make their move earlier.

    Having decided that, she had intentionally led Consort Zhao into expressing her intentions. However, she had stopped Consort Zhao at the end and did not allow her to mention He Yufen. She did not seem as if she would let Consort Zhao control her at all. Consort Zhao had already revealed her hand but was stuck at the final step. How could she not be infuriated?

    If Consort Zhao was angry, she would definitely be extreme in her reactions and lose all rationality. This would help Mo Xuetong in finding information. Mo Xuetong would much rather believe that Consort Zhao was involved in Consort Xian¡¯s death.

    The three of them left the pce and passed a corridor at the corner. Mo Xuetong stopped and narrowed her eyes at a figure in dark green. She stood there and watched as the man approached.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu.¡± Mo Ye and Mo Lan greeted him.

    ¡°Rise!¡± His voice was gentle, elegant, and as casual and warm as usual. He did not appear to be too familiar with Mo Xuetong but was not cold either. His handsome eyes turned tond on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. For a moment, he seemed dazzled.

    Ever since Mo Xuetong saw Feng Yuxuan, he was known to be righteous, gentle, and elegant. With this good reputation, he was alwayspared to Feng Yuran. However, no matter how much Feng Yuxuan tried to repress it, Mo Xuetong could still see the desire hidden in his eyes. This man had a deeply repressed cold-bloodedness and unfeelingness.

    Mo Xuetong was no stranger to Feng Yuxuan¡¯s desire. It was a desire for the throne. After numerous struggles in the pce, he had already thought of the throne as his. However,pared to the other two, he did not have much support in the back of the pce. Even though Consort Su¡¯s maternal family was powerful and wealthy, they could notpare to the significant power of the Ding General Manor.

    That was why he needed to win the praises and support of those in and outside of court with his gentleness and schrly appearance.

    Without all that, he only had the identity as the eldest royal son. What else could he use to fight with the Ding General Manor? Judging by the current situation, he had the upper hand. If the Third Miss of the Ding General Manor were to marry him and be the new Consort Chu, the Ding General Manor would support him.

    Feng Yulei and Feng Yuzhen were already defeated because Feng Yuxuan had the support of the Ding General Manor.

    ¡°Your Highness, King Chu.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied to the side. Her luminous face was pointed to the side, blocking the impolite stare of Feng Yulei. She had hidden half her face, but it made her seem even more gentle and charming.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, where did youe from?¡± Feng Yulei smiled gently. His eyes were dazed. He could not help but be attracted to her since the first time they met. He was going to take her for himself given that she was not well known. When he seeded in getting the throne, he would marry her. However, who would have thought that she would be known to all just after returning to the capital?

    He did not want to get rid of her. However, she was now involved in the fight for the throne. He had no choice but to plot against her and use her as a chess piece!

    If she stayed as a sheltered woman, a noble youngdy of the Mo Manor who knew nothing, would he have done that?!

    But she was now his sister-inw. She was Feng Yuran¡¯s wife. His eyes were filled with grievances. She should have been his. She was his.

 Chapter 418 - Consort Zhaos Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 418 Consort Zhao¡¯s Gifts</h4>

    ¡°I went to see Consort Zhao and was about to return to the manor.¡± Even though she did not like Feng Yuxuan, she still had to be polite. Mo Xuetong got up gracefully and replied. She lowered her longshes to hide the coldness in her eyes. Feng Yuxuan had harmed her more than once and was still trying to trick her with his gentle exterior. It was a pity that she was not a stupid woman who could not learn from her mistakes.

    ¡°I am about to leave the pce as well. Let¡¯s leave together!¡± Feng Yuxuan said softly.

    ¡°King Chu, please go ahead first. His Highness is still waiting for me in the pce. He asked me to wait in the gardens first and will leave with me once he is done.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice was gentle and dulcet. Men and women should not be alone together. There was more than enough gossip in the pce. He was her husband¡¯s brother while she was his brother¡¯s wife. It was inappropriate for the two of them to travel together. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong did not think there was a need to go with Feng Yuxuan.

    Ever since Feng Yuxuan plotted against Mo Xuetong, the two of them were on different sides.

    ¡°Eighth Brother has already left the pce. Does Consort Xuan not know?¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled softly. There was a glint of sharpness in his gentle eyes.

    ¡°He has something on and has left for a while. He wille to pick me up in the garden afterward.¡± Mo Xuetong covered her mouth and smiled lightly. Was he testing her? It was a pity, no matter whether Feng Yuran was in the pce or not, he would definitely pick her up once he found out that she was in the pce. As such, this lie would be truthter.

    Feng Yuxuan smiled and moved forward without saying anything else. It meant that their conversation was over. Mo Xuetong smiled as well. She turned slightly and curtsied, maintaining the elegance that a consort had. The distance between the two waspletely appropriate in terms of the royal family rules. There was not a hint of impoliteness.

    Mo Xuetong did not really stay in the royal gardens to wait for Feng Yuran because she ran into him on her way there. He had rushed over, and when he saw that Mo Xuetong was fine, they left the pce together.

    They returned to the pce and sat down. Before they could drink a sip of tea, Consort Zhao¡¯s gifts arrived.

    The eunuch who was delivering the gifts smiled even more respectfully when he saw that Feng Yuran was around. He put down the gifts and buttered up to Feng Yuran, ¡°King Xuan, Your Highness, this is the tea Consort Xuan asked from Consort Zhao. There¡¯s not much in the pce and His Majesty gave it to Our Lady. She sent it all here. Your Highness, shall I leave this in your study or should I leave it at Consort Xuan¡¯s for you to drink it thereter?¡±

    The little eunuch was too smart for his own good and dared to make decisions for Feng Yuran. He said that Mo Xuetong had intentionally asked for the tea leaves. Anyone would give it to her because of who she was. It was not right if he did not put it at her courtyard. Mo Xuetong looked at the eunuch quietly. Her eyes shed as she looked at the tea canister that the eunuch was holding carefully. The look in her eyes grew turbulent.

    ¡°Someone,e and put this at Consort Xuan¡¯s.¡± Feng Yuran smiledzily and waved his hand. ¡°Tell Consort Zhao that I like it very much! Thank you, Consort Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Consort Zhao told me to say that you are wee. You are family and there is no need to be so polite. I hope that Your Highness can visit Consort Zhao when you are free. She is alone in the pce after all and doesn¡¯t have any family. You are her only kin.¡± The little eunuch was glib.

    He not only spoke of Consort Zhao¡¯s kind intentions toward Feng Yuran, he even pointed out the aunt and nephew rtionship between the two. A hint of sarcasm appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. This Consort Zhao did not let go of any chance to get closer to Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Alright, then please thank Consort Zhao on behalf of me. She is my aunt; how could I forget her?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even more brilliant. The charming smile lit up his handsome face. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, seeming a little impatient. Everyone knew how arrogant he was. The little eunuch knew that it was time to leave. He knew that more haste, less speed.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I will let thedy know.¡± The little eunuch ced the tea leaves in Mo Lan¡¯s hand. Then, he bowed deeply and led the pce maids who had sent the gifts here away.

    ¡°Do you want to return to my courtyard together and see the gifts from Consort Zhao?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and said meaningfully. Her gazended on the tea leaves in Mo Lan¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Yes, of course, I have to take a good look at Consort Zhao¡¯s goodwill.¡± Feng Yuran said. His expression was unreadable. He looked to the side, his eyes shing.

    ¡°Your Highness, Minister Lian is here. He wants to ask you about the repairs to Qiming Pavilion.¡± A eunuch reported.

    Qiming Pavilion was where a lot of lost ssics were stored. Paintings of the previous Emperors of Qin were all stored there. This needed a lot of attention. Previously, the Ministry of Industry suggested that Qiming Pavilion should be rebuilt and that the roof should be repaired so that the precious paintings and books inside would not be damaged in wet weather.

    Emperor Zongwen had handed this matter to Feng Yuran. It was understandable that the minister of the Ministry of Industry, Lian An, hade to find Feng Yuran to discuss this matter.

    ¡°Minister Lian is here only now?¡± Feng Yuran askedzily as he tapped his fingers on the table.

    ¡°Yes, the minister just got off his carriage. He looks like he is in a rush.¡± The eunuch replied.

    ¡°Since Minister Lian is in such a hurry, I shall see what the rush is about.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips lifted slightly into a smile. He narrowed his eyes slightly and stood upzily. Then, he said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Go in first. I will see what happened to the hurrying minister. Don¡¯t drink the tea first. Wait for me to drink it together.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything. She smiled and nodded. Then, she brought the servants to her courtyard.

    After a long while, she heard that the prince and Minister Lian left in a hurry. They did not even have lunch in the manor. Mo Xuetong did not wait for Feng Yuran. She got the servants to prepare a light lunch and had a little food. She drank her medicine and took a nap.

    When she woke up, she saw a hazy figure beside her. It was Feng Yuran. She did not know what time he came back. He was lying beside her on his side, ying with her long hair. The long hairnded on her face. It was soft and itchy.

    ¡°Did the minister leave?¡± Mo Xuetong yawnedzily and pushed away his naughty hands.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s voice grew gentle subconsciously as he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. He smiled and said, ¡°There was a copse at Qiming Pavilion. The Ministry of Industry said that the roof is too old and has not been fixed in a long while. Some of the treasures have to be moved. Lian An came to invite me to watch the works being done.¡±

    The portraits of the past Emperors and ancient ssics being moved had to be watched by someone of status. Lian An knew that he was not powerful enough and that he should invite Feng Yuran to be present. However, it was such a coincidence.

    ¡°This Minister Lian is an intelligent man!¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile. The man knew to invite Feng Yuran to witness the move. Even if there were portraits or ssics that go missing in the future, the me can be pushed on to Feng Yuran. He was a smart man.

    Feng Yuran reached out to embrace her. He replied, ¡°If he is not smart, he would not be able to be a minister in his 30s. He is the youngest minister of the six ministries.¡±

    ¡°Oh, this Minister Lian is so young. Was he the number one schr? Or was he from a noble family?¡± Mo Xuetong asked curiously. All the ministers were very old. Being able to be a minister while still in one¡¯s 30s was not easy. If he were not from a noble family, then only a young schr would be given such an important task by the Emperor.

    ¡°Minister Lian is not a number one schr nor is he from a noble family. He is just the son of a rich merchant family in Jiangnan.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled as he answered with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, to think that there is such a thing. This minister is not simple.¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her lively eyes as she spoke meaningfully. She suddenly looked up and asked, ¡°Consort Zhao is from the He family. However, I looked at the He sisters, and the only resemnce is in their eyes.¡±

    If they really wanted to talk about family resemnces, He Yufen and Consort Zhao did not look alike at all. He Yuxiu, on the other hand, had eyes that were somewhat simr to Consort Zhao¡¯s.

    Furthermore, even though the He sisters were beautiful, they were only above average. Their beauty could notpare to Consort Zhao¡¯s. Feng Yuran also said that Consort Zhao resembled her mother, Consort Xian a lot. That did not make sense.

    They were blood-rted but did not look alike. However, Consort Zhao and Consort Xian, who were not rted, looked very simr.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where the He family found a woman who looks so much like my mother.¡± Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly. A sh of sharpness glinted in his eyes.

    ¡°Do you want to look at Consort Zhao¡¯s things? Like those tea leaves that I supposedly asked for to please you and got after much difficulty?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glowed and she changed the topic. She did not want Feng Yuran to sense her intentions. She had to find out the truth before he did.

    Then, she was about to get up. However, she had only just got up when she shook and fell backward onto Feng Yuran. Fortunately, he moved fast and caught her. He said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you miss me?¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong so reliant on him, he smiled so hard that his charming eyes were practically a line.

    Mo Xuetong pouted and pushed him away. She pointed at her skirts pitifully to say that he was lying on her clothes.

    Feng Yuran looked at where she was gesturing but did not move. Instead, he hugged her even tighter and with even more strength. Then, he let go and pulled her up. The two of them straightened out their clothes before going to see the tea leaves that Consort Zhao gave them.

    The tea leaves were ced in a box. When they opened it, a light fragrance permeated the air. It was indeed good tea.

    Feng Yuran looked at it carefully and then put the tea leaves down. He called out to the servants outside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am here.¡± The eunuch guarding outside entered immediately upon hearing Feng Yuran¡¯s summons.

    ¡°Take this and check what is inside.¡± Feng Yuran said lightly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The eunuch picked up the box and left respectfully.

    ¡°What do you suspect is inside?¡± Mo Xuetong raised her eyebrows and smiled, ncing at Feng Yuran from the corners of her eyes.

    Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong to the windows and opened the windows even wider, allowing the wind to enter. It also blew away the light fragrance of the tea leaves. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t bring these unsafe things in in the future. Who knows what¡¯s inside?¡±

    ¡°What do you think is inside?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a sweet smile when she heard the concern in his voice.

    ¡°It has to be something that will harm us. I did not expect Consort Zhao to not be able to bear it so soon after she was released. She¡¯s been locked up deep in the pce for so many years and lived a lonely life for so many years. It did not make her any smarter.¡± Feng Yuran smirked. There was a sinister glint in his eyes. He sat down and pulled Mo Xuetong into his embrace.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She poked out her tongue cheekily and said, ¡°Consort Zhao is really your aunt. She is so considerate of you and even hinted that I should bring your cousin into the manor. The He family seems to be informed. Otherwise, they would not have changed Yu Mingyong¡¯s bride to He Yuxiu. I did not expect the He family to be so powerful so soon after arriving at the capital. They even plotted against Yu Mingyong.¡±

    No family would agree to a change in the bride right before the wedding. However, the Yu family had agreed because Yu Mingyong had been found in apromising situation. The He family found out about it coincidentally. It was already good that they did not break off the engagement. The He family only changed the bride. There was no sh and some might even feel that the He family was too kind.

    The He family had plotted well. They could butter up the pregnant Consort Yu while also exchanging for Her Yufen so that they could prepare her to be sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was not any other manor. He Yuxiu, whose reputation was ruined, was a useless chess piece. However, she would be useful again after marrying Yu Mingyong.

    ¡°If Consort Zhao does this again, tell her that I don¡¯t like He Yufen.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly smiled. He looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pouty lips and kissed it. Then, he turned to bite her ears gently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter who says anything like this, just push it all to me. Can they force me to like or not like someone?¡±

    Mo Xuetong flushed and pushed him away with her hand. She said cutely, ¡°Go tell her that yourself.¡±

 Chapter 419 - He Yuxiu Threw Herself On Feng Yuran

    <h4>Chapter 419 He Yuxiu Threw Herself On Feng Yuran</h4>

    ¡°Now?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful eyes bent with a teasing look. Mo Xuetong¡¯s present expression made his heart soft, and he thought how lucky he was that he could marry Tong¡¯er.

    ¡°Yes, it is now,¡± Mo Xuetong said petntly.

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go into the pce now and speak to Consort Zhao clearly.¡± With a serious look, Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s waist to support her to stand up, as if he was about to leave.

    ¡°You¡¯re tiresome!¡± Seeing his serious look which seemed to tell her that he was going to the pce if she did not stop him, Mo Xuetong grabbed his hand in exasperation with a backhand and gave a hard bite. Since Feng Yuran had known that Mo Xuetong said the words deliberately, he still did it to annoy her.

    ¡°Ah, it hurts. My wife, please let me go. And I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Feng Yuran screamed pitifully and stretched his slender hand in front of her, showing the wound which could not be hurt anymore. Grievance lingered on his beautiful lips. No one could believe that it was the arrogant and imperious King Xuan in others¡¯ words.

    Mo Xuetong snorted withughter uncontrobly, and then her waist was surrounded by Feng Yuran¡¯s big hands, and she fell into his arms again.

    The two embraced each other, and were about to talk more when a voice rang outside, ¡°Your Highness, the tea has been checked well.¡±

    Feng Yuran tucked Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair well, let her stand up, and said coldly, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Something was put in the tea as they guessed, which was the drug from the brothel to add fun. The drug mixed in the tea tasted too light, and was hard to smell without carefulness. However, if someone took that drug, he/she must know it after waking up.

    Feng Yuran was said to be extremely arrogant, unbridled and headstrong in others¡¯ words. It seemed that he was a totally self-centered person. If he discovered that his princess dared to put such drug in his tea, he would feel that he lost face without doubt, and would think Mo Xuetong was so undisciplined by nature that no one could predict what trouble she would make in the future.

    If the matter was not handled well, Mo Xuetong would probably lose her life for the tea. With Feng Yuran¡¯s temper, he would do anything he wanted.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s move was rather vicious, trying to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s life first. Even if Feng Yuran let it pass for his face, the estrangement between him and Mo Xuetong had grown. And it was much easier for Consort Zhao to deal with Mo Xuetong. A woman, once losing her husband¡¯s favor, would even not know how she would die in the future as long as she and her husband grew apart, let alone Mo Xuetong married into the royal family.

    Boiling frogs in warm water. Mo Xuetong was more convinced that Consort Zhao was hounding her to death step by step...

    Tea was given from Consort Zhao to Mo Xuetong, and then sent to Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard. During the time when Feng Yuran was out, Mo Xuetong had enough time to mix the drug in the tea. When Feng Yuran came back, he fell into the trap at the right time. Therefore, no matter how the matter was exined, Mo Xuetong could not detach herself from it.

    As for this scandal, Mo Xuetong was unable to justify even though she tried. Ashamed and guilty, the woman living in the inner courtyard took it too hard and would do something terrible, which had nothing to do with Consort Zhao at all. Perhaps, Consort Zhao could take this chance to help He Yufen to be the mistress of the manor. What a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone plot!

    However, the plot also exposed some of Consort Zhao¡¯s strength!

    A fury covered Feng Yuran¡¯s face, obscure and chilly. He did not care how others framed him, because he had seen various traps since childhood. But this time, he was really angry. He gave a cold snort, held Mo Xuetong and stood up. He mmed the table and said furiously, ¡°I will go to the pce to see this Consort Zhao.¡±

    After speaking, he was about to walk out in fury.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Mo Xuetong grabbed his sleeve.

    ¡°Go and invite Consort Zhao to have tea.¡± A chilly smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s enchanting face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go. It¡¯s not time yet!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled softly, reached out to hold his waist, and gave him a sweet smile. ¡°Just leave it to me. It is the matter in the inner court, and I will handle it. But the minister of the Ministry of Works came so coincidentally with so good reason. You have to help me to keep watch on him and check his background.¡±

    Although Emperor Zongwen believed in Feng Yuran, he would not allow Feng Yuran to break into the harem to embarrass Consort Zhao. Although the tea was mixed with medicinal powder, the tea was always in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands. No matter how the investigation would be carried out, the use would lead to Mo Xuetong surely. Besides, the more such a thing was exined, the more obscure it would be.

    As long as Consort Zhao questioned what good was to her if she did put the medicinal powder into the tea, Mo Xuetong would be left without an argument.

    Moreover, it was not the right time to confront Consort Zhao with toughness.

    ¡°You¡¯ll handle it?¡± Feng Yuran hesitated, turned around and hugged her. He took an oblique look at her, showing his disbelief.

    ¡°Rest assured. If I fail, you can try, okay?¡± Knowing Feng Yuran was worried about her, Mo Xuetong said in a sweet voice and felt warmth in her heart. The undisguised concern in his eyes made Mo Xuetong curve up her mouth slightly. In herst life, she had pursued the concern but failed, And now, it was right before her. How could she not cherish it this life?

    Of course, she knew that if Feng Yuran handled it, it would probably be solved more directly. But she still wanted to help him. The matter about the women in the inner courtyard should be solved within the courtyard. She was willing to do it for him. Besides, she could not set her mind at ease if she could not find out what crime He family had done to Feng Yuran.

    After speaking, she pulled Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeve, unwilling to let him go if he did not listen to her. At the sight, Feng Yuran let out a sigh, pinched her nose and said, ¡°Okay, but if there is anything wrong, let me deal with it. Mo Feng and Mo Ye are always at your side to protect you. Just let them to do what you want.¡±

    Would it be a great surprise for those who could see the handsome and fascinating King Xuan would behave like that?

    ¡°I know. I know.¡± Mo Xuetong said peevishly, ¡°You just help me to investigate Lian An then.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯ll send his information to you soon.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm look, Feng Yuran knew she had made up her mind, so he stroked her hair helplessly and continued to say, ¡°Take a rest. I have to go out to deal with something. If I don¡¯te back at night, just have meal first and don¡¯t wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Well, okay.¡± Mo Xuetong obediently let him hug her and listened to his words, her heart full of sweetness.

    When Feng Yuran came out, Mo Xuetong asked Mo Ye toe in and rewrap the tea. Since Consort Zhao could predict that Mo Xuetong had to suffer the loss, Mo Xuetong did not really know how to deal with Consort Zhao. The tea was in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands now, and it had nothing to do with the tea¡¯s owner, Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Mo Ye, you ask Mo Feng to check the thing about Yu Mingyong to see how his ident happened.¡± Yu Mingyong was a sophisticated profligate ying among different women. How could he be hooked by a married woman and then caught on the scene? Mo Xuetong thought it must have something to do with He family.

    How could it be so coincident? He Yuxiu¡¯s reputation had just been damaged in the pce when Yu Mingyong was caught with rotten morals.

    ¡°Yes. I will ask Mo Xuetong to investigate.¡± Mo Ye hesitated but still said to Mo Xuetong. ¡°When His Highness came out, he happened to see First Miss He. When she paid a salute to His Highness, she pretended to g and fall down. His Highness avoided, turned around and left without paying any attention to her.¡±

    ¡°He Yufen is here? Even made such a gesture in front of Feng Yuran? And did she not pretend to be a gentle and consideratedy any longer?¡± Mo Xuetong was surprised. But thinking that Feng Yuran hated that women hurled themselves to him, Mo Xuetong could not helpughing.

    In the past, ady had tried to throw herself into Feng Yuran¡¯s arms, but been kicked into the river by him without mercy, which was rather disgraceful. Since He Yufen just came to the capital, she did not know that Feng Yuran had nopassion for womanhood, so she behaved like that in front of Feng Yuran. However, her behavior not only ruined the fake appearances that she had painstakingly pretended, but also brought shame upon shame to herself.

    ¡°Where is she now?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a smile.

    ¡°She is still crying in the yard now. It¡¯s said she fell and hurt herself.¡± Mo Ye¡¯s rigorous face also showed a smile. ¡°Mo Lan is looking outside, and she asked me whether My Lady wants to see He Yufen.¡±

    Such an ident happened in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Anyway, Mo Xuetong, as the mistress of the Manor, should go to see her. Besides, Mo Xuetong still needed to handle the matter concerning Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Go to ask her toe here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will ask people to inform Mo Lan.¡± Mo Ye replied and retreated.

    Mo Xuetong did the makeup herself. After doing it well, she sat in front of the window, took a book randomly and read.

    After a while, Mo Lan¡¯s voice full of concern came from outside.

    ¡°First Miss He, be careful at your feet. Don¡¯t fall again. My Lady has sent people to ask the doctor to see for you. Is it okay for you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay... There is no need to trouble My Lady.¡± He Yufen said prettily.

    ¡°How could it be okay? Just now, you fell so hard that you almost got fainted and bumped into His Highness. His Highness was not in a good mood, so he asked us to check First Miss thoroughly and not let you get hurt.¡± Mo Lan¡¯s words seemed to care about He Yufen, but just made her be more blushed. He Yufen was too embarrassed to say a word, and just pinched her handkerchief in annoyance.

    Just now, He Yufen did not know what hade over herself. When seeing her unparalleled handsome cousin came this way, He Yufen¡¯s heart got hot, and could not help falling down on him subconsciously. And now, He Yufen collected herself, bashful and ashamed, only wishing all the maidservants who had witnessed the scene would die.

    It was not all because of what she had done before that made her angry, but the most important thing was that Feng Yuran just turned his back on her and left indifferently. This was the most spiteful thing to He Yufen, which humiliated her abashed. He Yufen made pretensions to beauty and was never ignored by men like that. So this time, she became a bit angry from embarrassment.

    He Yufen thought when she became the master of this manor, the first thing she did was to dig out the eyes of the maidservants who were present just now, especially Mo Lan, the cheap girl who dared to take the matter tough at her again and again. He Yufen thought she must torture Mo Lan to death at that time.

    Sitting inside, Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and just continued to read the book in her hands without standing up.

    As the curtain was lifted up, the maidservants surrounded the awkward He Yufen in. Mo Xuetong raised her eyes and found He Yufen did fall heavily. He Yufen¡¯s face covered with a handkerchief was a bit swollen, with her clothes torn and spotted here and there.

    ¡°Sister-inw!¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong, He Yufen took on a look of grievance, as her eyes were brimmed with tears. Pitiful and feeble, she held the maidservant¡¯s hand and paid a salute to Mo Xuetong tremulously.

    ¡°Cousin Fen, what¡¯s wrong? Why did you fall like this? Mo Ye, go and see if the manor doctor hase. It has been a long time. Why has he note yet? To rush him again.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at He Yufen carefully and said to Mo Ye with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, I go to rush him now.¡± Mo Ye nodded and retreated.

    Mo Lan stepped forward and reported, ¡°My Lady, we happened to see First Miss He when seeing His Highness out of the manor. The moment First Miss He saw His Highness, she hurried to salute. But not knowing where she stumbled, she ran into His Highness directly. Fortunately, His Highness avoided her quickly, otherwise, the consequences were unpleasant to ears...¡±

    Mo Lan seemed to realize that her words made He Yufen rather shameful, so she gave two little coughs and said, ¡°But it wasn¡¯t because First Miss He deliberately fell over to His Highness, but because she was not in good health these days, so she could not control herself at that time.¡±

    These remarks were more embarrassing than saying nothing. He Yufen¡¯s face burned immediately. She bent to salute, but her eyes red at the ground with her teeth gritted secretly. He Yufen thought that Mo Lan, the mean maidservant, dared to make fun of her in this way, and that one day, when He Yufen herself won the cousin¡¯s favor, she would torture the mean servant to the extreme and left her unable to live or die as she wished.

 Chapter 420 - Got Alarmed and Returned Home Anxiously

    <h4>Chapter 420 Got rmed and Returned Home Anxiously</h4>

    ¡°Oh, cousin Fen is not in good health now.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a faint smile, with coldness in her eyes.

    ¡°Sister-inw, no. It is... I was sick a few days ago. So...¡± He Yufen felt greatly disgraced, so she raised her watery eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong aggrieved, just like a tender and decent youngdy.

    Mo Xuetong just looked at her quietly with her head tilting up slightly. Then, she put the book in her hand aside on the table, and the smile on her face gradually dissipated. She took up the teacup on the table and said in a cold voice, ¡°Since Cousin Fen is not in good health, why not rest at home, but still run out. In this weather, it will be terrible if the virus is spread out.¡±

    The words sounded rather impolite, different from Mo Xuetong¡¯s style. He Yufen froze for a moment, then raised her head in surprise, and looked at Mo Xuetong unbelievably, only to spot the displeasure in Mo Xuetong¡¯s bright eyes. He Yufen was too embarrassed to say a word.

    To put it crudely, if He Yufen was ill but still came to the manor, she did not have any dignity and deliberately spread the virus. How malicious she was!

    ¡°Sister-inw, I...¡± He Yufen stood up and stuttered, trying to exin for herself.

    ¡°First Miss He, you¡¯re so casual. My Lady hasn¡¯t allowed you to stand up, but you just do it. It seems that you are so snooty about My Lady.¡± Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression, Mo Lan knew that Mo Xuetong wanted to show severity to He Yufen, so Mo Lan said with a sneer.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m not...¡± He Yufen hadn¡¯t finished her exnation for the first question, and another emerged, which made her tongue-tied for a moment.

    ¡°First Miss He, isn¡¯t it? Or does First Miss He make fish of one and flesh of another? Just now, when seeing His Highness, you ran from far away just to pay a salute to His Highness. But why did you salute to My Lady so casually now? Is it possible that First Miss He looks down upon My Lady?¡±

    Mo Lan said coldly, with piercing criticism.

    Although Mo Lan¡¯s words were a bit partial, they were all about the facts. To be honest, He Yufen did despise Mo Xuetong and thought Mo Xuetong just had a beautiful face, far behind He Yufen herself. But at present, Feng Yuran just did not how good He Yufen was. If he knew it one day, he would definitely marry her. He Yufen firmly believed that.

    Therefore, He Yufen always paid a casual salute to Mo Xuetong. At this time, when Mo Lan took the matter and made a fuss about it, He Yufen was at a loss for an exnation for a while, and her face turned pale now and red then. She was so vexed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°First Miss He, please stand up.¡± Mo Xuetong took Mo Lan¡¯s topic and gave a simple smile. But her eyes showed no a hint of joy and just stared at He Yufen deeply, as if the eyes could see through her from face to heart, which racked He Yufen with a shudder. Hearing Mo Xuetong did not even call her cousin, He Yufen felt bad and did not dare to say more, just called timidly, ¡°Sister-inw!¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t deserve to be First Miss He¡¯s sister-inw. Since First Miss He has never treated me as your sister-inw, I think I am not worthy of the address!¡± Mo Xuetongughed grimly with her eyebrows arched. Since Consort Zhao had taken action, this meant that Mo Xuetong and He family were bound to stand on the opposite side and corroborated some of Mo Xuetong¡¯s guesses.

    No matter what kind of role He family yed in the matter of Consort Xian, they would not bring goodwill.

    Therefore, why did Mo Xuetong have to draw back again?

    It was known to all that He family wanted to join King Xuan¡¯s Manor. They still tried to fool Mo Xuetong by exchanging He Yufen and He Yuxiu, the two sisters. Now, He Yufen did the thing like that, and she still had the face to see Mo Xuetong!

    He Yufen had never expected that Mo Xuetong, who used to be gentle and innocent, would be so fierce. He Yufen blushed, but still pretended to be pitiful with tears in her eyes, and argued. ¡°Sister-inw, it is not the truth. In my heart, I always treat you as my natural sister-inw. If I have done something wrong, you can scold or beat me, but you cannot evaluate me like that.¡±

    He Yufen looked sincere and pitiful, but her heart was full of resentment. He Yufen thought, ¡°If Mo Lan had note to block me, I could have had time to grab King Xuan¡¯s clothes. If I had grabbed Feng Yuran¡¯s clothes, even though I could not run into his arms, I would have pulled him to stumble. If so, we two might have fallen together. And then, no matter what the cause was, the result was just that¨C we fell in a cuddle.¡±

    ¡°I am an unmarried girl. But since such an ident happened to me, Feng Yuran has to give me an exnation. Consort Zhao said that as long as I could have an affair with Feng Yuran, she would have a way to help me enter the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and even being the legitimate wife was not a dream.¡±

    ¡°But unexpectedly, the poor maidservant appeared in the way and kept me out of His Highness, which made me not only tumble, but also watch His Highness walk past me.¡± Thinking of this, He Yufen gritted her teeth with hatred.

    And now, He Yufen fell into a passive position where she had to pretend to be pathetic, trying to muddle through.

    Mo Xuetong threw her a nce and did not unmask her. Mo Xuetong gave more smiles, but looked much colder. With a look at He Yufen, Mo Xuetong shifted the topic. ¡°First Miss He, His Highness will send some people to the south a few dayster. If you have anything to pass there, His Highness is happy to help.¡±

    ¡°King Xuan will send people to He family?¡±

    He Yufen¡¯s face turned pale immediately, her lips quivering. Scared with little color on the face, she clenched her hand which was holding the handkerchief and huddled it up. Now, she was inwardly chaotic, not knowing how to answer Mo Xuetong. She looked at Mo Xuetong with a guilty conscience, tried to force a smile, and stuttered. ¡°Sister-inw, I, I have nothing to say. There are always letters from home. I have nothing to send.¡±

    Unsurprisingly, something weird! Mo Xuetong kept staring at He Yufen, and her eyes became gloomy.

    What shady affair had He family done? It seemed that many people knew it!

    ¡°Where is the problem? What have I ignored?¡±

    The more Mo Xuetong thought about it, the more skeptical she felt. He Yufen was utterly frightened in front.

    When they talked about what had happened in the front yard, even if He family was not a grand one, it was still too unruly for a girl to do it. However, except for some shame and annoyance on He Yufen¡¯s face, she didn¡¯t show any guilt, and even had the nerve toe to see Mo Xuetong with the maidservants, as if it were just amon thing.

    Why did He Yufen give her a weird feeling?

    ¡°First Miss He has nothing to say. Well, I don¡¯t know if Second Miss He has any words sent there. His Highness will send many people there this time.¡± Mo Xuetong said coolly.

    ¡°Second young sister... Second young sister has nothing to say. Sister-inw, I feel unwell now and want to go home to take a rest.¡± He Yufen became more nervous, and her hand which held her maidservant¡¯s hand shook. She seemed to be unable to support herself any longer. So He Yufen looked at Mo Xuetong and begged.

    Mo Xuetong took the tea from Mo Lan, took a sip and asked ndly, ¡°First Miss He came to see His Highness, but His Highness is out now. Will First Miss He not wait for His Highness toe back?¡±

    ¡°No, no need! I juste to see you, sister-inw!¡± At this time, He Yufen did not care about the reason. The thought that King Xuan would send people to Jiangnan made He Yufen want to go home as soon as possible, so that she could figure out how to cover it. The anxiety to return home prescinded her mind from the others.

    He Yufen¡¯s original intention was to hang on the manor. Since she fell and got injured in the manor, she could reasonably stay in the manor at least for 10 days or more. During this period, Mo Xuetong, though she was the legitimate consort, was unable to control what would happen. But now, He Yufen was shocked and frightened, only wishing to go home as quickly as possible to work out a n, and she was totally not in the mood to stay in the manor any longer.

    Moreover, today Mo Xuetong¡¯s imposing manner stunned her.

    ¡°First Miss He, since you are unwilling to stay here, then just leave as you want.¡± Mo Xuetong raised her eyeszily and said in a casual way. She looked at He Yufen up and down with a hint of taunt in her eyes. And her beautiful eyes flickered and finally fell on He Yufen¡¯s clothes stained with mud. The eyes were filled with scorn.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s nce made He Yufen full of shame and resentment, but not dare to strike back. He Yufen had to suppress the resentment in her heart, and paid a salute to Mo Xuetong with her teeth gnashed, and then, she held her maidservant¡¯s hand and walked out.

    ¡°My Lady, will His Highness send people to investigate He family in Jiangnan?¡± When He Yufen left the courtyard, Mo Yu asked curiously.

    Mo Xuetong stood up, retracted the contempt on her face, walked to the window, and then gave a smile and said with some indications, ¡°How can His Highness have so much free time that he will especially run to Jiangnan to investigate He family?¡±

    There must be something fishy in He family. But even if people were sent to investigate it, they might not be able to find out the truth. He family must be very powerful locally, and sometimes they took action secretly. How were the people sent from the capital able to investigate clearly as they wanted? If it was really as Mo Xuetong guessed, He family must have done that reconditely.

    But because He Yufen was still young and just lost face in the front yard, she was too ashamed to keep her head, and Mo Xuetong could prise some information out of her.

    Mo Lan fell in silence for a while, but could not help reminding Mo Xuetong. ¡°Does He family have anything concealed from His Highness and you, My Lady? And the thing was some kind of shameful sin. My Lady, will it be harmful to you? You should be more careful.¡±

    He Yufen¡¯s behavior was rather suspicious, and she could not cover her guilty look.

    ¡°Rest assured. Even if He Yufen wants to enter the manor again, she has to be given a chance first. If she stilles these days, just tell her I am sick.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around to sit back, took a sip of tea leisurely, and said with a smile.

    ¡°My Lady, you can¡¯t avoid her like this, instead, you should give her a lesson, otherwise, she really thinks that she is the master of this manor. I think this First Miss He is a think-skinned woman, and I¡¯ve never seen such ady like her. If Mo Lan had not stopped her in time, she would have reached her hands out to pull His Highness. How could a unmarrieddy be so shameless?¡± Mo Yu gave a snort and said angrily.

    It was true that there was not an unmarrieddy so shameless, but if she was not an unmarrieddy?

    Mo Xuetong praised Mo Yu¡¯s words inwardly, but did not show it on her face. She patted Mo Yu¡¯s hand and said with a meaningful smile, ¡°Who said that I was going to avoid her? I just want to leave her out for a few days and deal with her after that.¡±

    Hearing Mo Xuetong did not avoid He Yufen, Mo Yu became calm and nodded with a smile. She was very confident that with the Lady¡¯s wisdom, it was a piece of cake to deal with a shameless woman.

    On the other hand, He Yufen went home in a hurry. Before the carriage stop stably, she jumped out of the carriage anxiously and helped her maidservants rush into the house. When passing the garden, she happened to see the idle He Yuxiu.

 Chapter 421 - Set A Trap. He Yufen Was Overjoyed

    <h4>Chapter 421 Set A Trap. He Yufen Was Overjoyed</h4>

    ¡°Well, elder sister, what¡¯s wrong with you? Look at you! Where is your decent as a youngdy? Then, don¡¯t make senior uncle angry! Maybe he will rece you with a sister from the hometown.¡± He Yuxiu screamed exaggeratedly. Looking at the mess on He Yufen, He Yuxiu turned around her with a look of fuss.

    He Yufen stopped and refuted immediately with an acid smile. ¡°Even if I am reced, I will not be reced by second young sister. You¡¯d better think about how to be the yboy¡¯s wife now. As for other things, you don¡¯t bother to worry about.¡±

    If He Yufen¡¯s current expression was exposed to the people in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, it would be a great shock to them, as she was not the gentle First Miss He as she usually pretended.

    Her words stung He Yuxiu. He Yuxiu¡¯s countenance changed instantly, and she gnashed the teeth in anger and said, ¡°Don¡¯t swagger. I¡¯m afraid that you are not only unable to be the King¡¯s consort, but also fail to marry a yboy. Perhaps, you have to go back...¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Before she finished, she was interrupted severely!

    In front of the moon-shaped courtyard door, the He¡¯s brothers stood glumly at the door. Senior Master He looked sternly at the sisters. Then, the two sisters did not dare to quarrel any longer and just saluted them with a shudder.

    ¡°Why not prepare your dowry but be idle here?¡± Second Maser He looked at He Yuxiu coldly.

    He Yuxiu was too scared to say a word, just saluted hurriedly and walked timidly to the path with her maidservant.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Senior Master He looked up and down at He Yufen¡¯s embarrassment and asked displeasedly.

    ¡°Father, I have something to tell you.¡± He Yufen was calmer than He Yuxiu. After letting out a long breath, He Yufen looked around the maidservants and servants, and recovered her gentleness.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Seeing that she had something to say, Senior Master He turned back and said coldly. The two masters walked to the room, without any manservant following them. He Yufen did not take her maidservant as well but just held her dirty skirt and followed anxiously...

    It remained unknown what they had discussed, but in the following days, He Yufen still went to the King Xuan¡¯s Manor restlessly, showing her determination that she would not stop until she reached her goal.

    Mo Xuetong asked the servants to spread that she was ill. However, He Yufen still came to the manor every day, but was refused by the same excuse that Her Highness was ill. Today, she came to the manor again, and saw Mo Yuing out of the manor anxiously. So He Yufen tipped her maidservant a wink, and the maidservant understood and came up hurriedly to ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Her Highness¡¯s mostpetent assistant, Sister Mo Yu? Is there anything urgent for Sister Mo Yu in such a hurry?¡±

    Being blocked, Mo Yu looked up and said angrily, ¡°Get out of my way, and I am busy now!¡±

    The maidservant did not take it seriously, but still asked tentatively with a smile, ¡°Sister Mo Yu, you may need a carriage to go out. And our youngdy happens to go back. Since you are in a hurry, why not take our youngdy¡¯s carriage?¡±

    Prevailed by the words, Mo Yu stopped to look at the maidservant and then the small door, and asked with a frown, ¡°Will your carriage go to the pharmacy?¡±

    The maidservant rolled her eyes and answered smilingly, ¡°It happens that there is a big pharmacy on our youngdy¡¯s way back home. It is said that the medicines of every description are avable there, and the people are all experienced.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Mo Yu nodded, and followed the maidservant into the carriage. Mo Yu paid a salute to He Yufen and sat on the shaft with the maidservant.

    The carriage began to move slowly.

    Seeing Mo Yu clenching a small packet in the hands, the maidservant pretended to ask inadvertently. ¡°Sister Mo Yu, are you going to dispense medicines for Her Highness?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Yu answered simply, but then felt the answer was too harsh, so she immediately squeezed a smile and said, ¡°Just some medicine needed to be checked in the pharmacy!¡± But the smile looked rather forced.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are there too many medicinal materials in the manor, so Her Highness wants to sell some?¡± The maidservant asked more curiously. In the influential families, some of the medicinal materials could not be kept for a long time, so they would sell some and then purchase them back when necessary.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Yu clenched her teeth without revealing anything, but was still unable to hide the paleness on her face.

    He Yufen, who had been sitting in the carriage and listening to their talks, showed a slightly smugly smile on her face with a chilly joy in her eyes. Yesterday, her father told her to wait for theing of the right time. As long as the time came, something would happen in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Now it seemed that something did happen in the manor now, otherwise, Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservant would not look so flustered and even could not have a carriage to go out.

    And the most important was that on the way to the manor, He Yufen once saw Feng Yuran¡¯s super-luxury carriage rushing away.

    And the carriage¡¯s direction was the most famous brothel in the capital!

    It did grip He Yufen¡¯s imaginations!

    Through the fluttering carriage curtain, He Yufen¡¯s eyes fell on the small packet clenched in Mo Yu¡¯s hands. Such a small packet would not contain much more than just a small cluster of tea or something. It seemed that Consort Zhao¡¯s n really worked. Although it was unknown why the matter was not escted, it was obvious that King Xuan got angry, otherwise, he would not go to the brothel where he had not gone since his marriage.

    As long as the discord emerged between King Xuan and Mo Xuetong, He Yufen thought she could avail herself of the opportunity to get in and won the cousin¡¯s heart, then drove Mo Xuetong out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. As He Yufen dreamt of it smugly, Feng Yuran¡¯s extremely charming face seemed to appear in front of her, which made her tighten up the hands holding the handkerchief and her heart hot. She could not restrain her overjoy!

    Mo Yu hurriedly got out of the carriage at the door of a pharmacy. He Yufen let the carriage stopped beside. When Mo Yu came out, He Yufen asked her maidservant toe into the pharmacy to inquire about it.

    After a while, the maidservant returned to the carriage and detailedly told He Yufen about Mo Yu.

    Unsurprisingly, Mo Yu asked the people in the pharmacy to check the ingredients in the tea. And it¡¯s said that Mo Yu inadvertently blurted out that her master quarreled with her mistress about the drugs, even gave the mistress a p and kicked her to the ground, and then went out with anger.

    Others did not know who Mo Yu¡¯s master was, but He Yufen knew well. Hearing Mo Xuetong was beaten and kicked to the ground by King Xuan, He Yufen felt quite pleased just like drinking a bowl of icy mung bean soup in hot summer. No wonder Mo Xuetong imed to be sick these days. It turned out that she was really ill by being hit. He Yufen returned home with delight.

    He Yuxiu sat in her yard and saw He Yufen passing happily. Then, He Yuxiu took the embroideries on the table, threw to the ground and stamped on them fiercely. They hade to an agreement that it was He Yuxiu who married into the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, but now the candidate was changed into He Yufen, which rankled He Yufen still. He Yuxiu thought, with her capability and look, she was not inferior to He Yufen, so why could He Yufen marry into the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, but He Yuxiu herself marry a useless yboy?

    Not reconciled, He Yuxiu was not reconciled to the current situation. She thought she would not work herself to the bone for He family and got nothing in return. Since He family was ruthless, don¡¯t me her for being heartless.

    Mo Xuetong was doing needlework by the window when Mo Yu returned, and her embroidery was quite good. In the past, when in Qin Manor, Mo Xuetong and her maidservants would do some needlework when there was nothing else to do, and then, they would secretly take it out to sell so as to add some ie. The days in the Qin Manor were rather hard-pressed. Without the needlework, it would be hard to make ends meet.

    Mo Xuetong was making a robe for Feng Yuran. The purple deluxe silk felt smooth. When thinking that it would befortable for him to wear it, Mo Xuetong could not help curling up her lips into a smile.

    Mo Yu came in with a smile, totally different from the pale and anxious look outside. She put down the tea on the table casually, took the tea from Mo Lan¡¯s hands, glugged some and said proudly, ¡°My Lady, sure enough, I got into First Miss He¡¯s carriage.¡±

    Mo Xuetong put down the needle in her hands, took the tea from Mo Ye, drank slowly and said, ¡°Did she doubt you?¡±

    ¡°How could it be? I am too straightforward to hide words. So when I was evasive, He Yufen could hardly wait. The moment I walked out of the pharmacy, her maidservant came into it immediately. I guess she must be overjoyed now.¡± Mo Yu put down the tea and said with pride. She knew herself well and always thought being straightforward was her weakness, since she was not so prudent as Mo Lan and other maidservants. But unexpectedly, her weakness could help Her Highness, which made her rather proud of it.

    Mo Xuetong did not answer her, but gave a gentle smile and turned to ask Mo Ye, ¡°How about the investigation that Mo Feng did?¡±

    ¡°I asked Mo Feng and knew that the minister did have something to do with He family. I heard that the minister once got engaged with a youngdy of He family. But for some unknown reason, the engagement was canceled. Later, he did not keep close to He family. But Mo Feng said when the two masters of He family came into the capital, they privately met with Minister Lian several times. Just a few days ago, the three still sipped tea in the teahouse.¡±

    Mo Ye also came back, so when asked by Mo Xuetong, she answered in detail.

    Lian An even had this rtionship with He family. Although the engagement fell through for no reason, he was not aloof to He family. A smile took on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips, and she was more and more curious about He family.

    ¡°Ask Mo Feng to inquire about which youngdy of He family once got engaged with this minister.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled softly.

    ¡°Yes. I will tell Mo Fengter. There is one more thing. Mo Feng said Second Miss He is not getting along well with First Miss He. When the two confronted, they always parted with ill feelings.¡± Mo Ye mentioned another thing that Mo Feng asked her to tell Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Feng was now in the yard where He family were.

    ¡°Does First Miss He not get along well with Second Miss He?¡± Mo Xuetong paid attention to this point. With a light gleaming in her eyes, she said to Mo Ye, ¡°You ask Mo Feng to pay attention to Second Miss He. Is she going to get married? Why is she feeling upset now?¡±

    ¡°It is strange if she feels good. Perhaps she is still dreaming of marrying into the manor. And now her dream is robbed by her sister. How could she feel good?¡± Mo Yu curled her lips and said.

    In the past, He Yuxiu came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor so often that her scheme was quite obvious to everyone!

    ¡°It seems that Second Miss He is extremely dissatisfied with this marriage. Well, one is the King¡¯s consort that she has been dreaming about day and night, and the other is a yboy¡¯s wife with no future. Second Miss He is so shrewd, and how could she willingly give it up to others, even if to her sister?¡± Mo Lan smiled and handed a round silk fan to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong took it and smiled softly!

    In the past, when the two sisters were just neers in the capital, they looked deferential and respectful to each other. But nowadays, the rift between them even went so far. It turned out that Second Miss He was rather dissatisfied with He¡¯s masters¡¯ arrangement. What if He Yuxiu knew that Yu Mingyong was definitely good-for-nothing, while He Yufen was likely to be King Xuan¡¯s Consort?

    When she thought about the interesting part, the smile on her face became more charming.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong waving the fan and contemting, the maidservants did not bother her any longer and all retreated. The wind raised up the curtain. Through it, a beautiful youngdy leaned on the couch and smiled.

    When Feng Yuran came in, he just saw her smiling brightly with her beautiful eyes gleaming enchantingly.

 Chapter 422 - The He Sisters Embarrass Themselves at Mdm Qinâ€™s Birthday Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 422 The He Sisters Embarrass Themselves at Mdm Qin¡¯s Birthday Banquet</h4>

    He approached naturally and copsed upon her. He reached out to hold her slender waist and breathed in deeply at the crook of her neck. When his nostrils were filled with her clean scent, he asked with satisfaction, ¡°What are youughing at? Why are you so happy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just wondering if you remember anything of the past after going to the brothel.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away, pouting slightly. She was rather charming.

    Feng Yuran tousled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. His handsome eyes were clear and charming. When he looked at how she was leaning into him softly, his heart felt soft and sweet. No matter what his Tong¡¯er did, he would like it. He reached out to stroke her nosezily and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, are you jealous?¡±

    ¡°No way. I would have to submerge myself into a pool of jealousy if I were to be jealous. Have you found out anything about the thing I asked you to investigate?¡± Mo Xuetong felt a littlezy with the hot weather. She did not push him away but leaned into him and pouted her soft pink lips.

    Feng Yuran felt a deep affection for her as he looked at how adorable she was. He kissed her lightly on the petal of her lips andughed softly close to her ear. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. How can I forget what you asked me to do? I have already investigated the matter. Tong¡¯er, shouldn¡¯t you reward me with something!¡±

    Then, he pulled out a letter and ced it in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. However, he did not let go and appeared to look like he wanted Mo Xuetong to praise him. His handsome eyes shone brightly and were very charming.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but think that the man was incredibly handsome!

    No wonder Ling Fengyan and the He sisters would want to go after him again and again. This man was a heartbreaker.

    She nced at him from the side of her eyes and then pped his hand away. She asked confusedly, ¡°Your Highness, do you mean that you going to the brothel was not a boon for you? Then I¡¯ve got to think carefully. Was the beautiful woman you like not around?¡±

    A dash of helplessness shed in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes upon the mention of the brothel. He hurriedly stuffed the letter in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and then hugged her. He patted her and coaxed her, saying, ¡°I only went to the brothel for a while and did not really enter it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask around.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness didn¡¯t enter? I heard that you got someone to enter and ask if the most popr courtesan was around.¡± Mo Xuetong nced at him. She did not seem as if she would let him off.

    ¡°Of course I knew that she wasn¡¯t around. I sent someone to take her away long ago. I just went to ask around. Tong¡¯er, you wouldn¡¯t be jealous about this too, would you?¡± There was a smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face as he exined the situation. Then, he stretched out his long limbs and gathered Mo Xuetong into his arms. He bit her ears gently and said, ¡°Why are we talking about this at this time? I am tired. Take a nap with me.¡±

    The situation happened suddenly and Mo Xuetong could not help but yelp in shock. She hurriedly put her arms around Feng Yuran¡¯s neck to keep her bnce. Then, she said with a shy flush on her face, ¡°I am not tired. You take a nap if you want to.¡±

    ¡°You have to sleep even if you¡¯re not tired. I can¡¯t fall asleep by myself.¡± Feng Yuranughed upon seeing her embarrassed expression. He gathered her in his arms and walked into the inner chamber, not allowing Mo Xuetong to object at all.

    This man was getting more and more domineering!

    Mo Xuetong bit his arm andined, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    However, all she got in return was a peal ofugher. The maids outside all backed away smartly and stood far away. They were really d that thedy could receive the affection of the prince.

    Qin Yuxuan still did not understand why his elder brother¡¯s character seemed to have changed. He studied seriously now and did not even care about what was happening outside. He even rejected the invitation from King Chu¡¯s Manor. Even though Qin Yufeng did prefer to be alone usually, he was not as quiet as he was now. It made them feel as if there was not a hint of liveliness in him anymore.

    There were times when they did not know what Qin Yufeng was thinking. He would look out of the window dazedly. His figure looked rather lonely that even the usually brash and unaware Qin Yuxuan felt sad. It was a loneliness that seemed enduring and endless. It was utterly heart wrenching.

    His elder brother was working hard to gain merit. However, why did he feel as if he was enduring an endless sadness and loneliness?

    Qin Yuxuan had a feeling that his elder brother was no longer the same elder brother who did not take things to heart.

    However, when he thought about what happened recently, he did not feel that anything different had happened. Qin Yuxuan had once wondered if his elder brother was in love. However, based on what he secretly observed, his elder brother did not have any other interests other than reading. It was almost the day of the exam.

    It seems that his elder brother would seed for sure this time.

    However, Qin Yuxuan had a feeling that his elder brother was unhappy. It could even be said that he was sad. However, he had tried to ask about it cautiously several times and Qin Yufeng had just changed the topic. He did not have an idea of what was wrong at all. He had always been restless and after not getting any more information after a few days of observation, he forgot about it.

    No matter what, his elder brother was smarter than him. Even if there was anything troubling him, his elder brother was not able to settle it. What help could he be of? As such, the only thing he could think of was to try to maximize the amount of time his brother had to study. He secretly decided that he would make sure his brother had time to study on the day of their grandmother¡¯s birthday.

    He intentionally woke up early on the day of Old Madam Qin¡¯s birthday and waited at the door. When he saw the luxurious carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor arriving, he approached with a smile.

    ¡°Cousin Tong!¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xuan.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around to see Qin Yuxuan when she got off the carriage. She could not help the happy smile that crept up on her face. The young man was kind to her when she was younger. He would always stand on her side despite everything else when she needed help the most. There were times when she even wondered if Mdm Qin would have dealt with her if Qin Yuxuan had not helped her. She might not have been able to live long enough to return to the capital.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, why are you only here now? Grandmother was talking about you earlier. She said she hasn¡¯t seen you in a long while and wondered how you were doing.¡± Qin Yuxuan¡¯s gaze was that of a young man. There was an excitement in them that he did not notice himself as he looked at Mo Xuetong almost greedily. He had not seen Mo Xuetong in a long while.

    ¡°Second Young Master Qin, you are too kind. But why are you not weing the guests at the front and weing them at the inner courtyard instead?¡± Azy voice barged into the conversation. Qin Yuxuan turned around to see Feng Yuran standing by the side. His eyes could not help but darken. He looked at the beautiful Mo Xuetong standing beside Feng Yuran, who was so handsome, he seemed out of the world. His heart twisted as he looked at the handsome couple. Even though the woman in front of him was still his cousin, she was no longer that Cousin Tong he had to protect.

    ¡°Greetings, King Xuan. My grandmother came out and I saw Cousin Tong coincidentally, which was why I came to say hi.¡± Qin Yuxuan¡¯s lips curled up slightly as he replied somewhat bitterly.

    Cousin Tong was no longer that Cousin Tong from Cloud City. She was now Consort Xuan, the wife of the man in front of him. His heart ached.

    ¡°That is a coincidence. I will go out with Second Young Master. Tong¡¯er, you go in first.¡± Feng Yuran stood in front of Mo Xuetong silently, blocking her from Qin Yuxuan. Behind him, Mo Xuetong tugged on the corner of his clothes. However, he reached out to hold her hand and did not move away.

    ¡°Please, Your Highness!¡± Qin Yuxuan¡¯s smile was a little stiff when he saw how Feng Yuran¡¯s tall and wide bodypletely blocked Mo Xuetong from him. However, he still raised his hand politely to gesture for Feng Yuran to step in front of him. He told himself secretly that anyway, the arrogant King Xuan did not seem like what the rumors described him to be. At least he truly cared for Cousin Tong.

    The young man felt slightlyforted by this thought and the smile on his face grew slightly more sincere.

    ¡°Please!¡± Feng Yuran said politely. He was satisfied to see the dazzled look on Qin Yuxuan¡¯s face abating. He squeezed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand before letting go and striding outside.

    Mo Xuetong grumbled to herself that the man was really jealous. However, she was secretly pleased. After watching the two men leave, she brought Mo Ye and Mo Lan into the inner courtyard.

    ¡°Cousin-inw!¡±

    ¡°Cousin-inw!¡±

    Two coquettish voices could be heard. One was gentle while the other was cute. They were different in their own ways.

    He Yufen and He Yuxiu stood at the intersection in front. The two beautiful sisters immediately attracted a lot of attention. Many who did not know them were trying to guess who they were. When they heard the two of them greeting Mo Xuetong, they all turned to look at Mo Xuetong. There were already people who guessed that they were the nieces of Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Misses He.¡± Mo Xuetong stopped and greeted them with a gentle smile. However, her smile was cold and distant.

    He Yufen and He Yuxiu paused for a moment. They did not think that Mo Xuetong would be so rude.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, are you still angry at me for what happened that day? I did not mean it, I wasn¡¯t really trying to...¡± He Yufen reacted very quickly. Her eyes grew red as if she had been very wronged as she spoke to Mo Xuetong softly.

    She was certain that Mo Xuetong would be too embarrassed to speak about what happened that day. That was why she insisted on sticking to Mo Xuetong so that she would be able to take the opportunity to get her hands on Feng Yuran while Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran were apart.

    Mo Xuetong smirked to herself. She had intended to distance herself from the He family today. Why would she allow He Yufen to drag her down?

    ¡°Miss He, what are you talking about?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up with her beautiful eyes on He Yufen. It was as if she did not know what matter He Yufen was referring to. Her pale and soft face bore an expression of utmost innocence as if she did not know what He Yufen was talking about.

    Would she say how she intentionally fell in front of Feng Yuran?

    ¡°Cousin-inw, I...¡± He Yufen¡¯s warm smile froze.

    ¡°My Lady, First Miss He was talking about how she provoked the ire of His Highness. She went to the front courtyard then, and...¡± Mo Lan held Mo Xuetong¡¯s arm and reminded her softly. Even though she did not describe what happened in detail, the madams who were watching them closely all heard her talk about the outside courtyard.

    He Yufen was a youngdy from a prominent family. However, she did not rest in the inside courtyard when visiting someone else¡¯s manor but went outside instead. This was inappropriate for a young woman. Everyone looked at He Yufen with disdain. This was not something a young woman from a prominent family would do.

    He Yufen almost cried as she could not defend herself. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so crafty. Mo Xuetong allowed her maidservant to reveal some news but did not exin it clearly. He Yufen could not even defend herself even if she wanted to.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, my elder sister was only helping Father to deliver some gifts to Cousin. She did not intend to go to the front courtyard.¡± He Yuxiu jumped up to defend He Yufen.

    ¡°Second Miss, what is there that First Miss has to deliver to His Highness that she cannot first give to My Lady? She had to give it straight to His Highness. Could it be that My Lady cannot take charge of matters in the inner courtyard of the King¡¯s Manor? And she had to trouble First Miss to go to see His Highness personally before she can make decisions?¡± Mo Yu said coldly.

    Mo Yu was much more direct than Mo Lan. She even indirectly pointed out that He Yufen had other intentions. Everyone recalled Feng Yuran¡¯s unparalleled handsomeness then. Coupled with his enormous power, he was the prince charming of every young girl.

    So He Yufen wanted to enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor!

    Everyone understood then and grew to disdain the girl even more. Would a girl from a prominent family with a good upbringing do something like this?! She went to the front courtyard to flirt with a man. If she could do something like that, it seemed that the He family upbringing was not that good.

    Some of the people with quick minds recalled how Consort Zhao had praised her nieces earlier. At this moment, they thought that it was rather ludicrous that this sort of upbringing could be considered, ¡°virtuous, modest, and vivacious.¡±

 Chapter 423 - In the Qin Manor and Auntie Fangâ€™s Final Fall From Grace

    <h4>Chapter 423 In the Qin Manor and Auntie Fang¡¯s Final Fall From Grace</h4>

    ¡°They are just little girls who do not know better. Since you are all family, Consort Xuan, be the bigger person and forget about it.¡± Someone said with augh, trying to mediate the situation.

    Everyone turned to see that there was a woman in her 20s standing beside the He sisters, who were looking very awkward. The woman had a smile on her beautiful face. Her face was round and pleasant looking.

    She was the wife of the Minister of the Ministry of Works, Lian An. She had entered together with the He sisters, which was why the two managed to get into the Qin Manor.

    Lian An¡¯s wife had always had a good reputation amongst the other wives. She was always gentle and kind and was also the wife of a first-grade official. Mo Xuetong could not treat her like how she treated the He sisters.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glittered colorfully and held out a hand to stop Mo Yu from speaking. A gentle smile appeared on her pale face as she greeted the woman softly. ¡°Madam, you are too serious. I did not mean to do this but His Highness ordered me to do so.¡±

    Madam Lian was stunned. She was going to persuade Mo Xuetong with words on how a woman should be virtuous and gracious. However, she did not expect this to be an order from King Xuan. She did not know what to do. King Xuan was known to all to be arrogant and was not someone who could be easily persuaded.

    ¡°So this was an order from His Highness. I was mistaken.¡± Madam Lian had no choice but to admit defeat.

    ¡°It is no big matter. Madam Lain, I am going to visit my grandaunt. I shall take my leave now.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and walked further into the manor with her two maidservants. It was as if she were going to overlook what the He sisters did because of Madam Lian.

    Mo Xuetong walked further in and met some of the madams and youngdies she knew. They all greeted her politely. She was no longer the girl child who was of no importance when she first came to the capital from Cloud City. No one dared to make her unhappy because of King Xuan, Feng Yuran. He was a man no one could control.

    Old Madam Qin was in her courtyard. When she heard Mo Xuetonging, she hurriedly went out with the help of her maids. She was about to curtsy when she saw Mo Xuetong. However, Mo Xuetong was one step faster. She held Old Madam Qin up and said with a smile, ¡°Grandaunt, why are you so polite? Tong¡¯er is still Tong¡¯er. If you had not protected Tong¡¯er then, I would have long been dead.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was not entirely being polite. Back then, Auntie Fang had wanted to kill her. If Mdm Yu had not been wary of Old Madam Qin, she would have been more vicious.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words brought greatfort to Old Madam Qin. She pulled Mo Xuetong into her courtyard and they started to chat.

    The banquet was set up shortly. Lord Qin got a servant to inform Old Madam Qin. Mdm Yu also finally appeared then.

    She walked up to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side with a derisive smile and invited her to the banquet.

    Mo Xuetong chatted briefly with her politely before leaving with Old Madam Qin.

    The banquet was set up in the parlor. Therge parlor was sectioned out using screens and men and women were seated on different sides. This was the mostmon banquet set up used in the Great Qin. It would make the banquet seem bustling while also adhering to etiquette.

    At the banquet, the He sisters attempted fearfully to speak with Mo Xuetong. However, they were blocked by Mo Ye and could not approach Mo Xuetong.

    A maid walked through the other maids serving dishes and hurried up to Mdm Yu. She spoke briefly into Mdm Yu¡¯s ear. Then, Mdm Yu stood up suddenly, appearing to be shocked. However, she smoothed her expression quickly and turned to look at Mo Xuetong. She exhaled softly when she saw that Mo Xuetong was smiling and chatting with Madam Lian who was seated beside her.

    She nodded to the maid and then told Old Madam Qin that she was going off before bringing her servants out with her.

    Mo Xuetong turned to look beside her silently. Mo Ye understood and followed Mdm Yu.

    Mdm Yu returned shortly and Mo Yu returned to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. She said something to Mo Xuetong who nodded with a slight smile.

    Then, after a short while, Mo Xuetong said that it was a little stuffy. She then led Mo Ye and Mo Lan out.

    After a few turns, they walked toward the inside of the Qin Manor. They came to a deste and run-down courtyard. From the outside, it looked like a ce to put odds and ends.

    Mo Xuetong did not hesitate to push the door open. She entered the courtyard and walked into a rtively clean room. The blue flower-patterned curtains were lowered. She heard a sharp and vicious voice from inside saying, ¡°Eldest sister, did the little slut drink that cup of wine? Quick, bring her here. I will kill her with my own hands to avenge Min¡¯er.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and lifted the curtains. ¡°Auntie Fang, I fear you are going to be disappointed. I did not drink that cup of wine. Auntie, do you feel upset? However, if you have the time, you¡¯d best be sad for yourself.¡±

    There was a bed in the room. On the bedid Auntie Fang. She was so skinny she looked almost inhumane. There were strands of white hair on her head and her eyes were sunken in. Her gaze looked deep and dark as if she were in hell. They were also very cold.

    There had not been any news of Auntie Fang since she left. She had hidden at Mdm Yu¡¯s.

    ¡°Little slut. You hurt Min¡¯er and the child in my belly. You hurt Yu¡¯er. What more do you want?¡± Auntie Fang red at Mo Xuetong when she saw Mo Xuetong entering. She gritted her teeth viciously and her eyes were filled with anger and hate.

    ¡°Auntie, are you reminding me that I have not yet removed the source of the problem?¡± Mo Xuetong stood in front of the bed with a faint smile. She tutted as she looked at Auntie Fang. ¡°Auntie Fang, you killed my mother and tried to take my life. Do you think that my mother and I should be stepping stones for you and Mo Xuemin and that we should die?!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile turned cold. The cutting pain of her past life surged up her chest. She would never forget the tiny body of her child growing cold in her embrace. She would never forget the tragic scene of Mother Xu and Mo Yu dying in front of her eyes. And she would never forget how she struggled in the mes while Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun watched on with mocking smiles.

    ¡°You all should die. You all should die. My Min¡¯er is the legitimate eldest daughter while Yu¡¯er is the future master of the Mo Manor. Your mother upied the ce as the legal wife but did not birth any sons for old sir. She should die.¡± Auntie Fang said, growing agitated. She seemed mad as she panted loudly holding on to the bed. Her eyes were filled with hatred and jealousy.

    ¡°It is a pity, Auntie, that you are going to lose. Do you want to know how Mo Xuemin died? I heard that she did not have a single good day since she married into the Duke¡¯s Manor. Sima Lingyun did not really treat her as a legal wife. Oh, speaking of the child in your belly. Auntie, do you know why Father did not even try to protect you that day?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. Her smile was gentle and there was not a single hint of anger in it.

    She pulled a chair from the side and sat down on it. She seemed as if she were ready for a long conversation.

    ¡°Wh... why?¡± Even though Auntie Fang knew that Mo Xuetong was not going to have anything good to say, she still could not help but ask. Mo Huawen had not treated her kindly at all that day. Even though it was her fault that she miscarried, he had not pitied the child in her belly at all. She still did not understand why.

    ¡°Auntie, did you pick up a piece of jade and ce it in a pouch? I heard that it belonged to Sima Lingyun. Auntie, say, do you think Father will be happy when he sees how you treasure that piece of jade and then think about the child in your belly?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled faintly. Her voice grew sweeter and even more gentle. However, the sweetness and gentleness were apanied by a cold sharp de.

    ¡°It is such a pity for you, Auntie. You wanted to use the child in your belly to plot against me. However, even if I were the one who caused you to miscarry, Father would not punish me. Auntie, if you knew that, would you still use that child against me and plot against me?¡± Mo Xuetong asked almost innocently.

    ¡°You... you are, you are...¡± Auntie Fang spat hatefully as she pointed a shaky finger at Mo Xuetong. Her heart hurt when she thought of the child she miscarried. Every time she dreamt, she would feel self-reproach and her heart would feel pained. How would she hurt the child in her belly? It was her flesh and blood.

    ¡°Do you feel very much pained? If that child could be born, you might even really be the legal wife thanks to the child. It is a pity that I will not let you get what you want. Back then, Auntie tried to kill me again and again. But have you ever considered that I will retaliate?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been waiting for this day since she opened her eyes in this new life. She had been waiting for Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin to fail and die. Back then, she had sworn to get revenge. She would make those who hurt her go to hell and suffer endless pain. She did not feel sorry at all when she looked at Auntie Fang right now.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you slut...¡± Auntie Fang wanted to get off the bed and tear Mo Xuetong apart. However, she did not have any strength at all and could only grit her teeth and yell at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Auntie Fang, do you feel weak when you yell at others? That¡¯s right. Father is about to have a new legal son. Eldest Brother is just an illegitimate son birthed by a concubine. Furthermore, he has the burden of having a mother who is known to be evil and vicious. Eldest Brother¡¯s life is ruined. Even if he were to get married in the future, he can only marry those girls from normal families. When he gets married. I will tell Father to get him to live outside. Then, Eldest Brother wouldn¡¯t be able to freeload in the Mo Manor.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile.

    ¡°Auntie, I shan¡¯t visit you again. I wonder if someone should inform Eldest Brother. I heard that he is here today as well. If he sees you in this state, would his heart hurt for you? If he does feel pity and fights with Father, Father might break his legs...¡±

    Auntie Fang¡¯s frenzied eyes shed with pain when she heard that Mo Yufeng might be beaten. Her eyes were wide with anger and they were bloodshot as she red at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t re at me. And don¡¯t worry. Wait here. I will get Eldest Brother toe.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile before turning around to leave.

    ¡°Pft.¡± Auntie Fang was extremely agitated when she saw that Mo Xuetong was really going to leave. She could not help but vomit blood. Her body fell to the ground. She could not, could not allow Mo Yufeng to fight with Mo Huawen because of her. He was no longer Mo Huawen¡¯s only son now. He was no longer the son that Mo Huawen used to dote on.

    She could not allow Mo Yufeng to take this risk. She exhaled sharply and looked up. She pleaded. ¡°Third Miss, he is also your eldest brother. The same blood flows in you. He is your family. Please... please let him off!¡±

    They shared the same blood. They were family?

    Mo Xuetong suddenly felt likeughing like a madwoman. She dug her fingers sharply into her hand to calm herself down. How could she forget that her family had been the ones to kill her in her past life? They killed her mother and then plotted to get their hands on her mother¡¯s dowry. They disfigured her and even made her Mo Xuemin¡¯s stepping stone. In the end, she could not even protect her child.

    How would she dare to believe in family!

    ¡°Auntie, you think too highly of me. Didn¡¯t you call me a little slut earlier? You wanted your eldest sister to hurt me once more. I wonder if I will survive if I had ended up in your hands? Auntie, I am very curious. I will ask Uncle to take a look earlier at how his good wife had hidden a vicious woman in his back courtyard behind his back. It is a pity that Mdm Yu will have to sacrifice her reputation for you. I wonder if Mdm Yu has ever considered her sons. If she gains a reputation as a vicious woman like you, Cousin Feng might not have a good ending either.¡±

 Chapter 424 - The Painting She Wants Badly

    <h4>Chapter 424 The Painting She Wants Badly</h4>

    Mo Xuetong continued. She did not look at Auntie Fang again. Instead, she turned around and left. Her light ringingugher rang behind her and grew softer as she left the courtyard.

    In her past life, she had beenpletely destroyed. Her heart had grown bitter with hatred before her death. And now, she had finally gotten what she wanted!

    Auntie Fang was at the end of her life. Even if Mo Xuetong allowed her to live, she would not be able to live for long.

    ¡°Ahh... Slut, slut... Damnable slut...¡± Auntie Fang forced herself to get up. She rushed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s figure with a crazed and ferocious expression. Her hair was in a mess and she looked like a madwoman.

    However, before she could finish venting, the curtains lifted again silently. Mdm Yu stood at the entrance expressionlessly. She looked at Auntie Fang sadly...

    ¡°Eldest Sister, help me. You have to help me. We have to kill the little slut. Kill her. Min¡¯er and Yu¡¯er will be fine. Feng¡¯er will be fine too.¡± Auntie Fang muttered to herself as she looked at Mdm Yu. Her eyes were terrifyingly crazed.

    ¡°Younger Sister, I cannot help you anymore. I am now a wife of the Qin family. I still have Feng¡¯er. I... I cannot help you to hurt others.¡± Mdm Yu¡¯s face was pale and her fingers shook slightly. She heard everything clearly outside earlier. When she thought of the Qin family and Feng¡¯er, she did not have any other thoughts of hurting Mo Xuetong.

    She could only think of how to send Auntie Fang away. If Lord Qin or Old Madam Qin were to find out that she had taken Auntie Fang in, it would not end well.

    A sh of determination appeared in her eyes. She must not harm her son!

    Feng¡¯er was preparing for a major exam now. She must not harm the entire Qin family because of the little guilt she felt toward Auntie Fang.

    She nced at Auntie Fang who pleaded with her eyes. Mdm Yu sighed. She must not implicate the entire Qin family.

    ¡°Eldest Sister... Eldest Sister... please, please help me.¡± Auntie Fang immediately noticed that something was wrong when she saw Mdm Yu¡¯s gaze darken. She pleaded loudly with Mdm Yu.

    However, the curtains lifted and Mdm Yu did not enter again. Two burly maids entered and dragged and pulled Auntie Fang to a waiting carriage at the back door. The carriage took her to a remote nunnery in the mountains. It sounded as if it were for Auntie Fang to clear her heart and mind of worldly desires but women who were sent here could only die in front of Buddha.

    Knowing that Auntie Fang had been abandoned there, the nuns in the temple did not allow her to lie down for another day. They led her out to do chores. Auntie Fang did notst many days there before dying in a ditch. These were all tales for theter.

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Ye and Mo Lan out of the remote courtyard. It was sunny and the sinister, dark, and cold aura seemed to have disappeared altogether suddenly. Mo Xuetong stood there, looked up, and breathed out deeply. It was as if she were expelling all the matters that had troubled and pained her inside.

    ¡°My Lady, Mdm Yu has entered.¡± Mo Ye whispered in her ear.

    Mo Xuetong nodded. She did not speak. She had said what she did at the end for Mdm Yu to hear. She believed that Mdm Yu would not help Auntie Fang if she had a tiny bit of rationality. Mdm Yu had not done anything after getting back from Auntie Fang¡¯s. It seemed that she had been hesitant as well.

    Mo Xuetong had not intended to let Mdm Yu off. However, Mdm Yu was different from Auntie Fang. Mdm Yu was the madam of the Qin family. If anything were to happen, it would affect the reputation of the whole Qin family. Furthermore, she had always been wary of Qin Yufeng. She had a feeling that she must not truly incur his wrath.

    ¡°Cousin Tong.¡± The elegant and gentle voice was right in front. It belonged to Qin Yufeng, whom she had been thinking about.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Qin Yufeng. He stood under the sunlight with a warm smile. Mo Xuetong suddenly felt as if she were looking at him from afar. He felt near, yet distant. It felt for a moment as if she had traveled through time and space.

    He was a sinister person. He had hurt her again and again. However, at this moment, she could not bring herself to hate him...

    ¡°Cousin Feng! Why are you here and not entertaining the guests at the front courtyard instead?¡± Mo Xuetong could not understand what that odd and familiar sensation was. A gentle smile appeared on her face. Even though there was a guarded look in her eyes, she quickly hid it and made herself appear courteous.

    They were not far away from the courtyard Mo Xuetong went to earlier. Mo Xuetong could not determine whether Qin Yufeng had seen her entering and talking to Auntie Fang. She would not be suspicious if he had been anyone else. However, he was Qin Yufeng. Given his wits and intelligence, it was really hard to say.

    ¡°I have something on and returned to the back courtyard to get something. However, there aren¡¯t any great sights in the back courtyard. What is Cousin Tong doing here?¡± Qin Yufeng smiled slightly. He wore a luxurious patterned blue robe. There was a smile on the corners of his lips. He seemed kind and gentle as he approached. There was even a hint of happiness in his eyes.

    This was the first time Mo Xuetong had gotten close to him. She could not help the slightly unnatural expression that appeared on her face. She took a small step backward and a gentle smile appeared on her child-like face. She appeared young and innocent under the beautiful sunlight and was very captivating.

    ¡°I am not here to admire any great sights. It was very stuffy up in front, so I came to take a walk. This ce is really simr to the old manor in Cloud City. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m back there again!¡± She looked at him with a faint smile. She blinked her lively eyes which shed with slight happiness. The back courtyard of the Qin Manor was really familiar. Back then, she had not left it a single time for more than a year.

    ¡°Was it very tough back then?¡± Qin Yufeng followed the direction of her gaze and looked at a tree by the side. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment. Then, she understood that he was talking about what happened in Cloud City. She had entered the Qin Manor as a sickly person. Auntie Fang had not left behind a single cent for her and all the money she had was her savings. Even though Old Madam Qin was friendly to her because of Mo Huawen, Mdm Yu had been outright mean to her.

    The servants in the manor all buttered up to the favored and dissed those who were not. Who would treat her well from their heart given that she was a penniless orphan? If Qin Yuxuan had not lent her a helping hand from time to time, she would have died a long time ago!

    ¡°It was not that tough. Cousin Xuan had always protected me and Grandaunt was very nice to me.¡± Mo Xuetong answered casually. However, she did not mention Mdm Yu.

    Even though Mdm Yu had tried to kill her only once and usually treated her with fake benevolence, she had indeed been mean to Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not wish to butter up to Qin Yufeng and intentionally make Mdm Yu appear friendly. Given Qin Yufeng¡¯s scheming personality, she did not have to say that for Qin Yufeng to know. As such, she did not wish to present a false appearance of goodwill between the two.

    She had been lied to in her past life and died. Qin Yufeng had a hand in that. In this life, she just wanted to stay far away from him.

    Qin Yufeng looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. His eyes, which were so deep and dark that one could not see anything in them suddenly shed withughter than Mo Xuetong understood. It was not perfunctoryughter, but a joy that came from the heart. That smile made him seem gentle, elegant, and more congenial.

    For a moment, Mo Xuetong even felt that he would not hurt her!

    However, she immediately cleared up these ridiculous thoughts that she had. Who was the man in front of her? It was the most mysterious Qin Yufeng. If one could see through his so easily, would he have set up that scam in her past life? Even until her death, she had thought that he had hurt her because he was in love with Mo Xuemin.

    Even after everything that happened, she still did not understand what he was up to. One could tell from this how devious he was!

    ¡°Grandmother has something that she wants me to give to you in private. Since you are here, you might as well go with me to retrieve it.¡± Qin Yufeng said with a slight smile. It was as if he did not notice the distant coldness in her eyes. He smiled slightly and pointed to the path in front of them.

    Qin Yufeng had not encountered her by chance. He had waited here especially for her!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes tightened and a sh of coldness appeared at the corners of her eyes. She looked at where Qin Yufeng hade from. After a long while, she smiled and said lightly, ¡°What is it that Grandaunt wants to give me?¡±

    She did not think that going with Qin Yufeng was a good idea. She wanted to get as far away from this person as possible. It could be said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s past life had been destroyed mostly by Qin Yufeng, who hid behind Mo Xuemin. If she still did not learn from the lesson she paid for in blood, then she probably would not know how she died in this life as well.

    ¡°I heard that when Cousin Tong was in Cloud City, you liked a painting in Grandmother¡¯s room. Grandmother brought it with her this time on her trip to the capital. However, she did not have a chance to give it to you, so she left it with me. She told me to go and give it to you when I am free. However, I have been busy with exams recently and forgot all about it. It is such a coincidence for us to meet here now!¡±

    Qin Yufeng said softly. It was as if he knew that Mo Xuetong would not just leave with him so easily. He smiled elegantly and appeared to be a charming young man. In her past life, she had died early and did not know if he had cheated everyone with his appearance. Feng Yuxuan must have gotten the throne with his help.

    Or perhaps, the high and prominent position as emperor was not difficult for him to attain!

    However, the painting he mentioned made Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart stutter.

    Mo Xuetong naturally remembered that painting. She had paid attention to it because her mother was the model for the painting. The painting was of her mother as a child, ying among flowers. Her mother was not the only girl in the painting. There were two other girls. Only the side profile of a girl and the back of the other girl could be seen in the painting.

    Mo Xuetong had seen the painting at Old Madam Qin¡¯s by chance. Even though Old Madam Qin did not say anything outright, she could sense that the girl in the painting was her mother. She had looked at the painting again and again. She liked it a lot but did not ask for it in the end.

    After all, she was just an orphan girl living under someone¡¯s roof then. She had no right to ask Old Madam Qin for it!

    Back then, she thought she had been very careful. She did not expect Old Madam Qin to notice that. After all, she was just a young girl at 11 years old. She did not know how to hide her emotions.

    She had always wanted that painting. She was still a child when her mother passed away. There were no paintings of her mother left behind. When she thinks of her mother now, she can only remember a woman who was as pale as snow. However, the lively girl in the painting had once been her mother. She would rather see her mother like that.

    After a moment of hesitation, Mo Xuetong bit her lips. It was a difficult decision to make!

    If the person in front of her had been Qin Yuxuan, she would have followed him without a second word. However, he was Qin Yufeng...

    ¡°Cousin Tong, you just have to go and get it with me. My study is at the entrance of the inner courtyard. You do not have to go to the outer courtyard.¡± Qin Yufeng knew what she was worried about when he saw her hesitate. He smiled graciously.

    Mo Xuetong looked up. Her longshes fluttered as she looked at him. Then, she smiled slightly and said, ¡°Alright, then I will have to trouble Cousin Feng.¡±

    Since Old Madam Qin had given her than painting, she was determined to get it. They were in the Qin Manor. If anything were to happen to her, Feng Yuran would not let Qin Yufeng off. Even if he investigated and found out that the Qin Manor had nothing to do with it, everyone knew that Feng Yuran was unreasonable. They could not predict what he would do. As such, she was going to bet that Qin Yufeng would not do anything to her right now.

    Furthermore, Qin Yufeng was more intelligent than most. He was book smart but was not a good fighter. Mo Xuetong had Mo Ye with her. If they were to fight, she might not be at a disadvantage.

    Having decided that, Mo Xuetong did not hesitate any longer and nodded.

 Chapter 425 - What Happens in the Past Affects the Future. The Theory of Cause and Effect

    <h4>Chapter 425 What Happens in the Past Affects the Future. The Theory of Cause and Effect</h4>

    Qin Yufeng smiled softly. He turned and started walking on the path that took him here. Mo Xuetong followed him. She descended into silence and did not speak. Qin Yufeng smiled and did not hurry her either.

    The two continued walking casually as if they were friends. The two maids behind followed closely. The wind blew, upturning their sleeves, but no one noticed. Things seemed to be in harmony between the two of them. It was a strange harmony that came from a gentle smile and wariness.

    They were walking on the main path of the back courtyard. A smaller path appeared in front of them suddenly. A woman rushed out at them and toppled on Qin Yufeng. Qin Yufeng moved swiftly and pulled Mo Xuetong back so that Mo Xuetong could avoid the woman who rushed at them.

    Then, another woman followed. The woman stood still when she saw that there were others present. Her expression, which had been sharp and fierce, turned gentle. She smiled pleasantly and immediately looked like a different person. She curtsied politely to Mo Xuetong and Qin Yufeng.

    ¡°Elder Sister Mingyu, Mingxia didn¡¯t, Mingxia really didn¡¯t.¡± The woman on the ground had an expression of terror. She did not get up. Instead, she sat up and looked at the woman behind her uneasily and tearfully.

    Mo Xuetong looked down at the woman on the floor. She was dressed in the blue robes of a maid that revealed a pink shirt underneath. However, she was much more beautiful than the average maid and even felt oddly familiar to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong knew at one nce that it was a fight between two maids. There were too many such incidents in the back courtyards and she had seen something like this before. However, back then, she only saw what was on the surface and that was why she was plotted against over and over. However, today, she did not just use her eyes to see what was happening but used her heart instead.

    Qin Yufeng had already moved away silently. He nced at Mo Xuetong and saw that she was fine. Then, he turned to look at the two maidservants.

    The woman on the ground only realized after her initial panic that there were other people present. She immediately got up and knelt by the side, shaking. A hint of weakness shed in her eyes.

    ¡°Which manor are you from? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qin Yufeng was a master in the manor. When he looked at the clothes the maids were wearing, he knew that they did not belong to the Qin Manor.

    ¡°Young Master, Madam, I came together with Madam Lian. I was just ying with Younger Sister Mingxia. We have shocked you, please forgive us.¡± The maid called Mingyu seemed to be a little smarter. She immediately knelt down beside Mingxia and answered the question cleverly. The way she looked at Mingxia was not as fierce as before either. It was as if they were really close friends.

    ¡°Yes... Yes. Elder Sister Mingyu and I were just ying. There... there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± Mingxia stammered. She nced at Mingyu, who was smiling warmly beside her and did not dare to say anything else.

    There was obviously an issue between the two. However, both Qin Yufeng and Mo Xuetong did not wish to interfere. Qin Yufeng waved his hand and said, ¡°Go!¡±

    ¡°Yes, many thanks, Young Master.¡± Mingyu stood up and curtsied politely to Qin Yufeng. Then, she turned around and helped Mingxia up.

    Mingxia smiled happily, perhaps sensing the rare kindness from Mingyu. The tightness in her eyes rxed and the two went where they came from.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes tracked the backs of the two figures who treated each other warmly. A sh of coldness appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to rest for a while?¡± Qin Yufeng pointed at a pavilion beside the fake mountain in front of them after sensing that something was odd with Mo Xuetong. He smiled and looked at Mo Xuetong warmly.

    Mo Xuetong shook her head. She smiled slightly and said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t need to rest.¡±

    Qin Yufeng said with a slight smile, ¡°Do you think that the maid called Mingyu was very fake?¡±

    Mo Xuetong gave him a small smile and did not answer.

    They started forward again.

    Qin Yufeng continued, ¡°People in this world are like that. Some people pretend to be kind and some are weak and easily bullied. However, there is karma in this world. And cause and effect will take ce. They will eventually get what they deserve.¡±

    Mo Xuetong stopped. A cold smile appeared on the corners of her lips. ¡°Will they eventually get what they deserve? I¡¯ve seen many who are weak and easily bullied who meet tragic ends.¡±

    ¡°Life, death, and karma are a little mysterious. Even if they don¡¯t get what they deserve in this life, they might get that in the next.¡± Qin Yufeng looked at Mo Xuetong silently for a while before he answered her softly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart lurched and shock shed through her eyes. She looked at Qin Yufeng in shock.

    If she had not been rebirthed and had strong willpower, she might not have been able to stop herself from thinking that Qin Yufeng had seen through her greatest secret in this life. Did he know that she had been rebirthed? She dug her fingers into her palm and allowed the pain in her palms to enter her blood and bones.

    That¡¯s impossible. It was impossible for him to know!

    No one else in the world knew of the secret of her rebirth.

    Not long ago, Mo Xuetong had felt warm and gentleness surrounding her. However, right now, she felt very cold. She looked at the man in front of her. His eyes were deep and dark. It felt as if she had entered an icy cold nightmare. She clenched her fingers tightly. She could not breathe and her chest felt tight...

    It felt as if a long time had passed, or perhaps, it was just a moment. She only emerged from her shock when she heard the urgent cries of Mo Lan.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, how are you feeling?¡± Mo Lan cried. She held on to Mo Xuetong and looked at her pale white face. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes seemed to be unfocused.

    A sense of urgency shed on Qin Yufeng¡¯s face. He reached out, wanting to hold Mo Xuetong but quickly retracted his hand. He coughed softly and asked, ¡°Cousin Tong, Cousin Tong, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The sun might be a little strong. I felt a little dizzy.¡± Mo Xuetong exhaled, breathing out the tenseness in her chest. The tearing pain in her chest had brought her back to reality instantly. She realized that she was behaving oddly and smiled, exining the situation to Qin Yufeng.

    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Qin Yufeng asked concernedly.

    Mo Xuetong epted the handkerchief Mo Lan handed her and wiped the sweat off her face. She took the opportunity to calm herself down. Qin Yufeng could not know. He could not have known that she was reliving her life. No one would believe that something like this could happen if they did not experience it for themselves.

    Even now, she still did not understand why she had been rebirthed. Even though Qin Yufeng was smarter than most, it was impossible for him to know about something so mysterious.

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Cousin Feng. It¡¯s really nothing. I¡¯m alright now.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled softly and handed the handkerchief back to Mo Lan. She released Mo Lan¡¯s hand and continued forward. Qin Yufeng followed after her.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, are you doing well in King Xuan¡¯s Manor?¡± Qin Yufeng suddenly turned to look at Mo Xuetong after they had taken a few steps. He sounded very serious.

    Qin Yufeng was very odd today. He was so odd that Mo Xuetong could not tell what he was thinking at all. He kept changing between topics. Even though he was Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin, it was a little impolite for him to ask about her married life. However, he had done so and had asked as if it were a matter of course.

    ¡°His Highness treats me very well!¡± Mo Xuetong answered lightly.

    ¡°I heard that King Xuan fought with youst time?¡± Qin Yufeng had no intention of letting her off. He continued to press her.

    What he was talking about was the time He Yufen talked about. However, this had nothing to do with him. Mo Xuetong stopped unhappily and looked up with lively eyes. She looked at Qin Yufeng and said coldly, ¡°Cousin Feng, His Highness and I are doing very well. You don¡¯t have to keep asking.¡±

    Qin Yufeng was startled. He did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so fierce. A hint of darkness shed in his eyes. He looked up and did notment. Instead, he smiled good-naturedly.

    The two did not speak as they continued their journey.

    When they arrived in front of Qin Yufeng¡¯s study, Mo Xuetong did not enter. Qin Yufeng did not ask her to either. He went in alone and retrieved a rolled-up painting which he handed to Mo Lan.

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes shed with agitation that he did not notice as he watched Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender figure gradually disappearing before his eyes. Qin Yufeng only retired to his study when Mo Xuetong¡¯s figure disappeared entirely.

    The books in the study were arranged neatly. They were all books that were meant to prepare for the major exam. However, he did not look at them. He sat before the wide study desk and pulled out a book from the secret corner of the desk. He frowned slightly. The book was old and damaged. Could these mysterious and secretive incidents be real?

    But why was his dream so realistic!

    The pain in his heart was intense and immense... it felt as if his heart were tearing apart...

    At that moment, he could sense himself vomiting blood! He wanted to drag the whole world down to be buried with her!

    Rationality told him that he should not believe in it. However, it felt extremely realistic!

    Earlier, he could sense his joy and happiness. Was it because of her?

    His heart, which had always been calm, suddenly leaped furiously. If he had not always been good at hiding his emotions, he would not have been able to hide the joy he felt in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong left hurriedly. Her feelings were all over the ce. However, she could not describe the feeling. She just wanted to leave the ce subconsciously. She felt an odd sentimentality. There was a little sadness, a little hatred, and she felt a little touched...

    Speaking of which, this Qin Yufeng was getting harder and harder to understand!

    And the jumbled memories in her head were even weirder. They were so weird that she subconsciously did not dare to touch them.

    When Mo Xuetong returned to the banquet, it was already ending. Old Madam Qin sat at the head table and chatted with others with a smile on her face. Even though Mdm Yu was a little pale, one could not tell that something had happened. However, one could see that the worry in her eyes seemed to have lightened. Auntie Fang was quite a burden to Mdm Yu.

    Given Auntie Fang¡¯s reputation right now, anyone who took her in would not end well either. Not even the Yu family dared to take her in. As Auntie Fang¡¯s elder sister who was already married, Mdm Yu would have implicated her husband¡¯s family. It was quite stressful for her.

    No one knew Mdm Yu was such a sentimental person!

    Mo Xuetong had only just sat down when He Yufen approached. She said sweetly, ¡°Cousin-inw.¡±

    She was like a piece of stubborn sticky tape that just couldn¡¯t be peeled off.

    Mo Xuetong smiled faintly and nodded. However, she did not speak. A familiar figure suddenly appeared before her eyes. She was stunned and quickly turned to look at the figure. However, the figure had already disappeared. Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. The figure was so familiar that Mo Xuetong almost spaced out.

    Mo Ye stepped in front of Mo Xuetong and pushed He Yufen away. She made it so that He Yufen could not get close to Mo Xuetong at all. Fortunately, the banquet was ending. Feng Yuran would send someone to take Mo Xuetong home. After bidding Old Madam Qin farewell, Mo Xuetong walked out with her maids.

    No matter how many tricks the He sisters had up their sleeves, they would not be able to use them. They could only watch as Mo Xuetong boarded and left on the luxurious and beautiful horse carriage outside.

 Chapter 426 - Meeting Li Youmo at Fragrance House Again

    <h4>Chapter 426 Meeting Li Youmo at Fragrance House Again</h4>

    ¡°Second Sister, shall we follow?¡± He Yufen watched the horse carriage draw away. She wrung her handkerchief as she spoke to He Yuxiu softly. When she thought of King Xuan, Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome appearance and the way he turned to look back when he got onto the carriage, He Yufen¡¯s heart jumped wildly. Her face grew hot. She felt that Feng Yuran had turned to look at her.

    ¡°Elder Sister, do you really think King Xuan was looking at you? Dream on, he won¡¯t like you.¡± Now that there was no one else around them, He Yuxiu did not have to act as if they were close. She gave He Yufen the side eye and berated her jealously. Feng Yuran was obviously looking at her, not He Yufen.

    When she thought of how her uncle and father decided to marry her to King Xuan, He Yuxiu could not control the jealousy she felt!

    The riches and luxuries that were about tond in her hands were slipping away. How could He Yuxiu calm down?

    ¡°Second Sister, you don¡¯t think His Highness was looking at you, do you? Look at you, it¡¯d be not bad if a rich yboy likes you. If Father and Second Uncle had not done anything, you would already be someone¡¯s concubine now.¡± He Yufen did not back down and retaliated meanly.

    This struck a nerve with He Yuxiu. When she thought of how lecherous Yu Mingyong looked, and then of King Xuan¡¯s handsome face, she felt like throwing up. Furthermore, Yu Mingyong did not have a future to speak of. ¡°So what if I be a concubine? You would be a concubine too in the King¡¯s Manor. Even our high and mighty aunt is a concubine as well.¡±

    She gritted her teeth viciously as she spoke uncaringly.

    However, that shocked He Yufen. She hurriedly held a hand against He Yuxiu¡¯s mouth and rebuked her quietly, ¡°Do you want to die? How dare you say something like that.¡±

    He Yuxiu only came to her senses then. She looked around her and saw that no one had noticed them. She heaved a sigh of relief and shook He Yufen¡¯s hand off her mouth. He Yuxiu cursed softly, ¡°If you haven¡¯t been lovesick, would I say that?¡±

    Yet, she did not dare to say anything else after that!

    ¡°Misses He, please return to the manor with me. Your father should be there.¡± Madam Lian approached with the help of her maid and said courteously.

    ¡°Yes, we will do whatever you say, Madam.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    To outsiders, the He sisters became gentle and innocent once more. The two both had unique features and were beautiful. They were adorable and left a favorable impression.

    Madam Lian could not help but nod with satisfaction. She did not like Consort Xuan much. The He sisters were beautiful and adorable, but Consort Xuan treated them as if they were ferocious beasts and even made a fuss. Madam Lian did not understand why. Didn¡¯t First Miss He just obey her father and gave King Xuan something?!

    They were rtives and it was just a small matter. However, Consort Xuan made it seem as if they were enemies. She was too much.

    It could partly be because Consort Xuan was too young and ignorant. She would make a fuss at any small matter and wanted everyone to know that she had suffered a grievance. Secondly, it was also because her biological mother passed away young and no one taught her how to behave as a legitimate wife. She was a little petty.

    King Xuan was known to be a licentious person for years. This situation seemed more like it was set up by King Xuan intentionally. Perhaps the prince wanted to take the opportunity to bring that girl into the manor. However, the consort, his legal wife, had no sense. It was no wonder there were rumors recently of how the prince and Consort Xuan didn¡¯t get along.

    It seems that the insensible Consort Xuan really did not know how to hold on to a man¡¯s heart!

    ¡°Madam Lian, get on the carriage first. I will help you.¡± He Yufen held on to Madam¡¯s Lian arm gently with a smile. He Yuxiu had gotten on the carriage first with a look of innocence. Right now, she stood awkwardly at the carriage door. She could neither board nor get down. She looked at her elder sister and felt embarrassed and angry.

    ¡°Second Miss He, you go on in first. I wille with your elder sister immediately.¡± Madam Lianughed. She pointed into the carriage andforted He Yuxiu.

    The two sisters did not have any motive at all and were very likable, especially Second Miss He. She was a frank and adorable girl. Why would she make trouble? That Consort Xuan was really petty!

    Madam Lian grumbled about Mo Xuetong¡¯s pettiness to herself. However, she did not expect that she would one day get into an argument with He Yuxiu as well.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we returning to the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong asked curiously. She lifted the curtains slightly and looked at the scenery outside. They were not taking the path back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy recently and it is rare that I am free. So I¡¯m going to take you out and have fun.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. His handsome eyes were filled withzyughter. His lips curled up as he looked at Mo Xuetong, whose face was filled with delight as she lifted the curtains furtively. ¡°Just look openly if you want to. Anyway, everyone knows that this horse carriage belongs to me. It¡¯s no big deal even if you take a look out there.¡±

    ¡°Do you think others think you¡¯re going to the brothel again?!¡± Mo Xuetong pulled the curtains down and teased him sweetly. She blinked her lively eyes.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s for sure. If you reveal your face again over there, others would definitely think that I¡¯ve found a vixen and we might be...¡± Feng Yuran said seriously before he turned to look at Mo Xuetong with a smile. He trailed off, and everything he wanted to say was implied.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but feel shy. When she saw the crafty look in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, she immediately felt embarrassed and angry. She reached out to pinch the flesh at his waist.

    Feng Yuran cried exaggeratedly. ¡°Ah, that hurts. Tong¡¯er, are you trying to murder your husband!¡±

    Mo Xuetong said with a re as she lunged at him and covered his mouth upon hearing him yell. ¡°Don¡¯t yell. Someone might hear you.¡±

    They were on the streets. If someone were to hear the cries in the horse carriage, she would be too embarrassed to go out in the future!

    She could hear Feng Yuran¡¯s lightughter by her ear. He reached out to hug her at her slender waist. His gentle breathing was right by her ear and was thick with affection, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you sending yourself into my embrace?¡±

    His handsome face was filled with delight. He was extremely pleased.

    He was not only thick-skinned but was also extremely shameless. He was as direct as a child and was not the arrogant, ostentatious, and charming King Xuan that rumors said he was. Rumors indeed could not be believed.

    Mo Xuetong was speechless. she pouted slightly and tried to peel his fingers off her. However, he hugged her waist tightly and had no intention of letting go.

    Judging by the happy smile on his face, he had no intention of letting go as well.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes twinkled. She immediately pasted a pitiful expression on her face. She did not struggle butid on his broad chest instead. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    Her obedient act pleased Feng Yuran. He reached out to stroke her hair and then pinch her soft cheeks. He said with a smile, ¡°Did you not eat your fill earlier? If I knew that you weren¡¯t full, I would have told the Qin Manor that you were hungry and asked them to prepare food for you to eat on the way out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the hungry one.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed herself off him when she heard that he was teasing her again. She red at him and then shook his arm, saying, ¡°You said that the buns at Fragrance House are very tasty. Shall we go and eat that?¡±

    Fragrance House was the ce they visitedst time. Back then, Ling Fengyan was still ying with both King Chu and King Yan. Meanwhile, Mo Xuemin had been meeting You Yuecheng in secret there. There was one good show after another. That was why they did not have the time to try the crab roe buns which was the most famous dish there. When Mo Xuetong recalled what Feng Yuran said about them in the past, she started to feel hungry for real.

    She looked up at Feng Yuran pitifully.

    Feng Yuran reached out to hold up Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin. He kissed them gently and asked with a smile that squinted his eyes, ¡°Tong¡¯er wants to eat that?¡±

    Mo Xuetong wanted to pinch him. However, she was tiny and weak. Even though she had pinched him forcefully, it just felt like an itch to him. It did not hurt Feng Yuran at all.

    He reached out to pinch her nose with an affectionate smile. ¡°You little glutton!¡± Then, he quickly retracted his hand before she could swat at it.

    However, the teasing note in his eyes made Mo Xuetong flush. She felt shy and annoyed. When Feng Yuran saw that she was really angry, he did not tease her again. Instead, he called outzily to the driver for them to turn into the Fragrance House.

    The horse carriage arrived at Fragrance House shortly and the two alighted. They entered the building. Even though it was already past dinner time, the Fragrance House was still very crowded. When the staff saw Feng Yuran, he immediately led them to a spacious private room upstairs.

    When the doors were pushed open, Mo Xuetong did not expect someone she knew to be inside. It was a handsome young man who was none other than her new cousin-inw. It was said that he and Feng Yuran had simr tastes but did not get along well. He was Li Youmo!

    It was evident that Li Youmo did not expect Feng Yuran to appear at this time. He raised his brows and then stood up to bow. Then, he asked curiously, ¡°Your Highness, what are you doing here at this time?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. You and Consort Xuan are considered rtives, so you can dispense with the formality.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile and reached out to stop Li Youmo from bowing to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong hurried forward and said with a smile, ¡°Cousin-inw, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Does Cousin know about this? We are cousins but are as close as sisters. There is no need for such formalities.¡±

    Mo Xuetong heard from her cousin that Li Youmo treated her cousin well after marriage. He did not have any bed servants unlike what the rumors said. He did have a concubine, but that was from before he got married. Ever since her cousin married Li Youmo, Li Youmo never visited the concubine again. Instead, he treated Mo Xuetong¡¯s cousin wholeheartedly. Mo Xuetong was very satisfied with that. As such, she was not as resistant against Li Youmo as before.

    When Mo Xuetong saw how familiar Feng Yuran and Li Youmo were behaving, she knew that Li Youmo was also a sheep in wolf clothing. She immediately understood that Li Youmo¡¯s bad reputation was like Feng Yuran¡¯s. They were not real. She had not entrusted her cousin to the wrong man.

    ¡°My Lady, you are too kind.¡± Li Youmo did not insist and bowed to Mo Xuetong.

    They settled down. Then, a staff served tea and cakes before leaving.

    Feng Yuran ced a crab roe bun on the dish in front of Mo Xuetong. He said gently, ¡°Try this. It is fresh from the wok and the ingredients inside are the best.¡±

    Mo Xuetong picked up the bun and took a bite. A thick fragrance filled her mouth. She could not help but smile and nod furiously, ¡°It¡¯s good!¡±

    ¡°Eat more if it¡¯s good. I¡¯ll get them to serve another two more portions. We can eat it for supper tonight.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes held affection and love for Mo Xuetong that could not be hidden. He ced another two buns onto her ce. A hint of gentleughter shed in his eyes as he looked at the sweet smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side profile. His Tong¡¯er was so easily satisfied. Something this small could make her so happy.

    Mo Xuetong nced at Feng Yuran, sensing his heated gaze on her. However, she did not dare to do anything. Instead, she turned her head around and ignored him.

    ¡°Your Highness, you didn¡¯t ask me toe today just to watch you and Consort Xuan¡¯s disy of affection, did you!¡± Softughter could be heard by the side. ¡°Then I have to return earlier and be affectionate with my wife too.¡±

    Mo Xuetong flushed when she heard that and lowered her head. She immediately felt embarrassed.

    ¡°You must be jealous. Bring your wife next time as well.¡± Feng Yuran saidzily, putting down the chopsticks in his hand.

 Chapter 427 - The Fight Between Yu Mingyong and Li Youmo

    <h4>Chapter 427 The Fight Between Yu Mingyong and Li Youmo</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯d work. I can be apanion to Consort Xuan.¡± Li Youmo said with a smile. He continued, without hiding anything from Mo Xuetong. He pulled out a file and handed it to Feng Yuran with a mockingugh. ¡°Your Highness, King Chu is indeed in contact with the First Prince of Yan. King Ning is also in contact with the First Prince. It seems that the First Prince of Yan has a big appetite. He would be able to get help from Qin no matter who gets the throne. He won¡¯t be losing out at all.¡±

    Feng Yuran took the file and looked at it. A devilish smile appeared on the corners of his lips. Then, he scoffed coldly, ¡°The First Prince of Yan indeed has a big appetite. However, he is interfering with too much. We¡¯ll deal him with a strong blow and see if he still has time to meddle in the affairs of Qin Kingdom.¡±

    Feng Yuran had never liked the First Prince of Yan. He was ambitious but did not have talent. He was no match for Bai Yihao. He did not settle the matters of his own country first but instead meddled with the internal affairs of Qin. Was the First Prince too arrogant or did he not know what dying was? No one could save him once the trouble started just based on what he was doing now in the back of the pce.

    Li Youmo suddenly changed the topic. ¡°Alright. Then what shall we do with the southern barbarians?¡±

    Mo Xuetong, who had been looking down, was shocked!

    The Southern Barbarian Lands?

    The Southern Barbarian Lands!

    In her past life, Feng Yuran had gone to the Southern Barbarian Lands and then went missing. Mo Xuetong felt afraid of the Southern Barbarian Lands for an unknown reason.

    She clenched her fists under her sleeves and listened to the conversation, afraid that she would miss something.

    Li Youmo tapped his fingers on the table and said with a meaningful smile. ¡°I heard the crown prince of the Southern Barbarians ising here. I heard that he even brought the Southern Barbarian Princess. The two countries will be connected by marriage. However, I don¡¯t know who will marry the Princess. I heard that she is the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    The Southern Barbarian Princess wasing to get married to someone from Qin?

    Mo Xuetong cleverly caught Li Youmo¡¯s point. Her eyebrows scrunched up slightly where the men could not see. In her past life, she had heard about this incident as well. However, a major ident happened afterward. She had been in the back courtyard of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor then and could not even take care of herself, much less care about others. She only recalled vaguely that it was quite a big matter.

    Then, the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands did not marry anyone. She returned to the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    However, not long after that, a war started between the Qin Kingdom and the Southern Barbarian Lands. After what happened to Feng Yuran, he immediately went to war as general and never returned. Didn¡¯t that mean that the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands had something to do with Feng Yuran? Or perhaps something happened then and the two nations parted on bad terms?

    Otherwise, Feng Yuran was unmarried then and the Southern Barbarian Lands had been interested in cementing the rtionship between two countries by marriage. The marriage was a done deal. Why else would so many things happen after that?

    Feng Yuran might have sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s unease. He reached out to hold her cold hands under the table. Then, he held her hands in hisrge warm ones and patted themfortingly.

    The immense uneasiness abated with hisforting. Mo Xuetong looked up slightly at his gentle smile. He wore an ostentatious purple robe and was always charming and dazzling! He was looking at her from the corner of his eyeszily but also gently and soothingly.

    He was a visual blow. He was like the emperor in the dark night who controlled everything!

    Mo Xuetong pulled her back slightly and then stayed still in hisrge palms obediently. At that moment, he made her feel safe!

    No matter what happened in her past life, and no matter who married him in her past life, he was hers in this life! Everything had changed. The Southern Barbarian Princess¡¯ marriage had nothing to do with him because he already had her!

    Feng Yuran said after he picked up his teacup and took a sip from it. ¡°The Southern Barbarians will onlye after some time. Gather more information, especially about the Southern Barbarian Crown Prince.¡±

    Li Youmo said confusedly. ¡°He is a sickly and dying crown prince. There¡¯s no need to pay that much attention to him, is there!¡±

    The Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was born a sickly child. He could be the crown prince only because his mother had saved the Southern Barbarian Emperor while she was pregnant with him. The Emperor was fine and the Empress was said to have gone into earlybor. She died after having the baby, and that baby naturally became the crown prince.

    The crown prince had been startled as an unborn child and had also suffered some injuries. That was why he was ill after being born. He consumedrge quantities of medication and was very poorly. It was said that the new Empress had a son who was very powerful. That boy was the favorite of the new Empress.

    ¡°The Crown Prince is sickly and dying. He does not have the support of the back of the pce. Back then, all that his mother had done for the Emperor has already been forgotten with time. You only ever hear of the new victorsughing. Have you heard of the losers crying? The old Emperor has the new Empress now and also a healthy and strong son. The Crown Prince has only one path, and that is to die. However, he is doing fine. That is enough to prove that he is not a simple man.¡±

    A devilish smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face. His almond-shaped eyes narrowed as he spoke meaningfully.

    Li Youmo thought about it. He had to acknowledge that Feng Yuran did make sense. He nodded and replied, ¡°Your Highness, you are right. It seems that the Crown Prince is not as weak and useless as the rumors say about him. We ought to gather more information lest he dies in Qin and gets us into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Dies in Qin?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she tightened her hold on Feng Yuran subconsciously. It felt as if the clouds in her mind were rolling up into a gigantic wave. It seemed... It seemed... In her past life, something did really happen to the Crown Prince. And this had something to do with the Princes. However, her mind was really muddled. She could not remember what exactly happened.

    She had been stuck in the back courtyard and had been humiliated by others. Even her closest maids were trapped in there with her. All the news that she received from the outside world came from Sima Lingyun intentionally. Otherwise, she would not have known anything. She remembered that this was something a concubine of Sima Lingyun told her in a bid to unt about how much she was doted upon by Sima Lingyun. Mo Xuetong did not know anything else.

    She truly regretted it now. If she had heard anything else about it, she would have been able to have more information now.

    Feng Yuran saidzily, ¡°I will trouble you then. Check if the Southern Barbarians have made any suspicious moves as well. For example, the most powerful prince and his mother.¡± He squeezed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and even took the time to nce at her with his almond-shaped eyes. He winked at her yfully and his lips curled up. He seemed to be veryid back.

    Li Youmo nced at the buns in front of Mo Xuetong and teased Feng Yuran having gotten through their business. ¡°Your Highness, what trouble could that be. You did note just for this today, did you? I heard that you ordered the staff very early on to get fresh crab roe to make these buns. It can¡¯t just be these ones in front of us!¡±

    Mo Xuetong flushed and could not raise her head. Her frenzied heart felt sweet because of those words. So he had already thought of taking her out. He knew that she would not be able to eat her fill at the banquet and this was not a spur of the moment idea. She felt as if she was being taken care of and a rosy hue appeared on her pale cheeks.

    Feng Yuran turned to look at Mo Xuetong. A spark ofughter shed in his eyes as he exined the situation to Li Youmo in a rare good mood. ¡°There is too much mingling to do at a banquet and you can never eat your fill. I thought that the buns here were not bad thest time, so we came to satiate our hunger.¡±

    A crafty look shed in Li Youmo¡¯s eyes. He still brought up the matter even though he could see the buns ced in front of Mo Xuetong. ¡°Your Highness, do you like eating buns? You said you didn¡¯t like how it tasted thest time you came. Why did you especially order the staff to make it today? Do you like it now?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was surprised. She knew that Li Youmo had brought up the matter intentionally. However, she anticipated Li Youmo teasing Feng Yuran. She nced at Feng Yuran with a flush on her face, wanting to see how he would react.

    Feng Yuranughed loudly and did not feel awkward at all. Instead, he looked at Mo Xuetong, looking straight into her beautiful eyes that were stealing nces at him. Her eyes were crystal clear and charming. There was also a hint of shyness in them. However, he could also see that she was waiting to watch how he would react. She was extremely adorable.

    The devilishness in his handsome eyes abated and there was an additional gentleness in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong felt as if she were lost in his deep and dark eyes.

    Li Youmo said with a smile. He did not want to y gooseberry and stood up. ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t show off how lovey-dovey you are in front of me. I shall go home and be lovey-dovey with my wife now.¡±

    Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows as he looked at Li Youmo with a vague and devilish smile. ¡°I heard that you fought with Yu Mingyong a few days ago. Does your wife not mind?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up at that and stared at Li Youmo.

    ¡°Oh, Your Highness knows me well!¡± Feng Yuran mentioned what was troubling Li Youmo and Li Youmo¡¯s expression turned into one of bitterness. He sat down again and gulped down his tea. Then, he turned to look pitifully at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°My Lady, you have to help me. Your cousin still refuses to let me in. I didn¡¯t mean to do it, but that stupid Yu Mingyong did something wrong and implicated me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not know what happened and she looked at Feng Yuran with dissatisfaction in her glowing eyes. She turned to Li Youmo and asked, ¡°What happened? Why did you fight with Yu Mingyong? Did you really... fight with him for the most popr courtesan?¡±

    The first time she met Li Youmo, she thought that he was not as annoying as the regr yboys from wealthy families. His gaze was also bright and clear. Then, he had appeared while Mo Xuemin met You Yuecheng in secret and revealed how Mo Xuemin had been meeting a man at night. After that, he almost married Mo Xuemin.

    Mo Xuetong remembered how he had pped Mo Xuemin the first time he visited the Mo Manor. Mo Xuetong had been secretly pleased then.

    After that, when Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun plotted against her in the pce, Li Youmo had also appeared. He had plucked Sima Lingyun from the crowd then and it could be said that he again helped Mo Xuetong.

    After that, it was the Fifth Princess¡¯s birthday banquet. Consort Yu and Ling Fengyan had plotted against her. Li Youmo had spoken up for her against them with cold and sharp words. Even though he did not say much, his words had managed to hit the point every time. He managed to say what she could not. Mo Xuetong was very grateful to him. However, she frowned now and was a little uncertain.

    She felt uneasy for Luo Mingzhu!

    Was Li Youmo really a yboy?

    ¡°My Lady, you have wronged me. How could I be like Yu Mingyong?¡± Li Youmoined when he saw the suspicious look Mo Xuetong gave him. He turned to say to Feng Yuran, ¡°Your Highness, you have to speak up for me. Be my witness. I really didn¡¯t do anything to Yu Mingyong. But that rascal just doesn¡¯t like that I am doing well. He saw me inviting the girl home and he came to cause trouble. It was a mess.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know about it too?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Feng Yuran with displeasure. Did he make Li Youmo fight for the courtesan!

 Chapter 428 - Persuasion, Pay a Visit to Lis Manor

    <h4>Chapter 428 Persuasion, Pay a Visit to Li¡¯s Manor</h4>

    ¡°Bo¡¯an, you have to make it clear. Why did you ask me to be a witness for you? I know nothing about it.¡± Feng Yuran shifted off cleanly, shook the teacup in his hands, and continued to say disapprovingly, ¡°Since I married Tong¡¯er, I have never been to that ce. So even if I want to prove for you, I can do nothing for you.¡±

    What he meant was that he was incredibly pure now, and just wanted to sit by and do nothing!

    Wasn¡¯t he too mean?

    Li Youmo looked at Feng Yuran pitifully. But Feng Yuran seemed to detach himself from the matter and even tter Mo Xuetong by using Li Youmo, which made Li Youmo secretly scold Feng Yuran¡¯s betrayal to friends. But now, Li Youmo was trying to beg Mo Xuetong to persuade Luo Mingzhu, so he did not dare to offend Feng Yuran.

    ¡°My Lady, please believe me. I didn¡¯t really want topete with Yu Mingyong. It was His Highness who asked me to pick up the famous prostitute. Please... please don¡¯t re at me. I don¡¯t mean you are going to do something. But that prostitute is really useful.¡± Seeing Feng Yuran took on an innocent look, as if he had known nothing, Li Youmo had no way but to try hard to save himself.

    Based on the principle that ¡°being left in the lurch, I have to find a way out¡±, Li Youmo did not withhold any longer and told Mo Xuetong everything about the matter.

    Speaking of this matter, it was not Li Youmo¡¯s fault. The reason why the famous prostitute could attract Feng Yuran¡¯s attention was that she had a jade pendant, which Feng Yuran had seen on Consort Xian. But now the jade pendant appeared in a prostitute¡¯s hands. It was rather suspicious.

    Therefore, Feng Yuran asked Li Youmo to take the woman away by visiting the brothel. But out of their expectation, Yu Mingyong took a fancy to the famous prostitute. Then, the disagreement between Li Youmo and Yu Mingyong led to a serious fight. Although Yu Mingyong was defeated, Li Youmo¡¯s dissolute fame became more despicable.

    When he went back that night, Luo Mingzhu shut the door in his face. A few days had passed now, Li Youmo was still staying in the study room. How sad and aggrieved he was! So Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice made him pour out all he knew immediately.

    How could Consort Xian¡¯s jade pendant appear outside, and now in a prostitute¡¯s hands? Mo Xuetong was dumbfounded at that moment.

    ¡°My Lady, since you will hang aroundter, how about going to visit Mingzhu? These days, she has been in a bad mood and needs someone to talk with.¡± With an obsequious look, Li Youmo smiled sincerely.

    Mo Xuetong was persuaded by his words. She had not seen Luo Mingzhu for many days, and missed her so much. With Luo Mingzhu¡¯s straightforwardness, the misunderstanding of Li Youmo must make her heartbroken. So Mo Xuetong thought it was good to help them to exin it clearly. Then, she turned to Feng Yuran, only to see his nk look as if he did not understand it. Mo Xuetong knew that he was posing again. She pouted her tender pink mouth slightly, grabbed his hand which was holding her hand under the table and twisted it hard.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, is there anything wrong?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a nk look.

    ¡°He is really...¡± Mo Xuetong gnashed her teeth secretly, but had to put on a gentle smile, raised her charming little face, and asked sincerely, ¡°Your Highness, You see?¡±

    ¡°I see it¡¯ste, and it¡¯s time for you to take a nap. Let¡¯s go back earlier.¡± Feng Yuran thought for a while, stood up and answered seriously. He was posing to leave now.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy today!¡± Mo Xuetong said prettily. Li Youmo was still waiting beside with a poor look, but Feng Yuran seemed to ignore him totally.

    ¡°Even if you are not sleepy, you need to take a good rest, and your health is most important.¡± Feng Yuran looked unbending and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand to go out.

    ¡°I am not sleepy!¡±

    ¡°Really not sleepy?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave now.¡± Feng Yuran was about to take her away again.

    ¡°No.¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her eyes and said without thinking. After that, she saw the banter gleaming in his beautiful eyes and realized that she was deceived. Mo Xuetong gritted her teeth with anger and reached out her hand to secretly twist her waist. When seeing his grimace in pain, she loosed her hand with satisfaction.

    Mo Xuetong went to Li¡¯s Manor by herself. Because the rtionship between Feng Yuran and Li Youmo could not be exposed now, Feng Yuran told Mo Ye and other servants to take care of Mo Xuetong and then left with Li Youmo.

    When Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage arrived at Minister Li¡¯s Manor, Luo Mingzhu had got the message and waited at the door. When seeing Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu just called, ¡°Cousin Tong.¡± Then, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and was too sad to say more.

    ¡°Cousin, let¡¯s go inside and talk. It is not appropriate outside.¡± Mo Xuetong warmly held Luo Mingzhu to walk in. It was at the gate. Luo Mingzhu was a new bride, so no matter what she did, it would be bad to spread to Old Madam Li. Besides, Luo Mingzhu shed tears at the gate. When the outsiders saw it, they might guess if Luo Mingzhu had anyints about Li¡¯s Manor.

    Luo Mingzhu also knew that her state was extremely inappropriate. She sucked her nose, pressed down the grievance at the bottom of her eyes, held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, and went to the upper room of the backyard together.

    Mo Xuetong, apanied by Luo Mingzhu, first paid a salute to Old Madam Li and Madam Li and had some chats with them. Mo Xuetong found the two Madams looked kind, and Old Madam Li seemed to pamper Li Youmo too much. It was rumored that Old Madam Li loved her grandson, Li Youmo, so deeply that even her son could not give a lesson to her grandson. Now, the rumor was proved true.

    Li Youmo¡¯s mother justined with Mo Xuetong about her son¡¯s mischievous behaviors a bit, and was interrupted immediately by the noise made by Old Madam Li who hit the ground with her stick angrily. Luckily, Mo Xuetong did not think that Li Youmo was a frivolous man, so she talked to Old Madam Li with some good words for Li Youmo, and Old Madam Li was so delighted at the words that she kept ncing at Madam Li to signal that, ¡°Even the Lady agrees that Youmo is good. Why can¡¯t you see that?¡±

    Seeing Old Madam Li¡¯s childish behavior, Mo Xuetong could not suppress herughter.

    Then Mo Xuetong followed Luo Mingzhu to her yard.

    The two sat well in the inner room. After maidservants served the tea, Luo Mingzhu waved her hands, and all her servants retreated. Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu had something to say to her, so she also waved her hand to signal Mo Ye and other maidservants to retreat.

    Mo Ye retreated to the side of the door, and Mo Lan and other maidservants to a little farther. And Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maidservants stood discreetly beside Mo Lan.

    ¡°Cousin, I heard you¡¯re difficult with Li Youmo?¡± Mo Xuetong raised the corners of her lips and said with a smile.

    ¡°You... how do you know?¡± Luo Mingzhu gave a courtesy answer, but the tears in her eyes could not be held back and dropped suddenly. She hurried to cover her mouth with a handkerchief and choked with sobs.

    ¡°Cousin, don¡¯t ask me how I know it, but just tell me during the days when you are married with Li Youmo, do you think he is as ignorant and dissipated as the rumors have said outside?¡± Mo Xuetong took up the tea on the table and asked softly. She knew that it was useless to persuade Luo Mingzhu now. Only when Luo Mingzhu was convinced that Li Youmo was not good for nothing, could Luo Mingzhu realize something strange in the matter.

    Luo Mingzhu let out two strangled cries, wiped the tears, and pushed away the tea handed by Mo Xuetong. She paused and continued to say in a low voice, ¡°But he... but he dared to fight against Yu Mingyong for the famous prostitute, and even caused a big scandal in the capital. His mother tried to beat him with rage, but his grandmother pampered him so much that no one was allowed to beat him, even one of his fingers. I... I have been married to him for such a short time, but this happened. How can I... have the dignity...¡±

    When talking about the heartbroken part, Luo Mingzhu could not restrain her tears any longer. During these days, she was sad every day but could not catch sight of him except when he came tofort her for a while. Apparently, he did not put her into his heart. The more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt. Worse still, she did not go home to vent her grievances for fear of making her grandmother sad.

    Grandmother was in poor health. If she knew what had happened, she would be so sad. Considering the grandmother¡¯s health condition and temper, Luo Mingzhu did not dare to let her know. If something terrible happened to Luo Mingzhu¡¯s grandmother, nothing including death could absolve Luo Mingzhu from the me.

    ¡°Cousin, since you married him, does he treat you well?¡± Seeing Luo Mingzhu crying so fiercely, Mo Xuetong put down the teacup and handed a handkerchief to her.

    ¡°In the past, he treated me well. But this time, he dared...¡± Luo Mingzhu wept, took the handkerchief, and wiped her tears again.

    ¡°Since he treated you well before, why did he do this all of a sudden? And after that, cousin, have you seen the famous prostitute?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly.

    ¡°Who knows if he was bewitched? Being tired of the good days, and went to ask for trouble! As for the famous prostitute, I thought he was afraid that his father might get angry, so he hid her somewhere.¡± Luo Mingzhu said indignantly. Her heart was filled with hatred of Li Youmo, so she could not put in a good word for him.

    ¡°I heard that his grandmotherpletely stuck up for him. Even Minster Li was not allowed to beat him. So how could Li Youmo fear his father? And as for the famous prostitute, if he really had a crush on her, he would try every means to give her a title. And the womaning from that ce would be too tough to deal with, and she must pester Li Youmo for an exnation. But you see, Li Youmo did not take the woman to the manor to disgrace you, but still tried to exin to you. So the fact is not as you think.¡±

    Mo Xuetong analyzed carefully.

    The remarks made Luo Mingzhu¡¯s tear pause, and she began pondering carefully.

    After a long while, Luo Mingzhu looked at Mo Xuetong with uncertainty and asked, ¡°You mean, he did this not only for that woman, but for another purpose? How could he treat me like that. I am his wife!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was not stupid, and clenched the handkerchief in the hands, looked at Mo Xuetong and asked.

    ¡°Cousin, do you still remember that Li Youmo almost married my vicious elder sister? At that time, I saw him for the first time. He did not show any tenderness to Mo Xuemin, and gave a harsh p on her, which made her face swollen. Mo Xuemin was his fianc¨¦e at that time.¡±

    Mo Xuetong handed the tea again and asked with a smile.

    Luo Mingzhu heard this for the first time, took a sip of the tea and asked surprisedly, ¡°He was so muddled up to p Mo Xuetong in your manor?¡±

    ¡°I thought the same as you did at that time. Butter, when I was in trouble several times, he would always give a hand to me. Then, I realized that it was too coincidental. Although Mo Xuemin looked beautiful, she was vicious. When Li Youmo pped Mo Xuemin, it would only lead Mo Xuemin to disgust him. If he was really a yboy, didn¡¯t he love beautiful women the most? Why did he p her at that time?¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked meaningfully.

    ¡°Then you mean...¡± Luo Mingzhu was startled at Mo Xuetong¡¯s words and nowpletely followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughts. Mo Xuetong lowered her voice and asked, ¡°You mean that he did this for another purpose?¡±

    ¡°Cousin, just think about that. If Li Youmo was really a yboy, how could Uncle be willing to let you marry into the Li family? With your status, you can have a variety of choices. But Uncle chose him for you and was quite satisfied with this choice. So Li Youmo is not the person that he pretends to be on the surface.¡±

 Chapter 429 - Tenderness, the Knot of Rebirth

    <h4>Chapter 429 Tenderness, the Knot of Rebirth</h4>

    Mo Xuetong analyzed carefully, but avoided prating some points. It wasn¡¯t because Mo Xuetong did not believe Luo Mingzhu, but Mo Xuetong thought the points should be dealt with this couple themselves sincerely. Just now, the anxiety on Li Youmo¡¯s face was nowhere to hide, which showed that he cared about Luo Mingzhu a lot.

    With Mo Xuetong¡¯s detailed analysis, Luo Mingzhu also thought that Li Youmo was not ascivious man. But thinking that he seemed to disappear these days, Luo Mingzhu was still depressed and said with annoyance, ¡°If he really has something to deal with, why not tell me clearly?¡±

    ¡°Cousin, have you given any opportunity to him to make it clear? I heard that you even don¡¯t let him in now. If he is really a jerk and makes a fuss, do you dare to kick him out as he is supported by Old Madam Li?¡± Mo Xuetong lifted the corners of her lips, looked at Luo Mingzhu¡¯s seemingly tough face, and softly smiled.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s wordspletely left Luo Mingzhu speechless.

    Since entering Li¡¯s Manor, Luo Mingzhu knew how unconditional Old Madam Li¡¯s indulgence was to Li Youmo, as the Old Madam would grant everything Li Youmo asked. Even Li Youmo¡¯s mother was not permitted to scold him for fear that he would feel wronged. So if Old Madam Li knew Luo Mingzhu had driven Li Youmo out, she would be the first to reprimand Luo Mingzhu, and the condition would not be as calm as it was now.

    Thinking of this, Luo Mingzhu realized that Li Youmo did care about her.

    Luo Mingzhu squeezed her handkerchief and crumpled it, unable to say a word. But the thought that he fought with another man for a woman tortured Luo Mingzhu, and she also thought she could not let him go so easily. At that moment, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s heart was brimmed with annoyance, hate, and doubt.

    ¡°Well, cousin, if you want to know the reason in it, just let him into the room and ask him yourself. If you don¡¯t let him in, he is unable to tell you the reason even if he wants. And you get cross here. It is not worthwhile.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and pulled Luo Mingzhu up.

    ¡°This is my first visit to Minister Li¡¯s Manor. Cousin, don¡¯t you show me around it? It¡¯s said that the courtyards here are not like those in the capital. Just feed my sight on them.¡±

    Eased by Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu cooled down a lot and gave a sincere smile on her face. She wiped away the tears, stood up, held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, and walked to the garden together.

    The two chatted for several hours. When Mo Xuetong returned to the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, it had been a littlete. After entering the manor, the steward told Mo Xuetong that Feng Yuran had gone to the pce at the Emperor¡¯s order.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the sky and frowned, not knowing why Emperor Zongwen wanted to see Feng Yuran at this time.

    Although Feng Yuran could enter the imperial study room and helped Emperor Zongwen deal with national affairs, what kind of thing was so urgent that Feng Yuran had to enter the pce at night. Mo Xuetong had a vague feeling of unease. She sat in the room, picked little food and did not eat it anymore.

    Mo Yu was sent out to check several times. It was already dark withnterns on, but Feng Yuran had not returned.

    Mo Xuetong sat down under thenterns, besieged by more and more unease. She stood up and walked the room around and around, feeling that something seemed to happen.

    She seemed to be on pins and needles, sitting down and standing up repeatedly. She pricked up her ears at the sound outside, but could not get any message about his return. So fear came to her involuntarily.

    She could not remain calm, called Mo Ye and Mo Lan and went out with antern.

    Just halfway, a line ofnterns shed on the corridor ahead, and faintly, a group of people came forward them. With the light of thentern, a person in purple could be seen to take the lead, mboyant and mesmerizing. The person was nobody but Feng Yuran!

    ¡°Your Highness, youe back finally. Her Highness has asked me toe out to check four or five times.¡± Mo Yu had to trot behind so as to catch up with Feng Yuran.

    A charming smile took on Feng Yuran¡¯s fascinating face, and his dark eyes narrowed slightly. He asked as he strode forward, ¡°Has My Lady had the meal?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness just took a few mouthfuls of the food, and now is waiting for my report that Your Highness ising back.¡± Mo Yu said with a smile.

    When they were talking, lights and shadows shed ahead. Mo Xuetong, followed by Mo Ye and Mo Lan, wasing from the corridor. Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze fell anxiously on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. Seeing that although he looked a bit tired, he looked in a good mood, Mo Xuetong lifted her lips into a smile and felt the load that worried her the whole night was off her mind finally.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong, he took steps forward and held her hand, regardless of the crowd¡¯s presence, and turned to look at her and asked with an enchanting smile, ¡°Is the food not good tonight, so you don¡¯t eat much?¡±

    Feeling Feng Yuran¡¯s burning eyes, Mo Xuetong blushed and tried to shake off his hand. But it was too tight to get rid of his hands. So Mo Xuetong gave up, nced at him and said peevishly, ¡°Yes, the food tonight is not to my taste. It is too nd.¡±

    ¡°Shall we change the cook tomorrow? I heard that Father-inw sent the cook here specifically for you. Yesterday, you still praised the food was to your taste, but today is not!¡± Feng Yuran grinned. Reflecting the lights, his attractive eyes were as soft and tender as if water could drip from them.

    The nanny cook was brought by Mo Huawen from Cloud City, where the taste was quite different from that in the capital. The vor was rather mild, so Mo Xuetong liked the nanny cook. Several days ago, afraid that Mo Xuetong could not get used to the food in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Huawen specially sent the nanny cook there.

    He teased her deliberately, and Mo Xuetong shot him a sideways nce and answered back directly, ¡°Maybe I have a bad appetite today, so I ate less!¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Oh, why is Tong¡¯er in a bad mood?¡±

    While they were talking, they entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard. And a maidservant lifted up the curtain. Mo Xuetong got rid of his hand, settled on a chair beside the couch, raised her eyebrows, and asked, ¡°Your Highness, have you had the meal?¡±

    His eyes gleamed with mischief, as he steadily teased her. ¡°Not yet. Let the food served now. I am really hungry. Is Tong¡¯er feeling good now? Could you apany me to have some?¡±

    Mo Xuetong gave him a cute nce and did not dispute with him. Looking at the exhaustion in his eyes, Mo Xuetong gestured to Mo Lan, and then Mo Lan, along with other maidservants, all retreated. After a while, a hot meal was served on the table. Feng Yuran also refreshed himself well. He sat at the table and took threerge bowls of rice eagerly. Obviously, he was really hungry.

    Seeing he came back safe and sound, Mo Xuetong felt rxed and took half a bowl of rice as well.

    After the meal, maidservants cleaned the table up and served the tea. The two sat down on the couch, and all the maidservants retreated. Feng Yuran picked up the fruit on the table, peeled it, and sent it to her. He said with a smile, ¡°It is the special local product from the Yan Kingdom. I just took it from the pce. Have a try.¡±

    Looking at Feng Yuran¡¯s behavior, Mo Xuetong felt her heart was warmed and gave a sweet smile to him. She took the fruit he handed over and took a taste. Sure enough, it tasted extremely sweet.

    Feng Yuran was a bit dazed at her brilliant smile. Seeing her enjoying the fruit, he could not help lifting the corners of the mouth, and then he tenderly handed a handkerchief to her, and leaned against the couch with more passionate love in his eyes.

    The room fell into silence suddenly, and even their breath could be heard. Under thentern light, it was calm and reassuring.

    Mo Xuetong took the handkerchief handed by Feng Yuran to wipe the corners of her red mouth, raised her head with shyness concealed in her eyes, and asked, ¡°Has anything happened, since His Majesty asked you to the pce at this time?¡±

    Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes slightly with a gleam of coldness shing in his eyes, but then he used azy smile to cover it, and said carelessly, ¡°Nothing serious. His Majesty just talked with me about the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    ¡°Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± Mo Xuetong was shocked. Recently, for some unknows reasons, she got rmed at the name of Southern Barbarian Lands. Perhaps affected by what had happened in thest life, Mo Xuetong just felt the Southern Barbarian Lands would have something to do with Feng Yuran. Therefore, any hint of possible disturbance would make her involuntarily nervous and vignt.

    ¡°Is it about the marriage with the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a while, and asked uneasily.

    Generally speaking, if a wife would ask such a question, she would be more or less jealous. After all, the princes of the Qin Kingdom were married now. If the Southern Barbarian Lands wanted to make peace with the Qin Kingdom by marriage, their princess either became Emperor Zongwen¡¯s consort, or married one of the princes. With their princess¡¯ status, even though she would marry a married prince and be unable to be the legitimate wife, she could still enjoy the equal status as the legitimate wife did.

    Although the princes of the Qing Kingdom were all handsome, Feng Yuran stood out among them. So the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands was most likely to fancy him.

    However, when Mo Xuetong asked Feng Yuran this question, she felt nothing but alert and nervousness!

    ¡°Just a Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ princess, does she really think she is something?¡± Perhaps sensing Mo Xuetong¡¯s nervousness, Feng Yuran stretched out his hands to scoop her into his arms, touched her hair gently, and then patted her back tofort her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you so agitated now? Just a princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Doesn¡¯t Tong¡¯er believe me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong leaned in his arms and fell into silence for a while, and then she looked up and asked suddenly with unease, ¡°It was really the matter about the marriage with the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Did His Majesty say the princess took a fancy to you?¡± Her eyes as clear as water were full of nervousness and worry that Feng Yuran could understand. Her pink lips bit slightly, and her long eyshes fluttered with the charm that she was totally unaware of.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, rest assured. I only love you in this life.¡± Feng Yuran put a strand of her hair behind her ears. Although his eyes were brimmed with smiles as usual, the seriousness that was unusual in him also appeared in his dark eyes. On his attractive face, his dark eyes narrowed, and his dignified bearing prevailed naturally.

    He blurted out the words tofort Mo Xuetong, which was also what he held in the depth of his heart. When he looked at the worry that couldn¡¯t be suppressed on her adorable face, Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were as soft and tender as water. He lowered his head and kissed her gently on her face. The kiss brushed her face so lightly like a feather and sent slight shivers to her heart.

    His gentle treatment made Mo Xuetong blush, and her eyes overflowed with tenderness. She let out a long breath and fell in his arms suddenly, silent. Leaning against his wide chest and feeling his warmth and heartbeat, Mo Xuetong felt her anxiety cooled down gradually.

    Some things of herst life were still fresh in her mind. After being reborn, she was always reminded by the tragedy between her and him. This life, although they were together, she still carefully avoided repeating the tragedy in thest life.

    Just as she tried to avoid Qin Yufeng as much as possible, she tried to avoid everything rted to Southern Barbarian Lands. Therefore, when Feng Yuran mentioned Southern Barbarian Lands, she would feel uneasy for no reason. The fear from her bone actually came from the fear of the tragedy in thest life. But now she calmed herself down.

    She stretched out her slender hands forwardly around his neck, leaned her head on his handsome and noble face, and exhaled a long breath. In thest life, Mo Xuetong died in Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun¡¯s deception while this life, Mo Xuetong put the two together, and it was the two¡¯s tragedy from then on.

    After being reborn, everything was different!

    It was also the case with Feng Yuran. Why feared the Southern Barbarian Lands? As long as Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran dealt with it discreetly, everything would not be a problem. Since Mo Xuetong could change her fate, she could change Feng Yuran¡¯s as well! In thest life, they had never met, but this life, Mo Xuetong became his wife.

 Chapter 430 - The Past Thing, What Is Peony Master For

    <h4>Chapter 430 The Past Thing, What Is Peony Master For</h4>

    Feng Yuran¡¯s hesitated and uneasy voice that was unusual rang. ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you like me?¡±

    He, who always appeared confident and devilishly attractive, was never so unsure like now.

    Smiles appeared on her face, and the corners of her lips lifted unconsciously with warmth in her heart. She leaned still on his chest and clenched a corner of his sleeve, as if only in this way, could the sweetness not pass away.

    Feng Yuran was so tenacious that when he couldn¡¯t hear Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply, he stretched out his hand to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin. ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak?¡±

    Mo Xuetong tried to get rid of his hand, but failed. And her chin was held up by his strong hand.

    Feng Yuran was really unbending. ¡°Say, do you like me?¡± Hisely red lips lifted, revealing a domineering charm but with a little anticipation in his eyes. With his temperament, it was almost impossible for him to have such a look. But she was able to see the anticipation in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart softened, and she tried to get rid of his hand, lowered her head on his chest,pressed her lips and murmured, ¡°I pledge that I will hold your hands till death and end.¡±

    Hearing the sentence, the man with good hearing was stiff and collected himself after a while. He lifted his beautiful lips with great joy, turned Mo Xuetong over in his chest, and kissed her tender pink ears. And he said softly, ¡°Just keep your words!¡±

    Mo Xuetong blushed and nodded. She pushed him, opened her bright eyes, and pouted her delicate red lips, ¡°Then tell me what His Majesty asked you for today. I was worried... worried... about you.¡±

    Speaking of this, she could not continue, and bit her lips with a hint of unease shing in her eyes.

    This little cunning thing was waiting for him here.

    Feng Yuran gave a warm smile and pinched her nose gently to pamper her. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Since the posthouse has not been built well yet, the prince and princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands will live in King Xuan¡¯s Manor first, and His Majesty asked me to arrange for it.¡±

    ¡°The prince and princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands will live here? Why?¡± Mo Xuetong was surprised, raised her head suddenly and asked puzzledly. She did not remember that King Xuan¡¯s Manor had to receive the prince and princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands in thest life. And it worried her, and she felt at the subliminal level that they should stay away from the people and the things of the Southern Barbarian Lands as far as possible...

    ¡°Yes, I heard that it was the eldest brother who made the request to His Majesty. So rare that he still cherishes the brotherhood.¡± Feng Yuran got off from Mo Xuetong and pulled her into his arms again. His lips raised into a bright and devilish sneer, with a slight hint of sarcasm. How could he let down Feng Yuxuan¡¯s careful thoughts for him?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart throbbed, and her eyebrows wrinkled slightly. She would not believe that Feng Yuran made that request out of good intention. Now Feng Yulei was confined, and Feng Yuzhen was suppressed too harshly to take any movement. Although Feng Yuran had not represented any threat before, Emperor Zongwen reused him now, and Feng Yuran did not stir up any ridiculous matter after marriage.

    Did Feng Yuxuan feel threatened, so he took action first?

    ¡°What does King Chu want to do?¡± Mo Xuetong asked uneasily with a hint of doubt in her charming eyes. The Southern Barbarian Lands was close to Great Qin geographically. If Great Qin could make good terms with it, Great Qin could win its support. If Feng Yuran could get its support, it would be of great help to him. So did Feng Yuxuan really not care about it?

    ¡°No matter what he wants to do, it is too early to tell. It¡¯s fine. I am here to deal with the Southern Barbarian Lands affairs. Go to bed earlier. Tomorrow, the Empress Dowager will ask you and other grandson¡¯s consorts to enter the pce. She said she missed you so much since she hadn¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡± Feng Yuran smiled softly with a gleam of darkness shing in his eyes.

    Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager cared about King Ning, Feng Yuzhen most. But it was a pity that King Ning had lost his wife in such a disgraceful way. And the Grand Secretariat Wang lost two daughters unexpectedly, so he was not in the mood to help Feng Yuzhen any longer. He did not know what tricks the Empress Dowager yed now.

    It was really disturbing!

    Astonished, Mo Xuetong shifted her focus from the Southern Barbarian Lands to the Empress Dowager, blinked her eyes and asked curiously, ¡°Just ask me and King Chu¡¯s consort to enter the pce?¡±

    Since she could not get along well with Ling Rui¡¯er, every time they met, some trouble would be caused. Why did the Empress Dowager bring Mo Xuetong and Ling Rui¡¯er together?

    ¡°It¡¯s not just you. There¡¯s also King Yan¡¯s consort. It¡¯s said that You Yuecheng¡¯s newly-married wife wille tomorrow, as well as other youngdies and marrieddies. The Empress Dowager said she was in poor health and wanted cheering up by the young people¡¯s vigor. So the people she asked are all young.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s dark eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, and a trace of coldness appeared on the corner of his lips.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s intention was easy to guess. All she did were definitely for Feng Yuzhen. But where did she get the confidence that Feng Yuzhen could win the throne from His Majesty?

    Wang Yueyue had died, and no one knew who would be the next.

    Mo Xuetong gave a resigned smile, and her long eyshes fluttered. Then, she suddenly snorted withughter when the matter between You Yue¡¯e and the first miss of Ling¡¯s Manor urred to her. Mo Xuetong had heard about the First Miss Ling¡¯s story whening to the capital for the first time. Then, she heard that First Miss Ling was rebuked by the Empress Dowager, and was confined in the manor.

    Not long after First Miss Ling had been released was she framed up by Feng Yuran. Of course, it was mainly because of Ling Mingyan¡¯s own plot. Surprisingly, the unruly and unreasonable legitimate first miss of the Ding General Manor knew how to frame up others, which was rather unexpected.

    But it was not bad anyway. At least You Yuecheng, the pesky person, had no time to bother Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong did not know why You Yuecheng hated her so much, and had some sympathy for Mo Xuemin, as he had taken things too far for Mo Xuemin.

    But Mo Xuetong did not pay attention to these, instead, her focus was on the Peony Garden.

    She held against Feng Yuran¡¯s chest and sat up. Holding Feng Yuran¡¯s hand, Mo Xuetong asked with a little curiosity, ¡°Why did you make the peony garden, and disguise yourself as ¡®Peony Master¡¯?¡±

    She wondered about it for a long time, but could not find a proper time to ask. In thest life, Feng Yuran dressed up as Peony Master, who was the only stranger kind to Mo Xuetong, but she was also curious about it. With Feng Yuran¡¯s status, did he have to bother to do that? No matter how mysterious Peony Master was, it was of no use for him. Therefore, it was not worthwhile to create another identity.

    Feng Yuran himself pretended to be a weak one, but always preyed on the strongest opponents. His mboyant and arrogant reputation was surely enough to conceal him.

    ¡°Do you still remember the first time we met in the Repayment Temple?¡± Asked by Mo Xuetong, Feng Yuran did not hide it, reached out his hands to pull her hands, and twined his hands into hers. A charming smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

    Every time he recalled the meeting with her, he was full of joy. Of course, it was actually not the first time he met her.

    ¡°As for the paper that my mother left for me, why did I take it to you? My mother could not have let me find you.¡± Speaking of this, Mo Xuetong was more confused. In thest life, Mo Xuetong did not know to whom Sima Lingyun had given the paper that her mother had put between the pages, but the person Mo Xuetong herself looked for was really Feng Yuran.

    Given Feng Yuran¡¯s identity and age, it was impossible for Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother to know him.

    Her watery and enchanting eyes blinked, full of confusion.

    ¡°Little fool.¡± Her nk expression pleased him. He rubbed her head maliciously andined jokingly, ¡°If your mother had known me earlier, I would have got engaged with you immediately so as to avoid the trouble that shemanded you to the wrong person, and you had suffered a lot but no one came up to seek justice for you.¡±

    Thinking of the engagement paper in Bai Yihao¡¯s hands, Feng Yuran felt inexplicably depressed. But soon, he raised his eyebrows with delight, and his eyes gleamed brightly. No matter how well Bai Yihao had hidden it, the paper had been burnt to ashes. At the thought, Feng Yuran felt triumphant, and his face broadened into a morous smile.

    ¡°Every time he talks about this topic, the man bes kind of jealous.¡± Mo Xuetong thought.

    Mo Xuetong pushed him, pretending not to find the obvious jealousy in his words, and took a sideways nce at him. ¡°So tell me, who I should give the paper note to at that time?¡±

    Feng Yuran gave a gentle smile and said unhurriedly, ¡°The abbot!¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not expect the answer and was stunned at that moment. She opened her bright eyes, and got shocked at the answer. ¡°The abbot of the temple?¡±

    ¡°What are you thinking about now. Little fool!¡± Looking at her shining and clear eyes, Feng Yuran could not help but tease her in a good mood, and did not conceal it. ¡°The abbot of the Repayment Temple took Aunt Mingzhu¡¯s orders. But when I was young, she had assigned them to me, and even His Majesty did not know it.¡±

    ¡°Have you not been in the capital for a decade?¡± ¡°Princess Royal¡¯s people?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart missed a beat and felt a little weird.

    ¡°That year, I was heartbroken and irritable when my mother passed away. No one coulde close to me. So His Majesty was worried about me and asked Princess Royal to take care of me. Then, Princess Royal assigned those people to me secretly but asked me not to tell His Majesty.¡± Feng Yuran retracted his smile and turned to look out of the window with some grudge shing in his eyes.

    When Consort Xian passed away, Feng Yuran was just a kid at a young age. How helpless and lonely he was at that time! Heartbroken and panic-stricken as he was, he was unable to vent his feelings, so he had to separate himself from others under the disguise of the explosive disposition. Thinking that his little and lonely figure reflected on the wall of Consort Xian¡¯s pce, Mo Xuetong felt her heart ached.

    She took the initiative to hold his hands, looked at him with tenderness, and bit her lips, not knowing how tofort him at that moment. Before speaking, she felt her nose had twitched sorrowfully.

    ¡°When I left the capital, His Majesty made good arrangements for me, so I did not bring those people. But when I returned here, Aunt still gave them to me and told me that I should try my best to meet the requirements of the person who brought the paper note to me.¡±

    Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes glistening with tears, Feng Yuran felt warmth in his heart. He patted her hand, sat up and embraced her tenderly in his arms. Her delicate fragrance soothed his disturbed and fractious mood.

    ¡°But what does it have to do with the Peony Garden?¡± Mo Xuetong paused and shifted the topic simply. Feng Yuran was mboyant and powerful and was in charge of others. Mo Xuetong did not like sensing the sadness and fragility in his breath just now. It was not him, but the kid in the past.

    His experience made her distressed. Although Mo Xuetong had also had a hard time, at least her mother had protected her for more than 10 years. But he had lost his support at a young age and had to leave his hometown to a distant ce.

    ¡°The existence of the Peony Garden is naturally for me to take action conveniently. The Princess Royal had assigned me some people, and she let His Majesty know it. His Majesty also assigned me some. But it was too conspicuous to keep them in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, but it was totally different in the Peony Garden. A mysterious Peony Master was powerful, but stayed away from the power, so no one dared to offend rashly. Compared to the identity of King Xuan, the Peony Master provided greater facility for me to do some things.¡±

 Chapter 431 - Asking for the Peony Garden

    <h4>Chapter 431 Asking for the Peony Garden</h4>

    Feng Yuran smiled lightly and spoke casually. However, Mo Xuetong understood what he meant immediately.

    The Princess Royal was King Jin¡¯s daughter and had been sent away at a young age. Other than the secret guards King Jin prepared for her secretly, she would also have some people she couldmand to ensure her safety. These people¡¯s identities should be hidden and they would move around the Princess Royal¡¯s side doing all sorts of things. The abbot of Repayment Temple was probably one of them.

    This could also exin why Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother had asked her to ask for help. She was still asking help from the Princess Royal, but in this way, it would be easier to hide the fact that her mother and the Princess Royal were biological sisters.

    Meanwhile, Feng Yuran had strong points on his own to build his faction. Things wereplicated in King Xuan¡¯s Manor so setting up a stronghold outside was the best possible idea. However, there was something Mo Xuetong could not understand. Why did the Princess Royal hand over some of her people to Feng Yuran so easily? Bai Yihao was her biological nephew.

    So why did she treat Feng Yuran so well? Did she pity Feng Yuran for his mother¡¯s death?

    This did not make sense either. There were so many consorts in the pce and Emperor Zongwen had more than one consort who died. For example, the third prince, King Yan, Feng Yulei¡¯s mother had also passed away. Why didn¡¯t the Princess Royal treat him better than others then? If it were really about how close of a rtionship they had, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was the Empress Dowager¡¯s grandson. The Princess Royal was raised by the Empress Dowager. She was closer to Feng Yuzhen than to Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong was very confused and only barely managed to stop herself from asking Feng Yuran about it directly. She felt it difficult to ept that she was King Jin¡¯s granddaughter. She would much rather be the granddaughter of the Old Madam of the Fu General Manor. In her past life, and in this life, only the old madam had truly loved her.

    Mo Xuetong touched her slightly pounding head. She felt that the Princess Royal treated Feng Yuran differently. It was not only because he was her nephew though. Otherwise, why would she help Feng Yuran despite the fact that it could possibly reveal her true identity? She even handed over the men in her hands to Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Why are you not pretending to be Peony Master now?¡± Mo Xuetong felt a little confused. She could not understand what was happening at this moment. As such, she bit her lips and turned the topic back to what they were originally speaking about.

    Ever since thest incident, there was no news of Peony Master ever again. It seemed that Feng Yuran did not wish to make use of that identity right now. That gave Mo Xuetong a new idea. She opened her eyes wide and looked at Feng Yuran with anticipation.

    ¡°I¡¯m busy right now and most of my men are out doing other things. There¡¯s truly no one left in the peony garden. So it was left empty.¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile. He could not help but reach out to pinch her nose. He could tell that she was up to something just by her cheeky expression.

    Empty? Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes twinkled. She patted away his naughty hands and said sweetly, ¡°Then why not give me that peony garden? The peonies there are so beautiful. It¡¯d be a waste not to use them!¡±

    Those beautiful peonies should be admired. However, the peony garden used to be under the control of the Peony Master, and not many people could enter in. There were many noblewomen and youngdies who had never seen it before. If she could hold a banquet there, it would be elegant and leisurely. Furthermore, the identity of the Peony Master was very attractive to Mo Xuetong.

    She felt that there were some things that were difficult for her to do with her identity as Consort Xuan. She had to greet many people when she left the house unlike the past when she could travel without any burdens. She could even make use of Peony Master¡¯s reputation to get some things done.

    Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows high in shock. ¡°You want that peony garden?¡±

    Mo Xuetong tugged on his belt cutely. ¡°Of course, would that be alright?¡±

    Feng Yuran said readily. He tilted his face and pointed at his thin lips. ¡°Alright. Here!¡±

    Mo Xuetong flushed. She did not expect him to ckmail her like that.

    Feng Yuran said with an expression of pity. He nced at Mo Xuetong with a devilish satisfaction. ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you unwilling? Then forget it. Anyway, that peony garden is taking up a lot of space. I¡¯ll have people tear it down tomorrow. The flowers there will be given to others. I have a few precious purple peonies there. They are extremely precious and came from far away. It is such a pity!¡±

    Feng Yuran was not giving the garden to her but was going to tear it down and give it to others. She looked at the pleased expression on his face. He was obviously trying to ckmail her. This made Mo Xuetong feel a little embarrassed and annoyed. She reached out to pinch his waist viciously and pouted her pink and soft lips with an expression of displeasure.

    An expression of unbearable pain immediately appeared on his handsome face. He clutched at his waist and his cheeky expression disappeared. ¡°Ow! That hurts. Tong¡¯er, that hurts!¡±

    Did she really hurt him? He could not be that fragile!

    Mo Xuetong felt a little guilty. She blinked and then pretended to be angry and said, ¡°Well, how dare you try to provoke me? I wouldn¡¯t have pinched you if you hadn¡¯t.¡±

    Feng Yuran pretended to look pitiful when he saw how Mo Xuetong pretended to be strong even though she felt guilty inside. He pointed at the spot that she pinched and said sadly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, it¡¯s already bruised.¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt a little uncertain when she saw how he was holding his waist. She nced at his waist and then at his frowned eyebrows in pain. She bit her lips and then helped him to rub the spot whileining, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. See if you dare to do this again!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t dare to do this again. I will do everything you say.¡± Even though Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips were pouted, she could not help but sneak nces at his waist. She looked guilty and distressed. Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone brilliantly at the sessful prank. He reached out to pick up Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin and kissed her lips. He was gentle and sweet and it made her heart flutter.

    Her face grew hot. Before she could react though, he had already let her go.

    However, he then picked up her hand and bit her gently. He said, ¡°Your hand is so soft it¡¯s like there are no bones. Tong¡¯er, your slender and pale hands are beautiful.¡±

    He sounded coy and flirtatious. Mo Xuetong felt her whole body burn. She did not know whether to be shy or annoyed. She pushed him away and pretended to be angry, saying, ¡°Tell me, will you give me the peony garden or not?!¡±

    She was very loud. However, she only appeared to be strong on the surface and soft inside.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome smile had a trace of affection in it. He reached out naughtily to touch her pink and soft face, teasing her intentionally. ¡°Yes, I will give you whatever you want!¡±

    However, he stopped before she truly got angry and then said seriously, ¡°If Tong¡¯er wants my peony garden, then Tong¡¯er has to help me do something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Mo Xuetong was feeling annoyed and wanted to beat him up. When she heard that he had something for her to do, she was shocked.

    ¡°It is that courtesan Li Youmo fought for. He has nowhere to ce her and does not dare to bring her home lest your cousin is annoyed. He left her at the peony garden.¡± Feng Yuran said with augh.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t ask about it?¡± Mo Xuetong asked curiously. Rationally speaking, if they found Consort Xian¡¯s jade pendant, they would ask about it as soon as possible. Why did Feng Yuran take such aissez-faire attitude toward it?

    ¡°He didn¡¯t find out anything, She only said that it was passed down in her family.¡± Feng Yuran stopped smiling. A hint of sinister darkness shed in his eyes and his thin lips curved up slightly. He seemed a little colder than before.

    A woman from the brothel had a jade pendant that looked exactly like Consort Xian¡¯s. Mo Xuetong did not believe that there was something so coincidental in this world. She thought about it, and Consort Xian seemed to be enshrouded in ayer of mystery. It had something to do with the He family, the royal family, and now, it had something to do with a courtesan in the brothel.

    Anyway, she had to help Feng Yuran find out what exactly happened back then.

    ¡°What are you going to do with the women in the back courtyard?¡± Mo Xuetong changed the topic gently when she saw the darkness in his eyes. Even though the women in the back courtyard were locked up separately, it was not nice to keep them like that. Nanny Chen and Xiann had already told her several times in the past few days that the women in the back courtyard were growing restless and misbehaving.

    ¡°Ignore them. Lock them up for now and let them be.¡± Feng Yuran said carelessly and patted her palm gently. ¡°I will be sick in a few days and find an opportunity to send some of them away. We¡¯ll just keep the obedient ones.¡±

    Did that mean he had decided to make a move on the back courtyard?

    Mo Xuetong thought about it for a while and she understood. There were a few women from the back courtyard who were difficult to deal with. She heard that they started to cause trouble long ago. If not for Feng Yuran¡¯s vicious methods, Mo Xuetong would not have any peaceful days. She thought of ¡°his people¡± who were mingled in that group of women and felt at ease.

    Since he had already considered that, then she would not interfere with it!

    The two of them chatted and then went to bed!

    Mo Xuetongid in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace and closed her eyes. She felt safe for some reason. The fear and panic she felt when he was not around had already been forgotten. She did not know when it started but she felt safe in her sleep when sheid in his embrace with his arm under her neck. She snuggled into his chest and found a nice spot before drifting off sweetly.

    In the dark, Feng Yuran looked at her beautiful face carefully. His lips curled up in a smile after a while and he dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. He hugged her and then closed his eyes as well.

    When Mo Xuetong woke up the next morning, Feng Yuran had already left. He had been very busy recently. He had gone to morning court with Emperor Zongwen in an official capacity and was acting like the prodigal son. Mo Xuetong usually would not see him when she woke up. She touched his side of the bed, which was still slightly warm. He must have left not long ago.

    Mo Lan knew that Mo Xuetong was awake when she heard sounds in the room. She picked up the muslin bed curtains and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, it is still early, sleep for a little longer.¡± It was still dim outside and was quite early. Usually, Mo Xuetong would sleep for a little longer at this time. There were no seniors Mo Xuetong had to serve and the women in the back courtyard were all locked up. There was no one to disturb her from her sleep, so Mo Xuetong would go back to sleep for a little longer sometimes.

    However, she could not do that today.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wake up now. I have to go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pceter.¡± Mo Xuetong yawned and answered softly. She sat up with the help of Mo Lan.

    ¡°Alright. Then I will prepare the clothes you will wear to the pce.¡± Mo Lan answered and left. Soon after, Mo Yu brought in the items needed to wash up. By the time she finished helping Mo Xuetong to clean up, a little maid had already served breakfast.

    Mo Xuetong did not eat muchst night and felt a little hungry this morning. She ate half a bowl of porridge and some pickled cucumbers before stopping.

    ¡°My Lady, which set would you like to wear?¡± Mo Lan pulled out a few exquisite and beautiful clothes from the closet for Mo Xuetong to pick from.

    Feng Yuran had gotten these clothes made for Mo Xuetong when she married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. There were purple flowers and butterflies embroidered at the edges of some of them. They looked cheeky and refreshing, unlike Feng Yuran¡¯s exaggerated purple robes which were devilishly charming for some reason.

    However, their clothesplimented each other very well. Even though it was not obvious when they were apart, they were very well matched when together.

    It could be said that Feng Yuran had looked at every single article of clothing there. Mo Xuetong could not help but feel a sweet warmth creeping up in her heart.

    ¡°This one!¡± Mo Xuetong pointed at a white dress. There were colorful butterflies embroidered at the bottom edges of the dress. The butterflies danced together as a pair. One was dark purple while the other was in. The pair frolicked in the flowers, making the in-colored dress vivid.

    It highlighted Mo Xuetong¡¯s gentleness and her elegant disposition!

    It suited Mo Xuetong¡¯s current status very well!

 Chapter 432 - A Gift of Clothes, the He Sisters Grow Greedy

    <h4>Chapter 432 A Gift of Clothes, the He Sisters Grow Greedy</h4>

    ¡°My Lady, the two youngdies of the He family are outside. They wish to see you.¡± Mo Ye picked up the curtains and entered, reporting to Mo Xuetong with an expression of displeasure. She truly disliked the two sisters who were shameless and wanted to seduce King Xuan. They did not behave like noble youngdies at all. They were even more shameless than the women in brothels that others talked about.

    Why were He Yufen and He Yuxiu here at this time? Mo Xuetong frowned as Mo Lan helped her to dress. She had intentionally embarrassed He Yufen in front of so many people at the banquet at Qin Manor that day. She had also spoken vaguely about what they had done. Even though she did not outright say what they did, her implications were clear. She had officially torn the veneer of civility with the He sisters. Why were they still here!

    ¡°Go and ask them to go back. Say that I...¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly paused. A thought shed through her mind. She blinked and then asked, ¡°How are they dressed today?¡±

    ¡°The two young Misses He are all dolled up today. I was so angry when I saw them. Just look at their coy faces, and you¡¯ll know that they¡¯re up to no good.¡± Mo Ye did not like how charming the He sisters looked. When Mo Xuetong asked about them, she even used adjectives that she usually did not. She also usually did not show her emotions on her face, but she now looked indignant on behalf of Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong smiled when she heard how Mo Ye seriously described the way He Yufen and He Yuxiu were dressed.

    ¡°Pft!¡± Mo Lan was the first to burst outughing. Mo Yu, who was helping Mo Xuetong get dressed could not help herself either. Sheughed out loud while pointing at Mo Ye.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Was I wrong?¡± Mo Ye was confused and she looked at them dazedly, unable to react.

    ¡°Mo Yu... You¡¯re too interesting. When did you learn to speak so well? Were the He sisters really ¡®dolled up¡¯?¡± Mo Ye especially emphasized the words ¡°dolled up¡±.

    Mo Ye knew that she was beingughed at by the others when she saw the teasing look on Mo Yu¡¯s face. She stretched out her neck and said heatedly, ¡°Go to the hall and take a look if you don¡¯t believe me. The two came dressed up like peacocks. They each brought two maids with them and are dressed like they¡¯re here for a matchmaking session.¡±

    They each brought two maids with them. It seemed that they were about to attend a grand event.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile faded and her expression grew serious. She sat in front of her dresser and looked at her reflection. Then, she suddenly said, ¡°Mo Ye, invite the two Misses He in.¡±

    ¡°My Lady!¡± Mo Yu eximed. Her smile froze.

    ¡°My Lady, why are you inviting them in? Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t let theme?¡± Mo Lan stoppeding Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. Even though she had always been calm and steady, she also questioned Mo Xuetong confusedly now. She knew that Mo Xuetong had intentions of distancing herself from the He family.

    Mo Ye could not react in time and she gaped at Mo Xuetong.

    They were all trusted servants of Mo Xuetong and knew that Mo Xuetong wanted to push the He family out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Earlier, she had intentionally made a fuss about how He Yufen fell in front of King Xuan. She had even embarrassed the He sisters at the Qin Manor. Why would she let them in at this moment?

    How would they be able to get rid of the He sisters in the future!

    ¡°My Lady, Consort Chu sent someone over with gifts.¡± A little maid said respectfully behind the curtains.

    Ling Rui¡¯er? Why would she send someone over at a time like this!

    Mo Xuetong was stunned. Then, she said lightly, ¡°Invite the person in.¡± She wanted to see what Ling Rui¡¯er was up to.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The little maid bowed and left.

    He Yufen and He Yuxiu were invited into the parlor of the back courtyard.

    When they saw Mo Xuetong, they pretended as if nothing had happened. They went up and greeted Mo Xuetong with smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Cousin-inw. You are dressed so nicely. Where are you going?¡± He Yufen asked with her usual gentle smile.

    Mo Xuetong smiled faintly and answered sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stay and chat with you two. I am about to go to the pce. The Empress Dowager wishes to see me and I do not dare to not go.¡±

    Even though she was polite, she was also distant.

    The He sisters smiled at each other with glints of satisfaction in their eyes. He Yuxiu jumped up with an innocent expression and said delightedly, ¡°Cousin-inw, that¡¯s great. The Empress Dowager has ordered us to go to the pce as well. That is such a coincidence. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    There was a pleased expression that could not be hidden on her face.

    ¡°Oh, Misses He have received a decree from the Empress Dowager as well?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. They saw the phoenix pin on her hair sparkled in the light. There were a few pearls hanging from it and it was obvious that it was no ordinary object. Even though the He family was wealthy, they had never seen true royal treasures.

    He Yufen¡¯s and He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes glowed with greed.

    ¡°Yes... That¡¯s right. Cousin-inw, will you take us with you?¡± He Yufen was the first to react. When she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s question, she immediately smiled and tried to butter up to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°You two want toe to the pce with me?¡± There was a sarcastic sh in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. However, she did not reveal that in her expression as she spoke to them gently.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since your carriage isrge, all three of us can take it. The two of us do not know the pce well. You can even take us around once we enter the pce.¡± He Yufen said excitedly.

    Did they think that the pce was a yground that they could walk around as they wished?!

    It was unknown whether First Miss He was too ignorant or too presumptuous. Even Mo Lan, who was standing by the side with her eyes lowered to the ground could not listen to them prattle on anymore. She took the opportunity to nce at them while she poured them tea.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that will not work!¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it work? Didn¡¯t you bring Second Sister to the pcest time? Why can¡¯t you take us along this time?¡± A dark look shed across He Yufen¡¯s expression. However, she smiled and pretended as if she did not care. Yet, there was a hint of anger in her eyes.

    ¡°Misses He, you two might not know. This time, the Empress Dowager asked the consorts to enter the pce. We have to go with a procession to show our respect for the Empress Dowager. Misses He, you cannot take the same horse carriage as the Lady or it would be disrespectful to the royal family. It would also go against etiquette.¡±

    Mo Lan exined kindly.

    Mo Xuetong had gone to the banquet in the pce without a procession. That was why it was alright for He Yuxiu to go along with her. The carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor was spacious and elegant. One would not even realize if there was an additional person on it. However, Mo Xuetong was going to use the consort¡¯s guard of honor when she entered the pce. She could not bring anyone else with her.

    How could there be youngdies on the carriage of a legal consort? There might be gossip about whether they were secondary consorts or concubines. Furthermore, secondary consorts and concubines could only walk while the legal consort was on the carriage. How could they be on the carriage as well?

    At this point, Mo Lan was grateful to Consort Chu for sending word today.

    Even though they knew what Ling Rui¡¯er was up to for having the three consorts use the guards of honor when entering the pce today, it was satisfying to see the frozen smiles on He Yufen and He Yuxiu¡¯s face. Mo Yu and the others thought that Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s idea was amazing. It was rare that the unreliable Ling Rui¡¯er woulde up with such a good idea.

    It was wishful thinking of the He sisters to think that going to the pce in King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s carriage would bring them prestige.

    They did not even care about their reputation and hade straight to King Xuan¡¯s Manor because of this. The He sisters were growing to be more and more shameless.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, can¡¯t you take us to the pce?¡± He Yufen said with a bitter expression.

    ¡°It is not that I don¡¯t want to take you into the pce. But Consort Chu had sent word that we all have to enter with the guards of honor as a show of respect to the Empress Dowager.¡± Mo Xuetong said gently and apologetically.

    She looked as if she truly felt sorry for the He sisters. She looked at the He sisters¡¯ dresses and suddenly smiled. She said, ¡°It is my fault today. I did not expect you two to have to enter the pce as well. How about this. I have a few dresses from Consort Yan. They are suitable for youngdies. I will give them to you to show how apologetic I am.¡±

    She did not wait for the He sisters to speak before turning to Mo Lan. She said, ¡°Mo Lan, go and bring the dresses that Consort Yan sent over this morning and show them to Misses He. If they like some of them, they can take them. Consort Yan will be happy to see it too.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had first met with the servant Ling Rui¡¯er sent before He Yufen and He Yuxiu entered. The person Ling Rui¡¯er sent had been here to express goodwill to Mo Xuetong. They had not only brought a few sets of clothes for Mo Xuetong, and they even mentioned that they were colors the Empress Dowager liked. Mo Xuetong would be able to gain affection from the Empress Dowager if she were to wear these dresses to the pce.

    Of course, Ling Rui¡¯er also hinted that they should have Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran go into an alliance. If the two brothers were to work together, they would be able to gain plenty.

    Mo Xuetong naturally did not believe that Ling Rui¡¯er would be so kind. She naturally did not believe in the excuse Ling Rui¡¯er used as well. However, she also held Ling Rui¡¯er in higher regard for being able to think of such an excuse. Ling Rui¡¯er had indeed grown wiser after bing Consort Chu. She even used the royal brothers as an excuse.

    Since the He sisters hade uninvited to try out her new clothes, Mo Xuetong was more than willing for them to do so.

    When they heard that the clothes were from Consort Chu, the He sister¡¯s eyes sparkled with unbridled greed. Even though they said that they did not need the clothes and that it was too troublesome, they did not move. The maids standing behind them did not get any hints from them, As such, they stood there stoically and did not speak.

    The clothes were brought before them as they spoke.

    There were five sets of dresses in total. There were bright red, light green, light pink, bright yellow, and light blue. They were also matched with skirts of different materials. The He sisters had never seen clothes like that, both in terms of embroidery or style. They stared at the clothes and felt that only such luxurious clothing could match up to their ravishing good looks.

    Furthermore, sachets that matched the clothes were also prepared. They were elegant and noble.

    The two He sisters thought that the clothes they wore were already extremely luxurious and beautiful. They only found out then what true luxury and beauty were. Wearing clothes like that would definitely entuate their beauty.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, there is no need. We cannot wear your clothes. The material looks so pretty, and it is not something that we can afford to use.¡± He Yufen looked at Mo Xuetong doubtfully and said. She was wiser than He Yuxiu. Even though she was shaken, she was still clear-minded.

    She had personally witnessed how sharp and mean Mo Xuetong was. Mo Xuetong had not shirked at all in front of the Qin Manor. He Yufen felt a little uneasy at Mo Xuetong¡¯s kind gesture today.

 Chapter 433 - The Empress Dowager Asks for Ideas in Cining Palace

    <h4>Chapter 433 The Empress Dowager Asks for Ideas in Cining Pce</h4>

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you use it. You two are so much more lively than I am. I can¡¯t wear clothes like these because they don¡¯tplement my color. These clothes suit yourplexions well.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her eyes were sincere. She moved over and picked up a dress to hold against He Yufen. The smile on her face was kind and gentle as she said, ¡°Misses He, you are both beautiful and will look even more amazing if you wear these to the pce. Consort Zhao will definitely be pleased.¡±

    When He Yufen heard Mo Xuetong mentioning Consort Zhao, the wariness in her eyes slowly faded. Instead, satisfaction reced the wary look in her eyes as she gave Mo Xuetong the side-eye. She sniffed to herself coldly. She did not believe that Mo Xuetong did not want to please Consort Zhao. She had been so rude to the He family early only because Consort Zhao had not said anything about it.

    Upon hearing that her sister could also enter the pce, He Yufen figured that it was because Consort Zhao had helped them out. Of course Mo Xuetong would try to butter up to Consort Zhao. No wonder Mo Xuetong looked as if she was trying to please the two He sisters today. She was full of smiles and even gifted them with clothes politely. It was because they had the support of Consort Zhao.

    He Yuxiu had already spotted a dress that she liked. When she saw that He Yufen was not going to say anything else, she pointed at the dress and pretended to be shy. She said to Mo Xuetong sweetly, ¡°Cousin-inw, this dress is really pretty. The peonies on it are embroidered with gold thread. It is so beautiful. I have never seen a dress so beautiful before.¡±

    ¡°Second Miss, I will give it to you since you like it so. The dressplements your skin tone and makes your skin look even fairer.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand generously. ¡°Come, Mo Lan, take Second Miss and help her dress up.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Second Miss, pleasee with me.¡± Mo Lan picked up the dress and smiled at He Yuxiu.

    When He Yuxiu heard how Mo Xuetongplimented her and saw how generous she was, He Yuxiu immediately nodded happily. Even though she felt that this was Mo Xuetong¡¯s way of buttering up to Consort Zhao, she did not forget to say politely, ¡°Thank you, Cousin-inw. You are the best.¡±

    Then, she did not wait for He Yufen and went with Mo Lan to get changed. He Yufen was so mad she gritted her teeth secretly. She was just a tad slower and the most beautiful dressnded in He Yuxiu¡¯s hands. She liked that dress as well and was about to take it using Consort Zhao¡¯s name. She did not expect He Yuxiu to be a tad faster than her and she was furious about it.

    He Yufen¡¯s heart burned with hatred, yet she did not show it. Even though her smile was a little stiff, she did not act rashly.

    ¡°First Miss, what do you think of this set? You will stun the crowd if you wear this with a peacock skirt. First Miss is a gentle person and this setplements you well.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and pointed at another set of clothes. She rmended it to He Yufen, saying, ¡°Look, this sachet is nice as well. It looks like the one on Second Miss¡¯s set of clothes. But it matches this set as well.

    The pink sachet was indeed beautiful. It was the perfect finishing touch beside the peacock skirt. He Yufen liked it when she saw it. Fortunately, He Yuxiu did not see it earlier when she was picking out her clothes. That was great, and it was now He Yufen¡¯s.

    ¡°This... I feel awful. How can I take your clothes!¡± He Yufen might seem polite but she could not hide the greed in her eyes. She did not even blink as she looked at the golden threads on the clothes. Mo Yu believed that if they were not around, First Miss He would have leaped at the clothes and gathered them in her arms.

    She forced herself to restrain herself and pretended to be mature. However, she just looked like a joke.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to feel bad about? First Miss He will look pretty in these clothes. Consort Zhao will feel proud of you when she sees youter.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled with warmth and familiarity.

    It was Consort Zhao. Mo Xuetong was indeed afraid of Consort Zhao!

    He Yufen did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so cowardly. She kept bringing up Consort Zhao. In the future, when He Yufen entered the King¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong would be afraid of her as long as Consort Zhao supported He Yufen. He Yufen felt her mood improve immediately and despised Mo Xuetong. If this was so, there was no need to stand on ceremony. Mo Xuetong must be afraid that she would speak badly of Mo Xuetong in front of Consort Zhao, which was why she was trying to butter up to He Yufen now. Since this was so, she might as well take what Mo Xuetong was offering her. If she were any slower, the shameless He Yuxiu woulde out. She might like the set that He Yufen was holding to right now. Then, it would be toote for her to cry even if she felt like it.

    ¡°Thank you so much, Cousin-inw.¡± This time, He Yufen did not pretend to be reserved anymore. She waved her hands at Mo Xuetong with a pleased expression. She was very disrespectful in her actions.

    Mo Yu brought He Yufen to get changed.

    The two were changed after a while. He Yuxiu wore a pink satin shirt that glimmered with gold embroidered edges. The shirt was paired with a light pink skirt. She also wore a ne of jade and pearls and her hair was in the pce style. She looked extremely charming with her make-up, making her look like a bride.

    He Yufen, on the other hand, wore a light green peacock skirt with gold flower adornments and a shirt that was of the same color. A pearl and jade belt wrapped around her waist with a few jade pendants hanging from it. She also wore a pink color sachet. Together, these ornaments chimed pleasingly as she walked. One could smell a slight fragrance before she even arrived. It was a charming sight.

    The two of them walking together was a beautiful sight. However, the jade pendants and sachet added on a different charm for He Yufen as she walked. She immediately overshadowed He Yuxiu.

    ¡°First Miss He is so pretty. If a nobleman falls for her like that, she would have a meteoric rise.¡± Mo Yu praised and pped her hands.

    He Yufen was pleased after being praised in front of so many people. However, she was also an unmarried youngdy. She lowered her head shyly and missed seeing the vicious and cold look of jealousy in He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes.

    The Empress¡¯ Cining Pce was very crowded today. Not only was the heavily pregnant Consort Yu present, Consort Zhao, who was the most doted on in the back of the pce, was present as well. Consort Chu, Ling Rui¡¯er, Consort Yan, You Yue¡¯e, Wife of Marquess Mingguo, Ling Mingyan, as well as some youngdies from noble families were all present as well. It could be said that it was a gathering of beautiful women. Theyughed and chatted, and their tinklingughter filled the air.

    When Mo Xuetong arrived, the Empress Dowager invited her to the main hall. Mo Xuetong arrived at the main hall and saw the Empress Dowager sitting in the middle. She looked kind and benevolent and seemed healthy. She was not gravely ill unlike what was said in rumors.

    Consort Yu sat to her left. She was visibly pregnant and wore a light yellow willow-style skirt. She was beautiful and gentle and spoke with the Empress Dowager with a smile. She would elicit peals ofughter from the Empress Dowager from time to time.

    On the right of the Empress Dowager was Consort Zhao. She wore a light green dress, andpared to the filled figure of pregnant Consort Yu, Consort Zhao looked slender and petite. She was smiling and seemed very amicable. She was not arrogant at all even though she had been the focus of the Emperor¡¯s affections for the past 10 years.

    She chatted with the Empress Dowager and would interrupt from time to time and would get a hint of a smile from the Empress Dowager.

    Consort Yu and Consort Zhao could be said to be the two most popr women in the pce other than the Empress and Consort Su.

    Looking at all the madams and youngdies in the hall, one would found more than half of the noble families in court were all ounted for!

    The usually mysterious Empress Dowager who hid behind the scenes had created this rather suspicious affair.

    ¡°Lead Consort Xuan to her seat.¡± The Empress Dowager ordered a servant to bring Mo Xuetong to her seat after she greeted the Empress Dowager. Mo Xuetong sat down by the side with a smile.

    When almost everyone was present, the Empress Dowager told them why she had gathered them in the pce. She said she wanted to let the young people get together and also seek everyone¡¯s opinions on how to celebrate the Emperor¡¯s 60th birthday.

    In the past, the Empress was the one who took charge of the Emperor¡¯s birthday. However, she was in poor health now, so the Empress Dowager was taking charge of the matter. In the past, everyone from inside the pce and outside the pce would start preparing one month in advance for the event. The Imperial Household Department would wring their brains out thinking of how to please the Emperor. However, they could onlye up with the same things every year, so the Emperor was not overly pleased either.

    Since the Empress Dowager had taken over this year, she wanted to see if there was anything she could change about it. That was why she gathered the young madams and youngdies in her pce today in hopes of seeking the opinions of young people.

    ¡°All of you present here, madams, youngdies, and the three consorts have been called to help mee up with ideas. You are all young people and have good ideas. So help me think of some novel ideas for the Emperor to tinkle around with. Something that would make him happy.¡± The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table with a slight smile. She swept her gaze at everyone present.

    It was suspicious that the Empress Dowager would gather so many young madams and youngdies from noble families just to think of a few novel ideas for the Emperor¡¯s birthday. Even though Mo Xuetong did not know what the Empress Dowager was nning, she smiled and eded. Anyway, she was the youngest in the hall full of madams and youngdies.

    She would just pretend not to do anything and silently watch the situation develop.

    Mo Xuetong looked up at the madams and youngdies and found two familiar faces. The He sisters had, just as she expected, rushed to the pce after leaving King Xuan¡¯s Manor. They had even reached before Mo Xuetong did.

    When they heard the Empress Dowager asking them for ideas, the young madams anddies started chattering, each presenting the Empress Dowager with their ideas.

    The great hall grew noisy.

    In the end, Ling Rui¡¯er even wrote a list for the Empress Dowagers after everyone discussed the ideas. There were more than 45 ideas on the list. It was true that there was strength in numbers. Mo Xuetong sat at the side and pretended not to know anything. She just smiled.

    However, some people just did not want to let her off. After a while, Ling Rui¡¯er turned to her with a smile. She said, ¡°Consort Xuan, you are smart and quick-witted. Why aren¡¯t youing up with ideas to help the Empress Dowager?¡±

    She made it sound as if Mo Xuetong were intentionally disrespecting the Empress Dowager.

    While the Empress Dowager, who was seated in front, was still stalking to Consort Yu with a slight smile on her face, she nced at Mo Xuetong indifferently.

    Mo Xuetong looked up, feeling the Empress Dowager¡¯s gaze on her. She smiled at Ling Rui¡¯er and then said somewhat ashamed, ¡°Consort Chu, you must be kidding. I don¡¯t know anything about this. This is my first time hearing about the Emperor¡¯s birthday banquet. Back when I was in Cloud City, I only heard that His Majesty¡¯s birthday banquet was beautiful and luxurious. I listened to everyone¡¯s suggestions today and thought they were all amazing but can¡¯t think of anything myself.¡±

    An uneasy expression appeared on her slightly childish porcin face. She looked as if she was embarrassed by Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s questioning.

    The Empress Dowager looked at Mo Xuetong closely. Her gaze was dark.

    Mo Xuetong was from Cloud City and was not favored earlier on. She had only soared up the socialdder after returning to the Capital. First, she had found favor with Princess Royal and became Princess Anping. Then, she married into the King Xuan¡¯s Manor to bring blessings to King Xuan. She had been extremely lucky because King Xuan, who was said to be on his deathbed, got better.

    After that, the licentious and debaucherous King Xuan, Feng Yuran seemed to have turned over a new leaf. He had gathered the women in his back courtyard and even seemed to be onlyvishing attention on Mo Xuetong. He was even taking part in the matters of the court now unlike before. He also started to manage matters for the Emperor.

    He had changed so much. Was Mo Xuetong really just an ignorant and very lucky girl?

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you don¡¯t have to stand on ceremony. We are a family. If you have any good ideas, do let us know. I have to know what good ideas Consort Xuan has. The ideas young peoplee up with are much interesting than what old people like me can think of.¡± The Empress Dowager looked at Mo Xuetong with a benevolent smile.

    Ling Rui¡¯er smiled and interrupted, saying, ¡°How is the Empress Dowager old. You look like my sister. Father even said that you have not changed at all from when you visited the home before. You are not old at all.¡±

    She was trying to unt the rtionship between the Ding General Manor and the Empress Dowager. The youngdies and madam who were close to Ling Rui¡¯er immediately chimed in agreement.

 Chapter 434 - A Close Examination and Consort Zhaoâ€™s Plots

    <h4>Chapter 434 A Close Examination and Consort Zhao¡¯s Plots</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯ve learned how to coax me as well.¡± The Empress Dowagerughed. She looked at Mo Xuetong as if she was waiting for her to speak.

    Mo Xuetong fiddled with her sleeves uneasily. She looked nervous as she said, ¡°Your Majesty, I used to celebrate Father¡¯s birthday with Mother. Mother sewed Father a painting and he liked it very much.¡±

    Even though she did not manage toplete her statement, everyone understood her idea.

    ¡°Giving His Majesty an embroidery? His Majesty is a man, what would he need an embroidery for?¡± You Yue¡¯e said coldly. She had not spoken as well earlier. When she heard what Mo Xuetong had to say, she immediately retorted sarcastically.

    ¡°Then I truly do not know. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.¡± Mo Xuetong appeared to look as if she was relieved as she gave the Empress Dowager a small smile.

    Gifting an embroidery was the most innocuous gift. Even if the Empress Dowager were to make use of her suggestion, the embroidery would be provided by various families. Even if there were truly an issue, it would have nothing to do with Mo Xuetong. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to take the opportunity to make trouble, she would not be able to implicate Mo Xuetong.

    Furthermore, gifting an embroidery as a birthday gift was something ordinary folks would do as well.

    Embroidering a longevity picture or a picture of a hundred sons celebrating at a birthday banquet and gifting them to the person celebrating a birthday was good luck. Of course, it would not be as bad as You Yue¡¯e made it out to be. Fortunately, she had already made a suggestion today. If the Empress Dowager still had any ideas on how to make things difficult for her, she just had to deal with them. Furthermore, it seemed that Mo Xuetong was not the only person the Empress Dowager wanted to deal with today. She did not have to go up against the Empress Dowager now.

    However, You Yue¡¯e¡¯s distaste for her had grown. She did not know what was wrong with the brother and sister pair from the You family. They all seemed to go crazy whenever they saw her. They would charge at her and growl at her menacing each time. The enmity between them had really been sown in their past lives for Mo Xuetong had not done anything to them!

    ¡°Even though Consort Xuan¡¯s suggestion is ordinary, it¡¯s not bad either. Rui¡¯er, note it down first and we can pickter. There should be more ideas so we can pick the best to satisfy His Majesty.¡± The Empress Dowager said while looking at You Yue¡¯e.

    You Yue¡¯e flushed after being disregarded by the Empress Dowager. She immediately realized that she had crossed the line. She lowered her head and did not dare to say anything else.

    King Yan¡¯s predicament was not much better than King Ning¡¯s. He was still locked up in the manor and You Yue¡¯e was still mad about that.

    She had always been the best among all the other nobledies. She thought that she would be of even higher status after marrying King Yan and bing Consort Yan. However, not only did her status not be higher, she had been yed as well. She had been locked up in King Yan¡¯s manor. When she saw Mo Xuetong, she could not help but unleash the anger she felt.

    Everyone had gotten married on the same day. Why should Mo Xuetong¡¯s life be better than hers and be getting better every day?

    ¡°Your Majesty is so thoughtful. There should indeed be more selections so we can choose the better ones. These youngdies are all as beautiful as flowers. I think that they are all great.¡± Consort Yu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and looked up with a smile. She gestured with her fingers, intentionally twisting the Empress Dowager¡¯s words.

    Many youngdies lowered their heads shyly when they heard that.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I think so too. Youdies are beautiful. The younger sisters that His Majesty brought to the back of the pce are all very beautiful. Her Majesty had picked them out especially for His Majesty. She had put in so much effort. His Majesty rewarded Her Majesty handsomely because of this.¡± Consort Zhao picked up the fan and waved it as she sighed and added on to what Consort Yu had to say.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her eyes. A hint of a cold smirk appeared on the side of her lips. She did not believe that the Empress Dowager would gather people to praise the Empress.

    Indeed, the Empress Dowagerughed and said, ¡°The Empress is a virtuous and gracious woman. The Emperor rewarding her and respecting her is normal. A woman should be more gracious to ensure peace in the family. Then, she would be able to bring good fortune to her husband and teach her sons well. She would then be able to receive love and respect from her husband...¡±

    Then, the Empress Dowager nagged on about how a legal wife should be as kind and gracious as the Empress. She praised the Empress wildly and even spoke as if the Emperor was deeply in love and indebted to the Empress. She nagged on for a while, and with Consort Yu and Consort Zhao chiming in from time to time. They made the whole thing sound realistic.

    Mo Xuetong lowered her head and pretended to listen while she thought to herself. The Empress Dowager was behaving very weirdly today. Why was she so free? She spoke about the Empress as if they were sisters. If she wanted to promote what the Empress had done, she did not need to mention it over and over again in front of Consort Yu, Consort Zhao, and so many young madams and youngdies.

    Mo Yu, who was standing behind Mo Xuetong, poked Mo Xuetong slightly. Mo Xuetong looked up and saw the He sisters in the crowd of youngdies with a look of excitement on their faces. They could not hide the excitement in their eyes as if something good would happen today. Mo Xuetong had a sudden epiphany. She thought of what the Empress Dowager, Consort Yu, and Consort Zhao said earlier and immediately understood.

    No wonder they wanted some youngdies toe to the pce today. The young madams were probably here so that they could give Mo Xuetong a reason toe as well!

    However, when did the rtionship between Consort Yu and Consort Zhao be so good!

    Was it because He Yuxiu was going to marry Yu Mingyong? It was a pity. If Consort Yu knew that Consort Zhao had secretly plotted against her, would she stillugh so exuberantly?

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t keep praising your daughter-inw here. Your other granddaughters-inw are also all tolerant and gracious. Don¡¯t only look at your daughter-inw, look at your granddaughters-inw.¡± Consort Yu said with a smile. She managed to easily turn the topic to the three young consorts.

    ¡°Of course, they are great too.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled and then turned to look from Ling Rui¡¯er to You Yue¡¯e and Mo Xuetong.

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face turned pale at that.

    They were all intelligent people who understood what the Empress Dowager was implying. Ling Rui¡¯er looked at the crowd of youngdies who all shyly acknowledged what the Empress Dowager had said. She opened her mouth and found that she could not reply.

    She could not bepared to You Yue¡¯e and Mo Xuetong. She had only been married for slightly more than ten days and was at the honeymoon period with Feng Yuxuan. Feng Yuxuan had gone to her room every day in order to cate the Ding General Manor. Even though he had a few bed maids and concubines, he had learned from Feng Yuran and left them to the side. He did not allow them to make trouble for Ling Rui¡¯er.

    It could be said that Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s days were sweeter than honey. When she heard that the Empress Dowager wanted to send women into her manor, she immediately grew angry. No wonder her father had told her to beware of the Empress Dowager. He had said that the Empress Dowager was a daughter of the Ling family and would not make things difficult for her. However, Ling Rui¡¯er only knew now that the Empress Dowager had never truly treated her as a niece.

    Hatred bubbled in her heart.

    ¡°You are too kind, Your Majesty!¡± You Yue¡¯e immediately stood up and bowed to the Empress Dowager.

    Mo Xuetong, however, seemed a little insensible. She only reacted when she saw how You Yue¡¯e behaved. She immediately stood up, curtsied, and thanked the Empress Dowager.

    Ling Rui¡¯er stood up unwillingly when she saw the two stand up. She curtsied to the Empress Dowager and looked like she did not even bother to speak.

    The Empress Dowager took note of their behavior. When she saw the obvious disregard Ling Rui¡¯er was showing, a sh of anger appeared in her eyes. However, she immediately hid it behind her benevolent smile. She said, ¡°Sit down and talk. Why did you all stand up? Let¡¯s not stand on ceremony today. We are all family, and we can just talk casually.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty truly dotes on the consorts. I and Consort Zhao are so envious.¡± Consort Yu said with a sweet smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Your Majesty is so biased.¡± Consort Zhaoined as well. She nced at Mo Xuetong. Consort Zhao had been watching her from time to time since Mo Xuetong entered.

    Was she trying to find out if she and Feng Yuran were having problems?

    Mo Xuetongughed coldly to herself. However, she did not show this outwardly. She looked as if she was listening to them speak. Her eyes were clear and had the innocence of a child. It was as if she still had not understood what happened. The others could not help but exim that she was still very young and insensible.

    Consort Yu patted her protruding stomach and smiled. She said, ¡°The three consorts are young and it must be difficult to handle the back courtyard of arge family. Your Majesty, why don¡¯t you bestow some second consorts to the three princes. They would be able to help the consorts take care of the princes and also help with the matters of the back courtyard. Consorts, what do you think?¡±Read more chapter on v ip novel.

    Indeed, that was the goal of today.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Mo Xuetong seemed not to understand what Consort Yu meant and she made a small sound. Then, she flushed and immediately covered her mouth, as if aware that she had made a mistake.

    The yelp had disrupted Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s peace. She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s confused expression and the scheming look on the Empress Dowager¡¯s face. She did not know how this could happen to her and immediately felt enraged.

    Without waiting for the Empress Dowager to say anything, Ling Rui¡¯er could not hold it back anymore. She turned to look at Consort Yu and said with a smile, ¡°Consort Yu, I am not very tired. There are not many people in the King¡¯s Manor, unlike the pce where there is a bunch of consorts. My aunt, the Empress must be very busy every day. However, there are still disobedient consorts who are full of themselves and so she doesn¡¯t even have time for anything else.¡±

    She was being rather impolite at this time.

    Ling Rui¡¯er truly disdained Consort Yu. In the past, Consort Yu had worked with them to plot against Mo Xuetong. But in the end, she had been rebuked and embarrassed and even almost destroyed Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s future. The woman was ipetent, and so what if she was pregnant with a little prince?

    The Emperor¡¯s adult sons were already so old. Would the son in her belly be able to change the tides!

    Ling Rui¡¯er looked at how Consort Yu was fawning over the Empress Dowager and then thought of how she used to butter up to the Empress. Ling Rui¡¯er was almost as good as saying that Consort Yu was full of herself and sowing discord.

    She called the Empress her aunt and addressed the Empress Dowager as such. It could be seen who she was closer to!

    Consort Yu¡¯s expression froze. She did not expect Ling Rui¡¯er to embarrass her so and did not know what to do.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, how could you say that!¡± The Empress Dowager mmed the cup of tea in her hands onto the table and yelled angrily.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are right. I was wrong.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er did not dare to argue with the Empress Dowager. She lowered her head and admitted that she was wrong. She continued, ¡°I just wanted to say that there are only a few concubines in King Chu¡¯s Manor. It is not difficult to manage.¡±

    She could be considered to have refused the suggestion grievously. Coupled with what she said earlier, and if one thought about it carefully, they would feel uneasy. Consort Yu was in an ufortable state right now.

    She wanted to rage but could not. Ling Rui¡¯er might have been wrong, but she was the Empress Dowager¡¯s niece. Furthermore, she was also King Chu¡¯s consort. King Chu was the one who shone the most in court recently. As such, Consort Chu was not someone she could rebuke even if she wanted to. Consort Yu touched her stomach and lowered her head, hiding the viciousness in her eyes. When she had a royal son, she would have a chance to stomp on Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Consort Zhao turned to look from Mo Xuetong to Ling Rui¡¯er. She examined the girl carefully and frowned imperceptibly.

    She did not know Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s temperament. She thought that the focus today was Mo Xuetong. As long as Mo Xuetong agreed, she would be able to send He Yufen into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She already knew that a chasm had appeared between Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong because of the tea leaves. When He Yufen entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor and did her work, she would make Feng Yuran grow tired of Mo Xuetong. Or she might even take Mo Xuetong¡¯s life.

    Anyway, she definitely had to make sure He Yufen would be King Xuan¡¯s legal consort so that she could better control Feng Yuran.

    She did not believe that Mo Xuetong would dare to disagree in front of the Empress Dowager.

 Chapter 435 - Who Is the Empress Dowagerâ€™s Keâ€™er

    <h4>Chapter 435 Who Is the Empress Dowager¡¯s Ke¡¯er</h4>

    However, she did not expect that Consort Chu would jump up before anything happened to Mo Xuetong. Furthermore, she even seemed to have scolded Consort Yu as well. Also, Consort Yu¡¯s behavior was also very different from her usual arrogant self.

    Consort Zhao was not a rash person. She calmed herself down and watched carefully how the Empress Dowager was going to deal with this. She took a sip of tea and spectated calmly.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, Yuxuanined to me that he has tired you out. He asked me to find someone to handle the matters of the back courtyard with you. He even praised you for being gracious and sensible. He told me that the Ling family had had a good daughter.¡± The Empress Dowager said with a benevolent smile. She knew that if Ling Rui¡¯er did not agree to it today, then the matter would have to halt here.

    Feng Yuxuan had asked for it? Ling Rui¡¯er was stunned. She felt annoyed and happy. She bit her lip and did not speak.

    She was annoyed. How could he say something like this to the Empress Dowager? What could she say now? She was also d that he praised her before the Empress Dowager. She could see that he truly liked her. Even so, why must he say something like that to the Empress Dowager? Didn¡¯t he know that it would make her sad?

    What could she say now? What would others think of her if she continued to disagree?

    Would they say that she was not gracious enough, not virtuous enough, or would they say that the daughters of the Ling family did not have the magnanimity of a legal wife?

    Anyway, Ling Rui¡¯er knew that those were not words she could say.

    However, she felt so aggrieved. Everything was going great, and how could she allow another woman to join her household and steal her husband? Even though Feng Yuxuan had other women previously, they were all women who could not appear in public. The only one who could appear in public was a second consort. However, she was not favored. Feng Yuxuan had told her that she could hit the woman, scold the woman, or even sell her.

    However, these people were different. They were all from good families and it would be a marriage decreed by the Empress Dowager. How could the back courtyard stay peaceful? She truly did not wish for another woman to enter the manor.

    Ling Rui¡¯er found it hard to move forward or backward. She gritted her teeth and did not open her mouth. She was in such a turmoil that she started to sweat.

    ¡°Sister-inw Chu, Her Majesty truly dotes on you. Why don¡¯t you thank the Empress Dowager?¡± Someone who was unaware of the situation said softly.

    Ling Rui¡¯er looked up and was so angry she wanted to faint. It was the little idiot Mo Xuetong. Any smart person knew that if she agreed, King Xuan¡¯s Manor and King Yan¡¯s Manor would be next to wee new second consorts. The little idiot did not know anything and was still trying to convince her to ept a second consort.

    Ling Rui¡¯er felt the anger rushing up to her chest as she looked at the innocent and naive look on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. The anger would not dissipate and she wanted to rage at Mo Xuetong. She had a sudden epiphany and thought of the plot against Mo Xuetong. A hint of viciousness shed in her eyes. Since she was going to make trouble anyway, she might as well make a bigger fuss lest the Empress Dowager plotted and meddled with matters in her manor.

    She turned around and gestured to a maid standing behind her.

    The maid backed away and stood in front of a pce maid standing inside Cining Pce. She lowered her head and made a sound. The pce maid did not say anything and left.

    No one noticed such a small detail. Only Mo Xuetong, who had been watching Ling Rui¡¯er closely saw this. A cold sh appeared in her eyes. She had intentionally brought Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s attention to herself and brought up the topic. The Empress Dowager wanted to extend her reach to the various King¡¯s Manors. That was truly annoying. Even though You Yue¡¯e had agreed quickly earlier, her expression was dark.

    However, while the Ding General Manor¡¯s reach was long and wide. Mo Xuetong did not expect it to reach the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. It seemed that the Empress Dowager was still unaware of it. Mo Xuetong was excited to see if Ling Rui¡¯er would perform well in this show and if she would be able to ruin the Empress Dowager¡¯s ns.

    Mo Xuetong gestured to Mo Ye who was behind her. Since there were many people around, Mo Ye took the opportunity to slip away as well.

    There were so many madams and youngdies in the pce. They also brought maidservants with them. Pce maids would serve tea from time to time so no one would notice that a maid had gone missing.

    ¡°So Your Majesty was doting on me. I didn¡¯t disagree. However, Your Majesty must pick a beautiful girl with a good temper for our King.¡± Having decided, Ling Rui¡¯er immediately grew more lively. A smile appeared on her face, aplete turnaround from the frozen expression she had earlier.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll pick a good one! Rui¡¯er is indeed a daughter of our Ling family. You are the most virtuous and gracious. Someone, bring me the gold phoenix head essories that His Majesty gave mest time and give them to Rui¡¯er.¡± The Empress Dowager smiled and turned around to give orders to the lead pce maid behind her.

    The Empress Dowager first beat up her target and then gave her target candy. She was indeed well versed in the fights at the back of the pce.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The lead pce maid left happily. She could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Anyway, she was most reluctant to see, as the Empress Dowager¡¯s personal maid, Ling Rui¡¯er fighting with the Empress Dowager.

    The tension in the room ceased. The Empress Dowager spoke with Ling Rui¡¯er dotingly. Consort Yu calmed down as well and continued to smile and chat. Theyughed as they spoke as if they had not argued at all earlier.

    The lead pce maid suddenly emerged from the back in a hurry. She walked up to the Empress Dowager¡¯s side and whispered in her ear. The Empress Dowager¡¯s expression immediately changed.

    There were a few people with sharp ears who heard, ¡°His Majesty... head essories...¡± They immediately looked at the Empress Dowager doubtfully. Did something happen to the set of head essories that the Empress Dowager wanted to give to Ling Rui¡¯er?

    ¡°No one is allowed to leave. Get the guards in here to check.¡± Said the Empress Dowager loudly. A furious glint shed in the Empress Dowager¡¯s eyes. Someone had dared to steal right under her nose.

    Everything immediately went silent in the pce. Everyone felt uneasy and they did not know what happened.

    The young madams anddies had never experienced something like having pce guards checking a ce. They were all shocked and frightened and did not know what to do. They nced at each other and did not speak.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the people here are all madams and youngdies. Is there a need to investigate?¡± Consort Yu persuaded the Empress Dowager softly. She had been seated beside the Empress Dowager and heard everything.

    Those present at Cining Pce today were all young noble women and beautiful youngdies from noble families. They were not people who could be searched at will. The Empress Dowager was very angry earlier that someone dared to steal in her pce. However, she came to her senses then and nodded to the pce maid.

    The lead pce maid walked up to the front of the pce and bowed to the women and youngdies present. She said loudly, ¡°The gold phoenix head essories that His Majesty gave to Her Majesty have disappeared. They¡¯re gifts from His Majesty. We have locked down Cining Pce. That set of head essories must be with one of you.¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty, we have not left this ce at all. How can anyone take the head essories His Majesty gave to Her Majesty?¡± A few of the bolder madams grumbled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve been sitting at this pce since we entered the pce. How could we have left?¡±

    A cold look appeared on the face of the lead pce maid. However, she appeared calm and said, ¡°Madams anddies, you all have not left. But what about the maids? Madam and Ladies, the set of head essories were given to the Empress Dowager personally by the Emperor. If someone has taken them, it is no petty crime. If any Madam or Lady saw them and liked them and took them to admire them, please return them quickly. If they¡¯re found on anyer, then it will be reported to His Majesty and he will handle it personally.¡±Read more chapter on vi p novel.

    With that, the madams and youngdies all panicked. The Empress Dowager had allowed them to bring their own maidservants into the pce this time. The madams and youngdies were all of noble births. Yet, they did not dare to tire out the pce maids of Cining Pce. As such, they had their own maidservants to serve tea and water.

    Some maids had never even been to the pce. When their mistresses told them they did not have to serve them by their sides, the maids all went out to admire the sights of Cining Pce. Not many would dare say that their maids had never moved away throughout the day.

    Everyone panicked and immediately called their maidservants to their sides. It was a mess. Mo Ye took this opportunity to return to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side silently.

    ¡°No, no, we did not take them.¡±

    ¡°I did not either.¡± Some of the madams already asked the servants beside them and hurried to answer.

    Who would have thought that something like this would happen when they just came to Cining Pce to chat with the Empress Dowager? The madams and youngdies present all felt regretful. If they knew something like this would happen, they would have made an excuse not toe.

    ¡°Since everyone said that they did not...¡± The lead pce maid¡¯s gaze slid from each and every person coldly. Her eyes turned sharp as she said, ¡°Then the guards will checkter. If they¡¯re found on someone here, then madams and youngdies, be a witness. When they¡¯re found, the person will be punished severely.¡±

    Everyone was shocked when they heard that. Stealing something used in the pce was a huge crime. No one dared to do that.

    ¡°Everyone present is either a youngdy or a madam. Is the Empress Dowager really going to have the guards search us?¡± You Yue¡¯e¡¯s expression changed greatly as well. She had always been the noble young mistress of the Duke¡¯s family. Even though her family had fallen now, she was also the legal consort of King Yan. How could she allow a man to touch her?

    ¡°But the essories were lost in Cining Pce. How dare the person steal right under the nose of the Empress Dowager. Wouldn¡¯t that person dare to harm the Emperor in his pce in the future!¡± The lead pce maidughed coldly.

    The lead pce made it sound serious. Harming the Emperor was a major crime that would implicate one¡¯s entire n. Who would dare to do something like that?

    ¡°But, that¡¯s very inappropriate...¡± You Yue¡¯e said with a frown.

    The lead pce maid already expected that someone would object. She intentionally thought for a while and then said, ¡°If everyone thinks that it is inappropriate, and considering the objections of the madams and youngdies, then we will bring the Empress Dowager¡¯s Ke¡¯er over and have it find them.¡±

    Ke¡¯er?

    Everyone was confused. However, they all could not help but heave a sigh of relief upon finding out that the guards would not be searching them.

    A eunuch from Cining Pce led an average-sized dog in. Even though it was notrge, it looked ferocious. If the eunuch did not hold on to it tightly, it would have already rushed over.

    Many timid madams and youngdies were already screaming in rm!

    This was the Empress Dowager¡¯s Ke¡¯er. This... its name was too adorable for it!

    The Empress Dowager sat high up on her seat in the pce. Even though there was a faint smile on her lips, her eyes were as cold as eyes. Someone had stolen her things without her noticing. Then, it would be easy for that person to take her life in the future. This made her feel angry and frustrated.

 Chapter 436 - Whose Sachet Is That?

    <h4>Chapter 436 Whose Sachet Is That?</h4>

    The Empress Dowager was filled with frustration and annoyance. She only wanted to find the person and was not interested in bestowing marriages upon the princes.

    The eunuch led the dog and allowed it to sniff at the box that used to contain the head essories. Then, starting from Ling Rui¡¯er, the dog continued down the line. The madams were all frightened and they stared at the dog.

    Suddenly, the dog stopped beside Mo Xuetong and started to bark. It was very loud and seemed as if it was going to leap on Mo Xuetong. Ling Rui¡¯er forced herself not to smile and pretended to shirk back in fear. She said, ¡°Consort Xuan, do you have something on you that caused the Empress Dowager¡¯s Ke¡¯er to be mistaken.¡±

    The dog continued to bark at Mo Xuetong. You Yue¡¯e smiled meanly at Mo Xuetong and said lightly, ¡°That¡¯s right. Consort Xuan, you didn¡¯t steal it, did you?¡±

    Suspicious nces showered upon Mo Xuetong. There were also nces of despising and cold disdain...

    ¡°Consort Xuan, is that a sachet at your waist? Why is Ke¡¯er barking at you?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said once more loudly, making a fuss. A cruel and vicious glint shed in her eyes. There was also a hint of satisfaction. Was her gift of clothing just a kind gesture? She wanted to see how Mo Xuetong was going to escape this time.

    Ling Rui¡¯er knew what kind of person the Empress Dowager was. She was benevolent on the surface but was actually vicious and heartless. If she found out that Mo Xuetong was the thief, Mo Xuetong would definitely die. Feng Yuran¡¯s reputation would also...

    The lead pce maid stared at Mo Xuetong and spoke harshly. ¡°Sachet? Consort Xuan, please remove your sachet.¡±

    Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes glimmered. There was also an additional hint of doubt. Fortunately, her goal was also to get rid of Mo Xuetong. As such, she only had to watch the show. It did not matter whether Mo Xuetong had done it or not. As long as the head essories were found on her, then she would be deemed the thief even if she weren¡¯t. After such an embarrassing show, no one would be able to save her then.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. She turned to look at Ling Rui¡¯er innocently and asked uneasily, ¡°Sister-inw Chu, didn¡¯t you give those to me? Did you do this?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯erughed coldly and retorted. ¡°I only gave you a few sets of clothes. What has it to do with the sachets? Furthermore, after I gave those to you, who knew what you did after entering the pce? Saying that I gave them to you at this moment seems a little far-fetched.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er had been prepared early on and was very confident. She had nned this out, which was why she sent someone to send clothes to Mo Xuetong. That was why the sachets had seemed weird no matter how she looked at them. People do gift clothing and sachets but never together.

    So the secret was inside. Once Mo Xuetong fell for Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s plot, and once an essory was found on her, then they would all think that she was the thief. Even if Feng Yuran supported her, her reputation would be destroyed. Then, she could only step down. Feng Yuran¡¯s power would fall significantly because of her. The reputation that he built for himself earlier would all be destroyed.

    That was interesting. This involved Feng Yuran. It seemed that Ling Rui¡¯er was not the only one who plotted this.

    Mo Xuetong nced at Ling Rui¡¯er who seemed confident that her plot had worked. She looked extremely arrogant. Mo Xuetong hid the ridicule in her eyes and smiled gently. She did not say anything else but reached out to remove the sachet at her waist and threw it casually at the lead pce maid.

    He Yufen and He Yuxiu looked on eagerly in the crowd. They did not expect Mo Xuetong to be dislodged from power so easily. King Xuan¡¯s Manor would belong to the He family in the future.

    The lead pce maid took the sachet and smiled coldly at Mo Xuetong. She ripped open the sachet and the spices inside scattered on the ground, releasing a strong fragrance. However, there wasn¡¯t a single piece of essory inside. Everyone was shocked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just some spices.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then why did the dog bark at Consort Xuan?¡±

    ¡°The dog might be wrong!¡± Everyone in the pce started to discuss what happened.

    ¡°How could it not be there. It has to... has to be there!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s pleased smile froze on her face as she looked at the spices on the floor incredulously. She squatted down and started rifling through it.

    The spicesid in a mess on the ground but there was nothing in the pile. Ling Rui¡¯er looked up to see everyone looking at her in shock and pretended toe back to her senses. She hurriedly exined, ¡°The dog was barking so ferociously... I thought the essories would definitely be here...¡±

    She stammered and sounded suspicious. On the tform, the Empress Dowager¡¯s expression grew cold and sinister.

    Mo Xuetong pointed at the spices on the ground and smiled gently. ¡°Sister-inw Chu, how did you know that they would definitely be in here?¡± However, her smile was a little cold.

    Ling Rui¡¯er started to sweat. She stood up and exined with a shocked expression. ¡°I... I saw the dog barking... It looked like...¡± She repeated herself over and over again, making her seem even more suspicious.

    Consort Yu and Consort Zhao who were looking at Mo Xuetong intently turned to look at Ling Rui¡¯er. In the end, they looked away. After all, Ling Rui¡¯er was the Empress Dowager¡¯s grandniece. It was not their ce to speak even if something were to happen. The incident had happened so suddenly they did not know who plotted it. Judging by the Empress Dowager¡¯s expression, it was not her work.

    Since it had nothing to do with them, they just had to watch the show.

    The lead pce maid bowed deeply to Mo Xuetong, devoid of any expression. This was considered an apology. Under such circumstances, Mo Xuetong would not be able to say anything else despite being Consort Xuan. After all, what was missing were gifts from the Emperor. As such, Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and did not fight with the lead pce maid.

    The lead pce maid made the eunuch continue the search with the dog.

    Ling Rui¡¯er did not give up. She bent down and examined Mo Xuetong¡¯s sachet again. She poured out almost all the spices in the sachet and pulled out every thread. The clothes she gifted Mo Xuetong had all been smeared with the same fragrance powder as the gold phoenix head essories. Even though it was faint, the dog would be able to smell it.

    Could it be that Mo Xuetong did not wear those clothes? Ling Rui¡¯er could not remember how the clothes looked like anymore.

    ¡°Why did nothing happen to her?¡± He Yuxiu asked He Yufen softly. She pointed in the direction of Mo Xuetong. They had gloated earlier and thought that Mo Xuetong was done for. Who would have thought that Mo Xuetong would be fine? It was so depressing.

    ¡°Who knows? But it¡¯s alright. When I enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she will be in trouble even if she¡¯s fine now.¡± He Yufen¡¯s eyes glowed sinisterly as she smiled. She could not help but feel excited when she thought of how she would be King Xuan¡¯s second consort after today. Consort Zhao had already agreed to get rid of Mo Xuetong once He Yufen entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She would then be the legal consort. In the future, she might even be...

    The more she thought about it, the more excited she felt. He Yufen wrung her handkerchief tightly to stop herself fromughing. She turned around with a pleased expression, wanting to see if Consort Zhao was going to give her any hints. Suddenly, a ck figure rushed up at her. Before she could react, she was thrown onto the ground and issued an earth-shattering scream.

    ¡°Help!¡±

    Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to her sharp scream!

    They all saw He Yufen who had fallen over because the dog had leaped at her. He Yuxiu was so frightened that she huddled in a corner, shaking. She could not even help He Yufen up.

    The dog tore at He Yufen¡¯s clothes and tore them wide open. Not only were her clothes a mess, but even her belly-band was also revealed.

    ¡°Help. Consort Zhao, help!¡± He Yufen yelled, losing the gentle image she always projected.

    Consort Zhao stood up with the help of a pce maid. She did not care about anything else and yelled, ¡°Quick, quick, pull the dog away.¡±

    The lead pce maid looked at He Yufen coldly. He Yufen was screaming and looked pathetic and unkempt. The lead pce maid waved her hand and gestured for the eunuch to pull the dog away. The ground was littered with clothes and hair essories. The dog continued barking. Even though it was restrained, it still tried to jump on He Yufen.

    He Yufen was so frightened that she was shaking. She could not even stand up.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°They look like a pair of earrings. They¡¯re so sparkly.¡±

    ¡°Why is it hidden in the sachet? Are they the pair of earrings that were stolen?¡± Everyone looked at the hair essories scattered on the ground. Between the belt, was a beautifully and exquisitely embroidered sachet. It had been torn to bits by the dog, revealing a pair of glittering earrings inside. There was a small but clear phoenix decorating the earrings.

    He Yufen was helped up by her maid. She was arranging her clothes with her head down when she heard the exmation from the crowd. She looked up hurriedly, not knowing what happened. However, why was everyone looking at her with disdain and scorn? She looked at what everyone was looking at on the ground and saw two hidden earrings in the torn sachet.

    She immediately eximed, ¡°No... They¡¯re not mine... They¡¯re not mine.¡± She was extremely shocked. Her face was so pale there wasn¡¯t a hint of blood on it. She suddenly raised a trembling hand and pointed at Mo Xuetong. She said, ¡°It¡¯s you. You gave me the clothes. You must have been the one to put them inside.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at the sachet on the ground indifferently and then at Ling Rui¡¯er who had stood up earlier. Ling Rui¡¯er had a simr shocked and nervous expression on her face. She smiled lightly and said, ¡°First Miss He, Consort Chu already said earlier that the things were handed to you. Why would you ask me about it? Consort Chu was the one who gave that set of clothes to me. Of course, I am not saying that Consort Chu wishes to frame you. You¡¯ve been inside the pce for some time. Who knows what you did after entering the pce? Saying that I gave that to you is a little far-fetched, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    This was what Ling Rui¡¯er had said earlier. However, no one could retort in this situation.

    Earlier, when Ling Rui¡¯er had said that, no one had stood up for Mo Xuetong. Of course, no one would stand up for the He sisters now either. Furthermore, no one recognized which noble family they were from. As such, they watched the situation develop. The trip to Cining Pce today was too thrilling.

    Things happened one after another.

    On the tform, the Empress Dowager¡¯s expression grew even colder and darker.

    The lead pce maid asked coldly. ¡°First Miss He, where did you get this pair of earrings?¡±

    Consort Zhao hurried off the tform. Consort Yu stayed on the tform, her hand stretched over her stomach. The matter did not involve her but she did not expect it to concern Consort Zhao. Consort Yu¡¯s eyes glittered and she leaned back to rx with a slight smile. The show was getting more and more interesting.

    He Yufen calmed down slightly when she saw Consort Zhao approaching. She pointed at Mo Xuetong and angrily said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her. Cousin-inw gave it to me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked aggrieved. She nced at Ling Rui¡¯er and then at He Yufen, looking as if she did not know what she had done wrong.

    Everyone followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze as she looked between Ling Rui¡¯er and He Yufen!

    Ling Rui¡¯er had no reason to frame First Miss He. But what about Mo Xuetong? The only person in court who could fight against King Chu was King Xuan, who had once been an idle yboy. Was Consort Chu trying to frame and get rid of Consort Xuan!

    When the inheritance of the throne was in question, everything would be moreplicated.

    Some people began to look at Ling Rui¡¯er with thoughtful nces.

    Consort Zhao asked He Yufen sharply as she stood in front of the girl. ¡°Fen¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, it really wasn¡¯t me. This set of clothes, this sachet, they are all Consort Xuan¡¯s...¡± He Yufen said angrily as she pointed at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Shut up. This sachet is a different color from your clothes. Why is it with you?¡± Consort Zhao yelled and pointed at the sachet.

    There was no use in saying all that now. Mo Xuetong was destined to not be involved in this matter. The matter would only be moreplicated as more people were involved. Consort Zhao only wanted to help He Yufen extricate herself from this matter. Anyway, she had been found with the earrings. If there was no one to be punished for the theft, then He Yufen would be punished.

    He Yufen was the best card Consort Zhao had right now. How could Consort Zhao allow her to get into trouble!

    ¡°Consort Zhao, so this is your niece. She has been found with the earrings. What else do you have to say?¡± The lead pce maid of the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce looked at Consort Zhao coldly.

    She was the lead pce maid of the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. She had served the Empress Dowager since the Empress Dowager entered the pce. Everyone in Cining Pce called her ¡°Aunt¡±. Ordinary pce maids did not dare to offend her, which was why she had the courage to scold Consort Zhao.

    He Yufen said urgently subconsciously. ¡°This... This sachet isn¡¯t mine!¡±

 Chapter 437 - The Strange Truth, Punishment On the Younger Sister Instead Of Elder Sister

    <h4>Chapter 437 The Strange Truth, Punishment On the Younger Sister Instead Of Elder Sister</h4>

    Consort Zhao ignored the lead pce maid. She looked at the lead pce maid coldly and then asked in a cold voice. ¡°Whose is it?¡±

    The lead pce maid was startled by her cold eyes. She realized that the person in front of her was Emperor¡¯s favorite consort, so she didn¡¯t say anything and stepped back to let Consort Zhao ask.

    He Yufen turned her head around in ordance with the tone of Consort Zhao. ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s... it¡¯s Second Sister¡¯s.¡± Suddenly, she saw He Yuxiu, who pretended to be frightened in the crowd but actuallyughed in a mean way. She felt a little bit of hatred in her heart, and subconsciously answered with her teeth clenched.

    It seemed that she couldn¡¯t me it on Mo Xuetong this time. Then let He Yuxiu take the me!

    Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes also fell on He Yuxiu. ¡°Is it your Second Sister¡¯s?¡±

    Everyone looked at He Yuxiu¡¯s clothes and at the sachet on the floor. Both of them were of the same color and cloth. They were all from the same set. They could not help but scream in surprise.

    He Yuxiu was watching a good show, so she didn¡¯te to help He Yufen. When she thought that He Yufen was soon going to ruin her reputation, her uncle and father would have no choice but to send herself to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she wascent. Since He Yufen was in trouble, she herself would be the only choice. Even if her reputation was smeared before, it would be better than that of He Yufen, who stole the Empress Dowager Dowager¡¯s golden phoenix head essories.

    Weighing the pros and cons, she decided to choose the less serious one, and she would steadily be King Xuan¡¯s Consort. How could she not be overjoyed when she thought of this?

    Therefore, she did not have the slightest intention to help He Yufen exin. Instead, she hoped that the more miserable He Yufen ended up today, the better. It would be better if He Yufen could be sentenced to death directly, so that she would finally see the hope she deserved. As for Yu Mingyong, it was not a problem at all. She believed that her father and uncle would have a lot of ways to let the libertine take the initiative to cancel the engagement.

    Suddenly, she saw that everyone was looking at her as Consort Zhao looked at her. She immediately felt that something was wrong and her back was covered with cold sweat. She stood up and waved her hand hurriedly, saying, ¡°Your Highness, that sachet is not mine. I didn¡¯t take them.¡±

    There was no emotion in Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes as she looked at He Yuxiu coldly. ¡°If it¡¯s not yours, why did it appear in your elder sister¡¯s hands?¡±

    He Yufen, who had received Consort Zhao¡¯s hint, came to her senses. ¡°It¡¯s you. Second Sister, it¡¯s you. No wonder you gave me this sachet. You, how could you do this?¡± She pointed at He Yuxiu and said miserably. Tears were falling from her eyes drop by drop, which made her look both shocked and painful.

    He Yuxiu¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°It¡¯s not me... It¡¯s not me, it¡¯s you, it¡¯s you.¡± Her lips trembled and she couldn¡¯t say a word. She almost couldn¡¯t stand up straight. The great fear made her almost unable to speak. She never thought that this thing would happen to her.

    Consort Zhao looked at He Yuxiu with a gentle face and sighed. She seemed to be disappointed at He Yuxiu¡¯s dishonest behaviors. ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how can you envy your sister so much and do such a thing? It¡¯s a great sin. Go to beg the Empress Dowager. You are still young and ignorant, so she¡¯ll...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s really not me, it¡¯s really not me.¡± He Yuxiu pushed aside the maidservant who supported her and knelt down in front of Consort Zhao, crying and sobbing, ¡°Your Highness, it really has nothing to do with me. It¡¯s Elder Sister, she...¡±

    Consort Zhao shook her head and sighed as if she didn¡¯t hear what He Yuxiu said. ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how could you do such a thing?¡± She didn¡¯t want to ask anymore, so she turned around and walked to the high tform with the help of the pce maid.

    Behind her, He Yuxiu looked at Consort Zhao in disbelief. Then, she looked at He Yufen with a look of hopelessness and hatred in her eyes.

    After He Yufen¡¯s ident, the two them actually wanted to push all the me to herself.

    Consort Zhao knelt down in front of Empress Dowager with tears on her face. ¡°Your Majesty, my niece is young and immature. I thought it was just a dispute between sisters. Who knew that it would turn out to be like this? It¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t teach them well. Your Majesty, please punish me.¡± Her words were miserable and sad, and she looked gentle, as if she wanted to take all the me herself.

    It should be He Yuxiu who took it. Consort Yu¡¯s face darkened. She knew that this second miss of the He family would marry her younger brother soon. Furthermore, it was said that the two had met in private once before. Her younger brother was very satisfied with the second miss of the He family. However, He Yuxiu¡¯s current situation would indeed implicate Yu Mingyong.

    Consort Yu couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Your Majesty, there¡¯s something wrong with this matter. It¡¯s obvious that the sachet fell from the elder sister. Why did the younger sister be involved? Sister Zhao, they are both my nieces. You can handle this ording to the truth.¡±

    Consort Zhao followed Consort Yu¡¯s words and sighed. ¡°Sister Yu, it¡¯s all my fault. Thest time when I saw the sisters, I gave the elder one a big pair of jade bracelets and the younger one a pair of earrings. Maybe because she saw the jade bracelets were better than earrings, Xiu¡¯er was a little upset. And she wanted to strive for a higher status too. She just came to the capital and didn¡¯t how to behave. She must have wanted to embarrass her sister, but she didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d get into such trouble. It was all because she¡¯s too young and hasn¡¯t seen the world yet.¡±

    Consort Yu liked the way she put it. The girl was young and ignorant; she did not really want to harm her sister. It was just that when you were young, you would try to win. It would not be a big deal if the matter was resolved like this.

    Consort Yu turned to Empress Dowager with a relieved smile. It was up to Empress Dowager whether the matter would be big or small. It was all up to Empress Dowager. ¡°Your Majesty, what do you think?¡±

    Since Consort Zhao didn¡¯t really want to put all the me on He Yuxiu, she could at least help the girl a little.

    The Empress Dowager suddenly said coldly, ¡°Take the second miss of the He family away and send her to the Emperor.¡± Then Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and looked at He Yuxiu. Then Empress Dowager fixed her eyes on Ling Rui¡¯er. Ignoring the two consorts in front of her, Empress Dowager turned around and held the lead pce maid to walk in.

    ¡°Is she going to be severely investigated and punished?¡±

    Everyone looked at the two consorts on the high tform in astonishment; they had a few more ns in their minds. Two eunuchs came over, grabbed He Yuxiu¡¯s hand, and dragged her out.

    Although He Yuxiu was dragged out, she still turned around and red at He Yufen. ¡°He Yufen, it¡¯s you. It¡¯s you who framed me. I won¡¯t let you go. I won¡¯t let you go for life...¡± Her two hands were grabbing something in the air. Her voice was sharp and full of hatred. Her hair was in a mess and her expression was fierce like that of a ghost.

    It made people shudder with fear when they saw it.

    The voice finally disappeared outside the hall, and there was a strange silence inside.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly looked up and met Consort Zhao¡¯s cold eyes. Mo Xuetong did not dodge but faintly smiled. However, her smile was chilly to the bone. Sometimes, everyone knew something, but there was no need to make it clear...

    Such a big event happened in Cining Pce. Soon it spread to the whole pce and everyone one was talking about it. Those misses who attended the meeting didn¡¯t have any fancy ideas anymore. They just wanted to get out of the mess and went home in a hurry. However, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t leave. She went back to the imperial garden and stayed there for a while, saying that she would wait for Feng Yuran to pick her up and go back together with him.

    Mo Ye said that she was going to find Feng Yuran and went to Caiwei Pce quietly. She left behind something and secretly returned to the imperial garden. She only said that she could not find King Xuan in a short time. Mo Xuetong had no choice but to bring her two maidservants out of the pce.

    They had just walked halfway when they heard an angry bellow from behind them. ¡°Mo Xuetong, stop.¡± They turned around and saw Ling Rui¡¯er rushing over angrily.

    Mo Xuetong stopped and gently asked, ¡°Sister-inw, what can I do for you?¡±

    However, the smiling face looked so annoying in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes. Feeling an unexpected anger welling inside, she walked up to Mo Xuetong in a few steps and said with a cold smile, ¡°Mo Xuetong, you are really good at hiding your talents!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew even more gentle. The sarcasm in her eyes grew even more intense. Because she had not been implicated, she had be a person who had hidden her true strength. Could she only be considered innocent and upright when she had been injured? Ling Rui¡¯er had thought that everyone should be a toy in her palm. She wanted everyone to die as she pleased.

    She turned around and walked up to Ling Rui¡¯er. She smiled and said, ¡°My Lady, I call you Sister-inw because King Xuan is King Chu¡¯s younger brother. But why are you calling me Mo Xuetong when ites to me? I don¡¯t know where My Lady got the courage to y the tricks in front of Empress Dowager. Did Duke Ding know what you¡¯ve done?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was almost mad at Mo Xuetong¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°Mo Xuetong, you...¡± She thought of what happened today. It was a coincidence. She had calcted so well and even used the Ding General Manor¡¯s secret pieces. In the end, she had again let Mo Xuetong escape safely.

    Mo Xuetong pointed to a corner of the imperial garden. ¡°My Lady, you don¡¯t have to make a fuss every time. Do you really think that others have to be your stepping stones? You were so arrogant before you became Lady Chu, but you¡¯re still so arrogant now. Look at how your arrogant elder sister ended up, and you can tell what kind of person one should be. Look, is the lead pce maid of the Cining Pceing over? Did Her Majesty want you and ask you to give her an exnation?¡± The lead pce maid of the Cining Pce hurried over with a few eunuchs.

    ¡°Think about it with that stupid head of yours. What¡¯s important for you now is how to escape Her Majesty¡¯s punishment.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry that she did not know what to say. She red at Mo Xuetong hatefully, gritted her teeth, and said, ¡°You, how dare you...¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and mocked Ling Rui¡¯er without mercy. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? If you want to harm me, would I have to wash my neck clean and wait for you to kill me? Ling Rui¡¯er, you¡¯ve really gotten into big trouble this time. I hope His Highness still has some affection for you and will save you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be in trouble this time!¡± Then, she pushed Ling Rui¡¯er away and ignored her.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was not on guard. She was pushed back two steps away and almost fell. Her two maidservants hurried to support her.

    The two maidservants asked with fear, looking at the lead pce maid who was looking at them with an unfriendly look not far away. ¡°My Lady, what should we do now?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er gritted her teeth and did not dare to stay in the imperial garden any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She turned to another door and walked out of the pce. She really felt guilty. If the Empress Dowager knew that this matter had something to do with her, Her Majesty would definitely not spare her.

    In Consort Yu¡¯s Caiwei Pce, Consort Yu rubbed her belly and red angrily at her personal pce maid Caining. She said resentfully, ¡°Did you really hear it clearly?¡±

    Caining answered quickly, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t get angry. Be careful not to hurt the little prince in your belly. I heard it clearly. Consort Zhao¡¯s pce maids said it. I was about to serve your ginseng chicken soup when the two of them walked past with smiles.¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s face was livid with anger. She opened her eyes wide and held her belly with one hand, gasping for air. ¡°He Suzhao, how dare you plot against my younger brother. I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Caining hurriedly came up to pat her on the back. She yelled hurriedly, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, don¡¯t be angry. You still have the little prince in your belly. Consort Zhao can¡¯t bepared to you at all. You have to take care of yourself. Don¡¯t let anything happen to you. Otherwise, who will Sir Yu depend on in the future?¡±

 Chapter 438 - Cards on the Table, Aunt Deals with the Nephew in the Cining Palace

    <h4>Chapter 438 Cards on the Table, Aunt Deals with the Nephew in the Cining Pce</h4>

    Consort Yu managed to catch her breath with the support of Caining. She took the tea handed over by the pce maid and took two gulps of it before she recovered. She felt weak and knew that she couldn¡¯t be angry at this time. She took a few deep breaths and gradually stabilized her breathing.

    Consort Yu gritted her teeth. Her expression was vicious and fierce. ¡°Caining, get someone to summon my younger brother into the pce. Tell him that I¡¯m not feeling well. Ask him to find some ginseng roots of age and send them to the pce.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get someone to inform Sir Yu right now. Your Highness, please calm down,¡± Caining said, trying to cate Consort Yu. She was afraid that something bad might happen to herdy. She then reminded again, ¡°Your Highness, you have to pay attention to the little prince in your belly. You mustn¡¯t be angry anymore!¡±

    There was a faint hatred in Consort Yu¡¯s eyes. She sat down again and took a deep breath. ¡°How can I not be angry!¡±

    How could she not be angry? Consort Zhao had dared to bully her. It turned out that there was such a story behind He Yuxiu¡¯s marrying her younger brother in ce of He Yufen. Her younger brother was framed by He family and caused an embarrassing thing. Then, they changed the bride to He Yuxiu who had a bad reputation in the pce. They had really regarded her younger brother as a sucker. How could Consort Yu, who had always thought highly of herself, not grit her teeth from anger?

    No wonder although her younger brother had always behaved indecently, the news of him did not spread in the entire city. She thought of how she had been reprimanded by the Emperor when her younger brother had gotten into troublest time. From then on, Consort Yu had been holding a grudge against Consort Zhao.

    Consort Zhao had deliberately said that she wanted a marriage with Consort Yu¡¯s family and wanted to marry her most beloved niece to Mingyong. Unexpectedly, soon, things changed and she decided to marry her younger niece. She had really regarded Consort Yu and Mingyong as fools. Now, Consort Yu¡¯s silly younger brother was probably still thanking the He family. She was really hateful.

    Standing up, Consort Yu paced around a few times. Suddenly, she asked Caining, who had returned to the pce, ¡°Where is His Majesty now?¡±

    Caining hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°I heard that His Majesty went to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce. I think he should still be there now.¡± When she went out to fetch the soup earlier, she saw the Emperor¡¯s carriage heading for the Cining Pce from afar. Thinking about the mess in Empress Dowager¡¯s ce, she thought the Emperor would definitely not be able to get out in a while.

    Consort Yu looked down and said coldly, ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on it. Remember to inform me first if His Majesty returns to the imperial study.¡± She already had a n in her mind. No matter what would happen, she would not let that slut have the advantage.

    Caining tugged at Consort Yu¡¯s sleeve anxiously. ¡°Your Highness, you mustn¡¯t be rash. Even if you go toin about Consort Zhao now, there is no evidence. The two pce maids wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything bad about Consort Zhao.¡±

    She was Consort Yu¡¯s personal maidservant and had entered the pce with her. Caining¡¯s rtionship with Consort Yu was naturally different from that of others. She was afraid that Consort Yu would have such thoughts. Even though Consort Yu was pregnant with the Emperor¡¯s child, Caining knew exactly what was going on. A mother was noble because of her son. Consort Yu had been banished to the Cold Pce a while ago. If not for the one in her belly, she would not even have a chance toe out alive.

    It was said that Consort Zhao had been doted on for 10 years. Caining was really worried that Consort Yu would go against her regardless of anything.

    Consort Yu said with a cold smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Caining. Rest assured, I won¡¯t be rash.¡±

    Caining heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the anger on Consort Yu¡¯s face slowly subside. She nodded and went to serve Consort Yu with soup.

    Before Mo Xuetong could leave the pce, she saw Feng Yuran hurrying over with a few eunuchs. His eyes, which had always beenzy, were filled with a hint of viciousness. He lifted his eyes slightly and his handsome face was as dark as water. His entire body was filled with aloof sharpness and his purple skirts fluttered in the air. He was in such a hurry that he seemed not able to wait for the eunuchs behind him.

    Mo Xuetong really had never seen Feng Yuran like this before. She could not help but be shocked when she saw this. She thought that something big had happened and hurried up to greet him.

    Mo Xuetong looked behind him and asked gently, blinking her watery eyes. ¡°Your Highness, what happened?¡±

    Feng Yuran stopped when he saw Mo Xuetong standing at the entrance of the garden. He looked at her up and down as if he wanted to see what was different about her. When he could see that she was fine, a beautiful smile appeared on his face. He smiled like a blooming flower, taking everyone¡¯s breath away in the blink of an eye.

    His beauty was so charming that it seemed to be carved in absolute allure. It could make people drunk at a nce.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Xuetong hurriedly looked away and scolded him in her heart: He¡¯s really a devil. However, there was a sweet smile on her face. She knew that he was fine when she saw how he was as evil as usual. Did he be so abnormal because he¡¯s worried about her? She felt warm in her heart as if she had drunk honey.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful lips curled up into a smile. ¡°What can possibly be wrong? I just want to see if you have returned to the manor. I don¡¯t have anything else to do now. You can return with me.¡± He walked over and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. His smile grew even wider. His ink-colored hair fluttered in the wind and blew across his handsome face.

    Mo Xuetong did not break free and allowed him to take her small hand obediently. ¡°Alright!¡± She followed him and walked out with him.

    The wide sleeves blocked their hands holding each other. However, Mo Xuetong knew that his hand was holding her tightly. His hand, which had always been warm and gentle, was actually a little sweaty. Feng Yuran must have been worried about her! When she thought of this, her hand gently took the initiative to hold his hand. The corners of her lips lifted subconsciously. It seemed that as long as she had him by her side, she would feel a sense of peace and tranquility.

    The carriage had already stopped outside the pce gate. Feng Yuran helped Mo Xuetong onto the carriage, and he followed her to board.

    When the curtains fell, he reached out to grab Mo Xuetong, who was leaning on the side, and held her in his arms. His eyes slowly cooled down and he said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, did Ling Rui¡¯er secretly frame you?¡±

    This happened in the harem, and it happened not long ago. Feng Yuran already knew about it.

    However, Mo Xuetong was no longer surprised about Feng Yuran¡¯s being well-informed. She nodded and leaned against himfortably. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Ling Rui¡¯er can¡¯t harm me. It¡¯s alright now.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s expression darkened and cold frost covered his beautiful face. ¡°The Ding General Manor is really too bold. They have been provoking me again and again. Do they really think I have no means...¡± His phoenix eyes were clear and cold, and there was a bloodthirsty coldness in them. Mo Xuetong knew that he was really angry and did not even try to pretend. He really cared about her! As such, she must not let him worry.

    ¡°Yuran, I can handle this matter. You don¡¯t have to help me. You don¡¯t have to worry about women in the back courtyard.¡± Mo Xuetong tugged at his hand cutely. Her voice was sweet and cute. ¡°You can rest assured that I can handle it. If I can¡¯t handle it, I will definitely ask you to help me.¡±

    The battle in the back courtyard was a battle between women. Mo Xuetong did not wish for Feng Yuran to spend too much energy in the back courtyard. Since she did not wish for Feng Yuran to continue on the tragic path of hisst life, she had to apany him further and steadily. She should be a good wife to help him even more.

    Even though Feng Yuran knew that Mo Xuetong was speaking the truth, he was still upset. He thought about it and tugged on his long ck hair that had fallen down. Then, he asked devilishly, ¡°Do you want me to teach Ding General Manor a lesson for you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hit a woman in their family, but I can hit a man, right? I have to get revenge for Tong¡¯er.¡±

    Even he couldn¡¯t bear to let his Tong¡¯er get angry, and those people dared to hurt and frame her again and again. Did they really think that he was a person who had no temper?

    After making up his mind, he felt a little more relieved in his heart.

    However, he was still worried and repeatedly reminded her. ¡°Don¡¯t be so rash in the future. Remember to tell me first if anything is up.¡± When he heard that the Empress Dowager, Ling Rui¡¯er, Consort Yu, and Consort Zhao all had ill intentions toward her, he was so anxious that he almost directly rushed to Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce.

    If his father¡¯s secret guard hadn¡¯t told him everything was fer, he wouldn¡¯t have been polite to the Empress Dowager at this time. She had enjoyed the worship of his father, and also acted as the Empress Dowager of a country. She was so stupid that she even dared to take away his father¡¯s country. He really didn¡¯t know whether the Empress Dowager felt too proud or she thought King Ning was too powerful. She dared to plot a rebellion. Moreover, she felt so natural in doing so.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he was angry just now and knew that he was worried about her. She hurried to appease him with a sweet smile and answered obediently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll listen to you from now on.¡± The corners of her lips curled up sweetly in a ce Feng Yuran could not see.

    The Empress Dowager did not find Ling Rui¡¯er. She sent for Duke Ding, Ling Zhen.

    There were only two people, the aunt and the nephew, in therge hall. The noble Empress Dowager sat on the high chair coldly and looked at the person who knelt on the ground. She suddenly picked up a cup of tea on the table and threw it on the ground. She said angrily, ¡°What are you thinking? Are you thinking of helping Feng Yuxuan onto the throne now? Are the two going to thank you when your support jumps between Feng Yulei and Feng Yuxuan?¡±

    When the teacup fell to the ground, it made a crisp nging sound.

    Empress Dowager¡¯s expression was one of extreme seriousness.

    First, she listened to the Empress¡¯s suggestion to support Feng Yulei. Now that she saw that Feng Yulei couldn¡¯t make it, she wanted to turn to Feng Yuxuan. The Empress Dowager and Duke Ding had hidden something from each other before. This was the first time that they had expressed their thoughts in in words. It was also the first time that she had been candid with Duke Ding Manor.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s expression turned a little green when she thought of how Ling Rui¡¯er could even get people to y some small tricks in her own pce.

    The weak Ling Rui¡¯er would not be able to touch the people in her pce. The people in the Cining Pce were all her trusted subordinates. Outsiders would not be able to interfere even if they wanted to. However, the Ding General Manor could. This was because Duke Ding sent these people in for her. Only Duke Ding¡¯s people could order them.

    The Empress Dowager ignored Consort Yu¡¯s and Consort Zhao¡¯s words about what happened in the main hall and went easy on He Yuxiu, because she couldn¡¯t allow outsiders to know Ling Rui¡¯er did it. After all, Ling Rui¡¯er was Duke Ding¡¯s daughter and Empress Dowager herself was also a daughter of the previous Duke Ding. They came from the same Ling family.

    If people found Ling Rui¡¯er did it, then the Ding General Manor would be in trouble too!

    The Empress Dowager would never do such a thing as pulling one strand of the hair could affect the entire body.

    Seeing Empress Dowager angry, Duke Ding gathered himself and exined. ¡°Your Majesty, I... didn¡¯t mean that.¡±

    The Empress Dowager looked at Duke Ding with sharp eyes and pressed him step by step. ¡°Then what did you mean? Ling Rui¡¯er framed someone in my pce today and used me as a weapon. The daughter of the Ling General Manor is really something. If the Emperor finds out that this matter has something to do with Ding General Manor, neither you nor my family will stay out of trouble. You don¡¯t think Empress can still put in a good word for you in front of the Emperor now, do you?¡±

    She could not allow the Duke¡¯s Manor to roam around any longer.

    ¡°Empress Duke Ding didn¡¯t expect that Ling Rui¡¯er was so bold that she dared to mobilize people in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce to frame King Xuan¡¯s Consort, which aroused the Empress Dowager¡¯s anger. At this time, he also felt so angry that he gritted his teeth. ¡°Your Majesty, Rui¡¯er is really young and ignorant. I will teach her a good lesson when I go back. Such a thing will never happen again.¡±

 Chapter 439 - Ding General Manor Swayed between Two Palaces

    <h4>Chapter 439 Ding General Manor Swayed between Two Pces</h4>

    Seeing that he was still talking about other things, Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and pped hard on the table. She red at Duke Ding and said angrily, ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er, a little girl, has no ability to touch the people in my pce. Does she want to die? She even dares tomand the people in the royal pce. Does she think that Feng Yuxuan is the master of the royal pce now? Even if she is the mistress of the royal pce, do you think that she can be the Empress of the Central Pce and secure another empress position for Ding General Manor?¡±

    Her words were extremely direct and she had almost pointed at their noses, using Duke Ding Manor of being ill-intentioned. Duke Ding wanted to stand up and exin, but was too scared that his legs softened. He knelt on the ground and pleaded in a low voice, ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t say anything like that. There is no such thought in Ding General Manor.¡±

    This was a serious charge that could lead to the killing of the entire n!

    Duke Ding did not expect the usually calm Empress Dowager to say something like this. In a moment of panic, he started to speak incoherently.

    Empress Dowager snorted coldly. She unconsciously lowered her voice and said in a cold voice, ¡°Whether there is such a thought, you know it clearly in your heart. I know that you have always loved your sister, so you always stand on her side. If there is really hope for King Yan, I will not say anything. After all, the child also has the blood of our Ling family. I am willing to see the child with the blood of the Ling family take the position. But now, you see, is it still possible for King Yan in the court when he¡¯s directly grounded?¡±

    There was no such thing as a time limit on Feng Yulei¡¯s being grounded. Judging from how the Emperor had not mentioned it recently, it seemed as if he hadpletely forgotten about the son of his. Duke Ding turned to his daughter and son-inw because of this. If Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s belly lived up to his expectation, there would be an emperor with the blood of the Ling family. How could they not be interested in it?

    Duke Ding had his own ns. King Xuan, Feng Yuzhen, really had a distant blood lineage! When Feng Yuzhen seeded to the throne, they would not even be considered a family where the royal uncle came. The Empress Dowager was also old. If Empress Dowager were gone, the rtionship between the Ling family and Feng Yuzhen would be broken. With her age, how could Empress Dowager ensure that Ding General Manor would be able to enjoy wealth for decades toe!

    However, in front of Empress Dowager, he couldn¡¯t say these words after all. As such, Duke Ding lowered his head and tried to muddle through it. He replied. ¡°Your Majesty is right. I was too confused in the past. After I return, I will discuss it with the people in my n. I will definitely not take the wrong path again.¡±

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s expression slightly softened when she saw that he had admitted defeat. She nodded and gestured for him to sit down by the side. The lead pce maid who hid behind the curtains brought tea back and left.

    ¡°If the Empress hadn¡¯t thought too much and married Fengyan to King Yan, there wouldn¡¯t have been so many things. In the end, we even lost King Yan. It can be seen that the Empress was not far-sighted and didn¡¯t have a good grasp of the people¡¯s hearts. Even King Yan, who was in her hands, was dissatisfied with her so they made such a scene. You Ding General Manor is the parents¡¯ home of me and the Empress. Only when I and the Empress are well will you be fine. Now King Yan has lost his power. Only if you stand on the same side with me, can you keep the Ding General Manor prosperous for hundreds of years.¡±

    The Empress Dowager seemed to be trying her best to analyze. Her sharp eyes were fixed on Duke Ding. The Buddha Beads in her hands were rotating slightly. There was only her gloomy voice in the hall, apanied by the sound of the Buddha beads turning. It made one feel repressed and depressed. Duke Ding was sweating profusely in the head.

    He nodded his head repeatedly.

    Coming out of the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce, Duke Ding was nearly soaked in sweat. Standing at the door of the Cining Pce, he tried to dry the sweat and then frowned. The Empress Dowager¡¯s intention was obvious. She asked Duke Ding to help King Ning ascend the throne with the whole family¡¯s power. However, King Ning wasn¡¯t like the other princes. Those princes were at least right and legitimate in doing so. However, helping this once was really usurping the throne. Duke Ding didn¡¯t know what was wrong with the Empress Dowager.

    Once the rebellion failed, there would be an extermination of the entire n.

    Even if it seeded, King Ning would still have his own uncle¡¯s family and his empress¡¯s family. Ding General Manor was a mother¡¯s family of Empress Dowager. How much benefit could it gain from it! The more he thought about it, the more Duke Ding felt it not worthy. With his currentprehensive strength, even if he didn¡¯t go further, Duke Ding wouldn¡¯t fall from power even if he just stood on the spot.

    ¡°No, I have to think about it carefully.¡±

    Frowning, he walked out of the Cining Pce. He thought about it as he walked. Not long after he left, he saw the Empress¡¯ personal maid standing by the side of the road anxiously. When she saw that Duke Ding came out, she came up and curtsied to him happily. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re finally out. Her Highness wants to meet you.¡±

    Duke Ding was feeling upset and wanted to find someone to analyze it. Now, when he heard the Empress called, he immediately nodded. It was still in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce and it was not a ce to talk. Therefore, he didn¡¯t say anything and followed the pce maid to the Empress¡¯s pce.

    At the door of the Cining Pce, a Empress Dowager¡¯s maid hurried in.

    The Empress Dowager was sitting alone on therge rosewood bed exquisitely carved with Buddha carvings. When she heard the pce maid reporting that Duke Ding had already gone to Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce, extreme anger filled her eyes. Her hands clenched into fists and she could not help but tremble. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

    The pce maid was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward tofort her. ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t be angry. Maybe His Highness is simply going to visit the Empress. Think about it. The Empress is His Highness¡¯s younger sister. It¡¯s natural if he goes to the pce to see his younger sister.¡±

    Empress Dowager cursed angrily. ¡°If he really wants to see his sister, why does he have to go at this moment? Idiot, he¡¯s really an idiot. I said so much to him just now, but he didn¡¯t even listen to one single word of mine. How do I not know what the Empress thinks? But, look, I didn¡¯t even know it when they set people in my pce. I don¡¯t know how many things they have hidden from me. The Empress used me to make a name for Ding General Manor, and at the same time, she secretly tried to plot against me. What a good n!¡±

    She was scolding the Empress and Duke Ding. The pce maid did not dare to reply. She just massaged the Empress Dowager¡¯s chest carefully and tried to use pleasant words to persuade Empress Dowager.

    She patted therge bed beside her. Then, she thought of how the Empress failed to influence the Emperor and how the Ling family had plotted. As the Empress Dowager of a country, even people around her had betrayed her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Soon, the anger was ignited and she almost could not control it.

    ¡°Well, well, since she doesn¡¯t care about me and wants to fight with me, I¡¯ll let her know that it¡¯s very difficult to hold the throne of the Empress without a son. Without my help, she, the Empress, is nothing.¡±

    The Empress Dowager scolded with a ferocious expression. She gritted her teeth. She felt that not only had the Ding General Manor failed to live up to her expectations, but even the Empress who had served her well in the past had dared to plot against her. Now, even some junior from the Ding General Manor tried to y tricks under her nose. This was all because she had pampered them too much.

    She could no longer get rid of the anger and hatred in her heart. She only felt it sweet in her mouth and fishy in her throat. With a ¡°pfft¡±, She spat out a mouthful of blood and everything went ck before her eyes. Her body softened.

    The pce maid¡¯s screams rang in her ears and they sounded farther and farther away. ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty...¡±

    When there was a greatmotion in the Cining Pce, King Chu¡¯s manor was full of joy and happiness. There was no sign of Ling Rui¡¯er doing something wrong. King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, had a table of delicacies in the room tofort Ling Rui¡¯er because she was frightened in the Cining Pce and was still in a state of shock.

    Feng Yuxuan poured Ling Rui¡¯er a cup of wine and handed it to Ling Rui¡¯er. He smiled gently and said, ¡°Ling¡¯er, don¡¯t be nervous. Everything is over. Even though you¡¯d been nice enough to give the clothes to Consort Xuan, she had the right to give it to anyone. And the most vicious is the pair of sisters. It¡¯s the two who fought with each other, and it has nothing to do with you or Consort Xuan.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er said with tears in her eyes, ¡°But, will Her Majesty think that I did it intentionally?¡± She took the wine Feng Yuxuan handed her timidly. However, she already felt overjoyed in her heart. She did not expect Feng Yuxuan to care about her so much. How could she not feel kind of relieved even though her plot had failed?

    Mo Xuetong was lucky this time. Next time, she would not be so lucky.

    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled confidently. ¡°It has nothing to do with you. Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. And you¡¯re the official Consort Chu. You¡¯re the one I love. I¡¯d share the responsibility with you even if Her Majesty were to punish you.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan reached out and pulled Ling Rui¡¯er into his arms while he gently said that. No one noticed the fleeting disgust in his eyes. He really couldn¡¯t manage to like the people from the Ling family. One was like this, and another was also like this. How dare they plot against Mo Xuetong? If Ling Rui¡¯er now became useless, then his hands would not be circling around her waist. Instead, they would be directly sping her neck.

    Seeing that Feng Yuxuan was as gentle as he used to treat her, Ling Rui¡¯er felt so sweet inside that her heart was about to ooze honey. However, in order to get more care, she put on a shocked expression on her face. ¡°Is it really okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really fine. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let you be wronged.¡± Feng Yuxuan acted as if he didn¡¯t see the big smile in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead and said gently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if something happens. You¡¯re the daughter from the Ding General Manor and my main consort, and you¡¯ll be the... even the Empress Dowager can¡¯t do anything to you!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er felt relieved when she heard that. She only felt that every pore in her body was breathing happily. She had been frightened by Mo Xuetong, but now her courage inted like a balloon. That was right. Even if she knew that it was Ling Rui¡¯er who had done it, would the Empress Dowager punish her? Even if not for the sake of her being Consort Chu, she was still the daughter of the Ling Manor. The Empress Dowager¡¯s act on her was equivalent to touching the Ding General Manor. What benefit was there to her?

    Ling Rui¡¯er could not help but lie in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s embrace and said cutely, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re so kind!¡± With Feng Yuxuan backing her up, what could they do even if she made trouble? The Empress Dowager and the Empress both were old. Feng Yuxuan had said earlier that if he ascended the throne in the future, she would be the empress. She wouldn¡¯t need to fear anyone.

    Feng Yuxuan was in a good mood. Heughed and picked her up. Then, he turned around and entered the inner room. Ling Rui¡¯er was both shy and happy. She leaned against Feng Yuxuan like a ball of cotton. She could not see the darkness and disgust in the depths of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle eyes.

    It was a night for some time beneath the sheets behind the red silk curtains!

    Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong back to the manor and had lunch with Mo Xuetong. Then, Emperor Zongwen summoned him into the pce.

    Feng Yuran had spent more time in the pce recently. It was said that the envoys from the Southern Barbarian Lands woulde to the capital in a few days. Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s Manor was the ce to receive the sickly crown prince and the princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands. As such, Feng Yuran became the messenger who would receive the envoys from the Southern Barbarian Lands in the Qin Kingdom. He needed to discuss the details with the officials.

    In the next few days, Feng Yuran was so busy that he could not keep his feet on the ground.

    Every time Mo Xuetong woke up, she couldn¡¯t see him.

 Chapter 440 - The Fu General Manors Old Madam Is Sick

    <h4>Chapter 440 The Fu General Manor¡¯s Old Madam Is Sick</h4>

    In the end, the matter in the Cining Pce was picked up high and gently put down. Not only did they not investigate it deeply, but they also took a generous attitude to Second Miss He who acted disrespectfully in the court. The Emperor also took it lightly. He only asked the He family to take her back to reflect on herself and paid for Empress Dowager¡¯s missing head essories.

    The He family was originally a rich family in Jiangnan, so they could still afford the money. They immediately went to the pce to thank Consort Zhao and Consort Yu and directly made up for the money.

    Although He Yuxiu got such a bad reputation, it at least made the He family save face. However, many people could see that the Emperor not only made the He family save face, but also made Consort Zhao and Consort Yu save face. Some people had learned about it in private that this Second Miss He was not only Consort Zhao¡¯s niece, but also would soon be Consort Yu¡¯s sister-inw.

    If the rumors of what happened that day were to spread, both Consort Zhao and Consort Yu would lose face.

    Some well-informed people even said that the Empress Dowager had fallen ill because of what happened that day. She had been lying in bed again in the past few days. It was said that Consort Yu and Consort Zhao had both gone to ask for pardon. Even the Emperor had gone there several times in person. It was not known whether it was for Consort Yu¡¯s sake or for Consort Zhao¡¯s sake. Anyway, the Empress Dowager had not investigated it further in the end.

    How could she be fine after such a big thing happened? All of a sudden, the high-ranking people in the capital city paid attention to the unknown He family. Some people even came to propose marriage to the first miss of the He family.

    Yu Mingyong and He Yuxiu¡¯s marriage went as nned, and the date of the marriage was set on the day a monthter.

    These matters had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong. Early in the morning, she had received Luo Mingzhu¡¯s letter that said the Old Madam of the Fu General was ill. Luo Mingzhu asked Mo Xuetong to visit the Fu General Manor together.

    ¡°Grandmother is ill? Why didn¡¯t the Fu General Manor send me a message?¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and sent someone to reply Luo Mingzhu¡¯s message. She said that she would be there in a while.

    Mo Yu went to prepare gifts and Mo Lan dressed her up. Then, she hurried out in light-colored clothes.

    The carriage had already stopped outside the manor. She got on the horse carriage and hurried to the Fu General Manor. Her grandmother¡¯s health was getting worse and worse these days. She had been ill for half a month. How could she fall ill again after she just recovered? Bai Yihao had left a few prescriptions of medicinal herbs for the Old Madam in the past.

    However, since Bai Yihao left, the following prescriptions were all general prescriptions. Although they were not bad, they were not very good.

    Mo Xuetong frowned in the carriage. She was thinking about where she could find a famous doctor to treat the Old Madam. Even though she could do a few simple treatments herself, her focus was on defending against poison and discerning poison. The Old Madam was really ill and she was at a loss now. She should have learned some treatment methods from Bai Yihao.

    Mo Xuetong should at least help the Old Madam to take care of her health with the medicine dishes. In her past life, the Old Madam always had not been in good health. She was gone after she could not take it anymore. In this life, Sima Lingyun¡¯s Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had fallen. The Fu General Manor would not be defeated by Sima Lingyun again. However, the Old Madam¡¯s health had always been poor and it kept worrying Mo Xuetong.

    When they arrived at the Fu General Manor, Nanny Shen, who was by the Old Madam¡¯s side, had already been waiting by the door. When she saw Mo Xuetong getting out of the carriage, she hurried to greet her and said with a smile, ¡°Second Miss just that My Lady would be here soon. Old Madam heard My Lady wasing, so she asked me to wait here. I just arrived and My Lady came immediately. If you go in now, how happy will the Old Madam be?¡±

    Mo Xuetong asked with a smile as she held Mo Ye¡¯s arm and walked in. ¡°Second Cousin is already here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is. Old Madam said that she didn¡¯t have a serious disease. She just had a slight headache and had a little fever. It¡¯s not a serious illness. However, it made My Lady and Second Miss visit her again. It¡¯s too troublesome. But I think the Old Madam is still happy though she said that. She was much more energetic than before when she saw Second Miss.¡±

    Mo Xuetong keenly grasped the point in Nanny Shen¡¯s words and asked, ¡°How could grandma get a fever?¡±

    At this time, the weather was still hot and the Old Madam was being served by so many people. How could she get a headache and fever for no reason?

    Nanny Shen thought about it and answered in detail, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal... The Old Madam went around the back courtyard for a while and said that she missed Miss and stayed in Miss¡¯ original room for a long time. Maybe she had caught a cold at that time. After she came back... she felt a little ufortable.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not miss the hesitation and sadness in Nanny Shen¡¯s eyes. Of course, she knew that the so-called miss was referring to her mother.

    The Old Madam of the Fu General was truly kind to her mother. Even her biological daughter was no more than that. As such, in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart, the Old Madam had always been her real grandmother.

    Thinking that her grandmother caught a cold in her mother¡¯s room, Mo Xuetong felt a little suspicious. She heard that her mother used to be poor in health, so she lived in a sunny ce. The ce was full of sunshine and the light was also good. Moreover, it was hot at this time, so it was not easy to catch a cold. How could her grandmother feel ufortable after staying in the room for a while!

    However, judging from Nanny Shen¡¯s intentions, she would not make it clear to Mo Xuetong. As such, Mo Xuetong decided not to ask.

    When they arrived in the inner room, the maidservant picked up the curtains. When Mo Xuetong entered, she saw Old Madam leaning against the couch, her head wrapped in a headband. Her expression looked rather good. She was smiling as she talked to Luo Mingzhu. When she saw Mo Xuetong entering, she was so happy that she grinned from ear to ear. She kept calling Mo Xuetong toe over.

    When she held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and looked at the eyes simr to Luo Xia¡¯s, the Old Madam could not help but think of her daughter who had suffered a lot. She started to feel sad again.

    ¡°Grandmother, what¡¯s wrong? Cousin Tong is here, but you¡¯re crying. If I had known it earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have asked Cousin Tong toe, and I wouldn¡¯t have made you sad.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s expression looked good. She reached out and tugged on the Old Madam¡¯s hand and shook it in a ttering manner. She smiled and persuaded the Old Madam. ¡°If you continue like this, I will get jealous. As soon as you see Cousin Tong, you throw me aside. You don¡¯t dote on me at all.¡±

    Her angry but cute look made the Old Madam happy. She wiped her tears and reached out to pat Luo Mingzhu with a smile. ¡°You little girl, you¡¯re married and you¡¯re still making fun of me. You know that your aunt passed away very early. Your Cousin Tong usually doesn¡¯t even have anyone to care for her. I feel ufortable whenever I think of how your Cousin Tong endures all the pain in her heart.¡±

    Tears began to well up in the Old Madam¡¯s eyes as she spoke.

    Mo Huawen had married Xu Yan and was also very good to Xu Yan. The Old Madam could not say anything about it. However, she had always hated Mo Huawen for leaving his legitimate daughter in Cloud City. She felt that Mo Huawen had a unshirkable responsibility for Luo Xia¡¯s death. She could not help but bring it up now and felt that Mo Xuetong was pitiful even more.

    Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly. She held the Old Madam¡¯s hand and looked at her with filial affection. ¡°Grandmother, Tong¡¯er is fine now. Why would anything happen to me? Look, Grandmother, you¡¯re so careless and caught a cold. You¡¯re so old and you have to be more careful. Second Cousin and I are really worried about you.¡± The Old Madam felt sad again and started to wipe away her tears.

    Luo Mingzhu hurriedly changed the topic when she saw that the Old Madam became sad again. She excitedly suggested. ¡°That¡¯s right. Grandmother, look at you. You feel sad about Aunt and hurt your body. She will feel bad if she sees you from up there. And there are still Cousin Tong and me. Are we two so useless that you have to think of these useless things again and again? Grandmother, I think that you shouldn¡¯t stay at home all the time. In a few days, you should go to the temple outside the city to burn incense and have a few vegetarian meals to rx with Cousin Tong and me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong agreed readily. Even though her nose was sore, she still pretended to be happy. ¡°Alright. Grandmother, it just so happens that we can go together.¡±

    The Old Madam¡¯s interest was lifted when she saw the two of them were extremely interested. She kept saying yes and said that she would go tomorrow. She looked as if she wanted to get there right away.

    Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong tried everything they could to managed to persuade the Old Madam to stop talking about setting off tomorrow. At least, they had to wait until she was fully recovered before they could leave. Otherwise, no one was allowed to go.

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu only walked around the garden at noon after they had lunch with the Old Madam and served her medicine.

    The two of them walked in front, and the maidservants were all sent to follow them from afar.

    Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Mingzhu had something to tell her, so she also asked Mo Ye and the others to stood at a ce away from her.

    She secretly sized Luo Mingzhu up and felt thetter looked much better than she had seen that day. Even though she was smiling that day, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s smile did not reach the bottom of her eyes. Now, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes were so charming that she looked very happy. Mo Xuetong could not help but sigh in relief. It seemed that Li Youmo and Luo Mingzhu had made it clear.

    Luo Mingzhu took a few steps and suddenly stood under the tree. She looked at Mo Xuetong and smiled gratefully. ¡°Cousin Tong, thank you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was talking about how she had gone to try to persuade Luo Mingzhu that day. She smiled and turned to look at Luo Mingzhu. She teased coyly, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve made up with Cousin-inw. It turns out that he didn¡¯t fight for the most popr courtesan for himself that day!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face flushed when Mo Xuetong mentioned the courtesan. She felt a little guilty when she thought of how she had shut Li Youmo outside without even asking. However, she immediately felt that it was sweet. He had been locked outside the door by her. He had not told anyone anything because he was afraid that she would be reprimanded by Old Madam Li and had even ordered the people around him to shut their mouths. Only then would she be able to avoid the Old Madam¡¯s me.

    Luo Mingzhu smiled and continued walking forward. ¡°Your cousin-inw told me.¡±

    Even though she did not say it very clearly, Mo Xuetong knew that Li Youmo must have said it all. Mo Xuetong could not help but smile. It was important for a husband and wife to be honest with each other. She hoped that Li Youmo and Second Cousin could really support and get along well with each other after this incident.

    An idea came to Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind and she asked suddenly, ¡°Did my cousin-inw ask you toe today?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu flushed and said awkwardly, ¡°It¡¯s not all about him. Grandmother is ill... We shoulde and see her together.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled oddly. She nced at Luo Mingzhu from the corners of her eyes and teased thetter. ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s not about my cousin-inw. It¡¯s all because Second Cousin missed Grandmother that you called me over.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face flushed when she heard that. She said a little angrily, ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m just here today to visit Grandmother and I don¡¯t have anything else to say.¡±

    After that, she turned around and was about to leave.

    Mo Xuetong hurried to reach out to hold her hand and tteringly shook it with a sweet smile. ¡°Cousin, I was just joking. Alright, I apologize. Will my apology do!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu said with a serious face, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have a good attitude.¡± She just smiled with her eyes curved.

    Mo Xuetong blinked her bright eyes and let go of Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand. She backed away for two steps, looking as if she was going to salute Luo Mingzhu in the most respectful manner. ¡°Alright. Second Cousin, you¡¯re so generous and you should forgive me this time. I¡¯ll bow in respect before you here.¡±

    It immediately startled Luo Mingzhu. Mo Xuetong was an officially special-grade consort. How could a consort bow to her? She tugged on Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and said hurriedly, ¡°You want to kill me? Alright, alright, you¡¯re a smart girl. I¡¯ll tell you what it is!¡±

    In the past few days, Feng Yuran and Li Youmo both had been very busy. It was not easy for them to get to meet each other. As such, when it so happened that it was not a big deal, Li Youmo had only asked Luo Mingzhu to tell Feng Yuran that he¡¯d settled the matter.

 Chapter 441 - The Painting of King Jins Three Princesses

    <h4>Chapter 441 The Painting of King Jin¡¯s Three Princesses</h4>

    That single statement confused the two of them. Fortunately, they did not have to understand. The message just had to reach them.

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu arrived at a pavilion near the fake rock mountains. A maidservant served them tea and went to stand far away, leaving the two to chat over their drinks.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, did Ling Rui¡¯er try to set you up in the pce the other day?¡± Luo Mingzhu frowned and asked about the incident that everyone was talking about that. She had been invited that day as well. However, Li Youmo¡¯s mother had fallen ill, so Luo Mingzhu stayed home to take care of her instead. After that, she heard the madams and youngdies whom she was close to mentioning that thrilling scene. She had been so frightened sweat trickled down her back. She immediately felt that it was Ling Rui¡¯er who wanted to plot against Mo Xuetong.

    That was why she sounded so mean. She had never gotten along with Ling Rui¡¯er in the first ce.

    ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s not a big matter. Anyway, she didn¡¯t manage to get me into trouble. Instead, she got someone else into trouble. I am not the only one who bears a grudge against her now.¡± Mo Xuetong wiped the liquid on her lips and said with an uncaring smile.

    The He family had two powerful backers, Consort Yu and Consort Zhao. After what happened, they were thoroughly embarrassed. The two were not simple characters to deal with. It was said that Consort Yu knelt in front of Emperor Zongwen that day in his study, heavily pregnant, and pleaded with the Emperor. She was even more troubled by the matter than Consort Zhao was when it was Consort Zhao¡¯s nieces who were in trouble. The Emperor was touched by Consort Yu¡¯s kindness and even prepared gifts for her. Inparison, Consort Zhao, who had arrived after Consort Yu, did not receive any gifts from the Emperor.

    Everyone in the pce wondered if Consort Yu was going to be even more powerful because of the child she was carrying.

    However, no matter which consort it was, they were both closely rted to He Yuxiu. Even if it was a game of chess, one had to see who was the one moving the chess pieces!

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Ling Rui¡¯er must have offended many people.¡± Luo Mingzhu said with a smile, having understood what Mo Xuetong said immediately.

    The incident had happened at Cining Pce. It was the Empress Dowager who had been embarrassed. No wonder she had been so angry she had gotten ill. The girl was her grandniece. It was not right for her to punish her, but neither could she just let her off. The Empress Dowager was furious, how could she not fall ill? The Empress Dowager had once plotted against Mo Xuetong¡¯s and Luo Mingzhu¡¯s marriages, so Luo Mingzhu did not like her much.

    ¡°Second Cousin, where is that ce? Why have I never seen it before?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly pointed at a garden beyond the fake mountains and asked curiously.

    ¡°Where?¡± Luo Mingzhu could not see what Mo Xuetong was pointing at from where she was sitting. She stood up and saw the inconspicuous garden. If they had not been standing so high up and facing that direction, they would not have seen it. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the courtyard behind Aunt¡¯s. It¡¯s been left empty for a long while.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was very interested in the abandoned garden. However, she did not show it. She asked curiously, ¡°It is a nice garden, but why did you all abandon it? It would be nice if it was touched up and some things were ced in it. Or someone could move in. It looks quite spacious.¡±

    There were three main rooms and a few wing rooms on the sides. Even though it was not considered arge courtyard, it was more than enough for several people.

    ¡°I heard...¡± Luo Mingzhu hesitated before continuing softly, ¡°Grandmother said that that is not an auspicious ce. Someone once hung themselves there. That¡¯s why it¡¯s been locked up for so many years.¡±

    It was not really anything special for people to die in homes. After all, it was arge family that had been around for several centuries. If every house and even the adjoining courtyards were all locked up, there would not be many courtyards left avable in the Fu General Manor. Mo Xuetong thought that this was very suspicious. The Old Madam was not a superstitious person.

    She had brought Luo Mingzhu to the fake mountains just to find out information about the courtyard. She could not find out anything from her grandmother, so it seemed that her grandmother did not intend to tell her anything. In her past life, after the fall of the Fu General Manor, her grandmother had not left her any message as well on her deathbed. It meant that her maternal grandmother did not intend to tell her the truth at all.

    Her eldest cousin was a man and might not notice such details. As such, her second cousin was the person who was most likely to know something about it. Mo Xuetong had always suspected that the room right across her mother¡¯s had once been where Consort Jin stayed after fleeing for her life. It was a secluded spot and Consort Jin would be able to see Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother from there clearly.

    She had these thoughts in the past, but they grew even stronger in recent days.

    Ever since Qin Yufeng gave her the painting, she had examined it thoroughly. Her mother¡¯s face was especially clear in the painting. She could clearly see the intricate expressions on her mother¡¯s face. It was impossible to paint something like that if one had not seen her mother up close in real life. The other two girls should be Princess Royal and Bai Yihao¡¯s Mother.

    Their features were not as clear.

    The Princess Royal¡¯s side profile was very clear but only the back of Bai Yihao¡¯s mother could be seen. The three princesses of King Jin¡¯s Manor appearing in a single painting was no coincidence for sure. But who would put in so much effort to paint this? What did it mean? And why was it not with Mo Xuetong¡¯s Mother, Princess Royal, or with Bai Yihao? Instead, why was it at the Qin Manor, which had nothing to do with the three women at all? Was there something going on?

    Mo Xuetong had specially visited her maternal grandmother today to find out what was up with that abandoned courtyard.

    She had intentionally dragged Luo Mingzhu out to chat and had brought up the matter. However, she had received a ridiculous answer.

    ¡°Second Cousin, it is such a waste to leave such a big courtyard empty.¡± Mo Xuetong said, pretending to be curious.

    ¡°That is not a good ce.¡± Luo Mingzhu looked around her. She made a move to speak but then stopped herself.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that ce? It¡¯s just that someone died in there. Isn¡¯t it a waste to empty out and lock up a courtyard? I will tell Second Uncle that that is a good ce to study in. First Cousin¡¯s study can be ced there and flowers can be nted there as well. It¡¯s so quiet anyway. It would be a good ce to cool down in the summer after we decorate it a little.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked very excited and seemed as if she were going to speak with Luo Bin right there and then. However, she looked at Luo Mingzhu closely.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, don¡¯t go. That¡¯s not a good courtyard!¡± Luo Mingzhu said softly. She thought that Mo Xuetong really was going to head straight to the courtyard. She reached out to pull Mo Xuetong back into her seat at the table.

    ¡°Why?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Luo Mingzhu with wide and confused eyes.

    ¡°It is not clean.¡± Luo Mingzhu¡¯s voice was even softer than before. Her hands, which were holding on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s were cold.

    ¡°Not clean? Why? Would the person who hung themself appear?¡± Mo Xuetong asked incredulously. Her eyes glowed and she seemed to be even more interested than before.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t ask anymore. It¡¯s... It¡¯s just not a good ce.¡± Luo Mingzhu did not know what to say and instead tried to persuade Mo Xuetong not to go.

    ¡°Second Cousin, tell me!¡± Either you tell me or I will look for First Cousin and have him tell me.¡± Mo Xuetong appeared to be very interested as she shook Luo Mingzhu¡¯s arm. She seemed as if she would not give up unless she was given a satisfactory answer.

    Luo Mingzhu sighed when she saw how insistent Mo Xuetong was. She said softly, ¡°I heard that someone once saw a figure in there. Sometimes, they heard voices as well. It is very scary. Grandmother told everyone to minimize their trips there and then locked up that ce. She even ordered everyone not to speak nonsense. That¡¯s how the matter was calmed down.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a figure and voices there? When was that?¡± Mo Xuetong was startled when she heard that. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, appearing to have been frightened. She asked softly and carefully, ¡°Is it true?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Luo Mingzhu said seriously, ¡°My nanny once saw that. She even told me about it secretly. I didn¡¯t know anything then and I went to ask Grandmother about it. After that, Grandmother did not allow me to go there again. The nanny was also moved somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so weird!¡± Mo Xuetong blinked herrge and lively eyes in shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine now. Nothing will happen as long as you don¡¯t go there.¡± Luo Mingzhu patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s handfortingly and smiled when she saw that Mo Xuetong was frightened.

    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t go there.¡± Mo Xuetong answered obediently.

    The two of them chatted for a while longer. Then, a nanny approached to say that the Old Madam was awake and invited them over.

    The two left the fake mountain and returned to the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard with their maids. The Old Madam had taken her medicine and a nap, so she looked much better than earlier in the day. When she saw the two cousins being kind and sweet to each other, she was very happy. They started chatting again.

    Luo Wenyou came to enquire about the health of the Old Madam before returning. The major exam was happening soon and he wanted to give it a try. Even though he did not have to take the exam since he was from a noble family who had contributed to the building of the nation, Luo Wenyou wanted to be a schr based on his own merits. That was why he wanted to take the exam.

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu chatted with the Old Madam for a while when they heard the servants outside say that Luo Bin had returned to the manor. They were Luo Bin¡¯s niece and daughter respectively, so they had to greet him. Just as they were about to go to him, Luo Bin appeared. He sat down and had some tea while he chatted with them. As it was gettingte, the two cousins had to return to their respective manors.

    The Old Madam was very pleased when she saw that the two cousins were as close as sisters. She had the servants bring out plenty of food and other things for the two. They had to wait for the things to be brought up to their carriages before they could leave. Luo Mingzhu went inside to bid her mother farewell. Mo Xuetong asked Luo Mingzhu to bid her Second Aunt farewell for her while she stayed to speak with the Old Madam and Luo Bin.

    When everything outside was done, Luo Mingzhu came out. The two boarded their horse carriages and returned home.

    Mo Xuetong sat on the horse carriage thinking about the courtyard, the painting, her mother, the Princess Royal, and Shuann. She felt that there was an invisible that linked all of them. However, she could not find the key and was unable to unravel this web.

    The person who painted the painting must have seen her mother more than once. Otherwise, he or she would not be able to paint her mother¡¯s verve. The Princess Royal¡¯s side profile was in the painting. Did that mean that the person did not take a clear look at Princess Royal? Or was it that the person did not have a chance to take a clear look at the Princess Royal¡¯s appearance? As for Princess Shuann...

    Mo Xuetong wanted to believe that the person was helping Princess Shuann to conceal her identity. That was why her face was not in the painting at all.

    Who would do that?

    What was the person¡¯s purpose for doing that? Was he or she just not afraid of arousing suspicions?! The three figures in the painting would be recognized by those who have met her mother and Princess Mingzhu. As for the other figure, would someone else be suspicious of the third person¡¯s identity? Also, how did the painting end up in the Qin Manor?

    In Mo Xuetong¡¯s past life, she had seen the painting before. However, she only knew that the youngest girl in the painting was her mother. She did not recognize Princess Royal because she had never seen her. As for Princess Shuann, she had never even thought of that person before. After that, she had never seen the painting again. She only heard Old Madam Qin mention once that the painting had gone missing. It seemed that someone had stolen it from the old manor.

    Everything was different in this life. There were too many things that Mo Xuetong did not have a clue where to start from. However, her intuition told her that the painting definitely had something to do with her.

    Furthermore, the painting style was exquisite. This was very odd.

    The horse carriage was very steady. It was so steady Mo Xuetong did not feel like she was on a horse carriage. She closed her eyes and rubbed her brows, feeling tired and sleepy.

    Suddenly, it seemed as if the horse carriage had been run into by something. Mo Xuetong was jerked about inside the carriage. Fortunately, the carriage was lined with thick nkets and Mo Xuetong bumped into that. Mo Lan reached out to Mo Xuetong wanting to help her up.

    ¡°My Lady, the front is blocked. There is someone fighting on the street!¡± Mo Ye lifted the curtains of the horse carriage and reported to Mo Xuetong.

 Chapter 442 - Two Men Fight Over a Girl and Blocked the Street

    <h4>Chapter 442 Two Men Fight Over a Girl and Blocked the Street</h4>

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and see what happened.¡± Mo Xuetong sat up with the help of Mo Lan.

    ¡°Yes, I will go and take a look now.¡± Mo Ye replied. She pulled down the curtains of the horse carriage and jumped down, walking up to the scene.

    After a while, Mo Ye ran back, wiping the sweat off her face. She got onto the horse carriage and lifted the curtains, saying, ¡°My Lady, there are two groups fighting on the street. I heard that the yboy from the Yu family and a young master from the Ding General Manor are fighting.¡±

    That guy from the Yu family? Was it Yu Mingyong?

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment and blinked. She asked uncertainly, ¡°The Marquess of Ding?¡±

    Mo Xuetong heard that while the man seemed like a licentious person, he was not really one.

    ¡°I took a look. It is not the Marquess. I heard it is the First son of the Second Master of the Ding General Manor. His name is Ling Yang.¡± Mo Ye repeated what she heard from the crowd.

    So the man was the son of the Second Master of the Ding. Mo Xuetong hummed and had an epiphany. Ling Fengyan and Ling Rui¡¯er were said to the concubines of the Ding General Manor. That man should be Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s elder brother. However, Mo Xuetong did not know why the man and Yu Mingyong got into a scuffle.

    ¡°Why did the two of them fight?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the Young Master Yu was flirting with a woman. No one expected that the woman happened to be a mistress of Young Master Ling. The two of them started to fight. It is quite an intense fight and that woman was pushed onto the ground. No one cared even though she cried really loudly. My Lady, you know the woman too!¡± Mo Ye smiled brilliantly. It was obvious that she was in a very good mood.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mo Lan asked curiously.

    ¡°My Lady, I doubt you can imagine this. The woman is lying on the ground pathetically right now. Her hair is a mess. Someone must have tugged on it. I found the woman quite familiar, so I went up to take a look at her. Oh my, I really didn¡¯t expect that woman to be First Miss Lan who came to stay at our manorst time.¡± Mo Ye recalled how Lan Xinru sat by the side of the streets with her hair in a mess and felt rather pleased. A woman like Lan Xinru should suffer like that or she would start thinking too highly of herself and think that she was very good-looking.

    When Lan Xinru stayed at the Mo Manor, she had tried to assert herself in the Mo Manor because she had the support of the Old Madam. She had been gentle in front of Mo Huawen but had beat and scolded the servants of the manor. This was also the reason why no one spoke up for Lan Xinru when she had been thrown out of the manor.

    Even though Mo Ye had never been bullied by Lan Xinru, she did not like how Lan Xinru behaved. She was a two-faced person, so the two of them had argued plenty. Lan Xinru¡¯s maid, especially, was a spitfire. When they argued, neither of them would back down.

    Didn¡¯t Lan Xinru go to the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor with Sima Lingyun? How did she be Ling Yang¡¯s mistress?!

    Oh, right, it was said that both Lan Xinru and Yun Yiqiu went missing. That¡¯s right, with the fall of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor, given Lan Xinru¡¯s character, she would not stay to suffer with Sima Lingyun. She must have stolen money and ran away. However, Mo Xuetong did not know how Lan Xinru had gotten together with Young Master Ling Yang of the Ling family.

    The scums got together, and they had something to do with Yu Mingyong as well!

    Mo Xuetong twisted her handkerchief as a small cold smile appeared on the corners of her lips. She was speechless. In her past life, Lan Xinru and Sima Lingyun were fated to be and Lan Xinru had be Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistress. In the end, she had plotted together with Mo Xuemin against her. That bowl of poison had been prepared by Lan Xinru. The Lan family owned a medicinal shop. It was not difficult at all for her to get her hands on poison.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not know why Lan Xinru was so interested in bing someone¡¯s mistress. She had be another man¡¯s mistress in this life again. Furthermore, she had gotten involved with Yu Mingyong.

    ¡°Quick, go and see. The madam of the Ling Manor has arrived with her maids.¡± There was yet anothermotion.

    Mo Lan lifted the curtains lightly and saw arge group of maids who were holding sticks in their hands. A maid led the group forward. Behind them, was a carriage. Judging by the size of the group, those who could make way for them did so and the group charged right in.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage was a distance away but she could still hear the angry yelling, the sharp cries of women and crying. She could also hear the angry bellows of men¡­

    The scene before her was a mess and no one knew when it would blow over.

    ¡°Mo Ye, get the horse carriage away. We will back out of here.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that they would not be able to pass for the time being given the situation. The fight was very intense. A faint mocking smile appeared on her face.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had sought Lan Xinru out but had been shamed by her. It was time for her retribution now. It seemed that the madam of the Ling family was not to be trifled with. She could tell just by the group that the madam had brought with her. However, she did not know how Lan Xinru was going to manage this. Would she shame the Madam Ling just as she had shamed Mo Xuetong in her past life?

    It did not seem like it would work!

    ¡°My Lady, that might not work. There¡¯s a horse carriage behind us. It¡¯s stuck as well.¡± Mo Ye came back to report the situation.

    This was a major street that stretched out from the east to the west of the capital. Because of what was happening in front, the horse carriages were all stuck on the road. It was difficult even if they wanted to back away. Two or three more horse carriages drew up behind Mo Xuetong¡¯s, blocking the way they came from.

    ¡°My Lady, Mo Ye and I will go and ask the horse carriage at the back if they can make way for us.¡± Mo Lan frowned after taking a look out of the window. It was time for Mo Xuetong to take her medicine and Mo Lan felt a little worried.

    ¡°Go and take a look.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded.

    She truly did not want to see how embarrassing Lan Xinru was. She was publicly involved with two men and was being scolded and beaten by the man¡¯s wife. Lan Xinru¡¯s future was destroyed. Even a man from an ordinary family would not want to marry a licentious and slutty woman.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye got off the horse carriage. Soon, Mo Ye returned with a smile. She said, ¡°My Lady, thest carriage at the back belongs to the Qin Manor. The First Young Master of the Qin Manor heard that you need to return to take your medicine and is already backing away. The carriage behind ours belongs to an official¡¯s wife who works under Master. She did not say anything else and gave way after she heard that it was you in this carriage. I will ask the driver to back out of this street slowly. Sit tight.¡±

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s horse carriage!

    Mo Xuetong nodded.

    The horse carriage reversed slowly under Mo Ye¡¯s direction. Even though there were other people approaching, they all parted consciously when they saw that it was the extremely luxurious horse carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. They did not know if it was the arrogant King Xuan who was inside and did not want to offend him for it would not bode well for them.

    Even though themotion was entertaining, they wouldn¡¯t want to get into trouble themselves!

    Feng Yuran watched as Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage backed away slowly on a tall building by the side. A charming smile appeared on his handsome face.

    He was situated at a very good spot. It was exactly where themotion started. He could see the madam of the Ling family approaching and pulling at Lan Xinru¡¯s hair while scolding her viciously. There were a few other maids who were helping her to pinch Lan Xinru. The maid beside Lan Xinru was trying to protect her but could not hold on and was kicked onto the ground.

    Ling Yang from the Ling family did not seem like an outstanding sort. When he saw his wife scratching at Lan Xinru¡¯s face, he hurriedly went up to stop her. However, Yu Mingyong continued holding on to him and got his manservant to hold on to Ling Yang as well. Then, Yu Mingyong continued hitting Ling Yang who could not defend himself. He was just as pathetic as Lan Xinru.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you think it¡¯s about time?¡± Feng Yue, who was standing beside Feng Yuran asked carefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early yet. He¡¯s not even crippled. How can I help seek revenge for Tong¡¯er?¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly, his thin lips turning up. There was a vicious glint in his eyes as he picked up his teacupzily. He took a sip of tea and then put the cup down casually.

    The Prince was still angry even though Ling Yang had been beaten up so badly. Feng Yue only felt sad for Ling Yang for having a sister who liked to cause trouble. She could have caused trouble for anyone, but why did she have to cause trouble for the person the prince cared for the most? Wasn¡¯t that as good as seeking death? It seemed that he should take more care with that mistress of his in the future.

    ¡°What about now?¡± Feng Yue asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Just break one of his arms and legs. We can¡¯t make it too gory after all.¡± Feng Yuran saidzily.

    Breaking an arm and a leg was not gory? Feng Yuran looked as if he were being a gentleman at that. Feng Yue felt a chill go down his spine and thought that he had to be more vignt.

    ¡°Yes, I will have someone do it now.¡±

    ¡°Be fast.¡±

    ¡°Yes! I will order someone to get it done immediately.¡± Feng Yue went to the door and spoke to a guard there. The guard nodded and went down the stairs.

    Then, themotion downstairs grew even louder. No one knew who was the first to make a move, but it was total chaos. There were people holding rods and screaming as well as pained yell echoed through the air¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I have to go to the pce.¡± Feng Yuran saw that the fight downstairs was ending and he stood up.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Even though Feng Yuran wondered why the prince was going back to the pce after just having left it, he knew that there must be a reason for it. He immediately went downstairs to prepare the horse carriage and they left from a different exit of the tea house.

    Mo Xuetong did not know that the road blockage had been directed by Feng Yuran. She returned to the manor and took her medicine. She rested on the stove bed for a while as she was very tired and fell asleep.

    When she woke up, she still did not see Feng Yuran. However, she heard Mo Yu describing the fight on the main street of Chaoyang in a lively manner.

    It was said that both the young master from the Ling family and Yu Mingyong had not emerged from the fight unscathed. The fight was chaotic and no one knew who did it. But in any case, Young Master Ling¡¯s arm and leg were broken. Yu Mingyong was not any better off. He had been knocked unconscious and was vomiting blood as heid on the ground. No one knew if he was dead or alive.

    The madam of the Ling family realized that something was wrong and stopped hitting Lan Xinru. She got someone to tie Lan Xinru up and went to save her husband. However, the scene was really chaotic and someone¡¯s horse was spooked. It charged straight into the crowd watching the fight and several madams and youngdies were injured after being tossed off their horses.

    This had originally been about a mistress, but the whole matter had blown up especially because of thedies who had been coteral damage. They would not give it up. Even though those families were not as powerful as the Ding General Manor, their power was not insignificant when they worked together. They went toin to the Emperor.

    Since no one knew if Yu Mingyong was alive or dead, Ling Yang had to bear responsibility for the matter. It was said that Duke Ding had spoilt his son to be fighting over a girl with another man and had beaten up Consort Yu¡¯s younger brother whose life was now hanging by a thread.

    After the message was sent to the pce, Consort Yu fainted on the spot. If not for an imperial physician having been waiting to be called upon, she would have even lost the child she was carrying. The Emperor was furious and punished Duke Ding¡¯s by taking away his sry for a year. He also took away Ling Yang¡¯s current position. The woman who caused all of this was sent to a brothel. Then, the Emperor sent an imperial physician to treat Yu Mingyong.

    ¡°My Lady, that Miss Lan had behaved inappropriately when she was living in the Mo Manor. She had asked for it herself, havingnded herself in this current state.¡± Mo Yu recalled what Lan Xinru had done in the Mo Manor as she looked at the current state Lan Xinru was in. She felt that her anger at Lan Xinru was finally worked off. ¡°That¡¯s right. She deserved it!¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked her beautiful eyes. A smile appeared on her lips and she sat up on the stove bed.

    She could not bring herself to pity Lan Xinru. A cold mocking look appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°Who was looking for it? Is Tong¡¯er looking for me? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here!¡± Azy voice could be heard from the door.

    The curtains were lifted and Feng Yuran entered elegantly, dressed in purple. His charming almond eyes were smiling. His eyes were like stars and shone as brilliantly as the sun and the moon. His thin lips curled up slightly, a small smirk appearing on his artfully carved face.

    He seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

 Chapter 443 - Love and Gentleness

    <h4>Chapter 443 Love and Gentleness</h4>

    Feng Yuran entered the room and saw that Mo Xuetong was just getting up from the stove bed. He walked up to the stove bed, spread out his robes and sat by it. He reached out to touch Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°Why were you looking for me just after waking up. Since you miss me so much, I have to bring Tong¡¯er with me no matter where I go in the future lest you be worried and start looking for me.¡±

    Heat rushed up Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. How could this man be so shameless? How dared he say something like that in front of so many people in the room? Mo Xuetong pushed his hand away, shy and annoyed, and turned her face to the side. She heard rustling sounds in the room and looked up furtively. The maids by the side had all left.

    She immediately felt as if all her inner thoughts were exposed. Her face grew red and hot and she felt as if even her heart was heating up.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Mo Xuetong said softly, somewhat annoyed. However, her voice was sweet and soft, and she did not sound threatening at all. Even she herself felt that she sounded as if she was flirting and her face grew even redder and hotter.

    ¡°Nothing. I want to see if you feel unwell and if you¡¯ve taken your medicine. Don¡¯t forget to let me know if anything happens.¡± Feng Yuran reached out to touch her forehead.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart grew warm as she saw how serious he was. Her gaze softened as well.

    ¡°Why have you only returned now? Was it because of what happened on the Chaoyang main street?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s longshes fluttered as she spoke. She pulled hisrge and slender hands into her own. The incident had caused such amotion and was even brought to the pce. Feng Yuran, who was in the pce, would definitely be involved in it. After all, he had gotten inte.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you miss me?¡± Feng Yuran looked at her with bright and charming eyes.

    Mo Xuetong flushed. However, when she saw the hint of anticipation in his eyes, she did not know where she found the courage. She said with a blush on her cheeks, ¡°That¡¯s right. I missed you!¡± Mo Xuetong was very direct and her face med red after saying that. She felt too embarrassed to see anyone and she leaned backward, turning around and pretending to sleep.

    Behind her, the charming and beautiful young man glowed brilliantly. His almond-shaped eyes which were always deep and mysterious when he smiled were full of joy. He got onto the stove bed and hugged Mo Xuetong from the back. His lipsnded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale ear lobe softly.

    The kiss, which was uniquely manly,nded on her ear. It was so warm that she could not take it. Mo Xuetong shuddered subconsciously. She could feel his scorching heat behind her and she hurriedly tried to push him away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t, Tong¡¯er. I won¡¯t do anything. I just want to hug you.¡± Feng Yuran did not make any further moves. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her gently but did not make any further moves.

    He respected her greatly and had always exercised self-restraint because he agreed to mourn for her mother with her. Even sometimes when she felt that he could not bear it any longer, he still smiledzily. Mo Xuetong suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes. She could not describe how she was feeling, but she felt a fluffy and sweet feeling in her heart.

    Once a man and a woman be husband and wife, their love cannot be moved. The two were now husband and wife, but he had apanied her in preserving her chastity to mourn her mother. In her past life, she had yearned for several times, for a person who could care for her like this and to love her like this. However, she did not have that in her past life. Instead, many had died because of her.

    In this life, no matter what the reason was, she had found someone who loved her so much. When she thought of that, she felt as if there was a thin line pulling up that flower of joy that had bloomed in her heart. It felt as if spring had arrived in her heart.

    They were flowers that bloomed one after another in the wild mountains.

    A charming smile appeared on her lips subconsciously. Mo Xuetong turned around andid in his chest. She brushed her lips softly against his boldly and saw him looking at her dazedly. It was almost as if his soul had been whisked away.

    Mo Xuetong immediately felt heat rushing up from her ears to her head. She pulled the quilt up over her head, not wanting to emerge again.

    How could she behave so outrageously?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er!¡± His phoenix-shaped eyes shimmered and he tried to pull Mo Xuetong¡¯s quilt off her. However, Mo Xuetong held on to it tightly. Feng Yuran did not think that Mo Xuetong would hold on to it so tightly and even though he tried to pull the quilt away, he did not manage to.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, let me in too. I¡¯m tired!¡± Feng Yuran said, pulling a long face as he pulled off the quilt forcefully. Then, he dug the embarrassed and flushed Mo Xuetong from the quilt and hugged her to his chest. He said with satisfaction, ¡°Since I got revenge for you, you have to reward me well.¡±

    He said that very softly but Mo Xuetong heard every word that he said. She blinked and then looked at Feng Yuran with wide eyes, saying, ¡°What revenge did you seek for me?¡±

    Feng Yuran blinked and then looked at her oddly and asked, ¡°What revenge?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at the teasing look in his eyes and reached out subconsciously. She pinched the soft flesh on his waist and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying to me again. Tell me, did you arrange today¡¯s incident?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had a sudden epiphany. She thought of the angry look shing in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes that day. Even though she stopped him that day and nothing happened, the man was not a gracious man. She heard that the Young Master Ling who was beaten up today was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s biological older brother. Why would he fight with that scumbag Yu Mingyong for no reason?!

    That guy called Ling Yang was really unlucky. He had not only had his arm and leg broken, but he also had to bear responsibility for the whole incident. He was just a scapegoat.

    ¡°Tell me, tell me. Was it you?¡± Feng Yuran smiled and did not speak. Mo Xuetong could not help but reach out to pinch him again.

    ¡°It was if you say so. What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± She could hear his low deviousughter by her ear. ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er is really worried now. He is her only biological older brother from her maternal family. His arm and leg are broken and Father has taken away his position. His future is no more.¡±

    ¡°Was it really you?¡± Mo Xuetong sat up suddenly, almost hitting Feng Yuran¡¯s sharp chin. He reached out to stop her and the two managed to not hit into each other.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it be me? Is my darling consort someone who can be bullied by anyone!¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. A hint of anger shed in his eyes. He could not even bear to hurt his Tong¡¯er. But the daughters of the Ding General Manor had bullied her again and again. He had to find them something to do as well lest they keep making trouble for Tong¡¯er.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to interfere!¡± Mo Xuetong pouted her lips and said unhappily.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t interfere. I just saw that Ling Yang has a mistress and that the mistress was flirting with Yu Mingyong. I thought that was rather unfair and I didn¡¯t like what I saw. So I just helped the two familiesmunicate.¡± Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and kissed it tenderly. His almond-shaped eyes glowed with gentleness.

    Mo Xuetongughed when she heard that. This man was really a slippery one. Even though Feng Yuran had not said anything, she knew that if Lan Xinru could be satisfied with her lot in life, she would not have left Sima Lingyun¡¯s Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor. She must have seen that the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s Manor had fallen and wanted to find another man to depend on. However, Mo Xuetong did not know how she ended up with the man from the Ling family.

    As for Yu Mingyong, he was the easiest person for Lan Xinru to attach herself to. He would be hooked easily if a beautiful woman took one extra nce at him.

    ¡°Would they know that you did this?¡± Mo Xuetong tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s hand. His hands were behind his head and he seemed very much at ease. She knew then that he was confident. That was true. Given Feng Yuran¡¯s wits, it would not be easy for others to see through him. Mo Xuetong had worried for nothing.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you worried about me?¡± A smile appeared on his handsome face.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that others will link it to me!¡± Mo Xuetong said seriously. However, sheughed as she spoke. This was a terrible excuse.

    Feng Yuran looked at the faint blush on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face. Her eyes were crystal clear but held a faint hint of craftiness. She was as beautiful as a picture with her smooth and fair skin. Feng Yuran¡¯s hand reached out to touch her face subconsciously. He held her tenderly and said, ¡°Shall we sleep for a while? Or are you hungry? Did you have something delicious at the Fu General Manor today?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t eat much. I haven¡¯t seen my cousin in a while, so we spoke for a while.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile. She suddenly recalled the message that Luo Mingzhu asked her to pass along. She said, ¡°Second Cousin asked me to pass you a message. She said that the matter has been handled and you can rest assured. She did not say anything else.¡±

    Both she and Luo Mingzhu did not understand that. However, she believed that Feng Yuran would be able to.

    ¡°It is the matter that Li Youmo checked out at the Southern Barbarian Lands. The Southern Barbarian Lands are too far away from Qin and there are some messages that cannot be sent, or even if they were sent there, it would be a little toote. I asked Li Youmo to set up a few spots there so that any messages from that ce can be sent to the capital as soon as possible. That way, we wouldn¡¯t be so clueless and unable to find the key to the issue.¡±

    Feng Yuran said uncaringly and winked.

    Mo Xuetong was startled. Her longshes fluttered and she asked, somewhat shocked, ¡°How is it dealt with so quickly?¡±

    They had only spoken about it a few days ago. However, the Southern Barbarian Lands were very far away from Qin. No matter how capable Li Youmo was, he would not be able to set up information points at the Southern Barbarian Lands in such a short time.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that fast. I stayed in the Southern Barbarian Lands a few years ago and am quite familiar with it. I once got into danger there, so I know a few people there. A few secret guards were left there from then. Li Youmo just had to get in contact with them.¡±

    Feng Yuran said uncaringly.

    ¡°You were in life-threatening danger then?¡± Mo Xuetong paled and asked almost subconsciously.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. It¡¯s not a big deal. Why, are you concerned about me?¡± Feng Yuranughed softly. He suddenly sat up and held Mo Xuetong to his chest. Then, he leaned back onto the stove bed, bringing her down with him. He said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you can have a few days offort and peace and watch the dogs bite each other.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Mo Xuetong flipped around andid on his chest. Her eyes glittered as she looked at Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Yu Mingyong has been injured. Consort Yu will not let the matter settle just like that. She would seek revenge on the Ding General Manor. However, the child in her belly belongs to Feng Yuzhen. Feng Yuzhen has to depend on the Ding General Manor if he really wants to be the next Emperor. Furthermore, there is also the Empress Dowager around. Consort Yu would not dare to do anything to the Ding General Manor even if she wanted to. As such, she can only pick on Ling Rui¡¯er. Anyway, Ling Rui¡¯er has offended the prestigious Empress Dowager as well.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curled up devilishly. He stole yet another kiss while Mo Xuetong pondered upon what he said. Mo Xuetong pouted and hit him with a pillow. Feng Yuran blocked it. However, he was too strong and tore the seams of the pillow. Goose feathers floated in the air inside the room and a few feathersnded on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face.

    A rare hint of confusion appeared in his charming eyes. His longshes fluttered and he seemed as if he did not know what happened.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s sweetughter filled the room when she saw how rarely embarrassed Feng Yuran looked.

    The maids standing in the corridor smiled understandingly and moved to stand even further away.

 Chapter 444 - The Most Popular Courtesan, Miss Cairong in the Peony Garden

    <strong>Chapter 444 The Most Popr Courtesan, Miss Cairong in the Peony Garden</strong>

    Mo Xuetong went to the peony garden two dayster!

    Peonies were not in season and there were not any rumors that the Peony Master was in Qin. As such, there wasn¡¯t a single person at the entrance. Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage entered the gates directly. Someone led the horse carriage into the courtyard and it was parked at the second gates within the courtyard.

    After they got off the carriage, a maid went over to move the horse carriage away. Another maid approached. When she saw Mo Xuetong, she smiled and curtsied, saying, ¡°Greetings, My Lady. His Highness said that you would being and told me especially to wait on you.¡±

    Most of the people here knew of the Peony Master. However, they did not know that the Peony Master was Feng Yuran. This must be Nanny Yang, whom Feng Yuran trusted to manage the peony garden.

    Mo Xuetong smiled softly and nodded. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll be troubling you then, Nanny Yang!¡±

    ¡°No, no, My Lady. Since His Highness ordered me to wait here, I will do my best. Miss Cairong is staying at the courtyard over there. My Lady, would you like to go and take a look now?¡±

    Mo Xuetong hade to visit Miss Cairong, who had once been the most popr courtesan!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go right now!¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll lead you there.¡±

    Nanny Yang led the way for Mo Xuetong into the gardens. They turned at a door and reached a simple but elegantly decorated courtyard. There were three main rooms and five wing rooms. It was not big but was very neat. There was a row of flowering trees by the door. Some were blooming with vibrant colors on the branches. It was a very different feeling.

    There was beauty hidden within the strength. It was differentpared to other courtyards.

    ¡°His Highness used to stay here?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a frown. She suddenly felt displeased.

    ¡°His Highness has his own main courtyard. This is just a side courtyard where guests are entertained when they visit. People do not usuallye here. His Highness has never visited since Miss Cairong moved in.¡± Nanny Yang was an old nanny and was smart and very capable. She hurriedly exined with a smile when she heard the underlying thoughts behind Mo Xuetong¡¯s words.

    Mo Xuetong flushed when she saw the smile on Nanny Yang¡¯s face. She hummed unnaturally.

    ¡°Nanny Yang, who is this?¡± A somewhat hesitant voice could be heard. Mo Xuetong turned around to see a woman in her 20s standing at the door of the courtyard. She was very beautiful. She hadrge sparkling eyes and a striking appearance. Her charming looks were soul-stirring. She lived up to her name as the most popr courtesan.

    However, Mo Xuetong felt curious about the woman¡¯s eyes. It was their first time meeting, but Mo Xuetong felt that the woman was familiar to her. She seemed to have seen her somewhere before.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes rolled around as she sized the woman up.

    The woman could not help but look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face when she turned around. Her eyes brightened immediately. Even though the girl before her was wearing simple clothing, Her eyes were as clear as water and her skin was pale and soft. She was as beautiful as a porcin doll. Even though she was tiny, she moved around with a gentle charm. Her beauty could cause nations to fall.

    Nanny Yang had already received Mo Xuetong¡¯s orders. She went up and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Cairong, this is Consort Xuan. She is here to take care of the people in the peony garden for Peony Master. Master rarely visits so he has entrusted this ce to Consort Xuan. You may tell the Lady if there is anything you need in the future.¡±

    This was Consort Xuan? N wonder she was so beautiful. Not daring to slight Mo Xuetong, Cairong hurriedly went up to curtsy. She said, ¡°Greetings, My Lady!¡±

    ¡°Miss Cairong, please dispense with the formality. I came in a hurry and have disturbed you.¡± Mo Xuetong said politely with a slight smile. She hid the confusion in her eyes.

    ¡°You are not disturbing me at all. I am just a guest here. I will have to trouble My Lady in the future. I hope that you will help me.¡± Cairong seemed slightly uneasy. However, she still spoke gently and demurely. There was not a hint of vanity on her that wasmon in girls from the brothel. She was also dressed simply and seemed like the madam of a wealthy family.

    If Mo Xuetong had not known of her identity, she would not have known that the woman before her was the famous courtesan.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, it is the Lady¡¯s first time visiting. There is no one staying in the other courtyards. Could you please entertain the Lady?¡± Nanny Yang said with a smile.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Nanny. If My Lady does not mind Cairong, I would like to invite My Lady in to sit for a while.¡± Cairong said with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Then I shall be troubling you, Miss.¡± Mo Xuetong did not object. She moved slightly and followed behind Cairong, entering the courtyard holding on to Mo Lan¡¯s hand.

    She hade to visit the courtesan. Previously, she had not understood why Feng Yuran and brought the woman to the peony garden. She could vaguely understand now. Since this had something to do with Feng Yuran and it was a matter between women and Feng Yuran could not deal with it openly, it would be best for her toe to ask Cairong about it.

    Having decided what to do, Mo Xuetong still did not show any emotions she felt on her face.

    The two entered and sat down. Cairong served Mo Xuetong tea and stood by the side respectfully. Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile, ¡°Miss Cairong, please sit down as well.¡±

    Cairong knew that her status was lowly and did not dare to sit. However, Mo Xuetong was very insistent, so Cairong sat on the edge of a chair.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, where are you from?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly with a slight smile.

    ¡°I am from Jiangnan. I do not know where exactly. It is said that I am an orphan.¡± Cairong smiled bitterly. There was a hint of bitterness in her eyes. She had grown up in the brothel and had experienced all the bitterness and sweetness in life. She had started off as a servant of the popr courtesans in the brothel. She did not have any family background to speak of. She was like the mud beneath other people¡¯s feet.

    She was in her 20s but was already very old. Even though she was still the most popr courtesan, it was just because the brothel marketed her well. After being brought here by Peony Master for some reason unknown to her, she had been in a very paranoid state. There were two people who fought over her for some unknown reason and then she was brought to live here. She had not even encountered a single master or mistress of this ce.

    This situation was very odd. The noble Consort had finally appeared, and Cairong was willing to leave with her. At least the consort seemed kind and friendly and did not have any malicious intentions toward her. Furthermore, there was not a hint of despise in the consort¡¯s eyes when she looked at Cairong. Cairong had seen many things in life, the sweetness and the bitterness, and she was very sensitive to things like that.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, you can¡¯t remember anything about your parents or about your birth mother at all?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Cairong and asked softly.

    ¡°I did not have a fixed address. I heard that there was someone who visited me when I was younger. It was said that she was an old servant from my family. After that, there was no more news. Something must have happened. As I grew up and started to be more aware, no one visited again. I don¡¯t have any memories of my birth mother either.¡±

    Cairong replied with a forced smile.

    She did not know anything about her family and there was no news about them either. She did not have any parents, rtives or friends and had ended up in the brothel. This Miss Cairong had a very sad past. It seemed that the matter could not be rushed and they had to investigate carefully.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, what do you want to do next?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. Her eyes were as clear as water. Even Cairong, who was good at deciding her next actions by watching the expression of others could not tell what Mo Xuetong meant. she thought that Mo Xuetong wanted to throw her out and could not help but feel afraid. She stood up hurriedly and said, ¡°My Lady, can you please take me in? I can be a servant or a ve.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to return? I heard that you are the most popr courtesan.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Cairong with bright eyes as she questioned her.

    ¡°So what if I am the most popr courtesan? I am still a prostitute. When I am old and ugly, I will be worthless. I have not thought of returning to the brothel since Young Master Li saved me. I just want to continue living peacefully and seriously.¡± Cairong¡¯s eyes were sad as she looked at Mo Xuetong earnestly. Her knees suddenly buckled and she made to kneel.

    Mo Ye, who had been watching her, hurriedly pulled her up. Sheforted Cairong, saying, ¡°Miss Cairong, don¡¯t worry. Our Lady is just asking for your thoughts. Furthermore, it was Peony Master who allowed you to move in. Our Lady is a guest here and will not throw you out. You can stay here as long as you wish.¡±

    Cairong grew calmer when she heard that.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, I heard you have a jade pendant. Can I take a look at it?¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently after Cairong returned to her seat.

    Cairong was startled when she heard that. Her hand moved to her chest subconsciously and she touched it uneasily. However, a hint of determination shed past her eyes. She wanted to be a normal person. This might be her only chance. She reached out to undo a button at her cor and fished out a red thread. On the other end of the red thread, was a clear green pendant.

    ¡°My Lady, this is Cairong¡¯s jade pendant. If you like it, I will give it to you. I only ask that you take me in.¡± Cairong did not hesitate to break the thread in her hand. She held the jade, which was still warm from her body heat, out to Mo Xuetong respectfully.

    It was a good piece of jade and it was rare to see such a good piece of jade even in the capital!

    It was clear and green throughout and shone with a soft gentle glow.

    If ced in an ordinary family, it could be the family¡¯s treasure, handed down through the family line.

    Mo Xuetong looked at it carefully. Then, she waved her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Cairong, you don¡¯t have to do this. Quick, keep it. I was just curious. This seemed like a family heirloom. How did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I have worn it since I was a child. Mother found it and took it away after that. When I grew up, I redeemed it back from Mother. It¡¯s been with me since then.¡± Cairong¡¯s eyes darkened. Even though she had spoken simply, the truth was not that simple. After experiencing storms in her past life, Mo Xuetong no longer saw things superficially.

    ¡°Miss Cairong, what skills do you have?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly changed the topic with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong changed the topic too quickly. Cairong had to think for a while before she understood what Mo Xuetong was saying. She said, somewhat excitedly, ¡°I can cook, and can sew a little. I can do anything, even if it¡¯s tough.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nced at Mo Lan, who immediately knew what she wanted. Mo Lan moved forward and said to Cairong with a smile, ¡°Miss Cairong, are you willing to help us sew some small objects like sachets for clothes?¡±

    Were they willing to hire her? Cairong was so happy that she teared up. She looked at Mo Xuetong gratefully and was about to kowtow to her. Mo Lan pulled her up and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Cairong, don¡¯t thank the Lady first. We will have plenty to trouble you with in the future. You can stay in the peony garden for now. When the Lady has settled everything in the manor, she will send for you. Anyway, the Lady wille here often for the time being. It would be more convenient for us if you are here. There would be someone here when the Lady wants a drink of tea or something!¡±

    Everyone in the roomughed when they heard that. A genuine smile appeared on Cairong¡¯s face as well. She wiped the tears off her face and curtsied to Mo Xuetong sincerely. Then, she took the jade pendant that Mo Xuetong rejected and hung it over her neck carefully.

 Chapter 445 - Returning to the Mo Manor and Meeting Second Consort Yan

    <h4>Chapter 445 Returning to the Mo Manor and Meeting Second Consort Yan</h4>

    Mo Xuetong spoke with Cairong for a while and then went to walk around the garden with Nanny Yang. Mo Xuetong did not wish to publicize the matter for now. The matter would not be so simple and she had a feeling that Cairong definitely had something to do with the He family. However, Mo Xuetong could not tell if Cairong had anything to do with Consort Xian.

    Fortunately, she had been dealing with the He family and could find out information from them. The thing with Consort Xian could not be so simple. Perhaps this Cairong was a key to finding out about it. For now, though, she would just watch on regarding the He family and would interfere only at the right time. Anyway, given the characters of the He sisters, things would not be peaceful. As such, Mo Xuetong was not in a hurry. She would wait silently and at the best possible moment...

    Peonies did not bloom at this time and the flowers that had bloomed earlier were all wilting. All that was left was a verdant green color. They were no different from the other branches. However, the peony garden did not just have peonies. Other than the peonies, which made up most of the flowers there, there were other various flowers interspersed in between. The design of the entire garden was very reasonable.

    Nanny Yang brought Mo Xuetong around and then led her to the main courtyard. That was where Feng Yuran would stay when he visited asionally.

    The main courtyard was very clean. Mo Xuetong rested there for a while and looked at the general size of the garden. Having gotten an idea of it, she then left the peony garden.

    She did not return to King Xuan¡¯s Manor straightaway. Instead, she first went to Mo Manor. Xu Yan was already several months pregnant. She hurried out to wee Mo Xuetong upon hearing that she was visiting.

    Mo Xuetong helped her into the room and sat down after greeting her.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Xu Yan¡¯s belly, which was already showing, and smiled. She said, ¡°Mother, you have to have a little brother for me so that Father can have a legitimate son to take over the family business.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had never thought well of Mo Yufeng, especially in current circumstances. After what happened to Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin, Mo Yufeng must hate Mo Xuetong a lot. After what happened to Mo Xuetong in her past life, she felt that she had steeled her heart.

    Xu Yan flushed and lowered her head slightly. She sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯d be great if I can have a son.¡±

    She knew of the current situation the Mo Manor was in. If she could not have a son, the Mo Manor would end up in Mo Yufeng¡¯s hands sooner orter. Mo Xuetong did not mind for she was now Consort Xuan. However, it was different for Xu Yan. When she thought that she might have to live under Mo Yufeng¡¯s thumb in the future, she could not bring herself to be happy.

    ¡°Mother, you are a blessed person. It will be alright. Even if it is not a little brother this time, you can have more children. You¡¯re young anyway.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled andforted Xu Yan upon seeing that she was truly worried.

    ¡°I can only think of it this way now.¡± Xu Yan sighed once more and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She suddenly asked, ¡°Did you see your Fourth Sister when you came in?¡±

    ¡°Mo Xueqiong?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, she just returned to the manor. I heard that she brought with her some gold and jewelry. She doesn¡¯t seem to have lost King Yan¡¯s affection after marrying him. She even gifted me some things earlier.¡± Xu Yan pointed at a few colorful bolts of cloth on the table.

    Mo Xueqiong had left King Yan¡¯s Manor. That was odd. Mo Xuetong heard that after You Yue¡¯e became Consort Yan, she did not allow any other woman to get close to Feng Yulei. Mo Xueqiong had been disfigured after entering the manor. Mo Xuetong did not know how Mo Xueqiong gained the attention of Feng Yuxuan and what trouble she was up to.

    ¡°Is she visiting Auntie Qing now?¡±

    ¡°She came here to pay her respects to me first and then went to Auntie Qing¡¯s courtyard. She still hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± Xu Yan thought for a moment before replying to Mo Xuetong.

    What was Mo Xueqiong up to? Mo Xuetong knew that given Mo Xueqiong¡¯s character, she would note to the Mo Manor for no reason. After what happened in the past, she and their father hadpletely torn off any veneer of civility. Mo Xueqiong still had the cheek toe here. Either she had been forced to do it, or she wanted something! However, Mo Xuetong did not know what there was in the Mo Manor that Mo Xueqiong was after.

    ¡°Mother, you rest for now. I shall go to Qingwei Garden to take a look. If Mo Xueqionges over, tell her to look for me in Qingwei Garden.¡± Mo Xuetong paused for a moment and then said lightly as she got up.

    ¡°Alright, lie down there if you get tired. I will have the servants prepare lunch that you like. I¡¯ll call for you at lunchtime.¡± Xu Yan said with a knowing smile.

    No matter what Mo Xueqiong was up to, Mo Xuetong would give her a chance! However, Mo Xuetong did not want her to bring trouble to the Mo Manor. As such, she was going to get Mo Xueqiong to look for her. Xu Yan was now pregnant and Mo Xuetong must not let her be involved in all these plotting. Mo Xuetong did not say anything else to Xu Yan after bidding her farewell and led her servants to Qingwei Garden.

    Qingwei Garden looked just like it did when she left. Her father had once said that she could stay there whenever she wanted to.

    Everything there was just like how they were when she lived there. The room was very clean and it was obvious that someone had been cleaning it. The things in the room were all ced in their original spots and it felt like she was still living here.

    Mo Xuetong settled down on the couch. Mo Lan had already made tea and brought it to her. Mo Ye gave Mo Xuetong a fan while Mo Yu went outside to tell the two nannies guarding the door to bring some snacks from the kitchen. However, before the nannies could leave, Xu Yan had already sent servants over with snacks. Mo Yu received them with thanks and brought them to the table in front of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°My Lady, look, this is just like the past. Look at the shapes of these snacks. You were the one who made them.¡± Mo Yu smiled and ced the dishes of snacks on the table. The dishes were made into various flower patterns. It made the dishes seem even more tempting when paired with the light fragrance of the snacks.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen these flower-shaped snacks in a long while.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and picked up a snack. She ced it in her mouth and a familiar fragrance filled it. Her eyes lit up and she said to Mo Lan and the other maids standing by her side, ¡°Not bad. It is made with lotus flower powder. It is light and fragrant. You all have a taste too.¡±

    When they were still living in the Qin Manor, Mo Xuetong and the other maids had tried to make snacks with lotus flower powder. They were afraid that Mdm Yu might be unhappy and even begged Qin Yuxuan to pick lotus flowers. Now that she recalled that, everything seemed like a dream in the distant past that could not be captured. There was only the faint fragrance of lotus flowers by her lips.

    ¡°Is that right? Madam thought of using lotus flower powder. I only mentioned itst time and said that My Lady liked this. I didn¡¯t expect Madam to be so thoughtful.¡± Mo Yu picked up a snack and bit into it with a smile.

    ¡°Madam and Old Sir care a lot about Our Lady, of course. They¡¯re not like you. You only care about eating.¡± Mo Lan smiled and teased Mo Yu while she took small bites of the snack. She looked very elegant.

    ¡°I don¡¯t just care about eating. I¡¯m worried that Our Lady won¡¯t have good food to eat! Look at how happy Mo Ye is while eating. I¡¯m not the only one...¡± Mo Yu argued with wide eyes.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Food can¡¯t even stop you from talking. You¡¯re the best at arguing.¡± Mo Ye picked up a small snack and stuffed it in Mo Ye¡¯s mouth, stopping her from saying anything else.

    Mo Yu stretched out her neck and picked up another snack on the table to stuff into Mo Ye¡¯s mouth. Mo Ye was trained in martial arts and would not let Mo Yu get her way so easily. She had already fled with augh. Mo Lan moved to let her through and handed Mo Xuetong a handkerchief. They watched as the two chased each other around the room.

    ¡°Third Sister, what¡¯s so fun. Let me join in as well.¡± Mo Xueqiong¡¯s sweet and gentle voice suddenly rang from the door. It was a voice that made one unable to hold back their shudder. Everyone in the room fell silent immediately.

    A hint of coldness shed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She nced at Mo Yu who immediately understood what she wanted. Mo Yu went to the door and lifted the curtain suddenly, scaring Mo Xueqiong, who was about to enter. Mo Xueqiong shuddered and almost fell down.

    ¡°I was wondering who it was, so it¡¯s Second Consort Yan. Why is the Second Consort here to see My Lady?¡± Mo Yu reached out to stop Mo Xueqiong.

    ¡°How dare you. This is Second Consort Yan. Move away.¡± The maid beside Mo Xueqiong, Mo Yan, moved forward and yelled loudly. She and Mo Jiao were all sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor by Mo Huawen.

    ¡°Mo Yan, you¡¯ve said so yourself. She is just Second Consort Yan. She has to make her identity known if she wishes to see My Lady. How can a Second Consort just barge in to see a First Consort like that ording to the royal family rules? Are the rules of the King Yan Manor different from ours?¡± Mo Yu said with arms akimbo, looking as if she would not let them off easily.

    Mo Xueqiong was furious upon hearing that. Had this been in the past, she would have already leaped forward to p Mo Yu. However, she gritted her teeth and stopped Mo Yan who was about to rush forward. She said softly in a fawning tone, ¡°Mo Yu, Third Sister and I are sisters. We don¡¯t have to be so particr about this. Is Third Sister inside?¡±

    ¡°Our Lady is resting inside. If Second Consort wishes to see her, please wait for a moment. I will report this to the Lady.¡± Mo Yu looked at Mo Xueqiong coldly. Mo Xueqiong was wearing a mask that only showed her eyes which were even more cold and sinister than before. However, she still pretended to be kind and friendly. It truly made one feel ufortable. And she even used a sweeter and more demure voice than before.

    One could not help but shudder when they heard that. Mo Xueqiong had indeed changed a lot.

    ¡°Yes. Then Mo Yu, please report to Third Sister.¡± Mo Xueqiong said, tampering down the anger she felt.

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Mo Yu would have made a very goodckey as she looked at Mo Xueqiong coldly. She raised her eyebrows at Mo Yan in a challenging manner and harrumphed coldly. Then, she turned and entered the room. There were sounds of people talkinging from the room, but what was said could not be heard clearly. Then,ughter rang in the room.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s brows twitched as she looked at the bead curtain viciously.

    ¡°Second Consort, we should just go back. Both of you have returned to your family homes. How can Consort Xuan forget about your sisterly ties? How can she treat you like this?¡± Mo Yan said, feeling angry on behalf of Mo Xueqiong as she helped Mo Xueqiong to stand on the stairs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else.¡± Mo Xueqiong arranged her clothes and said with gritted teeth.

    Mo Yan had wanted to say something else but was stopped by Mo Jiao.

    After a long while, theughter inside abated. Mo Yu lifted the bead curtain once more and stood at the door. She looked at Mo Xueqiong coldly and lifted her head. She said proudly, ¡°Second Consort, My Lady invites you in.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong entered holding on to Mo Yan¡¯s hand. When she arrived at the door, Mo Yu suddenly stretched out a hand to stop her.

    Mo Xueqiong looked at Mo Yu in confusion.

    ¡°My Lady has only invited the Second Consort alone.¡± Mo Yu looked at Mo Yan and Mo Jiao with a challenging look, lifting up her chin.

    ¡°Mo Yu, you...¡± Mo Yan could not bear it any longer and she red at Mo Yu.

    ¡°Mo Yan, Mo Jiao, wait for me at the entrance.¡± Mo Xueqiong held Mo Yan back and ordered the two.

    ¡°Second Consort... Yes!¡± Mo Yan wanted to say something else but could only lower her head under Mo Xueqiong¡¯s cold and sinister re. She did not dare to say anything else and went to stand by the side with Mo Jiao.

    The curtain was lifted and Mo Xuetong was seated on the couch, just like how Mo Xueqiong saw her every time in the past. She was just as gracious and demure. Perhaps she might have beenfortably and peacefully living at the King¡¯s Manor. Even though she was still a little pale, she looked energetic. When she saw Mo Xueqiong, the smile on her lips faded. She seemed a little cold and did not even look at Mo Xueqiong as she picked up her teacup.

    ¡°Third Sister...¡± Mo Xueqiong murmured.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to be Second Consort¡¯s Third Sister.¡± Mo Xuetong mmed the teacup in her hand onto the table.

    ¡°Third Sister, Mo Xuemin did that. It was all Mo Xuemin¡¯s work. I, I, was just befuddled by her. That¡¯s why I made a mistake like that...¡± Mo Xueqiong looked up at Mo Xuetong pleadingly.

    Was it all because of Mo Xuemin?!

    Mo Xueqiong really knew how to shirk her responsibilities.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up. However, her smile was icy cold. That day, on the horse carriage, Mo Xueqiong had tried to viciously kill her. That scene yed out as if it were happening right before her. Mo Xuetong said, ¡°Mo Xueqiong, do you think that if I tell Consort Yan that you and King Yan were together even before you entered his manor, would she think more highly of you?¡±

    Let You Yue¡¯e know that she and King Yan were already in a rtionship before she entered King Yan¡¯s manor? When Mo Xueqiong thought of how viciously You Yue¡¯e treated the women who entered the manor after her, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s heart lurched. She thought of King Yan¡¯s icy cold expression and his dark and expressionless eyes. Her breathing grew heavy.

    ¡°No, Third Sister, you... You can¡¯t do that.¡± She said, her eyes wide with fear.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I do that? Mo Xueqiong, you don¡¯t think I¡¯ve truly forgotten what happened that day, did you? If I had not been lucky, the grass over my grave would already be green by now! It is a pity, you and Mo Xuemin did not seed in your plot against me. But the two of you had gotten yourselves into trouble instead. Do you want to know how King Yan will deal with you if you ruin things now?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile suddenly grew warm. However, when she saw it, it just made Mo Xueqiong even more frightened and fearful.

 Chapter 446 - The Vicious Mo Xueqiong Begs for Help

    <h4>Chapter 446 The Vicious Mo Xueqiong Begs for Help</h4>

    ¡°Third Sister, it was really Mo Xuemin who befuddled me. She was the one who sent the handkerchief to me. That¡¯s right, and there was also Mo Xueyan. She was jealous of you and questioned why you should be able to stomp all over us. She said that the three of us would be able to make something of ourselves if we dragged you down...¡±

    Thest thread had broken for Mo Xueqiong. Tears slid down her cheeks and she cried at Mo Xuetong, on the brink of breaking down. ¡°Third Sister, it¡¯s true. The two of them befuddled me. If this wasn¡¯t the truth, may heaven strike me down with thunder and lightning and may I go to hell and never be able to be reincarnated.¡±

    Her face was drenched in tears and snot and the white mask she wore stuck to her face, revealing her disfigurement. Blood-colored scars that turned ck could be seen on her face. Her scars looked even more serious than when she was just freshly injured. She looked like an evil demon. Mo Lan and the others looked at her in shock.

    Could that still be considered a face?

    Mo Xueqiong used to be a beauty. However, no one expected her to be like this after entering King Yan¡¯s Manor. It was obvious that someone had done something to her wounds so that they would not heal and would get even worse. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s entire face was dark and bloated.

    Her face has been utterly destroyed!

    ¡°My Lady, both you and Fourth Miss were lied to by others. Look at Fourth Miss, she became like this because she was tricked. Given Old Sir¡¯s status and how Fourth Miss used to look, she could have married anyone and would not have been bullied. My Lady, you and Fourth Miss are sisters. Why don¡¯t you forgive her!¡± Mo Lan went up to pull on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve. She pleaded for Mo Xueqiong with apassionate expression.

    She could not bear it after seeing how pathetic Mo Xueqiong looked.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Third Sister. I¡¯ve be like this all because of Mo Xuemin and the others. I was young and ignorant then, that¡¯s why...¡± Mo Xueqiong felt even more upset when she heard Mo Lan helping her. She thought of how her life was worse than death in King Yan¡¯s Manor and immediately started to sob.

    Young and ignorant?

    There were only a few days between their ages. How was Mo Xueqiong young and ignorant?

    ¡°My Lady, Fourth Miss is already so pitiful, why don¡¯t you let her off? After all, you two are sisters. If Old Sir finds out that you two are not on good terms, he will be upset.¡± Mo Ye seemed to feel pity for Mo Xueqiong¡¯s miserable state. She also went up to persuade Mo Xuetong softly.

    Even though she was soft, Mo Xueqiong was close to them and could hear everything. She hid her face with her handkerchief, hiding the pleased look on it.

    ¡°She deserves it. She worked together with Mo Xuemin to plot against me.¡± Mo Xuetong said angrily. Even though her tone was sharp, her expression had softened.

    Mo Xueqiong immediately took the chance to cry. She said, ¡°Third Sister, no one in the King¡¯s Manor would take notice of me. They say that the Second Consort of King Yan is not even worthy to be a maid. Only Mo Yan and Mo Jiao stayed by my side. King Yan¡¯s Manor did not arrange any other servants for me. They only said...They said that I am a second consort and that I am just a concubine. They said that it¡¯s already decent that I have two servants. His Highness, His Highness never visited me once...¡±

    Mo Xueqiong cried so hard that she could not speak any longer. Sheid on the floor. Her pitiful cries and ugly appearance were enough to make even the toughest person melt.

    Mo Xuetong looked at her coldly from above. After a moment, she turned around to say coldly to Mo Ye, ¡°Go and help Fourth Miss up. She is the Second Consort of a King¡¯s Manor and is still behaving like this. She¡¯s going to embarrass the Mo family.¡±

    ¡°Fourth Miss, please get up. I feel sad looking at you like this. How did this happen? There are so many good medicines in the King¡¯s Manor. I heard that there were consorts who got their faces scratched and they still emerged beautifully and unscathed after that. Why did this happen to you? Your face is ruined. How are you going to live in the King¡¯s Manor in the future?¡±

    Mo Ye helped Mo Xueqiong up. Even though she sounded as if she was concerned for Mo Xueqiong, it just made Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes grow even more sinister and vicious. However, she quickly hid that. When she looked up again, she appeared pitiful and upset.

    ¡°My Lady, I will go out and take a look at Mo Yu. Mo Yan and Mo Jiao are still blocked outside by her.¡± Mo Lan said softly.

    Mo Xuetong slightly nodded and Mo Lan left ordingly. When she went to the entrance, she saw Mo Yu ring viciously at Mo Yan and Mo Jiao. The two did not back away either and they red at Mo Yu with wide eyes. None of the three were willing to back down but they did not speak either. They could hear the conversation inside the room clearly.

    Mo Lan lifted the curtain and walked out. She patted Mo Yu and smiled at Mo Yan, saying, ¡°My Lady and the Second Consort are speaking inside. It might take some time. Don¡¯t be offended by Mo Yu, ande inside with me to take a break. When the Second Consort and My Lady are done speaking, you guys can go with the Second Consort.¡±

    ¡°Sister Mo Lan...¡± Mo Yu said unwillingly.

    ¡°Alright, alright. You go in and serve the Lady. I shall entertain these two elder sisters.¡± Mo Lan smiled in a friendly manner and pushed Mo Yu through the curtain. Mo Yu seemed to want to say something. However, she was already inside the room. She could only stomp her feet and walked toward Mo Xuetong.

    Outside the room, Mo Yan hesitated for a moment. She was about to say something when Mo Lan approached politely. She held their hands and dragged them to a wing room. A servant had already made tea and brought it to them.

    They were situated in a good spot and were able to see Mo Xuetong¡¯s door. If anyone was to emerge from the room, they would be able to see it. Mo Jiao nced at Mo Yan, who gave her a small nod. Then, she pasted a smile on her face and thanked Mo Lan profusely. She was not as confrontational as before.

    The tense atmosphere in the room lightened. Another maid served up sunflower seeds and snacks. It did not take long for the three to startughing and chatting together.

    Inside Mo Xuetong¡¯s room, Mo Xuetong softened with the persuasion of her maids.

    Mo Xuetong sat in front. Even though her expression was one of dissatisfaction, she was not as cold or sharp as before. However, she did not seem like she intended to pay attention to Mo Xueqiong.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t King Yan treat you pretty well before? He even allowed you to be his second consort. Why hasn¡¯t he paid you attention after you entered the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the teacup by her side and asked lightly after taking a sip of tea.

    ¡°He had lied to me before. I am disfigured and don¡¯t have the affection of our father. How will His Highness truly care for me? Third Sister, please. Third Sister, save me!¡± Mo Xueqiong epted the tea Mo Ye handed her. However, she did not drink it but looked at Mo Xuetong sadly. The white mask on her face was smeared with tears and snot and had been left on the side. One could see the gaping wounds on her face. She was truly disfigured.

    ¡°You are now the second consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor and is considered to be part of the royal family. How am I going to save you!¡± Mo Xuetong asked.

    ¡°No, Third Sister... I am not part of the royal family.¡± Mo Xueqiong wiped her tears with a handkerchief. She looked pitiful and on the brink of falling apart.

    ¡°Why? You were betrothed to King Yan personally by His Majesty. Why is your name not part of the royal registry?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in shock.

    The royal registry was like the family archives of the royal family. Only those who were on the registry were recognized by the royal family. Ordinary concubines and bed maids had no ce in the royal family. As such, even if the legal wife were to beat them to death or gift them to others, nothing would happen. A ce on the royal registry represented one¡¯s status in the royal family.

    ¡°Third Sister, Consort Yan said... she said that I and Wang Xiuxiu were sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor because His Majesty wanted to punish King Yan. No one would acknowledge our status. That¡¯s why she did not allow us... I went to beg His Highness but he did not say anything. He does not care about me anymore for I am a disfigured woman.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong cried.

    ¡°King Yan did not speak up for you at all?¡± Mo Xuetong continued her questioning.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. His Highness has not seen me since I entered the manor. I went to beg him and knelt at the front of his courtyard door. However, he did not evene to see me and had the servants drag me away.¡± Mo Xueqiong recalled the night when she was dragged away. Her heart hurt so much she could not breathe. She could hearughtering from behind the windows. It was King Yan and a womanughing inside.

    Couldn¡¯t he hear her pained cries outside?!

    The guards who came to drag her away dragged her by her feet towards the outside uncaringly. She was thrown onto the ground, and from the seams of the curtains, she could clearly see the despise in the woman¡¯s eyes. At that moment, she wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide. She did not dare to cry out loud and allowed the guards to drag her out and throw her at the back entrance like a pile of garbage.

    It suddenly started to rain and therge water droplets pelted at her, raising her from her unconsciousness. She wanted to stand but realized that she had twisted her right leg in her struggles with the guards. She could not stand. She used her hands to drag herself towards her courtyard. There were maids walking by her but none of them stopped to help her.

    There were a few of them who evenughed and stepped on her. They ran awayughing when they saw her trying to pull her hand back in pain.

    She was the Fourth Miss of the Mo family and was praised by many. She had never been treated like this. Now, she was disfigured and abandoned by King Yan. She had no future to speak of anymore.

    At that moment, she wanted to die. Only if she was dead could she not feel so ashamed.

    She did not crawl any longer and allowed the rain to pelt at her. She could not see anything in front of her other than the sheets of rain. The pain she felt had disappeared too. Just when she thought she was about to die, a pair of shoes appeared before her. She looked up, and beneath the tall and wide umbre, was the face of a cold and handsome man...

    ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Mo Xuetong asked lightly. Her longshes fluttered, hiding the ridicule in her eyes.

    ¡°Third Sister, save me. Please save me. I know you are the only one who can save me now!¡± Mo Xueqiong looked up pleadingly. She suddenly slid down and knelt at Mo Xuetong with a thud. She cried, ¡°Third Sister, there is no way out for me in King Yan¡¯s Manor now. I came out this time hoping to meet you. I know that you definitely have a way to save me.¡±

    She scooted forward on her knees and tugged on the edges of Mo Xuetong¡¯s skirt. She lifted her swollen face at Mo Xuetong and pleaded with her bitterly.

    ¡°How do you want me to save you? Do you want me to steal you from King Yan¡¯s Manor or tell King Yan to divorce you? You have to know that your marriage was bestowed upon by His Majesty. Even if King Yan wanted to divorce you, it would not be possible.¡± Mo Xuetong patted Mo Xueqiong¡¯s hand and tugged her skirt away. Her tone was cold and full of ridicule.

 Chapter 447 - Set a Trap in the Puguang Temple: How Vicious!

    <h4>Chapter 447 Set a Trap in the Puguang Temple: How Vicious!</h4>

    ¡°Third Sister, Third Sister. It¡¯s not like that. I... I... I want to leave King Yan¡¯s Manor. Please, please help me. Third Sister. Otherwise, I will die. They will torture me to death.¡± It seemed that something urred to Mo Xueqiong, and she shivered. She was as thin as ath. Trembling with fear, she could not speak a simple sentence with tears pouring down. Obviously, she did live a miserable life in King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°You want to leave King Yan¡¯s Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and asked.

    ¡°Yes, Third Sister. I can only survive if I leave there. Third Sister, please save me, save me. As long as you can save me from King Yan¡¯s Manor, I will spend my rest life praying to Buddha for you.¡± Mo Xueqiong begged.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to Father?¡±

    ¡°No... Father is not the King Yan¡¯s match. Only Third Sister and King Xuan can help me. His Highness, King Xuan is His Majesty¡¯s favored son. Third Sister, you have a way to help me out. Right?¡± Mo Xueqiong stretched out her hand to pull Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve, almost like grasping thest life-saving straw. She raised her head and begged Mo Xuetong with tears.

    Mo Xuetong was silent for a while and did not speak.

    Mo Yu felt sorry for Mo Xueqiong and forgot how disgusted she felt just now for Mo Xueqiong. Mo Yu¡¯s eyes became slightly red and she said with some hesitation, ¡°My Lady, Fourth Miss is so pitiful. Could you...¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a sideways re at Mo Yu, which stunned Mo Yu, and then she did not continue her words. However, Mo Yu did not look at Mo Xueqiong as fiercely as before, instead, there was a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

    ¡°My Lady!¡± Mo Ye also spoke timidly beside with the intention to beg for Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s several words actually softened the hearts of the people in the room.

    ¡°Mo Ye, help Fourth Miss up.¡± Mo Xuetong said.

    Mo Ye came to help Mo Xueqiong up who had crumpled over the ground with tears.

    ¡°Well, tell me how you want to leave.¡± Mo Xuetong looked apathetic with a prating chill in her eyes. She just stared at Mo Xueqiong quietly, and did not ask the question till Mo Xueqiong felt flustered by the stare and lowered the head to pretend to cry.

    Mo Xueqiong was overjoyed inwardly. With gratitude in her eyes, she took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said, ¡°Third Sister, I will listen to you all. I have no idea now. And I will listen to whatever you say.¡±

    ¡°You really have no idea?¡± Mo Xuetong looked calm.

    ¡°Third Sister, I, I really...¡± Mo Xueqiong looked at Mo Xuetong timidly and answered hesitantly.

    ¡°Since you have no idea, juste back and think about it. Come to tell me when you have any idea. Mo Ye, send Fourth Miss back.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face froze suddenly, and she put the teacup in her hand heavily on the table, and stood up, about toe into the inner room.

    ¡°Third Sister, Third Sister, I... I have an idea, please... please help me.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong answered so pointedly, Mo Xueqiong realized things would go bad, so she hurried to block Mo Xuetong¡¯s way and shouted, with panic and fluster full of her eyes.

    ¡°Have you got an idea?¡± Mo Xuetong turned back and asked coldly.

    ¡°Third Sister, I do have an idea, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s feasible, so I dare not to tell Third Sister.¡± Mo Xueqiong said with tears and peeped at Mo Xuetong. Finding Mo Xuetong just looked cold but not angry, Mo Xueqiong felt a sigh of relief in her heart.

    Mo Xuetong sat down on the couch again and looked at Mo Xueqiong. ¡°Go ahead!¡±

    Mo Xueqiong nodded and said with sobs, ¡°A few dayster, it is the anniversary of King Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s death. His Majesty allows King Yan and thedies in the manor to worship in the temple. And I will go there as well. If Third Sister can arrange several people to aid me behind the temple, I can seed in escaping. I am not valued in King Yan¡¯s Manor and don¡¯t get a royal recognition. So even though I disappear, no one will care about me. Besides, it happens in the temple, which will have nothing to do with Third Sister.¡±

    Her words sounded methodical. It could be a feasible n. Not to mention whether Mo Xueqiong was valued or not in King Yan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xueqiong was just a second consort without any royal background. Even though something terrible did happen to her in the temple, who could she turn to for help? Moreover, considering King Yan¡¯s current situation, he was being grounded, so he had to keep a lower profile now so as not to stir up any trouble to displease the Emperor. Even if Mo Xueqiong disappeared, King Yan just reported that she died of a disease.

    Who really cared about whether she was alive or dead?

    ¡°Which temple?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Puguang Temple outside the capital, where King Yan¡¯s mother is ced. At this time of the year, King Yan always takes people there.¡± Seeing Mo Xuetong did not refuse, Mo Xueqiong felt overjoyed, but still wore sadness on her face. She said, ¡°On that day, a number of people will go there. I wonder whether the people sent by Third Sister will recognize me. If something unexpected happens, it doesn¡¯t matter that I can¡¯t escape, but if Third Sister will suffer it, even death cannot exonerate me from the me.¡±

    King Yan would bring thedies to go with him. Although it was impossible to know the number, judging from Mo Xuetong¡¯s dangerous experience in King Yan¡¯s Manorst time, the women around King Yan must be in arge number. Mo Xueqiong could go to the back door when those women too. Make sure that Mo Xuetong¡¯s people would not get the wrong person, otherwise, it would cause terrible trouble.

    Even though Mo Xueqiong was not valued in King Yan¡¯s Manor, she was still a second consort that the Emperor awarded to King Yan.

    Mo Xueqiong talked as if she nned everything for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Oh well, I won¡¯t send any people there. You figure it out yourself!¡± Mo Xuetong blurted.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face turned red immediately, and she dared not to make her statement too absolute, and hurriedly justified herself, ¡°I know that Third Sister must have a way to save me. Only this time, as long as I can escape this time, I will never bother Third Sister anymore, and all I want is to live a restful Iife and pray for Father and Third Sister.¡±

    ¡°There must be many womening out of the back door at that time. How can the people I send tell which one is you?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at her nonchntly and asked.

    Mo Xueqiong was dumb by the question. She went around in circles, pped her hands suddenly, and said, ¡°I got an idea! Third Sister, could you pretend to light incense in the temple that day, so that you can recognize me at the back door, and ask people to take me away? With Third Sister¡¯s presence, everything will be okay without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to go there?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darkened and looked at Mo Xueqiong nonchntly.

    ¡°Third Sister, Third Sister. Just this time, only this time. I am afraid, I am afraid if I fail to escape this time and get caught, I... I¡¯ll have no way but a dead end. Third Sister, save me!¡± Mo Xueqiong shrank with a shiver and begged Mo Xuetong with a hint of fear and panic shing under her eyes, as if she was really scared to the extreme.

    ¡°My Lady, could you please go there? It happens that you will pray for the baby in the Madam¡¯s belly. How about going to the Puguang Temple conveniently? It¡¯s said that the Buddhas there are so efficacious. Last time, My Lady, when you were ill, I went there as well. It is prosperous.¡± Mo Yu looked at the poor Mo Xueqiong and spoke for her.

    ¡°Third Sister, only this time. If, with the Third Sister¡¯s assistance, I am still unable to escape King Yan¡¯s clutch, I... I will jump down from the cliff over there as an exnation to Third Sister.¡± Mo Xueqiong screamed with a trace of resolution in her eyes, showing a look that said she would die if she could not escape. Her weak body shook and crumbled.

    The room became silent immediately. Mo Xuetong held up the teacup quietly, took a sip and used the cdon tea lid to sweep the tea foam. After a while, she said coolly, ¡°Well, you go back first. When the dayes, you send a letter to inform me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you. Third Sister, I... I thank you very much.¡± Mo Xuetong sobbed with excitement and gratitude, as if she could not say anything but only thanks at that moment.

    Mo Xuetong did not ask her to stay there longer, but just said a few words distantly. Mo Xueqiong thought the thing was settled and did not continue to stay there, and she excused herself with gratitude and made an agreement to meet with Mo Xuetong in the Puguang Temple.

    Seeing Mo Xueqionging out of the room, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao hurried toe out and left with Mo Xueqiong.

    Not until the three people had gone far, did Mo Lan return to the room. Inside the room, Mo Yu had reced the tea for Mo Xuetong. When seeing Mo Lane in, Mo Yu asked immediately, ¡°Have you sounded out anything?¡±

    Mo Xuetong also looked over.

    ¡°My Lady, Mo Yan and Mo Jiao have close mouths. I asked them for a long time, but got nothing from them. But Mo Jiao spilled the bean and said that the gifts that Fourth Miss brought to the manor were all given by Consort Yan. After saying that, Mo Yan gave a fierce kick to Mo Jiao under the table. Then, however I tried to ask, Mo Jiao just pretended to be dumb while Mo Yan answered me beside.¡±

    Mo Lan came forward to report.

    ¡°Just some gifts sent by Consort Yan. Was it worth making a fuss for Mo Yan and Mo Jiao?¡± We don¡¯t like those things yet.¡± Mo Yu curled her lip subconsciously and said.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyed darkened with a trace of mockery in her eyes. Mo Xueqiong really thought that Mo Xuetong would be cheated to the Puguang Temple by a few soft words. In thest life, Mo Xuetong had happened to know that the dead consorts of the royal family should be put in the Repayment Temple in the capital for praying. After all, it was the royal temple. and those royal dead consorts were not allowed to be randomly ced anywhere else.

    ¡°Consort Yan treats Fourth Miss so well, and even gave her the gifts to return to the paternal home. However, our Fourth Miss still performed as if she had been bullied seriously.¡± Mo Ye also sensed something unusual and said angrily.

    ¡°My Lady, all Fourth Miss did was pretense?¡± Mo Yu blinked and understood what Mo Lan meant, so she asked nervously, ¡°Shall we tell His Highness?¡±

    Thinking that Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin framed Mo Xuetongst time, Mo Yu felt flurried, and her face turned pale with her eyes staring at Mo Xuetong, as if a great cmity was at hand.

    Mo Yu¡¯s countenance as though she was confronted by a formidable enemy made the people presentugh.

    ¡°Why shall we tell His Highness? Just Mo Xueqiong loathes me and tries to deal with me again. Anyway, I have Mo Feng and Mo Ye around. It is not a big deal.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled.

    ¡°My Lady, do you really want to go? That¡¯s not okay. It¡¯s too dangerous. It will be terrible that Mo Xueqiong stirs any trouble at that time.¡± Mo Lan¡¯s smile dissolved, and she said with a severe countenance.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since someone wants Mo Xueqiong to set the trap, it is not only targeted at me. If I don¡¯t go this time, I don¡¯t know what will happen next time. I might as well go to see and let the person drop the idea forever. By the way, I want to know who is trying to frame me!¡±

    Mo Xuetong said calmly with a hint of coldness shing on her lips. She exhaled a long breath of depression from her chest. As for Mo Xueqiong¡¯s end, Mo Xuetong showed no sympathy for her. Just now, Mo Xuetong had seen clearly that Mo Xueqiong sobbed hysterically while peeping at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face secretly.

    Obviously, Mo Xueqiong had plotted well, but still pretended to be helpless in front of her. But for Mo Xuetong really wanted to leave and Mo Xueqiong was forced to reveal what she wanted, perhaps Mo Xueqiong would have not told her real intention before acting for a longer time. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s words were mixed with the false and true, and most of them were true, but the false part was the key to frame Mo Xuetong.

 Chapter 448 - Dishonored: A Good Show in the Gold Store

    <h4>Chapter 448 Dishonored: A Good Show in the Gold Store</h4>

    The person behind the scenes was really a master, and knew that the utter mendacity was not convincing, so he simply presented a mixture of truth and falsehood and made others hard to guess the real intention. However, it was a pity that it was a good n, but Mo Xueqiong was not a good actress. With Mo Xueqiong¡¯s temperament, she could not do those extreme behaviors. Judging from Mo Xueqiong¡¯s current life, she would have died several times.

    Besides, based on Mo Xueqiong¡¯s knowledge, how could it be possible for her to devise such a plot? Just now, Mo Xuetong had pondered several times. It was a major crime to abduct the imperial second consort. If something would happen before that, Feng Yuran would be involved as well. Perhaps, King Yan would revive as a victim. In this regard, the person who tried to frame Mo Xuetong was rather calctive!

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t stay long in Mo Manor. Before the meal, King Xuan¡¯s Manor sent people there. Mo Xuetong said goodbye to Xu Yan first, and then to Mo Huawen in the courtyard, then took her people back to the King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    When she came out of the gate, she found Mo Xueqiong getting on the carriage at the side door. It was an oil-wall carriage, totally different from that of King Manor. But the coachman looked quite capable, and he sat on the carriage. With a light whip, the carriage moved immediately.

    ¡°He is a martial art master!¡± Mo Ye saw him and said to Mo Xuetong in the carriage.

    Mo Xuetong nodded, her long eyshes closed, and leaned against the soft couch to take a nap! She was wondering what the message that Feng Yuran asked people to send meant. ¡°Ask her to see a good show? Where to see it?¡±

    On the most bustling streets in the capital, people were hurrying to and fro every day, and stores were arranged in rows. The wide road extended to an endless distance.

    A carriage stopped at the entrance of a store, and a decently dressed maidservant got off the carriage and walked into a well decorated gold store.

    When the shopkeeper sitting in the store saw a guesting in, he smiled and signaled his shop assistant to receive the guest. The assistant found the guest was a decent maidservant and knew that she muste from a great family, so he received her with all smiles and asked, ¡°Miss, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°Well, where is the jade-and-jewelry-iid writing brush washer engraved with the double fish pattern that my master settled onst time? Wrap it for me now. Our master is waiting outside.¡± The maidservant said scornfully and tartly. Her behavior told that she must be a capable senior maidservanting from a great manor.

    The shop assistant went nk for a while and suddenly realized what she meant when looking at the direction that the maidservant pointed at. Then, he recognized immediately the maidservant in front. It was true that the maidservant hade to the store two days ago, but they did make an agreement on the price, so she left at that time.

    ¡°Miss, do you mean the writing brush washer that you settled onst time? To tell you the truth, your master did have a good taste. It is really a wonderful writing brush washer. But pity that your master didn¡¯t buy itst time, and a guest just bought it with one thousand taels of silver.¡± The shop assistant put on a smile to cate the maidservant.

    ¡°What, it is worth one thousand taels of silver?¡± Hearing the shop assistant¡¯s reply, the maidservant said with a displeased and cold look, ¡°Don¡¯t put on airs in front of me. Take it out. Our master said she didn¡¯t bargain with you anymore, and got it with 500 taels.¡±

    ¡°Miss, I am not cheating you. It is really worth one thousand taels. Besides, even if you want it now, we don¡¯t have. It makes no sense to argue about it any longer. What about this one? It is another writhing brush washer made by new jade. Look at the lines in the patterns of peony. It is suitable for madams anddies.¡±

    The shop assistant said smilingly, with a fair face to make fortune.

    But the maidservant red at him and said, ¡°What? Is it sold? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to sell several days ago? And my master needed to think more about it. How dare you sell it to others?¡±

    The words were extremely overbearing, and the shop assistant was stunned and lost in words at that moment.

    Upon seeing it, the shopkeeper walked to them with a smile and said, ¡°Miss, your words are unreasonable. Your master did not fix it in advance or promise to buy. Why can¡¯t we sell it to others? You know the goods we have are famous in the entire capital. Many people of influential families would like to buy goods from us. If you walk out of the door, it is impossible for you to pick up such good things in other stores. That day, your master thought 800 taels was too high. And now, a guest can afford 1,000 taels for it. How can we refuse it?¡±

    The remarks sounded polite on the surface, but with the shopkeeper¡¯s false smile, it sounded quite ironic. The maidservant¡¯s face darkened immediately, and she looked at the cynical smiles around her and felt a loss of face.

    Xiangyun was not humiliated like that after she became Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maidservant, so she got annoyed instantly. As she stood with one hand on her hip, she pointed at the shopkeeper with the other and scolded, ¡°What a snob! Do you know who our master is? You can go to ask in the entire capital. No one dares to offend our master, and all bow and serve obsequiously to our master. Why dare you look down upon us?¡±

    Her shout attracted some customers in the store to stop and look at her. Her aggressive posture with one hand on the hip and the other pointing at the old shopkeeper was rather rude and unreasonable. Besides, her repetition of ¡°our master¡± and the im of how terrific the master was aroused the curiosity of some idlers.

    Someone began to kick up a row. ¡°Who is your master exactly? Ask her to get off the carriage and let us have a look.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m afraid the master is nothing, but just an unruly maidservant makes a fuss here. She is only bluffing!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. I heard that there are many swashbuckling people in the capital who like talking big. Don¡¯t assume great airs and ask for trouble here.¡± ...

    With more people gathering around, their remarks sounded rather unpleasant to ears. Xiangyun got so get exasperated that she red at the crowd and yelled, ¡°What do you guys know? Don¡¯t mess with our master, otherwise, you will not know how you will die.¡±

    ¡°Wow, your master is so awesome. I¡¯m so scared!¡± The sentence came from the crowd, and its surly tone set the whole store in an uproar.

    ¡°Who? Who said it? Do you dare toe out?¡± It was the first time for Xiangyun to be derided like that. Her face turned livid with anger, and she pointed at the crowd, cursing.

    ¡°What can you do if the persones out? To chat and drink tea with your master, or...¡± The jeer became more ambiguous and shabbier, even molested Ling Rui¡¯er. Then, there was one more burst of uproar in the store, and Ling Rui¡¯er in the carriage outside also heard it. She frowned and got off the carriage angrily with another maidservant.

    Ling Rui¡¯er heard that her brother was injured by someone, so hurried to see him. When passing the store, she remembered that there was a good writing brush washer in the store and wanted to buy it for Ling Yang. But unexpectedly, since Xiangyun had entered the store for a long time, not only did she not take the writing brush washer out, but also her screams and the people¡¯s jeers came from inside.

    The mockery of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maidservant was like a p in the face. She had never been dishonored like that, so she did not think whether she should expose herself in public and just entered the store with rage.

    ¡°Well, is she the master?¡± Someone turned around, found the angry Ling Rui¡¯er, and teased.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid she is. Look at them, the master and the servant are the same. If they stand on the street, they are just a rascally pair.¡± Although Ling Rui¡¯er looked imposing, a fellow, who came from the civil world, still had the gut to poke fun at her.

    ¡°Come on! Beat these people out of here!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er flew into a frenzy and said to the coachman behind her with her teeth clenched.

    The coachman was good at martial arts, so he came up with a whip and beat it to the crowd. With only a blow, the people in front of him were thrown out, and some were unluckily hit to the pedestal of the column. They covered their aching heads and tried standing up. However, the container behind shook, and some golden and jade utensils on it shook and nged...

    ¡°Hurry up! Hold on to the container over there.¡± The shopkeeper¡¯s countenance changed with a scare. And he had no time to argue with Ling Rui¡¯er any longer, but shouted his shop assistants to help it. But before the shop assistants rushed to hold on to the container, the golden and jade utensils could not keep still and fell down one by one. And identally, some of them smashed on a fallen person¡¯s head. Immediately, the head was hit with blood flowing down.

    The person had just sat up, but fell down again with a scream.

    Looking at the man¡¯s blood gushing down and lying there unconscious, making it hard to know whether he was hit to death, the shopkeeper and his assistants fell on the ground with fear; the rest of the people were startled first, and then escaped from the store with screams. ¡°Someone is killed! Come on! Someone is killed here!¡±

    ¡°Someone is dead! Someone is hit to death!¡±

    ¡°A woman has killed someone here.¡±

    People outside didn¡¯t know what was happening inside. Seeing so many people rushing out of the store, a person outside pulled one of them and asked hurriedly, ¡°What happened inside?¡±

    ¡°A woman got out of this carriage, went inside and killed a man. He is still lying... lying inside. And the woman is still in... The lying... lying person...¡±

    Perhaps the man was too panicked to speak coherently, as he tried to shake off the hand which grabbed his sleeve.

    A woman in that carriage? Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the carriage parked at the door. Someone recognized it as the carriage of King Chu¡¯s Manor and whispered: ¡°The people of King Chu¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the people of King Chu¡¯s Manor!¡±

    ¡°The woman of King Chu¡¯s Manor is lying inside with a man, and someone is killed by a smash...¡± All the people were shocked, but their greater gossip enthusiasm was aroused. Then, an imaginative picture was formed that a woman of King Chu¡¯s Manor took a carriage to have a private date with a man in the store, but for some unknown reasons, they had a quarrel, and then, the woman killed the man.

    Such an erotic story happened in the gold store, which drove a mass of excited spectators to gather at the door again, because they wanted to see clearly who the woman of the King Chu¡¯s Manor was.

    The public remarks were so powerful that people on the street all guessed and blocked at the door. Before they entered the store, Ling Rui¡¯er took her maidservants to go out, and the coachman opened the way for her. His whip beat mercilessly to the crowd. Ling Rui¡¯er realized that something was strange, so she just wanted to leave there as soon as possible.

    ¡°Get out of the way.¡± Seeing more and more people at the door, the coachman shouted anxiously.

    Seeing his whip beating, the pedestrians retreated subconsciously. But a voice came from the crowd, ¡°How can it be Consort Chu?¡± The voice was so loud that all the people heard it.

    Immediately, different voices came from different ces rang, ¡°Consort Chu has affairs with a man, and even injured people. How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°How is that not possible? Who knows if Consort Chu did it because of being treated coldly by King Chu...¡±

    ¡°But even though she had a private meet with a man, she cannot kill people. Can a king¡¯s consort be so profligate?¡± The words sounded extremely unpleasant to ears. No matter how Ling Rui¡¯er tried to pretend, the words still spread to her ears.

    ¡°Who said it?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er stood and asked coldly.

    Seeing Ling Rui¡¯er burst with anger, no one dared to reply in the crowd. But some jeers were heard here and there. And then, the crowd dispersed in an uproar.

    A few words came from the distance, ¡°Dare to do, but did not dare to admit! It seems that this king¡¯s consort has no gut indeed.¡±

    ¡°What kind of man had such bad luck that this king¡¯s consort took a fancy to him? See, he died of his lust now!¡±

    Sarcastic remarks came one after another. But for the constraint of her status, Ling Rui¡¯er would have gone mad at that time.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, please don¡¯t get angry. Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Xiangyun knew it was inappropriate at this time, so she pulled Ling Rui¡¯er to the carriage.

    ¡°I, I can hardly swallow it.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said with hatred.

    ¡°My Lady, there must be someone plotting on this matter. We should go back and find out who it is. But it is not suitable for you to be here now.¡± Xiangyun persuaded.

    Ling Rui¡¯er also knew that she could not stay there any longer. Gossips filled the air. The more she stayed, the more gossips about her would appear. So she gritted her teeth and did not say anything more. Then, she turned around, about to leave.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, please wait! How can you leave now? My Lady, please spare our lives. Those things, those things are smashed by the people at your order!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er wanted to gloss it over, but the shopkeeper did not agree and rushed out with a few shop assistants. Some held the horse, some knelt in front of her, and even a guyy on the ground to block her way and screamed loudly, which attracted more lookers-on.

    They were acting insanely. But Ling Rui¡¯er had no way to deal with them now, but had to bite the back teeth to said to Xiangyun, ¡°Give them tael notes!¡±

 Chapter 449 - Interlocked: The Empress Dowagers Plot

    <h4>Chapter 449 Interlocked: The Empress Dowager¡¯s Plot</h4>

    On the opposite high building, Mo Xuetong picked the curtain, and fixed her clear and charming eyes intently on what was happening. She felt the sulk brought by Mo Xueqiong dispersedpletely with the show, which made her cheer up and smile brightly.

    ¡°Okay. You¡¯ve seen enough. Just sit down. Look at you, not like King Xuan¡¯s Consort.¡± Feng Yuran reached out his hands and pulled her back with some indulgence.

    Mo Xuetong touched her neck, and it was kind of stiff. But it was a good and rare show once in a century. Looking at Ling Rui¡¯er burning with a frenzy of rage and having to give money, Mo Xuetong felt happy in her heart. Her eyes rolled smartly, and she asked cutely, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you that asked people to do this?¡±

    She still remembered the affair about Ling Yang before. It seemed that Feng Yuran was also involved in it.

    ¡°I? How could it be? Am I the person who will do it?¡± Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong into his arms, raised his handsome eyebrows andughed leisurely.

    If he was not the person who would do it, there was not anyone else possible to do it. Embraced by him, Mo Xuetong flushed but did not struggle. She pouted secretly but still asked sweetly, ¡°You¡¯re not the person. But who did it?¡±

    She did not believe that it had nothing to do with Feng Yuran. This man liked to pretend to be the weak and to defeat the strong. He had deceived all the people in the world. What else couldn¡¯t he do?

    ¡°What if I say that it has nothing to do with me?¡± Feng Yuran suddenly looked at Mo Xuetong seriously and said.

    ¡°If it is true, please tell me who the person is. And let me see who is so powerful and able to tease Ling Rui¡¯er like this.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled disapprovingly and pushed him.

    ¡°If Tong¡¯er gives me a kiss, maybe I¡¯ll tell you.¡± It was a pity that this sly old fox was not fooled. With an oblique nce, he saw through her and did not allow her to attain her goal.

    Not fooled? Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes rolled flickered smartly, and she put on a look of concern. Being worried, she pulled Feng Yuran¡¯s hands and said, ¡°What if Ling Rui¡¯er finds that this has something to do with you? Feng Yuxuan and Duke Ding are not the men to be trifled with.¡±

    When he looked at her coquettish and shy face pretending to be serious, Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were full of smiles. He came closer to her and gave a big kiss on her pink tender face, and said with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how can you be so cute? No wonder I was hooked on you at the first sight of you.¡±

    His words made Mo Xuetong flustered. How could she not know what he meant at that time!

    She still remembered the first time the two met. He was clearly a yboy. At that time, Mo Xuetong just rallied from thea and had to go out to send a message. She was thin and weak, and was dressed as a little maidservant. How could he make fun of her at that time? Was he was too hungry to choose his food? Mo Xuetong did not understand that since there were a number of beautiful women in his manor, why did he still set up the reputation as a man of pleasure outside?

    Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong felt a little unwell, and her little mouth slightly pouted.

    Later, he disguised himself as a masked man and rushed into the old mansion in the Cloud City and struck fiercely, showing no trace of sympathy for her. And then, the things happened in the pce indicated that he had no affection for her. The more Mo Xuetong thought, the more aggrieved she felt.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t believe me? Why are you so unconfident? See how beautiful you are. I was hooked at first sight, then I was determined to marry you. Obviously, your beauty was born for me.¡± Feng Yuran said with a serious look, but the banter in his eyes made Mo Xuetong want to directly cover his annoying mouth.

    How could this person be so shameless that he spoke those words smoothly?

    ¡°If you continue to say it, I won¡¯t answer you!¡± Mo Xuetong did exactly as she said. She reached out her delicate hand to cover his mouth in case any shameless words would spit out from his mouth.

    Feng Yuranughed out. Because his mouth was covered, hisughter was muffled in a low voice. He seemed to be pleased to tease her, and then actually stuck out his tongue to lick her palm.

    It sent shivers to Mo Xuetong¡¯s palm, which made her withdraw her hand immediately. Her face seemed to be burning, and she shoved him away and ignored him, ablush.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you really angry?¡± Feng Yuran stretched out his hand, and Mo Xuetong twisted her body to avoid it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know who framed Ling Rui¡¯er?¡± Feng Yuran enticed her with a smile. Mo Xuetong tried ignoring him and bit her lips, but finally failed. She raised her eyes and pretended to be annoyed. ¡°Then tell me quickly.¡±

    Feng Yuran chuckled, and his smile on the lips were full of charm. Mo Xuetong could not help but sign inwardly why Feng Yuran looked so fascinating, which did make her mind unable to set at ease. She threw an oblique look at him to express her dissatisfaction. ¡°Just say it quickly, otherwise I will go.¡±

    After finishing the words, she postured to leave.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I will tell you. But Tong¡¯er, you cannot go at this time, because the food will be served soon. The food here is quite good. I ask them to make the dishes milder especially for you. You should have a try.¡± Feng Yuran said smilingly and raised his wide purple robe sleeves with more tenderness in his bearing.

    ¡°Just tell me who!¡± The moment the words came out of Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth, she felt embarrassed, because the words did not sound imposing at all, instead, it sounded like being coquettish, and she just spoke out so smoothly.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you have really wronged your husband this time. It was clearly King Ning, Feng Yuzhen who did it. How can you link it to your husband? As your husband, I am really sad!¡± Feng Yuran stood up, walked beside Mo Xuetong, lowered his head and squeezed gently on the tip of her nose. And heined.

    ¡°King Ning?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her glittering eyes, patted away Feng Yuran¡¯s reaching hand, and asked in surprise.

    ¡°Except King Ning, who would do it?¡± Feng Yuran came back to take a seat, took a sip of the tea at hand, and asked with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you want to know why Feng Yuzhen framed Ling Rui¡¯er?¡±

    Recently, Feng Yuzhen kept in a low profile, as if he really did not want anything. But Mo Xuetong knew that he had been waiting. Without the support of Grand Secretariat Wang, Feng Yuzhen turned to Consort Yu¡¯s belly. The baby in Consort Yu¡¯s belly carried all his hope. As long as Consort Yu could give birth to a baby boy, Feng Yuzhen was able to support the little prince as the emperor.

    With the contribution to support the little prince as the emperor, and being his natural father, Feng Yuzhen waspletely able to bypass Emperor Zongwen and return to the throne.

    This outnking scheme was not only simpler but also nominally more proper than he plotted to usurp the throne, because he could totally avoid the infamy of being a usurper. So it could kill three birds with one stone.

    ¡°Is it... for Consort Yu?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips lifted slightly, with some soft smiles in her eyes. But she was not quite sure, and looked at Feng Yuran hesitantly.

    ¡°Why is it Consort Yu? Not the Empress Dowager?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s narrow eyes reflected the sunlight, and he said leisurely and nced at her naturally.

    The Empress Dowager?

    Mo Xuetong was enlightened, and her eyes shone immediately. She nodded her pretty chin and said, ¡°I see. Ling Rui¡¯er offended the Empress Dowager in the Cining Pce, and also made Consort Yu and Consort Zhao lose face, which stirred up ill feelings between the two. So of course, the Empress Dowager did not like the initiator of evil. Then, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s brotherpeted with Yu Mingyong, which also disgraced and embarrassed the Ding General Manor. Therefore, the Empress Dowager seized the chance to set up the trap.¡±

    ¡°Oh, if the Ding General Manor is damaged, what good is for the Empress Dowager?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s enchanting eyes curved, and he asked with a smile.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s good. Our Empress Dowager will never do things for nothing.¡± Mo Xuetong said prettily. Although she was taunting, her voice was sweet and cute. ¡°Recently, the Ding General Manor is not obedient. The Empress Dowager wanted to seize it and teach a lesson to Ding General Manor. But she could not act in her own capacity, so she used Consort Yu as a scapegoat. Even Duke Ding would not think that it was the Empress Dowager behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°By doing so, it could not only help Consort Yu revenge and make her happy, but also give a p on Duke Ding. Although Ling Rui¡¯er is King Yan¡¯s consort, she is not the Duke Ding¡¯s legitimate daughter. Besides, the thing happening today would dishonor Ling Rui¡¯erpletely. The people of the Ding General Manor will shift the sail with the wind atst. No one knows who will have therger backer in the end. Feng Yuzhen considered himself to have set a perfect trap.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say he considered himself to?¡± Although Feng Yuran asked the question, a look ofcency appeared on his face. His handsome face raised slightly, waiting proudly for Mo Xuetong¡¯s praise. He indicated so obviously through his movement but not his words that he also promoted the whole affair.

    His eyes were so bright that they could attract others¡¯ attention firmly. Along with his childish expression, he looked as if waiting for the praise sincerely. With his superior status, when was he craving for praise like now? Mo Xuetong felt a stream of soft water flowed through her heart.

    At that moment, Mo Xuetong raised the corners of her lips simply and gave him a sideways nce archly. ¡°Yuran, have you messed up in it again?¡±

    If Feng Yuran had not known it before, he would not have found a tea house here in advance and taken her here to enjoy the show while drinking tea.

    ¡°How could it be possible? The Empress Dowager¡¯s plot is perfect which can both humiliate King Chu and Ding General Manor. However, Ling Rui¡¯er is a married daughter and not a legitimate daughter of Duke Ding. So even though the Ding General Manor is involved, it is not a big deal. But King Chu is different. Ling Rui¡¯er is his legitimate consort. Now my elder brother suffers such a loss without any cause or reason, and how can he tolerate it? As his young brother, I should leave a clue for my elder brother to help him investigate it easily.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s half-narrowed eyes gleamed with smiles, even his tone sounded attractively merry. But a glimmer of coldness shed in his enchanting eyes. He could not love his Tong¡¯er too much. How could others bully her at will? No matter Ling Rui¡¯er or the Empress Dowager, they must pay for their conduct.

    Looking at his expression, Mo Xuetong felt her eyes blurred, but then she stretched out her white tender finger to scrape his handsome face, ¡°You are really thick-skinned and narcissistic.¡±

    Would he help Feng Yuxuan? It would be strange that Mo Xuetong believed. With Feng Yuran¡¯s astuteness and resourcefulness, he could deceive all the people in the world, so he might make something else out of it.

 Chapter 450 - Troubles and the Ding General Manors Counterplot

    <h4>Chapter 450 Troubles and the Ding General Manor¡¯s Counterplot</h4>

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes glimmered and reached out to hold her hand. He said lovingly, ¡°How is that considered narcissistic? Am I not someone like that? Otherwise, why would Tong¡¯er like me?¡±

    He sounded as if he was joking but his eyes were sincere as he looked at Mo Xuetong. His gaze was heated and it made Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart beat wildly. The maids and Feng Yuran¡¯s guards were standing outside and must have heard him. He was really shameless to say something like this in broad daylight.

    She nced at him, pretending to be angry. However, her pale ears blushed as she tried to wrench her hands out of his grasp to no avail. She could only look down to hide her shyness. However, she felt syrupy sweet deep down inside. She even understood that Feng Yuran picking on what Feng Yuzhen had done for another important reason. He was trying to avenge her!

    She immediately felt warm and contented in the heart.

    She could hear hiszy and charming voice by her ear. Her heart started beating like a drum before she even looked at him. He asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t like me?¡±

    He moved his hands and pulled Mo Xuetong to him from across the table. His handsome face glowed and his eyes curved up in a smile. His tone was charming and bright.

    Her hands were held in his. They felt numb and her heart skipped a beat. Mo Xuetong pouted naturally; her eyes were as clear as water. She looked at Feng Yuran, showing her displeasure. She pinched him viciously before she said anything. However, she did not have much strength and it did not hurt him much.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you must like me!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes darkened when Mo Xuetong did not reply. However, he immediately started to look serious and appeared domineering. He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand lightly. He was gentle but firm. He had never been an altruistic person. Tong¡¯er was his and could only be his.

    It did not matter who else wanted her. He would not allow it!

    He looked at Mo Xuetong deeply and shook her hand. He looked like he would only be satisfied when she gave him an answer.

    Mo Xuetong was startled. She did not expect the charming and devilish Feng Yuran to behave so childishly. However, she could sense his sincerity behind his childish determination. When she thought of how this romantic and handsome Adonis was so deeply in love with her, she felt as if she was thrown into apletely different world.

    Everything was so perfect and wonderful she could not believe it!

    In her past life, she had paid for this with her life but had not received it!

    She looked up with her clear and beautiful eyes. There seemed to be a faintyer of mist in her eyes that glimmered and rippled. There was a sense of sorrow in her beautiful eyes that seemed to have been enveloped in a lightyer of mist. It was like a dream or an illusion. She seemed beautiful and frail.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes grew even softer and he let go of her. He walked up to her and held her hands once more, pulling her up from her seat. He wrapped her into a gentle hug and patted her back. He said,zily and domineeringly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be sad. No matter who it is who bullies you, I will have them know that there are some people that they can¡¯t bully.¡±

    He was arrogant and proud. The world wasrge and those with power would im victory!

    Mo Xuetong had never doubted Feng Yuran given his ce in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart and the power that he had gathered secretly. She leaned into Feng Yuran¡¯s chest quietly and blinked her longshes. A small smile appeared on her lips. This man made her feel very safe. She felt as if she could sleep in peace without any worries in his arms.

    She did not have to worry that others might plot against her, and neither did she have to worry that someone might try to hurt her. She did not have to worry about anything else. She moved her lips and murmured, ¡°Yuran, I like you!¡±

    Her voice was very soft. It was so soft it almost disappeared behind her soft and upturned lips. However, Feng Yuran heard her. Several different emotions appeared in his almond-shaped eyes immediately. His eyes glowed heatedly and he could not help but tighten his hold on the girl in his arms. His tenderness and love entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart through his embrace.

    She felt soft in the heart! The feeling of sweetness felt like honey flowing through her heart!

    Ling Rui¡¯er was feeling very troubled now. She was so annoyed that she almost left Duke Ding behind in a fit of anger. She used to be the Third Miss of the Ding General Manor. Furthermore, she was the daughter of the legal wife. Outside of the manor, she was respected because of who Duke Ding was. As such, even though her elder sister was the most beautiful girl of the capital, her elder sister still had to bow down to Ling Mingyan, the true eldest legitimate daughter, much less herself.

    However, it was now different for her. She was King Chu¡¯s first consort. Given King Chu¡¯s current status, he was no longer as before. If Feng Yuxuan were to ascend the throne, she would be the empress and rule over the rest. There would be no other woman who would be as noble as her. The Ding General Manor would have to bow down to her in the future.

    ¡°Uncle, I am not being arrogant and willful. The people in that shop is too much. I did not want the situation toe to this. Uncle, why don¡¯t you shut down that shop lest there are rumors.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er pressed her hands onto the table and spoke coldly with a calm expression.

    Duke Ding, Ling Yu, who was trying to reason with her, was shocked. He did not expect his usually gentle and obedient niece to argue with him. He was shocked speechless.

    ¡°What are you talking about. Quick, apologize to your uncle. Is this something a consort should say?!¡± Ling Hai, who was seated by the side pped his hand on the table and berated Ling Rui¡¯er.

    ¡°Father...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was shocked and her eyes grew red. She was still shocked by what happened earlier. She thought of how she still had to see Feng Yuxuanter when she returned to the manor. She did not know what Feng Yuxuan would think. When she thought of how rumors would say that she was meeting her lover in secret in that shop, she felt very much aggrieved. She had only just wanted to give something nice to her elder brother. How did something like this happen?

    ¡°Apologize.¡± Ling Hai said angrily, unmoved even when he saw the aggrieved expression on his daughter¡¯s face.

    ¡°Uncle, Rui¡¯er did not mean to do that. I was just very angry. Why did so many things happen when I just wanted to buy something from the shop? It is obvious that someone was trying to frame me.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er cried and covered her face with a handkerchief as she curtsied at Duke Ding. She could not hold her tears back any longer and she started to sob.

    Duke Ding frowned slightly. Given his many years of experience, he knew that someone was trying to frame Ling Rui¡¯er. However, the problem was that they did not know who it was.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t be upset. Since you know that someone is trying to frame you to get to King Chu and the Ding General Manor, then you must not act rashly even more so. You have to know that you are now King Chu¡¯s consort. Everything you say and every move you make represents King Chu. We still don¡¯t know what King Chu thinks of the incident today. How can you be so rash?¡±

    When he mentioned Feng Yuxuan, Ling Rui¡¯er paled immediately. She did not dare to be rash any longer. She said uneasily, ¡°Uncle, then what should I do?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maid, Xiangyun, who was behind her, immediately handed her a clean handkerchief. Ling Rui¡¯er epted it and wiped her tears before sitting down again.

    ¡°This person seems to bear malicious intentions towards the Ding General Manor as well as King Chu¡¯s Manor. Furthermore, the person knew that you were going toe to the Ding General Manor today, which was why they could set up such an intricate plot on the way here. Rui¡¯er, tell me, why did you suddenly want to get that brush washer?¡±

    Duke Ding asked Ling Rui¡¯er confusedly. Why did she suddenly want to buy a brush washer when all she had to do was visit Ling Yang? Furthermore, it was said that she had seen the brush washer a few days ago and did not have any intention to buy it afterward. Why did she suddenly want to buy it again!

    Ling Rui¡¯er put down the handkerchief she used to wipe her tears and thought for a moment. She replied, ¡°Uncle, when I went to see the brush washerst time, I thought that it suited Elder Brother very well. Furthermore, Elder Brother likes collecting brush washers. He would definitely like it. However, we didn¡¯t buy it because we couldn¡¯te to an agreement about the price. I forgot all about it after returning to the King¡¯s Manor. I went out today to visit Elder Brother. When I arrived at the intersection, I suddenly remembered this, so I got Xiangyun to buy it. Who would have known that, that... then that happened.¡±

    ¡°Did anyone mention the brush washer to you?¡±

    ¡°No, I saw the shop through the window and thought of it.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. No one had spoken in the horse carriage then, and neither did she hear about it from anyone before or after leaving the manor. If she hadn¡¯t seen the shop and thought of the brush washer, she would not have gotten Xiangyun to get off the horse carriage then.

    ¡°Xiangyun, how did the argument start after you got off the horse carriage?¡± Duke Ding saw that he could not get any information from Ling Rui¡¯er and turned to ask Xiangyun, who was behind her.

    Xiangyun was so frightened that she lost strength in her legs. She knelt down with a plop and quickly exined, ¡°Sir, I didn¡¯t say anything. I just asked where the brush washer went. The shopkeeper said that it had been sold to someone else and it had been sold for a thousand taels of silver. His tone was filled with scorn for My Lady, so I got mad. How can the shopkeeper be such a snob? My Lady had said that she would return to buy it. Why didn¡¯t he ask My Lady before selling it then? The shopkeeper couldn¡¯t exin himself when he heard that and started arguing with me.¡±

    Xiangyun knew that some things could not be said and pushed all the me to the shopkeeper. She also did not forget to mention that she had been standing up for Ling Rui¡¯er. Those people had been so hostile, and they were obviously trying to humiliate Ling Rui¡¯er.

    ¡°Uncle, look. Xiangyun said that the brush washer was mine, but those people still dared to do that. This... If this isn¡¯t them bullying me, that what is? I am Consort Chu, am I not allowed to be as stubborn as a mere shopkeeper? Listen to the rumors that they are spreading. They said that I have a lover because...¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er thought of what those people said behind the horse carriage. Her eyes reddened again and she started to cry. She did not want to hear those words again in her entire life. She was Consort Chu but had been humiliated on the streets by those people. Even though she used to be the Third Miss born by a concubine of the Ding General Manor, she had never been treated like that.

    ¡°Elder Brother, what do you think?¡± Ling Hai asked with a frown. Things hadn¡¯t been going well for him recently either. First, his son fought with Consort Yu¡¯s younger brother, Yu Mingyong. His arm and leg had been broken because of a woman. The Emperor even pushed all the me onto his son.

    He had wanted to plead with the Empress Dowager for help but the servants of Cining Pce came to say that the Empress Dowager was gravely ill. They were not to bother her if it was nothing serious. The two brothers of Ling knew that the Empress Dowager was displeased with them.

    He had nned to enter the pce and try to see what the Empress Dowager would say and try to butter up to her. After all, the Empress Dowager was the Emperor¡¯s mother on paper. She was the most distinguished and honorable woman of the Qin Kingdom. They could not afford to offend her anyway.

    However, who would have thought that more trouble would arise even before the first was solved? Ling Rui¡¯er had gotten into trouble on the way back to the manor!

    How could Duke Ding not feel like a cat on hot bricks? He did not even have a ce to stand still and n for his next move.

 Chapter 451 - Who is the Owner of the Shop?

    <h4>Chapter 451 Who is the Owner of the Shop?</h4>

    This was a grave matter. If Feng Yuran truly believed that Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s reputation was besmirched, it would not benefit the Ding General Manor at all. As such, Duke Ding was very worried too since he could not find the crux of the matter. He had been around the block and knew that the matter was not so simple. However, he did not understand who it was who wanted to deal with the Ding General Manor and King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Uncle, Father, It might just be a coincidence and the people in that shop are just bullies. Uncle, just shut the shop down and have the people in the shop change what they are saying. As long as they admit that they have intentionally ndered me, His Highness will not be angry with me.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er stood up straight and said hatefully. She wiped her tears away while a hint of viciousness shed in her eyes. She had her own ns. As long as those people were willing to change their statement, she would be able to save her reputation a little. No matter whether those people had other intentions or not, she believed that they would change what they had to say under torture. Then, they would also tell her who was the mastermind behind all of this.

    She had a sudden epiphany and thought of another incident. Her eyes grew even colder and were filled with jealousy and hatred. She wrung her handkerchief furiously as if she was imagining it to be someone¡¯s face. She continued, ¡°Uncle, we can just make them say that this was Consort Xuan¡¯s plot. Have them say that Consort Xuan intentionally damaged my reputation to attack King Chu and the Ding General Manor.¡±

    She felt that Mo Xuetong definitely had something to do with this.

    ¡°Do you think that the matter still has not blown up big enough and that your reputation is still notpletely ruined?!¡± Said an icy cold voice. Even though the tone was gentle, it made one shudder.

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s expression changed greatly upon hearing the voice. She stood up and looked at the person at the door. Her lips trembled but she did not dare to make a sound.

    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re here. Please,e in!¡± Duke Ding, Ling Xuan, and Second Master Ling, Ling Hai, stood up hurriedly and greeted Feng Yuxuan respectfully. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression was cold and Ling Rui¡¯er stole a look at him surreptitiously.

    Feng Yuxuan nodded and walked in slowly. His expression softened as he entered and by the time he came up to Duke Ding, he had a small smile on his face. He said to Ling Hai and Ling Xuan, with his hands put together in greeting, ¡°Greetings, Duke Ding and Father-inw.¡±

    ¡°Please dispense with the pleasantries, Your Highness. Please, have a sit.¡± Duke Ding said with a smile and invited the prince to his seat. A maid served tea and left.

    Feng Yuxuan sat down and said to the pale Ling Rui¡¯er with a gentle smile, ¡°Rui¡¯er, sit down too.¡±

    He reached out and held Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s icy cold hands in his and stroked it lovingly. He pulled her down to the seat next to his and then berated her gently, ¡°Rui¡¯er, how could you be so willful? Why didn¡¯t you inform me of what happened but came to trouble Father-inw and Duke Ding instead?¡±

    ¡°I... I... Your Highness!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes reddened when she saw the gentleness in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression. He did not seem to have any intention of scolding her at all. She could not hold back her tears and sobbed behind her handkerchief.

    She did not dare to go home after what happened and had run to the Ding General Manor in a hurry to think up a strategy to deal with what happened. She had done all of that because she was afraid that Feng Yuxuan would be unhappy. Any man who encountered a situation like this would not be happy about it, much less the high and mighty prince. However, she did not expect Feng Yuxuan to trust her so. At this moment, Ling Rui¡¯er felt that she would be willing to die for the man in front of her. She was so touched that she started to cry.

    ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t cry. Sleep early and have a good rest and all will be fine tomorrow.¡± Feng Yuxuanforted her softly and patted her shoulders. Even though his brows were tightly knitted, he could not hide the gentleness in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I will listen to you.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er answered softly and leaned into his arms. The two seemed to be deeply in love and unaffected by what happened.

    Duke Ding and Ling Hai witnessed all of that and nced at each other. Their tightly knitted brows rxed slightly and they even smiled. As long as Feng Yuxuan was not suspicious of Rui¡¯er, then all would be fine. They saw how sweet Feng Yuxuan was to Rui¡¯er despite what happened and how he could not even bear to rebuke her but treated her gently and kindly. It was obvious that Rui¡¯er had a ce in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s heart.

    Then, when Feng Yuxuan ascended the throne, he would not treat Rui¡¯er badly. She would definitely be the empress. Of course, then, she would treat the Ding General Manor well. When Rui¡¯er gave birth to a son, the Ding General Manor¡¯s wealth and power for the next ten years would be solidified. This was much better than the Empress Dowager¡¯s schemes.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t spoil this girl too much. Her recklessness had caused what happened today. I don¡¯t know who is dissatisfied with the Ding General Manor and with the King¡¯s Manor to have plotted against Rui¡¯er.¡± Duke Ding picked up his tea and said solemnly.

    The matter seemed odder and odder the more they thought about it. Anyway, it could not be a coincidence. However, this plot was very intricate and they still had no idea who had set it up yet.

    ¡°Your Highness, it was all because of that shop. Your Highness, let¡¯s capture everyone from that shop and torture them until they spill who is behind this. We will definitely be able to find out then.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er wiped off the tears on her face and repeated once more, gritting her teeth. She was more confident because of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s attitude towards her.

    She did not believe that she could not even deal with a mere shopkeeper.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, you can¡¯t do that. Do you know whose shop that is?¡± Feng Yuxuan waved his hand.

    ¡°Your Highness, can¡¯t you capture an ordinary shop owner?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er asked in confusion. Given Feng Yuxuan¡¯s current power, he could close down any shop he wanted. So what if the shop belonged to one of the other princes? As long as she said that they had tried to frame her intentionally, he would be able to shut them up.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t make a fuss. The shop belongs to Bai Yihao.¡± Duke Ding continued softly.

    Bai Yihao¡¯s shop? Ling Rui¡¯er was stunned. She seemed to be able to see his handsome figure right before her eyes. When she was a young girl and before she had gotten married, she had once been secretly in love with Bai Yihao. However, after seeing the Fifth Princess¡¯s evil and vicious ways, she hid the feelings she had towards him. Bai Yihao¡¯s blunt ways towards her had also made these thoughts perish over time.

    However, her heart could not help but skip a beat when Feng Yuxuan mentioned Bai Yihao. She asked hoarsely, ¡°Why is Sir Bai¡¯s shop here?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been in the capital for so many years. It is no big deal for him to open a shop given his abilities. He brings in things from the Yan Kingdom and sells them here in Qin and he brings things back from the Qin Kingdom to sell in Yan. Others who wish to travel between the two countries would have some concerns, but he does not need to. He just has to ask.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan answered calmly.

    ¡°So are you saying that Bai Yihao wants to frame me?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er asked in confusion. She did not believe in this hypothesis. Bai Yihao was currently in the Yan Kingdom and did not have the time to mind a tiny shop in the Qin Kingdom ande up with schemes to plot against her. It did not seem like something that Bai Yihao would do no matter how she looked at it.

    ¡°Of course, Bai Yihao would not reach out so far to frame you. Even if he had time, he would not do something like this.¡± Duke Ding¡¯s eyes were dark. It did not mean that Bai Yihao did not have the ability to do something like this. However, Ling Rui¡¯er did not have much to do with him. Bai Yihao would not waste so many efforts to send men to the Qin Kingdom to plot against Ling Rui¡¯er.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not this or that, then who is the one who wants to frame me?!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er stood up, somewhat irritated, and stomped her feet. Her mind was in a mess and she did not know what she was going to do next. As such, she mentioned the most suspicious person. ¡°Is it Mo Xuetong who wants to frame me? I heard that she and Bai Yihao used to be very close.¡±

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, why do you keep thinking that Consort Xuan wants to hurt you?¡± Feng Yuxuan turned around and asked her with a slight smile. No one saw the viciousness in his eyes. They were like poisonous snakes tracking its prey. They were blood-thirsty and vicious.

    ¡°I... We just don¡¯t get along... I feel like she is... gentle on the surface but vicious on the inside. Your Highness, look, she has not spared King Xuan¡¯s cousins at all. She is not gentle and gracious like the rumors say.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er stuttered as she spoke at first but grew more fluent, and felt that she was right.

    She would of course not say that she was trying to frame Mo Xuetong so she felt that Mo Xuetong would retaliate. Mo Xuetong had managed to evade her scheme, which she had been rather confident in. Ling Rui¡¯er had not managed to kill Mo Xuetong but had caused the two He sisters to be scapegoats. As such, she felt that Mo Xuetong was a sly and slippery person.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Ling Hai rebuked unhappily when he heard Ling Rui¡¯er pushing the me to Consort Xuan without any evidence. They had not yet caught the mastermind behind the situation. He did not want to make another enemy. King Xuan? Was that someone they could offend!

    ¡°Father, I...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er felt embarrassed after being scolded by Ling Hai in front of Feng Yuxuan. She turned around despondently.

    ¡°Consort Xuan has always been gentle and gracious. She rarely goes out usually. I heard that her health is poor and even His Majesty knows about this. His Majesty even gifted King Xuan¡¯s Manor with various medicinal herbs to help the Consort regte her health. How can you say something like that so impolitely? Do you still think you are an unmarried and insensible girl? You do things based on your feelings.¡±

    Ling Hai sounded like he was scolding Ling Rui¡¯er, but was actually categorizing the trouble that Ling Rui¡¯er got into today as something that had happened because she was an insensible child. He felt that Ling Rui¡¯er had been plotted against because she was inexperienced and did things as she wished. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er was responsible for what happened today, she did not have to bear much of it.

    Furthermore, he could not say much about Mo Xuetong. He only said that her health was poor and she did not have an opportunity to do something like that! King Xuan was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son. Furthermore, King Xuan was ruthless and uncontroble if he wanted to create trouble. Not even the Emperor could do anything about it. It was said that he doted on his little consort a lot.

    If he found out that Ling Rui¡¯er was ndering his consort, Rui¡¯er would be in trouble even with Feng Yuxuan¡¯s protection. As such, Ling Hai wanted topletely eliminate the suspicion Ling Rui¡¯er had of Mo Xuetong.

    Ling Hai was doing all of this because he wanted to help Ling Rui¡¯er!

    However, Ling Rui¡¯er thought that he was embarrassing her in front of Feng Yuxuan. Ling Rui¡¯er was angry and wanted to argue with her father. However, she saw Feng Yuxuan looking at her lovingly with a cating look in his eyes. She flushed with embarrassment and did not say anything.

    ¡°Father-inw, don¡¯t me Rui¡¯er. She was tricked by others. If they had not provoked her, this would not have happened. Rui¡¯er is usually the most sensible, gentle, and gracious person in the King¡¯s Manor.¡± Feng Yuxuan spoke up for Ling Rui¡¯er with a smile. Then, he patted Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand and gestured for her to calm down.

    With Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle and loving treatment, Ling Rui¡¯er felt embarrassed and happy. She wanted to perform well and behave like a gentle and gracious consort. She would not allow Feng Yuxuan to look down on her and must not hinder Feng Yuxuan. She immediately reigned in her anger and curtsied to Ling Hai. She said, ¡°Father, you are right. I was being insensible.¡±

    ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t be willful and listen to His Highness in the future.¡± Ling Hai nodded with satisfaction.

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s performance was more and more perfect.

    The two Ling brothers nodded surreptitiously. This was how ady from a noble family should behave. Feng Yuxuan would think highly of Ling Rui¡¯er too if she behaved like this.

    They performed for each other and then started to talk about the issue at hand once more after a while.

 Chapter 452 - The Curious Incident and the Schemes of the He Family

    <h4>Chapter 452 The Curious Incident and the Schemes of the He Family</h4>

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, why did you go past the gold and jade shop when you came to the Ding General Manor. I remember that you usually don¡¯te here from that street.¡± Feng Yuxuan recalled what he asked the driver earlier. He pped his fan against his palm and asked the question thoughtfully.

    Even though the street that led past the gold and jade shop was a major road in the capital it was not necessary for Ling Rui¡¯er to take that road to the Ding General Manor. There was a path, though smaller, that was a shorter distance to the Ding General Manor. No matter in the past for Ling Fengyan, or right now, for Ling Rui¡¯er, they would both take that road to the Ding General Manor from the King¡¯s Manor.

    And the smaller path did not go by the gold and jade shop.

    This reminded the Ling brothers and they immediately looked at Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was speechless at the attention and she sweated slightly. She thought for a moment and then immediately pointed at Xiangyun and said, ¡°Xiangyun said that that road was bigger and there were more shops. We would be able to see if there¡¯s anything to buy if we took that road. We left the King¡¯s Manor in a hurry and did not bring anything for Third Brother.¡±

    Even though Ling Yang was Ling Hai¡¯s eldest son, he was the third child in the Ding General Manor.

    Ling Rui¡¯er wanted to shirk her responsibilities and could not be bothered to help her maid. When she said that, Xiangyun¡¯s legs copsed and she knelt on the ground forcefully.

    ¡°Xiangyun, what do you have to say?¡± Feng Yuxuan turned to look at Xiangyun, who was trembling on the floor. His eyes held a hint of coldness in them.

    ¡°Your Highness, I did not. We left in a hurry today and the Duke¡¯s Manor was rushing us. On our way here, we realized that we didn¡¯t bring anything for Third Young Master. That was why I persuaded My Lady to take the major road to see if there¡¯s anything she¡¯d want to buy.¡± Xiangyun did not dare to conceal anything at all as she replied, exining everything honestly while she trembled.

    ¡°Elder Brother, did you send someone to get Rui¡¯er?¡± Ling Hai turned around to question Duke Ding, feeling that something was amiss.

    ¡°Why would I? Even if I wanted to ask Rui¡¯er toe, I would have asked you first. Did Sister-inw send for Rui¡¯er?¡± Duke Ding said suspiciously, wearing a frown on his face.

    Rui¡¯er¡¯s mother had cried many times recently because of what happened to Ling Yang. She had even once said that she would find Ling Rui¡¯er to help avenge Ling Yang. Did she send someone for Ling Rui¡¯er?

    ¡°It is not Rui¡¯er¡¯s mother. She went to take care of Yang¡¯er yesterday and only slept early this morning. She is still asleep now.¡± Ling Hai said with certainty.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression changed. Duke Ding also reacted. He stood up hurriedly and said, ¡°Someone, capture the servant who brought the Consort home!¡±

    The Ding General Manor was in a hurry to find clues and swore to find out who was behind all of that. In the end, all the evidence pointed towards someone in the pce. That meant that it was either the Empress Dowager or the Empress who was behind this. The Ling brothers were furious but they could only grit their teeth and could not do anything else. They could not investigate any further. No matter whether it was the Empress or the Empress Dowager who had done this, the Ding General Manor would be implicated in the end. Duke Ding was so depressed because of the matter that he wanted to vomit blood.

    Their family was already rted to the Empress and was one of the noblest families other than the royal family. However, their daughters entered the pce and started fighting among themselves to a stalemate. Those from the Ding General Manor did not know what to do. However, the two women in the pce all had their schemes and plots and were both powerful. Those from the Ding General Manor were also in dissension and had their own ideas as well.

    The Ding General Manor had no choice but to ept this loss.

    The He family, meanwhile, were nning on how to send He Yufen into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. What happened in the pce the other day had frightened those from the He family even until now. If what happened that day was really proven, then the two sisters of the He family would not be able to enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor and would waste the He family¡¯s efforts.

    The He family had spent years picking He Yufen and He Yuxiu to enter the capital. They had made great efforts.

    Senior Master He, Second Master He, and He Yufen were all sitting In the sitting room of the He Manor. He Yuxiu was in the back courtyard, preparing herself for her impending marriage.

    ¡°Consort Zhao wants us to hurry up. If Fen¡¯er cannot marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, our family will have nothing if King Xuan gains power in the future.¡± Senior Master He rubbed his forehead, looking very worried.

    ¡°Elder Brother, we can¡¯t even enter the King¡¯s Manor now. Thest time Fen¡¯er went, they said that the consort was ill and His Highness was not home. How can Fen¡¯er enter the manor?¡± Second Master He had a headache as well. He had asked to meet Feng Yuran in the name of his uncle. However, Feng Yuran had not allowed him to enter the manor at all.

    He Yufen lowered her head and did not speak. She just wrung her handkerchief in her hands. She secretly stole nces at the two older men of the He family. After all, she was a noble youngdy and could not mention anything about her own marriage.

    ¡°Consort Zhao understands our difficulties. King Xuan¡¯s temperament is so. We have not interacted with His Highness for more than ten years and don¡¯t have much of a rtionship with him. That¡¯s why Consort Zhao wants us to act fast or we will lose out like we did in the past and not get any advantage out of this.¡±

    He Hui felt that this was a very urgent matter. Consort Zhao already caused a rift between Consort Xuan and King Xuan. Consort Xuan and King Xuan were no longer of one heart even though they appeared to be on the surface. The men sent by Lian An had already heard that Consort Xuan and King Xuan fought a few days ago and she even returned to her family home.

    No one knew what she said when she returned home. She did not eat anything and then went out to have tea instead. They did not know who she had tea with either. However, a sharp-eyed scout heard that the person behind the curtains was a man. Consort Xuan was meeting a man in secret behind King Xuan¡¯s back. If this matter were revealed, they would be able to drag Consort Xuan down.

    However, what was difficult was that Lian An did not have any evidence. Lian An was still sending men to watch Consort Xuan. When she met the man in private again, they would definitely bring King Xuan there so he could personally witness Consort Xuan having an affair. Coupled with the incident in which the consort added aphrodisiac in the tea...

    Consort Xuan, who was said to be very much doted on, would be thoroughly screwed!

    Even if she were not beaten to death on the spot by King Xuan, she would be dealt with secretly by the royal family. How could the glory of the royal family be besmirched by a woman?!

    Speaking of which, He Hui did not expect that Consort Xuan would have an affair at such a young age. Anyway, this was a great opportunity for the He family. As long as they could drag Consort Xuan down from her ce, He Yufen would have a great chance of bing Consort Xuan with the support of Consort Zhao and given the fact that she was a cousin of King Xuan¡¯s uncle¡¯s family.

    This was the n of the He family, Consort Zhao, as well as Lian An.

    But the problem was that He Yufen could not even enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor right now. How was she going to seduce King Xuan?

    ¡°Fen¡¯er, do you still have some of those ¡®tea leaves¡¯ from Consort Zhao?¡± He Hui muttered to himself and then could not help but turn to look at He Yufen. He Yufen appeared to look shy, looking down. However, she was listening to everything that was happening in the room.

    Consort Zhao had once sent over some of those tea leaves with added ingredients. The meaning was clear!

    He Yufen looked up with a blush on her face and nodded slightly.

    ¡°Elder Brother, even if Fen¡¯er has that, it is of no use. We can¡¯t even get to see His Highness!¡± He Zhao said confusedly. His eyes shone deep and darkly.

    ¡°Someone would be able to meet him even if we can¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t Madam Lian have quite a good impression of Fen¡¯er and Xiu¡¯er? If Madam Lian invites Fen¡¯er over while Lord Lian and His Highness are discussing matters, they would be able to meet then!¡± He Huiughed sinisterly. There was an added hint of determination in his eyes.

    They had been in the capital for too long and their family back home had kept hounding them for news. Things could not go on as they were right now.

    ¡°This is the only way then!¡± He Zhao nodded and sighed. He waved his hand at He Yufen who was seated by the side and said with a cold expression, ¡°Fen¡¯er, go and apany Xiu¡¯er. Tell her not to think too much. Even though Yu Mingyong is a dandy, he has connections in the pce. Just by the child in Consort Yu¡¯s stomach, Consort Yu will not let him suffer. So what if her reputation is bad right now? After she enters the manor, she will be the madam of that manor. Don¡¯t think so much and cause trouble.¡±

    He was talking about He Yuxiu. He Yuxiu had been rather disobedient since her return from the pce. She had not been very cooperative when asked to prepare her dowry. Coupled with the news that Yu Mingyong had fought with another man on the streets for a woman and caused so much trouble, she could not even be bothered to embroider her dowry. She was just very listless.

    The He brothers were very dissatisfied with that. When they spoke, their tone was filled with dissatisfaction as well and their expressions were oddly cold.

    ¡°Yes, I will go and speak with her right now.¡± He Yufen knew that the He brothers were going to talk about a secret that she should not be listening to. She stood up obediently and curtsied to the He brothers before walking to the door slowly. She stood at the door for a moment with a hint of hesitation in her expression. Then, she pasted a meek and gentle expression on her face and left.

    ¡°First Miss, Second Miss is over there!¡± Senior Master He¡¯s trusted servant approached with a smile. He pointed at a corner in the back courtyard.

    ¡°Many thanks, Butler!¡± He Yufen said politely. She turned around to walk in the direction the butler pointed at. Behind her, a look of contempt crossed the butler¡¯s face as he pursed his lips in disdain. Then, he walked to the door and stood by it.

    Upon seeing that He Yufen had left, He Zhao could not help but ask hesitantly, ¡°Elder Brother, will this work out poorly?¡±

    ¡°No, the family has groomed her for so long and picked her out from so many girls. She is the best.¡± He Hui frowned and rebuked him.

    ¡°Yes, I thought it was odd. She has a good character and is good-looking. Why doesn¡¯t King Xuan like her?¡± He Zhao smiled and exined when he saw that He Hui was angry.

    ¡°Fate. There is no fate between them. That¡¯s why we have to create this fate for them. The family is hurrying us and thinks that we have nothing to do here. We have to seed at this. We have been in Jiangnan for so many years and are contented with just a small corner of it. We do not have a strong backing either. Those people there feel that we cannot continue like this. We put in so much effort to groom those two. I didn¡¯t expect that one of them would be made useless before she was even of use. That¡¯s such a waste!¡±

    He Hui thought of the letters that had been sent to his home recently. He was very troubled!

    ¡°The family is pressing us really urgently and they just sent a letter asking about our progress!¡± He Zhao picked up his tea from the table and gulped it down. He said angrily, ¡°Do they think we are ying here? We are in the capital and everyone here is wealthy and powerful. If we didn¡¯t have Consort Zhao, we wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the King¡¯s Manor. No matter how outstanding the two girls are, they won¡¯t be able to do anything if they can¡¯t meet King Xuan.¡±

    He Hui was very irritated as well. He paced around in circles and then stood in front of He Zhao. He said, ¡°Reply and tell them that we will make progress immediately. Tell them not to hurry us. You can¡¯t hurry things like this.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± He Zhao nodded.

    This was the only thing they could do now!

    In the back courtyard.

    ¡°Second Miss, look at these threads. The two masters asked us to pick these exquisite goods. Which one do you prefer? This embroidery style is also the prettiest. Second Miss, what do you think of this?¡± The maids inside the room were helping He Yuxiu enthusiastically to pick threads needed to make embroidered clothing.

    Her wedding to Yu Mingyong was getting closer and closer!

    However, He Yufen had been supposed to marry Yu Mingyong and the marriage had be hers only a few days ago. She was naturally dissatisfied with the embroidered robes He Yufen chose. She got rid of the original robes and insisted on getting a new set. Furthermore, because she did not like Yu Mingyong, she grew even more dissatisfied with the impending marriage.

    This was especially so when she heard of the trouble that Yu Mingyong had gotten into. He Yuxiu¡¯s dissatisfaction was about to explode from within her!

 Chapter 453 - The Letter from Mo Xueqiong

    <h4>Chapter 453 The Letter from Mo Xueqiong</h4>

    Who would be in the mood to embroider wedding robes? He Yuxiu threw the threads and wedding robes onto the ground and said angrily, ¡°Pick, pick, pick. What do you want me to pick? He¡¯s a terrible person, what¡¯s there to pick!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Second Sister, what¡¯s the matter? Who doesn¡¯t want to pick? Did the maids cause trouble and make you angry? I will tell Father and have him punish them.¡± A mirthful voice could be heard from the door. He Yufen, who was dressed in a flower-patterned dress entered with a bright smile.

    He Yuxiu¡¯s face paled with anger when she saw He Yufen entering.

    He Yufen seemed not to notice He Yuxiu¡¯s hateful gaze. She entered with a smile and picked up the wedding robe from the floor. Then, she put it against the light from the entrance and praised, ¡°Second Sister, you¡¯ve got great taste. The style that you chose is much better than mine. No wonder you are getting married first. I, as your elder sister, really can¡¯tpare to you.¡±

    She sounded as if she were mocking He Yuxiu. Coupled with her sickly sweet expression, He Yuxiu felt as if she had swallowed a fly. She recalled what happened in the pce. He Yufen had actually worked together with Consort Zhao to push all the me to her. Her reputation had been utterly destroyed and she could not even reject her marriage to Yu Mingyong. When she thought of all that had happened, a hint of hatred shed in her eyes.

    She ripped the wedding robe from He Yufen¡¯s hands and threw it onto the ground. She smirked and said, ¡°Elder Sister, you must be kidding. Didn¡¯t Sir Yu like you? You were so disobedient to Uncle and were determined to marry Sir Yu. Why are you suddenly attaching yourself to King Xuan all of a sudden? It is a pity that Cousin is so very handsome and his consort is beautiful. You are really not good-looking enough!¡±

    She was making a jab at He Yufen for being fickle-minded and her wishful thinking. She humiliated He Yufen in front of all the maids and tore off the fake mask that He Yufen wore.

    ¡°You...¡± He Yufen¡¯s gentle smile showed signs of shattering. She exhaled deeply and calmed herself down. She no longer pretended to be gentle and instead, said coldly, ¡°Second Sister, are you dissatisfied with Father and Uncle¡¯s decision then? Uncle even told me earlier before I came that if you are disobedient, there are many more obedient people out there. Any beautiful woman will be able to seduce Sir Yu. It is not difficult to have the family swap you out. Then, you won¡¯t even have a ce to cry.¡±

    He Yuxiu paled when she heard that and fear shed through her eyes. However, she gritted her teeth and said hatefully, ¡°He Yufen, don¡¯t be too proud yet. You have to see if you are lucky enough to be Consort Xuan. You might end up even worse than me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there are plenty of men out there like Yu Mingyong. Any man will be better than him. Second Sister, there are already so many illegitimate children in that family before you even marry him. When you are old and ugly, he will just get rid of you. If we want topare who is worse off, you will be ten times worse off than me. What is it? Do you dare topare yourself to me? Don¡¯te begging then. If you speak any more nonsense, I will go and tell Father that you do not want to marry. You know what will happen next.¡±

    He Yufen held her head up high proudly as she mocked He Yuxiu. Her tone was threatening.

    He Yuxiu was so angry she almost raged. She wrung her handkerchief tightly and red at He Yufen hatefully. However, she did not say another word. She gritted her teeth tightly, the viciousness in her eyes glowed. However, she slowly hid the viciousness in her eyes. He Yufen, that slut. One day, she would stomp on her.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s letter was sent by Mo Yan. Mo Xuetong removed the letter from the envelope and read it. The letter was simple and had only a few words on it. ¡°Tomorrow. Puguang Temple at three, at the back door!¡±

    ¡°Is it appropriate for the Second Consort to go to the back door of Puguang Temple at that time? It¡¯d bete then. Is she not going to return to the King¡¯s Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Yan, who knelt respectfully by the side and asked her with a vague smile on her face.

    Mo Yan was dressed rather nicely today. She wore a light pink top with a in and long blue dress. There was a hint of rouge on her face. She appeared rather charming and her long, almond-shaped eyes shone like pools of water in autumn. Her brows were artfully sculpted and her lips were red. She was like the sunshine in spring, beautiful and enchanting.

    She was indeed a beautiful and charming woman.

    Mo Yan was a few years older than Mo Xueqiong and was about 17 or 18 now. She was at the peak of her beauty and was slightly maturer than Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong was no match for her now and anyone would be able to see the difference between them. Mo Yan was also very intelligent and she easily thought of ideas to help Mo Xueqiong when Mo Xueqiong could not think of anything.

    As such, she was the person Mo Xueqiong trusted the most!

    ¡°King Yan ordered the people at the temple early on and said that he would have dinner there. It will be gettingte at that time but it is still not yet dinner time. Everyone will be resting or praying. No one will notice that Second Consort has gone missing. My Lady, you just have to be there to get the Second Consort then.¡±

    Mo Yan replied, not missing a single beat.

    Mo Xuetong did not ask any more questions. She picked up the letter and took a close look at it. She seemed rather confused. All was silent in the room and the maids stood by the side and did not say anything. Mo Yan, who stood in front of Mo Xuetong, looked up uneasily. She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression and only rxed when she saw that Mo Xuetong was behaving normally.

    ¡°Does King Yan really feel nothing for Fourth Sister?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly asked thoughtfully.

    ¡°My Lady, you may investigate this but if His Highness still felt even a bit of love for the Second Consort, she would not have to resort to this. It is just... it is just that His Highness is too heartless to the Second Consort. The Second Consort cannot get anything she wants in the manor and even the servants bully her. There is no one who treats her like a proper mistress of the manor.¡±

    Mo Yan sighed, sadness appearing in her eyes. She wiped her red eyes with a handkerchief, appearing to be very upset.

    ¡°Alright, you can go first. I will wait at the back door at 3 and will not leave until I see Fourth Sister.¡± Mo Xuetong did not say anything else. She put down the letter and said lightly, ¡°Tell your mistress that this is thest time I¡¯m helping her. I will not meddle in her affairs in the future. If not for our father, I wouldn¡¯t care how hard her life is.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you, My Lady. The Second Consort understands. She will owe you for the rest of her life and will not trouble you ever again. The Second Consort said that she will cultivate in the temple in the future and everything that happens in the secr world will be forgotten. She will pray for blessings for you in this life and the next.¡±

    Mo Yan¡¯s eyes shed and she forced a smile on her lips. She kowtowed several times after passing on Mo Xueqiong¡¯s message.

    Mo Xuetong waved her hands impatiently for Mo Yan to leave. She was not on good terms with Mo Xueqiong, and had done all of this because of their father, Mo Huawen.

    Mo Yan left cautiously. When she left the courtyard and saw that there was only a maid who escorted her out, she sighed deeply. She straightened her back and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief. She had thought that the intelligent Third Miss had discovered something. However, it now seemed that Third Miss¡¯s was still too soft-hearted.

    She wouldn¡¯t trouble Consort Xuan again next time? Of course not. When they met again, she did not know if Third Miss would be alive or dead. Even if she were alive, it was impossible that she would be Consort Xuan. Feeling satisfied, Mo Yan stepped forward with wide steps. She thought of the warm embrace before she came. She flushed and her heart jumped wildly. Her eyes sparkled as if spring hade and she left eagerly with the maid.

    ¡°Miss, Mo Yan is different now.¡± Mo Yu lifted the curtains and said despondently. She had sent Mo Yan to the corridor. The two used to be close but Mo Yu felt that Mo Yan was now apletely different person now.

    ¡°Oh, what do you think is different about her?¡± Mo Xuetong did not expect that the usually careless and sloppy Mo Yu also discovered that Mo Yu was different. Mo Xuetong put down the embroidery that she was working on and looked up with a smile.

    ¡°My Lady, look, Mo Yan used to be Fourth Miss¡¯s personal maid. I heard that Fourth Miss would ask her about everything. It is obvious that she was highly regarded. But look at what¡¯s happening now. Fourth Miss is no longer her mistress and is in trouble in King Yan¡¯s Manor. I heard that she is miserable there right now. Even though Fourth Miss is vicious, she treats Mo Yan very well. Why is Mo Yan here, looking so nicely put together?¡±

    Mo Yu waved away the smell by her nose scornfully. She said, ¡°Look at the smell of her scented powder. Mo Yan did not use scented powder when she served Fourth Miss.¡±

    It was not that Mo Yan did not use it. However, maids generally did not use things like that. They did not dress up or put on makeup lest others think that they wanted to seduce someone!

    If one¡¯s mistress was a youngdy, dressing up like that would make others feel that the maid might get into bed with her mistress¡¯s husband in the future. There was not a youngdy who would take a maid who dressed up like so with her when she got married. A maid like that would be sent far far away. If the maid¡¯s mistress was a madam, then the mistress would not want the maid even more so. The maid might just seduce the master of the house. Who would want a maid like that?!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed when she heard what Mo Yu had to say. A smile appeared on her face as she teased Mo Yu, ¡°Mo Yu, you are really knowledgeable. You¡¯ve analyzed the situation very urately. Mo Yan dressed up so prettily not for Mo Xueqiong, of course. Then, guess again, Mo Yu, who is Mo Yan dressing up for?¡±

    All women want to look beautiful for their admirers and maids were no exception. Furthermore, this maid was of some use.

    Mo Yu grew lively when she heard Mo Xuetong praising her. Her eyes grew thoughtful and then, suddenly widened as she asked, ¡°My Lady, it can¡¯t be that King Yan, can it? Why would Mo Yan do something like that? She looks like a smart person, why would she do something so silly?¡±

    ¡°Oh, why do you think so?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes were filled with mirth. ¡°I knew that our Mo Yu is smart. Look, she realized something that was difficult to find out and she even feels bad for Mo Yan.¡±

    Mo Lan, who just entered the room,ughed at that as well.

    ¡°My Lady, have you only just discovered that? Our Mo Yu is very smart. She only pretends to be silly in front of you. That girl is just too intelligent.¡±

    Mo Yu flushed at that and she said sweetly, ¡°My Lady, you only know how to tease others. You were the one who told me to continue but you¡¯re teasing me now.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, do you want me to get someone to follow Mo Yan?¡± Mo Lan asked with a smile, directing the conversation back to the matter at hand.

    ¡°No need. This is not a good time to act rashly and alert the enemy. No matter who the man is, it is a fact that Mo Yan is no longer loyal to Mo Xueqiong. Even now, Mo Xueqiong still wants to plot against me. I really don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking.¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly and calmly.

    Mo Lan knew that her mistress was different since she awoke in Cloud City. Mo Xuetong looked confident and Mo Lan could not help but smile at that. She nodded and said, ¡°Yes, then I will not get people to watch Mo Yan. When we left the manor earlier, I saw that you did not give me any instructions, so I only got a maid to send her out.¡±

 Chapter 454 - The Fight Between the Wife and the Concubine Outside King Chus Manor

    <h4>Chapter 454 The Fight Between the Wife and the Concubine Outside King Chu¡¯s Manor</h4>

    ¡°My Lady, are you really going to Puguang Temple?¡± Mo Yu asked with concern having realized that something was amiss.

    ¡°I am, of course I am. How will I find out who is plotting against me if I don¡¯t go? What is King Yan nning? Is he trying to deal with His Highness through me?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up the teacup by her hand. Her voice was soft and she sounded as if she was talking to herself. The smile on her lips grew cold.

    There was something she was very sure of. No matter who the man was, he definitely had something to do with King Yan. King Yan¡¯s Manor was locked up and there were only that many people who can enter King Yan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xueqiong was locked up inside of it and she could not see anyone she wanted. The only people she could see were those King Yan trusted.

    As such, Mo Xuetong already had a vague idea of who the man was. He was so stubborn he was getting irritating.

    She really did not understand what she did to him. In her past life, there were many entangled threads between them. However, there was no direct connection between the two of them. However, why was he so insistent on sticking to her in this life? He was like a stubborn piece of gum under her shoes she could not rip off.

    However, the problem was that she had stepped on this piece of gum before, but she and that man really didn¡¯t have anything inmon.

    ¡°My Lady, you must bring Mo Ye and Mo Feng with you when you go. You also have to get His Highness to send you with a few more guards. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be really worried.¡± Said Mo Lan even though she knew that Mo Xuetong had her own ns.

    Mo Xuetong did not object this time. She said, ¡°Mo Lan, go ask Feng Yue for a few men and tell him that I need them for tomorrow. Then, get him to prepare a horse carriage. It doesn¡¯t have to be too big. Just get a regr one for consorts without the emblem of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. We will go to pray at Puguang Temple tomorrow too.¡±Visit website

    Since Mo Xueqiong had pleaded and begged her to go, she had to prepare well.

    ¡°Yes, then shall we tell His Highness about this?¡± Mo Lan asked hesitantly when she reached the door.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. His Highness is busy with the repairs in the pce recently. The minister keeps looking for him at all times. Let¡¯s not worry him. Anyway, I have ns for tomorrow. Nothing will happen.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that Feng Yuran would find out about it. However, she still chose not to say anything. Anyway, this was no big deal. He would trust that she would be able to deal with it.

    The pce was no longer the same. In the past, the Emperor had treated Feng Yuran very well. It seemed that he had acknowledged that Feng Yuran would seed him. However, he now had Consort Zhao. It was said that Consort Zhao, who closely resembled Consort Xian was very much doted on. This had not changed over the decades. Who knew what Emperor Zongwen was nning?

    Consort Zhao, who was up to something, might create trouble. Even though Feng Yuran was a cynical and sly man and had servants he could trust in the pce, he had to put in some effort to deal with Consort Zhao, who was in power right now. Furthermore, the other princes were all waiting predatorily and all had malicious intentions. Feng Yuran had to be careful with each and every step he took.

    She should settle the troubles that had arisen because of her at a time like this lest she should trouble Feng Yuran.

    Since Feng Yuran chose this path, she should help him settle these issues amongst women without holding back at all. The man should work outside while the woman should handle matters at home. She knew that he would not hesitate to protect her. However, how could she just watch as he worked hard alone? They were husband and wife and it was important that they shared the same goals and worked together!

    And right now, it was time to deal with Mo Xueqiong!

    If she did not deal with Mo Xueqiong, Mo Xueqiong might lead to greater troubles down the road. Even though Mo Xueqiong had married into King Yan¡¯s Manor, the blood that flowed in her veins could not be changed. There was their father as well. Even though their father did not like Mo Xueqiong right now, in the end, would their father be able to steel his heart and deal with her? What if he couldn¡¯t? Given Mo Xueqiong¡¯s character, Mo Xuetong did not know when she would do something to hurt others again. As such, she might as well get rid of her before the trouble started.

    The procession from King Yan¡¯s Manor to Puguang Temple set off very early. It was a very hot day but the road to the temple was cool in the morning. Mo Xueqiong was woken up by Mo Yan and she cleaned up in a hurry. She put on a light green dress and wore a veil before going to the side entrance.

    She had always hated such colors. When she lived in Mo Manor, she used to love dressing up in bright and eye-catching colors. However, she did not have the right to choose her own clothing now and did not have the ability to make brightly-colored clothes for herself. When she married into the King¡¯s Manor, she had been brought in by a small sedan chair. She had nothing else but the clothes on her.

    After that, Mo Huawen had sent two maids over but did not give her any money or things. He only told Mo Yan to tell her that she had best behave herself and that she was on her own.

    Auntie Qing had gotten the two maids to bring some of her secret savings to Mo Xueqiong. However, they were in the King¡¯s Manor where everyone was haughty and proud. How many servants could Mo Xueqiong bribe with the savings of an insignificant concubine? She did not have any savings left at all after a while.

    Feng Yulei did not like her at all. Her existence was a reminder to him of his failed plots. His total ruin this time had not done anything to Mo Xuetong and had even gotten himself into trouble. Emperor Zongwen had imprisoned him in his own manor and still had not told him when he could leave.

    This humiliation made Feng Yulei hate Mo Xueqiong to the extreme. He ced the me for his failure onto Mo Xueqiong subconsciously. If not for her inability, would thingse to this?

    As such, it was impossible for Mo Xueqiong to have his affections even if her face was not disfigured !

    You Yue¡¯e was an extremely jealous person. The moment she married into the King¡¯s Manor, she shut Mo Xueqiong and Wang Xiuxiu in the corner and usually ignored them.

    Mo Xueqiong was disliked by the master and mistress of the manor. Coupled with the injuries on her face, it was impossible for her to gain the affections of the King. After she used up her money, none of the servants treated her well anymore. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s days in King Yan¡¯s Manor were very depressing. There was once when she was pushed onto the ground by a bed maid. She had gone to cry andin to Feng Yulei. It was raining heavily outside and she had knelt in the rain. However, Feng Yulei did not evene to take a look at her.

    He had gotten the guards to drag her out and toss her to the side. He did not care at all whether she lived or died.

    She had given up on Feng Yuleipletely!

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that Second Consort Mo? Why is she here?¡± The people at the side entrance saw Mo Xueqiong approaching and they all pointed at her and gossiped amongst themselves.

    She and Wang Xiuxiu entering the manor had already been a scandal. One of them had entered after getting pregnant before marriage. The other had been disfigured but was still out there creating trouble. They were the twoughing stocks of King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    Now that Wang Xiuxiu was gone, everyone focused on Second Consort Mo. She was a Second Consort whose name was not even in the royal registry. There were not many people who acknowledged her status.

    ¡°What Second Consort? She is just a concubine. Does she really think that she is a Second Consort personally bestowed to His Highness by His Majesty?¡± A maid pouted. Her voice was loud enough for Mo Xueqiong to hear her.

    Mo Xueqiong inhaled deeply. She reached out to hold the angry Mo Jiao back, saying softly, ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble!¡±

    ¡°But Miss, these maids...¡± Mo Jiao said angrily. Since no one in the manor acknowledged Mo Xueqiong¡¯s status, Mo Jiao felt that there was no need for her to address Mo Xueqiong as Second Consort either. Anyway, they were not in the Mo Manor, so she did not have to intentionally address her mistress as Second Consort to help her mistress blow her own trumpet lest Third Miss should bully her.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to create trouble for Miss?!¡± Mo Yan berated her softly.

    Mo Jiao shut up immediately. She was a year younger than Mo Yan and always took Mo Yan¡¯s lead. When she saw the cold expression on Mo Yan¡¯s face, she did not dare to say anything anymore. She just red at the maid who insulted Mo Xueqiong earlier.

    The horse carriage had been prepared. You Yue¡¯e and Feng Yulei were naturally on the most luxurious horse carriage at the very front. The other horse carriages at the back seemed small and ordinary. They were all of the same make and were of average sizes. They were just like horse carriages belonging to the family of ordinary officials. If the emblem of King Yan¡¯s Manor was not imprinted on the corners of the horse carriages, one would not be able to tell which family the carriage belonged to.

    Mo Xueqiong naturally boarded the ordinary and small horse carriage. Feng Yulei had many concubines who were going with him to pray. Mo Xueqiong did not even have her own carriage and had to take the same horse carriage with a concubine of the manor.

    Mo Yan helped Mo Xueqiong in. She lifted the curtains but before they could even get on the horse carriage, they heard a burst of sharp mockingughter. One of Feng Yulei¡¯s concubines was seated inside. Her charming eyes were wide open as she nced at Mo Xueqiong. There was a hint of arrogance in her eyes as she said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really Second Consort Mo. Second Consort, what¡¯s up with you? Why are you squeezing in this horse carriage with us? Didn¡¯t His Majesty give you a horse carriage when you were bestowed to His Highness? You are a Second Consort. What a pity!¡±

    She was extremely impolite and was making a direct jab at Mo Xueqiong. If Mo Xueqiong had still been the same person she was in the Mo Manor, she would have already leaped at the woman without any hesitation. However, she had lived in King Chu¡¯s Manor for a few months and all her sharp edges had been smoothed out. Even though a hint of annoyance shed in her eyes, her expression was calm. She said lightly,

    ¡°His Highness wants me to squeeze in a horse carriage with you. Madam Li, do you have any objections?¡± Mo Xueqiong hid the anger in her eyes.

    ¡°His Highness wants us to take the same carriage? Oh, have you seen His Highness? It is so hard on you. You already look like that but you are still thinking about His Highness day and night. I heard that His Highness threw you out the other day. You¡¯re already in this state but you still haven¡¯t died yet. Mo Xueqiong, you are really clinging on to your life stubbornly.¡±

    Madam Li narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and continued mocking Mo Xueqiong.

    What happened that rainy night had be yet another scandal involving Mo Xueqiong.

    Everyone in the manor was saying that Mo Xueqiong was extremely shameless. She was already disfigured but still wanted love from His Highness.

    ¡°You...¡± Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes shed sharply. She could not hold back her anger after being mocked by a woman who had once been an actress.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Have I struck a nerve? t is such a pity. Even if Second Consort Mo wants to serve His Highness, you have to see whether His Highness will be disgusted by you or not. Look at your face. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even the lowliest manservant in the manor won¡¯t want you. Mo Xueqiong, you¡¯d better give up!¡± Madam Li was even more pleased when she saw that she had struck a nerve. She made a move to rip off Mo Xueqiong¡¯s veil.

    ¡°Ah!¡± The veil fell and Mo Xueqiong¡¯s ugly and scary face was revealed. A few of the more cowardly maids in the carriage could not help but scream in fear.

    ¡°Look, look, look at you. You look like that and stille out to scare others. Mo Xueqiong, if I were you, I¡¯d just find a rope and hang myself. I wouldn¡¯t embarrass myself by staying alive.¡± Madam Li said meanly after the shock passed.

    She had been alone in the horse carriage and was still feeling pleased that His Highness was finally paying attention to her. She had even gloated about it in front of the otherdies and walked to the horse carriage with her head held up high and her chest puffed up. However, she had only just gotten on when the ugly freak appeared. Madam Li, who was still basking in the attention, felt angry and frustrated when Mo Xueqiong appeared and she vented her anger on Mo Xueqiong.

    If the other madams were to find out that she and Mo Xueqiong were in the same horse carriage, she wouldn¡¯t be able to lift her head up high in the future. That was why she was so vicious towards Mo Xueqiong.

    Mo Xueqiong was so angry that her fingers trembled. Her face flushed and paled and she felt ashamed and angry. The scars on her face twisted, growing scarier and scarier. She red at Madam Li viciously and appeared to look like an evil ghost who was about to eat someone. She said, ¡°Try saying that again.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong pointed at Madam Li; her eyes were filled with hate and viciousness. If she did not still have a strand of rationality in her, she would have already attacked Madam Li. The thick viciousness at the bottom of her eyes was directed at Madam Li.

    Madam Li had been frightened by Mo Xueqiong at first. She swallowed and then realized that she was yielding. She could not even speak because of an ugly freak. Madam Li grew embarrassed and annoyed and started to make a fuss. She pushed Mo Xueqiong away. Mo Xueqiong was standing at the entrance of the horse carriage and about to get in. As such, she did not manage to hold on when Madam Li pushed her forcefully.

    She fell from the carriage steps. Mo Yan and Mo Jiao could not catch her in time and Mo Xueqiong fell, face forward onto the ground, hitting her chin.

    It was a very loud fall. Those who had gotten onto their carriages and those who hadn¡¯t gone over to take a curious look. They saw Mo Xueqiong mbering up from the ground pathetically. There were a few stalks of grass hanging on her ugly face and a wound on her forehead which was bleeding. Everyone was shocked, and then, they all burst outughing.

    Mo Xueqiong looked extremely funny right now especially as the grass on her hair swung as she got up.

 Chapter 455 - An Agreement and the Friendliness Between the Imperial Noble Consort and the Empress

    <h4>Chapter 455 An Agreement and the Friendliness Between the Imperial Noble Consort and the Empress</h4>

    Even Feng Yulei, who was standing by therge horse carriage smiled. He watched Mo Xueqiong with some interest. When he realized that it was Mo Xueqiong, a hint of disgust shed in his eyes. He pretended not to see the pleading look in her eyes and helped You Yue¡¯e onto the luxurious horse carriage in front before following her in. He did not take a second look at Mo Xueqiong.

    This was the man Mo Xueqiong had loved. She had done everything to hurt Mo Xuetong and betrayed her father for this man. But in the end, the man hated her and felt disgusted by her.

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s blood ran cold. If Mo Jiao had not reached out for her, she would not have been able to continue standing. She could hear the peals of mockingughter around her and she turned around. None of the faces around her were kind. They were filled with disdain, scorn, and disgust. Their emotions almost destroyed her mental state. She reached out with shaking hands and seemed as if she wanted to catch something.

    However, who was there to help her?

    ¡°What¡¯s all this noise? She¡¯s made such a mess just by getting on the horse carriage. Someone, drag her down. She doesn¡¯t have to go since she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± His voice was dark and cold but sounded like angels singing to Mo Xueqiong. She looked up, shocked and curious, to see the cold expression on You Yuecheng¡¯s handsome face. She felt for that moment that everything around her was blurry as tears filled her eyes.

    She covered her mouth to stop her agitated cries.

    ¡°Your Excellency, I did not mean to do that. His Highness asked me to go...¡± Madam Li said sweetly and urgently when she saw that the person was You Yuecheng and there were guardsing to drag her away.

    She wanted to bring up Feng Yulei, but before she could even do so, the guards standing next to You Yuecheng dragged her down from the carriage and tossed her on the ground like a sack.

    She fell to the ground even more forcefully than Mo Xueqiong. Her face was pale and she could not get up. She was going to say something but You Yuecheng looked at her coldly and she immediately stopped herself from saying anything. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She would never forget how You Yuecheng had killed a madam who tried to seduce You Yuecheng when she realized that she had no future in the King¡¯s Manor. The body had been cut into pieces and the concubines in the manor were all invited to view it.

    The madam was a beautiful woman. However, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she would not be too looking in death. Madam Li thought of the woman¡¯s eyes which were open even in her death and was extremely frightened. She did not dare to say anything else.Visit website

    King Yan¡¯s affections might be important, but it was not as important as her life!

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, please get on the carriage!¡± You Yuecheng showed sufficient respect to Mo Xueqiong, who was a Second Consort. Even though his expression was distant, Mo Xueqiong was so touched and speechless by his actions. She got onto the horse carriage with Mo Jiao¡¯s help. On the horse carriage, she could still feel her heart beating wildly. She hadn¡¯t felt like that in a long while!

    Thinking about how You Yuecheng stood up for her earlier, Mo Xueqiong felt warmth spreading through her heart. As long as she could get medicine to fix her face, there would still be hope for her!

    As such, Mo Xuetong had to die!

    Inside Tianfeng Pce, the Empress sat at the very front of the hall with a dark expression. Imperial Nobel Consort Wen sat next to her with a smile. She looked friendly and kind.

    Consort Wen was one of the rare few in the pce who got along with everyone. She also seemed not to be interested in fighting for the Emperor¡¯s affections. Rumors were that she had once been pregnant but the baby was stillborn. Even though she had the Sixth Princess after that, she did not have any sons. Her predicament was very simr to that of the Empress.

    As such,pared to the arrogant Consort Su, the Empress treated Consort Wen better.

    However, the Empress was in a bad mood today. As such, she had been in a huff since Consort Wen arrived. Pce maid Yansha retreated to the side silently after serving tea.

    The Empress picked up the tea and took a delicate sip. Then, she looked at Consort Wen and asked lightly, ¡°Why have youe to me today? Even though what I say now might not be of much use, I can still help you to pass on the message.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, what are you talking about? No matter how stupid I am, I know that you are the mistress of the back of the pce. The situation at hand is only temporary. As long as you are still in Tianfeng Pce, you are the true mistress of the back of the pce.¡± Consort Wen looked up with gentle eyes and said with a smile as she put down her tea.

    The Empress¡¯s expression softened when she heard that. She had suffered multiple blows recently. First, her only daughter had married far away and there was still no news from her. They only said that the Fifth Princess was having so much fun she did not have time to write a letter. The Fifth Princess had been married off to the Yan Kingdom for so long, couldn¡¯t she settle down? The Empress was speechless at her daughter¡¯s willfulness.

    Then, Feng Yulei, whom she had always supported, had gotten into trouble. He had drawn the Emperor¡¯s ire and had been locked up by the Emperor. This meant that Feng Yulei was no longer a sessor of the throne. This was a fatal blow to the Empress. She had fallen ill immediately. All her hopes and her secretly executed ns hade to a halt at this juncture. How could the Empress take this?

    There had been so much at stake when she pushed Feng Yulei to the front of the Emperor¡¯s sights. She had done that even though it meant being enemies with the Empress Dowager. However, she did not expect it to end like that. It was as if the Empress had walked up 999 steps and was just one step away from the peak. However, she had slipped on thest step and had fallen off the mountain top and down the cliff.

    The extreme despair had caused her to fall ill. She looked as if she had aged 10 years. The lively and energetic Empress had grown dull and listless.

    ¡°Consort Wen, by saying this, do you intend to follow me and are you expressing your loyalty to me?¡± The Empress looked at Consort Wen coldly as if she were looking at her for the first time today. Her eyes were dark and cold as she red at Consort Wen.

    Consort Wen had always been an indifferent person and was one of the most indifferent women amongst the consorts of the pce. She usually did not leave her pce and was only interested in her nts. Rumors were that she would read poetry in her pce. Consort Wen was from a family of schrs and it was normal for a woman from a schrly family to be able to stay calm and indifferent.

    She was just like an outsider watching the fights between the Empress and Consort Su. She never participated in it and said anything bad about the Empress or Consort Su. There were times she only yed mediator. She also never fought for attention from the new consorts and was said to be a pushover.

    Someone with such an indifferent character would not make her intentions so explicit. This, however, made the Empress feel a little suspicious because the Empress had been very direct. After living in the pce for so many years, the Empress was rather sensitive to such things. Consort Wen definitely did not juste to visit her like what she said.

    The atmosphere in the pce grew tense with the Empress¡¯s words. It felt as if even the air had stopped moving. Yansha stood behind the Empress and stared at the ground without moving, pretending as if she did not exist.

    ¡°Your Majesty, what are you saying? I belong to the back of the pce since I entered. As long as I am a member of the back of the pce, I am under your management. No matter how you see it, I belong to Your Majesty, so there¡¯s no need to express my loyalty.¡± Consort Wen said with a small smile after a moment.

    Her soft and gentle voice seemed to liven up the atmosphere in the pce once more.

    She did not say no, but neither did she say yes. She did not defy the Empress and also responded graciously to the Empress¡¯s shrewdness. Consort Wen was gracious andposed and was her usual intelligent smile. She did not make a move forward and neither did she make a move backward either. Instead, she expressed her goodwill and gave others a good impression of her.

    The Empress¡¯s sharp tone softened. However, her tone was still filled with displeasure as she said, ¡°Consort Wen, why didn¡¯t you visit Consort Su? I heard that King Yan is gaining favor with His Majesty. His Majesty has allowed King Yan to manage some secret matters with the military. It seems that I will soon lose my ce in the pce.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, why are you belittling yourself? You will always be the Empress in the pce. No matter which prince ascends the throne in the future, they will still have to call you Empress Dowager!¡± Consort Wen said with a smile and covered her mouth. She was rather forward with her words for the Emperor was still sitting on the throne but they were already discussing the future Empress Dowager. However, the Empress felt as if Consort Wen was sincerelyforting her when Consort Wen said that.

    The Empress let out a long sigh. She said with red eyes, ¡°You can say something like that to me now but the pce will soon be under the rule of Consort Su. With her around, I... Sigh...¡±

    There were things that did not have to be spoken out loud. They were all smart people and there were things that were best not spoken.

    ¡°Your Majesty, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. You still have King Yan unlike me. I am lonely and only have the Sixth Princess forpany. When she gets married, I will die old and alone in the pce. There is no more hope for me.¡± Consort Wen said sorrowfully, bringing up the Sixth Princess. She coughed softly as if she had brought up something that had upset her. Her eyes were slightly red and she wiped at them with her handkerchief.

    She reminded the Empress that if Feng Yuxuan were to take the throne in the future, Consort Su and her would both be the Empress Dowager. Given Consort Su¡¯s arrogance and the fact that she was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s birth mother, the Empress would lose her ce in the pce. She might even die in the pce due to unknown reasons, die of anger because of Consort Su, or even die of old age in the pce. There was not even a hint of hope for her. The Empress felt a chill run down her spine.

    No, she must not end up so miserably, no matter what.

    The Fifth Princess had married so far away and would not return again. She could only depend on Feng Yuzhen now. Feng Yuzhen might be imprisoned now but no one knew who was the victor until the end. She would not allow Feng Yuxuan to take the throne, no matter what.

    A hint of viciousness shed in the Empress¡¯s eyes, causing the color of her eyes to change and revealing a blood-thirsty look in them. The negative aura surrounding her disappeared immediately. The Empress seemed like a changed person in an instant and no longer appeared dispirited.

    ¡°Consort Wen, you don¡¯t have to say things like that. I promise that I will protect you as long as I remain in the pce. I will not allow anyone to bully you. When the Sixth Princess finds a prince consort, you might be able to leave the pce and enjoy a life offort and bliss.¡± The Empress gave Consort Wen a small smile. She now appeared as gracious as before as she spoke to Consort Wen kindly.

    She was extending an olive branch to Consort Wen between the conversation!

 Chapter 456 - On the Trip to the Temple Hit a Pedestrian

    <h4>Chapter 456 On the Trip to the Temple Hit a Pedestrian</h4>

    Based on the convention in the harem, the childless consorts would go to the Ganye Pce after the Emperor¡¯s death to live a life of spiritual practice and submit to the Buddhist discipline. Life for them was totally different from the mboyant life before, but equivalent to a nun¡¯s. If the consort had a son, she could live with her son in the King¡¯s manor; if she had a daughter, she could still stay in the pce and be entitled as a ¡°Consort Dowager¡±.

    And what the Empress meant was that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was allowed toe out of the pce and live with her daughter. Such preferential treatment had never been granted before. So the Empress believed that it appealed to Imperial Noble Consort Wen most. Because the Sixth Princess was Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s only daughter. If she could live with her daughter to spend the rest of her life, it would be more appealing to Imperial Noble Consort Wen that she had to live alone in the pce.

    Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen was lukewarm about the fights among consorts in the harem, the Emperor liked her character so that he woulde to her pce now and then. At present, the Empress had to guard against the Empress Dowager while trying to deal with Imperial Noble Consort Su. So the Empress hoped to have more people on her side, and that¡¯s why she would make that promise.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen appreciated the Empress¡¯ intention immediately and replied with a smile, ¡°Thank you so much. Your Majesty. I will listen to you from now on.¡±

    The Empress felt contented inwardly, and the expression on Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s face fit in exactly with the Empress¡¯ guess. Then, the Empress¡¯ serious look softened, and she said, ¡°Yansha, go to take the flower cloud silk goods that Duke Ding gave me. The Fifth Princess¡¯ marriage has been settled, and the next should be the Sixth Princess¡¯. How can the royal daughter not dress well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am going to take them.¡± Yansha came out behind the Empress, bowed respectfully and answered. Then, she took the pce maidservants to fetch a few gorgeous silk goods soon.

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, I have nothing good to give the Sixth Princess. Since the Fifth Princess got married, I will definitely treat the Sixth Princess as well as my own daughter.¡± The Empress looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen and said smilingly.

    The Empress was a mother of the nation, setting as a motherly model for all the people. Therefore, no matter the marriage for any prince or princess, she was able to have a say, even arrange the marriage directly. As long as she was still the Empress of the Qin Kingdom, the Emperor could not reject her. So she was the best to speak on the marriage for princes and princesses.

    Of course, due to various reasons, the Empress could not interfere too much in the previous three princes¡¯ marriage. But as for princess¡¯ marriage, the Emperor did not care about it so much. Therefore, whether a princess could have a good marriage was mainly dependent on the Empress¡¯ arrangement or simply a word. Even if the Emperor¡¯s daughters did not have to worry about the marriage, it was not easy to marry a satisfying husband.

    Seemingly, the Empress¡¯ words sounded the concern about the Sixth Princess, but in fact, she was trying to warn Imperial Noble Consort Wen that if she dared to betray her, her daughter could not have a good marriage.

    ¡°Thank you so much. Your Majesty. I send my gratitude to Your Majesty here first, and when Ie back, I will ask the Sixth Princess to express her thanks in person.¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen seemed to be totally unaware of the threat in the Empress¡¯ words, and just said gently and happily. She stood up and gave a deep salute to the Empress without any ill feelings.

    With Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s expression and attitude, the Empress became more satisfied. The two chatted for a while, and then Imperial Noble Consort Wen left with the silk goods.

    Mo Xuetong only took three carriages, all of which were the very ordinary official style. Mo Xuetong took Mo Ye and Mo Lan to sit in the first car; the second car took a few nannies and maidservants, and thest one took some incenses and other goods to worship the buddha. It was of little use, so the third carriage was closed and waited there.

    Mo Ye and Mo Lan helped Mo Xuetong get on the carriage. Then, the coachman cracked the whip skillfully into a flowery shape and shouted, and the carriage began to move slowly.

    Although the carriage looked inconspicuous from outside, it was much morefortable to sit in than a normal carriage. A bamboo mat wasid inside, with a soft couch under it. There was some food in the dark grids beside. The curtain was hooked, with a light-colored gauze hanging. It was not only cool and well ventted, but also convenient to enjoy the scenery outside.

    The way to hang twoyers of curtains only prevailed among the influential families.

    Mo Lan got on the carriage and put on the curtain well, and lowered her head to speak to Mo Xuetong in a soft voice, ¡°My Lady, Mo Feng has taken people to the Puguang Temple to deal with the things. Could you have Feng Yue to arrange more people for you?¡± Usually, Mo Feng guarded Mo Xuetong secretly. But this time, he was sent out, so Mo Lan felt kind of uneasy.

    Those people appointed by Feng Yue followed Mo Feng to the Puguang Temple first, because they needed to monitor Mo Xueqiong¡¯s movement, while starting to arrange the next matters.

    Mo Xuetong put on a slight smile on the corner of her lips, and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t bother so much. The way to the Puguang Temple were all main roads. How could anything terrible happen in this way? Besides, even though it happens, I have Mo Ye to protect me.¡±

    Hearing Mo Xuetong mentioning her, Mo Ye put down the curtain on the other side and answered with certainty, ¡°Yes, I will try my best to protect My Lady.¡±

    She and Mo Feng had scouted the roadst night. It was not likely to have anything terrible happen. In the early morning today, the two checked the carriages again. The coachman looked ordinary, but in fact, was a martial arts master.

    Seeing Mo Ye reply so firmly, Mo Lan felt less worried. The two had been serving Mo Xuetong for a long time, so Mo Lan knew clearly Mo Ye was cautious and reliable.

    The carriage slowly moved forward. Mo Xuetong leaned against the couch with her eyes closed to refresh her spirit. It was not so hot to start off in the morning. So the moment Feng Yuran left, Mo Xuetong got up. It was much earlier than her usual time, so she felt a bit drowsy. Mo Ye and Mo Lan were both so well-behaved that they did not speak again when knowing Mo Xuetong was sleepy.

    The carriage was running smoothly and everything was quiet. Suddenly, the carriage brought to a halt, and the people in the carriage rushed forward involuntarily.

    With sharp eyes and agile hands, Mo Ye held Mo Xuetong instantly so as to avoid Mo Xuetong hit the teapot on the table in front.

    Mo Lan grabbed the brocade that she sat on to keep herself steady.

    Mo Lan raised the curtain and asked with a frown, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Shocked by the sudden halt, Mo Xuetong woke up immediately. She touched her aching head, and her long eyshes flickered, while she listened quietly to the sound outside.

    ¡°Master, someone rushed out suddenly and hit our carriage.¡± The coachman reported calmly outside. In order to do things easily, all the people would call Mo Xuetong as the master outside.

    The carriage hit someone? Mo Xuetong frowned and sat up, about to get off to see how the person was.

    Mo Ye reached out to stop Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°My Lady, let me get off to have a look.¡±

    Knowing that Mo Ye was worried about her, Mo Xuetong nodded.

    Mo Ye lifted the door curtain, jumped from the carriage, and turned to the horse¡¯s head. Sure enough, she saw a person lying on the ground without any trace of blood, but did not move. It was hard to tell whether he was alive or dead. Mo Ye came closer, put her fingers on the man¡¯s neck and could faintly feel the pulse on the neck. Although the pulse was not strong, it was quite stable.

    She reached out to turn the person over, and a man with a handsome and elegant face appeared in front of her. But the face was rather pale and bloodless. If Mo Ye had not felt his pulse, she would have doubted that the person was dead. Mo Ye looked at him carefully.

    She went back to the front of the carriage and reported to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Master, it is a young man around 20 years old. There are no injuries on him, but he is lying on the ground, unconscious.¡±

    Mo Xuetong contemted for a while, held Mo Lan¡¯s hand to stand up, and got off. She walked to the side of the lying person, squatted down, and put her hand on the person¡¯s wrist. She closed her eyes slightly and felt his pulse. Although Mo Xuetong¡¯s medical skills were not brilliant, she was still able to take the pulse.

    Mo Lan squatted down and asked warily, ¡°Master, how is he?¡± Today, they started off early, and saw seldom people on the way, so how could this person appear here?

    ¡°He is not well and looks ill. At this time, it is hot. And being frightened, he goes faint.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up, looked up at the sky, and took the handkerchief from Mo Ye to wipe her hands. Mo Xuetong looked carefully at the man again and said to Mo Lan, ¡°Go to the carriage and get him a bowl of mung bean soup.¡±

    Mo Lan went back to the carriage and took a bowl of iced mung bean soup. Afraid that Mo Xuetong would feel too hot on the way, the manor¡¯s kitchen had prepared the mung bean soup for her, and iced the soup well. So at this time, the ice had not been melted and the soup was still cool.

    The coachman came over, half-raised the man, and sent the iced mung bean soup to the man¡¯s mouth. In such weather, when the cool soup was given to the man¡¯s pale lips, the corner of the man¡¯s mouth moved slightly, and his mouth opened. Then, the coachman put the soup slowly into the man¡¯s mouth.

    The young man took a few sips, and suddenly coughed violently. He covered his chest with his hand. It was a pale hand that the blue veins were visible under the skin. He gasped for breath difficultly. Mo Lan took the mung bean soup from the coachman hurriedly and put it aside.

    ¡°Sir, are you okay?¡± The young man opened his eyes slowly. Everything blurred in front of his eyes, making him unable to see how many people were standing in front of him. He had to close his eyes, only feeling the soft and sweet voice slip past his ears to inexplicably make him at ease in this hot summer.

    He involuntarily opened his eyes again, and his eyes were fixed on a girl around 13 or 14 years old standing in the middle of the people in front. She was wearing a white silk dress with some light green flowers embroidered on the skirt. The dress fitted in her exactly and hung to her feet. He looked up and saw a charming beautiful face. Her long eyshes were neat and beautiful like a brush, and her lips were tender and rosy. With her appearance, she looked like an otherworldly fairy.

    The man covered his chest and asked with difficulty, ¡°Miss, may I ask who you are¡­¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently and didn¡¯t answer his question. Instead, she continued the previous words and asked softly, ¡°Sir, are you feeling well now?¡±

    The man coughed again, and gave a smile on his pale face. He nodded and struggled to sit up slowly from the coachman¡¯s holding.

    Mo Xuetong stared at his hand where blue veins stood out because he used up all his strength. The hand was as pale as his face without a trace of blood, the same as those that had not been exposed to the sunlight all year round. The hand was rather thin and unhealthily feeble.

    The young man nodded, clenched his teeth and answered with all his strength, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m better now.¡±

    But everyone could see that he was unable to make a move at all!

    Mo Xuetong grinned, with a smiling expression in her clear eyes, and asked softly, ¡°Sir, where are you going?¡± Looking at him unable to move a single step, Mo Xuetong thought that if she left him here, he would die next minute.

    ¡°Just go to the Puguang Temple in front. It was my fault that I startled thedy¡¯s carriage. I send my apology to you here.¡± The young man answered politely. He breathed out hard, looked up at Mo Xuetong and smiled weakly.

    Ahead was surely the Puguang Temple, but it would take at least an hour to get there. But judging from his look, he was even unable to take a few steps, let alone spend an hour reaching there.

 Chapter 457 - In the Temple, An Unexpected Meet at the Back of the Mountain

    <h4>Chapter 457 In the Temple, An Unexpected Meet at the Back of the Mountain</h4>

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on the person in front of her. Judging from his clothes, he did not look like those doing the hard work. His hands were thin but clean with his fingernails trimmed smoothly. And his long blue robe, no matter from the clothing material or the embroidered lines and buttons on the neckline, were very exquisite, unlike an ordinary one.

    Obviously, the man was either from a wealthy or a noble family. But how could such a person appear on the road alone and push on the trip the Puguang Temple with his sick body? A hint of suspicion shed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    Mo Xuetong took two steps back and asked with a calm smile, ¡°Sir, where are your family members?¡±

    ¡°In the early morning, I didn¡¯t wait for the servants and set off ahead. But unexpectedly, when I walked here, it was too hot for me to hold on, and shocked thedy. But for you, as I suffered a rpse, I would have died. Thank you for saving my life.¡± The young man put down the coachman¡¯s holding arms with difficulty and held his fists with hands, trying to give a salute to Mo Xuetong. But such a small movement almost exhausted him.

    ¡°Sir, you¡¯re wee. We are also going to the Puguang Temple. Since we are going the same way and I happen to have an empty carriage with some sundries behind, would you mind making do with it?¡±

    Although the carriage did not hit the person, he did fall in front of the carriage. If Mo Xuetong just left him behind, the man would have nothing but a road that led nowhere. Judging from his rpse, although it was hard to tell what the disease was, his condition looked rather critical. If he did not take a good rest, something terrible would happen to him.

    His good manners showed that he came from a great family. Even if there was anything else happening to him, it was out of Mo Xuetong¡¯s charge.

    ¡°Well... Thank you so much,dy.¡± The young man apparently knew that he was in poor condition, so he hesitated for a moment and did not refuse, and saluted to Mo Xuetong respectfully to express his gratitude.

    Mo Lan called two nannies from behind, helped the young man to thest carriage, and let a clever nanny take care of him. Mo Xuetong, along with Mo Ye and Mo Lan, got on the carriage again. They hurried to the Puguang Temple.

    It was getting hotter. But since they were on the main road, there were many carriagesing and going. Hot as it was, not a few people went to the Puguang Temple to offer incense to Buddha under the burning sun. A few carriages were seen to pass through them from time to time.

    Several strangely dressed people hid behind the trees, and a man looking like a leader asked impatiently, ¡°What? Haven¡¯t found him?¡± Under such a scorching sun, no one would be in a good mood. Looking at the passing carriages, he found nothing unusual.

    ¡°No. We saw clearly and found no one rushed out.¡±

    The leader looked at the sun rising to the sky and thought that they could not wait any longer. He stood up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t wait. Let¡¯s go back first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wait?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wait. It is so hot, and he has a rpse. Maybe he has died in a ditch already.¡± The leader replied with frustration and went back alone to the road where they hade. The people behind him looked at each other, and followed him without saying more words.

    The resonant bell of the temple startled birds in the forest, as well as the drowsy Mo Xuetong. She rubbed her bleary eyes and held Mo Lan¡¯s hand to get off the carriage. A monk usher had been waiting in front of the temple. When seeing two carriagesing, he knew it must be the noble guests to offer incense, so he made a bow respectfully.

    Mo Lan came to greet with the monk usher, and Mo Xuetong stood on the side wearing a veiled hat and quietly looked at the trees and mountains.

    Located in the middle of the mountain, the Puguang Temple was surrounded by trees and shades, which could diminish the summer heat and refresh the air. When one took a fresh breath, it would be refreshing and drive away the drowsiness.

    On the ground outside the temple had parked dozens of carriages. Among them, seven or eight were ced together, and obviously, they were from the same family. On the corner of the carriages were marked with King Yan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xueqiong hade indeed.

    Mo Ye came closer to Mo Xuetong, helped her and whispered in her ear, ¡°Master, someone is prying on the side door.¡±

    Following the direction that Mo Ye pointed, Mo Xuetong threw a nce impassively. Sure enough, a person dressed as a maidservant peeked at her, and hurriedly ran back. Although Mo Xuetong just had a glimpse of the person, she still observantly found the person was Mo Xueqiong¡¯s maidservant, Mo Yan.

    Mo Xueqiong was worried about whether Mo Xuetong woulde or not, so she asked her maidservant to watch at the side door. Mo Xuetong had never thought that Mo Xueqiong became so thoughtful now.

    On the other side, Mo Lan finished the dealings with the monk usher, and then, she handed the thick balm envelope to the monk usher. He put it into his sleeve and gave a salute to Mo Xuetong with a benign countenance. Then, he came to pull a single blue carriage, which was actually the third carriage brought by Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong brought the carriage for a certain purpose, so no matter the style or the color of the carriage was slightly different from those of the other two carriages. But unless seen carefully, the difference was hard to tell. Besides, there was a man in the third carriage. Mo Xuetong, a woman, took a carriage with a young man in it. If it spread afterward, Mo Xuetong would be hard to vindicate herself.

    So she just left thest carriage behind and asked a nanny to take care of the gentleman alone. Given the man¡¯s condition, he had to convalesce in the temple for days. And it happened that the carriage was avable.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t look at the carriage anymore. The nanny she left was a clever woman, and Mo Lan had told her matters needing attention. Therefore, Mo Xuetong just held Mo Ye¡¯s hand and led the rest of the maidservants and nannies into the temple.

    After entering the Puguang Temple, another young monk about 10 years old came to receive them. It wasmon to have such little monks in all the major temples in the capital. For the young madams anddies, such little monks were always arranged to lead the way. Now, the little clever monk led them into the main hall.

    Mo Xuetong prayed to the splendid Buddha and asked Mo Lan to tell the little monk that she wanted to hang around, so that he did not have to be with them any longer.

    The little monk answered and retreated.

    The sunlight outside was rather dazzling, but in the mountain was less ring. Mo Xuetong walked along the path through the woods to the back of the mountain. Some noble madams anddies were seen in the main hall, but the deeper they went into the mountain, the seldomdies they would see. Mo Xuetong took off her veiled hat and feltfortable at the oing mountain breeze.

    When Mo Xuetong worshipped the Buddha, Mo Ye walked around to see the man, and now reported to Mo Xuetong in detail. ¡°My Lady, the gentleman seemed to be a reasonable person. He just said he came to the temple to worship the Buddha, but suffered a rpse on the halfway, so he wanted to stay in the temple for a few days. He didn¡¯t mention anything about you, My Lady.¡±

    A young king¡¯s consort being with a young gentleman sounded rather ridiculous. So the young man¡¯s statement was the best exnation.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and smiled. ¡°That gentleman looks like from a great family, and he knows well to avoid arousing any suspicion. We took him this way, but put him in thest car, and deliberately asked the coachman to drive far away from us. Obviously, we did not want to provoke any gossip. And his statement showed that he understood my intention.¡±

    Mo Ye replied carefully, ¡°My Lady, I saw the young gentleman being helped to get off the carriage, and I came to set the time with the coachman.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked suddenly, ¡°It is best, and have you given some taels to the nanny?¡± Based on the gentleman¡¯s appearance, Mo Xuetong thought the man might not have money on him. But if he wanted to live in the temple, he should donate some money.

    Mo Ye said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, so I gave some taels of silver to the nanny. Judging from the young gentleman¡¯s appearance, I guess he¡¯s very sick. But lucky that he said his servants woulde soon and asked My Lady not to worry about him. And he also said that when his servants came, he would send his people to express his gratitude to My Lady.¡±

    ¡°Since everything is settled, and the young gentleman does not look like those without any good n, we don¡¯t have to worry about him any longer. Have you seen Mo Feng?¡± Mo Xuetong was not surprised by the young gentleman¡¯s proper reaction. Anyone from a great family should know the truth that even if a person was kind to him/her, the two should not meet more in private.

    ¡°My Lady, would you please walk deeper into the mountain? Afraid of encountering too many people outside and is not easy to avoid, Mo Feng went to the back of the mountain first.¡± Since Mo Ye and Mo Feng had their own way to contact, Mo Ye looked at the scenery and answered with a smile.

    During the talk, a strange rustle of leaves sounded suddenly from the bamboo forest behind Mo Xuetong.

    She couldn¡¯t help but look back.

    Only to see a string of red silk shing through the bamboo forest.

    Mo Ye stepped forward in front of Mo Xuetong to protect her and shouted with a stern look, ¡°Who?¡±

    The people in the bamboo forest didn¡¯t seem to expect Mo Xuetong to be so vignt, and did not know how to react, but fell to silence.

    Mo Ye¡¯s face became grim. And now among the servants around Mo Xuetong, only Mo Ye could do kung fu, so she was supposed to do utmost to protect Mo Xuetong. Then, she said to Mo Lan, ¡°Mo Lan, you protect the Lady, and I¡¯ll go up and see.¡±

    Mo Lan nodded, and also stepped forward to protect in front of Mo Xuetong nervously.

    Mo Ye was about to raise the feet when a timid voice came, ¡°Is the King Xuan¡¯s Consort in front?¡± The leaves shook, and a woman wearing green and red sleeves came out. The woman lowered her head with cowardice in her voice.

    It was not a dangerous person. Mo Ye let out a sigh of relief, and the expressions of the other maidservants eased a lot.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the woman in front of her, but couldn¡¯t remember who she was at that moment. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The woman¡¯s dark hair was pinned up by a silver hair sp, and two rubies earrings were on her ears, which looked valuable. Her clothing material was rather good as well in the trendiest style. If she had some essories on her head, she did look like ady from a great family.

    But she had no maidservant or nanny to serve her around.

    Mo Xuetong thought she had never seen such a woman, so she asked puzzled, ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    Hearing the words, the woman raised her head, and her clear eyes were rather prominent. She had aely appearance, especially her big eyes, pure and fascinating. She was very thin, making her more delicate and touching.

    Mo Xuetong looked at her carefully, but still felt that she had never seen such a woman before.

    The woman was about 17 or 18 years old, and she raised her timid eyes to look at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°My Lady, you haven¡¯t seen me before, but I have seen you several times in the distance.¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked and asked confused. ¡°What... What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Mo Xuetong thought, the woman had seen her before and known her identity as the King Xuan¡¯s consort, and the woman¡¯s clothing and appearance both showed that the woman did note from a humble family, but it had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong herself, and the woman did not seem to fawn upon her intentionally.

    The woman raised her head with red eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong with a pleading look. ¡°My Lady, could I... I have a word with you? Just a few words?¡±

    Her look made Mo Xuetong hesitate.

    Mo Yu stepped forward and said coldly, ¡°Thisdy, My Lady has something to do at the back of the mountain, and it is inconvenient to talk to outsiders.¡± Although the woman did not look dangerous, Mo Yu thought she could not take it lightly. Today, the people of King Yan¡¯s Manor woulde to the mountain as well. No one knew whether the people of King Yan¡¯s Manor would stir up some kind of trouble.

    The woman seemed not to understand Mo Ye¡¯s words. Seeing Mo Xuetong was leaving with her people, the woman hurried forward and called with tears dropping, ¡°My Lady, I know you¡¯re a blessed person. I... I really have something to talk with you about. Please, please...¡±

    The woman was quite incoherent with tears in her eyes. Looking at Mo Xuetong, she almost fell on her knees.

 Chapter 458 - The Path in the Bamboo Forest, A Second Consort Asked for Help

    <h4>Chapter 458 The Path in the Bamboo Forest, A Second Consort Asked for Help</h4>

    Mo Ye reached out to stop her.

    Mo Xuetong looked the woman up and down again, gently pushed Mo Lan¡¯s hands away, stepped forward and asked softly, ¡°Who are you? Why did you find me? Lady, I don¡¯t know you, so what can I help you? Or do you get separated from your maidservants and nannies? Should we help you find them?¡±

    The woman raised her eyes, looked at Mo Xuetong with tears in her eyes, and said, ¡°Your Highness, I am a concubine of the King Chu¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Of King Chu¡¯s Manor? Mo Xuetong was surprised and frowned slightly. King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, was so cruel and merciless that he had framed Mo Xuetong more than once. In thest life, Mo Xuetong¡¯s tragic fate was mostly due to Feng Yuxuan who incited Qin Yufeng to support Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun to gang up against Mo Xuetong, making her fall into a miserable end.

    In this life, Feng Yuxuan also snared Mo Xuetong many times. Especially that time, Mo Xuetong was sent to King Yan¡¯s Manor, and almost was destroyed by him.

    Now, what trick did he want to y?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes became stern and looked at the woman. She contemted for a while and said to Mo Lan, ¡°Mo Lan, you and others stay here. Mo Ye and I will go there.¡±

    Watching the woman in front with vignce, Mo Lan persuaded anxiously, ¡°My Lady, as for such a woman of dubious background, you¡¯d better not go with her. No one knows if there is any trick set up. We just ignore it. Otherwise, if you touch the matter, it will be possible that you will fall into others¡¯ traps.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know.¡± Mo Xuetong said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll just have a word with the woman beside. Apanied by Mo Ye, I will be fine. Or dare the woman to assassinate me?¡±

    The sadness and eagerness in the woman¡¯s eyes could not be concealed. The sorrow and despair reminded Mo Xuetong of who she used to be.

    Then, Mo Xuetong said to the woman, ¡°Come with me.¡±

    Then, Mo Xuetong walked down towards a tree on the other side. Mo Ye followed her with an alert, separating Mo Xuetong from the woman.

    The woman was surprised, and then wiped the tears on her face, and followed hurriedly.

    Mo Xuetong stood well under the tree and asked softly, ¡°You are the servant of Consort Chu, so you should find King Chu to deal with your matter. Even if you don¡¯t find him, you should find Consort Chu. Why did youe to find me instead?¡±

    The affairs of King Chu¡¯s Manor should be handled by Feng Yuxuan and Ling Rui¡¯er. Mo Xuetong did not understand why a concubine of King Chu¡¯s Manor came to find her, as she had no connections with the people of King Chu¡¯s Manor and wasn¡¯t on good terms with Ling Rui¡¯er. Therefore, even if there was something terrible, Mo Xuetong could not lend a hand in. In this regard, how could a concubine ask her instead of them for help?

    The woman asked tearfully, ¡°My Lady, have you remembered Mo Yarui, the daughter of the Assistant Minister¡¯s Manor?¡±

    Mo Yarui, the daughter of the Assistant Minister¡¯s Manor? Mo Xuetong went nk for a while and remembered who Miss Mo was. At the banquet prepared by Princess Royal, Mo Yarui had some interactions with Feng Yuxuan. At that time, it seemed that Miss Mo would have the opportunity to enter King Yan¡¯s Manor. Later, Ling Fengyan fell, and Ling Rui¡¯er entered the Manor. Miss Mo seemed to enter the manor and became Feng Yuxuan¡¯s second consort when Ling Fengyan was still the mistress.

    Mo Xuetong asked frowningly, ¡°The second consort of His Highness, King Chu? What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°My name is Mei Yu, a concubine of King Chu. I used to be Second Consort Mo¡¯s close maidservant, and followed Second Consort into the manor. However, His Highness did not like our Second Consort and seldom came to her ce. Several days ago, our Second Consort found that she was pregnant, but was discovered soon by Her Highness. So when Second Consort paid respects to Her Highness, Her Highness asked someone to hit Second Consort and made her miscarry. What¡¯s worse, with the excuse that Second Consort offended Her Highness with rude remarks, Her Highness did not allow a doctor to check Second Consort.¡±

    ¡°This time, I took the opportunity of praying for His Highness toe out, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not find a chance to send a message to the Assistant Minister¡¯s Manor. Your Highness, could you give a hand to send a message to Assistant Minister Mo? Otherwise, our miss, no, Second Consort will die.¡±

    Mei Yu knelt in front of Mo Xuetong and cried sadly.

    Mo Xuetong asked softly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go to find His Highness King Chu? Isn¡¯t he supposed to handle it?¡±

    ¡°His Highness... His Highness only bestows favors on Her Highness and follows every word she says. Even if His Highness knows it, he may not necessarily care about it. Besides, with my humble status, I am not qualified to see His Highness. Your Highness, please save our miss, and send a word to our old sir.¡±

    Mei Yu choked with sobs, and her words were not as coherent as before. She called Second Consort Mo as Miss, and Assistant Minister as Old Sir, as if Second Consort Mo were still a girl unmarried. Mei Yu did not regard herself as a concubine of Feng Yuxuan, which showed her disapproval of Feng Yuxuan in her heart.

    ¡°Will Assistant Minister Mo save your Second Consort?¡± asked Mo Xuetong.

    Assistant Minister Mo was an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, and now was working with Lian An around Feng Yuran to repair the Qiming Pavilion. Mo Xuetong once saw Assistant Minister Mo in the yard who was talking about how to repair the Qiming Pavilion with Lian An, even argued with him. Assistant Minister Mo did not cower, instead, he tried to convince Lian An on just grounds, who left a good impression on Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°His Excellency will surely save Second Consort, as she is his only daughter. But for Second Consort¡¯s love for King Chu, His Excellency would not have allowed our miss to marry him. But no one had ever expected that not long after the marriage, Second Consort lost the favor, and now she could hardly keep herself alive. Your Highness, please, please save our miss.¡±

    Mei Yu cried at the top of her voice and mmed her head hard on the ground, totally ignoring the red blood marks on her head.

    Mo Xuetong slightly gestured to Mo Ye, and Mo Ye hurried to help Mei Yu up.

    ¡°You go back first. I¡¯ll ask someone to send a message to Assistant Minister Moter. And you go back and attend yourdy well. Otherwise, before Assistant Minister Mo is able to save his daughter, I don¡¯t want something bad to happen to her.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a benign smile. The reason why Mo Xuetong did it was about nothing but resentment for Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s cruelty. Besides, Mo Xuetong was impressed favorably by Assistant Minister Mo¡¯s behavior.

    So conceivably, although Ling Rui¡¯er was somewhat capricious in the past, she knew the proper limits for her action. Since she was neither the firstborn daughter nor the most beautiful woman, she was too inconspicuous in the Ding General Manor, living under the twodies¡¯ brilliance. But everything was different now. She became the Consort Chu, and the twodies of Ling family either had died or were inferior to her. Moreover, she enjoyed all of King Chu¡¯s love, so the brutality and arrogance in her character were exposedpletely.

    But for a Second Consort conferred by the Emperor, Ling Rui¡¯er dared to torture her to death in the manor. Howwless she was!

    Hearing Mo Xuetong agreed, Mei Yu was so excited that she went limp and wanted to kowtow to Mo Xuetong again. ¡°Your Highness, thank you so much. Second Consort and I will do our utmost to reciprocate your great kindness.¡± Mo Ye quickly stopped her and held her up.

    Mo Xuetong looked at her and said gently, ¡°You go back first, and it will be terrible if you are discovered.¡± Mei Yu was a loyal servant. Although she had be Feng Yuxuan¡¯s concubine, she did not forget her old master. When her old master was in trouble, Mei Yu still tried everything she could to save her old master. She deserved respects.

    ¡°Your Highness please... I don¡¯t dare to stay here too long. I sent the nanny who came with me to fetch the cloak. I¡¯m afraid that she wille back at this time.¡± Mei Yu knew that it was not the time to speak more, so she hurried to wipe her tears with a handkerchief and bow low to Mo Xuetong again.

    Mo Xuetong nodded. ¡°Just go back.¡±

    Mei Yu turned around to the bamboo forest. From Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction, she could see there was a path. Mei Yu was a clever woman, and she knew that when she came from the path, even if the nanny ran to look for her, the nanny could not find her, but only wandered around. The nanny was unable to see Mo Xuetong on this side of the bamboo forest.

    ¡°Mo Ye, send a maidservant to the Assistant Minister Mo¡¯s Manor to tell him that the maidservant, Mei Yu asked him to save his daughter as soon as possible.¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. She did not understand that with Feng Yuxuan¡¯s temper, how could he turn a blind eye to Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s rampant behavior? Since it happened in King Chu¡¯s Manor, Feng Yuxuan was impossibly not in the know.

    Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs. How could Feng Yuxuan let Ling Rui¡¯er make Mo Yarui miscarry without doing anything...

    This matter was really weird!

    ¡°Yes. I will ask people to send the message soon.¡± Mei Yu, a weak woman, dared to do that for the sake of saving her old master. If Ling Rui¡¯er knew it, Mei Yu would die without doubt. Since Ling Rui¡¯er dared to murder a Second Consort, how could Ling Rui¡¯er fear to deal with a concubine? With a simple order, the concubine would be beaten or sold out.

    When Mo Ye thought of it, some admiration took on her eyes, so she replied immediately.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t stay there any longer. Otherwise, the nanny came to encounter her and went back to tell Ling Rui¡¯er, which might bring harm to Mei Yu.

    Mo Xuetong, followed by her servants, went deeper into the mountain and found a small tform in the form of the Puguang Temple on the halfway of the mountain. There were a few Buddhist rooms. Mo Xuetong sat well in a pavilion beside, and asked some nannies to make inquiries, and she stayed in the pavilion with Mo Ye and Mo Lan.

    When the nannies walked away, with a sh in front of eyes, Mo Feng appeared before Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Feng pointed at the Buddhist rooms and said, ¡°My Lady, the ce ahead is the residence of the Puguang Temple¡¯s abbot. During 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. this afternoon, the abbot will practice Zen, and a lot of people wille to listen. My Lady, you just need to listen with other people at that time. I will make the following arrangement.¡±

    ¡°Listen to Zen from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and got what Mo Feng said. She nodded and asked, ¡°What did Mo Xueqiong do aftering to the Temple, and who did she meet?¡±

    Mo Feng reported. ¡°The second consort did not have any status in the manor. Although she came here in a carriage alone, after she entered the temple, except the two maidservants around her, all the people ignored her. She worshipped the Buddha first, and entered a room alone. No one came to mee with her, and she did note out.¡±

    About Mo Xueqiong¡¯s situation, Mo Xuetong had already guessed. On that day, Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin ganged up against Mo Xuetong, trying to push her off the startled horse, while the horse ran to the cliff. At that moment, Mo Xuetong had realized that Feng Yulei had nned to kill Mo Xueqiong to prevent divulgence of the secret. As for the so-called promise to marry her as a Second Consort, it was just a fake promise made by Feng Yulei to lure Mo Xueqiong.

    Against this background, how could Mo Xueqiong live afortable life in the manor?

    She was just a discarded puppet, but was sent into the manor deliberately by the Emperor. It was a p on the face. How could the royal prince, Feng Yulei, be pped obediently and treat her well?

    But now, Mo Xueqiong resigned herself to do nothing, which was rather doubtful.

    Obviously, the n could not be figured out by Mo Xueqiong. But who was behind her? Didn¡¯t the person pay more attention to Mo Xueqiong so as not to let her mess things up? Mo Xueqiong¡¯s rashness was not formed in one or two days. Mo Xuetong¡¯s long eyshes flickered, and she felt that she had neglected something, but it was hard to catch anything.

 Chapter 459 - Meeting The Person at the Back of the Buddhist Temple

    <h4>Chapter 459 Meeting The Person at the Back of the Buddhist Temple</h4>

    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone visit her?¡± She could not help but ask again, ¡°Not even a single maid or nanny?¡±

    ¡°I saw very clearly that no one visited her. King Yan did not send anyone to ask if she wanted to go with everyone to pay respect to Buddha. I heard a maid say that if Marquess Mingguo didn¡¯t protect her on the way there, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to get into the temple!¡±

    What did that mean? Was there something going on between Mo Xueqiong and You Yuecheng?

    A sudden thought shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. You Yuecheng had always hated her for some reason, but that had always confused Mo Xuetong.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s younger sister, You Yue¡¯e married Feng Yulei. He and Feng Yulei were definitely on the same side. You Yuecheng was definitely allowed to enter and exit Feng Yulei¡¯s manor. Coupled with You Yuecheng¡¯s hatred toward her, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s odd change, their trip to the temple, as well as some other things...

    Mo Xuetong felt that You Yuecheng was very likely to be the person instigating Mo Xueqiong! If so, many things could be exined then.

    ¡°Why was King Yan allowed to leave his manor today ande to Puguang Temple?¡± This was the reason Mo Xueqiong gave to deceive her.

    Mo Feng came early and already sent men to find out everything. He answered in detail when Mo Xuetong asked him about it. ¡°I heard that the memorial tablet of Consort Yan¡¯s Mother, thete wife of Duke Mingguo, is here. King Yan specially pleaded with the Emperor to allow him to carry out a Taoist ritual for the mother-inw he never met. That was why he coulde along together with Consort Yan.¡±

    Duke Mingguo¡¯s wife had died a long time ago, the woman who was now his wife was his second wife. However, what had this to do with Mo Xueqiong? Was Mo Xueqiong lied to or did Mo Xueqiong lie to her? However, no matter whether it was King Yan praying for his mother or for You Yue¡¯e¡¯s mother, what had it to do with her!

    Why would she have to use this as an excuse?

    The more Mo Xuetong thought about it, the more ridiculous she thought it was. There was no need for Mo Xueqiong to lie to her at all. If she told Mo Xuetong the truth, it would only give her more credence. Why did she lie?! Mo Xuetong did not believe that there wasn¡¯t a reason for what Mo Xueqiong said and that it was just to cate her.

    Mo Feng saw that a few maids were approaching Mo Xuetong. He bid Mo Xuetong farewell and disappeared. He protected Mo Xuetong but only Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maids were aware of it.

    The letter hade from the maid in the afternoon. It was a letter from You Yue¡¯e to Mo Xuetong, asking her to meet behind the Buddhist temple.

    They were inws and were both first consorts of the princes. It was a rare asion for them to meet in the temple, so it was reasonable for them to meet. However, the rtionship between the two was bad and they did not have anything to say to each other. That made the letter different. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes grew sharp. She put the letter down and said to the servant, ¡°Go and tell your Consort that I will be there in a while.¡±

    The maid was a sharp one. ¡°Yes, I will return and let My Lady know.¡± She bowed respectfully to Mo Xuetong with a smile and left.

    Mo Lan took a step forward after the person left. ¡°My Lady...¡± She said worriedly, ¡°My Lady, since Fourth Miss has already decided to plot against you, why does Consort Yan want to meet you? Don¡¯t you think that this is odd?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled softly. She had a faraway look in her eyes as if she were looking at Mo Lan from a distance. Her eyes were clear and dark as she said, ¡°Mo Lan, do you think Consort Yan knew what Mo Xueqiong has nned?¡±

    Her tone was light and she did not look at Mo Lan. Instead, she looked through the window behind her and at the massive Buddhist Temple. They could hear the vague chimes of bells. It signaled that morning sses were over and it was time for lunch.

    Mo Xuetong looked sad to those watching. She smiled softly and then frowned. This was supposed to be a ce of peace and cleanliness. However, there were so many people who came to this ce to carry out their dirty deeds. Were they not afraid of being punished by Buddha?!

    ¡°My Lady, I think that Consort Yan doesn¡¯t know about this. Since Second Consort Yan wants to harm you, she should avoid you if she sees you lest they are med for anything.¡± Mo Lan had served Mo Xuetong for a long while and could see that she was slightly upset. However, she could not help but speak up.

    Mo Xuetong agreed with Mo Lan. If You Yue¡¯e really had a part in this, she would not have any contact with Mo Xuetong right now.

    ¡°Mo Lan, stay hereter. Mo Ye, go with me. I will also take a few other maids and servants with me. Since Consort Yan wishes to meet me, I have to go.¡± Mo Xuetong rubbed her temples. Fatigue was evident on her face. Even though she was sure that You Yue¡¯e would not dare to make trouble for her now, she felt annoyed that she had to deal with You Yue¡¯e, whom she had never gotten along with.

    Yet, she did not have a reason to reject You Yue¡¯e.

    ¡°My Lady, shall I go with you as well?¡± Mo Lan asked worriedly, especially when she saw how out of it Mo Xuetong was. She grew hesitant and stared at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Nothing will happen to me. Even if Consort Yan doesn¡¯t know anything, how would the low-key and obedient King Yan bepletely ignorant? You Yue¡¯e can¡¯t and won¡¯t try to hurt me right now.¡± Said Mo Xuetong lightly as she grew calm once more.

    King Yan, Feng Yulei would not dare to drag You Yue¡¯e into his matters right now. If he were not careful, Feng Yulei might be ruined for good. As such, given his nature, he would want to stay far away from this situation.

    Mo Xuetong brought her servants to the entrance of the temple where they had agreed to meet. The maid from earlier on was waiting there. She hurried up to wee Mo Xuetong with a smile when she saw her. She said, ¡°Consort Xuan, My Lady has been waiting inside for a long while.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the temple doors. One side of it was closed. A few maids stayed behind to wait in the courtyard.

    ¡°My Lady said she only wishes to chat with you and does not want too many servants to follow. This elder sister and I shall wait outside so that My Ladies can chat in peace.¡± The maid replied smartly.

    Mo Xuetong turned to look at her. Her eyes, which projected nobility and grace, made the maid look down slowly. When the maid looked up, wanting to say something else, Mo Xuetong had already brought Mo Ye in.

    ¡°Elder Sister, shall we wait outside? My Lady does not like too many people to be around when she prays to Buddha. She is afraid that it will offend Buddha.¡± The maid exined rapidly as she hurried forward to hold Mo Ye back when she saw Mo Ye following behind Mo Xuetong.

    It was true that it should be quiet and peaceful when one prayed to Buddha.

    Mo Ye did not flinch as she looked coldly at the maid holding on to her sleeves. There was a sh of sharpness in her eyes as she said loudly, ¡°Scram.¡±

    She lifted her finger and ced it on the maid¡¯s wrist. She was going throw the maid off her. Consort Yan was inside, plotting something. How could she leave at a time like this?

    ¡°Since Consort Yan wants to pray to Buddha alone and quietly, then we shall not bother her. I will go to King Yan¡¯s Manor and chat with her another day.¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly stopped and looked at the maid¡¯s hand from above. Her eyes were cold and despite her polite words, the cold look in her eyes made one fearful for some reason.

    The maid could not help but loosen her hold on Mo Ye¡¯s hand. She saw that Mo Xuetong was really about to leave and grew worried. She hurriedly said, ¡°My Lady, please hold on. I will go and ask My Lady now. Please wait.¡±

    Then, she hurriedly entered through the doors of the temple.

    ¡°My Lady...¡±

    Mo Ye wanted to say something but Mo Xuetong reached out and stopped her. Her gazended on the half-opened doors. They could not hear anythinging from the inside but they could see that there wasn¡¯t anyone inside. Perhaps, just like what the maid said, You Yue¡¯e was alone inside. However, given You Yue¡¯e¡¯s character, was she someone who could calm down?

    Mo Xuetong turned around and took the opportunity to whisper to Mo Ye as she looked up at the sky. ¡°Mo Ye, don¡¯t stay too far from meter on.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s actions were really suspicious. This was not something she would do at all. Given her character, the inside of the temple would be filled with maids. She would be like a haughty peacock. Even though King Yan was under house arrest, You Yue¡¯e would not admit that she was any weaker than someone else.

    She had always thought that she was better than others in terms of her status and all other aspects and also disliked Mo Xuetong immensely. That was what she would do under normal circumstances. However, she was so low-key right now and secretive and one could not help but feel suspicious.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, My Lady invites you in.¡± The maid said sweetly, appearing at the entrance of the temple.

    She did not mention Mo Ye this time. Her mistress must have allowed Mo Xuetong to bring Mo Ye in.

    The heavy doors were pushed open with a soft creak. Behind the curtains of the temple, sat a figure. One could not see the person behind clearly as the moving curtains distorted the figure. Standing at the entrance, Mo Xuetong looked forward but could not make out anything.

    A cunning look shed in the eyes of the maid standing behind Mo Xuetong and Mo Ye after they entered. She reached out swiftly in an attempt to close the doors.

    Mo Ye seemed to have eyes behind her back. She held the half-closed doors and pushed it to the side. The maid did not expect Mo Ye to be so strong and was pulled along with the door. She made a startled cry and fell to the ground.

    However, the attention of the three people in the room was not on her.

    Mo Xuetong said coldly as she stared at the person behind the curtains warily. ¡°Your Excellency, is there a point to this?¡±

    There was a soft burst ofughter from behind the curtains. ¡°You are indeed as cunning as a fox.¡± He seemed sarcastic and sounded as if he was mocking Mo Xuetong. There was definitely no hint of sincere praise in his words.

    Mo Xuetong did not move and watched as the man pushed the curtains aside and walked towards her slowly. He was wearing a jade crown and dark blue robes. He was tall and handsome but seemed cold and aloof. It was Marquess Mingguo, You Yuecheng.

    As expected, You Yue¡¯e was not inside. This could also exin why he had behaved so furtively earlier.

    Mo Xuetong enunciated every word with an undisturbed tone. ¡°Many thanks for your praise, Your Excellency.¡± Her voice was soft and beautiful, but right now, it seemed rather sharp.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t you think you should say something to me?¡± You Yuecheng harrumphed coldly as he looked at Mo Xuetong. There was a deepness and darkness in his eyes that were hard to exin. This was the first time since his engagement that Mo Xuetong was seeing him. Mo Xuetong had not seen him again since he was set up in Peony Garden and was forced to marry Ling Mingyan.

    They had not seen each other for very long. Mo Xuetong realized that his eyes were even colder and darker. It felt as if his entire person were shrouded in darkness.

    ¡°Your Excellency, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying!¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. Sunlight streamed from the half-opened doors behind her. It was as if the sun were ting her with a brilliant sheen of gold. She looked distant and cold, shrouded in the gold, and seemed like a fairy. She looked up at You Yuecheng once and then did not look at him again.

    The way she treated him with disregard was very annoying. You Yuecheng felt angry but forced himself to calm down with much effort. He was not here to fight with Mo Xuetong today.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, why did you break your promise? I said I would make you my consort.¡± He could not help but look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face. Her face was so pale it seemed almost translucent under the sunlight. It looked like jade

 Chapter 460 - The Danger from You Yuechengs Threat

    <h4>Chapter 460 The Danger from You Yuecheng¡¯s Threat</h4>

    Mo Xuetong suddenly looked up and blinked with herrge clear eyes. The coldness in her eyes left and her eyes shone brilliantly. She suddenly felt likeughing at that moment.

    You Yuecheng had said that he was going to marry her. However, he had no choice but to marry Ling Mingyan. The whole thing seemed to have nothing to do with her. Yet, why did he make it sound as if she had betrayed him?

    You Yuecheng had never asked if she was willing in the first ce!

    This was the most ludicrous thing ever for him to hold her ountable at this moment!

    ¡°Your Excellency, what is it that you wish to say?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly. She thought that he was behaving oddly and a hint of ridicule appeared in her clear eyes.

    ¡°Do you really not wish to marry me?¡± You Yuecheng asked, almost gritting his teeth. He red at Mo Xuetong viciously as if he would tear her into bits if she said no.

    A surprised smile appeared on the corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. She felt that this was really funny. You Yuecheng had brought her here so aggressively just to ask her this question. If Mo Xuetong did not know how she truly felt, she would even wonder if she had let Marquess Mingguo down. Why did he look so upset and angry?

    However, were they even close?

    She did not know why You Yuecheng was so confident that she wanted to marry him.

    ¡°Your Excellency, why do you think I would be willing to marry you?¡± Mo Xuetong cocked her head and asked him. She did not hide the mirth in her eyes. Her disregard for him made You Yuecheng almost crazed with rage.

    Fortunately, his self-restraint had always been strong. He forced down the anger he felt and said coldly, ¡°Mo Xuetong, aren¡¯t you afraid that you might lose your title as Consort Xuan and even be branded as a traitor if your mother¡¯s secret were revealed?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression turned cold when she heard that. A hint of shock shed in her eyes which then grew cold. The gentle smile on her lips disappearedpletely. Instead, she looked at You Yuecheng warily and she did not appear afraid. She said slowly, ¡°Your Excellency, why don¡¯t you just speak your mind. You don¡¯t have to be so secretive.¡±

    She was certain that You Yuecheng knew something. However, she did not know how much he knew or what he wanted.

    ¡°Your mother was not the legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor. She is the daughter of King Jin, born after his death.¡± You Yuecheng stared at Mo Xuetong sharply, observing her every move. He looked as if he were a predator staring at his prey.

    ¡°Everyone knows that my mother is the only legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor. Your Excellency, do you have any proof?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was cold as she spoke distantly. She looked at You Yuecheng with icy cold eyes. Yet, she was not frightened or afraid as he expected.

    ¡°How can I not have evidence? It is in my manor. If I let it be known, Mo Xuetong, do you think you can still keep your title as Consort Xuan?¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes were like a deep abyss. There was a hint of coldughter in his voice as he said, ¡°Then, you will lose everything and your reputation will be in tatters.¡±

    ¡°Your Excellency, since you have evidence, why are you holding back? Why don¡¯t you let me take a look at it so I can understand my mother? How did the legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor be the daughter of King Jin? Your Excellency, can I take this as your challenge against the Fu General Manor?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at the man without a hint of shock or panic on her face. Like You Yuecheng, she was also carefully watching You Yuecheng¡¯s reaction. She still did not understand what You Yuecheng meant. Since he had already plotted his next move, why would he do something unexpected now?

    What did he want? Or what did he want from her?

    The undercurrents were heavy as they spoke.

    ¡°Challenge? The Fu General Manor did not take care of their reputation but brought up the child of the nation¡¯s enemy. Is this not their challenge against the Qin Kingdom? If the Emperor were to find out that his trusted subordinate has hidden such a shocking thing from him, I wonder if he would think that this is the Fu General Manor¡¯s challenge against the royal family?¡±

    You Yuecheng said coldly.

    If this matter were to be made open to the public, no matter what Emperor Zongwen thought, the Fu General Manor would be in trouble for covering up the matter.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression changed slightly. Her maternal grandmother had never mentioned this to her, but she had a feeling that You Yuecheng was speaking the truth. However, how did You Yuecheng find out about this?

    ¡°Your Excellency, you are very odd. How did I never know about this? Why does the noble Fu General Manor need to hide King Jin¡¯s daughter? Is the Fu General Manor not afraid of having to pay for this?¡± Mo Xuetong narrowed her eyes after clearing out the confusing thoughts in her mind. There were faint ripples in her clear eyes. There was a coldness in her eyes as she spoke calmly, but also with disdain.

    It was as if she truly did not care.

    You Yuecheng scoffed at her words and a mocking smile tugged at his lips. He looked as if he would not give up if he did not get what he wanted. He put his hands behind his back and walked to and fro in front of Mo Xuetong. He said, ¡°Mo Xuetong, do you think I don¡¯t have any evidence? Do you think that I would be saying this to you right now if I did not have any evidence? Do you think that I work in the pce for fun?¡±

    You Yuecheng had an important position in the pce. It was likely that he knew some secret things about the royal family.

    ¡°Your Excellency, why do you have to force my hand if you only want to deal with me? There is no need to involve the Fu General Manor even if you want to deal with me. So why are you dragging up my mother¡¯s business? You can just say that it is because of Mo Xuemin.¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly and her eyes grew even colder.

    You Yuecheng stared at Mo Xuetong when he heard that. His lips pressed together in a thin line and a cold sharpness appeared in his expression that made one feel frightened.

    No matter what You Yuecheng wanted, she mustn¡¯t give in and say anything at this juncture. The person had called her into the temple now not just to tell her about this thing out of the kindness of his heart. There was definitely something he wanted. In the end, he just wanted to prove something or get something from her!

    When Mo Xuetong thought of that, she gradually calmed down from her shock. No matter what, she would not allow You Yuecheng to see how she was feeling.

    ¡°Your Excellency, you are Marquess Mingguo and you are noble and mighty. I really don¡¯t know how Mo Xuemin confused you and made it so that we do not get along. Perhaps I might be insignificant to you in the past, but right now, I represent not just the Mo Manor and the Fu General Manor. Your Excellency, have you not considered what King Xuan would do? Do you think that King Xuan is a person who would be easily manipted?¡±

    Mo Xuetongughed carefreely, sounding determined.

    Everyone in the capital knew what sort of person Feng Yuran was. Even though he was now more tamed after his marriage, his arrogant and wild character meant that others did not dare to offend him. Everyone knew that he was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite son and knew that even if he stepped out of the line, the Emperor would not do anything to him.

    It would be great if Feng Yuran believed him. But if he didn¡¯t, then it would be troublesome. Given King Xuan, Feng Yuran¡¯s character, they would truly be enemies then. Against that man... You Yuecheng grimaced and a hint of worry appeared on his handsome face.

    He looked up at Mo Xuetong. Her beautiful and tiny face did not appear stiff because of her pinched look. Even when she was angry and frustrated, she was still stunning. She was refreshing and charming. Her eyes were clear and beautiful. She was like ice and snow, and yet, she was so beautiful she tugged at heartstrings.

    His heart skipped a beat and he looked away. However, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. Would King Xuan believe him and not Mo Xuetong?

    ¡°Your Excellency, I don¡¯t know where you got your news from that says my mother was King Jin¡¯s daughter. You do know that the news will cause quite a big impact. Do you believe that Mingguo Manor would be able to withstand this impact?¡± Mo Xuetong said forcefully. You Yuecheng¡¯s suspicion was very dangerous and she had to make sure he stopped pursuing his suspicions.

    A cold and sinister smirk appeared on the corners of You Yuecheng¡¯s lips. He said, ¡°Mo Xuetong, I was just making conversation. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s true, why do you have to threaten me?¡±

    His words were bitingly sharp and cold as a mocking smile made its way on his lips.

    ¡°Your Excellency, please address me as Consort Xuan. Even though you do not admit it, I am now King Xuan¡¯s legal consort. Your Excellency does not seem to have the right to call me by my name.¡± Mo Xuetong had calmed downpletely by then. The smile on her lips was as cold as ice. However, her slight smile made one¡¯s heart beat faster.

    ¡°As for what you mentioned that concerns my mother, I do not believe it at all. Everyone knows what happened at King Jin¡¯s Manor then. King Jin and his consort both died, so where did that daughter appear from? Alright, Your Excellency, it is wrong for us to be in the same room alone. Please do not use such means to make mee again. It would cause unnecessary trouble. I will pretend that this did not happen.¡±

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t be too stubborn!¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s expression was ugly as she made sarcastic and mocking jibes at him. His handsome face was tight with fury as he spoke. He reached out to block Mo Xuetong¡¯s path. Mo Ye twitched but settled down quietly beside Mo Xuetong at Mo Xuetong¡¯s gesture.

    ¡°Your Excellency, I don¡¯t know why you would think that.¡± Mo Xuetong said unhurriedly. Her beautiful brows creased slightly as she was unable to hide the anger in her lively eyes. She continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you want to meet me here, nor do I understand why you wanted to marry me. What is the point of you pitting yourself against me in all aspects? We only met a couple of times and there is no great enmity between us. Why are you so insistent on getting me into trouble? Since you have evidence, then we shall go to see His Majesty and see what he says. Your Excellency can also tell everyone why you dislike me so. Even if I were to die, I want to die understanding why.¡±

    Mo Xuetong appeared as if she were going to give it her all. She could not hide the anger in her eyes and the calm expression on her face receded. She could almost be considered impulsive. Her plump and soft lips lifted and the corners of her lips trembled slightly. Her tiny face was flushed and she seemed as if she would not rest if she did not achieve her goal.

    You Yuecheng did not expect Mo Xuetong to behave like this. To him, Mo Xuetong was a sly person. That was why she behaved like a nobledy in front of everyone else. Had she ever appeared so agitated and dposed? He had been certain that Mo Xuetong would not dare to make a fuss no matter whether the information was real or not. Given Mo Xuetong¡¯s sly nature, she would not dare to let others find out about it.

    Then, he would be able to list his conditions. He did not expect that the girl who appeared to be gentle and charming would be so ruthless now. She seemed as if she were ready to fight it out with him. ¡°See Emperor Zongwen? How would I dare? Forget whether the news is real or not. Even if I had evidence, it¡¯s a secret in the pce. If I bring it out, I will havemitted a grave crime.¡±

    You Yuecheng¡¯s expression was pinched tightly. He gritted his teeth and breathed in deeply. Just as he was about to rage, his gaze suddenlynded on Mo Ye, who was behind Mo Xuetong. Mo Ye¡¯s expression was guarded. He then looked out of the door and saw a few other maids who belonged to Mo Xuetong standing not far away outside the temple.

    He was a sharp person and he immediately shook off the agitation and anger that Mo Xuetong provoked in him. A sinister and angry look appeared in his eyes. He said, ¡°Mo Xuetong, don¡¯t think that nobody knows what the Fu General Manor did since some time has passed. It is a pity. King Jing¡¯s Consort did not die then and even stayed in the Fu General Manor for some time. Do you think that there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence in the Fu General Manor?!¡±

    Then, he walked towards Mo Xuetong. Mo Ye quickly pulled Mo Xuetong out of the door. You Yuecheng made big strides but walked past Mo Xuetong. He said softly and coldly, ¡°Consort Xuan, good luck will not stay with you forever. This is thest chance I am giving you. But you are not taking it. Don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    Then, he walked out of the temple. His maid followed behind him, jogging to catch up with him.

 Chapter 461 - The Shocking Incident at the Back Courtyard Entrance in the Afternoon

    <h4>Chapter 461 The Shocking Incident at the Back Courtyard Entrance in the Afternoon</h4>

    ¡°My Lady...¡± Mo Ye said.

    Mo Xuetong waved her hand and stopped Mo Ye from saying anything. She did not walk further into the temple but turned around to leave through the door instead. She walked out of the temple slowly and the maids who were waiting outside hurried after her.

    Mo Ye saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s brows were tightly locked and knew that she was thinking about something. She took a few steps backward and got the others to take a few steps backward as well lest they disturbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s thought process.

    Mo Xuetong was a hundred percent sure that You Yuecheng had evidence in his hands. However, she was not sure how much he knew. It was obvious that he wanted something from her but did not expect her to be so stubborn. However, what evidence did he have that involved the Fu General Manor?

    How was he so certain that Consort Jin did not die then? He had not yet been boron then. What did he know and was it the Fu General who leaked the news?

    If so, it seemed that she shouldmunicate with her maternal grandmother. It was not that she had to ask about what happened back then, but there were people who were not going to let the Fu General Manor off.

    Since that was so, she had to speak with her grandmother andy everything out in the open as soon as possible. She also had to find out what exactly happened back then. Then, she would be able to organize what happened and not have to guess and miss things out.

    She had a feeling that her maternal grandmother might not tell her too much. However, as long as she had some hints, she would be able to find out what happened back then even more clearly...

    And that painting, it had be a thorn in her heart...

    At about three in the afternoon, an ordinary-looking horse carriage drew up at the back door of Puguang Temple. There was only a light mark at the door of the horse carriage that stated that it was from King Xuan¡¯s Manor. If one did not look at it closely, they would not be able to see it. A maidservant got off the horse carriage. She looked around anxiously.

    Then, she went up to the person at the door and said softly, ¡°My Lady, Fourth Miss is still not here?¡±

    ¡°Take another look. Bring her here immediately once you see her. We are going to leave soon and cannot wait for too long.¡± The impatient voice of a woman could be heard from within. Mo Yan turned her head to the side to listen to the voice. It was Third Miss¡¯s voice. She was delighted and quickly ran in. However, she paused for a moment when she passed a wing room. She looked around her to make sure there was no one around before she entered.

    The wing rooms of Puguang Temple were meant for guests who were there to worship. In order to differentiate the rooms by gender, men were allocated to the left and women to the right. The main door of the back courtyard was on the left. Mo Yan had to pass the wing rooms on the left to get to the rooms on the right.

    ¡°Halt.¡± Said a cold voice. A guard suddenly emerged from outside the door and pointed his sword at Mo Yan.

    ¡°I, I wish to see His Excellency.¡± Mo Yan¡¯s voice was fearful and also tinged with a hint of coyness. She looked up at the guard¡¯s stony expression with a pitiful look.

    ¡°His Excellency said that you must not make trouble at this time. Quick go and do what you are supposed to do. When you enter the manor in the future, you can see His Excellency whenever you wish.¡± The guard did not move at all. He sounded almost mechanical and there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. She was just a maid. How dare she even think of His Excellency? She really didn¡¯t know her ce and was unaware of her lowly status. Did she really think that the man who had fun with her was His Excellency!

    However, His Excellency was the one who made him say that, so he was just repeating it.

    Mo Yan flushed in embarrassment after her thoughts were seen through. She looked at how unrelenting the guard was and knew that she would not be able to see His Excellency. She nodded and said fearfully, ¡°Please tell His Excellency that I will definitely aplish my task.¡±

    The guard nodded impatiently. Mo Yan could only turn and leave. She did not stop again and rushed straight to Mo Xueqiong¡¯s room.

    Mo Xueqiong paced around the room anxiously. Mo Jiao stood in the corner and watched how frustrated Mo Xueqiong was and did not dare to say a word. She had never been brave and had always been ordered around by Mo Yan.

    ¡°Second Consort...¡± Mo Yan pushed the door open and said excitedly.

    ¡°How is it. Is she here?¡± Mo Xueqiong took a few steps forward and pulled Mo Yan towards her anxiously. This was the deciding moment. It had to be Mo Xuetong. As long as she managed to do this, that person would take her along with him and she would be able to leave. He would not only get a divine doctor to treat her face, but he would also marry her and take her as his concubine. He promised that if she were to have any children, he would even make him one of his wives.

    How could Mo Xueqiong not be anxious with so much at stake?

    It could be said that this moment decided whether she would be sessful or not. She no longer wanted to be King Yan¡¯s Second Consort.

    Now, this was her only chance.

    ¡°Second Consort. I saw the horse carriage stopping at the back door. The horse carriage carries King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s emblem. I also saw Mo Ye, who serves Third Miss, getting off the horse carriage.¡± Mo Yan reported urgently as she wiped away the sweat that she worked up running here.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t see Mo Xuetong getting off the horse carriage?¡± Mo Xueqiong asked worriedly. She had never had the upper hand when she fought against Mo Xuetong. As such, she felt a little afraid. When she heard what Mo Yan had to say, she did not feel happy. Instead, she thought about it before she questioned Mo Yan cautiously.

    She had to make sure everything went smoothly this time. There must not be a single mishap.

    ¡°Second Consort, rest assured. Even though I didn¡¯t see Third Miss getting off the carriage, given Third Miss¡¯s status, she wouldn¡¯t reveal her face just anyhow, would she? I heard Third Miss and Mo Ye talking. Third Miss sounds impatient and sounds as if she won¡¯t wait for you if you arete.¡±

    Mo Yan replied honestly and also mentioned what she thought as well. She had served Mo Xueqiong all this while and was a little older than Mo Xueqiong. She had her own mind. Mo Xueqiong usually listened to her. When Mo Xueqiong saw how certain Mo Yan was, and then thought about how Mo Xuetong treated her, she nodded with satisfaction. She heaved a sigh of relief deep down inside.

    Mo Xuetong had to be inside the carriage.

    Mo Xuetong did not like her but because she had begged her and they were sisters, Mo Xuetong had agreed to save her. However, because of what happened in the past, she was not very willing. Mo Xuetong had told her, without any care for their rtionship, that this would be thest time. As such, it was definitely Mo Xuetong inside the horse carriage.

    That was great. She wouldnd Mo Xuetong in boiling hot water today. That slut. If she had died then, Mo Xueqiong would not be in her current predicament. Mo Xuetong had ruined everything for her and she was going to destroy Mo Xuetong. A hint of satisfaction shed in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s eyes and they glinted with viciousness.

    ¡°Mo Jiao, hurry up and bring that over. We have to be faster and not give Mo Xuetong a chance to run away.¡± Mo Xueqiong did not hesitate any longer and ordered Mo Jiao around.

    They did not have much and had already ced everything on the table. There were only two average-sized packages. Those were things they had to bring with them. Mo Jiao and Mo Yan held one each and followed behind Mo Xueqiong as they hurried towards the outside.

    It was still slightly hot at that time. The people of King Yan¡¯s Manor had a habit of taking afternoon naps. Even though it was almost three in the afternoon, it did not stop them from continuing with their naps. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s room was slightly to the corner and was a wall away from the men¡¯s wing rooms. They left through an alley without anyone noticing.

    The three did not encounter anyone on their way out. They made their way to the door stealthily and saw a maid waiting at the entrance looking incredibly impatient. The maid was looking around and when she saw Mo Xueqiong and her two maids approaching, she went up to them. She said impatiently, ¡°Are you Fourth Miss? My Lady and I have been waiting for so long. Why have you onlye now? My Lady is a little tired and Elder Sister Mo Ye is doing a leg massage for her right now. Are you going to get on the carriage now or are you going to wait for a while?¡±

    The maid¡¯s incredibly disrespectful attitude made Mo Xueqiong want to scold her. No matter how downtrodden she was right now, she was still King Yan¡¯s Second Consort. Even a little maid was disparaging her right now, so how could she not feel angry? Mo Xuetong was indeed a fox. She was not here to help her but tough at Mo Xueqiong.

    In her anger, Mo Xueqiong had long forgotten that she wanted to ask if Mo Xuetong was on the horse carriage. She also did not notice that the insignia of King Xuan¡¯s Manor was no longer on the horse carriage. She also did not think about why the maid wasn¡¯t massaging Mo Xuetong in the horse carriage but a higher-ranking maid was doing that instead. Instead, she rushed over to the horse carriage angrily.

    That damnable Mo Xuetong was indeed here to shame her! She would put up with this. In any case, Mo Xuetong would be the one shamed in the future.

    ¡°Second Consort, don¡¯t be angry. Put up with it for a little while more.¡± Mo Yan said softly as she tugged on Mo Xueqiong¡¯s sleeve behind her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will tolerate it. Anyway, Mo Xuetong won¡¯t be able to escape anymore. I can take this.¡± Mo Xueqiong said, gritting her teeth. She red at the maid hatefully and the maid took a few steps backward.

    ¡°Third Sister, thank you for picking me up personally.¡± Mo Xueqiong got onto the horse carriage. A hint of viciousness shed in her eyes which were hidden under the gauze curtain even while she spoke politely.

    She reached out to pull the curtains open. The light outside was very bright and it was too dark inside. Her eyes had not yet gotten used to the dark as she entered a dark ce from a brightly lit one. She could only see a figure who was half-lying down inside the carriage. Mo Xueqiong thought that Mo Xuetong was lying downfortably inside and the fury in her grew.

    She turned back and epted the bundle that Mo Yan passed her. She ced the bundle inside and entered the carriage. She did not care why Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t making any sounds and said in a fake manner, ¡°I have troubled you, Third Sister. It is so hot and you still have to pick me up. I am very grateful to you. I will definitely pray for blessings for you in front of Buddha in the future and will pray that he will protect you.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mo Xueqiong had not evenpleted her sentence when a loudmotion sounded outside. It was someone screaming.

    ¡°Quick, someone is running away with the Second Consort.¡±

    ¡°How dare you. How dare you two maids encourage the Second Consort to run away with you? This is a serious crime. Men, tie them up.¡± It had all happened so suddenly and a loudmotion could be heard outside. There was someone screaming and someone yelling. Mo Xueqiong was delighted and could not be bothered with Mo Xuetong. She leaned towards the curtains and listened to what was happening outside quietly.

    Mo Yan was secretly pleased when she saw You Yue¡¯e bringing maids along with her as she approached aggressively. However, she appeared to be very frightened and took a few steps backward. She looked as if she wanted to get onto the horse carriage but could not do so as she stumbled. As such, she held on to the horse reins and blocked the horse carriage from moving.

    ¡°Move aside. Let go.¡± The driver who was standing beside the carriage grew anxious when he saw so many people rushing towards them. He jumped onto the saddle and raised his whip, wanting to spur the horse forward. However, Mo Yan was still holding onto the horse reins tightly and refused to let go. He could not pull the reins out of her hands and started to yell anxiously.

    Mo Jiao was frightened out of her wits. She knelt down and trembled in fear.

    ¡°Men, capture these two sluts. Stop the horse carriage as well.¡± You Yue¡¯e stared at the driver with a dark expression as she yelled loudly.

    A few tough-looking maids went over and brought Mo Jiao away. Two more went to pull Mo Yan off the horse carriage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Let go. Don¡¯t...¡± Mo Yan struggled, wanting to free herself. However, she was tiny and was no match for the burly maids. She was pulled off the horse carriage and even though she kept a tight hold on the reins and refused to let go, her hands were slowly pried open.

 Chapter 462 - The Horse Carriage Behind the Temple and the Farce by King Yans Manor

    <h4><strong>Chapter 462</strong> The Horse Carriage Behind the Temple and the Farce by King Yan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Yan suddenly let go just as she was being pulled down. Then, she turned around and yelled loudly to the horse carriage, ¡°Third Miss, Fourth Miss, go quickly, quick...¡±

    With her loud cries and themotion made by arge group of people with many maids blocking the way, the other worshipers at Puguang Temple were all drawn to the scene. In just a few minutes, arge group of servants gathered behind together with some nobledies. A few of them knew You Yue¡¯e and knew that this was a matter of King Yan¡¯s Manor. They did not know what was happening though and as such decided to stand there to watch the show.

    There were people who started making assumptions when they heard what Mo Yan was yelling.

    Consort Xuan and King Xuan¡¯s Second Consort were inside the carriage. What was happening?

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please get off the horse carriage and tell me what¡¯s going on. Second Consort Mo is a Second Consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor. You are the noble Consort Xuan. Are you thinking of running away with the Second Consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor?¡± You Yue¡¯e said angrily. She was so angry that her expression was dark and cold and she pushed everyone aside to stand in front of the horse carriage.

    Consort Xuan was inside the horse carriage? And she wanted to run away with King Yan¡¯s Second Consort? One had to know that the Second Consort of a King was also someone who would be written in the royal family archives. Mo Xuetong dared to allow a member of the royal family to run away. That was a grave crime. The nobledies watching the show immediately started talking amongst themselves.

    ¡°Third Miss, please, please go quickly. Take Fourth Miss far far away. You were right. The King¡¯s Manor is a ce where people are eaten. I, I can¡¯t go with you and Fourth Miss anymore.¡± It was quiet inside the horse carriage. Mo Yan was pulled back and started crying even louder. She was secretly hateful that the two tough-looking maids did not hold back at all. They dragged her backward forcefully and even pinched her viciously several times. She was in so much pain that her screams grew even louder.

    What Mo Yan said was even more shocking. Consort Xuan had secretly encouraged King Yan¡¯s Second Consort to leave. This was a grave matter!

    ¡°Consort Xuan, exin yourself. How have I offended you for you to take away my concubine even at the risk of ruining your reputation?¡± Feng Yulei finally appeared behind the door. His usually handsome face appeared dark with anger at this moment. Even though he was now being locked up in his manor, he was still a descendant of the royal family. No one dared to treat him badly.

    The crowd could not help but part for him!

    King Yan had finally appeared!

    A concubine running away now involved two princes. If Consort Xuan had really done this, it would not just be an ordinary case of a concubine running away. It would be a kidnapping of a prince¡¯s woman. Even though Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, she would not be able to get away with this. If she were unfortunate, the Emperor might throw her out of the royal family and she might be forced to be divorced by King Xuan.

    Mo Xuetong was about to be involved in this scandal. Inside the carriage, Mo Xueqiong was very pleased. She lifted the curtains gently and listened carefully to what was happening. She was going to pick the best time to rush out to achieve the best effect. Mo Xuetong would not be able to get out of this now. She wouldn¡¯t be able to save her own life, much less her title of Consort Xuan.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness... I, I...¡± Mo Yan seemed to be really frightened out of her wits as she stared at Feng Yulei. She trembled violently as if she was had suffered from extreme shock. She was incoherent and appeared to be guilty, which made it seem like Mo Xuetong was really in the horse carriage.

    Everyone could not help but look at the horse carriage. A few madams shook their heads and felt bad for Consort Xuan secretly. Why would she do something like this so rashly!

    If this matter were brought up to the Emperor, it would not end well. They had already heard that Consort Xuan was not even 15. She was still young and insensible!

    ¡°Consort Xuan, how are you going to exin this?¡± Feng Yulei put his hands behind his back and walked up to the carriage. His expression was stony with anger and his eyes were cold as he yelled angrily.

    This was the best time to get off the horse carriage. Mo Xueqiong was delighted and she reached out to open the curtains. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her and tugged at her clothes. The person mumbled something as if telling her not to get off. Was Mo Xuetong afraid? This made Mo Xueqiong even happier.

    She pushed the somewhat weak hand away and rushed out of the carriage. She smirked while mumbling to herself, ¡°Mo Xuetong, it¡¯s toote! Just wait to die!¡±

    The curtains were torn open forcefully and Mo Xueqiong crawled out of the carriage sadly and fearfully. The bag she held in her hand split open. Before she could even stand still, her legs gave way beneath her and she knelt in front of Feng Yulei. Her eyes were filled with panic as she looked at him. She cried loudly, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, it¡¯s all my fault. It has nothing to do with Third Sister. She just wanted to help me. I have been disfigured and I don¡¯t want to embarrass you.¡±

    Then, she looked down and started to cry pitifully. She appeared to be taking full responsibility for the incident and admitted to trying to leave bravely. Mo Xuetong, who was hiding in the horse carriage became the focus of everyone¡¯s scolding. Was there a need to hide at this stage? She might as well be more gracious ande forward to exin what happened. She might even get a pardon from King Yan.

    ¡°Mo Xueqiong, do you know what crime running away is?¡± Feng Yulei said coldly.

    ¡°I... I... I, do.¡± Mo Xueqiong stuttered because she was afraid. She leaned forward on the ground and started to cry loudly.

    Thew of the Qin dynasty punished concubines who ran away. Concubines who ran away from wealthy families could be beaten to death. And if this happened in the royal family, not only would the concubine be put to death, her family would also be trailed for her crimes.

    ¡°Since you know what crime you havemitted, Men,e and take Second Consort Mo away. She will be beaten to deathter.¡± You Yue¡¯e said with a frigid expression on her face.

    A few maids came forward to drag Mo Xueqiong away. Mo Yan, who was waiting by the side saw this and immediately started crying loudly. She ran over and hugged Mo Xueqiong, not allowing them to take her away. She cried as she pleaded with the person in the carriage, ¡°Third Miss, save our mistress. You said that you would help our mistress if she leaves King Yan¡¯s Manor. Say something. Our mistress is your younger sister. If you didn¡¯t say something like that, would our mistress get the idea to run away? Third Miss, save our mistress!¡±

    She cried sorrowfully and pitifully while holding on to Mo Xueqiong, who was crying so hard she could not speak. Mo Yan cried and pleaded with the person in the carriage.

    This shifted the me from Mo Xueqiong to Mo Xuetong. When one coupled it with what was implied, one could see that Mo Yan was trying to say that Mo Xueqiong had only done something like this because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s enticement. Mo Xuetong was the one who instigated this while Mo Xueqiong had been lied to by her.

    What was Consort Xuan up to? She had intentionally tried to take King Yan¡¯s concubine away. This did not make sense! Everyone felt doubtful.

    ¡°Your Highness, are these secret documents and official documents of the King¡¯s Manor inside this bundle?¡± A guard said loudly as he suddenly approached and pointed at the bundle on the floor.

    The secret documents of the King¡¯s Manor detailed the ie from theirnds and houses. The Emperor gave each prince their own ie and the total amount was listed on the books, handled by the internal matters department of each manor. The internal wealth management of a manor was not revealed to outsiders and the official documents were not to be given to outsiders.

    Shouldn¡¯t a concubine who was trying to escape bring money with her? Why did she bring the ount books and secret documents of the King¡¯s Manor with her?

    Everyone¡¯s expression changed!

    Consort Xuan had encouraged her sister to run away and told her to bring the secret documents of the King¡¯s Manor before she left. This indicated that this was not just a simple case of a concubine running away. Furthermore, this involved the royal family. The fight between the princes had resulted in King Yan being locked up in his manor. And now, the secrets of King Yan¡¯s Manor was found to be leaked.

    Did this mean that to the other princes, King Yan¡¯s Manor was a defenseless ce that anyone could enter and do as they wished?

    If they thought even more about this, it was rumored that King Yan¡¯s Manor was disdained by the Emperor because it had something to do with the women of the pce. Did King Yan really not do anything but was framed? They looked at the Second Consort who was said to be involved then. She listened to everything her elder sister said. There might be some secret in all of this and someone might have been wronged.

    They looked at Mo Xueqiong who was sobbing silently on the ground. Then, they looked at Mo Yan who was holding Mo Xueqiong in a death grip, looking like a loyal servant. They also looked at Mo Jiao, who was crying fearfully at the side. They did not look like they were capable of anything. How would they be able to do something like running away and taking secret documents with them?

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please get off the horse carriage!¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s expression was sharp with fury. He could not hide the anger on his face. He took the books that the guard handed him. After flipping through them, he threw them at the guards and red at the horse carriage.

    ¡°Third Sister... I... His Highness, it was all my fault. Third Sister has nothing to do with this... She, she only wanted to help me. These books... I picked them up somewhere by ident...¡± Mo Xueqiong cried loudly.

    ¡°Fourth Miss, why are you still protecting Third Miss at a time like this... You, you¡¯re going to be beaten to death! Third Miss, Third Miss, save Fourth Miss... She, She¡¯s only done this because of you. If not for what you said, she wouldn¡¯t have done something like this... Third Miss, Third Miss...¡±

    Mo Yan cried loudly and stood up. She ran to the front of the horse carriage and knelt down, kowtowing forcefully and pleading with Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Mo Yan, what happened here. Why do you keep mentioning My Lady?¡± A clear voice could be heard from behind the crowd. Everyone turned to look behind but there was arge crowd of servants. In the middle, stood a beautiful young girl who was about 13 or 14.

    There was a hint of surprise on her soft and bouncy face. She looked up slightly with her lively eyes and frowned at the crowd, seeming as if she did not know what happened.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, it¡¯s Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°It really is Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say Consort Xuan is on the horse carriage? Why is she here?¡± Those who recognized Mo Xuetong were surprised and slowly backed away to make way for her.

    Everyone watched as Mo Xuetong approached, helped along by her maid. They were all stunned. Wasn¡¯t Mo Xuetong inside the carriage?

    Feng Yulei narrowed his eyes as he watched Mo Xuetong approach slowly. He did not speak but his expression immediately grew ugly.

    Mo Xueqiong paled and she could not pretend to cry any longer. She looked at Mo Xuetong in shock and then looked at the horse carriage. If Mo Xuetong was here, who was the person inside?

    Mo Yan¡¯s loud wailing stopped as well. She did not know whether to cry orugh. She looked up, not crying any longer, and stared as Mo Xuetong made her way toward them.

    ¡°Greetings, King Yan, Consort Yan.¡± Mo Xuetong went forward and looked straight into Feng Yulei¡¯s dark eyes. She curtsied deeply to him and You Yue¡¯e. She was Feng Yulei¡¯s sister-inw, and they must follow etiquette no matter what.

    ¡°Men, drag the person in the horse carriage down.¡± This waspletely different from what they nned. You Yue¡¯e could not stop the muscles on her face from twitching. She turned to yell at the guards behind her.

 Chapter 463 - Eloping, Doubts, and Plots within Plots

    <h4>Chapter 463 Eloping, Doubts, and Plots within Plots</h4>

    ¡°Yes,¡± two guards replied and jumped onto the horse carriage. They pulled the curtains away. Inside, was a person dressed in the clothes of a maidservant. The figure was huddled in a corner and shaking. After the guards pulled the person out, the person fell and crawled out of the horse carriage. The guards kicked the figure and the person knelt on the ground.

    ¡°King Yan, what happened to my Fourth Sister? Why did I hear the people here yelling my name from far away? The maids thought that something happened and found me at the Abbot¡¯s. I didn¡¯t even manage to hear his scripture.¡± Mo Xuetong said softly. Her eyes were clear and confused as if she werepletely unaware when she looked at the pathetic-looking Mo Xueqiong.

    Mo Xuetong was at the Abbot¡¯s listening to him praying?

    Everyone felt that she looked extremely innocent when they saw her gentle smile and the confused look in her eyes.

    Feng Yulei¡¯s heart felt a twinge when he heard that. He felt as if there were something weighing down on his chest. Did their plot fail? She had managed to escape. He turned to re at Mo Xueqiong viciously. She was indeed an ipetent woman who couldn¡¯t get anything done.

    Mo Xueqiong had emerged from her shock by then. She knew that things were going pear-shaped when she saw Feng Yulei¡¯s sharp expression. She was at a loss of what to do as well and she immediately paled. Her lips trembled. She did not have to pretend any longer and she really almost fainted from shock at this time.

    ¡°Third Miss, Third Miss, please save our mistress. Our mistress came to meet you. You, you can¡¯t just leave her like that.¡± Mo Yan suddenly rushed forward. Her hair was in a mess as she lunged at Mo Xuetong like a madwoman.

    She still wanted to push all the me onto Mo Xuetong at this point. Mo Ye¡¯s eyes grew sharp with fury. She took a step forward and pushed Mo Yan away forcefully. She said angrily, ¡°You lowly servant, how dare you. Who instigated you to plot against My Lady?¡±

    They had all the evidence they needed. Yet, the maid still wanted to push the me to Consort Xuan. It could only be said that there was someone pulling the strings behind this. Did someone want to frame Consort Xuan? This maid was from King Xuan¡¯s Manor and only her master or mistress could make her do this. Speaking of which, the person most likely to want to frame Consort Xuan would be the master of King Xuan¡¯s Manor!

    Feng Yulei¡¯s expression was stony when he saw everyone looking at him doubtfully. He wanted to beat the maid to death. Things had already changed so greatly but the lowly maid did not know how to be flexible. Wasn¡¯t she trying to make everyone find him suspicious?

    Mo Ye was of course, much stronger than Mo Yan. Mo Yan stumbled backward with a scream and crashed onto the handles of the horse carriage. She yelled in pain and fell onto the floor, clutching her stomach. She did not get up again.

    Nobody cared whether the maid would live or die at this point. Everyone¡¯s attention was on Mo Xuetong and King Yan. They were all looking at the person dressed in the robes of a maidservant. The figure still did not dare to look up.

    Troublesome incidents came one after another. Before Feng Yulei could organize his thoughts, someone screamed in surprise. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a man?¡±

    ¡°Look, look at his throat?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really a man. The Second Consort wasn¡¯t encouraged to run away by Consort Xuan. She was obviously trying to elope. She got discovered and tried to push the me to her elder sister. She¡¯s truly evil...¡±

    A man? The person was a man?

    No matter how calm Feng Yulei was, his expression was so dark he looked almost purple with rage. His Second Consort did not want to enjoy the wealth and luxuries in his manor but wanted to elope with another man. He was not only made a cuckold, but others would also think about why the Second Consort wanted to elope with a man. ¡°This... is a huge scandal.¡±

    King Yan was a man, and he was very embarrassed by this incident!

    He red at Mo Xueqiong furiously, looking almost as if he wanted to dig out her heart and eat it! He was enraged and the veins on his face bulged and twisted as he clenched his fists tightly under his robes.

    You Yue¡¯e was shocked as well and she stared at the person in front of her with wide eyes. She did not know what to say and only felt furious. She felt as if she were being cooked over a pit. So many things had gone wrong with her perfect n. It was impossible to implicate Mo Xuetong in this anymore.

    A maid beside her pushed her gently and reminded her softly. ¡°My Lady, you have to handle this matter.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was the Second Consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor. The matriarch of the family should deal with such matters. It was time for You Yue¡¯e to act.

    You Yue¡¯e took a deep breath. She knew that she mustn¡¯t make any more mistakes now. It would be terrible if others were to find out that her elder brother and the King worked together to plot against Mo Xuetong. Anyway, since things hade to this point and Mo Xueqiong was meant to be a sacrifice anyway, she would push all the me to Mo Xueqiong.

    Anyway, no matter whether Mo Xueqiong had stolen secret documents or was eloping, she could only die today.

    Having decided that, You Yue¡¯e said angrily with a cold expression, ¡°Lift the man¡¯s head up. I want to see what sort of person would seduce Second Consort Mo and make her not want to stay in the King¡¯s Manor any longer. She even tried to me Consort Xuan for this.¡±

    A guard went over and dragged the trembling man up. He pulled his hair up and raised the man¡¯s head. Everyone could see that it was a handsome young man of about 15 or 16. There was even some lipstick and rouge on his face. If one did not take a careful look at him, they would not even see that.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s His Highness¡¯s manservant, Yun¡¯er!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really His Highness¡¯s manservant. No wonder they could get the documents in His Highness¡¯s study.¡± The people yelling were those from King Yan¡¯s Manor. After themotion passed, everyone looked at You Yue¡¯e and Feng Yulei oddly. Feng Yulei stood there, trying to look calm. However, his hands were clenched into a tight fist and shook with anger under his sleeves.

    It was the greatest scandal of King Yan¡¯s Manor!

    Mo Xueqiong was King Yan¡¯s Second Consort. She didn¡¯t stay in the manor but had a secret affair with King Yan¡¯s manservant. She even stole official documents when she left and tried to frame Consort Xuan for this. All of these twists and turns were enough to make everyone see that Feng Yulei had been made a cuckold and they all grew suspicious of Feng Yulei.

    King Yan was totally embarrassed after being made a cuckold. From then on, he became theughing stock of the entire capital.

    What was even worse were the doubts and suspicions...

    King Yan felt extremely regretful then. If he had known this would happen, he would not have used the stupid Mo Xueqiong. He had never had a good day since he met the stupid woman.

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not me. I don¡¯t know why I was on the carriage. It¡¯s... Second Consort came in. I... I was framed!¡± The little manservant trembled, his eyes were full of despair as he knelt and kowtowed to Feng Yulei. He pleaded with Feng Yulei loudly, ignoring the blood spurting from his forehead.

    Mo Xueqiong emerged from her shock then. Even though she was stupid, she knew that she was in trouble. Her face was as pale as snow as sheid on the ground. She had been very confident earlier on. However, she saw Mo Xuetong appearing before her eyes. Then, King Yan¡¯s personal manservant was dragged out from the carriage by the guards. She looked at Feng Yulei¡¯s cold and blood-thirsty look and knew that she was going to be sacrificed.

    She grew cold inside and looked around her almost subconsciously, hoping that that man woulde and save her.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, what else do you have to say!¡± You Yue¡¯e yelled sharply.

    ¡°My Lady, it was not me. It¡¯s not me. I nned to meet Third Sister. Really. I nned to meet Third Sister. I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s a man inside the carriage. I thought it was just a maid. My Lady, if you don¡¯t believe me, look at the horse carriage. Third Sister provided me with the horse carriage. It belongs to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Mo Xueqiong¡¯s life was hanging by a thin thread and her mind grew clearer. She pointed at the horse carriage and cried loudly.

    As long as the carriage belonged to Mo Xuetong, no matter why Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t inside, she would definitely be implicated in the matter. Coupled with her insistence that Mo Xuetong was the one who had brought her here, Mo Xuetong would not be able to get out of this unscathed. As long as Mo Xuetong was implicated, His Highness would be pleased and she would be able to live.

    Both You Yue¡¯e and Feng Yulei looked pleased when they heard that. As long as the carriage belonged to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, they could me Mo Xuetong for the whole thing. King Xuan¡¯s Manor would be implicated in the matter as well. Then, everything that could not be exined could be med on King Xuan¡¯s Manor as well. Feng Yulei could not help but heave a sigh of relief and the anger in his eyes lightened when he looked at Mo Xueqiong.

    This dumbass might not be so dumb it had to die!

    ¡°Fourth Sister, this carriage does not belong to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. We came to Puguang Temple with two carriages today. The two are parked at the front courtyard. King Yan, if you don¡¯t believe it, you can have the monk of the temple who greets visitors to go and take a look. See if the carriages of King Xuan¡¯s Manor are still there.¡± Mo Xuetong answered with certainty.

    There were monks who came forth to see what was happening after the loud kerfuffle at the back door. When they heard that, some of the monks who could run quickly ran to take a look at the front courtyard.

    ¡°Second Consort, you said that the carriage belongs to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. I don¡¯t see that. The horse carriages of King Xuan¡¯s Manor has the insignia of the manor at the door. Second Consort, look at the carriage. Where is the insignia?¡± Mo Ye said coldly. She took a few steps forward and pointed at the carriage door.

    King Xuan was an extremely luxurious person and all the horse carriages of King Xuan¡¯s Manor had his insignia. However, it was clear that this horse carriage did not have that. A few maids went to look at the back of the horse carriage and then shook their heads at their mistresses. The horse carriage did not belong to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t. There really isn¡¯t? How is that possible?¡±

    Mo Xueqiong was so shocked that she almost screamed out loud. How was that possible? Mo Xuetong. It must be Mo Xuetong who wanted to get her killed.

    She had already told Mo Xuetong clearly and Mo Yan had already checked it. Mo Yan said that she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maid standing outside the carriage and she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice. The horse carriage also had King Xuan¡¯s Manor insignia. Why did everything have nothing to do with her now in just a moment?

    ¡°Third Sister, it¡¯s you. You wanted to frame me, didn¡¯t you? You asked me out here. Why? Why are you trying to frame me?¡± She grew even more agitated as she spoke and started to scream at the end. She used her arms and her legs and crawled toward Mo Xuetong. She understood that if she could not push the me to Mo Xuetong, the only thing that awaited her was death.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was cold. A hint of a mocking smile shed in her eyes. Very well. Mo Xuetong was determined to get her into trouble. Since Mo Xueqiong wanted to cause trouble, then she would help her make an even bigger fuss. She would also let others see how King Yan, Feng Yulei, who usually had a good reputation, was not really as wless as he appeared to be.

    Even if she could not unmask him, she was going to drag him down with her. Mo Xuetong nced at Mo Yan, who had fainted. Her eyes were dark and cold. Feng Yulei would not be able toe out of this unscathed this time. Blood flowed out from Mo Yan¡¯s lower body. However, no one was paying attention to her and they did not notice that.

    Mo Ye, who was standing by the side immediately understood what Mo Xuetong wanted. She stood above Mo Xueqiong, arms akimbo, and red at her with wide eyes. She said angrily, ¡°Fourth Miss, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing something like this and why you¡¯re trying to get My Lady into trouble. You even sent your servant over to say that you are having a hard time at the King¡¯s Manor recently and asked My Lady toe to Puguang Temple today since His Highness is going toe today to pray to his birth mother. You asked her toe to chat with you since you two are sisters. But it was all a plot.¡±

 Chapter 464 - Failure, and yet Another Scandal From King Yans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 464 Failure, and yet Another Scandal From King Yan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Her chest heaved with anger. Everyone could see that she was furious.

    ¡°Your Highness, if you do not believe me, you can take a look at the letter that Second Consort sent to My Ladyst night. The letter stated that you would definitelye today. It stated that Puguang Temple is where Your Highness¡¯s mother¡¯s memorial tablet is located...¡±

    Feng Yulei¡¯s expression grew furious when he heard Mo Ye mentioning again and again that his biological mother¡¯s memorial tablet was at Puguang Temple. He interrupted Mo Ye loudly and said angrily, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Men, take this trash away and beat her to death!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, please. I didn¡¯t. Second Consort looks like that, why would I be interested in her. Your Highness... Your Highness...¡± The little manservant was dragged away. He pleaded incoherently with despair and screamed as he was dragged away. The prince had no intention of questioning him in the first ce.

    Everyone looked at King Yan doubtfully.

    King Yan had married a woman whom even his manservant was not interested in. He even made the woman his Second Consort. King Yan was truly...

    Mo Xueqiong was dragged away by two other guards by her arms. The fear of dying made her grasp at everything in her reach. She yelled crazily, ¡°Your Highness, My Lady, please, spare me.¡±

    She reached out to grab at everything in her reach and struggled with all she had. Her legs suddenly caught hold of something and she wrapped her legs around it while grasping at it with her arms. Her only desire was that she could stop herself from being dragged away. Perhaps she struggled too much or the guards did not expect the woman to reach this state and be so strong. She managed to wrench an arm out of the guard¡¯s hold.

    ¡°Mo Yan, Mo Yan, save me.¡± Mo Xueqiong was so afraid that her mind was nk. She saw Mo Yan lying on the ground beside her and lunged at Mo Yan. Mo Xueqiong grabbed Mo Yan¡¯s clothes and screamed, behaving like a mad person.

    Mo Yan, whoid on the ground unconscious, was dragged up by Mo Xueqiong. The pool of blood at her lower body was revealed.

    ¡°Ahh! Someone¡¯s dead. Someone¡¯s been beaten to death!¡±

    ¡°Look, look, there¡¯s so much blood.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too scary. It¡¯s real. It¡¯s real!¡±

    ¡°They really beat someone to death!¡± Some of the maids screamed in fear when they saw the blood on Mo Yan. They had never seen anything like this before.

    ¡°Did anyone bring their physician with them? Can you please help to take a look at her?¡± Mo Xuetong took a few steps forward and curtsied at the noblewomen anddies.

    Some wealthy families would hire family physicians because of the weak constitution of the women in their families. Some family physicians would go out with their mistresses when they went out on excursions since they were worried that the women might faint because they were poor in health.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, I brought a physician with me.¡± A woman answered.

    Mo Xuetong curtsied politely.

    Another death happened at the scene and the maid was beaten up by Mo Xuetong¡¯s maid. You Yue¡¯e looked around and had an idea. She waved her hand and the two guards backed away, leaving behind the crazy Mo Xueqiong who tugged on Mo Yan for dear life. She looked as if she were grasping at straws.

    The physician went up and saw that things were not looking good. He asked two maids at the side to slightly curb Mo Xueqiong¡¯s crazy behavior before reaching out to take Mo Yan¡¯s pulse. After a moment, the physician put Mo Yan¡¯s wrist down and stood up. His expression was slightly awkward.

    ¡°Physician, what¡¯s the matter. Is the maid going to die?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked, looking concerned. She had a slight smile on her face. Anyway, the maid had been beaten to death by Mo Xuetong¡¯s maid. If anything were to happen, it would be Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault for allowing her servant to beat another maid to death. They could make enough trouble for Mo Xuetong just with that.

    She had thought that their ns werepletely for naught today. However, she did not expect things to take a sudden turn. You Yue¡¯e felt slightly relieved. It was good that this happened. At least Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t be able to get away.

    ¡°This...¡± The physician hesitated and then frowned.

    An older female servant asked with a delighted smile after receiving a look from You Yue¡¯e. She said, ¡°Physician, it¡¯s alright for you to say it. She is just a pitiful maid and seems loyal. Her mistress is now in this state and she is about to die. s, this is really fate!¡±

    The old maid looked as if she felt bad for Mo Yan and pitied her. She shook her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.

    Mo Xuetong watched the performance by You Yue¡¯e and her maid. Her bright eyes grew cold. You Yue¡¯e still did not forget to me her for the death of a maid at a time like this. Even though Feng Yulei was standing by the side and did not seem to be moving at all, his eyes turned to look at them. His focus was on Mo Yan and he seemed thoughtful. The fake anger on his expression lessened as well.

    It was such a pity, but King Yan¡¯s Manor was destined to be embarrassed today.

    The physician was put in a tight spot and could only shake his head and said, ¡°No, the maid is two months pregnant. She¡¯s about to miscarry.¡± He had been forced to say that. This was truly a scandal for the royal family. Fortunately, there were so many people who heard him. King Yan wouldn¡¯t kill him to shut him up, would he!

    The physician heaved a secret sigh of relief.

    Everyone started chattering when they heard what the physician said.

    Everyone turned to cast suspicious looks at Feng Yulei. The Second Consort¡¯s personal maid was pregnant. So, of course, the first person they suspected was the master of the King¡¯s Manor. The back courtyard of the King¡¯s Manor was a very strict ce and the Second Consort was second only to the First Consort. The only people whom the Second Consort could meet would be the women of the back courtyard. And the only person who could impregnate the Second Consort¡¯s personal maid could only be the master of the back courtyard.

    Then it must be King Yan¡¯s child! There was immediately a greatmotion with that revtion. Everyone turned to look at King Yan and Consort Yan. The two of them looked so furious they were about to explode. However, the gritted their teeth and swallowed their anger. Making a fuss was not beneficial to them at this point.

    Originally, Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e were of the same mind. It was a fact that King Yan¡¯s Manor was involved in a scandal but they had to drag King Xuan¡¯s Manor down with them and destroy their reputation as well. They wouldn¡¯t be put in a spot in front of the Emperor then. That was why they wanted the physician to take a look at Mo Yan. If she were dead, Mo Xuetong would be the culprit that had beaten a loyal maid to death.

    Consort Xuan was vicious and cruel. This would mean that a Second Consort escaping from King Yan¡¯s Manor would not draw as much wrath from the Emperor.

    However, they did not expect things to end like that. Feng Yulei could not help but secretly curse You Yuecheng for being so nosy. Why would she get a man to impregnate Mo Xueqiong¡¯s maid just to make use of Mo Xueqiong? They had to pay for that now. Feng Yulei could not suppress the fury he felt. He could not stay there any longer.

    He harrumphed hatefully and coldly. Then, he flung his sleeves behind him and walked into the temple, all the while clenching his teeth.

    Mo Yan was pregnant? Mo Xueqiong¡¯s mind suddenly cleared up. Her hair was in a mess and she looked like a madwoman. Others might not know, but how could she be unaware? Mo Yan was in the back courtyard of the house and would not have any chance to interact with others. She did not believe that it was King Yan who impregnated Mo Yan. What kind of person was Feng Yulei? How could he possibly be attracted to the average-looking Mo Yan?

    However, if it was not King Yan, who else could it be from the back courtyard?

    She thought of how she had plotted whole-heartedly for that person, wanting to live out the rest of her life with him quietly. However, he had been engaging in illicit activities with her maid! Mo Xueqiong was filled with hatred and sorrow. She looked up at the people around her. Their gazes were filled with disdain and a few otherdies were ring at her with disgust.

    Mo Xueqiong felt a wave of despair crashing down on her.

    That person had lied to her too. He was with her personal maid when she was helping him wholeheartedly. Mo Yan had also lied to her. Mo Xueqiong had treated Mo Yan wholeheartedly as well and had shared everything with her. She even promised to find Mo Yan a good husband in the future. But Mo Yan had lied to her.

    No wonder Mo Yan returnedte some nights with a blissful expression. Mo Yan had even brought snacks for her. So she had been having an affair. Hatred grew in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s heart. Her closest confidant had lied to her, and despair and madness grew within her. She no longer made a fuss as there was only one thought in her mind. She was going to beat the little slut to death so that she and the child in her belly would both die!

    A chill rushed up within her and into her mind, clearing her mind of everything. She could only remember that Mo Yan had betrayed her and had gotten together with the man she liked. Mo Yan had gotten into bed with that man and had gotten pregnant. Meanwhile, Mo Xueqiong had been unaware of everything. Slut. She was going to make sure they died a terrible death.

    She could not see anyone else in front of her. It felt as if Mo Yan were the only one present. Mo Xueqiong suddenly got up, only able to see the color red. She gritted her teeth and pushed the two maids holding her back, catching them unaware.

    She rushed forward and stomped down forcefully on Mo Yan¡¯s stomach. Meanwhile, she cursed viciously, ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death, beat you to death, you slut. How dare you get into bed with him? How dare you secretly seduce your mistress¡¯s man? Slut, you slut.¡±

    She had already lost all rationality. The only thing she could think of was that Mo Yan was a slut who deserved to die a terrible death. Mo Xueqiong kicked and stepped on Mo Yan without holding back at all.

    Mo Yan was roused into consciousness by the kicking. She yelled in pain and tried to roll away. However, Mo Xueqiong held her back so that she was not able to move at all. The pain in her belly was like knives twisting her insides. She felt as if there were something cutting her stomach up. She was shocked and frightened and cried loudly, pleading with Mo Xueqiong, ¡°Miss... Mi-ss, I won¡¯t do it again... I won¡¯t... do it again. It... It¡¯s...¡±

    She struggled to speak. However, her body could not withstand the kicking any longer. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted once more.

    Who would have thought that Mo Xueqiong would tear into Mo Yan so madly? Even You Yue¡¯e did not expect Mo Xueqiong¡¯s hatred to be so deep that she would kick and hit Mo Yan in public. Mo Xueqiong had almost knocked into her when she charged at Mo Yan earlier. When she thought once more about what Mo Xueqiong said, her face flushed red with annoyance.

    Even though it was unclear what Mo Xueqiong meant, everyone who heard her would feel that it was extremely inappropriate. Mo Xueqiong was obviously insinuating that the maid had an affair with King Yan.

    ¡°Men, take this crazy woman away. Quick, take her away.¡± You Yue¡¯e yelled, disregarding her image as she screamed angrily.

    Two tough-looking maids approached when they saw that You Yue¡¯e was truly enraged. They each took one of Mo Xueqiong¡¯s arms and dragged her away. They could hear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s sharp screams as she was being dragged away. ¡°Slut, you are all going to die terrible deaths. You all lied to me! Didn¡¯t you say that you will definitely treat me well? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d marry me!...¡±

    The vengeful cries could be heard as Mo Xueqiong was dragged away. Everyone present could not help but shudder. So many things had happened. This Second Consort Yan must really be crazy!

    Mo Xuetong watched as Mo Xueqiong was dragged away. Her gaze was cold and calm.

    Mo Xueqiong had been betrayed by the maid she trusted most and was tricked by the man she loved. Her ending was tragic but Mo Xuetong did not pity her. If she had not been prepared today, her ending would be a hundred times more tragic than Mo Xueqiong¡¯s. It would also implicate her father and Feng Yuran. Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng had plotted not just against her. Mo Xuetong was certain that there were definitely secret documents among those that Mo Xueqiong ¡°stole¡±.

    They had tried to frame her and make others think that Mo Xuetong had intentionally gotten Mo Xueqiong to run away just to steal Feng Yulei¡¯s secret documents. This was too vicious. Mo Xuetong would not only be used of helping a prince¡¯s second consort to run away, but those secret documents would also be used to implicate Feng Yuran. Or perhaps, they would be able to me Feng Yuran for plotting against Feng Yulei, thus causing Feng Yulei to make the mistakes that hemitted previously.

    They would kill three birds with one stone. If Mo Xuetong had been the same person she had been in the past, she would definitely die here.

    ¡°Consort Yan, my fourth sister might have made many mistakes. However, she was also tricked by others. Consort Yan, please, forgive my sister and let her live. She... If she had been able to survive, she wouldn¡¯t have...¡± Mo Xuetong turned to look at You Yue¡¯e, who was standing by the side. Her crystal clear eyes shone pleadingly and she appeared to be like a good elder sister to Mo Xueqiong.

    She knew how to act as well!

 Chapter 465 - Anger and You Yuee Embarrasses Herself

    <h4>Chapter 465 Anger and You Yue¡¯e Embarrasses Herself</h4>

    Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng had plotted such a devious incident. Yet, now one of them was leaving and the other had not yet appeared. Mo Xuetong believed that You Yuecheng was definitely watching everything happening right here somewhere else. Only You Yue¡¯e was left behind, and she seemed not to know what was happening. It was not that easy for King Yan¡¯s Manor to try to leave without taking a hit.

    Mo Xuetong had said what she did with the intention of angering You Yue¡¯e. Lied to? Couldn¡¯t survive? Was the great King Yan¡¯s Manor unable to keep that slut alive?

    You Yue¡¯e was already in a bad mood after the series of events. She was so angry she was about to explode and when she heard what Mo Xuetong had to say, she immediately red at her and spat angrily. ¡°Second Consort Yan has made such a mistake. Consort Xuan, do you think this can be pardoned? If a Second Consort in King Xuan¡¯s Manor did something like this as well, would you still think that this can be forgiven?¡±

    ¡°If something like this happens in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, I will report it to His Highness and ask him to let them leave since they do not wish to say. A melon that you pluck forcefully from the stem will not be sweet. Since Fourth Sister has injured her face and has been disfigured, a woman like her would not be able to survive in the King¡¯s Manor. Even her personal maid has...¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s porcin white face had a hint of sadness on it. Her eyes were slightly reddened as she looked at Mo Yan, who was lying motionlessly on the ground. Then, she pulled out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes with it.

    Everyone had praised this maid previously for she had been a maid who would sacrifice her life for her mistress no matter what happened. This was worthy of praise. However, with the sudden turn of events, they found out that the maid had an affair with her master and had gotten pregnant. That meant that the maid had been having an affair with King Yan since a long time ago. Since the maid¡¯s mistress was Mo Xueqiong, it meant that King Yan would have known what Mo Xueqiong was up to.

    King Yan had charged angrily toward the carriage and called out for ¡°Consort Xuan¡± and Mo Xueqiong had pushed the me to Mo Xuetong and then fell to reveal the documents in her bag. All of the evidence pointed to Mo Xuetong. Yet, what happened after that made it look as if this whole chain of events was set up and acted out by King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    And Mo Xueqiong had been tricked. And when they thought about it, it made sense. How could a disfigured woman win the affections of King Yan? It would be quite a good deal for King Yan if he could make the ugly woman a pawn and get rid of her at the same time.

    Consort Xuan was even more innocent in this! Everyone stood on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side.

    ¡°You...¡± You Yue¡¯e was swept over by Mo Xuetong¡¯s light tone. She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s seemingly gentle gaze that hid a challenging glint and at the satisfaction and disdain shing in the corners of her eyes. You Yue¡¯e was so angry she almost fainted. She had always been noble in status and had never suffered such a grievance, much less the pity and suspicious looks from the other madams anddies.

    Mo Xuetong was too vicious and too presumption. What was most hateful was that You Yue¡¯e could do nothing about her. Mo Xuetong had already been trapped and it seemed that it was a done deal. They could have watched Mo Xuetong die without knowing the reason for her death. However, right at thest moment, they had ended up in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand instead and even gave her a chance to escape. You Yue¡¯e was furious when she thought of that.

    You Yue¡¯e clenched her teeth tightly and suppressed the anger she felt. She said sharply, ¡°Consort Xuan is too generous. However, there have to be rules, and rules have to be followed. Our King¡¯s reputation cannot bepared to that of King Xuan. Second Consort Mo hasmitted such a grave crime of embarrassing the royal family. Does Consort Xuan think that this is not a crime punishable by death? Then what about the reputation of our manor and what about the decorum of the royal family?¡±

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words were full of fire due to her anger. Furthermore, she sounded menacing and Mo Xuetong could not say anything in reply. Mo Xuetong¡¯s longshes fluttered and she seemed to be a little afraid. This was a serious matter and no one would dare to bear the consequences of it. You Yue¡¯e did not believe that Mo Xuetong would still dare to plead for Mo Xueqiong.

    You Yue¡¯e took a deep breath when she saw that Mo Xuetong had nothing to say. Then, a satisfied smirk slowly appeared on her face. Yet, the smile froze on her face the next moment.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Yan, who was lying on the ground, awkwardly. Then, she turned to look at You Yue¡¯e and hesitated a little before she asked a little fearfully, ¡°Then, what about Mo Yan? The child in her belly belongs to His Highness. This... isn¡¯t very nice, is it?¡±

    She said that the child in Mo Yan¡¯s belly belonged to King Yan. It wouldn¡¯t be very nice, would it?

    The high and mighty King Yan had an affair with his consort¡¯s maid, hiding it from his own consort. And now, the maid was pregnant. This was as good as a p in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face. You Yue¡¯e looked up sharply, a haze of red coloring her eyes. She was so angry that she clenched her teeth tightly.

    ¡°Men, drag this slut away and have her beaten to death with her mistress.¡± You Yue¡¯e suddenly yelled loudly, losing control of herself after being embarrassed by Mo Xuetong again.

    No one had bothered themselves with Mo Yan, so Mo Jiao had crept over and helped her to sit up, crying all the while. Mo Jiao was a cowardly person and had been scared speechless by what happened in the morning. Then, she saw how her mistress had kicked viciously at Mo Yan¡¯s stomach, wanting to tear Mo Yan apart. She recalled the times when the three of them spent together harmoniously and cried even more sadly.

    Upon hearing You Yue¡¯e¡¯s orders, two maids went over to Mo Yan. They pushed Mo Jiao aside and dragged Mo Yan away as if they were dragging a dead dog, leaving behind a trail of blood. The madam anddies who saw that all covered their noses and backed away, looking at You Yue¡¯e oddly.

    Was this still the First Miss of the Mingguo Manor who was said to be gracious and kind?

    No matter what wrongs the maid had done, the child in her belly was of the royal bloodline. Yet, as King Yan¡¯s legal wife, she did not care about that at all and had servants drag the maid away. The unborn child was definitely done for now. They did not expect Consort Yan to be such a vicious and evil woman despite her kind and gracious exterior.

    A few youngdies who used to get along well with You Yue¡¯e backed away warily. They seemed afraid that You Yue¡¯e would approach them.

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s heart lurched when she saw how the bystanders looked at her. Her mind immediately cleared. However, the two servants dragged Mo Yan away quickly in order to butter up to You Yue¡¯e. They had already been gone in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a bloody trail. The blood reminded everyone once more that Consort Yan was definitely not as kind or gracious as she appeared to be.

    Mo Xuetong pretended to not see You Yue¡¯e¡¯s murderous look. She held her handkerchief up to her eyes and said sadly, ¡°Consort Yan, please do not punish Fourth Sister yet. I... I will go to the pce and ask Father, His Majesty, to decide on this matter.¡± Then, she did not say anything else to the speechless and furious You Yue¡¯e and curtsied to her before leading her servants into the temple. She seemed to be in a hurry to go to the pce.

    Mo Xuetong was going to raise the matter to the Emperor?

    You Yue¡¯e shuddered forcefully. She no longer saw red and instead, her lips immediately paled. She stomped her feet and then said angrily, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She knew that if a fuss was made about what happened, it would not be beneficial to King Yan. She had to discuss this with her elder brother. You Yue¡¯e could not be bothered to deal with the aftermath and led her servants into the temple hurriedly as well.

    Upon seeing the two Consorts leaving, the madams present nced at each other. Even though they did not say anything, they all moved away as one. They led their daughters back into the temple slowly. What happened today had been sudden and the chain of events hade one after another. However, in the end, they were all scandals belonging to King Yan¡¯s Manor. The madams anddies present could not help but think ill of King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    The monks of the temples hurriedly dealt with the blood outside.

    Nobody noticed that the driver got onto the carriage and led it down the mountain through a tiny path leading from the back door. It went all the way to the capital and stopped outside someone¡¯s back door. The driver looked around him and saw that there was no one around. He knocked on the door forcefully before hiding somewhere.

    A burly maid came out from the back door. She saw that there was no one at the door and started cursing while turning back. She suddenly saw the horse carriage outside the door. The driver was not on the carriage. The maid approached the carriage and looked around her. When she saw that there was no one else, her eyes gleamed with joy. She dragged the carriage to the door with a rope and called for another servant. The two dragged the carriage inside together.

    The back door was shut once more.

    The driver left when he saw that everything had gone ording to n.

    Inside a room at the back courtyard of the temple, Feng Yulei was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks. He paced around the room. You Yuecheng sat on a chair at the window. His expression was gloomy as well and his brows were tightly locked. His hands were clenched up in fists on the table. On the other side of the table sat You Yue¡¯e. She looked at the two men and did not know how to deal with the situation.

    Seeing that the two men did not speak, You Yue¡¯e could not bear it any longer. She said softly, ¡°Your Highness, Elder Brother, you two...¡±

    Feng Yulei finally stopped in front of You Yuecheng after he paced around the room a few more times. He waved his hand to stop You Yue¡¯e from speaking. Then, he said, ¡°Yuecheng, what should we do now? If Father finds out that I plotted this, I will be doomed.¡±

    He had wanted to plot against Feng Yuran through Mo Xuetong. He wanted to plot against his father¡¯s favorite son. When he thought of how angry his father was going to be when he found out about what happened, Feng Yulei¡¯s expression turned dark and gloomy like the skies when it was about to rain. He looked at You Yuecheng unhappily. If You Yuecheng was not his most trusted confidant, he would have already yelled at him.

    He stared at You Yuecheng darkly, looking like a gambler who had lost everything. His eyes glowed with despair and bloodthirstiness.

    ¡°Your Highness, do not worry.¡± You Yuecheng said.

    ¡°How can I not worry? If Father finds out about this, he would definitely question Mo Xueqiong. It¡¯s not just this time. What about what happenedst time? That woman is not someone who can keep secrets. She will spew once she is tortured. Yuecheng, Mingguo Manor will be in danger then too.¡±

    Feng Yulei said hatefully, gritting his teeth.

    You Yue¡¯e did not understand and suddenly asked, ¡°Your Highness, Elder Brother, what happenedst time?¡±

    ¡°Younger Sister, go back to your room. I have things to discuss with His Highness.¡± You Yuecheng stopped You Yue¡¯e from asking questions, his expression was cold and full of impatience. He had a splitting headache and he could not understand how Mo Xuetong had managed to escape this time. Their n was perfect and he had already thought of all possible loopholes. However, he did not expect that they would still fail at thest juncture. How could he not be angry and annoyed?

    ¡°Elder Brother, I...¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Feng Yulei hollered. He was in no mood to pay attention to how You Yue¡¯e felt.

    ¡°I...¡± You Yue¡¯e had never been treated like this since she got married. Her eyes reddened. She thought of all the grievances she suffered today and how those people looked at her. It was obvious they all thought her to be a viperous woman and all the good reputation that she had in the past waspletely destroyed. She bit her lips and turned to leave sadly.

    She walked to the door and turned to look at the two men inside. She had grown up pampered by all as the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo. She had never been treated so badly. One of them was her husband who treated her with love while the other was her elder brother who doted on her. She chocked up and could not stop her tears from flowing down her cheeks. She pped her handkerchief to her mouth and ran out crying.

 Chapter 466 - Second Consorts, Yet Another Fight Caused By Second Consorts.

    <h4>Chapter 466 Second Consorts, Yet Another Fight Caused By Second Consorts.</h4>

    ¡°Your Highness, Mo Xueqiong has to die given our current situation.¡± You Yuecheng said softly. A hint of viciousness shed in his eyes. He lifted his arm and dropped it swiftly and viciously, acting out an execution.

    ¡°Mo Xueqiong was betrothed to me by Father in an awkward circumstance. If I were to kill her, would Father think that I¡¯m hiding something?¡± Feng Yulei hesitated for a moment. Then, he paced around in frustration before sitting down in a huff on a chair by the side.

    ¡°I did not expect Consort Xuan to be so sly.¡±

    It was obvious that Mo Xueqiong had fallen prey to Mo Xuetong¡¯s plot today and he had been involved in it as well. He really could not tell that Feng Yuran had such a smart wife. She had managed to push King Yan¡¯s Manor into a cesspool of trouble with just a few words. And the plot they had been very confident about had beenpletely ruined. Feng Yulei truly regretted listening to You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Your Highness, Consort Xuan has always been a crafty woman. However, we have dirt on her now. As long as we can prove that the scandal at the Fu General Manor is true, I don¡¯t believe that she can continue being Consort Xuan.¡± You Yuecheng said, gritting his teeth. His cold and handsome face was marred by a hint of anger when he thought of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°We still don¡¯t know where to start regarding that. Let¡¯s talk about what¡¯s happening now.¡± Feng Yulei waved his hand impatiently. Sweat ran down his head due to his anxiousness. He picked up a fan on the table and started fanning himself. However, he felt very annoyed and he folded the fan roughly before throwing it on the ground. He felt frightened when he thought of how angry the Emperor would be when he heard of this.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry about Mo Xueqiong. While she was betrothed to you by the Emperor and you can¡¯t really kill her, and you have to seek permission from the Emperor in all things, there are some things that are not included in that. There are some things that not even the Emperor can do anything about.¡±

    A sinister and cold look shed in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. His gaze cooled considerably.

    ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes glittered. As long as they could get rid of Mo Xueqiong, there would not be any evidence of their failed plots.

    ¡°Mo Xueqiong is in trouble. She¡¯s been caught when trying to elope with a man and then viciously killed the unborn child of the maid whom she gifted to you when trying to frame King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She feels too embarrassed to face anyone else and tonight, she...¡± You Yuecheng answered slowly and methodically. He trailed off at the end but Feng Yulei understood what he was implying. Feng Yulei thought about it for a moment and could not help the delight that slowly spread on his face.

    If Mo Xueqiong really died like that, they couldn¡¯t really me anyone for it. She was the one who took things too hard.

    However, Feng Yulei felt reluctant when he thought of having to acknowledge the child in the maid¡¯s belly. He did not know where the bastard child came from and did not want to acknowledge it at all.

    ¡°Your Highness, the child in the maid¡¯s belly belongs to one of my guards. She still thinks it¡¯s mine. No matter whose child it is, it doesn¡¯t matter since it is already gone. So what if Your Highness acknowledges it? You just have to say that Mo Xueqiong had given the maid to you in order to lure you to her courtyard,¡± said You Yuecheng.

    If the child conceived by a maid in King Yan¡¯s Manor back courtyard did not belong to King Yan, then it would be really hard to exin where it came from. And if this led to other unnecessary issues, it would be even more troublesome.

    ¡°Alright, I will acknowledge it.¡± Feng Yulei said angrily. He understood that as well. He forced back the ufortable feeling back, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly. That child could not be exined, so he might as well acknowledge it lest more trouble shoulde out of it.

    ¡°Your Highness, we cannot just let Mo Xuetong off like that. I feel that she was the one who arranged for the horse carriage. Didn¡¯t shee from the front courtyard? Let¡¯s start from the horse carriage. I don¡¯t believe that we can¡¯t deal with ass.¡± Havinge to an agreement about Mo Xueqiong, You Yuecheng continued with a frown. His expression was dark, cold, and blood-thirsty.

    He would not let the crafty woman off.

    ¡°I have already gotten someone to investigate. The horse carriage has already gone down the mountain.¡± Feng Yulei replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. I saw that something was off earlier and got someone to wait at the entrance of the mountain. I got the person to follow the horse carriage. There should be news of it now.¡± A sharp glint shed in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. Mo Xuetong, he hoped that she would be just as lucky next time to escape from his hands safely.

    King Yan was not in the mood to say anything else when he thought of the impending wrath from the Emperor. He leaned back into his seat and sighed loudly. He did not know what would happen next.

    You Yuecheng hesitated for a moment. However, when he saw how exhausted King Yan was, he said softly, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. Even though you are down on your luck now, there is hope as long as you are alive.¡±

    ¡°Alive? I¡¯m about to die. What else is there to say!¡± King Yan closed his eyes tiredly; the corners of his eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. There will be someone out there to help you, so do not give up until the very end.¡± You Yuecheng suddenly said sharply, ¡°Your Highness, do you know what will happen if the situation bes irreparable?¡±

    ¡°We will die and our families will perish!¡± King Yan opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling dazedly.

    ¡°Since you know that, then I shall not say anything else. I hope that you will not lose your will to fight. No matter what, I and the others will always stand behind you.¡± You Yuecheng looked at King Yan intently. He knew that he had to give King Yan confidence right now.

    ¡°Yuecheng, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t give up.¡± King Yan sat up and lifted his head. His eyes had grown a little colder. This path was a path of no return and he was not someone who would give up so easily.

    When Mo Xuetong left the temple with her servants, she did not inform the young man they helped. A servant returned in the afternoon and said that the young master¡¯s family servant had arrived and brought medicine for the young master.

    Since the young man¡¯s family servant hade, there was no need for Mo Xuetong to see him again in private. Mo Xuetong boarded her horse carriage with Mo Ye and the others with Mo Feng protecting her in secret. They returned from Puguang Temple in two horse carriages. Mo Xuetong and her two personal maids sat in the first while the other servants sat in the second.

    A pale and sickly-looking man sat in a pavilion on a mountain behind Puguang Temple. It was very warm, but he was wearing rather thick clothing. Yet, he did not look warm. Instead, he looked ill but that did not hide his natural nobleness.

    His overly-long and narrow eyes had the charm simr to that of a woman when he stared at others. However, no one would think that he was a woman.

    A person who looked like a maidservant stood beside him. She was very beautiful.

    The young man had a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at the two horse carriages that were disappearing from his sight. He looked away and picked up the tea on the table, taking a sip from it. He might have drunk it too quickly for he chocked and started coughing violently. The maid hurriedly patted his back in a familiar manner.

    His coughing finally stopped. An unnatural red flush appeared on his pale face from the coughing and he picked up a handkerchief to wipe his lips.

    ¡°Your Highness, the wind is strong here. Go in and rest for a while.¡± The maidservant said softly.

    The young man took a sip of his tea and stood up. He nced at the entrance of Puguang Temple again with his long and narrow eyes before turning away to leave the pavilion. He asked, ¡°Are they here?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, our men are mostly here. But the people from the other faction... might havee after them to this ce as well.¡± The maid answered after a moment of silence.

    ¡°Since they are here, they don¡¯t have to think about going back. Go, get some men to meet with King Xuan from the Qin Kingdom in private.¡± The young man said lightly.

    It was still not the right time for him to reveal himself. Yet, the other party was forcing him to make his move. It would be better if he could get in touch with a prince from the Great Qin and Feng Yuran, King Xuan, was his target.

    ¡°Yes. I will arrange it right now.¡± The maid replied.

    The young man seemed a little out of breath after climbing a few steps. There was some sweat on his pale face as he stood and panted. Then, he said in an even gentler tone, ¡°Go and find out more about this Third Miss from the Mo Manor.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± The maid looked up in confusion at her usually cold and distant master.

    ¡°She is my savior, I have to repay her for her help. If not for her, you all would not be able to see me again.¡± The young man stated casually as he continued walking. He had found out from a servant that the youngdy who saved him was the Third Miss of the Mo Manor.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The maid nodded and did not dare to ask any more questions when she saw that he had no intention of continuing.

    While the farce was happening at Puguang Temple, another was happening far away in the capital at King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    The assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, Lord Mo, rushed into King Chu¡¯s Manor. He wanted to take his daughter away from that ce. Second Consort Mo had only entered King Chu¡¯s Manor less than two months ago. Feng Yuxuan was not in his manor while Ling Rui¡¯er was currently visiting her elder brother at the Ding General Manor. There was no proper master or mistress in the manor, so the Second Consort was the most powerful person there and then. Furthermore, the person visiting was Second Consort Mo¡¯s father.

    Even though Ling Rui¡¯er did not like Second Consort Mo, Second Consort Mo still had a proper ce in the hierarchy. There were also some who sympathized with Second Consort Mo. They only made a token effort to block Lord Mo from entering the manor before he charged in. When he found Mo Yarui in the shed of the back courtyard, Lord Mo carried his daughter and rushed out of the manor without any hesitation.

    He met Ling Rui¡¯er at the entrance. She had rushed back hurriedly when she heard the news.

    ¡°Lord Mo, what¡¯s the matter? Are you here to visit your daughter? The Second Consort is ill, you should have waited for her to get better.¡± A maid received Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hint and took a few steps forward to block Lord Mo with a fake smile on her face.

    Lord Mo was furious when he thought of how his daughter had lied there, not knowing if she was dead or alive. Then, he nced at the haughty Ling Rui¡¯er in front of him who had her head lifted up high. He was not in the mood to care too much in his anger and reached out to p the maid furiously.

    He scolded loudly. ¡°Useless maid. How dare you say things like that in front of me? Do you really think that nobody can deal with you?¡±

    He directly walked past Ling Rui¡¯er with a maid who carried his daughter,pletely ignoring her existence.

    Ling Rui¡¯er stood there, dazed as she watched incredulously as Lord Mo brushed past her without even greeting her. He continued walking, righteous and proud, treating her as if she were invisible. Ling Rui¡¯er was embarrassed and angry. She said angrily, ¡°Lord Mo...¡±

    However, she did not expect the man to ignore her and get onto his horse carriage. He left with his daughter, leaving Ling Rui¡¯er behind. Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry that her face was pale and her lips trembled. She pointed at Lord Mo¡¯s back and yelled at him.

    ¡°My Lady, Lord Mo seems to be going to the pce. Do you want to go there as well?¡± A personal maid of Ling Rui¡¯er reminded her softly. Judging by how angry Lord Mo was, he seemed to be going to lodge aint to the Emperor.

    ¡°Will I be afraid of going to the pce? The Empress Dowager and the Empress are both from the Ding General Manor. Will I be afraid of that man?¡± Even though Ling Rui¡¯er was loud, she did not seem confident. She was furious when she thought of what happened. She was the legal consort but why did the slut get to have the first-born child before she even gave birth to the legal eldest son?

    Ling Rui¡¯er was already being kind by not taking Second Consort Mo¡¯s life. Would a woman from the Ding General Manor have to take this lying down?

    ¡°My Lady, Second Consort was given to His Highness by His Majesty. She is also pregnant with His Highness¡¯ child. If His Majesty were to find out what you did...¡± The maid trailed off softly. Even though King Chu did not say anything, the maid was not Ling Rui¡¯er and could see the dissatisfaction in the King¡¯s eyes.

    No matter what, the child in the belly belonged to the royal family. Given that, Ling Rui¡¯er had been very vicious. Other legal wives might be mean to concubines but they all did it secretly unlike Ling Rui¡¯er who made a maid push Mo Yarui in public so that she would miscarry. Then, she did not allow a physician to see Mo Yarui and threw her into the shed because Mo Yarui had rebutted her.

    This would be no small matter if others were to find out about it!

    Ling Rui¡¯er would get into deep trouble even though she was Consort Chu.

    Upon hearing what the maid said, Ling Rui¡¯er grew worried as well. She could not help but hate herself for being too kind. If she had beaten the slut to death, it would be useless even if others said anything about it. She would be able to me it on Mo Yarui and others would not be able to say anything.

    But now...

    If this matter were really brought up in the pce, Ling Rui¡¯er would be in trouble. Ling Rui¡¯er paced around and then said, gritting her teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the pce to see Her Majesty.¡±

    Then, they got onto the horse carriage once more and headed straight for the pce.

 Chapter 467 - The Confrontation Between the Emperor and Empress in the Imperial Study

    <h4>Chapter 467 The Confrontation Between the Emperor and Empress in the Imperial Study</h4>

    She was very certain that the Empress Dowager had been extremely displeased with her recently. She was still very pleased with what happened previously at Cining Pce. But now, when she thought about it, she still felt a little frightened. She must not rm the Empress Dowager this time lest the Empress Dowager should get dirt on her and ask the Emperor to punish her. Even if she were not punished, the Empress Dowager might get His Highness to divorce her. That would be troublesome.

    As such, she would rather believe in her aunt at this moment. Her aunt had always doted on her. Furthermore, no matter howcking in power the Empress was, she could still speak in the Emperor¡¯s ears. She believed that as long as her aunt, the Empress, spoke up for her, whatever Consort Mo said would be made useless even if she had the glibbest tongue in the world.

    When she thought of that, she brought her servants to the Empress¡¯s pce without any fear.

    She entered the pce using the invitation the Empress gave her. However, before she reached the Empress¡¯s pce, a eunuch stopped her and brought her to the Emperor¡¯s imperial study. The eunuch, with a cold expression, arranged for her to kneel on a tall cushion. Her maids were all chased out of the pce. She looked around and found that she was surrounded by eunuchs and maids she did not recognize. They stood in two neat rows. Ling Rui¡¯er realized at that moment that the fat is in the fire.

    It seemed that she was about to be punished.

    The sun grew hotter and hotter, making her feel warm and itchy. Her skin had always been sensitive to direct sunlight. Red rash appeared on her face under the intense sunlight. She was itchy and ufortable bud did not dare to move. While she was usually proud and arrogant, she knew that her head might fall if she was not careful inside the Emperor¡¯s imperial study.

    Her legs grew more and more tired. She secretly nced at the entrance of the pce. Feng Yuxuan was not there. On her way here earlier, she had sent someone to ask Feng Yuxuan for help. However, it¡¯s been three or four hours but he was still not here. She was extremely worried and was no longer as arrogant as before. If the Emperor were to be angry with her, there would be no one who could save her.

    She was shocked and frightened. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she grew. She could not even kneel any longer.

    Finally, just as she was could not hold back her fear any longer, she saw a few familiar figures from the pce approaching from a distance. One of them was her aunt, the Empress. Hot and emotional tears filled her eyes. Her aunt was still the best, who hade over immediately upon hearing that she was being punished.

    ¡°Aunt, Aunt, Mother!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was practically speaking gibberish. Tears fell onto the dry and hot floor scorched by the sun. Ling Rui¡¯er scooted forward on her knees as if she were clutching on to thest straw. She could not move any longer after moving a little on the scorching hot floors.

    She looked up tearfully and pleaded with the Empress with her eyes.

    The Empress approached Ling Rui¡¯er slowly and stood in front of her. The sun cast a long shadow behind the Empress¡¯s slender body. As the Empress stood with the sun behind her, Ling Rui¡¯er could not make out the Empress¡¯s expression clearly. She could only vaguely see a warm smile on the Empress¡¯s face. Ling Rui¡¯er grew even more upset, feeling as if she were the one who had suffered an enormous grievance.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, why did you get rid of the child in Second Consort Mo¡¯s belly. Is that really a child of royal lineage?¡± The Empress looked at Ling Rui¡¯er. There was a sh of darkness in her eyes. She did not ask Ling Rui¡¯er what was going on but asked straightaway why Ling Rui¡¯er had gotten rid of the child. That was as good as getting Ling Rui¡¯er to admit to what she had done.

    However, Ling Rui¡¯er was very emotional right now and did not notice that. Sheid on the ground, sobbing her heart out and cried, ¡°Aunt, I am His Highness¡¯s legal consort. How can His Highness, His Highness, have an illegitimate eldest son before I give birth to the legitimate eldest son? This... This. What will the Ding General Manor be like? Aunt, do you not understand why I did this either?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was afraid that the Empress would scold her because of this, so she reminded the Empress that the throne might end up in King Chu¡¯s hands because the Empress did not have a legitimate eldest son. King Chu was the eldest son, which was why he was in the running.

    However, this was not something a subordinate or a niece should say. As such, Ling Rui¡¯er appeared to be very rude and had managed to scatter salt on the Empress¡¯s wounds. The Empress¡¯s expression darkened and an insuppressible rage rose in her eyes. However, the Empress hid the rage she felt and turned around, not saying anything. She then brought her servants with her into the imperial study.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s imperial study was filled with files. Emperor Zongwen sat behind his desk reading the files. He would pick up a brush and write on the files from time to time. Lead eunuch, Liu Xi waited by the side and would pour tea for the Emperor from time to time, refilling his cup. The room was very quiet and only the sounds of turning pages could be heard.

    A little eunuch stood at the door and gestured secretly to Liu Xi. Liu Xi saw that Emperor Zongwen was not paying attention and he quietly made his way to the door. He saw the Empress and her servants standing at the door and hurriedly went up to greet her.

    ¡°What is His Majesty doing?¡± The Empress asked softly. She still looked slightly ill and appeared not to have fully recovered. It had been some time since Liu Xi saw her and he noted that she had a few more wrinkles at her eyes. He knew that she was like this because she was worried about King Yan. Liu Xi smiled carefully and answered, ¡°His Majesty is reading reports.¡±

    Liu Xi was self-aware and did not mention Consort Yan since the Empress did not. This was not something he could meddle in any case. Earlier on in the Imperial Study, Lord Mo had cried while talking about what happened. The imperial physician had said that Second Consort would not be able to have children in the future. Even if she were to survive, she would no longer be able to have a child. Liu Xi could not help but sigh. Consort Chu usually looked weak and dainty but she was really vicious.

    ¡°Go and tell His Majesty that I have made iced green bean soup and brought it over. Would His Majesty like to have some?¡± The Empress smiled slightly, being polite enough to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s lead eunuch who served the Emperor personally.

    ¡°Yes, I will let His Majesty know immediately.¡± Liu Xi took a few steps back bowed. Then, he turned and entered the study.

    ¡°Did the Empresse?¡± said Emperor Zongwen behind his desk. He did not look up.

    ¡°Yes, Her Majesty said she brought you your favorite iced green bean soup. She made it personally.¡± Liu Xi said, bowing his head as he walked up to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side.

    ¡°Then let her in lest she should try to make trouble.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s words were not very nice for he seemed to be sarcastic and ridiculing the Empress. There was something hidden in his words that not even Liu Xi understood. As such, Liu Xi pretended to not understand. He went back to the entrance and said respectfully to the Empress, ¡°Your Majesty, His Majesty invites you in.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Eunuch Liu.¡± The Empress was very polite, unlike her usual self. She only brought a pce maid who held the iced green bean soup in.

    After greeting the Emperor, the Empress took the bowl of green bean soup from the pce maid and ced it on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s table. She said gently, ¡°Your Majesty, the weather is hot. I prepared some green bean soup for you. It was soaked in the cold water from the well. It will help to dispel the heat.¡±

    ¡°You have worked hard, Empress.¡± Emperor Zongwen looked up from his desk and put the file in his hand down. He smiled lightly and took the bowl from the Empress. He took a few sips from it and ced it to the side.

    ¡°Your Majesty, did Rui¡¯er... do something?¡± The Empress looked up carefully and asked when she saw that the Emperor was done with the soup. She had made the Emperor angry again and again recently. This time, she had fallen ill because of what happened to Feng Yulei but the Emperor had only visited twice and had not visited again. The Empress felt upset when she thought of that.

    However, this was not the time to get upset.

    ¡°Number One¡¯s Second Consort fell pregnant. Consort Yan not only ordered for the Second Consort to be injured and miscarry, but she also did not allow the Second Consort to hire a physician. She even dragged the Second Consort to the shed. If Subordinate Mo had not gone there fast enough, the Second Consort would have died. Number One really married a nice woman. I heard that she¡¯s educated, elegant, and gracious. Why is she so vicious and evil? I will have someone investigate who told me that.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen appeared to be distant. He put down the bowl and looked at the Empress slightly angrily. His eyes were deep and dark and the Empress almost did not dare to look into his eyes.

    He was really angry!

    Ling Rui¡¯er was really a troublemaker. Nowhere was peaceful with her around.

    The Empress had wanted to make use of Ling Rui¡¯er against the Empress Dowager. However, it seemed that the girl was an ipetent bungler.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Ling Rui¡¯er is too young and insensible. She is also newly married and deeply in love with King Chu. That¡¯s why she did something like that. Or perhaps there¡¯s something else that we do not know about. Look, King Chu is the father of the child in Second Consort Mo¡¯s belly. He didn¡¯t say anything. Does it mean that there are other factors in this whole incident?¡±

    The Empress smiled warmly and picked up the bowl where Emperor Zongwen had ced on the edge of the table. She turned around and ced it on the tray the pce maid behind her held.

    It did not matter what happened to Ling Rui¡¯er as long as it did not damage the reputation of the daughters of Ding General Manor. If others were to find out that a youngdy from the Ding General Manor appeared to be kind and gracious but was actually evil and vicious, who would dare to marry a daughter from the Ding General Manor in the future? Which family would want to ally with the Ding General Manor through marriage? This would cause great damage to the power of the Ding General Manor.

    ¡°Empress, are you here to plead on behalf of Ling Rui¡¯er?¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes grew even colder and he spoke to the Empress coldly.

    ¡°I do not dare. I was just thinking that this matter should be discussed when King Chu returns. After all, this is a matter of his manor and only he knows what exactly happened.¡± The Empress said with a slight smile. She did not appear unhappy because of Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude. The incident had happened so suddenly and she had only thought of this n after thinking about it for a long time in her pce.

    No matter what the truth was, Ling Rui¡¯er would be divorced if Feng Yuxuan pushed the me entirely on Ling Rui¡¯er. Feng Yuxuan and his connection to the Ding General Manor would be broken. As such, the Empress would very much like Feng Yuxuan to push the me on to Ling Rui¡¯er.

    The Empress knew very clearly what was happening in her own home. Her two elder brothers were both supporting Feng Yuxuan after the fall of Feng Yulei. If Ling Rui¡¯er were to give birth to a son, then King Chu¡¯s connection to the Ding General Manor would be extraordinary. His connection with the Ding General Manor would be stronger than hers.

    When she thought of that, the Empress could not hold back the anger she felt. However, what came after that was sadness and sorrow. She and the Empress Dowager both came from the Ding General Manor. Now, there was Ling Rui¡¯er as well. They all had their own ns and plots. The Ding General Manor¡¯s support went from one prince to another, because no matter what, they were all connected to the Ding General Manor.

    The Ding General Manor really had no ce to speak of in all of this. They would follow anyone who could bring them wealth and power. The so-called family rtions were as thin as a thread.

    ¡°Number One went to check on the new army at the western mountains. He won¡¯t return for another two weeks. Are you going to make Ling Rui¡¯er wait for another two weeks as well?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked.

    The Emperor was rather solemn and the Empress could not stand any longer. She knelt down with a thump and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I do not dare. I am just trying my best to be a mother and an aunt. I am too embarrassed to see anyone after what happened at King Chu¡¯s Manor. But even though I want to hide, this matter cannot be hidden. That is why I came to tell you about it. If you feel that I am wrong, please punish me. Otherwise, my elder brother will think that I am just thinking of the royal family and have forgottenpletely about my maternal family.¡±

 Chapter 468 - Meeting the Emperor in the Palace

    <h4>Chapter 468 Meeting the Emperor in the Pce</h4>

    The Empress had said that in sadly. She was a daughter of the Ding General Manor. No matter what happened to Ling Rui¡¯er, it would involve her. If the Empress did not bother herself with this, others would say that she was cold-hearted. As such, she had to speak with the Emperor about this no matter what.

    Furthermore, she had mentioned that she was a mother first and then an aunt. She had expressed clearly that she was first a part of the royal family, and then a member of the Ding General Manor. Given her understanding of the Emperor, he would definitely be moved by this.

    The Empress¡¯s eyes reddened when she spoke of what upset her. Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

    Perhaps it was because the Empress was speaking the truth. Emperor Zongwen leaned forward slightly and the way he looked at the Empress softened. He reached out to caress the Empress. Then, he said gently, ¡°Subordinate Mo has already brought the matter up to me. Ling Rui¡¯er is really a vicious woman. The women from your Ding General Manor have always been gracious and virtuous. What happened to Ling Rui¡¯er? We don¡¯t have to wait for Number One toe back. Demote Ling Rui¡¯er to a Second Consort and rank her after the daughter from the Mo family.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen was calm and his voice was not soft. However, it sounded like a resounding boom to the Empress. Demoting Ling Rui¡¯er to be a Second Consort? And she was to rank after Mo Yarui? This was a p in the Ding General Manor¡¯s face. When the Empress thought of how there had not been a Second Consort among the daughters of the Ding General Manor in many years, she turned beet red.

    There was a heavy weight on her chest and she felt embarrassed and ashamed!

    She had thought that the Emperor might make Feng Yuxuan divorce Ling Rui¡¯er. It was a fact that Ling Rui¡¯er had made a grave mistake against the royal bloodline. However, the Emperor had been too kind. He was just going to let Ling Rui¡¯er off like this. Yet, the Empress thought that this ending was more embarrassing than Ling Rui¡¯er being divorced.

    The Ding General Manor was proud that they only had legitimate children. They had never had any concubine-born children who were lowly in status. What did the Emperor mean by this?

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er is right outside. Empress, take her back and teach her. Be strict with her. Have her stay in your pce these few days lest she should cause trouble in the manor while Number One is not around.¡± The Emperor did not wait for the Empress to raise her objections. He waved his hand and then lowered his head to read his files once more.

    The Empress curtsied helplessly when she saw that the Emperor had made his decision. She was a little zoned out when she left and almost tripped at the high threshold at the entrance.

    After leaving the imperial study, the maids and eunuchs waiting outside hurried over to help the Empress. The Empress stood there and calmed herself down. She looked up at the sun. It was burning hot. However, she felt icy cold all over. A freezing coldness rose from her heart and she felt as if she were freezing. She could not help but shudder.

    The Empress¡¯s personal maid realized that the Empress was behaving oddly, and she asked with concern, ¡°Your Majesty, you...¡±

    ¡°I am fine. I am just tired. Let¡¯s rest for a while.¡± The Empress said lightly.

    The Empress stood at the door and only regained her color after a long while. She led the pce maids and eunuchs from the imperial study and walked down the stairs. She nodded at Ling Rui¡¯er and a pce maid went up to help Ling Rui¡¯er up.

    Ling Rui¡¯er felt as if her knees were going to break. She was itchy and in pain. She could not see what her face was like but she knew that there were long lines of red marks on her arms scratched by herself. Furthermore, these marks swelled up due to the sunlight. There were little red bumps on these marks as well and Ling Rui¡¯er was very worried.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was delighted when she heard the Empress ordering her to get up and follow them. She thought that the matter had passed and she stood up with the help of a pce maid. She even felt that the pce maid was a little slow in helping her, so she kicked at the maid¡¯s shin viciously. The maid was taken off guard. She screamed and then rolled down from the stairs and almost tripped the Empress who was in front of her.

    The Empress stood by the side as if she had not seen any of this. She did not stop to ask questions but instead, she left with her servants without even looking back.

    Mo Xuetong had not even arrived at her manor after leaving the Puguang Temple when she received a message from Feng Yuran. She was to enter the pce immediately. Mo Xuetong instantly understood what Feng Yuran was up to. She did not hesitate and instructed for the horse carriage to head to the pce.

    After entering the pce, she led Mo Lan through the pce gates and went straight to the Emperor¡¯s imperial study. She had not yet arrived at the entrance of the study when she saw the Empress heading in her direction. She hurriedly went to the side and bowed her head respectfully.

    The Empress had her eyes closed and was resting on her pnquin. Her personal maid had seen Mo Xuetong standing there from a distance and whispered in the Empress¡¯s ears. The Empress opened her eyes slightly and looked through the curtains of the pnquin at Mo Xuetong. She saw that Mo Xuetong was behaving respectfully. As such, she closed her eyes and gestured for the pnquin to continue forward without stopping.

    She was not in the mood to make small talk with anyone at all!

    The pnquin moved by slowly. Mo Xuetong lifted her head then and just as she was about to continue inward, she heard a mocking peal ofughter. ¡°Consort Xuan is really respectful to my aunt, the Empress. It is a pity that my aunt is very busy and did not see your performance.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked up to see a disheveled person. Mo Lan did not recognize who the person was for her face was scratched up rather badly. The woman looked like a leper as her makeup had melted to reveal patches of red rash. Where the woman had sweated, there were also multi-colored patches of makeup. Mo Lan was startled and took a few steps forward to stand in front of Mo Xuetong. She yelled angrily. ¡°Who are you? How dare you enter the pce looking like this?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was gearing up for a fight when she saw Mo Xuetong and hadpletely forgotten how disheveled she looked. When Mo Lan asked her that question, she realized immediately how she looked and was ashamed and angry. She pushed away the pce maid helping her and raised her hand to p Mo Lan. She yelled angrily. ¡°You useless servant. How dare you speak to me like that?¡±

    Mo Xuetong recognized Ling Rui¡¯er then. She pulled Mo Lan back, avoiding Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand. Mo Xuetong raised her eyebrows and said coldly, ¡°Consort Chu doesn¡¯t have to help me teach my maid a lesson. We are in the pce to meet His Majesty. Consort Chu should clean up a little.¡±

    Then, she intentionally nced at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s clothes with a shocked expression. Mo Xuetong then pulled Mo Lan back with her, looking as if she had seen a ghost. There was a startled expression on her little face as she pointed at Ling Rui¡¯er. She was so frightened that she could not form aplete sentence. ¡°Consort Chu, your, your face... what happened to your face?¡±

    ¡°My face?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er had been too pleased earlier and then had assaulted a maid, pushing her off a high tform. She had felt slightly better after seeing the maid lie motionlessly at the end of the steps and being carted away by a few eunuchs. Then, the pce maid helping her after that had been very careful and did not even dare to say anything. As such, she did not remember the rash on her face.

    When she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression, she raised her hand to touch her face subconsciously. She could feel the marks on her face and immediately screamed. ¡°My face, my face...¡±

    Then, she could not be bothered with Mo Xuetong any longer. She ran quickly after the Empress¡¯s pnquin and yelled frightenedly. ¡°Your Majesty, Aunty, Your Majesty. My face, my face...¡±

    The pnquin moved slowly on a major path in the pce and did not stop because of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s frightened yells. Instead, two pce nannies came forward and blocked Ling Rui¡¯er. They said coldly, ¡°If Consort Chu still does not shut up, the Empress will send you to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce and let the Empress Dowager teach you how to behave yourself.¡±

    They were in the Emperor¡¯s residence and not even the Empress dared to yell and scream. Consort Chu really did not know the rules. If other consorts were to find out, it would bring great shame to the Empress. Ever since King Yan¡¯s fall, the Empress had not been having a good time in the pce. The two nannies truly did not like Ling Rui¡¯er who thought too highly of herself. She did not know to be considerate of the Empress¡¯s status. As such, the two nannies were not nice to Ling Rui¡¯er at all.

    When Ling Rui¡¯er heard that she would be sent to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce, she did not dare to scream anymore. The only thing she could think of was her face. Tears welled up in her eyes and she immediately pleaded. ¡°Nannies, does my aunt have any good medicine to treat sunburns? I... My face is sunburnt.¡±

    How was she going to vie for Feng Yuxuan¡¯s affections if her face was disfigured?

    ¡°We have to go to the Empress¡¯s pce to find out. Consort Chu, please follow us!¡± The two nannies followed behind Ling Rui¡¯er and continued walking forward with her. They were afraid that she would cause more trouble. This Third Miss of the Ling family was not as outrageous before. Why did she be even more arrogant after her marriage?

    She was just the consort of a King. Even if she were the Empress, she would still have to follow the rules!

    Mo Xuetong watched on quietly as Ling Rui¡¯er chased after the Empress¡¯s pnquin like a madwoman. She saw two nannies with cold expressions on their faces climbing down from the Empress¡¯s pnquin and blocking Ling Rui¡¯er. Then, Mo Xuetong stopped watching them. There was a hint of a smile on the corners of her lips as Mo Xuetong continued walking into the pce with the help of Mo Lan. She still had things to deal with. Her younger sister was in trouble. If she was distracted by other random matters, others would grow suspicious of her.

    There were always many people watching in secret in the pce.

    They were very near to the imperial study. Mo Xuetong saw the imperial study after a short walk. Mo Xuetong hade to the pce this time without being called for. Fortunately, Feng Yuran had always entered the pce like this manner and had brought her to greet Emperor Zongwen a few times. So she had entered the pce without following the rules before. As such, it was not too overboard for her to do so this time.

    However, because she had not been summoned this time, she could not let the eunuchs outside report her visitation like what they would do if it had been Feng Yuran. As such, she did not let anyone announce her arrival. Instead, she knelt outside the pce, following protocol, and waited for Emperor Zongwen¡¯s summons. Mo Lan also hurriedly knelt by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side with her head bowed.

    It was already evening and the sun was setting. It was not as hot as before but the floor was still burning. A wave of hot air rushed up as Mo Xuetong knelt down, blurring her sight. She almost fainted but Mo Lan quickly held her upright. Mo Xuetong paused for a moment before breathing out a long and slow breath.

    Mo Xuetong had only just knelt down when they heard the voice of a little eunuch running down from the pce. He stood in front of Mo Xuetong, panting, and waving the edict in his hands. His voice was sharp and loud. ¡°His Majesty has summoned Consort Xuan in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will obey His Majesty¡¯s summons.¡± Mo Xuetong kowtowed and replied. Then, she stood up with the help of Mo Lan and followed the eunuch into the pce.

    Liu Xi went up to wee Mo Xuetong with a smile at the entrance of the imperial study. He said politely, ¡°Pleasee in, Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Eunuch Liu.¡± Mo Xuetong said gently and gave the eunuch a small smile.

    ¡°Why are you thanking me? King Xuan came to tell His Majesty that you are not well and you cannot kneel for too long. I would be in the wrong if you fainted.¡± Liu Xi said with a smile that reached his eyes.

 Chapter 469 - Pay Respects to the Emperor, Incisive Words

    <h4>Chapter 469 Pay Respects to the Emperor, Incisive Words</h4>

    It was the first time for Liu Xi to see King Xuan was concerned about a person. Worried about thedy¡¯s poor health condition, King Xuan had confided in advance, for fear that hisdy would feel a little wronged. In Liu Xi¡¯s opinion, since His Highness, King Xuan, was His Majesty¡¯s favorite prince, and thedy was His Highness¡¯ treasured person. This weight was heavy enough to make Liu Xi, the lead eunuch who had been living in the pce for several decades, fawn on Mo Xuetong.

    It turned out that Feng Yuran had ordered it. Looking at Liu Xi¡¯s teasing eyes, Mo Xuetong blushed and lowered her head slightly, and felt warm in her heart. She knew that most of her things were in the palm of his hand. Although she did not ask Mo Feng to tell him anything, she believed that Feng Yuran had known it, otherwise, he would not have sent people to ask her to enter the pce as soon as she went down the Puguang Temple.

    Then he had arranged everything well in the pce and did not let her feel a little wronged. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart felt as sweet as being soaked in the mulse. And now as her thoughts were seen through, her face turned red with abashment, and she could not speak a word.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong feel ashamed, Liu Xi shifted the topic subtly and said to her with a smile, ¡°His Majesty has approved the memorials for the whole afternoon and felt tired. Your Highness, could you please finish your words more quickly, as I will serve His Majesty to have some dessert and take a break.¡± Having been living in the pce for many years, Liu Xi was absolutely a clever person, since he was able to promote from a rock-bottom eunuch to a lead eunuch in charge.

    Mo Xuetong said softly, ¡°Yes, I know. Thank you for the trouble you¡¯ve taken on my behalf, Eunuch Liu.¡± The blush on her face receded slightly. Her eyes became calm, and the abashment had faded awaypletely, as if she changed into another one in a blink. Liu Xi could not help praising her inwardly as he saw her change.

    Thedy did have the dignity and majesty that a king¡¯s consort should have. Compared with Consort Xuan, Consort Chu was left far behind, as she knew nothing but make a scene shrewishly, and all the things she had conducted just brought shame to the royal family. She did not even ept that the king¡¯s second consort conceived a baby, and did harm to the royal heir, which did vite the taboo in the royal family. On the other hand, Consort Xuan behaved decorously with the best upbringing and courtesy.

    This was what Liu Xi thought, and so did Emperor Zongwen.

    Sitting behind the high desk, Emperor Zongwen looked at Mo Xuetong who was kneeling on the ground respectfully, and he brightened into a satisfied smile. He was rather content with the daughter-inw. Every time he thought that his son¡¯s life could be saved thanks to the marriage with her, and Mo Xuetong was not as defiant as before, Emperor Zongwen thought it was right to allow Mo Xuetong to marry Feng Yuran.

    The only thing that Emperor Zongwen felt dissatisfied was that Mo Xuetong was too young and still observing mourning for her mother, so she was unable to procreate for the royal family at the current stage. Emperor Zongwen thought Xuan¡¯er would feel aggrieved at it. Now, Xuan¡¯er had recovered and could marry a second consort admittedly. At least, the second consort could help Mo Xuetong manage the domestic problems lest Mo Xuetong should be too young to deal with a number of women in Xuan¡¯er¡¯s back garden.

    Emperor Zongwen made up his mind and became gentler with Mo Xuetong. ¡°Get up and take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Father Emperor.¡± Mo Xuetong copied the way that Feng Yuran called the Emperor, so it sounded rather close, which made Emperor Zongwen rather satisfied. He nodded his head, signaling that she did not have to be punctilious.

    Mo Xuetong respectfully made a bow and stood still with Mo Lan¡¯s support. A pce maidservant came to lead Mo Xuetong to sit on a brocade stool on one side.

    ¡°Old Eight¡¯s consort, what¡¯s the matter that bothers you toe to see me?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please redress the scales for me.¡± The moment Mo Xuetong was about to sit, she knelt down suddenly with her eyes turning red, as if she was crying. So Mo Xuetong turned her head to hide the grief in her eyes and quickly wiped the tears in the corner of her eyes to control her emotions. Although she felt wronged, she still behaved herself in a calm and easy manner.

    Emperor Zongwen looked stern and asked gravely, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Mo Xuetong bit her lower lip and hesitated. She looked at Emperor Zongwen, nonplussed, afraid of irritating him. Her gingerly appearance showed her worry and fear, as well as the desire to speak but hesitation in a second thought, which made people itching to know what had happened on earth.

    Emperor Zongwen frowned and asked, ¡°Old Eight¡¯s consort, go ahead. Tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°King Yan, His Highness, King Yan said my fourth younger sister eloped with a man, and even imed that it was I who incited her to do that. I felt extremely wronged. Since I was invited to offer incense in the Puguang Temple for no reason, such unexpected things happened to me. And the manservant that my fourth younger sister eloped with was King Yan¡¯s close servant. Your Majesty, I felt scared and nervous. So I hurried down from the mountain. At the thought that my fourth younger sister is still in King Yan¡¯s Consort¡¯s hand, and I don¡¯t know if my sister is still alive or dead, I feel greatly upset, not knowing what to do?¡±

    After finishing speaking, Mo Xuetong seemed to be unable to restrain her grief, and the tears on the corners of her eyes dropped down uncontrobly. She knelt down on the ground and kowtowed again, as she said in a sad voice, ¡°Your Majesty, please redress the scales for me and save my fourth younger sister. Let His Highness King Yan give a way out to my fourth younger sister. She is just a woman with a disfigured face. How could she get involved with elopement?¡±

    Women who chose to elope were often passionate with others. In this regard, who would like to elope with a woman with a disfigured face? Besides, the man was King Yan¡¯s close manservant. In fact, the status of such a close manservant was not so humble in the king¡¯s manor, so he could choose a beautiful woman as he wanted, but why did he choose Mo Xueqiong, a woman whose face had been ruined?

    Mo Xuetong expressed her thoughts clearly in her words.

    Sure enough, Emperor Zongwen was furious at what she said, pped heavily on the table, and shouted at Liu Xi, ¡°Go to bring Old Three to me.¡±

    Although Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t say much, how could Emperor Zongwen not know what she implied? Originally, Emperor Zongwen had intended to make Old Three act dutifully. But judging from the current case, Old Three became more and more undisciplined that he dared to frame Old Eight, which did make Emperor Zongwen burst into rage.

    Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e came very fast. Before the Emperor¡¯s decree was passed out of the pce, they had alreadye to the pce gate and hurried inwards, and they happened to meet Feng Yuran who were taking Mo Xuetong out of the pce. The four just confronted in the pce.

    Feng Yuran raised his handsome eyebrows, stepped forward, and blocked Feng Yulei¡¯s way. He made a bow with fists folded in front. Although he behaved respectfully, and his eyes looked sincere, his lips curled up with a slight sneer, which betrayed him and showed a sheer provocation to Feng Yulei. ¡°Third Brother, haven¡¯t you gone to the Puguang Temple and prayed for your mother? Why do you have time to enter the pce at this time?¡±

    Feng Yulei almost vomited blood with anger. All the people in the pce knew that his mother¡¯s memorial tablet was not in the Puguang Temple, and he arranged the Buddhist rites and prayed merely for You Yue¡¯e¡¯s mother. But Feng Yuran¡¯s words would remind those in the know that Feng Yulei¡¯s mother was also dead, and she died on the date before today. That was to say, Feng Yulei did not y Buddhist rites or pray for his own mother, but instead did that for You Yue¡¯e¡¯s mother. His behavior was rather suspicious.

    But annoyed as Feng Yulei was, he had to pretend a smile on his face. He looked at Feng Yuran and still said deliberately, ¡°Something happened in the manor, so I came to the pce especially. Eighth Brother, why did you return from the pce with the consort at this time?¡±

    Feng Yuran didn¡¯t answer his question, but stood upright, waved his big sleeves and put his hands behind his back. He assumed a careless and casual air and said slovenly, ¡°Third Brother, the woman in your manor did screw up my consort. As her husband, I should back her up, right? It is a matter between men. How can it get women involved and let them be bullied, right?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s words had special implications, which made Feng Yulei¡¯s face turn livid. Feng Yulei was about to lose his temper, but seeing Feng Yuran¡¯s casual and teasing look, he realized that it was not the proper time to get cross. So he gritted his teeth secretly, took a few deep breaths, and stopped You Yue¡¯e who was about to re up.

    It was not the time to get angry. What had happened in the Puguang Temple would definitely cause the Emperor to doubt him. Feng Yulei had to prepare the exnation and did not let the Emperor perceive the least enmity, so he should reduce the effect of this matter as much as possible. Besides, Feng Yuran was well known for his casualness. Even if he would say something offensive, it would not be unusual.

    But Feng Yulei himself was different. Since he was being grounded, he should behave himself without a tiny mistake.

    And there was an insinuation in Feng Yuran¡¯s remark, which was beyond the literal meaning. If Feng Yulei got angry at this time, didn¡¯t he admit that he felt guilty?

    ¡°Eighth Brother, I am very sorry for you. I did not expect that Mo Xueqiong hated her sister so much. And she is so petty-minded. The difference between the legitimate and the illegitimate existsmonly in all the families, and the legitimate always enjoys the leading position. And how can she, an illegitimate daughter, feel grieved? Eighth brother¡¯s consort, I¡¯m sorry that you were frightened.¡±

    Feng Yulei folded his hands to Mo Xuetong apologetically, as if he was apologizing on Mo Xueqiong¡¯s behalf.

    Mo Xuetong stood silently beside Feng Yuran. When seeing Feng Yulei mentioning her, she smiled softly to Feng Yulei to conceal the sneer at the corner of her lips, but did not answer him. Standing beside Feng Yuran, she needed to do nothing but be a king¡¯s consort ignorant of worldly affairs.

    An arrogant and irrational king with bad manners, and an ipetent and cowardly king¡¯s consort who knew nothing but behaved submissively were such a perfect match present in public.

    ording to Feng Yulei¡¯s remarks, because of the dispute for the legitimate and the illegitimate status, Mo Xuetong caused so much trouble as a result of Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce as a legitimate position and the suppression on her. Feng Yulei was really good at making up stories and even wanted to described Mo Xuetong as the cause of the matter, trying to exin what Mo Xueqiong had said and done did not count, and all were on her personal grounds, which had nothing to do with Feng Yulei himself.

    Feng Yulei said it smoothly without any stop. It seemed that he had prepared the excuse in advance. If something unexpected happened, he would push Mo Xueqiong out to bear the me. So even if there were any punishment, he would transfer the me on the dispute between Mo Manor¡¯s sisters, and even imed that it was Mo Xuetong¡¯s excoriation that led to such a consequence.

    ¡°Third Brother, is it possible? Did your second consort say this to you? Third Brother, I tell you it must be lies. You should let someone beat her up and see if she will spit out other reasons. She dared to murder her sister and elope with a man. She will be beaten to death for the elopement. No matter how ignorant she is, she won¡¯t risk her life to harm Tong¡¯er, will she?¡±

    Feng Yuranughed and answered. He touched on it lightly and described the forced confessions as ordinary things, and a hint of enchanting cunning shed in his beautiful eyes, as if he were unaware of the stiffened smile on Feng Yulei¡¯s lips.

    The dispute between the legitimate and illegitimate would cause some frictions, which was rathermon in all the manors. But no matter how terrible the dispute was, a person would not do harm to others at the cost of his/her own life. After all, it was not so grievous as murder and looting. Besides, Mo Xuetong was in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, while Mo Xueqiong in the King Yan¡¯s Manor. The dispute before their marriage had petered out already.

    Even a petty-minded person knew not to stir up so much trouble at this moment.

    Obviously, Feng Yuran did tease King Yan with King Yan¡¯s answer. At that moment, a trace of embarrassment took on Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes. As the excuse was exposed directly, he could not ept it no matter how shrewd he was.

    You Yue¡¯e could not restrain herself any longer, looked up, and exined for Feng Yulei with a serious look. ¡°Your Highness, it is impossible to guess Second Consort Mo¡¯s mind.¡±

    Feng Yuran narrowed his eyes and asked slowly, ¡°Is the second consort still alive? I really want to see her.¡±

    The words made You Yue¡¯e unable to respond immediately. Her face turned white, and she answered dryly after some thoughts, ¡°It should be decided by His Majesty.¡±

    Feng Yuran did not grill them, and took Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and smiled at them. ¡°Tong¡¯er was frightened and feels tired now. I take her back to rest first. Third Brother, and Third Sister-inw, please help to vent anger for Tong¡¯er. A second consort dared to do that. She is as tactful as a man.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯sst sentence sounded like praise, and he put on a half-smile, which made Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e lost in words at that moment. ¡°She is as tactful as a man.¡± It meant that a woman in the inner yard was unable to do such a thing. There was an insinuation in Feng Yuran¡¯s remark. How could Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e not understand it? Sweat oozed from Feng Yulei¡¯s forehead.

    Feng Yuran finished his words and walked off with Mo Xuetong before they replied.

 Chapter 470 - Jealousy, Came out of nowhere

    <h4>Chapter 470 Jealousy, Came out of nowhere</h4>

    The two held each other to get into Feng Yuran¡¯s mboyant carriage. In the carriage, Feng Yuran leaned on the couch leisurely and took Mo Xuetong into his arms. He touched her face tenderly and said with a rxed attitude, ¡°How about Feng Yue¡¯s people? How about recing Mo Ye and Mo Feng with Feng Yue¡¯s people? It would have saved the trouble the two useless guys made when they failed to finish such a small task.¡±

    When Feng Yuran spoke the first sentence, Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart dropped a beat, but she immediately got what Feng Yuran actually meant. She leaned on his chest cutely, rubbed him with her small face, and even took the initiative to hook his neck. She said in a pretty manner, ¡°Your Highness, what? How can your people be useless? The two can smooth things out well, big or small.¡±

    Feng Yuran stretched his hand to hold her white and tender fingers, took a sideways nce at Mo Xuetong who was leaning on his chest as actively and obediently as a cat, and smiled enchantingly. ¡°Since the two are so useful, why did you still ask Feng Yue to find the people? It was obvious that the two are useless. Well, after returning to the manor, I will appoint more people to you to rece the two.¡±

    He looked really angry!

    Mo Xuetong put down a hand quickly and touched his chest obsequiously. She leaned her head back slightly, and could see his chin raising high and his mouth pouting a bit. Unbelievably, Feng Yuran, conceited and indolent, would behave like a child now. Mo Xuetong¡¯s long eyshes flickered to conceal the smile in her eyes. Since he was displeased now, Mo Xuetong thought she could not infuriate him.

    Charming ripples appeared in her clear eyes, and her pinkish mouth pouted slightly. She pulled his sleeve and said with an aggrieved look. ¡°I was afraid that being understaffed, I would be framed by others. I just prepared for the unexpected. I was just timid and afraid that something terrible would happen.¡±

    ¡°Afraid of being understaffed? You can tell me. Why did you bother to tell Feng Yue secretly? Well, afraid of letting me know about it?¡± Feng Yuran raised his lips slightly and had a half-smile on his handsome face. His beautiful eyes glittered with enchantment, which would make people blush and their hearts beat faster. His attractive red lips curled up slightly with natural charm at the corner of his lips.

    ¡°Howe? I was afraid that you¡¯d be worried about me!¡± Mo Xuetong would not admit it at this time. She raised her clear eyes to look at him fawningly and pulled his sleeve, and he had to put down his hand.

    As a matter of fact, she did not want Feng Yuran to know about it, but was afraid that they would have any countermeasures afterward, she asked Feng Yue to find more people to follow Mo Feng so as to avoid being framed by Feng Yulei because of iplete consideration. Fortunately, things went on step by step as she had nned. It turned out rming but not dangerous.

    And the most important was that she was afraid Feng Yulei intended to frame Feng Yuran by taking advantage of her, so she simply left Feng Yuran out. Therefore, no matter how terrible the matter was, it was just a matter about the women in the inner court, which could not stir up too much trouble.

    Feng Yuran touched her long hair, raised his thin lips into a smile, and said, ¡°Huh, did you really think so?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course, I promise, it¡¯s really not a big deal. Just Mo Xueqiong and You Yuecheng ganged up again for some reason. I didn¡¯t know if You Yuecheng made some promise to Mo Xueqiong so as to let her deceive me out and try to put the me on me that I abducted the king¡¯s second consort to flee. It is a matter about the women in the inner court. You¡¯d better not get involved. Rest assured. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Mo Xuetong raised her white and tender hand to the ear, and promised seriously. Then, she rubbed his chest with her chin and said softly.

    ¡°Really? Nothing else happened?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything else hidden from me?¡± Feng Yuran held her to look at her face-to-face. He leaned to one side and turned her under his body. Strong masculine smell drilled into Mo Xuetong¡¯s senses in all directions. Her face blushed, and she twisted uneasily. Looking at the half-smile on his handsome face, she decided to tell him everything honestly.

    ¡°I asked the coachman to drive the carriage to the house of the minister of the Ministry of Works. You Yuecheng and Feng Yulei were bound to send people to keep an eye on that carriage. When seeing the carriage enter the minister¡¯s house, they would investigate the minister for sure.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly. Her smile was as beautiful as a blossoming flower. Her clear eyes blinked at him cutely, and her giggles sounded happy and lovely.

    Looking at Mo Xuetong who waspletely undefended against him, Feng Yuran could not helpughing, and his kiss fell on her tender forehead. He said, ¡°Cunning girl, aren¡¯t you afraid that my third brother will find you finally?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid at all. He couldn¡¯t find me. They only thought it was Lian An who caused them trouble, but they couldn¡¯t figure out immediately why Lian An caused them trouble. As they investigate more deeply, they will find something about Consort Zhao. As for the things about my mother, Consort Zhao must know something about it. When Consort Zhao is forced to act rashly by the Empress, the truth about my mother will be revealed easier.¡±

    Leaning on Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly and told her n step by step.

    ¡°What a cunning girl!¡± Feng Yuran could not helpughing, touched her hair, and continued to say, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s just stay at home these days and go nowhere else. In the back garden, I set up a new flower stand and nted some flowers. I will show you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away hard, and turned over. Her bright eyes blinked and looked at him cautiously. During these days, Feng Yuran was so fully upied that Mo Xuetong did not think that he would be in a leisurely and carefree mood to nt flowers and y on a swing with her.

    Looking at her round eyes, Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t help butugh, pulled her on his chest, and chuckled. The palpitating on his chest eased the serious look on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. It seemed that it was not a bad thing. At least Feng Yuran looked rather pleased. But she still couldn¡¯t rest her mind, because he was so astute and scheming!

    Mo Xuetong shot a sideways re at Feng Yuran, stretched her hands to tickle his armpit, and said with a pretending stern look, ¡°Tell me, do you have anything else hidden from me?¡± But her smart eyes glittered with her natural charm. At merely a nce, it was more than alluring.

    Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t help elerating his breath and staring at her keenly. Before Mo Xuetong reacted, he directly reached out, pressed her back on the couch, and covered on her body. His lips attached to hers, and blocked her exmation which was about toe out of her mouth.

    Her lips were sweet and fragrant, not the smell of rouge but a faint natural floral fragrance, which made his breath more and more rapid.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face seemed to be burning, and she did not expect that he would be so impulsive. Just now, they still had a nice talk, but how could he now be so... She tried to push him, but he seized her tender hands to put them on top of her head. She only felt she was soaked in his masculine smell, and almost copsed with embarrassment under his body. Her mind, which used to be well-organized, went nk at that moment. Nothing but passion burnt her from head to toe, and she did not know how to react...

    Feng Yuran held her tightly and kissed her intently. A sense of aplishment suddenly ran through him when her soft and tender body was beneath him.

    Hugging her in reality, kissing her in reality, and even the real touch that filled the vacancy in his heart, made him involuntarily let out a low sigh. If he had known that she could be so obedient today, he should not have said too much just now, but be domineering and he could have kissed her already.

    The woman in his arms never took the initiative. Even though sometimes she got ablush and her heart beat fast, she did not dare to look at him, but still pretended to be calm and restrained. If he just followed her steps, he could get nothing, not even a kiss. Looking at the slight flush on her white face, Feng Yuran was overjoyed and kissed her more intently.

    Mo Xuetong almost suffocated from the kiss, only finding it difficult to breathe. Her chest was palpitating sharply. The moment she felt she was about to lose breath, he released her finally. He reached out to pull her on his body, while hey on the bed, panting hard.

    He was hot. Lying on him, Mo Xuetong could sense the changes of his body, which made her even more ashamed. She drilled into his arms with a red face, and dared not move or speak again. She knew how dangerous it was at this time. If he had not restrained himself, she and he would not remain what they were now.

    She was his legitimate wife through a formal wedding. She knew he loved her and he had no other women besides her. In fact, he did not need to forbear himself. But for her, for her to observe mourning for her mother, he had to control himself. They stayed with each other day after day, and she could feel that he tried his best to keep restrained. She knew he was a person with strong self-control, and he controlled himself for her...

    But looking at him, it... Mo Xuetong did not know how long he could control himself!

    She closed her eyes tightly, but couldn¡¯t help thinking the women in his back garden. Mo Xuetong once saw them in the distance. They¡¯re either tender, pretty, beautiful, charming, or elegant, so forth... Those women were good-looking with nice figures. Had they been kissed by him like this?

    Had their lips been so keenly lit? Although most of the women were said to be secret spies sent by other manors, he actually took in a few of them himself, or had they had such a rtionship with him...

    The thought disgusted her, and her mouth pouted involuntarily. She hated the thought, and even hated the pictures that she drew in her mind that those women pandered to him under his body. The feeling depressed her a lot.

    She had never had such an idea before. But since the idea emerged, its sporadic fragments were joined into clear pictures one after one and shed in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. The pictures were so messy and staggered that the flush on her face faded away immediately, making her almost breathless.

    That feeling was annoying and disgusting...

    Sensing Mo Xuetong¡¯s stiffness and coldness, he turned his handsome head to her and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m not feeling well. If you want to find a woman, go to the back garden.¡± The words burst out with a little resentment.

    ¡°Why did you mention them?¡± Feng Yuran blinked his eyes, confused. Obviously, he did not get it.

    ¡°Why not mention them? Those people are being restrained in the back garden. It is not a permanent arrangement. You should give a n, otherwise, will you n to restrain them for life? How about picking some out and opening a new garden for them? Then, arrange some people to serve them so that Your Highness can have a ce to go if you want.¡±

    Mo Xuetong said sourly and yanked the clothes on his chest. Overwhelmed with a grievance, she said it out without thinking, regardless of whether it sounded hurtful or not.

    Feng Yuran calmed down his excited pant gradually. He was at a loss by her sudden anger at first, but soon found the key point in Mo Xuetong¡¯s depressed voice. Then, he smiled and pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair till Mo Xuetong grabbed the hair with pain, and she tried to seize his hand ferociously. He said in a leisurely manner, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you jealous?¡±

    He could not conceal his amusement in his voice.

 Chapter 471 - Punishment of Both King Manors

    <h4>Chapter 471 Punishment of Both King Manors</h4>

    ¡°No.¡± Mo Xuetong denied it. She did not know where she found the strength to push herself up to re at Feng Yuran. She pouted and said, ¡°Your Highness, you have to give me a standard operating procedure about the woman in your back courtyard. Otherwise, others might say that I cannot ept other women. If you don¡¯t wish to see them, then think of a way to move them out and not lock up a perfectly fine back courtyard. Others willugh at you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then how do you think I should deal with this?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curved up as he tugged on her handzily, indicating that she did not have to be so serious about it. He was strong and Mo Xuetong¡¯s arms, which were propping her up, gave in. She fell onto him and her sharp chin hit his solid chest. She could not help but groan in a low voice and then hurriedly reach out to cover her mouth.

    This man was always so rough. She almost bit her tongue!

    ¡°It¡¯s your courtyard. You should be the one to make the decision.¡± Sheined, ring at him with her lively eyes.

    ¡°Is it my back courtyard? Is it not Tong¡¯er¡¯s back courtyard? A man is in charge of what happens outside and a woman manages the household. Why are you asking me about the womanly matters of the back courtyard?¡± Feng Yuran patted her head in a good mood. He teased her as if she were a child, ¡°Look at you, you are now a consort. You have to deal with the women in the back courtyard for your husband. Everyone says that there are all kinds of women in King Xuan¡¯s back courtyard. King Xuan doesn¡¯t care if they smell good or bad. As long as he likes them, he¡¯ll bring them to his manor.¡±

    ¡°You are now the only mistress of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. You have to behave like it! Just get rid of them.¡± Feng Yuran winked at her charmingly and continued, ¡°Anyway, I am just a useless man. I used to bring them into the manor one by one and was a licentious person. Of course, I will listen to everything you say now.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked. Her heart was not beating as quickly now and she was not breathing as heavily. Her mind was clearer as well as she secretly rolled her eyes at him. She knew that she had been a little unreasonable earlier. She knew very well how he felt about her. However, she felt ufortable about the women in the back courtyard.

    ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t worry. Father gave me a holiday these few days. We can just have fun in the manor and clean it up. With me around, you won¡¯t be known as being easily jealous.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and reached out to hold her in his arms once more. He flipped over to his side and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

    This was the second time Feng Yuran had hinted that he would have more time in the following days.

    This made Mo Xuetong feel a little uneasy. She bit her lips and then pouted slightly as she nced at him. His eyes were closed and he seemed to befortable. Then, she shifted around, wanting to get his attention. However, Feng Yuran seemed to have really fallen asleep. Heid there unmovingly and did not make a sound.

    Was he really asleep?

    Mo Xuetong red at him huffily!

    However, the manid there as if he was unconcerned with anything and did not react at all. Mo Xuetong lowered her hands and closed her eyes as well. What was she worried about if he wasn¡¯t? Anyway, it was a matter that involved King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Who else would manage it if he didn¡¯t?

    She closed her eyes, feeling frustrated. She could really be tired for she fell asleep in just moments, her breath slowing and evening out.

    The longshes of the man who had kept his eyes closed and pretending to be asleep fluttered open. He opened his eyes, which seemed to be smiling and reached tond a soft kiss on her eyelids. He took a close look at her face. She was sound asleep. Then, he pulled her in his arms and called outzily to the driver, ¡°Go to the medicinal hall. Her Lady was so shocked that she rpsed.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Even though the driver did not know why the Lady, who had seemed fine earlier when she boarded the carriage, had suddenly rpsed, he would do whatever King Xuan ordered. He looked helplessly at King Xuan¡¯s Manor which was right in front and then turned the horse around toward the medicinal hall.

    Everyone in the pce found out about what happened at Puguang Temple. It was said that King Yan and his consort were still kneeling in front of the imperial study at night. After that, Consort Yan fainted and that was when His Majesty finally allowed King Yan into the study. No one knew what happened afterward. A few pce maids and eunuchs who were on duty outside the study heard the Emperor yelling in the study and there were things being thrown around.

    However, no one dared to make a single sound. Even Eunuch Liu, who was the lead eunuch who served the Emperor stood at the eaves. No one dared to do anything.

    They could only vaguely hear the Emperor yelling about offering sacrifices to one¡¯s mother. However, no one dared to say anything about it and they all pretended that they did not hear anything. Later, someone asked about it and everyone just shook their heads. They all said that they were standing far away then and His Majesty was very angry. They were all very frightened and did not hear anything.

    If anyone dared to reveal what the Emperor said, their heads would roll.

    They had been living in the pce for so many years, and they all knew that.

    Mo Xueqiong had tried to elope with another man and had brought documents from King Yan¡¯s Manor with her. She had even tried to plot against her elder, legitimate sister, and wanted to make use of her to run away. After she got caught, she hung herself in Puguang Temple!

    The manservant who eloped with her had been beaten to death on the spot. A personal maid of Mo Xueqiong had lost too much blood because of her miscarriage and had died on the spot at Puguang Temple as well.

    There was another maid who was very loyal and she killed herself in front of Mo Xueqiong¡¯s coffin.

    Everything sounded as if they had nothing to do with King Yan¡¯s Manor at all. However, there were many suspicious points within and everyone involved was now dead. Even if they wanted to investigate the matter, they would not be able to do so. There were many whomented that King Yan¡¯s Manor was very vicious. They had cleaned everything up and it was impossible to investigate the matter further.

    Feng Yulei used to have a good reputation and was known to be gracious amongst schrs. He was also not as enthusiastic about the throne as Feng Yuxuan was. As such, there were many who liked him. This incident had happened so suddenly and everyone involved was dead before the Emperor could investigate. It seemed that Feng Yulei was definitely involved in it and his reputation as a fair, elegant, and handsome king was damaged.

    The Emperor locked Feng Yulei up in King Xuan¡¯s Manor after a harsh scolding. In the past, Feng Yulei was just not allowed to go out and there were just two token pce guards who guarded his door. However, this time, the back doors of the manor were tightly shut. There were 18 guards at the doors who stood in two rows. They guarded the doors of the King¡¯s Manor strictly and looked upon the passersby coldly.

    Was King Yan truly being imprisoned?

    However, what everyone did not expect the most was that King Xuan seemed to have angered the Emperor this time as well. No one knew if it was because Consort Xuan had been dragged into the whole thing or if it was because the Emperor was dissatisfied with King Xuan. In any case, King Xuan¡¯s Manor was punished as well. There were two guards standing outside their doors. It was said that the directives from the pce said that only people were allowed to enter but those inside were not allowed to leave.

    Then, they heard that Consort Xuan had been frightened by what happened that day and had fallen ill. Many physicians visited King Xuan¡¯s Manor these few days. However, because of the edict issued, they did not leave. As such, no one knew how Consort Xuan was. The only news that they heard of was that Consort Xuan was angry and afraid after returning home and she had fallen ill before they even reached the King¡¯s Manor.

    It was inside the Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce.

    The Empress¡¯s expression was dark and gloomy as she sat on the nanmu wood chair in the great hall. Nanny Lin stood beside her and reported what she heard.

    ¡°Your Majesty, they all say that King Chu did it. Think about it, why would that girl run away with a servant for no reason? She even brought documents belonging to His Highness with her as well as the ount books from the back courtyard. Every girl who elopes will bring money with them instead of that. Furthermore, she was a Second Consort. It is impossible that she would give that up and elope with a servant,¡± said Nanny Lin softly.

    Even though the Empress had not personally gone to see what happened when Feng Yulei had gotten into trouble, she had sent her personal nanny over. The nanny she sent then was Nanny Lin. Nanny Lin heard Consort Yan say that they did not do it and that someone was trying to plot against King Yan so that he would get into trouble.

    Nanny Lin told the Empress that when she returned to the pce. The Empress naturally trusted what Consort Yan said and immediately grew suspicious of King Xuan, Feng Yuran. She told Nanny Lin to do everything possible to investigate what happened. Who would have thought that the Emperor would issue an edict to the two King Manors the next day and punish both Feng Yulei and Feng Yuran?

    Furthermore, it seemed that King Xuan had been punished for no good reason.

    If they wanted to see who would benefit more from this whole saga, King Yan did not, and neither did King Xuan benefit from it. King Ning had not done anything different recently either. If they wanted to see who would benefit the most, it would be King Chu. The Empress immediately grew suspicious of King Chu, Feng Yuxuan!

    King Chu was doing very well in court recently. Even though there was King Xuan, whose performance impressed others, butpared to the gentle and elegant King Chu who was well-liked, King Xuan was still a littlecking.

    No matter what, both King Xuan and King Yan had an equal share of the Emperor¡¯s affections.

    Yet, it was different now. King Xuan had been punished. Meanwhile, King Yan was patrolling the army camps on behalf of the Emperor and had an alibi. King Yan also benefited the most from what happened. How could the Empress not be suspicious of him?

    The Empress nodded when she heard what Nanny Lin said. A vicious glint shed in her eyes as she said, ¡°No wonder Consort Su seemed so pleased when she saw me a few days ago. It¡¯s like she knew what would happen. She even told me that even if King Yan were released, he might annoy His Majesty.¡±

    The Empress¡¯s dark glower hid a sheen of frostiness under the light.

    She had been thinking of a way to get the Emperor to release Feng Yulei then. She had been angry when she heard what Consort Su said then and had left with her sleeves trailing behind her. She had thought that Consort Su had said that out of pettiness. However, she did not expect Lei¡¯er to get into trouble just two dayster. Now that she thought about that, it was obvious that Consort Su knew something about it.

    The Empress hated herself for not paying attention then. If she had paid attention to this earlier, this whole saga would not have happened.

    While the Empress ruminated over this, she would never expect that this whole rigmarole had happened because Feng Yulei lost in apetition.

    Nanny Lin asked softly. The atmosphere in the great hall was tense and heavy. Nanny Lin could not help but sweat as she asked, ¡°Your Majesty, what are we to do next?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Rui¡¯er?¡± The Empress asked lightly. It could be because she was near the light, but the wrinkles on her face could not be hidden. She seemed older than she usually did. The darkness and gloominess on her face seemed to be dripping off her.

    Nanny Lin replied. ¡°Consort Chu¡¯s face was sunburnt and she¡¯s been watching the imperial physicians make her medicine recently. I heard she even wounded the imperial physician¡¯s head today.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er had been staying in the pce for the past two days. She had knelt outside the imperial study that day where there was no shade and her skin had been burnt. She had not only made scratches on her face, but there were also patches of rash on it. She looked really scary. Nowadays, those from the Empress¡¯s pce did not dare to look at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face when they saw her.

 Chapter 472 - The Concubines of King Xuans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 472 The Concubines of King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    It was partially because Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face had been sunburnt and she would drag anyone who dared to look at her face out for a vicious beating. On the other hand, it was because she looked terrible now. Who would want to look at her face!

    However, the imperial physicians were in trouble. The imperial physician who said that the injuries on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face would be difficult to heal. He had been dragged out and beaten until he was half-dead. Another who said that they need to apply strong medicine on her face was beaten up as well. There were other incidents, but in any case, Ling Rui¡¯er would beat up the physicians she did not like. Arge number of imperial physicians in the pce were beaten up by her.

    The Empress paused for a moment before saying slowly, ¡°Invite the lead imperial physician over tomorrow to take a look at her face.¡±

    The lead imperial physician was not an ordinary imperial physician. He had a position in court and was in charge of the Emperor¡¯s health. The Emperor trusted him the most and not even ill consorts in the pce could get him to treat them. It all depended on his mood. It would be actively seeking out trouble getting him to treat Consort Chu.

    Nanny Lin asked in confusion, ¡°Your Majesty, even though Consort Chu¡¯s face was sunburnt, it is not a life-threatening illness. Are you really going to get the Lord Imperial Physician here? Furthermore, he might not necessarilye. Consort Su fell ill once and I heard she did not manage to get the lead imperial physician to treat her.¡±

    The lead imperial physician was known to be very stubborn. Forcing him toe would not work and it might even anger the Emperor and create trouble for the Empress. Nanny Lin felt that Consort Chu should go back to King Chu¡¯s Manor. No matter what trouble she caused, it would have nothing to do with the Empress. However, she was now in the pce and staying in the Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce. If anything happened, the Empress would be implicated.

    Furthermore, both of them were from Ding General Manor. This rtionship could not be hidden.

    ¡°I heard that the Lord Imperial Physician likes Wei Chess manuals. Bring my old chess manual here and give it to him. Say that I would like to invite him toe and take a look at Consort Chu¡¯s face. I will thank him well if he can treat her.¡± A hint of viciousness shed in the Empress¡¯s eyes as she spoke coldly. She would not force the elderly lead imperial physician toe, of course.

    Even though the man¡¯s position in court was not high, Emperor Zongwen trusted him greatly. He had always done his best to keep the Emperor healthy and kept his mouth tightly shut.

    ¡°That chess manual is part of Your Majesty¡¯s dowry. I heard that it is a great treasure. How can you give it to someone else just like that?¡± Nanny Lin persuaded the Empress, feeling disgruntled that the Empress was giving away her personal belongings to ask someone to treat Ling Rui¡¯er. She was a trusted confidant of the Empress and there were some things that she could get away with saying. She reminded the Empress then. ¡°Your Majesty, Consort Chu is in such a state now and will not listen to anyone. Look at how grant her behavior is in the pce right now. She really thinks she is a mistress in this pce. Why are you still taking care of her? Without her, you and Duke Ding might not be distant.¡±

    She was saying that the Ding General Manor might seem to be standing on the same side as the Empress on the surface but was siding with Feng Yuxuan, King Chu, in private. They were just waiting for Ling Rui¡¯er to give birth to Feng Yuxuan¡¯s legitimate son before officially standing with him. The Empress and King Yan, who had the Empress¡¯s support, no longer had the support of the Ding General Manor.

    Nanny Lin saw how worried the Empress wastely and felt for her!

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Rui¡¯er just wants to feel mighty in my pce. I will let her have her fun. King Chu can use her as a chess piece, so why can¡¯t I? Eldest Brother and Second Brother are slowly leaning towards Rui¡¯er and King Chu. It¡¯s just because King Chu¡¯s Manor will bring them greater benefits and the child that King Chu and Rui¡¯er have will be closer in terms of a bloodline with them. But if Rui¡¯er cannot have any children in her lifetime? King Chu will not dote on her as much as he does now. Or perhaps, Eldest Brother and Second Brother might not be as close to King Chu as they are now.¡±

    The Empressughed coldly. Her eyes were sinister and cold under the light and they looked as if they could see through one¡¯s heart. There was a cold smirk on her lips and she did not look as gentle and elegant as she was rumored to be. Instead, her sinister smile made one¡¯s heart feel as if it were being plunged into a bucket of ice.

    No matter what, she was going to sow discord between Feng Yuxuan and the Ding General Manor. The lead imperial physician was a stubborn man and he would make the perfect weapon against Feng Yuxuan. Feng Yuxuan has always imed that he doted on and loved Ling Rui¡¯er. He only watched on as Ling Rui¡¯er killed the unborn child in his Second Consort¡¯s belly and did nothing. Furthermore, he even allowed Ling Rui¡¯er to shame his Second Consort.

    Then she wanted to see how long he could take that for...

    It was zingly hot outside. Yet, all was unusually quiet in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. There were guards at the main entrance but the manor received fresh food every day that was sent to the door. The food would then be brought to the kitchen by servants and then made into food for the master and mistress of the manor. Medicinal herbs ordered by Mo Xuetong would asionally be sent over from faraway ces.

    Feng Yuran woke up early in the morning for several consecutive mornings. He fiddled with something secretly in the manor. Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Ye and Mo Lan, but they all refused to say anything. They would smile and change the topic when Mo Xuetong asked them about it but would not tell her anything. Mo Xuetong gave up on the issue huffily.

    She was very busy now as well.

    The concubines in the back courtyard were all locked up in a fewrger courtyards after Mo Xuetong married Feng Yuran. They were not allowed to leave the courtyards usually. This meant that there was plenty of trouble and mess in the various courtyards. There would be people fighting in this courtyard, or someone sshing another person with a bucket of water another day. It was chaotic and Nanny Chen and Xiann who managed the back courtyard were extremely frazzled.

    Before this, they all pretended to be gentle when they met in order to fight for affection from Feng Yuran. But now, they all showed their true colors and no one would give in. They could not get in contact with those who could help them from outside the manor since they were locked up. Yet, they could not even see King Xuan in the manor. There was no hope for them at all. As such, this bunch of women started to make a fuss.

    What Mo Xuetong had to do now was to separate the women based on their circumstances and treat them differently. King Xuan¡¯s Manor was different now and she was in charge of the back courtyard. She would slowly get rid of some of the women here. Even though they were all humble concubines, she still had to meet them officially.

    After getting up, Mo Xuetong sent Xiann to bring the women to the front parlor. She and Mo Lan hade up with a new procedure in the past few days that she had to tell these concubines. She also wanted to see what was the situation with these women so that she could deal with them better. The existence of these concubines was like a tumor growing on King Xuan¡¯s Manor right now. She had to get rid of them before those working in the dark could make a move.

    This was the best opportunity since the King¡¯s Manor was being guarded right now.

    People were only allowed to enter but not leave. She wanted to see who would dare to y dirty tricks at a time like this and attract the attention of the Emperor.

    As such, she could rx and deal with these matters boldly.

    It has been a few months since Mo Xuetong married Feng Yuran but this was the first time the concubines were meeting their matriarch. When they heard that the Lady had ordered them to see her, they all parted and went to their rooms to dress up. They each had their own ideas and ns. Most thought that they had to hurry up and butter up to the new matriarch.

    There were a few who used to have Feng Yuran¡¯s affections who were fuming mad right now. They med Mo Xuetong for stealing Feng Yuran¡¯s affections. Now that a few months have passed and the Lady wished to see them, they immediately thought that it was on His Highness¡¯s orders. They thought that their chance was here and dressed to the nines, afraid that others would not know that they had once been favored in King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    However, no matter which one of them it was, they all knew that they should not stand out at this moment. That was why they all went to the front parlor very early and waited there.

    Mo Xuetongbed her hair unhurriedly and had half a bowl of porridge. Mo Ye specially brought her the medicine that Feng Yuran ordered to have brewed. It was slightly yellowish and smelt foul. Mo Xuetong looked at it pitifully. She did not want to drink it. She turned to look hesitantly at Mo Ye, who appeared very determined, and thenughed dryly.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the bowl and drained it in one go. Mo Lan was already waiting by her side and gave her some sweet pieces of dried fruit. Mo Xuetong ate two pieces before she felt the bitterness in her mouth fading. She put the bowl down and asked hesitantly, ¡°This medicine... do I still have to take it in the afternoon?¡±

    ¡°You still have to take it once more in the afternoon. His Highness said that you have been drinking more recently and he will help you to get rid of all the medicine in your body.¡± Mo Ye answered seriously. This was what His Highness ordered her to do. As such, what she had to do every day was to watch Mo Xuetong drink her medicine. Mo Xuetong was not allowed to pour her medicine away slyly anymore. Earlier on Mo Xuetong had managed to get the servants to do other things and she would then pour the medicine into the flowerpots while no one was watching.

    However, ever since Feng Yuran smelt the smell of Chinese medicine on the withering nt, Mo Ye started to supervise Mo Xuetong.

    Upon hearing how decisive Mo Ye was, Mo Xuetong could only lower her head. She pouted slightly and did not say anything else.

    When she was done with everything, she brought with her arge number of servants and headed for the front parlor.

    The concubines waiting at the front parlor had gone early and waited for quite a while. A few of the proud ones were already feeling impatient.

    This was especially true amongst those who were favored earlier on. One of them was called Concubine Yun. She seemed extremely riled up and frustrated. She smirked and said, ¡°She called us here just to show us how powerful she is. She¡¯s not afraid of other¡¯s saying that she is not virtuous and wise. This is the King¡¯s Manor, not her little third-grade official manor.¡±

    Concubine Lian, who was standing beside her, was a gentle soul. She paled when she heard what Concubine Yun said. She tugged on Concubine Yun¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°No matter what, it is right for her to manage us. She is our mistress once she enters this manor. It is her right to manage us. Why do you still not understand that!¡±

    She made it sound as if Concubine Yun was very dumb and Concubine Yun grew unhappy. She pointed at the door and said angrily, ¡°What mistress? She is just a child. How can His Highness like someone so innocent? They just got married and His Highness just likes her because she¡¯s new. Look, he still has toe and see us now.¡±

    She was just feeling pleased with herself when Mo Yu pushed the doors open forcefully. Behind the door, stood Mo Xuetong in full regalia of a consort. She stood there expressionlessly with a maid holding up her hand. She had heard everything Concubine Yun said. Xiann, who stood beside Mo Xuetong had already told her Concubine Yun¡¯s name.

    They were truly a group of women who were determined to cause chaos in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong smirked to herself. No wonder Nanny Chen and Xiann were so busy and frazzled. These women were all troublesome. She was going to show them who was in charge today and make it clear to them who the mistress of the manor was.

    Mo Xuetong slowly entered, holding Mo Lan¡¯s hand.

    After entering King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong ate even better and there was even a nanny who especially helped her to regte her health. Feng Yuran was afraid that she might be unwell and even found a few experienced nannies who could cook to help Mo Xuetong with her diet. As such, Mo Xuetong¡¯s body had matured a little over the past few months.

    While she still looked young, there was a hint of a natural charm on her innocent face. Her every move, coupled with her beautiful face, made her appear to be gentle, elegant, and ethereal. She wore the bright red consort robe with gold trimmings well.

    The concubines present were all very beautiful, but there were all stunned by Mo Xuetong. They did not know why, but when they saw Mo Xuetong, who seemed perfect, they all felt small and insignificant. Mo Xuetong was beautiful and gracious,pletely unlike the rumors saying that she was innocent and immature.

    Her every gaze and every smile reeked of charm. Even a woman would be dazzled by her!

    Mo Xuetong sat down with the help of Mo Lan. A maid came up to serve tea which Mo Xuetong picked up and sipped at. Then, she looked around at therge group of women around her. It seemed that there was really a lot of them.

    They came in all shapes and sizes. There were also a few who were exceptionally beautiful. Those must be the most favored concubines in the past, and also the ones who caused the most trouble.

    Mo Xuetong could roughly tell what the situation was with a single nce. Her gaze settled on Concubine Yun and Concubine Lian. However, she only paid them a cursory nce before looking away.

 Chapter 473 - A Fight and How Concubine Qin Thinks of Mo Xuemin

    <h4>Chapter 473 A Fight and How Concubine Qin Thinks of Mo Xuemin</h4>

    The concubines had all regained their wits by then. They hurriedly greeted Mo Xuetong, all feeling rather wary!

    Mo Xuetong did not stand on courtesy either. She smiled softly and said, ¡°I invited everyone here today because I wished to meet you all. Even though I am young, I have to manage the back courtyard. Though His Highness has ordered for all of you to stay in the courtyards at the back and not allow you all toe out, I think it is better to release you all. Even though all of you are not official concubines, you all can be considered to be bed servants.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s statement had just ssed all the concubines as ordinary bed servants. There were many who were displeased with that. Even though most of them were not of high status, they were still better than a bed servant. Some of them were from families with court positions and there was a concubine, Qin, who was from a noble family.

    ¡°My Lady, my father used to be colleagues with Sir Mo. It is just that Sir Mo had better luck at work and the Emperor trusted him, which was why he was promoted to being a third-grade official. Now that I think about it, I used to hang out with your eldest sister before I married His Highness. We can be considered friends.¡±

    Concubine Yun smiled and took a few steps forward as she spoke to Mo Xuetong. She meant to deal with Mo Xuetong with a blow and tell her that her father and Mo Xuetong¡¯s father, Mo Huawen, used to be of the same rank. She used to hang out with the eldest daughter of the Mo Manor as well. No matter how they looked at it, she was considered to be of noble status as well. She could not be considered a bed servant and should have a proper position.

    Another woman came up and tried to get in good with Mo Xuetong as well. She was a beautiful woman called Concubine Ming. The smile on her face was gentle and harmless. ¡°That¡¯s right, First Miss Mo is a talented woman and we used to get along very well. I wonder how she¡¯s doing now. Did she marry a good man and has forgotten all her friends?¡±

    It was as if she were just simply mentioning it!

    Mo Xuemin was just Mo Huawen¡¯s eldest concubine-born daughter. Even though these concubines maintained connections to the outside world, they only talked about what concerned them. They would not mention these things. Furthermore, these people kept in contact with the outside world secretly and only talked business. As such, even though what Mo Xuemin did had caused a furor, these women did not know about it.

    When they saw that Mo Xuetong did not speak, they thought that they had managed to use Mo Xuetong¡¯s elder sister to oppress her. They wanted to see what else Mo Xuetong could say.

    Mo Huawen had only brought Mo Xuemin and Mo Xueqiong with him when he entered the capital. At that time, Auntie Fang had been in charge of the family matters of the Mo Manor. She and Mo Xuemin would be the ones who weed guests, which was why some family members of court officials thought that Auntie Fang was Mo Huawen¡¯s legal wife. Mo Xuemin was naturally the eldest legitimate daughter. Her status was definitely higher than Mo Xuetong, the legitimate second daughter.

    They were truly stupid. Mo Yu pursed her lips behind Mo Xuetong. The mockery in her eyes was evident!

    They wanted to use Mo Xuemin to oppress the Lady. That was too stupid!

    Mo Xuetong seemed not to have understood what Concubine Yun and Concubine Ming meant. She smiled even more sweetly and looked at the two meaningfully before ignoring them. Then, she said to the other concubines, ¡°Yesterday, His Highness ordered me to list down your names so you will all be considered an official part of the manor. In the future, your monthly allowance will be the same as the other bed servants lest any of you feel aggrieved.¡±

    While what Mo Xuetong said sounded like what she should do after officially taking charge of the back courtyard, the concubines were all secretly seething because she kept calling them bed servants. They had thought that they would definitely be able to be official concubines. They did not expect that they would all be ssed as bed servants. How would they take it lying down?

    The first to speak up after Mo Xuetong was done, was the timid Concubine Lian.

    She nced at Mo Xuetong and seemed a little nervous. She said, a little fearfully, ¡°My Lady, how can this be? The monthly allowance of a bed servant is not enough to keep us alive. And, we have to buy makeup and new clothes to please His Highness. My Lady, can you increase our allowance?¡±

    Concubine Lian might have sounded like she was fighting for their monthly allowance, but she actually wanted a title.

    Concubine Lian had already decided. It was impossible for her to defeat Mo Xuetong openly. As such, she had to do it in a roundabout manner. Even though a bed servant was an unassuming position, she would still be the master¡¯s woman. If she got promoted, she would be an official concubine. With that, she believed that she would be able to defeat thatss who had yet to be a full woman.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyesnded on Concubine Lian. She smiled slightly. This woman would be difficult to deal with. She had spoken tactfully, but her intentions were clear. While her eyes made her seem lovely and weak, she was not helpless at all. She was able to be the first to speak in such a situation and one could see that she was a sharp person. However, it was a pity. Concubine Lian wanted to use the many women around her to force Mo Xuetong into conceding defeat, but it would be to no avail.

    ¡°My Lady, His Highness once told me that I just had to ask the butler for anything I require. Is the manor unable to dispense with the upkeep for a few women? My Lady, if you do this, it will look like the King¡¯s Manor is facing financial difficulty and cannot keep us, the women of His Highness, alive.¡±

    Concubine Yun was another sort of person. She spoke directly to Mo Xuetong rudely without a hint of respect. Furthermore, she spoke loudly and did not stop at all.

    ¡°My Lady, that¡¯s true.¡± Concubine Ming immediately continued. She used to be doted on by Feng Yuran and had been offended by Mo Xuetong earlier. When she saw that Mo Xuetong did not get angry at Concubine Yun, she spoke rudely as well. ¡°When His Highness was in charge, he allowed us free reign of the back courtyard. We just have to ask for what we wanted to eat, use, and y with. Why are you forcing our hands after taking charge? Are you trying to kick us out!¡±

    These women were not proper consorts or even second consorts whose names would be written into the royal genealogy. It would not matter if Mo Xuetong kicked them out of not. Mo Yu and the other servants who were standing behind Mo Xuetong all felt surprised. They all secretly thought that these concubines were really difficult to deal with. They all tried to force Consort Xuan¡¯s hand through their mean and sharp words. These people came in all shapes and sizes and were all so demanding. If Consort Xuan had been anyone else, she would have already been intimidated by them.

    It was a pity that the person they were up against today was their Lady. As such, they would not be able to get anything off Mo Xuetong.

    Concubine Lian felt upset when she heard what Concubine Ming said. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as if they were free of charge. She wiped her tears and said helplessly, ¡°My Lady, my sisters are right. It is normal for you to want to save a little on the expenditure since you¡¯re starting to take charge of the back courtyard. However, I have always been poor in health. If His Highness had not worried about my health and allowed me to take ginseng and other expensive herbs, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see you today. These... these are all expensive things. If My Lady, My Lady really wants to give us an allowance of a bed servant, I, I...¡±

    She could not continue any longer and started to sob.

    She meant that if Mo Xuetong gave her the monthly allowance of a bed servant, she would have no money to treat her illness. The only path forward for her would be death.

    Mo Lan, who was standing behind Mo Xuetong, could not help but frown. She thought to herself that these concubines were all too ambitious. They were all deliberately trying to cause trouble. If they embarrassed Consort Xuan today, they would be able to bargain in the future. Furthermore, if they all wailed and cried and threatened to kill themselves, Her Ladyship would not be able to get anything done.

    Mo Xuetong picked up a porcin teacup. She stroked away the froth on the surface of the liquid with the cap of the cup as if she had not heard anything the concubines had said. She took a slow sip and then put the cup down. Once the concubines were done speaking, the parlor fell eerily quiet. Then, Mo Xuetong smiled and looked at the concubines. She said, ¡°What if I insist? Are you all going to rebel?¡±

    This sounded very serious and Mo Xuetong was even trying to oppress the other women with her position. In just a statement, she managed to impress this upon them. She was Consort Xuan and she wanted to do this. What could they do?

    The concubines who had spoken the loudest earlier immediately paled. Then, they flushed and looked at Mo Xuetong in shock. They did not understand why Mo Xuetong had suddenly be so hostile when she had been so easy-going earlier. Was she a shrewd person? But she didn¡¯t look like it. That elegant and beautiful face of hers made her look more like a fairy who did not care about matters of the mortal world. However, how did she know how to y the game?

    Then, Mo Xuetong continued, ¡°Even though I am young, I know the rules of the King¡¯s Manor. Makeup and essories are all allocated based on one¡¯s rank. You all don¡¯t need to spend money on that. The clothes will be made every season by the manor. After I take charge of the back courtyard, I will not mistreat you all. How is five taels of silver insufficient for you?¡±

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was considered to be generous by giving a bed servant five taels of silver. Some official concubines from other families would only get this much.

    Concubine Yun and a few others paled when they heard that. They were speechless.

    ¡°As for Concubine Lian, you do not have to worry. I have already asked the manor¡¯s physician and he said that it is because your health had been poor since childhood. You just have to be a little more careful. You should not take too much medicine or herbs as they will be bad for you. Medicine is still poison in the end and you will fall ill even if you are not if you consume them. Concubine Lian should take less of these herbs.¡±

    Concubine Lian¡¯s health was not much of an issue. She just pretended to be sickly to vie for attention. She just wanted Feng Yuran to be good to her. Now that Mo Xuetong had revealed that, she did not dare to say anything else. Instead, she just did her best to start coughing, pretending to be ill to show how ill she was.

    She secretly nced at a person in the corner, hinting that the person coulde out now. If that person did not step out, they would not be able to stop Consort Xuan.

    A cold harrumph came from the corner. ¡°My Lady, your eldest legitimate sister is an educated and elegant person. She is kind and gentle and is sincere to all. She is also a famous talented woman of the capital. She is considered to be a famous youngdy. Why are youpletely different from First Miss Mo? You are so harsh on us. I am the legitimate daughter of a duke; am I not worthy of being a consort?¡±

    A young woman emerged from behind the other concubines. She was elegant and beautiful. There was a hint of arrogance on her face and one could tell by just a look that she was not from an ordinary family. She was Concubine Qin whom Feng Yuran had gotten when he made trouble outside the manor back then. Mo Xuetong immediately knew where she was from.

    Speaking of this Concubine Qin, she was Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter. No matter in terms of status or rank, she was much nobler than Mo Xuetong. She was nobility and her status and rank were both very high. It was said that Concubine Qin was beautiful and quite a schr. She used to be close friends with the Fifth Princess and could be said to be a darling of God.

    This woman had mocked Feng Yuran brashly at a banquet. The young and haughty Feng Yuran had thrown the girl into ake in a fit of anger. Then, he pulled her to shore after she was frightened to death. It might have been because she was soaked in theke for quite some time. The coat was torn off by Feng Yuran just like that.

    More than one person had witnessed that. Emperor Zongwen gave Feng Yuran a dressing down and then allowed Duke Wanping to send Concubine Qin to Feng Yuran¡¯s King Xuan¡¯s Manor in a little sedan chair. The concubines in the manor were all unofficial and they were told that the concubines would be given official titles once there was a legal consort in the manor.

 Chapter 474 - Tianfeng Palace, Ling Ruier Becomes a Concubine

    <h4>Chapter 474 Tianfeng Pce, Ling Rui¡¯er Bes a Concubine</h4>

    As such, Concubine Qin stood by the sidelines and watched as Mo Xuetong spoke earlier. She watched with a mocking smile on her lips as Mo Xuetong bickered with the other concubines. When she saw that the other concubines had failed, she could not hold it back any longer and interrupted. She did not address herself as a concubine. Instead, she ced herself on the same rank as Mo Xuetong. To her, Mo Xuetong was just an immaturess she did not really care much about.

    So this was the person Mo Xuetong had to fight!

    ¡°Eldest legal sister?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. However, there was a hint of ridicule in her eyes. ¡°Who is this person Concubine Qin is speaking of? Are you on good terms with her?¡±

    ¡°I used to be very good friends with your eldest legal sister. We were like sisters. However, I have not seen her since I entered the King¡¯s Manor. I don¡¯t know which family she married into. Given First Miss Mo¡¯s character, the back courtyard of the family she married into will be very harmonious.¡±

    She was implying that Mo Xuetong had caused trouble in the back courtyard once she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She had first imprisoned everyone and then tried to impress everyone with her importance. She was extremely ungracious. How would she be able to manage the back courtyard of a King¡¯s Manor and how would she be able to control them?

    ¡°I do not have a legal eldest sister.¡± Mo Xuetong was not angry. Her eyes curved and she smiled sweetly.

    ¡°My Lady, have you lost your memory? Is First Miss Mo, Mo Xuemin, not your elder sister? It is indeed stressful to have such an outstanding elder sister. My Lady, you lived in Cloud City and must not have felt that.¡± Concubine Qin grew even prouder of herself. She looked at Mo Xuetong from the corners of her eyes disdainfully.

    Mo Xuetong thought. ¡°Concubine Qin thinks too highly of herself.¡± A hint of ridicule shed in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh, I understand now. The person Concubine Qin and you all interacted with is my elder concubine-born sister. I wonder what¡¯s there to be proud of, hanging out with a concubine-born girl? All of you think so highly of my concubine-born elder sister. I didn¡¯t know she¡¯s so capable.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, pretending to have understood the situation. However, everyone could see the mocking smile on the corners of her lips.

    They all praised the concubine-born girl as if she were a legitimate daughter and had said how intelligent, gentle, and gracious she was again and again. They were even proud to be her friends and thought they were better than Mo Xuetong because of that. They all brought out Mo Xuemin¡¯s name as if it was worth something. To think of, a concubine-born girl pretending to be a legitimate daughter was not a good person. Furthermore, Mo Xuemin did not exin even when others misunderstood.

    And they all did not know that Mo Xuemin was a concubine-born daughter of the Mo family after interacting with her for so long. They even dared to be close friends with her. They also imed to other people that Mo Xuemin was the legitimate eldest daughter. What were they if not stupid!

    Given how proud and haughty Concubine Qin was, she immediately flushed bright red. Her lips trembled but she was too embarrassed to say anything.

    The other women who mentioned Mo Xuemin earlier all lowered their heads. They had wanted to use Mo Xuemin to oppress Mo Xuetong. However, they did not expect that Mo Xuemin was a liar and had pretended to be someone she wasn¡¯t. They did not dare to bring up the matter anymore. The women nced at each other and did not know what to say.

    Mo Xuetong spokezily when she saw the women looking at their feet and not saying anything. ¡°Since you have all agreed, then it shall be done like this. Don¡¯t me me for being ruthless if anything happens in the future. Nanny Chen will tell you all the rules of the King¡¯s Manor. I am a little tired.¡±

    Then, Mo Xuetong stood up with the help of Mo Lan and walked away slowly. The concubines watched her leave withplicated looks in their eyes. Mo Xuetong had exemplified the dignity of a legal consort.

    The women behind Mo Xuetong gritted their teeth hatefully but could do nothing about her. Only Concubine Qin, who appeared at the end, looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s back thoughtfully. A vicious glint shed in her eyes!

    It was in the Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce.

    The people entering and leaving the pce grew more careful. Nobody dared to say anything or make any noise.

    The pce maids and eunuchs stood by the sides, shaking and trembling fearfully.

    All was silent in the pce. Even the Empress¡¯s personal lead pce maid, Yan Miao, was waiting outside. The zing hot sun shone on the girl¡¯s body and head. Sweat dripped from her face but she did not dare to lift her head and wipe off her sweat.

    After a while, they seemed to be able to hear the Emperor saying something. Then, there was a shockingly loud cry. It was a cry that tore at one¡¯s heart and was so loud it could shatter eardrums.

    Then, the doors of the pce opened. A crowd of servants followed the furious Emperor out of Tianfeng Pce.

    The pce maids and eunuchs waiting outside the pce cowered on the ground. Sweat beaded and rolled down their faces. The Emperor was angry and if they were not careful, their heads would roll. No one dared to draw attention to themselves.

    When the Emperor was further away, Yan Miao stood up, leading everyone else to do the same. She secretly wiped the sweat off her face, picked up her skirts, and entered the pce.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was lying on the floor of the pce, crying. The sunburn on her face was not serious and had already abated a little. However, the scratch marks on her face were slightly more obvious. However, they were passable under a thickyer of makeup. But right now, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s tears and snot covered her face, and not even the most beautiful woman would look good like that.

    Furthermore, Ling Rui¡¯er looked like that now. To others, she was ugly and ungracious,pletely unlike how Consort Chu should look like. Of course, Ling Rui¡¯er was no longer Consort Chu. Earlier, the Emperor had demoted her to the lowest ranking concubine. She was just a regr concubine of King Chu¡¯s Manor and was not even a noble consort.

    Yan Miao did not find Ling Rui¡¯er pitiful. She deserved it. In the pce, even favored concubines were careful in everything she did. Ling Rui¡¯er had no right to put on airs in the Empress¡¯s pce. Furthermore, she had treated the imperial physicians rudely. Once, she even trashed an imperial physician¡¯s medicinal box. The box contained medicine tailored for the Emperor and the medicine was ruined by Ling Rui¡¯er.

    She was stupid. She was truly stupid!

    The Empress consoled Ling Rui¡¯er and wiped Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face with a handkerchief. Sheforted Ling Rui¡¯er warmly. ¡°Rui¡¯er, what did I tell you? You must not act rashly. Why didn¡¯t you listen to me? This is the pce, not the Ding General Manor. If anything happens, I can¡¯t protect you. In the past, the Emperor would listen to me just a little, but now...¡±

    The Empress did not finish her sentence. However, in a rare show of intelligence, Ling Rui¡¯er understood what the Empress was saying. She took the handkerchief and wiped her tears while saying, ¡°Aunt, Your Majesty, I was ignorant and stupid and I have gotten you into trouble. When I return to the manor, I will definitely let my uncles know so that they will help you.¡±

    The Empress was gradually losing power. This was mostly because of the internal struggles between the Empress and the Empress Dowager. They were both daughters of the Ding General Manor and both held the two highest positions granted to women in the Qin Kingdom. None of them would give in to the other. As such, the Ding General Manor spread out their support between the two most noble women. Their power was thus weakened. After that, they had pinned all their hopes on Ling Rui¡¯er and their support for the Empress began to wane.

    When she had lost the support of her maternal family and again lost in the many struggles with the Empress Dowager, coupled with the fall of King Yan, Feng Yulei, the Empress¡¯s influence weakened.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in saying this now. Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. King Chu likes you very much. He will definitely plead with His Majesty on your behalf when he returns. He is favored by His Majesty recently and is the only prince His Majesty supports; he will be more convincing than me. As long as he protects you, you will return to being Consort Chu.¡±

    There was a gentle smile on the Empress¡¯s face as sheforted Ling Rui¡¯er wholeheartedly. She looked as if she hadpletely given up on Feng Yulei and was no longer concerned with that matter. Yan Miao, who was standing by the side, immediately went up to help Ling Rui¡¯er from the floor and into a chair.

    ¡°Aunt, really? Will His Highness¡¯ words be of help?¡± The Empress¡¯s words had made Ling Rui¡¯er stop crying. Her eyes brightened as she held the Empress¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Of course what King Chu says will be useful. Think about it, Rui¡¯er, the prince His Majesty thinks most highly off now is King Chu. King Yan and King Xuan made His Majesty angry earlier and are both locked up in their manors. They¡¯re not allowed to leave. Only King Chu is patrolling for His Majesty. This means that His Majesty thinks highly of King Chu. Rui¡¯er, King Chu adores you, so the difficulty you face right now is just temporary.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er nodded forcefully when she heard that. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and felt that what the Empress said made sense. She was the woman Feng Yuxuan loved. Even though she had treated his Second Consort viciously, he had not said anything. Instead, he had been good and kind to her wholeheartedly.

    Andst time, even though the rumors about her were really bad, saying that she had an affair, His Highness had consoled her. He had also gone to her chambers in the days that followed. He spoke to her gently, saying that he believed in her and that everything would be alright. He told her that there must be someone who had framed her and that she was innocent. He said he would find out who framed her and seek justice for her.

    This time, he definitely would also...

    As if she were grasping at thest straw in the water, Ling Rui¡¯er came back to her senses. She no longer behaved listlessly. She told herself, again and again, how much Feng Yuxuan liked her and that he would definitely save her.

    ¡°Aunt, Your Majesty, when will His Highness return?¡± There was another problem that Ling Rui¡¯er was facing. She remembered that Feng Yuxuan did not mention how many days he would be gone for. He only said that it depended on the situation. There was no fixed date for his return. What should she do!

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I will send someone to inform King Chu. It will not take long.¡± There was a hint of ridicule in the Empress¡¯s eyes when she saw the happy smile on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face. She gestured to Yan Miao and Yan Miao left. She returned soon after with some ink, a brush, and paper.

    Ling Rui¡¯er looked at the items in confusion. Then, she looked at the Empress.

    ¡°Ling¡¯er, you and King Chu are deeply in love. There are some things you¡¯d better write yourself. I will just help you to send the letter. I can¡¯t disturb the two of you talking about things, can I?¡± The Empress smiled and teased Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Ling Rui¡¯er flushed when she heard that. However, she felt sickly sweet inside. She immediately sat up obediently and took the brush from Yan Miao. She said gratefully to the Empress, ¡°Many thanks, Aunt, Your Majesty. If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do. I will never forget how good you are to me. Rui¡¯er and His Highness will definitely repay Aunt for this.¡±

    This was not just a simple thanks but also included a promise. However, there was also a sense of smugness in her words. Ling Rui¡¯er sounded as if she would be able to help the Empress in the future. There was a dark, unhappy glint that shed in the Empress¡¯s eyes. However, she hid it behind her smile.

 Chapter 475 - Love Blossoms During a Medicinal Bath in the Hot springs

    <h4>Chapter 475 Love Blossoms During a Medicinal Bath in the Hot springs</h4>

    ¡°Rui¡¯er just has to quickly give birth to King Chu¡¯s eldest legal son. That will be the best repayment you can give me.¡± The Empress teased warmly.

    ¡°Aunt...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er stomped her feet shyly, causing the Empress tough warmly. The Empress smiled and teased Ling Rui¡¯er, ¡°Lass, what¡¯s there to be shy about? You can only capture a man¡¯s heart once you have his legitimate son. Write your letter here. I still have to visit Her Majesty. She mentioned you yesterday.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er and the Empress Dowager did not get along ever since what happened thest time. The smile slid off Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face and she asked unhappily, ¡°Her Majesty? What did she say about me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. We are all daughters of the Ding General Manor. She naturally wants to find out what happened. Rui¡¯er, promise me. If Her Majesty looks for you these few days, you have to be sensible and not argue with her. She is after all, older than you. Her Majesty has been having a hard time recently. King Ning... She¡¯s old now and should enjoy her life.¡± The Empressughed as if she truly cared for Ling Rui¡¯er. However, she also managed to make Ling Rui¡¯er feel that the Empress was going to make things difficult for her. As such, Ling Rui¡¯er found it hard to be happy.

    ¡°It will be peaceful if Her Majesty just wants to enjoy her life. Aunt, I think you should be more careful. It is difficult to find out what Her Majesty is thinking. She might not do things in favor of the Ding General Manor.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said meanly when she heard that the Empress Dowager might look her up. She did not want to see the Empress Dowager and felt upset when she thought of how the Empress Dowager did not like her either.

    The Empress Dowager could not help but turn nasty when she heard how presumptuous Ling Rui¡¯er was.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± The Empress¡¯s gaze turned cold as she whispered angrily. ¡°This is the royal pce and Her Majesty is the noblest person here. How could you say something like that here? If she finds out about it, you¡¯re going to die!¡±

    Even though the Empress sounded angry, she was not sharp or fierce about it. It was obvious that she was warning Ling Rui¡¯er.

    ¡°I, Aunt...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was startled when she heard that. She was not willing to ept that and wanted to argue. However, the Empress interrupted her again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. I will go to see Her Majesty. Write your letter here and pass it to Yan Miaoter.¡± The Empress¡¯s expression darkened. She walked to the door without saying anything else.

    Behind her, Ling Rui¡¯er pouted. However, she knew that they were in the pce and they must not infuriate the Empress Dowager. If she did, she would be on the losing end. She and the Empress Dowager truly did not get along. She did not know why the old woman wanted to fight for power and not just stay in the pce happily in the golden years. She just had to eat and drink. Why was she causing so much trouble?

    The Empress Dowager kept doing things in secret with the old men in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s family. She did not know what they were up to. They even punished Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s uncle for what she did. Ling Rui¡¯er had just used something from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce to frame Mo Xuetong! They were all daughters from the Ding General Manor. Why did the Empress Dowager have to make things difficult for her!

    The Empress, her aunt, was still nicer. She treated Ling Rui¡¯er wholeheartedly! When Feng Yuxuan became the Emperor and she became the Empress, she would make the Empress the Empress Dowager. She would ignore that old biddy, the Empress Dowager, no matter how much she begged her. Ling Rui¡¯er could not help butugh out loud when she thought of that.

    Yan Miao, who was standing by the side, nced at Ling Rui¡¯er. She felt that Ling Rui¡¯er was truly stupid!

    She was the Empress¡¯s personal lead pce maid and naturally knew what the Empress was up to. She hid her thoughts and smiled as she helped Ling Rui¡¯er to spread open a sheet of paper. Then, she backed away and stood far away. This respectful behavior pleased Ling Rui¡¯er, and she looked like a cat who caught the canary.

    After settling down, Ling Rui¡¯er thought for a moment before starting her letter to Feng Yuxuan. When she wrote the letter, she naturally made it seem as if everything had been caused by others. She was the most aggrieved. First, it was Mo Yarui¡¯s father who did not observe the rules and had charged into the manor to take Mo Yarui away. Then, he colluded with Mo Yarui toin to the Emperor.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was then punished. She knelt outside and was sunburnt. The imperial physicians did not do their best to treat her. She had been feeling extremely worried and angry and identally smashed the medicinal box of an imperial physician. The Emperor heard some bad things about her and had taken her position away from her. That was why she needed Feng Yuxuan toe and plead with the Emperor on her behalf.

    Of course, she also mentioned her love for Feng Yuxuan in her letter.

    Even she was touched by the letter she wrote. She felt that it was extremely touching and thoughtful.

    Yan Miao took the letter away. She nced at it in secret before putting it in an envelope and sealing it. When the Empress returned from the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce, she secretly reported it to the Empress. The Empress nodded and did not say anything else. Yan Miao sent someone out with the letter. Feng Yuxuan was in a camp right outside the city. They just had to send the letter there.

    This was considered a secret blow that the Empress was dealing to Feng Yuxuan. She wanted to force Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand. If Feng Yuxuan was still thinking of getting the Ding General Manor¡¯s support, then he had to deal with Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s situation. Otherwise, the people of the Ding General Manor would grow suspicious. If Feng Yuxuan wanted to drag the Ding General Manor to war with him, then he had to pay the price for it.

    The Empress did not expect that the letter did not reach Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hands at all. When the letter was delivered to the camp, they realized that Feng Yuxuan had made the patrol this time very formal. They could not deliver the letter to the camp. The eunuch wanted to enter the camp using the Empress¡¯s order. However, he was made to leave and the sergeant raised the matter to the Emperor.

    Not only was the Empress reprimanded, but Ling Rui¡¯er was also made to return to the Ding General Manor. She was to return to King Chu¡¯s Manor when King Chu left the camp.

    The Empress¡¯s n failed and Ling Rui¡¯er was sent back to the Ding General Manor, crying and sobbing.

    While the Empress and King Chu fought, Mo Xuetong was having an easy time.

    Feng Yuran finally brought Mo Xuetong to the ce where he was busying himself withtely. He had hacked through the walls between their courtyard and the neighboring one. There, he built a spacious pool. Autumn wasing but it was still very hot. They had to wear lighter clothing. There was a slight autumn breeze at night so it wasn¡¯t that hot.

    Feng Yuran led Mo Xuetong from their room to the garden through a side door.

    They saw a green-stone path outside the door that winded around pine trees. The trees were at their most verdant and they could smell the fresh greenery as they walked between the trees. This courtyard was different from others. One would know that they were in the courtyard of the manor¡¯s masters at one look for it was filled with the vitality of a man.

    It was very quiet inside. They could hear the birds in the trees chirping from time to time. It was peaceful in the quietness.

    They walked around a courtyard and saw the house that Feng Yuran built for her.

    They walked up to therge house and pushed the doors open. They were greeted by a st of hot air. There was a sulphuric smell in the heated air. It was from the man-made hot springs. Even though it was warm in herepared to the cruel heat outside. However, the heat that could make someone sweat was different from dry heat.

    The boiling hot air was tinged with freshness. It was very soothing.

    While Feng Yuran directed the maids outside to bring in the things they prepared, Mo Xuetong removed her shoes and socks. She sat on the white steps of the pool and soaked her feet in it. She kicked her feet, which were as pale as white jade, causing water to ssh up. The water droplets were like shattered pieces of jade.

    She leaned against the railing and began to y.

    She suddenly heard a voiceing from the entrance and turned around to see Feng Yuran entering. He looked at her pale and wless feet with a smile. Mo Xuetong suddenly felt shy and wanted to stand up. However, her feet were wet and smooth, which made her slip.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± Feng Yuran uttered softly. He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong and pulled her into his embrace. He stepped away from the white jade stairs, holding her closely to him.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take off your clothes for a bath but are ying in the pool with your clothes on? You¡¯re so naughty.¡± Feng Yuran reached out to pinch her straight nose, teasing her. Her clear and lively eyes were as wide as saucers because of the shock she received earlier. She was still a little flustered and looked very pitiful.

    Mo Xuetong flushed when she saw Feng Yuran¡¯s smiling eyes and charming smile. His handsome face was a little flushed because of the steam from the warm water. She tugged on his shirt and said shyly, ¡°I¡¯m not bathing.¡±

    ¡°Are you waiting for me to bathe together? Why are you in such a hurry to pull off my others. You¡¯ve got to wait for me to take a breather.¡± Feng Yuran lowered his head. He saw that there were a few beads of water on her cherry-red lips. It made her seem even more loveable. He did not wait for her to reply. Instead, he reached out to take Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin, leaned down, and ced a kiss on those red lips.

    Mo Xuetong was not ready for it and was shocked. She reached out to push Feng Yuran away. However, he pulled her down with her and the two fell onto the jade seat. It was rather cold but soft and smooth. The faint coolness prated their clothes and body, forming a stark contrast from the heat outside. Their waists and back that were touching the seat felt veryfortable.

    They were not touching much, but their current predicament made Mo Xuetong feel shy. The heated air caused their clothes to stick to their bodies, showing their every curve. As such, Mo Xuetongined coyly, ¡°Yuran, it hurts.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll be fine in a while. Don¡¯t move.¡± Feng Yuran panted softly. She could hear him controlling his impulses and her face flushed even more so. While he burrowed his head in her neck, she closed her eyes and curled up in his embrace, pretending not to know anything. Her innocent face was so very red, inadvertently revealing her charms and wiles.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong to him tightly. He closed his handsome almond-shaped eyes while mumbling, ¡°You really are a charming seductress!¡± His voice was filled with his love and affection for her. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart beat wildly when she heard that and rubbed her head against his chest. However, she did not dare to do much to excite him any further.

    ¡°Did you build this for me?¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently when she heard his breathing grow steady.

    Feng Yuran pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head. ¡°This jade stone and warm water can help you to dispel the medicine in your body faster. It can also help the medicine to work through your body faster so that it will be at its most effective. Come soak here every afternoon and then take a nap. The effect will be better then.¡±

    His voice was just aszy as before but there was a hint of happiness in it.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s vision was a little blurry as tears fogged up her eyes. Feng Yuran had never shown how he felt to others. Outsiders only saw his behavior but not his heart. However, right now, Mo Xuetong could clearly see his heart.

    Given his character, she could tell that he was truly happy. He had disyed joy because of such a small matter, showing that he truly cared about her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter. Do you not like it?¡± Feng Yuran paused when he sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s silence. He reached out, wanting to lift her head.

    Mo Xuetong sniffled. Gentleness and joy appeared in her eyes. She allowed him to lift her head and reached out to hug Feng Yuran tightly. ¡°No, I like everything that you do.¡±

    In both her past life and this, his love for her touched her the most.

    ¡°Do you really like all of them?¡± Feng Yuran suddenly smiled devilishly and asked her teasingly once more. His handsome face was slightly blurred because of the mist, making him appear slightly more charming than usual. His lips were bright red and Mo Xuetong flushed when she looked at him. Her heart beat wildly. A man who looked this handsome and charming was trouble indeed.

    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡± Mo Xuetong said shyly. She nced at him from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°How am I annoying? You just said that you liked it. Tong¡¯er is so difficult to please. This isn¡¯t right, and neither is that. What shall I, your husband, do?¡± Feng Yuran teased with azy smile. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips softly.

    Mo Xuetong punched his chest softly. However, given her strength, it was as good as a tickle to Feng Yuran. It did not hurt him at all. He managed to catch her little hands and press another kiss to her lips.

    ¡°The medicine won¡¯t work so quickly.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not struggle this time. She hugged Feng Yuran tightly as if she wanted to press his entire being into her. She knew that the poison in her body was not being removed. Feng Yuran probably did not have the antidote. If the antidote could be found so easily, her mother would not have died. From what Nanny Ming told her, Mo Xuetong guessed that the antidote would not be found so easily.

 Chapter 476 - The Two Concubines Scheme, A Secret Meet in the Jinwei Pavilion

    <h4>Chapter 476 The Two Concubines¡¯ Scheme, A Secret Meet in the Jinwei Pavilion</h4>

    A trace of gloom and fierceness shed in Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome eyes, but soon turned into tenderness. His slender fingers stroked Mo Xuetong¡¯s ck hair, untied her hair bun, and caressed her silky hair, and he said in a soft voice. ¡°You¡¯re talking something strange to me again. It¡¯s alright. Doesn¡¯t Tong¡¯er believe me?¡±

    Concealing the cruelty in his eyes, he was more like a fierce beast protecting his cub at this moment.

    In any case, he would find the antidote to save Tong¡¯er.

    Mo Xuetong said softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er definitely believes you.¡± She patted his tight back and soothed him. At that moment, he still kept a straight face, but in fact, he was furious already.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now, thanks to your medicine. Rest assured, your medicine is effective, otherwise, I can¡¯t be so well now. Rest assured, I will be fine. The toxin will be detoxified little by little. You might forget that I also know something about medical skills.¡±

    It was the first time that Mo Xuetong had unreservedly expressed her views on the poison inside her body to Feng Yuran. Some words had been hidden in his heart, because it would link to her mother, Luo Xia, when she mentioned it, which would bring inexpressible sorrow and agony, or something else to her. Mo Xuetong could not tell what the thing was indeed, so she had to subconsciously bury everything about Luo Xia.

    But now, seeing the brutality hidden in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, Mo Xuetong felt her heart ached suddenly...

    If she escaped again, he would be more suspicious. Wasn¡¯t it easier for two persons to face it than one?

    ¡°It¡¯s good that it works. The bath pool is modeled on hot spring, but it is not natural. After some days, we will go to the secondary courtyard where the hot spring is more effective.¡± Feng Yuran said in a conciliatory tone, and looked at Mo Xuetong quietly. Seeing her smiling brightly and calmly, but not perfunctorily, he felt a bit relieved finally.

    That medicine might not be the real antidote, but still worked definitely.

    He patted her head, sensed her warmth, and took a long breath out. He made up his mind again that he would find an antidote for Tong¡¯er at any price.

    Mo Xuetong felt her heart melted, gave Feng Yuran a nudge, and took a long breath, and she said prettily, ¡°Come out. I¡¯m going to take a bath, and it¡¯s hot here.¡±

    After saying the words, she shook her hand like a fan. Since the hot spring was prepared for her, there must be a certain amount of Chinese medicine in it. As she breathed, she could smell some medicine, each of which was precious for her, but was not the same case for Feng Yuran.

    All the medicine was poisonous, to some extent. So a healthy person should stay away from the herbs.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is so anxious to take a bath with your husband. Fine, I am anxious to be with you.¡± Seeing she was in a good mood, Feng Yuran was relieved inwardly, and his lips curled up slightly. He put down Mo Xuetong and stood up, about to undress. With a flirtatious nce at Mo Xuetong, Feng Yuran acted like a yboy, and even arched his eyebrows at her. Bathed in the vapor, he looked more distinguished and charming.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but let out a sigh that being too handsome was a sin for a man. This kind of man was born to seduce women. How could a man have such good looks?

    She raised her pink and attractive slightly, and pushed him hard to the side. She flushed, pretended to be angry, and said, ¡°Please leave here quickly. If you continue to say, I will not take the bath.¡±

    If he still stayed here, she could not control herself but came to fondle his face.

    Seeing that she was deliberately pretending to be angry to conceal her bashfulness, and ring at him with feigned calmness, Feng Yuran could not helpughing. His Tong¡¯er only behaved like a pretty woman in front of him, which satisfied him a lot.

    Knowing that she would turn angry from shame if he went on saying, he simply stopped, reached over to give a kiss on her sweet lips, and left with augh before Mo Xuetong got angry.

    Feng Yuran strode out, and the smile on his face faded away slowly and was reced by an austere, terrifying look. His eyes narrowed coldly with his eyebrows raising. Compared to hismon charming expression, he looked more ferocious with a forbidding killing intent, which shocked Feng Yue who was following him to simply bend down, step back and pretend to be dumb.

    However, Feng Yuran stopped walking and stood still suddenly, and Feng Yue narrowly reacted to his abrupt movement and almost hit him.

    Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows and regained calmness in his eyes. He said with a mocking sneer, ¡°When the days pass, ask the guards not to keep a close eye on the backyard. I heard that a few yboys usually passed through my backyard.¡±

    Startled, Feng Yue grumbled unbelievably after a long while, ¡°Your Highness, if the vignce in the backyard is ckened, then everyone is able toe in... As for those yboys, I asked people to beat themst time, so that they didn¡¯t dare to hang around the manor. Now if...¡±

    Feng Yuranughed and seemed to be in a good mood. His eyes glittered, and he said smilingly, ¡°Feng Yue, you¡¯re so boring. Just a few of my friends of like mind wanted to sneak into the manor to see my collection. It¡¯s not a big deal. I am not a stingy man. There are various kinds of women in the backyard, each of whom is attractive in her own way. Why not let them have a look?¡±

    Not a stingy man?

    Feng Yue pouted secretly and thought, there would not be a stingy man in the world, if His Highness was not counted. In the past, when His Highness privately met Her Highness, Feng Yue just took a few more nces, and His Highness looked surly and even made things hard for him. But thanks to Feng Yue¡¯s cleverness and sharp observation, he came to realize the truth in time, and every time he saw Her Highness, he would lower his head, otherwise, he must lead a difficult life now.

    Of course, Feng Yue would not tell it directly to Feng Yuran, because it was equal to courting death. The king held his consort in extremely high regard in his mind.

    Unwilling to guess in that respect, Feng Yue asked prosaically, ¡°Then... Your Highness, you mean?¡±

    ¡°I meant nothing, and just feel the backyard is so spiritless and the group of women are lonely, aren¡¯t they? Anyway, the yards they are living in are so big and close to the back door, which provides facility toe in and go out. And it is separated by a door from Tong¡¯er¡¯s real backyard. Be on guard there more strictly, and do not allow anyone toe to Tong¡¯er¡¯s backyard willfully.¡±

    Feng Yuran said leisurely. Now, he was in good humor. As the wind blew hisrge sleeves, he stood straight in the wind with fluttering sleeves, plus his handsome look, which was rather alluring. But Feng Yue just had a dry mouth, feeling weak and chilly. He could not help but sigh inwardly that His Highness was too partial to the extreme.

    ¡°Yes, I will do it.¡±

    Feng Yuran nodded his head and said unconcernedly with a soft smile at the corner of his mouth that even he did not notice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it and leave it to Wang Fu. Ask him to make good arrangements and don¡¯t make any rash action. When Her Highness casts a bone well in the backyard, deals with those standing out, and when she ys enough, deal with the rest and don¡¯t mess up Her Highness¡¯ n.¡± Then, Feng Yuran strode out.

    y enough?

    Feng Yue felt chillier, and ran to keep up with his master.

    ¡°Your Highness, the prince of Southern Barbarian Lands asks to see Your Highness privately.¡±

    Feng Yuran put his hands behind his back and smile slightly, ¡°I have been grounded by His Majesty these days, so I am powerless to render any help to that crown prince.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I see.¡± Feng Yue certainly understood that Feng Yuran wanted to leave out the Crown Prince of Southern Barbarian Lands. On the other hand, Feng Yuran also needed time to integrate and contemte more carefully the information from the Southern Barbarian Lands, so Feng Yue took the hind and nodded understandingly.

    After taking a bath, Mo Xuetong went back to her yard to take a nap and awoke feeling rested and refreshed. But she just got up for a while, and she heard a noise from outside. Mo Xuetong took a look at Mo Lan who seemed to be deaf to the noise, and then cupped around the iced watermelon juice and took a sip.

    Mo Lan waited for Mo Xuetong finished drinking, took the cdon flower bowl, and said to Mo Xuetong in a soft voice, ¡°My Lady, Concubine Yun is here. She said Concubine Lian was ill and wanted to find a doctor outside. But the manor¡¯s door was closed, so they could not go out. Concubine Yun hurriedly came to see you, hoping you to help them find a doctor.¡±

    It was an excuse to find a doctor, but the truth to feel out Mo Xuetong.

    Since the front gate of the manor was closed, the guards for the concubines in the back yard becamex. Although Mo Xuetong did not ask them to pay respects, she did not ban them toe, either. So the concubine¡¯sing showed that they couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    But what did they want to feel out? Mo Xuetong was silent and curved her lips coldly. Of course, she did not think that these concubines were in a good rtionship.

    Something seemed to ur to her, and she frowned slightly and asked suddenly, ¡°Where is His Highness?¡±

    ¡°His Highness said he went to the front to read books, And then, Steward Wang said in order not to disturb your rest, His Highness came to the Jinwei Pavilion to take a nap. You wake up early, and His Highness may still take a nap now.¡± Mo Lan answered after thinking, but she seemed to remember something. Her face turned pale with a shock shing in her eyes.

    Mo Xuetong asked softly, ¡°How long has Concubine Yun been here?¡±

    ¡°Concubine Yun has been here for a while, at least an hour. She was messing outside, crying and shouting to see you. Mo Lan told her that you¡¯re taking a nap, and she had to lower her voice.¡± Mo Yu also understood the situation, looked at Mo Lan, and said discontentedly, ¡°Just now, I wanted to drive her away, but Mo Yu said it was not proper. No matter what, Concubine Yun is His Highness¡¯ person.¡±

    After finishing words, Mo Yu tidied up the stuff on the table angrily andined for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Lan said hesitantly, ¡°My Lady, would you want to go to the Jinwei Pavilion?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes narrowed slightly, and then, she said calmly, ¡°No.¡±

    Concubine Yu came an hour ago. So during the time, something would have happened if it would. But Mo Xuetong would rather believe that Feng Yuran was sincere to her, and would rather believe that Feng Yuran would not treat her like that.

    Thinking as she was, she seemed to see everything in Jinwei Pavilion, where Feng Yuran was talking and smiling with another woman. The thought made Mo Xuetong heart-struck and angry.

    Seeing the sudden change on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, Mo Yu put down the stuff in her hands, hurried to rub Mo Xuetong¡¯s back, and said with anger, ¡°My Lady, what ails you? Do you need to take a rest? I will send people to drive them away. It is rather noisy outside.¡±

 Chapter 477 - Humble, Concubine Qins Worry

    <h4>Chapter 477 Humble, Concubine Qin¡¯s Worry</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s true. My Lady, His Highness loves you so deeply that he will not cheat you. Just rx. The women in the backyard all came to the manor earlier than you. If any of them has an affair with His Highness, she will not wait until now. My Lady, even if you don¡¯t believe those women, don¡¯t you believe in the heart that His Highness gives you?¡±

    Mo Lan was clever and understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughts immediately, so she persuaded to Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear in a low voice.

    Mo Xuetong let out a long breath to exhale the depression in her heart and cleared her mind gradually.

    It¡¯s true. How could she doubt Feng Yuran? He was a person with strong endurance, but never had a tender heart for women. He even overlooked the first beauty, Ling Fengyan, let alone the concubines in the manor. It was not a big deal indeed. Nothing but a concubine came to stall Mo Xuetong, while the other came to seduce Feng Yuran.

    Clearly, nothing would happen. But it still made everyone worried.

    If this matter spread out, Mo Xuetong would beughed without a doubt. Moreover, she was supposed to rectify Feng Yuran¡¯s backyard these days. How could she be defeated by such a trifle?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Perhaps I drank too much iced watermelon juice. I¡¯m fine now. Don¡¯t be flustered. Mo Ye, go to see which concubine went to Jinwei Pavilion. If it is Concubine Lian, or Concubine Ming, just take them here. If it is Concubine Qin, leave her there to see how His Majesty will deal with her.¡±

    Mo Xuetong actually tended to believe that it was Concubine Qin who went there. After all, she had a higher status than any other concubine in the manor. She was the right person to go there. With her proud temperament, she would not behave timidly in front of Feng Yuran, but speak normally to him.

    Mo Xuetong arranged rationally. Her calm expression was totally different from what she was in a panic with red eyes before. Seeing this, Mo Lan finally heaved a sigh of relief.

    It was getting dark outside.

    In Jinwei Pavilion, the guards were on sentry duty in every entrance. When Concubine Qin was allowed toe in, she was first brought to the second floor.

    It was the first time that Concubine Qin hade to Feng Yuran¡¯s bedroom. With merely a nce, she was astounded.

    Asyers of gauze curtains were raised, a super collection of gold and jade porcin, blue-and-white vases with dragon design, and the screen painted with beautiful women could be seen behind the curtains. Although Duke Wanping was also influential and wealthy, the decoration there was totally not at the same level as Feng Yuran¡¯s, which made Concubine Qin get more excited.

    Even though she always held herself aloof from the worldly affairs and looked down on the concubines around her, thinking that they were too inferior to be presentable and eptable, she had to admit this time that the magnificence and wealth in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor were far beyond her family¡¯s. Through the screen, a gauze curtain embroidered with beautiful women, she faintly saw a figure on the grand bed who could make her blush and heart fast by only a nce.

    He still looked like what he was in her memory. On his rare handsome face in the world, his beautifully cut facial features were so striking tobine together, tempting and charming. His lips curled up slightly into a half-smile, and he watched Concubine Qin being brought in front of him.

    He was as noble as a god!

    Just a nce made Concubine Qin¡¯s nervous heart beat more wildly. The face that appeared in her memory day and night showed up really in front of her. It was not a vague and untouchable image. The man was the very one who could match her. How was there any other woman in the world good enough for him?

    He seemed to just get up, his long hair loose casually. After hearing the eunuch¡¯s report, he raised his head a bit and looked at Concubine Qin with a half-smile. He looked intrigued with sarcasm, as if it were the first time that he had seen her.

    His eyes right now were utterly different from what they were in Concubine Qin¡¯s memory!

    A eunuch shouted. ¡°How dare you! Why not kneel down in front of His Highness?¡±

    Frightened by the eunuch, Concubine Qin felt her legs weak involuntarily and knelt down. She bowed her head respectfully with an inexplicable uprush of sorrow in her heart.

    When she had met him for the first time, he was a beautiful boy with attractive eyes and distinguished bearings, while she was also an elegant and talented girl in the capital. If the thing had not happened, she might not havee to this end that she became one of his concubines as those women with humble origins.

    But if not, how could she link to him?

    Her pride was now even despised by herself. Therefore, since she entered the manor, she behaved like a transparent person, and never took the initiative to approach Feng Yuran. She was so aloof and distant, as if getting close to Feng Yuran was an insult to her.

    But now, she suddenly felt cold. In such a hot summer, his distant smile was as strange as if they just met for the first time, and coldness rose from her heart.

    ¡°Let her sit.¡± Feng Yuran shifted his attention back to the bookzily, no longer concerned about Concubine Qin¡¯s presence, which made her feel less pressure and relieved.

    The eunuch brought a flowery small stool. Concubine Qin was surprised to find that the satin was made of exquisite brocade. She had once seen this kind of brocade in her family manor. The imperial consort granted the mother a piece of brocade of its kind, and the mother was too fond of it to put it down and said that the brocade would be her dowry when she got married.

    At that time, other sisters in her family were so envious and said that it expressed good luck, indicating that Concubine Qin would marry into a wealthy family and have the materialforts. But beyond her imagination, the brocade was just used to make amon stool in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Looking at the splendid decoration here, she could not help thinking her own room in the manor, where paints on the furniture had peeled off, and the curtains had been discolored and outmoded. What¡¯s worse, it was unbearably muggy there in summer. In a word, her room was aplete contrast to the room here.

    Concubine Qin hesitated, raised her head, and did not sit down. She said in a pretty manner, ¡°In front of Your Highness, I dare not overstep the line. It is okay to stand.¡±

    She was just a humble concubine without proper status, so how could she have any position in front of Feng Yuran?

    Feng Yuran did not insist politely but said distantly, ¡°Just stand up as you want.¡±

    The little eunuch came and took the stool away. Concubine Qin wanted to make way for him, but blocked it instead. Seeing the eunuching up on the left, she hurried to the right. Unexpectedly, the eunuch had the same idea as her. The two tried to get out of the way, but failed. Then, Concubine simply stood still and could finally give way to the eunuch. Looking at the eunuch¡¯s impatient eyes, Concubine Qin said with an embarrassed look, ¡°Your Highness, please excuse me being out of line.¡±

    Feng Yuran raised his head to look at her and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s okay to be out of line, but not to be out of the calction.¡± His handsome eyes looked rather calm.

    Concubine Qin did not believe that Feng Yuran would speak like this. Although she was ready to be humiliated, she was still stunned at that moment, and immediately her eyes were brimmed with tears. She looked at Feng Yuran tearfully and bitterly, her lips trembling, and felt too heartbroken to say a word.

    ¡°Out with what you want to say. Don¡¯t cause any trouble to disturb everyone. Her Highness is waiting for me for dinnerter.¡±

    Tears rolled down from her eyes to her jade-like face. Delicate and aloof, she took on an aggrieved and touching beautiful image in front of Feng Yuran. Her eyes silently conveyed tenderness and sadness, and just gazed at Feng Yuran dazedly. Everythingy in silence.

    ¡°Nothing to say? Well, if you have nothing to say, just go down. I am about to get up.¡± Feng Yuran put down the book in his hand carelessly and shot a nce at her.

    ¡°Just go down like this?¡± Concubine Qin froze, not knowing what to say at that moment!

    Beforeing here, she thought a lot, believing that as long as she lowered her head, Feng Yuran would treat her differently, otherwise why was she allowed to bring her own maidservant to the manor while the other concubines were assigned the maidservants in the manor? If she had not belittled herself and felt too ashamed to talk to him after entering the manor, and she had not distantly avoided him every time seeing him, how could she have no title or position now?

    How could the woman have the chance to get to the position?

    The position of a king¡¯s consort should be hers clearly!

    In terms of status, she was the eldest legitimate daughter of a duke, far beyond Mo Xuetong. In terms of looks and talents, she was the famous talented woman in the capital, even Ling Fengyan had to swallow the pride to ask for advice. Therefore, with her status, couldn¡¯t she match King Xuan? Why? Why did she have to be a concubine while the woman became King Xuan¡¯s consort?

    How could she reconcile herself to the fact?

    Looking at Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome and gloomy expression, Concubine Qin was filled with mixed emotions, but knew that the opportunity should not be missed... Anyway, she could not afford failure this time.

    Concubine Yun was right. If she couldn¡¯t grasp such an opportunity, she would never have any chance after that.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Concubine Qin knelt down suddenly, lowered her lofty head, knelt over to hug Feng Yuran¡¯s leg, and continued to say, ¡°Your Highness, for the old time¡¯s sake, don¡¯t you forget the poetry meeting where you and I versed in antiphonal style? I am too dull to fawn on others. If I once offended your Highness, please spare me for the sake that I was born in an influential family and it was hard for me to bow my head.¡±

    As she said, she cried pitifully and raised her bright eyes to look at Feng Yuran entreatingly, begging for his tender love. Concubine Qin also disliked how she behaved now. But she had no other way, as she had to survive in the manor. When Mo Xuetong did note to the manor, Concubine Qin still believed that Feng Yuran treated her differently.

    All she needed to do was to bow in homage!

    But she did not yield to it. She was a daughter of a duke and enjoyed high status. Why could Feng Yuran pay no attention to her? Shouldn¡¯t he enter the pce immediately and ask for His Majesty to grant the marriage with her? Shouldn¡¯t he give her an admitted and just status? Why did she have to live with those humble women in the manor to beg for his favor?

    But now things were different. She was itching to get Feng Yuran¡¯s special treatment to her...

    When Feng Yuran came to the capital, he also participated in some poetry meetings where noble gentlemen anddies would take part. And he made his acquaintance with Concubine Qin in a poetry meeting where they versed in antiphonal style.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes finally fell on her. Looking at her, he askedzily, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    So straightforward! But Concubine Qin did not know how to answer the question. Her face blushed suddenly, and she fell into silence.

    Feng Yuran asked frigidly, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s your intention? Why not dutifully be a concubine of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, but run here? Don¡¯t you think I will be cheated by you again as before?¡± His chilly attitude, along with the mocking looks of the two eunuchs, seemed to tell that she was so filthy and shabby.

    Her heart hurt as if being stabbed by a needle. She could not breathe with some trembling panic. She wondered why Feng Yuran asked her that and whether he had known the truth of the matter, or he just mentioned it casually.

    ¡°Your Highness, I... I don¡¯t have any vain hope. I just, just... ¡± She sobbed in a low voice. Her beautiful face carried with the hope and inexplicable affection, and her soft eyes exuded tenderness and love.

    Any man who saw a beautifuldy kneeling in front and crying so miserably would not have the heart to reprimand her.

 Chapter 478 - Depressed, A Concubine was Promoted Newly

    <h4>Chapter 478 Depressed, A Concubine was Promoted Newly</h4>

    ¡°Do you want to stay in my manor?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s cold voice rang above.

    Concubine Qin raised her head suddenly, and met right with the strikingly charming eyes. But she could not see any changes in the ck eyes, and not understand the color in it. His inky eyes set his handsome look off to extreme, and he was still as enchanting as what he used to be in her memory. Such an attractive man should not exist in the world, and no woman could resist his bewitching eyes...

    ¡°Your Highness, I...¡±

    Feng Yuran suddenly gave an evil smile and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go back to your Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor and be the first miss and the talenteddy in the capital?¡±

    Concubine Qin felt her heart beating faster and opened her mouth, unable to say a word. She just felt dark in front of her and clenched her fists to her dress tightly, as if only by doing so could she have the strength to stand there. She had never known that this handsome and enchanting man would be so sharp.

    She felt great miserable, but how could she go back?

    Since she had made the decision, she had no turning back in her life. But pity that she had not straightened out her thinking on the fact, but still held the vain hope that this handsome man in front would take the initiative to admit mistakes to her and love her tenderly. Contrary to her expectation, she had entered the manor for a few months, but she was unable to approach him. Wasn¡¯t it her sorrow? Didn¡¯t she bring trouble to herself?

    ¡°Unfortunately, you have been staying here for so long, and are unable to go out even if you want!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s sigh sounded more like a mockery, which shocked her heart almost to jump out of her chest.

    But did she stay here and spend the rest of her life like that? Being a humble concubine without any title or status? She was unwilling to ept it. How could she be willing? But the most important thing was to seize his heart. As long as she was able to win the man¡¯s heart, she would have chances in the future, and would not be an unknown concubine forever...

    But how about her pride! Even if she loved the man deeply in the heart, she still had her own pride, but what if she was unwilling to put down her pride? Just seeing him leaving further and further away from her? As Concubine Yun said, Concubine Qin still had chances. That¡¯s right. Concubine Qin thought she did have opportunities and would not let the man in front fall to the woman¡¯s arms easily.

    Concubine Qin¡¯s mind was crammed with various thoughts, making her hard to make a decision, but her hands were still holding Feng Yuran¡¯s legs unswervingly, showing no intention to loosen her hands.

    In fact, her heart had made a choice ahead of her, just as what it had been at the beginning!

    ¡°Just let it be,¡± thought Concubine Qin sadly.

    ¡°Now that you have made a choice, why bother to do so now? It was the case, and it is the same now,¡± Feng Yuran gave a cold smile and continued, ¡°since you don¡¯t want to go, just stay.¡±

    The words sounded familiar, just as casual as the sentence that he had said when she entered the manor, ¡°Since you want to enter my manor, then stay!¡±

    Just with a small sedan, she was carried into the gate of King Xuan¡¯s Manor without any ritual that could match her distinguished status as the eldest legitimate daughter, the same as those prostitutes that were said to be brought from the brothel by him. With her position, how could she be convinced to receive the same treatment as those women?

    But now, she found that she could not even express her resistance at all. His eyes were brighter than thentern. Even for a moment, she felt she was transparent in front of him, and he could see through herpletely.

    ¡°I, I... am willing to stay here to serve Your Highness.¡± She knelt down on the ground lowly to cover her burning face.

    Feng Yuran moved his legs to motion for her to loosen her hands. Concubines Qin shrank her hands immediately and saw Feng Yuran stand up, turn around and walk inside. Concubine Qin blushed, looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s back, and said prettily, ¡°Your Highness, let me serve you.¡±

    After speaking, she held the side of the couch and stood up with a red face. Concubine Yun said, no more chances if Concubine Qin did not take the initiative this time. Concubine Qin firmly believed that Feng Yuran was different to her. As long as she took a step back, she would win Feng Yuran¡¯s favor undoubtedly so that she couldpete with Mo Xuetong.

    But out of her expectation, she looked up, only to see the bead curtain swaying in front and the two eunuchs looking at her contemptuously. The simple contempt seemed to tell her that she came from a filthy ce, like those dirty and shameless women. Concubine Qin felt choked, unable to breathe.

    A eunuch came up and said expressionlessly, ¡°Concubine Qin, His Highness said you can have the supper here before going back.¡± He pointed at the small stool put aside and said in an odd way, and his jeering eyes seemed to look at a pile of dirty things...

    It smashed her self-esteem that she had always been proud of. Yes, she could not go back! She could not go back!

    When Concubine Qin was sent back to the backyard where the concubines lived, the eveningnterns were just lit. The concubines in the backyard had already received the message, and they gazed at Concubine Qiing back under the escort of the two eunuchs. The moment they arrived at the gate, Aunt Xiann who was in charge of the backyard also reached the gate.

    A eunuch took two steps forward, bowed slightly, and said, ¡°Aunt Xiann, His Highness said Concubine Qin was beautiful and tender, decent and soft, so from now on, she is the official Concubine Qin, and then will move to the garden beside.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Aunt Xiann was surprised, and then nodded.

    The two eunuchs went back. Concubine Qin¡¯s maidservant helped to pack things, and Xiann sent two more to help her.

    She was the first concubine in the manor granted the official status. All the other concubines were so shocked that they stared at Concubine Qin with astonishment and envy.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Concubine Qin look down upon currying favor with His Highness? Why did she do it so skillfully today?¡±

    Concubine Ming could not help sneering first.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Concubine Qin, don¡¯t you usually despise our seductive means? Why did you do it so shamelessly, even better than us? A dog that bites does not bark.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t you know Concubine Qin¡¯s identity? Those means are not something that we can learn in the brothel.¡±

    Concubine Qin blushed with shame and anger, but did not know how to answer back. She used to hold her aloof, thinking that she was above those concubines, so she often sneered those concubines who tried to ingratiate Feng Yuran. But now, jeered by others, she could not even say a word to refute.

    So she simply pretended not to hear their words, returned a salute to the eunuch, and said, ¡°Thanks for sending the message.¡±

    The eunuch turned sideways and said indifferently, ¡°I can¡¯t afford it.¡± After finishing the words, he did not take a look at her but just led the people to go back without looking at her respectfully. Since Concubine Qin had been living in the backyard for some time, she did not show any displeasure on her face, but just raised her head and stood straight.

    Concubine Yun stepped forward and said meaningfully with a smile, ¡°Sister Qin, you have got what you want this time. Don¡¯t forget me.¡± But a deeply hidden bitterness shed in her eyes.

    Concubine Qin gave a nd smile as a response to her and nodded calmly. Then, the deep bitterness in Concubine Yun¡¯s eyes turned into a smile, and she did not talk to Concubine Qin much and went back to the crowd of the concubines.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, let¡¯s go. And the room over there had been cleared up. Concubine Qin, please go there.¡± Aunt Xiann arched her eyebrows and swung her hands to the crowds. ¡°Concubine Qin could be promoted because she had the ability to attract His Highness¡¯ attention.¡±

    The words seemed ironic and sarcastic, making a bigugh among the concubines. Then, they went back to their own rooms in groups, and even no one came forward to congratte Concubine Qin. Although there were some, they were stopped and pulled away by others. The whole yard seemed unusually calm and cheerless.

    ¡°Lady, let¡¯s go there together.¡± Hexiang, the maidservant pointed at Aunt Xiann who was walking in front of her, and nudged the dumbed and disappointed Concubine Qin.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Concubine Qin put away the bad mood and led Hexiang to walk to the front. Being Promoted, Concubine Qin would have a different status from others, and deserve a good yard with some good decoration. She wondered if Mo Xuetong woulde to niggle her.

    Concubine Qin thought, if Mo Xuetong found fault with her, did she go to find His Highness to cry aggrievedly and weakly, as Concubine Yun had suggested?

    But the problem was even until now, Concubine Qin could not figure out why she was promoted as a concubine officially, because His Highness did not give a pleasing, benign face...

    When Feng Yuran entered the door, Mo Xuetong was having dinner alone. Hearing the voice ¡°His Highness¡±, she just raised her eyes, showing no intention to stand up. Feng Yuran entered the room, took a nce at her, and found her face was rather calm without a trace of anger and me.

    Mo Xuetong put down the bowl and chopsticks, looked up, and asked, ¡°Your Highness, have you had a meal?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Feng Yuran answered directly, and waved his hand to signal Mo Lan to give him a bowl of rice. He sat down and gobbled up the dinner. After finishing it, he asked Mo Lan to add one more, totally unaware of the anger that shed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s blinking clear eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness, you are really tired today. How about asking the cook to make more dishes and sending a few dishes over there?¡± Mo Xuetong wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and felt no appetite at all.

    ¡°Alright, Mo Ye, ask people to send two dishes there and pass the word that I think she is tired and should take a good rest.¡± Feng Yuran nodded while eating elegantly.

    Unexpectedly, Feng Yuran followed her words, which made Mo Xuetong angry, and she bit her lips and said angrily. ¡°Your Highness favor Concubine Qin a lot. Well, just deliver some there.¡± After finishing the words, she went into the room alone,y down on the couch, picked up a book, and read it casually before Feng Yuran finished the dinner.

    Seeing the bead curtain waving violently, Feng Yuran raised the corners of his mouth and felt good!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er is jealous.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome eyes gleamedcently. He swallowed the food in the bowl, rinsed the mouth with the tea, and waved his hands to signal the maidservants in the room to go down. Then, he stood up and raised the bead curtain into the inner room. Mo Xuetong was leaning to one side and reading a book. He knew that she had sensed hising, but just ignored him.

    ¡°Well, are you really angry?¡± Feng Yuran smiled, narrowed his eyes wickedly, walked to the couch, and sat down. He stretched his hand to hold her into his arms.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t refuse, but let him hug her at will. She just pouted her pink lips slightly and said in displeasure, ¡°I¡¯m not, but just want to know what you think.¡±

    She jabbed her finger hard at his chest.

    Feng Yuran heard the meaning of her words, and his eyes lit up immediately. Heughed and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I really like Concubine Qin?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Mo Xuetong cast a sideways nce at him and thought that if he really liked Concubine Qin, he had fallen in love with her before and would not have let Concubine Qin stay with those women any longer.

    Pleased by Mo Xuetong¡¯s firm tone, Feng Yuranughed more heartily and gave a soft kiss on her ear. Watching her delicate ear turn crimson slowly, he felt his breath uneven unconsciously, so he hurried to turn his head aside and said in a constant tone, ¡°Concubine Qin is Duke Wanping¡¯s eldest legitimate daughter. She tricked me so that she could enter the manor.¡±

 Chapter 479 - Feng Yuxuans Plan within the Military Base

    <h4>Chapter 479 Feng Yuxuan¡¯s n within the Military Base</h4>

    ¡°n to frame you?¡± Mo Xuetong moved subconsciously, her big watery eyes widened in bewilderment as she stared at Feng Yuran in shock and disbelief.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is on this woman¡¯s mind. Even though she knew I disliked her, she purposefully showed herself in front of me, and even mocking me. I was thinking of creating some trouble back then and thus threw her into theke. However, she was after all the daughter of Duke Wanping and I cannot kill her. It was unexpected that she knew how to swim and even tore her clothes underwater.¡±

    Feng Yuran exined casually. ¡°Since she wanted to enter my messy harem, let me fulfill this wish of hers, and find out what Duke Wanping is up to.¡±

    There were many beauties in the back garden, and an extra woman meant nothing to him. Why would he reject a beautying forth offering herself? After all, he was not the one being promiscuous. He would only be scolded by his father, and would not be affected much.

    There was no reason for him to ept the treasure sent to him!

    It was the first time that Mo Xuetong had heard of this affair. She was slightly stunned and blinked her eyes in shock and astonishment. That was extremely adorable in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes.

    He stretched his hand over to pinch her cheeks as he smiled and asked, ¡°There is no need to be jealous over her.¡±

    ¡°No one is jealous!¡± Mo Xuetong pped his hand away as her pink face turned red. She would be obviously lying if she said that she was not affected by what happened before even when she rejected him upfront just now, she was still anticipating a little.

    At this juncture, she felt that his handsome gaze was prating her, and hence felt a little embarrassed and angry. She pushed her aside andined. ¡°Go away from me. I am very hot!¡±

    ¡°Really not angry?¡± Seeing a red blush appearing on her pink cheeks, he knew that she was truly embarrassed. Feng Yuran then immediately stopped joking. However, he didn¡¯t move back but instead turned over, hugging her tight. Looking at her frustrated face, he smiled and said, ¡°My heart is with Tong¡¯er. There is nothing to worry about.¡±

    Seeing that he was more and more outrageous, staring at her with heated eyes, Mo Xuetong felt that body heated up with unnaturally as well. His aura came forth from all parts of his body, making her face heat up and her heart thump loudly, and even her head felt dizzy. She then pushed him aside and sighed, replying coyly, ¡°You let me go. I am really dizzy.¡±

    Her words made Feng Yuran release his hug before touching her forehead and his own. He then mumbled to himself. ¡°It¡¯s not hot, even less hot than mine!¡±

    Even though the person speaking had no hidden intentions, the person listening was extremely embarrassed. Seeing that his handsome face was blushing, his eyes were full of mesmerizing beauty, and his hasty uncontrolled breathing, Mo Xuetong was unable to lift up her head to stare at him. How... how could this man... have such a thick skin...

    How dare he say such things?

    ¡°What was it about that Lady Qin? I heard she had always been someone with high regard of herself, why would she suddenly decide to seduce you?¡± To remove herself from such a strange situation, Mo Xuetong pushed Feng Yuran aside and sat quietly next to the window. She took a few deep breaths before asking the question, changing the topic.

    That was something she had always wanted to ask!

    She had asked Mo Lan to investigate the personality of Lady Qin after that arrogant conversation Lady Qin had with her that day. With such a personality, she would never lower her head unless something exceptional happened. However, upon hearing from Feng Yuran that she was the one who set the n to enter his manor, Mo Xuetong felt rmed and surprised, and hence she asked Feng Yuran directly.

    ¡°Lady Qin¡¯s highly self-righteous and arrogant intellect made it difficult for any ordinary soul to convince her. However, some people are able to do so. Tong¡¯er, you merely need to do what you need to do and be a good proper wife. I have so many women and we do need something for them to entertain themselves.¡±

    Feng Yuran curled up the corner of his lips and leaned on where Mo Xuetong was at just now, exining casually.

    ¡°Do you need me to be sadder, more wronged?¡± Blinking her longshes, Mo Xuetong pushed Feng Yuran and asked solemnly. Since someone was plotting on them, as the doted proper wife now, her exaggerated reaction would make those people careless.

    Seeing her bright eyes shine like moonlight, which showcased her adorable demeanor due to her interest and joy, Feng Yuran squeezed her hand unwillingly and said dotingly, ¡°Anything!¡±

    Capital City of Yan Kingdom, East Pce.

    Bai Yihao sat behind therge yellow table and was writing something.

    ¡°Crown Prince, a letter from the Qin Kingdom.¡± Someone outside the door reported.

    cing down the pen in his hand, Bai Yihao let out his usual gentle and elegant smile, nodding calmly. ¡°Come in!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    A guard came in from outside the door, cing a letter respectfully on his head to pass to Bai Yihao.

    Bai Yihao received the letter and opened the envelope with a letter opener before quickly scanning through the letter on his hand, his face seemingly expressionless and calm. After a while, after reading the letter, he folded the letter once again, throwing it aside, saying, ¡°Monitor Qin Kingdom more closely and report to me once anything unusual happened, especially those concerning King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°As for what happened in the jade shop, it had nothing to do with us. Regardless of who asks, we will tell them the truth. However, don¡¯t use the crew from the jade shop again and change them for other people. I do not wish to take the me for others. After we fire the crew, send a letter to each of the princes¡¯ manors. Anything which happens after that has nothing to do with us.¡±

    Bai Yihao squinted his eyes, showing elegance through his beauty. However, there was no joy in his eyes. The invisible pressure made the guards lower their heads respectfully.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The guards turned around and left, not daring to say much more.

    Seeing his guard leaving, Bai Yihao sat in front of his table again, burying his head within the documents, lifting it up only after a long while. His eyes involuntarilynd on that letter on the table. The pure and yet seductive youngdy appeared before his eyes. When she first met him, she craftily utilized him to save herself and was even willing to gift him the music sheet.

    Such behavior was untypical for an ordinary aristocraticdy!

    Not only did she know that he wanted to tter Empress Dowager, but she also knew what the Empress Dowager liked, and was able to decide within such a short amount of time. Seeing her pure and beautiful little face, he could not believe that the action was done by a girl who just reached Cloud City.

    Her sharp observation and calm attitude made him vastly interested in her. His elegant lips curved up into a gentle smile...

    He believed that he would be able to see her soon!

    While Bai Yihao was joyous about the arrival of the letter, another person was gloomy when he stared at the letter on the table. After long, the corner of her eyes twitched as she scolded with a low voice. ¡°Idiotic woman.¡±

    An official standing behind Feng Yuxuan lowered his head, pretending that he did not see Feng Yuxuan¡¯s angry expression and his scolding.

    The military camp was not as luxurious as King Chu¡¯s Manor, and only essentials were inside the camp. The camp was stable but not pretty, with practicality being the top concern. Feng Yuxuan also wore light brown ordinary clothing. Here, he must not show his superior status and must suffer together with ordinary soldiers.

    He was obviously scolding Ling Rui¡¯er now. That woman was truly an idiot who wasted all the opportunities he provided her to let her shine, not even keeping her position as a royal consort. She still keptplimenting the Empress in her letter, saying that she would have lost her life if not for the Empress. She also asked him to leave camp to save her.

    Feng Yuxuan was sure that Ling Rui¡¯er would not be demoted to a mere concubine if the Empress did not act. In the letter, that woman still called him her husband affectionately that made Feng Yuxuan feel as if he had just swallowed a fly, unable to swallow or vomit out the fly.

    Why did she even choose to marry that idiotic woman then? Any other daughter of the Ling family was much better than her.

    ¡°Your Highness, we cannot leave the camp now. Once we leave the camp, the Empress will use that as an excuse to create trouble for you.¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t speak for a long while, the official thought that he was troubled by the matter and persuaded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not leave camp. I specially chose to enter the camp and will not leave so easily. How can I not spend half a month here to inspect the soldiers? Let me see how Ding General Manor will reach in this half a month that I am gone. Didn¡¯t they use Empress Dowager and Empress consecutively? Let¡¯s see how they can save their future ¡¯empress¡¯!¡± Feng Yuxuan asked maliciously.

    Ding General Manor was known as the eternal empress¡¯s family. He wanted to see how they would act to help Ling Rui¡¯er re-obtain her status. If they were unable to do so, he would know that Ding General Manorcked the sufficient strength that he needed. He did not wish to suffer and drown with Ding General Manor in the struggle for power. Marrying Ling Rui¡¯er was meant to control her and obtain some power of Ding General Manor.

    Moreover, with the intellect of Ling Rui¡¯er, she could continue to be of use taunting Empress and Empress Dowager. Feng Yuxuan did not wish to waste such a move so early.

    He had ¡°benefited¡± her enormously, and would not give up on her so soon.

    ¡°I will write a letter personally for Ling Rui¡¯er to ask her to re-obtain her position herself. If she is still unable to regain her position of a royal consort by the time I return from the military camp, I might be forced to remarry. As a son, I naturally cannot disobey the order from my father.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan ordered as the official aside prepared the necessary materials.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, Your Highness. Her Royal Lady might not be able to aplish all that you asked.¡± Another official stopped him. He was under Feng Yuxuan and naturally could not be impolite to Ling Rui¡¯er. Even though she was demoted, he still had to call her by her original title now.

    ¡°That idiotic woman never seeded in anything she did.¡± Feng Yuxuan frowned, and a wave of disgust appeared on his gentle face. It was a good move but that idiotic woman had ruined it for him again and again, even speaking her mind to Empress. She probably didn¡¯t even know how she would die.

    ¡°Your Highness, now that Your Royal Lady was demoted by His Majesty to be an ordinary concubine. She might not know what had happened, but the two in charge of Ding General Manor should understand. Your intention is to force those two to understand the situation and force Duke Ding to stand on our side. However, Our Royal Lady did make such huge trouble that I believe even those two can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± The official analyzed, and his words annoyed Feng Yuxuan further.

    Throwing down his brush, he walked in circles within the room, his face all gloomy.

    The matter was well-nned. Ling Rui¡¯er was well-doted and would naturally do some outrageous affair. With her personality, she would create huge trouble. The n was for Feng Yuxuan to remove himself during such moments, cing the problem on the shoulders of Ding General Manor. With the status of Ling Rui¡¯er, Ding General Manor naturally did not want her to be in trouble.

    Hence, they would utilize all resources to save Ling Rui¡¯er, which would naturally implicate Empress or Empress Dowager. However, regardless of Empress or Empress Dowager, no one wanted to see Ding General Manor be close to King Chu¡¯s Manor. Hence, no matter who was implicated, none of their ns would seed even if a fight did ur.

    At that time, Feng Yuxuan would appear and save Ling Rui¡¯er, giving Ding General Manor hope. Then, Ding General Manor, who had the feud with Empress Dowager or Empress would turn to King Chu¡¯s side. Naturally, the power of Ding General Manor wouldnd on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hands based on his calctions. Unfortunately, heaven¡¯s will went against his n.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had caused tremendous trouble!

    Feng Yuxuan already had a n for what urred in his manor. When he left the camp, he naturally could prove that Mo Yarui¡¯s child was not his. At that time, when such an imperial scandal urred, it would not matter how Ling Rui¡¯er treated Mo Yarui before. Ling Rui¡¯er, who regained the position of Consort Chu, must naturally be extremely thankful to Feng Yuxuan.

    Having been neglected by Empress and Empress Dowager, Ding General Manor would naturally stand by his side, and would not be so uncertain.

    As for Mo Yarui, that was not a question that Feng Yuxuan needed to consider. To exchange an unborn child and an unliked second consort for the loyalty of Duke Ding¡¯s family was an extremely good deal for Feng Yuxuan.

 Chapter 480 - Being Provocative, Apologies from Concubine Qin

    <h4>Chapter 480 Being Provocative, Apologies from Concubine Qin</h4>

    However, no one expected Ling Rui¡¯er to create such massive trouble and smashed the medical box of the lead imperial physician from the imperial hospital. Moreover, there was a single pill of medication within the medical box for the Emperor to consume. She was indeed digging her own grave by being so arrogant in the Empress¡¯ pce, which made Feng Yuxuan extremely disappointed in Ling Rui¡¯er.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t this idiotic woman be more reserved? How dare she ask him to beg for her forgiveness in front of the Emperor? This good idea was probably given to her by his good aunt, the Empress. An idiot, truly idiotic!¡±

    However, Ling Rui¡¯er was Ling Rui¡¯er and Duke Ding was not like her. He would be able to see through her. Since Ling Rui¡¯er returned to Ding General Manor, they could add fuel to the fire, which was the n of his official.

    ¡°Any good ideas?¡± Feng Yuxuan caressed his head and asked, frowning.

    ¡°Your Highness, please allow me to think further.¡± The official was a little embarrassed. He only had a brief idea of the n but have not linked all the steps up together, and was unable to propose a better idea. Just now, he was anxious to prove himself and push the matter to Ding General Manor instead. However, he had no idea how he could carry out that n.

    Seeing the sheepish attitude of the official, Feng Yuxuan was a little frustrated. He waved his hand to signal for his retreat. Then, he turned around and walked in circles within the room, like a trapped beast. After a while, he finally returned to the front of the table and pondered for a while before lifting his brush and writing again. The room was extremely quiet, with no human noises other than the training of soldiers far away...

    ¡°Come.¡± Feng Yuxuan ced down his brush and checked the letter again before raising his voice.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Outside, the guards guarding hurried in.

    Feng Yuxuan ced the two letters he wrote into two separate envelopes before passing to the guard. ¡°Send the small envelope secretly to Ding General Manor and ce it in front of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s bed. Send therge one to the imperial pce, for my mother.¡±

    This matter could not be settled by Ling Rui¡¯er alone, and he had no intention to use his final n. Now that he was trapped in the military camp, unable to go out andmunicate, he would want his mother to monitor Ling Rui¡¯er lest she should create more troubles.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The guard nodded and was about to retreat.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan nodded and touched his forehead before ordering the guard once more. ¡°Go to Qin Manor after you finish your errands and see if Young Master Qin was around. Just send him my concern.¡±

    Qin Yufeng was going to participate in exams and had not appeared before him for a long while. Feng Yuxuan found that there had been lesser and lesser capable individuals by his side, and he naturally should show his concern since he was sending his guards out.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The guard nodded and paused to see if Feng Yuxuan had any other orders before retreating respectfully.

    ¡°Is His Highness really suffering in the military camp now?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er wiped tears off her face and asked the servant who sneaked in with care and concern, lowering her voice. Once she thought about how Feng Yuxuan ate and lived with those from the lower ss, Ling Rui¡¯er felt that she had done him a great injustice.

    Even though he loved her so much, shemented herself for not even guarding her position of consort, even bringing that much trouble to him.

    ¡°His Highness said that he isn¡¯t suffering. Once he thought about how Her Lady was suffering outside, he became miserable and said that he¡¯d rather suffer instead of a weak woman like you. If not for the fact that His Highness was forced to remain in camp, he would never allow you to suffer so much.¡±

    Such words touched Ling Rui¡¯er again. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about how Feng Yuxuan treated her the best. Remembering when she first appeared, Father and Uncle both seemed to dislike her for her stupidity, she became even more upset. These few days, even the nannies seemed to neglect her for losing the position of Consort Chu.

    She held the envelope to his chest and sniffed it. After being in deep and painful thought, she suppressed his voice and said, ¡°Go back and tell His Highness that I will listen to all his n. Tell him that there is no need to miss me lest he should get tricked by others.¡±

    She felt extremely touched as she caressed the letter in her hand lovingly. She told herself not to act rashly and not make him troubled again. She finally realized that he was sent unreasonably to the military camp by the Emperor because he was tricked. What happened afterward was all because of the ns of her aunt, the Empress.

    No wonder she was originally merely punished by the Emperor to kneel until the Empress arrived and brought her down. Remembering what happened in the Empress¡¯ pce, she was extremely hurt and her heart was filled with hatred. When the guard left, she thought to herself that the aunt she treated with dedication and love used her to deal with Feng Yuxuan. She would never let her get away with that.

    After having a long night¡¯s chat with Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong slept all the way until the next morning. Raising her head, she realized that Feng Yuran was not there already. She knew that he was settling his affairs at Jinwei Pavilion and hence drank the tea that Mo Yu passed her before getting up. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she was about to do her make-up when someone outside reported. ¡°Concubine Qin is here.¡±

    ¡°Let her get lost.¡± Mo Yu gritted her teeth and was about to charge outside.

    ¡°Let here in.¡± Mo Xuetong replied calmly as a cold smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. Concubine Qin came ferociously and it was uncertain whether she saw too highly or too lowly of Mo Xuetong.

    She came forth to provoke Mo Xuetong the day after her being promoted to a concubine.

    Concubine Qin was brought in. Her teary eyes were unlike the normal elegant and confident Lady Qin. She came to the front door of Mo Xuetong¡¯s room and was blocked before she got a chance to speak. Through the curtains, she saw Mo Xuetong sitting in front of the dressing table, crying while holding a handkerchief. ¡°My Lady, what happened yesterday was my fault. Please do not be angry at His Highness. This matter had nothing to do with His Highness and you should me me instead of His Highness. I am here to apologize to My Lady.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a flowery hairpin from her jewelry box and shone it under the sunlight. Then, she passed it to Mo Lan mischievously. ¡°Look, is this suitable for me?¡±

    Receiving it, Mo Lan gauged it with her hands as sheplimented it, smiling. ¡°This hairpin is perfect for My Lady. With the flowery pearls dangling by your hair, you look even more charming. I¡¯m sure His Highness will love this.¡±

    ¡°Badss, stop mocking me!¡± Mo Xuetongined coyly as she nced at Mo Lan through the mirror.

    ¡°How can this be not beautiful since His Highness gifted it to you? Last time, when His Highness brought this over, I remember My Lady saying that it was merely ordinary. However, I am sure you loved it!¡± Mo Yu teased her as well as she brought another pair of matching earrings over to pass to Mo Lan. Mo Lan then hung them on Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears familiarly.

    Seeing that everyone ignored her, Concubine Qin seemed to be a little embarrassed and was about to run away. However, she told herself to endure further through this and not to be as arrogant as before. She should pull His Highness to her side while he still had feelings for her. Hence, she decided to not create more drama.

    ¡°My Lady...¡± She opened her mouth again.

    ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the new Concubine Qin? Why are you finding My Lady?¡± the curtain was lifted and Mo Yu walked out and asked impolitely, ¡°aren¡¯t you an aristocraticdy? How dare you be so rude after being promoted to a concubine?¡±

    The question made Concubine Qin¡¯s face turn red with anger as she was about to vomit blood out of frustration. However, she knew that she was holding a lower status and forced out a smile to exin. ¡°I am here to apologize to My Lady for fear that My Lady argues with His Highness due to my mistake.¡±

    ¡°Since when did My Lady argue with His Highness? Also, what does that have to do with Concubine Qin? Is there a need for you to apologize?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Concubine Qin was unable to speak a single word to rebut. She didn¡¯t expect Mo Xuetong¡¯s servants to be so brutal. Not only did they disallow her from entering the room, but they also chided her personally.

    She inevitably felt annoyed as she got scolded by a servant. However, she suppressed that frustration and forced out another smile. ¡°I am... I am only here to exin to My Lady on what happened yesterday.¡±

    ¡°There is no need. My Lady is busy now and has no time to care about all these pointless gossips. Just let it be. Concubine Qin, you may leave now.¡± Mo Yu said coldly.

    Pointless gossips. The choice of words made Concubine Qin truly want to vomit blood out of anger. She grabbed her sleeves tight with her hands and her expressions froze, spending a long while before she rxed from the mocking gaze of Mo Yu. She suddenly kneeled in front of the door and shouted at Mo Xuetong, who was inside the curtain. ¡°My Lady, I truly did not do that on purpose. I did not know why His Highness wanted me promoted to a concubine. My Lady, perhaps His Highness had no feelings for me but he merely had me promoted since there were few concubines in this manor, which was detrimental to My Lady¡¯s reputation.¡±

    Mo Yu trembled in anger as she knew that the intention of this promation in front of numerous nannies and servants was to spread the idea that Her Lady was jealous. Immediately, she walked forth, cing her hands on her waists and chided angrily. ¡°Concubine Qin, it looks like you are here to be rude create trouble for My Lady just so that people in the manor will misunderstand My Lady. Since that is the case, you can continue to kneel here and bow your head on the ground. You can only stop when My Lady is no longer angry.¡±

    She could only stop when Mo Xuetong was no longer angry. If Mo Xuetong never stopped her, she would die here knocking her head. Concubine Qin shivered out of fear and cried out loud. ¡°My Lady, listen to me, I am really not...¡±

    Before she could even finish her words, Mo Yu¡¯s brows were lifted in anger. She raised her head and pped Concubine Qin harshly, making her dizzy. The p made her fall onto the ground, stunned and bewildered as she looked at Mo Yu, with her hand on her face.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, as a new concubine, you are just a servant in the eyes of My Lady and your life is at hermand. I don¡¯t know who gave you the courage toe here and create trouble for My Lady. Do you really think she can be so easily bullied? Go out and take a look. Even if any other concubines out of the imperial family dare to create trouble like this, they will be dragged out to be beaten to death.¡±

    Mo Yu stared directly at Concubine Qin and said coldly.

    Concubine Qin was still engulfed in the shock of being beaten as she felt the fiery pain on her face. Ever since she was young, she had never been beaten as she had always been the high and mighty eldest proper daughter. Even when she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the nanny in-charge had always respected her and never dared to disagree with her. She never expected that she would be beaten by a servant today.

 Chapter 481 - Secrets, Helping His Highness with His Plan

    <h4>Chapter 481 Secrets, Helping His Highness with His n</h4>

    Feng Yuran wore a purple silk coat. His beautiful eyes shone brilliantly, making her pretty pupils long and seductive. His brows are long and thick and his facial features were like a drawing. His lips had a bloody undertone and his face was as elegant and perfect as a sculpture. Such a man was extremely seductive in the eyes of any woman, be it Ling Fengyan or Concubine Qin!

    Even though Mo Xuetong sat at one side, she did not miss out on the mesmerizing gaze of Concubine Qin. It seemed that Concubine Qin was indeed in deep love with Feng Yuran. However, she had tricked Feng Yuran at the start and would involuntarily bring about his hatred. A strong man like Feng Yuran would not tolerate any woman tricking him!

    He did not care and followed her wishes. However, she sacrificed her entire life.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Indeed, before she could talk, Concubine Qin already spoke timidly, her teary face unable to contain her sadness. A few pearly tears hung on her cheeks, making her a little seductive and helpless. One would indeed exim that it was unfair for such beauty to be punished.

    Feng Yuran raised his brows and nced at her, but did not stare at her for long. He then turned to Mo Xuetong and asked curiously, ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    ¡°She came this morning to say her apologies to me. She insisted on seeing me.¡± Mo Xuetong stretched her body and replied casually. She knew that she made so many noises here just to see Feng Yuran. She didn¡¯t want to care about any of the affairs for they are people that he had provoked, and he had to deal with them himself! This was also in case she kept on bothering her and hating her, for she did not want to take the me for that.

    Feng Yuran sat down and caressed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, replying casually. ¡°If such things happen again, just send someone to chase her out. This is the room of my proper wife and not a ce where anyone cane and disturb you.¡±

    Just let someone chase her out? Such words were heartless and they destroyed Concubine Qin like fists on her heart. How could that be the case? She had already lowered her status; how could he still ignore her as such!

    Concubine Qin¡¯s heart ached as she stared depressingly at this man that she fell in love at first nce and whom she hadmitted stupid acts for. Did he really not care about her? Or was it because he was silenced due to Mo Xuetong¡¯s presence!

    Yes, that must be the case!

    She bit her lips and suppressed the pain and anger in her heart. Looking at Mo Xuetong, she found the hatred was increased even further.

    If not for Mo Xuetong, if not for Mo Xuetong, she would definitely be the love of His Highness, who would truly ept her then. She would endure until she upied a space in His Highness¡¯ heart before she dealt with Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± She cried out again in sadness. However, he merely smiled gently at Mo Xuetong with a smile as brilliant as the summer sun, something she had never seen before.

    ¡°Go and take a look. I am a little tired. I will tend to youter.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed his hand away and signaled that Concubine Qin was still around.

    ¡°Go what? She¡¯s not someone important. Mo Lan, send breakfast in for My Lady. She hasn¡¯t eaten anything so far due to all this mess.¡± Feng Yuran pressed her hand and ordered impatiently to Concubine Qin. ¡°Speak your mind.¡±

    He sounded extremely upset.

    Such a difference in treatment made Concubine Qin very embarrassed. She had to suppress the sadness in her heart and whisper, with tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Your Highness, is it possible for me to speak to you in private as I have serious business to discuss? It concerns grave matters and I dare not speak nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Since you dare not speak, it¡¯s alright to not speak. My Lady here can listen to all my affairs.¡± Feng Yuran stared at her coldly, without a single tinge of warmth in his eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Concubine Qin felt a coldness appear in her heart as she saw him tightly grasping Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. She felt the chilling from both her eyes and ears.

    ¡°Speak your mind or go away.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I, I do have something to say but I am afraid that others may hear what I have to say. Therefore, I came this morning to My Lady¡¯s residence to get a chance to speak to Your Highness. I don¡¯t mean to offend My Lady. Please forgive me.¡± Concubine Qin¡¯s tears rolled down from her face. She looked at Mo Xuetong with sadness and a tinge of fear.

    She was exining the matter before but she was also expressing her grievances, especially since she subconsciously showed off her swollen left cheek, which was obviously because she was pped.

    Mo Xuetong sipped on the porridge that Mo Lan passed her. She didn¡¯t make much exnation as if she didn¡¯t know that Concubine Qin wasining to Feng Yuran now.

    Seeing that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t notice her expression but was instead a little annoyed, she knew that she could not dy any further. As long as she could capture His Highness¡¯ heart, she would have plenty of opportunities to deal with Mo Xuetong. Immediately, tears flowed down her cheeks as she expressed timidly. ¡°Your Highness, did His Majesty order to prevent anyone in our manor from leaving here? One can only enter but cannot leave the manor now?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t have other intentions. You have to find a way to get out since you are trapped here. However, no one from our manor can get out from here and no one can provide any suggestions to Your Highness. If we continue like this, we don¡¯t know what the final result will be. Other than that, we should think of another method rather than just be like sitting ducks.¡±

    Concubine Qin spoke fluently. Such matters were not her expertise but she felt good speaking those words.

    Before she was married, she was known for being a schrly girl. However, like Mo Xuemin, such a reputation was more about entertainment and literary matters rather than political matters. Mo Xuetong did not know where she obtained the confidence to believe that she could further participate in matters concerning the imperial matters, or maybe she really deemed herself talented and thought Feng Yuran would treasure her. Now even Mo Xuetong had to admire her courage and confidence.

    However, such courage might not be a good solution to the problem!

    Mo Xuetong sipped on the porridge and nced aside with her watery eyes, listening quietly to Concubine Qin¡¯s words.

    ¡°Do you have a way?¡± Feng Yuran stared at her with mockery.

    ¡°Yes, I... I am willing to go out and contact my father and gather information about Your Highness¡¯ matter.¡± Concubine Qin looked at Feng Yuran with loving eyes and a determined heart. ¡°Even if something happens, I will suffer all the consequences. Even if I break my bones and die, I will not concern Your Highness.¡±

    Such deep love and such mesmerizing meaning by such a beauty. Amidst her tears, she was willing to trudge through fire and sacrifice for him. Could any man from this world resist her!

    ¡°Do you know what are the consequences if you leave the manor?¡± As expected, Feng Yuran seemed to be smiling when he said that.

    ¡°I know. I will be executed since I do not follow His Majesty¡¯s orders.¡± Concubine Qin said with determination.

    ¡°And you still want to go out?¡±

    ¡°For Your Highness, I... it¡¯s alright.¡± Concubine Qin eximed loudly.

    ¡°To find your father outside and let Duke Wanping help me. ording to my knowledge, Duke Wanping was never on my side.¡± Feng Yuran askedzily.

    ¡°Your Highness, listen to me. As long as I find my father and beg him, my father will definitely listen to me and help Your Highness with your affairs.¡± Listening to Feng Yuran¡¯s question, Concubine Qin hurriedly proved her loyalty.

    ¡°You will be begging Duke Wanping? And he will listen to you? It seems like you are indeed capable. I looked down on you in the past.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s intentions were hidden within hiszy voice. He suddenly leaned forward and looked up at her, a meaning hidden deep within his pair of handsome eyes.

    ¡°If you can seed, I should definitely reward you handsomely.¡±

    Concubine Qin was vastly overjoyed. However, she immediately recognized it and bowed her head on the ground hurriedly and said, ¡°Your Highness, I dare not. I only wish that Your Highness can remain luxurious and safe forever.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t want it? Then it¡¯s fine!¡± Feng Yuran sat down again and exined calmly as if he weren¡¯t the one promising just now.

    Concubine Qin¡¯s eyes were still all smiles but she froze as she stared at Feng Yuran in astonishment, unable to follow his way of thinking.

    ¡°You will be asking your father to help me with my affairs?¡± Feng Yuran askedzily.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do I want to aplish?¡± Suddenly, Feng Yuran¡¯s face turned cold as anger appeared on his face. He stared directly at Concubine Qin.

    ¡°Your... Your Highness...¡± Concubine Qin didn¡¯t expect him to change his expression so fast and was stunned by his question, unable to conjure any reply. Aplish? Aplish what? That wasn¡¯t something she could say. Even though she was anxious in projecting herself in front of Feng Yuran, she knew that if she spoke the truth, her head would be separated from her body. Suddenly, cold sweat broke out on her head.

    Looking at the numerous servants and nannies, one could see that they were not all close associates with Feng Yuran.

    If such a word was spread, she would not be able to survive.

    ¡°I also don¡¯t know what matters I am trying to achieve and does not understand why I need your help.¡± Feng Yuran smiled coldly, a cold hatred appearing on his beautiful face. ¡°Come and bring Concubine Qin away and stop her from leaving her room again. Keep her there properly.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, listen to me...¡± Seeing that one of Mo Xuetong¡¯s servants came over, Concubine Qin rushed to exin herself. However, Mo Ye, who walked to her, merely nced at her coldly and pped her chin, dislocating her jaw and dragged her down like a dead dog.

    He didn¡¯t give her any chance to exin herself further.

    When Concubine Qin was dragged down, Mo Xuetong coincidentally ced down the bowl of porridge on her hands and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief from Mo Lan. She ignored Feng Yuran and left for the inner room, where she rested on the bed with her eyes closed.

    Feng Yuran followed her over and sat on the bed, caressing Mo Xuetong¡¯s long hair. ¡°Why? Are you tired? You should sleep more in the afternoon. It will be good for your health.¡±

    ¡°Not very tired. Tell me, why did she change so much? Is the back garden of King Xuan¡¯s Manor really so attractive!¡± Mo Xuetong was talking about how Concubine Qin degraded herself from the eldest proper daughter of a duke to a servant concubine of King Xuan. Was that really worth it?

    ¡°There is no need to care about these people, as well as those in my back garden. They are malicious and arrogant. We just need to let some of them die from ¡®illness¡¯ if they grow out of hand.¡± A harsh sense of hatred shed across Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Not yet. Wait for it.¡± Mo Xuetong caressed her brows and said. It is easy to make some of them die from ¡°illness¡±. However, it was not a good solution since it would tarnish Feng Yuran¡¯s reputation.

    ¡°Alright, up to you then. If you want more peace, I will just do it directly.¡± Feng Yuran felt that he should be more direct in his words in case Tong¡¯er misunderstood him. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see any of those women in my back garden, just make sure they stay in the back garden. Anyways, they need to pass the second door to reach here from the gardens. Nannies are guarding the second door and we can stop them froming over.¡±

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded but did not immediately agree. Those women in the back garden were sent over from various forces and couldn¡¯t be dealt with so easily. They indeed created a headache for her but it was not a good solution to just block them using the door. She had to find a suitable situation for the problem.

    Thinking about how such issues were created by Feng Yuran himself, Mo Xuetong pushed him a little andined gloomily. ¡°Why did you let so many women in before?¡±

    ¡°They thought of various ways to enter so I merely satisfied them. After all, my back garden also needs many women at that time or I will not be able to fulfill my promiscuous reputation.¡± Feng Yuran replied confidently.

    Therefore, the many women in his back garden were for him to act as a promiscuous and mboyant aristocrat.

    It was demand and supply, and Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what to say!

    ¡°OK, OK, there is no need to care about those irrelevant individuals. I only need you to live life together. Don¡¯t worry. I will get rid of them.¡± Feng Yuran stretched out to hug her as he patted her and smiled.

    Irrelevant individuals? Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t sure if that loyal Concubine Qin would have a change of heart once hearing that. She lifted up her watery eyes and red at him. The man brought her sadness and despair with his words. However, she was happy to hear them! Shey in his chest to enjoy her soft embrace; her lips secretly curled into a smile.

    ¡°My Lady, the second miss of He family is here?¡± Outside the curtain, Mo Yu¡¯s astonished voice rang.

    Mo Xuetong pushed herself away from Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace as she stared at him with curious eyes, not sure what drama was about to unfold.

    Second Miss of He family? He Yuxiu? At this time?

    She could only enter but not exit. What¡¯s the point ofing now?

 Chapter 482 - Only Entrance But No Exit, Arrival of He Yuxiu

    <h4>Chapter 482 Only Entrance But No Exit, Arrival of He Yuxiu</h4>

    ¡°Nothing to do with me.¡± Feng Yuran saw that there was suspicion hidden in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. He raised up his eyes and felt that he needed to make a promation.

    ¡°Why is she here?¡± Mo Xuetong, of course, did not believe that He Yuxiu was here to help her. With knowledge of He Yuxiu¡¯s personality, she was more likely to be using this opportunity to create more troubles. She wondered what scheme He family had up their sleeves.

    Before Feng Yuran could answer, she sat upright and pushed him. ¡°Go and have breakfast in Jinwei Pavilion first. I will go and meet her.¡±

    ¡°You are not apanying me? Feng Yuran looked disappointed as he pulled Mo Xuetong over, unwillingness written over his gaze. He looked even more pitiful than Concubine Qin as if he were an abandoned puppy. No one expected him to be so cold and indifferent just now.

    Seeing Feng Yuran¡¯s demeanor, Mo Xuetongughed out loud. She pushed him and said coyly, ¡°Don¡¯t be mischievous. I am going to see He Yuxiu.¡±

    ¡°Just ask her to leave.¡±

    ¡°How can that be so? She won¡¯t being here at such a juncture for no reason.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away again.

    Seeing that she was determined, Feng Yuran stood up unwillingly and brought his men to Jinwei Pavilion. He handled most of his matters in Jinwei Pavilion.

    Just after he left, He Yuxiu was brought over by a maidservant.

    There were no servants next to He Yuxiu. Once she opened the door, her eyes turned red as she cried.

    ¡°Cousin-inw! You need to help me!¡±

    Mo Xuetong was astonished as well by her entrance. She didn¡¯t expect a chubby and bright beauty to turn into such a miserable state. Her face was as sharp as an awl and there was no brilliance in herrge pupils as if she was greatly devastated.

    Mo Lan¡¯s sharp eyes fell on her dirty and messy clothes. She stepped forth two steps, standing next to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Second Miss He, what happened?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled a little and asked politely. She didn¡¯t see a need to be affectionate to He Manor now.

    She already caught a glimpse of their scheme. However, she was still skeptical as there was no real evidence.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, cousin-inw, save me.¡± Crying, He Yuxiu pushed the maidservants¡¯ hands away. She chose to not sit on the chair but instead kneel on the ground, crying with a handkerchief tightly grasped in her hand.

    ¡°Why? What happened again? Did your older sister bully you again?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned as curiosity filled her watery eyes.

    That sentence caused a devious gaze to sh across He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes.

    What had happened in Cining Pce was something that she could never forget in her life. Before that, she had a few friends amongst the aristocraticdies. However, no one bothered to talk to her now. Even when the minister¡¯s wife brought them out for parties, thesedies would only talk to He Yufen instead of her, mocking her or ignoring her instead.

    All this was caused by He Yufen, making her full of hatred.

    She gritted her teeth as she was determined to ruin them since they were merciless to her.

    ¡°Cousin-inw, cousin-inw, my older sister... older sister wanted to plot something against my cousin but I knew about it. She.... she wants to kill me.¡± As He Yuxiu cried, she nced at Mo Xuetong, seeing that Mo Xuetong was indeed shocked and astonished by that statement. So she acted in a more flustered way.

    ¡°She wants to kill you? You have always been nice to each other and are rted by blood. Are you sure that it¡¯s not your misunderstanding?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was full of disbelief as she asked. She knew how to pretend too!

    ¡°She, she really wants to kill me, because I knew what she wanted to do.¡± He Yuxiu lifted up her teary eyes as she wiped the tears and repeated her statement, with emphasis on the fact that He Yufen wanted to do something rted to Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong, however, deviated away from the topic as if she could not understand where the main point was. ¡°How can that be? Your sister has always been a gentledy. Don¡¯t worry. She will notmit such an act.¡±

    ¡°She really wants to kill me...¡± He Yuxiu found it increasingly difficult tomunicate with Mo Xuetong. Indeed, she was too young, with confusion written all over her eyes as if shepletely did not understand what she was talking about. He Yuxiu raised her voice anxiously.

    ¡°First Miss He has always been kind. It¡¯s impossible for her to do such a thing.¡± Mo Xuetong insisted, with determination written over her face. It¡¯s truly curious who gave her so much confidence.

    ¡°What kindness? She¡¯s plotting to harm others every day. She might look gentle but she¡¯s, in fact, a shameless...¡± He Yuxiu almost lost her mind from Mo Xuetong¡¯s insistence. She chided her sister loudly until she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s bewildered expression. She then immediately wiped tears off her eyes and continued to cry. ¡°Cousin-inw, I... I am really... my sister is not a good person.¡±

    ¡°What does she want to do?¡± As if she was traumatized by He Yuxiu¡¯s sharp voice, Mo Xuetong replied slowly after a while.

    ¡°There is a packet of tea leaves in my sister¡¯s room. I heard it was for Consort Zhao. I eavesdropped on a conversation between my sister and her maidservant and discovered that my sister ced some drugs inside those tea leaves. Those drugs seemed to be... for men. I heard my sister say that she ced simr drugs into your tea leaves to create misunderstanding between you and my cousin...¡±

    He Yuxiu lifted her chubby white face and sobbed.

    Even though her speech was not extremely clear, Mo Xuetong could understand what she meant. She gradually frowned.

    He Yuxiu wasn¡¯t making stories up. She indeed overheard a conversation about Consort Zhao¡¯s tea leaves. However, it wasn¡¯t from He Yufen but was instead from the private conversation of the He brothers. Now, she ced the me on He Yufen in hope of using Mo Xuetong to deal with her.

    She was upset that she could only marry an extravagant aristocrat even though she had the same status and upbringing as her sister. She also heard that Yu Mingyong fought with a young master from Ding General Manor and was unable to get up from his bed until now. Hence, when she got married over, not only was she not able to enjoy her life, she had to serve such a disabled man, which angered her further.

    ¡°He Yufen was the one who ced the drugs in the tea leaves?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned cold with anger as if she had finally understood what she meant.

    ¡°Yes. I wanted to report this matter to my cousin-inw immediately after I heard the conversation. However, my older sister discovered me while I was leaving and thus sent someone to chase after me. I only escaped into the imperial manor because I have nowhere to go. Cousin-inw, cousin-inw, please allow me to hide here. If my older sister chases in, I will lose my life.¡±

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong finally understood the situation, He Yuxiu cried out in sadness. She wanted to grab onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s dress but Mo Lan pulled the dress back hastily, resulting in her failure to do so.

    ¡°What is the effect of that drug on men?¡± Mo Xuetong seemed to ignore He Yuxiu¡¯s begging and asked coldly.

    ¡°Then... men... will be unable to control themselves...¡± He Yuxiu¡¯s face turned red as she mumbled. As an unmarried woman, she naturally could not speak of such acts. However, she had to answer since Mo Xuetong asked and hence she lowered her head and replied timidly.

    ¡°Is what you are saying true?¡± Rage appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    ¡°Naturally so. If cousin-inw does not believe in me, you can conduct an investigation yourself. There are some tea leaves hidden with my older sister now. She wanted to bring it over to the study for my cousin next time shees here.¡± To gain Mo Xuetong¡¯s trust, He Yuxiuid out the entire n of He Yufen and He brothers.

    He Yuxiu had a clear understanding of the location of those tea leaves. ¡°They¡¯re hidden within the secretpartment under my older sister¡¯s bed.¡±

    Tea leaves? Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes shed as she remembered her own hidden tea leaves. An idea shed across her mind but she was unable to articte it out. She nced at Mo Lan without speaking much. Mo Lan understood what she meant and returned to the inner room, bringing Consort Zhao¡¯s gifted tea leaves out.

    ¡°Is this the kind of tea leaves Second Miss He is talking about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, cousin-inw, exactly the same.¡± He Yuxiu took a nce at that before taking a small paper bag out of her pocket, passing some tea leaves within to Mo Xuetong. ¡°Cousin-inw, see, they are exactly the same. Look at the color and taste of such leaves, and you will know they are exactly the same.¡±

    Mo Xuetong received those leaves and examined them carefully. Afterparing them, she nodded in suspicion. ¡°Are you sure He Yufen changed those tea leaves?¡±

    ¡°I am not very sure. I only know that my older sister has it. From her tone, I don¡¯t think Consort Zhao was aware of this.¡± He Yuxiu wiped tears off her face and replied solemnly. Even though she hated Consort Zhao as well, it wasn¡¯t the right time toin about her now. If Consort Zhao knew that she was ruining her ns, she would be dead.

    However, she didn¡¯t go to absolute certainty with her remarks. If Consort Zhao was indeed involved in that, she could remove herself from this affair. In fact. she was hoping that Mo Xuetong could find out that Consort Zhao was involved and fight her over this affair. If not, she could just say that she was unaware.

    Mo Xuetong had a full understanding of He Yuxiu¡¯s n.

    Her gaze fell on He Yuxiu as a cold smile curled up on the corner of her lips. She ced the tea leaves on the tabletop under her suspicious eyes before asking coldly, changing the topic, ¡°My thanks to Second Miss He for informing me about this affair. However, since our imperial manor only allows entrance but not exit, what is the n for Second Miss He?¡±

    ¡°Cousin-inw, I... I have no other choice since my sister¡¯s chasing me... I...¡± He Yuxiu cried and begged her. ¡°Cousin-inw, please let me stay here.¡±

    ¡°As an unmarrieddy, how can you just live in the imperial manor like this!¡± Mo Xuetong frowned as she feigned her concern, secretly enjoying the performance in front of her!

    ¡°Cousin-inw, cousin-inw, my older sister will beat me to death! If my father knows about this, they will throw me out as well.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong was unwilling, He Yuxiu cried out loud as she let loose her grievances. It was as if she would be dead if Mo Xuetong did not take her in.

    She nned to enter the manor and live here, or Mo Xuetong would gain a reputation of not saving her life!

    The only reason for her to live here was when Feng Yuran had an affair with her after she entered the doors of King Xuan¡¯s manor. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect He Yuxiu to still be thinking of Feng Yuran at this juncture. A wave of anger and disgust rose in her heart. Yu Mingyong and her marriage was nned and it should happen soon. What did she want to do when she rushed into King Xuan¡¯s manor for no reason?

    For someone who did not know about this affair, they would believe that He Yuxiu and Feng Yuran were having an affair or she would not rush into the manor at this juncture to suffer with King Xuan. Not only did she plot against He Yufen, but she also plotted against Mo Xuetong.

    Did she really think that King Xuan¡¯s Consort would be so easily bullied!

 Chapter 483 - The He Sisters Background

    <h4>Chapter 483 The He Sister¡¯s Background</h4>

    Mo Xuetong put the teacup she was holding onto the table heavily. He Yuxiu, who was fake crying, was startled. She could not help but look up at Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was dark and sharp. Her clear and beautiful eyes were as cold as ice.

    ¡°Second Miss He, keep your cleverness to yourself. I do not care if I am called a jealous woman and I don¡¯t care if people think that I am selfish. Don¡¯t waste your efforts acting in front of me and telling me tales. I will have someone escort you out of the manorter. If that does not work, I will ask His Highness to inform His Majesty to let you out lest youe up with something and implicate the King¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong sounded cold and vicious. Her attitude toward He Yuxiu had taken aplete turn. She did not try to save face for He Yuxiu at all. Mo Xuetong did not think it was necessary to save face for this shameless woman who wanted to steal Feng Yuran from her.

    The satisfied look that was appearing in He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes froze!

    She paused for a moment. Why were all the topics used in fights between women that she was familiar with being stopped by Mo Xuetong so decisively? Instead, Mo Xuetong changed the topic to facts that she found difficult to ept.

    ¡°Have Feng Yuran bring up the matter to His Majesty and ask His Majesty to let her leave the manor?¡±

    If this matter were really revealed, not only would the Her brothers take her life, even Consort Zhao would not let her off. Her Yuxiu¡¯s heart turned cold when she recalled what Consort Zhao and the He brothers could do. Sweat ran down her back and soaked her clothes. She yelled urgently for real this time. ¡°My Lady, My Lady, I really did not mean to plot this. The He family will definitely kill me.¡±

    He Yuxiu spoke urgently. Her face was pale and she did not dare to address Mo Xuetong as her cousin-inw.

    Mo Xuetong smirked coldly. ¡°I will only give you one chance. Will you tell the truth?¡±

    Sweat started to bead on He Yuxiu¡¯s forehead. She kowtowed frantically, saying, ¡°My Lady, this is the truth. I am not lying to you. If you do not believe me, you can send someone to check on He Yufen...¡±

    Mo Xuetong suddenly stood up and walked into the room. She said, ¡°Mo Lan, send Second Miss He to the doorter and have His Highness deal with her once he is done with his business. Second Miss He needs not to enter the manor in the future.¡±

    ¡°My Lady... My Lady... I, I¡¯ll tell you...¡± He Yuxiu caught Mo Xuetong¡¯s leg when she saw that Mo Xuetong was really about to leave. He Yuxiu sweated profusely and the expression on her face was one of immense fear, so much that it twisted her face. Images of the ferocious smiling faces of the He brothers ran through her mind. She would die without the protection of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    She felt truly regretful at this moment that she had been too heartless. Mo Xuetong was such a difficult person to understand.

    She had gone to eavesdrop on the He brothers in her pursuit for the truth. She had even deliberately made noise to startle the He brothers. The He brothers had sent men out and she had left tracks leading to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. The guards outside King Xuan¡¯s Manor had seen her pursuers when she reached the manor earlier.

    If she were to be chased out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she would die for sure.

    She had originally thought that Mo Xuetong would surely be grateful to her for bringing her the news. She thought that Mo Xuetong would definitely pity her and allow her to stay. Then, she would be able to make use of the tea leaves she had gotten from He Yufen and seduce Feng Yuran. However, she did not expect Mo Xuetong to chase her away so heartlessly. As such, He Yuxiu was extremely frightened. No matter how much she had plotted, she was at her wits¡¯ end now.

    ¡°Second Miss He, do not force yourself if you do not wish to say.¡± Mo Xuetong pretended not to care and made a move to leave. Mo Ye, who was standing next to her immediately squatted down and twisted He Yuxiu¡¯s wrist. He Yuxiu felt an immense pain rushing up her hand and cried out painfully. She could not help but loosen her grip on Mo Xuetong¡¯s leg.

    ¡°My Lady, I really did not plot against you all. It was the He brothers. They wanted to plot against His Highness.¡± He Yuxiu lifted her head and spoke urgently. She did not hesitate any longer this time for if she did not speak up, she would have to die!

    Mo Xuetong paused and asked somewhat interestedly, ¡°Hmm, exin yourself.¡±

    ¡°My Lady.¡± He Yuxiu gritted her teeth, desperation shing through her eyes. ¡°Both He Yufen and I are not biological daughters of the He family. The daughters of the He family are all not good-looking and a prince will not be interested in them. The He family wanted their daughters to be consorts of the princes and found outstanding girls elsewhere many years ago. They took the girls back to their manor and raised them. He Yufen and I were picked from that batch of girls.¡±

    He Yuxiu did not dare to withhold anything. She was covered in sweat and felt that the beautiful pair of eyes in front of her could see through her as if they could see everything. It was obvious that the woman was intelligent and was not someone she could lie to. As such, He Yuxiu could only look at Mo Xuetong woefully.

    She was frightened and afraid and her mind was empty. She could only think of how she was going to get herself out of this cesspool of trouble. All that wealth and glory were not as important as her life.

    He Yufen and He Yuxiu were not biological daughters of the He family. The He family had tried to plot against Feng Yuran and they still did not know what the He family had nned. No wonder Feng Yuran would treat the He family like how he did in Mo Xuetong¡¯s past life. The He family had done their best to plot against Feng Yuran and did not care at all that they were distantly rted.

    A sh of coldness appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She sat down once more in front of the table and said with an icy re, ¡°He Yuxiu, have you thought carefully whether you want to live or die?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, I... I want to live. I will do everything that you ask.¡± He Yuxiu stuttered.

    ¡°Do you think you can still return to the He family at a time like this?¡± The corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips lifted into a faint smile. However, in He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes, Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was as cold as ice.

    ¡°No... I, I will not go to the He¡¯s... I can¡¯t return. My Lady, they will kill me. They¡¯ll really kill me.¡± He Yuxiu shook, withdrawing into herself while shaking her head and crying messily. Mo Xuetong had seen through her and she would do everything Mo Xuetong told her to do.

    ¡°The King¡¯s Manor cannot save you.¡± Mo Xuetong said distantly.

    ¡°No... No, My Lady, please save me!¡± He Yuxiu had continued doing everything because she had ced all her eggs in one basket, and it was also to seek revenge on the He family for how they treated her. However, she only realized that she had been backed into a corner at this point. If King Xuan¡¯s Manor did not take her in, she would truly be at her wits¡¯ end.

    If she left the manor, she would have to endure the endless fury of the He family.

    There was once a ¡°Miss He¡± who had been unwilling to be manipted by the He family. She had escaped but had been captured and was beaten to death in front of them. The gory scene reminded them that they would be killed if they betrayed those from the He family.

    ¡°Actually, there is someone else who can save you. But I don¡¯t know...¡± Mo Xuetong trailed off, looking at He Yuxiu with a smile in her eyes.

    ¡°My Lady, please speak, quick, tell me who it is...¡± He Yuxiu was so excited that her hands and legs shook, tears running down her face. It was as if she had found a lifebuoy in an ocean.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Minister Lian¡¯s wife like you a lot? Have you met Minister Lian before?¡± Mo Xuetong asked sincerely.

    ¡°Yes, Minister Lian. Yes, there is still Minister Lian.¡± Now that Mo Xuetong mentioned him, He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes brightened and she grew excited.

    How could she forget? Minister Lian was especially caring every time he saw her. No matter how busy he was, he would stop and talk to her. He was colder to He Yufen and she could feel that Minister Lian treated her differently. She did not care about this in the past as she had been interested in going after Feng Yuran wholeheartedly.

    Almost without having Mo Xuetong to remind her again, He Yuxiu immediately understood and said, ¡°My Lady, I, how can I leave the King¡¯s Manor. I can¡¯t leave at all.¡±

    How dared she go after King Xuan with such a consort around? She could sense that even if she managed to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she would just die.

    The guard at the door had told her earlier that one could only enter but not leave the main doors of the King¡¯s Manor. She had been secretly pleased then. She now realized that this was not a ce that she could go after. Both she and the He brothers had been too simple-minded to think that they could plot against King Xuan. Even the seemingly weak and gentle Consort Xuan was not someone they could easily deal with. As such, she only wanted to leave right now.

    ¡°Have you truly decided?¡± Mo Xuetong asked coldly, looking at the joy on He Yuxiu¡¯s face. Then, she continued, ¡°You will have to depend on yourself in the future once you leave the door.¡±

    ¡°I have thought it through, My Lady. I was instructed to do everything I did in the past by those from the He Manor. He Yufen really has those tea leaves. The He family wishes that He Yufen can enter the King¡¯s Manor. My Lady, you have to be careful of the He family. It¡¯d be best if you can chase them all away.¡± He Yuxiu said angrily. Now that He Yuxiu had a backup n, she was much calmer.

    ¡°You be careful as well. The He family will not let you off.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a light smile. She did not react to what He Yuxiu said at all. She did not say anything to He Yuxiu again after that. Instead, she had her servant lead He Yuxiu to a room by the side and asked another maid to send a message to Feng Yuran.

    He Yuxiu was sent away secretly through the back door in the evening.

    That night, Lian An took his horse carriage back to his manor after finishing his work in the pce.

    There were many matters that had to be fixed recently and King Xuan, who had originally been in charge of these things had been locked up. They did not have enough manpower, so Lian An was very busy. That was why he could only return home sote at night every day.

    His horse carriage came to a sudden stop and he heard the driver cursing angrily. Lian An had been resting with his eyes closed inside and almost fell off the carriage because of the sudden stop.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, a woman suddenly ran out...¡± The driver looked at the beautiful woman who had run out all of a sudden and yelled angrily. ¡°Are you tired of living? Move away quickly.¡±

    ¡°Make her move away.¡± Lian An said lightly and closed his eyes, continuing to rest. It had been a long day and he was truly tired.

    ¡°Lord Lian, My Lord, it¡¯s me...¡± The sweet voice of a woman could be heard from outside before the driver could continue scolding the woman. Lian An frowned for he could not recall whose voice it was. He lifted his curtains and saw a beautiful face with a terrified expression. The pair of eyes on that face was very familiar.

    ¡°Second Miss He?¡± Lian An was shocked.

    ¡°My Lord, save me.¡± He Yuxiu saw Lian Aning out from the horse carriage and called out urgently. Her clothes were slightly messy, and her belt was loose, almost imperceptibly. She looked rather pathetic. Her beautiful face was pale, and there were tear tracks on her face. She looked fragile, weak, and pitiful.

 Chapter 484 - Going Against Consort Zhao in Qianqing Palace

    <h4>Chapter 484 Going Against Consort Zhao in Qianqing Pce</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lian An lowered his voice subconsciously when he saw the beautiful woman in front of him.

    ¡°My Lord, there¡¯s someoneing after me. Quick, quick, let me on and I¡¯ll tell you more.¡± He Yuxiu seemed very frightened as she turned to look at the darkness. Her face was as white as snow, and her lips were trembling. She looked petrified as she picked up her skirts and ran toward Lian An. She tried to mber onto the horse carriage with her limbs. Lian An¡¯s heart softened when he saw how terrified and pitiful she looked and he extended a hand to help her into the carriage.

    Even though Lian An did not know what happened, he could not refuse the pleading look in those familiar eyes.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lian An ordered the driver after He Yuxiu settled down beside him.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The driver answered and the carriage started moving again.

    It could be perhaps He Yuxiu was too flustered or because she did not expect the carriage to suddenly start. He Yuxiu started to fall as the horse carriage began to move. Lian An hurriedly stretched out a hand to catch her. However, she fell very suddenly and knocked into him. As such, he held her even more tightly and the two rolled around.

    The driver heard soundsing from inside the carriage and called out. ¡°My Lord...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Continue driving.¡± Lian An¡¯s steady voice emerged from inside the carriage. His gaze seemed to have its own mind and focused on He Yuxiu¡¯s beautiful face. He looked at how pitifully He Yuxiu was looking at him. She seemed as if she did not know what to do. Furthermore, her clothes were half undone and the two of them had fallen against each other earlier...

    Lian An was pressed against He Yuxiu, lying on top of her. Her clothes, which were half-opened, were in a mess. Lian An might have tugged on her clothes, resulting in He Yuxiu¡¯s clothes being in disarray, revealing her soft and supple skin. Her skin was incredibly soft...

    Lian An¡¯s mind felt like stuffed cotton. He could only think of how the girl in front of him was exactly what he dreamt of and wanted for many years. He grew excited. After many years of thinking and dreaming as a youth, he could no longer tell who was in front of him. He could not help but slowly lower his head...

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor had only been on lockdown for a few days when the guards at the doors left. However, the guards outside King Yan¡¯s Manor continued standing there, tall and upright. In the past in King Yan¡¯s Manor, only King Yan was restricted from leaving. The others could still leave and enter as they would. Not even You Yue¡¯e¡¯s leaving and entering was restricted. Mingguo Manor would send things over from time to time as well.

    However, the manor was guarded heavily now. It was impossible even for a bird to fly over the manor, much less for a person to visit it.

    Something big was about to happen and the entire King Yan¡¯s Manor was gloomy and dark. Even the air in it felt heavy. Nobody knew how the Emperor would punish King Yan in the future...

    Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong went to the pce early in the morning. The two of them had recently been released and should go to the pce to give their thanks.

    Mo Xuetong still looked sleepy after boarding Feng Yuran¡¯s extremely luxurious horse carriage. She leaned on Feng Yuran¡¯s shoulder drowsily. Feng Yuran saw that she seemed a little tired and wrapped his arms around Mo Xuetong, pulling her into his embrace. He leaned against the couch so that she could sleep better.

    The horse carriage sped along steadily and they arrived at the pce before long.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, we are here.¡± Feng Yuran patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s soft and pale face softly. She was deeply asleep and only scrunched her brows and pouted slightly. He could not help himself and ced a soft kiss on her lips with a smile.

    Feng Yuran saw that Mo Xuetong still did not wake up. As such, he shook her helplessly.

    Mo Xuetong was deeply asleep when she felt someone shaking her. She opened her eyes slightly and saw Feng Yuran¡¯s face hanging right in front of her. His longshes were almost touching her face. She could not help but make a soft sound. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking innocent and confused. Feng Yuran felt that she was extremely loveable.

    ¡°Wake up, myzy piglet.¡± Feng Yuran patted her soft cheeks. Then, heughed and got off the carriageughing before she could get angry. Mo Xuetong was thinking about getting angry but he had already run off. She could only get off the carriage. Feng Yuran was waiting for her there and he reached out to help her off the carriage.

    The two walked into the pce and arrived at Emperor Zongwen¡¯s Qianqing Pce before long.

    The lead eunuch Liu Xi had already received notice that they wereing and was waiting for them at the door. He hurried up to wee them with a smile when he saw them and said, ¡°Your Highness, My Lady, His Majesty is waiting for you inside!¡±

    ¡°Father is alone in here?¡± Feng Yuran strode forward with wide steps while asking casually. Mo Xuetong looked like a dutiful wife, following behind him closely.

    ¡°Consort Zhao is here as well. She¡¯s chatting with His Majesty,¡± Liu Xi answered with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong saw a consort¡¯s pnquin when she entered earlier. It was hidden behind the side doors and she could not tell if it belonged to the Empress. She realized then that it was not the Empress who was in the pce, but Consort Zhao. The Emperor doted on Consort Zhao a lot and her pnquin looked very simr to the Empress¡¯s.

    They entered the doors as they spoke and saw Emperor Zongwen seated in the middle of the hall. The beautiful woman who wore elegant make-up was Consort Zhao of Mingyue Pce.

    Consort Zhao was dressed up beautifully. She wore a in colored skirt that was embroidered with peonies. Her blouse was a light red color that was made of silk. A piece of cloth was tied under her chest, high above her waist, causing her full blossom to look even fuller. Peonies embroidered with gold thread covered her dress from top to bottom. The threads glowed brilliantly and eye-catchingly.

    Consort Zhao was no longer elegantly and inly dressed like when they first met her. Instead, she was dressed luxuriously and elegantly, like a rich woman. Her every move made her seem even more striking and alluring.

    Feng Yuran strode up, ignoring Consort Zhao. He bowed to Emperor Zongwen and said, ¡°Greetings, Father.¡±

    Mo Xuetong knelt beside him and bowed deeply.

    ¡°Consort Zhao is here, so greet her as well.¡± Emperor Zongwen said to Feng Yuran in a good mood.

    The two did not bow as deeply this time. Feng Yuran bent slightly and Mo Xuetong curtsied. Consort Zhao was not the Empress and did not rank highly. As such, they did not have to greet her with much ceremony.

    ¡°Your Majesty, King Xuan is growing more and more sensible. If my sister were still around, it would be great if she could see that King Xuan is now married. I will go and burn incense for my sister when I return to my pceter. I will let Elder Sister know that King Xuan is doing well.¡± Consort Zhao wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, looking slightly touched.

    It was as if she were the only one left in the world who missed Consort Xian the most.

    ¡°You are so kind, my dear consort.¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes darkened when Consort Xian was mentioned. He did not notice that his voice grew softer as he spoke and sighed.

    Feng Yuran harrumphed unhappily and turned his head, ignoring Consort Zhao. He had not gotten along with Consort Zhao since he was a child. After the death of Consort Xian, he had been suspicious of Consort Zhao. However, he was too young then and could not seek revenge for his mother. Then, he left the pce for many years. The matter had been buried since many years had passed when he returned. It became even harder to find out what happened then.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s expression grew stiff. However, she turned to look at Mo Xuetong and took a few steps forward. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°Your Majesty, look at how great Consort Xuan is. She looks like a fairy and King Xuan married her. He is so lucky. I heard that King Xuan is ignoring the other women in his courtyard for Consort Xuan. It shows that he really likes Consort Xuan.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen smiled and nodded as Consort Zhao praised Mo Xuetong. He knew his son very well. Feng Yuran must really like Mo Xuetong to actively ask Emperor Zongwen to allow him to marry her. Furthermore, when Mo Xuetong married Feng Yuran, Feng Yuran had been gravely injured and was lying in bed. The Emperor did not expect Feng Yuran to bepletely healed so quickly. As such, he felt that Mo Xuetong was Feng Yuran¡¯s lucky star and liked her very much.

    Emperor Zongwen was very pleased when he saw how harmonious the two were.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Anping is naturally the best. I thought that she is very sensible. Look, Old Eight is much more sensible now.¡±

    Mo Xuetong blushed at the two¡¯s teasing and did not know what to say. She lowered her head and allowed Feng Yuran to deal with the situation.

    Feng Yuran lifted his head up high when Emperor Zongwen praised Mo Xuetong. He seemed to be in a good mood and he was full of smiles as he looked around. It was as if he were the one being praised and he looked very self-satisfied.

    ¡°King Xuan is so handsome and Consort Xuan is beautiful. Their child will be very adorable. Your Majesty, I want to hug Elder Sister¡¯s grandson for her!¡± Consort Zhao dabbed at her lips with her handkerchief, changing the topic suddenly with a smile.

    ¡°They are still young. There¡¯s no hurry,¡± said Emperor Zongwen with a smile, ¡°they will naturally have children when they are slightly older.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, they are not young. There are many people their age who are already parents in the capital. Look at how handsome King Xuan is. If you have a grandson like him, he¡¯ll be very adorable! If Elder Sister were here, she would definitely think the same. Your Majesty, what do you think!¡±

    Consort Zhao mentioned Consort Xian once more. Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong had only entered the pce not long ago and only said a few words. But Consort Xian had already been mentioned twice.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were slightly cold and she slid up closer to Feng Yuran without anyone noticing. She had a bad feeling. Consort Zhao was not someone who would do anything without her reasons. She kept mentioning children and the deceased Consort Xian. She had to be up to something. However, they did not know why she had been waiting so early in the morning in Qianqing pce for her and Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong did not believe in coincidences when it came to Consort Zhao.

    Consort Zhao reminded Emperor Zongwen and he immediately nodded and said to Feng Yuran, ¡°Old Eight, you¡¯re not getting any younger and should have children. Now that you have a wife, you should consider having children.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anping, even though you are a little young, there are many women your age who have children. Now that King Xuan is favoring you, you have to take the opportunity. I heard that there are many women in King Xuan¡¯s back courtyard. They did not have any concubine-born children because there was not a consort in that manor. Now that you have joined the manor, you have to have a child first before those women do.¡±

    While Consort Zhao sounded as if she were helping Mo Xuetong, she was actually hinting tantly that Feng Yuran was not a loyal man. He doted on Mo Xuetong so much right now because they were still in their honeymoon phase. If Mo Xuetong were to lose favor in the future, who knew what would happen? Consort Zhao was sowing dissent and Mo Xuetong was aware of that. As such, she smiled and did not say anything! Anyway, she would not be at a disadvantage with Feng Yuran around!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s expression turned dark. His eyes lit up with a devilish glint and he smiled. ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Consort Zhao! Father, Consort Zhao truly cares a lot for me. Look, she even knows what¡¯s happening in my back courtyard. She cares more about me than Mother did. Speaking of which, Father, I thought Mother was around when I first came. Consort Zhao¡¯s dressing really looks a lot like Mother¡¯s. I thought it was Mother¡¯s phoenix robes at a nce.¡±

    The Empress was the Emperor¡¯s legal wife and her clothes were bright red.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s clothes were a little overboard today. The color of her shirt was very close to the bright red of the Empress¡¯s robes. Coupled with therge and bright red peonies, they resembled the Empress¡¯s phoenix robes greatly.

    Upon hearing that, Emperor Zongwen felt that it was slightly inappropriate as well. Even though he did not have feelings for the Empress, he still had to show her the necessary respect.

    The Emperor turned to look at Consort Zhao and seized her up. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes. No matter how much the Empress displeased him right now, she was still the legal wife and Empress of the pce. He had to show her that respect and must not allow his favored concubine to embarrass her. It would be wrong for him to allow others toment on this.

 Chapter 485 - Our Kings Manor Doesnt Need a Second Consort

    <h4>Chapter 485 Our King¡¯s Manor Doesn¡¯t Need a Second Consort</h4>

    Consort Zhao¡¯s charming smile slid off her face and her expression froze slightly. She knew long ago that Feng Yuran refused to listen to her. That was why she wanted to get rid of Mo Xuetong and rece her with an obedient consort. That consort would obey her and work for her. Then, she would be able to control Feng Yuran. However, she did not expect Feng Yuran to embarrass her so in front of so many pce maids and eunuchs. She was furious.

    However, she immediately realized that Emperor Zongwen was looking at her. She smiled at Emperor Zongwen and curtsied, saying, ¡°Your Majesty, I heard that King Xuan was released, so I rushed over here in a hurry. I didn¡¯t pick a suitable outfit and have offended Her Majesty. I will go to Tianfeng Pce to ask for Her Majesty¡¯s pardon.¡±

    She was totally acting like a dutiful consort.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression softened when he saw that Consort Zhao knew that she was in the wrong. He nodded with satisfaction.

    Mo Xuetong did not intend to let Consort Zhao off though. She looked at the pleased smirk on Consort Zhao¡¯s lips and turned around. She looked at Consort Zhao¡¯s clothes innocently and said to Feng Yuran carefully, ¡°Why does Consort Zhao have robes like this? Which servant made it for her? She doesn¡¯t know the pce rules at all. Is she trying to get Consort Zhao into trouble?¡±

    Consort Zhao was working with the He family and had once plotted against Mo Xuetong. As such, Mo Xuetong felt that there was no need to y nice. She knew that Consort Zhao would not be able to do anything today. As such, she would just strike directly lest Consort Zhao should try to do something to her again in the future, and others would still think that Consort Zhao was kind and gracious.

    Mo Xuetong had spoken softly as if she were only conversing with Feng Yuran. However, the pce was very quiet and others immediately heard her. Emperor Zongwen was an intelligent man. He frowned when he heard what Mo Xuetong said and then looked at Consort Zhao thoughtfully. Even though he did not say anything, his expression was not as soft as before.

    All the clothes in the pce were bespoke. No matter what, Consort Zhao would not be able to get a dress that was this bright red color. Only the Empress and the Empress Dowager could wear this color in the entire pce!

    Even though Consort Zhao was still smiling, her eyes were cold and vicious. She gritted her teeth and swallowed the anger she felt. She looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s gentle and adorable smiling face and then, smiled warmly once more. She did not dare to say anything to Mo Xuetong directly in this ce and could only curse Mo Xuetong secretly in her heart.

    She pretended not to understand what Mo Xuetong meant and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I will definitely find out who made these clothes for me. I will see if there is anyone else who wants to do harm to me. They know that I do not know the pce rules and tried to get me into trouble.¡±

    Consort Zhao pushed the responsibility to someone else.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be in awe. This Consort Zhao was really unique. She managed to deflect the me in just a few words.

    However, was the Emperor someone who could be so easily tricked?! After all, there was a saying that a clever man might be fooled by his own cleverness!

    Consort Zhao behaved as if everything had nothing to do with her and had managed to make everything sound good. In fact, that was the biggest loophole.

    How could Consort Zhao be so gracious and calm given her status? She did not even look shocked. This proved that she was actually a scheming person who had other plots. She was the mistress of Mingyue Pce. Who would dare to pick this color for her if she had not requested it?

    Furthermore, everyone in the pce and even the entire Great Qin knew that only the legal wife of the Emperor could wear bright red clothes. No matter how much the Emperor favored Consort Zhao, she was just a concubine. How could she not be aware of that! She was intentionally trying to find out how Emperor Zongwen felt about the whole situation and was here to find out what Feng Yuran was up to. Mo Xuetong did not know what her goals were, but there was something Mo Xuetong was sure about. Emperor Zongwen might not have noticed what Consort Zhao had done earlier, which was why he had not said anything. He probably did not feel veryfortable about it right now! The Empress had the support of the Ding General Manor. Their power was not something Consort Zhao, who had no backing, could contend with.

    Consort Zhao had dealt with the situation calmly after being exposed. Was such a woman really someone who had been locked up inside the pce and was unaware of the secr world and its dealings?!

    One would know that Emperor Zongwen was beginning to feel a little suspicious judging by the darkness in his eyes.

    This was what Mo Xuetong needed to do. She still could not drag Consort Zhao down from her ce but she just had to secretly make the Emperor grow wary of Consort Zhao. That was why she stepped behind Feng Yuran fearfully after saying her piece. It was as if she was frightened of Consort Zhao. She could not force Consort Zhao¡¯s hand or the Emperor¡¯s in front of him and could only give the impression that she was weak and harmless.

    She muttered softly, ¡°Consort Zhao, I, I did not mean that.¡±

    Then, she flushed and snuck a look at Consort Zhao as if she were really afraid that Consort Zhao would be angry. Mo Xuetong twirled her handkerchief around her fingers shyly like a child. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression softened when he saw that. Mo Xuetong was still a child, after all. She did not know anything and had just asked a simple question. It was not as if she really wanted to cause any harm.

    However, Consort Zhao¡¯s behavior was different from before. It was worth pondering over!

    ¡°Your Majesty, look at how adorable Consort Xuan is. I like her so much. However, she is so young and innocent. Can she really take charge of King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back courtyard? I heard that there are many women there. Will they bully Consort Xuan?¡± Consort Zhao covered her smile with her hands as if she did not care about Mo Xuetong¡¯s slip of the tongue.

    Emperor Zongwen nced at Feng Yuran and then at Mo Xuetong, who acted like a shy and young girl. He nodded and thought that that made sense. Old Eight¡¯s back courtyard was not a ce that could be managed by anyone. There were all kinds of women there and they might cause trouble for the legal consort. He asked, ¡°My dear Consort, what idea do you have?¡±

    ¡°I have an idea. The other manors all have second consorts and concubines. Even though there are many women in King Xuan¡¯s Consort, none of them are great girls who can be brought out in public. Your Majesty, why don¡¯t you bestow a second consort to King Xuan? She will be able to serve King Xuan and help Consort Xuan manage the back courtyard. Otherwise, the women in the back courtyard might bully Consort Xuan.¡±

    Consort Zhao smiled happily.

    A chill ran down Mo Xuetong¡¯s spine. So this was what Consort Zhao was up to. She did not manage to get what she wanted at the Empress Dowager¡¯s the other day, and now she was causing trouble at His Majesty¡¯s. It seemed that the He family was definitely going to make one of their daughters King Xuan¡¯s Second Consort.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good idea. Who do you think should be the Second Consort, my love?¡± Emperor Zongwen immediately agreed after giving the idea some thought. He felt that Anping was a little too young. However, his son insisted on marrying her and he had no choice but to agree. Now that he thought about it, Anping was not even 15 yet and was too young. It would be troublesome for her to manage therge back courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Furthermore, even though Anping was still a child, his son was now a man. There had to be someone who could serve him by his side.

    As for the women already in Feng Yuran¡¯s manor, the Emperor did not consider them at all.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I have a person in mind. There are a few girls who came with my maternal family to the capital during King Xuan¡¯s wedding. First Miss He is both mine and Elder Sister¡¯s niece. If she bes King Xuan¡¯s Second Consort, this will make our rtionship even closer. Furthermore, she is a capable girl and can take care of His Highness and Consort Xuan. If Elder Sister were here, she would definitely be pleased with this match.¡±

    Consort Zhao said with a smile.

    She had indeed rmended He Yufen. A sh of anger appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s soft cheeks. A cold, mocking smirk grew on her lips. However, just when Mo Xuetong was about to speak, Feng Yuran tugged on her hand, and the words halted at her lips.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, how do you know that my mother, who is in heaven, would definitely like that girl? If Consort Zhao really likes that girl, you don¡¯t have to keep bringing up my mother to support you. If Mother likes something, she will definitely tell me in my dreams. Why will she tell you and not her biological son? It makes it seem as if you and my mother are closer than my mother and me.¡±

    Feng Yuranughed coldly andshed out there and then. A devilish smile appeared on his handsome face as he spoke to Consort Zhao angrily.

    Feng Yuran had never been a patient or kind person to outsiders. He was also Emperor Zongwen¡¯s most favored son. As such, he would not allow Consort Zhao to keep mentioning his mother for her own benefit. He spoke loudly and brashly without any considerations for Consort Zhao.

    No one else other than Mo Xuetong noticed the blood-thirsty look that shed in his eyes. He had always suspected that Consort Zhao had something to do with his mother¡¯s death. He had also never trusted the He family. If he could prove that they had something to do with his mother¡¯s death, he would not let them off.

    He would seek revenge for this debt of blood!

    Mo Xuetong could sense the coldness that Feng Yuran emanated. She held his hand tightly and hope that she would be able to provide warmth to him. She had the same views as Feng Yuran about Consort Zhao. This woman was not a simple character. She was able to make the Minister of Works work for her in secret for so many years. The minister was under her controlpletely. She was not an ordinary character at all.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I was just... just thinking that if Elder Sister were around, she would definitely be willing...¡± Tears appeared in Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes, but she tried her best to hold them back in. Mo Xuetong could not help but be in awe of Consort Zhao¡¯s acting. The women in the pce were all impressive figures. She had spoken so weakly; it made it seem as if Feng Yuran was the one in the wrong.

    Fortunately, Feng Yuran had never had a good reputation in the first ce!

    ¡°Consort Zhao, you are not the Empress. Choosing a Second Consort for me should not be any of your business. Did youe so early today to talk about a Second Consort for me? It is such a pity because I do not want a Second Consort.¡± Feng Yuran said to Consort Zhao angrily. Then, he turned to bow to Emperor Zongwen casually and said, ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ve seen too many crying and acting women here; I don¡¯t want to see anything like this again. I¡¯ve worked hard to make my back courtyard quiet and peaceful; do you want me to create a mess again?¡±

    Feng Yuran sounded extremely rude and made it sound as if Emperor Zongwen wanted to see trouble in Feng Yuran¡¯s back courtyard. He soundedpletely like a scoundrel and this made Emperor Zongwen mad. He pointed at Feng Yuran and scolded. ¡°Old Eight, you scoundrel, you... you...¡±

    The Emperor was so angry that he could not even speak.

    Consort Zhao pretended to cry then and went to press her hand at Emperor Zongwen¡¯s chest. She consoled him. ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t be angry. King Xuan did not mean to make you angry. It was all my fault for not minding my own business. King Xuan, if you are angry, be angry at me. You can¡¯t anger your father.¡±

    Consort Zhao was no longer behaving coquettishly. Instead, she pretended to be virtuous. This changed happened so very quickly. Mo Xuetong smirked to herself and nced at Feng Yuran from the corners of her eyes. She saw that there wasn¡¯t a hint of annoyance in his handsome eyes at all and knew that he was up to something again. As such, she allowed the situation to progress and did what she should do.

    Given the situation, she should, as Feng Yuran¡¯s wife, step out and do something.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t say anything else. He is your father!¡± Mo Xuetong urged as she stepped up and tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s robe.

    Emperor Zongwen was very pleased with Mo Xuetong when he saw how gracious she was.

    ¡°Anping is so gracious. Anping, can you really manage the back courtyard by yourself? Should I send a virtuous woman to your manor? I heard First Miss He is kind and gentle. She will be able to help you if she enters your manor.¡± Emperor Zongwen tried to work on Mo Xuetong instead, ignoring his son.

    Were they going to send that woman into their manor no matter what?

 Chapter 486 - Consort Zhao Was Thrown out and Encounters Lian An

    <h4>Chapter 486 Consort Zhao Was Thrown out and Encounters Lian An</h4>

    Mo Xuetong was stunned. She did not understand what Emperor Zongwen meant. Was he really going to listen to Consort Zhao and send another woman to King Xuan¡¯s Manor? She had never heard that Emperor Zongwen had such an intention. She blinked and knew that she had to answer the question now. However, what was she to say? Feng Yuran had already indicated that he did not want a Second Consort. She did not want a Second Consort to join them either. Furthermore, if she agreed, it would be disrespectful to her husband.

    However, if she said that she did not want a Second Consort to join them, it would mean defying the Emperor¡¯s edict. She could not behave as arrogantly as Feng Yuran.

    However, Mo Xuetong was no fool. She immediately lowered her head and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I will obey all orders from His Highness.¡±

    She did not say that she was agreeable, and neither did she say that she wasn¡¯t. Feng Yuran was in charge and she would go along with it. Nothing could go wrong like that. She would let Emperor Zongwen speak with his son if anything was the matter.

    ¡°Father, our manor doesn¡¯t want a Second Consort.¡± Feng Yuran said in annoyance. ¡°Father, don¡¯t you know what happened in Eldest Brother and Third Brother¡¯s manor? Their Second Consorts got into trouble. If they didn¡¯t have their Second Consorts, nothing like that would have happened in their manor. Look at what happened to them. Do you want a Second Consort toe to my manor and cause so much trouble?¡±

    Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly.

    Emperor Zongwen could note up with a retort. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s and Feng Yulei¡¯s manor had been thrown into chaos because of their Second Consorts. They had not only caused trouble throughout the city, but they had alsopletely embarrassed the royal family. If something simr happened again, the royal family would be totally embarrassed. It looked like it would not be right to arrange this girl as a Second Consort for Feng Yuran. They had to check her character first before doing anything.

    ¡°My dear Consort, what do you think...¡±

    Seeing how this chance of cing a Second Consort in King Xuan¡¯s manor was about to slip through her fingers, Consort Zhao felt that if she were to let go of this opportunity, the He family would not be able to get close to the royal family ever again. Consort Zhao was not willing to lose He Yufen, a chess piece of hers, just like that. She said to Emperor Zongwen, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t be in such a hurry. King Xuan only said he did not want a Second Consort. He didn¡¯t say he doesn¡¯t want another concubine. Why don¡¯t you make Yufen a noble consort? There has to be someone of status to help Consort Xuan. However, this will shortchange Fen¡¯er.¡±

    The noble consort title was lowly and easy to control. A noble consort would not be able to cause much trouble!

    This reminded Emperor Zongwen of that and he immediatelyughed. He said to Feng Yuran, ¡°Good, that¡¯s a good idea. Old Eight, since you¡¯re not willing to let Anping down, then let that youngdy from the He family be a noble consort. Anyway, you don¡¯t have a proper concubine in your manor right now, it won¡¯t be much of a hassle for you to take another.¡±

    Having said that, the Emperor made it seem as if there was nothing they could say to object. No matter how arrogant Feng Yuran was, the man in front of him was his royal father. He was both Feng Yuran¡¯s father and Emperor. There was no way Feng Yuran could defy him.

    ¡°Father, I have proper concubines in my manor. Don¡¯t you remember Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter? The one from the Qin family? She¡¯s my concubine.¡± Feng Yuran refused to obey his father though. He raised his head up high, refusing to admit defeat. ¡°Her status is not low either but is a concubine. Miss He is from a family of lowly officials but you are making her a noble consort. What will Duke Wanping think?¡±

    King Xuan had a concubine who was the daughter of a duke? Consort Zhao was stunned.

    Mo Xuetong cursed at Feng Yuran in her heart. This man was too much!

    So he had been waiting to do this. No matter he was behaving so differently today. As such, Mo Xuetong pretended to shake and lower her head, looking frightened. She even tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeves as if she wanted to persuade him but did not dare to.

    She wanted to see how he was going to continue his performance!

    ¡°Your Highness, she is your cousin. You, you aren¡¯t going to make her amon concubine, are you? If your mother in heaven finds out about this, she will not forgive you.¡± Consort Zhao said urgently. How long would it take for a lowly concubine to be a consort? This was practically impossible.

    ¡°My mother had never been close with the He family. The He family never once asked about me after Mother died. Consort Zhao, however, is especially close with the He family. Does Consort Zhao want He Yufen to be my noble consort with her current status and rank even higher than Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter? Noble families have always paid great attention to their status. Even if you are not afraid of interfering in politics from the back of the pce, I do not wish to have the Censore after me.¡±

    Feng Yuran flung the sleeves of his robe behind him. The mocking smirk on his handsome lips was obvious to all. He made it sound as if Consort Zhao was stomping all over a noble family.

    Interfering with politics? That was a great crime. Emperor Zongwen had once set up signs saying that the women of the pce were not to interfere with politics!

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression darkened and he looked at Consort Zhao suspiciously. There was a hint of darkness in his thoughtful eyes.

    ¡°Your Majesty... I, no... I, I was just worried...¡± Consort Zhao grew worried and knew that she had been rushing things earlier. She immediately picked up a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She started to cry. ¡°Your Majesty, I was just worried that Yufen would suffer in the manor; that¡¯s why I...¡±

    ¡°Consort Zhao is really nice to the He family. You¡¯ve left the He family for so many years, but you are still so loyal to them. Have you ever considered that I will suffer if He Yufen enters my manor? Could it be that my suffering is not as worthy as First Miss He¡¯s suffering?¡± Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly, interrupting Consort Zhao. Then, he said rather impatiently to Emperor Zongwen, ¡°Father, you do what you will. If she enters my manor, she will be a concubine. Otherwise, she doesn¡¯t have to enter my manor. Look, she¡¯s caused so much trouble even before she enters the manor.¡±

    This statement pointed out that He Yufen was someone who would not be contented with her lot.

    Emperor Zongwen naturally knew what his son was up to. He nced at his son and daughter-inw who were beautiful and handsome. They pleased him very much so. However, his daughter-inw was too young and she would not be able to have children now. Yet, his son was not getting any younger and his son not having any descendants was a problem. Furthermore, he had other considerations as well. Having descendants was very important.

    It was necessary for more women to enter the manor. The Emperor knew what kind of person Old Eight was. If he did not agree, the Emperor would not be able to do anything about it. Even though the girl from the He family might not be a good match, but at least Old Eight had agreed to the match. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t even know what the cause of death was for the girl if she were sent to the manor without Old Eight¡¯s agreement. Furthermore, the Emperor had already promised Consort Zhao this earlier. As such, the Emperor made the decision and said, ¡°Alright, then this is considered a done deal. Send First Miss He to King Xuan¡¯s Manor as a concubine. I will send the orders downter.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Consort Zhao said worriedly.

    The Emperor had promised her that he would send an edict earlier. Consort Zhao had nned to ensure that He Yufen would be able to challenge Mo Xuetong in the future since this was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. However, He Yufen was now a concubine, and she was just an ordinary concubine at that. She would not even be listed in the royal genealogy and would not have any status.

    ¡°Alright then, Father. I still have something on, so I shan¡¯t apany you. I will take my leave.¡± Feng Yuran did not even nce at Consort Zhao. He pulled Mo Xuetong away and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. If we stay here any longer, someone is going to want to steal away your title as Legal Consort.¡±

    He made it sound as if Consort Zhao was going to get rid of Mo Xuetong. Consort Zhao was so furious that she ground her teeth and almost vomited blood.

    However, she smiled at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Anping, I was just being considerate for your health. After all, you are still young and recuperating. When Yufen enters the manor, you can just leave her to handle things and focus on getting better. Then, you will be able to bear His Highness a healthy little prince in the future.¡±

    Consort Zhao knew that she had been too hasty earlier and must have raised the Emperor¡¯s suspicions. As such, she took the opportunity to speak with Mo Xuetong warmly and try to smooth the situation. What Feng Yuran said earlier had been jarring and almost brought disaster upon her. As such, Consort Zhao tried to salvage the situation after a short pause to catch her breath.

    Mo Xuetong smiled but did not reply to what Consort Zhao said. Instead, she curtsied slightly. Since Consort Zhao bore ill will towards her, she felt that she did not need to pretend to be close to her in front of Emperor Zongwen.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Feng Yuran reached out to pull Mo Xuetong away.

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and nced at Emperor Zongwen. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. However, she did not object and left, following behind Feng Yuran obediently.

    Emperor Zongwen was furious at the sight. His daughter-inw seemed like a sensible girl. However, his son was a little disobedient!

    ¡°Your Majesty, what will happen to Yufen?¡± Consort Zhao asked with eyes tinged with redness. She sighed as she watched the two leave.

    ¡°The He family¡¯s status is a little now. We cannot make Old Eight suffer because of this. There are some concubines in King Xuan¡¯s manor who have better family status than He Yufen and they did note to me toin.¡± Emperor Zongwen said disapprovingly. Then, he said lightly, ¡°I am a little tired today; you can leave!¡±

    Was she being thrown out?

    Consort Zhao paled and the tears in her eyes slid down her cheeks. She uttered softly to Emperor Zongwen. ¡°Your Majesty...¡±

    ¡°Alright, leave!¡± Emperor Zongwen waved his hand. It was as if he could not see the tearful look on the woman in front of him.

    Consort Zhao was as pale as a sheet. She was so shocked and frightened that her lips trembled.

    She had never been so shocked and frightened since entering the pce. The Emperor had always been kind and tolerating toward her no matter what she said. Even when she brought up the Empress intentionally and gossiped about her, the Emperor would just smile at her. Even though Consort Yu was favored by the Emperor, the number of times the Emperor visited Consort Yu could be counted on one hand. Furthermore, he only went there to enquire about the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly.

    Instead, he came to Mingyue Pce the most often.

    Yet, this time, because of the insinuations Feng Yuran made, the Emperor had thrown her out of Qianqing Pce uncaringly.

    She still did not understand if this had happened because Feng Yuran had used her of making use of Consort Xian, or if it was because Feng Yuran said that she was interfering in politics. Or was it because she had been too hasty in sending He Yufen to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, causing the Emperor to be displeased? However, no matter what, she now knew that leaving now was the only way to avoid even more suspicion from the Emperor.

    She nced at Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face and could only see a cold and stern look on it. There was no hint of the usual warmth he showed her.

    She said fearfully, ¡°Yes, I will obey.¡±

    Consort Zhao did not dare to say anything else when she saw that the Emperor was displeased. She bit her lips and walked out of the doors of Qianqing Pce slowly.

    The sun was bright outside. Consort Zhao took a deep breath of the fresh air and exhaled the gloominess she felt. A smile gradually grew on her face. Indeed, she had been too hasty earlier and had made Feng Yuran angry. Fortunately, while Yufen¡¯s current ranking was low, if she gained the favor of Feng Yuran, they would still have a chance.

    Didn¡¯t Consort Xian use to be the only one who had the Emperor¡¯s favor! So what now? The grass on her grave had already grown and wilted through many seasons!

    Consort Zhao¡¯s pnquin was parked at a side. She got on with the help of the pce maids and eunuchs and began heading for the back of the pce.

    She had only left Qianqing Pce when she saw Lian An approaching with wide strides.

    He saw that a pnquin belonging to a consort approaching and immediately stood to the side with his head lowered.

    The pnquin suddenly stopped and a face that seemed both annoyed and pleased appeared at the window. She looked at Lian An curiously and asked the eunuch beside her, ¡°Who is this sir?¡±

    ¡°He is the Minister of Works!¡± The eunuch standing beside her recognized Lian An and immediately reported that respectfully.

    ¡°Why is the Minister of Works, Minister Lain, doing inside the pce?¡± A smile appeared on Consort Zhao¡¯s beautiful face. She asked Lian An with interest, as if she were just curious.

    ¡°It has been many years since Qiming Pavilion was fixed. I am in charge of the repairs of Qiming Pavilion recently.¡± Lian An did not raise his head as he replied Consort Zhao who was seated in the pnquin.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t matters like these be under the charge of Princes?¡± Consort Zhao asked casually.

    Even though the Ministry of Works dealt with the repairs of structures in the back of the pce, they were usually managed by Princes. That was why Consort Zhao was asking this question.

 Chapter 487 - A Warning at the Fu General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 487 A Warning at the Fu General Manor</h4>

    ¡°King Xuan is the main overseer of this project.¡± Lian An did not dare to lower his head and answered truthfully and respectfully. No one noticed that anything was amiss.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Consort Zhao said lightly, seeming to have grown disinterested. She drew her hand back into the pnquin.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go!¡± The eunuch called loudly upon receiving the orders.

    The pnquin continued forward. No one noticed a pink handkerchief floating out from the bottom of the pnquin andnding in the grass.

    When the pnquin had moved further away, Lian An took a few steps forward and stood beside the pink handkerchief. He looked around to see if there was anyone around. Then, he lowered his head as if he were arranging his robes. He took the opportunity to pick up the handkerchief silently and without anyone noticing.

    Then, Lian An stood up and continued forward with wide strides as if nothing happened.

    At night, in Minister of Works, Lian An¡¯s study.

    Senior Master He, He Hui looked at the pink handkerchief darkly. He said urgently, ¡°Lord Lian, was that really what Consort Zhao said? Didn¡¯t she promise us that Yufen would definitely be Second Consort Xuan after entering King Xuan¡¯s Manor? How did she end up as an ordinary concubine? This... what are we going to do...¡±

    ¡°Consort Zhao was very clear. We have to work on this slowly and must not be hasty.¡± Lian An said calmly. He picked up a cup from the table and took a sip from it. Then, he said casually, ¡°I heard that your manor has sent out people to investigate in various ces recently. Did something happen?¡±

    He Hui paused at that and a hint of awkwardness appeared in his expression. Even though he knew that Lian An was on his side, a girl had gone missing. It was a great scandal. He Hui was too embarrassed to say it. They had searched everywhere the past couple of days and had even gone to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. However, they heard that while He Yuxiu had gone to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she had not entered. When their men left, she escaped from the side doors.

    Then, they did not receive any further information. When He Hui thought of the girl¡¯s impending nuptials to Yu Mingyong, his head hurt even more.

    He had not thought highly of this marriage. After all, he was just a worthless yboy who had a favored concubine as his sister. The He family had someone in the pce as well. As such, it was not considered to be an advantageous match.

    However, now that He Yufen could only be a concubine in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she would need help. With Consort Yu backing Yu Mingyong, this marriage was now considered a decent match. Furthermore, the girl would be a legal wife.

    ¡°Lord Lain, please help me find Yuxiu. She... she¡¯s gone missing.¡± With no other alternatives, He Hui had to swallow the awkwardness and ask Lian An for help.

    ¡°Second Miss He has gone missing? What happened?¡± Lian An asked in shock, his eyes widening.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just... she was dissatisfied with the marriage arranged for her. But at this point, so what if she¡¯s dissatisfied?¡± He Hui stomped his foot angrily, ming He Yuxiu for being insensible. He would not tell Lian An the true reason for He Yuxiu¡¯s disappearance, of course. That was a secret of the He family and not even Lian An was privy to that.

    ¡°She¡¯s a girl; it¡¯s no big deal for her to throw a tantrum. I will send more men to search for her. Regarding First Miss He, you¡¯d better be prepared.¡± Lian An picked up his tea and sent He Hui off.

    ¡°Yes, many thanks, My Lord.¡± He Hui took the opportunity to take his leave and left.

    After He Hui left, Lian An stood up and walked out. As he walked, he said to the butler, ¡°Go and tell Madam that I have an engagement tonight and will be backte. I will rest in the study. Tell her not to wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the butler.

    After Mo Xuetong returned from the pce, she took a separate path from Feng Yuran at a crossing, heading to the Fu General Manor.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor had been ced on lockdown the past few days and the Fu General¡¯s Manor had sent things over from time to time. They also enquired about Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong knew that her maternal grandmother must be very worried these few days. As such, the first thing she did after giving her thanks in the pce was to visit her grandmother. Nanny Shen, the Old Madam¡¯s personal maid was already waiting for her when she arrived at the Fu General¡¯s Manor.

    When she saw Mo Xuetong, she led her to the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard with a smile.

    A maid lifted the curtains and they entered the room. Mo Xuetong saw the Old Madam standing up from the couch shakily. The Old Madam said excitedly, ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡±

    The Old Madam did not seem to be in good h health. When Mo Xuetong left thest time, the Old Madam¡¯s constitution had been poor even though she was not gravely ill.

    The Old Madam was considered to be quite healthy when she was young. However, her body had been damaged when she gave birth to her daughter and she had not given birth again since then. When Luo Xia died, the Old Madam had be gravely ill and her body had been damaged. Her condition was unstable and she had been ill since then. She would feel better after taking the medicine Bai Yihao prescribed. However, she did not continue treatment after Bai Yihao left.

    Mo Xuetong felt a sense of warmth as she looked into the Old Madam¡¯s tearful and concerned eyes.

    No matter whether the Old Madam was her biological grandmother or not, Mo Xuetong always felt that she was her grandmother. She had never met Consort Jin and had no memory of the woman in this life or the past. When she saw the joyful tears in the usually strong Old Madam, Mo Xuetong felt ashamed of the suspicions she once had.

    ¡°Grandmother, I am fine. I truly am fine.¡± Mo Xuetong took a few steps forward and held the Old Madam. She helped the woman back onto the couch. Her eyes were as bright as the stars and there was a slight smile on her face.

    ¡°Did King Xuan do something to make His Majesty angry again?¡± The Old Madam asked urgently, holding on to Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It is nothing. It¡¯s just Fourth Sister who implicated me. I don¡¯t know what happened after that, His Majesty got angry at His Highness. Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. All¡¯s fine now.¡± Mo Xuetongforted her.

    The Old Madam frowned. She had already heard of what happened to Feng Yulei at Puguang Temple. News of that incident had already spread throughout the capital. Most people felt that King Yan had tried to plot against King Xuan and had caused the whole saga. King Yan¡¯s Second Consort tried to elope and Consort Xuan helped her to escape? Then, everyone had died. This was really hard to believe.

    Mo Xueqiong didn¡¯t want to be King Yan¡¯s Second Consort but wanted to elope with a manservant? She even brought with her documents from King Yan¡¯s Manor? That was ludicrous!

    The Old Madam was not a simple woman. She immediately understood after some thought and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, asking her with concern, ¡°I heard that Marquess Mingguo was with King Yan that day at Puguang Temple. Did he intervene?¡±

    There were four great manors and every one of them was noble families with several centuries of lineage. They had many sources of information. As such, the Old Madam trusted the source of her information.

    ¡°Was Marquess Mingguo there as well? I did not see him. Consort Yan was very overbearing. Then, Mo Xueqiong¡¯s maid had caused such a fuss. I feel that it does not look like something King Yan would do...¡± Mo Xuetong flushed when she mentioned Mo Yan. After all, that was considered a scandal involving the Mo Manor.

    However, Mo Xuetong had to say it now to raise the Old Madam¡¯s awareness. However, she could not say it openly and could only pretend to be ignorant of everything and have the Old Madam investigate it herself.

    The connections between the four great families wereplicated. If Mo Xuetong could not make her grandmother aware of the odd behavior disyed by Mingguo Manor, they might plot against the Fu General Manor one day. One of the reasons why Mo Xuetong had visited today was to raise her grandmother¡¯s suspicion of You Yuecheng and Mingguo Manor.

    Even though Mo Yan was pretty, she was just average. There were many women of her caliber in King Yan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong did not think that King Yan, Feng Yulei would be interested in Mo Yan. However, if Mo Yan did not have any rtions with King Yan, then which man had entered the heavily guarded King¡¯s Manor?

    Furthermore, Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e seemed to disregard the matter entirely after it happened. They did not have any intentions of contending the matter. It was as if they had acknowledged it. This was what Mo Xuetong thought the weirdest. Which person was worth King Yan¡¯s silence and willingness to take the me! The most probable suspect was You Yuecheng.

    Only You Yuecheng could make King Yan and Consort Yan shut up about the maid getting pregnant. They did not even mention where the child in her belly came from.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you have to be careful of Marquess Mingguo in the future. He is a sharp man and King Yan¡¯s manor has suffered a great disadvantage this time. He would definitely not stop there. Stay away from him in the future and do not engage in any arguments with him.¡± The Old Madam¡¯s eyes were dark. She was not an old woman who only knew of the struggles in the back courtyard. She had experienced some of the feuds between noble families.

    ¡°Grandmother, do you mean that You Yuecheng had something to do with this?¡±

    ¡°Mingguo Manor is moving closely with King Yan¡¯s Manor right now. You Yuecheng is definitely involved in the great plot that King Yan set up for you and King Xuan. Stay far away from him if you see him in the future.¡± The Old Madam said worriedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandmother. I will not allow others to bully me. I am now Consort Xuan. If I act cowardly, others will only bully me even more. Furthermore, there are times when others will not allow me to back away. Since You Yuecheng had worked together with King Yan to plot against me, they will not just stop. So what if I avoid them!¡±

    No matter why You Yuecheng felt enmity towards Mo Xuetong, the two had been on separate sides since he tried to plot against her. Since they were enemies, they would one daye to blows. Furthermore, she knew that You Yuecheng would not let her off. There was still the matter involving her mother. He seemed to have some evidence. She had to act before he did and deal with what happened back then.

    The Old Madam sighed deeply when she saw how stubborn and determined her granddaughter was. She thought of her daughter whom she had doted on dearly. If her daughter could be as strong as Tong¡¯er, she might not have died at such a young age. The Old Madam could not help but tear up when she thought of that.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, no matter what you do, I will always support you!¡± The Old Madam said seriously, turning around to wipe away her tears.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the Old Madam¡¯s pale face and serious expression. Then, she saw the loving look in her eyes and her greying hair. Mo Xuetong felt extremely touched and sheunched herself into the Old Madan¡¯s chest. She cried out, ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    There was a lump at her throat and she could not say anything.

    Her grandmother had truly treated Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother as a daughter and treated Mo Xuetong as her biological granddaughter. Was this really a good time for her to talk about those things that the old woman had tried vehemently to hide?

    The Old Madam had raised her mother and doted on her wholeheartedly. The old woman had put in so much effort in her daughter but her daughter had died you. Now that her granddaughter was in trouble, she wanted to give everything she had to her granddaughter. Yet, at this time, her granddaughter told her that she was not her biological granddaughter. What would the Old Madam do?

    Beneath her hand, Mo Xuetong could feel that the Old Madam was so skinny and frail, she seemed to be only bones. However, the woman hugged her tightly and patted her back. She murmured with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, be good. It¡¯s alright. Grandmother is here for you.¡±

    Her heart hurt. Her heart hurt for this old woman with a head full of white hair.

    Since her grandmother did not want her to know that she was not her biological granddaughter, why must Mo Xuetong hurt her like that? In her past life, even though she had made use of the Fu General Manor to help Sima Lingyun, and even though the Fu General Manor had fallen because of Sima Lingyun, her grandmother had not med her. She also did not say anything about Mo Xuetong not being her biological granddaughter.

    Mo Xuetong had the wholehearted protection of this woman. This rtionship was stronger than that of blood rtions. Mo Xuetong was unwilling to hurt the Old Madam. She changed her mind then and decided that she must not let her grandmother find out that she already knew that her mother was not the Old Madam¡¯s biological daughter. She would also not allow the Old Madam to be upset in her old age.

 Chapter 488 - At the Mo Manor and Auntie Qings Change

    <h4>Chapter 488 At the Mo Manor and Auntie Qing¡¯s Change</h4>

    Having a grandmother who doted so much on her was such a great feeling!

    Mo Xuetong chatted with the Old Madam for a while before leaving. She did not stay in the Fu General Manor for too long as she still had to visit the Mo Manor. She had to let her father know that she was safe.

    She left the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard in a hurry and took a path along the garden. She could not help but nce at a secluded corner. She would find out what happened in that courtyard. However, it would not be through her grandmother. She hade today just to let her grandmother know that Mingguo Manor bore enmity against the Fu General Manor. That was all. She did not want to cause further trouble and hurt her grandmother.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± She turned to look at a tall pavilion. There was a well-dressed and beautiful woman in it. Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. She knew everyone in the Fu General Manor but had never seen this beautiful woman before.

    ¡°She is Second Madam¡¯s niece, Miss Yun Ya. I heard that something happened in her family, so she came to live with her rtive here. She¡¯s staying in the manor right now.¡± The maid who sent Mo Xuetong out answered carefully.

    Second Aunt¡¯s niece? The girl had only been here for about a month. Mo Xuetong looked at the beautiful girl¡¯s bright clothing from afar. Thoughts ran through her mind and a hint of darkness shed through her eyes. She stopped there and said to the maid, ¡°Go back and tell Grandmother that I met Miss Yun Ya while walking around in the garden and we are chatting.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The maid did not know what Mo Xuetong was going to do but still left obediently.

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Ye with her and approached the pavilion silently. When she reached the side of the pavilion, Miss Yun Ya, who was looking into the distance with her head turned to the side, still did not see them. Her maid, however, saw Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong red at her coldly as she was about to speak and she immediately cowered to the side and did not dare to make a sound.

    Yun Ya held a jade pendant in her hand. There was an exquisite tassel hanging under the jade pendant. The knots on the tassels were unusual and were only done in the pce. It was impossible to see such knots outside the pce. Given that it was joined to the jade pendant, one could tell that the jade and the tassel were both extraordinary items.

    ¡°This jade pendant is so beautiful!¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly said warmly with a sweet smile.

    The sudden sound shocked Yun Ya. She quickly kept the jade pendant. She had been admiring the scenery here and had felt a little mncholic for some reason. As such, she took out the jade pendant, thinking that no one would walk by at this time. Furthermore, even if someone were to approach, the maid would remind her. She did not expect someone to suddenly appear and that her maid would not be aware either.

    Fortunately, the jade pendant did not mean anything.

    The girl looked up and the beautiful girl in front of her made her eyes light up. The girl was elegant, gentle, and charming. There was an inexplicable charm that resided on her beautiful little face. Her eyes shone brightly, as clear as water. The girl seemed very amiable. However, while Yun Ya did not know who she was, she could tell by the girl¡¯s disposition that the girl was no ordinary person.

    She smiled and hurriedly exined, feeling awkward, ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. My mother gave it to me, which is why I treasure it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on a knot on the tassel that peeked out from the girl¡¯s sleeve. The smile on her lips grew even more gentle.

    ¡°This is Consort Xuan.¡± The little maid behind Yun Ya finally had the opportunity to gently remind the girl.

    Consort Xuan? Yun Ya immediately reigned in the charming expression in her eyes. She curtsied, saying, ¡°Greetings, Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Dispense with the ceremony. Since you are Second Cousin¡¯s cousin, you are mine as well. Have you gotten used to staying with Grandmother?¡± Mo Xuetong changed the topic gently with a slight smile.

    ¡°Many thanks, Consort Xuan, for your concern. It is great here. The Old Madam, Auntie, and Uncle, all treat me very well.¡± Yun Ya said sweetly, rxing when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not continue asking about the jade. One could tell with one look that she was a gentle and reserved person.

    However, Mo Xuetong was reminded of Yun Yiqiu, someone she had not thought of for a long time, when she looked at Yun Ya.

    It was not because they shared features but it was because they seemed to have the same characteristics. They were both soft and gentle. It was a coincidence that they both had the surname ¡°Yun¡±.

    ¡°Miss Yun, did something happen to your family?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, concerned.

    The maid had not spoken in detail earlier and did not say what happened to Yun Ya¡¯s family. For someone to send a girl to live with her rtives, it would have to be because her parents have both passed away. However, Mo Xuetong remembered that Luo Mingzhu had mentioned her aunt and uncle not long ago. She did not say that they met with an ident.

    Yun Ya¡¯s expression turned bitter at that. ¡°Something happened at home and I had to leave... There¡¯s a family with a yboy for a son. He keeps pestering my family for some reason. My mother sent me to the capital to live with my aunt for a while to avoid him. I wonder how my mother is doing.¡±

    Then, she teared up, making her look very pitiful indeed.

    Even though she did not say much, the meaning was clear. She had no choice but toe here. Mo Xuetongforted her gently, ¡°Your parents will be fine. If you are worried, you can ask Second Uncle to send his man there to ask around. Since there is such a family there, they must not be allowed to grow too arrogant and hurt others.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such trouble. Mother said that the matter will abate after a while. She wille to the capital personally to pick me up and also meet up with Auntie.¡± Yun Ya looked up at Mo Xuetong with a smile. However, there was a distant look in her eyes.

    It could be because this was their first time meeting. They were not very close and it was a little awkward.

    Seeing that it was gettingte, Mo Xuetong did not say anything else. She stood up and bid Yun Ya farewell and left, taking Mo Ye with her.

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and investigate what happened to Miss Yun Ya.¡± Mo Xuetong ordered softly after getting onto the horse carriage.

    ¡°My Lady, are you suspicious of this Miss Yun Ya?¡± Mo Ye had seen how Miss Yun Ya behaved earlier and did not think that there was anything strange about her.

    ¡°You Yuecheng said he found out something to do with what happened to Mother back then. If he found out about this earlier, he would have used it already. He only mentioned it now because he just found out about it. It proves that there are clues to the whole incident. He only discovered them not long ago. Perhaps about a month or so ago. Isn¡¯t that a coincidence?¡±

    A hint of a smile grew on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. There was a faint mocking glint in her clear eyes. This was just one reason. The other reason was that jade pendant. That jade pendant was no ordinary item. The tassel on it was knotted using a technique only avable in the pce. This was another point of suspicion.

    There were two different tassel knotting types that were popr in the pce right now. The male tassel had one knot while the female tassel had two. However, those who did not understand or were not observant would not be able to tell. The tassel on the jade pendant that Yun Ya was holding belonged to a man.

    She had onlye to the capital not long ago and had not attended a single banquet. Where did she get the jade pendant and tassel which originated from the pce?

    ¡°Shall I send someone to Miss Yun Ya¡¯s hometown to check?¡± Mo Ye asked.

    ¡°No need, she wouldn¡¯t havee all the way to the capital alone. There must be some servants who are close to her. You can start investigating these people.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile. She could not find it in herself to pity the seemingly weak and pitiful Miss Yun Ya.

    Since she had no choice but to enter the capital because she was being forced to marry, an ordinary girl might not cry all day, but she would definitely be worried about her parents back home! Miss Yun Ya seemed only concerned about the person who gave her the jade pendant. It must be someone she loved. She did not miss her parents at all and did not seem pitiful at all.

    She seemed even more so like someone who did not know her ce!

    The horse carriage arrived at Mo Manor and Mo Xuetong had to enter to let her father know that she was well. The servants saw that it was Mo Xuetong and hurriedly brought her to Xu Yan¡¯s.

    Xu Yan was already quite heavily pregnant and since the weather was quite hot, she felt ratherzy to move around. When she heard that Mo Xuetong was visiting, she got up hurriedly. However, Mo Xuetong arrived before she emerged from the room and went up to help her with a smile. She said, ¡°Mother, you are so heavily pregnant; why are you getting up? You¡¯d better sit down.¡±

    Xu Yan wore a light green dress with flowers embroidered on it. Her hair wasbed neatly and she was not wearing any hair essories. She looked in but elegant. Even though her stomach was quite distended, she seemedfortable and in good spirits. It was evident that she was doing well in Mo Manor.

    She smiled when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s concerned words. ¡°I heard that the lockdown on your manor ended today. Old Sir is very happy about it and wanted to visit youter. I didn¡¯t expect you toe before Old Sir returns. How are you doing? Did you encounter any difficulties? I heard that the women in the back courtyard caused amotion. Are you okay?¡±

    Mo Huawen was in charge of the security of the capital. He got information really quickly about what was happening in each family.

    Mo Xuetong helped Xu Yan to the couch as she spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve caused you to worry. It¡¯s actually no big deal. The women in the back courtyard didn¡¯t cause that much trouble.¡±

    ¡°How is it no big deal? Women deal with the matters of the back courtyard all their lives. I heard that His Highness has the most women in his back courtyard out of every manor here. Find an excuse and get rid of some of them. Otherwise, they will just cause trouble in the manor. Look at what happened to the other two King¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Xu Yan was talking about King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    One of their Second Consort had tried to elope with another man and the King had impregnated a maid.

    The other had a Consort who caused his Second Consort to miscarry and the Consort tried to kill the Second Consort. All of these were matters of the back courtyard.

    The two of them did not mention Mo Xueqiong. Like Mo Xuetong, Xu Yan did not like the mean-spirited Mo Xueqiong. This was especially since she had not dragged the Mo Manor into the scandal when she tried to frame Mo Xuetong this time. If it had been proven that Mo Xuetong was involved in the scandal, the Mo Manor would have gotten into trouble.

    The royal family would not allow their reputation to be tarnished. They would push the me onto Mo Huawen no matter what and Mo Huawen would be the scapegoat of the entire matter.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and said, ¡°We do have to clean up the manor. There are some restless people in the back courtyard.¡±

    ¡°Ask His Highness for his opinion before you clean up the back courtyard lest you annoy him.¡± Xu Yan instructed worriedly. She did not doubt Mo Xuetong¡¯s intelligence as well. However, the women of the back courtyard belonged to King Xuan. Furthermore, King Xuan had always been an arrogant person, so Mo Xuetong should be careful not to create an even bigger mess.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and replied,¡± Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I will consult His Highness first. What about the back courtyard here? Did anything happen?¡±

    She was asking about Auntie Qing. Mo Xueqiong had caused a huge scandal and died an dishonorable death.

    Xu Yan knew what Mo Xuetong was asking about and she harrumphed coldly. ¡°That person is not concerned about her daughter but her son. She naturally cares more for her son than her daughter.¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked her smart and watery eyes in confusion.

    A maid served tea and Xu Yan pushed the cup to Mo Xuetong. She waved her hand and most of the maids left. Only her personal maid stayed behind.

    ¡°Auntie Qing is very close to Mo Yufengtely. She sends anything good she gets to Mo Yufeng. I heard that she even sent a beautiful maid over and asked the maid to serve Mo Yufeng well. She¡¯s just sending one of her people to stay by his side.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qing and Elder Brother are very close?¡± Mo Xuetong grew even more confused. Her longshes fluttered, hiding the suspicion in her eyes. Why would the two of them be so close?

    In the past, when Auntie Fang was in charge of household matters, she had oppressed the other two Aunties. The two aunties did not have any sons and could not fight Auntie Fang. They did not dare to say anything in front of her. However, Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin had never gotten along, and one could tell that the rtionship between Auntie Qing and Auntie Fang was poor from that.

 Chapter 489 - Mo Huawens Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 489 Mo Huawen¡¯s Thoughts</h4>

    Mo Xueqiong had only died recently; why were the two of them so close? Auntie Qing even sent someone over to Mo Yufeng.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s instincts told her that the two were up to something. Mo Yufeng was too old to be Auntie Qing¡¯s son.

    ¡°Did Father say anything?¡± Mo Xuetong asked after some thought.

    ¡°Your Father said that Auntie Qing just lost her child and Mo Yufeng lost his mother. Perhaps her maternal instincts are strong, which is why she is so nice to Mo Yufeng.¡± Xu Yan said softly.

    The smile slid off Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. There were times when she felt that Mo Huawen was really naive. Mo Yufeng had already disappointed him so much, yet, he still thought the best of him. There was also Auntie Qing. Auntie Qing used to be quiet and somewhat gracious. She waspletely different from Mo Xueqiong.

    Others wouldment that Mo Xueqiong was mean-spirited and vile and they did not know whom she resembled!

    But in fact, if there weren¡¯t any vile and mean-spirited person around Mo Xuetong, would she behave like that? She never once considered if what she was doing was right or wrong and only considered if it would benefit her. She stomped on the lives of others to build herself up without any considerations. Mo Xuetong believed that this was Auntie Qing¡¯s character.

    In her past life, Auntie Qing had just been a fuzzy figure in Mo Xuetong¡¯s life.

    Mo Xuetong had been plotted against and married Sima Lingyun not long after she returned to the capital from Cloud City. She did not know what happened to the Mo Manor after that. She only remembered that Auntie Qing did something that wronged the Mo Manor and was thrown out by Mo Huawen. Auntie Fang married Mo Xueqiong off to a bad family and she died not long after.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Huawen were on bad terms then, so Mo Xuetong did not ask him about it. Mo Xuemin would not tell her about the incident either. As such, Mo Xuetong did not know what exactly happened.

    ording to the situation in her past life, it seemed that what Auntie Qing did had implicated Mo Xueqiong.

    This life was now on a different trajectory. In this life, Mo Xueqiong had died before Auntie Fang¡¯s drastic change. However, given her attitude change toward Mo Yufeng, it proved that Auntie Qing was someone who was discontented with her lot in life.

    ¡°Mother, what does Elder Brother usually do?¡± She had not heard anything about Mo Yufeng in a while.

    ¡°What else? He says he¡¯s studying inside the study but is surrounded by pretty maids. There are a few rotten apples in his courtyard. I can¡¯t be bothered with it lest they say I treat him harshly. Your father though, told me some time back that he was going to find a wife for Yufeng. I considered his current status and situation and can¡¯t find him a suitable wife.¡±

    Xu Yan sighed and massaged her head. It was difficult to be a stepparent, especially toward her husband¡¯s concubine-born son. She could not treat him too gently nor too harshly. Fortunately, Mo Huawen was a reasonable person and only told her to help keep a lookout for a suitable match. He would make the decision as Mo Yufeng¡¯s father so that Xu Yan wouldn¡¯t be criticized in the end.

    Mo Yufeng¡¯s marriage was something that had been discussed since before Auntie Fang¡¯s departure. A decent match had been brought up then but after what happened to Auntie Fang and then Mo Xuemin, the match was scrapped. Furthermore, when the girl heard of how Mo Yufeng¡¯s mother and sister were like, and considering that he was a concubine-born son, she turned her nose up at him.

    The matter had dragged on and on and still was not settled now.

    ¡°Does Father have a suitable match in mind?¡± Mo Xuetong could not help but grow solemn when she saw thementing expression on Xu Yan¡¯s face. She winked at Xu Yan and continued, ¡°You are so heavily pregnant right now; where will you find the energy to deal with such things? It will be best if Father has a suitable person in mind.¡±

    She was persuading Xu Yan to let Mo Huawen take charge of the matter.

    It would be difficult for Mo Yufeng to find a match given his current circumstances and how he had admitted to having an affair once. Furthermore, given his character, he probably would only like pretty girls. He would only me Xu Yan if he did not like the girl.

    Since Xu Yan was not Mo Huawen¡¯s first wife nor Mo Yufeng¡¯s biological daughter, it was rather inconvenient for Xu Yan to handle this matter.

    ¡°I want to tell Old Sir that, but he will feel that I¡¯m shirking my responsibilities. My Lady, help me keep a lookout. If there are any suitable matches, tell Old Sir about them. I want to help, but I really can¡¯t. I do not know many people in the capital and it is inconvenient for me to go to functions in my current state.¡±

    Xu Yan sighed somewhat bitterly.

    Xu Yan was very rational while confiding in Mo Xuetong. She truly wanted to tell Mo Xuetong about the situation, which was why she did not hide anything from Mo Xuetong. She revealed her worries and the current situation and truly wanted to seek Mo Xuetong¡¯s help. The capital was full of wealthy people and nobles. Xu Yan had only been fostered by the Fu General Manor and was a little old. As such, she had not gone out to various events. After that, she had married into the Mo Manor. She fell pregnant after dealing with the internal affairs of the manor. She did not know many people in the capital and was unable to find a suitable match for Mo Yufeng.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I have to visit Fatherter and will mention this. Just take care of yourself. And be careful of Auntie Qing lest she should do something like what Auntie Fang did.¡± Mo Xuetong reminded her.

    Xu Yan immediately broke into a cold sweat when she heard that.

    She knew all of what Auntie Fang did now.

    She had poisoned the matriarch of the family!

    Xu Yan was pregnant right now and if she were poisoned, it would take the lives of both her child and herself.

    A woman might be gentle, but a mother was strong. Xu Yan caressed her stomach subconsciously. A cold glint shed in her eyes as she said, ¡°I will keep an eye on here and will not give her any opportunities.¡±

    The two chatted for a while more. It was lunchtime and since Mo Xuetong was not going anywhere else, she stayed to have lunch at Xu Yan¡¯s. The two continued chatting after lunch, and that was when a maid entered and reported, ¡°Old Sir is back in the manor. He heard that My Lady was here and asked me to invite you to the study.¡±

    ¡°Mother, Father is here. I shall go and visit him. I will returnter.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile.

    ¡°Go, remember toe back earlier. I have some fresh fruits picked from our garden. You have to try them.¡± Xu Yan did not ask Mo Xuetong to stay, knowing that the father and daughter needed to talk.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back soon. Don¡¯t eat all the fruits.¡± Mo Xuetong answered with a smile and bright eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s plenty. Bring some back with youter.¡± Xu Yan said with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s greedy expression.

    Mo Xuetong left Xu Yan¡¯s courtyard and headed to the study with her servants.

    When she entered, she saw Mo Huawen at his desk, reading documents. When he heard Mo Xuetonging in, his eyes shed with excitement.

    Mo Huawen felt very anxious when he found out about what happened to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. He was afraid that what Mo Xueqiong did had angered the Emperor and King Xuan¡¯s Manor would be on lockdown like King Yan¡¯s Manor. He hated his fourth daughter even more then. Mo Huawen did not even enquire about Mo Xueqiong when she got into troubleter on because of that.

    Fortunately, King Xuan was released after a few days. Mo Huawen received news of that early in the morning. However, he had to attend court so he could only ask Xu Yan to prepare gifts. He would visit Mo Xuetong personallyter. He did not expect to hear that Consort Xuan was at his manor when he returned home. Mo Huawen was filled with joy when he saw his daughter walking into his study.

    ¡°Greetings, Father.¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied.

    Mo Huawen managed to get a hold of his emotions. He looked at Mo Xuetong carefully and sighed with relief when he saw that she did not look better or worse. He pointed to the side and said, ¡°Come, sit down and talk.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mo Xuetong could see the excitement in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. She felt warm all over when she saw how hard he tried to control the excitement he felt and to present a calm front. She went to sit down on a chair by the side obediently.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what exactly happened at King Yan¡¯s Manor? Why did Mo Xueqiong involve you?¡± Mo Huawen asked even before Mo Xuetong sat down. He could not hold himself back any longer.

    No matter what, he had lost a daughter. He had to ask for an exnation from King Yan. Otherwise, others would think that he was guilty.

    Even if it was not for him, he had to ask for an exnation for his daughters!

    However, the matter had been covered up very well and Mo Huawen only found traces here and there. He still did not know how to proceed and wanted to wait for Mo Xuetong to return to the manor before discussing it with her.

    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know how King Yan spurred Fourth Sister into action and led her to Puguang Temple. She said she did not want to stay in King Yan¡¯s Manor any longer and wanted to find a quiet and peaceful ce. She would pray to Buddha there every day and do nothing else. I did not want to meddle in her affairs, but I thought of you... So I brought my servants over. Who would have thought that she wanted to frame me for helping her to elope with another man?¡±

    Mo Xuetong recounted the series of events softly. Her father was an understanding man. As the lord mayor, he had seen many plots like this.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t just frame me. The most important thing is she used me to frame King Xuan. The secret documents and ount books from King Yan¡¯s Manor in Fourth Sister¡¯s bag were said to be secret documents.¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression grew darker and darker as he listened to Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm recounting. He seemed almost purple with rage and the veins on his forehead bulged.

    His fourth daughter was not just vicious; she was also brainless.

    One of his daughters eloped with a man while another daughter aided her. They were even involved in the fight for the throne. Everyone in the Mo Manor might have been implicated. All the twists and turns involved in the situation were not as simple as just a simple act of elopement. If Tong¡¯er had really been framed sessfully, she would havended in deep trouble. The entire Mo Manor would be implicated as well and they might all be beheaded. How could Mo Huawen not be angry?

    ¡°King Yan wants to hurt King Xuan? Isn¡¯t King Xuan just a king who doesn¡¯t do anything nor manage anything!¡± Mo Huawen said, gritting his teeth. He knew very well that the matter had arisen because King Yan wanted to deal with King Xuan.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. It can be because only His Highness and King Chu are before the Emperor. And His Highness is more serious than before. That¡¯s why he so against His Highness!¡± Mo Xuetong said, looking confused. She blinked and said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Father, aren¡¯t there any brotherly rtions between the princes? Is it so difficult for His Highness to be a royal who does nothing!¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s expression darkened when he heard that.

    He had served Emperor Zongwen for many years and had always been one of the Emperor¡¯s most loyal subjects. He saw how much Emperor Zongwen loved King Xuan and always thought that Emperor Zongwen spoiled the prince. His Highness did not have any rules that he abided and tore through the capital, sowing his wild oats. As such, King Xuan would not be able to ascend the throne.

    Mo Huawen did not know if he should be happy or upset about this.

    He was happy because at least Tong¡¯er would not be embroiled in the fight for the throne. No matter which prince ascended the throne, they would all show kindness and love to their royal brother who did not pose any threat to them. They would be friendly and respectful to King Xuan. However, what worried him was that King Xuan was such a phnderer. There were so many women in his back courtyard. Was Tong¡¯er able to handle this!

    Thisplicated feeling showed Mo Huawen did not want Feng Yuran to desire the throne. As a loyal subject of Emperor Zongwen, he did not want to see Emperor Zongwen be upset and tired because of this.

 Chapter 490 - Mo Xuetongs Plot

    <h4>Chapter 490 Mo Xuetong¡¯s Plot</h4>

    But now, what Mo Xuetong said made Mo Huawen hesitate. Would everything be alright if King Xuan did not care about anything? He had originally thought that since King Xuan was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son, it did not matter even if he were not ambitious. However, King Yan did not forget to hurt King Xuan even in his current state. Was he truly unable to let hiszy younger brother live?

    If this was what King Yan thought, then what about King Chu? If the Emperor passed on in the future, who would take care of this younger brother of theirs?

    Were all of them, no matter who ascended the throne, not going to let King Xuan off? Then what about Tong¡¯er?

    If King Xuan were charged with the crime of rebellion, the entire manor would be implicated. Mo Huawen could not help but shudder when he thought of that. He immediately regained his wits and rity shed in his eyes. He could not allow anything to happen to Tong¡¯er and he would not allow anything to happen to her. Otherwise, he would not be able to face Luo Xia when he moved on to the afterlife.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, didn¡¯t His Highnesse today?¡± Mo Huawen asked with a frown.

    ¡°His Highness returned to the manor first. His Majesty asked him to handle some things and he went back to deal with them.¡± Mo Xuetong answered with a smile, pretending not to see the sharpness in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. She epted the tea a maid brought her and then stood up, bringing the cup to Mo Huawen. She said, ¡°Father, have some tea. This is from me; do you like it?¡±

    She spoke coyly and cocked her head, looking like the adorable girl she was before she got married. Her eyes were filled with her adoration for her father. Mo Huawen felt very pleased. He downed the tea without even taking a look at it and even said with a smile, ¡°The tea from Tong¡¯er is definitely good. I¡¯ll drink it, I¡¯ll drink it... Ah...¡±

    He immediately spat out the boiling hot tea and started jumping around, almost upturning the table.

    Then, Mo Xuetong watched in shock as her usually steady and calm father started to jump around in pain. She hurriedly called for a servant to bring them a cup of cold water. Mo Huawen took a few gulps of the water and then looked at Mo Xuetong a little embarrassed, and exined, ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention. It was too hot. Ha, haha!¡±

    He looked rather pathetic and a little pitiful!

    Mo Xuetong could not stop the smile spreading on her lips. Her eyes curved up as sheughed loudly, holding her stomach, ¡°Father... Father. You... you were in such a hurry.¡±

    Mo Huawen could not help the smile that reached his eyes when he saw the exaggerated smile on his daughter¡¯s face and how adorable she looked. He put the cup of cold water down and reached out to pat Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. It was just as if she had not yet gotten married and was still his sweet and thoughtful daughter.

    She was not the dignified Consort Xuan, and he was not the stern lord mayor. They were just an ordinary father and daughter pair...

    Mo Huawen decided there and then that no matter what, he would not just stand by and allow Tong¡¯er to get into trouble.

    The pair smiled at each other in a silly manner for a long while before they finally settled down. A maid helped Mo Huawen to clean up before leaving. The two sat down again and Mo Huawen asked with a serious expression, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how do you think the matter with King Yan¡¯s Manor should be handled?¡±

    Since he already knew what happened, he had to take a stand as well.

    It was a fact that Mo Xueqiong was dead. The most important thing was that Mo Xueqiong¡¯s incident had not gone through any trials before everyone involved died. Even the pregnant maid did not have a chance to speak. The only ones who had spoken were from King Yan¡¯s Manor. They reported the incident to the Emperor and the matter ended without any conclusions. After that, it was all just gossip that floated throughout the city.

    Some people said that Mo Xueqiong had been framed while others said that she was an immoral woman who had an affair and whose maid had an affair as well. They said that she was a slutty woman who hadmitted suicide because she had been caught by King Yan...

    The first exnation had been prevalent in the very beginning. However, the second exnation started to grow popr after some time. The second exnation was a p to the Mo Manor¡¯s face. If the Mo Manor did not do anything, it would mean that they agreed and epted that exnation. Even though Mo Huawen was not the least bit upset about Mo Xueqiong¡¯s death, he would not allow the Mo Manor¡¯s reputation to be damaged.

    After all, he still had other daughters!

    ¡°Father, do you wish to seek revenge for Fourth Sister?¡± Mo Xuetong gave the matter some thought. Her smile vanished as she looked up at Mo Huawen.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Huawen answered decisively without any hesitation. Anger was evident on his face. When he thought of how he used to dote on Mo Xueqiong and how she kept trying to hurt Tong¡¯er and the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen felt that he should just treat it as he never had such a daughter.

    Actually, ever since Mo Xueqiong had been bestowed to King Yan, Feng Yulei, by Emperor Zongwen, Mo Huawen had already decided to break off all rtions with her. Mo Xueqiong had returned to the Mo Manor twice after that, wanting to visit Mo Huawen. However, he did not see her, iming that he was busy with official matters.

    ¡°Father, since you do not wish to do so, there is no need to cause a fuss. However, you have to get King Yan¡¯s Manor to give the Mo Manor an exnation.¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile. There was a hint of coldness on her face. No matter whether it was Feng Yulei or You Yuecheng, they both tried to plot against her using this incident. Furthermore, they were still waiting. Did they think she was an easy target? Mo Xuetong was not without any power at all.

    The circumstances behind Mo Xueqiong¡¯s death were unclear, so King Yan¡¯s Manor had to give the Mo Manor an exnation. Someone needed to go and make a fuss so that King Yan¡¯s Manor would be embarrassed as well. If they blew the matter up, the tongues that wagged would take the Mo Manor¡¯s side. The more silent they were, the more guilty they would seem.

    However, they were not truly seeking revenge for Mo Xueqiong. As such, Mo Huawen did not have to go to the Emperor and ask for a fair judgment. He did not need to go straight to the Emperor.

    Mo Huawen paused and asked hurriedly, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    This was a problem Mo Huawen had been troubled with for thest few days. What should he do and how should he go about doing it so that it would be just right? It was something that was difficult to gauge, especially when the circumstances behind the entire situation was unclear. Mo Huawen did not think that acting rashly was a good n. He managed to make it as a lord mayor, proving that he was not a rash person.

    ¡°Father, there is something I do not understand. What was it that made Fourth Sister betray me and the lives of the Mo Manor? Was it really for that servant? Fourth Sister has always been proud; it¡¯s impossible for her to fall in love with that servant. She had done everything she could to steal the ount books and secret documents of the King¡¯s Manor. It does not make sense that she did this just to elope with the servant. There is something wrong about this.¡±

    Mo Xuetong continued analyzing the issue, ¡°With this loophole, King Yan¡¯s Manor can only at the most insist that Fourth Sister was in the wrong. Otherwise, someone in King Yan¡¯s Manor has to take the me for not being able to ept Fourth Sister, or that they had tried to harm King Xuan. Father, which me do you think our King Yan is more willing to ept?¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes lit up at that and he nodded approvingly. Why did he not think of that?

    If Mo Xueqiong had died unjustly, if Mo Xueqiong had not really intended to elope with a man, then all the blotches on her reputation would vanish. Then, others would start to think: Who wanted Mo Xueqiong to die an unjust death? Who had set up this plot to frame Mo Xueqiong?

    Was it really because they could not ept the existence of a Second Consort or were they trying to use her to get to King Xuan, Feng Yuran? No matter who was to me for it, they would all ept the first usation rather than the second.

    The first usation was just jealousy between women and a matter of the back courtyard. Women of the back courtyard took the me for such incidents most often. However, the second charge was one in which a man is suspected of attempting to take the life of his brother. Furthermore, the victim was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son, the Eighth Prince, the spoilt King Xuan.

    It was obvious which charge was more serious.

    However, the crux of the matter was¡ªhow were they going to prove that Mo Xueqiong was innocent?

    Mo Xueqiong was dead and even her two personal maids were dead. Who could stand up for her and be her witness? Even if Mo Xuetong brought up the letter from Mo Xueqiong, it would be useless because Mo Xueqiong was dead. They only had to say that Mo Xuetong had forged the letter and insist that they did not know about it. Mo Xuetong would not be able to prove Mo Xueqiong¡¯s innocence with that.

    Since Mo Xueqiong was dead, they could say anything they wanted.

    The matter could be manipted but the problem was: Who was going to manipte the situation?

    Mo Huawen understood what Mo Xuetong meant and nodded. However, he asked with a frown, ¡°Tong¡¯er, who do you think would be more suitable to do this?¡± He naturally could not do such a thing. Furthermore, if he were the one to do the confrontation, it would end up in front of the Emperor. He wanted to embarrass King Yan¡¯s Manor, not fight with the Emperor. As such, it was extremely inappropriate for him to stage the confrontation.

    Other than him, there was Xu Yan. She was Mo Xueqiong¡¯s mother. As her mother, it was normal for Xu Yan to stand up for her daughter. However, Xu Yan was heavily pregnant. If there was pushing and shoving and she was not careful, idents might happen. Furthermore, this was not something a titled noblewoman should do. If she caused trouble, she would not be able to run in the circles of noblewoman ever again.

    Then, there was Mo Xuetong. She would be able to stand up for her younger sister. However, she was the high and mighty Consort Xuan. It was even more inappropriate for her to do something so crass, going to the King¡¯s Manor front door and yelling like a shrew. Furthermore, she was involved in the gossip and if she did this, there might be more gossip about her. As such, she was not a good candidate as well.

    ¡°Auntie Qing!¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes brightened as he thought of a person. Mo Xueqiong¡¯s legal mother could not stand up for her. However, Auntie Qing was Mo Xueqiong¡¯s birth mother and was just a concubine. She would be the best candidate to do something like that.

    Even if something were to happen, the me could be pushed onto the concubine. Anyway, it was normal for her to say inappropriate things since she was upset and angry at the loss of her daughter. The Emperor was a wise leader and would not make things difficult for an insignificant concubine.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly when she saw that her father understood her intentions. She drew patterns on the surface of the table and then looked up with a smile. ¡°Father, that¡¯s not enough. Fourth Sister¡¯s reputation has been tarnished after all. If King Yan¡¯s Manor insists that Fourth Sister was in the wrong, what are you going to say? The Censor might write about you and say that you have not managed your back courtyard well. He might say that you cannot help maintain peace throughout the country. Then, this will involve me and King Xuan. What will you do?¡±

    Mo Xuetong decided that she had to remind her father lest he should get caught off-guard when others try to undermine him. Given her father¡¯s current abilities, he would not allow others to put him at a disadvantage if he were prepared! Mo Xuetong had confidence in Mo Huawen.

    Thews of the Qin Kingdom stated that a concubine who elopes with another man can be beaten to death. Even though Mo Xueqiong¡¯s ranking was not high, she was still a Second Consort. She could only be punished if she was deemed guilty. However, the problem was that Mo Xueqiong¡¯s reputation was now besmirched. If Feng Yulei were to use that against Mo Huawen, he could say that Mo Huawen had not taught his daughters well. That was why his daughters behaved immorally. Then, he could talk about Mo Xuemin, whose reputation was poor as well. After that, he could continue talking about Mo Xuetong or he might just criticize Mo Xuetong directly. That was possible as well.

    They were all blood-rted sisters. Since two of them were like that, how could they guarantee that the third was unlike the other two?

    Mo Huawen grew frightened when he heard that and he immediately lost all the color in his face. He broke into a cold sweat. No wonder there were so many people who went to kick up a fuss at King Yan¡¯s Manor. He used to think that these people got along pretty well with King Yan¡¯s Manor and had secret dealings with King Yan. Why were they casting stones the moment King Yan descended from grace?

    He only realized then that those people were setting him up. The matter was a double-edged sword. If he did not handle it carefully, he would injure himself. As such, he had to deliver a single fatal blow to King Yan¡¯s Manor so that they would not even be able to speak. He had to deliver the strike that would silence them!

    Mo Huawen thought through Mo Xuetong¡¯s question and said gravely, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you mean...¡±

 Chapter 491 - Kicking up a Fuss Outside King Yans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 491 Kicking up a Fuss Outside King Yan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly and said in a gentle tone, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. King Yan¡¯s Manor doesn¡¯t just owe us a life. They want us to cause trouble because of what happened to Fourth Sister. We can put a different spin on this and cause even more trouble. Fourth Sister has a maid who also died from unknown causes. That Mo Yan, who¡¯s pregnant? No one knows who her child belongs to. Do you remember her mother?¡±

    This reminded Mo Huawen.

    Mo Yan was not a servant born into the Mo Manor. She came to Mo Manor when she was about three or four with her mother. Luo Xia had just married into the manor then and had not given birth to a child. Mo Yan¡¯s mother became a managing nanny serving Luo Xia. She had an especially sharp tongue and no one had ever won an argument against her.

    However, this strong woman fell ill not long after Luo Xia passed away. She was first sent to another courtyard to recuperate but had died in the end. However, because Mo Huawen entered the capital after that, not many people knew about it. Mo Yan was sent to serve Mo Xueqiong by Auntie Fang.

    ¡°Father, if Mo Yan¡¯s mother were still around, she would definitely go to make a fuss at King Yan¡¯s Manor when she hears that her daughter got pregnant before marriage and then had died under such suspicious circumstances.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled pleasantly, hinting at something.

    ¡°But where are we going to find Mo Yan¡¯s mother?¡± Even though Mo Huawen understood what Mo Xuetong meant, he grew depressed after the initial excitement he felt. Mo Yan¡¯s mother had died long ago. Where are they going to find her? Furthermore, it would be difficult to find a woman with a glib and sharp tongue who could render everyone from King Yan¡¯s Manor speechless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. You just have to make sure Auntie Qing can wait. Mo Yan¡¯s mother wille by in a couple of days. I hope that you will tell Auntie Qing that this is to redress the injustice Fourth Sister suffered. Otherwise, Fourth Sister will be a wandering and lonely ghost in her death without anyone to pray for her. She will not be able to get reincarnated.¡±

    Auntie Qing was in the midst of changing. No matter what changes she underwent, or no matter why she changed, one could tell that her focus right now was not on Mo Xueqiong because she did not ask about her at all. What caused this change? Mo Xuetong could not tell for now.

    However, if they told Auntie Qing that Mo Xueqiong would not have a ce to go in death and would be a lonely ghost, Auntie Qing would definitely feel upset. No matter how bad Mo Xueqiong was, Auntie Qing had raised her for so many years. Furthermore, Auntie Qing cared about how others viewed her. Others thought that she had given birth to a concubine who had tried to elope and then had been framed. Mo Xuetong believed that if Auntie Qing still had a clear mind, she would be able to see the facts for herself.

    As such, she would do her best in the performance that was toe.

    Second Consort Yan¡¯s elopement had involved Consort Xuan. As such, both King¡¯s Manors had been put on lockdown. As the lockdown on King Xuan¡¯s Manor was lifted and with some people pushing things along, the gossip about whether Mo Xueqiong had really tried to elope or whether she had been framed grew even louder.

    Under such fervent gossip, the Mo Manor could not just stay silent any longer. The woman who died was the Fourth Miss of the Mo Manor.

    Someone saw a greencquered carriage emerging from the side door of the Mo Manor early in the morning. There were a few servants following behind the carriage. Judging by the procession as well as the maids following behind, one could tell that the person in the carriage was not of high ranking. Usually, concubines and concubine-born daughters took carriages like these. However, the crying of the woman inside the carriage was rather shocking.

    Judging by the noise, it was not just one woman.

    They watched as thecquered carriage proceeded. It should be heading in the direction of King Yan¡¯s Manor. Could it be that they were going there because of Second Consort Yan, the Fourth Miss of Mo Manor? Of those who saw the carriage, several followed from a distance.

    The carriage was filled with the sobbing and crying of women, gathering the attention of those they passed.

    The carriage finally stopped outside King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    There were a few guards standing straight and tall outside the door. When they saw the horse carriage stopping in front of them, they did not go up to it to enquire who it was. Their job was to stop people from King Yan¡¯s Manor from entering and leaving.

    Furthermore, this was the mighty King Yan¡¯s Manor. No one dared toe here to cause trouble.

    There were a few servants who used to guard the doors watching from behind the doors. They immediately reported it to the manor when they saw a few women getting off the carriage, crying and wailing.

    ¡°Daughter, daughter, you¡¯ve died so unjustly. What affair? You are a Second Consort, why would you have an affair? When you first entered the manor, you were a consort bestowed by the Emperor. My poor daughter, you didn¡¯t even enjoy a single day of your marriage before you were discarded by someone. You even implicated those around you and they died together with you. What King¡¯s Manor is this? They are so cruel. You¡¯re dead and yet, they won¡¯t let you go with a good reputation.¡±

    A woman who was in her 30s wearing clothes made of brocade emerged from the carriage. She dropped to the ground and wailed loudly. A few maids went up to pull her up but were pushed away. The woman stood up suddenly with redden eyes, seeming as if she wanted to rush up to the door. However, she tripped and fell down, kneeling on the ground. She started to wail and bellow in pain.

    ¡°Daughter, daughter, you have died so unjustly.¡±

    Before she could finish crying, another woman who was simply dressed emerged from the carriage. Her hair was covered by a handkerchief. This woman cried even louder. She wailed with all she had but did not speak. She wailed as if her insides were being torn apart but no one could tell who she was because she did not speak.

    Judging by the first woman¡¯s appearance and what she said, she was probably the Second Consort¡¯s biological mother. The gossip about the matter had grown out of proportion and no one could tell what was real, However, judging by how upset the concubine from the Mo Manor was, it seemed as if the Second Consort had really been framed. Those who saw the wailing women gathered around to watch them.

    ¡°Auntie, Auntie, don¡¯t cry. You have to speak properly, and you have to... seek justice for... Fourth Miss.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Auntie. Don¡¯t cry. There are so many people watching. Fourth Miss definitely won¡¯t die an unjust death. Those people have intentionally tried to ruin Fourth Miss¡¯s reputation. Don¡¯t let them off.¡±

    The people who came to King Yan¡¯s Manor were all women who cried so sadly. Those watching from the crowd asked loudly, ¡°What happened? Madams, why are you making a fuss here? Tell us and we can help you decide who¡¯s in the wrong.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! What happened?¡±

    ¡°What happened? My daughter...¡± Auntie Qing did not stand up. Instead, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and allowed her tears to fall. ¡°My daughter was framed. She married into King Yan¡¯s Manor as a Second Consort and served the manor wholeheartedly. However, she was framed. They said that they caught her together with evidence. But if my daughter really did that, why is there no witness at all now? Everything said up till now had been said by those from the King¡¯s Manor. Now that everyone involved is dead, there is no witness or evidence left. If this is not an act of framing, then what is!¡±

    Auntie Qing cried loudly, looking as if she was in pain. The woman beside her wailed sadly. The whole situation was heart-wrenching.

    Some of those watching teared up when they heard the tragic sobs and watched the women wail. Someone immediately spoke up for them.

    ¡°Those from King Yan¡¯s Manor are too much!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since they have evidence, they should bring it out for all to see. How could they secretly deal with those involved? If there weren¡¯t any dirty tricks involved, why would they have acted so quickly? We only just heard that the incident happened and then those involved were all dead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right; no matter what, the woman was a Second Consort bestowed by the Emperor personally. She didn¡¯t even get to speak before she died. And then, her reputation was smeared after her death. She wasn¡¯t even given the dignity of a concubine from a regr family. It seems that there really is a problem.¡±

    ¡°And this is the high and mighty King¡¯s Manor. Their courtyard is really dark and sinister...¡±

    The sounds of people discussing the matter angrily grew even louder with the instigation of some people. There were many who felt that the whole situation was rather suspicious and felt that King Yan was not a kind man. After all, he was willing to kill his own woman. Or perhaps, he could not protect his woman. He did not have the disposition to be a King.

    The doors of the King¡¯s Manor opened. King Yan, Feng Yulei, and You Yue¡¯e appeared at the door together with some other people.

    A few guards lifted their hands and stopped them from moving forward.

    ¡°I just want to speak with them. I will not leave.¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s expression was dark even though he spoke politely. He was being imprisoned in the manor and was not allowed to leave.

    The guards looked at each other and hesitated.

    ¡°His Highness just wants to meet those from the Mo Manor and exin what happened. He will not leave the manor. His Majesty told you all to guard His Highness and only said that he could not leave the manor. He did not restrict anything else. These people are at our door. If His Highness does not go to speak with them, it will be the royal family that will be embarrassed. If this angers His Majesty, who will take responsibility for it?¡±

    A man, who looked to be an advisor, went up and spoke to the guards politely. Even though he was cordial, there was a hint of anger in his words.

    What he said made the guards hesitate even further. The leader of the guards finally put down his hands and the others followed suit hesitantly. The anger of the Emperor was not something a few mere guards could stand against. As such, they would just watch and not allow King Yan to leave their sights. Furthermore, they were on thend of King Yan¡¯s Manor; even if King Yan took a walk around outside, it did not truly mean that he had left.

    Feng Yulei harrumphed coldly and with satisfaction when he saw the acquiescence from the guards. He brought You Yue¡¯e with him to the door.

    Auntie Qing had been watching them all this while. When she saw thergecquered doors open and a young couple emerging with a crowd of servants, she knew that they were King Yan and Consort Yaning to give the Mo Manor an exnation. Someone called out loudly, ¡°King Yan, Your Highness, they sent their daughter to King Yan¡¯s Manor happily. Why have you killed her?¡±

    Even though the person sounded as if he wereining about an act of injustice, the disdain in his voice could not be hidden.

    You Yue¡¯e could not restrain herself. She was filled with anger as she spoke coldly, ¡°You all are surrounding our King Yan¡¯s Manor. What is the reason for this? Are you trying to start a rebellion?¡±

    Some people grew frightened when they heard the words ¡°rebellion¡± and the sounds of dissent grew softer.

    You Yue¡¯e looked pleased and she raised her head even higher.

    Yet, even so, there were others who yelled angrily, ¡°Oh, mighty Consort Yan, don¡¯t you use us randomly to hide your guilt. The people from the Mo Manor came to seek for justice from King Yan¡¯s Manor. They are just a few frail women. What rebellion are you talking about? What kind of rebellion can these few people get up to! King Yan is powerful and mighty; you think our lives are all worthless. Shouldn¡¯t you give them an exnation!¡±

    That was a direct blow to the King¡¯s Manor. While there were others who had doubts earlier about the people from the Mo Manor, they were all siding with them now.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Highness, even though you are a prince, I heard that you have always been fair and just. But what is this? You are a high and mighty prince. Can¡¯t you protect a woman? Are you just going to discredit yourself? I have only heard of people fighting for money but have never heard of anyone fighting to make himself a cuckold! Could it be that you, a Prince, have difficulties that you cannot say!¡±

    What difficulties?

    Could he tell these people that he really had difficulties he could not say?

    Feng Yulei knew that there were people in the crowd who were there to fan the mes. However, most of them were just ordinary folks and were instigated by others without knowing the truth. These people were here to create rumors and make trouble but he could not do anything to them. Otherwise, the reports the Censor would make tomorrow would rain down upon him.

    He was already in a dire situation and must not allow something like this to happen. Fortunately, he had already expected this to happen. It would have been weird if the Mo Manor kept silent.

 Chapter 492 - Whose Baby Was She Carrying

    <h4>Chapter 492 Whose Baby Was She Carrying</h4>

    Feng Yulei turned his head sideways to take a cold look at You Yue¡¯e, and seeded in calming down the infuriated woman. She lowered her head slightly. They should not provoke the people at this time.

    Taking two steps forward, Feng Yulei walked up to Auntie Qing and looked up at her proudly. After a while, he lightly asked, ¡°You are the concubine of the Mo Manor, Second Consort Mo¡¯s mother, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Auntie Qing looked at Feng Yulei¡¯s chilly eyes and gave a little shudder. But she knew immediately that she could not hold back at this moment. Remembering what Mo Huawen had told her before her departure, she had to go out due to the current interests. With red eyes and a handkerchief over her mouth, she whimpered, ¡°Your Highness, Qiong¡¯er has died a strange death. Shouldn¡¯t you say something? Qiong¡¯er treated her sisters kindly at home. How could she do something to set up her sister and drag the whole Mo Manor down when she had only been in your manor for several days? As a Second Consort, how could she be so adept in trickery and do such a big deal? Is Your Highness¡¯s back yard so loose that any man can enter at will?¡±

    She didn¡¯t start with Mo Xueqiong having an affair with another man, but with Mo Xueqiong framing Mo Xuetong. Even though she was crying, she was justified in what she said, and immediately won the cheers of the crowd.

    Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes hardened and his aura got cold. He did not expect that an ordinary concubine of the Mo Manor stood out and was so eloquent. Instead of starting with Mo Xueqiong¡¯s biggest crime of adultery, she did the opposite. It seemed that she had been prepared for this. If he exined it in this way, things would be even more confusing, and eventually, he would get caught up in it and not be able to get rid of it.

    Any man could enter his manor¡¯s back yard at will? That sounded like a p in Feng Yulei¡¯s face.

    ¡°Madam, how could a man be allowed to enter my manor¡¯s back yard? Consort Yan has done a good job in managing the back yard, but your daughter herself is too shameless. Unable to get in touch with other men, she hooked up with a manservant. I still don¡¯t understand why she eloped with someone else when I fed her so well.¡±

    He especially emphasized the word ¡°eloped¡±, and put the emphasis on it.

    Sure enough, Auntie Qing was shocked and a little flustered.

    ¡°Can¡¯t there be any other men in the back yard besides the manservant?¡± asked another woman, sobbing heavily.

    Only then did Feng Yulei get a glimpse of the elderly female servant. He turned to the woman whose face and nose were red and swollen due to crying and said, ¡°How can anyone be allowed toe to my back yard at will?¡±

    ¡°So how did a manservant seduce Fourth Miss? How did Fourth Miss have an affair with him? Besides, Your Highness, the manservants who can walk in and out of the back yard should be young, right? And shouldn¡¯t all your personal servants be eunuchs? How did they do this?¡± The elderly female servant called out angrily. Then she took two steps forward and knelt down in front of Feng Yulei, supporting Auntie Qing who was leaning on the wall and sobbing. She opened her eyes wide and did not flinch.

    She was a courageous servant, who seemed loyal to her master. She cried even more sadly than Mo Xueqiong¡¯s own mother. Feng Yulei looked at the woman in front of him carefully.

    Feng Yulei thought the woman in front of him was just a slouch servant who looked the boldest but didn¡¯t have rich experience.

    ¡°Of course I have eunuchs to serve me, but it¡¯s normal to have some more manservants. The manservants who coulde in and out of the back yard are very young, but the manservant in the study is older than them. Usually, he can¡¯t walk in the back yard often, but he asionally helps me to pay the people in the back yard. I didn¡¯t mistreat Mo Xueqiong, but I didn¡¯t realize that she was so promiscuous that she picked up my manservant at the slightest opportunity. Shouldn¡¯t I kill the manservant? As for Mo Xueqiong, she knew she was too ashamed to face people and ended her life with a rope; and she deserved it,¡±

    Feng Yulei said in a steady voice with a cool aura.

    Somerge families were generally like this¡ªthe manservant who grew up around the male master would only serve him in the study of the outer yard after growing up, and asionally would send messages and rewards to concubines of each yard for the male master, because he had served the male master by his side before and knew the situation of each yard and could handle affairs with ease.

    As for the eunuchs, although there were eunuchs in the prince¡¯s manor, most of them were given by the Emperor, so there were not a lot of them. The prince had a lot of things to deal with, and it was normal to have a few more manservants.

    Feng Yulei had a point. He not only exined why the manservant hooked up with Mo Xueqiong, but he also med it on her. If it wasn¡¯t for her lewd nature, how could she hook up with a manservant who asionally appeared in the back yard and even eloped with him?

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t say that Mo Xueqiong and the manservant really had anything. On the one hand, the royal son¡¯s dignity prevented him from bing a cuckold; on the other hand, it was because of the man¡¯s dignity. It didn¡¯t matter what the rumor was out there. If he did admit it, he would be a cuckold.

    As long as Mo Xueqiongmitted the crime of elopement, she was unwomanly. She was a runaway concubine, and she would die. Feng Yulei didn¡¯t have to humiliate himself anymore. He had been disgraced by such a thing, but if he had dug deeper, he would have lost his manly dignity.

    ¡°Your Highness, you mean that Fourth Miss actually took advantage of the chance to meet the manservant asionally and hook up with him. As your second consort, wasn¡¯t she afraid of your wrath and death?¡± cried the female servant.

    ¡°Who knows what was wrong with her? Or the daughters of the Mo Manor have been...¡± said Feng Yulei slowly. As he found that Auntie Qing was just crying and could not speak, his voice immediately turned cold and he was ready to me it all on Mo Xueqiong. The Mo Manor¡¯s daughter Mo Xuemin had a bad reputation, and then plus Mo Xueqiong, people would certainly doubt whether there was a problem with the Mo Manor¡¯s family education, and, of course, would suspect Consort Xuan Mo Xuetong as well.

    ¡°Fourth Miss and the manservant only met a few times before they had an affair. What about my daughter, Your Highness? Why is it that my daughter was pregnant and the baby was killed by Consort Yan and you ignored it? Who was the father of the baby in my daughter¡¯s belly? Didn¡¯t you say other men couldn¡¯t get to the back yard at all?¡± the female servant cried even louder, cutting Feng Yulei off.

    If there was no other guy in the back yard, it was Feng Yulei who got the maidservant pregnant. If he really crossed his own second consort, hooked up her maidservant, then the prince was really cheap enough.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness, you may say that Qiong¡¯er had an affair with the manservant, but what about the baby in Mo Yan¡¯s belly? When so many people watched her lose the baby in the Puguang Temple, why did no one help her? You were there, and so was Consort Yan, right? Is it possible that Mo Yan¡¯s baby was conceived because she had an affair with the manservant?¡±

    Auntie Qing also cried and questioned.

    Whose back yard was not strictly regted? When a second consort¡¯s maidservant was pregnant, this must be rted to the male master. Otherwise it was impossible to happen quietly. Just now Feng Yulei admitted that Mo Xueqiong had run off with the manservant, implying that they were having an affair, but they didn¡¯t have time to do anything.

    When the manservant had no time to do anything with the second consort, how could he have time to do anything with a maidservant? Besides, she was only a maidservant. Was she so powerful in the back yard?

    Her words were so sharp, and she used what Feng Yulei had just said himself, that it was like a p in his face. The calm on Feng Yulei¡¯s face froze. He did not expect a female servant¡¯s words to be sharper than the concubine¡¯s, which struck at his unprepared weakness.

    About Mo Yan, King Yan¡¯s Manor adopted a vague approach to blur the matter in the sight of the public. Anyway, there was something about Mo Xueqiong that got in the way. It was only about Mo Xueqiong that everyone disputed. A second consort whose marriage was bestowed by the Emperor eloped with a manservant. It was something that had never happened before, and it attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    When Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng were setting Mo Xuetong up, they were worried about the failure of their n. Therefore, they had already taken into ount both the manservant who was guilty of the crime and the incident when he entered Mo Xueqiong¡¯s yard, which was seen by many people. It indicated that the manservant did have contact with Mo Xueqiong before. More than one person in King Yan¡¯s Manor saw it; even if someone wanted to investigate, it was impossible to find anything.

    All they could do was to prove that Mo Xueqiong had eloped with the manservant because King Yan had given her the cold shoulder and she didn¡¯t want to be lonely. As for the ledger and documents in Mo Xueqiong¡¯s hand, it could be exined that the manservant thought they were worth a lot of money, so he stole them and brought them out to Mo Xueqiong for money.

    Of course, it was used when Mo Xueqiong failed to frame Mo Xuetong.

    But the reality had changed. No one thought that Mo Yan was pregnant, and Mo Xueqiong pushed her, which caused her to miscarry on the spot. Most importantly, the doctor came to verify that Mo Yan had been pushed into miscarriage. Thedy who brought the doctor to the Puguang Temple for incense was no ordinary, and there were so manydies and youngdies present. There was no denying it.

    Such a sudden incident caught Feng Yulei off guard, so he made the scene so that Mo Xueqiong seemed to be hanging out. At the same time, he gave Mo Yan a bowl of poison and arranged it into a scene of massive bleeding. Then he made Mo Jiao look like she¡¯d been killed by herself in front of Mo Xueqiong¡¯s coffin. It was a sure thing in a hurry. The two maidservants were used to testify against Mo Xueqiong. They didn¡¯t have to die.

    But with such an ident, Feng Yulei just wanted to destroy all the evidence, so of course the three of them had to die together.

    So what happened to Mo Yan was aplete ident. All Feng Yulei could do was keep it as vague as possible. No matter how big the matter about Mo Xueqiong became, even if the Emperor sent someone to investigate him, he was not afraid. Things had already been decided, and the prince¡¯s manor was full of hints that Mo Xueqiong was in cahoots with the manservant.

    When Feng Yulei was punished by Emperor Zongwen, Emperor Zongwen didn¡¯t ask him much about this, but asked him why he wanted to hurt his brother. He didn¡¯t even give him a chance to refute, so he just drove him back to King Yan¡¯s Manor with angry words. After that, the imperial guards sealed King Yan¡¯s Manor¡¯s gate and banned all ess inside and outside the manor. Feng Yulei could not even defend himself.

    The n he had devised for Mo Xueqiong had not been carried out. He now hoped that the Emperor would send someone to investigate the matter. As soon as the investigator arrived at the manor, everything would be directed to Mo Xueqiong. At most, he was guilty of marrying a lewd and vicious second consort, and had nothing to do with the crimes the prince had hurt his brother.

 Chapter 493 - The Plot Failed, and Bring Trouble to Themselves

    <h4>Chapter 493 The Plot Failed, and Bring Trouble to Themselves</h4>

    Even after the investigation, he was unlikely to get a heavy punishment.

    Feng Yulei knew that You Yuecheng would do something, bringing the matter to the Mo Manor. If the people from the Mo Manor came to make trouble, he could get away.

    Today, as soon as he heard some people from the Mo Manor were at his gate, he took You Yue¡¯e out. He wanted to act well, but something unexpected happened again.

    Feng Yulei had no idea that someone would stand up for a maidservant instead of for Mo Xueqiong.

    It was not in the same direction that he designed it to be. For a moment he was assailed by her questions. His face darkened, almost dripping with water, and he stared at the woman in front of him with hatred.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Feng Yulei through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯m the mother of Mo Yan, the maid who was tricked into getting pregnant and then died a horrible death. Your Highness, you are high above, and the owner of King Yan¡¯s Manor. You should be very clear about all the affairs in your manor. Tell me, who was the father of the baby in my poor daughter¡¯s belly? Was it you? If it was you, why did you let my daughter and her baby die?¡±

    Mo Yan¡¯s mother addressed Feng Yulei as ¡°Your Highness¡±, knelt down and kowtowed to him. She spoke inly, but each word sounded sadly like a drop of blood. The poor woman¡¯s eyes were red and swollen from crying, her hair loose and her face pale; she almost copsed to the ground, but she still cried and begged King Yan to tell her the answer. For a moment all the people were touched.

    Next to her, Auntie Qing started whining. ¡°My poor daughter, the maidservant around you was getting pregnant, but you didn¡¯t even know that. What, what a wimp you were! You couldn¡¯t even protect your maidservant. How... how could you survive? If I had known that you would die in King Yan¡¯s Manor, I would have tried my best to stop you. My poor child, how d you were that day when you married into King Yan¡¯s Manor!¡±

    ording to Auntie Qing, Mo Xueqiong was very happy to marry King Yan. Why did the second consort urgently elope with another man after only a few months?

    The crowd stared at Feng Yulei and started talking.

    ¡°Your Highness, tell us, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Even if she is a maidservant, she was pregnant with your child. It belonged to the royal family. How could you be so cruel to hurt them?¡±

    ¡°What is this? Why did such things happen repeatedly? And none of them survived. I heard that another second consort also died before. The back yard of King Yan¡¯s Manor is really...¡±

    When Feng Yulei was speechless, You Yue¡¯e couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She snapped, ¡°Nonsense! Who knows whose bastard was in that maidservant¡¯s belly. Is our manor a ce for people to breed bastards?¡± She was already pissed off, but Feng Yulei kept hinting at her not to butt in.

    As soon as she finished, Feng Yulei¡¯s face darkened, and he knew something was wrong. Before he could think of a solution, the female servant who was kneeling on the ground and crying and kowtowing to him suddenly stood up, rushed over, spat at You Yue¡¯e, and scolded angrily, ¡°If Mo Yan had a bastard in her belly, is there a pureblood in this manor? Even if you are Consort Yan, you can¡¯t call His Highness¡¯ son a bastard. No wonder second consorts died one after another, and so did the babies. It was all because you thought the babies were bastards and couldn¡¯t keep them.¡±

    She was scolding You Yue¡¯e, making thetter unable to refute. Then the crowd erupted.

    Everyone immediately began to discuss the past. There was a second consort who was pregnant before, and also suffered massive bleeding. Now a second consort died, and then a maidservant who was probably pregnant with King Yan¡¯s baby also had an ident. Why did something always happen to King Yan¡¯s second consorts and babies?

    All eyes fell on You Yue¡¯e this time. Thest people in the manor who didn¡¯t want to see those second consorts and babies was Consort Yan. She managed all back yard affairs. She could do it quietly to frame the second consort, making the scene of elopement, and making the maidservant abortion. Compared with King Yan, Consort Yan was more suspected.

    They had only suspected King Yan, and now they found that Consort Yan might be behind everything. The crowd broke into a buzz at once.

    It was like a sword, pointed straight at You Yue¡¯e.

    Feng Yulei knew something was wrong! Angry and anxious, he held You Yue¡¯e back, afraid that she would act rashly again.

    But at this time, You Yue¡¯e feel wronged. Wang Xiuxiu herself was a slutty woman, who had an affair with King Ning before she married into the King Yan¡¯s Manor. Besides, when she came to King Yan¡¯s Manor, she had been pregnant. Later, she made a scene when King Ning got married, and then died in a blood avnche after returning to the King Yan¡¯s Manor. What did this have to do with her?

    How did it get to the point where she couldn¡¯t stand her?

    As for Mo Xueqiong, King Yan never took her seriously. How could she be jealous of her and set up this trap? The maidservant had nothing to do with King Yan. It was caused by her brother¡¯s servant who pretended to be him in order to monitor whether anything was wrong with Mo Xueqiong. She had nothing to do with her.

    How could she murder them?

    Her face was red with anger and she was tongue-tied. When Feng Yulei came to pull her, she snapped Feng Yulei¡¯s hand away in exasperation and tried to make it clear. As Consort Yan, how could she do such a stupid thing? What did they mean by that?

    The crowd noticed that her face was grim with anger, and that the woman who was being held by her maidservant looked miserable. What she said was reasonable, and in line with the cause and effect. At this time, several eagle-eyed people also saw that You Yue¡¯e angrily threw King Yan¡¯s hand away, and that King Yan was so nervous and helpless. They couldn¡¯t help but get suspicious.

    Consort Yan¡¯s fierce manner seemed to indicate that she was a jealous person. She even dared to shook off King Yan¡¯s hand. This was not consistent with a wife¡¯s attitude towards her husband, but a shrew¡¯s behavior.

    Was the fact that she was tongue-tied due to her guilty conscience?

    Was Consort Yan really behind this? Was she the one who did everything? Was it she who falsely used the second consort of having an affair, saying that King Yan¡¯s child was a bastard, and then killed the maidservant and the child in her womb? People had seen wives who did not tolerate concubines, but they were royalty, and they marrieddies of modest and elegant families. Was she so vicious?

    ording to what she looked like now, it might be true!

    If she was suspicious of one thing, she was suspicious of everything.

    It turned out that the second consort was really wronged.

    There was such a vicious woman under the sun! You Yue¡¯e was so angry that she almost jumped to her feet, as if to hit the female servant, while the servant and Auntie Qing cried hoarsely. Thinking about the two already dead second consorts and that maidservant, all the people sided with the Mo Manor.

    People are naturally sympathetic to the weak. Auntie Qing and the female servant cried piteously, and made a good point. Their questions were sharp, as if they were all pricked at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s weakness. You Yue¡¯e looked bitter at this time. People slowly biased, and they all believed what the master and servant from the Mo Manor said. If what they said wasn¡¯t true, how could the seemingly undistinguished master and servant stand up to distinguished King Yan and Consort Yan?

    ¡°Consort Yan is so cruel. No matter what it was, she couldn¡¯t do that. A second consort died because of a blood avnche, the other one caused a scandal of elopement with a servant, also forced to die, and even could not protect a maidservant who was pregnant with a baby. This is so vicious. She cannot tolerant anyone...¡±

    ¡°What happened to Wang Xiuxiu has nothing to do with me. It¡¯s herself...¡± You Yue¡¯e cried furiously.

    As she said this, she found that she could not go on. What could she say? Could she say that Wang Xiuxiu had an affair with another man or that she had an affair with King Ning before she married into King Yan¡¯s Manor? In any case, she couldn¡¯t say it. Once she did it, it would be a big deal. How dared she speak of an unwarranted royal scandal?

    As she was speechless for a moment, the crowd was abuzz. They were puzzled at first, then suddenly understood, andtter despised and scolded You Yue¡¯e. The people were angry. Someone had suggested that King Yan should divorce Consort Yan and leave the King Yan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back yard quiet, so that he could save his concubines in the back yard.

    The whole scene was in confusion. Someone rushed forward, took a rotten cabbage leaf, and threw it at You Yue¡¯e. And when the first person did that, there was the second. Many people threw rotten eggs, rotten apples, and other things at You Yue¡¯e. No one remembered that she was Consort Yan high above the world.

    The scene was chaotic. The people of the King Yan¡¯s Manor protected Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e to move back into the yard, and the crowd at the door crowded in.

    At this time You Yue¡¯e was not angry anymore. She only felt panic. Having been brought up in a closed house and coddled, she had never seen anything like it. With rotten vegetables hanging from her head, she looked at everyone¡¯s angry and dismissive faces. Her face was pale, and she hid behind Feng Yulei, afraid to say another word.

    From a distant perform, You Yuecheng looked coldly down at the scene and listened to the discussion. Then he mmed the cup down on the ground. The teacup of cdon made a clear crashing sound and smashed at once. The manservant beside him drew back his head, not daring to say anything.

    Their good n was destroyed like this. And they seemed to be throwing water on his sister. Of course You Yuecheng was angry.

    The n was perfect. Even if they failed to frame Mo Xuetong, it shouldn¡¯t have been that way in the end. Instead, King Yan should get off lightly. But things wentpletely awry. You Yue¡¯e might get into trouble. ¡°Somebody, go back home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency, but Miss Yun said she wanted to invite you over. Do you...¡±

    ¡°Tell her not to do anything. I¡¯ll see her if there¡¯s necessary,¡± You Yuecheng answered coldly. Then he turned and went downstairs, hurrying on to his horse, which was tied to one side of the road. Of course he was not in the mood to meddle in the affairs of the Fu General Manor, lest he should get into trouble. He had to save his sister first.

    ¡°Yes!¡± the manservant responded and hurried downstairs. Then he spoke to a maidservant who was waiting downstairs in a dark corner, and went after You Yuecheng.

    The maidservant had been waiting for a long time and her feet were numb. Seeing the two run away and disappear, she stamped her foot and left helplessly. She had waited for four hours, but she only got such a word. What should she tell the youngdy? Of course, she knew that the youngdy had nothing to say to Marquess Mingguo, and just wanted to see him...

    There was still chaos in front of King Yan¡¯s Manor. His people were retreating toward the manor.

    ¡°Stop, if you keep going in, watch out for the swords.¡± Allowing Feng Yulei, You Yue¡¯e and others to get into the manor, the guards at the gate raised their swords and pointed forward to stop the crowd. It was their duty to guard the gates of King Yan¡¯s Manor, and they certainly could not let anyone enter at will.

    And given the situation at hand, if they dide in, something big was going to happen. Several guards were sweating slightly on their foreheads. Although the Emperor ordered King Yan to be put in custody, he was the Emperor¡¯s son. If something did happen to him, no one could take the me. The crowd¡¯s blood was up, and they didn¡¯t look like they wanted a peaceful settlement.

    They even dared to throw rotten vegetables and rotten eggs at the heads of King Yan and Consort Yan. What else couldn¡¯t be done in the heat of the moment?

    Fortunately, not everyone was out of their minds. They all stopped when they saw the guards pull out their swords.

    ¡°Sir, you are the person that the Emperor sent to guard King Yan¡¯s Manor. Do you have a chance to meet the Emperor? Tell him that Consort Yan is a vicious woman. How could such a wicked woman get into the royal ancestral temple? That would shame the ancestors of the royal family. It¡¯s going to break King Yan¡¯s bloodline.¡±

    Some people talked with the guards whimsically, and the more he said, the more sorrowful and impetuous he became. ¡°Punish Consort Yan and bring justice to the second consorts,¡± he said angrily.

    ¡°Punish Consort Yan and bring justice to the second consorts...¡±

 Chapter 494 - A Greedy Old Servant of the King Jins Manor

    <h4>Chapter 494 A Greedy Old Servant of the King Jin¡¯s Manor</h4>

    As long as someone shouted first, others would follow. And he spoke everyone¡¯s mind. They reached the acme of dissatisfaction with You Yue¡¯e, only thinking that it was all because of this vicious bitch that murder happened at the King Yan¡¯s Manor from time to time. And those who died were all second consorts and pregnant women. Such a hateful, jealous woman deserved to be punished.

    Othersined about King Yan¡¯s cowardice. Seeing that he was still protecting Consort Yan, people thought he must be afraid of Consort Yan. Consort Yan was the legitimate daughter of the Mingguo Manor. She had a noble status. No wonder King Yan was afraid of her. But he couldn¡¯t even protect his own women and children. He was so ipetent.

    How could such a useless prince bear such a great responsibility? Several of Feng Yulei¡¯s former supporters also changed their positions at this time. If King Yan got the throne, the Mingguo Manor had the most say. This... this was really a small deficit with collusion. Such a thing must never happen.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± You Yue¡¯e was so scared that she almost cried. She¡¯d lost her pride long ago and was just pulling Feng Yulei tightly, afraid the crowd would actually rush in and rip her apart. Those people were crazy, really crazy. How dared they do this to her?

    She was Consort Yan.

    But she was clear that she couldn¡¯t put on airs. Listening to the voice of the people gradually increased and looking at the angry expression on their faces, You Yue¡¯e now just wanted to hurry into the house. She did not want to see the crowd who had gone crazy. She was really scared.

    She was so nervous that she didn¡¯t notice Feng Yulei barely standing when she pulled him. He did not shake off her with a few flings of his sleeve, but was dragged back by her, and immediately set off a wave of rage.

    There was a big space behind the King Yan¡¯s Manor, where the small carriage of Mo Manor was parked alone.

    Auntie Qing looked at the scene in horror and rubbed her swollen eyes in disbelief. This was King Yan¡¯s Manor. These people were so bold to force King Yan through the gate and throw some rotten vegetables on Consort Yan¡¯s head.

    The female servant, crying hoarsely beside her, nudged Auntie Qing to remind her, ¡°Auntie Qing, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Auntie Qing immediately understood and cried out, ¡°My girl, you did die for a wrong cause!¡±

    Then she closed her eyes, fell back, and directly fainted.

    The young and old maidservants who hade with her cried out, and some of the people who were standing at the back of the crowd came to their aid and advised them to go home first.

    Since Auntie Qing fainted, several old and young maidservants all lost their backbone, and immediately listened to the advice. Together they lifted Auntie Qing into the carriage. The female servant, who was also weeping, was persuaded into the carriage. Then the Mo Manor¡¯s carriage left the King Yan¡¯s Manor slowly.

    Like the way they came, they slowly went to the Mo Manor, with women¡¯s crying voicesing out of the car from time to time.

    The carriage entered through the side door of the Mo Manor. After getting out of the carriage, the maidservants and the old maids helped Auntie Qing to rest in her yard. Thest to alight was the maid who had cried most. Seeing that there was no one around, she turned and went to another direction, where Mo Xuetong lived before she got married.

    Although she was not Mo Yan¡¯s blood mother, at least she was her aunt. It was her duty to speak up for her niece. At this time, Third Miss¡¯s people were still waiting for her to respond.

    In the Mingguo Manor, You Yuecheng¡¯s face was almost dripping with gloom.

    He stormed into his study and sat motionless in front of therge desk, his eyes almost full of mncholy. Suddenly, he raised his hand and flung all the stationery on the table to the ground. His brows were almost screwed together, and he was more frightening than he had ever been.

    ¡°Your Excellency...¡± The manservant at the door timidly put out his head and looked at You Yuecheng. He had never seen You Yuecheng so angry as he had always been calm. The manservant was frightened.

    You Yuecheng¡¯s handsome face had a sullen smile and seemed to be able to scrape ayer of ice off it. He clenched his teeth as if about to lose his temper, but then he took a breath and calmed down. ¡°Go and fetch that person.¡±

    ¡°Who... who do you mean, Your Excellency...¡± asked the manservant who was frightened out of his wits, looking at him anxiously.

    You Yuecheng did not answer, but looked at him coldly. The manservant shuddered, then came to himself, and said, ¡°I will bring her now, Your Excellency.¡± Then he ran out at once. You Yuecheng¡¯s expression was too scary now, so he¡¯d better stay away from him.

    In the study, You Yuechengposed himself. He looked up at the empty space in front of him, his face darkening.

    If he was not mistaken, yesterday that woman returned to the Mo Manor from King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and today the Mo Manor took action, which attacked in his unprepared point. The sudden attack left King Yan powerless to respond. Ostensibly for Mo Xueqiong, they actually set a trap and took advantage of the matter about Mo Yan, the maidservant.

    She seized on another small mistake. How could You Yuecheng not be angry?

    What a cunning woman she was!

    She not only restored Mo Xueqiong¡¯s reputation, but also framed his sister. You Yuecheng had a feeling that if he didn¡¯t act, his sister You Yue¡¯e would be in big trouble tomorrow. With such a bad reputation, how could she keep her ce as Consort Yan.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, since you make me unhappy, don¡¯t expect to be satisfied.¡±

    The manservant returned in a moment, followed by a timid old maid. When she entered the study, she fell to her knees, her face white with fear. ¡°Greetings, Your Excellency.¡±

    You Yuecheng looked down from above, his cold eyes making the old maid tremble on her knees. She knelt on all fours, not daring to say anything. After a long time, she heard the man ask, ¡°You are Maid Li, Consort Jin¡¯s personal maid; is that right?¡±

    ¡°Yes... yes, I am...¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s aura was so strong that the old maid shivered and could not speak smoothly.

    ¡°Do you know what the penalty is... for imposter? An imposter will be hacked to death,¡± You Yuecheng said coldly. The air cooled instantly, almost crushing people.

    ¡°Yes... yes, I know... I was really Consort Jin¡¯s maid.¡± Maid Li didn¡¯t dare to mention ¡°personal¡± because she was an ordinary third-ss maid in Consort Jin¡¯s yard, and it was very difficult for her to see Consort Jin. If Consort Jin had not been weak on the run, and needed support, she would have been abandoned.

    You Yuecheng got up from beside the desk, walked over to the old maid, and looked down at her. ¡°Was Consort Jin pregnant with a child?¡± he asked, as he watched her tremble more violently.

    ¡°Yes, yes, the consort had a baby in her belly,¡± replied Maid Li, like a yes man. In order to prove the truth of her words, she hastily added, ¡°At that time, Consort Jin could not hold on for several times. Her personal nanny told her to hold on for the sake of the little princess in her belly, otherwise, the little princess could note to the world. So she fled as hard as she could.¡±

    You Yuecheng frowned, catching the gist of what she was saying. ¡°Did Consort Jin know she was carrying a little princess but not a little prince?¡±

    ¡°Yes... yes, she knew... she had said several times that the little princess was suffering from a bad life and had not enjoyed a day¡¯s happiness, for she had to follow others to flee for her life,¡± Maid Li said urgently, nodding her head.

    ¡°And then?¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s voice was so t that Maid Li could not tell any emotion from it. But she trembled even more.

    She dared not conceal the story. She would have liked to embellish the story, but she dared only to tell the truth, for fear of offending You Yuecheng the man in front of her. If he sent her to the government, she was the remnant of King Jin¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Later, Consort Jin really could not walk any further, and the pursuers behind gradually approached. At that moment, Consort Jin seemed to be giving birth. There were several nannies and maids around her, and I could not get close to her. The situation was chaotic. Later, someone said that the pursuers wereing, and some of them scattered. That¡¯s when they took me out. Then somehow I stepped on empty, fell, hit, and... fainted...¡±

    The old maid waspletely frightened by You Yuecheng. She answered all his questions, daring not to talk nonsense.

    ¡°When I woke up, I found no one with me. I was so scared. Just then I heard some carriages approaching. I was afraid that the pursuers wereing, so I hid immediately. Then I saw a couple of carriages pass by, and they bore the sign of the Fu General Manor, but as they came up to me, the carriages stopped suddenly, and a nanny came down and took off the sign.¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t see Fu General¡¯s wife save Consort Jin, did you?¡± You Yuecheng said coldly after a while¡¯s silence.

    ¡°No, I... I didn¡¯t see... I just saw the Fu General Manor¡¯s carriages pass by and then I secretly ran away. After that, I worked forrge families.¡± Maid Li was frightened into a cold sweat. She wanted to please You Yuecheng with spection and some suspicion, but he was so powerful. She regretted her covetousness for the money.

    ¡°Do you dare to say that the eldest daughter of the Fu General Manor is King Jin¡¯s daughter?¡± You Yuecheng asked faintly, his eyes calming down.

    The eldest daughter of the Fu General Manor was King Jin¡¯s daughter? Maid Li did not expect that she just wanted some money but she had to be against the Fu General Manor. How dared she do such a thing? In her eyes, the Four Great Manors were high above, and invible. If she said that without proof, she probably wouldn¡¯t even know how she died.

    Suddenly she copsed on the ground, crying and begging. ¡°Your Excellency, please forgive me. I am really not clear if the First Miss of the Fu General Manor is King Jin¡¯s daughter. I don¡¯t want any money. Please, please let me go.¡±

    Of course, she did not dare to be greedy for money now. She only wanted to get out of here quickly.

    ¡°You can leave now,¡± You Yuecheng said in an icy voice, staring at her. ¡°Somebody, pull her down and beat her to death. She will be used of stealing from the manor.¡±

    After that, he turned and went behind the desk.

    The manservant, who was waiting at the door, rushed in fiercely, and took the old maid by the hand to drag her out.

    ¡°Forgive me, Your Excellency, forgive me, Your Excellency. I will say that, I will!¡± cried the old maid sadly, holding fast to one of the doorposts. If she refused to say that, she would die a momentter; if she agreed, she might survive.

    You Yuecheng waved, and the two manservants magically disappeared. Sitting down behind his desk, he asked, ¡°What will you say?¡±

    Maid Li was too scared to settle down. At that moment, she was afraid that You Yuecheng would not be satisfied, and she suddenly thought of something and, her eyes lighting up. She answered, ¡°I will say that I was Consort Jin¡¯s personal maid, and that I went to the Fu General Manor with Consort Jin. We were saved by the madam of the Fu General Manor. And Consort Jin gave birth to a daughter, who has be the daughter of the Fu General Manor, First Miss.¡±

    Then she looked at You Yuecheng fawningly. She just wanted to live at the moment, so she would do whatever You Yuecheng wanted.

 Chapter 495 - In the Tianfeng Palace, the Empress Favoritism

    <h4>Chapter 495 In the Tianfeng Pce, the Empress¡¯ Favoritism</h4>

    You Yuecheng raised his hand and said to the outside, ¡°Somebody, give her 10 taels of silver.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The manservant rushed in, took out 10 taels of silver from his pocket, and gave them to Maid Li. Then he tugged at her clothes and motioned her away.

    As she looked at the glistening money, Maid Li¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. Without wiping the tears from her face, she took them hastily, thanked the manservant, and was taken out by him.

    To publicize the matter of the King Jin¡¯s Manor was to make the Emperor suspicious of Mo Xuetong. If she really was King Jin¡¯s child, even if the Emperor didn¡¯t want to pursue this matter, he would be forced to pursue the reality. In any case, the descendants of King Jin were the remnants of the rebellion, which was determined by the Emperor before the former Emperor and could not be changed by the current Emperor.

    As soon as the news got out, the Emperor had to send someone to investigate. You Yuecheng was 100% sure that Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was not the legitimate daughter of the General Manor, but the daughter of King Jin. When it came to the truth, Mo Xuetong could not even save her life, let alone be Consort Xuan.

    And there was the matter about the Fu General Manor. If it was true, the Fu General Manor would also be implicated. The Fu General Manor and King Jin¡¯s remnant were in collusion with each other. The Fu General Manor¡¯s failure was an inevitable trend.

    In addition, when such a big event happened, the matter about the King Jin¡¯s Manor was mentioned again, and there was a child of the King Jin¡¯s Manor living in the world, which would attract the attention of the people to Mo Xuetong and the Fu General Manor. The dispute between wife and concubines in King Yan¡¯s Manor was not a big deal. No one would ever look at You Yue¡¯e again. It was kind of saving King Yan from a side way.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong wants to put it on Yue¡¯e. Now Yue¡¯e¡¯s situation is also very dangerous, I must not let her be framed by Mo Xuetong. His Highness King Yan has his hands full now, and I¡¯ll have to think about it again.¡±

    You Yuecheng in the study was still worried. Facing Mo Xuetong, he didn¡¯t take it lightly. This woman was nothing to sneeze at. She had never lost a fight with him, so to speak. In any case, to win, he had to be prepared to lose. Preparing oneself for both eventualities was better than one.

    Sitting silently at his desk, You Yuecheng suddenly asked someone to prepare some stationery. The servant had prepared everything and arranged the stationery on the desk.

    He picked up a writing brush and began to write. After a while, a letter was finished. He sealed the envelope, stuffed it in, and called in his manservant. He gave a few orders, and the manservant ran out with the letter.

    Maid Li secretly left from the back door of the Mingguo Manor, especially to look around. She was relieved to make sure that no one was around. You Yuecheng¡¯s apparent murderous intent made her realize that she had walked around the Death¡¯s door. She was relieved to find that no one was following her.

    Touching the money in her pocket, she felt a little more daring. She gave a long breath and put on a greedy smile. Anyway, she made 10 taels of silver. If she spread the word, they said they would give her another 10 taels of silver. Then she could escape to a ce where no one lived. Who would know about her?

    With that in mind, she brushed her hair. The 10 taels of silver in her pocket calmed her. With a smirk, she turned and strode out. Ahead was a busy section of the road, where it was not difficult to find a few garrulous old women. Once she got the news out, her task was finished!

    Suddenly her steps froze. She was startled to see a womaning over with a smile, her head suddenly breaking into a cold sweat. She was so shocked that she almost shivered. She held the wall but her body became limp...

    The next day, the matter about King Yan¡¯s Manor was exposed!

    All over the capital, rumors spread that Consort Yan was a jealous, malevolent woman. She tried to kill King Yan¡¯s second consort. Whether it was a blood avnche or an affair with someone, she deliberately let people rumor in order to get rid of these second consorts.

    Moreover, she didn¡¯t even spare the pregnant concubines, and maidservant. No one could safely give birth to King Yan¡¯s baby. It had been said that someone was pregnant in the King Yan¡¯s Manor, but none of the women ever actually gave birth to an heir for King Yan. That was because Consort Yan was a malicious, jealous woman.

    In King Yan¡¯s Manor, Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e knew things went wrong. They were in a hurry at home, but there was no way out. They couldn¡¯t do anything to meet You Yuecheng. The imperial guards stood at the door and did not allow anyone to go out. You Yue¡¯e once asked people to pretend to be ill in order to get out, but was still stopped back at the gate.

    Getting the news, the Emperor in the Tianfeng Pce acted quickly. She hurried to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce, in order to report it to the Emperor before he learned it. At least she could suppress the Emperor¡¯s anger in the controble scope. Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out of the Tianfeng Pce, she met a eunuch sent by the Emperor to send a message asking her to deal with the matter about Consort Yan in King Yan¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± When the eunuch who delivered the message from the Qianqing Pce left, the heart of Yan Miao, the Empress¡¯ personal maid, sank. The Emperor¡¯s action was clearly to put the Empress on the spot. If she didn¡¯t handle it properly, the Empress would be estranged from King Yan and the Mingguo Manor. But it was against the Emperor¡¯s will if she did not do as he asked.

    What should the Empress do to satisfy both ims?

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the pce and send someone to bring Consort Yan to the Tianfeng Pce.¡± The Empress lifted her chin, keeping her dignity as an Empress, and walked back with her head held high, but she could not hide the bitterness tugging at the corner of her mouth.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send someone to do it right now.¡± Yan Miao knew it wasn¡¯t the ce to talk. She nodded and followed.

    Through a path, they suddenly saw Imperial Noble Consort Wen who wore blue gauze clothes, with a gentle smile on her face. She and her servants were standing at the mouth of the path, watching curiously. When she saw the Empress, she came up to her at once and said with a smile, ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty, you look anxious. Are you in a hurry to do something?¡±

    Although the Empress was in a bad mood, she patiently kept her dignity and answered lightly, ¡°I have received an order from His Majesty, and I¡¯m going back to the pce to deal with some matters, so I will not talk to you anymore.¡±

    ¡°Since you are engaged, I will not disturb you. All the way over here, I heard people talking about Consort Yan. Why did what had just happened spread throughout the pce? It looks as if it is nned,¡± said Imperial Noble Consort Wen with a smile, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

    Throughout the pce?

    The Empress¡¯ heart sank. Then she paused and asked, ¡°You mean everyone in this pce knows the matter about Consort Yan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, when I came, I heard some beauties talking about it. They said, ¡®Consort Yan looks so gentle, how could she do such a thing? Maybe it¡¯s because of Consort Xuan. What¡¯s wrong with the two princes? They got their wives involved.¡¯¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen still chuckled, as if not aware of a trace of sharpness in the Empress¡¯ eyes.

    If the investigation really came up, this matter was indeed because of the dispute between the people of the King Yan¡¯s Manor and Consort Xuan in the Puguang Temple, which led to the closure of both manors. But the final result clearly indicated that the Emperor preferred the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, because a few dayster, King Xuan¡¯s Manor was unsealed.

    However, a few dayster, this matter happened. Consort Yan seemed to be losing her reputation. The royal family could not tolerate such a daughter-inw, and would certainly show their attitude. The most likely oue of Consort Yan¡¯s jealousy was to ask her to divorce. A woman who was divorced by the royal family could only be apanied by the oilmp before the statue of Buddha, without the end of bitter days.

    Of course, the King Yan¡¯s Manor would also lose a strong backing of the Mingguo Manor, and they would be more likely to be enemies. Also, the rtionship between the Empress and King Yan would be influenced.

    The Empress absolutely did not believe that this matter had nothing to do with Consort Xuan, Mo Xuetong.

    After a few words with Imperial Noble Consort Wen, the Empress left in a hurry. When Imperial Noble Consort Wen walked away, she told Yan Miao to send someone to the King Xuan¡¯s Manor and asked her toe to the pce, saying that the Empress asked her to do a witness. She didn¡¯t believe she couldn¡¯t handle a young girl!

    Mo Xuetong was preparing dinner at that time. Once Feng Yuran was released, he went to prepare for greeting the crown prince and princess of Southern Barbarian. Therefore, he came back veryte these two days. It was said that the crown prince and princess of Southern Barbarian had set out on their way, but they did not expect to be assassinated as soon as they entered the Qin Kingdom. They fled under guard and were now missing.

    What Feng Yuran needed to do was to find the crown prince and protect him. He must not let the enemy seed, lest the two countries should be enemies. Although the Southern Barbarian Lands was not vast, its people were a little weird, because they had poisonous snakes and miasma. It waspletely different from the Qin Kingdom, and it was not a suitable country to fight with.

    But simrly, they could not afford to offend the powerful Qin Kingdom. If there was a real war between the two countries, both sides would lose. Therefore, no one dared to stir up trouble easily.

    Because the investigation into the whereabouts of crown prince from the Southern Barbarian Lands was a big deal, which would be mainly handled by Feng Yuran. It had been confirmed that the crown prince and princess would live in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and Feng Yuran would receive them all the way. Now it was inevitable that Feng Yuran would have to deal with their disappearance. If the crown prince had an ident in the territory of the Qin Kingdom, Feng Yuran would take full responsibility.

    If there was a war between the two countries because of this matter, Feng Yuran would be the biggest culprit. This was also the reason why Feng Yuxuan deliberately rmended Feng Yuran.

    Therefore, Feng Yuran was now leading the dark guards of the Qin Kingdom everywhere to look for the crown prince of Southern Barbarian Lands.

    ¡°My Lady, a man sent by the Empress came and said Her Majesty wants you to go to the Tianfeng Pce to be a witness.¡± Mo Lan lifted the curtain, came in, and reported.

    The matter about King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Mo Xuetong sneered in the heart. The Empress wanted to lead the matter to government affairs, so that people thought it was a struggle between the manors and a matter of the Emperor¡¯s sons taking the crown prince¡¯s ce. She wanted to draw attention to King Yan¡¯s Manor¡¯s persecution of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    As long as the Empress brought people¡¯s eyes to this aspect, King Yan¡¯s Manor won!

    The Empress heated up the atmosphere of the event, which was a good idea!

    Feng Yulei, You Yue¡¯e would get everyone¡¯s sympathy, while she and Feng Yuran would be spat at by everyone. The Empress¡¯ trick was really sinister. But since she wanted to see her, she had to go. She thought about it, with a sneer on her lips, and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mo Ye?¡±

    ¡°I saw her just now. She¡¯s supposed to be cleaning outside the yard. I¡¯ll go and get her.¡± Mo Lan knew the situation was serious, so she immediately turned to go out and brought in Mo Ye.

 Chapter 496 - Show Her Ability, and Match Point by Point

    <h4>Chapter 496 Show Her Ability, and Match Point by Point</h4>

    ¡°Go and get someone to pass the news to Ling Rui¡¯er,¡± Mo Xuetong ordered with cold eyes.

    The King Yan¡¯s Manor had a person going there, and she went there on behalf of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor. How could no one of the King Chu¡¯s Manor go there? No one could put himself out of it. Since it was a fight for the throne, the livelier, the better. She wanted to give the Empress more room to exert.

    Since the Empress wanted to make things big, it was of course better to make things as big and chaos as possible.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t stay long. When Mo Ye contacted Mo Feng and exined what was going on, Mo Xuetong took Mo Yu and Mo Ye to the pce, to prevent the Empress taking it as an excuse to scold her. She asked Mo Lan to be in charge of the manor for the time being. If Feng Yuran came back, she could get in touch with Feng Yue around him.

    In the spacious, grand hall of the Tianfeng Pce, the Empress was expressionless, sitting high above. You Yue¡¯e had arrived and was kneeling in front of the Empress, sobbing, while telling something in a sad voice. She should be sad, but when Mo Xuetong came in, she looked up at her with hatred. The Empress ordered a maid to take You Yue¡¯e aside and to sit down.

    Mo Xuetong stepped forward and knelt down to salute the Empress.

    The Empress did not immediately ask her to get up, from the top down to look at her lightly. After a while, she quietly asked, ¡°Consort Xuan, I hear you¡¯re not feeling well these days. What¡¯s wrong with you? If you need any medicine, just let me know. You are young, but you must take good care of yourself, or it will do harm to your child in the future. That would be bad.¡±

    What she said was very polite, but she didn¡¯t mean to let Mo Xuetong up.

    The Empress meant to humiliate her.

    With King Yan in a series of events, the noble Empress finally could not sit idly by. Even though she was trying not to lose her temper, her seemingly calm eyes were burning with anger.

    Mo Xuetong smiled, without revealing any emotion on her face. She said to the Empress in a soft, grateful voice, ¡°I am quite well, thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I just feel a little weak sometimes. Nothing serious. I just need to recuperate. I don¡¯t need precious medicine. Ordinary medicines are okay, and they are prepared in the manor.¡±

    Was she kidding? How dared she use the Empress¡¯ medicine?

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for you. I heard that all the women in King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back yard were released recently. So many women are difficult to manage. It¡¯s a good thing King Xuan hasn¡¯t been fooling around these days and ordering people to take women into your manor,¡± uttered the Empress, with a contemptuous smile on her lips.

    On the one hand, she was saying that King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back yard was a mess, and Mo Xuetong, King Xuan¡¯s wife,cked management skills! On the other hand, she was saying that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t act like a prince, and he hadn¡¯t done anything serious.

    Even now, the Empress had not forgotten to vilify her and Feng Yuran. Mo Xuetongughed in her heart, but she looked more respectful on the surface. ¡°Your Majesty, you are right. Looking at this yard full of women, I felt tired for a moment. Fortunately, I only have to manage a manor, unlike you, who had to manage all the women in the pce. That must be more exhausting.¡±

    The edge in her words stiffened the Empress¡¯s smile and made her eyes seethe with anger.

    Yan Miao, who was beside her, immediately reached out and pulled at her sleeve. She took deep breaths to control her anger.

    ¡°I heard that the people who went to King Yan¡¯s Manor to make trouble were from the Mo Manor, right?¡± The topic changed. She stared at Mo Xuetong, and the smile on her face suddenly turned cold.

    Sitting beside, You Yue¡¯e was wearing a sad look, but a proud smile appeared on the half face that was covered with her handkerchief. She was relieved to learn that the Empress would handle the matter. The Empress was firmly on Feng Yulei¡¯s side. It seemed that she would be fine today. She was nervous for nothing.

    The Empress wanted to me Mo Xuetong for the trouble at the King Yan¡¯s Manor. Her partiality was too direct. Apparently, the Empress thought Mo Xuetong was a weak girl and tried to bully her. She raised her eyes slightly and looked sideways at You Yue¡¯e. Then she lifted the corner of her mouth, and smiled nkly. ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°How dare you, Consort Xuan! For the sake of your personal resentment, you deliberately let the people of the Mo Manor make a scene. Not only did they beat Consort Yan, but they also startled King Yan. Do you know the penalty?¡± Under the instruction of the Empress, a nanny standing beside her stepped forward and shouted at Mo Xuetong.

    She med it all on Mo Xuetong.

    As the Empress looked at Mo Xuetong kneeling on the ground, a trace of malicious look shed in her eyes. She did not believe that she could not suppress a girl under 15 years old. She was the master of the harem. The harem and even all the women of Great Qin were under her. Wouldn¡¯t a consort whose parents¡¯ family could not help her give in to her?

    If Mo Xuetong gave in a little, it could all be put on her. If she said Mo Xuetong was doing something in it, and would not care about the honor of the royal family, even if the Emperor was protecting King Xuan, he would not be able to protect Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t know what you mean. Are you satisfied if I am wronged by King Yan¡¯s Manor? I know that you brought up King Yan. He is more like your own son, and King Xuan can¡¯t bepared with him in your heart,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a sneer, her eyes sharp, with a mocking smile on her lips.

    In order to protect King Yan, the Empress spoke such words in front of the people in the hall, regardless of her dignity. Mo Xuetong was not a person who could stand being bullied. She couldn¡¯t confess. If she confessed, the Empress would have reason to beat her to death here.

    She spoke in a very direct manner and the Empress¡¯ face turned red. She did not expect that Mo Xuetong, who always looked delicate and gentle, would say such a thing against her. For a moment anger spread across her face. Before the nanny spoke, she snapped, ¡°Is that how you talk to me, Consort Xuan?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, how do you think I ought to speak to you? King Yan has wronged me, so I can only bear it and be wronged to death, right? My sister died for no reason at all. Can¡¯t her mother go to ask Consort Yan and cry? Can the Emperor¡¯s son disregard human life? In the pce, those who have done harm to others are forgiven; but I, who have lost a rtive, have been falsely used and made to kneel on the ground. Your Majesty, I will go to His Majesty to defend myself. If His Majesty also thinks I am guilty, I am willing to hang myself in the pce.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was nothing like her usual submissive look. She said decidedly, with a slight sneer. She was still on her knees, but her upper body was straight.

    At this point, she knelt on the ground, and You Yue¡¯e sat beside, which was very inappropriate.

    As for the guilty person, You Yue¡¯e should kneel to plead guilty, but she, an irrelevant person, was sentenced to kneel.

    The Empress had no shame in helping Feng Yulei.

    If the Emperor saw this scene, how should the Empress defend!

    ¡°You... you...¡± The Empress didn¡¯t expect Mo Xuetong to be so stubborn. She was so angry that she pointed at Mo Xuetong and her fingers trembled, but she could not speak. To ask the Emperor to reason? Of course she did not dare to go. Even if she had a point now, she was out of it. The Emperor asked her to deal with this matter, she did not deal with Consort Yan, but drag Consort Xuan down. The Emperor would be furious.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, how could you say that? Mother is the Empress. How can she favor King Yan? The fact is that Mo Manor¡¯s people came to make trouble, and someone even tried to break into King Yan¡¯s Manor and kill King Yan. If it hadn¡¯t been for the guards there, this time the King Yan¡¯s Manor would have been doomed.¡±

    Finding that the Empress could not resist Mo Xuetong, You Yue¡¯e hurriedly said.

    Her words were tactful, as if she were frightened. She brought the topic to the level where someone was killing Feng Yulei. If someone else had said that, it would have been somewhat persuasive, but on Consort Yan¡¯s part, it just made her look suspiciously like she was hiding something.

    ¡°Someone tried to kill King Yan?¡± Mo Xuetong caught the point of You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words and asked.

    ¡°Yes; if it hadn¡¯t been for the guards sent by His Majesty, the King Yan¡¯s Manor would have been in danger this time.¡± You Yue¡¯e replied hurriedly.

    ¡°Does it have anything to do with the Mo Manor?¡±

    ¡°Of course. How could this have happened if those people hadn¡¯te to make trouble? King Yan was so frightened that he stilly in bed and could not get up. So many things happened all at once, I...¡± You Yue¡¯e looked worried and panicky, as if King Yan really met the assassination. ¡°I don¡¯t know who deliberately brought people to assassinate King Yan on the day the Mo Manor came to make trouble.¡±

    What she said was misleading, making people think that the people who incited the Mo Manor to make trouble must be the people who killed Feng Yulei!

    It was scheming and malicious!

    As long as Mo Xuetong admitted one thing, the second was naturally her fault.

    ¡°Consort Yan, apart from the fact that my fourth sister died unjustly. Even if amon second consort dies, shouldn¡¯t the King Yan¡¯s Manor return justice to her family and make the matter known to the public? Why are all the people involved dead? Consort Yan, you, too,e from a great family. You must have seen how the wives of great families killed the concubines, right? Which of the reasons they used was not false? Can such an excuse really be used as a reason?¡±

    Mo Xuetong coldly smiled and did not excuse, but on the other hand, gave You Yue¡¯e a hard blow.

    You Yue¡¯e was born in the Mingguo Manor, so she could be regarded as a daughter of a great family. She had seen back yard fight, of course, many times. How could she not understand it was an excuse when all the people involved were dead? Anyway, Mo Xueqiong was a second consort of the royal family. Why did she die without any exnation?

    ¡°As far as I know, in addition to a few old maids who went to your manor this time, they are only young maids and a concubine of the highest status. How did a couple of women get to be the ones who tried to kill King Yan? Could King Yan have been frightened and sick because of some women?¡± Mo Xuetong did not give You Yue¡¯e a chance to react. She looked at her in the eye and coldly pressed.

    King Yan was scared to lie on the bed by a concubine and some maids. Even ordinary men would feel ashamed, not to mention the noble prince. If this got out, Feng Yulei was going be a jerk. Everyone would despise him and wouldn¡¯t support his bid to the throne in the least.

    Through a few words, Mo Xuetong refuted You Yue¡¯e until she couldn¡¯t say a word. Her legs seemed to be numb, and she forced herself to stand up, holding on to the step beside her. Then she turned to the Empress up above, and said sadly, ¡°Your Majesty, since you are protecting Consort Yan, I have nothing to say. Now that you want me to kneel, I am willing to kneel in the Qianqing Pce to face His Majesty, asking him to give me and King Xuan justice, so that he will not be implicated by me and be other¡¯s target.¡±

    Now that they were willing to make a fuss, she was not afraid. Just making it as big as possible. Rebellion? Then adding a charge of trying to kill his brother in the struggle for the throne!

    At her words, the fury on the Empress¡¯ face miraculously disappeared. There was a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She knew better than anyone that if they dide to the Emperor, she would get nothing out of it.

    The Emperor had always had a problem with her because of King Yan. This time he had asked her to deal with the matter of Consort Yan, which was a warning to her. If she really stimted Mo Xuetong to go to the Qianqing Pce, the Emperor would never spare her, not to mention the arrogant and entric King Xuan Feng Yuran.

    She had thought that Mo Xuetong could only swallow her pride and obey her orders when she entered her Tianfeng Pce. As long as she suppressed her with her status and pushed everything on her, she could torture Mo Xuetong and even kill her. She would call the shots. Then King Yan could get away with it, and his wife could push it all on Mo Xuetong.

    However, the Empress did not expect that Mo Xuetong, who had always been a delicate girl, would suddenly be so rebellious, as if she were someone else. She dared to speak up to the Empress and asked to see the Emperor. She really grasped the Empress¡¯s weakness. The Empress could hardly believe her ears.

 Chapter 497 - Ling Ruiers Violent Disturbance

    <h4>Chapter 497 Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s Violent Disturbance</h4>

    But the Empress knew they could do no more. She gritted her teeth, suppressed her anger, and looked back at Yan Miao, who was standing next to her.

    Yan Miao had been with the Empress for a long time, and of course she knew what she meant. She immediately stood up from behind the Empress, came over to help Mo Xuetong, smiled, and helped her to a chair beside to sit down. ¡°Consort Xuan, take it easy. Her Majesty is so angry today that she has just scolded Consort Yan into tears. His Majesty is waiting for Her Majesty to find out what has happened. She is upset. She¡¯s not taking you personally,¡± Yan Miao said with a smile.

    A clever maid brought a cup of tea and put it on the table in front of Mo Xuetong. ¡°My Lady, please have some tea,¡± she said respectfully.

    Mo Xuetong looked up at the Empress¡¯ sullen face, and then at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face, which was frozen by her words. She could not help smiling. After thinking for a while, she wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and said sadly to You Yue¡¯e, ¡°Consort Yan, you are the master of King Yan¡¯s Manor. Of course I know that. But anyway, my fourth sister was given to Feng Yulei by His Majesty. You should spare her for the sake of His Majesty. Couldn¡¯t you stand her? Or Consort Yan, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t like me?¡±

    You Yue¡¯e was so angry that she almost vomited blood and her eyes were red. She could not help rubbing her handkerchief with more force. In front of the Empress, Mo Xuetong used her of having an evil heart, saying that she could not tolerate others, and finally said that she had a bad rtionship with Mo Xuetong, so she hurt Mo Xueqiong.

    You Yue¡¯e had never seen such a sharp Mo Xuetong, which made her temporarily forget to pretend to cry. She did not know how to answer, and the Empress, who was sitting high, red at her angrily. The Empress was dissatisfied with You Yue¡¯e. No matter the origin or the status now, You Yue¡¯e was better than Mo Xuetong. Why did Mo Xuetong have the advantage?

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll both be quiet. You are rted. What are you talking about? Sit down, drink some tea, and discuss how to make His Majesty satisfied. Don¡¯t annoy him. Otherwise, I can¡¯t help you,¡± said the Empress grimly.

    After being contradicted by Mo Xuetong, the Empress knew that it was not easy to fool Mo Xuetong. She could only think of another way of speaking now, in what seemed to be the fairest manner, as if she were not taking sides.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I have anger in my heart.¡± Mo Xuetong lifted her eyes and looked at the Empress with a low cough. She was not faking it. Her heart was throbbing with the excitement of the moment before. Mo Ye and Mo Yu were blocked outside the pce gate, so there was no one to serve her while her cool pills were with them.

    Recently, she felt a little heat in the body, and sometimes she couldn¡¯t sleep well in the afternoon, not knowing if it was because of the weather, or soaking in the hot spring in this kind of weather. Feng Yuran found a prescription and made some heat-clearing pills for her. She would feel extremelyfortable after taking the medicine. But now, though she felt a little hot, she could only endure it.

    ¡°What are you angry about? You just cursed Consort Yan. She¡¯s your sister-inw. A sister-inw is like a mother. Even if she did do something wrong, you shouldn¡¯t scold her like that. Besides, she didn¡¯t annoy you,¡± the Empress scolded with a scowl on her face.

    ¡°Your Majesty, if I had killed one of Consort Yan¡¯s sisters, I would have been willing to pay for it with her scolding. I really don¡¯t mind getting yelled at a lot if people¡¯s lives are so worthless.¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly. It was too cheap to pay for the life of a criminal if he was scolded.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, how dare you! Did Consort Yan ever murder your fourth sister? It was your fourth sister who did not obey the rules of womanhood, eloped with another man, and then hanged herself in disgrace. What does this have to do with Consort Yan?¡± The Empress could not help but scold Mo Xuetong for her repeated confrontations.

    Her hand struck the table so hard that the tea almost fell out.

    If Mo Xuetong was a timid person, she was likely to be frightened by the imposing manner of the Empress. But Mo Xuetong knew the Empress was trying to keep her down. If she was really pinned down by her, she was going to bear all the me, so she couldn¡¯tpromise.

    She looked up at once and peered with contempt. Ignoring the Empress¡¯ words, she lifted her chin up at You Yue¡¯e and said, ¡°Consort Yan, can you ask yourself if you didn¡¯t hurt my fourth sister? Can you say that you didn¡¯t miscarry Mo Yan and cause her to have significant bleeding? Consort Yan, she was a maid, but the baby in her belly was the real royal blood. How could you do that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt the bastard in that maid¡¯s belly? It was your fourth sister who kicked her and caused her to miscarry. What does that have to do with me?¡± You Yue¡¯e had been in a weak position today. Her cheeks were nched and livid, and she was about to burst. At this time she could not contain her temper and cried angrily.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and turned to the Empress, who was about to put on an angry expression due to her ignorance. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Mo Xuetong said, ¡°you see, if any woman who is pregnant with King Yan¡¯s son or daughter is not Consort Yan herself, the children will all be bastards. I wonder what Consort Yan thinks of the royal family¡¯s bloodline. I remember the matter about Consort Chu a few days ago. Consort Chu was reprimanded for a second consort lost her baby, and was finally reduced to an ordinary concubine.¡±

    That was not the only reason Ling Rui¡¯er was punished, of course. But Mo Xuetong took it out of context, and no one else could say she was wrong. After all, that was why it happened.

    ¡°I will plead her cause. What happened at the King Yan¡¯s Manor was that a concubine died, and a woman and her baby of royal blood in her womb died. Why did Consort Yan me me for causing problems when she was fine? What about Consort Chu? Who asked her if she had been wronged?¡±

    At this time, Mo Xuetong said rightfully. She defended Ling Rui¡¯er as if she were totally devoted to it. Looking at the Empress sitting high with an expression of slightly displeasure on her face, You Yue¡¯e knew that she was thinking about children that Mo Xuetong had just mentioned.

    After all, neither the King Chu¡¯s Manor nor King Xuan¡¯s Manor had any children in their pces. If King Yan¡¯s Manor had a son, it would be of great benefit to King Yan and would help him to fight for the throne. But the problem was that the child had nothing to do with King Yan, and it was the result of her eldest brother¡¯s calction of Mo Xuetong.

    Thinking of this matter, You Yue¡¯e felt more aggrieved. It was not the prince¡¯s child at all but was the child of an escort of her eldest brother. If the baby dide out, that would be a scandal for the royal family. But she could not speak of it, or there would be a lot of trouble. If the Emperor found out that King Yan was really calcting King Xuan, they would be in great trouble.

    But now Mo Xuetong insisted that she killed King Yan¡¯s children andpared her to Ling Rui¡¯er. For this reason, even the Empress¡¯ face darkened. She was obviously very unhappy with her. You Yue¡¯eughed angrily, pointed at Mo Xuetong, and said angrily, ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er is vicious, and it¡¯s her own business. I wouldn¡¯t do such a wicked thing. What happened at the manor was a deliberate attempt to frame me.¡±

    She was so angry that she could not think normally. She only knew that she was furious and acted against Mo Xuetong. Whatever Mo Xuetong said, she objected, but she forgot that Ling Rui¡¯er was the Empress¡¯s niece. No matter how far she went, Ling Rui¡¯er was the daughter of the Ding General Manor. The Empress was embarrassed when she spoke of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s demotion.

    The Empress looked even angrier as You Yue¡¯e spoke without thinking. She ignored them with a cold face. A maid came up, and tried to say something in the Empress¡¯ ear, but she gave her a cold grunt and red at her. Frightened, the maid did not dare to say anymore, and immediately retreated to the side.

    ¡°Consort Chu was wicked to do that. Consort Yan, were you born to be charitable? You did such a wicked thing, but still scolded Consort Chu.¡± Mo Xuetong caught a glimpse of a gorgeous train in bright red and argued even more for Ling Rui¡¯er. ¡°Consort Chu is usually arrogant, but in fact, she is not a wicked woman.¡±

    When she heard Mo Xuetong still talking about her malevolence and saying that she was not as good as Ling Rui¡¯er, You Yue¡¯e was even angrier. She had always despised Ling Rui¡¯er and snapped. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Ling Rui¡¯er a wicked woman? The divorce is too light a punishment for her. Such women should be sentenced to death.¡±

    In order to show her innocence and how much she hated such women, she scolded Ling Rui¡¯er unkindly, as if only in this way could she show her innocence and prove that she was apletely different woman from Ling Rui¡¯er. At the moment, her mind waspletely following Mo Xuetong, and she just felt that she hated Mo Xuetong so much that shepared Ling Rui¡¯er with her.

    She went so far that the Empress, who was sitting high, snorted coldly and said, ¡°Consort Yan, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯re not here to talk about Consort Chu. Let¡¯s talk about the matter about the two of you.¡±

    The Empress was pissed off by You Yue¡¯e. She sounded more and more like she wasing to denounce Ling Rui¡¯er, and she called her mercilessly in front of her, which was like pping her in the face. No matter how bad Ling Rui¡¯er was, it was a private matter for the Ding General Manor, and the daughter of the Mingguo Manor had no right to swear at her.

    She tried to force the conversation back, but someone interrupted her. Just as she finished speaking, another cold voice came. ¡°Aunt, Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t expect that when the daughter of our Ding General Manor was cursed by the Mingguo Manor, you ignored it. Is what they say true? Aunt, Your Majesty, are you going to live on Consort Yan? So even though she insulted me, you didn¡¯t stop her.¡±

    Everyone turned and saw Ling Rui¡¯er, dressed in a bright red royal dress, entering from the entrance of the hall. Her face darkened with anger. She gave You Yue¡¯e a nasty look and then sneered at the Empress. She had been here for quite a while. You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words made her mad enough to pop up. Just now, seeing her enter the pce, the maid wanted to inform the Empress, but the angry Empress ignored her.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er?¡± The Empress did not expect that Ling Rui¡¯er would suddenly appear. She paused for a moment, ruthlessly red at the maid who hade to her before but did not report her arrival.

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er?¡± You Yue¡¯e was shocked too. She was swearing fiercely when Ling Rui¡¯er turned up unexpectedly. Like a car that stopped suddenly, her face darkened and she froze.

    Mo Xuetong was the most graceful. After the initial shock, a faint smile appeared on her face. She stood up and nodded to Ling Rui¡¯er. She looked at her formal dress with a twinkle in her eye, but a little more curiosity than contempt. This made Ling Rui¡¯er, who had been sensitive these days, less hostile to her. Mo Xuetong even said some good words for her just now. At this time, she saw Mo Xuetong was a lot easier on the eyes. She raised her nose and slightly snorted, as a greeting to her.

 Chapter 498 - In a Fit of Rage, the Empress Lost Her Temper

    <h4>Chapter 498 In a Fit of Rage, the Empress Lost Her Temper</h4>

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, why are you here in this dress?¡± Looking at her dress, the Empress frowned. Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s outfit was extremely inappropriate¡ªshe was just a concubine and she could not wear it.

    Ling Rui¡¯er looked up at the Empress and asked, ¡°Aunt, Your Majesty, why can¡¯t Ie here in this dress? Now that You Yue¡¯e can wear it, why can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°She is Consort Yan. Of course she can wear it.¡± The Empress really got annoyed now. None of these women would make her free from worry. She thought it would be easier to deal with Mo Xuetong alone, but suddenly Ling Rui¡¯er arrived. What was going on here? However, she couldn¡¯t drive Ling Rui¡¯er away. Last time, the Empress failed to help her keep the position of Consort Chu, and her two brothers had alreadyined about her.

    ¡°I¡¯m Consort Chu, so why can¡¯t I wear this?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er red at You Yue¡¯e as if she were still Consort Chu. Her words nearly threw the Empress backward. Looking at Mo Xuetong sitting down, the Empress felt the veins on her forehead beating violently.

    What was this about? The one who was supposed to make trouble was quiet, while the one who should not was shouting.

    You Yue¡¯e was a proud person. She had always been the one who looked down upon others, and she would not allow others to look down upon her. If Ling Rui¡¯er were Ling Fengyan, You Yue¡¯e might look up to her. She didn¡¯t like Ling Rui¡¯er, who was an incapable person. She, too, was irritated. ¡°You¡¯re no longer Consort Chu. Concubine Ling, as a concubine, how dare you wear Consort Chu¡¯s formal dress? Aren¡¯t you afraid of your head being cut off or your family being destroyed?!¡± she sneered.

    She was so furious that she had forgotten that Ling Rui¡¯er and the Empress belonged to the same n.

    ¡°You Yue¡¯e, you killed a concubine and a maid who was pregnant with King Yan¡¯s child, but you are all right, and can still wear Consort Yan¡¯s dress. Why can¡¯t I? At least I killed two fewer people than you did. Just because my maidservant identally bumped Second Consort Mo, how could you say that I murdered the royal child and degrade me to be a concubine?¡±

    Speaking of this, Ling Rui¡¯er suddenly felt that her behavior was not excessive. Just like what Mo Xuetong said, she was really wronged. Several days ago, her father and uncle scolded her and told her how to be a wife. At that time, she had regrets, now only to find thatpared with what You Yue¡¯e had done, her behavior was really not serious.

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er, you¡¯re lying!¡± You Yue¡¯e snapped.

    ¡°What am I lying? Let the Empress judge which of us has made the bigger mistake. I just identally bumped into a concubine, resulting in her miscarriage, but you secretly designed, and framed a second consort for an elopement, resulting in her death and a bad reputation. The maid who was pregnant with King Yan¡¯s child had a miscarriage, and she did not survive. You Yue¡¯e, you can¡¯t be so naive as to think you¡¯ll be all right this time.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e was speechless. Ling Rui¡¯er became prouder, and her words grew sharper. Her main purpose ofing here today was to deal with You Yue¡¯e. At this time, she found that You Yue¡¯e was speechless with a livid face. She immediately feltfortable. When they were both prince¡¯s wives, why was she punished, and You Yue¡¯e was okay?

    There was a point to make her jealous¡ªwhen she caused trouble, the Empress not only did not help her, but also secretly hurt her, but when it came to You Yue¡¯e, the Empress even wanted to intervene to help her. This was why she came from Ding General Manor. She would never let them get away with it. From the letter of Feng Yuxuan, Ling Rui¡¯er felt that the Empress was on the opposite side. If the Empress had not done something behind the scenes, she would not have lost her position as Consort Chu.

    So, today she was here to stir up trouble!

    And now she was doing it without shame...

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er, you¡¯ve gone too far. How dare you say such a thing in front of Her Majesty?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than you hurting the royal blood. You Yue¡¯e, don¡¯t think Her Majesty will let you go. I just identally hurt a consort, Her Majesty punished me, her niece. What if you are Consort Yan?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Are you at a loss for words? Look, you¡¯re the most vicious woman. King Yan probably has regretted marrying you long ago. If he had married my sister, he would not have...¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± snapped the Empress, taking a cup of tea at hand and throwing it at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s feet. Ling Rui¡¯er stopped talking at once, looked at the Empress in bewilderment, and cried out. ¡°Aunt, Your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back? Somebody, take... take her to the side hall and undress her.¡± The Empress was already trembling with anger at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s bold tongue. She didn¡¯t know what to teach her, so she sent for someone to drag her out and change her clothes. She was not Consort Chu anymore, and if she continued to wear this dress, she would definitely cause trouble for the Ding General Manor.

    Seeing two maidse over to pull her, Ling Rui¡¯er was still unconvinced, pointing to You Yue¡¯e and cursing. ¡°No, Aunt, Your Majesty, I won¡¯t go. Why can she be here and I not?¡±

    The Empress did not want to say much to her now but waved her hand and two of her maids came forward, seized Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s arms, and pulled her to the side hall.

    When Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s voice was gone, the Empress took a deep breath and turned to Mo Xuetong.

    During the whole process, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t say a word, but just watched Ling Rui¡¯er and You Yue¡¯e¡¯s quarrel leisurely. As she found that the Empress looked at her, Mo Xuetong smiled, and then looked straight at the Empress, as if she did not see the Empress¡¯s red eyes and ferocious face which were due to anger.

    At the moment, her smile was like a challenge to the Empress. Just now, the scene of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s embarrassing fuss was like a severe cut on the dignified face of the Empress, while Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile seemed to tell the Empress that she had seen the disgraceful state of Duke Ding.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you have to be careful in the pce. How can youugh so casually? Now you are in my pce, if you are in other pce, how will other imperial concubines look at you and King Xuan? Nanny Lin, go and teach Consort Xuan manners, lest she lose face for King Xuan.¡± The Empress flew into a rage and could not keep her smile. Under the stimtion of Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile, her suppressed anger bursting out immediately.

    Nanny Lin knew that the Empress was trying to teach Mo Xuetong a lesson, and she immediately responded. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±

    With that, she walked away from the Empress to instruct Mo Xuetong in the etiquette.

    Mo Xuetong simply stood up and looked askance at Nanny Lin who wasing. She smiled coldly, her eyes holding a bit of arrogance. Then she looked up, smiled at the Empress, and said, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t you always dislike me? Are you trying to teach me a lesson? Well, Your Majesty, if you want to punish me, do you need an excuse? In that case, you don¡¯t need another excuse, just punish me. Anyway about my fourth sister¡¯s death, with your protection, Consort Yan will not be in trouble. Now that I can¡¯t get justice for my fourth sister, I deserve it even if you beat me nearly to death.¡±

    Then her eyes grew cold, and she looked straight at the Empress, not with fear, but with contempt.

    Her words seemed to add fuel to the fire. The Empress was so angry that she strode down from the high tform, raised her hand, and tried to p Mo Xuetong in the face. ¡°You are a little Consort Xuan. How dare you talk to me like that? Somebody, p her, p her hard,¡± she cried in a harsh voice.

    She was really mad at Mo Xuetong now.

    Mo Xuetong turned her head to avoid the Empress¡¯s p. She looked at the Empress and then at the maids and nannies standing behind her. A sardonic sneer crept into the corner of her lip, a disapproving look on her face. Obviously, she was saying in silence that the Empress¡¯s behavior was unseemly and indecent.

    The Empress looked at Mo Xuetong, her eyes red with anger, and cried out. ¡°Somebody,e on, hold her down; p her, p her.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e was conscious at that moment. Finding the Empress too angry, she wanted to persuade her but dared not. For a moment she did not know what to do.

    The nannies around the Empress had done many such things. Several people went over and expertly pushed Mo Xuetong down. Nanny Lin went over and tried to reach out and p Mo Xuetong in the face. However, when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice, she felt as if a cold feeling rose from her heart. Her hand froze in the air, and for a moment she did not dare to p her.

    ¡°p her, p her.¡± Seeing this, the Empress became even angrier. She snapped. ¡°If you hesitate, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°Empress, are you going to kill Consort Xuan?¡± A cold and sinister voice came from the door. The Empress¡¯ ferocious face suddenly froze.

    Only then did the eunuch behind her squeal. ¡°His Majesty is here!¡±

    Emperor Zongwen strode in and looked at Mo Xuetong coldly, who was held down by several stout maids. He noticed that her beautiful eyes were full of pity. There were two drops of tears hanging at the corners of her eyes, which made people feel that she¡¯d been wronged. And in front of her, the furious Empress¡¯ face was grimly evil, without the slightest dignity of the Empress. At the sight of her, he was displeased at once.

    The Empress did not expect the Emperor toe at this moment. She had lost her momentum and was afraid. The angry look faded away from her face. She forced a smile and answered, ¡°You must be kidding, Your Majesty. How dare I kill Consort Xuan? I was just trying to teach this defiant consort a lesson. She was contemptuous and despised me. I don¡¯t want her to get King Xuan into trouble.¡±

    With cool eyes, Emperor Zongwen turned to Mo Xuetong and asked, ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, no matter how daring I am, I dare not talk back to Her Majesty. I just said a few words to defend my fourth sister, Her Majesty... Anyway, I offended Her Majesty. It¡¯s all my fault. Please, Your Majesty, punish me.¡±

    By this time, Mo Xuetong had already put on a delicate look. It was easy to see that she was the one being bullied. Compared to the menacing Empress, she looked more convincing.

    In particr, she mentioned Mo Xueqiong. The cause of this incident today was that Mo Xueqiong¡¯s mother went to King Yan¡¯s Manor to cry. Emperor Zongwen had known that Feng Yulei had something to do with it, so instead of allowing him to argue, he simply ordered him to stay in his house. As for Mo Xueqiong, in his mind, she was also a wicked woman. He didn¡¯t care if she was alive or dead!

 Chapter 499 - You Yuees Fury out of Shame

    <h4>Chapter 499 You Yue¡¯e¡¯s Fury out of Shame</h4>

    But the Emperor did not expect this to happen. He had thought that Mo Xuetong might have something to do with it, and he felt a little angry with her. But she was now in tears and trembling, but she took the initiative to take punishment. The Emperor thought she did not look guilty. His eyes deepened for a moment.

    ¡°Your Majesty, it is Consort Xuan who contradicted Her Majesty. I saw it very well from the side.¡± You Yue¡¯e judged that her chance hade. She couldn¡¯t wait toe up to greet the Emperor, and reported to him.

    The maids and nannies standing beside the Empress nodded their heads, adding fuel to what the Empress said from time to time, as if Mo Xuetong hade to annoy the Empress on purpose.

    A teardrop ran down Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face and she said sadly, ¡°Your Majesty, though I am young, I know that the Empress is both my elder and the most honorable person. I just asked Her Majesty why she didn¡¯t punish Consort Yan but punished me to kneel. It was my sister who died... I only said these words, and what you saw happened!¡±

    She seemed to be defending herself, but she did not me the Empress. Yet the people in the pce were so clever that they could certainly hear from what she said that the Empress was deliberately insulting her. It was the Empress who disliked her at first sight and took it out on her. This thing happened in King Yan¡¯s Manor, so if someone was punished to kneel, it was supposed to be Consort Yan. Why did the Empress ask the irrelevant Consort Xuan to kneel? Besides, she even did not allow her to ask about her sister¡¯s death. The Empress was too partial.

    At her words, the Empress and her maids and nannies were dumbfounded. The Empress paused for a moment and then realized that Mo Xuetong was reporting to the Emperor that she had been made to kneel. Immediately, the Empress¡¯s astonishment turned to anger. Mo Xuetong was reversing right and wrong. Just now she was quite disdainful of the Empress, but now she dared to pretend to be innocent in front of the Emperor.

    The Empress pointed at Mo Xuetong with trembling fingers and said angrily, ¡°Consort Xuan, you don¡¯t have to do that. Just now you challenged me, and Consort Yan and my maids and nannies can testify. Are you trying to cheat everyone?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, I do not know what I have done to offend you, causing you to try to do anything to kill me...¡± Mo Xuetong looked so sad. Tears were falling out of her beautiful eyes. She pped her hand over her chest and felt the suffocation as it rushed up and down. She could hardly act. She struggled with the difort in her chest and grew paler.

    ¡°Well, this is full of Her Majesty¡¯s people. Her Majesty is all in favor of Consort Yan¡¯s wife. No matter what I say... no one will testify for me. That¡¯s it. I have nothing to say. You¡¯re always... right, Your Majesty!¡± Mo Xuetong looked unwell and almost fell down while holding the table. Her pale, bloodless face added to the impression that she had been wronged beyond measure. She held her chest as if she were too angry to finish her words.

    She meant, of course, that the Empress¡¯ pce was full of her people, who obeyed her with all their heart and soul, and that You Yue¡¯e was the one the Empress wanted to protect, and of course would listen to the Empress.

    Her words almost made the Empress fall down in anger. If she had known Mo Xuetong would bite back, the Empress would have asked more people to stay so they would know what Mo Xuetong said. At this time it looked as if she united with You Yue¡¯e to bully Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You have just spoken against the Empress.¡± You Yue¡¯e still insisted, wanting to prove Mo Xuetong wrong. Noticing that Mo Xuetong was still pretending to be weak, she stepped forward and gave her a big push to show the Emperor that Mo Xuetong was acting.

    However, when her hands touched Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong could not hold on any longer, and You Yue¡¯e¡¯s strength seemed to be thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Mo Xuetong gave a low cry, and blood ran down the corner of her closed mouth. Unable to stand, she followed You Yue¡¯e¡¯s strength and fell back...

    Fortunately, a maid standing behind Mo Xuetong was quick. Perceiving her condition, she immediately reached out to support her. Seeing the blood on the corner of her mouth, she eximed. ¡°Consort Yan has beaten Consort Xuan into bleeding.¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Mo Xuetong fainted in her arms.

    Emperor Zongwen looked at You Yue¡¯e with a gloomy face, and coldlymanded. ¡°Take an imperial physician here, quickly.¡± Immediately, someone went out to look for the imperial physician.

    Being stared by Emperor Zongwen, You Yue¡¯e felt cold all over the body. With a sudden flop, she fell on his knees as a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t. I just touched her. She... she was faking it. That¡¯s not true. Mo Xuetong framed me up on purpose. Before she sent people from the Mo Manor to make trouble in the King Yan¡¯s Manor, and now she¡¯s set me up.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes were so cold that she lost her sense of proportion, and felt that the cold in the Emperor¡¯s eyes almost prated her. She just wanted to defend herself. She had been noticing Mo Xuetong¡¯s reaction. First she barbed at the Empress, and then she yed weak in front of the Emperor. You Yue¡¯e felt that she must be pretending now.

    At this time, she just wanted to tear Mo Xuetong¡¯s trick, so that the Emperor could see her craftiness with his own eyes. That was why she did it.

    A cold sweat began to break out on the Empress¡¯ head. If something went wrong with Mo Xuetong in her pce, the Emperor would never spare her. And thewless Feng Yuran, who could not be persuaded and was protected by the Emperor, would have turned her Tianfeng Pce upside down.

    The Empress now regretted it. She should have punished You Yue¡¯e instead of calling Mo Xuetong over. She failed to ask Mo Xuetong to plead guilty. She now just hoped she wouldn¡¯t get into trouble again. Today¡¯s Tianfeng Pce was very busy. People kepting, and now even the Emperor was here. Also, Mo Xuetong was not doing well.

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± At the moment, she came to herself. Realizing that something wrong could not happen to Mo Xuetong here, she directed her maids to help Mo Xuetong to lie on the inner couch. Then she returned and said to the Emperor, ¡°I didn¡¯t know Consort Xuan was not feeling well. She didn¡¯t say anything about it when she was sitting there just now. If I had known she was not well, I would not have asked her toe on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Empress, did you give her a chance to speak?¡± asked the Emperor in a cold voice, sitting down on a nearby chair, not looking at the worried Empress.

    His words struck the Empress dumb. The Empress wore an aggrieved look on her face and wanted to say something, but Emperor Zongwen waved his hand and pointed to the sweating imperial physician who just ran over. With a sulky look, he took a sip of the tea the maid had brought him. He was not going to talk to the Empress, so he didn¡¯t make her look good.

    The Empress resented in her heart, but she had to stand by. Now that the Emperor did not allow her to sit down, she could not sit down at will even in her pce.

    ¡°You said Consort Xuan faked it, in order to intentionally frame you?¡± The Emperor looked down at You Yue¡¯e kneeling on the ground and asked, his face not revealing his emotions.

    You Yue¡¯e said it in an urgent moment of inspiration. The more she thought about it now, the more she realized what she said was right. Mo Xuetong was a crafty person. She must have faked it this time, or it wouldn¡¯t have been so coincidental¡ªas soon as her hand touched her, she threw up blood and fell down. It must have been nned. When things got to this point, it must be Mo Xuetong¡¯s secret n.

    At this time, when Emperor Zongwen asked her about it, she immediately kowtowed to him and answered, ¡°Your Majesty, Consort Xuan was capricious before. She not only disrespected the Empress, but also maligned King Yan¡¯s Manor. What happened at the King Yan¡¯s Manor must have been instigated by her. Otherwise, how could it have happened like this? Now she is framing me. Please give me justice, Your Majesty.¡±

    She could not believe such a coincidence.

    The Emperor¡¯s eyes shed like lightning. He coldly stared at her for a while, and suddenly asked, ¡°What if Consort Xuan really fainted?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I only touched her. She must have been faking it,¡± You Yue¡¯e said firmly as her eyes were tearful. She didn¡¯t want to let go of Mo Xuetong. The Empress, standing nearby, looked a little rmed. She was not You Yue¡¯e, and had just stood beside Mo Xuetong to see the blood she could not help spitting out and her pale and weak face almost immediately lost its color.

    It was impossible to fake an expression like that. Besides, here was the pce, where had superb imperial physicians. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t be so ignorant that she would dare to pretend to be in poor health in the Tianfeng Pce and get herself into trouble.

    When she heard You Yue¡¯e¡¯s affirmation, she broke out in a cold sweat. She secretly winked at You Yue¡¯e, but thetter was now preupied with dealing with the Emperor, so she did not see the Empress.

    ¡°What will you do if she is really ill?¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face was cold and gloomy.

    ¡°I, I...¡± You Yue¡¯e stammered, unable to say anything.

    ¡°Your Majesty, herees the imperial physician. Would you like to inquire first?¡± The Empress pointed to the imperial physician, who came out in a hurry, and suddenly raised her voice.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes darted from You Yue¡¯e to the Empress. The Empress could not help but lower her head, her forehead slightly sweaty.

    ¡°Say it!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, Consort Xuan is weak, and the outside is a little hot. Consort Xuan has some body heat. Coupled with mood swings, she could not stand it, and thus suddenly vomited blood and fainted,¡± the imperial physician immediately reported honestly. In fact, there was something weird inside Mo Xuetong. She seemed to be injured, but the imperial physician could not diagnose it at the moment.

    ¡°Do you mean that Consort Xuan really vomited blood and fainted?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. Consort Xuan is weak and can¡¯t stand too many mood swings,¡± replied the imperial physician while kowtowing.

    ¡°You go and get the medicine filled!¡± said the Emperor lightly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Since Emperor Zongwen no longer asked, the imperial physician hurriedly withdrew. The strangeness about Consort Xuan¡¯s body seemed to be due to poison, but the imperial physician could not check it out. Since the Emperor did not ask, he did not dare to stay. He hurried to go out to prepare a cool-natured potion for Mo Xuetong.

    The Emperor sneered, looked at You Yue¡¯e, and slowly asked, ¡°You Yue¡¯e, what do you say?¡± His face had darkened even more.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. She¡¯s faking it, she must be faking it...¡± You Yue¡¯e had heard the imperial physician¡¯s reply. Looking at the Emperor¡¯s cold face, she felt a surge of cold rising from her heart, like gangrene attached to the bone. The sweat had seeped through her dress. She knelt and did not dare to move but pleaded in panic.

    ¡°Somebody, pull her down.¡± The Emperor did not give her more opportunities to defend herself.

    Two guards came from outside the door and dragged her out without mercy. You Yue¡¯e wanted to argue, but the guards did not care about who she was and took her away.

    Seeing You Yue¡¯e was pulled away, the Empress grew anxious and hurriedly said, ¡°Your Majesty...¡±

    The Emperor did not have the patience to talk to her, and in a cold voice, he asked, ¡°Empress, do you also think Consort Xuan was malingering?¡±

    ¡°I... I dare not!¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s cold stare made the Empress anxious and afraid, but she had to say. King Yan was her only hope. If something happened to You Yue¡¯e in her pce, there was bound to be a rift between Feng Yulei and her. Besides, she had to concern about Duke Mingguo.

    ¡°Although Consort Yan and Consort Xuan are at loggerheads, she didn¡¯t cause Consort Xuan to faint. She... she doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡±

    ¡°Have I condemned her to anything? Why did you jump out immediately now, but you were not so kind when she testified against Consort Xuan?¡± The Emperor did not say anything more to the Empress, but got up and ordered people to bring down the Empress¡¯ couch and carry Mo Xuetong back to the King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    The Empress was speechless and worried. When she saw You Yue¡¯e outside the door, who was detained, but was not taken away, she was relieved. Until the Emperor left the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce, eunuchs came over to announce an imperial decree, which said that You Yue¡¯e failed to protect the royal children or manage King Yan¡¯s concubines, causing the King Yan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back yard to have several idents, so her crime was not small!

 Chapter 500 - Transfer the Anger on Others, the Wrath that Cannot Be Quenched

    <h4>Chapter 500 Transfer the Anger on Others, the Wrath that Cannot Be Quenched</h4>

    You Yue¡¯e was ordered to live in the back yard of the King Yan¡¯s Manor and prayed for the dead Second Consort Mo for a month, cleared her name and gave her justice.

    As Consort Yan, she had to pray for a second consort, which was simply like a p on You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face. When she heard the punishment, she blushed as if her face was about to bleed. Praying for that bitch, Mo Xueqiong? Did she still have the dignity of Consort Yan? Moreover, she was asked to clear her name. How to do it?

    To clear her name, she had to exin what had happened that day, but how could she exin what had happened that day?

    It not only involved Feng Yulei, but also involved her elder brother. If these were exposed, the whole Mingguo Manor would be finished.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I want to see His Majesty. How can I, as Consort Yan, pray for a second consort? If I do it, how am I going to behave and meet people? Your Majesty, I can¡¯t afford to lose face!¡± The two guards had left. You Yue¡¯e difficultly got up from the ground, her eyes filled with tears, crying to the Empress. She felt so wronged that drops of tears fell one after another.

    She had never suffered such a grievance before or after her marriage!

    ¡°As Consort Yan, you can¡¯t pray for a second consort, but what if you are also a second consort or a concubine? Will you feel at ease if His Majesty puts you down as a concubine? You Yue¡¯e, have you suffered a recent blow to the head? You deserve to be immediately dismissed as a concubine because of your mistakes. You are very lucky to continue to be Consort Yan. Don¡¯t ask to see His Majesty. If something really happens to Mo Xuetong, you can¡¯t avoid the punishment!¡± she cried out sharply.

    Finding You Yue¡¯e still did not clear the situation, the Empress who was just relieved flew into a rage. She felt her chest pain. Today her mood fluctuated too much, first depressed, then exhrated, then repressed. She had been ovee with vexation for a long time.

    By the time she had reached thest part of the speech, the Empress was looking hideous and forbidding.

    Looking at the Empress¡¯ expression and listening to her scold, You Yue¡¯e felt as if being sshed by cold water, and she suddenly woke up. She shivered uncontrobly, and the scowl subsided from her face in an instant. Remembering her situation, she turned pale and lost her color.

    They had no idea how Mo Xuetong was now. If she really had something, the Emperor would not let her off so easily.

    ¡°Your Majesty, what shall I do now?¡±

    ¡°Now go back to your manor, and obey His Majesty¡¯s orders. I don¡¯t care what you do, you must clear the name of the second consort and save His Majesty¡¯s wrath,¡± the Empress replied coldly.

    Whether or not Mo Xuetong was in a bad condition, they must now let the Emperor know that the Empress and King Yan knew their ce and would not up to something. She would do whatever the Emperor ordered, however difficult it might be. Both she and the Emperor knew that Mo Xueqiong was not a good person. But now that the Emperor had ordered them to do so, they must do it well, so that he would be less suspicious of King Yan.

    When You Yue¡¯e was sober, she understood the seriousness of the matter. ¡°Got it, I will go out of the pce now,¡± she immediately responded.

    Then she did not stay any longer and went back to King Yan¡¯s Manor with her people.

    On this day, King Yan¡¯s Manor was bound to be uneasy. During the day, it was attacked by the people. Even King Yan and Consort Yan were thrown rotten eggs, causing them to lose face. Another thing happened in the evening: one the way back from the pce, Consort Yan was thrown out the carriage as the carriage crashed into a tree, which might be because of the dark.

    The people who followed Consort Yan helped her up, only to find that her leg was broken by something.

    Mo Xuetong was unconscious. Vaguely, she felt herself falling into a familiar and big embrace, and then she was picked up.

    ¡°Yuran?¡± she asked with some difficulty. Shadows were fluttering before her eyes, and she felt a splitting headache and a tightness in her chest that made her want to vomit but could not. She felt as if she were suffocating.

    ¡°It¡¯s me. You rest first and don¡¯t talk.¡± There was a tone of seriousness in Feng Yuran¡¯s voice, which it didn¡¯t usually carry.

    Someone put a hand on her wrist and examined her pulse. Someone seemed to be saying something, but she could not hear very well, for there was a constant buzzing in her head.

    She heard him sneer and say, ¡°It just broke her leg. It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Who broke the leg, me?¡± Mo Xuetong wanted to open her eyes to see what was happening, or to clear her mind, but her eyelids were so heavy that she couldn¡¯t open them. She only moved a little and felt as if she had used up all her strength.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move. You¡¯re tired. Just sleep. It¡¯s all right. You¡¯ll be okay if you have some rest.¡± Feng Yuran picked her up in his arms, his eyes shing with anger.

    ¡°Your Highness, the medicinal bath is ready,¡± reported Mo Lan.

    Feng Yuran nodded and strode to the back with Mo Xuetong in his arms. At the same time, he ordered, ¡°Off you go.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± A few maids dared not say more and retreated to the other side of the bathroom.

    Sensing the warm smell of the medicine in the bathroom, Mo Xuetong felt a little morefortable in her chest. The sensation of suffocation in the chest eased slightly. She felt herself being put into the water. After her clothes were taken off, she was surrounded by warm water. She tugged feebly at his wet clothes and she fell into a deep sleep again.

    She wanted to ask him to go out, for such a bath would not be good for him, but she had no strength.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong and massaged her in the steaming bath. He did not stop until she slowly regained some of her color. Then they lingered for an hour or so before he picked her up. He changed himself, wrapped her in arge dry towel, and carried her out.

    At the door, Mo Ye walked forward and offered. ¡°Your Highness, let me serve My Lady.¡±

    Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuetong, whose face grew normal. With a sigh of relief, he put Mo Xuetong carefully into Mo Ye¡¯s arms. ¡°Give her another massage after two hours to let the qi and blood flow smoothly and the medicine spread out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Mo Ye took Mo Xuetong and the order and went into the main yard from behind with Mo Lan.

    Feng Yuran turned around and strode off to the Jinwei Pavilion with several people.

    When he mounted the tall building and sat down on arge chair, he turned up his thin, angr lips, and his handsome eyes were as cold as the ice of thousands of years. ¡°Have you found out?¡± he asked.

    Feng Yue stepped forward and answered, ¡°Your Highness, there were too many people in the Empress¡¯ pce at that time, including Consort Yan¡¯s people. Even Ling Rui¡¯er was there. There were also the Emperor¡¯s men. So most of those people were from the pce. It¡¯s really hard to find.¡±

    ¡°How did the Empress think of asking Tong¡¯er toe to the pce?¡± At this time, Feng Yuran was cold and domineering, like a sword hidden in its scabbard, making others dare not to look straight at him. There was a lot of trouble at the King Yan¡¯s Manor, but it had nothing directly to do with Mo Xuetong. She was now the royal daughter-inw, his wife. How did this get onto her?

    Why did the Empress suddenly think of Tong¡¯er and send someone to take her to the pce?

    ¡°I heard that the Empress hurried to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce after receiving a letter from King Yan¡¯s Manor. When she was on the way, the Emperor ordered the matter to be handled by the Empress. At that time the Empress did not seem to be looking for Her Lady, but she met Imperial Noble Consort Wen on the way. The two of them talked for a while. Then the Empress sent someone to find Her Lady into the pce before she returned to her pce,¡± Feng Yue answered with a bow.

    He secretly regretted he didn¡¯t say more, leading to the urrence of a lot of things which had provoked King Xuan, but who knew Imperial Noble Consort Wen who had always been low-key would involve herself in this matter? And she hinted to remind the Empress to bring Her Lady down.

    ¡°Pay close attention to the behavior of Imperial Noble Consort Wen and watch Sixth Princess.¡± There was an air of awe in Feng Yuran¡¯s aura, and on his handsome face, his ck eyes slightly narrowed with a disdainful coldness, dazzling and charming.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen was like an invisible person in the pce, and she never intervened in the affairs in and out of the pce. It could be said that she was the most aloof from worldly affairs in the pce. Her daughter, the Sixth Princess, was not so arrogant as the Fifth Princess, just like her mother, and was known in the pce as a kind and gentle person. Among princesses, she was known for her modesty and wisdom.

    If Feng Yuran had not been watching Imperial Noble Consort Wen for a long time, he really did not know that she had a secret. Moreover, the Sixth Princess had already had the object of her affection, but whether it was Imperial Noble Consort Wen or the Sixth Princess, they did not reveal the slightest difference. Even as she watched the man she loved marry, the Sixth Princess continued to smile. It must be said that the mother-daughter pair¡¯s tactics were superb, far more than the Empress¡¯ could match.

    ¡°Yes,¡± responded Feng Yue.

    ¡°Are you all set?¡± Feng Yuran asked.

    ¡°Everything has been arranged ording to your orders.¡± Feng Yue answered more respectfully, observed a moment of silence for those who had annoyed King Xuan, and again told himself that the woman who was in the center yard was King Xuan¡¯s beloved woman, and that he should be more respectful to her at ordinary times.

    ¡°What about the woman in the backyard?¡± Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows. This time he asked the butler Wang Fu.

    The butler knew what Feng Yuran was asking. He thought for a moment and answered, ¡°She still hides in her own yard. She always says that she is not well, so she doesn¡¯te out to meet people.¡±

    ¡°After a while, find a suitable opportunity to spread the news. I¡¯ll see if she can still be so quiet.¡± Feng Yuran was full of murderous rage, and the light in his eyes was getting colder and colder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± Knowing that King Xuan was very angry at this time and wanted to vent his anger on others, the butler did not dare to say more.

    Before Feng Yuran turned to him, Shen Kun said with a wry smile on his face, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m afraid it is difficult to find the medicine. I have not heard from the one who was sent to the Yan Kingdom.¡±

    Feng Yuran looked a little more thoughtful. After a while he said, ¡°Keep a closer eye on Bai Yihao.¡± The thought of Bai Yihao bothered him. Although the man did not do something, Feng Yuran knew that he had been coveting Mo Xuetong. Of course he was in a bad mood when his woman was coveted by other men.

    In the middle of the night, Mo Xuetong was woken up by the noisy voices. When she woke up, she pricked up her ears to listen, and slightly moved, a little worried.

 Chapter 501 - If You Could Be More Obedient to Me

    <h4>Chapter 501 If You Could Be More Obedient to Me</h4>

    As Mo Xuetong was thinking, the door was pushed open. Then she heard someone calling in a low voice, ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    She knew it was Feng Yuraning.

    As expected, when she turned around, she saw Feng Yuran, who was wearing a purple robe, standing by the door. When he saw Mo Xuetong, the bloodthirsty look on his face faded away and reced by a gentle and charming smile. After he came in, he waved off the maids who were waiting in the room, walked over, and felt Mo Xuetong¡¯s head.

    Sensing the mild temperatureing from her head, he asked with a smile, ¡°How do you feel now?¡±

    ¡°I feel much better now, just like usual.¡± Mo Xuetong held his big hand and rubbed her face. Then she smiled and asked, ¡°What happened in the yard? Is there anything wrong?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not know why but she felt that it was no big deal with him around. As such, she did not care when she heard the noise outside, especially when she saw that he was neatly dressed. It did not seem like there was any danger.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. There are only a few assassinsing to our manor and they killed some people,¡± Feng Yuran replied casually. He then sat down on the bed, leaned against the bedhead and hugged Mo Xuetong in his embrace. As he heard the soft sounds in his arms, he felt as if his anger had been vented.

    His eyes had be deep and blood-thirsty, but Mo Xuetong did not see it!

    He would never show any mercy to anyone who tried to harm Tong¡¯er.

    ¡°Who is dead?¡± Mo Xuetong was shocked and wanted to prop herself up anxiously. However, since her movement was too violent and she was weaker than before, she felt dizzy and her hands were limp. Fortunately, Feng Yuran reached out and held her.

    ¡°Nothing serious. A few concubines who were out of their rooms died, as well as a few servants,¡± Feng Yuran replied in a rxed voice, sounding unconcerned.

    Mo Xuetong could tell that something was amiss. Why did he look so casual when some assassins had entered the manor? She thought about it for a moment and soon understood. Then, she leaned closer to him and asked softly, ¡°Whose people are those assassins?¡±

    ¡°Not mine anyway.¡± Feng Yuran smiled evilly. He lifted up his handsome face, looking rather pleased with himself.

    ¡°This man is really proud!¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not help but smile and asked, ¡°You¡¯re injured, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I was in the room with my little wife when the assassins suddenly appeared. Since I¡¯m not that powerful, I failed to stop them. So it¡¯s reasonable for me to be stabbed.¡± Feng Yuran sat up straight with a smile on his face and gently put Mo Xuetong on the bed. He took off his coat,y down on the bed, and took her in his arms again.

    Mo Xuetong reached out to touch his face, then patted his arms and waist, and even kicked his legs with her foot.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what are you checking?¡± Feng Yuran smiled at her and looked at her with his pretty eyes when he saw how serious she acted.

    Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief when she found that he was not injured at all. There was a hint of a fake angry smile on her lips as she pouted, ¡°I just checked if you¡¯re hurt!¡±

    She could not forget that when Feng Yuxuan and Qin Yufeng had plotted against her, he had gone alone to assassinate Feng Yuxuan and finally were seriously injured.

    ¡°You, why are you so smart?¡± Feng Yuran sighed and his red lipsnded lightly on her ear. He smiled dotingly and held her tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not the one who has been injured.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mo Xuetong turned around, stunned.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s my Third Brother, King Yan.¡± Feng Yuran smiled morezily. His bright eyes narrowed slightly. His red and seductive lips, Roman nose, and beautiful chin with a perfect line all made him look like the most devilish and beautiful elf in the dark night. However, he was a bloodthirsty elf right now.

    This made Mo Xuetong feel at ease for no reason.

    She had never thought that there would be such a person making her feel at peace just by holding her slightly and making her lean against him. It was as if she was not afraid of anything as long as he was around. She did not feel at a loss, nor did she feel nervous. It made her feelpletely rxed. She did not have the energy to say anything else to him, just found afortable position in his embrace and fell asleep, feeling the rxation.

    Since he had everything in his hands and had alreadye up with a n, there was nothing for her to worry about!

    Anyway, even if the sky had fallen, he was there. In a daze, she stopped being afraid anymore when she was leaning on him.

    When Mo Xuetong slowly woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky. She had a very good sleep this time. Even though she still felt stuffy in her chest, she was fine. She felt no different from usual.

    Mo Lan hurried to help Mo Xuetong up when she heard that she had gotten up. Mo Xuetong had just sat by the bed when she saw the curtain was lifted. Then Feng Yuran strode in. Sweat was still beading on his forehead. He seemed to have returned after exercising.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going out today?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in a hoarse voice as she stood up. He had been out every day for the past few days to look for the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Then why was he still here today?

    Feng Yuran helped her to sit down in front of her dressing table. When he saw that her face had regained some color, he sat by the side and watched her making up. ¡°There were assassinsing to the manorst night and I was injured. Of course, I have to recuperate at home. Father will soon send imperial physicians over. I have to stay in bed,¡± he said with a smile.

    It seemed that he was in a good mood.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he could not be taken at face value. Knowing that he had a well-thought-out n, she stopped asking more about that, but changed a topic and inquired, ¡°What other manors were involved yesterday?¡±

    Feng Yuran took the wet towel Mo Ye handed him, wiped his face, and casually smiled, replying, ¡°Too many, Fu General Manor, Ding General Manor, Ping General Manor, Mingguo Manor, King Xuan¡¯s Manor, King Chu¡¯s Manor, King Ning¡¯s Manor, and King Yan¡¯s Manor. Oh, I heard my Third Brother got hurt in the hand, causing it to be fractured.¡±

    ¡°Assassins also went to Fu General Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes widened as she looked at Feng Yuran in shock.

    ¡°Yes. Assassins are getting bolder and bolder. Don¡¯t they know who the Four Great Manors are? How dare they do that? By the way, the masters of all the yards are not badly hurt. However, Third Brother has his hand broken, and Consort Yan has her leg broken. It¡¯s such a pity. There isn¡¯t even a person who can manage King Yan¡¯s Manor right now.¡±

    It sounded as if Feng Yuran was worried about Feng Yulei. However, ording to the rxed andzy expression on his handsome face, he did not seem worried at all.

    ¡°Your Highness, are you gloating?¡± Mo Xuetong pursed her lips.

    Feng Yuranughed out loud and walked over. He picked a lotus-shaped hairpin from Mo Xuetong¡¯s dressing table and stuck it on her dark hair. Then, he looked at it from the left and the right and seemed to be satisfied. After that, he pulled her to her feet and walked her out of the bedroom.

    Since there were many maids in the room, Mo Xuetong was a little shy. She nced at him from the corner of her eyes, but did not avoid him. She allowed him to pull her hand, and felt at ease at this moment. No matter what happened, she felt especially safe and secure as long as he was by her side.

    The breakfast had already been prepared in the dining room. Mo Xuetong sat down and considered for a moment before she asked, ¡°What excuse have you given for not attending to business this time?¡±

    In actuality, Mo Xuetong wanted to ask him if it was really alright, since he had been so busy recently and now he suddenly didn¡¯t care about it.

    Feng Yuran took over the bowl of porridge from a maid and ced it in front of Mo Xuetong. Then, he said with a casual smile, ¡°Last night, when the assassins rushed into my yard, I was beside my fainted wife. I was so worried that it was toote to dodge when I saw the assassinsing. I got injured. Father will send a physicianter to see to my injuries.¡±

    Was he really injured? Mo Xuetong looked at him suspiciously. She did not find that he was injuredst night.

    Feng Yuran immediately beamed when he saw Mo Xuetong holding the bowl and nkly staring at him worriedly and disbelievingly. She looked cute and pretty. He reached out his hand to pinch her delicate nose and saw her pink lips pouting unhappily. Then heughed and responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I say I got injured, I indeed got injured.¡±

    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Feng Yuran said, grinning.

    ¡°Did you find the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands? If you can¡¯t find him, something will definitely happen. Is that okay as well?¡± Mo Xuetong was still worried. The Southern Barbarian Lands was like a thorn in her heart, making her ufortable. As long as she heard something about the Southern Barbarian Lands, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.

    This originated from what had happened in herst life¡ªshe had lost track of Feng Yuran since he went to the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    When she thought that he might be in danger, missing or had an ident in the Southern Barbarian Lands, she became extremely nervous. She had been on tenterhooks for fear that he would have too much to do with thatnds, and that he might walk on the same path as he did in thest life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands has been weak for so many years, but he is fine, which shows that he must not be a pushover. I know what to do. Don¡¯t think too much. Just take care of yourself.¡± Feng Yuran ced a few pieces of pickled cucumbers in her bowl. When he saw Mo Xuetong pick them up and eat them, his eyes lit up.

    Mo Xuetong rolled her watery eyes and immediately understood what he meant.

    It was said that the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had always been in poor health, and his mother had died when he was a child. He had since been brought up by the new Empress who had been doted upon by the Emperor. However, he was still the Crown Prince, which meant that he was not a simple person. For some reason, Mo Xuetong thought of Bai Yihao. If the Crown Prince was someone like Bai Yihao, he would not have gotten into an ident in the Qin Kingdom so easily. And the fact that there was no news about him was good news.

    Even though she understood, Mo Xuetong still asked gently, ¡°Are you really alright?¡± Her eyes were fixed on him to catch every emotion leaking out of the corner of his eye.

    However, the man held a bright charm in the corner of his eye. He looked at her and nodded with ease. ¡°I¡¯m alright. If you could be more obedient to me, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was speechless. She picked up the bowl of porridge by her side and took two swigs forcefully.

    These words were considered normal. Mo Xuetong only said that because she was concerned about Feng Yuran. She was a little worried because she did not know the details of the Southern Barbarian Lands. However, when she saw Feng Yuran¡¯s actions and his reasonable expression, Mo Xuetong felt that she somehow wanted to bite him.

    She was in a hurry as if in the fire, but he was leisurely as if in the water.

    Feng Yuran immediately burst intoughter when he saw Mo Xuetong was so depressed that she could not even speak.

    Unlike the seductive and charming appearance he always disyed, he was truly happy right now. Gentleness could be seen from the corners of his eyes, and there was a hint of vigor in his pure smile that made him look simple and rxed. That smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was dazzling and bright.

    Even Mo Xuetong, who was as calm as she was, could not help but feel a little dizzy as she saw his lively smile.

    This man was really too handsome! He was born with the ability to enchant women.

    This reminded her of He Yufen. The first miss of the He family would marry into the manor in a few days.

    She was just a concubine and it was a trivial matter in the manor. Feng Yuran did not have anyone to pick a time and instead he just sent someone to the He family to inform them. He fixed the date at random. When the time came, he would send a small sedan chair to carry her over. And that day wasing.

    Mo Xuetong pouted when she thought of He Yufen was about to enter. She said, ¡°The new concubine will enter the manor in a few days. Don¡¯t you get someone to clean a yard up to keep her?¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound a little jealous!¡± Feng Yuran smiled even more happily. His eyes narrowed slightly. He was in a good mood that could not be described innguage.

    ¡°Jealous? I¡¯m just asking. Don¡¯t say that our manor has treated her badly, causing Consort Zhao toe out to question us.¡± Mo Xuetong felt full. She put down the bowl and wiped her lips with a handkerchief, refusing to eat any more porridge.

 Chapter 502 - Duke Ding Expressed His Loyalty

    <h4>Chapter 502 Duke Ding Expressed His Loyalty</h4>

    ¡°Have a little more. The cucumber is delicious. Didn¡¯t you think it tasted good just now? Why do you lose your appetite now?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a smile on his face. He then reached out and picked up another piece of cucumber from the bowl for her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Once He Yufen marries into the manor, I¡¯ll ask her to live with Mdm Qin, so we don¡¯t have to vacate a yard. Besides, there aren¡¯t many yards in the manor anyway. If they upy all the yards, where will my sons and daughters live?¡±

    ¡°How would you have so many sons and daughters?¡± Mo Xuetong was very dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude. Did he mean that his manor was small? Mo Xuetong knew thatpared to the other princes¡¯ manors, his manor was thergest. At first, since he had many women in his back yard and the Emperor doted on him, the Emperor especially found arge manor for him. Now that all his women were living in certain yards, leaving many empty ones. How many sons and daughters could fill them?

    ¡°Oh, not now, but in the future...¡± Feng Yuran especially drew his chair closer to her and whispered charmingly by her ear, ¡°I shall have so many when you have our children one by one.¡±

    What he said was extremely ambiguous and Mo Xuetong could not help blushing. As she gave the maidservants who were looking down and trying to hold back theirughter a sidelong nce, she felt even more embarrassed. She reached out to push him and uttered, ¡°You can just talk. Why do you get closer to me?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve agreed, Tong¡¯er? I know you¡¯re the best to me.¡±

    The man grew more and more impolite. He was so thick-skinned that Mo Xuetong could only sigh in astonishment. As such, she ignored him. She was clear that Feng Yuran would not be interested in He Yufen because he had been disliking the He family since they arrived in the capital. Besides, first, the He family decided to let their first miss marry Yu Mingyong, and then they decided to let the second miss marry him. The situation had turned into a mess right now.

    Ever since He Yuxiu¡¯s sudden disappearance, the Yu family had visited her family to ask about it. However, she had disappeared just like that, and no one could find any clues about it. Even if that was the case, it was said that the Yu family had once brought up He Yufen and Yu Mingyong¡¯s marriage with the He family, but the Yu family had refused to agree.

    That was all about their marriage for the time being!

    Mo Xuetong certainly knew what the He family was considering. If a beautiful woman was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the name of the He family and got Feng Yuran¡¯s favor, the He family would rise again. Furthermore, there was Consort Zhao who did not like Mo Xuetong in the pce. They wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

    She had be an obstacle for the He family to gain Feng Yuran¡¯s favor. It was likely that the fight would start when He Yufen came to the manor.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Concubine Qin is not easy to deal with. Furthermore, my back courtyard has always been in chaos. It¡¯s up to me to decide whether she lives or not once she marries into my manor. Well, stop thinking about it. It will be your birthday a bitter on. What present do you want?¡± Feng Yuran knew that she was bothered by those things when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s slight frown. As such, he changed the topic with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong was in poor health and she had vomited blood yesterday. Too much worry is not conducive to her recovery. Feng Yuran knew that he should ask her to load off her mind now. Thus, heforted her. He really did not need her to do anything about the matters of the back courtyard, because he had already made ns. After all, who would care about it if there was one more person or less in such arge manor?

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet!¡±

    ¡°Well, think about it when you¡¯re free.¡±

    The few King¡¯s Manors and the Four Great Manors were all attacked by assassinsst night. King Yan even broke his arm. Since the happening of such a big thing, the matter about King Yan¡¯s Manor was nothing. Even the fact that Consort Yan fell off the carriage and broke her leg on her way home passed unnoticed.

    Compared with such arge-scale assassination, the contradiction between several women was really not a big deal.

    King Yan was locked up in his manor and could note out; King Chu was still in the military camp; while King Xuan was startled. Therefore, only King Ning, who had been keeping a low profile, and the people from the Four Great Manors had gone to the Emperor¡¯s imperial study together. Sure enough, the most irritating person was the spoiled King Xuan, who had been ¡°startled¡±, and thus could not sleep or eat well. It was said that he was lying in bed right now and did not even dare to leave his room. In this case, how would hee to the pce?

    It made King Xuan seem more and more worthless.

    However, such a worthless person was a member of the royal family. So even though everyone looked down on him, they had to inquire about the loss of King Xuan¡¯s Manor and show concern for his ¡°condition¡± at the mention of Feng Yuran. There were also some well-informed people who said that King Xuan¡¯s back courtyard was open again.

    Those beautiful concubines were bing more and more arrogant. A while ago, it was said that a concubine was promoted. It seemed that King Xuan fell into his bad habit again. The guy was really a mess. With such a noble status and a beautiful appearance, he was really useless.

    Yet, their discussion in the imperial study was fruitless. Everyone knew that someone must have done this in secret, but no one had evidence, especially now that most of the Emperor¡¯s sons were absent. No one could exin. In the end, the only thing they could do was to ask someone to investigate urgently.

    Except for Duke Ding, everyone left.

    Seeing the others leave, Duke Ding suddenly knelt down toward Emperor Zongwen and cried, ¡°I¡¯m guilty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!¡±

    There was no sign of joy or anger on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face. He sat high in the throne and asked lightly, ¡°I do not know what crimes you havemitted, Duke Ding.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, I am really guilty. I...¡± Duke Ding seemed to be in a dilemma. He looked up at Emperor Zongwen who was sitting on the throne. Then, he made up his mind and continued, ¡°My Second Uncle has been very close to Empress Dowager these days. I¡¯m worried that...¡±

    He did not finish his words, but he had fully expressed himself. Ding General Manor was the Empress Dowager¡¯s mother¡¯s family, so it was normal for people of the manor to be close to the Empress Dowager. However, Duke Ding mentioned it at such a subtle time; it made people have to think about it.

    The Second Uncle of Duke Ding was the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological elder brother. He was an important person in the Ding General Manor, who supported the Empress Dowager. He was also in charge of contacting with the Ding General Manor and the Empress Dowager.

    ¡°Your Second Uncle is the Empress Dowager¡¯s biological brother. It is normal for the two of them to get closer. Ever since your father passed away, there are fewer and fewer close rtives of the Empress Dowager. Seeing that your Ding General Manor and the Empress Dowager are getting more and more estranged, I think that the Empress Dowager is pitiful.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen slowly put on a smile, as if he was just a son who was worried about his mother¡¯s loneliness. There was a hint of regret in his voice.

    However, what he said made Duke Ding more determined¡ªalthough the Empress Dowager came from Ding General Manor, they were distant rtive in the bloodline. He raised his head firmly and said, ¡°Your Majesty, my Second Uncle has been talking about treacherous words in front of me, and it¡¯s about King Ning. On the one hand, they are my Second Uncle and aunt. On the other hand, I¡¯m also Your Majesty¡¯s subject. Your Majesty, please give me instructions.¡±

    Duke Ding looked at Emperor Zongwen with a troubled expression on his face, with a hint of loyalty in his eyes. One would be easily impressed by him, feeling that this Duke Ding was indeed loyal to the Emperor. He did not mind putting all his elders aside. In the face of the interests of the country and the family, he chose to safeguard the interests of the country first. He was, so to speak, a loyal and righteous man.

    This was the type of subject that was favored by an Emperor, because they could work for him wholeheartedly.

    Emperor Zongwen smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m really d that you are so loyal to me. As for your Second Uncle, you should pay more attention to him. Don¡¯t let him make trouble and affect Ding General Manor¡¯s base of more than 100 years.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks for your instructions, Your Majesty.¡± Duke Ding broke into a cold sweat when he saw the impassive Emperor Zongwen. It seemed that what he did was right. The Emperor knew of the Empress Dowager¡¯s actions. If he worked with the Empress Dowager, Ding General Manor¡¯s hundred-year base might fall apart.

    He admired Feng Yuxuan all the more. He had even guessed the Emperor¡¯s reaction. He was indeed not simple.

    At the same time, he was secretly shocked. If the Emperor knew that Ding General Manor had been wandering between the Empress Dowager and him, then Ding General Manor would lose its days of glory and wealth.

    ¡°You may leave now.¡± Emperor Zongwen made a wave of his hand.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Duke Ding didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. Then he stood up, bowed, and left.

    But when he retreated to the door and was about to lift his leg to cross the threshold, he heard the Emperor¡¯s gentle voice. ¡°Wait, is Consort Chu still living in your manor?¡± Duke Ding was so excited that he almost tripped. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and quickened his other foot¡¯s pace. Then he lowered his head and reverently replied, ¡°Yes, Rui¡¯er has been living in Ding General Manor these days.¡±

    ¡°Okay, ask her to go back to King Chu¡¯s Manorter. Since King Chu is not home, there is no one to take charge of the whole manor. Besides, ask her to help Second Consort Mo build up her health. No matter what, she is King Chu¡¯s wife. There shouldn¡¯t be so many contradictions between a wife and a second consort. A woman should be modest and respectful, trying to lead a better life.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen, who was seated on high, said slowly.

    After that, he waved his hand to motion Duke Ding to leave before he said anything.

    Although Duke Ding had already guessed it, his face still trembled with excitement and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Things really turned out the way King Chu said they would. Duke Ding became more respectful and decent. He knelt down beside the door and said loudly, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Off you go. The edict wille to you soon,¡± Emperor Zongwen said with a faint smile.

    Duke Ding left slowly. It was not until he came out of the imperial study that he relieved a little easier and straightened up.

    The matter regarding Ling Rui¡¯er was finally over!

    It had been a major incident on Duke Ding¡¯s mind. Ling Rui¡¯er had caused such a big fuss and even been demoted from the first consort to a concubine. This was a scandal that had never happened in Ding General Manor. At the thought of that, Duke Ding felt heartbroken. It shamed all the women of Ding General Manor. Who would dare to marry daughters of Ding General Manor in the future?

    In the past, Ding General Manor said that they were descendants of righteousness and propriety, and the empress¡¯s family and that their daughters were models for women. If Ling Rui¡¯er could not regain her position, all the daughters of Ding General Manor would be embarrassed and no one would be able to marry into a good family. Each daughter of the Ling family represented an unbreakable power. When the daughter of the Ling family was not able to marry well, it meant that the Ling family was weak.

    Whenever he thought about this, Duke Ding would felt his heart was on fire.

    However, the Empress Dowager imed that she got sick and could not interfere in the matter regarding Ling Rui¡¯er. Otherwise, it would arouse the Emperor¡¯s suspicion. The Empress wanted to wait for a while and said that Ling Rui¡¯er was too arrogant and that the Emperor was extremely dissatisfied. She said that it would anger the Emperor then if she mentioned it now. However, no matter what, Duke Ding was clear that what they said was an excuse, and that they all tried to make him forget about this matter. However, they did not realize that it would ruin the reputation of Ding General Manor.

    In despair, Duke Ding could only ept King Chu¡¯s method to save Ding General Manor. If he did not save Ling Rui¡¯er, and the Emperor was to bestow a marriage upon King Chu, Ling Rui¡¯er would no longer be the first consort even if she gave birth to a son. Furthermore, the fact that the legitimate daughter of Ding General Manor had be a humble concubine made Duke Ding unable to live with himself.

 Chapter 503 - The Mingyue Palace, Consort Zhaos Plan

    <h4>Chapter 503 The Mingyue Pce, Consort Zhao¡¯s n</h4>

    Now it was all right. Duke Ding exined the situation to the Emperor, which indicated Ding General Manor took the side of the Emperor and would alsopletely cut off their support of the Empress Dowager. Anyway, Ding General Manor would never stand on the Empress Dowager¡¯s side anymore, and thus, of course, would never rebel with King Ning.

    Duke Ding mentioned this intentionally in order to gain the Emperor¡¯s approval. Just as King Chu had expected, the Emperor cleared Rui¡¯er of her crime and regained her ce as the first consort. It was also considered a way of returning the favor and making Ding General Manor look good. At the same time, it also hinted that Duke Ding could not act rashly.

    This was what Duke Ding hoped for the most right now. After all, it was not the right time to fall out with the Empress Dowager. In others¡¯ eyes, she came from Ding General Manor anyway. If he offended the Empress Dowager, who knew how she would deal with him? After all, he was a subject, as well as a junior. He was in a weak position in every respect.

    It seemed that the Emperor did not intend to do anything to the Empress Dowager and King Ning for the time being. He should make a n before he acted. Duke Ding was hoping that the Empress Dowager would stay quietly in the pce. Compared to the Emperor¡¯s methods, the Empress Dowager¡¯s was somewhat toomon. If King Ning really rebelled, the Empress Dowager would be a rebel. As the Empress Dowager¡¯s parents¡¯ family, Ding General Manor would not be able to escape.

    Thinking of this, Duke Ding felt that it was so good to follow King Chu¡¯s advice to show his loyalty to the Emperor and report to him!

    At least he was now on the Emperor¡¯s side. Moreover, there was the Empress and Consort Chu. In the future, the Empress Dowager¡¯s matter would not have much to do with him.

    After wiping the sweat off his head, Duke Ding excitedly went out of the pce. What happenedst night did not stir too much trouble in his heart. No matter which prince did it, he would not really deal with the Four Great Manors for the time being. Only several unimportant servants and concubines died in the manor, which was not worthy of his attention.

    As soon as Duke Ding turned the corner of a pce, he saw a maid standing on a path. When she saw himing, she came over and said respectfully, ¡°Greetings, Duke Ding.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Duke Ding asked as his face darkened.

    ¡°Hearing that there were assassins in Ding General Manorst night, Her Majesty was very worried and wanted to ask you about the situation in the manor. Pleasee with me, Your Grace,¡± the maid said politely with a smile.

    The incident happenedst night, and this morning, the Empress Dowager who lived in seclusion in the pce and imed to be indifferent to the world knew everything. However, a few days after what happened to Ling Rui¡¯er, Duke Ding went to the Cining Pce to plead, the Empress Dowager pretended that she knew nothing about it and asked him to tell her everything.

    Duke Ding pretended to be in a hurry and said to the maid, ¡°Please report to Her Majesty that most of the people in the manor are safe, and only a few servants were killed. Nothing serious. However, many people are frightened. I¡¯ll go back to calm them down first. I¡¯lle to the pce and tell Her Majesty in detailter.¡±

    He really didn¡¯t have time toe to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce at this time. He had to go back and tell something to Ling Rui¡¯er. The Second Consort Mo was not in King Chu¡¯s Manor either, and Ding General Manor had to make a gesture in order to shut people up. Besides, he had just thought that his Second Uncle had quite a lot of power in the manor. He might as well take this opportunity to get rid of some of his people so that he could forcefully control his Second Uncle and the Empress Dowager in the future...

    Ling Rui¡¯er had once again be Consort Chu. She expressed that she had repented thoroughly of her misdeeds. She had evene to Assistant Minister¡¯s Manor with many people to apologize to the injured Second Consort Mo who was lying on the bed. Besides, she even asked servants to beat the maid who knocked Second Consort Mo and caused her miscarriage to death right in front of Mo Yarui.

    Ling Rui¡¯er apologized to Mo Yarui sincerely. She even disregarded her own status and cried on the spot, attempting to kneel down in front of Mo Yarui. How could Mo Yarui allow Ling Rui¡¯er to do it? She forced herself to get up to lift Ling Rui¡¯er. She said that she, as a second consort, didn¡¯t deserve the first consort¡¯s apology.

    At this point, Ling Rui¡¯er sincerely asked for forgiveness and repeatedly said that she would treat Mo Yarui well and look after her. Mo Yarui, who was weak by nature, also expressed that she wanted to go back to King Chu¡¯s Manor. As a daughter who got married, she couldn¡¯t stay at her parents¡¯ home all day long. Assistant Minister Mo had no choice but to allow his daughter to go back with Ling Rui¡¯er and secretly told Mei Yu, Mo Yarui¡¯s maid who went to King Chu¡¯s Manor with her, to look out for her.

    Unlike Mo Yarui, Assistant Minister Mo felt that Ling Rui¡¯er would not be so kind, and was always worried about his daughter. Thus, he sent some people to work at the back door of King Chu¡¯s Manor, afraid that his only daughter would be soft-hearted and be tricked. Otherwise, she would not know how she died. He could only smile bitterly in his heart when his daughter had fantasies about King Chu.

    When his daughter lost the baby, King Chu had not yet entered the military camp. How could he know nothing about what happened in his manor? King Chu had not even asked about the ident that had happened to the child in his daughter¡¯s belly. It could be seen that he had no feelings for his daughter. Assistant Minister Mo only hoped that his daughter would not get into trouble. He was willing to take his daughter home.

    However, Mo Yarui still believed that Feng Yuxuan loved her and thus she followed Ling Rui¡¯er back to King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    Put aside how Mo Yarui was, there was someone who waspletely unaffected by the current situation. He Yufen was in a good mood over the past few days because she was about to finally fulfill her wish¡ªmarrying into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Although she was still somewhat unhappy that she could not be a second consort, the unhappiness was just a small amount of dark cloudspared to her desire to enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    She had been a sacrifice when she hade to the capital. In order to stay in the capital, she could only marry Yu Mingyong who was a good-for-nothing. He Yuxiu looked smarter than her, so her father and Second Uncle had both chose He Yuxiu to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    But she couldn¡¯t ept it. Yu Mingyong was a yboy. How could He Yufen ept it? She had always thought she was beautiful. How could she let her beauty do no good? Luckily, something happened to He Yuxiu in the pce, so she had to marry Yu Mingyong. When she thought of Consort Zhao¡¯s protection for herst time, she knew that she was on her side, which made her more daring.

    With Consort Zhao backing her up, how could the little girl, Mo Xuetong bepared with her?

    He Yuxiu¡¯s inexplicable disappearance didn¡¯t make her feel any burden. On the contrary, she felt that it was better. Without the tart He Yuxiu, the He family would only favor her more. She didn¡¯t want to be against He Yuxiu either. It was best for He Yuxiu to die. Without her, there was no one topete with her for the favor.

    Tomorrow was the day she would marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. He Yufen took inventory of her belongings early in the morning. The He family had really treated her well and had ced 36 boxes for her. Such a dowry was enough for her to live afortable life in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Of course, He Yufen knew that at least half of the boxes were empty, but even so, her status was raised.

    Just as she was happily watching, the people sent by Consort Zhao hade from outside, especially asking her to enter the pce.

    Hearing Consort Zhao¡¯s order, He Yufen happily followed the little eunuch who came to invite her to the gate of the pce and came to the Mingyue Pce.

    A pce maid had been waiting there for a long time. When she saw He Yufen approaching, she greeted her respectfully and led her into the pce.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s Mingyue Pce had always been deserted, but the decoration inside was extremely gorgeous. He Yufen had been to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce. After observing the things here, she immediately felt that even the Cining Pce couldn¡¯tpare with this one. And she was more confident that she would be Consort Xuan.

    With Consort Zhao¡¯s favor to her, it would be easy for her to get Mo Xuetong out of the position.

    Of course, He Yufen, who had been in a small city in Jiangnan, didn¡¯t understand that the Empress Dowager intentionally kept a low profile because she wanted the Emperor to feel that she was peaceful and was very satisfied with her present life.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡± Upon entering, He Yufen saw Consort Zhao and bowed gracefully.

    ¡°Yufen, take a seat.¡± Consort Zhao smiled warmly as she pointed at the chair on the side. He Yufen thanked her for her kindness and sat down in a little bow.

    Consort Zhao smiled slightly, picked up the green lotus teacup by her hand, and took a sip before she asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to King Xuan¡¯s Manor tomorrow. Do you know what to do, Yufen?¡±

    He Yufen was slightly stunned. She did not understand what Consort Zhao¡¯s meaning. The things after she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor had already decided, and her father and uncle had no longer reminded her. The first thing she did after she came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor was to defeat Mo Xuetong. Then, she would seize Feng Yuran¡¯s heart and control him.

    She hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something wrong, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°There is indeed something wrong. The first thing you should do after you marry into the manor is to capture Old Eight¡¯s heart. I heard that after the matter about tea leavesst time, he has gained his original habit. There is a new concubine in the inner courtyard and she is not of low status. Those concubines might also be released. Mo Xuetong is no longer the most powerful person in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. So it¡¯s useless just to get rid of Mo Xuetong,¡± Consort Zhao slowly said.

    This was the conclusion she had reached after analyzing the matters in King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Something must have happened between Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong. Although nothing had been found out, those things had indeed happened in the back courtyard. A few days after Feng Yuran had been restricted by the Emperor, the back courtyard became lively again. It was said that the concubines who had been grounded in the past also had the opportunity toe out. Mo Xuetong had met them once.

    It was at that time that Concubine Qin had caught Feng Yuran¡¯s attention and been promoted.

    It was said that Feng Yuran did it without discussing it with Mo Xuetong. It seemed that he was not so good to her as he used to be.

    This was also the reason that Consort Zhao had specially asked He Yufen toe to the pce.

    He Yufen was naturally smart now that she was able to stand out among the girls adopted by the He family. She immediately understood the meaning of Consort Zhao and nodded in agreement at once.

    Consort Zhao cast a sidelong nce at her and gave her an admiring look. Then, she instructed her, ¡°Yufen, you must be mentally prepared. When you marry into his manor tomorrow, Old Eight might note to you. With his arrogant personality, how could he possibly care about a mere concubine?¡±

    It was the first day a concubine married into his manor and many people knew about it, including the Emperor. Why would he note and take a look at her? He Yufen was a little dazed. She had thought that Feng Yuran might not like her very much right now, but she had never thought that Feng Yuran would note to see her. She was flustered and asked, ¡°Your Highness, what should I do then?¡±...

 Chapter 504 - Marrying into King Xuans Manor, He Yufen Was Splashed with a Basin of Water

    <h4>Chapter 504 Marrying into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, He Yufen Was Sshed with a Basin of Water</h4>

    ¡°Nothing to do, just act like Old Eight hase to you. Remember, after you enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor, you must be generous, dignified, and do everything with Mo Xuetong at the top. No matter what she says, you should agree. Let Old Eight know that you are a smart and gentle woman, so that you can slowly walk into his heart and rece Mo Xuetong.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, will, will it work?¡± He Yufen asked in surprise. Hadn¡¯t they told her that when she saw King Xuan, she should do her best to seduce him?

    ¡°Yes, it will work. As long as you can hold on to that, everything will be yours in the future. Yufen, remember, you need to always be gentle and stand behind Feng Yuran. No matter how many women he has or what kind of woman he likes, you can¡¯t be suspicious or jealous. Then yearster, you will be the sessful one.¡±

    Just like herself, once she was like another Consort Xian. Although they were both in the pce, the Emperor did not take her into his heart. Even though she was very simr to Consort Xian and even gentler than thetter, Emperor still didn¡¯t see her, but now everything was different!

    A littlecent sneer shed in Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes. Consort Xian, who was once an enchanting woman, was already dead. Now even her son was in Consort Zhao¡¯s hands. She owned all this because of her great endurance. The top part of the Chinese character ¡°endurance¡± was a knife. Of course, she once felt that she couldn¡¯t bear it, but fortunately, fortunately, she gave Consort Xian a fatal blow at the end.

    The woman may think that she was killed by the Empress when she was dying.

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m afraid Consort Xuan would find me pretending, and do something unfavorable to me...¡± He Yufen was a little uneasy and moved a little. Of course, she thought that she would endure as soon as she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor. But when she remembered Mo Xuetong¡¯s seemingly clear eyes, a chill rose in her heart. Consort Xuan was not like a woman who did not understand anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re my niece and cousin of Old Eight. Mo Xuetong dislikes you in the worst. There will be some nderous gossip, but she won¡¯t deal with you. She now has a gulf with Old Eight and needs someone to help her mediate their rtionship. However, there is no elder in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and she has no one to ask for help. The first thing you do after entering the manor is to pretend to help her to negotiate with Old Eight, and then you can have a chance to get along with Old Eight privately. As long as you can seize the opportunity and get pregnant in one fell swoop, I have a way to help you get rid of Mo Xuetong and be the first consort of Old Eight.¡±

    ¡°But if Mo Xuetong doesn¡¯t like me to help her to persuade King Xuan, I won¡¯t have a chance to see King Xuan. Isn¡¯t it?¡± He Yufen was still a little uneasy.

    ¡°She will ept your help. With so many concubines, on your special identity, even if Old Eight doesn¡¯t like you, he has to remember that you¡¯re from the He family and his mother¡¯s niece,¡± Consort Zhao said and especially deepened the tone, a little ridicule appearing on her face. Her niece? If Consort Xian knew the truth, would she get out of the ground angrily ande to her and the He family to get revenge?

    The stupid woman had always regarded her as a sister who was not rted to her by blood, but didn¡¯t know that her gic sister was trapped now.

    Hearing Consort Zhao¡¯s words, He Yufen sighed with relief. Then she thought for a moment, and nodded to tter Consort Zhao, ¡°You¡¯re right, Your Highness. I¡¯ll listen to your instructions.¡±

    Consort Zhao rubbed the rubies iid on the long nail coat, stopped for a moment, and said to the confidant maid standing behind her, ¡°Go and take the nanmu wood-zeddy screen in my warehouse, and give it to Miss He, as the marriage dowry.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness?¡± He Yufen stood up excitedly, and she knew that thedy screen of nanmu wood iid with ze was a precious thing. She heard that ze was from a foreign country. He Yufen had never heard such a good thing until she grew up and came to the capital, and now Consort Zhao was going to give it to her. How could she not feel excited when her eyes lit up.

    Consort Zhao waved her hand, indicating that it was nothing, and said with a half-smile, ¡°Since you are my niece, I have to support you when you marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Now among the concubines in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, only you and the daughter of Duke Wanping have a position. I heard that she is a proud woman, and her parents¡¯ family has a better status than your family. So someone mightpare you to her. I have to make her not dare to provoke you.¡±

    He Yufen had a low position because of the daughter of Duke Wanping. If Mo Xuetong finished and He Yufen wanted to be Consort Xuan in the future, some people might use her as an excuse to disagree. After she had listened to and learned a lesson, at least she had to suppress Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter first. As the Emperor¡¯s doting consort, she gave He Yufen a gift and that was able to suppress Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter and make her afraid to speak at will.

    He Yufen was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor by a sedan chair from the side door in the afternoon. The two masters of the He family wanted to follow in, but was stopped by the guards.

    A manservant of the He family rushed over and shouted, ¡°How dare you! Our masters are King Xuan¡¯s uncles.¡± But when the guards cast a cold nce at him, he winced his neck in fear and did not dare say anything. He just felt that all the guards of King Xuan¡¯s Manor were not simple. As they just shot him a nce, he felt chilly in the neck.

    ¡°His Highness is injured, and is recovering in the manor. He won¡¯t see anybody,¡± a guard replied unkindly. He didn¡¯t treat the two masters of the He family as guests. King Xuan had told them that people of the He family were just Concubine He¡¯s family, and were not his serious rtives.

    ¡°Is His Highness hurt seriously? How¡¯s he doing?¡± Senior Master He coughed slightly and came over as no one dared to go up. He pretended to care for King Xuan.

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. You can go now, just go.¡± The guards impatiently asked them to leave and closed the side door.

    Helpless, the two masters of the He family could only turn around and leave in anger. Now they could do nothing to the guards, but in the future when Consort Zhao controlled King Xuan, and helped him to take the throne, they would be the Emperor¡¯s uncles, and could kill the guards with an order.

    He Yufen¡¯s little sedan chair took the side door, and the little path. She lifted the curtain slightly along the way and saw the empty garden outside. Although it was beautiful, there was no sign of marriage here. He Yufen flew into a rage, and almost crushed the handkerchief into crumbs. Fortunately, she was ready in her heart, and finally contained her emotion and put down the curtain.

    One day, she would be the owner of this manor, and then all the people who despised her would be trampled underfoot. The first one was of course Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Concubine He, here we are, please get off.¡± Finally, the sedan chair stopped, and a respectful voice sounded. She could tell the attitude in the words, and she felt satisfied. At least the people in this manor knew she had a special identity, and dared not to slight her.

    Then, she held the hand of a maidservant and slowly walked out of the sedan chair. As she clearly saw the big yard in front of her, a burst of rejoicing rose in her heart, and a smile appeared on her face. Just as Consort Zhao had said, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to stir up trouble. After all, she was King Xuan¡¯s cousin. Mo Xuetong had to consider their rtionship. King Xuan didn¡¯t like the He family very much, but their blood rtionship would not disappear.

    Of course, her yard in the side garden could notpare with the one in front of her. Was such arge yard her own? Thinking of this, she was in a better mood. Then she lifted her dress slightly to walk in, while instructing the apanying maidservants to carry her dowry to the central house. This courtyard should not be worse than the central courtyard where Mo Xuetong lived.

    ¡°Wow, who is this? How dare you put those stupid things in our yard? You should ask if our master needs it or not!¡± A sharp female voice came over. He Yufen didn¡¯t expect that there would be someone who dared to talk to himself like this. When she looked up in confusion, she saw a little maidservant leaning against the front door. While spitting out the melon seed shells, the maidservant looked at her sideways mockingly. Her words were harsh.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The maidservant who followed He Yufen did not show weakness, and stepped forward, hands on her hips, and saying, ¡°Look at who this is. This is your new master, Concubine He. Come to greet her.¡±

    ¡°Greet a new master? I dare not have any new master. Our master has always been very noble, and the concubine from a corner can¡¯tpare with her.¡± The maidservant looked at He Yufen up and down, as if just watching a piece of goods in general. She was extremely disrespectful.

    Was there another master in this yard? He Yufen was surprised, and then she immediately thought of Duke Wanping¡¯s daughter Consort Zhao had mentioned. Knowing that she first came to the manor and could not offend her, she hurriedly walked forward, smiled, and asked, ¡°Does Sister Qin also live here...¡±

    Before she finished, a maidservant hurried out from the inside, carrying a basin of water in her hand. The water was a little muddy. Without looking out, she lifted her hands and poured the basin of water all over He Yufen. Thetter¡¯s pink wedding dress was wet through, and adhered to her body. The powder had been washed away from her face, forming streaks of lines. Her beautiful face became colorful at once.

    ¡°Oh, who is this? Why are you so careless to stand right before the door? Look at you, you¡¯re covered in water. You¡¯re not discerning.¡± The maidservant who came outter was also fierce and tough. Looking at He Yufen, who was drizzled like a drenched chicken, sheughed.

    As soon as she came to the manor, she was soaked through by a basin of water, which was done by a concubine¡¯s maidservant. He Yufen¡¯s face darkened, and she was about to lose her temper immediately. A nanny standing behind her noticed it. She came over and gave her a pull, and smiled at the two maidservants, saying, ¡°This is Concubine He, the cousin of King Xuan. The Emperor deliberately sent our concubine into the manor, asking her to take good care of His Highness. Anyway, they are rtives, and can talk about anything.¡±

    He Yufen gritted her teeth to suppress her anger. This nanny was sent by Consort Zhao with her gift yesterday, representing Consort Zhao, so she did not dare to offend her.

    ¡°Oh, Concubine He, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t see you here. You see, His Highness has given the central house to our concubine. Since your concubine has also been sent here, of course, you can live here. You can live in the rooms on the right now that we have taken those on the left. If we move to the rooms on the right, I don¡¯t think we can finish it in one day. Concubine He can¡¯t wait just like this now.¡±

    The maidservant, who was leaning against the door, pped her hands as if what she said was good for He Yufen.

 Chapter 505 - Mo Xuetongs Guesses and Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 505 Mo Xuetong¡¯s Guesses and Doubts</h4>

    The maidservant¡¯s words made He Yufen¡¯s face darken. She almost crumpled the handkerchief. The left was considered as honor in ancient times. Even if the central house was upied, they should give her the house on the left to live. But now they asked her to live in the house on the right side. Even a few maidservants were trying to suppress her. However, she could not stay outside because she was wet all over. On the one hand, it was not decent, and on the other hand, it was very embarrassing. She simply entered the house on the right side, and intended to change itter when there was a chance.

    So she gritted her teeth and contained her anger. Instead of talking much with two maidservants, she took her people into the wing room on the right. There were five rooms in a row, and it was enough for the master and servants to live together. When she came to the manor, she only brought a nanny and a maidservant. They piled up the dowry in a room alone, and made some space.

    As soon as she just changed her clothes andbed her hair, she heard that there was a noise outside again. It was her maidservant and Concubine Qin¡¯s maidservant quarreling. They didn¡¯t stop until her nanny called her maidservant back.

    He Yufen threw theb hard on the table, and looked at the nanny who came in, asking angrily, ¡°Nanny, should I just forget it when Mdm Qin offended me so much?¡±

    She had thought that Mo Xuetong might torture her with thousands of ways, but she didn¡¯t expect a concubine to dare to bully her like this. They were both concubines, and she was also the cousin of King Xuan. How dare Concubine Qin treat her like this? Wasn¡¯t she afraid that He Yufen reported it to King Xuan, causing her who had just been promoted to be devalued?

    ¡°Concubine He, do not worry. Her Highness asked you to get along well with Concubine Qin after youe to the manor. You can¡¯t make enemies everywhere. The most important thing now is to win over King Xuan¡¯s heart. To be a gentle beauty in front of King Xuan. Don¡¯t spoil your n because of this little concubine.¡±

    The nanny shut the door and warned with a sullenplexion.

    ¡°But Concubine Qin has gone too far. How dare she treat me like this!¡± He Yufen gritted her teeth out of anger. Remembering the other servants snickering while hiding in the yard, she felt that she wanted to rush into Concubine Qin¡¯s room, pull her out, and beat her hard.

    ¡°Concubine He, The meaner Concubine Qin is, the gentler we must be. Show how generous you are to people in the manor. Don¡¯t lose the main goal because of small gains. This is King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Do you think no one sees what you do? If you quarrel with other concubines on the first day youe, how will His Highness think of you? Besides, if Consort Xuan punishes you, locks you up, and prevents you from seeing His Highness because of this, you won¡¯t be able to argue back. After all, you did something indecent on the first day.¡±

    The nanny pointed out mercilessly at He Yufen¡¯s mistakes, as if He Yufen really didn¡¯t understand anything. This made He Yufen very ufortable, as if she was restrained by words and deeds everywhere. Although she was also careful in the He family, because she was beautiful since she was a child, the people of the He family never treated her wrongly, and no one pointed her nose to teach her, and this person was a servant.

    But He Yufen didn¡¯t dare to argue back. This nanny was given to her by Consort Zhao. In a nice way, she came to serve her. In fact, she came to monitor her. If there was something out of line with her words and deeds, Consort Zhao and the He family would never spare her. So she dared not lose her temper with the nanny.

    Containing her anger, He Yufen finally calmed down. A grateful and humble look appeared on her face. ¡°Thank you for your reminding, nanny. It was my fault.¡±

    Hearing her apology, the nanny put on a little smile on the harsh face, and nodded. ¡°Concubine He, you should dress up to meet Her Lady. Don¡¯t put these little things in your mind.¡± This time her tone was softer.

    Was it a little thing that she was sshed with dirty water when she had just married into the manor? He Yufen gritted her teeth and gasped for a few breaths, barely maintaining a smile and saying, ¡°I was thoughtless. I will dress up and go to see Her Lady.¡±

    She dressed up again carefully, and wore some luxurious essories. Looking at the beautiful face in the mirror, He Yufen really calmed down this time. Taking another look at herself in the mirror, she held the maidservant by the shoulder and went toward the door in a decent manner. As soon as she walked out of the room, she saw a woman in a light blue dressing out across her room.

    It was a stunning woman, whose skin was delicate and white. She dressed simply. She stood there, looking weak. However, she appeared proud and arrogant. As her eyes fell on He Yufen¡¯s face and body, she frowned unconsciously. She was the legitimate daughter of a noble family, and she really didn¡¯t like the way He Yufen dressed, which made her look like a vulgar woman.

    ¡°Are you Sister Qin, greetings. I¡¯m sorry I did not know that you came first.¡± He Yufen had recovered her usual gentleness and calmness, and came forward to greet Concubine Qin with a smile, as if she had no idea that it was Concubine Qin¡¯s maidservant who poured water to her.

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Concubine He,¡± Concubine Qin said lightly, a trace of ridicule shing across her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see Her Lady. Are you going there with me?¡± He Yufen invited her with a smile.

    Concubine Qin subconsciously didn¡¯t want to go with He Yufen, but an idea came to her mind and she nodded.

    As a result, none of them saw Mo Xuetong. They were told that Mo Xuetong was still ill. Before they saw her, they were driven out. They had to go back to their yard. At this time, He Yufen could not maintain the smile on her face anymore. Concubine Qin looked down on her, and sneered at her with a smile-like expression. Without talking, He Yufen knew that she was despised.

    On the first day she came to the manor, not only did she not see King Xuan, but he did not see Mo Xuetong. Remembering that a maidservant poured a basin of water over her, He Yufen only felt hatred. Then she med all these on Mo Xuetong. She thought that Mo Xuetong intentionally arranged her to live here just to torture her.

    Now she asked people to block her halfway, saying that she was not in good health. She did not even drink a cup of tea!

    What was this? As a concubine, who married into the manor, she didn¡¯t receive the wife¡¯s tea; it meant that she hadn¡¯t been epted by the wife.

    Seeing she was really annoying, the nanny looked outside and lowered her voice tofort her, ¡°Concubine He, don¡¯t worry. Her Highness said that as long as you have entered the manor, there are many chances for you to get close to His Highness. Her Lady must be afraid that you will get close to His Highness and capture his heart, so she deliberately treated you like this. She will not dare to treat you like that again when His Highness thinks of you.¡±

    He Yufen only felt that she could not live up with it. She held the handkerchief and stood up, saying with hatred, ¡°Nanny, does His Highness live in the Jinwei Pavilion? How about I go there to see him directly?¡± She heard that Mo Xuetong and King Xuan had not been getting alongtely, and one of them lived in the central yard, the other in the Jinwei Pavilion. They weren¡¯t inseparable like they used to be, and this was her chance.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t do it,¡± Nanny said to stop her, and persuaded with a straight face. ¡°If you dare to see His Highness directly, Her Lady has the right to dispose of you. It¡¯s unreasonable for a concubine to do such a thing. Her Lady is angry because of your arrival. If you do something out of the line, Her Lady will not treat you lightly. Maybe she will say something evil of you in the face of His Highness, saying that you are unwomanly, and do something like this on the first day.¡±

    ¡°It seems that I can¡¯t do anything, then what should I do?¡± He Yufen really felt like she was going crazy. She kicked the brocade stool in front of her, and felt annoyed. She thought that after she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the big picture was settled. Consort Zhao also analyzed the situation of King Xuan¡¯s Manor for her, and she felt that everything was under control. She never thought that she had just entered the manor, but Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong refused to see her. What should she do?

    She was gentle, generous, but her tenderness must be seen by King Xuan. Otherwise, she would only make people feel that she was weak. How could she not feel upset?

    ¡°Concubine He, just hold on. Her Highness has expected that things wouldn¡¯t be so smooth. Just wait, she will be in trouble soon. Maybe you will be Consort Xuan in one fell swoop.¡± Nanny pointed to the direction of the main yard, her eyes glinting.

    Consort Zhao had already arranged it?

    He Yufen sighed with relief, and her eyes immediately lit up. She held nanny¡¯s hand and anxiously asked, ¡°Does Her Highness have a good way to deal with Mo Xuetong?¡±

    ¡°Of course there are ways, but now we don¡¯t need to take action. Someone will deal with her. You just need to push at the right time.¡± Nanny patted her chest and assured. Seeing the nanny¡¯s confident look, He Yufen also smiled.

    It seemed that Mo Xuetong would be in trouble within a few days.

    Mo Xuetong was indeed ill, but fortunately, she recovered quickly from her sudden illness. Within only one day, she was back to her former self. She refused to see He Yufen because the time was yet toe. Consort Zhao was now in favor with the Emperor, and the He family attached to her. Mo Xuetong could not act recklessly.

    Everything about the He family was weird. He Yufen and He Yuxiu were not of the blood of the He family.

    Consort Zhao even had something to do with Lian An of the Ministry of Works. Feng Yuran had also told her that He Yuxiu was now raised by Lian An, just like a mistress living outside. It was said that Lian An now always found a variety of reasons to see her, and stayed there for many times. He adored He Yuxiu.

    This was just because He Yuxiu had a pair of eyes simr to Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes, or simr to Consort Xian¡¯s eyes, to be precise.

    The first time Mo Xuetong met He Yufen and He Yuxiu, she felt that they both looked pretty, and that it was hard to say who was prettier. Why the He family tried to abandon He Yufen, and wanted to send He Yuxiu to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Maybe it was also because of He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes which were simr to Consort Xian¡¯s. They wanted Feng Yuran to have a good impression on He Yuxiu at first sight.

    Mo Xuetong had always had a conjecture. Consort Xian was definitely not the biological daughter of the He family. Maybe she was just like He Yuxiu and He Yufen, who were specifically found by the He family. The He family wished them to marry into good families relying on their pretty appearance and thus bring great benefits to the He family. Then what about Consort Zhao? Was Consort Zhao, who was so simr to Consort Xian, surely the daughter of the He family?

    If not, where did the He family find Consort Zhao!

    Since Consort Zhao was not their gic daughter and was sent to the pce together with Consort Xian, why did the He family think Consort Zhao was more useful and reliable than Consort Xian? In this way, Consort Zhao seemed to be the gic daughter of the He family.

 Chapter 506 - Qin Yufengs New Friend

    <h4>Chapter 506 Qin Yufeng¡¯s New Friend</h4>

    But Mo Xuetong always felt that it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. In the first several years after Consort Zhao entered the pce, Consort Xian was favored. Consort Zhao was like a shadow around Consort Xian and looking after her. At that time, the He family could not get any benefit from her. Then Consort Xian passed away, and Consort Zhao was ¡°protected¡± and favored.

    During this period of time, even if Consort Zhao had connections with the outside world, it was secret. Therefore, it was impossible for her to speak well of the He family in the face of the Emperor. This time, as soon as the Mingyue Pce was open and Consort Zhao showed up in front of everybody, the He family hurriedly contacted her and even coborated with Lian An.

    Considering that they had not met for 10 years, and Consort Zhao had never brought any benefit to the He family since entering the pce, why did the He family think that Consort Zhao would definitely help them? Even if she was a member of the family, they had not been in contact for so many years. The family should not trust her when they met again. Besides, Mo Xuetong silently looked at the whole process of their contact.

    Only one word could describe it¡ª¡±fast!¡±

    As if they didn¡¯t need a run-in period, they hit it off.

    Mo Xuetong had now confirmed that He Yufen had been able to sessfully link up with Yu Mingyong, there was bound to have something to do with Lian An. It showed that as early as the He family came to the capital, Consort Zhao and the He family had joined forces, and at that time Consort Zhao¡¯s Mingyue Pce hadn¡¯t been opened.

    On the one hand, it showed that Consort Zhao was powerful; on the other hand, it also showed that there was a rtionship or interest rtionship between the He family and Consort Zhao that made them trust each other more than blood rtions. Yet Mo Xuetong keenly felt that their rtionship was closer than that of ordinary interests.

    The He family was obviously not of much use to Consort Zhao on the profit side, and Lian An was the one who was useful to her.

    Of course, these were just Mo Xuetong¡¯s conjectures. She needed to explore more deeply in order to know the things between the He family, Consort Zhao and Consort Xian. Thus, she had to make the He family and Consort Zhao fall out when appropriate. The destruction of their close rtionship was of greater benefit to Mo Xuetong.

    Besides, Mo Xuetong always felt that the woman living in the Peony Garden was simr to them.

    This was really weird! How could the most popr courtesan of a brothel, who had nothing to do with the He family, have something to do with Consort Xian who had been in the pce for more than 10 years?!

    Suddenly, Mo Lan lifted the curtain, came in and reported what Feng Yuran wanted to tell Mo Xuetong. ¡°My Lady, His Highness said, he would sleep in the Jinwei Pavilion tonight, and you don¡¯t have to wait for him, and if you are bored in the yard, you can hang out, see the fun, but you have to go out with Mo Feng. This time around it¡¯s unsafe on the street.¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded. Feng Yuran had told herst night. He would pretend to be frightened these days and live alone in the Jinwei Pavilion. He had asked the guards to defend the Jinwei Pavilion tightly, as if he was afraid of the assassin¡¯sing again. Only Mo Xuetong knew that most of the time Feng Yuran was not in the Jinwei Pavilion where was particrly strictly guarded.

    The report meant that Feng Yuran told Mo Xuetong he would be out this night.

    ¡°Why is it unsafe on the street this time around?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s attention turned to the other direction. Feng Yuran said that she could go out to see fun while telling her to be careful. Her curiosity was aroused.

    ¡°My Lady, you must have forgotten, the examination ising soon. All the schrs in the country will gather to capital recently. Most of the people here reallye for the examination, but some have other purposes. So there are bad as well as good people in the group. His Highness must be worried that someone offends you, so he told you these words,¡± Mo Lan exined with a smile.

    The most talked about in the capital recently was the triennial examination. Once a man was sessful in it, he would be the Emperor¡¯s student. Who would not envy the Number One Schr?

    Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought and pondered before she said to Mo Lan, ¡°It happened that we were free this morning. Let¡¯s go out and have a look.¡±

    Worried about Mo Xuetong¡¯s health, Mo Lan persuaded, ¡°My Lady, you are not well yet. You should not go out. I heard that the number of people on the street has increased several times in the past few days. We¡¯d better not go out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have Mo Ye and Mo Feng! Besides, most of the schrs whoe for the exam are studying behind closed doors. Few of them will hang out outside.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up disapprovingly and sat before the makeup mirror.

    Although Mo Xuetong smiled softly, she was determined. Mo Lan had no choice but to walk to the dressing table and pick up theb tob Mo Xuetong¡¯s long hair.

    At the same time, Mo Yu went to prepare drapes and clothes for going out.

    Mo Ye went to the outer yard to find Mo Feng.

    Mo Xuetong lived in the inner courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so no one would hurt her. Moreover, it was inconvenient for Mo Feng who was a man to be around her. Mo Xuetong asked him to stay in the outer courtyard. When she needed him, she would order Mo Ye to find him.

    With peopleing and going, the street was a bit noisier than before. Mo Xuetong sat in the carriage and gently lifted the curtain to look outside. Some people on the street were distinctly non-locals, including young schrs, beautifuldies, and servants who were bargaining with the hawkers.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t use Feng Yuran¡¯s ultra-luxury carriage, but only found an ordinary one. Although it was not gorgeous, the inside was spacious andfortable. She and several maids in the carriage, straight to the capital¡¯s most prosperous road.

    Her birthday was only a few days away, so she had to prepare some necessary things. Now that she was free today, she came out to take a look.

    Mo Xuetong had no intention of taking it seriously, but both her grandmother and her father said they would have a good birthday for her. Mo Xuetong knew that they wanted topensate for her. Her previous two birthdays were spent in the Qin family. And they were cheerless, and only Mother Xu made a bowl of longevity noodles.

    There were lively hotels on the busiest street.

    When schrs came to the capital to take the exam, this kind of hotel was the liveliest because they could discuss papers, meet friends, and maybe make friends here. In a few days, these people would be on the same list soon. The rtionship between friends made before they seeded in the exam was deeper than those made after it.

    In arge private room on the second floor sat a young man in a cyan robe. Maybe because the exam wasing and he was too hard at study, he appeared sick¡ªhis face was too pale, making his lips bloodred. With a careful look, one would found that he looked handsome, but he still looked sick and weak. At first nce, one would know that he was in poor health.

    His eyes prated the high curtain, and fell upon a clothing store opposite the hotel.

    It was a woman¡¯s clothing store. A carriage was parked at the door, and a pretty maidservant was helping a graceful woman get out of the carriage. Although he could not see her face clearly, he could still see her excellent figure. It should be a peerless beauty. The young man just watched them casually.

    However, when he saw the pretty maidservant¡¯s face, he suddenly mmed down the blue and white porcin teacup in his hand, and a bit of amazement shed across his calm eyes. Then he got excited, and he stood up, pressing the table and seemed to leave.

    At the moment, someone lightly knocked on the door of the private room.

    The young man paused and sat down again, answering, ¡°Come in.¡±

    A manservant-looking person walked in and respectfully said, ¡°Sir, Mr. Qin hase, and he is downstairs.¡±

    It turned out that the person he had an appointment with had arrived. It seemed that he could not leave now. Looking out of the window, he saw several maidservants surrounding the woman into the store opposite, and the carriage stopping to the side of the road. They were not leaving for a while.

    ¡°Go there and ask whether it is the Mo Manor¡¯s carriage, and whether it is Third Young Miss Mo who just got out of the carriage.¡±

    Pointing out of the window, the young man said to the manservant.

    Third Young Miss Mo? The manservant was confused. He blinked his eyes and didn¡¯t understand what the man said. His master was always indifferent to women. Although there were many women in his manor, there was never a woman who could get the master¡¯s attention, let alone be mentioned by him. Who was Third Young Miss Mo?

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask more. Go and ask.¡± As the manservant didn¡¯t speak for a while, the young man¡¯s face darkened. He was a little unhappy.

    ¡°Yes, the minions will go on.¡± Seeing that his master was displeased, and the eyes grew cold, the manservant shuddered. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything at all, and instead turned out of the private room. Then he saw a handsome young man who came up led by the waiter. He stood on one side saluted him, and hurried down the stairs.

    Since the master cared about Third Young Miss Mo, the girl must be of use to him. The manservant recognized his master with all his heart, so he would do whatever the master told him to do.

    Qin Yufeng walked into the private room, and the sick young man had stood up. At the sight of Qin Yufenging in, he smiled and cupping his hands, saying, ¡°Brother Qin, please.¡±

    ¡°Please, Brother Xiang.¡± Qin Yufeng also raised his hand as a courtesy.

    The two of them sat down together.

    ¡°Brother Xiang, have you brought that book?¡± Qin Yufeng asked with a smile.

    Xiang Xieyue smiled slightly, took a seemingly broken book from an old box on the chair beside him. He ced it on the table, pushed it to Qin Yufeng, and asked suspiciously, ¡°Brother Qin, what do you want this book for? It¡¯s all about weird things that shouldn¡¯t be true.¡±

    Qin Yufeng took the book and flipped it slightly, with an expression of joy on his face. Then he closed the book andughed at himself, replying, ¡°Nothing. I just like to read these mystery stories. Just for rxation. The exam ising, and sometimes I feel very stressed. Forgive me.¡±

    ¡°I heard you are a knowledgeable, gifted schr, Brother Qin. Are you also nervous?¡± Xiang Xieyue asked curiously.

    Qin Yufeng was a well-known gifted schr in the capital. Three years ago, he was famous in the capital with a gorgeous poem. At that time, everyone thought he would take the exam, and seed. However, he didn¡¯t want it then, and he didn¡¯t even try.

    Many people felt sorry for it.

    If he took the exam three yearster, he should be more confident than he was three years ago!

    ¡°How could I not be nervous? Actually, Brother Xiang, although you are not well-known, you¡¯re a talent. I admire you,¡± Qin Yufeng said politely.

    They met in front of a famous building, where Qin Yufeng had been to many times, just to hang out. Surprisingly, the man in front of him was reciting a poem based on the scene, the poem was a famous, eternal work. Qin Yufeng was excited and wanted to know the talent who recited the poem.

    Turning around the building, he found that it was a thin and weak schr.

    The two of them chatted for a while, and felt like old friends. They actually liked each other. When they sat down and talked, they both thought that the other was a talent. Impressed by each other, they gave each other their names.

 Chapter 507 - Discovery, the Joy of Xiang Xieyue

    <h4>Chapter 507 Discovery, the Joy of Xiang Xieyue</h4>

    Xiang Xieyue was sick and weak, but he was a gant man. Learning that he had some ancient books hidden in his house, Qin Yufeng borrowed a book from Xiang Xieyue immediately. Later, they agreed toe to the restaurant today, and Xiang Xieyue would bring the ancient book for Qin Yufeng.

    ¡°Brother Qin, I¡¯m ttered. How can I achieve sess in the exam? I just want to have a try, so that my many years¡¯ hard study won¡¯t be in vain. Whether I can seed, it¡¯s not important. Just look at me, you¡¯ll understand, Brother Qin. Even if I seed in the exam, I¡¯m afraid the Emperor won¡¯t be pleased with me, not to mention anything else.¡± Xiang Xieyue smiled bitterly and pointed at his thin body.

    To be an official, at least he must have a healthy body, but he did not look well.

    ¡°Brother Xiang, our body, hair, and skin are given by our parents. We should cherish them. As for the official rank, it was a little bit in a bubble. You don¡¯t have to care.¡± Qin Yufeng took the wine on the table, poured a cup of it for himself, and smiled at Xiang Xieyue. ¡°Let me propose a toast to you, Brother Xiang. Would you like to have a cup of tea instead?¡± he asked.

    He had long noticed that Xiang Xieyue was drinking tea, so he guessed that his body could not bear wine. Thus he did not force Xiang Xieyue to drink wine.

    After hearing Qin Yufeng¡¯s words, Xiang Xieyue frowned slightly. Suddenly heughed, reaching for the wine pot that Qin Yufeng had put down, and filled up the cup in front of him. Lifting the cup heroically, Xiang Xieyue smiled at Qin Yufeng and said, ¡°There¡¯s no harm in having a drink with you, Brother Qin!¡±

    Qin Yufeng reached over to cover Xiang Xieyue¡¯s cup and persuaded, ¡°Brother Xiang, you are not in good health. You don¡¯t need to apany me with wine. You can drink tea instead of wine.¡±

    ¡°When I meet you who are so free and easy, it will be hypocritical if I take a cup of tea. Brother Qin, don¡¯t worry. Although I¡¯m weak, I¡¯m able to bear the alcohol of this cup.¡± As he said, there was persistence in his brows. ¡°I consider you as my good friend, and I think you have the same idea.¡±

    At his words, Qin Yufeng could only withdraw his hand. Now that Xiang Xieyue had said this, he would appear somewhat hypocritical if he continued persuading him. As an unrestrained person, he had thought that he would never take the imperial examinations and win fame in his life. Assisting King Chu to ascend to the throne would be more cheerful than to be the Number One Schr.

    But now, he didn¡¯t think so anymore.

    Picking up the cup of wine in his hand, he toasted to Xiang Xieyue, and then drank it up.

    Xiang Xieyue also took the wine cup and drank it down.

    Although they didn¡¯t drink at the same time, they drained it at the same time. Then they lifted their cup in their hands to show it to the other, proving that there was no drop of wine. As they found that the other party was looking at them, they immediatelyughed simultaneously as if they were close friends who had known each other for many years.

    After that, they sat down again.

    Xiang Xieyue ate a few bites of dishes, suppressing the ufortable feeling in his heart, but his face was a little paler than before. Obviously, it meant that wine was no good for him. Fortunately, the ufortable feeling didn¡¯tst long. After swallowing the food, color returned to his face, and he asked puzzledly, ¡°Brother Qin, you¡¯re such a free and easy person, but why are you going to take the exam to get an official rank?¡±

    He really appreciated Qin Yufeng, and ording to what he said, thetter seemed to be unwilling to be an official.

    There were few congenialpanions, so Qin Yufeng made no secret of it. Giving a sigh, he replied, ¡°Brother Xiang, sometimes worldly people will inevitably do worldly things. There are some things that cannot be done if you aren¡¯t an official. I am a worldly person, and what I¡¯m going to do is worldly things. In this worldly world, I just want to protect a beautiful image in my heart, and thus I have to do it.¡±

    He had always been in high spirits in front of people, and had never sighed like this. However, he had some things that had always been hidden in the bottom of his heart and he had never talked to others about it. Maybe because Xiang Xieyue was so friendly that he drank with him or because it was rare to encounter a congenial friend, Qin Yufeng told him about his secret. Though they had only seen each other twice, they felt like old friends who had known each other for many years.

    ¡°Brother Qin, you love someone, but you can¡¯t be together?¡± Xiang Xieyue was really curious. ¡°With your appearance and talent, is there a woman who is unwilling to care for you? If she will marry you only after you have achieved an official rank, you¡¯d better not love such a snob.¡±

    He thought that Qin Yufeng had a crush on ady, and thatdy did not like him, or that she would marry him after he passed the exam. Such a woman was thest thing Xiang Xieyue liked. His gaze involuntarily looked out the window while he was speaking. The carriage was still parked there. His smart manservant was standing in front of the carriage and talking to the coachman. It seemed that the conversation was still very animated because the coachman wasughing.

    He couldn¡¯t help secretly wondering if she was still inside.

    ¡°How could she be that kind of person? In my heart, she is like the noble cloud in the sky.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled bitterly, poured himself another cup of wine, and drank it. He was usually a self-disciplined person, but he drank two cups of wine today. Maybe because his heart was stirred by something. Fortunately, he knew that the person sitting opposite could not drink too much, so after the second cup, he pushed the jug away, took out the teacup himself, poured a cup of tea, and drank.

    Then he changed his subject, restoring calmness and beaming, ¡°Brother Xiang, if you feel that it is inconvenient to live in the hotel, you can live in my house. We can read books together. It won¡¯t be bad.¡±

    Knowing that Qin Yufeng was reluctant to talk about private matters, Xiang Xieyue did not press. He just smiled back and replied, ¡°No, thank you. I don¡¯t want to disturb you, Brother Qin. If there is any inconvenience in the hotel, I¡¯lle to you.¡±

    They chatted for a while, and made an appointment for the next meeting before Qin Yufeng left.

    At the staircase, Xiang Xieyue¡¯s manservant stood aside, saluted him respectfully, then passed him to the door of the half-covered private room and entered.

    ¡°Sir, the Third Miss of the Mo Manor is indeed inside. I just inquired about it specifically. At first, the coachman refused to tell me, but when I gave him some silver, he told me that Third Young Miss Mo was going to order a batch of essories here. It may take a long time.¡± the manservant reported cleverly. As his eyes fell on the cup in front of Xiang Xieyue, he opened his mouth, saying, ¡°Sir...¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know, I will pay attention next time. Off you go.¡± Xiang Xieyue reached out to stop the manservant from continuing. He smiled in a good mood, stood up, and went outside casually.

    ¡°Sir, where are you going?¡± the manservant asked in confusion.

    ¡°Go and see Third Young Miss Mo...¡± A smile appeared on Xiang Xieyue¡¯s pale face, a bright color floating in his eyes, and the smile was rather clear.

    Mo Xuetong entered the clothing store in order to customize some clothes, not only for herself, but also for Feng Yuran. She was about to have a birthday soon, and must prepare a few sets of clothing. Now that she hade out, the tailor didn¡¯t have toe to her house to measure. Besides, she could take a stroll for rxation.

    The location of this store was good. There were some stores of women¡¯s essories beside it, so she could go shopping together. Mo Xuetong asked the coachman to stop the carriage on one side of the road and took a few people to go inside. The store was tastefully furnished andrge in size. The customer could choose the material directly downstairs, and then there were special people upstairs to take the measurement, and in the waiting area, some people would bring tea for customers.

    Mo Xuetong was apanied by her big maidservants who were close to her. She ordered two sets for each of them. These maidservants twittered to choose materials. Mo Xuetong rarely came out ever since they arrived in the capital, causing these maidservants to have no chance to go shopping. It was rare that they had time and mood toe out, so everyone was very happy.

    Mo Lan was worried about her safety and stayed with Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong smiled and raised her hand, saying, ¡°Go and choose with them. Anyway, it¡¯s not far away, it¡¯s just downstairs. After you choose, you wille here and ask them to take a measurement. Within such a close distance, you can hear me even if I yell. It¡¯s okay. ¡±

    ¡°But, My Lady...¡±

    Mo Lan wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Mo Xuetong, ¡°Go, go, hurry up. I will taste the tea and seeing the scenery here alone. It¡¯s not bad, huh.¡± Then she pointed at the bustling street outside, where people came and went and did everything, It was indeed very lively.

    ¡°Mo Lan, let¡¯s go downstairs. We wille up soon.¡± Mo Yu stretched out her hand to pull her and smiled. After all, they were just teenage girls, who liked beautiful clothes. Since they could choose new clothes, and had fun, they were all in a good mood, feeling happy.

    Mo Xuetong was sitting on the brocade bench beside the window, leaning on the side and looking out of the window. At this time, there were not many people upstairs, and only a fewdies were sitting not far away, also waiting to make new clothes. There wasn¡¯t any conspicuous person. Mo Lan thought that if she picked it up quickly, it would only take her a while and it should be fine. She nodded, and was pulled down by Mo Yu.

    Seeing a few maidservants go downstairs, hand in hand and smiling happily, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help beaming. She lifted the teacup in her hand and took a sip, thinking this store was very good at doing business because the tea was also good. As customers drank tea while looking at the lively street scene outside, they would not feel bored even if they had to wait for a long while.

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, can I have a seat with you?¡± A gentle voice rang in her ears. Mo Xuetong froze for a moment, only to remember that since she got married to Feng Yuran, almost no one had called her like that. And she couldn¡¯t remember who would call her like this for a moment. She looked back in surprise, and saw a handsome face, but that person looked sick and was in extremely bad health.

    Mo Xuetong blinked, not remembering who this young man was for a moment!

    Xiang Xieyue smiled and gently said, ¡°Have you forgotten me, Third Young Miss Mo? Thanks to your rescue in the Puguang Temple, or else I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to hold on then.¡±

    Hearing what he said, Mo Xuetong really remembered it. It turned out that he was the young man she met in the Puguang Temple. At that time, she sent a nanny to take care of him, and when she came down the mountain, the nanny also came back, saying that the man¡¯s own servant had returned. As her eyes fell involuntarily on the manservant behind him, she could tell that he was a clever man.

    ¡°It¡¯s you. Please sit down.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and said generously.

    This was a clothing store, and it was not only for women. Not far away, there was a man waiting, and it seemed that he had also met a familiar person. He was talking to a woman. This was not a private room, so they were not alone. It was not disgraceful to chat outside.

    ¡°My name is Xiang Xieyue. I just saw you enter the store outside, so I came in specially to thank you for saving my life.¡± Xiang Xieyue beamed slightly. Without hiding his name, he told Mo Xuetong his name. The reason foring up this time was very decent, and it made people feel good.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so courteous, Young Master Xiang. I believe that no matter who met you, they would stop to help you, so you don¡¯t have to thank me especially,¡± Mo Xuetong responded politely, but her smile was somewhat alienated. Although she did save the person in front of her, she didn¡¯t want to have too much to do with him.

 Chapter 508 - The Present, a Precious Hibiscus Jade Ring

    <h4>Chapter 508 The Present, a Precious Hibiscus Jade Ring</h4>

    At that time, the man was very ill and his face was pale, but as Mo Xuetong touched his skin while feeling his veins, she found that his flesh under the skin was taut and stic. It definitely didn¡¯t belong to a long-sick person who had been ill in bed for years. Besides, the reason he said was strange as well. How could a sick person leave his servant just to get to the Puguang Temple earlier when he was clear that he was in poor health?

    All these indicated that there was a problem with Xiang Xieyue.

    Mo Xuetong herself was in constant trouble, and did not want to interact with such a suspicious person too much, so when Xiang Xieyue called her Third Young Miss Mo, she did not exin it. Although she was smiling all the time, her expression looked faint, with slight vignce in her eyes.

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, I didn¡¯t have time to thank you at that time before you went down the mountain. And during this period of time, I¡¯m in bad health, and have something to deal with, so I have no time to go to the Mo Manor and thank you. It happened that I met you here. Please ept my gratitude.¡± Xiang Xieyue¡¯s eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face, his lips curving into a gentle smile. Then he took an exquisite brocade box from his pocket and pushed it to Mo Xuetong with a sincere look on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Young Master Xiang. It was just a little effort. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± Mo Xuetong reached out and pushed the box back. She really didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. In such bad weather, no matter what reason Xiang Xieyue was for, everyone would help him when he ran into their carriage.

    ¡°Third Miss, it is just a little token to show my gratitude to you.¡± Xiang Xieyue didn¡¯t push anymore. He stood up, and gave a deep bow to Mo Xuetong.

    He was so respectful that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t sit down anymore. She had to stand up and also gave him a bow.

    ¡°Third Miss, I still have something to do, so I¡¯m leaving first. I believe we will meet again.¡± Xiang Xieyue finished the salute and smiled slightly. Before Mo Xuetong could say something more, he took the manservant and went down through one of the stairs.

    ¡°Young Master Xiang...¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect him to be so straightforward that he left as soon as he gave her the present. However, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t call out loudly at this time, because it was rude.

    ¡°My Lady, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Lan just passed the sick man. She looked back at him, a little confused. But then she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, wondering what happened, and hurried to ask. She was really worried about Mo Xuetong. After seeing several kinds of materials, and casually picked one, she returned.

    Mo Xuetong sighed and sat down again, pointing to Xiang Xieyue who was going out and asked helplessly, ¡°That person, did you see him?¡± This man looked weak and sick, but he was very straightforward. After putting the present on the table, he left. If she ran after him at this time, it would only make her hypocritical.

    ¡°My Lady, the man appeared sick, and looked familiar when I passed him.¡± Mo Lan thought for a moment. When Xiang Xieyue ran into Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage, his face was pale and he looked as if he was dying. At this time, although he still looked sick, at least he was not pale as a dead person. Therefore, Mo Lan didn¡¯t recognize him in the first ce.

    ¡°That¡¯s the one who ran into our carriage in the Puguang Temple.¡± Mo Xuetong pointed to the brocade box on the table and said to Mo Lan, ¡°Just then he dropped this, and said it was a gift to express his gratitude to me. Then he left. What a weird man.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s okay. Since he wanted to thank you, I¡¯ll ept it for you. This person looks straightforward. Since it¡¯s just a thank-you gift, it¡¯s fine.¡± Mo Lan pondered for a moment and then was relieved. She thought it was normal now that the person didn¡¯t stay to entangle Mo Xuetong.

    That day, Mo Xuetong really saved him. It was reasonable to express his gratitude to her when they met on the street.

    Bringing the brocade box on the table and opening it, Mo Lan smiled and said, ¡°My Lady, let me see what that Young Master¡¯s present is. Maybe it is a rare treasure that even you have never seen.¡±

    She was making fun of Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong had seen kinds of rare treasures. In their manor, King Xuan loved his wife so much that he often sent some rare things to her, and her small warehouse was almost full.

    There were also rewards from the pce from time to time. The rare treasures were reallymon to her.

    Mo Xuetong red at the sly girl, but also looked at it curiously. Xiang Xieyue didn¡¯t look like a normal person, so she wondered what gift he sent to her.

    The moment the brocade box was opened, Mo Xuetong was shocked. There was a ring of pink jade in the box. Pink jade was also known as hibiscus jade. It was a kind of extremely rare jade. Generally, it was very small. The ring was small, but the lines were clearly symmetrical. It was obviously cut from a huge piece of pink jade. Such a ring was precious.

    People who owned such a ring were by no means ordinary people!

    Because this kind of hibiscus jade was scarce, it was upied by the royal family or the big family as soon as it was discovered. Even if it kept well, it was impossible to have such arge piece of jade to make into a ring. On a strange book left by Luo Xia, there was a record of this kind of hibiscus jade, only saying that this kind of jade was produced in the Southern Barbarian Lands, and even the royal family of the Qin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom didn¡¯t own it.

    Was this really hibiscus jade?

    Mo Xuetong reached out, took the jade ring, and shone it against the sun. The pink looked like peach blossoms,ing through the jade. As she turned the ring, there seemed to be pieces of peach blossoms, which looked wonderful. Immediately, Mo Xuetong frowned. It turned out that Xiang Xieyue was a man from the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Feng Yuran was having a headache for the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands now. She heard that he had not yet found him.

    As their Crown Prince was missing, there must be a handful of people from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Who was Xiang Xieyue? She frowned slightly. Was the Southern Barbarian Lands going to take a big move? It was unusual for Xiang Xieyue to take out the jade.

    ¡°My Lady, look, there seems to have words.¡± Mo Lan pointed to a corner on the jade ring and said to Mo Xuetong.

    Collecting her thoughts, Mo Xuetong nced at it, finding some words carved on the ring. Unfortunately, they were not the words of the Qin Kingdom, so Mo Xuetong did not understand them. She touched it. The work was very delicate. Although such a thing was only a ring, it could be taken as a treasure.

    Who the hell was Xiang Xieyue? His action was so weird, and so was that jade ring, which was carved with characters. It was more like a token. Was he really just thanking her for saving his life? It seemed that she had to think about it a lot.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t stay long in the clothing store. Wearing a veil and surrounded by several maidservants, she got on the carriage. The carriage slowly left the store door.

    Upstairs opposite, Xiang Xieyue smiled and watched Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage leave. He gently tapped on the table. The smart manservant came over and poured a cup of tea for him again, carefully asking, ¡°Young Master, why did you give that jade ring to Third Young Miss Mo?¡±

    Everyone around Xiang Xieyue knew what the jade ring meant. Even if he wanted to express his gratitude to her for saving his life, it was not appropriate to send that jade ring.

    Xiang Xieyue nced coldly at the manservant. Although he was sick and weak, his nce held sharp sternness, which made the manservant lower his head for no reason. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Third Young Miss Mo?¡±

    Although the manservant was afraid, out of loyalty, he still went on and persuaded while trembling with fear, ¡°Third Young Miss Mo is a beautifuldy, you can be a good couple, but her status is a bit low, you...¡±

    Mo Huawen¡¯s identity, the lord mayor was really nothing in front of the real powerful family.

    ¡°So what?¡± Xiang Xieyue smiled coldly, his sick-looking face looking a little bit severe. ¡°My business is not up to those people. They want me to do whatever they want? How can it be so easy?¡±

    After he finished speaking, he gave a flick of his sleeve, stood up, and walked away.

    Seeing his master was really angry, the manservant dare not say anything more. He knew that the master had never been a man who could be pushed around. Those people began to calcte him long ago. They were always trying to have women around him. This time they made some excuse to let hime to the Qin Kingdom, but they did not know that they had fallen into his trap again.

    It was just that the master¡¯s n was too dangerous. If it weren¡¯t for Third Young Miss Mo at that time, Xiang Xieyue might really have been dead.

    Thinking of this, the manservant still thought Third Young Miss Mo was a good person. Since the master thought this, what could he, a servant, say? He only hoped that the master could think it clearly. Sometimes it was not necessary to do that in return for kindness. This was not urgent, and it would not be toote for the master to think clearly after a while.

    Although there was something in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart, she knew it was not in a hurry. She took Mo Lan and the other maidservants to continue going shopping. They bought some necessary supplies for the manor. Soon, they arrived at the Fragrance House. It was almost noon, and Feng Yuran was not home now, so they simply got out of the carriage and prepared to have lunch here.

    Mo Lan and Mo Yu surrounded Mo Xuetong while they went upstairs. Mo Ye went to book a private room first. Although she knew this restaurant had something to do with Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong was unwilling to act ostentatiously, so she did not ask Mo Ye to report her name. After all, she rarely came out and was not for secret things.

    An attentive waiter led them to the second floor. As soon as they reached the staircase, and hadn¡¯t gotten up, they saw a group of people rushing from behind. A few maidservants pushed the people at the edge of the stairs away and cried, ¡°Get out of the way.¡±

    Mo Lan quickly got in front of Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong leaned aside, avoiding those who rushed from behind.

    Who were these people? They were so arrogant!

    Mo Xuetong and her servants dodged these people, but the people ahead of them were not so lucky. The first group was also female guests, one woman with a veil, surrounded by three maidservants. They happened to go down, and just collided with the maidservants rushing up.

    As Mo Xuetong had just walked slowly in the head, those people who went down did not care. Now that Mo Xuetong had walked to the side, and the people rushed up, those people had no time to avoid them. The first two maidservants bumped into the rushing ones, and the one on the upper steps shook and almost fell.

    The one that rushed up from below leaned and went to the side.

    ¡°Miss, please be careful.¡± The waiter who led the way in front of Mo Xuetong was now standing aside, so he reached over to help her.

    The shocked maidservant stopped and steadied herself. As she found that a young man in his twenties was supporting her, she became angry and red-faced. As soon as she stood firmly, she turned back and gave the waiter a loud p, which attracted all the eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re courting death. Don¡¯t touch me with your dirty hands.¡±

    The waiter didn¡¯t expect there was such an unreasonable, spicy woman. He stepped back, covering his face and confused because of the p.

 Chapter 509 - You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan Made Trouble in the Restaurant

    <h4>Chapter 509 You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan Made Trouble in the Restaurant</h4>

    Since two groups of people bumped into each other at the staircase, the storekeeper came out to mediate. Based on the principle of amiability attracting riches, the storekeeper smiled and said, ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t angry. Let¡¯s try to get along. Please tell me which private room do you want to go to?¡±

    ¡°Who are you? How dare you to run into our madam. Do you want to die? Get out of the way.¡± Sure enough, a servant would be like her master. Ling Mingyan was an arrogant person, and her maidservant was also unbridled. At this time her servant yelled at the group in front of them, hands on hips.

    The one on the upper steps wearing a veil, so others could not see her face clearly. But her clothes were all unusual and expensive, and ording to her temperament, she was not an ordinary person. As Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on the phoenix hairpin that was inserted on the side bun, she was shocked in the heart. With a frown, she did not speak, but took a few steps back to the side of the handrail with her two maidservants, and watched quietly.

    ¡°Get out of the way! We¡¯re in a hurry.¡± The maidservant below her master looked sullen, but she didn¡¯t lose her temper. She just said lightly, and didn¡¯t want to make trouble.

    ¡°You want to go? You want to go after running into others for no reason. You almost ran into our madam, even without an apology?¡± The maidservant who pped the waiter walked to the staircase, stretched her arms, and blocked the way. Maybe she just did it as Ling Mingyan asked. ¡°Who allows you to leave? Apologize to our madam before you go.¡±

    Her words were extremely rude. Everyone saw that it was Ling Mingyan¡¯s servant who rushed up and ran into them. Now the viin brought suit against the victims. They med the victim. Even if she was married, Ling Mingyan was still domineering. No wonder people didn¡¯t like her in the capital. This kind of temperament was really unpleasant.

    ¡°You rushed up for no reason and almost ran into our master. We didn¡¯t say that. You asked us to apologize to your madam. Is this a joke?¡± the maidservant on the upper steps scolded. She was polite, and now her face was pale with anger.

    Ling Mingyan¡¯s maidservant was not a person who could bear to be a loser. At this time, her eyebrows were raised upright and she cursed, ¡°You bitch, how dare you to scold me? Today, no matter who your master is, you must apologize. Kowtow and apologize to our madam. Otherwise, none of you can go down.¡±

    The capital was full of noble families; although Mingguo Manor and Ding General Manor were already top-notch families, it was not that no one could suppress Ling Mingyan. Mo Xuetong could only sigh that Ling Mingyan was really spoiled by Ding General Manor. She was so arrogant and ignorant, and really thought that she was the most distinguished person in this capital. To kowtow and apologize to her? Unfortunately, today Ling Mingyan would not be pleased. Mo Xuetong simply stood aside and watched the people on the upper steps to deal with this matter.

    Sure enough, the maidservant on the upper step shivered in rage. She pointed at Ling Mingyan¡¯s maidservant, red, and snapped, ¡°How dare you talk to our master like that? Do you want to die...?¡±

    She was interrupted by the maidservant standing behind her. The maidservant pulled her clothes and walked forward, and said to Ling Mingyan¡¯s maidservant, ¡°Miss, your madam doesn¡¯t look like an ordinary person. Why do you make a tyrannical thing here? Anyway, there is no loss for everyone. We both have affairs to do. Why don¡¯t we just go away?¡±

    What she said was very polite and she was smiling, which made a good impression on people. Generally speaking, looking at her temperament, and then at the person behind, who had not spoken but her bearing was not ordinary, one would stop pestering them. After all, they had expressed that they wanted to just let it go.

    However, Ling Mingyan¡¯s maidservant had been staying around Ling Mingyan for a long time, and was used to being strong. At this time, she thought that she was reasonable, she refused to let it go. She looked back at Ling Mingyan¡¯s tight mouth, and angry look, which had no hint that she should let it go.

    Consciously wanting to vent her madam¡¯s spleen, she raised her face and sneered, ¡°There is no loss for everyone? Our madam came here to do something, but now it has been messed up by you. Howe it¡¯s okay? Hurry up to apologize to our madam. Our madam is going upstairs.¡±

    She was adamant!

    It seemed that they would not leave unless they got an apology.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell again on the woman who wore a veil and she could not see her face clearly. Although she was separated by the veil, she could still feel her unhappiness. The two maidservants behind her red, and it seemed that they were about to lose their temple, but they still tried hard to contain their anger.

    This situation was really strange. Mo Xuetong did not want to intervene in this seemingly unusual thing, so she just watched. Just now she thought Ling Mingyan wasing to her, and now she found out that it had nothing to do with her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s going on?¡± Suddenly there was an indifferent and impatient voice from the stairs, and attracted the attention of the two that had been stalemate and the people who had been paying attention to it.

    You Yuecheng stood on the second-floor stairs, and he wore a gorgeous robe, and a ck golden jade crown on his head. The strangest thing was that there was a charming woman standing beside the indifferent man. This woman¡¯s clothes didn¡¯t belong to the maidservant. Her charming eyes had an aura of a prostitute. Obviously, she was not from a decent family. At the moment, she was curiously looking up and down at Ling Mingyan.

    ¡°You... you, you really have other women...¡± Ling Mingyan standing downstairs looked at You Yuecheng¡¯s hand in disbelief, her body shivering slightly, her eyes suddenly turning red. She thought it was a lie. Although You Yuecheng was quite indifferent to her, he didn¡¯t get his hands on any maidservant. However, now he was still holding the woman¡¯s hand; the two came out hand in hand.

    You Yuecheng was with a prostitute openly? Mo Xuetong blinked her big eyes, and her eyes showed her thoughts. You Yuecheng, who always protected his fame, was holding a prostitute¡¯s hand in front of Ling Mingyan. It was quite strange. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on the woman wearing the veil again, finding that she and her people had moved aside. They cleared a way.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange!¡± she secretly said. The woman seemed to know the rtionship between You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyan. But now that she knew Ling Mingyan, why did not she just show her face and talk with Ling Mingyan. It was said that Ling Mingyan would make some concessions todies and madams she knew well.

    ¡°This is not a ce for conversation. Come upstairs.¡± You Yuecheng¡¯s face was cold, without any slight fluctuations in his eyes. He took the woman into a private room on the second floor.

    Ling Mingyan, of course, was not in a mood to deal with other things at this time. She rushed to the private room on the second floor. At the door of the room, You Yuecheng¡¯s manservant reached out and stopped her maidservants. Looking at the cold eyes of the manservant, the maidservants did not dare to be arrogant anymore at this time. Their madam had always obeyed His Excellency. If they offended His Excellency, she would punish them after her anger disappeared.

    ¡°You Yuecheng, what do you mean? Who is she? Tell me who she is.¡± Ling Mingyan rushed in angrily, and pointed at the woman sitting on the side.

    Her heart was full of hatred, and she couldn¡¯t care if she was a gentle and witty wife in front of You Yuecheng. When she heard that he came here to meet a woman, she didn¡¯t believe it. She came to see and got the truth. When she rushed into the building in anger, she didn¡¯t expect to see You Yuecheng and a woman, who looked quite ambiguous. How could she not be angry?

    ¡°Does who she is have anything to do with you?¡± You Yuecheng said coldly, took a cup beside his hand, and took a sip. There were two pairs of chopsticks and two cups on the table. Many dishes showed signs of having been eaten. Apparently, You Yuecheng and this woman¡¯s private meeting hadsted a long while.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan, when you married into Mingguo Manor, I¡¯ve made it clear to you, since you set me up and insisted on marrying me, you should know the consequences. I can give you the title of being my wife, and you only have to stay peacefully in the manor. I will not do anything to you, and I will give you the decentness that you need. I will not treat you badly, but if you interfere with me, don¡¯t me me for not being kind.¡±

    You Yuecheng sat on the chair without moving. He said these words in a cold tone, as if not discussing the way of husband and wife, but selling and buying.

    When she heard his words, Ling Mingyan¡¯s chest grew tight and she almost couldn¡¯t breathe.

    When they were in the Peony Garden, she was really ying some small tricks. In order to make You Yuecheng marry her, she deliberately untied her clothes when she saved him. Later, she med it on You Yuecheng. As things hade to this point, You Yuecheng could only marry her.

    This incident was revealed ruthlessly on their wedding night. At that time, she bent over backward, repeatedly stated that she did it on purpose because she loved him and wanted to marry him and that there was no other malicious intent. Even so, You Yuecheng walked away, and when they returned to her parents¡¯ family, he just sat for a while and left.

    Ling Mingyan waspletely neglected. Fortunately, although he neglected her, he did not get close to anyone. Ling Mingyan thought that it was her fault that day and she hurt his self-esteem. Of course, she didn¡¯t dare to get angry, and instead stooped topromise. Slowly You Yuecheng became nice to her.

    Unexpectedly, in front of this prostitute, he mentioned this matter. How could Ling Mingyan not be ashamed and resentful? She trembled with anger. She was the distinguished legitimate daughter of Duke Ding, but was disgraced by You Yuecheng in front of a prostitute. She appeared painful and hateful, and her voice almost squeezed through her teeth.

    ¡°How... how can you do this to me?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I do this to you? Tell me, what are you doing here?¡± You Yuecheng asked coldly.

    ¡°I... I just came to dinner.¡± Speaking of this, Ling Mingyan was a little guilty. In order to pretend to be a good wife, she had taken many concubines for You Yuecheng. Although she had gritted her teeth over and over again to tolerate it in the heart, she didn¡¯t show it. She just wanted to please You Yuecheng, but You Yuecheng refused them on the spot. She thought that You Yuecheng was just upset that she had lied to him and hurt his pride as a man.

    She believed that it would get better slowly. She even said that as long as You Yuecheng had someone he liked outside, he could bring her home, and she would definitely make her a concubine. Unexpectedly, her words were now used by You Yuecheng as a reason to reply to her. Of course, she didn¡¯t dare to say that she was here to catch him with another woman.

    ¡°I, I just want toe over and have a meal. What, can¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°You came here to dinner with more than a dozen servants who do heavy works? You came here to dinner with sticks? Ling Mingyan, are you trying to humiliate our Mingguo Manor? I heard the Second Son of your family and Yu Mingyong fighting for a woman, and bing a joke of the capital. Ling Mingyan, are you afraid that our Mingguo Manor will not be a joke, so you deliberately made such a scene?¡±

    You Yuecheng sat still and looked at Ling Mingyan fiercely.

    Ling Mingyan grew bitter and bitter. She opened her mouth in a grievance, tears twirling in her eyes. She really disliked Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s brother, and she even sneered at Ling Rui¡¯er. How could she want to get this far? That man couldn¡¯t bepared with You Yuecheng!

 Chapter 510 - The Lovable Ling Mingyan

    <h4><strong>Chapter 510</strong> The Lovable Ling Mingyan</h4>

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean it. I just heard... I felt sad...¡± Ling Mingyan felt wronged, sad, and oppressed. Looking at the charming prostitute, she couldn¡¯t help crying. Tears immediately fell, and she sobbed, ¡°How can I want you to be joked? Don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m thinking in my heart? I am willing to do anything for you, but... but...¡±

    But she just didn¡¯t want to see other women around You Yuecheng.

    You Yuecheng waved his hand, and the woman sitting beside him stood up, saluted him respectfully, and retreated.

    ¡°Come and sit.¡± He pointed to the brocade stool beside him. His attitude was gentle.

    Seeing that the woman was gone, Ling Mingyan came subconsciously to sit on the brocade stool pointed by You Yuecheng. Her eyes were still full of tears, and she looked like an aggrieved person. No one could think that Ling Mingyan who was arrogant outside was as adorable as a little sheep in front of You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Is that woman pretty?¡± You Yuecheng asked, frowning.

    ¡°No.¡± Ling Mingyan fiercely shook her head. She wasn¡¯t deliberately belittling that woman. To be honest, that woman indeed didn¡¯t look pretty. Her features were far worse than those of the women she had tried to give him in order to pretend to be virtuous.

    ¡°Is she prettypared with the maidservants in our manor?¡±

    Ling Mingyan rubbed her face with her handkerchief, and answered bitterly, ¡°No, her features are medium at best.¡±

    ¡°Since she isn¡¯t pretty, then how could I want an unbeautiful prostitute instead of the beautiful maidservants in my manor? Is my taste really so bad?¡± You Yuecheng asked lightly.

    Ling Mingyan had always known You Yuecheng¡¯s taste. And he had never been keen on women. He only had a few maidservants around him, without concubines. He was the cleanest man among themon big families. Besides, since she married him, Ding General Manor also sent several maidservants to serve him in order to consolidate the position. Ling Mingyan was dissatisfied with them, but she knew that they were very beautiful.

    Even so, You Yuecheng didn¡¯t show any interest in them. Ling Mingyan once secretly rejoiced at it.

    At this time, she thought that You Yuecheng could not have liked the woman. Her eyes lit up, and she looked up and stuttered, ¡°But... but you, just held... her hand... why?¡±

    ¡°I had something to deal with. Now that you made a scene, I have to find a reason for you, saving others from thinking that you are arrogant and rude. This is a restaurant. If you make big trouble, Mingguo Manor and Ding General Manor will both be humiliated. Are you willing to see that? That woman didn¡¯te for me. When I heard youing, I borrowed her from my friend temporarily. They are right next door.¡±

    You Yuecheng rubbed his forehead, with anger covering his face.

    At his words, the anger on Ling Mingyan¡¯s face immediately faded away. Her heart was filled with happiness and sweetness, as well as remorse. She felt that she was too impulsive toe here to make trouble. Although You Yuecheng showed no affection for her recently, at least he did not give her the cold shoulder, which was a small improvement since they got married.

    What she had done must make him feel disappointed. She raised her head, looked at You Yuecheng, and repeatedly promised, ¡°Your Excellency, I¡¯m sorry, I really thought... I won¡¯t be like this again. I¡¯ll kill that damn old woman when I go back. She dared to stir me up, making me think you really had a private meeting with other women.¡±

    In excitement, she spoke everything out. Ling Mingyan only felt that she was sorry for You Yuecheng at this time. She didn¡¯t care about the life and death of her loyal men, and she really hated the old maidservant who came with her from her parents¡¯ family. She just had a walk on the street, but she told Ling Mingyan that she saw You Yuecheng and a woman enter a private room in the restaurant, which caused her to lose her mind and lead people to rush to catch him and the woman. Damn, she would deal with her after she went back.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you can think like that. You have to remember, you are my wife. As long as you do not cause trouble, you¡¯ll always be my wife in my heart, and give you a decent position being my wife. In the future, you¡¯ll manage Duke Mingguo¡¯s backyard. Those women certainly have to listen to you. As for what I do outside, you are Duke Ding¡¯s daughter, and don¡¯t you really understand that I am in no mood to y at this time!¡±

    You Yuecheng was exasperated at what she had done.

    ¡°Well, Your Excellency, I know. If you need my help, just let me know. I will help you. I don¡¯t care if my father and uncle are on whose side, I must be on your side. I¡¯ll do what you ask me to.¡± She felt sorry for You Yuecheng. This was the height of thepetition for the throne. To please You Yuecheng, Ling Mingyan had repeatedly expressed loyalty to him.

    In fact, she also thought so.

    Her father and Second Uncle supported King Yan first, and then abandon him, but she was different. Since His Excellency was on the side of King Yan, she would definitely support King Yan firmly.

    Mo Xuetong took her maidservants upstairs. The private room that Mo Ye had ordered for her was beside the window. She sat down by the window and looked out of it to see that the woman with the veil was just getting on an extremely simple carriage by the side of the road, surrounded by several maidservants. Such a carriage was the most on the street, which had no sign or mark, so it was impossible to see which manor it came from.

    ¡°My Lady, thedy looks imposing. Why doesn¡¯t she even have a decent carriage?¡± Mo Yu also saw it, and looked down curiously, asking in confusion. Just now, the words of that woman¡¯s servants showed that their master¡¯s status wasn¡¯t lower than that of Ling Mingyan. How could she be from a small family?

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t answer, but smiled thoughtfully, and said to Mo Ye who was standing aside. ¡°Mo Ye, ask Mo Feng to go after them.¡±

    Mo Ye received her order.

    ¡°My Lady, is there anything wrong with thatdy?¡± asked Mo Yu who had just taken a tea set from a waiter at the door and was pouring tea for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°There are not many women in the capital, whose manner is more imposing than Ling Mingyan¡¯s!¡± Mo Xuetong blinked swiftly. There was a trace of a smile tugging at her lips, making her look smart. She took the teacup from Mo Yu and took a slight sip of it.

    Ling Mingyan used to be the legitimate daughter of Ding General Manor, and now was His Excellency¡¯s wife in Mingguo Manor. No matter what her identity was, she was as honorable as the daughter of the royal family, and even more honorable than a remote princess. And her servants¡¯ words held a murderous aura.

    Where were the most domineering women? The answer was naturally the imperial pce. Moreover, Mo Xuetong had seen a phoenix hairpin on her head. This customization and hairpin type were only avable to the master in the pce. With this in thought, she found that that woman¡¯s maidservants were much more agile than the average maidservant.

    As the two groups confronted, the one on the upper steps only wobbled, and the woman with the veil standing behind wasn¡¯t touched at all. It could be seen that she was agile and mastered kung fu.

    If the woman was from the pce, it made sense.

    A consort or a princess? Or someone else? Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t figure it out, but she was convinced that this person was here to meet You Yuecheng. Otherwise, You Yuecheng who was indifference would never take care of this kind of idle business. He dragged a brothel girl out to distract Ling Mingyan¡¯s attention at the risk of ruining his reputation.

    Did this mean that Ling Mingyan also knew the woman? Otherwise, You Yuecheng would not be so anxious, and the woman didn¡¯t say a word at all.

    A story was formed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind.

    Ling Mingyan appeared here today because she had received news that You Yuecheng would secretly meet a woman. As the woman got the news and hurried down, she met Ling Mingyan at the stairs. ording to Ling Mingyan¡¯s temperament, of course, it was impossible for her to go without a fight.

    Seeing that they were making a big deal out of this, You Yuecheng had no choice but to find a prostitute to act with him so as to draw Ling Mingyan¡¯s attention and cover the woman away.

    In the whole thing, Mo Xuetong did not understand why You Yuecheng secretly met a woman from the pce. Mingguo Manor was now on the side of King Yan, and King Yan was losing hope, because he irked Emperor Zongwen again and again. You Yuecheng¡¯s meeting with the woman from the pce at this time was a little weird instead of ambiguous.

    Mo Xuetong and You Yuecheng had confronted each other many times. She knew that You Yuecheng was ambitious and would never ruin his matter because of a woman, nor would he make something ambiguous for a private meeting with a woman from the pce, which would cause Ling Mingyan and Ding General Manor to be displeased, or attract suspicion from others.

    Therefore, that woman must not be simple.

    Mo Lan kept behind the curtain of the private room. As she noticed You Yuecheng and Ling Mingyaning out of the opposite room, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°My Lady, Marquess Mingguo has gone out.¡±

    ¡°Let me see.¡± Mo Yu put down the teapot in her hand, picked up the dress slightly and walked lightly.

    Through the slightly lifted curtain, she saw You Yuecheng strode in front. The expression on his face was still cold and rigorous, and Ling Mingyan behind him had turned obedient and her head lowered, with a sweet smile on her face. She smiled and looked at the tall and handsome You Yuecheng in front of her from time to time, with a look of admiration on her face.

    The two walked out one after the other with their servants.

    Mo Xuetong looked through the window and happened to see Ling Mingyan¡¯s carriageing, followed by a dozen of servants who did heavy work with sticks. The corner of her lips curved into a smile.

    You Yuecheng also saw these servants and he snorted with displeasure. Then he swiftly got on the horse brought by the manservant, then looked down at Ling Mingyan who was exining with some awkwardness, and faintly said, ¡°You go back first, I will go out now. I may note back for dinner, so don¡¯t wait for me. Have dinner yourself.¡±

    ¡°You still have to go out at this time?¡± Ling Mingyan thought that You Yuecheng would go back with her, and she was wondering the sweet scene that they would in the same carriage as her face had turned red. Since she married into Mingguo Manor, they had never shared a carriage.

    ¡°Yes, I have to do something. You go back first. I wille back earlier in the evening.¡± Maybe because he noticed the longing in Ling Mingyan¡¯s eyes, You Yuecheng said slowly, and his voice was not that cold.

    He even spoke to her in such a gentle voice, and said that he woulde back early in the evening, which meant that he woulde to her room. Ling Mingyan¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, but she acted shyly and twisted the handkerchief in her hands. She was so overjoyed that she had forgotten what she had stormed in to do today.

 Chapter 511 - Secret Moves, Concubine Xiang Is Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 511 Secret Moves, Concubine Xiang Is Pregnant</h4>

    Ling Mingyan nodded in a rarely gentle manner, and then made a bow to You Yuecheng like a perfect wife. After that, she got on her carriage with the help of her maidservant. She was sodylike, making Mo Yu who watched upstairs burst intoughter.

    She really didn¡¯t expect Ling Mingyan, who had always been arrogant and rude, to have such an adorable look.

    Mo Xuetong took her handkerchief to cover her mouth and also smiled. Ling Mingyan got on the carriage sheepishly. At the moment, she was so happy that she did not notice a trace of disgust in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes, but Mo Xuetong saw it clearly. You Yuecheng turned away in a resolute manner, without any reluctance. The situation of the two was still the same as when Mo Xuetong just came to the capital¡ªone chased and the other escaped.

    In the past, Ling Mingyan knew that You Yuecheng didn¡¯t like her, but she still pursued him relentlessly. And now it seemed You Yuecheng had taken a different means to deal with Ling Mingyan, making the arrogant woman obedient. The man¡¯s means were so varied.

    Poor Ling Mingyan was still in the dark, thinking that her husband only had a cold temperament.

    Mo Xuetong certainly didn¡¯t pity Ling Mingyan. Ling Mingyan had long been notorious in the capital. She was not only arrogant and despotic, but also killed people on the streets. Her carriage of Ding General Manor had made so much trouble. She often made sarcastic remarks about girls who were inferior to her in position, and even whipped them when she was in a bad mood.

    It was said that when she attended the pce banquet, she beat a little official¡¯s daughter half to death because she identally ran into her. In the face of many gentlemen anddies of noble families, she beat her fiercely. When she was finally pulled away by others, she was still unwilling to spare her. The little official¡¯s daughter was said to throw herself into the river when she went back because she felt that she was too humiliated to see others.

    Mo Xuetong could only say that You Yuecheng was much smarter than Ling Mingyan now.

    Mo Yu put down the curtain in his hand, blinked his eyes, and suddenly asked, ¡°My Lady, Marquess Mingguo doesn¡¯t like First Miss Ling, why did he marry her?¡±

    Mo Yu thought it naively. Since Marquess Mingguo didn¡¯t like Ding General Manor¡¯s first miss, and he looked so strong, he could just refuse to marry her. Anyway, Ding General Manor would not throw Ling Mingyan in Mingguo Manor forcibly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled faintly and replied, ¡°No matter what, Ding General Manor is the powerful empress¡¯s family. You Yuecheng might dislike Ling Mingyan, he could not refuse her. Otherwise, he won¡¯t drag on until now.¡±

    Among the two powerful manors, it was of course the best if they could marry together. Moreover, You Yuecheng now supported King Yan Feng Yulei, the Empress¡¯s parents¡¯ family was Ding General Manor. If he could bring Ding General Manor to support King Yan and serve King Yan in a down-to-earth manner, it was nothing for You Yuecheng to marry Ling Mingyan.

    In the same way, if he really wanted to reject Ling Mingyan, he could directly reject her. After all, Ding General Manor would not force him to marry her! Therefore, You Yuecheng was ying cat and mouse before. Remembering that Mo Xuemin had thought of being his wife in the past, Mo Xuetong just felt speechless.

    ¡°My Lady, do you mean that Marquess Mingguo deliberately kept First Miss Ling waiting?¡± Mo Yu¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Why not! Getting married to Ding General Manor is only good for You Yuecheng. And considering Ling Mingyan¡¯s reputation and the way she married into Mingguo Manor, Ding General Manor can¡¯t object when You Yuecheng wants to do something in the future. Either way, Ding General Manor owes You Yuecheng because of Ling Mingyan.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, and exined with a hint.

    Mo Yu didn¡¯t understand her words for a while.

    Mo Lan thought about it and interjected, ¡°My Lady, you meant that Marquess Mingguo will invent a charge against Ding General Manor on this matter in the future?¡±

    ¡°Or You Yuecheng has further ns,¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    The empress¡¯s family of Ding General Manor was sometimes very hateful. It had been a long time since someone said that the Empress came from Ding General Manor. This had caused the power deviation between the Four Great Manors that were evenly matched. Now It seemed that Ding General Manor was the strongest. With the Empress and the Empress Dowager¡¯s support, it would never fall down.

    But things were unpredictable, especially at this time, the erratic attitude of Ding General Manor had made many people unhappy.

    When they were talking here, the curtain was lifted, and Mo Ye walked in with a depressed face.

    ¡°My Lady, the carriage first went to the east of the city for a while, and the woman entered an ordinary clothing store. Mo Feng and I waited outside for a while, but they didn¡¯te out. We sensed there was something wrong, so we went in and found out the clothing store had a back door. When we went in, they were gone.¡±

    ¡°They have left from the other door?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned.

    ¡°Yes, we didn¡¯t expect there is the other door of that store, and the back door also faces a street. We didn¡¯t dare to chase them in urgency, so we just looked around at the back door and came back.¡±

    Mo Ye missed this time. Thinking of his failure, he was very annoyed. They should be one at the front door and the other at the back. Then that woman could not escape.

    ¡°Never mind. Since she has appeared, she will appear again.¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t me them. She took a sip of the tea, and a sly smile appeared in her watery eyes, making her eyes sparkling, like a flowering pond with ripples. She actually had a conjecture, but it needed to be confirmed.

    In the backyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    In a dim house, there was a little maidservant sitting at the door. She watched a few concubines in the courtyard. They were dressed in gorgeous clothes or walked in an enchanting manner, and two of them were quarreling for whom picked the flowers in the garden first while the rest leaned aside to watch them and chat.

    An old maidservant walked in hurriedly, and looked at the maidservant at the door. Getting a hint, she nodded and lifted the curtain into the room.

    ¡°Nanny, you are here.¡± A woman¡¯s dull voice came from the room.

    There was no light in the room. The nanny closed her eyes and waited to get used to it. Then she saw a woman sitting in a corner of the house. Her face was pale, but fortunately, she looked healthy, wearing a somewhat loose dress. But it didn¡¯t make her look fat because of her slender figure.

    The nanny came over and sat on the stool beside her. Then she lowered her voice and said softly, ¡°Concubine Xiang, tomorrow is that woman¡¯s birthday. Just tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Concubine Xiang froze for a moment and reached out to touch her belly. She knew that the child in her belly was just for setting up others. Since she hid in this room every day for the past few months, and the child in her belly was the only one who apanied her, she, who was reckless with greed, now was a little bit reluctant.

    ¡°Nanny, can I refuse? I...¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re reluctant to lose it? Concubine Xiang, are you really wanting to give birth to this bastard? Are you trying to using this illegitimate child to get a promotion? The royal family has its own way to verify biological identity. Concubine Xiang, you are too whimsical,¡± the nanny said coldly, her face darkening.

    What she said was extremely rude, but it stopped Concubine Xiang from saying something. She opened her mouth but said nothing.

    She really wanted to give birth to this child. All the concubines in this manor had no child now. If she had a child, King Xuan would think highly of her and give herself a formal position. Then she could fight Mo Xuetong. She believed that if she, who had a way of escape, had a son in hand, she could definitely defeat Mo Xuetong.

    But the nanny¡¯s words directly made her hope fade away.

    If she gave birth to the child, the royal family would verify his blood.

    ¡°Can you ask Her Highness to help me?¡± Concubine Xiang looked at the nanny with pleading.

    ¡°Help you? How? Her Highness is in poor health. If you really don¡¯t want to lose this child, just forget it,¡± the nanny stated coldly, her eyes falling on Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly, and she smiled slyly. ¡°Once you spread the word that you¡¯re pregnant with King Xuan¡¯s child, you will lose it before you set up others.¡±

    After she finished speaking, she stood up as if to leave before Concubine Xiang spoke.

    ¡°Nanny, I¡¯ll listen to Her Highness¡¯s orders.¡± Seeing the nanny was going, Concubine Xiang stood up and wailed.

    She knew what the nanny said was true. No one in the manor now suspected that she had a baby in her belly. If they knew, in a few days, those women outside would definitely make her have a miscarriage. She was also one of them in the past. It was not that she had never had such an idea.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Seeing herpromise, the nanny nodded, turned her head, and put on a smile on her face.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll listen to Her Highness.¡± Concubine Xiang gritted her teeth. Her pale face showed a bit of cruelty, and the hand touching her belly shivered, but she still said firmly.

    Since she could not keep this child, it was appropriate to use him for her benefit. At most, she would burn some paper money for the unborn child during the festivals. Then she wouldn¡¯t feel sorry for him.

    ¡°Good. If this child is gone, you can take that woman off the stage. If you lose your child because of a collision, His Highness will alsopensate you, and will definitely make the decision for you. At least, you will be promoted as an ordinary concubine. If you catch the chance, you might be a second consort. After that, His Highness has no first consort. Then it¡¯s up to you.¡± The nanny¡¯s face was full of smiles, and she respectfully made a special bow to Concubine Xiang.

    This pleased Concubine Xiang and reduced her sorrow of losing her child. She looked as if she had seen that all concubines only saluted to her in the future. The mournful heart was at once excited and d. She had thought clear of trading a child whose father was not King Xuan for her own benefits.

    Her face was full of joy instead of a reluctant look. And there was a smile in her eyes. At first nce, one would know that she was thrilled. The nanny looked at her in disdain, and did not talk nonsense with her, only saying, ¡°Concubine Xiang, then you prepare today.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Concubine Xiang nodded.

 Chapter 512 - Mo Xuetongs Birthday Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 512 Mo Xuetong¡¯s Birthday Banquet</h4>

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t n to have a big birthday banquet. She was going to get people of General Manor and Mo Manor together for a meal. However, the news was somehow known by the Emperor. Emperor Zongwen especially gave a gift to her, leading to all big families to send gifts. It seemed that she had to hold a birthday banquet.

    Although she was young and junior, as Consort Xuan, she could hold a big birthday banquet.

    Early in the morning, Mo Xuetong got out of bed and dressed up.

    ¡°My Lady, two concubines and some people came over and said they wanted to greet you.¡± Mo Lan lifted the curtain and came in. She wore a peach-colored jacket today, which made her look extremely bright. Mo Xuetong had it made for her close maidservants by a clothing store.

    It was Mo Xuetong¡¯s birthday, and Feng Yuran was in a good mood. He ordered that everyone in the manor be given two taels of silver, so these concubines in the backyard also knew it. Normally, Mo Xuetong asked them not to greet her. Although she was clear that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t care about them, Mo Xuetong still felt a little disgusting when she saw a lot of beauties of different kinds.

    Out of sight, out of mind. Feng Yuran also ordered that they could note over and disturb him. Even though they all in the backyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, there were differences. Those concubines lived in the yard close to the back door, and there was a door between their yard and Mo Xuetong¡¯s central yard.

    Today was Mo Xuetong¡¯s birthday, and she¡¯d better not to make those women look bad. She simply nodded and took a few maidservants to sit in the central house.

    He Yufen, Concubine Qin, and several concubines came in together, and bowed to Mo Xuetong. They all looked very well behaved. He Yufen was wearing a light crimson dress and a turmeric coat. She looked pretty, and her make-up was also delicate. She saluted while looking at the inner room.

    Concubine Qin looked much more solemn, but she held an arrogant aura. After she sat on the small stool, her head was slightly raised, and her face was cold and a little arrogant. She thought that she held a higher status than Mo Xuetong. As she looked at Mo Xuetong sitting in the main position, there was a slight difort in her eyes.

    ¡°Happy birthday, My Lady. I sewed a pair of shoes here and sent them to My Lady. I wish you a long life.¡± He Yufen smiled and asked the apanying maidservant to bring a pair of exquisite shoes. She took it up by herself and presented it in front of Mo Xuetong, as if she did not resent the fact that Mo Xuetong had not yet drunk her tea.

    ¡°Concubine He, you¡¯re so polite. Then I¡¯ll ept it. Thank you, Concubine He.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and asked Mo Lan to ept the shoes and ordered the maidservant to serve tea. Now that they hade specifically to congratte her today, as Consort Xuan, she should be generous.

    ¡°This is?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes fell on a seemingly low-key concubine sitting at the end. The concubine had a pair of charming eyes. Seeing Mo Xuetong looking at her, she hurriedly gave another respectful salute. Looking at Mo Xuetong timidly, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m Concubine Xiang.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Concubine Xiang!¡± Mo Xuetong looked up and down her, and then looked at her big robe before she gently said, ¡°Sit down. You¡¯re carrying High Highness¡¯s child. Don¡¯t stand too long!¡±

    Her soft words had a devastating effect...

    As soon as her words came out, everyone else¡¯s face changed. Even Concubine Qin, who had always looked down upon others, couldn¡¯t help but look pale. She looked at the low-key Concubine Xiang in amazement, and could not speak for a while. ¡°Concubine Xiang is pregnant! How can Concubine Xiang get pregnant?¡±

    ¡°Concubine Xiang, when did you get pregnant? Why didn¡¯t we know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how long have you been pregnant? How did you keep it so secret?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not obvious. I didn¡¯t know if Her Lady didn¡¯t say it. Concubine Xiang, are you sure you are pregnant? Is it true?¡± After a short period of consternation, other concubines began to attack Concubine Xiang. There was no child in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. The reason why this group of concubines had no position was that they had no children. They didn¡¯t expect that Concubine Xiang had been secretly pregnant with King Xuan¡¯s child. How could they not be jealous and hateful?

    A few stared at Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly and began to maliciously n how to stop the child in her belly from being born.

    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t know much about it. I thought I just had eaten too much. I didn¡¯t expect to be pregnant. It¡¯s just that yesterday I fell, and then found out that I was pregnant with His Highness¡¯s child. I didn¡¯t dare to hide it, so I reported it to His Highness.¡± Concubine Xiang seemed to be frightened by the others¡¯ eyes. She shivered and lowered her head. ¡°His Highness said that My Lady will deal with this matter, so I came to greet you with sisters early in the morning.¡±

    Concubine Xiang looked like a docile person and was timid. As she looked at the other concubines¡¯ burning eyes, her voice got smaller and smaller, almost like a mosquito¡¯s sound. She was scared and covered her belly with her hands. Her eyes were full of tears, looking temptatious, but there were all women here.

    No one was fascinated by her pitiful appearance; they only thought she was too pretentious and really like a vixen.

    Feng Yuran had not called concubines to serve him since Mo Xuetong entered the manor, which meant that it happened previously. At that time, Concubine Xiang was really favored. She was given to Feng Yuran by the pce. After entering the mansion, she enjoyed a few days of pampering. In this case, the child should have been four to five months. She had concealed everyone for so long. Now she pushed all things to Mo Xuetong.

    This Concubine Xiang didn¡¯t seem simple.

    Mo Xuetong had been observing Concubine Xiang, noticing her cowardly and timid, as if she was subjected to great grievances. Then she cast her timid eyes at the crowd, and she deliberately reached out and stroked her belly, as if to protect the child in the belly. But even so, her tenderness did not reach the bottom of her eyes. Besides, she peeked at Mo Xuetong¡¯splexion again and again.

    It looked as if she wanted to see the look of jealousy and hate on her face.

    But she was disappointed. Feng Yuran had told Mo Xuetong about itst night, and also told her all his n.

    A cold smile yed on her lips. It looked like more than one person was trying to do something on her birthday banquet.

    Well, she didn¡¯t care whether it was auspicious or not. She could just treat it as a noisy banquet!

    Since it was Consort Xuan¡¯s birthday, and there was a banquet, the whole manor was busy. Servants who were shuttling were preparing for the banquet. As early as a few days ago, Feng Yuran had ordered people to decorate the garden because the banquet was held in the garden of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    In addition, there were some flowers and nts dotted around the banquet.

    A fewrge pots of flowers were delivered to the back door today. The manservants carrying the flowers took people to the garden to set up. It was still early, and the guests had note yet. Two manservants who did misceneous affairs were busy in the garden quickly. They must get things done before the guests came, so as not to offend them.

    Seeing two manservants who were sweating profusely but still bent over their work, some maidservants smiled. Knowing they were in a hurry, no one disturbed them, and kept on preparing the banquet.

    In the main yard, Mo Xuetong asked all the other concubines to go back, leaving only Concubine Qin and Concubine He, who had a position, as well as Concubine Xiang who had ¡°just¡± found herself pregnant for four to five months. Mo Xuetong said she prepared to distribute servants and new rooms to her.

    At this time, guests hade one after another. Mo Xuetong went to the parlor to greet them, leaving the three in the wing room.

    Most of Mo Xuetong¡¯s guests were young madams anddies. Although she had a high statue, she was still young. Senior madams did note, in case anyone said they were ashamed to curry favor with Consort Xuan. It was Mo Xuetong¡¯s 14th birthday. She had not up to 15 years old, so it was not a big birthday.

    The one from Fu General Manor was Mo Xuetong¡¯s second aunt, Madam Qu, as well as her niece Yun Ya who lived in Fu General Manor for the time being. Madame Qu imed that she took her here to meet the world. Mo Xuetong also smiled and asked her to sit down.

    Xu Yan didn¡¯te, but her gift was here. She was now heavily pregnant, so it was really unsuitable for her to go out. Mo Xuetong had specially sent someone to Mo Manor to ask her not toe.

    When Luo Mingzhu came, most of the guests had already arrived.

    She wore a light red long dress with dim flower patterns, with a seven treasure hairpin of jade on her head. She looked good, and her cheeks looked rosier than before marriage. Obviously, she lived happily. All smiles, she stepped forward and said, ¡°Cousin Tong, I came here specifically earlier to see what I can help you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything now, but with Second Cousin¡¯s presence, I won¡¯t be in a hurryter. This is the first time I¡¯ve entertained guests.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly.

    ¡°You¡¯vee sote. You help her? It¡¯s good if you don¡¯t do a disservice. Look, you can have dinner in a while. It¡¯s so punctual. Did youe when you smelled the food!¡± Madam Qu smiled and pointed at the sky outside, teasing Luo Mingzhu.

    It was only then that Luo Mingzhu saw her mother sitting beside. She came over and said with a sweet smile, ¡°Mother, I just say polite remarks to Cousin Tong.¡±

    Although she had been married, she was still like a little girl in front of her mother. She said those words as she came over and took Madam Qu¡¯s hand and shook it, just as innocent as before she was married.

    The present madams anddies allughed.

    Madam Qu couldn¡¯t help but squeeze her nose and shook her head with a smile. ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re a grown-up, but you still say something like this. If your mother-inw heard it, she might think we didn¡¯t give you enough food. By the way, when did you be greedy? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡±

    ¡°Aunt, Second Cousin is good at pretending. She always pretends that she cares nothing in front of you, but she doesn¡¯t hold it in front of me anymore. The lotus cakes you gave mest time were all eaten by her,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    ¡°You greedy cat.¡± Madam Qu smiled and scolded.

    As mother and daughter and sisters were talking andughing together, there was a look of sadness in Yun Ya¡¯s eyes as she sat nearby. She pouted and timidly called, ¡°Cousin Mingzhu.¡±

    Just then Luo Mingzhu saw Yun Ya sitting aside. She blinked her eyes and didn¡¯t recognize who she was.

    ¡°Mingzhu,e here. This is your Cousin Yun Ya, your aunt¡¯s daughter. You yed together when you¡¯re kids,¡± Madam Qu introduced with a smile.

    ¡°Greetings, Cousin Mingzhu.¡± Yun Ya got up immediately, standing gracefully in front of Luo Mingzhu with a bow.

 Chapter 513 - The Arrogant First Miss Yun

    <h4>Chapter 513 The Arrogant First Miss Yun</h4>

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Cousin.¡± Luo Mingzhu hurried over to help Yun Ya up. She held her hand and said with a smile, ¡°I thought who the beauty was. You turn out to be Cousin Ya. Why are you here, Cousin Ya? I heard that you¡¯re getting engaged, and I was wondering what to give you as a present. I¡¯m really surprised to see you here, Cousin Ya.¡±

    Hearing her words, everyone couldn¡¯t help ncing at Yun Ya.

    Yun Ya looked about 15 or 16 years old. Since she was making an engagement, she must be getting married. Why did shee all the way to the capital at this time? It was weird.

    ¡°Nonsense. Who said your cousin is getting engaged? It is just that someone else has taken a fancy to her. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. Anyway, it¡¯s over.¡± At the sight of the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Madam Qu red at Luo Mingzhu. She smiled awkwardly and scolded her.

    Luo Mingzhu gently patted her face and smilingly scolded herself, ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I got it, mother. I put my foot in my mouth again. Look at my mouth, it always speaks nonsense. Don¡¯t be angry, Cousin Ya.¡±

    ¡°Cousin, what are you talking about? How can I be angry with you?¡± Yun Ya gently replied with a blush. She looked like ady from a respectable family.

    At this point, someone came and said that King Xuan invited the madams anddies to take their seats.

    Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile and led everyone into the garden. The scenery in the garden was beautiful; clusters of blooming flowers were dotted with dense green leaves, making the entire garden lively. The madams anddies spread out, walked on their way while admiring the beautiful scenery in the garden.

    Concubine Qin and the other concubines followed closely behind Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Who are these people?¡± Walking with Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu saw Concubine Qin who was three or four steps behind Mo Xuetong. She knew the woman in the front: it was said that she was the daughter of Duke Wanping, who had been sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. This girl used to be full of pride. Unexpectedly, she came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor without a title in the end.

    Luo Mingzhu felt pity for her for a while.

    However, even though she looked down and followed behind Mo Xuetong, a hint of disdain could be seen in her eyes. Luo Mingzhu disliked her manner very much. She was just a concubine without a position. How dared she look at Consort Xuan like that? She was too conceited. That was the reason she pointed at them and asked arrogantly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and answered unconcernedly, ¡°They are just a few concubines. You don¡¯t have to care about them.¡± She could tell that Luo Mingzhu was trying to help her vent her anger.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. There are so many concubines in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. I heard that His Highness used to like to gather all kinds of concubines and then send them out.¡± Luo Mingzhu took a look at Concubine Qin and Concubine He, especially at the face of Concubine Xiang, who wore loose clothes and looked obviously pale. She smiled, and her remarks appeared to be directed at someone. Then, she stopped looking at them and walked forward with Mo Xuetong.

    The calmness on Concubine Qin¡¯s face had disappeared. Her expression stiffened and a hint of anger shed through her eyes. She almost failed to control her temper. But casting a nce at Luo Mingzhu in front of her, she suppressed the anger in her heart. Four Great Manors were the noblest. Even in the past, she could not afford to offend them.

    Although He Yufen was still smiling, there was also a sh of jealousy and hate in her eyes.

    Only Concubine Xiang, who walked at the end of the crowd, still seemed to bear no grudge, looking as frail as ever.

    Mo Ye noticed all their expressions. She took a few steps forward to separate Concubine Qin from Mo Xuetong. She closely followed her master, not allowing Concubine Qin to get too close to her. Even though Concubine Qin was arrogant, she couldn¡¯t help trembling when she saw Mo Ye¡¯s cold gaze. As a result, she did not dare to get too close to her.

    ¡°Second Cousin, what kind of person is your Cousin Ya?¡± Mo Xuetong asked Luo Mingzhu softly when she saw that Concubine Qin and the others were a few steps away from them.

    She had always liked Luo Mingzhu who seemed to be straightforward, but in fact, was not careless. What Luo Mingzhu said about Yun Ya had a deeper meaning behind it. It was just that since her Second Aunt was close to them, she could not ask about it in detail. She asked only when she saw that her Second Aunt was watching the flowers with Miss Yun Ya.

    Luo Mingzhu harrumphed coldly. It was obvious that she was displeased. ¡°Cousin Ya isn¡¯t as weak as she looks. What was my mother thinking? Why did she allow her to live in my family? God knows if she would make trouble,¡± she said in a low voice when she saw that the people around them were all Mo Xuetong¡¯s confidantes.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, don¡¯t look at how weak and delicate she is. She looks as if she would blush within just a few words. In actuality, she is quite tough. She dared to elope with a man when she was only 13. Even though she failed, she made a scene at home. My aunt and uncle had no choice but to agree to the marriage between her and that man.¡±

    ¡°However, half a yearter, she fell in love with another man, and even tried to harm the previous man. The matter caused a stir in the local area. Fortunately, she failed again. My uncle put in a lot of effort and sent many taels of silver to settle the matter. I didn¡¯t expect her toe to the capital now. Isn¡¯t she here to cause trouble for Fu General Manor?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu grew angrier as she spoke. A surge of madness rose from the pit of her stomach when she assumed that it must be because her mother was too soft-hearted.

    Mo Xuetong was shocked by Luo Mingzhu¡¯s words. She blinked her watery eyes and could not help but sigh in her heart, ¡°She isn¡¯t like ady from a noble family at all. If she was in the capital and had such a reputation, who would dare to marry a woman like her?¡± Then she wondered if that was the reason why Miss Yun left her family.

    If she was really like that, she would really cause trouble for Fu General Manor, especially when she realized that Yun Ya might really have something to do with a man. Mo Xuetong frowned and could not help spilling her mind, ¡°Second Cousin, do you think your cousin has taken a fancy to another man?¡±

    ¡°Did you see her having a secret date with a man?¡± Luo Mingzhu paused, annoyance appearing on her face. This cousin was always doing such things. When she saw another man who was slightly stronger than the previous one, she would fall in love with him. Furthermore, she was reckless. So Luo Mingzhu was really afraid that she would cause trouble for Fu General Manor.

    She secretly made up her mind that she would talk to her mother privatelyter and ask her to watch Cousin Ya closely and not to bring her out to attend any banquets in case that she made a scandal that would implicate the entire Fu General Manor.

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I only saw that she had a jade pendant. ording to its style, it is from the pce, and belongs to a male.¡± Mo Xuetong told what she saw to Luo Mingzhu. This matter could not be hidden. If someone took advantage of Yun Ya, some old things in Fu General Manor might be brought up. In that case, it was not just about a woman¡¯s bad private morality.

    Luo Mingzhu nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cousin Tong. I¡¯ll talk to my motherter.¡±

    A maid who walked in the front led the way into a path.

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu followed behind subconsciously. They walked on the path by theke as they spoke. They would reach the banquet once they passed through the path. The wind blew through two rows of tall willows nted on either side of the road. Feeling the breeze on their face, these people were invigorated and felt very rxed. They could not help but slow down.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Suddenly, a low scream came from behind. Everyone turned around and saw Concubine Xiang, who was at the end of the crowd, squatted at the intersection near theke. She was pale, with one hand covering her belly, looking fragile.

    Concubine Qin and He Yufen, who were standing next to her, looked at each other with alertness in their eyes. They both stepped back, no longer close to her. No matter how they wanted to kill the child in Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly, it was obviously not the best time to do it. In order not to get into trouble, they simply backed away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Xuetong stopped walking and turned around to stand in front of her. A hint of gloom shed through her lively eyes.

    ¡°My Lady, my stomach hurts. Can I have a rest?¡± Concubine Xiang lifted her charming eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong pitifully as she begged. She looked nervous and afraid. ¡°I, I really can¡¯t move.¡±

    She looked and acted as if Mo Xuetong were deliberately dragging her along. There were already a few people walking on the path across theke, and they were all young masters. Mo Xuetong was inside to entertain young madams anddies while Feng Yuran was outside to entertain young masters.

    In order to create a lively scene, Feng Yuran arranged the venue of the banquet in the garden. However, they were separated by screens. Most of the guests were young and wanted to create a lively scene. It was the beginning of the banquet and it was reasonable for the male guests toe over.

    He Yufen cast a nce at one of them from the corner of her eye as a grim and smug smile appeared on her lips. She nced at Mo Xuetong and Concubine Xiang, and then stepped back a little.

    The road they took was close to theke. Except for a few willows, there was no barrier to theke, and theke was notrge, so people on the other side of theke could see them. They saw that there was an argument, especially with a pretty woman half crouching shyly to salute, and that the one with her back to them had not let her up. They thought it was too much.

    ¡°Concubine Xiang, if you don¡¯t want to walk, you can rest here. You don¡¯t have to follow us.¡± Mo Xuetong seemed not to know that the young masters across theke had stopped and looked at them suspiciously. She raised her lips coldly and lifted her eyebrows. ¡°Do you think that you can threaten me with the baby in your belly, Concubine Xiang?¡±

    Concubine Xiang did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so direct. Her expression instantly changed, and then returned to normal immediately. Her voice was gentle, but there was a hint of provocation in her eyes. She looked at Mo Xuetong and said in a low voice, ¡°My Lady, I dare not. But he is the eldest son of His Highness. In order to protect me, His Highness didn¡¯t tell you until now. He must be sincerely hoping that I can give birth to the child so that he can inherit everything in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. My Lady, don¡¯t you think the child in my belly is noble?¡±

    She was still squatting with a hint of challenge in the corner of her eyes. She almost pointed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s nose and cursed. She seemed to be unstable and shook backward. Then, she suddenly yelled loudly, ¡°My Lady, please spare my unborn child. He¡¯s, he¡¯s His Highness¡¯ child. I... I¡¯ll give birth to him even if it cost me my life.¡±

 Chapter 514 - Horror by the Lake, Several Changes

    <h4>Chapter 514 Horror by the Lake, Several Changes</h4>

    Concubine Xiang¡¯s voice was extremely loud, as if she were extremely angry. She wanted to stand up but her body was too heavy and she could not stand straight. She mmed into Mo Xuetong. Behind Mo Xuetong was theke. If she was hit, she would fall into theke; but if she dodged, Concubine Xiang would fall into theke. She still had a child in her belly. She would lose the child after such a ruckus.

    And then Mo Xuetong would be med.

    What she just did was to make others suspect that Mo Xuetong was jealous of her and wanted to make her lose the child in her belly.

    When the crowd was in a mess, something fell from above and coincidentally on Concubine Xiang. Concubine Xiang shook her body and fell to the side. He Yufen was slowly approaching. When the crowd saw something falling, they all looked up and didn¡¯t notice her. Then she went to Mo Xuetong without hesitation.

    She intended to knock Mo Xuetong into the water.

    At the same time, she let out a scream. ¡°Ah, My Lady, be careful.¡±

    Then, as if she could not control herself, she mmed into Mo Xuetong¡¯s shoulder forcefully. If she really mmed into her, Mo Xuetong would fall into theke. Concubine Xiang was in front of Mo Xuetong and He Yufen was by her side. Mo Xuetong seemed to have nowhere to go but to retreat. Moreover, a swarm of hos escaped from the big ck object in front of her, causing the maids and elder maidservants to be so frightened that they ran around.

    There were only a few collisions, and then screams.

    The crowd only felt that a figure shed in front of them, and then someone fell into theke, making a ssh.

    ¡°Her Lady has fallen into theke. Quick, Her Lady has fallen into theke,¡± an elder maidservant screamed loudly. The crowd was still busy escaping the hos. They covered their faces with their sleeves and drove the hos away. They didn¡¯t realize that someone fell into theke for a moment. At this time, when they heard someone shouting, all of them followed suit and screamed, ¡°Hurry up. Save Her Lady. Her Lady has fallen into theke.¡± Though they didn¡¯t see the person clearly.

    The young masters who had been watching from the opposite bank looked at each other and hesitated for a moment. They did not see who had fallen into the water, but it was certain that a woman had fallen into theke. Hearing the shouts of the maids and elder maidservants, they thought that thedy who fell into the water must be Consort Xuan. It would not be good if she was rescued by them, but she might die if they didn¡¯t save her, which would be a big deal.

    Before they could figure it out, they heard another ssh. A person had taken off his robe and jumped into the water, swimming to the figure falling in theke. Only then did the crowd react. A few more people jumped into the water. It was Consort Xuan, and if something really happened to her with their presence, no one could take responsibility. They¡¯d better save her first.

    ¡°Hurry up. Ask the elder maidservants to save her. Hurry up,¡± Luo Mingzhu shouted in a hurry while covering her face with her sleeve.

    It was actually a ho¡¯s nest that fell from the tree. Now those hos were flying about and stinging people. So Luo Mingzhu could only cover her face with her sleeves. She was so anxious that she only wanted to shout to stop the men on the other bank from jumping into the water. If Luo Xuetong was really rescued by a man, her integrity would be ruined. It was terrible to be carried ashore by a man in front of so many people.

    The people on the shore saw that a person quickly swam to the woman falling and rising in theke. He hugged the figure in theke and swam to the shore with all his strength. While swimming, he pulled the woman¡¯s clothes, ripping away half of her buttoned clothes. One could vaguely see her pink bellyband.

    The woman in his arms also found that he had bad intentions and struggled desperately. Unfortunately, she could not swim. The moment she gained some strength, she was pushed into the water by the man, and drank a few mouthfuls of water. She twisted and struggled. Unexpectedly, her clothes that were half ripped were pulled more untidily.

    The man pressed her into the water again. After a few mouthfuls of water, she no longer had the strength to struggle and allowed the man to carry her onto a bank.

    All of this happened in the water, and the people on the shore couldn¡¯t see it clearly. They only thought that the man was not strong enough, so he took her into the water again. At that time, they jumped into the water and so did a few elder maidservants. They rushed over and tried to pull the woman first.

    When the man saw so many elder maidservantsing from the opposite direction, he simply swam to the other side. Seeing him swim over there, the elder maidservants had no choice but to turn again. However, it was a little far away, and they couldn¡¯t make it in time. It was in the direction of the banquet, and some madams anddies were already waiting there.

    At this time, all of them were rmed by the ident in thekeside and looked over here. When they saw the maning over, they hurriedly retreated. Several other young masters helped the man and finally rescued him and the woman in his arms.

    The woman was wet all over and weak. She was tightly held in the man¡¯s arms. Her long hair was scattered on her face, so others couldn¡¯t even see her face. Since it was summer, she wore few clothes, and most of the women¡¯s clothes were made of gauze. The gauze clothes made women feel very cool and also look graceful as fairies.

    However, after being soaked in the water, the clothes would attach to the body, revealing the curve of the woman¡¯s body. Moreover, because of the loose clothes, her bellyband inside was untied, and one could almost see her ample breasts. At this time, she and the man were now close to each other¡¯s chests, as if they were naked.

    The young masters on the shore hurriedly looked elsewhere and retreated to the outside of the crowd. They all felt that something was going to happen. This was Consort Xuan. The enchanting King Xuan was not someone to be trifled with.

    They still didn¡¯t know who jumped into theke and saved the woman. He didn¡¯t bring Consort Xuan to the elder maidservants, but brought her ashore himself... Now both of them were in such a situation. How could this end?

    Consort Xuan¡¯s reputation was ruined. Then there would be big trouble. Consort Xuan was chest to chest with the man, almost entirely in his arms and untucked. They almost exposed themselves to each other. In such a bright day, they had cuckolded King Xuan. How could King Xuan spare her with his temper?

    Some people sighed for Consort Xuan. She would either die, be a nun, or be divorced. It seemed that there was no way for her to live if she was divorced in such a situation.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, wake up, wake up!¡± The man didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he still held the woman in his arms and cried out with concern. It seemed that he wanted to wake Consort Xuan. They hugged each other tightly, which looked really not good.

    Some madams couldn¡¯t bear to see it any longer, so they came over and said, ¡°Please go back, sir. We¡¯ll take care of Her Lady!¡±

    ¡°No, look at Her Lady, we should save her as soon as possible. It will be toote if you don¡¯t save her now,¡± the man said righteously. In the shocked eyes of everyone, he knelt on one knee and supported the upper body of the woman on the other knee. Then he pressed hard on the woman¡¯s towering breasts.

    Some people with sharp eyes even saw that his hand directly touched the woman¡¯s slightly exposed breasts. Everyone¡¯s face turned red. This... this was really an immorality. How could this man do such a thing?

    It seemed that King Xuan had to choose another wife.

    ¡°I need to get the water in Her Lady¡¯s belly out to save her,¡± the man exined seriously while pressing down hard. However, it looked weird.

    When the man pressed down with his hands, he couldn¡¯t help showing obscene satisfaction. This move really worked out. Thinking that this woman, whom he had been reluctant to let go, finally fell into his hands, he couldn¡¯t help feeling proud.

    He pressed harder and harder.

    ¡°Get out of the way, get out of the way, His Highness ising,¡± someone shouted. All the shocked madams anddies couldn¡¯t help but get out of the way. They saw the handsome man who was the first toe. He wore a purple jade crown on his inky hair and his purple robe embroidered withrge bloom of mandragora showed his slender frame. His handsome face had a devil-like charm, and his tall nose and thin lips were almost perfect.

    However, there was a hint of irony in his long and pretty eyes.

    His beautiful face showed an evil smile, and then his face became gloomy, as if covered with cold frost. Immediately, no one dared to look at his unparalleled handsome face. Even the man who was pressing the woman and taking advantage of her was scared to release the woman and trembled.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Yu Mingyong mumbled and exined nervously, ¡°I... I¡¯m saving Her Lady.¡±

    ¡°Save me?¡± A sweet voice came from behind the crowd. This time, everyone saw Consort Xuan, who was as beautiful as jade, walking slowly from behind with her maids and elder maidservants. Her watery eyes were filled with confusion. She walked to Feng Yuran and turned her beautiful face around. It seemed that she did not know what had happened. She looked at Yu Mingyong and the woman on the ground and asked in confusion.

    ¡°Why is Mo Xuetong here?¡± Yu Mingyong was shocked and hurriedly reached out his hand to lift the long hair on the woman¡¯s face in front of him. Then he was so shocked that he sat down on the ground. ¡°How could it be He Yufen?¡±

    Of course, he knew He Yufen. Previously, his horse bumped into He Yufen¡¯s carriage. When he saw the beautiful woman in the carriage, he was immediately all over her and frightened her into crying. Then, Senior Master He came forward and agreed to their marriage. Originally, Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t want to marry her. But when he saw He Yufen¡¯s charming face, his bones had already been softened. He didn¡¯t even think about it and agreed to the marriage.

    Anyway, everyone in the capital knew that he was a yboy, and those aristocratic families would not be willing to marry their daughter to him. It was good if he could marry to the family of Consort Zhao in the pce. Later, he even asked Consort Yu about it. At that time, Consort Yu praised him and thought he had done a good thing.

    After that, when He Yufen was reced by He Yuxiu, he was very dissatisfied. He thought that this woman whose clothes were wet had been seen by other men, and cuckolded him. But at that time, Consort Zhao and Consort Yu had a good rtionship, and they were in a tentative period. Of course, Consort Yu persuaded Yu Mingyong to ept this marriage.

    Andter, He Yuxiu also secretly came to meet Yu Mingyong. Seeing He Yuxiu who was prettier than He Yufen, Yu Mingyong immediately patted his chest and admitted the marriage. Wasn¡¯t it just that she was looked at by other men? It was not a big deal. Anyway, he would look at many women in the future, so it was a draw.

    He almost jumped in shock when he realized that instead of Mo Xuetong he had been thinking of, the person he had tried his best to save was He Yufen.

    ¡°She¡¯s not Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not Consort Xuan. Who is she?¡±

    ¡°She seems to be the First Miss of the He family? It¡¯s said that the First Miss He has be a concubine of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Why does she have an affair with Yu Mingyong?¡±

    ¡°I heard that the two of them were engaged before. Is it because Yu Mingyong is reluctant to part with his former fianc¨¦e that he did this...?¡±

    Everyone tried to make up the story while talking about it. They really didn¡¯t understand what was going on. However, many of them recognized He Yufen. When He Yufen hadn¡¯t married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she had been active with Madam Lian, so she knew some of the madams anddies of the noble families.

    ¡°Yu Mingyong, when did youe to my manor?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s extremely charming face seemed to freeze.

 Chapter 515 - The One Behind the Scenes, the He Family

    <h4>Chapter 515 The One Behind the Scenes, the He Family</h4>

    It was only then when those who knew Yu Mingyong remembered that the person in front of them was Sir Yu, Yu Mingyong who liked to go to the brothel the most. How did he enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Considering Yu Mingyong¡¯s character, King Xuan would definitely not invite him. Furthermore, there were no women of Yu Manoring.

    Why did he sneak into King Xuan¡¯s Manor?

    The gatekeeper knelt down in front of Feng Yuran and hurriedly reported, ¡°Your Highness, Sir Yu came in after Madam Lian. At that time, Madam Lian got out of the carriage, and Sir Yu said something to her and then came in together. I thought he came with Madam Lian.¡±

    ¡°Madam Lian?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s dark eyesnded on the awkward Madam Lian standing by the side, as if ice had formed in his eyes and his handsome face was filled with terrifying dark clouds.

    Everyone realized that this prince was really angry. They all stepped back and didn¡¯t dare to say anything, fixing their eyes on Lian An¡¯s wife.

    Madam Lian¡¯s face turned red. She opened her mouth but was a little dazed. However, she knew that she could not escape this matter now. She hurried up and said, ¡°Your Highness, I did not know that Sir Yu did not have an invitation. Sir Yu told me about my hometown when I entered. We chatted for a while before entering the manor together. But Sir Yu was gone after we entered.¡±

    Madam Lian felt aggrieved. She had just gotten off the carriage when she ran into Yu Mingyong. She did not like Yu Mingyong who was a well-known yboy in the capital. However, when she left home today, Lian An mentioned to her about Consort Yu and told her that Consort Yu was carrying the Emperor¡¯s child and that she would not offend her rtives.

    Because of Lian An¡¯s words, she said a few words to Yu Mingyong. God knew such a thing would happen.

    ¡°Somebody, drag Yu Mingyong down and beat him 100 times.¡± Feng Yuran did not say anything more. He lowered his eyes and suddenly smiled coldly. An evil look of viciousness rose from the depths of his eyes. He looked at Yu Mingyong coldly and his dark pupils glowed with menace. His whole body exuded murderous intent. Everyone present knew that he seemed to have the intention to kill.

    Some people wanted to say something nice for Yu Mingyong so that they could please Consort Yu in the future. However, when they saw the blood-thirsty coldness in King Xuan¡¯s eyes, they could not help but shiver. It would not be effective for them to annoy the evil prince in order to win Consort Yu¡¯s favor.

    King Xuan was a person who dared to humiliate the Emperor. They didn¡¯t want to save Yu Mingyong, but to be hated by King Xuan.

    Immediately, two strong guards came over and reached out like a wolf or a tiger. Each of them grabbed Yu Mingyong¡¯s one shoulder and dragged him out, regardless of his dignity as a nobleman.

    ¡°Your Highness, how can you disregard human life? I¡¯m an official too.¡± Yu Mingyong was shocked and screamed as he struggled. Consort Yu had arranged for him to take a sinecure in the Ministry of Justice, so he was indeed an official.

    ¡°So what? You broke into my manor. It is a crime of treason. When you die, I will go to the pce and judge Consort Yu for herck of discipline for her brother and contempt for the royal family. I will ask Father for justice.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face had a cold smirk on it, and there was a sh in his eyes. He did not care about Consort Yu in the pce at all. Furthermore, he seemed to have the intention of ming Consort Yu.

    No one could afford to conspire against or despise the royal family. Yu Mingyong was truly afraid when he looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes that were filled with bloodthirst and murderous look!

    He was a yboy, so it was normal for him to like beautiful women, especially one like Mo Xuetong. He had a crush on her as soon as he saw her. When he heard that he could take this little beauty as his own, he was tempted. He did not care about anything else and thought that he would be released after being beaten 20 times at most, which was worth it for her.

    After all, it was a good thing to rescue her. Although it ruined Consort Xuan¡¯s reputation, it was inevitable. There must be many people standing on his side. The worst that could happen was that he got beaten up. Yu Mingyong had prepared for it, but he didn¡¯t expect such a result.

    First, the one he had saved wasn¡¯t the beauty he¡¯d taken a fancy to, but was He Yufen.

    Thinking of he would die because of a useless He Yufen, he was truly unwilling to ept it. He had wanted to say that Mo Xuetong was having an affair with him earlier. Anyway, it was a matter that no one could make clearly. He could insist that they had an affair. He thought that she was the one who had fallen into the water when he saw that someone had fallen into it, so he rushed over to save her. That was why the farce happened.

    But now, he didn¡¯t dare to say that!

    Looking at Feng Yuran¡¯s fierce and bloodthirsty face, he suddenly shivered and realized that the beauty was nothing. He was about to lose his life, so why was he still framing Mo Xuetong? King Xuan seemed really angry. Who was this man? He was King Xuan who was so famous in the capital. Who knew what he would do?

    If he fell into someone else¡¯s hands, Yu Mingyong was certain that the person would not really kill him. After all, he had Consort Yu backing him up, and he was an official. If he was really killed, the Emperor would not spare anyone. But what about King Xuan, Feng Yuran? Yu Mingyong did not know. He was awless person.

    Even if King Xuan really killed him, would the Emperor kill his favorite son to avenge him? Maybe his sister would be implicated by him. ording to what King Xuan said, he might rush to his sister¡¯s pce and frighten her into a miscarriage. That was terrible. Although Yu Mingyong was a bastard, he really cared about his sister, Consort Yu.

    His sister was not only his backing, but also his family and they were dependent on each other!

    The real scene in front of him had destroyed all of Yu Mingyong¡¯s thoughts. He had to save his life and not let King Xuan vent his anger on him. When he thought about that, he immediately felt that the people who hade up with the idea had plotted against him. He vented all his hatred on those people. If they had not instigated him, he would not have done something like that.

    At this time, he began to feel lucky. Fortunately, it was not Consort Xuan in theke. Otherwise, he would really die today.

    Since those people had plotted against him and were ruthless, they should not hate him for being heartless. He was going to die with them. As such, he might as well me those people for what he had done. King Xuan might spare his life for the sake of what he said.

    ¡°Your Highness, please spare me. Someone asked me toe in and ruin Consort Xuan¡¯s reputation.¡± Yu Mingyong had already thought it through. He struggled and shouted loudly at Feng Yuran.

    Someone deliberately asked Yu Mingyong to ruin Consort Xuan¡¯s reputation? With a buzz, all the people on the scene were boiling with anger. Who dared to plot against Consort Xuan? Didn¡¯t they want to die?

    ¡°Take him back,¡± Feng Yuran ordered coldly.

    Someone had already brought over tworge chairs made of nanmu wood. Feng Yuran pulled Mo Xuetong to sit down. Some maids and elder maidservants came up to put down the table and served tea. It seemed that they were going to interrogate Yu Mingyong.

    Sensing the murderous intent on the scene, all the people stepped back and left arge space.

    They found it strange. Who didn¡¯t want to live to frame Consort Xuan? King Xuan was going to make a big deal out of it!

    They had no idea who was involved in this matter. Several madams anddies stepped away from Madam Lian for fear of being involved. If they stood close to her, they might be involved. At the moment, no one stood beside Madam Lian. Those madams who were chatting with her just now all took their sisters away from her.

    Whatever the final oue of the affair, Madam Lian could not escape from it!

    This made Madam Lian, who had always been very well-known among noble madams, felt embarrassed and ashamed. Her expression changed. She felt that she was really unlucky today. If her husband hadn¡¯t said those words, she would not have talked to a rich yboy, and she wouldn¡¯t have been involved into this kind of thing.

    She... she was just so wronged!

    ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡± A cold and vicious look shed in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes. Even though there was a smile in his devilish eyes, at the sight of them, others shivered for no reason. The handsome King Xuan, who had always seemed as if he did not care about anything, was really pissed today.

    At this time, Yu Mingyong had already been scared to tremble. He didn¡¯t cover up for the He family at all, and pointed at He Yufen, who was just waking up, shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the two people of He family instigated me. They said that as long as I ruined Consort Xuan¡¯s reputation, their daughter would be Consort Xuan, and gets your love.¡±

    At this time, he hated the He family to the core. On that day, he recovered from his injury and was in a good mood to go to the street. After a while in the street, he met the two masters of He family. It reminded him that the second miss of He family was missing and the He family did not give him a satisfying exnation. Then he rushed up and wanted to beat the two masters of the He family.

    The two of the He family kept on pleading for forgiveness. Then, they even asked if he wanted to have a beautiful woman. Then, Yu Mingyong was tricked by them. He listened to what they said, and went to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Looking at King Xuan¡¯s murderous eyes, Yu Mingyong regretted it. He decided that when he left, he would revenge on the He family.

    ¡°The He family?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the He Family King Xuan¡¯s mother¡¯s family? How could they harm Consort Xuan? This... this is too much!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing? They must be aimed at the position of Consort Xuan. So they want to pull Consort Xuan down from her seat first; then, she will use some tricks to seduce King Xuan. Look at her...it¡¯s really injurious to morals!¡± Everyone was stunned. Then, someone pointed at He Yufen and mocked her as she was untucked.

    Theke water had soaked through her light clothes. She was wearing clothes that looked extremely carefree today. The clothes had seeped through the water and stuck to her body. Yu Mingyong had loosened a few parts of her clothes. When he pushed her onto the ground just now, a few more parts of her clothes loosened. At the moment, she was scantily d. A few young masters could not help but peek at her, but was pinched by the madams who were standing by their sides. They all felt that He Yufen was seductive.

    She was really detestable.

    ¡°Do you have any evidence to prove that the He family wants to harm Tong¡¯er? Without proof, it would be the crime of framing the rtive of the royal family. Yu Mingyong, do you think you can take it?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s expression was cold and his pretty eyes shone. It seemed as if he did not care at all. However, everyone knew that King Xuan was just too angry. They could not help but look at Madam Lian. They remembered that Yu Mingyong had said that he hade in with her. Could it be that even Minister Lian was involved in the matter?

    But why did Minister Lian do this? Did he just want to please Consort Zhao?

    It was said that King Xuan didn¡¯t like the He family. Previously, although the He family was in the capital, he didn¡¯t invite them to the banquet. Later, when Consort Zhao came out from behind the scenes, Madam Lian strongly promoted the gentleness and wisdom of Second Miss He, so that Second Miss He entered the well-known families¡¯ domain.

    It was said that she even had been to the imperial pce.

    However, no one expected that the He family had such an ambition that they even plotted against their nephew for the sake of wealth and glory. It really made people feel that the He family was unscrupulous and cruel. Now that the He family did this, what about Concubine Zhao, who had always been gentle and generous, in the pce.

 Chapter 516 - Officially Falling out with the He Family

    <h4>Chapter 516 Officially Falling out with the He Family</h4>

    Yu Mingyong felt that he was about to be beheaded when he heard that King Xuan added another sin to his list. He was so frightened that he almost wet his pants. He was afraid that Feng Yuran would kill him on the spot. He said hurriedly, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, I have, I have evidence. They said that they would find a way to get a ho¡¯s nest to the tree by theke. When Consort Xuan passed by, it would fall and the hos in it would fly out. When everyone was in chaos, the slut would push Consort Xuan into theke.¡±

    A ho¡¯s nest?

    It immediately urred to the crowd that when it was in a mess just now, there was indeed someone crying out that there were hos. They saw many maids and elder maidservants pulling out their handkerchiefs and sleeves to drive something forcefully, which made it hard to make out who had fallen into theke. They only heard someone screaming that Consort Xuan had fallen into theke, so everyone thought that it was Mo Xuetong who had fallen into the water.

    If it weren¡¯t for that ho¡¯s nest, this whole mess wouldn¡¯t have happened. It seemed that Yu Mingyong was telling the truth, especially now that he was still ring at He Yufen, who was half-lying on the ground, as if he wanted to tear her apart.

    Feng Yuran looked at He Yufen and asked coldly, ¡°He Yufen, is what he said true?¡±

    Since she woke up from a semiatose state, He Yufen had been trembling. She pulled the belt of her dress and huddled, unable to utter a word. However, it was only because she was just saved from theke, she was more panicky.

    How could something like this happen? Shouldn¡¯t Mo Xuetong fall into theke, and be rescued by Yu Mingyong and ruin her reputation? How could she fall into theke because she was staggered for a moment? After that, she did not even have time to think about what was going on. She only struggled subconsciously. However, as a woman, her strength could not bepared to an adult man¡¯s. She was too weak to break away from Yu Mingyong who tried to take her ashore even with all her effort.

    At this time, she would rather die like this than lose face. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m done!¡± She didn¡¯t know what to do next. Her face paled and she just lowered her head miserably and didn¡¯t say a word. Her mind went nk.

    She only lifted her head when she heard the call from above. She looked up at Feng Yuran who was seated high. His handsome face looked as if covered with frost. Then, she looked at Mo Xuetong who was seated by his side. There was disdain and ridicule on her beautiful face. It was as if she was saying that even if she had calcted everything, this was how she came to be.

    He Yufen noticed that Mo Xuetong intentionally moved closer to Feng Yuran, and that her pink lips curled up, carrying a provocative taunt. He Yufen¡¯s chaotic mind was filled with hatred. She could not help but point at Mo Xuetong and scream, ¡°It¡¯s you, you bitch. I am supposed to be Consort Xuan. Aunt said that the position can only be mine. How dare you take that position? You must have seduced Cousin Xuan. Our He family will not let you off the hook. I will take that position back. Only I am worthy of this position and Cousin Xuan.¡±

    At this time, she shouted at the top of her voice and her beautiful eyes were full of blood-red hatred. She stared at Mo Xuetong as if she wanted to pounce on her and tear her apart.

    Mo Xuetong leaned towards Feng Yuran in fear and pulled on his clothes timidly. There was a hint of water in her bright eyes. She looked at He Yufen in confusion and asked, ¡°Concubine He, how could you say something like that? I was going to marry King Xuan before your He family came. When did I take over the position from the He family? When did the position of Consort Xuan end up belonging to the He family?¡±

    Her delicate appearance made people feel sorry for her. Many people immediately stood on her side and fiercely looked at He Yufen, who was not properly dressed. Everyone thought that she was an eyesore. She was such a vicious woman and only a concubine, but she dared to covet the position of Consort Xuan.

    Most of the people present were wives and legitimate daughters. They would not like a concubine who wanted to be the wife, so they scolded her incessantly, which made He Yufen start to lose her mind. She stared at Mo Xuetong and felt that this slut had seduced her cousin, causing him to turn a blind eye to her beauty.

    ¡°Cousin Xuan, how could you support her like that? What¡¯s so good about that bitch? Cousin Xuan, I¡¯m your cousin. Before I came, Aunt told me that I was going to be your wife. I came here for you, Cousin Xuan. Everything I do is for you. You have to have my back!¡± He Yufen cried out. Her hair was disheveled and there were some water nts on her head. Her face was streaked with powder, making it hard to see her beautiful features.

    Everyone thought that she looked like a ghost and was really ugly. When they heard that her aunt was aimed at the position of Consort Xuan, they immediately looked at her with disgusted and meaningful gazes.

    Who was He Yufen¡¯s aunt? Of course, it was Consort Zhao in the pce. Unexpectedly, Consort Zhao in the pce wanted to kill her niece-inw and wanted her niece to rece her. It was said that the consort was virtuous, graceful, and decent, but she had done something outside the pce. How could she be generous and decent?

    It seemed that the Emperor¡¯s favorite concubine was not as gentle as she appeared to be on the surface. She was also extremely cruel and merciless.

    ¡°Somebody, beat Yu Mingyong for 20 times, and take this woman...¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. ¡°To a brothel,¡± he said slowly under He Yufen¡¯s expectant gaze.

    A brothel? That was a ce for men to have fun. He Yufen was stunned. When she saw two guardsing to pull her, she suddenly became sober and struggled with all her might. ¡°Your Highness, Cousin Xuan, Cousin Xuan, please spare me. Cousin Xuan, please spare me.¡±

    Finding the two guards dragging her out without mercy, He Yufen finally felt scared and she cried out, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, please spare me! Please spare me! I...¡± Suddenly, she thought of something and her eyes lit up. Then she yelled loudly, ¡°Your Highness, I have something to...¡±

    However, before she could finish her words, the guards grabbed the handkerchief that had fallen in front of her and blocked her mouth. Her hands were mped, so she couldn¡¯t use her strength. Thinking that she would be thrown into a brothel, she rolled her eyes and really passed out.

    Mo Xuetong calmly pinched Feng Yuran¡¯s hand and moved her face to He Yufen¡¯s direction, motioning him to see He Yufen clearly. Mo Xuetong was slightly shocked when she heard that He Yufen said she knew something. She had a feeling that He Yufen knew more than He Yuxiu did and that she might even know some old stories.

    Feng Yuran did not turn around, but gave her a pinch back.

    At the same time, Yu Mingyong was also dragged away. When he thought that he would not be beaten to death, Yu Mingyong breathed a sigh of relief. He was strong, so this punishment would not kill him. But when he thought that it was the He family that started this matter and that Consort Zhao was involved in this matter, he couldn¡¯t wait to go to the pce andin to his sister immediately.

    ¡°The He family and Consort Zhao! You¡¯re making enemies with our Yu family!¡±

    Looking at how Feng Yuran dealt with He Yufen, and his angry handsome face¡ªeven though there was a smile on his face, it looked ferocious¡ªa few, who had wanted to be close to the He family for the sake of King Xuan and Consort Zhao, gave up the idea.

    King Xuan sent his cousin to the brothel which meant that he officially fell out with the He family!

    It seemed that they¡¯d better keep away from the He family. On the one hand, it would offend King Xuan. On the other hand, the He family was too vicious. Many felt that the He family had no humanity when they saw how nervous and afraid Consort Xuan was when she clung to King Xuan!

    The He family even dared toy a finger on their own nephew¡¯s wife. They were just too vicious!

    ¡°Ah!¡± All the people here had their own thoughts and stood far away from Madam Lian. Suddenly, they heard a woman¡¯s painful scream. Everyone looked over and saw a beautiful woman covering her stomach with her hands. They were all stunned and there was some suspicion in their eyes. ¡°What the hell is going on again?¡±

    Then, the crowd exchanged nces, feeling speechless for a moment. It seemed that they had made a mistake toe to King Xuan¡¯s Manor today! They ran into a lot of trouble.

    Concubine Xiang was also confused. She had no clue what happened just now. When she rushed to Mo Xuetong, she had made a good n. Whether Mo Xuetong avoided her or fell into theke, because of what happened before, everyone would think that Mo Xuetong was jealous of her so that she deliberately did such a thing to hurt the child in her belly.

    If she lost the child in her belly, King Xuan would divorce Mo Xuetong. Even if he didn¡¯t divorce her for a while, he would treat her coldly. And she could win his care because of the child she lost. Maybe she could be the second consort in one stroke. By then, Mo Xuetong who was snubbed couldn¡¯tpete with her.

    In the future, as long as she worked hard, it would not be difficult for her to make Mo Xuetong lose the position of Consort Xuan.

    The ho¡¯s nest that had fallen out of thin air made her thrilled. She nned to me it entirely on Mo Xuetong, and then she would not be able to exin herself at all.

    Her hand was about to touch Mo Xuetong when she suddenly felt a sh in front of her. Mo Xuetong had disappeared out of thin air. Then, her vision darkened, and she felt a heavy blow behind her neck. She was knocked unconscious by someone.

    Before she closed her eyes, she heard a ssh, and then someone shouting, ¡°Her Lady has fallen into theke. Her Lady has fallen into theke!¡±

    Then shepletely fainted.

    Only then did she wake up slightly. She touched her slightly dazed head and looked at the group of people in front of her. She could not make heads or tails of the situation and only felt pain in her belly. She reached out to cover her belly and moaned softly.

    The maid who also fainted didn¡¯t wake up until now. She didn¡¯t know what had happened either, and only saw many madams,dies and young masters present. She thought she had missed something important. At this time, Concubine Xiang beside her moaned slightly. She hurriedly turned around and saw Concubine Xiang covering her belly with her hands, and the hem of her dress was red with blood.

    She immediately figured out what was going on, so she screamed at once, ¡°Ah! Hurry up...somebody, the baby in Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly is gone! Hurry up! Help her!¡±

    Suddenly, she looked up and saw Feng Yuran sitting in the middle. She hurried over and knelt down, kowtowing profusely. ¡°Your Highness, please save Concubine Xiang. She has a miscarriage. Quickly, save her quickly.¡±

 Chapter 517 - The Sudden Attack from Concubine Xiang

    <h4>Chapter 517 The Sudden Attack from Concubine Xiang</h4>

    Now that her maidservant had taken actions and with blood on her dress, she felt a burst of pain in her belly, Concubine Xiang was proud in her heart and wore a delicate expression on her face. She looked at Mo Xuetong pitifully with tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to stand up, but she couldn¡¯t, so she had to beg Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please let go of the baby in my belly. It¡¯s the first baby of King Xuan. Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t hinder your baby in the future. He won¡¯t fight for anything and won¡¯t want anything. Consort Xuan, I can swear as long as you allow me to keep the baby in my belly.¡±

    Then, she did not care about her weak body and kowtowed to Mo Xuetong.

    She meant that Mo Xuetong wanted to hurt the baby in her belly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on her blood-stained dress and a faint smile crept over her lips. She said softly, ¡°Concubine Xiang, what¡¯s wrong with you again?¡±

    She beamed as if not shocked by Concubine Xiang¡¯s maniacal manner at all.

    The other people present did not understand what had happened and started whispering to each other.

    Concubine Qin, who was standing beside, lowered her head and looked coldly at Concubine Xiang, who was kneeling on the ground. A disdainful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth and she cursed in her heart, ¡°Idiot!¡± The He family had just framed Consort Xuan. Now Concubine Xiang said she wanted to harm her child. It was obvious that Mo Xuetong was framed again.

    They appeared weird today; they all had their own ns. Unfortunately, it was not a good day for them. Thankfully, Concubine Qin had not made moves yet, and she decided to just take it as a fun show!

    Having just heaved a sigh of relief, Luo Mingzhu got tensed when she heard that the pregnant Concubine Xiang pointed at Mo Xuetong again. She almost said that Mo Xuetong was not virtuous and wanted to get rid of King Xuan¡¯s child on purpose. The miscarriage just happened in King Chu¡¯s Manor and King Yan¡¯s Manor a few days ago. Why did it also happen in King Xuan¡¯s Manor?

    Full of anxiety, she clutched the handkerchief in her hand.

    ¡°Cousin, Consort Xuan looks delicate and weak. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so petty. She can¡¯t even tolerate a concubine¡¯s child,¡± someone whispered in her ear. Her voice was gentle but she meant that Mo Xuetong was vicious. Finding it was her slutty cousin, Luo Mingzhu who was in a bad mood did not keep being polite. She said coldly, ¡°No matter what Cousin Tong did, it belongs to the royal family. Do you dare to speak about the royal family¡¯s matters?¡±

    Her words made the charming smile on Yun Ya¡¯s face freeze. Yun Ya couldn¡¯t say a word at the moment and gritted her teeth secretly, but didn¡¯t show it on her face. She turned around to look at Concubine Xiang intentionally and scolded in her mind, ¡°When I be rich in the future, I would kill Luo Mingzhu, the insensible little bitch.¡±

    Feng Yuran did not say anything and sat quietly. He ignored the maidservant who was dizzy because of kowtow. He took the cup of tea that Mo Lan had made again and took a sip. No one saw a sh of ruthlessness in his lowered eyes. These people were challenging his patience again and again. He might as well deal with all of them today.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please. Please spare my baby¡¯s life. As long as the baby is born, I, I am willing to stay with an oilmp before the statue of Buddha and pray for you every day.¡±

    Concubine Xiang was still kneeling on the ground and acting with all her heart and soul. She looked sad and desperate, but in fact, she felt very happy. She secretly looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s gloomy face and immediately felt that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t say anything because he was angry. As long as she pretended to be weaker, he would stand on her side and deal with Mo Xuetong.Read More chapter on our

    She had heard that Consort Chu and Consort Yan both had suffered a great punishment because they caused their manor¡¯s concubines to lose their children. If something like this had happened to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the Emperor would not spare Mo Xuetong.

    No matter how capable Mo Xuetong was, she would not be able to do anything about it!

    ¡°Somebody, ask the doctor to see Concubine Xiang.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her jade-like face. She unhurriedly ordered Mo Ye beside her, also asked someone to help Concubine Xiang up and take a rest. She looked gentle, just like a wife, which made people unsure if what Concubine Xiang said was true or not.

    The culprit of the matter about Yu Mingyong just now was the He family. They deliberately framed Consort Xuan. What about now? Everyone looked at Concubine Xiang who had just been lifted up. Although her face was pale, she was in good spirits. Some observant people even found that although there were bloodstains on the hem of her dress, the bloodstains seemed to dry up now.

    It didn¡¯t seem like blood flowing out of her body!

    Could it be another concubine who was trying to frame Consort Xuan?

    Then, they looked at King Xuan who wore a cold expression on his handsome face and was seated quietly. Everyone shut their mouths subconsciously and just watched.

    It seemed that the woman named Concubine Xiang was not a good person. She pretended to be reprimanded by Consort Xuan by theke before, and now she made such a scene. Maybe she was really a fool.

    Soon, the doctor of the manor came. He asked Concubine Xiang to reach out so that he could feel her pulse. At this time, Concubine Xiang¡¯s maidservant was allowed toe over and hold her.

    At this time, Concubine Xiang reached out naturally. She had never gone through such a thing. She felt pain in her belly just now but felt much better now. She thought that maybe it was because she had lost the baby. When she saw the doctor of the manoring, of course, she reached out and let the doctor feel her pulse. After the doctor confirmed that she had miscarried, she would see how Mo Xuetong would exin.

    ¡°Doctor, please help me to check if my baby is still alive... He, he is King Xuan¡¯s first son... Even if I have to die, I will protect him,¡± she said with tears in her eyes. She looked like a kind mother who would do anything for the sake of her baby, but looking at her, others could not help giving a shiver.

    If she really miscarried, she wouldn¡¯t have the energy to act like this and say those words to Consort Xuan. It was obvious that she wanted to put all the me on Consort Xuan. Most of the people didn¡¯t believe her anymore and waited for her to finish.

    ¡°The baby in your belly...¡± After feeling her pulse for a while, the doctor of the manor withdrew his hand. He frowned but didn¡¯t finish his words, as if he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°Is my baby gone? Isn¡¯t it?¡± As if she couldn¡¯t bear the blow, Concubine Xiang stepped back and almost couldn¡¯t stand still. The maidservant reached out to hold her and cried, ¡°Take care of yourself. It doesn¡¯t matter if your baby has been gone. You can have a baby in the future. When Consort Xuan has a baby, your baby won¡¯t be eye-catching. You can really give birth to it.¡±

    Her maidservant cried and cursed.

    She indicated that Mo Xuetong could not tolerate the child in Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly and took advantage of the chaos just now, she got rid of Concubine Xiang¡¯s child. How could Concubine Xiang, who had always been arrogant, bear it? She had always thought that she was beautiful. Since she had entered the pce, she was prettier than others.

    Otherwise, no one would take a fancy to her.

    When she thought that she was about to seed, she pretended to be weak and delicate. She looked at Mo Xuetong tearfully and cried, ¡°Consort Xuan, my child would not be an eyesore. Why did you try so hard to get rid of the child? I... I... I...¡±

    She was crying so hard that she could not even speak. She was incoherent due to the huge blow. She was confident that the others would sympathize with her when they saw how she looked. However, why was there not a single person who spoke up for her? She thought that it was because the statue of Consort Xuan was too high and no one dared to offend Mo Xuetong. This made Concubine Xiang more determined to get the position.

    ¡°Doctor, how is she?¡± Feng Yuran did not even look at the acting Concubine Xiang and her maidservant. Instead, he asked the doctor in a low voice.

    ¡°King Xuan, she...she is in good health and the baby in her belly is also healthy. But she seems to have a problem in her head.¡± The doctor pointed at his head and smiled bitterly. Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.Thanks!.This concubine of the manor was really insane. Consort Xuan treated her so well, but she imed that Consort Xuan had made her lose her baby. It was really abnormal.

    Concubine Xiang was stunned for a moment and didn¡¯t hear clearly the rest of his words. She asked anxiously, ¡°The baby is still in my belly?¡±

    The doctorined about the injustice for Mo Xuetong. He said in a low voice, ¡°The child is healthy. I really don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to do. Consort Xuan didn¡¯t do anything, but you tried to frame her.¡± They framed Mo Xuetong one by one. Maybe it was because there were too many women in the manor. Besides, everyone seemed to be targeting her. It was too much.

    ¡°No, King Xuan... I...¡±

    It was obvious that a concubine wanted to frame the wife with the baby in her belly again. Everyone present had understood this. They looked at Concubine Xiang with sarcasm at the corner of their mouth. The woman said that Consort Xuan had killed the baby in her belly, but now the doctor found that the baby was still in her belly. She had been trying to frame Consort Xuan all the time.

    ¡°Somebody, drag Concubine Xiang into the woodshed,¡± Feng Yuran said coldly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± This time, two elder maidservants came. Considering that Concubine Xiang was pregnant, they didn¡¯t dare to use too much force and just dragged her away. Concubine Xiang waspletely shocked as if she was waiting for a great painting, but she found that the painting didn¡¯t belong to her when she was about to make a signature. She looked through the crowd at Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm face and felt jealous and hateful.

    She had failed. How could she have failed? She tried to frame Mo Xuetong with the child in her belly, but she had failed.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to fail,¡± she thought.

    She covered her belly with her hands. Now she could only grit her teeth and tell herself that there was still a child in her belly. She was just a concubine without position and offended Consort Xuan, and King Xuan just asked people to take her away. It seemed that King Xuan still cared about the child. As long as she had the child, she could fight for it. Yes, she still had a chance.

    A hint of viciousness shed across Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes when he saw the hatred on Concubine Xiang¡¯s face. His lips curled up slightly and a guard left silently.

    In a short while, two big deals happened. What was more, they had the same purpose, which was to push Consort Xuan Mo Xuetong out of the position. Today was Consort Xuan¡¯s birthday, but King Xuan¡¯s Manor was really in a mess.

    Looking at the tender Consort Xuan, who was still a little childish, many people felt sympathy for her!

 Chapter 518 - Its Good If Things Get Messy

    <h4>Chapter 518 It¡¯s Good If Things Get Messy</h4>

    However, for this reason, the group of madams felt that they had to strictly manage the back courtyard of their family. At the sight of Consort Xuan, they thought of the sex concubines in their manors and feared that they mighte up with evil plots to frame them. At that time, they might not be as lucky as Consort Xuan to be able to escape from the plot of those bitches again and again.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, I was so scared just now. I thought you¡¯ve really fallen into theke. Yu Mingyong still has evil intentions. You must ask King Xuan to teach him a good lesson this time, so he won¡¯t do such evil things.¡± Luo Mingzhu held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and said resentfully.

    ¡°As for those concubines in your manor, you have to deal with them strictly. Just leave a few obedient ones, and sell or drive away those sex concubines. Don¡¯t let them make trouble again. You can just take advantage of the opportunity when King Xuan is angry today to deal with them quickly.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was angry at the thought of how the woman called Concubine Xiang who dared to frame Mo Xuetong. She wanted to deal with Feng Yuran¡¯s concubines by herself.

    ¡°Second Cousin, don¡¯t worry. King Xuan will help me,¡± Mo Xuetong replied and smiled lightly. She knew that Luo Mingzhu was truly concerned about her.

    ¡°You still wait for King Xuan to help you. Look at Concubine Xiang. Just because she¡¯s pregnant, King Xuan easily spare her. Which concubine won¡¯t be beaten to death when she frames the wife? Why is that woman all right?¡± Luo Mingzhu red at Mo Xuetong as if she was disappointed at her.

    ¡°You have to take the initiative toin about this to King Xuan. Tell him about your grievance. It¡¯s your birthday and you¡¯ve been framed by one after the other. King Xuan has to do something for you. Now, youin about your grievance to him. Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll help you here. The madams anddies, who have witnessed the matters, will also stand on your side.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu urged angrily.

    ¡°Second Cousin, you¡¯ve also seen how messy it was on my birthday. It¡¯s already very disappointing. If I, Consort Xuan, go and cry to King Xuan, he¡¯ll definitely feel ashamed and even angrier. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tell him when hees to me by night,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    She took the angry Luo Mingzhu to the banquet. ¡°Alright, Second Cousin, stop being angry. Look, you won¡¯t be beautiful if you are angry. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that generous. I will take revenge on whoever has bullied me. I won¡¯t let anyone take advantage of me.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu looked at the scene and realized that it was not the best time to cry andin. As such, she could only follow Mo Xuetong to the banquet. However, when they were halfway there, she asked worriedly, ¡°Will you really take the initiative toin about your grievances to King Xuan?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and promised again and again. Then, she persuaded Luo Mingzhu to take a seat.

    The men¡¯s and women¡¯s tables were all ced in the garden. Most of the guests were young, and even though there was a screen ced in the middle, it would not interfere with the lively atmosphere. However, since something like this had happened, even if King Xuan, who was seated at the main seat, was still smiling brightly, it still made one feel cold.

    Under such a situation, who dared to cause trouble?

    As for the tables for female guests, even though Consort Xuan was smiling and gracious, one could still see the grievances and sadness in her eyes when she looked at King Xuan from time to time. It was evident that they still had something to say but did not have the chance to do so. When they thought about what happened earlier, many of the madams nodded silently. Even though Consort Xuan was young, she was very gracious and did not make a fuss at the banquet.

    She had not only saved King Xuan¡¯s reputation, but also her own reputation. It was rare for her to smile so calmly.

    Everyone was sharp-eyed. In this case, they used some of their reasons to go back after taking a few bites. Therefore, the banquet was over soon.

    Mo Xuetong sent Luo Mingzhu and Madam Qu to the second door before returning to her courtyard.

    She had just taken off the fussy head essory, washed her face and changed into a light set of clothes when she heard a voice calling ¡°King Xuan¡± outside. She knew that Feng Yuran wasing and immediately shot a look at Mo Lan. Mo Lan then brought other servants away with her understandingly.

    Feng Yuran strode in. Mo Xuetong stood up. When she saw that he was still in the same clothes he had worn when he had entertained the guests, she knew that he had not returned to the Jinwei Pavilion and headed straight to her courtyard.

    ¡°How is it going?¡± Mo Xuetong came to him and asked, a hint of concern appearing in her lively eyes.

    ¡°What can happen? But your birthday was ruined by them. Don¡¯t worry. These people dared to make trouble on your birthday.Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.Thanks!. They¡¯re obviously trying to make me worry. So I¡¯ll just settle all of them.¡± Feng Yuran smiled lightly. The vicious expression on his face had long disappeared. He looked at Mo Xuetong with raised eyes as he took her to a chair and pull her into his embrace.

    He patted her back, as ifforting a child.

    Mo Xuetong did not struggle because she knew that he was reallyforting her. She leaned into his embrace and asked gently, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Of course, she trusted him. He had told her personally yesterday that she was the only woman he had. The child in Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly could not be his. Concubine Xiang had sent someone to tell Feng Yuran about it verytest night. It was her birthday today. Mo Xuetong knew that Concubine Xiang would make trouble on her birthday.

    And Feng Yuran was in charge of He Yufen¡¯s matter as well.

    When Mo Xuetong was about to bear the two¡¯s attack, Mo Ye pulled her over quickly, and kicked He Yufen into theke. Then, she knocked Concubine Xiang and the maid beside her out. Her actions had been so smooth that no one had noticed it. As such, everyone thought that it was Mo Xuetong who had fallen into theke.

    ¡°Nothing. Apany me to stay in the West Hill Yard for a few days. It is too hot here and I was injured and you were shocked. Now something like this has happened in the manor. It is really disappointing.¡± Feng Yuran smiled seductively. His red lips kissed Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear, causing her heart to beat quickly.

    She pushed him away and asked coquettishly, ¡°What about the mess in the manor?¡±

    Now the manor was really in a mess. It was because the concubines could move freely. After such a thing had just happened, if the two masters didn¡¯t deal with it and ran away first, it was a bit unreasonable.

    ¡°It¡¯s good if things get messy. Otherwise, how can I deal with them? There are too many people in my manor and I have to get rid of them,¡± Feng Yuran said as if he did not care. He stood up and pulled Mo Xuetong to the couch. He found a cushion to rest behind her back and asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    ¡°No. I just went out for a while and didn¡¯t spend much effort on it. You did it all.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly and leaned into his arms.

    Indeed, everything for the banquet today was arranged by Feng Yuran. Fortunately, the butler in the manor was capable too, and he had done it well without letting his master worry too much.

    Feng Yuran had already told her to keep an eye on Concubine Xiang and had especially reminded Mo Yu not to leave Mo Xuetong. When He Yufen fell into theke, Mo Yu helped her move to the back of arge tree, so not a single one of the wild hos hade to her. What happened next was all under Feng Yuran¡¯s control. He even knew that Yu Mingyong would turn on the He family.

    After all, Feng Yuran had a murderous aura all over his body back then. How could a yboy like Yu Mingyong withstand it? Furthermore, since people all thought that Feng Yuran was cruel, Yu Mingyong did not dare to offend the arrogant andwless King Xuan. Even if he wanted to frame Mo Xuetong earlier, he did not dare to do it for the sake of his own life and Consort Yu¡¯s future.

    She suddenly thought of something. She looked up from Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace and asked, ¡°Will you really send He Yufen to that kind of ce?¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. There will be a good show to watch next. When we return from the West Hill Yard, I will take you to the pce to watch the show.¡± Feng Yuran patted her arm. His handsome face was full of smiles. When he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s bright and moist eyes, he could not help kissing her again. What were those women? The more trouble they made, the better.

    To be promoted relying on their child?

    Concubine Xiang thought that she would get a title because of the baby in her belly!

    Only the woman he loved could give birth to his son, and those women in the backyard didn¡¯t deserve it!

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran set off that afternoon. Only when their carriage drove far away from the manor did the people in the manor dare to discuss it. A few of them saw that King Xuan had left angrily and even Consort Xuan¡¯s careful smile didn¡¯t make his rage go away. It seemed that he was really furious.

    No one would be happy to see a birthday banquet to be such a mess.

    It was said that Sir Yu, Yu Mingyong was brought home by the people from his manor after been beaten. As for Concubine He, of course, she wasn¡¯t a concubine anymore. Now that she had made King Xuan a cuckold, how could he still want her? It was said that she had been thrown directly to a brothel.

    As for Concubine Xiang who dared to frame Consort Xuan, although the child in her belly had been saved, she was locked up in her original room and no one could visit her.

    However, since the two masters had gone out, the backyard had long been less tightly managed. After an elder maidservant passed on the master¡¯s message, she went back without sending anyone to guard it. Well, since both of the two masters had gone to the West Hill Yard to rx, who would care about the concubines in the backyard? Besides, one of them was pregnant.

    Her punishment should be neither too light nor too heavy. Since he gave the punishment at random, everyone would just listen.

    As for whether there was anyone who really took it seriously, since King Xuan was not at home, they would find a reason when he came back.

    ¡°Concubine Xia, where are you going at thiste hour?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see Concubine Xiang. We didn¡¯t know when she was pregnant by King Xuan. She kept it a secret.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Since she is carrying King Xuan¡¯s child, she should share the joy with us. Let¡¯s go to see her together.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go and have a look together. No wonder Concubine Xiang was so mysterious recently. It turned out that she was trying to keep the baby and wanted to be promoted relying on her child.¡±

    ¡°Huh, she should see her situation clearly. She¡¯s just a concubine without title. Even if she will give birth to a son, he will be raised by Consort Xuan. It¡¯s never her turn. How dare she do such a thing?¡±

    The colorfully dressed concubines went to Concubine Xiang¡¯s room without an appointment. The maidservant who guarded at the door stood up and said, ¡°King Xuan ordered that no one is allowed to visit Concubine Xiang.¡±

    Then she was pped by a concubine, and could not speak anymore. ¡°Since Concubine Xiang is carrying King Xuan¡¯s child, how can we not be allowed to be happy for her and take a good look at her?¡±

    ¡°How dare you, a little maidservant, to stop us? Get out of here.¡±

    Then, without looking at the maidservant, she twisted her waist and proudly walked into the room. In the room, Concubine Xiang sat at the head of the bed, watched the gorgeously-dressed concubinesing in with vignce in her eyes. They were all the women in the manor, and knew what each other thought very well...

 Chapter 519 - A Letter Concubine Qin Wanted to Give Out Urgently

    <h4>Chapter 519 A Letter Concubine Qin Wanted to Give Out Urgently</h4>

    It was very quiet outside the yard. Concubine Qin wore a light purple dress that was made of one of the 10 kinds of brocade. It made her look both unobtrusive and voluptuous, adding to the beauty of her delicate face. She stood in the shadows outside the yard and her eyes, which had always been proud, were not calm. She frowned slightly and waited quietly under the tree.

    At this time, the moon had risen into the sky, but it was not bright tonight. The air was a little dull, as if a heavy rain wasing. It was a summer day with changeable weather¡ªit could be sunny for a while and the next second thunderous.

    A room in the yard was very lively. From time to time, women¡¯s exaggerated charmingughter could be heard. It didn¡¯t make people happy at night, because it sounded fake. Since Concubine Xiang was carrying King Xuan¡¯s child, no one in the yard was really happy.

    ¡°What? Are you feeling ufortable? You must haven¡¯t expected that Concubine Xiang was the one who hid the deepest and was carrying His Highness¡¯ child quietly. She will be promoted because of her child. Do you feel jealous of her?¡± A woman¡¯s voice came from behind. Concubine Qin turned around and mocked, ¡°Concubine Yun, you must be the most disappointed person!¡±

    ¡°Me? Howe? I¡¯m just the mostmon concubine in the manor. I don¡¯t dare to expect His Highness to pay much attention to me, let alone to be pregnant with his child. There are so many women in the manor, and all of them are staring at His Highness and even trying to make him their own. So I¡¯d better hide from you!¡±

    Under the shadow of the trees, Concubine Yun was shaking withughter, as if Concubine Qin had said a big joke.

    Concubine Qin did not speak, just looking at Concubine Yun quietly with deep sarcasm in her eyes. The sarcasm made Concubine Yun unable to keep the smile on her face. She felt a little embarrassed, and had to pretend to ignore it. She sized up Concubine Qin, covered her mouth with her handkerchief, and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do anything today? I heard that today¡¯s events happened one after another in the yard. You were right beside Her Lady at that time. Didn¡¯t you want to push her into the water?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you hope that I can swallow my pride and be more clear-headed to see my situation and seek profit for myself?¡± Concubine Qin said calmly. ¡°Those two took actions, but they both failed even though they had borate ns. If I took action on the spot, there would have been no way back. How could I be all right?¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? Isn¡¯t Concubine Xiang all right?¡±

    ¡°She?¡± The corner of Concubine Qin¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°If His Highness really values the child in her belly, Concubine Xiang would have been promoted to a higher position in front of Her Lady early in the morning.¡±

    Her words sounded a little ironic and disdainful. ¡°She framed Mo Xuetong today. In front of so many people, Mo Xuetong naturally wouldn¡¯t say anything. No matter what, she had to pretend to be a gentle and virtuous consort. But what will happen afterward? Even if Concubine Xiang gives birth to the eldest son of His Highness, he will be taken away. Maybe Concubine Xiang will lose her life by then. Now Mo Xuetong just spared her life for the sake of the baby in her belly.¡±

    Concubine Qin had been standing on the side when the incident happened. Even though she had covered her face and tried to sweep those hos for a long time when the nest fell, she had been stung by them on her wrist. She had not been able to see the scene clearly although she had kept an eye on the spot. It had happened too quickly and she only noticed that Concubine Xiang and He Yufen attacked Mo Xuetong at the same time.

    Initially, she thought it was Mo Xuetong who had fallen into theke, and she was secretly pleased with it. No matter who pushed Mo Xuetong into theke, it would be beneficial to her. Later, she could reveal what He Yufen and Concubine Xiang had done. Then both of the two women would be punished. She would be thergest mistress in the manor then. She could seize the opportunity when King Xuan was upset and then be the new Consort Xuan based on her status that was higher than Mo Xuetong¡¯s.

    At that time, she even deliberately moved aside so that He Yufen could avoid detours and directly reach Mo Xuetong. She even blocked the sight of Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants. With her ¡°unintentionally¡± blocking in front of them, even if these maidservants found something wrong about Mo Xuetong, they would not be able to save her in time.

    It looked like she didn¡¯t do anything, but she actually did!

    As a nobledy with both talent and beauty in the capital, how could she stand being a humble concubine? In the past, she had been waiting because Feng Yuran did not have a wife. But now that Feng Yuran had a wife, she could not bear it. She had always thought that she was the best candidate for Consort Xuan.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s status could not bepared to hers at all. She did not even deserve to be one of her servants.

    What made her have King Xuan and be Consort Xuan?

    Of course, Concubine Qin did not want to talk to Concubine Yun about these things too clearly. Even though Concubine Yun had enlightened her and helped toe up with an idea, it made her wary of Concubine Yun. She used to only know that Concubine Yun was one of Feng Yuran¡¯s favorite concubines and was usually rather arrogant amongst his concubines. However, she had be demurer and more sophisticated after Mo Xuetong entered the manor. It made others feel suspicious of her.

    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t take action this time, you¡¯ve lost too many good opportunities. Otherwise, you may be the hostess of this manor!¡± Concubine Yun sighed, seeming to feel pity for her.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Concubine Qin asked lightly, as if she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    Concubine Yun didn¡¯t push her. She cast a light nce at her and pointed to the room where some people were talking andughing from time to time. ¡°There is the mother of the future eldest child of His Highness in the room. Why don¡¯t you go there and have a look? Mother can be promoted because of her child. Maybe Concubine Xiang will make a good showing and give birth to a son. Maybe by then, she will be the second consort.¡±

    Was she telling her that Concubine Xiang was likely to be her biggest opponent? However, Concubine Qin never thought highly of her.

    ¡°Does she also want to be the second consort?¡± Concubine Qin sneered. ¡°Since she dared to frame the first consort in front of so many people today, Concubine Xiang, that stupid woman would never be the second consort in her life.¡±

    It was a big crime to frame the first consort, but she easily escaped it. On the surface, it seemed as if Mo Xuetong had been greatly wronged. Furthermore, it happened in her birthday banquet. As such, Feng Yuran brought her to the West Hill Yard as soon as the banquet ended. It was a form ofpensation for Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong was in Feng Yuran¡¯s good graces right now. Concubine Qin was certain that it was self-defeating about what Concubine Xiang had done. If a concubine without title dared to do something like that, she would create chaos in the future after she gave birth to King Xuan¡¯s eldest son.

    She might not be able to survive the birth. Furthermore, even if she really gave birth to a son, King Xuan would take the child away without hesitation when Mo Xuetong said that she wanted to raise him. After all, she had suffered earlier and was Consort Xuan. It made no difference to Concubine Xiang whether she had a son or not. If she wanted to be promoted depending on her son, she had to be fortunate enough.

    Concubine Qin really didn¡¯t like Concubine Xiang. She had been waiting for several months. If she kept on enduring for a period of time, Concubine Xiang would give birth after nine months¡¯ pregnancy. If it was a son, Feng Yuran would give her a high status because she had been bending over when she was pregnant. After all, if the eldest son¡¯s mother had a low position, it would be bad for the child.

    Of course, this had to be based on the fact that Concubine Xiang had not made any big mistakes.

    ¡°You met me just to let me fawn on Concubine Xiang?¡±Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.Thanks! Concubine Qin looked at Concubine Yun unhappily and raised her chin slightly. Whether in the past or now, she was much better than Concubine Xiang.

    ¡°Of course not. When I went out of the manor today, I saw the carriage of your Duke Wanping at the gate of an ornament store. I also saw a beautiful youngdy. I heard the maids call her Second Miss. She was dressed in luxurious clothes and had a noble temperament, simr to you. I thought she was your Second Sister, so I came up to her and wanted to talk about you, but was pushed away by her maids. I failed to send the thing you asked me to bring to your fatherst time.¡±

    As she speaking, Concubine Yun took out a paper envelope and handed it to Concubine Qin. She said with admiration, ¡°Speaking of your Second Miss, she looked so gorgeous that I can tell at a nce that she is a nobledy. It¡¯s just that the status of a concubine like me is too low, so her maids didn¡¯t let me get close to her.¡±

    The Second Miss of Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor dared to push away the people she sent?

    Concubine Qin gritted her teeth and a sh of anger appeared in her eyes. There was also a hint of hatred in her eyes. A concubine¡¯s daughter who used to be around her and tter her dared to ask her maids to push away the one who sent a letter for her. How dare the bitch think that she was too low to be a concubine?

    She nned that when she made contact with her father and exined her ideas to him, she would let the bitch marry a servant of the lowest rank. That bitch thought of herself as noble and looked down on her? Concubine Qin felt stuffy in her chest. The person who had been trampled on by her in the past had dared to look down on her. She, who had always thought highly of herself, was unable to bear it.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, why don¡¯t you go out and give it a try yourself?¡± suggested Concubine Yun with a smile.

    Concubine Qin took the letter and saw that it was still tightly sealed. She frowned and said, ¡°How can I go out of the manor at will!¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you? You can dress up as a maid and say that you¡¯re the maid of a concubine in the manor and want to buy some cloth and food. As long as you give some money to the two old maidservants at the back door, it¡¯s easy for you to go out.¡± Concubine Yun giggled and said indifferently, ¡°Today I went out of the manor in this way. Nobody knows. I heard that His Highness will note back these days and apany Her Lady. So there is no master in the manor. It¡¯s easier to go out!¡±

    ¡°Is it easy to cope with the old maidservants at the back door?¡± Concubine Qin was tempted. She really had something to tell Duke Wanping. In order to get a higher position, she had to contact her father. But in the past, she had sent her maid who came from Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor to try it, but the maid said that the back door was heavily guarded and did not allow anyone to go out without a token.

    She had wanted to send a letter to her father, but it would be even better if she could see her father directly. There were some things that were inconvenient for her to say in the letter.

    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult anyway. I¡¯ve already gone out twice. No one made things difficult for me.¡± Concubine Yun smiled and took out a few handkerchiefs from her pocket and handed them to Concubine Qin. When thetter touched it, she found that they were soft. It was obvious that they were made of good material and they were brand new. ¡°I brought these from outside today. I¡¯ll give them to you since there are a few more here. You¡¯ve been in the manor for a period of time and haven¡¯t gone out yet.¡±

    Then, she politely extended her hand to Concubine Qin, seemingly trying to butter up to her. Concubine Qin harrumphed coldly and pushed her hand away proudly. She said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t want them. Don¡¯t worry. You cane to me if you need anything in the future, but you don¡¯t have to send me these unnecessary things.¡±

    After saying that, she turned away without looking at Concubine Yun.

    At this moment, a bolt of lightning shed across the sky. Under the shade of the trees, the humble and ingratiating expression on Concubine Yun¡¯s face gave way to a sneer and gloom...

 Chapter 520 - In the Yu Manor, Consort Yu Visited the Wounded

    <h4>Chapter 520 In the Yu Manor, Consort Yu Visited the Wounded</h4>

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s residence was also called the Yu Manor, which stood far apart facing the Yu Manor on the other side of the street. However, regardless of its gates¡¯ location, the location of the manor, or its scale, it was more magnificent than the other Yu Manor. After all, it was the Emperor¡¯s favorite consort¡¯s home. Even though Yu Mingyong had not made much progress, he was still able to support the manor.

    As soon as Consort Yu entered the yard, she heard Yu Mingyong¡¯s screams. ¡°Ouch, ouch, it hurts! Damn it! Look at the wound carefully before applying the medicine! Are you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t move. The more you move, the more inconvenient it will be for me to apply the medicine.¡±

    ¡°You nasty servant! Get lost! You¡¯re being reasonable?!¡± There was the sound of objects being pushed over and down, followed by the sound of begging for mercy.

    The woman who walked into the yard frowned with displeasure. An older maidservant stepped forward at once and said loudly, ¡°Consort Yu is here.¡±

    There was a momentary silence in the room, followed by Yu Mingyong¡¯s shouts. ¡°Quick, help me to sit up. Come on in, let my sister in.¡±

    Then came a series of noises. After the chaos, Yu Mingyong gave another scream. Now her bother was still messing around. Consort Yu was furious. She held a pce maid¡¯s hand, stepped up the stairs, and walked towards the room. This time, she had specially asked for an edict and secretly returned home to see her only and useless younger brother.

    Sometimes, Consort Yu hated the fact that other consorts and beauties all had well-off families that could support them, but she only had a younger brother who would do nothing but get her into trouble.Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.Thanks! She had just received news from the Emperor that her younger brother had offended King Xuan. Hearing the news, she broke out in cold sweat.

    Now hearing Yu Mingyong¡¯s screams, she was angry and embarrassed. Couldn¡¯t he just behave like a gentleman and do well for her so that when the child in her belly was born, it would have an uncle that it could rely on. If he continued to be like this, it would be no good for her child at all.

    Touching her belly, Consort Yu made up her mind to teach her younger brother a lesson this time, saving him from provoking people that he could not afford to offend for the time being. How dare he want to have an affair with Consort Xuan? Even if Mo Xuetong was really divorced, it would not be his turn to marry her. There had never been a daughter-inw in the royal family who had been divorced alive.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness.¡± When the door opened, Yu Feng in a navy blue robe walked out and bowed respectfully to Consort Yu.

    Consort Yu did not expect Yu Feng to be here. She cast a light nce at him and nodded slightly as a way of greeting. Then, she walked into the room and Yu Feng followed respectfully behind her.

    He was now the overseer of the Office of Imperial Kitchen, without any actual power. His position could not bepared with the assistant-head of the Office of Imperial Kitchen. Ever since the incident with Auntie Fang, the Yu Manor and the Mo Manor had officially broken off. Then, even Mo Xuemin had gotten into trouble. After that, Qin Yufeng did not live up to his expectations. All these things caused Yu Feng to have no interest in Mo Manor anymore.

    As such, he often buttered up to Yu Mingyong. When he heard that Yu Mingyong had been injured by King Xuan, he hurried over. It looked as if he was visiting Yu Mingyong, but in actuality, he was waiting for Consort Yu to appear. Her only younger brother had been beaten up by King Xuan and such a big incident must have been spread to Consort Yu in the pce. Hence, he had waited for Consort Yu here specially to show how close he was to her brother.

    He used to be a local official and was not familiar with the capital. Later, because of Auntie Fang¡¯s incident, no one in the capital was willing to help him and he had no one to rely on. In the past, Consort Yu tried to help him, but because of Auntie Fang, Consort Yu had never sent anyone to contact him again. He had gotten his wife to go to the pce several times to ask for meeting Consort Yu. However, Consort Yu refused to meet her on the pretext of ill health.

    ¡°Elder Sister, Elder Sister, you have to help me. You have to help me.¡± Seeing here in, Yu Mingyong, who was half lying on the bed, immediately cried out excitedly as if he had seen hope. However, his big moves made him let out another scream. He had no choice but to lower his body and cry out in pain.

    ¡°Humph, you¡¯re the one who asked for it. How dare you say that?¡± Consort Yu harrumphed coldly and red at Yu Mingyong angrily. How could she not know what kind of person her younger brother was? However, her heart ached when she saw he was lying on the bed moaning intively.

    ¡°You had just recovered from your injuries. Now, you went to provoke those you shouldn¡¯t. You¡¯ve improved. Are you unwilling to rest until you¡¯re tortured to death?¡± Consort Yu said angrily. Even though she felt pain in her heart, her expression still darkened.

    The pce maid helped her to sit on the wide leaning chair at the head of the bed and carefully put a cushion behind her back. Then the maid stepped back and stood behind Consort Yu.

    ¡°You can¡¯t me me for what happened a few days ago. It was obvious that Ding General Manor had been too unting. She was just a slut. How could she be his woman? I heard that she was Sima Lingyun¡¯s woman. You said that children of Ding General Manor were well-bred, but why did they have such a ck sheep?¡± Yu Mingyong said angrily.

    He felt aggrieved at the mention of this matter. She was just a slutty woman, and the so-called Second Young Master treated her like a treasure. She was not that pretty, only that she was charming on the bed different from other women. He thought she was from a decent family. Yu Mingyong was really obsessed with such a woman because she was like a woman from a brothel.

    When he finally understood that she was just a concubine that had escaped from Sima Lingyun¡¯s Manor, and had hooked up with different men, he felt extremely wronged. There were many women like her in brothels. Furthermore, they were all more beautiful and enchanting than her. He fell for her because she was from a good family.

    However, the Second Young Master of Ding General Manor imed that he snatched her away and even injured him while he had many people. In the end, Yu Mingyong had to apologize. Thinking of this, Yu Mingyong grew even more unreconciled.

    ¡°What happened a while ago was not your fault. But what about now? Do you want me to die because of the trouble you made? Who is King Xuan? He is the eighth prince that His Majesty dotes on the most. Few people in the pce dare to go against his will. If he really wanted to kill you, I would not be able to protect you. Why don¡¯t you understand?¡±

    Consort Yu was so angry that she reached out and pped Yu Mingyong¡¯s hand. Then, she took her handkerchief and wiped away her tears. She said, ¡°Mingyong, why can¡¯t you behave yourself? If something happens to you, who can I rely on in the future? And who can the child in my belly rely on?¡±

    Without a family¡¯s support or with a low status in the pce, it would not be of much use even if the consort gave birth to a prince. Consort Yu had never intended to be the mother of azy prince. When she saw how useless Yu Mingyong was, her eyes turned red and she wept.

    She really wanted to tie Yu Mingyong up and give him a good beating.

    ¡°Elder Sister, don¡¯t cry. You really can¡¯t me me this time. How could I offend King Xuan on purpose? Everyone knows that he is a cruel bully. I don¡¯t dare to offend him even if I have the guts to do so to others. Elder Sister, I waspletely fooled by the He family. How dare they get me to do something like that? Elder Sister, I finally understand. Don¡¯t cry. How can my little nephew in your heart bear it if you cry? Elder Sister, if you¡¯re angry, then hit me to vent your anger.¡±

    Yu Mingyong was a yboy outside, but he was very obedient in front of Consort Yu. When he heard Consort Yu crying sadly, he shook his head and put his head in front of Consort Yu. He closed his eyes, looking as if he was waiting for Consort Yu to p him and vent her anger. Seeing this, Consort Yu felt bitterer. She could not help but wipe her tears with her handkerchief again.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t cry. First Young Master is really innocent. He¡¯s a sincere man and didn¡¯t know that the He family is so vicious. They wanted to take advantage of First Young Master and make King Xuan angry at you. If King Xuan really got angry and beat First Young Master to death or made him disabled, and then went into the pce and offended you, Your Highness and First Young Master are really in trouble. Fortunately, First Young Master has just suffered physical pain. It¡¯s all right.¡±

    Yu Feng hurried to speak up tofort Consort Yu, and also reminded her again and again that if the matter blew up, both Yu Mingyong and Consort Yu would be in trouble. King Xuan was not a person who would care about what the consorts in the pce said.

    His words seemed to imply Yu Mingyong¡¯s resignation, so Yu Mingyong was pleased to hear that and immediately shouted, ¡°Elder Sister, it¡¯s really the He family¡¯s scheme. Trust me. Besides, the He family has Consort Zhao, right? Elder Sister, you should also be careful in the pce. Don¡¯t be hurt by that woman. Look at the two daughters of the He family. They¡¯re just so young, but they¡¯re so vicious. Who knows what will the elder one do? Elder Sister, you must take care of your health and don¡¯t appear in front of Consort Zhao in the future unless necessary.¡±

    He was truly concerned about Consort Yu, afraid that Consort Yu would not be a match for Consort Zhao, so he did not ask Consort Yu to take revenge for him. Everyone now knew that the He family was backed by Consort Zhao in the pce.

    Consort Yu¡¯s eyes grew even tearier when she heard that her younger brother who had been beaten badly was still concerned about her. She wiped away her tears forcefully and asked, ¡°Did the He family really send someone to instigate you?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s them. The He family¡¯s two elder masters told me in person. I thought why these two were so attentive. Unexpectedly, they are driving me to the road to ruin. Elder Sister, wait and see, when my wound is healed, I¡¯ll lead my men to rush into the He family first. I¡¯ll beat all the young and old members of the He family to death. How dare the small He family to scheme against me and you?¡±

    ¡°You still dare to cause trouble even now? You can¡¯t do that.¡± Consort Yu was furious when she saw Yu Mingyong gritting his teeth and the self-righteous look on his face. She knew that her younger brother was not a smart person. He might be set up again. He might as well stay quietly in the manor.

    ¡°No, Elder Sister, they hurt me like this. If I don¡¯t vent my anger, they will think that our Yu Manor is easy to bully. In the future, even the imperial consorts in the pce will bully you. What can we do then?¡± Yu Mingyong said. He was still mutinous. He really wanted to kill all the He family members now. At this time, he realized that he was really trapped by the He family.

    Consort Yu¡¯s eyes turned red with anger when she heard that Yu Mingyong was not afraid and still dared to go out to find trouble with others. She picked up the cushion beside her and hit Yu Mingyong hard on his head. ¡°You¡¯re already beaten badly, but you still refuse to stay quiet. Do you want to piss me?¡±

    ¡°But, Elder Sister, we can¡¯t be bullied by them just like that.¡± Yu Mingyong didn¡¯t avoid Consort Yu¡¯s beat. Then he pulled the cushion and said resentfully, his eyes red with hatred. He really felt that he had been bullied by the two useless people, and he could not take it lying down. He turned to Consort Yu, craned his neck, and said hatefully, ¡°Elder Sister, I want to seek revenge.¡±

 Chapter 521 - A Scheme, Yu Fengâ€™s Suggestion

    <h4>Chapter 521 A Scheme, Yu Feng¡¯s Suggestion</h4>

    ¡°Look at you, why are you still trying to take revenge on them?¡± Seeing that Yu Mingyong still didn¡¯t listen to her, Consort Yu raised her voice and gritted her teeth angrily. She couldn¡¯t help heavily patting him a few more times.

    ¡°Ouch, Elder Sister how could you hit me when I¡¯m already wounded? Anyway, I can¡¯t swallow my pride. So what if I¡¯m in this state? The He family has never had a good time. I heard that they have been driven away by King Xuan from his house. It¡¯s now the time to strike them when they are down. Why can¡¯t I seek revenge for myself? I just don¡¯t believe that Consort Zhao in the pce dare to openly help them when something like this has happened.¡±

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s voice grew louder and louder and he felt more and more rational. It was rare for him to look at Consort Yu so forcefully and insist on his n. He had been framed over and over again recently and was already full of anger. He vented all his anger on the He family. He felt that he would not be able to dispel the hatred in his heart if he did not destroy the He family.

    Although his words were tough, at hisst few words, Consort Yu immediately frowned and did not say anything.

    Yu Mingyong, who was familiar with his elder sister¡¯s character, was overjoyed when he saw her expression. Knowing that there was a chance, he hurriedly winked at Yu Feng, who was standing by the side.

    Yu Feng understood immediately when he saw that. He took two steps forward and said respectfully, ¡°Your Highness, what First Young Master said makes sense. I have investigated the matter. The incident has just happened and the He family has been chased away by King Xuan. They are like dogs that have lost their homes now. Now that they dared to plot against a prince¡¯s first consort, Consort Zhao in the pce won¡¯t dare to speak up for them. If anything happens to them now, others will all think that King Xuan has done it. After all, he is a man who isw-defying.¡±

    Consort Yu was a little tempted by his words. She blinked her beautiful eyes and felt that it was a good idea.

    She had long seen Consort Zhao as an eyesore! Now, she felt even more ufortable as if she had been pricked by a thorn.

    It was said that the Emperor had been in favor of her for many years, and she was the Emperor¡¯s favorite woman. Consort Yu had wanted to form an alliance with her. She intentionally showed her kindness to Consort Zhao, and even brought Consort Zhao to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce to pay her respects, hoping to lure her into the Empress Dowager¡¯s side. Moreover, she thought that it wasn¡¯t bad for her younger brother to marry Consort Zhao¡¯s niece. At the very least, she could collect Consort Zhao.

    In the future, when the little prince in her belly was born, he would be protected by more people.

    But unexpectedly, before they got closer, an ident happened at the banquet. It was not He Yuxiu¡¯s fault at first, but Consort Zhao pushed the me to He Yuxiu in order to save He Yufen. Who was He Yuxiu? She was her future sister-inw. Her brother was already very disappointing, and if he married a woman who was a shameless thief, the family was all ruined.

    Consort Yu was on the verge of falling out with Consort Zhao at the time. It was because He Yuxiu hadn¡¯t married her brother yet and could only be considered Consort Zhao¡¯s family.

    Then, she vented all her anger on Ling Rui¡¯er, who was the cause of the incident. She asked Feng Yuzhen to frame Ling Rui¡¯er. On the one hand, it was for Yu Mingyong¡¯s sake, and on the other hand, she tried to create animosity between Ling Rui¡¯er and King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, so as to help Feng Yuzhen gain benefits.

    In the pce, Consort Yu and Consort Zhao were a little at odds with each other.

    With He Yuxiu¡¯s disappearance, the marriage between the Yu Manor and the He Manor had been blown up. Consort Yu did not find it a pity. In fact, she really hoped that something would happen to He Yuxiu. She really did not want her younger brother to marry that woman. However, since Yu Mingyong had taken a fancy to her, she could not force him not to marry her. As such, it was the best oue.

    Since she and Consort Zhao could not stand on the same line, it would be better to see through her opponent earlier. There was no need for too much involvement.

    But she didn¡¯t expect that the He family would dare to plot against her brother.

    If the He family seeded this time, Yu Mingyong and she would have a hard time.Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.Thanks! Thinking of this, Consort Yu could not control the anger which arose in the pit of her stomach. She did not believe that the He family would dare to harm her younger brother and her, her brother¡¯s backer. The n had been made so carefully, so how could the He family, who had juste to the capital, have been so powerful to nt people at King Xuan¡¯s Manor?

    If it was not the He family, who had such extraordinary abilities and such a close rtionship with the He family?

    There was only one answer: Consort Zhao!

    ¡°How dare that bitch scheme against me? Does she really think that my family has no people?¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s gazended on Yu Feng when she thought of that. A deep look shed across her eyes. She had wanted to make Yu Feng her backing earlier. Yu Feng looked very smart and he had a good official position in other ces in the past. It was said that he would be given power in the capital. He was a rare talent.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that something would happen to Auntie Fang. Not only did Consort Yu not manage to gain anything from it, but she had also been reprimanded by the Emperor. As such, Consort Yu ignored Yu Feng and treated him like a useless chess piece. When she listened to him carefully, she felt that it was very reasonable. Then she thought of something.

    She fixed her eyes on her younger brother¡¯s face again. She knew clearly about her younger brother¡¯s situation. He was a rogue. He did everything by virtue of his likes and dislikes, and he was also a lecherous man. No one in the manor could control his temper. Although he sometimes listened to her, how could she, a consort, always see her younger brother?

    She had to find someone to watch and remind him.

    ¡°Elder Sister, please promise me. If Yu Feng hadn¡¯t stopped me, I would have sent men to deal with them. The reason why I waited was that I wanted you to give me an idea. I can¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡± Yu Mingyong reached out to pull Consort Yu¡¯s sleeve, all smiles.

    This reminded Consort Yu of her little brother in the past. Her heart immediately softened and she gave a sigh.

    However, she ignored him and turned to look at Yu Feng. She said lightly, ¡°Sir Yu, what do you think we should do?¡±

    Yu Feng was pleased when he heard Consort Yu asking him seriously. Afraid that Consort Yu would see through his emotion, he hurriedly saluted respectfully and hid the joy in his eyes before replying, ¡°Your Highness, I also think that First Young Master¡¯s idea is not bad, but you cannot act rashly. So I especially advised him to listen to Your Highness before making a decision. If something were to happen to the He family while First Young Master is lying in bed, no one would think that it is First Young Master.¡±

    On the one hand, he exined he was of use to Yu Mingyong. On the other hand, he also hinted that Yu Mingyong was injured now. Even if something were to happen to the He family, others would only suspect that King Xuan, Feng Yuran, had tried to kill them and would not suspect Yu Mingyong, who could not even get up from the bed. Furthermore, Yu Mingyong had always been a reckless person who was not that smart.

    He was incapable of careful calction.

    A hint of calction shed through Consort Yu¡¯s eyes. She secretly thought about the feasibility of this matter and slowly understood the meaning behind it. She then said softly, ¡°Kill the two of the He family?¡±

    There were only two masters left in the He family. One¡¯s daughter was missing and the other¡¯s daughter was said to have been sent to a brothel by King Xuan.

    ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t have to beat them to death. It will be boring if you beat them to death,¡± Yu Feng said this with satisfaction. He knew that Consort Yu had epted his suggestion and decided to keep her guessing.

    He was very pleased with himself right now. Consort Yu¡¯s attitude had softened, and she had even asked him about it, implying that she wanted to collect him again. He had been in a state of panic all this while, and now, he could heave a sigh of relief. He felt as if he had found a new master. Furthermore, his master looked at him with admiration. How could he not be overjoyed?

    Yu Mingyong was unhappy. He red at Yu Feng and snapped, ¡°If we don¡¯t beat them to death, how to vent my anger?¡±

    ¡°First Young Master, don¡¯t worry. We can¡¯t be rushed. If you really kill the two He family members, Consort Zhao in the pce will definitely intervene in this matter. Although King Xuan¡¯s Manor and the He family have been separated, there is still a blood rtionship between the two families. If you really kill his uncles, perhaps King Xuan may not be happy,¡± Yu Feng hurriedly exined and tried tofort Yu Mingyong.

    He did not dare to offend this man right now. Compared to Consort Yu, this man was much easier to deal with.

    ¡°Then how to vent my anger?¡± The more Yu Mingyong thought of the He family, the angrier he became. Putting aside the fact that his fianc¨¦e had been changed many times, the He family lost his fianc¨¦e in the end, and even dared to plot against him, causing him nearly to lose his life. How could Yu Mingyong not want to kill the two men of the He family?

    ¡°Since First Young Master doesn¡¯t die, we can cripple them,¡± Yu Feng said meaningfully. Even though he was speaking to Yu Mingyong, he exined to Consort Yu, ¡°Your Highness, if the two of the He family are attacked and crippled, no one will care about it considering the fact that the He family once tried to frame King Xuan. Then they will definitely look for Consort Zhao¡¯s help in desperation. This way, Consort Zhao and King Xuan will be at odds with each other.¡±

    He had spoken so clearly that Consort Yu understood immediately. A smile of admiration appeared at the corners of her eyes as she nodded.

    Yu Mingyong couldn¡¯t understand what he meant, but shepletely understood!

    Consort Zhao did not have a son and was King Xuan, Feng Yuran¡¯s aunt, so she must be very close to him. Consort Yu now realized that Consort Zhao tried to harm Mo Xuetong but didn¡¯t harm Feng Yuran because she wanted to drag Consort Xuan off the position and make her niece rece her to be Consort Xuan.

    King Xuan was Consort Zhao¡¯s nephew and He Yufen was her niece, and they were close to her. In this case, she would control King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the future. That was why Consort Zhao hade up with such a plot to frame Mo Xuetong. Of course, she did not forget to frame her. If her younger brother died in King Xuan¡¯s hands, then the enmity between her and King Xuan would be formed.

    ¡°That bitch Consort Zhao is truly sinister and shrewd.¡±

    Consort Yu nodded. She already had a n in mind. She looked at Yu Feng and said, ¡°Alright, it will be up to you. Sir Yu, you will be in charge of this.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will obey Master¡¯s order.¡± Yu Feng was delighted and immediately called her ¡°master¡±, hinting that he would be loyal to Consort Yu. Consort Yu was even more satisfied with what he said. She knew that he was a smart person. If he did not have a sister who was not sensible, he would have done many things for her, and would not have been in such a poor condition like he was today.

    Thinking of Yu Feng¡¯s younger sister, Consort Yu could not help but ask, ¡°How¡¯s your sister who is other¡¯s concubine? Is she still staying at your home?¡±

    She was just mentioning it casually and did not expect Yu Feng¡¯s reply. However, Yu Feng said respectfully, ¡°Master, my younger sister is really weak. She might not even be able to live much longer after she was sent to the manor. She is still ill and might not even be able to live for the next year.¡±

    His words sounded a little sad, but in fact, there was not a trace of sadness in them. He now had no affection for his sister at all. When Auntie Fang was driven away by the Mo Manor, he didn¡¯t allow her to enter his house again. After that, she disappeared. Fortunately, he spread the word that he had been keeping her, and a few dayster he sent word that she was dead.

    Whether she lived or died from then on, it had nothing to do with him. Of course, it was also a good reason for him to show his loyalty to Consort Yu. Also, that was as it should be so that Consort Yu could know his condition.

    ¡°Now that it has turned out like this, it¡¯s good for her!¡± Consort Yu said lightly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Yu Feng said understandingly.

 Chapter 522 - Consort Zhaos Plan in the Heart

    <h4>Chapter 522 Consort Zhao¡¯s n in the Heart</h4>

    Not only did the He family not know how to repay a debt of gratitude, they had even offended Consort Xuan. The fact that they had dared to frame Consort Xuan had instantly spread throughout all the noble families in the capital.

    While everyone was wondering how King Xuan would deal with the He family, Feng Yuran really lived up to other¡¯s expectations. Before the banquet finished, he had driven the He family away from his house. He had also gotten people to say that his rtionship with the He family was over. From then on, anything that the He family did had nothing to do with him, and they were just strangers.

    All of a sudden, it caused a big uproar in the capital.

    Some thought that the He family was too shameless and too bold that they dared to plot against King Xuan. They really did not want to live. If King Xuan had not considered that they were rted by blood, they would have been sentenced to death.

    However, some people thought that Feng Yuran was too arrogant. Even if the He family was wrong, how could the blood ties be severed? After all, the He family was still Consort Xian¡¯s parents¡¯ home and the two were his biological uncles. How could he be so heartless to drive them away?

    Anyway, there were all kinds of rumors andments. Most people could see that King Xuan¡¯s Manor had really broken off the engagement with the He family. A servant held a stick and drove the two masters of the He family into a terrible state. And it was said that First Miss He was living in a brothel.

    There were even observant people who waited quietly for what happened next. No matter what, Consort Zhao was from the He family. Since King Xuan had created such a scene, what should Consort Zhao do? What was Consort Zhao, who had been doted on for 10 years, going to deal with this matter? One of them was the Emperor¡¯s most beloved and arrogant prince, and the other was his favorite consort for 10 years. How would the Emperor face them? Or how would this matter be resolved? It seemed like it would be worth watching.

    The news about the He family plotting against Consort Xuan was spread out after lunch. Then, the He family was thrown out of King Xuan¡¯s house by his servants without mercy. Then, at the next lunch, someone discovered that the two masters of the He family had been rescued from a gutter. They were already beaten half to death. Things happened one after another, but nothing was good.

    In the Mingyue Pce, Consort Zhao apanied Emperor Zongwen to have their dinner. She wore a light green dress and had a jade phoenix hairpin on her head. She looked beautiful and was dancing in the hall. Her steps were light and elegant like that of a fairy. Her body swirled slightly. Then her feet lifted slightly, and the veil hanging from her arms scattered like clouds. She was as beautiful as a fairy descending from the immortal realm.

    Suddenly, Consort Zhao staggered and her body tilted. She stepped on her dress and fell to the ground heavily. The musicians on the side were so frightened that they all stopped and looked at Emperor Zongwen who was sitting on the high tform. They didn¡¯t know whether they should continue to y or not.

    Emperor Zongwen put down the goblet in his hand and ordered unhappily, ¡°Somebody,e and help Consort Zhao up.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± a pce maid who was standing by the side answered. She came over, helped Consort Zhao to her feet, and helped her to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side.

    ¡°My beloved consort, please take a seat,¡± Emperor Zongwen said gently.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m not tired. let me pour you some wine,¡± Consort Zhao said with a smile. She let go of the maid¡¯s hand and tried to get the wine pot next to Emperor Zongwen. However, she couldn¡¯t stand steadily, and tilted to the side as soon as she stopped. Luckily, Emperor Zongwen was quick to hold her soft waist.

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Majesty. If not for you, I would...¡± Consort Zhao¡¯s face was filled with shock and fear. She looked at Emperor Zongwen pitiably with her beautiful eyes. The clothes she wore appropriately outlined her slender figure. There were tears in her eyes. She looked a little aggrieved and sad at the same time, but she intentionally forced a smile that made one feel pity for her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked gently. ¡°Now that you¡¯re not feeling well, why are you still trying to force yourself? Sit down and have a few drinks with me.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Consort Zhao held Emperor Zongwen¡¯s hand and sat down. Her small mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but did not dare to do so at that moment. The beauty was shy but also seemed to be filled with affection. It was the most attractive. Furthermore, the beauty was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favored concubine who had been doted on for many years.

    Emperor Zongwen picked up the goblet and took a sip. Then, he gently brought the wine to Consort Zhao¡¯s lips. ¡°Dear, are you upset by some unkindness? Tell me, I¡¯m going to help you vent your anger.¡±

    In the light, although the Emperor¡¯s eyes were as deep as a pool of water, there was a gentle smile in them. It seemed that he didn¡¯t me her at all. Consort Zhao breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Suddenly, she stood up and knelt down directly. She sobbed, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m guilty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.¡±

    At this time, the more heartbroken and aggrieved she appeared, the better it would be. Consort Zhao had been in the imperial harem for so many years that she had been familiar with this. She looked so sad that she lifted her sleeve to wipe her face.

    Emperor Zongwen did not expect Consort Zhao to be like this. His face immediately darkened and he asked unhappily, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Consort Zhao covered her face and wailed. The pce maid standing behind her hurriedly knelt down, kowtowed to Emperor Zongwen, and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Her Highness is asking for your forgiveness. Your Majesty, please forgive Her Highness for failing to supervise her family.¡±

    Failing to supervise her family? Emperor Zongwen¡¯s brows furrowed. He immediately realized what she was talking about. He turned around and asked Consort Zhao, ¡°Are you talking about what happened in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, dear?¡±

    It was a big thing and had already spread throughout the whole pce. Of course, Emperor Zongwen knew it.

    ¡°Yes, it is all my fault for neglecting to supervise. I don¡¯t know why Yufen would do something like that to offend King Xuan in order to be his legal wife. How, how can I face King Xuan in the future? How can I face my elder sister? In the past, when my elder sister was still alive, she always told me that I should protect my family. But now... now King Xuan and his uncle¡¯s family have be enemies, and King Xuan is even used of disrespecting his elders. It¡¯s all my... it¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    Consort Zhao lifted her head and looked at Emperor Zongwen with tears in her eyes.

    When a woman gazed at someone with tears in her eyes, she could move people¡¯s minds the most, especially the kind of look full of grievances. Consort Zhao looked at herself in the mirror and made the expression a million times. She knew that this was the most touching way to move a man¡¯s heart. Her teary eyes, her pretty nose, her half-closed lips, and her beautiful eyes that were full of grievance...

    It sounded that she had put the me on herself, but she hinted that King Xuan didn¡¯t respect the elders, and cut off rtions with his uncle¡¯s family for a woman. It was too much for him to be so heartless.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes grew even darker. This time, he did not reach out. Instead, he picked up the goblet that had been pushed to Consort Zhao earlier and raised it to take a sip. Even though one could not see any expression on his face, his eyes were not sharp and he looked as if he was thinking deeply about something. He was silent.

    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Concubine Zhao still looked pitiable when she saw that Emperor Zongwen did not speak. There was a trace of guilt in her eyes but she then started to cry again. ¡°This is my fault. I do not dare to pass the buck. Please, please punish me, Your Majesty.¡±

    After that, she sobbed and heavily kowtowed to the ground. Her face was moist.

    When such a beautiful woman cried with grievance and sadness, even a man with a hardened heart would not be able to see it.

    ¡°Please stand up, my beloved consort. We¡¯ll discuss this when Old Eightes back. Furthermore, this has nothing to do with you. You are in the pce every day. How could you be able to fully aware of what happened outside? Your brothers and niece were so daring that they instigated Consort Yu¡¯s younger brother to do something like that. It would be fine even if they died. Consort Yu went to visit his younger brother in the afternoon, and when she returned, she even cried and told me that she was going to avenge his brother.¡±

    One could not tell whether Emperor Zongwen was happy or angry from his face. However, he still extended his hand, took Consort Zhao¡¯s hand gently, and pulled her to a stool by the side to sit down. She had been secretly happy and heaved a sigh of relief. However, when she heard the second half of Emperor Zongwen¡¯s statement, her heart tensed up. Consort Yu had already taken action earlier than her?

    ¡°That bitch is so sly!¡±

    Since Consort Yu had told the whole story to the Emperor, it would be a little pretentious for her to talk about it again. Her mind was racing. She wiped her face with her handkerchief and said with a smile, ¡°I heard that Sir Yu has been injured. How is he? Should I go out of the pce tomorrow to see him? After all, it¡¯s our He family¡¯s fault. If they knew Sir Yu¡¯s character, how could they go and instigate him? Weren¡¯t they all going to the road of death?¡±

    She had wanted to take all the me for Feng Yuran¡¯s disgracing his elders and having little regard for the kinship. Furthermore, the two masters of the He family had been beaten to half death tonight. It was unknown whether they were still alive or not. This caused Emperor Zongwen to suspect that it was Feng Yuran who did it. He wanted to punish Feng Yuran and at the same time cate the two brothers. Only then would Feng Yuran be able to get rid of the rumors that he treated his elders with disrespect and were cold-blooded.

    She did not expect Consort Yu to get involved in the matter. Furthermore, she had alreadyined tearfully to Emperor Zongwen. If she continued toin to Emperor Zongwen, it would only cause Emperor Zongwen to suspect her. She was a little slower than Consort Yu and could not do anything about it. She remembered how she had sent someone to invite Emperor Zongwen earlier, but the servant said that the Emperor was busy. It turned out that he was appeasing Consort Yu. Consort Zhao was both envious and angry when she thought of that.

    However, she could not reveal anything on her face. Her previous thoughts had beenpletely overturned. She had to be even more careful with her actions. As such, she had to make concessions in order to gain an advantage. Who was Yu Mingyong? He didn¡¯t deserve the Emperor¡¯s favorite concubine¡¯s visit.

    As expected, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°This has nothing to do with you, my beloved concubine. You don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. Alright, let¡¯s have a few drinks. I will go and take a look at Consort Yuter. The baby in her belly was stirred when she left the pce. She is lying in her pce.¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s baby was stirred?

    Consort Zhao was very angry and only thought that this bitch was so hypocritical. Consort Yu had long past the three-month dangerous period. How could her baby be stirred for no reason? It was clear that Consort Yu was on guard against Consort Zhao. So she deliberately pulled the Emperor to her side and said something in front of the Emperor so that the Emperor would suspect Consort Zhao.

    She also hated that the brothers of the He family didn¡¯t know how to do things and that He Yufen was too stupid. It was so well-prepared, but these people still failed. Instead, it was investigated thoroughly. Now that they had failed, they still dared toe to her and asked her to protect them. But she didn¡¯t expect that she would be affected by them.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they get beaten half to death? Why didn¡¯t they die? Why did they evene to Lian An¡¯s Manor? It makes me unable to get rid of them even if I wanted to.¡±

    ¡°No, I have to find time to send a message to Lian An. It¡¯s best for the two brothers of the He family to leave the capital as early as possible.¡± Not only did they not help her, but they had also caused her trouble. She did not want to cause trouble and be killed. She looked up at Emperor Zongwen who was seated by her side. Even though there was a smile on his face, Consort Zhao could not help but shiver. It was an ominous feeling.

    ¡°Yes, I will obey the edict.¡± Even though she felt uneasy, she did not show it on her face. She filled Emperor Zongwen¡¯s goblet and pushed it in front of him. ¡°A toast to you, Your Majesty.¡±

    There were still tears in her beautiful eyes, but she still looked at Emperor Zongwen tenderly. She looked very affectionate and charming. She knew that he did not like the topic before, so she did not mention it again. She looked as if she only had eyes for him. This made Emperor Zongwen very happy. He could not help butugh loudly as he hugged her in his arms, took the wine cup, and drank it all.

 Chapter 523 - The Beauty in the West Hill Yard

    <h4><strong>Chapter 523</strong> The Beauty in the West Hill Yard</h4>

    Mo Xuetong, who was in the West Hill Yard, did not know that something big happened in the capital once they left. Many people started to plot again because of this matter. The He family had already been driven away by Feng Yuran, and their First Miss who had been sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor was said to have been sent to a brothel. This represented that King Xuan¡¯s Manor and the He family had officially broken up.

    Of course, there was another saying: King Xuan doted heavily on his little wife and could not bear to let her suffer a little and that was why he treated the He family that way.

    Of course, what happened to the brothers of the He family that night had been said to have been done by King Xuan in the beginning. However, it gradually died down. Those who knew of Feng Yuran¡¯s character knew that if he were to act up, he would not care when or where they were, and would definitely beat them to death if he wanted to. He did not have to wait until night and secretly beat them up in the dark.

    Since it was not King Xuan who had done it, then who had done it to intentionally fish in trouble waters and distract other people. Different people had different views about it...

    A stream was connected to a small waterfall. The waterfall rushed down from above, sshing water drops that were like pieces of jade. When the water drops fell on someone, they would feel cool and refreshing.

    On the grass at the foot of the mountain, there was an octagonal pavilion with curtains hanging from it. Below the curtains, a man and a woman snuggled with each other on arge couch. The man was wearing a purple robe with golden embroidery patterns on the corners and cuffs of the clothes. His face was peerlessly handsome without any ws. His long hair was casually loose, and fell like a waterfall over his shoulders, making him look casual and enchanting.

    The wind raised the curtains, and one could see his unique and beautiful facial features were abnormally clear under the shine of the light.

    He was holding a sleeping woman in his arms. She was very beautiful. Her ck eyshes were as long and beautiful as a brush; her nose was small, and her lips were pink and soft as honey. Her long ck hair fell on the pillow, and reflected by her long snow-white dress, her shoulder was like a blooming snow lotus, which was unparalleled beautiful.

    Such a pair of beautiful people, who leaned against each other in the beautiful scenery, made people feel like they were a pair of fairy lovers. They looked as if they were in a painting.

    However, someone would destroy this beautiful painting.

    Feng Yuran was the person who ruined the beautiful painting.

    He reached out and pushed Mo Xuetong, who was still in her afternoon nap. A beautiful yet devilish smile appeared on his face. He said, ¡°Tong¡¯er, wake up. It¡¯s time to get up. If you don¡¯t get up, you¡¯ll have to get spanked.¡±

    He craned his head and whispered into Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear.

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and reached out to find the right position. She pushed away the head that was close to her. She turned down the corners of her mouth, looking as if she had been wronged. As such, she turned around and continued to sleep. She did not want to stay in bed, but sleeping here was reallyfortable. She listened to the sound of the water flowing outside, and birds¡¯ singing from time to time. The wind was mild, and it was neither cold nor hot.

    Under such circumstances, she really didn¡¯t want to get up.

    ¡°You¡¯re really a sleepyhead. You greedy sleeper.¡± A hint of a smile shed through Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty eyes. He reached out with one hand and forcefully turned her over. Then, he pinched her pretty nose with the other hand. ¡°Sleepyhead, you can get up. You¡¯ll get cold if you continue to sleep.¡±

    Although it wasfortable to take a nap here, they could not sleep for too long. The climate in the mountains was different from that outside. It was already a little cold. Tong¡¯er was weak and if she slept longer, it would not be good for her health. As such, no matter how much Mo Xuetong wanted to sleep, Feng Yuran would wake her up.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s nose was pinched again and again and she wanted to turn around but she failed. It seemed that Feng Yuran didn¡¯t n to stop the harassment. Even if Mo Xuetong was really a sleepyhead, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep because of the harassment. When she heard Feng Yuran¡¯s words, which contained a hint ofziness and love, a faint smile appeared on her lips before she opened her eyes. Then she caught his long finger and bit it.

    ¡°I want to keep on sleeping. Don¡¯t disturb me,¡± she muttered.

    Then, she bit down lightly on his finger that disturbed her just now. She opened her eyes forcefully and in a daze, she red at Feng Yuran, half-asleep.

    Feng Yuran felt his throat dry and his body heated up when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s pink lips wrap around his finger. He looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s slightly parted lips and could not help but move his throat a few times. His handsome face flushed slightly, but he said dryly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you may get up.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mo Xuetong had not discovered Feng Yuran¡¯s oddness. She had just woken up and her reaction was a little slow. When she realized that Feng Yuran¡¯s jade-like face was flushed red, she looked at him curiously from beneath her longshes. She pulled out his finger from her mouth and nced at him. Then, she said firmly, ¡°No.¡±

    She nced at him from the corner of her eyes. However, in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, it looked like that a beautiful woman was being coy, and he loved this beautiful woman. He looked at the two small rows of sharp teeth marks on his finger and then at how charming she was lying beside him rxedly. Her little face rubbed against his chest subconsciously and his heart heated up.

    He just felt that no matter how much he loved the woman in front of him, it was not enough. He just wanted to smash her into his body.

    Looking at the beautiful scenery in front of him, he felt that he could not bear it any longer. ¡°Get up. Tong¡¯er, get up,¡± he said hoarsely.

    Then, before Mo Xuetong reacted, he hugged her tightly in his embrace. He flipped over her and pressed his lips against hers. His senses were all focused on that tiny pieces of her lips. He contained her lips in his mouth. Tip of his tongue seemed to have its own soul perception and went into between her lips.

    At the same time, his other hand slowly touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s back, which had a beautiful curve. Then, his lips fell down with a passionate kiss.

    No matter how Mo Xuetong was sleepy, she would not fall asleep because of his kiss. She opened her mouth subconsciously to respond to his overbearing behavior. His kisses had always been overbearing. She hummed softly and cuddled him powerlessly. Her opened eyes closed slightly. Her longshes blocked the sunlight outside of the gauze curtains and allowed herself to sink into his kisses.

    She was his wife and he was someone she trusted and relied on. Therefore, she believed that he would not hurt her. All her worries would go with the wind. Since he and she were in love with each other after her rebirth, then let everything change!

    Mo Xuetong did not realize how beautiful she was right now. There was a charm on her innocent face. Under her slightly closed eyes, her watery eyes peeked out from beneath her longshes. That indescribable charm was enough to drive any man crazy.

    There were a man¡¯s madness and arrogance in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes. He only knew that the woman in front of him was his wife, and the person he would protect for his entire life. She waspletely his.

    As such, Feng Yuran¡¯s actions grew more and more hurried. Desire rose in his heart. He wanted to eat up such a beautiful woman in his embrace bit by bit and taste every bit of her taste. Every part and every inch of her would be his. He involuntarily probed his hand into Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes...

    Suddenly, the sharp chirps of birds rang in the sky, as if they were right by their ears, awakening the two who werepletely immersed in the passion. Mo Xuetong was a little dazed when she realized that the clothes on her upper body had almost beenpletely taken off. Feng Yuran¡¯srge hand was still reaching out to her chest. Immediately, a wave of anger rushed up to her head. She blushed, pulled the thin nket beside her, and covered her up without thinking.

    She almost wanted to kick Feng Yuran away. He had been controlling himself so well, but when they were outside, why was he...

    Feng Yuran heaved a long sigh when he saw how angry she was. He held back the desire in his heart and ignored her dragging therge nket. Instead, he pressed the nket down for her and ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Then, he stood up and tidied up his clothes before walking out. He pulled down the curtains as well.

    Mo Xuetong peered at him with a blush on her face through the thin nk and curtains, wondering what he was doing out there.

    Suddenly, the sound of birds chirping rang again, and arge white birdnded on Feng Yuran¡¯s shoulder. Therge bird looked extremely brave. When it raised its head and rolled its eyes, it looked as if looking down on everything. It appeared divine and handsome.

    ¡°Come out!¡± Feng Yuran patted on the snow eagle¡¯s back, his face ashen. He said simply, ¡°Give me a reasonable exnation.¡±

    A figure shed in the air. A young man appeared in front of Feng Yuran with an extremely awkward smile. He had scolded Feng Yue in his heart. He looked at the unsatisfied expression on King Xuan¡¯s face and then at the octagonal pavilion under the curtains. Even if he was blunt, he knew that Feng Yue had tricked him.

    ¡°This guy dares to plot against me. I¡¯ll have a fight with him. I haven¡¯t fought him for a long time, and I feel my hands really itchy.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I have news from the Yan Kingdom. The Lan family in the Yan Kingdom seems to have the thing you want, but it is kept under wraps and is not something that we can find out about.¡± Of course, he had to say something serious right now. Otherwise, King Xuan would definitely not be nice to him. He might vent his anger on the young man considering that he was unfulfilled.

    ¡°Lan Manor? Has Bai Yihao ever gone there to look for it?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s expression had already returned to normal. There was a hint ofziness at the corner of his eyes, as well as a charming smile.

    ¡°The Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom is also looking for it, but the Lan family supports their First Prince and has a close rtionship with the Empress. So just like me, he hasn¡¯t gotten anything now.¡±

    Feng Yuran paused for a moment when he heard that. He frowned slightly and said, ¡°Keep on investigating. You have to observe Bai Yihao¡¯s behavior as well.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, what if the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom gets it?¡± That was what Feng Yan had always wanted to ask. There was only one thing, and the Crown Prince was such an outstanding character. Even though his master was not bad, Bai Yihao had the right time and location to do so. Wasn¡¯t that ce in the charge of the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom?

    If they really wanted to fight for it, they would not have the slightest advantage. Moreover, there were people from the Lan Manor. Those people were not to be trifled with either.

    ¡°If there is a fight, you can help the Crown Prince get that item.¡± Feng Yuran understood what he meant and said slowly with a wicked smile on his lips.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Feng Yan did not understand for a moment. He looked at Feng Yuran in confusion. They had spent so much effort to set up the ns in the Yan Kingdom. Was it so that they could help Bai Yihao seed?

    ¡°We can seize it when he makes it. Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient for us?¡± Feng Yuran nced at his subordinate.

    Feng Yan suddenly figured it out. After thinking for a moment, he bowed and said, ¡°I was confused.¡±

    ¡°The goal is the most important. You can endure the details and keep a clear mind all the time. Don¡¯t be too eye-catching.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Feng Yan saluted and left. The snow eagle in Feng Yuran¡¯s hand let out a long chirp, flew up, and followed Feng Yan.

 Chapter 524 - Feng Yuran Returned to the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 524 Feng Yuran Returned to the Capital</h4>

    Feng Yuran walked back to the pavilion, lifted the curtains and walked in. He met Mo Xuetong¡¯s bright eyes that looked at him through the thin nket. When she saw himing in, she immediately blocked the gap and hid inside it. Her cute and silly behavior made Feng Yuran amused.

    He came over and pulled off a part of her nket to make her head peep out. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel hot? Why are you so shy?¡± he asked with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was red and she wanted to say something. However, when she thought of how she was not properly dressed under the thin nket, she could not speak. Her mouth opened but she felt that she could not speak anything.

    ¡°Do you want me to help you put on your clothes?¡± Feng Yuran sat by the couch, looking as if he was going to pull her thin nket again.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Xuetong was determined. She blinked her watery eyes and her eyes were moist.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Then, get up quickly. I¡¯ll take you to listen to the good news.¡± Feng Yuran stopped teasing her. He knew that she was shy and turned around.

    ¡°What news is it?¡± Mo Xuetong blushed when she saw him turn around. She quickly reached out to put on her clothes under the nket. However, she was rather curious about the news.

    ¡°We have been at West Hill for a few days. Father will be angry if we don¡¯t return now,¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile.

    The Emperor was about to get angry with them? What did he mean? Mo Xuetong did not understand for a moment. She tidied up her clothes and lifted the thin nket. She blinked her watery eyes, turned around, and looked at Feng Yuran to show that she did not understand.

    Feng Yuran stood up and slowly pulled Mo Xuetong to her feet. He took ab from the side andbed her long hair. There were no outsiders here for the past few days and both of them were dressed casually. They only had a single strand to tie up their hair. ¡°I heard news just now that our manor is in chaos. I¡¯ll go back and take a look at what¡¯s going on!¡±

    The manor was in a mess? Mo Xuetong understood and was pulled into his embrace. She just leaned against him and allowed him to deal with her long hair. They had been in the West Hill Yard for a few days. The beautiful scenery made her feel like in a dream. In her past life, she wanted to have this kind of life and lived beside the middle of theke and mountains with her husband.

    It was easy and peaceful!

    It was just that in her past life, she had paid the price of her life and had not gotten such warmth. But now, after her rebirth, she had lived a life that she had wanted to for a long time. How could Mo Xuetong not be so happy that she almost cried? Even though it had only been a few short days, the two felt as if they had lived here for entire life.

    It was a lifetime of peace!

    No matter what she would face in the future, she felt that she was full of courage. They had stolen the opportunity to be idle for a few days when he was so busy every day. This really moved her. Perhaps this was God¡¯spensation for her tragic ending in herst life!

    ¡°Is something wrong with the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong leaned into his embrace quietly and closed her eyes. She could feel theb on her head as hebed her hair gently. Mo Xuetong felt sofortable that she almost snored.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s heart softened when he saw how carefree andfortable Mo Xuetong was. He could not help but reach out to touch her cheeks. There was a hint of doting in his usualzy voice and the smile on his face was extremely charming, as if it had gilt on it. ¡°The women in the back courtyard are all happy without a mistress in the manor, so they have made some trouble.¡±

    His pretty eyesnded on the stream not far away, and a cold smile appeared at the corners of his lips. His back yard had to be taken care of, not only for Tong¡¯er, but also for his future children. He had wanted others thought that he was a womanizer in the past, so no matter which woman was sent to him, he would take them.

    But things were different now. With Tong¡¯er around, he had long wanted to get rid of those women. Now that the opportunity hade. Those women dared to plot against Tong¡¯er. They really did not know what they were doing.

    When Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong back to the yard, the sun was about to set. Feng Yuran settled Mo Xuetong in before he brought his men back to the capital that night. They did not go anywhere else when they reached the city. They rushed to the pce gates. When the guards who guarded the gates saw King Xuan, they hurriedly opened the gates and weed him in.

    The Emperor had already ordered that King Xuan could enter the pce whenever he came.

    Once entering the pce, Feng Yuran went directly to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s Qianqing Pce. The lead eunuch Liu Xi had already received the message and waited at the entrance of the pce. When he saw Feng Yuraning in, he hurried over to greet him, ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you in his study.¡±

    ¡°Has Father had dinner?¡± Feng Yuran asked with a smile. He had not eaten anything on the way here. He was really hungry. Fortunately, he had never made things difficult for himself, so he asked for food directly.

    Liu Xi¡¯s brows scrunched up when he heard that King Xuan asked him, which meant that he had not considered him an outsider. He said hurriedly, ¡°His Majesty has already eaten, but he has left many dishes for you, just worried that you¡¯re in a hurry and are hungry. Go and have a chat with His Majesty. I¡¯ll get someone to heat the dishes up for you and bring them up.¡±

    He was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s personal eunuch, so he knew what Emperor Zongwen was thinking. He watched Consort Xian enter the pce, be favored by the Emperor, and then give birth to the little prince. He had thought that the Emperor would be happy. However, Consort Xian was poisoned to death and the little prince almost died. Emperor Zongwen did not dare to hand Feng Yuran over to anyone because he was afraid that the little prince would be killed. As such, he ordered Liu Xi to protect him.

    Therefore, Liu Xi¡¯s feelings for Feng Yuran were unlike the feelings a servant had for his master. Instead, it was like the feeling that an elder to a junior. When he saw that Feng Yuran did not treat him like an outsider, he was so happy that he could not help but grin. He sent Feng Yuran to the door of the study and went to order the kitchen with a smile.

    It was rare to see the lead eunuch, who had always been calm and collected, grinning from ear to ear. Other eunuchs and pce maids couldn¡¯t figure it out and looked at him nkly. They didn¡¯t know if he had taken the wrong medicine.

    ¡°Old Eight, what¡¯s going on in your manor?¡± The light was still on in the imperial study. Emperor Zongwen was sitting under the light and looking at Feng Yuran with displeasure and a hint of reproach in his eyes.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s not clean in my manor. Look, your daughter-inw just wanted to hold a birthday banquet and didn¡¯t take it extravagantly. She only invited some familiar people. How did she provoke others? Her birthday banquet was ruined. She¡¯s the dignified Consort Xuan in my manor. After this ident, I naturally had to apany her to rx for a few days. On that day, if it weren¡¯t for her good luck, she would have died.¡±

    Feng Yuran knew what Emperor Zongwen meant and immediatelyined. He had done so much not to make his father unhappy with Tong¡¯er.

    His words reminded Emperor Zongwen of the fact that his dearest son was dying when Mo Xuetong married him. His expression softened and he sighed, motioning Feng Yuran to sit down. There was still a hint of displeasure in his expression as he said, ¡°No matter what those women have done, you have to take care of the child in her belly.¡±

    Feng Yuran immediately knew what his father was most dissatisfied with today. Anger appeared on his face immediately. He put on a look of bitterness and hatred. ¡°Father, if the child in that woman¡¯s belly isn¡¯t mine, and I have been cuckolded, I should not care if she lives or dies.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes grew sharp when he heard that. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked in a low voice.

    ¡°I also feel strange. I only stayed with Concubine Xiang for the first few nights when she was sent to my manor, and then I had a new love, so I have never stayed with her after that. Then I got injured and married. I was so busy that I didn¡¯t have the energy to care about these women. Why does she have a baby? The time doesn¡¯t match.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s expression did not look good. No matter which man was in such a situation, his expression would not look good.

    At this time, Liu Xi had arrived at the door of the study. He listened for a few seconds and asked the little eunuch who was holding the hamper to step back. He also stood far away from the door. The pregnant woman in King Xuan¡¯s Manor was not carrying King Xuan¡¯s child, which made Liu Xi feel injustice for Feng Yuran and think that he should teach those women a lesson.

    He was just thinking about it, but Emperor Zongwen was so angry that he felt giddy. However, he still asked in disbelief, ¡°Why are you so sure that she wasn¡¯t pregnant during the few nights?¡±

    ¡°I have sent the doctor to see her. The doctor said that she was pregnant for at least four months. But I was injured then. How would I have time to have such a thing with her?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s red lips twitched slightly. He shook his head and added, ¡°Father, I really don¡¯t dare to ept such a woman. Please don¡¯t try to send women to my manor in the future. Look, what is it!¡±

    The woman who was pregnant was said to have been awarded from the pce. Even though it was possible that the person in the pce, who involved the woman, might be the Empress Dowager or the Empress, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s intuition told him that it had something to do with him. He flushed and grew weak. He had wanted to scold his son. Although there were not many women in the manor who were decent, the child in that woman¡¯s belly still belonged to the royal family. King Xuan had to care about her.

    He had thought that Mo Xuetong was so jealous that she took Feng Yuran away, leaving no one to care about the pregnant concubine in the manor. He was very satisfied with Mo Xuetong because of this. He had nned to say something to her so that she would understand that she could not be jealous to be a good Consort Xuan.

    At this time, when he saw his son¡¯s livid face, he also felt angry. Someone actually dared to plot against Old Eight, and even a woman in the manor dared tomit adultery. ¡°Old Eight, are you sure it¡¯s not your child?¡±

    Still worried, he asked again.

    ¡°I swear that if that child really is my child, from now on I...¡± Feng Yuran jumped up in anger when he heard the Emperor¡¯s suspicion and wanted to swear to God.

    Of course, he knew that the child in Concubine Xiang¡¯s belly was not his. Since he had never slept with her, how could she be carrying his child?

    ¡°Well, alright. How can I not believe you? I will not interfere in your matter. However, don¡¯t make things too big in case that the censors would say something,¡± Emperor Zongwen interrupted him hurriedly when he heard that his son was about to make a vow. He rubbed his forehead, had already made up his mind, and spoke in a low voice.

    No man could stand such a thing!

    Not to mention it happening in the royal family!

    ¡°Yes, then I will go back to the manor to settle the matters right now.¡± Feng Yuran smiled charmingly. There was a cold look in his eyes. He looked furious and turned around to leave.

    Liu Xi, who had been eavesdropping outside, heard the important conversation inside. He pushed the door open and came in with a smile. ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll serve the dishes. You¡¯d better eat first.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet?¡± Emperor Zongwen turned around to look at his son. Then, he realized that he was travel-worn. It was obvious that he had hurried into the pce. Looking at the tired expression on his son¡¯s face, Emperor Zongwen got worried and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you sit down and have some food? Otherwise, you might not have the time to eatter.¡±

    ¡°Father, do you want to have some with me?¡± Feng Yuran asked, with a smile as he sat down unceremoniously and looked at the dishes that Liu Xi had asked someone to prepare.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m full. Eat by yourself!¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes softened as he looked at Feng Yuran who looked a little like Consort Xian and himself. At the moment, he was no longer the Emperor who was high and mighty, but was just an ordinary father who loved his son.

 Chapter 525 - Heavy Punishment, Beating All to Death

    <h4>Chapter 525 Heavy Punishment, Beating All to Death</h4>

    Feng Yuran was not in a hurry to eat. After the meal, he chatted with Emperor Zongwen for a while before returning to the manor with his subordinates.

    When they reached the gate, Steward Wang and Nanny Chen who was in charge of the back courtyard were already waiting there. When they saw Feng Yuran dismount from his horse before the gate, they hurried over to wee him.

    Feng Yuran got off the horse, raised his hand, and asked everyone to get up. He strode inside and said, ¡°Wang Fu, you go to deal with the affairs in the outer courtyard first. Come to meter. Nanny Chen,e with me!¡±

    Steward Wang nodded and left after a salute.

    After they arrived at the hall, Feng Yuran sat down and a servant served him tea. He drank the tea before saying, ¡°Nanny Chen, tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, when you and Her Lady left, all the concubines in the backyard went to Concubine Xiang¡¯s house. I heard that they went to congratte her and chatted with her for a long time. Then they came out of her house together. Concubine Xiang saw them off at the door. When they came to the door, someone tripped on the threshold. The group of people fell one after another, including Concubine Xiang. As a result, the child was gone.¡±

    Arge group of people went to congratte Concubine Xiang, and Concubine Xiang appeared very happy. These people left in the middle of the night, but when they came out, someone tripped on the threshold. While struggling, they dragged Concubine Xiang identally, causing her to fall to the ground. The scheme was really perfect. With so many people, it was a mess. It was hard to know who did it. Even if Feng Yuran wanted to punish these people, he could not punish so many people.

    Feng Yuran narrowed his pretty eyes, and the smile on his lips turned into a sneer. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me about what happened on the surface. Just report what you¡¯ve investigated,¡± he said in a cold voice.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nanny Chen didn¡¯t dare to hide the truth. She bowed and answered, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve asked people to investigate this matter. It¡¯s not what we see on the surface. At least eight concubines are suspected. Since she was pregnant, Concubine Xiang has been living in seclusion. In order to cover up the fact that she is pregnant, she even didn¡¯t dare toe to you. She always used illness as an excuse. And she lived in a quiet ce and no one visited her in normal times.¡±

    ¡°I also checked the door of Concubine Xiang¡¯s house. It was obviously smeared with oil. Even if no one tripped on the threshold, someone would slip on the ground. Concubine Xiang didn¡¯t want to send them out off the door at that time, but she had to do it because those concubines urged her to do so. She also imed that there were several hands that reached out to her at that time.¡±

    Feng Yuran nodded and his smile was as cold as frost. He said, ¡°It¡¯s interesting. This is really an eye-opener for me. People in our manor are really capable. They really know a lot.¡±

    His words were full of sneers. Hearing this, Nanny Chen lowered her head and became more deferential. She secretly thought that Feng Yuran was really pissed.

    ¡°Where is the maid of Concubine Xiang? If she was there, shouldn¡¯t she support her master?¡± Feng Yuran asked coldly.

    ¡°Your Highness, that little maid had long been squeezed out of the room. Although she had been waiting carefully at the door, in fact, she could not do anything. When the concubines fell together, she wanted to help her master, but even she couldn¡¯t stand steadily herself. How could she cross the crowd and hold Concubine Xiang?¡±

    Nanny Chen had already investigated the matter thoroughly. She analyzed the situation carefully. Feng Yuran did not show his emotions on his face after he heard what Nanny Chen said. Then he nodded and said loudly, ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Nanny Chen. It¡¯s alright. Now that they caused this matter, they should bear the responsibility themselves. Somebody, bring the fallen concubines here.¡±

    He was going to hear the case. Nanny Chen, who had been ready for it, immediately asked someone to call those concubines.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, you have to uphold justice for me and our child.¡± A sorrowful voice came as those people were brought here.

    Concubine Xiang who was leading the way rushed in and knelt before Feng Yuran. Feng Yuran was shocked when he saw the pale and haggard beauty in front of him. It had only been a few days since he hadst seen her, but she had lost so much weight.

    Concubine Xiang was originally plump because of the pregnancy, but now her face was like an awl.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, we really didn¡¯t mean to do this. We just wanted to have a chat with Concubine Xiang, so that she can take care of when she is promoted in the future. But who knows who fell down first at the door? Your Highness, it was not me who was walking in front at that time. Please uphold justice for me, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not me. I was dragged by others and fell. At that time, I was far away from Concubine Xiang, and it was impossible for me to grab her.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t fall because we grabbed her. Please wipe out the injustice for us, Your Highness!¡± Arge group of concubines behind Concubine Xiang defended themselves when they saw her cry. They cried and shouted that they were innocent. There were more than a dozen people on their side, so they immediately suppressed her cry.

    ¡°Nonsense, you are all talking nonsense.¡± Concubine Xiang turned back and tried to scratch the faces of the concubines behind her. She gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°Your Highness, I haven¡¯t known them since I entered the manor. Why did theye to my room together and chat with me? I had been tired and asked them to go back to rest early. They were not willing to leave. When they finally decided to leave, they asked me to see them off. Then, then...¡±

    ¡°You bitches, it¡¯s you! You¡¯re the ones who harmed my child!¡±

    Concubine Xiang cried so hard that her eyes were bloodshot. She grabbed two concubines¡¯ long hair and pulled a fistful of it. When she was about to scratch their faces, the other concubines stepped aside. They were in a mess after they pushed each other.

    ¡°Separate them,¡± Feng Yuran ordered coldly.

    A few strong older maidservants had alreadye and pulled Concubine Xiang aside. Concubine Xiang had just lost her baby and was still weak, so she couldn¡¯t resist them. She immediately sat on the ground and gasped, looking at Feng Yuran with tears in her eyes and pleading.

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, please uphold justice for me!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m innocent. I really didn¡¯t expect this would happen.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness...¡±

    ¡°Shut up. Whoever dares to speak nonsense again, I will have someone to pull out her teeth.¡± Feng Yuran, who sat on the high seat, banged the table forcefully. There was a sh of viciousness in her eyes. He appeared really ruthless.

    The concubines did not dare to say anything else when they noticed how angry he was. They all looked at Feng Yuran in tears, looking pitiful and aggrieved.

    ¡°Nanny Chen, tell us about what happened!¡± Feng Yuran looked at the women in front of him with disgust. The smile in his eyes grew even colder. Most of the women present were sent from other manors, including people from the Empress Dowager¡¯s side, the Empress¡¯ side, the other consorts¡¯ side, and even his elder brothers¡¯ side. They all had ulterior motives. They thought that since they had a backer, he would not do anything to them.

    Nanny Chen had been standing by the side solemnly. She took a few steps forward when she heard Feng Yuran¡¯s order. She curtsied respectfully to Feng Yuran and said, ¡°Your Highness, after that incident, I got some people to surround Concubine Xiang¡¯s ce and the concubines. I found something after that.¡±

    As she was speaking, Nanny Chen smiled and went on, ¡°The one who encouraged everyone to go to Concubine Xiang¡¯s ce was Concubine Wang and Concubine Shen. It was Concubine Chen and Concubine Ling, who stayed there to buy some time. It was Concubine Mei¡¯s maid who secretly sprinkled oil on the ground around the door. Concubine Luo¡¯s maid sprinkled oil on the door-post. The two Concubine Li fell down in the front, and the one who pulled Concubine Xiang¡¯s dress was...¡±

    ording to her words, many concubines present were involved in this incident.

    ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t do that. I¡¯m from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. How could I do such an evil thing?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, the Empress has warned me not to do this kind of vicious thing.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, King Chu is your elder brother. He¡¯s always gentle and elegant. If I¡¯m really that kind of person, why would His Highness give me to you?¡±

    There were various types of beauties in the hall. The beauties all cried and looked pitiful. And they pointed out who their previous masters were. Their masters were either Feng Yuran¡¯s elders or his elder brothers. Feng Yuran could not punish them for any of their sake.

    Feng Yuran held the teacup in his hand and a charming smile appeared on his lips. However, in the eyes of his concubines, he looked grim and frightening. A few of them shivered for a moment before they realized that something was wrong. They hid behind others and did not dare to say anything else. King Xuan looked more like a bloodthirsty leopard today.

    He stood up and walked to two concubines who were crying the most. He suddenly smiled coldly, stretched out his leg, and kicked them out. ¡°When I haven¡¯t asked you to speak, whoever dares to speak will be punished like this,¡± he said.

    Everyone looked over and saw that the two concubines had been kicked into a pir and spilled out a mouthful of blood. Their breath had be weak.

    At this sight of the blood, everyone felt a chill in their heart. Even Concubine Xiang, who had been crying, was so scared that her face turned pale.

    ¡°Your Highness, how do you deal with these people? Please tell us.¡± Nanny Chen turned around and asked Feng Yuran respectfully.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were cold and there was a charming and evil smile on his lips, which made his extremely handsome face look as bloodthirsty as that of an asura. People felt scared and frightened when they were stared by him. Under his gaze, none of the concubines kneeling on the ground dared to speak. The bloody scene just now had made them so afraid that they could not even breathe heavily.

    Time seemed to have stopped. After a long while, Feng Yuran suddenly put on a normal smile which was as beautiful as a flower. However, there was not a trace of a smile in his eyes. ¡°Nanny Chen, what¡¯s the penalty for murdering the child of the royal family?¡±

    ¡°Killing the whole family!¡± Nanny Chen answered.

    Her words startled all the concubines. They all could not remain steady; their body shook; their faces were as pale as a white paper and they were all depressed. Some of them did not dare to speak and kept kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. It was said that the matter would not blow up. Since there were so many people and other powers involved, how could King Xuan deal with them like that?

    ¡°Somebody, drag all of them out and beat them to death.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s cold gaze swept over every concubine¡¯s face. There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes. The people he had set his eyes on were all trembling in fear.

    ¡°Your Highness, no...¡± The concubines were scared out of their wits, and a few of them had lost their rationality and rushed over, crying, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. I¡¯m a gift from the Empress Dowager!¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to threaten me with the Empress Dowager?¡± Feng Yuran coldly looked at the concubine who rushed towards him, as if he were looking at a dead object. He lifted his leg and kicked the concubine closest to him away.

    Immediately, several tall and strong guards who guarded outside rushed in and dragged those concubines out.

    ¡°Put a gag in their mouth, so that they won¡¯t annoy His Highness,¡± Nanny Chen said loudly.

    Immediately, someone took something and stuffed the concubines¡¯ mouths. After a while, the sound of beating flesh came from the courtyard, but no other sound came.

 Chapter 526 - Scheming, Concubine Xiangâ€™s End

    <h4>Chapter 526 Scheming, Concubine Xiang¡¯s End</h4>

    There had never been a manor where so many people had been beaten to death. Under the spread of people with ulterior motives, the fact that a dozen concubines had been beaten to death in King Xuan¡¯s Manor was spread around like the tide. It dispelled the previous controversy between King Xuan¡¯s Manor and the He family. This matter had nothing to do with Consort Xuan. It was said that she fell ill because of the matter about the He family and was still in the West Hill Yard.

    King Xuan had hurried back in order to protect the unborn child in a concubine¡¯s belly. However, he was toote. The concubine had miscarried because of the other concubines in the manor. This matter was not kept secret and the bodies of the concubines had been thrown out. There was not even a corpse left behind and they were all burned.

    Manymented how cold and ruthless King Xuan and secretly felt fortunate that their daughters had not yet been sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Otherwise, they would not even know how their daughters had died. The families of those concubines had all moved far away when they heard that those concubines died because they had plotted against the child of the royal family. No one dared to go to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to get revenge.

    If this were true, these lives wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for it.

    However, there were censors who hade to denounce Feng Yuran for being so cold-blooded and heartless. He was not benevolent at all because he had ordered his men to kill a dozen weak girls. Emperor Zongwen was irritated. He summoned Feng Yuran to the pce and lectured him. However, after he had lectured him he spoke viciously in court that if anyone dared to harm the child of the royal family, their entire family would be exterminated.

    Immediately, there was no other sound in the hall.

    No matter how Feng Yuran had handled the matter, the person who dared to harm the child of the royal family would be killed along with their family. If this matter did not happen in the back courtyard, more people would be punished to death. There were only a dozen concubines who had been beaten to death. It did not seem to be a lot. Anyway, the matter had been resolved.

    Furthermore, this was King Xuan¡¯s family matter and with the Emperor backing him up, no one dared to get angry at him. If someone submitted a written statement to the Emperor, it would incur the Emperor¡¯s wrath and would not benefit the person at all. All in all, it was not good at all.

    Since the censors quieted, the other officials did not say anything else. They all returned to peace, and even the Empress Dowager and the Empress, who had sent those concubines to Feng Yuran, did not say anything. Who would dare to speak? It was a plot to kill the child of the royal family. There were a few officials who thought that it had something to do with the Empress Dowager and the Empress. It might even be a matter of fighting for the throne. Someone might have plotted against King Xuan intentionally.

    Everyone knew that King Xuan was thest prince to seed to the throne. One would know when they saw how much Emperor doted on him. But now that King Yan was locked up, King Chu and King Xuan were the only ones who were in power. This seemed to be another sign from the Emperor. If King Xuan were to have a son now, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for him to get the throne?

    Even if the Emperor didn¡¯t want King Xuan to get the throne, he might give it to him for his grandson¡¯s sake.

    This matter was not certain, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress did not want King Xuan to be the one to take the throne, so they asked their people who were sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to kill King Xuan¡¯s child. This would make King Xuan lose a bargaining chip.

    For the moment, everyone wanted to wait and see. The rumors about Feng Yuran quieted down immediately, and most people started to sympathize with him. He had lost his child, and it was because of the fight for the throne. This matter was tooplicated.

    When Feng Yuran returned to his manor, it was already after lunch. He had had some food at Emperor Zongwen¡¯s Qianqing Pce. He got off the horse and went to the main courtyard where Mo Xuetong lived. He ordered the servants to clear her house up because Mo Xuetong would be back in a few days.

    ¡°Your Highness, Concubine Xiang refuses to eat and wants to see you.¡± Nanny Chen stood by the second door. When she saw Feng Yuran approaching, she hurried over to greet him and reported in a low voice.

    Feng Yuran raised his eyes, with a hint of evil aura shing through them. ¡°She wants to see me? Good, I want to meet her too.¡±

    Nanny Chen was Feng Yuran¡¯s confidant, so she certainly knew some secrets. She sneered and said, ¡°Yes, Your Highness. She¡¯s lucky that she is still alive, but she still dares to challenge you. She really doesn¡¯t know who she is.¡±

    Feng Yuran waved his hand and led several manservants to the concubines¡¯ courtyard. All of a sudden, so many concubines died in the manor, so at that time, everyone behaved quite well. When they saw Feng Yuraning, they were stopped by manservants and didn¡¯t dare to say anything. They all stayed in their rooms and watched Feng Yuran enter Concubine Xiang¡¯s room.

    Concubine Xiang¡¯s maidservant wanted to follow and serve him, but she was stopped by Feng Yuran¡¯s personal manservant. He red at her and she didn¡¯t dare to get close to Feng Yuran anymore.

    Feng Yuran entered the door of Concubine Xiang¡¯s room. Only when he narrowed his eyes slightly did he see clearly the woman who was lying on the bed and raising herself up after hearing people¡¯s voices.

    Seeing Feng Yurane in, Concubine Xiang suddenly sat up on the bed and said excitedly, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, I...¡±

    ¡°What do you want to see me? Tell me quickly. I still have something to doter.¡± Feng Yuran pulled a chair to a spot far from the bed and sat down.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Concubine Xiang looked at the obvious expression of disgust on Feng Yuran¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t believe it. She leaned over the bed and cried, ¡°Your Highness¡¯s son is gone. My, my heart is so painful. I¡¯m really willing to go with the little prince...¡±

    While speaking, she cried even more miserably.

    This was her n, but she failed to harm Mo Xuetong, and instead, those bitches fell into her tarp. Fortunately, the child in her belly had been killed by others. Feng Yuran seemed to be sad, and ordered to beat the bitches to death yesterday. Then she should be rewarded today!

    If there was really a reward, she would say that she didn¡¯t want it, and she just wanted to follow Feng Yuran.

    When a beautiful woman cried tearfully, and she had just lost her child, any man would want to make up for it. When she officially got a title, she would have more confidence when she fought with Mo Xuetong in the future. From the way Feng Yuran looked, he cared for her and the child in her belly. Otherwise, he would not have punished the people that the Empress Dowager and the Empress had bestowed to him with the death penalty.

    When those concubines were beaten to death yesterday, Concubine Xiang was also afraid. Butter, she felt happier the more she thought about it. The more people were killed, the more Feng Yuran cared for her. That was why she dared to make such a scene today. She just wanted Feng Yuran to care about her more so that she could pick a good position. If she would be a second consort, she would have more confidence in victory when shepeted with Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Your Highness, if I hadn¡¯t told you that I was pregnant in a hurry, Her Lady and all the other concubines wouldn¡¯t have been so hostile to me.¡± Concubine Xiang raised her face that was bathed in tears and looked at Feng Yuran in hope that he would pity her.

    She also ndered Mo Xuetong, but she forgot that everyone had seen how she framed Mo Xuetong that day.

    ¡°Where did you and I have a son? How did he be the little prince?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty eyes lifted slightly as he looked at Concubine Xiang with an evil look. He enunciated each word slowly.

    Little Prince, Concubine Xiang really dared to dream about it!

    His words made Concubine Xiang stunned and stop crying. She was a little out of breath.

    She took a deep breath and calmed down before she looked up at Feng Yuran pitifully and said, ¡°I, I was wrong. It¡¯s, it was a little princess, it was a daughter...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it was a daughter or a son. It was just a bastard that belonged to you and another man. Do you really want me to recognize this bastard as my child?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s charming smile was a little ambiguous. His eyes were cold as if they were really made of icy substance.

    How could it be? How could he know about that? A chill rose from the heart of Concubine Xiang. She was scared.

    ¡°Your Highness, what... what did you say?¡± She looked at Feng Yuran dazedly. Then, she suddenly shook her head and cried even more tragically.

    Feng Yuran smiled slightly and the smile on the corner of his mouth grew even more charming. However, he stared coldly at Concubine Xiang on the bed. There was not a trace of emotion in his eyes, as if there was thousand-year ice in them. ¡°Concubine Xiang, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know about you and your master. I don¡¯t know who made you pregnant, but if you want me to think of it as my child, either you or your master is too whimsical. You both thought that I was easily fooled, right?¡±

    His voice was cold, and his words were like thunder, making Concubine Xiang scared out of her wits. She only felt that her body seemed to be frozen, and her lips trembled heavily that she couldn¡¯t even say a word. She felt like she was in an ice cave.

    How was that possible? How did Feng Yuran know about it? Didn¡¯t he never care about matters of the back courtyard? How could he be so clear about it? No, no, Feng Yuran was definitely trying to scare her. He had said that intentionally. Thinking of that, she said both hopefully and timidly, ¡°Your Highness, I only have a man, and it¡¯s you. If the child in my belly wasn¡¯t yours, was it someone else¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Bitch! You¡¯re as cheap as your master. You both carried other men¡¯s bastards, but you want your children to be a royal. Unfortunately, you can¡¯t make it, and nor can your master.¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly, but in Concubine Xiang¡¯s eyes, it was extremely cold. She opened her eyes wide as if she had heard something deadly. She tried her best to get into the bed, murmuring, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Please, please stop.¡±

    ¡°You framed Consort Xuan at her birthday banquet, trying to make others think that she couldn¡¯t ept the baby, so you nned to kill the baby and pushed it to Consort Xuan. Unfortunately, Consort Xuan escaped. You wanted to take advantage of the bastard in your belly, and I also wanted to use it, so I watched you go on slowly. I can¡¯t keep the bastard in your belly, so you should do me a favor. There are too many women in the backyard, and I have to get rid of them so that Consort Xuan can lead a happy life.¡±

    Feng Yuran said casually, but clearly. His lips curved into a smile, as if he were talking about someone else. A hint of ridicule and disdain appeared in his beautiful eyes. Hearing his words, Concubine Xiang frightened and her face was as pale as snow. She had already been frightened out of her wits.

    ¡°Are you wondering why I know it¡¯s a bastard? That man was brought here by your master, and I let him in on purpose. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t touch such a bitch like you. Then how could you be pregnant with my child?¡± Feng Yuran sneered, stood up, waved his wide robe sleeves, and left the room without looking back.

    ¡°Somebody, bring the medicine in. Concubine Xiang is missing her child so much that she gets ill.¡±

    Before Concubine Xiang could react, two older maidservants came in, and one of them carried a bowl of medicine. Before she handed it to Concubine Xiang, Concubine Xiang smelled sour smell. This was not the medicine to save people but medicine that could kill people!

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Concubine Xiang screamed and tried to rush down from the bed to escape.

    However, her cheeks had already been pinched by an older maidservant, and thetter forcibly poured the medicine into her mouth...

 Chapter 527 - At Night, the Back Yard of King Xuanâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 527 At Night, the Back Yard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    Mo Xuetong returned to the manor a few dayster. Feng Yuran had Feng Yue bring her back and told others that she was ill because she had been framed again and again on her birthday. When she entered the manor, her carriage stopped at the second door, and then Feng Yuran carried her into the back yard because she was really ill.

    Of course, this illness was not due to anger as the rumors spread outside. Feng Yuran found a miracle doctor a while ago, who inserted needles in her body, which caused her to be weak for the time being. Although she was weak, she was in good spirits. Mo Xuetong knew that the poison in her body had not been removed, and was just controlled.

    Mo Yu came in happily as soon as shey on the bed. She walked up to Mo Xuetong and said proudly, ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t worry. I heard that the woman who offended you, named Concubine Xiang, died because she felt sad for losing the baby in her belly a few days ago.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants were all very angry when it came to this matter. Concubine Xiang was just an ordinary concubine and yet she dared toy a finger on the first consort. In front of so many noblemen, madams anddies, she dared to frame Mo Xuetong. However, she was still fine after the incident.

    Even though Mo Yu and Mo Lan didn¡¯t say anything, they were still dissatisfied with Feng Yuran.

    Therefore, as soon as she returned to the manor, Mo Yu went to inquire about the matter of Concubine Xiang. Unexpectedly, she was shocked by Nanny Chen¡¯s words. The back yard had been cleaned up by Feng Yuran. More than a dozen concubines were beaten to death, and the haughty Concubine Xiang who was pregnant lost her child and her life. It was much quieter in the manor.

    In particr, a few women who were beaten to death were on the opposite side of Mo Xuetong, such as Concubine Lian and Concubine Ming. They were all involved in this matter and had been dead by now.

    How could not Mo Yu be unhappy when she thought of how Feng Yuran doted on Mo Xuetong? It was said the back yard was very quiet and no one dared to move after there were more than 10 fewer concubines in the back yard. Even Concubine Qin, who had just been promoted, no longer tried to anger Mo Xuetong intentionally or unintentionally in a proud manner.

    Of course, it was also what Feng Yuran wanted.

    ¡°Mo Yu, stop talking nonsense.¡± Mo Lan smiled and snapped her, ¡°If someone else heard about it, they would think that Her Lady behaves too arrogantly.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t talk nonsense! Mo Lan, it¡¯s true. His Highness really dotes on Her Lady very much.¡± Mo Yu stuck out her tongue at Mo Lan. ¡°Furthermore, my voice is so low that no one else can hear it.¡±

    At this time, she spoke in a lower voice. Even so, she couldn¡¯t suppress the joy in her heart.

    Mo Lan knew that she was impatient and was a straightforward person, but had a sense of propriety. She shook her head with a smile and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you be more discreet? Why can¡¯t you not be a loose-lipped person since you have been in the manor for so long?¡±

    ¡°Mo Lan, I know it can¡¯t be told anyone else. We just talk about it secretly in the room and don¡¯t let anyone know.¡±

    Lying on the bed, Mo Xuetong listened to their chat and jokes. Even though the two of them were arguing, it sounded that they were in a good mood. She looked at the two maids and her heart was filled with warmth. In her past life, the two maids had a tragic end. Having such a disappointing master like her, they also died without being buried. In this life, she only wanted to protect them.

    Now, it was very good!

    It was really good. She really hoped that they could be so safe for the rest of their lives.

    Long before they got married, Feng Yuran had told her that he had not touched any of the women in the back yard. Although there were some women who felt that they had something to do with him, it was just that he had gotten his people to burn a kind of intoxicating incense in their rooms, which would make people have an illusion that they had slept with a man.

    Therefore, when she knew that Concubine Xiang was pregnant, she just watched the fun!

    Feng Yuran had nned to use this incident to deal with some of the concubines and clean up the back yard. The existence of the concubines had not only bothered Mo Xuetong, but also was difficult for him to arrange. After all, there were about 40 to 50 concubines in the back yard. They had no titles, but they could get it at any time. Furthermore, some of the concubines were sent from the pce.

    Mo Xuetong knew that the reason Feng Yuran asked her to stay in the West Hill Yard for a few more days¡ªhe had taken the opportunity to return to the capital and manage the back yard because he didn¡¯t want her to bear the name of being arrogant and vicious. Otherwise, if someone were to frame her, she would be regarded as a woman who didn¡¯t ept a pregnant concubine, which would cause Emperor Zongwen to dislike her.

    Therefore, when she thought of this, she felt warm in her heart, and she could not help smiling as she put her hand on the pillow, hooked the embroidery edge beside her hand, and slightly curved her lips.

    The two maids who were arguing with each other also saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s absent-minded expression. They exchanged nces and smiled secretly. Then, they stopped arguing and focused on their work quietly, not disturbing Mo Xuetong¡¯s meditation.

    Suddenly, the curtains were lifted and Mo Ye, who was busy outside just now, walked in. She had a strange expression on her usually calm face. When she saw that there were no outsiders in the room, she came up to Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°My Lady, Feng Yue wants to see you.¡±

    Feng Yue was Feng Yuran¡¯s personal bodyguard and he was usually where Feng Yuran was. Under normal circumstances, even if Feng Yuran had something to tell Mo Xuetong, he would send Feng Yue to Mo Lan. What did he have to tell her in person?

    ¡°Let him in,¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. Since he hade especially, he must really have something important to tell her.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye hurriedly put down their work and came over to unfold the screen aside, which just covered Mo Xuetong, along with her bed.

    Just as they were done, Mo Ye led Feng Yue in.

    ¡°Greetings, My Lady!¡± He didn¡¯t dare to look at her carefully and just saluted respectfully to the screen.

    ¡°Forego formalities. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently. Feng Yuran carried her into the yard and then left hurriedly. She really wanted to know what he was doing.

    ¡°My Lady, His Highness asked me to tell you that if someone from the back yardes to you, you don¡¯t need to care about it. Just say that you¡¯re not feeling well and can¡¯t manage the family affairs. His Highness also asked me to bring some medicines and ingredients, which are mild and will nourish your body. You can ask people to cook them in the yard. Take them slowly. It¡¯s good for your health.¡±

    Even though there was a small kitchen in the yard, it was usually just used for cooking. Weren¡¯t the medicines and health products be cooked in the big kitchen? Why did Feng Yuran ask Feng Yue to bring them to the yard today? Mo Xuetong could not help but feel helpless when she thought of what Feng Yue had said. The bad guy must be plotting against someone again, so he had especially gotten Feng Yue to tell her about it because he was worried that Mo Lan would not know and did not make it clear!

    Her lips curled up slightly, and she felt a sweet feeling in her heart, as if there was a tacit understanding between the two of them. She nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I know. You go back and tell His Highness that I will definitely boil the medicine in the yard and let others know that I am seriously ill and hint that they should not disturb me.¡±

    As Mo Xuetong had understood immediately, Feng Yue quickly answered her and left.

    Mo Xuetong told Mo Lan to go with him to deal with the medicine and ingredients. On the other hand, she got Mo Yu to prepare to cook medicine. She thought about it, felt worried and got Mo Ye to go and tell Nanny Chen and Aunt Xiann, who were in charge of the back yard, that she was not feeling well and was sleeping now, so she did not allow anyone to disturb her.

    Since Feng Yuran told her to do that, there must be something going on in the back yard.

    Since Consort Xuan was ill and couldn¡¯t get out of bed, she didn¡¯t have the energy to take care of all the concubines in the back yard.

    It was slowly getting dark, and the shops on the street became lit. There werenterns hanging in front of some of the big houses, but at the back door of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, it was so dark that no one could be seen.

    Two figures came over and knocked at the back door. There was a slight crack in the door, and an old woman¡¯s face appeared. The person in front handed over something to her. A ray of light came from an unknown ce, making it shine like silver.

    The old woman nodded and let the person in. Then she locked the door and left the shorter one outside.

    The concubines in the back yard lived in two big yards. Some of them, who were favored, lived alone, and two of the others shared a house. It was close to the back yard door. Since there was another door to the main yard, it was inconvenient for them toe and go, so it was quite quiet here.

    Feng Yuran woulde here asionally once or twice before. Since Mo Xuetong married into the manor, he had nevere here. Besides, expect Feng Yuran, no one woulde to these concubines. Therefore, it looked as if the back yard was isted from King Xuan¡¯s Manor. So the younger and older maidservants wouldn¡¯t leave here if there was nothing important.

    Aside from others, if he came here, he would see those extremely boring women who were dressed up coquettishly and all spoke in a terrible way. Thus who woulde here for no reason?

    The doors to the concubines¡¯ yard were on thetch. The man walked in and was familiar with the road in the dark. He stood between the two yards and looked around for a moment. Finally, he decided to go to the right one. At this time, he was full of joy, thinking about thest time when he was with the charming woman. He nned to do it several times today.

    As for the woman in the other yard, he felt good to be with her too, but when he hooked up with this woman, he found that this one was the most adorable one. Thinking of that woman¡¯s coquettish appearance, he just felt that he was limp. The women in his own manor couldn¡¯tpare with her.

    It was fortunate that King Xuan did not like these women and did not arrange any guards here. There was only an old woman guarding the door. As long as he bribed the old woman, it would be easy for him to enter. When he heard women¡¯s charmingughter, he could not help but climb up the tree by the wall. Then, he found that all the women in the yard were as beautiful as flowers.

    He had been thinking about it since then. However, this was King Xuan¡¯s Manor and he did not dare to be presumptuous. If a beautiful woman had not rushed out of the manor and bumped into his embrace when he passed by again, he would not have dared to be so brash. Looking at the beauty¡¯s soft and delicate eyes, this yboy had forgotten who he was.

    To die for a beauty was also a happy thing. Furthermore, King Xuan¡¯s Manor only appeared a little majestic, while the back yard was not as rigorous as the regrrge family. It would only take a few taels of silver for one to enter the yard. Furthermore, the women in the yard were all young, but they were left behind. He would only need to seduce them slightly and would be sessful. This was much cheaper than going to a brothel.

    He wanted to share the fun with his friends, so he told them in private. They both had evil intentions and came here secretly. His friend was interested in the woman as well, but he didn¡¯t know whether he had made it. The thought of it made him feel passion in his heart.

    She was not a favored woman, and she lived in one room. When the man reached the door, he pushed it gently and found that it was not locked. Instantly, he was very happy.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± A woman¡¯s charming voice came from the bed.

    ¡°Baby, it¡¯s me.¡± As soon as the man heard her voice, his eyes gleamed with light, and he felt his bones had melted. He climbed to the bed while responding. When he touched the warm body, he hugged the woman and kissed her, while saying, ¡°Baby, have you missed me? I haven¡¯te to keep youpany for a long time. I missed you so much.¡±

    Immediately, the woman¡¯s charming voice and the man¡¯s heavy gasps rose at the same

 Chapter 528 - Madam Ming Checked Paintings in King Xuanâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 528 Madam Ming Checked Paintings in King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    ¡°My Lady, the painter is here. She¡¯s waiting outside. Do you want to go to the outer room to meet her?¡± Mo Yu came in and asked.

    ¡°Alright, have her wait outside first.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been lying on the bed for a few days and felt that her bones were almost scattered. After she returned, a few of the concubines who were insensible wanted toe over and take the opportunity to see if she was really ill. However, all of them were refused by the maids for the reason that Mo Xuetong was seriously ill.

    She had live a rather leisurely time and her body had recovered slightly. She could actually be in charge of matters, of course, but since Feng Yuran had ns, she had to cooperate.

    She moved from the bed in the inner room to the couch in the outer room. Then, she leaned against the couch and got Mo Yu to bring the painter here.

    A woman who seemed to be in her forties came in. She was Madam Ming, the boss of the famous Unvoiced Painting and Calligraphy Hall in the capital. She was the widow of Master Ming, a famous master of calligraphy and painting in the Great Qin. After the death of Master Ming, she had to open a painting and calligraphy hall in the capital to provide her support.

    Unexpectedly, after Madam Ming opened this painting and calligraphy hall, she became famous. Now, at the mention of her, many people in the capital gave her a thumbs-up and praised her.

    On one hand, it was because Madam Ming did have some aplishments in calligraphy and painting. She knew how to distinguish fake; on the other hand, it was because most of the painting and calligraphy artists were men and it was inconvenient for them to walk in the inner yard, while Madam Ming did not have this kind of restriction. That was why she became famous for a moment.

    ¡°Greetings, My Lady.¡± Madam Ming knew that it was Consort Xuan who invited her here, so she didn¡¯t dare to look at her carefully, and only felt that she was a young and beautifuldy. She bowed to her respectfully.

    ¡°Madam Ming, there is no need for you to be so polite. There are a few paintings that I want you to check.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and offered a seat to Madam Ming.

    ¡°My Lady, do you want to know how old a painting is or if it is authentic?¡± Madam Ming did not stand on ceremony and sat on a stool beside. Then, she looked up at Consort Xuan. She felt rather refreshed with just a nce and could not help but sigh to herself, ¡°No wonder people said that the dissolute King Xuan hasn¡¯t seen any other women ever since he married his first consort.¡± Looking at the beautiful woman in front of her, even she, a woman, would find it difficult to guard herself against her beauty.

    Mo Xuetong was dressed in light-colored gauze which only had simple patterns embroidered on the cor and hem. The clothes fitted her well and made her slender figure even more beautiful. Her face was like white jade, and her red lips looked cute; her attractive beautiful eyes were filled with a hint of icy coldness. However, when she looked at someone, her eyes were filled with grace and beauty.

    Madam Ming had been going in and out of different inner yards all this while and had seen all kinds of beautiful women. However, she was still stunned by Consort Xuan in front of her. This kind of beauty was like a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm from the immortal realm.

    She was extremely beautiful and extraordinarily charming. The most amazing part was that she had an aura of coldness. She was not only as elegant as lotus flowers but also as dazzling as peonies. Originally, they were two different styles of temperaments, but they had been perfectlybined in Mo Xuetong. No wonder people said that the most beautiful woman in the Great Qin was not the second miss of the Ling¡¯s Manor, but Consort Xuan.

    ¡°Madam Ming, I heard that you have done a lot of research in calligraphy and painting. I have a few drawings that are not necessarily left behind by masters, but I like them very much. So I want to ask you who created these paintings.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly. Then, she ordered Mo Yu to take the painting and spread it on the table in front of Madam Ming.

    ¡°My Lady, do you mean you have no idea who the author of these paintings is?¡± Madam Ming asked after thinking for a while. She was not unfamiliar with this kind of thing, and she had helped some madams anddies to distinguish painters.

    This kind of situation usually urred when the painter was not famous. In fact, this situation was also very rare, but it was notpletely non-existent.

    ¡°Yes, Madam Ming, look at this one. I like this painting of fishing in cold night very much, but I don¡¯t know who made it and how the strokes were. I found it in a calligraphy and painting shop outside, and the people in the shop didn¡¯t remember who left it. So please help me to have a look.¡±

    As Mo Xuetong spoke, Mo Yu unfolded the first painting on the table. There were lonelymps on the deste surface of the river; they glowed on the frozenke, making the whole painting brighter; there was a fisherman sitting at the bow, holding a fishing rod in his hand and leisurely fishing.

    The most conspicuous thing in the painting was that there was a tree above his head, on which hung a piece of leaf that was about to fall. The thick green made the whole painting look livelier.

    ¡°Madam Ming, please help me look at the style of this painting. In what age was it painted, and most likely by whom?¡±

    Madam Ming had been stunned by the dense flute and vitality in the painting. She stood up forcefully and said incredulously, ¡°How is this possible, how is this possible? This... this can¡¯t be...¡±

    Her hands seemed to have their own consciousness as she caressed the painting, full of surprise and emotion in her eyes.

    ¡°My Lady, can I use the instrument I brought to distinguish the seal on this picture?¡± Her eyes fell on a seal on the lower right corner of the picture. The words on the seal were clear, which were ¡°Old Cangshan¡±.

    ¡°Just do it.¡± Mo Xuetong curved her lips and smiled.

    Getting Mo Xuetong¡¯s agreement, Madam Ming could not wait to take out the bag she had brought with her. She opened it and took out some tiny tools. Then, she wiped a little inkpad off it and looked at the color of the paper and the painting and other things before she said excitedly, ¡°My Lady, it is the work of Master Ling from the previous dynasty.¡±

    ¡°How do you make sure, Madam Ming?¡±

    Madam Ming felt that she had the say when it came to this. She answered happily, ¡°My Lady, look at the color of the paper. It¡¯s at least a few hundred years old. Look at the color of the ink, no one will use it anymore. Only the painting from the heyday of the previous dynasty has the color. As for the seal, Master Ling would usually use his style name. But it¡¯s said that he used to call himself Old Cangshan when he was old and even carved his own seal. This matter was discussed in folk stories of the previous dynasty, but in the field of calligraphy and painting, it has never been seen...¡±

    ¡°My Lady, this should be the authentic work,¡± Madam Ming finally affirmed. Her eyes fell on the painting and she was reluctant to divert her eyes from it. As a person who loved paintings, she naturally knew how valuable this authentic work of Master Ling was. As such, she could only admire it.

    ¡°Madam Ming, good eye. What about this painting?¡± Mo Xuetong nodded again.

    Mo Ye folded the painting under Madam Ming¡¯s reluctant gaze. Mo Yu took out another painting and ced it in front of Madam Ming.

    Madam Ming frowned at this painting after she saw the stunning painting just now. The painting was good, but it would make her feel a little ufortable just like she looked at the table of snacks after she had delicacies and was full.

    ¡°My Lady, this painting is also a good one, but it is feminine and the strokes are not strong. It should be painted by a woman. Besides, it was finished by fits and starts. It can be seen that she was not in good health at that time. The strokes are superficial, and there are many faults. It wasn¡¯t done in one go.¡±

    Although she felt that the painting was not very good, Madam Ming still analyzed it carefully and told Mo Xuetong.

    The smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face faded and she frowned, feeling strange. She asked, ¡°Madam Ming, do you think this painting is 100 years old?¡±

    ¡°100 years old? How is it possible? In my opinion, this painting should be done for at most a few decades, and the painter was thedy in a deep yard. My Lady, look here, the woman is actually quite good at painting, but it¡¯s a pity that the strokes were not strong enough, and it¡¯s chaotic in the arrangement. She seemed to draw the three girls in the painting on purpose, which makes theyout present a discordant sense of crowding.¡±

    ¡°Look at the only girl who is facing us. Her eyes and eyebrows are clear and she is childish and lovely. The girl on the side is also charming and beautiful. Although we can¡¯t see the biggest girl¡¯s face, she appears extremely gentle. My Lady, in my opinion, this seems to be a painting left by a mother for three daughters, and this mother is not in good health.¡±

    Madam Ming looked at it again and again, and she said affirmatively.

    ¡°Madam, how did you know that it was a mother who painted for her three daughters?¡± Even though Mo Xuetong was still leaning on the couch and looked extremely rxed, a wave of shock surged up in her heart. She felt a bolt of lightning sh through her heart and she could not help but hold on to the wreaths beneath her pillow tightly. She almost fell silent.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have children, so you don¡¯t know about it. The three girls all have their own characteristics. They are either cute, bright, or gentle. Only the mother has this kind of understanding with her children. The painter is obviously good at painting, but she made such an arrangement in order to draw all the three daughters into it. It is a strong motherly love.¡±

    Upon hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s suspicion, Madam Ming immediately felt misunderstood and exined excitedly. She even picked up the painting so that Mo Xuetong could see it more clearly. She waspletely immersed in the painting and did not notice Mo Xuetong¡¯spletely pale face. However, Mo Lan noticed that Mo Xuetong was not her usual self and came to push her.

    Mo Xuetong came to her sense. She forced a smile and said to Madam Ming, ¡°Madam Ming, I¡¯m really not feeling well. Pleasee and check the other paintings in a few days. Mo Yu, send Madam Ming out.¡±

    Only then did Madam Ming discover Mo Xuetong¡¯s oddness. Before she entered the manor, she learned that Consort Xuan was ill, and had been having medicine. When she saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was pale and deprived of blood, she was afraid that something was wrong. As such, she did not dare to stay any longer. She bid Mo Xuetong farewell and left with Mo Yu.

    ¡°My Lady, how are you feeling? Are you alright?¡± Mo Lan hurried over to squat in front of Mo Xuetong and asked anxiously as Madam Ming left. Mo Xuetong had been fine earlier, so Mo Lan did not understand why she became like this.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mo Xuetong heaved a long breath and let out the depression that had stuck in her chest earlier. She felt a little lighter. Just then, she had almost subconsciously held her breath and felt a burning pain in her chest.

    ¡°Go take the painting over. I¡¯ll look at it again,¡± she said to Mo Lan while pointing at the painting that was still on the table. There was a look of shock in her eyes that she could not hide.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go and get it right away. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mo Lanforted her. She did not understand what was wrong with her usually calm master. She immediately went to take the painting over. She unfolded it and ced it in front of her so that she could see the painting clearly.

 Chapter 529 - Madam Lianâ€™s Apology

    <h4>Chapter 529 Madam Lian¡¯s Apology</h4>

    Mo Xuetong stared at the painting for a while and muttered a few words to herself. Mo Lan was standing beside her, so she could hear Mo Xuetong muttering ¡°How could it be possible? How could it be possible?¡±

    She didn¡¯t understand what she meant. She turned her head and looked at the painting, but she didn¡¯t find anything. She asked softly, ¡°My Lady, what did you find?¡±

    Suppressing the suffocating pain in her chest, Mo Xuetong heaved another long breath. She gestured for Mo Lan to put down the painting in her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll lie down for a while.¡±

    Mo Lan nodded when she realized that Mo Xuetong did not want to say anything. She picked up the painting and got Mo Yu to move the painting to where it was. Then, she sat by the window and made needlework. In an instant, the room fell silent.

    An incredible idea came to Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. It was not only incredible, but also uneptable. She suppressed the surging qi and blood in her heart over and over again before she slowly calmed down. She had to go to Qin Manor. Maybe she could start from Old Madam Qin, or maybe Qin Yufeng knew something. Of course, she had to order someone to inquire about Fu General Manor and ignored her maternal grandmother.

    She was weak, so after thinking for a while, she felt dizzy. In a daze, she really fell asleep.

    A whisper woke her up.

    ¡°Mo Lan, if Her Lady hasn¡¯t woken up yet, aren¡¯t you going to wake her up? Madam Lian has been waiting for a while. It won¡¯t be polite if we have her continue waiting,¡± Mo Yu said in a light and lively voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Wait a little longer. If Her Lady doesn¡¯t wake up, just wake her up. Let her sleep now. She hasn¡¯t slept long.¡± Mo Lan¡¯s voice was calm and steady.

    ¡°Is it okay? She has been here for some time,¡± Mo Yu asked uneasily.

    ¡°When Madam Lian took Yu Mingyong to the manorst time, they caused so much trouble and almost ruined Her Lady¡¯s reputation. Let her wait for a while so that she will know that this is King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and that not everyone cane in as they wish. She shouldn¡¯t think too highly of herself and look down on Her Lady,¡± Mo Lan said calmly.

    Mo Xuetong liked what she said.

    Madam Lian had always had a good reputation amongst madams anddies. Her husband had gotten the highest official rank at a young age, and was well-contented. Therefore, she had only stood by the side and said that she was innocent when Yu Mingyong¡¯s incident happened. She did not mean to ask for forgiveness. She had probably thought that she would apologize to Mo Xuetong alone when there were fewer people. This would save her from embarrassment.

    She didn¡¯t expect that as soon as the banquet ended, Feng Yuran took Mo Xuetong away.

    So she had missed an opportunity to apologize to Mo Xuetong in person, and this time, she was here to make up for it.

    Madam Lian seemed to be a scheming woman and she used it on Mo Xuetong this time.

    ¡°Mo Lan,¡± Mo Xuetong called in a low voice and propped herself up.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake, My Lady. It¡¯s great.¡± Mo Yu immediately came to her senses and hurried over to report, ¡°My Lady, Madam Lian came and said that she wanted to apologize to you. She also brought gifts.¡±

    Mo Xuetong held Mo Lan¡¯s hand to sit up. She took the warm water that Mo Lan handed her and took a sip of it to moisten her throat before asking, ¡°How long has she been here?¡±

    ¡°She has been here for an hour. I saw you were sleeping well, so I did not wake you up. But it has been an hour, and it would be inappropriate to keep her waiting.¡± Mo Yu was not worried Madam Lian would stay for too long. Actually, she did not like her at all. Madam Lian looked gentle and was very nice to people. However, she had not expected that she would do things so frivolously and end up bringing a yboy in.

    If not for the fact that she was also the wife of the first rank official and it was not proper to ignore her, she would not have urged Mo Lan to wake Mo Xuetong up again and again.

    ¡°Did you serve the tea outside well?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up slowly and she did not get up. Instead, she leaned up. Mo Lan had already picked up arge cushion and ced it behind her. Anyway, she was sick from anger and it was normal for her to not get up.

    ¡°Rest assured, My Lady. I have asked to take care of her and not slight her. I think Madam Lian intentionally let us neglect her. Even though she looked at me with a smile, I felt that she was so hypocritical,¡± Mo Yu said hatefully. She really did not like Madam Lian.

    She didn¡¯t even like the two maids she brought with her. Why did they dress up so morously? As the matriarch, how could there be such coquettish maids by her side? It was really annoying.

    Mo Xuetong nodded in appreciation. Even though Mo Yu was a straightforward person, she knew that she could not be used of doing anything wrong. Mo Xuetong smiled and said, ¡°Go invite Madam Lian over. Tell her that I¡¯m feeling poorly and was taking medicine just now. That¡¯s why I was dyed. I beg her pardon.¡±

    No matter what Lian An¡¯s wife was up to, Mo Xuetong had her own way to deal with her. She was thinking about getting involved with Lian¡¯s Manor when Madam Lian sent herself to her. How could she not make good use of it?

    ¡°Yes, I will go to her now,¡± Mo Yu answered and was about to leave.

    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly said, her lively eyes blinking slyly. She reached out and got Mo Lan and Mo Yu to move closer to her. Then, she whispered a few words into their ears. The two looked at each other and nodded.

    Mo Yu went to invite Madam Lian over.

    Before she came here, Madam Lian was confident, for she felt that Consort Xuan was easy going. In the past, she had seen her several times, and she had always been gentle, which made people feel that she was amodating. It wouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem if she apologized directly and sent some gifts to Mo Xuetong. After all, she was the wife of the first rank official of the court, so Mo Xuetong would not make her look awkward.

    Besides, she really did not know about that matter. After that, she went to ask Lian An about it. Lian An also said that she had been wronged, so she was very confident this time.

    However, she had been waiting for so long, and when she asked the maids and older maidservants, they all shook their heads and said that they did not know. This made Madam Lian feel uneasy. The more she sat in the living room, the more uneasy she felt. She also felt a little regretful in her heart. If she had known this, she would apologize to Consort Xuan directly in front of all the madams anddies that day, and then she would not have been so embarrassed today.

    Of course, she was also dissatisfied with the way Consort Xuan acted!

    Even if she was to be med, she was still the wife of the Minister. However, she did not dare to say anything when she followed Mo Yu into the inner yard. She and Lian An came from a poor family and did not have any backing in the capital. They came to this ce partly because they had a good rtionship with others. So Madam Lian did not dare to offend the famous Consort Xuan.

    ¡°Miss, how is Her Lady? Is she all right?¡± she asked carefully. It was because of her caution that she could make it this far.

    ¡°Madam Lian, you¡¯re too polite. Her Lady has not recovered since she was irritatedst time. She spent a few days in the West Hill Yard with His Highness but had toe back because there was no good doctor. The imperial physician from the imperial hospital has also seen her and said that Her Lady was too angry this time and she had to take a good rest,¡± Mo Yu spoke in a calm manner as she led the road ahead.

    Was she really ill? The smell of herbal medicine in the air grew stronger. Looking at the wide door in front of her, Madam Lian was confused. Before she came, she was sure Consort Xuan just wanted to make a fuss and deliberately let others know that she had been wronged. She did not like this kind of behavior honestly because it was a childish behavior, just like the maids in the manor who wanted to please her husband. It was not worth mentioning.

    She nned to coax her and then she should be fine.

    But from the current situation, could it be true? The smile on her face was a little stiff. If it was true, then King Xuan might vent his anger on her husband. She heard that King Xuan was the one the current Emperor doted on the most. She hoped that they would not get into trouble. She was truly regretting it now. If she had known, she would have apologized on the spot, no matter whether she was embarrassed or not. Then those madams could testify for her.

    ¡°Madam, please, Her Lady is inside.¡± Mo Lan stood at the door. When Madam Lian approached and bowed, she just put on a dull expression. She did not seem warm to her at all.

    Madam Lian nervously entered the room anxiously and saw Mo Xuetong leaning against the couch. Her face was pale and haggard. With a nce, one could tell that she was really ill. Madam Lian¡¯s heart tightened. She hurried up and said, ¡°My Lady, why is your health so poor? It¡¯s only been a few days since west met and you¡¯re so thin. What should I do? I¡¯m really sorry for you...¡±

    She wanted to make things clear at one fling. No matter what, Yu Mingyong had nothing to do with her.

    Mo Xuetong coughed and said weakly, ¡°Madam Lian, have a seat first. Mo Yu, serve tea to Madam Lian.¡± However, she seemed to have interrupted Madam Lian¡¯s words subconsciously, causing her to not be able to finish her sentence in one go.

    Mo Yu served the tea and said lightly, ¡°Madam Lian, please sit down and have some tea.¡± She looked at the two maids behind Madam Lian and backed away respectfully.

    The two maids had been standing behind Madam Lian¡¯s side. Since Madam Lian had backed, they were beside her. Mo Yu also backed away, and now only the two of them stood there in a daze. Madam Lian gritted her teeth hatefully when she saw how stupid the two maids were. She was about to speak when Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    ¡°I think I have seen the two girls somewhere before. But I can¡¯t remember where it was...¡± Mo Xuetong rubbed her forehead and said with annoyance.

    When she was standing below, Ming Yu¡¯s eyes lit up. At this time, she became smart. She immediately bowed and said, ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re really forgetful. Ming Xia and I met you in Qin¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, I remember. You two were arguing then, weren¡¯t you? Oh, my memory, it is getting worse after I fall ill.¡± A sudden understanding smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She patted her head lightly with one hand and looked at the two maids with a smile.

    In the past, she did not understand, so she felt that they looked familiar, but she could not remember who they looked like. Only now did she realize that these two maids and Consort Zhao shared about 40 to 50 percent resemnces. It seemed that there was indeed something between Consort Zhao and Lian An, but she did not know if this seemingly gentle and kind Madam Lian, who was actually very scheming, knew of it.

    Ming Yu didn¡¯t see her master staring at them, and said happily, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s us.¡±

    Madam Lian¡¯s face darkened in anger. She had always pampered these two maids and had tried to spoil them without limits, because Lian An liked them. She had wanted to promote them to be concubines in a few days so that her husband would not be distracted by the people outside. Of course, she did not have any good intentions.

    There were still a few concubines in Lian¡¯s Manor, and none of them were easy to deal with. If the two maids were doted on and fought with other maids, she would not be med for what happened. It was all about the matter of concubines. No matter who was injured, she just had to watch.

    Of course, before they became concubines, she still didn¡¯t want the two to really hook up with Lian An, in case that they broke the rules of the manor and ruined the reputation of the manor, so she always took them with her.

    It didn¡¯t matter if they became concubines, but everything had to be under her control. Madam Lian couldn¡¯t stand the person who was out of her control in her own back yard.

    However, now in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the two maids spoke before their master could speak. Furthermore, they had even tried to curry favor with Mo Xuetong and had even imed that they had fought. How would outsiders think of the Lian¡¯s Manor and her? If she could not even deal with maids, how would she be able to manage the family? This was so embarrassing.

 Chapter 530 - The Plum Job That Madam Lian Vied for

    <h4>Chapter 530 The Plum Job That Madam Lian Vied for</h4>

    ¡°Madam Lian, your two maids are so straightforward and adorable. Mo Lan, reward them.¡± Mo Xuetong opened her red lips slightly and said. Mo Lan came over immediately and took out two purses. Ming Yu and Ming Xia took the purses and gave them a pinch. They felt that there were at least two taels of silver. They looked at each other in surprise, knelt down and kowtowed to show their gratitude.

    Even though they had taken the sry of the first-ss maid in Lian¡¯s Manor, Lian¡¯s Manor was not a wealthy family, and they had few rewards in normal times. Now that they had already received a month¡¯s sry, how could they not be overjoyed? They stood behind Madam Lian and looked at Mo Lan and Mo Ye. Both their bearing and clothes were the best. Then, they looked at the decorations in the room and found that they were all of the high quality. They could not help but feel a yearning for King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    If they came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, their appearance would be definitely as beautiful as these people. Maybe she could attract Feng Yuran¡¯s attention, which meant that she would be rich and powerful in the future.

    Ming Yu looked at Ming Xia¡¯s flushed face and scolded her in her heart, ¡°Bitch!¡± She knew that she was dreaming again. She usually hooked up with Lian An once she had the chance, and after seeing how wealthy King Xuan¡¯s Manor was, she would definitely think of ways to hook up with King Xuan. Mo Xuetong seemed to like straightforward people. ¡°Bitch, as long as I am around, don¡¯t even think about King Xuan.¡±

    Ming Xia also saw that Ming Yu was looking at the people in the room with bright eyes. She pursed her lips secretly. She was scheming than Ming Yu. Of course she had to behave well at this time. As such, she behaved very steadily. As soon as she thought of that she would live here and see the handsome King Xuan, she could not help but blush.

    The two maids stood behind Madam Lian with their own thoughts. They had long forgotten that they were still the maids of the Lian¡¯s Manor.

    On the other side, Madam Lian suppressed the anger in her heart and did not look at the two maids. She smiled and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, it wasn¡¯t my fault that day. I didn¡¯t know why Sir Yu followed me in. I thought he had got an invitation to the manor.¡±

    She was rather embarrassed to mention it because Mo Xuetong had interrupted her earlier. When she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s face darkening, she knew that it was inappropriate to bring up the topic while Mo Xuetong was happy. However, no matter how inappropriate it was, she had to rify her intentions. Her husband had always told her not to argue with King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    When it came to her husband, Madam Lian trusted him.

    ¡°Madam Lian, don¡¯t you know that Her Lady is ill?¡± Mo Yu said coldly. Her gaze was unfriendly as she looked at Madam Lian.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face darkened and she said softly.

    Mo Yu was so scared that she knelt on the ground. She defended, ¡°My Lady, I dare not to be presumptuous. But what I said was true. This morning, His Highness said that he would give you justice and was going to ask His Majesty for help to investigate this matter thoroughly.¡±

    King Xuan was going to ask the Emperor for help to investigate this matter thoroughly?

    Madam Lian was startled. She didn¡¯t forget that her husband had repeatedly told her that this matter had to be minimized before she came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. If the Emperor decided to investigate it, it would be hard to exin. If Yu Mingyong really wanted to implicate her, it would be hard to deal with this matter.

    Madam Lian felt sweat on her forehead and didn¡¯t dare to sit aside to watch fun anymore. ¡°My Lady, she is right. It¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, Sir Yu wouldn¡¯t have been able to get into the manor. It¡¯s also my fault that you got sick in rage.¡± She smiled and repeatedly said that it was all her fault.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression softened and she coughed softly. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and looked tired. She said, ¡°Madam Lian, that is overstating. What does this have to do with Madam Lian? You didn¡¯t have to apologize again and again. It¡¯s my fault for my poor health and I can¡¯t me anyone else.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a sip of the tea Mo Lan handed her. Then she clutched her chest and panted, looking as if she was feeling terrible. There was a little sweat on her forehead.

    ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re already in such a state but you¡¯re still thinking about others. My Lady, I am willing to pray for you in the temple. I... I...¡± Mo Yu, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly started to cry. ¡°I will definitely beg the Bodhisattva to help you recover quickly and make the bad people pay for it. No, even if the Bodhisattva does not do so, His Highness will make them pay for it.¡±

    Mo Yu said angrily. She looked at Madam Lian while crying, making the madam get in a cold sweat.

    King Xuan had beaten more than 10 concubines to death a few days ago. His vicious name could make a crying child stop crying. Even Madam Lian thought of thiswless man. Even though he had killed so many people, he had only been scolded while all the censors in the court were threatened by the Emperor. If it happened in the past, she would not believe it.

    Now, no matter others said what this man had done, she would believe it.

    When she thought that if something really happened to Consort Xuan, he mighte to her manor and make a scene, and even pulled her husband down, it would be big trouble. She heard that since King Xuan married Mo Xuetong, he had been very concerned about the little wife. She couldn¡¯t make him have evil intentions towards her husband just because of Consort Xuan.

    But how could she resolve this problem? She had thought that it was enough if she coulde here to apologize and give gifts. But now she had just apologized, and Madam Lian didn¡¯t dare to show her gifts as she saw the magnificent ornaments in this room. With those things, would Consort Xuan like her gifts?

    What should she do?

    Looking at the maid kneeling on the ground and the silent Mo Xuetong leaning on the couch with a poker face, Madam Ling suddenly thought of something. She immediately stood up and said with a smile, ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m willing to pray for you in the temple. All in all, I¡¯m responsible for this matter. If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t be so sick. Please give me an opportunity to make up for it.¡±

    This was indeed an opportunity, an opportunity to build a closer rtionship with King Xuan¡¯s Manor and also an opportunity to get rid of this matter.

    In the eyes of Madam Lian, even if Mo Xuetong was ill, it was not a serious illness. After all, she was so young. How could she die of illness at such a young age? She must be depressed. It was not a big deal. The illness would be cured as long as she was happy.

    If she were to pray for her at this time, she would definitely be able to please her. Then, when she recovered, her rtionship with Mo Xuetong would grow closer. Her husband might need King Xuan¡¯s help on his future. As such, in the eyes of Madam Lian, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

    No wonder that this smart girl would say such a thing before others. She was trying to please Consort Xuan.

    How could she give such a good idea to a maid!

    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s not good! Madam Lian, you¡¯re the Minister¡¯s wife, how can you do something like that for me!¡± Mo Xuetong looked a little uneasy and sat up with the help of Mo Lan.

    ¡°What are you talking about, My Lady? It is indeed my fault. I feel terrible. As I saw that you were still ill today, I felt uneasy. If I could pray for you, I would feel peaceful. Please, My Lady, give me peace!¡± Madam Lian was even politer to her. She seemed as if Mo Xuetong did not want her to have peace if she did not allow her to do it.

    A hint of coldness shed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lian An is good at acting. His wife doesn¡¯t look simple either. They¡¯re really a good match. No wonder both Lian An and Madam Lian have good reputations. But if this smart Madam Lian found that He Yuxiu she used to like to be her husband¡¯s mistress, what will she do? Will she be loyal to Lian An?¡±

    The two masters of the He family were said to be in the Lian¡¯s Manor, and Consort Zhao depended on him most. If the Lian¡¯s Manor became restless, then would the resourceful and tactful Minister Lian have the time to help Consort Zhao in the pce?

    ¡°Since Madam has said that, it would be a little unreasonable if I do not agree. Mo Lan, prepare a gift to thank Madam Lian for me. I will definitelye to visit and thank Madam Lian when I recover.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled with gratitude. She held on to Mo Lan as if she was about to get up and thank Madam Lian.

    However, her body was limp and she failed to stand up. Madam Lian was so scared that she kept saying, ¡°My Lady, please don¡¯t do that. My Lady, please don¡¯t do that. My Lady, just have a good rest. I will go back and prepare to pray for you in the temple.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much, Madam Lian.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my duty. I won¡¯t disturb your rest, My Lady. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Seeing how weak Mo Xuetong was, Madam Lian hurriedly took her leave. She was a smart person who could take the hint.

    Mo Xuetong tried to ask her to stay, but Madam Lian insisted on leaving. She did not persuade any longer and got Mo Yu to send Madam Lian out.

    Ming Yu and Ming Xia thought that Madam Lian would stay for a while so that they could observe King Xuan¡¯s Manor more carefully. They didn¡¯t expect that Madam Lian left in a hurry before her seat warmed up. They were anxious in their hearts, but they had no choice. They had to follow Madam Lian and looked a little depressed.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was so grand and they hadn¡¯t seen enough of it.

    ¡°Sisters, do you like this ce?¡± Mo Yu took two steps back and stood beside the two maids abreast as she asked gently. She was not as rash as she had been earlier. Instead, she was very kind.

    ¡°Oh, I like it very much, Sister Mo Yu. King Xuan¡¯s Manor is so big. There must be dozens of maidservants in this manor, right?¡± Ming Xia said with a smile, as if she had not seen Ming Yu roll her eyes at her.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Sister Mo Yu, Her Lady is really a nice person. I like her.¡± Ming Yu immediately went up to her and tried to butter up to her.

    ¡°Her Lady is a kind person, and His Highness treats us very well. He usually gives us money as a reward, and it¡¯s very good to be a servant in the manor. There are hundreds of young and old maidservants in the manor and they all say that Her Lady is a good person. The reason why His Highness beat those concubines to death a few days ago is that those women were too bold and had done evil things.¡±

    Mo Yu smiled innocently. Ming Yu and Ming Xia exchanged nces and felt that the opportunity hade. Immediately, they walked to each side of her and started to chat with Mo Yu intimately. Both of them had their own intentions at this time. Furthermore, the maidservant was not scheming at all, and it seemed that it was easy for them to get some information from her than from the maid who served Mo Xuetong closely.

    Madam Lian was thinking about praying for Mo Xuetong. When she thought of the benefits hidden in this, she was wondering how much she and her husband could gain. She did not notice that the three maidservants behind her had gathered together and were whispering about private things.

 Chapter 531 - He Yuxiuâ€™s Plot

    <h4>Chapter 531 He Yuxiu¡¯s Plot</h4>

    When Madam Lian returned to her manor, Lian An had not yet returned. In order to show her sincerity, Madam Lian asked the butler told Lian An that she would bring some servants to pray for Consort Xuan and that she mighte back tomorrow. Then she hurried to the Repayment Temple outside the city with several servants. It was said that the temple was quite famous and many people would go there to pray for blessings.

    Before they set out, a small episode happened. As an official, Lian An had a good reputation. Although he was the minister of the Ministry of Workers, he was clean-handed. Lian¡¯s Manor was notrge and there were not many servants in the manor; besides, there were only three carriages for going outside¡ªone of the carriages had always been used by Lian An, which was enough, and one for Madam Lian and thest one for younger and older maidservants.

    However, Ming Yu and Ming Xia rarely agreed that, as Madam Lian¡¯s personal maids, they could not ride in the same carriage with the other maidservants, or they would lose the family¡¯s decency. They also imed that when other families¡¯ madams and misses went out, the personal maids and the ordinary maids rode in different carriages.

    Madam Lian¡¯s face darkened as she heard what they said. She was about to lose her temper when an older maidservant came to her and whispered in her ear. Madam Lian asked someone to drag another carriage and solved the problem. The three carriages set off from Minister Lian¡¯s manor and went to the Repayment Temple together.

    ¡°Your Excellency, Madam Lian took three carriages out of the manor. One of them is the carriage we kept an eye onst time. Do you want us to keep an eye on it?¡± the manservant reported respectfully in the study.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Continue keeping an eye on Lian An, especially noticing if he has any interactions with the people in the pce.¡± Behind the desk, You Yuecheng¡¯s expression grew cold. He had finally made sure that the person who had ruined his and King Yan¡¯s n was from Lian¡¯s Manor. Now that the matter hade to a close, he had brought it out easily.

    At first, he did not believe that it was Lian An who had done this, so he had gotten people to keep an eye on Lian¡¯s Manor. After all, Lian An had kept a low profile and hadn¡¯t colluded with anyone, so You Yuecheng thought that he would not frame King Yan intentionally. However, it was obvious that he had guessed wrongly. Lian An was a scheming man.

    During this period of time, he had his people watch Lian An, and thus he knew that the second miss of the He family, who made a fuss and was missed, was actually in the hands of Lian An. She was raised as a mistress by Lian An in a yard in the Fuqian Street. Lian An would go there once he was free. Now it was the time for him to dote on her.

    This thing was hidden from Madam Lian. There seemed to be nothing wrong with other things. Since he had never suspect Lian An before, he didn¡¯t investigate him carefully. After investigation, You Yuecheng found that Lian An had known the He family for a long time, and thetter sent a sum of money to him at intervals. But the money would disappear in the end, and Lian An still lived a poor life.

    Then where was therge sum of money?

    You Yuecheng had a feeling that Lian An was not a simple man, and should be connected to someone in the pce. Of course, the person was most likely Consort Zhao. After all, she was from the He family. If that was the case, then it should be considered carefully. You Yuecheng did not wish to create chaos in Lian¡¯s Manor.

    If Lian An did have something to do with Consort Zhao, perhaps it would be a trump card that could reverse the foregone conclusion at the right time.

    You Yuecheng did not wish to stir up trouble in Lian¡¯s Manor, but Mo Xuetong did. The messier Lian¡¯s Manor was, the better it was for her. As Ming Yu and Ming Xia heard Mo Yu¡¯s words, they asked to ride separately from ordinary maidservants. Thus, the matter about the carriage would be exposed. However, that was not enough, and Mo Xuetong wanted it to be more chaotic.

    Chaos could make those people panic. If Lian An was easy to deal with, he wouldn¡¯t have be one of the ministers of the Ministry of Workers at such a young age, and his reputation had always been good...

    Mo Yu, Mo Ye, and Mo Feng were all sent out by Mo Xuetong.

    Lian An returned to the manor at lunchtime. He hade back a little earlier today because he wanted to know about the matter that his wife had gone to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Consort Xuan was said to be a gentle person, but King Xuan was not. Thinking of that Consort Zhao had made him think of ways to send people to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, he felt a headache.

    King Xuan had beaten a dozen concubines to death, making people in his manor fearful. No one dared to do anything. Lian An was trying to stay calm. He felt that it was not the best time to insert someone in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so he wanted to wait for a period of time. However, Consort Zhao in the pce had urged him, giving him a headache.

    ¡°Old Sir, Madam said that Consort Xuan is ill and she is now going to pray for her. She might not be back tonight, so she asked you to rest early and said you don¡¯t have to wait for her.¡± The butler hurried over to report when he saw Lian An getting off the carriage, rubbing his brows.

    Lian An stopped in front of the manor gates and nodded. After thinking for a while, he turned around and walked towards the carriage while saying, ¡°I suddenly remember that there are still some things that I haven¡¯t settled. I won¡¯t be back tonight. Take care of everything in the manor. When the Young Masteres back, you ask him to rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Old Sir,¡± the butler responded although he did not know why Lian An had already left before he entered the manor.

    After getting on the carriage, Lian An told the coachman to go to Fuqian Street. The coachman understood what he meant and turned the horse around and went to the yard in front of Fuqian Street. Lian An¡¯s mistress lived there. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be known to Madam Lian. Usually, Lian An went there secretly, and he never dared to spend the night there. But today, since Madam Lian wasn¡¯t home, Lian An seemed to be going to spend the night there. Thinking of the coquettish maid who served Madam He and was like Madam He, the coachman was very excited.

    He only felt that he was full of energy. Whipping the horse, he drove the carriage and went there.

    When they arrived at the gate of the yard, Lian An got out of the carriage and walked inside. It was a maidservant of 17 or 18 years old who opened the gate. As soon as she saw Lian An, her eyes lit up and she gave him a seductive smile, saying, ¡°Old Sir, Madam is waiting for you. She kept saying that she misses you just now. Come in quickly.¡±

    Recalling He Yuxiu¡¯s charming appearance in the room, Lian An smiled and strode inside. He felt rxed only when he was here. The concubines in his manor were either old or ugly, so he didn¡¯t like them at all. There were only a few old concubines who had been with him for 10 years.

    Madam Lian didn¡¯t allow him to take the two maids that he had taken a fancy to now, iming that she would train them for a period of time, which made Lian An very dissatisfied. However, his wife looked virtuous on the surface, but she wasn¡¯t an easy-going person. She always made him speechless, and then she said that she did it for his sake in every aspect.

    After all, from every point of view, it was not good for a man to indulge in womanizing. The reason why Lian An was so young and became a first-rank official was that he didn¡¯t indulge in womanizing.

    In fact, Lian An was indeed such a person, but now, everything was broken by He Yuxiu!

    Now that he had tasted a coquettish woman like He Yuxiu, he felt as if he had returned to a dozen years ago and his whole body was growing hot.

    ¡°Old Sir, you¡¯re here.¡± Hearing the sounding from outside, He Yuxiu immediately put the letter in her treasure chest and hurried out to wee Lian An. As she saw Lian An striding towards her, she tried to bow to him.

    Before she finished the bow, she was held by Lian An. Then Lian An took her back to the room and held her in his arms, asking, ¡°Baby, do you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯ve been missing you, Old Sir, but you didn¡¯te to see me yesterday. I was so heartbroken that I thought you deserted me.¡± He Yuxiu turned around and said delicately, reaching out her hand to hook Lian An¡¯s neck.

    This kind of sexy manner turned Lian An on. He felt that he couldn¡¯t control himself, so he pulled He Yuxiu¡¯s head over and gave her a fierce kiss.

    He kissed He Yuxiu until she was gasping. Looking at her enchanting body, Lian An suddenly felt as if his whole body was on fire.

    At this time, Lian An would agree whatever He Yuxiu demanded, and He Yuxiu was also waiting for the right time.

    ¡°Old Sir, please wait.¡± He Yuxiu twisted her body and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Old Sir, you¡¯re not treating me well, and you¡¯re still bullying me.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not bullying you. I love you so much. Come on, baby, let me show my love to you.¡± Lian An could not think about other things as he felt the woman¡¯s twisting body. He just wanted to do what he desired as soon as possible. He touched her little face and kissed her.

    ¡°Old Sir, I want to go to your manor to see my uncle and father. Can I? I heard that they were both beaten up,¡± He Yuxiu said with tears in her eyes. After that, she even kissed Lian An seductively.

    ¡°Why are you wanting to see them? Didn¡¯t you say that they were the ones who wanted to beat and kill you thest time?¡± Although she got him so hot, Lian An was still a little sober. He immediately narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Yes, they wanted to kill me, but I¡¯m their daughter and niece anyway. How can I just watch them like this and don¡¯t forgive them? Old Sir, no matter how bad my father treated me, he¡¯s still my biological father. I¡¯ll go and take a look secretly. It doesn¡¯t matter even if I can¡¯t meet them face to face. I¡¯ll just take a look outside the window, okay?¡±

    He Yuxiu threw her arms round Lian An¡¯s neck, and tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

    In the face of such a kind and romantic woman under such circumstances, Lian An only felt that the woman was so good that in addition to his lust, he was also a little moved. Sure enough, the women he loved were all good.

    ¡°Do you want to see them now?¡±

    ¡°Well, Old Sir, can I? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll dress up as a maid in a minute. I won¡¯t attract Madam¡¯s attention. I¡¯ll just have a look at my uncle and father and see if they¡¯re all right, to show my love as their junior. The others are not the things I, a married woman, should care about. After that, I¡¯ll apany you wholeheartedly and give birth to children for you.¡±

    He Yuxiu said in a sweet voice as her arms were around Lian An¡¯s neck. Her breath brushed past Lian An¡¯s ears. The titition made Lian An shiver all over. He immediately kissed He Yuxiu and spoke in a rough voice.

    ¡°You little minx, let¡¯s see if you can satisfy me. If you can, I¡¯ll take you there in a while.¡±

    ¡°Old Sir, I¡¯ll satisfy you. I¡¯ll be yours from now on,¡± He Yuxiu replied, breathing fast.

    Inside the bed curtain, two people were sharing passion with each other.

    No one noticed that on the roof, one person carefully put a tile properly, tiptoed, and left. Of course, he also saw the coachman and the maidservant were doing the same thing in another wing room

 Chapter 532 - Yu Mingyong Makes Trouble for Lianâ€™s Manor

    <h4>Chapter 532 Yu Mingyong Makes Trouble for Lian¡¯s Manor</h4>

    A carriage sped along the road. Yu Mingyong, who was about to recover from the injury and could barely walk a few steps, leaned against the carriage. Hatred filled his heart. He only had one idea at the moment¡ªhe wanted the brothers of the He family to die. He had taken a fancy to He Yufen, but since shemitted adultery, he had to rece He Yuxiu with her and ask the He family to suppress the matter.

    But now, he learned that it was the He brothers¡¯ trick. The so-called woman who had an affair with him was actually a prostitute in the brothel. How could Yu Mingyong not be furious? It turned out that the He brothers had already plotted against him. They changed the fianc¨¦e, but now he didn¡¯t get either of them and even became a notorious man. At the thought of this, Yu Mingyong went to Lian¡¯s Manor in a threatening manner, regardless of his injury.

    He had heard from the woman that the He brothers had the best rtionship with Lian An, so it was very likely that they were in his manor.

    He was injured, and thus, of course, he couldn¡¯t go to the brothel. But with his temper, if he was slightly better, he would ask people to call women in the brothel to his manor. Although he couldn¡¯t do anything strenuous, he could touch them, see them and make fun of them. The procuress in the brothel knew that he liked the new and loathed the old, so she changed a few new people every time.

    However, Yu Mingyong saw a familiar face among the new prostitutes today. He was shocked and immediately called her in to ask around. Only then did he know that the woman was originally in the brothel and not long ago, she was chartered out by the He brothers and rented a courtyard outside to frame him. In order to make up for her fault, the woman repeatedly said that the He brothers had a good rtionship with Lian An and it was said that they were recuperating in Lian¡¯s Manor now.

    Yu Mingyong had no idea which brothel He Yufen was in, and where He Yuxiu was, so he could only vent his anger on the He brothers. Yu Mingyong had never been a person who could contain his emotion. He chased all the prostitutes back then and went to Lian¡¯s Manor angrily. He did not remember that since Lian An was a first-rank official and that he was a lowly official, how could he barge into Lian¡¯s Manor to search for people?

    He was furious and did not care about this at all. He felt that he had to drag the He brothers out and kill them so as to vent the anger in his heart. Yu Mingyong had always been running wild in the capital and would do whatever he wanted. However, ever since he met the He brothers, he had be unluckier. He had been beaten up from time to time, making him lose his face.

    These were all because the He family had set him up. At this time, he had already lost his mind because of anger and hatred.

    When he reached the gate of Lian¡¯s Manor and saw the big words ¡°Minister¡¯s Manor¡± above the gate, Yu Mingyong came to his senses. He remembered that his sister told him not to make trouble. Lian An was a first-rank official, not a low-ranking one, who would fawn on him every time they met. If he offended Minister¡¯s Manor, he might be beaten up again.

    Moreover, it was all from that prostitute. If the He brothers were not in the manor, he would be in serious trouble.

    If he broke into Minister¡¯s Manor for no reason, her sister might not be able to put in a good word for him. Thinking of this, Yu Mingyong hesitated. He touched his bottom, which was still in pain, and he wanted to back down.

    Lifting the curtain, he found the servants following him were all gant and were going to fight with someone. If he backed down at this time, the servants in his manor would look down on him as well.

    Yu Mingyong put down the curtain. It was rare for him to think of a problem with his brain. It was not appropriate to barge into Lian¡¯s Manor now. However, he would be embarrassed if he went back immediately. He was the noble Sir Yu, and if he did things halfway, could he face others in the future? Pondering for a moment, Yu Mingyong could not think of any good ideas. But suddenly, an idea shed through his mind.

    He didn¡¯t know why he got such an idea. He lifted the curtain again and said to the several sturdy servants following him, ¡°Somebody.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir Yu.¡±

    ¡°Minister Lian hasn¡¯t returned yet and the manor is full of women. I don¡¯t have the mood to deal with them, so let¡¯s stay here and ask him when Minister Lianes back. We¡¯ll definitely beat the He brothers to death. Do you hear me?¡± Yu Mingyong¡¯s face was full of fierceness, but in fact, he felt timid.

    At this moment, he just wanted to dy it for a while. Then he would say that he was not feeling well and woulde the next time so that he could never mention this matter. It was said that Lian An was a good official with clean hands and also very busy at ordinary times. At this time, he might not be able toe back. As long as Yu Mingyong stayed in front of his manor for a while longer, this matter would help him out of embarrassment.

    ¡°Yes, Sir Yu.¡± Even though the servants did not understand what Yu Mingyong meant by changing his order, they exchanged nces and answered in unison. No matter what the young man wanted to do, he was their master. They would fight whoever he ordered them to. Now that he asked them to wait, they would just wait!

    Yu Mingyong put down the curtain and felt happy in his heart. He thought it was a good idea, but he didn¡¯t expect that Lian An¡¯s carriage woulde just when he stayed there for a moment.

    In fact, the butler in front of the gate had already seen Yu Mingyonging angrily. However, as they didn¡¯t take any action and just waited aside, he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. After all, it was in Minister¡¯s Manor. Was there someone who dared to offend them? He didn¡¯t think that Yu Mingyong, who was in the carriage, was looking for trouble with Lian An.

    Madam Lian wasn¡¯t at home. Lian An returned to the Minister¡¯s Manor with He Yuxiu. They had just had made out, and He Yuxiu was urgent toe here. Her face was still full of desire. Along the way, Lian An was all over her and never quieted. As a result, they made out again, causing her hairpin tilted and her face full of lust.

    Upon hearing the coachman said that they had arrived at their destination, Lian An adjusted his robe and got out of the carriage. He Yuxiu followed him out. However, women¡¯s clothes wereplicated, and they had just made out in the carriage. She stroked her hair t and pulled her clothes. Without paying attention to the details, she lifted the curtain and got out.

    Yu Mingyong, who had been bored, had already noticed that Lian An¡¯s carriage was approaching. He was secretlyining and did not know what to do next. He lifted the curtain and looked at Lian An¡¯s carriage.

    He saw that Lian An got out of the carriage, but he did not leave and waited by the side. Then a woman with a flushed face got out of the carriage. The button at her cor was unfastened, revealing a touch of pink. Her hair was messy, and her dress was not neat. It seemed that her clothes had been kneaded, and a few parts were particrly wrinkled.

    Yu Mingyong was familiar with this thing. He could tell at a nce that the two must have made out in the carriage. Otherwise, the woman wouldn¡¯t be like that. He didn¡¯t expect Lian An, who had always been famous for being strict and didn¡¯t lust for women, to be in such a good mood. Yu Mingyong was interested in the matter. People knew that he was a yboy and lusted after women. As he found that the whitehanded Lian An would do such a thing, he grew curious. ¡°How does the woman look like? She must be very seductive so that Lian An gave up his decency and made out with her in the carriage while it was still driving down the street...¡±

    His gaze naturally fell on the woman¡¯s face. He felt that she was a little familiar to him. He blinked again and looked at the woman whose eyes were filled with love. She was standing weakly on the carriage¡¯s frame. Lian An reached out and carried her off the carriage. He even pinched the woman¡¯s butt, making Yu Mingyong¡¯s mouth dry.

    Lian An was indeed a hypocrite. Although he didn¡¯t show anything on his face, his hand was stroke the woman¡¯s body.

    This time, Yu Mingyong caught him on the spot.

    ¡°Sir Yu, isn¡¯t that Second Miss He?¡± the coachman murmured. He had once sent Yu Mingyong to meet He Yuxiu privately. He blinked and stared at the shy He Yuxiu in Lian An¡¯s embrace in disbelief.

    ¡°He Yuxiu?¡± Yu Mingyong suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the woman not far away. He was immediately clear in the head. That was indeed He Yuxiu. No wonder she looked familiar to him just now. Realizing something now, he looked at Lian An and then at He Yuxiu, who was still leaning on Lian An, even though she hade down to the ground. Yu Mingyong¡¯s cheeks twitched.

    He lifted the curtain violently. Regardless of his injuries, he jumped down, holding the shaft, and shouted, ¡°You two adulterers, stop.¡±

    Yu Mingyong was full of hatred now. As he looked at He Yuxiu¡¯s face covered with lust and thought of the scene that the two of them must have made out in the carriage, his eyes turned red immediately. He only felt that he had been cuckolded by He Yuxiu. No wonder He Yuxiu disappeared a few days before the wedding. It turned out that He Yuxiu had eloped with Lian An and made him a joke in the capital.

    After that, he was instigated by the He brothers and was tricked. All of this was because of this bitch.

    Yu Mingyong could not get rid of his anger.

    Lian An and He Yuxiu were shocked to hear someone scolding them. They turned their heads, but before they could see who it was, He Yuxiu had been pped in the face twice. ¡°Bitch, no wonder you disappeared before our wedding. It turns out that you¡¯ve fallen in love with Lian An. Good, did you feel veryfortable in the carriage just now? It looks like Minister Lian is old, but he¡¯s still virile. You couldn¡¯t wait to get off the carriage and just yed in the carriage.¡±

    Then Yu Mingyong turned to look at Lian An who was frowning and still did not understand what was going on. He said with a cold smile, ¡°What an upright and whitehanded Minister Lian who doesn¡¯t lust for women! I didn¡¯t expect serious Minister Lian to do such a thing and cheat my fianc¨¦e. Furthermore, you even made out in the carriage. Isn¡¯t she much better than the women in the brothel? Well, Minister Lian, you might not know my fianc¨¦e is much better in bed than the other women in the brothel. She has great skills and is extremely coy. Minister Lian, did you feel it in the carriage just now?¡±

    Yu Mingyong was a jerk and his words were vulgar. He had treated Lian An as a whoremonger and He Yuxiu as a whore. Before, he wanted to make out with He Yuxiu, but she pushed him aside as if she were a chaste girl. He didn¡¯t expect she just made out with Lian An in the carriage just now. How could Yu Mingyong not be furious?

    How could he say something kind?

    Lian An¡¯s face immediately turned red. Although he was talented, he was a well-mannered person. Although he was full of evil ideas and wanted to strangle Yu Mingyong to death, he contained his urge. It was the first time that he had met such a domineering person like Yu Mingyong. He was so embarrassed and angry that he couldn¡¯t even say a word.

    Having been pped twice, He Yuxiu was confused. Now she came to her senses and realized that it was Yu Mingyong. She hid behind Lian An, looking like a timid wife.

    As they were making a scene, many people who happened to pass by gathered around them. Especially when they heard Yu Mingyong scolding the adulterers, they ran over to watch. This caused Lian An¡¯s face to turn pale. He wanted to find a hole to hide in it. He shook off He Yuxiu¡¯s hand forcefully and walked towards the manor, nning to walk away.

    Although he was smart, it was the first time that he had encountered such a shameful thing, so he was panicked at the moment.

 Chapter 533 - A Fight, Yu Mingyong VS Lian An

    <h4>Chapter 533 A Fight, Yu Mingyong VS Lian An</h4>

    Yu Mingyong felt that he had been cuckolded. Any man would not be able to stand this kind of insult. With so many people pointing at He Yuxiu and Lian An, he immediately felt that everyone was on his side, and became more agitated. He didn¡¯t allow Lian An to escape at this time. He took several steps forward and reached out with his hand, blocking Lian An¡¯s way.

    ¡°Mr. Lian, Minister Lian, Your Excellency Minister, you should give me an exnation. You took my fianc¨¦e away and forced her to be your mistress. Come on, let¡¯s go to meet the ce of judgment. Let them see how Minister Lian, who always thinks highly of himself, can¡¯t wait to get together with this little slut.¡±

    Yu Mingyong stretched out his hand to pull Lian An.

    Lian An was consumed with regret. How could it be such a coincidence that Yu Mingyong, who had nothing to do with him, woulde to his manor? Just now, he really made out with He Yuxiu in the carriage because he could not resist her temptation. Otherwise, he could say that he picked her up to see his father. Now, he really couldn¡¯t exin it clearly.

    But he had to even if he could not exin it clearly. He was finished if the supervisor caught something on this matter.

    Immediately, he pushed Yu Mingyong away and pretended to be calm, saying, ¡°Sir Yu, you misunderstood. Second Miss He came to me. I¡¯m bringing her here to see her father and uncle. Why did you say that, Sir Yu? It¡¯s really ridiculous.¡±

    Lian An insisted that he had nothing to do with He Yuxiu. He was still well-dressed, so he didn¡¯t seem to be too impolite. As he had been frightened, the lust on his face had faded. Coupled with his solemn expression, it was hard to tell that he had made out in the carriage.

    ¡°Is it a mistake? Minister Lian is such a man of integrity; how could he do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°There must be a mistake. This woman is Sir Yu¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and she has been missing for a while. Has she been sold to a brothel? It seems to be true.¡±

    ¡°Definitely. Once a woman is missing, she will lose her reputation and integrity. This youngdy is really ruined.¡±

    Everyone was talking about it at the moment, but their words all implied that Yu Mingyong must have made a mistake. After Second Miss He disappeared, she must have been sold to a brothel, but as a result, Minister Lian found her and took her to see her father and uncle, and he didn¡¯t do anything.

    All in all, these passersby believed that Lian An had a good reputation, but did not believe what Yu Mingyong said.

    Hearing these words, Lian An became pleased. The expression on his face became calmer and calmer as if he were really just helping a girl to return to her father.

    Yu Mingyong had never been so wronged. He flew into a rage. He had always been the one to wrong others and would not allow someone else to wrong him. He pulled He Yuxiu away from behind Lian An and tore her cor. Immediately, half of her cor had been pulled open, and arge part of her pink bellyband that hadn¡¯t been tied up had been revealed to everyone.

    He Yuxiu was so scared that she hurriedly pulled the other hem of her clothes and covered her body tightly.

    Several sharp-eyed people immediately saw the kiss marks on her tender neck and chest.

    Yu Mingyong pointed at He Yuxiu and said resentfully, ¡°Everyone, look, the kiss marks on this slut¡¯s body clearly just left a while ago. Minister Lian, you and she came in the same carriage. Are there any other men in the carriage besides you? You¡¯re not going to tell me that the kiss marks were from your coachman, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    At this time, anger surging in his heart. He was a frequent client of a brothel, so of course, he knew that these kiss marks had just been left. Thus, he was very self-confident at the moment.

    ¡°I... Second Miss He was in that kind of ce. When I found her, it was toote. She... I saved her and brought her directly to see her father. There was no ce to clean up on the way.¡± Lian An coughed to distract other people¡¯s attention. Just now, more than one person had seen the kiss marks on He Yuxiu¡¯s neck, so it was difficult for him to stop others, and he had to exin to them ording to Yu Mingyong¡¯s words.

    He was saying that He Yuxiu was really once a prostitute in the brothel!

    He Yuxiu¡¯s body immediately turned cold when she heard his words. She looked at Lian An in disbelief. The lust on her face had long faded and her lips were trembling. She could not even speak. If she was deemed to have been tricked into going to a brothel and lost her pudicity, who would think highly of her in the future? If the He family knew that Lian An did not protect her, she would not be able to live.

    Was he really the man who had held her in his arms and gently called her baby just now?

    ¡°Old Sir...¡± She looked at Lian An with tears in her timid eyes, and then a drop of tear fell down the corner of her eye. Although she did not say anything more, the sadness in her eyes was real. Immediately everyone present thought that she was the victim, and she was the one who had been cheated. She still looked at Lian An lovingly, and there was sadness and disappointment in her eyes, as well the shame of a woman being cheated. That kind of silentint could win everyone¡¯s sympathy.

    This time, He Yuxiu and Yu Mingyong, the unmarried couple, had the same goal.

    ¡°Minister Lian, you¡¯re so eloquent. Shall I send someone to check where He Yuxiu lives with you these days? It¡¯s hard to find a person in the capital, but it won¡¯t be so hard to find a house.¡± Somehow, Yu Mingyong was very eloquent.

    Instead of saying that to Lian An directly, he sneered at He Yuxiu, asking, ¡°Second Miss He, do you recognize yourself as a prostitute who has slept with many men or exin how Minister Lian lied to you and made you the mistress? Since Minister Lian set you as the mistress, you must know where this yard is, right?¡±

    Being a prostitute, or being a woman who had eloped with someone. Even though they both sounded bad, it was obvious that thetter could put all the me on Lian An. He Yuxiu had always been bold, or else she would not have been in the rtionship with Lian An. Now that Yu Mingyong was forcing her and Lian An seemed to be pushing her out, she had long cursed Lian An in her heart.

    She gritted her teeth and suddenly knelt down before Yu Mingyong. She covered her face with her hands and said, ¡°Sir Yu, I... I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s Minister Lian. He said that he wanted to marry me as another wife. He promised that after this period of time, he would let me marry into the manor withplete formalities. Nothing will be omitted.¡±

    It was out of her expectation that things had developed to this point. This time, she entered Lian¡¯s Manor in order to let others discover the rtionship between her and Lian An. How could she be willing to have no status? In that case, her child would not be able to enter the Lian family¡¯s ancestral hall in the future and would be looked down upon by others forever.

    But since things hade to this point, she had no way out. She would not allow Lian An to use her of being a prostitute. Tears welled up in her crystal-clear eyes and she was crying so hard that she could not utter a word. Anyway, she was going to me it on Lian An.

    She cried sadly, which really pissed Lian An off. What did this woman say? She said that he took a fancy to her beauty, lured her away on purpose, and seduced her with the position of another wife. At this time, he had already forgotten her previous coquetry. He only felt that she was like his impediment and he should desert her directly.

    ¡°Minister Lian, what else do you want to say?¡± Yu Mingyong was in the right, so he was very imposing. He immediately grabbed Lian An and tried to pull him into his carriage. ¡°Minister Lian, you knowingly vited thew. You seduced a woman who was engaged to someone. You¡¯re lying to the Emperor. Let¡¯s go and meet His Majesty now and have him judge the situation.¡±

    ¡°Sir Yu, let¡¯s talk it over. There might be some misunderstanding.¡± Lian An was really in a panic at this point. If he went to see the Emperor, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to escape. The Emperor was not like Yu Mingyong who was easy to deal with.

    ¡°Misunderstanding? What¡¯s the misunderstanding? You¡¯ve messed around with my fianc¨¦e, and you call it a misunderstanding! No wonder she suddenly disappeared. It turns out that she came to you and has an affair with you. It¡¯s always me who messes around with other¡¯s women, and other men dare not to mess about with mine. Come on. I won¡¯t let you go today. Let the Emperor judge for us.¡±

    With right was on his side, Yu Mingyong was not going to let the matter rest. He pulled Lian An and walked forward. The butler of Lian¡¯s Manor wanted toe and help Lian An but was stopped by Yu Mingyong¡¯s people. He hade to make the scene this time, so the servants he brought were as fierce as animals. Even the guards of Lian¡¯s Manor who didn¡¯t understand what was going on could notpare to them. They immediately made way for Yu Mingyong.

    Yu Mingyong¡¯s words were like a bolt out of the blue to Lian An. If the Emperor knew about this, he would be really done for. He was no longer as calm as he was several minutes ago. He tugged at his sleeves forcefully and said anxiously in a low voice, ¡°Sir Yu, let¡¯s talk things through. Let¡¯s go in and make it clear. There is really a misunderstanding. If I do something wrong, I will definitely repay you.¡±

    The only thing he wanted to do now was to lure Yu Mingyong into the manor and talk to him nicely so that he could cover this matter.

    ¡°Do you want me not to sue you? Good, as long as you admit that you have stolen this slut, you two adulterers are a couple. I will release you immediately.¡± Yu Mingyong was not going to let him off the hook. He grabbed Lian An¡¯s sleeve. Even though he was still injured, he still had the strength to pull at a weak schr.

    Lian An certainly didn¡¯t dare to admit it. He gritted his teeth and defended himself, ¡°Sir Yu, I really brought Second Miss He to see her father and uncle. They are now in my manor. Last time, they were almost beaten to death. I saw that they were pitiful, so I took them to my manor to recover. It¡¯s really not the kind of rtionship as you think.¡±

    ¡°Minister Lian, it turns out that you have such a good rtionship with the He family. You not only invited the two brothers of the He family to your house but also invited the woman of the He family to y with you on the bed. It seems that you also have a good rtionship with Consort Zhao. Otherwise, why would you take care of her family?¡±

    Yu Mingyong gritted his teeth when he heard that the He brothers were indeed in Lian¡¯s Manor. As he thought of the fact that the brothers had framed him and that He Yuxiu had cuckolded him, Yu Mingyong gritted his teeth and punched Lian An¡¯s face with his fist without thinking. He said hatefully, ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll beat you to death today, you hypocrite.¡±

    When they saw that their master had been beaten up, Lian An¡¯s people did not show any weakness. Someone had already entered the manor and called for many people to protect Lian An. Seeing that so many people were rushing over, Yu Mingyong¡¯s people were afraid that they would hurt their master, so they rushed forward anxiously. The two sides immediately fought with each other.

    This fight made both sides redden their eyes. He Yuxiu, who had shrunk to one side, slowly retreated and retreated again. Everyone was watching the fight. The scene was in a state of chaos. A few passersby were punched for no reason, so they also got involved in the fight.

 Chapter 534 - Will the Two Maidservants Remain?

    <h4>Chapter 534 Will the Two Maidservants Remain?</h4>

    This incident finally escted. Yu Mingyong caused a new incident after the previous one in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. This time it was Minister Lian¡¯s Manor. He not only caused trouble but also beat Lian An. However, this time was different from the previous ones. Yu Mingyong felt that he was on the right side, so when he saw a team of soldiers appearing, he consciously dragged Lian An who was covered in bruises and asked the government to hold justice for him.

    Looking at Lian An who panted like a dog due to beating, and then at therge crowd in front of him, the soldiers really couldn¡¯t figure out who was the wronged person, but in fact, they had to deal with the matter. The gate of Lian¡¯s Manor was crooked because of their fight.

    With such a big incident and the fact that Minister Lian of the first-rank was still beaten up like that, the whole court¡¯s decency was lost. Emperor Zongwen was furious and immediately called Lian An into the Qianqing Pce. He scolded Lian An and also smashed a full stack of memorials to the throne on Lian An¡¯s head. Lian An couldn¡¯t even say a word because of the smash. He knelt there tremblingly, so scared that he almost fainted, but he imed that he was wronged.

    As things went to this point, it wasn¡¯t Lian An who lost face alone, and the entire dynasty official was disgraced. Emperor Zongwen had to take care of it, and Consort Zhao said that Lian An took in the He brothers, which was equivalent to saving them. Besides, Second Miss He who was said to have connections with Yu Mingyong and Lian An had disappeared again.

    This was hard to convict. Consort Yu also came to the Emperor every day and cried toin that her younger brother was being fooled.

    In the end, Emperor Zongwen ordered to demote Lian An from the minister of Ministry of Works to assistant minister. The poorly performing brothers of the He family were expelled from the capital. Yu Mingyong won Emperor Zongwen¡¯s reward this time. He ordered the dissolution of his engagement with Second Miss He and gave him a good marriage, which made Consort Yu smile happily.

    She was clear to her younger brother¡¯s matter. She didn¡¯t expect him to marry a girl from a good family. She felt as if her head could be lifted higher.

    Of course, thinking of it must be Consort Zhao¡¯s idea to marry He Yuxiu to her younger brother, she was full of hatred. Consort Zhao even dared to make a loose woman marry her younger brother and caused her younger brother to be cuckolded. How could Consort Yu not hate her? She would never spare Consort Zhao.

    She thought cruelly in the pce, and Madam Lian was venting her anger outside the pce. She had almost smashed everything in the house. In fact, she had already returned that day. She originally wanted to spend the night on the mountain, but after a while, someone came to report to her that Minister Lian got into trouble.

    Hurrying down the mountain, she saw Yu Mingyong moring to block Lian An there. Then seeing He Yuxiu¡¯s seductive face, she understood. Sitting in the carriage, she felt as if everything turned dark before her eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for several older maids to pull her, she wouldn¡¯t have contained the urge to rush over and beat him.

    ¡°Lian An, I¡¯m working hard for this family, but you, you did this kind of thing avoiding me. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you and Consort Zhao did. After so many years, the woman has been fine, but I didn¡¯t expect you still miss her and don¡¯t take me seriously.¡±

    Madam Lian was so mad that she snarled like a crazy.

    ¡°Dear, dear, don¡¯t say that, don¡¯t say that. It can cause death.¡± Lian An was so frightened that he felt cold. He hurried over to pull Madam Lian, trying to cover her mouth. ¡°Can this be said? It will cause decapitation.¡±

    ¡°You adulterers will be beheaded. It has nothing to do with me,¡± Madam Lian shouted and shook off Lian An¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know, He Yuxiu¡¯s eyes are particrly like hers, and you like Ming Yu and Ming Xia because they look like her. Okay, I will go to the pce now to see the Emperor and ask him toplete your bitter couple. I will ask to quit.¡±

    For so many years, she had been carefully supporting Lian An, and self-disciplined. And instead of being arrogant, she was gentle to people. It was for his sake. She didn¡¯t expect Lian An, who said that he had nothing to do with He Suzhao, to still miss that woman.

    How could this not make Madam Lian hate?

    ¡°Dear, dear, you can¡¯t really say that. You are killing me. Even if you don¡¯t consider for me, consider for our son, do you want our son to be beheaded, Dear? It was really an ident this time. It was the woman who seduced me. A servant told me that He Yuxiu was found, and I went to have a look. Then I had a meal there, but when I woke up, I was in bed with her... I really don¡¯t know anything. I just wanted to take her here to see her father and uncle.¡±

    Lian An acted, pointed to the sky, and promised, ¡°Dear, 10 years ago, I still have her in my heart, but now, dear, don¡¯t you see it? I only have you and our son in my heart!¡±

    This matter had finally passed now. Lian An hadn¡¯t been relieved yet, and if the rtionship between Consort Zhao and him was exposed, he would definitely be killed.

    As Lian An looked guilty, begged for mercy, and talked about their son, Madam Lian¡¯s anger slowed down a bit. If Lian An really had a rtionship with Consort Zhao in the pce, he would be sentenced to death. If the Emperor was furious, he might even sentence the entire Lian family to death. Thinking of their dear son, Madam Lian felt bitter and hateful.

    Immediately she fell to the chair beside her and cried, ¡°Lian An, why did I just fall in love with you, a useless man? When you went to a brothel, you were attracted to that kind of a person. Later, you stopped seeing her, life returned to peace. But you are involved with the He family. If I had known this, I should have listened to my father¡¯s advice to refuse to marry you, in case my son is involved.¡±

    Although she was still crying and cursing at this time, her voice was unconsciously lowered, and after the madness, she knew what she was doing.

    Lian An wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, knowing that the important part must have subsided. He immediately came to coax, ¡°Dear, I¡¯m sorry, rest assured, from now on, the whole manor will be in your charge. If you don¡¯t like those concubines, you can drive them away and sell them. As long as you and our son are fine, it doesn¡¯t matter what will happen to me.¡±

    He said in a sincere manner while holding Madam Lian¡¯s hand to p his bruised face. ¡°Dear, as long as you forgive me, I am willing to do whatever you ask me, but you can¡¯t speak that matter. It doesn¡¯t matter if I die, I don¡¯t want it to affect you and our son. For so many years, you have been with me. I did not make you enjoy your every day but caused such a thing. I am really sorry to you and our son.¡±

    After he finished speaking, he went to the table and picked up the teacup personally, pretending to be very sincere and saying, ¡°Dear, for so many years, you know if I¡¯m good to you. How can you treat me like that when I was deceived? Dear, we married young and we will apany each other when we are old. I always want to go on like this with you...¡±

    Hisst word was full of emotion and tears welled up in his eyes.

    Even though Madam Lian was full of hatred, thinking of her son and the fact that Lian An was really good to her for so many years, she felt painful and bitter. Tears were flowing down. She directly rushed over, grabbed his clothes, and thumped on him. ¡°Why were you so stupid? It has been so many years; how dare you still have contact with this woman? You are risking our lives for her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, dear, I won¡¯t do it again, but this time it was really the little slut who fooled me.¡± Lian An put down the teacup and reached out to hug Madam Lian. He coaxed her and promised.

    Madam Lian finally finished venting her anger. She sat in a chair, gasped, and asked Lian An, ¡°Was it really that little slut who fooled you?¡±

    ¡°Dear, how can you not believe me? If I really wanted to do something, I would do when this little slut appeared specifically in our manor... Why should I wait until now to make such a thing?¡± Lian An said hurriedly.

    In fact, he really thought about it, but He Yuxiu didn¡¯t like him at that time, and there was Consort Zhao in the pce, so Lian An was really afraid to do too much. As a result, he only kindly and friendly talked to He Yuxiu for a while.

    Not knowing what he thought, Madam Lian nodded and said, ¡°Well, since that¡¯s the case, I believe in you again, I hope this won¡¯t happen next time. If you see that little bitch, just directly beat her do death. No matter what, it¡¯s indeed true that you are rted to her now.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, dear, when I meet the little bitch, I will never spare her. This is all her fault. I¡¯ll send someone to investigate,¡± Lian An said coldly. Under the lights, his swollen face was gloomy and ugly. This was all caused by He Yuxiu. If the Emperor in the pce knew the reason he had He Yuxiu by his side, his entire family would be destroyed.

    His mind was now full of his own career; he didn¡¯t care what soft words He Yuxiu said in his arms. As long as he thought that the existence of He Yuxiu might expose Consort Zhao and his secrets, he wanted to kill her. There was no warmth in his heart now.

    ¡°Since you have decided, I won¡¯t say anything. What are you going to do with Ming Yu and Ming Xia, the two bitches?¡± Seeing his expression, Madam Lian knew that he really wanted to kill He Yuxiu. She felt relieved in her heart. She had been with Lian An for so many years, so of course, she knew that Lian An looked gentle on the surface, but he was actually vicious, and would not leave his enemy alive. So she changed the subject, stared at Lian An and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Seeing his wife staring at him closely, Lian An had to ignore the grievance in his heart and hurriedly said. If he answered slowly at this time, Madam Lian would make a scene. He had been taking a fancy on the two maids, but he didn¡¯t get a chance to take action. At this point, he had to respond to his wife.

    ¡°Okay, since you said that, tomorrow I will ask a trafficker to sell them a good price. ording to their coquettish looks, I think they can sell a good price,¡± Madam Lian said coldly, staring at Lian An with a fierce gaze, as if he was a little bit unwilling, she would pounce on him to bite.

    Selling a good price? In which ce could she get a good price for them? It was in the brothel. Thinking that the beautiful girls were going to be sold to the brothel, Lian An trembled with heartache, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it on his face. He carelessly said, ¡°Dear, let alone a brothel, even if they are sold to those private ces, I do not care. I only have you in my heart.¡±

    Madam Lian¡¯s anger turned to happiness. She was no longer angry. She got up, picked up the medicine on the corner of the table, put the medicine on Lian An¡¯s face. After Yu Mingyong¡¯s beating, and then the Emperor¡¯s smash with the stack of memorials, Lian An¡¯s face had already been swollen like a pig¡¯s head and looked really ugly.

    At the dark corner outside the door, two trembling girls helped each other to go out, not daring to make a sound. As lights falling on their faces from the edge of the window, one could find that their faces had no trace of blood. They didn¡¯t expect Madam Lian who had been gentle and a little jealous to be such a vicious person. They now only wanted to escape as soon as possible

 Chapter 535 - In the Lotus-rain Pavilion, Feng Yuxuan Drinks Tea

    <h4>Chapter 535 In the Lotus-rain Pavilion, Feng Yuxuan Drinks Tea</h4>

    The left side of the Lotus-rain Pavilion was close to the water, and there nted many lotuses. It was the time to bloom. The blossoms were fabulous, standing gracefully. There were waves of fragrance drifting. As a breeze blew, the lotus leaves shook, and looked quite beautiful and enchanting.

    Then new lotus blossoms after the rain stood gracefully erect!

    Mo Xuetong sat in the Lotus-rain Pavilion, held the fish food in her hands, and fed red carp in the water with boredom. The red carp passed by one by one, making her hand look like jade. The water flowed slowly and the lotus leaves were dense. The fine gauze was slightly lifted, and the jade-like woman was almost as beautiful as a fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm.

    Far away at the arch bridge, the butler was leading King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, and a gentle and beautiful woman towards the Jinwei Pavilion. Feng Yuxuan had stayed in the camp for a while earlier and had only returned a few days ago. Even though he was still gentle, there was a sharp glint in his eyes. However, it was hidden at the bottom of his eyes. He looked still like the previous handsome gentleman.

    On the bridge, his gaze couldn¡¯t help but fall on the beautiful woman¡¯s figure in the pavilion. Although it was a little far away and he couldn¡¯t see her appearance clearly, he could still tell that she had a beautiful profile. With the soft andzy aura, she just looked like a jade-like beauty.

    ¡°Steward Wang, has King Xuan not fully recovered yet?¡± Feng Yuxuan stopped. His eyes involuntarily followed the beautiful figure as he stood still.

    Since thest incident of the assassins in different manors, Feng Yuran imed that he had been frightened and wanted to rest in the manor so he applied for sick leave.

    ¡°His Highness is still like that. He just feels weak and doesn¡¯t have a good appetite. He usually feels groggy, so he stays in the Jinwei Pavilion most of the time. He has just gotten up and heard that Your Highness ising, he looks much better,¡± Steward Wang answered respectfully with a smile.

    ¡°Is that... Consort Xuan?¡± Feng Yuxuan pointed at the beautiful figure in the distance. His pretty eyes were deep and meaningful.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s Her Lady.¡± Following Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gaze, Steward Wang also saw Mo Xuetong, who was feeding on fish food and chatting with maidservants sometimes. Although he didn¡¯t know why Feng Yuxuan mentioned Consort Xuan, he still nodded and replied.

    ¡°As so many things happened on Consort Xuan¡¯s birthdayst time, won¡¯t King Xuan manage the inner yard?¡± Feng Yuxuan asked in a casual manner.

    ¡°Your Highness, His Highness brought Her Lady to the West Hill for a few days and they have just returned. Her Lady is still in poor health, so even if she wants to manage the yard, she can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± Steward Wang answered cleverly. He did not say if Feng Yuran had helped Mo Xuetong vent her anger or if he had managed the inner yard. Instead, he pushed things to Mo Xuetong.

    The dignified Consort Xuan had been shamed, but she didn¡¯t take it seriously. Feng Yuran even didn¡¯t deal with the pregnant concubine and wanted Consort Xuan to deal with her when she recovered. It seemed that the rumors about how much Feng Yuran doted on his little wife were not true. A glint shed through Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Consort Xuan is over there. Can I go and take a look?¡± The gentle woman standing by Feng Yuxuan looked at Mo Xuetong in the distance and asked gently. She was wearing a light green dress and looked rather thin. She looked a little green. When she looked at Feng Yuxuan, she looked rather affectionate. This added vigor to her beautiful face.

    ¡°Since Second Consort Mo wants to go there, I will get someone to take you there.¡± Steward Wang nodded with a smile. When King Chu came to the manor, he had said that he wanted to visit King Xuan and Consort Xuan with Second Consort Mo. Now that Mo Xuetong was there, it was reasonable to take Second Consort Mo there.

    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go together.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly. He took the lead and strode towards the Lotus-rain Pavilion. Steward Wang was shocked. He said that he would take Second Consort Mo there but King Chu took the lead. However, since King Chu had already left, he could not say anything else. He had to only take a few steps forward and lead the way.

    Mo Yarui looked at Feng Yuxuan and then at Mo Xuetong who had no idea what was going on in the distance. There was a hint of bitterness in her eyes. She picked up her long dress and followed the two men. However, her steps were small and she walked slowly, so she was left behind. Mo Yarui looked helplessly at Feng Yuxuan who strutted before her. She bit her lips and lowered her head. Taking a few steps quickly, she finally caught up with them.

    She was in poor health since Ling Rui¡¯er had caused her to miscarry. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er did not do anything to her after she returned to the manor, Ling Rui¡¯er often said something sharp. Fortunately, Mo Yarui did not wish to fight with her, so she stayed in her courtyard to recuperate so that Ling Rui¡¯er would not see her.

    When Feng Yuxuan was back, she went out of the courtyard. Luckily, Feng Yuxuan was kind to her and went to her yard first as soon as he returned to the manor. Then, he brought good herbs and tonics to her. Her cold heart gradually warmed up and the smile on her lips grew.

    When she heard Feng Yuxuan ask if she wanted to go to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she agreed immediately. On the one hand, she wanted to thank Consort Xuan. Mei Yu had already told her that if not for Consort Xuan¡¯s help in sending the message that day, she would have been tortured to death by Ling Rui¡¯er. As such, she wanted to thank Consort Xuan in person.

    On the other hand, since Feng Yuxuan did not ask Ling Rui¡¯er, his first consort, but her to go with him, did this mean that she was different in his heart? This delighted Mo Yarui. She had a crush on Feng Yuxuan. Before she married him, she felt that this handsome prince was both smart and pretty and that if she could marry someone like him, she would be satisfied in this life.

    Therefore, even as a second consort, she also felt happy. However, since she entered King Chu¡¯s Manor, she found that the days were not as happy as she thought. Feng Yuxuan was lukewarm to her, not too close or distant. Fortunately, she found he took the same attitude to everyone. Mo Yarui felt that it had something to do with his character, so she slowly got used to it.

    But now, she suddenly saw something different in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t know what it meant, but it was obvious that he treated Consort Xuan differently. A trace of worry shed in her eyes, and she walked quickly to keep up with him so as not to fall behind too much.

    Mo Xuetong was truly bored. She had told the others that she was still ill. However, she felt that she was much better now and wanted to return to Mo Manor to take a look. However, she was clear that this was not the right time. She had to pretend to be ill in the manor and would not be able to leave for a while.

    She had almost thrown all the food to the fish. Then she lifted her sleeves and yed with the water with her little white hands. Feeling the gurgling water on the surface of theke, she found it was very soft andfortable.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t ssh water anymore. It¡¯s cold. His Highness will be unhappy when he sees it.¡± Mo Lan reached out to stop her. Mo Xuetong¡¯s health was still poor. The water was under the lotus leaves which blocked the sunlight, so it was extremely cold. It would not be good for one¡¯s health if the cold air rushed up to them in the summer.

    Therefore, Feng Yuran was very unhappy when he saw Mo Xuetong stretched her hands to the water. However, Mo Xuetong liked to reach her hand into the icy cold water because it was extremelyfortable. She would reach her hand into the water while he was not around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll only do it for a while. His Highness won¡¯t be able to see it.¡± Mo Xuetong stuck out her tongue and a sweet smile appeared on her innocent face. Her longshes fluttered and she looked rather pleased with herself.

    ¡°Yeah, Mo Lan, it¡¯s fun to put hands into the water. Look, the fish are biting my hand.¡± Mo Yu giggled and reached into the water as Mo Xuetong did. Seeing that Mo Lan was still pulling a long face, she naughtily picked up a few drops of water and sprinkled it on Mo Lan. Mo Lan dodged, but a few of the drops stillnded on her.

    She was so angry that she went over to pinch Mo Yu. Seeing Mo Lan¡¯s expression, Mo Yu stood up hurriedly. She walked around the stone table and stools and ran out. Mo Lan did not want to let her go and went after her hurriedly.

    One of the two chased and the other escaped, ying in the pavilion.

    Mo Xuetong leanedzily against the railings of the pavilion. She picked up the circr fan beside her and fanned it while instructing them, ¡°Mo Yu, hurry up and run. Come back from behind.¡± Or, she said, ¡°Mo Lan, you¡¯re a little slower. Just a little more and you¡¯ll be able to catch her.¡±

    Her bright eyes curved into a smile. She looked extremely happy.

    Just as they were ying around, they suddenly heard Steward Wang¡¯s loud voice. ¡°Your Highness, this way please.¡±

    Mo Xuetong stopped fanning. She turned around and saw the gentle Feng Yuxuaning over with a smile on his handsome face.

    Why was Feng Yuxuan here? Mo Xuetong blinked her deep eyes and did not understand how he could enter the inner courtyard without Feng Yuran¡¯spany. Even though Feng Yuran was his brother, it was not proper for him to barge in. Mo Xuetong¡¯s stiff hand shook slightly while she looked at Feng Yuxuan dazedly.

    It was rare to see Mo Xuetong in such a daze. The smile on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s lips grew bigger as he walked towards her.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu!¡±

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu!¡± The two maids had regained their wits and immediately saluted.

    ¡°Forego formalities!¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly. He was as gentle as water.

    Mo Xuetong stood up immediately as well. Holding her fan, she saluted. ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Chu.¡±

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I came here to visit Eighth brother and you with Ya¡¯er. When I saw you from afar, Ya¡¯er wanted toe first. So I apanied her here,¡± Feng Yuxuan exined with a smile. He waved his hand and sat down on a stone bench not far from Mo Xuetong. He picked up the teacup that Mo Xuetong had ced on the table and as if he did not notice that half of the cup of tea had just been consumed by Mo Xuetong, he took a sip, looked at it curiously and took two more sips.

    Then he turned around to Mo Xuetong who paused in the spot and asked with a smile, ¡°Consort Xuan, what kind of tea is it? It has a smell of lotus fragrance and is very refreshing. I have never drunk this kind of great tea before. I wonder if you can answer my question.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and was very unhappy. She looked at her cup of tea unhappily but could not say anything. He had already drunk it, and she could not ask him to spit it out. As she saw how he neglected minor points of conduct, she also sat down. With a smile, she said, ¡°Your Highness King Chu, you tter me. I¡¯ve only collected some dew to make tea. It¡¯s not some good tea. Sorry, it upsets you, Your Highness.¡±

    Her words were very direct. She looked at the cup in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand with her watery eyes and seemed a little annoyed.

    Feng Yuxuan seemed not to understand Mo Xuetong¡¯s unpleasant words. He raised his eyebrows and seemed to be interested in discussing the tea with Mo Xuetong. ¡°Consort Xuan, you¡¯re so intelligent. I wonder if there¡¯s any dew collected from the lotus leaves. Can you send me some and let me make some fragrant tea in my manor?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan acted oddly today!

    Mo Xuetong had no idea what he was trying to say at that moment. She looked up and saw Steward Wang bringing a beautiful woman over. Was this Ya¡¯er that Feng Yuxuan had just mentioned?

 Chapter 536 - Precious Treasure, a Head Accessory Made of South Pearls

    <h4>Chapter 536 Precious Treasure, a Head essory Made of South Pearls</h4>

    Mo Yarui finally hurried over and secretly wiped away the sweat on her forehead. She walked to Mo Xuetong and bowed with a smile. ¡°Greetings, Consort Xuan!¡±

    ¡°Second Consort Mo? Please take a seat. Somebody, serve tea!¡± Mo Xuetong recognized that the person in front of her was Assistant Minister Mo¡¯s daughter. She suddenly understood that the so-called Ya¡¯er was Mo Yarui. She avoided Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gaze and focused on Mo Yarui with a polite smile.

    ¡°Many thanks, Consort Xuan.¡± Mo Yarui leaned over and sat on a stone bench by the side. It was such a hot day and she had been chasing after Feng Yuxuan. It was really hot on the way here. She took the tea from Mo Lan and took a sip. Then she felt a sweet scent and the summer heat diminished immediately.

    ¡°Your Highness, please have some tea.¡± Mo Lan put a cup of tea beside Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand. Feng Yuxuan nodded, but he intentionally fiddled with the teacup he had been holding. The corners of his lips curled up into a smile.

    ¡°Thank you, Consort Xuan, for saving my lifest time.¡± Mo Yarui stood up. It seemed that she was going to bow to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s just a matter of lifting a finger. It¡¯s not a big deal. Besides, you have King Chu.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up hurriedly to stop her, and Mo Yu hurriedly reached out to hold Mo Yarui and stopped her from kneeling.

    ¡°It is as easy as raising a finger to you, My Lady, but for me, you still saved my life.¡± Mo Yarui could not help but look at Feng Yuxuan when she heard her mention Feng Yuxuan. Her eyes immediately turned red when she saw him giving her a gentle smile. She said that, looking rather aggrieved. She did not know why, but when she saw Feng Yuxuan¡¯s sincere smile, she got so excited that she wanted to cry.

    It had been a long time since she saw the sincere smile on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face!

    ¡°Ya¡¯er, don¡¯t be so polite. Since Consort Xuan has saved your life, you can oftene here to apany her in the future. I brought a set of head essory of South Pearls today, to express gratitude on behalf of Ya¡¯er. After all, I didn¡¯t take care of Ya¡¯er well, so that Ya¡¯er suffered and affected Consort Xuan.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan continued the topic and reached out his hand. A eunuch who followed him came over and respectfully presented an exquisite gift box. Judging by the gift box¡¯s exquisiteness, one could know that it was worth a lot. Mo Yarui looked at Feng Yuxuan in surprise and then at the gift box on the table with a strange look on her face.

    ¡°This is a head essory made of South Pearls. The South Pearls are from the extreme south. They are more mellow and smooth than that of other ces. The objects inside are also very beneficial to people¡¯s health. Please ept it, Consort Xuan.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled and pushed the gift box to Mo Xuetong.

    South Pearls were not local pearls. The good ones were all offerings in the pce. Even the imperial consorts in the pce did not have many South Pearls. Mo Xuetong remembered that Sima Heyan had mentioned in her past life that when she entered the pce, she had seen a phoenix hairpin of South Pearls on the Empress¡¯ head. She had praised it for a long time, saying that such pearls were the best amongst pearls and could be worn by a noble person like the Emperor.

    Now, Feng Yuxuan was giving her a head essory of South Pearls. It was valuable!

    Even though she had saved Mo Yarui, how could Feng Yuxuan, who had ignored Mo Yarui, give her such a valuable gift? What was Feng Yuxuan doing this for? Mo Xuetong thought quickly and did not figure out his intentions. She saw that Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle gazended on Mo Yarui and felt as if he and Mo Yarui were in love with each other.

    ¡°Your Highness King Chu, I really can¡¯t ept such a precious gift.¡± Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out and decided not to think about it anymore. A gentle smile appeared on her jade-white face and she refused him politely. No matter what Feng Yuxuan wanted to do, her intuition told her not to ept it.

    She did not forget how cruel the gentle-looking King Chu was. If not for her good luck, she would have died a long time ago.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, don¡¯t you look down on my head essory just because you have the precious South Pearls ne that Eighth brother sent to you?¡± Feng Yuran said in a casual manner while smiling lightly and looking at Mo Xuetong with a rxed air.

    ¡°South Pearl ne?¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes and asked in confusion. She did not understand what Feng Yuxuan meant.

    ¡°Oh, I just said something I shouldn¡¯t have. I shall punish myself.¡±

    He saw the slight estrangement in the clear eyes, and her longshes fluttered. Even though she was polite, she looked indifferent. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes darkened. He suddenly stood up and said, ¡°I still have to visit Eighth brother, so I won¡¯t disturb you. Ya¡¯er, if you like Consort Xuan, you cane to King Xuan¡¯s Manor often in the future.¡±

    Then, before Mo Xuetong could say something, he pulled Mo Yarui and turned to leave, leaving the South Pearl head essory on the stone table. He meant to leave it to Mo Xuetong. She had to ept it even if she did not want it.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Mo Xuetong did not expect Feng Yuxuan, who had always been elegant, to be so shameless at this moment. When she stood up, Feng Yuxuan had already walked quite a distance away with Mo Yarui stumbling. If she chased after him, it made one feel that she had lost her etiquette and was too petty.

    ¡°My Lady, this?¡± Mo Lan looked at the jewelry box on the table, and then at King Chu who had let go of Mo Yarui and walked away. She did not know what to do. What was going on? He had gifted his younger brother¡¯s wife with a head essory. Even though he had given it to her in the name of Mo Yarui, it was from his hand in the end. It was not proper.

    If news of this matter got out, how would people say about it?

    And what if King Xuan misunderstood Consort Xuan?

    ¡°My Lady, I will send it to His Highness King Chu right now.¡± Mo Yu understood by this time. She hurried over to pick up the jewelry box on the table and said to Mo Xuetong anxiously.

    Did he just want to cause a misunderstanding between her and Feng Yuran, and to spread the rumors about her and Feng Yuxuan? Mo Xuetong did not think that Feng Yuxuan was such a shallow person. Furthermore, the idea was likely to backfire. If there were rumors about him and Mo Xuetong, his reputation would be damaged. With his image as a gentleman, he would not do something like that.

    Mo Xuetong reached out to stop Mo Yu from making a move. Then, she sat down slowly, and waved the circr fan gently, hiding the coldness in her eyes. If she had guessed correctly, the gift was just a lead and he was probably trying to get something out of it. Feng Yuxuan just mentioned the top quality South Pearl ne, but he didn¡¯t finish what he tried to say.

    In this life, Mo Xuetong had never heard of the string of top-quality South Pearl ne, but in herst life, it was extremely famous. The top-quality South Pearl ne was not only made of top-quality South Pearls, which were of the same size with no impurities. These were not the most important things. What was most important was a secret in this ne.

    Feng Yuxuan came here in order to use the ne to plot against Feng Yuran and her. Anger surged in her heart. In her past life, the ne had almost caused the Empress to lose her position, and in the end, no one found out that it had something to do with King Chu. Everyone thought that the Empress was vicious, but it turned out that Feng Yuxuan was behind it.

    ¡°Mo Lan, go and ask Feng Yue if His Highness has a new ne. If yes, tell him not to open the jewelry box first.¡± A trace of sharpness shed through her eyes. She bit her lips and her snow-white teeth sank into her pink lips, revealing a faint pink.

    Since Feng Yuxuan had fooled her and Feng Yuran again and again, she had to teach him a lesson. She had to make him understand that she was not someone he could easily bully.

    Perhaps others did not know about that secret, but Mo Xuetong knew. It was too shocking in her past life. Even though she was in the inner courtyard, she had heard about it again and again.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mo Lan answered and left to look for Feng Yue when she saw the grave expression on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    ¡°My Lady, is there something wrong with that ne?¡± Even though Mo Yu was straightforward, she was smart as well. She immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant and asked anxiously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That top-quality South Pearl ne is excellent. It¡¯s too great, and it¡¯s said that such a ne can only be seen once in 100 years.¡± As she looked at the lotus blossoms in the pond, Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew colder. She slightly opened her red lips and said coldly. It was really great and rare, or no one would die for that piece of South Pearl ne.

    In this life, she was involved with this matter. She would not let Feng Yuxuan off easily. The man had plotted against her again and again, so she had to beat him up and let him suffer.

    ¡°Mo Yu, tell Mo Ye toe to me immediately when shees back. I have something to tell her.¡± Mo Xuetong looked up slowly. She pursed her lips and lowered her eyes to hide her deep gaze. The smile on her lips grew even wider. She had already gotten Mo Ye to investigate matters and she should have almost done it by now. Mo Xuetong had always trusted Mo Ye and Mo Feng, who Feng Yuran sent to her.

    ¡°Yes, My Lady. I will get Mo Ye toe over,¡± Mo Yu said obediently. Then, she suddenly thought of something and frowned. She wanted to say something, but when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s gentle but cold smile, she felt a chill run down her spine. She could not even speak. Mo Xuetong made her more and more confused.

    ¡°Do you want to ask the two maidservants who fled from Lian¡¯s Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong cleared her mind and asked with a slight smile. She knew that Mo Yu could not hide anything in her heart. While sitting here, she had tried to ask several times but did not find the right opportunity. She must have felt very upset.

    Mo Yu had been holding back for a long while and had not been able to find a suitable opportunity. However, she did not dare to say much. Now that Mo Xuetong mentioned it herself, she hurried to say, ¡°My Lady, I feel that it is inappropriate to take those two maids in. They said that Madam Lian and Mr. Lian wanted to sell them. But that¡¯s their side statement. Anyway, they are now escaped servants. If they are caught, they will be sent to the government and beaten 50 times, and even the one who helped them will be implicated.¡±

    Mo Yu was truly worried. Even though Ming Yu and Ming Xia were both miserable, their eyes rolled and were filled with greed. With one nce, Mo Yu knew they were troublesome. Besides, they were servants who had escaped from Lian¡¯s Manor. Furthermore, their ve membership was still in Lian An¡¯s hands. They were people of Lian¡¯s Manor no matter where they fled to. It would be bad if someone found that Mo Xuetong took them in.

    ¡°Mo Yu, don¡¯t think too much. They are just two escaped ves who made mistakes. Let His Highness tell Sir Lian and it will be over. His Highness can buy them. It won¡¯t be a big deal. There aren¡¯t enough servants at Concubine Qin¡¯s yard ording to what she said the day before. Arrange them to serve Concubine Qin tomorrow.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded like that she was for Ming Yu and Ming Xia¡¯s good, but she actually sent them to Concubine Qin. Everyone in King Xuan¡¯s Manor knew that Concubine Qin was only a nominal concubine. Could she really get close to His Highness? Mo Yu thought that no matter how adorable they were, they would not be able to see His Highness. She was immediately delighted and changed her sad expression. She answered Mo Xuetong crisply.

    All she could think about now was Mo Xuetong had not been tricked by the two sexy and restless little maids, so she had missed the viciousness that shed across Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She had to get rid of Consort Zhao¡¯s minions in order to deal with her. Lian An slightly suffered this time, and it would be a bloody wound if it was revealed...

 Chapter 537 - Mo Yaruis Comprehension

    <h4>Chapter 537 Mo Yarui¡¯s Comprehension</h4>

    When Feng Yuxuan came to the Jinwei Pavilion with Mo Yarui, Feng Yuran was lying on an rattan chair, with his eyes closed, under the tree in front of the pavilion. Two little eunuchs were standing behind him, fanning him.

    ¡°Eighth brother, are you feeling alright?¡± That was what Feng Yuxuan saw when he entered. A smile appeared on his face and he looked around curiously. There were only a few young eunuchs who were standing by his side. He could not help but tease, ¡°Why is there no one singing songs? You¡¯ve changed since you married a wife.¡±

    Thest time he and Fifth Princess came here, there was a singing and dancing show. Staying here, one could see many beauties, and all of them were extraordinarily charming and attractive. Now there was only Feng Yuran. Compared to the previous scene, the change was really amazing.

    ¡°Hey, Elder Brother, you¡¯d better stop talking about it. It¡¯s a headache when I think about it. It¡¯s hard for me to have a baby, but I finally lost it. Now I¡¯m tired of seeing them. They¡¯re all vicious. They look pretty, but they¡¯re really evil. If this continues, I won¡¯t have any children.¡±

    Feng Yuran pointed to another rattan chair not far away and saidzily. He did not answer whether his body was good or not. There was evident anger in his nice eyes. It was evident that he loved the child in his concubine¡¯s belly. After all, it was his first child. It was reasonable for him to beat concubines to death given his wild temper.

    Feng Yuxuan had been watching Feng Yuran¡¯s reaction all this while. When he saw Feng Yuran¡¯s expression, a hidden smile crept on his lips.

    A clever little eunuch had already moved a chair over and ced it in front of the pear blossom table. Then, he brought a jade cup and poured a cup of wine before he left respectfully. Two other little eunuchs came up and fanned his back. However, Mo Yarui could neither sit nor stand there. A chill rose in her heart when she heard Feng Yuran mention the child.

    There used to be a child in her belly as well, but as a mother, she failed to protect it. At the moment, she felt as if she had been severely pricked and she almost cried because of the pain. She hurriedly lowered her head to hide the tears in her eyes. Although she had recovered, the pain in her heart could not be cured no matter how hard she tried.

    That child was a pain in her heart that she would never be able to face.

    Just like right now, she did her best not to look at these things. She sniffed forcefully and turned her head to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, paying attention to what was going on before her eyes.

    She was just a second consort and was not Feng Yuxuan¡¯s official wife. There was no ce for her between the two. She thought about it and curtsied politely, saying, ¡°Greetings, Your Highness, King Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Is this Elder Brother¡¯s second consort? She is indeed a gentle and intelligent beauty. No wonder you talked about Second Consort Mo. She is indeed a rare beauty. Elder Brother, you¡¯re really lucky. You have the most beautiful woman in the Great Qin, and her cute and charming younger sister, as well as the gentle and elegant Second Consort Mo. Elder Brother, you have a lot of good fortune in love affairs.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze swept Mo Yarui¡¯s face. He suddenly winked at Feng Yuxuan, looking as if everyone knew what he was doing. He lifted his foot and hooked a stool. Then, he tossed it in front of Mo Yarui and said, ¡°Second Consort Mo, don¡¯t be so polite. Please take a seat.¡±

    His behavior was rather romantic, especially his beautiful and charming eyes. He kept staring at Mo Yarui and did not feel that it was impolite. His words made Mo Yarui so ashamed that she could not raise her head. Indeed, King Xuan was the loosest prince. He even flirted with her as if he had no idea that it was inappropriate for him to do it to his elder brother¡¯s woman in front of his brother.

    Mo Yarui¡¯s timid gazended on Feng Yuxuan, who was seated beside her. She hoped that he would help her out of the situation.

    ¡°Since Eighth brother asked you to take a seat, then take a seat,¡± Feng Yuxuan said casually as if he did not see the awkwardness on Mo Yarui¡¯s face. He smiled at Feng Yuran and said, ¡°Eighth brother seems to be in good spirits. Consort Xuan seems to be in good spirits as well. Since everything is over, then don¡¯t think too much about it. Why don¡¯t you go and visit Father together tomorrow? There have been too many things happening recently and Father has been busy. Eighth brother, don¡¯t stay idle any longer.¡±

    ¡°Elder brother, look, you¡¯re going to drag me out now that you¡¯re here. It¡¯s too much of a fuss. Tell Father that I¡¯m not feeling well and that it¡¯s too hot and I¡¯m afraid of getting dizzy,¡± Feng Yuran said in azy and casual tone. Thest few words seemed toe from his nose, which soundedzy and leisurely. With the way he was leaning against the rattan chair, one could tell that he was not too willing to do things for the Emperor.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown up, why are you afraid of hot weather? Well, Father already knew that you were okay and didn¡¯t ck off. Tomorrow is the traditional Valentine¡¯s Day and there is a banquet in the pce. If you don¡¯te, Father will be very angry. Don¡¯t annoy him and be arrested directly. Otherwise, I can¡¯t help you.¡±

    Looking at hiszy expression, Feng Yuxuan shook his head helplessly and said with a smile.

    On July 7th of the lunar calendar, the Empress would preside over the banquet every year at this time of the year. Since Mo Xuetong had already recovered, he could not say no to the Empress. Feng Yuran thought about it for a while and nodded. But a look of displeasure appeared on his face. His watery eyes lifted up and he asked with a hint of evilness, ¡°Does Third Brother not know about this?¡±

    ¡°Father did not specify if Third Brother should be told. Furthermore, his hand is injured and Consort Yan¡¯s leg is broken. The injury would take 300 days to recover. The two of them have ended up like this, but there is nothing we can do about it.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled lightly. His eyesnded on a snow-white thumb ring on Feng Yuran¡¯s finger and he asked with a smile, ¡°Eighth brother¡¯s ring is really different from the average ones. I can¡¯t tell what it is, but it seems to be made of jade.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not made of jade. It¡¯s just a gift from someone from the Southern Barbarian Lands! It¡¯s indeed interesting after I took a look at it. Even though it¡¯s not anything precious, I think it was special. If you like it, I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± Feng Yuran said casually and reached out to remove the ring on his finger.

    ¡°Eighth brother, you don¡¯t have to. I just feel that it is a little special. I don¡¯t really like it.¡± Feng Yuxuan reached out to stop Feng Yuran. He shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°You should also pay attention to the Southern Barbarian Lands. Don¡¯t act like you care about nothing. Be careful. Father may punish you for the Southern Barbarian Lands tomorrow.¡±

    This was indeed what Emperor Zongwen had Feng Yuran do. Feng Yuran felt a headache and shook his head when he thought of it. He reached out and touched his forehead. His eyes narrowed and hisshes lowered. He seemed rather arrogant as he said lightly, ¡°When ites to this matter, I am really tired of it. The Southern Barbarian Lands is terrible. They can¡¯t even protect the Crown Prince and even caused so many fights. They dragged us into this as well. We might as well get Father to destroy the Southern Barbarian Lands and stop many things from happening.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t drink and asked the eunuch beside him to change the tea. Then he took a sip of tea and scolded with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense again. Be careful. Father will be angry when he sees you like this.¡±

    The two sat there and chatted for a while, leaving Mo Yarui by the side as if she were not there. She looked at the stool that Feng Yuran had thrown to her and moved behind Feng Yuxuan silently. No matter what, she was a second consort of the royal family. How could she sit on a stool like a servant?

    Furthermore, it was a stool that King Xuan had thrown at her.

    Finally, she stood behind Feng Yuxuan and wiped away the sweat on her forehead. She lowered her head and did not dare to move. The brothers were talking loudly, but she felt bored. She was standing right behind Feng Yuxuan. There was still some shadow where she stood just now, but now the sun had moved slightly and half of her body was exposed to the sun.

    As the hot sun shone down upon her, it only took a while for her to feel as if her head was light and feet were heavy and her forehead was drenched in sweat. After miscarry, and the dy of treatment, she almost died. Even though she had rested for a while, her foundation had been damaged after all. It was a little hard for her to stand up straight.

    She felt dizzy. She tried her best to stand still and looked at Feng Yuxuan¡¯s back. The man seemed to have no idea of the predicament she was in at all. He was still chatting andughing with Feng Yuran, without noticing her. She would not be able to hold on any longer. Beads of sweat fell from her pale face and her face grew paler and paler.

    ¡°Elder Brother, does your second consort really not need to sit?¡± Feng Yuran, who was seated opposite her, suddenly raised his brows and blinked at Feng Yuxuan, teasing him.

    Feng Yuxuan turned around to look at Mo Yarui, and asked gently, ¡°Are you tired? Do you want to sit for a while?¡±

    His gazended on the stool that Feng Yuran had just thrown to her. This made Mo Yarui¡¯s pale face look shy and annoyed. She bit her lips and forced down the difort in her heart. She said softly, ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Hearing her refuse, Feng Yuxuan turned around and said, ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. You¡¯d better sit down if you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± Then he turned around and continued to focus on Feng Yuran.

    Behind him, Mo Yarui¡¯s body swayed and she felt a pain in her heart. She almost couldn¡¯t stand still.

    No matter how tired she was, she couldn¡¯t sit on the stool that was brought over by her brother-inw. It was inappropriate and against the rules. How could Feng Yuxuan who always followed the rules not know her difficulties?

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, are you feeling unwell? Do you want toe in with me and rest for a while?¡± Mo Xuetong walked in with a few maidservants with a smile. She looked at Mo Xuetong with gentle eyes. When she saw that Mo Yarui could not stand still any longer, she hurriedly got a maidservant toe over and help her.

    Mo Yarui truly could not hold on any longer. She could only see Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes. They were so pure as if there was not a shred of impurity in them. Her jade-like face was beautiful and charming. Hershes were long and dark and her skin was soft and tender. Mo Yarui turned her head forcefully and saw Feng Yuxuan turning around to look at the beautiful face, with an imperceptible hint of gentleness in the bottom of his eyes.

    It was unlike his usual gentleness which was indifferent. It was a gentleness that came from the heart. There was a hint of pain in her heart. She could not help but feel sad. It was not that he did not have that gentleness. It was just that he had not met the person who he could ce in his heart.

    Even the arrogant Consort Ling did not expect King Chu to have someone in his heart. Furthermore, that person was...

    No wonder he had brought Mo Yarui to King Xuan¡¯s Manor today. It was because it was easier for him to get close to that person. Women fought with each other in the back yard of King Chu¡¯s Manor. She had even lost her unborn child. It was only now that she realized that everyone was fighting for something empty. She wondered if Ling Rui¡¯er would still be so pleased when she found out about it.

    ¡°Second Consort, Second Consort Mo...¡± The pain after theprehension was apanied by the blurry scenes before her eyes. Mo Yarui did not have time to think and fell into darkness. A teardrop slowly rolled down from the corner of her eyes and fell into the dust...

 Chapter 538 - The Necklace, the Box of Catastrophe

    <h4>Chapter 538 The Ne, the Box of Catastrophe</h4>

    Mo Yarui suddenly fainted. Even though she woke up and imed that it was not a big deal, she had just suffered from heatstroke due to physical weakness, and she just needed to be more careful. But Feng Yuxuan decided not to stay any longer and took his leave to Feng Yuran. When leaving, he repeatedly told Feng Yuran not to use the excuse of feeling unwell tomorrow. Otherwise, the Emperor would really get angry.

    Feng Yuran sent Feng Yuxuan off at the door while promising that he would attend the banquet properly tomorrow and would definitely not bezy.

    Mo Xuetong had already changed into a light green skirt by the time Feng Yuran returned. She walked out of the room and saw Feng Yuran enter, she took the handkerchief in her maidservant¡¯s hands and pulled his clothes, gesturing him to lower his head, and wiped his sweat carefully with the handkerchief.

    After all, it was in summer. There was still a long distance to make a return from here the manor¡¯s gate. And Feng Yuran was easy to feel hot. Just after a while, his forehead started to sweat.

    The maidservants in the room had all left at this sight.

    Smiling, Feng Yuran watched Mo Xuetong prop up her feet and wipe the sweat off his forehead carefully. Her fragrant body leaned into his embrace and her eyes gleamed crystal clear like dripping water. He reached out to put his arms around Mo Xuetong and sat on the chair beside in spite of her struggle. He took a deep breath on her neck, closed his eyes, and muttered, ¡°Tong¡¯er¡¯s fragrance is still the best.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not serious again.¡± Mo Xuetong pouted her pink lips and nudged him. Seeing that he was still ignoring her, she reached out to tug at his ear. ¡°I¡¯m talking about something serious with you.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡± Feng Yuran saidzily. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her, only to meet her eyes opening wide full of unhappiness. He straightened up immediately and patted her back, showing that he was very serious and listened intently. Then, he gave a gentle smile, raised his eyebrows, and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you want to know the story about the exquisite South Pearl ne?¡±

    Mo Xuetong leaned against Feng Yuran, curled up the corners of her lips slightly, and asked, ¡°Where did you get that ne?¡±

    Her beautiful eyes glowed with a hint of wisdom. She looked as elegant and pure as a beautiful flower, but more with prudence and cleverness that other women did not have, which cast a faraway streak on her as if she were wreathed in the fog. Feng Yuran tilted his head and looked at her with gentleness and love full of his eyes. His red lips curled up, and he looked at her with a faint smile and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how did you know about this ne?¡±

    She did not know how to answer that. She could not say that she had heard about it in her past life. So she simply tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeve and shook it in a cute manner. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how I know it. Tell me first if there¡¯s something wrong with this ne, and you happen to know it as well.¡±

    More happiness appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s eyebrows when he saw the look of trust in her enchanting eyes. He looked at her with a soft smile on his handsome face and said, ¡°The string of ne was sent from the Southern Barbarian Lands, which was nned to present to Father. I received it several days ago. But because something wrong happened to the crown prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, I haven¡¯t presented till now and decided to wait a few days. But I don¡¯t expect that someone has cast a greedy eye on it.¡±

    Lazy as his voice was, there was a hint of coldness at the corners of his eyes. Viciousness spurted out from his eyes, making his handsome face look bloodthirsty like an Asura. Feng Yuran thought, his eldest brother did extend his hands too long. No sooner had the newse than the eldest brother reacted to it, trying to instigate Tong¡¯er to open the box. It was rather malicious.

    Mo Xuetong rolled the falling arm veil to her wrist, blinked her watery eyes, and smiled at Feng Yuran. ¡°King Chu intentionally mentioned this string of top quality ne in front of me to arouse my curiosity. He wanted me to open the box. Could it be that there is something terrible in the box, so it cannot be opened?¡±

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had been kept in the back courtyard. Therefore, even though the event had shaken the court, Mo Xuetong only knew little about it¡ªthat one of Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite concubines had died an unnatural death, and many people in the concubine¡¯s pce had also died a terrible death. The bottom of the disaster had been the ne that the Empress had bestowed. All the arrows had been aimed at the Empress. The Emperor had detested the Empress so much that he almost had abandoned her.

    But Mo Xuetong did not know the specific reasons in it. She had pondered about it for a long time in the pavilion, thinking that it must have something to do with the box. Otherwise, since the box had been presented from the Southern Barbarian Lands, why did nothing happen to the Empress after she seeing it, but the misfortune happened to the favored concubine after the box was bestowed to her? The items from the Southern Barbarian Lands were weird, so it was a must to be wary of it.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong with one hand and supported himself on the table with the other. The purple sleeves embroidered with the pattern of Mandillo by golden and red threads fell from his elbow, which made him look even more handsome and fabulous. He curled up his vermilion lips a bit with charm on his face and joy in his eyes, and listened to Mo Xuetong¡¯s detailed analysis.

    His eyes gleamed shiningly.

    ¡°That box was sent by the Southern Barbarian Lands, and it¡¯s covered with its national seal. Once it¡¯s opened, the seal will definitely be different. Furthermore, I¡¯ve long heard that the box is called Duo La in the Southern Barbarian Lands. In itsnguage, Duo La is the meaning of disaster, which means that this set of so-called national treasure is a curse. However, since it¡¯s always been ced in front of the temple altar of the Southern Barbarian Lands, fewer and fewer people know its true meaning.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do? Do you want to give this box? What if something goes wrong by giving it?¡±

    Feng Yuran could not bear to see Mo Xuetong frowning, and he reached out to gently stroke her furrowed brows and exined softly to her. When he saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s brows were smoothed out, he reached out and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s tender fingers in his hand. Then, he ced them by his lips and kissed softly. Then, he looked up with his lively eyes. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart beat faster when she saw that. She could not help but curse that the man¡¯s appearance was too attractive.

    Even though she had been married to him for so long, she would still be tempted by his mour he showed inadvertently.

    Feng Yuran was satisfied to receive a trace of infatuation from Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and stroked it gently against his cheek to enjoy the soft skin on her palm with satisfaction and said smilingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. No matter what the Southern Barbarian Lands and Feng Yuxuan gang against me, I will be fine. There are some things that not only he knows, but I know too.¡±

    He caressed her palm softly, and it felt as if a trickle followed her blood vessels to extend to her arms and legs. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes gleamed. Although her eyes were blurry, her thoughts were still clear. She said, ¡°Does Feng Yuxuan have contact with the third prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands? So could it be that Feng Yuxuan has something to do with the disappearance of the Prince?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I have prepared all these well. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Feng Yuranforted her. Then, he held her hand closer and gave kisses to it.

    Mo Xuetong felt crispy from his kiss, her eyes rippling slightly. She raised her beautiful brow charmingly and said in a pretty manner, ¡°I don¡¯t want to meddle in those things, and I am unable to do. Anyway, I have you. But as for the matter about the two women of the Lian¡¯s Manor, you should not interfere in it. After all, it¡¯s the matter of the back courtyard. You are a prince. If you pay too much attention to it, it won¡¯t be good.¡±

    Feng Yuran knew what she was talking about and understood that it was inappropriate for him to interfere in the matter. On the one hand, it was true that with his status, he should not interfere with the matters of those maidservants. On the other hand, he understood that if he meddled too much in it, it would definitely attract the Emperor¡¯s attention, which might make the Emperor think Tong¡¯er was a jealous woman. As such, if anything bad happened in Feng Yuran¡¯s manor in the future, the Emperor would ce all the me on Tong¡¯er.

    However, he was still worried about leaving the whole matter to Tong¡¯er to handle.

    Seeing that he was still hesitating, Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful watery eyes were filled with grievance and hurt. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me that much? Furthermore, I¡¯m not acting alone. Haven¡¯t all your men helped me get things done? What I need to do is to take a reaction when necessary. Or you also think that I can¡¯t do it, so you don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    After she finished the words, her eyes moistened faintly, as if she was about to cry. The sight made Feng Yuran¡¯s heart ache, and he reached out to hug her tightly and said with a sigh, ¡°Alright, I listen to you. I believe you, of course. But if something bad happens, you cannot confront the tough with toughness. Remember, you have me behind at any time. As long as you need me, I will be your most loyal backing.¡±

    He did not speak loudly. Instead, hiszy voice sounded unwittingly enticing, which tickled Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart like a feather brush, but also made her nose twitch, as if something was about to drip down from her eyes. She bit her lips slightly. A little painful, but it made her clearly sense that he really cared about her.

    The softness in her heart almost overflowed, and the warmth made her almost shiver. She reached out her hand and subconsciously held his thin and strong body, burying her head deep in his arms. Feeling his strong heartbeat, she almost drowned herself in his tenderness.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling bad? I will get the doctor to check on you. Did you have a heatstroke right now?¡± Feng Yuran immediately picked her up.

    Mo Xuetong felt well recently. Although the poison in her body was not neutralized, her health did improve a lot than before through the recuperation these days. Her feeling well made Feng Yuran remember the thing about Mo Yarui immediately, and he thought to himself if Tong¡¯er also had a heatstroke. Since Tong¡¯er was delicate, she was not as strong as others.

    Mo Xuetong was almost moved to tears, but seeing him so nervous, she felt sweet, bitter, and funny in her heart. As such, she rubbed her small face against his chest and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine but just a little tired.¡±

    She was not really sick at this time. If the imperial physician dide, people wouldugh at her without a doubt.

    Feng Yuran paused for a moment before understanding what was going on. A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes as he carried her into the room. He ced her lightly on the couch and said gently, ¡°Have a good rest. Don¡¯t tire yourself out. I can hand over the matters regarding the two maidservants to you, but don¡¯t be too tired. If you don¡¯t listen to me, I don¡¯t mind dealing with the matter myself.¡±

    Mo Xuetong poked out her small face from his chest, pouted her pink lips, and promised him again. ¡°Rest assured. I won¡¯t be tired. Furthermore, I will settle the matter. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Only she knew how busy Feng Yuran was. Although he always looked upied with nothing, only Mo Xuetong knew that he had often discussed matters untilte into the night and had only slept a few hours at midnight. As his wife, how could she not help him settle some simple matters? Furthermore, she was more willing to settle the matters of the He family.

    The matter in her past life was what she was most worried about. Would the He family and the Southern Barbarian Lands be Feng Yuran¡¯s unavoidable hurdles? But whether it was or not, Mo Xuetong thought since her heart had been set on him, she would stand with him and confront any difficulty in any case.

    Feng Yuran rested his chin on his hand and looked at Mo Xuetong with a gentle smile. His dark eyes glowed brightly. How could he not understand Mo Xuetong¡¯s words? There was a soft and translucent light in his eyes like water. He kissed her gently on her face and lips as if treating her like the most precious treasure in the world...

 Chapter 539 - At the Banquet of Qixi Festival, Mo Xuetong Entered the Palace

    Chapter 539 At the Banquet of Qixi Festival, Mo Xuetong Entered the Pce

    In the Consort Zhao¡¯s Mingyue Pce, there was no one else but Consort Zhao. It was too spacious and empty. Shadow twisted in the candlelight. Then, the light leaped with a slight sound, which made Consort Zhao¡¯s charming face look weird. Suddenly, the pce door creaked open. It was Caichun, her close maidservant in amon dress who came in from outside.

    Looking at Caichun¡¯s pale and nervous face, Consort Zhao asked, ¡°How was it? Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°There was nothing wrong with it. But I came across the maidservant of Consort Yu on the way back and was almost discovered. If I had not pretended to be from the Empress¡¯ pce, they would have almost discovered me.¡± Thinking about what had happened just now, Caichun still wanted to tremble nervously.

    Just now, on the way to the Mingyue Pce, Caichun happened to meet two Consort Yu¡¯s maidservants to get the food from the imperial kitchen. The Emperor was said to rest in Consort Yu¡¯s pce today again. Caichun went there secretly. So when she met the two maidservants at this time, she almost couldn¡¯t avoid them and exposed herself.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes fell on Caichun¡¯s face and stared at her thoughtfully for a few seconds. Then, she nodded in constion and said to Caichun, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Even if they saw you, they might not recognize you.¡±

    There were few people avable for Consort Zhao. Although Caichun was useful, she was a little old. Besides, she did know too much. If she was caught someday, some things could not be hidden any longer. So Consort Zhao thought she had to cultivate another trusted servant.

    Caichun did not know that Consort Zhao had thought about killing her, but thought that Consort Zhao wasforting her. So Caichun immediately expressed her loyalty and said, ¡°Yes, I am not afraid. Even if I am exposed, I will take all the responsibilities and won¡¯t get Your Highness into trouble.¡±

    She thought her words would make Consort Zhao have more trust in her, but did not realize that this would only make Consort Zhao warier of her. Consort Zhao had not made up her mind in the beginning, but now, she was confirmed that since Caichun knew too much, if Caichun was caught by others, the secret of Consort Zhao herself would be the weak points.

    Smiling, Consort Zhao patted Caichun on the shoulder, nodded with satisfaction, and asked, ¡°How is the preparation going on His Excellency side?¡±

    ¡°His Excellency said everything was ready for Your Highness¡¯ order,¡± said Caichun.

    ¡°Okay, then go to prepare it. Don¡¯t get exposed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Caichun bowed to Consort Zhao hurriedly in a proper manner and left.

    The seventh day of the seventh month was also known as the Qixi Festival. It was usually a women¡¯s festival. At this time of the year, the Empress would be the main star in the pce, who would feastdies in the pce. To show support for the Empress, the Emperor would also invite noble young masters to attend the banquet together. Some noble families would take this opportunity to choose the right person for their young master ordy of the right age. If the two took a fancy to each other, the man would send people to propose marriage for the woman. Therefore, there was more than one case of sessful marriages achieved simply in the banquet.

    With the auspicious implication of the Qixi Festival, it was easy to do such things. The Empress was also happy to see new matches made in the banquet she held. In thest life, although Mo Xuetong had not attended such a banquet, rumors had it that Sima Heyan fell in love with a young handsome master on such an asion, and the two seemed to pledge to marry privately. However, Sima Lingyun finally flung his sister to another man¡¯s bed for his own bright future.

    Then, in order to change her brother¡¯s mind, Sima Heyan tried to resist with death and elopement, and even threatened Sima Lingyun to change his mind by holding a knife to Mo Xuetong¡¯s throat crazily. At that time, Mo Xuetong was pregnant but was dragged out by the frenzied Sima Heyan from the room. What was worse was that in front of the stiff Sima Lingyun, Mo Xuetong was almost killed by Sima Heyan with a stab.

    Although Sima Lingyun kept apologizing to Mo Xuetong after the incident, iming that he would not leave her in the lurch but just wanted to scare Sima Heyan. And in order to help Mo Xuetong get over the shock, he even gave Mo Xuetong a hairpin especially. It was the first time Sima Lingyun had given Mo Xuetong a gift since she entered the manor. So she was so excited that shepletely took her mind off the fact that how heartless Sima Lingyun had been and believed his words.

    Now when Mo Xuetong recalled the past, she realized that she was indeed the stupidest of them all.

    Mo Xuetong thought, If Sima Lingyun had really cared about her, he would not have stood to see Sima Heyan held a knife to Mo Xuetong¡¯s throat and refused to make apromise even at the sight that Mo Xuetong was dragged out desperately in her pregnancy.

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, and she seemed to smell the scent of blood welling up inside. She clenched her fists and said to herself repeatedly that the banquet this time was not that in herst life with Sima Heyan, and that the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s manor had been reduced to ashes. Then, she could calm herself down gradually.

    A maidservant led Mo Xuetong into the Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce, curtsied respectfully, and said, ¡°My Lady, the Tianfeng Pce is here. I will go to inform for you now.¡±

    When hearing that Feng Yuran entered the pce, Emperor Zongwen sent people to get him to his pce at the gate. But led by the Empress¡¯s maidservant, Mo Xuetong went to Empress¡¯s Tianfeng Pce.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and nodded.

    The maidservant held her long skirts and was about to ascend the steps when she was knocked by a force, failed to stand steadily, and fell to Mo Xuetong. Fortunately, Mo Ye pulled Mo Xuetong aside swiftly. Then, the maidservant was tilted to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and fell to the ground heavily.

    ¡°I was wondering who it was. Well, it is Consort Xuan. I heard that there was a wild scene in Consort Xuan¡¯s courtyard several days ago. If I had known it, I would havee to have a look that day as well.¡± Of course, it was Ling Rui¡¯er who had a bitterly sarcastic smile on her face. She looked like a fairy in her gorgeous formal suit. Standing on the high steps with an arrogant look, She immediately mentioned what had happened on Mo Xuetong¡¯s birthday banquet and mocked Mo Xuetong unsparingly.

    She was still Consort Chu. Her paternal family was Ding General Manor of powerful background. Furthermore, she was the Empress¡¯ niece and the Empress Dowager¡¯s grandniece. Mo Xuetong could notpare to her by any means. Therefore, the nobledies around Ling Rui¡¯er stood certainly by her side.

    Hearing Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s sarcasm and looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s wlessly beautiful face, no one was not jealous, and they thought Mo Xuetong was so enticing that she was like a seductive fox. And the youngdies around Ling Rui¡¯er looked at Mo Xuetong with disdain, contempt, and ridicule in a hostile manner.

    Another prettydy shook the fan in her hand and said with a feigned innocent smile on her face and obvious provocation in her eyes, ¡°Was Consort Chu talking about what had happened on Consort Xuan¡¯s birthday? I heard that a concubine lost her child. As the incidents about people falling into the water, men intruding into the manor, and a concubine losing the baby emerged one after another, it¡¯s really a mess in the King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong knew her. She was also a daughter of the Ding General Manor, to be exact, a concubine¡¯s daughter named Ling Yu. It seemed that the Ding General Manor had good genes, otherwise, they could not have had a woman as beautiful as Ling Fengyan. And the woman in front looked pretty as well.

    However, Mo Xuetong could tell that Ling Yu was as mean as Ling Rui¡¯er at first sight, because Ling Yu defamed Mo Xuetong as a dissolute and ruthless woman by simply using an ambiguous sentence.

    ¡°p her.¡± Mo Xuetong said coolly, and her eyes skimmed over Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face and fell on the Ling¡¯s Manor¡¯s daughter¡¯s small face. No matter what kind of attitude Ling Rui¡¯er had as she stood in front of Mo Xuetong, or that it was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s intentions, or the Empress¡¯ intentions, the words were all the same as ps on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    Mo Xuetong knew that as long as she softened her attitude today, the rumors would spread like the truth. It was easy to tell from the faces of thedies standing beside. They took pleasure in the scene. However, Mo Xuetong thought that they were all wrong and stupid, as they had a fond hope that they could take advantage of her to get ahead. In fact, no one was allowed to bully King Xuan¡¯s legitimate consort at will.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s order, Mo Ye released Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, rushed over, and gave two ps on Ling Yu¡¯s tender pink face.

    Ling Yu was shocked, and she covered her face angrily and said, ¡°You, how dare you p me?¡± The others were stunned as well. No one expected that Consort Xuan, who was always gentle and innocent as if ignorant of the world, would be so tough. Although Ling Yu was just a concubine¡¯s daughter, she was still a concubine¡¯s daughter of the Ding General Manor. With the Ding General Manor¡¯s background, though with her humble status, she would still be able to marry a high official and be his legitimate wife. However, she was pped by Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservant today. How could Ling Yu not fly into a rage?

    However, even though Ling Yu was not an easy person to deal with, she red at Mo Xuetong angrily, then turned to Ling Rui¡¯er tearfully and cried. ¡°Third Sister, she hit me!¡±

    Ling Yu immediately changed to a delicate and weak look with silent resentment. She just stared at Ling Rui¡¯er till Ling Rui¡¯er turned to shout at Mo Xuetong, ¡°Mo Xuetong. how dare you hit the person of the Ding General Manor!¡±

    Even though Ling Rui¡¯er thought she was the legitimate daughter and looked down upon illegitimate one, she still understood the principle that they were bonded together and shared honors and harms in public. So Ling Rui¡¯er turned to the two maidservants by her side and said, ¡°Hit them back. Beat heavily and beat the little slut to death.¡±

    Upon hearing the master¡¯s order, the two maidservants were about to rush over to seize Mo Ye.

    ¡°Consort Chu, remember your own identity. You are the daughter-inw of the royal family now, representing the highest status. How dare you still im to be from the Ding General Manor? Are you dissatisfied with your present identity and regretting marrying King Chu? Are you going to divorce King Chu and regain your identity as ady of the Ding General Manor?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and pulled Mo Ye behind her. Her smile was chilly. In fact, she was not afraid that the two maidservants would hit Mo Ye, but the fact that Mo Ye was proficient in martial art could not be revealed in front of others right now. In the pce today, she did not figure out who was plotting against another, so she had to keep a hidden card by her side. In this regard, she would not let others know that Mo Ye could y martial arts unless it was absolutely necessary.

    Frightened by Mo Xuetong¡¯s imposing manner, the two maidservants did not dare to raise their hands. No matter how daring they were, they did not dare to wave their hands at Mo Xuetong, as they knew that Mo Xuetong had arrogantly and triumphantly ordered to beat dozens of concubines of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor to death several days ago. Who knew if she would rush in and order to beat the two maidservants to death as well?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words infuriated Ling Rui¡¯er. She did not expect that Mo Xuetong would find out about her mistakes in her words and red at Mo Xuetong with hatred and panted. But she did not dare to continue to say. ¡°To divorce Feng Yuxuan?¡± If such words were to spread, she would lose her life obviously, and even the powerful Ding General Manor¡¯s would not be able to reverse it, as they dare to defy the royal bloodline. As a daughter who was married, how could Ling Rui¡¯er still consider herself a member of the Ding General Manor?

    In any case, Ling Rui¡¯er would not be able to bear such a crime.

    She red at Mo Xuetong in a fury.

    When in a stalemate, a maidservant came from inside, curtsied to Mo Xuetong respectfully, and said, ¡°Consort Xuan is here. Her Highness is inside and asking Consort Xuan toe in.¡±

    Seeing the Empress¡¯s maidservante out, the nobledies broke up immediately, and no one dared to behave unseemly in front of the Empress¡¯s people. Even the indignant Ling Rui¡¯er was dragged off by Ling Yu reluctantly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and fixed her eyes on the maidservant who had fallen to the ground. Seeing the maidservant struggling to get up, Mo Xuetong signaled Mo Ye to help the maidservant up, and Mo Xuetong herself lifted the hem of her skirt and walked inside. It was really odd today. Did Ling Rui¡¯er change her temper because she had been taught a lesson by Mo Yarui¡¯s matter?

    This was really shocking!

 Chapter 540 - Entering the Palace, the Empress Hostility

    <h4>Chapter 540 Entering the Pce, the Empress¡¯ Hostility</h4>

    In the main hall, the Empress sat high up with a dignified look on her face, and Consort Su, Consort Wen, Consort Zhao, Consort Yu, and other beauties were seated on either side of her. It could be said that all the noble consorts in the imperial harem gathered in the hall. The entire hall was filled with beautiful women of different charms and sweet fragrance. Some of the women were fat, some thin, but all were charming.

    Mo Xuetong walked into the hall, looking straight ahead. Even though she was still young, she behaved in an elegant manner and remained a calm attitude. In the face of so many consorts, she did not look nervous at all. Instead, she seemed to have the disposition of a nobledy, as if she did not care about them at all. The consorts seated high allnded their eyes on her. As they saw her half-angry, half-happy, pretty face, a few of them, who had always thought of themselves as young and beautiful, immediately grew jealous.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡± Standing in the middle of the hall, Mo Xuetong curtsied respectfully to the Empress.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, there¡¯s no need for that. I heard that you were in poor health and could not even manage the matters of the inner yard. How are things going after such a big scene?¡± the Empress asked friendly with a smile, sounding as if she was caring about Mo Xuetong. However, smart as everyone here was, they knew that the Empress was very displeased with Consort Xuan.

    The fact that so many concubines of the inner yard in King Xuan¡¯s Manor had been beaten to death had already been spread through the pce. Mo Xuetong realized that the Empress implied that she failed to manage the inner yard. Some of those dead concubines were the Empress¡¯ people, but she did not dare to vent her anger on Feng Yuran, so she med Mo Xuetong.

    The corners of her lips curled into a gentle smile as Mo Xuetong replied, ¡°Your Majesty, you are right. His Highness¡¯ child had been killed by those concubines in the back yard. I was indeed in the wrong. I apologize, and want you and His Majesty to punish me.¡± She had intentionally brought up Emperor Zongwen so that the Empress would understand that Emperor Zongwen had already made the decision about this matter.

    Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, but she had pushed all the me to the concubines in the back yard. If the Empress pursued the matter, then the matter that there were the Empress¡¯ people among the concubines who were beaten to death would be exposed. It was reasonable for the whole family of the one who killed the descendants of the royal family to be destroyed, not to mention that the murderers were beaten to death.

    Furthermore, the Emperor had already issued edicts. If the Empress continued to pursue the matter, she might anger the Emperor. The Empress who knew Emperor Zongwen well immediately shut her mouth. Her eyes grew cold as she looked at Mo Xuetong, a trace of anger shing through her eyes.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you are really a fluent talker. I won¡¯t say any more. You live your own life. Although you are members of the royal family and have extraordinary noble status, you should give people a chance to live sometimes. You should know that there is a cause and effect in everything. Otherwise, no matter who you are, you can¡¯t avoid the retribution.¡±

    Her words meant that Mo Xuetong was vicious and that she didn¡¯t give others a chance to live when she fought for Feng Yuran¡¯s favor in the back yard. She pushed all the things that Feng Yuran had done to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong was clear that the Empress was very dissatisfied with her. Considering the matters about the Fifth Princess and King Yan¡¯s Manor, she guessed that the Empress had reached the end of her forbearance. Mo Xuetong put on a gentle smile and pretended not to understand what the Empress was saying. She raised her childish face and said, ¡°Many thanks for your guidance, Your Majesty. I think so, but His Highness said that there were people who wouldn¡¯t remember if you didn¡¯t teach them a lesson. You might as well beat them all up and scare them, and then no one will bully you again.¡±

    The Empress felt stifled when she heard what Mo Xuetong said. However, she knew that Feng Yuran might be the one who said that. As she thought that because the slut gave birth to Feng Yuran, the Emperor was still protecting him, but had married off her daughter, the Fifth Princess and even imprisoned King Yan, who was under her protection, the Empress wanted to vent her anger on Mo Xuetong.

    However, as the Empress of the country, she knew that what she had said just now had been a little improper. She nodded lightly, a vicious glint in her eyes. It was not time yet. She had to let Mo Xuetong off the hook for the time being and get the maid to lead her to a seat by the side.

    Consort Wen sat at the Empress¡¯ right side and was not far from Mo Xuetong¡¯s left. As she watched Mo Xuetong sit down, she said with a gentle smile, ¡°King Xuan is really arrogant. Consort Xuan, you have to advise him not to do things as he wants, or His Majesty will worry about him again. Look at how things have gotten out of hand this time. His Majesty was really furious. I wonder if he has angered His Majesty again.¡±

    Even though she was also talking about the matter that Feng Yuran had asked his people to beat his concubines to death, there was no aggressiveness in her tone unlike that of the Empress. Instead, there was concern in her words, and it made a good impression on people.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, and her gazended on Consort Wen who was said to be the most popr woman in the imperial harem. She replied softly, ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Your Highness. I will definitely tell His Highness when I return.¡±

    Consort Wen nodded and just smiled, without saying anything else. She was indeed the most popr consort in the imperial harem.

    ¡°Since Consort Xuan is too weak to manage the back yard, Your Majesty, you might as well give King Xuan a marriage with a few young and capabledies. Then they can help Consort Xuan manage the back yard in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. This will prevent something like this from happening again.¡± Charmingughter could be heard from the side. Consort Yu sat by the side with her hand on her belly and said to the Empress with a smiling face.

    Her words were full of hints, which meant that she wanted to send some women to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong¡¯s smiling eyes were filled with coldness. As expected, Consort Yu was a restless woman. Now, depending on her unborn baby, she was so arrogant that she dared to answer the Empress¡¯ words at will.

    ¡°Something like this has just happened in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Consort Yu, you had better not ask Her Majesty to make things difficult for them. It¡¯s not good to have too many concubines in the inner yard. They have to clean up the mess,¡± Consort Wen said with a smile before the Empress could answer.

    Her position was above Consort Yu¡¯s, and she was usually kind to others and only had a daughter. As such, even though it was inappropriate for her to answer before the Empress at this moment, no one tried to pick on her. Even Consort Su, who had always been at odds with the Empress, only raised her brows and looked at her, without saying anything.

    Mo Xuetong smiled at Consort Wen gratefully. It was more suitable for Consort Wen to say that.

    ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t have the heart or energy to deal with the affairs in Old Eight¡¯s yard. I¡¯ll have His Majesty to make decisions in a few days. Let¡¯s not talk about this today. Since Consort Xuan has just recovered, she can¡¯t take care of all these by herself, not to mention these matters. It¡¯s rare for you toe to the imperial pce, so you¡¯d better have fun.¡±

    Suddenly, the Empress had be a benevolent elder. Her gazended on Mo Xuetong and it had turned into a bright smile. One could not tell that she had once tried to cause trouble for Mo Xuetong from her expression now. Mo Xuetong could not help but sigh to herself that the people in the pce were too good at acting.

    It was obvious that the Empress wanted to kill Mo Xuetong to see revenge for the Fifth Princess and King Yan, but she pretended to care for her.

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Majesty.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and bowed gently. She could be more gentle and gracious than others. Then she looked up with her watery eyes and looked at the Empress in gratitude. ¡°You will have to take care of the matter about His Highness, Your Majesty.¡±

    She implied that there was still a chance for the Empress to send people to King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the future. Instantly, the smile on the Empress¡¯ face grew even gentler.

    ¡°Have a seat. You¡¯ve always been in poor health, so you don¡¯t have to follow the rules. We¡¯re family. I asked you toe to the imperial pce today to rx. You don¡¯t have to apany us old people. Just go wherever you want, and don¡¯t need to care about me. Look at how weak you¡¯re. Go outside and get some fresh air. I¡¯ve already ask Consort Chu and others to go out.¡±

    No wonder Ling Rui¡¯er and the others had just left the hall. All the women in the hall were looking at Mo Xuetong menacingly. They all had their own plots in their eyes and she didn¡¯t like it. Mo Xuetong did not stand on ceremony, bowed slightly, and said a few grateful words to the Empress before she left, holding a pce maid¡¯s hand.

    Mo Ye was waiting outside the hall. When she saw Mo Xuetong approaching, she hurried over to rece the pce maid to hold Mo Xuetong, heading outside.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Your Majesty? If you get old, we¡¯ll be too ugly to be seen. Look at you, when you go out with Consort Zhao, you are a pair of sisters who love each other.¡± Consort Su covered her mouth with a handkerchief, looked at the Empress and then at Consort Zhao sitting by the side, and smiled.

    Her words immediately were followed by a burst ofpliments.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Majesty looks like a 17- or 18-year-old girl? If we go out together, other people would think we are your elder sister!¡±

    ¡°When my mother came to the pce for the first time, she said you were kind and young, looking like Avalokiteshvara. It was totally different from what you said yourself...¡±

    ¡°Sisters, you¡¯re really joking. I¡¯m so old, how can Ipare with Consort Zhao? I just thought of Consort Xian when I saw her. At that time, Consort Xian looked younger than Consort Zhao, but I didn¡¯t expect that she would pass away at such a young age. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she had an unfortunate life, she would have enjoyed her son¡¯s blessings now.¡± The Empress seemed to sigh with pity, but the corner of her eyes twitched uncontrobly. She looked away from Consort Zhao¡¯s face with disgust in her eyes.

    At the sight of the face simr to that of the bitch, she could not help but be filled with hatred. If not for that bitch, how could she have fallen out of the Emperor¡¯s favor, and then, been treated so harshly? When Consort Su hadpared her with this bitch, the Empress was certainly angry.

    ¡°Your Majesty, how can Ipare with you...¡± Consort Zhao also knew that the Empress didn¡¯t like her face. This was also the reason why the Empress agreed with the Emperor to give her the Mingyue Pce at that time. She lowered her head and smiled. The He family and Lian An had trouble all the time recently, which made her feel uneasy in the deep pce. Her face looked a little pale, and she seemed to be several years older than when she was just out.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, why does your face look so bad? Are you not feeling well? Your Majesty, do you think that Consort Zhao is ill?¡± Consort Yu shouted as if she had just discovered that.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze automatically fell on Consort Zhao¡¯s face. As expected, herplexion was extremely haggard.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, you can go to rest first. I¡¯ll ask someone to tell you when the banquet starts.¡± The Empress didn¡¯t want to see her face, so she immediately pretended to be magnanimous and said with a wave of her hand.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m not tired.¡± Consort Zhao refused. She became more and more low-key.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Somebody, send Consort Zhao back to rest.¡± The Empress did not allow her to reject and said with a faint smile to a pce maid standing behind her.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, you really don¡¯t have to be so polite. Even if His Majestyes, he won¡¯t me you. You don¡¯t have to refuse.¡± Consort Yu stuck out her belly on in one side as if she was a little tired. She leaned to the other side and joked to Consort Zhao with a smile.

    Her words made it seem as if Consort Zhao stayed for the Emperor. Looking at the Empress¡¯ gloomy face, Consort Zhao could only stand up and bid farewell to her and the other high-ss consorts. She held a pce maid¡¯s hand and slowly left. Behind her, Consort Yu stared at her back with a cold smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

    She slightly tilted her head, and a pce maid standing behind her understood. She pretended to take something for Consort Yu and followed Consort Zhao out of the hall.

 Chapter 541 - A Note, Mo Yarui Pried Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 541 A Note, Mo Yarui Pried Secrets</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not expect to meet Mo Yarui the moment she stepped out of the hall doors. A happy smile appeared on Mo Yarui¡¯s face as she saw Mo Xuetonging out. She hurried over and curtsied to Mo Xuetong. ¡°Greetings, Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Forego formalities, Second Consort Mo.¡± Mo Xuetong took a few steps forward and held Mo Yarui¡¯s hand warmly. She had a good impression of Mo Yarui. On the one hand, she felt pity for her. Ling Rui¡¯er was aggressive and Feng Yuxuan was a man who took interest first. If it weren¡¯t for Assistant Minister Mo, she would have died without even knowing the reason. On the other hand, Mo Xuetong liked her temperament very much.

    ¡°Why are you still here at this time?¡± There was no shade where Mo Yarui had stood just now. Although it was between pirs, it was still extremely hot. Mo Yarui had a heatstroke before, so she must be very weak. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±

    ¡°Never mind. I just stood for a while. I saw you enter the hall, so I just waited here to say thank you. Sorry to trouble you the other day,¡± Mo Yarui exined with a smile on her face, but she secretly squeezed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. Mo Xuetong understood and the two walked toward the shady path while talking.

    Several pce maids and eunuchs at the door of the Tianfeng Pce looked at the two of them, but they did not care and continued to do their own work.

    The two of them walked into a shady path with their maidservants. Mo Yarui looked around and as she found there was no one around, she let go of Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, took out a note, and handed it to Mo Xuetong. Then, she pointed at a pavilion not far away and said, ¡°Consort Xuan, how about we go there and rest for a while? I¡¯m a little tired from standing earlier.¡±

    Mo Xuetong flipped her hand and the notended in her long sleeve silently. She nodded with a smile. Even though she appeared warm and gentle, her inky eyes were cold with a glint of sharp light. She had already seen a line of words on the note just now. It was written to Ling Rui¡¯er. She did not expect that there were so many people who had plotted against her in the pce today.

    Mo Yarui was a cautious person. Although there were dense trees and they didn¡¯t see others, it was possible that someone was hiding in the shade of the trees. It was not safe to talk here. Although there was a big tree around the pavilion over there, there was only one. If someone appeared around, they would definitely see them clearly, but at the same time, people could see clearly when Mo Yarui gave Mo Xuetong the note.

    Therefore, it was an extremely clever way for Mo Yarui to deliver the note in a ce that was not suitable for talking and to speak in a ce that was not suitable for delivering a note.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and still held Mo Yarui¡¯s hand. They walked to the pavilion intimately.

    The pavilion was empty, perhaps because it was a little closer to the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce. It could be said that it was right under the Empress¡¯ noses, so no one rested here at all. It was almost autumn. There were asional gusts of wind that caused the curtains to fall. It looked extremely cool.

    The two sat on the stone stools in the pavilion. Mo Ye and Mei Yu stood by the side. They looked as if they were standing respectfully, but in actuality, they were both on guard. Especially since Mo Ye¡¯s hearing and eyesight were both very good, she had taken note of arge area.

    ¡°Where did you get this, Second Consort Mo?¡± Mo Xuetong did not point at anything but Mo Yarui understood. She twisted her handkerchief a few times and looked up at Mo Xuetong, replying, ¡°I stole it from Ling Rui¡¯er.¡±

    Since she had already decided to reveal this message to Mo Xuetong, it meant that she wanted to seek refuge with Mo Xuetong. No matter how simple she was, she was clear that she was in a difficult situation at King Chu¡¯s Manor. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er was nice to her on the surface, everyone could see that she hated Mo Yarui to the core.

    Even though Ling Rui¡¯er was still Consort Chu after thest incident, she had caused such a huge incident and the Ding General Manor had lost its face. Ling Rui¡¯er hade to apologize personally and that was the end of the matter. Ling Rui¡¯er was proud and arrogant, so how could she bear it? Even though Mo Yarui was gentle, she was not stupid.

    She did not dare to beg too much from Feng Yuxuan. After all, Ling Rui¡¯er had a special status. For the sake of the Empress and Empress Dowager, Feng Yuxuan could not embarrass her. He might be angry but didn¡¯t dare to speak out about what happenedst time!

    ¡°Yesterday evening, Mei Yu told me that someone from the pce came and gave Consort Chu some clothes and essories. It was the first reward after that incident, so I asked people to keep an eye on her. After the people from the pce left, I went to greet Consort Chu with Mei Yu. As soon as I got there and sat down, His Highness happened toe over and talk with Consort Chu. I waited beside a small table and saw the note in the table¡¯s hiddenpartment. Then after I went back, I copied the words in the note in the same font.¡±

    It meant that the note she was holding was not the Empress¡¯ original manuscript! Mo Xuetong thought about it and understood immediately. She also understood that Mo Yarui was being cautious. If the note had really lost, Ling Rui¡¯er would definitely not spare her.

    ¡°I have learned writing before. Although I can¡¯t write exactly the same as the original one, it¡¯s almost like the original.¡± Mo Yarui smiled.

    Mo Xuetong knew that Mo Yarui had taken a great risk even though she faked the note. She said gratefully, ¡°Many thanks, Second Consort Mo.¡±

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. If you hadn¡¯t saved me, I would have diedst time. I wouldn¡¯t have been alive now.¡± Mo Yarui stood up and gave a respectful bow to Mo Xuetong. Since Feng Yuxuan was there that day, she couldn¡¯t say anything more, so she expressed her gratitude sincerely at this moment.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, you really don¡¯t have to be so polite. Look, King Chu has thanked me yesterday and even gave me such a big gift. It seems that he values you very much. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a head essory of the South Pearl. It¡¯s so exquisite. I really like it. Please thank King Chu for me,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile as if she had inadvertently mentioned the South Pearl head essory.

    Mo Yarui was visibly moved. How could she not realize Mo Xuetong¡¯s intentions? She knew that Mo Xuetong was trying to help her. If anyone saw that she had spoken to Mo Xuetong for a while, they could use Feng Yuxuan as a shield. She felt that Consort Xuan was so intelligent and nice. She could see her current situation at King Chu¡¯s Manor from what she said. Furthermore, she had even thought of a way out for her.

    Mo Yarui felt even more grateful to Mo Xuetong.

    The two chatted for a while and then Mo Yarui walked to another path with Mei Yu. Mo Xuetong sat in the pavilion and rubbed her forehead. She did not say anything and frowned slightly. Her tender white fingers touched her forehead again and again.

    Suddenly, she stood up and brought Mo Ye into the garden. Time passed while they had fun. The banquet was about to begin.

    The banquet today was like a blind date. The imperial garden was very ornamental. The noble young masters did not avoid female guests. Even though they looked as if they were chatting, they could not help but observe the youngdies. There were even a few young masters who had taken the initiative to chat up with the youngdies they liked.

    In normal times, it was not appropriate to do it, but there was nothing wrong with it today.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Consort Xuan? Why did you get chased out by Her Majesty in such a short while? Did you offend the consorts in the hall?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was always the one who did not meet the right time. She seemed to regard Mo Xuetong as an enemy. When she saw Mo Xuetong, she immediately raised her voice and mocked her.

    ¡°Consort Chu, you¡¯re mistaken. Her Majesty is magnanimous. How would she do something like that?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She did not intend to talk to Ling Rui¡¯er.

    However, Ling Rui¡¯er did not intend to let her go. She could not help but grow angry when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not even look at her. As such, she reached out to stop Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Consort Chu?¡± Mo Xuetong stopped and grabbed Mo Ye, who was about to stand in front of her. The smile on her face faded as she asked coldly. She wanted to see how Ling Rui¡¯er behaved in front of so many people. As much as Ling Rui¡¯er obeyed the Empress now, she would soon hate her.

    However, who would Duke Ding help, his niece or younger sister?

    ¡°Yes. Consort Xuan, I just wanted to ask you when you would return King Chu¡¯s South Pearl head essory to me.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er raised her head and asked righteously. When she thought of the South Pearl head essory she liked was given Mo Xuetong, Ling Rui¡¯er felt jealousy and hatred in her heart.

    ¡°Bitch! How dare you seduce King Chu? You¡¯re really a slut.¡± Even if she told herself not to be rude, her eyes were still filled with anger as she red at Mo Xuetong viciously.

    Hearing Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s words, everyone could not help but be shocked. This was the first time they knew that King Chu had sent a head essory to Consort Xuan. What did this mean? Was there any rtionship between the two of them? They did not expect that Consort Xuan would act like this with her innocent appearance.

    This was an affair with a man. Furthermore, the man was her husband¡¯s eldest brother on the surface. This was a simple royal scandal. No one expected Ling Rui¡¯er to be so hot-headed as to dare to say something like that. However, everyone looked at Mo Xuetong suspiciously when they saw how self-righteous Ling Rui¡¯er looked.

    ¡°Oh, I did not expect Consort Xuan to be such a woman. I heard Cousin Chu say that the head essory was very precious. It turned out that it was for Consort Xuan. I wonder if King Xuan knows about it.¡± Su Mei¡¯er was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s younger cousin and had a crush on Feng Yuxuan. However, she had not been able to marry Feng Yuxuan and that left a grudge in her heart. She had heard her aunt, Consort Su, talk about the South Pearl head essory and wanted to get it. But she did not expect Mo Xuetong to get it. Immediately, she supported Ling Rui¡¯er and mocked Mo Xuetong.

    Upon hearing Su Mei¡¯er¡¯s words, everyone looked at Mo Xuetong with more and more contempt in their eyes. It appeared to be true.

    Mo Xuetong was expressionless. She took a dignified expression, looked around the crowd, and finally fixed her gaze on the arrogant Ling Rui¡¯er. Then she said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, Consort Chu. Are you here to ask for the head essory that King Chu gave to King Xuan? Then you have to ask our His Highness for it. He has already given it to the Empress Dowager. It should be in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce right now. With your status as Consort Chu, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to get it back.¡±

    Everyone looked at Ling Rui¡¯er in shock after Mo Xuetong said that. They understood that King Chu had given it to King Xuan, andter King Xuan had given the head essory to the Empress Dowager. Ling Rui¡¯er didn¡¯t want to give this set of head essory to others and wanted it back from King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She was too petty. As legitimate daughters and wives, they had never seen anything like this before.

    Only the concubines and servants from humble families would do something like that.

    They did not expect Consort Chu who was from the noble Ding General Manor to do something like that. It was too embarrassing. Then everyone wondered, ¡°Is the Ding General Manor no longer as glorious as before? Does it just look good on the outside while a mess inside? Ling Rui¡¯er did not even care about her decency as a legitimate daughter for the sake of a head essory.¡±

    Everyone waspletely convinced of Mo Xuetong¡¯s words this time. Who would dare lie that the South Pearl head essory been delivered to the Empress Dowager?

 Chapter 542 - The Ice Watermelon Juice Spilled all over the Floor

    <h4>Chapter 542 The Ice Watermelon Juice Spilled all over the Floor</h4>

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to give the South Pearl head essory to others, just go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce and beg her to return it to you. I heard that the Empress Dowager has been doting on Consort Chu,¡± someone mocked.

    Then there was a great gust ofughter.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was both angry and hateful when she saw that someone was on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. She had wanted to embarrass Mo Xuetong because she could note up with a way to deny it. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to ask King Xuan to send the South Pearl head essory to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry that she almost wanted to vomit blood.

    ¡°You... when did King Xuan give it to the Empress Dowager?¡± She knew that she could not make any more trouble when she saw the reactions of the crowd around her. Her father and uncle had warned her that if she did something indecent again, they would have another girl of the Ling family marry King Chu.

    At the thought of this, she held back the anger in her heart and put on a nk look, but her eyes were full of viciousness.

    ¡°It was sent to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pcest night. Oh, I heard that he met the pce servant who took the Empress¡¯ gift to Consort Chu. Don¡¯t you know, Consort Chu?¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile as if she did not mind Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s nonsense. She looked like a nobledy, while Ling Rui¡¯er was immature. She was more elegant, like a spring breeze that caressed others¡¯ faces, and her aura was like an orchid. It made one think she was impable and had a good impression of her.

    Some madams and youngdies all smiled at her with a friendly attitude when they saw how dignified and elegant she was. It turned out that it was not Consort Xuan who tried to seduce another man, but was Consort Chu was so petty that she made such a fuss.

    King Xuan had entered the pcest night. Furthermore, he even met the pce servant who took gifts the Empress rewarded her with. That meant that the Empress had already known about it yesterday, but she had even sent someone to inform her that Feng Yuxuan had given the South Pearl head essory to Mo Xuetong as a gift. Obviously she had intentionally tried to sow discord. Ling Rui¡¯er did not doubt Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. If she was lying, how would Mo Xuetong have known that the Empress had rewarded her?

    She was clear-headed then and remembered that Feng Yuxuan had told her to watch out for the Empressst time. She was angry and hateful. She was angry that her aunt, the Empress, had tried to frame her up time and time again, and did not respect her, Consort Chu at all; she hated that bitch, Mo Xuetong, and she failed to get hold of her again and instead, made othersugh at her.

    She had listened to the Empress today, and she would definitely be reprimanded by Feng Yuxuan when she returned to the manor. Only then did she realize that if the affair between Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuxuan had been affirmed, Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuxuan would not be the only ones who would be shamed. If the Emperor found out that Feng Yuxuan had a problem in personal morals, not only would her uncle not forgive her, but even Feng Yuxuan would not.

    She was afraid and hated the Empress. She had plotted against her own niece for King Yan. When she returned, she would definitely reveal the matter in front of her uncle and father. She would show them that the Empress had been using the Ding General Manor while they believed that she had been thinking about the interests of the Ding General Manor.

    ¡°I made a mistake. Please forgive me, Consort Xuan.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er could only force a smile and apologize to Mo Xuetong. Then, she took the watermelon juice offered by the maid and handed it to Mo Xuetong. Her expression softened and she said, ¡°Consort Xuan, it is muggy, and please take the bowl of iced watermelon juice as my apology.¡±

    As a nobledy, she knew that she had to drop her pride. If she went against Mo Xuetong, others would think that she was not only a petty woman, but she also did not act like a noble princess. She would have another chance to deal with Mo Xuetong and throw her into the pits of hell with her status, but now, it was not the right time.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the bowl of watermelon juice that she had passed to her. A cold glint came into her beautiful eyes. Now that Ling Rui¡¯er had dropped her pride, she had to take the bowl. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, with hiding sharpness. She nced at the maid standing by Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s side from the corner of her eye. Then, she reached out as if she was about to take the bowl of watermelon juice.

    Mo Ye, who was standing by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side, followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze and quietly paid attention to the maid¡¯s actions.

    She noticed that when Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand was about to reach the watermelon juice in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand, the maid pretended and hit Ling Rui¡¯er carelessly. Ling Rui¡¯er could not hold the jade bowl filled with watermelon juice in her hand before pouring it onto Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong pushed the bowl lightly subconsciously.

    The bowl turned to Ling Rui¡¯er herself and she heard a loud thump. The jade bowl filled with ice-cold watermelon juice fell to the ground and more than half of the watermelon juicended on Ling Rui¡¯er. Her usually green, soft muslin gauze embroidered with red plum blossoms was full of bright red watermelon juice.

    Mo Ye quietly retracted her hand and stood by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side quietly.

    Ling Rui¡¯er almost leaped away subconsciously, but her clothes were still wet. When she saw her carefully-prepared clothes were in this state, she was so angry that her face darkened.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you¡¯re...¡±

    ¡°Consort Chu, you don¡¯t have to give me the watermelon juice if you don¡¯t want to. I didn¡¯t insist on having it. I saw that the pce maid had carried this bowl for a while. Why was she fine but when you sent it to me, you poured it on me? Is it because the watermelon juice is too cold to take?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression grew cold. She stood back and looked at the broken jade bowl on the ground. She said with a sarcastic look. After Ling Rui¡¯er had framed Mo Xuetong for taking Feng Yuxuan¡¯s South Pearl head essory, everyone could not help but suspect that Ling Rui¡¯er had done it intentionally. After all, she had been very unwilling to do so earlier.

    ¡°You slut, how dare you try to frame me?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er, who could not even speak after being satirized by Mo Xuetong, suddenly had a brainwave when she saw the disdainful gazes of the crowd. She pped the pce maid beside her viciously and scolded, ¡°Bitch, you deliberately knocked into me and caused me to knock over the watermelon juice. What are you trying to do? Somebody, take her out and give her 30 beatings.¡±

    Now she couldn¡¯t exin anything, and could only take the opportunity to make it clear to everyone. She vented her anger on the pce maid by her side. As the maid was beaten to the ground, she gave her a kick.

    The pce maid didn¡¯t expect that Ling Rui¡¯er would p her without saying anything. Falling on the ground, she looked up and begged fearfully, ¡°My Lady, I didn¡¯t hit you.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry that her lips trembled. Suddenly, she pointed at the pce maid and scolded, ¡°If you didn¡¯t hit me, why couldn¡¯t I hold the bowl? How dare you argue? Well, well, I don¡¯t dare tomand you now. Anyway, I know you. You are from the Empress¡¯ pce. I am going to the Empress in the wet dress now. Let her see who is right.¡±

    She was a pce maid of the Empress?! Coupled with Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s words earlier, the Empress had intentionally made her misunderstand that Feng Yuxuan had sent Mo Xuetong a head essory. Everyone¡¯s expression changed as they all looked at the pce maid with suspicion. Could it be that the Empress really did not like Consort Xuan and picked on her?

    When she heard that Ling Rui¡¯er was going to the Empress, the pce maid was so frightened that she ran up to Ling Rui¡¯er and hugged her leg, pleading, ¡°Please spare my life, Consort Chu. I really did not notice it. I really don¡¯t know if I have knocked into you. Please spare me, My Lady.¡±

    If she was pulled to the Empress, she would definitely die. If the Empress knew that she not only failed but also screwed things up, she would not spare her. The maid was really afraid and did not notice the statement she had made. She was begging for forgiveness, and she was not even so panicked when Ling Rui¡¯er said that she would be beaten 30 times.

    It could be seen that she was really scared at this time, and even spoke without thinking.

    ¡°You will die if you see the Empress, so you beg for Consort Chu to spare your life?¡± Mo Xuetong pretended not to understand and asked casually with a frown. Her statement immediately made the madams anddies, who were watching, darken their gazes. Everyone had experienced fights in the back yard, so they all understood what she meant.

    ¡°Third Sister, forget it. Change your clothes first. Let the Empress settle it. It is not good for us to take a person of the Tianfeng Pce there,¡± Ling Yu persuaded her gently. She reached out to tug at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s sleeve and gestured for her to look at her wet dress.

    Ling Rui¡¯er would not do something like pulling the pce maid to the Empress, especially when she was in the current pathetic situation where she could not meet anyone at all. How could she go to the Tianfeng Pce to embarrass herself? As such, hearing Ling Yu¡¯s words, she gave up the idea, but she kicked the pce maid viciously and brought her servants to look for a room to change clothes.

    Mo Xuetong curled her lips into a smile. She continued to walk through the imperial garden boringly. After what happened earlier, nothing happened to Consort Xuan. The madams anddies, who looked down on her, could not help but look at her in a different attitude. Mo Ye left her for a while and reappeared behind her.

    This was an evening banquet, and it was already evening. The sun had disappeared and it was no longer so hot. Somenterns in the pce were already on. The banquet would begin soon.

    Many young masters anddies, who had already taken a fancy on each other, were standing together and talking shyly. Some older madams looked at them, smiled, and nodded from time to time. Suddenly, there was amotion in the garden and someone shouted in the distance, ¡°Hurry up, someone. There is a dead person.¡±

    ¡°A dead person? Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Where is it? Where is it?¡±...

    The entire garden was in chaos. The Empress brought a few noble consorts to the imperial garden. She stood there with a cold expression. A pce maid ran over to her and knelt in front of her. She trembled so violently that she could not even speak. ¡°Your Majesty, someone has died. Someone has died in theke there.¡±

    Although the pce maid was scared, she had a clear mind and spoke in an organized way.

    ¡°Your Majesty, do you want to have a look together? What if an assassin infiltrates the guests? It¡¯s a big deal,¡± Consort Zhao said to the Empress smilingly. The Emperor was the target of the assassination in the imperial banquet. It was a big crime and the assassin¡¯s family would be destroyed wholly. How could the Empress afford it?

    ¡°Did you see it clearly?¡± the Empress asked coldly.

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I saw it clearly. It should be a pce maid ording to the clothes. I didn¡¯t dare to look at it carefully, and I came here to report to Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°An assassin entered the pce just to kill a pce maid!¡± The Empress sneered at Consort Zhao. She didn¡¯t expect that Consort Zhao would appear in front of her again in such a short time, which really dissatisfied her. When she saw her face that was extremely simr to that of that bitch, the Empress really wanted to scratch her face.

    And she was not nice to her when she talked.

 Chapter 543 - The Palace Maid Who Died Gratuitously

    <h4>Chapter 543 The Pce Maid Who Died Gratuitously</h4>

    Consort Zhao seemed to be frightened by her cold gaze and stopped talking. The group of people walked towards the other end of the imperial garden.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything and followed behind the madams,dies, and young masters.

    All the people followed the pce maid to pass by several rockeries and came to a remote ce. By theke of the rockeryy a female corpse. There was windy, so it was cool and refreshing at first. But now, because of this female corpse, the whole ce was filled with gusts of cold wind and made people feel scared for no reason.

    A few daring eunuchs went over, pulled the female corpse up, andid it t on the ground. Then they heard the pce maid who found the corpse scream with her hand covering her mouth. Suddenly, she pounced on the corpse and shouted in panic, ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s Fei Huan.¡±

    ¡°Fei Huan?¡± The Empress froze for a moment as if she didn¡¯t remember this maid. She frowned.

    Nanny Lin, who was beside her, took a few steps forward. She shivered in fear when she saw the female corpse¡¯s face. She quickly stepped back to the Empress and said with a pale face, ¡°Your Majesty, she is a third-ss pce maid in the Tianfeng Pce, named Fei Huan. You ordered her to serve the madams anddies in the imperial garden just now.¡±

    The Empress was stunned as if she didn¡¯t expect it to be a person from her Tianfeng Pce. Her face darkened. With a frown, she asked, ¡°Who was thest one to see this pce maid?¡±

    Whether as the Empress or the master of the Tianfeng Pce, she had to deal with this matter.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I, I came out with Fei Huan just now. Later, I saw a little maidservant waving to her, and then Fei Huan told me that she had something to do and asked me to go first. I thought that Fei Huan might have met someone she knew, so I left without paying attention to her. I didn¡¯t expect that just after a while, Fei Huan, she, she...¡±

    The pce maid, who had just pounced on Fei Huan, cried, ¡°Your Majesty, you must exercise justice for Fei Huan. Fei Huan is loyal to you, so you can¡¯t let the murderer go unpunished.¡±

    ¡°Go over and take a look.¡± The Empress nodded at a eunuch standing by her side. He was the highly skilled eunuch who guarded the Empress in the inner pce and was also in charge of the interrogation in the inner pce. He reached out two fingers to the maid¡¯s neck. Then, he stood up and shook his head, gesturing that the maid was no longer breathing. Then, he squatted by the corpse and examined it for a while before he reported to the Empress.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the maid was strangled by someone. There is a pinch mark on her neck and the mark was thick, which shows that the murderer is a man. From the look of it, the man was fast and urate. He is a martial arts practitioner. If he hadn¡¯t practiced for more than 10 years, he wouldn¡¯t have choked her to death like this.¡±

    The interrogating eunuch answered in a sharp and urate way.

    The pce maid cried and asked, ¡°But, who wanted to hurt Fei Huan? Fei Huan was kind to others and had never argued with others.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something over there. Look!¡± Suddenly, someone pointed at the ce where the corpse had just been picked up and screamed.

    Everyone looked back and found that there was a piece of cloth in the crack of the rockery. The eunuch went over and quickly took out the cloth wrapped in it. Then the crowd found that it was a handkerchief. Since most of the cloth was in it, they just took it as a piece of cloth dropped from the murderer¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°This should be the handkerchief dropped from the murderer!¡± someone asked.

    ¡°No, the handkerchief is so pink and delicate, and there is embroidery on it. It should belong to a girl. Look at the pinch mark on her neck. It¡¯s obviously made by a man. How could it be the murderer¡¯s?¡± someone else questioned in confusion.

    Someone refuted on the spot, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a handkerchief that the murderer hid in his arms. There must be a woman who has something to do with the murderer. That¡¯s why the handkerchief appeared in his arms and was pulled out by the pce maid before she died. The reason why he didn¡¯t take it may be it was too urgent and he didn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    Consort Yu, who was standing by the side, revealed a deep worry in her eyes when she heard this. She covered her belly with her hands and said with fear, ¡°Your Majesty, since... such a thing happened, we must check it out.¡±

    The Empress looked at the body coldly. Her thin lips moved and in a cold tone, she said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll do a thorough investigation since someone killed people in the pce.¡±

    As soon as they heard the Empress would do a thorough investigation, they all wandered a little more. They were in the imperial pce. Everyone could be the murderer. If the murderer couldn¡¯t be found quickly, they would have to stay here and ept the investigation, which would dy the time. Besides, if it had to take a long while, it would be easy for them to be framed.

    No one would be willing to be locked up and searched.

    An Old Madam stood out first, reached out to the interrogating eunuch, and said, ¡°Let me take a look at this handkerchief.¡± She was the mother of Duke Luofeng.

    The interrogating eunuch looked at the Empress. As the Empress nodded slightly, the eunuch respectfully handed the handkerchief to the Old Madam.

    The Old Madam picked up the handkerchief and looked at it in the light. She frowned, and looked at the people around her, showing suspicion on her face, but she couldn¡¯t make up her mind.

    After a while, she turned to Ling Rui¡¯er and asked, ¡°Consort Chu, can I have a look at your handkerchief?¡±

    ¡°My handkerchief?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er had already panicked when she saw the handkerchief. She reached out to take out her handkerchief in order topare it with it, but she found that her handkerchief had disappeared. She was flustered and her face was pale. She had only just returned and had wanted to see what happened. However, she had not expected it to fall on her.

    When the Old Madam asked Ling Rui¡¯er, a few sharp-eyed people immediately noticed that two characters were embroidered on the left and right corners of the handkerchief in her hands. The left one was ¡°Ling¡± while the right one was ¡°Rui¡¯er¡±. When they were put together, it was obviously ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er¡±. How could everyone not be shocked by this?

    It was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s handkerchief.

    The Empress turned around, a trace of anger shing in her eyes. She looked at Ling Rui¡¯er unhappily and asked, ¡°Rui¡¯er, where¡¯s your handkerchief?¡± If things went wrong today, it was all because of the stupid Ling Rui¡¯er. How could she not be angry?

    ¡°Your Majesty, the pce maid poured some watermelon juice on my dress just now, and then I went to change my clothes. After that, the handkerchief disappeared,¡± Ling Rui¡¯er said hurriedly. She didn¡¯t know when her handkerchief disappeared, but her handkerchief had fallen into the pce maid¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Yes. The pce maid deliberately poured watermelon juice on Third Sister just now because she wanted to steal the handkerchief from her. I wonder who ordered her to harm Third Sister.¡± Ling Yu beside Ling Rui¡¯er suddenly had an idea and hurriedly exined for her. If someone found out that it was Ling Rui¡¯er who had asked someone to kill the pce maid because of such a small matter, the girls of the Ling family would no longer have to marry anyone. No one dared to marry the girls of such a vicious family.

    For her reputation, Ling Yu would not allow anything to happen to Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Her words reminded everyone. Only then did they realize that something like this had indeed happened. Perhaps the maid had really tried to frame Ling Rui¡¯er. Otherwise, why would she have knocked into Ling Rui¡¯er when she was standing well earlier? Furthermore, she had even wet Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s clothes and caused her to change into a new set of clothes. During her absence, she had enough time to order someone to kill the maid. If the maid had really taken Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s handkerchief first, it was really possible that someone had framed Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Or, someone wanted to frame King Chu behind her.

    Suddenly, Consort Zhao came over with a slightly suspicious look on her face and asked, ¡°What fragrance did you put on your handkerchief, Consort Chu?¡±

    Indeed, the handkerchief was giving off a faint strange fragrance. Although it had been soaked in the water, it was still fragrant. Obviously, it was of a kind of superb fragrance.

    This reminded Ling Rui¡¯er. She hurriedly answered, ¡°The fragrance I¡¯m using isn¡¯t of any ordinary kind. The Empress Dowager gifted it to me. It is said to be a tribute. I¡¯m the only one in the entire Great Qin, who has it. There won¡¯t be anyone else owning it.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er only wanted to prove that she was innocent this time, and she could not care less.

    ¡°Consort Chu, are you referring to the Longing Fragrance?¡± The interrogating eunuch¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked immediately, ¡°If yes, the fragrance won¡¯t dissipate for a long time. It is said that it willst for 10 days, right?¡±

    A strange look shed in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes. Then, she nodded forcefully and replied, ¡°Yes, yes.¡±

    ¡°Consort Chu, do you think that if this fragrance will be left on other clothes once it contacted the clothes?¡± the interrogating eunuch continued to ask.

    ¡°This smell is very strong. As long as you touch it with your hand, it won¡¯t dissipate in a short time,¡± Ling Rui¡¯er responded with certainty.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± The interrogating eunuch squatted down in front of the body again, pulled the pce maid Fei Huan¡¯s clothes, and sniffed it. After a while, he raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this pce maid once hid the handkerchief in her arms. It seems that she stole the handkerchief from Consort Chu, but was assassinatedter. And this handkerchief fell here on purpose.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er heaved a sigh of relief and scolded the pce maid Fei Huan harshly, ¡°Bitch, you really wanted to harm me.¡±

    ¡°Since the murderer has flipped the handkerchief, shouldn¡¯t there be a scent on his body too?¡± the Empress asked coldly.

    The eunuch raised his lips and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, Your Majesty. Since the handkerchief was left on purpose, the person must have touched it. Please order people to take the interrogating dogs, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Go, pass down my order and have the guards bring the interrogating dog here.¡± The Empress nodded, as she swept across Mo Xuetong¡¯s face with a cold smile in her eyes. The interrogating dog was especially used by the Ministry of Justice to investigate cases. Its nose was hundreds of times sharper than an ordinary dog¡¯s. No matter who did it today, they would not end well.

    Standing by the side, Consort Zhao looked down, but there was a deep sense of pride in the corner of her eyes, and her face unconsciously showed a bit of vicious smile. Although the matter was somewhat different from her arrangement, fortunately, it was still in her original direction.

    After a while, a small interrogating dog was brought to the front of everyone. Several imperial guards stood on both sides and arranged for everyone to stand in two rows. The interrogating eunuch took the handkerchief to the dog¡¯s nose and the dog sniffed it. Then he took off the handkerchief and let the dog smell these people one by one. When it smelled the second person, the interrogating dog charged at her. If the eunuch hadn¡¯t reacted quickly and grabbed it, Ling Rui¡¯er would have been thrown down.

    Even so, she was so frightened that she almost couldn¡¯t say anything.

    She was the master of the handkerchief and had been taking it for a while, so of course, the scent on her body was strong. The eunuch pulled the interrogating dog back and continued smelling. Mo Xuetong was behind Ling Rui¡¯er. She was held by Mo Ye and stood there quietly. The interrogating dog circled her twice and walked down.

    Obviously, it meant that this had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong either.

    The Empress who was standing in the middle frowned slightly. She looked at Mo Xuetong suspiciously.

    The interrogating dog passed by the feet of the crowd and sniffed from time to time. Everyone was nervous and afraid, especially for most of the people here were youngdies who were so scared that they were shaking. Suddenly, the interrogating dog barked and rushed toward a maidservant standing behind ady. It bit the calf of the maidservant with sharp teeth and dragged the maidservant out tightly.

    On both sides, the imperial guards who were ready to act pounced on the maidservant fiercely and caught her. They even took out all the things in her pockets and ced them in front of everyone.

 Chapter 544 - Whose Maidservant Was the Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 544 Whose Maidservant Was the Murderer</h4>

    ¡°Elder brother, it¡¯s so lively here. There¡¯s something fun to watch. Let¡¯s take a look together.¡± Azy voice rang from behind the crowd. Everyone hurriedly made a path when they heard the voice. They saw Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran walking towards them together. Even though Feng Yuran was a step behind Feng Yuxuan, the youngdies were all looking back at his handsome and attractive face as well as his wild aura.

    Mo Xuetong immediately felt that all the girls around her were sighing in annoyance and jealousy. They all shot jealous nces at her. Now before she spoke, so many people were already jealous of her. She could not help but re at Feng Yuran. ¡°This man is really hateful.¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, why are you here too? You¡¯re not being bullied, are you?¡± Feng Yuran looked as if he did not see Mo Xuetong¡¯s re. His lips curled up and a charming smile appeared on his handsome face. He looked at Mo Xuetong and walked towards her withrge strides, ignoring the gazes of the others present.

    The Empress¡¯ face twitched when she heard that. Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, so she was the only one who could bully her. Feng Yuran¡¯s words aroused her ire.

    ¡°Greetings, Queen Mother.¡± Feng Yuxuan curtsied respectfully to the Empress, and then to Consort Su.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re also here, Queen Mother. What kind of case are you investigating? Do you need my help?¡± Feng Yuran seemed to just realize that the Empress was standing there. After he bowed to the Empress, his eyes fell on the maidservant kneeling on the ground.

    At this time, everyone turned their eyes on the maidservant pulled out by the interrogating dog. It turned out to be a pretty girl, but she was so scared that her face turned pale.

    ¡°Who brought this maidservant here?¡± The Empress¡¯ gazended on the maidservant¡¯s face and she suddenly felt that she looked rather familiar.

    Everyone was stunned. They all looked at each other and shook their heads.

    ¡°Is she from the pce?¡± The Empress¡¯ expression changed. She looked at the imperial consorts beside her coldly. The consorts bowed their heads as they felt her gaze. But Consort Su smiled and said, ¡°Your Majesty, obviously, this girl is not from the pce. It is easy to make her speak. Just send her to the Ministry of Justice. I don¡¯t believe that she would not say anything.¡±

    She had just finished speaking when the maidservant suddenly took two steps back. She knelt on the ground in shock and panic. Her mournful eyes suddenlynded on Mo Xuetong. There was a look of hopelessness in her eyes. She gritted her teeth tightly and did not say anything.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Mo Xuetong as she looked at her.

    ¡°Ah, I remember. She is one of the two maidservants of Madam Lian. But Madam Lian didn¡¯te today. How did she get in?¡± A madam suddenly remembered this maidservant usually dressed very well and followed Madam Lian!

    Everyone knew what had happened in Minister Lian¡¯s Manor recently, so it was normal that Madam Lian didn¡¯te to the pce after she asked for leave. But why did the maidservante in when her master didn¡¯t? And she looked at Consort Xuan desperately. Was it possible that she was brought in by Consort Xuan?

    Using eye contact was more effective than saying it directly.

    The interrogating eunuch awkwardly looked at the maidservant and then at Mo Xuetong. He felt especially flustered when he saw King Xuan¡¯s cold eyes which were filled with protection towards his wife. It was not just others who were suspecting Mo Xuetong, but he was also suspecting her. However, how was he going to investigate this matter since it was regarding Consort Xuan?

    ¡°Investigate the matter clearly in case someone will use the banquet to assassinate His Majesty.¡± While in a daze, the interrogating eunuch received the cold gaze from the Empress.

    She was putting pressure on him. Even though he was afraid of King Xuan, he could not ignore the fact that the maidservant was looking at Consort Xuan in front of so many people. The maidservant¡¯s gaze at Consort Xuan was too suspicious. He could only force himself to ask, ¡°Consort Xuan, take a look at this maidservant; did shee to the pce with you?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly as everyone looked at her. ¡°I don¡¯t have to look. I don¡¯t have anything to do with the maidservant entering the pce, but she is indeed from King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    She said with a calm smile. Her tone was smooth and precise, without any panic. She stood there, looking elegant and peaceful as if she didn¡¯t know that to recognize this maid was to admit the crime. Her bright eyes were full of light without any dust. She was neither humble nor arrogant. It was the first time the interrogating eunuch had seen such a calm woman.

    He had interrogated many concubines in the imperial pce. Even the favored imperial concubines who were high and experienced in the imperial fight would be panicked when they encountered such a situation, but she, who was not yet 15, was so bold. How could the interrogating eunuch not admire her?

    He could not help but look up at Feng Yuran, finding that the usually devilish and arrogant King Xuan was very calm right now. There was a hint of a smile on his lips. However, the smile made one feel cold and afraid for no reason.

    There was anothermotion in the crowd when they heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply. Ling Rui¡¯er smiled coldly when she saw that Mo Xuetong was in trouble. She wanted to add insult to injury. ¡°Consort Xuan, so this person is from your manor. No wonder the maid looked at you. I wonder why Consort Xuan ordered the maid to strangle the pce maid from the Empress¡¯ pce.¡±

    It sounded like a question. There was a hint of amusement in her eyes, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

    ¡°Consort Chu, what are you talking about? Could it be that this maid is from Cousin Tong¡¯s manor and she was sent by Cousin Tong? Why didn¡¯t you say that since she was from Lian¡¯s Manor, it was the people in Lian¡¯s Manor to ask her to do something so evil?¡± Luo Mingzhu squeezed her way to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and was furious when she heard Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s words.

    ¡°I was wondering who it was. It¡¯s Young Madam Li. Don¡¯t deny the fact just because you want to protect your cousin. The maid now belongs to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so didn¡¯t she listen to Consort Xuan? She wouldn¡¯t listen to her former master after leaving Lian¡¯s Manor. Look at how she is behaving. Does she look like she is going to defend herself? It seems that sometimes, the truth is just the truth.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er looked at Mo Xuetong and then at Luo Mingzhu. The corners of her lips curled up withcent, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

    Luo Mingzhu had always protected Mo Xuetong and would not allow Ling Rui¡¯er to nder her. Ling Rui¡¯er was framing Mo Xuetong for murdering the maid of the Empress¡¯ pce. Who would be able to bear such a crime? Luo Mingzhu could not help but flush with anger. She looked at Ling Rui¡¯er angrily and snapped, ¡°Consort Chu, you only pushed the crime onto Cousin Tong, but that interrogating dog had tried to pounce on you. Does it mean that you were the person who had personally killed the maid, and everything happening now is just an act of hiding the details?¡±

    Hearing her words, Ling Rui¡¯er opened her mouth but could not find the words to exin herself. The interrogating dog had ferociously rushed over earlier and everyone had seen it clearly. It seemed to make sense.

    Mo Xuetong reached out and patted Luo Mingzhufortingly when she noticed that thetter was really annoyed. She indicated for her to rest assured. She had waited until those people could not help but jump out to continue with the show. ¡°Second Cousin, don¡¯t worry. The matter is not over yet. Let¡¯s watch it slowly.¡±

    Hearing what Mo Xuetong said and seeing how calm she was, Luo Mingzhu calmed down. Mo Xuetong¡¯s behavior made her feel at ease. Then, she turned to look at the handsome King Xuan, who was still standing by her cousin¡¯s side, and she heaved a sigh of relief in the heart. In any case, it should not be a big deal with King Xuan protecting her cousin.

    Ling Rui¡¯erughed coldly to herself. She had had to change because Mo Xuetong had made a fool of her earlier. Then, something like this happenedter. She had already vented all her hatred on Mo Xuetong. No matter what, she would not make Mo Xuetong end up well today. However, when she was about to say something, she saw Feng Yuxuan. He was smiling, but his eyes were cold, making her scared. She suddenly remembered she had said that he had sent Mo Xuetong a South Pearl head essory. Immediately, she felt guilty.

    She stood a little bit back and didn¡¯t dare to say anything.

    The interrogating eunuch turned around and asked the maid, ¡°Tell me, who brought you in?¡±

    Since Consort Xuan said that she didn¡¯t bring her here, of course, it must be someone else. A maid couldn¡¯t have entered the strict imperial pce without anyone taking her in. There must be someone behind her.

    The maid gritted her teeth tightly and remained silent. She lowered her head and did not look at anyone as if she was afraid that others would misunderstand her. However, this made one even more suspicious as they thought of the way she had looked at Mo Xuetong earlier.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this pce maid has offended you that you wanted to kill her. She was so young, and her parents and family are waiting outside the pce,¡± Consort Zhao said with a sigh.

    The pce maid who saw the female corpse suddenly seemed to think of something and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I remember. When I came in with Fei Huan, I saw the maid behind Consort Xuan. She was hiding behind the rockery, so I didn¡¯t see her clearly. But Fei Huan looked very scared, and she said, ¡®I have to do it¡¯...¡±

    This meant that the death of Fei Huan was directly rted to Consort Xuan. Did she refer to the maid standing beside Consort Xuan? The interrogating eunuch couldn¡¯t make up his mind. She had to do it? Did she mean that she deliberately framed Consort Chu, stole a handkerchief from her, took it on her, and then risked her life to frame Consort Chu?

    The interrogating eunuch frowned and asked, ¡°What, what else did she say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I remember she just said these words. She didn¡¯t say anything else. But when I saw the maidservanting out, she was very very scared, but she didn¡¯t ask me for help. Fei Huan was a timid person, and she would never do anything big. I beg you to seek justice for her.¡±

    As the pce maid said, her tears fell again.

    Ling Rui¡¯er could not help but open her mouth when she heard that she was mentioned again. However, when she met Feng Yuxuan¡¯s sharp gaze, she shut her mouth immediately.

    Consort Zhao suddenly came to a realization. She frowned and looked at Mo Xuetong, asking, ¡°Consort Xuan, where were you when these things happened?¡±

    ¡°I was wandering in the garden.¡± Mo Xuetong nced at Consort Zhao and said with a faint smile. Finally, without Ling Rui¡¯er leading the way, Consort Zhao had no choice but to speak up on her own.

    ¡°Are you with anyone else?¡± Consort Zhao asked again, sounding as if she was concerned about Mo Xuetong. ¡°Think about it again. If someone can prove that your maid was with you, it will be fine.¡±

    On the contrary, if there was no one to prove it, Mo Xuetong would be highly suspected.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her clear eyes were charming and calm as if they were flowers blooming. ¡°Other than me and Mo Ye, no one else noticed me and the maid beside me.¡±

    She had not met Luo Mingzhu before and was not close to otherdies and madams. Furthermore, after what happened to Ling Rui¡¯er, those people would rather try to avoid her than approach her. As such, she must be alone. Both the Empress and Consort Zhao knew of this, but Consort Zhao still asked her intentionally. It was really ludicrous.

 Chapter 545 - Who Killed Ming Xia?

    <h4>Chapter 545 Who Killed Ming Xia?</h4>

    ¡°This... this, this is too coincidental.¡± Consort Zhao seemed as if she could not defend Mo Xuetong any longer. Her hesitant expression made it seem as if she were trying to defend Mo Xuetong, but there was no way for her to do it. Her action made people suspect if Mo Xuetong had really done such an evil thing.

    The dead pce maid was just one part of the scheme. Whether it was Ling Rui¡¯er or Mo Xuetong being poured watermelon juice, she would always be involved. It was a part of death. In thew of the Great Qin, if someone really dared to kill the people beside the Empress, they would be punished to death.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, I am sorry.¡± The maid who had been remaining silent seemed to have made up her mind. She kowtowed to Mo Xuetong and bit something.

    Mo Xuetong knew that things were going pear-shaped when she saw the maidservant bite something. Feng Yuran moved even faster and removed the maidservant¡¯s chin. However, it was still toote. ck blood flowed out from the maidservant¡¯s mouth and she fell to the ground. She was poisoned to death.

    The interrogating eunuch¡¯s expression changed. He reached out to open the maidservant¡¯s mouth and looked inside before replying, ¡°There¡¯s poison in her mouth.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s red lips twitched slightly and he said indifferently, ¡°What a pity!¡± He seemed to speak to the maidservant, but his eyes swept across the Empress and the consorts behind her, and paused especially on Consort Zhao¡¯s face.

    Consort Zhao didn¡¯t rx until she saw the maidservantmit suicide. At this time, she was happy in her heart, but there was some pity in her eyes. She sighed softly and said, ¡°It¡¯s really a pity. Such a loyal servant died for her master.¡±

    Now that the maidservant had died, Mo Xuetong would be the one to me no matter what she said. There was no way for Mo Xuetong to rise again. Simrly, the maidservant¡¯s death caused them to have no evidence. Mo Xuetong could also be the one to me for what happened at Lian¡¯s Manor¡ªMo Xuetong had deliberately ruined Lian An¡¯s reputation and done that on purpose, so Lian An was also the victim.

    Of course, her purpose was to help Feng Yuran draw the officials over to his side. Lian An did not want to be his side, which was why he had gotten into this trouble.

    Lian An would regain his position, and Mo Xuetong would die without a proper burial; Consort Xuan would be reelected, and the He family still had unmarried girls. There would still be time... in this case, Consort Zhao, Lian An and the He family hidden behind the scenes would be the ones who would benefit the most. It was a chain of connections that was impossible to guard against!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s cold gazended on Consort Zhao¡¯s face, with an unconcealed disgust in his eyes. His usuallyzy voice seemed to be filled with ayer of ice. ¡°Consort Zhao, why are you feeling pity for her? Is it because the maid¡¯s indenture is in your hands?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s words caused everyone present to change their faces.

    ¡°Your Highness, isn¡¯t she a maid of your manor?¡± the interrogating eunuch couldn¡¯t help asking.

    Feng Yuran smiled wickedly and his eyes were filled with contempt and mockery. ¡°Tong¡¯er only said that this person was in our manor. She used to be in Lian¡¯s Manor. I heard that Minister Lian¡¯s back courtyard was in chaos and that Madam Lian wanted to sell the two maidservants into a brothel. The two maidservants fled to my manor overnight and hoped that Tong¡¯er would take them in. However, their selling indentures were not in our manor and these maidservants could not be considered servants of our manor either. Could it be that such a person is Tong¡¯er¡¯s trusted subordinate? Would Tong¡¯er ask her to do such a secret thing? Once the maidservant¡¯s previous master took out their selling indentures, it would be easy to ask her to frame Tong¡¯er.¡±

    His statement was extremely impolite, but it made people believe that Mo Xuetong would not have used a maidservant that she had just taken in if she had tried to do something like that. This person did not even have an indenture. Who knew if she had been sent into the manor intentionally?

    ¡°But even if that¡¯s the case, what does it have to do with me?¡± Standing aside, Consort Zhao was furious.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and stepped forward to stand beside Feng Yuran. A cold smile appeared on her lips as she pointed at the maidservant on the ground and then at Consort Zhao. She said with a smile, ¡°Consort Zhao, don¡¯t worry. I was not in a hurry when you pointed at me just now. I just mentioned you, but why are you angry? Look, everybody, does this maidservant resemble Consort Zhao?¡±

    Her words stunned everyone. Suddenly, they all looked at the face of the maidservant, whoy on the ground with her eyes half open and died unsatisfied, and then at the bright face of Consort Zhao. Immediately, someone eximed, ¡°This maidservant is really simr to Consort Zhao.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at how simr to Consort Zhao she is. Is she a rtive of Consort Zhao?¡±

    ¡°She is not one of the two youngdies of the He family. The two youngdies don¡¯t look like Consort Zhao very much, but she looks more like...¡±

    The Empress¡¯ eyes also fell on Consort Zhao¡¯s face, and then on the dead maid on the ground as a cold smile appeared on her lips. No wonder she felt familiar when she saw the maid just now. It turned out that she was quite simr to that bitch. What she hated most was the face of Consort Xian, including the faces that were simr to Consort Xian¡¯s. Consort Zhao was also one of the people she hated.

    Why did the maid of Lian¡¯s Manor look so simr to Consort Zhao? Why did the two maids flee to King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Given King Xuan, Feng Yuran¡¯s character, he did not seem to be the one who would take the weak in. Why did the two maids head to King Xuan¡¯s Manor? What was the purpose of this?

    For a moment, everyone went silent.

    Consort Zhao had sweat on her forehead, and she had a bad feeling. But she didn¡¯t believe that her secret had been exposed to others. So she just sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s normal to see simr people and things. Consort Xuan, what do you mean by this?¡±

    Mo Xuetong slightly smiled and didn¡¯t fight against her. Instead, she said in a soft voice. ¡°Consort Zhao, you¡¯re overthinking. I didn¡¯t mean anything. I just noticed that her face is simr to yours. Your Highness, this girl is Ming Xia and there is the other girl named Ming Yu. They both look simr to you.¡± Then she looked at Consort Zhao again as if she really felt strange.

    Her gaze made Consort Zhao feel the veins in her forehead throb. However, she knew that she could not fall out with Mo Xuetong now. She gritted her teeth forcefully and a gentle smile appeared on her face. She asked in confusion, ¡°I also think the maid looks simr to me. What a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a coincidence. When I came here with Elder Brother just now, I saw a eunuch holding something and sending it to the Mingyue Pce. Seeing the eunuch act secretively, we asked people to arrest him. I didn¡¯t expect that he had two selling indentures. And the two happened to be the maids who fled to my manor. I¡¯m really curious.¡±

    Feng Yuran waved his hand as he spoke. A eunuch handed over an open box respectfully. Everyone looked into the box and saw that there were two selling indentures with the government seal on them.

    ¡°Ming Yu, Ming Xia.¡± Someone read the names on it. It was a voice that was neither too loud nor too small, but everyone could hear it.

    Consort Zhao¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet of paper that could be blown away and torn apart at any time when she saw the box. She looked at the paper and then at Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran. Then, she suddenly forced a smile and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the eunuch?¡±

    She was certain that she hadn¡¯t asked Lian An to send her the selling indentures, so someone must have done something to harm her. Her years of experience with the pce fight told her that she couldn¡¯t be affected now.

    ¡°The eunuch died in the same way she did. Somebody,e and see if the marks on the female corpse are made by the hands of that eunuch?¡± Feng Yuran smiled evilly and stretched out his hand. The crowd parted and he saw a guard dragging a eunuch¡¯s corpse from outside.

    The timid youngdies in the crowd let out short screams. There were dead people one after another, and there were two lying on the spot. At this time, another was dragged over. It appeared chilling no matter how one looked at it. The youngdies trembled.

    The guard pulled the dead eunuch to the side of the dead pce maid and picked up his feeble hand and made a gesture on the pce maid¡¯s neck. Then he stood up and reported respectfully, ¡°Your Highness, the pce maid was pinched by him, and the mark on his hands are exactly the same as that on her neck.¡±

    Hearing the report, everyone was in an uproar. Just now, they all made an issue of the maid named Ming Xia. Now they found that the idental link seemed to have nothing to do with the previous murder. What did the pce maid mean? Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the pce maid kneeling beside the pce maid Fei Huan.

    This maid was supposed to be from the Empress¡¯ pce, wasn¡¯t she?

    ¡°The pce maid was threatened by that eunuch to steal Consort Chu¡¯s handkerchief, and then was killed by him. He walked with the pce maid all the way, and maybe he said he was afraid. But since it was the matter of the master in this pce, the pce maid didn¡¯t dare to say anything about it. Later, she died an unnatural death. In the end, she med it on my wife. Now, the most important thing is to find out which pce the eunuch belongs to. Then we might be able to find his master.¡±

    Every word of Feng Yuran pointed to the loophole in the matter just now. In fact, besides that, everyone just now was only paying attention to the maid Ming Xia and had forgotten that the interrogating eunuch had once told them that the murderer was a man. How could such a weak woman like Ming Xia kill a pce maid who was about the same age as her?

    Hearing his words, the maid kneeling on the ground was sweating profusely and did not dare to lift her head. She could sense the Empress¡¯ cold re on her head and did not dare to move. What she said was told by the Empress in order to make people suspect Mo Xuetong. However, the situation had changed and she did not know how to deal with it. As such, she lowered her head and pretended to be sad. She ignored the matter no matter what Feng Yuran said.

    Which pce did the eunuche from? No matter which pce he came from, he must be from the pce. The consorts following the Empress were all stunned. They had just been watching the scene of bustle and now they found that it was possible for them to be framed. So their faces turned pale.

    No matter who got involved in this kind of thing, it would not be good.

    ¡°The eunuch was going to send a gift box to Consort Zhao¡¯s Mingyue Pce. Of course, he is Consort Zhao¡¯s people. Will hee from the other consorts¡¯ pce? If no one received this gift box, he would still be exposed. It means that there is someone in the Mingyue Pce to receive it,¡± Consort Yu saidzily.

    With her pregnancy, she normally did not have much energy, so she was the least likely to be the culprit. Now she directed at Consort Zhao, without considering her dignity. She listened happily. No matter what, this matter was rted to Consort Zhao. She had long suspected that Consort Zhao had some sort of connection with Lian¡¯s Manor, so of course she wanted to add insult to injury.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard that Consort Zhao¡¯s family had once had a good rtionship with Minister Lian, and that Consort Zhao¡¯s rtionship with Minister Lian was also quite good. So what if he gave her two maids¡¯ selling indentures?¡± In order to get rid of her suspicion, another imperial consort smiled charmingly and pushed the matter onto Consort Zhao.

    ¡°Needless to say, the second miss of the He family was Minister Lian¡¯s mistress. I heard that he had made a big scene because of it. In this case, even Minister Lian could be considered Consort Zhao¡¯s niece¡¯s husband. It really isn¡¯t a big deal to give her a gift.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I heard that Second Miss He is Consort Yu¡¯s brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e. She eloped with Minister Lian now. Minister Lian seemed to be quite decent at ordinary times, but unexpectedly, he couldn¡¯t control himself in the carriage that day. He and Second Miss He... Many people saw it in the capital along the way. It¡¯s, really...¡±

    The imperial consort who was speaking looked shy, but she made it clear what she wanted to express.

 Chapter 546 - The Empress Second Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 546 The Empress¡¯ Second Scheme</h4>

    The sounds of discussions were not small. They were like bombs thrown into Consort Zhao¡¯s heart. She knew that her n had failedpletely today. Not only could she not save Lian An, but she would also implicate him. She had nned to use this incident to push the matter about Lian An and He Yuxiu onto Mo Xuetong and put her to death.

    However, things did not go ording to her n.

    First, the maidservant did not get Mo Xuetong¡¯s handkerchief, and instead, she got Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s handkerchief. This was already beyond Consort Zhao¡¯s expectations. It was fortunate that she could me Mo Xuetong for this. However, unexpected things happened one after another. The situation hadpletely changed. She failed to put Mo Xuetong to death in one go, but she would draw the suspicion of Emperor Zongwen.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The Empress¡¯ eyes shed with a trace of anger. She looked at Consort Zhao coldly and said angrily. Things had alreadye to this point, and if she didn¡¯t ask further, it would be a little weird, which would make people suspect.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was with Your Majesty just now and didn¡¯t know anything about the eunuch.¡± Consort Zhao was in a hurry to defend herself.

    ¡°Consort Zhao, you misremembered. Didn¡¯t you go back to rest just now? Didn¡¯t you say that you were tired and wanted to go back and rest for a while? Her Majesty and we really don¡¯t know what you were doing during this period of time.¡± Consort Yu seemed to be puzzled and asked, which made Consort Zhao¡¯s face instantly turn livid.

    Only then did she remember that she had not wanted to rest, but Consort Yu had said that she was tired. Her mind whirled and she pointed at Consort Yu hatefully. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s you. It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s your people.¡±

    ¡°Consort Zhao, you¡¯re really joking. I¡¯ve been following Her Majesty, so why does it have to do with me? You said it was Consort Xuan, but now you¡¯re saying it¡¯s me. Consort Xuan is in poor health and she was still lying in bed a few days ago, and I¡¯m pregnant with His Majesty¡¯s child. I don¡¯t have enough rest in normal times, so I don¡¯t have time to n anything. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re busy with these days, Consort Zhao.¡±

    Consort Yu¡¯s face darkened and she said coldly. Although Consort Zhao was the Emperor¡¯s favorite concubine and the Emperor didn¡¯t show dislike to her, she was not weak either. At least she had a child in her belly, and in this respect, she had the upper hand. When she heard a concubine say that He Yuxiu, Lian An¡¯s mistress, was her younger brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Consort Yu wanted to vent her anger on Consort Zhao.

    Seeing the sinister coldness in Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes, Consort Yu decided not to spare her even if she could not directly drag her down today. No matter how much the Emperor doted on Consort Zhao, he still had to give everyone an exnation. There were quite a few people present, including most of the ministers¡¯ family members. Although she did not explicitly prove that it was Consort Zhao, the meaning was enough.

    And there was one thing¡ªConsort Yu did not believe that the Emperor did not care about it.

    ¡°Guards, take Consort Zhao away. Send her to His Majesty in a minute and His Majesty will punish her,¡± the Empress said in a low voice. Anyway, the matter had been blown out of the clues. The eunuchy with his face down, so she didn¡¯t see his face clearly. At this time, a guard came over and identally flipped him, and immediately, his face, which was scratched so badly that no one could see his true appearance, was exposed.

    The eunuch¡¯s face had been disfigured. How to distinguish this?

    This matter was equivalent to a mystery case without clues. When it came to Consort Zhao, it stopped, and all the doubtful points were pointed at her, but there was no actual evidence. Although the Empress really wanted Consort Zhao to die, she also understood that it was not the right time to do so. While Consort Zhao plotted against Mo Xuetong, she had added fuel to the fire.

    The one who tried to steal Mo Xuetong¡¯s handkerchief was her maid. However, she stole Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s handkerchief. And then it was about the watermelon juice. She only hoped that Ling Rui¡¯er did not discover what happened after that. Otherwise, Ling Rui¡¯er would really fall out with her. No matter what, all she wanted to do now was to turn the incident into a minor one. She did not even care if the Emperor would let go of Consort Zhao.

    Consort Zhao was dragged down and the corpses on the ground were also dragged out one by one. After such a bloody incident had happened at the Ancient Valentine Banquet, the nobledies and masters did not have the mood to talk love with each other. All of them only wanted to hurry up and return as soon as they could after the banquet. King Chu and King Xuan both led the way. Then, the Empress went behind them, and followed by the noble madams anddies. They walked towards the banquet in groups.

    The Empress left in a hurry as if she had something urgent to do. She held a pce maid¡¯s hand and followed the two men closely, leaving those consorts behind. And the consorts all looked at her strangely.

    Mo Xuetong hurried over from behind and suddenly called out, ¡°Your Majesty.¡±

    Perhaps because it was a little softer or it was not loud enough, a few people heard her and turned around. However, the Empress did not hear it and continued walking forward quickly.

    Ling Rui¡¯er walked past Mo Xuetong and red at her. Then, she pursed her lips and mocked, ¡°What are you shouting about? What¡¯s the matter again?¡± Then, she spoke loudly and sweetly to the front, ¡°Aunt Empress, Consort Xuan is calling for you. Please stop for a while.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was still angry when she thought of how Mo Xuetong had managed to escape earlier. She wanted to see what Mo Xuetong was going to do at the moment. As such, she stopped and stood by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side.

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s voice was very loud. Not only did the Empress hear it, but even Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran, who were in the lead, also heard it. Both of them stopped and turned around to look behind them. The Empress had to stop as well. She hated the stupid Ling Rui¡¯er in her heart. Even though she was very anxious, she did not show it on her face. She pretended to be calm and turned around to ask, ¡°Is there anything else, Consort Xuan?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, I just wanted to ask when the banquet would begin,¡± Mo Xuetong said gently.

    Her question made the Empress almost fly into a rage. She thought something was wrong and stopped on purpose. But it turned out that nothing had happened. She was anxious and pretended to be fine. She answered lightly, ¡°It¡¯s about to start. Is there something wrong, Consort Xuan?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked as if there were indeed something wrong. Her face twitched and she looked at Ling Rui¡¯er who was standing by the side. Then, she opened her mouth but did not say anything.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, are you wanting to say something intimate to Aunt Empress that I can¡¯t listen.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er could not help but mock Mo Xuetong when she saw that Mo Xuetong looked at her as if she could not say anything. She especially called the Empress her Aunt in order to make Mo Xuetong understand that she and the Empress were the closest, and that there was nothing that she could not listen to.

    ¡°I... I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just asking.¡± Mo Xuetong looked awkward, which made Ling Rui¡¯er feel rather pleased. She ignored the hatred she felt for the Empress earlier and stepped forward to hold the Empress. She raised her head as if she was trying to frighten Mo Xuetong. ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing wrong with Consort Xuan, Aunt Empress and I will take our leave first.¡±

    Then, without saying anything else to Mo Xuetong, she held on to the Empress and walked forward slowly.

    The Empress was worried and anxious, but she could not walk fast because Ling Rui¡¯er was holding on to her. She could only watch as Mo Xuetong walked past her holding her maid and towards the banquet. The anxiety in her eyes almost burst out. No, she could not let Mo Xuetong enter the banquet. Otherwise, something would really happen.

    ¡°Consort Xuan,¡± she called in a loud voice.

    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Mo Xuetong stopped and waited for the Empress toe over anxiously. She looked at the Empress¡¯ uncontroble twitch at the corners of her eyes and a cold smile appeared in her heart. ¡°Are you in a hurry now? Why weren¡¯t you in a hurry when you had plotted against me?¡± The Empress¡¯ traces were everywhere in today¡¯s scheme.

    However, the Empress thought that she had done it without leaving any trace.

    In order to deal with her, the Empress even cooperated with Consort Zhao to steal her handkerchief for Consort Zhao. If her handkerchief was gotten by the pce maid named Fei Huan, did that mean something else? Then Fei Huan tried to knock the watermelon juice on her. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know what the Empress was up to, but she was sure that the one who went to change her clothes would be in trouble.

    When Ling Rui¡¯er came out safely, she had once suspected that she was being too sensitive. However, when she saw how the Empress had left everyone aside in a hurry, it was obvious that she was feeling guilty. It was not that the Empress had not plotted against her, but that the plot had not even started anything.

    As she noticed that the Empress walked so quickly, Mo Xuetong was certain that the plot would start the moment she appeared at the banquet. The Empress had set a second plot against her. If she had not died in the previous murder, the following incident would definitely me on her.

    Unfortunately, she would not make the Empress pleased. She would like to see what she plotted this time.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, walk slowly. I¡¯m a little tired. Why don¡¯t you and Consort Chu help me rest at the Tianfeng Pce?¡± The Empress touched her forehead, looking a little weak. She leaned against Ling Rui¡¯er and put her weight on Ling Rui¡¯er. Ling Rui¡¯er immediately stumbled and could not support herself well.

    The Empress was trying to trick Mo Xuetong into going to the Tianfeng Pce first, and then get someone to rearrange. As long as Mo Xuetong did not appear at the banquet, the plot would not start and she would still have a chance to arrange it.

    ¡°Somebody, Her Majesty is not feeling well. How could you let Consort Chu support her alone? Two more persons, hurry up.¡± Feng Yuran stopped in front of the Empress and a trace of viciousness tugged at his lips. He yelled at the pce maids standing by the Empress¡¯ side with a vicious look in his eyes. The two pce maids who followed the Empress were so frightened that they hurried over to help the Empress.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Tong¡¯er isn¡¯t feeling well and could just walk for a while the day before yesterday. She really can¡¯t serve you. I¡¯ll take her to have a rest. If you¡¯re tired, go and have a rest first.¡± A cold smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s lips. He said in an arrogant and casual manner.

    Even though he appeared impolite, it made others speechless. This person was not well-behaved even in front of the Emperor. King Xuan had never been one to be polite. As such, even though the Empress was extremely angry, she could not say anything. At least, the man seemed to be respectful towards her on the surface.

    The Empress was very anxious when she saw him taking Mo Xuetong toward the banquet, his arm being around her slender waist, as if no one was around. The Empress could not pretend any longer and pushed away the maid and Ling Rui¡¯er, who were supporting her, and strode forward. She had to stop the plot before Mo Xuetong arrived at the banquet.

    Seeing the Empress walk past her, Mo Xuetong reached out to pull Feng Yuran¡¯s hand and slowed down. Then she gestured to Mo Ye who was following by her side. Mo Ye walked to the side slowly and disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight in an instant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hurry?¡± Feng Yuran smiled at Mo Xuetong. His eyes looked as if they were filled with spring breeze, without the viciousness they had earlier.

    Mo Xuetong leaned close to him and smiled. When she looked up again, there was a warm glow in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s no hurry.¡±

    She was really not in a hurry. When she entered the Tianfeng Pce, the Empress had asked a maid to steal her handkerchief using Ling Rui¡¯er. Then she asked Mo Ye to take Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s handkerchief and exchange it for hers, making a mistake in the Empress and Consort Zhao¡¯s n. Later, Feng Yuran ordered his people to bring the two selling indentures from Lian¡¯s Manor. The box that Lian An had sent was originally filled with notes of silver, and Feng Yuran had exchanged them for the selling indentures.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect the eunuch to scratch his face before he died. However, this did not hinder Mo Xuetong from going along with the n. Now was not the best time to get rid of Consort Zhao. She still had to dig out her secret.

    As for the Empress, she just needed to wait for her next move and watch the fun.

 Chapter 547 - Who was Ma Er, the Person from the Prison to the Imperial Palace

    <h4>Chapter 547 Who was Ma Er, the Person from the Prison to the Imperial Pce</h4>

    In the Hua¡¯nuan Pavilion, clothes were scattered everywhere, including Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s dirty clothes and the bellyband inside. It was the closest ce to where the watermelon juice had been sshed on her. That was to say, the other ces were much further away than here for clothes changing.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had to change clothes here.

    As for the murderter, Ling Rui¡¯er and her maidservant knew nothing about it, and just hurried out at that time, even had no time to pack the clothes. The dirty clothes were thrown on the floor, including the dress and bellyband. Besides, it was natural to wear light clothes in the summer. So when the big bowl of watermelon juice was poured on the clothes, how could they not get thoroughly wet?

    A man was sitting on the pile of messy clothes, holding Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s bellyband in his hand. The smile on his face was particrly wretched. He brought it to his nose and sniffed it. It was as if he was looking at the white body of the beauty who had changed her clothes earlier. Thinking that such a beautiful woman would have an affair with him and would belong to him, how could the man not be overjoyed about it?

    Just now, he deliberately hid behind the screen to see clearly that there was a faint mole below the right side of the woman¡¯s navel. It was the evidence, so the woman would fail to exin it clearly. He did not expect that he was so lucky that he was not only released from the prisoners on death row, but also could get such a beauty.

    He was called Ma Er, a murderer, who was going to be executed after autumn. He had been waiting for his death in the cell. Unexpectedly, a savior descended. The woman was his savior who took him out of the cell and asked him to hide there. Until now, he did not know where it was. But judging from the splendid decoration, he guessed it must be a great family.

    The madams anddies of a great family attached the greatest importance to their chastity. If ady was seen naked by him, she would have no alternative but to follow him. At that moment, Ma Er suddenly recalled that a fortune-teller had once predicted that if Ma Er could survive a great disaster, he could be destined to good fortune ever after. Sure enough, the fortune-teller was right. Ma Er did not expect that he who was going to be executed, would have such good fortune in love affairs. He clenched the bellyband and stuffed in into his clothes.

    The savior asked him to wait there, and said someone woulde there and inquire him. At that time, all he needed to do was to answer that he saw a woman change clothes, and it would be better if he could see some characteristics of the woman. But now Ma Er was greedier. So he put the bellyband in his arms. It was an ident. Who knew that the woman and her maidservant had been so careless that they had forgotten to pack the underwear?

    When he was lost in the wild thought, Ma Er heard someone¡¯s voice and hurriedly hid in the back of the screen.

    After he hid in the back of the screen, he saw a woman dressed like a maidservanting in a hurry with a cloth bag in her hand. She sighed with a bit relief at the sight of the scattered clothes, and instead of folding them, she just rolled all the dirty clothed up and threw into the cloth bag she brought.

    After checking that there were no clothes on the ground, she walked out with the cloth bag in hand.

    Ma Er thought that it was ridiculous. The woman did not remember to clear her clothes until now, and she just threw them all into the bag without checking the clothes carefully. He thought he was definitely such a lucky dog that all he needed to do was to wait for the matter blowing up.

    Outside the door came the slight sound of footsteps again. Ma Er looked through the screen and saw a beautiful womaning in. Her clothes looked obviously more high-end than the previous maidservant. Was the woman in front from a great family? The material of her clothing was rather new to him.

    ¡°Ma Er, are you there?¡± Ma Er turned away his face and felt a thrill up as if being injected with chicken blood. Upon hearing the call, he answered immediately, ¡°Miss, Ma Er is here.¡±

    It was the savior who saved him from the cell. Apparently, she came to tell him that it was his turn. How could he not be excited? Without too much thought, he ran out of the screen and said to the woman with an unctuous bow, ¡°Miss, Ma Er is here. Am I going to make trouble?¡±

    Ma Er, a spalpeen, was really a master of making trouble.

    As long as he ruined the woman¡¯s reputation, the woman would belong to him. At the thought, he seemed to see the beautiful white body in front of him and felt that his blood boiled with stirs from head to toe.

    ¡°Wait a minute. You need to hold your horses now. The woman left hurriedly for something, so she mighte back after a while. You can have a meal here. When Ie to call you, you can go out.¡± Yan Miao put a small-size meal box on the table and opened it. There was only a bowl of rice and a dish in it.

    Looking at the jade-white rice grains and fragrant dishes, Ma Er couldn¡¯t help swallowing. How could the food in the cellpare to these? Although it was just a simple meal of a bowl of rice and a dish, in Ma Er¡¯s eyes, it was a precious meal. He tried hard to resist himself to the food and watched Yan Miao longingly. Seeing Yan Miao gestured him to eat, he picked up the chopsticks by his side immediately and began gobbling them.

    With his mouth full of food, he still asked Yan Miao, ¡°Miss, Ma Er will be at your disposal whenever you need me. And you don¡¯t have toe in person, but send a little maidservant to call me. My life is yours now!¡±

    He thought that Yan Miao was a high-ranking youngdy of the manor, otherwise, she could not have had the right to drag him back from the gallows. At that moment, He was sincerely grateful to her.

    Yan Miao nodded and looked at the vulgar and wretched Ma Er with disgust in her eyes. She took two steps back and waited for him to finish the meal. As nned, Consort Xuan would have had to change clothes here due to being spilled by the watermelon juice, and been seen naked by Ma Er secretly. As long as Ma Er imed that he was in the Hua¡¯nuan Pavilion where Mo Xuetong was changing clothes, Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would be ruined without a doubt.

    No matter how much King Xuan tolerated Mo Xuetong, the Emperor would not allow an impure woman to stay by King Xuan¡¯s side.

    But who would have thought that the watermelon juice was not poured on Consort Xuan, but on Consort Chu all over? And it finally turned to be Consort Chu who came here to change clothes, which agitated the Empress so badly that she almost fainted.

    No matter how terrible Ling Rui¡¯er was, she was still the daughter of the Ding General Manor. The n should go on like this: since the scandal was created, Consort Xuan was unable to detect anything because of her paternal background. After all, the imperial pce was far powerful beyond the Mo Manor. Although the Fu General Manor was one of the Four Great Manors, it had little influence on the inner pce, so what could they do if they did found that that Consort Xuan had been plotted against?

    No one could trace that it was the Empress behind the scenes. Meeting with such a mishap, Mo Xuetong, if she was a rigorously chaste woman, had no alternative but to prove her purity with her death, or if she was unwilling to die, she would end up her life in the Cold Pce and could not have her day forever so as not to tarnish the reputation of the royal family.

    However, Ling Rui¡¯er was different. If the incident was plotted against Ling Rui¡¯er, how could the Ding General Manor leave the matter at that? What¡¯s worse, the Empress Dowager was also a hurdle. The Empress knew that although the Empress Dowager was on bad terms with her, the Empress Dowager was trying hard to draw the Ding General Manor over to her side. So if the Empress Dowager spotted that it was the Empress who set the trap secretly, the Empress¡¯s two brothers would certainly not spare the Empress.

    By then, not to mention supporting the Empress, the Ding General Manor might stand against her. Now King Yan was in a bad situation. Although the Empress had thought of plotting against Ling Rui¡¯er to crack down Feng Yuxuan, it did not include defaming Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s reputation. If such an incident blew up, the entire Ding General Manor would be implicated.

    Therefore, the Empress didn¡¯t dare to take any action.

    But even so, there was another trouble. Since the Empress had racked her brains to get Ma Er into the pce, she did not intend to let him leave the pce alive, but nned to ask people to beat him to death when the scandal broke out because dead men told no tales. However, Ma Er was useless now, so the Empress had to find a way to get him out of the pce, which added danger to the current situation.

    The Empress had not decided whether she should send him away alive or not, so she wanted to leave it until after the banquet. Now She had to pacify the condemned prisoner, Ma Er, for fear that he would pop up in the banquet if he could not see the person he had been waiting for. There were a number of young masters anddies who were here to attend the banquet, and some pairs of them were talking to each other with great affection. The Empress feared that something unexpected would happen if Ma Er was found, so she sent Yan Miao to cate Ma Er.

    The previous n waspletely invalid. The two eunuchs who had been guarding the banquet were transferred by the Empress. They were supposed to send Ma Er here the moment they saw Mo Xuetong appear, and to im that they spotted a man in the Hua¡¯nuan Pavilion. Then Ma Er would say that he had witnessed Mo Xuetong change her clothes.

    Yan Miao was really impatient to see a condemned prisoner eating here. She felt sick at the sight that he was devouring ravenously, but his eyes stared at her nastily, as if he were going to strip her clothes, so she simply said, ¡°Ma Er, wait here for a while. Don¡¯te out. I still have something to do now. I¡¯lle back to youter.¡±

    She could take the meal boxter.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Miss, you go to work first. I can have my meal here.¡± The beautiful, pure-white body that he had seen earlier recurred to his mind. Having adequate food led one to lust for sex. Seeing Yan Miao¡¯s beautiful figure, he could not help but make aparison and have an itch for lust in his heart.

    Yan Miao had no patience to talk to him any longer, but opened the door and went out. Then she closed the door carefully. It was close to the imperial garden. Although Yan Miao disliked the man named Ma Er, she did not dare to ruin the Empress¡¯s n. After closing the door cautiously, she looked around to make sure that there was no one else, and then went back to the garden banquet.

    Ma Er finished all the food in a short while in the room. After that, he threw away the bowl and leaned against the spacious andfortable bed. It was really cozy here. It was impossible for him to have such afortable life in prison. The food was delicious to eat, and the bed wasfortable to sleep on. And now, he began thinking about the beauty who had changed her clothes just now.

    With so many maidservants around, it seemed that she must be a youngdy of the manor. Thinking that he was going to marry the noble youngdy who was so beautiful that Xiao Feng¡¯er in the brothel suffered byparison, Ma Er felt his heartbeat elerated vigorously, which drove his drowsiness after the meal awaypletely.

    He turned and tossed in bed, unable to fall asleep. His mind was stuffed with the only thought¨Cit would be great if he could hold the beauty into his arms. The more he thought, the more he felt that the beauty did have a splendid figure, and none of the prostitutes in the brothel couldpare to her. Ma Er felt a st of heat in his heart!

    In any case, he would never let go of such a beautiful noble woman.

    The decor of the room could tell that the family was rather wealthy. Ma Er thought as long as he could marry this beautiful woman, he could enjoy whatever kind of life he wanted by only an order.

    Suddenly, the door opened, and a woman¡¯s voice came from outside the screen, ¡°Ma Er, have you finished your meal?¡±

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve finished eating.¡± Ma Er sat up immediately and asked in excitement, ¡°Are you going to let me go out to make trouble?¡± His mind was crammed with the idea of getting things done quickly.

    ¡°Yes,e out with me,¡± said the woman.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Ma Er replied and tugged on his clothes. He turned around the screen and saw that the door was open. A woman dressed as a maid was standing against him outside the door, indicating for him to follow her.

    As the woman could tell his name and know that he was eating just now, Ma Er did not doubt that this person was sent by others as all. Because no one but the savior knew about this. Ma Er just strode up and touched the bellyband in his arms secretly, andughedcently in his heart...

 Chapter 548 - The Dispute, Each Got Smacked on the Face

    <h4>Chapter 548 The Dispute, Each Got Smacked on the Face</h4>

    The banquet officially began. Although the young masters and youngdies could chat a little by the flowers and under the moon, men and women were arranged in two different rows of seats separated by a line of tall flowers and nts. However, when they stood, they could still see each other, even when seated, they could dimly see each other¡¯s face through the flowers and grass.

    Mo Xuetong was arranged to sit by Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s right hand. Since King Ning did not have the legitimate consort, and Consort Yan was constrained in the manor, only Mo Xuetong and Ling Rui¡¯er were there, so the arrangement of the seats was reasonable.

    But the proper arrangement of seats did not mean that it was appropriate in the real sense.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong sit beside her, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes fell on Mo Xuetong with sneer and disdain, and she said, ¡°Mo Xuetong, you still have the nerve to sit here! You are really big-hearted! Do you think the ce is familiar to you? At that time, your illegitimate sister was said to seduce the King here. And your sisters did have a tacit agreement. The eldest one seduced our King while the youngest one seduced King Yan. The daughters of the Mo Manor are really low.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er remembered the South Pearl head essory. To get the set of essory, she had been begging Feng Yuxuan in a coy manner many times, but Feng Yuxuan always refused her. Unexpectedly, Feng Yuxuan just gave it to King Xuan so nicely. She had an intuition that the person Feng Yuxuan wanted to give to was actually Mo Xuetong. At this thought, Ling Rui¡¯er was full of jealousy and angry.

    It was as if Mo Xuetong had intentionally asked Feng Yuxuan for this set of South Pearl head essory so as to give a p on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face. However, Ling Rui¡¯er did not realize that it was Feng Yuxuan himself who insisted to give it away, which had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong. Could it be that Feng Yuxuan did not intend to present it, but Mo Xuetong asked for it? Besides, Feng Yuxuan did it with a bad intention that he tried to entice Mo Xuetong to opened the Duo La Box.

    Looking at Ling Rui¡¯er making trouble out of nothing, Mo Xuetong raised her head with a faint smile on her lips and uttered slowly, but the words werepletely opposite to the gentle smile on her face, ¡°If Consort Chu feels embarrassed, you can choose not to sit here. If Consort Chu does not like to see me, I don¡¯t want to see you, either. As for whether others are low or not, Consort Chu can look at yourself.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er had plotted against Mo Xuetong more than once. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er had never seeded, it was obvious how narrow-minded and vicious she was. Mo Xuetong was unwilling to have much to do with her, so decided to strike back straightforward.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s remarks were extremely sharp, utterly different from the gentle manner that Mo Xuetong usually behaved in. Ling Rui¡¯er was stunned by the scolding, and she had not expected Mo Xuetong, who had always looked weak, to retaliate so sharply. Ling Rui¡¯er collected herself gradually and red at Mo Xuetong, as if a fire were about to erupt from her eyes and she was about to go mad.

    She was the third miss of the Ding General Manor, and was the Consort Chu of high status. When had she ever been scolded low in public? ¡°Mo Xuetong, you bitch! Did you deliberately spill the watermelon juice on me today and humiliate me? Right? You always act flirtatiously in front of His Highness, and now you tried to make me look like a fool. Are you trying to seduce His Highness? Mo Xuetong!¡±

    The more Ling Rui¡¯er thought, the more likely it was. She felt that even though the maidservant knocked her hand, the watermelon juice should be spilled outward, but how could it be poured on her dress, making her new dress dirty all over? At that moment, so many people were in the garden to see her embarrassed appearance. How could Ling Rui¡¯er, who had always been proud and arrogant, not get so furious that her lungs were about to explode?

    She almost squeezed out thest three words through her teeth, full of frightening chill.

    ¡°Consort Chu, you¡¯re so strange. If you really think there¡¯s something wrong with King Chu, why don¡¯t you ask him face to face? Why are you biting others like a rabid dog? Does Consort Chu think that King Chu does not take you seriously at all? Or does King Chu still keep your elder sister in his mind, so you are worried about your position? Well, it¡¯s really a pity. As for Second Miss Ling¡¯s beautiful face, how can Consort Chupare to her?¡±

    Looking at Ling Rui¡¯er like this, Mo Xuetong suddenly had an uncontroble urge tough. Even then, did Ling Rui¡¯er still think that Feng Yuxuan was loyal to her? Back then, beautiful as Ling Fengyan had been, she had died at Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hands. Even though she had passed away, Ling Rui¡¯er still disliked it.

    That was why she was so sensitive to Feng Yuxuan¡¯s actions.

    Mo Xuetong simply leaned back and blinked her watery eyes, looking at Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s clothes up and down. She said, ¡°Consort Chu, your clothes are really beautiful. But I remember that Second Miss Ling seemed to have the same ones. Or these clothes are hers? King Chu loves your sister so much that he is still unwilling to let go of her in his heart. Consort Chu, you are more like a substitute for your second sister in King Chu¡¯s heart!¡±

    Her words sounded praises for Ling Fengyan seemingly, but were the innuendo that Ling Rui¡¯er was good for nothing, and that Feng Yuxuan would marry Ling Rui¡¯er merely because Ling Fengyan was gone and Ling Rui¡¯er was a substitute for Ling Fengyan. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t say it intentionally, because she knew that Feng Yuxuan did not like Ling Fengyan, either. Otherwise, she would not have been forced tomit suicide by taking poison so as to frame Wang Yueyue.

    But the words made Ling Rui¡¯er grit her teeth in anger, but unable to refute them.

    Feng Yuxuan treated Ling Rui¡¯er well with tenderness. However, he never allowed her to enter the study room. Whether she coquetted or became angry, Feng Yuxuan never backed down. Once, when Feng Yuxuan went to the military camp, Ling Rui¡¯er went to his study room secretly and saw a Ling Fengyan¡¯s portrait, which he locked in his study desk. It turned out that that was why Feng Yuxuan did not allow Ling Rui¡¯er to enter the room.

    Ling Rui¡¯er thought, the King still loved the second sister obviously. If Ling Rui¡¯er had not married Feng Yuxuan, she would certainly be happy for Ling Fengyan. But now Ling Rui¡¯er was infuriated by the thought. What charm did Ling Fengyan have for seizing the King¡¯s heart, since she was dead? Could Ling Rui¡¯er, the living Consort Chu, not evenpare to a dead person?

    ¡°Consort Chu, don¡¯t be angry. It will go to waste if you get angry with such a beautiful face. At that time, you won¡¯t have any position in King Chu¡¯s heart. It¡¯s easy to contend against a living person, but it¡¯s impossible to contend against a dead one. Not to mention King Chu, both the Empress Dowager¡¯ and the Empress know that Second Miss Ling is the most suitable Consort Chu.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked leisurely with a smile on her lips, and continued to strike at Ling Rui¡¯er with words.

    ¡°Others only say that Consort Chu enjoy a lot of glory, and that the Empress Dowager and the Empress are your backings. But in fact, look at the Empress Dowager and the Empress, who really want to protect you? I heard that due to the thing happening in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pcest time, Duke Ding called you back and scolded you sharply. And this time, it¡¯s not a big deal that a concubine lost the baby in her belly. But in the end, you were almost demoted into the lowest concubine. Consort Chu, it seems that your position of the legitimate wife is not stable. Even your aunt is scheming against you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong lifted her lips slightly and lowered her voice without any intentional disdain. However, facts spoke louder than words. In the Empress had really wanted to protect Ling Rui¡¯erst time, Ling Rui¡¯er would not have almost created a disaster. If the Ding General Manor had not stated clearly its stand, Ling Rui¡¯er would have been a joke of the Ding General Manor, a useless chess piece.

    This was enough to drive Ling Rui¡¯er mad in rage.

    Taunted by Mo Xuetong again and again, Ling Rui¡¯er, with little shrewdness, could not bear it any longer. She stood up abruptly and pped toward Mo Xuetong sharply, as she scolded, ¡°You... b*tch! You are speaking nonsense...¡±

    Mo Xuetong held on to Mo Ye who was about to step forward. Then, Mo Xuetong moved slightly to one side to avoid the key point of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s force, and just got flipped on her face. Taking advantage of the momentum of Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s palm, Mo Xuetong stumbled, as if she were unable to stand straight any longer, and she fell backward abruptly. Because Ling Rui¡¯er stood up and assumed the p too quickly, and Mo Xuetong seemed to be beaten away, the table shook, the cups and bowls on it shook wildly, and all the people were shocked and looked at them subconsciously.

    Just now, all the people had talks in pairs, so no one notice Ling Rui¡¯er and Mo Xuetong. Now they saw Ling Rui¡¯er p Mo Xuetong arrogantly, and almost flip the table upside down, so they felt disgusted with Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s arrogance. They had heard that Consort Chu once blocked Consort Xuan, and now Consort Chu pped Consort Xuan, and it happened in the pce! How arrogant would Ling Rui¡¯er be so that she dared to do so? Or how domineering would the daughters of the Ding General Manor be so that she dared tomit that?

    Anyhow, she was Consort Xuan, and King Xuan did not seem to take it lying down easily.

    On the other side of the table. ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s going on?¡± Sure enough, King Xuan¡¯szy and angry voice rang from the other side of the table. Seeing an ident happen, Feng Yuran stood up immediately, his attractive eyes filled with coldness. He turned around the flower shelf in anger and walked to Mo Xuetong who fell on Mo Ye. Seeing Mo Xuetong cover her face in tears and grievance, he turned around suddenly, as if he were about to p Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was so frightened that she took three steps back. Seeing the Emperor¡¯s solemn face and the chilly eyes of Feng Yuxuan who followed here, Ling Rui¡¯er hurried to exin in a loud voice, ¡°Aunt Empress, it¡¯s she who provoked me...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s my fault. Don¡¯t me Consort Chu. It¡¯s because I mentioned your past consort, and Consort Chu got so angry!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, and even her longshes were soaked in tears. A trace of grievance shed in her pure and beautiful eyes. She covered her face with one hand, but a red and swelling print was visible on her white and tender face. Evidently, Ling Rui¡¯er pped so heavily. But Mo Xuetong still held on Feng Yuran¡¯s hand, which immediately won people¡¯s favor a lot.

    Consort Xuan was really sensible.

    Of course, Ling Rui¡¯er, King Chu¡¯s consort, was losing the good graces of the people present. Since one just mentioned something about her sister, how could she invert that she was provoked to do so? Did she want to obliterate the fact that she was the King Chu¡¯s second legitimate wife? If Ling Fengyan were still alive, how could Ling Rui¡¯er have the chance to be Consort Chu?

    Feng Yuxuan also saw them and rebuked her angrily, ¡°Apologize to Consort Xuan!¡±

    His eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Sad and timid as the face showed, she still pretended to be strong. Feng Yuxuan felt his heart was being torn. Although Mo Xuetong did not rest her eyes on his face from beginning to end, he could not suppress the anger in his heart at the sight of her enchanting and slightly red eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness, she said that...¡± Looking incredulously at the angry expression on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s gentle face, Ling Rui¡¯er was so worried that she was about to cry, pointed at Mo Xuetong, and hurled, ¡°Your Highness, it was this bi*ch who brought this up. She was the one...¡±

    ¡°Snap!¡± The answer to her was a p from Feng Yuxuan, which made her withdraw two steps and fall on the ground forcefully. She covered her right face with one hand, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of her lips. Feng Yuxuan was a man after all, a man good at martial arts. So his p was much heavier than Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s.

    ¡°Eighth Brother, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. I hope that you and your Eighth Sister-inw can forgive her once.¡± Feng Yuxuan did not even look at Ling Rui¡¯er. Instead, he apologized deeply to the furious Feng Yuran.

 Chapter 549 - Leaving, Ling Ruiers Grievances

    <h4>Chapter 549 Leaving, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s Grievances</h4>

    ¡°King Chu, you don¡¯t have to apologize. It¡¯s my fault. I mentioned the former Consort Chu...¡± Mo Xuetong tugged at Feng Yuran¡¯s robe. Her eyes had turned a little red and were filled with tears. There were still tears on her longshes. She looked pitiful and aggrieved. She bit her lips and pulled at Feng Yuran¡¯s robe, looking as if she wanted to settle the matter peacefully.

    Consort Chu was on the floor and her beautiful face grew ferocious as she gritted her teeth in hatred. In the meanwhile, Consort Xuan, who would rather suffer than cause trouble was gentle and gracious. Everyone immediately understood that the arrogant Consort Chu had caused trouble. King Chu¡¯s former wife was her elder sister. Why was she not willing to mention her sister now that she had be Consort Chu?

    She appeared to be close to her sister in front of others in the past and now it turned out to be fake. She was a hypocritical woman who didn¡¯t care about family affection. She even envied a dead person who was her elder sister...

    ¡°Alright, stop it. Go and help Consort Chu up. How old are you? How could you make trouble? You haven¡¯t grown up yet and still have a childish and short temper. You should watch the asion.¡± The Empress finally spoke. She looked at Mo Xuetong and a sharp glint shed in her eyes as she spoke to the pce maid by her side.

    It sounded like she was reprimanding Ling Rui¡¯er, but in fact, she was saying that Mo Xuetong had intentionally made Ling Rui¡¯er angry. Ling Rui¡¯er had a childish temper, so she flew into a rage because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s provocation.

    The Empress said that for Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s own good. However, Ling Rui¡¯er was furious and there was a wedge between her and the Empress, so she did not believe that the Empress would help her. Furthermore, in her direction, Mo Xuetong looked pitiful, but there was a hint of a provocative smile on her lips. She could not calm down no matter what.

    After the pce maid helped her up, she pushed the maid to the ground. Then she pointed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s shy face and was about to scold her. She did not treat the Empress seriously at all, which made the Empress so angry that her face paled. The Empress¡¯ fingers trembled and she almost could not hold back her anger.

    Ling Rui¡¯er wanted to scold her. However, as her eyes met Feng Yuxuan¡¯s cold gaze, her anger immediately subsided. She opened her mouth and felt that she was the one who felt the most aggrieved. However, everyone had helped Mo Xuetong to bully her. She stomped her feet and wanted to run away.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t fool around. This is the pce.¡± The Empress could not keep the smile on her face any longer, but she still forced a smile and said coldly. She hated Ding General Manor for marrying Ling Rui¡¯er to King Chu¡¯s Manor as she witnessed what she was doing. As the noble Consort Chu, she had lost her manners. If Ling Rui¡¯er were to run out of the hall now, she would make the entire Ding General Manor lose face.

    When Ling Rui¡¯er noticed the Empress¡¯ stern and cold expression, her mind cleared no matter how insensitive she was. Especially when Feng Yuxuan came over to hold her hand, looking as if he were being intimate with her, he had actually pinched her forcefully. A gut-wrenching pain came from her hand and her entire arm was so numb and painful that she could not feel anything at all.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er,e and apologize to Consort Xuan.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s smile was gentle, but his eyes looked indifferent, and there was clear disgust in them. If not for the fact that he needed the help of Ding General Manor, he would not have tolerated this stupid woman. She had done something so rude in front of all the noble families in the court. Ling Rui¡¯er was getting more and more stupid.

    ¡°Rui¡¯er, no matter what happened between you and Consort Xuan, you are at least the eldest sister-inw. You have to take good care of your younger sister-inw.¡± Consort Su waved her fan as she helped Ling Rui¡¯er out. Her words were extremely smooth, as if as the eldest sister-inw, it was nothing for Ling Rui¡¯er to apologize and make everyone feel more harmonious even if she had been wronged.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er came back to her sense. Looking at Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression that was as cold as ice, she did not dare to say anything else. She had acted so violently earlier because she was too angry. Now that she understood where she was now, she realized that there was no one standing on her side, including Feng Yuxuan whom she cared about. Of course, she did not dare to do anything else and could just follow Consort Su¡¯s words.

    Furthermore,pared to the Empress, Ling Rui¡¯er trusted Consort Su even more. After all, she was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s birth mother. Of course, she would rather offend the Empress than offend Consort Su.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, it¡¯s my fault. I thought of Second Sister and became too excited. Please forgive me, Consort Xuan.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er gritted her teeth and forced a smile on her face. She gave a bow to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Consort Chu, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Mo Xuetong sighed deeply and coughed in a low voice. She seemed to want to stand up with the help of her maid. However, she was not in good health, and she struggled and used up all her strength. She fell heavily again. Fortunately, Feng Yuran was quick to help her, so she didn¡¯t fall to the ground.

    Feng Yuran hugged Mo Xuetong and covered her face with a handkerchief. Looking at her pale face and touching her head, he asked Mo Ye anxiously, ¡°Where¡¯s the pill?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Mo Ye hurriedly took out a small jade bottle. She poured out a semi-transparent pill and handed it to Feng Yuran.

    Feng Yuran took it and skillfully picked up a cup of tea from the table. He ced the pill into Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth and poured some water into her mouth. Mo Xuetong swallowed the pill and water before she closed her eyes powerlessly in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace.

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong in his arms and asked anxiously, ¡°Your Majesty, Tong¡¯er isn¡¯t feeling well. Is there a ce to rest?¡±

    ¡°There seems to be a warm room ahead. Eighth Brother, you can take Consort Xuan over there to rest,¡± said Feng Yuxuan, who was familiar with the imperial garden, after thinking about it.

    A warm room close to the imperial garden? The Empress¡¯ heart skipped a beat when she heard Feng Yuxuan¡¯s words. There was a ruffian called Ma Er there. If Mo Xuetong went there alone, she would just fall into the Empress¡¯ trap; but it would be bad if Feng Yuran went there with her. Given Feng Yuran¡¯s character, if he discovered that there was a man in the warm room, he would definitely make things known to the Emperor.

    The Empress¡¯ grip on the armrest tightened and she felt anxious. However, she looked up and pretended to think for a while before saying, ¡°I advise you to go to the warm room over there. It is a little far away, but it is well ventted. Judging by how Consort Xuan seems, it must be because there are too many people, and she is tired because of her poor condition. King Xuan, why don¡¯t you walk further over there so that you can find afortable ce?¡±

    ¡°Over there?¡± Feng Yuran frowned slightly. His long and narrow eyes shone with light. He looked impassive, but he raised his eyes full of inquiry and suspicion.

    The Empress grew weirder when she saw the suspicion on Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes. She had hidden a man in the warm room, and if it was exposed, it would be hard to exin clearly. Furthermore, she could not say that the man was here to frame Mo Xuetong. She would not be able to defend herself then. How could she not be anxious at this point?

    No matter how anxious she was, she did not show it on her face. Instead, she nodded with a smile and said, ¡°You should give priority to Consort Xuan¡¯s health.¡±

    She implied that if King Xuan didn¡¯t care about Mo Xuetong¡¯s health, he could choose the one closer to them, and that if he cared about her health, he could only go to the warm room far away.

    Everyone knew that Feng Yuran doted on his little wife. However, even so, the Empress still heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Feng Yuran taking Mo Xuetong in his arms and moving towards the direction she pointed out without saying anything else. She felt fortunate that Feng Yuran did not insist on going to the warm room that was close to them.

    The Empress¡¯ gazended on Yan Miao when she saw Feng Yuran leaving with Mo Xuetong in his arms. She only rxed when she saw that Yan Miao nodded calmly. She lowered her head and hid the viciousness in her eyes. It seemed that the ruffian could not stay any longer. She would get someone to bring him to theketer and make him drown there.

    If there was one unknown man in the harem, she would, at most, be used of mismanagement.

    But it was less of a responsibility than getting involved with a man or bringing him into the imperial pce.

    After this incident, the Empress had made up her mind to get rid of Ma Er. But it never urred to her that Ma Er woulde before she could get rid of him...

    Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong and found the warm room. When the pce maids and eunuchs guarding the warm room saw theming, they hurriedly asked someone to fetch hot water and make tea. Then they left at the door and guarded outside the door. Mo Ye sensibly went to wait at the door.

    In the warm room, looking at Feng Yuran with a cold face, Mo Xuetong pulled at his sleeve, pouted, and said coyly, ¡°Sit down and let¡¯s have a talk. I can¡¯t see your face and it¡¯s so tired to stretch my neck.¡±

    ¡°You also know that you are tired? Didn¡¯t you not know about pain just now?¡± Feng Yuran snapped. However, he followed her gesture and sat by the bed. There was a hint of coldness in his handsome eyes that seemed to be on the brink of a storm.

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s alright. She just hit me a little. It¡¯s not too painful. My skin isn¡¯t good and it¡¯ll turn red once it is touched. It isn¡¯t serious actually.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that he was angry. She could avoid Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s p but she didn¡¯t avoid it and deliberately taken it. She pulled at his robe sleeve and leaned into his arms.

    Of course, she did it on purpose. There were quite a few people who had gotten into trouble today. First, it was Consort Zhao, and then it was Ling Rui¡¯er. The Emperor or someone else might be involved. If nothing had happened to her, it would be a little abrupt. So she just took Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s p and let everyone think that she had been injured. Anyway, she was still in poor health a few days ago, so it was normal that she couldn¡¯t get up now.

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t hurt. Feel my face, it¡¯s not that hot,¡± Mo Xuetong said in a tender voice as she held on to Feng Yuran¡¯s hand to put it on her face. ¡°I¡¯m so afraid of pain. How could I allow Ling Rui¡¯er to hit me? Don¡¯t worry. Ling Rui¡¯er is the one who feels painful.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s anger immediately dissipated when he saw she looked at him lovely with her watery eyes, and there was confidence and dependence in him in her eyes. He almost could not control himself when he saw the red mark on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face.

    ¡°If you make yourself hurt again next time, you¡¯d better stay in the manor and not go anywhere,¡± he said seriously.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. I will not take actions rashly, okay?!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded continuously like a puppy when she saw that Feng Yuran was no longer angry. There was a hint of joy in her crystal clear eyes.

    Thest trace of anger in Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty eyes disappeared as well. He reached out to pat Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful hair, feeling heartbroken for this silly girl who had made herself hurt because she was afraid that others would suspect him, and now, she was making an alibi with him.

    This was the woman he had wanted to protect and also the woman who had loved him. She could be happy because of his joy and be angry because of his anger. Feng Yuran¡¯s cold and ruthless heart softened when he saw her gentle smile. He reached out and held her tightly in his arms. Then, he kissed her lightly on her lips...

    As their room was filled with peace, the imperial garden was buzzing.

 Chapter 550 - Whose Bellyband Is It in His Arms

    <h4>Chapter 550 Whose Bellyband Is It in His Arms</h4>

    Bad things happened one after another. First, there was a murder. After Consort Chu and Consort Xuan got checked out in turn, people finally found out that the chief culprit was Consort Zhao, whom no one had ever thought of. Now, a worse thing happened that made people speechless. It was not a good thing to know royal scandals.

    However, even though the people present did not dare to interrupt, their eyes were filled with contempt, disdain, mockery... and all kinds of looks. Ling Rui¡¯er looked at them and was about to go crazy.

    Ling Rui¡¯er heaved a sigh of relief when Mo Xuetong left. She was about to sit down straight when she suddenly heard a hubbub from a spot not far away. However, she could not hear what people were saying. Everyone¡¯s attention could not help but be drawn to the hubbub.

    ¡°Who are you? How dare you break into the banquet at will?¡± It sounded like a eunuch¡¯s voice which was too sharp.

    ¡°Get him out of here! Where did the phnderere from?¡± some pce maids snapped in a panic.

    ¡°Drive him away quickly! If he disturbs the Empress, who can afford it?¡±...

    Hearing the noise, everyone could not help but look in that direction. Suddenly, they saw a sleek-haired and creamy-faced man. He was so obscene that when he walked past the pce maids, he touched their hands and faces. The pce maids were ashamed and angry.

    Some eunuchs chased him from behind and wanted to catch him, but they failed. The man hid everywhere and was very flexible. Being chased after, he came here.

    The banquet was held in the imperial garden. Since it was in the inner pce, the guards were not allowed to enter without a summons. No one would have thought that such a character would dare to hit on the pce maids in the Empress¡¯ banquet. Furthermore, he took it for granted; he was much bolder than the yboys in the capital, who were known for their hobbies.

    The man really didn¡¯t care about his own life!

    ¡°Come on, hurry up, arrest him.¡± The Empress was so angry that her face turned livid. She almost lost control of her anger. So many things had happened during the banquet. How could she answer if the Emperor asked her? Because of Consort Zhao¡¯s incident, the Emperor was in a bad mood. Now such an absurd thing happened again.

    A man broke into the imperial harem which was guarded strictly. It was really terrible.

    The Empress had already forgotten about Ma Er.

    Seeing that the Empress was angry, several eunuchs came to Ma Er. Different from the previous ones, they were capable of kung fu. Then they quickly caught Ma Er and took him to the Empress.

    ¡°Let me go, let me go, don¡¯t be so hard on me. It was your master who asked me toe over. How dare you do this to me! After I marry your master, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡± Ma Er screamed while struggling.

    His words made the eunuchs pale. They lowered their heads.

    Their master was the Empress. He wanted the Empress to marry him? The eunuchs didn¡¯t dare to think about it. They thought it would be better to lower their heads and cover their ears if they were wise. This man wanted to die, but they wanted to live. Were they a human¡¯s words? He dared to say that he wanted to marry the Empress. Wasn¡¯t he courting death?

    ¡°Kneel down, kneel down!¡± Ma Er was forced to kneel down on the ground, but he was not going to take it. He lifted his head and saw the Empress seated high above and the crowd of beautifuldies. However, even though these women were all beautiful, most of them were not very young and the one he was looking for was not among them. He had received word from a noble woman that he had to make a scene before he could marry the woman. He hid by the side before because something seemed to have happened here.

    Finally, the matter had calmed down, and he came out. In order to make the matter bigger, he came over up and touched the beauties when he saw them on the way here. Anyway, the noble woman had told him it was okay and she could handle it.

    ¡°Why did you catch me? I¡¯m here because someone invited me.¡± Even though he was caught, he didn¡¯t panic but shouted at the top of his voice.

    He raised his head high. Yan Miao, who was standing behind the Empress, suddenly turned pale. Looking at the creepy face, she was shocked and almost stumbled backward. A pce maid standing behind her quickly held her so that she didn¡¯t make a fool of herself on the spot.

    Fortunately, everyone focused on Ma Er at this time, so no one noticed her strangeness.

    Wasn¡¯t the man eating in Hua¡¯nuan Pavilion? She had told him not toe out. Why did he break into the banquet? What should she do? Yan Miao was so anxious that she didn¡¯t know what to do. Pushing the pce maid¡¯s hand away, she pulled the Empress¡¯ clothes with trembling fingers. She wanted to tell the Empress that this person was the ruffian who the Empress asked her to bring into the pce.

    ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s wrong with the pce maid by your side? Why is she so frightened?¡± Consort Su happened to turn around, and when she saw Yan Miao¡¯s pale and shocked face, she suddenly covered her mouth with a handkerchief andughed with a strange look.

    Hearing her words, the Empress looked back and saw Yan Miao¡¯s face changed greatly. She thought that the maid was worried about her when she saw a man suddenly appear at the banquet. So the Empress nced at her and said lightly, ¡°This little girl has never seen such a scene before. She is shocked.¡±

    Upon hearing the Empress¡¯ words, Yan Miao also came to her senses. She quickly lowered her head and did not dare to make any suspicious movements.

    ¡°Yeah. Even I have never seen such a scene, let alone her. Look at this man, I wonder where he came from. He not only entered the pce but also dared to flirt with the pce maids. Listen to what he said. If His Majesty hears this, he will cut him into pieces.¡±

    A faint smile crept onto Consort Su¡¯s lips. She looked thoughtfully at Ma Er, who was kneeling on the ground, with a meaningful smile on her face.

    The Empress¡¯ expression changed, and a trace of anger shed in her eyes. The man had just imed that he would marry her. She, the noble Empress, was humiliated by this man and even was mocked by Consort Su. How could she not be angry? However, no matter what, the matter still had to be investigated.

    If she ordered people to kill this man, it would be hard to exin.

    Ma Er was still struggling. He tried hard to look up and see if the person above was the one he had been looking for, but his head was pressed down. He was so anxious that he tried to break free. The person sent by the noble had told him clearly that he should speak before he saw clearly the people. But in such a condition, he couldn¡¯t see the persons around.

    Just then, a madam with sharp eyes, who was standing by the side, suddenly saw a piece of red cloth in his arms while he was struggling. She asked, ¡°Gee, he has something in his arms. Did hee into the pce and steal something?¡±

    Stealing things in the pce? Any one of the items in the pce would be considered a precious treasure. It was no small charge.

    In fact, the madam had seen clearly that it was a woman¡¯s bellyband, but it was hard to say that. What kind of ce was the imperial pce? All the Emperor¡¯s women lived here. The origin of the bellyband was really disgraceful. In addition, the man had said that he had been invited here. ording to all of this, people had to think a lot.

    The Empress¡¯ face darkened and she tipped a eunuch a wink. The eunuch went over and pulled the cloth out of Ma Er¡¯s clothes.

    Sure enough, it was a woman¡¯s bellyband with beautiful peony patterns. Everyone present had sharp eyes. Given that the material, the craft, and the peony pattern, ordinary women could not afford to wear it. Did it really belong to the consorts in the pce?

    Everyone had a strange look on their faces and couldn¡¯t help butnd their eyes on the consorts seated high.

    Ling Rui¡¯er did not realize anything at all. She only nced sideways at the consorts and scolded in a low voice, ¡°So cheap!¡± Then, she watched the show by the side. Anyway, shows today came one after another. She wanted to see how Aunt Empress, who had always thought of herself as virtuous and gracious, would deal with it.

    ¡°You sneaked into the pce and stole women¡¯s item. Somebody, take this man away and put him in the jail of the Ministry of Justice,¡± the Empress remarked coldly.

    Ma Er only paid attention to thest few words, ¡°put him in the jail of the Ministry of Justice.¡± He had juste out of that ce. At the thought of returning to jail, he immediately grew anxious. He was a death row inmate, and thus for whatever reason he was sent back, he was doomed.

    It wasn¡¯t easy for him to escape that ce, so he certainly wasn¡¯t willing to return.

    Immediately, he shouted loudly, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it. The master of this bellyband took it off and gave it to me. It¡¯s a token of love. Please believe me. I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    Watching by the side, Ling Rui¡¯er vaguely sensed that something was amiss. She shot a look at her maid who was standing by her side and the maid came close to her.

    ¡°Where are my changed clothes?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er asked, lowering her body. When she heard somebody crying out loud that a person was dead earlier, her clothes did not seem to be put away. She was afraid that someone would plot against her!

    ¡°I put them all in a bag, and I will clean them when we return to the manor,¡± the maid answered with fear. At this point, she couldn¡¯t remember whether she had taken the bellyband or not. Anyway, she had taken all the clothes at that time, and there should be no clothes left. ¡°But damn it! Why is the bellyband so familiar?¡±

    Hearing the maid¡¯s firm tone, Ling Rui¡¯er waved her hand and motioned for her to leave. However, she still felt a little uneasy in her heart.

    There was also another person who was uneasy, and it was Yan Miao, who was behind the Empress. She lowered her head and bit her lips, trying her best to stop her teeth from chattering. Simrly, she had a bad feeling too. However, Consort Su and Consort Yu were by the Empress¡¯ side, and she could not even remind the Empress.

    The Empressughed out of extreme anger and snapped coldly, ¡°Nonsense. All the women in the pce are noble and self-restraint. How could they do such an immoral thing!¡±

    Noticing that no one believed him, Ma Er grew anxious and shouted, ¡°I really didn¡¯t steal it. If you don¡¯t believe me, look at the embroidery on it. There is a word on it.¡± He had gone to private schools before, so he could read. When he yed with the bellyband earlier, he had already seen the word on it.

    There seemed to be a heavy grievance in his shouting, as if he had been wronged. The eunuch opened the bellyband and saw that at the bottom, inside the bellyband was embroidered with an extremely bright red character ¡°Ling¡±.

    ¡°Turn it over, turn it over to show us,¡± someone shouted.

    The eunuch turned it over and the other side of the bellyband had a small character ¡°Rui¡± on it.

    ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er?¡± someone murmured.

    Ling Rui¡¯er, who was sitting by the side, stood up suddenly. Her expression turned extremely ugly and her heart was filled with shook and panic. When she saw the looks of disdain from the crowd, she felt as if she were about to go mad.

    Her handkerchief was missing before, and now her bellyband fell in the hands of such an obscene man. What... what the hell was going on?

 Chapter 551 - A Mole Under Her Navel

    <h4>Chapter 551 A Mole Under Her Navel</h4>

    Ling Rui¡¯er could not help but stand up and snapped, ¡°Nonsense. How could I have an affair with you? With my status, how could I like someone like you? Who in the world are you? Why did you frame me? Do you want to die?¡±

    Consort Su, who was seated beside the Empress, looked at Yan Miao suspiciously and a trace of gloomy look shed across her eyes. Yan Miao had always been the Empress¡¯ personal maid, and her reaction today was rather odd. Not only had she been hiding behind the Empress, but she was trembling slightly when Consort Su observed her carefully.

    Hearing Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s reprimand, Ma Er saw Ling Rui¡¯er and was overjoyed. He finally found that beauty. He shook his head and struggled, hurriedly shouting at Ling Rui¡¯er, ¡°Rui¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I know you¡¯re afraid of that person. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take you away. I¡¯ll be good to you for the rest of my life.¡±

    Then, he tried to rush over and hug Ling Rui¡¯er. Ling Rui¡¯er was so frightened that she took a few steps back and almost hit a table by the side. Her hand was caught by someone in a cold manner. Ling Rui¡¯er saw the emotionless look in Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes, but she could still see the sharpness hidden in them.

    Immediately, she trembled and cried, ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t do that. I really didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m telling the truth. I also know that you have a mole under your navel. If everyone doesn¡¯t believe me, you can find someone to check it. Rui¡¯er, how can you be so ruthless? Now that we¡¯vee to this point, do you want me to have another woman in my heart? Rui¡¯er, just go with me. I¡¯m serious. I promise, I will only be good to you in the future.¡±

    Ma Er was no fool. When he saw the handsome Feng Yuxuan standing by Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s side, he immediately analyzed that this was the young nobleman who was going to marry the beautiful woman. This time, he tried his best to defame Ling Rui¡¯er so that the man would abandon Ling Rui¡¯er and not marry her.

    There was a mole under the navel? The people present burst into an uproar. It couldn¡¯t be described as something that concerned an object like bellyband. If the man hadn¡¯t really seen the woman¡¯s body, how could he have said it so urately? Was it possible that Consort Chu really had something to do with this man? What he said was well-grounded.

    Judging by how sincerely he had spoken to Ling Rui¡¯er and the mole under her navel, most of the people believed that it was true. Otherwise, who would say something like that? It was easy to verify whether Ling Rui¡¯er had a mole under her navel or not. When they thought that Ling Rui¡¯er, who had always been lofty and arrogant, would have an affair with such a man behind the gentle and elegant King Chu, everyone felt disgusted.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face darkened. No man would not feel ashamed when he had been cuckolded by his own woman. It had nothing to do with love or dislike; it was a matter of dignity for a man, especially when he was a mighty prince.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was both angry and annoyed, but she could not exin why the man had her bellyband in his hands and why he knew the secret feature of her body. She could tell at a nce that the man was obscene. In any case, she would not have anything to do with him no matter how bad she was. However, everyone looked at her with disdain and suspicion.

    ¡°Your Highness, he was lying. It was all made up by him. Someone is framing me. Your Highness, you have to believe me. How could I do something like that? What¡¯s more, how could you bring this person to the pce? Am I, I courting death? Your Highness, trust me.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er clutched Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand and was very excited. As she spoke, a thought shed through her mind and she suddenly understood. So there was some truth in her exnation.

    Her statement did make sense. Even if Ling Rui¡¯er had an affair with this man, she would not bring him into the pce especially when he said something like that in front of others. It was obvious that she was courting death. No matter what, it was not something that a normal person would do.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face brightened slightly but he still shook off Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand forcefully. He took two steps forward and stood in front of Ma Er. He looked down at the man coldly and a cold smile appeared on his lips. No matter what, Ling Rui¡¯er was his wife. If something like this happened to her, he would be a cuckold. In that case, he would be ashamed to see other people.

    Feng Yuxuan waved his hand, and several eunuchs who were holding Ma Er down moved aside. Someone had already moved arge nanmu wood chair for him. Feng Yuxuan lifted his robe, sat down, and asked coldly, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m Ma Er.¡± Ma Er could sense that something was wrong. He looked at the eunuchs whose voice was just a croak around him and suddenly felt that things were a little different from what he had imagined. This man looked so frightening. Even the officer who had sentenced him to death did not have the imposing aura that the man in front of him had.

    The Empress, who was sitting high, was shocked. She immediately turned around and looked at Yan Miao. Ma Er? Wasn¡¯t it the name of the man whom Yan Miao had mentioned and brought into the pce?

    Behind her, Yan Miao was already trembling. When she sensed that the Empress turned around to look at her, she raised her head and tried hard to wear a smile on her stiff face. However, the smile looked uglier than crying, making the Empress¡¯ heart tremble when she saw it. The calmness and solemnity on her face were almost broken, and her hands clenched her sleeves...

    ¡°I am very curious. How did you get to know my wife? How did you have an affair with her? I would like to hear about it!¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyes were filled with a cold smile. His lips curled and he looked sharply at Ma Er who was kneeling before him. ¡°I am also curious about how you entered the pce. My Lady and I entered the pce together today and the guards were all my men.¡±

    He had also awakened from his anger. He knew that Ling Rui¡¯er had been framed. The appearance of this man was odd. The imperial pce was not a ce that anyone could enter. He had entered the pce with Ling Rui¡¯er early in the morning, which meant that the man did note to the pce with Ling Rui¡¯er.

    But if he didn¡¯te with Ling Rui¡¯er, then who did hee with?

    Feng Yuxuan wanted to know who had framed Ling Rui¡¯er over and over again, and wanted to ruin his reputation.

    His Highness and his wife? Ma Er suddenly realized what was going on. He then looked at the Empress, who was sitting high and wore a sullen look. He remembered that someone just addressed her as the Empress. ¡°Is this not an ordinary noble family, but the pce? The beauty is not an unmarrieddy, but a prince¡¯s wife. How, how could this be!¡±

    ¡°Whoever falsely uses a member of the royal family will be hacked to death and their family of nine generations will be put to death.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s cold eyes were filled with sinister anger. Ma Er was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud.

    It, it seemed that the punishment was severer than being put to death with one stroke.

    ¡°Tell me, who asked you to frame me.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er stood out and demanded Ma Er angrily. She hated the person in front of her. Of course, she hated the person who had asked the man to frame her even more. ¡°As long as you tell me who the mastermind is, I might even ask His Highness to spare your life.¡±

    ¡°I, I...¡± Ma Er looked around anxiously for the noble. The noble said that as long as he made it big, the beauty and wealth would belong to him. But what was going on? Why was there a prince and his wife, as well as the Empress above?

    This was a big sin that would cause his family of nine generations to be executed. Although Ma Er had no immediate family, he still had a few cousins, who had always been nice to him. He would cause them to die with him. Besides, he would be punished to be cut into pieces. He had witnessed a person being cut off piece by piece and cried for 10 whole days until he died. At the thought of that miserable scene, he felt trembling all over. He might as well be beheaded. At least it was fast.

    Consort Su, who was sitting high on the seat, suddenly opened her mouth and asked, ¡°Who are you looking for, Ma Er?¡±

    Following her voice, Ma Er looked up and saw Yan Miao, who was being pulled to her side by Consort Su. He shouted hurriedly, ¡°Miss, Miss, please save me quickly. You asked me to hide behind the screen over there and peep at Her Lady to change clothes. You also asked me to remember the features of her body and said that I could marry her in this way. Why don¡¯t youe out and speak for me now? I did what you ordered.¡±

    At the sight of Yan Miao, Ma Er seemed to have seen his lifesaver and immediately shouted loudly.

    All of a sudden, everyone¡¯s gaze fell on Yan Miao, who had been pulled out from behind the Empress by Consort Su. It turned out to be the Empress¡¯ personal lead pce maid behind the scene. They were all stunned. How could it be the Empress? Was it the Empress who wanted to frame Ling Rui¡¯er? It made no sense because they were both from Ding General Manor. How could the Empress hurt Ling Rui¡¯er?

    However, a few youngdies, who had always been bullied by Ling Rui¡¯er, had sensed the key point of the matter. As ady from Ding General Manor, Ling Rui¡¯er had often bullied others; she once shocked the horse of a youngdy and caused her to break her legs. A few of them murmured when they heard what Ma Er had said.

    ¡°She was really seen, and so clearly.¡±

    ¡°This time Consort Chu is really...¡±

    ¡°So there is a mole under Consort Chu¡¯s navel. I thought he was talking nonsense.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face darkened again when he heard their talk. He looked at thedies sharply and they all lowered their heads and did not dare to say anything else. When a woman¡¯s body had been seen by a man, it meant that she was no longer chaste.

    Ling Rui¡¯er shook in anger and clenched her fists tightly. However, instead of aimed at the youngdies who were gossiping, she was aimed at Yan Miao. She knew that Yan Miao was the main reason.

    Yan Miao was pushed down by Consort Su and heavily fell on the ground in front of Feng Yuxuan and beside Ma Er. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t even get up. The moment Ma Er showed up, she was in a panic. All kinds of fear welled up in her heart. She raised her head and looked at the Empress who was high above with imploring eyes, only to see the fierceness in the Empress¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°Yan Miao, what¡¯s wrong with you? Who asked you to frame Consort Chu? I always regarded you as my family and never doubted you. I didn¡¯t expect that you dared to do such a vicious thing behind my back. You want to frame my niece. Do you know the penalty for that crime? Tell me the person behind the scene immediately so as not to suffer a lot of physical pain.¡±

    Yan Miao looked at the Empress in despair, her fingers shaking so much that she could not calm down. How could she not understand the Empress¡¯ intentions? She still had family outside the pce; they were still in Ding General Manor. She would definitely die this time, but she could not implicate her family. Furthermore, she knew very well the punishment in the pce, and the painful feeling could make life worse than death.

    The Empress had pushed her out and asked her to bear all the consequences!

    All kinds of emotions welled up in Yan Miao¡¯s heart, but she knew that at the moment, she had to die.

    ¡°Miss, save me. Please save me.¡± Seeing Yan Miao, Ma Er quickly reached out to pull her. He held her hand and pulled her up while shaking her. When he saw that there was no vitality in her squinting eyes, he was even more flustered.

    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s all my fault. I did it alone because I was beaten by Consort Chu thest time she came to the pce. I bear a grudge against her, so...¡± Yan Miao answered with a bitter smile on her face when she was kowtowing to the Empress. She quickly took out a needle from the corner of her clothes and quietly removed the cover of it. Then she stuck it into Ma Er¡¯s palm before she clenched it in her hand and let the needle pierce her palm...

    It was a poisonous needle from the Southern Barbarian Lands!

 Chapter 552 - All Dead, Who the Evidence Pointed at

    <h4>Chapter 552 All Dead, Who the Evidence Pointed at</h4>

    Seeing Yan Miao didn¡¯t finish her words and suddenly lowered her head without moving, everyone instantly sensed that something was wrong.

    Consort Su had been staring at Yan Miao the entire time. When she saw that there was something wrong with the way she lowered her head, she immediately ordered, ¡°Go and check her.¡±

    She had been focusing on Yan Miao and found that she had been suspicious since the man appeared. It seemed that she had been hiding behind the Empress. Hiding in the Empress¡¯ shadow, she looked pale as if she had seen a ghost. When such a big thing had happened, she, the lead pce maid of the Empress, didn¡¯t even bother to care.

    When Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s bellyband was found in Ma Er¡¯s inner pocket, Consort Su had thought that Ling Rui¡¯er had really not adhered to the rules of the womenfolk. She was enraged. When she thought of how Ding General Manor had sent temptresses to her son¡¯s manor again and again, how could she not be angry? However, what made her pay more attention to was the anomalous manner of Yan Miao.

    There must be something fishy going on when it was out of the ordinary. Now that Consort Su had given birth to the Emperor¡¯s eldest son in the pce and had protected him to grow up, she was not an impulsive woman. She sensed that the Empress had intervened in this matter. When she had heard that the Empress had been involved in the matter that a maid had sshed the watermelon juice on Ling Rui¡¯er, Consort Su wanted to w at the Empress¡¯ dignified face.

    The Empress did not even care about her niece¡¯s reputation in order to plot against Consort Su¡¯s son. How could Consort Su not be furious? As such, she asked the eunuch by her side to go and check before the Empress¡¯ order.

    The Empress had long been flustered by the series of incidents that had unfolded before her. The situation was out of her expectation. She only wanted to push Yan Miao forward and take the fall. When Yan Miao stopped halfway her sentence, she felt that something was amiss. Seeing Consort Su was asking people to check on her, she did not say anything else. She was now trying to avoid arousing suspicion. Furthermore, she also wanted to know what was going on with Yan Miao.

    The eunuch came over and gave Yan Miao a push. Immediately, the girl fell down following his gesture., and so did Ma Er, who was holding her hand. Then the eunuch saw the ck blood on their lips, and knew that both of them were dead.

    ¡°Your Highness, both of them are dead.¡± The eunuch¡¯s voice sounded rough.

    Dead? Were they really dead?

    Everyone was confused.

    ¡°Your Majesty, your lead pce maid is dead. What a coincidence! Why did she die when she was about to say the key point? It seemed that shemitted suicide by taking poison. I don¡¯t know what she meant by her unfinished sentence. Now that this maid is loyal to you, she should defend her master before she died. Now, what do we do about it?¡±

    Consort Su¡¯s words were sharp and she nced sideways at the Empress. There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone. The loyal maid should defend her master before dying? She meant that it was the Empress who had caused the trouble. And obviously she wanted to embarrass Feng Yuxuan through Ling Rui¡¯er.

    That was right. For a man who was cuckolded by his wife, even if he was a prince, it would be an embarrassment to him.

    The Empress held her neck tightly and tried her best not to scream. Looking at the pale face of Yan Miao who was lying on the ground, she felt pain in her heart. Yan Miao was loyal. Perhaps something wrong had caused this to happen, but Yan Miao had to die. Otherwise, the Empress would be involved in this matter.

    But the question was that she should finish her words before dying. Now the matter was not very clear.

    ¡°The pce maid was so bold that she dared to plot against a prince¡¯s first consort. We... we have to be careful in the pce in the future,¡± Consort Yu said to herself, and even reached out to cover her belly especially, as if she was afraid that someone would make her miscarriage. When others heard about it, they started to grow more suspicious of Yan Miao¡¯s death.

    How could a maid in the imperial harem do such a thing for no reason?

    ¡°Yeah. She hasn¡¯t made it clear yet. The man said that he saw the body of Consort Chu. Is... is it true?¡± another consort said with a gentle smile, holding a handkerchief.

    Their conversation awakened Ling Rui¡¯er, who had been standing there in a daze all this while. No matter how this happened, the man had indeed said that he had seen her body, which meant that she had lost her chastity. Somehow, Ling Rui¡¯er suddenly became smart.

    She turned around forcefully and knelt down in front of the Empress. She reached out to grab the Empress¡¯ hand that dropped beside her body and cried loudly. ¡°Aunt Empress, how, how could there be such a person in your pce? She, she treated me well all the time. How could she do such a thing? She even told the feature of my body to someone else. Why... why did she hate me so much? Please do me justice, Aunt Empress. Please investigate this matter thoroughly.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was crying so hard that drops of tears fell down her cheeks one by one. She had indeed been wronged this time. She thought of how Feng Yuxuan had forcefully shaken off her hand earlier. If she could not rify it, and the rumors were to spread, what could she do? Suddenly, the sadness she felt grew and she cried even more miserably.

    At this point, she could not be bothered to care that the Empress¡¯ hand became cold and trembled when she heard what she said. She hated the Empress right now. She felt that it was the Empress who had plotted the whole thing. As such, she asked the Empress to investigate this matter thoroughly. Of course, she had also told everyone that Yan Miao knew the features of her body.

    With her dead, there was no evidence at all. The man said that he had seen her body. She could say that he learned it from Yan Miao. Anyway, it was certain that the man wanted to harm her. The Empress had tried to harm her twice, so she pushed them both on her. After all, it was the Empress who thought of such a vicious idea.

    The Empress¡¯ hands and feet were cold and weak. There was a wave of blood in her throat and she almost could not suppress it and spat out a mouthful of blood. However, she knew that she could not show it now. She held it back, held Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand, andforted her, ¡°Rui¡¯er, I know it¡¯s not you. It¡¯s this lowly maid. Now that she dared to collude with an outsider and harm the people of Ding General Manor, I will not let her off. Don¡¯t worry, Rui¡¯er. I will do you justice.¡±

    She had to take a clear-cut stand and appease Ling Rui¡¯er. She especially brought Ling Rui¡¯er and herself in the same camp. Both of them were from Ding General Manor. It meant that she was not the one who had plotted the whole thing.

    This matter could not be exined clearly now, but it made the Empress even more anxious. When she found out that Yan Miao was dead, she was happy at first. But after hearing what the crowd said, she realized that she had fallen into an inexinable and dangerous situation.

    All the evidence led to her, but she didn¡¯t know how to make it clear. Now she would rather Yan Miao was still alive. As long as Yan Miao pointed out that another consort asked her to do it, even if she died at that time, she could divert everyone¡¯s attention. But now, she died before she made it clear, and it all fell on her master, the Empress.

    After all, no one would believe that a pce maid would dare to frame a prince¡¯s wife.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you do have to look into this matter. Xuan¡¯er¡¯s wife is very obedient. She seldom offends others. Why was she framed like this? I heard that she was scolded by the Emperor in the pcest time because of some trivial things. She was even removed from the position of the first consort. She got into trouble in the pce over and over again. Rui¡¯er,e here and let me have a look.¡±

    Consort Su said, pretending to be gentle. She reached out to hold Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand and gestured for her to go over. She used as she described the facts. Her words pointed at the Empress and even mentioned the fact that the Empress had schemed in secretst time and caused the Emperor to fly into a rage. Ling Rui¡¯er immediately grew angry after hearing her words.

    Ling Rui¡¯er pushed the Empress and rushed to Consort Su, crying aggrievedly, ¡°Mother, I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong. Why did I get into trouble as soon as I entered the pce? I¡¯m fine in King Chu¡¯s Manor. Is it possible that I don¡¯t fit in the pce so that I got into trouble again and again here?¡±

    The womenfolk in the imperial harem were led by the Empress. Since Ling Rui¡¯er often got into trouble in the pce, it was probably because of the Empress!

    She only wanted to put all the me on the Empress. Furthermore, Consort Su was Feng Yuxuan¡¯s birth mother. Feng Yuxuan must have been angry at what happened today. She had to ask Consort Su to put in a good word for her. Therefore, she would listen to what Consort Su had said and didn¡¯t have time to care what the Empress was thinking.

    The Empress wanted to ruin her reputation. At the thought of it, Ling Rui¡¯er was both angry and hateful. Since the Empress dared to plot against her, she would not let her off the hook easily. She would return all the humiliation she had suffered to the Empress. So she put all the me on the Empress. Now that the Empress was cruel to Ling Rui¡¯er, then she should not me her for being unjust.

    ¡°Somebody, investigate it thoroughly. We must find out what happened. I don¡¯t believe anyone would dare to do such a thing under my nose. How dare someone put a hand in front of me?¡± The Empress was furious, resentful, and fearful. All sorts of emotions poured into her. This made her face turn pale and the Empress mmed heavily on the table as she scolded.

    ¡°Your Majesty, this is such a big matter. How could a man enter the pce? The security of the pce will be worrying. We have to find out the truth. Just investigate carefully and don¡¯t let anything else happen. It concerns Xuan¡¯er¡¯s manor again. Matters have not been settled these days,¡± Consort Su mocked coldly. She had already pped in the Empress¡¯ face mercilessly. She leaned back and tapped her fingers on the table, putting on a mocking smile at the corners of her mouth.

    Everyone could hear her aimed at the Empress. The Empress was the most powerful person in the imperial harem. Other than the Empress, it was difficult to find anyone to send someone else into the pce without others¡¯ noticing. Besides, incidents happened to King Chu¡¯s manor, and Consort Chu had been framed again and again today.

    Everyone would only think that it was the Empress who had done this. As for the reason, it must have been King Chu was not the prince that the Empress thought highly of. It was sufficient.

    Being ridiculed by Consort Su like that, the Empress would have rebuked her in the past, but she didn¡¯t have adequate reasons to do it today. All the evidence pointed at her. Then, she noticed everyone¡¯s doubtful eyes, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s cold face, and Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s undisguised anger...

    All these people were forcing her, pushing her. She felt that they would not spare her until she died! Her hands trembled slightly. She wanted to speak, but she found that she couldn¡¯t. There was a sharp pain on her head, and she was almost breathless. She only felt that every expression of these people seemed to be cutting her flesh.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. Perhaps someone is plotting against you behind your back. If you really fall, you might fall into someone else¡¯s trap.¡± A gentle voice sounded in her ear. Someone reached out to support her. The Empress immediately came to her senses from the suffocating sense of despair.

    Yes, she couldn¡¯t fall down. It was a trick, a trick against her. She turned her head and looked at the gentle smile on Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s face. She calmed down a little. Not everyone didn¡¯t believe her; there was still someone believing her.

    It was good that someone believed her. Now that there was a person who believed her, the Emperor would believe her as well as long as she did it cleanly. Yes, she still had a chance. And...

 Chapter 553 - Consort Zhao Defended Herself in the Qianqing Palace

    <h4>Chapter 553 Consort Zhao Defended Herself in the Qianqing Pce</h4>

    After all this, the Qixi Festival banquet could not go on. The eunuchs checked the number of people brought into the pce by madams anddies one by one, and the number of people for the time being. But in the end, they found nothing. When they entered the pce, there was a definite number of people of each family, and only the mandated women brought a few maids close to them.

    Those maids had been serving their master all the time, and none of them left.

    The guards of each manor scattered at the gate of the pce. There were guards in the pce, so none of the outside guards was allowed to enter the pce.

    Apart from these two kinds of possibilities, Ma Er might be brought in under the order of the master in the pce, but there was no result. This ruffian named Ma Er seemed to have suddenly appeared in the pce and rushed into the banquet. The eunuch, who was thest one to saw him, also said that he saw the man in the aisle. At that time, the man said he wanted to see a youngdy.

    What happened today was rather mysterious. First, it was a maid appearing in the pce when no one brought her in. Then, it was a man who should not have appeared here showed up in the pce. The two of them had died in the end. Besides, nothing was found out. It made one feel as if someone had done something in the dark.

    ¡°It seems that this matter has to be investigated. Otherwise, no one would be convinced and His Majesty would not understand.¡±

    The eunuch¡¯s words gave the Empress a new idea, so she asked maids to check the youngdies again, but still, they did not find any clues.

    So this matter came to a standstill. Before the Empress could find out the truth, the Emperor sent someone over to end the banquet. Then everyone left, and the Empress was called to the Qianqing Pce. The Emperor didn¡¯t even allow her to enter the pce and asked her to kneel outside the door. The imperial servants of the Empress¡¯ pce could only kneel with her.

    As the situation had escted to this point, everyone felt a sense of danger. No one knew if they were the next person to die. Normally Yan Miao was the Empress¡¯ most favored lead pce maid, but before she told about the truth, she had died with Ma Er. Thus, no one dared to speak more. Even though arge group of people had knelt outside the Qianqing Pce, it waspletely silent.

    In the Qianqing Pce, the bronze cauldron, which was carved into the shape of a vengeful lion whose head was held high, exuded the aura of a sovereign ruling over the world. There was a bead inside its big mouth, making it seem sinister and domineering.

    The Emperor sat on a rosewood chair, his face gloomy. Although he looked calm, Consort Zhao, who was familiar with his personality, knew that he was in a rage at this time.

    Since she knelt in the study, Consort Zhao didn¡¯t dare to say anything and looked at the Emperor with tears in her eyes. The Emperor threw a cold nce at her and said with a sneer, ¡°I still didn¡¯t know you had stretched your hand so long. You have something to do with Lian An. I haven¡¯t known for so many years that even the maids in Lian¡¯s Manor are simr to you. He even sent the selling indenture to the pce. What did you want to do? Did you try to plot against Old Eight?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, how, how could you say that? How, how could I do something like that? King Xuan is the only child that my elder sister left behind. He is rted to me by blood. How would I do something like that? When I entered the pce, my elder sister told me about Minister Lian. She only said the He family had done Minister Lian a favor, and so I could ask him for help if I got into trouble.¡±

    ¡°But even having been in the pce for so many years, I have never troubled Minister Lian. I don¡¯t understand why the maids in his manor are like me and my elder sister. That indenture has nothing to do with me. Your Majesty, someone wants to frame me.¡±

    Consort Zhao knew what the problem was, but she pretended to be confused. Her act was wless. She had been kneeling for a long time, but since she was already prepared, she did not panic. She looked at Emperor Zongwen and tears rolled down her longshes. She looked even more pitiful.

    ¡°Oh, is someone trying to frame you? Why did they send the selling indenture to you? This dead maid escaped from Lian¡¯s Manor to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Consort Xuan kindly took them in, so how could she let them enter the pce to harm the people in the pce? She even deliberately brought up the matter of Consort Chu. With her poor body, it¡¯s possible that Consort Xuan was framed by others. How could she scheme against others?¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s tone was grave. It sounded so heavy, like the air before a storm. The aura in the entire study was so heavy that it was nearly difficult for one to breathe.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I really don¡¯t know about this. I have been living in the imperial harem and juste out of the Mingyue Pce. For so many years, no one hase to see me. Although the He family is my closest rtive, they have been indifferent to me for so many years. So how could I have so much affection for them? In my heart, they can¡¯tpare with King Xuan.¡±

    Consort Zhao¡¯s tears rolled down her pale cheeks one by one as she spoke. They were like pearls and crushed jade. Coupled with her beautiful features, it made Emperor Zongwen heartbroken especially when she looked like the person he cared for.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the He family has something to do with Minister Lian, but what does this have to do with me? Could it be that I have schemed against King Xuan, so what¡¯s the benefit of me? My sister has passed away and I only want to guard King Xuan and live. In my heart, he is just like my child. As a mother, how could I scheme against my child?¡±

    She cried more and more sadly as she spoke. She looked so weak that she couldn¡¯t even breathe.

    ¡°So you really don¡¯t know what happened to that maid?¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression softened when he thought of Consort Xian and looked at Consort Zhao¡¯s crying face.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know about it. If the selling indenture was from Minister Lian¡¯s Manor, why did Minister Lian send it to the pce? Did he send the maid to me? But there is everything in the pce. How could Ick some servants? And he sent it secretly. It is clear that he wants to frame me. I feel very wronged. I don¡¯t know who hates me and wants to deal with me.¡±

    Consort Zhao knew that her cries had taken effect, so she continued weeping.

    She still had not figured out what was going on. The maid named Ming Xia was naturally brought in by her man. She originally nned to ask the pce maid called Fei Huan to pour watermelon juice onto Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes. Then Ling Rui¡¯er would definitely push the me onto her and get her to kneel down and beg for forgiveness.

    No matter if Mo Xuetong had punished her or not, the maid had to die. After the eunuch who was dead now and Ming Xia killed her, Ming Xia would take the fall for the crime. The whole thing would be bent¡ªthe maid made the watermelon juice spill on Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes, and thus Mo Xuetong tried to get back at her and killed her.

    Ming Xia¡¯s appearance attracted everyone¡¯s attention to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. The two maids from Lian¡¯s Manor had long wanted to go to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Then, the series of events that happened in Lian¡¯s Manor might have been caused by King Xuan or Consort Xuan. They were also here to exact revenge on He Yufen for harming Mo Xuetong. And Lian An had only been implicated.

    If everyone¡¯s attention was drawn here, the Emperor would definitely regain Lian An¡¯s position. And if Mo Xuetong killed people one after another and caused trouble, she would definitely be punished by the Emperor.

    But who would have thought that things would change one after another? Right now, Consort Zhao didn¡¯t care about Lian An anymore. She only wanted to extricate herself from this matter. Moreover, if she said more about Lian An, it would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the Emperor. She had just shifted the me on Consort Xian that Lian An¡¯s maidservants looked like her.

    What she meant was that Lian An had a rtionship with the He family and so he must have seen Consort Xian before. Maybe he had been in love with Consort Xian for a long time. Therefore, he chose the maidservants looking like Consort Xian in his manor.

    ¡°I remember that the eunuch whose face had been cut was from your pce, right?¡± Even though her words made sense, Emperor Zongwen could not stop being angry and rebuked her harshly.

    ¡°That eunuch seems to be from my pce. I was brought here by Your Majesty¡¯s people before I could see him clearly. I thought about it just now. If anyone wanted to harm me, they would definitely use the servant of my pce. Just like Her Majesty, the maid of her pce was also used by others. Even Her Majesty who has a high status was schemed against by someone, not to mention me, who had been living alone in the Mingyue Pce for more than 10 years.¡±

    Consort Zhao had heard someone reported that something had happened to the Empress. It was said that it was the lead pce maid of the Empress, which made her words more convincing. Therefore, she didn¡¯t argue that the eunuch was not from her pce. It was easy to find out whether he was actually from her pce or not with just a check.

    At this time, the way she defended for the Empress was, in fact, just proving for herself. The maid of Lian¡¯s Manor hade to the pce in a dubious way. There was also a man who had appeared unclearly in the Empress¡¯ matter. Then her words sounded much more credible.

    Emperor Zongwen had already started to believe what she imed, but the Empress might be the real culprit behind the incident. It was not a secret that the Empress had been wanting King Yan to ascend the throne. So it was possible that she would frame her niece. As for Consort Zhao, she was King Xuan¡¯s aunt, and she would suffer if King Xuan was in trouble. As such, she might not have something to do with the incident.

    However, what did Lian An mean? Could it be that he had really chosen the maids who looked like Consort Xian because he had seen her? Emperor Zongwen felt as ufortable as if he had swallowed a fly when he thought of that. Consort Xian was his favorite woman. How could he allow his subject to have maids who looked like the one he loved?

    It seemed that the Emperor could not keep Lian An beside him anymore.

    ¡°From now on, watch out the people around you. If something like this happens again, I can¡¯t protect you either. Besides, Old Eight would deal with the affairs in his manor by himself, so don¡¯t send people to his house for no reason. Are your nieces of the He family closer to him than you are? I¡¯m not allowed to hear the news that a girl of the He family is going to marry into the royal family.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen began to calm down.

    ¡°Yes, got it. I only care about King Xuan. After all, he is the only child of elder sister. Since the He family had tried to plot against Consort Xuan, I had never treated them as rtives. Elder sister and I had done good for the He family, but the He family had done something so shameless. In the future, even if I don¡¯t have rtives of the parents¡¯ home, I don¡¯t want these vicious people.¡±

    Consort Zhao was good at ying the trick of sobbing. First, she mentioned that she and Consort Xian were one; then, she said that she would rather abandon her family to protect Feng Yuran. All of this was for Feng Yuran. No matter how cold and hard one¡¯s heart was, it would be soft. Furthermore, Emperor Zongwen had been missing Consort Xian for so many years.

    However, as the Emperor, Emperor Zongwen was more suspicious than others. Moreover, the person in front of him was not the genuine Consort Xian. Even though Consort Zhao¡¯s words were reasonable, there was still a trace of rity in his eyes. His expression was dark. ¡°Alright, off you go. You should stay in the Mingyue Pce and note out.¡±

    Was she going to be grounded in the Mingyue Pce again? Consort Zhao felt a chill in her heart, but she dared not to say anything more. She kowtowed respectfully and supported by a pce maid to leave with sorrow.

    When they had just arrived at the door, a eunuch ran over and passed by her. He knelt down in the pce and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, Imperial Noble Consort Wen asks to see you!¡±

 Chapter 554 - The Strangeness of Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess

    <strong>Chapter 554 The Strangeness of Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess</strong>

    The banquet in the pce stopped unhappily, and all the noble young masters anddies parted.

    The things that happened in the imperial pce were weird. If someone was not careful enough, he or she would fall into the trap. Even if it didn¡¯t really happen to him or her, he or she might be disabled or seriously injured. Especially for girls, their reputation would be ruined if they got a little involved in it. Then they might be unable to get married in the future.

    Everydy of the noble family was well aware of how precious a girl¡¯s reputation was.

    Besides, someone said that there were still dead people in the back garden when they came out. Immediately, the people present did not say anything more. They did not even respond and only looked forward to returning early. There were two more people in the pce for no reason. If they were not brought in by people in the pce, who else could do that?

    At this time, it was normal for some people to get involved, or some people afraid to be exposed and die.

    But no matter what, everybody only wanted to leave as soon as possible. The imperial pce was a ce where one was apt to get into trouble, so they wanted to stay away from it as soon as possible.

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran knew what happened to the Empress even though they were not present. Mo Xuetong heard it from Feng Yuran while Feng Yuran learned it from a eunuch who sent messages for him. However, that was not the main point. The main point was that the eunuch had note secretly, and had note alone.

    The eunuch came here openly to tell Feng Yuran about what happened to the Empress, which sounded meaningful. Mo Xuetong only smiled lightly and did not care or ask much about it. She could not guess how powerful Feng Yuran was, but when he was by her side, she felt very safe and at ease.

    When they heard that the banquet was stopped, the two of them left the warm room and headed for the pce gate. Mo Xuetong held Feng Yuran¡¯s hand and was almost brought into his embrace. Fortunately, almost all the people had left, so they did not meet any noble young masters ordies on their way.

    It was obvious that everybody panicked when something like this happened.

    Although the imperial garden was still brightly lit, it looked a little unreal while the light was shaking. The eunuchs and pce maids, who were packing the things, were trembling and they only lowered their heads to do things. Their faces were as pale as paper. The people outside the pce had left, but what about the people in the pce? No one knew how many people would die in the following days.

    Such a major incident happened in the pce, which not only involved the Emperor¡¯s favored consort, but also the master of the imperial harem, the Empress. Would Ding General Manor be implicated as well? If the Ding General Manor was involved, then what about the Empress Dowager? The two most respected women of the Qin Kingdom might all be involved in this matter. One would think carefully about this involuntarily. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they felt...

    It was a little cold at night. Feng Yuran put a light gray cape over Mo Xuetong¡¯s shoulders and took her along the path in the pce. Feng Yuran was familiar with this ce. If they walked through this path, they could walk through a straight path and reach the pce gate even faster. Mo Ye followed closely behind them and they walked silently.

    ¡°She hasn¡¯te out yet?¡± Suddenly, someone beside the rockery said in a low voice, which sounded worried.

    It was a little far away from the imperial gardens, so there were nonterns but was a rockery. As such, they could not see who was beside the rockery. Mo Xuetong remembered that path. There was a cross ahead, and one side led to the inner pce while the other led to the pce gates. The middle one went straight to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce.

    ¡°She? Did he refer to the Empress?¡± No, he did not seem to refer to the Empress. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong found that the person¡¯s voice sounded familiar.

    Feng Yuran reached out to press her lips. Mo Xuetong understood what he meant and bit his slender fingers lightly. Then, she stood still.

    ¡°Her Highness hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± It was a respectful voice, which carried the sharpness of eunuchs¡¯ voice.

    ¡°How long has she been in?¡± There was a hint of worry in the gentle tone of the woman.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching all this time, and she has been inside for a long while.¡±

    ¡°Is the Empress still kneeling outside?¡±

    ¡°I just saw that the Empress was called in by the Emperor. I dare not go forward, but I heard the sound of something breaking.¡± The eunuch¡¯s voice showed that he owed little respect to the Empress.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t go on smoothly, report the news to the Empress Dowager. The Empress can¡¯t be deposed anyway,¡± the gentle voice said with a helpless sigh.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go and arrange it now.¡± While they were talking, three shadows appeared beside the rockery. The one in the lead was a woman with a slender figure, with a eunuch behind her, nodding and bowing. Behind the eunuch stood another woman who happened to be walking along a branch path and happened to avoid them.

    Not far away, the three of them split up. One walked in the direction of the Qianqing Pce, and the other two slowly walked to the other side after the maid following them lit antern.

    Mo Xuetong saw it clearly. The moment thentern lit up, she saw the Sixth Princess¡¯ delicate and gentle face. It was evident that she was worried about Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She frowned sullenly.

    This princess was really a busybody. She even meddled in the affairs of the Empress. It was so interesting...

    Mo Xuetong only heaved a long breath when she saw the Sixth Princess walking away. She reached out to pull Feng Yuran, and the two of them went on silently. The pce gates were in sight from afar. Mo Lan, who was waiting at the entrance, only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuraning out hand in hand.

    They were the only manor whose carriages were left outside the pce. Feng Yuran helped Mo Xuetong onto the carriage first, and since he did not ride a horse, he climbed onto the carriage as well. When they saw that the two of them were in the same carriage, the other maids went to the one behind.

    Feng Yuran got on the carriage and leaned against the couch. He then reached out to pull Mo Xuetong up and took out a few hairpins that were in his way.

    As the things on her head reduced, she felt much more rxed. Mo Xuetong let out a sigh of relieffortably and leaned into Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace like azy kitten. She looked up with a smile and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the background of Imperial Noble Consort Wen? Her parents¡¯ family is powerful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Her watery eyes were bright. As she feltfortable, she closed her eyes slightly and her longshes fluttered. There was a hint of charm in her beauty. Feng Yuran¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her. He reached out to touch her lips, with a vague smile on his red lips.

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s father is just a lowly officer. Even though she was selected by the pce and gave birth to the Sixth Princess, she has never asked for a job for her mother¡¯s family. As such, she is known for being virtuous in the pce. Furthermore, she is unlike the Empress who has always gained her authority in front of others. Besides, her child is not a son. So, there are many other consorts in the pce who have a good rtionship with her.¡±

    There was a hint of wisdom in Feng Yuran¡¯s long and narrow eyes. He raised his long, sword-like eyebrows and a trace of gloom shed through his eyes. He understood what Mo Xuetong meant. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was an idler in the pce and had no son, so she decided not to fight. After all, the result had nothing to do with her.

    Furthermore, no matter who took the throne, even though she could notpare to the Empress and Consort Su in the pce, she had a daughter and a high position. No matter if the Empress or Consort Su became the Empress Dowager, they would not treat her badly in the future. As such, she did not involve herself in the fight no matter how chaotic the imperial harem became. She did not stand on King Yan¡¯s side represented by the Empress, or King Chu¡¯s side represented by Consort Su.

    So she didn¡¯t care about anything and had a good reputation for being idle. After all, she couldn¡¯tpete with others. No one cared about her attitude. But today, Imperial Noble Consort Wen was obviously a little abnormal. What made her want to go to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce, even in the face of his anger? It seemed that she interceded for the Empress.

    ¡°Would Imperial Noble Consort Wen do something like that in the past?¡± Mo Xuetong caught on to Feng Yuran¡¯s main point sharply. There was a faint smile on her lips and she did not hide her suspicion of Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She felt that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was rather odd. She had always been impartial and in the middle of the Empress and Consort Su¡¯s battle.

    It seemed that no matter who won, it didn¡¯t matter to Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    However, her calm attitude made Mo Xuetong confused. Living in the pce, one would either win or lose. It was a life and death struggle during ups and downs. Who could truly be stable? However, Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always looked calm. No matter who the Emperor doted on or who lost his favor in the pce, it seemed to have nothing to do with her. She had always appeared in front of others in a gentle manner.

    She was neither outstanding nor backward.

    Feng Yuran of course understood what she meant. He reached out and wrapped her long ck hair around his fingers. He couldn¡¯t helpmenting how a person¡¯s hair could be so ck, soft, and smooth. ¡°One doesn¡¯t have to care too much about what happens in the pce. As long as she doesn¡¯t put her hand outside the pce, she can put it aside first. She wants to ask the Empress Dowager to save the Empress taking advantage of Ding General Manor¡¯s reputation. That would be a good idea. The Empress Dowager still wants to rely on Ding General Manor. Tong¡¯er, your hair is so fragrant. What did you use?¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked and looked up, just in time to see Feng Yuran¡¯s charming and seductive look. When she saw how he was looking at her with his deep and beautiful eyes, she was startled. Then, there was a hint of annoyance in her eyes as she nced at him from the corner of her eyes and patted his hand, which was ying around her hair, away. ¡°I¡¯m talking about serious matters with you!¡±

    Feng Yuran said seriously, ¡°I am doing something serious. It is a great thing to have fun between wife and husband.¡± His hand reached out again. This time, he didn¡¯t fiddle with Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful hair. Instead, he held Mo Xuetong¡¯s jaw and half-lifted his pretty eyes. Then he leaned towards her side.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed when she saw his handsome face getting closer and closer. Her heart skipped a beat and she thought to herself that this guy was too attractive. Even though she was used to his charm, she would still be seduced. She looked at him unblinkingly and her pink cheeks flushed.

    ¡°You talk nonsense again.¡±

    Feng Yuran looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face with satisfaction and kissed her gently. Then, he put down his hand and hugged her. He looked ahead as if he was looking into an unknown distance through the carriage door. With a thoughtful look in his eyes, he said, ¡°Next time you meet Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess, you have to be careful. Don¡¯t let them plot against you. I will get someone to investigate the details of Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s family.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words reminded him that with the status of Imperial Noble Consort Wen, even if she did not mention it in front of the Emperor, there would still be people who would suck up to her. How could her father have been an official in a remote city for so many years?

    ording to the Sixth Princess¡¯ words and deeds just now, she didn¡¯t seem to be a princess who did not interfere in government affairs. In the past, when the Fifth Princess was around, the Sixth Princess had always followed behind her, looking obsequious. She had always been an auxiliary of the Fifth Princess and did not have much status in front of her. Even though everyone knew that the Sixth Princess was gentle, they knew that she was cowardly. With her temper, and her mother Imperial Noble Consort Wen who never offended others, even the Empress did not make things difficult for her. It was said that she wanted to choose a suitable husband for the Sixth Princess so that she would not be bullied when she married.

    However, there wasn¡¯t any trace of softness in the Sixth Princess¡¯ words and deeds today...

    Everything was so weird here!

 Chapter 555 - In the Tianfeng Palace, the Empress Plan

    <h4>Chapter 555 In the Tianfeng Pce, the Empress¡¯ n</h4>

    Since such a thing happened in the pce, 30 to 40 people were beaten to death overnight. The Empress knelt outside the Qianqing Pce to ask for forgiveness. Anyway, she was the master of the imperial harem. After such a thing happened, she could not absolve herself from the me. Later, even the Empress Dowager, who had been sick, was rmed and came to the Qianqing Pce with some servants.

    Then, some people were beaten to death. It was said that some of them were from the Empress¡¯ pce.

    It was not until about four o¡¯clock in the morning that the Empress returned to the Tianfeng Pce with the help of her maids. She had knelt for so long that her legs had be numb. She was almost carried back by the two pce maids. Imperial Noble Consort Wen also came back with her. She asked maids in the pce to take hot water to warm the Empress¡¯ feet while asking people to put the Empress on the couch.

    Some of the people in the Tianfeng Pce were taken out, and the rest of them were so scared that they didn¡¯t even dare to move their hands and feet. There were three or four candles in the hall, making the hall appear empty. Tianfeng Pce was too big. The people in the pce didn¡¯t feel anything ufortable before, but now since there were only a few people, they felt that there were many shadows in it.

    The Empress took a cup of hot tea from Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s hand and took a sip, trembling. Then, she exhaled deeply and waved her hand, signaling the people around her to leave.

    The Empress¡¯ teacup shook when she saw the pce maids and eunuchs retreating fearfully like startled birds. A few drops of hot tea fell on the back of her hands and immediately a patch of her skin was burned red.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen hurriedly took the teacup from the Empress¡¯ hand and said with concern, ¡°Your Majesty, be careful. I will put the cup aside and you can drink it when it cools a little. Don¡¯t burn yourself.¡±

    Was it hot? The Empress looked at the red scald on her wrist dully and sour tears welled up in her eyes. She had once scalded herself on her wrist by hot water, and that man was so worried about her and said that she was not allowed to take the hot water again. From then on, the water served to her was cooled a little.

    However, he seemed to be getting further and further away from her!

    When did it start? Was it when that woman came into the pce? Everything seemed to have changed because of that woman. The Empress thought with a trace of coldness and hatred in her eyes.

    ¡°A scald? Even if I die now, he won¡¯t look at me.¡± The Empress¡¯ voice was low and hoarse. She reached out to touch the injury on her arm. Although there was no blood, it was very painful. It was the part that the Emperor smashed with a cup.

    His eyes were so gloomy at that time. He threw the cup at her without mercy and did not care about her dignity as the Empress at all. Although she had long known that he was ruthless to her, she thought that he still cared about the face of Ding General Manor. But today, he reproached her as if she were an ordinary imperial consort.

    Even when the Empress Dowager came to his pce, he still did not let her go.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t say that. After all, you are His Majesty¡¯s wife. You¡¯re different from us. Besides, you can¡¯t be med for what happened today. It¡¯s just about a servant. With so many people in the imperial harem, if everything is med on you, what can you do, Your Majesty? His Majesty knows that even if so many things have happened, he had to do something on the surface to save the dignity of the royal family.¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen persuaded her gently. Her words sounded like an exnation for the Emperor, but in fact, they meant something else when one thought about it carefully. It sounded as if the Empress were a person who was meant to be abandoned. This made the Empress¡¯ tensed heart break down and she immediately lost control.

    There was a sh of sharpness in the Empress¡¯ gloomy eyes. She suddenly sat up straight and held Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s hand tightly as if she were getting hands cramp. She yelled, ¡°The dignity of the royal family? Am I not of the royal family? Would the dignity of the royal family be saved if I lose face? Everything that happens in the pce has something to do with me. Is that a crime? Who would have thought that something like this would happen? I, the Empress, knelt before so many people¡¯s eyes for so long. Whose dignity would be hurt?¡±

    She held Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s hand like mad and gritted her teeth. Her eyes were filled with pain and despair.

    Even in the past, the Emperor also suspected that the Empress had killed that woman. In the end, he did not do anything to her but reproached her for her poor supervision. What about now? It was just a maid¡¯s death. Why did he act as if it were all her fault? The dead girl was only a servant in the pce. Who knew who had ordered her to do that? Why didn¡¯t the Emperor care for her dignity? Instead, he let her, the Empress, be humiliated in public and even ordered people to beat her servants to death.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. Take it easy.¡± A meaningful look shed through Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s eyes as she lowered her head. However, sheforted the Empress gently and patted her on the hand. Then, she pulled her hand away softly. The Empress pinched her pale wrist so hard that it was red and swollen.

    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not only you but also Consort Zhao who get into trouble today. But Consort Zhao is fine while you are punished. It¡¯s hard for both of you to exin it clearly. It seemed to hurt Consort Zhao¡¯s reputation too. She has an ambiguous rtionship with Minister Lian. Why is she fine? You should learn more from Consort Zhao.¡±

    ¡°Learn more from that bitch? What do you want me to learn from her? Seductive means? That bitch has been dead for so many years, but she is still restless. Even now, she is still in His Majesty¡¯s heart. If I had known earlier, I would have cut her into pieces and ruined her face. I¡¯d like to see if she would still stay in his heart.¡±

    Under the light, the Empress¡¯ eyes widened. She looked at the empty hall with wildness in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said ferociously. She seemed to be cursing Consort Zhao or someone else.

    She looked as if she had been possessed by a ghost. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was startled. She did not expect the Empress to react so strongly. She hurriedly waved her hand in front of the Empress¡¯ eyes. When she saw that the Empress was still staring at a spot in the air viciously, as if there were an enemy there, she sighed softly.

    She patted the Empress¡¯ hand again andforted her, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t be mad. You should consider what to do next. Even though Consort Chu¡¯s reputation has been tarnished, King Chu has gained the most. Consort Su will be in charge of the imperial harem. If King Chu ascends the throne in the future, your position as the Empress will exist in name only.¡±

    The Empress¡¯ expression froze when Consort Su was mentioned. Her dazed eyes came back from the spot in the air in a malicious manner. She looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen as if she were Consort Su. Consort Su had the right to manage the imperial harem that she won before, so who else in the harem would be able to suppress her in the future?

    A wave of despair and sadness appeared in the Empress¡¯ vicious eyes. She had fought with the Empress Dowager for half of her life and was even willing to turn against her. She did not expect Consort Su to benefit in the end. How could she not feel bad and desperate? Lei¡¯er seemed to have no hope of ascending the throne. If King Chu ascended the throne in the future, she would, as Lei¡¯er¡¯s legitimate mother, have no ce at all.

    So what if she would be the Empress Dowager? Consort Su would never spare her. After fighting for so long, the two of them would not be able to get along any longer. There would not be two masters in the country, and simrly, there would not be two Empress Dowagers in the imperial harem either. They would be a winner and a loser. Consort Su was King Chu¡¯s biological mother, so he would definitely stand by her by then. What would the Empress do then?

    Thinking of this, she shed tears that she had fought back for most of the night. She was the Empress of the country, but now she couldn¡¯t even defeat an imperial consort. How could she not be sad? She was the Emperor¡¯s legal wife who entered the pce from the Qianqing Gate and had a wedding known by the whole world.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t worry. Maybe there will be a turnaround.¡±

    ¡°A turnaround? What do you mean? His Majesty has locked me in the Tianfeng Pce. He intends to lock me up for the rest of my life. When King Chu ascends to the throne, he might not even respect me as the Empress Dowager. As long as he says that the former Emperor had locked me up, no one would care even if I die here,¡± the Empress cried in despair.

    The cruel struggle in the imperial harem had always been a life-or-death fight. She was clear that Consort Su would not let her off then. ording to Consort Su¡¯s character, she would definitely not be able to bear the fact that she was the Emperor¡¯s wife. It was not easy to save a person in the pce, but it was easy to kill a person in the pce.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are wrong. You still have a chance. It depends on if you will fight for King Yan. As long as King Yan ascends the throne, you will be in charge of the entire harem. Then...¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not finish her words, but the Empress understood what she meant. However, what shocked her the most was the first half of this consort¡¯s words.

    She suddenly reached out to grab Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s arm and asked urgently, ¡°I still have a chance? What chance do I have?¡±

    Even if there was the slightest chance, she would not let it go. As long as Feng Yulei won, she would have the real chance, and Ding General Manor behind her would not fall.

    ¡°There is a way. It just depends on whether you are willing to do this or not, Your Majesty.¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen hesitated, as if it was hard for her to speak.

    ¡°Tell me. I will listen carefully and will not do anything rash. As long as I¡¯m still alive, I will definitely help King Yan. I will not allow him to die with me for nothing.¡± Just like Consort Su would not let her go, Feng Yuxuan would not let Feng Yulei off the hook either. The two of them had done too many things in private. They were already in a life-or-death situation.

    Furthermore, there was Ding General Manor. Ding General Manor behind her would not be able to gain any advantage. She had seen clearly from above today. After what happened to Ling Rui¡¯er, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression was dark and he did not even look at her. The disgust in his eyes could not be hidden. At that moment, the Empress had even thought that Feng Yuxuan would kill Ling Rui¡¯er.

    However, in the end, Feng Yuxuan acted as usual, and while leaving, he gently held Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s hand, as if he did not care about the fact that Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s body had been seen by another man, and his eyes were full of affection. There was only one possible case that a man could bear being cuckolded¡ªLing Rui¡¯er was still useful!

    What if she was useless? The Empress could not help shuddering. She seemed to have seen blood flowing like a river in Ding General Manor, and the copse of the family that hadsted for hundreds of years, and as a result, no one would ever know that Ding General Manor used to be the glorious Empress¡¯ family.

    No, she would never allow such a situation to happen. Never.

    Almost in a frenzy, she grabbed Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s hand, ignoring the cold sweat on her face. She gritted her teeth and asked sharply, ¡°What, what... what should I do?¡±

    At this time, she represented herself instead of the Empress!

    No matter what, she did not want herself, King Yan, and Ding General Manor to have such an end. As such, she would try her best to stop King Chu from taking the throne. This was the cardinal matter she had to deal with right now. She could put aside her personal grudges for a while. There were no permanent enemies, only interest. Now her interests impelled her to do so...

 Chapter 556 - Shock, Great Changes in Every Manor

    <h4>Chapter 556 Shock, Great Changes in Every Manor</h4>

    After what had happened in the imperial pce, the Empress had given all the power to manage the imperial harem to Consort Su, and she herself had gone to the Buddha Hall to pray for the dead pce servants and sent most of the rest servants in her pce to other pces. She looked as if she werepletely dedicated to the Buddha and would no longer care about what was happening in the pce.

    Once this news came out, everyone got excited.

    King Chu was in charge of court affairs, and even though King Xuan would participate in it from time to time, everyone could tell that King Chu was in charge. King Xuan was just an idle prince who would work asionally. Now Consort Su was in charge of the imperial harem.

    King Yan was grounded in his manor, and the Empress no longer meddled in affairs of the imperial harem...

    What did this mean? It was worth studying. Countless pairs of eyes in the court were watching these changes!

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce was wreathed in smoke. The benevolent Empress Dowager sat in front of the Buddha and muttered something with a string of beads in her hands. The hall was very quiet, and the Jade Buddha consecrated above appeared quieter. He looked at the noble Empress Dowager in front of him calmly, as if he had not seen the agitation on the Empress Dowager¡¯s face that she could not suppress at all.

    In the past, the Mind-clearing Incantation was very effective. Even if there were more troubles in her mind, her anger would be suppressed as soon as the Empress Dowager read the Mind-clearing Incantation once. But today, she really could not calm down. She recited the Mind-clearing Incantation again and again, but the agitation in her heart still rushed up again and again, and she could not suppress it even if she wanted to.

    In the end, the Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes. She turned to Eunuch Yu who was standing by the door and asked, ¡°Is Consort Yu here?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, Consort Yu is already here and is resting in the quiet room behind, but...¡± Eunuch Yu paused, looking a little hesitant.

    The Empress Dowager figured it out when she thought of that. Immediately she snorted and asked, ¡°Did Zhen¡¯ere as well?¡± In her eyes, Consort Yu was a bitch. She was pregnant, but she still tried to seduce Zhen¡¯er. If something would go wrong with the baby in her belly, how could she think of a way to get pregnant again?

    ¡°Yes, yes! His Highness has been in the room for a while,¡± Eunuch Yu said fearfully. He lowered his head and did not dare to say anything else. He had been working for the Empress Dowager, so he naturally knew what the Empress Dowager hated the most. If not for the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly being useful, the Empress Dowager would not have spared her.

    ¡°Get Zhen¡¯er out of the pce as soon as possible. He¡¯s here to visit me, so he can¡¯t stay too long,¡± the Empress Dowager said coldly, a little dissatisfied with Feng Yuzhen. Although she wanted him to coax Consort Yu, it should not take long. Now, Consort Su was in charge of the imperial harem, and that woman was not easy to get along with.

    ¡°Yes, I will urge him,¡± Eunuch Yu said helplessly. As a matter of fact, he had listened on the sly just now, but the two people inside were making out passionately, and he did not dare to disturb them. Now that he got the Empress Dowager¡¯s order, he could only go over to urge them.

    When he arrived at the quiet room at the back of the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce hall, Eunuch Yu could hear a woman¡¯s charming voice and the man¡¯s heavy breathinging from inside. He really did not know what to say. The two inside were still not over. No wonder the Empress Dowager grew angry. They should be aware of their situation. One of them was pregnant, so it could be said that they were addicted to having a love affair stealthily!

    Eunuch Yu knocked on the door and said, ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, it is gettingte. Her Majesty asks you to leave the pce.¡±

    After a while, the two inside the room stopped. Feng Yuzhen straightened out his clothes and walked out with afortable look on his face, his hands behind his back. His robe was crumpled, and it was obvious that they were passionate just now, but he didn¡¯t show it on his face. Looking at Eunuch Yu, he nodded as if nothing had happened and said, ¡°Did Grandmother have anything else to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty wants Your Highness to be careful. Consort Su is in charge of the imperial harem now.¡± Eunuch Yuughed dryly. In the past, the Empress, who was the daughter of Ding General Manor, would maintain the decency of Ding General Manor and would not fight with the Empress Dowager openly no matter what happened. But now, things changed. King Chu had a great advantage in the court and Consort Su would help him in the imperial harem. He was really powerful.

    ¡°Alright, I will be careful.¡± Feng Yuzhen nodded and turned to stride out. After a few steps, he suddenly said to Eunuch Yu, ¡°Consort Yu is still inside. It is not convenient for her. Go and help her.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Eunuch Yu replied, lowering his head.

    Feng Yuzhen walked out. He did not dare toe to the pce often recently, and it had been a long time since he had seen Consort Yust time. He did not have a first consort in his manor. In order to gain a good reputation and win the hearts of the people of the Wang family, he didn¡¯t make out with women after the death of Wang Yueyue. As such, he did not take concubines into the manor.

    It could be said that his King Ning¡¯s Manor was now clean, which, of course, was done for others to see. But for the sake of his reputation, King Ning did not dare to take women to his manor. So it could be said that King Ning had not made out with a woman for a long time. Therefore, when he saw the charming Consort Yu in front of him, he immediately got passionate and forgot everything else. Of course, he woke up at this time and disdained Consort Yu very much.

    ¡°That bitch was so horny! Does she often make the Emperor a cuckold?¡±

    He had already decided that he would get rid of Consort Yu, the slut, after he ascended the throne in the future. Since she dared to have an affair with him, she would definitely do the same with another man. ¡°She is a slut, and she might have had something to do with the guards of the imperial harem long ago.¡±

    When Eunuch Yu helped Consort Yu put on her clothes and arrived at the hall, the Empress Dowager¡¯s face had already darkened. As she looked at Consort Yu who could not hide her lustful expression, a hint of coldness shed in the Empress Dowager¡¯s eyes. Then, a gentle smile appeared on her face. She pointed at a chair by the side and gestured for Consort Yu to sit.

    The baby in her belly was of utmost importance.

    ¡°Consort Yu, do you think what happened yesterday was really done by the Empress in order to plot against Consort Chu?¡± She had specially asked Consort Yu toe because Consort Yu was present then and must have witnessed it clearly. The Empress Dowager did not believe that the Empress would be so stupid that she fought Ling Rui¡¯er. They were both from Ding General Manor, so they could be considered to belong to the samemunity of shared destiny. If something like that happened to Ling Rui¡¯er, it would implicate the reputation of the girls of Ding General Manor.

    The Empress Dowager did not believe that the Empress didn¡¯t know this. It was okay for family members to fight in secret, but when it came to interests, the Empress was still able to distinguish them.

    ¡°Your Majesty, it seems that it was really done by the Empress. At that time, the lead pce maid of the Empress had been standing behind her and trembling. She looked at the Empress desperately several times. She even hid behind the Empress. But at that time, the Empress seemed not to know what was wrong with her, and only found out about it when Consort Su pulled Yan Miao out.¡±

    Consort Yu calmed down and took the cup of tea from Eunuch Yu. She took a sip and pondered with a frown. She did not say much after what happened yesterday. Even though she saw it, she did not say because no matter who won or lost, it would only be beneficial to her. So she hoped that they would fight every day. In her eyes, it would be better for her if they were dead.

    The Empress did not know about it? That meant that the Empress did not mean to hurt Ling Rui¡¯er. Perhaps, it was because someone had secretly set the trap. It seemed that the Empress was too stupid. She had allowed others to listen carefully to her ns. Someone had set up a trap to wait for her. The idea behind the scenes was not simple.

    ¡°What were King Xuan and Consort Xuan doing then?¡±

    Consort Yu stuck out her belly and answered, ¡°Because of what happened before, Consort Xuan felt ufortable, so King Xuan took her to a room to have a rest. When the whole thing happened, they were not there.¡± The chair was a little small and she felt very ufortable sitting there. It was better not to sit. The Empress Dowager was sitting high, so she didn¡¯t dare to be presumptuous even though she felt rather ufortable.

    Then it could not be the two of them. After all, anyone who tried to plot against the Empress would not rx. They would be afraid that an ident would happen, so they would definitely stay in the pce and deal with the sudden situation. Furthermore, they were in the pce. Feng Yuran was an idle person and no one in the pce would help him. He would not be able to do anything like that. His aunt, Consort Zhao did not seem to be someone who would help him.

    Then the Empress had a eureka moment, and asked solemnly, ¡°Could it be Consort Zhao?¡± She had been locked up for 10 years, and after she was released, it was hard to see through her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. After all, she just got into trouble. She might not dare to make trouble again,¡± Consort Yu felt that this guess was a little funny. ording to Consort Zhao¡¯s situation back then, she would not dare to do anything else. Consort Yu thought that the Empress Dowager had stayed in the pce for too long and was old.

    ¡°Tell me everything in detail.¡± The Empress Dowager stopped guessing, her eyes half-closed. She twirled the beads in her hands even faster.

    Consort Yu did not dare to go against the Empress Dowager, so she told her everything in detail.

    When Consort Yu was done, the Empress Dowager did not look up. The whole hall quieted down and only the sounds of prayer beads twirling in the Empress Dowager¡¯s hands could be heard. It was so monotonous and dull that it almost drove one mad.

    Consort Yu automatically swallowed and rubbed her belly with her hand. The baby had moved in her belly recently. This made her even happier to be a mother while she plotted against others. As long as her son was born, she would have goals to fight for him.

    ¡°Alright, off you go. You have to be more careful in the future. Consort Su is not the Empress. Be careful in case you fall into someone¡¯s trap and don¡¯t even know how you die.¡± The Empress Dowager finally looked up and said lightly to Consort Yu.

    Consort Yu did not dare to say anything else. She stood up hurriedly to answer, ¡°Yes.¡± She was called to the Cining Pce early in the morning and then made out with Feng Yuzhen in a passion. Now she was very tired. The atmosphere in this hall was especially ufortable. She immediately stood up and left when she heard that she could leave.

    Watching Consort Yu¡¯s figure disappear at the entrance of the pce, the Empress Dowager ordered Eunuch Yu in a low voice, ¡°Go tell His Majestyter that I am guilty as well. I failed to manage the imperial harem well. After this incident, I will request to apany the Empress. I can¡¯t let her bear the responsibility alone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will tell the Emperor immediately,¡± Eunuch Yu answered carefully as his gazended on the beads that the Empress Dowager was twirling anxiously. He knew that the Empress Dowager was really worried.

    In Mingguo Manor.

    You Yuecheng frowned as he read the new intelligence that he had received. His pretty and cold brows were furrowed tightly. He had failed to go to the pcest night. It was not because he did not want to, but his wife had made a fuss to stop him. Learning that thedies who had been taking a fancy to You Yuecheng had all entered the pce, Ling Mingyan had not allowed him to enter the pce on any ount.

    She imed that it was a festival for unmarried young men and women. Why did he, a married man, go there? Did he want to have a private meeting with someone? Ling Mingyan said it in front of Duke Mingguo, and You Yuecheng was so angry that he left. In this case, he had lost a chance to find out the truth in person. At this time, he read the information and analyzed it slowly.

    ¡°Somebody, send a message to King Yan to tell him not to be anxious. The Empress has already taken actions and told him to wait for the right timing.¡± He rubbed the spot between his brows.

    ¡°Yes!¡± A shadow shed out of the room.

    That day, almost all the young masters of the noble families did not go out to fool around. They were locked up at home in case they should make trouble at the critical moment. Everyone was trying to figure out whether the Empress was retreating for the sake of advancing or just retreating. Of course, the most important thing was the Emperor¡¯s attitude. What did the Emperor mean? Was he interested in King Chu?

 Chapter 557 - Meeting He Yufen Again in the Back Yard

    <h4>Chapter 557 Meeting He Yufen Again in the Back Yard</h4>

    After the Qixi Festival banquet in the imperial harem, those young men and women did not be couples but made the Emperor and the Empress unhappy. After the news that the Empress entered the Buddha Hall of her own ord, it was also said that Consort Zhao also shut herself up in the Mingyue Pce to pray for blessings for the dead pce servants.

    The two powerful women were immediately isted from the world, leaving Consort Su to outshine others. Was the Emperor trying to promote King Chu to the Crown Prince? The officials all had their own ideas. Someone had already secretly sent gifts to King Chu¡¯s Manor to privately show their loyalty to King Chu. However, most officials were just waiting and watching. It was not easy to guess what the current Emperor was thinking about.

    King Yan had already been of noble status and was about to be the Crown Prince, but he had been locked up since his wedding. In fact, there was no evidence about that matter. It was just a rumor, and how could the Emperor only listen to the rumor when he was so wise?

    Therefore, the only possibility was that the Emperor wanted to control King Yan!

    At the thought of this point, those officials who had their own ns in their hearts felt their hairs stand on end. Who knew when the Emperor would dislike someone? There was only one position high above. The second round of the fight for the throne was about to begin. Some older officials could still remember when King Jin fought for the throne 30 years ago.

    At that time, blood flowed like rivers, and everyone got so excited by killing others. Many rtives of the royal family and descendants of officials who had feats had died. It could be said that it was a shakeup with blood. Although King Jin¡¯s people were all killed, his opponent was also weakened. After the former Emperor took over the throne, he only slept for a few hours every day. The prime Emperor then only lived for a few years and the throne fell into the current Emperor¡¯s hands.

    Emperor Zongwen did not experience such a battle for the throne. It was because some of the sons of the former Emperor had died in the fight for the throne with King Jin early. The remaining legitimate son was in poor health, and he had only been the Crown Prince for a short while before he died. Then, the former Emperor passed away and Emperor Zongwen was the only son left. It was his responsibility to take the throne.

    However, this man was not easy to fool. When he first became the Emperor, he administered the government strictly and punished a group of corrupt and fatuous officials. He was quick and ruthless. As a result, he had managed the Qin Kingdom well and properly. It was obvious that he was apetent Emperor. Moreover, after he had been the Emperor for so many years, people couldn¡¯t figure out which prince he liked!

    Of course, themotion outside was all for men, and Mo Xuetong would not take it to heart. There were strong men to deal with it. It was obvious that Feng Yuran was a strong man in her heart. The only thing she could do was to help him manage the back yard and care about him through small matters.

    Ever since the banquet, Feng Yuran had been dragged back to court. As such, no matter how unhappy he was about it, he had to go to the court.

    When Mo Xuetong got up, it was already past breakfast time. There was only one master in the manor, and Feng Yuran had told the servants not to wake her up. She slept until she woke up naturally every day, but she still felt a little tired. Fortunately, after getting up for a while, she felt less tired. She knew that the poison in her body had not been detoxified, and it must have something to do with it.

    But now, she didn¡¯t want to think about it. Anyway, it was useless. Thinking about it, she would be scared. She had to think about things in a better way. At least, Feng Yuran¡¯s medicine was much better than her mother¡¯s. She didn¡¯t have to be bedridden all the time and could get up to deal with things. She just easily felt tired.

    Fortunately, there was nothing to do in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Even though there were many concubines in the back yard, it was obvious that she did not have to manage them. She was free. Concubine Qin was the only woman who had a title in the back yard. Feng Yuran had told her not to disturb Mo Xuetong¡¯s rest, so she had nothing to do.

    Mo Xuetong felt much better after drinking the medicine and eating breakfast. However, she did not have much appetite. There was porridge and dishes on the table, but Mo Xuetong only ate a few mouthfuls before putting the bowl down. Mo Lan felt worried and touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s forehead. Finding that Mo Xuetong did not have a fever, she heaved a sigh of relief.

    Ever since Mo Lan found out that Mo Xuetong also had been poisoned, her heart had been in her mouth. She was afraid that something would happen to Mo Xuetong. Madam¡¯s sickly look had always shed before her eyes. Even though she was young then, she had already understood the situation. If Consort Xuan became like her mother...

    Mo Lan grew anxious when she thought of that. As such, she sent the medicine here, and strictly supervised Mo Xuetong drinking of the medicine.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I have taken a book yesterday and read itte. Maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m a little tired.¡± Mo Xuetong knew what Mo Lan was worried about. Her heart melted and she patted Mo Lan¡¯s hand away with a smile.

    ¡°My Lady, how can you stay upte reading? If you do it again, I¡¯ll go to tell His Highness and ask him to supervise your sleep time,¡± Mo Lanined as she stared at Mo Xuetong.

    Feng Yuran did not sleep in Mo Xuetong¡¯s roomst night and Mo Xuetong could not fall asleep alone. She tossed and turned for a long while. Then, she picked up a book and flipped through it. As a result, she read it for a long while and fell asleepte. Mo Yu was on duty at that time and Mo Lan hadined about it for a long while this morning.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll never stay up sote again, alright?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled andforted Mo Lan who was obviously unhappy.

    ¡°My Lady, you have to remember what you said,¡± Mo Lan said seriously as she stood in front of Mo Xuetong. There was a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

    ¡°Okay, sure. I will definitely remember it. Mo Lan, don¡¯t worry. I hope that I can be energetic every day and go to the garden to get some lotus dew to make tea.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded hurriedly and promised. In front of Mo Lan, she was immature. But she had no choice. After all, Mo Lan was so sensible.

    ¡°My Lady, you want to get some lotus dew? There is no dew on the lotus leaves at this time. There is a lot of sunshine, but I don¡¯t know how to get it!¡± The curtain was lifted, and Mo Yu came in and blinked with a mocking smile on her face. She carried a te in her hand, and the white jade bottle contained the lotus dew that Mo Xuetong mentioned just now.

    If you made tea with the lotus dew collected in the morning, the tea would contain a faint fragrance of the lotus. It was fairly fragrant, and Feng Yuran liked it very much. He had been thinking about it ever since Mo Xuetong collected the dew and made tea for him to drink. However, he did not allow Mo Xuetong to collect the dew herself.

    Looking at the sunlight outside, Mo Xuetong smiled. It turned out that she had really gotten up toote.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the bottle that Mo Yu handed to her, and picked up a handkerchief to carefully wipe the water on it. Then she asked softly, ¡°How is He Yufen?¡±

    In fact, He Yufen had not been sent to the brothel that day. Feng Yuran only pretended to do it. Then he brought her back secretly and threw her in the woodshed of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, asking someone to keep watch on her. Only a few confidants knew about it. The person guarding He Yufen was Feng Yuran¡¯s man, and usually, it was Mo Yu who sent meals to her.

    ¡°When I sent the meal, First Miss He begged me and she wanted to see you, My Lady. She said that she has something important to tell you.¡± Speaking of the business, Mo Yu stopped smiling mockingly and answered seriously. In fact, she really didn¡¯t like First Miss He. She didn¡¯t understand why King Xuan and Consort Xuan kept her in the manor.

    From Mo Yu¡¯s point of view, since she dared to murder Consort Xuan, it was not enough to vent her anger, even if she were to be cut into pieces.

    ¡°She said it more than once. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything more important for the He family. Apart from being wealthy, they don¡¯t hesitate to give their daughters to different officials. What else important things do they have?¡±

    Mo Xuetong fell silent. The He family was the most painful thorn in Feng Yuran¡¯s body of a generation ago. Now, it was the thorn in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. They had intentionally kept He Yufen in the manor because they wanted to know how many secrets she knew. He Yufen seemed to be more scheming than He Yuxiu. They had left her in the manor because they wanted to see how she would react.

    Now it seemed that she did know something; she should know more than He Yuxiu did.

    Mo Lan, who was not as reckless as Mo Yu, thought for a while and said, ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s about time now. I went to see He Yufen secretly yesterday. When she heard a sound, she cowered aside nervously. It seems that she is really frightened. I think it is the best time to ask.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded approvingly. She put down the white jade bottle that she had wiped clean and said, ¡°Mo Yu, stay here and put away the water in the bottle. When His Highnesses, boil it and make tea. I will take Mo Lan there to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will put it away right now.¡± Mo Yu nodded.

    Since He Yufen was secretly brought her here, it would definitely not be appropriate to bring her to the main yard. She only brought Mo Lan with her and went to the woodshed in the back courtyard. The manservant guarding the door opened it for her. Mo Xuetong entered with Mo Lan.

    Hearing people¡¯s voices, the figure inside immediately huddled up and shivered.

    With the sunshine outside the window, Mo Xuetong could see clearly that He Yufen¡¯s eyes peeked out from behind the sleeves. Seeing clearly that it was Mo Xuetong, He Yufen suddenly pulled down the sleeves covering her face and rushed to Mo Xuetong. Mo Lan, who had been staring at her, quickly stood in front of He Yufen.

    ¡°He Yufen, are you trying to harm Her Lady?¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong almost fell down because of He Yufen¡¯s pounce, Mo Lan raised her eyebrows and rebuked her angrily.

    ¡°No, Elder Sister Mo Lan, I¡¯m not. I just have something to say to Her Lady.¡± He Yufen was in a hurry to exin.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on He Yufen¡¯s face. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a few days, and He Yufen looked thin and almost out of shape. Her cheeks were sunken, and her skin was pale. Since she hadn¡¯t taken a bath for so many days in summer, she gave off the smell of sour dishes, which was really unpleasant.

    The manservant brought a chair from outside and ced it at the door. He said smartly, ¡°Please sit down, My Lady. His Highness said you should note too close to her, lest you fall sick because of the stinky smell. There are still people at the door, and no one wille over.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded and sat down on the chair. She knew that Feng Yuran meant that no one would hear what she said. Then, she looked at the manservant and found that he was very quick. She knew that he was good at martial arts. He was standing on her side before, just in front of He Yufen. It was because Feng Yuran was wary that He Yufen would hurt her. Mo Xuetong felt warm in her heart and could not help but reveal a faint smile on her face.

    Looking at the beautiful andzy woman sitting in the chair, He Yufen felt bitter in her heart. How could she not see through it and want to take that position? Was it because the prospect Consort Zhao had described to her was too tempting or was it because she had been reluctant to stay behind? As she looked at everything in front of her, how could she not understand?

    Mo Xuetong was the only one in the mighty man¡¯s heart. However, it was a pity that they could not see through it. Consort Zhao had even imed that she had already used tea leaves to make them dislike each other. Did they look like they didn¡¯t like each other? Even when Mo Xuetong interrogated her, he was afraid that Mo Xuetong would be suffocated by her smell. How could the man who protected her have any other woman in his eyes?

    In fact, she had already been defeated when she entered the manor...

 Chapter 558 - He Yufens Confession

    <h4>Chapter 558 He Yufen¡¯s Confession</h4>

    Ever since He Yufen came to the capital, she was always thinking about this man, and all she wanted was to live a peaceful life with him. Perhaps she desired his handsome appearance, perhaps she craved his wealth and rank, or perhaps she just wanted to enter his heart and be the one he was willing to protect. But now, there was only despair and sadness in her eyes.

    Tears dropped unconsciously. Her hands clenched the dry firewood on the ground. Actually, there was already someone in his heart where no one else was able to rece. However, she had still thought highly of herself that she could take the ce of Mo Xuetong by Consort Zhao¡¯s power and her own beauty.

    It turned out that everything was a fond dream!

    She clenched her hands tightly and the thorns on the firewood pierced into her palms. She almost screamed in pain, and tears rolled down her cheeks, but she still smiled. It was the He family that had given her the wishful thinking. Since she entered the He family, she had been instilled the thought that she and the other girls were bound to marry into the royal family and bring good fortune to the He family.

    ¡°My Lady, do you think it¡¯s very strange? Why do He Yufen, Consort Zhao, Consort Xian and I share likeness? But why do the people who don¡¯t have a blood rtionship look like natural family members?¡± He Yufen raised her tearful eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong with dirty streaks of tear on her face.

    Mo Xuetong asked indifferently, ¡°Then why?¡± The answer was already obvious.

    ¡°Since Consort Xian entered the pce and was favored by the Emperor, the He family has been looking for girls who look like Consort Xian and keeping them in the family. That is the way Consort Zhao was selected. She was the one who took after Consort Xian most, and then was sent into the pce. Later, something happened to the He family, and the family was driven out of the capital. But even in a small city, the He family has never given up looking for the beautiful girls simr to Consort Xian.¡±

    He Yufen¡¯s eyes fell on the dirty window and a trace of pain shed in her eyes. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and continued to say, ¡°He Yuxiu and I were picked out in this way and given the status of the first miss and the second miss by the He family respectively. And we were cultivated in the same way as Consort Xian and Consort Zhao.¡±

    The He family found He Yufen and He Yuxiu out of the underage prostitutes from a brothel. At that time, He Yufen was only eight years old, while He Yuxiu was seven. They were given the best education, from etiquette to lyre-ying, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and were required to master them all. Therefore, He Yufen and He Yuxiu always knew that two of them were going to enter the prince¡¯s manor to serve the Eighth Prince, Feng Yuran. In their hearts, they had already regarded themselves as the ones who belonged to Feng Yuran.

    The He family had been waiting for an opportunity to go to the capital, but the opportunity did note till King Xuan got married, and the He family received an invitation and then had the chance to enter the capital.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and asked doubtfully, ¡°How many years have you been staying in the He family?¡±

    ¡°Almost nine years.¡± He Yufen could not help but shed tears again. During these nine years, what they heard most were the things about the Eighth Prince. Although the Eighth Prince waster sent out of the pce, the He family did not give up.

    It had been nine years, during which Consort Xian had just passed away, Consort Zhao had been constrained in the Mingyue Pce, and Feng Yuran had been narrowly sent out of the pce. How did the He family predict that Feng Yuran could return to the pce safe and sound after years? And what made the He family so stubborn to spare so much time cultivating two women who looked like Consort Xian so much and sending them to Feng Yuran?

    ¡°In the past nine years, you and He Yuxiu just stayed indoors all the time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, He Yuxiu and I have been learning all kinds of etiquette. We usually remained within doors and never showed up in any He family¡¯s social activities. So the outsiders did not know what He Yuxiu and I looked like, but just said that the two misses of the He family were virtuous and refined, and were the realdies of a big family.¡±

    He Yufen lowered her head and wiped the tear stains at the corner of her eyes. At that time, she and He Yuxiu were extremely dismissive of the youngdies of the He family, thinking that they neither were as beautiful as them nor behaved elegantly, but who would have thought that He Yufen was almost sent back to the brothel after all the twists and turns?

    Mo Xuetong suddenly thought of something and asked again, ¡°Has this never been interrupted during the nine years?¡±

    ¡°No, it has never been interrupted for nine years. A specially-appointed nanny came to cultivate us every day.¡± He Yufen turned around and knelt down at Mo Xuetong again. She lifted her tearful and dirty face and kowtowed to Mo Xuetong. ¡°My Lady, as for what had happened that day, it was manipted by the He family, but I don¡¯t know who carried it out exactly. In fact, the He brothers were on guard against me, so I had to sound out some things from other people.¡±

    ¡°Speak something about Consort Zhao!¡± Mo Xuetong blinked her bright eyes, with her longshes fluttering. She totally ignored He Yufen¡¯s words and went straight to the point. In fact, Mo Xuetong had long suspected about the He family and felt that it would be the most possible exnation. Otherwise, since Consort Xian was not the biological daughter of the He family, how could she look so simr to He Yufen, He Yuxiu, and Consort Zhao?

    If it was not because of the blood rtion, then it meant that the He family found them on purpose.

    He Yufen answered in a timid way, ¡°The things about Consort Zhao, I... I know little about it. The He family¡¯s two brothers... sometimes avoid us when they talk.¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know about it, why did you bother sending someone to me?¡± Mo Xuetong stood up suddenly, threw a cold nce at He Yufen, and turned to leave.

    He Yufen had a bad intuition. Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s stern figure, she had a feeling that if she missed this chance, she might really have no chance. Every time she thought of King Xuan¡¯s ruthless and cold eyes that day, she would feel appalled.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll tell you everything I know...¡± At this time, she could not care about anything else. Thinking of the helplessness she felt after being dragged out that day and the despair she felt after being locked up here for a few days, she only felt that if she continued to stay here, she would go crazy. She would definitely go crazy.

    She didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer.

    Mo Xuetong paused and turned her head slightly to look at He Yufen coldly. A hint of a smile appeared on the corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips, but it was a chilly smile.

    ¡°He Yufen, this is yourst chance. If you can¡¯t even grasp this chance, then don¡¯t me me for not giving you one.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I will tell you everything I know. I won¡¯t, won¡¯t lie to My Lady.¡± He Yufen only wanted to live and could not care about anything else. She kowtowed profusely. She had lost her wits and did not dare to hide anything. She might have wanted to take advantage of Mo Xuetong earlier, but when she saw how determined Mo Xuetong was, she did not dare to raise any conditions.

    He Yufen said, ¡°My Lady, I... I really don¡¯t know much. I heard it secretly that He Yuxiu disappeared a few days ago. That night, the two brothers of the He family sat in the study and discussed this matter. I didn¡¯t know if there were too many people sent by the manor. Even the steward of the courtyard was not there. I hid under the window secretly and heard something.¡±

    She remembered that night when He Yuxiu escaped. He Yufen was very happy because she did not get along well with He Yuxiu. Both of them knew that they would enter the Eighth Prince¡¯s manor in the future, marry the same man, andpete for the favor. Therefore, since childhood, they seemed to be kind to each other, but in fact, both of them were eager to topple the other one.

    He Yufen did not expect that He Yuxiu would really disappear after thinking about it for so many years. How could He Yufen not be happy? At that time, she wanted to take pleasure in He Yuxiu¡¯s disappearance and have a word with the He brothers so that they would understand that only He Yufen was of great value now, and would think highly of her, and thus help her more.

    Usually, when the He brothers discussed things in the study, the steward always stood at the door. As soon as he saw He Yufen, he would stop her and go in to report. It had been like this for many years. Unexpectedly, He Yufen did not see anyone all the way, which intrigued her curiosity.

    She just trod lightly and turned around to the back of the study. The moment she reached the back window, she heard the Second Brother of the He family say angrily, ¡°Eldest Brother, what should we do? Should we inform Consort Zhao in the pce and tell her that the little bitch, He Yuxiu, is missing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t be able to see Her Highness even if you want to at this moment. Master Lian has also said that don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡± Senior Master He¡¯s voice sounded very anxious as well. He Yufen could even hear the ttering of the teacups on the table. Obviously, the two inside were very upset.

    Hiding there, He Yufen was more scared to make a sound.

    ¡°Lian An is not a good person either. Our He family spent so much effort helping him to the position of the Minister of War. Now, the He family has trouble, but he still asks us to wait. If we continue to wait, we will have to leave the capital, and won¡¯t know where He Yuxiu, the little bitch, is.¡± Second Maser He circled around the ce fretfully. He could not bear it any longer, so he even scolded Lian An.

    The eldest son of the He family lowered his voice and scolded, ¡°Shut up. Second Brother, do you want to die?¡±

    Although Second Master He was frightened to lower his voice, he muttered defiantly, ¡°I¡¯m not wrong. Considering the rtionship between Lian An and Consort Zhao in those years, and the two have been in the capital for so many years, it¡¯s just a piece of cake for them to meet. Lian An is definitely unwilling to send a message for us.¡±

    He Yufen said, ¡°Afterwards, the butler came back to report the matter about He Yuxiu. I was afraid of being discovered, so I did not dare to listen too much and returned to the back courtyard secretly.¡±

    The rtionship between Consort Zhao and Lian An? Mo Xuetong frowned with a confused look. What was the rtionship between Consort Zhao and Lian An? ording to He Yufen¡¯s words, Lian An was supported by the He family. No wonder that Lian An was so young without any background, but he could be the youngest minister in the six departments.

    However, what was the rtionship between him and Consort Zhao?

    Suddenly, it urred to Mo Xuetong that Ming Yu and Ming Xia also looked like Consort Zhao. Mo Xuetong had a sh of inspiration and said with a hint of darkness in her eyes, ¡°Lian An had once been engaged to a youngdy of the He family. Do you know who she is?¡±

    He Yufen thought for a while and replied, ¡°I have never heard of this.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pondered for a while, nodded her head, and said to He Yufen, ¡°He Yufen, I can give you a chance to survive, but it depends on whether you can grasp it...¡±

    ¡°I can. I will definitely. No matter what My Lady asks me to do, I will do it!¡± He Yufen only wanted to live now. She could not care about anything else. She did not want to stay in such a messy ce. When she heard Mo Xuetong said that she could have a chance to live, her eyes lit up and she immediately kowtowed excitedly.

    As long as she could survive and leave, she was willing to do whatever she was asked. After being locked up for these days, she knew that it would not be too much for her to be punished severely for the crimes she hadmitted. Nevertheless, she did not make those crimes out of her own intention. It was due to the He family and Consort Zhao who gave her the daydream. It was all because of them.

    Now, she already forgot how she had been obsessed with getting rid of Mo Xuetong, but just pushed all the me onto others and felt that she was the most innocent...

 Chapter 559 - Whose Hand Was It in the Harem?

    <h4>Chapter 559 Whose Hand Was It in the Harem?</h4>

    He Yufen left the capital hurriedly in the evening. She passed off herself as a maidservant and mingled with Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants. She followed Mo Xuetong out of the King Xuan¡¯s Manor and went into an embroidery shed, and then got on a blue carriage which had been prepared at the back door. She left escorted by an old maid and a coachman.

    Mo Xuetong sat on the upstairs of the embroidery shed and watched the carriage leave. With some faint ripples in her limpid eyes, she felt that there were secrets in the remote He family. However, the things and people were too far away from her. Even if she sent people there, some things still remained mysterious. It had been so long that Mo Xuetong was unable to detect any clues immediately.

    He Yufen was the best person Mo Xuetong could think of. Compared to He Yuxiu, He Yufen was obviously more patient and intelligent. However, she was not strong enough, and was more afraid of death. When a pill was put on her body and she felt the unbearable pain when the poison took effect, she became very obedient.

    Furthermore, Mo Xuetong also promised that after the thing was over, she would detoxify He Yufen¡¯s body and give her a certain sum of money to let her live. It would be better than anything else. Mo Xuetong believed that He Yufen would understand it thoroughly and do all she would to help Mo Xuetong to investigate the affairs about the He family. Mo Xuetong even looked expectantly at He Yufen¡¯s carriage disappearing into the crowd.

    Mo Lan put down the tea in her hands, stood behind Mo Xuetong to take a look, and asked with some uncertainty, ¡°My Lady, shall we send a few more people?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. The persons who follow He Yufen are given by His Highness, and they bring my antidote. He Yufen will not listen unless she doesn¡¯t want to live.¡± Mo Xuetong looked away from the window and said lightly, ¡°Has He Yuxiu been found?¡±

    ¡°Mo Ye has sent word that He Yuxiu had no ce to go, so she once came to the back door of the manor, but was driven away. Later, she disappeared for a period of time. She is in the Huaman House. It¡¯s said, it¡¯s said that...¡± Mo Lan¡¯s face turned red. As an unmarried girl, it was improper for her to speak of such a ce.

    Mo Xuetong understood immediately and waved her hand to gesture Mo Lan to stop. He Yuxiu had no alternative. ording to her character, she would definitely take this way. Besides, she came from the brothel when she was young, so she didn¡¯t think the brothel inappropriate. Both the Yu family and the Lian family were looking for her now. She did not have money nor way. This was her only chance.

    It was good. With He Yuxiu¡¯s existence, Lian An and Madam Lian would be hard to feel reassured.

    She lowered her eyes slightly to hide the coldness in them. She had just received a report that Consort Zhao in the pce acted unexpectedly dutifully and even requested to cultivate her heart and pray with the Empress. Although the Emperor rejected Consort Zhao, the control over the Mingyue Pce was not as strict as it was a few days ago. Consort Zhao¡¯s move of retreating in order to advance was absolutely remarkable.

    But whom did the outstretched hand belong to?

    If the Empress did it alone, the Emperor would be moved, but it would have little effect. However, Consort Zhao was different. She resembled Consort Xian so much that she had been favored by the Emperor. Although the things in the pce seemed to have something to do with her, as long as she was ruthless enough to push all the me to Lian An, she couldpletely get away.

    From the matter that Lian An¡¯s rank had been downgraded by three levels on that day, Consort Zhao was rather heartless. But there was one thing that Mo Xuetong could not figure out¡ªsince the Empress was in the Tianfeng Pce while Consort Zhao in the Mingyue Pce, how could they echo each other at a distance if no one helped them to inform each other?

    Since the person could gain the trust of the Empress and Consort Zhao, she was supposed to have a high status. Considering the person had a high status, had the ability to win the recognition of the Empress and Consort Zhao, and had ess to enter the Empress¡¯ and Consort Zhao¡¯s pces, a person arose in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. It was the one who had never caused any ripples in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. However, Mo Xuetong pondered for a long time but still could not understand how this person got involved in the matter.

    Was it really because the person didn¡¯t want to see the harem fall apart? When did such a kind woman exist in the harem?

    There were arge number of beauties in the harem. Without any tactics, a beautiful woman could only be favored by the Emperor at most for one or two years, let alone give birth to a baby and get a high position. But why did the person do this? In the past, when King Yan was in the ascendant, she did not stand on the Empress¡¯ side. Now King Yan and the Empress were in the declining position, she stood beside the Empress openly.

    Was it timely assistance? Mo Xuetong shook her head slightly. Since the person had remained worldly-wise for so many years, how could she act oppositely at the old age? It was unrealistic...

    The pce, which was originally opaque to her, became more puzzling.

    Mo Yu came in and reported, ¡°My Lady, Second Consort Mo is here.¡±

    Mo Yarui came here! She dide so quickly.

    Mo Xuetong came out this time at Mo Yarui¡¯s invitation. So Mo Xuetong nodded and gestured for Mo Yu to invite Mo Yarui in. Ever since Feng Yuxuan brought Mo Yarui to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong and Mo Yarui got along well. Furthermore, Ling Rui¡¯er was too embarrassed to go out after the humiliating incident in the pce. King Chu¡¯s Manor was in Mo Yarui¡¯s charge, so it was much easier for her to leave the manor.

    Mo Yarui brought Mei Yu, her close maidservant, this time. Since they were acquaintances now, they sat down after exchanging some polite greetings. Mo Lan asked someone to serve the tea, and then stood outside the private room with Mei Yu. This was the upper floor of the embroidery tower. Because the embroidered goods upstairs were expensive, just a few guests came there. Besides, a line of private waiting rooms were set up around. It could be considered as a casual ce.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and asked directly, ¡°Second Consort Mo, you ask me toe today for?¡± She picked up the teacup by her side, took a sip, and gave a gentle look at Mo Yarui. With the look, a myriad of thoughts crowded into Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. As Consort Chu, Ling Rui¡¯er did such a thing. So Mo Xuetong did not think Mo Yarui was in the mood to chat and drink tea with her.

    Mo Yarui replied gently, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s our king¡¯s birthday in a few days. His Highness entrusts it to me, but Ick experience, so I want to ask you to give me some advice.¡± She was wearing a light yellow dress today, making her thin face look delicate and beautiful.

    However, Mo Xuetong frowned slightly when she heard that. Everyone knew that she hade from Cloud City, a small ce. It had only been a year since she arrived in the capital. What did she really know about it? However, since Mo Yarui had asked so sincerely, Mo Xuetong had to answer.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know how to do it as well. Last time, when His Highness had his birthday, he just had dinner with me outside and didn¡¯t bother others. However, the Emperor and the Empress sent giftster, which made us in a great bustle, and told us to hold a birthday party next time. Otherwise, it will be like this time. Not only did it cause flurry, but also the people in the pce thought that I didn¡¯t want to hold it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong evaded with a slight smile. She did not want to make trouble for herself. King Chu¡¯s Manor was swaying in the midst of a raging storm. Any carelessness would lead her to get into trouble. It was not worth it. Therefore, Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply revealed that she was too young to know about it. If she was really thoughtful, she would not have done the thing like that.

    ¡°Consort Xuan¡¯s words remind me that our King also said that King Xuan¡¯s birthday had been held so carelessly that the Empress and the Empress Dowager were not happy about it.¡± Speaking of it, Mo Yarui could not helpughing. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and grinned brightly.

    As for the matter, it was really deliberately caused by Feng Yuran. It was said that Consort Xuan had nned to celebrate the birthday for him, but the mboyant king took the consort to see the sunrise for days. So they were not at home on the days before his birthday, even the gifts sent from the pce were received by the butler. When the people from the harem came to ask when to hold the birthday party, the butler had to answer that there was no party this year, and the King just went out with Consort Xuan.

    It was said that the Emperor was so angry that he asked Feng Yuran to go to the pce and told him off. But aftering out of the pce, Feng Yuran still got his own way and act arrogantly, doing what he liked to do without any sign of reflecting on himself. The Emperor could do nothing to him, so the matter of the birthday banquet was concluded without a conclusion. Since the host did not want to hold the banquet, could the host be forced to do? Feng Yuran was the imposing prince, and even the most favored one by the Emperor. Who dared to fuss about it with him?

    Thinking of the matter, Mo Xuetong could not help butugh. She held the handkerchief in her hands and said with a smile, ¡°Our king just messed about. There were follow-ups. He was told off by the Emperor more than once. However, His Highness did not learn a lesson. I did not know what happened then, but the Emperor was so angry that he just scolded His Highness for being a decayed wood. No matter how hard it was carved, it could not be made good.¡±

    Mo Yarui said to Mo Xuetong with a smile, ¡°It is His Majesty tough love. Otherwise, why did His Majesty praise that King Xuan has made great progress recently?¡±

    What Mo Yarui said was true. A few days ago, the Emperor praised Feng Yuran in the imperial court, saying that Feng Yuran was more and more reliable and looked like a prince. Feng Yuran was no longer a useless yboy, and the Emperor even handed over some political matters to Feng Yuran.

    Mo Xuetong shook her head smilingly, restrained the smile, and said amusedly, ¡°His Highness is just seized by a whim. When the whim fades away and he is in no mood, no one will know what trouble he will make.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded very reasonable. Mo Yarui couldn¡¯t helpughing as well. Feng Yuran was truly temperamental, as he would handle affairs seriously today, but would stir up things out of certain new ideas. No one could foresee when he would give a big shock which was impossible to retrieve.

    ¡°King Xuan has this weakness that he seldom learns.¡± Mo Yarui nodded andforted Mo Xuetong, ¡°Consort Xuan, you don¡¯t have to worry. His Majesty always likes the way His Highness acts, but His Majesty just gives some talking-tos sometimes. It is just verbal punishment, and His Majesty will not really do anything to His Highness.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded in agreement and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. Anyway, His Highness gets such a tough temper of not being motivated. No matter how hard His Majesty tries, His Majesty is unable to change His Highness. His Majesty knows that well.¡±

    ¡°By the way, talking about His Majesty, I still want to say that it¡¯s really dangerous.¡± Mo Yarui suddenly frowned. ¡°Why does the hand over there extends so long? How can they know it in such a short time? And even go to tell it to Consort Ling. This... this is too scary... How dare we talk freely about the things of the manor in the future?¡±

    Mo Yarui looked around uneasily as she spoke. She had not yet got over the scare about the matter. The Empress had stretched out her hand too quickly. If that was the case, did that mean that the Empress knew everything that was happening in the manor? Every time Mo Yarui thought of that, she felt uneasy.

    Although Mo Yarui did not say it outright, Mo Xuetong still knew that Mo Yarui was referring to the Empress. Then, Mo Xuetong smiled and said, ¡°It won¡¯t happen. Perhaps it is just hearsay. Our manor is not strict actually.¡±

    Perhaps because Mo Xuetong¡¯s words reminded Mo Yarui of something, Mo Yarui¡¯s eyes reddened. She sighed sadly and said, ¡°But, I still feel worried. I... the people in the manor are all from the Ding General Manor. His Highness usually does not stay at the manor.¡± Mo Yarui looked up at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pink and charming face, and Mo Yarui¡¯s expression darkened subconsciously.

 Chapter 560 - Happened to Meet an Arrogant Woman

    <h4>Chapter 560 Happened to Meet an Arrogant Woman</h4>

    Mo Xuetong also let out a sigh and said, ¡°Second Consort Mo, you must be joking. King Chu is such a wise person. How could he be like our King? Our manor leaks air everywhere, and not a person can prevent it. This time, it was our manor that got King Chu into the trouble. Please convey our apologies to King Chu when you return.¡±

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you are so kind. This is also our King¡¯s fault. How could he take the South Pearl head essory as the present? Consort Ling had taken a fancy to this set for a long time, and I heard that she had asked for it from His Highness several times. However, His Highness doted on her usually, but he did not agree this time. I did not expect that it made Consort Ling keep thinking of it, and almost... cause great trouble. But for your cleverness, we would have been done this time.¡±

    Mo Yarui patted her chest with a lingering fear on her face. Even now, she was still frightened of what had happened in the pce every time she thought about it.

    Mo Xuetong exined Mo Yarui with a smile, ¡°As for the matter, it¡¯s all thanks to His Majesty. On that day, King Chu sent the head essory to the manor. Soon, His Majesty sent someone to say that the Empress Dowager wanted a set of South Pearl head essory. Since our King never cared about this kind of thing, he simply ordered people to send it to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. Fortunately, by doing so, we could get through the great disaster.¡±

    Mo Xuetong naturally shifted the cause to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

    ¡°Did His Majesty send someone to say that?¡± Mo Yarui asked hesitantly. She held the handkerchief in her hand and hesitated for a moment. A hint of suspicion shed in her eyes, and she looked a little pale. Feng Yuxuan presented to the set of head essory to Mo Xuetong, not to King Xuan as nned. So what did the Emperor think of it?

    This matter, this matter... although it was a bit ridiculous, Mo Yarui still felt that there was something wrong with it, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been so lucky. Thanks to His Majesty¡¯s blessing.¡± Mo Xuetong seemed not to have seen Mo Yarui¡¯s uneasiness, and just nodded with fear and a hint of fear appeared on her tender face. She said affirmatively, ¡°When I think of what happened to this set of South Pearls, I still feel scared. Fortunately, fortunately... we have His Majesty here.¡±

    Mo Yarui nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s panic-stricken face and felt little relieved in her heart, so she nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to His Majesty.¡±

    The South Pearl head essory had been just sent to the King Xuan¡¯s manor, but very soon, it appeared in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. If it was the King Xuan¡¯s Manor who plotted it, then King Xuan was not the person that he looked like on the surface. Last night, Feng Yuxuan slept in Mo Yarui¡¯s room, and his words still rang in her ears. If King Xuan or Mo Xuetong was really the one plotting the whole thing, the two were tooplex. Mo Yarui got flustered by the thought.

    She came here not only for inviting Mo Xuetong to attend King Chu¡¯s birthday banquet, but also for another important purpose that she wanted to sound out Mo Xuetong. When Mo Yarui heard that it was the Emperor who had done this, she felt rxed but fearful.

    Mo Xuetong had done her a favor, so Mo Yarui really did not want to implicate Mo Xuetong in the fight for the throne. If Feng Yuxuan only wanted to be an idle prince, no matter who became the Emperor, no one would do anything to him because of his frivolous behaviors. And Mo Xuetong, as Consort Xuan, would not have any trouble. However, another feeling lingered in Mo Yarui¡¯s mind that Feng Yuxuan treated Mo Xuetong differently, and the different treatment was not important...

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Can you help me to take a look at these embroideries?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed the exquisite embroideries in front of her and changed the topic. She looked at Mo Yarui cautiously and nervously. Mo Yarui remembered that Consort Xuan was too young, even less than fifteen years old. How could Mo Xuetong have so many thoughts at such a young age? Mo Yarui felt that she thought too much.

    Ma Yarui let out a sigh of relief in her heart, and her face lit up with a smile.

    Then, she focused her attention on the embroidery items in front of her, looked them over, and said with a nod, ¡°These are all the best. The embroidery skill must have been developed for decades. These are good for making the front part of the clothes. Your Highness, do you want to make a piece of clothing?¡±

    Mo Yarui¡¯s embroidery skills were good as well. As such, she could tell at a nce the uniqueness of the embroidery in front of her. She also saw arge peony embroidered on it, so she could not help asking with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily for my own. It looks good. Buy it first and think about it before making it into clothes.¡± Mo Xuetong also looked over the embroidery and said, ¡°Second Consort Mo, would you like to pick a few too? The embroidery here is really good.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words aroused Mo Yarui¡¯s interest, so Mo Yarui simply ordered people to pick some embroidery. And the two of them sat there drinking tea and chatting casually.

    After a while, an old maid brought a tray downstairs. The tray was filled with exquisite embroidery. Mo Xuetong and Mo Yarui could not help but stop their chatting and look at the tray curiously. This was the most exquisite embroidery in the store!

    When the old maid was about toe over, a group of people suddenly came from the right side. Because they were in a hurry, they bumped into the old maid and knocked her down. Several embroidered products fell to the ground and were trampled on.

    The old maid reacted quickly, grabbed the woman at the front, and shouted, ¡°Youngdies, you have trampled on our embroideries. These are the most exquisite ones in our store. You can¡¯t go.¡± Several customers sitting upstairs turned their heads and looked at them simultaneously.

    The woman in front was wearing a pink top with water patterns on it and a pink pleated skirt with a beautiful jade belt on her slender waist. In such warm weather, she was still wearing a creamy-white bamboo cloak. She had a Ruyi bun on her head with a few jade flowers on it. She had a slightly darkplexion, but was clean-skinned and beautiful. Under her arched eyebrows, her eyes were bright but sharp. With a nce, one could tell that she was not a person to be trifled with.

    Seeing the old maiding to pull her, she raised her eyebrows and gave the old maid a hard push. Then, the old maid was pushed back and fell on the embroideries heavily. The white and jade-like embroideries were immediately mussed up and stained by some feet. The embroidery goods were really ruined.

    Where did the arrogant womane from? How could she bully others? Seeing the old maid crying and blowing her nose in front, Mo Yarui had no choice but to stand up and say to the woman, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s wrong that you soiled this old woman¡¯s embroideries. Any of these embroidery items is of high quality. And the embroidered women have spent so much time embroidering them. And now they are all ruined by you. You have to give them an exnation.¡±

    Her words sounded reasonable, and there was a smile at the corner of her eyes. It seemed that she was trying to persuade the arrogant woman, which made a favorable impression.

    The arrogant woman raised her eyebrows and hooked the chair beside her. Immediately, a maidservant came over, picked up the chair, and sent it to the woman¡¯s feet. The woman sat on the chair, turned to Mo Yarui, and said, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that the old woman bumped into me. How dare you fabricate the charge against me? Look at these poor things. Are they worth taking seriously? I have a lot of embroidery of this kind. I can¡¯t use them all at once, and I usually give them to my servants. Why do this kind be fine work here?¡±

    The words made Mo Yarui unable to respond, and she tried to speak, but her words left her. After all, she was also a first miss of a noble family, and even Ling Rui¡¯er was just sarcastic to her. No one had ever been so disrespectful to her as she was rebutted like this. At that moment, Mo Yarui¡¯s face turned pale and livid, and she lost her words in embarrassment.

    Mo Yu moved, about to speak, but was stopped by Mo Lan who tugged Mo Yu¡¯s sleeves and motioned her to look at the calm Mo Xuetong beside, signaling Mo Lan not to act rashly. Seeing Mo Xuetong did not give any wink, Mo Yu just nodded and dared not to take any action, but her eyes were covered with some disdain. Judging from the woman¡¯s appearance, she was ady from a noble family, but why was she so impolite?

    ¡°Miss, how could you talk like this? It was you who bumped into me. I had turned around just now, but you still knocked into me. These are first-rate products in our store, but you destroy them. What should we do? We can¡¯t pay for it even at the cost of my whole family member¡¯s lives. You want my whole family¡¯s lives, and you want to kill us all.¡± The old maid sat on the ground and picked up the stained embroideries, as she burst into tears loudly.

    The old maid¡¯s shout and cry attracted all the people¡¯s attention, making people turned to look at them. The arrogant woman felt embarrassed at that moment. No matter how arrogant she was, she was still an unmarried girl. Moreover, she sneaked out secretly. She felt humiliated by the crying of such a shrew, so she said to a maidservant in yellow standing aside, ¡°She is so noisy. Give her some money and let her leave here quickly.¡±

    The maidservant in yellow approached the arrogant woman embarrassedly and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, we just spent a lot of money on the jewelry. I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t have enough money now.¡± Just now, they went to a gold jewelry store, where the master spent almost all her money without hesitation at the sight of the beautiful jewelry.

    ¡°Let here with us to take it!¡± The arrogant woman waved her hand indifferently.

    ¡°Miss, this matter... I got it...¡± The yellow-clothed maidservant¡¯s expression grew even more bitter. She whispered to the woman more carefully. Mo Xuetong sat there and only heard these words.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t work, and that doesn¡¯t work. What should we do?¡± The woman stood up impatiently, looked at the embroidery on the ground, and asked, ¡°How much money do you still have?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t have much now, only a few taels of silver.¡±

    ¡°Just give them all to her.¡± The woman waved her hand. The maidservant in yellow had no choice but to take out a few taels of silver from her inner pockets and threw them all at the old maid¡¯s feet, and she said spitefully, ¡°Next time you should be more careful while walking. Don¡¯t you have eyes? Do you know who you bumped into? If our Miss is injured, even your entire store is far from enough to pay for it.¡±

    She spoke in the same annoying way as her master did.

    ¡°Youngdy, these few taels of silver are far from enough. Each of the embroideries here is worthy of dozens to hundreds of taels of silver. You, you... you are robbing us openly. This is His Majesty¡¯s territory. Let¡¯s go and see the officials.¡± Seeing the silvers scattering on the ground, the old servant screamed, got up quickly, and was about to pull the youngdy.

    Seeing that the old maid dared to pull their master, the several maidservants behind the woman could not bear any longer, and a fierce-looking one came out to push away the old maid and rebuked, ¡°Where did youe from, you dirty thing? Dare to touch our master with your dirty hands? Get out of here. How dare you extort money from us? Open your eyes and see who our master is.¡±

    The old maid stumbled by the push and fell to the Mo Xuetong¡¯s direction. Mei Yu, who was behind Mo Yarui, hurried to help the old maid so that she did not bump into Mo Yarui and Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Miss, how can you talk like that? The goods at this time are indeed so expensive. It¡¯s wrong for you to hit the old maid and step on the embroidery, and even refuse to makepensation. What the rule is it?¡± Mo Yarui could not bear it any longer. She stood up suddenly and mmed her hand on the table. She scolded, ¡°Which family are you from? You¡¯re so unruly!¡±

    She was always gentle and seldom lost temper. But this time, she got angry and flushed with agitation.

 Chapter 561 - Make Trouble, Someone from the Southern Barbarian Lands

    <h4>Chapter 561 Make Trouble, Someone from the Southern Barbarian Lands</h4>

    Thedy was annoyed that she did not have enough money. When she saw Mo Yarui step out again, she immediately mmed the table, pointed at Mo Yarui, and scolded her impolitely, ¡°Hey, who are you? Does this have anything to do with you? Where did you from? What? Do you want to help her? If you really want to help her, pay for all the embroidery first.¡±

    ording to Mo Yarui¡¯s temper, she was no match for thedy in an argument. Instantly, tears welled up in her eyes as she heard thedy¡¯s scold. She turned to look at Mo Xuetong and wanted to ask for help.

    Mo Xuetong had to help her when Mo Yarui looked at her with eager eyes. She sighed to herself. Even if she did not want to make trouble, trouble would alwayse to her. Fortunately, she was not really afraid of getting into trouble. She stood up with the help of Mo Lan; her watery eyes rolled and fell on thedy across her. She smiled gently and asked, ¡°Miss, have you just entered the capital? You haven¡¯t heard of this shop, have you? This is King Chu¡¯s store. Are you sure you want to take issue with His Highness?¡±

    Before Mo Yarui came to the appointment, she had already found out that the nearby stores were all owned by Feng Yuxuan.

    The woman turned around when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s gentle voice which didn¡¯t contain anger. She sized Mo Xuetong up and there was a sh of surprise in her eyes. She did not expect to see such a beautiful woman. Immediately, her expression softened. When she heard that this was King Chu¡¯s store, her face darkened a little.

    Who was King Chu? He was a prince and was very much doted on by the Emperor. On her way here, the person had repeatedly told her not to offend King Chu. King Chu was the most powerful prince in the Qin Kingdom right now, so she could not irritate Feng Yuxuan because of this small matter. Furthermore, there was an invisible rtionship, and she happened to be an insider.

    However, she would not be able to surrender so quickly. Her expression turned cold as she asked, ¡°Was it really owned by King Chu? Do you have any evidence to prove that the store belongs to His Highness?¡±

    She didn¡¯t believe that she just happened to enter King Chu¡¯s embroidery store and knock into his people.

    ¡°This is the second consort of King Chu¡¯s Manor, Second Consort Mo. If you do not believe me, you can get someone to inquire,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile, pointing at Mo Yarui who was still angry.

    Hearing her words, thedy turned to look at Mo Yarui. She sized Mo Yarui up a few times and said after a while, ¡°It¡¯s Second Consort Mo. Please forgive me for being impolite. Since it¡¯s King Chu¡¯s store, you must not care about this little amount of money. I didn¡¯t bring enough money this time. Second Consort Mo, please calcte the price. I¡¯ll get someone to send the money over tomorrow.¡±

    Although her tone was not soft enough, the meaning of her words obviously softened. Clearly, the title of King Chu was useful.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on her beautiful hair with interest. There was a hairpin. It was not very big, but the pearls hanging from it swayed and shone brightly. It made thedy¡¯s face look extremely beautiful. If not for the fact that she had seen Feng Yuxuan¡¯s set of head essory of South Pearls, Mo Xuetong would not know that she was wearing the South Pearls on her head.

    Although the pearls were not big, they were all round and full. At first nce, one could tell that it was a treasure. It was the South Pearl, which was not something that would appear on the person from an ordinary family.

    Other than Ling Mingyan, no one else in the capital was as domineering as her. However, it had always been First Miss Ling who was known in the capital, which meant that thisdy was not a native of the capital. Then she should have only been in the capital for a few days. Looking at her clothes that were all excellent and the head essory of South Pearls, Mo Xuetong suddenly remembered what Feng Yuran had told herst night¡ªsomeone from the Southern Barbarian Lands had alreadye and would be here in the next two days. Could this person be from the Southern Barbarian Lands?

    Harboring doubts in her heart, Mo Xuetong slowly sat down and began to pay more attention to the behavior of the arrogantdy.

    Now that Mo Yarui made the appointment with Mo Xuetong, naturally, they met at a store belonging to King Chu¡¯s Manor. She was very angry when she saw the arrogantdy had knocked out the embroidery earlier, but she was not a woman who was good at quarreling; therefore, she wanted Mo Xuetong to help her. However, since Mo Xuetong had told that the store was owned by King Chu¡¯s Manor, she could no longer ask for her help.

    After all, she was the real master of the store. She could not rely on others to vent her anger for her worker.

    She could only grit her teeth and say angrily to the arrogantdy opposite her, ¡°Miss, even though King Chu¡¯s Manor is notcking in money, what you said is not right. You¡¯ll get someone to send the money over tomorrow? But if you won¡¯t, we don¡¯t know where to find you.¡±

    Anger was still boiling up in her heart. Thedy offended her in King Chu¡¯s store and Mo Xuetong was present. She felt very embarrassed and only wanted to use Feng Yuxuan¡¯s name to cover up her embarrassment.

    She had thought that with Feng Yuxuan¡¯s current status, it would be easy for her to deal with the matter. Thedy was too arrogant just now, because she did not know that the store belonged to Feng Yuxuan. She would let her off the hook once thedy admitted her fault. She did not care about money. ording to the clothes of the woman in front of her, she knew that she was either rich or noble.

    Even though Mo Yarui sounded aggressive, she had already intended to settle the matter peacefully. If the youngdy was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, she would immediately understand what Mo Yarui meant. She only needed to tell Mo Yarui her name and this matter would be considered settled. None of themcked such a small sum of money. Naturally, they would not quarrel over the embroidery.

    However, this girl had always been spoiled by her family and had been arrogant all the time. Although she was cunning, she had to behave like this in front of others now. Besides, she could not show her identity at the moment, so she continued to be an unruly girl. She immediately rested her hands on her hips and looked Mo Yarui up and down.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo is the one in charge of King Chu¡¯s Manor? You¡¯re so stubborn. I didn¡¯t expect it was a concubine who was in charge of King Chu¡¯s Manor. It¡¯s really eye-opening.¡±

    Her words were extremely rude, but when one thought about it, it was a fact. Although a second consort was also recorded in the royal family, she was just a concubine. When a concubine was in charge of the household, it was like spoiling the concubine and destroying the wife. Mo Yarui really couldn¡¯t bear it. Her face turned pale on the spot, her lips trembling, and her eyes turned red. She almost burst into tears.

    She was now indeed a concubine. It was because of the status of a concubine that the child in her belly was gone. When she thought of this, a lump came into her throat and she could not hold back her tears.

    Noticing Mo Yarui was going to cry, Mo Xuetong let out a sigh. She did not want to get involved in this matter initially. It did not seem right no matter how she thought about the matter. Why did thedy from the Southern Barbarian Landse to the embroidery store and even bump into that old woman? Mo Ye had told her earlier that the old woman seemed to be a martial arts practitioner. She had been knocked down so badly, but she was fine. Even though she was crying so loudly, she secretly looked out from her handkerchief and was paying attention to the few of them.

    It seemed that she wanted to frame someone!

    Mo Xuetong did not want to get involved in such a matter, and just wanted to bring a stool to the side and watch the show. However, Mo Yarui¡¯s current state made it impossible for her to continue watching. After all, she was on Mo Yarui¡¯s side. Thatdy did not seem to be a reasonable person. After she scolded Mo Yarui, it would be Mo Xuetong¡¯s turn to be scolded. As such, Mo Xuetong might as well do something first in case she should say anything unpleasant.

    She waved her hand and gestured for Mo Yu to go up. Amongst all her maidservants, Mo Yu was the one who was the most sharp-tongued. It was the best to deal with such an unreasonable youngdy. Furthermore, as a prince¡¯s wife, she did not have to go against someone directly in case she would lose face.

    Standing nearby, Mo Yu was already furious as she witnessed the scene. How could thedy bully others like that? Now that she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s gesture, she immediately went up and nced sideways at thedy. She said loudly, ¡°Miss, are you joking? She is the second consort of King Chu. How could she be the same as an ordinary concubine? She is a member of the royal family. I wonder if you¡¯re looking down on King Chu or the royal family. But no matter what, you have to go with Second Consort Mo to meet the officials.¡±

    Mo Yu walked forward and tried to drag thedy after she said that. Mei Yu gnashed her teeth in anger as she watched her master suffer. Then, she rolled up her sleeves and went to help.

    She was trying to drag thedy to the judge, for ndering the royal family. The arrogantdy¡¯s eyes glinted and she hurriedly took two steps back. Two maidservants behind her came forward and stood in front of Mo Yu and Mei Yu. The yellow-clothed maidservant who had been in charge of the ounts earlier took two steps forward under her master¡¯s indication and said with a smile.

    ¡°Wait, Miss, it¡¯s really inconvenient today. Our miss didn¡¯t mean to scold Second Consort Mo. Our miss won¡¯t go back on her word. Second Consort Mo¡¯s words just now really made ourdy lose face. It¡¯s just a few taels of silver. It¡¯s not a big deal. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll send the money to King Chu¡¯s Manor to pay ording to the arranged price. What do you say?¡±

    She meant to make concessions to avoid trouble.

    Mo Xuetong turned around and looked at Mo Yarui. She asked gently, ¡°Second Consort Mo, look...¡± This was not her own business, so she could not make a decision. She could only listen to Mo Yarui¡¯s attitude. Thedy had already admitted defeat, so there was no point in arguing. Mo Xuetong¡¯s intention was to stop before it was toote.

    That was enough. They had no idea what the messenger from the Southern Barbarian Lands meant. She still needed to be careful.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to listen to Consort Xuan. I... I have no objections.¡± Mo Yarui¡¯s eyes were red with anger. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and bit her lips. She looked at thedy who had sat down again and a trace of grievance and anger shed through her eyes.

    Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Yarui¡¯s eyes carefully, noticing the unwillingness in her eyes. Knowing that she was still angry and might even get mad at her, Mo Xuetong sighed to herself and stood up. She said, ¡°Second Consort Mo, I still have something to deal with in the manor. I shall take my leave now.¡±

    Since Mo Yarui did not feel ashamed and was not very willing to let go of the person opposite her, Mo Xuetong did not want to watch the fun here anymore. From the looks of it, she would be implicated sooner orter. As such, she decided to leave. Furthermore, thatdy from the Southern Barbarian Lands was arrogant, but her eyes were clear. It was obvious that she was reserved. She was definitely not a simple girl.

    ¡°Consort Xuan.¡± Mo Yarui was a little flustered when Mo Xuetong was really about to leave. She had always been cowardly and soft. The reason she did not want to let go of the woman earlier was that with Mo Xuetong¡¯s presence, she felt a little confident. When she saw that Mo Xuetong was about to leave, she immediately stood up as well. She tugged on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves fearfully, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked as if she wanted to say something but did not, appearing pitiful.

    Such a woman was actually very popr with men. No wonder that she won Feng Yuxuan¡¯s affections and became his second consort when her appearance was only above average. Now she was so pitiful with tears. She wanted Mo Xuetong to stand up for her. But Mo Xuetong really didn¡¯t want to get involved in this strange matter.

    She didn¡¯t know who was scheming against whom, but it was better that it wasn¡¯t her. Otherwise, her heart would be really colder.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, forget it. It¡¯s really not a big deal. Look at the youngdy. She is at the age to be married, but she still so free outside. She must be doted on by her family. We are members of the royal family. We don¡¯t have to be bothered by such an ignorant youngdy,¡± Mo Xuetong said softly in a low voice. ¡°Be easy on people. Inconvenient situations can happen to anyone. It is normal to not take enough money when one is away from home.¡±

 Chapter 562 - The Appearance of the Mysterious Woman

    <h4>Chapter 562 The Appearance of the Mysterious Woman</h4>

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, no matter how much Mo Yarui wanted to argue, she immediately gave up. Anyway, she was King Chu¡¯s second consort. She could not stop an unmarried youngdy and ask for money. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong seemed to have no intention of helping her. She could only nod. ¡°It¡¯s all up to Consort Xuan.¡±

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, you¡¯re wrong. This is a matter of King Chu¡¯s Manor. I¡¯m the first consort of a different manor. How can I make the decision? Second Consort Mo, you¡¯d better take care of it yourself,¡± Mo Xuetong refused with a smile. As Consort Xuan, she should not care too much about the matters of King Chu¡¯s Manor. The matter that happened in the pce had not been settled yet. Even though there was no rumor about it, what if there were more rumors about it now!

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in charge. I lost my mind just now.¡± Mo Yarui immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant and knew that what she said earlier was inappropriate. She hurriedly apologized.

    Mo Xuetong smiled and shook her head, indicating that she did not have to be so polite.

    Mo Yarui turned her head, restrained the anger in her eyes, and said with a smile, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t take enough money today, please send it to King Chu¡¯s Manor tomorrow. Somebody, take this old woman away and clear the embroidery. Don¡¯t neglect this distinguished guest.¡± She disyed her noble manner, which made the youngdy opposite her look more arrogant and unreasonable.

    Thedy did not seem to have expected Mo Yarui to let her go so easily. She was stunned, but then, she was overjoyed. She did not really want to offend King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. She said those words because she just had a loose tongue, and could not afford to embarrass herself. Now that Mo Yarui was very gracious, she certainly nodded.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it.¡± Pointing to the maidservant in yellow by the side, she proudly said, ¡°Go and settle the ount, so that they will not think that we are greedy for such a few taels of silver.¡±

    What she said was so sharp that Mo Yarui¡¯s face darkened. She forced down the anger in her eyes, and not wanting to say anything else to her, she left with Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Yarui was still in charge of the affairs of King Chu¡¯s Manor, so she left first. It was rare for Mo Xuetong toe out, so she was not in such a hurry to go back. Thinking for a while, she asked the coachman to drive to the bookstore. She was reading a medical book these days, but there were some points that she couldn¡¯t figure out. She wanted to find some simr books andprehended it as an analogy.

    The carriage stopped in front of the bookstore, and Mo Xuetong got off. Before she steadied herself, she saw Mo Yu before who was in front of her startled. The maid pointed at a figure not far away and yelled in a low voice, ¡°Miss... My Lady...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Lan patted her shoulder and followed the direction where her eyes were looking. But she only saw peopleing and going and did not notice anything odd. She turned around and asked Mo Yu curiously, ¡°What did you see?¡±

    Mo Yu¡¯s face was slightly pale. She blinked and looked ahead. The familiar figure had disappeared and she muttered to herself, ¡°It¡¯s impossible, impossible. I made a mistake. I made a mistake!¡± It could not be her. How could it be her? How could she appear before her perfectly?

    She must be wrong. Absolutely!

    ¡°No... nothing!¡± Hearing Mo Lan¡¯s question, Mo Yu did not dare to speak nonsense because she did not see clearly earlier. She hurriedly put on a smile on her face and replied, ¡°I thought I saw an acquaintance. I did not expect that I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Even the wrong person startled you. Are you seeing a ghost?¡± Mo Lan teased. Then she lifted her dress and followed Mo Xuetong into the store. As a few maidservants getting off the carriage, and they were all well-dressed, the shop assistant knew that they were from a wealthy family. He came at once and served them respectfully.

    Mo Xuetong entered the bookstore with Mo Lan and Mo Yu. Mo Ye also entered after telling something to the coachman.

    The bookstore was rather big. There were two floors up and down. Mo Xuetong walked through the first floor and took her maidservants up the second. The books below were all ordinary while a few books on the second floor were of high quality. There were also books that were expensive but had no buyers.

    Mo Xuetong found a few books and sat on a chair to flick through them. Her maidservants apanied her, and when they saw that there were no other people, they also picked up the books by their side and started reading as well. Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants were all able to read. When she was in the Qin Manor, Mo Xuetong had nowhere to go, and she taught her maidservants to read in the yard.

    Mo Lan and Mo Yu were both studious and knew all themonly used words. Although they could not read theplicated words, all the words they knew were enough for them to read books. Mo Ye had been a secret guard since she was a child, and thus she knew how to read and write. At the moment, the three maidservants gathered around Mo Xuetong, picked up their own books, and flipped through them casually.

    A woman came into the bookstore from outside. Regardless of the shop assistant¡¯s question, she went to a bookshelf. The bookshelf was full of articles by the top three talents of contemporary society. Wondering if the little woman could understand, the shop assistant shook his head. As she didn¡¯t pay attention to him, he went to greet other guests.

    The woman looked up and narrowed her eyes. She was standing right below Mo Xuetong. Through the cracks between the wooden floors, she could see clearly that Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was so beautiful that it made people dizzy. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to be more beautiful after not seeing her for a few months.

    As she looked at her stunning face, the woman¡¯s eyes shed with cold jealousy. She reached out to touch her face, and her eyes were full of hatred...

    Mo Xuetong, who was seated upstairs, might have felt that someone was watching her as she looked up to her left. The woman downstairs hurriedly lowered her head and did not dare to peek at Mo Xuetong again. When she sensed that Mo Xuetong lowered her head in confusion, the woman looked at her viciously again. This time, she did not make any dy. She picked up a book by her side and hurried to the counter of the store. She paid the bill and held the book in her hand before leaving.

    Mo Yu, who was standing upstairs, only saw a familiar back. She looked at it for a while and found nothing unusual, so she continued to read the book in her hand.

    None of them noticed the abnormal behavior of the woman. Mo Ye sensitively saw the woman¡¯s face but she did not notice anything unusual.

    The woman walked into the crowd with a book in her hand. After a few steps, she stopped and hid behind a pir. She looked at the handsome young man in front of her with obsession and pain in her eyes. If that matter had not happened, she would have married him. She was sure of it!

    She thought all of her misfortunes were caused by that slut, Mo Xuetong. If she was not happy, she would not allow that slut to be happy either.

    ¡°Elder Brother.¡± Qin Yuxuan felt that someone was looking at him. He nced left and right but did not find anyone. Then he did not care about it and urged anxiously, ¡°Tell me where the painting is. Grandmother is searching through the boxes and cupboards now. She even called me over and scolded me just now.¡±

    Thinking that he was scolded for no reason, Qin Yuxuan felt very wronged. He really didn¡¯t do anything but just showed the painting to his elder brother. He didn¡¯t understand how such a thing could happen. If he had known this, he wouldn¡¯t have listened to his elder brother to secretly take out the painting.

    ¡°Tell Grandmother that you¡¯ve damaged it and thrown it away.¡± Qin Yufeng walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back. There was a slight smile on his lips as he spoke lightly. His manservant walked behind him, holding an examination box. Qin Yuxuan was seeing his brother off.

    Hearing Qin Yufeng¡¯s irresponsible words, Qin Yuxuan jumped up on the spot and said hurriedly, ¡°Elder Brother, how can you do this? Grandmother will break my legs.¡± When he escaped from the house in a hurry just now, he heard that his grandmother was looking for him in the whole manor. He had wanted Qin Yufeng to think of a solution before, but now he realized that he was really helpless because his elder brother was going to take the exam, which made him feel very embarrassed.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Grandmother won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± Hearing his words, Qin Yuxuan felt a little less worried. He thought about it and realized that it made sense. Could his grandmother really force him to death for a painting? However, Qin Yufeng¡¯s next sentence had sessfully frozen the smile on his face.

    ¡°She will break your legs at most.¡±

    She would break his legs at most! The relieved smile on Qin Yuxuan¡¯s face quickly turned to a bitter one. He looked at Qin Yufeng angrily and said, ¡°Elder Brother, are you really going to take the imperial exam? Are you sure you can understand the examination paper, instead of not understand it? If my legs are broken, they will never recover.¡±

    After saying that, Qin Yuxuan wanted to jump again. However, Qin Yufeng held his shoulders down, smiled lightly, and said, ¡°If you think it¡¯s inappropriate to break your legs, I have an idea.¡±

    Qin Yuxuan was overjoyed to hear that. He looked at Qin Yufeng and said eagerly, ¡°Then tell me quickly.¡± Wasn¡¯t he here to get Qin Yufeng to think of a solution for him? Furthermore, this matter actually had nothing to do with him. Even though he had damaged many of his grandmother¡¯s paintings since he was a child, this one was not damaged by him.

    It seemed that the karma was reallying back to him.

    ¡°You can go to King Xuan¡¯s Manor and ask Cousin Tong to help you think of a solution. Perhaps she has a good idea,¡± Qin Yufeng suggested with a casual smile. There was a hint of ridicule on his handsome face.

    Qin Yuxuan flushed when he heard that. He had always considered himself as Mo Xuetong¡¯s protector. How could he not feel embarrassed in his proud heart when he was asked to ask her for help? However, when he thought about it, he felt rather expectant. He had not seen Mo Xuetong since Mo Xuetong married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. He did not know how she was doing and if thewless King Xuan had treated her well.

    However, it was really unreasonable for him to visit her! Although the two families were rtives, they were not siblings. It was impolite for him toe to see her rashly.

    ¡°I heard that many things happened in the pce that day and has tried to do Cousin Tong wrong. You can go and ask her about it on behalf of Grandmother.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled and patted Qin Yuxuan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to go alone, there¡¯s still His Excellency of Luo Manor. I heard that the two of you are having a good time together.¡±

    Luo Wenyou? Qin Yuxuan¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately had an idea. Then he was not in the mood to see Qin Yufeng off anymore. He stood at the intersection and said loudly to Qin Yufeng, ¡°Elder Brother, I wish you to be the Number One Schr this time. I can also benefit from you. I won¡¯t send you off now since I still have something else to do.¡±

    Then, without waiting for Qin Yufeng¡¯s response, he ran off in another direction. The manservant behind him had no choice but to chase after him. What else could he say when he followed the frisky Second Young Master? ¡°Just run!¡±

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s elegant gazended on a few people on the side of the road through Qin Yuxuan. One of them was dressed in luxurious clothes and smiled. He looked gentle and elegant, and it was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. He had brought his men to see Qin Yufeng off personally, which meant that he tried to win him over. It was a pity that he had understood something and some things had changed.

    He was no longer the man who had been devoted to building up establishment behind King Chu...

 Chapter 563 - Who Is It, Consort Chus Personal Maid

    <h4>Chapter 563 Who Is It, Consort Chu¡¯s Personal Maid</h4>

    The woman had been hiding in the crowd and watching Qin Yuxuan from the side. When she saw him running away happily, the obsession in her eyes faded away, reced by hatred. ¡°Mo Xuetong, it¡¯s all that bitch¡¯s fault. Cousin Xuan and I are supposed to be a couple. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have been in love with Cousin Xuan.¡±

    The book in her hand had been twisted into pieces and fell from her hand. She gritted her teeth and looked in the direction of the bookstore viciously. After a while, she turned around and walked into an alley. There was a small door leading to King Chu¡¯s Manor¡¯s back yard. It was a shortcut to enter King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Miss Sirong, you¡¯re finally here. Her Lady sent someone to see you just now and asked you toe over as soon as possible. Her Lady is angry now!¡± Seeing the womaning in, the old maid who guarded the door hurriedly came up with a warm smile.

    ¡°Her Lady is angry again?¡± After standing still, Sirong took out a piece of silver from her sleeve and handed it to the old maid. Then she asked knowingly with a smile on her face.

    The old maid took it swiftly and ced it in her sleeve quickly. She smiled even more warmly and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yeah. I heard that a maid in the manor had offended Her Lady and had just been beaten to death. Her Lady is still angry, so she came to urge a few times.¡±

    Even though it was Second Consort Mo who was in power, everyone knew Consort Chu was a daughter of Ding General Manor, so she would not fall down. The woman in front of the old maid was the personal maidservant Consort Chu had brought over from Ding General Manor, who had a voice in front of Consort Xuan, so the old maid did not dare to offend her. Furthermore, Miss Sirong was generous, and thus the old maid would naturally try to butter up to her.

    ¡°Miss Sirong, should I send someone to ask about it first before you go there?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go first.¡± Sirong turned around and went inside. The old maid took out the silver behind her and weighed it. Then her expression brightened. After thinking for a while, she shouted to Sirong, who had just arrived at the corner, ¡°Miss Sirong, someone from Ding General Manor came just now. I don¡¯t know if Her Lady was angry because of this.¡±

    Someone from Ding General Manor came? A hint of darkness shed in Si Rong¡¯s eyes. She turned around and nodded to the old maid to show that she had epted her kindness and continued to walk to the main yard.

    She was not present when something happened in the pce. However, she did not expect Mo Xuetong to escape from the trap again. How could she not be annoyed and angry? She did not believe that the slut, Mo Xuetong, was a strange cat who had nine lives and would not die. There was a hint of hatred on her pale face.

    In the main yard, several old maids were nervously tidying up the yard. The smell of blood in the yard rushed to her nose as soon as Sirong came in. She covered her nose with a handkerchief and felt like vomiting. She frowned and looked at the old maids and ordered, ¡°Clean it up. Rinse it with water a few times, and then use the incense in the warehouse to smoke itter. Don¡¯t startle His Highness.¡±

    Although Ling Rui¡¯er had been locked up in the main yard for the past few days, Feng Yuxuan still slept here almost every day.

    This was also the reason that no one in the manor dared to look down on her even though Ling Rui¡¯er was punished.

    Those old maids nodded in agreement and began to tidy more carefully.

    When Sirong stepped into the room, a cup of boiling tea flew over from the opposite side before she could see it clearly. Then, Ling Rui¡¯er screamed out of control and scolded, ¡°You bitch, where have you gone?¡±

    Sirong subconsciously turned her head and blocked it with her hand. Immediately, she felt a piercing pain rising from thest finger. Immediately a cold sweat broke out in her forehead.

    The teacup slid past her hand andnded heavily on the ground beside her, making a crisp cracking sound. The tea sshed and a few dropsnded on her. Fortunately, she reacted quickly. Otherwise, the cup of tea would have scalded her face, and she would be disfigured. As she looked at the broken teacup on the ground, Si Rong¡¯s eyes shed with hatred.

    But then, she raised her head with a gentle smile on her face. ¡°My Lady, what¡¯s wrong? Is someone making you angry again? I told you yesterday that I would go to the market today to see if there were any good flowers and bought some pots of them for you. What a coincidence. I really saw a few pots of peony. I heard that they are all high-quality. But they haven¡¯t bloomed yet. When the flowers bloom, My Lady can admire them and will be in a good mood.¡±

    She smiled and didn¡¯t seem to mind and what she said was true as well. Ling Rui¡¯er then recalled that she had allowed Sirong to go out todayst night. She had forgotten that while she was angry just now. Her anger immediately faded. She leaned back and sighed despondently, without saying anything.

    Sirong heaved a secret sigh of relief when she saw Ling Rui¡¯er stop being hard on her. Ling Rui¡¯er was not someone who was easy to serve. She would be obedient when she was in a good mood, but when she was in a bad mood, she would kill others immediately. She was violent, selfish, andpletely self-centered.

    She waved her hand and gestured for the maidservant standing beside Ling Rui¡¯er to change the tea for her. Then, she got someone to clean the floor. Ignoring the pain in her little finger, she walked up behind Ling Rui¡¯er. She tapped gently on her back and asked with a smile, ¡°My Lady, did Ding General Manor send someone here today?¡±

    A few days had passed since what happened in the pce, but Ding General Manor had not sent anyone over. It would not be good even if they came here. After all, the fact that another man had seen Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s body meant that she was no longer chaste. If the man had not died and she had fooled others, King Chu and Ding General Manor would not have been able to save Ling Rui¡¯er even if they wanted to.

    However, no matter what, as Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maternal family, Ding General Manor had to rebuke her to show their attitude for King Chu, indicating that Ding General Manor had epted King Chu¡¯s kindness.

    After all, as Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s husband, if King Chu were to pursue this matter, Ling Rui¡¯er would be thrown into the sacrificial temple and would not be able to leave the temple for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Yes, how dare they say that I didn¡¯t know how to behave properly? Who knew that slut would plot against me as well...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er gritted her teeth at the mention of the matter. She had always treated the Empress as her aunt, but she did not expect her aunt to plot against her like that.

    Hearing that Ling Rui¡¯er secretly scolded the Empress, Sirong stopped her while asking the maidservants and old maids beside to leave. She said, ¡°My Lady, you can¡¯t say that. No matter what, she is still in the high position. Besides, she is your elder. It will be terrible if others hear it.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er understood what Sirong said. However, even though she understood, her heart was still burning with anger. The Empress was the one to me for the matter. And, Ling Rui¡¯er had been implicated. ¡°Sirong, look at me. Not only am I no longer in charge of the manor, but I am also scolded by Uncle and Father. Why did no one enter the pce and scold her? If not for her stupidity, how would I have ended up like this?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was furious when she thought of how the two old maids who hade to scold her had told her that the Empress was fine in the pce and that her uncle had sent her something. She punched the table forcefully and put on a fierce look. She was so angry that she picked up a lotus-plum vase of colorful gray jade by her side and threw it on the ground viciously.

    With a bang, it immediately broke into pieces. The maidservants and old maids guarding outside were scared and they didn¡¯t dare to move.

    That vase was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s favorite piece of the dowry that Ding General Manor sent here. It was said that the Empress left it in Ding General Manor. She usually treated it carefully even when she looked at it, not to mention smashing it.

    ¡°My Lady, why are you doing this? If you are so angry, you will benefit others. Maybe they areughing secretly!¡± Sirong pointed to the right side where was Mo Yarui¡¯s yard. Thinking that Mo Yarui got the power to manage the manor from her hand, Ling Rui¡¯er felt annoyed. That bitch had gotten benefit from her for no reason.

    ¡°I saw Second Consort Mo drinking tea with Consort Xuan just now. They looked very happy.¡± Sirong leaned over and whispered in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s her. It¡¯s that bitch. Mo Xuetong, it¡¯s all that bitch¡¯s fault. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. If it weren¡¯t for the cup of watermelon juice, things wouldn¡¯t have happened to me...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry that sheughed. She really hated Mo Xuetong to the core and felt that the cup of watermelon juice should have fallen on Mo Xuetong, and it would have been Mo Xuetong who had been seen by another man and framed.

    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s useless for you to be so angry here. She is still fine outside. Even if you are angry to death and break everything, it won¡¯t influence her. We have to do it seriously. We can¡¯t let the weak person piss us off,¡± Sirongforted Ling Rui¡¯er carefully, and gently pressed her shoulder with her hand.

    ¡°Sirong, what do you think we should do? You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t let her off the hook so easily. I want her to live a life worse than death.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes darkened and a cold glint appeared in them.

    ¡°My Lady, take your time. His Highness¡¯s birthday ising soon, and Consort Xuan will definitelye. Think about it, if shees, we can...¡± Sirong didn¡¯t finish her words, but she had fully expressed her meaning.

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes brightened upon hearing that. ¡°You are right. Even though I have lost the power of the matriarch, I am still the first consort of King Chu¡¯s Manor. Mo Yarui won¡¯t dare to disobey me. Mo Xuetong, as long as she dares toe, I will make her lose her reputation before she leaves the manor.¡±

    ¡°If that is the case, not only will Mo Xuetong be in trouble, but that woman will also be in trouble. She made a mistake when she is in charge of the affairs of the manor. My Lady, at that time, His Highness will understand who the most suitable person to be in charge is.¡± Sirong added fuel to the fire beside Ling Rui¡¯er, which made Ling Rui¡¯er more and more interested.

    She stood up forcefully and walked around the room, but she did not think of any good ideas. She paused in front of Sirong and asked, ¡°What are we going to do this time? That slut Mo Xuetong is very smart.¡±

    She did not forget that she had tried to frame Mo Xuetong many times, but Mo Xuetong easily escaped every single time.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t worry. When I was in the street just now, I saw the two young masters of Qin Manor. I heard Consort Xuan used to live in their manor and was very familiar with Second Young Master Qin. Although she was still young at that time, men and women are not seated at the same table since they are 8 years old. But at that time, Consort Xuan was well over 8 years old.¡± A trace of coldness and viciousness shed in Si Rong¡¯s eyes, but then she hid it behind her smile.

    ¡°Second Young Master Qin?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er blinked and asked with her eyes wide open. Then, she hurriedly shook her head and said, ¡°No, no. First Young Master Qin and His Highness are very close. If His Highness finds out about this, he will definitely not spare me.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, are you going to let His Highness find it out?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er shook her head repeatedly. Of course she did not dare to do so. If Feng Yuxuan knew about it, she would not be able to escape unscathed.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since His Highness won¡¯t know My Lady has done this, why would he me you? At most, he would think that it¡¯s Second Consort Mo... Isn¡¯t this the best for you, My Lady? Furthermore, we can do the opposite!¡± Si Rong¡¯s eyes darkened, with an evil smile in them. In no way could she allow Mo Xuetong to be happy.

    ¡°Qin Yuxuan, don¡¯t you want to be with Mo Xuetong? Then I¡¯ll help you!¡±

    ¡°No, our manor has no apparent connection to the Qin family. It won¡¯t be easy to attract them here.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, if this doesn¡¯t work, doesn¡¯t Second Consort Mo have a cousin...¡±

 Chapter 564 - Luo Wenyou and Qin Yuxuans Visit

    <h4>Chapter 564 Luo Wenyou and Qin Yuxuan¡¯s Visit</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not know that Yu Sirong, the first miss of the Yu family, had entered King Chu¡¯s Manor with the name of Si Rong. Furthermore, she had be Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s personal maidservant. However, Mo Xuetong had gotten news that Yu Sirong hade to the capital in another way.

    The person she saw at Old Madam Qin¡¯s banquet that day was really Yu Sirong. This news made Mo Xuetong stunned and speechless.

    Back then, Yu Sirong had been disfigured and sent away, but the woman she saw that day definitely had a normal face.

    ¡°Is her face healed?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, after you told me about this person¡¯s appearance that day, I asked someone to keep an eye on Qin Manor. After seeing off the guests, Madam Yu of Qin Manor prepared a small sedan chair in the evening and went to a house. Other than one maidservant and an old maid served in the house, there was no one else.¡±

    Mo Ye exined in detail to Mo Xuetong. ¡°After that, I heard that the woman sold the house and intended to go back to her hometown, so I didn¡¯t keep an eye on her, and ended this matter. But today, I saw the woman again. When we were in the bookstore, the woman was under your feet. She took a few nces at you, so I noticed her, but I didn¡¯t care about her at that time. Now that I think about it, she is the woman you have seen in Qin Manor, My Lady.¡±

    At that time, she only felt that the woman paid close attention to Mo Xuetong and made her very alert. Later, the woman left, so Mo Ye did not care much about it. However, after getting on the carriage, the more she thought about it, the stranger she felt, and the more familiar the woman seemed to her. She thought about it for a while and remembered one thing Mo Xuetong ordered at that time. Then, she immediately thought of the woman.

    Mo Ye had been a secret guard and was vignt. When she thought of that, she felt that there was a problem. When she returned to the main yard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor and had only just sat down, she had already figured it out. She reported everything to Mo Xuetong. The woman was said to return to her hometown then. However, she was still in the city. This could only mean that the woman was not simple.

    Mo Xuetong had already calmed down from her shock. Thinking for a while, she pointed at her face and asked, ¡°Is there a scar on that woman¡¯s face?¡± Yu Sirong¡¯s face had been disfigured. She had been so badly injured then that even if her face could recover, it was impossible not to have any scar on her face.

    Mo Ye had only seen Yu Sirong for a few times then. Besides, it had been a long time. She probably did not remember Yu Sirong.

    Mo Ye lowered her head, thought about it, and said, ¡°I noticed that she looked normal, but her face was a little pale and had no color in cheeks. As for the two spots you mentioned, they are slightly different, but not obvious.¡± Because she was different from ordinary maids, she could see it clearly at that time. The woman¡¯s eyes, brows, and chin were indeed a little different, but if one did not look carefully, one would not be able to see it.

    ¡°Mo Ye,e with me.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and walked to the right. There were some writing brushes, ink sticks, paper, and inkstones, which were arranged as a small study. Sometimes, Mo Xuetong could lean here to read books and write.

    Mo Xuetong came to the desk and started drawing. After a while, a portrait of Yu Sirong appeared vividly in front of Mo Yu.

    ¡°My Lady, that¡¯s her.¡± Mo Ye immediately recognized her when Mo Xuetong threw the brush down. However, she looked at the painting suspiciously again before saying, ¡°My Lady, it is indeed her at first nce. However, it is slightly different. That woman looks much older than her. She is in her 20s and her face is slightly different. These differences make her look a little less delicate than the person in the painting.¡±

    That was the reason that Mo Ye did not recognize Yu Sirong.

    ¡°What did Madam Yu say when she sent her out of Qin Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. She had a feeling that the woman must be Yu Sirong.

    Mo Ye thought for a moment and answered, ¡°Madam Yu sent her to the gate and gave her a bag with money in it. She told her to live a good life in the future and not to think nonsense anymore. ¡®Now it¡¯s not the same as before. There¡¯s a big difference between status and... an egg can¡¯t defeat a stone.¡¯¡± Mo Ye hid in a tree at that time, and she couldn¡¯t hear clearly. So she couldn¡¯t figure out such random words at that time.

    Mo Xuetong was now certain that that woman was Yu Sirong. ¡°Give this painting to Mo Feng and get him to keep an eye on this woman. If he sees her, investigate her immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will go and tell Mo Feng right away.¡± Mo Ye nodded and left.

    Mo Xuetong sat by the window and frowned. There was a sh of suspicion in her heart. ¡°Have Yu Sirong¡¯s injuries really healed?¡± This made Mo Xuetong suspicious. In her past life, her grandmother had found many doctors to treat her injuries, but they all said that they could not do anything about it, but how could Yu Sirong¡¯s face be cured?

    That was too coincidental!

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I have this opportunity in myst life?¡±

    Even though Yu Sirong had been cured, her injuries at that time were much more serious than hers in her past life. However, in such a short period of time, her face was cured almost without any sign of injuries, even though she looked slightly different. On the whole, her injuries were healed. Furthermore, Yu Sirong had returned to the capital again. It sounded as if she was going to seek revenge on Mo Xuetong.

    That was right. Given Yu Sirong¡¯s selfishness, how could she bear the hatred of being disfigured? What would she do...?

    ¡°My Lady, His Excellency of Fu General and Second Young Master Qin are waiting outside to seek an audience.¡± The curtain was lifted and Mo Lan, who was waiting outside, came in and reported.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin and Cousin Xuan!¡± Mo Xuetong paused and blinked. She could not understand how the two of them got together. ¡°Just the two of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they said that they came across each other on the way, so theye to visit you.¡± Mo Lan smiled and helped Mo Xuetong up.

    Cousin Luo was a schr and had always been elegant and quiet while Cousin Xuan was a lively person. It was rare for them toe across each other. She did not know if they came here for something, so she held Mo Lan¡¯s hand and went to the living room.

    Qin Yuxuan was already a little unsettled in the living room. He could not sit still whenever he thought of the painting. He went to the door and took a look. Then, he sat down and poured hot water into his mouth. He was burned and jumping around. Looking at him, Luo Wenyou smiled and said, ¡°Yuxuan, don¡¯t worry. Cousin Tong wille out in a while.¡±

    ¡°How can I not be anxious? Grandmother is very fond of that painting. But look at my Elder Brother, he actually lost it. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s gone, but at least he has to inform Grandmother of it and make things clear. But look at him, what did he do? He actually went to the imperial exam and left it to me. If my father knows that I lost my grandmother¡¯s most precious painting, he will break my legs.¡±

    Qin Yuxuan sighed sadly. Thinking that there was no way to deal with this matter, he felt that his future was dark. He had long known that his elder brother was a scheming man, but he shouldn¡¯t nder him no matter how scheming he was.

    ¡°What kind of painting made you so anxious?¡± Luo Wenyou grew curious about the painting.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary painting. It¡¯s really not a famous work. It looks like a woman¡¯s painting with soft strokes and there are a few women in it. I don¡¯t see anything precious about it,¡± Qin Yuxuan said angrily. He really couldn¡¯t see anything special about this painting.

    Thinking for a moment, Luo Wenyou waved the fan in his hand and replied, ¡°It might be drawn by someone your grandmother knows or someone who used to be her close friend or something like that!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s possible. Otherwise, no famous artist could paint so many women in one painting.¡± Qin Yuxuan pped his leg and answered immediately.

    ¡°Paint so many women in one painting?¡± A charming voice could be heard from the door. Then, Mo Xuetong entered with a smile on her face, followed by a few maidservants. She was dressed in an elegant light green coat and a light gray embroidered dress. It was very in but when the wind blew, lifting the hem of her fluttering dress, she looked as if she were going to ascend to heaven and be immortal.

    Qin Yuxuan paused and put away the arrogance on his face. There was a hint of bitterness in his eyes. His eyes chased after Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender figure automatically. The corners of his eyesnded on her beautiful face. She still looked pure and beautiful and there was no forced smile on her face. Her lively eyes turned slightly. It was obvious that she was very blissful.

    Even though King Xuan had a bad reputation, he should be good to her!

    ¡°As long as she lives a good life!¡± For some reason, tears were about to well up in his eyes!

    ¡°Cousin Tong.¡± Luo Wenyou greeted her with a smile. Qin Yuxuan also cupped his hands before his chest subconsciously. Then, he hid the tears in his eyes and put on an alive smile on his face again. No matter what, Cousin Tong seemed to be doing well right now. That was enough.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, Cousin Xuan, please take a seat.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, curtsied with a bow, and gestured for them to sit.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, Grandmother asked if you are all right. Do you need any help?¡± Luo Wenyou sat down and went straight to the point. He hade to greet Cousin Tong on behalf of his grandmother, and did not expect to run into Qin Yuxuan who also came to see her on the way here. As such, the two of them came together.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. She knew what Luo Wenyou meant. ¡°Eldest Cousin, please tell Grandmother that I am fine. Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I will definitely inform her. I will not let her worry about me.¡±

    Luo Wenyou paused and said somewhat awkwardly, ¡°Cousin Tong, if there is another banquet, you¡¯d better not attend it next time.¡± He also knew that there was something wrong with his own words. Feng Yuran was a prince, so there was no reason for her not to attend the banquet in the pce. However, he had to say that because it was what his grandmother wanted to told her.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, tell Grandmother not to worry. I know. I will not get into trouble.¡± Mo Xuetong could not helpughing when she heard Luo Wenyou¡¯s insincere advice. Her eyes shone with charming beauty as she spoke coyly.

    Qin Yuxuan¡¯s heart warmed when he saw her pretty, smiling face. He could not help but try to persuade her, ¡°Old Madam must be too worried about Cousin Tong. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s smart. She¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    When he said that, he suddenly thought of his purpose ofing here. He could not help but frown and said bitterly to Mo Xuetong, ¡°Cousin Tong, you really have to help me. Otherwise, I would die.¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xuan, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mo Xuetong asked quietly.

    ¡°What else could it be? It was all Elder Brother¡¯s fault. He took a fancy to a painting in Grandmother¡¯s room and told me to take it out. But he did not return it to me. I did not care much about it, but Grandmother did. She was trying to get the painting from me over the past few days. However, Elder Brother said that the painting had disappeared. What should I tell Grandmother?¡± Qin Yuxuan rubbed his head with his hand, looking worried.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She smiled and asked, ¡°What kind of painting is it that makes Grandaunt so worried? Is it from a famous painter?¡±

    ¡°It would be great if it were drawn by a famous painter. There were only three girls in the painting. I could not see anything good from it, so I threw them to Elder Brother casually. I thought it was not a big deal even if Elder Brother wanted them. Anyway, they are not that good. But I didn¡¯t expect that Grandmother would not let go of it and asked me for them. Elder Brother, who has never made a mistake, even lost it. Where should I go to find it now?¡±

    Speaking of this, Qin Yuxuan was really annoyed! If he had known that the result would be like this, he would not have helped his elder brother to bring this painting. How did ite to this? It waspletely unrted to him!

 Chapter 565 - Scheme, the Position of General Manor Fus Sons Wife

    <h4><strong>Chapter 565</strong> Scheme, the Position of General Manor Fu¡¯s Son¡¯s Wife</h4>

    A painting, a painting that Old Madam Qin valued highly, and it was a painting of three girls! Mo Xuetong was 100 percent sure that it was the painting given to her by Qin Yufeng. It turned out that it was not given to her intentionally by Old Madam Qin, but that Qin Yufeng found it and sent it to her. How did he know that she wanted the painting?

    When she saw the painting, Qin Yufeng was in the capital and she had never told anyone about it. She did not even mention it in front of Mo Lan and Mo Yu. Where did Qin Yufeng know that she wanted the painting, or was it just a coincidence? But it was too coincidental. Qin Yufeng sent the painting to her when she wanted it. At this time, this matter was full of twists and turns, and Mo Xuetong could not figure it out, but she had an intuition that Qin Yufeng knew that she wanted the painting!

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Cousin Feng think of a way to help you?¡± she asked softly as if she did not care.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to help me think of a way. At this time, he is going to take the exam. To put me off, he asked me toe to you for help. Cousin Tong, I am wondering if there is someone in your manor good at painting. Maybe I should give a same copy to Grandmother, so that Grandmother won¡¯t keep asking me for it all the time. I¡¯m so annoyed that I don¡¯t even dare to go home.¡±

    Qin Yuxuan muttered with a headache. He also knew that this method was not feasible. No matter how good one was at painting, the painter had to see the painting. But the problem was that he had seen it, but he couldn¡¯t exin it clearly. Now he had no choice. Since his elder brother said so, he would make every possible effort.

    ¡°The original painting is gone. How can you get someone to draw it?¡± Luo Wenyou asked with a smile.

    ¡°I just suggest it. I asked Elder Brother to think of a way to solve the problem, but he said Cousin Tong had a solution, so I went to His Excellency. On the way, I met him and came with him.¡±

    He had thought that Qin Yufeng¡¯s words made sense, so he had rushed into King Xuan¡¯s Manor with Luo Wenyou excitedly. However, when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s innocent smile on her ignorant face, he immediately felt that he had been tricked by his elder brother again. Mo Xuetong did not seem to have a solution. He was really anxious.

    ¡°Draw another one. It¡¯s a good idea.¡± Mo Xuetong put down the teacup in her hand, rolled her watery eyes, and agreed in a loud voice. The two of them blinked and could not react for a moment.

    Qin Yuxuan blinked his eyes quickly and asked in confusion, ¡°Cousin Tong, you have never seen that painting before. How can we have someone draw another one?¡±

    ¡°Cousin Xuan, have you forgotten that we have seen the painting together? Grandaunt took it out to air it, and we studied it secretly for a long time,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile.

    Hearing this, Qin Yuxuan recalled that what she said was true. Back then, Mo Xuetong had stood in front of the painting for a long while and had been reluctant to leave. Then, he had tried to drag her away. He had wanted to find a way to get the painting from his grandmother and give it to Cousin Tong. However, Cousin Tong hade to the capital before he could get it.

    Later, when he came to the capital, he was getting further and further away from Cousin Tong. As such, he slowly forgot it. He did not expect Cousin Tong to still remember it, and felt a wave of bitter rising from his heart for some reason. He could not tell if it was pain or something else. The beauty was still in front of him, but she was no longer his Tong¡¯er.

    For a moment, he only felt a dull pain in his heart.

    Luo Wenyou coughed and asked with a smile, ¡°Cousin Tong, you¡¯ve only seen the painting once many years ago. Do you still remember it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. Let¡¯s try first. Cousin Xuan, don¡¯t me me if it doesn¡¯t work.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and asked Qin Yuxuan, ¡°Cousin Xuan, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, but are you sure you can do it?¡± Qin Yuxuan still did not believe it. Could she remember it when she just studied it for a while? All he roughly remembered was three women.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a try. Since Cousin Feng said that I have a way, I have to try.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded forcefully to show her confidence. She could not hide the smile in her eyes.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I will go and put it off and tell Grandmother that Elder Brother has lent it to someone else. Elder Brother is taking the exam now and we have to discuss this matter after hees out.¡± Qin Yuxuan nodded subconsciously when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s sweet smile. This was the only solution he could think of. He would try his best to put it off. If it did not work in a few days, Qin Yufeng woulde out. Then, he would throw it to him.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Cousin Xuan, hold Grandaunt back these few days. I will send it over personally when I have a result,¡± Mo Xuetong answered with a smile. Looking at Qin Yuxuan¡¯s bitter expression, she felt that her cousin was still the same person who was not able to take responsibility, but she feltfortable when she looked at him.

    ¡°That settles it.¡±

    Qin Yuxuan nodded. He had no choice but to nod now. Cousin Tong was right. How would he know if she did not try? It would be fine if there was even a little difference. Anyway, his grandmother had not seen the painting for many years. Even if there was something different, she would not be able to notice it. When he thought of this, he immediately felt that Mo Xuetong¡¯s method was very good.

    After settling the matter with Qin Yuxuan, Mo Xuetong turned to Luo Wenyou and asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin, how is Grandmother? Is she feeling better now?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had always been concerned about Old Madam¡¯s health. She was always worried about it. When her mother passed away, Old Madam had once fallen gravely ill and almost died then, so she was not able to go to Cloud City to attend her mother¡¯s funeral. After that, Old Madam had always been ill. She would be ill for a few days whenever she felt unwell. It was because she had been too sad then and had hurt her foundation. As such, she should be taken good care of.

    ¡°Grandmother has been in good health recently. Cousin Yun has been spending every day with Grandmother, and Grandmother is very happy,¡± Luo Wenyou replied with a smile.

    ¡°Cousin Yun?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned. She did not remember who it was, so she looked at Luo Wenyou with watery eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s Second Aunt¡¯s niece of her maternal family. She came with Second Aunt to celebrate your birthday,¡± Luo Wenyou exined patiently when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s dazed expression.

    Cousin Yun? The girl named Yun Ya? Mo Xuetong frowned secretly. ¡°Does Second Cousin know that her cousin is spending every day with Grandmother?¡± From what Luo Mingzhu said that day, Mo Xuetong could tell that she took a great dislike to Yun Ya. Furthermore, this woman was obviously scheming. She might even have something to do with the person Mo Xuetong had imagined.

    ¡°Second Sister is busy at home every day. I heard that her grandmother-inw is in poor health, so she didn¡¯t return home recently.¡± Even though Luo Wenyou did not understand why Mo Xuetong was asking about Luo Mingzhu, but when he saw that her expression had darkened, he asked curiously, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin, what did Second Aunt say about it?¡± Now that Luo Mingzhu knew something, Second Aunt should know it as well.

    ¡°Second Aunt didn¡¯t say anything. She just said that you and Mingzhu were not around and she didn¡¯t have a sweet girl by her side. Cousin Yun is so considerate that she can take care of Grandmother. That¡¯s great. She did a good job of being filial to Grandmother on behalf of Mingzhu.¡± Luo Wenyou was confused by the question and couldn¡¯t understand Mo Xuetong¡¯s meaning.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips. A hint of coldness shed through her heart. Did Second Aunt mean that?

    Yun Ya was not a good woman. How could she deserve Eldest Cousin? Luo Wenyou was the son of Fu General and would be the next Fu General. He deserved an elegant and decent woman. Yun Ya had a piece of a man¡¯s jade in her hand. Coupled with what Luo Mingzhu had told her about Yun Ya, Mo Xuetong did not think that such a woman was a good person.

    She looked at Luo Wenyou¡¯s dazed expression and thought for a moment. Then, she asked carefully, ¡°Miss Yun stays at Grandmother¡¯s ce every day?¡± She could not allow her Eldest Cousin to be fooled.

    ¡°She¡¯s there most of the time.¡± Luo Wenyou nodded. ¡°She woulde and chat with Grandmother when she¡¯s free. Grandmother also likes her very much.¡±

    ¡°Eldest Cousin...¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated and thought for a moment. However, she still asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin, do you see Miss Yun every time you go to see Grandmother?¡±

    Luo Wenyou felt that something was wrong when Mo Xuetong pointed it out. His face flushed slightly and he said uneasily, ¡°Of course, Cousin Yun is there. I usually leave after a few words. There¡¯s no need to avoid her.¡±

    Since the two were not rted by blood, and there was a distinction between men and women, they were supposed to avoid each other.

    ¡°Your Excellency, after hearing what you said, I finally understand. Do Old Madam and your aunt want to make a match between you and Miss Yun?¡± Qin Yuxuan did not understand what was going on and said with a teasing smile.

    Luo Wenyou¡¯s face grew even redder when he heard him making fun of him. ¡°No... no. We are just rtives... there is no need to avoid her. Cousin Yun is very gracious.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been staring at Luo Wenyou. When she heard his haste answer, there was a hint of anger and coldness in her eyes. She did not want to interfere with what Yun Ya did. She thought that girl would return after she stayed in the manor for a while. As for whether she had anything to do with other men, Mo Xuetong did not want to investigate.

    But now, it seemed that Yun Ya had been scheming against her eldest cousin since she entered Fu General Manor. Did her second aunt know about it, or was there something else? Why didn¡¯t she remind her grandmother and eldest cousin? She had taken a fancy to the position of Fu General Manor¡¯s son¡¯s wife.

    Her second aunt had brought such a girl into the manor, and now the girl was hooking up with her eldest cousin. Did her second aunt know what she was doing?

    ¡°Your Excellency, you are speaking up for Miss Yun. Does that mean that you have a good feeling about Miss Yun?¡± Qin Yuxuan did not know about it at all, and when he saw how embarrassed Luo Wenyou looked, he immediatelyughed and teased him.

    ¡°Second Young Master, you can¡¯t say that again. She is a good girl and reputation is the most important for her.¡± Luo Wenyou forced himself to keep a straight face and scolded Qin Yuxuan seriously. However, the flush on his face could not fade away. It was obvious that he felt guilty. Qin Yuxuanughed again when he saw that.

    Mo Xuetong calmed down and her eyes grew cold. However, she then put on a smile and asked, ¡°Eldest Cousin, can you go to Li¡¯s Manor to visit Second Cousin?¡± No matter who that girl wanted to seduce, she would not give her a chance.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Luo Wenyou agreed readily. Then, he asked casually, ¡°Cousin Tong, are youing to visit Grandmother with Second Sister?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But I have to discuss this with Second Cousin. Eldest Cousin, wait here for a while. I will write a letter to Second Cousin. Please bring it to her. I might not be able toe over for the time being. I will have to wait until King Chu¡¯s birthday banquet is over.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up and said.

    She was telling the truth. King Chu¡¯s birthday banquet was in a few days. She would have to spend some time preparing gifts. King Xuan was King Chu¡¯s younger brother and was not like the others, so she had to prepare it more carefully. Luo Wenyou nodded to show that he got it. As Mo Xuetong went into the inner room, he spoke with Qin Yuxuan.

    After a while, Mo Xuetong took a letter from inside and gave it to Luo Wenyou. Then, the two young men left.

 Chapter 566 - Dark Night, the One She Was Infatuated with

    <h4>Chapter 566 Dark Night, the One She Was Infatuated with</h4>

    The wind sounded lonely in the dark night. It was another starless night. The weather did not look good, and it was a little rainy. The autumn wind suddenly rose. It was cool and swept away the leaves that had fallen earlier, making a whooshing sound.

    At the back door of the yard, an old maid came back in a hurry.

    Seeing theer clearly, the old maid who guarded the gate put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands, and asked with a smile, ¡°Nanny Qian, it is sote. Did you go out to buy snacks for Miss Yun?¡±

    ¡°No, not today. Old Madam is in poor health these few days. Our miss wanted to embroider a headband for Old Madam, so she especially asked me to go out and pick out a few silk threads for her,¡± Nanny Qian replied carefully. The previous asions when she used the excuse of going out to buy snacks did not arouse suspicion, but it was not a good excuse for her toe back at night. Her miss was muddle-headed. Why was she so interested in entering the manor!

    After saying goodbye to the old maid guarding the door, Nanny Qian went to the yard of her miss.

    Yun Ya lived in the courtyard next to Second Madam¡¯s. It waste and it was about to rain again, so Nanny Qian didn¡¯t meet anyone on the way. Looking at Second Madam¡¯s courtyard from a distance, she noticed that the lights were still on. Not everyone in Second Madam¡¯s yard had slept yet.

    Nanny Qian carefully avoided people and came to the door of the courtyard. She knocked on the door and opened it quietly. The person who guarded the door was Yun Ya¡¯s personal maidservant, Ning Cui. The two looked at each other and did not speak. Nanny Qian entered the courtyard directly. She turned around and looked outside. When she saw that no one was around, she heaved a sigh of relief and followed Nanny Qian to the main yard.

    Amp was burning in the room. All the young and old maids sent by Fu General Manor were sent out. Yun Ya sat under themp alone, holding the jade pendant in her hand in a daze. There was an exquisite tassel hanging on the jade pendant and she could not help but smile. The man was as handsome as a god. He had saved her when she was at her most helpless point and had rooted himself in her heart since then.

    She had to be with him. No matter what, she would definitely be with him!

    Thinking of the scene when he rescued her from the thief¡¯s hands and held her over, and thinking of the tenderness in his cold eyes, Yun Ya felt that she was infatuated. This time, she was more anxious than ever. She thought that she finally met the person she was most willing to hold hands with in her life.

    In order to be with him, she was willing to do anything!

    At this time, her heart was burning, and even her eyes were rippling. In any case, she only wanted to be with him. This man was the good person she had been waiting for her whole life. Of course, the elopement with other men before, at this time, was like floating smoke in her heart. As long as she was really good to You Yuecheng, he would definitely be moved and spend the rest of his life with her.

    As for some trivial things, Yun Ya thought that there was no need to care too much about them.

    She grew up in the doting care of her parents, who gave her everything she wanted. Even if it was about her marriage, her father couldn¡¯t do anything to her without her approval.

    ¡°Miss, Miss...¡± When she was in a daze and felt happy, she suddenly heard someone calling her in a low voice. Then she found that Nanny Qian hade back. She stood up hurriedly, grabbed Nanny Qian¡¯s hand, and asked, ¡°Nanny, have you seen His Excellency?¡±

    Hearing her loud voice, Nanny Qian covered her mouth in a hurry and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss, lower your voice. You... you really don¡¯t want to live.¡±

    They were in the capital, not somewhere else. If Miss was found to act indecently, she might be sunk into the fish pond.

    ¡°Okay, okay. Nanny, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t shout. It¡¯s sote, and the young and old maids are asleep. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yun Ya broke away from Nanny Qian¡¯s grip and said discontentedly. It waste at night, and she had asked people in the courtyard to go out to rest. Who would keep an eye on them? She thought Nanny Qian had lived so many years in vain. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was her nanny, she wouldn¡¯t have taken her out this time.

    She didn¡¯t have any courage.

    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Miss, you¡¯d better lower your voice and don¡¯t disturb others.¡± Nanny Qian had always been timid in front of Yun Ya, so she didn¡¯t dare to me her. She could only remind her in a low voice.

    ¡°Nanny, tell me quickly. Did you see His Excellency? Did you... give him the letter?¡± As she spoke, Yun Ya even looked shy. It was not because sending messages was unreasonable. Anyway, she had sent messages not only once or twice, and she had done something even more unreasonable. She had always been a bold person.

    She remembered that cold and handsome man¡¯s slightly heated look in his eyes and he had personally tied his jade pendant to her. It meant that he was sincere to her, so she would never let him down. Both her heart and body belonged to that person.

    ¡°Miss, isn¡¯t His Excellency of Fu General good? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you find favor in his eyes? Furthermore, your aunt is here as well. She can take care of you once you marry into Fu General Manor. Old Madam is a kind person and the poption here is simple. It¡¯s much better than that manor.¡±

    Seeing how infatuated her miss was, Nanny Qian could not help but try to persuade her. His Excellency of Fu General looked like a kind person who had a good temperament and usually smiled at others. And he showed respect to Yun Ya. When they came to the capital, Madam had also mentioned in private that it would be best if Yun Ya could stay in Fu General Manor.

    In their hometown, Yun Ya¡¯s reputation could not be any worse. Even if she were to be a concubine, others would not like her. Madam did not expect her to be His Excellency¡¯s wife of Fu General. Now that she was close to Luo Wenyou, it would not be hard for her to be a concubine. In a noble family like this, even if she was to be a concubine, it was way above Yun Ya¡¯s station.

    Hearing that Nanny Qian had the intention of ndering the man she liked, Yun Ya was unhappy. She mmed her hand on the table and said angrily, ¡°Nanny, what are you talking about?¡± She had been spoiled in her own family and no one dared to go against her will. At this time, she was in a bad mood and put on a straight face.

    ¡°Yes, Miss, I...¡± Nanny Qian was startled.

    ¡°Nanny, hurry up and tell me if you¡¯ve seen him!¡± Behind her, Ning Cui helped her out of the situation and tugged on her sleeve, hinting that she should not go against Yun Ya¡¯s wishes.

    Yun Ya¡¯s attention was attracted by what Ning Cui said. She leaned over and said anxiously, ¡°Yes, tell me quickly. Did you see His Excellency? What did he say to you?¡± Since Nanny Qian went out, she had been waiting, and she was very anxious and uneasy.

    ¡°Yes, I saw His Excellency. This is his reply. His Excellency told you to burn it after you read it.¡± Nanny Qian did not dare to say anything else at this time. She swallowed and said anxiously as she took out a letter from her inner pockets. Before she could hand it over, Yun Ya had already snatched it away impatiently.

    Having no time to scold Nanny Qian, she turned back to sit on the couch, opened the envelope, pulled out the letter from it, and read it carefully. At first, she looked happy, and then her face became serious. She held the letter in one hand and frowned.

    ¡°Miss, what did His Excellency say? Is there anything difficult? Miss, do you want to say it and discuss it with us? Here, only we are loyal to you.¡± Ning Cui was good at talking, so she served a cup of tea for Yun Ya and asked with a smile.

    These words hit Yun Ya¡¯s heart, and there was really something that she couldn¡¯t say it aloud. She nodded and asked, ¡°Ning Cui, have you found out any information about the empty courtyard in the backyard?¡±

    In the beginning, there were still a few words of concern for her in the letter, which made Yun Ya very happy. Later, You Yuecheng mentioned that he wanted to take her into his manor. He also said that he was married now, so she could only be his concubine, which would be hard on her. However, he wanted to do something that would make his family think highly of him, and it would be better if Yun Ya could help him. Then, when Yun Ya got married into his manor in the future, his family would also think highly of her. Maybe she could be promoted as a co-wife...

    The letter was full of affection and faith. How could Yun Ya not be happy and vexed when she read it? She was happy that he valued her so much and wanted her to help him do a few things so that the people in his manor would think highly of her. In the future, when she married into the family, she could still be promoted to be a co-wife. This was something that Yun Ya did not dare to think about before. When she thought that she could be valued by such a man, she was naturally excited.

    But what troubled her was that she really couldn¡¯t think of anything to help him. At this time, an idea shed through her mind, and her mind instantly became clear. She suddenly remembered what You Yuecheng had asked her to inquire about before. She learned that it was an important matter. If she could help him do it, she might be able to be his co-wife. With such a temptation in front of her, how could Yun Ya not be emotional? She stared at Ning Cui with anticipation.

    She had been on good terms with Old Madam of Fu General Manor recently and had behaved coyly in front of His Excellency of Fu General Manor. In fact, she had done this for this matter. No, she had to do it well. She had to help You Yuecheng settle this matter. No matter why he investigated this matter, in Yun Ya¡¯s heart, since he had investigated it, there was a need to investigate it.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s empty for many years. All I know are young maidservants, and they said that was the way it was when they came. As for whether someone died there or not, they only echo the views of others. Everyone said so, and of course, they believe it.¡±

    Ning Cui answered cautiously. From time to time, she would sneak a peek at her master. Serving such a master, she had to be more careful, or else she would not know how she died. As her master was ipetent and had ruined her reputation, she, as her maidservant, would not have a good reputation either. Now, Ning Cui just wanted to live a normal life. After Yun Ya married someone, she could gain some favor depending on her appearance, and maybe she could give birth to a son and a daughter.

    ¡°After all this time, why haven¡¯t you found out yet? Are you dead? You¡¯re really useless.¡± Yun Ya immediately became angry when she heard that Ning Cui still did not have any clue. She pointed at Ning Cui and scolded her. She really did not like Ning Cui who was charming and she would know what she was thinking at first nce. If this girl had not yed tricks on her, she would not have ended up like this.

    She med Ning Cui for her several elopements with different men. If Ning Cui knew what she was thinking, God knew if she would help her wholeheartedly.

    ¡°Miss, do you want to go to your aunt to ask about it? Your aunt seems to want you to marry into Fu General Manor. In actuality, as long as you marry into Fu General Manor, is there anything that you won¡¯t know about? You can learn the matters that happened in the inner residence with a proper reason.¡±

    Just now, Ning Cui had helped Nanny Qian, and to return the favor, Nanny Qian also helped her.

    There was give-and-take!

    On the surface, Yun Ya looked gentle, but in fact, she was hot-tempered and impulsive. Nanny Qian had a good rtionship with Ning Cui, and at least there was a connection between the two so that they would not be punished by Yun Ya.

 Chapter 567 - Selfish, Madam Qus Unreasonable Points

    <h4>Chapter 567 Selfish, Madam Qu¡¯s Unreasonable Points</h4>

    When Yun Ya came to Madam Qu¡¯s courtyard, Madam Qu hadn¡¯t gone to bed. In these days, the Ministry of Justice had a lot of things to deal with, so Luo Bin came backte. Sometimes, it was toote, and he would stay in the study outside for the whole night. Madam Qu felt worried about her husband, so she slept in the yard a littlete. When she knew that Luo Bin was back, she could ask someone to invite him in.

    Luo Bin had note back till this time today. Madam Qu was embroidering under themp. When she heard that Yun Ya hade over, she hurriedly asked her maidservant to invite her in. She had only one daughter by her side. Now that her daughter was married out, she could note specially to see her. When she saw Yun Ya, she really treated her as a daughter.

    ¡°Aunt.¡± As soon as she entered the room, Yun Ya immediately became a delicate little girl. After saluting Madam Qu affectionately, she sat beside her and picked up her embroidery. ¡°Aunt, your embroidery is really good. No wonder my mother always said that you were a capable woman. She also asked me to learn from you, be more sensible and listen to you.¡±

    Looking at how obedient Yun Ya was, Madam Qu put down the embroidery in her hand and sighed secretly. ¡°What a poor girl she is. She looks so pure and lovely. How could anyone have the heart to lie to her? Her reputation is almost ruined. It really makes people anxious. My sister has cried many times in the letter. This time, she intends to let her marry into General Manor. As for her temper, it would be okay if I could take care of her and remind her.¡±

    She watched Wenyou grow up. As His Excellency of Fu General, he had been raised by her since he was a child. He had always listened to her. If Yun Ya were to marry into the family, he would at least not treat her shabbily. Furthermore, Yun Ya¡¯s reputation had been ruined and she could not be the wife of His Excellency, but she would be able to be a concubine. General Manor was able to support one more person. It was not bad for Yun Ya to marry into this family.

    ¡°Ya¡¯er, have you seen His Excellency these days?¡± Madam Qu asked as she held Yun Ya¡¯s hand. She had to make sure that the two young people liked each other. Even though she felt that Luo Wenyou would like Yun Ya because she had a good character and was obedient. However, she had to make things clear in case she would not make the two unhappy.

    ¡°Aunt!¡± Hearing her words, Yun Ya blushed. She looked so shy that she almost couldn¡¯t raise her head. She put down the embroidery in her hand and said coyly.

    Every girl would act like this at the mention of her marriage. Madam Qu was not surprised. She waved her hand and motioned for the others to leave. As others had left, she turned around, took Yun Ya¡¯s hand, and sighed. ¡°Ya¡¯er, don¡¯t me me for being straightforward. It¡¯s what your mother and I mean, but I won¡¯t push you if you two can¡¯t get along.¡±

    She was really nning for Yun Ya. Her younger sister had said clearly in the letter that Yun Ya was a good girl, but she had been deceived and eloped. Thanks to the people in her manor, who noticed that she missed in time, she had been brought back early. However, her reputation had been ruined. Who would marry her as his wife in the future? So, her mother sent her here far away. The two sisters had discussed in private, and then Madam Qu sent Yun Ya to serve Old Madam.

    She wanted her to meet Luo Wenyou often to grow their love for each other. She nned to bring it up in front of Old Madam a few dayster, and then it would be a matter of time.

    ¡°Aunt, Cousin is very good!¡± Yun Ya answered shyly.

    Madam Qu was gratified by her words and felt relieved. She finally lived up to her sister¡¯s request. It seemed that Ya¡¯er was satisfied with the marriage. As long as Ya¡¯er was satisfied, it should be okay with Wenyou. After all, Yun Ya would not be his legal wife. Recently, someone was matchmaking for Wenyou. When his marriage was settled, and got married, Ya¡¯er could officially get a title. This matter was really good. She had to write a letter to discuss it with her sister.

    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know if cousin...¡± Yun Ya pinched her handkerchief and said shyly. There was worry in her beautiful eyes. She bit her lips as if she wanted to say something, but was a little embarrassed. Her face turned red.

    ¡°Is she worried about Luo Wenyou¡¯s reaction? She is really a good girl who would think of others.¡± Madam Qu could not help but touch her head andfort her, ¡°Wenyou will be okay with it. Ya¡¯er is so well-behaved and so beautiful and smart. How can Wenyou not like you? I heard that he specifically talked to you in the past few days. It can be seen that Wenyou thinks you are not bad from the bottom of his heart.¡±

    Recently, Yun Ya had been serving Old Madam, so it was normal for the two to meet. Madam Qu also knew that it was unreasonable. Although it was not underhand and would damage the girl¡¯s reputation, Yun Ya was not going after the position of His Excellency¡¯s wife. She had to win Luo Wenyou¡¯s heart. It was necessary for them to meet first and cultivate feelings for each other.

    Therefore, even though Madam Qu knew it was unreasonable, she did not correct it. She also asked someone to inquire about it in private and learned that at least, Luo Wenyou did not obviously express that he was treating Yun Ya as a stranger. This was already good enough. Madam Qu knew Luo Wenyou¡¯s temper well. Luo Wenyou would avoid a young and unfamiliar female guest at home.

    It was already rare for Luo Wenyou to be able to say something to Yun Ya. It meant that Luo Wenyou did feel something when he saw Yun Ya.

    ¡°Aunt, I didn¡¯t mean that... after this, if His Excellency¡¯s wife marries into the family and doesn¡¯t, doesn¡¯t like me... what should I do?¡± After hesitating for a while, Yun Ya timidly said. After that, she looked at Madam Qu with tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, afraid that cousin will be in a dilemma.¡±

    Her words were very implicit, but Madam Qu immediately understood. All the women in the back yard were good at this, and they also considered this issue. Although Luo Bin was very self-disciplined, there were still a few concubines. Usually, the narrow-minded women always fought with each other. How could Madam Qu not understand?

    So when she heard Yun Ya¡¯s words, her heart thumped. She frowned slightly and felt that she forgot to consider that.

    Ya¡¯er was only a few days younger than Mingzhu and was already 16 years old. It was already toote for a 16-year-old girl who had not gotten engaged. Someone was matchmaking for Luo Wenyou. Even though it went smoothly, after the ceremony, he could only get married after this year. Furthermore, after the bride married into the family, the couple would have a sweet time and then the legal son would be born.

    In this way, it would take at least two years. At that time, Ya¡¯er would be an 18-year-old girl. Moreover, she would stay in the manor without a title. It was not appropriate. If she kept staying in the manor for a few years, it would be too long. It would be inconvenient to settle the matter of two more people at that time.

    Thinking of this, Madam Qu grew really worried. General Manor had strict moral standards. The concubine could not have a child before the legal wife did. The concubine often entered the manor after the legal wife married into the manor for at least one year. The problem was that Ya¡¯er couldn¡¯t afford to wait. At such an age, without the title, how could she live in General Manor for a long time?

    It didn¡¯t seem easy to deal with this matter!

    ¡°Aunt, if it¡¯s difficult for you... forget it. I¡¯ll just think that I have no fate with Cousin. I¡¯ll... go back after my motheres to the capital.¡± Noticing that Madam Qu had thought of this, Yun Ya immediately put on a sad look. She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and her tears flowed down. She pretended to be concerned about her aunt.

    This made Madam Qu¡¯s heart ache. She held Yun Ya in her arms and patted her. She promised again and again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ya¡¯er. Aunt will think of a way. I¡¯m sure there will be a way.¡±

    Back to their hometown? Her sister had said that the ce had a conservative atmosphere, so it was even impossible for Ya¡¯er to be a concubine, let alone marry someone. If she was forced to be sent to someone else¡¯s manor, maybe others would torture her. There was no way for her, a good girl, to survive. Therefore, Madam Qu would never let Yun Ya go back.

    ¡°Aunt, do you have any other methods? Can... can you make me marry into the family first? Aunt, don¡¯t worry about me anymore. I have a bad fate. That¡¯s what I should get.¡±

    Yun Ya¡¯s words were choked by sobbing and she leaned on Madam Qu. She covered her lips with a handkerchief, but there was a choked voice. She looked like she was suffering and didn¡¯t want to bother Madam Qu. Madam Qu felt heartbroken, patted her back andforted her, ¡°How could you have a bad fate? You will never have a bad fate. I will definitely arrange it for you first. If you can¡¯t, you can marry into the family first. Even if we secretly settle the matter.¡±

    At first, Madam Qu was just trying tofort Yun Ya. But then, an idea came to her mind, and she suddenly came up with a method. Indeed, if she married into the familyter, she would inevitably be an olddy. Then, she could marry into the family first. If she entered the family first, she would be able to gain a foothold faster than His Excellency¡¯s wife. Moreover, she would be with Wenyou first. In the future, Wenyou would also protect her. And she would also take care of her, and thus no one would bully Ya¡¯er in the future.

    It was unreasonable for a concubine to enter the family before the legal wife, and would damage General Manor¡¯s reputation, but it would at least be able to keep Ya¡¯er safe for the rest of her life. Madam Qu still felt that it was worth it. Furthermore, even though Ya¡¯er had entered the family first, as long as no one spread it out, no one would know that a concubine had already entered the family before the legal wife. By the time the legal wife of His Excellency married into the family, things would already be done. If she fussed about it, it would mean that she would no longer be as gentle and intelligent as a woman.

    Madam Qu was thinking for Yun Ya wholeheartedly but hadpletely forgotten that she was the Second Madam of General Manor!

    When she thought of this, all of her thoughts were on Yun Ya. She felt that this was the best solution. In this case, Ya¡¯er would not be bullied. Even though General Manor¡¯s reputation would be damaged, Luo Wenyou was a man, and he would at most be considered as a phnderer. It was not a big deal.

    But now there was a new problem. How to make the manor allow Ya¡¯er to marry in first?

    Looking at Yun Ya¡¯s expectant eyes, Madam Qu became smart suddenly. She touched Yun Ya¡¯s long hair whileforting her. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Old Madam to agree to let Ya¡¯er marry into the manor first unless there was a special situation. What was a special situation that could make Old Madam agree?

    ¡°Aunt... Do you want Ya¡¯er to enter first? No... I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t do it. How can I do such a shameless thing? How can I and Cousin...¡± As she noticed that Madam Qu frowned all the time, but couldn¡¯t think of a way out, Yun Ya was so anxious that she cursed in secret. After thinking for a while, she showed an anxious expression on her face. She grabbed Madam Qu¡¯s clothes and shook, seeming to persuade her eagerly. Her face also turned pale, as if she were in a panic.

    At the sight of her expression and words, Madam Qu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. She suddenly pulled Yun Ya and said with a smile, ¡°Ya¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I have a way. Although you can¡¯t make it real, at least your cousin will be responsible for you.¡±

 Chapter 568 - Changes Happened in General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 568 Changes Happened in General Manor</h4>

    Before Luo Mingzhu and Mo Xuetong had time to go to General Manor, the next morning, Luo Mingzhu hurried into King Xuan¡¯s Manor and entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    Mo Xuetong had just gotten up and had breakfast. She asked the maidservant to pour a cup of hot tea for Luo Mingzhu. Then she noticed that thetter picked the cup, took a sip of it and looked around.

    Understanding what she meant, Mo Xuetong waved her hand, gesturing for the servants to leave. Then, she asked directly, ¡°Second Cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    With a nce at Luo Mingzhu, she knew that something was happening. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face was pale and she gritted her teeth angrily.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, Elder Brother...¡± Luo Mingzhu felt so embarrassed that she lowered her head. Putting down the teacup in her hand, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Cousin Tong, Elder Brother was drunk yesterday and somehow slept with Yun Ya on the same bed. The manor was in chaos this morning. I heard that Elder Brother was going to marry Yun Ya.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was startled. Her brain was in buzz and she could not say another word.

    There was something called coldness that rose from her heart and surrounded her, making her almost breathless for a moment!

    Who was Luo Wenyou? In her past life, Mo Xuetong had known that he was a gentleman who was extremely well-behaved. In her past life, she had heard that a woman who was said very beautiful wanted to be his concubine, but he had rejected her. It could be said that he was the purest person in General Manor, and all his children were born to his official wife.

    Even though the two uncles also had a few concubines, they were usually promoted from the previous maids, and since they married their wife, they had never taken a concubine, not to mention to take a concubine before the legal wife married into their family. It was impossible. Mo Xuetong subconsciously felt that Yun Ya had plotted against Luo Wenyou. That woman was not as weak as she seemed on the surface.

    ¡°How could Eldest Cousin be with Yun Ya?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyshes fluttered and she breathed a long sigh. She looked up at Luo Mingzhu and immediately made a decision in her heart. In thest life, she was ipetent and could not even protect herself. In this life, not only would she live well, but she also would protect the person she wanted to protect.

    Even if she had to inflict a bloody blow on some people.

    ¡°I heard from the people in the manor that it was a littlete when Elder Brother returned home yesterday. When he walked to his room, he saw that there was someone in Father¡¯s study, so he went to see him. It happened that Father had not eaten dinner yet, so he asked someone to prepare some wine. The two of them had a few drinks. After that, Elder Brother was a little drunk. It was gettingte, so Father asked someone to take Elder Brother to the wing room to sleep. Unexpectedly, when he woke up, he found that Yun Ya was also there. It was said that Elder Brother forced her to go into the wing room when Yun Ya came back from Mother¡¯s yard.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu didn¡¯t believe it, and neither did Mo Xuetong.

    What kind of person was Luo Wenyou? He had been drunk before, but he had always behaved well. When he was drunk, he would only sleep and would not do anything else. Furthermore, it was too coincidental. How could it be so coincidental that when Luo Wenyou was drunk, Yun Ya happened to pass by and was even pulled into the wing room?

    Mo Xuetong looked up at Luo Mingzhu and said, ¡°Second Cousin, does Second Aunt know what kind of person your cousin is?¡±

    Mo Xuetong felt that it was too coincidental to exist. However, it happened. Madam Qu was now in charge of General Manor, and her First Aunt and First Uncle were at the border. Her grandmother, who could make decisions in the manor, had always been in poor health. So if someone had arranged it, Madam Qu was most likely to be the chief culprit.

    Other people could not urately calcte the time when Luo Wenyou would be drunk. Furthermore, even though Luo Wenyou could not hold his liquor, he could still drink much more wine than his uncle did.

    However, Madam Qu was Luo Mingzhu¡¯s biological mother, and Mo Xuetong had to find out.

    In her past life, General Manor had been destroyed because of a plot. In this life, Yun Ya was definitely not a simple girl. She had an ambiguous rtionship with other men, but she was still willing to marry into the manor to be Luo Wenyou¡¯s concubine. She was managing to be Luo Wenyou¡¯s concubine. How could Mo Xuetong not be wary? Someone was plotting against General Manor again.

    No matter what, she would not allow General Manor to be plotted against. Including her grandmother and her cousin, they were all her rtives that she wanted to protect.

    In the past, she could only watch as General Manor fell and her grandmother died and then she was burned. Now, she would not allow something like this to happen, even if her Second Aunt was the chief culprit. There was a hint of hatred in the corner of her eyes subconsciously.

    ¡°Actually, I have told Mother many times about Yun Ya, but she didn¡¯t believe me. I heard that my Aunt wrote a letter to Mother. She imed that Yun Ya was framed by others and was young and ignorant. She had put all the me on others. It seemed that Yun Ya was really innocent. Mother also told me to take good care of Yun Ya. I didn¡¯t have any patience when I heard that. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so confused and help outsiders to plot against Elder Brother. She, she made First Uncle and his family feel disappointed!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face was full of anger and she wanted to run back to the manor immediately to show her confused mother what kind of person Yun Ya was. Initially, she did not expect that this matter had something to do with her mother. When Mo Xuetong asked her, she immediately understood that her mother must have gotten involved in it; otherwise, Yun Ya would not be able to sleep with her Elder Brother so easily.

    She thought that her mother was too muddle-headed!

    Needless to say, Yun Ya was not a good person. How could her Elder Brother, the son of the Fu General, take a concubine before his legal wife even entered the manor? In this case, how could her Elder Brother marry a good girl? Furthermore, what would her grandmother and First Aunt think if they found out about this? Wasn¡¯t she turning the two families of General Manor into enemies?

    Luo Mingzhu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She was filled with hatred and anger, but there was nothing she could do. She could only look at Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Cousin Tong, tell me what we are going to do. No matter what you say, I will listen to you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong calmed down then, and a faint cold smile appeared on her lips. She asked, ¡°Second Cousin, where did you find out about what happened to Yun Ya?¡±

    ¡°When Yun Ya came to the manor, there was also a coachman. My nanny¡¯s husband was also a coachman. Mother thanked the coachman for sending Yun Ya to our manor, so she asked my nanny¡¯s husband to invite the coachman to drink. The coachman talked too much and told the other guy everything. Later, nanny told me about it. When I told this to Mother, she didn¡¯t believe me and only said that Yun Ya was pitiful. I don¡¯t understand why she thought that a woman with bad moral character is so pitiful.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu did not like Yun Ya, and now she gritted her teeth hatefully. If not for what had happened to Yun Ya, her mother would not have been involved in it. Now that it had happened, her mother would not have shirked her responsibility. Even though her grandmother was weak and didn¡¯t care about the affairs, there was nothing she could do even if the matter had escted to this point. She had to give Yun Ya an exnation. However, after this, she would definitely understand it. What would her mother do then? How would she have the face to stay in General Manor?

    For so many years, her mother had only given birth to her, and her father had no boy. If not for her grandmother, her mother would not have lived so leisurely. Luo Mingzhu thought that her mother did not seem to want to lead afortable life now.

    ¡°The coachman said that Yun Ya had eloped more than once?¡± Mo Xuetong tried to sound calm but her eyes darkened.

    ¡°Yes. She had eloped with two men and even seeded. Then, someone got her back.¡± At the thought of this, Luo Mingzhu hated Yun Ya even more, but her mother protected her like a treasure. She had said that many times, but her mother said that she was biased against Yun Ya and did not like her cousin. Her mother even told her not to speak of her like that.

    However, ever since Yun Ya came to the capital, she had been coaxing Madam Qu to put in a good word for her. Now, Madam Qu even did such a shameless thing for her. Was she going to be hard on His Excellency¡¯s wife after Yun Ya became his concubine in the future? Thinking of this, Luo Mingzhu shivered all over. Something terrible was going to happen!

    No, she would never allow Yun Ya to marry into General Manor!

    ¡°Second Cousin, it might have something to do with Second Aunt, so by then...¡± Even though Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were subtle, her intentions were clear. She looked at Luo Mingzhu directly. She needed Luo Mingzhu to make her attitude clear. It was about Madam Qu, and had nothing to do with Luo Mingzhu. Mo Xuetong did not want to be estranged from Luo Mingzhu because of this. Furthermore, Luo Mingzhu had always been a sensible person; otherwise, she would not have rushed to her so early in the morning.

    The reason why she wrote the letter yesterday was that she wanted Luo Mingzhu to pay attention to Yun Ya. Although a married daughter was like the water poured out, Luo Mingzhu was Madam Qu¡¯s biological daughter, and the young and old maids who went to her husband¡¯s family with her also had a close rtionship with the people in General Manor. If she really wanted to inquire about it, it must be more suitable than her.

    She had intended to ask Mo Feng to send someone to investigate Yun Ya today, but she did not expect that something would happen so quickly. She was thrown into passivity for a moment. Fortunately, she was notpletely passive. When she calmed down and thought about it, Mo Xuetong had alreadye up with a n. However, she had to get Luo Mingzhu¡¯s support as well. She neither wanted anything to happen to Luo Wenyou nor did she want to alienate Luo Mingzhu. Of course, if she could not achieve both ims, she would have to make a choice.

    Fortunately, Luo Mingzhu had always been on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side, which made Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, Mother¡¯s matter... I don¡¯t want to say anything else now. I just hope that Grandmother can show some mercy to her...¡± Luo Mingzhu said with a bitter smile on her face. This time, Madam Qu had created such a big trouble. When her grandmother learned about it, Luo Mingzhu had no idea how she would deal with her mother. Then, her mother... s, it was all that slut Yun Ya¡¯s fault. Luo Mingzhu thought that she would teach her a lesson.

    ¡°Since you think so, I¡¯ll start getting ready. We¡¯ll go there in the afternoon. Wait for a while.¡± Mo Xuetong breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that Luo Mingzhu made it so clear to reassure her. As long as Luo Mingzhu could recognize the person clearly, there was absolutely no way for Yun Ya to go. She would force her to show herself.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, why don¡¯t you go there now? At this time, the manor is in a mess!¡± Luo Mingzhu asked confusedly. As soon as she got the news, she ran here in a hurry, because she trusted Mo Xuetong very much. Since Mo Xuetong came to the capital, the two had been very close. Luo Mingzhu had witnessed how her delicate cousin came to this point step by step.

    No matter what Mo Xuemin or Auntie Fang did, they were all defeated by Mo Xuetong in the end. Even though Luo Mingzhu was straightforward, she was a rational person. Furthermore, after she married Li Youmo, Li Youmo had told her to stand on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side, and to ask her if she met some problems. As such, she hade to King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the first ce after finding out that something had happened.

    ¡°Second Cousin, don¡¯t worry. I have something to prepare. Anyway, it is a mess in General Manor right now and Grandmother is not in the mood to meet us. The situation is also a little messy. We might as well go there after they calm down in the afternoon.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly. Her pale face was calm andposed.

    Luo Mingzhu heaved a sigh of relief when she saw how calm Mo Xuetong was. Realizing that Mo Xuetong knew how to deal with it, she nodded profusely!

 Chapter 569 - In a Rage, Confrontation between Grandmother and Grandson

    <h4>Chapter 569 In a Rage, Confrontation between Grandmother and Grandson</h4>

    Mo Xuetong asked Luo Mingzhu to wait in the yard and went to Feng Yuran¡¯s Jinwei Pavilion in the front yard to talk with him for a while. She refused Feng Yuran¡¯s good intentions of going with her and nned to go to General Manor by herself. Anyway, it was General Manor¡¯s domestic affairs, and it was a matter of the inner yard. It was not suitable for Feng Yuran, a prince, toe forward.

    When Mo Xuetong was ready, she and Luo Mingzhu hurried to have lunch before going to General Manor.

    After an hour, their carriages slowly stopped in front of General Manor.

    When the servants guarding the gate saw that it was the two youngdies who had returned, they immediately reported to Old Madam. Soon, Nanny Shen, who was by Old Madam¡¯s side, weed them to the main entrance.

    ¡°Greetings, Consort Xuan. Greetings, Second Miss.¡± Nanny Shen hurried up to curtsy to the two when they got out of the carriage. However, she didn¡¯t look good and there was more sadness in her face than usual.

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s expression immediately changed when she saw that there was something wrong with Nanny Shen¡¯s expression. She held Nanny Shen¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Nanny Shen, how is Grandmother? And Elder Brother...¡±

    ¡°Second Cousin, Grandmother just catch a chill. It¡¯s alright. Eldest Cousin will take care of her,¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted her gently and pulled her into the room.

    Luo Mingzhu immediately realized that they were still at the entrance of the manor. She forced a smile at Nanny Shen and did not say anything else. The group of people hurried inside.

    In Old Madam¡¯s yard, a maidservant had already been waiting beside the door curtains. When she saw Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhuing in, she quickly lifted the curtains.

    All the people they brought stayed in the yard. Even Mo Ye and Mo Lan stood a few steps away from the door like everyone else. Luo Mingzhu opened the curtains and entered with Mo Xuetong. The moment they entered, they saw Old Madam sitting alone in the couch; on the other side, Madam Qu stood fearfully; and Luo Wenyou was kneeling on the ground.

    A stern expression appeared on Old Madam¡¯s usually benevolent face. Her face was gloomy and wrinkled, making her look extremely old and haggard. However, her gray hair wasbed in a neat and tidy way. Coupled with her straight back, it made one feel as if she was older and lonelier for some reason. There was even a hint of aging in her. ¡°Grandmother is really old!¡± Mo Xuetong thought.

    A lump came into Mo Xuetong¡¯s throat and she almost cried. Her body softened and she almost fell. If Luo Mingzhu had not been quick to hold her, she would have fallen straight into the room. In her past life, when she saw her maternal grandmother for thest time, she seemed the same. Even when she passed away in the end, Old Madam still retained her grace as the Duke¡¯s wife.

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    ¡°Grandmother!¡±

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s eyes had already turned red. The two of them called out together and approached Old Madam. However, they could not speak as they choked with sobs. The lonely old woman might look strong, but she was extremely weak. However, she was still trying her best not to fall.

    A hint of warmth shed through Old Madam¡¯s eyes when she saw the two of them entering. ¡°Tong¡¯er, Mingzhu, why are you here?¡± She called out to them.

    ¡°Grandmother, Cousin Tong and I wanted to visit you after a period of time. We didn¡¯t expect someone to be so impatient,¡± Luo Mingzhu replied as she looked around, but she did not find Yun Ya. Her eyes were filled with anger,nding on her mother Madam Qu¡¯s face unhappily. If her mother had not helped Yun Ya, the matter would not havee to this point.

    Mo Xuetong held Old Madam¡¯s hand and sat down beside her. Then she looked at Luo Wenyou who was still looking down and asked gently, ¡°Eldest Cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± She had a higher position, so it was normal for her to be saluted by Luo Wenyou. Madam Qu looked at them from the side but did not say anything. Instead, she lowered her head under her daughter¡¯s reproachful gaze.

    How could she me her? If she didn¡¯t do that, Yun Ya would die. As her aunt, she couldn¡¯t be so cruel to her.

    Luo Wenyou¡¯s eyes shed with awkwardness when he heard the question. However, he raised his head and looked at Old Madam. He said gravely, ¡°Grandmother, it¡¯s all my fault now. I made a mistake after being drunk and ruined Cousin Yun¡¯s life. I should naturally take responsibility for it. Grandmother, please grant my request.¡±

    He knew that he was in the wrong. No matter what, he had brought the girl into his room after he drank. As for whether something happened between them, it did not matter. What was important was that he had caused the girl to lose her reputation. As a man, he had to take responsibility for this. Even though he did not want his two younger sisters to see this, he knew that Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu would definitely know about it when he saw how Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu entered. As such, he did not hide it any longer.

    Old Madam was so angry that her face paled. Her body swayed and she almost could not hold it. If Mo Xuetong had not been watching her and hurried to reach out, Old Madam would have fallen. She covered her chest with one hand and pointed at Luo Wenyou with the other. She almost could not speak. ¡°How, how could you... You have been plotted against. You still don¡¯t know. How dare you bring up the idea of marrying her into the family...¡±

    Old Madam was really angry about her stubborn grandson. She had long known that her grandson was too righteous because of his study, but she had never thought that he would ignore the process and instead, he felt that it was his fault and had insisted on taking Yun Ya into the manor first. If he took Yun Ya before he had a legal wife, it would be the scandal of General Manor. Old Madam would never agree to something like that.

    Furthermore, there were many suspicious points about this matter. Why would Yun Ya appear there at that time? She imed that she was going to help Madam Qu to see if Second Master had returned to the manor, but as a niece who temporarily lived in the manor, she did not sleep in the middle of the night, but went to visit her uncle-inw. No matter what, it did not make sense. However, Luo Wenyou was even stranger. He was rushing to take responsibility. How could Old Madam not be angry?

    Luo Wenyou kowtowed heavily again, raised his head, and said firmly, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, Miss Yun wouldn¡¯t... I should take the responsibility!¡±

    ¡°You, you...¡± Old Madam covered her chest and could not say anything else. Mo Xuetong hurriedly reached out to hold her back and said gently, ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t be mad. Let me ask Eldest Cousin, okay?¡±

    Old Madam¡¯s current condition was not very good; her eyes were bloodshot and looked slightly dark red. Mo Xuetong put her hand on Old Madam¡¯s wrist and discovered that her pulse was beating wildly. If her symptoms continued, she would have a stroke. How could Mo Xuetong not be worried? So sheforted Old Madam first.

    ¡°Grandmother, take a rest and let Cousin Tong speak. She has something to say,¡± Luo Mingzhu said urgently. She could not be bothered with anything else when she saw Old Madam¡¯s expression. She came to her, sat down and patted Old Madam¡¯s shoulder lightly.

    Madam Qu, who was standing by the side, saw how angry Old Madam was. She moved her feet uneasily, bit her lips, and lowered her head again. She could not turn back now. If Luo Wenyou really did not allow Yun Ya to marry into the manor, Yun Ya, who had lost her reputation, would die. Then she would be sorry for her own sister.

    Old Madam finally calmed down. She looked at Mo Xuetong and patted her hand. Then, she leaned against the couch and closed her eyes, not saying anything else. Nanny Shen hurriedly picked up a cushion and ced it behind her back. She looked at Luo Wenyou who was kneeling on the ground with displeasure. Even though she did not speak, she was ming him.

    She had watched Luo Wenyou grow up. He had always been obedient and sensible in front of Old Madam, but why was he so obstinate today? The big family would not allow a concubine to marry into the family before the official wife. It broke the family rules about wife and concubine. If one did not care about that, it would be a disaster in the back yard of the family.

    How could His Excellency not understand?

    Mo Xuetong sat down again when she saw that Old Madam looked as if it was at her disposal. She looked coldly at Madam Qu and Luo Wenyou, who was still kneeling in front of Old Madam¡¯s couch. A hint of sharpness shed in her eyes and she raised her brows slightly. ¡°Eldest Cousin, what are you doing? Are you going to kneeling here until you die if Grandmother doesn¡¯t agree? Do you want Grandmother to be used of being unkind? Are you forcing Grandmother?¡±

    Her words were so sharp that Luo Wenyou could not keep kneeling. Madam Qu who was standing by the side also paled. In her heart, Mo Xuetong had always been smiling. She was a gentle niece. Even though she was Consort Xuan now, she had never put on any airs.

    She had never thought that Mo Xuetong would have such a sharp side. She heaved a sigh of relief when Old Madam did not want to meddle in the matter anymore and threw it to Mo Xuetong. However, at this point, she felt as if her heart was in her mouth.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, are you kneeling for Cousin Tong and me?¡± Luo Mingzhu questioned coldly by the side, her heart full of displeasure.

    Luo Wenyou could not kneel any longer when he heard that. He had to stand up by holding on to the corner of the table.

    ¡°Second Aunt, Eldest Cousin, please sit down first,¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly. From the way Luo Wenyou and Madam Qu behaved, it was obvious that they would not give up easily. Yun Ya was really good at plotting. However, Luo Wenyou was too straightforward while her Second Aunt had her own n.

    Luo Wenyou and Madam Qu did not dare to say anything when they saw her expression. They both sat down by the side.

    ¡°Second Aunt, why was Miss Yun still not asleep at that time? I heard that it was a littlete at that time!¡± Mo Xuetong turned around to Madam Qu, ready to dig out something from her.

    Madam Qu was stunned. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to ask her first. The corners of her eyes twitched and she sighed softly. ¡°It would not have been sote. I chatted with her but we talked too many things. As a result, it was toote. I did not expect this to happen. If I had known that something like this would happen, I would have told Ya¡¯er to return earlier. It¡¯s such a pity that she was a pure and innocent girl...¡±

    Luo Wenyou felt even guiltier when he heard that. His face flushed and he lowered his head.

    ¡°Mother, even if you said a few more words with Cousin Yun, how could you ask her to see if Father hade back or not. She is a youngdy living in the boudoir, but why does she have to involve Father in it? Hasn¡¯t she learned etiquette? Or does she have ulterior motives? Why does she go to Father in the middle of the night?¡±

    Luo Mingzhu snapped hatefully by the side. She hated Yun Ya so much. She had known that Yun Ya was a restless person. Now the girl even colluded with her mother and made her mother suffer. She did not know how her father and grandmother would deal with her mother. As there were no outsiders in the room, she would not say anything nice.

    For no reason, a youngdy went to the study room at the second door to find her uncle-inw, and it was in the middle of the night. It did not make sense in any case.

 Chapter 570 - Innocence? She Never Had!

    <h4>Chapter 570 Innocence? She Never Had!</h4>

    ¡°Mingzhu, how, how could you say that?¡± Madam Qu was stunned. She had never expected her gentle and kind daughter to say something like that. She looked up at Luo Mingzhu in shock.

    ¡°Second Aunt, what do you want Second Cousin and me to say? Do you want Second Cousin to give a face to a woman who has plotted against General Manor? Second Aunt, you are now a knife in someone¡¯s hand. Don¡¯t you know that you are used to plotting against General Manor? What would Second Uncle think if he finds out?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was furious as well. If she had not asked her people to watch Yun Ya, she would not have known that You Yuecheng was using her to plot against General Manor. No wonder You Yuecheng had so many spections in the deste little courtyard in the back yard and they were close to the truth. There was indeed someone who was passing on the message.

    Yun Ya was now the cousin of General Manor, and it would be easy for her to find out something about the courtyard in the back yard.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, Ya¡¯er... Ya¡¯er, Ya¡¯er is a good girl.¡± Madam Qu was defeated under Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold gaze.

    ¡°Second Aunt, are you really unwilling to tell us you and Miss Yun¡¯s n?¡± Mo Xuetong nced at Luo Mingzhu and her expression softened. She had to give her face and hoped that her Second Aunt would return and tell her everything. Even if she did something wrong, Grandmother would not punish her harshly.

    Luo Mingzhu, who was seated by the side, understood what Mo Xuetong meant and looked at her with grateful eyes.

    Madam Qu¡¯s hand clenched, and blue veins stood out on her hand. She took a few deep breaths. How could she not be angry when her daughter and niece forced her to do this point? ¡°Ya¡¯er is now in this state. She could have been someone¡¯s official wife, but now she can only be a concubine. Are you not going to let her go through this road? Do you really want her to die?¡±

    Mo Xuetong raised her brows when she heard that. She looked at Madam Qu coldly. It seemed that her Second Aunt was really obstinate. She cast a nce at Luo Mingzhu and decided to let Luo Mingzhu deal with the matter.

    ¡°Mother, Yun Ya could have been someone¡¯s official wife? I don¡¯t know how a woman who has eloped with other men several times can be an official wife.¡± Luo Mingzhu was so angry with Madam Qu that she almost went mad. She gritted her teeth and looked at Madam Qu angrily.

    Luo Wenyou, who was seated by the side, paled all of a sudden.

    Madam Qu¡¯s expression changed as well. She raised her trembling hand and pped Luo Mingzhu viciously. ¡°How, how could you be so mean? Ya¡¯er is an obedient and gentle child. It was all others who framed her. How, how could you say that about her?¡±

    The clear sound of a p shocked everyone. Old Madam, who was leaning against the couch suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. However, she fell down hurriedly because she was too dizzy. Nanny Shen hurriedly held her. Mo Xuetong turned around immediately andforted her softly. Luo Wenyou was shocked as well. He looked at Madam Qu in shock. Madam Qu had always been gentle in his heart.

    Luo Mingzhu had never been beaten by Madam Qu before. For a moment, she covered her face and looked at Madam Qu in disbelief. ¡°Mother, for that woman, you even p me. People who don¡¯t know the truth will think that she is your daughter!¡± she said word by word, with pain and injury in her eyes.

    Madam Qu looked at her hand and also panicked for a moment. She stood up hurriedly and argued, ¡°I... Mingzhu, no... Ya¡¯er, she is really pitiful. She is a good girl...¡±

    She was anxious just now and thought that what Luo Mingzhu said was too mean, so she pped her. When she realized what had happened, she felt guilty and hurried to exin.

    She just insisted that Yun Ya had nothing to do with this matter, and it was all by ident that such a thing happened.

    Mo Xuetong looked at her coldly for a long while and sighed to herself, ¡°Second Cousin is a good person but Second Aunt ispletely different from what I have imagined.¡± In her past life, she did not have much to do with her Second Aunt. However, Mo Xuetong did not expect her to be such a short-sighted person. She had been made a fool of herself by Yun Ya and did not care about the status of General Manor at all.

    A gush of wind blew from outside the window and blew off a strand of hair at Mo Xuetong¡¯s temples. A faint smile appeared on her lips. No wonder her grandmother did not like her Second Aunt. She had thought that her grandmother valued men over daughters, and her Second Aunt did not give birth to a son. Only now did she realize that Madam Qu was too selfish.

    ¡°Second Cousin, sit down first. I will ask Second Aunt!¡± Mo Xuetong pulled Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand and asked her to sit down. Then, she looked at Madam Qu with a slight smile and asked calmly, ¡°Second Aunt, since you think Miss Yun Ya is a good girl, why did you ask someone to put some drug in Second Uncle¡¯s and Eldest Cousin¡¯s wine?¡±

    Madam Qu¡¯s face changed greatly when she heard this, and she couldn¡¯t help stuttering, ¡°What, what do you mean?¡±

    Luo Wenyou, who was seated by the side, frowned. A hint of darkness shed in his eyes.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin can¡¯t hold his liquor very well, butpared to Second Uncle, he could drink more. There were several times when Second Uncle and Eldest Cousin drank together, and when Eldest Cousin was fine, Second Uncle was drunk. Why was the result reversed this time? Furthermore, Eldest Cousin got drunk after only one cup of wine this time. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange, Second Aunt?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze turned from Luo Wenyou¡¯s face to Madam Qu¡¯s. She nced at their expressions and asked gently. Her tone was aggressive and did not rx at all.

    If she didn¡¯t push Madam Qu and force her to tell the truth, it would not end up well! This was to deal with Madam Qu.

    Of course, she had another method to deal with Luo Wenyou.

    Luo Wenyou¡¯s alcohol tolerance was not bad while Luo Bin was well-known for his weak alcohol tolerance. As such, when there was a dinner party at home, the first person to get drunk must be Luo Bin. Everyone in the manor knew about it.

    Mo Xuetong did not wait for Madam Qu to reply before she turned to look at Luo Wenyou and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, do you think that it is just a concubine in the manor and it can prevent the rtionship between your two families from breaking and Second Uncle and Eldest Uncle from bing estranged?¡±

    Her words were so sudden that Luo Wenyou froze there, and his face changed. Old Madam, who was lying on the couch, sat up under the protection of Nanny Shen. She looked at Luo Wenyou with bright eyes and seemed to be in high spirits.

    ¡°Eldest Cousin, since you have your own ideas, then there is no need to say anything else. Somebody, get Miss Yun Ya in.¡± Mo Xuetong ordered loudly to the door, not even looking at Luo Wenyou.

    ¡°Yes, My Lady!¡± The curtains were lifted and Mo Ye pulled Yun Ya into the room. It was obvious that they had arrived in a hurry because Yun Ya looked pathetic. Mo Ye pushed her to the ground forcefully.

    ¡°Ya¡¯er!¡± At the sight of Yun Ya in such a sorry state, Madam Qu rushed over to her with distress.

    Luo Wenyou stood up and took two steps back. He looked at Yun Ya thoughtfully but did not say anything.

    Yun Ya held Madam Qu¡¯s hands and stood up. She looked at Mo Xuetong tearfully and then at Luo Wenyou. ¡°Consort Xuan, what crime have Imitted? Why did you get your maid to bring me here in such a rude manner?¡± she asked sweetly. She had been resting in the wing room next to Old Madam¡¯s room earlier and had thought that everything was settled.

    However, the door was pushed open, and a maid rushed in, picked her up and dragged her out of the room. Then, she was thrown inside this room. When she saw that Luo Wenyou was present, she had to pretend to be gentle and made him pity her.

    ¡°Miss Yun, I heard that you¡¯ve eloped with other men twice and have sent secret messages with another man many times. What? Are you trying to plot against General Manor this time?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and took a letter from Mo Ye. She handed it to Luo Wenyou and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, if you still think that she is good enough to marry into your manor, then you¡¯d better give your position as His Excellency to Second Cousin as soon as possible so that you won¡¯t be punished in the manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong, who knew Luo Wenyou¡¯s character, knew that she had to say something harsher at this time.

    This was the information she got from Feng Yuran. She felt that Yun Ya was weird a few days ago, so she asked Feng Yuran to check it out. Because nothing happened before, she did not go to get it. As the ident happened, she took it as evidence before she came. The evidence was irrefutable, and she wanted to see what Yun Ya could say.

    Luo Wenyou already felt that something was wrong. Taking the letter, he read it hurriedly. Then his face was at once nched and livid.

    It described in detail which men Yun Ya had hung out with, who she had eloped with, how long she had eloped for, and where she had been found. It was all about Yun Ya having affairs with other men. Everything happened for a reason, and even Luo Wenyou knew one of the men. How could he not feel ashamed?

    In fact, Luo Wenyou had already known that this matter had something to do with Madam Qu, but since Madam Qu had brought him up since he was a child, he had an unusual rtionship with her. Yun Ya was also a very gentle person in front of his grandmother, so he felt that it didn¡¯t matter if he took her. Since his Second Aunt liked it, and Yun Ya was also a noble youngdy, he didn¡¯t mind that she had plotted against him. As a man, Luo Wenyou thought he had to take responsibility.

    But he did not expect Yun Ya to be such a slutty woman. How could Luo Wenyou not feel a little embarrassed? He had tried his best to take responsibility in front of his grandmother earlier, but she turned out to be a slutty woman. Even though Luo Wenyou considered Madam Qu¡¯s kindness to him, he hated her now. She had plotted against him to take such a woman. Wasn¡¯t she trying to harm him?

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. It¡¯s all fake. I¡¯m innocent. Aunt, I¡¯m innocent.¡± Noticing Luo Wenyou¡¯s expression change, Yun Ya immediately knew that things were not going well. She held on to Madam Qu¡¯s hand and cried, ¡°Aunt, since you all suspect my innocence, I... I will die in front of you!¡±

    After saying that, she seemed to try to push Madam Qu¡¯s hand away and hit the pir on the side. Madam Qu grew worried and grabbed her sleeve and burst into tears. ¡°Ya¡¯er, Ya¡¯er, my poor girl. I know you didn¡¯t do that. You were framed by others.¡±

    Madam Qu turned around and snapped Mo Xuetong while crying, ¡°Consort Xuan, I don¡¯t know where you found the evidence to frame Ya¡¯er. How, how could you do this? You are forcing Ya¡¯er to die!¡±

    She did not call her niece Tong¡¯er, and instead, she called her Consort Xuan. She red at Mo Xuetong hatefully like a hen protecting its child. She only treated Mo Xuetong as her enemy. Old Madam was so angry that she sat on the bed and pped the edge of the bed viciously. She yelled loudly, ¡°You unfilial bastard, you unfilial bastard!¡±

    ¡°Innocent? Miss Yun, do you want justice?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and looked at Yun Ya sharply. This woman was still stirring up trouble. She really thought of You Yuecheng. In order to find out the secrets of General Manor, she was willing to be Luo Wenyou¡¯s concubine. It could be said that she had put in a lot of effort.

    ¡°Yes, I am innocent.¡± Yun Ya was secretly delighted when she saw that Madam Qu had been protecting her. She yelled in an angrier voice, but she was secretly pleased. She would insist that she had something to do with Luo Wenyou yesterday. Then even if Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, what could she deal with her? She did not believe that Luo Wenyou would look down on her with her talent and beauty!

    She had seen many men, and knew that a man like Luo Wenyou cared most about his dignity, and was also very manly. As long as she insisted what she had said, he had no choice but to be responsible for her.

    She did not believe that Mo Xuetong would dare to do anything to her. What could she do to her? She would have called them as hearsay. Anyway, she could just say that she did not know anything about it!

 Chapter 571 - Prove It on the Spot to See If Its True or Not

    <h4>Chapter 571 Prove It on the Spot to See If It¡¯s True or Not</h4>

    ¡°Consort Xuan, I don¡¯t know what I did to offend you, and you use these things to frame me. Don¡¯t blow this matter up not for my sake, but please for the sake of my aunt and General Manor. I promise you, Consort Xuan, that even if I marry into the manor in the future, I will find a deste courtyard in the manor and live there. I will never see His Excellency again and affect His Excellency¡¯s marriage to his wife. I will only live quietly in the manor until I die.¡±

    Yun Ya looked sad and her tears flowed down her cheeks. She looked at Mo Xuetong pathetically and humbly as if Mo Xuetong had pushed her to death on purpose. Her request was simple. She just wanted a ce to stay, even if it was just a deste courtyard.

    Furthermore, she also mentioned Madam Qu and Luo Wenyou, as if Mo Xuetong refused to do them a favor and was intentionally making them lose face if she was against her.

    Such a weak woman was so sad and desperate. She would rather live a quiet life from then on, and promised that she would never disturb Luo Wenyou¡¯s marriage to his wife in order to seek peace. Madam Qu was so distressed that she couldn¡¯t control herself. She held Yun Ya tightly in her arms and looked up at Mo Xuetong with hatred.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, I beg you to let Ya¡¯er go since General Manor is your maternal grandmother¡¯s home!¡±

    Her words drew a line between Mo Xuetong and General Manor. Luo Mingzhu grew so angry that her face turned livid and her fingers trembled.

    ¡°How dare you! How dare you speak such nonsense! You haven¡¯t even married into the family, but you¡¯ve already caused such a ruckus.¡± Old Madam¡¯s face was so dark that it looked as if it was almost dripping with water. Even though she had looked down on her second daughter-inw in the past, she still had to maintain her dignity. Even though Madam Qu had not given birth to a boy, Old Madam had not allowed her second son¡¯s concubine to give birth to a son. She had always imed that her son¡¯s concubine could have a son when Madam Qu had not had a son by the age of 40.

    But what about now? She was intended to give General Manor as a gift to her niece and had put her real niece aside.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t be angry. I still have something to ask.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold eyesnded on Yun Ya, as if they could pierce through her. A deste courtyard? Would she ask for that yard then? Yun Ya came indeed with a purpose. In order to find more clues about the past, she did not hesitate to be a concubine.

    Mo Xuetong had not expected You Yuecheng to be a man of no scruples. He had made Yun Ya, who had been with many men, so wholeheartedly think for him.

    ¡°Yun Ya, do you think you are innocent?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. But yesterday, yesterday...¡± Yun Ya covered her face with the handkerchief and cried sadly. Luo Wenyou could not exin what happenedst night. Except for Yun Ya, no one knew. Even if Mo Xuetong doubted her, no one could prove if she was innocent.

    Even though she was crying, her gazended on Madam Qu¡¯s angry face through the gap of the handkerchief. She felt pleased with herself. So what if Mo Xuetong was powerful? They were not in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. As long as her aunt was supporting her, what could Luo Wenyou say? As the heir of General Manor, he had ruined a girl¡¯s reputation. How could he not admit to it?

    Yun Ya thought that she had done all of this secretly. However, Mo Xuetong, who had been paying attention to her all this while, saw all of this. A hint of viciousness and anger shed in her beautiful eyes. Yun Ya¡¯s plot had caused General Manor to be restless. This had already made Mo Xuetong mad at her. Furthermore, Yun Ya¡¯s goal was more than that.

    Since the matter had been brought to this point, Mo Xuetong did not need to worry too much. She must uncover Yun Ya¡¯s true colors today, so that she would not make a mess again. Indecision invariably led to trouble. She would not be softhearted to Yun Ya.

    ¡°Somebody, invite the two nannies in.¡± Mo Xuetong sneered, and her eyes suddenly grew cold. Madam Qu who had tried to criticize her intentionally was frightened and had to shut up. She did not dare to say anything else.

    Mo Xuetong had known that Yun Ya would not be convinced by written evidence. Fortunately, before she came, she brought two more people with her to collect evidence on the spot.

    Mo Ye, who was standing by the side, pped her hands expressionlessly. The people outside heard the sound and the two nannies who were already prepared came in naturally.

    ¡°They are etiquette nannies sent to our manor by the pce. They specialize in providing services in the bedroom at weddings. We can let them see if Miss Yun is innocent,¡± Mo Xuetong said lightly.

    There were nannies in the pce, who provided such a service. When each prince was married, the pce sent several such nannies to his manor. They were in charge of the thing of the princes and the consorts in the bedroom. These nannies were very experienced and had been specially trained. It was best to ask them to check if a woman was chaste.

    The nannies who served in bedrooms? Yun Ya had never heard of it, but she subconsciously had a bad feeling, especially when Mo Xuetong asked the two nannies to check her. Immediately, she was so anxious that she grabbed Madam Qu¡¯s hand and burst into tears. ¡°Aunt, I was brought up to be ady at home. How, how can I be seen by others? Isn¡¯t this... Isn¡¯t this an insult? Aunt, I, I¡¯d better kill myself. I will never ept insult.¡±

    How did she dare to ask the nannies to check her body? She knew about herself. Although the nannies might not be able to check it out, she felt guilty. Thus she would not let anyone check her body in any case. That was why she deliberately mentioned that she was ady. A youngdy from a family like hers was really not allowed to be examined casually.

    She believed that her aunt would not stand by when she intended to die. With Madam Qu¡¯s protection, she did not believe that Mo Xuetong would dare to force her out. Furthermore, her aunt was Mo Xuetong¡¯s elder. And Luo Wenyou was there as well. He would definitely stand on her side when he saw how weak she was.

    As Luo Wenyou came early in the morning and asked the old woman¡¯s permission to take her as a concubine, Yun Ya thought he must like her.

    With these two on her side, what else could Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu, or that old woman do? Luo Wenyou was the heir of General Manor.

    This was Yun Ya¡¯s n, but then she saw that Madam Qu did not rush to scold Mo Xuetong, and instead, she looked at her in shock. For a moment, she felt guilty and had no idea what was wrong with her. She thought she wasn¡¯t acting emotionally enough, so she held Madam Qu and said tearfully, ¡°Aunt, I am an innocent girl with such a status. How can I let the servants... treat, treat me like that!¡±

    ¡°Miss Yun Ya is really noble. You¡¯re even nobler than the Empress and the consorts. Are you the noblest woman in Great Qin?¡± Mo Xuetong tilted her head slightly. The ridicule in her eyes was obvious. These nannies usually stayed in the pce. When a woman married into the royal family and became a consort with a high position, they would be sent to check if the woman was a virgin. As such, even when the high-ranking consorts entered the pce, they would be checked.

    What Yun Ya said was really ttering herself!

    She thought that she could get rid of the check-up if she pointed out that they were servants.

    ¡°Bring Miss Yun down below.¡± Mo Ye waved her hand after receiving Mo Xuetong¡¯s instruction. The two nannies came over and looked at Madam Qu coldly. The people from the pce were indeed imposing. Madam Qu could not help but release her grasp. She did not know how things would end up at this point. She looked at her daughter, who was standing by the side angrily and ignored her, at Old Madam, who was seated on the couch and looked cold and sharp, and then at the two nannies in front of her. She made up her mind.

    As long as they found out that Ya¡¯er was innocent, what else they would say? As for the rumors that Yun Ya had eloped with another man, she did not believe them at all. Given Mo Xuetong¡¯s status now, it would be easy for her to fabricate evidence.

    ¡°Ya¡¯er, go and ept the check-up. These nannies from the pce are very experienced. After the check-up, I will definitely stand up for you. Otherwise, I will die with you.¡± Madam Qupletely believed that Yun Ya was innocent. Last night, Yun Ya and Luo Wenyou justy on the bed and they did nothing else. How could anything happen? Luo Wenyou had slept deeply then and had no reaction when she pushed him. How could he know anything else?

    ¡°Aunt...¡± Yun Ya cried anxiously. She reached out to grab Madam Qu¡¯s hand and her face immediately turned pale. However, the two nannies were all strong people. They came over and drew her from either side into the inner room. Mo Ye followed them, and stood at the door of the inner room, waiting for the result quietly.

    The room suddenly quieted down. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face was still red and swollen. It was obvious that she had been pped. She bit her lips and angrily looked at Madam Qu with disappointment and pain in her eyes. It was partly because Madam Qu beat her, and partly because she had never thought that her mother was so selfish and muddled. She was her daughter. Did she not believe her own daughter for the sake of an outsider?

    What made her more grieved was that even though her mother knew that General Manor¡¯s reputation would be ruined because of Yun Ya¡¯s incident, she would still help Yun Ya do such a thing. Her eldest brother was the heir of the Fu General and would be the head of General Manor in the future. If General Manor were to fall into chaos because of this, how could Luo Wenyou work wholeheartedly? Then the decline of General Manor was just around the corner.

    Old Madam didn¡¯t look at the people in the room. She leaned back. Even though her expression was dark, she had calmed down. No one knew what she was thinking!

    Madam Qu looked at Luo Mingzhu and slowly lowered her head. She just believed in Yun Ya. How could such a weak girl do those unruly things? Someone must have deliberately ruined her reputation. Today, she must clear her niece¡¯s name and never let others look down on her.

    She thought that if Mo Xuetong had not appeared at this time, Old Madam might have already agreed to let Wenyou take Yun Ya. Then so many embarrassing things would not have happened. At this time, she had thrown all her anger at Mo Xuetong. She felt that Mo Xuetong had meddled in other people¡¯s business and had even made up so much fake evidence. What was Mo Xuetong trying to do? Why didn¡¯t she see through that Mo Xuetong was vicious in the past?

    When Mo Xuetong just came to the manor, she looked timid. But now, after gaining power, she became so vicious. It seemed that she had misjudged her.

    Mo Xuetong had been quietly watching Luo Wenyou, who was standing by the side quietly. The sunlight shone through the windows and there was a hint of study in her slightly narrowed eyes. Her Eldest Cousin, who had never been rash, had behaved too rashly today, and he had even dared to go against his grandmother. Luo Wenyou was very odd.

    Luo Wenyou seemed to have sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze, and he turned around and smiled at Mo Xuetong. There was a hint of deep darkness in his eyes and even a trace of guilt. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes lit up, and she knew her conjecture was correct...

    During this time, the nannies had finished checking. A nanny came out first, nced at Madam Qu with a sneer, and reported to Mo Xuetong respectfully, ¡°My Lady, we have checked. Miss Yun has lost her virginity, and it has been a long time. And she had more than one intimate encounter.¡±

 Chapter 572 - The Truth Is Always Only One

    <h4>Chapter 572 The Truth Is Always Only One</h4>

    ¡°What?¡± Madam Qu was shocked as if she had been struck by lightning. She almost couldn¡¯t stand still.

    ¡°Madam, you didn¡¯t hear wrong. Your niece is no longer a virgin girl. She has more than one intimate encounter. It seems that it happened half a year ago.¡± The nanny, who came out to report, nced sideways at Madam Qu with sarcasm and said coldly.

    The two of them came from the pce, so they naturally did not have to care about Madam Qu¡¯s sensibility. What was more, their current master was Consort Xuan. Judging from Madam Qu¡¯s appearance, they knew that she hated Consort Xuan. Then, why did they have to save Madam Qu¡¯s face?

    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be true. It¡¯s impossible. It must be impossible.¡± Madam Qu staggered a few steps, and her face was as pale as snow. How could her delicate niece be a slutty woman? How could she not be a virgin girl? Did the nannies make a mistake? Her eyes suddenly met Mo Xuetong¡¯s deep watery eyes. The shock and confusion in her eyes immediately became sharpness. Suddenly, she pointed at Mo Xuetong and screamed wildly.

    ¡°Is it you? You asked them to say that on purpose. It must be you.¡±

    She turned to look at Old Madam and immediately cried, ¡°Old Madam, you have to stand up for Ya¡¯er. Even if Wenyou doesn¡¯t want to take her, you can¡¯t ruin her reputation. You can¡¯t force her to death or listen to Consort Xuan¡¯s false usation.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu was really disappointed with her mother as Madam Qu was still arguing. She took two steps back and stood in front of Mo Xuetong. She looked at Madam Qu coldly and said, ¡°Mother, how can you believe this?¡±

    ¡°Mingzhu, all of you have been deceived by Consort Xuan. She brought the nannies here, and she must have done something. That must be it. Look at her current state, she was even worse than Ya¡¯er at that time. If I had known that she was so vicious, I... I, at that time, why...¡± Madam Qu pointed at Mo Xuetong and scolded, gritting her teeth.

    Old Madam trembled in anger at her stupid words. It seemed that her second daughter-inw could not stay in the manor any longer. She had to get her eldest daughter-inw to quickly return to the manor to take charge of the matters lest the idiot would betray Fu General Manor before she even knew.

    When Luo Wenyou saw that Madam Qu was still behaving impolitely and wasparing Yun Ya and Mo Xuetong, he felt annoyed and could not control the anger in his heart. ¡°Second Aunt, what was wrong with Cousin Tong? Because she said that you and Miss Yun had plotted against me? Or I didn¡¯t go against Grandmother? Second Aunt, do you think that I am really stupid?¡± he suddenly snapped coldly.

    Madam Qu trembled in fear when she heard that. Her face was so pale that it was almost transparent. How did Luo Wenyou know that she had plotted against him? Didn¡¯t he plead with Old Madam to allow him to take Yun Ya?

    ¡°Second Aunt, do you think that I did not say anything earlier and only said it now?¡± A hint of anger shed in Luo Wenyou¡¯s eyes, and a trace of disappointment painted on his usually calm face. He continued, ¡°Second Aunt, my mother is not in the capital. I have been raised by you all these years. If you really want me to take Yun Ya, I will do as you want. As long as Yun Ya stays in the manor and does not make any trouble, I will treat her well and respect her as your wish. Then Grandmother will not punish you because of this.¡±

    ¡°I trust you so much, but what you¡¯ve done? Not only did you not see Miss Yun¡¯s true colors clearly, but you even scolded Cousin Tong. I really don¡¯t know in what capacity you scolded her. As Second Madam of Fu General Manor, Second Aunt, you have obviously offended a superior; as Cousin Tong¡¯s Second Aunt, Second Aunt, did you take her as your niece?¡±

    Luo Wenyou¡¯s words were filled with pain but honesty. It shocked Madam Qu and her face was so pale that it was almost transparent. She shook in fear and her expression slowly turned livid. Sweat appeared on her forehead. She thought that after he had been living in the capital with her for many years, Luo Wenyou would save her face and would not make her too embarrassed or make Old Madam really punish her.

    She put drug in Luo Wenyou¡¯s wine and Luo Wenyou was drunk after just one cup. How could Luo Wenyou not be aware of it after he woke up? However, since he didn¡¯t say it out loud, it meant that he did not me her for taking a concubine for him. Madam Qu thought that it was just a concubine, and that the manor just needed to get an extra pair of chopsticks for the backyard. Even if it was not Yun Ya, it would be someone else. Why did she bring Yun Ya to the manor and make her rest her heart?

    Luo Wenyou knelt before Old Madam and pleaded with her. It was obvious that he had epted her method. As such, Madam Qu felt that this arrangement was appropriate. However, she did not expect Luo Wenyou to speak everything out loud. How would Old Madam look at her and what would her husband do? Madam Qu truly thought of herself and was afraid.

    Old Madam and Luo Bin would not let her off after she caused a disturbance in the manor.

    Furthermore, Mo Xuetong, whom they doted on the most, was involved in this matter. Madam Qu was filled with hatred and anger when she thought that they didn¡¯t dote on Luo Mingzhu, her biological daughter, as they did on Mo Xuetong!

    Madam Qu was so shocked that she almost couldn¡¯t speak for a moment. She turned her head forcefully and looked at Yun Ya, who was dragged out by the other nanny. For the first time, A look of horror and disbelief came over Madam Qu¡¯s face. Suddenly, she turned her head hurriedly and exined to Luo Wenyou in a panic, ¡°Wenyou, it¡¯s not true... It¡¯s not like that... Yun Ya was framed... That must be true.¡±

    ¡°Ya¡¯er, Ya¡¯er, tell me if it¡¯s true. Is it true?¡± Madam Qu asked Yun Ya in a series of questions, as if to calm herself down.

    ¡°Aunt, I didn¡¯t do it. I didn¡¯t... Aunt, it¡¯s her. She deliberately made me unable to enter Fu General Manor.¡± Yun Ya felt her body grow cold and she had already fallen to the ground. Now, Madam Qu¡¯s question seemed to be thest straw to her, and she refuted subconsciously. Dread, fear, panic... all kinds of emotions surged up in her heart and made her grab Madam Qu¡¯s sleeve and refuse to release her grasp.

    She turned to look at Mo Xuetong, her eyes filled with hatred. ¡°Mo Xuetong, why, why are you trying to destroy me? It¡¯s all you... It¡¯s all your trap!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darted from Yun Ya¡¯s face to Madam Qu¡¯s faces. She did not say anything, but a cold smile crept on the corners of her lips. Yun Ya still did not admit it, and wanted to push Madam Qu against her to make her aunt fight with her. She would cry only when death was staring her in the face. It was a pity that her ns were destined to fail today.

    Mo Xuetong felt relieved. She had thought that Luo Wenyou really liked Yun Ya, so he didn¡¯t deny it and turned a blind eye to all the doubts even if he had to stand a loss.

    Only now did she discover that Luo Wenyou did it for the sake of Madam Qu. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eldest aunt had been apanying her eldest uncle at the border, and since her eldest cousin was the heir of Fu General Manor, he had grown up by his grandmother¡¯s side in the capital. Madam Qu was in charge of Fu General Manor in the capital and it could be said that Madam Qu had raised Luo Wenyou.

    Her cousin had an unusual feeling for Madam Qu. Fortunately, Luo Wenyou had pointed the frame out in front of them now. It meant that her cousin was disappointed with Madam Qu. Since then, Madam Qu could no longer be capricious to control her cousin. This was good. It was not in vain for her to be a viin this time.

    ¡°Who is trying to harm Fu General Manor?¡± Luo Bin¡¯s voice which was as cold as a knife sounded from outside the door.

    ¡°Old Sir!¡± Madam Qu fell to the floor on the spot, and wore a look of fear on her face, but she calmed down soon.

    ¡°Father!¡± Luo Mingzhu called out delightedly.

    Luo Wenyou was not as excited as the two of them. He cupped his hands before his chest and stood to the side, feeling ashamed and guilty. He had not thought things through today and had only wanted to be considerate of his second aunt before he knew more about Yun Ya. If such a slutty girl were allowed to enter the manor, Fu General Manor¡¯s reputation would be affected and the clean fame of the century-old noble family would be ruined.

    Old Madam¡¯s expression softened slightly when she sensed the change of Luo Wenyou¡¯s state. She sat up straight with the help of Nanny Shen. She looked at her granddaughters sitting by her side and her eyes shed with a hint of seriousness.

    Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the meaning of Luo Bin¡¯s words. She had already sent someone to the front courtyard to inform Luo Bin. He must have captured those people before he came here. He was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice and should have no problem interrogating the two ordinary servants.

    The curtains at the entrance were lifted. Before Luo Bin had entered, an old maidservant and a young maid fell into the room. Everyone looked at them. Some of them immediately knew that they were Yun Ya¡¯s wet nurse, Nanny Qian, and her personal maid, Ning Cui. The two of them had already been interrogated through intimidation and questioning by Luo Bin. They fell onto the ground, trembled and did not dare to stand up.

    ¡°You...¡± Yun Ya looked at them in shock. Her face turned pale, and her whole body was almost stiff like a wooden carving.

    Hearing Yun Ya¡¯s voice, Nanny Qian turned her head and saw her on the side. ¡°Miss... I, I... s, Miss, you shouldn¡¯t have done it in the beginning.¡±

    Nanny Qian¡¯s tears fell down. No matter how wrong the person in front of her was, she was still the youngdy she brought up. That was why she listened to her. However, who would have thought that the youngdy would be full of guts to plot against the heir of Fu General Manor? She really did not understand how Marquess Mingguo was better than His Excellency of Fu General Manor. Why did the youngdy take a fancy to him? She even did not hesitate to use herself as bait to enter Fu General Manor to find out information for him.

    ¡°Speak.¡± Before Yun Ya could recover from the shock, Luo Bin harrumphed coldly and walked in with a dark expression. He curtsied to Old Madam and sat down on a chair by the side. He did not even cast a nce at Madam Qu. Madam Qu was so frightened that she did not dare to say anything else.

    The truth was that Yun Ya encountered a robber on the way to the capital. When she was in danger, You Yuecheng, Marquess Mingguo, showed up and saved her. Then Yun Ya had a crush on You Yuecheng. She had always been a bold woman and immediately expressed her love to him. Learning that she was the niece of Madam Qu of Fu General Manor, You Yuecheng was very gentle to her and gave her a jade pendant. So the two had an affair.

    After entering the gate of Fu General Manor, Yun Ya herself could not go out again, but Nanny Qian and Ning Cui could go out for various reasons. Therefore, they kept in touch through private messages. This time, Yun Ya did not hesitate to be a concubine in Fu General Manor because she wanted to inquire about the desert courtyard in the back yard.

    It was because her aunt did not know clearly about the secret ce. In order to please You Yuecheng, Yun Ya instigated Madam Qu to do this...

 Chapter 573 - Old Madams Worry

    <h4>Chapter 573 Old Madam¡¯s Worry</h4>

    This was no longer a simple case of taking a concubine. However, it could not be used to testify against You Yuecheng. Yun Ya had loose morals and had already had an affair with someone else, and no one would believe her. You Yuecheng had always enjoyed a good reputation. A mere Yun Ya could not shake his reputation. Even though the jade pendant was owned by those who could enter the pce, You Yuecheng was not the only person who had it. It was possible that he would bite Luo Wenyou back

    However, Mo Xuetong thought they should not waste such a person. She might as well get someone to watch over Yun Ya. Yun Ya was still in her courtyard which would be tightly guarded but nothing could be seen on the surface. When there was a need, she could be taken out to testify against You Yuecheng. It would be the most appropriate use at the crucial juncture. However, it was still not a good time to alert the enemy.

    Then the servants took Yun Ya and her two servants around her out of the room.

    Luo Bin brought Madam Qu and Luo Mingzhu to the study, and Luo Wenyou and Mo Xuetong were left in Old Madam¡¯s house.

    ¡°Grandmother, I was wrong. I almost harm the entire Fu General Manor!¡± Luo Wenyou took two steps forward, knelt down in front of Old Madam with guilt and kowtowed heavily a few times. His eyes grew red when he saw that Old Madam still looked pale. He felt really guilty. He was the one who had caused his grandmother to be angry.

    Old Madam took over the cup of tea Nanny Shen had remade and handed it to her. She took a sip to calm herself down and sat up straight, asking, ¡°Do you know where your mistake is?¡± There was a sh of red in her eyes. Her grandson was not so confused, and it was enough tofort Old Madam.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t ignore the family¡¯s interest and admitted this matter to protect Aunt from censure...¡± Luo Wenyou was extremely regretful at this time. He did not know that Yun Ya was not only restless by nature, but also harbored an evil intention against Fu General Manor. Almost, Fu General Manor was almost ruined by him. At the thought of this, how could Luo Wenyou not regret it?

    He had always been kind and had grown up with You Yuecheng since he was a child. They usually attended the same banquets and were in the same circle. He did not expect You Yuecheng to plot against him. Even though he did not know what happened in the deste yard in the back yard, he knew that matter must not be leaked out to others. His grandmother had told him very clearly when he was very young. When Mo Xuetong returned to the capital, his grandmother repeatedly told him not to say it to her.

    Luo Wenyou knew that it was an unusual thing when he thought of how strict his grandmother was with the matter. However, he did not expect You Yuecheng to be interested in this ce. How could Luo Wenyou not be angry and feel afraid? If Yun Ya became a member of Fu General Manor, she might really be able to find out about it. Then, his grandmother¡¯s secret would be revealed to the world. His grandmother said that the secret would shake the foundation of Fu General Manor and cause the Emperor to grow suspicious of them.

    That might lead to a disaster that involved the extermination of the whole family!

    ¡°You¡¯er, did you think that Yun Ya was a gentle girl before and that it doesn¡¯t matter to put her in the back yard? Did you think that was what your Second Aunt wanted, so you help her?¡± Old Madam sighed and looked at her grandson who she had been cultivating wholeheartedly into the sessor of Fu General Manor. The child was too soft-hearted, and it would not be a big deal if he was in an ordinary family. However, he could not act like this in a grand manor like their family because it would kill many people.

    Luo Wenyou¡¯s face changed a few times. He looked at Old Madam¡¯s face and said firmly, ¡°Grandmother, I won¡¯t do it again!¡± His heart was much stronger than before after what happened today. He looked at Mo Xuetong, who was quietly standing by the side. When he thought that she could see the crux of the matter just now and he could not find out anything about it, he felt guilty again.

    ¡°Get up!¡± Then Old Madam did not say anything else. Luo Wenyou could only depend on himself to understand this matter. Her grandson was smart and nice, but he was too soft-hearted. He had been caught by his aunt today and might be taken advantage of by his concubines tomorrow. It was really worrying.

    In the future, he would be Fu General, the one who would truly be in charge of Fu General Manor. How could Old Madam not be worried? Fu General Manor was famous for its martial arts skills, and Luo Wenyou was a schr and no longer had any advantage. If he remained too soft-hearted, Fu General Manor would truly end up in defeat.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. I will not make the same mistake again.¡± Luo Wenyou promised, gritting his teeth. A hint of darkness shed in his eyes. He had not expected someone to want to know about the deste courtyard. It had been so long. It seemed that someone was going to use this matter against Fu General Manor.

    As the heir of Fu General Manor, Luo Wenyou was not as gentle as he looked.

    ¡°Grandmother, Eldest Cousin has already admitted his mistake. Forgive him! Besides, I wonder if someone discovered this on the way here...¡± Mo Xuetong said with a smile. She picked up the tea that Old Madam had ced by the side and held it in front of her. Then, she stood behind her and started to knock on her back obediently.

    Old Madam understood immediately before she finished her words. She sighed to herself that she was indeed old and useless. She had forgotten something so important. She told Luo Wenyou, ¡°Don¡¯t stay here anymore. Your cousin is here with me. Go and see how many people have gotten the matter about Yun Ya on the way and give a gag order. If anyone dares to talk about this matter, their entire family will be sold together.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Grandmother. I will do it right away.¡± Luo Wenyou cast a nce at Mo Xuetong who was standing by the side. Even though he had something to say to her, he knew that he should not dy. He curtsied to Old Madam readily and left. His second aunt could put drug into his and his second uncle¡¯s wine, and then, she had worked with Yun Ya to plot what would happen next. They must have sent arge number of people to do this perfectly. However, he did not know if these people belonged to his second aunt or Yun Ya who developed them after she came here.

    Anyway, he had to investigate it and re-organized the backyard. It seemed that his marriage could not be dyed. His mother was in the frontier, and his grandmother was old, and Mingzhu was married. After such a thing happened, his second aunt would be punished. There was no one in charge in the inner yard, which was really troublesome.

    Luo Wenyou had been a little reluctant to marriage, but now he didn¡¯t have this idea. He just wanted to find someone quickly to help his grandmother. His grandmother was too old to have the energy to take care of the matters of the backyard.

    He was thinking about this as he strode away. Old Madam felt she could not hold on any longer, and could only lean down with Nanny Shen¡¯s help. Her health was poor and she had almost fainted from the anger earlier. Even though she had calmed down now, she still felt that she was in low spirits.

    ¡°Grandmother, rest for a while. I will knock on your leg and massage you.¡± Mo Xuetong ced her hand on Old Madam¡¯s acupoint. She narrowed her eyes slightly and could immediately sense that Old Madam¡¯s blood and qi had waned. Knowing that the old woman did not have the strength to speak now, she took the little hammer on the side and sat on the stool in front of the couch. Then she started to massage her leg while massaging it.

    Old Madam closed her eyesfortably and let out a long breath. However, she did not fall asleep immediately. She said to Mo Xuetong slowly, ¡°Mingguo Manor wants to plot against us. King Yan is standing behind Mingguo Manor, and King Yan is backed by the Empress. Even though King Yan is raised by the Empress, he is not the Empress¡¯ adopted son. If the Empress can acknowledge King Yan, then he is the true legitimate son. There will be no prince who has a higher status than him.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips. She understood what Old Madam meant. Even if King Yan was locked up now, there was still a lot of hope. Since the Emperor ordered to lock him up, he could also order to release him. After all, King Yan had notmitted any crime of rebellion. Some things were only known to everyone, but there was no real evidence to prove them.

    Just like what happened to Yun Ya this time, Mo Xuetong was 100% sure that You Yuecheng had intentionally seduced Yun Ya to do it, but Yun Ya said that he did not know about it. However, there was no evidence. It was said that the letters about the two of them having an affair had long been stolen by Nanny Qian and burned to ashes. Even if the matter was brought to the royal court, once You Yuecheng said that he had nothing to do with this matter, no one could get a handle against him. Even if they knew that it was true, they could do nothing about it.

    Everyone knew that King Yan and King Xuan had be enemies because of what happenedst time. Old Madam was afraid that Mo Xuetong would suffer, so she especially reminded her.

    ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t worry. I know. I will tell His Highness to be careful.¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and said, without hiding anything. Others might not be able to see that Feng Yuran wanted to seize the throne, but Mo Xuetong believed that her grandmother knew about it. That was why she reminded her. Furthermore, Feng Yuran would need Fu General Manor¡¯s help.

    Her mother was from Fu General Manor, so as long as Feng Yuran stood out to fight for the throne, everyone would know that Fu General Manor was on his side. This kind of blood rtionship could not be exined easily. Mo Xuetong felt guilty towards Fu General Manor. Without any words, Fu General Manor was pinned onto Feng Yuran¡¯s side. Even though they did not do anything, the implications behind it were sufficient.

    Old Madam knew that she already understood when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s simple and clear reply. She nodded. Her granddaughter was different from Xia¡¯er. Mo Xuetong might seem gentle, but she was strong. Through this matter, Old Madam had seen Mo Xuetong¡¯s proper arrangement. The girl had pushed Yun Ya step by step, and even her second uncle had listened to her subconsciously. She was brave and intelligent, and was a person who could do great things. If she were a man, she could do something great. It was a pity that she was a girl!

    Old Madam was relieved. Since she had been tired and angry, soon she seemed to fall asleep. Mo Xuetong held the little hammer in her hand and continued to knock the old woman¡¯s leg. She started to feel a little dazed because she would take a nap at this time every day. Noticing that she was so sleepy that she almost could not hold on to the hammer, Nanny Shen smiled and pulled on Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeve, pointing at the wing room on the left.

    There were several times when Mo Xuetong came here and it was toote to go home, she rested in that room.

    Mo Xuetong was indeed sleepy. She did not stand on ceremony, and held Mo Ye¡¯s hand, heading to the left wing room. Luo Mingzhu came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor early in the morning, and then, she went to Feng Yuran to ask for help and had prepared some things. She was really tired the entire morning and did not eat much at lunch in order toe quickly lest Old Madam would feel hard to deal with it.

    ¡°She¡¯s such a good girl. What will she do if she finds out that I¡¯m not her biological grandmother?¡± As Old Madam heard her leave, her voice sounded from the bed. It was very soft, as if she was muttering to herself.

    If not for the fact that Nanny Shen had been paying attention to her, she would not have listened. She knew that Old Madam was worried about Consort Xuan. This was a knot in her heart. Sheforted Old Madam softly, ¡°Old Madam, what are you talking about? Consort Xuan has been thinking about you wholeheartedly. She immediately came here as soon as she realized that something happened to the manor. What does it matter if you are rted by blood or not? You have been raising Miss and doting on her for so many years...¡±

    ¡°But, it¡¯s not good to let her know!¡±

    ¡°I think so too. Let¡¯s put it aside now. After all, not many people in the yard know about it. There¡¯s no hurry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way...¡± The breath on the couch started to ease up. Old Madam had really fallen asleep. Nanny Shen cleaned up everything on the table softly, then she went to the couch and tucked Old Madam in before she left with cups and tes in her hands.

    She understood Old Madam¡¯s worries of both gains and losses! The event of the past was a grudge between generations...

 Chapter 574 - Quarrel, the Secret over 10 Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 574 Quarrel, the Secret over 10 Years Ago</h4>

    In Luo Bin¡¯s study, a cdon cup was thrown in front of Madam Qu. Luo Mingzhu, who was hiding outside, was so frightened that she trembled. Her father was really annoyed.

    ¡°Tell me, what do you want to do?¡± Luo Bin was so angry that the blue veins on his forehead bulged. He red at Madam Qu. It could be said as the matter that Yun Ya wanted to marry into Fu General Manor as a concubine or the matter that might make them get into trouble and cause the whole family to bepletely destroyed. Luo Bin was usually in charge of this kind of thing. How could he not know about it?

    It was difficult to guess the Emperor¡¯s intentions. He had not known for many years whether the Emperor knew about it or not, but this matter could not be made public no matter what. Once it was made public, Fu General Manor would definitely be known as the remnants of King Jin¡¯s faction. This was a grave crime that even the Emperor would not be able to spare them even if he wanted to.

    The Emperor had to show his attitude to the other officials and posed an exnation. Even though it was the former Emperor who had caused blood to flow like river, he was still the former Emperor, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s father. The son should not me his father. Did he want to reverse the verdict? As such, the matter regarding King Jin had to die down slowly and could not be brought up again.

    However, something like this had happened in Fu General Manor today. How could Luo Bin not be mad? He had just drunk a littlest night and fallen asleep. Then he went to court early in the morning. Not after he came back, Mo Xuetong and her daughter returned to the manor, and the servants of King Xuan¡¯s Manor told him to squeeze the truth out of Yun Ya¡¯s two servants as quickly as possible.

    At that time, he felt that something was wrong. Fortunately, Luo Bin had always believed in Mo Xuetong¡¯s intelligence, so he did not hesitate at all and immediately sent someone to capture Yun Ya¡¯s wet nurse and maid and interrogate them. He flew into a rage after the interrogation. This matter had something to do with his wife, and it almost turned out to be true because of her.

    When Madam Qu heard the confession of the two servants, she was so shocked that she almost fainted. At this time, she also knew that there was something wrong, so she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more. She held the handkerchief in her hand and murmured, ¡°Old Sir, I... I didn¡¯t know it would be like this! Ya¡¯er... Ya¡¯er has always been very obedient. How could she do such a thing!¡±

    She had always been weak in front of Luo Bin. She could only exin in a low voice with a flush on her face.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Luo Bin said with a cold snort. He looked at Madam Qu in front of him, and his eyes were full of disappointment. ¡°You made such trouble when you didn¡¯t know. Will you make more trouble if you know?! You might as well stop making trouble. Won¡¯t your sistere soon? You can leave with her and her daughter. Anyway, it is your niece that you love most. You are willing to do anything for her.¡±

    Luo Bin¡¯s words were extremely serious. Madam Qu raised her head with grievance and shock and asked in surprise, ¡°What, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What do I mean? That¡¯s what I meant! Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t understand!¡± Luo Bin stood up, shook his sleeve and left angrily. Even though he had not been very satisfied with her for so many years, he could not say that he was not very satisfied with her. He had only taken a wife and asked her to have children in his family. He did not dare to ask for too much.

    Madam Qu was shocked at first, then sad, and finally angry. Her face turned pale and then livid and her tears fell down. Ever since she came to the manor, Luo Bin had always respected her. He had never shouted at her. Was it because this matter had something to do with that woman? A wave of anger rose in her heart. When Luo Bin walked past her, she suddenly tugged on his sleeve and cried out loud uncontrobly.

    ¡°Are you still thinking about her, aren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about!¡± The veins on Luo Bin¡¯s forehead popped and he tugged at his sleeve. However, Madam Qu was holding it on tightly this time around. She had almost used all her strength and Luo Bin could not pull it away.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand? You could understand all of her words, but can¡¯t understand mine. Everything she said is right, and everything I do is wrong. You used to listen to her words. Marrying me was just to decorate. Initially, I thought that how I, the daughter of a little official, could marry into your family. I even happily imagined the days ahead, but it was all about her. It was all about her...¡±

    Madam Qu almost choked with sobs and gritted her teeth in anger. She almost went mad. She tugged on Luo Bin¡¯s sleeve tightly as tears flowed down her face. She cried her heart out. ¡°Tell me, in your heart, what am I, your wife who keeps your house and gives birth to your daughter? Do you really think I am your wife?¡±

    ¡°What does this have to do with her?¡± Luo Bin suddenly calmed down. He looked at Madam Qu coldly and asked without emotion.

    ¡°How can it have nothing to do with her? How can it have nothing to do with her... It¡¯s ridiculous. Who would have thought that the first miss of Fu General Manor is not the legitimate daughter of Fu General Manor? Who would have thought that the brother would have a different feeling for his adopted sister? But what happened to her? She died early. It can be seen that heaven is watching. She should have died.¡±

    Luo Bin was so ruthless and even cold that Madam Qu¡¯s face twisted and she spoke without thinking. She hated the woman who had grown up in love. That woman was so beautiful and gentle. Her gaze made one want to dote on her. And her second brother really kept her in his heart all the time.

    How could Madam Qu, who had always been proud and arrogant, bear it? Even if the woman had passed away now, he still had her in his heart. Every year, on the day when she died, he would always drink alone in the study and get drunk... Others said that he was very kind to her. Even if she had only given birth to a daughter, he did not allow a concubine to give birth to a son. But no one knew that it was not because of her, but that woman! The feeling that could not get love had been tormenting Madam Qu for over 10 years.

    The torture made her almost numb, almost think that she really didn¡¯t care! However, when the wound was mentioned again, she realized that it wasn¡¯t because it had gone, but because she had been purposely ignoring it. The injury had always been there, and it was getting deeper and deeper...

    ¡°So, you wanted Yun Ya to marry into Fu General Manor and deliberately ignored her personal problems. You didn¡¯t even care about the interactions between her and the people around and the men outside!¡± Luo Bin paused and asked with a sneer, as if he didn¡¯t see Madam Qu¡¯s twisted face because she was on the verge of copse.

    This exined Yun Ya¡¯s matter. Madam Qu had been in charge of Fu General Manor¡¯s backyard, and the masters of Fu General Manor were rtively simple. It was impossible that Madam Qu didn¡¯t know about Yun Ya¡¯s matter at all. Moreover, she was her niece, who she cared most about. How could she not investigate where the old maidservant around her had been going and who she met?

    If a woman like Yun Ya was from Fu General Manor, she would die silently. Madam Qu had been in Fu General Manor for so many years, and it was impossible that she didn¡¯t know about it.

    ¡°Yes... so what? Who cares? There will only add a pair of chopsticks in the backyard. Who can¡¯t afford one more woman?¡± Madam Qu wiped her tears and sneered, but she still couldn¡¯t stop her tears from falling. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t wipe them away.

    This was what Luo Bin had told her back then. She was in so much pain that she wanted to die. She had prayed to marry him, but she then realized that the husband she loved had already had someone else in his heart. Furthermore, this girl was his younger sister. Since he could not marry her, he married her casually. That would only add an extra pair of chopsticks to the backyard of Fu General Manor.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t care for Mingzhu, you should say it out loud. If the family of nine generations would be destroyed, your Qu family happens to be inside. That¡¯s good, at least you don¡¯t have to worry about your slutty niece.¡± Luo Bin looked at Madam Qu indifferently, and his face was livid with anger. ¡°Do you want to go to the gate of the manor and shout? If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough, you can go to the Fengyang Building to beat the drums directly.¡±

    After saying that, he pushed Madam Qu away, walked to the door, and said to a few old maids standing outside the courtyard in the distance, ¡°Come here. Madam has been overworked these days and lost her mind. Take her back to the courtyard. Don¡¯t let here out if there is nothing important.¡±

    Luo Bin was going to lock Madam Qu up. Madam Qu was so angry that she pointed at Luo Bin. Her face was pale and her fingers trembled. However, she did not dare to say anything else. She watched as Luo Bin left and her body softened. A few old maidservants came over and pulled her up. They helped her up and brought her to her own yard.

    Other maids came to clean the floor and tidy up the study.

    Behind the study, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face was pale and almost lost blood. She clutched a small tree by the side tightly and even though the tree bark had pierced her palm, she did not notice it. She was only worried that her father and mother would really fight and that was why she had hidden here to eavesdrop. However, what did she hear? Was the woman that her mother was talking about Cousin Tong¡¯s mother?

    How, how could this be possible?

    She leaned against the tree heavily and the trunk shook a few times. Luo Mingzhu was stunned and her mind was in a mess. How could it be possible? How could her father like her aunt? How could her father, who had always been elegant and polite, like his sister? She must have heard it wrong. She must have heard it wrong...

    The adopted younger sister and her elder brother?

    When Luo Mingzhu was born, Luo Xia had already married. It was said that the wedding was grand. Then, since she lived in Cloud City and was in poor health, she rarely returned to the capital. Therefore she remembered that she had met her only a few times, and that she was a gentle woman. And Cousin Tong had said that her father and mother had always loved each other. When did her father get involved in it?

    Besides, what was Luo Bin mean by saying that the family¡¯s nine generations would be destroyed? What did Fu General Manor do? Did theymit the crime? The matter about Yun Ya? Even if it was exposed, Yun Ya would die at most. How could it be rted to the family¡¯s nine generations? What did she miss? What did her mother mean? What about her father? But what did it have to do with her aunt...?

    Luo Mingzhu felt that it was a mess and she was in a confused state. She could not understand it no matter how she thought about it. Her eyes were wandering, andnded something ahead dazedly, but she did not know what she was looking at.

    ¡°Second Cousin, what¡¯s wrong? How are Second Uncle and Second Aunt?¡± A sweet voice pulled her out of her confusion. She finally saw something and found that the person in front of her was Mo Xuetong. She could not help but feel a shiver in her heart. She clenched her hands in her sleeves, then released, and forced a smile. ¡°Father and Mother had a fight just now!¡±

    ¡°What about now?¡± Mo Xuetong was worried about Luo Mingzhu, so she hurried to the study after leaving Old Madam¡¯s yard. By the time she arrived, Luo Bin and Madam Qu had already finished arguing and even the servants were gone. Mo Xuetong only found Luo Mingzhu, who was standing outside in a daze. Mo Xuetong looked for her from the room to the outside, and then found Luo Mingzhu, who was in a daze at the back of the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Father has something to do and left. Mother has returned to her yard.¡± Luo Mingzhu lowered her head and hid the matter subconsciously.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back. Grandmother is also sleeping. Eldest Cousin will deal with it himself,¡± Mo Xuetong suggested. Now that Luo Wenyou was not baffled by Yun Ya, Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief. With Luo Wenyou¡¯s wits, as long as he was not blinded by emotions, he should be able to deal with things easily. That was why her grandmother felt assured to rest.

    Luo Wenyou was a talented man, but he cared too much about feelings. However, after this incident, Mo Xuetong knew that Luo Wenyou would definitely be touched. It would be beneficial to his actions in the future.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Luo Mingzhu answered and walked forward hurriedly, as if she were running wildly for a moment. She did not want to be with Mo Xuetong all of a sudden, and felt awkward to walk with her together...

    Behind her, Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and her gazended on Mo Ye imperceptibly. Mo Ye nodded slightly!

 Chapter 575 - On the Way to Xiuning Workshop

    <h4>Chapter 575 On the Way to Xiuning Workshop</h4>

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu parted ways at the entrance of Fu General Manor. They used to go the same way for a while before they parted. Today, Luo Mingzhu imed that she had something to do¡ªto visit an elder of the Li family. It happened that the two of them weren¡¯t on the same path, so they parted ways at the gate. Mo Xuetong sat in the carriage and watched Luo Mingzhu¡¯s carriage go away before asking her coachman to drive.

    Luo Mingzhu acted quite oddly. She had hurried into King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the morning because of what happened to Fu General Manor. Then, that matter happened in Fu General Manor. How could she be in the mood to visit an elder? She had been standing behind the study earlier and Mo Xuetong¡¯s second uncle and aunt had been arguing. It was said that the two had gotten into a big fight. Could it be because of this?

    ¡°My Lady, are we going back to the manor now?¡± Mo Ye asked after getting on the carriage. As she noticed that Mo Xuetong was still pondering, she added, ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t worry. Mo Feng was above the study just now, so he should have heard what Second Master and Madam Qu had said.¡±

    Having been by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side for a long time, she no longer looked down on the little Consort Xuan. Mo Ye was truly in awe of Mo Xuetong and felt that she was a perfect woman. She had a beautiful and weak appearance, but in fact, she had a strong heart. Anyone who looked down on her would be swallowed up in the end.

    Therefore, no matter from the outside or inside, her two masters were absolutely a perfect match. They could fool people, and, at the same time, make them happily help them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go back to the mansion now. Let¡¯s go to Xiuning Workshop first.¡±

    She had prepared gifts for King Chu¡¯s birthday long ago. However, she thought of what happened at the embroidery shop that day. Mo Yarui had intentionally chosen that ce probably because she had intended to pick out some embroideries in that shop. Unfortunately, after the incident with the girl from the Southern Barbarian Lands, they parted unhappily. Since she had not gone to Xiuning Workshop for a long while, and it was on her way home, Mo Xuetong decided to bring some to Mo Yarui.

    Ever since Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s secret guards had met her, Mo Xuetong had truly put the matter of Xiuning Workshop aside. The ount book was in the charge of Shopkeeper Xing himself. If he met something inconvenient, he coulde to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to look for her. Now that Xiuning Workshop existed to train secret guards, Mo Xuetong did not have to keep an eye on them.

    Besides, she had never believed in those secret guards!

    Mo Xuetong thought that they did not just want to gain approval by boldly kidnapping their master together with others. The secret guards did nothing when she and her mother were in their hard time. When she became Consort Xuan, they appeared in front of her with a way of bolstering their presence. Furthermore, they told her about their existence in that manner. Anyway, Mo Xuetong could not ept them from the bottom of her heart.

    The carriage stopped. Mo Ye was about to jump off it when she suddenly turned around, lifted a small slit of the window, and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s the same guy we sawst time.¡±

    Mo Xuetong leaned over and also took a look. She saw Shopkeeper Xing walk a man out. The man looked familiar and when she took a closer look, she realized that he was the man who spoke with Shopkeeper Xing and got rid of them when they tried to follow him. Mo Xuetong shrank inside slightly and only used a finger to pick up a corner of the curtain.

    This man must be one of the secret guards, and at first nce, one could tell that he was very astute.

    From her angle, Mo Xuetong saw Shopkeeper Xing say something with a gloomy face. The man¡¯s expression was also dark, and he did not even say anything. He swung his sleeves and left. It seemed that they had parted unhappily.

    ¡°My Lady, do you want me to follow him and take a look?¡± Mo Ye also saw the scene through a corner just now. She was good at martial art master and had better eyesight than Mo Xuetong. From her angle, she could even see the blue veins popping on the man¡¯s face. Obviously, the two were having a big argument.

    ¡°How is his martial skill level?¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand and frowned slightly.

    ¡°His martial skill level is higher than mine, and he seems much stronger than me. I¡¯m not as good as him. Shopkeeper Xing and this man seem to be the best among the secret guards,¡± Mo Ye answered after thinking for a while.

    She used to be a secret guard as well. The royal family¡¯s secret guards had their own system. Outsiders might not be able to sense it, but Mo Ye could.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t follow him. Otherwise, he will definitely notice it.¡± Mo Xuetong held Mo Ye¡¯s hand, her pretty brows knitted slightly. Such a person had always been vignt. Followed by a person like Mo Ye who was a martial art master, would be more likely to arouse his rm. It was more natural for a normal person, pretending to be on the same way with him, to tail after him.

    He had a dispute with Shopkeeper Xing. Why? For money? Mo Xuetong had checked Xiuning Workshop¡¯s ounts before. It should not be a problem to raise those people with monthly ie. Furthermore, most of them had legitimate upations and each had their own way to make money. Furthermore, if it was really about money, she had told Shopkeeper Xing that he coulde to her directly when they were in need.

    Therefore, this should not be about money, but if it was not about money, what was the reason? Why did the two get red in the face in the heat of the argument?

    ¡°My Lady, Shopkeeper Xing ising.¡± Mo Xuetong was still frowning and pondering when Mo Ye¡¯s sharp eyes saw that Shopkeeper Xing had discovered the carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so she gave her a push.

    When they had gone to Fu General Manor today, Mo Xuetong¡¯s carriage had the mark of King Xuan¡¯s Manor on it. With a careful look, one could tell that they were from King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and gestured for Mo Ye to get off the carriage first.

    ¡°Miss Mo Ye, is it Her Lady inside?¡± Shopkeeper Xing had stridden over. His face was no longer gloomy, but full of smiles. He had seen Mo Ye several times, so he could recognize the pretty maidservant who just got off the carriage was the right-hand maidservant for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, it is Her Lady.¡± Mo Ye slightly curtsied to him. Then, she helped Mo Xuetong off the carriage. Shopkeeper Xing immediately cupped his hands and curtsied.

    Then they entered Xiuning Workshop together.

    Xiuning Workshop¡¯s business was going well. The shop assistants were enthusiastically greeting the guests who came in. There were chairs for guests to rest in the four corners of the shop, and tea was also served. Some guests who bought embroideries could also choose one or two sachets from an embroidery basket in one corner of the counter as gifts from the shop.

    Although there were not many kinds of sachets, they were delicate. And because it was a gift from the shop, it made people feel very thoughtful.

    It was Mo Xuetong who brought up this idea, but she did not expect Shopkeeper Xing to implement it so quickly. Furthermore, the effect of it seemed to be very good. Shopkeeper Xing was indeed a businessman.

    Shopkeeper Xing led Mo Xuetong upstairs to a private room. They usually took youngdies and madams here and even the servants upstairs were women. Not only do youngdies and madams not have to suffer from crowding, but they could also use it as a ce of recreation.

    ¡°My Lady, are you here to pick some embroideries. There¡¯s a new batch of embroideries here, which are very delicate. I¡¯ve asked someone to bring them to you just now. You can pick some from them,¡± Shopkeeper Xing said with a smile, just echoing with the saying: amiability attracts riches. One could not tell that he was angry just now.

    He was indeed a man who had gone through life and death. There was no trace of anger in his face. He was apletely slippery businessman.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I am going to pick some embroideries and send them to someone. It is a coincidence that there are some new embroideries. Then take them here and let me take a look at them. How is the business recently?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Now that they were in the shop, she talked about business. Shopkeeper Xing had been immersed in business for so many years. If he did not want her to see through something, he would definitely be able to do it.

    It seemed that he did not intend to tell her about his dispute with that man. Then it should not be about money, but if it wasn¡¯t about money, it was worth pondering!

    ¡°The business is going very well. I¡¯ve taken a few of your ideas and improved them. The profit on the ount has increased,¡± Shopkeeper Xing replied happily. He thought that since the master ordered it, he could do it. Unexpectedly, it was really useful. The business was much better than before. It seemed that although the master was young, she was not ignorant. He hesitated for a moment and thought if he should tell the master about that matter.

    But then he gave up this idea. Now it was not the right time, and Yan Yue did not say anything out of line. He would try to persuade him again. The matter had not been settled yet, and it was just an idea. Shopkeeper Xing still felt that the master in front of him was young but had to be reckoned with.

    The two of them chatted for a while before a shop assistant brought in the new embroideries. Mo Xuetong picked a few pieces and suddenly looked up with a smile. She asked Shopkeeper Xing, who was standing by the side, ¡°Do you have anyone who is good at martial arts and can keep an eye on other people without anyone noticing?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, are you referring that side?¡± Shopkeeper Xing asked carefully in a low voice.

    ¡°Yes, I just want to borrow someone to use. Is it convenient?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and asked with her watery eyes looking at the shopkeeper. She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. It was good. The tea-leaves were new and had a light fragrance. Although it was not a high-quality tea, it was new. It seemed that Shopkeeper Xing listened to her in business, but she didn¡¯t know if he was on her side in other aspects.

    She did not have the jade token they had mentioned, which meant that she could not order them to do anything. But it was not a big move to lend one secret guard to her.

    ¡°My Lady, this...¡± Shopkeeper Xing was in a dilemma. It was not because he was unwilling to do it, but because Yan Yue was involved.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, forget it. I¡¯ll think of other ways,¡± Mo Xuetong stated with a smile. It was just an answer. She just wanted to see his attitude today. It was an idle move.

    Shopkeeper Xing gritted his teeth and said, ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s okay to lend one to you. I¡¯ll arrange it right away, but who do you have him follow?¡±

    Mo Xuetong beamed slightly as he agreed. She put down the teacup in her hand and gestured at Mo Ye.

    Mo Ye hurriedly took out Mo Xuetong¡¯s painting from her arms andid it t on the table. She then introduced the painting to Shopkeeper Xing in a low voice, ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, take a look at this woman. Can you find her and watch her closely to see if she has any unusual movements?¡±

    Shopkeeper Xing took a close look at the woman in the painting carefully, frowned, and said, ¡°It¡¯s... My Lady, please tell me a ce that she might go to.¡± It was not easy to find a person in such a big capital, more troublesome than looking for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the target was a woman who might not go out, so he didn¡¯t know where to start.

    Mo Xuetong understood the difficulty. She thought about it and replied, ¡°You can send someone to Censor Qin¡¯s manor. It is very likely that she will go there.¡± Since she had seen Yu Sirong in the Qin Manor, then it was very likely that Yu Sirong and Mdm Yu were in contact with each other. That was to say Mdm Yu should know that Yu Sirong had returned, so it was most likely to get Yu Sirong if they kept an eye on the Qin Manor.

    As for the Yu Manor, Yu Sirong had been disfigured and was sent away directly. Given Yu Sirong¡¯s selfish nature, she might note back to her home right away.

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll do it now! Then the painting...¡±

    Knowing his difficulty, Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this painting with you, Shopkeeper Xing.¡±

    Shopkeeper Xing sent them to the door and watched them leave before he went to arrange it. Since this was the first time the secret guards carried out their master¡¯s order, he had to ask a powerful man to do it, and the man must not be Yan Yue. Otherwise, Yan Yue would take a matter-of-fact attitude. The two of them had been having a lot of disputes recently and it was better not to cause any conflict.

 Chapter 576 - Passion, the Empress Dowagers Perfect Plan

    <h4>Chapter 576 Passion, the Empress Dowager¡¯s Perfect n</h4>

    ¡°Why are you back sote? Was it so troublesome?¡± When Mo Xuetong came back to her yard, Feng Yuran had already been waiting there. He threw down the book in his hand and looked upzily. His bright eyesnded on her, a doting smile shing in them.

    Usually, he was not at home at this time. The situation in the court had suddenly changed and he had many things to deal with. Even though Emperor Zongwen doted on him the most, if he did not have a certain amount of strength, Mo Xuetong believed that Emperor Zongwen would not choose him. Compared to the kingdom, Emperor¡¯s love for him was a little lighter.

    Then he was worried about her!

    Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong smiled even more sweetly. She walked to the couch and blinked her shimmery eyes. ¡°Not really. It was not so troublesome, but I learn something else.¡±

    Then she waved her hand and the maidservants in the room sensibly left one by one. Mo Ye had already gone to find Mo Feng as soon as she entered the manor. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s reaction was odd in Fu General Manor, and Mo Xuetong was a little worried.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Feng Yuran stretched out his long arms and held Mo Xuetong on hisp. He reached out to pinch her pink and tender face and asked in a good mood. Her face was as smooth and tender as white tofu, which made people love her.

    Being teased like a child, Mo Xuetong pouted and reached out to pat his hand. ¡°I¡¯m talking about a serious matter.¡±

    ¡°Just say it! I¡¯m listening to you!¡± Feng Yuran said, all smiles. His handnded on her hair and tucked the hair on her cheeks behind her ear.

    Mo Xuetong flushed when she saw his burning gazending on her face. His handsome face was really attractive. How could a man be so handsome? Every time he smiled as brilliantly as a flower, it tested one¡¯s sense. Even if she was the only one who could see it, she would still be enchanted.

    However, when she thought that this person belonged to her, she felt satisfied and sweet as if she had drunk honey.

    She leaned into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist as if she was dering that he was hers. Anyway, there was no one else in the room and he could not just listen to her obediently. She moved and sat in afortable position. Then, she began to say, ¡°You Yuecheng is behind the matter about Yun Ya. He keeps investigating Fu General Manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had once told Feng Yuran about the deserted courtyard. However, she had only mentioned it casually. Since she had some conjectures that were not very clear, she did not tell him. It would not bete to tell him after the investigation was done.

    Feng Yuran curled his lips in disdain and saidzily, ¡°Mingguo Manor is also a noble family. You Yuecheng is bing less and less aggressive. He only focuses on the back courtyard and only contacts with women. He¡¯s really at a disadvantage.¡± A hint of coldness shed in his bright eyes. It turned out that You Yuecheng wanted to talk about what happened in the past and force the Emperor to punish Fu General Manor. Then Tong¡¯er would be implicated. Was he living too well?

    You Yuecheng was determined to go against Tong¡¯er. Did he really try to strike at him by striking at Tong¡¯er for the sake of Feng Yulei? Or for other reasons? You Yuecheng was not such a person, unless he had other ideas. At the thought of this, Feng Yuran¡¯s face darkened, and a cold smile shed in his eyes. Now that You Yuecheng liked the fight in the backyard, it was coincidental that Feng Yuran knew something about him. Originally, he just treated it as a joke. Now, he inevitably wanted to add fuel to the fire.

    As Mo Xuetong noticed Feng Yuran¡¯s displeasure, a charming smile appeared in her watery eyes. She gave him a push and asked, ¡°What do you think is wrong with You Yuecheng? Why does he dislike me so much? Do you want us to fight against him so that he cannot keep staring at other¡¯s back yard?¡±

    She spokepletely in ordance with Feng Yuran¡¯s intentions. As she expected, when Feng Yuran heard that, his handsome face lit up. He reached out to lift up her chin and kissed it gently on her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave this to me, Tong¡¯er. Now that he likes to watch the drama in the back yard, I¡¯ll make the back yard of Mingguo Manor lively as well,¡± he said vaguely, with her lips in his.

    He was clear that Tong¡¯er hated You Yuecheng, but he was pleased to hear that she said it herself. No matter how much You Yuecheng cared for her, Tong¡¯er would always belong to him.

    ¡°I have prepared King Chu¡¯s birthday gifts. Do you want to take a look at them?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a chuckle. The gifts were bestowed on them by the pce and it was appropriate to give them to Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°Why should I take a look at them? You¡¯ve already prepared everything. I¡¯m not worried. You can do what you want to do with the gifts for Eldest Brother.¡± Feng Yuran listened to Mo Xuetong¡¯s soft voice. When she leaned into his embrace, he enjoyed it very much. ¡°Anyway, we can give him anything. He can¡¯t be picky about the gifts,¡± he addedzily.

    His words made sense. Even if Feng Yuran did not give him anything, given Feng Yuxuan¡¯s character, he would not say anything. However, Feng Yuxuan had given her that set of head essory of Southern Pearlsst time. Even though he did not have any good intentions, it was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and King Xuan¡¯s Manor had epted it. King Xuan¡¯s Manor was looking for an opportunity to return the gift.

    As Mo Xuetong thought of this, the girl she met the other day suddenly shed across her mind. She nudged Feng Yuran and asked, ¡°Are the people of the Southern Barbarian Lands about to arrive?¡±

    Couldn¡¯t that woman be the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands?

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re about to arrive. You can just clean up a few courtyards. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. When I pick them up, let them stay in there.¡± Feng Yuran was rather displeased when he thought that someone was going to live in his manor and that he and Tong¡¯er would not have much time together. He just wanted to get rid of them casually.

    ¡°They haven¡¯t yet arrived in the capital?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I heard that a few of their advance guards have alreadye. They are not important people anyway, so you don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± Feng Yuran lifted the corners of his lips and vaguely answered with a smile.

    Since it was not the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Mo Xuetong felt a little relieved. That girl seemed not easy to deal with. If such a princess lived in their manor, the family would be in chaos. What was more, the princess came here for marriage. Although the princes, including Feng Yuran, were married, which was not suitable for the marriage, what if the princess liked one of them?

    Mo Xuetong felt a sense of crisis whenever she thought of the arrival of the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we let them live outside? It¡¯s not good to live in our manor!¡± After thinking for a while, she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the princess going to marry someone? If they live here, it¡¯s a little...¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shone brightly. He turned to look at Mo Xuetong and realized that she was so shy that her neck was even red. He immediatelyughed happily.

    ¡°Who¡¯s jealous? I¡¯m worried that something will be wrong? Some people of the Southern Barbarian Lands are chasing after the Crown Prince and trying to kill him. I¡¯m worried that something may happen to him here.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face grew redder when she saw the teasing look in his eyes. She pushed his handsome face away and wanted to speak seriously. However, when she saw he turned his face to her again, she felt a little embarrassed and angry.

    ¡°Can you be serious? I am talking about serious matters.¡± She put on a straight face, looking furious. However, the shyness in her watery eyes made her look as if she was pouting.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m listening seriously!¡± Feng Yuran nodded seriously and his expression was as serious as it could be. However, it didn¡¯t look like that. Especially, there was a hint of ridicule in his eyes, which made one feel ambiguous for some reason.

    Mo Xuetong was shy and annoyed. Most importantly, she was indeed a little guilty. Then she pulled on his arm, bit down angrily and snapped, ¡°Keep looking.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t look at you again. Tong¡¯er, go on.¡± Feng Yuran hurriedly patted her back when he saw how embarrassed she was. He coaxed her and stopped looking at her face.

    ¡°I will care about the people from the Southern Barbarian Lands. I am not the one without the first consort now. I heard that the Empress Dowager really likes the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, so she will definitely be in contact with her then. You can rest assured. I have told Father that I won¡¯t take someone with a higher status than you to annoy you and make a mess of the family.¡±

    What he said was the thing Mo Xuetong was worried about. She immediately felt ratherfortable. ¡°Why would the Empress Dowager pay attention to the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    She asked casually. Then, as if she had thought of something, she looked up at Feng Yuran. Her eyes widened and her tiny mouth opened slightly. She could not say anything for the moment.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and me, we all have legal consorts. Even though the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands is noble, she could only enjoy the same status as a wife after marrying into our manors. But Feng Yuzhen is different. Feng Yuzhen¡¯s wife is dead! Their identity and status arepatible. He is also the prince of the Qin Kingdom. The Empress Dowager has this idea long ago,¡± Feng Yuran said lightly.

    ¡°Does His Majesty know?¡± Mo Xuetong pointed her slender finger upward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Empress Dowager thinks too highly of herself. She wants King Ning and the Southern Barbarian Lands to join forces so that King Ning can have a helping hand,¡± Feng Yuran stated sarcastically. There was a hint of coldness on his handsome face. So many children in the pce died before they were born, and the Empress Dowager was absolutely responsible for this. The Empress was not capable enough.

    Compared to the Empress, the Empress Dowager was evidently more astute!

    Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief when she knew that Feng Yuran had alreadye up with a way to deal with it. She suddenly asked curiously, ¡°The box containing the South Pearl ne is called... Duo La. What about it now?¡± Since Feng Yuxuan wanted her to open the box which was a trouble, Feng Yuran would never leave it with him. Then where was that box?

    ¡°I¡¯ve sent it to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce together with the South Pearl head essory that Eldest Brother gifted. They did not look odd together.¡± Feng Yuran looked up slightly. There was a hint of understanding on his jade-like face. He reached out and patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about these things. Since someone sent them to us on purpose, we can use them.¡±

    Mo Xuetong understood what he meant. Feng Yuxuan was the first to send the South Pearl. Furthermore, everyone who attended the banquet had known about it. Ling Rui¡¯er had also said that Feng Yuxuan had sent the South Pearl head essory over. If something were to happen in the future, it would definitely have something to do with King Chu¡¯s Manor. After all, King Chu was the one who had started the thing about the South Pearl.

    The box did not have much to do with King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    She suddenly had an evil expectation to see who the Empress Dowager intended to give the box to. Would she send it back to the Southern Barbarian Lands? The Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands must know about it. Of course, it was sent with bad intentions. This matter was getting messier and messier. After so many people had involved in it, no one could tell who did it.

    ¡°You really won¡¯t get into trouble?¡± Even though she knew that Feng Yuran had already arranged it, Mo Xuetong still raised her brows and asked with a smile.

    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Feng Yuran lifted Mo Xuetong¡¯s face calmly and kissed her pink lips hard to gain her attention. He had wanted to do it for a long while. How could she not sense it? How dare she be lost in thought? It was really depressing!

    As the wind blew, the window screen was raised, and a pretty couple was cuddling under the window...

 Chapter 577 - Its Convenient to Use the People I borrowed

    <h4>Chapter 577 It¡¯s Convenient to Use the People I borrowed</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not expect Shopkeeper Xing to be so efficient. The next morning, she received news that the woman in the painting was now in King Chu¡¯s Manor. She was Consort Chu¡¯s personal maid who usually stayed by Consort Chu¡¯s side, but she would not go out when Consort Chu left the manor. She would only help Consort Chu manage the matters of the manor.

    Yu Sirong had entered King Chu¡¯s Manor? Mo Xuetong did not expect a casual move of hers to be so useful.

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment and then asked Mo Ye to send a message to Shopkeeper Xing, asking him to keep an eye on Yu Sirong¡¯s unusual actions. Yu Sirong returned to the capital secretly, but did not go to her parents or rtives. Instead, she sold herself as a servant and entered King Chu¡¯s Manor. Of course, it was not just because of her bad reputation that she was not allowed to live in the Yu Manor.

    In her past life, Yu Sirong was the victor. After Mo Xuetong married into Duke¡¯s manor, she hade specially to make sarcastic jibes at her, and scolded and beaten Mo Lan and the other maids who came to Duke¡¯s manor with Mo Xuetong as she liked. She even had pped Mo Xuetong. The entire Duke¡¯s manor wasughing at Mo Xuetong, and not a single person was on her side. Mo Xuetong had onceined to Sima Lingyun about her grievances, but, Sima Lingyun had always told her that he would definitely take revenge on her when he became a high-ranking official.

    The final result, of course, was that he did nothing with it.

    Yu Sirong was a person who was only concerned about herself. She had not even married Qin Yuxuan and must hate Mo Xuetong to the core. Then, there must be a reason for her to enter King Chu¡¯s Manor, especially when she had gone to Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s side. No wonder Ling Rui¡¯er treated her much better than before on the surface. It turned out that someone was helping her.

    Yu Sirong did not leave the manor because she was afraid that others would recognize her. Fortunately, she had lived in Cloud City before and did not have the time to meet the nobles after she came to the capital, and thus the noble youngdies like Ling Rui¡¯er had never seen her before. However, she could not guarantee that not a single one of the youngdies had seen her. Even though Yu Sirong¡¯s appearance had changed a little, those who were sharp-eyed could still tell that she was Yu Sirong.

    In this way, it seemed that it would not be smooth when Mo Xuetong attended King Chu¡¯s Manor¡¯s banquet!

    Of course, Yu Sirong would not let go of the best opportunity to plot against her.

    ¡°My Lady, do you want me to ask Mo Feng to keep an eye on her?¡± Mo Ye didn¡¯t trust Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s people, so she came to ask Mo Xuetong for Mo Feng. Both of them were the first people Feng Yuran gave to Mo Xuetong, and now theypletely regarded Mo Xuetong as their own master. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t trust Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s people, and neither did they.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the cloth she was embroidering beside her, made a stitch, and put it down. Then she blinked her long eyshes, and said with a smile, ¡°Mo Feng doesn¡¯t have to keep an eye on her. Since Shopkeeper Xing was able to find Yu Sirong so quickly, it means that Yu Sirong was really careless and went to the Qin Manor again. On the other hand, it also shows that Shopkeeper Xing is really working hard.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, do you mean to use Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s men?¡± Mo Ye asked in shock. She was by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side, so she naturally knew that Mo Xuetong was going to put the secret guards aside. However, Mo Xuetong seemed to use them now. Mo Ye did not understand at the moment.

    ¡°Use them? No, I don¡¯t have the jade token, so how could they listen to me? The reason why Shopkeeper Xing helped me was just for my rtionship with him. He just did me a favor and lent one or two people to me. I wasn¡¯t really using them.¡± Mo Xuetong beamed. She lifted her longshes, and her eyes were clear and charming.

    She looked obedient and adorable, just like an innocent girl. However, Mo Ye could not help but shiver when she saw her because in her eyes, Mo Xuetong was obviously a fox.

    She did not even have a jade token, but she was able to use the secret guards, which made Mo Ye admire her and sigh. She used to be a secret guard as well and knew that there were some principles that could not be changed no matter what. The fact that Shopkeeper Xing helped Mo Xuetong even without seeing the token not only showed how capable she was, but also showed how sincere Shopkeeper Xing was to her.

    However, Mo Ye was uncertain about the specific situation of the secret guards under Shopkeeper Xing. However, it seemed that no matter how much trouble they made, they would not be able to escape from Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Then, My Lady, you mean...¡± Mo Ye sighed that she could not keep up with Mo Xuetong¡¯s craftiness, and had better ask Mo Xuetong carefully so that she would not misunderstand Mo Xuetong and ruin her ns.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. I just want Shopkeeper Xing to help me. It¡¯s me who keeps them, right?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, picked up the cloth by her side and continued to embroider. She didn¡¯t know why Feng Yuran had thought of such an idea and asked her to make a sachet for him to carry with him. Mo Xuetong¡¯s embroidery was not bad as well, and it was just that she usually felt tired and didn¡¯t want to do it. When she heard his request, she naturally did it seriously.

    Mo Ye did not fully understand what she meant. Fortunately, she understood a little. That was to say, Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s people had taken Mo Xuetong¡¯s money, so they had to do something for her. As for the jade token, it wasn¡¯t so important. After all, it was not that easy to get Consort Xuan¡¯s money. Now, she just said that she wanted to borrow Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s people. Those secret guards were secretly receiving Mo Xuetong¡¯s money, and thus it would not make sense if Shopkeeper Xing did not lend people to her.

    ¡°Then what do you want Mo Feng to do now?¡± Mo Yeughed when she figured out Mo Xuetong¡¯s intentions. Her master could not suffer any losses at all. She had thought that Mo Xuetong only provided Shopkeeper Xing and his men money and didn¡¯t need them to do anything. It seemed that she would not be polite to use them when she needed.

    ¡°Ask Mo Feng to pay attention to the He brothers and He Yuxiu¡¯s matter. It¡¯s rted to Consort Zhao. Get him to be more careful. As for Yu Sirong, she¡¯s an unimportant woman. It¡¯s convenient to use the people borrowed from Shopkeeper Xing.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled. Her voice sounded sweet but cold.

    She still needed to observe Shopkeeper Xing, and of course, she needed to observe his people clearly. When she saw Shopkeeper Xing arguing with that person, Mo Xuetong had a new n. She had to support that batch of people, but she felt wronged if she could not ask them to work for her.

    Fortunately, no one would care about someone like Yu Sirong. Then, she used her as a litmus test!

    ¡°The He brothers are now kept in the brothel by He Yuxiu. The people they brought with them have already run away. Now they don¡¯t even have a single person with them. My Lady, if you want to interrogate them, just bring them here directly. He Yuxiu can¡¯t even protect herself now. How can she take care of them?¡± Mo Ye asked in confusion.

    In her opinion, it would be a waste to ask Mo Feng to keep an eye on them.

    ¡°There is no hurry. He Yuxiu is even more anxious than us,¡± Mo Xuetong remarked meaningfully. There was a hint of sarcasm in her beautiful eyes. The fact that He Yuxiu had been Lian An¡¯s mistress had been revealed, and thus she looked like a stray dog. She was afraid that the Yu family and the Lian family would trouble her. All she could think of now was to please Mo Xuetong and the He brothers were her bargaining chips.

    Mo Xuetong did not feel any pity for He Yuxiu who had wanted to seduce others and ended up entering the brothel. She would just watch them fight themselves. He Yufen had returned home. Mo Xuetong believed that she would find out what happened in the He family¡¯s hometown. However, since the He brothers were the legitimate sons of the He family, how could they not know about it?

    Mo Ye saw that her master was so rxed and knew that she had already made up her mind. She did not say anything else and was about to send a message to Mo Feng.

    ¡°Mo Ye, after you tell Mo Feng about it, go to the Li¡¯s Manor and ask their Young Madam if she has made clothes for Grandmother this year. I don¡¯t know how Grandmother¡¯s clothes were made in the past years, so I have no idea what design and color she likes. Can I make clothes with her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will leave now.¡± Mo Ye knew that she was referring to Luo Mingzhu. She nodded and left.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the cloth at hand again and started embroidering carefully by the window, while hearing that Mo Yu outside the window told the old maidservants to do things in the courtyard. It was very quiet in the room. Knowing that she was embroidering seriously, Mo Lan brought her tea and instead of interrupting her, she started to discuss what they had to pay attention to on King Chu¡¯s birthday with Mo Yu outside.

    Mo Lan had always been very cautious, especially after the incident in the pce that Mo Xuetong was framed. Consort Chu and Mo Xuetong had always disliked each other. This time, Consort Chu and Mo Xuetong both were involved in the two matters in the pce. However, Mo Xuetong was fine. Who knew what Consort Chu would do?!

    Therefore, Mo Ye was telling Mo Yu, who had always been careless, to pay attention to some minor details.

    The two of them talked about it over and over again. Mo Lan was still worried and asked a few small questions, and Mo Yu also answered them in detail. Hearing their conversation, Mo Xuetong, sitting in the room, had a gentle smile on the corner of her lips. She really changed her fate of thest life. Now the two maidservants were talking in a soft voice outside, and she felt quite at peace in her heart.

    Nothing happened to Fu General Manor; she was neither disfigured nor married to Sima Lingyun; the fall of Duke¡¯s Manor had nothing to do with her. She had wanted to protect the person she wanted to protect in this life and live safely, and she had not expected to run into that pretty man, which made herpletely cold heart beat again.

    In her previous life, the two of them had never interacted with each other, as if they were two lines that were not in the same ne, and would never intersect no matter what happened. In this life, it was very strange that he had been by her side all the time. It really made her feel that life was too fantastic. However, what made her even more curious was why she was reborn!

    Why did something almost impossible happen to her

    Of course, she only thought about these things that she could not figure out for a while. When she thought of the happiness of her life right now, she felt that she had to treasure it. As for the nightmare, she had not suffered it for a long time. She did not want to think too much about those things that she could not figure out in her memories. She was willing to forget her past lifepletely and spend the rest of her life happily with Feng Yuran.

    Mo Ye returned quickly. He said that she did not see Young Madam Li who was said to be ill after she returned home yesterday.

    Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and waved her hand, signaling for Mo Ye to leave. Luo Mingzhu was ill. It seemed that it was mostly because of her parents¡¯ words. Mo Feng had already passed on the conversation between the two of them to Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not expect that her second uncle had a feeling for her mother.

    Now it seemed that Luo Mingzhu was suspicious of her because of this, so she pretended to be ill and refused to see Mo Ye. It was a little difficult to deal with!

    If someone else stopped trusting Mo Xuetong, Mo Xuetong would not be worried even if that person tried to plot against her. She could take measures to fight against the person ording to the actual situation. However, if that person was Luo Mingzhu, Mo Xuetong would not be willing to do so. No matter in her past life or this life, Luo Mingzhu was one of the few people who treated her well.

    No matter whether it was kinship or friendship between them, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t let it go. When she thought that if Luo Mingzhu really couldn¡¯t figure it out, it would be a deep ditch between them, her mood turned bad. She put down the embroidery in her hand and didn¡¯t want to do it anymore. So she simply leaned on the couch and frowned to think of a countermeasure.

    Her cousin treated her with all her heart and could distinguish right from wrong, so Mo Xuetong really didn¡¯t want them to be estranged. But sometimes, some things would not change ording to her liking at all...

 Chapter 579 - The Sixth Princess Came to the Banquet and Felt Pulse

    <h4>Chapter 579 The Sixth Princess Came to the Banquet and Felt Pulse</h4>

    The next day was King Chu Feng Yuxuan¡¯s birthday banquet. The gifts had already arrived yesterday, so there was no need to take gifts all the way. Feng Yuxuan was Feng Yuran¡¯s eldest brother and his rtives did not have to pay attention to empty forms. As such, his brothers¡¯ gifts were all sent to him one day earlier.

    This was to save the trouble of the birthday banquet. With their status, they did not care about whether the gifts were expensive or not because their gifts were often from the pce, each of which was a treasure. There was no need for these princes topete with others. In this way, people would not think that their gifts were better than theirs as they were from the royal family, and in case that some people¡¯s gifts would be rtively shabby.

    Mo Xuetong did not want to attend such a banquet. She and Ling Rui¡¯er hated each other. It could be said that they had been on bad terms since they met each other. So Mo Xuetong did not want to meet her at the banquet. Ling Rui¡¯er was arrogant and always behaved improperly. If she did not have Ding General Manor behind her, Mo Xuetong was certain that Ling Rui¡¯er would have been thrown into the Cold Pce by Feng Yuxuan.

    How could the scheming Feng Yuxuan really like Ling Rui¡¯er who was mean, arrogant and often made trouble for him.

    However, Mo Xuetong could not avoid such banquets. Feng Yuxuan was Feng Yuran¡¯s eldest brother and she was his sister-inw. How could she not be present? Furthermore, something like that had happened in the pce. Even though sheter proved that Ling Rui¡¯er was speaking nonsense, there were some things that were harsh. Even though the Emperor had already banned people from talking about it, people might think about it. She had to show up to show that she didn¡¯t feel guilty.

    It was said that there would be gifts from the pce this time, which raised the level of the banquet. Not everyone was allowed to attend such a banquet.

    Mo Xuetong had nned to go with Luo Mingzhu. However, Luo Mingzhu had tactfully refused to make clothes for Old Madam with her that day, which indicated that she was unwilling to go with her. Mo Xuetong could only go with Feng Yuran. But Emperor Zongwen had already warned Feng Yuran that he could not leave in advance.

    No matter what, Feng Yuxuan was still his eldest brother!

    As it was a banquet, she could not wear in clothes. Mo Lan and the other maidservants had already helped Mo Xuetong pick clothes and dress.

    She was dressed in a moon-white top and a light peacock blue skirt. There were a few charming equinox flowers embroidered beneath theyers of gauze. This was requested by Feng Yuran. He liked his purple robes to be embroidered with red enchanting equinox flowers which had beautiful rumors.

    The beautiful and gorgeous flowers that were embroidered on the light blue background immediately made Mo Xuetong¡¯s pure temperament more vivid, and her watery eyes more charming and seductive, as if there was water in them. Coupled with the light blue wide belt embroidered with the same pattern, she looked like a beautiful flower blooming quietly in the elegance, with natural yet enchanting charm. However, she still remained her coldness and purity.

    The group of maidservants were all stunned and imed that Mo Xuetong was indeed the most beautiful woman. As soon as she dressed up, they could not take their eyes off her.

    Feng Yuran was still dressed in a mboyant purple robe. The equinox flowers on it were even more beautiful and red than those on Mo Xuetong¡¯s clothes. It made his dark eyes look like snow-white jade. His thin lips were as red as usual and his handsome face had azy smile on it. He walked all the way, making all the youngdies and madams stunned.

    How could one not be attracted by such an immortal-like person with such grace?

    Only Mo Xuetong knew that he was not an immortal but a devil. Anyone who looked down on him would be swallowed up by him, not even leaving the skin and bones behind.

    There were many guests in front of King Chu¡¯s Manor today. As long as the officials in the capital had a little bit to do with King Chu, they all came no matter what position they were in. The street outside King Chu¡¯s Manor was full of all kinds of carriages. The grand asion was unprecedented. The servants who held gifts followed behind their masters, got off the horse carriages far away from the gate and lined up to enter King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s carriage came and was seen from afar. The servant guarding the gate cringingly weed the carriage to enter, while shouting loudly, ¡°Get out of the way, get out of the way, His Highness King Xuan is here.¡±

    Hearing his shout, the people waiting outside hurriedly made way for them. The carriage stopped in front of the manor. Mo Xuetong got off the carriage, and Feng Yuran got off the horse and walked inside together. The two parted at the gate. Feng Yuran went to the front hall. Mo Xuetong walked to the back parlor with her maidservants to rest.

    The banquet had not yet begun. All the female guests walked in and were received by the women of King Chu¡¯s Manor. What Mo Xuetong did not expect was that Ling Rui¡¯er still sat in the head seat as usual, and Mo Yarui sat beside to apany her. No matter how wrong Ling Rui¡¯er was, she was still a daughter of Ding General Manor and the dignified Consort Chu.

    If she was not allowed toe out in this banquet, people would think that the rumors in the pce were true. No matter whether it was Feng Yuxuan or Ding General Manor, they did not wish for such rumors to spread.

    It seemed that Feng Yuxuan just gave the runaround to lock Ling Rui¡¯er up for the past few days. It was not that he believed that Ling Rui¡¯er had not been seen by others, but that he had to believe it that if he wanted to draw Ding General Manor over to his side, Ling Rui¡¯er would be the best bargaining chip. He had already lost one, and would not lose this one.

    Mo Xuetong had never expected to see the Sixth Princess here. The soft and elegant Sixth Princess was known to be the gentlest and most popr princess in the pce, and she rarely attended banquets. When the Fifth Princess was around, the Sixth Princess was like a shadow of hers and never stood out. After the Fifth Princess married to another country, the Sixth Princess slowly stood out. However, she had always kept a low profile and never fought with others.

    Like her mother Imperial Noble Consort Wen, she hadrned the way of mediocrity. She was also friendly to others and never suppressed others with her status. It was rare to see a princess who was not arrogant in the royal family.

    She was the first to stand up when she saw Mo Xuetong entering. She smiled softly and said, ¡°Greetings, Eighth Sister-inw. I was just talking to Eldest Sister-inw about you. I did not expect you toe in now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Sixth Princess. You¡¯vee so early today.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and replied politely. The Sixth Princess was really rare to be seen and usually did not like to go where there were many people. It was rare for her toe out of the pce to celebrate King Chu¡¯s birthday. One had to think deeply and wonder if the Emperor had asked the Sixth Princess toe.

    If it was really because of the Emperor¡¯s order, then did it mean that the position of Crown Prince belonged to King Chu?

    Many appraising gazesnded on the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°The Sixth Princess didn¡¯te early, but Consort Xuan, you arete. Well, I heard that Consort Xuan has always been in poor health and rarely wakes up early in the morning. Are you still ill? Do you want me to ask a doctor to see you?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er seemed to tease.

    Her words were very harsh. Even though there were no elders in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, it would be unwomanly for her to sleep untilte in the day. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong had been well nourished recently. Even though her face was still a little pale, she was not so frail as to be inept. Ling Rui¡¯er would not let go of any chance to ruin her reputation.

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Consort Chu. It¡¯s just a minor illness. It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m really sorry for beingte today. His Highness said that we shouldeter and that it¡¯s just the right time toe so that he can apany King Chu to meet the guests.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and did not argue. She said that in a good-natured manner.

    Compared to Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s attitude, Mo Xuetong¡¯s behavior immediately made people feel that Consort Chu was not generous enough and was a little petty.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please have some tea. I heard that King Xuan had invited many imperial physicians especially for your health. You look slightly better now, and King Xuan must be finally relieved.¡± Mo Yarui hurried to ease the situation as the atmosphere was a little stiff. She did not have to help Ling Rui¡¯er, but she was holding a banquet today and did not want anything bad to happen in case Ling Rui¡¯er pushed all the me onto her.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, you don¡¯t have to be so polite.¡± Mo Xuetong took the tea with a slight smile, brushing this off.

    The Sixth Princess seemed to be interested in Mo Xuetong¡¯s illness as she turned her head to look at Mo Xuetong and asked with a smile, ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, are you feeling well? Days ago Eighth Brother asked the imperial physician many questions about it. He didn¡¯t seem to be too assured, so Mother wants to know your health.¡±

    A while ago, Mo Xuetong was not feeling well and Feng Yuran often went to the pce for it. Everyone in the pce knew about it, so it was natural for the Sixth Princess to ask about it. Mo Xuetong smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a serious illness. I have been a little weak since I was a child. I did not get well then, leaving the cause of disease, and it led to a serious illness. Fortunately, I¡¯m fine now. I feel better after recuperating for a while.¡±

    Sitting beside them, Ling Rui¡¯er wanted to say something, but was stopped by an older female servant standing beside her. After all, she was not that stupid. She was the mistress. As Consort Chu, she was looked down upon by others. Now even the Sixth Princess spoke to Mo Xuetong intimately, leaving her alone aside. How could she not be angry?

    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t think highly of the Sixth Princess. In her eyes, her cousin was the real princess while the Sixth Princess was powerless.

    ¡°The illness from when you were little is not a minor one now. Eighth Sister-inw, I have learned some pathology in the past. Would you like me to see you?¡± the Sixth Princess asked softly. She was taller than the Fifth Princess. Even though their eyes and brows were simr, they were quite different in other aspects. There was a gentleness in Sixth Princess¡¯s beauty, which was very likable.

    Besides, she was both warm-hearted and sincere. Of course, the crowd did not expect the Sixth Princess to really know how to treat a patient. She might know how to feel the pulse to see if it was fast or slow. A man knew how to feel the pulse didn¡¯t mean that he had mastered medical skills. After all, a lot of people could do it. It was mentioned in the book, and one could master it through holding their hands and practicing it a few times.

    Mo Xuetong did not refuse and raised her hand with a smile. ¡°Sixth Princess, you also know medical skills? Then please.¡±

    ¡°I just learned a little out of curiosity when I was reading. I¡¯m not very good at it. If I say something wrongter, Eighth Sister-inw, please forgive me.¡± The Sixth Princess reached out to feel Mo Xuetong¡¯s pulse while smiling gently.

    It was just as everyone expected. However, a princess knowing about it was also something new.

    The other madams anddies all stopped and turned around curiously when they heard that the Sixth Princess was going to feel the pulse. This was the first time they had heard of such a thing. Even Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the Sixth Princess. This was also the first time she had heard of such a thing. This was a truly unheard-of thing. A princess could do this kind of thing! If the Fifth Princess was still around, she would bitterly mock the Sixth Princess.

    A hush suddenly fell over the room.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything. Her watery eyes were clear and calm as she looked at the Sixth Princess. The princess closed her eyes slightly and ced her fingers on Mo Xuetong¡¯s pulse skillfully. Ayman could only watch the fun while an expert watched the knack. Mo Xuetong was an expert herself. With a glimpse, she knew that the Sixth Princess was not just saying it. She looked like an expert!

    It seems that she really knew how to feel the pulse!

    This was really strange. Mo Xuetong had never heard of this thing in her two lives, and it was obvious that the Sixth Princess came today to feel her pulse. What did she want to prove? Or what did she suspect?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes immediately darkened and her gazended on the Sixth Princess¡¯ slightly wrinkled brows. However, her hand remained motionless in front of the Sixth Princess, waiting for her diagnosis and treatment!

 Chapter 580 - Second Consort Mos Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 580 Second Consort Mo¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    After a long while, the Sixth Princess put down Mo Xuetong¡¯s wrist and put on a look of slight apology on her face. ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I... didn¡¯t find anything. I just feel that you¡¯re a little weak. Other than that, I didn¡¯t find anything else!¡±

    She meant that she was not good at medicine. No one demanded a princess¡¯s level of medical skill. It was not a big deal whether she was good at it or not. Especially in such a situation, she still reached out to examine Mo Xuetong. The Sixth Princess was more respected. It seemed that she was a really kind person.

    Mo Xuetong retracted her wrist as if she did not care. With a smile ying on her lips, she said sincerely, ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Sixth Princess. Thank you for seeing me. His Highness has to thank you heavilyter.¡±

    It sounded as if the Sixth Princess hade specially to examine Consort Xuan. Then some people thought that maybe the Sixth Princess was a medical expert as Consort Xuan had immediately reached out to ept her examine and refused the other imperial physicians in the hall as soon as she arrived. Someone could not help but remember that Bai Yihao, the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom, used to be close to the Sixth Princess when he was in the pce. They wondered if the Sixth Princess had learned medical skills from Sir Bai.

    The conjecture seemed reasonable. Although all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Institute of Medicine had brilliant medical skills, they obviously could notpare to Sir Bai. He was the one who could bring a patient back to life. One could tell that through the fact that when Empress Dowager was ill, those imperial physicians could do nothing about it and only Sir Bai could treat her. If the Sixth Princess really learned medical skills from Sir Bai, she should be good at it.

    However, when these people thought about it, they felt that there was something wrong. It was no longer a secret that the Fifth Princess liked Sir Bai back then. She had chased after Sir Bai all day and did not even care about her reputation as a girl. Fortunately, she was the Emperor¡¯s daughter and did not worry about her marriage. As such, no one med the Empress or the Emperor for this. But no matter what, everyone thought that the Fifth Princess had lost the decency of a woman while the Sixth Young Master was the model of a woman.

    However, if the Sixth Princess was truly learned medicine from Sir Bai, then it would be arguable!

    As soon as Sir Bai entered the pce, the Fifth Princess followed him. When did the Sixth Princess learn such excellent medical skills? Everyone in the pce didn¡¯t know about it. Did it mean that Sir Bai had taught her medical skills secretly? If so, was it a private connection?

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were full of suspicion. Although some of them still talked to each other, they all pricked up their ears, hoping to get thetest news. This would be the most sensational news. When the Fifth Princess chased after Sir Bai, Sir Bai sneaked into the pce to teach the Sixth Princess, or the Sixth Princess secretly went out of the pce to learn medicine from him.

    And it was obvious that the Fifth Princess didn¡¯t know about these things. Otherwise, with her overbearing personality, she would definitely interfere with the Sixth Princess!

    Now that she was able to keep it from the Fifth Princess and the Empress in the pce, the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen seemed to have to be reckoned with...

    If you dug into these questions one by one, you would find it kind of weird, and there were more and more things involved.

    The Sixth Princess seemed to have sensed this as well and her face froze slightly. However, she then smiled gently and shyly and answered, ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, you must be joking. I can just make prescriptions to treat headaches and fever. I just have read a few prescriptions at the Imperial Institute of Medicine. Prolonged illness makes a doctor of a patient. I used to be in poor health, and gradually I could make a few prescriptions myself. Since you¡¯re my Eighth Sister-inw, even if I were wrong, you wouldn¡¯t me me, would you?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough, Sixth Princess. How could I me you? Sixth Princess, when you¡¯re free in the future,e to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to chat with me.¡± As if she did not understand what the Sixth Princess had said, Mo Xuetong invited her enthusiastically.

    ¡°Alright, I will definitelye to bother you then, Eighth Sister-inw!¡± Sixth Princess agreed readily, and there was even a joyful smile on her face. It was obvious that the two of them were congenial.

    Mo Yarui¡¯s expression rxed. She had felt that something was wrong between the two earlier, but she could not tell what it was. She was even afraid that something was really wrong with the two of them, and if something were to happen, it would be troublesome. She was representing the back yard of King Chu¡¯s Manor today, and if anything were to happen between Mo Xuetong and the Sixth Princess, King Chu would definitely be unhappy.

    Now, when she saw that the two of them were talking smilingly and looking intimate, she thought that she had thought too much. How could there be something wrong between them? Both of them had very good characters. Even if they did not like each other, they would not make a fuss like Consort Chu, who not only made people angry, but also made others feel that she was not decent.

    Sure enough, when she had just finished thinking, Consort Chu grew unhappy again. ¡°Second Consort Mo, has the banquet start? How¡¯s everything going inside? Make sure to avoid some unpleasant things; otherwise His Highness¡¯ banquet has to be dyed. Do you want to go out and have a look?¡±

    Mo Yarui sighed secretly as she put on a smile on her face. ¡°My Lady, I¡¯ve already checked. There shouldn¡¯t be anything wrong. The banquet will start once His Highness sends his orders. My Lady, please don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°You have never held such a big banquet before. It is better to check it more carefully. If I had not been in poor health recently, I would have done it myself.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s expression looked not bad, and there was even a rare hint of a smile on her face. However, the implications in her words were too much that others could notpliment her.

    What did she mean by saying that she was in poor health? Even though people were not allowed to spread the matter in the pce, many people knew what had happened. Everyone knew that Consort Chu was not really ill but had been locked up by King Chu. She was not even allowed to hold King Chu¡¯s banquet, but she was still trying to save her face.

    ¡°Yes, I will go and take a look.¡± Now that Ling Rui¡¯er said that, if Mo Yarui did not go and take a look, it would seem a little cheesy. She then went out with her maidservant Mei Yu to check if it was really prepared. Actually, she did not have much confidence. She used to help her mother manage the household affairs when she was at home. However, how could the Assistant Minister¡¯s Manorpare to King Chu¡¯s Manor?

    After having chatted for a while with the Sixth Princess, Mo Xuetong brought Mo Lan and Mo Ye out to walk around the garden. It was still early for banquet and most of the madams anddies only sat for a while before they brought their maidservants out to walk around the garden. The garden in King Xuan¡¯s Manor was one of the most famousndscapes in the capital. It was said that it was built with the expertise of different craftsmen and took a lot of effort in the past.

    This was Mo Xuetong¡¯s first visit here, and she naturally wanted to take a look. Furthermore, it was really ufortable to see Ling Rui¡¯er sitting there and stating some harsh words from time to time.

    Luo Mingzhu did note today. She imed that she was still ill and afraid of spreading the disease to others, so she only sent gifts here. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darkened as she heard it. She sighed in her heart and did not ask anything else.

    She only hoped that Luo Mingzhu would be able to straighten her thinking as soon as possible. The past was a mess and she didn¡¯t know what had happened. If Luo Mingzhu could stand on her side, the two of them could investigate together and would definitely find out more about it. As for whether her second uncle had a crush on her mother, Mo Xuetong did not care. Actually, her second uncle and her mother were not rted by blood. So what if her second uncle had a crush on her mother when he knew about it?

    Furthermore, nothing had happened between her mother and second uncle. When her mother was still alive, Mo Xuetong could easily see the happiness in her eyes every time she saw her father. Therefore, her mother loved her father, and her second uncle had been watching her politely and never disturbed her mother¡¯s life.

    Mo Xuetong did not find such admiration intolerable!

    However, if Luo Mingzhu was on Madam Qu¡¯s side, she would feel unbearable. Madam Qu was wholeheartedly taking care of her husband, but there was another woman in his heart. Even if this woman was his younger sister, she could not stand it.

    But that was a long time ago, and Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother had passed away. No matter what had happened, what could they do?

    Mo Xuetong just hoped that Luo Mingzhu could see it more clearly.

    ¡°Consort Xuan? Our Second Consort wants you toe over. She has something to tell you!¡± A clever little maidservant came over from behind a rockery. It was a very quiet ce, and Mo Xuetong strolled around for a while and did not see anyone. The tree shadows were nted, water was flowing from the rockery, and the wind was blowing. Reaching here, Mo Xuetong did not want to leave and decided to sit down beside.

    ¡°Who is your Second Consort?¡± Mo Ye took a quick step forward and stood between the little maidservant and Mo Xuetong. There were other second consorts who hade today, so who knew who she was referring to.

    ¡°I was sent by Second Consort Mo. Just now, she remembered something and wanted to ask Consort Xuan about it!¡± the little maidservant replied with a smile.

    Mo Yarui had something to ask Mo Xuetong about? Mo Xuetong paused and then said with a smile, ¡°Since Second Consort Mo has something to ask me, let here here.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, but Mo Yarui was just a second consort even though she was the hostess here. It was by no means reasonable for Mo Yarui to order a maidservant to ask Mo Xuetong toe to her when she wanted to ask her about something.

    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± The maidservant was in an embarrassing situation.

    ¡°Go and ask Second Consort Mo toe over. I won¡¯t leave here anyway. She can ask me when shees.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand and sat down on a chair beside her.

    ¡°My Lady, can you ask this elder sister to go with me and tell Second Consort Mo about it? I¡¯m afraid that our Second Consort will think that I don¡¯t know how to do things and offend you, so you refuse to go there.¡± The maidservant pointed at Mo Lan timidly.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and became unhappy.

    The maidservant knelt down hurriedly. ¡°My Lady, please forgive me for my rudeness. I, I am afraid that passing the message in this way will dy Second Consort Mo¡¯s business.¡± Then, she kowtowed heavily to Mo Xuetong twice. Not far away, several madams looked at them and frowned, not knowing what was going on.

    ¡°Mo Lan, go with her and take a look. Remember to exin it clearly to Second Consort Mo.¡± Mo Xuetong thought about it and waved her hand with an indifferent expression. She smiled and nodded at Mo Lan. Mo Lan¡¯s lips curved into a cold smile and she nodded her head understandingly.

    ¡°Thank you, My Lady. Thank you, My Lady!¡± the maidservant thanked her profusely and then stood up. She and Mo Lan, who was standing beside her, walked towards Mo Yarui¡¯s yard.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Ye were still resting under the trees, waiting for Mo Yarui toe over.

 Chapter 581 - Its Said that the Red Coral Awarded by the Emperor Was Broken

    <h4>Chapter 581 It¡¯s Said that the Red Coral Awarded by the Emperor Was Broken</h4>

    Behind the rockery, a man looked at the woman at the corner in a daze. She walked casually under the tree with light steps. As the breeze blew gently, the hem of her dress fluttered loosely like fine sand, and the belt also danced in the wind, looking quite charming. There was only a delicate jade hairpin on her head. As the pearls on the hairpin swayed, her eyes appeared crystal clear and looked like water. Her dark pupils were like bright pearls.

    Her eyshes were curved. As she slightly looked up, her thick and long eyshes fluttered, making her as beautiful as a fairy.

    Was she like the woman who was so beautiful as to cause cities and kingdoms to fall?

    While he was staring nkly, someone suddenly pulled his sleeve. He turned around in a hurry and saw the manservant who took him in. The manservant stood behind him, sweating and said, ¡°Sir Hong, why are you here? I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to go away? Hurry up, the Second Consort is there and she asked you toe to her quickly!¡±

    When the manservant hurriedly led Hong Ming into the manor, he suddenly said that he had something urgent to do and asked him to wait there alone. Hong Ming did wait there, but unexpectedly, several youngdies came to the ce where he was while chatting. It would be very inappropriate if they found out that he was in the inner yard.

    Then he tried to hide, but he did not expect that he finally came to the rockery. He thought that it was a quiet ce, but was afraid that the manservant would not find him for a while, so he hid behind the rockery and looked around. Unexpectedly, the manservant did note, but a beautiful girl came. Although Hong Ming thought that he was not a lecher, who didn¡¯t want to take a second look at such a beautiful girl?

    Looking at her, he poked her head out and forgot about the manservant for a while.

    If the manservant hadn¡¯t run over and pulled his sleeve, he might have offended the beautifuldy. Thinking of this, he felt ashamed. He was a sensible intellectual, and how could he do such a thing? He turned back to look at her reluctantly and followed the manservant to the path of the back yard.

    It was said that something big had happened in the back yard, and his cousin was anxiously asking him to help her, so she secretly called him over from the front yard. It was not in line with etiquette, but his uncle had asked him to help his cousin. How could he not help her when he heard that she was in trouble?

    In fact, this matter was a little serious. No wonder Mo Yarui was afraid and anxious. She was too careless and had broken a part of the red coral given to King Chu by the pce. Fortunately, no one had found it. Hong Ming had to take a look before he found a way to buy one outside. No matter how much money it would take, this matter must be hushed up.

    Having this in mind, Hong Ming did not ask any more questions. He followed the manservant on a lonely road which snaked inward.

    They really couldn¡¯t let anyone find out about this!

    Walking to a small yard, the manservant pointed to the room in front and said, ¡°Sir Hong, our Second Consort asked you to wait here first. She had asked someone to move the coral here so that you can have a look.¡±

    It was very quiet here, but it was not the yard where he went to yesterday. Hong Ming frowned and stopped. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the yard of your Second Consort?¡±

    ¡°Sir Hong, what are you talking about? Now that our Second Consort has ruined the Emperor¡¯s gift, she doesn¡¯t dare to see you in her own yard. She has to eschew people and find a ce with fewer people so as not to be discovered by others. Therefore, our Second Consort has decided to meet you here. Besides, it¡¯s not far from the front yard. You can leave as soon as possible after you see it. There are many noble females in the back yard today. Second Consort is afraid that there will be something wrong.¡±

    The manservant exined with a smile.

    What he said was very reasonable, so Hong Ming did not think much and walked into the room. Since his cousin was afraid of being seen, he¡¯d better wait in the room. It was in the inner yard, and he had to avoid arousing suspicion.

    The manservant waited for him to enter the room respectfully. He listened and smiled proudly. When he heard someone¡¯s voice outside, he turned around and hurried to the wing room.

    Outside the entrance of the yard, Mo Yarui hurried over with a little maidservant. She had just been informed that Consort Xuan was looking for her, so she dropped what she was doing and hurried over here. Mo Yarui did not have a good time in King Chu¡¯s Manor. If she could always have Consort Xuan¡¯s support, King Chu would definitely pay more attention to her. Therefore, when she heard that Mo Xuetong was looking for her, she put down all the things and came with the maidservant leading the way.

    ¡°Second Consort, Consort Xuan is inside.¡± The maidservant stood at the entrance of the yard and pointed at the half-open door, grinning.

    Mo Yarui did not suspect anything and walked into the room. She did not see the strange smile on the face of the maidservant standing behind her, nor did she notice that the wing room was slightly opened and a pair of eyes were looking from inside.

    ¡°Consort Xuan!¡± Mo Yarui called out. As no one answered, she thought that no one had heard her. As such, she pushed the door open lightly and walked in. The room was very quiet and Mo Yarui did not see anyone. A fragrance slowly floated from inside and was very strong. Mo Yarui looked up, but she could not see what was inside. There was only arge screen in front of her and thedy in pce dress painted on it was coquettish and charming.

    ¡°Is Consort Xuan resting inside? Why does she not even have a personal maidservant with her?¡± Mo Yarui could not help but criticize in her heart. ¡°What if someone else barges in? If something were to happen to her in our manor, His Highness would definitely kill me. I have to remind Consort Xuan so that she would not make such a mistake again.¡±

    Thinking to herself, Mo Yarui lifted her dress slightly and walked inside. She turned around the screen and saw a man on the bed in shock. Mo Yarui shuddered and immediately felt that something was wrong. Having no time to think about it, she turned around to walk out hurriedly. However, she felt a wave of dizziness and could not even remain stable. Her body softened and she fell to the ground.

    The maidservant and the manservant guarding outside looked at each other and nodded proudly. The manservant held his breath and went in first to put out the incense in the room. Then he opened the window to dispel the smell, wrapped the incense carefully, and put it in his arms before waving outside.

    Seeing that he had finished dealing with it, the maidservant came in as well. The two of them carried Mo Yarui to the bed, one by her hands and the other by her feet. Then they put away Hong Ming, who had fainted there, and then put Mo Yarui into his arms. When they were all done, they looked around. As they found nothing wrong, they left quietly...

    Then the two did not talk much. One went to the front yard, and the other went to work in the back yard as if nothing had happened.

    When Mo Lan returned to the rockery, she only saw Mo Xuetong resting alone on a stone chair. She looked around and did not see Mo Ye.

    ¡°My Lady, where is Mo Ye?¡± Mo Lan asked worriedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m a little thirsty here, so she went to get me some water.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and lookedzily at thedies who wereing from a little distance away.

    The rockery wasrge, and it was cool to sit nearby. It was indeed a good ce to cool off and enjoy the scenery.

    At the sight of Mo Xuetong, those madams anddies came over and greeted her politely. Mo Xuetong even saw a familiar face amongst the crowd¡ªit was Lian An¡¯s wife. This was the first time that Mo Xuetong had seen her since Madam Lian hurried up the mountain to pray for blessings for her. She wore light clothes and looked very in. Even though there was still a hint of a smile in the corners of her eyes, the smile seemed to be forced.

    The two maids beside her were no longer the two enchanting ones and they looked like servants of her family. Maybe it was because it was the first time they had attended this kind of banquet, they looked a little restrained!

    Lian An had been demoted again and again. He was now an ordinary fourth-grade official and no longer the minister of the Ministry of Works. The reason why Madam Lian could attend such a banquet was that she had a good rtionship with those noble people in the past. However, when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s half-smiling eyes, she looked obviously embarrassed.

    Lian An¡¯s affair seemed to be immoral on the surface, but in fact, Madam Lian was well aware that the Emperor would never put him in an important position again in this life. He was not beheaded because the Emperor could not find a proper reason. After all, the Emperor could not tell others that Lian An liked his beloved concubine and found a woman simr to her.

    The Emperor would be shameless if such words were to spread!

    As such, he used the fact that Lian An had taken He Yuxiu as his mistress and the He family¡¯s maidservant caused trouble in the pce as his excuses. Even though they were a little contrived, they were rted. The Emperor¡¯s intention was unpredictable. Who knew if this matter had angered the Emperor? Lian An would definitely be demoted. However, he was still in charge of the Ministry of Works because no one could take over his job now.

    As such, even though Lian An had been demoted, those who had no idea what had happened thought that Lian An was only hated by the Emperor for a while and would rise again in a few days. In this case, they treated Madam Lian politely and took her to attend the banquet in King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    The few of them sat there and chatted for a while. Then, two maidservants came to invite them to take their seats, and then pointed to the meandering path behind the rockery. ¡°My Lady, it is faster to get to the inner yard. There are trees on the way, so it is much cooler.¡±

    One of the maidservants suggested. It was noon, and was indeed a little hot. Although it was not as hot as the summer, it was still a hot autumn day. Now that it was hot, no one was willing to walk under the sun. Besides, they had enjoyed the view on the way here. This time, of course, they would choose this road.

    It was cool and they could also enjoy the scenery. Everyone was willing to take it.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and said to one of the maidservants of King Chu¡¯s Manor, ¡°I asked one of my maidservants to get some water for me. You wait here first. When you see her, tell her toe to me directly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll lead the way for you, My Lady.¡± the tall maidservant answered cleverly. She smiled and led the way for everyone. The other maidservant stayed behind and waited for Mo Ye and intended toe over with her when she brought tea back.

    They had just walked a short way when a few more people came up the side road. The first person was the Sixth Princess. Ling Rui¡¯er was by her side. It was obvious that they were also wandering back, and they took the same way as Mo Xuetong did.

    The two groups merged into one and nodded at each other. The Sixth Princess walked side by side with Mo Xuetong and asked with a smile, ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, how is Eldest Brother¡¯s garden scenerypared to your manor¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°King Chu¡¯s garden is very beautiful. There are some details that I have never seen before. It can be seen that it is unique,¡± Mo Xuetong praised, beaming. It was not too much of apliment. King Chu¡¯s garden was indeed beautiful and one could tell that he had put a lot of thought into it.

    Ling Rui¡¯er enjoyed the praise and was all smiles. She covered her lips with a handkerchief and chuckled. ¡°Consort Xuan, when will you invite us to visit your garden? I heard that the garden of King Xuan¡¯s Manor is veryrge, and there is a bigke in it.¡±

    Theke in King Xuan¡¯s Manor reminded people of what had happened on Mo Xuetong¡¯s birthday. Didn¡¯t it happen by theke? Ling Rui¡¯er was mocking Mo Xuetong for making such a big scandal at the birthday banquet, which was really a joke.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up into a charming smile. She nced at Ling Rui¡¯er from the corner of her eyes and replied indifferently, ¡°Consort Chu, you are wee whenever you are free.¡±

 Chapter 582 - Ling Ruier Interlocking Frame

    <h4>Chapter 582 Ling Rui¡¯er Interlocking Frame</h4>

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s casual words, Ling Rui¡¯er felt that she failed to influence Mo Xuetong. She took a deep breath and bit her lip, suppressing the anger surging in her heart. Then she cast a nce at the yard not far behind the trees and her eyes darkened. An imperceptible cold smile appeared in her eyes.

    Even though Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t react to her words, Ling Rui¡¯er did not believe that she would not react a whileter.

    ¡°All right, Consort Xuan. Then I will not stand on ceremony. I will definitelye with His Highness to take a look at the garden of your manor in a few days. If there are some spots we like, we can improve our garden,¡± she responded with a smile. Her tone was extremely friendly without her harsh intentions towards Mo Xuetong, as if there was no hidden strife between the two of them.

    Mo Xuetong nced at her quietly before she rolled her watery eyes and nodded with a smile of unconcern. Then, she chatted with Ling Rui¡¯er in the same kind of intimate tone, as if they had not said anything with hidden message. While they were talking, the group of people had turned around a wall in front of them and saw a yard.

    A madam stood in front of the yard and looked at it. She waved the pce fan in her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Consort Chu, the architectural style of this yard is beautiful. It seems to be different from the average yards!¡±

    The yard in front of them looked no different from others at first nce, but after careful observation, one could tell that it was still a little different: the pink outer wall, white lines, the light framework outer wall and some vines nting beside the wall, covering more than half of it.

    The pink wall was decorated with green vines, which was visually unique and attracted everyone¡¯s attention at once.

    ¡°This yard was built in reference to some yards which His Highness had seen in other countries. It is a little different from the yards in our country. His Highness said that he likes this kind of different building, so he especially asked people to build a yard here. The style inside is a little different from the local ones.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er introduced with a smile.

    Then she waved her hand and motioned the maidservant beside her to push the gate open, indicating for everyone to look inside.

    The gate was half-closed and immediately opened with a push. Everyone followed behind Ling Rui¡¯er and entered with curiosity.

    ¡°Usually, there are few people here and it¡¯s very quiet. His Highness seldomes here. He only rests here when he asionally walks in the garden and gets tired. It is close to the front yard and isn¡¯t far away from the back yard. It¡¯s a great ce.¡±

    Hearing Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s praise, the madams anddies wanted to go in even more. If it was really good, they could go back and build a simr yard.

    Suddenly, there came a low moan of a woman. Although it was very soft, they heard it clearly. Everyone could not help but be stunned and looked at Ling Rui¡¯er.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had long known that it was Mo Yarui and her cousin, Hong Ming. Her eyes were filled withcency. She looked at Mo Xuetong who was standing by the side with a slight smile on her face. Then she wore a strict look and asked the maidservant beside her, ¡°Who is inside?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know... There¡¯s usually nobody here!¡± the maidservant shouted in a hurry for fear of taking responsibility, which attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    Before Ling Rui¡¯er could say anything, a man¡¯s heavy breathing could be heard from inside. Everyone held their breaths this time and heard it clearly.

    ¡°Who dares to do such a thing in our manor? Go and open it. Let everyone see who is so shameless.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was furious

    Two older maidservants came up from behind her and kicked the door open. As soon as the door was open, a wide and kind of square bed came into everyone¡¯s sight. On the bed, a man and a woman were hugging each other intimately. Hearing the voice, the man looked back hurriedly. At the sight of Ling Rui¡¯er standing in front of him, he screamed, pushed the woman away and quickly pulled the quilt on the bed to cover himself.

    The Sixth Princess was so shocked that her face turned pale. She was unmarried, so she couldn¡¯t bear to see such a scene. Instantly, she was dragged out by the nanny beside her.

    The woman was pushed aside, and her long ck hair hung loose, covering her face. She did not dare to look at anyone, screaming and pulling the quilt.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had not seen this man before. He had a mildly handsome face. Was he Mo Yarui¡¯s cousin? It seemed that the two really had an affair. She had wanted everyone to see the two of them lying together in disarray, and she did not expect them to really be making out. Mo Yarui usually looked gentle, and she did not expect her to be a slut. Even though Ling Rui¡¯er could not see her face clearly, she thought that the woman was definitely Mo Yarui.

    ¡°Mo...¡± Mo Xuetong, who was standing beside, suddenly seemed to have discovered something. She opened her eyes wide in shock and looked straight at the woman¡¯s naked back. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief as if she had been frightened.

    Ling Rui¡¯er followed her gaze and saw the woman anxiously covered her head in the quilt.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong has seen Mo Yarui¡¯s face!¡±

    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t have to think of a way to get Mo Xuetong into the trap,¡± Ling Rui¡¯er thought proudly.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, have you seen it clearly? Is it really Second Consort Mo? How could this be? Didn¡¯t you ask Second Consort Mo to talk to you just now? Why is she here?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er seemed to be frightened as well and she took two steps back and expose the scene inside to the madams and youngdies.

    As first, everyone thought that someone was meeting secretly here. However, the Sixth Princess, Consort Chu, and Consort Xuan were standing in front of them, and they did not dare to go forward even if they wanted to.

    Some unmarried youngdies also heard the abnormality inside and did not dare to look inside. They also followed the Sixth Princess to walk out the room. Only the married madams came up to see what was going on. But the naked man and woman hid in the quilt and wrapped themselves. For a moment, people looked at each other, but couldn¡¯t see who they were.

    Mo Xuetong turned around and did not dare to look inside. She looked out with a blush and argued, ¡°Consort Chu, when did I say that she is Second Consort Mo?¡±

    ¡°You said it! I heard clearly that you mentioned Second Consort Mo. Could it be that you¡¯ve seen the face of the woman lying on the bed clearly, Consort Xuan? That¡¯s right. From your angle, you should be able to see her face clearly.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er did not wait for Mo Xuetong to argue. She immediately turned around and said to the older maidservant standing beside her, ¡°Go and find out who Second Consort Mo was meeting secretly. How did he enter the yard?¡±

    As soon as she gave the order, a maidservant said timidly, ¡°Second Consort Mo was called away by Consort Xuan just now. I also saw Consort Xuan¡¯s maidservant was with Second Consort Mo.¡±

    She meant that Mo Lan went to Mo Yarui with a maidservant.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, when I sent tea to these madams in the yard, I saw you beside the rockery. There was a man behind the rockery. He seemed to be this man. At that time, the man seemed, seemed to be...¡± Another older maidservant looked at Mo Xuetong and did not dare to continue.

    Reminded by her, several madams present remembered it. At that time, they seemed to also find that there was a man in that ce, but they couldn¡¯t see him because they were far away from the rockery. At that time, only Consort Xuan sat there and rested. Could it be that this man had something to do with her?

    Most of the madams¡¯ suspicious eyesnded on Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What was it then? Go on!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er red at the older maidservant and snapped coldly.

    The older maidservant was so scared that she knelt on the ground with a plop. She trembled with fear and couldn¡¯t even say a word.

    ¡°Somebody, drag this servant away and beat her hard until she can say it clearly. How dare they do something so indecent in King Chu¡¯s Manor? Do they want to die?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er yelled righteously. She pointed at the older maidservant and looked mad. That was reasonable. It was a shame to have something like this happening at the banquet even if it had nothing to do with the host. Furthermore, the woman in bed seemed to be Second Consort Mo.

    Then she was cuckolding King Chu, and it was his birthday banquet. As the first consort of King Chu, how could Ling Rui¡¯er not be livid with anger?

    The older maidservant grew anxious when she saw that someone wasing to drag her. She suddenly became glib and reached out to grasp the door, begging for mercy, ¡°My Lady, please spare my life. My Lady, please spare my life. I¡¯ll make it clear. I saw Consort Xuan talking to the man. The man was at the rockery and poked his head out. The two of them spoke a few words.¡±

    Second Consort Mo was called over by Consort Xuan, and this man had once spoken with Consort Xuan in the garden. That was to say, Consort Xuan knew both of them. Then the two behaved inappropriately here. It was King Chu¡¯s birthday banquet. Could it be that Consort Xuan had caused the matter in order to ruin King Chu¡¯s banquet?

    Now the forey was enough. Ling Rui¡¯er turned around angrily and snarled at Mo Xuetong, ¡°Consort Xuan, can you exin this matter? Who is that man? How did you bring him into the manor? And how did you trick Second Consort Mo intoing here? What on earth do you want to do?¡±

    At this moment, all the madams could understand Ling Rui¡¯er. Anyone would not be able to take it lying down when such a thing happened in their manor.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, Consort Chu!¡± Mo Xuetong had already calmed down and a slight smile appeared on her lips. There was a hint of confusion on her face and her brows furrowed slightly. She looked as if she did not know what had happened. There was obvious surprise in her clear eyes!

    Ling Rui¡¯er was full of anger when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and she red at Mo Xuetong with her almond-shaped eyes. Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, which was filled with anxiety but still beautiful, she was jealous and hateful. ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Consort Xuan, do you want me to find more witnesses for you? I thought that you were here to celebrate His Highness¡¯ birthday with sincere. I trusted you and especially told servants that when your people came, there was no need to check carefully. It turns out that you were the one who brought the man in...¡±

    Her voice was full of hatred, and her eyes were almost spitting fire!

    This was to me Mo Xuetong for bringing the man into the back yard and making him to have an affair with Mo Yarui. Furthermore, she did not allow Mo Xuetong to argue. The method was very vicious. She intended to destroy Mo Yarui and Mo Xuetong at the same time.

    Needless to say, Mo Yarui had an affair with another man behind King Chu¡¯s back and this was enough to condemn her to death by being drowned in a pig cage. Mo Xuetong was also in trouble. She directly intervened in her brother-inw¡¯s inner yard. Even though no one caught her on the spot, she had an ambiguous conversation with a man and even brought him into the inner yard to meet Mo Yarui in private. For this crime alone, the Emperor would not let her live.

    Consort Xuan also represented the royal family¡¯s decency. How could the Emperor tolerate such a disgraceful daughter-inw?

    ¡°My Lady, I remember. This man also came yesterday and entered the manor with the gifts of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. At that time, I thought that he was King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s steward who sent the gifts here, so I didn¡¯t care where he went.¡± Another maidservant suddenly pointed at the man on the bed and eximed.

    ¡°Yes, I remember too. He secretly left from the back door.¡± Another older maidservant came out to testify. All the evidence proved that Mo Xuetong¡¯s bad intentions, and this man, with Mo Xuetong¡¯s help, had entered King Chu¡¯s Manor more than once.

    The madams who had been suspicious before glowered after hearing so many pieces of evidences. It seemed that it was true that Consort Xuan was really unreliable. She had a secret date with a man and had an ambiguous rtionship with him. She seemed to be a dissolute woman.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, how are you going to exin?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er pointed at Mo Xuetong, looking as if she wanted her to exin. Her face was full of anger, but her eyes were filled with satisfaction. She did not believe that she would not be able to kill the slut this time!

 Chapter 583 - Misjudge, Ling Ruier Lost Control of Her Temper

    <h4>Chapter 583 Misjudge, Ling Rui¡¯er Lost Control of Her Temper</h4>

    ¡°What a shameless woman! How dare she have an affair with another man?¡±

    ¡°This is the noble King Chu¡¯s Manor. They are courting death.¡±

    ¡°I heard that the daughter of the Mo family is a gentle and virtuous girl. I didn¡¯t expect her to be such a slut. Didn¡¯t she im that Consort Chu killed the child in her belly a few months ago? Perhaps it wasn¡¯t King Chu¡¯s child.¡±

    ¡°Consort Chu is a kind person. If that woman were in someone else¡¯s family, she would have been beaten to death.¡± They brought forward the matter that Ling Rui¡¯er had caused Mo Yarui to miscarry. Furthermore, everyone was on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s side. Hearing their conversation, Ling Rui¡¯er was so smug that she almost could not remain the angry look on her face.

    She killed three birds with one stone. Si Rong lookedmon but was very smart.

    ¡°After this incident, King Chu will definitely care more about me. Even the Emperor in the pce will feel that he was wrong and think highly of me. I¡¯m going to get glory by taking advantage of the two sluts Mo Yarui and Mo Xuetong!¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was so proud of herself. However, she knew that she could not show anything at this moment. Her face was still pale and she looked mad. ¡°Go and get His Highness here. Let him see for himself what¡¯s going on. Also, ask His Highness King Xuan toe too and give King Chu¡¯s Manor an exnation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go right away.¡± A clever maidservant ran away.

    Yesterday, King Chu worked in the study, and it was said that he had seen Mo Yarui¡¯s cousin secretly left from the back door. With today¡¯s evidence, Mo Yarui and Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t escape!

    ¡°Consort Chu, are you so sure that I have something to do with this?¡± Mo Xuetong faintly smiled and lightly asked Ling Rui¡¯er whose face was livid with anger.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, can you give us any other exnation? You called away Mo Yarui and you also brought this man into the manor. Now they did such a thing. How can you exin it, Consort Xuan?¡± Ling Rui¡¯er didn¡¯t lose her temper but smiled when she saw how calm Mo Xuetong was.

    ¡°Something like that happened at your banquet in your manor. You caused a scandal for your manor, and you can¡¯t stand to see how quiet our manor was and made such a thing in our manor. Consort Xuan, you are too selfish and scheming. This is King Chu¡¯s Manor, the house of King Xuan¡¯s eldest brother. You are just a sister-inw. What do you want to do here to satisfy you?¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er red at Mo Xuetong and snapped in one breath.

    The meaning of her words made all the madams think about it. A woman meddled in the affairs of her husband¡¯s eldest brother¡¯s manor. It was not a simple matter. Moreover, as a sister-inw, she even intervened with the inner yard of King Chu¡¯s Manor and deliberately messed up the inner yard. Was it because she couldn¡¯t bear to see their peaceful life, or was there another reason behind it?

    The madams looked at each other, but no one dared to say anything. They had better know less about such a royal scandal. Maybe someone would kill them. That matter had just happened in the pce, and such a scandal happened to King Chu¡¯s Manor. Now that there was evidence to prove it, Consort Xuan would die this time.

    Mo Xuetong knew that Ling Rui¡¯er was determined to kill her when she saw how Ling Rui¡¯er was pretending to be angry. Her smile grew even gentler as she said, ¡°Consort Chu, are you trying to me it all on me? Second Consort Mo wanted to see me, and I only told that I would go to her a whileter. I rest beside the rockery. The madams have seen that man poking his head out, but did they see anything odd about me? As for sending the gifts yesterday, I only sent an older maidservant of our manor¡¯s back yard toe. Why is there another man? Why are you trying to me it all on me, Consort Chu? Could it be that the back yard of King Chu¡¯s Manor is so loose that anyone can enter as they wish? Furthermore, taking advantage of the banquet, a man from outside came in and peeked at a female guest, but no one cared about it.¡±

    ¡°What if the man spies on an unmarried youngdy and talks about it after he goes out?¡±

    Mo Xuetong said thest sentence while looking at the older madams. The madams¡¯ expressions changed when they heard that. They all had daughters. Since King Chu¡¯s Manor had invited them this time, how could they note? If their daughters were really seen by a stranger man and the man were to speak nonsense outside, it would ruin their daughter¡¯s reputation. How could they not be nervous?

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you cry only when death is staring you in the face. Do you want to ask the eunuch of His Highness? I heard that they also saw a man sneaking away from the back door yesterday.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry when Mo Xuetong had led the matter to the back yard¡¯s security. However, a hint of pride appeared at the corners of her eyes. She thought Mo Xuetong was at her wit¡¯s end and had no choice but to push the matter to the back yard of King Chu¡¯s Manor. She grew even more relieved.

    In her eyes, Mo Xuetong did this in order to wage a deathbed struggle.

    While they were arguing, no one noticed that the two people in the quilt moved slightly.

    Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and persuaded her unhurriedly, ¡°Consort Chu, the things that you said earlier were all seen by the young and older maidservants of your manor. Aren¡¯t they all servants of your manor? If their master has given them orders... Consort Chu, don¡¯t make a fuss. It will not look good on everyone if you make a fuss.¡±

    Ling Rui¡¯er was Consort Chu, the mistress of King Chu¡¯s Manor. It would be easy for her to get a few servants to testify against Mo Xuetong. It was not until then that the madams remembered that every strong evidence had just been given by the people of King Chu¡¯s Manor... Could it be that Consort Chu was the one who framed Consort Xuan?

    Everyone suspiciously looked at Ling Rui¡¯er who was blushing because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. Ling Rui¡¯er was the one who had caused a lot of trouble in the pce. Was she angry that Consort Xuan had spilled watermelon juice on her in the pce? Did shee to seek revenge on Consort Xuan on her home ground?

    If that was the case, then it could exin that the young and older maidservants rushed to reveal that the matter had something to do with Consort Xuan.

    Ling Rui¡¯er did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so crafty as to fight back from the points that she had not prepared. She and Si Rong hade up with all sorts of possibilities. They used every opportunity to lead everyone¡¯s suspicion to Mo Xuetong and even destroyed all the evidence. The maidservant and manservant were not the servants of King Chu¡¯s Manor. Even if Mo Xuetong wanted to investigate the entire manor, she would not be able to find them.

    Mo Xuetong would not be able to defend herself as she lost these pieces of strong evidence!

    However, Mo Xuetong did not start from defending herself. Instead, she suspected that the witnesses were all the servants of King Chu¡¯s Manor. This was something that Ling Rui¡¯er did not expect beforehand. She opened her mouth and felt that something was wrong. Then, she looked at the madams¡¯ expressions and knew that they were all suspicious of her.

    She was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat on her forehead!

    However, there was no time for her to think too much on the spot. She could only harass Mo Xuetong and said, ¡°Consort Xuan, everyone in the manor is a member of our manor. Those who saw you are of course from our manor. Are you trying to ask your two maidservants to testify for you? Look, one of your maidservants is not here. I wonder what she is up to now!¡±

    Anyway, when Mo Xuetong said that the young and older maidservants in King Chu¡¯s Manor couldn¡¯t be trusted, Ling Rui¡¯er said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s two maidservants couldn¡¯t be trusted. They were all servants, and they all listened to their mistress. Could it be possible that the servants in King Xuan¡¯s Manor had better integrity than those in King Chu¡¯s Manor?

    Anyway, today¡¯s matter fell on Mo Xuetong. As long as she could not defend herself, it would be her crime!

    Mo Xuetong looked at Ling Rui¡¯er and said meaningfully, ¡°Consort Chu, you¡¯re wrong. My maidservant went to get me some water. When I came, I asked one of the maidservants of your manor to wait for her. I guess she¡¯sing soon. But the young and older maidservants in your manor make me very suspicious. Consort Chu, how, how many young and older maidservants did you bring with you?¡±

    ¡°Two young maidservants and two older ones.¡± Ling Rui¡¯er looked behind her. She was the mistress and had not gone out; furthermore, she was by the Sixth Princess¡¯ side; so she did not have too many people to follow her. There were only two young maidservants and two older ones following behind her.

    Mo Xuetong smiled gently at her and reached out to count her white fingers one by one. ¡°An older maidservant said that she saw me talking to a man in the garden. A young maidservant said that she saw a maning in with King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s people who sent gifts yesterday. The other older maidservant said that she saw the man sneaking away from the back door yesterday. Thest young maidservant said that I sent someone to call Second Consort Mo today.¡±

    ¡°Consort Chu, you only brought these four maidservants with you. Why did they look as if they have all been rehearsed and all seen what I did? Could it be that you nned all of this? Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence in the world?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes were wide open as they deftly darted from the faces of the young and older maidservants one after another. The coldness in her eyes seemed to prate the hearts of others and made these maidservants lower their heads uneasily.

    It was too coincidental!

    Ling Rui¡¯er only thought about how to frame Mo Xuetong today, so the two young maidservants and two older maidservants she brought with her were all important witnesses. And these four people all testified against Mo Xuetong. They even saw what happened yesterday clearly, as if Ling Rui¡¯er brought them out today just to testify against Mo Xuetong. It was so coincidental that it was almost wless.

    Could something like this happen? Some madams could not help but cry out in surprise!

    This was too much of a coincidence!

    Only in the case of Consort Chu deliberately framed Consort Xuan, this seemed to make sense!

    Everyone had fought in the back yard, so they all knew this kind of thing!

    Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face was at once nched and livid when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s words which sounded innocent but harsh. She pointed at Mo Xuetong and shouted hatefully, ¡°Nonsense!¡±

    ¡°How could it be nonsense? Consort Chu, do you hate me because of what has happened in the pce? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s really my fault. I didn¡¯t know that there was someone... sneaking into the imperial harem. If I had known that earlier, I would have persuaded you to find another ce to change, and then the following things would not have happened! Consort Chu, I apologize. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me.¡±

    There was a look of guilt on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as she looked at Ling Rui¡¯er sincerely. She looked as if she truly felt guilty. She bowed to Ling Rui¡¯er and spoke gently, as if she really wanted to reconcile with Ling Rui¡¯er.

    She spoke with pain while also exining what Ling Rui¡¯er meant. It was obvious that Ling Rui¡¯er had made a fool of herself at the pce banquet¡ªshe had been seen by another man and that was why she had vented her anger on Mo Xuetong. She had set up this trap to frame Mo Xuetong today in order to get revenge.

    The matter at the pce had been forbidden to spread. As such, Mo Xuetong had intentionally spoken it in vague terms when she mentioned it. However, the women beside the Sixth Princess and Ling Rui¡¯er were all noble madams, and of course, they were present that day and had known about it without listening to others. Initially, they had some doubts about whether the person really saw Consort Chu¡¯s body.

    Now, they all understood that Consort Chu had indeed lost her chasteness. She had been seen by a strange man; otherwise, she would not be so vicious today and set up a trap. For a moment, everyone looked at Ling Rui¡¯er with disdain. For someone like Ling Rui¡¯er, she could only die if she lost her chasteness. However, not only did she not die, but she even grinned and tried to show off in front of others. Even if she was Consort Chu, others would look down on her.

    Ling Rui¡¯er was so angry she almost vomited blood. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to pretend to be wronged and a good person and even frame her. The fact that a strange had seen her body was the deepest secret in her heart and she had tried hard not to think about it for the past few days. Now Mo Xuetong had mentioned it. Looking at the disdain in the eyes of the madams, she could not remain calm.

    She suddenly looked up at Mo Xuetong, her eyes blood red. She gritted her teeth and charged at Mo Xuetong. Bitch, she talked nonsense and ruined her reputation. She was going to tear her apart!

 Chapter 584 - Foil the Plot, One Dead and One Mad

    <h4>Chapter 584 Foil the Plot, One Dead and One Mad</h4>

    ¡°Stop!¡± A cold shout came from behind the crowd. Ling Rui¡¯er, who had almost lost her wits, immediately regained her sense. When she heard the voice at this point, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face paled and she fell to the ground. The maidservant standing beside her quickly held her up.

    Everyone turned around in shock. Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran had arrived graciously at the entrance of the yard. Most importantly, everyone saw a person they would never have imagined: Mo Yarui.

    Wasn¡¯t she having a private meeting with another man on the bed? Everyone¡¯s eyes swept past Mo Yarui¡¯s face and thennded at the man and woman, who were wrapped tightly in the quilt on the bed. If she wasn¡¯t Mo Yarui, then they would be able to see clearly that Consort Chu had framed Consort Xuan.

    Ling Rui¡¯er insisted that the woman on the bed was Mo Yarui, and used all kinds of coincidences to prove that it was a trap set by Consort Xuan. ording to her, all kinds of things had something to do with Consort Xuan. But now it seemed that Consort Xuan and Second Consort Mo were probably plotted against by Consort Chu! She disgraced King Chu by doing such a thing at his banquet.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s charming purple clothes shed past the crowd and immediately appeared by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. A look of hatred and anger appeared on his handsome face. He red at Ling Rui¡¯er who was shivering by the side, with dark and bloodthirsty look in his eyes. Ling Rui¡¯er was so frightened that she immediately lowered her head. Feng Yuran turned around and softly asked Mo Xuetong, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Mo Xuetong beamed at him. She reached out to hold his outstretched hand and squeezed it gently, indicating for him to rest assured.

    ¡°My Lady, I could not find you at the rockery in the inner yard, so I went to look for His Highness. It just so happened that His Highness came, so I followed along.¡± Mo Ye, who was standing behind Feng Yuran, came forward and curtsied.

    It turned out that Consort Xuan¡¯s missing maidservant did not go to do something shameful, but to see King Xuan. Everyone suddenly realized what was going on. But what about Mo Yarui?

    ¡°Second Consort Mo, why, why are you here?¡± A madam could not help but cover her mouth and eximed. She looked at Mo Yarui as if she had seen a ghost.

    Mo Yarui looked at Feng Yuxuan, and the man nodded with a gloomy face as his eyes swept past Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face and fell on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s pale face with a trace of fierceness, ruthlessness, and disgust in his eyes. He had wanted to keep this chess piece, but he didn¡¯t expect her to be so stupid to do some unpresentable fights again and again. Now she herself was also involved in it.

    Everyone had intended to y down the matter happening in the pce. The man was dead and it could not be considered that there was no evidence. However, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s crazily framed Mo Xuetong. The two of them belonged to the two manors and there was no need for this to happen unless Ling Rui¡¯er hated Mo Xuetong because of what happened in the pce.

    That was to say, it proved from the other side that Ling Rui¡¯er had indeed been seen by another man.

    As Consort Chu, the daughter-inw of the royal family, how could she have done something so disgraceful!

    If something like this were to happen to a woman of an ordinary family, the woman could only die in the end, much less a woman of the royal family. Feng Yuxuan looked at Ling Rui¡¯er like she was a dead person. The love that he had pretended in the past had long be cold when he knew that Ling Rui¡¯er only had one path: death.

    ¡°I asked the maidservant to invite Consort Xuan over just now. Consort Xuan said that she was resting there and would note, and if I really needed her, I could go to the rockery. In case I don¡¯t believe it, Consort Xuan specially sent her personal maidservant there. I didn¡¯t expect that I would take the wrong path when I came over, so I went back while looking for her. I happened to meet His Highness, so we came here together.¡±

    Mo Yarui exined to these madams in a gentle voice.

    So it really was not Consort Xuan who had called Second Consort Mo over!

    Then who was that woman on the bed?

    Feng Yuran moved outside with Mo Xuetong half in his arms and covered her eyes with his hand. Then, he nodded to the guards standing outside the door. A guard came up and pulled the wrapped quilt away. Two naked figures rolled down from the bed andnded in front of it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Sister Si Rong!¡± a maidservant suddenly screamed.

    ¡°It¡¯s really Sister Si Rong!¡± The others were also shocked. They looked at the woman who rolled a few times on the ground in surprise. Her hair was loose and failed to cover her face. Beneath her long ck hair was a pale and vicious face. Even though she looked pathetic, Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s maidservants could still see clearly that she was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s personal maidservant, Si Rong, who hade to the manor with Ling Rui¡¯er from Ding General Manor when Ling Rui¡¯er got married.

    Ling Rui¡¯er could not help screaming when she also saw Si Rong¡¯s face clearly!

    How could Ling Rui¡¯er not be shocked? Si Rong had been hiding in the back yard and did note out. Why would she appear here? This trap was naturally set up by her and Si Rong. It had been generally nned ording to Si Rong¡¯s idea. Their goal was to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation and ensure that she would be doomed eternally. She had not expected that it would be Si Rong who was on the bed.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had met this maidservant on her way. Si Rong imed then that she had a grudge with Mo Manor, so she brought her into Ding General Manor. She was preparing to get married then and had allowed her to go to King Chu¡¯s Manor with her. After that, she had tried to attack Mo Xuetong several times ording to this maidservant¡¯s ns.

    Since the two of them shared the same goal, their rtionship grew better and better. It could be said that Si Rong was Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s most caring maidservant. Even Mo Yarui had to avoid offending her when she met her in the manor. As for the matters of the back yard, Si Rong could at least make half the decision. How could she do such a thing with a man here at King Chu¡¯s banquet?

    ¡°Your Highness, I was wronged. Si Rong was also wronged. Someone must be trying to frame us. Your Highness, you have to help us!¡± Ling Rui¡¯er hade back to her sense and she rushed up to hug Feng Yuxuan.

    Feng Yuxuan took a few steps back and coldly looked at her who staggered and almost fell. ¡°Ling Rui¡¯er, enough. This drama can end now! Since you got the servants to testify for you, it has been proved, let alone the fact that no one in the manor will frame you. I used to think that you are a gentle and gracious woman. But now... you have been lured to be so vicious. Ling Rui¡¯er, you have let me down.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I... didn¡¯t...¡± Ling Rui¡¯er almost could not believe her ears as she looked at Feng Yuxuan¡¯s disappointed and cold eyes.

    It was not like that. Mo Xuetong was supposed to be the one to me. Feng Yuran should be disgusted with Mo Xuetong. Mo Yarui and Mo Xuetong were supposed to have ruined their reputation together. But why did it be like this? Mo Xuetong had clearly said ¡°Mo¡± after she came into the room. If she had not said that at that time, she would not have been so sure that it was Mo Yarui.

    How could this happen? She had nned for so long and considered all possibilities with Si Rong. But in the end, she fell into the trap. How could she be willing to ept it? If she admitted her guilt, it meant that she admitted that her body had been seen in the pce. Although Ling Rui¡¯er was arrogant, she also knew that if a woman forfeited her integrity, she had to die.

    No, it was not like this. It couldn¡¯t be like this!

    Before she could say anything, another person who hated and was jealous of Mo Xuetong jumped out and pointed at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not Her Lady¡¯s fault. It¡¯s all Consort Xuan¡¯s fault. It¡¯s Consort Xuan who sent someone to bring me here. It¡¯s her who framed me and Her Lady.¡±

    Si Rong gritted her teeth and knelt on the ground. She hugged herself tightly, but she lifted her head and red at Mo Xuetong with red eyes. She, too, was knocked unconscious by what had happened, which was impossible to happen.

    She had been resting in Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s yard earlier and had nned to sneak out at the right time to see what happened to Mo Xuetong. She wanted to see Mo Xuetong die a tragic death in person; she wanted to see Mo Xuetong lose all reputation and fall from the high position of Consort Xuan.

    When she was thinking about it and felt that it was about time, she suddenly felt dizzy and fainted. When she woke up again, she found herself hugging a man intimately. Before she could even react, Ling Rui¡¯er and the others rushed in. She was so frightened that she hid herself subconsciously...

    ¡°This maidservant looks familiar. She looks like the youngdy of some family?¡± Mo Xuetong poked her head out of Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace and looked at Si Rong carefully. There was a sh of thought in her eyes, as if she could not recall who she was.

    Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression changed and his gaze swept Yu Sirong¡¯s face. Then his eyes darkened.

    ¡°The youngdy of some family?¡± The woman kneeling on the ground was so agitated by this statement that she lost her minds.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, you slut, don¡¯t you recognize me? Hahaha, you didn¡¯t believe that my face wasn¡¯t ruined, did you? Bitch, you¡¯re really lucky. Consort Chu and I hurt you so badly, but you didn¡¯t die. You...¡± Yu Sirong jumped up and rushed to Mo Xuetong fiercely.

    She was not Ling Rui¡¯er and felt that there was no way out for her. She went straight to Mo Xuetong on the condition that she would hurt her even before she died.

    Feng Yuran dodged her and backed away with Mo Xuetong in his arms, avoiding Yu Sirong¡¯s crazy blow, Feng Yuxuan suddenly pulled out the sword hanging from the guard¡¯s waist and stabbed it at Yu Sirong¡¯s chest as a hint of sharpness shed through his eyes. He also remembered that this woman was the First Miss of the Yu family!

    They had turned an official¡¯s family member into a servant, and her father was still an official. Even if he was a prince, he would still be reprimanded.

    The sshing blood burst out and sprayed on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s head and face. Looking at Si Rong¡¯s distorted face in front of her, Ling Rui¡¯er screamed wildly in shock and fell backward heavily. The young and older maidservants on both sides could not hold her and she hit the door. Blood immediately fell from Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s white forehead.

    ¡°Blood... blood...¡± she screamed. However, she ignored the blood on her head and stared at Yu Sirong¡¯s corpse beside her feet. She screamed in horror and climbed up in a hurry, but she stepped on Yu Sirong¡¯s blood and slipped. She fell down heavily again after having just stood up.

    This time, she fell in the direction of Yu Sirong¡¯s body. She fell heavily on the body, shaking it a little. Then, one of Yu Sirong¡¯s hands happened to move to her face. Ling Rui¡¯er shrieked in horror as she crawled backward on the ground, staring at Yu Sirong¡¯s body.

    A stench suddenly wafted from Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s body. It turned out that she was so frightened that she was incontinent.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, please get up. Let me help you up.¡± A brave older maidservant tried to hold Ling Rui¡¯er up, but Ling Rui¡¯er pped her hands away and stared at Yu Sirong with wide eyes. She cried and screamed, ¡°Blood, blood, so much blood! Someone died! Someone is gonna die!¡±

    She screamed wildly at first before she suddenly muttered to herself. Then, she rushed toward the crowd. The crowd at the door involuntarily retreated when they saw how bloodied, dirty and smelly she was. Ling Rui¡¯er ran out quickly and yelled, ¡°Blood, blood, so much blood! Someone¡¯s dead! Somebody, someone¡¯s dead here!¡± ...

    Under Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hint, a few young and older maidservants went out after her.

 Chapter 585 - If She Gave Birth to Children, They Would Be under His First Wifes Name

    <h4>Chapter 585 If She Gave Birth to Children, They Would Be under His First Wife¡¯s Name</h4>

    Ling Rui¡¯er had gone insane!

    King Chu¡¯s birthday banquet was also ruined. In less than an hour, under someone¡¯s deliberate propaganda, everyone knew the whole story of the matter. Consort Chu¡¯s body was seen by another man in the pce and she had a secret hatred of Consort Xuan, so she deliberately took this opportunity to plot against Consort Xuan. Unexpectedly, she racked her brains in scheming, but she lost her personal maidservant and descended into madness because of the maidservant¡¯s death!

    She was King Chu¡¯s official consort. But, not only had she lost her reputation and integrity, but she had also gone mad!

    After what happened, there was no way King Chu¡¯s Manor could continue with the banquet. Everyone stood up and took their leave. After such a big incident had happened to the host, next they had to deal with it, and would not have the mood to do anything else. Furthermore, the culprit was the mistress of King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    Not long after, the Emperor in the pce learned about this matter. He felt a mixture of hatred and anger towards Ling Rui¡¯er and wanted to sentence her to death. This time, not only the Empress, but even the Empress Dowager and Consort Su pleaded for Ling Rui¡¯er. Even Feng Yuxuan immediately entered the pce and knelt in the imperial study to also plead for her. In the end, the Emperor did not sentence Ling Rui¡¯er to death, or even punish her for the sake of her being mad. Only the brothers of Ding General Manor were fined one year¡¯s sry.

    The Empress Dowager and the Empress helped her because in their heart, the daughters of the Ling family could die of madness, fall to death, or be beaten to death, but could not be sentenced to death by the Emperor.

    It represented the attitude of the royal family. It meant that Ding General Manor¡¯s daughters were not recognized by the royal family. How could the Empress Dowager and Empress allow the Emperor to decree the edict?

    Feng Yuxuan and Consort Su represented another attitude¡ªthey thought highly of Ling Rui¡¯er. It was a hint to Ding General Manor, as well as Feng Yuxuan¡¯s generous attitude towards people. As for the maidservant who had been killed, no one paid any attention to her. She was just an unimportant person who had lost her virginity. She was rolled up in a mat and thrown into a mass grave outside the city.

    Of course, no one would me King Chu for being too vicious. He was still the gentle and gracious King Chu. Even though something like this had happened to his consort and she had gone mad, he did not me her. Instead, he was willing to keep her position as Consort Chu. He would not pursue her loss of reputation and integrity, nor would he pursue what had happenedter. Furthermore, he personally came to apologize to Consort Xuan!

    Who wouldn¡¯t praise such a decent, magnanimous and virtuous prince?

    In every way, it was Ding General Manor bringing King Chu into trouble in this matter. However, King Chu had even generously spare Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s life and even kept her as Consort Chu so as to avoid the biggest scandal and defeat of the noble family over several centuries. How could Duke Ding and his brother not be moved to tears?

    They had prepared gifts and hade to seek forgiveness from King Chu!

    In the pce, the Empress¡¯ attitude towards Consort Su also grew friendly. Even though the Empress was still in the Buddhist Temple, she had prepared a gift for Consort Su as a token of her gratitude. Even the Empress Dowager had rewarded Consort Su. Consort Su¡¯s status was immediately higher than that of Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    With the scandal caused by Ling Rui¡¯er, the capital slowly became quiet. Everyone thought that Consort Chu had gone mad and there was no need to me her. Anyway, she had been a victim before, and she had done it because she could not bear the knot in her heart.

    Inside the study of King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    Duke Ding and his brother sat together in the guest seats. Looking at King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, who was obviously a little tired, they felt guilty and uneasy.

    ¡°Father-inw, Uncle, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Please have some tea.¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse. He waved his hand and the eunuch beside him brought them tea and then backed out respectfully.

    ¡°Your Highness, you do not have to address me like that. I, s... I do not deserve it!¡± Ling Hai, the second master of Ding General Manor, stood up with embarrassment and guilt and shook his head at Feng Yuxuan. He was too ashamed to be King Chu¡¯s father-inw after what happened to his daughter.

    ¡°Father-inw, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. No one would want that to happen. Rui¡¯er is usually obedient. I didn¡¯t expect that she would be so confused and cause so much trouble. s, my heart, now...¡± Feng Yuxuan frowned. A hint of pain shed in his eyes. ¡°Father-inw, your two beautiful daughters have married me, but they alle to no good end. I can¡¯t even protect my wife. My heart really hurts!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, how can you say that? It is just that Yan¡¯er and Rui¡¯er are not lucky. One of them was killed by someone and the other is in such a state. I... Your Highness, my heart is in pain.¡± Hearing Feng Yuxuan¡¯s words, Ling Hai thought of his eldest daughter who had died a terrible death, and his little daughter who had gone mad when he just saw her. He felt as if a knife were being twisted in his heart. He only had two daughters. How could he not feel bad for them?

    His eyes immediately became red and were full of tears.

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s all Rui¡¯er¡¯s fault. Thank you for your kindness and not abandoning Rui¡¯er. It¡¯s good enough that she was still alive. Your Highness, let us take Rui¡¯er back!¡± Duke Ding sighed and exined the purpose of their visit. A crazy daughter who had caused such a big trouble could only die if they took her back.

    Ling Rui¡¯er had to die in order to ensure that the reputation of girls in Ding General Manor would not be damaged in the future. When Ling Hai thought that his little daughter would not have a way out even if she went mad, he could not stand any longer. He fell onto the chair beside him, tears streaming down his face.

    His eldest daughter was dead, and his youngest daughter would not be able to live for long. The fact that he had to bury his children made him feel quite painful.

    ¡°Your Highness, it is all my daughter¡¯s fault... Thank you for begging for Rui¡¯er¡¯s mercy, I...¡± He sobbed and could not speak for a moment. Actually, he wanted Feng Yuxuan to keep Ling Rui¡¯er. In that case, Rui¡¯er would not have to die at least and would have a way out. However, he could not say that out loud. The Emperor had not sentenced Ling Rui¡¯er to death after what happened to her, and he was already taking care of Ding General Manor¡¯s reputation.

    He did not dare to ask too much again. However, Ling Hai felt as if his heart had been gouged if he didn¡¯t do anything and saw his daughter killed before his eyes. He looked up at Feng Yuxuan, pleading in his eyes.

    ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t have to be hard on yourself. This is all Rui¡¯er¡¯s fault.¡± Compared to Ling Hai whose eyes glistened with tears, Duke Ding Ling Zhen seemed much calmer. He looked at Feng Yuxuan and said in a grave voice. It was obvious that Ding General Manor could not keep a daughter whose reputation had been ruined.

    Ling Hai did not dare to say anything when he saw how determined his eldest brother was to take his daughter¡¯s life, but there was a hint of hatred in his eyes. However, he had always lived under Ling Zhen, so he did not dare to say anything else. He just pleaded with Feng Yuxuan with his eyes. The only person who could save Rui¡¯er was King Chu.

    ¡°Father-inw, Uncle, no matter how many things Rui¡¯er has done, the cause is not her fault. I... I really can¡¯t bear to leave Rui¡¯er. Just leave her in the manor. I will take good care of her and never let anything happen to her. If she gives birth to children in the future, they will be under Fengyan¡¯s name, and will also be the legitimate children of King Chu¡¯s Manor.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan looked up and stated affectionately, tears welling up in his eyes.

    Upon hearing that, Duke Ding was shocked. He looked at Feng Yuxuan incredulously. Ling Hai was so surprised that he almost smiled.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you know what you are talking about?¡± Duke Ding suddenly stood up and stared at Feng Yuxuan. The look in his eyes seemed to be something solid, not missing the slightest expression on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t worry. These words came straight from my heart. Fengyan is my first wife and Rui¡¯er is my legal wife. I love both of them. However, God makes fools of me to this point. How could I bear to see Rui¡¯er die? Uncle, if Rui¡¯er goes back with you, it will really be a dead end. But there is still a chance for her to live in my manor. I will definitely try my best to cure her illness. If she gets well in the future and gives birth to children, they will be under Fengyan¡¯s name, and will also be my sessors.¡±

    Feng Yuxuan answered directly. Then, he stood up and curtsied to Duke Ding and his brother. ¡°Father-inw, Uncle, please grant my wish!¡±

    ¡°Good, great, that¡¯s great!¡± Ling Hai did not know what to say. He kept on saying while wiping his tears. How could he not be so touched that he could notplete his speech when he had such a loyal son-inw? At the thought of his little daughter, Ling Hai felt that he would thank King Chu even if he had to die.

    He was not only saving Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s life, but also bringing hope to the entire Ding General Manor!

    Rui¡¯er was frightened out of her mind, not born mad. The possibility of her being cured was very high. However, with her status, even if she gave birth to children in the future, they would not be recognized. At most, they would be treated as a concubine¡¯s children. However, it would be different if they were under Ling Fengyan¡¯s name.

    Ling Fengyan was King Chu¡¯s first wife, who had a good reputation and had been killed by others. The son under her name would be even more decent than under Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s name. It could be said that he would definitely be King Chu¡¯s sessor. If King Chu ascended the throne, the boy would be the legal son of the East Pce. So Duke Ding Ling Zhen also stood up excitedly.

    Both of them didn¡¯t even dare to think about such big grace!

    They had thought that their rtionship with King Chu would be broken after Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s death. Who would have thought that such a good thing would happen so suddenly! If Ling Zhen had not been very calm, he would have grinned from ear to ear. This was big grace King Chu had given to Ding General Manor.

    Pulling his younger brother who was so happy that he did not know what to do, Duke Ding knelt down in front of Feng Yuxuan with a plop and kowtowed heavily. ¡°Your Highness... I won¡¯t say superfluous words. Your Highness, just tell us if you want us to do something in the future,¡± he said in a low voice with tears in his eyes.

    This was not simply a word of gratitude, but a clear attitude of Duke Ding and his brother. They really stood on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side and had abandoned their previous ambiguous attitude. As long as there was a Crown Prince who had the bloodline of Ding General Manor, it meant that Ding General Manor could maintain at least 50 to 60 years¡¯ glory and wealth.

    Given King Chu¡¯s generous and gracious character, he would not kick down thedder when he became the Emperor. Even though there was a saying that trusted aides are eliminated when they have outlived their usefulness, Duke Ding believed that King Chu was not that kind of person!

    ¡°Uncle, Father-inw, please get up. You overwhelm me with more than what I deserve. No matter what, I¡¯m still your junior. Please get up.¡± Feng Yuxuan came over and helped them up, one with each hand. Then, he respectfully asked them to sit down.

    ¡°Your Highness, the reason why Rui¡¯er made such a scene is that Consort Xuan sshed watermelon juice all over her body in the pce. Otherwise, how could there be such an unnecessary disaster? Your Highness, do we need to deal with them?¡± Since everyone was of one mind, Duke Ding, Ling Zhen did not hide his n anymore and came straight to the point.

    The incident at King Chu¡¯s Manor was a continuation of the incident in the pce. It was of course Rui¡¯er¡¯s fault that she hade to this, but what about Mo Xuetong, who had sshed watermelon juice all over her? Did she not have any responsibility at all?

    Duke Ding and his brother chose to forget that it was Ling Rui¡¯er who almost sshed the watermelon juice on Mo Xuetong. If Mo Xuetong had not dodged quickly, the watermelon juice would have fallen on her. Then the one who had lost her reputation would have been Mo Xuetong.

    Feng Yuxuan thought for a while and replied implicitly, ¡°Eighth Brother is protecting Consort Xuan, so we can¡¯t deal with her for the time being.¡±

    Ling Hai mmed the table and stood up. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Since we can¡¯t deal with King Xuan¡¯s Manor, then we have to choose Mo Manor!¡± His eyes were as vicious as if he were going to swallow someone. His daughter could not be destroyed for nothing at the hands of others...

 Chapter 586 - With Different Benefits, Its Impossible to Join Hands

    <h4>Chapter 586 With Different Benefits, It¡¯s Impossible to Join Hands</h4>

    After the incident in King Chu¡¯s Manor in the day, Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong went home without eating anything. As soon as they got home, Feng Yuran went to his Jinwei Pavilion. Mo Xuetong knew that the matter would be very important next, so she didn¡¯t stop him. She just asked someone to prepare Feng Yuran¡¯s favorite food and sent it to the Jinwei Pavilion.

    She ate some food in her courtyard and sat on the couch to wait for news while casually picking up a medicine book. However, she could not read it this time and her mind was filled with Feng Yuxuan¡¯s ruthless and sharp sword. People around only saw Feng Yuxuan¡¯s anger and thought that he wielded the sword because he was angered by the incident happening in his inner yard.

    The sword stabbed into Yu Sirong¡¯s heart and she opened her mouth but could not say anything. Feng Yuxuan struck just in time. If Yu Sirong said a few more words, someone might guess who Yu Sirong was. She was the daughter of an official who was not banished, but she had be a maidservant of King Chu¡¯s Manor. If the Emperor were to find out, Feng Yuxuan would be implicated as well.

    The Emperor had to face all the court officials, and so did Feng Yuxuan.

    The sword strike at that crucial moment immediately nipped the disasters in the bud. Even if Yu Feng came out to identify her, he would not admit that the woman, who was simr to Yu Sirong and had lost her reputation, was really his daughter. If he did, he would really offend King Chu. Yu Feng had always been a timeserving man, so he would not do something like that.

    Yu Sirong was really dead, in a nasty way. Mo Xuetong would not feel pity for her. In her past life, Yu Sirong disfigured her and then, dealt a blow to her both mentally and physically. It could be said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s self-abasement and timidity were all due to Yu Sirong.

    Even though all the tragedies then were caused by Mo Xuemin, without Yu Sirong, she would not have died so tragically in her past life. So she would never be soft-hearted to Yu Sirong.

    When Yu Sirong tried to disfigure her, Mo Xuetong took advantage of the opportunity to achieve her end and disfigured Yu Sirong. This time, Yu Sirong did not give up and even escaped from her family temple. In order to frame Mo Xuetong, she became a servant, so Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t spare her. Besides, the man was not an ordinary manservant. The people sent by Shopkeeper Xing clearly knew that the manservant had a sneaky connection with Yu Sirong. This time, he was the one who arranged Mo Yarui¡¯s cousin to enter the inner yard.

    Yesterday, he deliberately stopped Hong Ming from entering the manor to buy time. When the person from King Xuan¡¯s Manor came over to send gifts, the manservant intentionally asked him toe into the manor with the person, which made it seem as if King Xuan¡¯s Manor brought the person in. After that, he especially asked an older maidservant to lead Hong Ming to the back door. On the way, it was he who asked someone to call the older maidservant to leave. It could be said that the manservant was Yu Sirong¡¯s aplice.

    Since the two of them worked together to frame her, Mo Xuetong would not show them any mercy. She then avenged herself on both of them. The incense that remained in the room could not only make one unconscious, but it also had the characteristics of aphrodisiacs. People who woke up from aa would immediately have an instinctive desire. This was also the reason why Yu Sirong and the manservant made out.

    The matter had been resolved perfectly. Yu Sirong had died; Ling Rui¡¯er had gone mad, and she had put Feng Yuxuan on the spot. Mo Xuetong certainly knew that it was a piece of cake for Feng Yuxuan to deal with it. However, she wanted to know what he would do to maintain a close rtionship with Ding General Manor. Ding General Manor had already married two daughters into his manor, but one of them had been dead and the other had been mad. It would be impossible for them to marry another daughter to him. What would Feng Yuxuan do under such circumstances?

    Judging by how decisive and vicious Feng Yuxuan was then, he had already had a n at that moment. That was why he had killed Yu Sirong. As for Ling Rui¡¯er, he had intentionally caused her to fall onto Yu Sirong¡¯s body over and over again. Blood sttered all over her body. From that angle, if he had withdrawn the sword in a convenient way, the blood would have sttered on the front. But it spattered on Ling Rui¡¯er¡¯s face and body while she was standing by the side. It was unreasonable!

    Unless Feng Yuxuan purposely did it!

    However why did he do that? Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out at the moment. After thinking it over and over again, she still couldn¡¯t get the answer. Instead, she felt sleepy. So she threw the book in her hand aside and fell asleep!

    When she was sleeping, there seemed to be someoneing in, and the person tucked her in and then went out.

    Mo Xuetong slept from afternoon to evening when themps were lit. She looked calm in King Chu¡¯s Manor in the morning, but in fact, it took her a lot of effort to do so. When she rxed, she felt quite tired, so she slept for several hours. When Feng Yuran came in, the room was already dark. Mo Xuetong was still lying on the bed quietly, her face full of exhaustion.

    Feng Yuran went forward dearly and held her gently in his arms. He shook her and asked Mo Lan and others to prepare a bath for her. He reached out to touch her forehead. Fortunately, the temperature was normal. He breathed a sigh of relief with a trace of pity in his eyes. The poison had been in her body all the time, so she was not in good health. No, he had to find the antidote as soon as possible. Otherwise, as what Bai Yihao had said, she would die in a state of powerlessness like Luo Xia.

    No matter what, he would not let her fall into such a state. Blood-thirsty coldness burst out from the corners of his eyes, and there was also a hint of sharpness in his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong opened her sleepy eyes as he shook her. She could vaguely see that it was Feng Yuran. Her longshes fluttered and her white face creased into a faint smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked gently. Then, she turned to look outside and realized that it was already dark. She could not help butugh and say, ¡°Did I sleep too long?¡±

    ¡°No. I was afraid that you would not be able to sleep at night because you slept too much in the afternoon. I got Mo Lan to prepare a bath. Take a bath before having supper today. Then you can be more energetic and eat moreter.¡± Feng Yuran smiled and pulled Mo Xuetong up. Then, he half held her up.

    Mo Ye, who had been waiting by the side, hurried over to help Mo Xuetong to the bathroom. Feng Yuran could not help shaking his head andughing when he saw Mo Xuetong pursing her red lips unhappily. He then went to take a bath as well. He worked for some time in the afternoon and did not have much appetite right now. As such, he might as well get washed up and rest for a while so that he could have more food with Tong¡¯er.

    Mo Xuetong felt much better after taking a hot petal bath. She came out wearing a loose dress and saw that Feng Yuran had alreadye out. He was leaning against the bed and reading a file. There was a chill in his intent expression.

    He was wearing a light white long robe. It was as luxurious as pearls and made his skin look as smooth as ivory. The room had been lighted and his long eyshes cast a faint shadow on his handsome face. When he heard Mo Xuetong entering, he looked up. His eyes were as bright as precious gems and were also pretty charming. His face held an additional elegance and nobility that made one dazzled!

    He didn¡¯t wear the purple robe that was extremely swank, and this white robe still gave people an extremely romantic feeling!

    Mo Xuetong could not help but sigh in her heart. This was God¡¯s greatest blessing to her rebirth life! This devilishly handsome man was hers! She could not help but smile sweetly. Then she made a soft sound of satisfaction. No matter what happened next, it was a blessing for her to have him at this moment.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s face creased into a charming smile when he sensed the smile in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. He put down the file in his hand and reached out to greet her. ¡°Come here. How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m much better. I¡¯m not very tired!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and went up to him. She leaned into his embrace initiatively and rested her head on his arm. ¡°What news did you get this afternoon? How was the matter of King Chu¡¯s Manor settled?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan would definitely not be willing to sever ties with Ding General Manor. Thus he would definitely execute some methods. It was up to him!

    ¡°Father was furious in the pce and wanted to kill Ling Rui¡¯er. But unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager and the Empress came forward to plead for her, and Eldest Brother and Consort Su knelt down to beg. Eldest Brother remained kneeling outside Father¡¯s pce and didn¡¯t leave until Father agreed to spare Ling Rui¡¯er. I heard that because he knelt for a long time, he needed two eunuchs to help him leave the pce. I did not expect Eldest Brother, who has always practiced martial arts, to be so weak that he couldn¡¯t stand kneeling for hours.¡±

    Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and asked hesitantly, ¡°Did he show it to Ding General Manor on purpose?¡±

    However, would Ding General Manor always support him after he did that? Or would the people of Ding General Manor thank Feng Yuxuan for not only not pursuing the matter but also helping them plead for them? But what would they do after that? Mo Xuetong did not believe that Duke Ding would be so ¡°grateful¡± and thank Feng Yuxuan for sparing them with the destiny of the entire Ding General Manor.

    ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason, but not the most important ones. Before I came, I heard that the two brothers from Ding General Manor went to King Chu¡¯s Manor specially to thank Elder Brother. They have not returned yet. They seem to be having a good chat,¡± Feng Yuran responded lightly as his eyesndedzily on the file on the side. His hands wrapped around Mo Xuetong¡¯s waist, as if they had their own mind, and he lowered his head to kiss the side of her white face.

    ¡°Having a good chat?¡± Mo Xuetong lifted her watery eyes and looked at Feng Yuran in shock.

    Such a thing had happened in King Chu¡¯s Manor¡ªLing Rui¡¯er had lost her reputation and went mad. What else did Duke Ding and his brother want to talk to Feng Yuxuan? And they were talking happily? At this time, what made them happy?

    ¡°Yes. Even though what happened in his manor is unexpected to Eldest Brother, he must have a way to deal with it. It took Eldest Brother a lot of effort to get in touch with Ding General Manor and he will not break it easily. He might have other intentions in saving Ling Rui¡¯er. It is not entirely to show goodwill to Duke Ding.¡±

    A hint of darkness shed in the corner of Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes. No matter what Feng Yuxuan¡¯s n was, he had better not target Tong¡¯er. If he wanted to please Ding General Manor, he did not mind waiting for Feng Yuxuan to give him any conditions. However, it must have nothing to do with Tong¡¯er. Otherwise, whether it was King Chu¡¯s Manor or Ding General Manor, he would not let them go.

    He was no longer the little prince who watched his mother die in front of him and had no power to fight back!

    There was a sh of blood-red viciousness in his eyes when he thought of that. He could not find out what Feng Yuxuan was going to do, but Ding General Manor had never been as united as an iron te!

    Mo Xuetong sighed softly and turned to lie in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace. ¡°This time, it can be considered as the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Consort Su on the same side. I have helped him?¡± she asked uncertainly. If what she had done helped Feng Yuxuan, she would really be angry!

    ¡°Rest assured, Empress Dowager, Empress, and Consort Su have divided interests. They are destined to never stand on the same side. The temporary cooperation does not mean that they will not kill each other in the future.¡± Feng Yuran knew that she was worried, so he threw the file away and buried his head in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. He hugged her tightly and smelled the fragrance of her hair. The smile on his lips became more and more enchanting.

    He did not care that Feng Yuxuan was profiting at this moment. He had to be patient. He should not fight for this opportunity. However, it was best that Feng Yuxuan knew what he should not do!

 Chapter 587 - Amusement, Passion and Gentleness

    <h4>Chapter 587 Amusement, Passion and Gentleness</h4>

    Mo Xuetong nodded her head and exhaled!

    She had already exined Yu Sirong¡¯s matter to Feng Yuran. Speaking of which, Feng Yuran was there then as well, so he immediately recalled that woman. Like Mo Xuetong, he also thought that it was definitely not an idental that Yu Sirong, who had been badly injured, was able to heal her injuries. After all, if one did not look carefully, they would not be able to discover it.

    It meant that there was a highly skilled physician helping her. Even the imperial physicians in the pce would not be able to cure such injuries so well. If Mo Xuetong had not mentioned it, Feng Yuran would not have sensed it. The woman who had once been disfigured didn¡¯t look weird other than her face being slightly pale.

    If Bai Yihao were here, it might be possible. Of course, even if he were here, he would not have tried to cure Yu Sirong. As the dignified and mighty Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom, how could he help a woman so casually? When Old Madam of Fu General Manor had wanted him to write a prescription for her in the past, he came there once after Luo Wenyou finally had be his friend. It was a favor to Luo Wenyou and Fu General Manor.

    However, if it weren¡¯t Bai Yihao, whose medical skills were so excellent? Moreover, the person treated Yu Sirong and asked her to frame Mo Xuetong. There seemed to be some connection between these matters. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she felt it was. But there was no clue. If the mysterious physician was not a reclusive expert, he or she must have another identity.

    At the thought of this, Mo Xuetong felt a little heavy in her heart!

    She had a feeling that this person was an enemy instead of a friend!

    Now, she could only sense that there was such a person, but she did not know where he or she was. How could Mo Xuetong not feel anxious? Enemies hidden in the dark were the deadliest.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s various matters were on track. He had even dealt with a few practical matters a few days ago, which made Emperor Zongwen admire him greatly. The next thing to do was receive the Crown Prince and Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    The special status of envoys from the Southern Barbarian Lands made receiving them very difficult. On the one hand, Feng Yuran had to protect them; on the other hand, he had to seed in the negotiation. Most importantly, he had to face the Princess. The arrogant woman from the Southern Barbarian Lands that day... Mo Xuetong felt a headache whenever she thought of that!

    None of them were easy to deal with!

    Feng Yuran hugged her tightly when he sensed Mo Xuetong¡¯s odd behavior. Heforted her softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong? You are usually the calmest. You seem to lose your cool today.¡±

    Mo Xuetong sighed and remained silent for a while. Then, she curled up in Feng Yuran¡¯s arms, feeling his slow breathing. Then she replied softly, ¡°I just feel that this matter is a little... unusual. If there was no one to guide Yu Sirong, she would not have been able to enter King Chu¡¯s Manor, and tried to plot against me through Ling Rui¡¯er. The schemer was very careful thest time that incident happened in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. Given Yu Sirong¡¯s character, how could she be so scheming? Furthermore, you saw her face too. Her face waspletely healed. I¡¯m a little shocked when I think of that. Did we miss something?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty eyes darkened. He knew as soon as he returned. He reached out to pat Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already gotten the secret guards to investigate. Since this matter is rted to Mdm Yu, the First Madam of Qin Manor, we just have to get someone to keep an eye on her. Since that person is well-hidden, he or she will not do anything casually. So it will be fine for the time being. You just have to keep an eye on Ding General Manor. Go back tomorrow. What happened today has something to do with you. Ding General Manor might not deal with us, but we don¡¯t know if they would do something to your father.¡±

    It reminded Mo Xuetong. She blinked her clear eyes and tried to get up. However, her waist was tightly hugged by Feng Yuran and she could not get up. She could only look up and agree. ¡°I will return to the Mo Manor tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I¡¯m sorry. I was the one who dragged you into this.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s soft sigh was like a whisper to her, with a hint of pity in his voice. ¡°When we can be independent in the future, I will definitely make sure that you do not have to put up with others anymore. Then, you will not have to worry about being hurt by others.¡±

    This was Feng Yuran¡¯s apology. There was guilt that Mo Xuetong could understand as well as his caution in his words. Mo Xuetong knew that Feng Yuran had always been afraid that someone would hurt her. She hugged his wide shoulders and moved up with a smile. She looked at his handsome and charming face and her voice was sweet and gentle.

    ¡°What is it to you? Even if you don¡¯t marry me, Yu Sirong has been my enemy for a long time. Maybe, without you, I would have been killed by her. Look at how rigorous her scheming was. Since I have married you, Ling Rui¡¯er couldn¡¯t do anything to me. Otherwise, maybe you couldn¡¯t see me now. To be honest, I was lucky to marry you! Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m not regretting marrying you at all!¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t me me?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty eyes immediately lit up. There was not a hint of dullness in them at all.

    Mo Xuetong looked at him. A beautiful and sweet smile appeared on her lips. She lifted her head to kiss his red lips lightly andforted him, ¡°No!¡± Feng Yuran was confident and always had a backup n. He had pretended to be like what he wanted outside. However, he seemed to be worried about her.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that you don¡¯t me me.¡± Feng Yuran breathed a sigh of relief, his pretty eyes shining brightly. After thinking for a while, he suddenly pointed to his lips and motioned. ¡°If you kiss me again, I won¡¯t feel so guilty anymore!¡±

    ¡°Feng Yuran!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red. She had kissed him subconsciously earlier. It was by instinct and she had not felt anything weird. Now that he had pointed it out clearly, her face flushed red immediately. She red at him and pouted, ¡°You dare to pretend to be pitiful and try to gain sympathy!¡±

    Seeing her face turning red with the naked eye, Feng Yuran immediately apologized while smiling. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s my fault. So let me apologize to you and kiss you!¡±

    ¡°Feng Yuran!¡± Mo Xuetong was embarrassed and sat up suddenly. She grabbed the soft pillow beside and threw it at him violently.

    ¡°Okay, okay, it¡¯s all my fault.¡± Feng Yuran grabbed the soft pillow,ughing and threw it aside. He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong tightly in his arms. Looking at her clear and beautiful eyes, he coaxed softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. Eldest Brother¡¯s plot has little to do with us. Now, whether it¡¯s in the imperial court or the imperial harem, he is in the spotlight. Going beyond the limit is as bad as falling short. We just need to watch. Most people can¡¯t wait. As for Duke Ding, as long as your father doesn¡¯t make a big mistake, they can¡¯t do anything to him. The so-called expert in medical skills, as long as he or she dares to show up, I guarantee to find him or her immediately.¡±

    This reassured Mo Xuetong. She knew that Feng Yuran would not say anything casually. Since he had already made up his mind, it meant that he was very confident. She felt enormously relieved andid her head on his chest. Then she closed her eyes silently and did not say anything else.

    Feeling the strong rise and fall of his chest in his warm arms, Mo Xuetong felt as if everything was still, which gave her a feeling of tranquility. She took a deep breath and decided not to think about anything else.

    The room quieted down. Only the sound of the wind blowing the gauze curtain could be heard. The green window curtain was fluttering up and down. It fell down, as if a dream. It made people feelfortable for no reason.

    ¡°Your Highness, My Lady, dinner is ready.¡± Mo Lan called out softly from outside the curtain. It was already a littlete, and if they did not have dinner, Mo Xuetong would not be able to take it. Feng Yuran had ordered them to prepare dinner she liked. As she heard that the room was quiet, she hurried to report.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you asleep?¡± Feng Yuran shook Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Xuetong opened her eyes, revealing a beautiful smile at Feng Yuran. Then she obediently let him pull her up.

    Feng Yuran straightened her messy clothes and took her hand to go out.

    The dinner had already been prepared, and they were all Mo Xuetong¡¯s favorite dishes. She always liked to eat vegetables in season. Feng Yuran was afraid that she would be short of nutrition, so he specially asked the cook to pour the meal soup on the dishes. The cook also prepared a bowl of chicken soup without oil floating on it to nourish her body before the meal started. The chicken soup was also added some tonic herbs, and was cooked thickly.

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was in poor health, which worried Feng Yuran very much. Thus, she obediently took the chicken soup that Feng Yuran handed her and drank it as he asked. Today¡¯s chicken soup was very thick and there were mushrooms inside. It tasted very fresh. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were narrowed into a line as she ate. She put down her bowl and filled Feng Yuran¡¯s bowl as well.

    Feng Yuran received it. His pretty eyes were bright and charming; his handsome face was enchanting. The maidservants in the room all lowered their heads. They did not dare to look at the charm of such a handsome man. It only belonged to Mo Xuetong. For others, Feng Yuran was almost as harsh as a devil.

    After finishing the chicken soup in one go, Feng Yuran waved his hand, and all the maidservants left quietly. Feng Yuran liked to be alone with Mo Xuetong. If they disturbed him, they might die. He was not as uninhibited as the rumors said. Mo Lan and the others were very satisfied with this.

    ¡°Yuran, is the exam over tomorrow?¡± Mo Xuetong put down the chicken soup and suddenly asked Feng Yuran, blinking her bright eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Feng Yuran raised his brows in confusion. He did not understand why Mo Xuetong cared about the exam.

    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just asking. After the exam, everyone will know the top three. Who do you think will be the most likely to be Number One Schr in the exam?¡± Mo Xuetong took the chopsticks and gently knocked on the bowl as she turned her head and asked coyly.

    ¡°Why are you concerned about this?¡± Looking at how adorable she was, Feng Yuran reached out to pat her head.

    ¡°Well, I was just asking!¡± Mo Xuetong pouted and pped his hand away unhappily. However, she insisted on asking. It looked as if she would not stop until she got the answer.

    ¡°Alright, I tell you. I feel that Qin Yufeng is most likely to be Number One Schr. He is a famous schr in the capital. Even though he haven¡¯t ever participated in major exams before, Father has heard of his reputation long ago. A few of his papers had been brought to Father. Father said that he is a talent who has original views.¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled leisurely. His eyes shone brightly as he said, ¡°Are you worried that Qin Yufeng will be on Eldest Brother¡¯s side to deal with you? No! He and Eldest Brother have been getting further and further away recently. I heard that Eldest Brother had even sent him especially when he entered the examination room. However, he did not appreciate it. He acted indifferently. Furthermore, if he dares to do something to you again, I will break his legs.¡±

    Mo Xuetong stared at his teasing eyes. Then her expression softened and she stopped frowning. Her eyes were filled with gentleness and peace that she could not control, which was as clear as water.

    She saw it clearly that even though Feng Yuran was joking, there was still some truth in the joke.

    He really cared about her!

 Chapter 588 - Feng Yurans Indulgence towards the Back Yard

    <h4>Chapter 588 Feng Yuran¡¯s Indulgence towards the Back Yard</h4>

    ¡°Take it easy, don¡¯t worry about him. Actually he is now openly drawing a clear line with Eldest Brother. I also found out that since he and Eldest Brother set you up that time, he has been very well-behaved. Moreover, he has been at home all the time and never gone out. He knows what¡¯s good for him. If he continues to stand on Eldest Brother¡¯s side, I would have been rude to him.¡±

    Mo Xuetong knew that Feng Yuran had always been domineering, and it was normal for him to have such an idea. When he heard that Feng Yuxuan dealt with her and left her in King Yan¡¯s Manor, he was so angry that he went to assassinate Feng Yuxuan in person and broke his hand. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand was actually useless. Usually, he couldn¡¯t carry anything heavy with it even though it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on the surface.

    Then, Feng Yuran ignored how badly he was injured and brought Mo Xuetong to the entrance of the Qin Manor to watch Qin Yufeng being humiliated. He had made Qin Yufeng who was a gifted schr seem like a cold-blooded, faithless man. It had almost ruined Qin Yufeng¡¯s reputation as well. If not for Qin Yufeng¡¯s intelligence, he would have been the one to suffer.

    When she thought of that, Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart softened even more. This man was not only extremely handsome, but also loved her very much. All the knots she had in her past life had turned into the passing clouds due to his gentleness. Well, was there anything else that could move a woman more than the fact that a man who tried so hard to protect her regardless of his noble status and had done it personally?

    Noble people would not put themselves in danger. He was the Emperor¡¯s most beloved and valued prince, but in order to seek revenge for Mo Xuetong, he didn¡¯t care about himself! With such a person protecting her, there was really nothing for her to be worried about!

    Even though Qin Yufeng was smart and intelligent, Feng Yuran who acted like a jerk but was cunning was not easy to deal with. Compared to the other princes, Mo Xuetong felt that Feng Yuran was better at ¡°pretending to be stupid¡±. He seemed to have been indifferent to the imperial power. Watching those who were fighting at the outrance, he was calm andposed.

    He didn¡¯t extend his fangs until both sides had suffered a great loss!

    He didn¡¯t just have an ordinary ck heart, and his means were ruthless. He was said to be romantic and extremely handsome, but that was just what he showed to people. This person had been pretending to be harmless in front of others, and he was actually so scheming!

    With him around, she really did not have to be afraid of Qin Yufeng. Furthermore, Qin Yufeng in this life had confused Mo Xuetong greatly!

    In her past life, Qin Yufeng did not take the exam. He had stayed by King Chu, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side and plotted for him in order to help Feng Yuxuan to take the throne. Then he naturally had a reason not to take the imperial exams. He had plotted against Mo Xuetong behind the scene. In fact, it was a part of helping Feng Yuxuan. He did not be an official for the royal family for Feng Yuxuan¡¯s sake. He could be considered as Feng Yuxuan¡¯s best friend.

    In this life, everything seemed to be changing with her rebirth. Qin Yufeng was not close to Feng Yuxuan. He seemed to want to leave Feng Yuxuan and be an official in the royal family. Whatpelled him to make that decision? Mo Xuetong could not understand at that moment. She felt that it was hard to guess what the man was thinking.

    In the past, he had done everything for Feng Yuxuan, and now he was trying his best to distance himself from Feng Yuxuan. It seemed that he just wanted to rely on the imperial examination to be an official. Besides, he treated her very well. And there was the painting Qin Yuxuan mentioned when he came to visit. Qin Yufeng had given the painting to her in the name of Old Madam Qin. Mo Xuetong had thought that Old Madam Qin had found it and given it to her because she had thought she liked the painting before.

    She was now Consort Xuan. It was normal for Old Madam Qin gave it to her in order to get closer to her. The Emperor doted on Feng Yuran, so no one dared to offend him.

    When Qin Yuxuan came, she only found out that the matter was not like this. It made her suspicious again. Perhaps since she had suffered too much from Qin Yufeng in her past life, Mo Xuetong would always think about Qin Yufeng¡¯s odd behavior carefully. Then she realized that he had given the painting to her in private. What did he want to do? Or what did he know?

    When she saw the painting in the Qin Manor, Qin Yufeng was already in the capital, so it was impossible for him to know that she liked that painting. Given Qin Yuxuan¡¯s unrestrained character, he would not have thought about telling Qin Yufeng about such a small thing. Furthermore, she had only nced at the painting a few more times then and did not dare to ask about Old Madam Qin about it.

    Then how did Qin Yufeng know? If he didn¡¯t know, why did he deliberately send the painting to her in the name of Old Madam Qin? What did it mean?

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of anyone else!¡± Feng Yuran said unhappily when he saw that Mo Xuetong was a little distracted as she spoke. He lifted her chin and kissed her on the pink lips as a punishment. He even bit her on purpose. The pain brought Mo Xuetong back to her senses and she nudged him,ining cutely, ¡°It hurts!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want. That¡¯ll teach you not to think about anyone else.¡± Feng Yuran was rather jealous.

    A man¡¯s perception had always been sensitive, especially when Feng Yuran had always minded it. He knew that Qin Yufeng treated Mo Xuetong differently. It was said that he had run into Tong¡¯er on the way, and his attitude was really good. At the thought of it, Feng Yuran felt jealous.

    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about anyone else. I¡¯m just wondering if that person will hurt us!¡± Seeing him lifting his watery eyes proudly and looking at her usingly, Mo Xuetong hurriedlyforted him.

    She said ¡°we¡± and left Qin Yufeng outside. Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face showed a little pride. No matter what Qin Yufeng thought, Tong¡¯er was his woman. Of course, he would not let him have the chance to hit on Tong¡¯er.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s alright. We are here!¡± Feng Yuran stressed the word ¡°we¡± and hugged Mo Xuetong tightly again. Then, he rolled over on top of her. Looking into her watery eyes, he stated softly, ¡°Tong¡¯er, I know you¡¯re worried that Qin Yufeng and Eldest Brother might cause us a lot of trouble again. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m with you. Do I look like a man who can¡¯t even protect his wife!¡±

    That was true. Since they got married, she was his only woman. Those concubines could not make trouble in front of her at all. The only time when they made trouble was at her birthday banquet. That was because she hadmunicated with him and did it on purpose. Otherwise, how could those women have the chance to harm her?

    Mo Xuetong believed firmly that Feng Yuran loved her.

    ¡°Yuran, do you have any ns for the women in the back yard?¡± Mo Xuetong nudged Feng Yuran when she thought of the concubines in the back yard and asked. She looked at him with her watery, charming eyes. It was said that something was happening in the back yard. Even though Mo Xuetong did not know much about it, she knew that something was wrong. Feng Yuran asked her not to worry about it, so she did not care about it. However, the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands were about to arrive. and it would not be good if the courtyard of the royal family was not very peaceful!

    Anyway, this was King Xuan¡¯s Manor given by the Emperor, and the house of the Prince of the Qin Kingdom. If something bad were to happen in front of the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, not only would King Xuan¡¯s Manor be embarrassed, the entire Qin Kingdom would be shamed as well.

    Feng Yuran got off from Mo Xuetong, half leaned, and supported his forehead with one hand, sayingzily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle it in the next two days. Anyway, it¡¯s been so noisy recently. It¡¯s impossible not to be found out. Yesterday, I deliberately brought a few people from the Ministry of Works over there and saw a sneaky man in the distance. Then I asked people to catch up with him, and kicked the older maidservant who guarded the door.¡±

    ¡°A few people from the Ministry of Works?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and asked in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Yeah, the repairs in the pce are almost done, so I was going to the restaurant with these people to have a meal. When we passed by the manor, I especially asked the manservant toe in to get money, and he happened toe in from the back door. More than one of them saw me got angry. These people can testify for me by then.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were calm and a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but with deep coldness. His back yard had to be cleaned up. Judging from the situation yesterday, it was not in vain for him to indulge those women for so long. When Tong¡¯er married into the manor, he wanted to clean up the back yard. However, he could not rush this matter. Otherwise, Tong¡¯er would bear the bad reputation.

    His father, the Emperor, grumbled recently as he had not taken his order to take a second consort. He could not let his father hate Tong¡¯er!

    As such, he loosened the entrance guard, but he was afraid that those people would disturb Tong¡¯er. Then, he set up a door between the concubines and Tong¡¯er, and that door was the real back door of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. It would not be easy for the concubines toe even if they wanted to.

    On one hand, it would prevent bad people from entering King Xuan¡¯s Manor; on the other hand, it would also prevent people from using this matter to frame Tong¡¯er. It could kill two birds with one stone. Of course, if that matter were to happen, it would kill three birds with one stone. Feng Yuran had nned it, and he had brought the people from the Ministry of Works there on purpose. Even Lian An, the former Minister of the Ministry of Works, was also there, so he could be a witness.

    In Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, this was a matter of killing many birds with one stone!

    Of course, he would not kill them all in case those people thought Tong¡¯er was the culprit. Last time, more than a dozen people had been beaten to death when Tong¡¯er was not in the manor, but some people had ndered her. This time, she was in the manor. Even if someone could testify for her, there was still a way to embarrass her in front of the Emperor.

    As such, he had to discuss another matter with Tong¡¯er now.

    ¡°Even if I clean up the back yard this time, there will still be a few people left. You can promote them so that others won¡¯t gossip.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was silent for a moment as her longshes fluttered. Then she looked up gently and asked, ¡°When?¡±

    She knew that Feng Yuran was defending her by taking down all his concubines. Even if he was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son, he would still be punished. And she, the daughter-inw, had to take responsibility at that time. This was not like thest time when she was ill and was not in the manor. Even if the Emperor asked her about it, he would not me her for that then.

    In fact, Feng Yuran¡¯s idea was the best, which could cover everything. She had heard about the things in the back yard. But Mo Ye had told her that Feng Yuran wanted her to stay out of it, and she also knew that he was prepared to get rid of some people. Originally, she thought that this idea was too fierce and would hurt too many people. She did not want anger the Emperor. However, if she promoted some concubines at the same time, the Emperor would not be able to me her.

    Feng Yuran propped himself up with his hands when he realized that Mo Xuetong had understood what he meant. He looked down at Mo Xuetong¡¯s slightly red eyes and smiled charmingly. ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you moved? Do you think that you have to give yourself to me to express your gratitude? Then, why don¡¯t we...¡±

    His words were very ambiguous. Then, he deliberately leaned down, rubbed against her towering chest and even looked up at her tiredly. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face turned red, and the pink extended to her jade-like neck. She pushed his face away shyly and said coyly, ¡°Who want to give herself to you? Get up.¡±

    She did not sound threatening at all. Even Mo Xuetong felt that she was acting coyly. She was too embarrassed to face him and pushed him away forcefully. Feng Yuran felt a dryness in his throat when he looked at her red cheeks. He rolled around slightly and his body heated up. Heid down beside her with his hands and legs outstretched. Then he muttered in pain, ¡°I can see you, but I can¡¯t have you. How am I supposed to live like this?¡±

    His words made Mo Xuetong¡¯s face even redder. She pulled the quilt and covered herself with it. This man... really dared to say anything. She could not help but grit her teeth and kick him again.

 Chapter 589 - The Great Purge, Promote Concubines

    <h4>Chapter 589 The Great Purge, Promote Concubines</h4>

    After the matter of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Feng Yuran only left three concubines in the back yard. All the other concubines were sold or beaten to death.

    The matter went on in silence, but the people who knew it did not dare to tell anyone about it because it was rted to the dignity of the royal family. More than one concubine in the backyard had an affair with another man. The Emperor, who had always paid attention to the dignity of the royal family, could not bear it. His youngest son whom he loved most was humiliated like this. If his son had not happened to meet them, he would not have been able to discover it all the time!

    Emperor Zongwen immediately ordered the concubines and the young and older maidservants in the back yard, who were involved in the matter, to be beaten to death, and the others who were not involved in the matter to be sold.

    Only three of them were left behind in order to conceal it from others, and it was Mo Xuetong who begged in personal. She exined that she was in poor health and neglected the back yard. She was willing to pick some good women and promote them, and would definitely manage the back yard strictly in the future, promising that nothing like this would happen again.

    She pleaded and took responsibility without jealousy. Furthermore, she took the initiative to ask for the promotion of a few concubines, which took the interests of the whole into ount. It made Emperor Zongwen feel much better when he wanted to vent his anger on her. Then he remembered that his daughter-inw was young, so she did not know how to deal with those things. She was in poor health, and there were too many concubines in Feng Yuran¡¯s back yard.

    Then he ordered Feng Yuran to take this opportunity to clean up all of them!

    Emperor Zongwen had wanted to kill them all and then bestowed two girls from noble families to Feng Yuran to be his second consorts regardless of his objections. Feng Yuran was a special prince and ording to the rules, he should also have two second consorts and four other consorts. These were all registered in the royal family. As for the other concubines, it was all up to him. Anyway, they did not have to be on the royal family¡¯s list and no one cared about this.

    However, Mo Xuetong had already brought up the idea and getting rid of all the women at once was not a good idea, which would arouse suspicion while they could not reveal the reason. Then Feng Yuran would be despised for the rest of his life. It would be the best idea to leave a few to protect his reputation. It seemed that his wife was not only generous, but also smart.

    There was something else that Emperor Zongwen was most pleased with. It made him feel that Mo Xuetong was a blissful person. Emperor Zongwen did not forget that Mo Xuetong had married into King Chu¡¯s Manor so early because his son had been so badly injured then that the imperial physicians didn¡¯t know how to cure him. Helplessly, he thought of giving him a wedding to counteract his bad luck. Magically, Feng Yuran got well after that. Mo Xuetong was really blessed and destined to be with Feng Yuran. Now that something like that had happened, she had knelt down and helped to cover it.

    Emperor Zongwen cooled down and then felt that Mo Xuetong was a good person!

    In the end, the Emperor threw all those involved into prison on the grounds that someone had conspired with King Xuan¡¯s concubines to murder him. Then all the people disappeared silently. Then Feng Yuran cleaned up the back yard and sold the other concubines. Mo Xuetong chose two of them to promote and happened to be on an equal footing with Concubine Qin. Then they could be regarded as the real concubines of King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    Even though there were no high-ranking concubines that could be on the list, it was fortunate that only King Chu¡¯s Manor had a second consort. And the main consort had gone mad. As such, it was not conspicuous for King Chu¡¯s Manor to have no second consorts or concubines. At the very least, they had a few concubines that looked good.

    One of the two new candidates to be promoted was Concubine Yun, and the other was Concubine Wen.

    The reason why they were chosen was that their father or brother was an official. Concubine Yun¡¯s father was a sixth-grade official in the capital. Her mother was a concubine in the family. It was her father who sent her to the pce, and then the Empress Dowager sent her to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to be with Feng Yuran. As for Concubine Wen, she was the legitimate daughter in her father¡¯s family, but her brother was only a seventh-grade official in a small county near the capital. Therefore, she was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor without any title.

    Now that the manor had confirmed the identity of the three concubines, Mo Xuetong ordered servants to clean up the back yard and redistributed house. The second door in front of the back door was also cleared. The three concubines lived in the same courtyard and Mo Xuetong also sent some young and older maidservants to serve them. She had also told them to follow the rules of the back yard; otherwise, no one could protect them if something happened.

    Many people had died in the back yard, and the other concubines had all been sold. Only the three of them were left. They were sad. Although everyone used to y dirty tricks on each other, it was sad that most of them were all gone all of a sudden. When they thought of how ruthless Feng Yuran was, the three of them were not in the mood to fight for a while and all stayed in the courtyard obediently.

    Mo Xuetong only saw them once and did not ask them toe to greet every day. She only said that she would ask them toe over when it was necessary. She did not want to see those people. Even though she knew that Feng Yuran did not go to their ce, she felt annoyed when she thought of their identities.

    The back yard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor was cleaned up in a hurry. The people in the capital only talked about it for a while and then stopped paying attention to it. Because all the students who took part in the imperial exam had already finished it. There were many carriages and people in front of the examination hall that day. They were alling to pick up people from different families.

    In many days of exams, the students ate and drank inside. There were not many people who really could hold on and didn¡¯t feel tired. Most of these students were weak schrs. Usually, they only read books and drew paintings. They had never gone through this, so all of them were very tired.

    ¡°Elder Brother, here, here!¡± Qin Yuxuan stared at the people who came out of the examination hall one by one with big eyes. When he saw Qin Yufeng, who looked tired, he jumped up and shouted.

    At the sight of him, Qin Yufeng smiled slightly. Then he came out of the crowd and turned to Qin Yuxuan.

    ¡°Elder Brother, how did you do in the exam?¡± Qin Yuxuan could not wait any longer. He squeezed over to take the food basket from Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand and asked impatiently.

    ¡°Not bad!¡± Qin Yufeng rubbed his forehead and held Qin Yuxuan¡¯s hand to get on the carriage. Then, Qin Yuxuan also jumped in and put down the food basket in his hand. ¡°Father said that you must be very tired. He let me tell you not to worry about it. You can just sleep. I¡¯ll call you when we reach home.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Qin Yufeng nodded and closed his eyes. He was really sleepy. Although he paid attention to exercising his body, he couldn¡¯t sleep well or eat well in the examination hall these days. He turned his head and rubbed his forehead. Without hesitation, he leaned on the couch and fell asleep.

    Qin Yuxuan asked the coachman to set off. The carriage slowly squeezed out of the crowd and headed to the gate of the Qin Manor.

    Not long after, they arrived at the entrance of the Qin Manor. Qin Yuxuan woke Qin Yufeng up and got someone to carry the food basket. Then, he and Qin Yufeng, who had recovered a little vitality, walked in the manor. They went to Old Madam Qin¡¯s courtyard first. Both Mdm Yu and Qin Zheng were there. After greeting them, Qin Zheng asked him some knowledge questions. Qin Yufeng answered one by one, which made his father nod profusely. He looked at his son with satisfaction.

    He had always been very satisfied with his eldest son. Previously, Qin Yufeng was unwilling to participate in the imperial exam, which gave him a headache. Now that he was finally willing to give it a try, Qin Zheng found nothing unsatisfactory in him. He was very confident in his eldest son¡¯s talent. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if he could be Number One Schr, it should not be a problem for him to pass the exam and be on the list.

    While Qin Yufeng and his father were talking enthusiastically, Mdm Yu was somehow absent-minded. She stood behind Old Madam Qin and hammered her shoulders from time to time. She nced at her calm eldest son and second son who had always been yful out of the corner of her eye. Then, she lowered her head weakly. It seemed as if she was focused on hammering Old Madam Qin¡¯s back, but in fact, she was already absent-minded.

    No one in the room noticed that she was behaving oddly. However, Qin Yufeng¡¯s gazended on her intentionally or unintentionally. There was a sh of thought in his eyes. Qin Zheng did not say much to him. He knew that he was extremely tired and called someone to prepare food for him. Then, he told him to go to his room and rest.

    After all, such a big examination was the most exhausting!

    The fact that Qin Yufeng walked out showed that he had a good constitution, and his exercise was not bad.

    Qin Yufeng did not stand on ceremony. After having a little food, he went to his courtyard to rest. However, Qin Yuxuan stayed and was rebuked by Qin Zheng. His father asked him to learn more from his elder brother. Of course, Qin Yuxuan repeatedly said that he could learn martial arts, which naturally made Qin Zheng scold him angrily. The Qin family attached great importance to intellect and etiquette, and had always looked down upon the military sessful candidate in the imperial provincial examination.

    However, when he saw that his youngest son had hung his head and was being lectured listlessly, Qin Zheng felt that the kid at least had the desire to advance. Now that Qin Yuxuan was not good at studying, it was pointless for him to continue learning. Then Qin Zheng could not scold him any longer. As such, he allowed Qin Yuxuan to return to his courtyard to rethink. Qin Zheng had a few more words with his mother and left because he had something to do. There were only Old Madam Qin and her daughter-inw in the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Feng¡¯er has returned, but why are you not in high spirits?¡± Old Madam Qin gestured for Mdm Yu to stop and turned around to ask with dissatisfaction. She had felt that Mdm Yu was hammering her back weakly.

    ¡°Perhaps I was too happy when I thought that Feng¡¯er was going toe out and slepttest night. I¡¯m not feeling well right now.¡± Mdm Yu hurriedly stopped thinking other matters and turned around to smile humbly. Old Madam Qin was a smart person and was concerned about the reputation of the manor, so she did not dare to tell her what she was thinking.

    Old Madam Qin¡¯s expression turned cold as she stared at Mdm Yu and stated, ¡°Then have more rest and don¡¯t think too much. Get the servants to make some soup for Feng¡¯erter. Feng¡¯er is your son. Don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s matters. First of all, you are the daughter-inw of the Qin family, and then the daughter of the Yu family.¡±

    The words sent a chill down Mdm Yu¡¯s spine. She quickly lowered her head and answered, ¡°Yes, Mother. I have already got someone to make tonic soup. It still needs a little more time to be thick and fragrant. I will send it to Feng¡¯er when he wakes up.¡±

    Did Old Madam know something? Otherwise, why did she say those words to her? Old Madam Qin was usually rather polite to her, but this time, she did not show any politeness. Mdm Yu¡¯s face was a little pale, and she bit her lips with a forced smile on her face. She did not dare to let Old Madam Qin see her panic.

    ¡°That would be best. Feng¡¯er is old enough. When the listes out, start to pick a suitable wife for him. The girls of your Yu family have evil ideas and are not a good match for Feng¡¯er, so don¡¯t waste your energy on them.¡± Old Madam Qin looked at her solemnly and waved her hand after a while.

    Recently, people of the Yu family hade to the capital one after another. There were indeed a fewdies who were marriageable. Yu Feng¡¯s wife, Mdm Chen, had already hinted to Mdm Yu many times that their children could get married so that the two families could help each other. Mdm Yu had been interested in it. If her niece became her daughter-inw, it would definitely be good for her. However, ording to Old Madam¡¯s attitude, she knew that it was not necessary to discuss it, so she did not dare to mention it and just nodded vigorously.

 Chapter 590 - Fear, Mdm Yus Ideas

    <h4>Chapter 590 Fear, Mdm Yu¡¯s Ideas</h4>

    Mdm Yu did not stay in Old Madam Qin¡¯s room for long and went to the kitchen to see how the soup was. She did not dare to make any more trouble after Old Madam Qin reminded her. After leaving the kitchen, she stood at the intersection and thought for a while. She did not go to see Qin Yufeng and went straight back to her courtyard.

    An older female servant was standing in circles in the yard anxiously. When she saw Mdm Yuing over, she smiled and came up to her. ¡°Madam...¡±

    Before she finished speaking, Mdm Yu red at her coldly and walked inside. The maidservant beside her smartly motioned the older maidservant to follow.

    In the room, Mdm Yu sat down, and the maidservant made tea. She took a sip and touched her head. She really had a headache. It was true that she didn¡¯t sleep wellst night. But it didn¡¯t because of her son, but because of the letter she suddenly got yesterday. Her niece, Yu Sirong, died in King Chu¡¯s Manor and was thrown into a mass grave.

    When they were in Cloud City, Yu Sirong spent most of her year in the Qin Manor because she had a crush on Qin Yuxuan. Mdm Yu did not have a daughter, so she really treated Yu Sirong as her own daughter. How could she not have feelings for her after so many years? In the past, she had joined forces with Mdm Chen and Yu Sirong to plot against Mo Xuetong because she wanted Yu Sirong to be the daughter-inw of the Qin family.

    Unexpectedly, Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t hurt, and instead, Yu Sirong¡¯s face was disfigured and her reputation was ruined. Then, Yu Sirong was forced to go to the temple. From then on, they were enemies of Mo Xuetong. At the thought of this, Mdm Yu wanted to ruin Mo Xuetong to avenge Yu Sirong. However, after that matter, Mo Xuetong rarely came to the Qin Manor. Even though she came, Old Madam Qin would ask her to stay in her courtyard. She would not have a chance to hurt her even if she wanted to.

    However, what happened after that also frightened Mdm Yu, and she did not dare to do anything to Mo Xuetong.

    Her niece Mo Xuemin had always been a smart girl. In the end, she had not only lost her reputation, but also been chased out of the Mo Manor. The intelligent Auntie Fang had even implicated the Yu Manor and caused people to think that girls of the Yu family were all vicious. However, the most unexpected was that, without the help of her own mother, Mo Xuetong still married into the royal family, and became the popr King Xuan¡¯s wife.

    That day at Old Madam Qin¡¯s birthday banquet, Mdm Yu had no choice but to pay her respects to Mo Xuetong. Only then did she realize the difference in her and Mo Xuetong¡¯s status. The woman in front of her was no longer the girl who had been controlled and bullied by her servants in Cloud City. She was now the high and mighty Consort Xuan, the daughter-inw of the royal family. It would be a daydream if she wanted to avenge her niece and her younger sister.

    This was not apetition of strength, and Mdm Yu was sensible of it.

    However, to her surprise, two months ago, Yu Sirong secretly sent the older maidservant who was standing before her to see her. At that time, she could not believe it and hurried to the back door. When she saw Yu Sirong¡¯s recovered face, she was so excited that she burst into tears. Different from Mo Xuemin, Yu Sirong had been around her since she was a child. How could she not be happy when seeing that she was fine?

    However, unexpectedly, Yu Sirong clenched her teeth and said that she wanted to seek revenge on Mo Xuetong. Mdm Yu was shocked and hurriedly tried to persuade her. She told Yu Sirong Mo Xuetong¡¯s current status and said that she would only be dead if she were to fight with Mo Xuetong. How could she be able to hit a rock with an egg? However, Yu Sirong did not listen to her advice at all and still insisted. She only said that Mdm Yu should collect more information about Mo Xuetong, and she woulde to get it in a few days. She also asked Mdm Yu to keep it a secret for her, and even not to tell Yu Feng and his wife that she had returned.

    Then, Yu Sirong visited Mdm Yu every few days. Mdm Yu asked where she lived, but she did not tell her. There was a time when she tricked the older maidservant into staying, and learned that her niece had sold herself to Ding General Manor and entered King Chu¡¯s Manor with Ling Rui¡¯er. She was a noble youngdy, but she sold herself and became a servant. Mdm Yu was so angry she almost rushed to King Chu¡¯s Manor when she heard that.

    Then, she said angrily that she would not care about Yu Sirong anymore. However, Yu Sirong still came to her every few days. Sometimes, she would ask Mdm Yu for information about Mo Xuetong, and sometimes, she would ask Mdm Yu for some money. Mdm Yu saw that she was so stubborn and had no choice but to give her some money secretly. At least, she would not be bullied in King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    However, the older maidservant ran over hurriedlyst night and said that something had happened to Yu Sirong. She had been killed by King Chu because of Consort Xuan and thrown into a mass grave after her death. There was not even a person to collect her body. Mdm Yu was stunned when she heard that Yu Sirong was dead and almost fainted. So she could not sleep at night.

    She was now thinking about how good and adorable Yu Sirong was. Mdm Yu remembered every detail of her growth in her heart from a child to a beautiful youngdy. Mdm Yu felt heartbroken. Yu Sirong had lost her reputation and her face was disfigured because of Mo Xuetong and now had lost her life because of Mo Xuetong. Mdm Yu hated Mo Xuetong so much that she almost wanted to eat her alive.

    An idea had been running through her mind, ¡°No, I can¡¯t let Si Rong die in vain. I must avenge her!¡±

    That night, she sent the older maidservant out and gave her some money, asking her to collect Yu Sirong¡¯s body and buy a good coffin to bury her.

    ¡°How is it going?¡± At this time, she sat down and asked with a dark face.

    ¡°Madam, I went there toote. Miss¡¯s body has been, has been bitten by wild dogs and... It has been scattered.¡± The older maidservant knelt down with a plop and cried.

    Madam Yu¡¯s body shook and she almost fell to the ground. She gritted her teeth and said hatefully, ¡°Shut up. Do you want everyone to know about this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam, I...¡± The older maidservant knelt on the ground and wiped her tears. ¡°I gathered those remains and asked someone to find a ce to bury them.¡±

    Mdm Yu nodded and clenched her fists. ¡°Has anyone seen you?¡±

    ¡°No. When I heard the news, it was alreadyte. Then I came here to report the news. When I went out to look for the body, it was almost midnight. There was no one there.¡± As she thought of how horrible the mass grave wasst night, the older maidservant¡¯s face became pale and her teeth chattered.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve buried your mistress, that¡¯s all!¡± Mdm Yu held her head tiredly. Old Madam Qin¡¯s warning was still ringing in her ears. First, she had to be the daughter-inw of the Qin Manor, and then she was the daughter of the Yu Manor. She had not only a niece, but also her own sons. She could not bring trouble to the Qin Manor for her niece.

    ¡°Madam, what?¡± The older maidservant suddenly raised her tearful face and asked, ¡°Madam, didn¡¯t you say that you would avenge Miss? How could you go back on your words!¡±

    That was what Mdm Yu saidst night when she was angry.

    ¡°Go back on my words? What should I do? Can our Qin Manor deal with King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Or our Qin Manor is more favored by the Emperor than King Xuan. No matter how powerful the Qin Manor is, we are still the royal family¡¯s official. How dare an official deal with a prince and his legal wife? Are you wanting our Qin Manor to be punished?¡±

    Mdm Yu pounded the table angrily. She pointed at the older maidservant and rebuked her angrily, venting all her anger on the older maidservant. She felt that if she had not told her, she would not have been in such a panic. If this matter came to light, it would be a big deal. Qin Zheng had always been an upright official. If he knew that it had something to do with her, he would divorce her.

    Mdm Yu was really afraid that someone would make a big deal out of this, but the older maidservant seemed to want to make it as big as possible.

    ¡°Madam, Miss has always been raised by you and treated you as her own mother. After she returned this time, she had never gone back to the Yu Manor, but hade to visit you more than once. Madam, don¡¯t you have anypassion for her? Are you just going to watch our mistress die in vain? They imed that she had slept with a manservant, but Madam, is our mistress a shameless person?¡±

    Finding that what she said didn¡¯t work, the older maidservant immediately covered her face and burst into tears, and kept kowtowing to apologize!

    Mdm Yu thought of the adorable girl and could not help but wear a sad look as the older maidservant said pathetically. Tears welled up in her eyes and she wiped them from the corners of her eyes dazedly. Then she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±

    ¡°No, but I heard that King Chu had a different feeling for Mo Xuetong. If we are going to do something from this, it will ruin her reputation as well.¡± The older maidservant raised her red and swollen eyes and said resentfully.

    Did Mo Xuetong have an affair with King Chu, Feng Yuxuan?

    Mdm Yu was shocked and widened her eyes in disbelief. She felt a chill in her heart. This was a private matter of the royal family. No one could bring it up as if nothing had happened. But who dared to mention it? No one could bear the responsibility.

    ¡°Do, do you have any evidence?¡± This kind of thing could not be said casually. Mdm Yu trembled and her face paled. She stared at the older maidservant, lowered her voice, and asked word by word. Her trusted maidservant had already gone out to guard the door to stop othersing in.

    ¡°Yes, Miss told me that there was evidence of King Chu and Consort Xuan having an affair under the floor in the ce where she slept. I can go there secretly. I will go back to the manorter and send it to Madam when I get it. Madam, please hand the things over to avenge Miss.¡±

    The older maidservant wiped her tears and said in a hurry.

    There was indeed evidence. Mdm Yu could not help shuddering upon hearing that. A hint of fear appeared in her eyes. She heard herself gritting her teeth with difficulty and saying, ¡°Alright, go back to King Chu¡¯s Manor and find a suitable time to give it to me when you get it. Don¡¯t act rashly lest others should be suspicious and you might die.¡±

    It was not only for the older maidservant but also for herself. Their enemy was King Chu¡¯s Manor and King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the two princes¡¯ house. At this time, Mdm Yu¡¯s heart was in a mess, and she couldn¡¯t help but break out cold sweat on her forehead. If she could not do it well, the whole Qin Manor would be buried with her. How could she dare to fight against them so easily?

    Now, she had to stabilize the old maidservant first, and she would act ording to the situation. Although Mdm Yu was a married woman who had always lived in the manor, she also knew that King Chu and King Xuan were both influential princes at this time. How could she, a woman like a weak egg, dare to really hit them? When she got the evidence left by Yu Sirong, she had to read it clearly, think it clearly, and confirm that the matter was absolutely true and that it would not harm the Qin Manor before she spread it.

    No matter what, she could not panic. She must make a decision and then move. Mdm Yu told herself over and over again that she still had her own sons, and that she was the daughter-inw of the Qin family. After sending the old maidservant away, she sat alone in the room for a long time before she calmed down again. She would never do anything unless there was no irrefutable evidence!

    She indeed hated Mo Xuetong. She was angry that Yu Sirong had been killed by her. However, she would not bet the entire Qin family. No matter what happened next, the Qin Manor had to stay out of it.

 Chapter 591 - The Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands Arrived in the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 591 The Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands Arrived in the Capital</h4>

    The lengthening chariot was pulled by eight horses, on which there was a huge canopy. The flying gauze covered the people inside. A slender figure could be faintly seen half-leaning inside. On both sides, there were pce maids, eunuchs, and bodyguards holding all kinds of items, standing by the chariot, valiantly and alertly.

    Behind the huge chariot was arge carriage. The decoration of the carriage was gorgeous and beautiful. At first nce, one could tell that it was extraordinary. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and one could see that two beautiful women were bending over the window and looking at the scenery outside with interest. The guards beside them were not surprised and did not even raise their heads.

    Suddenly, a group of people came in front of them. When they met, the carriage and chariot stopped. The woman sitting in the back carriage deliberately turned her head to see what was going on ahead. However, she was stopped by the nanny who was sitting aside. So she had to sit down again and put on a dignified look.

    ¡°Your Highness, this ce is five kilometers away from the capital of the Qin Kingdom. The lord mayor of the Qin Kingdom is here to wee Your Highness and Her Highness.¡± A guard jumped off his horse nimbly and ran ahead to ask before rushing over.

    ¡°Lord mayor!¡± The man in the chariot¡¯s voice was gentle. He put down the book in his hand and thought for a moment. Then, he continued lightly, ¡°Ask Lord Mayor Mo toe over.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The guard trotted ahead and soon led Mo Huawen to the chariot.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. I heard that you¡¯re already here. His Majesty has ordered us to wait for you here.¡± Mo Huawen cupped his hands respectfully as a greeting. In order to show the importance the Qin Kingdom attached to the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Mo Huawen was ordered to wee them in the ce five kilometers away from the capital. And King Xuan was waiting outside the city gates to wee the guests.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite, Sir Mo. I camete and caused you trouble!¡± Inside the chariot, the Crown Prince of Southern Barbarian Lands, Xieyue, said politely. He coughed twice and asked people to lift up the gauze curtain before the chariot.

    A pale and handsome face was revealed under the gauze curtain. If not for the fact that he was really pale, he would have been a handsome young man. Mo Huawen looked at him carefully before lowering his head again. He had long heard that the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was in poor health. It seemed true now. Hisplexion was slightly different from that of a normal person and he looked a little weak. Fortunately, he looked good in other aspects.

    Since they were going to live in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the manor had already brought several imperial physicians with brilliant medical skills from the pce, afraid that something would happen to the Crown Prince in the manor. Although he looked pale, he did not look like he would fall ill easily.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not troubled. I will lead Your Highness to the city. His Highness King Xuan is already waiting for you at the city gates.¡±

    Before Xieyue could say anything, Princess Caifeng, who was on the carriage behind the chariot, urged the horses forward. When she heard Mo Huawen mentioning King Xuan, she involuntarily pouted and asked, ¡°King Xuan? The eighth prince who only knows about enjoying himself with feasting and other kinds of entertainment and usually doesn¡¯t work, King Xuan?¡±

    ¡°Caifeng, don¡¯t be rude!¡± Xieyue scolded coldly.

    ¡°Yes, Royal Brother!¡± Princess Caifeng closed her mouth grievously. Then she secretly pursed her lips in disdain. She had not said anything wrong. King Xuan¡¯s reputation was just like that. Ever since she entered the Qin Kingdom, she had heard of King Xuan the most. It was said that he had enough concubines in his back yard to make an army. Such a man was thest thing Princess Caifeng liked.

    She also knew that it was wrong to treat a prince from a country of their friend like this. But she couldn¡¯t hold back the anger in her heart, so she no longer went forward. Thinking that the dissolute prince might be her husband, she was in a bad mood. When she came, her father told her in private that she should obey all the orders of her eldest royal brother. If there was a suitable prince, she would marry him.

    This matter made Caifeng wronged and depressed. She had inquired clearly that all of these princes had a legal wife. She, as a princess, would never want to be a co-wife.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. You can choose any of the three princes, King Chu, King Yan, and King Xuan. If you like any one of them, just ask him to divorce his first consort. How could the dignified princess of our Southern Barbarian Lands to ept a status lower than their wife?¡± The one who was sitting beside her was General Hu¡¯s daughter, Hu Qianyue. At this time, she gently pushed Princess Caifeng tofort her in a low voice.

    Not only was Hu Qianyue the daughter of the most powerful general in the Southern Barbarian Lands, but she was also the niece of the Empress, the cousin of the Third Prince, who was the most doted on in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Her status was perhaps lower than that of Princess Caifeng, but her overall strength was stronger than that of Princess Caifeng. She had a good rtionship with Princess Caifeng. This time, she came with her because Princess Caifeng had suggested that she apanied her.

    If Mo Xuetong saw them, she would definitely recognize Hu Qianyue. She was the arrogant woman she met on that day.

    Princess Caifeng calmed down when she heard that. She was a noble princess, so how could she ept a lower status than a prince¡¯s wife? She could not even ept to be a co-wife. It was said that the three princes of the Qin Kingdom were all young and handsome. If she really liked someone, it would be the best that the Qin Kingdom treated her as the legal wife.

    At this time, the chariot had set off, and Mo Huawen apanied the Crown Prince Xieyue.

    ¡°Which one of the princes in the Qin Kingdom is the most handsome?¡± Princess Caifeng asked Hu Qianyue. She knew that Hu Qianyue had secretlye to the capital a few days ago, iming that she was exploring the way for her.

    Hu Qianyue thought for a while and answered with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t see them at that time. After all, they are the nobility. It¡¯s not easy to see them. But I heard that King Xuan is iparably handsome, and no one in the whole Qin capital is more handsome than him.¡±

    ¡°Iparably handsome? How handsome can he be? He must be just an outwardly attractive but worthless person. How could he be handsome? It must have been touted by the women who have a liking for his position,¡± Princess Caifeng scoffed. She really looked down on King Xuan, who was said to be iparably handsome.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. Maybe it¡¯s touted by those women who want to enter his manor and try to tter him. I heard that it¡¯s easiest to enter his manor.¡± Hu Qianyue covered her mouth with a handkerchief and sneered.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know why his wife married him. Could it be because of his power?¡± Princess Caifeng uttered disdainfully. ¡°The women of the Qin Kingdom are really greedy for wealth. She risked her life for a useless prince. What a bitch!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if everyone is as tough as you, My Highness, and only marries the man they want to marry, there won¡¯t be so many unhappy couples,¡± Hu Qianyueplimented Princess Caifeng in quiet deliberation. Immediately, Princess Caifeng was overjoyed. She could not help but think proudly, ¡°Since I¡¯vee to the capital this time, if I take a fancy to a prince, I¡¯ll get his wife to give up her position. If I don¡¯t like any of them, I¡¯ll go back to the Southern Barbarian Lands. I won¡¯t force myself to marry into the Qin Kingdom. I won¡¯t degrade myself.¡±

    She was not the kind of woman who craved riches and honor!

    As they talked, they enjoyed the scenery outside the window. Before they knew it, they had already covered five kilometers. They saw that the city gates were not far away. Crown Prince Xieyue had already sent someone to inform Princess Caifeng. Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue straightened their clothes, picked up the veil, and put it on.

    Although the Southern Barbarian Lands did not pay much attention to these things, they were now in the territory of the Qin Kingdom, so they had to conform to the customs of the Qin Kingdom. As the princess of a country, she could not let others see her face casually. Hu Qianyue got off Princess Caifeng¡¯s carriage and entered a smaller carriage behind this one. On the surface, Hu Qianyue could not steal the princess¡¯s thunder. The pce maids picked up the gauze curtains of the two carriages ahead, revealing Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng, who were sitting inside.

    The chariot and carriage stopped and Princess Caifeng sat there feeling bored. She looked at the exotic scenery before her eyes.

    A group of people came over and surrounded a carriage in the middle. The man in the carriage was dressed in a gorgeous purple robe. When she saw him from a distance, Princess Caifeng thought that he was indeed very coquettish. Not only was he dressed in such bright colors, but his robe was also embroidered with extremely mboyant flowers. Although Princess Caifeng did not know what flowers these were, she found they gave her an enchanting feeling.

    Why did a man wear a robe embroidering with such enchanting and bright flowers! Princess Caifeng pursed her lips. He was indeed an outwardly attractive but worthless person. He even dressed like a pillow with an embroidered case. What a shame he was!

    The carriage moved forward. When Princess Caifeng clearly saw Feng Yuran, who was leaning against the wall, the smirk on her face froze.

    He was dressed in purple and the enchanting embroidery and color did not overshadow him at all. Instead, it made him seem even more charming. He had a handsome face, a pair of beautiful eyes and red and thin lips. His features were stunning. The smile on his face could be described as peerlessly beautiful.

    How could a man be so beautiful and his smile so seductively? He was more handsome and outstanding than any man Princess Caifeng had ever met. If he was a woman, he was a stunning beauty. How could a man be so handsome...?

    With just one nce, Princess Caifeng was stunned by his appearance!

    How could there be such an exceedingly handsome man in the world?

    The chariot and Feng Yuran¡¯s carriage were facing each other. Feng Yuran sat up and saidzily with a hint of maism in his voice, ¡°Your Highness, I have been waiting for you for a long time. How is your trip here?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Your Highness King Xuan. It was safe on the way.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue smiled slightly, coughed softly, and answered with a smile.

    Even though the two had not met officially, they had gotten in touch in private. It could be said that Feng Yuran had done a lot of things to help Xieyuee peacefully. It was not convenient for them to say those things in front of everyone. They smiled at each other. They didn¡¯t have to say anything. One of them was a sickly Crown Prince while the other was a licentious prince, but the two would not look down on each other.

    ¡°That is my younger sister, Caifeng. Caifeng, came to pay your respects to His Highness King Xuan.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue waved his hand and asked Princess Caifeng toe to see King Xuan. After all, it was said that King Xuan was the son Emperor Zongwen doted on the most. Princess Caifeng could not be impolite. Xieyue was very clear about his younger sister¡¯s character. He did not want her to embarrass King Xuan and offend him as soon as she arrived in the capital.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s carriage came forward. She had already stood in the carriage. She curtsied gently and said delicately, ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. May you live well forever.¡±

    On the chariot beside, Crown Prince Xieyue raised his eyebrows and a hint of a bright smile shed in the corner of his eyes. If Caifeng liked King Xuan who had enormous potential, he would be d to see that.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Pleasee with me to rest in my manor.¡± Feng Yuran waved his hand carelessly. His carriage turned around and sped towards the city gates. On the other side, Mo Huawen followed them with his men while maintaining the order.

 Chapter 592 - Inquiry, Princess Caifengs Plan

    <h4>Chapter 592 Inquiry, Princess Caifeng¡¯s n</h4>

    When the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Mo Xuetong was not in the manor. She was recuperating in the courtyard outside the city because she was in poor health a few days ago and suddenly had a fever that night. Feng Yuran was startled and called all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Institute of Medicine to the manor. The conclusion was that she had been too tired recently and had to recuperate.

    Therefore, Feng Yuran went to the pce to ask Emperor Zongwen for leave and then especially sent Mo Xuetong to the courtyard outside the city. After that, he returned to the manor to receive the people from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Anyway, all the affairs in the manor were arranged well. He used to use Nanny Chen and Aunt Xiann in the inner yard. The two of them had been keeping an eye on his concubines, but now there were only three concubines on the surface in the back yard, so they could spare some time to help Mo Xuetong manage the inner yard.

    Unlike in the Qin Kingdom, men and women in the Southern Barbarian Lands didn¡¯t have to avoid meeting each other as much as possible. Mo Xuetong had arranged for the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands to live in the outer yard and the steward of the outer yard would arrange it; Princess Caifeng would live in the inner yard beside the second door. It was said that the princess liked to go out, and the rules of the Qin Kingdom could not control her, so they could not restrain her too much.

    The group of people arrived in King Xuan¡¯s Manor in a mighty manner and got off their chariot and carriages at the gates. Feng Yuran led Crown Prince Xieyue in with a smile. Princess Caifeng, who wore a veil, followed closely behind. Hu Qianyue, who was thest to get off the carriage, secretly observed the handsome and elegant Feng Yuran and hurried to follow them.

    The people from the Southern Barbarian Lands did not pay their respects to Emperor Zongwen today. They would rest today and go to the pce with Feng Yuran tomorrow!

    The courtyard had been arranged. Feng Yuran asked servants to take them to their yard and he intended to return to Jinwei Pavilion. The people of the Southern Barbarian Lands had an exhausting journey and needed to rest. Besides, Crown Prince Xieyue seemed to be in poor health. Fortunately, there were imperial physicians in the manor and Feng Yuran would ask them to see him. He left it to the butler.

    His manor had always been managed smoothly, and even if Mo Xuetong was not around, the inner yard would not be in a mess.

    ¡°Your Highness King Xuan!¡± Before he could turn around, a gentle voice came from behind him. Feng Yuran frowned and turned around. After a light shed across his eyes, he had an evil smile on his face. Then hezily asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Princess Caifeng?¡±

    ¡°I wonder where Consort Xuan is. I would like to visit her first,¡± Princess Caifeng answered in a soft voice as she gently looked at Feng Yuran with her beautiful eyes through the veil.

    She came from afar and was a guest in the manor, so it was normal for her to visit the hostess.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. My wife is not feeling well and is treated outside the city. She is not in the manor now. When shees back, she would invite Princess Caifeng to meet,¡± Feng Yuran replied in a sincere tone as he beamed and blinked his long and pretty eyes.

    ¡°Oh, I see. What a pity. I didn¡¯t expect Consort Xuan to be in such poor health. I was brusque.¡± Princess Caifeng smiled and apologetically curtsied to Feng Yuran with a smile. Then she held the hand of the pce maidservant beside her and followed the maidservant who led the way. Hu Qianyue also curtsied to Feng Yuran gracefully and followed Princess Caifeng into the yard.

    They lived in the same courtyard, and Princess Caifeng lived in the main room and Hu Qianyue lived in the left wing room. They were indeed tired along the way. The maidservants had prepared water for them. After washing up, they sat down in the room again. It was alreadyte, and the maidservants served them dinner.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s face darkened when she saw that they were going to have dinner in her courtyard. She looked at the maidservant who had sent dishes in and asked coldly, ¡°Doesn¡¯t His Highness hold a weing dinner for us?¡±

    As Princess Caifeng was dressed up, it was obvious that she had prepared to meet others. The leading maidservant brilliantly bowed and answered. ¡°Your Highness, His Highness has told us that Crown Prince and Your Highness are guests from afar. You must be extremely tired all the way here. There will be a feast in the pce tomorrow, so he won¡¯t disturb Crown Prince and Your Highness¡¯ rest today.¡±

    When Princess Caifeng heard that Feng Yuran especially made such an arrangement for the sake of their bodies, her expression grew a little better. She looked at the maidservant and asked gently, ¡°Are you Consort Xuan¡¯s maidservant from her parents¡¯ family?¡±

    The first maidservant in the inner yard was usually from the mistress¡¯ parents¡¯ family. On the one hand, she was the confidant of the mistress; on the other hand, she had seen the world very well and was very smart.

    ¡°I¡¯m not from Her Lady¡¯s parents¡¯ family. I¡¯ve always been the maidservant of King Xuan¡¯s Manor,¡± the maidservant replied respectfully.

    ¡°What kinds of diseases does Consort Xuan get?¡± Hu Qianyue, who was sitting by the side, put down the teacup in her hand and asked with interest.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s just that she is not feeling well.¡± The maidservant was not a big mouth. She answered with a smile, but didn¡¯t give away any information about Mo Xuetong¡¯s illness!

    ¡°King Xuan looks very young. How many years has Consort Xuan married King Xuan? Do they have a child?¡± Hu Qianyue grew even more curious.

    ¡°Her Lady have married His Highness for less than one year and they have no children,¡± the maidservant answered in a well-behaved manner. Princess Caifeng, who was sitting beside her, had a bright light in her eyes.

    ¡°How did your prince marry a sickly woman? Isn¡¯t he afraid that her illness would affect the birth of a child?¡± Princess Caifeng contained the urge to ask but finally failed.

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know!¡± The maidservant didn¡¯t dare to answer these questions. She lowered her head obediently and pushed the question away. She med the princess for meddling too much in the matter. It was King Xuan¡¯s matter and it had nothing to do with her whether King Xuan mind it or not. It was very impolite for her to ask about it on the first day she came here. What was more, the princess was an unmarried woman. How could she mention something about King Xuan¡¯s child?

    The etiquette of the Southern Barbarian Lands was indeed different from that of the Qin Kingdom. It was reasonable for unmarried women to talk about other men¡¯s child like this.

    As she found that she could not get any information from the maidservants, Princess Caifeng waved her hand and gestured for them to leave. She asked the maidservants she brought with her to serve the dinner. After a while, limps were lit. She asked the maidservants of King Xuan¡¯s Manor to withdraw the dishes. Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue sat together. Since they did not feel sleepy at all, they did not rest and chatted under the light.

    The servants of King Xuan¡¯s Manor had long been driven out of the courtyard. Everyone in the courtyard was brought by Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue. Thus they were not afraid of being heard.

    Hu Qianyue had always been Princess Caifeng¡¯s best friend. She could tell that Princess Caifeng was overjoyed. She looked at Princess Caifeng with a smile and asked softly, ¡°Your Highness, do you like His Highness King Xuan?¡±

    She had noticed Princess Caifeng¡¯s unusual behavior today, and she understood what was going on. At this time, she took the initiative to raise the topic.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect... King Xuan to be such a person.¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s face grew red and she sighed. She thought of the discussion she had with Hu Qianyue on the way and how she had denigrated King Xuan at that time.

    Hu Qianyue put down the teacup in her hand and teased, ¡°His Highness King Xuan is extremely handsome. I have told you before, but you don¡¯t believe me. Just now you stared at him.¡±

    Princess Caifeng thought of Feng Yuran¡¯s stunning appearance and immediately felt her face red and her heart beat fast. She picked up her handkerchief and pinched it shyly, saying, ¡°You, nonsense. I didn¡¯t stare at him... I just didn¡¯t expect a man to be so handsome.¡±

    ¡°Has the Princess decided to marry King Xuan?¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s eyes appeared deep and mysterious under the light.

    ¡°Emm, but he has a wife!¡± Princess Caifeng looked up and frowned. She was not willing to be a co-wife. She could only be a legal wife. Making a daughter of an official of the Qin Kingdom have a high position than her was a disgrace to her, a princess! It seemed that she had to ask her eldest royal brother to tell the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom, asking him to order King Xuan to divorce his current wife and marry her.

    ¡°Your Highness, I heard that King Xuan treats this sick and weak wife very well. Ever since he got married, he stopped being ridiculous in the back yard. There is a faint tendency for him to dote on his wife. If you directly ask King Xuan to divorce his wife, I¡¯m afraid that it will make him unhappy,¡± Hu Qianyue said meaningfully.

    Princess Caifeng felt a headache when she heard that. Of course, she understood what Hu Qianyue meant. If Consort Xuan was really doted on by King Xuan, she would definitely make King Xuan unhappy if she interfered so rashly. Then, even if she married him, she would never get his love. She had seen this before on her elder sister, Princess Mingfeng.

    Princess Mingfeng had taken a fancy to a young general and forced him to divorce his wife. Although the general had no choice but to divorce his wife and marry Princess Mingfeng under the imperial order, after he had only entered her bridal chamber once on the wedding night, he had never gone to Princess Mingfeng¡¯s courtyard. Moreover, he had asked to make his original wife be his co-wife. He used to live with the original wife and only treated Princess Mingfeng as a decoration. Princess Caifeng felt that it was not worthwhile when she once saw her scrawny elder sister.

    But now it was her turn to deal with this matter. What should she do? Moreover, the man was not the official of the Southern Barbarian Lands, but the prince of the Qin Kingdom. If he really did not want to divorce his wife, could she really only be a co-wife and be inferior to that woman for the rest of her life? No, she would never agree!

    ¡°Qianyue, think of a way for me. I don¡¯t want to see that woman.¡± Princess Caifeng was silent for a moment, and a trace of hostility shed in her eyes.

    Hu Qianyue rolled her eyes, leaned over, and said softly, ¡°Your Highness, I heard that Consort Xuan is not in good health, and often gets sick. If she dies of illness, you can...¡±

    Seeing her leaning over, Princess Caifeng also leaned to her. Hearing her words, she nodded, but immediately shook her head and said, ¡°No, if she doesn¡¯t die for a while, will I be under her for the rest of my life?¡±

    Some people looked sickly, but they wouldn¡¯t die temporarily. In that case, wouldn¡¯t her position be lower than that woman¡¯s for the rest of her life?

    ¡°Your Highness, if she doesn¡¯t die, wouldn¡¯t we...¡± Hu Qianyue smiled evilly and made a gesture of cutting down with her hand. ¡°When that woman passes away, even if His Highness is sad, it won¡¯tst for a long while with you, such a beautiful woman,forting him.¡±

    Princess Caifeng was still very confident about her appearance. Hearing Hu Qianyue¡¯s words, she also felt that it made sense. She nodded at once and said, ¡°Should I mobilize the people of eldest royal brother and ask him to help me?¡±

    Although she had brought some guards with her, there were not many of them.

    ¡°If His Highness knows about this, he might not agree and only ask Your Highness to be King Xuan¡¯s co-wife. This is a real grievance for you. Our own people are much more reliable? I have a few guards. If they work with your guards, it won¡¯t be difficult when they collect the information and then take action. We¡¯re living in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, and if something happens in the yard outside the city, it has nothing to do with us!¡±

    ¡°Okay, then it is decided. You arrange some people, Qianyue, take action as soon as possible.¡± Under the light, Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes looked a little ferocious.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll send people to ask about itter. Know our enemy, and we will win.¡± Hu Qianyue put on a cold smile, stood up, and said goodbye to Princess Caifeng. Then she went to arrange the matter.

    No one noticed that a man in ck shed across the corner of the roof and jumped flexibly to the distance on the roof.

 Chapter 593 - Each Peoples Plan, the Crown Princes Fate

    <h4>Chapter 593 Each People¡¯s n, the Crown Prince¡¯s Fate</h4>

    In another house of the outer yard, Crown Prince Xieyue was sitting under a tree. The autumn wind was blowing, making him feel cold. The loose robe on his thin body made him look thinner and taller. He had just taken a shower, and his long hair was still wet and loose on his back, without being tied up.

    The wind lifted the hem of his clothes, making him have an elegant bearing.

    A guard stood beside him and reported to him, ¡°Your Highness, I just asked Sir Mo. He does have a third daughter, Third Young Miss Mo. And she is not yet 15 years old.¡±

    The fact that she was not yet 15 years old meant she had not gotten married. Crown Prince Xieyue could not help smiling slightly. The somewhat cold girl in his mind would always appear in his dream. If he took her away this time, it would not bad. It would be the fulfillment of his recent wish.

    ¡°Your Highness, you came to the Qin Kingdom to seek help. In order to stop you froming to the capital, the Empress and the Third Prince didn¡¯t hesitate to try to kill you on the way. Your Highness, you can¡¯t lose the main goal because of small gains.¡± Perhaps because the smile on the Crown Prince¡¯s face was too gentle, the guard tried to persuade him after thinking for a while.

    They were all loyal subordinates of Crown Prince Xieyue, afraid that the Crown Prince would lose his goal for a woman. If he could marry the princess of the Qin Emperor this time, they would get the best chess piece. With the support of the Qin Kingdom, they would secretly suppress the power of the Empress and the Third Prince. Besides, there was Princess Caifeng.

    Princess Caifeng came to the Great Qin for the sake of marriage to consolidate the connection between the Great Qin and the Southern Barbarian Lands. Although Princess Caifeng was not the biological daughter of the former Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands, since her mother was the former Empress¡¯s pce maidservant and had a good rtionship with the former Empress, she was in one camp with the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince married the daughter of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor and the Princess married the son of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor, then the position of the Crown Prince in the Southern Barbarian Lands could be considered solid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t act rashly.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue smiled slightly and narrowed his eyes, looking at the dark night sky in front of him. Of course, he would not act rashly now. But when the Princess married him, the one going with her could be the daughter of a minister. Even though Mo Huawen was the lord mayor, his rank was not high.

    He tapped the stone table a few times with his pale fingers and asked leisurely, ¡°Only the Sixth Princess is the dignified Princess of the Qin Kingdom, who is about to marry, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°The Sixth Princess was born by Imperial Noble Consort Wen. It is said that Imperial Noble Consort Wen is very favored in the pce. There has not been any rumor of her falling out of favor for so many years. She also has a good rtionship with other concubines. The Sixth Princess is virtuous and gracious. She is not an arrogant and rude girl. She is gentle to people and has a decent attitude. She is the most sensible one among the princesses.¡±

    The guard sorted out the information he got and reported. He was relieved because of the Crown Prince¡¯s answer. It seemed that the Crown Prince was just asking about Third Young Miss Mo. After all, she had saved the Crown Prince¡¯s life. When they were about to return to their country one day, they needed to prepare a good gift.

    As long as the Crown Prince didn¡¯t take a fancy to her, that would be all right.

    Although the lord mayor was not a high-ranking official, he was a person with real power, who was in charge of the public security of the whole capital city, so he could not be reckoned with.

    ¡°The rumors about the Sixth Princess are so perfect that it is rare among princesses.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue smiled and praised her softly. He was a Crown Prince, so of course he knew the princess¡¯s character. They were all conceited and thought that they were great. He did not expect that the Sixth Princess of the Qin Kingdom had such a good reputation. It seemed that she had both good conducts and was worthy of him.

    If the Crown Prince¡¯s wife was kind and generous, it would benefit his reputation a lot.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng must have taken a fancy to King Xuan. You go and inquire about Consort Xuanter. It would be great if Caifeng could be King Xuan¡¯s wife. I heard that King Xuan is the most doted on by the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor. He is usuallywless. But now, it seems that he is not so simple.¡±

    If Caifeng could be Consort Xuan, it would be good for him. Crown Prince Xieyue certainly hoped that his brother-inw was important in the Qin Kingdom and hoped that the current Consort Xuan would not get in the way.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I¡¯ll check it out right now.¡± The guard bowed and left.

    The wind blew up the corner of Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s clothes, and a faint osmanthus fragrance came from the wind. Crown Prince Xieyue narrowed his eyes and the beautiful girl came to his mind. Her hand was gently ced on his wrist, which was so soft, almost like the hand of his mother in his dream.

    He met such a beautiful woman! It could be said that they were fated to meet. In the future, he would give her all the good things except status. Since the Sixth Princess had such a reputation, she would not be harsh to her. At that time, he could go forward with her hand in hand and watch the world with a smile...

    He thought about it carefully and coughed a few times while covering his chest. He no longer felt that life was miserable. With such a beautiful woman, no matter how hard it was, he would not be so tired!

    While Xieyue thought about Mo Xuetong and could not fall asleep, he stayed in the yard alone for a long time before returning to the room to rest after the servants¡¯ persuasion. There was also another person who was thinking about Mo Xuetong and could not fall asleep. However, when she thought of Mo Xuetong, she gritted her teeth and felt resentful.

    You Yue¡¯e was seated in her own courtyard. Her feet were carefully ced on a round chair by the maidservant. Her broken foot had been tied up, and the imperial physician said that it was not serious. It had almost recovered recently. If she did not use too much strength, she looked no different from how she usually did. However, You Yue¡¯e was in a bad mood when she thought that this matter had something to do with Mo Xuetong. She suddenly picked up the teacup beside her and threw it onto the ground.

    The tea cup¡¯s fragments hit the maidservants who could not dodge in time. The two maidservants could not stand still under You Yue¡¯e¡¯s fierce re. They knelt down one by one. One of them pressed against a porcin shard, and her body tilted as she screamed.

    ¡°What are you doing in the middle of the night? Off you go.¡± Feng Yulei walked in with a frown. He looked at the maidservant who had fallen to the ground in pain and waved his hand impatiently. His hand was much better than You Yue¡¯e¡¯s foot. There were bandages hung from his neck, making him look a little awkward.

    Knowing that King Yan had something to say to Consort Yan, the young and old maidservants on both sides quickly helped the two kneeling on the ground to leave quietly. Even the injured maidservant did not dare to say anything more. She limped out of the courtyard with the help of others, and the gate closed gently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the room.¡± Feng Yulei stopped You Yue¡¯e from asking. He reached out a hand that was intact and helped You Yue¡¯e up. The two helped each other walk into the room. You Yue¡¯e contained her anger and tried her best to focus on another leg. She looked at the bandages around Feng Yulei¡¯s neck and her expression softened.

    Although she had not beenfortable since she married Feng Yulei, because Feng Yulei was always at home, the rtionship between them was a little better than that between a normal couple. They depended on each other and cooperated with each other tacitly. It was obvious that the two of them had been walking holding each other like this these days.

    One of them had her leg injured, while the other injured his hand. Helping each other was much better than moving himself!

    Themps in the room were on. Feng Yulei helped You Yue¡¯e sit down on the couch. He turned around and opened the window, letting the cool breeze in. The room was cool.

    ¡°Your Highness, is there any news from my Eldest Brother?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked softly. A hint of gentleness shing across his eyes as she looked at Feng Yulei. She picked up the teapot on the table, poured him a cup of tea, and pushed it over.

    Feng Yulei returned to his seat and took a sip of the tea that You Yue¡¯e handed him. He frowned and nodded. ¡°Your elder brother said that the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands is here and is living in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. I heard that the Crown Prince is interested in marrying a princess. The Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands who came with him wants to marry a prince.¡±

    ¡°What does it mean?¡± You Yue¡¯e had a bad feeling. She frowned slightly. It seemed that none of this had anything to do with King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Your elder brother said that King Ning has nned to marry the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands as his legal consort.¡± Feng Yulei sighed. The Southern Barbarian Lands was indeed a good foreign aid. ¡°I heard that not only King Ning, but also my elder brother has such an idea. Ling Rui¡¯er exists in name only. It is for Ding General Manor¡¯s honor that the imperial pce did not give her a direct death penalty.¡±

    ¡°You, you want it too?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked in a trembling voice. She opened her mouth with a bitter look in her eyes.

    ¡°Yue¡¯e, I don¡¯t want to, so you¡¯ll have to suffer. In the future, no matter whether it¡¯s eldest brother or King Ning to take the throne, I will be a quiet and carefree prince, or they will leave a way out for us. At that time, you may be able to divorce me, so as not to implicate Mingguo Manor.¡±

    Feng Yulei¡¯s expression was grave but he still had a faint smile on his face. He reached out and patted You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand tofort her. But he looked down to hide the light in his eyes.

    ¡°No, Your Highness, I will not divorce you. Even if we die, we will still be together.¡± You Yue¡¯e felt deeply grieved and her tears could not stop falling. She held Feng Yulei¡¯s hand and refused to let go. Although she had heard that King Yan liked Ling Fengyan, You Yue¡¯e had seen it that since they got married, Feng Yulei did not miss that woman at all. The manor was clean and he respected You Yue¡¯e very much. You Yue¡¯e really wanted to stand with him.

    ¡°But what could you do if you don¡¯t do that? We still have a child. As long as you and the child can survive, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Feng Yulei held You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand and said in a choked voice. There was a sad smile on his face. ¡°The royal family has always been like this. If I can¡¯t take the throne, I¡¯ll be a loser. But even if I¡¯m doomed, I¡¯ll protect you and our child.¡±

    When You Yue¡¯e was found out to be pregnant a few days ago, everyone in the manor was extremely happy.

    ¡°No, Your Highness, don¡¯t leave us. Without you, how can we live?¡± You Yue¡¯e retracted her hand and cried with her hands covering her face, as if she really saw Feng Yulei being taken to the execution ground.

    ¡°In the future, when I¡¯m gone, I will let your elder brother protect you and our child. I¡¯ve thought about it. A part of the property in the manor will be slowly transferred to your elder brother¡¯s hand. After... we divorce, you will take the child away and take what I left to you from your elder brother. The property will be enough for you and the child for the rest of your lives.¡±

    Feng Yulei¡¯s eyes were red as well. He turned his head and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. He struggled to lift his head and exined the matter in detail.

    It would be fine if he did not say that. You Yue¡¯e could not bear to hear it any longer. When she thought that the child in her belly might be born without father, and that Feng Yulei would die at such a young age and they would be separated forever, her heart hurt as if it was burned.

    How could it be? How could it be like this? No, she would not allow such a thing to happen. She did not allow the child to be born without his father.

    ¡°Your Highness, if I were to give up my position as legal consort, would you be able to marry the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± She had made up her mind. She bit her lips and wiped away her tears. Then, she looked at Feng Yulei and said firmly.

 Chapter 594 - Getting a Co-wife, the Night Talk in King Yans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 594 Getting a Co-wife, the Night Talk in King Yan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    ¡°How stupid, Yue¡¯e, who do you think I am? I won¡¯t let you give up the position of my legal wife. Now you¡¯re carrying our child. Do you want our baby to be a concubine¡¯s child for the rest of his life? Do you want him to be looked down upon by the legal wife¡¯s children in the future?¡± Feng Yulei was so angry that he stood up suddenly and mmed the table angrily.

    You Yue¡¯e looked up in shock, but then her heart ached even more. She stood up, holding the table and choked with sobs. What he said was all for her good and he did not want to hurt her child. How could she not understand his love for her? At this time, all he cared about was her, but she was still testing him just now.

    ¡°He was really doing this for me!¡±

    You Yue¡¯e walked over and stood in front of Feng Yulei. She reached out to hold Feng Yulei¡¯s hand, but he shook it off angrily. Fortunately, he still cared about her and did not use much strength. When she reached out her hand again, this time, she touched his hand and held it firmly, refusing to let go no matter what. ¡°Your Highness, I mean it. The child and I will not me you... As long as... As long as you really care about us... I, I don¡¯t feel wronged.¡±

    She cried so hard that her words were choked. Tears fell to the ground one by one. She looked at Feng Yulei with tears in her eyes. She loved him deeply and felt painful in the heart. She really had no choice. Feng Yulei had been locked up for some time, but the Emperor had not shown any sign to release him until now. It seemed that he was going to lock up Feng Yulei till the end of his life, or leave Feng Yulei to the next Emperor after he died.

    If he didn¡¯t have the opportunity, she didn¡¯t know whether Feng Yulei could get out of here or not.

    Now that the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands came to visit, it was a good opportunity. If he married the Princess, the Emperor could not go too far for the sake of the Southern Barbarian Lands. At least, he had to release Feng Yulei. In the future, he would get the support of the Southern Barbarian Lands and Mingguo Manor. His mother in the pce and Ding General Manor could also do something for him. In fact, Feng Yulei had a good chance.

    He was just short of an opportunity to be released.

    And now that the opportunity had been presented, how could they not want it!

    ¡°Yue¡¯e, don¡¯t say anything else. I won¡¯t agree. You are my wife. The child in your belly is my legitimate son. If I take the... this child is my sessor. I can¡¯t let him lose his position as legitimate son because of my selfishness.¡±

    Feng Yulei¡¯s face was full of pain. He looked up at You Yue¡¯e and stretched out his unhurt hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes. Heforted her softly as he wiped them away. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You can¡¯t cry when you¡¯re pregnant. If our son finds out that his mother likes crying, how can you remain powerful in front of him in the future?¡±

    After beingforted by Feng Yulei, You Yue¡¯e cried even more bitterly. She threw herself into Feng Yulei¡¯s arms and cried so hard that she could not speak. No woman was willing to give up her husband and be a concubine. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they had no way out, no one would be willing to do it.

    ¡°Your Highness, I really don¡¯t care...¡± She said that she didn¡¯t care, but she cried more hardly.

    Feng Yulei sighed and reached out to push her away gently. He looked into her eyes and said seriously, ¡°Yue¡¯e, I won¡¯t let you down, so you¡¯d better not say that you want to give up the position of the legal wife. If the Princess of the Southern Barbarian likes me, I can marry her as a co-wife. If she wants to steal your position as the legal wife, she should not even think about it.¡±

    This was a promise and a serious one. You Yue¡¯e felt as if her heart was soaked in warm water and felt warm all over. She heaved a sigh of relief inexplicably, wiping the tears in the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. She felt that marrying Feng Yulei was the greatest happiness in her life. How could she not be moved when this man was still thinking about her when he was so tempted?

    ¡°Your Highness, you, you have been locked up in the manor. How can you make the Princess of the Southern Barbarian fall for you?¡± You Yue¡¯e sniffed. Knowing that there was no need to give up the position of the legal wife, You Yue¡¯e calmed down a lot. She held Feng Yulei¡¯s hand and sat down again.

    ¡°I... s, I can¡¯t go out. If you can go out and make the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands like me, maybe it is a solution. Your elder brother said the same thing to me just now, but I was afraid that you would be sad, so I didn¡¯t want to use this method. Now you are the only one in my heart. If someone wants in, I can¡¯t take it.¡±

    Feng Yulei smiled bitterly and looked at You Yue¡¯e with love in his eyes, looking as if he had no idea what to do.

    ¡°Your Highness, I will go out to find my elder brother and ask him to help us think about how to take the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands into the manor. At that time, I will definitely hold a grand wedding ceremony for her. I will not let her lose face. Although she is a co-wife, if there is anything in the future when she enters the manor, for the sake of Your Highness, I will also humor her.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e said sincerely, but then she frowned, and asked, ¡°Your Highness, you are locked up now, and so am I. Neither of us can go out. What should we do?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go out, but Yue¡¯e, you can,¡± Feng Yulei uttered.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked in surprise. She had been locked up in the manor for such a long time, and had already felt bored. She thought of the carefree days in the past, and sometimes she was particrly annoyed. Just like just now, it was not the first time for her to get angry with maidservants for no reason.

    ¡°Yue¡¯e, do you still remember what His Majesty said when he asked you to return to the manor?¡± Feng Yulei reminded her.

    What did he say? You Yue¡¯e thought for a moment and immediately flew into a rage. ¡°Clear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s name?¡±

    The Emperor had asked her to pray for Mo Xueqiong for a month and lit incense every day. It was about a month now.

    ¡°Yue¡¯e, if you can¡¯t bear it, you¡¯ll get into big trouble. Anyway, Mo Xueqiong is dead. It¡¯s useless to clear her name. Besides, you¡¯re the legal wife. It¡¯s not all your fault. Can¡¯t she surpass you? So what if you clear her name?¡± Feng Yulei persuaded her when he saw her gritted her teeth.

    You Yue¡¯e gnashed her teeth a few times before she managed to hold back her anger. She said hatefully, ¡°How to clear her name? Should I kowtow and burn incense for that slut?¡±

    If that was the case, how could she have the face to meet others? Mo Xueqiong was just a second consort, but she was better than her.

    ¡°Of course not. I will write a memorial and ask someone to hand it to Father. I¡¯ll say that I didn¡¯t discipline Mo Xueqiong and that was why such a thing happened. The most ipetent person is me, and then you. I¡¯ll tell that you would go to the Mo Manor to apologize, hoping that the Mo Manor would forgive us for not being able to treat her well.¡±

    ¡°Moreover, the most important thing is that Mo Xueqiong was framed and deliberately tricked to go to the back. In fact, the one who eloped was another concubine. When she saw that the matter was blown up, she hid. Recently, we have been investigating the matter every day and finally found out the truth. So we have to clear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s name.¡±

    Feng Yulei had already prepared the words, and at this time, he told You Yue¡¯e about it.

    Saying that Mo Xueqiong had been framed would naturally clear her name. Then, they would bury her well. At most, he would take her tablet into King Yan¡¯s Manor. You Yue¡¯e thought about it in her heart and felt that it was not difficult for her to ept such a matter. She only needed to send many gifts and admit that she had lost her responsibility for teaching her.

    ¡°Then His Majesty will let me out and allow me to attend the banquet for the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± You Yue¡¯e hesitated for a moment and asked uncertainly.

    ¡°The Southern Barbarian Lands sent people here. King Ning is not Father¡¯s biological son. He is not the Emperor¡¯s son of the Qin Kingdom. Everyone knows that there are three princes in the Qin Kingdom. If they find that one of them is missing, they will inevitably ask. What will Father answer? Tell them that I have been banned by him? Then, if they continue to ask, what will he answer next? So it would be best if one of us goes out, butpared to me, Father will definitely think that you are more suitable.¡±

    ¡°By then, if you apologize in a good attitude and give Father an out, he will definitely give you a chance to attend the banquet. At that time, you can see the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands. As for the specifics, Yue¡¯e, I believe in you, but remember not to give her the position of the legal wife; otherwise, I will not agree.¡±

    Feng Yulei said with a serious look on his face.

    You Yue¡¯e was so moved by his words that she almost burst into tears again. How could she not be touched by the fact that Feng Yulei was still nning for her wholeheartedly? So she just nodded with red eyes.

    After the two of them made a decision, Feng Yulei did not stay to rest but went straight back to the study to prepare to give the Emperor a memorial. After You Yue¡¯e called the maidservants in, she did not have time to be angry with them. After washing up, shey on the bed alone and thought about what to do so that the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands could marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor. Of course, she would be a co-wife.

    As the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo, she was no worse than the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, let alone the fact that she married into the manor first, which meant she had a higher position than her.

    As for the so called co-wife, to put it nicely, she was a wife, but to put it bluntly, she was still a concubine!

    She had tried to test Feng Yulei when she had said that earlier. When she found that Feng Yulei had repeatedly said that he did not want to marry the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands as his legal wife, she felt relieved. She thought about how she would persuade the Princess if she saw her tomorrow. Her head began to spin and she could not fall asleep, tossing and turning.

    She drifted off to sleep at midnight.

    When the Emperor allowed her to leave the manor tomorrow, she would return to Mingguo Manor first and ask her elder brother to help here up with a n. There was also the Mo Manor. Since they said that Mo Xueqiong was innocent, King Yan¡¯s Manor had to have a concubine to get justice for the Mo Manor. Then, she would use Qingxue. The maidservant had taken advantage of the fact that she was pregnant and could not serve King Yan to sleep with him a few days ago, which made You Yue¡¯e very angry.

    This time, she would seize the opportunity to get rid of her as well.

    Night was falling. The news of the arrival of Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands had spread out. King Xuan¡¯s Manor, King Yan¡¯s Manor, King Chu¡¯s Manor and King Ning¡¯s Manor all had their own plots. Although the Southern Barbarian Lands was a small country, it was not weak. If one could get the support of the Southern Barbarian Lands, he would have a better chance to win the throne. The Southern Barbarian Lands hoped that the prince who married their Princess would be the future Emperor. Otherwise, they would not say that their Princess would marry a prince. Even if she would be a co-wife, it did not matter.

    However, this did not stop King Ning¡¯s Manor¡¯s plot. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, had really lost his wife. He had more advantages than the others. If he could get the approval of the Southern Barbarian Lands, of course, King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, could as well. However, the bad things in his manor had just happened. It would be difficult for him to exin his remarriage to Ding General Manor after such a short while. However, someone saw that King Chu went to Ding General Manor on purpose that night.

    Everything was not settled yet. Everyone had their own abilities, and others were waiting for the winner to appear.

 Chapter 595 - The Princesss Marriage, a Ministers Daughter Came with Her

    <h4>Chapter 595 The Princess¡¯s Marriage, a Minister¡¯s Daughter Came with Her</h4>

    The visit of the emissaries from the Southern Barbarian Lands had alerted too many people who were plotting something. One by one, the web was pulled open secretly, trying to get the help from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Feng Yuran had brought Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng to the court early in the morning. When they reached the outside of the main hall, there were eunuchs waiting at the entrance of the hall. At the sight of them, they hurried to send a message from the Emperor, asking them to enter the hall.

    After Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng came in, they first brought some gifts and credentials they brought here. Then, they talked to Emperor Zongwen about the friendship between the two countries. Of course, they wanted the two countries to make peace for a long time. For Emperor Zongwen, he was happy to see this. He smiled and asked them to sit down and said some polite words.

    It made sense that the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands wanted to marry Emperor Zongwen¡¯s princess. Furthermore, unlike Bai Yichen who married Emperor Zongwen¡¯s only legitimate princess, the Crown Prince¡¯s demand was not very big. The princesses who could marry in the pce were the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess. The Sixth Princess was Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s daughter and the Seventh Princess was Consort Shu¡¯s daughter. Both of them were the daughters of high-ranking consorts and their statuses were not low either.

    After marrying to the Southern Barbarian Lands, the princess would be the Empress in the future. Emperor Zongwen was satisfied with it. He made a vague promise to Crown Prince Xieyue. Anyway, the emissaries of the Southern Barbarian Lands would stay in the capital for some time, so it was not the time to make a final decision.

    The banquet would be held in the Xiayun Hall between the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce and the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce at noon. Since the Xiayun Hall was between the two pces, parliaments usually held in there. Besides, it was between the front hall and the inner pce, so both men and women could go to the banquet.

    The emissaries of the Southern Barbarian Lands had even alerted the Empress Dowager. Naturally, the Empress had been invited to leave the Buddha Temple to preside over the banquet. She could not allow anyone to make a fuss about it. It would be impolite for the Empress not to attend the banquet at this time.

    Feng Yuran had sent someone to pick Mo Xuetong up early in the morning. She did not return to their manor and entered the pce directly. However, because she was unwell, she did not go directly to the Xiayun Hall. The Emperor allowed her to rest in Consort Xian¡¯s Anhe Pce. They would return to King Xuan¡¯s Manor together after the banquet. No matter what, she was Consort Xuan. Now that there were emissaries from the Southern Barbarian Lands living in the manor, it was inappropriate for her, the mistress, to not show up.

    In fact, Mo Xuetong was not seriously ill. She had been treated in the courtyard out of the city a few days ago. It was interesting. As for the Crown Prince and the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, she knew about it. Originally, ording to Feng Yuran¡¯s intention, he wanted her to stay in the courtyard all the time, using the excuse that she was seriously ill and could not get up.

    However, Mo Xuetong was not willing to do it and insisted oning over. Feng Yuran had no choice but to pick her up early in the morning. And he told her to have a good rest in the Anhe Pce, and that there was no need to worry too much about the matter of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    With Feng Yuran¡¯s instructions, the people in the imperial harem did not dare to be careless. They had served lunch early, which staggered the banquet in the main hall at noon. After eating, Mo Xuetongy down and rested. Mo Lan and Mo Ye were waiting outside the room.

    The banquet had yet to begin in the main hall. Emperor Zongwen sat on the top. The Empress Dowager sat on his left and the Empress on the right. The other consorts surrounded them. The Sixth Princess, the Seventh Princess, and the other princesses followed behind their mother and looked out curiously.

    Just now, someone had imed that Princess Caifeng, who came from the Southern Barbarian Lands, would dance for the Great Qin!

    Feng Yuxuan, Feng Yuzhen, and Feng Yuran were chatting with Xieyue, and the other emissaries were apanied by other officials.

    At the moment, Crown Prince Xieyue coughed in a low voice. Feng Yuxuan looked up and down at him and asked lightly, ¡°Your Highness, haven¡¯t you recovered yet? Haven¡¯t you found the reason for so many years? I¡¯ll tell Father to order the lead imperial physician of the Imperial Institute of Medicine to see you. Maybe he can find the cause.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, King Chu. I got the illness ever since I was born.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue turned his head and coughed lightly again. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and his face was a little gray. The gray color seeped into his skin, which showed that it had been a long time. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to cure the disease gotten from the womb.¡±

    Xieyue said politely. He evidently held out no hope of curing his illness, and there was a faint smile on his pale face.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. My cousin¡¯s medical skills are very brilliant. In the past, when my grandmother was in poor health, a group of physicians didn¡¯t know how to cure, but he cured her. Grandmother is still very healthy now,¡± King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, interrupted, while pointing at the smiling Empress Dowager who was sitting on the high tform.

    ¡°Do you refer to the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom?¡± Xieyue thought for a moment and asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Feng Yuzhen answered with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Yan Kingdom¡¯s Crown Prince is handsome and graceful like an immortal, I¡¯ll not miss it if I have the chance to see him.¡± Every country would pay attention to the outstanding Crown Prince like Bai Yihao and have a detailed file about him. ¡°The Yan Kingdom¡¯s Empress is so lucky to have such an immortal-like Crown Prince.¡±

    Xieyue sighed with emotion. He was in a plight. Because of his mother¡¯s early death, he was raised by the current Empress. And since the third prince, the current Empress¡¯ son also wanted to take the throne, he plotted against Xieyue in all aspects. For so many years, it could be said that he had been in a difficult situation and dared not say something wrong or take a wrong step.

    On the one hand, he sympathized with the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom. Although Bai Yihao had a mother, his mother had no power to help him. As a Crown Prince, he came to the Qin Kingdom to be a hostage. Actually, the hostage only needed to have royal blood. How could the Emperor of the Yan Kingdom allow such an important Crown Prince toe to the Qin Kingdom as a hostage? Obviously, the action did not have any good intentions. Whether it was because the Emperor did not like the Crown Prince, or because of other reasons. At least Xieyue was certain that the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom was just bright on the surface, and it was not easy for him to take a step.

    Xieyue really felt that he was spiritually attracted to Bai Yihao, who had the same identity as him, for a long time.

    ¡°My aunt is the Princess of the Qin Kingdom, and she is naturally strict with my cousin¡¯s education. That¡¯s why my cousin is so outstanding. I heard that my aunt and my sixth sister are quite simr. She is also gentle and gracious. She gave birth to my cousin in the Yan Kingdom. Although my cousin isn¡¯t the Emperor¡¯s first son, he was doted on by the Emperor of the Yan Kingdom. Not long after he was born, he was conferred the title of Crown Prince.¡± Feng Yuxuan smiled and turned his head, motioning Xieyue to look at the Sixth Princess sitting above.

    The Sixth Princess was sitting next to Imperial Noble Consort Wen obediently. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was talking to someone, and she was listening quietly by the side. From time to time, she would smile and was very quiet and lovely. As she felt that someone was looking at her, she cast a nce, and met Xieyue¡¯s eyes. After a slight pause, she lowered her head slightly from the distance as a salute.

    Such a dignified and polite attitude gave a good impression to Xieyue. He couldn¡¯t help but turn around and nod to praise her. ¡°Sixth Princess is indeed a gentle girl. I heard that Fifth Princess is married. Is Sixth Princess the next one?¡±

    It was indeed a bit inappropriate for an outsider to say that, but everyone knew that Crown Prince Xieyue came to make a marriage by taking the opportunity to visit the Qin Kingdom, so Feng Yuranzily picked up the wine cup and handed it to his lips. He took a sip and answeredzily, ¡°In fact, Sixth Sister and Fifth Sister were born just a few days apart. Fifth Sister has been married to the Yan Kingdom for so long, and it is time for Sixth Sister to choose a husband.¡±

    The meaning of this sentence was very clear to the people who heard it. Xieyue smiled and nodded, but he did not say anything more. Since the Sixth Princess was suitable for him both in the age and temper, and she was good-looking. She would be the best candidate. Then, he would choose her!

    He picked up the wine cup by her hand, took a sip, and turned to Feng Yuran. He seemed to think of something and asked with augh, ¡°I heard that when the Princess of the Qin Kingdom married to another country, she would take several minister¡¯s daughters with her. Is it true? Is the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom worried that there is no one to apany the princess when she goes to another country?¡±

    When the princesses of the Qin Kingdom married into other countries, some of them took minister¡¯s daughters to strengthen their favor, and some of them didn¡¯t. However, the recent two princesses both took minister¡¯s daughters with them. When the Empress of the Yan Kingdom married into the Yan Kingdom, she had brought the daughter of the Minister of Rites¡¯ concubine and the daughter of another first-grade minister¡¯s concubine. After that incident, the Fifth Princess married in a rush. Even so, the Empress had also prepared a beautiful girl, the daughter of a minister to go with her.

    These women could also be consorts after their husband took the throne. On the one hand, they would help the princess of the Qin Kingdom get their husband¡¯s favor. On the other hand, they would increase the connection between the two countries. Like the princess, their families were also in the Qin Kingdom. If war broke out, their families would be the first one to suffer.

    But this was an unwritten rule, so it couldn¡¯t be mentioned on the surface.

    Feng Yuran did not say anything. There was a sh of light in his smiling eyes, but it was all hidden under his long eyshes. He raised his pretty eyes and looked at Crown Prince Xieyue with a half-smile. Instead of answering, he lifted the wine cup in his hand and took a sip of the wine.

    Feng Yuzhen really did not expect him to mention this. It was the Qin Kingdom¡¯s decision whether to send minister¡¯s daughters with the princess or not. What did Crown Prince Xieyue mean by asking this? He could not figure it out at the moment, so he decided not to talk about it.

    Feng Yuxuan smiled slightly and took over the topic to exin, ¡°Father loves my sister and is afraid that she will be lonely in a strangend. Those minister¡¯s daughters apany her to go to the other country. But if the other side is not satisfied or my sister is not satisfied, they can be sent back to our country immediately. Therefore, this is not a rule.¡±

    The other side was not satisfied? That was almost impossible. Even if the other side was really not satisfied, why did they not say it before? If they said that they were not satisfied with them until the matter was settled, it was a disgrace to the national policies of the two countries. As for the other possibility, the princess married to the country from the royal family had already known about it. Even if she was unsatisfied, she would not do that, for she knew that if they sent back the minister¡¯s daughter, other girls would be still sent here. It was better to win their heart and make them loyal to her.

    Therefore, this one was also impossible.

    ¡°Oh, what kinds of minister¡¯ daughters of your country will be chosen to go with the princess?¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s words were vague, but it aroused Xieyue¡¯s interest. He looked at him and asked with bright eyes.

    ¡°Of course, the ones who are gentle and good-looking.¡±

    The ones who were gentle! She was one of the kind! The ones who were beautiful. Needless to say, she was stunning when he first met her. As for the status, she was the legitimate daughter of a third-grade official. In the past, those girls were all concubines¡¯ daughters, but their fathers were either a first-grade or a second-grade official. So the legitimate daughter of a third-grade official should have an equal status. It seemed that as long as he mentioned it, it would not be difficult.

    Thinking that Third Young Miss Mo was going to spend her life with him in the future, Xieyue unconsciously showed a hint of gentleness and a smile in his eyes.

    All the people present were good at observing people¡¯s expressions. Feng Yuzhen raised his eyebrows and asked teasingly, ¡°Your Highness, do you take a fancy to someone?¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t ruin her reputation. It¡¯s just that I saw her asionally that day and I admired her.¡± Xieyue smiled and shook his hand to exin, ¡°When the wind blows up the curtain hat, the woman under it is pure like water. I sparked with her.¡±

    He was the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, so he naturally acted tallying with the style of the Southern Barbarian Lands. If such a woman married another man, he would be uneasy for the rest of his life. He might as well take the opportunity of drinking wine just now to cover his face and tell the people what he thought. The princes present would naturally tell the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom. That girl was just an official¡¯s daughter, and the Emperor would definitely be willing to send her to him!

    ¡°Oh, which family does shee from?¡± Feng Yuzhen asked curiously. Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran involuntarily turned their heads to look at Crown Prince Xieyue. They did not expect that Crown Prince Xieyue would fall in love with ady of the Qin Kingdom as soon as they just entered the city. It was rare. If she was not an important person, they could just send her to go with the princess.

 Chapter 596 - Choose a Husband, Making a Mistake in the Hall

    <h4>Chapter 596 Choose a Husband, Making a Mistake in the Hall</h4>

    Xieyue was waiting for them to ask. Seeing them turn around, he said with a generous smile, ¡°She¡¯s...¡±

    He was about to reply when he suddenly saw Feng Yuran pointing to arge group of pce maidsing in from outside. Smiling devilishly, Feng Yuran said, ¡°Your Highness, wait a moment. See if there¡¯s anyone more suitable to you. If you like anyone else, just tell me together. I will bring it up to Fatherter so that you won¡¯t speak twice.¡±

    There was indeed a group of pce maid in pink dress pouring in from outside. Princess Caifeng¡¯s dance was about to begin, and the music was ying. It was indeed not the time to talk. Xieyue averted his eyes that unconsciouslynded on Mo Huawen and looked at Princess Caifeng who emerged from the group of pce maids. Then he frowned slightly.

    The look in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were dark and cold. He held the cup tightly with his fingers and his lips pursed slightly. There was a sh of anger and something strange in his pretty and charming eyes. Although he did not speak much just now, he had been noticing the words and behaviors of the others present. He saw that Xieyue looked at Mo Huawen when he was about to say the woman¡¯s name. His heart skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling.

    Although Xieyue didn¡¯t utter the woman¡¯s name in the end, his mouth was open, and it was obvious that he wanted to say ¡°Mo¡±.

    It meant that the girl was surnamed Mo and rted to Mo Huawen. It could not be Mo Xuemin, much less Mo Xueqiong who had been dead. Then it must be Tong¡¯er. Thinking that Xieyue dared to take a fancy to Tong¡¯er, Feng Yuran felt a surge of bitter anger in his heart. A sick man who was about to die dared to like Tong¡¯er. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that he would die sooner?

    Therefore, he immediately interrupted Xieyue.

    Once Xieyue told that he liked Tong¡¯er, he would at most apologize even if Feng Yuran said that Tong¡¯er was his wife. But it would ruin Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation. How could he let such a thing happen? So he looked at Princess Caifeng, who was dancing in the middle, while trying to figure out a solution in his mind. He wanted Xieyue to know the difficulties and retreat. He would not allow him to mention Tong¡¯er.

    In the main hall, Princess Caifeng was on a flower bed carried by 16 pce maids. She was dancing gracefully. Wearing a colorful dress embroidered with gold threads, she was twisting her hips and bending over in an exotic style. Besides, her elegant dance style had the feature of the Qin Kingdom. She immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention. At this point, even Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s attention were drawn to Princess Caifeng, who had a light veil over her face.

    The flower bed fell on the floor in the hall, but Princess Caifeng did not stop dancing. She gently pressed on the flower pirs on both sides, and her body lightly fell on the right flower pir. She held the flower pir, bent over andy on the flowers beside the pir. She was enchanting, and looked like boneless, which made the hearts of most of the men present race.

    Suddenly, Princess Caifeng let go of the flower pir beside her, swung her long sleeves and made the ribbon to wind around another flower pir. Along with the ribbon, her body flew away. She was like a flying immortal. With the music, Princess Caifeng attracted everyone¡¯s attention while she danced. Feeling that everyone was paying attention to her, she became prouder.

    The veil over her face would be lifted to show her delicate face from time to time as she danced, which made people more and more itchy. They only wondered how beautiful her face should be behind the veil. They didn¡¯t expect that Princess Caifeng, who came from the Southern Barbarian Lands, would be such a beautiful woman.

    Suddenly, the music became louder. The colorful ribbon in Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand was not thrown to the flower pirs at the four corners of the bed, but to one side. It was in the direction of the three princes of the Great Qin and Crown Prince Xieyue. The long colorful ribbon was pointing to Feng Yuran, who was sitting aside and thinking.

    Did the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands begin to choose her husband? Everyone was excited!

    There had long been news that the Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands would stay in the Great Qin and marry one of the princes. It seemed that she had taken a fancy to a prince. Everyone spontaneously looked at the direction where the colorful ribbon was thrown. Feng Yuran got upzily and went to get the wine on the table. Coincidentally, the colorful ribbon passed behind his back and wrapped around Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hand, who was sitting beside him.

    The silk ribbon had wrapped around someone. As Princess Caifeng saw Feng Yuran, who was holding a wine cup, turning to look at her in shock, and from the spot where she was, she thought that the ribbon had entangled Feng Yuran, she pulled the ribbon proudly. She had used a lot of strength. Different from the girls of the noble families in the Great Qin, Princess Caifeng was usually not confined to her home. Her strength was so strong that Feng Yuzhen was caught off guard. He stumbled and was dragged out. Fortunately, he still stood firm. Otherwise, he would have fallen down and lost all his face.

    The Empress Dowager, who was seated in a high position, looked happy at first, but when she saw King Ning stumbling out, and the ministersughed loudly, she felt embarrassed, and her face darkened. She cast an unhappy nce at Princess Caifeng. ¡°This girl seems very rude. How could she treat her chosen husband like this? I¡¯ll ask Zhen¡¯er to teach her in the future. She is so impolite!¡±

    The music stopped abruptly as Princess Caifeng had already caught a man with the ribbon. Everyone was waiting for her to speak something. Feng Yuzhen did not like to be pulled out of the crowd by Princess Caifeng in this manner. However, when he thought of the huge benefits he would gain after marrying her, he put on a warm smile on his face.

    There was no sign of joy or anger on the Emperor¡¯s face, but there was a hint of anger and contempt in the Empress¡¯ eyes. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was still smiling gently. The Sixth Princess was as quiet as ever. However, it was hard to tell whether Consort Yan, You Yue¡¯e, who was sitting beside her, was happy, rxed, or disappointed.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, what do you mean?¡± Emperor Zongwen asked slowly when he noticed that Princess Caifeng seemed to be stunned and did not speak. He wanted her to make it clear.

    What did she mean? Of course, she was dragging King Xuan out of the crowd in the main hall to express her feelings for him. Since the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom wanted a marriage between the two countries, he could not say anything as she had chosen King Xuan. At least, she would force Emperor Zongwen to settle the marriage between her and King Xuan. As for Consort Xuan, it was not a big deal. She had countless ways to make her die quickly.

    However, she did not expect that the silk ribbon did not wrap around King Xuan, and instead, it wrapped around King Ning. King Ning was not the son of the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom, and was only doted on by the Empress Dowager. Furthermore, Princess Caifeng did not like him. She looked at Feng Yuzhen dazedly and did not know what to do.

    Hearing Emperor Zongwen¡¯s question, and then looking at her eldest brother, Xieyue, who was ring at her, she knew that she could not hesitate at this moment. She loosened the silk ribbon in her hand and let go of King Ning. Then she smiled and bowed to Emperor Zongwen respectfully. ¡°Your Majesty. I made a mistake just now and disturbed this prince. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    In order topletely have nothing to do with Feng Yuzhen, Caifeng simply said that she did not know Feng Yuzhen. Anyway, Feng Yuzhen was dressed in royal robes, and one could tell at a nce that he was the princes of the Qin Kingdom. She did not make a wrong address, but her meaning was clear¡ª she did not mean anything, and just had made a mistake.

    Feng Yuzhen¡¯s face flushed when he heard that. The feeling of being despised and ignored, as well as the shame of being pulled out, surged up together. Even though he usually looked calm, this time Princess Caifeng picked him up from the crowd in this way, but imed that she did not know him and that she had made a mistake. How could Feng Yuzhen not be ashamed and angry?

    He had originally thought that it would not matter even if he suffered at this time. He would have plenty of opportunities to teach Princess Caifeng in the future. However, he did not expect that this person would p him in the face in front of everyone.

    What did she mean by that? If she didn¡¯t make a mistake, who did she choose? Feng Yuzhen¡¯s eyes fell on Feng Yuran¡¯s face, where had a devilish and enchanting smile. Just now, he just dodged and the ribbon came to him. If Feng Yuran hadn¡¯t avoided it at that time, the ribbon would have wrapped around him.

    ¡°Your Highness¡¯ dance is really skillful. You could throw a silk ribbon to the side of the tform and even pull me out!¡± Feng Yuzhen said coldly. He could not hide the shame and annoyance on his face.

    Seeing from high, the Empress Dowager had the same feeling. A princess of a small country dared to humiliate her grandson. That girl was courting death. She also looked at Princess Caifeng with hatred and malice in her eyes. ¡°The little bitch doesn¡¯t like Zhen¡¯er, but she deliberately uses Zhen¡¯er to make fun of him. All the officials in the hall have seen it. Zhen¡¯er would be ashamed from now on.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s my fault. Fortunately, you didn¡¯t get hurt; otherwise, I have to make amends to you with death.¡± Princess Caifeng had alreadye up with a solution at this time. She looked at Feng Yuzhen and apologized softly. Because of Feng Yuzhen¡¯s cold face, she took a step back, as if she had done something wrong and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    Feng Yuzhen did not get hurt? He lost his face in the main hall. In front of all the ministers and their family members, Feng Yuzhen secretly gritted his teeth in anger. However, he could not fight against a princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands in the main hall. His eyes turned cold and he cupped his hands lightly. ¡°Princess Caifeng, you have to be careful next time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will pay more attention.¡±

    Princess Caifeng nodded obediently with a smile. One would not attack a smiling person. Especially when the person was a woman. Feng Yuzhen flicked his sleeves and returned to his seat as there was nothing he could do.

    When he walked past Feng Yuran, he red at him. He knew where this cmity came from. However, Feng Yuran who was red at was unconscious and his attention was focused on Princess Caifeng on the scene. He seemed to be admiring her. Feng Yuzhen immediately hid his anger and sobered up.

    Feng Yuran couldn¡¯t have also like this princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands, could he?

    ¡°Princess Caifeng¡¯s dance is beautiful and excellent. Unfortunately, she failed in thest strike,¡± the Empressmented with a sneer on the corner of her lips. The few people sitting on the top could see it clearly. Everyone knew that Princess Caifeng threw the ribbon on purpose, but it went to the wrong person. So she had to end the dance hastily, which made her dance lose thest stunning part. It became iplete and lost its previous beauty.

    The Empress¡¯ evaluation was fairly fair.

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your evaluation, Your Majesty.¡± Princess Caifeng bowed with a very good attitude. She was not as excited and unrestrained as she was when she danced before. However, she was a polite woman. The Empress¡¯ face softened a little. Even if such a woman really married into King Yan¡¯s Manor, she would not cause much trouble, but could help Lei¡¯er. She could be a good card.

    After the dance was over, Princess Caifeng didn¡¯t make any requests. She went away to change her clothes and waited for the banquet to officially begin.

    ¡°Eldest Brother, I heard that Third Sister-inw went to the Mo Manor early in the morning to apologize to Second Consort Mo personally.¡± There was no longer any dance or music in the hall, and Feng Yuran turned around and cast a casual look at You Yue¡¯e, who was sitting next to the Sixth Princess. He lifted his chin slightly and looked a little suspicious. ¡°Why? Has Third Brother admitted that he misunderstood Second Consort Mo?¡±

    The smile on Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s face froze. He turned his head and asked in surprise, ¡°Second Consort Mo?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the third daughter of lord mayor, Sir Mo,¡± Feng Yuran exined with a meaningful smile on his handsome face. His eyes were deep and there was light in it, like ake in autumn.

    Mo Xueqiong was indeed Mo Huawen¡¯s third daughter!

    Mo Xuetong was called Third Young Miss Mo because it included Mo Xuemin. Actually, she was Mo Huawen¡¯s second daughter. Feng Yuran did not think there was anything wrong with the exnation.

 Chapter 597 - Threats, Two Princes Lost Their Fortune

    <h4>Chapter 597 Threats, Two Princes Lost Their Fortune</h4>

    ¡°Something wrong happened to Second Consort Mo?¡± Xieyue asked with a deep look in his eyes as he suppressed the throb in his heart.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s actually Third Brother¡¯s fault. There seem to be a lot of holes in the matter about the Puguang Temple. Why did Third Brother believe the person¡¯s words? Hearing that she had an affair with another man, he killed her. Even though Consort Yan went to apologize on behalf of Third Brother, this big mistake has made and led to the death of Second Consort Mo. Nothing will help. What a pitiful person! A beautifuldy was gone!¡±

    Feng Yuran sighed rather regrettably. He was famous for being romantic, and when he told the serious story in a romantic manner. Plus a trace of joke in his pretty eyes, it was enough to make people unable to continue the topic. Did it mean that Third Young Miss Mo was pretty, so she died pitifully, or that Feng Yulei made a mistake and caused a life to die?

    No matter what he meant, it was not a topic to follow. But Feng Yuran was looking at Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen expectantly with blinking his long eyshes. The two could only reveal an embarrassed smile, trying to change the topic. After all, they and Feng Yulei were brothers. They were really afraid that the Emperor would know that they were talking about their brother¡¯s faults with so many people here and reproached them for disrespecting their brother.

    They were different from Feng Yuran. When Feng Yuran mentioned that, others would only say that he was too young and inexperienced in life. Even if the Emperor knew, he would not say anything.

    ¡°Eighth brother, this is Third Brother¡¯s matter. Let¡¯s not get involved. Princess Caifeng danced wonderfully. It seems very different from the dance of our Qin Kingdom. Eighth brother, have you seen a dancer more beautiful than Princess Caifeng?¡± Feng Yuxuan coughed and actively changed the topic.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I heard that Eighth Brother also raised some dancers in the manor in the past. Maybe you have seen this kind of dance from a foreignnd. Eighth Brother, talk about it?¡± Feng Yuzhen rarely agreed with Feng Yuxuan. He moved towards Feng Yuran, looking quite curious, and focused all his attention on Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°The dance in the Southern Barbarian Lands mainly looks soft. The woman has a slender waist and can make a variety of different movements. Those in my manor are useless now, all of them... huh!¡± Feng Yuran uttered, looking annoyed. His bright eyes blinked, and he was not afraid to reveal his shorings. ¡°In my manor, they still dared to have an affair with other men, and cuckolded...¡±

    He said this very loudly. Some of the ministers who had heard the voice looked over here, not knowing why King Xuan who was doted on became so angry that his face was red. Even Emperor Zongwen on the high turned his head and looked at them with deep eyes.

    He unexpectedly said what Emperor Zongwen was covering up for him, and he said it in the hall when Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen were talking. How would the Emperor think about them? Would he think that they deliberately led this inconsiderate brother to say such self-defeating remarks, or they deliberately let people know that Feng Yuran was cuckolded by the concubines in his manor?

    If this was the case, it was fine for him to say such things, but they would be punished.

    Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen, who were always witty, immediately had sweat on their foreheads. When they looked at each other, they could see the uncontroble irritability in each other¡¯s eyes. If Feng Yuran really shouted out this kind of thing, the Emperor would me it all on them...

    ¡°Eighth brother!¡± Feng Yuxuan yelled sharply when Feng Yuran went on. Since his voice was so urgent and loud, it shocked the ministers who were still talking in the hall. They looked back one by one. The Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Emperor sitting high all looked at them carefully.

    Seeing so many people paying attention to him, Feng Yuxuan took a breath, opened and closed his mouth, pointing to the flower bed that the maids were lifting out and said, ¡°Eighth brother, have you seen this kind of flower bed?¡±

    There was a twitch in his hateful heart. He didn¡¯t expect Feng Yuran to be so crazy. How could a man say that? When a man was cuckolded, he would hide it. But he seemed afraid that others didn¡¯t know about it, and dared to yell out in the hall. This was something that the Emperor had covered up for him. If he had known about it, he would not have sat beside him. What a shame!

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this kind of flower bed.¡± Feng Yuran seemed to be attracted by the flower bed. There was a bit of curiosity in his dark eyes, and he raised his voice and said, ¡°The concubines in my manor had special...¡±

    Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen hated Feng Yuran very much. How could he talk about the disreputable concubines in the back yard again? Did he want to make the Emperor suspect them? Those concubines had been dead or sold, but Feng Yuran talked about it in a very meaningful way, as if he had many topics about it, and he didn¡¯t think it was a shame.

    ¡°Eighth brother, now that Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng live in your manor, you have to take good care of them. Don¡¯t neglect them.¡± Feng Yuxuan pressed his anger, and decided that he would never talk about dance in front of Feng Yuran as he could always rte it to the concubines in his back yard.

    ¡°How is Consort Xuan? Do you still need any precious herbs? If youck something, I still have some in my manor, so you can just tell me and get it.¡± Feng Yuzhen had to help Feng Yuxuan at this time to distract Feng Yuran¡¯s attention. As Feng Yuran cast a few more nces at the flower bed, he seemed to want to say something about it. Feng Yuzhen thought the same as Feng Yuxuan. They never dared to let thewless Feng Yuran talk about it anymore. They only felt that Emperor Zongwen¡¯s deep eyes fell on them again.

    This time they not only had sweat on their foreheads, but also on their bodies!

    This bastard dared to say anything.

    ¡°What precious herbs do you have? Forget it!¡± Feng Yuran pped Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hand away in disbelief as Feng Yuzhen was about to grab him, his eyes averting to the flower bed again. ¡°There...¡±

    ¡°I still have ginseng that is over 1,000 years old. If you want it, I will send it over in a while.¡± Feng Yuzhen gritted his teeth and stopped him from saying.

    ¡°Yes, I also have newly gotten a piece of colorful glossy ganoderma, which is perfect for building up Consort Xuan¡¯s health,¡± Feng Yuxuan also hurriedly cut in.

    ¡°The ginseng over 1,000 years old and a piece of colorful glossy ganoderma, really?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s attention was finally drawn back. He looked at them with bright eyes, looking impatient. ¡°Brothers, you¡¯re really good to me. Sent people to get it here in a while. Tong¡¯er is not in good shape, and needs them to nourish her body.¡±

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, it will be delivered here in a while.¡± Feng Yuzhen was actually reluctant to give the herb to Feng Yuran. He shuddered, raised his eyes and couldn¡¯t help looking at the Empress Dowager sitting high. He had tried his best and spent one year to get the treasure. He originally wanted to send this treasure to the pce and thought it could extend her grandmother¡¯s life span by a few years, but now it was robbed by Feng Yuran all of a sudden. He was really distressed.

    Feng Yuxuan was also distressed at first. Treasure that could prolong life could not get through seeking. In this life, he may not be able to see the next one. He originally wanted to use it when he was in danger. However, he felt relieved and put on a faint smile on his face. ¡°Okay, Eighth Brother, don¡¯t worry, I will ask someone to send it to King Xuan¡¯s Manor in a while.¡±

    Anyway, this colorful glossy ganoderma would be eaten by Mo Xuetong. He was willing to send it to her!

    Feng Yuran¡¯s face showed an evil smile, and pulled the two tense men by their sleeves to sit down again. Before they knew it, Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen had stood up. Seeing their aggrieved look, Feng Yuran felt a little better than before. Originally, he only changed the topic mentioned by Crown Prince Xieyue and didn¡¯t expect to have this benefit. If Tong¡¯er had such good herbs, the poison in her body would be suppressed even if it could not be solved for the time being.

    What a surprise! He would like to ept it!

    ¡°Your Highness, the third daughter of Sir Mo married King Yan as his consort?¡± Sitting beside, Crown Prince Xieyue finally came to himself. The hand on hisp tightly pinched his leg to keep himself being conscious. Just when Feng Yuran said those words, his heart felt cold and painful.

    King Yan misunderstood that she had an affair with another man and it happened in the Puguang Temple. Did it refer to him? King Yan executed her because of this. The cool and intelligent face kept shing in front of Xieyue¡¯s eyes. When he thought of her in the past, he only felt happy, and this time, he galloped out to the capital in order to meet her soon.

    However, she was dead!

    How could she die? How could such a pretty girl die? And it was Feng Yulei who killed her. A chill of anger shed in Xieyue¡¯s eyes!

    His brain was buzzing and he couldn¡¯t hear what the people beside him were saying, and didn¡¯t see everything in front of him clearly. It took a long time to recover, but he asked with difficulty.

    ¡°Yeah, do you know her, Crown Prince Xieyue?¡± Feng Yuxuan asked strangely all of a sudden. Was it okay in the Southern Barbarian Lands to ask about an unrted woman casually?

    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that Sir Mo had talked with me when he escorted us toe into the city. He was quite proud of his daughter. I didn¡¯t expect that Sir Mo¡¯s daughter was so miserable and died unfairly. Will an apology from Consort Yan settle the matter?¡± Xieyue suppressed the waves of chills and pain in his heart, and took a deep breath and exined with a smile.

    This time, the spearhead to greet the envoy of the Southern Barbarian Lands was Mo Huawen¡¯s subordinates. Feng Yuxuan couldn¡¯t find any fault, but the matter between King Yan and Mo Xueqiong was not simple as it looked on the surface. Besides, she was involved, so Feng Yuxuan really didn¡¯t want to say more about it. He casually said, ¡°Well, Consort Yan has already apologized. Would she have to pay for it with life?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan said in a light tone and didn¡¯t feel sorry for her at all. Xieyue was so angry that he almost stood up and patted the table to vent his anger. He was not in good condition, so he always paid attention to self-cultivation and rarely got angry. At this point, he felt that his temples throbbed suddenly, seemingly about to burst. He stared fiercely at Feng Yuxuan. Thetter was confused, not knowing when he had offended the Crown Prince.

    ¡°Prince Xieyue, don¡¯t worry, there will be another evil person to deal with the evil people. The youngdy of the Mo family will not die in vain. There will always be someone to prove her innocence. Consort Yan has cleared her name! And my third brother has been grounded days ago. I heard that since you are here this time, Consort Yan came here specially.¡± Feng Yuran pointed to You Yue¡¯e who was sitting high with a smile in his eyes, and then turned his head to Feng Yuzhen leisurely, saying, ¡°I heard that her leg was broken, but she looks good. If I don¡¯t know about it, I really can¡¯t tell.¡±

    Xieyue suppressed the anger in his ck eyes, and looked at Consort Yan You Yue¡¯e above with cold eyes. He carefully sized her up for a while, as if to carve her in his head. On the other side, You Yuecheng, who was oblivious to what was going on, picked up the wine cup in hand, and followed the direction where Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s eyes were looking. Looking at his sister, he frowned.

 Chapter 598 - A Deal Caused by a Set of Head Accessory

    <h4>Chapter 598 A Deal Caused by a Set of Head essory</h4>

    You Yue¡¯e was very anxious because she could not find a chance to talk to Princess Caifeng.

    Feng Yulei¡¯s memorial had been approved by the Emperor early in the morning and she was allowed to bring gifts to the Mo Manor to apologize. It was the madam of the Mo Manor who had treated her. The two did not have much to say and after a few words, You Yue¡¯e left. She just went there to express their attitude. The apology to Mo Xueqiong was equivalent to King Yan¡¯s Manor admitting their fault.

    Mo Huawen knew this as well. Fortunately, he did not feel any pity for that daughter. King Yan¡¯s Manor had made the Mo Manor look good and he did not pursue the matter any further. He told Xu Yan to treat Consort Yan and sent her out because Consort Yan was pregnant.

    You Yue¡¯e returned to the Mingguo Manor and chatted with You Yuecheng in the study for a while. Then, You Yue¡¯e went to the pce to greet the Empress and followed by her side. She had been looking at Princess Caifeng earlier and could not tell what she felt. There were all sorts of emotions in her heart. Which woman was willing to choose another woman for her husband? But what could she do even if she was unwilling?

    Could she just watch as Feng Yulei lose and die in the end?

    As she noticed that Princess Caifeng had left to change clothes, You Yue¡¯e could not sit there. She chatted with the Sixth Princess for a while before telling the Empress that she had to go to the bathroom. Then, the Empress nodded with a smile.

    Coming out of the main hall, she asked the pce maids at the door and got the ce where Princess Caifeng changed her clothes. Then, she went there. Feng Yulei was not here today, which was the biggest loss. You Yue¡¯e had seen it clearly that the other princes were all dressed gorgeously, waiting for Princess Caifeng to pick them.

    She had to persuade Princess Caifeng to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor before she went back to the hall. Even if she failed, she had to make her have a good impression on King Yan. Even if she could not make Princess Caifeng agree to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor, at least she had to get Princess Caifeng to mention King Yan in front of the Emperor. Given the Emperor¡¯s character of caring about face, perhaps he would release King Yan.

    ¡°What kind of clothes are these? They look so ugly. I don¡¯t want to wear them. I want to wear the clothes I brought here. The one that Mother made for me with peacock feathers.¡± Before You Yue¡¯e came to the door, she heard Princess Caifeng¡¯s angry voice from the room. There seemed to be a sound of pushing and hitting something.

    ¡°Princess, don¡¯t be angry. The Empress said that when you decide to marry someone, you should give the clothes to him and ask him to embroider golden phoenix patterns on it for you to wear as a wedding dress.¡± A pce maid¡¯s voice sounded anxious as she tried to persuade the unruly princess.

    ¡°A wedding dress, a wedding dress. I¡¯m not married yet! I¡¯m the prettiest in that set of clothes. I must stun him and let him know that I¡¯m the most beautiful.¡± Princess Caifeng crinkled her nose. She was as proud as a peacock. She wanted Feng Yuran to like her and take a fancy to her the moment he saw her.

    ¡°Princess, the wedding dress can only be worn on your wedding day. If you wear it now, what will you wear when you get married in the future!¡± The pce maid persuaded her patiently while unfolding the clothes in her hands. The dress was made of brocade, and was beautiful. The pink color was in ordance with the princess¡¯s skin. In fact, it was very suitable for her. However, the princess had a bad temper, and would not listen to her.

    ¡°Then that set of floating clothes. That set is also beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you can¡¯t wear it. Her Majesty said that it can only be worn at certain times.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t wear that or this. Will it be the same to wear it now as on the wedding day? And I will only wear it once. When I give the wedding dress to him in the future, he will ask someone to embroider the pattern of gold phoenix. In fact, it will be different from what it is now. So even if I wear it now, others won¡¯t think it¡¯s the same set.¡± Princess Caifeng didn¡¯t agree, so she shook off the clothes in the pce maid¡¯s hands and asked for the set she wanted.

    The pce maid was so anxious that she was sweating profusely. It could not convince the princess. The hall was already prepared and was waiting for Princess Caifeng to take her seat. It would be impolite if Princess Caifeng refused to wear right now. The Southern Barbarian Lands would be shamed then. The Crown Prince would not spare her in that case.

    ¡°Let me do it!¡± The doors of the pce were pushed open suddenly. A gentle and elegant woman entered. The pce maid from the Southern Barbarian Lands was stunned. She did not know who the woman was. She reached out to pull Princess Caifeng¡¯s sleeves, signaling that someone wasing. Furthermore, the person was from the Qin Kingdom. The madams anddies who were present at the banquet today were all nobility. The pce maid did not dare to offend her and bowed to her.

    Princess Caifeng was making a fuss and was in a bad mood when she saw someoneing to destroy her n. She harrumphed and sized her up from above. ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here?¡± She asked with an unfriendly expression.

    ¡°Mother asked me toe over as you have waited here for a long time. If you need anything, you can tell me, Your Highness.¡± You Yue¡¯e looked at Princess Caifeng¡¯s face and rxed slightly. Princess Caifeng was indeed very beautiful, with a jade-like face and red lips. She was very attractive, but she was still a little inferior to Ling Fengyan.

    In the past, King Yan could give up Ling Fengyan without hesitation. As such, she would not be able to win his heart. Even if she were to marry into the manor, she would not be able to steal his affections for her.

    ¡°You... are a princess?¡± Princess Caifeng hid the pride in her eyes and looked up and down at You Yue¡¯e again. Her eldest brother was going to marry a princess this time. The woman in front of her was about the same age as her, so she put on a much more friendly look on her face. Her eldest brother¡¯s wife was the crown princess, and might be the Empress in the future. Her mother was still in the royal pce of the Southern Barbarian Lands, so she naturally did not dare to offend the princess who was going to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    ¡°I am not the Princess. I am Consort Yan.¡± You Yue¡¯e smiled lightly. She picked up the clothes that Caifeng Princess had thrown on the ground and shook off the dust on them. She looked at it carefully and said, ¡°Your Highness, the clothes are beautiful. It just needs some matching essories. If they are matched with suitable essories, Your Highness will stun everyone.¡±

    She ttered her in a very natural way, remaining calm.

    ¡°essories? Which essories did we bring?¡± Princess Caifeng was enlightened by You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words and turned to ask the pce maid.

    ¡°Your Highness, we brought this set of head essory with us when we entered the pce this time. The rest are all outside the pce.¡± The pce maid hurriedly turned around and took a box of jewelry from the dressing table by the side and brought it to Princess Caifeng. They hade to the pce today as a guest, and had brought her dancing clothes and changed clothes, so they did not bring any more essories. They only brought this set of head essory which matched the clothes.

    You Yue¡¯e walked up to her and flipped through it. She said, ¡°This agate essory matches the clothes well, but they do not shine much. The clothes are light pink while the agate is red. The two colors do not match well and cannot reveal Your Highness¡¯ beauty.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e was the legitimate daughter of the Mingguo Duke and was now Consort Yan. She had her own taste in clothing and was on apletely different level from that of Princess Caifeng.

    As she heard You Yue¡¯e¡¯s clear and logical words, Princess Caifeng¡¯s face softened and she could not help but ask, ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± Her eyes moved from the red head essory to the pink clothes, and she felt discouraged. It was indeed not good-looking. She turned back and red at the pce maid beside her. What kind of match did she choose?

    The pce maid shrank back, hid behind, and lowered her head, feeling wronged. It was well-known that Princess Caifeng liked red, so the clothes and essories she chose were mainly red, which was her usual style. However, she now disliked the color of red. Where could she get other essories for the time being?

    You Yue¡¯e smiled and pped her hands. ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. I have a set of head essory with jade and ruby on it. I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± she said generously, which gave a good impression on Princess Caifeng. Then, a smile appeared on her face.

    A maidservant by You Yue¡¯e¡¯s side brought in an exquisite box. You Yue¡¯e went up and opened it. There was indeed a set of head essory with jade and ruby on it. The green color, together with the ruby, immediately made the whole color lively. Just by looking at it, one felt that it was extremely pretty.

    Princess Caifeng liked it with one glimpse.

    You Yue¡¯e picked up a pair of earrings first and gestured in Princess Caifeng¡¯s ears. ¡°Your Highness, look, this pair of earrings make your as smooth as jade. The green leaf and red flowerplement each other. Come on, help your princess wear the earrings.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e handed the earrings to the pce maid standing by the side. After all, she was Consort Yan. Even though she was trying to please Princess Caifeng, she could not do too much.

    The pce maid took the earrings and carefully put it on for Princess Caifeng. You Yue¡¯e had already taken a small bronze mirror and ced it in Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Your Highness, look, does it look beautiful?¡±

    On the emerald green holder, there was a half-bloomed ruby flower. It hung beside her jade-like face obliquely. It was so beautiful and brilliant that Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful!¡±

    As she praised, she turned her head and was very satisfied.

    The pce maid saw that she was finally satisfied and hurriedly took the clothes handed over by You Yue¡¯e. She carefully helped Princess Caifeng put on the clothes and pushed her to sit in front of the mirror to dress her up.

    ¡°Consort Yan, why are you helping me? What do you want from me?¡± Princess Caifeng looked at You Yue¡¯e through the mirror and asked with a vague smile.

    Of course, she was not stupid. Consort Yan showed her kindness for no reason and gave this set of expensive head essory as a gift. She must have something to ask for, so she asked directly.

    You Yue¡¯e didn¡¯t expect this arrogant princess to know the ways of the world. It seemed that she could not mention some matters in case she rmed her and made it unable to approach her. You Yue¡¯e thought and made up her mind. She looked up and said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re so smart. I do have something to ask for your help. Can you do me a favor and ask His Majesty to stop ground King Yan?¡±

    ¡°What happened to King Yan?¡± Princess Caifeng asked curiously. Was King Yan not in the pce earlier?

    You Yue¡¯e knew that there were some things that she could not tell Princess Caifeng. As such, she cleared her mind and said, ¡°His Highness discovered that a second consort had an affair with another man. When the matter got out, the second consortmitted suicide because she was too embarrassed to face anyone. However,ter we found out that it was another concubine who did it. His Majesty said that His Highness did not manage the household strictly and grounded His Highness. His Highness is a nostalgic person. He hid himself in the manor and did not say anything in front of His Majesty.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s words were full of half-truths and were also vague. However, Princess Caifeng did not know the inside story. When she saw that You Yue¡¯e¡¯s eyes turned red, she could not help but have a good impression of King Yan, who dared to take responsibility. She felt that the prince was manly!

    It was just a death of a second consort, but he, a prince, ept the punishment without argument!

 Chapter 599 - Marriage in the Hall, King Yans Return

    <h4>Chapter 599 Marriage in the Hall, King Yan¡¯s Return</h4>

    Princess Caifeng grew up in the royal pce as well. Those who grew up in the pce tended to be suspicious of things. Especially when it seemed as if King Yan was indeed in the wrong. It was unbelievable that a prince would be imprisoned because a second consort was wronged.

    What was more, he did not defend himself. King Yan seemed to be a good person.

    Princess Caifeng thought about it in her heart. It would be good for her if she mentioned King Yan in front of the Emperor. On the one hand, it would repay Consort Yan¡¯s kindness; on the other hand, it would show King Xuan that she was a gentle and kind person. If anything happened to current Consort Xuan in the future, it would not be her fault.

    This would be of great benefit to her. She agreed readily, ¡°Consort Yan, don¡¯t worry. My elder brother will reveal the intention of the marriage allianceter. He will choose between the princes. I will ask about King Yan. Hope that it will help you.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks for your help, Your Highness. If His Majesty forgets it, please bring it up a few more times.¡± You Yue¡¯e was delighted but there was a hint of bitterness on her face, as if she was extremely worried that the Emperor would ignore Princess Caifeng, regardless of her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will keep talking about it until His Majesty pays attention to my suggestion.¡± Princess Caifeng patted her chest and promised.

    You Yue¡¯e was relieved when she heard that. When she saw that Princess Caifeng had dressed up, she did not bother her and left with her maidservant. Princess Caifeng straightened her clothes and went to the main hall as well.

    The pce maid at the entrance of the main hall had long been waiting anxiously. When she saw Princess Caifeng approaching, she hurried in to report to the Empress. The Empress motioned for the banquet to officially begin.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s seat was not next to Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s because men¡¯s seat were on the left side while women¡¯s were on the right side. The seats in the main hall were divided into two rows, with the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress sitting on the top while the others sitting below them. Princess Caifeng sat beside the Sixth Princess, the Seventh Princess and Consort Yan.

    Opposite them were the several princes and Crown Prince Xieyue.

    Although their seats were on both sides, since they were close to the Emperor¡¯s seat and were on the firstyer of jade steps, they could hear each other clearly.

    Crown Prince Xieyue came up first to toast and hope that the Qin Kingdom and the Southern Barbarian Lands could be close friends forever. Emperor Zongwen naturally drank a cup of wine politely.

    The scene was very harmonious. When Crown Prince Xieyue returned to his seat, he told several princes around him that he hoped the two countries would be friendly to each other and had a good rtionship. Beside them were several ministers treating the emissaries from the Southern Barbarians. They were alsoughing and clinking their cups.

    Suddenly, an emissary of the Southern Barbarian picked up a cup of wine and took a step forward, leaving his seat. He said, ¡°Respected Great Qin Emperor, I¡¯ve long heard that the women of Great Qin are gentle like jade and the men of Great Qin are mighty and handsome. Our Emperor specially asked us to get a noble girl of Great Qin on behalf of our Crown Prince to be the Crown Princess of our Southern Barbarian Lands. He also wants Princess Caifeng to marry a noble man of Great Qin, so that the two countries can be united forever.¡±

    ¡°Alright, since the two countries are friends, such a request is naturally not a problem. I will promise to find a noble girl the Crown Prince likes and a noble man the Princess likes.¡± Emperor Zongwen had a gentle smile on his face and his tone was as soft as a spring breeze. This was what everyone had secretly decided. However, the so-called noble man and girl were usually the princes and princesses.

    Emperor Zongwen had always paid attention to the Fifth Princess who was born by the Empress, and did not care about other princesses who were born by consorts. If a princess married into the Southern Barbarian Lands and became their crown princess, and then their Empress, this would only benefit the Qin Kingdom and was harmless.

    Princess Caifeng could marry into the Great Qin. The Eldest Prince, Third Prince, and Eighth Prince all had wife. At most, Princess Caifeng would get the position of co-wife. It was not a big deal and would not affect the overall situation at all. Of course, it would be best if she chose Feng Yuran, which would make him much stronger. Although Consort Xuan was a blessed person, she was too young and was always ill. Emperor Zongwen felt sorry for his son!

    Princess Caifeng was not bad looking. She looked to be about 17 or 18 years old and was about the same age as Feng Yuran. Her nose was high and she had a stern expression on her face. She was not a soft person and could manage the back yard. If she were to marry into King Xuan¡¯s manor, she would definitely be able to get rid of all the mess in the back yard. This would be beneficial to Feng Yuran.

    The emissary bowed with a smile and returned to his seat. The matter was only made public today. It did not mean that their Crown Prince would select a wife and their princess would select a husband now. The sons and daughters of the royal family were not items that could be picked casually. They had to inform the others in private. They showed their attitude here today.

    The Seventh Princess¡¯ expression grew flustered. She looked up at the Sixth Princess who was sitting opposite, and bit her lips nervously.

    The only princesses who could enter the hall today were the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess. Everyone understood that the Crown Princess would be one of them. Even though the Crown Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands was noble, she would not be able to return for the rest of her life once she left her parents and married into the Southern Barbarian Lands thousands of miles away. Which princess would be willing to do so?

    The customs and rules there were different from those here. At that time, she would be alone there and had no one to weep out her grief to even if she was wronged. Especially if the two countries started a war, the most unfortunate one would be this kind of woman. Maybe she would be used as a sacrifice and be the g of war.

    Therefore, from the bottom of her heart, the Seventh Princess really didn¡¯t want to marry into such a distant ce. However, she didn¡¯t dare to say much, but her heart was in a mess. Although the status of her mother was not low, she couldn¡¯tpare with the Sixth Princess¡¯ mother, Imperial Noble Consort Wen. With Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s clever means, she was afraid that her father would skip the Sixth Princess and ask her to marry into the foreign country. Thinking of this, the Seventh Princess couldn¡¯t calm down. She grabbed the corner of the table cloth and twisted it again and again.

    The Sixth Princess looked calm but there was a hint of coldness in her eyes. She lowered her head and did not say a word. Besides, she didn¡¯t look ufortable at all.

    Sitting beside them, You Yue¡¯e held a cup of wine with her fingers. She nced at the smiling Princess Caifeng and followed her gaze to look at the princes. As the people opposite were sitting so close together, she could not tell for a moment who Princess Caifeng was looking at approaching for a moment. She also felt that someone opposite was very much liked by Princess Caifeng.

    Suddenly, her heart sank.

    Princess Caifeng stood up as well and raised her wine cup respectfully. She said with a smile, ¡°Your Majesty, may I know how many princes you have? Are they all on the opposite side?¡±

    She looked innocent and naive. She even turned to look at Feng Yuxuan and the others, as if she was really curious. The emissary had already said that Princess Caifeng would choose her husband amongst the noble men of the Great Qin. No one would be nobler than these princes. As such, she locked her eyes on them. As she had said it so directly, it made one feel that the women from the Southern Barbarian Lands were very direct and would not try to y around.

    ¡°My sons are King Chu, King Yan and King Xuan. And King Ning is my nephew.¡± The Emperor drank a cup of wine and introduced with a smile.

    ¡°Gee! Why is there one missing? Which prince is not present? Does he have some work to do?¡± Princess Caifeng looked at those princes carefully with her beautiful eyes and suddenly asked with a smile.

    How could a noble prince not be present at the national banquets between the two countries? Furthermore, Princess Caifeng wanted to choose a husband from the princes. Some people felt that it was impolite to have one prince absent.

    Xieyue¡¯s face was slightly cold and one could not see his expression. However, he looked left and right, as if he had just discovered that King Yan was not there.

    This was difficult to answer. If the Emperor said that King Yan did note, it would be the Great Qin¡¯s fault for being impolite!

    ¡°Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes are sharp. Third Brother happens to be on duty and will be here in a while,¡± Feng Yuran suddenly replied with augh. His eyes were bright and charming with surprise. ¡°Princess Caifeng, have you seen Third Brother before? Otherwise, how could you find that he is not here as soon as you came here?¡±

    Being attracted by his handsome and charming face, Princess Caifeng was stunned for a moment. If the pce maid behind her had not pushed her, she would not have been able to reply. When she realized that Feng Yuran had taken the initiative to talk to her, she immediately blushed and bowed to him from afar. She said with a blush, ¡°It¡¯s not that I am concerned about King Yan, but that I found one prince didn¡¯t show up.¡±

    After answering in a shy manner, she was too embarrassed to ask any more questions and just sat down slowly. In other¡¯s eyes, it meant that Princess Caifeng really had feelings for King Yan, so she deliberately mentioned King Yan on such an asion. King Xuan¡¯s question went to the point and made her embarrassed. No matter how straightforward a youngdy was, she would still be shy if she was asked so directly.

    When had King Yan hooked up with Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands? Hadn¡¯t Princess Caifeng just came into the capital while King Yan had long been grounded? When had the two been in contact with each other that Princess Caifeng had mentioned King Yan in the hall?

    Some even knew that the people from the Southern Barbarian Lands had alreadye to the capital a long time ago. Could it be that she had contacted King Yan then? It seemed that King Yan was very restless! The Empress Dowager¡¯s face darkened, but a gentle and happy smile appeared on the Empress¡¯ face.

    The Emperor¡¯s expression was a little dark as he sat up there. However, he immediately smiled gently and nodded. He followed Feng Yuran¡¯s words and said, ¡°Princess Caifeng, don¡¯t worry. King Yan wille in a while.¡±

    Then he turned around and signaled to the eunuch, Liu Xi who was standing by his side. Liu Xi understood and left quietly. He asked another eunuch to bring King Yan here from King Yan¡¯s Manor. It was a national banquet between the two countries and the Southern Barbarian Lands wanted to pick a son-inw for Princess Caifeng. If Princess Caifeng had not mentioned him earlier, they could have pretended that she did not know about him. However, Princess Caifeng had mentioned him now. it would be a disgrace to the Qin Kingdom if they did not allow Feng Yulei to appear again.

    King Yan came very quickly. Soon, his carriage arrived in the pce. King Yan, who was dressed in a light green royal robe, got off the carriage. He took a deep breath and a sh of anger appeared in his eyes. He had been locked up again and again since he got married. He did not have any freedom. This time, taking advantage of this opportunity, he would be considered to have been released from the ban.

    Even the Emperor could not go back on his words. As long as he appeared in the main hall today, the grounding woulde to an end. Next, he had to mobilize his resources and would no longer be involved in love affairs. From then on, he would fight for the throne.

 Chapter 600 - Destroying Danger in Obscurity

    <h4>Chapter 600 Destroying Danger in Obscurity</h4>

    When King Yan, Feng Yulei, appeared in the main hall, Princess Caifeng felt disinterested after a nce.

    It was not that Feng Yulei was not good-looking. The princes of the royal family were all tall and had outstanding looks. However, there was one of them too handsome. Then the others would appear rtively ordinary and had be the most handsome one¡¯s foil. This made Princess Caifeng pay even more attention to Feng Yuran who was seated amongst them. She felt that he was handsome beyondpare with his every gesture. When she thought that she would be able to stay with him for the rest of her life if she married him in the future, her heart beat wildly and she flushed shyly.

    King Yan had appeared in the hall thanks to Princess Caifeng. As such, everyone¡¯s gaze had been focused on the two of them since King Yan entered the hall. Princess Caifeng had affection in her eyes, it was obvious that they were in love. Princess Caifeng was a bold person; she had dared to ask about a man in front of everyone in the hall.

    Now when she saw this man, she blushed for no reason, which had already exined it.

    Could it be that there had long been an agreement between the Southern Barbarian Lands and King Yan? Some people frowned when they saw this, but they did not know that they hadpletely misunderstood the two people.

    ¡°Congrattions, Third brother.¡± Feng Yuxuan was the first to say, beaming at Feng Yulei.

    ¡°Third brother, sit down. Have a rest. Is your hand better?¡± Feng Yuzhen pulled a chair for Feng Yulei in person and asked with concern. It was a banquet, and Feng Yulei¡¯s hand was not tied. It was a little inconvenient and his hand hung on the side.

    ¡°Third brother! You have to thank to the beauty.¡± Feng Yuran winked at him, gesturing for him to look at the other side. Feng Yulei spontaneously looked over there. He met Princess Caifeng¡¯s shy gaze. A gentle and elegant smile appeared on his lips as he gestured at Princess Caifeng with a smile.

    Princess Caifeng paused for a moment. She thought that the man hade out because of her and owed her a favor. She smiled kindly. If anything happened in the future, she could ask him for help.

    When others saw their interactions, they thought that they were in love with each other. Even You Yue¡¯e, who was sitting by the side, felt jealous. Even though she knew the result, she could not help grabbing her handkerchief under the table. Her eyes were slightly red.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, Third brother is looking at you!¡± The Sixth Princess pushed You Yue¡¯e and said in a soft voice.

    You Yue¡¯e looked up and saw Feng Yulei¡¯s gentle eyes on her. She felt so sad that she almost covered her mouth with her handkerchief and burst into tears.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s good for Third brother to be released. Don¡¯t cry.¡± The Sixth Princess felt her slightly trembled body and knew that she was excited. She reached out to pull her and said warmly.

    This reminded You Yue¡¯e and she suppressed the excitement in her heart, lowered her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief. She said softly to the Sixth Princess, ¡°Many thanks, Sixth Princess. I will definitely find a set of head essory and send it over when I return to my manor.¡±

    She had not brought any head essories or jewelry with her when she entered the pce in a rush today. When she came out of the bathroom and had only taken a few steps, she met the Sixth Princess. Thetter said that Princess Caifeng did not like her clothes, so she had not changed her clothes yet. You Yue¡¯e wanted to give her a set of head essory, but she did not have any with her. As such, she borrowed a set from the Sixth Princess. The Sixth Princess had asked someone to bring it over generously.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, you don¡¯t have to be so polite to me. It¡¯s just a set of head essory. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± The Sixth Princess said softly. She nced at Princess Caifeng who was not paying attention to them and there was a sh of disdain in her eyes. As a princess who had been behaving politely, she did not like the shameless behavior of Princess Caifeng. As a princess, it was against etiquette to ask about a man in front of so many people.

    Even though this was what she wanted, when she thought that Princess Caifeng was also a princess and did not know if others would look down on her because of this, the Sixth Princess felt a little upset. However, she hid that hint of emotion behind her beautiful eyes.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, thank you so much.¡± You Yue¡¯e could sense the sincerity in the Sixth Princess¡¯ voice. She was so touched that she could not say anything. She had been locked up in King Yan¡¯s Manor recently and could only move in the manor. Even though King Yan¡¯s Manor wasrge, no matter howrge it was, how could she not be tired of being locked up there every day?

    Since she entered the pce today, the eunuchs and pce maids who used to see her bowing and nodding respectfully all lookedzy and frivolous. You Yue¡¯e knew that even the servants in the pce looked down on her because King Yan had been grounded again and again. However, the Sixth Princess was always kind to her. How could You Yue¡¯e not be moved?

    ¡°Third sister-inw, stop being moved. Third brother has cast a few nces at us. He might be thinking that I bullied you. You mustn¡¯t make me get scolded by Third brother.¡± The Sixth Princess smiled warmly and shook You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand. You Yue¡¯e could not help smiling. She looked at the men¡¯s seats and saw Feng Yulei looking away.

    ¡°See, Third brother was looking at you, wasn¡¯t he?¡± The Sixth Princess teased in a low voice.

    You Yue¡¯e patted her hand and intentionally ignored her words. ¡°I have a set of beautiful head essory that was given to me by Mother in the past. I will get someone to send it to youter. It isn¡¯t returning to you; consider it my gifts of gratitude. If not for your head essory, Princess Caifeng wouldn¡¯t be able to remember who His Highness is.¡±

    It would be embarrassing if the Sixth Princess refused again when You Yue¡¯e said that. She thought about it and agreed happily.

    Feng Yuran left first before the banquet ended. He had already told Emperor Zongwen that he wanted to bring Mo Xuetong home. As such, he left the main hall and headed to Consort Xian¡¯s Anhe Pce. Mo Xuetong had taken a nap and only woke up now. However, she was toozy to get up. When she heard the sounds of the doors moving, she turned around and saw Feng Yuran smiling gently.

    She didn¡¯t get up with her hair scattered, but sat up and leaned against the pillow.

    Feng Yuran leaned his handsome face closer and was about to kiss her when she pushed him away with her hand. She said coyly, ¡°No, you drank a lot alcohol!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a lot wine. I only drank a few cups. It¡¯s not too much. They¡¯ve drunk a lot. I didn¡¯t expect a sick person like Xieyue to have such a good capacity for liquor. I can¡¯t look down on him.¡± Feng Yuran pushed Mo Xuetong inside and sat up on the bed. He leaned forward and reached out to hold Mo Xuetong tightly in his arms. Smiling quietly, he blew on her earlobe on purpose. As he saw her earlobe suddenly bing red, he felt pleased.

    He was willing to see her be embarrassed and annoyed.

    As he had expected, Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed red and she could not help but nudge him with her elbow. She said angrily, ¡°You... why should you have to drink as much as others? You¡¯re really great topete with a sick person¡¯s drinking capacity!¡±

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts. Tong¡¯er, I¡¯m not in good health either. I¡¯m like a sick person. You can¡¯t do this to me,¡± Feng Yuran behaved affectedly, but there was a trace of coldness in his eyes. As long as he thought that Xieyue dared to want Tong¡¯er to be his concubine when he was so sick, he would be furious. Besides, Princess Caifeng¡¯s crazy eyes followed him closely, which was enough to make him depressed and could not eat.

    The brother and sister wanted to separate Tong¡¯er and him. He did not feel pleased and intentionally came to Mo Xuetong to act coquettishly.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not fall for it. She nced at him and asked, ¡°Is Princess Caifeng beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you jealous?¡± Feng Yuran was delighted and looked up. His eyes shone as he looked at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Why should I be jealous? I want to know about Princess Caifeng¡¯s character. I wonder what kind of man she will choose. Will she like you?¡± Mo Xuetong chuckled. Her eyes were filled with ridicule. There was not a hint of impurity in her clear eyes. She was so beautiful and stunning.

    Feng Yuran could not bear to just watch her any longer. He held her up and kissed her face, lips, and eyebrows. He said vaguely, ¡°She wants. When she mentioned Third brother at the banquet, Father had to release him. Now, everyone thinks that she has an affair with Third brother. Father looked at her and Third brother with unfriendly eyes several times. She¡¯s so stupid that she can¡¯t tell that Father is angry.¡±

    Princess Caifeng had managed to get King Yan out of ban.

    The Emperor was not pleased when Princess Caifeng and King Yan had something to do with each other!

    These two pieces of information appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind quickly. She pushed Feng Yuran away forcefully and reached out to shake his hand, asking seriously, ¡°Does your father want Princess Caifeng to marry you?¡±

    Now, Mo Xuetong knew that Emperor Zongwen was truly doing this for his youngest son. Since Princess Caifeng could make Emperor Zongwen unhappy, she must have gone against Emperor Zongwen¡¯s will. That was to say, Emperor Zongwen did not want King Yan to marry Princess Caifeng. The marriage between the two countries had to be settled. He did not want King Yan to marry Princess Caifeng because King Yan could get help from the marriage. Then what about Feng Yuran? Did the Emperor originally want Feng Yuran to marry Princess Caifeng?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if Princess Caifeng wants to marry me, Father will not agree.¡± Feng Yuran knew why Mo Xuetong got nervous. He held her hand and kissed it gently on his lips and said softly.

    Mo Xuetong widened her beautiful eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. Princess Caifeng took the initiative to mention Third brother in the main hall and forced Father to release him. She had gone against Father¡¯s will. How could Father be happy? Then, she and Third brother kept looking at each other at the banquet. So many people saw it, so Father will definitely think the two of them are in love. In such a situation, if Princess Caifeng still wants to marry me, then she has other motives. Father would not allow a woman who obviously does not care about me to marry me. He would not allow me to have a dangerous person on my side.¡±

    Feng Yuran said in an indifferent manner.

    ¡°But why did Princess Caifeng and King Yan keep looking at each other at the banquet?¡± Mo Xuetong still did not understand. No matter how she looked at it, Feng Yuran was more attractive than Feng Yulei. She did not believe that Princess Caifeng would abandon Feng Yuran and marry Feng Yulei. Furthermore, judging by the fact that Feng Yulei was locked up by Emperor Zongwen, it was obvious that the Emperor did not like him. However, Feng Yuran was the most doted on prince.

    In this way, no matter what, Princess Caifeng was not supposed to exchange love nces with Feng Yulei.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that crazy girl. You can just ignore her. If you¡¯re willing to talk to her, it¡¯s all right; if you don¡¯t want to talk to her, you can pretend to be ill. Father won¡¯t give her to me again. Don¡¯t worry, your husband is always by your side,¡± Feng Yuran mumbled angrily. He nced at Mo Xuetong guiltily, wondered if Tong¡¯er would be angry if she found out that Princess Caifeng had been looking at him.

    He could not let Tong¡¯er have a grudge against him. Xieyue had been casting covetous eyes on her.

    Feng Yuran felt upset when he thought of the Xieyue. Since when did he have a rival in love? If he had not had Mo Xueqiong to confuse Xieyue, his father might have hated Tong¡¯er. However, it was just fine. How could his Third brother win the heart of the beautiful woman when Xieyue had enmity towards him?

    Anyway, Caifeng¡¯s matter had nothing to do with him, and Tong¡¯er had nothing to do with Xieyue either. He and Tong¡¯er just had to watch from the side.

    There would be a chain of mistakes. He would see how this would end!

 Chapter 601 - Hu Qianyue Insisted on Seeing Her

    <h4>Chapter 601 Hu Qianyue Insisted on Seeing Her</h4>

    When Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng had not returned yet. Feng Yuran sent someone to ask about it and heard that King Yan had invited them over. He could not help but sneer and brought Mo Xuetong to the main courtyard. It would be better if Princess Caifeng was willing to get involved with Feng Yulei.

    Feng Yulei¡¯s sudden release had already caught Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuzhen off guard. The two of them had not done anything to Feng Yulei earlier because they thought that Feng Yulei would not have a chance to rise again. However, they did not expect that Feng Yulei would be released at this national banquet. Furthermore, Princess Caifeng was obviously very interested in him. It would be strange if the two of them could sit still.

    Feng Yuran sent Mo Xuetong to the main courtyard and told her to leave the Crown Prince and Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands alone. Anyway, their courtyards were close to the second door; Aunt Xiann was in charge of Princess Caifeng¡¯s courtyard and she would arrange everything. He told Mo Xuetong not to pay any attention to them before he returned to his Jinwei Pavilion.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was no longer the one full of women looking for trouble. Other than the few concubines who needed to be there, Feng Yuran had already prepared his men to guard it closely.

    Mo Xuetong knew that he still had something to do, so she did not ask him to stay. Since she had just woken up, she did not want to sleep any longer. As such, she asked Mo Lan to stay in the room and had a chat with her. While they were talking, Aunt Xiann who was in charge of the Princess¡¯ courtyard came to say that Miss Hu, who hade to the Qin Kingdom with Princess Caifeng, heard that Consort Xuan hade back and wanted toe and visit.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that there was another guest to entartain. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Invite Miss Hu here.¡± Anyway, they were guests from afar, so she had to meet them. Given that she had been iming to be sick before, Mo Xuetong asked Mo Lan to put a big screen in front of the bed. Then, she used ginger water to dye her face yellow, loosened her hair, andy on the bed. Now half of her face was covered, and the muslin bed curtains were draping around the bed.

    As soon as they finished doing it, Hu Qianyue and her maidservant followed Aunt Xiann into the main courtyard where Mo Xuetong lived.

    A national banquet was held today. Hu Qianyue had her own purpose foring here with Princess Caifeng, but it could not be told to others. To outsiders, she only said that Princess Caifeng needed herpany, so she came here all the way and would go backter. On their way here, she was very solicitous to Princess Caifeng, and thetter was also very pleased with her.

    Today, she had been considering who she should send to kill Mo Xuetong in the yard out the city while keeping an eye on the front yard to see if the Crown Prince and Princess hade back. She didn¡¯t expect that the Crown Prince and Princess didn¡¯te back but she learned the news about Consort Xuan¡¯s return. It was said that she came back with King Xuan. However, the Crown Prince and Princess, who came to the banquet with the King Xuan, didn¡¯te back with him.

    It was not that Hu Qianyue was worried that something would happen to the two of them. However, she could not understand why King Xuan, as the host, did not apany them but came back first. An idea shed through her mind. Could it be that Consort Xuan was seriously ill? She was delighted but still had doubts. Then she came to visit Mo Xuetong to find out the truth.

    She followed the maidservant to the main courtyard of the manor. The scenery was so beautiful that Hu Qianyue, who often admired the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ pce, could not help but sigh in admiration. Trees shaded the roads; flowers and grass swayed; there were also rockeries and streams. From time to time, she could see red tiles among the green trees. It was a serene view. A few red leaves fell from the trees and danced with the wind above the road paved with oval stones, making her feel peaceful and at ease. It seemed that King Xuan¡¯s little wife did have a fine taste.

    Hu Qianyue spected what kind of person Mo Xuetong was as she walked. Was she gentle, proud and weak? Judging from both the news she got from others and what she felt, Hu Qianyue reckoned that Consort Xuan was easy to get along with. So she entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s courtyard confidently.

    Standing at the door was maidservant who was so beautiful that others almost thought that she was a nobledy. If she had not seen the maidservant dressed in ordinary maidservant¡¯ clothes, she would have made a mistake. Consort Xuan was in poor health, but she had such a beautiful maidservant beside her. Wasn¡¯t she afraid that the maidservant would climb into King Xuan¡¯s bed?

    In this way, this maidservant would have already slept with King Xuan long ago. In other words, she was a maidservant who served in bed.

    ¡°Greetings, Miss Hu.¡± Mo Lan gave a respectful bow.

    Hu Qianyue made a gesture to help her up and asked politely, ¡°Don¡¯t be so polite. Is Her Lady inside?¡± If she was the maidservant serving King Xuan in bed, she could not offend her rashly.

    ¡°Her Lady is inside. But she is not feeling well and can only lying in bed. I hope you don¡¯t mind it, Miss Hu,¡± Mo Lan said, apologizing on behalf of Mo Xuetong. She meant that Mo Xuetong was gravely ill and did not want to be disturbed.

    ¡°It is me who is disturupting Her Lady¡¯s rest. I¡¯ll leave after greeting Her Lady.¡± However, this girl did not leave. Instead, she was smiling and speaking politely, which made it difficult for Mo Lan to drive her away. Seeing that she insisted on going in, Mo Lan had no choice but to lead her into the room.

    As they walked into the room, there was a tall screen in the middle, in front of which was a table and a chair.

    ¡°Miss Hu, please have a seat. I will make tea.¡± Mo Lan backed out of the room respectfully.

    ¡°Miss Hu, please... I¡¯m really in poor health, and afraid that you¡¯ll be infected... I¡¯m sorry.¡± A woman¡¯s intermittent words came from behind the screen. At the sound of it, Hu Qianyue knew that the person inside was short of vigor. It was obvious that she was really sick. She exchanged nces with the maidservant beside her, and their eyes shed with bright light. Then they both looked away.

    ¡°My Lady, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I just came in a hurry. As soon as I heard that you were back, I rushed over to see you and forgot that it would disturb you.¡± Hu Qianyue sat down withposure, picked up a cup of tea that Mo Lan had made, and took a sip before she answered the question from behind the screen with a smile. It seemed that Consort Xuan was seriously ill. It was better for her to have a look at her. If she was really going to die of illness, she didn¡¯t need to bother so much and just needed to do something to her medicine, and the sick woman would die soon.

    ¡°Miss Hu, you¡¯re too polite. Princess Caifeng and you will live in our manor. If there¡¯s anything you need, just tell Aunt Xiann. I might not be able to entertain you in person. If there¡¯s anything I oversight... please pardon me,¡± the person inside wheezed, her words punctured by faint coughs.

    ¡°The woman inside is really going to die, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    Hu Qianyue was overjoyed, but she was a thoughtful person, so she was still a little unconvinced. After thinking for a while, she stood up and walked towards the screen, saying, ¡°My Lady, you cough so severely. Let me see if I can cure your disease. Besides, I¡¯ve brought some medicinal materials that are unique to the Southern Barbarian Lands to stop coughing. If you need some, just tell me.¡±

    She moved so quickly that no one expected her to walk over as soon as she said. By the time Mo Lan realized what was going on, Hu Qianyue had already crossed the screen and got to Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed. Fortunately, Mo Ye also guarded in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed. She stretched out her hand to block Hu Qianyue¡¯s way.

    ¡°Miss Hu, please halt. The imperial physician said that Her Lady cannot withstand the cold. You rushed in like this and brought the wind to Her Lady. Her Lady¡¯s illness will worsen.¡± Mo Ye stopped Hu Qianyue and looked at her with an unfriendly expression.

    Through the muslin bed curtains hanging before the bed, Hu Qianyue had actually had a clear sight of the woman in bed. Her hair was messy, and half of it was loose. Her face looked sallow and green, and a small half of her face was exposed, which appeared to be yellowish and unremarkable.

    It was said that Consort Xuan was almost as beautiful as Second Miss Ling of Ding General Manor, who was the most beautiful woman in the Great Qin in the past. Now, it seemed that she was a far cry from thetter. Second Miss Ling was a great beauty, who could make people¡¯s heart ache for her. As for Consort Xuan, even the maidservants in the manor were more attractive than her.

    Could it be that she was really gravely ill? And so she had taken the initiative to select maidservants to serve King Xuan in bed and concubines for her husband, hadn¡¯t? Hu Qianyue had heard that Consort Xuan had begged the Emperor to promote the concubines who did not have any status in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Thus, this was likely to be Consort Xuan¡¯s idea as well.

    It was a good idea. Even if she were to die, she was doing her best to make King Xuan miss her. Even if someone were to marry King Xuan and be taken into this manor in the future, King Xuan would still save a ce for her. How could a living person everpete with a dead one?

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m sorry. I was too rude. I just wanted to take a look at you. I didn¡¯t expect it to make your condition even worse,¡± Hu Qianyue said apologetically, yet she did not retreat. Instead, she continued to size up Mo Xuetong who was behind the muslin bed curtains. Even though there were the curtains, she still took another look at her before feeling relieved. Consort Xuan did not have much time left.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Hu... I¡¯m already so ill. It makes no difference whether you treat it or not...¡± Mo Xuetong coughed again in a low voice. She was quitefortable lying in the bed, and she could clearly see Hu Qianyue¡¯s expression through the curtains. There was something wrong with her.

    Hu Qianyue rolled her eyes and looked around. She seemed to have seen everything. Mo Xuetong did not expect that Hu Qianyue, who was brought by Princess Caifeng, was probably a person hard to deal with. She even barged into her room without her permission. Fortunately, she had been wary of Princess Caifeng and was prepared for this. She had long disguised as a sick person and was just waiting for Hu Qianyue toe over to check her out.

    If she didn¡¯te, she would be really anxious.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t worry. You are still young, and it¡¯s quick for you to recover even when you are ill. It¡¯s not a big deal. I hope you can get better as soon as possible and continue to be the lovely couple with His Highness. Princess Caifeng and I have to disturb you for about a month. My Lady, you must get well and apany us to go out for a walk.¡±

    Hu Qianyue had already seen all the furniture in the room. She could see that the decorations in the room were luxious. King Xuan must have treated Consort Xuan well. Fortunately, Consort Xuan did not have many days to live. As long as Princess Caifeng spent a lot of time with King Xuan, she was sure that the promiscuous King Xuan would not be able to resist the princess¡¯ seduction.

    Since there was nothing else to see, Hu Qianyue obediently backed away from the bed and sat in front of the screen again. She drank tea and chatted with Mo Xuetong for a while. Just as she put down her teacup and was about to stand up to bid Mo Xuetong goodbye, she suddenly heard a maidservant running toward the room. ¡°My Lady,e on. Princess, Princess Caifeng was injured by a carriage,¡± she shouted before she could reach the door.

 Chapter 602 - Jealousy, Ling Mingyans Anger

    <h4>Chapter 602 Jealousy, Ling Mingyan¡¯s Anger</h4>

    Princess Caifeng was very annoyed because King Yan, who had just been released, was so clingy as if he had been clinging to her hand. As soon as they left the main hall, he invited her elder brother and her to be a guest in King Yan¡¯s Manor, iming that he would thank her well. However, no matter how she winked at her elder brother, his smart elder brother did not seem to see her and just nodded at King Yan in agreement.

    Her elder brother was the Crown Prince of a country, so his words naturally counted. Even if Princess Caifeng was full of anger, she had to listen to him. So, when Crown Prince Xieyue took Princess Caifeng to King Yan¡¯s Manor, both King Yan and Consort Yan were hospitable to their guests, and they gave them a load of presents.

    However, her mind was not on this. Seeing that her elder brother and King Yan were talking happily, she got up out of boredom and said that she was going to take a walk in the yard. At this time, Consort Yan had been off to change her clothes inside, so she was not there. Under the orders of King Yan, a maidservant led her to the quiet yard. Princess Caifeng did not go far, and simply went to an octagonal pavilion to rest.

    She drove the people around her outside the pavilion and asked them to y by themselves. She covered her face with a round fan, feeling bored and depressed.

    Her maidservant had told her that King Xuan had long left the pce and had already returned to his own manor. However, she did not know when she would be able to go back. King Yan and her elder brother acted so warmly to each other as if they were good friends that had not seen in many years. They seemed to have a million topics to share.

    ¡°Elder Brother has always been indifferent to others. What¡¯s wrong with him today? He acts as if he and King Yan were old friends at first sight. Why do they have so many things to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Hu Qianyue is still in King Xuan¡¯s Manor now, and she should have seen King Xuan. Oh, by the way, I heard that Consort Xuan also entered the pce today. Why didn¡¯t I see her? At that time, there was no one but the Sixth Princess, the Seventh Princess, and Consort Yan sitting beside me. With Consort Xuan¡¯s status, she was supposed to sit beside me...¡±

    Princess Caifeng closed her eyes and thought about it with the round fan covering her face. The longer she thought, the eagerer she was to go back as soon as possible so she could try to fight against Consort Xuan.

    As she heard gentle footstepsing, she thought that it was a pce maid. So she still leaned against the rails and closed her eyes to rest, without moving.

    ¡°Your Highness, are you asleep?¡± A gentle male voice came from her side with a faint smile.

    King Yan?

    Princess Caifeng took off the round fan on her face and looked at the smiling Feng Yulei in surprise. She blinked and asked curiously, ¡°Your Highness, aren¡¯t you talking to Elder Brother? Why did youe here?¡±

    ¡°Crown Princess has to take a break. He feels a little dizzy. So I came here specifically to see you.¡± Feng Yulei sat down on the railings by Princess Caifeng¡¯s side. There was only a column between the two of them. He spoke in a casual manner. The servants around them did not say anything and still stood outside the pavilion.

    ¡°Many thanks, King Yan. I¡¯m okay here. If Elder Brother really wants to rest, I will take him back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor,¡± said Princess Caifeng with a smile, who suddenly sat up straight with her face brightened up. If her elder brother wanted to rest, why didn¡¯t he inform her to return earlier?

    ¡°This... might not be good. Crown Prince has just fallen asleep. It would be bad for his health if he is woken up at this time,¡± Feng Yulei uttered in a reserved manner.

    His words made Princess Caifeng fall silent. Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s health really couldn¡¯t be neglected. Since he had just turned in, waking him up now might damage his health. Princess Caifeng couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility. She leaned back feebly and asked gloomily, ¡°When will Elder Brother wake up?¡±

    ¡°Seeing how tired Crown Prince looked, he might sleep for quite a while. Crown Prince and Your Highness might as well have dinner here before returning. I will get someone to make more delicious food for you.¡± Feng Yulei smiled and invited her politely.

    ¡°Thank you, but no need. We¡¯d better go back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor for dinner.¡± Princess Caifeng waved her hand and said impatiently.

    ¡°Now that you prefer so, let¡¯s make the decision when Crown Prince wakes up. It is still early. May I apany you to take a walk in the garden?¡± Feng Yulei did not show any displeasure to Princess Caifeng¡¯s refusal. He pointed at the path in the garden and said with a smile, ¡°Go from there, the scenery is good. Princess Caifeng, would you like to go and take a look?¡±

    ¡°What is there to see?¡± Princess Caifeng looked upzily.

    ¡°There are some rare animals from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Some of them are even alien to me. I heard that Princess Caifeng has reared some rare animals. Please go and take a look at them with me.¡± Feng Yulei smiled and stood up. He reached out to hold Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand. It was as if he was determined to take her there and did not realize how abrupt his actions were.

    ¡°There are rare animals from the Southern Barbarian Lands here?¡± Princess Caifeng was intrigued at once. When she saw Feng Yulei reaching out, she also reached out subconsciously and stood up forcefully with Feng Yulei¡¯s help. However, Feng Yulei had used too much of his strength and as she stood up, she lost her bnce. She fell forward and bumped into Feng Yulei¡¯s embrace.

    From a distance, this was a standard posture that Princess Caifeng threw herself into King Yan¡¯s arms.

    Feng Yulei held her waist politely. When she stood still, he took two steps back and said politely, ¡°Your Highness, please be careful.¡± He looked like a gentleman.

    Princess Caifeng blushed, lowered her head, and anxiously replied, ¡°Many thanks, King Yan.¡± When she saw that King Yan did not intend to take advantage of her, she started to take a liking to him.

    ¡°Your Highness, please.¡± Feng Yulei tactfully stopped talking and pointed at the path. Unwilling to bring up the topic again, Princess Caifeng took a few hurried steps forward and then felt that she was too anxious. She stopped and said to Feng Yulei, ¡°King Yan, please.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Let¡¯s go together!¡± Feng Yulei smiled and took a few steps forward. He was walking side by side with Princess Caifeng this time. The two chatted andughed as they walked into the depths of the trees. From afar, one could see that the man was tall and handsome and the woman was petite and exquisite. They were very well-matched. The two spoke with each other every now and then and seemed even more harmonious.

    ¡°Younger Sister, are... are you just going to stand by and watch?¡± In a distant pavilion, You Yue¡¯e looked at the two figures who slowly disappeared from her sight. She could not hide the pain in her eyes. She bit her lips, but there was no other way. King Yan needed the help of Princess Caifeng and the Southern Barbarian Lands. She could only give way to him.

    ¡°Smack!¡± There was a loud thump on the table. Ling Mingyan, who was sitting beside her, had long been angry. She had always been arrogant and had never suffered such a grievance. She said, ¡°Younger Sister, you should go down and p that slut. She has just met King Yan but she¡¯s already seducing him. If she really enters the manor in the future, she won¡¯t let you live.¡±

    Ling Mingyan looked indignant as well as sorry for her younger sister. She stood up, grabbed You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand, and tried to drag her out. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll help you vent your anger.¡±

    ¡°Elder Sister-inw, don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s okay. His Highness has promised me that he won¡¯t let me give up my position as the first consort. I am still Consort Yan, she... she is at most a co-wife.¡± You Yue¡¯e struggled hard, but since she was not as strong as Ling Mingyan, she was dragged straight to the door and had to shout with tears in her eyes.

    Ling Mingyan¡¯s anger didn¡¯t drain, but when she saw that You Yue¡¯e was unwilling to go with her, she could not drag her on any longer. She let her go and said hatefully, ¡°How dare he ask you to give up the position of the first consort?¡±

    ¡°His Highness did not. He truly loves me and the baby in my belly, and truly cares for me and the baby,¡± You Yue¡¯e exined, but two teardrops fell down from the corners of her eyes. If they were okay, who would want another woman to enter the manor? Furthermore, the woman was obviously not easy to get along with and was of equal status with her. She did not know what would happen in the future. You Yue¡¯e felt her heart twinge with pain when she saw the two of them hugged each other even though that was their n.

    But she did not dare to ruin Feng Yulei¡¯s ns!

    ¡°He truly cares for you? He has just been released, but he is hooking up with the slut from the Southern Barbarian Lands. You can tell with a nce that it¡¯s not good. Younger Sister, you have to make ns early. Don¡¯t let her push you away. With King Yan¡¯s one word, her son could inherit his position. Where are you going to cry then?¡±

    With a dark expression, Ling Mingyan looked at You Yue¡¯e who sat back in the chair and cried and said angrily. She really liked this younger sister of You Yuecheng¡¯s. Hearing that You Yue¡¯e was pregnant, she hurried over to visit her. Unexpectedly, she saw this scene, which made her so vexed that her face darkened.

    ¡°Sister-inw, that won¡¯t happen. His Highness has promised me,¡± You Yue¡¯e uttered in a low voice as she wiped her tears with her handkerchief.

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of his promise? When you married him, didn¡¯t he promise you that he would never get a high-ranking concubine? What are all these concubines then? He has two second consorts before, and now he is even going to have a co-wife. The co-wife¡¯s son will also be the legitimate son. How can you make your child the legal heir by right and title in the future? Besides, she is so seductive that she dares to flirt with King Yan in the main hall. It is obvious that she is a restless woman. What are you going to do in the future?¡±

    Ling Mingyan held You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand and sincerely persuaded her.

    These words actually spoke You Yue¡¯e¡¯s mind. In the main hall today, she had been thinking about this question over and over again. If Feng Yulei really ascended the throne one day and Princess Caifeng also had a son with him, would he pass the thron to her son or to Princess Caifeng¡¯s son? If he again said that he had no choice then, would she have to give her position to that woman and her son¡¯s position to that woman¡¯s son?

    Thinking of this, she was suddenly overwhelmed by sorrow. She covered her mouth with the handkerchief and sobbed with grievance.

    Ling Mingyan sighed and advised, ¡°So, you have to drive her away when there¡¯s nothing else happening yet, instead of helping them.¡±

    ¡°I... I can¡¯t do this... His Highness, His Highness has no choice!¡± You Yue¡¯e cried helplessly and shook her head. If she had a way, she would not give her man to another woman.

    ¡°You...¡± Ling Mingyan was so furious. Even at this point, You Yue¡¯e was still thinking for Feng Yulei. Ling Mingyan turned livid with rage. ¡°Younger Sister, have you thought it through? Something will happen in the future. You can think about it first. You cane to me after you figure out what to do. I¡¯ll go back.¡±

    She had always been straightforward and would do whatever she wanted. What You Yue¡¯e did had obviously pissed her off. Without another word for You Yue¡¯e, she took her maidservant downstairs, ignoring the call of You Yue¡¯e from behind her. As soon as she reached the first floor, she made her way to the front door, ready to return to her manor. She was suffocated by anger.

    That woman was just a princess from a small country. As You Yue¡¯e had the support of Duke Ding and Mingguo Manor, how could she not beparable to a princess from a small country?

    She had wanted to back You Yue¡¯e up. However, she was cross with her hesitation. In a fit of rage, she took her people and went back to the manor in her carriage. You Yue¡¯e called after her a few times, but as Ling Mingyan did not stop, she gave up.

 Chapter 603 - Princess Caifengs Face Being Disfigured

    <strong>Chapter 603 Princess Caifeng¡¯s Face Being Disfigured</strong>

    Princess Caifeng was not badly hit. It was just a little scratch at most. Even though Ling Mingyan was rash, she was not a fool. As such, the two carriages bumped into each other slightly. Furthermore, she had been knocked down and fainted. On the surface, the two carriages had collided identally, and she, Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife, was more gravely injured.

    But in fact, Princess Caifeng¡¯s injury was more serious than hers, because the princess¡¯s face was scratched. It could be imagined how important the face was to an unmarried girl. Originally, Princess Caifeng wanted to use this face to attract Feng Yuran¡¯s attention, but now there was a scratch from the corner of her right eye to the corner of her mouth on her face. The long scar ruined her overall beauty. Although it was not deep, the physician said that she had to rest for at least a month and be very careful with her diet to ensure that it would not leave a scar on her face.

    Princess Caifeng, who was proud and arrogant and had wanted to be Consort Xuan, could not bear it. She smashed almost all the things in the yard. Then, she screamed, took away the pce maids beside her and beat them up. Later she sat among the fragments all over the ground, gritted her teeth, and slowly calmed down.

    Princess Caifeng had grown up in the imperial harem, so she had seen many incidents like this one! The consorts in the imperial harem had gotten the Emperor¡¯s favor just because of their good looks. When the other consorts could not bear to see one rise, they would plot various idents and disfigure her face that the Emperor cherished. Just like what happened today, it could not just be an ident.

    Since it was her first time toe to the capital, she had deliberately asked the coachman to slow down the pace. How could she crash into another carriage at such a slow speed? Moreover, she was knocked out of the carriage and fell to the ground, where a bamboo pole with a pointed end was erected!

    What a coincidence! It was so coincidental that she knew she had been set up without even thinking about it. Furthermore, the person who had set her up was definitely Consort Yan. Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife was just her sister-inw!

    ¡°Qianyue, have you looked into the matter?¡± Princess Caifeng asked with a gloomy face after she ordered the pce maids who were cleaning up the broken pieces to leave.

    ¡°I have sent someone to investigate it and also sent some people to confirm with Crown Prince. Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife is from a great family. She is the legitimate daughter of Ding General. The Empress and Empress Dowager of the Qin Kingdom are both from Ding General Manor. She is a descendant of a famous Empress¡¯s family and is very noble.¡±

    Hu Qianyue carefully lifted her dress and skillfully sidestepped the fragments at her feet. She sat down on a stool beside her and told her what she had found out while the imperial physician was dealing with Princess Caifeng¡¯s wound.

    The pain on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face frequently reminded her that the woman had plotted against her. ¡°What¡¯s that woman¡¯s name?¡± she asked through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan, the eldest legitimate daughter of Ding General, the niece of the Empress, and the grand-niece of the Empress Dowager,¡± Hu Qianyue replied, briskly raising her eyebrows. ¡°This woman¡¯s identity is even nobler than an ordinary princess in the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°So what? I¡¯ll definitely give her a hard time.¡± Princess Caifeng wanted nothing more than for Ling Mingyan to appear in front of her right now and she would tear her apart.

    ¡°Your Highness, how do you want to deal with her? Her current status is different from ordinary people. Besides, her carriage just collided with yours. If something happens to her, everyone will suspect you. After all, we are in the Qin Kingdom now, and we don¡¯t have enough manpower to use. On the one hand, we have to deal with Consort Xuan, and on the other hand, we have to deal with Ling Mingyan. It¡¯s sort of difficult for us.¡±

    Hu Qianyue thought for a moment and said awkwardly. As Princess Caifeng¡¯s close friend, she certainly knew her character. On the surface, she looked gentle and generous, but in fact, she was never a generous person. At this time, she would not suffer such a private loss.

    ¡°Put aside the matter about Consort Xuan for now. Anyway, they say that woman is seriously ill. You said just now that she can¡¯t even get out of bed. Maybe she dies at some time. We¡¯re not in a hurry to deal with her.¡± Princess Caifeng covered the wound on her face as her face darkened. She did not want King Xuan to see her face now that she was injured. She was afraid that she would leave him a bad impression. She had to wait for a month for her face topletely recover before she let King Xuan see her and be mesmerized by her beauty and then take a fancy to her. If Consort Xuan had not died then, it would not be toote for her to take action.

    ¡°If King Yan and Consort Yane to see me, invite them to my room and tell that I am injured and not in the mood toe out and meet people.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, do you want to discuss it with Crown Prince first?¡± Hu Qianyue immediately caught on what Princess Caifeng meant, but she still asked worriedly in a low voice.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t have to tell Elder Brother first. Anyway, Father said that I only need to pick one of the sons of the Great Qin¡¯s Emperor. I have not decided yet, so I feel like observing them and chatting with them one by one. Elder Brother will not judge. Furthermore, Consort Yan dared to plot against me. Elder Brother is very angry this time and has sent me a few more guards.¡±

    Princess Caifeng was very satisfied when she thought of how highly her elder brother thought of her. Her elder brother had always been distant to others, but he was so infuriated by this incident that he had sent several of his guards to her. Princess Caifeng was very grateful for this gesture of his. She had thought that her elder brother did not care about anything. But unexpectedly, he actually cared about her. As such, she felt that she was more confident in getting back at You Yue¡¯e.

    ¡°Also, since Elder Brother has sent someone to Mingguo Manor to question Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife, the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom will definitely give me an exnation. No matter what, I am still representing the Southern Barbarian Lands. Furthermore, Elder Brother is also backing me up. But if that woman thought that apology alone would do after she crashed into my carriage, she shouldn¡¯t even think about it. I will not let her live a peaceful life now that she¡¯s hurt me! So what if she is from the Empress¡¯s family? The current Empress has never had a prince.¡±

    Princess Caifeng sneered. When an Empress had never given birth to a prince, she would not have much power. All the Emperor¡¯s women in the pce attached great importance to their son. Even though she was the noble Empress, so what? Before she came here, Princess Caifeng already heard that the Empress treated King Yan very well and took him as her own son.

    Princess Caifeng discussed the details with Hu Qianyue. She gritted her teeth and swore that she would teach You Yue¡¯e and Ling Mingyan a lesson.

    In Mingguo Manor...

    Ling Mingyan stood timidly in You Yuecheng¡¯s study and exined tearfully, ¡°I... I just want to avenge Yue¡¯e. I can¡¯t bear to see that woman bully her like that.¡±

    You Yuecheng¡¯s face darkened and the veins on his forehead twitched. He paced back and forth, then came to Ling Mingyan and said hatefully, ¡°Then, you intentionally collided with Princess Caifeng¡¯s carriage and scratched her face so that she would not have a chance to enter King Yan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°I... I was helping Yue¡¯e!¡± Ling Mingyan exined stubbornly. She looked up and felt that she was not wrong at all. However, under You Yuecheng¡¯s fierce re, she could not help but lower her head and her voice. Tears welled up in her eyes but didn¡¯t drop. She was just being kind to help You Yue¡¯e vent her anger. When she happened to see Princess Caifeng¡¯s carriageing over, her carriage slightly collided with hers. She did not do anything else to her. Furthermore, she had ¡°fainted¡± herself. She was hurt more seriously than Princess Caifeng. Why was he scolding her?

    ¡°Are you feeling wronged? Do you think that you are helping Yue¡¯e? Yue¡¯e has a high status. If she is really unhappy, won¡¯t she get back at that princess herself? But you just have to be the one who couldn¡¯t bear it. Do you also think that I can¡¯t have another woman since I married you? Ling Mingyan, you are also a nobledy. Haven¡¯t you read ¡®ssics for Women¡¯?¡±

    You Yuecheng was furious when he saw that she didn¡¯t regret it at all and couldn¡¯t admit her wrongdoing. He regretted that he didn¡¯t withstand the pressure and refuse to marry her. When he thought that he almost could marry that other woman if not for her, he felt an inexplicable hatred in his heart. He looked at Ling Mingyan with even more disgust in his eyes, and his words were overbearing and merciless.

    ¡°I, that¡¯s not what I think. I was just helping Yue¡¯e...¡± Ling Mingyan almost could not speak when You Yuecheng shot such a nasty look at her.

    ¡°Thank you for your help. If you really want to help her, please be really injured now. Don¡¯t let others smell anything fishy.¡± You Yuecheng took a deep breath and suddenly calmed down. He interrupted Ling Mingyan and walked slowly to her. Looking her up and down, he said coldly, ¡°What did you ask the servants to say when you hit her?¡±

    ¡°Say... say that I was hit on the forehead and fainted!¡± Ling Mingyan took two steps back subconsciously.

    You Yuecheng looked at her head and asked, ¡°Hit which part on your forehead?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s here.¡± Ling Mingyan casually pointed at her forehead. She was talking nonsense by then, so she didn¡¯t remember these details. She replied subconsciously. When she saw You Yuecheng approaching a few steps closer, she couldn¡¯t help but step back and ask uneasily, ¡°What, what are you up to?¡±

    ¡°Princess Caifeng is a princess sent by the Southern Barbarian Lands to marry one of those princes. She is disfigured now. What do you think will happen if this matter is brought up to the Emperor?¡± You Yuecheng uttered coldly.

    ¡°His Majesty will not do anything to me. And Aunt Empress will protect me.¡± Ling Mingyan trembled at his cold look as she still tried to defend herself, but her voice became lower and lower.

    ¡°Does the Empress value you or King Yan?¡± You Yuecheng did not intend to let her off the hook.

    Needless to say, conceited as Ling Mingyan was, she knew that King Yan was the only one who could support the Empress. She stuttered, ¡°His Highness King Yan!¡±

    ¡°If she has to choose between you and King Yan, who do you think the Empress will choose?¡± You Yuecheng put his hands behind his back and walked to his desk. He sat down and picked up a ze brush washer beside him. Then with a cold expression, he handed it to Ling Mingyan who had just cottoned on. ¡°You¡¯d better do it yourself!¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Ling Mingyan¡¯s face immediately turned pale and her hands trembled. She felt that her wrist was too heavy to hold up.

    ¡°Do you want to force His Majesty toe to our ce and involve both Mingguo Manor and Ding General Manor in this? Or do you want to say that King Yan nned to marry Princess Caifeng, but you did this trick after seeing Younger Sister was unhappy? If the two countries start a war because of this, are you going to be the sacrificial offering?¡± You Yuecheng stuffed the brush washer in Ling Mingyan¡¯s hand coldly.

    Ling Mingyan was indeed arrogant and domineering, but there was a prerequisite for that¡ªshe knew that others could not do anything to her. However, what about now? Now, for the first time, she felt that the previous protection she had enjoyed could no longer protect her. From You Yuecheng¡¯s words, she realized that she not only recklessly did something terrible, but also ruined King Yan¡¯s n. She might even lead the trouble to Mingguo Manor.

    You Yuecheng stood up and cast a harsh nce at her, as if he didn¡¯t see her pale face. ¡°Hurry up. Maybe His Majesty¡¯s messenger wille soon. If you want to muddle through with a fake injury, it¡¯s a crime of deceiving the Emperor. Mingguo Manor can¡¯t afford it, neither can Ding General Manor,¡± he urged sinisterly.

    Then he turned around and stomped out. No sooner did he reach the door that he heard a heavy thud and then the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground behind him. He turned around and saw Ling Mingyan¡¯s pale and delicate forehead bleeding. She fell down slowly and looked at him pitifully. Then, her look turned painful when he turned around and left in a cold and calm manner...

 Chapter 604 - Visiting the Patient, Princess Caifengs Seduction

    <h4>Chapter 604 Visiting the Patient, Princess Caifeng¡¯s Seduction</h4>

    The Emperor¡¯s rebuke soon came to Mingguo Manor. Emperor Zongwen knew about Ling Mingyan¡¯s character, so he spoke very harshly. But the eunuch sent by Emperor Zongwen was taken aback when he heard that Ling Mingyan was really injured and that the injury was serious¡ªthere was a bleeding opening on her forehead and she had not woken up from her faint. So, the eunuch hurried back to the pce to report to Emperor Zongwen. Then, Emperor Zongwen asked an imperial physician toe and see her.

    The imperial physician bustled to Mingguo Manor at once. After examining the wound, he came to the conclusion that Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife had bumped her head against something. The wound was ratherrge and she was still at a critical stage. Immediately, Ding General Manor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager sent people to deliver medicine materials and theirforts to her. Marquess Mingguo had been sitting by the bed and stayed up all night. His eyes had turned red and swollen.

    King Xuan¡¯s Manor was also teeming with visitors. Princess Caifeng was a guest from the Southern Barbarian Lands. She had been injured, and the wound was on her face, which was the most important part for a girl. And it was caused by a crash with the carriage of Consort Yan¡¯s sister-inw that urred on her way back from King Yan¡¯s Manor. No matter how one looked at it, this matter had something to do with King Yan.

    Early the next morning, King Yan came to visit Princess Caifeng with You Yue¡¯e.

    Crown Prince Xieyue happened to be out, so the one who came to wee them was Hu Qianyue, who had followed Princess Caifeng to the capital. After all, there was not much discrimination on the ground of gender in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Hu Qianyue said that Princess Caifeng was not feeling well and had taken medicine, and she invited them to talk in the room.

    In Great Qin, such an invitation could never be allowed. It was improper for a man to enter an unmarried girl¡¯s room, even if he was apanied by his wife. However, Hu Qianyue repeatedly emphasized that ording to the custom of the Southern Barbarian Lands, they were totally allowed to go into the room to visit the patient as long as there was a screen in the room.

    You Yue¡¯e was unwilling to do it. However, she thought that this had something to do with her, and Feng Yulei was angry and scolded her yesterday. The two had a fight and Feng Yulei slept in the studyst night. As such, she could only keep herints to herself.

    There was indeed a screen in the room, but the screen was made of light gauze. Even though it was notpletely transparent, one could still see the beautiful figure lying on the bed. As Princess Caifeng heard King Yane in to visit her, her sweet voice sounded from the bed.

    ¡°I was only slightly injured. How would I dare to trouble King Yan toe over? Qianyue, tell His Highness and Her Lady to have a seat.¡±

    Feng Yulei sat down and looked at the screen as he said gently, ¡°This is all my fault. If I had known this would happen, I would have sent someone to escort Your Highness here so that you would not have suffered so much.¡± His words were normal, but coupled with his tone, it made one feel that there was something going on between the two of them.

    You Yue¡¯e sat by his side, feeling a surge of bitterness. She lowered her head reluctantly and suppressed the bitterness in her heart!

    Princess Caifeng seemed to be crying behind the screen. The pce maid brought a handkerchief to her and she wiped her tears, and said in a sweet voice, ¡°How can I me you, Your Highness? Yesterday, you apanied me to stroll in the garden. I felt very happy and wanted to visit it again today, but now...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Princess Caifeng. I¡¯ve already asked the imperial physician. Your condition is not grave. When you recover, I will apany you to see the beautiful sceneries of the entire capital. It is a gesture of my good will for you.¡± Feng Yulei¡¯s lips curled up and his voice grew even gentler, sounding a little affectionate for some reason.

    He had thought that his marriage with Princess Caifeng would be ruined because of what Ling Mingyan had done. As such, he had not been nice to You Yue¡¯est night. When he saw that Princess Caifeng still remembered his good will despite her injury, he felt rather gleeful. He had intended to marry Princess Caifeng, so of course, he would do his best to coax her.

    ¡°Then I have to trouble you, Your Highness. It¡¯s a pity that I, I¡¯m afraid... afraid that if something like this happens again, I won¡¯t even be able to see you again.¡± Princess Caifeng shed tears behind the screen. Her delicate voice was filled with soft sadness, which could soften the most hard-hearted man.

    You Yue¡¯e, however, was so irked she thought she would spit blood. She would never have thought that a princess of a country would dare to seduce her husband right in front of her, the legal wife. Even though the two¡¯s marriged had been decided, watching it happen with her own eyes was totally different from thinking about it. You Yue¡¯e wrung her handkerchief and gritted her teeth. She could not echo her husband¡¯s view even if she wanted to. Along the way, Feng Yulei had told her what she should say, but when those words reached her throat, they turned into one word¡ª¡±B*tch!¡±

    ¡°Princess Caifeng is such a b*tch!¡±

    ¡°I... I... I¡¯ll go out to get some fresh air.¡± She bit her lips and stood up, holding her maidservant¡¯s hand. Before Princess Caifeng could say something, she hurried out. She felt that if she stayed any longer, she might really fly into a rage.

    ¡°Your Highness, does Her Lady not like me?¡± A cold smile appeared on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face when she saw that You Yue¡¯e had fled hurriedly. However, she asked Feng Yulei in a gentle tone as if she was really afraid that You Yue¡¯e would be angry. There was a hint of fear in her voice.

    ¡°Bitch, how dare you try to disfigure me? I won¡¯t let you off the hook easily.¡±

    ¡°How could that be? She is just feeling guilty and did not know what to say to you!¡± Feng Yulei exined. He looked at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s retreating back impatiently from the corner of his eye. He felt a jolt of annoyance. Women were just unable to aplish anything but liable to spoil everything. They had agreed on it, but You Yue¡¯e stirred up trouble again, almost ruining his ns.

    ¡°Somebody remove the screen,¡± Hu Qianyue suddenly ordered the pce maids beside her.

    This made Feng Yulei stunned for a moment. In a daze, he watched the screen between the two of them be pulled away. Then he saw a pair of beautiful eyes that were filled with tears above the veil that Princess Caifeng was wearing. His heart skipped a beat. Princess Caifeng was indeed very beautiful. At this time, her face was veiled, only a pair of watery eyes revealed. The affection in her eyes could make one¡¯s heart flutter when looking at her.

    ¡°King Yan, we people of Southern Barbarian Lands do not care so much about etiquette. As you are so close with our princess, you don¡¯t need to bother with those unnecessary etiquettes. Please take a seat and talk to our princess. I will go and apany Consort Yan,¡± Hu Qianyue exined with a smile. Then, she curtsied to Feng Yulei and asked the pce maids who were standing by the side, ¡°Did you see where Consort Yan went just now?¡±

    ¡°I will take you there,¡± one of the pce maids answered, and then the pce maids followed Hu Qianyue out, leaving Princess Caifeng and Feng Yulei in the room by themselves.

    You Yue¡¯e did not stay outside for long. She stood under a tree and took a deep breath, exhaling the anger in her chest. The maidservant beside her wanted to say something but You Yue¡¯e waved her down. She reached out to touch her belly. When she thought of what Feng Yulei had said to her, she cooled down gradually.

    Marrying Princess Caifeng was King Yan¡¯s idea and also what her elder brother wanted. She had fought for her benefits before, and in the future, only her son could inherit King Yan¡¯s position. King Yan also promised that he would not remove her from the position of being his legal wife. What else did she have to worry about then?

    To be honest, You Yue¡¯e had noticed the few princes of the royal family. King Chu was obviously very scheming. One of his wives was dead while the other was mad. You Yue¡¯e felt that the matter was not that simple. King Xuan had been in love with his wifetely, but he was known for his phndering ways. It was hard to say how long his love for Consort Xuan wouldst.

    Inparison, King Yan was fairly better than the rest princes. He had a deep affection for her. Last time when the Emperor had sent two second consorts to the manor, he had touched neither of them at all. The maidservants serving him in bed were still in the manor. But since she married into the manor, he rarely went to their¡¯s. He was very kind and gentle to her, and would always consult with her if anything came up.

    Now, though he wanted to marry Princess Caifeng, he still discussed it with her first. Furthermore, the marriage waspletely based on interests and he was not really in love with the princess. Then, why would she get jealousy of a shameless woman from the Southern Barbarian Lands? She might as well be more gracious. Anyway, she was his wife and they worked with one heart. When Princess Caifeng entered King Yan¡¯s Manor, she would still have everything in her hands.

    After she thought this through, You Yue¡¯epletely calmed down. She waved her hand and returned with her maidservant. She could not allow others to see her being impolite. Even though King Yan wanted to marry Princess Caifeng, she could not allow others to say that he had done something wrong and had a secret date with an unmarried woman. Even if the Southern Barbarian Lands did not care about it, they had to avoid that someone of the Qin Kingdom would take advantage of this and ruin his reputation.

    ¡°Consort Yan?¡± When she reached the door, You Yue¡¯e suddenly heard someone calling. She turned around, but did not recognize who it was. She just frowned and looked at the official in front of her.

    ¡°Greetings, Consort Yan, I am Lian An.¡± Lian An immediately cupped his hands to greet her politely when he saw that it was really Consort Yan.

    ¡°Sir Lian, what are you doing here?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked gently, even though she could not remember who he was.

    ¡°Under His Majesty¡¯s order, I¡¯m here to deliver some medicine materials and check on Princess Caifeng¡¯s injury,¡± Lian An replied.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there others in the manor?¡± You Yue¡¯e asked with a frown. Lian An was considered an outside man. It was inappropriate for him to be brought to see Princess Caifeng. King Yan wanted to marry Princess Caifeng and she didn¡¯t want him to misunderstand, so she did not say anything. However, Lian An was different.

    If Princess Caifeng was really such an unceremonious person, the entire King Yan¡¯s Manor would lose face after she married into the manor.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Miss Hu ahead asked me toe in to see Princess Caifeng. I¡¯ll only bow to Princess Caifeng outside the room and inform her of His Majesty¡¯s intention,¡± Lian An exined.

    You Yue¡¯e suddenly remembered who Lian An was. She looked him up and down suspiciously. She had heard her elder brother say that the man was on Consort Zhao¡¯s side. Thest time they failed to plot against Mo Xuetong in the temple, it had something to do with Consort Zhao. The carriage that caused the trouble set off from the Lian¡¯s Manor. In the end, it secretly returned to his manor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you work in the Ministry of Works, Sir Lian? When did you start handling the affairs of the Imperial Household Department?¡±

    The former minister of the Ministry of Works now was an official of the Imperial Household Department. There was a wide gap in the status of the two offices.

    ¡°My Lady, where His Majesty asks me to, I will be there. I will follow His Majesty¡¯s orders.¡± Lian An did not seem to feel such a huge gap. He was calm, which made You Yue¡¯e praise him secretly. She thought that Lian An was a talent, who was not moved by official honor or disgrace. She might ask King Yan to try to ept him as a subordinate.

    The two of them arrived at Princess Caifeng¡¯s room while they were talking. Lian An stood below the steps, and before he could speak, they suddenly heard a woman¡¯s scream from inside, ¡°Quick, quick... Ah!¡± Then, there was a shattering sound.

    The two were both shocked. Ignoring You Yue¡¯e, Lian An strode forward with a few guards behind him and pulled open the curtains. Next, he stood there, petrified...

 Chapter 605 - A Token, Feng Yuleiâ€™s Token of Engagement

    <h4>Chapter 605 A Token, Feng Yulei¡¯s Token of Engagement</h4>

    In the room, a broken cup was on the ground, and the tea inside spilled all over the floor.

    On the bed, Princess Caifeng was dressed thinly and leaned against King Yan Feng Yulei¡¯s chest. Feng Yulei held her waist with one hand. The two cuddled together tightly. Hearing others¡¯ footsteps, they looked up together. At the sight of You Yue¡¯e¡¯s pale face at the door, Feng Yulei subconsciously put down his hand, stood up quickly, and took a few steps back.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s reaction was to pull her cors up forcefully. Looking at the men at the door, she screamed subconsciously. Who could tell her what was happening? She just wanted to seduce Feng Yulei a bit. She had intentionally dropped the cup and screamed in shock. When Feng Yulei came to her, she threw herself into his embrace in a panic so as to make You Yue¡¯e, who woulde inter, feel terrible. It would be best if this could make her leave.

    But what was with those men?

    She was confident that You Yue¡¯e would only suffer in silence and would not tell anyone about it. After all, this matter would damage Feng Yulei¡¯s reputation. Furthermore, she did not really want to marry Feng Yulei. Ever since she entered the capital, she had only wanted to conquer Feng Yuran. She wanted to marry Feng Yuran.

    Why did other peoplee in and see them?

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, what¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Hu Qianyue came out of nowhere, lifted her dress, and knocked Lian An, who was standing at the door, into the room. When she got in, she saw Feng Yulei was still grabbing a piece of arm gauze that Princess Caifeng had put on the table in the hast of retreating. She was so shocked that her face changed immediately.

    ¡°King Yan, what do you mean by this?¡± She pointed at the arm gauze hanging from Feng Yulei and her face darkened.

    Feng Yulei hadpletely calmed down by then. He turned around and exined to Hu Qianyue, ¡°Her Highness wanted to drink tea just now and the teacup fell to the floor. I thought I might just get it on me when I was helping Princess Caifeng pick up the teacup!¡± Even though he wanted Princess Caifeng to marry him, he could not let the Emperor find out about his plot. Otherwise, if the Emperor thought that he was deliberately plotting to force Princess Caifeng to marry him, he would get nothing.

    What was more, it was not good for his reputation.

    So he had to defend himself at this moment.

    ¡°Yes... yes, His Highness helped me...¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s face was nched and then livid. She hurriedly yed along with Feng Yulei¡¯s story. However, there was a hint of panic in her expression. It made one feel that something was happening between the two of them and that no one else knew about it.

    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Caifeng is the Princess that our Emperor dotes on the most. She hase to the Qin Kingdom in order to marry into your country. Her Highness does not know the characters of the princes, so she wants to investigate. She had nned to learn about what kind of men the princes were while she is injured. That was why she let you in. But now... Your Highness, our Princess has lost her reputation. What... what should we do?¡±

    The panic on Hu Qianyue¡¯s face was just right, as if she did not know how to deal with it. She was just an unmarried girl of16 or 17, and it was normal for her to panic.

    She had just left everything to Feng Yulei!

    Princess Caifeng suddenly turned her head and looked at Hu Qianyue in disbelief!

    You Yue¡¯e walked in slowly to Feng Yulei, and bowed to Feng Yulei. Then, she turned to Princess Caifeng with a smile and said softly, ¡°It turned out to be a misunderstanding. His Highness just helped Her Highness pick up a teacup, but Her Highness¡¯s reputation was damaged. Your Highness, why don¡¯t we go to Father and Mother to rify it, and prove the innocence of Princess Caifeng?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I will listen to Consort Yan.¡± Feng Yulei was flustered and when he heard what You Yue¡¯e said, he heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at You Yue¡¯e gratefully and went up to hold her hand gently. It would bepletely different if You Yue¡¯e could testify for him. If she spoke up for him as his wife, it would make it seem that he did not do it on purpose.

    If he really wanted to have anything to do with Princess Caifeng, he would not have brought You Yue¡¯e with him. Furthermore, if he were to tell the Emperor, it would demonstrate that he was honest and right-minded. On the other hand, Princess Caifeng had lost her reputation and would not be able to marry anyone else. Then his wish could be considered realized.

    This was the best solution. Feng Yulei was freed from the awkward situation immediately. How could he not be grateful to You Yue¡¯e?

    This was what they thought, which could settle the matter perfectly. As for Princess Caifeng, Feng Yulei felt that he had already won her heart. As long as he spoke up now, Princess Caifeng would definitely say ¡°yes¡±. To be King Yan¡¯s co-wife was not something that an ordinary person could imagine.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want that,¡± Princess Caifeng cried as she heard that her fate had been decided by these people in a few word. She knew that she could only marry Feng Yulei if the matter were to be brought up in front of the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom. How could she be willing to do that? As such, she flew into a rage and screamed. She stretched out her hand and pointed at the few people in front of her. ¡°How, how dare all of you to plot against me? My royal Brother, I¡¯ll tell my royal brother that the Qin Kingdom dared to plot against the Princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    She screamed loudly, and her face was stern! All of a sudden, everyone was stunned!

    If she didn¡¯t want to marry Feng Yulei, then what about what happened between her and Feng Yulei just now?

    ¡°Your Highness, you...¡± Hu Qianyue still wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted by Princess Caifeng. She pointed at her with her finger and scolded, ¡°Hu Qianyue, who told you to bring them into my room? He is a stranger man, but without my consent, he entered my room. How did you deal with this matter?¡±

    ¡°But, Your Highness, didn¡¯t you allow that?¡± Hu Qianyue asked with a bitter face.

    ¡°If I allowed it, why didn¡¯t I know that? I was resting just now. You said that Consort Yan came to visit. Consort Yan is a woman, so I naturally allowed her in. But why King Yan is also here? Hu Qianyue, who are you conspiring with to harm me?¡± Princess Caifeng pointed at Hu Qianyue with an angry face and put all the me on her. She now had a bad feeling that Hu Qianyue was not here to help her, but was here to hurt her.

    At this time, she remembered that Hu Qianyue was her third brother¡¯s cousin. Her third brother and her elder brother had always been against each other, and she was on her elder brother¡¯s side. Then Hu Qianyue had a reason to hurt her. Princess Caifeng had trusted her so much before, but now she dared to betray her. At this moment, she was regretful and hateful. She just wanted to put all the me on Hu Qianyue.

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s eyes turned red as she was scolded, and her tears burst out. She pointed at the two pce maids standing on either side of her and exined timidly, ¡°Your Highness, how... how... could you say that? They both saw and heard it when you issued the order.¡± These two were the personal pce maids of Princess Caifeng who had just gone out to look for You Yue¡¯e with Hu Qianyue.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. We heard what you said clearly when you ordered Miss Hu. Why...¡± The two pce maids looked at the furious Princess Caifeng fearfully, with a look of shock and confusion on their faces.

    ¡°Get out, get out, get out of here, I don¡¯t want to marry him. I won¡¯t marry him even if I die.¡± Princess Caifeng was furious and gnashed her teeth in hatred. At this time, she understood Hu Qianyue¡¯s methods. Even the two pce maids beside her were Hu Qianyue¡¯s people. How could she get this matter straight? Moreover, she had really said those words. Originally, she nned to trick You Yue¡¯e, but she did not expect that Hu Qianyue actually yed her!

    ¡°What happened?¡± A cold question came from outside the door. Princess Caifeng, who was so enraged that she wanted to kill, immediately calmed down in the room. Her fingers trembled and she pulled the corner of the quilt. Her lips trembled and she suddenly cried out loud, ¡°Elder Brother, Elder Brother, help me. Third brother and these people plotted against me!¡±

    Anyway, she was not in the Southern Barbarian Lands at this time, so she did not have to care about her third brother¡¯s power!

    Unable to marry King Xuan, Princess Caifeng was filled with hatred!

    ¡°What¡¯s this racket about?¡± The curtain was lifted and Crown Prince Xieyue appeared at the door. He looked pale and sick. He nced at everyone present and especially squinted at King Yan¡¯s face. A trace of coldness tugged at the corner of his mouth. There was a sh of light in his eyes, and then his eyes fell on Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°As a girl, you should behave. Miss Hu, help Princess clean up the room. Don¡¯t get her too excited. If she continues to make a fuss, the wound on her face will leave a permanent scar.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue looked at Princess Caifeng¡¯s blood-stained veil and narrowed his eyes slightly.

    A permanent scar meant that her face was really disfigured! Princess Caifeng was so frightened that her face turned pale. She picked up a handkerchief and touched her face. Indeed, she saw a patch of blood on her handkerchief. She was immediately dumbfounded. Her body tilted and she fell backward!

    The pce maids hurried forward to help her clean up. The others left the room together. Crown Prince Xieyue led the crowd to the front room and sat down ording to their statue. Lian An was asked to stay as a witness. Crown Prince Xieyue looked at Feng Yulei and asked, ¡°Your Highness, King Yan, how are you going to solve this?¡±

    He threw the problem directly to Feng Yulei. In any case, this matter must have something to do with him.

    ¡°Crown Prince, no matter what, the Princess¡¯s reputation has been ruined. I am willing to take responsibility.¡± Feng Yulei looked up with a serious expression on his face, as if he was willing to marry Caifeng for the sake of her reputation.

    You Yue¡¯e did not say anything else. There was a hint ofughter shing across her eyes. However, her expression was truly calm. Princess Caifeng had cried that she did not want to marry Feng Yulei earlier, which had turned into a thorn in Feng Yulei¡¯s heart. No matter whether Princess Caifeng would marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor in the future, the proud Feng Yulei would never love her.

    ¡°Since Your Highness is willing to take responsibility, then when are you nning to officially marry Caifeng?¡± A slight smile appeared on the lips of Crown Prince Xieyue, which showed that he was satisfied with Feng Yulei.

    This matter went so smoothly that Feng Yulei almost couldn¡¯t believe it. He was relieved at once. He had been worrying that Crown Prince Xieyue would demand him to do something in conflict of his own interest just now. Unexpectedly, Crown Prince Xieyue didn¡¯t mention it at all.

    In order to show his sincerity, Feng Yulei nodded and said wholeheartedly, ¡°I will go to the pce as soon as possible to ask for an imperial edict from my Father, allowing Princess Caifeng to marry into my manor as soon as possible. I promise here that I will never let her down.¡±

    ¡°That will do. In order to show Your Highness¡¯s desire to marry the princess, Your Highness, please leave a token.¡± Prince Xieyue did not make things difficult for him. Thinking for a moment, he exined politely, ¡°Caifeng hates being plotted against the most. Generally speaking, she was wronged today, so she snapped like that. Your Highness, please forgive her. She is just a little girl. Facing such a sudden and big change, she didn¡¯t know what to say. If she has offended Your Highness, please forgive her!¡±

    Feng Yulei also saw through this matter. It seemed that Princess Caifeng had been set up by thedy beside her. Originally, he was full of hatred and anger towards Princess Caifeng as he felt that she insisted on not marrying him, which made him lose face. And she implied that he and Hu Qianyue had worked together to frame her, which made Feng Yulei very unhappy.

    But on second thought, he felt that her reaction was reasonable. A girl would indeed be confused after experiencing a sudden change. It also exined theplete change in her attitude before and after. In order to show how much attention he attached to Princess Caifeng and to please Crown Prince Xieyue, he immediately took off his jade pendant hanging at his waist, which symbolized his status as a prince.

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ll give this to Princess Caifeng as a token of our engagement.¡±

    There was only one of such a jade pendant for each prince, representing their identity. It was even said that it was the betrothal gift the prince sent to his wife. However, this was not included in the betrothal gifts sent to You Yue¡¯e by King Yan¡¯s Manor. Later she noticed that Feng Yulei had always taken it with him, and she thought that he really liked it. As such, she did not mind it. However, Feng Yulei surely meant different when he took it out at this point. You Yue¡¯e watched Crown Prince Xieyue take it with satisfaction.

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s expression changed drastically and she almost fell off the stool...

 Chapter 606 - The Plan, Feng Yurans Means

    <h4>Chapter 606 The n, Feng Yuran¡¯s Means</h4>

    While it was chaotic outside, the main courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor was very quiet. The tired and indolent King Xuan was apanying his ¡°sick¡± wife, so he had no idea what had happened outside. He handed it all over to his butler. In his own words, ¡°It¡¯s aplicated situation now. It could involve me even if I don¡¯t go out. I¡¯d better rest and im to be sick in room.¡±

    Mo Xuetong who was sitting by the window picked up the pattern beside her and shone it against the sunlight. Then she narrowed her eyes and nced sideways at his handsome and charming face before asking suspiciously, ¡°Does this have anything to do with you?¡±

    She said it without feeling guilty!

    ¡°How could I have anything to do with that? Third Brother wanted to marry the beauty, and the Southern Barbarian Lands has their own ns. I don¡¯t even know Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s meanings. How could I have plotted against her?¡± Feng Yuran answered rather righteously, but his bright eyes showed that he was in a good mood.

    Especially when he winked at Mo Xuetong charmingly, there was nothing serious in his manners.

    It was hard to convince anyone that it had nothing to do with him!

    Of course, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t believe it!

    ¡°Why was it so coincidental that Princess Caifeng¡¯s face was hurt? She was on the main road of the capital, and there are many peopleing and going. That part of the road is the most heavily guarded. Even if there was something on the ground, it would have been cleaned up. How could it be so coincidental that Princess Caifeng¡¯s face was scratched by something?¡±

    Mo Xuetong teased as a hint of beautiful ripples in her watery eyes. Tiny spots of light fell in her eyes from outside the window, just like myriads of tiny diamonds and plentiful water. Feng Yuran could not help but feel gentle in his heart. He reached out to hold her hand that was holding the embroidery and suddenly, heughed out loud in a good mood.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, perhaps because Princess Caifeng is a bad person, she is so unlucky. She not only lives in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, but also dares to try to get you into trouble.¡±

    A hint of viciousness appeared in the pure smile in his eyes. If not for her identity, the hurt would not be as simple as disfigurement. Since Princess Caifeng wanted to deal with Tong¡¯er, he made her tired out by too much running around and unable to see people. She would not dare to do anything to Tong¡¯er. The situation now was very good.

    Princess Caifeng didn¡¯t want to marry Feng Yulei, but Feng Yulei wanted to marry her. In addition, Crown Prince Xieyue had a strange mind. The twists and turns in it were definitely more than it was on the surface. Feng Yuran just made a crack in those people¡¯s contradictions. What would happen next was up to them.

    Right now, everyone was busy enough with their own affairs. He and Mo Xuetong could live their own life and watch them fighting fiercely.

    ¡°She wanted to get me into trouble?¡± Mo Xuetong asked gently. Even though she knew that it was not easy to deal with Princess Caifeng, she did not expect that she would act so quickly. She had already started thinking about fighting against Mo Xuetong as soon as she arrived in the capital. ¡°Did she pester you?¡± she asked.

    ording to the time, she was supposed to have taken a fancy to Feng Yuran the moment she entered the capital.

    ¡°How could it be possible? I¡¯ve always been serious to her and ignored her. I didn¡¯t even talk to her alone. How could she have anything to do with me?¡± Feng Yuran stated calmly.

    ¡°...¡± Mo Xuetong felt speechless for a moment.

    It would be strange if it had nothing to do with him. Fortunately, Mo Xuetong had thought about it previously. With Feng Yuran¡¯s enchanting and handsome appearance, it was normal for Princess Caifeng to fall in love with him. However, Hu Qianyue who came with Princess Caifeng had been acting weirdly; she came to ask about Mo Xuetong, and then stir up trouble. She was a difficult person to deal with.

    ¡°Who does Hu Qianyue work for? What does she want to do?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. Since Feng Yuran was holding her hand, she put down the embroidery in her hand and leaned back against him.

    Hu Qianyue was not a simple person!

    ¡°She is the cousin of the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Seeing that she has caused so much trouble, it seems that she wants to spoil the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom. Since Princess Caifeng is close to Crown Prince Xieyue, she is naturally on his side. If she can marry into the Qin Kingdom, she will be of great help to Crown Prince Xieyue. Therefore, the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands is more willing to turn this marriage into a joke or make some trouble by taking advantage of the marriage.¡±

    What happened in the front yard had already been reported to the two masters. Hu Qianyue¡¯s behavior seemed chaotic, but in fact, she had other ulterior motives. Feng Yuran had sent someone to investigate the people who came to the Qin Kingdom and got detailed information. Therefore, he had already analyzed the purpose of Hu Qianyue¡¯s visit this time. The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was really a man to be reckoned with.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. They don¡¯t have time to care about us now. It just so happens that we can deal with our own affairs.¡± Feng Yuranughed and put his arm around Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender waist.

    ¡°Caifeng has been wanting to hurt you, and Hu Qianyue added fuel to the fire. If Caifeng had not been disfigured, she would have harm you with the help of Hu Qianyue. If she killed you because of this and Hu Qianyue told me the truth of the matter, I would not tolerate Caifeng. With my arrogant and domineering character outside, I may kill her. The marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom would be destroyed, and Crown Prince Xieyue would be assassinated by me. This is the n of the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    ¡°However, now Princess Caifeng is disfigured and has something to do with Feng Yulei. Feng Yulei wants to marry Caifeng to increase his power, but Caifeng wants to marry me. This will definitely lead to conflict. If Caifeng¡¯s reputation is about to be ruined, she couldn¡¯t marry anyone. Then, the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom will also be ruined!¡±

    Feng Yuran gently caressed the top of Mo Xuetong¡¯s head with his hand with a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. His thin lips curled up slightly as he uttered darkly, ¡°Hu Qianyue and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands have their own ns. The marriage between the two countries will not seed no matter which prince it is. It is a pity that they have forgotten Crown Prince Xieyue and the Qin Kingdom. They really think that they¡¯re so powerful that they can ignore the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    How dare they set up him and the Qin Kingdom? Feng Yuran wondered whether the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands could retreat after he did it.

    ¡°Then who is the right person for Princess Caifeng to marry?¡± Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes and immediately understood that it would be beneficial for Feng Yuran when Princess Caifeng married into the Qin Kingdom. However, it would be difficult to choose the right prince for her to marry.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Feng Yuzhen now without a wife? It¡¯s appropriate for him to marry Princess Caifeng. Now he is the weakest one. I have to help this cousin so that Empress Dowager won¡¯t feel ufortable and cause other troubles,¡± Feng Yuranzily said and a meaningful smile appeared in the corner of his nting eyes.

    Feng Yuran wanted Princess Caifeng to marry Feng Yuzhen? Mo Xuetong paused and could not help but ask, ¡°What about Consort Yu? And he might not be that anxious to marry Princess Caifeng.¡±

    In fact, Feng Yuzhen was not really weak. As Consort Yu was pregnant, it was absolutely possible for him to turn the tables in the end. Although he also wanted to marry Princess Caifeng, he was clearly not in a hurry. With such a secret card, it was still difficult to urge him to directly have a conflict with Feng Yulei.

    ¡°It is time for the baby in Consort Yu¡¯s womb to be born.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even bigger when he heard Mo Xuetong mentioning Consort Yu. He said leisurely, ¡°The imperial harem is in such a mess right now. So many people want to see Consort Yu to lose the child in her womb. Even though the Empress Dowager has always been protecting Consort Yu, the Empress is the mistress. There would always be a time when the Empress Dowager fails to protect Consort Yu.¡±

    Mo Xuetong fell silent for a moment. Then she bit her lips and looked up at Feng Yuran. ¡°Princess Caifeng?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not feel sorry for Consort Yu at all. After rebirth, she had already understood that meaningless kindness would only cause her and the person she cared about to be doomed eternally. It was not the first time that Consort Yu had tried to hurt her. Furthermore, Consort Yu¡¯s fate had already been decided. Since she dared to cuckold the Emperor, she had to bear the consequences.

    It wasn¡¯t that others had not done anything to her; it was just that the time hadn¡¯te!

    Feng Yuran gave a gale ofzyughter as he found that Mo Xuetong had understood what he meant. He kissed her forehead lightly, but his eyes grew cold as he stopped smiling. ¡°Losing Lian An¡¯s power, Consort Zhao desperately needs to work with others as well. The Empress seems to be very weak. Coupled with what happened at the pce banquet, there is an estrangement between the two of them. The main pir Consort Zhao can find right now is the Empress Dowager.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes fell on a thick pile of papers beside the window. There was the news He Yufen got from Jiangnan. The two had read it just now. Consort Zhao was really the woman sent by the He family topete for favor with Consort Xian. She once was a young prostitute born in a brothel. Since she looked like Consort Xian, the He family found her and sent her to the pce.

    Consort Zhao had been in love with Lian An who was a poor schr at that time. However, they didn¡¯t have enough money to redeem her. When they were left with nothing to do, the He family redeemed her. Since the He family found that Lian An was also talented, they supported him and sent him to the capital to take the exam so that he and Consort Zhao could help each other.

    He Yufen was not very clear about what happened after that. But, one thing was certain: in the year of Consort Xian¡¯s death, the He family had secretly sent poison to the pce. Feng Yuran had already gotten someone to test the poison. It was very likely to be the poison that killed Consort Xian. That was to say, Consort Xian seemed to have been killed by the Empress on the surface, but in fact, it was Consort Zhao who had done it.

    In order to seize the Emperor¡¯s favor, Consort Zhao had indeed poisoned Consort Xian.

    Mo Xuetong was quiet. She caressed Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face gently with her fingers as her eyes were filled with pity. Feng Yuran had lost his mother when he was so young and he even had almost lost his life. Then, he had to leave the pce and had nearly led a wandering life. And now he had lost the protection of his mother¡¯s family. Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong felt that he indeed had a hard time.

    It was all caused by Consort Zhao and the He family. No wonder Feng Yuran hated the He family so much in Mo Xuetong¡¯s past life. Not only did the He family and Consort Zhao have no blood rtions with him, but they also had killed his mother. How could he not hate and be angry? And now it was indeed the best time to avenge his mother, and Consort Zhao was indeed the best candidate.

    She was the Emperor¡¯s favored consort, and so was Consort Yu. It was normal for Consort Zhao to hate Consort Yu because of jealousy, and then took some vicious means to deal with her. That way, the Emperor could see more clearly about her, who had always been delicate and weak, and it could make him suspicious about what had happened in the past. Feng Yuran could not say too much about those matters, and he had to ask the Emperor to investigate them. What was more, the connection between Lian An and Consort Zhao had never stopped, so how could it be clean between them? If one looked into it carefully from that point, they would definitely find more clues.

    ¡°Alright, then let them fight against each other.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded as her eyes sparked like starlight. Then she gave a sweet smile. ¡°They like to plot against others anyway, so just let them plot against each other.¡±

    After that, Mo Xuetong put her arms around Feng Yuran¡¯s waist and leaned her head against his sturdy chest.

    Now that God had given her a chance to be reborn and allowed her to meet him and fall in love with him, then they were inextricably linked. She was willing to give anything for all of this.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er! Don¡¯t worry. We will be together forever.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s gentle voice carriedzy fatigue. He lifted her chin gently and looked at her beautiful face that was right before his eyes, especially her lips, which were as beautiful as flowers. Then he nted a gentle, long kiss on her lips...

 Chapter 607 - The Qin Manors Honor, Having the Number One Scholar

    <h4>Chapter 607 The Qin Manor¡¯s Honor, Having the Number One Schr</h4>

    Since Consort Xuan was ¡°badly ill¡±, the medicinal herbs were sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor like flowing water. The imperial physicians who had served Crown Prince Xieyue in the manor were all summoned to her. It was said that the sick Consort Xuan fell into aa several times. After having ¡°reformed his ways¡±, King Xuan had been deeply in love with Consort Xuan, and these days, he couldn¡¯t find a time to apany the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Therefore, King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, had to free up some time to apany Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng. However, Princess Caifeng usually did note out. When a woman¡¯s face was hurt even though she wasn¡¯t totally disfigured, she did not want to see too many people. Furthermore, King Chu was not the person she wanted to see.

    As for King Xuan, since his wife was so ill, he could not be bothered with the envoys from the Southern Barbarian Lands!

    When she heard that Consort Xuan was about to die from illness, Princess Caifeng stopped making a fuss these few days, but tried her best to create a gentle and gracious image. She even let go of all the matters concerning Hu Qianyue. Of course, Hu Qianyue had shown her loyalty many times and repeatedly said that something was odd about what had happened that day and that someone had framed her.

    Originally, she was going to find Consort Yan, but soon after she came out, she met one of Consort Yan¡¯s maidservants, who told her that Consort Yan was on the other side, so she went there with her people. Then she did not meet Consort Yan. As for what happenedter, it was also beyond her expectation. Of course, Hu Qianyue also said that everyone was in a panic at that time, so she had forgotten to take responsibility for Princess Caifeng, and that it was their fault.

    Because of this, two pce maids had been beaten 20 times. If not for the fact that Princess Caifeng did not bring many pce maids with her when they came and that she trusted the two of them who had been serving her and had never made such a misjudgment before, they would have been beaten to death immediately!

    In the end, after Hu Qianyue repeatedly swore to the heavens, Princess Caifeng had officially forgiven her.

    Happily, Princess Caifeng was ready to receive the news of Consort Xuan¡¯s death.

    King Yan, Feng Yulei, had stayed in his manor quietly ever since he returned that day. Only You Yuecheng and the Sixth Princess from the pce came to visit. The others did not dare to enter King Yan¡¯s Manor at this time. Even if they wanted to, they did not dare to make any trouble right now.

    The results of the examination hade out, and the next was the final imperial examination presided over by the Emperor. In the end, Qin Yufeng became the Number One Schr and immediately rode through the streets for three days with the examiners. Among the top three candidates of this year, the man in the second ce was a bit old and had reached his 40s, but the Number One Schr and the man in the third ce were both young and strong. Especially, the Number One Schr was not yet 20 years old, which shocked the court and themonalty for a while.

    Furthermore, Qin Yufeng¡¯s father, Qin Zheng, was also a high-ranking official in the imperial court. It was icing on the cake! With the help of his father and his own strength, it was foreseeable that he would have a bright future. Therefore, the Qin Manor was bustling with people. They all were the madams from a family¡¯s back yard, and they were fighting for Qin Yufeng, trying to marry their daughter or niece into the Qin Manor.

    So Mdm Yu got awfully busy!

    Someone came to ask Qin Yufeng for the words written in the Number One Schr¡¯s own hand. Even Qin Zheng started to get busy. From time to time, there would be his colleagues who expressed their willingness to marry their daughter into the Qin Manor. Compared to the man in the third ce, who didn¡¯t have a very powerful support, Qin Yufeng was much better in every aspect.

    Emperor Zongwen was also very enthusiastic about this. He was very satisfied with the top three in this examination. He would hold a banquet in the pce three dayster to celebrate the three!

    Officials of the third grade and above all attended the banquet with some of their family members. Emperor Zongwen intended to arrange a marriage for the Number One Schr and the man in the third ce, who had not yet gotten married. If the two families were satisfied with each other, Emperor Zongwen would issue an edict directly. Thus, the unmarried youngdies immediately grew anxious and all came to the good clothes stores and essory stores. They hoped that they would be able to make a name for themselves and win the favor of the Number One Schr.

    The Qin Manor was in a big damn hurry, but Qin Yufeng was very free. After saying that he had to rest for a while after the examination, he went to the ce where he had made an appointment with Xiang Xieyue that day. He sat in the private room and waited quietly. The two of them had already agreed that whether they passed the examination or not, they would meet for a drink after it.

    Xiang Xieyue pushed open the door of the private room and found Qin Yufeng already sitting there. ¡°Brother Qin, you came so early,¡± he hurriedly said with a smile.

    ¡°Brother Xiang, you¡¯rete!¡± Qin Yufeng put down the book in his hand and smiled. His eyes fell on Xiang Xieyue¡¯s pale face as a smile which was as warm as the spring breeze tugged at the corner of his mouth.

    The two of them looked at each other and then burst out a gale ofughter.

    Then Xiang Xieyue took a seat.

    ¡°Congrattions on being the Number One Schr, Brother Qin. Then you will marry a beautiful girl. You¡¯re so sessful. Congrattions, Brother Qin.¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiang, you didn¡¯t take the examination!¡± Qin Yufeng picked up the teapot beside him and poured a cup of tea for Xiang Xieyue. He then pushed the cup to thetter and asked with a casual smile.

    It was not a question, but a statement!

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in bad health, so in the end, I wasn¡¯t fit to go out.¡± Xiang Xieyue coughed in a low voice and covered his mouth with a handkerchief. He really didn¡¯t look well, and there was always abnormal paleness of illness and weakness on his face.

    ¡°What a pity! With your talent, Brother Xiang, you would definitely have passed the examination.¡± Qin Yufeng remarked sincerely. Then, he took out the book he had borrowed from Xiang Xieyue and pushed it to him.

    ¡°Many thanks for your book, Brother Xiang. It has solved my doubts!¡±

    Xiang Xieyue took it and put it aside casually. He slightly coughed in confusion and asked, ¡°Brother Qin, what you read is the book of rite and morality, and what you learn is also the knowledge of Confucianism, which is about governing the country and the world. How did you know such an unorthodox book of heresy?¡±

    Xiang Xieyue took the book out because he intended to send it to those princes. Unexpectedly, Qin Yufeng was interested in it, which saved him from the trouble of bringing it here from the Southern Barbarian Lands. However, the book was full of anecdotes. Except for one matter, the rest was all useless. It was just an idle book. Then why would Qin Yufeng be interested in such a book? Xiang Xieyue felt it strange.

    Did Qin Yufeng have the ability to predict the future? Xiang Xieyue certainly did not believe it.

    The matter was originally a secret. The South Pearl ne was given to the Qin Kingdom as a gift from his country. Even he only found the secretter. When he tried to fix it, it was toote. He could only hurriedly take the book with him. He wanted the Qin Kingdom to understand that this was not his idea. He also wanted to show goodwill to the Qin Kingdom.

    Even if Qin Yufeng¡¯s father was the Left Censor, it was not something that anyone who could know about as they wanted.

    Qin Yufeng looked at Xiang Xieyue and said meaningfully, ¡°As long as one book exists, it is attractive. These books may make people feel that they are absurd, but at the right time, everything is possible.¡±

    Xiang Xieyue¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his expression became serious. ¡°Brother Qin, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything particr. I just said what I felt. Just like the way of rebirth in it. Originally, it was impossible, but...¡± Qin Yufeng lowered his eyes so that no one could tell whether he was happy or angry. However, Xiang Xieyue was so sensitive that he noticed the loneliness in his eyes. That feeling should not have appeared on the new Number One Schr.

    ¡°Rebirth?¡± Xiang Xieyue muttered to himself, and suddenly his eyes lit up with surprise. He immediately took the book beside and eagerly turned to one page. Then he pointed to the picture on it and asked, ¡°Is this what you said, Brother Qin?¡±

    The picture was so old that one might regard the flowing blood on it as yellow. But even so, the strong smell of blood was still overwhelming.

    ¡°Brother Xiang, you must be kidding. I was just casually mentioning it. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Qin Yufeng calmed down again. He looked up at Xiang Xieyue and asked with interest, ¡°Brother Xiang, you care about it so much. Have you heard of such a matter as rebirth in the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    Xiang Xieyue¡¯s expression changed drastically when he heard that. His eyes suddenly became sharp as he stared at Qin Yufeng. Qin Yufeng still looked calm. He smiled and did not retreat.

    After a long time, Xiang Xieyue looked away, slightly coughed with his handkerchief covering his mouth, and asked, ¡°When did you know about it, Brother Qin?¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiang, you¡¯re so talented, but you couldn¡¯t take the imperial examination because of your poor health. This kind of thing usually won¡¯t happen. Even if one is weak, he would have a try even if he is ill or wounded now that he has entered the capital.¡± Qin Yufeng uttered gently and took a sip of tea with a smile on the corner of his eyes.

    No matter where the candidates for the imperial examinations came from, since they had rushed all the way to the capital, it meant that they were very determined. How could they not take the examination at thest minute because they were not feeling well? Furthermore, he had such a book. There were some things in Qin Yufeng¡¯s mind that he could not link them together. However, when he saw the book, he could immediately tell that the book was genuine.

    Since this book was genuine, Xiang Xieyue would not have a simple identity!

    If he remembered correctly, the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands hade to the capital recently. It was said that the name of Crown Prince Xieyue not only had a simr name to Xiang Xieyue in front of him, but he was also sick. There was no such coincidence in the world. With Qin Yufeng¡¯s intelligence, he had already known that Xiang Xieyue was not an ordinary person.

    Both of them were not ordinary people. Xiang Xieyueughed after being stunned. Not feeling embarrassed, he picked up the tea next to him and took a sip. ¡°Brother Qin, you really have a good eye. I thought I fooled you, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be a truly discerning person. You have already seen my identity ording to the book.¡±

    ¡°Brother Xiang, you tter me. When you lent this book to me, you were no longer trying to hide your identity,¡± Qin Yufengmented, neither humble nor arrogant. He was still as calm as before.

    Since they had already made it clear, there was no need to hide it anymore. Originally, the two had a good opinion of each other, so they were naturally congenial. From time to time, they would discuss some topics in the book. This book was originally ced in front of the temple¡¯s altar in the Southern Barbarian Lands. If it had been secretly taken out coincidentally, Xiang Xieyue would not have seen it.

    The two continued talking for a while before they parted ways. This time, they made no appointment to see each other again. Previously, Xiang Xieyue had not revealed his identity, and Qin Yufeng was a man without rank. It was not a big deal for them to be close to each other. However, Qin Yufeng had known that Xiang Xieyue was the Crown Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, and Qin Yufeng was the new Number One Schr of the imperial examinations. They should not get close to each other. They were both sensible. Even though they were congenial, they made no appointment.

    Xiang Xieyue walked to the door, suddenly stood still, turned around, and asked again, ¡°Brother Qin, is it really impossible for one to be reborn?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡± Qin Yufeng nodded. All the opportunities depended on coincidence and almost all possible opportunities were blocked.

    Xiang Xieyue did not speak this time. His pale face darkened. He cupped his hands to Qin Yufeng, then pushed the door open and went out.

    In the room, Qin Yufeng half-closed his eyes, and his handsome face showed a bit of sadness. He asked someone to order the wine, and then drank alone!

    No one would understand why the new Number One Schr, who had a bright future, was so depressed..

 Chapter 608 - In a Panic, Consort Zhaos Plan

    <h4>Chapter 608 In a Panic, Consort Zhao¡¯s n</h4>

    Consort Zhao¡¯s pce maid, Caichun, hurried back to Consort Zhao¡¯s Mingyue Pce from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce!

    It was lonely around the pce gate, which made her frown. This was not the time when the Emperor had forbidden Consort Zhao to go out. ording to the Emperor¡¯s favor to Consort Zhao, there should have been a few consortsing. But since something had happened to Consort Zhao, it was almost as deste as the Cold Pce. Those consorts who had been close to her before had disappeared at this time.

    It was said that the most frequented ce they visited now was Consort Su¡¯s pce!

    Having no son was Consort Zhao¡¯s weak spot. She had nned to treat King Xuan as her own son and support him, and she could be the Empress Dowager in the end. To her surprise, King Xuan was not an obedient person. Furthermore, the delicate and weak Consort Xuan, who was said to be ill, was not so easy to deal with either.

    She had managed to escape from Consort Zhao¡¯s ns every time. How could she not be angry? Then, the He family had ruined her ns as well, causing her to have no supporter. Now Consort Zhao had no choice but to go and seek refuge with the Empress Dowager. They had already decided secretly that if King Ning were to take the throne, he would acknowledge Consort Zhao as his mother and crown her as Empress Dowager. Even though this was not what Consort Zhao was most satisfied with, it was still the best solution at the moment.

    She was alone and helpless.

    ¡°Caichun, what did the Empress Dowager say?¡± Consort Zhao asked hurriedly as she saw Caichun entering. She was really at a dead end right now. She had failed to plot against Feng Yuran and his wife, and caused them to hate her. The tea sent from King Xuan¡¯s Manor was just what she had sent to them previously. The eunuch who sent it even said that King Xuan wanted Consort Zhao to use it.

    It implied that Feng Yuran had already known that she had plotted against Mo Xuetong!

    She could no longer support Feng Yuran even if she wanted to. That was to say, even if Feng Yuran managed to ascend the throne in the end, it had nothing to do with her. He had even fallen out with her because of Mo Xuetong. Besides, if Feng Yuran discovered what happened to his mother, she would truly die a terrible death!

    Thinking of this, Consort Zhao grew hysterical. She immediately got Caichun to go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce to get a confirmation. Even though the Empress Dowager had extended an olive branch to her earlier, Consort Zhao didn¡¯t answer her directly because she had her own ns. However, it was different now. Feng Yuran was already on her opposite side, and the Emperor had not visited her Mingyue Pce in the past few days because of what had happened earlier.

    If she did not find a backer, there was nothing she could do except die. Consort Zhao had been favored by the Emperor because of Consort Xian for so many years, so how could she be willing to ept that end?

    Caichun closed the door of the hall and lowered her voice, unable to hide her joy. ¡°The Empress Dowager has agreed. If King Ning ascends to the throne in the future, you will be the Empress Dowager!¡±

    ¡°Did the Empress Dowager really say that?¡± Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Yes, the Empress Dowager told me personally. She even said that she would ask His Majesty toe to visit youter and told you to prepare early. You don¡¯t have to dress up too much, but remember to dress like Consort Xian. What would Consort Xian do in the face of such a situation?¡± Caichun told Consort Zhao what the Empress Dowager had said.

    To dress like Consort Xian, and what would Consort Xian do in the face of such a situation?

    ¡°Consort Xian, Consort Xian again, she was just a consort who had been dead for so many years. Not only does the Emperor remember her, but even the Empress Dowager does.¡± Consort Zhao gritted her teeth in hatred. She felt all sorts of emotions welling up in her heart and hate welled up in her eyes. Both of them were sent to the pce by the He family and both looked stunning. Why was Consort Xian the one loved by the Emperor while she could only be a substitute?

    Even though Consort Xian had died, someone kept reminding her that she should learn from Consort Xian and make herself like Consort Xian. She even had to wear the clothes and hair essories simr to Consort Xian¡¯s. ¡°What was good about that bitch? She was so stupid, but she managed to win the Emperor¡¯s heart. Unfortunately, that woman was so silly that she didn¡¯t even know how she died.¡±

    One day, she wouldpletely suppress Consort Xian, and make everyone only know mighty Consort Zhao and know nothing about Consort Xian.

    Since she could poison that woman to death, she would also be able to wipe her from everyone¡¯s memories! She would never be able to turn the situation around!

    ¡°Get someone to prepare some in clothes for me. I want to take a bath and change my clothes.¡±

    Since everyone thought that it would be better for her to be simr to Consort Xian, she could do it for the time being. When her status skyrocketed in the future, she would dig up the grave of that bitch and whip her remains. Then, Consort Xian would be a lonely ghost who had no grave and would not even be able to be a person in the next life. Who could protect her then?

    ¡°Yes!¡± Caichun immediately went to prepare.

    Fortunately, she could just take out these things she needed. After all, Consort Zhao had originally acted ording to Consort Xian. No matter it was her appearance, behavior, and taste in clothing, they were all the same as Consort Xian¡¯s. This was also the reason why she had been favored by the Emperor before. However, she had been a little carried away recently and she had bought some gorgeous clothes.

    Here they were ready, and there the Emperor¡¯s imperial carriage had set out. Two lines of pce maids and eunuchs had already cleared the way to Mingyue Pce.

    Consort Zhao was dressed in in clothes and only had an ordinary hairpin to make a bun on her head. She was waiting at the gate.

    Her in clothes made her elegant and beautiful, just like the person in the Emperor¡¯s dreams. Looking at her, Emperor Zongwen showed a satisfied smile on his face. He got off the imperial carriage and reached out to help Consort Zhao up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite, my beloved Consort. Please rise.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Consort Zhao looked up at Emperor Zongwen with tears in her beautiful eyes. She seemed to be excited and happy, but two drops of tears fell down from the corners of her eyes. She hurriedly turned around to wipe them. However, the more she wiped, the more the tears were. She sobbed and could not speak, which made her look even more pitiful.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I... I thought you... didn¡¯t want me anymore!¡±

    She turned sideways and cried so hard that her words were almost choked by sobbing.

    ¡°My dear consort, what are you talking about? I have been really busy recently. The envoys from the Southern Barbarian Lands havee and I have a headache.¡± Emperor Zongwen held Consort Zhao¡¯s hand lovingly and wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes with his hand before he exined softly. However, Consort Zhao became even sadder. She threw herself into his embrace and cried bitterly.

    As she cried, she muttered, ¡°I... I, I said in front of Buddha that I was willing to be with an oilmp before the statue of Buddha... and would never see Your Majesty again, but... but I... really can¡¯t bear to leave you. As soon as I heard that you wereing, I couldn¡¯t control myself... If Buddha mes me, I... I¡¯m willing to be sent to hell in the next life and never to be born again!¡±

    Her words were full of love. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart softened as he looked at the tearful and miserable Consort Zhao. His displeasure and suspicion because of Lian An had reduced a little. In the past 10 years, Consort Zhao had been staying in Mingyue Pce and had never gone out, so she would not have anything to do with Lian An. At most, Lian An had seen Consort Xian and Consort Zhao in the He family and somehow took a fancy to one of them.

    ¡°Alright, my dear consort, don¡¯t cry anymore. I will go with you to pray in front of Buddha for forgiveness. Furthermore, you¡¯re my consort. How can you really stay in front of Buddha? Buddha will not me you for going back on your word.¡± Emperor Zongwen coaxed her in a soft voice and reached out to hold Consort Zhao¡¯s arm as they stepped into Mingyue Pce.

    Seeing Consort Zhao¡¯s expression, Emperor Zongwen thought of Consort Xian. Every time Consort Xian was upset, she did not say anything, and still pretended that she did not care in front of him. If Emperor Zongwen had not seen it, she would not have mentioned anyone. That kind-hearted little woman had won his heart in this way and had always remained there. And now, his affection for her had be his karma. When he looked at Consort Zhao who resembled Consort Xian, and her aggrieved and sincere look, Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart softened.

    He would not me her for what had happened before.

    Caichun breathed a sigh of relief behind them. She lowered her head and followed them into the pce. Judging by the Emperor¡¯s words, he felt sorry for Consort Zhao. As long as Consort Zhao fawned over the Emperor carefully today and took advantage of Consort Xian¡¯s position in the Emperor¡¯s heart, the Emperor might forgive the matter about her before. In this way, she would have more say in the future when she cooperated with the Empress Dowager.

    ¡°Oh, who sent this to you?¡± Emperor Zongwen saw a jade box on the table the moment he came in. The box was opened, but the tea leaves inside didn¡¯t seem to be fresh. He frowned slightly and asked with anger on his face.

    He had not been to Mingyue Pce for a few days, but someone already dared to humiliate Consort Zhao. It made him angry. This reminded him of one time: since he was busy and didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to Consort Xian, then he heard that Consort Xian was punished by the Empress and locked in Anhe Pce and couldn¡¯t go out. When he went there, he saw Consort Xian and her son eating cold food!

    ¡°Your Majesty, you misunderstood. The tea was sent by King Xuan and I gave it to him before. Maybe King Xuan sent it back because he didn¡¯t like it,¡± Consort Zhao exined softly, but there was a trace of sadness on her face.

    She was not only Feng Yuran¡¯s aunt, but also the Emperor¡¯s favorite consort. It was a shame that the thing she sent out was returned.

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t want it, he can just give it to someone else. Why is Old Eight so out of line?¡± Emperor Zongwen sat down with a hint of displeasure in his eyebrows.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you can¡¯t me King Xuan for that. He is just a forthright young man. It¡¯s not a big deal. Somebody, why is the tea still here? Put it away.¡± Consort Zhao pouted. She seemed to be helping Feng Yuran, while she ordered Caichun to put the tea away, as if she was covering for Feng Yuran.

    It didn¡¯t matter if a prince was young and straightforward. But what if he was the Emperor? He was young and could not do things properly. How could the Emperor let him run such a great kingdom? Consort Zhao was testing Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude. Since she wanted to ally with the Empress Dowager in the future, it was necessary.

    Emperor Zongwen was angry at first, but then his expression softened. He gave a sigh andforted Consort Zhao. ¡°Old Eight was too much. My beloved consort, you¡¯ve been wronged. I¡¯ll send someone to teach him a lessonter. He¡¯s so inconsiderate. Fortunately, no one asked him to do anything.¡±

    Did that mean that the Emperor had no intention of bequeathing the throne to Feng Yuran?

    Consort Zhao heaved a sigh of relief and felt rather d for herself. ording to the Emperor¡¯s words, Feng Yuran was just a prince without any position or power. Fortunately, she had not tried her best to push him to the throne. It seemed that she did not have to pay attention to him, but have to pay attention to King Yan and King Chu first. After the Emperor left, she had to send word to the Empress Dowager and tell her to keep an eye on the two men and that Feng Yuran was not a threat.

    Feng Yuran had neither the support of his mother¡¯s family nor the favor of the Emperor. Although he was the favorite son of the Emperor, he was just an idle prince for the rest of his life.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t say that. King Xuan is just young and not very sensible. You can teach him slowly in the future. He will learn it well.¡± Consort Zhao said softly to Emperor Zongwen but could not hide the pride on the corners of her lips. Feng Yuran would never have his day, which meant that Consort Xian would not seed. She would be the Empress Dowager when King Ning ascended to the throne.

    Then she could kill Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong with one word!

    Even if he wanted to be an ordinary prince in this life, he had to get her permission!

    ¡°Consort Xian, even if you have won His Majesty¡¯s heart, so what? Not only couldn¡¯t you keep yourself safe, but you couldn¡¯t keep your son and your daughter-inw safe!¡±

    She was too happy and her joy shone out of the corners of her eyes. Even though it had passed away in an instant, Emperor Zongwen saw it. No one noticed that his eyes darkened a little.

    Outside Mingyue Pce, a pce maid came in a hurry, but was kept out of the pce by several pce maids. The lead pce maid Caichun had already asked people to close the pce gates, iming that the Emperor seldom came to Mingyue Pce, and it was the time for Consort Zhao to please the Emperor and regain his favor. So no one was allowed to disturb the Emperor and Consort Zhao...

    The pce maid stomped her feet resentfully and turned to leave helplessly.

 Chapter 609 - The Fight in the Harem, Consort Yus Going into Premature Labor

    <h4>Chapter 609 The Fight in the Harem, Consort Yu¡¯s Going into Premature Labor</h4>

    The next morning, Consort Zhao sent Emperor Zongwen away with deep affection. She even followed for a long while after Emperor Zongwen boarded the imperial carriage. It was only when she saw Emperor Zongwen at a distance into Qianqing Pce that she returned slowly with Caichun. Thinking of how much the Emperor had doted on her yesterday, she felt excited.

    She had followed Emperor Zongwen back at a distance, partly to show that she was so devoted to the Emperor that she could hardly leave him, and partly to show it to the other concubines. She had been neglected for a while before, all because the Emperor did note to Mingyue Pce.

    After this matter, who would dare to look down on her?!

    Therefore, she kept on sending him off!

    Even though it was still early, there were plenty of people in the pce, who were secretly watching. There must be a lot of consorts who knew that the Emperor was still deeply in love with her. The Empress Dowager would also think highly of her. Furthermore, she had even heard from the Emperor that he had no intention of giving the throne to Feng Yuran. Such an important piece of news was enough to make her closer to her future position.

    She was now wholeheartedly trying to help Feng Yuzhen ascend to the throne. She had mentioned the Empress Dowager many times when they held deep affectionst night. She had said that the Empress Dowager was kind to the Emperor and was a good mother who really cared for him. However, she had not mentioned King Ning. Even though King Ning had not revealed his intentions directly, everyone could see that and knew that this was a taboo to the Emperor.

    ¡°Haste makes waste. I have to be more careful!¡±

    Consort Zhao felt relieved, and the depression she felt of the past few days had been swept away. Not in a hurry to return to her pce, she ordered the pce maids that she would sit down in the nearby pavilion. It was good to admire the scenery of autumn morning. Although there was a heavy dew in autumn, there was fine gauze around the pavilion. She sat inside and would not get wet.

    Because she was in a good mood, she did not feel that the outside was still dark. Sitting there, she asked Caichun to make a cup of tea for her and asked the pce maids to leave far away.

    After that, it was daylight already with the first rays of the morning sun.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, you are really free. You came so early to drink tea and enjoy the scenery. I really envy you!¡± Aughter came from another path. Two pce maids held Consort Yu, who had a baby bump, and appeared at the end of the path. The pregnant woman had a smile in her eyes, suppressing a trace of jealousy in them.

    She was now carrying the Emperor¡¯s child and was the most enviable person in the pce. However, she said that she envied Consort Zhao while she deliberately showed her belly as if she couldn¡¯t walk. She slowly walked with sarcasm on her face. If a woman in the imperial harem didn¡¯t have a son, no matter how much she was favored, it was useless just like looking at the moon in the water. How much wealth and leisure could she expect?

    Consort Yu was stabbing daggers at Consort Zhao¡¯s heart!

    If this had happened in the past, Consort Zhao would not have quibble with Consort Yu. She was a forbearing person. She had been in the imperial harem for more than 10 years, and she didn¡¯t learn it in one year. However, a few days ago, when she had fallen out of favor, Consort Yu had sent two pce maids over to insult her. She imed that since there were fewer servants in Mingyue Pce, Consort Zhao wouldck servants to serve her in the future. She meant what had happened at the banquet.

    Consort Zhao was so angry that she had smashed a few porcins in the pce. However, she had to pretend to be gracious and send the pce maids back to Consort Yu¡¯s ce politely.

    So when she heard that Consort Yu was trying to thrust daggers at her again, she looked Consort Yu up and down impolitely and said sarcastically, ¡°Consort Yu, are you looking for His Majesty? I¡¯ll tell His Majesty you want to see him the next time I see him, and ask him toe to see you, okay?¡±

    Consort Yu was pregnant. Even though all sorts of things were being sent to her pce, the Emperor had indeed not visited her for a long while. He hade to visit her at first but it was getting fewer and fewer in number, and now he rarely went to her pce. Consort Yu had thought of many methods to solve this matter. She had even tried to deceive the Emperor that her tummy hurtst night, but Consort Zhao¡¯s pce maid stopped her.

    She had been angry for the whole night. This morning, she hade to pick a fight!

    ¡°Many thanks, Consort Zhao. By the way, you entered the pce earlier than me. I did not expect that I would be pregnant with the Emperor¡¯s child but your belly...¡± Consort Yu sat down on the stool opposite Consort Zhao. She cast a nce at Consort Zhao¡¯s belly with a smile and giggled, as if she did not know how harsh her words were.

    The pce maid behind her arranged tea, snacks, and fruits neatly, which filled the whole table. Another pce maid felt that Consort Zhao¡¯s pot was a hindrance and pushed it in front of Consort Zhao impolitely.

    Consort Zhao was the only one who used the table just now, but there was no room for her to ce other things than the teapot and teacup in front of her as it was filled with Consort Yu¡¯s things.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister Zhao. I¡¯m craving food recently. It¡¯s all because of the foodie in my womb. I think I can¡¯t spoil him. But His Majesty said that I¡¯m blessed. Besides, I should not keep a royal descendant hungry. If there¡¯s anything delicious or funny, I should just take it. If there¡¯s anything you want to eat, just take it.¡±

    Consort Yu waved her hand generously and pointed at the snacks and fruits on the table with a satisfied smile on her face.

    Even though the Emperor did note to her, he allowed her to eat what she wanted. Obviously, the Emperor loved the child in her belly and might spoil him than he spoiled King Xuan. Consort Yu was definitely not that short-lived Consort Xian. Her better days were still toe. As for Consort Zhao, she had no child. So even if she had a higher position than Consort Yu, she had to just sit to the side obediently when Consort Yu had the chance to humiliate her.

    ¡°You want to tie His Majesty to you all the time? You wish!¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Sister Yu. But I don¡¯t like these things. You shouldn¡¯t eat all of them as you¡¯re pregnant. Some of them aren¡¯t good for the child in your belly. You¡¯ve been pregnant for almost eight months now, so you have to be more careful.¡± Consort Zhao looked up angrily with a look of annoyance in her eyes. Consort Yu had taken advantage of the child in her belly again and again, which made Consort Zhao already furious.

    At this time, she did not want to argue with Consort Yu, so she suddenly stood up. ¡°Sister Yu, please enjoy these here. I have something to deal with and have to go back.¡±

    With that, she walked out.

    ¡°Sister Zhao, why are you in such a hurry? Let¡¯s talk more!¡± Consort Yu did not intend to let Consort Zhao go so easily. She yelled delicately and stretched out her feet to trip Consort Zhao. She was standing at the entrance of the pavilion, and if Consort Zhao was tripped by her foot, it would be bad whether she fell forward or backward!

    If Consort Zhao fell forward, she would crash into the pir of the pavilion. ording to the distance, she would be definitely knocked out. And her head might even be broken.

    If Consort Zhao fell backward, it would be even worse: she would directly fall on the table. If the porcin and colored ze on the table were broken, they would prick her hands, and even could disfigure Consort Zhao.

    As for falling to her body, Consort Yu felt that it waspletely impossible. The pce maid beside her was sent to her by Yu Feng and she was good at martial arts. She had helped Consort Yu to deal with those who tried to hurt her. She had long been Consort Yu¡¯s confidant. If Consort Zhao happened to fall to Consort Yu, the pce maid would definitely push her away in front of Consort Yu.

    When the time came, Consort Yu would only have to say that Consort Zhao had intentionally fallen to her and wanted to harm her child. Even if Consort Zhao had a thousand mouths, she would not be able to exin it clearly.

    If she was disfigured, she would no longer look like Consort Xian. Then how would Consort Zhao fight for the Emperor¡¯s affections?

    Consort Zhao did not see Consort Yu¡¯s outstretched foot and hurried out angrily. Suddenly, she tripped and fell sideways. She screamed subconsciously when she saw Consort Yu¡¯s shocked face. She sensed that there was something wrong, but it was toote. She had fallen backward, but her back seemed to have been pushed forcefully by something. As a result, she turned askew and fell to Consort Yu.

    Before she let out the scream as she mmed into Consort Yu who was seated by the side. Then she hugged the other woman subconsciously to roll down the stool with her. They rolled around in the pavilion and did not stop until they hit a nearby pir.

    The pce maids and eunuchs were all stunned. Someone screamed before everyone immediately came to their senses and rushed to Consort Yu.

    ¡°Your Highness, ahh! Blood, there is blood!¡± A pce maid screamed when she saw that Consort Yu¡¯s dress was covered in blood.

    Consort Yu shrank in pain, with sparks flying before her eyes. Looking at Consort Zhao who was still pressing tightly on her, Consort Yu stretched out her sharp nails and scratched Consort Zhao¡¯s face fiercely. No one knew where she got the strength. ¡°Bitch, bitch, it¡¯s you. It¡¯s you who hurt my child.¡±

    She was going to the end of her pregnancy and was about to give birth. How could Consort Yu not be angry when she had hoped to have a child?

    Consort Zhao was stunned at first. Shey on Consort Yu dazedly and did not get up. When Consort Yu scratched her, she realized what was going on. She dodged Consort Yu¡¯s hand and said urgently, ¡°Sister Yu, it¡¯s not me. Someone is trying to hurt me. Someone tripped me. Yes, someone must be trying to hurt us. Sister Yu, Sister Yu, don¡¯t worry. I will go and tell His Majesty that someone is trying to hurt us!¡±

    At this time, she was in a panic. Murdering people secretly was one thing, but how could she dare to take the responsibility of murdering the Emperor¡¯s child and being caught on the spot? Her face was already pale and she lost track of her words in panic.

    Some people had already realized that it didn¡¯t look good and had gone to report to the harem and the court.

    ¡°It¡¯s you, you slut. Somebody, take this slut away and beat her to death, beat her to death...¡± Consort Yu screamed in pain and fainted before she could finish her sentence.

    Consort Zhao did not have time to say anything else before she was pulled away like a tattered cloth. The crowd was extremely flustered. Consort Yu was in a terrible condition right now. The hem of her dress was already soaked in blood and there was a mass of blood on the ground. Fortunately, Consort Yu had enough servants. They brought Consort Yu to their pce while getting someone to get imperial physicians.

    When the imperial physicians arrived at Caiwei Pce, the Emperor, the Empress and the Empress Dowager were already waiting there. When the imperial physicians entered the room, they had already received the Emperor and the Empress Dowager¡¯s orders to protect the Emperor¡¯s child. They would do his best to inducebor and keep the Emperor¡¯s child safe.

    Blood was sent out one basin after another while Consort Yu¡¯s shrill screams of pain could be heard from time to time.

    The pce maids who came and went were all trembling and did not even dare to breathe loudly. After such a big incident, they only hoped that Consort Yu could give birth to the child safely. Otherwise, they would have to pay with their lives.

    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s really not me. Someone tripped me and I fell.¡± Consort Zhao knelt in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, trembling so much that she could hardly speak. She had been thinking about her bright future, but why did things turn out like this all of a sudden? Why had she bumped into Consort Yu?

    Now, she could only rely on her feelings and hurriedly argue with tears in her eyes, as if she was holding onto thest straw! Now she could only insist that someone tripped her; otherwise, she could not afford to take the responsibility!

 Chapter 610 - Having Suspicions of the Past and Throwing Consort Zhao into the Cold Palace

    <h4>Chapter 610 Having Suspicions of the Past and Throwing Consort Zhao into the Cold Pce</h4>

    ¡°Consort Zhao, why did you fall on Consort Yu on purpose? Did you intend to knock her down so as to kill the child in her belly?¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s face was livid with anger. She stared at Consort Zhao with her sharp eyes, which looked so gloomy, as if they seemed to drip water. How important the child was to her! It was almost the core of all her ns. During this period, she asked her people to keep a low profile just for the birth of the child.

    Unexpectedly, in the end, it was destroyed by Consort Zhao. The Empress Dowager even wanted to swallow Consort Zhao alive!

    Consort Zhao¡¯s expression changed greatly. Her body felt so weak that she almostid on the ground. How could she bear the crime of murdering a royal child? She reached out and grabbed the lower part of the Emperor¡¯s robe. Then she raised her head and looked at the Emperor with tears in her eyes. ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t. How could I kill the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly? I don¡¯t have a son. What good will it get for me to murder that child?¡±

    ¡°You are jealous. You are jealous that Consort Yu has His Majesty¡¯s child. Last night, Consort Yu sent someone to your pce and said that her belly hurt, but was stopped outside by your pce maids. You are both jealousy and resentful. You hate Consort Yu for her not being sensible and sending someone to your Mingyue Pce at that time. This morning, you met Consort Yu and there was a quarrel between the two of you. That was why you lost your temper, pretended to be weak and fell on Consort Yu.¡±

    The Empress stated coldly. Of course, she knew that Consort Zhao and the Empress Dowager were close recently. And thetter would not help her at this time. She had investigated it clearly that the people in the two pces all knew what had happened yesterday. It could not be hidden from others!

    Last night, the Emperor had just entered Mingyue Pce when Consort Yu¡¯s people came, and wanted to tell the Emperor that Consort Yu had an upset stomach, but was stopped outside by the pce maids of Mingyue Pce. The pce maids imed that Consort Zhao did not allow anyone to disturb the Emperor. All the consorts in the pce knew that every time the Emperor came to her pce, it would be an opportunity to fight for his favor.

    No one was willing to miss this opportunity!

    Consort Yu grew haughty because of the child in her belly and deliberately made trouble for Mingyue Pce when the Emperor came. It was enough to make Consort Zhao hate her. In addition, Consort Yu stimted her with the child in her belly. Consort Zhao could do such a thing. The Empress gave everyone the facts.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I did not. I really did not!¡± Consort Zhao yelled anxiously and the blood drained from her face. Caichun had indeed mentioned that Consort Yu had sent people to her pce earlier this morning but she did not care at all. However, she did not expect it to be revealed so suddenly. She was already very flustered and could only grab the Emperor¡¯s robes. She looked up at the Emperor pleadingly and tears streamed down her face. She was no longer as gentle and gracious as she had usually been.

    The Emperor looked at her coldly beside and didn¡¯t say anything.

    The Empress Dowager had already made up her mind. Even though she wanted to draw Consort Zhao to her camp so that she could leave a throne in the Emperor¡¯s side depending on her face simr to Consort Xian¡¯s, she found that the thorn was not nted in the Emperor¡¯s side, but in her heart. If the child was really gone, all her ns were disrupted. How could she not be angry and resentful? She vented all her anger on Consort Zhao.

    She turned around and said to Emperor Zongwen, ¡°Your Majesty, those are the facts. Consort Yu and Consort Zhao talked in the pavilion. Consort Zhao pretended to fall into Consort Yu¡¯s body when she left and caused Consort Yu to have a premature birth. It is unknown whether she could be alive or not. It was the people¡¯s quarrel from jealousy. It¡¯s not a big deal, but plotting against the royal child...¡±

    The Empress Dowager did not finish her sentence but had expressed what she meant. Emperor Zongwen only had three sons now. It was true that he did not have many children, and thus, he valued his children very much. The jealousy between the consorts in the imperial harem was not a big deal. However, it was a grave crime to be vicious to the point of harming the Emperor¡¯s children.

    Consort Zhao shook her head frantically when she heard that the Empress Dowager was going to punish her. She tugged on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s robe tightly as she looked up tearfully. Her beautiful face was filled with helplessness and despair. She was betting that the Emperor would pity her when he saw her face because it was thest expression Consort Xian had before she died.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I really didn¡¯t. When I was about to leave, I suddenly felt that someone tripped me. Initially, I didn¡¯t go to the direction of Consort Yu. But for some unknown reason, someone seemed to have pushed me behind. Your Majesty, please believe me. I really didn¡¯t do anything wrong to you. I really wouldn¡¯t harm your child.¡±

    The gloom in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes reduced a little because of her charming and pitiful face. However, hatred and anger appeared in the Empress¡¯s eyes.

    Yes, it was this face that looked at Emperor Zongwen so pitifully and wiped out the Emperor¡¯s feeling for the Empress. From then on, the Emperor hardly stepped into her Tianfeng Pce. If it weren¡¯t for the support of Ding General Manor, the Empress believed that she would have been hacked to death the moment that woman died.

    Why was her daughter so disliked and why did she end up like this? It was all because of that woman¡¯s mournful expression before she died. The hatred in the Empress¡¯s eyes carried with some venom. Consort Zhao had be Consort Xian in front of her. The inexplicable disaster almost made her be a dethroned Empress. How could she not hate the woman?

    The hatred had always been in her heart, and now it was like a knife scratching her heart. She pressed her fingers tightly on the corner of the table, gritted her teeth, and held back the hatred in her heart. She used the strength of her fingers to ease her mood and slowly lowered her eyes. At this time, she could not lose her temper or be irritated by this expression!

    ¡°Your Majesty, I have already asked the pce maids and eunuchs present at that time. They all said that Consort Zhao had cursed Consort Yu viciously before the incident. Then, she fell in a strange direction, as if she had twisted her body on purpose. However, there was no one close to them at that time. The two pce maids who followed her did not see anyone approaching Consort Zhao. So Consort Zhao¡¯s words that someone pushed her isn¡¯t the truth.¡±

    Anyway, she would not spare Consort Zhao easily today!

    Consort Zhao looked as if she had been struck by lightning when she heard that. Her face was pale, and her lips trembled a few times as she fell to the ground. No one was close to her? How could that be? There must be someone to cause her to fall and knock Consort Yu down. How could there be no one there? But she could not show any strong evidence.

    Everyone pointed out that she was vicious and harmed Consort Yu. How could Consort Zhao not be so flustered that she could not speak?

    However, her look was a sign of guilt in the eyes of everyone. They were nearly certain that Consort Zhao was in the wrong and that she had intentionally hurt the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly. A few consorts, who hade with the Empress and were usually extremely dissatisfied with Consort Zhao, wrung their handkerchiefs and said.

    ¡°Why is Sister Zhao so vicious? Even though Consort Yu is a little arrogant, she couldn¡¯t be so vicious for the sake of the child in her belly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It was said that Sister Zhao was a kind person, but it turns out that she has been pretending. She has pretended for more than 10 years. I wonder if Consort Xian knew about it.¡± Another consort had been in the pce for a long time and knew about the secret in the pce. She also knew that Consort Zhao had gained the Emperor¡¯s affectionpletely because she looked like Consort Xian, so she directly exposed Consort Zhao¡¯s mask.

    ¡°Ahh, she tried to murder the Emperor¡¯s child. Sister Zhao used to stay at Consort Xian¡¯s pce, and I heard that King Xuan used to be poisoned as well. Could it be...¡±

    The Empress said coldly, ¡°At that time, I just went there to see Sister Xian and only brought some ordinary tonics. Unexpectedly... Consort Zhao was also there at that time, and the bowl of tonics was handed to Sister Xian by her!¡±

    She didn¡¯t say itpletely, but Emperor Zongwen understood what she hinted. At that time, he also felt suspicious that even if the Empress didn¡¯t like Consort Xian, she wouldn¡¯t enter Anhe Pce openly and give Consort Xian the poison. When he arrived at Anhe Pce, Consort Xian was unable to speak. She just watched him, cried in despair and pity, and then died.

    Emperor Zongwen almost dethroned the Empress because of this matter. However, the Empress Dowager and Ding General Manor had tried their best to protect her; besides, Emperor Zongwen looked into it but found that something was wrong; the criminal did not seem to be the Empress. Therefore, he had spared the Empress. Now when he heard the Empress mentioning it again, he realized that he seemed to have missed something!

    Consort Zhao, at that time, said that she didn¡¯t know the Empress¡¯s bowl of tonics was poisonous, so she personally took it to Consort Xian. If someone else might poison it, it was Consort Zhao. The reason why Emperor Zongwen didn¡¯t suspect her at that time was that she was so good to Consort Xian that she was almost willing to help Consort Xian with her life. Once Consort Xian fell ill, and it was Consort Zhao who kept staying beside her bed day and night. Another time, when Consort Xian was pregnant, and several Consorts almost bumped into her, it was Consort Zhao who protected her, but Consort Zhao fell and broke her leg...

    These things made Emperor Zongwen have no reason to doubt her!

    But what if Consort Zhao was really pretending? Since she had done something to hurt the child in Consort Yu¡¯s womb today, then didn¡¯t she feel jealous when the Emperor doted on Consort Xian? If she had hidden it well, he had indeed ignored it.

    Once one thing was suspicious, the Emperor felt everything was suspicious, including the fact that Feng Yuran got poisoned. At that time, Consort Xian was gone, but he had ordered people to guard Anhe Pce closely. How could Old Eight be poisoned? Unless the poison was not from outside, but from the inside of Anhe Pce.

    He had asked Consort Zhao to stay in Anhe Pce so that the little Old Eight could be taken care of...

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression grew darker and darker. Even though these words were not necessarily true and he had never thought about it in the past, it was not impossible as he thought about it now. Furthermore, the more he thought about it, the more likely they were. Consort Xian¡¯s death had always been a pain in his heart. When he thought that Consort Zhao might have murdered Consort Xian and the implications behind her words yesterday, his eyes grew cold. ¡°Somebody, send Consort Zhao to the Cold Pce.¡±

    Since he was now suspicious of Consort Zhao, he would definitely find out what had happened in the past.

    Being sent into the Cold Pce meant death. Consort Zhao turned pale with fright. She had never thought that the Emperor would be so heartless. She had wanted to soften the Emperor by using Consort Xian¡¯s simr expression. Unexpectedly, the Emperor was so angry. Losing her nerve, she suddenly saw the Empress Dowager sitting to one side and moved two steps forward with her kneels anxiously. ¡°Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, please save me. Please save me, Empress Dowager.¡±

    She did not beg the Emperor and the Empress but begged the Empress Dowager instead. What did this mean...

    The faces of the people seated at the front all changed. The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth hatefully and kicked Consort Zhao away before she snapped, ¡°Somebody, drag her away!¡±

    She said resolutely and decisively, and did not seem to want to protect her at all, which left Consort Zhao hopeless. Her body became limp and shey prostrate on the ground. Then, she was pulled out unceremoniously by two eunuchs...

 Chapter 611 - Theres Always Only One Fact

    <h4>Chapter 611 There¡¯s Always Only One Fact</h4>

    Consort Yu lost the child in her belly in the end. It was said that since the baby was hurt when she gave birth and the infant was too big and pretermbor, a formed infant died. On the contrary, Consort Yu was saved after great effort.

    However, as the Emperor¡¯s son died, the emperor was angry at Consort Yu being haughty and stirring up trouble, so he left, without even looking at Consort Yu.

    For a moment, everyone in the pce quieted down. One of the two favored imperial consorts was thrown into the Cold Pce, and the other lost her child, as well as the Emperor¡¯s favor. Thetter¡¯s life would be no difference to those in the Cold Pce. It could be said that the battle between Consort Yu and Consort Zhao resulted in both sides suffering. The imperial consorts who wanted to fight in the harem had to think if they could make sure that they wouldn¡¯t get involved when they did something. Otherwise, they might end up the same as Consort Zhao and Consort Yu.

    The one who was the most furious and resentful was, of course, the Empress Dowager. It was said that the Empress Dowager had changed another batch of porcin in her pce that night, and the former porcin got knocked over by her dog. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, had received a letter in his home that night. He had lost hisposure and had beaten up all the concubines beside him before chasing them away.

    This matter caused a big scene. It was said that the cause was the struggle between several concubines, which led to the death of a baby who was still in a concubine¡¯s womb. Feng Yuzhen was so angry that he drove them away.

    Of course, this was a mere triflepared to Consort Yu¡¯s miscarriage in the imperial pce. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Consort Yu¡¯s matter. Since Consort Yu had lost her power, Yu Mingyong was no longer the little bully who could do whatever he wanted in the capital back then. The young masters who had been trying to butter up to him immediately turned against him.

    In less than two days, Yu Mingyong had been beaten so hard that he had to lie on bed.

    The Yu Manor had wanted to gang up with Yu Mingyong so that they would have nothing to worry about in the future. Unexpectedly, such a thing had happened, and they immediately shrank their heads and did not dare to go to Yu Mingyong¡¯s house. Yu Feng had gone around in the study many times, but he could note up with a solution. Previously, he had followed Yu Mingyong¡¯s lead and had gotten involved in many things. Once Consort Yu lost her power, he was not having an easy time.

    In the evening, a letter was sent to his room. After reading it, he stayed in the study alone, and even had meal in it.

    What happened in the pce had widely affected the court, but fortunately, it didn¡¯t affect the banquet for the top three in the imperial examinations.

    Feng Yuran had entered the pce early in the morning. He had slowly spread the news that Mo Xuetong was getting better in the past few days in order to shut Emperor Zongwen¡¯s mouth. He was afraid that his father would give him a second consort or someone like that. Feng Yuran felt that his life was good now and did not want to return to the ¡°highly prosperous lives¡± he used to live in.

    Only Mo Xuetong¡¯s health had been a constant worry to him. Therefore, he had to speed up and clear his way here so that he could fight with Bai Yihao with all his heart. If there was another person in the world whom he could not see through, it would be Bai Yihao. The man seemed to always be clean. However, since he could survive in the pce without the protection of his mother, everyone knew that he was by no means clean!

    Fortunately, the battle in Yan Kingdom was also heated and no one could be distracted!

    As a matter of fact, Feng Yuran felt that he had to thank the First Prince of Yan Kingdom and his aunt, the Empress. Because of their cooperation, he could maintain a temporary bnce when confronting Bai Yihao.

    Feng Yuran had a feeling that the Bai Yihao could stabilize the situation in such a short time because he had the same attitude as him. He had to stabilize the situation in his country first, and then, he would have energy to deal with the outside world. When Bai Yihao was still in Qin Kingdom, Feng Yuran felt that he treated Mo Xuetong differently. Especially when he was about to leave, he even set up a trap for Feng Yuran, which made him have no choice but...

    At the thought of this, a hint of viciousness appeared in Feng Yuran¡¯s charming eyes. No matter what happened, Tong¡¯er was his. Bai Yihao wanted to take Tong¡¯er away from him? Forget it!

    Liu Xi, the general manager of Qianqing Pce, saw King Xuan walking over slowly from afar, but the young man didn¡¯t seem in a good mood. His handsome brows were raised, looking fierce. One could tell that he was in a bad mood. Liu Xi hurried up to greet him with a smile. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re finally here. How is Her Lady feeling? How is the medicine? Look, His Majesty has urged me to visit her for several times.¡±

    A while back, Mo Xuetong was in poor health, so Liu Xi conducted Emperor Zongwen¡¯s order to send some medicinal herbs over. Now what he asked showed his concern and kindness.

    ¡°Not bad. Thank you, general manager. Tong¡¯er said that she woulde directly to thank you when she gets better in a few days.¡± Feng Yuran hid the coldness in his eyes and smiled devilishly. He cast a sidelong nce at Liu Xizily and pointed at the door of the imperial study. ¡°Father isn¡¯t angry, is he?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. As soon as Your Highnesses, His Majesty¡¯s great anger will disappear.¡± Liu Xi nodded and bowed,ughing as walking.

    ¡°Why did I hear differently from what you said? Isn¡¯t it said that even if Father is in the best mood, he will jump when he sees me? Why did you say as if I¡¯m Father¡¯s fun? I might as welle backter and see if Father will jump or not!¡±

    Feng Yuran stated leisurely as he walked in, with his lips curving into a casual smile.

    ¡°How could that be? Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you. You can¡¯t leave,¡± Liu Xi cried out anxiously when he thought that Feng Yuran was serious.

    The Emperor still did not have any food. He locked himself in the imperial study and did not allow anyone to enter. No one dared to enter rashly. Liu Xi was extremely anxious. How could he allow Feng Yuran to go back like this when he had seen him? Except King Xuan, no one would dare to go against the order and enter the study without being punished.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Father?¡± Feng Yuran stopped and looked at Liu Xi, his eyes twinkling. The faint smile on his lips made Liu Xi feel scared. It was not easy to fool this prince. Besides, others did not know what the Emperor¡¯s expectation for him, but Liu Xi could see it clearly. Therefore, he did not dare to hide it. Heughed dryly and looked around. Then, he turned around and whispered in Feng Yuran¡¯s ear.

    ¡°His Majesty read the record of interrogating Consort Zhao in the imperial harem in the morning, and then he locked himself in the study. Your Highness, you¡¯d better go and have a look first!¡±

    As soon as Consort Zhao was locked up in the Cold Pce, the Emperor sent someone to interrogate her. As he got the record, his face darkened. Liu Xi was the Emperor¡¯s trusted subordinate, but he did not dare to disturb him at this time. He had been walking back and forth outside the study for many rounds. When he saw Feng Yuran, he breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Emperor was not in good health, and was in such a rage, Liu Xi had been worried about him.

    ¡°Consort Zhao?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I heard that it¡¯s about what happened more than 10 years ago. His Majesty is very angry!¡± Liu Xi sighed. This matter was a knot in the father¡¯s and son¡¯s hearts. The father and son had argued for many times because of Consort Zhao. Especially the rash King Xuan had always thought that Consort Zhao was not a good person. However, the Emperor had always protected Consort Zhao because of her face that was very simr to Consort Xian¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in and take a look right now.¡± Feng Yuran smiled coolly. He waved his sleeves and strode in, with a n in mind.

    He had been disliking Consort Zhao all the time, always feeling that her face, which was simr to his mother¡¯s, was extremely unreal. However, Consort Zhao had been very careful then and no one could find anything wrong with her. She had been so kind to Feng Yuran that even Emperor Zongwen had praised her, and imed that he wanted to keep Feng Yuran under Consort Zhao¡¯s name.

    Even though Feng Yuran was very young then, he was an independent person. Emperor Zongwen did not listen to what he said, so he could only think of another way. He asked his servants to find some poison, ced it in his bowl and drank it. Then he got poisoned. After that, Emperor Zongwen did not trust anyone in the pce and sent him out of the pce to keep him outside.

    Itsted for 10 years, and Consort Zhao had been quiet in the pce and had never gone out of Mingyue Pce for 10 years.

    When Feng Yuran returned, Consort Zhao still had never done misdeeds, and Emperor Zongwen was still protecting her. However, Feng Yuran was no longer the child who had no choice but to poison himself. He slowly and deliberately pushed everything in the pce to go on. He found a way to release Consort Zhao first so that he could carry out the n. Then, idents would happen and Emperor Zongwen would discover that Consort Zhao was far from the gentle and amiable woman he had imagined.

    At this point, his father must have found out something!

    He could not help walking anxiously. When his mother died, he was too small. He once felt that it was the Empress who poisoned his mother. But in fact, he still did not find it out. Although he had a few people in the pce, since he did not have his mother in the pce, he could not reach too far.

    What happened back then was a secret that he could not investigate it as he wished!

    Unless his father gave the order in person!

    The imperial study was very quiet. The little eunuchs outside the door all lowered their heads. Even the general manager hid aside and remained quiet. The little eunuchs, of course, did not dare to show any more expressions. The atmosphere behind the door was cold even though there was still a long distance. The master inside was in a bad mood today.

    Feng Yuran entered the imperial study and saw that Emperor Zongwen had his eyes closed and was leaning against arge nanmu wood chair. His face was pale and he looked tired. Even though he had a calm look on his face, the corners of his eyes and brows trembled from time to time. It was obvious that he was extremely angry. The corners of the paper on the table were a little messy.

    Feng Yuran took two steps forward, picked up the file from the table and cast a few nces at it. Then a hint of anger shed in his eyes. He took the file and was about to leave.

    ¡°Old Eight, wait.¡± Emperor Zongwen opened his eyes and said calmly.

    ¡°Father, is there any need for the He family to exist?¡± Feng Yuran turned around, his handsome face filled with anger as he looked at Emperor Zongwen, unyielding.

    ¡°That¡¯s your mother¡¯s family, after all. It¡¯s your uncle¡¯s family.¡± Emperor Zongwen stopped him. He also hated the He family. He did not expect that the He family would order Consort Zhao behind the scenes. The He family sent Consort Xian to the imperial pce, but because she did not speak well of them in front of the Emperor, they bore grudges against her. The purpose of sending Consort Zhao into the pce was to fight for favor with Consort Xian, and then to kill her.

    This was the truth of Consort Xian¡¯s death! And there was only one fact. It was all because He family fought for favor and wealth. Feng Yuran did not think there was a need for such a family to exist. He even had an impulse to kill all the He family members and use their blood as a sacrifice to his mother and tofort her soul in heaven.

    Although the Empress came to threaten Consort Xian, Consort Xian would not have been dead if Consort Zhao had not tried to kill her. Besides, Consort Zhao had been sent to the pce by the He family...

 Chapter 612 - Grant a Candy after a Slap

    <h4>Chapter 612 Grant a Candy after a p</h4>

    ¡°Old Eight, don¡¯t be rash. Father will give you justice.¡± Emperor Zongwen let out a sigh as he looked at his son with guilt. He had thought that this son was too stubborn, but now he realized that he was the one who had been blinded. Consort Zhao had been clearly hidden a malicious intent.

    ¡°What are you going to do, Father?¡± As Feng Yuran saw how tired Emperor Zongwen was, the anger in the corners of his eyes faded slightly and he asked with a gloomy expression.

    Even though he wanted to destroy the He familypletely, he knew that he couldn¡¯t do it. No matter what, the He family was Consort Xian¡¯s parents¡¯ home. He couldn¡¯t do something like this because of filial piety. Even if he didn¡¯t mind his reputation, he still had to think it for Mo Xuetong. He couldn¡¯t let her bear the reputation of marrying a bloodthirsty husband and be pointed at by others.

    Moreover, he had another goal, and he couldn¡¯t have a fierce reputation at this time.

    ¡°You do it. Remember to be careful and don¡¯t be used of doing anything wrong.¡± Emperor Zongwen waved his hand and looked up at his beloved son as a hint of sadness appeared on his face. This was the son of the woman he loved, but as the Emperor, not only could he not protect his beloved woman, he could not even protect his son.

    ¡°Father, I will properly settle it.¡± Feng Yuran nodded. The anger in his eyes had already turned into coldness. He would not spare the He family easily.

    ¡°Have a seat. How is your manor? I heard that it has been in chaos for the past few days,¡± Emperor Zongwen asked after he suppressed his anger and gave a little cough. The envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands had moved into King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Then, Princess Caifeng had an ident, and created a mess. If he had not always believed in his youngest son¡¯s abilities, he would have gotten her out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    At the mention of the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Feng Yuran¡¯s expression changed. He sat down on a chair by the side and answered, ¡°Father, Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands is a very independent person. There seems to be an agreement between her and Third Brother. However, she has been doing well with Eldest Brother and King Ning these few days. She is a tactful woman who usually talks andughs with them. She looks veryfortable.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen frowned. ¡°Does she usually meet your brothers directly?¡±

    This was definitely not what a woman who obeyed womanly rules should do.

    ¡°Father, why are you so worried? Third Brother didn¡¯t say anything about it. Actually, Consort Yan was also there that day, and the two of them hugged each other when their clothes were in disarray. ording to your opinion, they should be put in a pig cage and drown in a river. Father, the Southern Barbarian Lands has a different ethos from us,¡± Feng Yuran exined meaningfully. He tilted his head and cast a nce at Emperor Zongwen, saying directly, ¡°Father, now that that woman has been acting like that, you can¡¯t order me to ept the rubbish that Third Brother left behind. Otherwise, perhaps one day, she will stab me in the heart!¡±

    His words were a little harsh, and Emperor Zongwen red at him angrily. ¡°What are you talking about? Was this what a prince should say?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it was not what a prince should say, but it was not what a princess should do. Look, what is it? Everyone knows that the woman and Third Brother have an affair. However, Eldest Brother and King Ning are still circling around her all day long. It seems that they don¡¯t care about her reputation. Anyway, no matter whether they care about it or not, I don¡¯t want her. So don¡¯t try to ask me to marry her.¡±

    Feng Yuran had long known that the Emperor had asked the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ envoys to live in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, partly because his eldest brother, Feng Yuxuan, had yed a dirty trick, and partly because his father wanted him to take advantage of being in a favored position and have an affair with Princess Caifeng so that he could get support from the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    It was a pity that he really didn¡¯t need it!

    This princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands misconducted herself and was vicious. She was destined to be a useless pawn.

    Emperor Zongwen really wanted to find a helper for his son. Although Crown Prince Xieyue did not look powerful, he was not an ordinary person. If Feng Yuran could form an alliance with Crown Prince Xieyue, it would be good for him. Originally, the Emperor wanted to promote the He family when he favored Consort Zhao, so that Feng Yuran would get a powerful rtive of maternal side. However, he did not expect that the He family was the one who killed Consort Xian.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s ns and methods were all approved by Emperor Zongwen. Besides, he had been secretly helping Feng Yuran do some things. Otherwise, even if Emperor Zongwen doted on Feng Yuran, it would not be enough as the young man had no support.

    He had his eyes on Princess Caifeng and was about to order her to marry Feng Yuran as his co-wife. Anyway, Feng Yuran¡¯s little wife was often ill, and was young, so she could not have children in a short time. Unexpectedly, Princess Caifeng would have an affair with Feng Yulei and even hooked up with Feng Yuxuan. Emperor Zongwen did not want Feng Yuran to suffer.

    Immediately, his face darkened and he asked, ¡°Is the princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands really so unruly?¡±

    ¡°Father, if you don¡¯t believe me, let Liu Xi go and have a look. When I came here just now, Eldest Brother was having tea with her. Fortunately, when I arranged their amodation, I settled her near the outer yard. Otherwise, it would really disturb Tong¡¯er. Tong¡¯er is getting well these days, but she doesn¡¯t even dare to go to the garden because she is afraid of bumping into another man.¡±

    Feng Yuran kept praising Mo Xuetong when he tried to denigrate Princess Caifeng.

    One of them did not know how to behave properly and had tea with a man; the other stayed in her room and did not even dare to take a wrong step. Given Emperor Zongwen¡¯s emphasis on formality, it was clear that who was a good girl and who was a bad one.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I know that your wife is good. How is she feeling now?¡± Emperor Zongwen was amused when he saw that Feng Yuran protected Mo Xuetong as if he was protecting food. He pointed at Feng Yuran and smiled helplessly.

    Hearing the Emperor¡¯sughter, Liu Xi, who was waiting outside, was finally relieved after a long time. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and made two cups of tea in person.

    ¡°Father, my wife is in good health, but I¡¯m afraid that someone will harm her. You know, those people go to my manor every day. If my wife is in good health, she has to go to receive them. And Princess Caifeng is unruly. If anything is wrong, she will create a mess. Father, why don¡¯t you grant her a marriage? I don¡¯t want my manor to be in chaos. If something bad happens, they might think that my manor is bad in geomancy.¡±

    Feng Yuranined on behalf of Mo Xuetong and himself with a bitter face. He also told Emperor Zongwen that Mo Xuetong was in good health because he did not want Emperor Zongwen to always use this as an excuse and send another woman to his manor. It was not easy for the manor to be cleaned up, leaving only two people, him and Tong¡¯er. When they were having a good time, there were some people appearing.

    Anyway, he still had a few concubines on the surface, so he was not afraid that his father would say that he was wronged.

    When he heard that Mo Xuetong was in good health, and that it was an excuse, Emperor Zongwen felt relieved, but could not help feeling frustrated as well. He decided to give his son a warning. He could dote on women, but he could not refuse to take in an official concubine for the sake of a woman.

    ¡°Old Eight, the top three of the imperial examination areing soon, and you can help them choosedies. You can also see if there are any youngdies suitable for you. If there are any that you like, you can tell me and I will send them to your manor directly. As for the matter about Princess Caifeng, forget it. I will ask them to move out in a few days.¡±

    Originally, he wanted Princess Caifeng to be close to Feng Yuran. However, Emperor Zongwen did not think that this woman was good enough for his son. Of course, he could not let his son suffer. Otherwise, Mo Xuetong in his manor would be spoiled, and it would not benefit Feng Yuran in the future.

    ¡°Okay, Father. If I see someone that I liketer, I will ask Father for her,¡± Feng Yuran stated straightforwardly. Of course, he did not want anyone that he did not like. Anyway, he only liked Tong¡¯er. No other women could catch his eyes.

    The smile on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face grew bigger when he saw that Feng Yuran was not the least bit forced. He took a sip of tea with satisfaction and said to Liu Xi, who was standing by the side with a smile on his face, ¡°Go and invite Consort Xuan to the banquetter. Just say that there are pills made by the imperial physicians in the pce. She can just have that if she doesn¡¯t feel well.¡±

    Granting a candy after a p wasmonly used by Emperor Zongwen. Anyway, since Mo Xuetong went to the pce to attend the banquet, she only needed an excuse. She was not really feeling unwell. The Emperor¡¯s order would shut some people¡¯s mouths. Otherwise, someone would use Consort Xuan of pretending to be sick at home but she had the strength to attend the banquet.

    A bitter expression appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s face. Tong¡¯er did not want to attend the banquet at all. Furthermore, his father wanted to send another woman into the manor. Of course, he would not say that in front of Emperor Zongwen. He rolled his eyes and there was a hint of joy on his handsome face. He nodded and said, ¡°Then I shall thank Father first. Tong¡¯er wanted toe in to greet you, but as I did not want to disturb the matters in the front courtyard, I told her to pretend. As a result, she has not visited Father for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Haha, your wife is filial. Treat her well. Don¡¯t be so annoying and scare your wife.¡± Emperor Zongwen waspletely satisfied with Mo Xuetong at the moment. Instead, he warned Feng Yuran, ¡°You¡¯re already so old and yet you¡¯re still making such a fuss.¡±

    ¡°Father, if I don¡¯t do something, others won¡¯t be at ease,¡± Feng Yuran uttered indifferently.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s heart ached when he heard that. If Consort Xian were still alive, or if Consort Xian had a powerful family, her son would not have worked so hard. All of this was because of the He family. If it were not for the fact that the He family was really disappointing, Feng Yuran would not have pretended to be unreasonable in front of others. He thought about it and felt sorrier for Feng Yuran. He looked at Feng Yuran with gentler eyes.

    ¡°Father, what are you going to do with your Consort Yu now? The Empress Dowager...¡± Feng Yuran turned around to look at Emperor Zongwen and changed the topic. Consort Yu sent Concubine Xiang to his manor and wanted to take the opportunity to harm Tong¡¯er. He had never forgotten this and was waiting for an opportunity. He did not want to be cuckolded even if his father did.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face flushed red with embarrassment when his son discovered that he had been cuckolded. Fortunately, he turned stern immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to keep an eye on the Empress Dowager and King Ning. Since Princess Caifeng wants to seduce someone so badly, what do you think of Feng Yuzhen?¡±

    Emperor Zongwen had his own selfish motives. No matter how bad his son was, they were still his sons. He could not send a woman who was easy to have an affair with other men into his sons¡¯ manor.

    Of course, when she was sent to another manor, the value of Princess Caifeng carrying would be destroyed. He would not just watch the Empress Dowager and the Southern Barbarian Lands work together.

    ¡°Father, I will think of a way to deal with Crown Prince Xieyue.¡± Feng Yuran immediately understood what his father meant. The father and sonughed together, like two foxes.

    It was up to Crown Prince Xieyue to destroy Princess Caifeng¡¯s value!

 Chapter 613 - Princess Caifengs Arrogant Aura

    <h4>Chapter 613 Princess Caifeng¡¯s Arrogant Aura</h4>

    Originally, Mo Xuetong did not want to attend the banquet in the imperial pce. King Xuan¡¯s Manor was already in a mess. King Chu, King Yan, and King Ning woulde almost every day. It was said that it had already been in a mess at the link between the front yard and the inner yard. The servants in the manor were busy, and Princess Caifeng was rather spoiled.

    From time to time, she woulde up with some tricks, which worn out the servants of the entire manor. Even though the other princes did not go too far because Feng Yuran didn¡¯t show up, but in the eyes of outsiders, what they saw was that they came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor every day and ordered the servants here to run back and forth. They did not seem to respect King Xuan at all.

    There were already rumors outside that the one for marrying Princess Caifeng should be selected from King Chu, King Yan, and King Ning. King Xuan, who had been apanying Consort Xuan, should not be able to be selected. Otherwise, he would not have allowed those princes to enter his manor at will.

    Needless to say, Princess Caifeng did not have a good reputation. The marriage between the two countries was decided by the two countries, and she would not be allowed to choose her husband. Moreover, she had an ambiguous rtionship with these princes every day. In just a few days, Princess Caifeng had changed from a high and mighty princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands to an unrestrained woman.

    Before she knew it, her reputation had already been ruined!

    Mo Xuetong had long known about it. No matter who spread the news, it had nothing to do with her. However, when she was going to the banquet in the pce tonight, her peace was shattered. Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue had gotten the news from somewhere that she was almost fully recovered, so they asked her to see Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°Her Highness said that since Her Lady is feeling better, please visit her as a hostess.¡± The maidservant who came to pass on the message usually served Princess Caifeng, and was used to being arrogant. When she came to Mo Xuetong¡¯s yard, she raised her head high and looked down upon her.

    Mo Ye stood guard at the door, and the maidservant did not enter, so she could only said in a loud voice outside.

    Following Mo Xuetong¡¯s order, Mo Lan walked to the door and lifted the curtains. She walked out slowly and smiled, ¡°My Lady said that she doesn¡¯t have time now. She will meet Her Highness in the pceter.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e had always been humble in front of Princess Caifeng, making thetter think that she was really nobler than a prince¡¯s wife. Even her maidservant was disdainful of others. Upon hearing that Mo Xuetong dared to reject Princess Caifeng¡¯s demand, the maidservant paused for a moment and then flew into a rage.

    ¡°What? Can¡¯t Her Highness see Her Lady? Is this the way the Qin Kingdom treats guests?¡±

    Mo Xuetong, who was seated inside, could not help but smile at Princess Caifeng¡¯s thoughts. Princess Caifeng really thought that she was superior to everyone else. She was the wife of the prince who was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son, and even the Empress Dowager and the Empress had to respect her for the sake of Feng Yuran in the pce. However, Princess Caifeng hade to argue with her about how to treat the guests.

    ¡°As for the way our Qin Kingdom treats guest, Princess Caifeng should have felt it over the past few days. The princes havee to apany her every day. Isn¡¯t it enough?¡± Mo Lan smiled and answered calmly. However, what she said made the maidservant blush.

    Whether it was in the Qin Kingdom or in the Southern Barbarian Lands, Princess Caifeng¡¯s behavior in the past few days had definitely vited the etiquette for women. Even though the Southern Barbarian Lands did not mind it very much, the fact that she had been mixing with men every day had gone against the etiquette for women, no matter what the reason was.

    ¡°How dare you! How dare you talking about Her Highness like that! You¡¯re courting death!¡± The maidservant was so mad that she took two steps forward and tried to p Mo Lan in the face. She was used to being arrogant beside Princess Caifeng. How could she be embarrassed by someone like that?

    Her hand was caught by a thin maidservant standing by the side. She could see the coldness in the maidservant¡¯s eyes from the corner of her eyes. The maidservant backed away subconsciously and almost missed the step and fell. Mo Lan¡¯s unchanging gentle voice rang in her ears. ¡°Please report to Your Highness that His Highness especially ordered Her Lady to enter the pce as soon as possible. We do not have time at this time. Her Lady will definitely apologize to Her Highness in the pce.¡±

    Then, before the maidservant could say anything, she and Mo Ye lifted the curtains and entered the room together.

    If Mo Xuetong went to see Princess Caifeng at this time, she would be wrong no matter what she would say. Given Princess Caifeng¡¯s conduct, she would definitely think of ways to humiliate her. Feng Yuran was not in the manor and she could not find an excuse. Furthermore, she did not know who was also there. Judging by Princess Caifeng¡¯s character, she would definitely let others see it when she was deliberately making things difficult for her so as to show how unreachable her status was.

    Mo Xuetong really didn¡¯t understand what Princess Caifeng was thinking. Even if she really married a prince and became his legal wife, her status would be on par with hers. How could she feel that she could push Mo Xuetong around and be superior to Mo Xuetong?

    ¡°Mo Lan, ask Aunt Xiann to visit Princess Caifeng. If she needs something, she can just ask her for it, and don¡¯t have to report it to me.¡± Mo Xuetong changed into a light blue dress. There was a hint of gentleness in the beautiful eyes of the woman in the mirror. She turned around slightly, looking charming. The hint of innocence at the corners of her eyes made her pure mixing with her charm.

    ¡°My Lady, you¡¯re so beautiful. I think you should go and meet Princess Caifeng so that she won¡¯t think that she¡¯s the most beautiful woman in the world. Her face has been hurt, but she still flirted with the princes these days, as if she¡¯s the most beautiful woman in the world. With the injury, she has lost her beauty, just like the world lost its brilliance!¡±

    Mo Yu put down the clothes in her hands and walked in angrily. When she saw Mo Xuetong, who was fully dressed, a hint of surprise shed across her eyes. No matter when and what clothes Mo Xuetong wore, she was beautiful enough to draw people¡¯s attention.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Did they offend you again?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the angry Mo Yu through the bronze mirror and asked with a smile as she put on her clothes.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t offend me. If they just provoked me, I wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything. My Lady, Princess Caifeng insisted that the orchids you nted were not beautiful and insisted on nting peonies. Now, she has asked people to pull all the orchids up. She said that she had told His Highness and that His Highness asked her to deal with them at her discretion.¡± Thinking of the orchids thrown aside by those maidservants rudely, Mo Yu was distressed and gasped. Mo Xuetong nted them in person, and it was said that they were the best orchid found by Feng Yuran, but now they were thrown. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. We can just nt them after Princess Caifeng leaves.¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Mo Yu¡¯s angry face and grinned. Her long eyshes fluttered and she said mischievously, ¡°Could it be that Princess Caifeng imed that she will be in charge of this ce?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, how do you know?¡± Mo Yu suddenly opened her eyes wide. She was afraid that Mo Xuetong would be sad and angry, so she did not say that on purpose. The maidservant did raise her chin arrogantly and said that that piece ofnd would be under the charge of Princess Caifeng in the future, and that when the princess officially moved in, it would be up to her to decide what to nt in the back courtyard.

    ¡°What else did she say?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a careless smile as she allowed Mo Lan to fasten the hidden button below her neck.

    ¡°What else could she say? Anyway, she meant that Princess Caifeng will be in charge of the back courtyard. My Lady, you should go out and make it clear to her. Even if she is a guest, she can¡¯t mess with other people¡¯s things so casually. She wants to enter the manor? She wishes!¡± Mo Yu snorted and said with dissatisfaction.

    If she wanted to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor and manage the back courtyard, she had to get King Xuan¡¯s permission. King Xuan was very nice to Consort Xuan. These personal maidservants had been watching it, so they were clear that King Xuan only loved Consort Xuan. He had never paid any attention to Princess Caifeng for the past few days. How could she dare to say something like that?

    ¡°Since you know that she¡¯s dreaming, why are you angry? Just take it as a y with her? Are the orchids still there?¡± After putting on her clothes, Mo Xuetong sat down and asked casually. Those orchids were really exquisite. Feng Yuran took a lot of trouble to find them for her. Mo Huawen also liked them. Mo Xuetong liked them as she looked at them. She remembered that she had once used a pot of orchid to bribe the Princess Royal, so she also sent some to her manor.

    ¡°The orchids are still here. I have carefully nted them in a pot. When they grow well, I¡¯ll transnt them out.¡± Mo Yu knew that these orchids were not easy to get, so she was so distressed. After arguing with those maidservants for a while, she carefully moved the orchids into the pot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After tonight, Princess Caifeng won¡¯t be able to act arrogant in our manor!¡± Mo Xuetong seemed to be hinting at something. Her eyes flickered slightly as sheforted Mo Yu.

    If she did not remember wrongly, the Emperor would intentionally arrange an engagement for Princess Caifeng. She was an unmarried girl, but she had chosen her husband personally, which had ruined her reputation. Furthermore, she was picking out the Emperor¡¯s sons. How could the Emperor not be angry? Since she was here to marry into the country, the Emperor might as well decide the man so that she would not cause any scandal about the royal family in the future.

    Or else, it would be a disgrace to the royal family!

    No matter which manor she married into, it would definitely not King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong had 100% understanding of Feng Yuran. Given Feng Yuran¡¯s character, if he did not want to marry Princess Caifeng, he would have many ways to do so. He was sly and was not easy to fool. It would be good if others were not tricked by him. It was in vain to even think about trying to trick him to marry Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°My Lady, is it true?¡± Mo Yu¡¯s mad face immediately turned into a look of surprise.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true!¡± Mo Xuetong saidzily. When she saw Mo Yu¡¯s face immediately darkened, a smile appeared on her lips. ¡°That¡¯s what His Highness said!¡±

    Everyoneughed when they saw Mo Yu¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise.

    ¡°My Lady, you always make fun of me.¡± Knowing that Mo Xuetong had said it intentionally, Mo Yu pouted.

    ¡°You always look angry. If Her Lady doesn¡¯t make fun of me, who will Her Lady make fun of?¡± Mo Lan said with a smile.

    ¡°All of you are bullying me!¡± Mo Yu stomped her feet angrily. She looked aggrieved but her eyesnded on Mo Xuetong smartly. She looked as if she wanted Mo Xuetong to stand up for her, which caused everyone tough so hard that they could not even stand straight. Even Mo Xuetong was holding on to the table and could not stand up.

    Mo Yu was getting more and more lovable!

    While they wereughing in the room, a little maidservant¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside.

    ¡°My Lady, Miss Hu Qianyue, who is beside Princess Caifeng, is here. She said that she has something important to report to you!¡±

    Hu Qianyue? Mo Xuetong paused. She stopped smiling and frowned slightly. Hu Qianyue was not Princess Caifeng and she hade to visit her politely. It would be a little unreasonable if she did not see her. However, if she were to see her, she would not be able to decide whether she should go or not if the other woman suggested her to meet Princess Caifeng!

    Hu Qianyue was indeed not a simple person. Before she even entered the door, she had already thrown a difficult problem at her! She could attack and retreat. Now she was scheming against her. Did she really think that she was easy to bully? A cold look appeared in her eyes. Well, she had been appearing too weak recently, causing others her to think that everyone could bully her.

 Chapter 614 - A Threat, Hu Qianyues Misjudge

    <h4>Chapter 614 A Threat, Hu Qianyue¡¯s Misjudge</h4>

    Hu Qianyue hade because she wanted to drag Mo Xuetong to see Princess Caifeng and humiliate her. They had been living in King Xuan¡¯s Manor for so many days, but Consort Xuan had been ill and they had never seen her face. Mo Xuetong gave them the impression of being so weak that the wind almost blew her over.

    As for thest time they met, even if she went into her room and had a look, Consort Xuan didn¡¯t say anything. It could be seen that Consort Xuan was a coward.

    When the maidservant hade to report that Consort Xuan was going to enter the pce, she had especially volunteered toe. She had no good intentions in the beginning.

    As long as Consort Xuan talked to her, she was confident that she could bring her to Princess Caifeng. Princess Caifeng had lost face because of Consort Xuan, so she would think of a way to deal with her. She could take this opportunity to humiliate Consort Xuan and spread the news that Princess Caifeng did not know how to behave properly. At the thought of this, Hu Qianyue felt excited.

    She hade to the Qin Kingdom with Princess Caifeng with malicious intentions. Of course, the marriage between the two countries was arranged by her cousin, but they didn¡¯t want Princess Caifeng who was rted to the Crown Prince to be the one marrying into the Qin Kingdom. So Hu Qianyue would do everything she could to ruin Princess Caifeng¡¯s reputation. She would not allow her to marry a good man.

    She had witnessed that Princess Caifeng was flirting with these princes, and she felt pleased. So she did not say anything about it. The worse Princess Caifeng¡¯s reputation was, the less useful she became in the marriage. Of course, it would be even better if there were rumors that Princess Caifeng was arrogant and was trying to humiliate Consort Xuan.

    Standing outside the main courtyard and waving her fan, Hu Qianyue looked dignified and elegant, with a smile on her face. She was waiting for Mo Xuetong to meet her. A weak and useless Consort Xuan was indeed fun.

    ¡°Miss Hu, Her Lady invites you in.¡± A maidservant came over to politely invite her. Everything was within Hu Qianyue¡¯s expectation.

    As she entered the courtyard and reached the front door of the main room, two maidservants came over and stopped the four maidservants behind her from each side.

    ¡°You, what do you mean?¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s face darkened.

    ¡°They have to stay here,¡± Mo Yu said politely, with smiles.

    ¡°I brought them with me when I entered the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ imperial pce. Can¡¯t I now?¡± Hu Qianyue raised her head and uttered proudly.

    This was true. Hu Qianyue was also arrogant in the Southern Barbarian Lands, so she could get close to Princess Caifeng. As the Empress and her cousin, the Third Prince could back her, and her father was a general in the Southern Barbarian Lands, Hu Qianyue had a high status in the Southern Barbarian Lands. She really could go in and out of the imperial pce at will.

    ¡°But this is not the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡± Mo Yu did not give in, and there was a hint of ridicule in the smile at the corners of her mouth. She was here to threaten Hu Qianyue, so this time, she did not hold back her temper.

    Hu Qianyue was stunned when she heard that. However, the next second, she snapped, ¡°I¡¯m just here to see Consort Xuan. Is this how Her Lady of the Qin Kingdom treats her guests?¡±

    She especially said it to Mo Xuetong who was inside. She brought this matter up to the rtionship between the two countries. She thought that the weak Consort Xuan did not dare to wee her. She wanted her to obediently allow her people in. If Consort Xuan wanted to intimidate her, she had to see if she had the ability to do so!

    ¡°Miss Hu, is this how you asked to see the prince¡¯s wife of your country in the Southern Barbarian Lands? Even if Princess Caifeng will... at most, she has the same status as Her Lady. Miss Hu, do you think you¡¯re nobler than the princess in the Southern Barbarian Land?¡± Although Mo Yu still kept smiling, she didn¡¯t show any retreat.

    A high-ranking consort like Mo Xuetong, who was also the legal wife of a prince, only needed to bow to the Empress Dowager and the Empress in the pce. Among the princesses, only the Fifth Princess, who was born by the Empress, could bepared with her. The daughter of an official like Hu Qianyue could not bepared with her at all.

    Although Hu Qianyue was no inferior to Princess Caifeng in the Southern Barbarian Lands, she did not dare topare herself to Princess Caifeng no matter what on the surface. Furthermore, Princess Caifeng was only an ordinary princess in the Southern Barbarian Lands. She had put on airs in the Qin Kingdom these days, making it difficult for her and Hu Qianyue to see her true status clearly.

    Mo Yu¡¯s words were like a sharp warning. Hu Qianyue immediately opened her mouth but did not know what to say.

    The smile on her face faded away slowly, and there was a trace of gloomy anger in her eyes. She turned around and was about to go out. ¡°Since it¡¯s so difficult to see Her Lady, I don¡¯t dare to disturb you!¡±

    ¡°Miss Hu, please wait!¡± A woman¡¯s soft voice came from behind.

    A smug smile appeared on Hu Qianyue¡¯s face. As she had expected, Consort Xuan was indeed timid. After being frightened by her, she no longer dared to talk nonsense about status.

    When she turned around, she was stunned. There was only a maidservant who lifted the curtains in front of her, instead of Consort Xuan who she had imagined was nervous.

    ¡°Miss Hu, Her Lady invites you in!¡± Mo Lan stretched out her hand slightly to wee the guest.

    ¡°What does Her Lady¡¯s mean?¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s expression grew cold. The opponent did not give in and did not show any sincerity to ask her to stay. Consort Xuan was different from what she had imagined; she seemed to be very difficult to deal with.

    ¡°Miss Hu, this is King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Since you are here, pleasee in and have a seat. Otherwise, if His Highness finds out about it, he will think that you are intentionally here to cause trouble. That would not be good,¡± Mo Lan stated with a faint smile.

    She came and went as she wanted. Mo Lan really didn¡¯t know whether Miss Hu, who seemed to be smart, really thought highly of herself or looked down on Mo Xuetong. There was no such person in the Qin Kingdom, who wanted to run amok in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Only her master was rampant in the pce. Unexpectedly, there would be someone who dared toe and humiliate him.

    These words made Hu Qianyue unable to continue for a moment, and she showed annoyance and embarrassment on her face.

    As for King Xuan¡¯s character, Hu Qianyue had already asked about it before she moved in. King Xuan was the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor¡¯s favorite son and it was said that even the Emperor himself could not control him. He was a willful man. It was said that no one dared to offend him in the Qin Kingdom. Ever since she moved in, Hu Qianyue had reminded her people to be careful and not to mess with the extremely arrogant King Xuan.

    Fortunately, King Xuan had disappeared recently. It was said that his wife was about to die and he did not have time to receive the guests. Thus, he just allowed others to do it. However, no one in the Qin Kingdom felt that something was wrong, and those princes came to receive. Judging from this, one could see how much King Xuan was favored by the Emperor!

    Faced with King Xuan, Hu Qianyue knew herself, and she could not deal with him head-on!

    But now, Consort Xuan in a weak situation tried to take advantage of King Xuan to suppress her. Hu Qianyue felt embarrassed, but she also sobered up because of it. She realized that the person inside was not the weak and ipetent person of rumors. Then she thought of the news that she had ignored¡ªshe heard that King Xuan liked Consort Xuan very much. Otherwise, he would not have stayed in front of her bed for so many days and did not even receive the envoys.

    Hu Qianyue turned around and gestured to the maidservants behind her to wait there. Then, she followed Mo Lan into the room.

    It seemed that she did not know Consort Xuan well enough. Then she might as well take a good look at the weak and sickly Consort Xuan.

    As for that idiot Princess Caifeng, all she had to do was to add fuel to the story. That way, she would be able to irk her.

    The curtains had been lifted high up. Hu Qianyue then realized that no matter whether it was the ones who stopped her maidservants, the one who invited her in, or the one who lifted the curtains, they were all beautiful. No wonder people said that King Xuan¡¯s Manor was full of beauties. King Xuan was extremely handsome, and of course, all the people in his manor were beauties.

    Among these princes, it was said that there were the most women in King Xuan¡¯s back courtyard, and he was a romantic man.

    Among all the beauties, Consort Xuan had gained King Xuan¡¯s attention, which meant that she would definitely not be an ordinary person. Then, the maidservants she had seen earlier all served King Xuan in bed. This kind of person seemed to have a low status. However, since they could get close to King Xuan, they could not be taken lightly.

    Hu Qianyue hadpletely restrained herself from prying. After thinking about it for a while, she did not know what to do with Consort Xuan as she followed Mo Lan into the main room.

    When she saw the woman on the wide back chair in front of her, a trace of surprise shed across her face, but then she was stunned!

    Even though her face was still pale, she had delicate beauty in her appearance, making one feel pity for her while stunned. One would feel that the woman in front of them should be held in the hands. Hu Qianyue had long thought that Consort Xuan must be exceptionally beautiful, but she did not expect her to be so stunning.

    Although Princess Caifeng was the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands,pared to the woman in front of her, the princess failed not only because of her features but also because of her aura. But why did the person in front of her give her a sense of familiarity as well as amazement?

    ¡°Miss Hu, we meet again.¡± Mo Xuetong sized Hu Qianyue up as a faint and elegant smile tugged at her lips.

    The smile reminded Hu Qianyue, and she immediately remembered that she did have met the woman in front of her. At that time, she sneaked into the capital and said that she was looking for the missing Crown Prince. On the other hand, her cousin asked her to do something. Later, she met two women and had a dispute. Between them, the calm one was Consort Xuan in front of her.

    At that time, because the main object of the argument was not Consort Xuan, she looked at her a few times, only feeling that the woman was very beautiful and had a sense of elegance. She had long felt that she was not an ordinary person. Furthermore, they were talking about King Chu at that time. Since they used King Chu as a shield, Hu Qianyue subconsciously thought that she was King Chu, Feng Yulei¡¯s woman, and did not expect one of them to be Consort Xuan.

    ¡°You¡¯re Consort Xuan. Greetings, My Lady!¡± Even though Hu Qianyue was shocked, as a smart person, she immediately adjusted her mood, moved forward and curtsied respectfully.

    ¡°Miss Hu, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Please take a seat.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and ordered someone to serve tea.

    Mo Lan then brought tea and snacks and stood behind Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong took a sip of the tea and wiped her mouth with her handkerchief. Then, she looked up and asked, ¡°Miss Hu, why are you in such a hurry to see me before I enter the pce?¡±

    Why? Hu Qianyue was speechless by Mo Xuetong¡¯s straightforward question. Originally, she wanted to drag Mo Xuetong in front of Princess Caifeng so that the angry princess could humiliate her. However, this time, she realized that Consort Xuan was not as weak as she had imagined. So she did not dare to speak so unscrupulously as before.

    She had deliberately stopped Consort Xuan, but she could not bear the charge!

 Chapter 615 - Crown Prince Xieyues Doubt

    <h4>Chapter 615 Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s Doubt</h4>

    Hu Qianyue was a smart person. A smart person would never create an enemy for themselves. In particr, she still did not know the opponent. She quickly cast a nce at Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression and did not find anything unusual. She slightly heaved a sigh of relief and said, ¡°My Lady, you must be joking. How dare I stop you? It is Her Highness who wants to see you. She said that you are feeling better but she has never had time to visit you.¡±

    Hu Qianyue made use of the opportunity to achieve her end, and med it on Princess Caifeng. She had done such a thing many times.

    ¡°If Princess Caifeng wants to see me, why didn¡¯t shee by herself? Is Princess Caifeng ill?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes were as clear as water, but there was something sharp hidden in them. She also stressed her identity. Even though Princess Caifeng was noble, she was Consort Xuan and not everyone could see her as they wanted.

    ¡°Her Highness is not ill. She just felt a little ufortable, so she didn¡¯te to see My Lady in person.¡± Hu Qianyue had been at a disadvantage because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s push. To answer her question, she had no choice but to exin awkwardly.

    ¡°Then how about I ask for leave for Princess Caifeng when I enter the pce? If she doesn¡¯t feel well, she¡¯d better rest in the manor,¡± Mo Xuetong smiled in a gentle voice. Her bright eyes rippled beautifully, as if she really thought that Princess Caifeng was ill.

    ¡°I...¡± Hu Qianyue was at a loss for words for a moment. Then she opened her mouth and immediately said with a dry smile, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, My Lady. Her Highness is just feeling a little ufortable. It¡¯s a chronic ailment. She¡¯ll be fine soon. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    Princess Caifeng wanted to take this opportunity to get close to King Xuan, and if she could not go to the pce, she would tear Hu Qianyue apart!

    ¡°Her Highness¡¯s chronic ailment? Does she need an imperial physician?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Her Highness has the pills to cure it. She¡¯ll be fine as long as she takes them.¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s forehead was already covered with sweat.

    She had to straighten out contradictions in the lie and make it usible. She didn¡¯t expect that Consort Xuan was not a weak person. Then, she was forced to lie by Mo Xuetong. She was clear that she was at a disadvantage today and did not dare to say anything to Mo Xuetong. So she only said a few words of concern and left in a hurry.

    Mo Lan sent Hu Qianyue to the door of her courtyard on behalf of Mo Xuetong before she went back.

    There was not only Princess Caifeng in the courtyard, but also Crown Prince Xieyue. They sat on arge round chair under a tree and enjoyed the tea leisurely. Crown Prince Xieyue was supposed to go back, but Princess Caifeng deliberately asked him to stay. She wanted someone to witness it when she humiliated Mo Xuetongter, which would make her even more embarrassed.

    However, she saw that there was no one behind Hu Qianyue, except her four maidservants. Princess Caifeng could not help but put down the teacup in her hand and asked in surprise, ¡°Qianyue, where is she?¡±

    Crown Prince Xieyue looked at Mo Lan¡¯s back thoughtfully. He frowned slightly and confusion appeared in the corners of his eyes. He felt that this maidservant was really familiar.

    Hu Qianyue thought for a while and said hesitantly, ¡°Consort Xuan said that she will enter the pceter, and doesn¡¯t have time to see Your Highness at this time. She asked you to rest for a while and she will meet you when you enter the pce.¡±

    Her words were simr to what the maidservant had said earlier. How could Princess Caifeng be satisfied? She mmed the teacup in her hand down again and snarled, ¡°It¡¯s still a little early to enter the pce. Why is she going there so early? Could it be that she doesn¡¯t take me, a dignified princess, seriously? Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±

    After that, she got up and was about to go outside.

    Ever since she arrived in the Qin Kingdom, other than the fact that her face had been injured, Princess Caifeng had been leading a happy life, and had long forgotten that she had been living a cautious life when she was in the pce of the Southern Barbarian Lands. She had treated herself more important than anyone else, feeling that she had asked Consort Xuan toe because she thought highly of her. However, that woman dared to embarrass her. She was so angry that she wanted to get even with Mo Xuetong.

    Hu Qianyue, who had suffered a loss at Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce just now, did not dare to allow Princess Caifeng to go to her right now. Consort Xuan was not to be trifled with. Her stunning face looked innocent and there was not a hint of displeasure in her gentle voice. However, she forced Hu Qianyue to step back. How could she be easy to deal with?

    Hu Qianyue was not doing this for Princess Caifeng¡¯s sake. She had told Mo Xuetong earlier that Princess Caifeng was not feeling well. If Princess Caifeng personally came to her and suffered a setbackter, the princess would give her a hard time, and Consort Xuan would also me her for lying. Hu Qianyue would not do such a thing that would do her no good.

    She took two steps forward and held Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry? Have a rest first. I will tell you about Consort Xuan. We have really underestimated her. She is not simple. Think about it. It is said that King Xuan has not been involved in any romantic affairs since he married her.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Princess Caifeng frowned and asked in confusion.

    What did she mean? Of course, she meant that Consort Xuan had some tricks up her sleeve! However, she could not say it so clearly. It seemed that Princess Caifeng was a little stupid. She wanted Hu Qianyue to exin it clearly. For the first time, Hu Qianyue felt that it was wrong for her to follow Princess Caifeng to the Qin Kingdom.

    Given Princess Caifeng¡¯s character, there was no need for her to stir up trouble. The princess herself would be able to hook up with men and pick one from them!

    ¡°Caifeng, sit down and listen to Miss Hu,¡± Crown Prince Xieyue said lightly.

    Princess Caifeng had never dared to defy her superior elder brother who looked gentle but was actually frightening since she was a child. Even though she was filled with reluctance, she still sat down. She pinched her handkerchief hard, and secretly gritted her teeth to vent her anger.

    ¡°No matter what kind of woman Consort Xuan is, she must give the position of Consort Xuan to me.¡±

    Of course, she needed the help of her elder brother more, so she did not dare to disobey Crown Prince Xieyue.

    Crown Prince Xieyue looked as if he didn¡¯t notice the dissatisfied expression on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face. He raised his hand and gestured at Hu Qianyue. ¡°What kind of person is Consort Xuan?¡±

    Ever since they entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor, they had never seen King Xuan, who was supposed to be the host. It was said that the delicate and weak Consort Xuan was ill. Crown Prince Xieyue had always thought that it was Consort Xuan¡¯s means of fighting for King Xuan¡¯s affections. Ever since his sister saw King Xuan, she had been absent-minded. Crown Prince Xieyue knew that she liked King Xuan.

    He was happy to see such a thing. Anyway, it was better for Princess Caifeng to marry the most favored prince in the Qin Kingdom. However,ter something happened between King Yan and Princess Caifeng, and it could not be hidden. In fact, the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor in the pce must have learned it, so it was the best choice for Caifeng to marry King Yan.

    No matter what, Princess Caifeng could be considered one of his camp. He only hoped that she would be obedient and agree with the marriage, instead of causing too much trouble.

    As for King Xuan, Feng Yuran, ording to Xieyue¡¯s observation, King Xuan was definitely not as simple as he seemed on the surface. Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the time they spent with each other to observe him more. However, he did not expect that King Xuan had never showed up since Consort Xuan got ill.

    Although they lived in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, they felt as if they had been living in the other prince¡¯s manor. From time to time, they saw those princes, but the host of King Xuan¡¯s Manor could not be seen at all. Xieyue had long suspected that the so-called illness of Consort Xuan was just a means to prevent Caifeng from seeing King Xuan.

    The best way to arrange a marriage between two countries was to marry a princess to a prince!

    Even though the other princes were all handsome, they were not attractive enoughpared to the handsome King Xuan. Consort Xuan had intentionally pretended to be ill and detained King Xuan. It was also something excusable!

    The problemy in King Xuan. It was said that King Xuan was unrestrained and was the biggest yboy in the Qin Kingdom. There were many beautiful women in his manor and he dared to ept all kind of woman. However, since Consort Xuan entered the manor, there had been no more rumors about him. Furthermore, he worked in the court like a prince who had really settled down and there was no word that he was incapable of work.

    From this, it could be seen that King Xuan was not simple, and so was Consort Xuan!

    And now, it was very obvious that King Xuan was very straightforward to express that he did not want to marry Caifeng. Then Xieyue could only choose one from the other princes.

    ¡°Consort Xuan looks fabulous and young. She should be only 14 or 15 years old. Perhaps because she is ill, her face is a little pale. Her words might hold water and her voice is gentle, but it gives people a sense of indifference...¡± Hu Qianyue thought for a while and described.

    ¡°She¡¯s fabulous? Is she more fabulous than me?¡± Princess Caifeng could not help but interrupt.

    ¡°Caifeng, not another word!¡± Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s face darkened. Princess Caifeng was so scared that she immediately shut her mouth. Although she was not convinced in her heart, she did not dare to say anything.

    ¡°Do you think she is really ill?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s eyes darkened a little.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t look very good and was a little too pale, and...¡± Hu Qianyue looked at the pale face of Crown Prince Xieyue. ¡°It¡¯s simr to Your Highness¡¯s face.¡±

    Crown Prince Xieyue had fallen ill since he was born. He had always been in poor health. Even though it did not affect his daily life, he had never stopped having medicine. If Consort Xuan¡¯s face was simr to his, then one could tell that she was indeed unwell. However, the fact that she could attend the banquet today meant that she was definitely not as bad as what the rumors said. So, the new that Consort Xuan had almost died of illness was unreliable.

    As expected, Consort Xuan had intentionally exaggerated her illness in order to make King Xuan avoid contact with Caifeng.

    ¡°Elder brother, Consort Xuan will also attend tonight¡¯s banquet. If you have any questions, you can go and see her.¡± Princess Caifeng was annoyed when she saw that Crown Prince Xieyue had been thinking about Consort Xuan. She was being spoiled and had long forgotten the orders of the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ Emperor before she came to the Qin Kingdom.

    ¡°Miss Hu, off you go and prepare the clothes for Caifeng to go to the pce banquet.¡± Xieyue ignored her words and said to Hu Qianyue with a smile.

    Hu Qianyue knew that the brother and sister had something to say, so she took her leave.

    When Hu Qianyue and her maidservants walked away, Crown Prince Xieyue turned his head and said seriously, ¡°Caifeng, the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor may grant the engagement tonight. You should be mentally prepared. Don¡¯t lose your manners at that time.¡±

    Caifeng had been in contact with several princes during this period of time. Even if the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor didn¡¯t mention it, Xieyue felt that it was necessary to remind him of the engagement. Otherwise, if they kept in contact with each other like this, the reputation of Caifeng would be totally ruined!

    ¡°Today? It¡¯s so fast!¡± Princess Caifeng was stunned. She had been living afortable life recently. There were handsome mening to tter her every day, making her very happy. However, when she thought that she was going to marry the handsome King Xuan, her face flushed and she lowered her head. She muttered, ¡°I will listen to your orders!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time to decide. King Yan is a good person, and so is Consort Yan. Remember not to bully her when you go to King Yan¡¯s Manor. After all, she is the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo.¡± Xieyue was very satisfied with the obedient reaction of Princess Caifeng, so he nodded and praised her.

    What? King Yan, Feng Yulei? Wasn¡¯t she going to marry King Xuan, Feng Yuran? Princess Caifeng suddenly raised her head as if she had been struck by lightning. She looked at Crown Prince Xieyue in shock and a hint of hatred and anger shed in her eyes.

 Chapter 616 - Hard to Control the Hostility

    <h4>Chapter 616 Hard to Control the Hostility</h4>

    ¡°Elder brother, why is it King Yan? What does he have to do with me? I want to marry King Xuan. I want to be Consort Xuan.¡± Princess Caifeng had never been a person who had tolerance. She immediately stood up excitedly and spoke loudly when she heard that the man Crown Prince Xieyue mentioned was not the one she wanted to marry.

    ¡°King Xuan?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Everyone knows about what happened between you and King Yan. Furthermore, King Yan has agreed to marry you. What are you dissatisfied with?¡±

    The two parties had their own ideas in private, and Consort Yan didn¡¯t object at all. Xieyue didn¡¯t think that Princess Caifeng didn¡¯t know about it. Besides, Feng Yulei had left the prince¡¯s jade pendant as the betrothal gift of their engagement. No matter which country the prince was from, he would give his jade pendant to his fianc¨¦e as the betrothal gift. Now that Feng Yulei¡¯s jade pendant was in Princess Caifeng¡¯s hands, didn¡¯t it represent her intention?

    ¡°What happened between the two of us? Elder brother, there¡¯s nothing between us. How could there¡¯s something between us?¡± Princess Caifeng was so anxious that she jumped up.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing between the two of you, what do you mean by talking and traveling privately with King Yan during the past few days?¡± There was a hint of anger on Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s face. If Feng Yulei and Caifeng had not made an agreement, he would not have allowed the two of them to get along in private to improve their rtionship. Even though the other two princes hade, there were always people watching beside them when they were here.

    ¡°Elder brother, I... I am choosing my husband!¡± Caifeng was ashamed and annoyed by Xieyue¡¯s words, and tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°Choosing your husband? Caifeng, I remember when we came here, I had told you clearly that no matter which prince likes you, you have to marry him. Whether you¡¯ll be the only wife or a co-wife, you will do your part for our Southern Barbarian Lands. When could you choose the man you want to marry? He¡¯s the son of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor. How could you, a princess from the Southern Barbarian Lands, a small country, have the right to choose?¡±

    Xieyue rolled his eyes slightly, and the bottom of his eyes was cold. He originally thought that although Caifeng was a little arrogant and arbitrary, at least she was sensible and knew who she was. Since he also wanted to create difficulties for those princes, he allowed those princes to visit Caifeng. Unexpectedly, what he had done spoiled her. Caifeng wanted to choose her husband in person!

    The marriage alliance between the two countries was intended to improve the rtionship between the two countries, and everything else was a small matter!

    ¡°But elder brother...¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s heart trembled when she saw that Xieyue¡¯s expression had darkened. She shivered and wriggled her mouth. ¡°Elder brother, but, I want to marry King Xuan. Didn¡¯t they say that King Xuan is their Emperor¡¯s favorite prince? As long as I marry King Xuan, it will be of great help to you, won¡¯t it?¡±

    She did not want to marry King Yan; she wanted to marry King Xuan. With her beautiful appearance, only King Xuan was worthy of her!

    ¡°King Yan was raised by the Empress. There is not only Ding General Manor behind him, but also Mingguo Manor. Even the Empress Dowager will stand on his side when necessary. And most importantly, you and King Yan are already like this. Will King Xuan marry you?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue analyzed calmly.

    Caifeng only relied on her status as a princess and her beauty. However, it was obvious that these points did not attract King Xuan¡¯s attention. Then, what was the point of marrying him? As for Consort Xuan, even Hu Qianyue had to admit that she was beautiful, and she had wanted to bring Consort Xuan here, but she failed, which indicated that she was not a simple woman.

    How could Caifeng fight with Consort Xuan who had won Feng Yuran¡¯s heart and was hard to deal with?

    Byparison, Consort Yan served King Yan wholeheartedly. It was much easier to deal with her than Consort Xuan, who had deliberately tied King Xuan using her illness. Crown Prince Xieyuepared them and had understood the situation behind it. Therefore, he gave up on King Xuan, Feng Yuran and had already sought the position of Consort Yan for Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°But, elder brother... I, I don¡¯t want to!¡± Princess Caifeng was unwilling to ept it. She gritted her teeth and stomped her feet as she cried out anxiously.

    Ever since she saw Feng Yuran, her mind had been filled with him. The reason why she had gotten along well with those princes and yed with them from time to time was that she wanted to deliberately make Feng Yuran jealous. She had long forgotten about the misunderstanding between her and King Yan.

    Of course, she was the only one who did not take it to heart and chose to forget it!

    ¡°Caifeng, don¡¯t you remember what you told me before you came to the Qin Kingdom? Do you still want to marry into Wutuo?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s face darkened with a hint of anger.

    The reason why Princess Caifeng came to the Qin Kingdom instead of the other princesses was entirely because of Crown Prince Xieyue. Previously, Princess Caifeng was going to marry into a small country called Wutuo which was located in the other side of the Southern Barbarian Lands. It was said that the ce was extremely poor. Since it was hard for a man to marry a wife, some brothers only married one woman. It was a real wilderness.

    Of course, Princess Caifeng was unwilling to go to that ce. She asked for the permission of Crown Prince Xieyue in private, so she came to the Qin Kingdom with him!

    Hearing what Crown Prince Xieyue mentioned, she went limp and almost sat down on the ground. She opened her eyes wide in horror, and her face turned livid. She was so scared that her heart was in her mouth. She didn¡¯t dare to go against Xieyue, and hurriedly begged, ¡°Elder brother, I don¡¯t want to marry into that ce. I won¡¯t go there!¡±

    Every princess who had married into Wutuo had all died young. At this moment, Princess Caifeng was truly afraid.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go there, just listen to my arrangement. Will I hurt you?¡± The voice of Crown Prince Xieyue softened. He reached out and patted Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand. Then, he stood up and said to the maidservant beside him, ¡°Go and see if Miss Hu has prepared the clothes for the princess. Once she¡¯s ready, help the princess put on her makeup.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The maidservant lowered her head and left.

    Crown Prince Xieyue turned around and strode out. He had something else to deal with. He was a little confused and could not solve it at the moment, so he had to go back and get someone to sort out some things. He always felt that he had missed something. Why did Consort Xuan¡¯s maidservant look so familiar?

    He wondered if he had made a mistake!

    Behind him, Princess Caifeng¡¯s angry eyes turned glum and furious...

    Mo Xuetong had no idea what had happened between Xieyue and Princess Caifeng because she had already boarded Feng Yuran¡¯s super luxurious carriage and was heading to the pce. She did not have to go in such a hurry. However, Feng Yuran had gotten someone to tell her to hurry over and to go to Anhe Pce first.

    There were no other people living in Anhe Pce now. When Mo Xuetong entered the pce, she would rest in Anhe Pce from time to time. Because of the Emperor¡¯s order, no one paid attention to Anhe Pce, and everyone chose to forget it. It used to be Consort Xian¡¯s pce, but now it seemed to be the resting ce for King Xuan and Consort Xuan.

    Mo Xuetong got off the carriage at the gate of the pce and got on the pce sedan chair waiting there. The two eunuchs carrying the sedan chair skillfully took Mo Xuetong to Anhe Pce. Feng Yuran had been waiting there for a long time. Before Mo Xuetong could get off the sedan chair, he strode over and helped Mo Xuetong out. Then, he took her hand and walked into the pce.

    Noticing his strange expression, Mo Xuetong reached out to hold his hand and asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She lifted her long dress with one hand, almost unable to keep up with his footsteps.

    Feng Yuran did not say anything. Instead, he held her hand tightly. As he felt her warm and smooth hand in his hand, the depression in his chest was relieved. However, he still did not want to speak and continued to pull her inside. The pce servants in the inner room had already been asked to stay outside. The two of them walked into the inner pce. Feng Yuran put down his hand when he saw the portrait of Consort Xian hanging on the wall. He was speechless for a moment.

    The portrait had been brought from the Emperor. Ever since Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong rested here from time to time, the portrait had been hung on the wall.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Xuetong turned around and asked again. She reached out to hold Feng Yuran¡¯s hand forwardly and asked hesitantly, ¡°It¡¯s Consort Zhao...¡±

    ¡°The He family sent the poison to Consort Zhao¡¯s pce. When the Empress sent Mother the soup of birth control, Consort Zhao added the poison to it. Mother fell into her trap without checking.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes were dark. ¡°Mother had been gentle and kind for a lifetime. I didn¡¯t expect that she would die in her own family¡¯s hand in the end. The He family, the He family...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t finish his words for a while. His eyes were slightly red with bloodthirsty light shing in them. He looked extremely hateful, but there was a look of deep sadness on his face.

    Mo Xuetong had never seen him like this. His bloodthirsty aura represented that Feng Yuran was about to lose control. He had lost his mother at such a young age and had survived in that environment. He must have lived a hard life. His recollection of his mother was the source of all his warmth. He would definitely seek revenge for Consort Xian wholeheartedly.

    The He family was indeed dirty. They dared to murder Consort Xian. Mo Xuetong remembered that Feng Yuran had killed the entire He family like crazy because of this in thest life. He must have suffered a great blow. In this life, she would never allow him to lose control and hurt himself again. She slowly approached him and leaned into his arms. She heard his strong heartbeat which was clear and warm.

    ¡°Yuran, how is His Majesty going to deal with Consort Zhao?¡± Mo Xuetong asked tentatively, trying to calm him down.

    She could not allow him to be immersed in this bloodthirsty impulse. This might be Feng Yuran¡¯s biggest blow. Mo Xuetong knew that it seemed that Feng Yuran did not care about anything on the surface, but in fact, he valued feelings very much. When Consort Xian died, he had to feed himself poison since he was helpless.

    At that time, he was a child, and the Emperor did not believe what he said. If he did not think of a way of protecting himself, he would really die without a burial ce!

    Therefore, Feng Yuran had always been suspicious of Consort Zhao. However, he could not uncover her true colors because there was no evidence.

    After so many years, the depression umted in his heart was enough to destroy his usual calmness.

    Even though it could not be seen from the surface, Mo Xuetong had been paying attention to his reaction because of what had happened in the past life. She had already told that he cared about it very much. He cared about the fact that the He family had killed Consort Xian, and the point was that his mother treated the He family as a true rtive, but the He family had poisoned her behind her back.

    Being betrayed by her closest kin was the pain in his heart that could not alleviate.

    Feng Yuran lowered his head and stared at Mo Xuetong, looking at the reflection of his figure in her clear watery eyes. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tenderness, and the bloodthirsty viciousness in his eyes faded away slowly. He had regained his usual calm. He had only taken a nce at the file on Emperor Zongwen¡¯s table earlier but was stopped by Emperor Zongwen.

    When he left just now, he picked up the file. As he sat in Anhe Pce, the more he read it, the harder it was to suppress the anger in his heart. He almost wanted to desperately catch all the He family members and put them to death one by one!

 Chapter 617 - Gentleness, Unusual Ideas

    <h4>Chapter 617 Gentleness, Unusual Ideas</h4>

    Feng Yuran reached out and held Mo Xuetong in his arms. They snuggled up and did not speak. He lowered his eyes slightly, and it was obvious that he did not want to speak. However, Mo Xuetong was afraid that he would keep it in his heart. She rolled her watery eyes and shook his hand, asking, ¡°Was the He family involved in the matter of Consort Zhao?¡±

    She would not allow Feng Yuran to crazily take revenge on the He family like he did in the past life. After all, no matter how bad the He family was, they were still Consort Xian¡¯s family on the surface. Though they had used the chance that He Yufen plotted against Mo Xuetong to reveal the He family¡¯s scheme in order to cut off all ties with them.

    However, this could only separate the He family and King Xuan¡¯s Manor. King Xuan¡¯s Manor could turn a blind eye to the He family¡¯s request for help, but they could not add insult to injury. If Feng Yuran really punished the He family himself, outsiders didn¡¯t know the truth, but only knew that Feng Yuran was ruthless and heartless to his uncle¡¯s family. He would be regarded as heartless, which was not good for Feng Yuran at all.

    The best way was to start from Consort Zhao! However, Consort Zhao had harmed Consort Yu¡¯s child this time. Even though it was the Emperor¡¯s child, it had nothing to do with the He family, so it was difficult for them to get involved. Mo Xuetong knew that it was very difficult. She had brought it up at this time partly because she wanted to distract Feng Yuran¡¯s attention, and partly because they could consider the possibility of that.

    She had the same idea as Feng Yuran¡ªnever allow the He family to get away with it!

    No matter what, they had to get revenge for Consort Xian!

    Feng Yuran was clear about what Mo Xuetong meant. He rested his chin on Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and stared at the portrait on the wall. He seemed to have returned to his usualposure.

    ¡°Ever since Consort Zhao moved into Anhe Pce, Mother had always been very kind to her and treated her as her own younger sister. Mother would give her all the ornaments she liked. I still remember that Mother had a pair of earrings that Father gave her as a gift, and that woman also liked them. She first deliberately mentioned it in front of Mother, but Father gave this pair of earrings to Mother when Mother had just entered the pce, so Mother would not give it to her casually. However, not long after, she broke one of the earrings, and only exined that she was careless. However, what I saw at that time was her smiling proudly behind Mother¡¯s back. From then on, I knew that... she is not so gentle with Mother as she appears.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell Mother at that time?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°Yes, I did. But Mother didn¡¯t believe me. She only said that I was a child who didn¡¯t know how to behave myself and talked nonsense. She even told me not to talk nonsense in the future. But not long after... Mother was killed by her.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes grew cold. At that time, he was so young that he couldn¡¯t protect his mother. So he could only see Consort Zhao treat people with two faces. However, his mother thought that he was just a kid and talked nonsense.

    ¡°Mother would have been happy if she had known that you were so sensible and wanted to protect her at such a young age.¡± Mo Xuetong also looked up at Consort Xian in the painting. She always looked gentle, which made people feel warm from the bottom of their hearts. Compared with Consort Zhao¡¯s eyes and brows, Consort Xian was gentler. The warmth that came from her bones could not be imitated by Consort Zhao as she wanted.

    ¡°Mother will not die in vain. I will definitely punish the He family,¡± Feng Yuran stated coldly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the two members of the He family still in the capital? Do you want to start with He Yuxiu?¡± An idea suddenly shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. She lifted her watery eyes and pushed Feng Yuran¡¯s hand that was holding her away and asked anxiously.

    The two brothers of the He family had been controlled by He Yuxiu since they were driven out of the Lian An family. God knew why He Yuxiu kept them in the brothel. However, she controlled all the daily expenses and made some trouble for them from time to time. If they dared to go out without permission, they would be beaten severely.

    Now, the two did not dare to y any tricks, and they all hid behind He Yuxiu obediently.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, Feng Yuran immediately understood what she meant. His lips curved in a cold smiled. ¡°We can indeed start from He Yuxiu. I¡¯ll send Feng Yue there when I get back.¡±

    Even though it was difficult to get Consort Zhao involved in this matter, if the two from the He family were in their hands, they could do something. Feng Yuran heaved a sigh of relief when he thought that he could get revenge for his mother. He reached out to lift Mo Xuetong¡¯s chin and slightly kissed her with his thin, red lips.

    Mo Xuetong was not prepared for his sudden kiss. She was scarlet in the face and could not help but elbow him and snarled, ¡°You... we¡¯re in the pce!¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled quietly and blew softly into her ear on purpose. When he saw that her white and delicate earlobe had also turned red, his mood immediately improved. He reached out to hold her in his arms again and then said softly as if he was making a guarantee. ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I will protect you all the time. I will never let you be like my mother. I will never allow other women to disturb you.¡±

    He was assuring her that she would be the only woman he would have.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes suddenly widened. They were filled with shock and joy, as well as sweetness that she could not control.

    She ignored her blushing face and looked up. There was a great joy in her watery eyes. Even though she did not know what to say at this moment, she had to make him feel her joy. She reached out, wrapped her arms around Feng Yuran¡¯s neck and took the initiative to kiss him on his lips. Then, she ced her hands on his waist and leaned her head tightly into his embrace. She felt that her face was burning everywhere!

    ¡°Why was there only one kiss after I spoke to you about my love? It¡¯s too few!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice sounded in her ear in a pretentious manner. Mo Xuetong pretended to be a coward and buried her head in his arms, remaining still.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, aren¡¯t you going to stop observing mourning for your mother in a few months?¡± Feng Yuran did not pull her hard. He seemed to have thought of something good, and his voice was filled with a kind of ambiguity that made her heart race. It was indeed only a few months. His face grew even redder when she thought that he asked such a question at this moment.

    She twisted her body a few times and said yes in a low voice!

    ¡°Then, can we...¡± Feng Yuran lowered his head and spoke directly into her ear. Feeling the warmth and the man¡¯s strong aura, and hearing his ambiguous words, Mo Xuetong could not say anything else. She could only reach out and pinch his arm forcefully.

    The more this man talked, the more shameless he became!

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts! Tong¡¯er, you hurt my arm,¡± Feng Yuran yelled and shook his arm.

    Mo Xuetong had nned to ignore him, but he had yelled too miserably. She strained her ears and listened. Then, she heard him mumbling, ¡°My arm is injured. How can I hug Tong¡¯er in the future?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was embarrassed and fiercely pushed him away. Then she pretended to be furious and snapped, ¡°How could I hurt you? How could you get hurt with a light pinch?¡±

    However, regardless of when she spoke or she acted, she was both delicate and beautiful. Her usually pale face was redder, making her look even more beautiful.

    Feng Yuran was in a good mood andughed. He stoppedughing when she was angry from embarrassment and pulled her to sit down on the couch beside him. Then he held her in his arms. ¡°Tong¡¯er, let¡¯s be together forever from now on, okay?¡±

    There was a hint of caution in his gentle words.

    ¡°Okay! We will be together forever!¡± Mo Xuetong did not refuse. She closed her eyes slowly and nodded with a red face. Since God had allowed her to be reborn and meet the person she loved, she was willing to be with him forever in this life!

    Perhaps it was thepensation for her tragic death in her past life, so she was able to meet him in this life. She was willing to pay anything for him!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er! Tong¡¯er!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face was covered with uncontroble excitement as he muttered to Mo Xuetong. He could no longer suppress the joy in his heart. He kissed her delicate, petal-like lips. This time, it not only carried simple gentleness, but also held the deep love that he had for the rest of his life that he would never forget...

    Joy, obsession, and love silently flowed in their hot kiss.

    When Mo Xuetong was almost out of breath from the kiss, Feng Yuran let go of her. He held her in front of his chest and closed his eyes to calm the excitement in his heart.

    How many days before his mother-inw¡¯s death anniversary? He really couldn¡¯t hold on to it any longer! And there was also the poison in Tong¡¯er¡¯s body...

    The person he loved most was by his side, but he could only watch her. He was a normal man. Although he had great endurance, no man could guarantee that he could always control his desires when he faced the woman he loved!

    Mo Xuetong came to her senses from the passionate kiss. Her cheeks were burning hot, and she subconsciously changed the topic. ¡°Before I came here, Princess Caifeng asked Hu Qianyue toe to me, and I sent her away.¡±

    Feng Yuran lifted the corners of his lips and asked unhappily, ¡°Did they want to bully you? I will take revenge for youter!¡± Neither of the two women was quiet. If it were not for the fact that there was not much time left, he would not have been able to stand them.

    When the banquet was over, no matter who the two restless women belonged to, it had nothing to do with him. He would get someone to clean up the courtyardter. ¡°Damn, the courtyard has been upied by these two women, but Tong¡¯er has to clean it up.¡±

    Now that they dared to bully Tong¡¯er, he would deal with them in a while...

    ¡°They did want to. But they didn¡¯t expect that I, who was so sick that I was going to die, would be so imposing. Hu Qianyue was shocked and ran away after saying a few words.¡± Mo Xuetong thought of Hu Qianyue¡¯s embarrassment and her careful observation of her expression at that time. She found it funny, and giggled.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see her next time, get someone to beat her out. Just tell her that I said it. How dare an official¡¯s daughtere to my wife¡¯s courtyard and ask to see you. She really thinks too highly of herself,¡± Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly.

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s purpose ining to the Qin Kingdom was to stir up trouble. Since she liked to stir up trouble, Feng Yuran would make her stay here. He wondered what the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands would think if he knew that his chess piece was left in the Qin Kingdom. ording to the news, Hu Qianyue was very likely to be the wife of the Third Prince.

    ¡°Oh, did you find a husband for her?¡± Mo Xuetong rolled her watery eyes and immediately understood what Feng Yuran meant. She could not help but ask Feng Yuran with great interest.

    Looking at her bright eyes full of curiosity and looking at him, Feng Yuran smiled and reached out to pinch her pretty nose. Suddenly, he said mysteriously, ¡°If Princess Caifeng knows that Hu Qianyue is going to stay in the Qin Kingdom with her and marry Feng Yuzhen or Feng Yulei, I wonder if she will be ecstatic!¡±

    Mo Xuetong was shocked by his strange thoughts. She blinked her long eyshes and could not speak for a moment. Hu Qianyue and Princess Caifeng? Both of them were restless!

    Feng Yuzhen and Feng Yulei?

    No matter which of them she married, they would really have a hard life!

 Chapter 618 - An Encounter, King Chuâ€™s Care

    <h4>Chapter 618 An Encounter, King Chu¡¯s Care</h4>

    Feng Yuran did not stay in Anhe Pce for long. When he had calmed down, he chatted with Mo Xuetong for a while and then, left with the eunuch sent by Emperor Zongwen. Mo Xuetong straightened up her clothes and did not stay idle. She went to the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce. When she was ill, the pce had sent gifts to her. Of course, she had to express her gratitude.

    The reason she had entered the pce earlier because she wanted to express her gratitude first in case anyone used her of being rude due to this matter.

    When she was ill, others would not fight about it. However, now that she was fine, she had to give an exnation to several big shots in the pce. No matter how the outside fight was, those people were elders and Feng Yuran had to take on filial duties. Since he wanted to go far on that road, Mo Xuetong could not drag him down.

    The reason why she chose Cining Pce first was because it was the Empress Dowager who lived there. In the entire harem, the Empress Dowager had the most respected status.

    The matter of Consort Zhao and Consort Yu had just happened in the pce. The battle between the two favored consorts had resulted in both sides suffering. Everyone in the harem felt insecure. There was no longer any lively andughing scene. The Empress was still paying respect for Buddha. Two imperial noble consorts were in charge of the harem, but since either of them was the Empress, theycked the status to work.

    However, no matter what, King Chu, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s status was much improved. He was the Emperor¡¯s eldest son and his mother had a noble status, and was also in charge of the harem; besides, he had made great achievements in the court. He seemed to be the most powerful prince among all the princes. Now, he was popr in the court.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not know why he appeared in the pce now. Furthermore, he was coincidentally standing on the path she had to pass.

    Mo Xuetong stopped and looked up with her watery eyes. It was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan who wasing toward her. She had never seen him since the incident at King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    Feng Yuxuan was also wearing a light purple royal robe today. Even though it was also purple, it waspletely different from Feng Yuran¡¯s mboyant purple robe. It was much iner, bringing out his elegance and grace. He was still the King Chu who was as gentle as jade.

    ¡°Greetings, King Chu.¡± Mo Xuetong retracted her eyes lightly and gave a slight bow ording to the curtsy.

    Feng Yuxuan walked up to Mo Xuetong and swept his gaze across her jade-like white face. Even though she did not look very healthy, she was still extremely beautiful. Furthermore, there was a hint of natural delicacy in her body. Her watery eyes were beautiful and attractive. No one would forget such a woman, including him! What was more, this woman was so smart!

    Before he married Ling Fengyan, he had been having a crush on her. However, it was a secret and he had never told anyone about it.

    He smiled and said gently, ¡°Consort Xuan, please rise!¡± However, he did not move away and was still in Mo Xuetong¡¯s way.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re feeling better, Consort Xuan? I think you¡¯re still too weak. Why don¡¯t you have more rest?¡± He stood at the intersection and said those caring words with a smile. His handsome eyes were filled with affection. He did not feel that it was too much for him to care about his sister-inw so much.

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, King Chu. I¡¯m almost cured.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was as light as water and she seemed distant. She took two steps back and kept a distance from Feng Yuxuan.

    Feng Yuxuan looked as if he did not notice Mo Xuetong¡¯s alienation at all. He continued to smile gently and elegantly. ¡°Do you know that Father is about to bestow a marriage to Old Eight today? Princess Caifeng from the Southern Barbarian Lands is about to enter and host King Xuan¡¯s Manor. What are you going to do?¡±

    His voice carried a deep sigh of concern that could not be ignored. If it were another woman, she might be dazzled by him. However, Mo Xuetong would not. The smile on her lips was as cold as ice. ¡°Your Highness, how did you know that Princess Caifeng is going to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor and that she will take my ce?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan deliberately got in her way. Did he want to find out more about Princess Caifeng? Given Feng Yuxuan¡¯s character, it would be perfect for him to do such a thing. He hade to King Xuan¡¯s Manor every day during the past few days. Even though he also chatted andughed with Princess Caifeng,pared with the other two, he seemed to be a little too perfunctory.

    Whenever Feng Yulei and Feng Yuzhen arrived at King Xuan¡¯s Manor, they went straight to find Princess Caifeng to have fun and chat. Feng Yuxuan usually went to Crown Prince Xieyue first and said a few polite words to Princess Caifeng before he left. He did not seem to be in a hurry. Instead, it seemed that it was about etiquette and he did not seem to want to butter up to Princess Caifeng.

    Didn¡¯t he want to marry Princess Caifeng and increase the strength of his side?

    Mo Xuetong had long heard that Feng Yuxuan had been to Ding General Manor. Then he must have talked with Ding General Manor and they had reached an agreement!

    ¡°It¡¯s well-known that Eighth brother is very handsome. As long as Princess Caifeng has eyes, she will definitely choose Eighth brother. Eighth brother was the one who picked her up when she entered the city. I heard that the two of them had a happy talk at that time. One of them was in the carriage while the other was on the horse. Princess Caifeng lifted the curtain and chatted andughed with Eighth brother. Everyone in the capital knows that. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    Feng Yuxuan did not answer her question, and instead, he lowered his head to look at her and asked softly.

    ¡°And Father also has the same intention. You know that Eighth brother is Father¡¯s favorite son, but your identity...¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s status was a little low. As for the other princes, even King Ning married the daughter of a first-grade official. Only Feng Yuran was married to the daughter of a third-grade official. From this point of view, Feng Yuran had already lost the advantage. Furthermore, in the Mo family, only Mo Huawen was capable; the younger generation was not as capable as he was and his son was good-for-nothing.

    It was normal for the Emperor not satisfied with her.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect every word Feng Yuxuan said today to be rted to her. He not only pointed out Feng Yuran¡¯s loose manner, but also thoroughly understood Emperor Zongwen¡¯s thoughts. If she had not known that Feng Yuxuan was very shrewd, even she would had thought that he really cared about her. She looked up and her beautiful eyes rolled slightly. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°If Princess Caifeng wants to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor and be Consort Xuan, will His Majesty agree?¡±

    The sadness made her look even more pitiful. Coupled with her delicate body and slightly furrowed brows, these things all hinted that she was helpless and aggrieved. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s heart tightened and he could not help but reach out to touch her. Fortunately, he reacted in time. He waved his hand in the air and put it behind his back. He clenched his hand tightly. It was not the right time yet. He could not be anxious in case he would scare her.

    He had seen her many times in his dreams. The person in front of him was clearly the woman he had been missing very much, but he couldn¡¯t act rashly.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng has been living in King Xuan¡¯s Manor for the past few days. I heard that she has long treated King Xuan¡¯s Manor as her own courtyard. Some of the flowers in the manor had been plucked to her liking. Eighth brother didn¡¯t seem to say anything. If she really marries into King Xuan¡¯s Manor in the future, even if you be a co-wife, you will still be a concubine. I¡¯m afraid it will be bad for you!¡±

    Feng Yuxuan held back the desire in his heart and his eyes grew darker, but there was gentleness hidden deep in them. Most of the people knew how Princess Caifeng was during these days. She was arrogant and unreasonable. If such a woman were to enter the back courtyard, she would be able to destroy all the women in the back courtyard.

    If Princess Caifeng really married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor and became Consort Xuan, Mo Xuetong would have a hard life. Given Princess Caifeng¡¯s character, it would be hard for her to survive.

    ¡°If you want to leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor, I can help you!¡± Feng Yuxuan stated softly when he saw the sadness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold expression.

    Mo Xuetong looked up at him quietly. There was deep darkness in her eyes. Even though his gaze looked gentle, it was veryplicated, soplicated that she could not understand it at the moment. However, there was something she did not like inside. It was a kind of strong desire to be in possession. He had hurt her again and again, and if she had not died once, and had not been able to bear it, she might have died many times already.

    The person who had tried to hurt her had appeared in front of her with warm passions. He looked as if he wanted to help her sincerely. How could Mo Xuetong not mock him in her heart? King Chu really could not bear to see her and Feng Yuran being good. She lowered her eyes slightly to hide the mocking and disgust in them.

    ¡°He wants me to leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Does he want me to doubtfully be a mistress?¡±

    Not to mention that it was impossible for Princess Caifeng to enter and host King Xuan¡¯s Manor, even if Feng Yuran had to marry Princess Caifeng under the pressure of the Emperor, Mo Xuetong believed that he had enough means to suppress Princess Caifeng, making her unable to act. Although the Southern Barbarian Lands was a strong aid, they might be enemies in different circumstances.

    ¡°There are two choices here for you to consider. If you still want to stay in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Princess Caifeng will definitely not allow you to stay. Given Sir Mo¡¯s status, even if something happens to you, he will at most send someone to create trouble. Father will not punish Eighth brother. Furthermore, Princess Caifenges from the Southern Barbarian Lands and cannot be hurt easily. Think about it. Even if you stay in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, you can only die in vain. The other way is to leave. Only if you leave will you have a chance to survive. Eighth brother has always been a yboy. It¡¯s right about the limit for him to be so kind to you for so many days. You cannot ask him to be loyal to you all the time.¡±

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong did not say anything, Feng Yuxuan thought that she faltered a little. He started to point out his reasons calmly. He believed that as long as she was smart, she would definitely choose to leave. And he had always believed that Mo Xuetong was a smart woman. A smart woman would always choose a path that would benefit her.

    One of the roads had been cut off, and there was still hope on the other road!

    ¡°I have a courtyard and it happens to be outside the city. I¡¯ll take you back when the matter is settled in the future. I promise you here that I won¡¯t treat you badly. Although I can¡¯t make you my wife, I¡¯ll definitely give you the position of second consort. Except for the position of the first consort, I will give you all the other things that I can give you, and I won¡¯t let you be bullied by the first consort.¡±

    ¡°King Chu, do you know what you are talking about?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up calmly. The sadness in her eyes had disappeared. Her expression suddenly turned calm and she asked lightly, as if she did not know that Feng Yuxuan was using this chance to tell her about his feelings.

    Mo Ye took two steps back and looked around warily because if someone heard this, it would be hard to exin!

    Feng Yuxuan felt a little depressed when he saw her calm eyes. He frowned slightly and looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale and weak face carefully. He had a bad feeling that it was beyond his control. Did what he had thought was an easy matter go wrong?

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I know what I am talking about. I will definitely do what I promised you just now. Do you still remember when we were in Cloud City? At that time, I¡¯ve already fall in love with you. I wanted to ask Father to bestow the marriage upon us. However, due to all sorts of idental mishaps, we missed each other. If it were not because Eighth brother was injured seriously and your Eight Characters were in line with his, you would not be Consort Xuan but my consort.¡±

 Chapter 619 - Provoke Him, Feng Yuxuans Anger

    <h4>Chapter 619 Provoke Him, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s Anger</h4>

    Feng Yuxuan thought that his words were full of affection. Furthermore, this was also the truth. He had always wanted to tell those words to Mo Xuetong. He had hoped that she would be as gentle and shy as him when he said it in front of her. However, he did not expect Mo Xuetong to still look at him coldly and distantly.

    There was no surprise, no shyness, not even fluctuation, as if she did not care about his excitement and joy at all. She was so calm that Feng Yuxuan had an impulse to break her calmness. How could that be? With his status and appearance, no woman had ever been so cold to him.

    For no reason, there was a wave of annoyance surging in his heart.

    ¡°Many thanks for your kindness, King Chu. But I am now Consort Xuan and will be Consort Xuan in the future. I do not intend to give up my position to Princess Caifeng. Sorry to bother you, King Chu.¡± There was not a hint of warmth in the smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. She ignored Feng Yuxuan¡¯s words and curtsied to him again. She took two steps back and made way for him, signaling for him to leave first.

    ¡°You...¡± Feng Yuxuan did not expect Mo Xuetong to treat him in such a manner. The smile on his face slowly faded away, reced by a hint of coldness. He took two steps forward and could not help but reach out to grab Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand. However, Mo Xuetong took another two steps back and avoided his hand. She looked up with her watery eyes and her tone was cold.

    ¡°Your Highness King Chu, are you sure you want to hold your sister-inw¡¯s hand here?¡±

    This was not a question. Even though her voice was still soft and slow, as if she was very gentle, her tone was cold and determined. Her words reminded Feng Yuxuan. He paused and stopped chasing after Mo Xuetong. They were in the imperial pce where many people came and went. No matter who saw this scene, it would not be good.

    Although he was in an advantageous position now, he didn¡¯t dare to mess around in the pce at this time, lest someone caught him.

    It didn¡¯t matter if he said a few words to Mo Xuetong, but if he really manhandled her, it would be inappropriate. He had chosen the road ahead, which was a little remote. However, he didn¡¯t expect that it would be a littleter when he ran into her even if he had measured the time. Although it was also secluded here, there was a main road not far ahead. Maybe someone would see them.

    Even though he stopped chase after her, he did not make way for her. He could not help butnd his eyes on Mo Xuetong. Ever since he saw this woman, she was the one he had been dreaming of. No matter whether it was the most beautiful woman Ling Fengyan or Ling Rui¡¯er, she was the only woman in the capital, who had won his heart and be his dream. He seemed to have be more and more obsessed with her.

    His eyes fell on her calm and slightly angry eyes. It seemed that no matter what expression she had on her face, she was always the most beautiful woman in his heart. She was extremely beautiful, and even her cold and angry eyes were full of charm. He just didn¡¯t understand why she suddenly became angry when they talked peacefully just now.

    Looking at her face, which was as delicate as a flower, he suddenly had an idea. His face softened and with a gentle smile, he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be a second consort?¡±

    Just now, he said that he would give her a title and be the second consort in his manor. Could it be that she was unwilling to ept that position? It made sense. She was Feng Yuran¡¯s first consort, and would feel bad to be his second consort. Furthermore, he heard that his eighth brother loved her very much, and only doted on her among all the women in the back courtyard. So she would not be happy to have someone above her!

    ¡°...¡± Mo Xuetong was speechless for a moment. She did not know what King Chu was thinking. How did he tell that she was unwilling to be a second consort? Of course, most women were unwilling to be concubines. Who would like to be a concubine instead of the first consort?

    Feng Yuxuan thought that he had guessed correctly when he saw that Mo Xuetong remained silent. He rxed and his voice grew softer as he said slowly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be a second consort, it doesn¡¯t matter. But I can¡¯t make it right now. When I can really make the decision in the future, I won¡¯t let you down and make you below others. I can even make you Empress!¡±

    The future Empress of the country? Feng Yuxuan really dared to think about it. He really thought that he had everything in his hands!

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and nced at him from the corner of her eyes. Her eyes were as bright as two pieces of dark zes. ¡°Your Highness King Chu, didn¡¯t I make myself clear? I am Consort Xuan. Then, I will be Consort Xuan for the rest of my life. No matter what I will face, it is a matter of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. It has nothing to do with you, King Chu, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Tong¡¯er...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness King Chu, I am Consort Xuan, your sister-inw. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s inappropriate for you to call me that?¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted Feng Yuxuan coldly. There was a hint of distance and displeasure in her eyes.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness King Chu, I¡¯ve already understood what you mean, but I¡¯ve already made it clear. I am going to visit the Empress Dowager now. I wonder whether she will be unhappy if she finds out that Your Highness is stopping me here,¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted him once again. She raised her beautiful brows slightly, with a hint of sharpness hidden between them. Her eyes were still watery but seemed to be soaked in cold water, without any warmth in them.

    ¡°You are using the Empress Dowager to suppress me!¡± Feng Yuxuan was first stunned by Mo Xuetong¡¯s attitude. Then, his eyes widened and he red at Mo Xuetong coldly. He snarled, ¡°If the Empress Dowager finds out that you are talking with me here, the first one to be punished will be you. She never likes you very much.¡±

    What he said was true. Every time she saw the Empress Dowager, the older woman took a lukewarm attitude or made trouble. Furthermore, some of the concubines Feng Yuran had ordered to be beaten to death were the Empress Dowager¡¯s people. So, it would be strange if she was nice to Mo Xuetong!

    ¡°You said that I was the one who stopped you, but others would only think that you were the one who stood in my way shamelessly and stopped me from leaving. Other than the maidservant beside you, who else would defend you? Even if the maidservant speaks for you, since she is your maidservant, who will believe that? Do you think the Empress Dowager would believe what I say or your maidservant says?¡±

    Mo Xuetong stared at him with a cold look in her eyes, but she did not answer.

    Feng Yuxuan continued, ¡°The two of us have been standing here and talking for a while. I didn¡¯t bring anyone with me, and you only brought a maidservant. Even though we are not a single man and a single woman, it is almost the same. Besides, we have spoken for such a long time. What would others think? There are many smart people in the pce. As long as I say that you stopped me intentionally, how would you defend yourself?¡±

    It was not a part of Feng Yuxuan¡¯s n. It was what he naturally thought after he was provoked by Mo Xuetong. Then he spoke these words to threaten her. When soft methods failed, hard tactics were used. Unless Mo Xuetong agreed to his request, he would not let her go today.

    He wanted this woman wholeheartedly. Even if she had married another man, he still missed her. Then he would not let her escape. Mo Xuetong had no other choice but to choose him.

    This man had tried to frame her, and endanger her life over and over again. Now, he was acting so affectionately. Mo Xuetong only felt that it was satiric. He even wanted her to be with him wholeheartedly. She really did not know why he was so confident and felt that she could only rely on him.

    She lifted the corners of her lips slightly to form a bright and mocking smile. ¡°Your Highness King Chu, I don¡¯t want to be your first consort, not to mention your second consort. I don¡¯t even want to have anything to do with you. I just want to walk through this road. Your Highness, you have a high status. You¡¯d better not make things difficult for both of us. Otherwise, I will not be the only one to lose face then. Furthermore, Your Highness, are you sure that Princess Caifeng will marry Yuran!¡±

    Since Feng Yuxuan had stated his purpose, Mo Xuetong did not want to hide anymore. It was better to reveal some things, lest Feng Yuxuan would think of any other spections. No matter what happened to Princess Caifeng or the Southern Barbarian Lands, these were all variables. Who could control these variables was nearly sessful.

    Feng Yuxuan was trying to trouble Feng Yuran! He wanted to make Feng Yuran unable to take care of himself. Perhaps, Feng Yuxuan had his own selfish motives. However, it made Mo Xuetong feel even more disgusted! She did not like to be plotted against. It made her feel as if there was nowhere to run and she could only follow the path he pointed out.

    This reminded her of her past life. In her past life, she had followed the path Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin had given her. That was why she had ended up in such a miserable and hopeless situation. In this life, she did not want anyone to interfere in her life. Furthermore, this person was King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, who had a bad intention. Did he think that taking her away would be as simple as breaking off a flower by the roadside?

    Feng Yuxuan really looked down on her and Feng Yuran. It seemed that what had happened in the harem and the court had made him have the upper hand in every aspect recently. That was why he had such an idea and wanted to get Mo Xuetong. The thing about Princess Caifeng was originally just a pretext.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to be with me?¡± Feng Yuxuan¡¯s expression darkened. He hadpletely skipped the topic of Princess Caifeng. He was truly angry. A hint of viciousness shed across his eyes. His eyes were dark and he no longer looked gentle and calm. Looking at Mo Xuetong, he asked word by word. The air around him also became a little cold.

    No longer caring about her surroundings, Mo Ye walked up to Mo Xuetong and looked at Feng Yuxuan warily.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± Mo Xuetong answered firmly, which made her soft voice more sonorous and powerful. However, it also angered Feng Yuxuan in an instant. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s eyebrows were already covered with thick gloom and coldness, and uncontroble beating.

    ¡°Good, good, good, since you don¡¯t want to obediently enter my manor, then I won¡¯t let you off the hook even if you die without a burial ground. You bring it on yourself.¡± Feng Yuxuan flicked his light purple robe sleeves as if he wanted to break something. He rushed up suddenly and grabbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s sleeves to pull her into his embrace.

    ¡°Do you think that Eighth brother¡¯s manor will still have you there and Father will still be able to tolerate you after someone sees that you throw yourself into my arms?¡± Heughed coldly and pressed his fingers hard. There was a heavy haze in his eyes. His attitude was certain and his words were vicious. He waspletely different from how he usually behaved in front of everyone.

    Mo Xuetong was already weak. And she did not expect Feng Yuxuan, who had always been thoughtful and keeping his thoughts to himself, to be so crazy. Her wrist was immediately grabbed and before she had time to exim, she was pulled to Feng Yuxuan¡¯s embrace. Mo Xuetong hurriedly reached out to the side. If she were to really bump into Feng Yuxuan¡¯s embrace, she would not be able to exin it. With Feng Yuxuan¡¯s usual attitude and the Emperor¡¯s favor, she would be really forced into a dead end.

    Feng Yuxuan had lost control of himself to this extent!

 Chapter 620 - Confused, the Person That Always Couldnt Be Seen Through

    <h4>Chapter 620 Confused, the Person That Always Couldn¡¯t Be Seen Through</h4>

    Mo Ye reacted quickly. The moment she saw that Mo Xuetong had reached out, she grabbed her hand. She was a martial artist and had always been on guard, so she was naturally much faster than Feng Yuxuan who had acted angrily. She pulled Mo Xuetong forcefully. Feng Yuxuan didn¡¯t expect that a maidservant had such great strength. Immediately, she pulled Mo Xuetong behind her.

    It happened very fast, and they were standing by the side of the road. Mo Xuetong seemed to rush forward and tripped over something. She was about to fall to the ground, but the maidservant beside her hurriedly reached out to hold her. Finally, she stopped when she approached King Chu and was pulled back behind the maidservant.

    A maidservant reacted so quickly. Feng Yuxuan was stunned and his expression turned dark. He stretched out his hand and wanted to pull her back. Suddenly, he heard a clear voice behind him. ¡°Greetings, King Chu, Consort Xuan!¡±

    There was someone else here. The two of them involuntarily turned around. Feng Yuxuan¡¯s hand retracted silently and the sinister expression on his face disappeared. He looked as gentle as ever. Following the voice, he saw a young man dressed in a light blue brocade robe with algae patterns, looking elegant and handsome. He was Qin Yufeng, who had just be the Number One Schr.

    He hade from behind Feng Yuxuan. He looked at the two of them with a grin, as if he had not sensed the strange atmosphere between the two of them at all!

    Feng Yuxuan turned around subconsciously and walked forward slowly. As he was a few steps away from Mo Xuetong, he asked with a smile. ¡°Yufeng, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I entered the pce with King Ning just now. King Ning wanted to see the Empress Dowager inside. I went with him and paid my respects. Then, I came back myself,¡± Qin Yufeng exined with a smile. He looked as if he had just arrived. His eyes drifted over to Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale face with a smile. After a pause, he looked away quietly.

    Today¡¯s banquet was held for the top three in the imperial examination, so it was normal for Qin Yufeng to appear in the pce. With Qin Yufeng¡¯s current status and age, it was obvious that he would have a promising future. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, expressed his goodwill to him, and it was normal for him to invite Qin Yufeng to the pce to visit the Empress Dowager.

    ¡°It¡¯s still early for the banquet. Why don¡¯t you have a walk with me?¡± Feng Yuxuan offered with a smile. Qin Yufeng used to be one of his men. He had never been an official because he was on his side wholeheartedly and gave advice to him. However, Feng Yuxuan could not figure out what he meant now.

    Since Qin Yufeng was the new Number One Schr, many people came to the Qin Manor recently, so it was not convenient for Feng Yuxuan to show up in front of him and they had not had a good talk. Now it was still early, so Feng Yuxuan wanted to have a talk with Qin Yufeng and ask him what he was going to do. No matter whether Qin Yufeng was going to be an official or not, Feng Yuxuan thought that he was on his side.

    Qin Yufeng was a talented person, a young and capable person who used to give advice to him. Therefore, Feng Yuxuan felt that he had to collect him and he thought this should not be a problem. The two of them had been getting along well for a long time. Even if Qin Yufeng had changed his mind, he would stop him!

    It was rare to have such a good opportunity. Feng Yuxuan thought about it and felt that the opportunity was not bad. He immediately changed his mind to stop Mo Xuetong. There were still chances for him to deal with Mo Xuetong in the future, so there was no rush. However, he had to show his kindness to Qin Yufeng, as well as threaten him with his power as soon as possible, lest Feng Yuzhen got benefit.

    Having made up his mind, Feng Yuxuan invited Qin Yufeng with a sincere smile!

    ¡°Then Consort Xuan...¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s gaze drifted to Mo Xuetong. He seemed to be pondering.

    ¡°I was just talking to Consort Xuan about Princess Caifeng from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Since Consort Xuan is ill these days, I will ask Eighth brotherter.¡± Feng Yuxuan waved his hand and smiled elegantly at Mo Xuetong. ¡°Since you want to see the Empress Dowager, you¡¯d better go first, Consort Xuan.¡±

    Then, he moved out of the way naturally and gestured for Mo Xuetong to leave first.

    Feng Yuxuan covered it up. Of course, Mo Xuetong would not expose it. She immediately curtsied to Feng Yuxuan gracefully and walked away slowly with Mo Yu. Fortunately, Qin Yufeng had appeared in time. Otherwise, with Feng Yuxuan¡¯s earlier crazed state, it would not be easy to settle the matter today.

    Qin Yufeng stood by the side. When Mo Xuetong passed him, he did not say anything and cupped his hands as a curtsy.

    Mo Xuetong nodded and led Mo Yu forward. They passed a small path and headed for the main road. Then, Mo Xuetong asked Mo Yu softly, ¡°Was there anyone around just now?¡±

    She was not worried about what had happened earlier. After all, as long as Feng Yuxuan did not stir up trouble, others could not say anything even if they had seen that they had spoken for a long while, which was unreasonable. Furthermore, Feng Yuxuan had used Princess Caifeng as an excuse earlier, which meant that he had pushed it on Princess Caifeng.

    Everyone knew that Princess Caifeng had never been quiet in King Xuan¡¯s Manor recently. Feng Yuxuan was King Chu who wanted to marry Princess Caifeng, so it was normal for him to ask about Princess Caifeng. Then, Mo Xuetong lost her bnce and almost fell down, but she did not really bump into Feng Yuxuan.

    ¡°I heard it clearly just now. King Chu didn¡¯te alone. There were about two people hiding on trees, but some people saw it in the distance. Two people passed by in the direction where I stood just now and they stoppedter. But in that position, it was too far to hear what you said. Even when King Chu pulled you, they couldn¡¯t see it clearly. They would only think that you tripped on something identally.¡±

    Mo Ye said clearly. She had been paying attention to the surroundings earlier. The two secret guards were hidden in the tree and she did not pay much attention to them. Since they were in the pce, no matter how out of control King Chu was, he would not order his secret guards to whisk Mo Xuetong away. However, the two people on the other side of the road were standing in different directions, so they did not seem to be together.

    ¡°My Lady, do you want me to investigate it?¡± Mo Ye asked worriedly.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Even if they suspect something, there is no evidence. However, if we mess up, others will easily find clues.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled leisurely when she sensed Mo Ye¡¯s nervousness. Other than the fact that she had been a little flustered by Feng Yuxuan¡¯s wild behavior earlier, she had been very calm.

    But this incident also made her secretly alert. She must not be careless in the future!

    ¡°Yes, My Lady. The Number One Schr Qin came suddenly. He seemed to have headed forward earlier and was far away from us. I wonder if he came because he saw King Chu. Fortunately, he came; otherwise, it would have been troublesome,¡± Mo Yemented fearfully. If they were to fight, even though Mo Ye was good at martial arts, she would not be able to hold back the two secret guards. What was more, Feng Yuxuan¡¯s martial art was also extraordinary.

    Mo Xuetong was a weak woman, even weaker than an ordinary woman. If Feng Yuxuan really went out of control and took her away, Mo Xuetong would not be able to block him at all. Thus, Qin Yufeng had indeede in time. It was so coincidental that Mo Xuetong almost thought he was passing through.

    If she had not seen the paperweight in Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand, she would have thought that he was really passing through.

    The paperweight was made of metal and stone, engraved with a lifelike golden dragon. Such a paperweight could not be given to him by the pce. So the only possibility was that he was delivering the paperweight. He just came from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce, so this reason could not be hidden. Then, the paperweight was going to be sent to the Emperor, ordered by the Empress Dowager.

    The reason why the Empress Dowager did not ask a little eunuch to send it was because King Ning, Feng Yuzhen had made such a suggestion. This made it seem more casual between he and Qin Yufeng, making the two of them close. Although Qin Yufeng had not gotten any official position yet, judging from the Emperor¡¯s high regard for him, one could tell that he would have a promising future. No matter who it was, these princes all felt that it was a good thing to build a rtionship with him first.

    It was indeed a sign of their close rtionship for him to ask Qin Yufeng to send the golden dragon paperweight to the Emperor for the Empress Dowager.

    The road where she and Feng Yuxuan were earlier was not the way to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s Qianqing Pce from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. It meant that Qin Yufeng had gone there intentionally. It was when Feng Yuxuan had pulled her. Qin Yufeng hade from behind Feng Yuxuan when Mo Xuetong was standing by the side of the road and was not blocked by Feng Yuxuan. That was to say, Qin Yufeng should have been able to clearly see Feng Yuxuan try to pull her from where he was.

    But he didn¡¯t say a word about it, which only indicated that he had seen it all, and kept it in mind even though he didn¡¯t show it on his face.

    In her second life, Qin Yufeng often gave Mo Xuetong a feeling that she could not see through him. In the past, even though she was clear that Qin Yufeng was on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side and that he was giving Feng Yuxuan private advice, Mo Xuetong still felt that he was shrouded in ayer of fog. He, who had always been in the fog, had always been partly hidden and partly visible.

    Just like this time, he should have done it for Feng Yuxuan as well. Even though it would not end well for Mo Xuetong if someone said that she had something to do with Feng Yuxuan, Feng Yuxuan himself would also give others a handle, and might anger Emperor Zongwen. Then he was probably unable to bear the consequences. Was that the reason why Qin Yufeng had intentionallye over and helped them out of the predicament?

    Mo Xuetong could not figure it out. She felt that there were other meanings behind his behavior. Qin Yufeng was too hard to understand!

    Even though Mo Xuetong could not figure it out for the moment, she did not think too much about it. In this life, Mo Xuetong always felt that Qin Yufeng could not provoke her hostility. Although she was on guard against him, she had a vague feeling that he would not really hurt her. It was a strange feeling. Sometimes, Mo Xuetong also doubted it, but this feeling always came to her heart inadvertently.

    Just like now, now that she could not understand, she did not want to think about it anymore. She might as well discuss it with Feng Yuran and listen to his ideas.

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce was ahead. Mo Xuetong gathered her thoughts, lifted her pale face and walked ahead. The situation in the harem had changed drastically. Consort Yu, who had been used as thest chess piece, was useless, and the male fetus who had taken shape had died as well. It had disrupted the Empress Dowager and Feng Yuzhen¡¯s ns and forced Feng Yuzhen to butter up to Princess Caifeng. It was rare for Feng Yuzhen to enter the pce. The Empress Dowager had to discuss matters with King Ning and was not in the mood to pay attention to Mo Xuetong.

    As expected, the eunuch led Mo Xuetong into the main hall. The Empress Dowager only asked about her health and then asked her to go back as she was weak. The old woman lookedpletely listless and seemed to have suddenly aged. It had only been a few days since theyst met, but she seemed to have aged a few years. It seemed that Consort Yu¡¯s incident had dealt a great blow to the Empress Dowager and King Ning.

    Maybe King Ning was going to mess up!

 Chapter 621 - Tianfeng Palace, the Peace Among Consorts

    <h4>Chapter 621 Tianfeng Pce, the Peace Among Consorts</h4>

    After leaving the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce, Mo Xuetong went to the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce. Ever since something happened to the Empress, Consort Su and Imperial Noble Consort Wen were in charge of all matters in the harem. The Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce was also very cold. When she saw Mo Xuetonging from afar, her smile grew even more friendly and she was even more careful.

    Those servants who used to serve the Empress had not forgotten how Consort Xuan fought back against the Empress. She fainted in the Empress¡¯ Tianfeng Pce, which put the Empress in a very passive position all of a sudden.

    What Mo Xuetong did not expect was that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was also in the Empress¡¯ pce.

    ¡°How are you feeling? I heard from Old Eight a few days ago that you were so ill that you could not even get up. I thought that you were still young and wouldn¡¯t suffer a tragic fate. So I prayed for you in front of the Buddha. Now I think back to it, I find that you are indeed blessed.¡± The Empress, who was on the high seat, was dressed inly and looked at Mo Xuetong with a benevolent expression. She had never been so gentle before.

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Majesty!¡± Mo Xuetong said softly.

    ¡°Rise. You¡¯re in poor health. Sit down and have a rest first.¡± The Empress was dignified and gracious, in line with her identity of a member of the royal family. There was also a hint of concern for Mo Xuetong on her face. She looked sincere.

    It made Mo Xuetong wonder when the Empress became easy-going!

    ¡°Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell too? Your face looks too pale.¡± Since the Empress had expressed her kindness, Mo Xuetong could not do things that led to people attacking and criticizing her. Then, the haggard expression on the Empress¡¯s dignified face was obvious. She recalled that when the imperial physician came to see her a few days ago, he had mentioned that the Empress was not feeling well. So, she brought it up as a topic of conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m just a little weak. I¡¯m fine.¡± The Empress¡¯ voice was no longer high and mighty for the first time. She answered kindly as an elder, which immediately made people feel that she was much closer.

    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t be careless. You have to ask the imperial physician to examine you. Don¡¯t put off a slight illness until it bes a serious one.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew even more sincere. She cast a nce at the Empress¡¯ expression and there was a hint of worry in her eyes. Even though the imperial physician had told her that the Empress was ill, he knew nothing about it. It was said that the imperial physician in the pce wasn¡¯t allowed to her carefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Xuehe said it¡¯s not a serious illness. It¡¯s just the warm heat disease and I¡¯m a little worried.¡± The Empress smiled.

    ¡°Xuehe, the Sixth Princess?¡± Mo Xuetong had a sudden thought.

    ¡°So many things have happened in the harem recently, and Consort Yu has lost the child in her belly. Her Majesty is worried about the Emperor¡¯s child in the harem, and she has not been eating well these days. If the child is born, His Majesty will have four sons. But now, the child...¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen took over the topic and sighed.

    Consort Yu lost her baby because Consort Zhao had bumped into her. Fortunately, the rtionship between Feng Yuran and the He family and Consort Zhao had already broken on Mo Xuetong¡¯s birthday. Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not mean to p her in the face when she said that. She was trying to exin why the Empress did not feel well.

    Her smile was gentle, leaving a good impression on others. She sat across from Mo Xuetong. She was not as imposing as the Empress when she talked and smiled.

    ¡°Consort Zhao... how is she going?¡± Since Imperial Noble Consort Wen had mentioned Consort Yu, Mo Xuetong had to ask about Consort Zhao¡¯s situation anyway. No matter what had happened, Consort Zhao was Feng Yuran¡¯s aunt. Even though there was enmity between the two families, she had to ask about her on the surface.

    ¡°Consort Zhao is really... she usually is gentle. Why was she so angry? It seems that she wanted to destroy the child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly by all means.¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen sighed again, as if she was really feeling sorry for the two of them. However, there was no anger in her words, nor did she intend to add insult to their injury. It seemed that she really felt pity for the two of them. She was as calm and generous as usual. She was really the most popr imperial consort in the pce.

    ¡°How else is she going? She caused His Majesty¡¯s child to die. Consort Zhao can¡¯t make it clear. It¡¯s inevitable for her to be sent to the Cold Pce. I just hope that His Majesty will think of her merits in a few days and then let her out of the Cold Pce. The Cold Pce is not a ce for people to stay.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xuetong did not know how to response and could only nod with a smile.

    ¡°I heard that Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands is not easy to deal with. How is she doing in King Xuan¡¯s Manor recently?¡± The Empress did not seem to like to talk about this topic. She changed the topic and talked about Princess Caifeng and a pleased expression appeared on her face. It was not strange for her to care about this. As the King Yan¡¯s mother, the Empress must have known about the matter between him and Princess Caifeng.

    Princess Caifeng was considered to have a rtionship with King Yan, and would definitelye to King Yan¡¯s Manor in the future. It was normal for the Empress to care about Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve been ill recently, I¡¯ve been lying on the bed. If it weren¡¯t for His Majesty¡¯s order, I would still be lying on the bed. I¡¯ve entrusted all the matters in the courtyard to someone else, so I have no idea what¡¯s going on. Anyway, no one is gossiping,¡± Mo Xuetong replied softly. Her voice was soft and weak. Coupled with her pale face, one could tell that she was really weak and did not mean to make excuses.

    ¡°I heard that a youngdy from a noble family of the Southern Barbarian Lands hase with Princess Caifeng, right?¡± Even though the Empress looked a little displeased, she still kept herposure and asked. It was evident that she was very concerned about Hu Qianyue¡¯s matters.

    After coughing slightly and covering her mouth with her handkerchief, Mo Xuetong looked up with tears in her eyes and answered softly, ¡°I do know about this. I heard that Miss Hu Qianyue is the cousin of the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, the niece of the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Her father is the general of the Southern Barbarian Lands and is in charge of strong troops.¡±

    ¡°The general of the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± The Empress¡¯ eyes lit up and automatically turned to look at Imperial Noble Consort Wen. However, Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not seem to notice it and continued to look at Mo Xuetong with a smile.

    If her father was really the general of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom and was inmand of strong army, Hu Qianyue was more useful than Princess Caifeng although her status was a little low. How could the Empress not be interested in her? If both of them married into Feng Yulei¡¯s manor, it would be of great help to Feng Yulei.

    ¡°I heard it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and said in a casual manner.

    This was what she heard originally, and she didn¡¯t know if it was urate!

    ¡°Princess Caifeng¡¯s face was injured. She bumped into Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife on her way back from King Yan¡¯s Manor. I heard that Princess Caifeng was very dissatisfied with this, and even wanted to rush to Mingguo Manor to vent her anger. It¡¯s understandable. How important is a girl¡¯s appearance? Furthermore, she is unmarried.¡±

    The Empress¡¯ face darkened when she heard that. Ling Mingyan always did things without thinking. However, she had already done it and offended Princess Caifeng. It seemed that she a restless person. It was a little troublesome. ¡°Has the wound on her face healed? Wasn¡¯t it said that it would not leave scarring? Isn¡¯t it alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that it would be alright, but it depends on the reaction in this month. If it can be healed soon, maybe Princess Caifeng won¡¯t care about the mistake of His Excellency¡¯s wife,¡± Mo Xuetong replied.

    ¡°If it can be healed soon?¡± The Empress thought about it for a while. Then, she turned to Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who was sitting by the side. Her eyes lit up and she said, ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, what about Xuehe...¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Before she could finish her words, Imperial Noble Consort Wen interrupted her loudly, and then exined in a soft voice under the two people¡¯s surprised eyes, ¡°Your Majesty, as for Xuehe, the Southern Barbarian Lands... is too far away. Please do me a favor, Your Majesty. Don¡¯t let Xuehe marry far away!¡±

    The subject changed too fast and too brusque!

    A hint of suspicion shed across Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes as she looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen up and down. Just now, they were talking about Princess Caifeng. Why did she suddenly mention the Sixth Princess¡¯ marriage? It was said that the pce had not decided if the Sixth Princess or the Seventh Princess would marry Crown Prince Xieyue. The two princesses¡¯ dates of birth differed by only two months, so it was possible for either of them to go.

    This matter had not been decided yet, which meant that it still needed to be thought over. Why did Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had always been calm, suddenly panic, as if the Sixth Princess was going to get married soon? Moreover, these words were mentioned in front of Mo Xuetong when it had nothing to do with her. In short, these words were extremely inappropriate!

    ¡°Your Majesty, I was lost in thought. Upon hearing you mention Xuehe, I thought that...¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen also felt that she had forgotten herself just now, so she stood up in a hurry and exined to the Empress.

    ¡°Forget it. Never mind!¡± The Empress waved her hand kindly and gestured for Imperial Noble Consort Wen to sit down.

    Mo Xuetong stood up and bade farewell to the Empress. The Empress did not ask her to stay. Her attitude was as calm as ever and she was so kind that Mo Xuetong could not believe it that the person in front of her was really the Empress who had always been at odds with her. The woman seemed to have changed. Could it be that the Empress had changed her character over the past few in days?

    However, mountains and rivers could be moved, but man¡¯s nature could not be moved.

    The Empress¡¯s actions made Mo Xuetong feel strange. Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been gentle and calm, and had not interacted much with the Empress and had not even gotten involved in the matters of the Empress Dowager. She did everything ording to the rules. However, what was going on now? Since when had Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Empress gotten along so well?

    The Empress could bear to be interrupted by Imperial Noble Consort Wen, and there was not a trace of displeasure on her face!

    Every time Imperial Noble Consort Wen was in a hurry to interrupt the Empress, it seemed to have something to do with the Sixth Princess Feng Xuehe. Even though she was worried that the Sixth Princess would marry off to the Southern Barbarian Lands, and she had to please the Empress, Mo Xuetong still felt that something was wrong!

    Because it was still early, Mo Xuetongy on the couch in Anhe Pce while she closed her eyes and silently recalled what they had said and every movement of the Empress and Imperial Noble Consort Wen in Tianfeng Pce today. She felt that there was a certain mystery behind it. Their harmonious coexistence may have been for the Emperor¡¯s sake on the surface.

    But what did Mo Xuetong see? She really couldn¡¯t believe it. The two of them got along so well that they looked as if they were a family!

    Lying on the bed silently for a while, Mo Xuetong suddenly stood up. Mo Lan, who was sitting beside, was startled and hurriedly looked up at her.

    ¡°Go and call Mo Ye!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will go right away.¡± Mo Lan stood up and looked at Mo Xuetong, whose eyes shone brightly. She knew what her mistress was thinking and did not dare to dy. She walked to the door and called Mo Ye in. The two maidservants usually followed Mo Xuetong into the pce, and one guarded inside the pce while the other guarded outside.

    When Mo Ye entered the pce, Mo Xuetong pulled her over and whispered a few words in her ear. Mo Ye hesitated for a while, but she still nodded and went out ording to her n. She asked Mo Lan to take good care of Mo Xuetong and went deep into the pce alone. On the way, she knocked out a pce maid and put on her clothes.

 Chapter 622 - Hatred, Princess Caifengs Obsessiveness

    <h4>Chapter 622 Hatred, Princess Caifeng¡¯s Obsessiveness</h4>

    Princess Caifeng was unwilling to ept the ending!

    She couldn¡¯t ept the ending any way!

    She had been looking forward to it for such a long time, and she had thought that it would be natural for her to marry Feng Yuran. However, Crown Prince Xieyue had thought that she was being unreasonable. How could Princess Caifeng, who was determined to marry Feng Yuran, not be angry? She hated Crown Prince Xieyue as well!

    She felt as if she had been abandoned by Crown Prince Xieyue. This kind of feeling burned in her heart so badly that when Hu Qianyue came over to help her dress up, she still looked gloomy. She pursed her lips angrily, and her face was full of hatred and rage. Her maidservants had been beaten just now. At this time, they were trembling and didn¡¯t even dare to breathe heavily. They came and went with light steps.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Highness? Didn¡¯t you dress up happily today? You¡¯re going to get your wish. The Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor will bestow the marriage on you, and you¡¯ll really be Consort Xuan. In the future, you will take charge of the inner and outer courtyards of the manor. Why are you unhappy now? Don¡¯t you like the handsome King Xuan anymore, Your Highness?¡±

    Although Hu Qianyue had already known the reason, she smiled with a confused look. Her every move looked sincere, and it was impossible to tell that she was deliberately stabbing dagger to Princess Caifeng¡¯s heart.

    When she finished speaking, she still had an envious expression on her face, as if she was very envious that Princess Caifeng could marry such an outstanding husband!

    Hearing this, Princess Caifeng was so angry that her liver hurt. She violently put the hairpin in her hand on the table and said coldly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Elder brother always want me to marry King Yan? Why are you talking about this at this time? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?¡±

    If King Yan hadn¡¯t helped her upst time, her elder brother wouldn¡¯t have wanted her to marry King Yan. This matter had something to do with Hu Qianyue. Thinking of the whole thing, Princess Caifeng wouldn¡¯t have been kind to Hu Qianyue. She looked at her coldly in the mirror, with a trace of cruelty shing in her eyes.

    Being able to stand out among so many princesses and escape from the marriage with the man of a deste country, Princess Caifeng was not that stupid and ramstam.

    At that time, she didn¡¯t keep ming Hu Qianyue for it, but in her heart, she was far from being as close with Hu Qianyue as when they came here. Sometimes, she even had some vague vignce to her.

    ¡°King Yan, how could that be!¡± Hu Qianyue eximed and stood up in shock. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief in disbelief and said, ¡°Your Highness, didn¡¯t King Yan say anything that day? Furthermore, if it got out, it would damage his reputation. How could he use this matter to force Your Highness to marry him? It¡¯s too hateful. How could it be?¡±

    ¡°Force me?¡± Princess Caifeng frowned as she looked at Hu Qianyue.

    ¡°Ah, no... I, maybe I got it wrong. It isn¡¯t what I thought!¡± As she found that Princess Caifeng had noticed the word ¡°force¡±, Hu Qianyue put on a nervous look. She stammered to exin. However, the panic on her face did not carry any conviction at all. On the contrary, it made others even more suspicious of her.

    ¡°Tell me, what happened?¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s face turned cold. She turned her head sharply and stared straight at Hu Qianyue. ¡°You¡¯d better not give me the runaround. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you. Elder brother is the boss here. No matter how powerful Third brother is, he can¡¯t reach the Qin Kingdom. Even if something happens to you, Third brother won¡¯t be able to me Elder brother.¡±

    On the way to the Qin Kingdom, the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands had encountered assassins from time to time, and even Crown Prince Xieyue had been missing for a while. As the daughter of a minister, it was not unreasonable for her to have an ident. If they said that she had been assassinated, no one had evidence to deny it.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s words caused the smile on Hu Qianyue¡¯s face to freeze. An imperceptible panic shed across her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal, as if she had not heard the threatening meaning behind Princess Caifeng¡¯s words.

    ¡°All right, all right, Your Highness, I¡¯ll tell you, but I¡¯m not sure. Some of them are my own guesses. Don¡¯t me meter!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can tell!¡± Princess Caifeng replied.

    ¡°Yesterday when King Yan came, I went to the back garden to wander about. As I was resting in a pavilion, I heard two maidservants passing by and talking. They said that King Yan and the Crown Prince were resting in the east courtyard and they had a good chat. The Crown Prince asked King Yan to treat you well, and said that no matter what, you are still the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    Hu Qianyue stated with a frown, as if she was thinking about something.

    ¡°Why did you say that he forced me?¡± Princess Caifeng asked coldly.

    ¡°In fact, this is just my thought,¡± Hu Qianyue said bashfully. Looking at the displeased expression on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face, she immediately added, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Your Highness about it. If you don¡¯t think so, then just forget it. It may not be true.¡±

    ¡°Say it!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you should still remember what happened that day. Originally, the matter was over. However, Crown Prince Xieyueter asked King Yan to go over and forced him to leave a token, and if King Yan refused, Crown Prince Xieyue would go public with it. I heard that King Yan had no choice but to leave that token. In... my opinion, it seems that...¡±

    There were some things that she, as an official¡¯s daughter, should not say. However, she had already made it clear what she meant. By the time she paused with an awkward expression on her face, Princess Caifeng had already gritted her teeth.

    She had understood what Hu Qianyue meant. How could she not understand?

    It was a threat! It was indeed a threat! She was determined to marry Feng Yuran, but suddenly, someone told her that she was going to marry Feng Yuran¡¯s elder brother. Furthermore, the reason was because of her elder brother. This made Princess Caifeng feel a hatred that had been abandoned by her family. This hatred was so strong that it almost destroyed her rationality.

    Since she was a child, she had been warned by her mother that she had to rely on her elder brother, the Crown Prince so that she could survive in the pce. There were many princesses and princes in the harem of the Southern Barbarian Emperor, especially a princess whose mother had a humble background. Almost no one cared if she was alive or dead. But since she sincerely attached herself to Crown Prince Xieyue, she found that she was also a noble princess.

    The daughters of the officials who looked down on her in the past couldn¡¯t bepared to her!

    Moreover, Princess Caifeng, who had known what it felt like, had wholeheartedly treated Crown Prince Xieyue as her own elder brother. She knew that if Crown Prince Xieyue did not treat her as his younger sister, she would be like a servant in the pce, and might even humbler. And because of her being sensible, Crown Prince Xieyue treated her very well and even tried to find a way to get her out of that deadly marriage.

    But now, Princess Caifeng was mad!

    Her mind and heart were full of hatred for Crown Prince Xieyue. She only thought that he deliberately wanted to ruin her beautiful marriage. She didn¡¯t remember how Crown Prince Xieyue protected her in the past at all. She didn¡¯t even remember that the reason why she took Crown Prince Xieyue as her own elder brother was that she felt that standing on Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s side could make her live freely, arrogantly, and really like a princess.

    In essence, she had taken advantage of Crown Prince Xieyue to get benefit. At this time, she found that not only did she not get any benefits, but she had also ruined her original n. How could she remember any benefit that Crown Prince Xieyue had brought to her in the past?

    Unknowingly, Hu Qianyue had thrust the thorn in Princess Caifeng¡¯s heart!

    However, she also knew that it was impossible for Princess Caifeng to defeat Crown Prince Xieyue at this time. Moreover, she could not let Crown Prince Xieyue know what she said; otherwise, she would lose her life. To this deep Crown Prince, Hu Qianyue did not dare to fight against him. She immediately changed the next subject andforted Princess Caifeng with a smile.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t be angry. Maybe what I thought is wrong. Maybe the Crown Prince is doing this for your own good. Look at how weak Consort Yan is. She will definitely give you the position of the first consort. Even though Consort Xuan is ill and weak, she is not easy to get along with. I was reprimanded by her when I went to see her today. It seems that she will not give up the position of the first consort. Even if you marry King Xuan, you can only be an ordinary second consort.¡±

    ¡°What? How dare she not give up the position of the first consort? She¡¯s just a third-grade official¡¯s daughter. How can she fight with Elder brother?¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s attention was sessfully diverted and she vented all her anger on Mo Xuetong. She gritted her teeth and could not get rid of her anger. She only felt that if Mo Xuetong did not allow her to be Consort Xuan, her elder brother would not have asked her to marry King Yan.

    Wasn¡¯t that woman going to die? Princess Caifeng had thought that when she died, she wouldn¡¯t have to kill her in person. However, it seemed that she had to do something. If she didn¡¯t get rid of this woman, she couldn¡¯t marry King Xuan at all. Her elder brother wouldn¡¯t agree to let her, a princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands, be a second consort. It was a p in the face of the Southern Barbarian Lands if she became a second consort!

    When she thought that Crown Prince Xieyue was her backing, Princess Caifeng no longer cared about the hatred and anger she had for him!

    After she found someone to vent her hatred on, Princess Caifeng, who was blinded by anger, only wanted to deal with Mo Xuetong. However, she was pressed for time and it was toote for her to send someone to kill Mo Xuetong. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong had already entered the pce. Even if she had a few highly skilled guards around her, they would not be able to kill her in the pce, and instead, they would trap in there.

    ¡°What should we do? That slut has already entered the pce, right?¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as she asked Hu Qianyue through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Your Highness, this... is really hard to deal with!¡± Hu Qianyue also frowned and looked helpless. ¡°Since the Crown Prince has said that to you just now, it means that he has already made up his mind. You have only one chance now: to deal with Consort Xuan before the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor grants you a marriage. In this way, the Crown Prince might give you a chance.¡±

    Her words sounded like she was trying to persuade Princess Caifeng, but the urgency in her words made Princess Caifeng unable to sit still any longer. Princess Caifeng stood up and started to walk back and forth in the room.

    Hu Qianyue hesitated and said, ¡°Your Highness, maybe there is still a chance...¡±

    ¡°What is it? Say it.¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes lit up. She hurried over to her and stopped to ask.

    ¡°That South Pearl ne...¡±

    The Duo La box that was sent to the pce of the Qin Kingdom? Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes widened and joy appeared on her face when she heard Hu Qianyue¡¯s reminder. She heard that the Duo La box that was sent to the pce as a national gift had been sent to the pce a while ago and had be an item of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager would definitely take a look at such a precious item, so the box had definitely been opened once.

    Having met the air, the medicine in the box must have changed...

    ¡°Go to the pce, go to the pce immediately. I want to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager!¡± Princess Caifeng sat in front of the dressing table and knocked on the hairpin beside her excitedly. She ordered, ¡°Qianyue,e to the pce with me this time!¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t expect she had to go with Princess Caifeng, so she was stunned for a moment.

    ¡°Yes!¡± A cold smile shed across Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes. How could she not bring Hu Qianyue with her to go to the pce this time? Without her, she would not be able to continue with the show!

 Chapter 623 - See the South Pearl Necklace Again

    <h4>Chapter 623 See the South Pearl Ne Again</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not know why the Empress Dowager suddenly summoned her. It was not yet time for the banquet and she was resting in Anhe Pce when she heard the Empress Dowager¡¯s call. Having no choice, she hurriedly got up, tidied up and brought Mo Lan with her to Cining Pce. It was well-prepared this time and there was even a sedan chair. It was said that King Xuan was in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce and had ordered someone to prepare it especially.

    Mo Xuetong got on the soft sedan chair while Mo Lan followed beside her. When they arrived at Cining Pce, Mo Xuetong found that the ce had changed a lot, and there seemed to be more people.

    The Sixth Princess happened toe here as well when Mo Xuetong got off the sedan chair. She said that the Empress Dowager had also summoned her. Both of them had no idea what had happened and went in together.

    There were many people in the hall, including King Chu, King Yan, King Ning, and King Xuan. All the princes hade, and even Qin Yufeng was there. On the other side sat King Chu¡¯s second consort, and Consort Yan. Beside the Empress Dowager, there was a woman wearing a veil, and her eyes were full of hostility. Mo Xuetong thought she should be Princess Caifeng, who had lived in her manor but she had not seen before!

    She had seen Hu Qianyue, who was next to the princess, several times. The situation looked quite odd.

    Princess Caifeng had been looking at Feng Yuran all the time. She felt that she could not see enough of him. Feng Yuran had been avoiding her for the past few days. Even though she had lived in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Princess Caifeng had not seen him since they had met at the banquet. She only felt that King Xuan was extremely handsome. Even though he was a man, he was so beautiful that even her appearance was notparable with his.

    She thought that she was the only woman who was worthy of such a man!

    Thinking of this, she felt that what she had done was right. What kind of person was Consort Xuan? Not only was she sick, but it was said that she was young and had a low status. Her father was only a third-grade official. How could this woman be worthy of the handsome King Xuan?

    ¡°She might as well die earlier and give her position to me!¡±

    As she thought about this, she heard a report from outside. ¡°Heree Consort Xuan and Sixth Princess!¡±

    The Empress Dowager waved her hand slightly and answered casually, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Soon, two women came in side by side. They were about 15 or16 years old. Under their slender eyebrows, the beautiful eyes were bright, and their skin was as white as snow. One of them wore a light pink coat and a red skirt. She looked graceful and attractive, but had a dignified mien. She was the Sixth Princess whom Princess Caifeng had seen before.

    Then the other one standing beside her should be Consort Xuan!

    She looked around and saw a pair of jet-ck watery eyes which were like ck jade or crystal. When she rolled her eyes, there seemed to be a light flowing in them, which made people unconsciously immersed in them. The light blue dress made her beautiful face look a little otherworldly. Her face was a little pale, and she stood there weakly, but in an instant, others became a background to her. The beautiful Sixth Princess immediately became a part of the background, and was not eye-catching at all.

    ¡°Consort Xuan is so pretty!¡± Princess Caifeng heard the gasp she made. She watched as Mo Xuetong approached and greeted the Empress Dowager graciously. Then, she exchanged nces with Feng Yuran. There was a deep affection between the two of them. Even though they were very far away, Princess Caifeng could still sense it.

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes with a hint of charm in innocence. Princess Caifeng found she was as pretty as Feng Yuran. As the two of them looked at each other from a distance, it made one feel as if they were meant for each other.

    Princess Caifeng had always been proud of her beauty. When she saw this, she was both jealous and hateful. Consort Xuan¡¯s importance had increased in her heart. It seemed that King Xuan would not allow her to marry into his manor if Consort Xuan did not die. Even if he allowed, she could only be a second consort. With such a beautiful first consortpeting with her, she could imagine how difficult it would be for her to be the second consort. Therefore, Consort Xuan had to die.

    Fortunately, there was an opportunity today for Mo Xuetong to court death. A sinister smile shed across her eyes. She looked away and said to the Empress Dowager with a charming smile, ¡°Consort Xuan is so stunning. I almost could not take my eyes off her. I thought that King Xuan is extraordinarily handsome and could make one unable to forget him at first sight. I didn¡¯t expect that Consort Xuan is not an ordinary person either.¡±

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s expression was slightly displeased. Princess Caifeng sounded as if she was expressing her affection for Feng Yuran. She was the next Consort Ning the Empress Dowager had appointed. If the girl had a crush on Feng Yuran, she would naturally feel very ufortable. However, she could not say anything now. She patted Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand benevolently and said with a smile, ¡°You are right. However, your beauty is also peerless. King Ning even mentioned you to me the other day. He has never forgotten it.¡±

    In thest banquet, Princess Caifeng had removed her veil, so the people present had all seen her before. Now that her face had been injured, it was normal for her to put on a veil. Girls had always paid more attention to their looks. The Empress Dowager knew the reason, so she did not think that Princess Caifeng was being impolite!

    This meant that King Ning took a fancy to Princess Caifeng. Princess Caifeng¡¯s face flushed at once and she said shyly, ¡°Your Majesty, you tter me!¡±

    She turned around and smiled at Mo Xuetong, who was seated beside You Yue¡¯e. ¡°Consort Xuan, I¡¯ve been troubling you for staying in King Xuan¡¯s Manor for the past few days. Qianyue,e here!¡±

    She turned to Hu Qianyue, and thetter understood what she meant. She immediately took out a small jewelry box and handed it to Mo Xuetong, saying with a smile, ¡°Consort Xuan, Her Highness has long wanted to visit you, but we heard that you were unwell. We did not expect you toe to the pce today. So this gift is just a little token to show our gratitude to you.¡±

    It was obvious that she had taken it out in a hurry as the jewelry box looked very ordinary, which made Princess Caifeng a little unhappy. Before Mo Xuetong reached out to the jewelry box, she put a hand on it. With a frown, she looked at Hu Qianyue. ¡°Qianyue, don¡¯t you bring that South Pearl ne of mine?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, we were in such a hurry toe and didn¡¯t know that Consort Xuan woulde to the pce...¡± Hu Qianyue whispered. Even though she spoke in a low voice, everyone in the hall was looking at her. It was hard not to hear their conversation.

    Hu Qianyue knew that Mo Xuetong was about to enter the pce, but she sounded as if she knew nothing about it. Mo Xuetong knew that they were acting. Her eyes shed and she smiled politely. ¡°Princess Caifeng, you¡¯re too polite. You¡¯ve brought excitement to our manor when you lived in these few days. I haven¡¯t thanked you yet.¡±

    The South Pearl ne? Could it be that she was thinking about the Empress Dowager¡¯s ne?

    ¡°How could it be? Consort Xuan, I¡¯ve troubled you for so long by living in your manor. Now I have seen your stunning appearance, I like you very much. I really want to have a good rtionship with you, Consort Xuan. I can¡¯t let you suffer no matter what. How can I give such a gift to you?¡±

    Princess Caifeng seemed to really have a good impression of Mo Xuetong. Thus, a dissatisfied expression appeared on her face when she saw Hu Qianyue gave her such an ordinary gift. ¡°I always feel that someone like Consort Xuan is worth better essories. My South Pearl ne was bestowed by Father. Other than the one on the altar in the temple, this is the most precious one in the whole Southern Barbarian Lands. Only that kind of pearl is worthy of a beauty like Consort Xuan. But I did not take it.¡±

    She looked unhappy as she spoke, and her beautiful brows also furrowed slightly.

    For a moment, the hall quieted down strangely.

    Mo Xuetong was waiting for Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue to continue. Since they had acted like this, they would not make such a simple and harmless regret. You Yue¡¯e tugged at her handkerchief angrily. She remembered that the jewelry box that Hu Qianyue took out was the same as what she had given her earlier. Why did it deserve her while it didn¡¯t deserve Mo Xuetong?

    A look of curiosity appeared on the Sixth Princess¡¯s face as she waited to see what would happen next.

    Mo Yarui didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. She was just a second consort. Any person here had a higher status than her, so she didn¡¯t have the right to speak here.

    The Empress Dowager was displeased at this sight. Wasn¡¯t it just a South Pearl ne? It wasn¡¯t a big deal. Why did everyone look unhappy? The people from the Southern Barbarian Lands were indeed a little petty. When Princess Caifeng married into King Ning¡¯s Manor in the future, she had to teach her a lesson so that she wouldn¡¯t embarrass King Ning.

    ¡°Come on, give the South Pearl ne in my pce to Consort Xuan as a gift from Princess Caifeng.¡± The Empress Dowager waved her hand graciously. Even though the South Pearl ne was beautiful, it was not as important as Princess Caifeng in the Empress Dowager¡¯s eyes. It was an object after all. So what if it was extremely valuable? It could notpare to the power behind Princess Caifeng.

    Having been in the pce for so many years, the Empress Dowager had seen many treasures. She was not so small-minded!

    Looking at the vexed look on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face and Hu Qianyue¡¯s tearful eyes, which showed that she had done it wrong, the Empress Dowager felt that it was not worth it at all.

    With the Empress Dowager¡¯s order, there were naturally pce maids who went to the warehouse to find the box. The Empress Dowager opened it when it was sent to her. She had a look at it and praised it. Then, as the Empress Dowager had too many good things, it was casually thrown into the warehouse.

    Upon seeing the South Pearl ne that the Empress Dowager had asked the pce maid to bring out, Princess Caifeng expressed her gratitude over and over again. She also said that she would send her own ne to the pce in the future. The Empress Dowager showed her politeness and did not say anything else. In the Empress Dowager¡¯s eyes, it was not a big deal to give it to others even if this ne was the most precious. So there was no need to push it around.

    ¡°Well, now that Princess Caifeng is going to return a gift to me, I can just take it. I¡¯ll reward her next time!¡±

    ¡°Consort Xuan, this ne is the most beautiful one in the entire Southern Barbarian Lands. My Father always put it on the altar in the temple. Even I have never been allowed to touch it casually. I didn¡¯t expect that my elder brother would send this ne to the Qin Kingdom this time. That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll make a gift of it. May you always be the most beautiful woman.¡±

    A smile appeared on Princess Caifeng¡¯s face again. She looked as if she had gained a great bargain. However, what she had said made both You Yue¡¯e and Sixth Princess unhappy. She praised the other woman¡¯s unparalleled beauty again and again, making other women present awkward!

    You Yue¡¯e even looked at King Yan, Feng Yulei, with a distressed expression on her face. Fortunately, Feng Yulei¡¯s behavior was normal. He only nced at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face lightly before looking away politely. Only then did she rest assured. You Yue¡¯e¡¯s heart was still filled with confusion and she was unease about the mistake of changing the bridal sedan chair on the day of their marriage.

    Feng Yuran¡¯s gazended on the brocade box as he smiled slightly but his eyes were filled with darkness!

    ¡°Your Highness, you are too polite. I do not dare to ept such a precious gift. Please take it back.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed the jewelry box to Princess Caifeng again with a smile as if she had been frightened. Her bright eyes were as innocent as deer¡¯s and she could not help but lean back.

    And when she leaned back, she saw clearly that the box had been opened!

    The box was sent to her by Feng Yuxuan back then. Mo Xuetong did not open it but looked at the seal carefully. The seal was very old and it was obvious that it had been there for a long time. Now that she found that the seal was the Empress Dowager¡¯s, she knew that the older woman had looked at it. In her past life, more than one had died when the box had been opened again!

    Princess Caifeng had spent so much effort today to make such a scene, and it turned out that she wanted to kill her!

    What a malicious woman and what a vicious n!

 Chapter 624 - Poison, so What if She Was Disabled?

    <h4>Chapter 624 Poison, so What if She Was Disabled?</h4>

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you are so polite. Her Majesty has already given it to you. Do you want Her Majesty to take it back?¡± Princess Caifeng was watching Mo Xuetong¡¯s behavior closely. When she saw that Mo Xuetong was still refusing, she decided to use the Empress Dowager¡¯s name to suppress her. Even though it was given in her name, it was indeed a gift from the Empress Dowager, so Mo Xuetong did not have any reason to refuse.

    Mo Xuetong could only stand up and said respectfully to the Empress Dowager, ¡°Many thanks for the reward, My Majesty!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite!¡± the Empress Dowager said with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong sat down again, but Princess Caifeng came over and said to her with a warm smile, ¡°Consort Xuan, this bracelet is really beautiful. You should open it and have a look. I¡¯ll help you put it on.¡±

    As she spoke, she was about to open the box!

    The box was facing Mo Xuetong¡¯s face!

    Feng Yuran¡¯szy expression immediately turned sharp. He stared at the box with his pretty eyes and slowly looked at Princess Caifeng¡¯s face. His eyes were filled with viciousness and bloodlust. He picked up a small teacup by the table and fiddled with it as if he did not mean anything.

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s expression also changed as he immediately understood Princess Caifeng¡¯s intentions.

    He knew the truth. There was a detailed record in the book that Crown Prince Xieyue lent him. The South Pearl ne was indeed made of the best South Pearls, but when it was made, some medicine was added to the South Pearls. The Southern Barbarian Lands had a special method to make poison, and the medicine on the South Pearl ne was the essence at that time.

    No matter how many years the South Pearl had been locked in this jewelry box, it would be fine. But if the box was opened, the mixture of the medicine on the South Pearls and the air would slowly produce an incurable poison. No matter who touched this poison, they would die. Within 24 hours, they would definitely die and there was no antidote.

    Even if a man touched it slightly, it would also flow into his blood vessels through his skin.

    ¡°Your Highness, no, I¡¯ll look at itter.¡± Mo Xuetong ced her hand on Princess Caifeng¡¯s and looked at the people around her awkwardly. It was okay to take out the essory that was given and put it on. However, since there were so many people present, it was impolite. Furthermore, one of them was a princess and the other was a prince¡¯s wife. How could they try to wear them on the spot like those petty people?

    Seeing Princess Caifeng acted like this, the Empress Dowager could not be happy at all. If not for the loss of the child of Consort Yu and the loss of her secret pawn, she would not have allowed Feng Yuzhen to marry such a petty woman. She could not help but frown as she wondered if the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ pce had already been so poor that their noble princess looked as if she had not seen many good things.

    ¡°My Lady, our princess wants to put it on for you in such a hurry because of your extraordinary appearance. You will definitely be more beautiful if you wear it. My Lady, please wear it and satisfy our princess¡¯s wishes.¡± At this time, Hu Qianyue had no choice but toe out to help Princess Caifeng. Since Princess Caifeng had lost her etiquette, as the daughter of an official, she had to help her out. Actually, she also hated herself in her heart. ¡°Why did I listen to Princess Caifeng and enter the pce with her back then?¡±

    But now that things hade to this point, she had no choice but to help Princess Caifeng!

    Hu Qianyue was d that the poison would not take effect on the spot, and it was invisible. Besides, no one in the Qin Kingdom knew the poison so well!

    She should not have known about this, but since she woulde to the Qin Kingdom with Princess Caifeng this time, the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands especially asked her to go to the pce and told her about it. She also told her that when she came back this time, she would be the wife of the Third Prince. Then, she would be a member of the royal family.

    They sent the ne with an evil intention. It was Crown Prince Xieyue who came to the Qin Kingdom, so if something happened in the Qin Kingdom, the me would inevitably fall on the crown prince. Crown Prince Xieyue could not be on good terms with the Qin Kingdom, and he would also be their enemy. As the gift was given by that way, how could an ordinary person get it?

    Although the poison couldn¡¯t be found out, Hu Qianyue only needed to say a few words to attract the attention to Crown Prince Xieyue. By then, Xieyue wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it no matter how hard he tried. This gift was sent out before Xieyue knew it. Even if Xieyue had found out, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get it back.

    However, now that things went off course, Hu Qianyue did not dare to say anything else. She could only go along with Princess Caifeng¡¯s wishes and try to persuade her. If anything were to happen to Consort Xuan, Princess Caifeng would definitely push the me onto her. She had not expected that this idiot Caifeng would drag her down as well.

    Since she had alreadye to the pce, she could not avoid such things. She only hoped that no one would find out that Consort Xuan¡¯s death had something to do with this ne!

    However, Hu Qianyue still had something to rely on. Every item on the altar of the temple was a rare treasure, and this ne was left by a high priest. Since there was no antidote, it had been left there all the time. She did not believe that the Qin Kingdom would find evidence without her secret advice!

    ¡°Consort Xuan, just wear it. Let me have a look!¡± Princess Caifeng looked more and more sincere and there was a hint of expectation in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes were filled with charm. In the past, Princess Caifeng had used this expression to solve every problem. Who would be able to reject such a simple request from a beautiful woman?

    But now, this situation made people feel a little weird!

    The main reason was that Mo Xuetong looked younger and purer than Princess Caifeng. There was a hint of awkwardness and uneasiness on her beautiful face. She bit her lips, making others feel as if Princess Caifeng was forcing her. Her clear eyes were even filled with tears.

    She was at a loss what to do. It was as if she knew that this was inappropriate, but she was still hesitating. Compared to how Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue were pushing her together, it made one feel pity for her. Even the Empress Dowager had a gentle expression on her face. She was just about to wave her hand and let her open it and take a look at it.

    Princess Caifeng did not realize that she had gone too far. She still tried to open the box enthusiastically. Anyway, she would have her own way to get Consort Xuan to put it on. As long as the ne touched Consort Xuan¡¯s skin, she would die. If she told her elder brother about itter, her elder brother would definitely agree to marry her to King Xuan.

    So what if she was given the title of second consort first? Anyway, Consort Xuan could not live more than 24 hours. After 24 hours, Consort Xuan would be dead, and she would be the legitimate Consort Xuan. She could help her elder brother better. At this time, Princess Caifeng would say that she was doing this to find a better support for her elder brother.

    She only felt that she was doing all this for her elder brother. She did not think that she was selfish and vicious! The satisfaction in her eyes could not be hidden no matter how hard she tried to. The smile on her lips was originally very affectionate, but now, it was filled with coldness and viciousness. In her eyes, Consort Xuan was now a dead person. She really did not take her seriously!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes had been fixed on Princess Caifeng warily. When she saw that thetter ignored the Empress Dowager who was present and insisted on opening it, her eyes grew cold. She tried to do something.

    But at the same time, the teacup in Feng Yuran¡¯s hand had been pointed at Princess Caifeng¡¯s wrist. His eyes were filled with viciousness. At least, he would cripple Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand. In his opinion, there was no need for the princess to exist if she dared to plot against Tong¡¯er. As for Xieyue, he had his own way of dealing with him. Furthermore, he had always been arrogant. So what if he crippled her! Could it be that there was someone else who wanted to take revenge on him?

    The air in the main hall grew heavier unconsciously. King Ning and King Yan both frowned. King Chu¡¯s eyes twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he managed to hold it back. He had sent this ne to Mo Xuetong, and if he said something, it meant that he knew the secret.

    ¡°Caifeng, put it down!¡± Just as the air in the hall was about to explode, an angry rebuke suddenly came from the entrance of the hall.

    Everyone looked back and saw the gloomy-faced Crown Prince Xieyue striding in.

    Just now, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Caifeng and Mo Xuetong, and no one heard the voice of Crown Prince Xieyue asking toe in.

    ¡°Elder brother?¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand stopped on the jewelry box. She looked up at the grim-faced Crown Prince Xieyue in shock.

    ¡°Caifeng, where did you get this jewelry box? Why is it here? I¡¯ve told you that you can¡¯t touch anything in the sacrificial temple!¡± Crown Prince Xieyue looked at Princess Caifeng¡¯s hand coldly with a dark expression on his face. If Qin Yufeng had not sent someone to inform him, he would not have known that Caifeng had such thoughts. She wanted to kill Consort Xuan. It would depend on whether King Xuan was willing or not.

    Even though Feng Yuran had not seen Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng in public in the past few days, he had been dealing with Xieyue in private. King Xuan, who was said to be the most dissolute man, had already changed his image in the heart of Crown Prince Xieyue. That was why he did not dare to force Feng Yuran to marry Caifeng. How could Caifeng manipte such a man?

    Regardless of whether she had depended on his power or not, she was still his younger sister!

    He still had certain affection for his younger sister. But now, he was angry. Her intention was obvious¡ªshe wanted to kill Consort Xuan. Others might not doubt that, but the scheming King Xuan would eventually find out that it had something to do with him. At that time, Caifeng would not be able to get what she wanted, nor would he.

    Everything in the sacrificial temple couldn¡¯t be touched!

    Hearing this, You Yue¡¯e and the others stood up subconsciously and stepped back. Everyone understood what he meant. This so-called national treasure might not be a good thing. What did Princess Caifeng who wanted to open the box and give it to Mo Xuetong want to do?

    ¡°Elder brother, how could it not be a good thing? The things in the temple are all good things. Father has never allowed me to touch them.¡± Princess Caifeng had already prepared an excuse. Although she did not expect that Crown Prince Xieyue would appear at this critical moment, she was flustered, but she still raised her head and said with a smile, pretending to be at a loss.

    Of course, Xieyue would not expose the words of Princess Caifeng. Since he learned that this ne was sent to the Qin Kingdom as a gift by the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands, he had been trying to get it back, so as not to cause trouble. He knew clearly about the Empress¡¯ thoughts¡ªshe wanted him to be enemy of the Qin Kingdom. Then, she and his third brother would benefit from it.

    It was best to take back the ne before the box was opened. That was why he was so straightforward.

    However, he did not want to implicate Princess Caifeng in this matter. Thus, he followed Princess Caifeng¡¯s words and said, ¡°Father did not allow you to touch them because he was afraid that you would be poisoned. Why would this ne be sent to the Qin Kingdom? Could it be one of the gifts that the Empress sent first?¡±

 Chapter 625 - If Something Happens to Tonger, Ill Take Your Lives for It

    <h4>Chapter 625 If Something Happens to Tong¡¯er, I¡¯ll Take Your Lives for It</h4>

    ¡°Is the ne poisonous?¡±

    The Empress Dowager¡¯s face paled immediately and her fingers trembled. She had touched it personally. Did it mean that she had been poisoned?

    She was not in the mood to ask if Princess Caifeng was intentionally trying to harm Mo Xuetong. It took her a while to calm herself down. She yelled at Crown Prince Xieyue, ¡°Crown Prince, what do you mean? Someone has already touched it. Are they all poisoned?¡±

    ¡°How many times did you open it, Your Majesty?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue looked at the seal on it and asked with a frown.

    ¡°Once, when it was brought here, I had a look at it and then threw it in the warehouse.¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s face was livid.

    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter. The person who opens it the second time will be poisoned.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue also breathed a sigh of relief. If the Empress Dowager was poisoned, it would be extremely bad to him. Fortunately, it was only opened once now. He looked sideways at Qin Yufeng. This time, if it weren¡¯t for Qin Yufeng, it would be really troublesome.

    If something happened to the Empress Dowager or Consort Xuan, he would definitely fall out with the Qin Kingdom.

    The cold sweat on the Empress Dowager¡¯s forehead slowly dissipated when she heard the Crown Prince¡¯s words. Her body became limp and she almost fell. The pce maid standing behind her quickly supported her. King Ning¡¯s tense body rxed as well. If anything happened to the Empress Dowager, he would be done for. He nced at Princess Caifeng darkly, and felt that this woman was really hateful.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, did you really have no idea about it or were you just pretending?¡± Feng Yuran did not intend to spare her. He walked up to Princess Caifeng and asked with a faint smile. He narrowed his eyes and released a little dangerous aura. ¡°You were in such a hurry to get Tong¡¯er to put on the ne earlier. I don¡¯t think you knew nothing about it!¡±

    Thest word was dragged on, with obvious displeasure in it.

    ¡°Your Highness King Xuan, what are you saying? I really don¡¯t understand.¡± Princess Caifengughed dryly. She was a little nervous and felt that this handsome prince was extremely dangerous now. She felt as if she had been targeted by a poisonous snake when he stared at her.

    It was killing intent, clearly killing intent. His originally iparably pretty eyesnded on her, as if she was being stared at by a viper. A chilliness seeped out from her heart.

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s such a pity. I thought that you felt ufortable to see Tong¡¯er and wanted to kill her. That was why you and Miss Hu were so anxious to force Tong¡¯er to put on the ne. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t opened. If it was opened and something happens to Tong¡¯er, I¡¯ll take your lives for it!¡±

    Feng Yuran seemed to be joking, but his cold voice made Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue realize what an arrogant person he was. The coldness between his eyebrows was like ice, and they could feel it as he spoke. Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue felt as if they had fallen into a cold ice cer.

    To make the princess who was supposed to marry into the country atone by life. How dare he! However, he said it so arrogantly. The two girls looked around at the people in the hall and found that no one said that he was presumptuous. It seemed that they were used to his behavior. ording to what he said, if something really happened to Consort Xuan just now, the two of them would have no way to live.

    Immediately, both of them broke out in a cold sweat and almost trembled in the face of Feng Yuran¡¯s imposing manner. What he had said was extremely ridiculous, but with his evil and bloodthirsty expression, the two of them believed it. Princess Caifeng even looked at Xieyue with gratitude. She only felt that Xieyue showed up at the right time. If this really happened...

    She didn¡¯t even dare to imagine what would happen next!

    ¡°Eighth brother, alright, don¡¯t scare the princess. Consort Xuan is fine. Her Highness won¡¯t know about such a secret. It¡¯s just a little girl¡¯s joke.¡± Feng Yuxuan came over to smooth things over. There was a lively look on his face that he didn¡¯t notice and his clenched hands rxed.

    ¡°King Xuan, I¡¯m really sorry. Caifeng really didn¡¯t know that the sacrificial offerings in the temple can¡¯t be moved. She thought they were extremely precious. It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t know that the Empress sent this ne here. Fortunately, everyone¡¯s fine now,¡± Xieyue said and apologized to Feng Yuran.

    Then he turned to the Empress Dowager and said sincerely, ¡°Your Majesty, this ne is extremely ominous. Could I take it back and exchange it with a new gift?¡±

    No one dared to ept a ne with unknown poison. Everyone could tell that the gift had nothing to do with Xieyue. When they thought about the situation in the Southern Barbarian Lands, they understood that it must have been deliberately sent by his stepmother in order to frame Xieyue. Originally, it had nothing to do with the Qin Kingdom. But when they thought of the person who was almost poisoned, they had no good impression of the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. They only felt that this person was vicious and dared to plot against the Qin Kingdom to achieve the purpose of framing Crown Prince Xieyue. It was really hateful.

    ¡°Of course. Crown Prince, just take it away.¡± The Empress Dowager was annoyed by Consort Yu¡¯s incident some time ago and was scared out of her wits just now. At this time, she only felt sore all over and had no strength. She just wanted to go back to her bedroom and let the imperial physician see if there was anything wrong with her body. It was best for Xieyue to take the ne back.

    The Southern Barbarian Lands was the most bizarre ce. Who knew whether it would cause people to be poisoned if it was just ced there!

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Majesty!¡± Crown Prince Xieyue thanked her respectfully. Ignoring the pale-faced Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue, he turned to Mo Xuetong. However, when he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, his eyes widened and he froze immediately. Her beautiful face was as beautiful as a spring flower but carried with a hint of coldness. She was definitely the one he had been missing these past few days.

    She wasn¡¯t dead! she wasn¡¯t dead! She really didn¡¯t die!

    The wild joy almost made Crown Prince Xieyue unable to control himself. He clenched his fists so tightly that they were almost convulsing. The pain in his palms reminded him that he was not dreaming. The gloominess on his face faded away and he took a step forward. He could not help but want to pull Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand.

    He had thought that she had passed away and that it was because of Consort Yan. He had gotten someone to find out about that matter. It was said that Consort Yan framed her for having an affair with a servant. He remembered that she was pretty. How could a servant match her? It was obvious that Consort Yan was the one who framed her!

    So when he knew that Hu Qianyue had set up a trap, he yed along. She was dead, and even though he could not take revenge for her, he would not let Consort Yan off the hook. He would drag her down from the position of Consort Yan and torture her to death. He would make her wish she was dead!

    However, who would have thought that someone who was said to be dead would suddenly appear in front of him? It was a huge surprise that made the Crown Prince, who had always been able to control his emotions, lose control of himself. He stepped forward and tried to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand.

    A hand reached out and grabbed his hand. ¡°Your Highness, do you think it¡¯s not convenient to take this box? I have a good idea. You can think about it!¡±

    Feng Yuran held Xieyue¡¯s hand unhappily as he was full of jealousy. He rolled his eyes at Xieyue. He had known that Xieyue had different feelings for Mo Xuetong. That was why he had intentionally tried to confuse him and mentioned the Third Young Miss Mo. He had pushed the incident that had happened to Mo Xueqiong to Mo Xuetong.

    Anyway, Xieyue could not see Mo Xuetong under normal circumstances, so he pretended not to know what Xieyue was thinking.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that Crown Prince Xieyue in front of her was the one she had saved. She looked a little surprised when she thought of the ring he had given her. Fortunately, even though she did not expect to encounter Xieyue here, she knew that he was no ordinary person. She returned to normal after a moment of surprise.

    Unexpectedly, Crown Prince Xieyue was the one who was really at a loss!

    Mo Xuetong was stunned when she saw him reaching out to grab her. Then, she grew angry and backed away silently. She was about to speak when she saw that Feng Yuran had reached out to block Xieyue¡¯s hand. She heaved a sigh of relief. There were not many people in the hall who were kind. It would be bad if others discovered that there was something wrong between her and Xieyue.

    Xieyue also came to his senses at this time and knew that it would bring her trouble. He suppressed his doubts, turned to Feng Yuran, and asked with a smile, ¡°King Xuan, what¡¯s your good idea?¡±

    ¡°I have to ask you if there¡¯s any poison outside the box.¡± Feng Yuran pretended to want to know more about the situation as he looked around the box. ¡°You¡¯d better take another box to put it away so that the poison inside will not leak out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Your Highness!¡± Crown Prince Xieyue nodded.

    Feng Yuran waved his hand and asked a eunuch to find a jade box. The jade was fine so that it was hard for the poison to leak out. It was indeed the best choice. Xieyue took the box and put it on the table. Then he carefully pushed the jewelry box into the jade box with a cup beside him and then closed it again.

    As Princess Caifeng saw how careful they were, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She had been putting her hand on the jewelry box just now. Was she really alright? Had the poison left behind by the High Priest been leaking after so many years? That would be terrible!

    She looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s vicious and sharp eyes that looked as if they were tangible, making him look devilish and cold. Then, when she saw her elder brother who was holding his anger, she could not help but shiver with fear. Her face paled and she was no longer as carefree as before. She wanted to leave this suffocating hall wholeheartedly. She stood up and bade her farewell to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was frightened and her legs were weak. She was not in the mood to talk with them, so she waved her hand for them to do what they wanted.

    All the people took their leave together.

    Feng Yuran did not say anything else to the crowd. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and strode forward. He was really worried and wanted to take Mo Xuetong to the Imperial Institute of Medicine to have a look. When the jewelry box was sent to him, Mo Xuetong had once said that the things in the Southern Barbarian Lands were very strange and he was not allowed to open them. Furthermore, he was not curious about the essories and sent it straight to the pce.

    He did not expect that there were so many twists and turns in it. Fortunately, he did not open it at that time. Otherwise, if something happened to the Empress Dowager, others would me him. A hint of coldness shed in his eyes. Now that Feng Yuxuan had sent the box to Mo Xuetong, did he really know nothing about it? Why didn¡¯t he give the box to Ling Rui¡¯er? At that time, he had been trying to please Ling Rui¡¯er, hoping to get the full support of Ding General Manor.

    It seemed that Feng Yuxuan had already been in touch with the Empress and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Feng Yuran had been investigating the matters of the Empress, but he had ignored the things around him.

    ¡°Your Highness King Xuan!¡± Behind him came the clear voice of Xieyue.

    ¡°Your Highness, what else can I do for you? Is it because of Princess Caifeng? It really has nothing to do with me?¡± Feng Yuran turned around in an exaggerated manner and said with a cold smile. There was a hint of coldness in his eyes. It was not done yet!

    Princess Caifeng shrunk her neck when she heard that. She hadpletely lost her momentum. She had seen how bloodthirsty Feng Yuran was, and then heard how he arrogantly and rudely talked about her life and death. Princess Caifeng had truly given up. If this man wanted to kill her, he would not even care about the Southern Barbarian Lands behind her. She had beenpletely mesmerized by his devilish beauty earlier and had totally forgotten an ancient saying in the Southern Barbarian Lands¡ªthe most beautiful thing was usually the most vicious!

 Chapter 626 - Hu Qianyues Panic

    <h4>Chapter 626 Hu Qianyue¡¯s Panic</h4>

    In the main hall, the seats on the left were still for men and those on the right were for women. The Empress Dowager was not feeling well and did not attend the banquet. The Empress did note either. Emperor Zongwen sat high, and beside him were two imperial noble consorts, Imperial Noble Consort Wen and Consort Su. Below Consort Wen sat the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Princess, and then, You Yue¡¯e and Mo Xuetong, as well as Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue, followed by the nobledies of various manors.

    Consort Su was beside King Chu, followed by King Yan, King Xuan, King Ning, and Crown Prince Xieyue. The top three schrs sat behind them, followed by the sons of officials and aristocratic families.

    The main purpose of this banquet was to congratte the Number One Schr, and the schrs in the second and third ce. Therefore, although the three of them did not have a position in the court yet, they were very close to the front, which made people think highly of the three, especially the talented and handsome Number One Schr and the man in the third ce, who were not yet married. This made the youngdies on the opposite side blush.

    Among the three of them, Qin Yufeng was the most handsome. Furthermore, he came from an extraordinary family and had long been well-known in the capital. He was talented and handsome, so he received the most attention. Besides, it was said that the Emperor was secretly interested in bestowing marriage upon him, which caused many nobledies to look at him shyly from time to time.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, is that the Number One Schr?¡± Mo Xuetong was bored and leaned against her chair watching the singing and dancing in the main hall when Princess Caifeng suddenly smiled at her and asked. There was not a hint of grudge in her words, as if she was not the one who wanted to kill Mo Xuetong in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce earlier.

    Seeing that she was pointing in the direction of Qin Yufeng, Mo Xuetong put on a smile and said, ¡°Yes!¡±

    Since Princess Caifeng did not mention it, she might as well not ask. She wanted to see what Princess Caifeng was up to.

    ¡°Qianyue, what do you think of the Number One Schr?¡± Princess Caifeng smiled politely at Mo Xuetong before she turned around and asked Hu Qianyue, who was seated beside her.

    Hu Qianyue was stunned. For a moment, she did not understand the meaning behind Princess Caifeng¡¯s words. She followed Princess Caifeng¡¯s gaze and saw a handsome young master. She immediately nodded and replied with a smile, ¡°The Number One Schr is indeed outstanding. It¡¯s rare for such a handsome man to have such a literary talent.¡±

    Usually, many Number One Schrs were old, and it was the first time for Hu Qianyue to have seen such a handsome young man who had already be the Number One Schr, so she couldn¡¯t help but nod and praise him.

    Princess Caifeng leaned back and said softly as if she was joking, ¡°Qianyue, how about I tell Elder brotherter to let you marry the Number One Schr? At that time, we can still be together and live happily in the Qin Kingdom. We can also take care of each other.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Hu Qianyue was shocked, and her face suddenly turned pale. She was so shocked that the tea in her hand almost fell on her body. She hurriedly put the teacup on the table, but some water had already poured on her dress. Fortunately, she was wearing a lot of clothes at this time, and the water was on the edge of the skirt, so others couldn¡¯t see it at the moment.

    Mo Xuetong did not turn around. She seemed to be focused on the song and dance in the hall. The dancer was like a fairy in the sky, which was really attractive. Almost everyone in the hall was attracted by it. If Mo Xuetong had not felt a little ufortable because of the hot eyes on the opposite side, she would not have been able to hear what Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue said.

    ¡°Qianyue, do you like him badly? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll talk to Eldest brotherter.¡± Princess Caifeng giggled and looked around. No one noticed them. She leaned in and lowered her voice. ¡°Qianyue, stay in the Qin Kingdom with me. When Elder brother go back, he will definitely make it clear to Third brother. You are a perfect match for each other. Since it¡¯s destined, Third brother will definitely not say anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, please... please spare me!¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s voice trembled, and she could hardly speak. There was a pleading look on her face. She was smart, and immediately knew that she had offended Princess Caifeng, so she did not dare to say anything more. Even if the Third Prince was powerful, she could not rely on him now.

    ¡°Qianyue, aren¡¯t you very smart and capable? Why did you ask me to spare you? Did Mother ask you here to send me to get married, or to be the concubine of the man I will marry? If I marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, will you go with me? Or if I marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor? Oh, won¡¯t you look down on King Yan, will you?¡± Princess Caifeng smiled with a surprised expression on her face. She whispered to Hu Qianyue¡¯s ear as she nced at the princes across from them from time to time.

    The others did not pay much attention to the two of them when they saw that the two of them were talking happily and that it was a girl¡¯s private conversation. Mo Xuetong was the only one who could vaguely hear them. She knew that what had happened in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce earlier made Princess Caifeng unhappy. Princess Caifeng had wanted to harm her earlier. It was likely that it had something to do with Hu Qianyue.

    However, because of what she had said, Princess Caifeng had not figured it out earlier. She had been frightened by Feng Yuran earlier and now she had figured it out. She must have thought of Hu Qianyue¡¯s problem. Given Princess Caifeng¡¯s character, she would definitely seek revenge for the smallest grievance. She would not let Hu Qianyue off the hook so easily.

    This was also the retribution for Hu Qianyue¡¯s scheming against others. Mo Xuetong did not feel sorry for her at all. She simply listened carefully and looked ahead. She was in a good mood as she listened to their internal strife.

    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t dare to think so. How could I think of the man you like?¡± The more Princess Caifeng said, the more Hu Qianyue was frightened. Her face was so pale that it was almost bloodless. She looked at Princess Caifeng with pleading eyes and promised again and again.

    ¡°You don¡¯t or you don¡¯t dare?¡± Princess Caifeng asked with a grin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to do anything! I really want to plot for Your Highness. I really don¡¯t know about what happened just now. I only heard that there is some poison in the box. I thought that since you dare to pick it up, you must know that there is no poison. Your Highness, I came from the Southern Barbarian Lands with you. If something happens to you, how can I escape? His Highness Crown Prince will not let me go either.¡±

    Seeing that Princess Caifeng was unwilling to spare her, Hu Qianyue secretly felt that she was going to get into trouble. She immediately spoke with all her heart out. She did not expect that Princess Caifeng would vent all her anger on her after her n failed. She did not dare to say anything more and only hoped that Princess Caifeng would not me her.

    When she mentioned Crown Prince Xieyue, Princess Caifeng¡¯s odd expression grew slightly better. If not for Crown Prince Xieyue rushing in earlier, she might have really died at the hands of that devilishly handsome King Xuan. When she thought of the vicious look in his cold eyes, it was rare for Princess Caifeng to be smart. She knew that this person would not show any mercy when he dealt with her. He was truly able to do what he said.

    At this time, she also woke up because of Feng Yuran. If she poisoned Consort Xuan and she was killed by King Xuan, the alliance between her eldest brother and the Qin Kingdom would not seed. Then her third brother would benefit most from it. And Hu Qianyue in front of her eyes was her third brother¡¯s cousin. Princess Caifeng had never thought of this before, but now she suddenly understood!

    ¡°Qianyue, I heard that Mother has already named you as Third Brother¡¯s consort?¡± Princess Caifeng raised her eyebrows and asked with a faint smile, as if she was just curious about it.

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart beat wildly, and there was a slight cold sweat on her forehead. When the Empress secretly told her this, there was only a personal pce maid standing beside her. And this matter would be settled after she returned from abroad. They were afraid that it would attract the attention of Princess Caifeng and Crown Prince Xieyue, so they did not make it public.

    But how could Princess Caifeng know about it?

    She smiled awkwardly and looked at Princess Caifeng. She did not find anything unusual. Then, she pretended to be at a loss and replied, ¡°Your Highness, what are you talking about? If Her Majesty really wants me to marry Third Prince, how could I follow you to the Qin Kingdom at this time?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Princess Caifeng seemed to frown in disbelief.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Hu Qianyue answered with absolute certainty.

    ¡°How could it not be? Could it be that I was wrong?¡± Princess Caifeng seemed to be talking to herself, but then she nodded and patted Hu Qianyue¡¯s shoulder with a calm attitude. ¡°That¡¯s the best. I thought that you would be the Third Prince¡¯s wife in the future, and then I can¡¯t stay with you all the time,¡± she said with a deeper meaning in her words.

    Her words were vague, but it made Hu Qianyue alert. She felt that there was something hidden in Princess Caifeng¡¯s words. She suppressed the shock in her heart and wanted to speak again. However, she saw that Princess Caifeng had already abandoned her and turned to look at Consort Xuan on the other side. She could only bite her lips tightly and suppress the waves of shock and helplessness in her heart. She was flustered!

    Of course, she did not think that Princess Caifeng was just joking. Could it be that what had happened today had reminded Princess Caifeng of her failure in the mission to the Qin Kingdom? The Crown Prince had already taken back the ne made of South Pearls and exined the reason. The Qin Kingdom should have med the Empress for it.

    However, they had a good impression of Crown Prince Xieyue, which could be seen from the other people¡¯s expressions in the hall at that time.

    Not only did she fail to help her aunt and cousin, but she even made the people of the Qin Kingdom hate them. Could she be her cousin¡¯s wife if she didn¡¯t make anything? That day, her aunt said that she could be her cousin¡¯s consort after she seeded. But if she failed...

    Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t dare to think further. It seemed that not only the Crown Prince had doubts about her, but also Princess Caifeng, who had always looked stupid, had a grudge against her. This was originally a trump card for her to resist the Crown Prince, but now it seemed that it had be her weakness!

    How could Hu Qianyue not panic? She didn¡¯t even know how to do next. She clenched her hands tightly under her sleeves and lowered her head slightly to hide the panic in her eyes. At this time, she couldn¡¯t be flustered. She had to make a good n, step by step, before she took any actions. She couldn¡¯t mess up and be led by the nose by that stupid woman, Caifeng.

    She had to think about if Princess Caifeng said those words unintentionally or intentionally before she would make ns.

    Mo Xuetong sat by the side. However, she had heard them clearly. A hint of a cold smile appeared on her lips.

    At this time, the music in the hall stopped, and the dancers also stopped. With their long sleeves fluttering, they left in an orderly manner.

    Crown Prince Xieyue retracted his heated gaze and raised his wine cup. He nced at King Yan, who was sitting beside him. Then he walked to the center of the pce, smiled at Emperor Zongwen and said, ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty, for the talents you get!¡±

    After that, he drank the ss of wine in one gulp!

    Emperor Zongwen smiled slightly and also raised his cup in the distance. He raised his head and drank it. Then he said with a smile, ¡°Crown Prince Xieyue, you are too polite. You are guests from afar. Please have a few more drinks. Yuxuan, the few of you should also urge Crown Prince Xieyue to have a few cups of wine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, stood up with a smile and drank a cup of wine respectfully.

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Your Majesty. It¡¯s a good day. I have a happy event here, and I hope you can grant my wish.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s eyes swept over Princess Caifeng. It was obvious that he was going to ask for an engagement for her. Everyone knew that Princess Caifeng hade to the Qin Kingdom for a marriage, but they did not know who would be the one to get her this time.

    All the whispers stopped, and there was a sudden silence in the hall.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the several princes opposite the women. One of them would be Princess Caifeng¡¯s husband, but they didn¡¯t know who he was. Everyone favored King Ning most. After all, he didn¡¯t have a legal wife. If Princess Caifeng married one of the other princes, she would only be a co-wife whose statue would be lower than the legal wife. The Southern Barbarian Lands wouldn¡¯t be willing to suffer this loss, would they?

 Chapter 627 - The Power Was Not So Easy to Borrow

    <h4>Chapter 627 The Power Was Not So Easy to Borrow</h4>

    Feng Yuzhen sat upright with a smile on his face, looking elegant and calm. Although Crown Prince Xieyue mentioned the marriage all of a sudden, he did not feel too shocked because of his self-restraint. He thought the same way as everyone else: his current condition was the best as the position of his legal consort was vacant. The others couldn¡¯tpete with him at all.

    He did not believe that the unruly and arrogant-looking Princess Caifeng would be willing to be a concubine.

    Originally, he did not like Princess Caifeng. After a few days of observation, Feng Yuzhen did not take her seriously. Although she was good-looking, she had a bad temper; besides, her behavior always made people feel that she was too indulgent. A girl who had not married yet was actually in touch with several men. Although it was in the name of choosing a husband, it was too casual for a princess.

    If such a big thing had not happened to Consort Yu, Feng Yuzhen would not have been willing toe to the front stage.

    Previously, because of Wang Yueyue¡¯s incident, he slowly retreated to behind the scenes and was no longer at the front stage to openly enhance his strength. He acted as if he really had no other thoughts about the throne. In fact, this was his and the Empress Dowager¡¯s n. Only when he slowly retreated to behind the scenes, would he not attract the attention of the Emperor and other princes.

    There were some things that could be carried out secretly. The child in Consort Yu¡¯s belly was thest trump card for him to win. Before the trump card was revealed, he must keep a low profile. He must not fight with the Emperor and attract his attention. He was not the Emperor¡¯s son; the Emperor would not do anything to his sons even if they did some unusual movements; and as long as they did not do something against human rtions, the Emperor would forgive them.

    He was different. He was the Emperor¡¯s nephew, a powerful nephew. People always thought that if his father was still alive, he would be the legitimate Crown Prince. With such a person, how could the Emperor not be afraid? As long as he showed something unusual, the Emperor would not let him go lightly.

    Therefore, he was waiting. When the Emperor¡¯s sons fought at outrance and all suffered lose, he would take the little prince who had just been born to stand out. Then he could control the prince andmand the Emperor. In the pce, Consort Yu and the Empress Dowager could help him, and outside the pce, he had his own powers. It was really not a big deal for him to take charge of the court affairs. He was not going to change the dynasty. The officials would naturally turn to their new master.

    He would first be the Emperor¡¯s Regent, and when the time came, he would be the Emperor!

    As for whether Consort Yu could give birth to a son or not, it was not a big deal. Even if she gave birth to a daughter, he could get people to swap the girl for a boy.

    Consort Yu¡¯s incident had happened so suddenly that the Empress Dowager had not been prepared for it at all. Furthermore, the Emperor, the Empress, and the other consorts were all present that day. When the incident suddenly happened, the imperial physician who had been feeling Consort Yu¡¯s pulse had note. The Empress Dowager¡¯s pce was still a little far away from Consort Yu, so she hade toote.

    Given all the factors, itpletely disrupted the steps of King Ning¡¯s side!

    And because of this, Feng Yuzhen had to change his strategies!

    He needed stronger support, such as the support from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Therefore, although this princess was not his type, he had to find a way to marry her as his wife so as to maintain friendly contact and cooperation with the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Some time ago, something bad happened to Wang Yueyue, and then Grand Secretariat Wang retired. Feng Yuzhen also seemed to want to withdraw from the imperial court. As a result, the number of people on his side did not increase and there was a tendency to reduce. If he did not make himself stronger, he was afraid that few people would support him. Besides, if he married Princess Caifeng, when the Emperor wanted to deal with him in the future, he had to think about the Southern Barbarian Lands. It could benefit Feng Yuzhen in more ways than one.

    That was why he had to make it!

    Compared to the others, his biggest advantage was that he did not have a legal wife. The position of legal wife was vacant. Compared to marrying to the other princes who al had a legal wife, Princess Caifeng would definitely marry him. It was the same to the Southern Barbarian Lands. A co-wife was also a concubine!

    How could a noble princess be a concubine? Given this simple point, it was impossible for Feng Yuxuan and the other princes to marry Princess Caifeng!

    That was why Feng Yuzhen was at ease at this moment. He leaned back rxedly, waiting for Crown Prince Xieyue to continue.

    Feng Yuxuan raised his cup to his lips with his usual calm smile on his face.

    Feng Yuran looked at Crown Prince Xieyuezily, as if he was watching a good show. Mo Xuetong stood across from him and even received a wink from him. She could not help but re at him coyly and turned her head to look away. This man was still so casual at this time. He did not care if the Emperor, who was seated high, would be angry if he saw him.

    Even though Feng Yulei knew that Princess Caifeng would marry him, he suddenly had a bad feeling when he looked at the calm face of Crown Prince Xieyue. His body tensed up slightly, and there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes!

    He wanted to borrow the power behind the princess. Also, he wanted to take advantage of the marriage with Princess Caifeng to unite Crown Prince Xieyue.

    However, the power was not so easy to borrow. It was originally a matter of absolute certainty, but it made him feel a little uneasy now. The reason was that Crown Prince Xieyue was so calm that he seemed to have no feeling. In the meanwhile, Princess Caifeng just lowered her head slightly, as if she was shy.

    After a few days of interaction, Feng Yulei had known clearly about Princess Caifeng¡¯s character: she was not a person who could be inferior to others. How could she be obedient, as if she would follow Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s arrangements? Was she really willing to be his co-wife and be inferior to You Yue¡¯e?

    He moved his body, and his right hand, which was pressing against the corner of the table, was slightly sweaty!

    ¡°Your Highness, go ahead!¡± said Emperor Zongwen who was seated high with a smile.

    Crown Prince Xieyue looked at the ministers in the hall and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He cupped one hand in the other before his chest and uttered slowly, ¡°My younger sister, Caifeng, has fallen in love with King Yan and wants to marry him. Please grant her wish, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°King Yan? It¡¯s King Yan!¡±

    ¡°How could it be King Yan? King Yan¡¯s wife is the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo. Does he want her to be degraded?¡±

    ¡°No. Then she will be a co-wife?¡± ...

    All of a sudden, there were whispers in the hall. Several ministers looked at Crown Prince Xieyue in astonishment, almost thinking that they had misheard him. They whispered to each other and discussed!

    How could they not choose King Ning but choose King Yan who had a wife? What did the Southern Barbarian Lands want?

    It should be noted that the position of a legal wife not only represented her status, but also the status of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom. Why did the princess want to be a co-wife instead of a legal wife? Was there any business between them? Or was there some other reason? As for the love that Crown Prince Xieyue mentioned, they chose to forgot it.

    How could they really fall in love with each other? He was just saying it. The marriage was between the two countries, and personal situations could just be ignored.

    Feng Yuzhen sat up straight and looked at the calm andposed Crown Prince Xieyue standing in the hall in disbelief. He could hardly believe what he had heard!

    What? Princess Caifeng wanted to marry Feng Yulei? What was going on? Even though he did not have any love for Princess Caifeng, he was confident that he would be able to get the help from the Southern Barbarian Lands. However, it had been stolen in another way. How could he not be angry? He held his wine cup tightly with a sinister coldness in his eyes. ¡°Feng Yulei, it must be Feng Yulei. If he has not done something secretly, how could Princess Caifeng be willing to marry him to be his co-wife?

    Feng Yulei was also very anxious. He sat straight and tightened his body. Because he was nervous and his attention was focused on the hall, he did not notice that Feng Yuzhen was looking at him coldly.

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally the best that Princess Caifeng is willing to marry Old Three. But, Old Three already has a legal wife. Well...¡± Emperor Zongwen seemed to be in a dilemma as he frowned and said.

    It meant that Princess Caifeng was going to be regarded as a co-wife!

    Sitting by the side, Princess Caifeng did not speak, but a sh of anger shed across her eyes. She nced at You Yue¡¯e with disdain. A co-wife? She would not be willing to be the co-wife. How could that woman want to stand above her? Princess Caifeng did not dare to daydream after being frightened by Feng Yuran. She knew that she might get herself into a miserable dilemma if she married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    At this time, she had changed her mind and began to make ns for herself with all her heart.

    Crown Prince Xieyue smiled calmly, took out a jade pendant from his sleeve, and raised it before saying, ¡°Your Majesty, this is the betrothal gift King Yan gave to Caifeng.¡±

    The jade pendant was a prince¡¯s jade pendant. Each prince only had one. There was a rule in the Qin Kingdom that the prince¡¯s jade pendant must be a betrothal gift for the prince¡¯s wife. In other words, the girl who got a prince¡¯s jade pendant must be the prince¡¯s wife.

    Therefore, as soon as Crown Prince Xieyue raised his hand, the people who saw it clearly immediately buzzed!

    King Yan had actually given his prince¡¯s jade pendant to Princess Caifeng. What did that mean? Almost everyone¡¯s gazended on Feng Yulei and some people looked at You Yue¡¯e who was seated on the other side.

    Was he going to divorce her and marry Princess Caifeng?

    When Feng Yulei saw the jade pendant clearly, his face suddenly turned pale. He looked at Crown Prince Xieyue in shock. He remembered that Crown Prince Xieyue forced him to take out a ¡°treasureful¡± token that day. In order to win Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s trust, he took off the jade pendant without much consideration. Although he regretted it afterward, he felt that he had made it clear to Crown Prince Xieyue that he could marry Caifeng as a co-wife.

    He did not expect Crown Prince Xieyue to take out the jade pendant in front of everyone. At this point, he could not get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. His face nched and livid because of everyone¡¯s gaze. As he turned to look at You Yue¡¯e on the other side, he found that she almost could not sit still and that her eyes were filled with sadness and despair. He could not help but feel anxious.

    He couldn¡¯t let Princess Caifeng go, and through You Yue¡¯e, he could get Duke Mingguo¡¯s help, so he didn¡¯t want to let her go either.

    He stood up hurriedly and hit the corner of the table, but he ignored it. With a pale face, he wanted to defend himself loudly. Even though he wanted to get Princess Caifeng¡¯s help, Feng Yulei still felt that it was not worth it if he would offend Duke Mingguo. No matter what, he could not do it!

    ¡°Father, I... this jade pendant is...¡± Speaking of this, he blushed and could not continue.

    Looking sideways at the smiling face of Crown Prince Xieyue, he only felt like he was vomiting blood in his heart. Just now, he stood in a hurry and only wanted to defend himself. It was a kind of conditional reflex. At this time, when he really stood up, he found that he had nothing to say. What could he say? Could he say that he had an affair with Princess Caifeng, which was found by Xieyue, and that he had to take off the precious jade pendant as a token of promise?

    Or could he say that he had identally barged into Princess Caifeng¡¯s room and held the disheveled Princess Caifeng in his arms?

    No matter what it was, it would damage his elegant reputation as a prince. For the first time, Feng Yulei felt that he was at a loss for words and was speechless. He had no words to defend himself. He broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and awkwardly retreated under Xieyue¡¯s smile.

    To borrow other¡¯s power was no easy task!

    What should he do? There was only one position of Consort Yan. Offending the Southern Barbarian Lands or Mingguo Manor? Which one would be more beneficial to him? Feng Yulei¡¯s mind was spinning rapidly, and his logic was in a mess as cold sweat dripped down his back...

 Chapter 628 - Bestowing Marriage, One by One

    <h4>Chapter 628 Bestowing Marriage, One by One</h4>

    As for the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom, Feng Yulei didn¡¯t feel any joy as he saw Princess Caifeng¡¯s affectionate gaze. He felt as if he was being roasted. Furthermore, it was not something he wanted to do!

    No matter who he offended, it was different from his original intention. In face of this kind of choice of gain and loss, Feng Yulei was under too much pressure.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I have also seen this jade pendant. This was a betrothal gift from His Highness King Yan to my younger sister. Then, it was sent back to King Yan¡¯s Manor as a dowry. Speaking of which, the true owner of this jade pendant is my younger sister,¡± a clear voice stated, helping Feng Yulei out in a timely manner. Everyone turned around and saw You Yuecheng stand up to reply.

    He didn¡¯t say much, but after a few words, he had exined the jade pendant¡¯s situation.

    Everyone present only felt ashamed. Just now, everyone¡¯s attention was attracted by the jade pendant in Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s hand, and their thoughts were all about the jade pendant. They only thought that the jade pendant was a betrothal gift for the prince¡¯s wife, but did not remember that King Yan had already had a wife. The jade pendant had been sent out, but it was not taken out in the hall.

    You Yue¡¯e¡¯s expression slowly softened from her excitement. She wrung her handkerchief tightly and twisted it into a ball, no longer as delicate as it used to be.

    ¡°Your Excellency, what you said is about before. At that time, Caifeng hasn¡¯te yet.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue smiled slightly.

    This was to remind You Yuecheng that the past was the past. Now that Feng Yulei had given the jade pendant to another woman, which meant that he was not satisfied with You Yue¡¯e and wanted to choose another wife!

    Feng Yulei, who had just sighed with inward relief, became worried again. But there were some things that others could say, but he could not. He couldn¡¯t let Xieyue tell others why he left the jade pendant at that time. A lot of things had happened to him recently, and he grew less and less liked by his father. His previous good reputation had gradually be worse.

    If there was a rumor that he was a hooligan, there were few ministers in the entire court would stand on his side.

    Therefore, he could only pin his hopes on You Yuecheng. He hoped that You Yuecheng would be able to pull him out of the whirlpool of the marriage with Princess Caifeng. He did not dare to win Princess Caifeng and the help of the Southern Barbarian Lands. He had thought about it clearly just now. No matter how powerful the Southern Barbarian Lands was, it was too far away from him, and was notparable with the support of Mingguo Manor.

    If he really lost Mingguo Manor and You Yuecheng¡¯s support, it would be a disaster for him. So what if he got the support of the Southern Barbarian Lands by then? If he had no power in the court, he would never be able to get the throne. At most, he would be an idle prince. How could Feng Yulei, who had always been a legitimate son, stand it?

    ¡°Your Highness, you are wrong. The marriage between my younger sister and King Yan was granted by His Majesty and the prince¡¯s jade pendant was the betrothal present. Even though it had been returned to King Yan, the true master is still my younger sister. Now that the jade pendant has fallen into Princess Caifeng¡¯s hands, it means that my younger sister has proposed to Princess Caifeng on behalf of King Yan and will give her a status simr to that of the wife.¡±

    You Yuecheng smiled slightly and exined calmly. There was a polite and calm smile on his lips. He waspeting with Crown Prince Xieyue and was not at a disadvantage at all.

    The jade pendant had been sent by the prince himself, and then it was sent by his wife. Although it was the same jade pendant, it was of lower value because the owner of the jade pendant was different. The jade pendant sent by the prince presented the respect to his wife, and the one sent by his wife meant a betrothal of a co-wife for her husband. As a co-wife who was superior to other concubines, she was also a wife. It was normal to give a jade pendant to show respect to her.

    What was more, Princess Caifeng was not an ordinary person! You Yue¡¯e¡¯s action of asking to marry a woman from a noble family for her husband showed that she was generous and decent, and there was nothing wrong with it.

    Feng Yulei did not dare to say what had happened then. You Yuecheng was also taking risk. He believed that Crown Prince Xieyue was too embarrassed to tell them about what had happened between Princess Caifeng and Feng Yulei. Even though Feng Yulei was embarrassed because of what had happened, what about Princess Caifeng? If the whole thing was exposed, Princess Caifeng¡¯s reputation would be ruined. The Southern Barbarian Lands would not be able to afford to lose face!

    This matter was like a double-sided sword. On the one hand, Feng Yulei and Princess Caifeng were connected; on the other hand, no one dared to say anything!

    The entire hall fell silent. Even Emperor Zongwen, who was seated high, also looked at his sons sitting on one side with a meaningful look. His thoughtful gaze made them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles. They all avoided Emperor Zongwen¡¯s gaze. However, Feng Yuran nced at Emperor Zongwen devilishly and a faint smile appeared in his eyes as if he was watching a show.

    Emperor Zongwen red at Feng Yuran and looked at Crown Prince Xieyue again!

    He waited for Crown Prince Xieyue to say something with the others.

    ¡°The gift for a co-wife?¡± The smile on Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s face grew even fainter. He turned around to look at Feng Yulei before looking at You Yuecheng. Then he asked as if he wanted to verify it.

    ¡°Yes, the gift for a co-wife.¡± You Yuecheng nodded affirmatively. Inside him, he was not as calm as it looked on the surface. If Crown Prince Xieyue really came to a life-and-death struggle, there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, Crown Prince Xieyue was still wary, and the smile on his face became more sincere. ¡°The co-wife is simr to the legal wife, and the child she gives birth to is also the legitimate child.¡±

    Although her children¡¯s status was lower than the official legitimate sons and daughters¡¯, they were still legitimate children!

    ¡°Your Highness, in the Qin Kingdom, the children of the co-wife and the children of the legal wife are all the legitimate children. They share the same status,¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who was sitting high, suddenly said with a gentle smile.

    Her words were a little off, but they were all members of the Qin Kingdom and were seen by the Emperor. As Imperial Noble Consort Wen spoke at this time, it might be the Emperor¡¯s opinion. No one dared to exin the difference between the co-wife and the legal wife¡¯s children to Crown Prince Xieyue. No matter how simr the co-wife was to the legal wife, they were different.

    There was only one position of the legal wife!

    ¡°He wants to marry the person he gave the gift to?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue seemed to be confused by what he said and asked again.

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± You Yuecheng relieved and let out a sigh of relief. There was a hint of a smile on his handsome face. Fortunately, Feng Yulei and You Yue¡¯e had gone to the Mingguo Manor to tell him about it after the incident. He felt that something was wrong then and was prepared for it. You Yuecheng was naturally happy when the matter was settled.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s temperament was nothing to be afraid of, and she was just a pawn of the marriage.

    In You Yuecheng¡¯s opinion, having a co-wife in King Yan¡¯s Manor was like having another second consort, which could not stir up any trouble. As long as his younger sister was in the position of Consort Yan, and Feng Yulei had to rely on him, such affairs would not be a problem. Furthermore, Princess Caifeng did not seem smart at first nce. Otherwise, he would not have gotten something on her.

    ¡°Oh, it was supposed to be like this. I misunderstood it,¡± Crown Prince Xieyue said, as if he had suddenly realized something. He then turned to look at Princess Caifeng. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he suddenly smiled at Hu Qianyue beside Princess Caifeng and asked, ¡°Miss Hu, this jade pendant was sent to you before, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart trembled at his nce and she answered subconsciously. As soon as she said yes, she felt that something was wrong and was shocked out of her wits. But before she could finish her words, Crown Prince Xieyue had already bowed up and said, ¡°Your Majesty, since King Yan wants to marry Miss Hu of our Southern Barbarian Lands as his co-wife, I will agree on behalf of Miss Hu. Please grant the marriage to them, Your Majesty.¡±

    His words shocked all the people in the hall, and everyone stared at Crown Prince Xieyue who had just thrown an inspired trick.

    Hu Qianyue went limp and almost fell off the chair. She only felt that her body was trembling, but she couldn¡¯t say anything. She was just an official¡¯s daughter of the Southern Barbarian Lands and came to the Qin Kingdom alone. Who could speak up for her now?

    Princess Caifeng was also stunned at first. However, when she saw how shocked Hu Qianyue was and how she could hardly sit still, she immediately smiled with satisfaction. Just now, she had already been unwilling to put on an affectionate expression to look at Feng Yulei, especially when the man could not even say anything about his marriage and had to ask his brother-inw for help. Princess Caifeng looked down on Feng Yulei at this moment.

    She felt that he was not manful at all. He was just like a man who lived off a woman. He depended on his wife¡¯s brother and had no opinions of his own.

    However, she was afraid of Crown Prince Xieyue. When he turned to look at her, she had to do something. As such, even if she was unwilling, she had to look at Feng Yulei affectionately. How could she not be happy when she heard that her elder brother had changed his mind and wanted Hu Qianyue to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor?

    At the moment, she pulled Hu Qianyue and said with a chuckle, ¡°Qianyue, you are really going to be a prince¡¯s wife now. Congrattions!¡±

    The situation had totally changed, and all the people in the hall fell silent.

    Crown Prince Xieyue failed to get the position of King Yan¡¯s legal wife for Princess Caifeng. It seemed that he waspletely defeated by You Yuecheng. But secondster, Hu Qianyue was pushed to the front stage. Who was Hu Qianyue? She was the daughter of a general, and she had an aunt who was the Empress. Her status in the Southern Barbarian Lands was lower than that of Princess Caifeng, but the power behind her was stronger than that of the princess.

    Moreover, it was said that Miss Hu was a strongpetitor for the position of Third Prince¡¯s wife.

    Such a person was supposed to just send Princess Caifeng to the Qin Kingdom. Unexpectedly, she had to stay in the Qin Kingdom. Was this a marriage or a feud? Now, even You Yuecheng could not remain calm and his face darkened.

    Before he could speak, Crown Prince Xieyue pleaded again, ¡°Your Majesty, King Yan and Miss Hu are in love with each other, which is a good thing for the two countries. On behalf of the Southern Barbarian Lands, I am here to ask Your Majesty to grant the marriage for them, and the marriage for Caifeng and King Ning. These two heaven-made matches will definitely ensure eternal peace between our two countries.¡±

    Crown Prince Xieyue made a decision. The envoys who came with him also stepped out. They kowtowed to Emperor Zongwen and said in unison, ¡°Please grant the marriage, Your Majesty. The two countries will always be in peace.¡±

    He wanted Emperor Zongwen to grant one marriage after the other, in the name of the friendship between the two countries. Coupled with what Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng had said before, it had risen to the level of two countries. If Emperor Zongwen did not agree, it meant that he did not want the two countries to reconcile forever. Emperor Zongwen did not say anything else and nodded with a smile. He said, ¡°Since Crown Prince Xieyue wants it,e on, draw up an edict to bestow the marriages.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Xi hurriedly took out the prepared imperial edict and ttened it on the table. Emperor Zongwen thought for a moment and then quickly wrote. Then, he gave it to them.

    The content of the imperial edict was simple. The Emperor said that these two couples were two matches made in heaven and the witness of the two countries¡¯ friendship. Since they had feelings for each other, then, the two women should marry into the Qin Kingdom together to prove the two countries¡¯ rtionship.

    At this point, the matter had reached the level of countries. You Yuecheng could not oppose it anymore, so he could only nod to Feng Yulei.

    Feng Yulei and the others went up to express their gratitude.

 Chapter 629 - The Strange Hu Qianyue

    <h4>Chapter 629 The Strange Hu Qianyue</h4>

    After the marriage was bestowed, the banquet continued. At the moment, since the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom were officially engaged, most people breathed a sigh of relief. So they toasted to the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ envoys. The hall suddenly became lively. Crown Prince Xieyue also gave a toast to the princes who were sitting with him.

    Seeing that he was in poor health, others didn¡¯t force him to drink.

    ¡°Number One Schr Qin, since Father wishes to bestow marriage upon you today, is there any youngdy that you like? I can ask Father to bestow marriage upon you. What do you think?¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled slightly as he turned around to ask Qin Yufeng who sat below him. His pretty eyes shone brightly. What had happened earlier did not affect him at all, so he was in a good mood.

    Qin Yufeng did not expect King Xuan to speak to him. He smiled gently and answered, ¡°Many thanks, King Xuan. I am still young and there is not anydy I like.¡±

    ¡°There are so many beauties in the hall, but you don¡¯t like either of them. Number One Schr Qin, you¡¯re really demanding!¡± Feng Yuran teased. He intentionally pondered for a moment and pointed at the legitimate daughters of several high-ranking officials sitting near the front. ¡°Mr. Qin, look at thesedies. Not only do theye from good families, but they are also beautiful. Just now, they kept looking at you. It is obvious that they like you.¡±

    Qin Yufeng looked up and nced at thedies in the distance. Indeed, when they saw him looking at them, they blushed, and lowered their heads shyly. But his eyes were as calm as water. Qin Yufeng smiled slightly and said, ¡°King Xuan, you must be joking. They are alldies from noble families. How would they do something against the rules for girls? I don¡¯t dare to be brusque.¡±

    He turned it down? Feng Yuran¡¯s interest was aroused. He turned to look at Qin Yufeng up and down and praised, ¡°Number One Schr is so talented and handsome but why are you so pedantic? A gentleman will woo a gentle and graceful young woman he loves. Look at my Third brother. He likes Miss Hu, so he gives her a token directly. This is a matter of love. What¡¯s there to be brusque about?¡±

    At this time, he looked at Qin Yufeng with deep eyes as if he was really praising Feng Yulei. Feng Yulei, who was sitting beside him, was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked at his handsome yet ignorant brother with disdain and turned his head to the other side. He did not intend to talk to him.

    ¡°King Xuan, you must be joking. How could I be able to be brusque to thedies.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled slightly and refused lightly.

    ¡°Number One Schr Qin, is there someone you like?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s smile grew even brighter. His deep and beautiful eyes shone, but one could not see what he meant.

    ¡°No.¡± Qin Yufeng shook his head.

    Feng Yuran smiled and said, ¡°It turns out that Number One Schr Qin is totally focused on studying. Even now, you still don¡¯t remember your own marriage. Why don¡¯t I choose a few beautifuldies for you?¡±

    ¡°Many thanks for your kindness, Your Highness, but I don¡¯t want to get married now. Furthermore, I do not need too many beauties. I only hope that there will be one girl whom I could hold hands with. One wife is enough.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled lightly. His expression did not change at all. Even though his tone was gentle, his refusal was obvious.

    ¡°Eighth brother, if Number One Schr Qin can¡¯t find someone he likes, then forget it,¡± Feng Yuxuan interrupted with a smile. Then, he turned to Qin Yufeng and said, ¡°If Number One Schr Qin likes somedy in the future, I will definitely ask Father to grant marriage to you.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness King Chu.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled leisurely. He looked calm, neither close nor distant.

    Crown Prince Xieyue smiled friendly and did not say anything. Seeing that Qin Yufeng insisted on refusing, Feng Yuran did not ask anymore. He only teased him with this matter, and Qin Yufeng had always been good-tempered and smiled.

    Until the banquet was over, the Number One Schr still did not pick a suitable girl. However, the man in the third ce and a youngdy hit it off. The man came forward and asked Emperor Zongwen to grant the marriage. Emperor Zongwen grinned and agreed. Finally, the men of the top three would work in the Imperial Academy together, which could be regarded as the most important government office for civil officials.

    There was a saying among the civil officials that all the prime ministers came from the Imperial Academy.

    Therefore, although the Imperial Academy made no profit, it was highly valued by the Emperor. Those who had shallow knowledge and small talent couldn¡¯t enter this ce at all.

    Therefore, the officials in the hall congratted the men in the top three one after another.

    When the women saw that there was nothing else to do, they left the hall led by the two imperial noble consorts. Since they had to wait for the people in the hall, they went to y in the imperial garden in groups. Consort Su, Imperial Noble Consort Wen, and the other imperial consorts returned to their own pces respectively. So many things had happened in the pce recently, and no one dared to say anything.

    Mo Xuetong looked at the time and found that it was a littlete for her to go to Anhe Pce. So she brought her maidservants to rest in a pavilion on a rockery.

    The rockery was quite high, and sitting in the pavilion, they could see the scene of the pce. There were many gorgeous pces hidden in the trees. They had a wide view here. Mo Lanid a cushion for Mo Xuetong, and thetter sat down against the rails, feeling rxed.

    ¡°My Lady, why does Miss Hu have to marry into the Qin Kingdom? Wasn¡¯t it said that she was just sent Princess Caifeng to the Qin Kingdom?¡± After taking care of everything, Mo Lan stood by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and tried to hold it in. As she could not hold it anymore, she asked. She wasn¡¯t gossiping. Instead, it was because Hu Qianyue was not like Princess Caifeng. One could tell that she had some tricks up her sleeve at the first sight.

    She was still living in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Who knew when she would plot against others again? Mo Lan had to be clear about Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughts first so that she could deal with Miss Hu better. Thetter did not seem to be an obedient person.

    ¡°Miss Hu was supposed to send Princess Caifeng to marry into our country. However, she has no choice but to marry King Yan to be a co-wife now. Given her character, how could she be willing to be below someone? Crown Prince Xieyue was really smart to y this trick!¡± Mo Xuetong leaned back against the soft cushion and smiled leisurely. There was a hint of a smile in her dark and lively eyes.

    Initially, he had wanted to marry Princess Caifeng to Feng Yulei as his legal wife. However, he did not expect You Yuecheng to have been prepared for this. Crown Prince Xieyue had changed his strategy on the spot and pushed Hu Qianyue to the front stage. He had indeed yed a good game and had tricked Feng Yulei as well. Hu Qianyue was not Princess Caifeng and she was supposed to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife, but now she was going to be Feng Yulei¡¯s co-wife. It had offended the Third Prince and the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands, not to mention the marriage between the two countries.

    Now Hu Qianyue could not be a prince¡¯s wife. Besides, ording to the Third Prince¡¯s identity, it was very likely that he would seed in taking the throne. Then she would be the Empress of a country. Now she left her country and was going to be the co-wife of a prince of another country. This was not a marriage. It was obviously starting a feud. ording to Hu Qianyue¡¯s character, she didn¡¯t seem to be a person to ept it.

    ¡°Then is Miss Hu going to move out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor?¡± Mo Lan only cared about the matters in the manor and frowned. She also heard the meaning in Mo Xuetong¡¯s words.

    ¡°Mo Lan, don¡¯t be nervous. His Majesty has arranged a marriage for them now. The two of them can¡¯t live in our manor anymore. I heard that the reception rooms are ready. We don¡¯t have to get involved.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up and the smile in her eyes grew even brighter.

    It turned out that the Emperor did not intend to let the Southern Barbarian Lands¡¯ envoys stay in King Xuan¡¯s Manor all the time. A few days ago, someone from the pce came to inform them that Crown Prince Xieyue and the others would move there in these days. Now was the best time. When they returned to the manorter, Mo Xuetong would order servants to help them move, so as not to get involved in the matters they created in the future. It seemed that these two marriages would not go smoothly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great. When I go backter, I¡¯ll ask Nanny Chen and Aunt Xiann to help them move. We will definitely send Princess Caifeng and Miss Hu out happily.¡± Mo Lan rxed and could not help joking.

    Sending Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue out happily? Mo Xuetong could not help but think of what Princess Caifeng had said to Hu Qianyue earlier, which indicated that they were doing tit for tat. The corners of her lips curled up. She did not expect Mo Lan to be so mischievous. No matter what they would do, the two of them could not be happy!

    Fortunately, one of them had something to do with King Yan¡¯s Manor and the other had something to do with King Ning¡¯s Manor. They both had nothing to do with her.

    The big event that had been pressing down on her heart recently had finally disappeared.

    In the past life, something must have happened between Princess Caifeng and Feng Yuran. In that life, she did not appear in their lives. However, given Feng Yuran¡¯s character, he would not like Princess Caifeng. Then, maybe Princess Caifeng had continued to pester Feng Yuran and keep an eye on him or try to set up a trap to force him to give in. That person was not someone who would back down from somebody.

    Furthermore, at that time, Feng Yuran had discovered that the He family was the murderer of Consort Xian. He did not have the time to pay attention to Caifeng. If she made such a scene like what she and Feng Yulei did, it probably made Feng Yuran want to kill her. If he made a scene, Princess Caifeng would have no choice but to return to the Southern Barbarian Lands and make the marriage between the two countries be a joke.

    However, it would not happen in this life. No matter whether it was Princess Caifeng or sinister Hu Qianyue, they had nothing to do with him. No matter what happened in the future, it had nothing to do with Feng Yuran. At this moment, Mo Xuetong¡¯s uneasiness which was caused by Princess Caifeng¡¯s appearance had disappeared. She could not help but feel happy, and could not hide the smile on her lips.

    ¡°My Lady, Hu Qianyue ising,¡± Mo Ye suddenly reminded her in a low voice.

    Their eyes were all drawn to theing person. There happened to be a high rockery in front of Mo Xuetong, and there was a crack on its side. Looking from this position, she saw Hu Qianyueing alone. She looked around and immediately walked into the rockery.

    Mo Xuetong gave Mo Ye a look. Mo Ye understood what she meant and disappeared in a sh.

    Mo Xuetong and Mo Lan remained unmoved as they waited for what would happen next.

    Of course, Hu Qianyue would not get rid of Princess Caifeng for no reason and go to the depths of the rockery to have fun.

    Her behavior was extremely strange.

    After waiting for a while, a nanny dressed in the pce uniform came from far away, with a basket in her hand. She walked around the rockery and looked around as if she really came here by ident. Then she quickly shed into the depths of the rockery. She also walked into it.

    Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong in shock. Mo Xuetong pressed a finger against her mouth, signaling for the other woman not to make a sound. The two of them leaned in the pavilion on the rockery motionlessly. However, no matter how they hard they tried, they could not hear a single sound. It was as if there was no one beneath the rockery. If Mo Xuetong had not seen with her own eyes that Hu Qianyue and the nanny had entered the rockery, she would not have believed it.

    The smile on her lips faded away, and there was a trace of coldness in her eyes. Hu Qianyue was actually in touch with a nanny in the pce. Judging from her clothes, she was not the nanny of an ordinary person. Although Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know which pce she was in, she could tell that she was a nanny who had her own servants!

    What was the rtionship between her and Hu Qianyue? What was she doing here?

    Hu Qianyue panicked. She was looking for help. The one who could help her was...

 Chapter 630 - Imperial Noble Consort Wens Doubts

    <h4>Chapter 630 Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s Doubts</h4>

    The banquet in the imperial pce did notst long. The marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom had been carved in stone. Now there was thest step left: which princess would Crown Prince Xieyue ask to marry? It was different from Princess Caifeng¡¯s marriage. Although Princess Caifeng was also the candidate for marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom, she would be a member of the Qin Kingdom after she got married. Moreover, she was going to marry King Ning, so there would be little chance for her to be the ruler of the country.

    Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s case was different. He was likely to be the future Emperor of the Southern Barbarian Lands, and thus the princess, who would marry him, would be the future Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands and had the right to decide the national affairs of the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom in the future. Therefore, the Qin Kingdom attached more importance to the marriage of Crown Prince Xieyue. And because of this, Emperor Zongwen had no definite candidate to marry him.

    After he left the banquet in the hall, Emperor Zongwen did not return to his Qianqing Pce. Instead, he went straight to Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s ce.

    As soon as he arrived at the door, Imperial Noble Consort Wen came out and greeted him gently and respectfully in front of the imperial carriage.

    Emperor Zongwen held Liu Xi¡¯s hand and stepped out of the imperial carriage. He hurried forward and helped Imperial Noble Consort Wen up. Then, he said in a tender manner, ¡°My love, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Let¡¯s go in and talk.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen replied softly. There was a hint of joy on her face. Even though she was not as ecstatic as the other consorts when they saw Emperor Zongwen, her look made othersfortable without any pressure.

    After being in the pce for so many years, Imperial Noble Consort Wen seemed to have neverpeted with anyone. She was pregnant before, and the child had an ident when he was about to be born. A little prince did die after being born, which also involved another consort. Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen fainted in pain, she did not say a word when she woke up. She did not force Emperor Zongwen to punish the consort either and even plead for mercy, which made Emperor Zongwen feel guiltier about her.

    In this way, he had always admired Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s generosity. Even though she did not have a son, she had also been promoted to imperial noble consort. She and Consort Su became the two imperial noble consorts below the Empress.

    ¡°Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to me today?¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen took the porcin teacup from the pce maid and ced it on the table in front of Emperor Zongwen with a smile.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Xuehe here?¡± Emperor Zongwen looked around and asked.

    Usually, the Sixth Princess, Feng Xuehe, was in Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s ce to embroider and fiddle with flowers and nts at this time. Compared with the Fifth Princess, who was arrogant and often caused trouble, the Sixth Princess was so obedient. She was gentle when she saw people, as if she was the same as Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    Emperor Zongwen was very satisfied with the Sixth Princess from the bottom of his heart. He had once said that no matter which family she married into, the Sixth Princess would lead a good life, which meant the husband and wife would be harmonious, and they would be filial to the elders and the family would be harmonious.

    ¡°Just now, Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands invited Xuehe to walk around the garden. Consort Xuan has always been in poor health, and Consort Yan has just experienced... We couldn¡¯t let Princess Caifeng walk around the garden alone, so I asked Xuehe to apany her. It¡¯s always pitiful for her to marry far away. Even if she is a princess, she has no one to rely on. Fortunately, Princess Caifeng is a little tough, so she won¡¯t suffer losses. If she were a gentle girl, well, s...¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not finish what she wanted to say. She frowned slightly, and there was a trace of sadness in the corners of her eyes. Even the smile on her lips became bitter, she smartly did not continue.

    The people in the pce of the Qin Kingdom knew Princess Caifeng¡¯s temperament very well after these days. With such a strong temperament, she could not even decide her marriage in the end. What if she had a soft temperament? Then if a docile princess married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, where she had no family there, it would be very difficult for her to take root in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    At this moment, Emperor Zongwen hesitated. The Sixth Princess was gentle and kind. If she married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, would she really be able to take care of everything? Furthermore, the battle in the harem had always been a life-and-death struggle. It would not be easy for a woman to be the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Could the Sixth Princess Feng Xuehe really do that?

    Emperor Zongwen couldn¡¯t help frowning. In his heart, he wasparing the strengths and weaknesses of the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess.

    In Emperor Zongwen¡¯s opinion, the Sixth Princess had no advantage at all. Although Emperor Zongwen liked the Sixth Princess¡¯ character, wouldn¡¯t she be swallowed up by others with such a character if she married into another country? If she couldn¡¯t even protect herself, how could she show the benefits of the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom?

    Or maybe it would cause a war between the two countries because of the Sixth Princess¡¯ suffering.

    Thinking of this, Emperor Zongwen made the Seventh Princess as the candidate. The Seventh Princess was a little stronger than the Sixth Princess, but she was not strong enough in general. At this moment, Emperor Zongwen thought of the Fifth Princess. With the Fifth Princess¡¯ character and the status of the Empress¡¯s legitimate daughter, she was most suitable to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Coupled with the fact that the legitimate princess had 100 secret guards, it could be said that nothing could go wrong. With the guards¡¯ protection, and her strong character and the support of the Qin Kingdom, she was almost invincible. However, the Fifth Princess had already gone to the Yan Kingdom. Emperor Zongwen got a headache at this point.

    Emperor Zongwen did not reply to Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s words. The hall quietened down immediately. When she saw that Emperor Zongwen was frowning and did not speak, Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not urge him. She walked to the side and ordered her lead pce maid to prepare the sober-up soup. She even ordered to put two spoonfuls of honey inside.

    Emperor Zongwen did not like things that were too bitter. He could only drink the sober-up soup when there was honey in it.

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression softened when he heard Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s soft and gentle voice. There was a note of care in her concern. He gestured for Imperial Noble Consort Wen to go over. Then, he pulled her to sit down beside him and said gently, ¡°My love, you don¡¯t have to do this. I will leave soon. I have to visit Mother. I heard that something happened at Mother¡¯s ce earlier, and she is displeased because of it.¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen obeyed Emperor Zongwen¡¯s word obediently, sat down and looked up. When she heard that Emperor Zongwen was about to leave, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face, but the disappointment was immediately covered by a gentle smile. However, even if her expression grew faster, Emperor Zongwen, who had been staring at her closely, had noticed it, and his expression grew even gentler.

    ¡°Your Majesty, no matter how busy you are, you can leave after you drink the sober-up soup. I won¡¯t prepare food for you here. I heard that what had happened in the Empress Dowager¡¯s ce was also about the Southern Barbarian Lands. It was said that Princess Caifeng didn¡¯t know that the Southern Barbarian Lands sent a poisonous essory, and wanted to give it to Consort Xuan. This made the Empress Dowager very unhappy. I also sent someone to inquire about it. The Empress Dowager said that it was nothing.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen had known about this long ago. As such, he was even more determined to marry Princess Caifeng to Feng Yuzhen. The back garden of anyone would not be peaceful with such a vicious woman. As such, Crown Prince Xieyue had brought up the matter and agreed. When he heard that Imperial Noble Consort Wen had already dealt with the matter first and that her behavior was decent, he praised her greatly.

    ¡°My love, you are indeed my good consort. Since that¡¯s the case, I shall not go to Cining Pce. I shall have dinner at your pce today,¡± Emperor Zongwen said with satisfaction.

    At this time, the sober-up soup had been sent over. Imperial Noble Consort Wen beamed and brought the soup to Emperor Zongwen. Emperor Zongwen took it and drank it up. It was not bitter and the sweetness was just right in taste. It was his favorite vor. He was more satisfied with Imperial Noble Consort Wen. When he put down the bowl in his hand, Imperial Noble Consort Wen had already brought him a fragrant handkerchief. After he slightly wiped his lips, Imperial Noble Consort Wen took it and ced it on the tray before asking someone to take it away.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I am so happy that you can have dinner with me. Just now, you asked about Xuehe. Do you want me to send someone to ask her here?¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen could not hide the joy on her face. There was a hint of joy on her lips, as if she was very surprised that Emperor Zongwen would stay for dinner. She could not suppress the overjoyed look on her calm face.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t have to ask her toe back. Let her apany Princess Caifeng for a stroll.¡± Emperor Zongwen waved his hand.

    At this moment, he was confused and could not make up his mind. He did not intend to ask the Sixth Princess toe here. Originally, Emperor Zongwen hade to sound out the Sixth Princess¡¯s views. Even though it was up to him to decide which princess to marry into another country, it would be better if he could see that his daughter was willing to marry.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen nodded with a smile, as if she did not know that she had made Emperor Zongwen change his mind with a few words. She wholeheartedly asked her lead pce maid to prepare Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite dishes. She smiled and persuaded him softly, ¡°Your Majesty, I went to Consort Yu¡¯s pce early in the morning. She is so thin that she is almost beyond recognition. She told me that if you are free, you can go to her pce to have a look. She only has you now.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression darkened when he heard Consort Yu. He harrumphed coldly and said, ¡°She only has me? She couldn¡¯t even protect the royal child, but focused on fight with others. How could she have the face to say that?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen wanted to continue persuading him but Emperor Zongwen red at her angrily. She was so frightened that she could not say a word.

    ¡°Leave Consort Yu alone. Now that she didn¡¯t protect my child, what does she want from me. Stop daydreaming!¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s eyes turned sharp and his expression was glum. It seemed that Consort Yu really could not turn over this time. The corners of Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s eyes twitched slightly and she tactfully did not continue. She timidly changed the topic and said, ¡°What about Consort Zhao? After all, there is no clear proof that she did that...¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen stole a nce at Emperor Zongwen. She did not finish what she wanted to say, but hadpletely expressed her meaning.

    ¡°Leave Consort Zhao alone too. She has been thrown into the Cold Pce. What else does she want? Just let her live in the Cold Pce. Anyway, she has been living a cold and lonely life,¡± Emperor Zongwen stated lightly.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not understand what he meant at the moment. She peeked at his face and did not see any emotion on his face. She could not tell what he meant. However, rtive to his firm attitude towards Consort Yu, he seemed less cruel to Consort Zhao. She felt that there was something hidden in his words. Did he mean that she had lived a cold and lonely life in the first 10 years?

    For so many years, Consort Zhao had been independent of the people in the harem. She did not need to pay her respects to the Empress or the Empress Dowager, nor could shee out. She was protected by Emperor Zongwen in Mingyue Pce. Up to now, Imperial Noble Consort Wen still did not understand what Emperor Zongwen want. If he was protecting her, it didn¡¯t make sense as he had locked up his favorite consort for 10 years.

    If he didn¡¯t dote on her and just wanted to lock her up, what about the guards at the door? She had seen with her own eyes that the Empress was blocked by the guards when she came to the pce.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been confused by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s attitude toward Consort Zhao. In this situation, if Emperor Zongwen really hated Consort Zhao very much, he would not have said so much.

    Even though she could not figure it out, Imperial Noble Consort Wen still nodded obediently. The next time she met Consort Su, she would tell her what the Emperor had said. As for what Consort Su would do, it had nothing to do with her. What would Consort Su deal with Consort Zhao? Would there be any fight between the two of them? She would just wait and see.

    Since everyone knew that she didn¡¯t have a son, she had better not get involved in these things.

 Chapter 631 - The Secret of a Young Lady

    <h4>Chapter 631 The Secret of a Young Lady</h4>

    In the end, Mo Xuetong left first, not waiting for Feng Yuran.

    She returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor with Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue. After getting out of the carriage, she said goodbye to Princess Caifeng and went to the main courtyard. Just now, the Emperor had given orders to the people from the Southern Barbarian Lands to move to their new manor. Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue also needed to pack their own things.

    After all, something like that had happened in the pce, Princess Caifeng did not fulfill her wish to marry Feng Yuran. At the sight of Mo Xuetong, she wore an unhappy look, but could not do anything to Mo Xuetong. When she thought of Mo Xuetong¡¯s husband who was so protective of her that he had be so fierce, Princess Caifeng did not dare to think about hurting her no matter how daring she was.

    The more she saw Mo Xuetong, the more annoyed she became. So she just left, which was the best way for her.

    Thus, she did not pick faults on Mo Xuetong and walked towards her courtyard. After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and put away her depressed expression. She smiled gently at Hu Qianyue, who had been frowning behind her. ¡°Qianyue, I did not expect that we would really stay in this country together. It seems that Mother was afraid that I would be wronged in the Qin Kingdom, so she sent you here as well. After all, I have never heard that the daughter of a minister sent a princess to marry into another country before,¡± she stated.

    Her words pierced Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart like a needle, which immediately upset her. The result that she had never dared to thing about shed through her mind. She gritted her teeth and put on a smile, saying, ¡°You must be joking, Your Highness. It¡¯s my pleasure to marry into the same country with you.¡±

    Even though there was a smile on her face, she clenched her handkerchief tightly. If she had not been good at self-control, she would have sworn at Princess Caifeng. She would be mentally ill if she wanted to marry Feng Yulei. How could she be willing to travel so far to be a second consort instead of being a prince¡¯s wife in her own country? Furthermore, it was a second consort that was not valued. Hu Qianyue clenched her teeth so hard in hatred that they almost shattered.

    However, what happened was too abrupt and in front of the people of the two countries in the hall. Although she was unwilling to ept it, she did not dare to say it out loud. Thinking about the hostility Princess Caifeng showed to her before, Hu Qianyue was almost sure that this matter had a direct corrtion with Princess Caifeng.

    She did not expect that this idiot was not so serious. The girl had been acting very stupid in front of her, but in the end, she had hit her in the most critical spot. ¡°Caifeng, I will never let you off the hook,¡± she thought. Unfortunately, when she sought help from King Chu, he said that he could not do anything about it.

    ¡°Qianyue, it¡¯s not bad to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor. Look at King Yan, I can tell that he has a peaceful character. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything when he was almost forced to divorce his wife by Elder brother. If you found a firm foothold in King Yan¡¯s Manor in the future and give birth to a son, I will ask Elder brother to help you. At that time, the position of Consort Yan will be yours.¡±

    Princess Caifeng was rarely mild. She reached out to grab Hu Qianyue¡¯s hand and walked together with her. They looked even closer than before, as if they were caring about each other from the bottom of their hearts. Hu Qianyue would not take this seriously in the past. However, there was no one else around her who could help her now, expect Crown Prince Xieyue.

    She immediately raised her eyes and looked at Princess Caifeng with gratitude. She lifted her skirt and knelt down solemnly, saying, ¡°Thanks a lot, Your Highness, and His Highness. King Yan was raised by the Empress of the Qin Kingdom and is supported by Ding General Manor. If he seeds in... I will definitely thank you, Your Highness.¡±

    Her words were iplete, but Princess Caifeng got what she meant, and even more than one hints, which made her unhappy instantly. Her face darkened, and she was faintly angry. She red at Hu Qianyue for a while, then suddenly swung her sleeves angrily, and turned around, leaving with her people.

    Hu Qianyue was going to marry King Yan to be his second consort, also his co-wife.

    Princess Caifeng was going to marry King Ning to be his legal wife.

    Though King Yan and King Ning were both princes, there seemed no difference in their status. As a legal wife, she would definitely suppress Hu Qianyue, a second consort. If nothing went wrong, her status would be always above Hu Qianyue¡¯s for the rest of her life. This marriage made her not only dissatisfied, but also feel a little superior. Then she felt that such a marriage was not so difficult to ept.

    Moreover, Feng Yuzhen was very handsome!

    Hu Qianyue kept ying tricks along the way and plotted against her from time to time. Now, she had to stay in the Qin Kingdom like her and would be a second consort. Princess Caifeng felt that she had vented a fit of the sulks and her frustrated mood resulting from unable to marry Feng Yuran had lifted. At least, there was someone inferior to her. She did not forget that in the imperial pce of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Hu Qianyue had a higher status than her, an unfavored princess.

    However, hearing Hu Qianyue¡¯s words, Princess Caifeng immediately bore a lot of dissatisfaction with King Ning.

    King Yan was the son of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor, and was most likely to seed the throne. Raised by the Empress and backed by the powerful Ding General Manor, he had a high chance of winning against the other princes. If King Yan seeded to the throne in the future, Hu Qianyue¡¯s status would not be low. If she gave birth to a son, she might be the future Empress. How could Princess Caifeng, who had always looked down on her, bear her anger?

    Thinking that she might have to salute to Hu Qianyue when she met her in the future, she felt so mad that she felt very ufortable.

    Anyway, it was impossible for King Ning to ascend the throne. In the future, he would just be an idle member of the royal family.

    Princess Caifeng was unable to endure it.

    Seeing that Princess Caifeng had left angrily, a maidservant helped Hu Qianyue up, lowering her voice and asked anxiously, ¡°Miss, are you really going to marry King Yan to be his second consort?¡±

    She was Hu Qianyue¡¯s personal maidservant. When she entered the emperial pce just now, she was not allowed to take her in because of her low status.

    ¡°The Crown Prince asked for the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor personally,¡± Hu Qianyue said hatefully as she red venomously at Princess Caifeng¡¯s retreating figure. How could she be willing to ept it? It was originally done by that ignorant bitch, but why did she get the me? The jade pendant was first delivered to her? As the one who sent Princess Caifeng to marry into this country, she would naturally take the jade pendant.

    She had never expected that the Crown Prince would suppress her with this matter.

    ¡°What about the Empress and the Third Prince?¡± the maidservant asked in a low voice as she frowned and helped Hu Qianyue walk forward. Her miss was the selected Third Prince¡¯s wife. As her personal maidservant, she certainly knew about it.

    ¡°How many people in our hands can we use now?¡± Hu Qianyue did not answer but asked.

    ¡°Only five or six people, there are not many people. The Empress said that nothing would happen, and she was afraid of arousing the suspicion of the Crown Prince. We only have so few people to use.¡± The maidservant knew that Hu Qianyue was asking about the several masters who were secretly protecting them. Originally, when they came, Hu Qianyue¡¯s father wanted to send a few more people to go with them, but since the Empress said so, he could only do as she asked.

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling. It was not enough to have so few people. It was impossible for these people to take her back to the Southern Barbarian Lands overnight, but she couldn¡¯t just sit there and wait. Although she had used the clue in the imperial pce of the Qin Kingdom to contact the people on the other side, she had not escape the predicament, and the person hadn¡¯t given her a final word.

    She had to dy this matter first. She could not stay in the Qin Kingdom for no reason! She would be the future Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. How could she be willing to stay in the Qin Kingdom?

    ¡°Send a pigeon outter. Tell my cousin about this matter and ask him to find a way quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll arrange it at once.¡±

    ¡°Get someone to bring two more buckets of cold waterter. Just say that we want to clean up some things we brought with us. Get the people of King Xuan¡¯s Manor to prepare them for us.¡± Hu Qianyue gritted her teeth and a hint of determination shed through her eyes.

    ¡°Miss, you want to...¡± The maidservant did not understand what she meant. When she saw Hu Qianyue¡¯s cold face, she immediately stopped talking. Her miss had her own opinions. She should do whatever her miss ordered. This was also the reason why this maidservant had been working as Hu Qianyue¡¯s personal maidservant for so many years.

    Now that her miss had made up her mind, she had to do it!

    They were discussing how to deal with the situation when Mo Ye was reporting what she had seen to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°My Lady, Miss Hu only said a few words to the nanny. The main meaning was that she asked the master behind the nanny to save her, trying to break off the engagement with King Yan. She also said that if it is sessful, she will definitely thank her master profusely, and after it¡¯s done, she will be grateful and will definitely help him when he needs in the future.¡±

    Mo Yu did not dare to get too close to them because she sensed that Miss Hu seemed to be able to perform martial arts. Her moves were light and swift, which was different from ordinary nobledies. As such, Mo Yu entered and clung tightly to the wall of the rockery, not daring to move. Miss Hu was also so cautious that she spoke in a low voice and stopped from time to time to hear, which made Mo Yu even more afraid to move.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and asked, ¡°Mo Yu, what do you think of Miss Hu¡¯s martial art?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not expect Hu Qianyue to be a martial artist, which they should be careful of, otherwise, no one would be able to exin if she had plotted against someone all of a sudden. Mo Yu had never mentioned this before. It seemed that Hu Qianyue had intentionally hidden it from others. This was Hu Qianyue¡¯s trump card.

    ¡°I saw that Miss Hu was a normal girl. Common youngdies of noble families have heavy footsteps, which are the same as ordinary people do. But when I saw her moving deftly through the rockery and stone holes, I found that Miss Hu must be good at martial arts. She should be on par with me!¡±

    Mo Yu thought for a while and told Mo Xuetong. This was not her spection, and she had evidence. Hu Qianyue did not found out that she was there, but she could not get any closer, which meant that the two were equal in martial arts. Speaking of this, Mo Yu was still very unconvinced. She was the secret guard of Consort Xuan and served as her guard, so it was reasonable for her to be skilled in martial arts. However, Hu Qianyue was just a youngdy from a noble family, but she had such good martial arts. How could Mo Yu not be annoyed?

    At the same time, she felt a little lucky. Fortunately, she had found out Hu Qianyue¡¯s secret today, or if she treated her as an ordinary nobledy, something bad would really happen to Mo Xuetong. Who would have thought that a delicate and weak youngdy would have extraordinary marital arts? If she get close to Mo Xuetong in an emergency, what would happen?

    At the thought of this, Mo Yu could not help but shive, feeling that they were very lucky.

    ¡°Mo Lan, you ask someone to tell Feng Yue to pay attention to Hu Qianyue¡¯s acts. I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t move out of our King Xuan¡¯s Manor so easily,¡± Mo Xuetong said to Mo Lan, who was standing beside her after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Okay, I will go and tell him right now.¡± Mo Lan knew that this matter could not be dyed. She nodded immediately and turned around to leave. Since Miss Hu had intentionally hidden the fact that she could perform martial arts, she must have wanted to use it at certain times. Mo Lan did not mind if she plotted against someone else, but she would not allow her to plot against Consort Xuan.

 Chapter 632 - Princess Caifengs Mind

    <h4>Chapter 632 Princess Caifeng¡¯s Mind</h4>

    ¡°Mo Ye, what did you find over there?¡±

    Mo Ye lowered her voice and answered, ¡°When I went to the Sixth Princess¡¯ pce, I didn¡¯t go in directly from the front door. It seemed that the pce was heavily guarded. Any person who entered the Sixth Princess¡¯ pce has to be inquired clearly. I saw that a pce maid of Imperial Noble Consort Wen wasing from her mistress¡¯ pce, and entered the Sixth Princess¡¯, apanied by pce maids.¡±

    After she wore the pce maid¡¯s clothes, she realized that she could not enter that ce at all. She did not expect that the Sixth Princess, who was gentle and even weak in usual days, would guard her pce so tightly. It was really suspicious. Finding that she could not get in from the front door, she turned to the back hall, where was outside the back door.

    As the front door was tightly guarded, she became more vignt when she was about to go through the back door. She deliberately stopped on a tree outside the wall. After observing for a long while, she found that it was not so easy to enter. There were two pce maids capable of performing powerful martial arts inside, and they cruised the backyard from time to time. These two pce maids appeared to be wandering around casually, but in the eyes of a martial artist, they were obviously patrolling.

    The two of them happened to appear one after the other. Almost one of them went away as the other came.

    The inspection was very close.

    ¡°It means that the Sixth Princess has a secret that she doesn¡¯t want others to know. That¡¯s why she ordered people to guard her pce so tightly!¡± Mo Xuetong lowered her eyes and said after thinking for a while.

    ¡°I also think so. Originally, I wanted to sneak into the pce and have a look, but it was toote, so I came back first. Although the two pce maids were equipped with martial arts, they were just better than ordinary people. They should not be the royal secret guards.¡± At that time, it was really toote. Previously, since she was not familiar with the ce, she wasted some time. Later, she had waited for a long time beside the back wall.

    They were not the royal secret guards? It meant that the two pce maids who were capable of performing martial arts were chosen by the Sixth Princess herself or Imperial Noble Consort Wen? They had secretly sent them to the pce! Since the Sixth Princess was not a prince, what secrets did she have to keep? Furthermore, she had taken two pce maids who were capable of performing martial arts into the pce to protect her pce.

    An idea came to her mind and she immediately thought of the scene that she had suspected before. Her slightly lowered eyes looked a little shocked. She thought quickly in her mind. ¡°The Sixth Princess is not simple, and Imperial Noble Consort Wen seems even more scheming. But what do they want? Not wanting to marry into a foreign country? After all, if she is going to marry into another country, even a princess might not have a good life.¡±

    But that was not right. This matter would be decided by the Emperor alone and had nothing to do with the pce maids who could practice martial arts.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not have a son, so she was not involved in the fight for the throne. In the future, no matter who became the next Emperor, she would be the Consort Dowager. It did not matter how high status she had. If the Sixth Princess married close, she could go to her mansion with her. If the Sixth Princess married far away, she could only stay and die in the pce.

    If she did not want the Sixth Princess to marry far, she had no choice but to curry favor with the Emperor. It was nothing if she did this! She was just an imperial consort without any sons. Could it be that she was involved in the fight for the throne?

    Mo Xuetong was suddenly shocked when she thought of that. A ray of light shed across her eyes. She remembered that when the Empress mentioned two topics about the Sixth Princess in her pce today, she was all interrupted by Imperial Noble Consort Wen. However, Mo Xuetong could still sharply sense that the Sixth Princess seemed to know medical skills. So what if the Sixth Princess knew medical skills? Bai Yihao had once been well-known for his medical skills, so even if the Sixth Princess knew a little about medical skills, she did not have to keep it a secret.

    The Sixth Princess seemed to be really mysterious!

    She had to pay more attention to her in the future. She would tell Feng Yuran her thoughtster so that he would not ignore Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She always felt that Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had a better reputation than the Empress in the pce, was perfect. Such a person almost did not exist. Then, it meant that she was pretending. What was the purpose of her pretending?

    She had been pretending for decades, and she must be ambitious!

    If she would only give a push during the fight for the throne, even if the new Emperor ascended the throne, would he be able to crown her as the Empress Dowager? The dignified Empress would be the Empress Dowager in the future!

    ¡°Mo Ye, go out and tell Mo Feng to investigate Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s parents¡¯ family and how she entered the pce!¡± A look of pondering appeared in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She had already made up her mind. No matter what Imperial Noble Consort Wen wanted, it would not be a small matter. Since she could not figure it out at the moment, she had to steady herself for the time being.

    Recently, the situation in the pce had changed drastically, and the princess marriage was uing. She did not believe that Imperial Noble Consort Wen had no reaction to this matter, which was rted to the Sixth Princess¡¯ lifelong happiness. Now that the candidate had not been decided yet. If the Emperor made it clear that he wanted to choose the Sixth Princess to marry into another country, would Imperial Noble Consort Wen still be so calm?

    ¡°Yes, I will tell Mo Feng right now.¡± Mo Ye nodded and turned around to leave.

    ¡°My Lady, Princess Caifeng invited you over. It¡¯s so annoying. Why can¡¯t she let others live in peace?¡± Mo Yu flung the curtains angrily and came into the room. She held a te in one hand, where sat a porcin teacup. She had gone to make tea for Mo Xuetong earlier, and unexpectedly, she heard themotion at the entrance of the courtyard the moment she came out.

    When she went out to take a look, she saw that it was Princess Caifeng¡¯s personal maid again. She immediately got mad.

    However, they were guests, and it was said that they were about to move. Therefore, Mo Yu did not dare to slight them and could onlye in to report to Mo Xuetong. Mo Yu already knew what had happened in the Empress¡¯ pce. When she thought that Princess Caifeng had almost harmed Mo Xuetong, she felt that she was filled with hatred on the princess and wanted her to leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor quickly.

    ¡°Mo Ye, wait for a moment.¡± Mo Xuetong stopped Mo Ye, who was standing at the door.

    What Princess Caifeng had done in Cining Pce today had made her a little wary. She had known that there was something wrong with the South Pearl ne in her previous life. However, it was impossible for the Southern Barbarian Lands to give such a ¡°valuable gift¡± in order to harm her, and their target was at least at the level of the Emperor¡¯s favorite concubine.

    In herst life, the ne had led to a bloody crime and had caused many deaths!

    But in this life, Princess Caifeng tried to take advantage of it to plot against Mo Xuetong? This waspletely overqualified!

    Furthermore, giving the gift to the Qin Kingdom was not something that Princess Caifeng could decide. So, she must have made such a decision in private. She had dared to use the South Pearl ne without permission because she wanted to plot against Mo Xuetong and remove her from the position of Consort Xuan so that she would be able to be Consort Xuan.

    As a result, Princess Caifeng did it so obviously, which showed that she was not a smart person!

    People who were not smart sometimes tended to do stupid things on impulse. Mo Xuetong had no choice but to be wary of Princess Caifeng. Now that the girl had dared to harm her in the pce earlier, she might do something out of line as they were in the manor now. Mo Xuetong did not want to be the person involved in the bloody crime.

    ¡°Mo Yu, go and tell them that I will be there in a while.¡± Thest time Mo Xuetong did not see the princess because she had to enter the pce in time. It would not proper if she did not see her this time. After all, Mo Xuetong was the hostess while the princess was a guest and lived in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. To perform the duties of the hostess, she needed to meet her.

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and invite the three concubines in the back courtyard toe over. Since Princess Caifeng wants to meet me, then let her meet us together.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. There were only three people left in the back courtyard, and they all lived in the same courtyard. After so many things had happened, they seemed quiet recently. Then they could go to meet Princess Caifeng together.

    The concubines did not dare to refuse when they heard that Consort Xuan of the front courtyard had summoned them. They each brought a maidservant with them toe. Mo Xuetong did not speak much to them and brought them with her into Princess Caifeng¡¯s courtyard.

    When she heard that Mo Xuetong hade, Princess Caifeng personally went to the entrance of the courtyard to wee her and took Mo Xuetong in politely. She lookedpletely different from how she was in the pce and was very hospitable. As they all seated ording to their status. The three concubines also sat down on their chairs.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, who are these people?¡± Princess Caifeng pointed at the three concubines seated below and her eyes narrowed slightly.

    ¡°They¡¯re the three concubines in our manor. This is Concubine Qin; this is Concubine Yun; and this is Concubine Wen!¡± Mo Xuetong gently reached out and introduced them one by one. The several concubines also stood up and bowed respectfully again.

    ¡°Only three?¡± Princess Caifeng was speechless. She had heard that King Xuan had many beauties in his back courtyard, but why were there only three left?

    ¡°There were a few more but... some died and some were soldter. His Highness left the three of them in the back courtyard.¡± Mo Xuetong hesitated for a moment, looking as if it was hard to speak.

    Everyone in the Great Qin knew that there were the most beauties in King Xuan¡¯s Manor,paring with other manors. However, there were only three concubines left as some had died and some had been sold. Then there must be a lot of beauties dead and sold. Princess Caifeng herself also grew up in an imperial pce and knew how bloody it was. When she thought of King Xuan, who looked like he dared to do anything, she could not help but shiver.

    There was not the slightest expectation.

    In her mind Feng Yuran was no longer the handsome, charming prince she had first thought, but a devil from hell.

    The smile on her face seemed to have be ufortable. She did not dare to say anything about her intentions. If she really annoyed that devil, it would be a big deal! She was now afraid that Feng Yuran would find out about the fact that she almost killed Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m going to move, so I want to ask you to send some people to help us. After all, my elder brother and Qianyue have to move too. We may not be able to move so quickly.¡± Princess Caifeng waved her hand slightly, and then two seductively dressed women, who were standing behind her, quietly left.

    The two women hade face to face with Mo Xuetong just now and they looked shy. However, their faces were pale because of Princess Caifeng¡¯s gesture. They did not dare to say anything and left hurriedly. Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not see anything and still had a clear and carefree look in her eyes.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, you¡¯re too polite. I will naturally order people to help you move. You¡¯ve been wronged for the past few days. I¡¯m not in good health and the concubines can¡¯t directly receive you. Please forgive us,¡± Mo Xuetong smile politely in the manner of the hostess.

    She even stood up with the help of Mo Ye, as if she was about to bow and apologize to Princess Caifeng.

    How dare Princess Caifeng make Mo Xuetong bow to her? She immediately stood up and hurried to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand to stop her. ¡°Consort Xuan, you are too polite. I havee all the way here and have disturbed you. It is my fault. I do not dare to ept your apology.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Your Highness. When you settle down, I¡¯ll treat you and have a chat.¡± Mo Xuetong grew even gentler and her attitude was very close, which made Princess Caifeng relieved. She no longer had any intention of bing an enemy with Mo Xuetong. She had been forced to retreat by Feng Yuran¡¯s evil aura in a single round. She only wanted to make up for her mistake earlier. She had nned to send the two beauties to Feng Yuran, but changed her mind when she saw Mo Xuetong came with several concubines.

    She didn¡¯t know what that adulterous man was thinking, and she didn¡¯t want to annoy him again.

    Fortunately, Princess Caifeng felt relieved as she found that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dwell on what had happened in Cining Pce! She would be Consort Ning and be left alone in the Qin Kingdom. Even if she did not have friends, she could not have a powerful enemy like King Xuan.

    Since they intended to make it up, they had a most agreeable chat. The concubines couldn¡¯t get in the conversation, so they just sat aside and listened to them. While talking, Mo Xuetong nced at them and found that these concubines really had something on their minds, which was not simple matters.

    Concubine Qin lowered her head and pinched the handkerchief in her hand. No one knew what she was thinking about.

    Concubine Yun smiled with a respectful and obedient look on her face, as if she was listening attentively.

    Concubine Wen looked at the pce maids by the gate in a trance...

 Chapter 633 - Live and Die Together

    <h4>Chapter 633 Live and Die Together</h4>

    Feng Yuran came back with Crown Prince Xieyue. Noticing was toote, Feng Yuran asked someone to send a message to Mo Xuetong, saying that Crown Prince Xieyue and his people would not move today and would move when the helper came tomorrow. He also asked Mo Xuetong to have dinner first as he would be with Crown Prince Xieyue outside.

    Mo Xuetong told the little eunuch who sent the message to serve Feng Yuran well. She ate inside. Noticing that it waste, she asked the maidservants to leave and started to make clothes under themp. It was Feng Yuran¡¯s underwear. Since she married Feng Yuran, she had never asked anyone else to make these clothes.

    Even though the two of them hadn¡¯t had sex yet, they inevitably had such a desire. Fortunately, Feng Yuran would stop at the important moment, which made Mo Xuetong feel guilty, especially when she saw the strong desire in his beautiful eyes but he had to hold it. She felt that she had been a little sorry for him.

    Fortunately, when she counted the time, she found that her mother¡¯s mourning period almost came to an end. At that time, if he wanted to...

    At this thought, a blush came to her white face. She bit her lips and could not suppress the heat in her heart. She stood up suddenly and put down the embroidery in her hand. Then she walked to the window and took a few deep breaths to suppress the heat in her heart!

    ¡°Why did you open the window? It¡¯s getting cold and you should take care of yourself.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice came from behind her. He reached out and closed the window for her. Then, he held her in his arms. The faint smell of wine and his sweet body scent rushed into Mo Xuetong¡¯s nose. Immediately, the blush, which had just faded away, came to her face again.

    ¡°Why did youe back sote?¡± She leaned into his arms tactfully and asked softly.

    Feng Yuran hugged her and rubbed her hair gently with his chin. ¡°There was nothing else to do, anyway. It¡¯s just that Crown Prince Xieyue kept asking about you. It¡¯s really strange. You just saved him once, but why did he thank you again and again?¡±

    The strong jealousy in his words made Mo Xuetongugh. She reached out to push him, but his arms were wrapped around her slender waist tightly without any sign of releasing. She could only smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t know him. Isn¡¯t that token still in your hand? Have you given it back to him?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Xieyue said, he must thank you for saving his life; although he can¡¯t repay you in full, at least he has to leave a token; if you need any help in the future, you can seek help from him.¡± Feng Yuran spread a hand indifferently. Mo Xuetong could not help but smile when she saw the ring on his thumb.

    Feng Yuran waved his hand in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes and quickly took it back. He squinted his pretty eyes and said, ¡°Since Xieyue was so polite, I just epted it. I also told him that you told me everything clearly about you saving him after you came back, and that you gave me the thumb ring at that time.¡±

    He said these words a little proudly, and especially when he saw Xieyue¡¯s eyes turning dim instantly, he suddenly felt that it was worth it!

    ¡°How dare he dream of getting my Tong¡¯er? It¡¯s impossible for him to make it for the rest of his life!¡±

    Of course, he would return the previous thumb ring because Xieyue gave it to Tong¡¯er in person, which had nothing to do with him. Although the one in his hand was the same thumb ring now, it was different. There was an essential difference between giving it to him and giving it to Tong¡¯er. Thinking of this, Feng Yuran felt very happy.

    He held Mo Xuetong in his arms, walked to the couch and sat down. Then he tilted his head to look at the redness on Mo Xuetong¡¯s white skin. The smile in his eyes grew clearer. ¡°My Tong¡¯er is indeed the most beautiful girl. I will definitely get rid of anyone who dare to dream of getting her.¡±

    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Mo Xuetong blushed again when she was embarrassed by his direct stare. She nudged him and rolled her watery eyes.

    ¡°What is it? Tell me, I¡¯m listening to you!¡± Feng Yuran liked her shy and timid look very much. While saying this, he couldn¡¯t help holding her tighter in his arms. He kissed her on the cheek with his thin lips, which carried the nice smell of alcohol.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the Sixth Princess. What do you think?¡± Even though she was shy due to his kiss, Mo Xuetong insisted on finishing what she wanted to say.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did she offend you?¡± Feng Yuran turned to look at her face sensitively.

    ¡°No. I just feel it strange. The Sixth Princess¡¯ pce is heavily guarded. Mo Ye said that someone has been keeping an eye on the walls of her back yard,¡± Mo Xuetong said softly and told him everything she knew. ¡°I went to the Empress¡¯ pce today, and Imperial Noble Consort Wen was also there. But every time the Empress mentioned the Sixth Princess, Imperial Noble Consort Wen interrupted her. But I always feel that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was hiding something for the Sixth Princess. It seems that the Sixth Princess knows medical skills. Has she ever learned medicine?¡±

    ¡°I have never heard that she has studied medicine. But since you think so, she should have learned it. Don¡¯t worry. You can stay away from her in the future. I will investigate these things,¡± Feng Yuran stated lightly after thinking for a while.

    Mo Xuetong nodded. Even though Feng Yuran did not grow up in the harem, he spent most of his time in the pce. It was indeed more convenient for him to investigate someone than she did. However, he reacted too calmly. She blinked her watery eyes, suddenly looked up, tugged at his clothes, and pouting an asking.

    ¡°Have you already sensed something strange with her, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s deepughter rang in her ears. He could not help but pinch her nose when he saw how adorable she was. He coaxed her softly, ¡°I know that Tong¡¯er is the smartest.¡±

    ¡°Tell me, when did you start to suspect them?¡± Mo Xuetong pped Feng Yuran¡¯s messing hand away and asked coyly. She had happened to encounter this incident and felt that something was amiss. However, Feng Yuran had already sensed it quietly, but he did not tell her about it. How could she not be upset?

    Feng Yuran immediately understood what she meant when he saw her pout. He hurried to exin, ¡°Tong¡¯er, be good. You don¡¯t have to worry about those things. You just need to take good care of yourself and be a happy little consort in the manor. I will do with all the things.¡±

    The other princes had married the women who had a powerful family background and considered whether it would benefit him or not. He was the only one who was loyal to her and did not want her to suffer any grievance. He even punished the women in the backyard by himself. In the end, he even took the responsibility.

    A bitter and painful feeling surged in her heart, as though her heart had dissolved. For some reason, her nose felt sour. She bit her lips and suppressed the sadness in her heart. She lowered her head, looked down, and grabbed his robe to shake. ¡°No, sometimes I just want to be with you.¡±

    It was not easy to get such happiness!

    In her previous life, her tragic encounters seemed to be on her side. Therefore, for the happiness of this life, she must not be passive anymore. She would definitely maintain this happiness, even if she had to do what she thought was cruel in herst life. The blood feud in herst life finally made her understand that being kind to her enemy was cruel to her. So, in this life, she would not give in. She would stand with him.

    They would share life and death with each other!

    In order to maintain the happiness, even if she only had a little bit of power, she would still offer.

    Feeling Mo Xuetong¡¯s insistence, Feng Yuran reached out and patted her tight shoulders. He changed the topic and began to exin what he had said before. ¡°The death of my mother is really suspicious. The Empress¡¯ behavior was very clear and bold. At that time, my mother was the favorite consort of Father. No matter how strong the Empress was, she did not dare to confront Father¡¯s power. So I think there must be something wrong with it.¡±

    ¡°So, you investigated it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since I had returned to the pce, I would investigate it first. On the one hand, I used the identity of Peony Master to investigate it; on the other hand, I nted some people in the pce to investigate what happened that year. Unexpectedly, I did not find out the truth about my mother¡¯s death, but I found something about Imperial Noble Consort Wen. I felt that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was too virtuous to be real, so I specially investigated her matter. As a result, I grew suspicious after this investigation.¡±

    Under themp, Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful eyes sparkled, but there was a strong evil spirit in them, and even the air became cold.

    Sensing that the topic was too heavy, Mo Xuetong took the initiative to put her arms around his slender but strong waist. She also imitated him and patted him to calm him down. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with Imperial Noble Consort Wen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she is very unusual. She treats everyone in the pce well, but she does not get close to anyone, as if she is an aloof person in the pce. Even Father treats her with some respect. So even though her parents¡¯ family is not prominent and she did not give birth to a prince, she has been promoted to the position of imperial noble consort.¡± Feng Yuran rxed his body slowly and he caressed the beautiful woman¡¯s ck hair gently with his hands.

    ¡°Maybe His Majesty gave her the title of imperial noble consort because of her virtuousness,¡± Mo Xuetong stated after thinking for a while.

    ¡°She is very virtuous. Back then, she was pregnant with a child. But when the child was about to be born, she encountered something like Consort Yu and Consort Zhao. The male fetus had taken shape but was dead, but she didn¡¯t mean to punish that consort at all, and even begged Father to spare that woman. Although that woman was finally sent to the Cold Pce by Father, people in the pce thought that she was a virtuous person from then on, and even Father thought highly of her because of that.¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned. Her longshes fluttered and she could not believe it. Even a woman in an ordinary family would not plead for the person who had caused her male fetus to die, not to mention the women in the pce. Mo Xuetong really did not believe that there was such a woman in the world. Furthermore, the woman was still alive in the pce and her life was getting better and better.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had experienced such a sharp pain. At that time, she would rather die herself or die together with her child. So even though she was so weak, she still wanted Sima Lingyun to punish Yun Yiqiu. And she even cried and fell ill on the bed for months because Sima Lingyun repeatedly protected that woman.

    How did Imperial Noble Consort Wen do it?

    This... this could no longer describe her as virtuous. Mo Xuetong felt that a woman like this could only be described as scheming.

    ¡°Could it be that she was not pregnant?¡± It seemed that except for the loss of a son, everything was in Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s favor. It was also because of this that she was doted on by Emperor Zongwen and her status in among the consorts had risen, which made Mo Xuetong have to guess the crux of the matter.

    ¡°No, a real infant. I¡¯ve checked the pulse diagnosis in the Imperial Institute of Medicine and found that there was more than one imperial physician to feel pulse for her. With Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s power at that time, she wasn¡¯t able to bribe the entire Imperial Institute of Medicine,¡± Feng Yuran responded with certainty.

 Chapter 634 - Imperial Noble Consort Wens Old Secret

    <h4>Chapter 634 Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s Old Secret</h4>

    Now that Imperial Noble Consort Wen could not bribe the entire Imperial Institute of Medicine, it meant that she was really pregnant and lost a son. If it was true, Mo Xuetong could not understand that as a mother, how Imperial Noble Consort Wen could be so calm after losing her own child and even recover quickly. It was too unbelievable.

    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing that you didn¡¯t expect. Imperial Noble Consort Wen is very kind to Third brother.¡± Feng Yuran suddenly smiled mysteriously.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen was very kind to Feng Yulei?

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Something shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind, but she failed to grasp it. Then she asked subconsciously.

    ¡°At that time, my mother was still alive, and I was only about five or six years old. My mother was favored by Father, and Father loved me very much. I waswless and, stirred up stuff with others. I especially liked to hide in some deserted ces, ying hide and seek with the servants. Once, I hid in a corner of a rockery cave, waiting for the pce maids and eunuchs to find me, but found that Third brother was also there...¡±

    Feng Yuran could still remember clearly what happened that day. He saw his Third Elder brother, who had always been polite, standing nkly at the entrance of the cave. There was not a single pce servant by his side to serve him. He did not know if he had lost his way. Feng Yuran, who was ying like crazy, thought that his Third brother was ying hide and seek with the pce servants like him, so he was about to ask him toe with him.

    Suddenly, he noticed that a woman appeared at the entrance of the cave. She looked beautiful and did not look like a pce maid, and should be an imperial consort. However, why was there no pce servant by her side? Feng Yuran had been living in Anhe Pce at that time and did not know many people.

    The woman seemed to have discovered Feng Yulei. She walked up to him and asked him a few questions with a gentle and kind attitude. Feng Yuran had only seen such an expression on his mother¡¯s face. He grew curious. He had heard that his Third brother¡¯s mother died while giving birth to him, and he had been raised by the Empress.

    The woman seemed to give Feng Yulei something but Feng Yulei wanted to refuse. However, in the end, he epted it. The two exchanged a few more words. Feng Yuran was too far away to hear them clearly. Then, the woman touched Feng Yulei¡¯s head with her hand. She did not stay longer and walked to another path. Coincidentally, a young eunuch rushed out from the path.

    This was the little eunuch who was looking for Feng Yuran!

    Seeing the woman aheading over, he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to her. Feng Yuran looked at the woman curiously. Seeing her stop and ask something in a friendly manner, the young eunuch answered one by one and pointed at the rockery where he was. The woman turned her head and looked over. Even though they were so far away, Feng Yuran felt that her face was gloomy and cold, which scared the little boy so much that his heart trembled and he didn¡¯t dare to take a deep breath.

    Then, the woman left and the young eunuch went to look for him. After that, Feng Yulei¡¯s pce servants also came to look for him. It wasn¡¯t until everyone left that Feng Yuran ran out from the back of the rockery and hurriedly ran out of the garden. He found another ce to hide. He subconsciously felt that it was not safe to hide in the rockery where the woman had seen.

    Atst, he was still found by the pce servants.

    However, he was scolded by the Emperor. When the servants were looking for him, a little eunuch fell into the water and died. The little eunuch happened to be the one meeting that woman. Feng Yuran secretly told his mother about it. Her mother asked him to shut up and told him that he was not allowed to hide in the pce alone in the future, or else he would be locked up in the pce.

    He was so scared that he repeatedly promised that he would never go out alone!

    That woman was Consort Wen, the current Imperial Noble Consort Wen!

    ¡°Then what did she give King Yan at that time?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with curiosity.

    ¡°It is said to be some food. Later, I went to Third brother¡¯s ce and saw that small bag filled with things. I heard that it contained some food from a woman. Third brother said that he did not know that woman and that she seemed to be Father¡¯s consort.¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly and hid the coldness in his eyes.

    ¡°So, this woman is not simple, and so is the Sixth Princess. I nned to ignore them first, but it seems that after so many years, Imperial Noble Consort Wen can¡¯t bear it anymore.¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had been quite active in the pce recently, which seemed that some people couldn¡¯t bear it anymore...

    In the guest yard, Hu Qianyue was lying on the bed and trembling all over in her room, but she still insisted on not covering herself with the quilt. The maidservant was so anxious that she paced back and forth. After several rounds, he came over again in a hurry. She wanted to pick up the quilt on one side to cover Hu Qianyue, who had closed her eyes tightly and insisted on keep not covering.

    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s enough. You have a fever now. If you continue to be like this, it will be really terrible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m in good health. The fever... would be cured before tomorrow. Why don¡¯t you bring me a few... buckets of cold water?¡± Hu Qianyue gritted her teeth and said word by word. She opened her eyes slightly, and the sharpness in her eyes almost made people unable to believe that she was the spoiled youngdy from the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    She had soaked in tworge buckets of cold water for two hours. It was early autumn, and it was already very cold at night. A normal person would shake when soaking in it, but Hu Qianyue stayed in it for two whole hours. She almost fainted before she stumbled up with the help of the maidservant. After putting on the thin clothes, she deliberately refused to cover herself with the quilt for fear that the effect would not be obvious.

    ¡°Miss, that¡¯s enough. If you still don¡¯t cover the quilt, I don¡¯t know how to do it if you really pass out from illness.¡± The maidservant was so anxious that she was about to cry.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Put... the letter over there on the carrier pigeon and send it out... I don¡¯t want to marry to King Yan... this person looks like he can¡¯t aplish anything.¡± Hu Qianyue gritted her teeth and kept herst bit of consciousness. She struggled to stare at the maidservant and said in a low voice.

    Feng Yulei was not decisive enough. He had given first ce to Mingguo Manor in everything. Even if he were to be the Emperor in the future, she would not be the Empress. Hu Qianyue had never been willing to be inferior to others. Mingguo Manor was so powerful that Marquess Mingguo dared to defend Feng Yulei in front of the Emperor. On the other hand, Feng Yulei, the prince, did not dare to say anything.

    If such a person were to be the Emperor and had the support of Mingguo Manor outside, Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t think that she had the slightest chance to be the Empress. Feng Yulei did not have the guts to abandon You Yue¡¯e. Like her aunt, Hu Qianyue had great ambition. She wanted to be the Empress, and she would only be the Empress. As such, she would not marry Feng Yulei.

    ¡°Miss, the Third Prince is too far away to help us. Even if we send the carrier pigeon over, it may be toote when we get the Third Prince¡¯s reply.¡± The maidservant trembled with fear when she was stared at.

    ¡°Cousin will... deal with this matter...¡± Hu Qianyue said coldly.

    She had not understood her cousin and aunt¡¯s intentions before. What else did she not understand now? They had plotted against her. She would not allow them to achieve their goal as they wished. The reason why her aunt had promised her the position of legal wife was because she wanted to calm her so that she would agree to obediently apany Princess Caifeng to marry into the Qin Kingdom.

    ¡°I was too naive. I thought that I just had to apany Princess Caifeng toe here and y the Qin Kingdom and the Crown Prince against each other. Then, I could go back and be the real Third Prince¡¯s wife. When I think about it now, aunt and cousin lied to me at that time. Originally, they didn¡¯t want me to be cousin¡¯s legal wife, andpletely regarded me as a person who would marry into the Qin Kingdom with Princess Caifeng. Cousin must want to marry that bitch!¡±

    ¡°No wonder the bitch smiled so gently and could not hide thecency in her eyes when I left. I had nned to be the real Third Prince¡¯s wife and see what the bitch would do when I returned. Now I realize that it was the Third Prince who stood beside me at that time. At that time, he looked at me indifferently. It turns out that they have nned it.¡±

    However, like a fool, she came here, and she now couldn¡¯t go back!

    She would never let them reach their goal!

    One was Feng Yulei and the other was Feng Yuxuan. Her aunt and cousin had ganged up with King Chu on one hand. Were she and her cousin going to gang up with King Yan now? She would let them know that they would not be able to get an olive branch if they stepped on two boats like this. At the same time, she had already sent someone out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor secretly to hurry to the Southern Barbarian Lands to inform her father. As such, she needed time right now. She did not want to leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor and would not allow anyone to carry her into King Yan¡¯s Manor with a small sedan chair.

    She, Hu Qianyue, was not a person who could be trampled upon at will!

    Anyone who wanted to hurt her had to pay the price!

    There was a sh of red in her eyes, which made her cold eyes full of hatred. The whole room seemed to be turned into a cold arrow by her. The maidservant did not dare to say anything. She walked to the window and opened it. Then she picked up a pigeon from outside the window and put a letter into a special cylinder on one of the pigeon¡¯s feet.

    Then she threw the pigeon out.

    ¡°Do you know... what should you say tomorrow?¡± Hu Qianyue was already a little unconscious, but she still asked, gritting her teeth.

    ¡°Yes... yes, I know!¡±

    In the dark night, a pigeon flew out of the window quickly, but before it could pass through a few courtyards, someone jumped up from a tree and grabbed it. The letter in the cylinder fell into the person¡¯s hand...

    Somewhere in the city, another white pigeon flew up. Compared with the first pigeon that was caught soon after it flew up, this pigeon was obviously much luckier.

    It flew all the way over yards, tall city walls, wilderness, and many rivers...

    Finally, itnded on the corner of a tall pce. Itbed its feathers, cleaned its graceful body, as if wanting to have a rest. A guard came out and saw it. He reached out and gestured. The carrier pigeon flew into the guard¡¯s hand. The guard skillfully took out a copper cylinder from one of its feet, took out a letter from it, and turned to walk into the pce.

    In the hall, a handsome man, who was dressed in snow-white clothes and appeared as elegant as an immortal, raised his handsome face and took the letter. He nced at the words on it indifferently. His pretty eyebrows were raised, and a faint smile appeared on his thin lips, like the sun that had immediately lit up the whole room.

    ¡°Write back, tell my aunt that do everything ording to aunt¡¯s ns. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me. Ask her to be careful and deal with the things around her. Don¡¯t let others find out.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The guard left respectfully.

    Bai Yihao stood up and walked to the window. His eyes were filled with emotions, looking beautiful and elegant. It was early autumn, and the leaves were scattered and piled up on the path. When the wind blew, the maple leaves were as beautiful as fire. He wondered if that beautifuldy was also thinking of him now...

 Chapter 635 - In a Coma due to Illness

    <h4>Chapter 635 In a Coma due to Illness</h4>

    Hu Qianyue fell ill, even seriously ill. Shey unconscious on the bed and her face was almost as pale as a dead man. If her chest had not heaved slightly, Mo Xuetong would have thought that she was dead. Feng Yuran did not allow her toe, afraid that Hu Qianyue¡¯s fever would infect her.

    However, Mo Xuetong insisted oning. Hu Qianyue had not yet left King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so she, the hostess, had to care about her. She must not let anyone think that she, Consort Xuan, treated the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands too badly. She had nevere to see her on the pretext of illness before, but now, since she could get up, she had toe to visit her.

    Originally, Hu Qianyue would leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor today, and then would be married into King Yan¡¯s Manor on a nice day in a few days. As she would not be the legal wife of King Yan, a few tables for the wedding banquet would suffice. After that, Princess Caifeng¡¯s wedding ceremony would be the main event. However, the imperial physician had said that Hu Qianyue¡¯s illness would be a little troublesome.

    It would be good enough that she could recover in half a month. First of all, she had to take care of her body first and it depended on what was going on with her body.

    Since she was in such a bad condition, of course, she could not move anymore. As for the wedding, it would depend on Hu Qianyue¡¯s condition. Others could not force her to move into King Yan¡¯s Manor regardless of her health. Crown Prince Xieyue also took this opportunity to demand to move in a few days.

    ¡°How did your mise fall ill?¡± Mo Xuetong asked the maidservant standing in front of the bed.

    ¡°She was fine when she came back yesterday, and she slept well. When I got up this morning, I found that miss was so sick that she was unconscious. I don¡¯t know if it was because the window was not closedst night!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the tightly shut window as she asked thoughtfully, ¡°The window wasn¡¯t closed at night?¡±

    The wind of yesterday did not seem to be very strong. Even if the window was open during her sleep, Hu Qianyue should not be as seriously ill as she was. If she had not known that Hu Qianyue was good at martial arts, Mo Xuetong would have thought that she was a delicate youngdy with a weak body and believed what the maidservant had said.

    ¡°When miss started to sleep, the window was closed. I remember clearly. Miss has been weak. It may not be a big deal to open the window at this time, but miss can¡¯t bear it. So I especially closed the window. But when I came here today, the window was open.¡± The maidservant sobbed and looked anxious.

    But she had cleared to Mo Xuetong¡¯s doubts in her words.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect that Hu Qianyue¡¯s maidservant was scheming either, and she looked a little familiar. It turned out that she was the maidservant who helped Hu Qianyue deal with things when they first met. She seemed to be Hu Qianyue¡¯s trusted subordinate.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Mo Xuetong asked.

    The maidservant was excited in talking when Mo Xuetong suddenly changed the topic. She could not react for a moment. Staring at Mo Xuetong with wide eyes in shock for a while, she came back to her senses and hurriedly replied, ¡°My name is Shiqing.¡±

    ¡°Shiqing, take good care of your mistress here. If you need anything, just tell Aunt Xiann. You don¡¯t have to be too polite in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. You should put your mistress¡¯ body first. It¡¯s a matter of life for a girl to have coldness in her body. Don¡¯t let her really hurt her body. Otherwise, in the future...¡±

    Mo Xuetong stated softly. It seemed to be a reminder, but in fact, it was a warning.

    No matter how borate the maidservant¡¯s lie was, she could not fool Mo Xuetong who had known that Hu Qianyue was physically strong. Furthermore, she had asked Aunt Xiann when she came, and was told that Hu Qianyue had asked for a few buckets of cold waterst night. It was said that Miss Hu had asked someone to clean the furniture in the room and the things they were going to take away.

    The night before they was about to move, she wanted to clean these things. Shouldn¡¯t they clean them after they were moved out and settled down?

    There must be something strange going on. When she thought of how Hu Qianyue was forced to engage with Feng Yulei, the matter was connected one by one.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not expect Hu Qianyue to be so vicious. When a woman could be so cruel to herself, she was not an ordinary person. As for Ling Mingyan, she was also cruel to people. It was not a big deal for her to kill someone when she rode a horse on the way. However, when it came to being cruel to herself, she could notpare with Hu Qianyue at all.

    It showed that Hu Qianyue was extremely dangerous. She could be ruthless to herself, so how could she show mercy to others?

    In such weather, a bleak autumn night, she, a weak girl, dared to take a cold bath. And it seemed that she had taken it more than once. Those who could hold on were not ordinary people. Therefore, Mo Xuetong did not want Hu Qianyue to live in King Xuan¡¯s Manor anymore, so she warned her.

    Taking such a cold bath would cause serious harm to a girl, and it might affect her future pregnancy! Mo Xuetong thought that Hu Qianyue was supposed to understand its meaning, and she would grasp the right time to slowly get better.

    ¡°Yes, I will take care of our miss carefully,¡± Shiqing promised respectfully.

    Now that she had already finished what she wanted to say and what she wanted to hint, Mo Xuetong stood up and walked out. She nned to tell the imperial physician to add more medicine for Hu Qianyue. She would definitely make Hu Qianyue wake up. Then, she would move to their new residence after a few days of rest. At that time, no matter how Hu Qianyue and Princess Caifeng fought or how King Yan¡¯s Manor and King Ning¡¯s Manor behind them fought, it would have nothing to do with King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    As soon as Mo Xuetong arrived at the gate of the courtyard, she looked up and saw Crown Prince Xieyue walking over from the gate opposite. He was slightly stunned when he saw Mo Xuetong. After standing still, he greeted Mo Xuetong with a smile, ¡°Consort Xuan!¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a step back and curtsied. ¡°Greetings, Crown Prince Xieyue.¡±

    The two¡¯s etiquette was quite standard. If it weren¡¯t for the slight change in the eyes of Crown Prince Xieyue, almost everyone would think that they just met each other for the first time.

    ¡°If lovers keep their first vows and oaths for long, how could love be thrown as useless winter fans?¡±

    Even though he had expected to meet Mo Xuetong here at this time, Crown Prince Xieyue was still stunned. Then, he was delighted. In the end, he was filled with sadness. She was already married and became King Xuan¡¯s legal wife. How could he bear it? Her cold eyesnded on him, but almost made him fall for her.

    There was a hint of heat in his eyes as he said, ¡°Consort Xuan, please stand up. Can we...talk in private?¡±

    He pointed to a set of stone table and stools under a big tree on the side. There was a kind of cautiousness in his words that he didn¡¯t even notice.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Your Highness?¡± Mo Xuetong did not want to have too much to do with Crown Prince Xieyue. It was just a piece of cake for her to save him, and she did not want him to repay it. Crown Prince Xieyue disappeared without a trace as soon as he left the thumb ring. Since she knew that he was Crown Prince Xieyue, Mo Xuetong had asked Feng Yuran to return it to him.

    She had heard that Crown Prince Xieyue had given it back to Feng Yuran, but it had nothing to do with her. It was men¡¯s business. As such, she did not think that there was something between Crown Prince Xieyue and her.

    Moreover, she also knew that her husband was not a generous person.

    The bright light in the eyes of Crown Prince Xieyue dimmed, and then he exined, ¡°Consort Xuan, I just want to ask about Miss Hu¡¯s illness. I didn¡¯t mean anything else.¡±

    As he had said that, it would be a little unreasonable for Mo Xuetong to refuse!

    Mo Xuetong nodded and followed Crown Prince Xieyue over. Mo Ye was the only one left by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. Xieyue also brought a personal bodyguard with him. The others were all left at the entrance of the courtyard, from where they could see them but could not hear their conversation. Furthermore, those people all lowered their heads.

    Mo Xuetong sat down and asked without preamble, ¡°Your Highness, what do you want to know?¡±

    Crown Prince Xieyue collected his thoughts and sat down. After thinking for a while, he asked, ¡°Consort Xuan, is there anything wrong with Hu Qianyue¡¯s illness?¡± He did not ask the illness, the cause, or how long it would take, but only asked if there was something wrong with Hu Qianyue¡¯s illness. Was it suspicious? Or was there a problem with it?

    His words contained all the meaning in it.

    Crown Prince Xieyue was indeed not an ordinary person.

    ¡°Your Highness, rest assured. Miss Hu¡¯s illness is not serious and she suddenly caught a cold so she fell ill. It will take at least 10 days for her to recover. The imperial physician said that she cannot take another cold, or else, in the future, she might...¡± Mo Xuetong thought about it and decided to say everything the imperial physician had said.

    As for how Crown Prince Xieyue understood it, it was not her concern!

    She suddenly caught a cold?

    Crown Prince Xieyue frowned and confirmed his thoughts. There was a slight smile on his face.

    The imperial physician had been invited by King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Crown Prince Xieyue had asked Princess Caifeng toe and take a look at Hu Qianyue. However, Princess Caifeng bore a grudge against Hu Qianyue, and she refused toe and had only sent a pce maid to ask. As a result, the pce maid got no information about the patient¡¯s condition.

    Although Crown Prince Xieyue came from the Southern Barbarian Lands with Hu Qianyue, it was not appropriate for him to break into the boudoir of a girl. Therefore, he came here specially to wait for Mo Xuetong. On the one hand, he had some selfish motives. On the other hand, it was also because of Hu Qianyue¡¯s illness. It was his original intention to leave Hu Qianyue here and marry into the Qin Kingdom.

    How could he not see through what the Empress meant when she sent Hu Qianyue toe with the envoys?

    There were two girls of the candidate for the Third Prince¡¯s legal wife. One of them was Hu Qianyue, the daughter of a general, and the other was Xu Ming¡¯er, the daughter of the right prime minister. The two girls¡¯ fathers were of equal status in the Southern Barbarian Lands. One held the military power, and the other was in charge of government affairs. It could be said that they were supplementary to each other. Unfortunately, both of their daughters liked the Third Prince, and neither of them would be willing to be a concubine.

    This put the Empress in an embarrassing situation. She could not offend either of the two families. This was her helpless idea of it!

    The Hu family controlled military power. In the Southern Barbarian Lands where people measured ability by their strength, sometimes military power was more threatening than political power. The Empress thought that she could make General Hu work for her just because she was from the Hu family. However, she had never thought that something would happen to Hu Qianyue and him. How could she, the aunt of Hu Qianyue, who sent Hu Qianyue toe with envoys, have nothing to do with it?

    Crown Prince Xieyue totally believed that before they left this time, the Empress had promised Hu Qianyue something. Otherwise, Hu Qianyue would not have taken such a risk. It seemed that the Empress did not want Hu Qianyue to return to the Southern Barbarian Lands. Originally, Crown Prince Xieyue was worried that Hu Qianyue would not be able to find a way to dy and send the news to her family in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Now it seemed that Hu Qianyue was really a smart person!

    Luckily she was smart, so she must have understood the Empress¡¯ intentions now. He could just wait and see General Hu¡¯s response. The Empress and the Third Prince had plotted against him¡ªtry to assassinate him after he entered the Qin Kingdom. They had chosen to kill him when he was ill. Fortunately, he had a narrow escape. This time, he would see how the Empress would deal with the anger of the Hu family.

    The Empress should even think her parents¡¯ family as her intimates!

 Chapter 636 - General Hu Forced the Empress

    <h4>Chapter 636 General Hu Forced the Empress</h4>

    Having known about Hu Qianyue¡¯s secret, Crown Prince Xieyue felt assured. ¡°My Lady, I remember when we first met, you told me that you were the third miss of the Mo family. I didn¡¯t expect that you would marry King Xuan at such a young age. You are already Consort Xuan now!¡± he said to Mo Xuetong in a soft voice.

    Ever since they met, there was always such a slightly cold beauty in his dreams. So when he learned that she died in Consort Yan¡¯s plot, he was so furious that he almost couldn¡¯t control himself who had always been m.

    Later, he used Princess Caifeng as a tool to plot against King Yan. Besides, marrying Hu Qianyue into King Yan¡¯s Manor was also part of his scheme. Now that King Yan¡¯s Manor wanted to make peace with the Southern Barbarian Lands by a marriage, he would make King Yan marry a woman who was said to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife. If Feng Yulei really married Hu Qianyue, what he would get was the anger of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    Of course, he also tricked the Empress and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    However, what he did not expect was that the woman who saved him was not King Yan¡¯s second consort, but King Xuan¡¯s legal wife.

    At this time, Crown Prince Xieyue remembered what Feng Yuran had said before and immediately understood that the man had deliberately misled him. He felt both angry and bitter as it meant that Mo Xuetong had told Feng Yuran everything about the fact that she had saved him. Therefore, Feng Yuran knew that he was looking for his wife, so he deliberately misled him.

    Third Young Miss Mo, the third miss of the Mo Manor!

    The meaning of those words waspletely different!

    Mo Xuetong did not like the heated gaze of Crown Prince Xieyue£¬ so she said politely, ¡°I did not expect that the one I met was a crown prince at that time. Your Highness, if there is nothing else, I will leave first because I need to ask the imperial physician about something that needs to be taken note of.¡±

    ¡°Consort Xuan, please help yourself.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue knew that he had no reason to keep Mo Xuetong here, only to stand up and smile.

    Mo Xuetong stood up as well and curtsied to Crown Prince Xieyue, then heading inside with Mo Ye.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong had turned to leave, the other young and old maidservants followed their own ord into the inner courtyard.

    Crown Prince Xieyue stood where he was in a daze, who could only sigh when he saw that the slender figure hadpletely disappeared from his sight. He was filled with sadness. He really missed Mo Xuetong. With their status, it was impossible for them to have anything to do with each other. His gratitude for her saving his life had also been sent to Feng Yuran personally.

    It was about nothing else, but was just to show his attitude.

    It was a kind of gratitude to Mo Xuetong and even to Feng Yuran!

    If Mo Xuetong had married someone else, he might still have had a chance. But her husband was Feng Yuran, the seemingly arrogant King Xuan. Crown Prince Xieyue felt that he was the most difficult to see through, but it did not prevent him from sensing Feng Yuran¡¯s danger. This man was extremely dangerous. The best way to deal with such a person was not to be his enemy.

    As such, Crown Prince Xieyue sent the thumb ring back to Feng Yuran. This time, he expressed his gratitude Feng Yuran in pace of Mo Xuetong. As such, his love for Mo Xuetong could only be suppressed tightly in his heart.

    Feeling an inexplicable pain, he took out his handkerchief and covered his mouth when he gave a little cough to suppress the anger. There were feelings he could not repress even if he wanted to.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± The guard came over and wanted to help him, but he waved his hand to refuse.

    He coughed several times in a low voice and sighed again before he turned around and strode away. Since he could not have her, he would wish her in happiness!

    He could not disrupt her happy life after she saved him!

    At least King Xuan had the power to protect her, and that was enough!

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s carrier pigeon had flown faster than the people she had sent. Hu Qianyue only had one pigeon, but she was not a stupid person. She had carried out all the power she knew when she was fighting for time. So her people only rode to the countryside, where there was a reinforcement point set by the Hu family.

    There was a pigeon that could fly directly to the Hu family in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    As a result, the two pigeons arrived in the Southern Barbarian Lands almost at the same time.

    One of them flew into the pce, and the other flew into the imposing General Hu¡¯s manor.

    In the evening, General Hu went into the pce to visit the Empress.

    The Empress and the Third Prince weed General Hu together.

    ¡°Empress, Yue¡¯er is now trapped in the Qin Kingdom. Please send someone to save her.¡± As a man, General Hu would not be long-winded. After a bow, he went straight to the point.

    ¡°Elder brother, I didn¡¯t expect that Qianyue would be trapped in the Qin Kingdom. However, I can¡¯t dominate the Qin Kingdom. Besides, Qianyue is going to marry King Yan. His status is the most orthodox among the princes and he has the support of Ding General Manor. Maybe Qianyue will be the Empress.¡±

    The Empressforted General Hu with a smile.

    ¡°Yeah, uncle. Qianyue is so smart. Maybe she will be the Empress. She might get a blessing from the misfortune,¡± the Third Prince smiled.

    General Hu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Third Prince, when Qianyue left, she told me that you and Empress have already promised that she would be your legal wife. Do you really not care about the hatred of losing you wife?¡±

    If it were an ordinary girl, she would not have said anything to her father before she had made it. However, Hu Qianyue was different, since she had received the secret promise from the Empress, and she had brought it up shyly with General Hu. Thus, General Hu was very clear about this matter.

    After General Hu¡¯s question, the Empress looked a little embarrassed. The Third Prince¡¯s face turned pale, because he didn¡¯t know what to say for the moment. He looked at his Mother, who was sitting in a high position, with a helpless look. Amon person would fight with others for the hatred of losing his wife. As the Third Prince, he didn¡¯t dare to say a word, which made people feel that he was a coward.

    ¡°Elder brother, I just casually mentioned it. When Qianyue was in my pce, I admired her, so I said that. I didn¡¯t expect this girl to talk to you. She¡¯s really a child!¡±

    The Empress sighed and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, chuckling and hinting that Hu Qianyue was not sensible enough to tell him something that had not been settled. It was shameless. Matches were arranged by go-betweens ording to the wishes of the parents. After all, it was improper for a nobledy to tell her father about this matter.

    ¡°Your Majesty, do you mean that you just said it casually and we can¡¯t take it seriously?¡± General Hu was a sincere person. It seemed that he didn¡¯t see the faint anger on his sister¡¯s face and continued to ask.

    ¡°How... how can I not take it seriously!¡± The Empress was trapped by his words and gave a little cough.

    If she said that she had never taken it seriously, she had lied to Hu Qianyue. How could her elder brother let her go? But if she imed that she had taken it seriously, it would really be the hatred of stealing wife. How could her son be indifferent to the hatred of stealing his wife? At this time, the Empress was in a dilemma. But then, she chose thetter. No matter what, Hu Qianyue was trapped in the Qin Kingdom now, and it was almost impossible for her toe back.

    She couldn¡¯t annoy her elder brother now.

    ¡°Now that it is true, please write a letter of credence to exin the situation to the Qin Kingdom, Your Majesty. I think the Qin Kingdom¡¯s Emperor should know that it is impossible for our prince¡¯s future legal wife to be the second consort of their King Yan.¡± General Hu¡¯s brows were sharp and he said coldly. He had only one daughter in his life and he loved her very much. As such, he rushed into the pce as soon as he received her letter and asked the Empress to give him a definite answer.

    Therefore, at this moment, he was forcing the Empress and the Third Prince step by step.

    ¡°A letter of credence? Elder brother, I¡¯m just an Empress. How, how can I write a letter of credence?¡± The Empress was shocked.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you don¡¯t have to send it yourself. Just ask His Majesty to send someone to the Qin Kingdom to do it. If King Yan really needs a girl of the Southern Barbarian Lands to be his second consort, we can send a few other ministers¡¯ daughters. I think the daughter of the Right Prime Minister is good.¡± General Hu smiled slowly, but the corners of his mouth were still tight.

    The Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, the Third Prince¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Uncle, no!¡±

    ¡°No? Your Highness, why?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± The Third Prince couldn¡¯t answer for a moment. Looking at General Hu¡¯s angry face, he didn¡¯t dare to say that he didn¡¯t like this tough and smart cousin since he was a child. He favored her friend more, Miss Xu Ming¡¯er, who was gentle and generous and didn¡¯t mind his cousin¡¯s tricks.

    Last time when he saw his cousin and Xu Ming¡¯er were together, his cousin had even pushed her, causing her to fall down. But Xu Ming¡¯er did not say anything and only pped her hands and stood up.

    Only such a gentle and beautiful woman could be his wife. He wanted to settle the matter in a few days, but now it seemed that it was not a good time.

    ¡°Your Majesty, why does His Highness favor the Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter instead of speaking for his cousin? Is the Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter the future legal wife of the Third Prince?¡± General Hu asked angrily and red at the Empress, which made her heart race and unable to say a word.

    She forced a smile and after a long while, she said, ¡°Elder brother, you know that Third Prince is a grown-up, and it¡¯s time for him to get engaged. If the Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter is engaged to him at this time, all the people in the Right Prime Minister¡¯s camp will stand on my side. When I get rid of the Crown Prince, Third Prince will be able to take the throne and make a great cause for a thousand autumns. Elder brother, isn¡¯t this what you wanted before?¡±

    The Empress came up with an excuse at first, but the more she spoke, the braver she became. However, General Hu was enraged.

    He mmed the table hard and stood up. Looking at the Empress coldly, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you mean that it doesn¡¯t matter if something bad happens to Yue¡¯er now as Third Prince will still have the legal wife, Miss Xu? From now on, Yue¡¯er will stay in the Qin Kingdom. And the daughter of the Right Prime Minister will be the wife of Third Prince. When Third Prince takes the supreme position in the future, Miss Xu will be the most distinguished woman. And my daughter... will be nothing!¡±

    ¡°No... Elder brother, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The Empress did not expect her brother, who had always been on her side, to be so aggressive. She became guilty. That was really what she thought, but she did not expect that General Hu cared about his daughter so much that he grew mad at her.

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± General Hu¡¯s heart was filled with rage, and he could not suppress it. His most loved daughter was in a foreign country and he did not know if she was still alive. However, now the Empress and the Third Prince still wanted to make peak with the Right Prime Minister. Seeing that his sister was at a loss for words, General Hu immediately felt disheartened.

    Without bowing, he turned around and strode out while saying coldly, ¡°Younger sister, I want to see Yue¡¯er appear in the Southern Barbarian Lands alive and intact. If something bad happens to Yue¡¯er, Miss Xu, the daughter of the Right Prime Minister, who has been said to be on good terms with her, would die with her!¡±

    Did they really think that the Hu family had to rely on the Empress? Why not to say that the Empress had to rely on him? Even without the Empress, no one would be able to shake the Hu family¡¯s status!

 Chapter 637 - You Yuees Worry

    <h4>Chapter 637 You Yue¡¯e¡¯s Worry</h4>

    In King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Hu Qianyue was so ill that she could not get up; so was You Yue¡¯e in King Yan¡¯s Manor, and she almost lost the baby in her belly.

    She had a fever when she returned to King Yan¡¯s Manor that night. ording to the imperial physician, she was depressed inwardly and seemed to be in a bad mood recently. That was why You Yue¡¯e had almost lost her baby. So she could only lie on the bed today and did not dare to move. She was determined to prevent miscarriage.

    Upon hearing the news, the Empress was so anxious that she immediately sent a nanny from the pce to visit You Yue¡¯e. She also asked a few people to serve and protect the pregnant woman by her side.

    If You Yue¡¯e gave birth to a son this time, King Yan taken more than one step ahead of the other princes, so he would also have a great advantage. Since the other princes, including King Chu, King Ning and King Xuan, hadn¡¯t had a son¡ªthe Emperor¡¯s little grandson, the Emperor would definitely be satisfied if Feng Yulei had a son ahead of them.

    In this way, the child in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s belly mattered a lot.

    The Sixth Princess also came with the nanny sent by the Empress. When You Yue¡¯e¡¯s ce was tidied up, the princess sat at the head of the bed, beaming. She looked at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s pale face andforted her with a smile. ¡°Third sister-inw, you don¡¯t have to worry about the woman from the Southern Barbarian Lands. No matter what, you are the Consort Yan. That woman has left the Southern Barbarian Lands and is not a princess. She is really nothing.¡±

    Tears immediately rolled down You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face when she heard that. She tried her best to smile, but she failed. She only showed a smile that was more pitiful than crying. This matter pressed her more and more seriously. She had thought that King Yan would give the title of a second consort or a co-wife to Princess Caifeng.

    At a nce, one could tell that Princess Caifeng was easy to fool. She had not behaved properly when she interacted with those princes. Feng Yulei had always had a proud demeanor like schrs. How would he like her? He was just putting on an act. Furthermore, her elder brother had told her to be more generous several times.

    As long as King Yan loved her in his heart and wholeheartedly protected her, her status would not be shaken. Now that she was pregnant, the baby in her belly would be his legitimate child and the Emperor¡¯s grandchild. As for a second consort who was not favored by King Yan, no matter how beautiful she was, it did not matter.

    However, what You Yue¡¯e did not expect was that when Crown Prince Xieyue was aggressive in the pce hall, Feng Yulei did not defend her at all. If her elder brother had not stood up, she, Consort Yan, would have been degraded. This made You Yue¡¯e, who firmly believed that she had a position in Feng Yulei¡¯s heart, unable to bear it.

    She was devoted to this man and did not hesitate to let herself suffer. Even though she was pregnant, she tried to please Princess Caifeng in order to make her marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor so that the forces behind her could help her husband. However, what was the result? She was almost demoted, in which case even the baby in her belly would be a concubine¡¯s child.

    At that moment, You Yue¡¯e, who was proud and arrogant, almost couldn¡¯t hold on. If she had not been in the pce hall, if the hall had not been full of people, if she had not needed to maintain the dignity of Consort Yan, and if her elder brother had not looked at her with concerned eyes, she would have fainted, downhearted.

    When she finally could leave the hall, she immediately left and went straight back to King Yan¡¯s Manor. When she was still on her way home, she could not bear it.

    Then, when Feng Yulei came back, he did not mention anything about it. At this point, the Sixth Princess¡¯s word prodded at her weakness. Her heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe or hold back her tears.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, don¡¯t be sad. Third brother couldn¡¯t do anything at that time,¡± the Sixth Princess persuaded You Yue¡¯e as she stretched out her hand to touch You Yue¡¯e¡¯s wrist skillfully. She frowned slightly and said, ¡°Who would have thought that Princess Caifeng would want to be the legal wife and Xieyue would take out such a token? I heard that when the token was handed to Princess Caifeng, you were also there. Third sister-inw, don¡¯t you understand what Third brother meant?¡±

    ¡°But, in the hall, he... he, how could he not say a word... for me? I, and the baby in my belly, what... what should we do?¡±

    All the pain in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s chest turned into tears that she could not suppress no matter how hard she tried. There was no one else in the room because when the Sixth Princess came in, she sent everyone else out. That was why she could be so straightforward.

    The Sixth Princess took out a handkerchief to wipe You Yue¡¯e¡¯s tears. She knew that what You Yue¡¯e wanted most at the moment was for someone to listen to her. So she did not say much and just sighed slightly. If You Yue¡¯e held her worries in her heart again, she would not be able to keep the child in her belly. Therefore, the most important thing now was to untie the knot in her heart.

    The longer she suppressed her emotions, the easier it would be for something bad to happen.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, you¡¯ve seen how difficult it have been for Third brother these days. Among my brothers, Third brother has the highest status, but Eldest brother is the happiest one now. As for Eighth brother, Father dotes on him the most and always has his interests at heart. As for Third brother, he doesn¡¯t even win the slightest love from Father. In such a situation, although Third brother didn¡¯t say anything for you, he didn¡¯t agree to it under the pressure of Father¡¯s dignity, which has shown his feelings for you.¡±

    Her words reminded You Yue¡¯e of several times when she saw Feng Yulei drinking alone in the pavilion in the garden. His lonely figure made her heart ache. He used to be a noble prince, but now he could only be locked up in the manor and could not even go out. He was like an eagle with broken wings. Seeing him like this, You Yue¡¯e could not help feeling sad.

    His repeated schemes had caused the Emperor to have more and more objections to him, and even his reputation had been almostpletely ruined. Tears streamed down You Yue¡¯e¡¯s cheeks and drenched the embroidered pillow under her head. How could she want to see him like this? That was why she had to butter up to Princess Caifeng and be considerate of him wholeheartedly.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, when I came in just now, Third brother had been standing outside alone for a long time. I even noticed that his eyes were red. Third sister-inw, no matter what Third brother has done, he has always been loving you. Otherwise, he should be looking for Miss Hu now. I heard that she is also ill.¡±

    ¡°He, he has been outside the door all the time...¡± You Yue¡¯e raised her tearful eyes, stunned.

    ¡°I also noticed that he is still wearing the same clothes that he wore in the pce yesterday. Third sister-inw, did you quarrel with each other yesterday?¡± the Sixth Princess asked softly.

    ¡°I... I was so sad. When he came back, I... I asked him to go away...¡± You Yue¡¯e sobbed, and the pain and sadness in her heart had turned into worries for King Yan. ¡°Has he been standing in my yard since I drove him outst night? Did he stand there all night? Why...why is he so stupid? How could he do that in such a weather?¡±

    ¡°Third sister-inw, if husband and wife are of the same mind, they will have the power to ovee any difficulty. At this time, you can¡¯t start a fight. Hu Qianyue hasn¡¯t married into your manor yet, and Third brother has always been loving you. Third sister-inw, you should understand now. Third brother is so pitiful. Can you let hime in and see you? Otherwise, how could he leave? If he keeps waiting, I am afraid that he will faint.¡±

    ¡°You... you ask him toe in...¡± You Yue¡¯e cried so hard that she was out of breath. All the lump in her chest had turned into her love for Feng Yulei. He was an adult, and was also her husband. If he wanted to see her, why didn¡¯t hee in? How could he be so stupid?

    While she felt grieved, a hint of joy surged.

    It was not that he did not care about You Yue¡¯e or the child in her belly; it was that the Emperor did not take him seriously. In that majestic hall, if he said something wrong, he might be locked up again. Since they got married, he had been in such an environment. You Yue¡¯e¡¯s heart ached when she thought of it.

    Because he stayed in her yardst night, all her depression had relieved. Seeing the Sixth Princess leaving with a grin, You Yue¡¯e bit her lips tightly and suppressed her sadness. When she saw Feng Yulei¡¯s haggard figure appear at the door, she couldn¡¯t help crying out in a trembling voice, ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    Then she could not say anything else.

    Feng Yulei walked over with a haggard look in his eyes. He suddenly squatted beside the head of the bed and held You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand. He lowered his head and his shoulders shook slightly, but he could not say a word.

    You Yue¡¯e felt even sadder, and the two cried miserably in each other¡¯s arms...

    Outside the courtyard, You Yuecheng had alsoe early in the morning. His handsome eyes grew colder and colder. He raised his eyes and looked at the Sixth Princess who was slowly walking over. He frowned and turned to walk to the side. The Sixth Princess did not hesitate to follow slowly. The two of them walked into the pavilion not far away one after the other and sat down.

    A maidservant served tea. You Yuecheng waved his hand and everyone else left.

    ¡°Are you really going to allow Hu Qianyue to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor? That woman isn¡¯t Princess Caifeng!¡± the Sixth Princess could not help asking when she saw that You Yuecheng was frowning and remained silent.

    Hu Qianyue¡¯s status was inferior to Princess Caifeng¡¯s, but she could create a lot more trouble. In terms of means, she was much more scheming than Caifeng. Such a woman could be said to be harmful to Feng Yulei if she married into his manor.

    ¡°I did not expect that Crown Prince Xieyue would suddenly propose that Hu Qianyue should marry King Yan and set King Yan¡¯s Manor up.¡± You Yuecheng fiddled with the teacup in front of him coldly. It seemed that he did not pay attention to the Sixth Princess at all.

    Originally, he wanted Princess Caifeng to be a co-wife in King Yan¡¯s Manor. So what if Xieyue took out the prince¡¯s jade pendant? However, he did not expect that Xieyue would react so quickly after he retorted. Crown Prince Xieyue immediately mentioned Hu Qianyue. With Hu Qianyue¡¯s status, it was reasonable for her to be a second consort. However, it was said that Hu Qianyue was the candidate for the Third Prince¡¯s wife in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    If such a person was forced to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor, they could guess the attitude of the Southern Barbarian Lands. It was not a form of marriage, but a form of enmity!

    Furthermore, Hu Qianyue was not an easy person to deal with. You Yuecheng thought that his younger sister might not be able to suppress her, which could be told from the fact that she was double-faced. You Yue¡¯e might not be a match for her.

    ¡°Then what should we do now?¡± The Sixth Princess was a little anxious. She pushed her cup and hit it on You Yuecheng¡¯s in order to attract his attention.

    You Yuecheng looked up at the Sixth Princess and said slowly, ¡°Hu Qianyue is ill!¡±

    ¡°I know about this. I heard that she fell ill early. Furthermore, her illness...¡± The Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up and she immediately stopped. She instantly understood what You Yuecheng meant. There was a hint of joy in her eyes. She paused for a moment before she lowered her voice and said, ¡°Are you saying that Hu Qianyue is also unwilling to ept the engagement?¡±

 Chapter 638 - The Sixth Princesss Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 638 The Sixth Princess¡¯s Thoughts</h4>

    ¡°She is a prince¡¯s future consort and from such a powerful family. What¡¯s more, I heard that the Third Prince is the legitimate son of the current Empress. The future Emperor of the Southern Barbarian Lands might not be Crown Prince Xieyue!¡± Even though You Yuecheng¡¯s words were reserved, the Sixth Princess had understood what he meant.

    ¡°Then what should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything but wait.¡± You Yuecheng looked at the Sixth Princess who had obviously turned happy with a hint of darkness in his eyes. ¡°Sixth Princess, you are too impatient!¡±

    ¡°Am I impatient?¡± The Sixth Princess frowned, looked at You Yuecheng, and said hesitantly, ¡°I... Father... Xieyue, I¡¯m afraid... I don¡¯t want to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    After that, she looked at You Yuecheng with sad eyes. Suddenly, she lost control and grabbed You Yuecheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Your Excellency, am I continue waiting? I can¡¯t wait any longer! If we continue waiting, Father will issue a decree. At that time, it will be toote for us to do anything.¡±

    You Yuecheng looked up at her, but his attitude remained calm. He reached out to touch the wrist of the Sixth Princess. The Sixth Princess felt a pain in her wrist and could not help but release her grip. She looked at You Yuecheng with tears. At this moment, she was both excited and painful. She was no longer the calm and collected Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Are you, really going to let me marry Crown Prince Xieyue?¡± She reached out her hand again and held You Yuecheng¡¯s hand fearlessly. The affection in her beautiful eyes was obviously revealing. ¡°Did you really not notice my feelings for you at all? Are you really treating Ling Mingyan so well that you refuse to ept me for her sake? Ding General Manor, Ding General Manor is supporting Eldest brother now. How could they stand on Third brother¡¯s side because of Ling Mingyan?¡±

    Tears trickled down her cheeks. The Sixth Princess knew that she was a calm person and she had never lost herposure. Even when she watched him get married, she still stood by the side with a smile and congratted him. However, what had happened in the past few days had disturbed her heart even though her mother hadforted her repeatedly and said that she would definitely make the Emperor change his mind.

    But was it so easy to change the Emperor¡¯s mind?

    Her mother had hinted so many times, but the Emperor still didn¡¯t issue a decree to order the Seventh Princess to marry Crown Prince Xieyue. The Sixth Princess had turned from calm to anxious, and her heart had already been in a mess.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, this is King Yan¡¯s Manor.¡± You Yuecheng raised his handsome face and stretched out his hand again. This time, he did not push her hand away directly. First, he gently pressed her hand and then flicked her wrist. The pain reached her nerves and she could not help but loosen her hand.

    The sharp pain and the slight contact of the two palms made the Sixth Princess¡¯s agitated nerves gradually calm down. She was also clear that this was not a suitable ce to talk, but apart from this ce, as the well-educated and reasonable Sixth Princess, could she have a private conversation with Duke Mingguo¡¯s son?

    Unlike the arrogant Fifth Princess, the Sixth Princess had known the importance of reputation since she was a child. She would never chasing after a man or show any sign that she loved a man. Furthermore, the Sixth Princess was good at judging the situation. Of course, this was because the Sixth Princess had suffered a great loss.

    When Bai Yihao first arrived in the Qin Kingdom, the princesses in the pce all took a fancy on the immortal-like crown prince of the Yan Kingdom. At that time, the Sixth Princess was also one of them. Regardless of Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s stop, she had even secretly sent a purse to Bai Yihao.

    Somehow, the Fifth Princess learned it. The Fifth Princess was the Empress¡¯s daughter, the legitimate princess and she had already warned her sisters in the pce. However, there was someone who ignored her warning. How could she, who had always thought that she was noble, not be furious?

    On that night, the Fifth Princess tricked the Sixth Princess to the Cold Pce in the imperial harem, and then pushed her into the pond. Looking at the Sixth Princess struggling in the water, she said coldly on the shore, ¡°How dare you to covet my stuff? Go to hell!¡±

    After that, she left with her people.

    Fortunately, Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been worried about the Sixth Princess, so she sent people to follow the Sixth Princess. After the Fifth Princess left, these people saved the Sixth Princess. After the Sixth Princess survived the disaster, she hid her thoughts. When she saw Bai Yihao in the pce, she retreated. Even though she was also a princess, she had no chance to deal with the Fifth Princess, who had always been arrogant.

    Furthermore, Bai Yihao had been indifferent towards her, as towards the others!

    The Sixth Princess immediately realized that even if she died, Bai Yihao did not care about her at all. Then why did she have to try to get someone that would never belong to her?

    After that, the Sixth Princess got closer to King Yan and also paid attention to You Yuecheng. Unconsciously, she had a deep affection for thetter, who looked handsome and manly. Compared with the other young men of aristocratic families, You Yuecheng was really great. He never got involved with women outside, nor did he have any romantic affairs. She even heard that there were only two maidservants serving him in bed in his manor. It could be said that he had an honest and clean life.

    Coupled with his handsome face and slightly fierce aura, the Sixth Princess was fascinated by him.

    However, since the Fifth Princess had not married yet at that time, the Sixth Princess did not dare to express her love. She could only keep it in her heart. She did not dare to let others know about her feelings after being tricked by the Fifth Princess. As a result, she had missed the chance. Ling Mingyan had plotted to marry into Mingguo Manor, but the Sixth Princess had never given up.

    She was a princess, and as long as she was unmarried, she would have a chance of marrying him.

    The two of them had met several times in private because of King Yan, Feng Yulei. Most of their topics were about Feng Yulei. At first, You Yuecheng did not believe her. However, when he saw how she and Consort Wen had worked hard for Feng Yulei, he slowly trusted her.

    Although she didn¡¯t tell him her feelings for him, he knew it. But they didn¡¯t say it out.

    In order to obtain the power of Ding General Manor, You Yuecheng had no choice but to marry Ling Mingyan. The Sixth Princess did not say a word. She was waiting for an opportunity. As long as her Third brother took the throne, she would have plenty of opportunities!

    But in this situation, she was annoyed. She was anxious and excited!

    She did not want to marry Crown Prince Xieyue. She definitely did not want to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. If she married far away, she really did not have anything left. Her schemes and ns could not bepared to the interests in front of her now. She had to stay in the Qin Kingdom in order to have a chance to be with You Yuecheng in the future.

    She could have waited, but she couldn¡¯t wait any longer now!

    ¡°Your Excellency, help me!¡± After calming down, the Sixth Princess looked at You Yuecheng with a pleading look in her pretty eyes. She looked sad and pitiful.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, only His Majesty can decide your marriage. As an official, how can I save you?¡± You Yuecheng said thoughtfully as his eyesnded on his teacup.

    This was not a refusal, and there was a profound meaning in his words. The Sixth Princess suddenly calmed down. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and asked in a slow and trembling voice, ¡°What... what should I do now?¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, there is only one way that can absolutely guarantee that you don¡¯t have to go to the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡± You Yuecheng raised his head and looked at the Sixth Princess¡¯s panicked face.

    ¡°What is it?¡± the Sixth Princess asked anxiously as if she was grabbing a life-saving straw. Then she blushed as she looked at You Yuecheng. ¡°I... I want to be with you,¡± she stammered.

    Since she had made it clear, it would be better to express her feelings for him now. The Sixth Princess also knew that this was herst chance. If she seeded, she might be able to be with him forever.

    You Yuecheng lowered his head again and his brow was knitted unconsciously. An inexplicable sense of annoyance surged in his heart. Why did all these women force him to marry them? Ling Mingyan was like this, and so was the Sixth Princess. However, this matter was difficult to deal with. He could have pretended that he did not know about it if she did not expose it, but she had said it now.

    ¡°Your Excellency, I am His Majesty¡¯s sixth princess. I still have my mother behind me. You also know what people in Father¡¯s harem think of my mother. Look at Ling Mingyan. Does Ding General Manor behind her support King Yan¡¯s Manor? When Third brother had been locked up, Ding General Manor had been standing by and watching. Is such a Ding General Manor really reliable?¡±

    ¡°When Third brother is in trouble, Ding General Manor hasn¡¯t helped him. If Third brother really seed to the throne in the future, Ding General Manor wille out again. With their rtionship with the Empress and the kinship between them, it is possible for them to be the biggest aristocratic family. Then what about you? Will you be willing to let someone else have it?¡±

    The Sixth Princess said more and more logically as she looked at You Yuecheng with earnest eyes. There was more confidence in her eyes. The benefit gap between marrying her and marrying Ling Mingyan were so obvious. Furthermore, she was much better than the unruly Ling Mingyan. She did not believe that You Yuecheng would not fall for her.

    ¡°She¡¯s already my wife!¡± Remaining silent for a long while, You Yuecheng said lightly.

    ¡°You can devoice her. As long as she isn¡¯t Consort Yan anymore, I can marry you. At that time, we can help Third brother wholeheartedly,¡± the Sixth Princess said with deep affection in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you have a solution?¡± A meaningful and faint smile appeared in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I have an idea that can save me and degrade Ling Mingyan, Your Excellency, as long as you agree!¡± The Sixth Princess looked at You Yuecheng with expectation.

    You Yuecheng looked at her quietly. There was aplicated look in his eyes. The look was soplicated that the Sixth Princess, who had always been good at analyzing, could not see through it. After a while, You Yuecheng asked lightly, ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±

    There was no hope for her to wait. If she continued to wait like this, the Emperor would issue an edict. She would not be able to bear it then. It was not only because of her affection for You Yuecheng, but also because of other things. As such, she would not go to the Southern Barbarian Lands or marry the Crown Prince of the country. There were too many things that her and her mother needed to do in the Qin Kingdom.

    The corners of You Yuecheng¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. He looked like he was smiling, so the Sixth Princess rxed. No matter what, You Yuecheng had expressed his attitude. The burden on her heart was finally settled. She had known that Ling Mingyan would not win his heart. That woman was arrogant and stupid. How could she get his love? Therefore, even if Ling Mingyan married You Yuecheng, the Sixth Princess was not in a hurry.

    She could have waited for a more suitable opportunity to act, but now she didn¡¯t have time!

    You Yuecheng stood up and raised his eyebrows. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me what to do next. I just want to make it clear that I won¡¯t help you!¡± He didn¡¯t want to get into this kind of trouble. He would marry the stronger one who would win. Since neither of them was the one he wanted to marry, it made no difference to him who he married.

    The Sixth Princess was stunned. She was clear about it, but she still felt a little sad when he said so clearly.

    ¡°You¡¯re so smart and should be able to do with it!¡±

    This was not a question, but it made the Sixth Princess feel better immediately. She nodded hard. She knew thatpared with stupid Ling Mingyan; she had the upper hand. If Ling Mingyan did not have the support of Ding General Manor behind her, she was nothing. How could she think that marrying You Yuecheng was enough to win his heart?

    She equaled to nothing for You Yuecheng at all. Ling Mingyan was such a stupid woman!

 Chapter 639 - He Yufens Letter From Jiangnan

    <h4>Chapter 639 He Yufen¡¯s Letter From Jiangnan</h4>

    Hu Qianyue was ill. Crown Prince Xieyue was very busy and the engagement was settled. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen was unwilling toe to the manor. Of course, the other princes would note to the manor again for the sake of their reputation. As for Princess Caifeng, she was really depressed.

    After arriving in the Qin Kingdom, she was always surrounded by the crowd, but now she found that there was no one around. How could Princess Caifeng not feel depressed? She originally wanted to go to the backyard to see Consort Xuan, but before her maidservant arrived at the backyard, she was stopped by Feng Yuran¡¯s men.

    ¡°Consort Xuan doesn¡¯t feel well. After visiting Miss Hu that day, she caught a cold. So she couldn¡¯t apany Princess Caifeng now. Please understand.¡± The person who spoke was very polite, but his attitude was not very good. He looked up at the sky and was disdainful of the maidservant sent by Princess Caifeng, which made the maidservant angry.

    She suspected that King Xuan had ordered the man to provoke the bad-tempered Princess Caifeng.

    However, this was King Xuan¡¯s Manor, where the maidservant had no choice but to return after being angered. Then, she exaggerated embellishment to the story and told Princess Caifeng. However, she did not expect that Princess Caifeng, who had always been used to being domineering, would only reply weakly after she heard the maidservant¡¯s reply. After that, the princess did not say anything else, and merely leaned against the chair dazedly.

    Princess Caifeng was so listless and her maidservants had never seen her like this before. They always felt that it was the tranquility before the storm. As such, they did not dare to say a word and only served her carefully. They was afraid that she would lose her temper and vented her anger on them.

    Compared to the depressed Princess Caifeng, Mo Xuetong was in a good mood.

    She handed the red invitation card to Feng Yuran and said coyly, ¡°Look, how¡¯s the design of this invitation?¡±

    Feng Yuran put down the files before he picked up the invitation that Mo Xuetong handed him and looked at it. There was a hint of interest in his eyes as there was a vivid painting of a peony on it, with some gold powder on the painting. It looked very luxurious and wealthy.

    ¡°Why do you want to get such an invitation?¡± Feng Yuran lifted his chin and held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand affectionately. He asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want others to know that you¡¯re actually a rich woman?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had known that he would say that the design was too extravagant and too vulgar. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed and she red at Feng Yuran viciously. Then, she snatched the invitation away and said, ¡°So your invitations were good? Weren¡¯t they just like mine? There were also peonies on them. How can it look dignified with it?¡±

    There were still a few invitation cards that Feng Yuran designed in the past, and she had seen them. They were so gorgeous that they were not inferior to her design. After all, the peony was the king of flowers, which was the most beautiful and magnificent. Only the designs in the pce could reveal the nobility of the peony.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Tong¡¯er¡¯s design is always good.¡± Feng Yuran could not help smiling as he patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s head.

    ¡°Really?¡± Mo Xuetong pped Feng Yuran¡¯s hand away. Her watery eyes lit up and she was happy again.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Feng Yuran replied and nodded.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go to the Peony Garden to have a look. If we¡¯re really going to hold a feast, it¡¯s appropriate to treat guests there!¡±

    It was not suitable there. It was the right season to admire the lotus flowers in autumn. It was inappropriate to go to the Peony Garden at this time. However, Feng Yuran did not dare to say that. Judging from Mo Xuetong¡¯s excited expression, he knew that she had been bored with staying in her own yard recently and wanted to go out for fresh air.

    ¡°Go to the Mo Manor and have a look before you go to the Peony Garden.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know.¡± Mo Xuetong got up happily. Thinking for a moment, she stopped. Then, she turned around and walked to Feng Yuran¡¯s couch before squatting down and pointing at the other invitation card ced on the table. ¡°Should I go to attend the lotus appreciation feast held by Ling Mingyan?¡±

    This morning, Mingguo Manor sent an invitation to the lotus appreciation feast. Unexpectedly, Ling Mingyan would invite people to admire lotus flowers, which was very strange.

    ¡°It will depend on your illness!¡± Feng Yuran answered lightly. He had checked the invitation in the morning and knew that it was two dayster.

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled, ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll go and take a look then. It¡¯s rare that Ling Mingyan will hold a flower appreciation feast in the capital. And it¡¯s also at this time. I heard that Princess Caifeng also got an invitation card. It¡¯s a little unreasonable if I don¡¯t go and have a look.¡±

    There was a hint of a smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face. He picked up the files by his hand and began to read as he reminded her, ¡°You can go, but don¡¯t interfere with other¡¯s matter. It¡¯s their private affairs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll just watch. I won¡¯t interfere even if others want me to do so!¡± Mo Xuetong put on a proud expression and kept nodding. Her eyes were full of smiles. She certainly wanted to watch such a strange thing in person. It was said that Ling Mingyan had never held a flower appreciation feast or a poem appreciation feast.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong did not believe that she would hold a flower appreciation feast at this time without any purpose!

    Feng Yuran put down the files in his hand as he watched Mo Xuetong leave. Theziness in his beautiful eyes slowly faded away. There was a hint of bloodthirstiness and sharpness in them. However, when his gazended on Mo Xuetong¡¯s slender figure, the viciousness in his eyes reduced bit by bit. He regained some of his gentleness. He didn¡¯t lower his head again until he found that Mo Xuetong¡¯s figure hadpletely disappeared from his sight.

    With a few young and old maidservants, Mo Xuetong went to the front door. The horse carriage had been waiting for her at the door. She got on the carriage and sat on the couch. The smile on her face faded away. Of course, she did not juste out to y. She did not tell Feng Yuran about the news from Jiangnan.

    She was afraid that if she stayed any longer in his room, Feng Yuran would notice something.

    The matter of the He family had been settledst time. Feng Yuran had left all the matters of the He family to Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong had thought that the matter had been resolved. The two brothers of the He family had fallen into He Yuxiu¡¯s hands, so they lived a terrible life now. They wanted to go back to Jiangnan, but they did not have any money.

    In Jiangnan, the He family had fallen all of a sudden because of Consort Zhao¡¯s and King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s attitudes. It was said that people in the old manor had fallen apart and the family was done. They had thought that Consort Xian¡¯s incident had alreadye to an end. Only Mo Xuetong vaguely felt that it was not enough and still asked He Yufen to inquire about information about this matter. A piece of news had finally reached her recently, which shocked Mo Xuetong. She thought that the He family was really inhuman.

    ¡°My Lady, that person seems to be...¡± Mo Yu suddenly cried softly through the snow-white window gauze.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mo Ye asked warily. She also leaned against the window. One could not see clearly the inside through the light white window gauze from the outside, but could see what was happening outside from the inside.

    Mo Yu had already seen it clearly. She turned around and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s Eldest Young Master and Auntie Fang¡¯s family.¡±

    ¡°And who?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. She had heard that Mo Yufeng had been quiet for a while ago. Why was he getting closer to the Yu family now?

    ¡°The man who rushed to your courtyard to frame you with an old eunuch and Auntie Fang. He seems to be Auntie Fang¡¯s brother!¡± Mo Yu thought for a while and said.

    ¡°Yu Feng?¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment, then sat up straight and leaned forward. Mo Ye quickly made way for her. Mo Xuetong really saw Mo Yufeng and Yu Feng talking at the door of a shop. It seemed to be a jade shop. The two of them casually stood outside the shop as if they had met on the road. After a few words, they passed each other and walked ahead.

    However, just as they were side by side, Mo Xuetong happened to see that Yu Feng seemed to have said something. Mo Yufeng¡¯s face lit up. He nodded slightly and walked forward.

    The more they tried to hide, the more they were exposed. It seemed that there was something between the two of them!

    What made Mo Xuetong most suspicious was that the old woman who was waiting by the side of the road for Mo Yufeng was definitely not from the Mo Manor. She was a step away from Mo Yufeng and Mo Xuetong could not tell if she was a servant.

    The horse carriage moved forward and passed by Mo Yufeng. Mo Xuetong saw that Mo Yufeng had stopped. He was depressed as he looked at the sign on the carriage.

    The old woman took a step forward and walked side by side with Mo Yufeng. Then she lowered her voice and said hurriedly, ¡°Eldest Young Master, I can¡¯t wait too long here. You have to think about it clearly!¡±

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? You¡¯ve been waiting for so many days. Can¡¯t you wait a few more days? Sirong is my uncle¡¯s daughter. Will my uncle watch his daughter be wronged to death? Could it be that you, as a servant, bend on avenging your master, but her father doesn¡¯t want not avenge her?¡±

    Mo Yufeng snapped in a bad mood.

    His uncle had also said that they could not rush to deal with this matter and had to take action at the right time. However, the old maidservant was a stubborn person. She had not brought out any evidence and only tried to push him. Mo Yufeng could not calm down when he thought of how he could use these things to drag Mo Xuetong down.

    As long as Mo Xuetong died, their father would be diposed. Furthermore, his new master would support him. It would be very easy to kill the woman who was about to give birth to a child and her baby in the manor. Then, he would still be the only son of the Mo Manor. His father would definitely leave the family fortune to him.

    In the future, if the new master took that position, he would have endless glory and wealth. Thinking of this, he looked a little prouder. He nced at the old maidservant, who was speechless after being scolded, and strode forward with satisfaction. The depression on his face during the past few days had been swept away. He was in a good mood now.

    The old maidservant sighed and followed him helplessly. There were some things that she could not make the decision. Mdm Fang had not given her any response yet, and instead, she asked her to find Mo Yufeng. Then, the Young Master of the Mo Manor went to look for the people of the Yu family. Even the old maidservant did not know if they could seed!

    Seeing that Mo Yufeng continued walking forward all the way, she hurried to follow him.

    When they arrived at the Mo Manor, Mo Xuetong got out of the carriage. Mo Lan and the others were already waiting by the side. The group of people walked to the inner courtyard. Someone had already reported to the master. When Mo Xuetong arrived at Xu Yan¡¯s courtyard, Xu Yan had already stood there with the help of a maidservant and was waiting for her.

    After the two greeted each other, they entered the room together. As they sat down, a maidservant served tea!

    Mo Xuetong waved her hand, and except for Mo Ye, her other servants all left.

    Xu Yan knew that Mo Xuetong wanted to talk to her in private, so she also asked her people out. The maidservant by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side was capable, who could serve them by herself. Although this was the Mo Manor, Mo Xuetong¡¯s status was really noble. In addition, Mo Huawen doted on Mo Xuetong and the girl had even taken charge of the family affair for a while. Therefore, everyone in the Mo Manor believed in Mo Xuetong!

 Chapter 640 - Mo Yufengs Strange Movements

    <h4>Chapter 640 Mo Yufeng¡¯s Strange Movements</h4>

    ¡°Mother, I saw Elder brother and someone of the Yu family on the streets earlier.¡± Mo Xuetong went straight to the point. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Elder brother need to study these days?¡±

    Mo Huawen had asked Mo Yufeng to take thest imperial exam, and naturally, he didn¡¯t pass it in the end. Fortunately, his family members knew that he was likely to fail and did not hold out much hope for him.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he in the yard? Why did he sneak out again?¡± Xu Yan frowned and answered uncertainly, who had never had a good impression of Mo Yufeng. Even though she had never skimped him, she usually did not want to interfere in his matters. As such, Xu Yan did not ask much about his situation.

    Mo Xuetong keenly grasped the meaning of her words and continued to ask, ¡°Secretly?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Xu Yan gave a sigh. ¡°After the exam, he had gone out to meet a few friends. He even met one of them in a brothel and your father happened to see him, who sent servants to take him back. From then on, he quietly stayed at home. When those bad friends came to see him, they were driven away by the guards.¡±

    ¡°Then he became reckless again. Once when your father was not at home, someone somehow sent him a message. At that time, he sneaked out from the back door, but he came soon back, only about an hour. I saw that he didn¡¯t cause any trouble. It was said that he just strolled on the street and drank tea for a while, so I didn¡¯t take it as a big deal and didn¡¯t tell your father.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a while and said softly, ¡°Mother, you have to be careful about it. You¡¯d better not hide it from father.¡±

    Xu Yan did not understand Mo Yufeng, but it was impossible for her to not understand him. In her past life, Auntie Fang and her daughter had been so cruel to her. Without Mo Yufeng backing them up, how could the two of them have dealt with her so openly? How could they be able to gain a firm foothold in the Mo family?

    When she was just reborn, she was just suspicious of him. But now, she could basically be sure that in the tragedy of herst life, Mo Yufeng had been helping her enemies. If it weren¡¯t for him, how could Mo Xuemin, who was still a nobledy at that time with a gentle reputation, have ganged up with Lan Xinru, Sima Lingyun¡¯s mistress?

    Sima Lingyun was the main reason for what happened in Fu General Manor, but what about Mo Yufeng? If he had not entered the manor with Sima Lingyun, and if he had not led the way for thetter, no one in Fu General Manor would have discovered that Sima Lingyun had taken something away. The pot of flowers was not a small object that could be taken away so easily.

    If she remembered correctly, Mo Yufeng and Sima Lingyun had gone to the manor together at that time.

    In her past life, there had been traces of Mo Yufeng everywhere in her tragical life. In this life, how could Mo Yufeng not do something? Mo Xuetong was certain that something bad would happen when Mo Yufeng was with Yu Feng recently. As such, she had especially reminded Xu Yan so that she would not fall into the trap.

    Xu Yan was also very cautious so she immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant. A hint of anger shed in her eyes. ¡°Is he up to something outside again?¡±

    What did Mo Yufeng want to do? Of course, he wanted the property of the Mo Manor and the biggest enemy was either Mo Xuetong or Xu Yan. Xu Yan had thought that he was at least Mo Huawen¡¯s eldest son, and she did not care about how cold he was every time he saw her. But now, she was a little angry.

    ¡°A few days ago, your father wanted to arrange an engagement for him, but I thought that the girl had an unruly reputation. So I asked your father to not decide now. Since he¡¯s so restless now, I¡¯ll tell your father to arrange the engagement for him. An unruly girl is better than a girl who is unable to control him and let him keep making trouble outside.¡±

    She was going to use the marriage to drag Mo Yufeng down. Mo Xuetong nodded secretly, whose stepmother was not someone who knew nothing, which would be best. It could prevent him from causing trouble for the Mo Manor and implicating someone he could not offend. The situation in the capital was changing rapidly. People attacked secretly. Things had gotten heated up. Mo Xuetong did not want someone to take advantage of Mo Yufeng at this time, which would implicate the Mo Manor.

    Thinking about it, Mo Xuetong found that it made sense. If Mo Yufeng wanted to deal with her now, he was not strong enough at all. Ordinary people would never do something like hitting a rock with an egg. Although Mo Yufeng was not smart, he was still a normal person. However, judging from the ending of Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin, it was obvious that he was not able to defeat her.

    That was why it was said that Mo Yufeng had been in low spirits some time ago!

    Then what was going on these days? What made him regain his spirit? Even Yu Feng, who had lost his backer, looked exalted just now. Consort Yu had just fallen and Yu Feng¡¯s performance was very intriguing. Did it mean that Yu Feng had a new master?

    Besides, this master had a high status, at least as powerful as Feng Yuran!

    As Mo Xuetong thought in this way, the answer was obvious.

    After she chatted with Xu Yan for a few more minutes, they heard that Mo Huawen had returned to the manor. When her father learned that she was back, he asked her to go to the study to meet him. So Mo Xuetong got up and went to the front yard.

    When she arrived at the study and sat down, Mo Huawen asked about Mo Xuetong¡¯s illness and asked her to take some precious medicinal herbs that he had collected when she returned. Then, the two started toe to the point. Unlike Xu Yan, Mo Huawen, as the lord mayor, was more sensitive to the situation in the capital. Furthermore, it was rted to his favorite daughter. Thus, even though he had not joined any force, he still paid attention to the development of various forces.

    Mo Xuetong sat down in front of Mo Huawen¡¯s desk and asked with a serious look, ¡°Father, have you heard any news from the Southern Barbarian Lands recently?¡±

    Hu Qianyue was seriously ill this time and had rpsed. She had recovered a little a few days ago and it was said that she had gotten worse this time. Even though Mo Xuetong knew that Hu Qianyue had made herself ill on purpose, she had felt helpless as the girl ignored her health in order to stay in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. However, after Feng Yuran had spoken to her, Mo Xuetong calmed down.

    ¡°Not yet. I heard that there are signs of chaos among the various forces in the Southern Barbarian Lands recently. Tong¡¯er, you can¡¯t keep the person called Hu Qianyue in your manor.¡± Even though Mo Huawen did not know exactly what was going on, he had been an official for many years and was very sensitive. It was said that most of the unusual movements in the Southern Barbarian Lands are because of Hu Qianyue¡¯s father.

    General Hu, who took charge of military power, did not seem to be a man who was willing to marry his only daughter into another country.

    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no hurry. His Highness has his own ns. As for Elder brother...¡± Mo Xuetong pondered for a moment, but she still told her father the truth. ¡°Father, you have to pay more attention to Elder brother. You¡¯d better not let him go out in the near future. When I came here, I saw him with the person of the Yu family.¡±

    No matter how disappointing Mo Yufeng was, he was still Mo Huawen¡¯s only son who held a certain position in their father¡¯s heart. However, if she did not tell Mo Huawen, it might lead to even greater trouble! She hoped that Mo Huawen would be able to see through Mo Yufeng so that he would not be implicated in the future. They were father and son, and Mo Huawen might implicate in what Mo Yufeng had done. It would be hard to exin then.

    ¡°He was with Yu Feng?¡± Mo Huawen¡¯s expression changed. He was not Xu Yan and he immediately knew what was going on. He was so angry that his face darkened and the veins on his forehead stood out. He was growing more and more disappointed with his son. He only hoped that Xu Yan could give birth to a son for him so that the boy could be his heir.

    ¡°The two of them pretended to be passing by. It seems that they are very skilled in it. It is obviously not the first time they have met secretly.¡± Mo Xuetong thought about it and then reminded him, ¡°When Elder brother left, there was an old maidservant behind him. She was not from our manor. Judging from her clothes, she did not look like a servant of an ordinary family.¡±

    ¡°As soon as hees backter, I will order him to stay at home. I have nned to arrange an engagement for him these days, so the rooms and yards need to be decorated. I will ask him to stay at home and decorate them by himself,¡± Mo Huawen uttered with a livid face. Although he was not very satisfied with the girl, at least it was the best one at the moment.

    Furthermore, with Mo Yufeng¡¯s status, if he did not have a younger sister who was Consort Xuan, the other party might not be willing to ept it. However, since the youngdy was known for being unruly, he wanted to see other girls. But now Mo Huawen felt that the fiercer she was, the better it was. Only a fierce girl could suppress Mo Yufeng so that he would not go out all day long and cause trouble for his family.

    Mo Xuetong was confused when she heard what Mo Huawen said. She blinked her watery eyes and asked hesitantly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t my mother... be in charge of this kind of thing?¡±

    When a young man was getting married, his mother should arrange the wedding and decorate the bridal chamber. However, her father was going to ask Mo Yufeng to do it. Mo Xuetong gloated and she could not help but speak of other people¡¯s thoughts. If something like this were to happen, it would definitely be discussed. She wanted to know what her father would reply.

    ¡°Your mother is going to give birth. With such a baby bump, she has no energy. If something bad happens to her, who could be responsible for it? Besides, this bridal chamber is originally his own room in the future. He is the only one who knows what he wants and doesn¡¯t want. Shouldn¡¯t he be responsible for the decoration of the room and yard?¡±

    Mo Huawen answered while ring at Mo Xuetong.

    This made sense. Even though it was a little far-fetched, there was nothing wrong with keeping Mo Yufeng in the yard to decorate the bridal chamber. Xu Yan was really pregnant and could not afford to get hurt. Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong became steady. Then she told Mo Huawen a few words. It was estimated that Xu Yan was going to give birth in a few days, so she did not want something to happen at that time.

    ¡°Father, it¡¯s best to do with some people in the inner courtyard first. I remember that you didn¡¯t allow Elder brother to go out, but someone still secretly sent messages to him...¡±

    Before Mo Xuetong finished her words, Mo Huawen understood all. He nodded immediately. The inner courtyard really needed cleaning up. Originally, Xu Yan was supposed to be in charge of it. However, she was unable to take care of herself and her body was getting heavier and heavier. Furthermore, she was a young stepmother, and it was a little inconvenient for her to deal with a concubine¡¯s son who had grown up.

    ¡°And, father, pay attention to Auntie Qing as well. Wasn¡¯t she involved in Elder brother¡¯s matter before?¡± Auntie Qing treated Mo Yufeng as her own son, so Mo Xuetong did not believe that she knew nothing about what he was doing. Mo Xuetong even had a guess that Auntie Qing might have something to do with Mo Yufeng sneaking out.

    She always had a feeling that Auntie Qing was smart.

    Mo Xuetong had already sent someone to investigate Auntie Qing. She had be her father¡¯s concubine in Cloud City. It was said that she was the daughter of a businessman. Once a time when she went to a temple to pray, she encountered robbers. Fortunately, Mo Huawen met it and saved her. Her family was extremely grateful. When they found out that Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was looking for someone to be her father¡¯s concubine, they rmended their daughter to her and then she became a concubine.

    Although the daughter of a businessman might not be able to marry into an official¡¯s family, at least it was not hard for her to be someone¡¯s legal wife. However, she didn¡¯t be a legal wife. Did she really fall in love with Mo Huawen at first sight?

    A hero saved a beauty, and then the beauty insisted on marrying the hero. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t think it Auntie Qing¡¯s character.

 Chapter 641 - The Acting Auntie Qing

    <h4>Chapter 641 The Acting Auntie Qing</h4>

    In her past life, many things were hidden in mists, and Mo Xuetong was the most important tragic person. There were countless people involved in it. Sometimes all those people seemed to have something to do with her, and sometimes none of them seemed to have anything to do with her. On the surface, Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin were the ones who had caused her tragedy.

    But how many things had happened behind the scenes? And how many people were involved in it?

    As for the girl who died in the hands of her elder sister born of a concubine in the backyard, what a turbulent situation she once had faced beneath such a surface!

    Fortunately, she would no longer grin and bear it, nor would she return good for evil. She would no longer allow herself to be blinded, and instead, she saw the truth through the phenomenon. Step by step, she would carefully deal with restless people and evil things.

    Even though Mo Xuetong only had a few memories of Auntie Qing in her past life, that didn¡¯t conflict with her being the key to something. Auntie Qing suddenly paid special attention to Mo Yufeng. Then, Mo Yufeng had ¡°behaved good¡± for a while before he sneaked out.

    Compared with Auntie Qing, a concubine who was not favored and could only stay in the inner courtyard, Mo Yufeng indeed had a great advantage. At least until now, Mo Yufeng was still the only son of his father. No matter whether his father cared about him or not, this fact could not be changed. That was to say, Mo Yufeng¡¯s big mistake would be connected to his father.

    As father and son, they were rted by blood. There were some things that could not be exined clearly once they were rted to it.

    Mo Xuetong stunned for a moment, and could not help but feel a chill in her heart.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mo Huawen asked as he noticed that she looked weird.

    Mo Xuetong touched her head as she exined vaguely, ¡°Father, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have a rest in the garden? There is still some time before lunch,¡± Mo Huawen stated with concern. His daughter had always been in poor health and he was very worried.

    ¡°Alright, Father. I¡¯ll go to the Qingwei Garden to have a rest first.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and stood up. She had wanted to go directly to the Peony Garden, but she changed her mind at this time. After saying goodbye to Mo Huawen, she brought people to the Qingwei Garden. It was rare for her toe here, so it would be good for her to have lunch with her father.

    ¡°Mo Yu, did you have a good rtionship with Auntie Qing¡¯s close maidservant?¡± Mo Xuetong asked Mo Yu who was standing beside her after thinking for a moment.

    In the past, Mo Yu was very active in the manor. She had a smooth tongue and had a good rtionship with some of the maidservants in the manor.

    ¡°My Lady, you must be referring to Nuanxiang. The two of us are indeed on good terms. She is my distant rtion. Furthermore, we entered the manor in the same year. Our rtionship is naturally a little different from others.¡± Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s question, Mo Yu immediately understood and answered. ¡°My Lady, do you want me to go and take a look at Nuanxiang and have a chat with her?¡±

    Mo Xuetong burst intoughter when she saw how smart Mo Yu was. She nodded and asked, ¡°Do you want to have a chat with her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. We used to have such a good rtionship. Now that we could only meet asionally, we have to have a chat.¡± Mo Yu nodded in a serious manner. It was so rare to see her looking serious that Mo Lan and the others could not help but scold her with a smile.

    ¡°Mo Lan, get someone to send the satin to Auntie Qing and Auntie Mo,¡± Mo Xuetong ordered with a smile.

    ¡°Yes, I will arrange it right away. Mo Yu will send it to Auntie Qing and I will send it to Auntie Mo.¡± Mo Lan had alreadye up with a solution for Mo Xuetong. She was not familiar with Auntie Mo¡¯s maidservant, but with Auntie Mo. Mo Lan had interacted with Auntie Mo often when they returned to the capital.

    Back then, Auntie Fang was in charge of the inner courtyard. Auntie Mo, who did not have a child, led a bad life. Furthermore, she was younger and more beautiful than Auntie Fang. As a result, she was bullied by Auntie Fang. Mo Huawen was not a womanizing man. Auntie Mo had a pretty tough time.

    After Mo Xuetong returned, even though she was unfavored, she had at least gained the upper hand in status. As such, Auntie Mo tried to butter up to her. In this way, her rtionship with Mo Lan was not bad. After that, when Mo Xuetong took charge of the manor affairs, she took good care of Auntie Mo.

    On the one hand, Mo Lan went there for the same purpose as Mo Yu¡ªto ask Auntie Mo about Auntie Qing; on the other hand, she had to stop Auntie Mo by chatting with her so that she wouldn¡¯t encounter Auntie Qing when she went to express her gratitude to Mo Xuetong and hinder Mo Xuetong from talking to Auntie Qing.

    Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, so the concubines in the manor would definitelye and thank her after they took her gift!

    As expected, just after Mo Yu and Mo Lan went out for a while, Auntie Qing brought her maidservants and Mo Yu to thank Mo Xuetong.

    A maidservant lifted the curtains and Auntie Qing walked in with a grin. Mo Xuetong had seen her once since what happened to Mo Xueqiongst time. This was the first time they had seen each other for a long time ago.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes fell on her smiling face, on the two hairpins beside her temples, and then on the same series of opal earrings hanging under her ears. Her light pink satin clothes outlined her beautiful figure. Auntie Qing was even fatter than thest time she saw her, and she looked good.

    ¡°Greetings, My Lady.¡± Auntie Qing walked forward with a smile and curtsied to Mo Xuetong respectfully. ¡°Many thanks for your gift, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qing, take a seat!¡± There was a faint smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips as she looked away thoughtfully. How could a concubine who had lost her only daughter live such afortable life? She was so fit and happy.

    Auntie Qing sat down and a maidservant served tea. Mo Xuetong took a sip of tea and put down the teacup before she asked with a smile, ¡°Fourth Sister has been gone for some time. Auntie Qing, have you gone to visit her grave?¡±

    In the end, Mo Xueqiong was buried in the ce of King Yan¡¯s Manor as King Yan¡¯s second consort. Mo Xuetong had sent someone to visit her grave a few days ago, and it was said that the ce was so bare that there was not even a single person to visit. There was no trace of ash on the ground. The grave guard also said that no one hade to visit her grave.

    Auntie Qing did not expect Mo Xuetong to talk about Mo Xueqiong as soon as she came. The smile on her face froze as she was a little stunned. However, her expression immediately changed and she looked a little sad. ¡°My Lady, I... I did not go to visit Qiong¡¯er¡¯s grave. As soon as I saw her grave, my heart hurt... That¡¯s why I did not dare to go to visit her grave!¡±

    It was obvious whether she had been there or not. Auntie Qing knew that she couldn¡¯t hide it from others.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, don¡¯t cry. Her Lady has gone to visit Fourth Miss¡¯s grave several days ago, and she is still sad now. If you cry, you¡¯ll make her sad too. Her Lady can¡¯t bear it!¡± Mo Yu interrupted her with a smile when she saw Auntie Qing taking out a handkerchief.

    After hearing what she said, if Auntie Qing continued to cry, it would be a little pretentious. She put the handkerchief in the corner of her eyes while her tears had not yet flowed down. Her face was full of embarrassment.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong did note to see Auntie Qing cry. She said softly, ¡°Auntie Qing, you don¡¯t have to be sad. It is enough that Fourth Sister knows what you are thinking. She will not mind that you didn¡¯t visit her grave personally. You¡¯re Fourth Sister¡¯s birth mother. Blood is thicker than water. She will not hate you.¡±

    Auntie Qing¡¯s hand, which was holding the handkerchief, froze. The corners of her eyes twitched subconsciously. Her face was a little paler than when she entered the room just now. Almost as soon as Mo Xuetong finished speaking, she immediately said, ¡°Yes, yes, Qiong¡¯er will not me me. Qiong¡¯er will not me me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile grew even gentler when she saw Auntie Qing¡¯s expression. ¡°When I went to visit Fourth Sister¡¯s gravest time, her grave was covered with grass. It was heart-wrenching to see it. She was a second consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor, but she ended up like this and died implicitly. Even though King Yan¡¯s Manor admitted her, she had already died. I wonder if she is cold or resentful over there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. There is a saying in my hometown¡ªif someone were to die with a hint of hatred, he might stay in the world and look for those who tried to hurt him, no matter directly or indirectly. There is only a wave of hatred in the ferocious ghost¡¯s heart. It is very fierce!¡± Mo Yu stated as well.

    ¡°No... It won¡¯t happen. Qiong¡¯er must have, have reincarnated long ago!¡± Auntie Qing stammered. The handkerchief in her hand was crumpled into a ball by her and one could not see what it was. Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on her little finger that was twisting the handkerchief as it shivered slightly.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, if Fourth Sister had not entered King Yan¡¯s Manor, she would definitely be the matriarch of a family given father¡¯s current status. She would not have to bear the title of being a second consort and died so tragically. I sent someone to ask around and learned that when Fourth Sister died, she only said that she was full of hatred and she hated...¡± Mo Xuetongforted her softly. However, what she said was very meaningful.

    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know who Fourth Sister hated the most, She was obsessed with hatred. Fourth Sister... How does Fourth Sister get to reincarnation?¡±

    ¡°Yes... Yes, Qiong¡¯er, she had been bullied badly.¡± Auntie Qing trembled as she said. As she immediately realized that something was wrong, she put on a painful expression on her face. ¡°If I had known that Qiong¡¯er had lived such a miserable life after she entered King Yan¡¯s Manor, I, I would have protected her and let here back, even at the cost of my life.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, her tears fell down as she sobbed and imed her regret!

    Regret? Mo Xuetong quietly watched Auntie Qing¡¯s performance. How did Mo Xueqiong enter King Yuyan¡¯s Manor? Others might not know the reason, but how could Auntie Qing not know? The Emperor had personally ordered for Mo Xueqiong to marry Feng Yulei. It was a warning. A mere concubine wanted to get her back. She sounded so bold.

    She was just ying in front of Mo Xuetong!

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t expect that she would encounter such a scene when she returned home asionally. It was indeed unexpected!

    ¡°Auntie Qing, don¡¯t cry. I heard that Eldest Young Master is close to you now. You will have someone to rely on. Let¡¯s put the matter of Fourth Miss aside for now. Anyway, it¡¯s not you who has aroused Fourth Miss¡¯s hatred. Even if Fourth Misses at night, she won¡¯t look for you,¡± Mo Yuforted Auntie Qing.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, it has nothing to do with me.¡± Auntie Qing nodded as she wiped the tears on her face with a handkerchief. ¡°My Lady, at the thought of Qiong¡¯er, I... I feel sad for a moment...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. What is it about Elder brother? Auntie Qing, are you very close to Elder brother now?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and waved her hand. Then, she changed the topic to Mo Yufeng.

 Chapter 642 - Something Unusual, a Crisis in the Inner Manor

    <h4>Chapter 642 Something Unusual, a Crisis in the Inner Manor</h4>

    Auntie Qing immediately became vignt when Mo Xuetong mentioned Mo Yufeng. She wiped her tears and stole nces at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. As she did not find anything unusual about her expression, she exined carefully, ¡°Eldest Young Master is pitiful now, and I lost Qiong¡¯er. As I found that the maidservants in his yard couldn¡¯t take good care of him, I went to ask about it in person. That¡¯s why I have be a little closer to Eldest Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that Madam didn¡¯t take good care of Elder brother?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression grew cold. A hint of anger appeared on her face as she harrumphed coldly.

    ¡°Ah... No, no, I didn¡¯t mean that Madam didn¡¯t take good care of him. Madam¡¯s body is getting heavier, and thus it¡¯s inevitable that she can¡¯t take care of everything. Eldest Young Master is a man, so it¡¯s normal that she can¡¯t take care of him in all aspects of his life.¡± Auntie Qing shook her hand hurriedly. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything bad about Xu Yan. Besides, although Xu Yan didn¡¯t pay much attention to Mo Yufeng, she still respected him and had never skimped on what was due to him.

    ¡°Did Madam ask you to take care of Elder brother?¡± Mo Xuetong asked as if she really did not know the whole story.

    Mo Yufeng was a man. Even though Auntie Qing was a little older, she was still a woman, a beautiful woman. Furthermore, they were not rted by blood. Did Xu Yan ask Auntie Qing to take care of Mo Yufeng? Auntie Qing did not dare to say yes. She shook her hands anxiously.

    ¡°No, no, Madam didn¡¯t mean it. I just feel that Eldest Young Master is pitiful...¡±

    ¡°Elder brother is pitiful? Auntie Qing, do you mean that Auntie Fang has been wronged?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression suddenly grew cold and there was a hint of chill in her eyes. She red at Auntie Qing and asked word by word.

    Auntie Qing was well aware of the case between Auntie Fang and Mo Xuetong. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw how cold Mo Xuetong¡¯s re was. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead and she hurried to exin, ¡°My Lady, I didn¡¯t mean that. I just meant that Eldest Young Master is all alone now...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Father Elder brother¡¯s rtive? Do you mean that Elder brother does not have any other rtives other than Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin? Or does Elder brother think that we are all outsiders and have nothing to do with him no matter what?¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted Auntie Qing sharply and questioned fiercely.

    She had always been very gentle in front of others and had never been so harsh. Auntie Qing was so frightened that she could not sit still. She felt as if she was sitting on pins and needles. She wanted to exin but could not, only feeling that what she had thought about earlier was useless. Whatever she could say was wrong.

    She had used those excuses to get rid of Xu Yan¡¯s and Mo Huawen¡¯s questions. Then, she realized that the one who was the hardest to deal with in this family was Mo Xuetong, who had always been amicable. She felt she could not fight back against the girl, as if her entire thoughts had been exposed in front of her.

    No, how could that be? Even though Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan now, it was impossible for her to see through anything at her age. She would definitely not see anything. Auntie Qing mended her mood and repeatedly told herself that she was fine.

    ¡°My Lady, I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m not one for words. I just think that Eldest Young Master is the only child living in the manor now. Old Sir can¡¯t take care of him as he is usually busy. Madam can¡¯t even take care of herself now. Auntie Mo and I have nothing to do, so I paid more attention to some internal affairs. Therefore, I am closer to Eldest Young Master.¡±

    After calming herself down, Auntie Qing mentioned Auntie Mo this time and spoke much more smoothly.

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is. I was wrong about you, Auntie Qing. Since you have taken care of Elder brother¡¯s food and clothing, is there anything that he needs?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression softened and she put on a gentle smile on her face.

    However, Auntie Qing did not dare to look down on her this time. Hearing the question, she hurriedly answered with a smile, ¡°Madam has arranged everything. Eldest Young Master does notck anything. Old Sir did not allow Eldest Young Master to go out. Eldest Young Master usually read books in the courtyard. He has everything he needs.¡±

    Mo Xuetong picked up the teacup and took a sip before she said lightly, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the best.¡± Then an undisguised tired look came over her face.

    ¡°My arrival has disturbed your rest, My Lady. Thank you for your gift, My Lady. I shall take my leave now!¡± Auntie Qing smartly stood up and took her leave. Mo Xuetong nodded with a smile.

    Mo Yu sent Auntie Qing to the door of the courtyard and then returned. She asked a maidservant to take away the tea set on the table and said to Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, when I went to Auntie Qing¡¯s ce just now, Auntie Qing was talking with a maidservant who serves in Eldest Young Master¡¯s room. When she saw meing in, Auntie Qing immediately sent the maidservant away. Auntie Qing wanted to change her clothes and came over. I said that her clothes looked good and she didn¡¯t need to change, so she came directly.¡±

    No wonder her clothes were so bright. As a concubine who had just lost her daughter, she should not wear it.

    ¡°Has Auntie Qing gone out recently?¡± Mo Xuetong asked faintly.

    ¡°Nuanxiang told me that Auntie Qing had gone out a few times and said that she was going to buy some rouge and powder. Usually, she would go to the shop in the east of the city, which was called Cosmetic Powder Shop. She didn¡¯t buy many things every time. Nuanxiang also told me that Auntie Qing didn¡¯tck any of those things.¡±

    When Mo Yu entered Auntie Qing¡¯s courtyard, she first met Nuanxiang. The two talked for a while before she went to Auntie Qing¡¯s room. Along the way, Mo Yu quietly asked Nuanxiang about Auntie Qing, so she knew some of Auntie Qing¡¯s movements.

    ¡°My Lady, Auntie Qing is very unusual!¡± Mo Yu was very vignt because she went to find out more about Auntie Qing.

    ¡°Is there other unusual things about her?¡± Mo Xuetong shook her head. Going to the rouge and powder shop did not mean anything. Even if Auntie Qing used it as an excuse, she might just be taking a walk. Her daughter was gone, and as a mother, she felt sad. It was reasonable for her to go out to take a walk in excuse of buying rouge and powder.

    ¡°As for the other things, Nuanxiang didn¡¯t tell me. Oh, she also said, a while ago, they met a woman on the way, who called Auntie Qing. Nuanxiang remarked that Auntie Qing was a little uneasy at that time and left after a few words with that woman. Judging from the woman¡¯s dressing, she seemed to be a concubine of a rich and powerful family,¡± Mo Yu replied after thinking for a while.

    Auntie Qing was not a native of the capital. If she had seen a familiar person in the capital, who seemed to be her close friend, how could she be uneasy? Since they were all concubines, there was nothing to be embarrassed about. When she had met an old friend away from home, shouldn¡¯t they have a good chat? Why did Auntie Qing avoid her?

    It seemed that there was something wrong with Auntie Qing. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong felt that it was not a small problem!

    Then she turned around and asked, ¡°Mo Yu, is there any white linen in our courtyard?¡±

    She suddenly changed the topic, which caused Mo Yu to blink her eyes. After a while, she answered, ¡°Yes, I guess. When Fourth Miss was gone, I wore a mourning dress made of linen, and then left it here. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still here! I¡¯ll find it now.¡±

    Mo Yu left to look for the linen. Auntie Mo also came over to express her thanks with Mo Lan.

    Auntie Mo was a petite woman. She was slender, and there was a hint of fear in her actions. Even though her clothes were made of brocade, it was obvious that the color was not very bright. One could tell that it was not a new robe of this year. After she thanked Mo Xuetong profusely, Mo Xuetong also told her to go back.

    ¡°My Lady, when I went to see Auntie Mo, she was talking to a maidservant serving in Eldest Young Master¡¯s room. When she saw meing in, she did not ask the maidservant to go away. She just asked about Eldest Young Master¡¯s daily life and even asked about the maidservant sent by Auntie Qing. It is said that the maidservant is the most favored one now. Eldest Young Master also said that when he gets married, the maidservant will be promoted to a concubine. Now in the Eldest Young Master¡¯s courtyard, she looks like a master.¡±

    Mo Lan reported.

    Mo Xuetong nodded. It seemed that there were many people in Mo Yufeng¡¯s yard, who were involved. ¡°Is the maidservant Auntie Qing sent to Elder brother the most beautiful?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not the most beautiful woman. I heard from Auntie Mo¡¯s maidservant that Auntie Qing is very kind to Eldest Young Master now. Whenever she gets something to eat or use, she gives some of them to Eldest Young Master. Eldest Young Master treats her maidservant well in order to return her favor. Furthermore, that maidservant is also very good at dealing with things. She has a glib tongue and her name is Shui Ruo. I heard that Auntie Qing picked her from the outside. Her behavior is a little... different from girls from normal families.¡±

    Mo Lan said implicitly. Since she was different from girls from normal families, she was not from a normal family. Auntie Qing had such a good means that she picked a girl for Mo Yufeng from that kind of ce and sent her to get Mo Yufeng¡¯s favor.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t there enough maidservants in our manor? Why did she have to pick one from the outside? Who picked the girl for her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that Auntie Qing wanted a smart girl, but couldn¡¯t find one, so the butler found one for her. But I met the butler when I came here just now. The butler said that Auntie Qing had told him to choose a clean one. Coincidentally, the girl was selling herself to bury her father¡¯s body. Seeing that she was smart, he bought her and sent her to Auntie Qing.¡±

    When Auntie Qing wanted to pick a smart one, someone sold herself to bury her father¡¯s body. Then the girl was sent to her and she didn¡¯t say anything. Mo Xuetong felt that it had been nned in advance.

    Mo Lan also sensed that something was wrong and asked worriedly, ¡°My Lady, do you want me to visit Auntie Qing again?¡±

    Mo Xuetong shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. No matter how cunning a fox is, its tail will still be exposed. Let¡¯s just wait for a while. Don¡¯t alert the enemy. Father has already sent people to keep an eye on Mo Yufeng. Mo Ye will follow Auntie Qing tonight. They will be exposed.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, I will keep an eye on Auntie Qing?¡± Mo Ye, who was standing by the side, could not help but ask. She became Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservantter than the others, so she did not know much about the situation in the Mo Manor. That was why she had not spoken earlier. When she heard that Mo Xuetong mentioned her, she had to ask. Mo Xuetong had not mentioned anything earlier.

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯ve found it. Look, this one, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mo Yu yelled and rushed in from outside the door. She held a white dress made of linen in her hand. Because it was crude, the belt was fluttering, and some parts of it were still loose. If someone were to wear it, it would look... The maidservants allughed out loud.

    Mo Xuetong stood up to take a look. Then, she asked Mo Yu to put the dress in front of Mo Ye. Then, she tossed the linen dress to Mo Ye meaningfully. ¡°Mo Ye, you stay here tonight and visit Auntie Qing...¡±

 Chapter 643 - Family Affairs, Consort Xians Life Experience

    <h4>Chapter 643 Family Affairs, Consort Xian¡¯s Life Experience</h4>

    It was the deste season of autumn when the Peony Garden was the most deserted. Fortunately, even though the Peony Garden was famous for peonies, there were also other flowers. Mo Xuetong had especially chosen a pavilion beside a lotus pond to meet with Miss Cai Rong. They had not seen each other for some time and Miss Cai Rong looked good. When she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s arrival, she hurriedly put down the watering pot in her hand and followed Mo Lan to the waterside pavilion.

    Seeing Cai Ronge in, Mo Xuetong politely invited her to take a seat.

    While looking at the lotus pond outside the pavilion, the two of them started to chat leisurely.

    ¡°Miss Cai Rong, what do you think of the lotus flowers in this pond? How is itpared to the lotus flowers in Jiangnan?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a casual smile.

    Miss Cai Rong rxed when she saw that Mo Xuetong did not put on airs. She had been living a good life these days. She did not even dare to think about such a peaceful life in the past, so she was very grateful to Mo Xuetong. Upon hearing her question, she nodded hurriedly and answered, ¡°My Lady, the lotus flowers in this garden are very beautiful. I rarely see such beautiful flowers in my hometown.¡±

    Mo Xuetong turned around and asked gently and sincerely, ¡°Miss Cai Rong, do you like this ce?¡±

    ¡°I love it very much. Thank you, My Lady, for letting me stay here,¡± Miss Cai Rong replied very gratefully. Although she was inexplicably kept here by Young Master Li, it was Consort Xuan who made the decision. She also knew that it was Consort Xuan who asked her to stay here.

    ¡°Miss Cai Rong, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Have you ever thought of finding your own parents in the future and finding your origin?¡± Mo Xuetong poked her body out and reached out to the outside of the waterside pavilion. Then she picked a lotus flower and sniffed it before she turned to ask Cai Rong with a sweet smile on her face.

    To find her origin? Cai Rong¡¯s expression darkened. It was not that she did not want to find her origin; she had spent money to find her origin. However, no matter how hard she tried, she didn¡¯t get any answer. As she grew older, she gradually gave up this thought. At this question, her eyes became moist and she avoided Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°My Lady, people like me will be more contemptible if they find their origin? I will only bring shame to my parents and ancestors. How could I try to find my origin? Just take the young Cai Rong as dead in the past!¡±

    Living in a brothel was a disgrace to her ancestors. At this moment, Cai Rong just wanted topletely forget the past. She didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore. Let bygones be bygones.

    Mo Xuetong went silent for a moment, but she still asked softly, ¡°Miss Cai Rong, don¡¯t you miss your parents and rtives. Maybe they have been looking for you all the time.¡± Her eyesnded on Cai Rong¡¯s sad face. When she saw that Cai Rong was trying hard to hold back her tears, she felt bitter for no reason. Then she quickly turned her head to hide the tears in the corner of her eyes.

    Even though she did not want to disgrace her ancestors, Mo Xuetong¡¯s question raised infinite hope in Miss Cai Rong¡¯s heart. She stood up excitedly and her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Mo Xuetong expectantly. Her body trembled and she asked, ¡°My, my parents, are, are they still alive?¡±

    After searching for so many years, she became discouraged, but after all, blood was thicker than water. How could Cai Rong¡¯s heart not beat wildly at this moment?

    ¡°They, they have died a long time ago.¡± Mo Xuetong did not want to upset Cai Rong who had a hopeful look in her eyes. However, that was the truth. Her parents had already died back then, leaving behind two helpless daughters who had even been separated!

    ¡°Th-they have been dead!¡± Cai Rong fell heavily on the seat, and the tears in the corners of her eyes could not be held back any longer and fell down. She covered her face with a handkerchief, and choked with sobs. ¡°When I was young, others were raised by their parents, but I grew up in a brothel. Although I had studied lyre-ying, chess, poetry, and books, I learned them because the procuress wanted more money. People around me only care about money. I can only feel my father¡¯s love in dreams.¡±

    ¡°When I slowly grew up and became capable, I began to look for them. I wanted to ask them why they were so cruel to throw their own daughter into that kind of ce. How could they do such a thing? How could there be such a father in the world? At that time, my heart was filled with hatred and expectation. I hoped that one day, they would appear and tell me that they were forced to do that at that time.¡±

    ¡°But what I waited for was disappointment after disappointment. Originally, I no longer had any hope in this life. I just thought that I was dead when I was a child. Then, the sufferings and pain I went throughter were just another person¡¯s experience. I was just a bystander. But now, now, they, I...¡±

    Cai Rong cried so hard that she couldn¡¯t even speak. She sobbed and wiped her tears with her handkerchief. She felt so much pain that she couldn¡¯t even control herself.

    Mo Xuetong also choked up and her eyes reddened. She did not expect Miss Cai Rong to have such a rtionship with Feng Yuran. Consort Xian, who had always been known as the He family¡¯s daughter, was deeply grateful to the He family. The fact that she had be the He family¡¯s adopted daughter was a tragedy that the He family had plotted.

    A disaster had caused aplete family to be separated. The parents had died, the elder girl had disappeared, and the younger girl had been taken away. From then on, there was no chance for them to meet again. All of this was due to the He family¡¯s selfishness, ruthlessness, and cruelty.

    Consort Xian¡¯s surname was indeed He. Her family wasfortably-off and had two daughters. The eldest daughter had been beautiful since she was a child. The neighbors all praised her, saying that the He family had a beautiful daughter. They thought that she would be rich and powerful in the future and might be an imperial concubine. In this way, her whole family would be more wealthy and powerful.

    This was supposed to be a joke, and He Suxian¡¯s parents also took it as a joke. After all, when they heard people praising their daughter, they were happy, but no one took it seriously. Their daughter was only eight or nine years old then, and was still a child, so why should they think about that kind of thing? Children had their own happiness. What would happen in the future depended on her luck.

    However, when He Suxian¡¯s parents didn¡¯t care, it didn¡¯t mean that others didn¡¯t care. The He family, which was in the same sect as He Suxian¡¯s parents, saw her and found that she was not only beautiful, but also smart and gentle. If such a girl was sent to the pce, she might be seen by the Emperor.

    It was at that time that the He family had such an idea. But no matter what they thought, the girl was the daughter of another family. None of their own daughters couldpare with her. Even if one or two of their own daughters looked beautiful, they were not as pretty as her. They thought that it would be great if He Suxian was their daughter.

    If she could enter the pce and gain the Emperor¡¯s favor, they could enjoy untold glory and wealth!

    With this idea in mind, they began to think of a way. Then, they colluded with robbers who went down the mountain and killed He Suxian¡¯s parents. Her parents died in that disaster. Her little sister, who had just been born, also disappeared. He Suxian, who was still a child, was adopted by her eldest uncle¡¯s family. Others would only say that the He family was kind and adopted an orphan girl.

    Who knew that the murder was all caused by the He family behind the scenes? Their purpose was to get He Suxian and send her to the imperial pce so that the He family could enjoy the wealth and glory. And from then on, the He family also developed the habit of adopting beautiful girls. Of course, the girls theyter adopted were young prostitutes in brothels.

    He Yufen, He Yuxiu, and He Suzhao all came from those ces. The He family did not dare to murder others again and again. As such, the matter was buried so deeply that no one knew about it now. If He Yufen had not gone to the He family, and investigated this matter on purpose under Mo Xuetong¡¯s instructions, she would not have deduced the truth from what Old Master He said when he was drunk.

    Otherwise, no one would ever know about this.

    Mo Xuetong believed that in the past life, Feng Yuran must have known about it. That was why he had gotten back at the He family in such a fierce manner and gone to the Southern Barbarian Lands in a desperate mood. He did not even care what Emperor Zongwen wanted him to do the most. First, it was Consort Xian¡¯s matter, and then, it was Consort Xian¡¯s birth parents. All these matters had hurt Feng Yuran again and again and stabbed daggers in his heart.

    Even if he killed them in the hall, so what? Mo Xuetong felt that even if all the He family members died in front of her, she would not blink her eyes. How could they be so vicious? How could they stain their way to wealth with others¡¯ blood for personal gain? There was no need to keep the He family.

    However, in this life, she did not want Feng Yuran to be so desperate. So, she hid the matter from him.

    The He family hadpletely cut off all ties with Feng Yuran. Furthermore, they had declined because of Consort Zhao. It would not be a problem to kill the He family in the future. However, it would definitely not be Feng Yuran to do that. There were some things that the He family did not dare to reveal, and Mo Xuetong did not want them to reveal them.

    Therefore, some things could only be carried out in the dark.

    Mo Xuetong had already sent people to Jiangnan when she got He Yufen¡¯s letter. She had to take revenge. The hatred for killing He Suxian¡¯s parents was irreconcble. Furthermore, there was so much blood involved. After experiencing the tragedy of her past life, Mo Xuetong would no longer think that she was a soft-hearted person.

    She could not remain calm when she thought of how Feng Yuran had lost his mother since he was a child and how Consort Xian trusted the He family but did not discover that the He family was the real murderer of her parents even before she died. The He family was so vicious that she would not spare them.

    However, she did not want Feng Yuran to fall into a dejected state because of this matter. She did not want those who were looking at him covetously to use this as an excuse to attack Feng Yuran. The situation in the capital had been changing recently. Even though Feng Yuran was extremely smart, he had to be careful. Sometimes, he would onlye back to sleepte at night. Mo Xuetong saw it and felt pain in her heart.

    Miss Cai Rong should be Consort Xian¡¯s lost younger sister. However, after so many years, Mo Xuetong would not say it rashly. Even if she would say it, it would not be the best time. Besides, she had to hide Miss Cai Rong well. She could not allow others to discover the inside story and expose the rtionship between Feng Yuran and Cai Rong.

    It was bad for Consort Xian¡¯s and Feng Yuran¡¯s reputation.

    Therefore, she came here specially to ask Miss Cai Rong so as to see what kind of person this woman was. In this way, she could decide what to do next.

    Now, seeing how sad Miss Cai Rong was, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad and shed a few drops of tears.

    After a long time, Miss Cai Rong wiped away her tears and asked sadly, ¡°My Lady, how did you know about my story?¡±

    ¡°His Highness investigated a case of robbery and found that those people hadmitted a bloody crime. At that time, all the adults of that family were dead, their money was stolen, and their youngest daughter was sold to a brothel. Later, I found out that it happened to be the one where you were sold!¡± Mo Xuetong told her part of the story.

    ¡°Are those people all dead now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, such sinful people had been beheaded at that time!¡± Mo Xuetong said softly. ¡°What are you going to do in the future, Miss Cai Rong?¡±

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know either. I just want to live a quiet life for the rest of my life,¡± Cai Rong answered in a hoarse voice. Her eyes were filled with sadness. Her parents, whom she had been searching for so many years, had already passed away. Was there anything more desperate than this? She stood up slowly, walked up to Mo Xuetong, and was about to kneel.

    Mo Xuetong hurriedly stood up and helped her up. Then she said sincerely, ¡°Miss Cai Rong, if you need anything, just say it. If I can help, I will definitely do it.¡±

 Chapter 644 - Encountered Princess Royal

    <strong>Chapter 644 Encountered Princess Royal</strong>

    Her parents and rtives had passed away. After she had gone through so many ups and downs and had been forced to earn a living by prostitution, Cai Rong only wanted to go back to normal and live an ordinary life. She did not want to recall the unbearable memories of the past. Thus, her expression grew calm when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s question.

    ¡°My Lady, I really do not have anything else to ask for. It would be a blessing for me to be able to live beside rivers and mountains and forget about the past.¡± As Miss Cai Rong knew that Mo Xuetong wanted to help her sincerely, her eyes grew red. She no longer tried to refuse, and looked at Mo Xuetong expectantly. The past was too bitter and she did not want to think about it anymore.

    Originally, she thought that she could look forward to seeing her parents, but she found that she had already lost them! Sometimes, ideas urred in an instant. At this time, Miss Cai Rong really didn¡¯t want to think too much. She just wanted to live a quiet life and didn¡¯t want to get involved in the past. That was her happiness.

    ¡°Miss Cai Rong, if you still has rtives looking for you, won¡¯t you want to know them?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked as she looked at her with her watery eyes.

    ¡°Even that¡¯s the case, so what? My parents have passed away, and I will be a shame to them. Originally, I just thought about my parents in the heart. I nned that even if I found them, I just wanted to have a look at them from a distance. It¡¯s not lucky for them to have a daughter like me. Maybe it¡¯s lucky for me to die with them on that day.¡± Miss Cai Rong sighed, wiped the tears on her face, and looked sad and persistent.

    Seeing that she insisted on doing so, Mo Xuetong did not try to persuade her further. Since she liked a quiet life, she could just live in the Peony Garden where was the quietest ce right now. It would not be toote for her to move when she found a right ce in the future. She chatted with Miss Cai Rong for a while before leaving the Peony Garden.

    This was the solution to this matter. Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief. At least in this aspect, it was impossible for others to use this as an excuse to deal with Feng Yuran. This matter was a thorn from the past life. Ever since she fell in love with Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong had been worried about it. Even though she knew that this matter could not be hidden from Feng Yuran.

    However, this life was different from thest life when one blow after another came upon him. Furthermore, she was there tofort him. Feng Yuran would not be as rash as he was in thest life. Even if they were in the same situation, with Feng Yuran¡¯s scheming, he would not make a big mistake if he calmed down. Of course, he would not be caught by others.

    Aftering out of the Peony Garden, Mo Xuetong touched her somewhat dull head and felt relieved. Anyway, she had moved away the big stone in front of Feng Yuran. On the surface, Feng Yuran didn¡¯t seem to care about anything, as if he could put everything down. However, Mo Xuetong knew that he had always cared about everything about Consort Xian.

    After ordering the most luxurious horse carriage to go back to King Xuan¡¯s Manor first, Mo Xuetong and Mo Lan squeezed into the ordinary horse carriage behind the luxurious one. She did not want to show off when she had nothing important to do. Especially when she just wanted to have a look at her shops, she did not need to be so conspicuous. She could know more by a secret investigation.

    The shops that Luo Xia had left behind were all doing well. Mo Xuetong wanted to secretly look around to see how the shops were doing.

    What was more, she had to deal with the matter of Xiuning Workshop. Although she was intended to give the profit of Xiuning Workshop to Shopkeeper Xing and his subordinates, she would still go and have a look when necessary. She had note up with an idea to arrange the group of people, and it had be a knot in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. It seemed that no matter how she did, it was wrong.

    If she used them, she was a little worried! ording to what they didst time, she could tell that some people had already lost their loyalty in their hearts. It was just that it was not the right time. When the time came, they would cause big trouble!

    If she didn¡¯t use them, she didn¡¯t know what would happen. After all, there were a group of people, just like a bomb that might explode at any time. They might cause trouble at some point. It was not a small matter! She, the nominal ¡°master¡± should at least go and see them.

    The carriage stopped at the door of Xiuning Workshop. Xiuning Workshop¡¯s business had always been good. There were several carriages parked at the door. Judging from the gorgeous decoration of the carriages, one could tell that their owners were either rich or noble.

    Mo Yu suddenly pointed at a nanny who got out of the carriage in surprise and asked Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, look over there. Is that Nanny Qin serving Princess Royal?¡±

    The nanny was dressed ordinarily, looking like an ordinary maidservant. If Mo Yu had not pointed at her, Mo Xuetong would not have been able to tell that she was Nanny Qin, Princess Royal¡¯s nanny. Then, her eyesnded on the carriage that Nanny Qin had gotten off. Even though it looked not bad, it could notpare to the carriage Princess Royal used to take.

    From the looks of it, it looked more like an ordinary horse carriage from amon official¡¯s family.

    Why did Nanny Qin get out of this carriage?

    It was not a big deal. However, when she saw that Nanny Qin pretended to be looking around casually but she was observing the surroundings, Mo Xuetong felt weird. She did not go out as the horse carriage stopped. After thinking for a while, she sat down and looked out under the curtain lifted slightly by Mo Lan.

    Fortunately, their horse carriage was the mostmon style. In order to keep a low profile, Mo Xuetong deliberately removed the sign of the horse carriage. Nanny Qin scanned their carriage and did not stay too long. Instead, she cast several nces at the carriages with tall horses beside.

    Not finding anything unusual, she turned around and went to the shop. After a while, Nanny Qin and another maidservant helped a person wearing a cloak came out. The cloak was so tightly wrapped around the person that Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t see who it was from her position. In this weather, it was suspicious for a person to wear a cloak so tightly, but the woman under the cloak coughed from time to time.

    The people beside her could not help but disperse. It seemed that the cloaked woman was ill, so she was tightly wrapped.

    Nanny Qin got on the carriage first, and then turned back to help the cloaked woman get on the carriage. Although Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t see the appearance of the cloaked woman, when her slender fingers touched Nanny Qin¡¯s arm, she could still see that her fingers were pale and thin.

    ¡°My Lady, is, it the sick Princess Royal?¡± Mo Yu hesitated for a moment before turning to ask Mo Xuetong.

    Princess Royal was ill. And she had been ill all the time. Therefore, she did not attend any of the pce banquets. She only said that it was a chronic ailment that could not be cured. Every time Mo Xuetong visited her, Princess Royal indeed looked like a patient, appearing ill and weak.

    Mo Xuetong had also secretly felt Princess Royal¡¯s pulse and realized that she was really ill. So, after Princess Royal told her that she liked peace and quiet and asked her not toe over if there was nothing important, she only sent some medicine over obediently.

    ¡°This, should be Princess Royal!¡± Mo Xuetong frowned with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She rolled her watery eyes slightly and answered in a certain tone. Other than Princess Royal, there was no one else who could make Nanny Qin serve her so wholeheartedly.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Princess Royal like peace and quiet the most? Why did shee to Xiuning Workshop at this time?¡± Mo Yu turned around and cast a few more nces at the people who were getting in the carriage.

    Mo Xuetong could not figure it out either. She watched as Princess Royal got on the horse carriage and left. Her brows furrowed even more tightly. Given Princess Royal¡¯s character, she should not have acted like this! Even if Princess Royal liked embroidery, it would not be a problem for Nanny Qin to send a message to the shop or bring the shopkeeper directly to her manor.

    Although the goods in Xiuning Workshop were good, they were not good enough to stun Princess Royal, who had seen too many exquisite items! She came to check it out in person regardless of her illness. This... was very strange!

    ¡°My Lady, I just noticed that Nanny Qin got out of the carriage slowly. It did not seem like Princess Royal had just entered and she followed her. It seems like she was waiting outside for a while. Then, she entered and helped Princess Royal out.¡± Mo Lan got close to the curtain and looked outside the window before telling Mo Xuetong.

    She had always been steady and did not judge a book by its cover. Hearing her analysis, Mo Xuetong felt that it made sense!

    What was Princess Royal doing in her shop?

    What was it that attracted Princess Royal so much that she hade by herself regardless of her health condition?

    Was she just looking at embroidery alone, or talking with someone else?

    These questions really made Mo Xuetong feel a little weird. Seeing that Princess Royal¡¯s ordinary carriage had left, Mo Xuetong held Mo Lan¡¯s hand and got off her carriage.

    Her maidservants surrounded Mo Xuetong and walked towards the shop. A sharp-eyed shop assistant saw Mo Xuetong and ran to report to Shopkeeper Xing. As such, by the time Mo Xuetong reached the entrance of the shop, Shopkeeper Xing had already hurried to wee her.

    ¡°Greetings, My Lady.¡± Shopkeeper Xing bowed respectfully. Mo Xuetong was not just their master, but Consort Xuan.

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. I¡¯m just wandering around anding to take a look at the business in the shop. How is business these days?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and strolled in.

    Shopkeeper Xing quickened his pace and answered with a smile, ¡°My Lady, business is not bad these days. I have asked people to embroider ording to the sample that you broughtst time. Many people think it¡¯s good. And a few embroiders¡¯ work is very praised. Many families in the capital have used our embroidery when they held wedding ceremonies. There are also some people who have booked our embroidery in advance. A few days ago, I also recruited a few more embroiders.¡±

    ¡°Oh, there are a lot of errands in such a shop. Thank you, Shopkeeper Xing.¡± This shop was full of female items. It was indeed a little difficult for Shopkeeper Xing, the leader of the secret guards, to deal with this kind of thing. Fortunately, Shopkeeper Xing was also a smart person, so he had not been exposed for so many years!

    Shopkeeper Xing understood what Mo Xuetong meant and said with a humble smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be so polite, My Lady. Since you trust me so much, I should do my best.¡±

    ¡°Is there any special personing these few days?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up a piece of embroidery sample casually and looked at it. It was just an exquisite purse embroidered with lotus leaves. On the slender lotus leaves, there was a blooming lotus flower, which looked charming and attractive.

    The embroidery was not bad, and the work was excellent. The lotus leaves under the lotus flower floated up and down, which showed how good the work was.

    ¡°Special person?¡± Shopkeeper Xing thought for a moment, looking a little hesitant. He looked at Mo Xuetong and did not finish his words.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t you tell me?¡± Mo Xuetong happened to look up and her eyes were filled with smiles. Then she asked casually.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t say it, it¡¯s just...¡± Shopkeeper Xing looked to the left and pointed to the stairs on one side. ¡°My Lady, please go upstairs before we talk!¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded readily. Then she put down the embroidery in her hand and walked up the stairs.

 Chapter 645 - A Secret, What Was Shopkeeper Xing Hiding

    <h4>Chapter 645 A Secret, What Was Shopkeeper Xing Hiding</h4>

    Not many people were on the stairs. It could be seen that there were more samples than the first floor and the material was much more gorgeous. There were as many people sitting beside and picking embroidery as there were downstairs. These customers were enjoying tea and chatting while shopping. Xiuning Workshop was getting more and more praised by the customers in this aspect.

    It was just a suggestion. Mo Xuetong did not expect Shopkeeper Xing to be such a business talent and so smart. She also did not expect there was such a clever man among the secret guards. Mo Xuetong praised him in her heart. Her gazended on Shopkeeper Xing who was leading the way, and a hint of darkness appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°My Lady, please!¡± Shopkeeper Xing brought Mo Xuetong into a small private room and asked her to sit down.

    Along the way, Mo Xuetong found that those private rooms were all upied, but this one was empty. It was facing the window, so she could see the street below clearly. It was a leisurely room. The door was open, and there was a faint fragrance in the air, which was a little familiar.

    ¡°My Lady, there have been special peopleing these days. They don¡¯t seem to be locals. They came to Xiuning Workshop and looked around. I don¡¯t know what they were doing. They seemed to be looking for something and suspected Xiuning Workshop.¡± Shopkeeper Xing didn¡¯t hesitate this time. Although he cast a nce at Mo Lan and Mo Yu, he still said it directly.

    These two maidservants were Consort Xuan¡¯s trusted subordinates, so he did not ask them to avoid while talking.

    ¡°Someone came to probe again and again?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lively eyes paused for a moment, and a trace of surprise shed in them. ¡°Shopkeeper Xing, your men haven¡¯t made any unusual movements recently, have they?¡±

    Shopkeeper Xing thought for a while and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, My Lady. For so many years, we have been very careful and have never been exposed. Even when we had money problems, we didn¡¯t make money casually. Now that Xiuning Workshop has such a good business, we don¡¯t need to do anything else at all, so we will be fine.¡±

    Mo Xuetong keenly caught the meaning in his words and asked, ¡°Then when Xiuning Workshop¡¯s business was not good, did you do something to make money?¡±

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had not figured it out either. 100 people were not a small group. Furthermore, they were all skilled in martial arts. Mo Xuetong was very suspicious that these people were really willing to be at peace. Could they really wait when they didn¡¯t have enough to eat and wear?

    Even though the secret guards were hidden in the dark and did not stand out in front of others, at the very least, they were notcking in money. However, her mother¡¯s secret guards were not doing as well as ordinary people. Were they really willing to ept it? Thus, Mo Xuetong was certain that they would have other ways of earning money.

    In her past life, everything she owned had been controlled by Sima Lingyun. Even herst store was in his hands. However, why was there still some money in her hands? This was definitely not the reason why Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had let her off. The source of the money was rather suspicious.

    Now, Mo Xuetong could almost be sure that some secret guards were not necessarily engaged in a legitimate business. With their powerful martial skills, they were originally talents cultivated for the Empress¡¯s daughter, the noble princess. Chosen from so many contestants, few of the 100 people were willing to be ordinary.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s straightforward question, Shopkeeper Xing exined with an awkward expression, ¡°My Lady, Madam was in poor health and didn¡¯t meddle too much in the business. She left the entire shop to me. As a man, I really didn¡¯t know much about embroidery, so I didn¡¯t run it well. So, sometimes, when we were really short of money, Yan Yue would take some people to do other things and temporarily solve financial difficulties.¡±

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Mo Xuetong took the tea that Mo Lan handed her, lifted the lid and blew it lightly as she nced at Shopkeeper Xing from the corner of her eyes. Yan Yue should be the deputy leader of the secret guards. She had heard Shopkeeper Xing mention him. Mo Xuetong did not ask Yan Yue toe to see her because she did not n to order the secret guards to do other things.

    Shopkeeper Xing paused and gritted his teeth. ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m only responsible for making money with Xiuning Workshop. If we didn¡¯t have enough money, Yan Yue would be a killer to earn money. But now, we don¡¯t have the money problem, so Yan Yue has already ceased this job.¡±

    To kill people, and being a killer? Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned, but then she calmed down. That was what she had guessed. It seemed that Shopkeeper Xing and Yan Yue were in charge of two different ways in the same group. It seemed that the 100 people not only had powerful martial skills, they were of other use. No wonder Bai Yichen had put in so much effort to marry the Fifth Princess.

    An organized team of 100 secret guards was much stronger than a team of 100 scattered masters.

    ¡°Could it be because of this that you have been targeted?¡± Since Shopkeeper Xing had admitted it, Mo Xuetong did not force him anymore. Instead, she asked in ordance with Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s train of thought.

    Shopkeeper Xing frowned, shook his head, and said with certainty, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s been some time. Yan Yue and the others are regr escorts now. How can they be targeted?¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not pursue the matter further when he said in a certain tone. She only asked Shopkeeper Xing to pay more attention to these people. It would be best if he could get someone to keep an eye on where they came from. In that way, they could at least follow the clues and find the people behind the scenes. Otherwise, Shopkeeper Xing and his people who could not be seen would not know when they would die.

    Therefore, they must be more vignt thanmon people!

    Although the matter happening in the past had faded, no one knew when it would be brought up again. Shopkeeper Xing and his people had always been worried. In terms of vignce, Mo Xuetong was sure that there was no need to remind them. However, she still mentioned it worriedly. As a result, Shopkeeper Xing promised again and again that they would be more careful.

    After chatting with Shopkeeper Xing for a while, Mo Xuetong and her maidservants wandered around the shop casually and bought a few embroidery items. Then, she got into the carriage waiting outside with her maidservants and refused Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s request to send them to the door. She only imed that it was a special period, so it was better to be careful.

    As Mo Xuetong insisted, Shopkeeper Xing did not send her to the door.

    After the few of them boarded the horse carriage outside, the carriage headed slowly to King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong leaned against the wall of the horse carriage and there was a hint of coldness in her eyes. She reached out to touch her forehead and moved back so that she could lean against the cushion behind her morefortably.

    Mo Lan handed over another cushion and asked uncertainly, ¡°My Lady, Shopkeeper Xing and his people have been fine for so many years. Will there be someone who keeps an eye on them now?¡±

    ¡°Mo Lan, do you think such a thing will happen? Someone didn¡¯t find out what they had done before, but now the person has a clue and thus begins tracking it down?¡± Mo Xuetong closed her eyes and asked after thinking for a while.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If there was a clue, those people would have found it a long time ago. Since others have never found the clue for so many years, it¡¯s impossible for it to be found now. ording to what Shopkeeper Xing said, those people have been speciallying to the shop for a long time. If they are almost confirmed, how could they just wait without doing anything?¡±

    Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s obviously tired face and said gently.

    Mo Xuetong did not open her eyes. She carefully thought over Mo Lan¡¯s words. Mo Lan didn¡¯tpletely speak what she meant. However, after thinking about it for a while, Mo Xuetong figured it out. If those people came really because of what happened back then, then the Emperor was the mastermind behind the scenes. If the Emperor suspected someone and wanted to kill him, did he need a reason? So what if it was a false charge? They would not have investigated for a few days and would have caught those secret guards!

    Judging by their behaviors, those were not Emperor Zongwen¡¯s people!

    There was another possibility¡ªthey were Yan Yue¡¯s enemies he met when he was out on a mission. However, there was also a problem. After they discovered their enemies and also had unimpeachable proof, who would seek evidence instead of directly taking action? From this point of view, they didn¡¯t be enemies when Yan Yue was a killer.

    Then the identity of this group of people was rather suspicious!

    Shopkeeper Xing put forward this matter so seriously. If it was not true, could it be false? But if it was false, then Shopkeeper Xing¡¯s purpose was suspicious. What was he hiding? Or maybe he was trying to find out something. When Mo Xuetong went in, it happened that Princess Royal had juste out.

    However, Shopkeeper Xing did not mention Princess Royal at all. Could there be any mystery behind this?

    As if something had shed through her mind, Mo Xuetong slowly opened her watery eyes. ¡°Mo Lan, do you think that Shopkeeper Xing has no idea that Princess Royal has appeared in the shop?¡±

    ¡°Shopkeeper Xing should know Princess Royal...¡± Mo Lan and the others all knew about these things as Mo Xuetong did not hide it from them. Hence, Mo Lan thought for a moment and said hesitantly, but what she said next was smooth. ¡°Shopkeeper Xing and the others are secret guards, and they were selected by the princesses in King Jin¡¯s Manor back then. They definitely know the young princesses of King Jin¡¯s Manor. As I see it, Shopkeeper Xing knows Princess Royal.¡±

    An ident happened to King Jin¡¯s Manor and then the princesses disappeared with their secret guards. It seemed that there was not much connection between them, especially when Princess Royal had survived because she was the daughter of thete Emperor. She had nothing to do with Luo Xia. Was it true? When she was a child, Princess Royal had a good rtionship with Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother.

    Later, the two gradually understood their rtionship. Hadn¡¯t their secret guards met? If they had met before, then it was impossible that Shopkeeper Xing didn¡¯t know Princess Royal. If they knew each other, then why did Shopkeeper Xing lie to Mo Xuetong today? What did he want to do?

    Mo Xuetong had clearly seen that Princess Royal was inside and then went out. She had also smelled the fragrance from Princess Royal in the private room. Princess Royal was not in good health, so there was even a herbal scent in the fragrance, which Mo Xuetong had never smelled from another person. Furthermore, the other private rooms were upied at that time, but why was that private room empty? Shopkeeper Xing would not know that she wasing.

    The only reason was that there was someone in this private room before they came. It was just that the person had just left when they arrived, so that private room was empty!

    What was the secret between Shopkeeper Xing and Princess Royal?

    Princess Royal had secretly appeared in her shop and had left mysteriously. Shopkeeper Xing had not only hidden the whole matter from her, but had also deliberately changed the topic. How could there be nothing wrong with it? Furthermore, it would not be a small matter for Princess Royal toe even if she was ill.

    However, Mo Xuetong could not figure out what was going on for the moment.

    ¡°My Lady, would you like to ask His Highness about itter?¡± Mo Yu suggested.

    ¡°His Highness is busy these few days. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Mo Xuetong waved her hand and rejected her suggestion directly. Even though Feng Yuran looked calm on the surface, he was not. Mo Xuetong did not know how much he knew about what the He family had done. Even though he pretended that he did not care about anything, Mo Xuetong knew that he was suppressing his anger. As such, she did not want to bother him at this point.

 Chapter 646 - The Mo Manor Was Haunted, WhiChapter Was Scary

    <h4>Chapter 646 The Mo Manor Was Haunted, Which Was Scary</h4>

    Mo Ye returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor the next morning. At the same time, she brought news that Auntie Qing of the Mo Manor had fallen ill from fright. It was said that Yuerong Yard where Auntie Qing lived was hauntedst night. ording to her personal maidservant Nuanxiang, Auntie Qing saw a female ghost wearing a long white linen dress and her hair streaming behind her appeared at the head of her bed in Yuerong Yard.

    It was a little simr to the Fourth Miss. Nuanxiang entered the room as she heard an unusual sound in the room.

    In the evening, Auntie Qing rested early and did not ask anyone to apany her at night, which was contrary to the way she usually behaved. Unexpectedly, such a thing happened in the middle of the night. Nuanxiang had slept outside. When she heard Auntie Qing¡¯s scream, she rushed in and saw a pale and miserable figure at the head of the bed. When the figure saw hering in, she opened her big mouth and grinned at her.

    Then, in the midst of her scream, the figure disappeared in an instant.

    The others in Yuerong Yard all rushed in when they heard the noise. Then they saw the unconscious Auntie Qing and Nuanxiang who were frightened and fell on the ground. One of them called, ¡°Qiong¡¯er,¡± and the other muttered, ¡°Fourth Miss.¡± Yuerong Yard immediately became noisy. Later, the matter even reached Xu Yan.

    She sent people to have a look, but these people found nothing. Since it was still midnight, she asked everyone to sleep separately.

    The next morning, Nuanxiang returned to normal, but Auntie Qing, who had fainted out of fear, kept saying that she had harmed Mo Xueqiong after she woke up. She saw Mo Xueqiong in a daze and curled up in the corner of the bed. No matter how others tried to persuade her, she did not dare to put her head out.

    Once there was a slight noise, she screamed in shock, ¡°Mo Xueqiong is here.¡± It caused a mess in the whole yard! Everyone thought that she missed her daughter so much that she was a little crazy.

    ¡°My Lady, I saw some valuable jewelry in Auntie Qing¡¯s room, which was ced in a hiddenpartment beside her bed. When I went in, Auntie Qing was looking through the jewelry. There were several pure gold bracelets. They looked solid and had gems on them.¡±

    Mo Ye reported to Mo Xuetong. She was also shocked back then. Auntie Qing was an unfavored concubine, so it was impossible for her to have such valuable jewelry. Although the government office where Mo Huawen worked for was profitable, Mo Xuetong who had lived with him for a long time knew that her father would not make personal fortunes from it.

    Mo Huawen had always wanted to be an upright official, so even though his favorite daughter had married King Xuan, he had never said a good word for him. He usually did things ording to official rules and did not protect Feng Yuran at all. Mo Huawen was the first one to report to the Emperor that Feng Yuran beat some of his concubines to death.

    Of course, there were also people saying that Mo Huawen was crafty, deliberately mystifying and obviously up to no good.

    However, regardless of whether it was true or not, Mo Huawen was a smart person. He would never do anything greedy at such a sensitive time. As such, it was impossible for Mo Huawen to have such valuable gold essories in his hands. The origin of his concubine¡¯s solid pure gold essories was rather suspicious.

    ¡°Mo Ye, where do you think you¡¯ve seen a simr essory before? Or what kind of person can afford such an essory?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly as a hint of enchanting coldness on her beautiful face. She did not even know that her smile was very simr to her handsome husband¡¯s angry face.

    Mo Ye shrank her neck nervously. She felt very stressful to see such a beautiful smile!

    ¡°I think it¡¯s impossible for people who are not rich to own those essories. Or they should belong to people who are from noble families, at their peak. And It¡¯s possible that they have a status like... you.¡± Even Mo Ye was worried at this time, she still made it clear. Mo Xuetong in front of her was not a good-tempered person. Now, she really looked like Feng Yuran when he was about to lose his temper.

    How could she dare to hide it? Even if part of it was just spection and sounded treacherous, so what? She had to be honest with her master.

    What she said was very reasonable. However Mo Xuetong could eliminate themon rich families. Those who were wealthy but not powerful did not dare to offend her father again and again. If she was not wrong, the n hadsted for years. It was a long game, and the target was her father.

    Mo Xuetong agreed more with thatst answer!

    She did not expect someone to start plotting against her father more than 10 years ago. She felt both worried and anger in her heart. Her mother was still alive then and she and her father led a life of conjugal bliss. Those people sent women into the manor one by one, and none of them harbored good intentions. Did her mother die so early because of this?

    ¡°What else did she say when she saw you pretending to be Mo Xueqiong?¡± A hint of coldness crept over her beautiful face.

    ¡°The moment Auntie Qing saw me enter, her body went limp. She kept begging for mercy and said that it was not her intention. She begged Fourth Miss to forgive her. She imed that she was doing this for Fourth Miss¡¯s good, but didn¡¯t expect that things would turn out like this? If Fourth Miss wanted to take revenge, she shoulde to you. Auntie Qing said that you are the one who caused her to die.¡±

    Mo Ye thought for a while and answered. At that time, Auntie Qing¡¯s behavior was very abnormal. As a mother who loved her daughter, even if her daughter came back at midnight, she would not so afraid that she cried, pleaded, and put the me on others. What she said was quite suspicious.

    Mo Xuetong was indeed suspicious of her. This suspicion had appeared when she learned that Auntie Qing and Mo Yufeng were very close. The two werepletely unrted. How could they get close to each other? Auntie Fang had always suppressed Auntie Qing when she was still in the manor. As Auntie Fang¡¯s only son, Mo Yufeng had always considered himself as the legitimate son of his family, and did not like Auntie Qing at all.

    Once Mo Xuetong had seen Mo Yufeng walking past Auntie Qing and Mo Xueqiong with a disgusted expression and his head up. He just ignored them.

    Mo Xueqiong was so angry that she tried to argue. Mo Xuetong had no idea what the two of them had said, but considering Mo Xueqiong¡¯s sharpness and meanness, she wouldn¡¯t say something nice. Mo Xuetong saw Mo Yufeng p Mo Xueqiong so viciously that she fell to Auntie Qing. Then Mo Yufeng left.

    From where Mo Xuetong was standing, she saw the telltale viciousness in Auntie Qing¡¯s eyes at that time!

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that the two of them who once shed were now on good terms. She would not believe it no matter what. Then, she thought of Yu Feng, who had lost his master earlier. Strangely, he did not panic, and instead, he was very calm. It was impossible to not pay attention to his unusual reaction. Mo Xuetong had a suspicion, but it had not been confirmed yet. However, she believed that she would definitely be able to find a clue if she kept an eye on Auntie Qing. Then she would see what the woman would do.

    ¡°Have you asked Mo Feng to keep an eye on Auntie Qing?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a while and asked.

    After the fright, Auntie Qing would do some unusual movements. It would not be too long.

    ¡°I have already told Mo Feng, and he has arranged for his people to do this. My Lady, I think this matter won¡¯tst long.¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong agreed with her, Mo Ye breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, what she said just now had crossed the line. Not everyone could mention the royal family.

    Other than the few princes¡¯ consorts and those in the imperial pce, who had the same status as Mo Xuetong did? However, no matter who it was, they were all members of the royal family and could not be suspected by a mere maidservant like her. Even though she was a little different from ordinary maidservants, she was still a maidservant.

    ¡°Alright, then ask Mo Feng to be careful.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded. She was very appreciative of Mo Ye¡¯s and Mo Feng¡¯s efficiency in handling matters. She picked up the cup of tea beside her and took a sip. Then, she suddenly turned to look at Mo Lan and asked, ¡°Mo Lan, have the gifts for Mingguo Manor been prepared?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared them. The gifts are all precious and their colors are all bright, especially those bolts of colorful cloth. They¡¯re all the most gorgeous. They were given by the pce at your wedding banquet. Since you don¡¯t like them, I have put them away. The cloth is absolutely exquisite.¡±

    Mo Lan responded with a smile. She had already inquired about Ling Mingyan¡¯s preferences.

    ¡°I heard that Duke Mingguo¡¯s wife is not feeling well. I was wondering if we should also send some ginseng to her, but I also thought that it might not be convenient, so I can¡¯t decide it. Please make a decision, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to give her ginseng. Just send her the cubilose that Imperial Noble Consort Wen sent mest time. There¡¯s still her seal on it. Just give it to her as a gift.¡± Mo Xuetong understood what Mo Lan meant. She thought for a while and came up with an idea. One could not send tonic to others casually, especially as she had heard that Duchess Mingguo was his second wife.

    ording to You Yuecheng¡¯s temperament, he would not be kind to such a person. It would be troublesome if she was involved. She was just going to watch the show, so she could not be dragged into the y for no reason. She had to keep herself out of it.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in a dilemma now. Hearing what you said, I remember that. I¡¯ll prepare itter. And there¡¯s also the matter about Princess Caifeng. Aunt Xiann just came and said that Miss Hu is seriously ill. Her condition alternates between deterioration and improvement. So she can¡¯t move for a while, and can only stay in our manor for a few more days. My Lady, do you think that they¡¯re unwilling to ept the reality?¡±

    Mo Lan said angrily. Ever since they knew Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue wanted to kill Mo Xuetong in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce, the maidservants around her had been looking down on them. Even the most steady-going Mo Lan had been affected.

    ¡°My Lady, think of a way to make them fight against each other. This has nothing to do with our manor. One of them is going to marry King Yan and the other is going to marry King Ning. The two of them have never harbored good intentions to us.¡± Mo Yu pouted and said angrily. Mo Xuetong did not like Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue at all. When she heard that Mo Lan was also disgusted with them, she naturally agreed with her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t live for long. I heard that the Southern Barbarian Lands is in a mess now!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, with a hint of a gentle smile in her watery eyes. However, there was a slyness hidden beneath her longshes. She did not care about that. Anyway, Princess Caifeng had seen how vicious Feng Yuran was. She did not believe the princess would dare to try to marry him.

    Then it was worth considering why she had always cooperated with Hu Qianyue!

    Aftering out of the Empress¡¯s pce, the two of them had been against each other for a long time. Now, they looked like good friends who had a tacit understanding for many years and now became enemies. Why were there so many such ys these days? But why was Mo Xuetong so happy to see it?

    Her watery eyes were slightly bright, and the beautiful smile in them couldn¡¯t be hidden!

 Chapter 647 - The Banquet Held by Marquess Mingguos Wife

    <h4>Chapter 647 The Banquet Held by Marquess Mingguo¡¯s Wife</h4>

    Many people hade to the banquet held by Mingguo Manor. The smile on the corner of Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth grew even more elegant and beautiful as she looked at the many carriages in front of Mingguo Manor. She was wearing a light green long dress today, and the jade pendant fastened to her waist belt made her look even slender and more enchanting.

    As she grew older, her features became even more beautiful. Her skin was as white as snow; her nose was tall and straight; her watery eyes looked bright and charming; and her lips were bright red. She was stunning even without any makeup. Princess Caifeng, who was standing opposite her, felt upset at the sight of her. She was considered the most beautiful woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands. However,pared to Mo Xuetong, not only was her face less exquisite, but her aura could not even bepared to Mo Xuetong¡¯s elegance.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, the Marquess Mingguo in your country is rather powerful. Look, wasn¡¯t it Consort Yan¡¯s carriage that has just passed?¡± Even though Princess Caifeng, who felt a little upset, no longer nned to fight against Mo Xuetong, she still felt ufortable. As such, she pointed to the front and said.

    She had seen clearly just now that Consort Yan¡¯s horse carriage had directly entered Mingguo Manor, but Mo Xuetong, who was also a prince¡¯s wife, did not receive such treatment.

    Mo Xuetong turned her watery eyes back leisurely as a faint smile crept over the corners of her eyes. ¡°This is Mingguo Manor and Consort Yan is the legitimate daughter of Duke Mingguo. It is normal for her to be different from others when she returns to her own manor.¡±

    Mo Xuetong could figure out the provocation in Princess Caifeng¡¯s words. However, she had never wanted to fight with someone on the surface. Of course, she would not be mad. Furthermore, she hade with the intention of watching the show today. But Princess Caifeng came here just because she was bored!

    Originally Princess Caifeng was about to get married, so Ling Mingyan would not give her an invitation. However, in the morning, she held an invitation card in her hand, and Mo Xuetong had no choice but to bring her here.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. Consort Xuan, I heard that Marquess Mingguo used to be on good terms with the Mo Manor. However, he somehow started to distance himself from the Mo Manor. Did something happen?¡± Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes shed and she suddenly looked friendly. There was no more gloom in her face. She seemed to have changed the topic casually.

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m afraid you have heard it wrong. My father has good terms with many of his colleagues. It¡¯s all about cooperation and separation. It¡¯s not something that women in inner courtyard should ask about.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and stopped the subject.

    The matter about You Yuecheng and the Mo Manor could be attributed to the rtionship between him and Mo Xuemin. Mo Xuemin used to be a famous talented girl in the capital, and You Yuecheng was rather close to the Mo Manor. Ever since Mo Xuemin married into the Sima Manor, even if the two of them were in contact with each other, it was a private affair. Things cooled off on the surface. However, no matter whether they were close or not, given You Yuecheng¡¯s character, it was impossible for others to discover many traces.

    By the time Princess Caifeng arrived in the capital, You Yuecheng had already lost all rtions with Mo Xuemin. Then, who told her this matter? Even though Hu Qianyue was very sly, she would not have known about it if she had not paid close attention to You Yuecheng.

    It seemed that there were a lot of people who were keeping an eye on You Yuecheng and King Yan¡¯s Manor behind him. At this time Mo Xuetong was happy to see it. King Yan seemed to be weak, but in fact, among the princes, he was really powerful. Not only did the Empress support him in the pce, but even Imperial Noble Consort Wen stood on his side with unknown meaning. Even the other princes could notpare with him in terms of the supporters in the imperial harem.

    In addition to the supporters in the imperial harem, there was Mingguo Manor supporting him. Some people of Ding General Manor were also on his side because of the Empress and Ling Mingyan. If the power was really tangled together, it would not be difficult for Feng Yulei to ascend the throne. However, if they quarreled with each other and could not deal with others... It would be a good idea.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong did not want to talk about the past anymore, Princess Caifeng did not continue to ask. After seeing Feng Yuran¡¯s cruelness, she was not as arrogant as before. At least, she did not dare to show off in front of Mo Xuetong. No one knew what that fearless devil would do.

    In Princess Caifeng¡¯s heart, the arrogant and enchanting Feng Yuran had already be the least person to be offended. As for the gentle and beautiful Consort Xuan in front of her, she could not offend her because of the bloodthirsty and arrogant person behind her.

    ¡°Is it Consort Xuan and Princess Caifeng¡¯s carriage ahead?¡± A respectful greeting suddenly came from outside the curtains.

    Mo Xuetong gestured at Mo Yu who was sitting at the door.

    Mo Yu lifted the curtains and looked at an old maidservant standing outside, answering with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s Her Lady and Princess Caifeng.¡±

    ¡°Our Madam asked me to wait you here. Consort Xuan, pleasee with me. It¡¯s more convenient to go in there.¡± The old maidservant did not dare to look around and said politely.

    ¡°Thanks to your Madam.¡± Mo Yu got up and leaned out of the shaft. She sat outside the shaft and drove the carriage out of the long queue. The old maidservant led the horse carriage and took a right to another gate of Mingguo Manor. Just now, Consort Yan¡¯s carriage also went through the gate.

    That was the VIP passage prepared by Mingguo Manor. Usually, it would not open, but today there were noble princes¡¯ wives and princesses. No matter how noble Mingguo Manor was, it could be more honorable than the royal family. Therefore, they sent several neat old maidservants to guard there. When they saw the several princes¡¯ wives, they took them to the gate.

    ¡°Who¡¯s ahead? The carriage doesn¡¯t seem to belong to a prince¡¯s manor.¡± Mo Yu sat on the shaft of the carriage and chatted with the old maidservant. As the carriage turned a corner and went through the gate of Mingguo Manor, she saw arge carriage in the parking lot, and a maidservant was waiting there. She seemed familiar, but when Mo Yu looked carefully at her, she did not recognize who she was. As such, she asked the old maidservant casually.

    ¡°Those are the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess. They were a little faster than Consort Xuan¡¯s carriage just now.¡± The maidservant also saw therge and luxurious horse carriage and said to Mo Yu with a smile.

    ¡°Did the two princessese together?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard that the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess have always had a good rtionship. Most of the time, the two of them came together. Of course, they also came together at this time,¡± the old maidservant introduced, smiling.

    When the horse carriage arrived at the destination, Mo Xuetong and Princess Caifeng got off the horse carriage one after the other.

    There were not many horse carriages parked inside, but every one of them was spacious and luxurious. A few young and old maidservants who did not go in with their master stood by the side. When they saw the horse carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor approaching, they all lowered their heads and dropped their shoulders quietly.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gazended on the horse carriage nearest her. There was no special pattern drawn on the horse carriage. The people who came out of the pce refused to draw the pce¡¯s symbol on their horse carriage in order not to expose themselves. The Sixth Princess was known for being approachable, so it was natural that her carriage had no special pattern on it.

    The princesses¡¯ carriage had the most maidservants standing beside it. After all, there were two princesses. If each of them left two maidservants behind, there were four. They stood respectfully in front of their own carriages with their heads slightly lowered. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes were fixed on a maidservant in a pink coat.

    After she cast a careful nce, her lips curved into a faint smile. Then she turned around and walked in with Princess Caifeng.

    This maidservant really looked familiar. She did not notice her at first. Mo Yu said those words in order to draw her attention. After getting off the carriage, Mo Xuetong looked at her and immediately recognized that she was the maidservant who had confronted Ling Mingyan on the stairs.

    Ling Mingyan looked so aggressive when she went to catch her husband with someone else! However, You Yuecheng handled it in the end!

    No wonder the maidservant beside the woman when she saw her that day was also good at martial arts, and her headwear could only be seen in the pce. She was so calm that although Ling Mingyan looked tough, she could still deal with it easily. She then happened to disappear in front of Ling Mingyan. Her means was brilliant.

    As for the maidservant in front of him, although she was standing in front of the carriage, her appearance made people feel that she was extraordinary. Was such a girl really just a humble maidservant who could only wait in front of the carriage even if she came to the family banquet with her master? Deliberately leaving such a maidservant was saying something.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong would not say anything else right now. After all, it was someone else¡¯s show today. Compared to exposing the maidservant¡¯s identity, Mo Xuetong preferred to be silent and watch the show in the dark.

    There were a lot of osmanthus flowers in Mingguo Manor. It was the time of autumn, and the osmanthus flowers were fragrant. The breeze blew it gently, which made people feel rxed and pleasant. The madams and youngdies, who had originallye to see the show, immediately felt that Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife was not stubbornly arrogant, but was also an elegant person.

    There were all kinds of tall osmanthus trees on both sides of the small path near theke. The wind blew and the delicate fragrance wafted. The osmanthus flowers fell andnded on people¡¯s hair and clothes. However, it gave people a sense of distance. Stepping on the road paved with osmanthus trees and looking at the falling osmanthus flowers in front of her, Mo Xuetong could not help but slow down.

    There might be osmanthus flowers in other ces, but Mo Xuetong had never seen any ce to have so many osmanthus flowers that they could pave an osmanthus way. She reached out to catch a fallen osmanthus flower. The delicate fragrance of the osmanthus flower wafted into her nose and made her feel veryfortable.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, there is a pavilion ahead. Shall we go there and have some tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery?¡± Princess Caifeng did not think that the scenery before her eyes was charming. However, she could tell that Mo Xuetong liked it. Therefore, she pointed at a pavilion not far away and asked. Anyway, it was still early and they would drink tea even if they went in.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. We can just enjoy it as we walk,¡± Mo Xuetong said with a slight smile.

    ¡°My Lady, Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. There are more osmanthus flowers ahead of us. Today our Young Madam will hold the banquet in the Osmanthus Garden. The whole garden is full of osmanthus flowers, and it¡¯s the best time to admire it. It¡¯s already pleasing to the eye before we arrive at the garden. There are also osmanthus flowers falling between the pavilions.¡±

    The old maidservant said with a grin as she pointed to the group of pavilions not far away.

    ¡°Is the Osmanthus Garden veryrge?¡± Mo Xuetong looked in that direction and asked. Even though that ce was exquisite, there were not many raised eaves. There did not seem to be many buildings under the cover of trees. It seemed more exquisite and suitable.

    There were so many carriages at the gate just now. Were they all enjoying the flowers over there?

 Chapter 648 - Different Treatments in the Osmanthus Garden

    <h4>Chapter 648 Different Treatments in the Osmanthus Garden</h4>

    ¡°I was wrong. There are many ces for admiring the flowers today. However, the best one is the Osmanthus Garden. It is now the time to admire the osmanthus flowers. Young Madam asked us to lead the noble guests there and set up a banquet there.¡± The old maidservant was stunned, but then she put on a natural smile and exined to Mo Xuetong while pointing at the pavilion.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Princess Caifeng was intrigued and walked in that direction before Mo Xuetong could reply.

    Mo Xuetong followed her slowly! As she walked while seeing the scenery, shegged behind. Fortunately, she could still see Princess Caifeng asionally appeared among the flowers and trees from a distance.

    The Osmanthus Garden was also connected to this garden. After a few turns, Princess Caifeng saw a garden emitting a delicate fragrance. When they went through the door, they saw the words ¡°Osmanthus Garden¡± high above the moon gate. The handwriting was elegant, with powerful strokes. At a nce, one could see the power of the strokes and the character style were extraordinary.

    There were two beautiful maidservants guarding at the door. When they saw the old maidservanting with Princess Caifeng, they hurried to greet thetter.

    ¡°Greetings, Your Highness. Would you like to rest here and admire the flowers first or go to our Young Madam first? Our Young Madam is in the garden ahead. You will arrive in a few steps.¡± The slender maidservant stepped forward, bowed to Princess Caifeng, and pointed to the right with a smile.

    There was another courtyard over there, and it seemed to be muchrger than the Osmanthus Garden.

    ording to what Princess Caifeng had thought when she came here, she would certainly stay here to see the flowers. She turned up her nose at the humble Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife. However, after arriving in the Qin Kingdom, she had been suppressed in all aspects and so many things had happened. Recently, Crown Prince Xieyue had warned her and she realized that Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife should not be taken lightly. Although she was a little reluctant in her heart, she still wore a smile on her face.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯d love to see your Young Madam first. Lead the way!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Consort Xuan is behind us...¡± A maidservant beside her nudged her and motioned toward the back, hinting that Consort Xuan was behind them.

    Since the two of them had entered the manor together, they should go to see the mistress together. So Princess Caifeng slowed down.

    ¡°Your Highness is of noble status, so you should go first. I will stay here, and when Consort Xuanester, I will lead her to chase after you.¡± The maidservant had a good tongue and smiled.

    Princess Caifeng nodded in satisfaction when she heard the maidservant¡¯spliment. She no longer hesitated and turned to the side. One of the maidservants led the way while the other stayed where she was.

    After a while, Mo Xuetong also appeared at the entrance of the Osmanthus Garden with her maidservants. When she saw the elegantrge words above the door, she narrowed her eyes slightly and stopped at the door.

    The maidservant walked up to wee her with a smile. ¡°Consort Xuan, pleasee in. The scenery here is great and it is a good ce to enjoy the scenery. Our Young Madam has made some ces for respected guests to have fun.¡±

    Mo Xuetong pointed at the courtyard inside and asked meaningfully, ¡°Has Princess Caifeng already entered?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness bumped into our Young Madam just now. After hearing that our Young Madam was going to invite the two princesses, she went there with interest. She asked me to tell My Lady that she wille back soon and asked My Lady to wait inside first,¡± the maidservant exined cleverly, and her words were wless, as if that was true.

    Mo Xuetong did not ask any more questions. She gave a faint smile and was about to walk in.

    ¡°My Lady... ¡± Mo Yu cried out in a low voice worriedly. When she saw Mo Xuetong had stopped, there was a sh of uneasiness in the eyes of Mingguo Manor¡¯s maidservant. She smiled and walked to Mo Xuetong. Then she pointed at the osmanthus trees inside the entrance and said warmly, ¡°My Lady, please go in and sit for a while. I will ask Princess Caifeng toe right now.¡±

    There was a huge osmanthus tree in the yard, which covered half of the whole yard. The sun fell, forming an elegant sea of flowers. It was very beautiful. Following the direction that the maidservant pointed, they saw some pots of chrysanthemums under the osmanthus tree. It was the time for the chrysanthemum to bloom. The pink and light yellow chrysanthemums were ced there. It was obvious that they were treasures that were carefully arranged.

    Mingguo Manor had really put in a lot of effort in the flower appreciation banquet.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go in and take a look first.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and walked in unconcernedly. The maidservant at the door heaved a sigh of relief. When she saw Mo Xuetong and her maidservants had already entered the garden, she looked around. Then she hurriedly turned around, left the Osmanthus Garden with a pleased expression on her face and returned to report.

    ¡°My Lady, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s normal here...¡± Mo Yu, who was behind Mo Xuetong, looked around and said in a muffled voice.

    Although she couldn¡¯t see anything wrong, she always felt that something was wrong. However, she couldn¡¯t tell what was wrong in detail.

    Ever since Mo Lan and Mo Ye entered the door, they did not say anything. Mo Lan frowned slightly and looked at the surroundings carefully. Mo Ye hurried forward and walked in front of Mo Xuetong. The two of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

    Seeing that the three maidservants were all nervous, Mo Xuetong burst intoughter. She smiled leisurely and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ling Mingyan won¡¯t hurt me at this time. I didn¡¯t have difficulty with her.¡±

    Ling Mingyan did not dare to hurt her now. She should have known what had happened in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce that day. Feng Yuran dared to say something like that to Princess Caifeng just because she had almost harmed her. He disguised his attitude. Of course, Feng Yuran did it deliberately.

    Feng Yuran dared to say it. Moreover, he was fine after he said those words, which showed the Emperor¡¯s attitude!

    There was no doubt that Emperor Zongwen doted on his youngest son the most. Even though Feng Yuran threatened the princess who was going to marry into the Qin Kingdom, Emperor Zongwen did not me him. This was a type of indulgence from the Emperor. He doted on his youngest son for no reason. Under these circumstances, no one dared to harm Mo Xuetong for they were afraid that they would annoy that bully.

    Feng Yuran was really awless man! If one really annoyed him, he might do something outrageous!

    Even Ling Mingyan was brainless, You Yuecheng could not be so stupid!

    ¡°My Lady, where are we going now?¡± Mo Lan did not think Mo Xuetong was in any danger. And that was why she did not say anything to stop her just now. After hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, she stopped being worried and relief broke across her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and take a look. Since they are all prepared, we have to go and take a look,¡± Mo Xuetong replied with a gentle smile, as she pointed to a pavilion under the tree. There were two maidservants there. They hurried over to wee Mo Xuetong when they saw her. They stood by the side respectfully and curtsied to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong waved her hand and began to walk in.

    ¡°Off you go. Her Lady has us to take care of her. You can do your own things.¡± Mo Lan was thest in the line. She stopped the two maidservants who were about to follow them in. She reached out her hand and said politely.

    ¡°We will stay here to serve Her Lady.¡± The two maidservants looked at each other and said timidly.

    ¡°Her Lady doesn¡¯t need others to serve her. What¡¯s more, there are only you two maidservants in the garden. What if other noble guestseter? You¡¯d better leave!¡± Even though Mo Lan was smiling, her tone was not polite. The smile on her lips made one feel as if she was implying something.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two maidservants did not dare to follow them again after being forced by Mo Lan. They backed away and did not stop until they reached a corner. When they looked up, their eyes met Mo Lan¡¯s cold gaze. The two maidservants were so frightened that they took a few more steps back to avoid her gazes.

    They finally stopped at a corner that Mo Lan could not see.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± the short maidservant asked the tall one.

    ¡°What can we do? Now that Consort Xuan doesn¡¯t want us to serve her, do you want to rush to her? The maidservant beside her doesn¡¯t seem easy to deal with. She looked as if she is afraid that we will steal her master. Forget it, we¡¯d better not rush up. If we fail, we will offend Consort Xuan, instead of getting credit.¡±

    The tall maidservant frowned and answered after thinking for a while. They were the maidservants who served here today. Their superior told them that no matter who entered the garden, they must go up to serve them respectfully and let the noble guests feel the sincerity of Mingguo Manor. However, Consort Xuan was obviously unwilling to let them approach her.

    ¡°Then we...¡± It was obvious that the short maidservant wasck of her own will. She put on a bitter look on her face for a while. They had failed to finish what the superior had told them to do, so it would not be easy to deal with the superiorter.

    The tall maidservant thought for a while and answered, ¡°Let¡¯s stay here first. Anyway, others don¡¯t know if we are serving Consort Xuan nearby. If someone askster, we will say that we are close to serve her. Anyway, it is impossible for anyone to ask Consort Xuan about these trivial things.¡±

    ¡°Then we just stay here?¡± The short maidservant looked around. They were in a good position. It was just in the corner, so the people around Consort Xuan couldn¡¯t see them, and there was no one at the door. Even if there was someoneing over, they could clearly see them from where they were standing, but the people outside couldn¡¯t see them clearly. It could be regarded as a perfect ce to hide.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t stay here, where else can we be?¡± The tall maidservant sat on the flower rack and said helplessly. They didn¡¯t want to stay here, but the noble guest didn¡¯t want them to serve her and they didn¡¯t dare toe forward. However, they were afraid that their master would punish them, so they could only hide here and go out to clean the things in the garden after the noble guest left!

    The two maidservants sighed and did not notice that someone else had entered the garden.

    The Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess walked over slowly. When they saw the Osmanthus Garden, they stopped together. The Mingguo Manor¡¯s old maidservant who led the way came forward with a smile and said, ¡°Your Highness, this is where our Young Madam rest, but she is not here now. She has been waiting for you for a long time. Please move on!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an excellent ce. Your Young Madam really knows how to enjoy it,¡± the Sixth Princessmented with a gentle smile and stopped.

    ¡°It is indeed a good ce. If it weren¡¯t for His Excellency¡¯s wife waiting ahead, I would like to stay and enjoy the scenery.¡± The Seventh Princess followed the old maidservant to move on and then turned around with a smile. Since the hostess was waiting ahead, they couldn¡¯t stay any longer.

    ¡°Seventh Sister, why don¡¯t you go to see His Excellency¡¯s wife first? I want to stay here to enjoy the scenery. It¡¯s rare to see such beautiful osmanthus flowers. It¡¯s a pity if I don¡¯t see them.¡± The Sixth Princess looked at the osmanthus flowers in the garden in a gentle manner and showed a reluctant look on her face.

    Wherever the wind passed, the burst of fragrance of the osmanthus flowers was extremely alluring.

 Chapter 649 - The Sixth Princesss Regard

    <h4>Chapter 649 The Sixth Princess¡¯s Regard</h4>

    This kind of beautiful scenery was rare even in the imperial pce!

    The Seventh Princess also wanted to stay and have a look, but since the Sixth Princess had said those words, she could not refuse. She could not let the hostess wait ahead while the two of them enjoyed the scenery and dyed others¡¯ time. Both the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess were not as arrogant as the Fifth Princess, so they could not disregard others¡¯ wait.

    Moreover, Marquess Mingguo¡¯s wife had a high status. Even if these two were princesses, they couldn¡¯t go too far!

    Both of their mothers were not powerful. They had to watch others¡¯ mood in the pce.

    ¡°Then Sixth Sister, you stay here and enjoy the scenery. I¡¯ll go to see His Excellency¡¯s wife first,¡± the Seventh Princess stated with a smile.

    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go in and take a look at the scenery first. I¡¯ll meet up with youter,¡± the Sixth Princess said as she motioned her pce maids to move forward. The Seventh Princess walked past the entrance of the Osmanthus Garden with a few of her maidservants.

    After going through the door of the Osmanthus Garden, the Sixth Princess turned to another path and headed for a pavilion, instead of going to the conspicuous ce where Mo Xuetong stood. Around the corner, the two maidservants hid behind the flower rack in a dilemma, not knowing if they should go up. The superior only asked them to serve the first distinguished guest. Then they didn¡¯t have to serve the distinguished guests behind, right?

    The short maidservant lifted her hand and pointed in the direction of the Sixth Princess, asking uneasily, ¡°Thisdy is going that way?¡± They were all maidservants of Mingguo Manor and had never seen the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess before. Therefore, they did not know the two princesses. They knew who Consort Xuan was because the two maidservants who guarded the door said that they had seen Consort Xuaning.

    Now both the two maidservants guarding the door had disappeared, and the two little maidservants who did strenuous work didn¡¯t know what to do!

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± The tall maidservant looked in the direction of the Sixth Princess and her face was a little pale. She reached out to point but was so shocked that she could not say anything.

    The short maidservant suddenly realized something was wrong. She stood up from one side and was about to rush out.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± The tall maidservant grabbed her.

    ¡°There, there¡¯s... thedy is going to that way!¡± The short maidservant pointed in the direction where the Sixth Princess was missing and shouted hurriedly.

    ¡°Are you going to stop thatdy? Nanny only asked us to serve the honored guests who came here, and the two sisters also asked us to serve Consort Xuan in person. Even if something happens there, it has nothing to do with us.¡± The tall maidservant¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Do you want to go against the orders and lose your life?¡±

    Her words were harsh, and the short maidservant trembled with fear. Thinking of the little maidservant who was beaten to death because she didn¡¯t listen to the Young Madam¡¯s words a few days ago, she was so scared that her face turned pale, and she didn¡¯t dare to interfere. A few days ago, the little maidservant died because the Young Madam asked her to go to another garden to pick flowers but she went to the Osmanthus Garden.

    ¡°Anyway, we are here to serve Consort Xuan. Even if something really happens, we will insist that we have served Consort Xuan and haven¡¯t seen thisdy at all. Anyway, she went that way in a hurry and seems to be familiar with this ce. It is unlikely that something will happen!¡± the tall maidservantforted the short one.

    The Sixth Princess had just entered the moon gate and did not look anywhere else. She had indeed walked to the other side through a path. Could it be that she was familiar with the manor?

    The short maidservant was no longer concerned about whether or not she should go out. Instead, she started to guess the identity of the Sixth Princess. They were only third-ss maidservants in the manor and did not see many nobledies. At this time, she was just wondering which manor thisdy came from.

    The Sixth Princess took a small path. She walked in a graceful manner. The path was a little out-of-way and ordinary people would not be able to find it. However, the Sixth Princess had seen the map many times before, so she knew that she could walk in this direction. The ones who went with her were her personal maidservants. When they reached the door of the room, she ordered the two pce maids to guard outside, and she entered the inner room by herself.

    The door was gently opened and then closed carefully. The Sixth Princess was blushed. No one knew if it was because she was nervous or eager.

    There was a thick screen in the spacious room. All the decorations were ck and white. It was obvious that it was not an ordinary girl¡¯s room. Behind the screen with pine and cypress patterns, You Yuecheng leaned against the wide couch and closed his eyes slightly to rest. When he heard someoneing, he did not open his eyes, and just said lightly, ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    The Sixth Princess turned around the screen hurriedly and saw You Yuecheng leaning against the couch. A look of joy appeared on her face. She walked over and stood beside the couch with some embarrassment. She looked at the handsome You Yuecheng on the couch as a strong love shed in her eyes. She had fallen in love with this man. She really wanted to be with him.

    He was handsome and cold. He waspletely different from Bai Yihao. However, Bai Yihao was like an immortal in heaven, too far away from her. Even if she risked her life, she would not be able to reach him. That was why she set her eyes on You Yuecheng. Even though he was cold, he was not otherworldly.

    Furthermore, the Sixth Princess could sense what he meant from his manner. Sometimes he was far away, and sometimes he was close, but fortunately, he didn¡¯t stay away from her all the time.

    ¡°When did youe here?¡± Even though the Sixth Princess was a scheming person, she blushed and her heart beat fast when she faced the person she loved alone. Besides, what happened next was not simple. Although she had practiced it in her mind several times, she was still a little nervous when she was going to do it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived. Have you really made up your mind?¡± You Yuecheng opened his eyes. There was a sh of coldness at the bottom of his eyes and it was quickly hidden.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made up my mind. I want to marry you. Even if I can¡¯t be your legal wife, I¡¯m willing to be your co-wife. I only want to be with you in this life, even if I have to be your concubine.¡±

    The Sixth Princess answered with deep love. There was a sad expression on her face as she looked at You Yuecheng affectionately.

    The girl was as beautiful as jade and was deeply in love with him. No matter how heartless You Yuecheng was, he could not refuse her. Furthermore, the Sixth Princess always felt You Yuecheng had feelings for her. Otherwise, he would not have epted the gift that she had secretly given him and then, he had gotten someone to send a gift back to her.

    Of course, the Sixth Princess was willing to marry You Yuecheng!

    But how could she be willing to be a concubine? As a royal princess, how could she be a concubine? However, time was pressing and there was no other way. She could only be a co-wife for the time being. Moreover, considering Ling Mingyan¡¯s temper, as long as You Yuecheng loved her, Ling Mingyan would not be able to defeat her. So this could be ignored!

    Therefore, it seemed that the Sixth Princess did it without hesitation, but in fact, she had already nned it. She was the one who had secretly plotted the unusual movement in Mingguo Manor this time.

    Since she did it in others¡¯ territory, even if something really happened, others would only suspect Ling Mingyan and not her, because she was not only a guest, but also a victim. What was more, You Yuecheng would be deeply touched by what she did today. No matter how hard she tried, the Sixth Princess felt that it was worth it!

    ¡°Well, be carefulter!¡± You Yuecheng sat up and touched his painful hand. He had drunk too much just now. At this time, he struggled to hold on and did not lie down because he wanted to see the Sixth Princess first. Then he pressed the table and stood up, looking like he could not stand steadily.

    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you okay?¡± Seeing that he was a little unsteady, the Sixth Princess took a few steps forward, held his hand, and asked with concern. But she could not help smiling sweetly. She believed that he like her, so as long as she wanted, he would help herplete it, even if he had drunk so much wine to hurt his health.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go to sleep first.¡± You Yuecheng opened his pretty eyes slightly. The feeling of getting drunk that he had suppressed came over him. He casually took off his outer robe andy down.

    The Sixth Princess blushed and watched him take off his clothes. His casual manner made it seem as if they had a closer rtionship. When she saw him lying on the bed casually, drunk, and his cold and handsome face immediately became red, which was more vivid than usual, she was a little obsessed with him for a while.

    She could not help stepping forward and squatted down beside the couch. Her slender white hands fell shyly on his angr face and the love in her eyes could not be hidden. After today, this man would be hers. Finally, he would be hers. How could she not be excited? With her status, if such a thing happened, the Emperor would not allow her to be wronged.

    ¡°You go out first.¡± You Yuecheng closed his eyes, turned around reluctantly to avoid her hand and said lightly.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go out and prepare it right away.¡± There were a few tanks of water outside the room with a few beautiful goldfishes in them. As long as she pretended to have fun and wetted her clothes, she could get into the room to change clothes. You Yuecheng had nned it in order to cooperate with the Sixth Princess, which made her feel very thoughtful.

    With a big smile on her face, the Sixth Princess stepped out of the room and asked the pce maid standing beside her, ¡°Has Duchess Mingguoe over?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I went to take a look at the path just now. Duchess Mingguo and several other Duchesses should have arrived at the Osmanthus Garden by this time. It¡¯s just the right time,¡± the pce maid replied respectfully. She did go out to have a look when the Sixth Princess was inside, and found that there was nothing unusual.

    The Sixth Princess reached out her hand but stopped when she touched the water surface. She thought for a moment and got up. ¡°How is Consort Xuan?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to go over there. But I didn¡¯t see the two maidservants who sent out to serve Consort Xuan. They should still be there at this time!¡± The pce maid was not sure. When she went to the path just now, she heard the voices of several madams from the door. She did not dare to see what Consort Xuan was doing. Anyway, she was just to be a witness to make the matter more reasonable.

    The main show was not about Consort Xuan! She just dragged her into it. Intuitively, the Sixth Princess did not like that woman because You Yuecheng¡¯s reaction was odd when she mentioned her...

    ¡°Go and find the two maidservants and tell them that it was Consort Xuan who led me there.¡± The Sixth Princess was in a good mood. There was a touch of shyness on her face, but a hint of scheming had appeared in her eyes. Originally, she didn¡¯t intend to plot against Mo Xuetong. However, since it was so convenient, she might as well frame her. Anyway, it would not cause her to die, and it would not be a loss for her!

    ¡°Tell them it was Consort Xuan?¡± The pce maid was stunned and did not react for a moment.

    ¡°Just say that you once met Consort Xuan¡¯s maidservant who imed that the scenery here is more beautiful. That¡¯s why we came here,¡± the Sixth Princess said leisurely with satisfaction. Even Mo Xuetong doubted itter, she would only suspect the maidservants of Mingguo Manor. Anyway, they were Ling Mingyan¡¯s maidservants, so she would certainly be the one to take the me. As for whether she could plot against Mo Xuetong and make Ling Mingyan hate her, or if there could be other troubles... The Sixth Princess did these things in passing.

    In a good mood, the Sixth Princess turned around and reached out to touch the fish in the water. Her long sleeves fell into the water and several parts of them were wet. Floating on the water, the sleeves were like blooming flowers, which were beautiful and enchanting...

 Chapter 650 - The Design of the Front and Back Doors of the Osmanthus

    <h4>Chapter 650 The Design of the Front and Back Doors of the Osmanthus Garden</h4>

    A woman¡¯s scream broke the peaceful environment when Duchess Mingguo was enjoying the scenery in the Osmanthus Garden with several other madams. Flowers nted on both sides of the path. They were talking andughing along the way. As they were chatting happily, they heard the scream. Moreover, the scream was nearby. As the hostess, Duchess Mingguo was naturally going to have a look. The other madams followed her to the ce where the sound came from.

    When they turned a corner, they heard the panicked voice of womening from the yard in front of them. Everyone hurried into the yard.

    The maidservant who rushed to the front screamed as soon as she entered. Then she ran out with a flushed face. She was panting in a panic. It was obvious that something had happened inside.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Duchess Mingguo frowned and asked coldly. No matter what happened, as the mistress, she was just as to me.

    ¡°I... I, I didn¡¯t see anything!¡± The maidservant kept shaking her head. But the more she said this, the more suspicious it became. In particr, she also heard the loud sound of something falling on the ground, and a woman¡¯s involuntary cry of pain, which made people feel that something had happened inside.

    Duchess Mingguo pushed away the maidservant in front of her and walked in with her maidservants. The madams behind looked at each other and followed in her footsteps.

    As the half-closed door was pushed open, the scene in front of them shocked everyone. The huge screen had fallen to the ground and the woman only wearing underwear was lying on the ground littered with women¡¯s clothes and essories. The handsome man lying on the couch didn¡¯t wear the outer robe. He was not properly dressed. At this moment, he was rubbing his eyes and raising his cold and handsome face. It seemed that he was still drunk. He was awakened by the loud sound of the screen falling to the ground and looked nkly at the woman lying on the ground.

    When a woman dressed like this and was seen by a man, her reputation had been ruined!

    Duchess Mingguo dazedly looked at You Yuecheng, who was lying on the couch and had yet to react. Then she looked at the red-faced Sixth Princess whose dress was pinned by the screen by the corner. She was so shocked that she could not even speak. How, how could this be!

    The madams behind her did not expect to see this scene and immediately quieted down. This was not an ordinary matter between a man and a woman. It was rted to the Sixth Princess and Marquess Mingguo¡¯s son. And the most important thing was that Marquess Mingguo¡¯s son had already married, and the Sixth Princess was said to be someone who was going to marry into another country.

    But, why were the two of them... together...

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, what, what¡¯s wrong with you? Your clothes are wet. I just brought you a set of clothes. How... ¡± A pce maid rushed in from the crowd, and the clothes in her hands fell to the ground in a mess. She was so scared that her face turned pale and her body trembled.

    ¡°I... I changed my clothes... but there is someone here... ¡± Seeing her personal pce maiding, the Sixth Princess immediately looked as if she had seen her family. She was held in the pce maid¡¯s arms and immediately burst into tears, blushing.

    Even though she only said a few words, everyone immediately understood. It seemed that Sixth Princess hade in to change her clothes and did not have anything to do with Marquess Mingguo. Then what about Marquess Mingguo? Everyone¡¯s gaze fell on You Yuecheng.

    Rubbing his dull head, You Yuecheng stood up and picked up the outer robe beside him. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, he put it on calmly. When he was dressed neatly, he went up to greet Duchess Mingguo and the other madams.

    ¡°Your Excellency, why, why are you here?¡± Duchess Ding¡¯s face was so dark that it looked as if one could squeeze out of water. If this matter was settled, there would definitely be a conflict with Mingyan. Given the status of the princess, even if something really happened, it had to be hidden. At that time, it would be her daughter who would suffer.

    ¡°Mother-inw, this is the ce where Mingyan and I usually rest. Mingyan likes the environment here. It is connected to my study on the other side. She usuallyes from the inner courtyard. Ie from the back door of the Osmanthus Garden through the study. Then I will rest here for a while and talk with Mingyan.¡±

    You Yuecheng exined. Most of the people in Mingguo Manor knew about this matter. As such, even though the Osmanthus Garden had not been given to You Yuecheng, it was the courtyard where he and Ling Mingyan rested. You Yuecheng rarely went to the main courtyard, so Ling Mingyan would have toe to see You Yuecheng here most of the time.

    The Osmanthus Garden was designed to be a ce for the male master to rest. The back door of You Yuecheng¡¯s study was facing the back door of the Osmanthus Garden, so it did not need to enter the second door. One could enter the inner courtyard directly through this yard. As such, the Osmanthus Garden was the most special ce in the manor. Furthermore, it was convenient and You Yuecheng usually lived here.

    ¡°Today, you...¡± Duchess Mingguo regained her wits. She looked at You Yuecheng and asked hesitantly. Even though she was Duchess Mingguo, she was not You Yuecheng¡¯s biological mother. Furthermore, You Yuecheng had always been powerful. She usually did not dare to speak casually in front of You Yuecheng, so her question was a little obscure!

    But she had expressed her meaning clearly.

    ¡°A few of my friends came today and I drank a few cups of wine with them. I was a little tipsy, so I came to the Osmanthus Garden to have a rest. I didn¡¯t expect that Sixth Princess woulde to the room to change her clothes...¡± You Yuecheng frowned and said unhappily. His eyes fell on the Sixth Princess who had been helped up, and he wore a cold look on his face.

    You Yuecheng had always had a good reputation in the world outside, and had been far from debauchery. Now, for no reason, he was put through such a thing. Everyone would be unhappy if they were involved in it.

    But how to solve this problem now? It seemed to be a misunderstanding. But a princess had ruined her reputation, and it was rted to Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s marriage. It could never be a small matter. All of a sudden, everyone quieted down.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, didn¡¯t Mingyan wait for you ahead? Why are you still here at this time?¡± Duchess Ding was the first to break the silence. Unlike the other madams, she could stay out of itpletely. Duchess Ding had a hunch that if the Sixth Princess really married into Mingguo Manor, her daughter would not have a good life.

    The youngdy of Ding General Manor was a duke¡¯s daughter, who had an extremely noble status, and most youngdies of noble families would only be concubines even if they tried their best to marry into the manor. So it was nothing. However, the one in front of her was the Sixth Princess. How could Duchess Ding remain calm?

    What happened today was too coincidental, as if everything was really unrted. However, who was Duchess Ding? She had always been careful in this aspect. She was not Ling Mingyan. She always felt that there was something wrong with it. If the matter was really settled, her daughter would suffer the most. Thus, she would not just stand by and do nothing.

    ¡°Her Highness and the Seventh Princess came here together. When they came here, the two princesses liked the scenery here, but they were worried that the Young Madam would be waiting for them. So the Seventh Princess went to see the Young Madam first, and our princess came in casually. When she came here, she found that the fish in the tank in the garden was really interesting. When she came to y, she wetted her clothes, so she wanted to change inside. Who would have thought...?¡±

    The pce maid had already dressed the Sixth Princess well and stood in front of the crying princess. She said angrily to Duchess Ding and then asked Duchess Mingguo, ¡°Since it leads to the outer courtyard, shouldn¡¯t you send a few people to guard here today? At least they can tell the female guests who know nothing about the situation not toe here.¡±

    Everyone in Mingguo Manor knew that You Yuecheng usually stayed here, but others did not know. Speaking of this, it was not the Sixth Princess¡¯s fault; it was Mingguo Manor¡¯s own negligence, which caused the princess to suffer. Who could bear the responsibility? Duchess Mingguo¡¯s face was pale and her hands trembled slightly.

    Hearing the pce maid¡¯s question, she panicked a little. But then, she thought of something and her eyes lit up. She answered hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for two maidservants to be here. They should be here. How could Sixth Princess not have seen them when she came in?¡±

    Although Duchess Mingguo was also a daughter of an aristocratic family, her status was not as high as that of the first wife as she was the second wife. In front of Duchess Ding, she always felt inferior. Ling Mingyan was also arrogant and never took her stepmother seriously. Usually, she just ignored her. You Yuecheng¡¯s status as the duke¡¯s legitimate son could not be changed, and You Yue¡¯e was Consort Yan. By any measure, the stepwife had had a difficult time.

    Therefore, how could she dare to take the responsibility now?

    ¡°You¡¯ve arranged for two maidservants to be here? Where are the two maidservants?¡± Duchess Ding asked in an unfriendly tone.

    ¡°There are two maidservants. But when we came in, the two maidservants all went to serve Consort Xuan. When Her Highness came in, she wanted to go there. But Consort Xuan¡¯s maidservant asked the two maidservants of Mingguo Manor to tell us that Consort Xuan was resting there and ask us not to disturb them. She also said that the scenery here was more beautiful.¡±

    The pce maid exined. The Sixth Princess, who was sitting behind her, cried even harder and could not speak.

    ¡°Consort Xuan?¡± Duchess Ding raised her brows and asked sternly, ¡°Did she send someone to show Sixth Princess the way?¡±

    Consort Xuan was not from Mingguo Manor, so how could she know that the scenery at the end of this road would be better?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But that¡¯s what the two maidservants said before. I saw Consort Xuan from a distance. I thought that Consort Xuan liked quiet and didn¡¯t want to be disturbed, so I told Her Highness and then went to the path that Consort Xuan told us. Who knew that such a thing would happen...?¡±

    The pce maid said in a skillful manner. She had linked severalpletely unrted things together. She did not say what the connection was, but she did suggest something. Even if Mo Xuetong were here right now, she would not be able to defend herself because the pce maid did not say what Mo Xuetong had done in the story!

    The Sixth Princess, who had been wiping her tears, had a faint look of satisfaction on her face as she covered her face with her handkerchief.

    She had nned this matter to frame Ling Mingyan. If she could drag Mo Xuetong in as well, Ding General Manor and King Xuan¡¯s Manor would be at odds with each other. It would be an unexpected joy. She just mentioned Mo Xuetong a little, but Mo Xuetong could not defend herself against the result. Perhaps, others might even think that Mo Xuetong had been intending to frame her...

    If this matter was rted to Crown Prince Xieyue of the Southern Barbarian Lands, it would be hard for Mo Xuetong to get rid of it even if she died. The Sixth Princess did not expect that she could achieve such an effect with such a casual move. How could she not feel proud?

    No one noticed that You Yuecheng¡¯s pretty brows were unconsciously furrowed. He cast a cold nce at the Sixth Princess and his eyes were deep and icy!

 Chapter 651 - The Arrogant Palace Maid Serving the Sixth Princess

    <h4>Chapter 651 The Arrogant Pce Maid Serving the Sixth Princess</h4>

    When Duchess Ding was told by the pce maid that this matter had something to do with Consort Xuan, she immediately sent someone to bring the two maidservants over. The two maidservants¡¯ confession was exactly the same as what the pce maid had said. They all imed that Consort Xuan was arrogant, and that when she saw the two maidservants after she went through the door, she asked them to wait on her at her side. They were not allowed to leave at all.

    After that, Consort Xuan asked them to tell the Sixth Princess¡¯s pce maid that the scenery there was better!

    Although the two maidservants felt that it was inappropriate, since Consort Xuan had said so, they did not dare to say anything to refute her. After telling the Sixth Princess¡¯s pce maid, they went to serve Consort Xuan. They had no idea what happened afterward at all!

    ¡°Then is Consort Xuan still in the garden?¡± The face of Old Madam in Fu General Manor darkened. She knocked hard on the ground with her walking stick. She had thought that it was a scandal between Mingguo Manor and Ding General Manor. However, she did not expect that it would have something to do with her granddaughter. How could she not be furious?

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know.¡± The short maidservant was startled. She knelt on the ground shivering and didn¡¯t dare to move. They had been squatting in the corner. When they heard someone screaming, they didn¡¯t dare to go out to watch. Even though there was no sound from where Consort Xuan was, they didn¡¯t dare to leave.

    They did note until Duke Mingguo sent someone to summon them. They thought that Consort Xuan should be here, but with such a big thing happening here, Consort Xuan did not make any sound. They were a little uncertain, so they did not dare to tell the truth.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Then why did you push all the me to Consort Xuan just now? Didn¡¯t you say that everything you did was ordered by Consort Xuan? Even where the Sixth Princess went was decided by Consort Xuan. I didn¡¯t expect that Consort Xuan could still decide the affairs in Mingguo Manor. I¡¯m ignorant!¡±

    The Old Madam in the Fu General Manor looked coldly at the maidservant kneeling on the ground. She was clear about what kind of person Tong¡¯er was. How could the girl do such a stupid thing? No matter what the result of the whole matter was, it had nothing to do with Tong¡¯er. Judging from the result, the Old Madam thought that it was probably the Six Princess who stood to gain the most from this matter.

    It was said that the Sixth Princess was the best candidate for marrying Crown Prince Xieyue. Marrying into another country far away would make her far from help. Maybe the two countries would start a war, and then she would be a hostage. No one would be willing to do so!

    ¡°Old Madam, you don¡¯t have to be mad. Since Consort Xuan has gotten involved, then we shall invite Consort Xuan toe and ask her. Anyway, when ites to this kind of thing, the wise man knows he knows nothing, and the fool thinks he knows all. We can always distinguish,¡± Duchess Ding snorted lightly. She turned her gaze from You Yuecheng to the Sixth Princess and finally to the pce maid in front of the Sixth Princess. Her eyesnded on the pce maid with a powerful and cold aura, making her automatically shudder.

    At this point, it could not be solved in a few words. If this matter really had something to do with Consort Xuan, the motive behind it would not be simple. What was her purpose? Did she want to destroy the marriage between Mingguo Manor and Ding General Manor and deliberately frame the Sixth Princess?

    ¡°Madams, are you looking for me?¡± A gentle and confused voice sounded from behind the crowd.

    Everyone looked back and saw Consort Xuan, who was surrounded by a group of young and old maidservants,ing over. On her left stood Ling Mingyan, who was wearing an angry look, and on her right stood the Seventh Princess. The three of them walked over slowly. Ling Mingyan looked at the Sixth Princess fiercely, but the other two all had a smile on their faces.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, when our Sixth Princess came over just now, why did you get people to tell us that the scenery here is better? Even if you didn¡¯t want our princess to disturb your peace and quiet, you couldn¡¯t do something like this that is good to none. Now, our princess, our princess... ¡± The pce maid immediately reacted to the Sixth Princess¡¯s hint and took the initiative. In the end, she even red at Mo Xuetong as if she had been wronged but she didn¡¯t dare to say anything.

    It looked as if Mo Xuetong had really bullied the Sixth Princess.

    Her remarks were not directed at anyone. She did not say that Mo Xuetong had done it intentionally, but she sounded so aggressive that it was hard to argue. As long as Mo Xuetong had been to the Osmanthus Garden, and she was there when Sixth Princess went through the door, she would not be able to exin it clearly.

    Even if Mo Xuetong¡¯s maidservants could testify on behalf of her, it was useless because their identity!

    There were many questionable points in her words. Thinking about it carefully, people could tell that it hinted that Mo Xuetong had ulterior motives. However, if she really wanted to defend herself, she could do nothing. Her words were more than a thousand times fiercer than when Ling Rui¡¯er had set up a trap to harm her. The real intention was revealed in the end. The Sixth Princess was really powerful¡ªshe set up Mo Xuetong when she tried to frame others. Mo Xuetong could not help but admire the ¡°gracious and generous¡± Sixth Princess.

    Unfortunately, all her clever calctions and intrigues would bring her nothing but her doom!

    Mo Xuetong ignored the pce maid¡¯s words, and she looked calm and gentle as she entered the room with Ling Mingyan and the Seventh Princess.

    As You Yuecheng noticed a hint of smile at the corner Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes, his expression grew colder and vignt.

    Unlike the Sixth Princess, You Yuecheng had fought with Mo Xuetong several times, and he knew Mo Xuetong was not someone to be trifled with. She was definitely not the stupid younger sister that Mo Xuemin had mentioned. King Yan had failed again and again, and it seemed that they all had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong, but You Yuecheng could sharply sense that she was involved in every matter.

    Was it really just a coincidence?

    The Sixth Princess entered the Osmanthus Garden and he was discovered when he was not properly dressed. But theycked an important condition¡ªthere must be an arrogant and distinguished also showing up in the Osmanthus Garden and holding off the maidservants who guarded the ce. That was the reason why the Sixth Princess appeared in this room.

    It was not easy to find such a person. The person should be young because young people would be aggressive!

    The person should be arrogant as well so that she could hold back the maidservants of the hostess!

    Only with a higher status could the person look down on the Sixth Princess!

    After an estimate, only Consort Xuan Mo Xuetong was the most suitable candidate!

    She had a high status and was young. It was reasonable for her to do anything when she was hot-blooded. As for whether she was arrogant or not, King Xuan was an arrogant and aggressive person. Perhaps Consort Xuan had developed this habit as she had been with King Xuan for a long time. Furthermore, it was said that Consort Xuan was very doted on and it was normal for her to be arrogant.

    The Sixth Princess had set her sights on Mo Xuetong, and You Yuecheng did not stop her. Anyway, it was just a cause, and would not have a serious effect on her. It was You Yuecheng and the Sixth Princess, who were in trouble. Even though Mo Xuetong had a little bad reputation because of this small matter, Feng Yuran would not say anything. He did not have a good reputation, so how could he care about it?

    However, the situation seemed to have changed!

    First, the Sixth Princess dragged Mo Xuetong into the trap without discussing it with him. She even ordered the pce maid to say that Mo Xuetong had asked her toe over. Then, the two maidservants also lied. This was not a big deal at first. Mo Xuetong was just a crucial part of it, and her reputation would be affected a little.

    However, how could Mo Xuetong still remain calm in such a situation? If the matter was confirmed, Mo Xuetong would definitely be affected, and Ding General Manor would not spare her. With Ling Mingyan¡¯s temper, she would not spare Mo Xuetong. You Yuecheng felt a little annoyed for no reason.

    You Yuecheng knew exactly what kind of person Ling Mingyan was. In the past, he had hinted to her that he would not marry her. However, she refused to ept it and tried to marry him in all manner of ways. If Mo Xuetong had intentionally sent someone to him and caused the Sixth Princess to marry into the manor, with Ling Mingyan¡¯s character, she would not stop until she killed her!

    Ling Mingyan might not be scary, but what about Ding General Manor behind her, or the Empress or the Empress Dowager...

    Thinking of this, You Yuecheng felt depressed and annoyed. He frowned and red at the Sixth Princess. He used to think that the Sixth Princess was smart, but now she was stupid. At first, he didn¡¯t have to confront Mo Xuetong, but now he had to do it. Frustrations came over his heart.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you...¡± The pce maid saw Mo Xuetong ignored her and went inside with Marquise Mingguo and the Seventh Princess. She felt embarrassed. She was the trusted servant of the Sixth Princess in the pce. Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s status had risen recently, and the trusted servant serving the Sixth Princess had also gained face. No one had ever ignored her words

    Mo Xuetong paused for a second and then continued walking inside.

    Mo Yu, who was following behind Mo Xuetong, stopped. She turned around and strode up to the pce maid. Smiling coldly at the pce maid, she said, ¡°You¡¯re Sixth Princess¡¯s pce maid, right? Everyone says that the Sixth Princess is gentle and gracious. I did not expect that her personal pce maid would dare topete with Consort Xuan. Do you think that you can convict Her Lady with just a few words? Or do you think that you can make Her Lady be the culprit of this ¡®ident¡¯ with just a few words?¡±

    Her words were extremely sharp. The Sixth Princess had always been known to be gentle and gracious. Like Imperial Noble Consort Wen, she had a good reputation in the pce. However, could such a princess have such an arrogant pce maid beside her? Couldn¡¯t she see it?

    Everyone had not paid attention to the Sixth Princess at first, but after hearing what Mo Yu said, they all realized that something was wrong! The pce maid had just mentioned Consort Xuan and almost dered that she was guilty with her thumb to her nose!

    Who was Consort Xuan? She was the Emperor¡¯s daughter-inw, the Emperor¡¯s favorite son¡¯s wife. Now she was scolded by a little pce maid. Was she really the Sixth Princess¡¯s pce maid? Didn¡¯t people say that a servant would be like the master?

    ording to the pce maid¡¯s behavior, it was hard to believe that the Sixth Princess was so pure and kind.

    Could it be that there was a mistake in this?

    The Sixth Princess secretly gritted her teeth in regret. She regretted that she had reacted too quickly earlier, afraid that Mo Xuetong would defend herself. She wanted to prove her crime before Mo Xuetong could refute it. However, she did not expect her maidservant to be regarded as being arrogant. Besides, she could not defend her in such a situation.

    The pce maid was tongue-tied. She did not expect Mo Yu to say something like that. She did not defend Mo Xuetong, and instead, she went straight to her mistake. She was shocked at Mo Yu¡¯s words. There was a sh of light in her eyes and her reaction was quick. Her expression darkened and she immediately put on a nervous and fearful expression.

    ¡°Please forgive me, My Lady. I just heard from them that it was because of you that Her Highness was framed... I was anxious... so, please forgive me, My Lady.¡±

    The viciousness she showed earlier immediately turned into sadness and aggrievedness. She even shed tears. It was obvious that she was loyal to her master. Mo Xuetong could not help but praise that the Sixth Princess was really smart when she saw the pce maid¡¯s sad expression and how the Sixth Princess cried so hard that she could not even lift her head.

    The princess didn¡¯t defend herself at all, but turned herself into the real victim. She was really brilliant!

 Chapter 652 - The Failure of the Sixth Princesss Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 652 The Failure of the Sixth Princess¡¯s Conspiracy</h4>

    ¡°Tell me, when did Her Lady ask you to guide the Sixth Princess here?¡± Mo Lan stepped forward and gently asked the two maidservants who were kneeling on the side.

    ¡°Just, just when the Sixth Princess came in.¡± The tall maidservant knelt on the ground, her body trembling, and she didn¡¯t dare to lift her head. She was obviously terrified of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°What was Her Lady doing at the time?¡± Mo Lan asked with a calm smile.

    ¡°Her Lady... Her Lady sat there and enjoyed the flowers.¡± The tall maidservant thought about it and gritted her teeth. At this time, she couldn¡¯t retreat. When she came, the nanny had made it clear that if the n was sessful, all her family members could get rid of their servant status, so she could only continue to frame Consort Xuan now. Anyway, she could only be admiring the flowers in the garden at that time.

    ¡°Oh, I see. This is how it happened: My Lady was admiring the flowers and you were waiting on her when she saw the Sixth Princessing in. She asked you to tell the pce maid of the Sixth Princess that the scenery there was better. After you told them, you came back to wait on My Lady again!¡±

    Mo Lan looked at the two maidservants, the corners of her lips lifted, and asked generously. She had summarized the matter logically.

    This was what the pce maid said just now, but it was not as clear as what she said. She seemed to bepletely an outsider. When talking about this matter, she did not add anything or reduce anything. She looked calm andposed, which made people feel convinced. Thedies looked at Mo Lan, showing some appreciation.

    It was really rare for such a maidservant, who was not arrogant or impatient, to not panic in the face of a big deal.

    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s it.¡± The two maidservants nodded vigorously and consciously relieved. The scene was so stern that the two maidservants were almost speechless. Now that someone helped them say what they should say, they certainly nodded and recognized.

    Duchess Ding looked at his daughter who hadn¡¯t spoken until now, and frowned slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything. It was rare that her daughter was so calm. It seemed that she still had her next move. Besides, it was Mingguo Manor, and it was not proper for her to intervene.

    Duchess Mingguo had a headache because of the incident involving Consort Xuan and the Sixth Princess. It was impossible to investigate it for a moment even though she wanted to. Seeing that the people around Consort Xuan took the matter over, she stood idly by, watching the event unfold.

    The Old Madam in the Fu General Manor was ancient. Seeing Mo Xuetong sitting there calmly, she didn¡¯t rush and waited.

    Ping General¡¯s wife smiled, and others couldn¡¯t see her emotions.

    You Yuecheng felt a kind of uneasy instinct. He cast a nce at Ling Mingyan, who was extremely quiet today, and a deep shadow shed across his eyes. Ling Mingyan was easy to rise to the bait. ording to her behavior in the past, she should have boiled with indignation and confronted Mo Xuetong. It would be totally different from how she behaved now. Although she was angry, she didn¡¯t lose her temper and just looked at the Sixth Princess with cold eyes.

    Something had made Ling Mingyan calm down. It... was not something good!

    ¡°Sixth Princess, did you see me at that time?¡± Mo Xuetong stretched out her hand to signal Mo Lan and Mo Yu, asking them to step back. She turned to look at the Sixth Princess. At this time, another pce maid of the Sixth Princess had alsoe. The Sixth Princess looked up and her eyes were filled with sadness, as if secretly wiping away the tears on her face, but in fact she felt a little bad, and an uneasy emotion came over her heart.

    Because Mo Xuetong acted too calmly, which gave the Sixth Princess a bad premonition. Was it possible that Mo Xuetong could get out of today¡¯s incident? Could it be that her n was discovered by Mo Xuetong? The Sixth Princess pinched the handkerchief while she was sweating.

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s question, she raised her head in a tender manner, looking at Mo Xuetong with tears in her eyes, but the light in her eyes shed away.

    ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I, I didn¡¯t see you, so it¡¯s impossible for you to say that. You usually treat me very well. How could you do such a thing? I believe you, Eighth sister-inw.¡± The Sixth Princess was wearing a soft and innocent look on her face. She raised her head to look at Duchess Mingguo, showing the helplessness and hesitation of a girl, tears shining in the corner of her eyes.

    In an instant, she had already figured out a countermeasure. Today¡¯s things were too weird. She couldn¡¯t let herself sink too deep, or the matter would be a big deal, and she really couldn¡¯t exin it. She only wanted to upy the role of the victim now. As for other things, she would solve themter. After all, the most important thing now was to let Mingguo Manor ept the matter.

    ¡°Mo Xuetong, there will be opportunities in the future! Mother is right. Forbearance, I have to be forbearing now. I can¡¯t lose the greater for the less.¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, did you really not see Consort Xuan?¡± Duchess Ding couldn¡¯t help asking when the Sixth Princess took the initiative to defend Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Yes, this matter has nothing to do with... Eighth sister-inw. It¡¯s just that the two maidservants¡¯ side of that. How, how could I know if someone else did it deliberately. Even if Eighth sister-inw was there, it can¡¯t exin anything.¡± The Sixth Princess nodded, with a sincere expression on her face. Thinking about her current situation, others felt more and more that she was framed.

    At this point, she was still speaking for the person who harmed her, and the other aristocraticdies looked at Mo Xuetong with disdain.

    The topic was changed by the Sixth Princess. The situation Mo Xuetong had asked Mo Lan to create before had turned to whether Consort Xuan had really framed the Sixth Princess. The Sixth Princess didn¡¯t say it directly but her words sounded from the bottom of her heart, which made people feel that Consort Xuan was unruly.

    She even framed the Sixth Princess who was such a gentle person, while the Sixth Princess trusted her so much!

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly without saying anything, but turned to look at the two kneeling maidservants, walked to them, and confirmed again, ¡°You got my order and told the Sixth Princess¡¯s people. Then you went back to serve me again after that, right?¡±

    The two maidservants harbored intentions that couldn¡¯t bear daylight, especially when the fact was that they had never wait on Mo Xuetong. Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s question, they became more and more nervous. They raised their heads and exchanged nces before nodding vigorously. ¡°Yes, My Lady, that¡¯s it. We, we, we dare not lie about such a big thing.¡±

    This meant that the reason why they told what Mo Xuetong had done now was that the matter was too big and involved the Sixth Princess. The two young maidservants couldn¡¯t bear this responsibility, so they could only tell it all.

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t care about the allusions in their words that she deliberately led the Sixth Princess to the path, and nodded with satisfaction. ¡°You said that I asked you to say that. Is it because I have been staying in the Osmanthus Garden and have juste here from the garden?¡±

    The question was so abrupt that the two maidservants didn¡¯t understand why Mo Xuetong posed it. They nced at each other secretly, and didn¡¯t dare to answer.

    ¡°Consort Xuan means to ask, have you seen Her Lady staying there all the time? Can you be sure that Her Lady still enjoyed the scenery at the Osmanthus Garden after you left?¡± A pce maid of the Sixth Princess couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, afraid that the two maidservants were trapped. Mo Xuetong came with Ling Mingyan, so she didn¡¯t seem to have been staying there all the time.

    Her behavior was extremely impolite. So many nobledies were present, but considering Mo Xuetong¡¯s current status, no one said anything. The Seven Princess even just stood on the side and watched quietly. After the pce maid finished her words, others immediately felt how rude she was.

    ¡°Shut up. When Her Lady was speaking, how could you interrupt? Father and Mother will be in charge of this matter,¡± the Sixth Princess scolded the pce maid with red eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve gone beyond the limits. My Lady, please forgive me.¡± Reprimanded, the pce maid immediately bowed to Mo Xuetong and asked for her forgiveness.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, ignoring their acting, kept staring at the two maidservants and asked, ¡°What do you say?¡±

    Getting the pce maid¡¯s hint, the two maidservants had already figured something out. The tall one shook her head and replied, ¡°After we delivered the message, wee back and report it back to Her Lady, Her Lady asked us to wait on the outside. As for whether Her Lady went away or not and when she went away, we really don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean, after I asked you to pass the message to the Sixth Princess, you didn¡¯t know if I left?¡± Mo Xuetong was still calm as before, her eyes as clear as water, and she didn¡¯t change the subject as the Sixth Princess wanted.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± As the two maidservants were stared at by Mo Xuetong¡¯s dark eyes, a chill stole over them. They felt cold, but they were still holding on.

    ¡°If I tell you that I never let you wait on, nor did I order you anything. I don¡¯t know how you would exin it,¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly.

    ¡°My, My Lady, why do you say that? We have been waiting on you. How could you have not seen us? We had made tea there. Didn¡¯t you drink the tea we made when My Lady came?¡± Seeing that it was not a good situation, the tall maidservant shouted loudly, ¡°My Lady, what you said would be enough to kill us!¡±

    What she said sounded as if Mo Xuetong wanted them to bear her crime.

    When Mo Xuetong came to the garden, there were indeed tea and pastries on the table. When the two maidservants left, they saw a maidservant picking up the tea and offering it to Consort Xuan. Consort Xuan couldn¡¯t deny the truth. Then Mo Xuetong could no longer defend herself.

    The maidservants next to her couldn¡¯t testify to her. They were all her own servants. Was it possible that they could refuse their master¡¯s order?

    ¡°Oh, if I tell you, I just followed you into the pavilion for a moment and didn¡¯t ept your service. Then I left. Do you believe it?¡± Mo Xuetong was still smiling calmly, as if she was asking casually. There was no stern yelling, or intentional inquiry, as if it was an ordinary thing.

    But hearing these words, everyone was stunned!

    Was Mo Xuetong not in the pavilion of the Osmanthus Garden? The Sixth Princess began to sweat on her head, and her hands twitched unconsciously. She squeezed her hands tightly, and the grievances on her face almost copsed. If it were not for her strong self-control, she might exim.

    You Yuecheng sensed that the situation had turned bad and wanted to stop Mo Xuetong¡¯s questioning, but he couldn¡¯t do that. Seeing the two maidservants kneeling on the ground, dumbfounded, he knew it was bad. His face darkened. He couldn¡¯t stop Mo Xuetong from investigating this matter as it came to this point. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t participate in this matter at all. Even if the Sixth Princess failed, it had nothing to do with him.

    As for whether the Sixth Princess could marry him or not, it was not within his calctions. He didn¡¯t really want to marry the Sixth Princess anyway. He really didn¡¯t care if there was one more woman in his backyard!

    Originally, he thought that the Sixth Princess was a smart person. Then it would be better for him to marry her so that she could help him deal with Mo Xuetong. Now it seemed that she was not smart enough, so he just settled down and watched!

    Therefore, You Yuecheng stood beside without saying a word, looking unfathomable!

 Chapter 653 - Disputes, Flaws in the Perfect Plan

    <h4>Chapter 653 Disputes, ws in the Perfect n</h4>

    The two maidservants were scared by Mo Xuetong¡¯s words and almost copsed on the ground, trembling all over. They didn¡¯t expect that Mo Xuetong would say those words. They already had a guilty conscience¡ªwhen Mo Xuetong came to the garden, she didn¡¯t let them wait on her at all. Even their superior did not know about this.

    The two had been hiding in a corner, just in case their superior found out that they had been driven out by Consort Xuan. How could they notice if Consort Xuan had left? This was originally unexpected. They didn¡¯t even know the appearance of the Sixth Princess in advance. They hid in the dark and saw clearly that the Sixth Princess went in that direction proficiently after going through the door.

    There was no one to lead the way. She looked as if she had taken that way several times!

    When the Sixth Princess was gone, they saw their superior, so they ran out of the dark, pretending that they had waited on Consort Xuan. Their superior had no idea that Consort Xuan had driven them out of the garden. So she didn¡¯t know that there was such a fatal blow. Since the two maidservants only took Mo Xuetong in and didn¡¯t wait on her by her side, then the words that Mo Xuetong asked them to pass the message was a lie.

    ¡°This, we, we really had been waiting on Her Lady!¡± The tall maidservant reacted quickly, and insisted through gritted teeth. The only one who could prove that they were not waiting on Consort Xuan was her maidservants, but their words were not admissible as evidence.

    As long as they insisted that when the Sixth Princess came, Consort Xuan was there, who could prove that they were lying?

    Ling Mingyan couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She pped the table beside her violently and scolded, ¡°You bastard, tell me, who told you to frame Consort Xuan? Did someone deliberately plot something and break into this ce?¡± She had endured it until now. Seeing that the two maidservants insisted, she was filled with hatred, as she looked coldly and bitterly at the Sixth Princess and Duchess Mingguo beside her.

    Although she was a little confused, she was by no means stupid. Thinking that the Seventh Princess and Consort Xuan talked about the marriage between the two countries, she understood. Someone made this farce on purpose, and the most beneficiary of this matter was the Sixth Princess!

    As long as You Yuecheng acknowledged this ident, the Sixth Princess would be able to marry into Mingguo Manor. Naturally, the Seventh Princess would marry Crown Prince Xieyue. As for the Sixth Princess, after she entered Mingguo Manor, what should she do? Ling Mingyan was not arrogant enough to think that she could suppress the Sixth Princess.

    Even if the Sixth Princess would marry into Mingguo Manor as a co-wife, she couldn¡¯t suppress her!

    At the thought of this, Ling Mingyan¡¯s eyes almost turned red.

    How could she be willing to share her husband whom she finally married with another woman? Besides, this person would defeat her. There were some things that everyone understood even if they didn¡¯t say it. Because of Mo Xuetong, it was suspicious, making the whole incident look more like a long-premeditated n.

    ¡°Ladies, actually, when I went in, there were still maidservants at the door. Seeing meing, they insisted to invite me in. After I entering the garden, these two maidservants wanted to wait on me. I thought that there would be many guests today, and I should not ask the two people to stay by my side, so I didn¡¯t let them wait on me. After walking around in the Osmanthus Garden, I saw a side door and walked out. After asking a maidservant on the way, I went to see Marquise. As I sat there and chatted for a while, the Seventh Princess also arrived, and she said that the Sixth Princess wanted to stay in the Osmanthus Garden to admire the scenery.¡±

    Mo Xuetong exined in a soft and gentle voice.

    ¡°Actually, My Lady was already with Marquise when Sixth Princess entered the Osmanthus Garden. I don¡¯t know why you said that she asked the maidservant to tell Sixth Princess toe here because she didn¡¯t want others to disturb her quietness!¡± Mo Yu concluded, and the words contained mockery.

    Everyone in this room was shrewd and influential. How could they not understand the meaning of her words? Since Consort Xuan didn¡¯t stay in the garden, it was clear that someone deliberately framed her as the pce maid beside the Sixth Princess said that Consort Xuan passed a message to them and Consort Xuan pulled the two maidservants out of the Osmanthus Garden.

    The two maidservants and the pce maid next to the Sixth Princess may have been bribed a long time ago. The purpose was to frame Consort Xuan. As for the matter about the Sixth Princess, everyone originally thought it was a misunderstanding. It happened extremely naturally. The Sixth Princess entered the garden by mistake and wetted her clothes, while You Yuecheng took a rest after drinking. There was nothing wrong with it. It was very idental andpletely coincidental.

    But now they all knew that Mo Xuetong was framed. Everyone in the room hadplicated thoughts. Why did someone frame the noble Consort Xuan? What was the purpose? One could find something weird after weighing it. Everyone had never suspected the Sixth Princess before, but now Mo Yu¡¯s words reminded them of the marriage. Their eyes looking at Sixth Princess were a little more profound.

    ¡°When I went to see Marquise, Eighth sister-inw was there for a long while. Sixth sister, did your maidservant... lie to you?¡± The Seventh Princess raised her eyes and looked at the pce maid in front of the Sixth Princess. Although she said slowly, the meaning was very clear.

    ¡°Seventh sister, how, how could she harm me?¡± The Sixth Princess did not think there would be such a turn, and she regretted it. She shouldn¡¯t have involved Mo Xuetong. It was originally a very perfect n, but now it fell apart because of this. Now even her confidant was trapped in it. So the Sixth Princess raised her head to defend the pce maid, instead of crying.

    ¡°Is this pce maid Sixth Princess¡¯s confidant? Then that¡¯s really strange. Why is she telling nonsense to make me look unrighteous?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled nkly, as if what the Sixth Princess said was extremely funny. Her watery eyes rolled, looking exceedingly fascinating and charming. ¡°Could it be that she framed me with the maidservants of Mingguo Manor because she didn¡¯t like me?¡±

    Even the Seventh Princessughed out loud. A pce maid took great efforts to frame Consort Xuan with the maidservants of Mingguo Manor because she didn¡¯t like her. This was really a joke. A pce maid disliked the dignified Consort Xuan? Moreover, this kind of thing had nothing to do with a pce maid.

    Mingguo Manor and the Sixth Princess were involved in this matter. No one would believe that there was no relevant person meddling in it.

    The Sixth Princess opened her mouth and was speechless for a while.

    ¡°You bitch, tell us, who asked you to frame Consort Xuan?¡± Ling Mingyan was more of a physical being and asked viciously through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I, I...¡± The two maidservants shivered in fright, and couldn¡¯t evenplete the sentence.

    ¡°Somebody, drag the families of these two lowly servants and beat them to death in front of them,¡± Ling Mingyan ordered angrily. She wanted to kill!

    You Yuecheng frowned. Although he was dissatisfied with Ling Mingyan¡¯s behavior, he didn¡¯t say a word. He understood Ling Mingyan. At this time, no matter who spoke or exined, it would draw fire against himself. So when he saw the Sixth Princess¡¯s beautiful and imploring eyes, he just turned around indifferently.

    Originally, he didn¡¯t n to help the Sixth Princess. Now that she wanted to marry into Mingguo Manor, it would depend on her own ability.

    ¡°Mingyan, isn¡¯t this good? It¡¯s a matter of life and death. You have to ask carefully.¡± There were people who still couldn¡¯t see the situation clearly. Duchess Mingguo stopped her with embarrassment.

    ¡°A matter of life and death? You¡¯re right, mother. If Sixth Princess really ruined her fame here today, she would have to apologize with death. Can¡¯t the two lowly servants pay with their lives for the life of a royal princess? Even if all their family members pay with their lives, it is not enough.¡±

    Ling Mingyan stared at Duchess Mingguo coldly, and insisted. She knew what was going on with the pce maid next to the Sixth Princess. She did not expect that a noble princess fell in love with another woman¡¯s husband. How could Ling Mingyan not be so angry that she almost lost her mind?

    If no one ordered the two maidservants in Mingguo Manor, how dare they do such a thing? In addition to Duchess Mingguo, Ling Mingyan really could not think of another person to be able to mobilize people so perfectly. She was clear about it at this time, and she was even blunt when she spoke.

    ¡°If Sixth Princess really ruined her fame here today, she would have to apologize with death.¡± This word made the Sixth Princess speechless. She tightly pinched the handkerchief in her hand.

    ¡°Mingyan, this...¡± Duchess Mingguo still didn¡¯t give up, trying to persuade her, but was interrupted mercilessly by Ling Mingyan. ¡°What do you mean to protect these two lowly servants? Is this rted to you? Or did you send them over?¡±

    What she said was extremely cool and her attitude was cold. Duchess Ding, who was standing next to Duchess Mingguo, also snorted, ¡± Duchess Mingguo, could it be that you think that Mingyan is not good enough to be the mistress of a manor, and thus you deliberately chose a better one. It turns out that Mingguo Manor so dislikes Ding General Manor. That is fine, Mingyan, just go into the pce with me to meet Empress Dowager and Empress, just say that our Ding General Manor¡¯s daughters are more and more unattractive.¡±

    The pce of the Empress Dowager, and the Empress were all from Ding General Manor on the surface no matter how they disputed in the dark. They had always been the most distinguished. As she was forced by Duchess Ding, Duchess Mingguo¡¯s cheeks were nched and livid. She quickly denied. ¡°Duchess Ding, I didn¡¯t do this. How could this matter rte to me?¡±

    If this really rted to her, Duke Mingguo wouldn¡¯t tolerate her, not to mention King Xuan and the Emperor. So how could she dare to admit it?

    ¡°Since it has nothing to do with you, please stay neutral. Now that something like this happened, we have to find the person behind the scenes, who deliberately framed Consort Xuan and brought Sixth Princess here. What if to beat these lowly servants to death?¡± A light shed across Duchess Ding¡¯s eyes and her fingers pointed from the two maidservants to the pce maids beside the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Somebody...¡± Seeing that no one raised any objections, Ling Mingyan waved his hand. Then two old maidservant who did rough work went out to tie the two maidservants¡¯ family members.

    ¡°Young Madam, Young Madam, it¡¯s not us who wanted to frame Consort Xuan. Someone, someone instructed us to do so. Mercy, Young Madam!¡± The short maidservant had listened to the tall one. Now when she heard that Ling Mingyan was really angry and wanted to kill her family, she rushed up, hugged Ling Mingyan¡¯s legs, and begged loudly!

 Chapter 654 - The Truth Was Sometimes Unbelievable

    <h4>Chapter 654 The Truth Was Sometimes Unbelievable</h4>

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Ling Mingyan questioned angrily.

    ¡°It was Nanny Wang. It was Nanny Wang who asked us to receive guests there. She only said that when respected guestse in, we must take good care of them. She asked us to wait on the guests by the side, and there should be no mistakes. Later, Sister Yuyan who was guarding the door also saw Consort Xuan came over and asked us to follow behind Consort Xuan to wait on her. But Her Lady didn¡¯t want us to follow. We waited in a corner and saw the Sixth Princess hurriedly heading down the path. And then Nanny Wang came and told us to say that Her Lady asked the Sixth Princess to go down the path.¡±

    The short maidservant only hoped to live at this moment, so she didn¡¯t dare to hide it, and told all the story of the matter. Now she didn¡¯t want any glory and wealth, but only wanted her whole family to survive.

    As she said, she kept kowtowing. Blood came out on her forehead, but she didn¡¯t care to wipe it off.

    ¡°Somebody, call Nanny Wang here,¡± Ling Mingyan ordered to the old maidservants who did rough work. Then the two old maidservants left after a respond.

    ¡°Sixth sister, you knew the way! I was scared a lot,¡± the Seventh Princess smiled leisurely, as if she was just mentioning it casually.

    ¡°She hurriedly headed down the path.¡± This was what the maidservant just said, but it sounded weird. The maidservant beside the Sixth Princess clearly said that Consort Xuan pointed the way to them. Now the two maidservants had confessed. It had nothing to do with them at all, and they didn¡¯t even know that Consort Xuan had already left, so why did the pce maid next to the Sixth Princess say those words.

    ¡°Did that the pce maid beside the Sixth Princess know the road?¡± Mo Xuetong asked just right. ¡°It is normal for the Sixth Princess to enjoy the scenery and go down the path. It is said that the ces with wonderful scenery are often off the beaten track!¡±

    ¡°Sixth sister, your pce maid is so evil. She wanted to ruin your fame!¡± the Seventh Princess added timely, her eyes widened, her face full of surprise, as she looked at the Sixth Princess with extreme disbelief. ¡°ording to your words, she is your personal pce maid. How could shee up with such a disgusting way to harm Sixth sister? Sixth sister, you must not be soft-hearted. You must punish her severely.¡±

    The Sixth Princess did not think that things would change suddenly and unexpectedly. Before she had figured out how to solve it, she was suspected. Although the Seventh Princess didn¡¯t direct at her, the pce maid beside her had been exposed. A hint of sharpness shed across her eyes as she turned her head and fiercely pped the pce maid standing beside her.

    Then she snapped, ¡°Tell me, did you want to harm me? I trusted you so much and buy back your family¡¯s freedom. I never thought you were doing this to me. You, you, how can you do this to me!¡±

    In the end, she swallowed and couldn¡¯t continue, looking sad!

    The pce maid standing next to the Sixth Princess did not expect that such a big thing would eventually fall on her. She looked at the Sixth Princess who was fierce both in look and voice and repeatedly reminded her that her whole family was in her hand. If she did not bear the charge this time, there was no way for her whole family to survive.

    Even if she was unwilling to ept it, the pce maid had to plop and kneel down. ¡°It¡¯s me. I asked Nanny Wang to order the maidservants in that way. One of my younger sisters was beaten to deathst time. I heard that it was because of Consort Xuan¡¯s nderous talk. I harbor resentment towards Consort Xuan, so I did it.¡±

    This was originally a trap set by the Sixth Princess, but in the end she had to take the fall for the crime. How could she be able to bear such a charge as a little pce maid? Thinking of her family, the pce maid could only hold on. For the sake of her family, she could only take it even if she had to die. If she had known this result, she would not have helped the Sixth Princess set a trap to harm others.

    The Sixth Princess was a little relieved when she saw that the pce maid had confessed to the crime. With a distressed and sad expression on her face, she said, ¡°How, how could you do such a thing? That¡¯s Consort Xuan!¡±

    Then she turned her head to look at Mo Xuetong with a look of guilt. ¡°Eighth sister-inw, I didn¡¯t know people clearly, making you wronged. I, I, I really...¡± the Sixth Princess said, crying.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze was filled with a faint smile,nding on the Sixth Princess¡¯s delicate face. She said with concern, ¡°Sixth Princess, you¡¯re so polite. I¡¯m fine. At most I was framed and scolded. But you must trace the person who deliberately brought you here. Ruining the reputation of the royal family¡¯s princess is a great sin that could kill the criminal¡¯s family of nine generations.¡±

    Duchess Ding¡¯s gaze glided across the faces of Duchess Mingguo, You Yuecheng, and the Sixth Princess, with a bit of irritation in her eyes!

    A little pce maid really dared to deal with Consort Xuan? Duchess Ding would not believe it anyway. As Mo Xuetong talked about this subject again, the ufortable look crept over the corner of the Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes and she felt gloomy. However, it was not proper to publicize this matter. What if it was the Sixth Princess who nned it? What was more, the Empress didn¡¯t get the Emperor¡¯s favor now, and even Ding General Manor had to be very cautious.

    If someone identally provoked the Emperor, no one could afford it!

    Ding General Manor was no longer as powerful as it was a few years ago. It couldn¡¯t withstand the trouble. Even if she was sulking in her heart, she had to cover the anger in her chest at this time. Now the pce maid had taken the fall for the crime, it was better than facing the Sixth Princess directly.

    Duchess Mingguo had her own ns in her heart. The matter had reached this point. Fortunately, she had also arranged thetter so that she would not be involved. She also spoke today, which had already aroused the anger of Ding General Manor. If she intervened again, Ding General Manor and Mingguo Manor might confront each other directly.

    Duchess Mingguo¡¯s background was not as good as that of Duchess Ding. Of course she dare not go head-to-head. It was the best to get things done vaguely. Originally she wanted to use the princess¡¯s power, but now it seemed that it was not so easy to use it. She should save herself first.

    You Yuecheng had been watching coldly. In this case, the only thing he did was toe back to rest after drinking. This was normal and there was not the slightest doubt about it. No matter how the investigation was done, it was impossible to find fault in him. His pretty and cold eyes slowlynded on Mo Xuetong¡¯s smiley and angry face. After he looked at her quietly for a while, a deep and inquiring look shed in his eyes.

    What kind of experience it was that made her be so shrewd and vignt at a young age? As soon as she found something was wrong, she took her people away from the side door. She did it neatly. The two maidservants didn¡¯t even know that they had left. The failure of the Sixth Princess¡¯s n wasrgely due to the departure of Mo Xuetong.

    What was more, she left early, so early, even arriving at the ce where Ling Mingyan was before the Seven Princess did. She directly denied all the words the maidservants made up¡ªshe said something when she saw the Sixth Princess enter the door. The delicate beautiful girl was supposed to be indulging in romance, but why did she act like a hedgehog covered with spikes!

    As soon as she encountered a situation, she spread the spikes all over her body!

    As he saw her quietly standing aside, like a beautiful orchid blooming in the quiet night, the corners of his hard mouth were slightly rxed. There was no annoyance in his heart because of the failure of the Sixth Princess¡¯s n!

    ¡°Young Madam, bad news. Nanny Wang is dead. She hanged!¡± The two old maidservants who did rough work ran in, and when they were at the door, they stumbled heavily.

    ¡°Dead?¡± Unlike the twodies, Ling Mingyan expressed her anger. When she heard that Nanny Wang had been dead in advance, her face turned pale in anger.

    ¡°Yes, when we went there, Nanny Wang had been dead for a while, and the body had turned cold.¡± The old maidservants were in a panic, and their faces turned pale with fright. Who would expect that when they went to take her here, they found that she was hanging on the beam?

    ¡°Investigate it, investigate it, turn her room upside down. I don¡¯t believe that there is no clue.¡± Ling Mingyan stared at the two old maidservants, as if they killed Nanny Wang. The two old maidservants were so scared that they couldn¡¯t even speak, trembling all over. Everyone in the manor knew that when the Marquise became angry, someone might die.

    You Yuecheng cast a nce at Ling Mingyan, with a little madness in his eyes. How could a dignified Marquise act so cruel in front of others? However, he could not say anything as he was involved in this matter. Then he cupped his hands towards Duchess Mingguo and Duchess Ding and turned to leave.

    Up to now, Mingguo Manor was not involved, and he could maintain personal integrity. As for what would happen to the Sixth Princess, it had nothing to do with him! He didn¡¯t have the interest to stay here to watch Ling Mingyan fiercely beating and killing people. He didn¡¯t intend to intervene in the battle between women, leaving the Sixth Princess and Ling Mingyan to fight on their own.

    You Yuecheng turned and strode away without a word or an exnation. Ling Mingyan stomped angrily. She was defending him, but he didn¡¯t say a word. How could Ling Mingyan not be angry?

    ¡°Mingyan, this matter seems to have to be investigated slowly. Now let the Sixth Princess change clothes first. Fortunately, all the people here are nobledies. As long as we keep it a secret, the Sixth Princess¡¯s reputation won¡¯t be ruined.¡± Duchess Ding smiled slightly and withdrew the anger on her face. She had soothed Ling Mingyan, and said how to solve the matter by the way.

    She wanted to minimize big scandals and overlook minor ones!

    How could the Sixth Princess be willing to ept it? She spent so much effort to achieve her goal. But now they wanted to minimize big scandals and overlook minor ones. She motioned to the pce maid standing on the other side, who was also her confidant. The pce maid shot a nce at the one kneeling on the ground and hesitated for a while, but immediately shrank under the Sixth Princess¡¯s sharp gaze.

    Then she took a step forward. ¡°Madam, your idea is really good, but with so many people now, it¡¯s impossible to keep it a secret. As it¡¯s such a big deal, we¡¯d better ask His Majesty to decide.¡±

    Now that she mentioned the Emperor, who would dare to bear the crime of deceiving him. Duchess Ding became dumb.

    ¡°What do you mean, Sixth Princess? Please tell us.¡± Unlike Duchess Ding who had so many scruples, Ling Mingyan directly confronted the Sixth Princess. She didn¡¯t believe that the Sixth Princess would be so shameless and said that she wanted to marry You Yuecheng!

    ¡°I, I will stay with an oilmp before the statue of Buddha from now on.¡± Being forced by Ling Mingyan, the Sixth Princess had to say something. Her face was filled with sadness and helplessness, her eyes filled with tears. She looked heartbroken and discouraged. After that, she walked outside with her pce maids, as if she didn¡¯t want to care about anything.

    The pce maid and the two maidservants who were left behind would naturally take the fall for the crime and be beaten to death. When such a big incident happened, which also involved in the fame of the princess who might marry into another country, they only took a few servants to bear the crime. The irony in the smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s raised mouth was more obvious. This was the truth!

    But the truth was sometimes unbelievable!

    Except for Ling Mingyan, everyone present was savvy, but they all regarded what they saw as the truth. It was really something for thought!

 Chapter 655 - Marriage, the End of the Sixth Princess

    <h4>Chapter 655 Marriage, the End of the Sixth Princess</h4>

    The incident at Mingguo Manor concluded without a conclusion in the end. Mo Xuetong did not expect it. After receiving the news, it waste, but Feng Yuran had not returned yet. She could not sit still in her own yard, so she took Mo Lan directly to Jinwei Pavilion. After all, she was ill-informed!

    On the top floor of Jinwei Pavilion, Feng Yuran was handling the file on the corner of the table. When he heard Mo Xuetonge over, he smiled, and put down the file in his hand, his eyes seeming to be covered with ayer of charm. ¡°Ask Consort Xuan toe here to chat.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Feng Yue retired. Although this was an important office space for King Xuan, it was not a secret to his wife.

    Mo Xuetong picked up the hem of her dress and went to the top floor by herself. Mo Lan stayed downstairs. Although she was the confidant of Mo Xuetong, she still had to avoid in some ces, so she didn¡¯t keep up with her and just stood downstairs casually. It happened that she was face to face with Feng Yue, and thetter was d and teased her to talk.

    One of them was Feng Yuran¡¯s confidant, and the other was Mo Xuetong¡¯s confidant. When Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have enough people to dispatch, she always ordered Mo Lan to ask for people from Feng Yue. Feng Yue was handsome, and Mo Lan was very pretty. In the course of frequent contact, they had feelings for each other, but usually they couldn¡¯t talk much in front of their maters.

    Now that the two masters were upstairs, Feng Yue was so happy. It was a rare opportunity to talk alone for the two. Although Mo Lan was very reserved, she couldn¡¯t stand against Feng Yue¡¯s enthusiasm. They kept talking, and only thought that the time was too short.

    Mo Xuetong went upstairs. As soon as she lifted the curtain and went in, her eyes met Feng Yuran¡¯s twinkling pretty eyes. His eyebrows were slightly raised, and his handsome face was all smiles. He waved to Mo Xuetong and signaled her toe over. It was rare for Tong¡¯er toe to see him in person. It would be an understatement to say that he felt cool.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the matter of the Sixth Princess?¡± Mo Xuetong sat on a round-backed armchair, took the teacup that Feng Yuran handed over, took a sip, and asked straightforwardly.

    When things got to the point, there was more than one person witnessing it. How could the Sixth Princess suppress it so powerfully? Mo Xuetong really wanted to know. With the Sixth Princess¡¯s means, she didn¡¯t dare to take it lightly. Besides, there was unfathomable Imperial Noble Consort Wen behind her. Only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one win every battle.

    If the Sixth Princess was really so powerful, the pressure was still great.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the matter of the Sixth Princess has been dealt with. She will marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands soon. She won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s brows cleared as he rubbed them. His smile became more and more enchanting. The corners of his pretty lips were raised. His clean, purple robe set off his handsome face!

    ¡°Sixth Princess is going to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands? An order from the Emperor?¡± Mo Xuetong was really stunned, her lips slightly open. The news shocked her for a while. This meant that the Sixth Princess was not that powerful, but that there was another mystery. Otherwise, with the Sixth Princess¡¯s temperament, how could she still go to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands after she ruined her fame?

    Moreover, this matter was not settled originally as the Emperor seemed to be hesitating all the time. But this incident seemed to have made the Emperor make up his mind to let the Sixth Princess go to marry into another country!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s stunned expression pleased Feng Yuran. He stood up, and his jade-like handsome face showed an amorous smile. His beautiful facial features became more and more charming. He raised his handsome eyebrows and pulled her from the chair. Putting his arm around Mo Xuetong¡¯s waist, he led her slowly to the window.

    Outside the window, the night was dark and the lights were shining everywhere. From this position, the lights were bright, like stars in the sky. The geographical location of Jinwei Pavilion was originally a bit high. Now they could not only see far, but they could see very clearly. Mo Xuetong subconsciously looked to the right side of their manor¡ªthe lights were bright, and it was obvious that the people inside had not slept yet.

    ¡°Feng Xuehe thought that since she and You Yuecheng were disheveled in front of so many people, it was impossible to keep it a secret. But she didn¡¯t want to totally ruin her reputation, so these people she chose happened to be thedies in charge of the Four Great Manors. As the mistresses of these manors, they naturally know how serious it was. Even if they had seen something, they would tell the people around them to shut up. Talking about royal gossip will not only implicate a servant.¡±

    Feng Yuran snorted coldly, and thick ckness rushed into his pretty eyes. This ckness was cold and bloodthirsty, a bit thicker than the dark night outside, like the devil in hell. Since Feng Xuehe dared to hurt Tong¡¯er, her hope was doomed to disappear.

    He gently kissed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair, and continued in the most indifferent voice, ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that Feng Xuehe is too scheming, but she also made a mistake. She thought that since thedies saw that, Father had to let her marry You Yuecheng. Unfortunately, thosedies know what could not say. When Father asked them to shut up, they and the people around them shut up obediently.¡±

    His voice had bloodthirstyziness, showing that he was in a good mood now. His pretty face had an undisguised smile.

    Obviously, Feng Yuran had done something in this matter. It really had nothing to do with King Xuan¡¯s Manor, except that the Sixth Princess set up Mo Xuetong. A sweet smile unconsciously tugged at the corners of her lips. He must have avenged her. It could be said that the ending of Sixth Princess was absolutely relevant to Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Will it implicate you?¡± Mo Xuetong just blurted out the words of concern. Although she knew that he must have arranged it properly, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in a soft voice. She leaned against his arms. Although there was a cool breezeing in from the window, she didn¡¯t feel cold at all as she leaned against his solid chest.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you worrying about me?¡± Feng Yuran squinted, and his eyes fell on her ck hair. Then he reached out and stroked her hair that was blown off. He was in a cheerful mood. Tong¡¯er had been repressed, but now she actually cared about him so straightforwardly. This was the first time. How could Feng Yuran not be overjoyed?

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Xuetong blushed, as if embarrassed, the whole person seeming to be burning. Although she only replied with one word, her voice harbored soft touch, which made people feel so sweet. Feng Yuran put his arms around her shoulders and made her turn around to face him. His eyes fell on her shameful face, but she even pretended not to care. He was all smiles.

    ¡°With Tong¡¯er¡¯s worry, how could something happen to me? Don¡¯t worry, Feng Xuehe won¡¯t have time to trouble you in the future. There are many people who want to trouble her.¡±

    ¡°Apart from Ling Mingyan, is there anyone else?¡± Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t understand what he said for a while. She blinked and asked. As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at the faint smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s face and immediately understood.

    ording to the situation on that day, Ling Mingyan must have hated the Sixth Princess after her ¡°reminder¡±, and the scheming Duchess Ding also noticed the Sixth Princess, and she might even notice Imperial Noble Consort Wen behind the princess. Regardless of what Imperial Noble Consort Wen wanted to do, it was probably not that convenient.

    The reason why Imperial Noble Consort Wen was like a fish in the pce before was that she got along well with others, and never made other enemies. She had a reputation for being gentle and generous. Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress praised her. Besides, she didn¡¯t have a son, but an ordinary princess. Not many people in the pce cared about it, so she had no enemies.

    But now it was different. The Sixth Princess, who had a reputation for being gentle and decent like her mother, actually directed and acted in such a y in order not to marry into another country, and she also wanted to marry into Mingguo Manor. How could this be hidden from the eyes of the people in the harem? Even if people outside the pce didn¡¯t spread it, how could people not know in the pce?

    Ding General Manor had always been empress¡¯s family. No matter how the Empress Dowager and the Empress fought, they were the same in protecting the interests of Ding General Manor. The Empress might not put her on the spot, but what about the Empress Dowager and the Seventh Princesses? Judging by how she behaved, it could also see that the Seventh Princess was not a pushover.

    The Sixth Princess didn¡¯t want to marry into another country, but she put the Seventh Princess on the spot. How could the Seventh Princess be willing to ept it? Then they became enemies. So the Sixth Princess seemed to have many enemies all of a sudden. God knew if the Sixth Princess was going to explode now. Not only did she fail to achieve her goal, but she made so many enemies for herself.

    ¡°Not only in the Qin Kingdom, but also in the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡± Feng Yuran raised his eyebrows to remind her with a hint of pampering in hiszy voice.

    ¡°The Southern Barbarian Lands? Who, could it be Princess Caifeng?¡± Mo Xuetong imitated him and blinked her eyes narrowly. She leaned against his body, red at him casually and asked with a smile, ¡°Could it be that Princess Caifeng is jealous of the Sixth Princess¡¯s beauty and ends up bing her enemy?¡±

    What she said was originally a joke. The Sixth Princess didn¡¯t want her scandal to spread out that day, so she didn¡¯t invite Princess Caifeng. After everything was over, Princess Caifeng came out from another garden. Fortunately, this was the case. The Southern Barbarian Lands had no objection to the decision that the Sixth Princess would marry into their country.

    In this way, Princess Caifeng and the Sixth Princess were not at all entangled!

    They married into each other¡¯s country. Later, they would be in each other¡¯s country, so they should have pity for each other. Mo Xuetong said this as she was joking with Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Of course Princess Caifeng will not, but some people will. Just now the butler came and said that Miss Hu who just woke up almost fainted because of anger.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s words carried a hint of amusement. He pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and kissed, a sh of deep tenderness in his handsome eyes. ¡°Tomorrow, the people from the Southern Barbarian Lands should move out. From now on, you can be free from worry.¡±

    He said in a certain tone. In addition to the previous remarks about Hu Qianyue, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t understand for the moment. She blinked her beautiful eyes, and looked up at Feng Yuran, feeling that she was not smart enough. There seemed to be nothing inevitable in it. Of course she did not doubt Feng Yuran.

    Since Feng Yuran was so sure, it must be true, but she still couldn¡¯t figure out the key here! When Feng Yuran saw her confused look, a brilliant smile appeared on the handsome face of the enchanting man. Then he said something casually, which made her suddenly understand!

 Chapter 656 - Feng Yuran Who Was Protective of His Wife

    <h4>Chapter 656 Feng Yuran Who Was Protective of His Wife</h4>

    ¡°Crown Prince Xieyue asked the marriage for the Sixth Princess and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands,¡± Feng Yuran saidzily, and looked down at Mo Xuetong¡¯s round eyes. Then he raised his eyebrows, and asked actively, ¡°Any more questions?¡±

    This news was too shocking for Mo Xuetong. Coming to the Great Qin to take a princess to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands was one of Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s important goals this time. Marriage with the Qin Kingdom had many benefits for him. How could he give this benefit to others now? With the help of the Qin Kingdom, the Third Prince would be even more powerful from now on, and then it would be hard for Crown Prince Xieyue to live in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    With this in mind, Mo Xuetong asked, ¡°If the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands marries the Sixth Princess, it will be adding wings to a tiger. From now on, how will Crown Prince Xieyue fight with him?¡±

    Compared with the unacquainted Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Mo Xuetong had a certain favor with Crown Prince Xieyue. At least Crown Prince Xieyue was decent enough. The fact that the thumb ring that he gave her had been sent to Feng Yuran had already exined it. Mo Xuetong had sensed it. This was the best ending, and because of this, she felt more like Xieyue.

    If they really had to form an alliance with the Southern Barbarian Lands, she hoped that it was Crown Prince Xieyue!

    ¡°The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands has the candidates for his wife: Hu Qianyue and the daughter of a powerful minister. If the Third Prince gets the two forces¡¯ full support, Xieyue may be losing ground, but there is only one position for Third Prince¡¯s wife. Hu Qianyue and the daughter of the powerful minister are not giving way to each other, and the fight is fierce.¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled leisurely, stretched out a slender hand, and rolled up a strand of hair in her ear, which gently curled it in his hand. With the help of part of Xieyue¡¯s power, he knew more about the Southern Barbarian Lands. He never thought that Xieyue¡¯s thumb ring could be so useful.

    Of course, Feng Yuran didn¡¯t n to tell Mo Xuetong about these things. The thumb ring belonged to him now, which would represent the rtionship between him and Xieyue. Tong¡¯er was his wife in the inner courtyard, so she didn¡¯t need to know these things.

    He didn¡¯t want Tong¡¯er to be bothered by another man!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes lit up and asked, ¡°You mean Sixth Princess might not be able to get the position of legal wife after she marries into the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    Feng Yuran smiled and nodded, his lips curled up with a cold smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she will be the legal wife after she gets married, but there is one thing: Hu Qianyue and the daughter of the powerful minister do not want her to appear in the Southern Barbarian Lands. In any case, she is a Princess of the Qin Kingdom. If the Third Prince of Southern Barbarian Lands has ambitions, he has to make her his legal wife.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a while and asked, ¡°Hu Qianyue is here now. Even if she has power, it won¡¯t be very big, but the daughter of that powerful minister... Is it possible for her to agree to be a second consort first, and then rece the Sixth Princess in the future?¡±

    ¡°No, it is said that the Third Prince is now head over heels for her and sent his own cousin to the Qin Kingdom, which means to give up Hu Qianyue. It can be seen that thedy has a big ambition, and great power. If Feng Xuehe marries the Third Prince, then her efforts in the past would be wasted.¡±

    Originally he thought that Hu Qianyue¡¯s appearance was really an ident, but after learning about the condition of the Third Prince in the Southern Barbarian Lands, Feng Yuran could onlyment that the Third Prince was too careless. He had sent his own cousin to the Qin Kingdom. It meant he had abandoned her. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that his uncle would fight against him? Or maybe he really believed that thedy¡¯s family was much more powerful than his uncle.

    In the unpeaceful era, military officials were more powerful than civil officials!

    How did the Empress and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands see that they could suppress the Hu family? They even sent General Hu¡¯s daughter to the Qin Kingdom to be the second consort. Did they hope that the Hu family would take care of the overall situation? In the news from the Southern Barbarian Lands, General Hu had a few sons, but just a daughter, and he valued her as if she was a treasure!

    ¡°But if this is the case, how could the Emperor agree to let Sixth Princess marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± Originally, the princess would be Xieyue¡¯s wife, but how did she be the Third Prince¡¯s wife inexplicably. The status became much lower. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out. She pulled down Feng Yuran¡¯s hand that was ying with her hair and held it tightly to prevent him from moving.

    ¡°Something like that happened in Mingguo Manor, and she wanted to drag you inside as a scapegoat. Father knew it with a nce. He had believed that Sixth Princess was innocent, but unexpectedly, she is so cruel. Father was so angry that he appointed her as a candidate for marriage and sent it to Xieyue. But Xieyue also knew about it, so he talked about what happened in Mingguo Manor euphemistically, and then wanted the Sixth Princess to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife. Father could not refuse.¡±

    Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes shed with ayer of faint enchantment. Xieyue wanted to ask for marriage for the Third Prince. The Emperor would not agree to it. No matter what, Feng Xuehe was a princess. How could she be willing to turn from a Crown Prince¡¯s wife to an ordinary prince¡¯s wife. The Emperor was clear about this. However, when the file of the princess who was going to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands had been sent to their envoys, Xieyue threatened with what happened to the Sixth Princess in Mingguo Manor.

    Although this matter had not been investigated again, the result was certain. The Sixth Princess was disheveled when she was in the same room with Marquess Mingguo. As her reputation was ruined, it was impossible for her to marry the Crown Prince. However, since the selection had been made, for the sake of the two countries¡¯ face, the Sixth Princess could only marry the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands and became his legal wife.

    The Third Prince¡¯s wife was one grade lower than the Crown Prince¡¯s wife. And the gap would be even bigger as one would be the Empress while the other would still be an idle prince¡¯s wife. However, since things hade to this point, Emperor Zongwen couldn¡¯t say anything. After what happened to the Sixth Princess, that was the result as the two sides concealed it.

    As for why Xieyue knew what happened in Mingguo Manor so quickly, of course, it was due to the scheming man beside her. Feng Xuehe dared to plot against the person he loved. How could Feng Yuran allow her to realize her goal? Since she didn¡¯t want to marry into another country, then he made her selected!

    She didn¡¯t want to be the Crown Prince¡¯s wife of the Southern Barbarian Lands? Fine, they didn¡¯t want to either!

    Seeing Feng Yuran exuding an evil aura, Mo Xuetong certainly understood his meaning. Knowing that he was angry with the Sixth Princess because of her, she had a feeling in her heart but she couldn¡¯t tell it. It was bitter yet sweet, and there was an indescribable softness.

    ¡°You, don¡¯t let yourself get stuck in it. If you be too outstanding, the Emperor might think that you are disregarding your siblings. In that case, it will be bad,¡± Mo Xuetong pouted and gave him a squinting nce.

    Seeing a slight worry and pretending displeasure on Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face, Feng Yuranughed heartily. Holding her tender little hand, he said leisurely, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m safe. I¡¯ll keep my nose clean. I didn¡¯t say anything about it. I¡¯m as pure as your eyes. It was Xieyue and Father¡¯s people who negotiated it. I even couldn¡¯t watch it.¡±

    Of course he wouldn¡¯t go to watch it because he didn¡¯t have to, and he went directly to be Xieyue¡¯s adviser. As for what he said and if he said that Feng Xuehe tried to harm Tong¡¯er¡¯s reputation, these were not in the cards. Feng Yuran paid more attention to the result. As long as someone dared to bully Tong¡¯er, he would give them hell.

    The current Feng Yuran was extremely protective of his wife. Of course, this was only towards Mo Xuetong alone. As for other people, he never included them in his thinking. He looked at Mo Xuetong, his eyes twinkling. ¡°Tong¡¯er, from now on, there will be a lot of people who don¡¯t want her to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife. Hu Qianyue immediately became spirited when she heard the news. The people in her yard have reported that she has already had people packing things and is about to move out of our manor.¡±

    ¡°Is she really going to move?¡± Mo Xuetong raised her eyes with a question. Hu Qianyue sometimes got better and sometimes got worse; generally, it had been very serious. King Xuan¡¯s Manor would be ashamed of for asking her to move. Knowing that she was not a simple person, they had to beware of her. It was indeed a troublesome thing. Of course, it was best for her to move away now.

    ¡°In the Southern Barbarian Lands, the Hu family has put pressure on Empress. The Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter was going to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife, but because of the Hu family, the Empress does not dare to make a clear order. The Hu family possesses military power. And because of the matter about Hu Qianyue, the Hu family had started a dispute with the Empress. General Hu threatened that if the Empress does not think of an idea and take Hu Qianyue back, he will never quit.¡±

    ¡°So Hu Qianyue was waiting for the news from the Southern Barbarian Lands and deliberately made her illness drag on?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes revealed a bit of understanding. It seemed that Hu Qianyue was more useful than Princess Caifeng, which was something unexpected to her. That was good. The Sixth Princess didn¡¯t want to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands, but she messed up this matter by herself, and they had started a feud.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had been living a pleased life in the pce for so many years; there had never been a bad reputation of her; even the Empress Dowager who was so ambitious and scheming had not found it. That only showed that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was more scheming and forbearing. The Sixth Princess was obviously of the same type as Imperial Noble Consort Wen. Mo Xuetong felt that she was under a lot of pressure when she offended such people.

    Now the capable Hu Qianyue was holding the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen on one side, which was the best.

    The Sixth Princess was going to marry the Third Prince; Hu Qianyue would stay in the Qin Kingdom and be Feng Yulei¡¯s co-wife. It seemed that the Sixth Princess was the best performance, but Hu Qianyue should be stronger in the Southern Barbarian Lands than the Sixth Princess in the Qin Kingdom. Compared with Hu Qianyue, the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen were more threatening to Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°The specific matter of the marriage will be decided one monthter. It¡¯s a major event between the two countries. Xieyue asked for the marriage for the Third Prince, so he has to inform the Third Prince. The Southern Barbarian Lands is very sincere. At themand of Father, they have sent people to gallop out to inform the Third Prince. At least he has to wee the Sixth Princess so as to be worthy of her status.¡±

    Feng Yuran blinked his long and narrow eyes as his handsome face showed an evil smile. Between his straight nose and thin lips, there were some tenderness and indulgence. He touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Hu Qianyue¡¯s matter. We can just watch. Remember, no matter who wants to harm you in the future, as long as there is me, I will never allow others to hurt you. Tong¡¯er, do you understand?¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes widened suddenly. Hearing him speak so inly, she was both shocked and surprised, as well as sweetly joyful. She knew that he was mad because she was caught in the plot of the Sixth Princess. She could tell by looking at his attractive face.

    This scheming man was really...

    In thest life, she had sought love with much effort but she failed. In this life, this man cared about her so much. How could she not burst into tears? She didn¡¯t care how Hu Qianyue and the Sixth Princess would fight now. She bit her lip, reached out to put her arms around his neck, tiptoed, and kissed him on the lips...

 Chapter 657 - The Sixth Princess Had Lost Her Mind

    <h4>Chapter 657 The Sixth Princess Had Lost Her Mind</h4>

    When her soft rosy lips touched the corner of his cold lips, Mo Xuetong woke up from her emotions. She looked at Feng Yuran¡¯s dazed gaze and felt embarrassed. She reached out to push him away and tried to run away. How could she do something like that? Look, even thewless Feng Yuran was so shocked that he didn¡¯t respond for a moment.

    Feng Yuran was indeed stunned. However, he was overjoyed then. When he saw that she was about to escape, he quickly wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He was not willing to let her go so easily. He was so excited that it was hard to describe how he felt. He looked at her pink lips, which shone like peaches. He could not stand any longer.

    His beautiful, thin lips carried his unique scent as he pressed them hard on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips. He ced one hand on her waist, holding her tightly in his embrace, and lifted her chin with the other. Not allowing her to avoid him at all, he wrapped his arms around her forcefully and kissed her passionately...

    Outside the window was the starry sky, and under the starlight was the two pretty couple who kissed each other, which outshone the starlight all over the sky. It became the most beautiful painting in the night...

    Feng Yuran was especially satisfied today!

    His Tong¡¯er had always been careful and seemed to be a little cold, which always made him a little nervous. It was rare for her to show her feelings without reservation today. How could Feng Yuran not be ecstatic? A long whileter, when Mo Xuetong felt that she was about to faint, Feng Yuran let go of her, with a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his alluring lips.

    He reached out to hold her tightly in his arms, took a deep breath, but did not speak.

    Mo Xuetong snuggled tightly in his arms and felt the wild heartbeat from his chest. She blushed and stole a nce at him, just meeting his sincere and doting eyes. His eyes had never been so brilliant. It was as if there were stars overflowing from his pretty eyes. He was just reeking of a gentleness that he rarely performed in front of others.

    He still had an evil aura, but even so, he also looked so sincere!

    As if her hands had their own consciousness, she took the initiative to stretch out and held his slender waist. Then she gently leaned her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat, which was strong.

    At this time, it seemed that without saying anything, their hearts were close to each other. She felt so good to have him in this life!

    In this life, although she had experienced all kinds of difficulties along the way, it was really good to have him! Since they loved each other, for this man, she didn¡¯t care how difficult it was on this road, as long as she had him to apany her.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I¡¯m very happy!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice contained a hint of excitement that even he did not notice. He reached out and touched her beautiful hair. The corners of his lips curled up high and he wrapped his arms half around her.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything. She leaned against him gently and pressed her hot face tightly against his chest. She only felt that even if the two of them did not speak, her heart was filled with warmth and there was no distance between their hearts.

    After an unknown period of time, the blush slowly faded away from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She woke up from the lingering gentleness and bit her lips, still feeling shy. When she heard hiszy and devilish smile, she felt even more ashamed. She gently bit his chest and changed the topic, ¡°What about the back yard? It¡¯s all your fault.¡±

    In fact, it was not Feng Yuran¡¯s fault. She was just trying to fill the silence.

    ¡°Let them have that. It¡¯s all right for the time being. Tong¡¯er, are you jealous because there are some more people in the back courtyard?¡± Feng Yuran was filled with joy, so he could not help but feel unhappy when he heard Mo Xuetong mention the people in his back courtyard. However, when he thought about it, a happy smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just cleaning up your mess. Concubine Qin always found an excuse to go back to her parents¡¯ home recently, so I can¡¯t refuse her all the time. I mean it. Are you plotting something again as you don¡¯t stop her?¡± Mo Xuetong shook him coyly. She was really not jealous. She had always seen how Feng Yuran treated the women in the back courtyard.

    Those women¡¯s presence protected them from being med. When there was not a single official concubine in the back courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor before, the people in the imperial pce didn¡¯ty off, including the Emperor. It made sense. How could he allow his favorite son to suffer a grievance? Then it was his daughter-inw¡¯s fault that the women in the back courtyard weren¡¯t properly arranged!

    Feng Yuran had dealt with the people in the back courtyard, and it was normal to give the few people left titles. Mo Xuetong would not have said anything if those people had stayed in the back courtyard obediently. However, judging from the situation now, they would not behave themselves. The sly man definitely had some ns that he did not tell her.

    ¡°How could it be? The women in the backyard refuse to behave themselves and I have no choice. The three people either came to me by themselves or were sent by someone else. None of them were selected by me. So it has nothing to do with me if something happens to them. The one from the Qin family is the daughter of an aristocratic family, and Father has recorded it. Last time, I told Father to send her back, so as not to make any trouble. Looking at the current situation, I can¡¯t be med for what might happen.¡±

    Feng Yuran said as if he had been wronged. However, his slightly curved lips revealed his emotions. He had been feeling ufortable with those women in the back courtyard. Since Mo Xuetong did not ask, he didn¡¯t find an opportunity to mention it. He felt that Tong¡¯er was feeling a little ufortable, but she did not ask, which meant that he could not exin. Now he had finally found an opportunity to exin. Of course, he was very happy.

    ¡°As for Duke Wanping... there¡¯s no need for an exnation.¡± Mo Xuetong knew that he was clear about what he did after he said that. She could not help but pinch his arm when she saw how he feigned innocence after getting favors. Then, she turned her head and asked with a meaningful smile.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts. You hurt me so hard. It will be swelling soon. You have to take responsibility,¡± Feng Yuran smiled and stretched out his arm to show it to Mo Xuetong. There was no swelling on his jade-white skin, and it was not red at all. Mo Xuetong held back her anger and red at him. Then she pushed his hand away but was held back by him.

    ¡°As for Duke Wanping, I really don¡¯t need to exin it to him. I just need to exin it to Tong¡¯er alone. No matter what Duke Wanping and his daughter think, it has nothing to do with me. However, Tong¡¯er, you have to remember that I don¡¯t want you to be with Concubine Qin when there isn¡¯t something urgent in case she makes trouble again.¡±

    A sharp glint shed through the corners of Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes when he said that. However, he hid it in hiszy smile then. There was no need to deal with the matters about Qin Xing¡¯er and Duke Wanping right now. However, he had to be wary of her plotting against Tong¡¯er. Qin Xing¡¯er might not be able to do anything in the manor, but when she went out...

    It seemed that he had to order Feng Yue to pick a few more people to follow Tong¡¯er and protect her. He must not let Tong¡¯er take any risks.

    While they snuggled up to each other and made up their minds, the Sixth Princess was in a mess!

    The Sixth Princess looked at the imperial edict on the desk when her eyes were burning with anger. She took a few steps forward and wanted to tear the imperial edict apart. She was unwilling to ept it? How could she be reconciled? It was such a good n, but it wasted. And she had really be the one who was going to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. Moreover, her fianc¨¦ was the Third Prince who was not the second Empress¡¯s son.

    In the eyes of the people of the Qin Kingdom, the Southern Barbarian Lands represented savagery, but she was going to marry into such a barbaric ce and could no longer stay with her beloved. All of these made the Sixth Princess almost lose her mind. She rushed forward and was about to tear off the imperial edict on the table.

    She didn¡¯t want to be the princess who was going to marry the Third Prince!

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, that¡¯s the imperial edict, His Majesty¡¯s imperial edict. You can¡¯t break it,¡± the pce maid shouted hurriedly while holding her waist tightly.

    However, the Sixth Princess, who had always been gentle in front of others, was really livid this time. She was now determined to tear the imperial edict apart. It seemed that once the imperial edict was torn apart, the marriage would be ruined. Then she could still be with You Yuecheng and could still marry into Mingguo Manor.

    The bright imperial edict in front of her was the greatest irony to her, so she wanted to tear it apart.

    ¡°Get lost. Let go of me.¡± She opened her eyes wide and pushed the pce maid who was holding her tightly. The veins on her forehead were bulging! A few strands of hair fell off because of the pulling and fell on her pale and ferocious face. If one had not seen it in person, who would have thought that the crazy and irrational person was the gentle and quiet Sixth Princess?

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, you can¡¯t do it. Wake up, wake up. It¡¯s Emperor¡¯s imperial edict. It¡¯s a serious crime that is enough for a sentence to kill nine generations of the family. The marriage has been settled. It can¡¯t be changed. It¡¯s useless for you to tear the imperial edict apart.¡± The pce maid pulled the Sixth Princess hard and kept shaking her. Since the eunuch who sent the imperial edict left, the Sixth Princess had been terribly quiet. At this time, she really went crazy. The pce maids didn¡¯t dare to let her really rush up and tear the imperial edict apart. Otherwise, all the people in the pce couldn¡¯t live.

    She thought that she was persuading the Sixth Princess, but unexpectedly, it was to add fuel to the fire. When she heard about the marriage, the Sixth Princess suddenly broke free from the pce maid¡¯s shackles and went straight up the steps. Her hand was about to fall on the imperial edict on the table. Without this imperial edict, no one would force her to marry into another country...

    ¡°Stop!¡± A cold and angry rebuke came from behind her. The Sixth Princess paused and turned to Imperial Noble Consort Wen behind her. There were tears in the corners of her eyes and she said viciously, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want to be engaged to someone else. I don¡¯t want to go to that barbaric ce. I don¡¯t want to marry that barbarian either. I just want to live a happy life with you. Mom, I won¡¯t take the imperial edict. I¡¯m going to tear it apart!¡±

    After finishing her words, she stretched out her hand to the imperial edict regardless of her mother¡¯s stop. At this time, the imperial edict was the obsession in her heart and also her biggest enemy. It was all because of this imperial edict that she had to marry far away from home. She didn¡¯t know what kind of ending she would have.

    ¡°Xuehe, stop.¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen waved her hand. Except for her two trusted subordinates, everyone else left. She could not help but be anxious when she saw that the Sixth Princess was still so determined to tear the imperial edict apart. How could anyone casually tear the imperial edict apart? Once it was torn apart, there would be a great disaster. She was shocked and rushed over in a hurry, wanting to rebuke the Sixth Princess.

    But at this time, the Sixth Princess had lost her mind and did not listen to what her mother said. When the imperial edict was in her hands, she smiled coldly with tears in her eyes and grabbed one side of the edict with each hand, gnashing her teeth, and tried to pull both hands outward. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t want this harmful imperial edict!¡±

 Chapter 658 - The Envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands Moved out

    <h4>Chapter 658 The Envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands Moved out</h4>

    ¡°Pa!¡± The Sixth Princess, who had lost her mind, stumbled and fell on the steps because of her mother¡¯s p. A red mark appeared on her pale face. The imperial edict in her hand had already been thrown 10 meters away. The pce maid behind Imperial Noble Consort Wen rushed over fearfully, and picked up the edict respectfully. Then she knelt on the ground, lowering her head in fear.

    ¡°Do you want to die? Do you want us both to be ruined? Do you want your... to be ruined along with you?¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had always been calm and gentle, showed a ferocious expression on her face. She red at the Sixth Princess with a livid face. Her eyes were round as if she was going to drown others in them.

    ¡°Mom...¡± The Sixth Princess looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen with tearful eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pleaded, ¡°I... I don¡¯t want to marry into such a barbaric ce; I don¡¯t want to marry the Third Prince. Mom...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to marry into that kind of ce, but is it useful to tear up the imperial edict? Even if you tear up the imperial edict, we will be punished together. Have you forgotten what I said for so many years?¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s two eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and there was a strong sense of gloom in them.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s look made the Sixth Princess shudder. She had not seen her mother being so angry and gloomy for many years. When she was very young, she saw the Fifth Princess running wild in the pce. The Sixth Princess was also very envious and once, she imitated her topete with her. Of course, in the end, the Sixth Princess was pushed into the lotus pond and then went to the Fifth Princess¡¯s pce to apologize.

    The Sixth Princess felt wronged and sad. When she came back, she burst into tears. Imperial Noble Consort Wen came to see her, immediately closed the door of the pce and stroke her hard in the face two times. The two ps stunned the Sixth Princess, who wanted to ask Imperial Noble Consort Wen forfort.

    At that time, Imperial Noble Consort Wen wore a gloomy look on her face and told her to endure it! She had to endure it and not argue with anyone in the pce. No matter how she was angry and hateful, she had to endure it. She had to show a gentle smile in front of others so that no one could see what was on her mind.

    At that time, the Sixth Princess cried stubbornly, ¡°If I have to endure it all the time, I might as well die.¡± She was also a princess, but she was asked to live worse than a little pce maid. If she lived like this for the rest of her life, she would rather die than be a princess. So her mother told her a secret, a secret that would make her full of hope.

    It was not that she could not be superior or be a noble girl, but she had to wait. If she continued to wait, one day, she would be superior, admired by all people, and would be the most distinguished woman in the pce. But the premise was that she had to endure it now and prevent others from finding out the secret.

    Therefore, the Sixth Princess understood!

    She had changed from an unruly little princess to a graceful and gentle princess. She was no longer as sharp as before. Other than when the young girl was first awakened of love and secretly fell in love with Bai Yihao, she had never confronted the Fifth Princess or anyone else. She had thought that as long as she could bear it, she would eventually stand at the peak of power.

    However, she was desperate now. If she married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, no matter how glorious her mother and that person would be, it would have nothing to do with her. What was the point of so many years¡¯ endurance? Her existence was a joke, a ridiculous shadow that existed for power.

    Did her mother, who was elegant and gentle in front of others, never love her in her heart? Was she her tool? Just a tool?

    Tears rolled down her cheeks, and the madness on her face was covered by sadness and despair. The Sixth Princess looked up and stared at Imperial Noble Consort Wen, letting her teardrops fall one by one. ¡°Mom, what do you think I should do? What should I do to make Father change his mind? When he got married, you said, I should bear it, and that woman couldn¡¯t upy the position of Marquise Mingguo forever. When that dayes, I can directly marry him.¡±

    ¡°But what about now? I¡¯m going to get married far away. It¡¯s impossible for me toe back in the future. I¡¯ll die in that kind of ce. Mom, what¡¯s the point of my endurance for so many years? Mom, am I not your daughter? Did you carry me from others? Why don¡¯t you think about me at all?¡±

    Before Ling Mingyan married You Yuecheng, she had many opportunities. As long as her mother mentioned it in front of the Emperor, with You Yuecheng¡¯s outstanding behavior, the Emperor would definitely agree to their marriage. The Emperor was even more unwilling to see the marriage between several aristocratic families. The Emperor would be more satisfied to see her, the princess of the royal family, to hold him up.

    However, her mother was unwilling to do it and imed that it was not the best opportunity. If she mentioned it at that time, they would offend Ding General Manor and the Empress, which was not good for their career. So it was not in a hurry and she had to endure it first. In the future, the man would eventually belong to her.

    So she endured it, in a very hard way. She watched him marry someone else in red clothes, but the bride was not her. She suppressed the jealousy in her heart and repeatedly told herself that as long as she endured it for a few more years, she would be able to stay with this man forever.

    For this little bit of hope, the Sixth Princess appeared to be gentler in front of others!

    But what about now? What did everything mean? She couldn¡¯t see any hope now. Tears fell down one by one and her body became weak.

    Perhaps because Imperial Noble Consort Wen saw the despair and sadness in the Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes, her expression softened. She squatted down, reached out to help the Sixth Princess up, andforted her, ¡°Xuehe, take it easy. It¡¯s not the end result yet. There is at least one month left. Too many things can happen in this month. You are too impetuous. If you¡¯ve told me about this, you wouldn¡¯t have been caught off guard.¡±

    ¡°Is there any opportunities? Mom, Father has already issued the imperial edict. People of the Southern Barbarian Lands said that the Third Prince would wee me in person...¡± The Sixth Princess lowered her eyes andughed sadly in a low voice as tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. Would there still be an opportunity? The Emperor had already issued the imperial edict. Could it be that the imperial edict can be changed?¡±

    ¡°Silly girl, there are plenty of opportunities. As long as you are not married yet, there are plenty of opportunities,¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen said with certainty, and a trace of darkness shed across her eyes.

    Making Feng Xuehe marry far away was not a part of her sophisticated n. There was a huge difference between the effect of a daughter who married far away and that of a daughter who stayed close to her side and contacted the young masters of aristocratic families. She had taken this daughter with her since she was a child and taught her personally. How could she allow her to marry far away? It would ruin a good pawn.

    Perhaps Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s confident tone gave the Sixth Princess hope. The girl slowly looked up at her mother¡¯s still calm and beautiful face, and asked, ¡°Mom, really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. When have I ever lied to you?¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen pulled the Sixth Princess up from the ground. Like a loving mother, she tidied up her clothes and pulled her into the inner hall. The pce maid who was holding the imperial edict respectfully behind her did not follow in. She put it on the table again and walked out lightly.

    Although she was Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s confidential, she knew that she shouldn¡¯t know too much about some things. Otherwise, she would end up like the pce maid in the dry well behind the pce. If someone in the harem was negligent, they would not know how they would die.

    Crown Prince Xieyue and his people moved out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor the next day. It was a done deal. They had stayed in King Xuan¡¯s Manor because they did not have a suitable ce to live. Then, because Princess Caifeng wanted to marry King Xuan, they had put off the matter of moving out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor again and again. Then, Hu Qianyue was ill.

    Now Hu Qianyue said that she had recovered and could move out. Of course, they would move out immediately. Among the two girls who were from the Southern Barbarian Lands and was going to stay in the Qin Kingdom, one was going to marry King Ning as his second consort, and the other was going to marry King Yan¡¯s Manor as King Yan¡¯s co-wife. In any case, it was inappropriate for them to live in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. It was not good for them to live in their future brother-inw¡¯s manor.

    Their things had already been packed up. Once they had decided to move out, these things could be moved into the carriages. Besides, they hadn¡¯t lived here for a long time, so the things didn¡¯t increase much. Most of the things they brought with them had been moved over with the other envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands. The other envoys had already moved out, so they were the only ones who needed to move out this time.

    Mo Xuetong did not know much about these matters. She only knew that Crown Prince Xieyue hade to find Feng Yuran early in the morning and they went to Jinwei Pavilion together. They chatted for a long time there. Mo Xuetong did not know the details. It was said that the two of them were having a good chat, and that Feng Yuran had especially sent Crown Prince Xieyue to the door. It was rare for him to be so polite and considerate.

    Crown Prince Xieyue also seemed to be in a good rtionship with the host, which made everyone who saw him satisfied. King Xuan, who had always been a yboy, was also a capable man. He treated the envoys of the Southern Barbarian Lands so well. In addition, the marriage between the two countries had been settled. It seemed that there had been no more battles in these days, and the Southern Barbarian Lands was very peaceful.

    The requirements ofmon people were very simple. They just hoped to live a peaceful life, and it was enough. On a peaceful day, no one was willing to start a war again!

    When the people of the Southern Barbarian Lands left, Mo Xuetong ordered some servants to clean up the two ces, and then sent some people to nt some of the flowers and nts Princess Caifeng had pulled out before. In less than a day, the entire King Xuan¡¯s Manor had returned to its former state. It was no longer the same as it had been when Princess Caifeng still lived here.

    Early in the morning, Mo Xuetong got up. Feng Yuran had returned to the court and would leave early every day. When Mo Xuetong got up, he was already gone!

    After breakfast and dealing with some affairs of the inner mansion, Mo Xuetong heard a report from a maidservant that Young Madam Li wanted to see her.

    Young Madam Li was Luo Mingzhu. Mo Xuetong hurried to get someone to invite her in. Luo Mingzhu had been a little lukewarm towards Mo Xuetong ever since they parted that day. Luo Mingzhu obviously had something on her mind, which she could not say. That day Luo Mingzhu had gone to persuade her parents. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s expression had changed when Mo Xuetong found her. Her face was pale. After that, she hurried home and did not go with Mo Xuetong.

    When they met again, Luo Mingzhu was obviously a little flustered, as if she did not want to talk too much.

    Mo Xuetong had always wanted to know about what had happened in her second uncle¡¯s courtyard that day and what Luo Mingzhu had seen and heard. She even had a feeling that it would solve the mystery of Fu General Manor¡¯s back courtyard. That deste and withered courtyard had always been a thorn in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart.

    However, as Luo Mingzhu had a knot in her heart, she could not be anxious at the moment. She could only wait until Luo Mingzhu figured it out and told her.

    In this case, Luo Mingzhu must have something to do with her today.

    But she had no idea if it was what she was thinking.

 Chapter 659 - Luo Mingzhus Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 659 Luo Mingzhu¡¯s Investigation</h4>

    Luo Mingzhu had slimmed down. Even though she was not fat to begin with, her figure was still very charming. Now, she was wearing a light green coat, which was a little too big for her body. When she saw Mo Xuetong standing at the door, her eyes turned red and she seemed to be about to cry.

    But when she noticed that there were so many people at the door of the courtyard, she restrained herself and showed a stiff smile on her face.

    ¡°Second Cousin, what¡¯s wrong? Do you feel unwell?¡± Mo Xuetong walked forward and warmly held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand as they walked in together. It was as if there was no estrangement between the two of them recently. When they arrived at the door of the house, Mo Lan lifted the curtain and lowered it when she saw the two of them entered arm in arm. Then she stood outside with Luo Mingzhu¡¯s maidservants.

    Judging from Luo Mingzhu¡¯s expression, the maidservants could tell that she had something to say to Mo Xuetong, so they all left tactfully.

    ¡°Cousin Tong...¡± Luo Mingzhu opened her mouth the moment she sat down on the chair. However, when she spoke, tears could not stop flowing down. She picked up her handkerchief and covered her mouth. As a result, she could not even speak clearly for a moment.

    ¡°Second Cousin, what¡¯s the matter? Did something really happen? It doesn¡¯t matter. Just tell me slowly. We might have a solution if we discuss it together. Look at how wronged you are. Did Sir Li bully you?¡± Mo Xuetong picked up a handkerchief beside her and handed it to the other woman while sheforted her softly.

    A hint of worry shed across her eyes. Luo Mingzhu was obviously out of control today. She had always been straightforward and careless, and had never been so wronged.

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s tears flowed more and even faster when she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s concern. She covered her lips with the handkerchief but could not hold on no matter how hard she tried. As such, she started to sob. She had nned to talk about the matter properly when she first came. However, when she saw Mo Xuetong, she felt a mixture of emotions. Her heart was filled with pain, hate, grievance, and a little guilt. She felt that she could not even open her mouth.

    After a long while, she managed to recover under Mo Xuetong¡¯s persuasion.

    Mo Xuetong ordered a maidservant outside to bring in a basin of water. After the maidservant waited on Luo Mingzhu to wash her face, she ordered her to leave.

    ¡°Second Cousin, have a cup of tea first. Let¡¯s talk about it after a while. Don¡¯t hide it in your heart if there¡¯s anything. We are cousins, so there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t talk to me.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed the teacup in front of Luo Mingzhu and said softly, ¡°Take a sip first. If there¡¯s anything, it¡¯s better to discuss it with another person than to bear it on your own.¡±

    Looking at the sincere concern on Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face, Luo Mingzhu lowered her head and let out a long sigh. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up at Mo Xuetong and stated, ¡°Cousin Tong, do you know that your mother is not grandmother¡¯s biological daughter?¡±

    Her words exploded in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart like thunder.

    ¡°Pa!¡± Mo Xuetong could not hold the lid in her hand steadily and mmed it against the teacup. She collected herself, looked at Luo Mingzhu and asked hoarsely, ¡°Second Cousin, how, how could you say something like that? If my mother is not grandmother¡¯s daughter, could she be someone else¡¯s daughter?¡±

    It was not that she was unwilling to tell Luo Mingzhu about it. There were many things involved in this matter. Perhaps, the entire Fu General Manor would be implicated. Something rted to King Jin¡¯s Manor was a big deal of treason. Even though the current Emperor did not find King Jin¡¯s descendant publicly, he did not seek justice for him. No matter what, Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother¡¯s identity couldn¡¯t be disclosed.

    Furthermore, the matter of saving her mother had happened more than 30 years ago. At that time, King Jin was a real rebel. If such a thing were exposed, Fu General Manor would definitely be implicated. Mo Xuetong would not allow such a thing to be exposed. If the current Emperor really did not care about it, why was he still looking for the old objects?

    In her past life, she had been muddle-headed. Therefore, she did not discover the shocking secret that surrounded her, nor did she discover that the tragedy of the people around her was all because of this matter. It involved so many people¡¯s blood and lives. Mo Xuetong did not dare to take the risk to tell others, even if it was Luo Mingzhu.

    She desperately wanted to know how Luo Mingzhu knew about this matter. Could this be the cause of her second cousin¡¯s estrangement from her?

    ¡°Cousin Tong, it¡¯s true. Father and Mother were arguing that day. I was afraid that they would fight like cats and dogs, so I went to the back to listen...¡± As Mo Xuetong did not believe her, Luo Mingzhu made up her mind. She held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and said anxiously in a low voice, ¡°I heard Mother say that Aunt was not Father¡¯s biological younger sister. Father did not refute her at that time. I... I was scared, terrified and shocked. I did not know what to do, so I went back myself.¡±

    As for the part that her mother said that her father liked her aunt, Luo Mingzhu hid it. It was not that she did not believe in Mo Xuetong, but that she felt ashamed. In the eyes of Luo Mingzhu who had always attached great importance to family ethics, she could not believe it no matter what. Her mother must have said it because she was angry. It must be so.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression darkened. She held Luo Mingzhu¡¯s hand back and asked anxiously, ¡°Did Second Uncle and Second Aunt say that?¡±

    Her second aunt also knew about this matter! Her second aunt had only been married into Fu General Manor for a few years, and at that time, the weird courtyard was supposed to have been deste, and her mother had already married into Cloud City. There were no clues left in Fu General Manor. How did her second aunt find out about it?

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was suspicious because she had been reborn and had memories of her past life. However, what about her second aunt? How did she know? She felt that the answer was right in front of her, but she could not figure it out for a moment, as if ayer of fog had hidden the answer in front of her eyes. She could see it vaguely, but she could not reach it.

    ¡°Yes, I heard it very clearly. Mother and Father argued about this matter for a while. Then, Father left with a flick of his sleeves.¡± Luo Mingzhu nodded.

    She could not recall the exact scene at that time now. However, those words echoed in her ears again and again, as if they were a curse. She could not eat or sleep well. When she woke up, she felt a sword hanging high above Fu General Manor. But even so, she wanted to hide it.

    Like Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu subconsciously felt that she could not tell others about it. If she told others, it would only be a scandal of Fu General Manor. She would not allow such a scandal to embarrass Fu General Manor, her grandmother, and her father. She even avoided Mo Xuetong subconsciously.

    ¡°Second Cousin, do you believe it?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at Luo Mingzhu seriously.

    ¡°I, I...¡± Luo Mingzhu did not know what to say. Her heart was filled with all kinds of emotions. She did not know how to answer. At one moment the words struck her as credible, at another as imusible. Besides, she had no idea what she should do. She only felt as if a great disaster was about to befall her, but she could not find a direction.

    ¡°I believe it!¡± She gritted her teeth and told what she thought. If she didn¡¯t believe it, why did she have no appetite for food these days? She just wanted to think about it alone and have a quiet time.

    For this reason, she even took the opportunity to the courtyard and asked some old servants. Unlike Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu had been born in Fu General Manor since she was a child. She was familiar with small things in Fu General Manor. Of course, she knew who to ask. From several old servants¡¯ words, she could vaguely get a rough idea of what had happened, which made her scared.

    If what she had guessed was true, then the entire Fu General Manor would be implicated. She thought about it for a while and had no choice but toe to find Mo Xuetong. No matter what, her cousin was smart. Her cousin was the one who had discovered that pot of Yuxiao Flower and saved Fu General Manor from a grave crime.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, believe me. I went back to the manor to investigate and found that someone had lived in the dested courtyard behind Aunt¡¯s house.¡± Since Luo Mingzhu wanted Mo Xuetonge up with an idea, she would not hide it. She told Mo Xuetong about how she had secretly asked a few old servants after she returned home.

    Mo Xuetong had always wanted to do these things, but she did not dare to do anything out of fear of rming the people in Fu General Manor. When she heard that Luo Mingzhu had asked about it in private, she frowned and thought for a moment. Then, she asked, ¡°Those people said that someone had lived in the back courtyard. When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s said that it has been a long time. It should be 23 years ago. The servant who was asked couldn¡¯t exin it clearly. It seemed that a few distant rtives of Fu General Manor lived there, but they didn¡¯t live there for a long time. However, the food given to the yard was the same as that given to Grandmother. At that time, Grandmother just gave birth to Aunt, so all she had was food for nourishment, and the new distant rtives also had it.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu told Mo Xuetong what she had found out and then let out a long sigh! She felt as if a heavy weight on her heart was a little lighter. She had not told others about these things and she was almost out of breath. Consort Jin, did Consort Jin live there?

    ¡°Tell me when did those people leave?¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked. She did not care about what her cousin said. She wanted to find out the other conclusion from Luo Mingzhu¡¯s investigation, so she asked very carefully.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t stay for long. I didn¡¯t ask so clearly at that time.¡± Luo Mingzhu thought for a while and added, ¡°The old servant said that most people leftter, and it seemed that only two people were left. They stayed on for a while and also left. After that, the yard was locked up. Then, there were bad rumors. The courtyard became more and more deste. In the end, no one could remember the past.¡±

    There was a hint of contemtion in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She picked up the cup of tea beside her hand and took a sip. She could not help but ask, ¡°Then is there anything different about itter?¡± The painting was also a secret Mo Xuetong could not say. She was even less able to track it than Luo Mingzhu was.

    Even though her mother was young then, she was already a few years old. Did Consort Jin still live in Fu General Manor at that time?

    Luo Mingzhu frowned and answered, ¡°No. Later, it was said that there were servants dying there. And because it¡¯s remote and no one lived there at ordinary times, Grandmother asked people to lock it up. Then it bes deste like that.¡±

    She didn¡¯t care about that courtyard at first, but she didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a thing, which aroused her doubts. When she was a child, she was told not to go there as it was not clean there. Since it was a deste courtyard, and there was nothing interesting, Luo Mingzhu was very obedient and had never been there.

    There was only one time when her kite was hung on a tree branch inside that courtyard. She brought her maidservants and secretly entered there through a small hole by the door. Then she saw a white figure sh by. The little girl did not even dare to take the kite and ran back with a pale face. She did not dare to tell anyone about it and did not dare to go there after that.

 Chapter 660 - The Special Madam Qu

    <h4>Chapter 660 The Special Madam Qu</h4>

    Mo Xuetong blinked her nimble eyes and asked, ¡°Were the old servants who served those distant rtives still there?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was at a loss of what to do if she did not disturb or hurt the Old Madam of Fu General. Now that Luo Mingzhu had taken the initiative to investigate it, it was much more suitable than her to do it and would not arouse the suspicion of her grandmother. As such, Mo Xuetong led Luo Mingzhu in the direction she was suspicious of.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask that question carefully, but the old servants I asked didn¡¯t serve them. Otherwise, they would tell me more details. I vaguely heard that some people had gone out because of their age. If they were really out, it would be hard to find them after so many years.¡± Luo Mingzhu was stunned by Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, but then she became worried again.

    Every once in a while Fu General Manor would release some elderly servants. They had been working hard for Fu General Manor for so many years, and it was sort of a reward for them. Fu General Manor would also give them a sum of money in case they got too old and had no one to rely on.

    Fu General Manor had carried out this rule for many years. The incident had happened for a long time, so it was very likely that the relevant servants had been sent out. Luo Mingzhu¡¯s words gave Mo Xuetong a new idea. Her eyes lit up and she said, ¡°Second Cousin, you can investigate who served those people, and transfer the details of those people to me. I will investigate next.¡±

    As long as Luo Mingzhu sent the information of those people to her, Mo Xuetong felt confident to find them. Those who had gone out were all old people. There were detailed notes about them in Fu General Manor. They were old and would not be willing to go to other ces, so it was very likely that they were still in the same ces where they lived. Follow this clue, she would have the best chance of finding them.

    Luo Mingzhu felt relieved after she told Mo Xuetong what on her mind. She thought for a while and answered, ¡°Well, I have to go back and ask secretly.¡±

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes, looked at Luo Mingzhu and said, ¡°Then Second Cousin, we might as well go to Fu General Manor again and visit Grandmother and Eldest Cousin by the way. I¡¯ve been too busy recently to have time to visit them.¡± No time like the present. Since she was free today, she might as well go to her grandmother¡¯s home to look for clues.

    Since she had been alone in the past, there were some things that she could not find out and she didn¡¯t know whom to ask. Now that she could get help from Luo Mingzhu, the situation waspletely different. Compared to Mo Xuetong, Luo Mingzhu upied the right time, ce, and people. Mo Xuetong had always wanted to find out what had happened back then. After all, it implicated Fu General Manor. Furthermore, what shocked Mo Xuetong the most was that Consort Jin did not seem to have been dead...

    It was just like a hidden danger in Fu General Manor. If it broke out, it would involve more than one or two people.

    After the discussion, Mo Xuetong ordered someone toe in to help Luo Mingzhu put on makeup again. Then they went to Fu General Manor together. This time, Luo Mingzhu¡¯s horse carriage followed them, and she entered the same horse carriage with Mo Xuetong. The maidservants apanying them were all sent to the other horse carriages.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, what if my mother asks meter?¡± Luo Mingzhu grew worried again as she sat in the horse carriage. She had overheard what her father and mother said that day. When she returned to Fu General Manor after that, she had only sent people to find the elderly who were her maidservants¡¯ rtions, such as her personal maidservant¡¯s aunt. However, she had to get the information through her mother now.

    It would not be easy for her to get the list of old servants who had been sent out without anyone knowing. Her mother was a person who was inquisitive. Luo Mingzhu had a headache. She had been thinking about what to do before, but now she realized that it was very difficult to carry out their n.

    It was inappropriate for the married daughter to ask her mother for the information about the old servants who had been released.

    Mo Xuetong smiled slightly as she looked at Luo Mingzhu whose worries increased. There was a slight ripple in her beautiful eyes and a faint smile crept over the corners of her lips. ¡°Second Cousin, are you going to tell Second Aunt about this matter straightforwardly?¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t tell her, why would Mother give me the information?¡± Luo Mingzhu was distressed.

    Her mother had always been a shrewd person. It was impossible for her to get the information from her without an exnation. But what should she say? Could she say that she had heard the quarrel between her father and mother and thus she wanted to investigate what had happened back then? How could she open her mouth? Moreover, it was against filial piety.

    ¡°Second Cousin, if you tell Second Aunt about it, you have to make it clear why you need this information. Given Second Aunt¡¯s character, it is impossible for you to get this information if you don¡¯t exin it clearly, right?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently. She took out a box of candied fruit from the smallpartment in the carriage, opened the box and had one piece. Then, she pushed the box towards Luo Mingzhu.

    ¡°Second Cousin, if you really think so, then this matter will be exposed to the public. After Second Aunt knows it, Second Uncle will also know it, and then Grandmother will know it as well. Soon even a servant in the manor will know it. Second Cousin, we don¡¯t know how big this matter is now. By then, if we don¡¯t find out anything and others find out about it, it will be a big deal!¡±

    There was a hint of coldness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes. When she looked at Luo Mingzhu, thetter felt as if she had been pierced through by the cold. ¡°Second Cousin, if my mother was adopted by Grandmother, she was not Grandmother¡¯s biological daughter. Such a big thing has been hidden for so many years, and it is equivalent to deceiving the Emperor. Then, what will Fu General Manor do? What will Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle do? Will they be punished by the Emperor? It might even harm the whole family?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was not exaggerating. In her past life, Fu General Manor had fallen because they were implicated in the matters of King Jin¡¯s Manor. Even though it was not enough to confiscate the property and exterminate the family, the noble family that had been high above for centuries had fallen all of a sudden. Mo Xuetong had not figured out the twists and turns in her past life, but she had seen through itpletely in this life.

    It was a crime of deceiving the Emperor to make King Jin¡¯s daughter the eldest legitimate daughter of Fu General Manor. Besides, King Jin was guilty of treason. Such a serious crime would be much more serious than the crime in her past life. Everyone in Fu General Manor would be implicated. Mo Xuetong felt that it was necessary to exin this matter to Luo Mingzhu.

    Otherwise, once Luo Mingzhu made a mistake, they would lose overall!

    Mo Xuetong had a faint impression of her second aunt, Madam Qu. She was not conspicuous and was usually nice to others. Even though she did not treat her niece as her own daughter, she was at least polite to her. Mo Xuetong did not know if because she had sealed herself up in her past life, other than some special people and special matters, she really could not remember anything special about her second aunt.

    However, after the matter about Madam Qu¡¯s sister¡¯s daughter, and hearing what Luo Mingzhu had overheard, Mo Xuetong felt for the first time that Madam Qu was a canny person. She was not only canny but also very tolerant. She had never said anything extra in front of anyone but hid everything in her heart. Furthermore, she was very selfish. Or rather, she did not treat Fu General Manor as her own home at all.

    Of course, it was because the future Madam of Fu General Manor would be her eldest aunt, instead of her second aunt. However, in ordance with the principle that they would sink or swim together, her second aunt was still a little selfish. Subconsciously, Madam Qu thought more highly of the Qu family than Fu General Manor. She regarded a noble young master even more lightly than her sister¡¯s daughter.

    Mo Xuetong was not Luo Mingzhu who was Madam Qu¡¯s daughter, so she saw things objectively. Mo Xuetong did not believe that Madam Qu had known nothing about Yun Ya¡¯s condition. However, if she had known about it, why was she so determined to make her marry Luo Wenyou? She had even especially plotted against Luo Wenyou and wanted to push Yun Ya to him.

    She used such a despicable method to force her junior and pushed a shameless woman into his arms. She did not even care that the young man was unmarried and hadn¡¯t decided whom to marry. After such a thing happened, the reputation of Fu General Manor would be ruined. But she continued to set up her nephew with Yun Ya as they wanted.

    Anyway, Mo Xuetong was very disappointed with her second aunt.

    That was why she did not want Madam Qu to know that she and Luo Mingzhu were investigating the matter 30 years ago. If she were to find out about it, she might get involved and cause the simple matter to beplicated. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong wasn¡¯t sure if Madam Qu would betray Fu General Manor for some benefit.

    It was necessary to remind Luo Mingzhu.

    No matter what, Mo Xuetong did not wish Madam Qu to know that she and Luo Mingzhu were investigating this matter. This was a life-and-death matter of grave importance. If anything went wrong, there was a chance that blood would flow like a river.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell Mother, absolutely not.¡± Luo Mingzhu was not stupid and immediately understood the meaning of Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. She was so stunned that her face turned pale. Her fingers trembled on the candied fruit box Mo Xuetong had pushed to her. Then, she asked Mo Xuetong softly in a trembling voice. She was not Mo Xuetong and had always led a smooth life. She was still in shock as she encountered something like this.

    Especially when Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes looked so cold, and the coldness seemed to have entered her heart. She did not dare to try to get the information from her mother.

    ¡°But what should I do?¡±

    ¡°Second Cousin, let¡¯s go in and visit Grandmother first. Second Aunt will definitelye. I will speak with Grandmother and Second Aunt outside...¡± Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes, leaned over and whispered her n in Luo Mingzhu¡¯s ear. Not only did Madam Qu have a solution to find the information secretly, but there was also someone else who could do it.

    Luo Mingzhu nodded as Mo Xuetong spoke. By the time Mo Xuetong finished speaking, Luo Mingzhu had already nodded non-stop as she felt that it was a good idea.

    Luo Mingzhu heaved a sigh of relief as they could cross over her mother so quietly.

    The two of them discussed in a low voice in the carriage as the wind blew, and lifted half of the bead curtain, revealing Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful side face. A woman saw her from a private room on the second floor of the roadside teahouse. She was putting down the curtained hat in her hand. She froze for a moment to see Mo Xuetong¡¯s side profile. Then, she lowered her gaze and looked at King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s carriage that Mo Xuetong was sitting on. She held the curtained hat tightly and a trace of hatred that was as chilly as a poisonous snake shed in her eyes!

    A middle-aged man came out respectfully and said to the woman, ¡°Mrs. Sima, pleasee in and have some tea!¡± The woman nodded, looked away, and turned to follow the middle-aged man in.

 Chapter 661 - Implement a Smart Ruse in Fu General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 661 Implement a Smart Ruse in Fu General Manor</h4>

    When the horse carriage reached Fu General Manor, the two of them got off together. Madam Qu politely weed them at the entrance of the yard as if nothing had happenedst time. There was a hint of enthusiasm on her face. When she saw Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhuing together, she smiled and said, ¡°My Lady, you haven¡¯t been here for a while. Old Madam has been talking about you for the past few days. She was mentioning you just now. I didn¡¯t expect you to really be here.¡±

    ¡°Second Aunt, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want toe. I just can¡¯t find time. How¡¯s Grandmother these days?¡± Mo Xuetong put down Luo Mingzhu¡¯s arm and held Madam Qu¡¯s hand warmly. She asked as she walked in.

    ¡°Old Madam is in good health. She walked more in the past few days and sometimes went out to visit others. The day before yesterday, she went to attend the banquet held by the Marquise of Mingguo Manor,¡± Madam Qu stated with a smile. She was talking about the banquet where the Sixth Princess was involved in a scandal. However, only a limited number of people knew about it. Mo Xuetong was a little uncertain if Madam Qu knew about it.

    Although her eldest uncle had be Fu General, his entire family, only his son was left here. Madam Qu was in charge of the affairs in the manor. Even though the two old maidservants brought by her grandmother were her trusted subordinates, Madam Qu might have a way to find out what had happened in Mingguo Manor.

    ¡°The banquet held by the Marquess Mingguo is good. Why didn¡¯t Second Aunt go there that day?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly, and a gentle smile appeared in her watery eyes.

    ¡°I happened to have something to do at home that day, and couldn¡¯t leave for a while, so I didn¡¯t go to the banquet.¡± Madam Qu smiled without any grudge, and it was hard to tell if she really learned something.

    As they spoke, they reached the Old Madam¡¯s room together. Maidservants had already lifted the curtains and guarded there. Mo Xuetong and the others entered together. The Old Madam, who was seated in the main seat, had already looked at them anxiously. Even though Mo Xuetong had seen her in Mingguo Manor, she did not have the chance to speak to her in private as something like that happened that day.

    Since such a thing happened on that asion, both of them knew that they had to avoid arousing suspicion. Therefore, they just greeted each other and said a few polite words on the surface. They couldn¡¯t say anything else. After that, the banquet ended unhappily. After such a thing happened, no one knew what would happen. Even if they just saw it, they didn¡¯t know what would happen. Everyone returned to their own manors early.

    For some reason, Mo Xuetong felt that her grandmother looked especially old today. The wrinkles on her forehead deepened; her hair was all white; her eyes looked slightly anxious, and there were dark shadows under her eyes. All of these made her feel that the Old Madam was in an especially bad condition.

    A lump came into Mo Xuetong¡¯s throat as she looked at her grandmother. She thought of the Old Madam in her past life. She released Madam Qu¡¯s hand and walked up to the Old Madam hurriedly. She curtsied deeply and said, ¡°Grandmother...¡±

    However, she could not continue, and almost felt that she was choking with sobs. It was as if she could not control her bitterness. In her past life, Fu General Manor had fallen; her grandmother¡¯s condition had been worse and worse, and then, she became so skinny that she was almost beyond recognition. But now Mo Xuetong seemed to have seen the shadow of her past life. That was why her eyes turned red and she almost shed tears.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in good health. Tong¡¯er, Mingzhu,e and let me take a look at both of you. Why are both of you so skinny? Do you usually have nothing to eat? Tell me, if there is anything you want to eat today. I will get someone to cook it.¡± The Old Madam also felt a little sad as she heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice. She tried her best to hold back her bitterness and smiled as she gestured for the two girls to go over and sit on each side of her.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask the cook to make a sumptuous meal in a while. Anyway, we¡¯ll treat them enough food.¡± Madam Qu sat down beside with a smile and answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at these two girls. They¡¯re already grown-ups, but they don¡¯t know how to take care of themselves.¡± The Old Madam wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and looked them up and down with a smile.

    ¡°I have to deal with the affairs of the entire manor, and Princess Caifeng lived in our manor. I¡¯ve never been in charge of household affairs in the Mo Manor. Recently, I¡¯m so busy that I have no time to rest, so I naturally fail to care about myself. But, Second Cousin, what¡¯s wrong with you? Isn¡¯t it said that the Old Madam and Madam are still there? You, as the Young Madam, should not be in charge of the household affairs. Why are you so thin as well? Could it be that your husband doesn¡¯t cook delicious food for you?¡±

    Mo Xuetong rolled her ink-like eyes, looked at Luo Mingzhu and started to joke.

    Her words turned everyone¡¯s attention on Luo Mingzhu. Having something on her mind recently, Luo Mingzhu was much thinner than before.

    The Old Madam looked at Luo Mingzhu with a frown and asked with concern, ¡°Mingzhu, Tong¡¯er¡¯s words make sense. Are you bad at taking care of yourself or is the food just not to your taste? Do you want to bring a cook from the manor over? Bring your favorite one?¡±

    Madam Qu also thought it was a good idea, so she nodded and said, ¡°Yes, in the past, when Mingzhu was still in our manor, she always had a good appetite. She specially ate what that cook made. Well, you should just take the cook with youter, so as not to have the food to your taste and cause you to look so skinny.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, Mother, what are you talking about? I¡¯m not so delicate. If I bring a cook with me, the Li family would think that I dislike their food. Besides, I¡¯m not thin. It¡¯s just that I got a cold, so I ate lesstely. Now I¡¯mpletely recovered and my body is recovering. Maybe next time I will be so fat that you would ask me to eat less.¡±

    Luo Mingzhu tugged at the Old Madam¡¯s hand and pouted.

    ¡°Since you were sick a few days ago, why didn¡¯t you send someone to tell me? I still have the pills you made at homest time. You just need to take this in the past,¡± Madam Qu said unhappily.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve recovered, a few days ago. Look, I¡¯m in high spirits now. I¡¯ll bring that pills with meter so that I won¡¯t have toe back to get the pill when I get sick next time, Otherwise, it¡¯s not good to be seen by someone else.¡± Luo Mingzhu turned around and smiled coyly at Madam Qu.

    ¡°Look, look, she¡¯s different as she¡¯s married. All she thinks about is her husband¡¯s family. Oh, the Li family is really lucky to have such a good daughter-inw who only cares about their family. She doesn¡¯t even dare to disgrace their family, but haspletely forgotten her mother¡¯s family.¡± The Old Madam patted Luo Mingzhu¡¯s head, pretending to be angry.

    Everyone startedughing when the Old Madam was joking.

    Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face flushed because of theirughter. She was affectedly bashful for a few moments and suddenly stomped her feet to diverted everyone¡¯s attention. She pointed at Mo Xuetong and pouted, ¡°Cousin Tong, you are the one who is really skinny. Grandmother, Cousin Tong also likes the dishes cooked by the cook, so you can send him to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.¡±

    She looked embarrassed and anxious. She knew that everyone wasughing at her because she thought about her husband¡¯s family. Seeing her looks, everyoneughed again.

    ¡°Your Cousin Tong is thin not because she loses her appetite. She is different from you. King Xuan¡¯s Manor is big. s!¡± the Old Madam sighed afterughing because she thought of Mo Xuetong¡¯s situation. King Xuan¡¯s Manor seemed to be glorious, but in fact, they were as if treading on thin ice.

    It was a prince¡¯s manor and the Crown Prince was not decided. They were in the teeth of the storm now. Even in the back courtyard, they had to be careful. Xia¡¯er had passed away early and Tong¡¯er had been raised in Cloud City, so no one looked after her when she needed to be taught the most. When the Old Madam thought of this, her heart ached and her eyes reddened.

    If her own mother had taught her personally before the wedding, Tong¡¯er would not have been in such a flurry. She felt tired to manage the back courtyard. Now she became so weak, as if she would have fallen if the wind blew. She was already in poor health, but she looked even slender. That was heartbreaking for the Old Madam to see.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, if there is anything that you don¡¯t understand about the back courtyard, you can ask your second aunt. She is in charge of the back courtyard of Fu General Manor and has never made any mistakes for so many years. If you don¡¯t understand, just ask her more often. Then you may take fewer detours. There is no elder in your manor, who can make decisions. Your mother is pregnant now in the Mo Manor, so she can¡¯t help you even if she wants to.¡±

    The Old Madam patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand and pointed at Madam Qu, helping here up with ideas.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard the Old Madam¡¯s words. She looked at Madam Qu and said, ¡°Second Aunt, I do have something to ask you. I want you toe up with some ideas for me. Do you have time?¡±

    After saying this, she also felt a little embarrassed, and her face turned a little red! She blinked her eyes and looked at Madam Qu.

    ¡°Yes, I have time. How can I not have time? I have nothing to do at the moment. You can ask me any time,¡± Madam Qu said with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong was overjoyed when she heard that. She then asked Madam Qu about the matters of the inner courtyards. Having been in charge of the back courtyard for so many years, the elder woman naturally knew clearly about these things. Even though there were many twists and turns, after her exnation, Mo Xuetong understood immediately. The two of them spoke happily and ignored Luo Mingzhu.

    ¡°Mother, Cousin Tong, you are not allowed to talk about such things here. It is rare for us toe here, but you are talking about these things. It is so troublesome. You can talk to me first. And after lunch when I and Grandmother have a nap, you two can find another ce to talk. Luo Mingzhu did not agree. She tugged at the Old Madam¡¯s clothes and said coyly, ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t you think so?¡±

    The Old Madam was delighted when she saw that she was still as innocent as a young girl. She held her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Don¡¯t talk about anything else right now. You can talk about itter. Let¡¯s chat about family matters with our Second Miss first. Don¡¯t ignore our Second Miss.¡±

    ¡°Grandmother, you¡¯re making fun of me too!¡± Luo Mingzhu said angrily.

    Seeing that she still looked like a little girl, everyoneughed together. Mo Xuetong and Madam Qu stopped talking about ounts.

    Madam Qu and Mo Xuetong made an appointment to talk about these things carefully in the room next to them after lunch. Then, they chatted with the Old Madam for the moment!

    The morning passed by in a happy time. After lunch, the Old Madam and Luo Mingzhu both said that they wanted to rest for a while. Mo Xuetong and Madam Qu went to the wing room on the right side of the Old Madam¡¯s to talk about something. Luo Mingzhu returned to her courtyard where she lived before she got married. When she left, Luo Mingzhu asked Nanny Hu, who had been by Madam Qu¡¯s side, to go with her, saying that she wanted to look for her favorite painting from the past. She did not know if Madam Qu had kept it in the warehouse.

    Luo Mingzhu had grown up by Madam Qu¡¯s side and was used to being spoiled. She threw things everywhere and when she wanted to find something specifically, it was normal for her to flip through things. Madam Qu did not suspect her. As she didn¡¯t need Nanny Hu, she asked her to help Luo Mingzhu look for the painting that she used to like very much.

 Chapter 662 - The Missing Pages

    <h4>Chapter 662 The Missing Pages</h4>

    ¡°Nanny Hu, the warehouse is so messy. Please help me look for it. I¡¯ll stay here. It¡¯s so messy. How can I put my foot in it?¡± Luo Mingzhu shook her handkerchief and looked at the door of the warehouse with disgust. She frowned, which made Nanny Hu smile bitterly in her heart.

    Nanny Hu didn¡¯t know what Luo Mingzhu was thinking. She had never been to the warehouse before, but this time she insisted oning here in person, but she felt disgusted as she reached here, which made Nanny Hu flustered. She didn¡¯t know if she should look after thisdy first, or find the painting first.

    ¡°Second Miss, why don¡¯t you sit here for a while? I¡¯ll go in and look for it with others,¡± Nanny Hu said with a helpless smile and secretly wiped her sweat. It was more difficult to serve her than before she got married. With her keeping on asking, it was hard to find what she wanted.

    So she¡¯d better get rid of her first!

    Luo Mingzhu looked at the small wing room outside the warehouse and then at the huge warehouse. She hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Sit here? Are you fast to look for it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you now...¡± Nanny Hu¡¯s face suddenly became bitter. She didn¡¯t know why this youngdy remembered it today. Nanny Hu still had some recollections of the painting and it seemed to be a very beautifulndscape painting, but that was all.

    It was a painting many years ago, and it was Luo Mingzhu¡¯s favorite one when she was about 10 years old. After hanging in her room for a while, this youngdy didn¡¯t like it anymore. She threw it into the warehouse and put it away. Until now, five or six years had passed. At this time, Nanny Hu really didn¡¯t know when she could find it.

    ¡°Alright, alright. I know that you are in a difficult position. Let her find it with youter. I will sit here. Is there anything nice here to read? Let me read something, or it would be too boring.¡± Luo Mingzhu pointed at her personal maidservant Xiaohuan and said impatiently, looking as if she would sit here and watch their work today.

    ¡°Second Miss, what do you want to read? Look, I don¡¯t...¡± Nanny Hu shook her hands and asked with a bitter expression. This small wing room was her office when she usually cleaned up the warehouse. She could not read much, so she did not have any books for Luo Mingzhu to read.

    Luo Mingzhu sat on a chair by the side, covered her nose with a handkerchief and turned around casually. Suddenly, she pointed at a stack of tall ount books in a cab and said, ¡°They are okay. I have nothing to do anyway. Cousin Tong has gone to learn how to manage the back courtyard from Mother. I¡¯ll learn it by myself to surprise them.¡±

    Nanny Hu was speechless when she saw how Luo Mingzhu was proud. The second miss had always been spoilt, and didn¡¯t manage family after she got married. So she did not know howplicated it was. Since she did not think it was troublesome, what else could she say? Nanny Hu nodded and took out the key to open the cab. She was about to get someone to bring out the ount books.

    Luo Mingzhu was already waving her hand impatiently and assigned the servants. ¡°Nanny Hu, you can all go in and look for it. You must find the painting for me. I used to like it the most, so you have to find it. Just keep one maidservant here, and everyone else can help Nanny Hu find it. I don¡¯t have much time here, so I can¡¯t waste it here. I have to take a napter. I¡¯m really sleepy now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I¡¯ll tell them to hurry up and not to dy your nap.¡± Nanny Hu nodded with a smile. She did not dare to hesitate and took the other servants away obediently, leaving Luo Mingzhu and one of her maidservants behind. The painting might not be easy to find. Many hands made light work, and there would always be people who would discover it!

    When Nanny Hu took the other people away, Luo Mingzhu nodded at the maidservant beside her. She lifted her dress, and regardless of the dust on the cab, she squatted down and started to search. The maidservant stood at the door of the wing room that led to the warehouse. She could see what Nanny Hu and the others were doing inside better from that position. She could remind Luo Mingzhu when Nanny Hu came over.

    The books in the cab were arranged in perfect order. There were various categories of them. Some were daily ount books, and some were about the daily record. Madam Qu was kept by Mo Xuetong, and Nanny Hu had opened the cab and was looking for the painting inside. Since she could not find it in a short time, Luo Mingzhu had plenty of time to look for what she really wanted.

    Her fingers ran quickly over the words on the covers of ount books. After looking through dozens of books, she finally found a book that recorded the entry and exit of the servants in Fu General Manor. There was a detailed record of the height, weight, structure, and appearance of a person entering the manor.

    As for when a servant was released, these things were also recorded. The address of the person who would live next was also left. It was convenient for others to contact the servant. Luo Mingzhu flipped through the pages one by one and there were some records every year. It was normal for a noble family like Fu General Manor to ept a few servants every year and let a few people go out.

    The information about servants an aristocratic family had employed for many years had been recorded in books.

    Luo Mingzhu flipped through more than 20 books before she found the information about 30 years ago. Looking at the book that omitted years of information in shock, Luo Mingzhu could not react at that moment. She flipped through it carefully and realized that years of records were missing here. It happened to be shortly after her aunt was born.

    How could that information not be recorded?

    Luo Mingzhu frowned and pulled the book straight forcefully. Then she noticed that there were some tiny marks on the pages¡¯ link. Some pages had been torn off very carefully. Because they were torn very carefully, one could not see anything on the surface. If not for the fact that Luo Mingzhu had been calcting carefully year by year, she would not have thought that there would be a few missing pages.

    And these pages were actually the most crucial. Someone had taken the initiative and tore them off!

    This knowledge made Luo Mingzhu¡¯s face turn pale and she almost could not stand still. Luo Mingzhu did not know what had happened back then. She only knew from the quarrel between her father and mother that something must have happened then. Her aunt might not be her grandmother¡¯s biological daughter. It was not a big deal. It did not matter for Fu General Manor to adopt a girl.

    The problem was that her father, mother, and grandmother seemed to consider it as a taboo. After hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, Luo Mingzhu already felt that it was not a small matter. No one could afford the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Why did her grandmother do this? Even if her aunt was not her grandmother¡¯s biological daughter, her grandmother could say that she had adopted her. Why did she have to be the eldest legitimate daughter of Fu General Manor?

    Everyone had kept this matter a secret for so many years. How could Luo Mingzhu not be shocked when she saw the missing pages of the book in her hands for no reason?

    Did this mean that someone was investigating what had happened in the past and had even taken the initiative to rip off the records in the book before she and Cousin Tong got it? Who knew so much about Fu General Manor? The person was able to enter the warehouse where was an important ground in the manor and rip the evidence off right under the eyes of people in Fu General Manor. What was that person trying to do?

    ¡°Young Madam, Nanny Hu seems to have found the painting.¡± The maidservant had her back to her and looked into the warehouse, so she did not find anything unusual about her. She reminded her as she heard someone shout in surprise inside, ¡°I found it.¡± Then Nanny Hu and the others all ran over to verify it.

    ¡°Well, okay.¡± Putting down the book in her hand, Luo Mingzhu casually took an ount book and sat in front of the chair in a daze. She stared at the words on the ount book, but her mind was filled with questions that she had thought about before. The more she thought about it, the more frightened and afraid she became. No matter who got the evidence, there must be a purpose. What did that person want to do?

    Was the person trying to harm Fu General Manor? Why?

    When an old story was brought up, what was the point of it? Her aunt was dead now, and her grandmother was old. More than 30 years was not short at all. At that time, thete Emperor was still on the throne. Maybe the current Emperor would not pursue it. Why did someone still pay attention to it and even find it in Fu General Manor?

    What was the person trying to do with such a powerful method?

    ¡°No, I have to tell Tong¡¯er that someone has already taken the initiative to investigate this matter. She has to think of a way!¡±

    ¡°Second Miss, We¡¯ve found it. Is it this one?¡± Nanny Hu spread out the painting in her hand and reported to Luo Mingzhu happily.

    ¡°Yes, this is it. Thank you, Nanny Hu. Get someone to pack it for me!¡± Luo Mingzhu nodded. She closed the ount book in her hand and handed it to her maidservant casually, asking her to put it in the cab.

    ¡°Nanny Hu, are you the one who has been tidying up your wing room?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Second Madam trusts me. I don¡¯t dare to bezy. Moreover, these things are rted to the personnel of our manor. Of course, I have to do my best to sort them out. Many ount books correspond to the things in the warehouse. I can¡¯t be careless!¡± Nanny Hu said proudly. She was Madam Qu¡¯s confidant, and this ce was her office.

    Luo Mingzhu stood up and asked, ¡°Is there anyone else usually here?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Usually, I am the only one here. But Madam woulde to look for something sometimes. When I told Madam to wait here, she would also sit here and look through the ount books.¡± Nanny Hu smiled and followed behind Luo Mingzhu out. When she was halfway to the door, she remembered that she had not closed the cab. She immediately turned around and told Luo Mingzhu about it. Then she went to close it.

    Luo Mingzhu took a nap in the courtyard where she owned before she got married. In the meanwhile, Mo Xuetong had already learned from Madam Qu. She chatted with the Old Madam who had just woken up from her afternoon nap for a while before leaving with Luo Mingzhu. The two of them could be considered to be in the same way, but Luo Mingzhu had to take detours.

    Just like when they came, they sent all the maidservants to another carriage. Luo Mingzhu told Mo Xuetong about the matter with a grave expression, especially the missing pages. She said worriedly, ¡°Cousin Tong, what should we do now? There is no clue over there!¡±

    She had no idea what to do at this time, and just looked at Mo Xuetong. Unconsciously she took Mo Xuetong as her backbone!

    Mo Xuetong looked up with her watery eyes and asked Luo Mingzhu seriously, ¡°Second Cousin, does the sign of where the pages were torn off look new? Is it like that they were rip off not long ago?¡±

    Even though Luo Mingzhu did not know why she asked that question, she thought about it carefully. Then she nodded affirmatively and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. The book has been some time since the cover started to turn yellow. However, the color of the sign of the pages that have been torn off is much lighter. It is obvious that they have not been ripped off not long ago.¡±

    Someone was hiding the past or trying to expose it...

 Chapter 663 - King Ning Feng Yuzhens Bridal Chamber

    <h4>Chapter 663 King Ning Feng Yuzhen¡¯s Bridal Chamber</h4>

    King Ning¡¯s Manor had been very quiet recently. Even after King Ning got the Emperor¡¯s imperial edict that he would marry Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands, who was said to be very powerful, the manor was still very low-key. Since Wang Yueyue, King Ning¡¯s legal wife, had passed away because of that incident, Feng Yuzhen had been pushed into the teeth of the storm and almost gotten himself into trouble.

    Since then, he had been more low-key in front of people.

    Since this marriage was rted to the rtionship between the two countries, Emperor Zongwen also attached great importance to it. He had already sent people to help Feng Yuzhen prepare the bridal chamber. Of course, the previous bridal chamber could not be used anymore. Thete Consort Ning died at a young age not long ago, and it seemed to be inauspicious.

    And the original scale was notrge enough. No matter what, King Ning was going to marry a princess of another country, so he had to make it look more decent.

    The bridal chamber was bound to be rebuilt. Feng Yuzhen was King Ning. Building a house was a matter for the Imperial Household Department, and it also had something to do with the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department had sent people over. They had to finish the job within a month and make sure that the Southern Barbarian Lands could not find fault with it.

    The official sent by the Ministry of Works was none other than the former minister of the Ministry of Works, Lian An. During this period of time, Lian An had aged a lot. He was no longer a young assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, full of enthusiasm. He had gone from being a first-grade official to a fifth-grade official. No one with a low degree of mental health could bear it.

    However, Lian An was obviously not one of them. He had a strong ability to resist blows. He still ordered his men to take care of the affairs, suffered together with his men under the sun, andmanded the progress of the whole site. The person from the Imperial Household Department was an ipetent man. After a few words ofmand at the site, he left the position to Lian An and didn¡¯t care about it anymore.

    Although it was said that Lian An had bad conduct recently, he was still trustworthy in ability!

    Lian An didn¡¯t let others down. Under the sun, hemanded the people from the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department to speed up the work. When it was break time, he took a rest in a wing room by the side and took a sip of water. As he was about to go out to continue tomand, a little eunuch suddenly came through the door and asked with a smile when he saw Lian An, ¡°Are you Minister Lian, Lian An of the Ministry of Works?¡±

    Lian An put down the teacup in his hand and asked respectfully, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± In a prince¡¯s manor, only the official master of the manor was capable of dispatching several eunuchs. In King Ning¡¯s Manor, the only official master was King Ning, Feng Yuzhen.

    ¡°His Highness wants to ask Minister Lian about the details of the construction. Do you have time to go with me to tell His Highness the details?¡± The eunuch was very polite.

    How could he not have time when King Ning invited him? Lian An nodded and gave his assistant a few more instructions before he followed the eunuch into the depths of the manor.

    They were now in the middle of King Ning¡¯s Manor, where the location of the bridal chamber would be. From that point of view, it could be seen that King Ning was very respectful to Princess Caifeng. They walked through two gardens and a path, and arrived at Feng Yuzhen¡¯s study. The eunuch waved his hand and said, ¡°Minister Lian, please!¡±

    Lian An nodded, straightened his clothes, and solemnly walked into the study.

    Inside the study, Feng Yuzhen sat behind a big desk casually, reading a book. When he heard Lian An¡¯s greeting, he just waved his hand casually and said, ¡°Minister Lian, please have a seat!¡±

    The book was ced on the desk, revealing Feng Yuzhen¡¯s handsome face. He said with a faint smile, ¡°Minister Lian, have you brought the design drawing of my courtyard?¡±

    Lian An, who had just sat down, immediately stood up and respectfully took out the design drawing from his arms. Then he handed it over with both hands and said, ¡°Your Highness, please take a careful look.¡±

    This was the drawing done by the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Household Department ording to the necessary rules. The construction of the bridal chamber was based on this. Feng Yuzhen was a prince, and he was going to marry a princess. The original scale was already the highest. He could add something on this basis as long as it was not taboo.

    Feng Yuzhen took the drawing andid it t on the table. After looking at it carefully, he suddenly pointed to a position and said with a frown, ¡°Minister Lian, isn¡¯t this ce a little too crowded? If you expand it over there and build ake, the wholeyout will be wider and more reasonable.¡±

    Lian An looked at the ce that Feng Yuzhen pointed out and thought for a while. Then, he lowered his head and replied, ¡°Your Highness, the size of this ce was determined by the Imperial Household Department. I have no right to change it. If you are not satisfied with it, you can ask the people from the Imperial Household Department toe and discuss it.¡±

    That was what the Imperial Household Department was in charge of. As a member of the royal family, one must not exceed the specifications. With Feng Yuzhen¡¯s status, even if he was going to marry a princess, his house couldn¡¯t go beyond the established limits. The Ministry of Works just needed to build it ording to the scope. As long as it didn¡¯t vite the rules, he could nt and build anything he wanted.

    However, the ground that Feng Yuzhen was pointing at just now was far beyond the area that the Imperial Household Department had determined!

    ¡°Imperial Household Department, that¡¯s really troublesome. I heard that the people of the Imperial Household Department have left, leaving everything to Minister Lian. Isn¡¯t it the same as looking for you, Minister Lian?¡± Feng Yuzhen knocked lightly on the table and looked at Lian An with a half smile.

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare. I¡¯m just a subordinate of the Ministry of Works. I don¡¯t dare to interfere in this kind of thing.¡± If Lian An were still the minister of the Ministry of Works, he might intervene and deal with it. At that time, he had a high rank, and the people of the Imperial Household Department were also willing to take his bribes. But now, things were different. Even his previous subordinates could trample on him and make fun of him for making a mistake because of women.

    The reason why he was still able to work in the Ministry of Works was that he was familiar with the work and was willing to deal with concrete matters rting to work. Otherwise, he would have been demoted to another ce long ago!

    Feng Yuzhen smiled slightly and leaned back. He looked at Lian An with sharp eyes and asked meaningfully, ¡°Minister Lian, you¡¯re a capable man. Are you going to be a small subordinate of the Ministry of Works for the rest of your life who never has a chance to stand up again?¡±

    Given Lian An¡¯s situation that he had something to do with a consort in the pce, which was dishonorable, the rest of his life had been ruined even if there was no evidence. It was impossible for him to be put in an important position again, unless...

    Lian An lowered his head and said obediently, ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t dare. I only want to serve the royal family and His Majesty. I don¡¯t dare to think of anything else.¡± There was not a trace of emotion in his voice, as if he was really grateful to Emperor Zongwen. If it was said by a mante in his life, it would be more credible.

    As Lian An said it so respectfully, it gave people a very strange feeling. It didn¡¯t increase his credibility, but sounded very awkward.

    Feng Yuzhen smiled with satisfaction. He pointed at the chair beside him and said, ¡°I really admire your graciousness, Minister Lian. Please take a seat.¡±

    Lian An looked at Feng Yuzhen and answered in a low voice, ¡°There is no position for me in front of Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Minister Lian, don¡¯t be too polite. It¡¯s because you¡¯re in trouble now. If you soar into the sky in the future, you may be a first-ss official again. There will be a position for you everywhere. Please have a seat!¡±

    As Lian An heard Feng Yuzhen speak again and again of his old authority, a trace of darkness appeared in his eyes. He did not say anything more and sat down in the chair beside him.

    A eunuch came over to serve tea and then left!

    Feng Yuzhen picked up the cup of tea beside his hand and took a sip. Then, he said casually, ¡°There have been a lot of things happening in the pce recently. Consort Yu lost her child and Consort Zhao was sent to the Cold Pce. The Empress couldn¡¯t even protect herself. I wonder if someone had offended Tai Sui and they created a scene every time.¡±

    Lian An was stunned when he heard Feng Yuzhen mention Consort Zhao. However, he immediately lowered his head as if he did not care. What Feng Yuzhen talked about was the matters in the pce, and he could not talk about either of them.

    ¡°The others are not a big deal. They just lost favor for a period of time. When His Majesty thinks about them again, there will still be a chance for them to be released. Only the one in the Cold Pce is the loneliest. It¡¯s said that if one enters the Cold Pce, she could only die. In the past, when I was still in the pce at a very young age, I saw a crazy woman who escaped from the Cold Pce. She snatched sour food to eat, but was pushed into ake by several eunuchs and drowned. It¡¯s a pity. I heard that she used to be a peerless beauty and was in line with the previous Emperor¡¯s liking. Butter on, s...¡±

    Feng Yuzhen did not finish his words, but he had already conveyed the message clearly. Lian An clenched his hands tightly in his sleeves, and the corners of his eyes twitched. But he gritted his teeth and did not say a word.

    Nothing in the pce had anything to do with him. He was just a small subordinate from the Ministry of Works. How could he make a decision? He could not ruin things because of Consort Zhao again. The past was over, and it was useless to think about it anymore. The Emperor would deal with Consort Zhao. It had nothing to do with him!

    ¡°When I entered the pce to visit the Empress Dowager that day, I saw Consort Yu there, crying. She said that the death of the child in her belly was all Consort Zhao¡¯s fault, and she asked the Empress Dowager to punish Consort Zhao severely. She also said that she would tell His Majesty and must make His Majesty punish Consort Zhao and cut her into pieces.¡± Feng Yuzhen raised his voice leisurely and his eyes fell on the trembling corners of Lian An¡¯s eyes, bing more and more meaningful.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if His Majesty has agreed to Consort Yu¡¯s requirement. Consort Zhao has a miserable life. Eighth Brother doesn¡¯t care about the past at all. I heard that the Empress doesn¡¯t like her because of her appearance. Consort Su and Imperial Noble Consort Wen don¡¯t have an apparent connection to her. And Consort Yu wants her to be killed. The Empress Dowager doesn¡¯t want to care about this kind of thing now. It¡¯s estimated that she will die in a few days. It¡¯s a pity that a beautiful woman will end like this. I don¡¯t know how miserable she will die in the end. Maybe she will die in pain. There is nock of cruel torture in the pce.¡±

    Thest part of his words became thest straw to crush the camel¡¯s back. Lian An¡¯s former female bosom friend would be tortured to death by someone, her soul would disappear, and they would never see each other again. Maybe nothing would remain of her, just like what King Ning had said. It was so miserable. At the thought of this, the trembling at the corners of his eyes had reached his hand.

    Almost uncontrobly, he picked up the cup of tea beside his hand and drank it up. Then, he put it down with his trembling hand. The impact of the teacup on the table brought a strong determination. Lian An suddenly looked up, and his eyes were a little wild. After a while, he looked at King Ning nkly, and his lips shivered. Suddenly, without saying a word, he stood up, knelt down heavily before King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, and kowtowed to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you order, Your Highness!¡±

 Chapter 664 - The Ghost Frightened Auntie Qing by Night

    <h4>Chapter 664 The Ghost Frightened Auntie Qing by Night</h4>

    Auntie Qing was scared and seriously ill. She was dizzy and always felt as if Mo Xueqiong¡¯s blood face would pop up before her eyes. Sometimes, she could hear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s miserable cries at night. Her daughter asked her why she had pushed her into the pit of hell and why she had helped her find a way to hurt Mo Xuetong, which caused her toe to that end.

    Auntie Qing was indeed aware of the fact that Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin had worked together to harm Mo Xuetong. Back then, she had intentionally added fuel to the fire and repeatedly told Mo Xueqiong that as long as Mo Xuetong was alive, she would be suppressed by her forever. She would always be humble in front of her and would never be able topete with her.

    Of course, she was well aware that Feng Yulei had asked Mo Xueyan to send Mo Xueqiong a handkerchief in private. How could Auntie Qing not be tempted when her daughter was able to marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor as a second consort? Even if she could only be a second consort, she was still a noble member of the royal family, and from then on, she would enjoy endless wealth and glory. How could Auntie Qing not be happy?

    It could be said that Auntie Qing had yed a big role in inciting Mo Xueqiong and Mo Xuemin to kill Mo Xuetong. If Auntie Qing hadn¡¯t done that, Mo Xueqiong wouldn¡¯t have dared to make such a big decision at that time. What happened after that was not in their n. Mo Xuetong escaped with her life, safe and sound.

    However, Mo Xueqiong had disfigured herself and was thrown into King Yan¡¯s Manor. Feng Yulei had just intended to use her. Now that she had messed it up, how could he treat her well? Without Feng Yulei¡¯s protection, it was normal for her to have a difficult time in King Yan¡¯s Manor.

    Once, she went to beg Feng Yulei and was left outside in the heavy rain. Then, Feng Yulei asked people to drag her out like rubbish. If it weren¡¯t for You Yuecheng, Mo Xueqiong would have died at that time. After that, Mo Xueqiong listened to You Yuecheng wholeheartedly. She thought that You Yuecheng could cure her appearance and would be with her from then on.

    When Mo Xueqiong wanted to plot against Mo Xuetong again, she hade back to try to get close to Mo Xuetong. Auntie Qing was a scheming person and she knew it after hearing a few words from Mo Xueqiong. She stirred up trouble again, saying that it was Mo Xuetong who had caused Mo Xueqiong to enter King Yan¡¯s Manor and made her face disfigured.

    Otherwise, why had Mo Xueqiong¡¯s face been disfigured when the other people¡¯s faces were all fine after the horse crashed into a tree? It was obvious that Mo Xuetong hated her and had done it on purpose. Then she would not be King Yan¡¯s second consort, nor being doted on by King Yan...

    Her new hatred piled on the old and had dispelled all of Mo Xueqiong¡¯sst doubts!

    If Auntie Qing could persuade her, as Mo Xueqiong¡¯s birth mother, she might be able to change her mind. Then she would still be the second consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor. Since the marriage was bestowed by the Emperor, no matter how much Feng Yulei disliked her, he could not kill her as long as she didn¡¯t make any mistakes. As such, essentially, Auntie Qing had an inescapable responsibility to Mo Xueqiong¡¯s death.

    Auntie Qing had always known it, but she had selectively forgotten it and pushed all the me onto Mo Xuetong. She only felt that it was Mo Xuetong who had caused her daughter¡¯s death. It was all because of Mo Xuetong that Mo Xueqiong ended up in such a miserable state. Her only daughter was gone. She wanted to see Mo Xuetong get into trouble and end up with the same fate as Mo Xueqiong.

    A few days ago, the man had told her to push Mo Yufeng out, and that was why she had done it so positively.

    But now, when she heard Mo Xueqiong¡¯s miserable screams at midnight, Auntie Qing was so scared that she huddled in the quilt. Her eyes peeped out of the quilt as she looked at the empty room in panic and fear, as if Mo Xueqiong would rush out with a bleeding face and a long tongue at any time.

    Deep in her heart, she knew that the cause of Mo Xueqiong¡¯s death had a great deal to do with her!

    Other than the dead Mo Xueqiong, no one knew about this matter. That was why Auntie Qing did not doubt about the ¡°ghost¡±!

    Since that day, Auntie Qing did not ask anyone to stay in her room to apany her, afraid that she would say something and tell the truth. She told her servants that she was okay to be alone. Those young and old maidservants also heard that the room was haunted, so of course, it was good that Auntie Qing did not need them. The doors and windows of Auntie Qing¡¯s room were closed tightly. Once entering the room, one would have a gloomy feeling. No one could stay in this room for long.

    Auntie Qing had not slept well for the past few nights. She could hear Mo Xueqiong¡¯s voice from time to time, and she seemed to have seen Mo Xueqiong rushing towards her in a daze. The candlelight flickered slightly, making a small sound. Auntie Qing woke up from her dream dazedly.

    A pair of unfocused eyes suddenly appeared on a long shadow standing by the window.

    There was a white linen coat, a white floating belt, a pale face, a bloody mouth, and a pair of dead fish-like eyes...

    ¡°Ah!¡± Auntie Qing was scared. Her body shuddered violently.

    ¡°Qiong¡¯er, it wasn¡¯t... It wasn¡¯t me. It really, really had nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t do anything to harm... It¡¯s Mo Xuetong. It¡¯s all that woman¡¯s fault. Go and find her. You, you take her away. Take her away directly.¡± Even though she was curled up in the quilt, Auntie Qing was still trembling so violently that she couldn¡¯t even say smoothly and sweat broke out all over her body.

    The pale and bloodless face in front of her carried a trace of ice-cold blood. The whole room seemed to be filled with this kind of aura, which almost made her suffocate.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t you? If it weren¡¯t for you, would I have ended up like this? Didn¡¯t you always entice me and cause my death?¡± The ghost¡¯s voice seemed toe from a distance, and there was some indescribable coldness in it.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me... It wasn¡¯t me. It was, it was really not me. It was You Yuecheng. Yes, it was him! He lied to you. He said that he could help cure your appearance. There are people in the capital who have excellent medical skills and can help you. But he didn¡¯t say a word for you until you died. You go, go to him. Don¡¯te to me.¡±

    After refuted by the ghost, Auntie Qing subconsciously put the me on You Yuecheng. She only wanted the ghost to leave and drive her away. She had never remembered that the ghost was her biological daughter when she was alive.

    ¡°He lied to me, so didn¡¯t you lie to me? I am your biological daughter. If Mo Xuemin hadn¡¯t asked me to hurt Mo Xuetong, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this. You have to avenge me, avenge me...¡±

    The ghost¡¯s decadent voice sounded cold and strange. Sometimes it seemed very close, sometimes far away in the night. She looked up with her dead fish-like eyes and suddenly the corners of her eyes shed two marks of blood. Auntie Qing was so scared that she screamed again. Her whole body hid in the quilt and trembled.

    ¡°Qiong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I... I will definitely avenge you. You can rest assured. Go back first, and don¡¯te to me in the future. I will avenge you...¡± Auntie Qing said incoherently. She only wanted the ghost to leave now. Otherwise, she might really be scared to death.

    The quilt was tightly wrapped around her, and the air inside was very thin. Since she was sick, she almost couldn¡¯t breathe for the moment. There seemed to be a pair of ghost ws around her neck, which made her scared. She was so scared that she almost fainted. No matter what the ghost wanted now, she would agree and only wanted her to leave as soon as possible.

    ¡°Mo Xuemin harmed me. Why are you so kind to Mo Yufeng? Why?! I hate you.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I wasn¡¯t really nice to him. Don¡¯t worry, Qiong¡¯er. In a few days, he will bring trouble to himself ande to a bad end. Qiong¡¯er, Qiong¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. I will take revenge for you. I will take revenge on all the people in the Mo Manor. Let them, let them go and apany you.¡±

    Auntie Qing was outspoken and could say anything now. She only hoped that Mo Xueqiong¡¯s ghost would leave. She was shocked and frightened, and had long regarded the ghost in front of her as Mo Xueqiong¡¯s ghost.

    ¡°I¡¯m so cold. I¡¯m so cold. Come and apany me, okay? I miss your arms.¡± The voice seemed to be right in Auntie Qing¡¯s ears. Auntie Qing, who was wrapped in the quilt, seemed to feel a gust of cold air blowing from behind her neck. She only felt that the ghost¡¯s teeth would bite into her neck in the next moment.

    She fell back and rolled into the inside of the bed with all her strength. She crawled on the bed and begged in a crying voice, ¡°Qiong¡¯er, I will definitely send someone to apany you. That little slut, Mo Xuetong, will be ruined and notorious soon. Don¡¯t worry. She will die even worse than you. Let her apany you... Okay?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I want you. The most important person in your heart is not me, but that person...¡± The ghost¡¯s cold voice came from outside the quilt.

    ¡°No, there is no one else. Qiong¡¯er, I... I didn¡¯t really have a choice. My marriage was arranged by them. But no matter what I have done, my only daughter is you, Qiong¡¯er. Is it possible that they are closer to me than you are? Qiong¡¯er, listen to me... Leave, leave here and wait for me to avenge you.¡±

    ¡°How, how are you going to get revenge?¡±

    ¡°Soon. Just, just in a few days. When I recover, I will... I¡¯ll get that fool Mo Yufeng out. Then they will expose Mo Xuetong and wipe out the entire Mo Manor. I will be able to vent your anger and take revenge for you. Qiong¡¯er, you can also, also leave with peace!¡±

    ¡°Do you really believe that you can avenge me this time?¡±

    ¡°Of course, after the news of King Chu¡¯s affair with Mo Xuetong get, get out... No matter how Mo Xuetong will exin, it¡¯s, it¡¯s hard to express it clearly. There is evidence... There must be evidence this time.¡± Auntie Qing was so frightened that she could not speak properly. She trembled and stammered, ¡°I heard that... When Consort Chu¡¯s maidservant died, she had left evidence...¡±

    ¡°Evidence? Mo Yufeng will get the evidence and denounce her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, when I get better in a few days, I will find a way to get Mo Yufeng to sneak out. I heard that his uncle, the brother of that slut of the Fang family, is involved as well. That¡¯s good... then, both the Mo Manor and the Yu family will be wiped out. They will be all dead soon and they¡¯ll alle to apany you. Qiong¡¯er, isn¡¯t it okay?¡±

    Auntie Qing was shocked and frightened at this time. She closed her eyes tightly and cowered in the quilt. She didn¡¯t notice the ghost¡¯sst sentence didn¡¯t sound gloomy anymore.

    Then there was silence. The night was so quiet that there was no sound. Auntie Qing wanted to pull the quilt open to see if the ghost had left. However, when she thought that the ghost might be waiting outside, she could not help but shiver. She curled up into a ball and did not dare to move. Her forehead was covered with sweat. She was afraid that she would disturb the ghost.

    At this moment, she was sick and afraid, and her body was weak. She broke out in a cold sweat as she curled up in the quilt. Insensibly, she had fainted...

 Chapter 665 - The Hesitant Mo Huawen

    <h4>Chapter 665 The Hesitant Mo Huawen</h4>

    There was a horse carriage parked at the back door of the Mo Manor, with the windows and door shaded with curtains. It stopped at the corner, and looked nothing unusual at first nce. It was just like the ordinary horse carriage parked in thene. But the green cloth curtains slightly lifted from time to time, which indicated the anxious mood of the people inside.

    The horse carriage had been parked at the back door for a long while. It parked here in the middle of the day and did not leave when the evening lights were lit, as if there was really no one inside. Mo Huawen had already received the message. He sat in the dark study after he heard the guard¡¯s report...

    When Xu Yan got the news and came, Mo Huawen had been sitting alone in the study for a long time. He stared nkly at the door of the study. The tea on the desk was cold without a trace of warmth. Through the light from thenterns outside the room, one could see that the tea leaves were floating on the water. The man appeared lifeless. He looked at the tea in the cup. Mo Huawen did not know that there was another person in the study.

    Xu Yan waved her hand, and all the young and old maidservants left. She asked the old maidservant to put the hamper at the door. She took a candle from a maidservant¡¯s hand, stepped over the threshold with difficulty, and entered the study.

    The swaying of the light woke up Mo Huawen, who was lost in thought. He raised his head and stared at theer. After a while, he focused his attention and saw that it was Xu Yan, who was having a big belly in front of him. He quickly stood up, turned around the desk, took the candle from her hand, and inserted it on the candlestand.

    The whole room was lit up by the candlelight!

    ¡°Old Sir, I¡¯ve brought you food.¡± Xu Yan did not ask any questions when she saw Mo Huawen¡¯s grave expression. She turned around with a smile and went to pick up the hamper that had been ced at the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You just sit.¡±

    Mo Huawen stole a march on her and walked past her. He picked up the hamper and ced it on the desk.

    ¡°Old Sir, I have been waiting for you at Yanyu House for a long time, so I came with food. I was afraid that you would be too busy with your work and wouldn¡¯t even have time to eat. It turns out that I guessed right. Old Sir, you should pay attention to your health. If you are tired and sick... What should I and the child in my belly do?¡±

    Xu Yan said softly. She opened the hamper and carefully took out tes of food. She said in a casual manner, but after she finished her words, she seemed to be choked with sobs! However, there was still a faint gentle smile on her face, as if the moment of choking was just an illusion.

    But her slightly ragged breathing and somewhat hoarse voice showed that Xu Yan was not in a calm mood.

    Mo Huawen looked at her quietly. He reached out and pulled her to sit down on a chair beside him. His gazended on the swell of her belly. There was a new life there. It was his child, apletely innocent child who had not been devoured by desire or blinded by greed and would not make a vicious decision for personal gain.

    ¡°Is the child okay?¡± There was no sound for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse.

    ¡°The child is very good. He moved for a while in the afternoon. When the doctor came to feel the pulse in the morning, he also said that the child is very good. Everything is fine, and he asked me not to worry, and to keep a good mood.¡± Xu Yan¡¯s eyes also fell on her belly, and her mouth curved into a gentle smile.

    The smile carried the maternal kindness!

    This was her and Mo Huawen¡¯s first child that she had been wanting for a long time. The child would be born soon, so how could Xu Yan not be happy? Mo Huawen was indeed a little old for her, but it did not prevent her from falling in love with him. He was still elegant when he was middle-aged.

    Xu Yan married him because she liked him. She had already known that the situation in his family wasplicated. One of his concubines became his legal wife; she heard that her cousin died in a doubtful way;ter, even his first wife¡¯s daughter was left in Cloud City; he only brought a few concubines and their sons and daughters to work in the capital.

    The legal wife was dead and a concubine took that position. His only son was born by a concubine, and the two concubines¡¯ daughters were not the kind of people who would behave themselves. Xu Yan did not want to be the second wife of such a family. However, the elegant and lonely man had unknowingly won her heart.

    As such, she epted it no matter howplicated the situation of the Mo Manor was!

    ¡°Then why did youe here at this time? You can just ask a maidservant to bring it over. Don¡¯t tire the child.¡± Mo Huawen retracted his gaze from Xu Yan¡¯s belly, turned behind the desk and sat down.

    ¡°The maidservants heard from the manservant that you were alone in the study. I was afraid that you would be too busy to stop, so I came to take a look.¡± There was a hint of worry in Xu Yan¡¯s eyes as she looked at Mo Huawen with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You go back first. I still have some official documents to deal with. I¡¯lle back when I¡¯m done. Don¡¯t worry.¡± There was a hint of gentleness in Mo Huawen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Your belly is getting heavier and heavier. You should pay more attention to your health. It¡¯s already sote. You should rest early.¡±

    Recently, as Xu Yan¡¯s belly was getting bigger and bigger, Mo Huawen had not gone to her room to rest for a long time. Most of the time, he slept in the study. ording to his words, he woulde to her room tonight. Xu Yan¡¯s heart was full of happiness. She knew that he had always been missing histe wife. He married her in order to take care of Mo Xuetong, histe wife¡¯s daughter, better.

    He was not the one who spoiled his concubines and killed his wife as people said. Xu Yan had learned from Mo Xuetong how helpless he was at that time. Outsiders only said that he was heartless, but did not know the whole story under his ruthlessness. Knowing his affection and righteousness, she was willing to wait for him. She would wait until the day came when he waspletely out of the shadow of the past and could see her and her child.

    ¡°Well, I will listen to you, Old Sir. I¡¯m going back right now. I will leave two maidservants in the corridor. After the meal, you can get the manservants to clean up and ask them to take it away. Old Sir, you should go to bed early since it is cold tonight,¡± Xu Yan reminded Mo Huawen and stood up obediently. She bade him farewell and walked out. The child in her belly was getting bigger and bigger. She would not risk him.

    She had listened to Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, and her mind had been conveyed. She believed that Mo Huawen was a sensible person and understood what was more important. Compared to Mo Yufeng alone, Mo Xuetong, Xu Yan and the child in her belly were more important. Xu Yan was not worried that Mo Huawen would be softhearted. As the lord mayor of the capital, he was not a person who did not know what was right and what was wrong. Military officers were often described as decisive. If he was not decisive enough, he might do things sloppily, and then there would be endless trouble in the future.

    Mo Yufeng was colluding with outsiders to harm Mo Xuetong, and he would definitely implicate the Mo Manor in the end!

    Apart from the fact that Mo Yufeng was so vicious that he wanted to ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation, Mo Xuetong was the daughter-inw of the royal family, and her husband was Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite son. How could Emperor Zongwen allow his son to be cuckolded? Even though the adulterer would be his another son.

    However, as he was still his son, the ones to be punished would definitely be Mo Xuetong and the Mo Manor behind her!

    A monarch¡¯s anger would cause blood to flow for a thousand miles!

    There were over 100 people in the Mo Manor, and they would all be implicated and sentenced to death. Xu Yan did not know why Mo Yufeng was so sure that he would be able to escape. She heard that Auntie Fang used to be a smart woman. She did not expect that the son she gave birth to was not only vicious but also stupid. He should think that even if the Mo Manor was doomed, he would still be able to survive.

    When a bird¡¯s nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact!

    With the skin gone, to what can the hair attach it?

    Xu Yan hade here in order to urge Mo Huawen to make up his mind faster. Then he coulde out of his hesitation and stopped hesitating for needless softness. When Mo Yufeng and Yu Feng had worked together to plot against Mo Xuetong, his path had already been decided. Compared to so many people¡¯s lives, Mo Yufeng, who was vicious and did not care about family affection, was too light...

    In the study, Mo Huawen slowly had his meal, with a calm and peaceful expression on his face. He was no longer as hesitant as before. When he put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand, there was a hint of sharpness in his eyes. He ordered the manservant to clean up the bowls and chopsticks on the desk. Then he looked at the flickering lights at the corner of the desk with a calm face.

    ¡°Somebody!¡±

    Hearing his call, the guard who was waiting outside the door immediately came in. ¡°Yes, Old Sir!¡±

    ¡°Is Auntie Qing getting better these days?¡± Mo Huawen asked slowly.

    ¡°Even though Auntie Qing did note out in the past few days, the secret guard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor said that she has almost recovered. Someone hade to frighten her on previous nights, but no one hade in thest few days. Auntie Qing has recovered,¡± the guard reported.

    They hadmunicated with a few secret guards of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so they had already known that the secret guard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor had frightened Auntie Qing. Even though they did not know why they had done so, they knew that it had been peaceful these past few days. Auntie Qing had been taking medicine these few days and no one had disguised into a female ghost to harass her at night. It was not a serious illness, so she had almost recovered.

    ¡°Did she go to Eldest Young Master¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°The day before yesterday, Auntie Qing wanted to go to Eldest Young Master¡¯s ce, but was stopped by the people outside Eldest Young Master¡¯s courtyard. After that, Auntie Qing also asked someone to send some things to Eldest Young Master. She did not go there in person, and only said that she was ill,¡± the guard reported truthfully. Auntie Qing had been very kind to the Eldest Young Master recently, as if she were his mother.

    She had not yet recovered from her illness and was already worried about Mo Yufeng. After she went to his ce but didn¡¯t see him, she ordered people to send him something.

    Mo Huawen pondered for a moment and had already made up his mind. He nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to guard his courtyard too tightly. If Auntie Qing¡¯s people go to send things over, let them in.¡±

    Auntie Qing¡¯s people had already sent things to Mo Yufeng several times since noon, but they were all sent back by the two guards outside his room. When the guard heard Mo Huawen¡¯s orders, he immediately understood and nodded in agreement.

    Mo Yufeng was grounded and locked up in his own yard, leaving only two old maidservants to take care of his daily life. There wasn¡¯t even a young maidservant in his courtyard. And two strong guards were sent to stay at the door, and it was obvious that they were not easy to deal with. Mo Yufeng looked out of the window with a gloomy face. It had been a while, but there was nothing he could do. He walked around in the room like an ant on a hot pan...

    Today was the appointed day. However, not only could he not get out, but no message hade from Auntie Qing. Usually, he could even see someone sent by Auntie Qing to send some things over, but no one hade today. How could Mo Yufeng not be annoyed? He had to go out today.

 Chapter 666 - The Mysterious Man Waiting at the Back Door of the Mo Manor

    <h4>Chapter 666 The Mysterious Man Waiting at the Back Door of the Mo Manor</h4>

    If he lost today¡¯s opportunity, Mo Yufeng would not be able to defeat that little slut Mo Xuetong. When he thought that his mother and his younger sister had fallen into such a miserable situation because of that little slut, Mo Yufeng¡¯s heart burned with anger. He only wished that Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation would be ruined and she would die in front of him!

    He had thought that he would never have the chance to take revenge in the future. After all, that little slut was already the high and mighty Consort Xuan who was protected by the wild King Xuan. He could not reach her no matter what. His desire to take revenge was buried deep in his heart because there was no hope.

    However, an opportunity appeared silently in front of him. Auntie Qing, whom no one had paid attention to, had someone behind her, and the person was a big shot. How could Mo Yufeng not be overjoyed? He had contacted his uncle, whom he hadn¡¯t gotten in touch with for a long time. The two of them considered that it was feasible after they discussed it.

    ording to that person, not only could he get rid of that little slut, Mo Xuetong, but he could also get that person¡¯s recognition. In the future, the glory and wealth could be obtained easily. After thinking about it carefully for a while, Mo Yufeng and his uncle both felt that it was feasible. Yu Feng was at a dead end these days because his backer, Consort Yu, had lost her power, and it seemed that there was little chance of aeback.

    The powerful person who appeared at this time was what he needed most right now. Of course, he agreed and instigated Mo Yufeng to do it again and again. With this matter as a guarantee and that person behind him, it would not be a problem for him to get rid of that little slut Mo Xuetong.

    Thinking of the glory and wealth that he was about to get, Mo Yufeng could not wait anymore. He sent the two old maidservants to work and he carefully went to the wall of the backyard. He no longer lived in the big courtyard in the middle of the Mo Manor. Now his courtyard was close to the backyard. The wall was so high that Mo Yufeng could not climb it with his small body.

    Standing inside the yard and looking at the high wall, Mo Yufeng was almost desperate. If he had known earlier, he would have learned some martial arts. Then he would not be cut off from almost all his hopes by a wall at this time.

    Just as he was anxious, he suddenly heard the dog barkinging from outside. And it was getting closer and closer. Suddenly, a dog appeared in the weeds in the backyard. It looked up at Mo Yufengzily and barked several times. Then, it turned around and ran away along the wall.

    A thought shed through Mo Yufeng¡¯s mind. He could not care about anything else as his mind was filled with glory and wealth. He rushed into the weeds and rolled it aside. As expected, he saw a small hole behind the weeds. Fortunately, the hole wasrge. He measured it a few times, lowered his body without hesitation and crawled out of the hole.

    As long as he went out of the courtyard, it should be very close to the back door from this direction. The old maidservant guarding the back door had benefited a lot from Auntie Fang, so it should not be a problem to open the door for Mo Yufeng at this time.

    As Mo Yufeng crawled out of the doghole and hadn¡¯t had time to dust himself down, he heard a low cry from behind him. ¡°Eldest Young Master!¡±

    He trembled because of the scream and almost fell down. He turned around in a hurry, and with the light of thentern not far away, he saw that it was an old maidservant. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was not the two guards who guarded his door. Just now, he thought that he had been discovered by the guards.

    ¡°Eldest Young Master, you¡¯ve finallye out. Quick, follow me. The people from the other side have been waiting for a long time.¡± The old maidservant had been serving Auntie Qing. She knew what was going on when she saw Mo Yufeng appeared at the doghole in a pathetic state. However, it was not the time to talk about other things. She moved forward, took Mo Yufeng¡¯s hand and left.

    Mo Yufeng shook off her hand angrily and snapped, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Auntie Qing? Didn¡¯t she say that she would find a way to get me out? Why is there no movement at this time? Has that woman lied to me?¡± He was so anxious earlier and had been waiting for Auntie Qing to appear. However, he did not get any message from that woman. She was really useless.

    ¡°Eldest Young Master, you¡¯ve misunderstood Auntie Qing. Auntie Qing wanted to enter your courtyard from noon today, but the two guards at your door were watching closely. Auntie Qing sent us here several times but we were not allowed to enter. They did not even allow us to send you anything. Auntie Qing could do nothing, and wanted us to take a look at the back wall to see if there¡¯s any ce for you toe out. Unexpectedly, I saw Eldest Young Master as soon as I got here.¡±

    The old maidservant was good at talking. She told Mo Yufeng everything in a short while. Of course, she especially told him that it was Auntie Qing who sent them here. Shepletely ignored Mo Yufeng¡¯s embarrassed look, as if he was really a noble young master who swaggered out of the front door.

    In fact, she had been here for a while. She had nned to climb up the tree outside the courtyard wall to have a look, but she didn¡¯t expect that the Eldest Young Master would climb out of this dirty doghole. Even an ordinary servant would not like to do it, so she despised him deeply in her heart.

    ¡°Humph, if I really can¡¯t get it today, ask your mistress to tell him. If something happens, she has to take responsibility for it.¡± Mo Yufeng also felt embarrassed at this time. He coughed hard, a little angry and his face darkened. He patted the dust on his clothes and strode to the back yard.

    He was dubious about the old maidservant¡¯s words. ¡°That woman must be afraid that I would be favored by that person, so she didn¡¯te to save me on purpose. A few days ago, she often sent things to me. but why didn¡¯t she send things today? She wants me to recognize her as my mother? She wishes! She¡¯s just a concubine. If I became sessful in the future, I don¡¯t need a concubine to be my mother.¡±

    He had long forgotten his position in the Mo Manor¡ªhe was just a concubine¡¯s son!

    The old maidservant guarding the back door opened the door without hesitation after Mo Yufeng appeared and said that he was going to take the jewelry boxes left behind by Auntie Fang from his uncle. She even bowed and asked Mo Yufeng if he needed help and if he wanted her to go out with him. Of course, Mo Yufeng rejected her good intentions. Auntie Qing¡¯s servant did not follow him to go out and hid in the corner of the back door.

    After walking out of the back door, Mo Yufeng turned slightly to the back wall. Under the light from thenterns at the back door, he clearly saw that there was indeed a horse carriage parking there. He hurried forward to the carriage.

    ¡°Why did youe sote? I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able toe.¡± The curtain was lifted and Yu Feng jumped off the carriage. He was dressed in a long green robe, looking like a ghost. He looked at Mo Yufeng with a cold and angry expression on his face. He had been at the back door of the Mo Manor for almost 10 hours. He had thought that Mo Yufeng woulde out after a while, but he waited until now.

    ¡°My father has sent people to watch me closely, so I couldn¡¯t get out for a while.¡± Mo Yufeng patted the dust on his robe awkwardly.

    ¡°Then how did you get out? Did anyone discover you?¡± Yu Feng looked around warily and hid in the dark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s all right. It was Auntie Qing who found a way to get me out. How could there be someone else to see me at this time? My father should have fallen asleep a long time ago. No one will notice me,¡± Mo Yufeng lied calmly. Of course, he would not tell Yu Feng that he had gotten out of his yard through a doghole. As such, he said that Auntie Qing helped hime out.

    Anyway, without Auntie Qing¡¯s help in this matter, he couldn¡¯t get in touch with that person!

    Yu Feng heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that it was Auntie Qing to get Mo Yufeng out of the courtyard. It mattered a lot and he did not dare to be careless. So, he could only give the thing in his hands to Mo Yufeng or Auntie Qing. Compared to Auntie Qing, it was more convenient for him to give it to Mo Yufeng. He was a man after all. It would not arouse suspicion when he went out to take things.

    Auntie Qing was different. As a concubine, she usually kept a low profile. Therefore, she did not dare to meet Yu Feng at the back door in case she would be used of having an affair. Thus, Mo Yufeng was supposed to take the thing. This was also the reason why Yu Feng had been waiting at the back door. Like Mo Yufeng, he too was now bent on gaining power and wealth and avenging his sister by the way.

    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s okay. Have you brought that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here. Go in quickly in case others suspect you.¡± Yu Feng nodded as he took out a bag and stuffed it into Mo Yufeng¡¯s arms. Then, he turned around and got into his horse carriage. The driver flicked his whip and the carriage left thene where the back door of the Mo Manor was from another direction. In the dark night, no one would have been able to see who the man was if they hadn¡¯t been close to him.

    Mo Yufeng put the bag that Yu Feng had brought into his wide sleeve and did not stay any longer. Having obtained the thing, he was already half sessful. He was in a better mood now as he turned around and strode in.

    The old maidservant who guarded the door nodded and bowed when she heard that he had returned. She ttered him politely, which lifted Mo Yufeng¡¯s mood. He had not been doing well in the manor recently. The servants used to call him and lick his shoes when they saw him, but now, when they saw him, they all kept away from him as if he had a gue.

    It was rare that there was still an old maidservant to be so respectful to him. He immediately took out a silver ingot from his arms and gave her. Then he went back to his courtyard.

    When he turned around the corner, he saw Auntie Qing¡¯s servant standing there. She noticed that Mo Yufeng looked not bad even though there was still dust at the corners of his eyes, which lowered his vigor and vitality.

    ¡°Eldest Young Master, did you get it?¡± the old maidservant asked with a smile.

    ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll go back now. Ask Auntie Qing toe to me. We¡¯ll make a n together tomorrow. If it¡¯s the matters of the outer courtyard, I can do it by myself. But it¡¯s the matters of the inner courtyard, so I still need Auntie Qing to think of a way,¡± Mo Yufeng said arrogantly as if he was helping Auntie Qing.

    It made the old maidservant unhappy, but she also knew that she could not offend the person in front of her. She kept saying that she would go to discuss with Auntie Qing and find a way for her mistress toe over tomorrow.

    ¡°Go back first. Remember to make it clear to Auntie Qing. Don¡¯t make such a big mistake like today. Otherwise, she won¡¯t know how she dies then.¡± The old maidservant¡¯s attitude was good and it gratified Mo Yufeng¡¯s vanity. He nodded and drove her away. No matter what, he was still a noble young master. He was too ashamed to crawl into that dirty doghole in front of the old maidservant.

    However, if he did not enter his courtyard through that hole, he was afraid that Mo Huawen would find out his movements.

    ¡°Yes, yes, I will go and tell Auntie Qing right now.¡± The old maidservant nodded obediently and left without looking back. It was like looking for death to stay here and watch Mo Yufeng crawling through the doghole. After all, she was a servant of the Mo Manor, and the man in front of her was the Eldest Young Master of the manor. It would not be a good thing if he hated her.

 Chapter 667 - Princess Caifengs Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 667 Princess Caifeng¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s invitation was sent at noon when Mo Xuetong was taking a medicated bath. There was already rustling autumn wind. Mo Xuetong felt that her body was heavier than usual and she usually felt a little dizzy, but she did not dare to show it in front of Feng Yuran.

    She was very clear about the poison in her body. If it was really so easy to remove it, how could her mother die? At that time, her mother was in the prime of life, but she could not survive it. It could be seen that the poison was not so easy to detoxify. A few imperial physicians in the pce didn¡¯t even diagnose that she was poisoned. The doctors that Feng Yuran had hired for her had not really treated her.

    They could just keep the situation from getting worse. Mo Xuetong could see it clearly, but she did not stop Feng Yuran from looking for doctors everywhere for her. She could not let Feng Yuran feel hopeless. Sometimes, when she woke up from her dreams, she saw him hugging her under themplight and staring at her gently.

    His devilish and wildly arrogant eyes were filled with deep affection and intense pain!

    He was totally different from the person who did not care about anything in front of others. Heughed and cursed as if he did not care about the poison in her body at all. Mo Xuetong also chose to forget it as Feng Yuran did. She did not want to put too much pressure on him. Every time Feng Yuran brought her new medicine for bathing, Mo Xuetong would always soak happily in it.

    After taking a bath, she would give some advice! For example, if the medicated bath smelled too strong, she would ask if she could put some flowers and leaves in it to dispel the smell of medicine as it could calm her mind and maybe the effect would be better.

    Feng Yuran smiled and told her that he could consider it. Then, there were flowers floating on the bath water the next day.

    Neither of them seemed to take it seriously. They teased each other from time to time, as if this matter was insignificant. Mo Xuetong knew that Feng Yuran had been trying to find an antidote. Even though she did not have any hopes for this, Feng Yuran¡¯s hidden pain would remind her of the Yan Kingdom. Would there really be an antidote in the distant Yan Kingdom?

    Maybe there really was an antidote!

    Maybe Feng Yuran would really find it!

    Maybe there would be news soon...

    All this spection had lessened her difort a little. There was a faint sweetness in her heart and a slight smile on her lips. She should believe him, right? He had been looking for the antidote for her. She believed that as long as there was such an antidote in the world, he would definitely find it!

    He was so persistent in looking for it...

    After the medicated bath, she felt better. At least, she didn¡¯t look as sick as her mother did. Wasn¡¯t all of this because of Feng Yuran? She hoped that she could stay with him forever. She choked up as she felt sweet...

    Mo Lan helped her sit down in front of the dressing table. Then she dried her hair with a dry towel while pointing at the pink invitation beside, asking, ¡°My Lady, this is an invitation from Princess Caifeng to the banquet the day after tomorrow. Would you like to ept the invitation?¡±

    ¡°Princess Caifeng!¡± Mo Xuetong appearedzy. Her beautiful and exquisite face was filled with a carefree charm. She leaned against the dressing table and reached out to take the invitation from Mo Yu. She opened it and had a look. Her beautiful eyes were tired and she looked like a cat that had not woken up. Her longshes fluttered above her charming eyes.

    ¡°Has Miss Hu really recovered?¡±

    ¡°ording to what I heard, yes. She almost recovered when they moved there. She should havepletely recovered these days.¡± Mo Ye replied. Then, she handed another dry towel to Mo Lan to rece the wet one in her hand.

    Hu Qianyue had just recovered, and Princess Caifeng sent an invitation to invite people to attend the banquet. They were in the Qin Kingdom. Even if Princess Caifeng was a princess, she was still a princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Furthermore, she was going to marry King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, in a month. She was not in a hurry to prepare for her wedding, but instead, she invited people to attend the banquet. She was so carefree.

    Mo Xuetong nced at the invitation card and askedzily, ¡°Who are the people she invited?¡±

    Mo Ye thought for a moment and replied. ¡°I heard that she has invited madams and youngdies from different manors. Anyway, all nobledies and madams should have been invited!¡± Princess Caifeng would hold a rather big banquet. It was said that she wanted to praise the friendship between the two countries. It would not be easy for others to refuse since the banquet concerned the rtionship between the two countries.

    ¡°Go and see what will happen.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly. Princess Caifeng had already lost interest in Feng Yuran after being threatened by him. As such, She should no longer be hostile to Mo Xuetong. As for Hu Qianyue, she had already taken a big stand as she moved out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    If she really wanted to make things difficult for her, it would be best for her to be ill in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. After all, Hu Qianyue was also concerned in the marriage of the two countries. If something were to really happen to her in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Feng Yuran might be okay, but the ¡°weak¡± Consort Xuan would be in the teeth of the storm.

    Hu Qianyue was smart enough to understand all of this. Therefore, since she had moved out, she would not target Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong was very interested in this kind of banquet that was purely for watching. Of course, this was on the premise that she would not bring trouble to herself. Or perhaps, it was on the premise that no one was trying to plot against others and Mo Xuetong hadn¡¯t been misled.

    The banquet was more likely to deal with the Sixth Princess!

    Mo Xuetong was really looking forward to it!

    She had been tricked by the Sixth Princess for no reason. It seemed that she had a feud with the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen again. Mo Xuetong was still very unhappy about it.

    ¡°My Lady, will His Highness go with you?¡± Mo Lan still had a lingering fear from thest banquet, so she asked about Feng Yuran subconsciously.

    ¡°When you received the invitation, who sent it to you?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Feng Yue!¡± Mo Lan¡¯s face flushed and she replied uneasily. Feng Yue was very diligent when it came to work about the inner courtyard. Even though he did not make it clear, Mo Lan knew his meaning.

    Mo Xuetong chuckled. She turned around and sized up Mo Lan carefully. Mo Lan could not bear her gaze, and her usually cold face became redder and redder. She stomped her feet and said coyly, ¡°My Lady...¡±

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t look at Mo Lan anymore. Just now, Mo Lan¡¯s face had turned red because of others¡¯ gaze. If you continue to look at her like this, she will burn,¡± Mo Yu teased. She had seen it clearly earlier. The guard leader, who had always been brave, looked at Mo Lan affectionately and Mo Lan, who had always been calm, was blushing.

    There must be something going on between them!

    ¡°Mo Yu, you¡¯re talking nonsense again. He was just talking about His Highness¡¯s questions about Her Lady. There¡¯s nothing else. Don¡¯t think too much.¡± Mo Lan¡¯s clumsy denial resulted in self-exposure. After she finished her words, she realized that everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with ridicule. She felt shy and lowered her head subconsciously.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Mo Lan will be angry if you continue to say that.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled awkwardly as she tried to smooth things over. ¡°Feng Yue was just taking the opportunity to take a look. What are you talking about? It sounds as if he didn¡¯t do anything serious and hase specially to visit Mo Lan.¡±

    Her words were even more explicit than what Mo Yu had said. Mo Lan¡¯s face turned so red that it could even make sesame seed cake on her cheeks. She red at Mo Xuetong angrily and said, ¡°My Lady, why are you talking nonsense with Mo Yu?¡±

    Originally, she wanted to pretend to be dignified and serious. However, she was blushing, shy and annoyed, and her words did not sound imposing at all, but made all the people presentugh. Looking at Mo Lan¡¯s increasingly red face, Mo Xuetong knew that she should stop. She thought the two were perfect couple, but Mo Lan was so shy that if she continued to talk, she would really run away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, let¡¯s get down to business. Look at you, you all talked nonsense. I¡¯ve decided to notice a young man for you in case you refuse to work hard.¡± Mo Xuetong held back herughter and coughed softly. She pointed at the three people in front of her intentionally and blinked her lively eyes.

    As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Lan was not the only one who was blushing!

    ¡°My Lady...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it. The invitation was sent by Feng Yue, so His Highness has already seen it. His Highness has seen it because the guard sent the invitation to His Highness. The guard sent the invitation to His Highness instead of sending it directly to the inner courtyard, meaning that Princess Caifeng also sent an invitation to His Highness, so His Highness should go with me.¡±

    Mo Xuetong announced the result with a serious expression, but she could not hide the lively smile in her eyes.

    ¡°Wow, My Lady, you are so amazing that you can specte it.¡± Mo Yu opened her mouth, and her eyes were full of admiration. Since she woke up in Cloud City, Mo Xuetong had bepletely different. She was not only smart, but also had her own ideas and ns.

    How could they, as maidservants, not admire such a master!

    At the same time, they felt lucky. If their master was still the same as before, in the end, even her bones would not be left. Therefore, fortunately, their master had changed and was no longer weak and easy to bully. Only in this way could they have a day to see that those who tried to hurt their master would not have a good ending.

    Feng Yuran came in the evening and it was rare for him toe before the lights were lit. He asked servants to prepare food as soon as he entered the yard. He shouted that he was hungry. Mo Lan and the others hurried to give orders. Since King Xuan was here, they should go away. He was very possessive about Consort Xuan. So, they didn¡¯t have to serve them.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you had dinner yet? I¡¯m really hungry.¡± The man was still talking non-stop when he entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    ¡°Usually you¡¯re not here at this time. It¡¯s really early today,¡± Mo Xuetong saidzily. Feng Yuran had always been busy, so it wasn¡¯t usual for him toe at this time. Could it be that he had something to talk to her?

    Her long hair was casually scattered on her shoulders, which made her pink and tender face as charming as jade. The slightly raised corners of her eyes added a hint of natural charm to her originally pure and beautiful eyes.

    She leaned against the couch and read the book in her hand. Her casual look appeared very adorable.

    ¡°Are you ming me foring too early today?¡± Feng Yuran raised his brows and red at Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°How would I dare? However, you¡¯re usually very busy. You have nevere to eat at this time. You can¡¯t me all the young and old maidservants for not treating you well.¡± Mo Xuetong nced at him from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you want me toe to apany you so early every day?¡± Feng Yuran sat on the chair and looked at Mo Xuetong with his chin propped up. There was a hint of tease in his enchanting and handsome eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You¡¯re a busy man. How could I dare to ask for so much from you? When I heard that you were here, I was so happy that I asked servants to prepare the dinner immediately.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Tong¡¯er, you really want me to apany you.¡± Feng Yuranughed loudly and suddenly stood up. He did not seem to be so hungry that he could not move at all. He picked up Mo Xuetong and brought her into his embrace. Then, he moved close to kiss her.

    This man was really casual. He did whatever he wanted. Mo Xuetong did not expect him to be like this and she was shocked. Then, she pushed him away in embarrassment and annoyance. He had made a big noise right now. Furthermore, it was still daylight now. Even though there were no maidservants in the room, there was more than one standing outside. ¡°Feng Yuran, I will be angry if you keep making a noise!¡±

 Chapter 668 - The Mysterious and Masterly Doctor

    <h4>Chapter 668 The Mysterious and Masterly Doctor</h4>

    Feng Yuran really liked to see Mo Xuetong like this when he saw her bright and beautiful eyes and red cheeks, which made her look charming. However, he knew that she was really embarrassed and annoyed. He immediately stopped teasing her and took her to the couch. He held her in his arms with one hand and picked up the book she had thrown aside with the other. He flipped through it and his handsome eyes raised. ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you want to be a female doctor?¡±

    The book that Mo Xuetong had casually flipped through was a medical book. When she was free, she would flip through it. This book was left to her by Bai Yihao in the past. There were some of his ideas written on it. It was much more precious than ordinary books. The exnation in the book was thorough and it also detailed several of the methods that Bai Yihao had understood.

    Seeing that he didn¡¯t mention the embarrassing topic just now, Mo Xuetong became normal and tried to get rid of his arms. She failed, so she just let him hold her andzily leaned into his arms. She nced at the book and said, ¡°Can¡¯t I read it if I don¡¯t want to be a female doctor? I heard that there are a few great books in the pce. Take them out for me sometime.¡±

    Feng Yuran reached out to flick the pages of the medical book, raised his eyebrows, and said evilly, ¡°There were indeed a few precious unique books in the pce. But I don¡¯t know where they have been after so many years. They seem to have disappeared. I wonder if someone likes medicine and took away those books.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She blinked her watery eyes, suddenly moved closer to him and asked, ¡°Feng Yuran, tell me, do you know something?¡±

    She didn¡¯t intend to make puzzling remarks with him. This man was very sly, and it was rare for him to tell the truth in front of people. If she didn¡¯t ask him directly, he would be willing to beat around the bush with her until she got lost.

    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Feng Yuranughed out loud when he saw she pouted and looked adorable. He threw the book in his hand onto the ground, hugged Mo Xuetong with both hands and rolled on the pillow beside him. He put on an evil smile on his handsome face. He raised his pretty eyes and said, ¡°Oh, Tong¡¯er, what do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Is there another person in the capital who has learned medicine, and his medical skill is not much inferior to Bai Yihao¡¯s?¡± Mo Xuetong was a little dizzy because of his rolling. She pushed him hard, gritted her teeth and asked the question in her heart.

    She had been suspecting that apart from Bai Yihao, there was another person who had learned medicine in the capital and had excellent medical skills. First, it was about Mo Xueqiong. Mo Xueqiong had been disfigured then and Feng Yulei did not like her. However, no matter what, she was a second consort of the royal family, and she was given to Feng Yulei by Emperor Zongwen as punishment.

    As long as she behaved herself, Feng Yulei would not dare to vent his anger on her!

    You Yue¡¯e naturally knew about this as well! The Emperor had no family affairs, and the same could be said of the princes. There was a strong connection between the back courtyard and the court. You Yuecheng was clear about what happened to Feng Yulei and the fact that Mo Xuetong had been plotted against. How could You Yue¡¯e not know that Mo Xueqiong had be her husband¡¯s second consort because of the Emperor¡¯s anger? How would she dare to really kill Mo Xueqiong and cause trouble?

    Under such circumstances, it was impossible for Mo Xueqiong to put all her eggs in one basket.

    She had framed Mo Xuetong, which meant that she would never appear as King Yan¡¯s second consort in the future. Given Mo Xueqiong¡¯s character, how could she be willing to live a life in the dark for the rest of her life? What was it that made her do this at all costs? Mo Xuetong thought over it and felt that she should analyze it from her appearance.

    Before Mo Xueqiong was disfigured, she could be considered a pretty girl. She had always thought highly of herself. After her appearance had been ruined, even though she had be Feng Yulei¡¯s second consort, she did not win Feng Yulei¡¯s favor. She would definitely me it all on her disfigured face. She would do anything as long as someone told her that he could help her restore her appearance.

    Mo Xueqiong had always been selfish. As long as it was beneficial to her, she would do her best to do it regardless of whether it was harmful to others or not. Furthermore, she had been disfigured at that time, and she must think that it was Mo Xuetong¡¯s fault. If someone had given her hope and told her that she could regain her looks and live happily in the future, there was nothing that Mo Xueqiong did not dare to do.

    However, that was on the premise that Mo Xueqiong acknowledged that person¡¯s medical skills. Even though Mo Xueqiong was not smart, she was a person who would not act rashly until she got the purpose. Furthermore, after each failure, she would be a little smarter. From this point of view, there should be a doctor in the capital, who was highly skilled in medicine and even could restore the face of a disfigured person.

    The appearance of another person also proved this¡ªYu Sirong. The disfigured Yu Sirong had appeared in the capital, and there was not even a single trace of scar on her face. Mo Xuetong knew Yu Sirong¡¯s injuries best. Those two sharp stones had left scars on her face and they had ruined herst life.

    In her past life, she had looked for all the famous doctors in the capital and asked many people to see the scars on her face. Everyone loves beauty. Moreover, she had bent wholeheartedly on winning Sima Lingyun¡¯s heart at that time. How could she be willing to face the person she liked with that kind of appearance? However, everyone shook their heads and said that the wound could not be cured and it was inevitable that it would leave scars.

    In this life, Yu Sirong¡¯s injury was even worse than hers. An injury like that should be impossible to repair. However, Yu Sirong was cured. Did this mean that Mo Xueqiong had made up her mind to frame her and Yu Sirong appeared in King Yan¡¯s Manor all because there was a mysterious and masterly doctor hidden in the capital?

    And this person was Mo Xuetong¡¯s enemy!

    ¡°There should be such a person. Be careful when you go out.¡± Feng Yuran loosened his arms around her slender waist and leaned over to carefully put her aside. He put his elbow on the couch and looked at her. He felt as if he was holding her in his arms. A hint of gentleness crept over the corners of his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the same in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Both Princess Caifeng and Hu Qianyue are from the Southern Barbarian Lands. You have to be careful when you go to the banquet and don¡¯t use anything casually.¡±

    Mo Xuetong could sense the strangeness of the Southern Barbarian Lands from the string of ne of South Pearls. The box deserved to be called Duo La. It would be a disaster if it was opened. Fortunately, the box had been kept by Xieyue. Otherwise, something bad might have happened.

    Speaking of the Southern Barbarian Lands, Mo Xuetong turned her attention to the banquet held by Princess Caifeng. She pulled the silk ribbon on Feng Yuran¡¯s belt and wrapped it around her hands. Then, she raised her charming face, her eyes as clear as water. ¡°In a short period of time, Princess Caifeng will marry Feng Yuzhen. Our Sixth Princess will also marry the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. In the future, one of them will stay in the Qin Kingdom and the other will stay in the Southern Barbarian Lands forever. Is Princess Caifeng weing the Sixth Princess?¡±

    Princess Caifeng weed the Sixth Princess?

    Feng Yuran smiledzily and reached out to lift her chin. ¡°Are you so mischievous?¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes and pretended to be confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t it right? One of them has juste to the Qin Kingdom. It¡¯s a weing banquet!¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it more suitable for the Sixth Princess to invite Princess Caifeng? The Sixth Princess is the master,¡± Feng Yuran asked, pretending to be confused. There was an evil look in his eyes. His handsome face made it hard for others to look at him, as if he were glowing. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart could not help but beat faster when she looked at him.

    This devilish man always put on a seductive look on his face. No wonder after Princess Caifeng saw him, she could not help but attack her and wanted to steal her position as Consort Xuan. She red at him viciously and pouted, ¡°You are indeed good at making ns for Princess Caifeng. You know that she has suffered a loss. You are going to seek justice for her now!¡±

    After that, Mo Xuetong was so embarrassed that she lowered her head.

    Feng Yuran was stunned when he heard that. Then, he looked at Mo Xuetong¡¯s increasingly red face and even lifted her head up. He said curiously, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are jealous of Princess Caifeng. Why weren¡¯t you jealous a few days ago? Why are you jealous today? You acted a little slowly. I really don¡¯t understand!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous at all. I¡¯m just asking why the Sixth Princess doesn¡¯t hold the banquet, but Princess Caifeng is going to hold it.¡± Mo Xuetong was embarrassed by what he said. Then, seeing him looking at her with a teasing look in his eyes, she pretended to be serious and pushed his hand away, as if she was talking about something serious.

    However, her coquettish and shy look was not convincing at all!

    Feng Yuran knew that if he continued to tease her, she would definitely be angry from embarrassment. He immediately stopped and coaxed her. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s get down to business. If Princess Caifeng holds the banquet in Feng Xuehe¡¯s stead, what would Feng Xuehe do ording to her temper?¡±

    ¡°On the surface, the Sixth Princess, of course, will appear educated, reasonable, elegant and gracious. She and Princess Caifeng are both the princesses who are going to marry into another country. Now they are in the territory of the Qin Kingdom. As a well-educated and reasonable princess, she should show some kindness to the princess who hase from afar.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought about it and responded softly.

    ¡°What else?¡± Feng Yuran asked, leading her to think as a gentle smile appeared on the corners of his lips. A strand of ck hair had fallen on her pink cheek because of the horsey and he reached out to push it behind her ear.

    His delicate movements and his dedicated expression made it seem as if there was nothing more important than this. Mo Xuetong blushed and lowered her head. She felt sweet as if she had eaten honey. She tugged at the corner of his clothes subconsciously and did not dare to look at him.

    In order to distract her attention, she continued to analyze, ¡°The Sixth Princess will definitely attend Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet this time. Not only will she attend it, but she also has to show how educated and reasonable she is. Although the banquet is hosted by Princess Caifeng, the Sixth Princess has to apany her to the end, so that people will say that the Sixth Princess is elegant and generous when they talk about how hospitable Princess Caifeng is.¡±

    The Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen were both good at acting. This kind of person had endured for such a long time, so they would not leave a subject for ridicule because of a small thing. The Sixth Princess might haven¡¯t expected that Princess Caifeng would suddenly hold a banquet. But now that she knew it, of course, she had to think of a way to deal with it, or she would be at a disadvantage.

    That was to say, the Sixth Princess would definitely attend Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet. Coincidentally, Mo Xuetong had always been suspicious of the Sixth Princess. Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet would not be held for no reason. Miss Hu Qianyue must have been involved in it. This was good. Mo Xuetong would observe them secretly while they were fighting.

    Feng Yuran caressed her head dotingly and said softly, ¡°When you go there, you can only watch aside. Don¡¯t get involved.¡± A trace of coldness shed across his eyes but Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t see it. He knew about it very well, so he didn¡¯t want her to get involved in it. She just needed to watch from the side so as not to put herself in danger.

    ¡°But what if they drag me in like what happened in the Mingguo Manorst time?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart had softened when she heard that he was concerned about her. However, she continued to ask stubbornly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there for you.¡± There was a trace of coldness in hiszy voice. Obviously, he was angry.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll just watch from the side this time, alright?¡± A charming smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She leaned against him and said in a gentle and sensible voice. Anyway, the Southern Barbarian Lands was very sinister and she did not dare to act rashly. She would just wait and see how Hu Qianyue and the Sixth Princess would fight. It was impossible for Princess Caifeng to marry into King Xuan¡¯s Manor now, and the manor had nothing to do with the Sixth Princess. It could be said that they did not have anything to do with the matter at all. It was the perfect time for Mo Xuetong to watch the show.

    She was not interested in acting with them at this moment...

 Chapter 669 - They Bumped into EaChapter Other Coincidentally

    <h4>Chapter 669 They Bumped into Each Other Coincidentally</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not expect that she happened to run into it even though she did not want to care about their performance.

    That scene happened in an alley. The two people, who should not have appeared here, happened to be here and even bumped into each other coincidentally. Mo Xuetong, who happened to be in a room beside, witnessed all this. The window was opened, and the gauze had been drawn. Since the window was not big, and it was a little high, other people could not see the people inside if they paid no attention to it.

    This was a jade shop owned by Mo Xuetong. She was checking the ount books in the ounting room at that time.

    Every month, when things in King Xuan¡¯s Manor were almost done, she woulde out and see how her shops were doing. In addition to Xiuning Workshop, Mo Xuetong did not find anything unusual in the other shops. She had already taken charge of all the shops after firing several ineffective shopkeepers.

    Some of the shops had once been controlled by Auntie Fang. Fortunately, it didn¡¯tst long. In addition, the Fu General Manor had been a deterrent behind Mo Xuetong, so Auntie Fang didn¡¯t dare to make a big move. She couldn¡¯t change all the staff, and only secretly switched a few people. When Mo Xuetong came back to take charge of the shops, she dealt with all of them.

    Without Auntie Fang¡¯s control behind the scene, these shops quickly returned to Mo Xuetong¡¯s handspletely. After the money Auntie Fang had embezzled when she was managing the shops was deducted, the loss was not big overall. Mo Xuetong had intended to buy some things today and see if there were any good gifts for Princess Caifeng by the way. Then, she could ask someone to send them directly to the manor where Princess Caifeng lived.

    It was not that there were no precious gifts in King Xuan¡¯s Manor; it was just that she didn¡¯t dare to take Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands lightly. No one knew what would happen. So she went out to buy gifts and asked the shop to directly send them to the princess¡¯s manorter. In this way, she could avoid touching them. If there was anything wrong with them, she could exin it clearly.

    Mo Xuetong did not want to be others¡¯ tool and be used at this time!

    When she reached here, she remembered that she had a shop here, so she casually came in. When the shopkeeper heard that his boss hade, he hurriedly came out and invited her to enter the ounting room behind the shop. Then he took out the receipts and sales records for this month. Mo Xuetong asked the shopkeeper to go out before she sat quietly in the ount room to check the ount, with Mo Lan and Mo Ye apanying her.

    It was very quiet in the room except for the sound of the pages turning. Mo Lan softly poured some hot water into Mo Xuetong¡¯s teacup, and Mo Ye stood outside the door.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, why did youe to such a ce? Is it because good wine needs no bush, and its sweet smell alone attracts guests? Is there any good ce?¡± A gentle voice outside the window broke the silence of the room. Mo Xuetong looked up at the window thoughtfully with her jet-ck eyes. From her position, nothing could be seen.

    Mo Ye also heard the sound at the door and quickly entered the room. Seeing a chair by the window, she lightlynded on it. Then, she peered out through the gauze.

    Mo Lan was anxious as she was afraid that Mo Ye would startle the people outside. She wanted to pull Mo Ye down. Mo Xuetong smiled and waved her hand, pointing at the window gauze to indicate that it was fine. The window was high and it was hard to see through the gauze at a distance. Mo Ye was standing close and should be able to vaguely see who it was.

    She didn¡¯t expect that there would be such a coincidence¡ªthe two girls met each other, and she was here to listen!

    Mo Lan heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s gesture. She had known how capable Consort Xuan was. Since her mistress had hinted that it was fine, it would definitely be fine. She did not dare to make a sound at this point. She strained her ears and listened carefully, wondering that the voice with a different charm should be Miss Hu¡¯s!

    Since she came from the Southern Barbarian Lands, the way Hu Qianyue spoke the Qin Kingdom¡¯snguage was somewhat different from that of natives. Furthermore, she had lived in King Xuan¡¯s Manor for a period of time, so Mo Lan could tell who was outside.

    Hu Qianyue and the Sixth Princess bumped into each other. It was very interesting! Mo Xuetong wondered if the two people really just ran into each other, or one of them had deliberatelye here to meet the other. The meaning behind this was very intriguing.

    A faint smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s fair and tender face. She picked up the teacup and leisurely took a sip, quietly overhearing the two girls¡¯ conversation.

    ¡°Miss Hu, you¡¯ve recovered? Wasn¡¯t it said that you were too ill to get out of bed because you were unustomed to the climate here?¡± The Sixth Princess looked at Hu Qianyue in front of her and smiled. She changed the topic and then looked up and down at the other girl. Her smile was gentle and soft. There were only two pce maids beside her, and she was dressed like ordinary youngdies.

    She even wore a curtained hat, but even so, Hu Qianyue still recognized her at once. How could she not be shocked? But she did not show it on her face. The two pce maids behind her looked at Hu Qianyue warily. The Sixth Princess had secretly gone out of the pce. Unexpectedly, they met Hu Qianyue here. In such a ce, it did not seem like a chance encounter.

    Hu Qianyue also brought two maidservants. She did not wear a curtained hat and stood in front of the Sixth Princess, beaming. She happened to block the way of the Sixth Princess. She had been ill recently, so her face was very thin, but she was in good spirits.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Sixth Princess. I¡¯m not seriously ill. However, Sixth Princess, you will soon go to the Southern Barbarian Lands to get married to our Third Prince. I heard that my cousin wille to wee you in a few days. Sixth Princess, why did you not wait at the pce to get married, but walk through the streets at this point, and go to dark alleys?¡±

    Hu Qianyue smiled with her sleeve covering her mouth, looking as gentle as jade.

    She was hinting that the Sixth Princess, who was about to get married and was the princess of the Qin Kingdom, was behaving in a sneaky manner. It was obvious that she did not do anything good, and her behavior even made people feel that her reputation was ruined. Otherwise, why would a princess go to such a deserted back alley instead of walking on the street openly?

    Usually, the itinerant peddler would walk in the streets and alleys. But if a woman did it, her reputation would be affected!

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s face turned pale when she heard what Hu Qianyue said. If she had not been good at hiding herself and imitating Imperial Noble Consort Wen to do everything perfectly, she would have exposed herself at this time. She wasn¡¯t here to do something proper today. Hu Qianyue had guessed this, but how could she allow Hu Qianyue to find out what she was doing!

    The alley was small, and the two of them stood there and each brought two maidservants, almost blocking the alley. Fortunately, there were few peopleing and going in this area, and there was no one else. There were two high walls on both sides, and no one came over. Even if they said something, no one would hear them.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wandering around. Miss Hu will be my Third brother¡¯s second consort. Since you¡¯ve just recovered from your illness, you should have a good rest. I heard that Third brother wille to take you home in a few days. I thought that you were in poor health, but now it seems that you¡¯re almost recovered. I¡¯ll tell Third brotherter and ask him to take you into his manor as soon as possible.¡± The Sixth Princess¡¯s face was gradually serene again.

    With a slight smile, she countered.

    Compared to the fact that the Sixth Princess was about to marry the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands and that the Third Prince would wee her in person, Hu Qianyue was almost considered humble. Even though her marriage partly concerned the two countries, she had epted the betrothal gift from You Yue¡¯e, which meant that she had an affair with Feng Yulei.

    Since the two of them had an affair, and she was not going to be his legal wife, all it took was a small sedan chair to carry her to King Yan¡¯s Manor through the side entrance.

    Hu Qianyue was even nobler than a princess in the Southern Barbarian Lands. However, she was going to be a concubine who would be casually brought into King Yan¡¯s Manor. How could she not be angry? Her calm heart was filled with hatred because of what the other girl said. The smile on her lips grew cold. The matter concerning Feng Yulei was now a thorn in her heart.

    No matter what, she would not go to King Yan¡¯s Manor!

    When she thought that her cousin had been her childhood sweetheart, but now he was going to marry the woman in front of her because of this ident, and that she had fallen into such an unbearable situation, her anger suddenly rushed up like a raging fire. She tried hard to suppress it. At this time, she should not be furious and lose her sense of propriety.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, what would my cousin think if he knew that his future wife didn¡¯t stay in the pce to wait for the marriage, but came to this kind of alley instead? Does the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom know that you are here? Ah, now that you happen to be here, I¡¯ll go to ask our Crown Prince toe and ask you why you are here. I can¡¯t let my cousin suffer a loss.¡±

    It sounded like Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t say anything useful, but if one thought over her words, they could find that she was using the Sixth Princess of being unwomanly!

    At first, the Sixth Princess pretended to be gentle and generous, trying to tell herself that Hu Qianyue in front of her was just guessing in the dark, and that there was no actual evidence. However, when she heard that Hu Qianyue repeatedly imed that she was unwomanly and had a secret date with someone else in the alley, she could not keep the smile on her face.

    She left the pce secretly today, and didn¡¯t even tell Imperial Noble Consort Wen. If Crown Prince Xieyue knew and stopped her here, she couldn¡¯t cover up some things. Looking at Hu Qianyue¡¯s seemingly gentle but mocking eyes, the Sixth Princess couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She suddenly raised her head and her eyes were full of anger.

    In the past, the Sixth Princess would never be irritated. However, after the marriage bestowed by the Emperor, which asked her to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands in a month, she had really lost her sense of propriety. Being provoked by Hu Qianyue, she could not suppress her anger. How to get rid of the marriage had been all she had been thinking abouttely.

    Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen had told her that she still had a chance that day, the more that the Sixth Princess had seen on Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s face was a perfunctory expression. She was very clear about what was most important in her mother¡¯s heart. For this most important thing, her mother couldpletely abandon her. If it was good for that man when she married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, her mother would not object to her marriage.

    Therefore, she repeatedly warned herself that she had to rely on herself on this matter, and that she couldn¡¯t even rely on her mother. There were some things that she even hid from her mother; otherwise, her mother wouldfort her with the same words. When the time came, she would be pushed into the bridal sedan chair. Thus, the Sixth Princess was so anxious and annoyed that she lost her usual tenacity!

    She couldn¡¯t take it anymore after being provoked by Hu Qianyue!

    She suddenly raised her head, and her eyes were burning, but at the same time, they were cold. ¡°Hu Qianyue, that¡¯s enough. What do you want to say?¡±

 Chapter 670 - An Unwise Move, Hu Qianyue VS the Sixth Princess

    <h4>Chapter 670 An Unwise Move, Hu Qianyue VS the Sixth Princess</h4>

    ¡°Sixth Princess, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t want to say anything. I was just happy to run into you, so I came up to say a few words with you. Who owns this back yard? Just now, I seemed to see youing out from a door over there. Sixth Princess, why did you walk through the dark and damp back door instead of the main door? It really hurt your noble status.¡±

    Hu Qianyue smiled and pointed to a door behind the right side of the Sixth Princess. She had looked carefully just now and saw that the Sixth Princess hade from that door. When she heard the news today, she immediately came here to block the Sixth Princess¡¯s way. Unexpectedly, she made it as the Sixth Princess really came out from the back door. How could she not be in a good mood?

    ¡°Where I came from has nothing to do with you, Miss Hu. Even if you will marry my Third brother, you could only be a second consort. How could you stick your nose into a princess¡¯s case? Are the rules of the Southern Barbarian Lands different from that of our Qin Kingdom? A concubine can be brought to the table?¡±

    At this moment, the Sixth Princess had realized that Hu Qianyue was obviously here to block her path. She couldn¡¯t control herself and showed her sarcastic nature. She had thrown away all pretenses of gentleness and generosity in front of others.

    ¡°Miss Hu, you have to understand that you are just a concubine who warms the bed. Crown Prince Xieyue has allowed you toe to the Qin Kingdom because he wants you to be a concubine. Since you are just a concubine, how could he care about you? Do you think that Crown Prince Xieyue thinks highly of you and will listen to a concubine¡¯s orders?¡±

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s face was cold and ferocious, and there was a hint of coldness that couldn¡¯t be hidden on the corner of her mouth. If people had not seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe that the person in front of them was really the Sixth Princess, who had always been known to be gentle and generous, and had a good reputation. The reason why she lost her temper now was that there was no one else in this ce. As for Hu Qianyue, since she had appeared here to block her way, it meant that she was her enemy.

    Facing Hu Qianyue, the Sixth Princess did not think that there was a need for her to be soft.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, what... what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t ask about that ce. But you came out from there!¡± Hu Qianyue looked surprised, as if she didn¡¯t understand why the Sixth Princess was angry from embarrassment. Her eyes were full of confusion, which covered up the trace of coldness in them very well.

    Anger was already boiling up inside her. She wanted to rip apart the Sixth Princess, who had repeatedly mentioned the word ¡°concubine¡±, in front of her eyes. She was as mad as the Sixth Princess when she mentioned her engagement. That word made Hu Qianyue gnash her teeth in hatred.

    However, it was obviously not a good time to get angry. The Sixth Princess was angry because she had been caught by Hu Qianyue. Now she was all bluffing, and if Hu Qianyue continued to push her, the Sixth Princess would definitely be defeated. At that time, the princess would be Hu Qianyue¡¯s pawn and she could ask her to do whatever she wanted.

    With such strong evidence against the princess in her hands, she did not believe that the Sixth Princess would dare to confront her head-on!

    Therefore, at this time, she still held back her anger and had a gentle smile on her face, as if she really didn¡¯t realize that she meant that a princess of this country was unwomanly and had a private date with a man.

    ¡°How did Miss Hu know so clearly that I came out from that ce? Could it be that you have been following me all the time? I didn¡¯t expect that Father didn¡¯t even ask about me when I, a princess, went out of the pce to somewhere else, but you, a concubine sent by the small Southern Barbarian Lands, care so much about me. Could it be that you¡¯vee to the Qin Kingdom as a spy?¡±

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s dignified and beautiful eyes were red with anger, and her voice was getting louder and louder. Her sharp voice almost made Hu Qianyue unable to stand it for a while.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that there really weren¡¯t many peopleing to this ce, the scene would have definitely attracted people to watch!

    ¡°Sixth Princess, you must be joking. How dare I follow you? I just recovered, so I went into the street to get some fresh air. When I reached here, I couldn¡¯t walk at all. I thought it would be faster to get from here to the ce where the carriage parked, but I didn¡¯t expect to see youing out from there, so I stopped to have a look. How could you say that I¡¯ve been following you, Sixth Princess?¡±

    The Sixth Princess was mad, but Hu Qianyue put on an innocent look on her face. She deliberately turned her head to look at the door behind the Sixth Princess and then at the Sixth Princess with a confused expression on her face, as if she really did not know what that ce was and why the Sixth Princess appeared here. However, the faint sneer on her lips had been reminding the Sixth Princess that she knew everything.

    Of course, the Sixth Princess would not appear here for no reason. As the Sixth Princess, there were too many people fighting for working for her if she wanted something. Given the status of Imperial Noble Consort Wen in the pce, and the fact that the Sixth Princess was going to marry into another country, no one would offend her at this time. What needed her to secretlye to such a quiet and empty alley?

    Unless the Sixth Princess came to meet her lover. It was the only thing that she would hide from others and sneak out of the pce.

    Hu Qianyue was actually slower than the Sixth Princess. When she got the news of the Sixth Princess leaving the pce, she immediately came out. But it was toote. Her secret guards were faster than her. When they saw the Sixth Princessing out from the back door, Hu Qianyue immediately got out of the carriage and went to the alley to block her way in order to get the evidence. She believed that the evidence was in that yard. The Sixth Princess had to admit it.

    As long as this matter was exposed, the Sixth Princess would definitely be ruined! It was impossible that the Sixth Princess didn¡¯t know this, so Hu Qianyue was sure that the Sixth Princess didn¡¯t dare to make it public. What she did now was just thest counterattack before the defeat.

    The Sixth Princess suddenly calmed down. Her eyes darkened and she asked coldly, ¡°Miss Hu, what do you mean? Say it!¡± Her furious and ferocious look vanished and she stared at Hu Qianyue with a mocking smile on her lips. This waspletely beyond Hu Qianyue¡¯s expectations.

    She tried hard to wipe away the uneasiness in her heart and said with a gentle smile, ¡°Sixth Princess, I didn¡¯t mean anything. I just want to see what ce it is. Since you have gone there, it must be a good ce. I¡¯m not familiar with the Qin Kingdom, so I don¡¯t know any good ces to go. When I saw you sneaking out, I couldn¡¯t help being happy and want to go there as well.¡±

    ¡°Miss Hu, do you really want to go and have a look?¡± The anger on the Sixth Princess¡¯s face hadpletely disappeared. She looked at Hu Qianyue indifferently from a high position, still in the image of a mighty princess.

    ¡°If you really don¡¯t have any objections, I¡¯ll go and take a look. What do you think, Sixth Princess?¡±

    Hu Qianyue subconsciously wore a proud smile. In her eyes, the Sixth Princess was backing down. Her anger just now was only thest struggle. She was sure that the Sixth Princess did not dare to let others see it, no matter this person was Crown Prince Xieyue or someone else in the Qin Kingdom. Thus, she had no fear now.

    Her real intention was revealed in the end. As long as she went through the back door and saw the man, she would win!

    Since the man had a secret meeting with the Sixth Princess, he naturally did not dare to go out through the front door. Even the Sixth Princess could only slip away from the back door. The man would definitelye out from that door as well. But he woulde out when the Sixth Princess had gone far away. Of course, Hu Qianyue also knew that the Sixth Princess would not give in obediently. However, it was not a big deal. If she held the Sixth Princess here, the man would eventuallye out. At that time, it would also be a piece of evidence.

    As she looked to the side, she noticed that a pce maid behind the Sixth Princess was secretly retreating. She gave a knowing smile. It seemed that the Sixth Princess could not wait any longer and wanted her pce maid to secretly send a message to the man. She said proudly, ¡°Sixth Princess, what¡¯s wrong with the pce maid behind you? Could it be that something was left inside just now? Coincidentally, I¡¯ll go with you and see why you took it so seriously that you came here secretly from the pce. Sixth Princess, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±

    As she spoke, she was about to walk past the Sixth Princess. Since the Sixth Princess refused to tell her, she would go and take a look in person. Anyway, as she was here, the Sixth Princess could not leave, and nor could the man. She really wanted to see what kind of man had attracted the Sixth Princess so much that she had secretly met him, regardless of her identity.

    Although Hu Qianyue was jealous and resentful of the Sixth Princess marrying her cousin, when she thought that the Sixth Princess was so disobedient and cuckolded her cousin, she felt a little hatred in her heart. ¡°This b*tch dared to humiliate my cousin. I won¡¯t let you go for nothing. You want to marry my cousin as his wife? You wish!¡±

    ¡°Miss Hu, do you really want to go with her and have a look?¡± The Sixth Princess stretched out her hand to stop Hu Qianyue, and the two pce maids standing behind her also came forward to block the way.

    The alley was not big, but now it was blocked by the two groups tightly. Mo Ye happened to be directly above them. Her eyesight was good, and she was carefully close to the window gauze, so she had seen their expressions clearly.

    Mo Xuetong also took a chair over at this time. She sat by the window and listened with an understanding smile on her face.

    Who would have thought that these two women, who had always been gentle and intelligent in front of others, would have such a meeting? However, from the looks of it, Hu Qianyue still did not understand the Sixth Princess. Although the situation today made the Sixth Princess anxious, it was not the end yet. The Sixth Princess would not show such anger due to weakness!

    Based on Mo Xuetong¡¯s understanding of the Sixth Princess, Hu Qianyue had misjudged. For the Sixth Princess, the situation was not as bad as it could get. Mo Xuetong ced her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. She blinked her lively eyes, and there was a hint of curiosity in her clear eyes. She was curious about what the Sixth Princess would do next.

    It seemed that she was forced to a dead end, but it just looked like this...

    How could it be so easy to deal with the Sixth Princess and block her way?

    If Mo Xuetong had remembered correctly, there were no private courtyards on both ends of this alley. There should be streets on both ends.

    Hu Qianyue narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want to stop me, Sixth Princess?¡± Her eyes fell on the hand the Sixth Princess had reached out to stop her. The more flustered the Sixth Princess was, the more she knew that she was right toe here today. It meant that the Sixth Princess was guilty. The news from the pce was really timely. Otherwise, how could she meet the Sixth Princess who had just had a secret meeting with a man here?

    She was now sure that she would win. Of course, she would not care about the Sixth Princess¡¯s attitude.

    Seeing Hu Qianyue¡¯s insistence, the Sixth Princess suddenly withdrew her hand and leaned to one side. The two pce maids also stood on the side and made way for Hu Qianyue. ¡°Miss Hu, since you must go and see, please!¡±

    There was even a hint of joy in the Sixth Princess¡¯s voice that could even be heard by Hu Qianyue. Hu Qianyue¡¯s gaze fell on the back of the Sixth Princess. When she saw it clearly, her face suddenly turned pale...

 Chapter 671 - The Back Door of the Pharmacy, a Clue to the Past

    <h4>Chapter 671 The Back Door of the Pharmacy, a Clue to the Past</h4>

    After the Sixth Princess got out of the way, Hu Qianyue clearly saw the back door. At this time, a person came out from the back door. The person was definitely no stranger to her because that person was her cousin¡¯s guard, his personal guard. She had seen him countless times.

    She had seen her cousin¡¯s personal guard here. Did it mean that her cousin was about to arrive, or that her cousin had already arrived? However, either case was different from the information she had received. The news of Hu Qianyue got came from General Hu. If it was really fake news, it meant that the Empress and the Third Prince had deliberately given her father a false message.

    Why did they give a fake message to her father? The meaning behind it was enough to make Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart ache.

    Since she was a child, her father and her aunt, the Empress, had told her that she would be with her cousin in the future, and that she would definitely be his wife. Her cousin had been very kind to her since childhood. No matter what food or stuff he got, he would give her, and it was the same for her. They grew up together, and as she grew older, her cousin treated her better and better.

    She could even clearly feel the affection in her cousin¡¯s eyes. No matter how many women were present, her cousin would always see her at first sight, so Hu Qianyue was very satisfied. Although she knew that other women also wanted to be the Third Prince¡¯s wife, she believed that her cousin would definitely give her this position.

    Then, she was ordered by her aunt, the Empress, toe to the Qin Kingdom with Princess Caifeng and spread the poison in the South Pearl ne at the right time. Crown Prince Xieyue, who led the team, would not get a good result. At that time, she would add fuel to the fire and mix up the water. Then, the possibility of Crown Prince Xieyue returning to the Southern Barbarian Lands would be gone.

    This matter was very dangerous. On the one hand, Crown Prince Xieyue was a smart person. Now that he could still hold the position of Crown Prince when the Empress was in charge of the imperial harem, his ability was unquestionable. On the other hand, the situation in the Qin Kingdom was unclear. No one knew what would happenter. Only a resourceful person could deal with all kinds of emergencies. This person still needed to follow Princess Caifeng, not Crown Prince Xieyue.

    The Empress picked over and over again and thought that Hu Qianyue was the most suitable one. So she talked to Hu Qianyue and repeatedly promised that she would marry the Third Prince when she returned to the Southern Barbarian Lands. From then on, she would be the legal Third Prince¡¯s wife and be together with her cousin forever.

    The Empress sounded sincere and the Third Prince looked worried. Hu Qianyue thought that he was worried about her. She felt sweet in her heart and agreed without thinking too much.

    General Hu had opposed Hu Qianyue to go to the Qin Kingdom with the envoys, but he couldn¡¯t resist his daughter¡¯s repeated requests.

    As she thought that her cousin only cared about her, it was reasonable for her to make some effort for his big career. Even if it was dangerous, she was not afraid. She had already thought of a way to deal with all kinds of dangers. At worst, she could sneak back. However, things went beyond her expectations.

    First, Princess Caifeng and King Yan had an affair in private. Then, Crown Prince Xieyue pushed her in front of others. Then, the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom took advantage of the situation and gave her to King Yan as a co-wife. Later, Crown Prince Xieyue was supposed to be the one who would marry one of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s princesses, but in the end, it was her cousin. And her cousin would wee the Sixth Princess personally.

    Not only would her cousin marry another woman, but she would also be someone else¡¯s concubine. How could Hu Qianyue ept this? She immediately came up with a n for herself. First, she made herself sick in order to buy time. She was not the princess who would marry into the Qin Kingdom, and she was about to be a second consort. Most importantly, she was med for what happened to Princess Caifeng, and thus her reputation had already been ruined.

    If Feng Yulei wanted to marry her, he just needed to pick a good day and take her into his manor with a small sedan. She needed more time. It was necessary for her to get sick.

    The next she had to deal with was the Sixth Princess. As long as the Sixth Princess could not marry her cousin, the marriage would be over. Her father in the Southern Barbarian Lands also said that he would try his best to hold her cousin back. Therefore, she heard that her cousin had not set off yet. But what was it? She saw her cousin¡¯s personal guard here.

    Her father got a fake message in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Her cousin had rushed over in such a short time without his father¡¯s knowledge. He was in a hurry to get married to the Sixth Princess. Hu Qianyue¡¯s body shook and she almost could not stand. It turned out that her persistence was so ridiculous.

    Her cousin was determined to marry the Sixth Princess of the Qin Kingdom, instead of her!

    Sadly, she was kept in the dark, thinking that her cousin was sincere to her, and that he would deliberately dy the time not toe to the Qin Kingdom to wee the Sixth Princess. It turned out that everything was just her own empty thoughts. She bit her lips tightly, allowing the smell of blood to surge from between them.

    Years of holding on copsed in her heart...

    ¡°Miss, let¡¯s go back first.¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s maidservants also saw that person. They even saw him standing at the back door and bowing slightly to Hu Qianyue from a distance. The etiquette he behaved was from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Knowing that Hu Qianyue must be heartbroken at this time, one of them hurriedly woke up the pale-faced girl, who stood frozen.

    Hu Qianyue was almost carried away by her two maidservants. She didn¡¯t say a word to the guard, and her heart ached so much, as if it was torn apart. The only thing she could do now was clench her teeth and swallow the blood that rushed to her throat.

    No matter what, she did not want to show her weakness in front of the Sixth Princess.

    Watching Hu Qianyue staggering away, the Sixth Princess waved her hand slightly behind her. As if he had never been there before, the man disappeared at the back door. Seeing that there was no one around, the Sixth Princess left in a hurry with her two pce maids. If the Sixth Princess was found to be here at this time, she would lose her reputation.

    Mo Ye jumped off the chair when she saw the Sixth Princess and the pce maids disappearing into the distant mouth of the alley. She had seen the entire process. Furthermore, because of the angle, she could even see the man at the back door clearly. Hu Qianyue had the upper hand at first, but when she saw the man, her expression changed and she looked as if she had suffered a great blow. Mo Ye could not understand what was going on.

    ¡°My Lady, a man came out from the back door of the courtyard where the Sixth Princess came out from. Hu Qianyue looked at him and left without saying a word. She looked very sad, very upset... and even a little desperate...¡± Mo Ye reported after thinking for a while. At that point, Hu Qianyue seemed to have lost her life. If Mo Ye had not seen her, it would have been hard to believe that the pale and painful person was the proud and arrogant Hu Qianyue.

    Mo Xuetong stood up and stood on the chair she sat on just now. Mo Lan was about to open the window gauze for her, but she reached out to stop her. ¡°Don¡¯t open it first. There might be someone watching the back alley.¡±

    Mo Lan immediately retracted her hand.

    Mo Xuetong approached the window gauze and looked at the empty alley outside. No one was in the quiet and dark alley. There were only two rows of high walls in the distance. This ce was really secluded. It was rare for someone to pass by here in a year. The Sixth Princess really chose a good ce.

    This was the back door of the shops on both sides of the alley. Because it was small and dark, there were small stones on the road, so it was bumpy.

    Mo Xuetong specially looked at the door of the yard that Mo Ye was pointing at. There was a sh of surprise and confusion in her eyes. She knew the door where the Sixth Princess came out from. There should be a pharmacy there. She recognized this pharmacy because in her past life, it belonged to Sima Lingyun. It was the private property of Duke¡¯s manor.

    There was a doctor in the pharmacy. Sima Lingyun had asked the doctor to see Mo Xuetong when she miscarried. Then, he brought up the pharmacy. However, Duke¡¯s manor had declined and all their private property had been sold out. It was worth thinking about who the new owner of the pharmacy was.

    In her past life, these private properties were all in the hands of the duchess. It was said that the shops were her dowries. Ever since Duke Zhenguo died, the duchess had used these shops to support the daily expenses of the entire Duke¡¯s manor. In order to obtain the title of Duke Zhenguo, they had been living beyond their means. As such, as soon as Mo Xuetong married into the manor, most of the dowries in her hands had been used to help out with the family expenses.

    She not only paid all the etiquette expenses, but also paid Sima Lingyun to keep concubines. Mo Xuetong felt deeply disgusted when she thought of it. Now, the people of Duke¡¯s manor were dead, scattered, and declined, and even their manor was taken back.

    Then who was the new owner of the pharmacy in front of her?

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mo Ye, send a clever maidservant to buy some medicine and ask about who the new owner of the pharmacy is by the way.¡± Then she picked up the cup and took a sip of the tea that Mo Lan had made again. Now she needed to know who the new owner of the pharmacy was so that she could follow the clues.

    ¡°Yes, I will order someone to do it right now,¡± Mo Ye answered. She turned around and went to pick someone. She picked a little maidservant who was not familiar with others and did not usually go out of the manor.

    As for who Hu Qianyue had seen, Mo Xuetong guessed that he was from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Furthermore, he was closely rted to the Third Prince.

    Feng Yuran had gotten his men to sort out all the files of Hu Qianyue and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands and showed them to Mo Xuetong. Therefore, she knew about Hu Qianyue¡¯s feelings for the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. The one who could cause such a huge blow to Hu Qianyue must be the Third Prince, who was said to be sentimental. ording to the news, it seemed that the Southern Barbarian Lands had not taken any action. So was the person Hu Qianyue had seen sent by the Third Prince?

    Why was the person sent by the Third Prince with the Sixth Princess? Mo Xuetong could not figure it out. There must be a key clue in it. The Sixth Princess did not want to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. Of course, she would not secretlye out to meet the person sent by the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    ¡°My Lady, will they notice us?¡± Mo Lan asked uneasily.

    ¡°Mo Lan, let¡¯s go out and go to the second floor of the teahouse to have a look. Ask the shopkeeper to take us there immediately. Hurry up.¡± After Mo Lan¡¯s reminder, Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes narrowed and her face changed slightly. She suddenly stood up and strode out. At the same time, she ordered Mo Lan to ask the little maidservant to clean up the room and even moved the chairs back to their original position.

    That way, all signs pointed to no one being here at all.

    If Mo Xuetong guessed right, someone would be here to search this ce right away.

 Chapter 672 - The Adventure in the Teahouse Next Door

    <h4>Chapter 672 The Adventure in the Teahouse Next Door</h4>

    While the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue were talking, Mo Xuetong happened to be under the window. There was nothing unusual, and the Sixth Princess was in a hurry to return to the pce at this time, which caused her to have no time to deal with these small details, but it did not mean that others did not think of these small details if the Sixth Princess had really met someone in private.

    Mo Xuetong felt that the man must be You Yuecheng.

    Given You Yuecheng¡¯s character, no matter what the circumstances were, he would not allow himself to be in danger or in a disgraceful manner, just like what happened in Mingguo Manor. No matter in the beginning orter when the matter of the Sixth Princess was revealed, he was not implicated at all. What he did was go back to his room and lie down for a while after drinking too much.

    As for who framed him and the Sixth Princess to be in the same room, or whether it was the Sixth Princess who did it herself, it had nothing to do with him. He just happened to be there, just like Mo Xuetong and the other madams, who were just set up by others and had be witnesses. The matter of the Sixth Princess had nothing to do with him.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong did not believe that You Yuecheng was innocent.

    When she saw the pce maid guarding the horse carriage, Mo Xuetong already knew that the person Ling Mingyan met thest time she went to the Fragrance House was the Sixth Princess. After that, You Yuecheng did not hesitate to ruin his reputation and appeared at the door of a private room on the second floor with a woman from a brothel. Mo Xuetong felt suspicious at that time.

    No matter what You Yuecheng had done in the dark, it was impossible for him to act like this openly. It was as if he was trying to hide something. The woman had essories from the pce. Mo Ye made a guess after tracking her. The pce maid whom she saw in Mingguo Manor was originally a lead pce maid, but she pretended to be a little pce maid. She could tell from the others who were trembling in fear in front of her.

    A personal lead pce maid was left outside. Of course, her purpose was not to let others see her. After all, the pce maid had met Ling Mingyan that day. If she appeared in Mingguo Manor, she might be recognized by Ling Mingyan. Although Ling Mingyan had always been not smart and might not recognize her, the Sixth Princess was careful and would not take this risk.

    Judging from this, it could be seen that the Sixth Princess had always been in contact with You Yuecheng!

    It was very clear that the things that had happened in Mingguo Manor were nned by the Sixth Princess. Duchess Mingguo might have involved as well. After all, she was the most powerful person in the inner courtyard other than Ling Mingyan. It was not difficult for her to get a young or old maidservant to do something to hold Mo Xuetong.

    As for the death of a nannyter, it was just to cut off the clues. Some rich and powerful families would do such things without any hesitation because it was better than involving them in it.

    All kinds of signs showed that You Yuecheng was the most likely person to have something to do with the Six Princess. As thest time they failed, they fell back for another n. It was most likely that the two of them would sit together and figure out what to do next.

    If You Yuecheng really got involved, she would definitely notice the window above the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue when they were talking.

    Next to the jade shop and upstairs was a teahouse. There were small private rooms by the window. The two shops, one above and one below, one on the left and one on the right, the two shopkeepers were naturally on good terms. There was a small door behind them, so it was convenient for them to go up and down. As the shopkeeper of the jade shop came up and asked for a private room, the shopkeeper of the teahouse immediately gave Mo Xuetong a private room. Mo Xuetong led Mo Lan and the others into the room.

    As soon as she sat down, Mo Ye said to her by the window, ¡°My Lady, they¡¯re really there.¡±

    Looking down from this position, it could be seen that at the door of the jade shop below. A group of soldiers with identical weapons rushed into the door of the jade shop. Immediately, some customers inside, who were still pickingmodities, were scared out of their wits. Arge group of people ran out and left in shock.

    ¡°They are imperial guards?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes raised. She turned her head and asked slowly after thinking for a while. You Yuecheng was themander of the imperial guards and was in charge of them. It was normal for him to send a few imperial guards to investigate something. He hade so quickly. If she had been a little slower, she would have been caught.

    Although the imperial guards also kept the capital safe, they had nothing to do with the lord mayor. In particr, they belonged to the royal family. Most of them were the children of the nobility and were the closest guards of the Emperor. They were not needed in the ordinary business of keeping the peace.

    Mo Ye looked at the imperial guard at the door carefully and answered with certainty, ¡°They are wearing the uniform of the imperial guards. There are not many of them, and there are only five or six people.¡±

    ¡°Has Marquess Mingguoe yet?¡± Mo Xuetong asked casually. She thought that with You Yuecheng¡¯s vignce, he should not have appeared at the scene of the ¡°incident¡±. It was also necessary for him to hide.

    ¡°My Lady, I found Marquess Mingguo,¡± Mo Ye suddenly called out in a low voice. She opened her eyes wide in shock and looked down.

    ¡°Did You Yuecheng enter the jade shop?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned. A person like You Yuecheng was the son of a rich family and dared not sit right under the eaves. How could he appear in a jade shop at this time? Obviously, he had something to do with the Sixth Princess. This did not seem like what You Yuecheng would do at all.

    ¡°My Lady, no. Marquess Mingguo came in from the main entrance of the teahouse. He should be heading for this teahouse,¡± Mo Ye uttered with a frown as she stared at You Yuecheng, who was entering the teahouse arrogantly.

    The window was on top of the jade shop, and she could see the main door of the teahouse if she turned her head sideways. This teahouse was not small, about the size of five or six rooms on the left side of the jade shop. The upper part of the jade shop all belonged to the teahouse. Sometimes when Mo Xuetong came, she would take a rest here. Every time she came, she felt that the business was good.

    This teahouse seemed to be well run!

    You Yuecheng came in at this time. Of course, he was not just here for a sip of tea. Mo Xuetong was on alert. The shopkeeper was dealing with the search from the imperial guards downstairs. It was not a problem for him. Mo Xuetong had told him just now that he just needed to say that he knew nothing. He was entertaining customers in the front, so it was impossible for him to appear beside the window of the backyard.

    The ounting room had returned to its original state. Mo Lan was very careful. Mo Xuetong believed that she would not leave a trace for them.

    But that door!

    ¡°My Lady, when we came here just now, that door...¡± Mo Lan also thought of this question, and her face immediately turned pale with shock. The door was actually not obvious as it was built on the opening of a secret staircase, and there were some misceneous things and a few boxes outside. Usually people did not use it. If they entered through the door of the jade shop, they should not be able to find the secret door.

    Mo Xuetong did not know why the staircase and door existed. However, since it was convenient for her, she did not say anything.

    But what about the teahouse?

    When she came to the teahouse, she clearly sensed that although the door was secluded, it was not hidden here. It should be facing a room. ording to its size, the room was more like the shopkeeper¡¯s ounting room. Did You Yuecheng suspect that someone hade up from below to the second floor?

    ¡°My Lady, what should we do? Should I go and inform the shopkeeper, asking him to block the door over there immediately?¡± Even though Mo Ye was skilled in martial arts, she could note up with a solution when she encountered something like this. She was so anxious that she walked back and forth.

    ¡°No, if you do it now, it will remind Marquess Mingguo it has something to do with us. Moreover, the shopkeeper is only familiar with the shopkeeper of the jade shop, and he is not familiar with us. When we came up just now, he only sent a little waiter to bring us here. The waiter said that their shopkeeper has already informed them, and he did not say anything else. It can be seen that not many people know about this matter, and the shopkeeper may not take it seriously.¡±

    Mo Lan said and stopped Mo Lan.

    ¡°Then... what should we do now? Marquess Mingguo is specially here to get information. He will definitely find out something from the shopkeeper of this shop. Then, he will find out that we were in that room.¡± Mo Ye poked her head out to take a look. There was no trace of You Yuecheng below. It was obvious that he had entered the teahouse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mo Lan. Go to the door and ask the waiter to send a pot of Biluochun here. By the way, ask the waiter how many staircases that we can use to go downstairs.¡±

    Seeing the faint smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and her calm and natural expression, the maidservants immediately felt that they had a backbone. Mo Ye stopped walking back and forth and stood by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side to serve her again. She thought with blind worship, ¡°Her Lady must have a way, so I don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile calmed them. Even though she did not know what her mistress¡¯s intentions were, Mo Lan hid the anxiety in her eyes. She had followed her mistress all the time and had gone through a lot. She admired Mo Xuetong from the bottom of her heart. Since Mo Xuetong did not panic, it meant that she had a way. All they had to do was do their own job and not bring trouble to their mistress.

    She pushed the door open and walked out. A waiter happened to walk by, carrying a tea tray. Mo Lan quickly walked to him and asked politely.

    After saying a few words to the waiter, she returned to the private room.

    ¡°My Lady, the waiter said that there are two staircases here. One is on the left and the other is on the right. Because this teahouse is a little big, it is more convenient to have two staircases. I especially asked if there are any shortcuts to go up and down. The waiter didn¡¯t answer for a long time. It seems that he doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    Mo Lan carefully analyzed it to Mo Xuetong, and felt more at ease.

    It seemed that the waiter didn¡¯t know that there was a small staircase leading to the two shops above and below. It was impossible for Marquess Mingguo to find anything. There were so many private rooms and customers upstairs, so no one would notice that they had juste in. Just now, when she went out, she only asked the waiter to bring another pot of Biluochun.

    Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door. You Yuecheng¡¯s cold voice came from outside the door. ¡°Ask your shopkeeper toe over. I have something to ask him.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I will ask our shopkeeper toe over immediately. Young Master, pleasee this way,¡± a waiter ttered again and again.

    Then, there was a noise when the next door was opened. You Yuecheng was actually led to the room next door!

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes and already had an idea. She did not expect that she could overhear again and again today.

    She had heard the Sixth Princess talking in the narrow alley, and now she was going to overhear what You Yuecheng would say. She really didn¡¯t know how coincidental it was. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t reject it. Her beautiful eyes fell on the wooden wall on the opposite side. The private rooms here were separated by wooden boards. The room where Mo Xuetong was in was decorated in a very elegant way, and all the chairs were made of rattan and they all had rounded corners. It was leisurely andfortable to sit on.

    On the wall hung an orchid painting with calligraphy. The strokes were vigorous, which did not seem to be the work of an ordinary person.

    Mo Lan had already understood Mo Xuetong¡¯s intention and pulled out a rattan chair for her. Mo Xuetong sat down and leaned against the wooden wall of the private room. There was a faint sounding from the next room. When she listened carefully, she could hear a little.

    The private room quieted down. The three people inside looked at each other and smiled. Then they began to overhear quietly!

 Chapter 673 - Qin Yufeng VS You Yuecheng

    <h4>Chapter 673 Qin Yufeng VS You Yuecheng</h4>

    You Yuecheng now had a headache and his cold eyes fell on the waiter in front of him. Although he was not angry, his imposing manner had made the waiter tremble with fear. At first nce, he knew that the man in front of him was not only rich but also noble. How could he dare to offend him? Even when he heard that the young master asked his shopkeeper toe out to meet him, he did not dare to say anything and kept agreeing.

    Helping You Yuecheng sit down, he served tea. Noticing that the young master¡¯s two manservants were waiting at the door, the waiter knew that he had nothing to do here. He turned around and looked for the shopkeeper. He was secretly regretful. Why was he so frightened by the young master¡¯s imposing manner that he could not even speak clearly? The shopkeeper was busy now. The young owner hade, so he did not have time to meet customers.

    Usually, the shopkeeper was a nice person, thinking that amiability attracted riches, and he was clever in dealing with people. But things might be different today as the young owner was here. The young owner was not an ordinary person, but the one the shopkeeper admired most in his life. It was rare for the young owner toe here today. The shopkeeper must be fussed around him and asked for advice. If he went to the shopkeeper at this time, he would be scolded.

    But he had to find the shopkeeper as he had promised the young master, and the man didn¡¯t seem to be easy to get along with. The waiter walked around outside a few times and came to the door at a corner. He forced himself to knock on the door with a bitter face. He was really doomed today. How could he offhandedly agree to this matter on behalf of the shopkeeper...

    You Yuecheng had just taken a few sips of tea when he saw a manservant running in from outside. ¡°Your Excellency, those people said that they did not find anything. There was nothing unusual by the window. It¡¯s the shopkeeper¡¯s room, but the shopkeeper was entertaining customers in the front of the shop at that time. There was a madam who came to take a set of jade products. It was big business, so the shopkeeper greeted her personally. At that time, many people saw the shopkeeper outside.¡±

    It was normal for the shopkeeper to meet customers when there was big business. Moreover, when the people outside saw the shopkeeper there, You Yuecheng felt a little relieved. Then he waved his hand, and the manservant understood and left.

    You Yuecheng had felt very upset about what had happened today. When he thought that the Sixth Princess insisted oning to see him in private without his permission, he got furious. The failure of thest matter had made him angry with her. What happened this time made him even more dissatisfied with the Sixth Princess.

    He was supposed to take a day off today and was going to have a meal with a few colleagues of the imperial guards. As soon as he got here, he suddenly heard that the Sixth Princess had sneaked out of the pce and asked to see him. He had no choice but to go to the ce that the Sixth Princess had appointed. When he heard the Sixth Princessining for a while, he became more and more annoyed.

    He was about to think of a way to leave when he suddenly sensed someone passing by on the roof. He did not hesitate and asked the Sixth Princess to leave through the back door. Unexpectedly, Hu Qianyue had already stood at the door and was waiting for the Sixth Princess to go over. The Sixth Princess, who had always been calm, talked to Hu Qianyue under someone else¡¯s window. You Yuecheng became angry as he watched them from the upstairs of the pharmacy.

    In order to help the Sixth Princess, he had no choice but to put out a card that he had not intended to take out at this time.

    It was too early for You Yuecheng to expose his trump card. He was very upset. However, he was more worried about the Sixth Princess¡¯s exposure. She had been so careless earlier and had spoken to Hu Qianyue under the window without even seeing if there was someone inside. If others heard about it, it would be a big deal. The Sixth Princess was going to marry into another country. If something happened to her, it would be a matter rted to the two countries.

    You Yuecheng was even more unwilling to get involved in this matter. The current Emperor did not seem to be very outstanding, but his intelligence was unquestionable and his methods were vicious. If he knew that he had an affair with the Sixth Princess, and the Sixth Princess wanted to escape from the marriage, the whole Mingguo Manor would be implicated.

    Originally, he thought that the Sixth Princess was still useful, so he did not say anything about the Sixth Princess¡¯s feelings for him. Now, You Yuecheng had made a new decision. If the Sixth Princess asked for meeting him again in the future, he would not agree anymore. He had thought that if the Sixth Princess had enough ability to pull Ling Mingyan out of the position, he did not mind changing a smart and useful wife.

    However, the Sixth Princess could not be of any help to him now. Furthermore, she had be a looming obstacle to him, and even his stumbling block. How could You Yuecheng still expect anything from the Sixth Princess? The most important thing he needed to do was find out the one who had heard the conservation between the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue.

    Only by getting rid of the scourge could he rest assured.

    Although his people did not find anything in the jade shop, You Yuecheng always felt that it was not that simple. At that time, from his angle, he saw the window gauze move. He was a martial arts practitioner, so his eyes were sharper. Although the gauze had isted everything, there seemed to be a figure swaying.

    As Mo Xuetong did not expect You Yuecheng to be upstairs opposite, she was so careless.

    ¡°Your Excellency, Academician Qin is here.¡± The manservant came over and reported.

    Academician Qin? Qin Yufeng? You Yuecheng was not unfamiliar with this new Number One Schr who was favored by Emperor Zongwen. Qin Yufeng used to be a famous schr in the capital. It was normal for You Yuecheng to get to know him. Even though Qin Yufeng did not pick a suitabledy in the royal banquet, You Yuecheng had heard in private that Emperor Zongwen admired him very much.

    There were civil officials and military officials. Military officials would be promoted ording to their military achievements, and civil officials got into the court with their knowledge and talents. In the Qin Kingdom, there was a saying that those who entered the cab muste from the Imperial Academy. Therefore, everyone in the imperial court was very respectful to those who came from the Imperial Academy where made no profit. Who knew that one day, this person would soar high, enter the cab and be a minister?

    Therefore, even though You Yuecheng did not understand why Qin Yufeng hade, he still stood up politely.

    When the door opened, Qin Yufeng, who was dressed in a blue robe and appeared tall and straight, stood at the door. He stared at You Yuecheng with a gentle smile on his handsome face.

    You Yuecheng suppressed his worries and went forward to salute. Then, they sat down together. The waiter served tea again and left with the manservant.

    ¡°So it¡¯s you, Marquess Mingguo. I wonder why you want to see the shopkeeper?¡± Qin Yufeng asked directly. The smile on his mouth was gentle as he asked in surprise.

    ¡°I have some small things to ask him. Why are you here at this time, Academician Qin?¡± You Yuecheng was wondering why Qin Yufeng hade as he wanted to meet the shopkeeper, so he raised his head and asked with a faint smile.

    ¡°This teahouse belongs to my family. I have nothing to do today, so I came here to have a look. Coincidentally, I met you,¡± Qin Yufeng exined with a slight smile.

    This teahouse belonged to the Qin family. You Yuecheng was stunned for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that your family is so rich. In such a downtown area, you own such a teahouse and a jade shop. You are very powerful. You once said that your family didn¡¯t have any property in the capital, and now it turns out to be an excuse.¡±

    You Yuecheng referred to when Qin Yufeng had juste to the capital, he met a bully at a meeting with his friends. The bully pointed at Qin Yufeng and said that he was a useless person. Qin Yufeng did not mind and ignored that man. At that time, Feng Yuxuan, Feng Yulei, and You Yuecheng were also present. Feng Yuxuan appreciated his temperament and even specially called him over to ask about his family. He wanted to give him a ce to live and settle down.

    That was what Qin Yufeng had said back then. He imed that even though his family didn¡¯t have a house in the capital, they still had some money. Then he had rejected Feng Yuxuan¡¯s good intentions. You Yuecheng had wanted Feng Yulei to draw Qin Yufeng over to his side. However, Feng Yuxuan had already tried to collect him on the spot. If he also did it, it would seem as if he was against Feng Yuxuan.

    It did not matter how King Chu and King Yan fought in private. On the surface, everyone should be on good terms with each other. Feng Yulei could not do something so disrespectful to Feng Yuxuan. Furthermore, Feng Yuxuan was his eldest brother. After that, You Yuecheng wanted to draw Qin Yufeng over to their side. However, he found that the young man had been rather close to Feng Yuxuan. Thus, he was no longer in the mood to do so.

    Qin Yufeng could not helpughing when he thought of what happened that day. He picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip before exining, ¡°Your Excellency, you must be joking. What I said that day was not an excuse. I really don¡¯t want topare myself to others. Furthermore, I had just arrived in the capital then and didn¡¯t want to be someone¡¯s enemy. So what if Iughed at the poverty of others? You can¡¯t take it seriously!¡±

    ¡°Moreover, Your Excellency, you were wrong. The jade shop next door is not our Qin family¡¯s. Although it¡¯s next to this shop, we sell different things and the business goes in different directions. We don¡¯t know each other very well. I don¡¯t know why you misunderstood it.¡±

    The jade shop was not owned by the Qin family, which meant that the two shops didn¡¯t have the same boss. Since they didn¡¯t have the same boss, there was no way for them to have a direct ess to each other. Of course, it was also impossible for someone toe from the secret staircase to the teahouse. Was he really wrong? Was it that there was no one by the window, but the gauze was blown by the wind? Or was it just his suspicion...

    ¡°Do you know who owns the shop next door, Academician Qin?¡± You Yuecheng asked. He could not get rid of his doubts.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Our shopkeeper might know. Do you want to ask someone to invite him over?¡± Qin Yufeng was not the one who managed affairs here. He usually did not care about this kind of thing. When he heard You Yuecheng¡¯s detailed question, he frowned with embarrassment and threw the question to the shopkeeper.

    He did not even ask You Yuecheng about the reason, which made You Yuecheng have a better impression of Qin Yufeng. He wanted to ask the shopkeeper, but did not have a chance. Hearing Qin Yufeng¡¯s words, he nodded immediately. The waiter outside the door answered and went to invite the shopkeeper. The two inside the room chatted and waited for the shopkeeper toe.

    ¡°Why did you say that the shopkeeper might know, Academician Qin?¡± Since he could ask the shopkeeperter, You Yuecheng was just having chitchat. He asked ording to Qin Yufeng¡¯s words, with a smile on his face, as if he was interested in the topic.

    ¡°It was half a year ago. At that time, there was a dispute between the shopkeepers of the teahouse and the jade shop. It was originally brought up by a madam who came to the jade shop. She said that if customers could drink tea and wait slowly while choosing jade from the jade shop, it would be morefortable. When the shopkeeper of the jade shop heard this, he was very interested in this idea and felt that it was a way to make money. So he immediately went to talk to our shopkeeper.¡±

    ¡°He meant to discuss with us whether we could make a small staircase between the jade shop and the teahouse, which would allow people to go straight up or down the stairs. Then the customers of the jade shop can directlye up and drink tea and the customers of the teahouse can go down and choose jade. This is killing two birds with one stone. Both shops would benefit.¡±

    You Yuecheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes, which were originally idle, became cold and gloomy unconsciously. ¡°A small staircase that would allow people to go straight up or down the stairs. Is there really such a secret staircase...?¡±

 Chapter 674 - Once Having the Same Owner

    <h4>Chapter 674 Once Having the Same Owner</h4>

    Qin Yufeng paused when he said that, with a leisurely smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as if he was speaking casually. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea slowly.

    ¡°What happened after that?¡± You Yuecheng could not help but ask.

    ¡°It was not settled after that, because it was very troublesome. The building of the teahouse has been perfected in all aspects. It was inconvenient to suddenly build a staircase downstairs. Not only will the original arrangement have to be broken down, but it will have to be redesigned. The customers of the jade shop usually left immediately after choosing goods, and few people will watch it for a long time or wait for tea while watching it. Therefore, it¡¯s uneconomical to make such a staircase.¡±

    Qin Yufeng gently put down the teacup in his hand and replied with a smile.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work out in the end?¡± You Yuecheng looked at Qin Yufeng appraisingly.

    ¡°Yes, we did not agree. That is why we do not get along well with them.¡± Qin Yufeng could not help butugh.

    While they were talking, a waiter led the shopkeeper over. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man in his thirties, and looked gentle and refined. After he greeted the two men and heard You Yuecheng ask about the owner of the jade shop next door, the shopkeeper showed a little anger on his face. ¡°Your Excellency, although I don¡¯t know who their owner is, judging from the shopkeeper¡¯s appearance, I can tell that the owner is not a man of good taste. The two shops¡¯ business is irrelevant, but they wanted to make a staircase to connect the two shops. Wasn¡¯t that looking for trouble?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? How did their owner offend you?¡± Qin Yufeng chided him gently.

    ¡°Young owner, I said those words because the shopkeeper of the jade shop is too stubborn. It has been so long. We didn¡¯t say anything when we saw each other, but they were still thinking of ways to mention it to me. If their owner hasn¡¯t agreed to it, why is he still so unreasonable?¡±

    The shopkeeper was so angry that he kept onining. It could be seen that he was really annoyed. And the more he said, the more excited he became. It was obvious that he was very pissed off.

    Seeing that he could not find out anything, You Yuecheng asked the shopkeeper to go back. Did he really make a mistake?

    The shopkeepers of the two shops had such a long dispute over this matter. When he came up, he also asked his manservant to check whether there was such a secret staircase. It seemed that there was really no connection between the jade shop and the teahouse.

    You Yuecheng chatted with Qin Yufeng casually for a more while and then left with the excuse of being busy with official business. Qin Yufeng sent him to the door of the private room and watched him leave with a smile on his face. He did not return to the private room until he could not see him. Then, the waiter served him tea again, went out and closed the door.

    Qin Yufeng did not sit down. He walked to the wooden wall that was connected to the private room next door, reached out and pressed lightly on the dark corner beside him. The wooden screen and the wooden wall slid open silently, revealing Mo Xuetong, who was sitting on the chair and staring at him with wide watery eyes. She was speechless and there were two maidservants standing beside her vigntly.

    Mo Xuetong was truly shocked. She had been sitting in that position earlier and had heard everything clearly. As You Yuecheng was tricked away by Qin Yufeng, she heaved a sigh of relief. She did not expect that the teahouse belonged to Qin Yufeng. Furthermore, he happened to be here today. What surprised her the most was that Qin Yufeng and the shopkeeper had imed in unison that there was not a staircase that could be used to get up and down from the jade shop.

    Mo Xuetong did not know that this teahouse belonged to the Qin family. In her previous life, even the jade shop was controlled by Sima Lingyun. She was locked in high walls. The only time she had seen this jade shop was when she was about to get married. Mo Huawen brought her to see those shops one by one, so that she could remember which shops belonged to her.

    At that time, she also saw this magnificent teahouse, which was located in the downtown area. On the expensivend of the mainmercial street of the capital, someone owned such arge teahouse. The owner must be very wealthy. The jade shop only upied two rooms, and it was downstairs. It could not bepared with this teahouse at all.

    At that time, she was just surprised and did not ask who the owner of the teahouse was. She only remembered that Mo Huawen did not look well and ordered the horse carriage to pass by in a hurry. It seemed that he did not want to see this teahouse. Mo Xuetong was about to get married, and her fiance was Sima Lingyun whom she thought was gentle and thoughtful to her, so she did not notice anything unusual about Mo Huawen.

    Now when she thought about it, she realized that her father¡¯s expression waspletely different from usual.

    Originally, she had epted the reason her shopkeeper said¡ªhe had a good rtionship with the shopkeeper of the teahouse upstairs, so there was such a secret staircase to climb up and down. When she thought about it carefully now, she had some doubts. This... was not quite logical. There seemed to be something strange, but she could not figure it out.

    When she heard that You Yuecheng had left, she waited for a while. She had wanted to leave a momentter.

    She did not expect the wooden wall behind her to slip open silently. She looked at Qin Yufeng¡¯s handsome and schrly smiling face in shock. When she overheard, she was caught on the spot. She did not know what to say at the moment, so she did not say anything. Instead, she stood up and curtsied to Qin Yufeng graciously.

    It was her fault to overhear other¡¯s conversation!

    It was not magnanimous for him to pull back the wooden wall just like that.

    This matter had nothing to do with him, didn¡¯t it?

    Having made up her mind, Mo Xuetong behaved as naturally as when they had met on the road. She saluted leisurely with a smile.

    ¡°In the end, neither of us will mention it, and we just skip it with a smile!¡±

    ¡°Cousin Tong, are you here because of Marquess Mingguo?¡± It was obvious that Mo Xuetong had guessed wrongly at Qin Yufeng¡¯s intentions. He had pushed the wall away, of course, not in order to greet her or skip the matter with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong sighed in her heart. It seemed that she had to deal with Qin Yufeng today. At the same time, Qin Yufeng had walked back slowly and sat on his chairfortably. There were two cups of tea on the table, which had just been made. It faintly dispersed the fragrance of Biluochun that Mo Xuetong used to drink. It smelled light but leisurely.

    It seemed that everything had been prepared. It was obviously not spontaneous.

    Mo Xuetong pursed her lips as a hint of vignce appeared in her eyes!

    Since Qin Yufeng had prepared, it was not proper for her to refuse. Besides, she also wanted to know why there was a secret staircase between the teahouse and the jade store. This secret staircase seemed to be prepared for her today, a secret staircase that allowed her to go upstairs and downstairs secretly and to leave or enter conveniently.

    Something seemed to sh through her mind, but she failed to catch it.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, You Yuecheng came here in order to look for me. I overheard his private conversation with a woman when I was in the ounting room downstairs.¡± Mo Xuetong did not intend to hide anything. Her dark eyes held a hint of innocence. Only when her eyes moved could there be a hint of charm. Coupled with the purity, it formed a beautiful scene.

    As soon as she went upstairs from downstairs, You Yuecheng chased over. This matter could not be hidden from others. Furthermore, who was Qin Yufeng? He could figure it out after he thought about the cause and effect of the matter.

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s gaze fell on Mo Xuetong and became deep. He lowered his eyes to avoid her probing stare. Then his lips curled up slightly and he said with a faint smile, ¡°When you came, I just arrived at the shop and happened to see youing from that abandoned staircase. I asked the shopkeeper and learned that the shopkeeper of the jade shop asked him for help, so I asked him to bring you here.¡±

    What a coincidence! No wonder people said that there was no story without coincidences!

    ¡°Cousin Feng, do you know why there is a secret staircase between your teahouse and my jade shop?¡± There was a hint of obvious confusion in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She had discovered this secret staircase when she came thest time and did not care about it at that time. She had thought of it in an emergency and had juste up. However, Qin Yufeng did not seem to be surprised at all!

    ¡°The two shops originally belonged to the same owner. It¡¯s normal for them to have a secret staircase to go up and down. It¡¯s not strange.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled leisurely and looked up at Mo Xuetong¡¯s face again. He did not avoid her this time.

    ¡°They originally belonged to the same owner. Could it be that this teahouse used to belong to Fu General Manor?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned. She immediately reacted and asked as she rolled her eyes. Her own shop was left behind by her mother. Her mother was the first miss of Fu General Manor. If the Qin family had taken this shop from Fu General Manor, then the existence of such a secret door could be understood.

    Since the two shops had the same owner, an easily essible staircase was definitely needed.

    As soon as she said that, Mo Xuetong saw the mocking smile in Qin Yufeng¡¯s eyes. She blushed, knowing that she had said something wrong.

    What was Fu General¡¯s status? He was a duke of the country, and owned a top noble family. How could he sell off the shop that earned money for him? Even though the Qin family had an extraordinary family background, they were not as good as the noble Fu General Manor. As such, it was impossible for Fu General Manor¡¯s shop to fall into someone else¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, did you see that painting clearly?¡± Qin Yufeng did not try to catch the obvious w in Mo Xuetong¡¯s words. He smiled, tried to change the topic and asked with a smile.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, where did Grandaunt get that painting from?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart skipped a beat and she immediately changed the topic as Qin Yufeng did. She was secretly wary but there was still a smile on her face as if she was just asking ording to Qin Yufeng¡¯s words.

    The painting was a mystery in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind that she could not solve. She always felt that it had something to do with Fu General Manor. However, she could not find the key point at the moment. Even though Luo Mingzhu would investigate, the focus of the investigation was only on Fu General Manor. She could not find out anything because a part of the ount book had been torn off.

    It was as if they hade to a dead end!

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know the origin of Grandmother¡¯s painting. If you want to know, you can ask Grandmother directly next time. The teahouse is actually under Grandmother¡¯s name. It was originally managed by Grandmother herself. Now that Grandmother is old and does not have the strength to do so, she entrusted it to me.¡± Qin Yufeng smiled lightly and tried to push the matter away easily.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, what do you mean...¡± Mo Xuetong asked carefully. She did not dare to be careless when facing Qin Yufeng. There was a hint of vignce in her eyes. Even though she had hidden it very well, Qin Yufeng could still see it. There was a hint of bitterness in his carefree smile that he did not realize.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. Grandmother hasn¡¯t seen you for a long time and misses you very much. If you have time, go and visit her!¡± When he saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s focused gaze, he immediately cleared up his worries. There was still an elegant smile on his face. Then, without saying anything else, he stood up and curtsied to Mo Xuetong before he flicked his sleeves and turned around to leave.

    He did not say anything more to Mo Xuetong...

 Chapter 675 - The Flower Hall, the Sixth Princesss Secret

    <h4>Chapter 675 The Flower Hall, the Sixth Princess¡¯s Secret</h4>

    In the high pce, the Sixth Princess sat there and looked coldly at the two pce maids who curled up on the floor. She couldn¡¯t help feeling angry. She pressed the table with her hand, with a trace of oppressing coldness. Her rosy lips curved slightly. ¡°Who did you tell that I would leave the pce today?¡±

    She had just left the pce when Hu Qianyue followed her. The Sixth Princess did not believe that there would be such a coincidence. Hu Qianyue¡¯s people could not stay at the pce gate all day long. Furthermore, she had left the pce secretly and had used an ordinary pce maid¡¯s token. Then how could she be discovered so quickly?

    Only a few people in her pce knew that she had sneaked out of the pce, and these two pce maids were the ones of them.

    The two pce maids had already been scared into a ball and copsed on the ground. Others might not know what kind of person the Sixth Princess was, but they were very clear that she was not as gentle and harmless as she looked. If they were to say who they were really afraid of in the pce, it would be the Sixth Princess in front of them.

    ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t... I... I just went out to bring your lunch today... I didn¡¯t say anything to anyone.¡± A pce maid named Yuxiang knelt on the left. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to finish her words. Since the Sixth Princess had sneaked out of the pce, Yuxiang had to pretend that her mistress would eat lunch and thus she brought it into the pce. She was the pce maid who went to get lunch.

    The one kneeling on the right was Zuishuang. As Yuxiang was the first to speak and distanced herself from this matter, she saw that the Sixth Princess¡¯s gaze was as cold as a viper¡¯s andnded on her. She got anxious. ¡°Your Highness... I didn¡¯t talk to anyone about you. I, I just took your order and... told Imperial Noble Consort Wen that you were ill and didn¡¯te to pay her respects. As for the rest... I didn¡¯t dare to say anything!¡±

    ¡°That is to say, both of you are innocent!¡± the Sixth Princess said in a deep voice. She did not rebuke them, but it made them even more frightened. They could not help trembling.

    ¡°Well, since both of you think that you are innocent, I can¡¯t do anything to you, can I?¡± The Sixth Princess suddenly put on a smile on her gloomy face, and her lips curved slightly. Before the two pce maids coulde to themselves, she suddenly said softly, ¡°Then you go to the Flower Hall together!¡±

    Her voice was very gentle, and the smile on her face was as gentle as usual. At this time, she looked as if she really wanted to let go of the two pce maids in front of her. The Flower Hall, what a beautiful name! However, the hall was as horrible as hell even though it had such a charming name. The two pce maids were so scared that their hands and feet convulsed and they almost fainted.

    The Flower Hall sounded like a hall where flowers were nted. As an unmarried princess, it was normal for the Sixth Princess to take care of flowers. No one would think that something was wrong with it. Therefore, the flowers in the Sixth Princess¡¯s Flower Hall were very beautiful. Every spring, when the flowers were in full bloom, the flowers here were more beautiful than anywhere else.

    The people in the pce all said that the Sixth Princess was capable of growing flowers, and she usually took good care of them. If the other princesses wanted to see the flowers in her Flower Hall, they had to make an appointment with the Sixth Princess in advance. Otherwise, if they came directly, the Sixth Princess would refuse them on the ground that the flowers and nts were not well prepared.

    Gradually, everyone in the pce knew that the Sixth Princess really loved flowers.

    Only the people around the Sixth Princess knew that the Flower Hall was not just for growing flowers. It was also where the Sixth Princess practiced her medical skills. The medical skills the Sixth Princess learned were different from what Bai Yihao had learned. She had chosen a different path that divided along familiar lines. Imperial Noble Consort Wen had spent a lot of effort to get the rare book from the Southern Barbarian Lands.

    The Sixth Princess had been secretly learning medicine, and it had been four or five years!

    The book from the Southern Barbarian Lands was very strange. This book focused on the treatment and control of unusual diseases, and its content waspletely different from that of ordinary medical theories. The most important thing was that it could cure disfigured faces. If one¡¯s appearance was destroyed, the Sixth Princess could restore seventy or eighty percent of the patient¡¯s appearance with her skillful technique.

    However, the Sixth Princess got the skillful technique through countless times of training.

    As there was no one in the pce who had been disfigured, she ordered people to knock out some pce maids and send them to her Flower Hall secretly. First, she would scratch their faces with a knife, and then she would treat them. In the first few years, she had never seeded, but gradually her medical skills were improved. One or two people could regain some of their looks.

    But no matter whether the Sixth Princess had cured their faces or not, they all became the flower fertilizer in the Flower Hall in the end!

    The Flower Hall was not a hall full of blooming flowers, but a purgatory for killing people!

    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s her. She told someone. I saw her talking to an old maidservant of Consort Su¡¯s pcest time. She must have told someone else.¡± Zuishuang cried out loudly, pushed away two pce maids who came to pull her, and shouted at the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Consort Su?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes... I saw it clearly. She was from Consort Su¡¯s pce. I also inquired about itter. I heard that she was a nanny in Consort Su¡¯s pce, and Consort Su very much trusts her. Your Highness, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can go and investigate if Yuxiang had a conversation with the people of Consort Su¡¯s pce today.¡±

    At this time, Zuishuang only wanted herself to be fine. Thinking of the horror of the Flower Hall and the screams that were covered in the night, she felt scared out of her wits. She didn¡¯t want to go to the Flower Hall. She didn¡¯t want to die. She didn¡¯t want to die there for no reason.

    ¡°Somebody, go and investigate it!¡± The Sixth Princess waved her hand, and a group of people who came up to pull Zuishuang retreated.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s really not me. I... I also saw something. I also saw something. She, she and a pce maid in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce are good friends. A few days ago, they went to the garden to pick flowers and walked a long way together, talking andughing.¡±

    Yuxiang also freaked out at this moment. She also knew something about the Flower Hall. When she heard that Zuishuang put all the me on her, she looked at her in horror. What she felt was not ordinary fear, worry, shock... After a while, she came to her senses, threw herself on Zuishuang and grabbed her. Her fingernails had dug deep into Zuishuang¡¯s flesh, as if she was biting her tightly and didn¡¯t let her go.

    Zuishuang did not expect that Yuxiang would pounce on her, and she fell to the ground. As one of her arms was pinched by Yuxiang, she could not help screaming in pain. She gave Yuxiang a backhand p and did not forget to defend herself. ¡°Sixth Princess... I have nothing to do with that pce maid. It was not like what Yuxiang said. Yuxiang wanted to frame me...¡±

    As Zuishuang was still talking, Yuxiang was unwilling to let her go. She grabbed and pulled Zuishuang harder, and the two of them scuffled with each other in the hall.

    ¡°Somebody, drag them into the Flower Hall together.¡± The Sixth Princess stood up and walked inside. Her voice was so light that no one could tell her emotions. The two pce maids who were engaged in a fierce fight did not hear her clearly, but the two personal pce maids standing behind the Sixth Princess had already heard it clearly. They knew that the Sixth Princess was going to kill them. They immediately walked over, and each picked one up. Then they skillfully struck the back of their heads.

    Seeing that the two pce maids passed out silently, the two of them respectively dragged one to the Flower Hall behind.

    No one noticed a dark figure gliding silently across a branch near the Flower Hall...

    The Sixth Princess was furious. When she was mad, she might kill someone. Also as a princess, Princess Caifeng was calm. Ever since Hu Qianyue fell ill, Princess Caifeng seemed to harbor no grudge and have gotten along well with Hu Qianyue. After leaving King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Princess Caifeng often visited Hu Qianyue whenever she was free.

    Just like today, as she saw Hu Qianyue sitting there in a daze, Princess Caifeng stepped forward and asked with concern, ¡°Qianyue, what happened? Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little tired.¡± Hu Qianyue¡¯s eyes were nk, and her voice was so faint that Princess Caifeng could barely hear it.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re tired, you have to take good care of yourself. I heard that King Yan¡¯s Manor has prepared betrothal gifts and is ready to carry you into the manor early. You must take care of yourself well. What medicinal herbs do you need? I¡¯ll tell Elder brother. From now on, you¡¯ll be the second consort of King Yan¡¯s Manor. I¡¯m Consort Ning. We should help each other in the future.¡±

    Princess Caifeng sat next to Hu Qianyue gently. She looked at her with concern and worry in her eyes, as if she really had a good rtionship with Hu Qianyue and they had never hated each other before.

    It sounded like she was persuading Hu Qianyue, but in fact, it was like a dagger thrust into Hu Qianyue¡¯s heart. She was going to be Feng Yulei¡¯s second consort. If it were not for the fact that Caifeng and the shameless Feng Yulei had an affair, she would not have to take the me for Caifeng, and her cousin would not have to marry the Sixth Princess.

    However, all of this had been ruined by that b*tch, Princess Caifeng. How could she not hate her? How could she not me her...?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. I will only be a second consort. I need your help. How is the gift you prepared? Soon, the Sixth Princess will leave the Qin Kingdom. If you want to make a good rtionship with the Sixth Princess, you need to hurry up. After some time, the Third Prince will wee her in person. The whole country will be busy preparing for the marriage, and you and the Sixth Princess may not even be able to see each other.¡±

    Hu Qianyue said softly, raising her pale, bloodless face. She was no longer as sharp and harsh as before.

    Princess Caifeng was very satisfied with her reaction. She smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already prepared the gift. I¡¯m sure it will satisfy the Sixth Princess. But shouldn¡¯t the Sixth Princess try to please us? She¡¯s going to marry into our ce.¡±

    This matter was brought up casually by Hu Qianyue. In order to please the Sixth Princess in front of Hu Qianyue, Princess Caifeng had thought of a way to prepare it. In short, she had stolen Hu Qianyue¡¯s idea. Previously, she had been schemed against by Hu Qianyue, and then Crown Prince Xieyue reminded her. Now Princess Caifeng felt ufortable to see Hu Qianyue.

    Now that she looked weak and pale, Princess Caifeng was very willing to see it. As for pleasing the Sixth Princess, she wouldn¡¯t allow her to do it. She would do it herself.

    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re wrong. When a woman gets married, she has to depend on her husband¡¯s family on the surface. But if she really doesn¡¯t have the support of her parents¡¯ family, can she really own that position all the time? Just like Consort Yan, if she hasn¡¯t had the power of Mingguo Manor behind her, at thest pce banquet, the Emperor of the Qin Kingdom would have agreed to...¡±

    Hu Qianyue did not finish her words, but Princess Caifeng understood what she meant. When she thought that she had almost be King Yan¡¯s second consort, a surge of anger rose in her heart.

    ¡°The Southern Barbarian Lands are strong, so you and I will have a stable life in the Qin Kingdom. If the Sixth Princess has a firm foothold in the Southern Barbarian Lands in the future, she might one day be in power. My family and your mother¡¯s family are all in the Southern Barbarian Lands, so we might hope that the Sixth Princess will help them then. If we are now on good terms with the Sixth Princess, then we¡¯ll be well-prepared.¡±

    Hu Qianyue exined in a soft voice!

    Princess Caifeng had understood. Even though her mother used to be just a little pce maid, she naturally had aplicated family.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The gift has been prepared. You should take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t worry too much. I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. I¡¯ll go first.¡± After saying that, Princess Caifeng stood up with satisfaction, turned around, and left triumphantly with her maidservants.

    Behind her, Hu Qianyue¡¯s gentle eyes became gloomy, bloodthirsty and vicious, as if she wanted to destroy everything...

 Chapter 676 - Its Still the Original Owner of the Pharmacy

    <h4>Chapter 676 It¡¯s Still the Original Owner of the Pharmacy</h4>

    ¡°My Lady, the little maidservant went to ask about the owner of the shop in the back, but she didn¡¯t get any information. The shop assistant¡¯s lips were sealed, and all he said was that the owner has never changed. It¡¯s still the original owner.¡± After hearing the little maidservant¡¯s report, Mo Ye came in and told Mo Xuetong.

    They did not leave immediately. You Yuecheng was a suspicious person, and their leaving at this moment would arouse his suspicion.

    ¡°The original owner?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly as her white fingers tapped lightly on the table. ¡°How could that be possible! The Duchess is dead. Is it Sima Lingyun? But he¡¯s infamous and it¡¯s been said that he does not even have a ce to stay. How could he still have such a shop?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, the little maidservant didn¡¯te back at first because she didn¡¯t get the information you had asked for. She waited outside the pharmacy for a while and saw a maidservant holding ady-like person leaving from the side door of the shop. Before she left, the shopkeeper even specially sent them to the side door. He looked very respectful, as if she were his mistress. However, the youngdy was wearing a curtained hat, so the little maidservant couldn¡¯t see who she was. The carriage the youngdy took was also ordinary, and thus she didn¡¯t know which manor she came from.¡±

    Since Mo Xuetong had no clue at the moment, Mo Ye told her what the maidservant had seen and her spections. As she didn¡¯t know if the maidservant¡¯s spections were useful to Mo Xuetong, she stopped for a second before continuing.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s bent fingers stopped in the air as a hint of surprise shed across her eyes. ¡°A youngdy, the Duke¡¯s manor, and the original owner. The only person that lines up with this situation is Sima Heyan. When the Sima Manor got into trouble, Sima Heyan was missing. Even the authorities have reported that she had been lost. I did not expect her to be well in the capital.¡±

    Who was powerful enough to hide her?

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughts gradually became clear. Thatdy could very well be the missing Sima Heyan. Only she could take over the Duchess¡¯s property rightfully. Maybe before the Duchess died, she had already given the pharmacy to Sima Heyan.

    That was the dowry of the Duchess, and it was normal for her to give it to her daughter as a dowry.

    Sima Heyan¡¯s pharmacy became the ce where the Sixth Princess and You Yuecheng met privately. Besides, Sima Heyan was also there. What¡¯s more, even the Sixth Princess could sneak out from the back door, and You Yuecheng was very free in the pharmacy and could even dispatch his men there conveniently. In this way, it seemed that one of them had to be the reason that Sima Heyan was still in the capital.

    Mo Xuetong thought about it and was more inclined to think that the person was the Sixth Princess!

    Sima Heyan seemed to be one of the Sixth Princess¡¯s people!

    If the Sixth Princess had been really a gentle and elegant princess, Mo Xuetong would not have such a spection. After all, a princess who had always been in the imperial pce would not arrange people outside for herself for no reason. She could not be the Emperor and was just a princess. No matter who the Emperor was, he would show special kindness to those powerless princesses.

    However, ever since she learned that the Sixth Princess¡¯s pce was tightly guarded, Mo Xuetong had felt that the Sixth Princess was unusual. There were many signs that indicated that the Sixth Princess knew medical skills. It was not a shameful thing to know medical skills, but the fact that the Sixth Princess knew medical skills was strictly shrouded in secrecy, which was very suspicious.

    If the Sixth Princess really knew medical skills, she would definitely need some medicinal materials. Although there was the Imperial Institute of Medicine in the pce, the number of medicinal materials was recorded. Thus, it was impossible for the Sixth Princess to often get medicinal materials from there. Otherwise, it would attract too much attention. The Sima family had something to do with the Sixth Princess...

    ¡°Mo Lan, how is the situation over there?¡± Mo Xuetong knitted her brows slightly. She looked out of the window and saw that it had been a long time since she hade there. With one suspicion, You Yuecheng would not guard this ce all the time. The people he took there were all imperial guards and they all dressed in that kind of clothes. As they went straight into the jade shop, they were disturbing people!

    Of course, Mo Xuetong did not think that this matter could affect You Yuecheng!

    ¡°My Lady, the shopkeeper just said that those people were investigating a fugitive. Someone saw the fugitiveing into our shop, so a few imperial guards came in to have a look. They didn¡¯t do anything rude and just looked around. They didn¡¯t rummage through the things in the room.¡± Mo Lan had sneaked down once and found that there was no one below.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded and stood up. She took the curtained hat that Mo Ye handed her and put it on her head. Then, she walked out.

    It was almost time for her to leave. She did not go to say goodbye to Qin Yufeng. She did not know why she had a feeling that Qin Yufeng had not left yet. It was an indistinct feeling. The vague enmity she had towards him in the past had dissipated a lot. However, she did not think that it was possible for her to bear no grudge against him. He was a man she could not see through...

    The horse carriage was parked outside the door. Since it was too crowded outside the jade shop before, their carriage had stopped closer to the teahouse. At this time, it was convenient for them to go out. They got in the horse carriage calmly and headed straight to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Mo Xuetong had already picked out the gifts along the way and asked the shop owner to send them to Princess Caifeng¡¯s ceter. Her rtionship with Princess Caifeng was just so-so, so there was no need for Mo Xuetong to be particrly close to the princess.

    As soon as they arrived at the gate of the manor, Mo Xuetong saw Feng Yuran¡¯s carriage, which was so gorgeous that it almost became his trademark, parked ahead of theirs. It seemed that he was about to go out to do something.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, get out.¡± Feng Yuran, who had just gotten in the horse carriage, saw Mo Xuetong as well. His pretty eyes narrowed and his red lips curled slightly. He jumped out of the carriage and walked up to Mo Xuetong¡¯s before reaching out to carry her down, and then turned to leave for his horse carriage.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect him to dare to hold her closely in front of so many people outside the door. She was so embarrassed that she blushed. She had wanted to ask him what he was going to do, but she could not say anything. She bit her lips and buried her head in his embrace with a flushed face, remaining motionless.

    Feng Yuran smiled even more happily when he saw the blush on her pink cheeks and how she leaned obediently into his embrace. Of course, he knew that the kitten-like woman was very obedient but could not stand being teased. He wrapped the purple sleeves more securely around her in his arms. Then he leaped up lightly and got into his horse carriage. cing Mo Xuetong on the soft couch, hezilymanded to the man outside, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Someone lowered a light muslin curtain that had been rolled up high. They could vaguely see what was happening outside through the curtain, but the people outside couldn¡¯t see clearly who was inside the carriage.

    Only then did Mo Xuetonge to her senses. She pushed away Feng Yuran¡¯s hand that reached out to wrap around her slender waist. She red at him angrily. ¡°How about my maidservants?¡±

    He just took her to his carriage, regardless of everything, and didn¡¯t give her time to talk to her people.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t lose them. Mo Lan and Mo Ye are in the carriage behind us, and the others have gone back to the manor. The two maidservants are enough. I will serve you at other times.¡± As hiszy voice stopped, he stretched out his slender hand again and pinched Mo Xuetong¡¯s shoulder several times. A smile appeared on his handsome and charming face. He nced at her from the corner of his eyes, looking so romantic and charming.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you satisfied with it?¡±

    Being pinched neither lightly nor heavily several times and seeing the faint smile on his extremely handsome face, Mo Xuetong felt that he was positively glowing, and he had caught her full attention. When she realized that she was staring at him dazedly and did not even manage to answer him, her heart started to beat wildly and her cheeks were so red that one could even cook eggs on them.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you satisfied with me?¡±

    Feng Yuran raised his brows and blinked his right eye at her jokingly. His intentions had gone beyond pinching her and asking her if she was satisfied with what he was doing. The two half-cuddled and half-hugged each other. As Feng Yuran spoke, his warm breath blew into Mo Xuetong¡¯s face and lifted a few strands of beautiful hair by her ear. At the same time, his bulky body leaned against her on purpose...

    ¡°You... stay away from me. It¡¯s so stuffy.¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him away with a red face and took a few deep breaths. It wasn¡¯t that it was stuffy, but it was that her heart was beating too fast. The affectionate look in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes made her heart almost jump out of her chest. However, the man deliberately leaned closer to her.

    ¡°Is it stuffy? No. Why don¡¯t I feel it? Tong¡¯er, to be honest, you look really hot. Do you have a fever?¡± Feng Yuran blinked his bright eyes with a nk look on his face. He deliberately reached out and touched Mo Xuetong¡¯s delicate face, pretending to be in confusion.

    His look, coupled with his extremely handsome face, made Mo Xuetong feel that he was evil for no reason. Seeing that she was blushing, he still kept teasing her.

    pping his hand away, Mo Xuetong pretended to be serious and asked, ¡°Where are you going at this time? Is there something urgent? Won¡¯t I hinder your work if I go with you?¡±

    Feng Yuran usually stayed in Jinwei Pavilion to deal with things at this time and rarely went out. And she did not hear him mention it when she went out today. It had to be an urgent matter or his people had found out something, and he needed to go out personally to deal with it.

    ¡°You won¡¯t hinder my work. How is it possible that you will hinder my work? Remember, you won¡¯t hinder my work at any time.¡± Feng Yuran gave a leisurely smile and his expression softened. He stopped teasing her intentionally and reached out to hold her hand as if he was answering her or promising her.

    Mo Xuetong felt warm in her heart. For some reason, she felt touched and her heart softened. Even the noisy street outside sounded a little different from before.

    ¡°What... are you going to do?¡± Her watery eyes blinked, and her face was slightly hot. She looked out of the window in a slight panic and no longer stubbornly asked why he would take her with him. There was already an answer in her heart, but sometimes she would ask unconsciously. When she realized it, she felt a little shy. Just now, she looked more like she was flirting with him and had no momentum at all.

    Feng Yuran leaned backzily and said meaningfully, ¡°Nothing big. I just want you to watch a good show.¡±

    Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes and his words interested her. She quickly asked curiously, ¡°Where is it?¡± Of course, she knew that what Feng Yuran was talking about had to be directed at something. However, she could not figure out what it was. He did not send someone to keep an eye on it, but instead, he could not sit still and went straight out of the manor to watch.

    ¡°Just now, the secret guard came to report that Imperial Noble Consort Wen, dressed simply, left the pce and went to Puguang Temple to burn incense. She only brought two personal pce maids and a nanny with her. She imed that her heart was aching these days, and thinking of the child she lost in the past, she couldn¡¯t sleep at night and heard the cries of the child every day. So Father eded to her request and allowed her to secretly go out of the pce to worship.¡±

    Feng Yuran raised his handsome brows. There seemed to be ayer ofziness in his eyes, but there was also a hint of coldness in them.

    Mo Xuetong had heard of this matter. Imperial Noble Consort Wen had lost the child in her belly because another consort had bumped into her, but she did notin about it to Emperor Zongwen. Instead, she pleaded with Emperor Zongwen and wanted him to let go of the consort who had caused her to miscarry. These things were told from mouth to mouth with general manor approval in the court at that time. People only said that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was the most virtuous and gracious person. Even though she did not give birth to a son, she still became an imperial noble consort.

    Of course, Mo Xuetong knew that it would not be so simple. Otherwise, Feng Yuran would not show such an expression. Since even Feng Yuran could not sit still in the manor and wanted to see it, she became more curious.

    What did Imperial Noble Consort Wen want to do...

 Chapter 677 - An Old Story, the Secret in the Buddha Hall

    <h4>Chapter 677 - An Old Story, the Secret in the Buddha Hall</h4>

    Puguang Temple had many worshippers. Some noble madams anddies in the capital usually came here to burn incense.

    However, the incident with the second consort of King Yan¡¯s Manorst time had sparked bloodshed and a love affair. The holy ce of Buddhists had been stained with blood and conspiracy. Then some people felt that this ce was not good, so fewer people came here to burn incense,pared to previous years. It was the deste autumn day.

    It waste afternoon, near evening. If someone came to burn incense, they would have already left at this time as long as they didn¡¯t spend the night here.

    The horse carriages in front of the gate to the temple disappeared one by one, and only a few carriages were left there. Of course, Feng Yuran¡¯s horse carriage did not appear in the parking lot of Puguang Temple so openly, but stopped in the jungle at the foot of the mountain. Then Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong in his arms and rode through the path into the back door of Puguang Temple with a few guards.

    Puguang Temple was veryrge, and the back door was connected to the forest. A winding path was hidden in it, and it was used by the monks to go down the mountain from the back door to fetch water. Usually, no worshippers woulde up and down from here. The surface of the road was rough. Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong in front of him, protecting her carefully, and she did not feel that it was too bumpy.

    Their horse stopped near the back door. A guard led the horse away. Under the hint of Feng Yuran¡¯s wave, the rest guards hid in the temple. Feng Yuran held Mo Xuetong and stood there for a while before leading her into the temple. The back door was not locked. He pushed open the door and the two of them walked into the temple together.

    A guard emerged from the dark and whispered in Feng Yuran¡¯s ear. Feng Yuran nodded as a hint of evil shed in his bright eyes.

    He reached out to hold Mo Xuetong in his arms, took her hand and put her arm around him as well. Having Mo Xuetong in his arms, he flew over like a green bird, silently shing on the roof of a Buddha hall.

    ¡°Will Imperial Noble Consort Wene here?¡± Mo Xuetong poked her head out to look at the Buddha hall beneath her. The hall was already lit, but since there was only one litmp, it looked a little dim. With the tall andrge Buddha statues in the hall, there was a kind of indescribable strangeness. However, there was not a single person!

    Feng Yuran stretched out his hand and pulled out a few tiles, leaving a small hole on the roof. He could see the situation below clearly. It was getting dark outside, and more and more halls were lit. From a distance, they could be seen more clearly than this one. There should be some people worshiping in those halls, which was why they were brighter.

    Those Buddha halls without people only needed an altarmp in front of the Buddha statue, such as the one beneath them.

    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Imperial Noble Consort Wen will definitelye. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be a waste of her kindness of a loving mother?¡± Feng Yuran said with azy smile. He brought Mo Xuetong into his embrace and leaned over to block part of the wind for her. The autumn night was a little chilly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t her son dead? Even though she has such kindness of a loving mother, she should show it to His Majesty. But now His Majesty is not here. To whom would she show this kindness of a loving mother?¡± Mo Xuetong pushed him gently and asked coyly. Along the way, he deliberately did not make it clear to her, which made her have all kinds of spections in her heart. However, she had no answer, which made her itch to know about it.

    The child in Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s belly was gone, but she still pleaded for the consort. Mo Xuetong did not believe it at all. In her past life, she had once been a mother, and knew of the heart-wrenching pain when she lost the child in her belly. As a mother, how could she be so generous? Her child who was on the way was killed by another person. That kind of flesh-and-blood rtionship was enough to make a mother go crazy and lose her mind.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen could do it so calmly, unless she was not pregnant, or the child did not die¡­

    ¡°Alright, alright. Look, she¡¯s here. I promise that you will be surprised by what happens next. Let¡¯s just watch the show!¡± Feng Yuran looked down and reached out to whisper into Mo Xuetong¡¯s ear. Looking at her white and tender earlobe beside his lips, he immediately stuck out his tongue and licked it gently. Mo Xuetong shivered. Her snow-white earlobe immediately reddened visibly.

    She gave him a re. This man was even joking at this point.

    However, in Feng Yuran¡¯s eyes, her angry stare, which should have been full of momentum, was nothing more than an extremely shyint. It did not have any strength at all. Instead, it made his long and narrow eyes reveal a dazzling smile. His eyes were extremely beautiful. In the dark autumn day, they were more dazzling than the stars in heaven.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but be attracted by his pretty eyes. She forgot that she was angry from embarrassment and leaned against him, along his gesture. His big hand was on her slender waist. He held her close to him and kissed her gently.

    The kiss was soft and doting¡­

    Everything between heaven and earth seemed to be quiet. Only the night fell on this pair of extremely beautiful couple. The wind lifted the purple robe, and the pale yellow dress wrapped in it was more like the pistil that was tightly protected by a noble and elegant purple flower. Mo Xuetong was tightly embraced by the man in purple, and they depended on each other¡­

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, what do you want to see me about?¡± A cold voice sounded from below.

    It roused the couple from their eager kisses. Mo Xuetong came to her senses, and pushed the man who was still gently kissing her. Then she looked down hurriedly. How could she not be familiar with the voice? She always felt that the man was really fated with Puguang Temple. Last time, he lost a second consort here and caused a scandal. Could it be that it was the same this time?

    It was King Yan, Feng Yulei!

    Feng Yuran was extremely annoyed. He gritted his teeth and hated Feng Yulei and Imperial Noble Consort Wen for that they came at an inopportune time. He was kissing her wife sweetly and it was rare for Tong¡¯er to be so engrossed in kissing. When he was in a good mood, he was suddenly awakened. He was very upset. When he followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze with his charming eyes, there was an enchanting smile on his lips, but it carried an evil aura!

    There was still only an altarmp in the hall. Under the flickering light, a woman in an ordinary dress appeared. When the two on the roof looked at her carefully, they found that it was indeed Imperial Noble Consort Wen. Without gorgeous clothes and ornaments, Imperial Noble Consort Wen looked a little weak and thin. Looking at the person in front of her, she appeared a little anxious and excited¡­

    Standing far across from her was Feng Yulei. Feng Yulei had just walked through the door of the Buddha hall. Instead ofing over, he stood at the door. Then he closed the door of the hall slightly and asked directly. He didn¡¯t seem surprised at all to see Imperial Noble Consort Wen appear here. It was obvious that the two of them had agreed to meet here.

    Compared with the excited look on Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s face, the expression on Feng Yulei¡¯s face was sort of cold.

    ¡°Lei¡¯er, I¡­¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen couldn¡¯t remain calm as usual when she saw Feng Yulei. She took two steps forward excitedly and was about to hug Feng Yulei. Her face was a mixture of sorrow and joy, mingled with indescribable sadness and happiness.

    Feng Yulei did not allow her to pounce on him. He took a step to the side and happened to avoid Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s embrace. His expression grew cold. ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, you should know that I am King Yan. You should call me King Yan!¡±

    His words were extremely rude. Even though in a very real sense, Imperial Noble Consort Wen was not Feng Yulei¡¯s mother, and nor was she the Empress who raised him up, it was normal for her to call him King Yan. However, the current situation was that Imperial Noble Consort Wen pounced on him excitedly but was gently pushed away, and he especially told her to call him King Yan. And he said in an extremely cold and distant tone.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen felt the sting in her heart!

    She staggered several steps and stood still with the help of the door frame. She turned around with tears in her eyes. ¡°Lei¡¯er, I am your biological mother. How, how can you treat me like this?¡±

    She had been in the pce for so many years, and all her ns were for her son. In order to make him get more capable support, she did not hesitate to give birth to her child in advance and secretly exchanged with the boy Beauty Ling had given birth to. Then, she poisoned Beauty Ling to death so that he could be raised by the Empress and be supported by Ding General Manor from then on.

    Every time she saw her son, she couldn¡¯t help stopping. Although she repeatedly warned herself that she could not go up to him and tell him who she was, she couldn¡¯t erase the kinship between her son and her with reason. So she secretly sent some food to Feng Yulei and watched him ying in the garden.

    However, when the truth was revealed, why was her son so cold to her? Imperial Noble Consort Wen thought that she had done nothing wrong and devoted herself to her son. Why did Feng Yulei ignore the fact that she was his mother and treat her coldly as if she were a stranger?

    ¡°Mother?¡± A cold smile appeared on Feng Yulei¡¯s lips with a hint of mockery. ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, I am certain that my mother is Beauty Ling. Even though she died without a high position, she was my real mother. She had protected me growing up. Even when she was dying, she kept protecting me!¡±

    At that time, he was only five or six years old and could remember what happened. The bowl of bloody soup with a fishy smell was supposed to be served to him. However, since she was not from the direct line of Ding General Manor, as a beauty, Beauty Ling always felt frightened after she gave birth to a son.

    Although someone had checked the food, she was still worried. Thus, she always tried it first. That was why the fish soup was in front of her. She picked up the spoon, raised it gently, and put it into her mouth. With a faint gentle smile on her face, she smiled at Feng Yulei, who was sitting by the side and waiting to have the fish soup.

    Feng Yulei even had held out his spoon.

    However, something unexpected happened. The second spoonful of the soup that Beauty Ling had lifted did not reach her mouth in the end. The spoon in her hand fell into the bowl, and she spat out a mouthful of ck blood into the fish soup. The snow-white fish soup was mixed with the ck color, which appeared strange and pathetic. Her lips were blood-stained, and she only had the time to call her son¡¯s name in a low voice. Her eyes, which used to be bright, looked straight at Feng Yulei, and were full of sadness¡­

    Even though so many years had passed, Feng Yulei still could not forget the pitiful and painful look on Beauty Ling¡¯s face and how reluctant she was to leave him and how sorry she felt for him. He was too young then. He heard that a few pce maids were jealous of Beauty Ling being doted on, so they tried to kill her. Those people were also put to death. Originally, it was over. Feng Yulei had investigated itter. However, the matter had already been settled and it had been too long since then. Even though he had a suspicion, he could not verify it.

    However, Feng Yulei still set his sights on the Empress. When Beauty Ling died, it was the Empress who had profited most as she had never had a son. When she had raised him up, she had brought up a prince. It would only benefit the Empress and as well as Ding General Manor. As such, even though he was very respectful to the Empress, he was not close to her!

    However, who would have thought that the truth was quite different? The woman in front of him, who looked kind but was actually vicious, was his real mother. How could Feng Yulei ept that?

 Chapter 678 - To See But Not to Recognize

    <h4>Chapter 678 To See But Not to Recognize</h4>

    In Feng Yulei¡¯s heart, Beauty Ling had been his real mother, the mother who had truly given her undivided attention to him and protected him with her life. He had hated the person who had killed Beauty Ling from the bottom of his heart and sworn that if he had the chance to know the truth in the future, he would definitely kill the enemy. Even if this person was the current Empress, it did not matter.

    However, he did not expect this person to be Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had always been quiet and gentle. Furthermore, she was his biological mother. How could Feng Yulei ept this? His biological mother had killed Beauty Ling who had been protecting him. Even though Imperial Noble Consort Wen said that she did it all for him, he would not be able to bear it.

    It was Beauty Ling in his innocent childhood memory that fitted Feng Yulei¡¯s image of his mother. She was loving, gentle, and took good care of him. At that time, he was very happy. Although others said that his mother was not favored by the Emperor and his Eighth brother¡¯s mother was the most favored person in his father¡¯s heart, he did not care. At least his beautiful and gentle mother apanied him, and he had nothing to worry about.

    Then, Beauty Ling was poisoned to death, and Feng Yulei fell from heaven to hell. To a prince who lost his mother¡¯s protection, life in this pce was very difficult. Because he was young, he was bullied by eunuchs and pce maids in the pce. Sometimes, he was even ignored. Even little eunuchs dared to make fun of him. They pushed him to the ground, making him unable to get up, and then theyughed and left.

    At the thought of this, Feng Yulei could not ept Imperial Noble Consort Wen calmly! When she excitedly told him what happened in the past to prove that she was his biological mother who wholeheartedly protected him, Feng Yulei rushed out of the door and refused to look at the merging of the two drops of blood and Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s expectant eyes. He was even more unwilling to think that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was his biological mother.

    ¡°Venomous as snakes and scorpions¡±, he could not think of any other words to describe this woman.

    ¡°Lei¡¯er, how can you treat me like this? Beauty Ling treated you well because she thought that you were her own son. If she had known that her son died because of you, how could she have allowed you to live? Lei¡¯er, I am the only one who is sincere to you. Do you think that a mother can be willing to give up her son and watch him call another woman mother?¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen shed tears and looked at Feng Yulei sadly. She cried mournfully and stretched out her hand as if she wanted to touch Feng Yulei¡¯s clothes. However, her hand fell powerlessly under his cold and disgusted eyes. Everything had gone the way she nned it.

    She and Beauty Ling were due within just a few days of each other. Under normal circumstances, Beauty Ling would give birth to a child about half a month earlier than her. She noticed Ding General Manor and the Empress behind Beauty Ling. The Empress had no children, and if she wanted to adopt a child, she would choose Beauty Ling¡¯s child as Beauty Ling was closest to her by blood.

    If it weren¡¯t for the Empress and Ding General Manor behind Beauty Ling, with her gentle and useless character, how could she be able to give birth to a prince safely? Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s family was powerless, and she knew that it was her weakness. So she came up with this idea to rece Beauty Ling¡¯s child with her own son.

    When Beauty Ling gave birth, she used drugs to hasten parturition in her pce and secretly gave birth to a child. She bribed the nanny beside Beauty Ling and reced the son Beauty Ling gave birth to with her son. Then, she smothered the child that Beauty Ling had just given birth to.

    After that, she pretended to be bumped by the imperial consort who had always gone against her. Because of the heavy bump, the child was born early; and due to difficultbor, the baby had been dead in her womb. When the baby was born, he was dead. Beauty Ling¡¯s new born son came in handy. On the surface, Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s son died, but she did not me the consort who bumped into her.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had a good reputation in the pce. Even the Empress Dowager and the Emperor thought highly of her. She was even promoted, which was against the rules. Later, because of her good reputation, she was given the title of imperial noble consort after giving birth to the Sixth Princess. She became one of the most powerful consorts in the pce. Although she had always kept a low profile and had no son, no one in the pce dared to look down on her.

    She knew that Beauty Ling would agree to let the Empress raise Feng Yulei, but unexpectedly, Beauty Ling loved her son so much that she did not agree. That was why Imperial Noble Consort Wen poisoned her to death. Once Beauty Ling died, Feng Yulei, who had lost his mother, would definitely be adopted by others. The Empress, who had been wanting to raise Feng Yulei, would definitely interfere with it.

    As long as the Empress demanded to raise Feng Yulei, his status would rise. Even if he was not really adopted by the Empress and was not the Empress¡¯s legitimate son, the Empress and Ding General Manor would definitely support Feng Yulei. Furthermore, if she were to add fuel to the fire in the harem, it would not be a problem for Feng Yulei to ascend to the throne.

    By then, she would be able to be the Empress Dowager and suppress the entire harem. So what about the current Empress? Her blood was running through Feng Yulei¡¯s veins. He was her biological son. Blood was thicker than water. She did not believe that her son would be on someone else¡¯s side after he was raised by another woman for some time. Furthermore, she noticed that Feng Yulei did not treat the Empress like a family.

    However, no one could predict what would happen next!

    It was supposed to be something in the bag. But due to the intervention of the Empress Dowager and King Ning, Ding General Manor was wavering. They did not stand behind Feng Yulei wholeheartedly. Then, because the daughter of Ding General Manor had married into King Chu¡¯s Manor, they had an ambiguous connection with King Chu, Feng Yuxuan. So far, more people thought that Ding General Manor valued King Chu more.

    After he got married, Feng Yulei always had idents for no apparent reason and thus was hated by Emperor Zongwen. After that, Feng Yuxuan was the only one to be popr, and Feng Yulei was more and more suppressed. Even King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, could marry Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands and seek power for himself. However, Feng Yulei only got the daughter of a minister of the Southern Barbarian Lands, which made Imperial Noble Consort Wen anxious and nervous. It was as if she could only watch the throne slip from her son¡¯s hands.

    How could she be willing to ept it?

    Therefore, she had to tell Feng Yulei the truth first. Originally, she thought that the mother and son should work together to deal with others. However, she did not expect that Feng Yulei was unwilling to recognize her. If she had not pleaded with him repeatedly, he would not have seen her. How could Imperial Noble Consort Wen not be heartbroken? All she did was for her son, but why did her son not understand?

    Feng Yulei did not want to argue with her on if Beauty Ling was really good to him, so he frowned and said impatiently, ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, did you sneak out of the pce today just to show your affection for me? If you have anything to tell me, just say it. I still have something to do. If Father finds out that I have a secret meeting with a consort, neither of us wille to a good end.¡±

    If a consort was found to meet with a prince, the penalty was death. Feng Yulei would have no future, and Imperial Noble Consort Wen would not be able to live. Hearing Feng Yulei¡¯s words, Imperial Noble Consort Wen immediately sobered up. She instantly cleared up the motherliness for her son, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and nodded. ¡°Lei¡¯er, no matter whether you recognize me as your mother or not, I¡¯m your mother. You can ignore me, but I have to consider for you. Your sister is going to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. Do you think it will help you? If yes, I¡¯ll help make it happen. If it is not helpful, I will also help your sister ruin this matter.¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had not been able to make up her mind for the past few days. On the one hand, she felt that it was good for the Sixth Princess to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. At least, it could be considered a powerful connection with the Southern Barbarian Lands. In the future, when Feng Yulei tried to snatch power, he might get help from it. On the other hand, the Southern Barbarian Lands was too far away for them to reach. Even if the Sixth Princess gained power, she would not be able to do anything for them.

    Furthermore, Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not know what was going on over there. What made her most dissatisfied was that the Sixth Princess was supposed to marry Crown Prince Xieyue. How could she be about to be Third Prince¡¯s legal wife for no reason? Not to mention that the status was lower than Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s wife, it would not be possible for her to be the Empress in the future. It would not be of much help to Feng Yulei.

    After thinking about it for a while, she couldn¡¯t figure it out. So she thought of a way to call Feng Yulei out and wanted to hear his opinion directly. Although she was good at enduring and was vicious, she was just a woman who had been staying in the pce. She had too little help from outside and was ill-informed.

    ¡°Feng Xuehe wanted to marry into Mingguo Manor, but her method was too low and she was too greedy. She wanted to kill several birds with one stone. She didn¡¯t see if she had the power. I thought she was smart, but unexpectedly, she is as stupid as you. In the end, she couldn¡¯t marry into Mingguo Manor, but fell into the trap.¡±

    Feng Yulei did not hide the disdain in his words. He felt angry when he thought that Mingguo Manor had almost been dragged into a whirlpool because of Feng Xuehe¡¯s random actions. Mingguo Manor was his greatest help right now, and only Mingguo Manor had always stood firmly behind him.

    He thought more highly of You Yuecheng and the Mingguo Manor behind him than his greedy sister.

    ¡°Xuehe miscalcted. Who knew that Consort Xuan would be so experienced at such a young age? She not only turned the situation around, but also trapped Xuehe in it. When you take that position in the future, you must seek revenge for your sister. No matter what, you have to cut that woman into pieces.¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had ignored the strong mockery in Feng Yulei¡¯s words.

    Mo Xuetong, who was sitting on the roof and looking at them, could not help but smile. Imperial Noble Consort Wen really thought of herself as the Empress Dowager who was in power. She spoke of murder casually, as if she had held dominion over life and death. But actually, their n hadn¡¯t started yet... She was really anxious!

    Feng Yuran stared coldly at Imperial Noble Consort Wen with his devilish eyes as a hint of evil and hatred shed across his eyes. His lips curled up and a sinister and cold smile appeared on his face. ¡°She wants to kill Tong¡¯er? She is courting death!¡±

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, I can¡¯t make the decision if Sixth sister should marry into another country or not. Haven¡¯t you done everything very carefully? Do you need to ask me when you want to do something? If you have time, you¡¯d better work hard on Father. It has little to do with me if Sixth sister epts the engagement or not. But now that the engagement has been settled, it¡¯s easy to get into an ident if there is another dispute. It¡¯s better to let Sixth sister wait for the wedding.¡±

    Feng Yulei ignored Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s change of topic and did not look at her ferocious face under the light. There were some things that he did not want to say, but when he saw Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s eyes that looked as if everything she did was for him, he felt disgusted. The woman always thought highly of herself and believed that she could decide others¡¯ fate.

    The marriage was a big event for the two countries. If it was really destroyed because of the Sixth Princess, how could the Sixth Princess end well? She thought that she had yed a trick in Mingguo Manor for a while and made things worse. Then she cried and shouted that she refused to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands at this time. How could things be so simple? She reallycked knowledge and experience.

    After saying that, Feng Yulei didn¡¯t want to be entangled with Imperial Noble Consort Wen anymore. He turned around, opened the door, and strode away, as if he didn¡¯t hear Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s low cry behind him at all!

    Since she had tried so hard to give him to another woman back then, the affection would note back as easily as she wished...

 Chapter 679 - Sweetness, the Warnings in the Carriage

    <h4>Chapter 679 Sweetness, the Warnings in the Carriage</h4>

    In the Buddha hall, Imperial Noble Consort Wen stood there dazedly, holding on to the door frame. Her eyes followed Feng Yulei¡¯s figure and watched him leave quickly as if he were avoiding a scourge. Her heart ached and she could not help but shed tears. However, she was determined and soon stopped being sad. She looked around carefully before leaving quietly.

    Outside the door, a pce maid dressed as a maidservant was waiting there with antern in her hand. Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran saw the dim yellow light going to the back door.

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen is... is King Yan¡¯s birth mother?¡± Mo Xuetong was shocked too deeply. She stared dazedly at the light that went far away and muttered, ¡°Then, is the Sixth Princess not her daughter?¡±

    What happened in the pce was really weird!

    She had once wondered why Imperial Noble Consort Wen woulde out to show her goodwill to the Empress. She had thought that she was looking for a way out for herself or that she was more optimistic about Feng Yulei¡¯s future. That was why even the Sixth Princess was on Feng Yulei¡¯s side. It was only now that she realized that Feng Yulei was Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s biological son. This matter was too unbelievable.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen had hidden so deeply. She had plotted against the Empress and Ding General Manor as well as Beauty Ling. She was too astute. Whatever such a person did made her suspect. Mo Xuetong inexplicably thought of the Sixth Princess and sighed. After saying that, she felt that she was making a blind guess.

    Feng Yuran curled his lips and said with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, do you think that Imperial Noble Consort Wen is an evil person, and might have stolen other¡¯s daughter since she had reced her son with another woman¡¯s?¡± Then, he took Mo Xuetong down from the roof. It was obviously not good for her health to feel the wind on the roof at this time.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think. There¡¯s no reason for her to be on par with Consort Su when she doesn¡¯t have a son.¡± Mo Xuetong walked towards the back door with one of Feng Yuran¡¯s arms half around her. She did not hide her thoughts at all. When she thought of how Imperial Noble Consort Wen looked like the first time she saw her, she felt that she was a rare kind person.

    However, to her surprise, her means were so vicious!

    Mo Xuetong knew very well that if the Empress had not weakened, Imperial Noble Consort Wen would not have taken the initiative toe out. Then others would not have suspected her. The current situation was beneficial to Consort Su and King Chu. The only one who could suppress Consort Su was the Empress, but things happened to her again and again. Now she had no choice but to retreat behind the scenes.

    Even though she was still in the position of the Empress, the Empress did not have much of an advantage whenpared to Consort Su who held real power. Furthermore, Feng Yulei had gotten into trouble again and again. King Yan, who was originally full of energy, was in a mess. Imperial Noble Consort Wen had no choice but to stand up.

    ¡°Are you going to tell His Majesty about this?¡± Mo Xuetong asked after a sigh.

    It was extremely dangerous for Imperial Noble Consort Wen to stay by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side. She could bear it for so long and send her own son to another woman. Furthermore, she had even poisoned Beauty Ling who had protected Feng Yulei. One could tell that she was extremely vicious and might harm others at any time.

    There was only one throne. Imperial Noble Consort Wen would do anything for Feng Yulei to get the throne. Such a person was so terrifying that they had to get rid of her before she could do anything. After the miseries of her previous life, Mo Xuetong believed that it was better to strike first. They should give Imperial Noble Consort Wen a fatal blow when she was still focusing on Feng Yuxuan.

    If this kind of person could not be killed in one strike, she would bite back like a poisonous snake. At that time, she might not be the one to die.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you worried about me?¡± A smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face. However, he changed the topic and seemed rather happy.

    Mo Xuetong red at him and said angrily, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business. We can¡¯t let Imperial Noble Consort Wen off the hook so easily. I just wonder if His Majesty will believe it.¡±

    Then, she frowned slightly. This was a difficult problem. The rtionship between Imperial Noble Consort Wen and Feng Yulei was revealed when they met privately. How could Emperor Zongwen believe that the gentle and quiet Imperial Noble Consort Wen beside him was a vicious woman when they had no reason? It was quite hard.

    Feng Yuran was in a good mood when he saw how worried she was and how she was trying to n for him. He held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand with a smile and did not say anything else to her. They walked out of the back door and got on the horse that was waiting for him. Then, he wrapped Mo Xuetong with a cloak and rode the horse down the mountain. Then, he got on the horse carriage that was waiting for them at the foot of the mountain.

    When they got on the horse carriage, the horse carriage did not return to the capital. Instead, it drove to the country. Mo Xuetong was a little confused at first. However, when they left the road near Puguang Temple, he started to light themp in a big way. Then, she realized that the man was too sly. Even if Feng Yulei noticed his horse carriage, he would not have found out that he had gone to Puguang Temple.

    There was some distance between the ce he lit themp and Puguang Temple!

    What was more, the city gate had been closed at this time. If they asked the guard to open it, they would only attract the attention of various forces!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, rest assured. You don¡¯t have to worry about the matter concerning Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She has been trying her best to pave the way for Feng Yulei and did not hesitate to use her daughter as a stepping stone. However, her daughter isn¡¯t obedient and won¡¯t take it. You just have to continue to watch, Tong¡¯er.¡± Feng Yuran smiled evilly. He patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s headfortingly and held her in his arms. He leaned against a soft couch and made her rest her head on his arm, hinting that she could sleep peacefully.

    There was still some distance to his yard out of the city, and Mo Xuetong could take a good rest.

    Mo Xuetong was indeed tired. She had been out for some time and overheard the confrontation between the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue outside the jade shop. Then, she thought of ways to deal with You Yuecheng¡¯s pursuit and met Qin Yufeng. After these matters, she was really tired now.

    Touching her head where she felt a dull ache, Mo Xuetong consciously found afortable position in Feng Yuran¡¯s arms. She habitually rubbed her little face against his chest, closed her eyes, nodded, and murmured softly, ¡°Sixth Princess is really not obedient. She met You Yuecheng in private today. Coincidentally, she happened to be under the window of my jade shop. You Yuecheng almost caught me.¡±

    ¡°You Yuecheng is Third brother¡¯s first advisor. He is always Third brother¡¯s most esteemed man and is indifferent to women. Feng Xuehe thought that she could win You Yuecheng¡¯s heart with her beauty, but she was wrong. Now it¡¯s a sure thing that she has to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. So what if she¡¯s still running around busily? Could it be that the negotiation between the two countries can be changed so quickly?¡±

    Feng Yuran reached out to push a stray hair behind her ear and answeredzily. His eyes fell on Mo Xuetong¡¯s calm and slightly pale face. He then said absent-mindedly, ¡°The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands is not easy to deal with. He has connections with Elder brother, but he doesn¡¯t know that You Yuecheng has infiltrated his people. You don¡¯t have to pay too much attention to this, Tong¡¯er. If you don¡¯t want to get involved in these disputes, you can rest in the yard.¡±

    The point of his remarks was to ask Mo Xuetong not to care about the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curved into a beautiful smile when she heard the concern in his words. She nodded lightly and opened her eyes, just meeting his bright, beautiful eyes that were truly filled with concern and love.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Shey in his arms obediently, just like azy cat.

    ¡°Good. Go to sleep!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curled slightly. He leaned forward and kissed on Mo Xuetong¡¯s snow-white forehead. It felt like a cherry blossom brushing her heart, and it was warm, soft, and sweet...

    Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran only stayed in the yard for one night and returned to the capital early in the morning. After returning to King Xuan¡¯s Manor and resting for a while, Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong to the manor that Crown Prince Xieyue lived. The manor was bestowed by Emperor Zongwen. It was nominally given to Crown Prince Xieyue and Princess Caifeng, but in fact, it was given to Crown Prince Xieyue.

    After all, Princess Caifeng would marry into King Ning¡¯s Manor, so it was impossible for her to stay here all the time. Of course, Crown Prince Xieyue would also leave, but giving him such a manor in the capital was a token of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s goodwill towards his country. In the future, people from the Southern Barbarian Lands could live there temporarily, so as not to live in the courier station again.

    At the main entrance, the two parted ways. Mo Xuetong went into the inner courtyard. Thedies were all received by Princess Caifeng there. Feng Yuran got off the horse carriage, and when Crown Prince Xieyue heard hising, he had already waited by the side. Then the two of them walked in together.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage continued to move in, and in the end, it stopped in the inner courtyard where women¡¯s carriage parked.

    ¡°Consort Xuan.¡± Mo Xuetong had just gotten out of the horse carriage when she heard a hoarse voice sounded beside her. She turned around and looked at the source of the sound. Then she was shocked. It was You Yue¡¯e who had always been at odds with her.

    You Yue¡¯e was very thin, so thin that there was not a trace of blood on her face. Her face was pale and she stood with the help of a maidservant beside her. She looked as if she was on the verge of copse. It had only been a few days since theyst met but You Yue¡¯e was so pale and haggard, as if she was a different person. She was no longer as angry and fierce as she had been when she saw Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Consort Yan, are you ill?¡± Mo Xuetong asked softly as she looked at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s slightly sunken cheeks.

    ¡°I was ill for a few days, but I¡¯m fine these days.¡± You Yue¡¯e treated Mo Xuetong with a gentle attitude that she had never had before. Now that they had met, they naturally went inside together.

    Mo Xuetong asked gently, ¡°Since you were ill, why don¡¯t you rest a little longer? Attending Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet isn¡¯t mandatory. Princess Caifeng will not leave. You can still see her when she marries into King Ning¡¯s Manor in the future. There will also be banquets often.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e was not in a good state, and her attitude was unprecedentedly kind. Mo Xuetong did not know what she meant at the moment, so she just watched her carefully.

    Seeing that the two of them hade together, someone of the manor had already gone to inform Princess Caifeng. There were only three real princes in the Qin Kingdom, but there were only two prince¡¯s legal wives. Although King Ning was also a prince, in the eyes of others, he was still a little different. The status of these two consorts could be considered top-notch in the Qin Kingdom.

    ¡°Greetings, Consort Yan and Consort Xuan.¡± Mo Yarui came from another path. Although she was still dressed as a second consort, there were more young and old maidservants with her than before. Since Mo Yarui was in charge of King Chu¡¯s Manor, her status was certainly higher than that of an ordinary second consort.

    Looking at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s pale, bloodless face and Mo Yarui¡¯s rosyplexion, Mo Xuetong raised her eyebrows. The two seemed to have changed their positions. No matter how she looked at them, she felt weird.

    ¡°Second Consort Mo!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled politely. You Yue¡¯e nodded lightly as a greeting. Fortunately, everyone knew that she had always been arrogant. It was already good for her to be able to do so. The three groups of people gathered together and headed for the inner courtyard.

    Hearing the news, Princess Caifeng personally came out to wee them!

 Chapter 680 - The Beautiful and Perfect Seven-Colored Cloud Dress

    <h4>Chapter 680 The Beautiful and Perfect Seven-Colored Cloud Dress</h4>

    In the parlor of the backyard, a group of women from the Southern Barbarian Lands were singing and dancing. The dancer in the center wore a light pink dress. The exotic dance dress made her look beautiful and enchanting. With her wink and her faint nce back, she almost had the power to make people crazy. Her twisted waist and hips were extremely charming.

    Originally, the prince¡¯s wives and madams didn¡¯t like this kind of dance. Decent legal wives thought that the kind of temptation was superfluous as they hated the skill of seduction. As they thought that there were more or less a few vixens in their manors, no one would appreciate this kind of dance with the purpose of seducing people.

    However, the dancing girl in the center gave them a different feeling. They didn¡¯t find her annoying, and even felt that she was as beautiful as a fairy. The fluttering dress, the waving wide sleeves, and the belt around her slender waist were all showing off her soft beauty. When she was rotating, the dress was rolled up like clouds, which was eye-catching.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were involuntarily attracted by the dress that looked both delicate and charming and made the dancer dignified like a fairy from heaven, and graceful like a colorful phoenix. This dress was so gorgeous, and it also showed the dancer¡¯s feminine characteristics. Although the people present had seen many rare and precious treasures, they had never seen such good clothes. When it was unfolded, it was shining brightly. When people looked at it again, there seemed to be colorful lights, and they were all attracted for a while.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, this dress is so beautiful. Is the material unique to the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡± Mo Yarui asked with a curious look in the bottom of her eyes.

    Seeing that all the people present were attracted by the dress, Princess Caifeng nodded proudly, and then replied with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s Cloud Dress, a specialty of our Southern Barbarian Lands. It¡¯s woven with the silk from Colorful Silkworms. As it¡¯s very difficult to raise Colorful Silkworms, there aren¡¯t many such articles of clothing in the entire Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    ¡°Colorful Silkworms?¡± Another madam asked curiously. ¡°Princess Caifeng, can you introduce it to us? What¡¯s the difference between a Colorful Silkworm and an ordinary silkworm?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are also many different kinds of silkworms in our Qin Kingdom. The cloth made of their silk also has different characteristics and is also very precious.¡± Another madam was unconvinced and said.

    As a result, more people¡¯s attention fell on the Cloud Dress. It looked more attractive when the girl danced. All the people present were women, and most of them were youngdies. When they saw the colorful Cloud Dress, they couldn¡¯t help but feel curious and asked Princess Caifeng to exin.

    However, at this moment, Princess Caifeng put on airs. She pointed at the Cloud Dress below, covered her mouth and said with a smile, ¡°Madams, take a closer look. I want to see if you have good eyes. When I exin it to youter, you can tell something special about the Seven-colored Cloud Dress.¡±

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s words immediately aroused the interest of thedies. No one would admit that they were ignorant or short-sighted. So they carefully looked at it and tried their best to discover things that others did not notice. In this way, they would look good. Otherwise, if they did not know anything, they would be at a disadvantage in front of others.

    At this moment, there were also several prince¡¯s wives, princesses, and madams present. They had to do something to grace them.

    Mo Xuetong leaned back on the big chair behind her. She nced around with her watery eyes. You Yue¡¯e and Mo Yarui were sitting on either side of her. Mo Yarui watched in high spirits, but You Yue¡¯e was droopy, as if she was out of spirits.

    In the past, when You Yue¡¯e saw Mo Xuetong, she was always full of fighting spirit. But now, it made people feel as if she was ageing. Her eyes did not fall on the dancing girl. She slightly tilted her head and talked to Ling Mingyan, who was sitting behind her. They spoke in a very soft voice. Ling Mingyan seemed to have said something to You Yue¡¯e, and thetter shook her head.

    Ling Mingyan wanted to say something more, but You Yue¡¯e shook her head to stop her!

    The Sixth Princess and Princess Caifeng were seated together. Both of them were of the same status, and they were also of the princess who was going to marry into another country. Originally, the banquet should be held by the Sixth Princess. But now that Princess Caifeng had held it, the Sixth Princess would naturally attend. Regardless of whether she was satisfied in private or not, they were both princesses of a country. They still had grace.

    Hu Qianyue sat beside Princess Caifeng. Her face was pale, just like You Yue¡¯e¡¯s. However, she was much more energetic than You Yue¡¯e. She chatted with Princess Caifeng in a low voice from time to time. Princess Caifeng refused to reveal the secrets of the Seven-colored Cloud Dress. A few madams and youngdies sitting below her asked her a few questions, but she refused to answer with a smile.

    She was now ying the role of a subordinate of Princess Caifeng very well. She was neither humble nor arrogant. She didn¡¯t steal the show. She had a smile on her face, and no matter who looked at her, she would nod with a smile. Compared with the proud Princess Caifeng, Hu Qianyue was more approachable and more likely to win people¡¯s favor.

    The smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips grew even gentler when she saw how kind Hu Qianyue was and thought about how arrogant she was when she had seen her for the first time.

    Princess Caifeng was not the only one who had changed. Hu Qianyue was no longer the same as she had been when they first met...

    Finally, those madams couldn¡¯t see any special about the dress, and they all urged Princess Caifeng to talk about the beauty of the Seven-colored Cloud Dress. After she had put on airs for enough time and saw everyone¡¯s gaze at her, Princess Caifeng gave a slight cough with satisfaction. She picked up the cup of tea on the table and slowly took a sip.

    Then she exined with a smile, ¡°This Seven-colored Cloud Dress can not only change color, but also change seven colors. Since we are in the room, it couldn¡¯t produce a lot of colors. When we are in the sun outside, we can see different colors from different angles, as if a person is wearing seven Cloud Dresses. The Colorful Silkworm is unique to the Southern Barbarian Lands. It only eats the Colorful Mulberry Leaves in the Misty Valley. This kind of Colorful Mulberry Leaves can only be found in the Misty Valley in the entire Southern Barbarian Lands.¡±

    ¡°And there aren¡¯t many Colorful Mulberry Leaves. They only grow on a small patch ofnd. That is to say, all the Colorful Silkworms in the Southern Barbarian Lands spin silk for one year, and the cloth could only make half of a Cloud Dress. The dress made of this kind of cloth not only makes the woman charming and gorgeous, but also is warm in winter and cool in summer. The female body is cold. With such a piece of dress warming the body, some minor diseases will naturally be eliminated.¡±

    Hearing the crowd¡¯s exmations and looking at their surprised eyes, Princess Caifeng became prouder and prouder. She nced sideways at the Sixth Princess, who was sitting beside her with a gentle smile. She noticed that the Sixth Princess looked calm, but there was still a little eagerness in her eyes. She looked at Hu Qianyue with satisfaction. She knew that no woman could resist such beautiful clothes.

    Moreover, the Seven-colored Cloud Dress had the effect of being warm in winter and cool in summer. The Empress would not have been willing to give her the cloth to make clothes if it had not been for this marriage.

    Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t respond to her as she was talking to a madam with a low smile, as if she didn¡¯t see Princess Caifeng¡¯s aggressive look at all.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, why did you give such a precious dress to a dancing girl?¡± After hearing Princess Caifeng¡¯s words, a madam looked at the dancing girl below and could not help but ask in confusion.

    In her eyes, only Princess Caifeng was worthy of such a precious dress. It was a waste for a small dancer to wear such a dress. Besides, what made her feel very ufortable was that she, a fourth-grade official¡¯s wife, could not wear this kind of dress, but a lowly dancer could have such an enviable dress.

    Did it mean that she was worse than a dancing girl?

    This idea directly made the madams, who were thinking about the same thing as her, look a little unhappy.

    ¡°How can a dancing girl deserve such a dress? It¡¯s the dress of our princess. At the banquet of our Southern Barbarian Lands, if the hostess dances, it will be the greatest respect to the guests. Today, our princess was supposed to dance in person to thank all the madams anddies. Miss, unfortunately, our princess is a little ufortable and can¡¯t dance. But she doesn¡¯t want to neglect the distinguished guests, so she asked the dancing girl below to wear her Cloud Dress and dance on behalf of her. But it¡¯s our princess¡¯s goodwill.¡±

    Hu Qianyue smiled and answered everyone¡¯s questions. Then she reached out and pped. The music stopped, and she said to the dancing girl in the center, ¡°Go down to take off Her Highness¡¯s Cloud Dress, and send it over.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The dancer took her leave and was about to change the clothes before sending the dress over.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Qianyue, she has worn it, and how can you show it to the consorts and princess before it¡¯s washed? Somebody, open my Seven Treasures Box and take out the new piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric that Mother gave me.¡± Princess Caifeng reached out to stop the dancer and asked someone toe over to get what she wanted.

    Although the crowd didn¡¯t know what the Seven Treasures Box was, they could tell from its name that it wasn¡¯t amon item, and should be the box that contained Princess Caifeng¡¯s treasured objects. All of them couldn¡¯t help but crane their necks. Compared to the Cloud Dress that had been worn by a dancing girl, the madams and youngdies, who were of high status, were more willing to see that piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric that hadn¡¯t been ¡°stained¡±.

    The pce maid who was standing behind Princess Caifeng left immediately.

    ¡°Your Highness, the Empress also gave you a piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric?¡± Hu Qianyue asked in surprise. It seemed that she did not expect that Princess Caifeng still had a piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric in her hand.

    ¡°After the matter ofing to the Qin Kingdom was settled, Mother called me to her pce, and said that Father specially rewarded me with a piece of Seven-colored Cloud Fabric to make a dress. Girls value appearance most. The Cloud Dress made of colorful cloth can not only make me look better than before, but can also strengthen my body. Even in cold days, I don¡¯t need to wear too much clothes. Because the Seven-colored Cloud Fabric is too precious, the other princesses don¡¯t have it, and thus this matter has not been made public.¡±

    Princess Caifeng became even prouder. She narrowed her eyes with a smile on her face.

    This was true. The Cloud Fabric was indeed given to her by the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands, but it was not specially given to Princess Caifeng. No matter which princess would marry into the Qin Kingdom, the Empress would give it to her to make a dress to express her kindness for the princess. At this time, Princess Caifeng said those words in order to take the credit.

    As for how the Sixth Princess would tell the Empress when she arrived in the Southern Barbarian Lands, she didn¡¯t take this on board. Anyway, she was already a consort in the Qin Kingdom at that time. No matter what, it would not involve her. Besides, it was not a big deal. At most, the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands would be a little unhappy, but she would not go against her mother¡¯s family because of that.

    That was why Princess Caifeng lied so naturally!

    Since she was going to give the cloth to others, she couldn¡¯t let others take the credit. Fortunately, Hu Qianyue was sensible today and always tried to tter her at the right moment, which made Princess Caifeng very satisfied. So she was much kinder when she looked at Hu Qianyue. Hu Qianyue used to be arrogant, but now she lost her power, and she could only be a second consort in the future, so she had to curry favor with her...

 Chapter 686 - Ling Mingyans Attention

    <h4>Chapter 686 Ling Mingyan¡¯s Attention</h4>

    ¡°Madam, it¡¯ste for you to rush over at this time. I heard that His Excellency has boarded the boat and is heading for the waterside pavilion in the middle of theke from where he was. I walked here slowly just now, and the boat went in a straight way and is much faster than when one walks on the shore. I¡¯m afraid that the Sixth Princess and His Excellency have already met each other...¡±

    A maidservant said hesitantly, who was sent by Ling Mingyan just now to inquire about them.

    Ever since she knew that the Sixth Princess had a crush on You Yuecheng, Ling Mingyan had been on high alert. she paid much attention to Sixth Princess. Just like today, You Yuecheng was in the front courtyard and no one knew what the Sixth Princess, who was sly and unrestrained, would do. So Ling Mingyan sent someone to keep an eye on her.

    In addition, she also asked someone to stay in contact with the manservant outside so that she could know exactly what You Yuecheng was doing!

    You Yuecheng exined to her what had happened in Mingguo Manor after that matter, and he would say that he really didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen and the Sixth Princess to have such a feeling for him. He had seen the Sixth Princess several times in King Yan¡¯s Manor, but he didn¡¯t talk to her very much. Unexpectedly, the Sixth Princess had a crush on him. He imed that he would stay away from her in the future.

    You Yuecheng especially told Ling Mingyan that she didn¡¯t have to care too much about the Sixth Princess. Anyway, the princess was to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. What she had done must because she was unwilling to ept the marriage. Ling Mingyan just needed to be careful in the future.

    You Yuecheng disclosed all things. Ling Mingyan also had found out that it was normal for You Yuecheng toe to that room to rest. Usually, when he drank too much, he woulde in from that direction to rest. Many people in the manor knew of his habit, and it was Duchess Mingguo who was most likely to be involved in this matter.

    The current Duchess Mingguo was not You Yuecheng and You Yue¡¯e¡¯s birth mother. Her family was distant rtive of Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s parents¡¯ home. However, when You Yuecheng mentioned the Sixth Princess, his eyes were calm, without any hint of obsession or joy, but containing a trace of disgust.

    The incident happened in the inner courtyard, and the nanny was from Duchess Mingguo¡¯s parents and came to Mingguo Manor when Duchess Mingguo got married. No matter what happened, it had something to do with Duchess Mingguo. If Duchess Mingguo was involved in this matter, You Yuecheng would not be involved in it. Ling Mingyan knew clearly that You Yuecheng did not like his stepmother and only pretended to be respectful.

    Therefore, Ling Mingyan believed that You Yuecheng was innocent. Everything was done by the Sixth Princess and Duchess Mingguo who had done an inside job. After the guests left that day, Ling Mingyan made a big scene. In front of Duchess Mingguo, she dered that she would clean up the inner courtyard and beat the two nannies who hade to the manor with Duchess Mingguo on the spot.

    Duchess Mingguo was so angry that she almost quarreled with her!

    Later, Duke Mingguo reprimanded Duchess Mingguo and told her the Emperor¡¯s meaning. Ling Mingyan stopped mentioning it under the suppression of Duchess Ding.

    However, even though she did not mention it anymore, it didn¡¯t mean that she did not mind it. She had been noticing the Sixth Princess¡¯s every move. Furthermore, when she received news of You Yuecheng¡¯s actions from the manservant outside, she immediately thought that the Sixth Princess was going to do something to make others believe that she was meeting You Yuecheng in private. Or perhaps, she would let everyone see that she was talking with You Yuecheng, so as to make an illusion that they were meeting in private.

    In either case, Ling Mingyan would not have it happen!

    At this time, when she learned that You Yuecheng might have met the Sixth Princess, she was torn with anxiety!

    ¡°Feng Xuehe, b*tch, you¡¯re a slut! As a princess, you don¡¯t want to marry a prince, but try to be another ordinary man¡¯s wife. You¡¯re really a b*tch.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do now? Is there any ce closer?¡± After she heard the maidservant¡¯s words, Ling Mingyan¡¯s face became darker and darker. She would never let the Sixth Princess get what she wanted.

    ¡°There is indeed one ce...¡± The maidservant was in a dilemma.

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you say quickly?¡± Ling Mingyan red at the maidservant and scolded angrily, ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±

    Being stared at so fiercely by her, the maidservant shivered with fear and hurriedly replied, ¡°Marquise, when I came here just now, I saw a corner of the ce there sticking out. Maybe we could go there from that direction and stop His Excellency.¡±

    ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what ce it is either, but it¡¯s not far ahead. There are a few houses there. I seemed to have seen Consort Yan¡¯s servants just now... I don¡¯t know if Consort Yan is resting there,¡± the maidservant answered after thinking for a while. There was a side of that ce that had stretched out, and the furthest side was by theke.

    The previous rooms were in the inner courtyard. Just now, You Yuecheng¡¯s manservant told her about it beside the flower-hanging door. Although there were two old maidservants seeing them, they were from the same manor and talked about what their mistress said to the master. The old maidservants could not say anything and just let them talk aside.

    Because the Sixth Princess was still here, Ling Mingyan had been feeling uneasy. Hence, she did not apany You Yue¡¯e when thetter was not feeling well, afraid that the Sixth Princess would take advantage of her carelessness to do something. Now that the maidservant said that she saw You Yue¡¯e¡¯s people over there, she immediately knew that it was the ce where Princess Caifeng had arranged for the female guests to rest.

    Then she no longer doubted it and urged the maidservant to go there in a hurry.

    No matter what, as long as there was a chance, she would not allow that slut Feng Xuehe to seed!

    The maidservant had just taken this path, so she was now familiar with it. She took Ling Mingyan through the path and arrived in front of the row of rooms for rest in a few steps. From the front, there were only a row of ordinary rooms. Ling Mingyan did see some people from King Yan¡¯s Manor by a window.

    At this time, she was not in the mood to talk to You Yue¡¯e. She rushed to the other side anxiously. There were about 20 rooms in this row, forming a semicircr courtyard. However, there was no gate in front of the round-shaped courtyard, and it was open. At the far right was the base of the semicircle. There was a small path between every two rooms, and only one person could walk through it. With a big tree ahead, it was very secluded. If the maidservant had not led the way, Ling Mingyan could not have found this ce.

    For fear of rming You Yue¡¯e¡¯s people, Ling Mingyan led her people to walk past the front of the house carefully. As they passed through the smallne, they found that it was a different world ahead. There was ake outside, as well as a small waterside pavilion, which was not as big as the one in the middle of theke. There was only a short winding corridor with one corner. At the front was a pavilion with thin curtains hanging on both sides. When the wind blew, it felt extremely leisurely.

    It was a good ce to enjoy the scenery.

    Of course, Ling Mingyan was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery at this time. Her eyes fell on a fancy small boat by the side of the pavilion. Unfortunately, her view was blocked by the thin curtains, so she couldn¡¯t see anything clearly. It seemed that someone was there. Her heart suddenly beat fast, and she gritted her teeth with hatred.

    In the waterside pavilion above theke, someone had a private meeting!

    She felt that this was more like a dating ce.

    Judging from the geographical position, if she hadn¡¯te prepared, who would have walked past such a row of houses toe here? Of course, she wouldn¡¯t have seen such a small waterside pavilion with a corridor. Most importantly, it was by theke. The right side of the house for female guests to rest was by theke, and the opposite bank was quite near.

    Looking across from here, Ling Mingyan could clearly see the same houses on the other side.

    Although there was a high wall between the two rows of houses, and at the end of the high wall was also thiske; one side of the wall was the inner courtyard, and the other was the outer courtyard. The inner courtyard was on the shore. If one took a boat from the outer courtyard and entered the inner courtyard, there was no need to pass through the flower-hanging door, which was extremely convenient.

    Looking at the vague figure in the pavilion, Ling Mingyan thought of another possibility.

    She had already learned the cunningness of the Sixth Princess in Mingguo Manor. Since then, she had regarded the princess as a bitchy, shameless person. She had an idea just now and immediately felt that this was the best ce to meet privately. This was the ce that You Yuecheng was most likely to stop. The ce mentioned earlier was frequented by people, and all of them were women.

    Even if the Sixth Princess tried to lure You Yuecheng to rest there, it was impossible for him to fall into the trap. After all, there were many peopleing and going there, and he was a well-behaved man who did not like the Sixth Princess at all. How could he possibly do anything that would arouse suspicion that they were having an affair? Ling Mingyan thought of herself. In the past, she had tried her best to force You Yuecheng to marry her, and had tried to force him to submit several times under the pressure from others.

    But every time, You Yuecheng stayed far away from her. At thest time, if she had not been in mortal danger, You Yuecheng would not have jumped into the water to save her.

    At this time, Ling Mingyan¡¯s attention was all on the Sixth Princess. She just scolded the Sixth Princess for being mean and slutty. She had already chosen to forget that she had also tried her best to have something to do with You Yuecheng.

    The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it might be the Sixth Princess in the pavilion. The boat stayed there because You Yuecheng came over and was stopped by the Sixth Princess. Thus, he had to talk with her for a while. In her mind, the Sixth Princess was trying every means to seduce You Yuecheng. If she rushed out at this time, she would make that bitch feel ashamed.

    ¡°Madam, some madams anddies areing.¡± A maidservant pulled her sleeves and pointed to the direction of the inner courtyard by theke. From this opening in theke, people could note over directly, but could see it clearly, especially where it protruded. At this time, as long as someone pulled off the light curtains around the pavilion, the people in the pavilion would be exposed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the b*tch, Feng Xuehe, would use this means!¡±

    Ling Mingyan gritted her teeth in hatred. She would never allow her to seed. That slut had plotted against her again and again. The Sixth Princess wanted to enter Mingguo Manor and marry You Yuecheng. How could she allow her to get what she wanted?

    ¡°You two, one guards here and don¡¯t let anyonee over. And the otheres with me.¡± A venomous light shone in Ling Mingyan¡¯s eyes as she assigned tasks to the two maidservants.

    ¡°Marquise, I want to go with you and help you pull the Sixth Princess over from there,¡± the maidservant who was assigned to guard at the entrance said indignantly.

    ¡°No, you stay here. If someonees in, just say that I want to rest and don¡¯t let anyone disturb me,¡± Ling Mingyan stated. She couldn¡¯t let anyone see that Feng Xuehe and You Yuecheng were together. She must find a way to separate them. Before they were separated, she had to clear the ce so as not to spread bad rumors.

    Otherwise, the Emperor might bestow a marriage on You Yuecheng and the Sixth Princess, and then it would be useless for her to resist.

 Chapter 687 - Something Bad Happened to You Yuee. Whos the Murderer?

    <h4>Chapter 687 Something Bad Happened to You Yue¡¯e. Who¡¯s the Murderer?</h4>

    The Sixth Princess, Hu Qianyue, and Ling Mingyan each harbored their own intentions. Unexpectedly, the first one to get into trouble was another person...

    Something bad happened to You Yue¡¯e!

    You Yue¡¯e suffered a miscarriage...

    You Yue¡¯e went into the bedroom to rest. The young and old maidservants she brought with her were all in the outer room. She chatted with the pce maid who served the Sixth Princess as she could not fall asleep for the moment. You Yue¡¯e hated noise, so she asked the others to go out. Only she and the pce maid were left in the room.

    The Sixth Princess was going to marry into another state away from the Qin Kingdom from then on. As her real sister-inw, You Yue¡¯e was very concerned about her. Therefore, she asked the pce maid what the Sixth Princess needed. If there was anything she was embarrassed to ask for, she would help her. It was quite pitiful for the young girl to have to live in a ce thousands of miles away from then on and without rtives there.

    So, You Yue¡¯e wanted to do something for her. After all, she was Feng Yulei¡¯s own sister. Even though Feng Yulei was indifferent to Imperial Noble Consort Wen, he treated his younger sister well. Furthermore, the Sixth Princess was well-behaved, knew medical skills and usually took care of her. For example, You Yue¡¯e had been very resistant toe to Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor.

    It was only when the Sixth Princess said she would take care of her that she was relieved toe!

    She could trust the medical skills of the Sixth Princess. Ever since she had taken the medicine for protecting the fetus that was given by the Sixth Princess, she had been in good health in all aspects. After three months, when the fetus was stable, Feng Yulei would report it to the Imperial Household Department. No matter how one looked at it, the first legitimate grandson of the Emperor would have a great advantage.

    Even though You Yue¡¯e had been in a bad mood these days, she was still very happy when she thought of this child. With this child, she would have a higher position to him.

    While asking about Sixth Princess¡¯s daily life, she covered her belly gently with a soft smile on her face.

    Suddenly, she felt a slight pain in her belly. You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face paled instantly and she could not help crying out in pain. The pce maid was startled and asked anxiously, ¡°My Lady, are you feeling unwell anywhere?¡±

    Except You Yue¡¯e, she was the only one in the room now. If something were to happen to You Yue¡¯e, it would be hard for her to exin.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I only felt a little pain just now. Ah... it hurts...¡± You Yue¡¯e frowned and covered her belly with her hand to feel it again. Without finding anything unusual, she shook her head at once. Maybe she had sensed it wrong just now.

    However, as soon as she finished words, the pain in her belly surged up. She was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t speak clearly. She bent over and held her belly.

    ¡°Somebody, somebody, Her Lady¡¯s tummy hurts.¡± Seeing that You Yue¡¯e was really in a bad condition, the pce maid was so frightened that she was sweating and shouted hurriedly. At this time, she did not dare to approach You Yue¡¯e. No matter what, she was an outsider.

    When the young and old maidservants outside the room heard that something happened to You Yue¡¯e, they all rushed in. A few personal servants pushed away the pce maid who was at a loss, and rushed forward. If something happened to You Yue¡¯e¡¯s unborn baby, no one could survive!

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, how are you feeling now?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, where does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m going to find Sixth Princess and ask her to see you. You have to bear with it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, blood, Her Lady is bleeding...¡± The room was in a mess. Someone came forward to ask, and someoneforted You Yue¡¯e. Suddenly, a maidservant pointed at You Yue¡¯e¡¯s dress and screamed, ¡°Blood, blood...¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately fell on You Yue¡¯e¡¯s dress. The light-colored peony pattern dress was slowly soaked in blood, revealing a little blood. Everyone was so shocked that their faces changed greatly. The room suddenly became eerily quiet.

    ¡°I... I¡¯ll go to find Her Highness.¡± The pce maid was the first one to react. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and rushed out immediately.

    The rest immediately came to their senses and rushed to You Yue¡¯e. At this time, whoever did note forward might be punished. No one dared to take responsibility. Everyone could see that You Yue¡¯e was in a bad situation. Thinking of that possibility, all the young and old maidservants present were so scared that their faces turned pale. Even those who were calm in normal times werepletely at a loss now.

    Another two clever maidservants ran out to look for someone of Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor.

    Princess Caifeng was also shocked when she heard the news. She immediately ordered the physician to rush over and she herself hurried over to the rest room for female guests as well. She was the one who held the banquet. If something were to happen to Consort Yan in her manor, Princess Caifeng would not be able to escape.

    Fortunately, she was afraid that something unexpected would happen, so she had prepared physicians in the manor. The rooms for female guests to rest happened to be beside the flower-hanging door, so the physician came quickly from the outer courtyard. When the Sixth Princess arrived, the physician was already treating You Yue¡¯e.

    ¡°Third sister-inw, how are you feeling? Where does it hurt?¡± Seeing You Yue¡¯e lying on the bed with a pale face in pain, the Sixth Princess pushed away Hu Qianyue who was walking slowly beside her, and rushed forward. Her face was even paler than You Yue¡¯e¡¯s.

    ¡°Sixth Princess...¡± You Yue¡¯e cried out, short of breath when she saw the Sixth Princess. Then she could not speak immediately. She clutched the quilt tightly with both hands and tears streamed down her cheeks. The pain in her belly and the warm dampness between her legs reminded her that she was going to lose the child in her belly. You Yue¡¯e¡¯s heart hurt.

    The room was full of people, but none of them were her family. When she saw the Sixth Princess, she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and burst into tears.

    Her child, her hope...

    ¡°Consort Yan, don¡¯t get excited. You should listen to the physician now. Sixth Princess, don¡¯t rush up. Consort Yan can¡¯t stand it now,¡± Princess Caifeng said unhappily. When the Sixth Princess rushed forward, she pushed the physician away and felt the pulse on her own. How could a princess have good medical skills? Princess Caifeng thought that the Sixth Princess was here to make trouble.

    Just now, Consort Yan was lying there, gritting her teeth and bearing it. However, as soon as the Sixth Princess came in, she burst into tears.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, don¡¯t worry. Consort Yan will be fine. You wait by the side and don¡¯t hinder the physician from seeing her.¡± Hu Qianyue came out of the crowd as if she cared about the Sixth Princess. She went up to grab the Sixth Princess¡¯s hand and took her hand off You Yue¡¯e¡¯s wrist.

    Although the Sixth Princess had good medical skills, she was dragged away by Hu Qianyue in a hurry and did not have time to have a check. Besides, it was her secret that she knew medical skills. Of course, she would not rush up to treat You Yue¡¯e openly. At this time, she could only stand aside anxiously and shake off Hu Qianyue¡¯s hand with a gloomy face.

    The doctor examined You Yue¡¯e again, and his face was very serious. The young and old maidservants on both sides, as well as the madams and youngdies, were all silent. In the whole room, there was only You Yue¡¯e¡¯s sobs. She frowned in pain and subconsciously held the corner of the quilt. Her pleading eyes fell on the Sixth Princess.

    Only she knew that the Sixth Princess had excellent medical skills, and she only believed in the Sixth Princess. Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, she wanted the Sixth Princess to see her.

    ¡°My Lady, what did you eat today?¡± The physician let go of You Yue¡¯e¡¯s hand and asked respectfully.

    You Yue¡¯e did not answer. A maidservant standing by her bed stood up and answered, ¡°Her Lady did not eat anything after she entered the manor. Just now, the Sixth Princess sent a pill to Her Lady. Her Lady had some abdominal pain soon after shey down. Then...¡±

    A pill? A pill from the Sixth Princess?

    When the maidservant mentioned it, everyone remembered that they all saw when the Sixth Princess¡¯s people sent the medicine to Consort Yan. And everyone also watched You Yue¡¯e take the medicine. Was there something wrong with the medicine? Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the Sixth Princess. Even You Yue¡¯e tried her best to pull herself up and looked at the Sixth Princess.

    The Sixth Princess frowned and asked nkly, ¡°A pill? What pill?¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, it¡¯s the medicine you have been giving me.¡± You Yue¡¯e sobbed and pointed at the pce maid beside her. ¡°Just now, you asked the pce maid to send it to me. Now the box is still in her hands.¡±

    ¡°What medicine did I ask you to give Consort Yan? When did I order it?¡± The Sixth Princess turned to look at the pce maid beside her with a cold look. At this time, she had already been alert in her heart. She had realized that she had fallen into the trap, and it was obviously arranged by Hu Qianyue.

    However, she could not prove that this matter had something to do with Hu Qianyue.

    ¡°I, Your Highness, you ordered me to send the medicine... how could you forget it? Just now, Your Highness...¡± The pce maid was so scared that her legs went limp. She knelt down and hurried to defend herself.

    ¡°Did I give you the medicine myself?¡± the Sixth Princess asked coldly.

    ¡°No, it was Miss Hu¡¯s maidservant who brought the medicine to me from the waterside pavilion. She said that you asked me to send it to Consort Yan.¡± The pce maid pointed at one of the two maidservants standing behind Hu Qianyue and exined. If it was really her fault, she would die. At this time, she could only defend herself with whatever she could get.

    ¡°My people?¡± Hu Qianyue looked confused. She looked at the Sixth Princess and then at the maidservant beside her. ¡°Sixth Princess, did you remember wrongly? When the two of us went into the waterside pavilion to rest just now, our people were all around us. How could your people be ordered by my people? Can it be that I ordered your people without your permission? Besides, I don¡¯t know what kind of medicine it is.¡±

    When Hu Qianyue and the Sixth Princess went to the waterside pavilion, they both left the maidservants and pce maids in the corridor. They wanted to have a showdown, so the fewer people knew about it, the better it was. However, they could not say it in front of everyone, as it wasn¡¯t a decent reason. Who would leave the servants outside when the masters met others?

    Moreover, these two people belonged to different countries, and they had never been on good terms with each other before!

    Of course, they couldn¡¯t say what they were doing in front of everyone.

    This made everyone¡¯s suspicious eyes fall on the Sixth Princess. No matter from which aspect they looked at it, Hu Qianyue¡¯s words were reasonable. As a youngdy from the Southern Barbarian Lands, she had only met the Sixth Princess a few times. How could she ask her maidservants to leave when she had a talk with the Sixth Princess as if they were bosom friends? If it were true, what did they talk about as they had to be so sneaky?

    Could it be that the Sixth Princess was the mastermind behind the scene?

    But why did she do this? Why did she want to hurt the baby in Consort Yan¡¯s belly? What did she want to do...?

    The Sixth Princess was already sweating on her forehead, and her hands, which had always been calm, were trembling slightly. She was involved in this matter no matter what. Even though she was a royal princess, she could not afford to be charged with harming a prince¡¯s legitimate son. What was more, her mother had great expectations for this child. If she knew that the child died because of her, she would not spare her.

    She shot a nce at Hu Qianyue¡¯s face from the corner of her eyes, noticing that she was smiling awkwardly but there was a hint of viciousness in her smile. It was indeed her. How could it not be her? However, she would not give in so easily. A cold smile appeared on the corners of her lips as she raised her chin toward Hu Qianyue.

    It hadn¡¯t stopped yet, and the people had not yet dispersed. No one knew who would be the winner. The Sixth Princess thought that she was crueler and more vicious than Hu Qianyue. Besides, she had never been a person who would resign herself to destiny...

    ¡°Ah!¡± A sharp scream came from behind, startling everyone. After a slight pause, many people ran to the direction of the scream outside.

 Chapter 688 - Duchess Ding First

    <h4>Chapter 688 Duchess Ding First</h4>

    A woman¡¯s shrill cries came from behind the house. Could it be that something had happened again?

    idents took ce in Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet one after the other. It was frightening.

    Everyone was stunned. The maidservant standing outside the room had sharp eyes and saw that there seemed to be a small path behind the big tree. She hurriedly called some people to turn around it. When they walked along the path, they saw a stunned maidservant standing at the end of the path. She looked furtive. When the others suddenly looked up, they saw that the thin curtain around the waterside pavilion ahead had fallen.

    They saw Ling Mingyan clenching her cor with her clothes in disarray, and in the fancy boat next to her, there was also a man in disheveled clothes!

    The boat was next to the pavilion. The two of them were standing very close to each other. As they heard the voices, they both backed away a little.

    ¡°You... you, who are you?¡± Ling Mingyan sounded extremely startled. She, who had always been arrogant and unreasonable, was so shocked and embarrassed for a moment that she could hardly speak, and was blushing. She had never expected that the back didn¡¯t belong to You Yuecheng. What she did not think of more was that the one who was hiding in the boat and had a simr profile to that of the Sixth Princess was just a maidservant.

    She walked into the pavilion and looked at the man and woman snuggled up to each other through the curtain. They looked like You Yuecheng and the Sixth Princess. How could she not be furious? She did not even spend time thinking about it before she tore off the curtain subconsciously and went to pull the girl. The group of people who hade along theke earlier had all left for some reason, and there was not a single person there.

    Thus, she was not worried that the Sixth Princess and You Yuecheng would be seen.

    She did not expect that the man was not You Yuecheng at all, and the woman was dressed like a maidservant. She was not the superior Sixth Princess. In a hurry, she not only tore off the thin curtain, but also pulled the man¡¯s sleeves and tore off the top two buttons below the man¡¯s cor.

    The man¡¯s face was full of anger. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her sleeve hard with one hand. Several butterfly-shaped buttons on her gorgeous light coat were pulled down by the strong force. She only had time to grab the cor of her clothes tightly to prevent her coat from being ripped off.

    Before she could scream in shock, the maidservant standing behind her had already screamed. Then the maidservant was so shocked that she could not take care of her and ran back. The maidservant who hugged the man hurriedly ran down the boat to hide. Ling Mingyan had an intuition that something was wrong. Before she could react, arge group of people had appeared in front of her.

    Everything happened so fast that before Ling Mingyan had time to react, everyone had already appeared in front of her. One of the two maidservants she brought with her stood guard at the small intersection, and the other stumbled to stay far away from her before everyone appeared. In the pavilion, there were only the disheveled Ling Mingyan and a man who was not neatly dressed either.

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know him. I don¡¯t know this person!¡± Ling Mingyan anxiously pointed at the man in front of her and said to Duchess Mingguo, who was walking over with a cold face.

    As Duchess Mingguo walked over, Duchess Ding followed her with a cold face. A few others also came over after thinking for a while.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who is this person?¡± Looking at Duchess Mingguo¡¯s expression, Duchess Ding took a few steps forward and shouted. In fact, it was very improper. Ling Mingyan was now Marquise Mingguo, so it should be dealt with by Duchess Mingguo, even though Duchess Ding was Ling Mingyan¡¯s biological mother.

    ¡°Mother, this person... I don¡¯t know him... I thought he was His Excellency, so I came here... But, it wasn¡¯t him. He...¡± Ling Mingyan had already panicked. Hearing her mother¡¯s question, she pointed at the man and shouted anxiously. Although she was reckless, she knew that the matter of the Sixth Princess could not be mentioned.

    Since there was no evidence, she couldn¡¯t afford to ruin a princess¡¯s reputation.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know this person. Sir, who are you? How could you appear in the back courtyard? Is there no distinction between the front courtyard and the back courtyard in the manor? A man can go in and out of the inner courtyard at will?¡± Hearing Ling Mingyan¡¯s words, Duchess Ding breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the man and said coldly.

    She was Ling Mingyan¡¯s birth mother. Of course, she knew that Ling Mingyan was not pretending. Since it was not Ling Mingyan who had a secret meeting with a man here, and they both looked disheveled, they had to find out the truth on the spot. The longer it dragged on, the harder it was to exin it clearly. At that time, her daughter¡¯s reputation would be ruined.

    She was not the reckless Ling Mingyan, and knew how important a woman¡¯s reputation was, especially when the girl was from a noble family like theirs. A madam¡¯s reputation must not be tarnished. A noble family didn¡¯t even need real evidence, and would kill someone with only a guess. In order to protect the reputation of an aristocratic family, many women had died!

    That was why Duchess Ding ignored Duchess Mingguo¡¯s opinion and spoke first to lead the conversation to a positive direction.

    In any case, it was the inner courtyard, and it was not proper to have a man here.

    As soon as she said that, everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Princess Caifeng, who was thest toe out.

    Princess Caifeng got a headache. How could she not have a headache when so many things had happened during the banquet?

    She hadn¡¯t dealt with You Yue¡¯e¡¯s matter in the front, and there was a woman¡¯s scream behind. There must be a new ident, so she had to leave Hu Qianyue to take care of You Yue¡¯e. As the hostess, she wanted to see who had caused such a scene. If she had known that so many things would happen, she would not have held this banquet.

    No one had made it easy on her. She grew up in the pce and was clear that someone was taking advantage of her banquet to plot against others. When she heard that Duchess Ding intended to me her, she became even angrier. She was unlike Duchess Mingguo who let Duchess Ding demonstrate her power.

    Immediately, she said coldly, ¡°Duchess Ding, what a good question! I wonder how Marquise found this secret ce. Because of thiske, there is only a wall between the inner courtyard and the outer courtyard. You don¡¯t need to take a long way if youe here by boat, and all you have to do is shout across to the boatman. However, this ce is so secret. How did you find it, Marquise?¡±

    It happened at the banquet. If they found out that Ling Mingyan had been set up, Princess Caifeng would not be able to get away with it. Of course, she had to distance herself from the matter at this moment.

    The path was indeed secretive. If not for the fact that there were screams when they came and the clever maidservants standing outside had listened carefully, no one would have thought that there was a path in it. Furthermore, there was a tree right in front of the path, and it was supposed to be used to block the view.

    Since Ling Mingyan had found this ce, could it be that she really had an affair with someone else?

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s words were extremely reasonable. Even though Duchess Ding was quick-witted, she could not say anything to refute her. She could only change the topic, pointed at the man in front of her and asked Princess Caifeng politely, ¡°Do you know him, Princess Caifeng? Why is he here?¡±

    Duchess Ding was trying her best to distance Ling Mingyan from this person. She targeted Princess Caifeng when she asked questions, which made Princess Caifeng very angry.

    She had never been pressed by someone!

    However, since it really happened at her banquet, she couldn¡¯t get rid of itpletely. She had toe over and looked at the man standing on the fancy boat. She didn¡¯t recognize him for a moment. He didn¡¯t look like her elder brother¡¯s protege. Was he from the Qin Kingdom?

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know this young master. Why don¡¯t we let him tell us why he appeared here?¡± Princess Caifeng said coldly. She then turned to the man and snapped, ¡°Who are you? Why did you appear in the inner courtyard for no reason and grope on Marquise Mingguo? If you don¡¯t make it clear, I¡¯ll throw you into jail directly. You¡¯ll be sentenced for molesting the official¡¯s family and murdering the princess to destroy the rtionship between the two countries.¡±

    Princess Caifeng was really mad. At this moment, she was pushing all the me onto this man. Everything that had happened today was very strange. How could she not be annoyed? She looked at the sneaky man in front of her with a cold gaze.

    Molesting an official¡¯s wife? Duchess Ding¡¯s expression darkened. She gritted her teeth and wanted to speak. Did Princess Caifeng mean that Ling Mingyan had something to do with this man? How could she ept this? She nced at her daughter, who had yet to recover, from the corners of her eyes. Her heart was filled with hatred. She was usually smart, but why didn¡¯t she react at all?

    Duchess Ding had forestalled Duchess Mingguo. She was certain that even if Duchess Mingguo was angry, she would not dare to say anything. However, now that she was facing Princess Caifeng, it was obvious that Princess Caifeng would not listen to her. Furthermore, it was a matter of Mingguo Manor, and thus it was inappropriate for Duchess Ding to deal with it.

    It would be best if Duchess Mingguo asked about it. However, looking at the humble Duchess Mingguo in front of her, Duchess Ding knew that she would not stand up for Ling Mingyan. She could only hope that Ling Mingyan woulde to her senses and defend herself. After all, this matter had happened to her, and she had the best reason to ask about it.

    However, Ling Mingyan was so shocked that she was confused and hadn¡¯t figured out what was going on yet.

    ¡°Your Highness, my second brother and I came here just to enjoy the scenery. We didn¡¯t do anything improper. My second brother just said that the scenery here was beautiful, and theke and the mountains looked more beautiful. So he asked the butler for a boat. How did it be an unruly thing?¡± The man on the boat was not an ordinary person. Although he was shocked by Princess Caifeng, he still argued hurriedly.

    Princess Caifeng snorted coldly. ¡°You said that you couldn¡¯t do that. Then why did you stop here when you saw Marquise appear here and even pull her? How could you do that?¡±

    It was obvious that Ling Mingyan and the man¡¯s clothes were caused by pulling. How could a noble madam of the inner courtyard and a man have the opportunity to pull each other? This was already suspicious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this. I was waiting for my second brother here when I saw this madaming and pulling me. In fact, I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with this madam.¡± The man looked up and down at Ling Mingyan and said with disdain, ¡°Is this madam crazy or stupid, so she did such a rude thing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s stupid. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s crazy! You deliberately met someone in private, but I saw you. Then you lied. Your second brother, where¡¯s your second brother? I only saw a woman here, not your second brother!¡± Ling Mingyan had calmed down a little at this time. When she happened to hear the words that framed her, she was furious. She immediately pointed at the man and shouted abuse! She was so angry that her face turned green. Ling Mingyan had never been wronged like this since she was born.

    She had been the one who had wronged others, and no one dared to make her so embarrassed!

    Just now, she only saw this man and the nasty maidservant who sneaked out of the boat, and there was no one else.

 Chapter 689 - It Can only Be Good to Make Things Worse

    <h4>Chapter 689 It Can only Be Good to Make Things Worse</h4>

    At Ling Mingyan¡¯s words, everyone immediately became jealous!

    Duchess Ding was delighted and hurried forward to ask, ¡°Since there is another one, where is the other person?¡±

    ¡°My...my second brother...¡±

    ¡°What? Can¡¯t you tell us? It¡¯s such a coincidence. Didn¡¯t you say that with certainty just now? Why can¡¯t you tell us the witness now?¡± Ling Mingyan immediately becamecent and stared at the man, straightening her eyebrow and raising her eyes.

    She could not say the matter concerning the Sixth Princess, but other than that, there was nothing else she could not say. There was a maidservant in the fancy boat. She had put everything on the table today, and she was not afraid that it would not prove her innocence.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine even though you don¡¯t want to say it. Somebody, go and ask Elder brother to send someone over and take him directly to the jail of the Ministry of Justice¡ªto torture him. I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t make you talk.¡± At this time, Princess Caifeng also heard something. As the man stuttered, she knew that there was a reason. So she pressed him harder and said coldly.

    With a wave of her hand, the two maidservants standing beside her were about to walk out. They were really going to take it seriously.

    ¡°Wait a minute, Your Highness. My second brother is also here. I really didn¡¯t lie to you.¡± The man was startled and sweating profusely. Looking at the cold face of Princess Caifeng, he suddenly gritted his teeth and stamped hard, as if he had made a big decision. He pointed to the shore and said, ¡°My second brother has gone there. He, he said that... he had something to talk to a... person over there.¡±

    He hesitated and faltered over thest few words!

    But in an instant, everyone was shocked. He meant that someone was going to have a private meeting. Over there, it was the rooms for the madams and youngdies to rest. Just now, Consort Yan was resting there, as well as Consort Xuan.

    Both of them were superior daughters-inw of the royal family!

    ¡°What... what are you talking about? You¡¯ll be beheaded if you nder the royal family,¡± a madam stammered as she snapped.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying. If you don¡¯t believe me, go over there and look for him. You will definitely find my second brother. The reason why I waited for him here is that he said he would be fast. But he has been there for a period of time and hasn¡¯te out yet. If I lie, I will be struck by lightning.¡± Hearing that he was going to be beheaded, the man became anxious, and he also regretted it at this time.

    He just flirted with a maidservant. How could it be such a serious crime that he would be beheaded? It was just a little maidservant!

    A man entered the inner courtyard and had note out yet. Princess Caifeng suddenly turned around and did not have time to deal with the matter here. There were only two people resting here, and both of them were extremely noble. Consort Yan had just had an abortion. If Consort Xuan was found that she had a secret date with a man, it was a big deal.

    The people in the front turned back with Princess Caifeng, and the people in the back asked a few old maidservants to tie up the man and go to the inner courtyard together.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, what happened over there?¡± Standing at the door, the Sixth Princess frowned and asked when she saw everyone hurrying over under the lead of Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°A man hase into the courtyard. Did you see him earlier?¡± Princess Caifeng asked when she recalled that the Sixth Princess had been here all along.

    ¡°There¡¯s a man in the courtyard? That¡¯s impossible. Miss Hu and I have been here all the time, and we didn¡¯t see anyone.¡± The Sixth Princess was stunned and her face turned pale. A man appeared in the inner courtyard and was in the room for female guests to rest. The hidden meaning was not a trivial matter, so she pointed to the room in front of her with a pale face and said hurriedly, ¡°Eighth sister-inw...¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, do you also think that it¡¯s about Consort Xuan?¡± When she heard that something had happened to King Xuan¡¯s consort, Princess Caifeng was very anxious and did not care about anything else. She got someone to knock on the door. Cold sweat ran down her forehead. When she thought of the devilish and cold Feng Yuran, her heart trembled. He was the one who would not listen to her exnation.

    However, could she be med for this? It was Consort Xuan who was unwomanly. She had a secret meeting with someone and was discovered. It had nothing to do with her at all.

    Princess Caifengforted herself, telling herself not to panic. Everything that happened before her eyes was beyond her imagination. It was like a storm shocking Princess Caifeng. She only wished that all of this had nothing to do with her and those women had done it themselves.

    Someone knocked the door, but there was no response.

    ¡°The door seems to be open. Let¡¯s go in!¡± Someone with sharp eyes noticed the open door.

    The knock on the door turned into a push. With a hard push, the door opened and everyone rushed in.

    But there was no one inside!

    The front room was empty, and so was the back room. The bed was neat and there was no trace of anyoneing. It did not look like someone had slept there at all.

    ¡°Where is Consort Xuan?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Consort Xuane here to rest? Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, are you mistaken? Is Consort Xuan really resting in this room?¡±

    Princess Caifeng was also very anxious. She gritted her teeth and said harshly, ¡°Somebody, search all these rooms.¡± A man had entered the inner courtyard and disappeared. Consort Xuan had disappeared as well. This... this was so strange! She did not believe that these living people would disappear just like that. Furthermore, Consort Xuan had a few maidservants with her. How could there be no one?

    She would find them today even if she had to search into the ground.

    The young and old maidservants opened the doors one by one, and searched through the rooms one by one in order. No one was in the first room, no one in the second, and no one in the third... and there was still no one in thest room!

    ¡°How could there be no people? Princess Caifeng, are you sure you haven¡¯t made a mistake?¡± A few madams could not help but question her.

    Consort Xuan had gone with Princess Caifeng¡¯s people. How could she have disappeared so mysteriously? Some people remembered that Young Madam Li of the Minister¡¯s Manor had left with her. There were three or four maidservants of the two of them. It was impossible for such arge group of people to disappear for no reason.

    Princess Caifeng¡¯s eyes turned cold and sharp. Someone had done this under her nose in order to frame her. As such a thing happened, she, the princess who was going to marry into this country, would probably be a prisoner.

    ¡°Has Consort Xuan eloped with someone?¡± Ling Mingyan said casually. She was not afraid at all now. At most, she would be suspected at most. Consort Xuan had really disappeared with a man. This was an elopement.

    ¡°Mingyan, don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± Duchess Ding scolded from behind her.

    She was not Ling Mingyan and knew that she could not say that. Many people present were suspicious, but they did not mention it. If it was true, no one present would get a good result. How could the royal family lose face so easily? Her ignorant daughter had not yet dealt with her own business yet but dared to talk about others. Duchess Ding grew very angry.

    Ling Mingyan felt embarrassed to be scolded in front of so many people. However, looking at her mother¡¯s gloomy face, she did not dare to retort and only muttered, ¡°That¡¯s the truth. Otherwise, why is Consort Xuan missing when others are still here? Didn¡¯t that man say that his second brother had gone to meet someone secretly?¡±

    ¡°Marquise, you can¡¯t say that. My Eighth sister-inw is innocent and she isn¡¯t the one whose clothes were pulled by a man and in disarray. How could she do such shameless a thing?¡± The Sixth Princess stood up angrily and said to Ling Mingyan.

    Although it was different from her usual gentle image, no one felt strange.

    Buddha could get angry sometimes, not to mention that Marquise Mingguo had even said that Consort Xuan had eloped with someone else.

    If someone else said those words, Ling Mingyan might not be angry, but it was the Sixth Princess!

    The more Ling Mingyan thought about what had happened today, the more she felt that the Sixth Princess was most likely the one who had schemed it. However, she did not have any evidence against her, and now she used this matter to provoke her. How could she not be furious? She had a bad temper and was easily provoked. Furthermore, she was doted on by Duke Ding and had never lost face like this before.

    ¡°Sixth Princess, did I say anything wrong? Consort Xuan is missing. She has disappeared with a man. How could she be innocent? King Xuan is such a talent and he could get any woman, but he married such a slutty woman. She is insatiably greedy. It¡¯s not enough for her to have her husband, and she still wants another man. It¡¯s really...¡±

    Ling Mingyan did not dare to continue!

    She had used Mo Xuetong¡¯s incident as an excuse to scold the Sixth Princess. Still, she knew that she could not say it and stopped.

    ¡°Marquise, you... you, what are you talking about...¡± As Ling Mingyan scolded like a shrew, the Sixth Princess seemed so shocked that she took two steps back. Her lips trembled and she stretched out her fingers, only saying these words.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have anything to say? Consort Xuan might have left a long time ago. We haven¡¯t seen her for a long time. Who knows where she has gone? Well, how could she do such a thing, instead of being Consort Xuan...¡± Seeing that Mo Xuetong was unluckier than her, Ling Mingyan proudly ndered her and tried to exaggerate the matter.

    With the matter of Mo Xuetong, the matter she cared about was not a big deal!

    Furthermore, the Sixth Princess stuck up for Mo Xuetong. This made Ling Mingyan even more hostile. She only had one thought right now¡ªto make a big scene so that everyone would pay attention to Mo Xuetong. Since the Sixth Princess want to protect the reputation of the royal family, she would ruin Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation. She wanted to go against the Sixth Princess. What was more, in every way, it would only benefit her if she made a big scene.

    That matter that Consort Xuan had eloped with a man was much more serious than the matter that she and a man had pulled each other¡¯s clothes!

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Duchess Ding was furious when she heard that and scolded her in a low voice. Unfortunately, Ling Mingyan was talking proudly at this time, and she did not listen to what she said.

    Duchess Mingguo looked around and did not know what to do. She had never expected that the matter had developed to this point. She pretended not to hear that Ling Mingyan had ndered Consort Xuan and had repeatedly warned herself not to get involved in this. This matter had really gotten out of hand...

    Duchess Ping was the calmest, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Ling Mingyan¡¯s sharp voice sounded in the crowd, as well as the Sixth Princess¡¯s gentle voice from time to time when she retorted.

    Princess Caifeng was at a loss as to what to do. She ordered the young and old maidservants to search again, and the scene was in a mess...

    ¡°Did something happen here?¡± A soft voice came from outside the crowd. All the people who heard it were stunned. Almost everyone stopped talking and turned to look out of the crowd!

 Chapter 690 - Shirk the Responsibilities

    <h4>Chapter 690 Shirk the Responsibilities</h4>

    ¡°Did something happen here? What a mess! Does it have something to do with me? I heard someone calling me from afar!¡± Mo Xuetong, who stood outside the crowd with a gentle smile on her face, looked at the flustered crowd in front of her and waved the fan in her hand leisurely.

    ¡°Consort Xuan!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Consort Xuan...¡±

    ¡°How could it be Consort Xuan?¡±

    The crowd gasped. The Sixth Princess, who was in the middle of the crowd, looked at Mo Xuetong in shock as an obscure light shed in her eyes. She was a little flustered, but then the fluster was hidden behind her joyful smile.

    ¡°Eighth sister-inw, it¡¯s really you! We thought that...¡± She came over excitedly and deliberately paused.

    ¡°You thought that I was missing, Sixth Princess?¡± Mo Xuetong looked into the Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes. There was a hint of contempt in her pure and beautiful eyes that the Sixth Princess could tell. The Sixth Princess had seen it, but Mo Xuetong did not panic at all. ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Sixth Princess. I hurried over when I heard that something happened to Consort Yan. I did not expect that you care most about me. How is Consort Yan?¡±

    Her words were gentle, without a trace of anger. Her beautiful eyes were shining, and the faint smile on her lip corners lookedfortable, but the Sixth Princess felt cold. It was a sense of coldnessing out of her heart.

    Everyone knew that the Sixth Princess and King Yan had been close recently. However, something had happened to You Yue¡¯e now, and she might not even be able to keep the child in her belly. The Sixth Princess, who should have stayed by You Yue¡¯e¡¯s side andforted her, was making a fuss with a bunch of madams outside. She did not care if there was someone taking care of You Yue¡¯e inside or if she felt sad.

    Was the Sixth Princess really as close to King Yan¡¯s Manor as the rumors said? Or did she have ulterior motives today...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words undoubtedly caused the ¡°banquet¡± that the Sixth Princess had carefully prepared to fall all over her body. It could be said that Mo Xuetong¡¯s appearance had turned herst shred of hope into dust. Mo Xuetong was not in the room. Why wasn¡¯t Mo Xuetong in the room? How could Mo Xuetong not be in the room?

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, I¡¯m really sorry. When I came out just now, I talked with my second cousin and felt a little better. Then I went out for a walk with her. I thought it was not a big deal, so I didn¡¯t ask anyone to go back to tell you. I didn¡¯t expect that everyone thought I was missing. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    Mo Xuetong exined to Princess Caifeng with a smile, as if she did not see the Sixth Princess¡¯s gloomy face.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you¡¯re too polite. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡± Princess Caifeng took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. She was a little relieved and did not dare to be angry with Mo Xuetong. Fortunately, there was no big scandal. She only hoped to send these people away so that she could clean up her manor.

    ¡°Marquise Mingguo, I wonder what you were talking about me in a loud voice just now. I heard that you were talking very lively earlier.¡± Princess Caifeng had a good manner and Mo Xuetong naturally smiled. However, she did not intend to let Ling Mingyan off the hook.

    When she was outside just now, she had heard it clearly that Ling Mingyan had repeatedly said that she had eloped with someone. Even though the Sixth Princess who had tried to stir up trouble, ording to Ling Mingyan¡¯s tone, she was definitely determined to use her of having an affair with someone else. Mo Xuetong believed that she would not take the initiative to frame someone. However, if someone wanted to use her as a stepping stone, she would fight back.

    ¡°I...¡± Ling Mingyan was speechless due to her question. She had spoken so happily earlier because she wanted to divert everyone¡¯s attention to Mo Xuetong. When she saw Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu approaching together, she did not know what to say. However, Ling Mingyan was not someone who could be defeated directly.

    Then he straightened his neck and said with a red face, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. It was that man who said that a man had run in.¡±

    ¡°A man came to the inner courtyard?¡± Luo Mingzhu interjected. She had always been at odds with Ling Mingyan and had long been furious when she heard that. When she heard that Ling Mingyan had even pushed all the me to someone else, she got mad. ¡°Ling Mingyan, since you have said it, don¡¯t you have the ability to admit that. A man came to the inner courtyard? Even if a man came here, wouldn¡¯t he go to another room?¡±

    ¡°There are no other rooms here. Other than the two rooms that Consort Xuan and Consort Yan rest in, the rest of the rooms have been thoroughly searched. There are no other rooms that haven¡¯t been searched! Luo Mingzhu, don¡¯t push all the me onto me. Everyone said it earlier, and I wasn¡¯t the only one.¡±

    As nothing went right, Ling Mingyan was very angry. When Luo Mingzhu pointed at her nose and scolded her, how could she be unwilling to admit it? She immediately spoke without thinking. Her eyes were red and she seemed to burn with anger. However, she was ring at the Sixth Princess who was standing beside Mo Xuetong. She was not a fool and knew that she had fallen into someone else¡¯s trap. The one was most likely to be the Sixth Princess.

    However, she could not find any evidence. Her enemy was right in front of her, but she could not speak up against her. Ling Mingyan gritted her teeth in hatred. She really did not have an excuse now. Otherwise, she would have rushed up and scratched the Six Princess¡¯s face. This b*tch had done such a despicable thing in order to marry You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Feng Xuehe, b*tch, don¡¯t let me get any evidence. Otherwise, I won¡¯t spare you.¡±

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, then what happened to Consort Yan? I heard that the physician in the manor hase.¡± Mo Xuetong stopped Luo Mingzhu and Ling Mingyan from arguing with each other. Ling Mingyan was going to argue with anyone who contradicted her. She did not want to be the Sixth Princess¡¯s shield.

    When You Yue¡¯e¡¯s matter was brought up, Princess Caifeng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Sixth Princess, how are you going to exin what happened to Consort Yan? Consort Yan started feeling bad after she took your medicine?¡±

    Finally, nothing happened to Consort Xuan. Then, the focus of the matter today was Consort Yan. It was said that none of the prince¡¯s legal wives in the Qin Kingdom had given birth to a child yet. This meant that if the child in Consort Yan¡¯s belly was a boy, he would be an important person. Princess Caifeng was not willing to take the me for someone else.

    She had tried to please the Sixth Princess, but it didn¡¯t mean that she would take the fall for her.

    At this moment, Princess Caifeng hated the person who schemed against others at her banquet. If this person was the Sixth Princess, she would not like her at all.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t do that. How could I give Third sister-inw the medicine that is not good for the child? Although she¡¯s my pce maid, who knows if she was bribed to drug Third sister-inw. Think about it, why should I drug Third sister-inw¡¯s unborn baby?¡± At this point, the Sixth Princess also knew that she had been set up by Hu Qianyue. Like Ling Mingyan, she couldn¡¯t find any evidence to prove that Hu Qianyue had set her up.

    However, she knew that everyone had seen clearly when the pce maid had given the medicine to You Yue¡¯e. She could not deny it even though she wanted to. As such, she put all the me on the pce maid. So she pointed at the pce maid and said angrily, ¡°Tell me, why did you poison Consort Yan? Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution for harming such an innocent child?¡±

    The pce maid knelt on the ground with a plop, shivering, but she couldn¡¯t exin at all!

    Retribution? What was the retribution?

    The Flower Hall in the Sixth Princess¡¯s pce was the retribution. One could neither live nor die in the hall. Many a night there were cries of the people who died tragically there. Every time she walked past the Flower Hall, she felt very creepy. The few pce maids close to the Sixth Princess knew that it was like a hell. They did not dare to and could not betray the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t dare. It¡¯s not that I want to do this. Your Highness, save me. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Consort Yan. It¡¯s... it¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, your maidservant is really bold. She dared to hurt a noble prince¡¯s wife. How could she dare to drug Consort Yan in front of so many people and shift the me onto you, regardless of her life? This... is really hard to believe,¡± Hu Qianyue said in a low voice with suspicion on her face.

    When she realized that everyone was looking at her, her face flushed and she moved to hide behind Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°What? Sixth Princess, how dare you harm King Yan¡¯s child?¡± Ling Mingyan understood now. She had wanted to get something on the Sixth Princess. Unfortunately, the Sixth Princess was too slippery and she could not catch her. Just now, the Sixth Princess hid in the crowd and did not show up, as if it had nothing to do with her.

    After she heard their conversation, she realized that the Sixth Princess had done those things. She was unwilling to let her off the hook. She took a few steps forward and was about to pull the Sixth Princess. ¡°Let¡¯s go and tell Consort Yan. A little pce maid by your side dared to do something like that. There are so many bold people around you, Sixth Princess. If she dares to plot against the royal child today, then will she dare to do something even worse in the future?¡±

    Ling Mingyan had decided to confront the Sixth Princess, so she didn¡¯t treat her as a princess at this time. When the Fifth Princess hadn¡¯t married into another country, Ling Mingyan had seen the Fifth Princess pushing the Sixth Princess around. She had been looking down on her from the bottom of her heart. At this time, she was so angry that she even ignored other things.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Duchess Ding grabbed her hand and pulled her hard to the side. Ling Mingyan was caught off guard and almost lost her bnce. She stumbled before she saw her mother standing beside her angrily. Her mother was ring at her, without the love she had in the past. It was because Ling Mingyan had gone too far today. She had offended both Consort Xuan and the Sixth Princess. And it seemed that she was going to drag the Sixth Princess in in front of everyone.

    Not only was it inappropriate, but it was also an insult to the royal family. No matter how powerful Ding General Manor was, they could notpare with the royal family!

    ¡°Mother!¡± Ling Mingyan shouted as she didn¡¯t know why.

    ¡°Get back. Princess Caifeng will deal with it,¡± Duchess Ding said in a bitter voice. She really hated her daughter for not being able to live up to her expectations. If she had known that her daughter was so stupid, she should have married her into a small family. She might even be able to live safely for a lifetime under the influence of Ding General Manor.

    ¡°Princess Caifeng, there are so many doubts about what happened today. As you¡¯re the hostess, please investigate this matter clearly and give Sixth Princess justice.¡± Duchess Ding did not look at Ling Mingyan. Instead, she spoke politely and sincerely to Princess Caifeng.

    It was normal for Princess Caifeng to investigate as the incident had happened here. However, it involved Consort Yan and the Sixth Princess, which gave Princess Caifeng a headache. Furthermore, she had grown suspicious of the Sixth Princess. No matter how she looked at it, the matter regarding Consort Yan had something to do with the Sixth Princess. The Sixth Princess had said earlier that she did not know about it, but now, she was putting the me on the pce maid. It seemed more like that she was trying to hide it.

    The Sixth Princess of the Qin Kingdom did not seem to be as gentle and gracious as the rumors said! Princess Caifeng¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. Even if she wanted to make concessions to avoid trouble, she would not be able to do so.

    Today there was bound to be a trap, and some people walked into it by ident. It was just on st from the past after another.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone! There¡¯s someone here. Hurry up and catch him!¡±

 Chapter 691 - One-on-one Showdown

    <h4>Chapter 691 One-on-one Showdown</h4>

    Everyone looked back and saw a man running out of the room where You Yue¡¯e was resting. He had a long robe draped around his shoulders and his belt had not yet been tied around his waist. He was in a mess...

    Everyone was dumbfounded.

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes looked desperate. Her legs felt weak, and she could not stand steadily and almost fell down. She had used up all her tricks, but she ended up like this by ident. She was anxious and regretful.

    ¡°Catch him! Hurry up! Don¡¯t let him run away!¡± someone came to their senses and shouted. Many old maidservants rushed out. Finally, when the man rushed to the back, they caught him. He was a neat and delicate-looking man.

    They caught a man who was entangled with Ling Mingyan by theke behind the rooms for female guests while there was another man hiding in the resting ce of Consort Yan. No matter how one looked at it, it was a conspiracy. It was obvious that someone took advantage of the banquet and wanted to hurt others. One trap led to another, and it was so borate, which made Princess Caifeng so angry that she trembled all over.

    The one who did this was using her as a scapegoat!

    Without any hesitation, she sent someone out to inform Crown Prince Xieyue, the princes, and the marquess. They could do whatever they should do. Anyway, she didn¡¯t want to meddle in this matter anymore. After keeping all the people here, Princess Caifeng no longer cared about courtesy and went into a room to rest.

    Some other madams and youngdies also went into the rooms on the side to rest. Fortunately, there were many rooms here. As the madams and youngdies did not want to stay alone, two or three people shared a room, or even four or five people did so. Those people had gotten into trouble when they stayed in their rooms alone. Who knew if something would also happen today?

    Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu entered the room where they had been resting. They sat down at the table beside them. A maidservant made tea and said something leisurely. No matter what happened today, it had nothing to do with them. When they went out for a walk in the garden, more than one maidservant had seen them.

    After the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue left, Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu left the waterside pavilion as well. The two of them walked around in the garden casually and ran into a few madams who said that something had happened in the ce where female guests rested. That was why they hade together. The two of them had nothing to do with this matter.

    Mo Lan came in and reported, ¡°My Lady, Sixth Princess wants to see you!¡±

    ¡°Why is Sixth Princess here at this time? It¡¯s Consort Yan who is in trouble. Why does she keep bothering you instead of seeing Consort Yan?¡± Luo Mingzhu had a good impression of the Sixth Princess, but just now, she could tell that the Sixth Princess was trying to add fuel to the fire when she pretended to defend Mo Xuetong. So she didn¡¯t want to see her now.

    Coupled with what she had said at the waterside pavilion, in Luo Mingzhu¡¯s heart, the Sixth Princess was a person whose appearance only appeared to be gentle!

    Mo Xuetong did not want to see her either!

    She thought that she had never had anything to do with the Sixth Princess!

    However, this girl always framed her when she was trying to plot against others.

    Last time it happened in Mingguo Manor. The Sixth Princess wanted to marry into Mingguo Manor, and this matter had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong. However, the Sixth Princess wanted her to be the main culprit and the direct culprit of her not being able to marry into another country. If the marriage between the two countries was destroyed because of her, Mo Xuetong did not know if she, Consort Xuan, could bear the anger of the Emperor.

    This time, she did it even more viciously. The man had entered her room. Fortunately, Mo Ye felt that something was wrong as soon as they walked into the room. Thus, she sat for a while before leaving with Luo Mingzhu. As for why the man entered You Yue¡¯e¡¯s room, she did not know.

    If she really rested here for a while, and then another man ran out of her room with his clothes in disarray, the Sixth Princess would take this opportunity to ruin her.

    Ever since she had been reborn, Mo Xuetong would no longer allow others to bully her at will. She would never return good for evil!

    ¡°If you are heartless, don¡¯t me me for not acting benevolently!¡±

    Mo Xuetong would never forget the lesson she had learned from the blood she had shed in her past life.

    ording to Ling Mingyan¡¯s excited look just now, Mo Xuetong had a rough idea of the Sixth Princess¡¯s n. She seemed to want to frame both her and Ling Mingyan together. To deal with Ling Mingyan, her first ruse having failed, she tried another. Last time in Mingguo Manor, the Sixth Princess did not seed, and this time, she was determined to ruin Ling Mingyan¡¯s reputation.

    How could an aristocratic family like Mingguo Manor tolerate a madam whose reputation had been ruined?

    Even if Ling Mingyan could prove that she was just passing by coincidentally or for other reasons, the facts were in front of everyone. Just like now, Ling Mingyan¡¯s clothes were in disarray and she was entangled with a man. She had lost her reputation. It was no longer important whether there was any real evidence.

    A madam from an aristocratic family with a stain would eventually be divorced even if she was not at fault in the matter. There was no problem using such a reason to force Ling Mingyan to divorce.

    Just now, Ling Mingyan deliberately talked about Mo Xuetong in order to divert others¡¯ attention and use Mo Xuetong¡¯s affair to cover up her own affairs. Of course, it was also for her own sake.

    ¡°Let Sixth Princess go back. Just tell her that I was startled. I¡¯m not in the mood to talk now,¡± Mo Xuetong replied lightly. No matter what the purpose of the Sixth Princess¡¯s visit was, she really did not want to deal with this vicious woman. The Sixth Princess was indeed the daughter of Imperial Noble Consort Wen. She was vicious and wanted to kill others.

    Even she, an irrelevant person, had been affected several times!

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mo Lan went out to talk with someone outside. Suddenly, her light voice became sharp. It seemed that she was quarreling rudely. Mo Xuetong frowned. Was the Sixth Princess desperate and reckless?

    ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I want to talk to you.¡± The Sixth Princess¡¯s voice suddenly came from outside the curtain. She sounded a little anxious and hurried. She had already reached the door.

    ¡°This is a dignified princess!¡± Luo Mingzhu happened to be in a position where she could see the door. As she nced at the Sixth Princess, who pped the maidservant¡¯s hand away and rushed in, she sighed. Today, the Sixth Princess had subverted the gentle and generous image in her impression.

    Since she had reached the door, Mo Xuetong did not intend to avoid her. A sharp dark light shed in her eyes as she said softly, ¡°Mo Lan, invite the Sixth Princess in.¡±

    Hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, the maidservant waiting outside allowed her toe in. The Sixth Princess straightened her messy clothes and walked in with an unfriendly expression.

    ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I¡¯m just here to see you. Why is your room guarded so strictly? Do you think that I¡¯m going to harm you?¡± the Sixth Princess broke out aggressively. She entered with a cold expression and looked at Mo Xuetong angrily. However, she suddenly cried as if she had a grievance.

    ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I really don¡¯t understand. Why do you hate me so much? Even if I¡¯m closer to Third Sister-inw, it¡¯s because Third Brother is easy to approach. Why can¡¯t Eighth Sister-inw tolerate me? Why are you treating me like this? You... How can you treat me like this?¡±

    Then she started to feel sad, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, looking as if she had suffered a great grievance but did not dare to say anything even though she was angry. She charged into the room angrily a moment ago, but now she looked like an innocent girl who had been bullied by Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong was filled with admiration for the Sixth Princess¡¯s acting skills.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t figure out the point of the Sixth Princess¡¯s words.

    At this time, the Sixth Princess still wanted to plot against her, which made her a little annoyed. She raised her eyes and did not give the Sixth Princess a seat. Her watery eyes slid over the Sixth Princess¡¯s face and the half-open window. She raised her eyebrows slightly and asked softly, ¡°What do you mean by saying this, Sixth Princess? What have I done to you?¡±

    She held a confused look on her face, and her beautiful eyes were clear.

    Mo Xuetong was neither angry nor annoyed. She asked inly, making it difficult for the Sixth Princess to answer. Thetter wrung her handkerchief anxiously and gritted her teeth, looking at Mo Xuetong with a sad expression. ¡°Eighth Sister-inw, I know you¡¯re very capable. I also know that you don¡¯t want Third Sister-inw to get pregnant before you. However, I¡¯m just a princess who is going to marry into another country far away. It really has nothing to do with you. Why do you have to, have to do this...?¡±

    Her words were still unclear, but Mo Xuetong got it!

    The corners of her lips curled into a faint mocking smile. She nced at the Sixth Princess with her watery eyes and put down the teacup in her hand heavily. ¡°Sixth Princess, don¡¯t speak these vague words. It will make people think that I was the one responsible for today¡¯s matter. But what is the truth? Sixth Princess, you like Marquess Mingguo and want to harm Marquise Mingguo. I don¡¯t want to interfere. I only hope that when you harm someone, you won¡¯t ruin my reputation as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved in the feud between you and Marquise Mingguo. I don¡¯t want to know that you used Consort Yan to deal with others either. As for whether you are so powerful that you had arranged your people in Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor, I don¡¯t want to know. I just want to ask you not to frame me again. If I rested here today, would something really happen to me? At that time, I would get Princess Caifeng into trouble.

    ¡°There is a controversy over the two countries¡¯ marriage. Sixth Princess, are you going to negotiate as well so that you don¡¯t have to marry far away?¡±

    Mo Xuetong stared at the Sixth Princess and spoke slowly. Her voice was gentle and sweet, but her words made the Sixth Princess feel cold all over. She subconsciously took two steps back and looked at Mo Xuetong in front of her in horror. Was this woman always gentle? As long as she spoke carefully and did not anger her, she would not say something harsh.

    But now, what was this? Mo Xuetong had a showdown at this time and had even revealed her trump card.

    ¡°Nonsense. I didn¡¯t do anything, and these things have nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get to decide if these matters have something to do with you. Let¡¯s wait until they get to the bottom of this!¡± Mo Xuetong uttered lightly. She really didn¡¯t want to say anything to the Sixth Princess. After that, she picked up the teacup and took a big gulp. Then, she took the lid in her hand and waved at the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°You should go now, Sixth Princess. The one to investigate next is Crown Prince Xieyue. Sixth Princess, you know whether it is true or not, and Crown Prince Xieyue will also know it. I heard that there is a very strange thing in the Southern Barbarian Lands. As long as one is still alive, she can tell the truth. Sixth Princess, don¡¯t think yourself too smart and everyone else a fool!¡±

    As soon as she said this, the Sixth Princess¡¯s face turnedpletely pale!

    The Southern Barbarian Lands was too mysterious and was famous for its poison. No one knew if there was really an evil method to make others speak. The pce maid of the Sixth Princess was now locked up by Princess Caifeng, and there were two men. Although they didn¡¯t know much, what if they knew their identities...

    The Sixth Princess could no longer remain calm when she thought of that. She walked out without hesitation as Mo Xuetong chased her away. No, she had to get rid of the people before Crown Prince Xieyue tried to interrogate them!

    Outside the window, Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng both looked gloomy. They looked at the Sixth Princess, who came out of the inner room, and there was a hint of coldness in their eyes...

 Chapter 692 - Exposed, the Sixth Princesss Plan

    <h4>Chapter 692 Exposed, the Sixth Princess¡¯s n</h4>

    ¡°Third brother, it¡¯s really not me. How could I want to hurt Third sister-inw? Third brother, don¡¯t I know how important this child is to you? How could I help others hurt Third sister-inw?¡± The Sixth Princess stood straight hurriedly and tried to defend herself. Her body was on the verge of copse and her eyes were brimming with tears. She looked pitiful.

    With such a delicate look and her current behavior, it was really hard to believe that the person in front of them was really a cruel and merciless woman.

    It was even harder to believe that she was behind the scenes of today¡¯s series of events.

    The whole thing seemed to have nothing to do with her, no matter if it was Ling Mingyan, You Yue¡¯e, or even Mo Xuetong. However, because of someone else behind the scenes, things becameplicated and changed a little bit. And the Sixth Princess appeared in front of everyone just like that.

    ¡°Feng Xuehe, thank you very much for your medicine today. Come to think of it, you are really His Highness¡¯s younger sister. If it weren¡¯t for your medicine, how could I not be able to keep my child? How could it end up like this? How could I possibly be so miserable? Feng Xuehe, give back my child¡¯s life.¡± You Yue¡¯e¡¯s eyes were red and swollen, and there was a trace of tear in the corners of her eyes. She stared at the Sixth Princess in despair. Her eyes were bloodthirsty as she stared at the Sixth Princess¡¯s face.

    How could she not hate the Sixth Princess?

    Her child was gone, and so was her reputation. She didn¡¯t even know why she lived. Her misfortune almost came in a sudden, which made her nearly copse.

    The Sixth Princess had never seen You Yue¡¯e like this. Even though the Sixth Princess had already made up her mind to refuse to admit it, she felt cold as she was stared at coldly by You Yue¡¯e¡¯s sinister eyes. She could not help but lean to the side and said sadly, ¡°Third sister-inw, why don¡¯t you understand what I said? I really didn¡¯t give you that medicine. It was Hu Qianyue who framed me. She said that on purpose. His Excellency knows that Hu Qianyue once stopped me and almost trapped me and His Excellency in it.¡±

    At this time, there were no outsiders, and the Sixth Princess did not avoid them. She looked at You Yuecheng as she spoke, seeking his support. You Yuecheng was also there that day. He also saw the confrontation between Hu Qianyue and her, so it was normal for Hu Qianyue to plot against her.

    ¡°Oh, it turns out that you were fighting against Hu Qianyue. I thought it was Princess Caifeng. So you hurt the child in my belly. You clearly know that the fragrance on the cloth is not good for me, but you still gave it to me and let my people hold it and stand beside me all the time. It¡¯s also for you to fight against others.¡±

    You Yue¡¯e clenched the corner of the quilt tightly. She had pulled out a few threads from the corner and she held them tightly in her palm. She felt pain in the palm, but no matter how painful it was, it could notpare to the pain in her heart. Her child had been destroyed by the fragrance in the cloth and the medicine in the pill.

    If she hadn¡¯t believed that the Sixth Princess would protect her, how could she havee to today¡¯s banquet?

    If she hadn¡¯t trusted the Sixth Princess, how could she have epted Princess Caifeng¡¯s Cloud Fabric?

    If it hadn¡¯t been the pce maid of the Sixth Princess, how could she have swallowed the medicine?

    Although the scent in the Cloud Fabric had faded, the physician of King Yan¡¯s Manor could still sense an unusual fragrance. This kind of fragrance did no harm to ordinary people when they used it alone, but could hurt pregnant women. If they stayed in this kind of fragrance for a long time, pregnant women might have an abortion or give birth to a deformed baby.

    In principle, it was not a big deal. The pill just enhanced the efficacy of the Cloud Fabric. After the Sixth Princess gave the Cloud Fabric to You Yue¡¯e, You Yue¡¯e¡¯s maidservant had been holding it beside her. After all, it was something bestowed by Princess Caifeng and then the Sixth Princess gave it to her, which was a great honor. What was more, You Yue¡¯e believed that the Sixth Princess would not hurt her. Even though the Cloud Fabric was unusually fragrant, she did not care about it.

    Because the Sixth Princess was here.

    Because the Sixth Princess knew medical skills.

    Because Feng Yulei had told her that she could trust the Sixth Princess. Everyone would hurt her, but the Sixth Princess would not!

    So, she believed it! But what about the consequences? If there hadn¡¯t been so many reasons, she would have been more cautious and wouldn¡¯t have lost her child.

    Tears fell from her eyes and cheeks. She touched her belly with one hand and felt empty. She was no longer as content and happy as she used to be. What followed was only fatigue and despair.

    ¡°Your Highness, our child is gone, and my reputation has been ruined... You can marry another nobledy. Look at her, your own sister has already paved the way for you.¡± Tears streamed down You Yue¡¯e¡¯s face, but there was a smile on her lips. She did not look at Feng Yulei, but lowered her head and looked at the quilt in front of her.

    The kind of sad smile was much more shocking than the pretentious tears of the Sixth Princess.

    Even though Feng Yulei had gotten something on his mind, he felt sorry for You Yue¡¯e. In the whole matter, You Yue¡¯e was indeed innocent!

    He walked over and sat beside You Yue¡¯e¡¯s bed. He held her hand andforted her softly, ¡°Yue¡¯e, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you down. I will find a way to clear your name. I won¡¯t let you lose your reputation. As for child, we will have many more in the future.¡±

    ¡°Clear my name? How to do it? So many people have seen the man running out from here, but I was resting inside. Your Highness, your sister has already predicted everything. Even if the man won¡¯t im that I have an affair with him, the fact is right in front of everyone. How to clear my name?¡±

    You Yue¡¯e lifted her pale and haggard face. It had only been a while, but she seemed to have aged a few years. She leaned against the headboard, looking lifeless. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her voice sounded more like she was talking about someone else¡¯s matters. She did not seem happy or angry.

    What she wanted to do most now was not clear her name. What she wanted to do most now was stab Feng Xuehe¡¯s belly with a knife and dig out the woman¡¯s heart to see how ck it was and how vicious she was. She wanted to avenge her child and make this vicious woman pay with her life.

    She was truly disappointed in Feng Yulei. She had thought that she would slowly win his heart. After experiencing so many things, the two of them could be considered to be husband and wife who had gone through thick and thin together. No matter what would happen in the future, they were in the same boat. However, she felt sad right now.

    She had never won this man¡¯s heart, or in his heart, nothing was important, except that position. For that position, he could give up everything, such as this time! He just said that he wanted to clear her name, but he didn¡¯t say that he would avenge the child in her belly, and he didn¡¯t mention the reason why her reputation was ruined.

    ¡°Yue¡¯e,e on. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s really okay. Take a rest. You¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while. I and His Excellency are here. We won¡¯t let you be wronged. Okay, take a rest,¡± Feng Yuleiforted her in a soft voice and held her in his arms, patting her thin back gently.

    During this period of time, You Yue¡¯e had be thinner and thinner. Even though she was pregnant, she did not look a little fatter.

    ¡°Elder brother, so you¡¯re still here.¡± You Yue¡¯e looked up at You Yuecheng dazedly when Feng Yulei mentioned You Yuecheng. After a while, a nk smile appeared on her pale face. ¡°Elder brother, aren¡¯t you going to apany Elder sister-inw? I heard that Elder sister-inw was framed like me today. I wonder if Elder brother would put Sixth Princess first and protect her wholeheartedly, just like His Highness.¡±

    The Sixth Princess blushed when she heard that. She immediately argued, ¡°Third sister-inw, I¡¯m not...¡±

    ¡°Sixth Princess, you don¡¯t have to say anything. Really, you don¡¯t have to say anything! Anyway, the two of them are protecting you, and Elder sister-inw and I, we are really nothing. You can do whatever you want!¡± You Yue¡¯e¡¯s dull eyes darted from You Yuecheng¡¯s face to Feng Yulei¡¯s. Suddenly, she smiled and stated sarcastically.

    She pushed Feng Yulei¡¯s hand away coldly and firmly. ¡°Your Highness, I want to sleep for a while. I¡¯m so tired... I want to apany the baby...¡±

    At the end of her words, she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. She simply closed her eyes and leaned back. Tears fell down on her lips, and it was bitter, cold and hopeless...

    Feng Yulei¡¯s heart hurt when he saw You Yue¡¯e like this. He reached out and caressed her beautiful hair a few times. He could not help but sigh when he saw that she had closed her eyes and ignored him. How could he not feel heartbroken over that child? How could he not be angry? The weak family affection that he held for Feng Xuehe had almost vanished.

    Compared with the younger sister who suddenly appeared, Feng Yulei valued You Yue¡¯e more, not to mention that he had to care about You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Your Excellency, I really didn¡¯t harm Third sister-inw. The two men have nothing to do with me. I have been living in the pce, so it is impossible for me to take a hand in the matter. How could I have done such a thing in Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor? It must be Eighth sister-inw. She is the most capable person. Otherwise, how could almost all concubines in Eighth brother¡¯s manor have disappeared for no reason?¡±

    There was a hint of tenderness and delicacy in the Sixth Princess¡¯s voice. She looked at You Yuecheng with tears at the corners of her eyes and held her handkerchief in her hands. She seemed to be afraid and ambivalent. Just now, she deliberately went to Mo Xuetong¡¯s room and talked nonsense in order to give You Yuecheng and Feng Yulei a hint that it was Mo Xuetong who set up the trap.

    However, Mo Xuetong did not fall into her trap as the Sixth Princess had expected. Instead, she had driven her out, making it difficult for her to baffle the two of them. She felt flustered when she saw the coldness on You Yuecheng¡¯s face. She hurried to defend herself and put all the me on Mo Xuetong.

    The Sixth Princess had tried to plot against You Yue¡¯e ording to her n, but she did not dare to harm her.

    She had found that there was something wrong with the fragrance of the Cloud Fabric as soon as she smelled it, but she still took the opportunity to give it to You Yue¡¯e.

    After all, she did not dare to ept Princess Caifeng¡¯s gift casually. She wanted to give it away for a try. However, as she had a high status, she could only give it to a few duchesses and prince¡¯s wives.

    The duchesses were all older and sly people, so how could they ept her gift so casually? Among the two prince¡¯s wives, she was not familiar with Mo Xuetong. Thus, You Yue¡¯e was the only one who had the same status and was familiar with her. Even though it was inappropriate to give it to her, it would not be a big deal.

    She did not believe that Princess Caifeng would dare to put strong drugs on the Cloud Fabric.

    You Yue¡¯e would at worst have a stomachache, and would be fine once the Cloud Fabric was taken away. Then, she could use this matter to involve Feng Yulei. The more people were dragged into this matter, the more likely her n would seed.

    She was not afraid of too many people involved in this, but she was afraid of too few people. It was not a big deal that someone had targeted You Yue¡¯e belly!

    However, with a mistake, she lost the whole game!

 Chapter 693 - Who Will Take the Blame

    <h4>Chapter 693 Who Will Take the me</h4>

    The two men were brought here by the Sixth Princess from the outside. They entered the manor together with the male guests. On the day when Princess Caifeng moved in, the Sixth Princess came to pay her respects. At that time, she paid special attention to theke and pretended to be casual to ask about the situation of theke. Then she knew that there was only one wall between the rooms for women and men.

    The next thing was easy to deal with. One of the two men stayed outside pretending to be You Yuecheng and got entangled with Ling Mingyan while the other entered the room early and waited for Mo Xuetong to go there so as to ruin her reputation.

    Consort Xuan had a private meeting with a man, and Marquise Mingguo Duke was entangled with a man in disheveled clothes. Consort Yan suddenly felt ufortable and almost had a miscarriage. So many things happened all of a sudden. None of these people were willing to suffer losses. If they made a big scene, Ling Mingyan would not be able to hide it even if she wanted to.

    After the matter had escted, so what if Ling Mingyan had the support of Ding General Manor? She was just a woman who had lost her reputation. How could she deserve to be Marquise Mingguo? The best oue was that she voluntarily gave up the position. Then, the position of Marquise Mingguo would be vacant.

    It was said that Feng Yuran doted on his current wife very much. If something like that happened, he would not be willing to let it go casually. He would definitely be enemies with Princess Caifeng and Crown Prince Xieyue. Feng Yuran was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son. If he refused to let it go and went to find the Emperor to make a scene, given the Emperor¡¯s love for Feng Yuran and the fact that You Yue¡¯e almost had a miscarriage, the two countries might start to fight again. Then it would be impossible for the two countries to have a marriage. Thus, the Sixth Princess would be able to extricate herself from this matter.

    As for to marry You Yuecheng, his wife had lost her reputation, and the Sixth Princess would have just broken the contract of marrying into another country then. When Imperial Noble Consort Wen said a few more words to the Emperor, it would not be a problem for her to marry You Yuecheng.

    This was what the Sixth Princess had nned. That was why she had implicated Mo Xuetong in this matter. Furthermore, she was deeply jealous of Mo Xuetong. It was because of You Yuecheng. Every time Consort Xuan was mentioned, You Yuecheng would be in high spirits even if he did not speak, which meant that he had been listening.

    This made the Sixth Princess jealous and full of hatred. She would not let go of Mo Xuetong if there was a chance! After she destroyed this woman, You Yuecheng would be more attentive to her.

    However, she did not expect that Mo Xuetong would leave after she just stayed in the room for a moment, and she more unexpected that the hidden man would sneak into another room that had been cleaned up when he saw that there was no one in the room.

    The most unexpected thing was that Hu Qianyue had given You Yue¡¯e a pill in her name, which then caused the miscarriage of You Yue¡¯e, who was supposed to be fine.

    All the ns linked with one another. The Sixth Princess felt that there was nothing wrong with her ns, so she let Hu Qianyue lead her away, which could provide her with a witness who could prove that she was not present. In the n of the Sixth Princess, as soon as Ling Mingyan screamed, everyone would find another man. Then they searched the house and found a man in disheveled clothes in Mo Xuetong¡¯s room.

    At this time, no matter whether Hu Qianyue admitted it or not, everyone had seen that she was with the Sixth Princess, which was an alibi.

    However, when something went wrong with her n to frame Mo Xuetong, coupled with Hu Qianyue¡¯s plot, the Sixth Princesspletely lost the advantage. Now, everyone was suspicious of her. How could she not panic?

    ¡°Sixth Princess, are you really not trying to harm my younger sister?¡± You Yuecheng raised his head and his cold eyes fell on the Sixth Princess¡¯s face as he asked word by word.

    ¡°I... how could I hurt Third sister-inw? I won¡¯t hurt Third sister-inw.¡±

    ¡°Did you really not know about the medicine on the Cloud Fabric at all?¡± You Yuecheng questioned coldly as if he did not see the Sixth Princess¡¯s pitiful look. There was a sh of anger in his eyes. How could he not be angry when he saw his sister¡¯s desperate look? She was his biological sister, the younger sister that his mother had asked him to take care of before she died. However, this woman had caused his sister to end up like this.

    ¡°I... I¡¯m not an expert in this aspect. I just... just smelled it very fragrant... I couldn¡¯t feel anything else.¡± Being stared at by You Yuecheng¡¯s fierce eyes, the Sixth Princess started to mumble. She bit her lips and looked worried. ¡°Your Excellency, I really didn¡¯t have a reason to hurt Third sister-inw.¡±

    She did have no reason to hurt You Yue¡¯e. She just wanted to use the fact that the child in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s belly had been hurt to force Feng Yulei to make a scene in front of the Emperor with Feng Yuran so as to ruin the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom!

    As for the fact that the child in You Yue¡¯e¡¯s belly was gone, it was not her fault at all. It was obvious that someone else had secretly drugged her. Of course, this person was most likely to be Hu Qianyue. You Yue¡¯e identally took the medicine given by someone else. How could she be med?

    ¡°Sixth Princess, you couldn¡¯t feel it? That¡¯s a pity. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to save my sister now.¡± The coldness in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes grew even more piercing. He stared at the Sixth Princess and said slowly and clearly, with a faint smile on his face. However, this smile fell on the Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes and made her feel cold.

    She took two steps back and forced a smile. ¡°Your Excellency, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s think about it. There will always be a way.¡±

    ording to his expression, You Yuecheng was clearly furious. The Sixth Princess did not dare to say that there was no other choice.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There, there¡¯s a way, but I don¡¯t know if you are willing to do it.¡± The Sixth Princess gritted her teeth. She could not have said that, because she was afraid that she would be a vicious woman in You Yuecheng¡¯s eyes. But now she was forced to this point. If something really happened to You Yue¡¯e, You Yuecheng would not let her go, so she could not care about anything else.

    ¡°So what if I¡¯m willing? So what if I¡¯m reluctant?¡± You Yuecheng asked with a coldugh.

    ¡°Marquise...¡± The Sixth Princess opened her eyes wide and looked at You Yuecheng. She pretended to be in a dilemma and lowered her voice. She observed You Yuecheng¡¯s reaction and when she noticed that his eyes were calm, she continued, ¡°If Your Excellency is willing to part with your wife, it will definitely be able to protect Third sister-inw¡¯s reputation. But in that way, Marquise will...¡±

    Speaking of this, she deliberately paused, and the corners of her eyes were slightly wrinkled, as if she was in a dilemma.

    All of a sudden, the room quieted down. Even Feng Yulei lowered his head and started to think. This was a feasible idea.

    ¡°But what about Ding General Manor?¡± Feng Yulei raised this question. If he put all the me on Ling Mingyan, Ding General Manor would not yield.

    ¡°Third brother, so what about Ding General Manor? Look, recently, Ding General Manor has no intention of standing on your side. Previously, they supported the Empress Dowager and King Ning. The Empress isn¡¯t powerful and could only find some weak supporters for you. After that, Ding General Manor supported Elder brother. I heard that Elder brother had long reached an agreement with Ding General Manor. Now, the only person Ding General Manor has wholeheartedly helped is Elder brother. Your Excellency, you are the son-inw of Ding General Manor. Have Ding General Manor supported Third brother because of you?¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Feng Yulei hesitated for a moment. He looked up at You Yuecheng and could not make up his mind. ¡°Yuecheng, what do you...¡±

    Compared to Ding General Manor that didn¡¯t support him, Feng Yulei believed in Mingguo Manor, which was determined to follow him.

    Everyone was clear who would be given up and who would be kept. Furthermore, You Yuecheng had always been good to his younger sister. How could he allow her reputation to be ruined? Someone had to take responsibility for what happened today. It was impossible for Consort Xuan to do it. She had not been on the scene from the beginning to the end and those things had nothing to do with her.

    It was impossible for Princess Caifeng to do that either!

    She was not the one who did this. If they forcibly put the me on her, it would only make things even moreplicated. Feng Yulei only wanted to put an end to it. If the Sixth Princess was exposed, Imperial Noble Consort Wen might be dragged out. And the past might even be discovered. Then, he would not be the prince that the Empress valued, but would be the enemy of the Empress and Ding General Manor.

    The cunning Hu Qianyue was hiding behind Princess Caifeng. Since Princess Caifeng was fine, it was impossible for her to get into trouble. No matter Feng Yulei thought about it, there was only one person who could be the scapegoat.

    ¡°Get out of the way and let me in. Is that bitch ndering me again in the room? I must get in.¡± Suddenly, Ling Mingyan¡¯s angry scolding came from outside, apanied by a loud knock on the door. ¡°Open the door. Your Excellency, let me in. I¡¯ll exin it to you. It¡¯s not like what you think. Someone framed me. That b*tch has framed me.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Feng Yulei turned to You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Go and open the door,¡± You Yuecheng said coldly to the Sixth Princess. His eyes were dark and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry. However, there was a sharp and decisive look on his lips. This made the Sixth Princess sigh in relief. She secretly wiped the cold sweat on her head and rxed. Finally, he chose to protect her at thest moment.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll open it.¡± There were no outsiders in the room. You Yuecheng was so arrogant that he would not open it. The Sixth Princess was satisfied and listened to what he said. She turned around and walked to the door. Then she pulled back the bolt and let Ling Mingyan in. At this point, it was useless no matter what Ling Mingyan said.

    Compared with You Yue¡¯e, Ling Mingyan was much inferior in terms of family affection and status!

    This was originally the only way to deal with the situation.

    However, the only thing that the Sixth Princess did not expect was that Ling Mingyan was crazy and violent. She had misjudged the extent of Ling Mingyan¡¯s arrogance and neglected that Ling Mingyan was almost mad with anger at this time.

    ¡°Bitch, you bitch, you bitch again. You want to frame me again and again. You want to marry His Excellency and be Marquise. How dare you frame me, Consort Yan and Consort Xuan? You bitch, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± When the door opened, Ling Mingyan rushed in. She reached out to fiercely scratch the Sixth Princess¡¯s face. Her long nails made long marks on the Sixth Princess¡¯s face before she could react.

    Blood immediately stained the Sixth Princess¡¯s face!

    No one expected that Ling Mingyan would rush over and reached out violently to scratch the Sixth Princess¡¯s face without saying a word. When the people inside and outside the door realized what was going on, the Sixth Princess had been pressed to the ground by Ling Mingyan. The former held her face with both hands and screamed. Blood kept oozing to her face. Ling Mingyan grabbed the Sixth Princess¡¯s hands with one hand and scratched her tender face with the other...

    The sharp screams startled the madams and youngdies, who were resting in the other rooms. Everyone suddenly rushed out and looked at the crazy Ling Mingyan and the screaming Sixth Princess with her arms over her face in front of them.

 Chapter 694 - The Letter Left Behind by Hu Qianyue

    <h4>Chapter 694 The Letter Left Behind by Hu Qianyue</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Princess Caifeng stood in the empty garden and looked coldly at Hu Qianyue, her eyes sinister.

    ¡°Your Highness, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand!¡± A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Hu Qianyue¡¯s mouth, as if she really didn¡¯t know what Princess Caifeng was saying.

    ¡°The fragrance of the Cloud Fabric and the pill that was given to Consort Yan, they were all set up by you, right?¡± Princess Caifeng was not stupid. Even a fool could tell that something was wrong when putting today¡¯s events in context. Consort Yan had a miscarriage, and the Cloud Fabric could very well be the murder weapon.

    And the person who had given the Cloud Fabric to others was none other than Princess Caifeng.

    ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re a bit of a wag. That Cloud Fabric was given to you by the Empress, and you have been carefully kept it in the box. How could I have the chance to do something to it? As for that pill, it has nothing to do with me either. Sixth Princess has admitted that it is her pce maid who has evil intentions. It¡¯s none of my business.¡±

    Hu Qianyue was in a good mood now. Although she hasn¡¯t seeded yet, at least the Sixth Princess couldn¡¯t get a good end.

    She had seen clearly from outside the crowd earlier that the Sixth Princess¡¯s face had been disfigured. Ling Mingyan¡¯s sharp nails slid down the corner of her eyes. She wondered if her eye was also damaged. This was truly a pleasant surprise.

    ¡°Hu Qianyue, why did you do this? Even if Third brother can¡¯t marry the Sixth Princess, it has nothing to do with you. I heard that as soon as you left, Third brother had started preparing for the wedding ceremony. He was going to marry the Right Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, Xu Ming¡¯er. What you are doing now is to clear the way for Xu Ming¡¯er. I really didn¡¯t know it. I used to think that you were her enemy.¡±

    Princess Caifeng said sarcastically and deliberately ented Xu Ming¡¯er. Sure enough, she saw the jealousy and hatred on Hu Qianyue¡¯s face that she could no longer hold back.

    ¡°So what if she can marry my cousin? My cousin won¡¯t like her. It¡¯s just a stopgap the time being.¡±

    The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was Hu Qianyue¡¯s weakness. As long as someone mentioned that he was going to marry another woman, she could not control the hatred and anger in her heart. She just wanted to tear that woman into pieces. Her cousin should marry her. Her cousin said that only she had won his heart in this life. Her cousin could no longer like other women.

    Princess Caifeng suddenlyughed when she heard that. She waved her hand and gestured for the maidservant beside her to submit a letter. Then, she handed the letter to Hu Qianyue. ¡°Hu Qianyue, I really don¡¯t know if you¡¯re foolish or silly. Can¡¯t you see that Third brother and Mother are just trying to fool you and the Hu family behind you? You won¡¯t be able to go back for the rest of your life. Third brother doesn¡¯t want to take you back to the Southern Barbarian Lands at all. Why are you still fighting for him?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Hu Qianyue stared at the letter. Her face suddenly turned pale, and her body trembled unconsciously.

    ¡°What is it? Haven¡¯t you been aware of it? Look at the seal on it. It hasn¡¯t been opened yet. After you read it, perhaps you will have a deep understanding of your own situation, so that you can know the next step better.¡± Princess Caifeng smiled coldly, turned around, and left with her maidservants.

    Facing the building, Feng Yuran and Xieyue were sitting by the window. Since so many things had happened here, of course, Feng Yuran would not leave Mo Xuetong here. At this time, she should have arrived at their manor. Through the window, he squinted his pretty long and narrow eyes slightly, revealing a trace of coldness.

    ¡°King Xuan, have you really sent this letter directly to Hu Qianyue? Aren¡¯t you afraid of any secret being spread? Or maybe Third brother didn¡¯t give up on Hu Qianyue, and after she read it, she grows so excited that she doesn¡¯t have any other thoughts?¡± Crown Prince Xieyue raised his eyebrows. There was a hint of elegance on his slightly pale face. He followed Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze and looked at Hu Qianyue, who was standing there dazedly. Then, he smiled slightly.

    ¡°I heard that Third Prince¡¯s wedding has been well-prepared in the Southern Barbarian Lands, but he hasn¡¯te here yet because of General Hu¡¯s obstruction. General Hu is really a reckless general. His daughter has been sent to marry into the Qin Kingdom, but he is still disputing over Third Prince¡¯s marriage with the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. So what if the Empress agrees? She will be Third brother¡¯s second consort.¡±

    A faint smile appeared on Feng Yuran¡¯s pretty face. The bright flowers on his mboyant purple robe made his face look even more devilish. There was a hint of coldness and viciousness on his thin red lips. He had his own taboo and he would definitely kill the one who vited it.

    Xieyue and he had already analyzed the situation of the Southern Barbarian Lands very clearly. They had even gotten the letters that the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had sent to Feng Yuxuan. The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had always wanted to marry Hu Qianyue and Xu Ming¡¯er, so that he could take in the two powerful officials. Unfortunately, the civil official and the military official disagreed with each other. In addition, the two nobledies, Xu Ming¡¯er and Hu Qianyue, were enemies. The Third Prince could only marry one and leave the other in the Qin Kingdom.

    But he had to prevent the one left behind from joining Xieyue!

    Therefore, the Empress and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands decided to send Hu Qianyue to the Qin Kingdom. Originally, they wanted her to stay in the Qin Kingdom forever. Anyway, she came to the Qin Kingdom with Crown Prince Xieyue, and if Hu Qianyue stayed in this country, the Hu family would me Crown Prince Xieyue and be more supportive of the Third Prince¡¯s side.

    Unfortunately, even though they had nned well, with Hu Qianyue¡¯s stir, it was likely that they would not be able to predict what would happen next.

    ¡°I heard that General Hu asked Third brother to take Hu Qianyue back in person a while ago, but he always refused. Later, after the marriage was bestowed on him and the Sixth Princess, and he was asked to wee the Sixth Princess in person. Third brother also deliberately dyed, because he was not willing to take advantage of this opportunity to bring Hu Qianyue back. Hu Qianyue and the Hu family¡¯s efforts to dy were in vain.¡±

    Crown Prince Xieyue looked away leisurely. He picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for Feng Yuran and himself respectively.

    ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness. Now that the Hu family and the Third Prince have broken off, Your Highness will be able to realize your ambitions. The Southern Barbarian Lands will be yours in the future. Your Highness, when are you leaving?¡± Feng Yuran smiledzily and picked up his cup, saying to Crown Prince Xieyue meaningfully. It had been decided that the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands woulde to greet the Sixth Princess personally. It would be a matter of time.

    Since the Third Prince would wee the Sixth Princess in person, Crown Prince Xieyue did not need to stay here any longer. The wedding was supposed to be held in one month, so the Third Prince would not dy too much.

    ¡°It will be soon. It should only be in a few days. When I¡¯m ready, I will definitely say goodbye to Your Highness.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue nodded with a smile. Now, everything was ready, and he only needed to wait for Hu Qianyue¡¯s action. He would hand everything over to Princess Caifeng. As for the marriage here, the Third Prince would deal with it after he came.

    ¡°Alright, when the timees, I will definitely bid you farewell.¡± Feng Yuran leaned back and nodded at Crown Prince with a smile. He touched the ring on his thumb with his slender finger. Originally, it was a token of Xieyue¡¯s gratitude to thank Mo Xuetong for saving his life. Then, for some reason, it became a token of his alliance with Feng Yuran.

    As he looked at the thumb ring, Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s eyes unconsciously darkened a little, as if he had seen the slender back of the woman hidden in the bottom of his heart. But then, he saw Feng Yuran¡¯s gaze that held a half smile, he became sober-minded again, and a faint smile appeared on his pale lip corners.

    ¡°Alright, I will definitely have a good drink with Your Highness when the timees. However, my Third brother will need Your Highness to take care of him when he arrives in the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Crown Prince Xieyue. Leave this matter to me. You just need to fulfill your potential in the Southern Barbarian Lands.¡± Feng Yuran stood up in a meaningful manner. He flicked his long purple sleeves and a devilish smile appeared on his handsome face. The beautiful flowers on his robe were not as pretty as him.

    ¡°Then, it¡¯s a deal. In the future, the Qin Kingdom and the Southern Barbarian Lands will have a good rtionship with each other.¡± Crown Prince Xieyueughed and stood up straightforwardly. He and Feng Yuran raised their hands and pped three times. Then, they picked up the teacup, drank the tea in ce of wine, and drained their cups.

    Everything had been nned. They had already known the thoughts of some people in the pce. All they needed to do was wait for the right time...

    There were no others in Hu Qianyue¡¯s residence, and all the other people were kicked out by her. Just now, she wrote a letter and asked her henchman to take it away secretly, along with her token. When she came to the Qin Kingdom, to prevent idents, her father also left her a special token. Whenever the token existed, she was still alive. Whenever she was not alive...

    The paper on the table was twisted into a ball. Without looking at the familiar handwriting on it, she knew who wrote it. The handwriting was very simr to hers, because they grew up together and practiced calligraphy together. She liked his handwriting and thus practiced it as well. If the two¡¯s words were put together, no one would be able to tell who wrote them if they weren¡¯t familiar with them.

    With a smile at the corner of her mouth, drops of tears fell down on the few lines of words on it. Her vision became blurry, but she could still see it clearly.

    ¡°... please ask King Chu to find a way to get Hu Qianyue into King Yan¡¯s Manor as soon as possible. I don¡¯t want to see her pestering me again when I arrive in the Qin Kingdom...¡±

    How ridiculous her insistence was! No wonder Princess Caifeng would smile so mockingly at her when she left. She was really stupid. How could she not be stupid? The man whom she had been longing for was trying to send her into another man¡¯s arms and wanted her to be another man¡¯s concubine. How could she ept such a low status of a concubine? Furthermore, she had to see him get married passionately?

    Her heart ached as if a big hole had been torn out of it. She could not see herself clearly. She was so proud that she could not tolerate such a thing, and was even more unwilling to be a pawn of that man. She voluntarily came to the Qin Kingdom, so she also hoped that she could leave with dignity and integrity.

    The letter was sealed. Hu Qianyue had seen the contents of the letter before and knew that Feng Yuxuan had something to do with the Third Prince. Hu Qianyue was very convinced of the authenticity of the letter. Furthermore, there was a specific mark of the Third Prince on the corner of the letter. As long as the letter was opened, it would be destroyed.

    She had created this mark for the Third Prince. At that time, he could not help but hug her, praising that she was smart and promising that he would love her all his life. How ironic it was! The words were still ringing in her ears, but he had changed his mind. He was no longer the cousin who protected her wholeheartedly!

    He was the Third Prince, the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Therefore, he only cared about the throne...

    Hu Qianyue tore off the envelope in her hand and walked slowly to the front hall. Then she untied the white silk belt around her waist and threw it onto the tall beam of the room. She would not be a concubine. How could she be a concubine? Since she had been abandoned, she was even more unwilling to sacrifice her own body for that man. As she was already dead inside, what was the use of keeping her alive...

 Chapter 695 - Urgent Interrogation in the Imperial Palace

    <h4>Chapter 695 Urgent Interrogation in the Imperial Pce</h4>

    There were already dishes ced on the table, and they were all Mo Xuetong¡¯s favorites. Feng Yuran did not ask the maidservant to serve her. Instead, he scooped up a bowl of fragrant rice for Mo Xuetong and a bowl for himself. He nced at Mo Xuetong with his beautiful eyes and raised his brows. ¡°Do you have something to ask me?¡±

    ¡°How did you know I wanted to ask you something?¡± Mo Xuetong could not help but feel strange. She did have something to say earlier. However, as she saw how tired he looked when he entered, she did not ask anything else. The banquet today had proven that there was no good wine or good banquet. Such a big thing had suddenly happened.

    ¡°I can tell just by looking at your appearance.¡± Feng Yuran picked up some shrimp, which was Mo Xuetong¡¯s favorite, and ced it in her bowl. ¡°The Sixth Princess¡¯s face was badly injured and the corners of her eyes were scratched by Ling Mingyan. One of her eyes was bloodshot and she could not open it. The imperial physician said that she might not be able to save one of her eyes.¡±

    ¡°One of her eyes was hurt as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Ling Mingyan had used all her strength this time. This is also the retribution of Feng Xuehe. I don¡¯t want to care about what happened between her and You Yuecheng. But she dared to reach out her ws to you. Wasn¡¯t she afraid that her ws would break?¡± Feng Yuran gave an evil smile, and there was a hint of coldness in his eyes. His eyes were as sharp as something solid, and there were faint ripples in them, which made others¡¯ hearts involuntarily beat fast.

    Mo Xuetong blinked her watery eyes, suppressed the warmth in her heart, and asked softly, ¡°Did Ling Mingyan go crazy because she heard something?¡±

    Ling Mingyan was naturally unwilling to give up after such a thing happened. However, she wasn¡¯t supposed to confront the Sixth Princess directly. Furthermore, it was a life-and-death situation. By the time Mo Xuetong arrived, things had already happened. Even though Ling Mingyan knew that it was the Sixth Princess who had framed her, she was not as crazy as she was at that time.

    Then she went crazy all of a sudden. She must have heard something!

    ¡°The room for Ling Mingyan to rest is in next to You Yue¡¯e¡¯s room. There is a small air vent near the beam. However, since it is high above the ground and is covered with a cloth curtain, no one would notice it.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice was seductive and attractive, and it brushed her heart like a feather.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart softened when she saw how his handsome eyes were filled with gentleness as he told her the whole story without holding anything back. Even if he did not say it, she knew that he really cared about her, about everything concerning her and her own safety.

    Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that Hu Qianyue had heard what the Sixth Princess said?

    Mo Ye had already received Feng Yuran¡¯s message from the outer courtyard that Mo Xuetong could not stay in the ce where the female guests rested! He told her not to go to the rooms. Even if she had to go to the rooms, she had to leave immediately and could not stay there any longer. It was Mo Feng who sent the note to Mo Ye, and then Mo Ye handed it to Mo Xuetong.

    That was why Mo Xuetong left immediately with Luo Mingzhu without staying for long.

    She was the reason why the Sixth Princess¡¯s eyes and face were scratched by Ling Mingyan! Otherwise, in the current situation, the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue were confronting each other. It was the right time for them to fight against each other. To deliberately take down a chess piece would make the whole situation tilted, and some ns could not be carried out better.

    She could not help but frown. For a moment, she had two mouthfuls of rice in a row, but it was tasteless.

    A smile crept up on the corners of Feng Yuran¡¯s lips when he saw Mo Xuetong frown and look listless. He picked up another piece of fish for her and carefully picked out the bones before cing it in her bowl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Feng Xuehe is such a scheming woman. It¡¯s better to get rid of her as soon as possible. And we¡¯ll also get rid of Hu Qianyue by the way. The two women are both so vicious. It¡¯s not safe to leave them there.¡±

    ¡°What happened to Hu Qianyue?¡±

    ¡°When she found out that the man she loves pushed her into another man¡¯s arms, how could she, a proud and arrogant person, bear it?¡± Feng Yuran replied lightly. He could not hide the smile in his dark eyes when he saw that Mo Xuetong had subconsciously picked up the fish that he had given her. There was also a hint of doting and gentleness in his eyes.

    Being stared at like this, Mo Xuetong could not help but blush. She nced at him unhappily and knocked his bowl with her chopsticks. She pretended to be impatient and said, ¡°Hurry up and eat. Don¡¯t talk too much. Don¡¯t you know that you shouldn¡¯t talk while eating?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s mood got even better when he saw her flushed face. He did not say anything else and quickly had a bowl of rice. Then, he added another bowl for himself. He put food in Mo Xuetong¡¯s bowl in a good mood as he ate. Mo Xuetong would take the initiative to serve him food from time to time.

    It was quiet in the room. Only a handsome man apanied a beautiful woman. Their every move was like a leisurelyndscape. One of them looked at the other with doting eyes, and the other was attached to him. As they looked at each other, there was no need to say anything more, as if they could be like this forever...

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s face had been disfigured and the corners of her eyes had been mercilessly scratched. The one who had scratched her was Marquise Mingguo and the legitimate daughter of Ding General Manor. This matter had nothing to do with the Empress Dowager. However, because of Ling Mingyan¡¯s identity, she had no choice but to step forward. No matter what, Ling Mingyan was the daughter of Ding General Manor and it was rted to the future marriage of Ding General Manor¡¯s girls.

    If someone were to say that Ding General Manor¡¯s girls were vicious, who would dare to marry one of them in the future?

    Learning that the Emperor invited her, the Empress Dowager did not dy and brought people with her to the Emperor¡¯s Qianqing Pce.

    King Ning had kept a low profile recently, and so did the Empress Dowager. She had kept such a low profile that she did not even walk out of her own pce.

    Consort Su and Imperial Noble Consort Wen were in charge of the pce affairs. They were supposed to go to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce to pay their respects, but the Empress Dowager asked someone to tell them that there were too many things going on in the pce, so they didn¡¯t have to visit her every day. If they had time, they coulde to chat with her, so they didn¡¯t have toe to see her every day.

    As for the Empress, since she had volunteered to go to Buddha Hall, there was no need for the imperial concubines to see her.

    As soon as Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran had just finished lunch, they were summoned by the Emperor to the pce. When they reached the entrance of the pce, they noticed that Feng Yulei was helping You Yue¡¯e off the horse carriage. On the other side, Feng Yuxuan was walking ahead, and Mo Yarui lowered her head and followed him. When she saw Mo Xuetonging, she only bowed slightly to her with a smile and did not say anything.

    ¡°Third Brother, Third Sister-inw, how are you feeling?¡± Feng Yuran brought Mo Xuetong up to greet them.

    You Yue¡¯e looked very bad, as if she had lost all her vitality. She sat on the sedan chair that had been brought especially. She looked solemn and lifeless. She looked at Mo Xuetong for a long while before she seemed to have noticed who she was. A faint smile appeared on her face. ¡°Many thanks for your concern. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    After that, she closed her eyes feebly without looking at others. The corners of her eyes were red and swollen.

    Seeing her like this, Mo Xuetong knew that You Yue¡¯e was not in the mood to chat with anyone. She took several steps back and returned to Feng Yuran¡¯s side. Then, she followed Feng Yuran into the pce.

    The air seemed to be a little oppressive. After the three brothers greeted each other, they all went to the Qianqing Pce.

    What happened to Princess Caifeng was more or less rted to the women of their manor. And at that time, they were all present. Emperor Zongwen asked them to deal with the affairs of the Sixth Princess and Ling Mingyan together. As the main victim, You Yue¡¯e was also taken here. In fact, it was not difficult to deal with.

    Even though the two men did not know who had asked them to go there and who had brought them into the manor and sent them to the fancy boat, there had to be some clues if someone really wanted to investigate. Mo Xuetong did not know if the others had gotten some clues, but she believed that Feng Yuran definitely had some clues about the Sixth Princess¡¯s moves.

    However, it was not a good time to take it out. The opponents were Ding General Manor, King Yan¡¯s Manor, and the power of the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen. There was something of each in the other. It wasplicated. If they did not really understand the situation, no one could figure it out. It was also a wonderful move for them to fight and kill each other.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong had lived in a state of ignorance and was killed in the back courtyard of the Duke¡¯s manor. In this life, she had fought against fate. She would not show mercy to those who wanted to kill her. No matter if it was the Sixth Princess, You Yue¡¯e, or Ling Mingyan, they had all harmed her. As such, even though she felt sorry for You Yue¡¯e¡¯s child, she would not stop Feng Yuran from taking action.

    That road was originally full of blood. Either their opponents would die or they would die. She was not so great as to use her own life to help her opponents.

    In this life, even if she had to go to the sea of blood, she wanted to go with Feng Yuran! She had been reborn not just to get revenge on Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin, but also for him, who had never met her in herst life. He was the man who had always protected her by her side.

    Her life, as well as his, had shed like a meteor in the previous life!

    In this life, she and he had to live a good life. They would cherish their lives and would never give the enemy a chance to harm them...

    They finally walked through the gate of the Qianqing Pce together.

    Before they reached the hall, they saw the Empress Dowager¡¯s and the Empress¡¯s pnquin. Consort Su¡¯s and Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s people were all standing outside the door. They all lowered their heads and were silent. When they saw the princes and their consorts approaching, they all curtsied respectfully. Even the people from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce did not dare to say anything else. They all recoiled, hung their heads, and did not dare to move or look around casually.

    The incident that happened today had already spread throughout the pce. The Sixth Princess had such a big incident and her face had been disfigured by an official¡¯s daughter. This was a scandal of the royal family. If the Emperor did not punish the culprit forcefully, how could the royal family maintain their dignity? However, that culprit also had a high status. It concerned two duke¡¯s manors, and the culprit had a close rtionship with the Empress and the Empress Dowager. If the Emperor did not deal with it well, it would disappoint the old officials.

    That was why the interrogation had been decided.

    The Empress Dowager was not the only one who came, as the Empress, the four princes, and the people from the Four Great Manors all came as well.

    Feng Yuzhen was thest one toe with Princess Caifeng. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with him. However, since Princess Caifeng was his fiancee and he was going to marry the princess of another country, he had toe on such an asion. He had gone to see Princess Caifeng to find out more about the situation before. The two of them talked for a while, so he came a littlete.

    Crown Prince Xieyue didn¡¯te. It was said that he got angry because of what had happened at the banquet, and had a recurrence of an old illness. For the time being, he couldn¡¯t even get out of bed. At this time, imperial physicians had gone to see him. The Sixth Princess, who was going to marry into his country, had such an incident. If something bad happened to Crown Prince Xieyue, it would be a big deal.

    Half of the imperial physicians in the pce had gone to treat Crown Prince Xieyue ording to the Emperor¡¯s order. Of course, the Emperor also intended to check Crown Prince Xieyue¡¯s illness. How could it be so coincidental that he fell ill at this time?

    Coincidentally, news came from the imperial physicians outside the pce that Crown Prince Xieyue was really ill. He was so ill that he became unconscious and could not get out of bed. Emperor Zongwen was shocked and sent a few more imperial physicians over. The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had not arrived yet, so Crown Prince Xieyue must be fine.

    Everyone was present and stood in the hall. Emperor Zongwen looked around with a grave expression and was ready to interrogate them. He had to give the Qin Kingdom, the Southern Barbarian Lands, and everyone an exnation for what had happened...

 Chapter 696 - A Reversal, Ling Mingyan Modified Her Previous Remark

    <h4>Chapter 696 A Reversal, Ling Mingyan Modified Her Previous Remark</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not expect the Sixth Princess toe as well!

    Her face was hidden behind ayer of a thin veil, and others could faintly see the thick cloth wrapped around her face. Although her eyes could not be seen, others felt that her temperament had changed. She was no longer as gentle and soft as she used to be. Instead, she reeked of a strong sense of gloom. She sped her hands tightly and looked coldly through the veil at the people entering the hall without saying anything.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen looked weak and aggrieved. Sitting beside the Sixth Princess, she held her daughter¡¯s hand and patted her from time to time. The corners of her eyes were red and swollen, and she was in low spirits. It was obvious that she had cried. After all, her only daughter had suffered such a thing. As a mother, how could she not be sad?

    The Empress Dowager and the Empress were both seated by Emperor Zongwen¡¯s side.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan, why did you do that?¡± since this was a matter between women, the Empress asked on behalf of the Emperor.

    Emperor Zongwen did not seem to be in a good mood. His sharp eyesnded on Ling Mingyan as well, but he did not say a word, which was a sign that he was about to get angry. When Duke Ding saw that Emperor Zongwen¡¯s thoughtful eyes were shifting to him, the corners of his eyes could not help but twitch, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

    He secretly hated his daughter who was kneeling in the hall. He had known that she was a troublemaker, and that was why he had never nned to marry his daughter off to those princes. He chose his second brother¡¯s daughter to be a prince¡¯s legal wife instead of her because she was too arrogant.

    Originally, Duke Ding thought that Mingguo Manor was as powerful as Ding General Manor, but Ding General Manor still had the support of the pce. Even if something happened, with the support of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, Ling Mingyan would be fine. This was also the reason why Duke Ding doted on his only daughter. Although the marriage between the two manors had some political properties, it was what Ling Mingyan wanted.

    It could also be said that she had chosen her own husband on her own.

    However, the matter had gotten to this point. No matter how much Duke Ding loved his daughter, he was still filled with anger!

    ¡°Your Majesty, it was Sixth Princess who framed me. She wanted to ruin my reputation. It was Sixth Princess who set up a trap for me. I hated her and thus I hurt her.¡± At this point, Ling Mingyan was ready to risk everything. Although she was nervous, she still gritted her teeth and defended herself.

    ¡°How did you know that Sixth Princess wanted to frame you?¡± the Empress asked in a deep voice.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that man at first, but his figure is very simr to that of His Excellency. I stood by the shore and saw him meeting with a woman, so I got angry and rushed over to pull him. When I pulled him over, I saw that it was not His Excellency, which led to this misunderstanding. At that time, Sixth Princess was not present. But when she came overter, she mentioned it from time to time. It was obvious that she knew about it.¡±

    Ling Mingyan could only insist that the Sixth Princess had framed her.

    ¡°Your Majesty, His Excellency and I love each other so much. Doesn¡¯t Sixth Princess feel tired when she has been holding him in her heart? She made a scene in Mingguo Manor before, and this time, she set a trap in Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor. As a princess, she has extended her hand so far from the inner pce. Is it really just a matter of me alone?¡±

    His words were sharp. It could be said that Ling Mingyan had stretched the story of the Sixth Princess¡¯s framing her to the idea that she was powerful. Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression grew darker and colder as he sat on the throne. There was an indescribable look in his eyes. His eyes turned to Imperial Noble Consort Wen and deliberately paused on her face for a while.

    Although what had happened in Mingguo Manor did not get out, everyone present was not an ordinary person and most of them were there. Of course, they knew that it was the Sixth Princess who had plotted against others. It was reasonable that her first ruse having failed, she tried another. However, after hearing Ling Mingyan¡¯s words, everyone looked at the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen with a little suspicion.

    Were they really just an imperial noble consort and a princess who didn¡¯t take charge of anything?

    If she really arranged people in Mingguo Manor and Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor, she could be described as powerful.

    ¡°Marquise, don¡¯t say something like that to distract us. It¡¯s all because of you that Xuehe is in such a state. Your spection will destroy her. In this way, how can she marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands? How can she be the one to make peace with the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen shed tears and wiped them from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Then she looked up at Ling Mingyan sadly and angrily and rebuked her.

    At the same time, she was trying to lead the topic in the direction that was beneficial to her!

    Her different emphasis tilted the whole conversation in her daughter¡¯s favor. Mo Xuetong rolled her bright eyes and could not help but sigh. Imperial Noble Consort Wen was indeed extraordinary. The rash Ling Mingyan was almost no match for her. Even though someone had taught her a few words before, she could notpare with her on-the-spot performance.

    Fortunately, with Ling Mingyan¡¯s character, she could say harsh words, which was hard for Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had always been patient, to retort. Furthermore, Feng Yulei was involved in this matter. Even though Ding General Manor did not support him, it was still one of his backers. If something were to happen to Ding General Manor, it would not do Feng Yulei any good.

    Now, Ling Mingyan was still Marquise Mingguo. Mingguo Manor was Feng Yulei¡¯s strongest support!

    One was her daughter and the other was her son. Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s words had a decisive effect...

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, Sixth Princess wanted to plot against me and be His Excellency¡¯s wife. Don¡¯t you know anything about it? Or is that what you want, too? I heard that you have been pleading with His Majesty to withdraw the order to ask Sixth Princess to marry into another country.¡±

    Sure enough, Ling Mingyan spoke straightforwardly regardless of her own life. Shepletely ignored that the face Emperor Zongwen, who was sitting on the throne, had darkened. No matter how wrong the Sixth Princess was, it was her father who lost face in front of so many people. Emperor Zongwen turned to look at the Empress with a little anger in his eyes.

    In the hall, Duke Ding almost couldn¡¯t stand still and didn¡¯t dare to raise his head. At this moment, he wished that he had strangled Ling Mingyan to death when she was born. This wicked girl dared to say those words and even spoke the pce matter out. It was a clear indication that Ding General Manor had some connection with someone in the pce. The Emperor hated people plotting against his harem the most.

    Once, an imperial consort had spread out a matter that happened in the pce without permission, and then she was sent to the Cold Pce and her family had fallen from grace.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not expect that Ling Mingyan would have the courage to talk about the affairs of Mingguo Manor. She was stunned and looked at her in disbelief. She opened her mouth with tears in her beautiful eyes, turned to the Emperor, and sobbed with grievance, ¡°Your Majesty, I, I... Xuehe, she didn¡¯t do that. She has been childish and was willful for a while because she was vexed. But she would never do such a vicious thing!¡±

    After that, Imperial Noble Consort Wen knelt down and cried to Emperor Zongwen with tears all over her face. ¡°Your Majesty, please give Xuehe justice. Look at how she is now... How, how can she marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands?¡±

    Marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands? Emperor Zongwen grew even gloomier. The Sixth Princess¡¯s face had been disfigured, so she was really not suitable for this marriage. The imperial physician had said that even if the Sixth Princess¡¯s face still had a chance to recover, her eyes had really been damaged. From that point on, even if she could see things, she would only have blurred vision.

    Marrying a princess with a disfigured face was indeed not appropriate for the two nations¡¯ rtionship.

    However, it happened after the marriage agreement of the Sixth Princess and the Third Prince. Thetter woulde to wee the former in a few days from the Southern Barbarian Lands. If the Sixth Princess were to be reced by someone else, it would be disrespectful to the Southern Barbarian Lands on the one hand, and on the other hand, the Qin Kingdom seemed to take the marriage as a trifling matter. It was a big deal for the two countries to make peace with each other by marriage. It would be less sincere if the princess was changed.

    ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, you don¡¯t have to be sad. His Majesty will make the decision for Sixth Princess. Get up first,¡± the Empress lifted her eyes with a slight smile and said softly as she reached out to pull Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I, I was also responsible for what happened to Sixth Princess. I didn¡¯t discipline her well enough. Originally, Sixth Princess didn¡¯t want to attend the banquet, but I persuaded her to do so. But now, such a thing happened, I...¡±

    Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen had stood up while holding the Empress¡¯s hand, which had showed her weak nature, she still cried with her hands covering her face, as if she hadpletely taken the me. It also proved that the Sixth Princess just happened to go there, so it was impossible for her to hurt anyone, let alone set up a trap.

    There was a sh of sharp light in Emperor Zongwen¡¯s deep eyes, and he looked at Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s face thoughtfully.

    ¡°Dear, don¡¯t worry. Listen to Empress¡¯s question.¡±

    They had finally returned to the original interrogation.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan, do you have any evidence to prove that Sixth Princess has plotted against you? Who told you that it was Sixth Princess who sent someone to ruin your reputation? There were so many people in the manor at that time, including Consort Yan, Consort Xuan, the second consort of King Chu, and a few other noble madams. They did not find out that Sixth Princess had something to do with it. Have you been misled by someone?¡±

    The Empress frowned slightly and naturally took up the topic.

    As soon as she said that, a hint of joy appeared on the face of Duchess Ding, who was sitting below. She looked at Ling Mingyan anxiously and clenched her hands nervously. At this time, Ling Mingyan also looked at her. Duchess Ding quickly winked at her daughter with her right eye calmly. This was the secret signal she had made before. Her daughter would not be too stupid!

    Of course, Ling Mingyan was not stupid. Actually, she regretted it after the matter. There were thousands of ways to fight with the Sixth Princess, but she obviously chose the most inappropriate one¡ªto confront the royal family directly. She knew that she was not important enough, but in that situation at that time, she only wanted to tear the Sixth Princess apart and did not care about anything else.

    Therefore, when Duchess Ding secretly asked someone to send a message to her, she calmed down and said that she would obey the arrangement.

    ¡°Your Majesty, my reputation was ruined at that time. I was at a loss of what to do. I... I certainly believed what they said. Sixth Princess was with them at that time. Would they try to frame Sixth Princess?¡± Ling Mingyan raised her head angrily and stared at the Sixth Princess vehemently. However, everyone present had understood the message in her words.

    Someone said something in front of Ling Mingyan, which was why she and the Sixth Princess got into a fight. What happened at the banquet was weird, and many people couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. Things happened one after another, and the people who had an ident were very noble. In the end, the Sixth Princess¡¯s face was disfigured by Marquise Mingguo.

    How could it not arouse many thoughts in other people¡¯s minds?

    However, now that she said so, it was not about Marquise Mingguo and the Sixth Princess...

 Chapter 697 - Ling Mingyan Asked for Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 697 Ling Mingyan Asked for Punishment</h4>

    ¡°Who told you that Sixth Princess wanted to plot against you? Who told you that this matter had something to do with Sixth Princess?¡± the Empress asked in surprise. There was no other emotion on her face.

    Sitting below, Mo Xuetong sharply sensed a hint of joy from the Empress and that she looked at Ling Mingyan with gentler eyes. Speaking of which, the Empress did not think highly of Ling Mingyan at all. Among her several nieces, she gave priority first to Ling Fengyan and then to Ling Rui¡¯er. Mo Xuetong had heard that the Empress did not like the real legitimate daughter of Ding General Manor since she came to the capital.

    It might because of Ling Mingyan¡¯s arrogant and unrestrained character.

    But at this moment, there was a little satisfaction in the Empress¡¯s eyes when she looked at Ling Mingyan!

    Mo Xuetong reached out and gently poked the person who waszily leaning against the pir, as if he was watching the show. Then, she blinked her watery eyes at the Empress.

    Feng Yuran nced at her from the corner of his eye. Then his vermilion lips curled up a little and he tilted his head slightly towards the Empress and nodded quietly. After that, he gave Mo Xuetong a seductive wink, which was so charming and handsome. Mo Xuetong blushed and turned her head away hurriedly.

    She had just asked him such a small question, but he assumed a dissolute air.

    However, it seemed that the Empress was indeed involved in it!

    ¡°I...¡± Ling Mingyan bit her lip and couldn¡¯t speak for a while. The look that she wanted to say something but stopped on second thought held too much information.

    ¡°Just say it. His Majesty is here. There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t say,¡± the Empress added.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness, it¡¯s... it¡¯s Hu Qianyue who said that. She said that she had seen Sixth Princess bring someone in, and she also told me that Sixth Princess did it specially to frame me. A man lured me there, and the other went in and called people out. Then everyone would see that I was entangled with a strange man. Your Majesty, Sixth Princess has ruined my reputation. I... I can¡¯t let her go even if I have to die.¡±

    It was Hu Qianyue?

    As soon as Ling Mingyan finished her words, the entire hall fell into silence.

    Who was Hu Qianyue? She was a person from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Furthermore, she was also an envoy of her country, as well as a part of the marriage of the two countries. She would marry into King Yan¡¯s Manor. It would be reasonable if she had arranged all of this. It was said that Hu Qianyue had a high status in the Southern Barbarian Lands. In other words, she was equivalent to the status of the legitimate daughter of a Duke¡¯s Manor.

    Having such a status, she could be able to be the legal wife of a prince. However, she was going to be King Yan¡¯s second consort inexplicably. She might be full of hatred and thus it was possible for her to hurt You Yue¡¯e. At this banquet, You Yue¡¯e was the one who had the worst ident. Not only did she have a miscarriage, but also a man ran out of her room in disheveled clothes.

    There were rumors that Consort Yan was a woman of loose morals, and had a miscarriage because she was too slutty when she met the man privately. It had only been a short while since the incident happened, but the rumors had already spread quietly. If this matter really had something to do with Hu Qianyue, Consort Yan would really be a victim.

    As for why Hu Qianyue told Ling Mingyan that it was the Sixth Princess who did it, maybe she just wanted to distract others¡¯ attention so that others would suspect the Sixth Princess. In this way, no one would doubt her. If the Sixth Princess really fought with Ling Mingyan, it would not be her fault if something happened.

    This woman of the Southern Barbarian Lands was indeed cunning!

    Some people even remembered that the Sixth Princess said that she did not order anyone to send medicine to Consort Yan, but both Hu Qianyue and her maidservant said that the medicine was from the Sixth Princess. Could it be that the Sixth Princess was also wronged? Was everything false as one thing was false? No one suspected Hu Qianyue before, but as they carefully thought of her now, they really felt that she was the most likely one.

    First of all, she did not get along well with Consort Yan. If Consort Yan gave birth to a legitimate son this time, it would not be good for her, a second consort who had not married into King Yan¡¯s Manor yet!

    Secondly, Princess Caifeng said that the affairs of the banquet were arranged by Hu Qianyue, so she was the one who had the most chance to do something.

    Furthermore, the Sixth Princess had been with Hu Qianyue before. She had imed that she did not give the medicine to Consort Yan, but Hu Qianyue and her maidservant insisted that the Sixth Princess had done it. The Sixth Princess had a good rtionship with Consort Yan and had a gentle and decent character. She was about to leave to marry into another country and was not at odds with Consort Yan. Why was she trying to harm Consort Yan?

    With this in mind, many people began to nod.

    The Empress raised her head and then looked down. As she saw Princess Caifeng standing beside King Ning, she asked, ¡°Princess Caifeng, is Hu Qianyue here?¡±

    Princess Caifeng came out and bowed respectfully. ¡°Your Majesty, Hu Qianyue is not feeling well. She has already rested, so she didn¡¯te. She has not fully recovered and has been busy for the past few days as she took the initiative to arrange the banquet for me. As soon as she told me, I asked her to rest.¡±

    ¡°Hu Qianyue has taken the initiative to help you arrange the banquet?¡± The Empress raised her eyebrows in surprise, as if she did not know about it at all.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Hu Qianyue didn¡¯t feel well and has been recuperating for a long time. When she moved out of King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she was a little better. I thought that she should have a good rest as she was weak. It was she who said she was fine. She said that it was my first time to host a banquet in the Qin Kingdom and that she was afraid that I couldn¡¯t do it well, so...¡±

    Princess Caifeng hesitated for a while before replying.

    Since things had developed to this point, the truth could be considered to have been revealed.

    ¡°Somebody, bring Hu Qianyue here.¡± The Empress cast a nce at the scene in the pce and her expression turned cold.

    Upon hearing the Empress¡¯s orders, several guards had already gone to Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor.

    ¡°Ling Mingyan, even though you believe what Hu Qianyue said and thus misunderstood Sixth Princess, since you have disfigured Sixth Princess¡¯s face, you have to make it up to her.¡±

    The Empress, sitting high, looked at the silent Sixth Princess and uttered coldly.

    They had put all the me on Hu Qianyue. This was the result of the negotiation between various forces, and it had also given face to the royal family. No matter what the inside story was, they had finally found a scapegoat. Of course, they would not know that the scapegoat was not innocent at all. Originally, Hu Qianyue had set up a trap in it.

    Because both the Sixth Princess and Hu Qianyue had set up a trap, the whole situation was in a mess. In the end, the two of them also suffered from their own evil deeds. One was injured and the other was dead. This was what they deserved.

    But things still had to be solved. It was a fact that Ling Mingyan had hurt the Sixth Princess¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yes, I admit my guilt and beg Your Majesty to punish me. I was easily swayed and listened to Hu Qianyue¡¯s provocation. Sixth Princess, I¡¯m sorry. What I said was nonsense. Sixth Princess, no matter how you punish me, I feel that I¡¯m sorry to hurt you.¡± As the crime on the Sixth Princess had been cleared, Ling Mingyan was absolutely sincere to plead guilty at this time.

    Then she turned to the Sixth Princess and heavily kowtowed a few times, as if she was willing to be punished by the Sixth Princess at will.

    Next, it would depend on the attitude of the Sixth Princess. If the Sixth Princess intended to punish Ling Mingyan, she could execute thetter directly on the charge of ruining her appearance.

    The hall quieted down. Duchess Ding and Duke Ding looked up at the Sixth Princess with pleading eyes. Even though Ling Mingyan was in the wrong, she was their daughter who grew up in their doting eyes. They really could not bear to lose this daughter. Even though they had made an agreement beforehand, it did not seem that the Sixth Princess was going to spare Ling Mingyan.

    The Sixth Princess sat there still. No one could see her expression clearly through the veil. It was as if she did not hear Ling Mingyan¡¯s change of topic at all. She didn¡¯t have the slightest emotional fluctuation. At this moment, Ling Mingyan was apologizing to her. Everyone looked at her, and even the Emperor turned to look at her. However, she did not react and just sat there coldly.

    It was as if Ling Mingyan was not apologizing to her. Mo Xuetong did not pay attention to the Sixth Princess¡¯s face that was covered. Her attention was focused on her hands. The Sixth Princess¡¯s hands were ced on her knees. They had been there since Mo Xuetong came into the hall, as if they were ced there casually. However, just now, Mo Xuetong thought that her hands were clenched in her sleeves as her sleeves wrinkled and trembled slightly.

    The Sixth Princess was not as calm as she appeared.

    ¡°Xuehe!¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen broke the strange silence and turned to the Sixth Princess, uttering in a soft voice. She reached out to hold the Sixth Princess¡¯s stiff body in her arms and said gently with tears in her eyes, ¡°Xuehe, forgive Marquise Mingguo. She... she was also misled by someone else. It was not her fault, but you suffered!¡±

    When it came to the sadness, the tears in Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s eyes could not be stopped and fell down one by one. Every loving mother would feel sorry to see her daughter was hurt like this. Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been gentle in the pce, the Sixth Princess was her only daughter. As she spoke, she involuntarily patted her daughter¡¯s back gently.

    ¡°Mom...¡± the Sixth Princess¡¯s voice sounded a little hoarse and rough, as if she had not spoken for a long time.

    ¡°Xuehe, don¡¯t say anything. I know. I know what you want to say,¡± Imperial Noble Consort Wen interrupted the Sixth Princess. She lovingly patted her on the back again andforted her softly. Everyone could only see the Sixth Princess trembling slightly. Then, she lowered her head and leaned into Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s embrace, as if she was shedding tears in a low voice.

    A girl had fallen to such a state. Her face was ruined. Even if she was a princess of the royal family, so what!

    ¡°Your Majesty, please forgive Marquise Mingguo!¡± Afterforting the Sixth Princess for a while, Imperial Noble Consort Wen released the Sixth Princess with tears in her eyes and knelt down in front of Emperor Zongwen again. She wiped her tears and pleaded softly, ¡°Under the circumstances, Marquise Mingguo is also a victim. Even if we take her life for her crime, Xuehe¡¯s face wouldn¡¯t recover.¡±

    Sitting on the throne, Emperor Zongwen looked at Consort Wen with sharp eyes like an eagle. After a long while, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Imperial Noble Consort Wen, she has scratched Xuehe¡¯s face. Do you really not want to punish her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I beg for mercy for Marquise Mingguo, Your Majesty!¡±

    Hearing what she said, Duke Ding, Duchess Ding, Duke Ming, Duchess Ming, and You Yuecheng all knelt down to beg for the Emperor¡¯s mercy.

    Mo Xuetong moved closer to Feng Yuran and quietly watched what would happen next!

    She was Consort Xuan and stood by the side with the other princes and their consorts. She did not plead or say anything. Since the Emperor did not say anything, his sons and daughters-inw could not say anything. Furthermore, pleading for the sake of an official¡¯s wife was not something they should do!

 Chapter 698 - The Sixth Princesss Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 698 The Sixth Princess¡¯s Invitation</h4>

    It was kind of a perfect ending.

    All the evidence pointed to Hu Qianyue, and Hu Qianyue¡¯s suicide was interpreted as an escape from punishment!

    In addition to the Sixth Princess¡¯s disfigured face and You Yue¡¯e¡¯s miscarriage, which were real harm, the result could be said to be beneficial to all aspects.

    Ding General Manor did not have to bear the charge of having a vicious daughter!

    There was no unwomanly daughter-inw in Mingguo Manor.

    Of course, there was no such a vicious and insidious Sixth Princess in the pce...

    The several major forces had also received a perfect bnce. As for some details, everyone had forgotten them ¡°out of carelessness¡±. They looked as if no one could think of some aspects. Miss Hu Qianyue seemed to be a little magical and almost omnipotent.

    With a flip of her hand, she was able to manipte the consort and the princess in her hands!

    Of course, no one would pay attention to these ¡°details¡±.

    Ling Mingyan had hurt the princess. Because of the Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s begging for mercy, she was sent to the temple and practiced abstinence from meat for half a year. No matter what, the Sixth Princess was really injured by Ling Mingyan. The Sixth Princess and Imperial Noble Consort Wen had been generous enough to give her such an end and even let her keep the position of Marquise Mingguo.

    For this reason, Ding General Manor and Mingguo Manor prepared magnificent gifts and sent them to the pce to thank Imperial Noble Consort Wen and the Sixth Princess for their kindness.

    For a time, Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s reputation was even better. In the past, it was only said that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was kind to the consort who caused her to have an abortion, but now this matter happened in front of everyone. The Sixth Princess was injured like this and her face was disfigured, but Imperial Noble Consort Wen was still so generous. She deserved to be called virtuous.

    The Emperor trusted Imperial Noble Consort Wen even more. Now she was in charge of most of the affairs in the pce. Although Consort Su also took charge of some of the affairs in the pce, in fact, there were some things that she had to discuss with Imperial Noble Consort Wen. The Empress went out of the Buddha Hall that day and then went back. Imperial Noble Consort Wen seemed to rece her in the pce for a while.

    However, since she didn¡¯t have a son, all the forces didn¡¯t pay attention to her!

    As an imperial noble consort, she had neither a biological son nor an adopted son, and even her only daughter had been disfigured. She was really not worthy of attention. Even though she was at her peak now, it would only be for a while. To maintain her position, it would depend on her belly. Therefore, although Imperial Noble Consort Wen was extremely powerful in the pce, no one targeted her.

    Even Consort Su, who had always been at odds with the Empress, was very polite to her. From time to time, she woulde to her pce and send some medicinal herbs to the Sixth Princess. She seemed to want to be on good terms with Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    Mo Xuetong naturally did not care about what had happened in the pce. However, when Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s gift was sent to her, she had to care about it.

    ¡°What... what is this?¡± Mo Xuetong was referring to the letter she had pulled out from a piece of snow-white satin. It was folded very carefully and was very small, hidden in the snow-white satin. If she had not noticed that there was something different in a part of the snow-white satin, she would not have opened it and looked at it, nor would she have discovered that there was something else hidden in it.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Mo Lan took the letter carefully from the snow-white satin and spread it meticulously. It was a gift from the pce, and just now, she took it. The eunuch who sent it smiled and asked her to give it to Consort Xuan. He also said that it was Imperial Noble Consort Wen who had personally picked it and let Consort Xuan have a look at it to see if she liked it.

    The letter was ttened and there were not many words on it. Mo Lan frowned and read it. ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s Sixth Princess who signed the letter. She said that she would like to invite you to meet her at Fragrance House tomorrow!¡±

    There were indeed only a few words on the letter. ¡°Tomorrow noon, Fragrance House. I have something important to tell you. It¡¯s rted to Eighth brother¡¯s life!¡±

    Then came the signature of the Sixth Princess!

    The Sixth Princess had been in close contact with those princes¡¯ manors recently and sent gifts to them from time to time. Mo Xuetong had seen the words written by the Sixth Princess. Her calligraphy was more elegant and sharper, unlike that of ordinary nobledies. Anyway, it was very special. Mo Xuetong could tell at a nce that the words in front of her were written by the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Did the eunuch who sent it say anything?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. She did not think that the Sixth Princess had anything else to tell her. In fact, the Sixth Princess had always been hostile to her and she was not interested in the former.

    ¡°The eunuch did not say anything else and only repeatedly told me before he left that this was a gift personally selected by Imperial Noble Consort Wen. He even suggested me to ask if you like it and that you¡¯d better to look at it personally. However, he did not say much.¡± Mo Lan thought about it and answered. She did not find it odd then and thought that Imperial Noble Consort Wen had done her best to pick out a gift. However, when she saw the letter, she immediately felt that there was something wrong.

    Mo Xuetong frowned and then said lightly, ¡°Mo Lan, put it down first. When Mo Yees backter, you ask her to meet me.¡±

    Mo Ye went back to the Mo Manor on behalf of Mo Xuetong. Mid-Autumn Festival wasing, so she ordered Mo Ye to send some gifts and go to see Auntie Qing and Mo Yufeng by the way. Mo Xuetong thought that the matter that Mo Yufeng had nned was most likely to happen on Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, everything should be ready, and they onlycked her to be driving force.

    Mo Lan nodded. She pointed at the mooncakes sent from the pce along with the gifts and asked, ¡°Yes, My Lady, how about these mooncakes?¡± It was also the gift of Mid-Autumn Festival. As Imperial Noble Consort Wen was in charge of most of the pce¡¯s power, it was reasonable for her people to send the gifts over.

    There were a total of eight boxes of mooncakes from the pce, symbolizing wealth. They were filled with all kinds of stuffing, which were made ording to the secret recipe in the pce. The taste was much better than that of the ones outside.

    ¡°Pick out a box of mooncakes with bean paste inside and send it to His Highness. Leave the rest of the boxes here first.¡±

    The mooncakes with bean paste inside made in the pce were not very sweet, which was in line with Feng Yuran¡¯s taste.

    ¡°My Lady, they were sent by Imperial Noble Consort Wen. Could it be...¡± Mo Lan asked uneasily as she ced her hand on the mooncake box. As Mo Xuetong¡¯s servant, she naturally knew that Imperial Noble Consort Wen was not simple. When she was about to be implicated by the Sixth Princess and her reputation would be ruined, she would be able toe up with such an idea. She reconciled the feuds of these families and elevated her own position, bing a person like the Holy Mother. From this, Mo Lan knew that the person was not easy to deal with.

    Mo Lan really did not dare to ept or use the things she sent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Imperial Noble Consort Wen is such a virtuous person. How could she poison mooncakes?¡± A faint smile appeared on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lip corners. Even though she said those words, of course, she would not be too careless. She would naturally get someone to check if there was poison in the mooncakes when they were sent to Jinwei Pavilion.

    But now, in the face of outsiders, she didn¡¯t show her suspicion. This was originally a kind of attitude to show others. Since Imperial Noble Consort Wen acted, she surely could do it as well, and could even do better than her. She sent the mooncakes received from the pce directly to Feng Yuran¡¯s Jinwei Pavilion, which expressed her trust in Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s reputation was now at its peak. There was no need topete with her at this time. Moreover, even if Imperial Noble Consort Wen herself would not do something, there was still the Sixth Princess, wasn¡¯t there? The Sixth Princess¡¯s face had been disfigured. Even if she could cure those wounds on her own, what about her eye? Mo Xuetong had never heard that injured eye could be cured, good as before.

    Mo Xuetong did not see how the Sixth Princess¡¯s injuries were. However, Feng Yuran had mentioned that her eye would never heal. It was said earlier that she could vaguely see something, but now, she could not see anything. She could only rely on the other eye to see. Given the Sixth Princess¡¯s character, could she really swallow her anger?

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen could give in for the sake of Feng Yulei, but what about the Sixth Princess?

    Mo Lan immediately understood what Mo Xuetong meant. She put together the things that could be sent to Feng Yuran and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll ask someone to send them to His Highness. Do you also want to send some tea to His Highness? I think we should send more gifts received from the pce to His Highness, which could show our respect to all the consorts in the pce.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we respect the consorts in the pce the most.¡± Mo Xuetong nodded seriously, but there was a teasing smile on her face.

    There were indeed a lot of things sent by the pce. They were put into order. Mo Lan asked two maidservants to help her sort them out, and they had just finished all the things. The two maidservants took four maidservants respectively to send things to Jinwei Pavilion. Mo Yu took a few maidservants to pack up all the things here and put them into the warehouse. In addition to some food, the things sent by the pce were all precious. They carefully put them away, moved them, recorded and stored them in the warehouse. It took some time.

    As all the things were packed up, Mo Ye came back from the Mo Manor.

    ¡°My Lady, Madam asked me to tell you that Auntie Qing does have connections with someone from King Ning¡¯s Manor. Old Sir found out about this. Auntie Qing seems to be the niece of an old nanny in King Ning¡¯s Manor. The old nanny used to be the lead pce maid in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce before she came to King Ning¡¯s Manor. After she was released from the pce, she has been serving King Ning and is also a respected person in King Ning¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°Was it the old nanny of King Ning¡¯s Manor, who contacted Auntie Qing?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly. She did not expect Auntie Qing to stand by King Ning¡¯s side. No, she stood by the Empress Dowager¡¯s side. The Empress Dowager had already sent Auntie Qing into the Mo Manor many years ago. Her father was only a fifth-grade officer then. Why would the Empress Dowager pay attention to her father?

    There was a slight ripple in her lively eyes. Could it be that the Empress Dowager knew of her mother¡¯s identity, which was why she had sent Auntie Qing to the Mo Manor? However, this was not right. If she had known it, the Empress Dowager who was vicious only needed to threaten her grandmother if she wanted to get something. Her mother had always respected her grandmother. If her mother really had something in her hands...

    But if it was not for this reason, why did the Empress Dowager send her servant¡¯s niece out? Was it also a coincidence? If it were really a coincidence, it would be too much of a coincidence!

    Were those incredible things in her mother¡¯s hands? No one seemed to have talked about them these days. Could it be that those things had been found? For a moment, Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure it out. Then she reached out to put her hands on the table.

    Mo Yu thought for a while and said, ¡°It was not the old nanny who contacted Auntie Qing. It was an old maidservant serving the nanny. She also knew Auntie Qing.¡±

    Mo Ye did not see Auntie Qing when she went to the manor this time. Xu Yan called her over and directly told her what she wanted to know. She also said that Mo Huawen had already sent someone to keep an eye on Auntie Qing and Mo Yufeng so that Mo Xuetong could rest assured. Mo Huawen was the lord mayor and thus it would be easy for him to keep an eye on someone.

    She did not care that useless concubine in her family¡¯s backyard and didn¡¯t expect her to have something to do with another prince¡¯s manor!

    If she really paid attention to her, she would learn about it.

    Mo Ye also brought a letter from Mo Huawen and presented it to Mo Xuetong respectfully. Mo Xuetong had written to Mo Huawen before, asking him to pay special attention to a few spots. Mo Huawen answered them one by one in the letter. Although Mo Ye was Mo Xuetong¡¯s confidant, there were still some things that needed to be kept secret! Extreme secrets must not be told to any third party!

 Chapter 699 - The Three Concubines Requests

    <h4>Chapter 699 The Three Concubines¡¯ Requests</h4>

    After reading Mo Huawen¡¯s letter, Mo Xuetong already knew what was going on. She put down the letter in her hand and asked Mo Ye, ¡°When does Auntie Qing usually go to see the old maidservant of King Ning¡¯s Manor?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked about it. Madam said that Auntie Qing had gone out every few days. Sometimes, she would be out for the entire morning or the entire afternoon. She only said that she was in a bad mood when she thought of Fourth Miss, so she went out to have a walk and rx. But every time she went out, she would talk to the old maidservant for a while. But these days, Madam did not take her excuse.¡±

    This was what Mo Xuetong had told Mo Huawen thest time. They could not allow Auntie Qing to go out when she wanted to. It was safe when the matters of the Mo Manor leaked selectively.

    Now that Auntie Qing had not gone out for so many days, she would go out to deliver messages if she had the chance. As Feng Yuzhen hadn¡¯t gotten any news for a few days, he must be restless. However, it was good. She could make use of it. Originally, the Sixth Princess hadn¡¯t harbored any good intentions, and had secretly sent a letter to Mo Xuetong. How could she be kind?

    The Sixth Princess was probably like a mad dog that would bite anyone who caught her. Of course, Mo Xuetong would not allow her to catch her. However, since she was targeting her, Mo Xuetong would not let her off the hook. Well, she could break through Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s seemingly unbreakable defense line from the Sixth Princess. Mo Xuetong had seen it clearly in the hall that day.

    When Ling Mingyan knelt down to ask for punishment, the Sixth Princess almost lost control. It was Imperial Noble Consort Wen who pressed her and whispered something in her ear, so the Sixth Princess did not speak. Looking at the Sixth Princess¡¯s tightly clenched fists, Mo Xuetong could tell that the Sixth Princess really wanted to cut Ling Mingyan into pieces. If Imperial Noble Consort Wen had not suppressed her, this matter would not have ended well!

    Mo Xuetong really looked forward to see the Sixth Princess who was out of control...

    The smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s lip corners grew even gentler and bigger when she thought of that. She waved her hand and told Mo Yu a few more things. Then, she asked her to leave.

    Since all these people wanted to hurt her, she might as well let them fight each other first. As for who would win, it depended on the fighting of the people behind them!

    ¡°My Lady, Concubine Qin, Concubine Yun, and Concubine Wen have sent someone over to ask if they can pay respects to you.¡± Seeing that Mo Ye had left, Mo Yu came in to report. Those who seemed to be well-behaved in the backyard did not seem to have made any big moves recently. Concubine Qin had gone back to her parents¡¯ home from time to time before. Later, she had been staying in the backyard after Feng Yuran forbade her to go home. It seemed that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

    The backyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor was very clean now. There were only three concubines and they came from a good family. The three of them lived in the same courtyard. Feng Yuran ordered that as Mo Xuetong was not in good health, they did not have to pay respects to her. He only said that Consort Xuan would send someone to call them if she needed to see them.

    However, since then, Mo Xuetong had never called them. Of course, they had not seen Feng Yuran after that.

    Fortunately, something like that had happened in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong, the legal wife, had been framed again and again. The people in the backyard had all been warned. As such, they would never ask to see Mo Xuetong for no reason.

    She didn¡¯t expect the three of them toe together today.

    ¡°Let theme over!¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a while and nodded. Then, she asked Mo Yu to bring them in.

    After a while, the three concubines entered Mo Xuetong¡¯s main courtyard together. They took their maidservants with them, and leaving them in the passage to await orders, the three of them came into the room and curtsied to Mo Xuetong.

    Concubine Qin was the first toe in. She curtsied to Mo Xuetong with the other two. However, she could not hide the arrogance between her brows. She cast a cold nce at Mo Xuetong and sat down on the stool beside her. Then she wrung the handkerchief in her hands and looked at the ground dazedly, speechless for the moment.

    ¡°My Lady, we¡¯re here to pay our respects to you. I heard that you¡¯ve been feeling much better recently and we feel relieved.¡± It was Concubine Yun who spoke. She was promoted a long while ago. She had even confronted Mo Xuetong when thetter had just entered the manor in order to scare her on purpose. However, she was all smiles now and one could not see any dissatisfaction on her face.

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern. It is just that I¡¯m not in good health. Otherwise, I can talk to you especially.¡± Mo Xuetong coughed softly and pressed her chest. Mo Yu hurried to serve the tea. Mo Xuetong took two sips and then put on a weak smile on her face. With a nce, one could tell that she was not in good health.

    Concubine Qin looked at Mo Xuetong calmly for a while, but then she still lowered her head and said nothing.

    ¡°My Lady, I seem to have seen someone suffering from the same illness as you before. When I was still at home, one of my aunts had suffered from such a disease. Later, a traveling doctor gave her a prescription. It wasn¡¯t sure that the prescription could cure he. At that time, my grandmother loved this aunt very much and was afraid that it would be bad for her health. Later, she had no choice but to use it. Unexpectedly, it¡¯s a miraculous prescription. My aunt recovered after taking the medicine.¡±

    Concubine Yun said with a smile.

    ¡°A miraculous prescription?¡± Mo Xuetong narrowed her eyes slightly and leaned back tiredly. A maidservant hurriedly took a cushion to put it behind her back.

    ¡°Yes, the prescription is amazing. It has treated many simr symptoms. My Lady, do you want me to go home and bring the prescription back?¡±

    Concubine Yun held a sincere look on her face while sitting there, smiled like a flower.

    ¡°Go home?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s lip corners curled into a mocking smile. This was her original goal. It seemed that King Xuan¡¯s Manor had been heavily guarded recently, and some people could not move even though they wanted to. Therefore, they thought of her.

    She did not answer Concubine Yun¡¯s question. Instead, she turned to the smiling Concubine Wen and asked faintly, ¡°Does Concubine Wen also want to go home?¡±

    She did not hide anything and pointed out Concubine Yun¡¯s intentions. Concubine Yun¡¯s gentle smile froze for a moment. She looked at Mo Xuetong carefully and did not dare to look down on her as before, and instead there was a hint of fear in her eyes.

    ¡°I, I...¡± Concubine Wen looked timid. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to suddenly ask her. She looked at Concubine Yun and Concubine Qin beside her and awkwardly said in a low voice. However, she nodded hurriedly under Concubine Yun¡¯s repeated hints. ¡°Yes, we all want to go home to see our family. I wonder if you will agree, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, Concubine Wen¡¯s parents¡¯ home doesn¡¯t seem to be in the capital. Where are you going to go when you return to your parents¡¯ home?¡±

    Concubine Wen was the younger sister of a seventh-grade officer. Mo Xuetong did not care about the details and only knew that her elder brother was not in the capital. If she wanted to go home and take a look, she had to have a home first.

    ¡°I...¡± Concubine Wen didn¡¯t expect that Consort Xuan would know about her family background. She was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t say anything for the moment.

    ¡°My Lady, the family that Concubine Wen wants to go is not her own family. She has an aunt here and has sent people to see her many times. She can be considered a rtive of her family. They haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. I heard from Concubine Wen that she was brought up by this aunt when she was young. So she has a different rtionship with her from others. When she heard that we wanted to go home to visit our family during Mid-Autumn Festival, she also wants to see her aunt.¡±

    Concubine Yun helped Concubine Wen out with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong turned to look at Concubine Yun with a faint smile. As expected, she saw the stunned expression on Concubine Yun¡¯s face. But then, Concubine Yun immediately put on a pleasing smile. ¡°Concubine Yun really knows Concubine Wen¡¯s parents¡¯ home very well. You even clearly know such a thing about her childhood.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that at first. But recently, I had nothing to do and talked about some family affairs with Concubine Wen. Then I knew that Concubine Wen has a rtive in the capital. In a few days, it will be Mid-Autumn Festival. We don¡¯t dare to go out on Mid-Autumn Festival, but as the festival ising, we miss our rtives very much. If we can send out some of our embroideries to our family, it will be a token of our yearning for them.¡±

    Since Mo Xuetong had seen through their intentions, Concubine Yun cut to the chase. She carefully exined their intentions. She knew that if she continued to beat around the bush, she would only annoy Mo Xuetong. She had thought that the reason why the young Consort Xuan was like a fish in water in King Xuan¡¯s Manor was all because of Feng Yuran¡¯s protection. However, after a few words, Concubine Yun felt that she had underestimated the young consort.

    Although there was a smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, the sharpness of her was no less than that of the old madam of an aristocratic family.

    In the beginning, she wanted to use the excuse to make Mo Xuetong dizzy so that they could get out of the manor. Now that she found that Mo Xuetong was very smart and not easy to fool, she immediately changed her strategy and pretended to miss her family sincerely.

    ¡°How long has Concubine Yun been in the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong did not answer Concubine Yun. Instead, she changed the topic calmly.

    Concubine Yun could not catch up with Mo Xuetong¡¯s thoughts at the moment. She paused for a moment, but immediately came to her senses and answered quickly, ¡°I, I... I have been in the manor for a year.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Concubine Yun was bestowed by the pce. You were given to His Highness by the pce as soon as he arrived in the capital?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a smile, her face full of curiosity.

    This was what Concubine Yun was most proud of. She sat up straighter as soon as she heard that.

    Although she was the daughter of a fifth-grade officer in the capital, she was also selected into the pce. Butter, she was not chosen by the Emperor and only became a little pce maid. She had heard that the current little Consort Xuan used to be just the daughter of a fifth-grade officer in the capital, and was as old as her. Now that she could be Consort Xuan, she was just lucky and beautiful.

    ¡°I was indeed given by the pce. When the imperial consort in the pce heard that His Highness came back, but there was no one in the manor to take care of him, so she gave me and some other girls to His Highness. At first, there were not many people in the manor, butter, there were more and more. At that time, His Highness was still like a child and often brought people to the manor.¡±

    Concubine Yun said, grinning. There was a hint of arrogance in her words and it sounded that she looked down on Mo Xuetong. She meant that she hade to the manor before Mo Xuetong did. In fact, she was one of King Xuan¡¯s first concubines and had a strong background. Before Consort Xuan married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, she sort of had a say in the manor. If so many things had not happenedter, with her background, that person had promised her to make her the second consort.

    ¡°How long had you been in the pce before you came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Concubine Yun? Where did you work before?¡± Mo Xuetong seemed as if she did not see the sharp arrogance that Concubine Yun had disyed just now. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

    ¡°I had been in the pce for three years. I worked in the Empress Dowager¡¯s Cining Pce. The Empress Dowager pitied His Highness, so she gave me to him.¡± Concubine Yun once again told Mo Xuetong where she came from in order to arouse Mo Xuetong¡¯s fear.

    Of course, Concubine Yun had a grudge. She did note to King Xuan¡¯s Manor to be a concubine. At the very least, she had to be a member of the royal family and got the position of the second consort. But she did not expect that she was still a concubine until now. How could Concubine Yun be willing to ept it?

    As such, she spontaneously expressed that she had been King Xuan¡¯s Manor longer than others and was also someone Feng Yuran trusted. Of course, her rtionship with Feng Yuran was not ordinary as well. She could not help but reveal a look of disdain and satisfaction on her face. Since she was a woman bestowed by the pce, coupled with the fact that she was one of King Xuan¡¯s first batch of women, her status in his heart must be irreceable.

    There were a total of four women who had been sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor then. However, she was the only one left. It was evident that King Xuan treated her differently.

    However, Mo Xuetong¡¯s next remark made her proud look freeze on her face.

    ¡°Oh, then when you were still in the pce, did you tell the Empress Dowager that you wanted to go out of the pce to meet your family, Concubine Yun?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s voice was still gentle and sweet. She tilted her head and asked casually.

    Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s deep eyes, Concubine Yun immediately felt cold all over. Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful eyes were sharp as she waited for her answer, and there was not a hint of smile on her face...

 Chapter 700 - Flying into a Rage, Concubine Qin Was out of Control

    <h4>Chapter 700 Flying into a Rage, Concubine Qin Was out of Control</h4>

    ¡°I... I...¡± Concubine Yun, who had been eloquent, stammered.

    To enter the pce was like living in the sea as they could not go back at will. Some pce maids would not leave for the rest of their lives once they walked into the pce. There was nothing to discuss about family affection. Not to mention a little pce maid, even the consorts in the pce were unable to go back home as they wanted.

    Many high-ranking consorts couldn¡¯t leave the pce in their whole lives. Who could say that this order was unreasonable? Who dared to say that...?

    ¡°Concubine Yun, are you ming me for not taking care of your family? So you came here together and asked me to allow you to go home so that you can reunite with your family? Do you need me to personally send gifts to your family to perform filial duty in your ce?¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at Concubine Yun and the others and asked indifferently. Her words made the few of them deeply ashamed and resentful.

    In the capital, no matter which manor it was, no one treated a concubine¡¯s family as their rtives, not to mention a prince¡¯s manor. A concubine¡¯s status was not as useful as that of apetent first maidservant here. Furthermore, they were not an official concubine in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Their status was simr to that of a servant in the manor.

    How could they want to go home at every festival?

    If this kind of thing got out, it would only be a joke. What was more, it would be a p in the face to ask the noble Consort Xuan to prepare gifts for them.

    This time, Concubine Yun blushed, and the arrogant Concubine Qin was ashamed and hateful. Originally, she did not expect to get permission. However, Concubine Yun persuaded them again and again. As Concubine Yun was bestowed by the pce, the other two thought that maybe Mo Xuetong would ede to their request. Unexpectedly, Mo Xuetong¡¯s words were like a direct p in their faces. Worse, they could not think of anything to say.

    They only felt that they hade today to humiliate themselves!

    ¡°My Lady, we, we just wanted to ask... We, we don¡¯t mean anything else. I don¡¯t dare to trouble you,¡± Concubine Yun stuttered with a hollow smile as she could finish her words.

    ¡°My Lady, sorry. Sister Yun was just asking. She... she didn¡¯t mean anything. Please don¡¯t be angry, My Lady. Please forgive us,¡± Concubine Wen also said in a trembling voice. She had been timid, and when she saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was stiff, she couldn¡¯t even speak clearly and kept apologizing.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything, but the sharpness in her eyes faded a little. However, there was still no smile on her face. Her gaze fell on Concubine Qin, which made thetter a little uneasy. Helpless, Concubine Qin said, ¡°My Lady, please forgive us. We just miss our family too much. We thought that you might understand us, so...¡±

    ¡°Concubine Qin, do you mean that I am not benevolent at all and do not understand how much you miss your family?¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted Concubine Qin impolitely, with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. This was the first time she had spoken so sharply in front of the other concubines.

    Originally, she did not care about the people in the back courtyard. But now, it seemed that these people knew how to test her. It could be seen that some things had already been done. Not wanting to beat around the bush with them at this point, Mo Xuetong went straight to the point.

    ¡°I... I¡¯m not...¡± Concubine Qin almost lost control because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s question. If Concubine Yun had not reached out to grab her, she would have lost her temper at that time. She was the legitimate daughter of a duke¡¯s manor and devoted herself to Feng Yuran. She even went back to her home to find her father for help. She did not expect to be embarrassed by Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, you mean that you didn¡¯t mean it. Then what do you mean? Did you take the rtives of the concubines in the duke¡¯s manor as decent rtives? You came here together to force me to allow you to visit your family. If I don¡¯t agree, it means that I am not understanding or kind! It¡¯s really funny.¡±

    Mo Xuetong did not intend to let Concubine Qin off the hook. A mocking smile appeared on her lip corners when she saw the raging anger in Concubine Qin¡¯s eyes.

    Her wordspletely angered Concubine Qin. Thetter stood up suddenly and pushed Concubine Yun away. She walked up to Mo Xuetong straightly and her eyes were almost burning with anger. ¡°What... what do you mean? How did Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor offend you to make you mock our manor like that?¡±

    ¡°Concubine Qin, I¡¯m not mocking your manor. I¡¯m just sighing. I heard that you used to be the legitimate daughter of Duke Wanping¡¯s manor. How did you get to this point? Although our manor¡¯s servants have a status when they go out, the concubine of the manor is much worse than the legitimate daughter of a duke¡¯s manor. I wonder why Concubine Qin was so unreasonable back then.¡±

    The look in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes did not change, but the expression on her face grew gentle. It was just that her words were still sharp. She waspletely different from how she used to be as gentle as water in front of others.

    Concubine Qin was so shocked that she could not even speak. Concubine Yun was so anxious that she also stood up and tried to pull Concubine Qin. At the same time, she begged Mo Xuetong for forgiveness.

    ¡°My Lady, please forgive her. Concubine Qin is so reckless because she misses her family too much. Please forgive her, My Lady.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Concubine Yun. She¡¯s just a concubine. At the most, I¡¯ll have to add a pair of chopsticks in the manor. I won¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled gently and raised her head slightly. Her disdain was obvious.

    After Concubine Qin heard Mo Xuetong¡¯s words and saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression, her face turned nched and livid. She had always been arrogant and felt that she had won Feng Yuran¡¯s heart. She was different from the others. As the legitimate daughter of Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor made her think highly of herself. Although she was now a concubine, in her heart, she always thought that it was only a matter of time before she became Consort Xuan.

    Now that she had been repeatedly humiliated by Mo Xuetong, she was already on the verge of an explosion. She pushed away Concubine Yun¡¯s hand forcefully. She did not care about what Concubine Yun had repeatedly told her on the way. She had always looked down on Mo Xuetong. She came here because Concubine Yun had tried to persuade her several times.

    Furthermore, Concubine Yun promised that she did not need to say anything and that she just needed to listen by the side. Then, the three of them would be able to return to their own homes. The seemingly weak little Consort Xuan would be nothing without King Xuan¡¯s protection. They had only spoken to Mo Xuetong a few times and had not truly known how capable Mo Xuetong was.

    Concubine Qin hade here after she got Concubine Yun¡¯s promise. Now that she was angry, she could not care less about Concubine Yun and rushed to Mo Xuetong angrily.

    Mo Yu, who stood behind Mo Xuetong, stepped forward and blocked Concubine Qin¡¯s way. She said coldly, ¡°Concubine Qin, please take note of your identity!¡±

    Standing behind Mo Xuetong, she had had long since been disgusted with Concubine Qin. She was just a concubine, but she dared to rush in front of Consort Xuan. Mo Ye had heard about what happened in the back courtyard and learned that Concubine Qin thought that she was the legitimate daughter of a duke¡¯s manor and thus she had been proud and looked down on others. She was also very picky about the servants in King Xuan¡¯s Manor, as if she was the mistress, Consort Xuan. It was very annoying.

    At this time, seeing that she dared to rush over and confront Mo Xuetong, Mo Yu couldn¡¯t stand it.

    Concubine Qin wanted to rush up and argue with Mo Xuetong. Now that she was stopped by a lowly maidservant, she only felt mad. All her anger, which was caused by Mo Xuetong, rushed up now. Regardless of the identity of Mo Yu as Mo Xuetong¡¯s close maidservant, she only felt that as she, a lowly maidservant, dared to humiliate her, she really wished to die.

    She raised her hand and pped on Mo Yu¡¯s face viciously while scolding angrily, ¡°Get out of my way, you lowly maidservant. I am talking to Mo Xuetong. You lowly maidservant, how dare you stop me!¡±

    However, before her handnded on Mo Yu¡¯s face, someone had already caught her. Before she could see who it was, she had already been pped on the face. ¡°Concubine Qin, please figure out your identity. The one standing in front of you is Her Lady, but you are just a lowly concubine. How dare you, a lowly concubine, directly offend Her Lady? You really act recklessly and blindly.¡±

    Her words were sharp and vicious. Coupled with the p on her right cheek and the pain she felt, Concubine Qin stumbled and turned around to see the angry Mo Lan. This was Mo Xuetong¡¯s personal maidservant, so she knew her. There was a sharp look on the maidservant¡¯s gentle face and a deep warning in her voice.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, this is Her Lady. No matter who you used to be, you are a member of King Xuan¡¯s Manor once you enter the manor. If Her Lady wants you to do something, you can only do it. Even if she wants to kill you, Duke Wanping can¡¯t say anything about it.¡±

    Her words were like a basin of ice water, which made Concubine Qin feel cold almost from her heart to the soles of her feet!

    A concubine, she was a concubine now! Just a concubine!

    Once she went out of the manor and met her father, thetter had repeatedly warned her. Now her father¡¯s words came back to her eerily. Her lips trembled subconsciously. She was stunned and stood where she was, supported by Concubine Wen. She did not know what to do next.

    ¡°Concubine Qin, believe it or not. Even if I kill you now, no one dares to say anything.¡± When Mo Xuetong said this, she looked sharply at the three concubines present. The three of them were immediately frightened by the powerful aura she exuded. For a moment, no one dared to step forward and argue.

    Concubine Yun was the first to react when she saw the cold expression on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. She released Concubine Qin and kept apologizing, ¡°My Lady, sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Concubine Qin only misses her family too much. That¡¯s why she said those words... My Lady, please forgive her on ount that it¡¯s her first offense.¡±

    Mo Xuetong looked at Concubine Qin, who appeared defiant but had to endure it, as a faint smile appeared on her lip corners. She had to endure it. It was really hard to endure, especially for a youngdy like Concubine Qin, who had grown up as a legitimate daughter. She had never really been bullied like this.

    It seemed that she would vent her anger on Concubine Yun, who had dragged her here by force. Without Concubine Qin as a shield, how could Concubine Yun use the arrogantdy of Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor?

    However, given Concubine Yun was in such a hurry to take Concubine Qin here today, were they going to take action? Coincidentally, Auntie Qing was going to see the old maidservant of King Ning¡¯s Manor tomorrow, wasn¡¯t she? Then, Mo Xuetong would deal with them together.

    Anyway, it made no difference to see one or two people. The Empress Dowager behind King Ning¡¯s Manor was going to make a move, and Imperial Noble Consort Wen behind the Sixth Princess was also a vicious person. If the two were to confront each other, who knew who was more powerful...

 Chapter 701 - Concubine Yun Takes the Risk to Go out

    <h4>Chapter 701 Concubine Yun Takes the Risk to Go out</h4>

    It was very lively on the street. From time to time, one could see the carriages passing by slowly. It was the time of crisp autumn. Most of the carriages had gauze curtains hanging on them. The doors were opened in front and the window curtains were slightly lifted up. People outside could asionally see the half-covered image of a beauty in the carriage. The figure was vague, but had an unusual charm.

    The horse carriage of King Xuan¡¯s Manor came in and out from the side door. The side door was close to the back courtyard, but it still belonged to the front yard. It was normal for the horse carriage toe in and out. When the carriage reached the side door, a maidservant got out and took out a token. The old maidservant in charge took the token and looked at it carefully. Then, she tilted her head and looked into the carriage while asking curiously.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er, where is Concubine Yun going? Why does she have time to go out today?¡±

    ¡°Custodian Han, you¡¯ve made a mistake. It¡¯s not Concubine Yun. It¡¯s me who wants to go out. Concubine Yun is not in good health and needs to take medicine from time to time. This is a token given by His Highness. Do you not allow me to go out?¡± Hong¡¯er put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and said disdainfully.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er, I don¡¯t have such great power. It¡¯s rare to see a token given by His Highness, so I asked you the question. Miss Hong¡¯er, please forgive me, an old woman, for being ignorant.¡± Custodian Han seemed to have a good tongue. She put away the token in her hand, bowed her head, and said with a smile.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t talk to you anymore. I have to go to the pharmacy for our concubine. Give the token back to me!¡± Hong¡¯er stretched out her hand and said proudly. Concubine Yun was one of the first batch of concubines who were sent to the manor, and she was from the pce, so she had been very popr for about one month in the back courtyard. Hong¡¯er was her personal maidservant, and was also brought from the pce. She naturally looked down on a lowly old maidservant who guarded the side door of the manor.

    ¡°Oh, Miss Hong¡¯er, I can¡¯t give it back to you. I¡¯ll keep it for you.¡± Custodian Han smiled.

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me that you won¡¯t allow me to go out today?¡± There was already some anger on Hong¡¯er¡¯s face, as she straightened her eyebrow and raised her eyes.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Miss Hong¡¯er? How dare I not allow you to go out? Miss Hong¡¯er, you haven¡¯t gone out recently, so you don¡¯t know that King Xuan¡¯s Manor has changed the rules. Her Lady has ordered that those who go out must show the token. Of course, you naturally have it.¡± Seeing that Hong¡¯er was about to lose her temper, the smile on Custodian Han¡¯s face became bigger. ¡°After seeing the token, I have to keep it.¡±

    The management of King Xuan¡¯s Manor¡¯s back courtyard had been veryx previously. It was quite convenient to enter and exit. There was no need for one to enter or exit the side door of the front courtyard. Concubine Yun often left secretly and it did not need to inform anyone. However, it was different now. Since something like that had happened at the back door, Feng Yuran had closed the door. The closest door for Concubine Yun to enter and exit was the side door that was close to the back courtyard.

    It was normal for the entire King Xuan¡¯s Manor to be under strict rules since the concubines in the back courtyard had behaved improperly, which caused something bad to happen.

    The concubines in the back courtyard had sneaked out from the closed door before, but now no one could walk through it. This was also the reason why Concubine Yun had to encourage Concubine Qin and Concubine Wen to ask Mo Xuetong to allow them to leave using Mid-Autumn Festival as an excuse. However, they did not expect that not only did they not make Mo Xuetong soft-hearted to let them go out of the manor, but Mo Xuetong also had argued with Concubine Qin.

    Thinking that she had lost face and had been humiliated, Concubine Qin vented all her anger on Concubine Yun. When she went back, she directly smashed the door. No matter how hard Concubine Yun knocked on the door, there was no answer. Concubine Yun was so anxious that the corners of her mouth were blistered. She really wanted to go out because she had something to do. Otherwise, she would not have offended Mo Xuetong at this time.

    As for Concubine Wen, she had no temper and was gentle all day long, just like her surname¡¯s meaning. This time, she went to see Mo Xuetong with Concubine Yun and Concubine Qin because both of them had gone there, and if she refused to go with them, she would be a bit of a loner. At this time, when she saw that Concubine Yun and Concubine Qin didn¡¯t get along with each other, she had already shut the door timidly and didn¡¯t dare to make a sound.

    She was really a person whom Concubine Yun couldn¡¯t count on!

    It was impossible to expect her to make trouble for Mo Xuetong!

    Concubine Yun had not slept well all night. She had intended to take Concubine Qin as a scapegoat. This time, Concubine Qin was unwilling to see her. Even though she wanted to pick Concubine Qin against Mo Xuetong, she could not do it. After being snapped and suppressed by Mo Xuetong, Concubine Qin felt ashamed and angry. She vented all her anger on Concubine Yun.

    Concubine Yun had no choice but to take out the token that she had hidden secretly in the past. It was supposed to be for a rainy day. She had thought that it was not a big deal to ask a maidservant to go out secretly. The old maidservant guarding the door would not report such a small matter to Mo Xuetong.

    If she could go out in such an open and aboveboard manner, and Mo Xuetong did not know about it, it could be said that she had done it without attracting attention.

    However, she didn¡¯t expect that the old maidservant guarding the door would keep this token, which shocked Concubine Yun who was dressed as a maidservant in the carriage.

    Once the token was handed to Mo Xuetong, the fact that Concubine Yun had sent someone out of the manor would be exposed!

    In the past, she only needed to show the token when she was going to leave the manor, and the token would not be taken away. Could it be that she had not gone out for a long time and the rules had been changed a long time ago without her knowing? Concubine Yun became restless in the carriage and listened to what the two servants outside were talking about.

    ¡°Custodian Han, how can Ie in after you have taken the token away? Don¡¯t tell me that you won¡¯t allow me to enter the manorter.¡± Hong¡¯er was eloquent. At this time, she put on a long face and pretended to be angry while questioning the old maidservant.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er, don¡¯t say that. After I took away your token, I¡¯ll give you a going-out token. Later, you can just give me the token when youe back,¡± Custodian Han said, beaming. She reached out to take out a piece of bamboo from her arms, on which was written ¡°Going out¡±.

    ¡°Hey, Custodian Han, are you bullying our concubine? Why did you exchange our token for a going-out token? Is this the equivalent of our token?¡± Hong¡¯er was furious.

    In charge of the back courtyard, the concubines used the token when they ordered each supervisor to do something. What a token was used for would be recorded. It could be said that the servants received orders because of the token instead of the one who ordered. Those who held the token could exert great power in the back courtyard, so an ordinary going-out token could notpete with this token at all.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er, aren¡¯t you going out? Is there something important?¡± Custodian Han blinked her eyes and asked in confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m going out today to get medicine for Concubine Yun. Isn¡¯t this something important?¡± Hong¡¯er replied with a sharp tongue.

    ¡°Yes, of course, this is an important thing. So when you want to go out, you need a ¡®going-out¡¯ token. What¡¯s wrong with trading your token for a going-out token? Isn¡¯t your purpose to go out of the manor?¡± Custodian Han asked with a smile, but she came to the same result and was imcable.

    Her words were so roundabout that Hong¡¯er was a little dizzy. Although she was smart, she felt that what Custodian Han said made sense. She knew that this token was important to her mistress, but she could not find a reason to ask for it back at the moment. She became so anxious that there was a lot of sweat on her head.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er, I¡¯m not ming you. But since Concubine Yun is not feeling well now, Miss Hong¡¯er, you¡¯d better go and get the medicine first. Exchange your token for a ¡®going-out¡¯ token. This is the rule in the manor now. Concubine Yun won¡¯t suffer any losses.¡± Custodian Han smiled and put the ¡®going-out¡¯ token in her hand into Hong¡¯er¡¯s hand.

    Looking at the attentive and warm smile on Custodian Han¡¯s face, Hong¡¯er was angry and anxious. Suddenly, she had an idea. She put her hands on her hips and said angrily to Custodian Han.

    ¡°Custodian Han, now that you say that, I won¡¯t go out. I won¡¯t go out today, and I¡¯ll ask His Highness¡¯s guard to bring some medicine for Concubine Yun in a while, so that I won¡¯t have toe here.¡±

    It was easy for Feng Yuran¡¯s guards to enter and leave King Xuan¡¯s Manor. This also meant that Feng Yuran¡¯s guards had a high status in the manor and were Feng Yuran¡¯s trusted subordinates. How would other servants in King Xuan¡¯s Manor dare to offend the people around Feng Yuran? As such, when she heard Hong¡¯er¡¯s words, Custodian Han started to hesitate.

    ¡°Miss Hong¡¯er... which one of His Highness¡¯s guards do you know?¡±

    ¡°His Highness has always been very nice to our concubine. Hees to our concubine¡¯s room to visit her when he is free. Of course, I am familiar with the guard beside His Highness, Feng Yue. I didn¡¯t go out thest few times because I asked Feng Yue to bring the medicine for me. But it¡¯s not good to trouble him all the time. This time, Concubine Yun asked me to take out His Highness¡¯s token, but I didn¡¯t expect that you would dare to keep the token.¡±

    Seeing that Custodian Han was a little weak, Hong¡¯er immediately became belligerent. She pointed at Custodian Han and grew more arrogant.

    ¡°It¡¯s... Don¡¯t be angry, Miss Hong¡¯er. I just listened to Her Lady¡¯s arrangement!¡± Noticing that Hong¡¯er was angry, Custodian Han quickly smiled obsequiously.

    ¡°If Her Lady grows angry, it¡¯s because of you. Did Her Lady ask you to keep Concubine Yun¡¯s token?¡±

    ¡°No... no!¡± How could Consort Xuan say such targeted words? Custodian Han stammered. They had been talking for a long time, and a few old maidservants standing not far away all looked over. And two of them seemed to being.

    Concubine Yun, who was in the carriage, could not help but be anxious. She had intended to sneak out. If someone came over, pulled up the curtain and saw her in it, it would be terrible!

    She knocked on the carriage with her hand, indicating Hong¡¯er to hurry up!

    ¡°Since Her Lady hasn¡¯t said it, then you can¡¯t keep the token. Her Lady uses the rule to manage you unruly servants. Our concubine is not a servant. Besides, the token was given by His Highness. Since our concubine got it from His Highness, she will naturally return it to His Highness. Otherwise, if His Highnesses to our concubine¡¯s houseter, what should our concubine return to His Highness?¡±

    A good idea urred to Hong¡¯er¡¯s mind at the crucial moment. The more she spoke, the more fluent she became. She pointed at Custodian Han and sputtered.

    She was also anxious at this point. Just now, Concubine Yun knocked on the carriage, and then she noticed a few old maidservants seemed to being. If they made a big deal out of this matter, and Consort Xuan and King Xuan knew about it, they would be in big trouble.

    Seeing that Custodian Han was a little confused by her scolding, she stepped forward and grabbed the token from her hand. Then she turned around, walked to her own carriage and shouted angrily, ¡°Open the door now. If you dy concubine¡¯s treatment, you¡¯ll be beaten.¡±

    At this point, Custodian Han didn¡¯t dare to stop her. Since the token was given to Concubine Yun by King Xuan himself, and Concubine Yun would give it back to himter, Custodian Han didn¡¯t have the courage to keep it. She could only open the door with a bitter face. Watching the carriage leaving through the side door, she didn¡¯t dare to say anything more.

    Everyone in King Xuan¡¯s Manor knew that Concubine Yun hade from the pce!

    There were so many beautiful concubines in the manor in the past, but now there were only three concubines left. It could be seen that Concubine Yun was favored, so Custodian Han did not dare to offend her.

    ¡°My Lady, Concubine Yun has indeed gone out!¡± On the tall building, Mo Yu opened her eyes wide and said to Mo Xuetong with admiration.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go out as well!¡± Mo Xuetong raised her watery eyes and smiled slightly. Then she lifted her long dress, held on to Mo Lan and went downstairs.

    It was good that she left a littleter than Concubine Yun did!

 Chapter 702 - The Cautious Nanny Qing

    <h4>Chapter 702 The Cautious Nanny Qing</h4>

    Mo Xuetong came out just in time. She boarded an inconspicuous horse carriage that had been parked by the side earlier. Then, her carriage went in the same direction as Concubine Yun¡¯s carriage. The ordinary horse carriage that was painted with oil was not eye-catching at all, and looked exactly the same as the other horse carriages on the streets. Without a powerful family¡¯s sign, no one knew that noble Consort Xuan was sitting inside.

    Of course, Concubine Yun was also in the simr carriage today!

    Concubine Yun¡¯s horse carriage ran into another horse carriage on the streets. When the two horse carriages passed by each other, Mo Ye could see clearly from where she was sitting that the two people inside were taking a look at each other. Concubine Yun, who was dressed as a maidservant, looked happy and waved at the person in the other horse carriage.

    The people in the carriage did not ask her carriage to stop. She seemed to only say something to Concubine Yun before the two carriages separated and headed in the opposite direction.

    ¡°My Lady, which carriage shall we keep an eye on now?¡± Mo Ye asked anxiously when she saw that the two horse carriages parted ways.

    ¡°Keep an eye on the carriage of King Ning¡¯s Manor ording to the original n.¡± Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and looked up deeply at the carriage passing by her own carriage. There was an old maidservant sitting in the carriage, and Mo Xuetong could not see her clearly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mo Ye nodded and understood.

    It was unforeseen to see Concubine Yun outside the Mo Manor. Since it was unforeseen, it was not proper for them to change their previous n. Mo Ye was a secret guard, so she naturally knew that changing their n in a hurry would not benefit them. Moreover, it would cause them to be in a flurry. Just now, she was flustered because of the appearance of more than one enemy.

    As she thought that as a secret guard who had been groomed in this aspect since she was young, her performance was inferior to that of Mo Xuetong who was younger than her and looked even weaker, she admired Mo Xuetong even more. Her expression grew even more respectful to Mo Xuetong. The things that Consort Xuan had done had all been considered carefully. By contrast, she appeared a little more impetuous.

    The carriage turned around lightly and naturally and slowly followed the carriage ahead, along the road they hade from. The carriage ahead slowed down several times, and their carriage still moved forward slowly and steadily. Only then did the people in the carriage from King Ning¡¯s Manor remove their doubts and get back on track.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage stopped at Fragrance House. Mo Lan put a curtained hat on her head and a little maidservant helped her off the horse carriage. The coachman stood by the side, curtsied respectfully, and then still waited by the horse carriage!

    Mo Xuetong entered the shop naturally. As the shop had already received the message, the waiter who was waiting there hurried over happily when he saw Mo Xuetonging. ¡°Wee, madam, have you made a reservation? If you haven¡¯t, we still have private rooms upstairs. There are only a few rooms left.¡±

    ¡°Our madam has already made a reservation,¡± the maidservant replied cleverly.

    ¡°Madam, pleasee upstairs.¡± The waiter put a towel on his shoulder and quickly led Mo Xuetong upstairs with a smile.

    The carriage of King Ning¡¯s Manor also arrived. The person in the carriage saw that the carriage stopped in front of them, and that a madam came down with only a little maidservant. As the madam was dressed in bright clothes, her clothes were not gorgeous. She should be the madam of an ordinary family instead of a big shot. Nanny Qing, who was sitting in the carriage, breathed a sigh of relief.

    Originally, she suspected that the person in the carriage was deliberately keeping an eye on her, so she asked the carriage to slow down. To her surprise, the person in the carriage really came to Fragrance House for dinner as well, so she was half at ease.

    Fragrance House was a restaurant, so it was normal for people toe here for dinner.

    She hade out personally today because she was indeed a little anxious. Therefore, she had made a trip personally as soon as she received a letter from Auntie Qing. However, she had always been careful. Even though there was nothing unusual about Mo Xuetong¡¯s horse carriage, she felt uneasy when she saw that the horse carriage had been following behind hers.

    As such, she grew more and more careful. She only rxed when she saw that Mo Xuetong walked into the restaurant with the help of her maidservant and heard that she had already booked a private room. Then, she got off the horse carriage and led her two maidservants into the restaurant.

    A waiter had alreadye over and asked her the same questions politely. Then he also took her upstairs to a private room. They had already booked a room as well.

    After entering the room, Nanny Qing sat down and frowned uneasily. Somehow, she always felt uneasy today.

    It was a wonderful surprise for her to meet Concubine Yun of King Xuan¡¯s Manor earlier on the way. But now, she was a little flustered, as if something was about to happen.

    Concubine Yun used to work in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce, so Nanny Qing naturally knew her. Not only did she know Concubine Yun, but Concubine Yun had also asked Nanny Qing to report to the pce about what had happened in the past. Concubine Yun used to stir up trouble in the back courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Even Consort Yu in the pce had once used this way to send her subordinate, Concubine Xiang, to King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    Consort Yu stood on King Ning¡¯s side at that time, and she was pregnant with his child. Therefore, it was easy for her to ask the Empress Dowager to arrange for her people to enter King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Everything about Concubine Xiang was carried out under Consort Yu¡¯s order. However, unexpectedly, she made a fool of herself in the end. At that time, the Empress Dowager was pushing the boat with the current as she wanted to see what Consort Yu would do.

    If things went well, it would only benefit her, so she had asked Concubine Yun to cooperate secretly.

    However, so many things happened in King Xuan¡¯s Manorter, and the whole manor was tightly guarded. There was no way for Concubine Yun toe out. This time, she pretended to be a maidservant toe out. There must be something wrong. How could Nanny Qing not worry about it? The Empress Dowager was also very anxious. The marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom almost went wrong. How could the Empress Dowager not be annoyed?

    There couldn¡¯t be any more mistakes on King Ning¡¯s side.

    ¡°Nanny, the concubine of the Mo Manor did note, and she only asked a servant to send a letter.¡± A maidservant pushed the door open and entered. Then she curtsied respectfully to Nanny Qing and took out a letter from her arms.

    These maidservants were all Nanny Qing¡¯s confidant. She trusted them, and that was why she brought them here.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t shee?¡± There was a hint of anger in the corners of Nanny Qing¡¯s eyes. She hade out with much difficulty. She wanted to talk to Auntie Qing in person, ask about the details of what had happened in the Mo Manor, and see if there was negligence. She had heard that Consort Xuan was not an ordinary person.

    She was not as weak and helpless as she looked.

    From the fact that she had forced her father¡¯s concubine and her sister to reveal their true colors soon after she arrived in the capital. Consort Xuan was definitely not simple despite her young age.

    ¡°The old maidservant sent by the Mo Manor said that Auntie Qing was about to leave when she ran into the Old Sir of the Mo Manor. She could not leave for a while. However, she was afraid that Nanny would be waiting for her. As such, she sent a letter. Please read it, Nanny.¡± The maidservant handed the letter to her.

    ¡°Have you seen that old maidservant before?¡± Nanny Qing did not take it, but asked with a sh in the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°We have taken a look at her. It¡¯s the old maidservant that Auntie Qing has always brought with her. In the past, when Auntie Qing came here, she brought this old maidservant with her. There were a few times when she stood guard at the door. She should be Auntie Qing¡¯s confidant.¡± the maidservant answered respectfully. She had seen that old maidservant more than once. Every time, Auntie Qing seemed to trust her very much.

    Therefore, the maidservant did not doubt the letter sent by the old maidservant this time.

    Nanny Qing thought for a while and did not take the letter. Instead, she stood up and walked to the window. When she looked out from her position, she happened to see the door and saw another carriage beside hers. There was no sign on the carriage and the coachman was sitting in the front and chatting with several other coachmen beside him.

    Everything seemed normal, and there were no conspicuous people or carriages behind them.

    It seemed that she had thought too much. The older she was, the less daring she would be! Nanny Qing could not helpughing and shook her head slightly. She had not been the one who met and talked to Auntie Qing before. It was unexpected that she was not be able to see her niece when she came in person this time.

    She sat down at the table again and opened the envelope. When she saw the familiar writing, thest trace of suspicion in Nanny Qing¡¯s mind was eliminated.

    Auntie Qing knew how to write. Her writing was neither very good nor bad. When it was inconvenient for her toe out before, she had sent letters. Nanny Qing was familiar with her writing.

    The content of the letter was very simple. Auntie Qing only said that most of the things had been done and that those things were all ced in Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden. She asked Nanny Qing to rest assured as these things were all kept secret and only she and Mo Yufeng knew about them. Nanny Qing waspletely relieved this time.

    Then she read the letter carefully. After reading it, a faint smile appeared on her face. She did not expect that her niece was also a smart person. She had such a perfect n. It seemed that she did not need to give her any advice. This was good. If her niece was of great use, she would rmend her to the Empress Dowager in the future.

    Then the glory and wealth of this life would also be endless.

    Nanny Qing nodded and said, ¡°Go and tell the old maidservant that everything should be done ording to what Auntie Qing has nned. Ask Auntie Qing to be careful and not expose herself. The thing that His Highness promised her before will definitely be realized.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go right away.¡± The maid nodded knowingly and was going to leave.

    ¡°Wait. See if Concubine Yun hase over. If shees over, bring her in.¡± She was relieved of all about the Mo Manor. But since Concubine Yun hade out in disguise and met her, she could not ignore her. If King Xuan¡¯s Manor could be controlled, it would be of great benefit to King Ning.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll go and guard outside now.¡± The maidservant nodded and left.

    Since there were no outsiders here and Auntie Qing would note, Nanny Qing did not need to act in a sneaky way. After sending people from the Mo Manor away, the maidservant asked the waiter to serve some dishes and ordered a pot of wine. At this time, Concubine Yun hadn¡¯te yet, and Nanny Qing began to drink alone.

    The dishes in Fragrance House were wonderful in the capital city. Nanny Qing liked it very much. It was rare for her toe out, so she naturally wanted to have a good meal.

    The dishes were served very quickly. After a while, most of the dishes that Nanny Qing ordered had been served. Because Nanny Qing¡¯s maidservants urged the waiter with a few more words and even rushed to the kitchen to ask the chef to cook for them first, the chef made their dishes first and thus the food was served with extraordinary speed.

    As it was fast for them, it would be slow for the other private rooms. It would not be a big deal if others didn¡¯t know about it, but when the two maidservants came back with a smile, they proudly said that they had gone to the kitchen and asked the chef to make their dishes first.

    Of course, she deliberately expressed that her nanny¡¯s status was noble and that they surely couldn¡¯t treat her like an ordinary guest. How could those ordinary customers be on the same level as her nanny?

    Some people were unhappy with her words, especially when they saw that there was no dish in their private room yet, and that all kinds of hot dishes were quickly served in the private room on the side. The two maidservants who guarded the door couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and said coldly.

    Each of them thought that their own mistress had a high status. Besides, the two maidservants were bent on pleasing their mistress who had been moody. When they saw a blow of dish that they had also ordered to the private room on the side, and their mistress was about to get angry inside, a maidservant couldn¡¯t helping over, grabbed the tray in the waiter¡¯s hand, and scolded angrily.

    ¡°It¡¯s our dish. Don¡¯t you have eyes? Where are you going?¡±

 Chapter 703 - A Dispute, the Teacup That Fell on Her

    <h4>Chapter 703 A Dispute, the Teacup That Fell on Her</h4>

    The dishes were originally ordered by this private room. The waiter took a look at the room number and nodded with certainty. It was right here. Another waiter who came out just now repeatedly told him not to send the wrong ce. How could he be wrong?

    ¡°It¡¯s here. That¡¯s right!¡± the waiter said in a daze.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This is the dish we ordered. We¡¯ve been here for a long time. How is it possible that there isn¡¯t any food for us yet?¡± The pce maid, dressed in a maidservant costume, was angry. Her finger almost touched the waiter¡¯s face as she pointed to her. Her mistress had been moody recently. Many people in her pce had been thrown into the Flower Hall. She did not want to be the next one.

    She must take this dish!

    After that, she did not intend to say anything more to the waiter. She reached out to take the tray and was ready to serve the dishes on her own. As for the two maidservants standing at the door, she did not take them seriously at all. Of course, she would not pay too much attention to them.

    The waiter did not expect that she would move so fast, and the tray in his hand was immediately taken by the pce maid.

    ¡°Hey, what are you talking about? This is our dish. Why did you take it?¡± The two maidservants did not show weakness. Who was their mistress? The trusted subordinate of the Empress Dowager in the pce. Even King Ning was polite when he saw their mistress. When was it someone else¡¯s turn to patronize them?

    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for so long, but we haven¡¯t even been served a dish yet. You werete, but you¡¯ve gotten dishes. Is this dish not ours?¡± The pce maid pushed away the hand in front of her and came to the Sixth Princess¡¯s private room. First of all, she had to appease the Sixth Princess¡¯s mood.

    ¡°What do you mean by you¡¯ve been here for so long, but you didn¡¯t even been served a dish? That¡¯s because you don¡¯t have the ability. Don¡¯t you know where it is? Is it a ce where you can behave wildly?¡± The maidservant was angry. No one had ever been so shameless to them. Seeing that they were dressed ordinary and didn¡¯t take them seriously, she sneered.

    ¡°You must be from a poor, humble family. How dare you be so arrogant in front of us? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person you are?¡± the other maidservant also mocked, sharp-tongued.

    The Sixth Princess had been involved in too many things, and she could not go out of the pce at all. Therefore, she came out secretly and kept a low profile. The pce maids were dressed as the mostmon maidservant, which was much worse than the two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor. Therefore, the two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor looked at the two pce maids with disdain.

    The two pce maids really did not want to have a conflict with them, but they had to take the dishes. The Sixth Princess, who was in the private room, was in a bad mood. Unwilling to talk nonsense with the two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor, the pce maid, who held the tray, reached out again and pushed away the maidservant¡¯s hand, ignored them and walked to their own private room.

    When the maidservant of King Ning¡¯s Manor saw that the two of them ignored her and left with the dishes, she did not want to rest. She reached out to pull the sleeves of the pce maid who was holding the tray. She did not use much strength at first as she just wanted to pull the tray from the pce maid¡¯s hands so that she could take the opportunity to take it over.

    However, she seemed to have used too much force as the pce maid swayed because of the pull and couldn¡¯t hold the tray in her hand. While the tray fell to the side, the waiter standing aside was quick-witted and immediately stepped back a few steps, but the two maidservants standing next to her were not so lucky.

    Arge bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs, together with the red sauce, was poured on them.

    The maidservant beside her was a little luckier. Only her cuff was stained with the dishes. The other maidservant, who was tugging at the pce maid¡¯s sleeve, was not so lucky. Therge bowl of pork ribs fell on her chest. The juice was dripping down, mixed with the strong smell of vinegar, which made her smell sour.

    It was extremely unpleasant to smell!

    ¡°You, you dare to ssh the dish on me?¡± The maidservant, who was covered with the dish, suddenly got angry. She picked up the tray and threw it hard at the pce maid, along with the remaining sauce.

    Looking at the huge bowling at her, the pce maid only had time to lean back. Unexpectedly, the slip of her foot made her lose her footing. She fell to the ground with a plop. There was the sauce that had just fallen on the ground and it stained her whole body.

    Then the bowl hit the door frame with a crash. Even the ajar door was smashed half open. The people outside saw the person sitting inside. The Sixth Princess was picking up her veil. Halfway through, she suddenly heard the sound at the door. She turned her head subconsciously. Her eyes were beautiful, but now only one was visible, and it held a vicious and sinister look in it.

    The other one was wrapped in thick gauze.

    Hearing the voice, she hurriedly lifted the veil in her hands and put it back on her face. Across the veil, the two pce maids still felt a chill from the heart.

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s face and eye were injured. What she hated the most was others seeing her face. Even in the pce, there was only one person who applied medicine to her wound. If others identally saw her current appearance, they would die. The pce maid was thrown into the Flower Hall yesterday because she identally saw the Sixth Princess applying medicine to the wound.

    The two pce maids only felt cold all over and then began to tremble.

    ¡°Your... please spare my life, Miss!¡± The other pce maid didn¡¯t have time to argue with the two maidservants as she couldn¡¯t stand any longer. She knelt down, and pleaded with the Sixth Princess.

    The two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor were standing beside the two pce maids, so they also saw what the two pce maids had seen. They curiously looked inside and saw the Sixth Princess¡¯s face wrapped in thick bandages. Although they didn¡¯t see her face clearly, they could clearly tell that she was not a beautiful person.

    Ady had her eye hurt!

    From the way she looked, she was badly hurt. There was a faint trace of blood on her snow-white bandage. The two maidservants were instantly delighted.

    ¡°Oh, look, like master, like servants. These two maidservants took our dish rudely. Your mistress bes like this because she had fought for a man, hadn¡¯t she? Well, since she has such an appearance, no one dares to marry her. She must fail in the fight. If I were a man, I wouldn¡¯t want such a ferocious woman. Look at her face, it¡¯s disgusting!¡±

    This dish was originally theirs. The two maidservants robbed them of their food and ended up spilling sauce all over them. The two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor did not want to suffer losses, so they did not want to stop. They put their hands on their hips, pointed at the Sixth Princess andughed at her loudly.

    There was so much noise on their side that someone had already heard it. They came over to have a look. Although some people did not see the specific situation in the private room clearly, they were curious about who was sitting inside when they saw the two pce maids¡¯ frightened look and how the two maidservants scolded arrogantly.

    Some people craned their heads and looked inside.

    Fighting for a man? The Sixth Princess was so angry that she was trembling. She grabbed the teacup on the table and was about to throw it out. Her eye and face were hurt just because of You Yuecheng.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say anything? It seems that I¡¯m right. Miss, let me give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯te out to scare him with your appearance. I don¡¯t know what the person you like looks like. But if he sees you like that, he would rather not be born. He¡¯ll be scared and run away!¡±

    The maidservant wiped the sauce on her body with a handkerchief in disgust and continued to ridicule the Sixth Princess.

    Her heart ached when she saw that her clothes made of satin were ruined just like that. Her words became more and more unpleasant to listen to. She nced sideways at the Sixth Princess with disdain on her face, as if the Sixth Princess was a stinky bug in the ditch, which was hated by everyone.

    The Sixth Princess had never been bullied or scolded like this. Furthermore, these people were the servants she despised the most. When she looked at those who were curiously looking inside, she could no longer control the anger in her heart. She grabbed the teacup in her hand and threw it outside. She was a noble princess and had the noble royal blood in her veins. When had she been scolded to such an extent?

    Nanny Qing also heard the noise outside. The quarreling sounds rose and fell. It was obviously her two maidservants. She could not help feeling a little unhappy. She had been keeping a low profile when she went out of the manor. She had met someone secretly and asked about the situation. How could she want to let others know?

    She was already unhappy when she heard that her maidservants were arguing with others. Then she was even more displeased as no one hade in to report to her even though the argument outside hadst for a while.

    After waiting for a while, she couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so she opened the door and came out to see what was going on outside.

    As soon as she opened the door, she was shocked when she saw the two maidservants in a sorry state. Looking at so many people around, she frowned. She was a steady person, so of course, she would not quarrel with others. Besides, there were so many people here, and it was not suitable for her to say anything more. No matter what happened, Nanny Qing only wanted to keep a low profile.

    She took two steps forward and wanted the two maidservants to shut up!

    ¡°What happened? Shut up!¡± she shouted to stop them.

    However, before she could finish her words, she saw that the two maidservants in front of her widened their eyes in shock and looked behind her. What was behind her that startled them? Nanny Qing did not figure it out. When she was about to speak again, suddenly, something hit her hard on the back. Then, a burst of pain rushed to her head. Even a calm person like Nanny Qing could not help crying out in pain.

    Nanny Qing could no longer stand up and fell forward. At this time, the two maidservants had found that something was wrong and scrambled to hold her.

    ¡°What... what¡¯s going on?¡± Nanny Qing was so painful that she couldn¡¯t even speak clearly. She just felt that her back seemed to be burned, and she couldn¡¯t even stand up because of the pain.

    ¡°Nanny, that ugly b*tch smashed you with a cup. There was still hot water inside. Nanny, your back has been burned.¡± A maidservant cleverly turned to her back and immediately screamed.

    As soon as she saw the steaming back, she knew that Nanny Qing was seriously injured.

    Nanny Qing was in so much pain that she could not even speak. She had followed the Empress Dowager into the pce since she was a child. It had always been smooth-sailing and the Empress Dowager valued her. King Ning treated her even better when she came to his manorter. She had never suffered such pain before. She only felt pain all over her body and could not even lift her head. She felt so weak that she was about to faint.

    ¡°Don¡¯t... don¡¯t quarrel...¡± Her intention was to ask people not to quarrel to prevent them from making any big trouble. But the problem was that she couldn¡¯t even speak clearly now. The two maidservants were also a little stunned this time. When Nanny Qing returned to the manor in such a state, King Ning couldn¡¯t spare them. But now, Nanny Qing couldn¡¯t speak, and no one dealt with it. What should they do?

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Another voice came in, and the onlookers were pushed away.

    When the crowd heard that someone wasing, they all thought that the main person had appeared. The crowd backed away on their own to see the person curiously. Then they saw a delicate and beautiful woman standing behind them with a maidservant. The woman frowned and looked at everything in front of her in astonishment.

 Chapter 704 - Having Quick Wits in an Emergency, Concubine Yuns Crisis

    <h4>Chapter 704 Having Quick Wits in an Emergency, Concubine Yun¡¯s Crisis</h4>

    As a matter of fact, Concubine Yun didn¡¯t want toe out, but she had to!

    She had been in the Fragrance House for a while. When the waiter came over with the dish, she saw two maidservants standing at the door. She became happy and was about toe over. Concubine Yun had changed her clothes in the carriage. She was no longer dressed like a maidservant, but instead she looked like the young mistress of a big family.

    It was normal to have a chance encounter with Nanny Qing in this way!

    When a young mistress came to have dinner and met a familiar person, they usually stopped and talked for a while, and they even probably had dinner together, which was much less eye-catching than just sending two maidservants to the acquaintance.

    If only the two maidservants came to meet Nanny Qing, it would seem much more unnatural. Some people might wonder which family¡¯s master had sent their servants over. Concubine Yun had always been very careful, and that was why she could survive peacefully in the back courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. She could live and stay in the manor longer than those frivolous concubines.

    The pce maids who had entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor with her were either dead or driven away. Who was still there now?

    Therefore, Concubine Yun acted even more cautiously and would never take risks unless she had to.

    But now, Concubine Yun had to move on.

    There was a staircase behind her. As soon as she arrived upstairs, she ran into a few servants of the customers who were in private rooms now, and they were arguing at the door. Before she could react, the four of them had knocked down the tray and gotten themselves dirty all over. They even attracted all the people upstairs, who heard the noise. As a result, they were surrounded by a huge crowd of people.

    Concubine Yun hid herself behind the crowd and did not intend to go forward. It was too conspicuous to go there at this time. She had to wait until the matter was settled. She really had something to tell Nanny Qing, and it was rare for her toe out. Today, she exposed her token and frightened the old maidservant who guarded the door with sharp words. But it would be difficult for her toe out in the future.

    Therefore, she had to finish what she had to do today!

    Therefore, she stood outside the door to observe the situation. When the matter was over and the crowd was almost dispersed, she would go over there. However, she did not expect that the matter would get worse. Now, not only were the two maidservants involved in the fight, but even Nanny Qing was hit by a teacup when she came out of the room. At the sight of Nanny Qing¡¯s steaming back, Concubine Yun¡¯s scalp crawled. It seemed that there was a shrewish person inside. How dare she throw such hot water on someone else?

    Wasn¡¯t she afraid of killing somebody?

    Hong¡¯er suddenly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, ¡°Concubine Yun, I saw Mo Lan.¡±

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Concubine Yun was shocked and turned around hurriedly. They were standing at a small corner of the stairs. Others could not see them from afar, but they would definitely see them if they walked over. Mo Lan was Mo Xuetong¡¯s first maidservant. If she saw them, Mo Xuetong would definitely know that she had sneaked out of the manor.

    ¡°She¡¯s at the stairs. Concubine Yun, don¡¯t move. She¡¯s looking over here. She might being,¡± Hong¡¯er said nervously as she pulled Concubine Yun. Even though she was Concubine Yun¡¯s personal maidservant and usually looked down on others, Mo Lan was different. Thetter was Consort Xuan¡¯s first personal maidservant, and even the butler of the manor was very polite to her.

    ¡°Concubine Yun, she¡¯sing...¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Concubine Yun gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Yes, although she isn¡¯t moving fast, she is reallying.¡± Hong¡¯er was very anxious. She tugged at Concubine Yun¡¯s sleeve as she spoke anxiously.

    At the same time, Mo Lan stepped forward slightly, as if she wanted toe over. However, she put her hand that lifted her dress aside, as if she didn¡¯t want toe over. Then she walked over slightly. Did she really want toe over?

    It was just a corner. Everyone pressed forward to see the fun. At this time, the front was already full of people. Concubine Yun and Hong¡¯er could not clearly see what was going on in the circle of the crowd from where they were. There were not many people standing there, so if Mo Lan came over, she would definitely see them clearly. Concubine Yun became anxious and could not help but poke her head out to look.

    It was really Mo Lan, and she indeed wanted toe over.

    No, she couldn¡¯t be seen by Mo Lan!

    She had to leave!

    Cold sweat started to break out on Concubine Yun¡¯s forehead. She could not go back. There were few people on both sides of her as they all squeezed to the front. Once she moved, Mo Lan would definitely be able to see her clearly. Other than in front, there was nowhere else she could go. However, there were so many people in front of her. It was impossible for her to squeeze to the front even if she wanted to!

    ¡°Concubine Yun, let¡¯s push our way to the front of the crowd.¡± Hong¡¯er was also a smart maidservant. She immediately figured out the situation and spoke with difficulty.

    It was really difficult to push forward. There was a crowd of onlookers in front of them. Could the two of them really make it?

    Hong¡¯er¡¯s words made Concubine Yun make up her mind. There was no ce to retreat to behind them, nor to the left or the right. They could only move forward. She bet that Mo Xuetong¡¯s first maidservant would not allow her to crowd around to watch the fun because of her identity. At most, she would just look around from the outside. Whether she could see what was going on or not, then so be it.

    After all, she was the first maidservant of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. It would lower her status to huddle in a group.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Concubine Yun gritted her teeth and was determined to go forward. There was no way to retreat, but there might still be a faint hope ahead.

    ¡°Concubine Yun, there are so many people here. How can we go forward?¡± Hong¡¯er wiped the sweat that broke out because of anxiety. She looked at Mo Lan, who was getting closer and closer behind them, and asked guiltily.

    ¡°Just follow me.¡±

    At this time, she could no longer hesitate. Concubine Yun took a few steps forward, frowned, and asked the crowd in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Hearing that someone behind the crowd spoke as if she was the boss here, the crowd initiatively made way for her. Concubine Yun and Hong¡¯er walked into the crowd together. When they mingled with the crowd, the people behind them surrounded them again, re-forming a dense circle. Concubine Yun and Hong¡¯er were hidden in the crowd.

    If they didn¡¯t get in front of them, no one would notice them.

    Mo Lan did note over. Instead, she stood outside the crowd and gave a slight smile. She did not even have the slightest intention of going forward and had put down her hand that was lifting her dress. When she saw that everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the people inside the circle, she turned around and walked to the other side. After a few corners, she walked through one of the private room doors.

    This private room was somewhat different from the ones outside. It was a luxurious private room with an inner room and an outer room. The servants could stand in the outer room while the inner room was the ce for the master to have tea. Because there were people guarding outside, the inner room was a safe ce to talk in. There were not many luxurious private rooms like this one in the Fragrance House, but there happened to be one here.

    Mo Lan entered the room sideways, and there was another room inside. She went in from the right and walked into the inner room.

    In the inner room, the corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curved into a smile. She looked so rxed and at ease.

    There was no maidservant waiting on her. Mo Xuetong was the only person in the room, and she was drinking tea quietly. She raised her brows and saw Mo Lan entering. Her eyes shone, which was a quiet question.

    Mo Lan immediately understood and nodded as a smile appeared on her face. Her admiration for her mistress had grown. She had only gone out for a while and had forced Concubine Yun to mingle into the crowd. Her mistress¡¯s guess was exactly right.

    Neither of them spoke, but they still heard the quarrel outside. There was no one outside when Mo Lan came in because the door was in another direction. However, the inner room was next to the private room where the Sixth Princess was. There was a hidden window outside so that it was drafty. The window was high up in the upper part of the private room. As it was covered by a bamboo curtain, it couldn¡¯t be seen from outside.

    Normally, under the bamboo curtain, there was a thick wooden board that could keep the wind from blowing into the room. When the thick wooden board was closed, the sound outside and inside waspletely isted!

    However, Mo Xuetong needed it today. Of course, she had already gotten someone to lift it up. As such, she had clearly heard everything that had happened outside.

    Seeing that Mo Lan had returned, she nodded with satisfaction. Her watery eyes shone as she continued to listen to what was going on outside.

    So many people had bumped into each other, and each of them had their own intentions. It was really interesting!

    Especially these people that had gotten into a fight, and almost everyone in the building had seen it. Mo Xuetong did not believe that no one among them recognized the Sixth Princess and Nanny Qing of King Ning¡¯s Manor. It did not matter even if they did not recognize them. She would think of a way to let the onlookers know that the two masters of these people who were arguing were not ordinary people.

    Both of them wanted toe out in a secret way, didn¡¯t they?

    Coincidentally, Mo Xuetong had great interest today! A hint of coldness shed in her lively eyes. The most annoying thing was that the Sixth Princess dared to threaten her with Feng Yuran¡¯s safety! Didn¡¯t these people all want to hurt her? Then what would happen if all these people gathered together? She suddenly wanted to know...

    The fight was going on outside, but she was watching the fun leisurely! The proper trick would lead her to the way she thought of. It would be more convenient for her to watch the fun if she led these people to the path she wanted with proper tricks.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Concubine Yun had already walked to the center at this time. Her face was serious, as if she had juste up.

    The two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor immediately recognized her. At this time, they were in a state of panic. At the sight of Concubine Yun, they did not think about her identity and felt that she was on their side. They became more aggressive. The two maidservants were also smart. They immediately pointed at the Sixth Princess, who was sitting in the private room, and said to Concubine Yun angrily.

    ¡°Madam, our nanny came out to have a meal. I didn¡¯t expect that the ugly woman inside would rob us of our dish and hurt the nanny. It¡¯s just a dish. If the ugly woman really wants to eat it, she can just tell us politely. Wouldn¡¯t we give it to her? How could she hit our nanny? Our nanny was knocked unconscious.¡±

    The maidservant uttered angrily.

    This made arge crowd of onlookers, who did not know the whole situation, understand. In particr, the maidservant described the woman in the private room as ugly. A few people who also saw the Sixth Princess¡¯s profile began to talk about her. Of course, the topic of the discussion was that she not only looked like an evil ghost, but also had a vicious heart.

    Wasn¡¯t it just a dish? It was really bad to rob others of their dish.

    This was a restaurant, and there were people of mixing ranks!

    The crowd looked at Nanny Qing, who was knocked out on the ground, and then looked at the two maidservants, who were speaking righteously. The other two maidservants kneeling on the ground were now trembling with fear. Some people even saw that thedy whose face was covered with bandages had smashed the nanny with a teacup. Everything showed that the two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor had told the truth.

    ¡°Oh, where did this ugly womane from? She not only robbed other people of food, but also hit the woman with a cup.¡±

    ¡°This woman is really ugly. Just now, I really saw her face. She was so scary. One of her eyes is ruined, but she still came out. What a shameless person! She doesn¡¯t look like a woman from a decent family. Is she from a brothel?¡±

    ¡°A woman from a brothel? You really think too highly of her. No man would dare to walk into the brothel after she entered it with that appearance. After all, she would scare the libido out of men. No man would like such a woman. Even if she were thrown to beggars, no one would want her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. She looks so ugly and vicious. Every man going to her would die. A beggar¡¯s life is still a life. No one wants to die because of her...¡±

    The more the crowd said, the nastier their words were. Although the Sixth Princess in the room had a veil over her head, her cheeks were unconsciously nched and livid. As a noble princess, she had never been ridiculed like this before!

 Chapter 705 - The Concubine of King Nings Manor or King Xuans Manor

    <h4>Chapter 705 The Concubine of King Ning¡¯s Manor or King Xuan¡¯s Manor</h4>

    ¡°How dare you! Come here and drive all these people out.¡± The Sixth Princess endured the defame words again and again. And, they all called her ugly woman, which made her fulminate with anger again. She had regained some good sense because she had smashed Nanny Qing just now, but now she became furious again.

    How dare these untouchables nder her, a noble princess?

    ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve smashed her, and now you want to drive us out. You¡¯ve gone too far. No matter what, you have to ask a doctor to check on her burns!¡±

    Having been pressed to this extent, Concubine Yun had to say something.

    She didn¡¯t dare to offend the youngdy on the opposite side because she didn¡¯t know who she was. So her words were soft. She didn¡¯t mean to seek justice for Nanny Qing at all. She just wanted to suppress this matter, disperse the crowd and then get a physician to treat Nanny Qing.

    In this way, she could stay and talk to Nanny Qing as well!

    She thought that hearing her soft words, the youngdy on the opposite side would stop argue and find a physician to treat Nanny Qing as long as she was smart. She also believed that Nanny Qing was not willing to make a big deal out of the matter. It was no good for anyone to get King Ning¡¯s Manor involved.

    If in the past, the Sixth Princess would have understood Concubine Yun¡¯s words and would have stopped immediately. But now, she was no longer gentle and calm as she used to be. Ever since she knew that one of her eyes probably would not recover for the rest of her life, the Sixth Princess had been in an agitated, resentful and upset mood. She hated everything. What was more, she was now being scolded as an ugly woman by people blocking the door.

    At this moment, her face was livid and anger was surging. She only felt that if she continued to endure, she would break out!

    The Sixth Princess stared at Concubine Yun, her eyes twinkling. Suddenly, she stood up and sneered, ¡°Where did this bitche from? How dare you show off in front of me? Don¡¯t you know who you are?¡±

    Seeing that this woman looked coquettish with her watery eyes, the Sixth Prince could easily tell that she was not a decentdy. She was so angry that she almost went crazy. A man who lost position and influence might be subjected to much indignity. As a noble princess, she was bullied by a woman who might be a concubine. How could thest trace of her reason not disappear?

    She had made an appointment with Mo Xuetong today because she wanted to find a way to lure Mo Xuetong toe out and have a showdown. She always felt that if Mo Xuetong had not happened to leave, everything would have been different. Even though it seemed like Mo Xuetong¡¯s leave was just a coincidence, the Sixth Princess felt that it was too coincidental after thinking it over.

    It happened not only in Mingguo Manor, but also in Princess Caifeng¡¯s manor. Mo Xuetong was really lucky. Then how could she be so unlucky? Every time, she screwed it up. The Sixth Princess did not believe that Mo Xuetong really did not know anything. Her purpose today was to poke and prod her and have a showdown by the way.

    And from now on, she would regard Mo Xuetong as her biggest opponent.

    Because of her, one of her eyes was hurt. She would never let go of that woman!

    The note had been sent to her. As long as Mo Xuetong appeared in Fragrance House, the Sixth Princess would determine that Mo Xuetong was definitely her enemy before she said anything.

    The letter said that Feng Yuran was in danger. If Mo Xuetong appeared, it meant that she was not as weak as she appeared. If a weak woman learned that her husband was in danger, the first thing she would do was find her husband and tell him about it. Who woulde out to verify it immediately?

    The Sixth Princess was almost certain that Mo Xuetong woulde to verify it. Then, she would not stop until she killed Mo Xuetong. Now that Mo Xuetong dared to plot against her, she would definitely take that woman¡¯s life.

    The Sixth Princess had selectively forgotten that she had been the one who had plotted against Mo Xuetong. The retribution she receivedtter was the result of the failure of her n. She was filled with hatred and was waiting for Mo Xuetong to appear in Fragrance House. Then, she would vent her anger on Mo Xuetong.

    However, before she could see Mo Xuetong, she had gotten into a fight with someone. Hearing Nanny Qing¡¯s two maidservants calling her an ugly woman and then seeing her two pce maids kneeling on the ground and looking useless, the Sixth Princess was almost outraged.

    Looking at the two pce maids who were still kneeling on the ground, she twitched the corners of her mouth and uttered coldly, ¡°Get up quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, right away.¡± The two pce maids were frightened by the coldness in her voice and did not dare to say anything more. They immediately stood up and stood in front of the Sixth Princess.

    ¡°Hey, what are you, an ugly woman, talking about? She doesn¡¯t know who she is; Then who are you? If you¡¯re powerful, just say it out and let us all hear it. In case someone doesn¡¯t know who you are when they meet you ugly woman in the future, and you rudely smash them with a teacup.¡±

    When Concubine Yun couldn¡¯t see the situation clearly because she couldn¡¯t see the face of the woman opposite her, the two maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor had already interfered with it and started to curse angrily.

    Nanny Qing was so seriously injured that she had fainted now. At this moment, the two maidservants only wanted to avenge their mistress, so they didn¡¯t care that Nanny Qing had repeatedly told them to keep a low profile. Moreover, at this time, Nanny Qing had passed out and leaned aside with the support of a maidservant, which made the two maidservants even angrier.

    The Sixth Princess was so furious that the blue veins on her forehead stood out. She said fiercely, ¡°Go and beat them.¡± ¡°Ugly¡± was thest word she wanted to hear at the moment. These two mean maidservants had enraged her again and again. How could she not gnash her teeth with hatred?

    Hearing the order, the two pce maids looked at each other and didn¡¯t know what to do for the moment. This was not the pce where all the eunuchs and pce maids could rush over and beat people the moment the Sixth Princess gave the order. There were only the two of them here. ording to the current situation, there were so many people around them, and if they rushed to them, they could only be beaten.

    However, they had no choice but to obey the order. After all, she was the Sixth Princess!

    ¡°Miss, now that there it is, what¡¯s the point of getting people to beat others? You have to sit down and solve the problem. Look, you¡¯ve already knocked the woman out. You cannot kill others! There are some people that you can¡¯t afford to offend.¡±

    Concubine Yun could be angry too. Seeing that the person in front of her still didn¡¯t know how to appreciate favors and that Nanny Qing¡¯s status was not low and thus she thought that Nanny Qing would not be really afraid of anyone with her status, her tone became tough unconsciously.

    ¡°Are there anyone that I can¡¯t afford to offend? Tell me who she is.¡± The Sixth Princess was furious at this time. Seeing that her two pce maids didn¡¯t rush to them as soon as she ordered, but looked hesitant, she couldn¡¯t help raising her voice and saying with hatred.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to offend her? She really didn¡¯t think that the old woman was someone she couldn¡¯t afford to offend!

    Nanny Qing left the pce early. Although she had followed King Ning to the pceter, the Empress Dowager did not allow others to be there every time Nanny Qing went to the pce to see her. Therefore, the Sixth Princess had never seen Nanny Qing, and of course, she did not think that as a princess, she could not afford to offend this old woman.

    ¡°I...¡± Concubine Yun was struck dumb!

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t speak? Didn¡¯t you say that I can¡¯t afford to offend her just now? Why is there no sound now?¡± The Sixth Princess had been in a bad mood recently, and she was extremely mean at this moment. ¡°I wonder where you bitches came from. You dare to shout at me. You really don¡¯t know how to write the word ¡®death¡¯.¡±

    Seeing that the discussion around her quieted down after she said those words, the Sixth Princess was so proud that she raised her head slightly.

    ¡°You ugly woman, we are not afraid of you. We are from King Ning¡¯s Manor, and this is King Ning¡¯s nanny. You beat up our master¡¯s nanny. This isn¡¯t over. Ugly woman, if you have the guts, don¡¯t leave and wait here until we go back and ask His Highness toe and do you justice. After beating the people of King Ning¡¯s Manor, you still dare to be so rude.¡± A maidservant couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and said where they came from.

    Concubine Yun, who was suppressed by the arrogant attitude of the Sixth Princess, breathed a sigh of relief. The ugly woman in front of her was really annoying. Now that the maidservant had told her where Nanny Qing came from, she didn¡¯t have to hide anymore. So she stood beside Nanny Qing and stared at the Sixth Princess coldly.

    Anyway, she didn¡¯t say who she was. The ugly woman could just regard apanion of Nanny Qing, who also came from King Ning¡¯s Manor!

    She really didn¡¯t believe that the ugly woman dared to confront King Ning¡¯s Manor when the maidservant had already announced where they came from!

    Concubine Yun had insensibly been influenced by the two maidservants, treating the Sixth Princess as an ugly woman.

    These people were from King Ning¡¯s Manor?

    The Sixth Princess was stunned and immediately came to her senses. She thought that it was bad. She had almost lost her mind because of anger earlier and now she gathered her wits. She stood frozen and her eyes flickered.

    ¡°Well, are you speechless? Ugly woman, how dare you provoke King Ning¡¯s nanny? You really wish to die,¡± Concubine Yun remarked coldly. Since the maidservant had already revealed Nanny Qing¡¯s identity, she didn¡¯t believe that this ugly woman would dare to offend King Ning¡¯s Manor.

    The Sixth Princess was in a dilemma now. At this time, she was really sane. Ignoring Concubine Yun¡¯s repeated calling her ugly woman, she slowly calmed her anger. Then she looked up and down at Concubine Yun and asked coldly, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Concubine Yun was speechless. She didn¡¯t have a decent status. Furthermore, she was just a concubine from another manor. She did not have the guts to reveal her identity, and she had rushed into the crowd in order to avoid Mo Lan. She wondered if Mo Lan was still outside the crowd and listening.

    ¡°She is the concubine of our manor. She apanied our nanny out. What? Don¡¯t tell me that she doesn¡¯t have the right to talk!¡± The maidservant of King Ning¡¯s Manor interrupted in a sharp and firm tone.

    The concubine of King Xuan¡¯s Manor wasn¡¯t in the ce to meddle in this matter. But what if she was from King Ning¡¯s Manor? If someone bullied a member of their manor, not to mention a concubine, even a maidservant could not bear it. As a concubine of King Ning¡¯s Manor, Concubine Yun naturally had a reason to fight back. It was also reasonable for her to uphold justice for Nanny Qing.

    Although she was not the mistress of the family, people could not be underestimated anyone in a prince¡¯s manor, including a gatekeeper.

    ¡°You¡¯re a concubine of King Ning¡¯s Manor. No wonder...¡±

    ¡°The ugly woman is facing the people of King Ning¡¯s Manor. She is dead!¡±...

    Everyone was standing on the side of King Ning¡¯s Manor. The main reason was that the Sixth Princess was too arrogant before. ording to the maidservants of King Ning¡¯s Manor, they were getting it right and the Sixth Princess was an irritable and vicious ugly woman. The crowd did not like her at all.

    The Sixth Princess¡¯s face darkened behind the veil. She looked at her two pce maids and hinted that they should say some nice words to solve this matter. No matter what, she could not expose her identity here.

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s the Sixth Princess?¡± A low cry suddenly came from outside the crowd, as if someone had found something incredible.

    ¡°She¡¯s really the Sixth Princess. Why is she here when one of her eyes is injured?¡± another person answered in a low voice. Then, the conversation suddenly stopped and it seemed that the two people had been frightened.

    Although these two sentences were said in a faint voice, they thundered loudly in everyone¡¯s ears!

    For a moment, there was an eerie silence. Everyone looked at the Sixth Princess standing at the door in shock. Some well-informed people suddenly remembered some rumors they had heard before.

    The banquet held by the princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands stopped in the middle. It was said that Marquise Mingguo had hurt the Sixth Princess¡¯s face. Could it be that the ugly and vicious woman in front of them was the Sixth Princess...?

    And now, the Sixth Princess had burn King Ning¡¯s nanny?...

 Chapter 706 - The Follow-up to the Matter between the Sixth Princess and King Ning...

    <h4>Chapter 706 The Follow-up to the Matter between the Sixth Princess and King Ning...</h4>

    Mo Xuetong had heard about what happened after the Sixth Princess returned to the pce from Feng Yuran. Coupled with part of her conjectures, the matter seemed to have be clear.

    The Sixth Princess left the pce without permission and even caused such a big scandal. All the people in Fragrance House at that time remarked that the Sixth Princess was vicious and arrogant, even more malicious than the youngdy of Ding General Manor. As soon as the news was spread, coupled with the gossip about her ugly appearance, the Sixth Princess¡¯s reputation was really ruined.

    The things over the Sixth Princess happened at the banquet and those who attended it were all nobledies and madams. These people were clear about it. As long as Emperor Zongwen gave a hint, these people would not say a word, which kept the number of people who had a bad impression of the Sixth Princess in a small range.

    That was why the matter between the Sixth Princess and Ling Mingyan could be concealed.

    However, it was different now. People eating in Fragrance House were of all stripes. At that time, it was said that the noble Sixth Princess had a conflict with the people from King Ning¡¯s Manor, so more people came to watch it. Later, some people left for their own business. The news spread very fast. When the pce received the news and sent someone toe, the news had set the whole capital on fire.

    Everyone knew that the Sixth Princess was vicious and ugly. She was a scum of the royal family. The situation had been out of control.

    Emperor Zongwen was furious and directly sent people to catch the Sixth Princess and take her back to the pce. Then she was locked up in their own pce and Emperor Zongwen strictly ordered that no one was allowed to visit her. Imperial Noble Consort Wen knelt in the imperial study for an entire afternoon but was still unable to receive Emperor Zongwen¡¯s forgiveness. This caused Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who had been quite popr recently, to suffer a blow.

    The original praise for her in the pce began to change into another version!

    How could a mother not know that her daughter was so vicious? Furthermore, the Sixth Princess had been raised by Imperial Noble Consort Wen personally. Everyone had said that she was like her mother and that she behaved exactly like Imperial Noble Consort Wen. If something had not repeatedly happened to her recently, no one would have thought that the Sixth Princess would be so vicious.

    Then what about Imperial Noble Consort Wen? Wasn¡¯t everything she had done up to now just a show?

    She was just better at hiding her thoughts than the Sixth Princess...

    Because of what happened to the Sixth Princess, the pce was full of doubts about Imperial Noble Consort Wen.

    However, what annoyed Emperor Zongwen even more was King Ning. The Emperor, who had always been polite to King Ning, could not help but throw the paperweight in his hand in front of King Ning. Thetter was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and shivered. The Empress Dowager was scared and did not have time to pretend to be ill. She hurried over from Cining Pce and pleaded with Emperor Zongwen in person.

    The concubine of King Xuan¡¯s Manor imed to be the concubine of King Ning¡¯s Manor and helped the people of King Ning¡¯s Manor to confront the Sixth Princess. How much courage did it take? It also hinted the close rtionship between the concubine and King Ning¡¯s Manor.

    It was easy to investigate Concubine Yun. After an investigation, the Emperor immediately learned that she was bestowed onto Feng Yuran by the Empress Dowager. She had known King Ning when she was still in the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. It was said that the beautiful-looking Concubine Yun had a good rtionship with King Ning then. Furthermore, after she entered King Xuan¡¯s Manor, her rtionship with King Ning¡¯s Manor had been existing.

    Especially when Mo Xuetong was framed on her birthday and Feng Yuran apanied her to the courtyard out of the city, Concubine Yun had been in close contact with the people of King Ning¡¯s Manor. There were even people who imed to have seen her to be with King Ning. The two definitely had a love affair. Emperor Zongwen was pale green with anger when he thought of sending such a slut to his son¡¯s manor.

    If it went on like this, when Concubine Yun and King Ning had children in the future, they would say that they were his son¡¯s children. Then, they were going to usurper the throne! They had evil intentions, and their deeds were abominable. They not only cheated on his beloved son, but also schemed to take the throne. Emperor Zongwen was really mad.

    He mmed the table and wanted to deprive King Ning of his title!

    The Empress Dowager came to the imperial study and begged hard. She said that it had nothing to do with Feng Yuzhen. ording to her words, Feng Yuzhen knew nothing about it at all, and it was the bitch who wanted King Ning and secretly colluded with servants of King Ning¡¯s Manor. It was unreasonable for someone to have seen Feng Yuzhen with her. It was not true. Someone deliberately framed Feng Yuzhen.

    No one knew better than the Empress Dowager if Concubine Yun and Feng Yuzhen had an affair or not. Perhaps, she had had the same idea as Emperor Zongwen guessed. However, it was not the right time yet. After all, it seemed that Feng Yuxuan was the most likely one to seed the throne. The Empress Dowager really did not want the sessor of aid-back prince. Maybe when Feng Yuran was selected as the Crown Prince in the future, it would not be impossible to ask Concubine Yun to be pregnant with Feng Yuzhen¡¯s child!

    The Empress Dowager had done such a thing before. That was how Consort Yu got pregnant!

    However, so far, Concubine Yun and Feng Yuzhen really didn¡¯t have an affair!

    That was why the Empress Dowager dared to say with certainty that it was not true that the two of them were together!

    The Empress Dowager was shocked by the development of the matter. No one had expected that a quarrel over dinner would extend into the pce and cause such a bigmotion. The Sixth Princess was locked up, and King Ning¡¯s Manor had to give an exnation. After thinking it over, the Empress Dowager decided to push Concubine Yun out.

    Compared to a secret pawn that was almost useless, Feng Yuzhen was obviously more important.

    Concubine Yun was destined to be abandoned. The Empress Dowager was not worried that she would rebel and tell the truth about her. The reason why she sent Concubine Yun to Feng Yuran¡¯s side was that Concubine Yun was a smart person. A smart person would be able to understand the situation. No matter whether the fact was that she had an affair with King Ning or she was sent over by the Empress Dowager to get information about Feng Yuran and mess up in his manor, it would be a dead end for her.

    Moreover, the Empress Dowager knew more or less the secrets of those who had been sent to work for her. Concubine Yun had a younger sister. After Concubine Yun was sent to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the Empress Dowager found a way to get her younger sister into the pce. With such a person in her hands, the Empress Dowager believed that Concubine Yun would go along with what she said.

    The Empress Dowager vouched for King Ning; Concubine Yun imed that she had a crush on King Ning but they had nothing to do with each other. It was totally her foolish fantasy. Therefore, when she heard that the people of King Ning¡¯s Manor got into trouble, she rushed forward. Originally, she wanted to take this opportunity to get King Ning¡¯s attention. It happened all of a sudden, and she was improvising. It waspletely her own business.

    At this point, King Ning was considered innocent. Emperor Zongwen had no choice but to let him go. However, he did not intend to let go of Nanny Qing, who had a conflict with the Sixth Princess. Even though the matter seemed to have been caused by the Sixth Princess alone, if it had not been for the few people from King Ning¡¯s Manor, there wouldn¡¯t be such a scandal about her.

    The two maidservants and Nanny Qing were beaten 20 times each.

    Being beaten 20 times was actually not life-threatening. After all, no matter how one looked at it, it was the Sixth Princess who had attacked first. It was a light punishment. However, Nanny Qing had been scalded earlier and did not have time to receive effective treatment. She had fainted on the spot. After she was beaten 20 times, she died instantly.

    The two little maidservants were okay. After being beaten, they were thrown directly into King Ning¡¯s Manor.

    Now the matter hade to an end. At least the Sixth Princess was imprisoned in the pce and could note out to stir up trouble anymore. Mo Xuetong cared about the Sixth Princess who was taught by Imperial Noble Consort Wen in person. If it were not for the fact that Hu Qianyue and Ling Mingyan were against her, the Sixth Princess would not have lost herposure like this, and it would not have been easy to deal with her.

    However, when she saw that the Sixth Princess was still sending her a letter and threatening her with Feng Yuran, Mo Xuetong knew that the princess was inquiry about something and suspecting herself as well. As long as she appeared in Fragrance House, all the Sixth Princess¡¯s questions would be solved even if she didn¡¯t ask anyone. From then on, the Sixth Princess would confront her and would not rest until one of them was dead.

    With the insidious nature of the Sixth Princess, she would not have been able to tolerate Mo Xuetong when she hadn¡¯t confronted her, not to mention now.

    It was indeed reassuring for Mo Xuetong to expose the true colors of the Sixth Princess in one stroke and give some cracks to Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s false mask of benevolence. Even though Emperor Zongwen doted on Feng Yuran, if someone whom he trusted were to speak ill of Feng Yuran in his ears over and over again, something unexpected might happen.

    In the face of such an ident, Mo Xuetong preferred to nip it in the bud.

    Since Imperial Noble Consort Wen had killed another woman¡¯s son and put her own son in the woman¡¯s arms, then her purpose was unusual. As Emperor Zongwen¡¯s favorite son, Feng Yuran would definitely hinder her. How could a woman like her, who was willing to sacrifice everything for her goal, not have the intention to kill Feng Yuran?

    She did not show it at this time because she thought that Feng Yuran was not a threat to her. Now it was Feng Yuxuan who was closest to the throne.

    As for King Ning¡¯s Manor, they had been plotting against her. They had taken advantage of Auntie Qing and Concubine Yun, and they had even wanted to use his father¡¯s manor. The Empress Dowager and King Ning had their hands in too many things and she should restrain them. It was said that Nanny Qing was a trusted subordinate of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager must have felt distressed when she had died just like that!

    Without Nanny Qing, when something had gone wrong with Auntie Qing, King Ning could not find anyone to solve with it for a while. Even if Auntie Qing spread the news that she was being locked up, so what? King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was too busy to take care of himself. After being frightened by Emperor Zongwen, he would at least behave himself on the surface and would not dare to do anything suspicious.

    The contact between King Ning¡¯s Manor and the Mo Manor would be temporarily cut off, which was the best.

    Therefore, ever since Feng Yuran told Mo Xuetong about the situation in the pce, Mo Xuetong had been in a good mood. Without the Sixth Princess, who was looking at her wickedly, Mo Xuetong felt much more rxed. Since she had nothing to do, she took out the painting that Qin Yufeng had given her and admired it carefully. Then, she copied a painting in person.

    Qin Yuxuan was so anxious that he jumped up and down in the past few days. It was said that Old Madam Qin strongly urged him, asking him for the painting every day. He felt anxious and helpless, so he ordered people toe over from time to time and asked if Mo Xuetong had finished painting.

    After she finished drawing, she picked up the picture, held it to the light outside the window and did not find anything unusual. If it were not for the ink that had not dried up, she could not see that the painting was new. The three girls were all on the same picture, and with the spring scenery, one only felt that it was a good spring day. The smile on her mother¡¯s face was so delicate that it seemed as if the person in the painting was right in front of her.

    Then she gave a bright smile, fresh and natural.

    Was that person really not dead? If the person was not dead, why hadn¡¯t she appeared in front of her in herst life and helped her...

    ¡°Is this Tong¡¯er?¡± Behind her came Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice. He reached out his hand and hugged her slender waist from behind. His handsome face rested on her shoulder as he looked at the painting she held. Mo Xuetong had ced the painting inside and had not taken it out to show him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Tong¡¯er. Is it your mother?¡± Feng Yuran immediately saw the trace of difference when he looked at the painting again. Then, after he saw the sadness on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, his suspicion turned into certainty. The Luo Xia on the painting looked a little simr to Mo Xuetong. However, there were still some differences when he looked at it carefully. He had made a mistake just now because the girl on the painting was very young. Feng Yuran had never seen Mo Xuetong when she was a little child.

    Mo Xuetong did not know when he had entered. However, she rxed when she sensed his concern. She leaned into his embrace naturally. There were some things that she did not say, but he knew. Thus, she did not exin further, and just closed her eyes, asking softly, ¡°Yuran, under what conditions did the painter draw the picture?¡±

    The strokes didn¡¯t belong to a well-known artist; and it was just a girl¡¯s game work. To y kind of game, shouldn¡¯t the painter drew some mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds!

 Chapter 707 - Inquire about the Painting, then Visit the Qin Manor again

    <h4>Chapter 707 Inquire about the Painting, then Visit the Qin Manor again</h4>

    ¡°Or perhaps, a mother missed her daughters and thus she drew all her three daughters on the same picture to express her feelings of missing.¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly and reached out to hold Mo Xuetong tightly in his arms. There was a hint of thought at the corners of his lips. He nced at the painting on the table with a trace of ridicule in his voice.

    ¡°Your mother was painted in such details. Such an expression was drawn in such a detailed way. One was unable to draw it without seeing her in person.¡±

    His words immediately made Mo Xuetong¡¯s suspicions, which hadsted for many days, copse. Mo Xuetong was stunned. She turned around in his arms hurriedly and asked anxiously, ¡°Do you really think that only the one who had seen her could draw such an expression?¡±

    As she spoke, her voice trembled a little because she was too anxious.

    She had a feeling. No, she always had a feeling. However, she did not believe that it was Feng Yuran who said it. She only felt that there was a possibility.

    ¡°The lines of your mother¡¯s face are extremely delicate. It was more like an expression that could only be discerned by a close examination. And Aunt¡¯s profile is also very vivid. There is no pause between the lines, as if she really showed her profile to others,¡± Feng Yuran answered as his handsome face showed a little affection.

    The profile? The Princess Royal had left a profile. When did the painter see only one profile of her? Besides, the painter was so skilled in drawing it, as if he or she had seen it more than once. The painter had drawn it many times so that he or she was able to finish it in one stroke, without even a single pause.

    From the whole painting, it could be seen that the painter¡¯s skill was not bad. However, the painter was not a master in drawing, and some of the techniques were not skillful enough. But she was so proficient in painting of the three girls. If he or she had not watched them carefully or painted them over and over again, how could the painter draw them so skillfully and delicately?

    As Feng Yuran noticed that Mo Xuetong was stunned, a cold glint shed in his eyes. However, he hid it behind his handsome smile.

    ¡°If you have questions, go and ask if the situation is the same as what I thought.¡±

    ¡°I... I...¡± Mo Xuetong took a deep breath, but did not know what she should say. She only felt as if he had figured something out, and then he didn¡¯t. She felt a dull pain in her heart. She could not tell what it felt like. She stretched out her trembling hands and wrapped her arms around Feng Yuran¡¯s slender waist, burying her head deeply in his embrace.

    As if only surrounded by his faint body odor, her heart became warm and she just got vigor.

    ¡°No matter what you want to do, remember, I have always been on your side. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Feng Yuran smiled slightly and reached out to rub her head. ¡°No matter what happens, you must remember that I will definitelye to your side and face it with you.¡±

    Even though he said thetter sentence in a smiling voice, Mo Xuetong felt that he was unusually serious. Feng Yuran rarely was so strict. However, because of the feeling of him standing on her side wholeheartedly, she became tender. She did not know what to ask.

    Yes, no matter when, no matter what to face, as long as he was by her side and faced it with her, she did not have to be afraid. Sometimes, the truth was hard for her to ept, but fortunately, she still had him!

    She closed her eyes slightly, blinked her long eyshes and buried her head deeper in his arms to absorb power from him. Whether for him or for herself, she could not be defeated. As for the truth, she originally did not want to go too deep into it, and could pretend that there was nothing.

    In her past life, her mother and her both had a very tragic end. However, other than Fu General Manor, which did not have any blood rtions with her, no one had helped her, as if those people had never existed. As such, she did not want to pursue it in this life. Even though that thought had always shed through her mind, she had intentionally forgotten about it!

    She tried to forget, as if that kind of vague connection had never existed!

    She wanted to forget it, just like in herst life. It was best not to know anything!

    However, was it really the best choice? She bit her lip corner tightly with her tightly-closed eyes full of tears. She felt a desperate sadness. The reason of her mother¡¯s weird behaviors before her death, the meaning of the crazy silly girl¡¯s words, and thest trump card had not been revealed yet.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be sad. Now that you want to find out about it, go find out!¡± Feeling the sadness of the person in his arms, Feng Yuran reached out to touch her lip corner and make her stop biting. Then, he gently stroked the trace of bite on her lip corner. His usuallyzy voice held a touch of gentleness that she could feel.

    Even though she didn¡¯t look at him, she knew that there was only gentleness and pity on his wless face at this point!

    Even if the whole world had abandoned her, she still had him!

    This kind of feeling suddenly came from her heart, and she was adamant about it, as if it had been existing. Tears fell from her eyes, but she had never felt more satisfied in her heart. She no longer feared or panicked. No matter what would happen in the future, from then no and since her rebirth, she had never regretted it!

    The Qin and Mo families had a good rtionship with each other. Even though Mo Xuetong was the honorable Consort Xuan, she had been raised by Old Madam Qin for a period of time. As such, it was normal for Mo Xuetong to visit Old Madam Qin.

    She asked Mo Lan to bring the painting in her hands. Then, Mo Xuetong brought Mo Lan and Mo Yu out. Sitting in the horse carriage, she thought of her four maidservants. Only the two were still by her side. She could not help sighing in her heart. Fortunately, the two were truly loyal to her. She rxed a little when she thought of that.

    She had been reborn. No matter what, in this life, all the people she cared about were alive and well. They were all fine, and that was enough!

    The horse carriage stopped in front of the Qin Manor. Old Madam Qin and Mdm Yu, who had already received the message, stood by the door and weed her. Mo Xuetong¡¯s status was different now. Her every move represented King Xuan¡¯s Manor, so she could not be as casual as before.

    They greeted each other and then Mo Xuetong went to the main courtyard with Old Madam Qin. As they sat down, some maidservants served tea for them.

    ¡°How are you, Grandaunt? I heard from Cousin Xuanst time that you¡¯ve been in poor health since you came to the capital. Coincidentally, I take a 100-year ginseng here to nourish you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled and asked Mo Lan to present her gift. Other than the 100-year-old ginseng, she also brought some tonics. They were rarely seen and were suitable for the elderly. Old Madam Qin repeatedly nodded in praise when she saw them.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you are too polite. I am just having some chronic ailments. I got them when I was in Cloud City. They are not serious, and I don¡¯t need so many medicinal herbs.¡±

    ¡°Grandaunt, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. His Highness asked the imperial pce for these medicinal herbs. They are not particrly precious, but are more suitable for older people to nourish. His Highness said that in the imperial pce, His Majesty is usually provided with medicine meals, and these herbs are the material. They are good for the health and are easy to absorb.¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a sip of the tea in her hand and smiled brightly.

    How could the thingsing out of the pce not be precious? What was more, even the Emperor was using them. They were even more precious. Old Madam Qin didn¡¯t expect that the good deed had led to such a good result. She smiled happily. Fortunately, she was fair in the past and repeatedly told the servants not to bully Mo Xuetong.

    Even though something had happenedter, it was definitely because Mdm Yu had stirred up trouble inside.

    When she thought of this, she could not help but look at the polite but distant Mdm Yu who was standing by the side. She was a little displeased. Why did Mdm Yu still dare to put on airs as an elder at this point? Mo Xuetong was no longer the little lonely girl who had no one cared for.

    She was a super consort, the legal wife of the Emperor¡¯s favorite son. Her status was superior to anyone else. Furthermore, it was said that King Xuan had be more and more well-behaved since he got married. He was no longer like the yboy he used to be and was working for the Emperor in the court.

    Even her son, who had always been picky, sometimes praised him in private. He said that King Xuan had turned over a new leaf, and that the Emperor strongly praised Mo Xuetong. It was Mo Xuetong¡¯s good fortune. No one would have thought that she would have such a good fortune when she was just a weak, sickly and lonely girl, left in Cloud City.

    Fortunately, she had helped her at that time.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, you¡¯re so kind!¡± Old Madam Qin said politely with a smile as she felt grateful in her heart.

    ¡°Grandaunt, are you looking for a painting?¡± Mo Xuetong suddenly changed the topic when she saw that Old Madam Qin was in a good mood. Her watery eyes were lifted and fell on Old Madam Qin as she carefully observed the older woman.

    ¡°A painting?¡± Old Madam Qin was stunned, but then she remembered it. She opened her eyes wide and answered angrily, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I have a painting, which was lost by that little bastard Yuxuan. He took the painting away and said that he wanted to have a look at it. No one knows where he put it. I asked him for it these days and he said that he was looking for it, but he hasn¡¯t found it yet. I really don¡¯t know whether he is lying or not.¡±

    At the mention of this matter, Old Madam Qin was indeed filled with anger. When he saw this painting, Qing Yuxuan grew curious, saying that one of the girls on the painting resembled Mo Xuetong, so he borrowed it to take a look. However, unexpectedly, he never returned it. He only imed that he seemed to have left it somewhere or have given it to someone else. Anyway, he could not figure out where it was at the moment, so he had to take some time to remember it. Old Madam Qin was so angry that she beat him a few times with her cane.

    ¡°Consort Xuan, how did you know about this?¡± Mdm Yu, who was standing by the side, asked suddenly with a glint in her eyes.

    ¡°Grandaunt, Aunt, it¡¯s not Cousin Xuan¡¯s fault. I saw this painting at Cousin Xuan¡¯s ce, and thought it was good, so I took it to have a look. At that time, Cousin Xuan was flipping through his book, and didn¡¯t care about it. He said he could give it to me. Then I took it away. When Cousin Xuan came to King Xuan¡¯s Manor recently, I learned that it was Grandaunt¡¯s, and Grandaunt has been looking for this painting all the time. Thus I take it here today. Grandaunt, I really don¡¯t know how important this painting is to you. You even beat Cousin Xuan for it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong teased with a smile.

    Everyone in the Qin Manor knew that Old Madam Qin spoiled this little grandson. She didn¡¯t usually scold him severely, let alone beat him. This time, she even used a crutch to beat him. It could be seen that the painting was really important to Old Madam Qin!

 Chapter 708 - Old Madam Qins Unusual Reaction

    <h4>Chapter 708 Old Madam Qin¡¯s Unusual Reaction</h4>

    ¡°Speaking of this painting, it was sent by a close friend of mine. After so many years, when I saw this painting, I thought of her. s, I was so anxious when Xuan¡¯er lost it.¡± Old Madam Qin sighed, as if she was exining.

    Mo Xuetong did not reply, and just smiled at Old Madam Qin. Then she asked Mo Yu to hold the painting in her hand. She stood up, walked over, picked up the painting and unfolded it in front of Old Madam Qin before she asked with a smile, ¡°Grandaunt, is this painting?¡±

    As the painting unfolded, Luo Xia¡¯s face openly appeared on the scroll. Set off by many flowers, she looked particrly eye-catching and bright. Mdm Yu, who was standing by the side, was stunned and frowned unconsciously.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed this one. Xuan¡¯er didn¡¯t know that he had given the painting to you. He said that he couldn¡¯t remember where it was when I asked him. What was his mind on?¡± The lost painting had finally been restored and appeared in front of Old Madam Qin. Old Madam Qin couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief in her heart and scolded with a smile.

    Finally, the painting wasn¡¯t gotten out. In the future, she had to lock the painting up and prevent others from seeing it.

    She was about to ask the old maidservant beside her to take it, but was stunned by what Mo Xuetong said next.

    ¡°Grandaunt, is this girl my mother?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up with her beautiful eyes as she pointed at Luo Xia in the painting in surprise and asked, ¡°Grandaunt, look, this painting is too detailed. Even the tiny red mark on my mother¡¯s left forehead is so clear. Could it be done by my grandmother?¡±

    There was indeed a faint mark on Luo Xia¡¯s forehead, but it was very light and was only a small mark. Mo Xuetong happened to discover it on her mother¡¯s forehead and did not pay attention to it after that. However, the Luo Xia in the painting was still a little girl. There was no hair covering her forehead, so Mo Xuetong could see the small mark on her forehead, which was exactly the same as what she remembered.

    Even though there were many people who were simr in appearance, it was impossible for them to have the exact same mark!

    Old Madam Qin was stunned. She followed the direction that Mo Xuetong¡¯s finger was pointing and saw Luo Xia¡¯s inconspicuous forehead and the small mark on her forehead that was light but did exist.

    It... it seemed that she couldn¡¯t say that it was someone else!

    ¡°ording to what you said, the girl does look a little like your mother. I didn¡¯t notice it before. Maybe my close friend had seen your mother before and thought she was cute, so she drew her in the picture!¡± Old Madam Qin said, all smiles.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes flicked around Old Madam Qin¡¯s slightly exaggerated smile. She suddenly pointed at the next person. It was a girl¡¯s profile. Even though it was only a profile, everyone who knew Princess Royal could tell that she was Princess Royal. ¡°Then, Grandaunt, is this Princess Royal?¡±

    ¡°This is Princess Royal?¡± Old Madam Qin¡¯s gaze followed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand andnded on it. The corners of her lips twisted as if she had just discovered it. Then, she seemed to have realized something and said, ¡°No wonder I was a little surprised when I got the painting. I felt that I had met the person in the painting before. Now I realize that this is really what Princess Royal looked like when she was a young girl?¡±

    ¡°Grandaunt, shall I show it to Mother? Maybe she will remember what happened when the painting was drawn at that time. My mother is gone. If I could know every detail of her childhood, maybe... I, I won¡¯t miss her so much.¡± Mo Xuetong was about to cry. She stared nkly at Luo Xia in the painting. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and a sad expression appeared on her face.

    She had lost her mother when she was a child. It was normal for her to miss her mother when she saw her portrait when she was very young!

    ¡°There... there¡¯s no need. Princess Royal has been ill recently. She used to have a good rtionship with your mother. Now that your mother is gone, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be bad for her health if she remembers every detail of the past with your mother!¡± Old Madam Qin shook her head decisively, hinting that she was worried about Princess Royal¡¯s health.

    Princess Royal had really been in poor health recently, so she did not attend any banquet, including the previous banquet held to enhance the two countries¡¯ rtionship. Therefore, Princess Royal only sent gifts to Princess Caifeng¡¯s banquet, and excused herself from other banquets under the pretext of ill health.

    Mo Xuetong had visited Princess Royal several times. Princess Royal was very thin, and her attitude towards her was not as warm as before. Sometimes, she didn¡¯t even meet Mo Xuetong and just said that she was resting and asked Mo Xuetong to go back by herself. Of course, Mo Xuetong wouldn¡¯t tell Old Madam Qin about it.

    The more she talked to Old Madam Qin, the more she felt that the old woman seemed to be hiding something. Was her close friend the former Consort Jin? But why did Old Madam Qin have the painting instead of the Fu General Manor? Was Consort Jin closer to her than her grandmother who had saved Consort Jin?

    Her grandmother had risked everyone¡¯s life of her manor to save Consort Jin. Furthermore, she had even adopted Consort Jin¡¯s daughter. Was this kind of kindness not worthy of her trust? Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darted from Old Madam Qin¡¯s face. She did not see anything unusual on her face. It was as if she was truly concerned about the health of Princess Royal.

    At the same time, Mdm Yu¡¯s face darkened and she looked at Old Madam Qin with suspicious eyes as well. She had never seen this painting before. After marrying into the Qin family for so many years, she had never seen the painting that Old Madam Qin valued so much. What did this mean? What was more, it was Luo Xia and Princess Royal in the painting. Who was the other one?

    Mdm Yu couldn¡¯t figure it out for the moment, so she just listened quietly.

    ¡°Grandaunt, haven¡¯t you looked at the painting carefully before?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in a casual manner.

    ¡°When my close friend put the painting here, I just cast a few casual nces at it before putting it away. I haven¡¯t seen it for so many years. But that day, Xuan¡¯er saw it and asked for it. I thought it was an ordinary painting, so I gave it to him. Later, I found out that it was this one.¡±

    Old Madam Qin exined with a smile. She picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. After that, she casually asked someone to put away the painting.

    The nanny standing beside her folded the painting and retreated.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes darkened when she saw Old Madam Qin¡¯s slightly rxed expression, but the smile on her lip corners grew even bigger. Since Old Madam Qin was unwilling to bring up this matter, she would not mention it either. She blinked her watery eyes and looked at Mdm Yu¡¯s thoughtful face. Compared to thest time, Mdm Yu grew more and more reserved in the face of her. If Mo Xuetong had not stayed in the Qin Manor before, she would have thought Mdm Yu was a logy person.

    ¡°Aunt, how¡¯s Cousin Feng doing in the Imperial Academy recently?¡±

    Qin Yufeng was now in the Imperial Academy and was usually leisure. Mo Xuetong had heard from Feng Yuran that Qin Yufeng was extremely talented and was highly appreciated by Emperor Zongwen. It was likely that he would be transferred to another ce recently. A young man like Qin Yufeng would not be able to stand out for three to five years. However, Emperor Zongwen really appreciated him, and had mentioned his talent in front of Feng Yuran more than once.

    The Emperor remarked that it would be a waste for a talent like him to only be a civil officer! Even though he was young, he was capable of being a prime minister. No matter what he did, he would be able to point to the crux of the problem. This was an appreciation for Qin Yufeng. However, Mo Xuetong knew of an emperor¡¯s will. Even if Qin Yufeng was talented, he would not be able to be ced in an important position immediately.

    The transfer usually referred to move sideways or move down. There wouldn¡¯t be too many obstacles for him to be promoted if he could be a local officer and make some achievements in politics!

    ¡°Many thanks for your concern, Consort Xuan. I heard that Yufeng might be transferred in a few days. I don¡¯t know how far away he will be from the capital. He¡¯s doing well in the Imperial Academy. Why is he transferred to another location?¡± Mdm Yu sighed at the mention of Qin Yufeng. She frowned slightly. She really felt unhappy with the transfer and had even forgotten about her enmity against Mo Xuetong.

    Mdm Yu had only one son, Qin Yufeng. Not only had he persistently and willfully refused to marry, but he was now desirous of being transferred elsewhere, and had even taken the liberty of taking a position. However, his father had also helped him hide it from her. Mdm Yu was very dissatisfied with it. She felt bitter and sad when she thought of how she had worked hard for the Qin family and how her son had been estranged from her.

    Mo Xuetong was surprised by Qin Yufeng¡¯s quick actions. She turned her head and asked cutely, ¡°Cousin Feng has gotten a position?¡±

    Mdm Yu sighed and covered the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. She answered sadly, ¡°Yes, I heard from Old Sir that Feng¡¯er is almost getting the position. But he hasn¡¯t told me where to go. This doesn¡¯t seem to be... a good ce!¡± Both father and son hid it from her. How could it be a good ce?

    It might not even be considered an ordinary ce. Mdm hoped that he was not going to any poor ce or the border. No one knew if there would be a war on the border. If a war broke out, the first person to die would be the local official guarding the border. Mdm Yu was extremely worried when she thought of that!

    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t worry. Cousin Feng is such a smart person. How could he not think of it? If he wants to go somewhere, he¡¯ll find a way to get there. Aunt, you can rest assured!¡± Mo Xuetongforted Mdm Yu with a smile.

    Her words not only did not relieve Mdm Yu¡¯s worries, but also made her frown deeper. She sighed heavily and said, ¡°If he had been reassuring, he would have been married a long time ago, so that I would not be worried about him. Now, he is still alone, and doesn¡¯t ept marriage offers from any family.¡±

    Old Madam Qin had a headache when she heard that. Her grandson was indeed outstanding. She had thought that he would pick a suitable marriage after getting the first ce in the imperial exam. However, he insisted on refusing, saying that he had to start his career before getting married. Everyone in the Qin Manor knew that Qin Yufeng was a willful man.

    As such, even though Old Madam Qin and Mdm Yu had tried their best to persuade him, they were still unable to convince him. This had be a knot in their hearts! When Mdm Yu mentioned it now, Old Madam Qin¡¯s face darkened too. Her grandson was outstanding in every aspect, but he was stupid in this aspect.

    This was the first time Mo Xuetong had heard about it. She could not help but ask with a smile, ¡°Cousin Feng doesn¡¯t want to marry?¡± Qin Yufeng had not gotten married in the past life because he was deeply in love with Mo Xuemin. He had even broken off the engagement decided by Mdm Yu. In this life, Mo Xuetong had already understood that it was not Mo Xuemin who had used Qin Yufeng but thetter who had used the former.

    If he used Mo Xuemin to shut others up, then why didn¡¯t he want to get married?

    ¡°Could it be that Cousin Feng... already has someone in his heart?¡± she asked hesitantly. Even she did not believe it. Qin Yufeng was such a talented and arrogant person. How could he fall in love with someone so deeply but was unable to marry her? That was the situation in the past life? Was it the same in this life?

    However, it really didn¡¯t make sense. Why didn¡¯t he want to get married all the time?

 Chapter 709 - His Purpose

    <h4>Chapter 709 His Purpose</h4>

    After her rebirth, there was an inexplicable feeling that had been lingering in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. As she investigated the other people and things deeper and deeper, Mo Xuetong felt as if she was getting close to the truth. She became clearer and clearer step by step. Even in face of a situation that she had never encountered in her past life, she could still slowly understand in this life.

    But other than Qin Yufeng!

    At the beginning of her rebirth, in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart, Qin Yufeng was the one behind Mo Xuemin. Therefore, every time she saw him, she was on high alert. The painting that was used to test her was sent back to Qin Yufeng, carefully enclosed the apology that she really wasn¡¯t able to do it.

    Mo Xuetong was afraid that he would be hostile to her. Faced with Qin Yufeng, she felt that it was not enough no matter how careful she was. It seemed that she never knew where his bottom line was, what he cared about or what she did would cross his bottom line. Mo Xuetong could guess from the experience of her past life that Qin Yufeng was on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s side and was his most capable adviser.

    However, in this life, fate did not seem to follow the path that had been determined at the outset. Qin Yufeng had only been on the same side with Feng Yuxuan at the beginning. Then, he had left Feng Yuxuan, and had ignored everything as if nothing had happened. He had even be Number One Schr while he didn¡¯t even take the imperial exam in his previous life. Now, he wanted to go to another ce to be an official.

    Was he trying to fulfill his potential?

    Furthermore, Mo Xuetong felt less and less hostility from Qin Yufeng. Sometimes, she even felt that the man was helping her. For example, when Princess Caifeng was going to hurt her, Qin Yufeng had quietly invited Crown Prince Xieyue back to solve the plot that might break the alliance between the two countries.

    And this time, this painting? Did he really mean nothing? Why did he deliberately take the painting from Old Madam Qin and give it to her in the name of Old Madam Qin. Did he just want her to ept it? Moreover, Qin Yuxuan¡¯s request was also because of him. Only he knew that the painting was in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands now.

    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to ask others to copy another one.

    But why did he make such a big detour and then she sent the painting back? Did he know what she was thinking? Did he deliberately send the painting to her and make Old Madam Qin panic? Just now, Mo Xuetong had seen it clearly. Although Old Madam Qin kept pretending to be calm, there were a few traces of anxiety in her eyes.

    Especially when Mo Xuetong suggested showing the painting to Princess Royal, Old Madam Qin¡¯s face was a little pale and she looked ufortable!

    If it had been in her past life, Mo Xuetong would not have been able to notice it. It was just a slight change. However, in this life, Mo Xuetong usually paid attention to these details. So how could she not be able to notice it? Old Madam Qin was really flustered at that moment. She had yet to react when Mdm Yu first mentioned Qin Yufeng¡¯s marriage.

    She didn¡¯t join the discussion until Mdm Yu said a few words!

    All of this showed that Old Madam Qin must know something. Thinking of this, Mo Xuetong could not help but feel excited. She had a clue cut off in Fu General Manor for the time being. She did not expect that there would be another clue in the Qin Manor. And it seemed that this clue was more important than the one in Fu General Manor.

    ording to the age of her mother in the painting, she knew that this clue was very important.

    Judging from Mdm Yu¡¯s reaction, it was the first time she had seen the painting. She probably did not know about it, but what about Qin Yufeng?

    He seemed to act casually, but his every move also seemed to have a hidden meaning. Mo Xuetong always felt that Qin Yufeng knew something. However, how did he know? After all, he was not born then. Judging from Old Madam Qin¡¯s cautious action, she would not tell others about it casually. Then where did Qin Yufeng find it...

    If it were anyone else, Mo Xuetong would only think that it was a coincidence. However, it was Qin Yufeng, and Mo Xuetong would not take any possibility lightly. He was behind all the things that happened to her in her past life, and could easily take others¡¯ life. He could even interfere in the matters in the inner courtyards of other manors. How could the matter concerning such a person be exined as a coincidence?

    Mo Xuetong brought Mo Lan and Mo Yu out of Old Madam Qin¡¯s courtyard and headed for the garden. Old Madam Qin was a little tired after talking for a while. Mo Xuetong came out on the pretext that she wanted to take a walk in the garden. Mdm Yu wanted to apany her, but Old Madam Qin¡¯s tonic diet was served, and she had to stay and serve Old Madam Qin, so Mo Xuetong took a walk in the garden with her maidservants.

    Fortunately, although it was not Cloud City here, Qin Zheng deliberately built this house simr to the old house in Cloud City to prevent Old Madam Qin from missing the old times. Many ces were made in the same way. Walking here, Mo Xuetong felt as if she was walking in the old house of Qin family in Cloud City, so she didn¡¯t feel strange at all.

    After all, it was the ce where she had lived for more than a year.

    Furthermore, when Qin Zheng and Mo Huawen were both still in Cloud City, the two families had a close rtionship. Luo Xia was a gentle woman, and Mdm Yu was also very kind then. It was normal for the children of the two families to y together. Besides, Mo Xuetong was still young then, and didn¡¯t have to avoid men. Thus, it was normal for her to y behind Qin Yuxuan and Qin Yufeng.

    As such, from every aspect, she was very familiar with the Qin family¡¯s garden. Then she politely rejected Mdm Yu¡¯s servants and brought her two maidservants with her to stroll around.

    She was even more familiar with the scene ahead. There was a grasnd by the river and a rockery by the grasnd. She remembered how she had been reborn. At that time, she had been tripped by Mo Zhu and fell into the river. It was also at that time that she woke up from her nightmare and changed everything.

    After she returned, drenched in blood, everything changed. She was no longer a lonely girl abandoned in Cloud City...

    Mo Lan looked at the dazed Mo Xuetong and sighed. ¡°My Lady, do you want to take a rest?¡± she asked, pretending to be casual. How could the two of them not be familiar with everything here? Almost, their mistress was so close to death in this ce. How flustered they were then!

    Several maidservants kept a nervous vigil at her bedside day and night.

    Mo Xuetong pointed at the pavilion a distance away and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I just want to walk alone. You go to the pavilion and have a rest.¡±

    ¡°Yes, then I will be there with Mo Yu. My Lady, you can just call us if you need anything.¡± Mo Lan knew that Mo Xuetong thought of the past and felt a little upset as she had been in the ce where was simr to the old ce. She wanted to stay alone for a while. Mo Lan nodded and pulled Mo Yu, who was about to say something else, to the pavilion.

    Although it was far away, because this ce was t, they could see it clearly from here.

    Even though Mo Xuetong did not say anything earlier, Mo Lan could still sense that her mistress was not in a calm mood. Perhaps she wanted to be alone. Anyone who had witnessed that matter would think of what her mistress had suffered. Although things had changed, her mistress would definitely not be calm.

    The two maidservants left sensibly. Mo Xuetong inexplicably heaved a sigh of relief. She walked along the grass. There was a row of willow trees by the river. Even though it was not the time of year when willows sprouted and drizzle fell in the wind, looking at the slender willow branches, Mo Xuetong still felt a little bit of flexibility.

    Standing under the willow tree, she looked at the river quietly. If there was really anything different, the river here was not as big as the one in Cloud City. The capital was originally a ce where every inch ofnd was precious. Qin Zheng was already very powerful to be able to channel running water into this ce. Mo Xuetong did not know what happened to the Qin family in her past life.

    She had been staying in the back courtyard of the Duke¡¯s manor, and was also the most unfavored one. It could be said that she was isted from the world!

    However, she could imagine how glorious the Qin family would be in the near future with a stunning talent like Qin Yufeng in the family. In her past life, Feng Yuran had traveled far away to the Southern Barbarian Lands and no one knew if he was dead or alive. Feng Yuxuan was much more talented than Feng Yulei, but as Qing Yufeng helped thetter in his back, it was normal for Feng Yulei to take the throne.

    As for King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, wasn¡¯t he in the Yan Kingdom then? Or was he already dead?

    It would be difficult to bring Feng Yuzhen back from Bai Yihao¡¯s hands. No matter how powerful the Empress Dowager was, she would not be able to do it. Moreover, Bai Yihao was not the Empress Dowager¡¯s real grandson. The Empress of the Yan Kingdom and Bai Yihao were already enemies.

    As such, there was almost nothing suspicious about the Qin family¡¯s rise. However, she felt that there was something missing. Mo Xuetong frowned slightly.

    The dream that had troubled her some time ago no longer appeared. It seemed that Qin Yufeng¡¯s figure had faded in her dream. Mo Xuetong had not thought of Qin Yufeng recently. However, at this moment, she could not help but think of this person. He seemed to have rushed to find her at thest moment of her life.

    He seemed to be the one who had killed Mo Xuemin. What did that cry of shock and sadness mean...?

    However, how could it be? Qin Yufeng was really not familiar with her. Even when she was young, every time she came to the Qin family, it was Qin Yuxuan who took her to y. The lively Qin Yuxuan was happy to take her around. At that time, Qin Yufeng was very sensible and would not climb up and down with a group of children. At most, when they were just ying, he was quietly reading books in the pavilion.

    Later, when Mo Xuetong arrived at the Qin family, Qin Yufeng left his family, so there was no connection between them. But why was the voice of Qin Yufeng calling her in the dream so sad and desperate? And what about the altar that appeared in the end? All of this was hidden in the mist, and the most important point was Qin Yufeng.

    Was he friend or foe...?

    What was his purpose...

    He had always pretended to be pure-hearted. How could he be so desperate and painful...

    ¡°Cousin Tong.¡± A gentle and elegant voice suddenly rang in her ears. Mo Xuetong woke up from her deep thoughts. She stopped furrowing her brow slightly. As she looked to the side, she saw a handsome man dressed in a long green robe. He looked as if he had walked out of an ink painting. His eyes were filled with smiles and he looked gentle and rxed.

    Unlike the leisure of Bai Yihao, who was as carefree as an immortal, he seemed to be kind, the kindness that could be felt by Mo Xuetong.

    It was as if he had opened her heart in front of Mo Xuetong for the first time. For the first time, Mo Xuetong had sensed his kindness...

 Chapter 710 - Mdm Yus Begging

    <h4>Chapter 710 Mdm Yu¡¯s Begging</h4>

    ¡°How are you going, Cousin Feng.¡± Mo Xuetong was invisibly suspicious. She turned around calmly with a smile on the corners of her mouth.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, did youe for that painting today?¡± Qin Yufeng gazed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes that were slightly narrowing, and then his eyes involuntary became a little deeper.

    This was the first time that Qin Yufeng had openly talked about that painting. He had never mentioned it other than giving it to her. Mo Xuetong did not know what he meant, so she just didn¡¯t ask anything.

    But now, since he had mentioned it, she wanted to make some things clear.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, when you gave the painting to me, you told me that it was Grandmother who asked you to give it to me. Why is it not like this now?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up and squeezed her palm, trying to calmly look back at him. Fortunately, she had been reborn; otherwise, she would never be able to look back at Qin Yufeng so calmly.

    She was facing a person who was full of schemes, a person whom no one could understand, and a person who was closely rted to her.

    No matter whether she wanted to escape or not, she could not. Then she should face him directly!

    Qin Yufeng did not get her me. He smiled slightly and took a few steps under the willow tree with his hands behind his back. He turned his back on Mo Xuetong and asked, ¡°Cousin Tong, do you like that painting?¡±

    He did not answer her question, but asked back. This made Mo Xuetong have a feeling that if she said yes, then there was no need to ask him how he got the painting. Could it be that he deliberately sent the painting to her because she wanted it?

    Then Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and put aside the inappropriate thoughts. Who was he? He was Qin Yufeng, a talented and resourceful person. In her past life and this life, she had little to do with him. As for what happened in her dream, Mo Xuetong felt that it was not true. However, she had to hide her doubt.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, one of the girls in that painting is my mother. I am naturally interested in it. But even so, I still feel guilty to take the painting away from Grandaunt,¡± Mo Xuetong responded gently as a smile broke on her lips. However, her words were not so pleasant to listen to.

    Of course, her rtionship with Old Madam Qin could not bepared with Qin Yufeng¡¯s. She felt guilty, but why did Qin Yufeng not feel guilty at all when he had stolen her grandmother¡¯s beloved painting? It sounded like she was ming himself, but in fact, she was ming him.

    ¡°Cousin Tong, you¡¯re thinking too much. Grandmother doesn¡¯t like that painting and kept it at the bottom of the box. As it was put there for too long, and she was afraid that it would be broken, she put it in the sun. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have seen it. Since your mother was painted in it and you like it so much, just take it. Grandmother will forget about it after some time. It¡¯s not something she loved.¡±

    Qin Yufeng gave a faint smile and turned around.

    The sun shone on his face from the side, making his tall nose wings a little softer. He seemed more easygoing than usual.

    At this point, Qin Yufeng was gentle without a mysterious aura that made it difficult for others to get close to him. Mo Xuetong even had a feeling that Qin Yufeng was very sincere at this moment.

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips and suppressed the awkwardness in her heart. Her expression subconsciously softened. In the face of his repeated acts of kindness, she somehow believed him; she believed that the mysterious and unfathomable Qin Yufeng would not harm her; she believed that he really didn¡¯t deliberately sent the painting to her for some purpose.

    ¡°Cousin Feng, where did Grandaunt get this painting?¡± Mo Xuetong asked after a moment of hesitation. She looked calm with one hand clutching her handkerchief tightly in her sleeve.

    ¡°I heard that the painting was drawn by a close friend of Grandaunt¡¯s when she was young.¡± Qin Yufeng¡¯s gaze quietlynded on the side of Mo Xuetong¡¯s face as her eyelids were lowered. They stood under trees and a few rays of sunlight shone on her long ck hair. The light was jumping and full of vitality, just like her who was standing beside him brightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s great that she¡¯s still alive!

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to ask for anything else. I will just take things as theye...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this at first, but when I was a little child, I saw that person visit Grandmother.¡±

    Qin Yufeng¡¯s words made Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes widen. She suddenly looked up at Qin Yufeng, and regardless of thinking, asked hurriedly, ¡°When did that happen? Did you see that person clearly?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see her clearly. I just saw her back. At that time, I was very young. I just felt very strange as someone came to visit Grandmother from the back door. So I followed her out secretly. I saw that person get in a small sedan chair. Grandmother sent her out in person. I hid aside and vaguely heard they mention a painting.¡±

    Qin Yufeng smiled slightly. His tone was calm as if it was just a small matter that he had seen when he was a naughty child. He did not seem to have noticed the tempestuous emotions in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    Mo Xuetong held back the trembling in her heart, but the handkerchief in her hand had already been crumpled into a ball. ¡°That person... that person, do you know where she is now?¡± she asked subconsciously. She had an intuition that the truth was not far from her, as if it was right in front of her. She only needed to work harder and then she would be able to see everything clearly.

    However, with just a little bit of information, which seemed to be guiding her ahead, she just couldn¡¯t find the way out.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her again after that. Perhaps she left or was hidden in the mountain forests. Grandmother didn¡¯t mention it. However, Cousin Tong, since you took out the painting today, maybe Grandmother thought of that close friend again. Then, you can ask Grandmother about it yourself. I may leave the capital in the future. Cousin Tong, take care of yourself.¡±

    Without saying anything else, Qin Yufeng turned around leisurely as if he had juste across her. He walked along the river. Under the weeping willows, his figure was tall and straight, but looked lonely, and even a little vicissitudinous and isted.

    How was that possible? How could the brilliant Qin Yufeng have such a bitter time?

    Mo Xuetong stood behind him, frowning. She did not look away until his figure disappeared from her sight. Was he telling her that Old Madam Qin would take action next? Mo Xuetong would not think that his words were meaningless. Actually, Mo Xuetong felt that what Qin Yufeng said since he appeared was worth thinking about.

    She vaguely felt that Qin Yufeng was exhorting her.

    If it was really as she had guessed, the rtionship between the Qin family and the former King Jin¡¯s Manor was not simple. No one had mentioned this matter, which meant that it was a secret. Why did Qin Yufeng believe that she would not tell others after finding it out? The people and things rted to King Jin¡¯s manor had all suffered.

    The exposure of the rtionship between the Qin family and King Jin¡¯s Manor would definitely not benefit the Qin family. This was especially so when he, the new Number One Schr, was popr. The Qin family was bound to be prosperous. Did he trusted her wholeheartedly or believe something else? Mo Xuetong thought about it a few times. Then she gritted her teeth and decided to trust Qin Yufeng.

    After her rebirth, Qin Yufeng had not harmed her, except at the very beginning, and had even saved her. He had not even sought refuge with Feng Yuxuan, his former master. If he had something else on his mind, Mo Xuetong could not figure out why he had even revealed to her the matter concerning the Qin family¡¯s lives.

    Coupled with his straightforward kindness that she could tell, Mo Xuetong inexplicably believed in him! Moreover, he seemed to say goodbye to her. Did he say that he... was going to leave the capital? Did he mean about his transfer to a local job that Old Madam Qin and Mdm Yu had mentioned?

    He was a noble young master, yet, he was really going to another ce. Mo Xuetong did not expect that!

    Qin Yufeng walked forward with a calm expression on his face. As he turned around a corner, he saw Mdm Yu hurrying over. Hurriedly, he stood by the side and curtsied.

    Mdm Yu had finished serving Old Madam Qin and was here to apany Mo Xuetong, Consort Xuan. At the sight of her son whom she seldom saw in the manor, she could not be bothered about anything else. She stood there and asked unhappily, ¡°Feng¡¯er, is it true that you¡¯re going to be an official at the border?¡±

    She had been wanting to have a talk with Qin Yufeng for the past few days, but she could not find him. Either he didn¡¯te back or he said it waste at night. Now that she had the chance to catch him today, she would not let him go. She had been in a nervous state for a few days, so she asked him directly. In that kind of ce, he might die if he was not careful.

    ¡°Mother, I will be fine. Although that kind of ce is of poor conditions, it is easy to make achievements. I¡¯lle back after three to five years. You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Qin Yufeng said with a smile. His eyes were gentle and elegant, and he was as unperturbed as usual.

    ¡°You are really going to that kind of ce? No, I don¡¯t agree! You are just a civil official. What are you going to do in that kind of ce? You won¡¯t make any achievements there!¡± Mdm Yu had asked with uncertainty. But when she heard Qin Yufeng¡¯s admission, her face immediately darkened and she said angrily. She only had one son, so how could she bear to let him go to such a dangerous ce?

    Qin Yufeng looked up at her and said seriously, ¡°Mother, the transfer order is about toe. I can¡¯t disobey His Majesty¡¯s order.¡±

    The transfer order had been given, and he couldn¡¯t disobey His Majesty¡¯s order. These words made Mdm Yu so vexed that she could not help but shed tears. ¡°Feng¡¯er, how... how can you do this to your mother?¡±

    Her son didn¡¯t tell her this matter until now. Since the Emperor had given him the order, there was nothing she could do. Thinking that her son might die in that ce, Mdm Yu could not calm down and was filled with worries. She grabbed Qin Yufeng¡¯s hand and pleaded, ¡°Feng¡¯er, since His Majesty has given the order, I can¡¯t say anything more. But before you leave, you should get married first. If, if, if you...¡±

    A lump came into Mdm Yu¡¯s throat. She could not continue speaking. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief as her tears fell. If something were to happen to Qin Yufeng, he could leave a son and a daughter in the world if he got married.

    Qin Yufeng sighed and asked gently, ¡°Mother, do you want me to marry a daughter of the Yu family?¡±

    He had always known of Mdm Yu¡¯s thoughts. He did not like the daughter of the Yu family at all. In fact, he did not like anyone from the Yu family.

    ¡°I...¡± Having her thought exposed, Mdm Yu felt guilty and lowered her head.

    ¡°Mother, can you listen to me for a second?¡± Qin Yufeng sighed again. ¡°Mother, you should not contact too much with the people of the Yu Manor. Mo Yufeng and the Yu Manor cannot even protect themselves, but they still want to plot against others. Mother, do you know what crime it is to frame the royal family? The criminal will be exterminated together with his entire family of nine generations.¡±

    ¡°The criminal will be exterminated together with his entire family?¡± Mdm Yu repeated in a shaking voice and her face turned deathly pale. Her whole body trembled like a willow in hard wind. Not able to continue crying, she looked at Qin Yufeng in a daze, flustered and uneasy.

    ¡°Yes, Mother. If you still treat me as your son, don¡¯t get involved in this kind of thing! The Qin family is also within their nine generations.¡± Qin Yufeng patted Mdm Yu¡¯s hand leisurely and turned to leave.

 Chapter 711 - The Mysterious Nunnery

    <h4>Chapter 711 The Mysterious Nunnery</h4>

    Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know that Qin Yufeng had warned Mdm Yu. When she returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor that day, she asked Mo Feng and Mo Ye to keep an eye on Old Madam Qin. ording to the time, if Old Madam Qin was really shocked, she was most likely to take action at that night. However, what surprised her was that before she got news about Old Madam Qin, she received news about Mdm Yu.

    It was said that Mdm Yu burnt some letters and even secretly dug out some things buried in Old Madam Qin¡¯s backyard. Then she set them all on fire and burned then to ashes. Those things were simr to what Yu Feng gave to Mo Yufeng. Mo Xuetong had already investigated it clearly. Originally, it was Yu Feng who gave these to Mdm Yu.

    Of course, the evidence was in line with that that Mo Yufeng knew.

    The frame-up was affirmed at once!

    Without the so-called ¡°evidence¡± in Mdm Yu¡¯s hands, the matter about Mo Yufeng could not bear closer analysis. On the one hand, it helped Mo Xuetong; on the other hand, Mdm Yu got rid of this matter. No matter what the result was, it had nothing to do with her, let alone the Qin family.

    It changed from a situation where both sides were injured to a win-win situation. It was most likely Qin Yufeng¡¯s move.

    Only this man could easily solve the problem between her and the Qin family!

    Originally, Mo Xuetong was very grateful to the Qin family. Generally speaking, the Qin family had taken her in when she had nowhere to go; furthermore, they had had her well-fed; on the surface, they treated her well; and Old Madam Qin had taken good care of her, but Mdm Yu was the exception.

    Because of Auntie Fang, Mdm Yu had always been hostile to Mo Xuetong. When she first woke up, Mdm Yu was the one who was plotting against her and almost killed her. In her past life, she had allowed Yu Sirong to harm her at will and ruin her reputation again and again. The girl had even disfigured her. Mo Xuetong would never believe that Mdm Yu was not involved in this matter.

    In this life, Mdm Yu didn¡¯t harm her as obviously as she did in thest life, and Yu Sirong had gotten what she deserved. Later, Mdm Yu even forced Auntie Fang to leave the Qin Manor for the sake of the entire Qin Manor. But no matter what, Mdm Yu had never been kind to Mo Xuetong, and thetter did not have a good impression of the former.

    To be a hunter or a prey, in this life, Mo Xuetong had ced herself in the position of a hunter. If Mdm Yu insisted on going ahead with her n and wanted to support Yu Feng and Mo Yufeng, Mo Xuetong did not mind giving her push again to make her doomed eternally. In her past life, she had learned a lesson paid for with blood, and she understood that being benevolent would only make others think that she was easy to bully, and would be bully her to death.

    However, since Mdm Yu had already indicated that she would withdraw, Mo Xuetong did not pursue the matter further. In general, there was no direct grudge between Mdm Yu and Mo Xuetong. Mdm Yu was just Auntie Fang and Mo Xuemin¡¯s essory. Furthermore, it also rted to the entire Qin Manor that had done her a favor and Qin Yufeng who was extremely resourceful.

    If possible, Mo Xuetong did not want to be Qin Yufeng¡¯s enemy.

    The present situation was as good as it got!

    Mo Ye reported the other message to Mo Xuetong the next morning. In fact, she had returned after midnight. However, when she returned to the courtyard, Feng Yuran¡¯s people were already waiting outside. Knowing that Feng Yuran had returned, she did not bother them and returned to her room to rest.

    The next day, after Mo Xuetong woke up and washed up, she came to tell her.

    ¡°Is it really a very small nunnery?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned as Mo Lan wasbing her long hair. She looked at her pale face through her makeup mirror and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a very small nunnery, but it¡¯s heavily guarded. Mo Feng and I didn¡¯t dare to get too close to it. At the gate of the nunnery, there were many well-trained guards. They looked like secret guards,¡± Mo Ye answered after thinking for a while.

    The two of them went there as they followed Old Madam Qin¡¯s sedan chair. If Old Madam Qin had not led the way, they would not have thought that they would have found such a small nunnery in the middle of nowhere. The nunnery was not big, and there was only one main hall. Besides, it did not have many worshippers.

    Old Madam Qin¡¯s sedan chair stopped at the door and she went in with an old maidservant, without even taking a personal maidservant.

    The one who opened the door was a very old nun. When she saw Old Madam Qining, she did not say anything and let them in. Mo Ye and Mo Feng were far away from them. However, by the light, they found that the nun and Old Madam Qin seemed to be familiar with each other. The nun naturally let them in and closed the door behind them.

    ¡°Then... didn¡¯t you hear anything?¡± Mo Xuetong asked after pondering for a moment.

    ¡°We stood too far away, so we didn¡¯t hear anything. But Mo Feng and I didn¡¯t dare to go away, so we stayed at the door of the nunnery until Old Madam Qin came out in the middle of the night. The one who sent her out was a nun whose hair hadn¡¯t shaved, and there was another nun who was holding antern by the side. Under the light, we couldn¡¯t see them clearly, but it seemed that the woman with hair was not young as the nun holding thentern helped her walk.¡±

    Mo Ye was not sure about the situation in the room. The light was dim and it was so far away that she could hardly see anything clearly. Fortunately, she and Mo Feng were both martial artists and had better eyesight than ordinary people. They could vaguely see the general situation.

    ¡°Did you, did you feel... that woman¡¯s behavior... is different from others?¡± Mo Xuetong asked as she pondered.

    ¡°Different?¡± Mo Ye thought for a moment and answered hesitantly, ¡°I... I don¡¯t think... Old Madam Qin was going to... visit a friend. When she walked out the room... Old Madam Qin even... bowed to that woman respectfully. It¡¯s more like... that woman¡¯s status is higher.¡±

    Mo Ye wasn¡¯t sure about it. As such, she was afraid that she would mislead her mistress. Then she added, ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it clearly. That¡¯s what I felt. I might have seen wrongly.¡±

    Old Madam Qin already had a very noble status. She had a son of a third-grade official, as well as a grandson who was a talent and prepared to soar into the skies. Even noble madams like the Fu General¡¯s wife did not dare to receive a big bow from Old Madam Qin.

    However, in the dark night, Mo Ye saw that Old Madam Qin had given a bow to the woman who had been sent Old Madam Qin out. How could Mo Ye not suspect that she had seen wrongly? What kind of status did the woman own that Old Madam Qin even bowed to her respectfully? She even bent over and was about to kowtow to her. Even though Old Madam Qin was quickly pulled up by the nun, she still stood up and gave a bow.

    ¡°Do you remember the location of that nunnery?¡± Mo Xuetong took a deep breath and closed her eyes excitedly. When she opened her eyes again, they were still as calm as water!

    ¡°I¡¯ve kept its location in mind. Do you want to have a look, My Lady?¡±

    ¡°Not now, I¡¯ll go there in a few days.¡± She had thought about whether she should go or not. Even if she went, it was not now. Old Madam Qin just wentst night, and if she went to that ce today, she was obvious telling others that she had been paying attention to Old Madam Qin¡¯s move and had been keeping an eye on her. Even the slightest movement in that ce would attract people¡¯s attention.

    Mo Xuetong did not want any change to happen before she was fully prepared.

    Some things had been in her mind for a long time, and she was not in a hurry now, so she did not mind waiting for a few more days.

    Mo Ye thought for a while and asked, ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask Mo Feng to keep an eye on that ce. You can know immediately if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Even if you keep an eye on that ce, you won¡¯t find anything. However, if Mo Feng goes there and is discovered, it will alert them.¡± Mo Xuetong took a hairpin from the dressing table and handed it to Mo Lan. She couldn¡¯t help looking at the bracelet on her wrist with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

    She didn¡¯t mean to say those unpleasant words, but she did not know what to say!

    If the situation over there was really as she had guessed, the slightest movement would immediately scare the people away. When they left, it would not be so easy to find them. They would be more cautious. The fact that Old Madam Qin had not visited them for so many years showed how careful they were.

    No one knew about their existence. However, they did exist. This also indicated another fact¡ªsome people had been protecting them and did not allow them to be disturbed by the outside world. Was this their unique way of self-protection? Mo Xuetong did notment. However, she pressed hard on the corner of the table. There was a wave of anger in her heart. She could not spit it out even if she wanted to.

    An unconscious hint of indifference and mockery unconsciously painted her face!

    Noticing that Mo Xuetong was angry, Mo Lan waved at Mo Ye, who was about to speak, gesturing for her not to say anything else. When she saw that Mo Ye had left, she quicklybed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hair. ncing at Mo Xuetong, who looked clearly distracted, in the mirror, she also left quietly.

    Mo Lan was very convinced of Mo Xuetong. No matter what decision Mo Xuetong made, she would support her. Her mistress was no longer that coward and useless youngdy. What she should do was to listen to her mistress and carry out her orders. Mo Xuetong was often distraught and dazed recently. It was obvious that she had encountered a difficult situation.

    If she wanted to say it, she would naturally tell it to them. If she didn¡¯t say it, it meant that it was useless to tell it to them. Then what they could do now was to serve her well. As for other things, Mo Xuetong had her own way to deal with them.

    Mo Xuetong did not think about it for long. Soon, she called Mo Lan and the others in. Mo Yu ced breakfast on the table. Mo Xuetong had half a bowl of porridge and told them to remove it. Tomorrow, she would return to the Mo Manor to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival. She would take some things that were useful for her.

    Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, so it was impossible for her to return to the Mo Manor on Mid-Autumn Festival and leave Feng Yuran alone in King Xuan¡¯s Manor. Otherwise, Feng Yuran would not agree, and it was also a breach of etiquette. As such, Mo Xuetong would return to the Mo Manor to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow. Mid-Autumn Festival was considered a big asion. On that day, the Mo Manor would also invite other close rtives to dinner.

    It was a lively reunion. It was the same idea for girls of the Qin Kingdom, who had gotten married, returned to her parents¡¯ home for Mid-Autumn Festival.

    People would find a time within two or three days before Mid-Autumn Festival to go home and get together with their rtives and friends. If a family had many daughters married off, their daughters would make an agreement to go back to their parents¡¯ home on the same day. Now that Mo Xuetong was the only married daughter of the Mo Manor, she didn¡¯t have to go to so much trouble. Furthermore, she was the noble Consort Xuan. All she had to do was inform the Mo Manor before she went back!

    However, there were still some things that she had to take. Furthermore, she had especially gotten someone to send a letter to King Chu¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong had already prepared for this for a long time. Her maidservants took the order and left. They were all prepared to be assigned their tasks...

 Chapter 712 - Several People Were Scalded in Succession

    <h4>Chapter 712 Several People Were Scalded in Session</h4>

    The Mo Manor was very lively today and there were many guests. Originally, only close rtives woulde at the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, because of Mo Xuetong¡¯s return, some rtives who rarely contacted the Mo Manor voluntarily came as well. Since they were guests, even though he knew that they didn¡¯t harbor pure intentions, Mo Huawen could only receive them with a smile.

    Because of the guests¡¯ing, it was normal for Mo Yufeng to receive them with his father. After all, he was always the Eldest Young Master on the surface and the only son of Mo Huawen. Mo Huawen could not restrain him too much and had to allow him to meet the guests. As such, early in the morning, Mo Yufeng apanied Mo Huawen to wee the guests.

    The most unexpected thing was that someone from the Yu Manor also came. It was Mdm Chen¡ªYu Feng¡¯s wife¡ªand her other daughter Yu Siyan. Now everyone knew that the vicious-hearted Auntie Fang of the Mo Manor was from the Yu Manor. She almost killed Consort Xuan. The entire Mo Manor did not like them at all.

    However, they came without shame. No matter what, Yu Feng was Mo Yufeng¡¯s uncle, and they were rted by blood. Mo Huawen could not close the shut in their faces. Furthermore, he and Yu Feng were both officials and would see each other frequently. There was no need to embarrass them because of Auntie Fang, who was already dead.

    Thus, when Yu Feng¡¯s family came, Mo Huawen and Mo Yufeng still went out to meet them.

    Mdm Chen and Yu Siyan followed everyone to rest in Xu Yan¡¯s courtyard. Mo Xuetong had returned to the Mo Manor early in the morning. Xu Yan could not stand the fatigue, so the matters of the inner courtyard were managed by Auntie Mo and Auntie Qing. However, the two concubines had a low status. Hence, Mo Xuetong, the daughter who had returned to the manor, epted the task of receiving guests.

    However, Mo Xuetong was not an ordinary daughter. As she was Consort Xuan, no one would dare to disturb her too much. As such, after she had talked with Xu Yan for a while, she went back to Qingwei Garden to rest on the grounds that she wasn¡¯t feeling well. Seeing that she and Xu Yan couldn¡¯t receive them, the other women didn¡¯t bother them and strolled in the garden under the guidance of the two concubines.

    After resting in the room for a while, Mo Xuetong took a book casually to read and kill time. Just now, a maidservant came and said that there were about two hours before lunch, so it was still early now.

    Mo Lan came in and reported that Auntie Qing wanted to visit Qingwei Garden with a few madams and youngdies and asked if it was convenient for Mo Xuetong!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips curled up slightly. There was a slight ripple in her eyes, but there was a hint of coldness in them. She nodded meaningfully at Mo Lan. Mo Lan understood and went out to reply.

    Soon, Auntie Qing came in with some of the girls from the rtives, including Mdm Chen of the Yu Manor and her daughter Yu Siyan.

    Mo Xuetong also knew Yu Siyan. Thetter and her elder sister Yu Sirong were from the same mother, so their rtionship was naturally different from that of other sisters. Furthermore, there was a year gap between them. In the past life, Yu Siyan had often apanied Yu Sirong to visit the Qin family. She had been watching from the side when Yu Sirong bullied Mo Xuetong.

    Every time Mo Xuetong was hurt, she wouldfort her on behalf of Yu Sirong. It could be said that Yu Sirong¡¯s younger sister had made great contributions to the fact that Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t resent Yu Sirong after she had been badly hurt by her in thest life.

    In this life, Mo Xuetong hadn¡¯t seen Yu Siyan yet. She returned to the capital shortly after waking up. After that, Yu Sirong followed her parents to the capital first. When Yu Sirong was disfigured, Yu Siyan and the others went to the capital. But the rtionship between the Yu Manor and the Mo Manor became worse and worse, and they stopped having any dealings with each other.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect to see Yu Siyan, who was obviously more resourceful than Yu Sirong, today. It seemed that Yu Feng was determined to fulfill his purpose this time. He even used his favorite daughter Yu Siyan. Did he want to take this opportunity to please King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, and then send his daughter to King Ning¡¯s Manor? Yu Feng was indeed experienced. He even set another trap in the trap to let his daughter show up in front of King Ning and attract Feng Yuzhen¡¯s attention.

    However, it was a pity...

    ¡°Greetings, Consort Xuan.¡± The guests were all very polite and they all curtsied to Mo Xuetong together with Auntie Qing. Mo Xuetong gave a small smile and softly asked them to sit down by the side.

    Then the maidservants served tea and put them in front of those people before they all left.

    There were Auntie Qing, Mdm Chen, Yu Siyan, and Wang Yn, whom Mo Xuetong had met before, as well as some rtives of the Mo family.

    Auntie Qing picked up the teacup with a smile and took a sip. Immediately, her eyes lit up as she looked up and asked, ¡°My Lady, is this tea a tribute from the pce? It smells so good.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had indeed brought some tea leaves here today and they were ced in Qingwei Garden. No one lived in Qingwei Garden right now. Even though it was clean, there was definitely no tea here. It would be troublesome to ask for it temporarily. So Mo Xuetong brought some with her. The maidservants made tea just now with the tea leaves she had taken here.

    Emperor Zongwen was extremely fond of Feng Yuran. It was normal to send daily food and clothing directly to Feng Yuran from the pce.

    Mo Xuetong gave a soft smile as a hint of light shed in her watery eyes. Then she replied humbly, ¡°It was originally awarded by the pce. This time, I came here to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and His Highness specially asked me to bring some. Even though it might not be the best, it is rare.¡± How could the things from the pce not be good?

    Among the rtives of the Mo Manor, Mo Huawen had the highest position. They usually did not have the chance to enter the pce. When they heard about the good things from the pce, the madams and youngdies who were not thirsty could not help but pick up the teacups. They had to taste the good things from the pce, so that they could show them off to other madams when they went out in the future.

    There were too many guests, and everyone sat close to each other. In particr, for convenience¡¯s sake, the youngdies were closer to each other. Originally, it was suitable for them to huddle together and talk in private. But now, everyone picked up the cups at hand. As their arms collided, they failed to hold on to their cups and the tea spilled out.

    The tea was made with scalding water, and at this time, their clothes were thin. Ady spilled some of her tea and immediately jumped up when she was scalded. Then she bumped into the otherdy, who was also scalded and screamed. She hurriedly stood up. In her anxiety and panic, she could not hold the tea in her hand and poured it to the other side...

    For a moment, there were three or four youngdies who were doused with hot tea. Their dresses were wet and hot. Several youngdies cried out with tears in their eyes. Two of them even fell to the ground. In a word, they were in a mess.

    Mo Xuetong, who was seated high, frowned slightly and put down the teacup in her hand.

    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s all our fault. We were careless and broke your tea set. My Lady, please be magnanimous and forgive us this time.¡± Before everyone could react, ady whose dress was wet rushed out and walked up to Mo Xuetong. Then she lowered her body, about to kneel down.

    For a moment, everyone quieted down. Even the other youngdies who had been scalded gritted their teeth pitifully and endured the pain, looking at Mo Xuetong pleadingly.

    It was only thedies themselves that caused the trouble. However, her words sounded like Consort Xuan had bullied the rtives of the Mo Manor and oppressed them with her power!

    Mo Xuetong shot a nce at Mo Lan. Thetter hurriedly helped the kneelingdy up. Thedy was Yu Siyan!

    The lower part of her dress was thoroughly wet, and there were a few tea leaves on it. Coupled with her pleading eyes now, she looked really pitiful.

    ¡°Second Miss Yu, what are you talking about? What do you mean by ¡®broke the tea set¡¯? It¡¯s just a few tea sets. How could Her Lady me you for these tea sets? You worry too much.¡± Mo Lan pulled Yu Siyan up forcefully. She used much strength with her hand, but there was a gentle smile on her face as she tried to persuade Yu Siyan.

    ¡°Mo Lan is right. You spoke as if it¡¯s a big deal. Second Miss Yu, you should first check if you have any burns. Nothing else is a big deal. If you have burns, there would be a scar. Then it wouldn¡¯t be good. I heard that if the burn isn¡¯t cured in time, it would be a little...¡±

    Looking at Yu Siyan¡¯s frightened eyes and her dress, which was wet in the lower part, Mo Xuetong sneered in her heart. She didn¡¯t expect that it was Yu Siyan who started the show today. It seemed that the Yu Manor really couldn¡¯t wait any longer. After all, since Consort Yu had lost her power, Yu Feng¡¯s life was even harder, and now he didn¡¯t hesitate to make a desperate bet.

    The others did not pay attention to it, but Mo Xuetong had seen it clearly when she sat high just now. The first person to pour the tea on someone else was Yu Siyan. Now she came out to beg for mercy, as if she was afraid that she would be punished. It seemed as if Mo Xuetong had always been mean and ungrateful to others. Mo Xuetong would like to see how Auntie Qing and the others would continue to act in this scene today.

    Before Mo Xuetong could finish her words, the youngdies who had been scalded changed their expressions. They were all noble youngdies and usually paid the most attention to their appearance. Even though the burns were on their legs, it would not be perfect if scars were left on them. It would be hard to say if their husband would be judgy about the scars in the future.

    ¡°Ouch, it hurts!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too hot. My foot hurts.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I can¡¯t get up anymore.¡± The youngdies remembered their injuries with hindsight and cried out one by one. The maidservants standing behind them suddenly realized what had happened and hurried over to help them.

    ¡°My Lady, do you have any medicine for burns here? Can we apply some to our injuries? If we go back now, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be toote to cure the burns.¡± Yu Siyan also covered her calf, as if she had been burned badly. Those youngdies whose tears had fallen because of the burns were frightened and looked at Mo Xuetong pleadingly.

    It would be better if they people could apply the medicine to the burns as soon as possible.

    Mo Lan helped her sit down on a stool by the side andforted her in a soft voice. ¡°Second Miss Yu, don¡¯t worry. My Lady has already sent someone to ask the doctor of the manor to prepare some medicine for burns. Second Miss Yu, do you have a terrible burn? Would you like the doctor to see you first?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Second Miss Yu, is it very painful? Don¡¯t endure it if it hurts. As you were the first to rush out earlier, you must be in so much pain that you can¡¯t stand it. Ask the doctor to apply medicine to your burns firstter.¡± Mo Xuetong alsoforted her in a gentle voice.

    The other youngdies cried out in pain beside her. However, Consort Xuan¡¯s attention was on Yu Siyan. Most of her dress looked wet, mainly at the hem, but she did not seem to be badly scalded. The others all looked at her suspiciously.

    They knew what it felt like to be burned, as they also suffered the mishap. In that instant, they could not think of anything else and only felt sharp pain. They would not be able to stand up and say anything else to Consort Xuan!

    Was Yu Siyan¡¯s injury the most serious or the least?

 Chapter 713 - The Smart Yu Siyan

    <h4>Chapter 713 The Smart Yu Siyan</h4>

    Yu Siyan, who had her head lowered, hurriedly raised her head and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. She lifted her slightly red eyes and seemed to be struggling to stand up. Mo Lan, who was standing beside her, hurriedly helped her sit down. ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m not seriously injured... I thought you just now, so... My Lady, you don¡¯t mind it because you are generous. But it¡¯s our fault to make this ce like this. So, I wanted to stand up and say something...¡±

    She sounded extremely pitiful, and she rallied the youngdies into the same camp with her, which made them also sad. There was less suspicion of her in their eyes.

    ¡°My Lady, what should we do now? These youngdies look so painful. I wonder if you could lend them your room to rest, see how their injuries are, and get changed.¡± Auntie Qing came out to take charge of the situation. She was the hostess today. As such an ident happened, the hostess had to think of a way to deal with it.

    This incident happened in Qingwei Garden. Even though Mo Xuetong was of noble status, she could lend these youngdies a ce to check their injuries and change their clothes. If Mo Xuetong did not allow them to change, it would be really unreasonable.

    Furthermore, Mo Xuetong was a married daughter of the manor now. Even though the ce was still reserved for her, it was just a token of the Mo Manor¡¯s concern. In general, it still belonged to the Mo Manor. Auntie Qing was considered to be half a mistress today, and what she said made sense. As such, it was a feasible idea in reality as well as in human ethics.

    Thus, Mo Xuetong could not refuse!

    Actually, Mo Xuetong did not intend to refuse. Since they had plotted this so urately, she would like to see what they were going to do next.

    Giving a faint smile, she nodded in agreement. ¡°Since they¡¯re scalded, of course, they have to first take a look at the burns before applying the medicine. Auntie Qing, where would it be appropriate for them to take a look at their injuries and get changed?¡±

    In addition to Mo Xuetong¡¯s main room, there were some servants¡¯ rooms. In the past, Mo Lan and the others used to sleep in the east wing and there were a few little maidservants in the west wing. Now, there were no people living in the courtyard, and only a few old and young maidservants came to clean it up from time to time.

    ¡°My Lady, look, they are all youngdies from noble families. To ask them to change clothes seems...¡± Auntie Qing uttered awkwardly. If Mo Xuetong was an ordinary married woman, it would not have to be so troublesome. They could definitely change clothes in Mo Xuetong¡¯s room. However, Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, who had high status. There were some things that Auntie Qing could not say.

    People of the royal family hated to have people in their houses. Mo Xuetong might not mind it in the past, but now...

    However, the injured were all youngdies. It was not proper for them to casually go to the maidservant¡¯s room to change clothes. They all came here as guests today, and this matter happened here. Mo Xuetong could not let them go to the wing room like this. It was normal for Auntie Qing to be in such a difficult situation.

    No matter what, she was just a concubine, and couldn¡¯t decide for Consort Xuan, Mo Xuetong.

    Thedies and their family all turned their attention to Mo Xuetong, waiting for her to make the decision.

    ¡°Since Auntie Qing has said so, we have to let them enter my room. Otherwise, Auntie Qing will be med.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly and her clear, watery eyes shone with a beam. She looked at the satisfaction that shed across Auntie Qing¡¯s face and the smile on her lips grew cold.

    After hearing Mo Xuetong¡¯s words, everyone stopped any further ceremony. Some maidservants helped the four youngdies into the inner room. A few other maidservants ran out and took the dresses they took.

    Youngdies had always had the habit of taking one more dress when they attended banquets. They were afraid that something unexpected would happen and dirty their dresses. All the noble youngdies were delicate and valuable. If their dresses were stained, they could not show up in front of others. Therefore, it was inevitable to prepare an extra set of clothes.

    As these youngdies were going to change clothes, not many people entered the inner room. Mo Xuetong apanied a few madams anddies to chat outside. Mo Lan and Mo Ye brought the few of the youngdies in.

    There was arge screen in Mo Xuetong¡¯s inner room. Mo Xuetong had found it from Luo Xia¡¯s dowry. At that time, she had just returned to the capital, and Auntie Fang had deliberately made things difficult for her. The woman had given her an old-fashioned screen. Mo Xuetong did not argue with her and took out the screen from the warehouse.

    Later, when she married into King Xuan¡¯s Manor, the screen was too big and she did not take it away. As such, it was left in the Mo Manor.

    The ones who were scalded were Yu Siyan, Wang Yn, and the other two youngdies of the Mo Manor¡¯s rtives. The four entered the inner room and two of them sat on the couch; the other two of them sat on the bed. Several maidservants helped them take off their dress and rolled up their pants to check their injuries. Wang Yn was the one with the most serious injuries. Arge piece of her thigh was sshed with water.

    The pants had to be cut open.

    The burns of the two youngdies of the Mo family were small. Yu Siyan was the least injured. There was a small red mark on her thigh and it did not seem to be swollen. It was slightly red. Everyone was sitting at that time and it was normal for it to be scalded on their thighs. A maidservant had already brought in the medicine prepared by the doctor of the manor.

    The maidservants stood aside and carefully applied medicine to their mistresses¡¯ wounds.

    The injury on Wang Yn¡¯s thigh was so serious that there wererge patches of blisters on it. It was so painful that she was tearful. No one could bear the pain of such arge patch of blisters. Wang Yn looked at Yu Siyan, who was sitting opposite her, with some resentment. She was really angry. At that time, most of Yu Siyan¡¯s tea had fallen on her, but thetter had just gotten a little burn. How could Wang Yn not be angry?

    ¡°Miss Wang, your injury is the most serious. It seems that all the water has been poured to your leg. Isn¡¯t it said to be because of the collision? Why are you injured so badly? ording to the injury, it will take you a few months to recover.¡± Mo Lan came to see Wang Yn, who had the most serious injury. She could not help but sigh when she saw how serious her injury was.

    It looked really scary. Therge area of blisters was red and swollen, and it was bright. Anyway, it looked scary.

    Hearing her words, Wang Yn was even more scared. She raised her face that was covered with tears and stared at Yu Siyan opposite her. Until Yu Siyan raised her head uneasily, she said angrily, ¡°Second Miss Yu, I remember that there seemed to be no people on the other side of you. Why did you pour all the water on me?¡±

    This was really a disaster. The more Wang Yn thought about it, the angrier she became. She vaguely remembered that there seemed to be no one on the other side of Yu Siyan. Why couldn¡¯t she hold the cup firmly and poured most of the water on her?

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know either. It seems that someone hit my hand and I couldn¡¯t hold it firmly. So... Miss Wang, I¡¯m sorry. If it had not been for me, you wouldn¡¯t have been burned so badly. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yu Siyan looked at Wang Yn timidly with a guilty look and kept apologizing.

    Seeing her look, even though Wang Yn was full of anger, she didn¡¯t know what to say for a while. She could only lower her head and ept the bad luck.

    ¡°Forget it. Since it¡¯s already like this, let¡¯s just rest for a few days. No one wants this to happen.¡±

    ¡°Second Miss Yu has also been injured. She couldn¡¯t hurt yourself for no reason, could she? The medicine is not bad. Just now, the maidservant has said that you will not leave a scar if you take a good rest.¡±

    The other two youngdies of the Mo family tried to smooth things over. After all, it happened in the Mo Manor today, and it was not good for the reputation of the Mo Manor if they made a big deal out of this.

    ¡°Miss Mo, it¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t know who hit me just now. I had held the cup firmly... but it was knocked down and I implicate you three.¡± Yu Siyan¡¯s attitude was really good, and she repeatedly apologized to the other people in a soft voice.

    Mo Lan and Mo Ye, who were standing by the side, looked at each other and lowered their heads to hide the mocking look in their eyes.

    ¡°Well, well, no one wants to be like this. It¡¯s already like this. What else can we do?¡± Wang Yn had to say generously. Although she was not happy in her heart, she also felt that it was really an ident. No one was willing to have this ident.

    After the doctor¡¯s medicine was applied, the four youngdies could only rest inside. They could not put on the dress outside now. They had blisters and greasy ointment. It was better for them to rest more so that the ointment would not stick to their clothes when they put on their dresses. The maidservants had prepared a cushion for each of them and asked them to rest against it.

    Even though their leg hurt, the medicine of the Mo Manor was really good. They felt much better after the medicine was applied. Furthermore, thesedies were all young, so it was no way for them to just sit there. Then they slowly talked. Wang Yn leaned against the end of Mo Xuetong¡¯s bed and looked at the table in front of the bed. There were some books that Mo Xuetong used to read on the table beside her.

    Her injury was the most serious. After a few words, she felt limp. She wanted to use something to divert her attention. The pain in her leg came one wave after another. She frowned because of the pain and was absent-minded when she talked to others.

    ¡°Miss Wang, is it very painful?¡± Yu Siyan was the first to notice her abnormality and asked with concern.

    ¡°Yes, it hurts,¡± Wang Yn answered weakly.

    ¡°Then, do you want to read books?¡± Yu Siyan pointed at the pile of books owned by Mo Xuetong. Her eyes shed as she asked. The pile of books was right beside Wang Yn. She had thought about it earlier as well. However, those were Consort Xuan¡¯s things. It was not good to take them without permission.

    ¡°Miss Wang, take a book if you want to. Consort Xuan won¡¯t mind. Since she didn¡¯t bring these books to King Xuan¡¯s Manor, Consort Xuan doesn¡¯t value them. You can take a book for each of us. Let¡¯s talk to Consort Xuanter,¡± Yu Siyan suggested with a smile.

    The three of them were all a little intrigued by her words. Then they thought that what she said made sense. If they were really something important, how could Mo Xuetong not bring them to King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Since it was piled up here, it meant that these books were not important. The few of them rested in the room and did not have much energy to chat about, and it was boring to just sit there. It was indeed a good idea to read a book.

    ¡°Her Lady won¡¯t... me us, will she?¡± a youngdy of the Mo family asked hesitantly.

    ¡°She probably won¡¯t. Her Lady is very generous. Since she has allowed us to go to the inner room to rest, it is fine for us to find a few books to read. Anyway, we will all apologize to herter. Her Lady will definitely not me us.¡± Yu Siyan brought up the topic again, which reminded everyone that after what had happened just now, Consort Xuan still had a gentle expression on her face. Then they involuntarily rxed.

    ¡°Miss Wang, find me a book. Any book will do.¡± One of the two youngdies of the Mo family spoke first.

    The books were right beside Wang Yn. As long as she reached out, she could reach them. Just now, the maidservants were driven out by them so that the room could be quiet. Only a maidservant of the Mo Manor was standing at the door of the inner room to serve them. At this time, something funny happened outside, and the maidservant¡¯s attention was drawn entirely to the outside and she didn¡¯t notice what the youngdies in the room said at all.

 Chapter 714 - The Robe Hidden under the Books

    <h4>Chapter 714 The Robe Hidden under the Books</h4>

    The youngdies in the room were all injured and did not want to interrupt others. Seeing that everyone was staring at her hopefully, Wang Yn thought for a while before she straightened up and reached out to get the books. The books were originally beside her. Even though she was injured, she could get them without much effort. In this situation, they did not want more people to see them, so Wang Yn did it herself.

    Anyway, Yu Siyan was right¡ªConsort Xuan would not mind such a trivial thing.

    She reached for the pile of books and picked up a book casually. She took it out, looked at it and found it was a medical book. She could not understand such a book. She wondered why Consort Xuan would leave this book in her room. Wang Yn held the book up, facing it to the opposite. The other three youngdies shook their heads and did not want to read this book.

    Yu Siyan suddenly pointed at a book protruding from outside and said, ¡°Miss Wang, the next one, it seems to be ¡°The Book of Songs¡±. Take it out and let me have a look.¡±

    The book was located on the upper half of the pile of books, with a few books on it. A small part of it was exposed. Wang Yn looked at it and found that it was indeed ¡°The Book of Songs¡±. She noticed that the book under the one that had been removed was also a medical book. She estimated that the next few books were the same, so she simply took out ¡°The Book of Songs¡±.

    She stretched out her hand to pull it, but she failed. She grabbed the edge of the bed with one hand and pulled it hard with the other hand. This time, the book was pulled out. But before Wang Yn could hold the book and read it carefully, there was a loud noise behind her. She was so scared that she threw away the book in her hand and hurriedly turned her neck.

    When she looked back again, she was dumbfounded!

    She didn¡¯t know where she had collided, but the pile of books fell behind her. These books were very heavy, and a few of them fell to the ground heavily. They even knocked down the stool that had been put aside when the maidservant applied the medicine to her injury, making a heavy sound.

    Silence fell inside and outside the room. Then, a group of madams suddenly rushed in from outside. The ones in front were the mothers of these youngdies in the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°What has fallen?¡±...

    An ident had happened just now. If something happened again, it would be too bad. The madams who rushed in were all very anxious.

    ¡°I... these books, fell!¡± Wang Yn was the first toe to her senses. Looking at the madams and the other madams and youngdies behind them, who rushed into the room, she said with a grievance. She really didn¡¯t figure out why the entire pile of books was turned over after she pulled out one book. The book was on the upper half of the pile of books, so how could it be turned over like this?

    ¡°How did that happen? You¡¯re already injured like this and you even turned Her Lady¡¯s ce into this!¡± Wang Yn¡¯s mother, Madam Wang red at her daughter unhappily. Seeing her daughter sitting there with tears in her eyes, she felt sorry for her. She could only scold her helplessly and asked her maidservant to pick up the book.

    There had never been peace today!

    Could it be that she didn¡¯t burn incense when they went out?

    The other madams also had a bitter look on their faces as they asked their maidservants toe over and help Madam Wang clean up the mess.

    Mo Xuetong entered with her maidservants. The madams and youngdies all made way for her. Then Mo Xuetong saw a few maidservants of different families pack her books and the madams and youngdies all smiling.

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m sorry. We wanted to read a book, so we took a few books by ourselves. We didn¡¯t expect it to be like this...¡± Yu Siyan was the first to speak timidly, for the fourdies in the room.

    ¡°My Lady, it¡¯s my fault. I wanted to pull out a book and read, but I didn¡¯t expect that these books were all scattered,¡± Wang Yn said, acting as if she was bearing the consequences of her own acts.

    ¡°It¡¯s not Miss Wang alone. We all wanted to read books.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m sorry. We were so bored and caused you trouble again,¡± the other two youngdies pleaded.

    ¡°My Lady, I¡¯m sorry. They¡¯re naughty. I¡¯ll ask my maidservants to clear them up. If something really is broken, I¡¯ll make up for it.¡±

    Yes, yes, Your Highness, we¡¯ll make up for it.¡±

    The madams also expressed their stance one by one. They repeatedly promised that if anything was broken, they would definitely make up for it.

    Now that they said those words, if Mo Xuetong took it seriously, she would seem petty. This had happened in the Mo Manor, and as the daughter of the Mo Manor, she had to take half of the responsibility. If she continued to argue with the injured, she would be too mean and ungenerous. As Consort Xuan, she would lose the face of the royal family.

    ¡°Ladies, you don¡¯t have to me yourself too much. It¡¯s not your fault. Even though the books have fallen down, it can¡¯t break anything. It scared you. Auntie Qing, tell my fatherter and ask him to send gifts to the fourdies to express our Mo Manor¡¯s guilt to you.¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled graciously and walked up to them personally. She looked at their injuries and when her gazended on Yu Siyan¡¯s wound, her watery eyes rolled slightly. Even though the smile on her face still looked warm, there was a hint of coldness that was hard to detect. She had thought that Yu Siyan was very brave. But now, it seemed that she could be cruel to others but could not be cruel to herself...

    ¡°Ah, this is... a piece of man¡¯s clothing?¡± Just as Mo Xuetong was about to walk out with all the madams and youngdies, a maidservant suddenly screamed and held a robe sleeve in her hand.

    Everyone suddenly turned around and saw a gray robe revealed under the pile of books. Half of it was outside, and it could be seen clearly that it was a man¡¯s robe. The hem of the robe was embroidered with some nts. It was obvious that it was the clothing of a young man. The robe was originally pressed on the bottom of these books, and was hidden inside, so it was impossible to see it from outside.

    But now, the books had fallen to the ground. In order to make it easier for them to clear up, the maidservants also organized the books that had not fallen down. Only then did they find out the secretly hidden clothing.

    A piece of man¡¯s clothing appeared in Consort Xuan¡¯s boudoir. Furthermore, it was a young man¡¯s clothing. The mystery behind it was sufficient to make one think over it. The clothing was hidden so well that one could tell at a nce that it was to hide it from others. Furthermore, it was too fancy for Mo Huawen, and everyone knew that King Xuan preferred purple clothes.

    Then who was the owner of this robe?

    Auntie Qing seemed to be frightened by everything in front of her. She was so shocked that she almost couldn¡¯t stand still. She stumbled and held a maidservant¡¯s hand to stand still. She eximed, ¡°The clothing, how could there be a piece of man¡¯s clothing here? It¡¯s not Old Sir¡¯s robe!¡±

    As if she had sensed her slip of the tongue, Auntie Qing immediately turned around and snarled at the maidservant who found the robe, ¡°What are you talking about? Even though there is a piece of clothing hidden here, it might be made by Consort Xuan for the Eldest Young Master. Do you need to make such a fuss?¡±

    She seemed to want to make up for her slip of the tongue, but in fact, she said that Mo Xuetong had hidden another man¡¯s clothing. She wanted to cover it up, which made people more suspicious.

    The people here were all rtives of the Mo Manor. Of course, they knew about Auntie Fang. They also knew that Auntie Fang had killed Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother. Even though Mo Xuetong, Consort Xuan, was magnanimous, and did not care about Mo Yufeng for her father¡¯s sake, she could not be on good terms with Mo Yufeng and even made clothes for him.

    Furthermore, Auntie Qing had just mentioned the word ¡°hidden¡±. Under what circumstances did she use this word? There was no need to exin it to everyone present. If not for the fact that she got involved, even Mo Xuetong wanted to p and praise her. Auntie Qing¡¯s words were so wonderful that she almost made Mo Xuetong unable to retort.

    Most importantly, Auntie Qing seemed to still be on Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. No matter how one saw it, she was defending Mo Xuetong!

    Everyone could not help but look at Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong decided not to leave. Mo Ye took a chair for her. Thetter sat down unhurriedly and looked up. Her eyes averted from Auntie Qing¡¯s face to Yu Siyan¡¯s, and then to the face of Mdm Chen who was with Yu Siyan. Finally, she looked at the maidservant who had discovered the clothing. She was Mdm Chen¡¯s maidservant!

    Mo Lan took a few steps forward and pointed at the maidservant, asking coldly, ¡°Do you know what the crime of ruining Her Lady¡¯s reputation is?¡±

    The maidservant was so scared that she knelt down and said in a panic, ¡°I¡¯m wrong. I didn¡¯t mean it. I just packed the book and the clothing inside was revealed. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±

    After saying that, she kept kowtowing. Due to her pull, more of the gray robe exposed. Everyone had been staring at the robe suspiciously. At this time, someone had seen a few pieces of notes pulled out from the clothing, which were full of words. The handwriting looked vigorous, and at a nce, one could tell that they were written by a man.

    ¡°How... how could there be a private letter from a man here?¡± Yu Siyan pointed at the half-naked note timidly and pulled Madam Chen¡¯s clothes. She seemed to be frightened.

    The note fell out of the robe. It would not expose at first, but because the little maidservant kowtowed too nervously, she forgot that she was pulling it in her hands. She used too much strength and pulled it out. At least there were three or four pieces of papers that were folded together, and it could be seen from the back that the powerful strokes were from a man.

    ¡°If you nder a member of the royal family, you¡¯ll be sentenced to death!¡± Mo Lan smiled at Yu Siyan, her eyes cold and sharp.

    ¡°It has nothing to do with me... Who-whoever hid it... will be sentenced to death. My Lady, you must find out who hid it. Otherwise, you should confiscate her property and destroy her n.¡± Yu Siyan seemed to be frightened and she spoke without thinking. She pulled Mdm Chen with a pale face and kept shivering.

    ¡°Yes, My Lady. I¡¯ll get someone to investigate it. After I find who hid it, I¡¯ll beat her whole family to death and clear your name,¡± Auntie Qing immediately answered, looking as if she was trying to avenge Mo Xuetong. She gritted her teeth viciously.

    Mo Xuetong did not say anything. She took the cup of tea from Mo Ye and took a sip leisurely, waiting for what would happen next!

    This was not the best time, and it was not the climax of the whole matter yet. Even if Yu Siyan, Mdm Chen and Auntie Qing could not hide thecency in their eyes, Mo Xuetong, who was unlike them, could wait...

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady... I, mercy!¡± A maidservant dressed in the Mo Manor¡¯s clothes rushed out of the crowd, shivering. She wanted to rush over and hug Mo Xuetong, but was stopped by Mo Ye. She had to kneel in front of Mo Xuetong and loudly begged and cried, ¡°My Lady, save me. I¡¯m not... My Lady, you can¡¯t just watch me die! You asked me...¡±

    The maidservant burst into tears and spoke incoherently. She had not yet finished her words, but her meaning had been fully expressed.

    Mo Xuetong leaned back leisurely and sat steadily on the chair. She stretched out her right arm and put it on the table beside her before resting her head on the hand. There was a hint of coldness in herziness, as if she was watching others¡¯ performance. She did not panic at all. She was waiting, waiting for a better opportunity and waiting for more people to interfere.

    As expected, Mdm Chen was the next one to speak!

    ¡°What are you talking about, little maidservant? It¡¯s unclear. What is ¡®Her Lady asked you¡¯? What could Her Lady ask you to do? Did Her Lady ask you to hide this man¡¯s robe and these private letters?¡±

    ¡°Hiding the man¡¯s robe and private letters.¡± She wanted to prove that Mo Xuetong had an affair with another man!

    Mdm Chen didn¡¯t say much before, but she put all the me on Mo Xuetong as soon as she opened her mouth. The surprised expression on her face seemed to be exaggerated. Those who didn¡¯t know the situation thought Mdm Chen really cared about Mo Xuetong and spoke for her sincerely.

 Chapter 715 - A Bite from a Thief Sinks to the Bone

    <h4>Chapter 715 A Bite from a Thief Sinks to the Bone</h4>

    ¡°Tell us, who asked you to put it? If you don¡¯t tell us, you will have to bear the responsibility. Your life... humph...¡± Auntie Qing added as she smiled coldly at the little maidservant and narrowed her eyes slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me... I didn¡¯t, it¡¯s... My Lady. Please save me. I, I listened to your order. You asked me to hide the robe and the letter under these books. My Lady, please save me. I don¡¯t want to die. The letter was written to you by King Chu...¡± It seemed that the little maidservant was so frightened that she was incoherent, but she revealed more and more information unconsciously.

    She had even brought up Feng Yuxuan as a matter of course.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s King Chu?¡±

    ¡°King Chu¡¯s robe and letters?¡±

    ¡°This... this... is not true, isn¡¯t it...?¡± Everyone was shocked. They had thought that Consort Xuan had a love affair with another man when she hadn¡¯t gotten married yet. They did not expect this person to be King Chu. Everyone present was so shocked that they nearly could not speak.

    ¡°B*tch, how dare you say that? How could the noble Consort Xuan have an affair with her husband¡¯s elder brother? Do you want to die? How dare you make up such a lie?¡± Mdm Chen was the first to react. She pointed at the maidservant and started to scold her. The look on her face was as angry as it could be.

    She even turned around and said to Auntie Qing, ¡°Auntie Qing, how dare this lowly servant nder Consort Xuan like that? You¡¯d better take her away and beat her to death so as not to stain our ears. It will be even worse if it gets out.¡±

    It meant that she wanted Auntie Qing to kill the maidservant!

    If the maidservant really died like this, how could Mo Xuetong exin it clearly? The truth was right in front of her. Even the most important witness had been killed. How could the Emperor tolerate Mo Xuetong?

    ¡°Somebody!¡± Auntie Qing, who could deal with matters with great tact, immediately epted Mdm Chen¡¯s suggestion and was about to give the order.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, it¡¯s really His Highness. It¡¯s really Her Lady who asked me to hide it. There are also a few letters... They were all sent by King Chu to Her Lady... Her Lady said that it¡¯s inconvenient to take them to King Xuan¡¯s Manor when she got married, so she asked me to hide them under these books. Anyway, Her Lady will go home from time to time, so it¡¯s very convenient for her to get anything she wants.¡±

    Seeing that Auntie Qing really asked someone toe, the maidservant shouted hurriedly. It seemed that she was incoherent, but she spilled the beans. All the madams present looked at Mo Xuetong suspiciously.

    At the same time, Auntie Qing¡¯s old maidservants who did rough jobs had already rushed in. They grabbed the little maidservant to drag her out.

    The maidservant screamed and struggled while crying for Mo Xuetong¡¯s help!

    ¡°Stop.¡± Mo Xuetong finally opened her mouth and said lightly. Mo Ye, who was standing beside her, did not say anything, but she came over and pushed these old maidservants away. As she was a martial artist and was angry at this time. she walked over and pushed the old maidservants off bnce. Two of them even bumped into a cab, making a loud bang. The room suddenly became eerily quiet.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, this is my room. You¡¯ve overstepped the power!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled and looked up at Auntie Qing with a cold smile on her lip corners. It was Auntie Qing and Mdm Chen, who were making a fuss. They were desired to stir up trouble.

    ¡°My Lady, I...¡± Auntie Qing looked embarrassed when she heard the scolding. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so calm even at this point. She was only a concubine and not an official mistress of the manor. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan. She could not make a decision for her!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words reminded everyone of her identity. They all looked at her suspiciously. They did not think so when it was noisy earlier, but now they realized that Auntie Qing had made a loud noise today. Even though she was a concubine of the Mo Manor, she did not have any say in front of Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s words made Auntie Qing unable to utter a single word. She could only feel hatred in her heart. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head. Mo Xuetong was just struggling now. The evidence was clear and irrefutable. She would like to see how Mo Xuetong would turn the table. She had plotted so carefully andplicatedly that she didn¡¯t believe Mo Xuetong would be able to resolve the situation!

    ¡°My Lady, Auntie Qing did it for your own good...¡± Mdm Chen¡¯s voice grew smaller and smaller under Mo Xuetong¡¯s cold gaze. In the end, she became silent.

    ¡°Madam Yu, is Auntie Qing doing this for my own good? Why don¡¯t I know? I wonder if you can exin it to me. Is Auntie Qing really doing this for my own good?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile was cold and mocking. ¡°Madam Yu, you are so enthusiastic today. Thank you for helping me so painstakingly.¡±

    Who was Mdm Chen? She was Yu Feng¡¯s wife, and Yu Feng was Auntie Fang¡¯s biological brother. Auntie Fang had killed the legal wife of the Mo Manor and then was discovered. In the end, even she and her daughter had been removed from the family. The Yu Manor had also lost their reputation. Everyone knew that the Yu family¡¯s girls were vicious and did not want to marry them.

    In this case, it would be great if Mdm Chen didn¡¯t take pleasure in Mo Xuetong¡¯s misfortune. How could she protect Mo Xuetong¡¯s reputation? In a fight in the backyard, there must be something strange about things going wrong. Most of the people here were smart. Looking at the calm face of Consort Xuan who didn¡¯t panic at all, and thinking about Mdm Chen¡¯s enthusiasm just now, they wondered if there was something wrong with it!

    The room became more and more silent, and everyone stood aside and listened quietly to what would happen next.

    ¡°My Lady, I...¡±

    ¡°Which yard do you work in?¡± Mo Xuetong interrupted Mdm Chen¡¯s exnation and turned to look at the maidservant who was kneeling on the ground kowtowing and begging for mercy.

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, how can you forget me? I work in your yard, Honghua... Don¡¯t tell me that you really don¡¯t want to save me and don¡¯t even want to recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Mo Lan?¡± Mo Xuetong ignored Honghua¡¯s words and turned to look at Mo Lan.

    Mo Lan understood. She took two steps forward and said loudly, ¡°Honghua, a third-ss maidservant in Qingwei Garden. She came to Qingwei Garden not long before My Lady got married. She has nevere to your room, so it¡¯s normal that My Lady can¡¯t recognize her.¡±

    She was just a third-ss maidservant, a little maidservant in the manor. She usually did chores in the courtyard and could not get close to the mistress. It was normal for Mo Xuetong to not recognize her. Masters would recognize all the lowest-ss servants in the manor. Furthermore, Mo Xuetong was thedy in the boudoir. Some people paid attention to the fact that the third-ss maidservant had been assigned to Qingwei Garden not long before Consort Xuan got married.

    Then she was even more unfamiliar with her mistress.

    ¡°Tell me, why didn¡¯t I entrust this kind of thing to my trusted first maidservant? Instead, I thought highly of you, a third-ss maidservant who has juste to my yard, and asked you to do such a secretive thing?¡± Mo Xuetong looked down at the maidservant named Honghua with a cold smile on her face. She wanted to see how those people nned to make their statement consistent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. My Lady, you said that I am a sincere person... and this kind of thing... Sister Mo Lan and the others... will be suspected...¡± Honghua stuttered as she tried to defend herself.

    ¡°How dare you lie? My Lady, when dealing with such a maidservant, she won¡¯t tell the truth if you don¡¯t beat her up. Do you want to tie her up and beat her first?¡± After Auntie Qing was reprimanded, she didn¡¯t dare to make a decision on her own, so she suggested to Mo Xuetong.

    If Mo Xuetong really agreed, she would get someone to drag Honghua out and beat her to death. At that time, there would be no evidence. Then how would Mo Xuetong defend herself? Of course, if Mo Xuetong did not agree, she had another means. It would be enough for Mo Xuetong to be doomed. As such, Auntie Qing knew that this suggestion would make Mo Xuetong unhappy, but she did say it out loud.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, it was really Her Lady who asked me to hide it. It was really Her Lady. Without Her Lady¡¯s order, how would I dare to do such a thing? Besides, as a little maidservant, how could I do such a thing? How could King Chu take a fancy to a servant like me and leave these private messages to me!¡±

    When she heard that Auntie Qing insisted on dragging her down and torturing her, Honghua was so frightened that she fell to the ground. Then she cried and exined.

    ¡°As a maidservant, you¡¯re trying to frame Consort Xuan. You really don¡¯t know how to write the word ¡®death¡¯. How dare you say that Her Lady asked you to hide it? Do you have any evidence?¡± Auntie Qing responded very quickly again. She mmed her hand on the table and looked as if she wanted to tear the maidservant to pieces.

    ¡°I... I...¡± Maybe Honghua was really anxious as she stammered. Suddenly, a light shed across her eyes and she shouted anxiously, ¡°Yes, Auntie Qing, I have evidence. I have kept the evidence.¡±

    There was evidence? There was really evidence!

    Everyone present was stunned. They had thought that the concubine of the Mo Manor and Mdm Chen were too ardent and seemed to be eager for instant benefits. However, what was going on now?

    ¡°Where did you get the evidence?¡± Auntie Qing once again asked hurriedly before the others could react.

    ¡°I have... I was worried... worried that Her Lady would push me out in the future... So I hid a few letters secretly and sent them to the Qin Manor. Those letters were in a small gift box sent to the Qin Manor by the Mo Manor. The box was sealed. I, I also left a golden bracelet that Her Lady gave me. Auntie Qing, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can check it out. All of them are private letters written by Her Lady to King Chu.¡±

    The maidservant seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and began to argue loudly.

    The Qin Manor? Everyone present knew the Qin Manor who had a good rtionship with the Mo Manor. Furthermore, they also had Mo Xuetong¡¯s bracelet as evidence. Furthermore, it was not like the current letter. One could tell that it was a man¡¯s handwriting, so it should be written by a man. If they discovered that Mo Xuetong wrote it herself, she would really have to die to atone for her sins.

    What was more, even if she died, she would be guilty and be cursed all over her body!

    Mo Xuetong looked coldly at Auntie Qing who was in a hurry. Indeed, her trick linked up with the one in the Qin Manor. However, these people did not expect Mdm Yu had already ruined the ¡°evidence¡±. Mdm Yu valued the Qin Manor and her sons¡¯ future and lives more than Yu Sirong and Auntie Fang¡¯s revenge.

    This was supposed to be a normal choice for a normal person. No matter how Yu Feng had tricked Mdm Yu to ept the trick and take the responsibility, it was already missing. No matter how stupid Mdm Yu was, she knew what was more important. Yu Sirong had once worked in King Chu¡¯s Manor and served Ling Rui¡¯er, so it was easy for her to get the words Feng Yuxuan wrote.

    It was not a big deal to find a way to create evidence. As for Mo Xuetong¡¯s handwriting, since Auntie Qing was in the Mo Manor, it would be easy for her to find some characters she wrote in the past. Mo Xuetong had once managed the manor affairs for a while, and so had Auntie Qing. It was verymon for her to take advantage of the coincidence and take the words Mo Xuetong wrote out.

    ¡°The Qin Manor, are you talking about our manor?¡± Suddenly a question came from outside the door in a tone of surprise. As the curtain was lifted, Mdm Yu of the Qin Manor appeared at the door.

 Chapter 716 - The Evidence, the Female Physician Inspected the Injuries

    <h4>Chapter 716 The Evidence, the Female Physician Inspected the Injuries</h4>

    ¡°Aunt, I was talking about you. The maidservant said... she said that Consort Xuan¡¯s private letters were hidden in the gift sent to you. Did you... discover them?¡± Yu Siyan cast a nce at Mo Xuetong and mumbled, as if she was afraid. She mentioned the private letters again. Those people were sure that they were private letters.

    ¡°Private letters? What?¡± Mdm Yu looked confused.

    ¡°They are letters that Consort Xuan wrote to King Chu in private. Aunt, did you find them in the gift box? I heard that you used to ask people to sort out every family¡¯s gifts, and some packing boxes would be opened.¡± Yu Siyan was secretly delighted, but she wore a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Aunt, you will definitely prove that Consort Xuan is innocent, won¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Siyan, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean by ¡®Consort Xuan¡¯s letters¡¯? I have never seen them. I have asked people to open the gifts sent by every manor, but I¡¯ve never seen Her Lady¡¯s letter. Did you make a mistake? As for innocence, Siyan, is it something that a girl like you can talk about?¡±

    Mdm Yu exined in a daze and then rebuked the girl with a sullen expression on her face.

    ¡°Aunt, I...¡±

    When Yu Siyan wanted to say something more, Mdm Yu grew furious. She red at her and scolded, ¡°Shut up! How could an unmarried daughter get involved in this kind of thing?¡±

    ¡°Younger Sister, it¡¯s not Siyan¡¯s fault. It¡¯s Her Lady¡¯s business...¡± Mdm Chen was already very angry when she found that Mdm Yu did not speak ording to their n. When she heard Mdm Yu scolding her daughter, she got mad. Turning around, she red at Mdm Yu and sneered, ¡°Younger Sister, what¡¯s the point of ming Siyan?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my business. Then what do you mean by Madam Yu and Miss Yu making it a reversal of the order of host and guest again and again? Auntie Qing, do you want Madam Qin to tell you again that those so-called private letters are false?¡± Mo Xuetong sat up straight. At this point, the whole thing was on the table.

    Yu Sirong had forged the letters between her and Feng Yuxuan in King Chu¡¯s Manor and intended to reveal it. Unexpectedly, she had lost her life first. Her trusted servant had sent the letters to Mdm Yu and wanted thetter to help her get revenge. However, Mdm Yu did not dare to take them over and asked Yu Feng to get them.

    After that, Auntie Qing ganged up with Mo Yufeng, and the young man pulled Yu Feng into King Ning¡¯s camp. The few of them discussed it together and tried to use this to frame Mo Xuetong for having an affair with Feng Yuxuan so as to get them into trouble. How could Emperor Zongwen allow Feng Yuxuan to cuckold his favorite son after such a thing happened? So he would definitely punish Feng Yuxuan severely.

    After being rejected by the Emperor, Feng Yuxuan might end up being imprisoned for life and would no longer have anything to do with the throne. As for Mo Xuetong, there was a possibility that she would be put to death by having her body dismembered!

    It was a method to kill two birds with one stone. Not only would they take revenge for Auntie Fang and Yu Sirong, but they also could get rid of King Ning¡¯s biggest rival, Feng Yuxuan. It could be said that they would make a great contribution to King Ning. As long as King Ning ascended the throne in the future, it was almost certain that Yu Feng would be the newly favored official of the Emperor. As for the Yu family¡¯s daughter, Yu Siyan, who had always been left without anybody to care for, she would also be valued by King Ning.

    She would definitely be one of King Ning¡¯s concubines!

    How could the people of the Yu Manor not be excited about such a prospect? They even made a desperate bet. As long as they killed Mo Xuetong this time and defeated King Chu, the kingdom would be the Yu Manor¡¯s ce in the future. As such, Yu Siyan had also highly requested to join in on their action. She had caused so much trouble merely because she wanted to enter Mo Xuetong¡¯s inner room.

    Then she could ¡°find¡± the robe in the inner room, as well as the private letters.

    It was their n, and they thought that they had nned in secrecy. In fact, they were already part of Mo Xuetong¡¯s plot. She had even reced the fake letters in Mdm Yu¡¯s hands. If Mdm Yu insisted that the letters in her hands were Mo Xuetong¡¯s private letters, it would only cause the entire Qin Manor to be involved in this matter with her.

    However, since Qin Yufeng had tried to persuade Mdm Yu to withdraw from this matter, Mo Xuetong would offer him a face-saving way and wouldn¡¯t pursue the matter! It seemed that Mdm Yu had been greatly blown away and did not seem to have the slightest intention of standing opposite her.

    ¡°My Lady, there is no letter like what the maidservant said in our manor, let alone any evidence. I have asked the servant to open everything sent by other manors, including the gifts, and these things were all opened in front of the people of our manor. There is no letter in the things sent by the Mo Manor. My Lady, this maidservant is lying!¡±

    Having already learned what had happened from the few madams she was familiar with, Mdm Yu took several steps forward and stated seriously.

    ¡°I... I...¡± How did ite to this? How did the rest of the n suddenly change? Honghua looked at Auntie Qing with a frightened look in her eyes and could not utter aplete sentence.

    ¡°You lowly maidservant, how dare you frame Her Lady!¡± Mo Ye could not bear to watch this any longer. At the sight of Mo Xuetong¡¯s motion, she walked over and kicked Honghua viciously. ¡°Didn¡¯t you im that Her Lady thought you were a sincere person? Why did you hold back the handle secretly? Is this what a sincere person should do? How could Her Lady give her letters to you, a third-ss maidservant for safekeeping, instead of us? Is Her Lady stupid or is there something wrong with her?¡±

    She had been holding back her anger just now. As she saw Auntie Qing, Mdm Chen, Yu Siyan, and the lowly maidservant stand out one by one and scold Consort Xuan openly or secretly, she was really pissed off. She would not suppress her emotion at this moment.

    With one kick, Honghua rolled on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood; her panicked face started to sweat. She looked at Auntie Qing with pleading eyes while wiping her mouth with blood. Even though she did not say anything, the fear in her eyes could not be hidden.

    In the face of such a big change, Auntie Qing was so scared that her eyes widened and she almost could not stand. She red at Mdm Yu as if she wanted to eat her alive. However, she reacted quickly and immediately pointed at the ¡°evidence¡± on the ground and snarled, ¡°B*tch, how dare you shift the me to others now? How dare you hide these things? Is there anything else? Somebody...¡±

    ¡°Auntie Qing, you don¡¯t have to investigate this matter. I will investigate it myself.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Auntie Qing was hinting to Honghua that she should persist in framing Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Somebody, inspect Second Miss Yu¡¯s injury!¡± Mo Xuetong ordered in a soft voice. Before anyone could react, a female physician from the pce came in from outside. Such a female physician could only be found in the pce. After all, the imperial physicians in the Imperial Institute of Medicine were all men, but the Emperor¡¯s consorts could not be seen by other men even when they got sick.

    Thus, it was normal to have female physicians in the pce. The female physician in front of everyone was the leader of the Female Physician Institute and had a good reputation in the pce. Everyone was a little confused as to why the female physician was here.

    ¡°Greetings, My Lady.¡± The female physician came in and curtsied to Mo Xuetong in a manner that was neither humble nor pert when she saw her.

    ¡°This is Second Miss Yu!¡± Mo Xuetong pointed toward Yu Siyan, whose eyes were wide open in shock.

    Wasn¡¯t Consort Xuan supposed to make it clear to prove her innocence? Why did she talk about the several youngdies¡¯ burns? This... this seemed to be backward!

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t want to be inspected. I¡¯m not sick!¡± Yu Siyan was so anxious that she subconsciously covered her leg with her hands. Her leg injury was there just now, and no one could see it as the hem of her dress had covered it.

    The corners of Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips twisted a little as she said leisurely, ¡°Second Miss Yu, don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re ill. I¡¯m just asking the female physician to see if your injury is serious. She has brought some good medicine from the pce. Apply the medicine to your injury early, and it won¡¯t leave a scar.¡±

    There was good medicine from the pce that could prevent scars. The other youngdies were immediately overjoyed. They all sat up straight and waited in surprise for the female physician toe over to treat their injuries.

    ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯ve applied the medicine, and it doesn¡¯t hurt much anymore. Furthermore, my injury isn¡¯t the worst. My Lady, please, just ask the female physician to treat the others¡¯ injuries.¡± Yu Siyan grabbed Mdm Chen, nearly sweating profusely. Then, she turned around and exined to Mo Xuetong.

    Mo Xuetong only gave her a hint of a sneer on her lip corners, which froze Yu Siyan and made it difficult for her to breathe. She also saw a bloodthirsty sense in the sneer, making her tremble in her heart. She had a feeling that she had fallen into a trap, and she could not get rid of it for a while.

    ¡°Second Miss Yu, move your hand away.¡± The female physician had already walked to Yu Siyan¡¯s side and reached out to lift the dress covering her leg. After the medicine was applied to their injuries, these scalded youngdies all covered their injuries with their clothes as other people came in.

    ¡°No, I...¡± Yu Siyan was extremely anxious. While pressing her dress hard, she turned to Mo Xuetong and cried, ¡°My Lady, I didn¡¯t say anything bad about you. My Lady, I have nothing to do with the fact that you exchanged private letters with someone and hid a man¡¯s robe. My Lady, how can you do this to me?¡±

    The whole room was in an uproar and everyone in the room was shocked. No one understood what Yu Siyan meant. It seemed that she did not want the female physician to apply medicine to her injury. But why? Wasn¡¯t it better to apply medicine as soon as possible after one was injured? Was there something fishy about Yu Siyan¡¯s injury?

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and help the female physician. It seems that Second Miss Yu doesn¡¯t intend to let her see her injury. The female physician has a lot of work to do at the pce, so she can¡¯t stay here for a long time. We¡¯d better let her inspect the injury quickly so that she can go back.¡± As Mo Xuetong looked at Yu Siyan¡¯s hands clutching the hem of her dress tightly, the smile on her face looked so cold that it almost froze.

    Mdm Chen was also anxious and sweating profusely. She was so flustered that she lowered her body to help Yu Siyan cover the wound on her leg.

    Mo Ye had been waiting for this sentence for a long time. As soon as she heard her mistress¡¯s order, she immediately walked over and helped the female physician pull Yu Siyan¡¯s hand. Two women tried to cover the wound while the other two tried to move their hands away. While they were fighting, the dress was torn back and forth. Everyone frowned while watching the scene.

    In the end, Mo Ye lifted the dress. Everyone¡¯s eyes spontaneously fell on Yu Siyan¡¯s legs. Her exposed legs were clean, without even a trace of a red mark on them. There was only a faint red color on the ointment that was supposed to be applied to her wound. It did not seem to be a mark on her leg.

    ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t she get scalded and blisters? There isn¡¯t any burn!¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t get scalded at all.¡±

    ¡°Why did you pretend to be burnt? Is it fun?¡± There was no need for the female physician to say anything now. Everyone had seen it clearly. Yu Siyan was not burned at all. The reason why she covered it so tightly was that she was afraid of being discovered.

    The female physician seriously took a little of the red color from Yu Siyan¡¯s leg, ced it in under her nose, and sniffed. Then, she reached a conclusion and told Mo Xuetong, ¡°My Lady, Second Miss Yu is not injured. There is no sign of a burn on her leg. The medicine is for a burn, so it would be a waste to apply this medicine. These red spots seem to have been applied on her leg!¡±

    ¡°Then please check on the injuries of the other youngdies!¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded at her and said politely.

 Chapter 717 - Gag Her and Let His Highness Interrogate Her

    <h4>Chapter 717 Gag Her and Let His Highness Interrogate Her</h4>

    The other youngdies were really burned, especially Wang Yn. The burnt area on her leg was thergest, and the injury was also the most terrible. The female physician applied medicine to thesedies¡¯ injuries again before leaving.

    ¡°Second Miss Yu, you were sitting right at the end. With no one on one of your sides, Miss Wang was sitting on the other side. Did you hit Second Miss Yu, Miss Wang?¡± Mo Lan walked forward and asked in Mo Xuetong¡¯s ce.

    Wang Yn also figured out what had happened back then. She red at Yu Siyan in anger and answered with hatred, ¡°I didn¡¯t hit Yu Siyan. It was she who poured all the water on me.¡± She was burned the most. Although medicine was applied to her wound, she still felt bursts of heart-wrenching pain. Thinking of the weird behavior of Yu Siyan, she immediately realized that she had been used.

    ¡°Second Miss Yu, no one hit you, but you poured all the water in your cup onto Miss Wang and even pretended to be injured. Second Miss Yu, what do you mean by doing this? Could it be that Second Miss Yu was trying to enter Her Lady¡¯s inner room intentionally?¡± Mo Lan looked up quietly and stared at Yu Siyan whose eyes were flickering.

    ¡°My Lady, that¡¯s not the case, Siyan is like a child and is timid. When she found that her dress was wet, she thought that she had been hurt as well. She didn¡¯t have time to see it clearly. My Lady, she is a child. It is inevitable for her to make a mistake when she was in a panic. And what happened to you... has nothing to do with Siyan... My Lady, you can¡¯t vent your anger on her.¡±

    Standing by the side, Mdm Chen tried to defend her daughter. She brought up the former topic again. It sounded as if Mo Xuetong had pushed Yu Siyan out because she wanted to vent her anger and hide the truth.

    Mo Xuetong gave a cold smile and questioned sharply, ¡°She is like a child? Mdm Chen, if I remember correctly, your daughter is older than me. How could you im that she is like a child? As for venting my anger? Why should I vent my anger on her?¡±

    Yu Siyan was very young, but the problem was that Mo Xuetong, Consort Xuan, was even younger!

    ¡°My Lady, King Chu¡¯s robe and private letter have nothing to do with Siyan. My Lady, aren¡¯t you venting your anger on her when you pushed her out?¡± Mdm Chen¡¯s forehead was already covered with sweat. She had no choice but to fight back. She pointed at the robe and a few pieces of letters that were still on the ground that were written.

    ¡°Mdm Chen, who told you that it¡¯s King Chu¡¯s robe, and who told you that these are King Chu¡¯s letters?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with a cold smile on her face. ¡°Somebody, fetch the letter and let everyone see what¡¯s in it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, My Lady!¡± Mo Lan picked up the robe and letters with a few maidservants from King Xuan¡¯s Manor. They spread out the papers and ced them on the table. Everyone involuntarily looked at them.

    They had not seen it clearly when these letters were on the ground earlier. At this point, they found that the letter papers were old and the color of the creases had faded a little. When they were ttened, everyone could see that the words on it were indeed written by a man. There were a few pieces of poetry written on it. When these people read them carefully, they realized that they were filled with sadness, and that each word expressed the author¡¯s lovesickness and grief. And, they were signed by Mo Huawen.

    ¡°My mother made this robe for my father before, but she did not finish it until she was gone. When my father arrived in the capital, I stayed in Cloud City, and this robe was left with me. As I came to the capital, I brought it to miss my mother. After all, it¡¯s thest robe left by my mother.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t give this robe to my father and just put it here. I intended to me my father. Later, I found out that my father really missed my mother, so I sent it to him. When he sent it back, there were some pieces of poetry in this robe that express he missed my mother. Then I put the robe and poetry all away and hid them carefully. But I don¡¯t know why they became the ¡®evidence of my crime¡¯, and I had to vent my anger on someone else.¡±

    ¡°Mdm Chen, you and Yu Siyan made such a scene today. Yu Siyan pretended to be burnt and entered my inner room. Then she deliberately turned over the books and even asked a maidservant to make up those stories to ruin my reputation. Do you really think that there are no people in King Xuan¡¯s Manor? Somebody, arrest them.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression turned cold and she ordered sharply as she mmed the cup in her hand in front of Mdm Chen. Two old maidservants from King Xuan¡¯s Manor had alreadye. One of them pulled Yu Siyan out of bed while the other dragged Mdm Chen out.

    Until now, everyone had already understood that this was the plot nned by Mdm Chen and her daughter. They had intentionally used Consort Xuan of having an affair with King Chu and wanted to frame Consort Xuan. Everyone had experienced fight in their manors and soon figured it out. Luo Xia had left the robe for Mo Huawen, and the poetry was written by Mo Huawen to miss Luo Xia. Since Luo Xia had passed away, it was normal for her daughter to keep them in her room.

    Mdm Chen and her daughter wanted to use the robe to harm Consort Xuan. What a vicious idea! The youngdies who had been scalded gritted their teeth with hatred. They got injured all because Yu Siyan yed tricks. When they thought that their burns might leave scars, they hated Yu Siyan and Mdm Chen even more!

    ¡°My Lady, so it¡¯s Old Sir¡¯s robe. This... the Yu family is too much. They have caused so much trouble!¡± Auntie Qing wanted to get out of this matter. The truth had already been known to everyone. Even though she could not understand why King Chu¡¯s robe had be Mo Huawen¡¯s, and the letter King Chu had sent to Mo Xuetong had be poetry written by Mo Huawen, the most important thing for her now was to get out of this matter.

    ¡°Auntie Qing, I heard that this maidservant¡¯s birth mother is one of your old maidservants. Since this maidservant insisted that I did something, then call her birth mother and get to the bottom of it together.¡± Mo Xuetong stared at Auntie Qing with her charming eyes. She seemed to be smiling, but her smile made a cold sweat creep cross Auntie Qing¡¯s back.

    Being forced by Mo Xuetong¡¯s invisible momentum, Auntie Qing turned around and scolded Honghua, ¡°Honghua, how could you do such a thing? I trusted you and your mother so much and treated your whole family well. But... but you listened to Mdm Chen¡¯s provocation and framed Consort Xuan. Do you know that it¡¯s a serious crime that you could be sentenced to death?¡±

    Honghua, who had insisted on framing Mo Xuetong, was shaking and could not even speak clearly. At this point, everyone could see that someone had set up a trap to plot against Consort Xuan. And the maidservant in front of them was the most crucial part.

    When the truth was found out, there would be no other way for her but to die.

    Looking indifferent at Honghua¡¯s frightened eyes, Mo Xuetong ordered coldly, ¡°Somebody, bring her mother and the other families here.¡± She spoke in a slow but clear tone. Her meaning was also very clear. Honghua¡¯s expression immediately turned desperate.

    ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t do that. Just deal with her alone. Anyway, it was this maidservant who has done the evil thing. We can¡¯t let others say that our Mo Manor is unkind!¡± Auntie Qing was also startled and tried to persuade Mo Xuetong with a forced smile.

    ¡°Unkind? Are you referring to the royal family? I remember that it¡¯s a great crime to frame the prince or the prince¡¯s wife, the criminal would be condemned to death, as well as her family and rtives of nine generations. When did you have the power to feel it unkind? Hasn¡¯t your aunt told you that offending the royal family is a major crime? Not only will your family and rtives of nine generations be sentenced to death, but you will also be put to death by dismembering the body.¡±

    Auntie Qing was so frightened that she trembled. She could not even catch her breath and almost fainted. In horror, her face turned pale and bloodless. Her aunt was from King Ning¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong seemed to know her.

    ¡°My Lady...¡± Auntie Qing unconsciously tried to defend herself.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression suddenly softened as she said gently, ¡°Auntie Qing, you don¡¯t have to say anything else. I will handle the matter here. As so many guests havee to our manor, you should go and receive them.¡±

    ¡°My Lady...¡± Before Auntie Qing could say anything else, Mo Ye had already walked to her and gestured for her to leave.

    At this point, Auntie Qing knew that their n had failed. She did not dare to confront Mo Xuetong as she had done before. She walked out of Qingwei Garden in a daze while the handkerchief in her hands was about to be shattered into pieces. ¡°No, I have to find a way to send the news to King Ning¡¯s Manor and get Aunt to save me. Mo Xuetong is not easy to deal with.¡±

    Even though Honghua would die soon and then there would be no evidence of what she had done, the coldness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes made Auntie Qing¡¯s heart tremble. The situation had changed so much. Would everything that would happen ording to their n really work?

    ¡°No, I have to ask Aunt for help.¡±

    Of course, she had no idea that her aunt had already been dead. She was still hoping that Nanny Qing could save her with the help of the Empress Dowager and King Ning¡¯s Manor. She thought that no matter how powerful Mo Xuetong was, she couldn¡¯tpare with the Empress Dowager. By then, as long as the Empress Dowager lent her a hand, Mo Xuetong would not be able to do anything to her.

    Thinking of this, Auntie Qing calmed down again. She had already thought about it¡ªshe had already given all the jewelry she got in the past to her aunt; when she left the Mo Manor, her aunt had promised her that she would find a good job for her in King Ning¡¯s Manor. No matter if she got married or did anything in the future, it had nothing to do with the Mo Manor.

    After thinking it through, Auntie Qing stopped panicking. She walked out of the yard with her servants. However, as soon as she reached the door, she was caught by the guards who were waiting there...

    Honghua saw the mastermind behind her, Auntie Qing, having been driven away by Consort Xuan, and a few old maidservants who were as ferocious as wolves and tigers walking out to capture her family, and then heard Consort Xuan saying that she would be put to death by dismembering the body. The punishment was to cut off the criminal¡¯s flesh piece by piece, and the criminal would wail for seven days and nights before dying. Honghua waspletely pale and she copsed to the ground, shivering all over!

    ¡°My Lady, My Lady, let go of my family... It¡¯s, it¡¯s Auntie Qing who ordered me to do this. My Lady, Auntie Qing asked me to tell you that these are the private letters sent to you by King Chu...¡±

    ¡°Mo Lan, gag her and let His Highness interrogate you,¡± Mo Xuetong stated coldly. Then, she turned around and led her servants to the outer room. It would not be an ordinary matter of ruining reputation if Honghua continued talking. The people left behind did not dare to continue watching and thought about it carefully. Those people framed Consort Xuan to have an affair with King Chu.

    It was not something that an ordinary person could do. Perhaps, it involved those princes fighting for the throne. No one was willing to get involved in this kind of thing.

    The madams and youngdies in the room all exchanged nces. No one stayed and all followed Mo Xuetong out. Even the three injured youngdies all came out with the help of their maidservants.

    It made sense. Those who had the ability to do something like that were not ordinary people. This kind of thing could lead to family raiding and extermination. Furthermore, everyone knew that King Xuan was the Emperor¡¯s favorite son and that King Chu had been the most popr prince recently. The ruse offended the two of them in one stroke. The plotters were really courting death!

    When the Mo Manor¡¯s banquet started at noon, it was very quiet. It was so quiet that there was almost no conversation. Everyone had their meal in a hurry and all of them hurried to find an excuse to leave, afraid to get involved in this matter. The male guests said that King Xuan got a piece of news, and grew so angry that he overturned the table before rushing out in a huff.

    Everyone felt that the atmosphere in the capital was increasingly tense...

 Chapter 718 - The Confrontation between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the Imperial Study

    <h4>Chapter 718 The Confrontation between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the Imperial Study</h4>

    No one had expected this result. Even Feng Yuzhen and the Empress Dowager did not dare to believe it. It was just a small matter to frame Mo Xuetong, but how could it cause such a bigmotion? If he had known this would happen, Feng Yuzhen would not have plotted against Mo Xuetong, nor provoke Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yuran at one time, which caused the matter to be brought to the imperial pce.

    The crux of the matter was not whether Mo Xuetong was really having an affair with Feng Yuxuan.

    As long as Feng Yuran believed that Mo Xuetong had an affair with Feng Yuxuan, then no matter how she tried to defend herself and how Feng Yuxuan tried to verify it, Feng Yuran could push the me onto Feng Yuxuan. After this matter happened, Mo Xuetong would definitely die. Furthermore, she had made Feng Yuran a cuckold.

    In this case, it was obviously that Feng Yuran would deal with Feng Yuxuan until he defeated him! Moreover, there was the matter about the maidservant Honghua.

    However, no one had expected that something changed. What they found in Mo Xuetong¡¯s room was not Feng Yuxuan¡¯s robe that Mo Yufeng had hidden in, nor the ¡°private letters¡± that Feng Yuxuan had written to Mo Xuetong. Then, the poison that Auntie Qing had asked the little maidservant Honghua to take did not take effect at the scheduled time of night.

    The original n was to discover King Chu¡¯s private items in Mo Xuetong¡¯s room in the day, and Honghua pushed the me onto Mo Xuetong. How could thetter not investigate the matter in front of all the guests in the room? The maidservant would fall into Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands. As this incident happened in the back courtyard, the front courtyard would definitely be in an uproar.

    Feng Yuran was not a man who could tolerate suffering loss. With his arrogant character, he might rush to King Chu¡¯s Manor and fight with Feng Yuxuan directly. After Mo Xuetong got the news, she wouldn¡¯t have the mood to deal with these things. She had to quell Feng Yuran¡¯s anger first. Then this matter wouldn¡¯t be clear.

    By the time everyone discovered that the maidservant Honghua had already died, Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuxuan would unable to give a convincing exnation for self-defense.

    This was supposed to be apletely wless n. Who knew that something unforeseen had happened? They had failed to frame Mo Xuetong. Feng Yuran had indeed gone to find Feng Yuxuan. However, why did the Emperor decree an edict and order Feng Yuzhen toe to Qianqing Pce after the two of them entered the pce angrily?

    When the Empress Dowager got the news and came from Cining Pce, she saw Feng Yuzhen being detained below the throne. Her crown was knocked off his head, and his embroidered robe was also taken off. He knelt there in a mess, and his face was pale.

    ¡°Your Majesty, what happened? What¡¯s wrong with Zhen¡¯er?¡± The Empress Dowager was so anxious that her face flushed. She could not be bothered to be polite and went straight to the point.

    ¡°Mother, you¡¯re here. I was about to invite you. Please take a seat.¡± There were no outsiders in the imperial study. Only the lead eunuch, Liu Xi, was standing beside Emperor Zongwen. At the sight of the Empress Dowager, he immediately curtsied before retreated to the side with care.

    The Empress Dowager cooled her anger and then rxed when she saw that Emperor Zongwen¡¯s expression was still calm. She sat down on a chair by the side and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I heard that something happened to Zhen¡¯er, so I came specially to take a look. Has anything big happened? I notice that Zhen¡¯er¡¯s crown even has been knocked down.¡±

    Even though she had learned this matter beforeing, the most important thing was still about Feng Yuzhen. The Empress Dowager hadn¡¯t figured out what had happened yet! She looked at Emperor Zongwen with a glint in her eyes, really not understanding what Feng Yuzhen had done to make the Emperor so angry.

    ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t understand why you are so worried about King Ning.¡± Emperor Zongwen did not answer her. Knitting his brows slightly, he looked at the Empress Dowager, his eyes dark and his face looking glum.

    His question was so straightforward that the Empress Dowager did not understand what was going on. She could not help but put on an embarrassed look. Everyone in the pce knew that she had been protecting King Ning. She replied, ¡°Your Majesty, what are you talking about? How can I not be worried about my own grandson? No matter if it is King Chu or King Yan, I will take them all to my heart.¡±

    She quickly gave a dryugh and hid it.

    ¡°Mother, do you really care about them?¡± Emperor Zongwen sneered. He reached out and picked up the file he had just read. Liu Xi hurriedly took it and handed it to the Empress Dowager.

    The Empress Dowager took it in confusion and opened it. When she saw the confession on it clearly, her hands spontaneously trembled. She would never have imagined that it was a confession that pointed directly at King Ning, Feng Yuzhen. The confession was from Auntie Qing, Mo Yufeng, Yu Feng, and the maidservant Honghua.

    The maidservant imed that Auntie Qing had asked her to put the robe and a few pieces of paper there.

    Auntie Qing had contacted her aunt in the capital, and thetter had asked her to get in touch with Mo Yufeng in the Mo Manor so as to frame Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuxuan together. They had intentionally said that the two had an affair, and Auntie Qing had brought many people to Mo Xuetong¡¯s Qingwei Garden on the day of the Mo Manor¡¯s banquet. Then these people could be witnesses when she tried to nder Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuxuan.

    Mo Yufeng¡¯s confession was the same as Yu Feng¡¯s. They both said that King Ning¡¯s Manor had sent someone to contact them and asked them to harm Mo Xuetong. Furthermore, they promised that they would not treat the two of them shabbily after the matter was done¡ªMo Yufeng would get the entire Mo Manor and Yu Feng would climb to the high position that he wanted.

    It could be said that these confessions all meant that King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was the mastermind behind this incident. The Empress Dowager¡¯s face paled and her fingers trembled after she read it. She was so frightened that she almost fainted. She remained calm and only managed to speak after a long while.

    ¡°Your Majesty, is there a misunderstanding? This... how, how could Zhen¡¯er do such a thing? He... he has always been on good terms with King Chu and King Xuan. Was he framed up?¡±

    Of course, the Empress Dowager knew the plot against Mo Xuetong. Furthermore, she was a direct nner and participant. Consort Xuan was a weak woman who was very good-looking. That day, in Cining Pce, when Princess Caifeng took out the box, the Empress Dowager had clearly seen the nervousness on Feng Yuxuan¡¯s face.

    She felt strange at that time. Mo Xuetong was Consort Xuan, but why did King Chu look so nervous and uneasy?

    After that, one of the maidservants of King Chu¡¯s Manor died, but the news she sent out shocked the Empress Dowager. However, she then was overjoyed. Even though the maidservant was dead, she had the ¡°evidence¡± that Feng Yuxuan and Mo Xuetong had an affair. It was indeed heaven¡¯s help. She had been thinking about how to defeat Feng Yuxuan. To her surprise, there would be a solution. How could the Empress Dowager not be happy?

    Immediately, she asked someone to call King Ning over. The two of them discussed it together for more than half the night before they came up with a perfect n.

    The Empress Dowager had never doubted whether the so-called ¡°evidence¡± that Yu Sirong left behind was true or not. However, judging from Feng Yuxuan¡¯s nervous expression that day, she felt that it was true. Thus, she did not expect that the evidence that Yu Sirong left behind was fake. It was all made by her as she had intended to frame Mo Xuetong.

    They took the things out from King Chu¡¯s Manor, send them to the Yu Manor and asked Yu Feng to give them to Mo Yufeng. Then, Mo Yufeng and Auntie Qing found a way to hide the things among Mo Xuetong¡¯s books. As for Mdm Yu and her daughter, as well as Auntie Qing, they would act ording to the circumstances and pull out the ¡°evidence¡± so that everyone could see them.

    At the same time, Mo Yufeng took advantage of the opportunity to piss Feng Yuran off in the front yard. Then thetter would rush straight to King Chu¡¯s Manor.

    ¡°Mother, King Ning is your grandson, and so are King Chu and King Xuan. Why didn¡¯t you say anything when such a big matter has happened to the other two grandsons? On the contrary, you rushed over directly as soon as something happened to King Ning. Mother, you must be tired,ing all the way from Cining Pce.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen gave a cold smile, looking extremely mocking.

    He had always been very respectful to the Empress Dowager in front of others. This was the first time that he had sneered at her so coldly. There was even a hint of anger in the corners of his eyes and his eyes looked so deep dark that it was almost impossible to see through them.

    The Empress Dowager was stunned and then started to think about the Emperor¡¯s words. She could not figure out what he was up to and could only force a smile and say, ¡°Your Majesty, I live far away and learned about this matter a littlete. I heard that something had happened to these princes, so I came over. I saw King Ning kneeling outside alone and thus asked what happened.¡±

    She was trying to exin why she did not do anything when King Chu and King Xuan came to Qianqing Pce, but as soon as something happened to King Ning, she ran over anxiously.

    Emperor Zongwen obviously did not want to continue this topic. He looked away from the Empress Dowager andnded his eyes on the file in front of her. His mouth curved into a cold smile and said, ¡°Mother, it is a serious crime that the criminal¡¯s rtives of nine generations would be sentenced to death to harm my sons. If you don¡¯t believe what Feng Yuzhen hasmitted a crime, you can get these people to prove it. I heard that even Yu Feng¡¯s daughter had also gotten Feng Yuzhen¡¯s hint that as long as she could sessfully frame Consort Xuan, she could marry into King Ning¡¯s Manor.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, it must be a joke. That woman made up this story because she is greedy for wealth. How could Zhen¡¯er agree to marry such a mean and vicious woman? Hearing your words, I remember something. Is the Yu family that you mentioned the parents¡¯ home of Mo Huawen¡¯ste concubine? I heard that this family¡¯s girls are vicious and mean. No matter what, Zhen¡¯er would never say something like that to such a woman.¡±

    The Empress Dowager hurriedly denied it as sweat trickled down her back. On the way here, she did not expect that Feng Yuzhen had angered the Emperor because of this matter. Hence, her argument was a little stiff. She had nned this together with Feng Yuzhen, but thetter did not ask the Empress Dowager about some details and made his own decision. Anyway, as long as the n was sessful, they didn¡¯t have to mind these trifles.

    However, the problem now was that the n had failed and Feng Yuzhen had been exposed. Furthermore, there were so many people to testify against him. How could the Empress Dowager not be angry and anxious? She felt bummed and flustered.

    ¡°Mother, now that things havee to this, how do you think I should deal with Feng Yuzhen? He has tried to plot against my two sons. It¡¯s not good enough for King Ning to plot against my three sons again,¡± the Emperor asked lightly.

    ¡°Your... Your Majesty, should you investigate again? Zhen¡¯er... might really have been wronged.¡± The Empress Dowager could not figure out the situation and still wanted to defend Feng Yuzhen.

    ¡°Mother, do you mean that you want the Ministry of Justice to directly deal with the case and the three judiciaries to investigate this case together, and my evidence is invalid?¡± the Emperor uttered in an indifferent voice.

    Everyone in the country would know this case if the three judiciaries dealt with it. The Empress Dowager¡¯s forehead began to sweat as well. The evidence was irrefutable. As there was unimpeachable proof, so what if the three judiciaries tried the case? Even though some of them worked for her, they did not hold important positions, or they were old and weak and were about to retire.

    Those people didn¡¯t dare to overthrow the confessions the Emperor got. Moreover, these confessions were true!

    If the whole country knew about this matter, the matter would be dealt with in ordance with thew, and she had to be impartial. Even if Feng Yuzhen had a hundred heads, it would not be enough to behead him. He had tried to harm two popr princes at one stroke. How could the officials think highly of Feng Yuzhen, a has-been prince?

 Chapter 719 - Crown Prince Xieyue Left

    <h4>Chapter 719 Crown Prince Xieyue Left</h4>

    Not to mention that the censor would chastise Feng Yuzhen with the pen, the people in the world would not stand by his side. It could be said that Feng Yuzhen was doomed.

    How could the Empress Dowager be willing to see her own grandson end up like this?

    ¡°Your Majesty, Zhen¡¯er must have been fooled by someone else. It must not be his intention. It might be his subordinates who did it themselves and he might really not know anything. He has a good rtionship with King Chu and the other brothers. How could he do something like that?¡± The Empress Dowager paused and said anxiously. She did not continue the topic of asking the three judiciaries to deal with the case.

    ¡°Good rtionship?¡± Emperor Zongwen gave a wintry smile and looked the Empress Dowager in the eye. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to look away. ¡°Mother, King Ning really has a good rtionship with his brothers. Not only does he treat them well, but he also treats me well. When he heard that Icked sons, he entered the pce to help me. As Consort Yu has lost her child, I wonder if Feng Yuzhen is really sad.¡±

    Emperor Zongwen¡¯s words were extremely harsh, and in the end, he was fierce both in look and voice!

    He mmed his hand heavily on the table, causing the tea bowl on the table to jump up.

    He was angry. How could he not be angry? As the Emperor of a country, he was superior. However, he had been cuckolded and the man had even tried to steal his throne with this child. How could Emperor Zongwen not fly into a rage? If he had not been the Emperor, and was shrewd and deep, he would have put Consort Yu and Feng Yuzhen to death the moment he heard the news. They would not have been alive now.

    ¡°Your... Your Majesty, what... what did you say?¡± The Empress Dowager felt as if she had been struck by lightning and she almost jumped up from her chair. She looked at Emperor Zongwen in front of her in horror, who was angry and cold and filled with killing intent as she held the corner of the table with her trembling fingers. She swayed and almost fell.

    How could Emperor Zongwen know about this matter?

    How was it possible that he knew?

    ¡°Mother, are you curious where I got the truth from? After Consort Yu was sent to the Cold Pce, you cared about her many times and even asked people to send her some food. It is said that the one who pretended to be a eunuch and carried the food box was King Ning. Mother, are you dissatisfied with me being the Emperor for so many years? Do you think that I stole King Ning¡¯s throne?¡±

    Emperor Zongwen did not hide his anger and pressured her coldly.

    Back then, the legitimate son was short-lived, but it wasn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s fault. If he had not given consideration to the past, the Empress Dowager would not have been so glorious in the pce. He really did not understand why she messed around. Emperor Zongwen was deeply disappointed in her. She had a hand in at least half the tumult at the pce.

    If not for the Empress Dowager, something like this would not have happened and Consort Yu and Feng Yuzhen would not have done such a shameful thing!

    One of them was a court official and the other was an imperial consort. How could they have an affair when they could not meet each other? It was all because of the Empress Dowager. Emperor Zongwen had ced the evidence in front of the Empress Dowager. There were no outsiders in the imperial study right now, so Emperor Zongwen had directly told the Empress Dowager about what he had known.

    ¡°Your Majesty... Your Majesty...¡± The Empress Dowager¡¯s head buzzed and she only called out subconsciously. Her hands that were holding the corner of the table trembled visibly and the sweat that beaded her temples was also visible. A nanny who was by the Empress Dowager¡¯s side had just wanted to support the Empress Dowager when Liu Xi red at her coldly. She did not dare to do anything else, hurriedly lowered her head and did not dare to speak.

    ¡°Empress Dowager, do you want Feng Yuzhen to usurp power and the throne? It¡¯s a pity that King Ning is about to be beheaded. It¡¯s a great crime to plot against the two princes and have an affair with a consort in the harem. He and his rtives of nine generations will be killed. In this way, Ding General Manor is within the nine generations. Empress Dowager, wait for the blood of Ding General Manor and King Ning¡¯s Manor to stain the steps of Cining Pce!¡±

    This time, Emperor Zongwen directly called her the Empress Dowager. He stared at her coldly. The bloodthirsty look in his eyes was like something that existed, piercing into the Empress Dowager¡¯s trembling heart like a sharp sword. Ding General Manor was the Empress Dowager¡¯s maternal family, where she grew up. King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, was her hope, and she had raised him up by herself.

    She thought that the two that she cared about the most would be killed with blooding spattering on the ground. Furthermore, ording to Emperor Zongwen¡¯s words, he was going to kill them in front of her Cining Pce. A bloody scene spontaneously appeared before her eyes; it was as if she had seen Feng Yuzhen being beheaded and covered in blood; it was as if she had seen the blood flowing in Ding General Manor and people whining.

    She felt as if she had seen the memorial tablets of Ding General Manor¡¯s ancestors dyed red with blood.

    There were mountains of corpses and seas of blood. There was blood everywhere. She almost could not see any other colors. Before she could say a word, her body shook and she fell down when the blood turned ck...

    ¡°Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager...¡± Someone eximed in her ear, but then the voice disappeared in the darkness.

    The Empress Dowager had a stroke. When she received the news that King Ning had gotten into trouble, she had a stroke on the way to the imperial study. All the imperial physicians in the pce were sent to treat her. The Emperor ordered them to cure the Empress Dowager and asked King Ning, who had made a mistake, to guard Cining Pce, hoping that the Empress Dowager would get better.

    The mistake King Ning made had something to do with King Chu and King Xuan. And it was said that it was a great crime to plot against King Chu and King Xuan. The Emperor could give up on punishing him for the sake of the Empress Dowager. It could be seen that the Emperor was filial, which moved the whole country. Everyone praised him for his loyalty and filial piety.

    As for King Ning who was sent to Cining Pce, although he still bore the title of King Ning, it was because the Emperor did not punish him for the sake of the Empress Dowager. His title was not sufficient to offset his crime. Of course, the Emperor would never tell others that King Ning once had an affair with Consort Yu.

    It was a shameful thing for even an ordinary man, not to mention an Emperor. Otherwise, Emperor Zongwen would not have put up with Consort Yu back then. On the one hand, he kept Consort Yu because he wanted the Empress Dowager and Feng Yuzhen to experience ¡°the greater the hope was and the greater the disappointment was¡±. He wanted them to fall from the high clouds to the bottom. On the other hand, he wanted to save the face of a man and the Emperor.

    Of course, these were all on the surface. On the surface, no matter how one looked at it, Emperor Zongwen was extremely benevolent. As an uncle, he took good care of his nephew. Not only did he not deprive King Ning of the title, but he also asked him to take care of the Empress Dowager before her bed. This time, not only did his kindness show the benevolence of a son, an uncle, and an Emperor, he even raised the Empress Dowager high in front of the altar.

    Look, for the sake of the Empress Dowager, he, her son, could do this. He could let go of the nephew safe and sound when he had tried to plot against his two sons. Wasn¡¯t he a kind Emperor? In the future, if anyone used Feng Yuzhen to me the Emperor, it would be unreasonable. In fact, it had already put an end to Feng Yuzhen¡¯s rebellion.

    In the dark, Feng Yuzhen was brought to Cining Pce to serve the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had a stroke and would not be cured in a short period of time. Feng Yuzhen was brought into the pce, which meant that he was under house arrest. In this case, his subordinates had already panicked. Those who were found out by Emperor Zongwen would be removed in various names. The rest who hadn¡¯t been found out didn¡¯t dare to stick their necks out.

    All of them shrank their heads and lived their lives, without any other ideas!

    With the fall of the Empress Dowager, King Ning¡¯s good days woulde to an end. King Ning would have nothing to do with the throne in the future!

    Crown Prince Xieyue left quietly on the second day of the Empress Dowager¡¯s stroke.

    It did not mean that he had left in private, but everyone in the court was paying attention to the Empress Dowager and King Ning and he did not want to be too high profile. He only told Feng Yuran about his leave. At noon that day, Feng Yuran bade farewell by preparing a feast at a pavilion on behalf of the Qin Kingdom.

    Qin Yufeng, who was sent by Emperor Zongwen, was also there. He attended the farewell feast on behalf of all the officials.

    Feng Yuran picked up the wine cupzily and filled it for Crown Prince Xieyue personally. Smiling, he pushed it to thetter¡¯s hand. Then, he picked up the other cup of wine in his hand and stood up, saying, ¡°Your Highness, I heard that the Third Prince of your country is already on his way here. It will definitely be a smooth journey. I shall toast you.¡±

    The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was finally going toe and escort his fiancee, and he came in person. The three people present had already received the news that the Southern Barbarian Lands was in chaos. The main reason was General Hu. He not only killed the Right Prime Minister who came to persuade him, but also killed all the people of the Right Prime Minister¡¯s family, as well as the people sent by the Empress.

    General Hu¡¯s son was also in charge of the military. When he heard that his favorite sister had an ident because of the plot of the Empress and the Third Prince, he could not bear it. Although Hu Qianyue was only a daughter in the Hu family, she was smart and talented since she was a child. She grew up with the Third Prince and could be regarded as his childhood sweetheart. Everyone in the entire Hu family treated her as the Third Prince¡¯s wife to cultivate.

    Unexpectedly, she died because of the Third Prince and the Empress¡¯s tricks. How could the whole Hu family not be angry?

    They seemed to want to rebel. The Hu family had the most troops in the Southern Barbarian Lands. Originally, with the Empress and the Third Prince, no one would be worried that they would rebel. However, they did not expect that the matter of Hu Qianyue would irritate the Hu family. The Hu family suddenly got mad. It seemed that they were going to rebel.

    Originally, the Third Prince and the Empress relied on the military power of the Hu family. But now, not only did they not be their supporters, but they also became their obstruction. What was more, the Right Prime Minister, who had been firmly on their side and even wanted to marry his daughter to the Third Prince, was killed with all over his family, which made things worse.

    At this point, the marriage with the Qin Kingdom¡¯s princess became important to the Third Prince. If he married the princess of the Qin Kingdom, at least he could rely on the Qin Kingdom in the future. Therefore, the Empress sped up themunication with the Hu family in an attempt to repair their broken rtionship with affection. On the other hand, the Third Prince rushed straight to the Qin Kingdom, trying to finish this marriage as soon as possible.

    After what happened to the Hu family, all the people in the imperial court were very displeased with the Empress and the Third Prince!

    Crown Prince Xieyue, who had always been kind and generous, had a better reputation among the people.

    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness. please take good care of Caifeng in the future.¡± Crown Prince Xieyue also stood up, picked up the wine cup, drank it up, and said with a deeper meaning in his words.

    Feng Yuran smiled slightly and nodded in agreement as a solemn expression appeared on his handsome face, as if he and Crown Prince Xieyue were really important to each other. He raised his pretty eyes and said frankly, ¡°You too. When my sixth sister gets married to the Southern Barbarian Lands, please take care of her, Your Highness.¡±

    There were some things that they were well aware of. Princess Caifeng and the Sixth Princess were both the princesses who were going to marry into another country, and all they needed to do was to bear the title to promote friendship between the two countries. In private, they had made another decision. How could it bepletely decided by sending two princesses to marry into each other¡¯s country? The decision that the two countries agreed on in private was the most important.

    On the surface, it was just the attitude of each other. Now, it was obvious that Xieyue and Feng Yuran were satisfied with each other¡¯s attitude!

    ¡°Of course, but for Consort Xuan¡¯s life-saving grace, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t have the chance to repay it!¡± Crown Prince Xieyue sighed and said in a low-spirited manner.

    ¡°Never mind. My wife has already forgotten the matter that she had saved Your Highness. You don¡¯t have to think too much about it.¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. This time, he filled up all three of their cups. Then, he lifted his cup up again and skipped the topic. ¡°Bon Voyage, Your Highness!¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Bon Voyage.¡± Qin Yufeng also stood up and raised his wine cup to toast Crown Prince Xieyue. With a bright smile on his lip corners, he calmly took over Feng Yuran¡¯s topic.

 Chapter 720 - Madam Qus Unusual Movements

    <h4>Chapter 720 Madam Qu¡¯s Unusual Movements</h4>

    King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, had not been punished, but Auntie Qing, Mo Yufeng, Yu Feng, and Mdm Chen and her daughter were all punished. However, since the principal culprit King Ning wasn¡¯t criminalized, they naturally would not be sentenced to death. Each of them had been beaten 50 times. How could an ordinary person bear the punishment from the pce? Furthermore, the torturers knew that the Emperor was angry and thus worked even harder.

    Auntie Qing, Mdm Chen and her daughter were weak, and their legs were broken on the spot. Then they died soon after getting home.

    Not long after Mo Yufeng who had be a bloody pulp was carried home, Mo Huawen asked the doctor to take a look at him. Then, he gave the young man some medicine and silver and asked the manservant to carry him to an inn, find a room and throw him there. Then, Mo Huawen opened the ancestral temple and deleted him from the Mo family tree. From then on, Mo Yufeng had nothing to do with the Mo Manor.

    Yu Feng¡¯s official position had been stripped. The rest of the Yu family members had returned to their ancestral home in dejection, no longer having any thoughts of stirring up trouble.

    After what happened to the Empress Dowager, everyone began to restrain themselves.

    However, while most of those people were restrained, some of them were restless. Mo Xuetong crumpled the note in front of her and felt a headache. Why wouldn¡¯t her second aunt stop being restless?

    What Madam Qu had done in the past few days was recorded on the paper in front of Mo Xuetong.

    Madam Qu¡¯s actions in the past few days could be considered strange. She often went to a pharmacy whenever she was free, iming that she was picking out the right medicine for the Old Madam. This pharmacy was the one that the Sixth Princess and You Yuecheng had met privately before. In another word, it was Sima Heyan¡¯s pharmacy.

    The duchess left the shop to Sima Heyan, and the disappearance of thetter was just a cover-up. Now her real identity was Duke Mingguo¡¯s mistress. No one could imagine that the duchess treated Sima Heyan, the First Miss, as a gift and gave her to Duke Mingguo as his mistress.

    In the past life, Sima Heyan had been sold by her elder brother; and in this life, she had been sold by her own mother. A mistress could not even bepared to a concubine. At the very least, a concubine¡¯s child could be recorded in the family tree and inherit the family property in a justifiable way. Even though a concubine¡¯s child would get less property, the property the child got from a family like Duke Mingguo¡¯s family was still a great fortune in the eyes of ordinary people.

    However, Sima Heyan could only be Duke Mingguo¡¯s shameful mistress!

    This was also the reason why she did not show up in front of others!

    No matter what, she was still Duke Zhenguo¡¯s daughter. However, she ended up being a mistress. So she was too ashamed to see her old friends.

    Now the two of them were now in close contact. Needless to say, Mo Xuetong knew that they did not have any good intentions towards Fu General Manor!

    As for the matter that Luo Mingzhu went to investigatest time, Mo Xuetong felt that that missing page was torn by Madam Qu. Her eldest aunt had been in the border area all the time. Most of the time, Madam Qu was in charge of the whole Fu General Manor. Her grandmother was in bad health, so her family affairs had already been handed over to her to manage. If there was someone in the manor who could do something to the ount books but would not be found, Madam Qu would be the only one.

    Mo Xuetong understood it, so did Luo Mingzhu!

    That day, both of them avoided talking about it. It was not because they did not understand, but was because Luo Mingzhu did not know how to say it out loud. However, they both were clear about it. That was why Mo Xuetong had sent people to keep an eye on Madam Qu. She did not expect thetter to be so impatient and even have ganged up with Sima Heyan, or Mingguo Manor.

    In her past life, Mo Xuetong did not know if Madam Qu had gotten involved in the fall of Fu General Manor. Judging by what she had done so far, it was very likely that she had gotten involved in it. After Fu General Manor¡¯s decline, her second uncle was fine. That meant that Madam Qu was fine as well. Mo Xuetong had thought that her second uncle had gotten rid of this invisible disaster because he had been sly.

    Now, it seemed more likely that Madam Qu had a deal with someone that she would help others deal with Fu General Manor and protect herself.

    The pot of Yuxiao Flower was sent to the manor and had been ced in the manor for such a long time; moreover, it was an important ce¡ªthe study. How could Sima Lingyun find it so easily? Furthermore, how did he get it out of the manor? If no one helped him, how could he, an outsider, walk freely and find what he needed in Fu General Manor?

    In thest strike, a super aristocratic family that hadsted for hundreds of years declined.

    With that in mind, everything could be connected!

    In her past life, even though there was no Madam Qu¡¯s niece, her second uncle seemed to also love her mother, which was enough to make Madam Qu jealous and resentful. Besides, her grandmother had always protected her mother. Madam Qu might vent her anger on Fu General Manor. Furthermore, the fall of Fu General Manor had nothing to do with her as she was not the official madam of Fu General Manor in the first ce.

    They would leave the manor sooner orter!

    ¡°Mo Ye, how is Miss Yun in the back courtyard? Is she still refusing to eat?¡± Mo Xuetong touched her head where she felt a dull pain and leaned against the couch. She had been inbor and toil with mind and body for the past few days and had spent a lot of time and effort on the arrangement in the Mo Manor. She asked Feng Yuran to send the letters to King Chu¡¯s Manor so that Feng Yuxuan could enter the pce with him in such a short time.

    They had caught Feng Yuzhen and the Empress Dowager off guard.

    ¡°Mo Feng said that Miss Yun has been threatening to stop eating and kill herself ever since she was confined in the yard. She threw out all the food that Fu General Manor has sent to her and made a fuss about it. But in fact, she ate the food that was secretly sent by Madam Qu that night. She even was disgusted that the food was not as good as before. In my opinion, she doesn¡¯t want to die, and it¡¯s obvious that she did it on purpose and made a fuss to show it to others.¡±

    Speaking of Miss Yun, Mo Ye felt speechless. First Miss Yun really thought of herself as someone important. She imed that You Yuecheng woulde to save her while threatening that she would die in Fu General Manor and asked the manor to pay for life with life. She even tried to hang herself from time to time, which made people panic.

    Madam Qu had gone to the Old Madam¡¯s ce to cry and plead a few times, but she failed. Then she gave up, but she would secretly send some food to Miss Yun every day.

    In fact, Fu General Manor did not really do anything to Yun Ya. She still lived in the courtyard where she lived previously. It was just that the door of the courtyard had been sealed and there were only two servants who came with her left to serve her. The others had all left the courtyard. The Old Madam had two old maidservants guard outside and did not allow anyone to see her.

    Madam Qu could only send some food to her right now. She was the first person that the Old Madam didn¡¯t allow to meet Yun Ya.

    ¡°Did anyone from Mingguo Manor appear there?¡± Mo Xuetong tilted her head and thought about it. There was a hint of doubt in her bright eyes. Of course, she knew that You Yuecheng could not be sincere with Yun Ya. However, it was impossible for him to ignore thetter. ording to what she felt, Yun Ya was now a pawn that could testify against You Yuecheng. Why did he believe that Yun Ya would not reveal his true colors?

    Or...

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind suddenly froze, and she could not help but frown slightly. She always felt that You Yuecheng would not forget this point.

    ¡°My Lady, Madam Qu went to deliver food the day before yesterday. Although she didn¡¯t go in, she said a few words to the wet nurse beside Miss Yun at the door. She seemed to say that Miss Yun¡¯s mother had something to do at home and couldn¡¯te. She asked Miss Yun to wait a little longer. She could convince the Old Madam and then Miss Yun coulde out. She also said that it was just in a few days and asked Miss Yun to rest assured.¡±

    ¡°To convince Grandmother?¡±

    Mo Xuetong was stunned as something shed through her mind. She suddenly sat up, and her eyes moved slightly. It was impossible for Madam Qu to convince her grandmother. It was definitely impossible to release Yun Ya for the time being. ¡°In a few days¡±? Could it be that Madam Qu would take action in the next few days, or that You Yuecheng would take action in the next few days?

    If Madam Qu and Sima Heyan were in close contact, then it meant that Madam Qu and Mingguo Manor were on the same side. Of course, they were plotting against Fu General Manor. In her past life, had Fu General Manor been plotted against like this? If something happened to Fu General Manor, Mo Xuetong¡¯s grandmother would be busy enough with her own affairs. Of course, no one would care about Yun Ya¡¯s matter. It would be easy for Madam Qu to release Yun Ya at this moment.

    ¡°Mo Ye, go and get Mo Feng to keep a close eye on Madam Qu. No matter what she does, he has to see it clearly. He should especially see what Madam Qu brings with her the next time she goes to the pharmacy. Try to get that thing reced.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression darkened, with a wave of cold mist in her eyes. No matter what Madam Qu wanted to do, she should have not seeded yet; otherwise, she would not have especially gone to inform Yun Ya. It was a secret signal that she asked Yun Ya to wait for a few more days. How could Madam Qu be so heartless just for Yun Ya?

    Mo Ye knew the seriousness of the situation. Afraid that Mo Xuetong would be worried, she promised immediately, ¡°Yes, I will tell Mo Feng right away. My Lady, don¡¯t worry. Mo Feng is good at martial arts. Even if Madam Qu wants to send something out, he will definitely make it.¡± She had trained with Mo Feng and knew that Mo Feng was good at martial arts. Besides, he was very fast and could take things from others without anyone noticing.

    The robe and ¡°private letters¡± that had been changed in Qingwei Garden were all done by him.

    Auntie Qing and Mo Yufeng had been staring there, but they did not find anything.

    After making a promise to Mo Xuetong, Mo Ye did not stay any longer and went to discuss it with Mo Feng. One of them stayed by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side while the other stayed outside, so they usually had a way to contact.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and said to Mo Lan, ¡°Mo Lan, bring me the brush and ink.¡±

    No matter what, Luo Mingzhu was Madam Qu¡¯s daughter, and her eldest cousin would be the future Fu General. As the Old Madam¡¯s granddaughter, she was a little distant from them. They had to see on their own and figured it out by themselves so that they would not have a knot in their heart. Mo Xuetong cherished the bond with the straightforward Luo Mingzhu and gentle Luo Wenyou.

    She didn¡¯t want the rtionship to grow apart because of some people.

    Mo Lan did not say anything and prepared the brush, ink, paper, and ink stone in a short while. Mo Xuetong stood up in front of the window and thought for a while. Then, she picked up the brush and began to write the letter. Soon she finished writing two letters and put them into the envelopes of King Xuan¡¯s Manor before sealing them. After that, she asked two servants to send the letters to Minister Li¡¯s Manor and Fu General Manor.

    The two letters soon reached Luo Mingzhu and Luo Wenyou.

    After receiving the letter, Luo Wenyou let out a long sigh. He held the letter in his hand and walked out of the study. By this time, his second uncle should have left the court and was dealing with works in his study.

    Luo Mingzhu hid in her room and cried after she received the letter. Li Youmo was extremely worried. He thought he had done something wrong and offended his wife. He had been scratching his head outside the room for a long time. The moment he saw that Luo Mingzhu had finallye out, he was overjoyed and hurried over to pull Luo Mingzhu. Then he patted his chest and asked her.

    ¡°What happened? Did someone offend you? If you meet something bad, tell me, I¡¯ll help you vent your anger!¡±

    Her words were extremely sincere. When Luo Mingzhu looked at his sweaty face due to anxiety, the gloom in her heart was swept away and she felt bitter in her heart. Ignoring the people around, she burst into tears in Li Youmo¡¯s arms...

 Chapter 721 - The Confrontation of the Old Madam and Her Daughter-in-Law of Fu General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 721 The Confrontation of the Old Madam and Her Daughter-in-Law of Fu General Manor</h4>

    When it was daybreak, Madam Qu went to pay respects to the Old Madam with her servants. The Old Madam was currently in poor health and did not ask Madam Qu to pay her respects all the time. This was especially so after the incident caused by Yun Ya. The Old Madam had be colder towards Madam Qu. Thetter had sensed it and thus usually would note to her ce when there was nothing needed to deal with.

    It was rare for her toe over to pay her respects to the Old Madam. Before she walked into the room, she heard the Old Madam and Nanny Shen, the personal nanny, talking about something, along with a burst ofughter. Apparently, the Old Madam was in a good mood. Madam Qu heaved a sigh of relief and her eyes shed slightly. Then, she put on a big smile on her face before entering.

    A maidservant had already seen hering and hurried in to report to the Old Madam. Then someone hade to lift the curtain for her.

    When she entered the room, she noticed that the Old Madam was wearing a dark yellow robe with some characters ¡°longevity¡± embroidered on the hem, and she looked well with a happy expression on her face. She and Nanny Shen were looking at a few paintings on the small table ced on the couch. They were chatting andughing; the atmosphere was good. Hearing that Madam Qu had entered, the Old Madam looked up and cast a casual nce at her.

    Aftering forward and curtsying, Madam Qu smiled and asked, ¡°Mother, how are you feeling today? It¡¯s a nice day. Do you want to go out for a stroll?¡± It was indeed a nice day. It was a cool and dry autumn day¡ªthe wind was not strong and the sun was not zing. It was the mostfortable season. Many people in the capital would go out to have fun or saunter at this time.

    However, people of Fu General Manor did not have such a habit!

    Ever since Luo Xia passed away, the Old Madam had been depressed and thus she was not healthy. Furthermore, she was not in the mood, so she would not go out for a stroll at this time. At most, she would bask in the sun and have a walk in the garden.

    Madam Qu¡¯s question was a little unusual. After the nce, the Old Madam replied, ¡°I won¡¯t go out. I used to be too tired to move. Even though I¡¯ve been a little better recently, I¡¯m unable to take a stroll.¡±

    ¡°Mother, since you are feeling better, you should go for a walk. Anyway, I¡¯m free today, so you might as well go with me to go out and have a look so as not to stay indoors all the time. When Mingzhues back, she might me me for not bringing you to go out for a walk.¡± Madam Qu was very attentive today. With a smile in her eyes, she tried to persuade her mother-inw repeatedly.

    The Old Madam had always been a smart person, and immediately understood what Madam Qu meant. She frowned and asked unhappily, ¡°You¡¯re going out?¡±

    During this period of time, Madam Qu had gone out much often, which didn¡¯t ord with the low profile the Old Madam had always advocated. Thetter was already a little displeased with her.

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m going out, but that we are going out to have a look together. It¡¯s a good opportunity for us to rx. Last time when I went out, I heard that a pharmacy has ginseng of several hundred years old. But because I went out in a hurryst time, I didn¡¯t have time to see it. This time, I can go with you to have a look. If it is really old enough, we can buy it and braise it to build up your health.¡±

    Madam Qu panicked when she saw the Old Madam¡¯s eyes that seemed to be clear about the matters of the world. However, her expression grew even sincere and much gentler as she smiled, as if she hade especially for the Old Madam¡¯s sake. She acted like a good daughter-inw who was doing this for her husband¡¯s mother.

    ¡°A pharmacy?¡± A hint of coldness appeared in the Old Madam¡¯s eyes as she stared at Madam Qu. Thetter didn¡¯t even dare to look straight her mother-inw in the eye and wanted to turn her head in a panic. However, she felt that this would make her look a little guilty, and thus she could only put on a smile that was almost frozen as she tried her best not to appear afraid.

    ¡°There are not many good pieces of ginseng like this one in the manor. When I checked itst time, I... I thought that I would look for some when I had time to go out and then put them in the manor. In this way, when someone wants it, they could take it out so that there wouldn¡¯t miss something and it wouldn¡¯t be inconvenient for people who need it.¡±

    The Old Madam leaned back and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t we have enough medicinal herbs in the manor? I heard from the servants who went to fetch the herbs a few days ago that there are still a lot of medicinal herbs in the storeroom and there¡¯s no need to buy them for the time being. A few months ago, another batch of new medicinal herbs had been sent to our manor. Are we short of any medicinal herbs?¡±

    Arge aristocratic family like Fu General Manor would purchase a batch of medical herbs every year. They had their own official purchase channels. Furthermore, it was often their own business, which could make sure that the medical herbs were safer and that nothing would go wrong. After all, correct use of medicine could cure diseases, but improper use of medicine would be harmful.

    The aristocratic families were all very cautious about it, and would not casually take or buy medical herbs from other channels!

    At the Old Madam¡¯s question, Madam Qu nervously swallowed and felt perturbed in the heart. She just suggested it casually, and had thought that even if the Old Madam wasn¡¯t willing to go out, she would send her out. In this way, no matter what, she would attain her goal. She hadn¡¯t expected that the Old Madam wouldn¡¯t answer her and would instead ask her about the number of medical herbs kept in stock.

    How could this not make Madam Qu who harbored evil designs nervous?

    ¡°Mother, there are medical herbs in the storeroom, but there are not many good ones. The ginseng that I saw the other day is really good. Why don¡¯t you go and have a look with me? If it¡¯s not good, we won¡¯t buy it. I want to buy it because I think it¡¯s good.¡±

    Madam Qu subconsciously avoided the Old Madam¡¯s gaze.

    The Old Madam stared at Madam Qu. When she saw that thetter couldn¡¯t hold on any longer, she asked lightly, ¡°Are you really free now? Is there nothing to be done at the manor?¡± There was a hint of displeasure in her words as she narrowed her eyes. Her eyes, which were dim-sighted from old age,nded on Madam Qu with a sharp glint in them.

    Madam Qu panicked by the Old Madam¡¯s stare. Without thinking about the Old Madam¡¯s meaning, she thought that she was really asking if she had finished dealing with the matters of the manor. She immediately stood up and responded, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve already dealt with all the matters of the manor. I¡¯ve already assigned tasks to the heads of all departments. There will be no other business today.¡±

    ¡°There will be no other business in the back courtyard?¡± the Old Madam asked meaningfully.

    ¡°Yes, there is really no other business. Mother, don¡¯t worry. The inner courtyard of our manor is the cleanest and there¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯ll be fine if I go out with you.¡±

    Madam Qu promised again with a smile. Her posture was even lower. Not only did she look like a filial daughter-inw, but she also looked like a capable daughter-inw. It was impossible for an ordinary person to keep such a big manor organized.

    ¡°Oh, our manor is clean? After hearing what you said, I remember something. Don¡¯t go out now. Come and have a look at this!¡±

    The Old Madam said as she pushed the paintings on the table in front of her in the direction of Madam Qu. Then she added casually, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that things won¡¯t be so easy in the future. The more people there are, the livelier it will be, but the more trouble there will be as well. It¡¯s just that as an old woman, I like to be lively. You have to bother to deal with it.¡±

    Her words seemed to contain some hidden meaning. After Madam Qu heard her words, her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked at the paintings brought by Nanny Shen. She had a bad feeling in her heart. Her eyelids twitched, and then she calmed down and took over the paintings from Nanny Shen¡¯s hands. She looked at them one by one, and found that all of them were beautiful youngdies who looked enchanting.

    ¡°Mother, this is...¡± Madam Qu¡¯s eyes fell on the enchanting face of the woman in a painting. She swallowed nervously with alert in her eyes.

    ¡°There are too few people in our manor. There should be more people to liven things up, and there should also be more children. For aristocratic families like ours, if there were too few children, it means that the family is not prosperous and undeveloped.¡±

    The Old Madam seemed to be exining but also seemed to be talking to herself. She took the cup of tea from Nanny Shen, took a sip, and then spoke slowly, not even looking at Madam Qu.

    Madam Qu became more confused and felt very uneasy. She rubbed the handkerchief in her hand uneasily and asked carefully, ¡°Mother, are you picking a legal wife for His Excellency? I¡¯m familiar with every family¡¯s daughters, but I can¡¯t tell which family they are from. Why haven¡¯t I seen them before?¡±

    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t seen them before. They¡¯re all daughters of small families. The one with the highest status is just the daughter of a fifth-grade official. They¡¯re different from the people you are usually in contact with,¡± the Old Madam exined lightly.

    A family like Fu General Manor was usually in contact with people who were either first-grade or second-grade officers or well-known families with a history of centenaries. It was impossible for them to have connections with the daughters of fifth-grade officials, let alone those with lower official positions.

    ¡°Then they and His Excellency...¡± Their status and position did not match Luo Wenyou at all.

    ¡°Second Madam, of course thesedies have nothing to do with His Excellency. Think about it. How could His Excellency¡¯s wife be chosen from the girls of such ordinary families?¡± Nanny Shen answered while smiling.

    ¡°Then... who are... What¡¯s going on?¡± Madam Qu almost choked her breath when she asked. The handkerchief in her hand had been crumpled into a ball and almost shapeless. A faint blood smell rushed to her throat.

    ¡°Of course they are for Bin¡¯er. He is the son of an aristocratic family and holds an important position in the imperial court. He can¡¯t be without a son. A few years ago, I thought that you and those concubines could give birth to a son, but now it seems that you are all a little older. I might as well pick a few more young ones and take them in so that they can bear Bin¡¯er¡¯s sons.¡±

    The Old Madam answered.

    Her words almost made Madam Qu spit out blood!

    It was not that there were no concubines in Luo Bin¡¯s back courtyard. However, the concubines were all rather old. Furthermore, there was a concubine who had been a maidservant and served him in bed before Madam Qu married into Fu General Manor. She was no match for Madam Qu. After being suppressed by thetter for so many years, she behaved better and did not dare to make the slightest mistake.

    As such, the back courtyard of Fu General Manor was quite clean.

    However, at the thought of that young women mighte into the manor, Madam Qu was filled with hatred and anger. All the young women in the paintings had charming faces. At first nce, one could tell that they were foxy. If such women were sent to the manor, as the legal wife, she would grit her teeth with hatred every day.

    However, she could not say that she would not allow Luo Bin to take concubines. As the legal wife, she had to be virtuous, generous, and gracious.

    ¡°Bin¡¯er is old. If no one bears him a son, he will never have a son. I know that it will be hard for you if he takes in a few more concubines at this time. But for Bin¡¯er to have sons, you have to bear this grievance. Maybe you will need to guide them for a period of time. Anyway, you will have much trouble.¡±

    What the Old Madam said sounded pleasant and reasonable. When it came to Luo Bin¡¯s sons, even if Madam Qu broke her handkerchief, she would not be able to say anything. Especially when she heard the Old Madam¡¯s next words, her face turned pale and she almost vomited blood. She, Luo Bin¡¯s legal wife, had to choose concubines for her husband today.

    In three days, the chosendies would be taken into the manor. Later, she had to fix up the inner courtyard. In a word, Madam Qu would be so busy that she would not have time to leave the manor, which would ruin all her original ns!

 Chapter 722 - The Letter That Hadnt Been Sent out

    <h4>Chapter 722 The Letter That Hadn¡¯t Been Sent out</h4>

    Coming out of the Old Madam¡¯s courtyard and returning to her own courtyard, Madam Qu was so angry that she gritted her teeth and almost shattered them. She grasped the things by her hand and threw them to the ground. In a while, all kinds of expensive porcins were broken all over the ground. The young and old maidservants were so frightened that they trembled. They stood at the door and did not dare to move, afraid that they would annoy their mad mistress and get themselves into trouble.

    When the things in the room were almost smashed, Madam Qu stopped, panting. She sat in a pile of broken utensils with a gloomy face. After a long time, she stood up and ordered the nannying from her parents¡¯ home toe in. Then she took out a letter from her arms. It was the letter that she had nned to send out of the manor today. It was the evidence that she had collected after a long time of coting. Originally, she wanted to send it out in person.

    It seemed that she couldn¡¯t do it now. That damned old woman was after her.

    ¡°You damned old woman, you¡¯re about to die. How could you meddle in my affairs? When the evidence is sent out, the entire Fu General Manor¡¯s property would be confiscated. Will you still have the energy to meddle in my affairs? As long as these things are exposed in the next few days, and before those vixens marry into the manor, it would be impossible for them to enter the manor!¡±

    That was what Madam Qu thought, so she repeatedly told the nanny to urge her conspirators to take action as soon as possible. She had to destroy Fu General Manor within three days. At least, she had to keep the people of Fu General Manor under control. Madam Qu was not worried about herself at all. With Duke Mingguo¡¯s guarantee, it was impossible for anything to happen to her.

    Furthermore, her husband was not the sessor of Fu General Manor, and they would have to be a branch of the family in the future.

    The nanny was a trusted subordinate of Madam Qu. After receiving her order, she did not stay any longer and went straight out of the manor. Madam Qu had been in charge of the inner manor of Fu General Manor, so she could easily make her people go out.

    After that, Madam Qu anxiously waited for news in the manor. Although she hadmunicated with the other side, she was not sure if they would listen to her, especially when she repeatedly urged them to hurry up. She did not know if Mingguo Manor would be so fast. As for the fact that the Old Madam asked her to tidy up several courtyards for the new concubines, she did not care at all.

    As it was impossible for them to marry into the manor, why did she have to care about it?

    While she was both anxious and worried, and could only wait for Mingguo Manor¡¯s final word, Mo Xuetong had already gotten her letter. Mo Feng had tactfully reced the letter with another one the moment Madam Qu¡¯s nanny left the manor. And now, the letter was ced on the table in front of Mo Xuetong.

    When the seal was broken, Mo Xuetong saw a thick stack of papers inside the envelope. Some of them were old and some of them were broken. It was obvious that they had been around for a long time. They had faint yellow creases on them. However, there were still a few new ones. The small characters of plum blossoms style on them were written by Madam Qu. She had exined the broken characters or old pieces of papers in detail.

    It could be seen that it took her a lot of effort and they were not collected overnight. Judging from it, Madam Qu had nned it for a long time. In the past, she might have just wanted to find out the truth, but now she had intended to send it out directly; she wanted to overthrow the entire Fu General Manor. Mo Xuetong pursed her lips, with more coldness in her eyes.

    She could almost be sure that what happened in Fu General Manor in herst life definitely had something to do with Madam Qu. She did not expect that Madam Qu, who had always been gentle in front of others, would do such a crazy thing and even destroyed the whole Fu General Manor. Though she must have made an appointment with the conspirator that nothing bad would happen to Mo Xuetong¡¯s second uncle.

    However, if such arge aristocratic family got into trouble, how could her second uncle, the Second Master of Fu General Manor, be really fine!

    Mo Xuetong really had no idea why Madam Qu became so crazy.

    A thought suddenly struck her. Could it be that this matter had something to do with her mother? Thest time, Madam Qu had almost lost herposure and yelled at her second uncle because of her mother. That time, her second cousin had heard about it. Now Mo Xuetong thought about it, wondering if it was because of her mother¡¯s existence that Madam Qu had gone so crazy that she did not hesitate to destroy Fu General Manor.

    Was it because of her grandmother¡¯s favor for her mother, or because of her second uncle¡¯s...

    ¡°My Lady, what should we do now?¡± Mo Lan had clearly seen the letter beside Mo Xuetong. She was so frightened that her hands and feet turned cold. Some of the old papers were obviously not for civilian use. ording to the symbols of the royal family in the papers, those things about King Jin¡¯s Manor should be true. A cold sweat broke out on Mo Lan¡¯s head.

    If these things were to spread out, it would cause a sensation. Fu General Manor would be the first to bear the brunt. It was a big deal. Consort Jin did not die in the rebellion case. Not only did she not die, but she also gave birth to a daughter. There was even a piece of paper with words written by Consort Jin, which could prove Luo Xia¡¯s identity. Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t know where Madam Qu found it. There was also the seal of the Old Madam of Fu General Manor on it, which meant that the Old Madam of Fu General Manor also knew about it.

    Mo Xuetong looked through these papers carefully one by one. The more she read them, the more serious her expression became. As long as these things were sent to the Emperor, it could almost prove Fu General Manor¡¯s rebellion. Then Fu General Manor would have no way to defend themselves. No matter what happened at that time was right or wrong, Consort Jin was an imperial criminal back then.

    The Old Madam of Fu General Manor not only took in the imperial criminal, but also raised her daughter as her own daughter. It was not as simple as adopting an unimed daughter. And thest few pieces even confirmed Mo Xuetong¡¯s previous conjecture.

    ¡°Sure enough, that¡¯s the truth...¡±

    Her fingers trembled as she ced them on thest few pieces of papers. These pieces were not that old and had only been around a few years at most. Even though the ink marks on them were much dimmer, they could still be seen clearly and there were no stamps on them. However,paring them with the previous ones, Mo Xuetong could tell that they were written by the same person.

    The first few pieces of broken papers still had carefully kept edges, with a stamp on each of them, and the stamp on them belonged to Consort Jin.

    ¡°It¡¯s really like this. She really hasn¡¯t been dead yet.¡± The smile on her lip corners looked sad. And her nose twitched and she almost cried. She held back her tears and turned her head away with red eyes. She no longer looked at the few pieces of papers with stories written on them. There were some things that she couldn¡¯t think about, as the more she thought about it, the more painful she felt.

    In her past life, her own grandmother had watched her fall into a dead end, but she had not reached out to help her...

    The fact made her almost unable to breathe. She felt again the pain she had felt in her previous life as if she were dying. There seemed to be a big hole in her chest, making her breathless. Blood came over her eyesyer byyer, and she felt a sickly sweet smell from her throat. She tried to suppress the sick smell in her throat, but it was useless no matter how hard she tried.

    Then a mouthful of blood was spat out just like that.

    Mo Lan screamed, but Mo Xuetong could not hear it any longer as she had sunk into darkness.

    After an unknown period of time, Mo Xuetong regained some consciousness, but she still could not open her eyes, as if she had been locked in another world. She was clear enough in the heart, but she could not wake up no matter how hard she tried. She tried again and again, but felt weak again and again. Meanwhile, she had a splitting headache.

    In a trance, someone was talking. The voice came from far away, almost like an illusory. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t figure out if she was dreaming.

    ¡°... Her... this poison... now... could she be saved? What¡¯s going on now?¡± She seemed to hear it more clearly. She no longer struggled and tried to catch that. Although she did not understand, she vaguely felt that it had something to do with her. Although the voice sounded stillzy, she could hear the anxiety and tension in it.

    ¡°Is it Feng Yuran?¡± She tried her best to move her hands and wanted to reach out. However, her hands felt like lead and she could not move them at all. Her body seemed to be separated from her mind.

    ¡°This... it¡¯s hard to save... the Yan Kingdom... the Lan family... The Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom might have a solution.¡± The other voice was very familiar, but Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t remember who the owner was at the moment.

    ¡°We... don¡¯t have... enough time. I¡¯ll think of a way right now... go to the Yan Kingdom...¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice was heavier than ever. It sounded so heavy that it almost made Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart ache. However, she could do nothing about it. He must be frowning now. He had many things to deal with, but now, she had given him more trouble. Mo Xuetong really wanted to go over and smooth out the wrinkles between his pretty browns, but she was strong in will but weak in power now.

    ¡°To the Yan Kingdom... Princess Royal... has made a move. It¡¯s just right. We¡¯ll take advantage of it and follow her people all the way... The legendary Jade Owl¡¯s... root... can cure... We might as well go there all the way.¡±

    ¡°Done, then!¡± Feng Yuran said in a very low and heavy voice. He made up his mind in a decisive manner, but there seemed to be lots of emotions in his voice. He touched her face with one hand, as if he was touching a treasure with his slender fingers. Mo Xuetong could even feel his strong love and heartache even though she was locked in the cage of darkness.

    The corners of her eyes were wet unconsciously, and tears slowly streamed down her eyes. Then everything returned to darkness...

    Feng Yuran stood in front of the bed and caressed Mo Xuetong¡¯s pale and bloodless face. Watching her lying there quietly as if she had lost all her vitality, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He lightly touched the two drops of tears that slid down Mo Xuetong¡¯s longshes with his fingers and then slowly clenched his fists.

    All the medicine had been tried, but none of them could antidote the poison in Mo Xuetong¡¯s body. The only possibility came from a message passed down from his guards¡ªit seemed that only the Yan Kingdom had the method and that Bai Yihao seemed to have the prescription to make the antidote. However, the antidote was difficult to make, and Bai Yihao was looking for medicinal materials, and so was Feng Yuran. When Bai Yihao returned to his country, he also hinted that only he could detoxify Mo Xuetong¡¯s body.

    And he deliberately told Feng Yuran that he couldn¡¯t sleep with her until she had taken the antidote to the poison; unless he didn¡¯t want her to live!

    How could he not want her to live? So he tried his best to find the antidote and found excuses for himself again and again¡ªhe didn¡¯t sleep with her not because of the poison in her body, but because of the promise he had made to her previously. Or in other words, he was waiting for her to grow up. But in fact, the most important thing was that he didn¡¯t dare. He really didn¡¯t dare to risk her life!

    Who would have thought that the noble King Xuan, who was arrogant and domineering, would be so cowardly!

    He was afraid of losing her!

    Without her, everything seemed meaningless to him. If he couldn¡¯t stand high with her, what was the point of fighting for the throne?

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s decided. I will set off for the border in a few days. When youe over, I can await you there. I guess that the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom should be able to make the antidote. Since the poisones from the Yan Kingdom, the antidote should be also there. The Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom is even extraordinary, so it should not be difficult for him to make the antidote.¡±

    Qin Yufeng stood at the window, without approaching the bed. There was a hint of determination in his calm eyes. With the determination in his deep eyes, it was almost impossible for others to detect the trace of nervousness in his calmness.

    ¡°Alright, you go first. I will be there soon. Send me what you notice over there as fast as you can.¡± Feng Yuran gently caressed Mo Xuetong¡¯s fair and tender face again. Then he stood up decisively and strode out. What he had to do now was deal with the matters at hand.

    Then he could n for the next step...

 Chapter 723 - The Inner and Outer Courtyards of Fu General Manor

    <h4>Chapter 723 The Inner and Outer Courtyards of Fu General Manor</h4>

    It was the afternoon of the second day when Mo Xuetong woke up from her dazed state and opened her eyes slightly. Seeing the familiar curtain embroidered with flowers and butterflies, she inexplicably heaved a sigh of relief. Sensing her body, she felt that she was okay, and just a little weak.

    ¡°Her Lady has woken up.¡±

    ¡°Her Lady has woken up!¡±

    ¡°Come on, bring the medicine to Her Lady and bring some preserves Her Lady had eatenst time to help her have the medicine.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go and take it now. Go and check on Her Lady¡¯s health first!¡±

    Mo Xuetong could hear the excited babble of her personal maidservants. Even Mo Lan, who had always been calm, seemed to have lost herposure.

    Mo Xuetong propped herself up and tried to sit up. She touched her head gently. Someone had already propped her up and ced a soft cushion behind her back. Mo Lan and the others helped her take the medicine and then she regained some strength.

    ¡°What... happened to me yesterday?¡±

    ¡°My Lady, you suddenly passed out yesterday. The physician said that you were too tired. You have been too worried and exhausted recently. His Highness came and scolded us yesterday, saying that you don¡¯t have to care about those things and just need to take care of yourself. My Lady, don¡¯t care about those terrible things. Anyway, His Highness has known it now, and he said he would do it and asked you to take care of your body.¡±

    Mo Yu took over the medicine bowl and persuaded Mo Xuetong unhappily. She knew that Mo Xuetong was still worried about Fu General Manor, so she mentioned Feng Yuran on purpose, sounding as if now that King Xuan would deal with it, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t have to think about it. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help smiling. The maidservants around her knew that King Xuan, Feng Yuran, was not a simple person.

    ¡°That¡¯s all. Mo Yu, just keep your mouth shut. Her Lady just asked one question, but you talked so much. Here, give Her Lady a bowl of porridge.¡± Mo Lan¡¯s voice sounded from behind. She med Mo Yu and exchanged the porridge bowl with the medicine bowl in her hand. Since Mo Xuetong was fine, these maidservants were all in a cheerful mood.

    Mo Yu pouted and retorted, ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m just afraid that Her Lady will be too tired and think too much!¡±

    Mo Ye did not say anything, and merely smiled by the side. She was usually calm and rarely showed her emotions. However, she seemed to be a little happy now.

    Because Mo Xuetong woke up, these maidservants hurriedly served her medicine and porridge. As soon as she finished having them, Feng Yuran strode in. At the sight of himing in, the maidservants all picked up the bowls and chopsticks and then left.

    Feng Yuran walked over and sat at the head of the bed without saying a word. He reached out and held Mo Xuetong in his arms. When thetter heard the strong heartbeat in his chest, the fear in her heart suddenly disappeared. She couldn¡¯t help reaching out and pulling his clothes.

    The two hugged each other, and said nothing, but at this moment, they felt as if there was a kind of warmth flowing in their hearts, no matter what they did!

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, remember, no matter where you are, you must know that I will definitelye to you,¡± he said in a gentle voice, with a faint murmur and his warm and pleasant breath. All these surrounded Mo Xuetong tightly, making her heart soft and sweet for a moment.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Mo Xuetong nodded hard. Without saying anything more, she just buried her head in his arms and absorbed his breath. They didn¡¯t need to say anything, but they seemed to have understood everything.

    Feng Yuran liked the feeling of having a spiritual connection with Mo Xuetong very much. He reached out and patted Mo Xuetong¡¯s back softly. No other words were needed. At this moment, hugging her was like having the whole world. This was the only tenderness he had kept in his cold heart. As such, he had to keep her alive no matter what.

    He could not help but tighten his hold on Mo Xuetong. His eyes darkened and looked strange, revealing a hint of coldness and viciousness, as well as vague cruelty and violence. He would not give up no matter what.

    In the next few days, Mo Xuetong was very idle. She slept in the manor almost every day. The trouble of Fu General Manor had already disappeared in silence. The letter that exchanged with Madam Qu¡¯s had been prepared by Mo Xuetong. It was a perfunctory letter, so Madam Qu would not get any definite answer.

    Sima Heyan¡¯s reply was even lighter, and she just asked Madam Qu to act faster!

    Madam Qu did not understand what she meant and thus was angry and anxious. She thought that Mingguo Manor was evading on purpose. She got extremely. Besides, what made her even more furious was that the two concubines that the Old Madam had picked out and she had agreed had been sent to Fu General Manor. She could not bear to see the two beautiful and charming concubines trying to seduce Luo Bin from time to time in front of her.

    She thought of ways to fight against the two concubines, which dismissed her idea of going out of the manor and working with Mingguo Manor. She focused on fighting for the favor in the inner manor. The inner courtyard of Fu General Manor was filled with mes of war. However, the outer courtyard had quieted down. Madam Qu did not have time to take care of Yun Ya¡¯s matter either. The Old Madam had also said that Yun Ya would only be locked for some time, and would be sent back to her hometown after this period of time.

    This made Madam Qu feel more relieved.

    Originally, Madam Qu¡¯s heart was full of jealousy and hatred for Luo Xia. She always felt that it was Luo Xia who had stolen her husband¡¯s love. Now, she realized that Luo Xia was not a threat at all. Compared with the two charming concubines in the inner manor, the jealousy and hatred she harbored in the past were really too light. After this discovery, Madam Qu tried her best to fight with the two concubines.

    Luo Mingzhu had once returned to the manor. After listening to Madam Qu¡¯sints for a long while, she sighed when she walked out of her mother¡¯s room and left without saying anything else.

    Most of these things were inquired about by Mo Ye. After listening to it, Mo Xuetong thought about it and asked Mo Feng toe back from Fu General Manor. Madam Qu was no longer a threat and all her evidence had fallen into Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands. It was impossible for her to use these pieces of evidence to prove anything.

    Furthermore, Madam Qu was having a heart but no strength now. The matters of the inner courtyard were enough to divert her attention. This result was also caused by herself. Compared to the fall of Fu General Manor, the current situation was also what everyone could ept. Regardless of whether it was the Old Madam or Luo Mingzhu, they would not want Madam Qu to get involved in that kind of matter.

    No matter what, Madam Qu was the person in charge of the inner courtyard of Fu General Manor in the capital and the Second Madam of Fu General Manor, who represented the face of Fu General Manor.

    Such a result could be said to be what everyone was most willing to see; of course, other than Madam Qu herself. But it was better than she pushing Fu General Manor into a dead end. Madam Qu brought the current result on herself. The Old Madam did not secretly deal with her for the sake of Luo Mingzhu.

    Mo Xuetong recovered very fast. She felt better in a few days. She had been feeling weak for a long time. Since there was nothing to do in the manor, she could not sit still after a few days. She went out to take a walk with her maidservants at their request.

    On that day, when she heard the maidservants talking about Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, she realized that she had not gone there for a long time. Princess Royal¡¯s illness had been dyed again and again, and she did not know how she was now. Thest time she went there, she almost shut the door on her. She had not been there for a long time; after all, Princess Royal was her adoptive mother and had done her a favor; and it was natural for her to feel some weird about the illness of Princess Royal. Mo Xuetong thought about it for a while and decided to Princess Royal¡¯s Manor with a few maidservants.

    Princess Royal¡¯s Manor was very quiet!

    Actually, ever since Consort Chu had gotten poisoned and died, this manor had been quiet. It was such a big deal, and the aftermath had not yet ended. Even Princess Royal¡¯s Manor, which had always been away from various forces, had been affected.

    This time, Princess Royal did not shut the door on her. Learning that Mo Xuetong hade, Nanny Qin, Princess Royal¡¯s close servant, hurried to greet her at the door.

    ¡°My Lady, Her Highness is ill again. She is still lying in bed and doesn¡¯t want to see anyone.¡± Nanny Qin looked tired, and there were dark circles under her eyes. It was obvious that she was tired because of looking after Princess Royal.

    ¡°Is there anything strange about Mother¡¯s illness? Do you want to go to the pce to ask the imperial physician to see her? She couldn¡¯t keep putting off her illness!¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. Ever since Princess Royal fell ill, she had been too heartless. Mo Xuetong heard that even the imperial physicians from the pce had to see her ording to her mood. Sometimes, she allowed them to see her, but sometimes she would drive them away. Her temperament was getting odder and odder. It seemed that she was really ill now; otherwise, Nanny Qin would not look so pale.

    ¡°Princess Royal doesn¡¯t allow me to look for the imperial physician. She only said that she would be fine after taking some medicine, but it didn¡¯t work at all after so many medicines. When Sir Bai was here, he could write prescriptions for Princess Royal. But now he is not here, and Her Highness¡¯s illness has be like this now...¡± Nanny Qin sighed.

    Mo Xuetong pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Have you ever asked an imperial physician to see her in the past few days?¡±

    Nanny Qin wiped the tears at the corner of her eye, bowed her head, and said with a heavy heart, ¡°An imperial physician hase to see her five days ago. Back then Her Highness was in a good mood. The imperial physician also wrote a prescription, but it didn¡¯t work. Then her illness has dragged on for so long. If it goes on like this, I am afraid... I thought that if Her Highness doesn¡¯t feel better in two days, I will ask My Lady toe and have a look at her. I didn¡¯t expect that you woulde today.¡±

    Everyone could see that Nanny Qin had a lot on her mind. Everyone could feel that she was loyal to Princess Royal. As her mistress was so ill, how could she feel better?

    They arrived at Princess Royal¡¯s courtyard as they talked!

    The courtyard was very quiet. There was not even an old maidservant at the entrance of the courtyard, which was the strangest thing along the way. It was as if many people had left Princess Royal¡¯s Manor. Mo Xuetong noticed the doorman remained the same when the door was opened, but other than that, she felt that the manor had changed a lot. Mo Xuetong could not tell if it was because of the atmosphere or something else.

    Suddenly, she looked to the side as she seemed to have sensed something. She shot a sideways nce and saw a part of a light gauze dress sliding across the corner of the wall. A slender figure shed by. Mo Xuetong felt that she did not look like the pce maid of Princess Royal¡¯s Manor at all!

    But when Mo Xuetong wanted to see her clearly, she found that there was no trace of anyone.

    ¡°Why are there so many people missing in the manor?¡± Mo Xuetong asked, pretending not to care. Then she walked up the steps of the courtyard. The courtyard where Princess Royal lived was not in the center of the entire manor. She heard from Princess Royal that she preferred peace and quiet, which was why she chose a remote ce that was right in front of her.

    Mo Xuetong hade here a few times, but each time she was here, she felt it too lonely. When there were many young and old maidservants, it was not so obvious. At this time, when there were fewer people, Mo Xuetong found that this ce was even more deste than Qingwei Garden where she used to be in!

 Chapter 724 - Mo Xuetong Was Taken away and Missing

    <h4>Chapter 724 Mo Xuetong Was Taken away and Missing</h4>

    ¡°After the incidentst time, we investigated everyone in the manor and found that many people weren¡¯t innocent... So Her Highness fired many servants. Later, Princess Royal fell ill and enjoyed peace and quiet, so we just let it be first. When Her Highness gets better, we will pick some servants toe in,¡± Nanny Qin exined with a worried look, but her words were nomittal.

    Mo Xuetong knew that she was referring to Ling Fengyan¡¯s death. Even though it was said that it had nothing to do with Princess Royal in the end, was it true? Why did she hold that banquet? Why did she invite all the princes to attend it? Why wasn¡¯t there anyone ask others when the incense was lit? Or perhaps there were other small matters that appeared suspicious. If Mo Xuetong came to think of it carefully, how could Princess Royal¡¯s Manor really be innocent?

    It was very convenient to send someone into a manor like Princess Royal¡¯s where there was only a idle mistress. In the past, King Xuan¡¯s Manor was full of spies from other manors!

    The curtain was lifted high into the air. There was only a maidservant who stood at the inner room door and lifted the curtain. Mo Xuetong walked into the room, turned around the nine-fold screen with paintings of beautifuldies, and then saw Princess Royal sitting quietly on bed. When thetter saw hering in, she looked up. But she looked so old that Mo Xuetong could not help but widen her eyes. Was she really that beautiful and noble Princess Royal?

    Her pale and thin face looked ill, and her long ck hair was casually draped over her shoulders. It seemed that she had just gotten up from the bed, but her body was straight, and she still retained the image of an exalted princess.

    ¡°Your Highness, why are you up? I will help you lie down again. Her Lady is not an outsider, so you don¡¯t have to make yourself tired.¡± Nanny Qin hurried forward to help Princess Royal.

    Princess Royal shook her head and pushed her hand away with determination. Then she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Go and make two cups of tea. I¡¯ll have something to say to Tong¡¯er.¡±

    ¡°But, Your Highness...¡± Nanny Qin still wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Princess Royal. ¡°Go. Watch the door after making tea. Don¡¯t let anyone in!¡±

    Mo Xuetong frowned secretly. The entire manor belonged to Princess Royal, and all the suspicious servants had been dismissed. Was there still anyone spying on her?

    ¡°Mo Ye, Mo Lan, you go out as well!¡± She waved at the two maidservants beside her. It was obvious that Princess Royal wanted to tell her something. Looking at Princess Royal, Mo Xuetong felt an inexplicable sadness. It was as if she had seen how her mother looked before she died. Looking at her from the side, Mo Xuetong found that Princess Royal really looked like her mother.

    After all, they were gic sisters. In the past, when Princess Royal appeared in front of others, she was always beautiful and dignified. However, in her memory, her mother had always been weak. Even though Princess Royal was still sitting upright, Mo Xuetong could sense her weakness and powerless. Then her nose twitched slightly.

    At this point, Princess Royal aroused the softness and sadness in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart!

    ¡°My Lady, His Highness...¡± Mo Ye uttered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just have some private things to talk with Consort Xuan. It won¡¯t take her long.¡± Princess Royal smiled gently, while looking at Mo Xuetong withplicated emotions in her eyes.

    ¡°Off you go!¡± It was not proper for Mo Xuetong to ask her people to stay here any longer since Princess Royal had said that.

    Mo Ye and Mo Lan hesitated for a moment and had no choice but to retreat to the outer room.

    ¡°Mo Ye, you stay here. I¡¯ll go outside the room!¡± Mo Lan said in a low voice.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Mo Ye agreed immediately. This was the best way. Mo Ye was skilled in martial arts, so if she discovered something wrong, she could barge into the inner room to save Mo Xuetong.

    Inside the room, Princess Royal looked at Mo Xuetong quietly. When Mo Xuetong became more and more confused, she suddenly gave a little cough and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, how do I treat you?¡±

    Mo Xuetong reached out to hold on to Princess Royal¡¯s hand and said seriously, ¡°Mother has done me a great favor weighty as a mountain. If not for you taking care of me, I would not be Consort Xuan now.¡± If not for the fact that Princess Royal had taken her as her adoptive daughter and gotten the position of princess of the royal family for her, Consort Yu and the Empress Dowager would have been able to kill her without even asking her.

    From this point of view, Mo Xuetong indeed appreciated Princess Royal!

    But appreciation didn¡¯t mean that she had to be obedient to her. She could have many ways to repay her kindness and she didn¡¯t want to be used by others.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you¡¯ve also investigated many things recently. You must know that I am actually your second aunt. For the sake of your mother, I have to take care of you, so it is not a favor,¡± Princess Royal said with a bitter smile, with a hint of loneliness on her lips. ¡°Our three sisters are split. In fact, your mother and I felt sorry for our elder sister. She was the only one who truly wants to avenge our parents.¡±

    Princess Royal¡¯s voice became lower and lower, and her breath grew heavier and heavier, making Mo Xuetong breathless.

    ¡°The winner will be the Emperor in the fight for the throne. Since they had such intentions, then there was no need for them toin after their defeat. Mother, you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± Mo Xuetong tried to persuade Princess Royal. She had always thought that since they had entered the fight for the throne, it was not personal hatred. The winner would be the Emperor, while the loser would die. Everyone knew that.

    The reason why King Jin had set up so many routes of retreat was that he wanted to leave a way out in case he failed to take the throne in the future!

    His failure could only be med on fate, but no one else. If thete Emperor failed back then, he would also end up losing his life. If the children of the royal family fought for the throne, they would be fated to have a close call.

    Princess Royal raised her head and said softly, ¡°Even so, not only have we not sought revenge for Father, but we have also upied the manpower to prevent Elder Sister from taking revenge. It is even worse.¡± She suddenly grabbed Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, with pleading in her eyes. ¡°Tong¡¯er, I will not lie to you. Anyway, you are already Old Eight¡¯s wife and you have him to protect you. Old Eight is an idle prince and needn¡¯t snatch the lofty throne. You can just give all the secret guards in your hands to Yihao. It¡¯s... not easy for him!¡±

    Sure enough, it was for those secret guards! Did Princess Royal ask for the secret guards in her hands today?

    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s up to you. The secret guards are in the hands of Shopkeeper Xing of Xiuning Workshop. If you want them, you can take them at any time,¡± Mo Xuetong said docilely. Then she naturally let go of Princess Royal¡¯s hand and took an orange from the fruit bowl beside her. cing the orange on a handkerchief, she started to peel it.

    Princess Royal did not expect Mo Xuetong to agree so straightforwardly without asking for a reason. She paused for a moment, unable to react for a while. After a while, she said, ¡°It is a jade token that could mobilize the secret guards. It should also be in your hands. You can give it to him together so that it will not be inconvenient for him to use these secret guards.¡±

    This must be Princess Royal¡¯s real purpose. After peeling the orange, Mo Xuetong wiped her hands slowly. When she was done, she had already thought it over. Then, she looked up and said with a smile, ¡°Mother, the token is really gone. My mother didn¡¯t tell me about it in detail back then. I haven¡¯t seen the jade token that is used to mobilize the secret guards yet.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Your mother is a meticulous person. How could she have lost such an important thing?¡± Princess Royal asked in disbelief. She shook her hand impatiently and almost knocked the teacup beside her to the ground!

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t you believe me anymore?¡± Mo Xuetong asked lightly, but her smile was gentle and cold.

    Princess Royal was at a loss for words. After a long while, she asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er, what do you want me to do to give it to me?¡±

    ¡°Mother, it seems that you really don¡¯t believe me. Then I could do nothing. I might as well look for it after I go back today? If I can find it, I¡¯ll send the jade token to you tomorrow. My mother had left a lot of jade pieces in the dowry. I couldn¡¯t sort them out for a while, so I threw them aside.¡± Mo Xuetong got up with a smile and was about to leave.

    At this point, she only wanted to leave. Today, not only was the Princess Royal strange, but even Nanny Qin of Princess Royal¡¯s Manor was very strange. Nanny Qin said that she was worried about Princess Royal¡¯s health, but she had note back since she went out to make tea. It was really weird. Mo Xuetong¡¯s intuition told her to leave as soon as possible. So she stopped being polite and got up directly.

    ¡°Do you really still have some jade pieces that haven¡¯t been checked?¡± A hint of confusion shed across Princess Royal¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t think it was important before. Since you¡¯ve mentioned it, I have to go back and have a look.¡± Mo Xuetong took a step back respectfully, hinting to Princess Royal that there must be the jade token among them. At this time, she had already known that Princess Royal was up to something. If something went wrong, she would not be able to go back!

    So she could only repeatedly indicate that she had a way to find the token.

    Princess Royal didn¡¯t say anything. She frowned and thought for a while, but she couldn¡¯t make a decision for the moment.

    At this time, Mo Xuetong had slowly stepped back to the door of the inner room. Just now, Mo Lan had taken her hint, so Mo Ye must be staying in the outer room. Mo Ye was good at martial arts, so even if there was an ident, she could take Mo Xuetong away.

    Princess Royal finally reacted. A strange smile appeared on her lip corners as she pointed at where Mo Xuetong was, saying, ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t leave now. Have your two maidservants bring the jade pieces over. How about I check them with you?¡±

    Behind her was the outer room, which was only separated by a curtain. As long as Mo Xuetong called, Mo Ye woulde over.

    ¡°Mother, you are not feeling well, so you don¡¯t have to do it. I will check them with my maidservants. It will be done soon,¡± Mo Xuetong smiled, standing sideways and cing one of her hands on the curtain. As long as she lifted it gently, Mo Ye who was outside would hear the sound ande over.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, how nice would it be if you weren¡¯t so smart!¡± Princess Royal¡¯s sigh could be heard from behind her. There was inexplicable meaning, as well as hints of pity and sadness, in her voice!

    Mo Xuetong subconsciously felt that something was wrong. Before she could lift the curtain with the hand that was on it, the curtain was suddenly lifted from outside. Two tender and white fingers lifted the bead curtain calmly. Under the flickering bead curtain, the lifted curtain slipped down and made a crisp sound, which was very pleasing to the ear.

    However, Mo Xuetong only felt that the sound was like a heavy blow to her ears. Her neck was hit heavily. Darkness came to her, and she fell to the beautiful face behind the luxurious bead curtain.

    ¡°Do you really have to take her away?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness, pack your things as well. The horse carriage is ready.¡±

    ¡°She actually doesn¡¯t know anything about it! Maybe Third Sister has never told her about the token.¡±

    ¡°Never mind. She herself is the best jade token. Although the secret guards say...¡± The voice became softer and softer, and disappeared into the chaos in the end!

    Feng Yuran returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor during dinner time. The first thing he did when he returned to the manor was ask people to invite imperial physicians from the pce. Atst, the few of them shook their heads and left. They only said that Consort Xuan was gravely ill and needed to take a good rest. Since Mo Xuetong needed to rest and recuperate for the time being, the entire courtyard was immediately sealed.

    In order not to prevent Consort Xuan from recovering from her illness, King Xuan moved to his Jinwei Pavilion. Most of the people in the courtyard had been transferred away, leaving only the old and young maidservantsing from the Mo Manor with Consort Xuan.

    For a while, the news that Consort Xuan was seriously ill spread out! Everyone thought that Consort Xuan was seriously ill this time and could not even get up. They guessed that she didn¡¯t have much time left. A while back, Consort Chu and Consort Ning had just passed away, but now Consort Xuan was also ill. No matter how they looked at it, they felt that it was weird.

    It was not easy to be the daughter-inw of the royal family.

    The lights on the third floor of Feng Yuran¡¯s Jinwei Pavilion were on all night. The servants said that His Highness was in a bad mood, so he was drunk in the tall building. The singers and dancers that they had not seen for a long time were called from the backyard again. It was not easy for those singers and dancers toe out, so all of them tried their best to tter Feng Yuran. The sweet voice of the whole night made people¡¯s ears itch. King Xuan was indeed a yboy. It had only been a few days, but he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.¡±

    The next day, it was said that King Xuan was drunk and injured his leg when he went to the bathroomst night. Thus, he had to recuperate for a while. The Emperor in the pce was furious, rushed out of the pce and arrived at King Xuan¡¯s Manor.

    The Emperor scolded the group of servants and pce maids. Then, he grew mad for no reason, and cleaned up the back courtyard of King Xuan¡¯s Manor. In the end, therge manor was immediately clean.

 Chapter 725 - Meeting Bai Yihao Again

    <h4>Chapter 725 Meeting Bai Yihao Again</h4>

    Mo Xuetong woke up in the morning light. Looking at the curtains shining with multicolored light, she could note back to her senses. The seats of therge carriage were covered with bamboo mats. The curtains fluttered in the breeze and the morning light shone brightly. It was as beautiful as brocade. This was an extremely rare piece of cloud satin. It was a tribute from overseas and was rarely seen even in the imperial pce of the Qin Kingdom.

    Because of the small number of it, this satin was only used to make handkerchiefs for the favored imperial consorts. Unexpectedly, there was such arge piece of cloud satin to be used as a window curtain in the carriage. It was extremely extravagant!

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± A clear and sweet voice came.

    Mo Xuetong looked in the direction of the voice and realized that there was also a beautifuldy sitting in the horse carriage. Thedy was dressed in a long snow-white dress that outlined her graceful figure. However, her expression was rather cold. She faintly raised her head and proudly looked at Mo Xuetong with slight enmity in the eyes, without avoiding Mo Xuetong¡¯s gaze!

    Mo Xuetong touched her forehead and still felt a dull pain, especially at the back of her head and the back of her neck. When she turned her head, the pain almost made her scream. She reached behind her back, and touched the back of her neck, which was a little swollen. She knew that the previous strike was aimed at the back of her neck.

    ¡°Miss, who are you? Where are you taking me?¡± Mo Xuetong sat up with the help of the table beside her. She looked calm and did not seem like she had been kidnapped at all.

    The beautiful woman in white seemed to be very curious about Mo Xuetong¡¯s attitude. She looked her up and down and did not answer her. Instead, she asked back, ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, don¡¯t you want to go back?¡± Most people should have cried, yelled and freaked out when they were kidnapped and woke up. Why was she so calm?

    ¡°Of course I want to. But if I want to go back, will you agree?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled leisurely.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t!¡± the beautifuldy in white replied decisively.

    ¡°Since you won¡¯t let me go back, what¡¯s the point of me asking for it? I might as well wait for your master toe and ask for it.¡± Mo Xuetong cast a nce at her with a hint of disdain.

    Her expression and words provoked the beautifuldy in white. She suddenly put down the needle and thread in her hand and said coldly, ¡°Even if my masteres, you can¡¯t go back. You are so beautiful, and there must be many people who like you. This time, my master really gets an excellent pawn.¡±

    ¡°Your master wants me to be a pawn?¡± Mo Xuetong asked with interest. Then she picked up a cushion from the side and ced it behind her back. In this way, when the carriage shook slightly, the swollen back of her neck wouldn¡¯t be hit. This woman was so vicious. Mo Xuetong would not forget that thest person she saw before she fainted was this woman.

    ¡°Otherwise, what do you think the reason why my master wants to get you? You¡¯re a married, faded woman; do you want to win my master¡¯s heart? There are all kinds of beauties around him, so how can he fall in love with you?¡± The anger on the face of the beautifuldy in white faded away, leaving only ridicule. She raised her head on purpose, obviously looking arrogant.

    ¡°Hehe!¡± Mo Xuetong did not take it to heart and smiled lightly. Then she shook her head and gave a little cough, asking, ¡°Miss, why are you so nervous? Could it be that you have feelings for your master? So you...¡±

    Before she could finish her words, the beautiful woman in white raised her hand and gave Mo Xuetong a clear p in her fair and tender face. Immediately, her left cheek became red and swollen. ¡°Bitch, you have no right to talk. You¡¯re just a defective woman. How dare you ask me?¡± An expression of disgust appeared on the beautiful woman¡¯s proud face. She withdrew her hand and wiped it with a handkerchief in disgust. Then, she threw the handkerchief aside.

    On the couch, Mo Xuetong only had the time to cover her face. Then she felt her cheek was on fire.

    ¡°Behave yourself. Don¡¯t ask around. This is not good for you,¡± the beautifuldy in white warned sharply as a trace of coldness shed in her eyes. Just now, what she was most willing to do was kill this woman with her sword. Why did a faded woman deserve her god-like master to pick her up with his own carriage?

    Mo Xuetong put down her hand and asked lightly, ¡°Are you wanting to kill me? But you don¡¯t dare!¡± There was a hint of blood on the corner of her lips. Clearly, it was a hard p.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? If you continue to talk nonsense, I will scratch your face in a while.¡± The beautifuldy in white did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so sharp. She was so embarrassed by her question that she flew into a rage. She stood up and wanted to p Mo Xuetong again.

    ¡°If you dare to p me again, I will let everyone know. Let¡¯s see how you will exin it to your master,¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly. She had been pped because she did not pay attention to it earlier. Now that the beautiful woman in white wanted to hit her again, she would not be willing to y this sort of game of physical and mental maltreatment with her. She lifted up the curtain of one side tartly. Listening carefully, she could hear the sounds of the horse carriage wheels outside the curtain. It was obvious that there was more than one horse carriage.

    Thedy¡¯s outstretched hand paused stiffly in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. Even though the beautifuldy in white was angry, Mo Xuetong saw a trace of fear in her eyes as expected.

    ¡°You¡¯re just a pawn. You don¡¯t think that my master will care about such a trivial matter, do you?¡± the beautifuldy in white snorted unwillingly, but she had to withdraw her hand. She didn¡¯t expect that this vixen was so cunning that she could tell at once that she didn¡¯t dare to let others know that she had pped her. She wanted to severely punish her and then apply some medicine to her wound. In just one night, the swelling on her face would fade away. Her master woulde in the afternoon of the next day, at the soonest.

    As long as she didn¡¯t admit it and there was no wound on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face, her master wouldn¡¯t do anything to her!

    But it would be different if Mo Xuetong called for help right now. There was Princess Royal¡¯s carriage outside and the coachman was her master¡¯s trusted subordinate. Of course, there were also other people. If these people knew, they would definitely testify for Mo Xuetong. It would be impossible for her to deal with the vixen in secret.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m just a pawn, why are you angry? Furthermore, there¡¯s no need for your master to tell a maidservant about what he thinks. Could it be that your master has to get your permission before he does something?¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression was slightly cold as she looked at the maidservant who was jealous of her for no reason.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the white-clothed maidservant snapped angrily. However, her voice lowered, and the sweat on her forehead could be seen.

    ¡°If I¡¯m really talking nonsense, why are you so nervous? It sounds like there¡¯s another horse carriage besides this one. Could it be that my mother is worried about me and has alsoe? I wonder if she would get revenge for her cheap daughter if she finds out that I was beaten by a maidservant.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled warmly and gently as she put down the cloud satin in her hand.

    No matter what Princess Royal wanted to do to Mo Xuetong, she was Mo Xuetong¡¯s aunt, which was a fact that could not be changed. Even if it was for her own face, she would not allow a maidservant to humiliate Mo Xuetong. This was also why Mo Xuetong was not afraid that thedy in front of her would do anything to her.

    No matter what, Bai Yihao would care about his aunt¡¯s pride.

    ¡°Do you want to apply medicine on my woundter? If others couldn¡¯t see any wound on my face, no one will believe me even if I said that you hit me. But why are you so sure that my cousin will believe in you, instead of me, his cousin, who has always been very trustworthy?¡±

    Mo Xuetong continued before the beautifuldy in white spoke.

    Cold sweat trickled down the head of the white-clothed maidservant!

    She was a maidservant by Bai Yihao¡¯s side, and of course, she knew that her master was heartless and cold-blooded. If she really went against his will, the only thing waiting for her was... When she thought of what happened to Yu Mei, who was also serving Bai Yihao by his side, the arrogance on Qing Zhu¡¯s face automatically faded away.

    Who would her master believe? Her or the Third Young Miss Mo in front of her? Ever since Qing Zhu knew that her master wanted to kidnap Mo Xuetong and bring her back to the Yan Kingdom, she knew that Mo Xuetong was different in her master¡¯s heart!

    However, she was unwilling to ept it. She had be her master¡¯s maidservant since she was a child and thus she had been with him for so many years. How could she no match for her cousin, who had just been recognized by her master?

    Qing Zhu was unwilling to be weak and snarled, ¡°So what if you are my master¡¯s cousin? You have been used by him again and again. If he sends you to the First Prince this time, the First Prince will no longer be wary of my master. At that time, there will be no obstacle for my master to get the throne.¡± However, there was too much panic in the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Cousin is in such a good mood. Even you maidservant knows about this.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled as she raised her brows.

    However, the smile on Qing Zhu¡¯s face stiffened. If her master knew that she was discussing the court affairs behind his back...

    ¡°What is it that my maidservant knows?¡± A light voice that sounded like flowing water came from outside the carriage. The curtain of the horse carriage was lifted and Bai Yihao, who was as elegant as a cloud, got on the horse carriage. He was still dressed in a snow-white robe. However, unlike his usual white clothes, which did not have any patterns, the cor of this robe was embroidered with dragon patterns. His robe was luxurious and gorgeous, making him look admirable and noble in the secr world.

    On his unparalleled handsome face, there was a half-smile in his warm ck eyes and a happy smile tugged at his lips. His dark eyes seemed to be full of tenderness andnded on Mo Xuetong. When he noticed the redness on her face, he suddenly became cold.

    ¡°You p her?¡± he asked in a casual tone, without turning his head at all.

    ¡°I, I...¡± Qing Zhu knelt down in fright. She was no longer as arrogant as she was just now. She lowered her head, shivered, and could not even utter a single word. She would never have thought that her master woulde so quickly. If her master heard what she had said earlier,bined with the fact that she had pped Mo Xuetong, she could hardly absolve herself from the me.

    ¡°Go out and receive the punishment!¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s enchanting eyes were exceptionally bright and deep. He stepped in and walked to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side. Then he squatted down and carefully lifted Mo Xuetong¡¯s face. His moves were gentle as if he was afraid that a little bit of strength would hurt her.

    Qing Zhu did not dare to say anything else. Her face was pale as she pressed the table beside her to stand up. Her master called it punishment, but she might lose her life. It was that vicious woman who had caused her to end up like this. She nced at Mo Xuetong and wanted to tear the beautiful face of the vixen apart.

    She did not hate Bai Yihao, but only hated the slut who had won her master¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Cousin, let her go. I angered her intentionally earlier.¡± Mo Xuetong reached out to push his hand away with a hint of coldness and distance at the corners of her lips. Even though she called him warmly, she did not behave warmly at all. It was just a form of address, so there was no need for her to go against Bai Yihao.

    In terms of kinship, Bai Yihao was indeed her cousin.

    Qing Zhu was stunned, not expecting Mo Xuetong to plead for her. Her legs gave way and she knelt down again.

    ¡°Why?¡± Mo Xuetong obviously pleased Bai Yihao by calling him cousin. His smile grew even gentler. He sat by Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and helped her put up the cushion behind her higher. His actions were so intimate and elegant, without any pause, as if they had been so intimate all the time.

    ¡°No reason. I just feel that she does not deserve death,¡± Mo Xuetong answered lightly, some alertness and distance in her cold and beautiful eyes.

    Bai Yihao did not say anything and just looked at Mo Xuetong with a smile. The carriage quieted down immediately. Only Qing Zhu¡¯s nervous and heavy panting could be heard. No matter how arrogant she was, she did not dare to go against Bai Yihao. She had made a mistake and felt that her life and death were only a matter of her master¡¯s will. When she thought in fear, she could not be bothered to hate Mo Xuetong anymore and could only feel her heart beating faster.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Bai Yihao nodded. His handsome face was as bright as the spring moon; his voice was as gentle as the spring breeze. With a hint of a smile in his voice, he said, ¡°Since you want her, I will give her to you.¡±

    Then he turned around and looked at Qing Zhu who had just heaved a sigh of relief, staggered and sat on the floor, saying, ¡°I will give you to Tong¡¯er from now on. You will protect her for me. If Tong¡¯er dies, you will die too!¡±

 Chapter 726 - The Cause of Princess Shuanglans Death

    <h4>Chapter 726 The Cause of Princess Shuann¡¯s Death</h4>

    The horse carriage continued to move slowly and it was very quiet inside. Bai Yihao reclined in the seat in afortable manner. His eyes were as bright as stars and he had a faint smile on his face. He expertly took out a pot of tea from a hiddenpartment beside him with his slender fingers. Then he fetched two teacups from under the table before he picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Mo Xuetong.

    After that, he poured another cup for himself and turned to look at Mo Xuetong¡¯s red and swollen face. A hint of gloom shed in his eyes, but it immediately turned into a warm smile. Taking out a jade-white porcin bottle from his arms, he asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want me to apply medicine for you?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Mo Xuetong refused lightly.

    ¡°All right!¡± Bai Yihao did not make things difficult for her. He pushed the porcin bottle in front of her and said, ¡°Then you apply some medicine on yourselfter, or ask Qing Zhu to do it for you. Your wound would be healed when you wake up after some sleep.¡±

    Mo Xuetong nodded and epted the porcin bottle without any resistance. No matter what, the moment she regained consciousness, she had already thought through everything with her eyes closed. The only person who could persuade Princess Royal was Bai Yihao, her nephew. They were on the way to the Yan Kingdom. In a foreign ce and in the face of a man like Bai Yihao, she had to be in top shape for what came next.

    ¡°When can I go back?¡± She did not think that her thought could escape from the eyes of a smart man like Bai Yihao. As such, she went straight to the point. It was no use ying tricks in front of him.

    ¡°You are my fiancee. Why do you want to go back?¡± Bai Yihao stated leisurely, picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. Then he caressed his brows to alleviate the tiredness and heaved a long sigh of relief before he leaned backfortably.

    No matter what he did, the handsome young man in snow-white clothes was pleasing to the eye. As he gave a gentle smile, he was exceedingly charming!

    However, Mo Xuetong would never be able to guess what the person opposite was thinking, so she would never conceitedly think that Bai Yihao really cared about her. She asked directly, ¡°What do you want me to do to let me go?¡±

    Whatever Bai Yihao¡¯s purpose was to capture her, she would have preferred to know it.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me cousin just now? Why don¡¯t you call me that anymore when you¡¯re facing me?¡± Bai Yihao frowned, as if he was very confused, and asked gently as his affectionate gazended on Mo Xuetong.

    He was referring to the fact that Mo Xuetong called his cousin in front of Qing Zhu just now in order to show her that she could rely on him.

    ¡°You are my cousin, so whether I call you that or not, it¡¯s impossible that you¡¯re not my cousin,¡± Mo Xuetong replied lightly.

    What she said was the truth. No matter what, part of the blood in the two¡¯s veins was the same, and it could not be changed by any scheme.

    ¡°My mother has been engaged to you for me, but I have never seen you before. Now that Third Aunt was unwilling to get involved in this kind of thing, I thought she didn¡¯t want you to get involved in it either. Thus, I didn¡¯t take it too seriously and didn¡¯t even take the initiative to find you. My mother said that you can marry someone else if I don¡¯t marry you when you turn 15 years old.¡± Bai Yihao seemed to be exining. He turned his head and looked out of the window. The cloud satin fluttered and flickered, which made him look like an unparalleled, handsome immortal from heaven.

    His eyes looked brighter than usual, and he uttered in a very low voice.

    Mo Xuetong remained silent for a while. Then, she also turned her head to look out of the window and asked lightly, ¡°Then why did you still take me away by force?¡±

    In all her past life, she had never seen Bai Yihao. She had never thought that the cold-blooded Emperor would have such a rtionship with her. Probably no one had taken the engagement seriously. Anyway, it was just a contract between the sisters¡ªBai Yihao¡¯s mother and her mother.

    When the contract expired and she was not helpful to Bai Yihao, the engagement was automatically broken off. And she didn¡¯t even need to know it!

    The whole affair concerned her marriage, but she was the one who had the least say!

    Mo Xuetong thought of the pain of burning in the fire in her past life, and her heart was filled with resentment and anger.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you are in breach of contract!¡± Bai Yihao remarked seriously.

    Immediately, anger burned in Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes. She bit her lips but could not suppress the anger in her heart. Then she turned around, red at him, and snapped coldly, ¡°What¡¯s the point of talking about this matter now? This engagement is a non-essential agreement. No one will really take it seriously. I can marry someone else after I turn 15 years old. Bai Yihao, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too hypocritical?¡±

    Whatever it was that made Princess Shuann and her mother make this engagement for her and Bai Yihao, Mo Xuetong felt that it was a joke from beginning to end. She thought of her past life. If someone paid a little attention to her, how would she end up like that? Given Bai Yihao¡¯s strength, it would be easy for him to help her if he wanted to.

    However, what was the end?

    She still had no idea about this matter when she was about to die!

    She didn¡¯t know anything and didn¡¯t understand anything. She was so sad that she broke off her feelings and helplessly set fire to herself. When she was framed, where was he? When she was disfigured, where was he? When she married into Sima Manor, where was he? And when the fire burned her skin and she was wailing in despair, where was he?

    Her heart hurt so much that she could hardly breathe! Her eyes were slightly red and moist. She didn¡¯t ask him to treat her as his fiancee. At least they were rtives¡ªeven close rtives, but he didn¡¯t even help her.

    However, in this life, he mentioned the engagement in front of her!

    Her calm heart was filled with pain. She closed her eyes and painfully tried to suppress the hatred in her heart.

    All the time, he had known about it, but she had been kept in the dark.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, maybe it was my mother who made a mistake and affected your life... But no matter what, you are not 15 years old yet. I have already mentioned it to Second Aunt and asked her to marry you to me.¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s tone was calm and his smile was gentle. He turned around and his eyes looked affectionate.

    He said these words on assumptions. He looked so affectionate and solemn, as if everything should be like this. Mo Xuetong was furious and could not suppress her emotions anymore. She suddenly stood up and the blood in her chest was churning, as if all the blood in her body had rushed into her head at that moment.

    When she needed help the most in her past life, he did not lend her a hand; now she lived a happy life in this life and had gotten married smoothly, but he threatened her with the marriage contract. ¡°Bai Yihao, I don¡¯t care what your mother meant or what she threatened my mother with. You¡¯d better hope that the poison in my mother¡¯s body has nothing to do with your mother. Otherwise, all the connections between us will only be enmity.¡±

    She had pondered the meaning of Nanny Ming¡¯s words countless times. Every time, an incredible answer would surface in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind. The antidote to the poison could only be found in the Yan Kingdom. Then where did Auntie Fang get the poison? Auntie Fang was just a concubine who wasn¡¯t loved by her father back then, and the Yu family had not recognized her yet; thus, she didn¡¯t have enough money or ess to get that kind of poison.

    That was when Princess Shuann traveled to and from Cloud City most frequently. If Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother did not agree to her request, ording to Princess Shuann¡¯s style of doing things, which was as decisive and cruel as men, maybe she would deliberately send the poison to Auntie Fang in order to threaten her mother to go to the Yan Kingdom with her.

    Ever since this suspicion had been formed in her mind, the more Mo Xuetong thought about it, the more she felt that it was possible. Before she came to the capital, she had gone to the old manor in Cloud City. She had walked into Auntie Fang¡¯s rooms especially and found a few suspicious things. The cloth used to wrap items was extremely luxurious, and Auntie Fang definitely could not afford to use it.

    At that time, she thought that it mighte from the Yu Manor. Now she thought of that piece of tribute-like cloth. ording to the Yu Manor¡¯s status, they might not be able to use it.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you trying to say that my mother poisoned Third Aunt?¡± Bai Yihao looked at Mo Xuetong and noticed that she was biting her lower lip, trembling and stiffening and her eyes were wide open. A dark light shed in his narrow eyes but his expression was as calm as water, without a hint of mood swing.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she?¡± Mo Xuetong asked back.

    She thought that it was just a suspicion and she would not say it out loud and that she could face Bai Yihao calmly. It turned out that she had always minded it. Even thought she had no evidence, she believed that it was the truth.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, my mother died a long time ago. Not long after she returned to the Yan Kingdom, she died in the hands of the Empress in order to hide evidence of your mother¡¯s connection to her.¡± Bai Yihao held a calm expression on his face. His thin red lips opened slightly as he stated slowly. It was as if he was just telling an ordinary matter. Only a hint of deep pain shed across his eyes.

    Mo Xuetong could see that he also had a deep affection for his mother!

    His mother had been dead? How could it be? Anger disappeared from Mo Xuetong¡¯s face like a tide and her eyes spontaneouslynded on Bai Yihao¡¯s face, which was obviously a little lonely. His face looked as gentle as usual, but there was a little sadness in his smile.

    ¡°At that time, my mother wanted to unite with her several sisters to avenge our maternal grandfather. But except for her, the other two seemed to have no intention to do it. My mother didn¡¯t give up, so she traveled back and forth between the Yan Kingdom and the Qin Kingdom again and again. Her leaving the pce was a secret, but it attracted the attention of the Empress many times. In order to get the evidence of her colluding with the enemy, the Empress killed her.¡±

    Bai Yihao said in a light manner, but Mo Xuetong could feel his sadness. Back then, she was still very young, and so was Bai Yihao. When he was still a child, Princess Shuann had passed away at an early age and left him, a child, alone in the pce. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to survive. If he still wanted to do something, it would have been quite difficult.

    He was the noble Crown Prince, but he had traveled far away to another country to be a hostage. Perhaps he had his own ns in this matter, or perhaps he had no choice but to do so. Even though the Empress had to acknowledge him on the surface, how could she treat him sincerely? How did a little child survive in the cruel pce and even be so sessful?

    Mo Xuetong sighed. Her childish and beautiful features were covered with ayer of sadness. At this point, she was no longer in the mood to question Bai Yihao. She sat back down at the table, softened and could not help but ask, ¡°How old were you when Elder Aunt passed away?¡±

    Her mother was dead and so was Bai Yihao¡¯s mother. Between these sisters, who was right and who was wrong...

    ¡°I¡¯m only five or six years old. I can¡¯t remember it clearly!¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s voice was as gentle as usual.

    But how could he really not mind it at all?

    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± Mo Xuetong had calmed down and changed the topic. She picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. Then she put it down and looked at Bai Yihao. He had been looking sideways and was not looking at her. At this moment, he turned his head with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you also poisoned?¡± He knew that she did not like to mention the engagement again, so he deliberately avoided it. Then, he poured some tea for Mo Xuetong again with a smile and said gently.

    ¡°Yes, I was poisoned by Mo Xuemin.¡± This matter could not be hidden from him, so Mo Xuetong told him the truth.

    ¡°Give me your hand!¡± Bai Yihao said softly. He stretched out his hand and ced it on Mo Xuetong¡¯s outstretched hand. He lowered his eyes and his longshesnded on his jade-white face, casting two long shadows on it.

 Chapter 727 - Set up a Scheme, then Leaving Like a Cicada Sloughing Its Skin

    <h4>Chapter 727 Set up a Scheme, then Leaving Like a Cicada Sloughing Its Skin</h4>

    It was very quiet in the carriage as there was no sound for a long time. After a while, Bai Yihao opened his eyes and smiled, ¡°Not yet. The poison hasn¡¯t spread to your lungs, so it¡¯s not the worst. When we arrive at the capital of the Yan Kingdom, I¡¯ll write a prescription and get medical herbs.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a while and said, ¡°If you want that jade token, I¡¯ll go back and find it for you. It¡¯s not mine anyway.¡± She had sensed that those secret guards had long since wanted to work for Bai Yihao. Only Shopkeeper Xing was willing to work for her for old times¡¯ sake. The assistant leader of the secret guards had already had his own idea, and it was meaningless for Mo Xuetong to stop him. Besides, the old master of those secret guards was King Jin. Now they worked for the most powerful man, Bai Yihao, which meant that they found a good master.

    As they were able to quietly leave the capital of the Qin Kingdom, those secret guards must have yed an important role in it.

    Since she was not on his side, she might as well do him a favor. However, she had to do it after she returned to the Qin Kingdom. She had carried the fake jade token with her. Mo Xuetong knew that she could deceive others with it, but it was impossible to deceive Bai Yihao with it. As such, she did not even take it out.

    ¡°You can keep the secret guards for you, and you don¡¯t have to be in a hurry to ask them to protect me. The situation in the Yan Kingdom has changed. I can rest assured when they are by your side,¡± Bai Yihao said with a smile.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Take them if you need. I came to the Yan Kingdom as a secret. It¡¯s useless for the First Prince and the Empress of the Yan Kingdom even if I got captured. No one will pay attention to me.¡± Mo Xuetong refused decisively. She did not want to have too much to do with Bai Yihao; furthermore, those secret guards had never been loyal to her.

    Bai Yihao picked up the teacup and took a sip. Then he turned it slightly and said gently, ¡°There are spies in the capital of the Qin Kingdom, and they¡¯ve already known about it.¡±

    Mo Xuetong paused for a moment before she asked back nonchntly, ¡°So what if they know?¡±

    Anyway, she had nothing to do with them.

    ¡°They will catch you in order to threaten me, so your safety is very important.¡± Bai Yihao looked at her lightly and frowned slightly. His pretty eyes darkened a little.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled slightly. She bit her lips and changed the topic, asking. ¡°Did Mother go to the Yan Kingdom with you?¡±

    There was no need to continue this topic. The more they talked, the more chaotic this matter would be. No matter what Bai Yihao nned to do, Mo Xuetong did not want to get involved.

    Seeing that she did not want to probe further, Bai Yihao answered lightly, ¡°As both of us have left, Second Aunt felt it was pointless to stay there.¡±

    Mo Xuetong thought for a while and asked, ¡°I want to sit in the same carriage with Mother. Is that okay?¡± She really did not want to face Bai Yihao alone even though Qing Zhu was by her side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll leave in a while. You¡¯re in poor health, and it¡¯s morefortable here. Take a rest. I¡¯ve already asked someone to book an inn.¡± Bai Yihao immediately understood what she meant. He still looked gentle as usual, and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. I was in a hurry toe here since I¡¯ve traveled 250 kilometers on horseback.¡±

    Then not waiting for Mo Xuetong¡¯s reply, he stood up, lifted the curtain in front of him, and jumped away. The curtain fell down and hid his trace in front of Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Master was afraid that someone would hurt you, so he especially came here. He traveled more than 250 kilometers a night and didn¡¯t stop until he arrived here. You drove him away before he had a rest. You¡¯re too much!¡± Qing Zhu said angrily in the corner. She was defending Bai Yihao.

    ¡°So what?¡± Mo Xuetong did not even raise her head as shemented coldly. Her eyes were indifferent.

    ¡°How can you be so heartless? Regardless of the fight with the First Prince, my master left everything behind in the capital and came all night long here just for you. But you just lightly said ¡®so what¡¯. Someone like my master takes you to heart. How could you not be grateful to him?¡± As she saw Mo Xuetong being so arrogant, Qing Zhu¡¯s face turned pale with anger.

    Her mighty master was like an immortal and was extremely noble. Even though Mo Xuetong was not bad looking, she was still young. How could she win her master¡¯s favor? ording tomon sense, no matter which woman was so cherished by her master, they should be grateful!

    ¡°If you lived a good life but were taken away from your home, would you be grateful to the person who took you away?¡± Mo Xuetong looked up indifferently, and there was a slight ripple in her watery eyes.

    Qing Zhu was stunned by the question and opened her mouth. After a while, she said defiantly, ¡°You were poisoned. My master wanted to detoxify you, so he took you here.¡±

    Mo Xuetong had already found a medical book and flipped through it casually. At Qing Zhu¡¯s words, she just looked up but then looked down again, not replying.

    Mo Xuetong would never believe that this was the only reason. Since when did Bai Yihao have such medical ethics? He kidnapped her from the Qin Kingdom in order to treat her? No one would believe it if he said that. It did not ord with hister reputation as an iron-fisted Emperor in the future.

    Qing Zhu seemed to also feel that her words were not very credible as her face turned red and she was speechless for a moment.

    Silence fell in the carriage as it moved forward slowly. Mo Xuetong flipped through the medical book on one side. She had never read this book before. She calmed down and stopped thinking about anything else. Seeing that Mo Xuetong ignored her, Qing Zhu, who could not find a topic to talk about, sat by the window and lifted the curtains slightly to admire the scenery outside.

    Mo Xuetong read the book for a while and got tired, so she reclined andy down. The book fell on the floor. Then, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

    After a while, Qing Zhu walked to Mo Xuetong¡¯s side and reached out to grab her limp, drooping wrist. Then she took out a set of needles from a hiddenpartment. Just as she was about to stick a needle into her wrist, a figure shed to her. Bai Yihao hade back.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Qing Zhu raised her head.

    ¡°Step aside. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Bai Yihao nodded.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Even though Qing Zhu was confused, she still put down Mo Xuetong¡¯s wrist and stepped aside.

    Bai Yihao took a few steps forward and sat down in front of Mo Xuetong¡¯s couch. He reached out and grabbed her pale wrist. His expression was calm as he picked up a long needle and pierced it into Mo Xuetong¡¯s wrist with great speed. Then he turned it slightly and ordered, ¡°Bring me a bowl!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Qing Zhu skillfully took out a jade bowl from the secretpartment on the other side. After that, she picked up the jade bottle on the side and poured some milky white liquid into the bowl. A light, refreshing fragrance wafted out. A few butterflies flew past the window and especially fell on the fluttering gauze curtain, waving their colorful wings.

    Qing Zhu screwed the lid back on the jade bottle and handed it to Bai Yihao respectfully. Thetter took it and then tapped Mo Xuetong¡¯s body twice. Mo Xuetong slept even more soundly.

    After that, he lifted Mo Xuetong half up and allowed her to lean against his shoulder. He picked up the jade bowl and ced it beside Mo Xuetong¡¯s lips, feeding her slowly.

    As Mo Xuetong fell asleep, she swallowed subconsciously in a slow way. Bai Yihao was not in a hurry. He held her wrist, which was stuck with a needle, with one hand, and took the bowl with the other. As she swallowed, he fed her slowly.

    Qing Zhu witnessed for a while and suggested, ¡°Your Highness, let me do it!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Bai Yihao¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and he did not even cast a nce at her, but his gazending on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face looked gentler than ever. Qing Zhu felt bitter when she noticed it. She spontaneously clenched her fists and lowered her eyes. Her master... really cared about this woman.

    She had never seen such a gentle expression on her master¡¯s face, which waspletely revealed from the bottom of his heart, not the gentleness on the surface. Everyone in the world imed that her master was easygoing and as gentle as jade. However, only those who served him knew that her master was the most difficult to get close to, and he had never taken the initiative to get close to any woman.

    After a long while, Mo Xuetong nearly finished the liquid, but there was still a little left in the bowl. Bai Yihao gently put her down and twisted the needle with his fingers. Then, the needle on Mo Xuetong¡¯s wrist came out. The tip of the needle drew a horizontal line in the air and fell into the jade bowl. The liquid in the jade bowl immediately overflowed the tip of the needle. The silver tip of the needle was slightly dim and lost its luster. Slowly, it turned ck.

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Qing Zhu¡¯s expression changed and she could not help but cry out.

    Bai Yihao turned around, but the gentleness on his face had disappeared. His eyes were as bright as stars, filled with coldness and ruthlessness that he had never had before. His eyes were so cold that they could make people breathless, immediately making Qing Zhu pause.

    With a quick flip of his slender fingers, the tip of the needle fell into the secretpartment. With a backhand push, the secretpartment was closed.

    ¡°Take good care of her and let her have a good sleep.¡± Bai Yihao stood up straight, flicked his sleeves gracefully and instructed Qing Zhu before he strode out.

    ¡°Your Highness, if Consort Xuan...¡± Bai Yihao turned around and cast a cold gaze at her. Qing Zhu timidly corrected her words. ¡°What if Third Young Miss Mo wants to see Princess Royal?¡±

    ¡°Then let her see Princess Royal!¡±

    When Mo Xuetong woke up this time, the sunset had alreadye. The setting sun swept past clouds and even the horizon turned red. She did not know if it was because she had slept, but she felt that she was in good spirits. She pressed the table and sat up. Then she discovered that there were some fresh fruits on the table.

    The Yan Kingdom was located in the north, so these fruits should be rare.

    ¡°Miss, we¡¯re in a hurry on the way. You¡¯d better get some fruit for your stomach first. When we get to the destination, you can have dinner.¡± At this time, Qing Zhu actually became polite.

    Mo Xuetong could only let them do as they wished and did not say anything else. After all, she was now in Bai Yihao¡¯s hands. Given his character, he would definitely not let her go as he had contrived Princess Royal to leave. What she had to do now was to be obedient until she found a suitable opportunity to escape.

    She believed that Feng Yuran had already known that she was missing. He would definitely think of a way to find her. Given Feng Yuran¡¯s strength, it would not be difficult for him to know that she had been taken away by Bai Yihao. Perhaps, he would find her sooner orter. As such, the most important thing right now was to preserve her strength.

    She even had a vague feeling that Feng Yuran had always known about this matter...

    She had intentionally angered Qing Zhu earlier because she wanted to know Bai Yihao¡¯s intentions. Now that Bai Yihao had appeared, she did not need to spend any more effort on Qing Zhu.

    Seeing that Qing Zhu was speaking politely, she cooperatively picked up a fruit on the table and ate one.

    Perhaps because she was hungry, the fruit tasted sweet, crispy, and delicious.

    After wiping her hands, she suddenly felt no pain on her face. She reached out and touched it, but it didn¡¯t feel hot. She knew that it must be Qing Zhu who had applied medicine on her face while she was sleeping. She frowned slightly and thought that she slept longer and heavier now.

    It must be because she was poisoned. She wondered if Bai Yihao would be able to make the antidote to it.

    Of course, it was not something that could be solved after she thought about it. Right now, she was unable to do anything and could only resign herself to fate. As such, she picked up the medical book beside her and read it with interest.

    That day, they rested in an inn. When Mo Xuetong got out of the carriage, Princess Royal had already walked into the inn. Qing Zhu handed Mo Xuetong a curtained hat. She put it on and went into the inn. Before she could see the people around her clearly, Qing Zhu took her into the guest room. The food had already been ced there, and they were all Mo Xuetong¡¯s favorite dishes.

    Mo Xuetong was very cooperative. She did not hesitate to eat and didn¡¯t stand on ceremony when she had anything she wanted. She finished her meal gracefully under the watch of Qing Zhu.

    After the meal, she fell into a deep sleep!

    It was a quiet night. When she woke up, it was not yet dawn. Qing Zhu brought her a set of men¡¯s clothes and gave her a man¡¯s hair. After Mo Xuetong put on the clothes, she looked like a decent man in the secr world. Qing Zhu also changed her clothes and turned into another young man. The two of them went out of the room together. There was a young waiter waiting outside the door. Seeing theme out, he hurried to greet, ¡°Elder Young Master, Second Young Master.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Qing Zhu ordered as she walked in front, waving the fan in her hand.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The young waiter led the way. Several other guards stood on both sides and surrounded them as they went downstairs. Because it was not yet dawn, the other guests in the inn had not yet gotten up. They got on an ordinary carriage by the road. Through the curtain, Mo Xuetong saw that the luxurious and spacious carriage they took yesterday was still parked at one side.

    Shortly after they left, most of the guests in the inn woke up. A youngdy wearing a curtained hat and a beautiful maidservant came out of the room where they had lived before. The maidservant helped the youngdy down the stairs and entered the luxury carriage parked outside. A few other maidservants helped a sick woman into the carriage behind them.

    The two carriages, one in front of the other, hurried along the main road.

 Chapter 728 - Assume Anothers Name to Enter the Yan Palace to Join the Beauty Contest

    <h4>Chapter 728 Assume Another¡¯s Name to Enter the Yan Pce to Join the Beauty Contest</h4>

    After a day¡¯s journey, the horse carriage stopped. Qing Zhu held Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand to help her get off the carriage. They arrived at a courtyard. Someone had already opened the door and the two of them walked in. Qing Zhu took Mo Xuetong straight to the garden at the back of the courtyard. When they reached the garden, Mo Xuetong discovered that there was a two-story boat on theke.

    The boat in front of them was notrge and it seemed to be used for the young masters anddies of rich families to have fun. It was neither very exquisite, nor very eye-catching. The boat was verymon. Whether it was in the Yan Kingdom or the Qin Kingdom, people of aristocratic families all liked to take a boat to different ces. The demeanor of famous people in the Jin dynasty was still very popr.

    The two-story boat was neither too high nor too low; besides, it was neither gorgeous nor too mboyant!

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart did a flip when she was brought to the boat by Qing Zhu. They were going to take her away by boat. However, at this point, she could not resist. As such, she followed Qing Zhu and boarded the boat. Then the boat sailed out against the wind. It was a passageway that led to the outerke.

    Even if someone chased them here, they would not have thought that there was once a boat parked there. When the boat arrived in the outerke, no one could find any trace of it as there were so many boats in theke. It would be like that the fish had entered the boundless sea and was nowhere to be found.

    When they arrived at the boat, Mo Xuetong realized that everything inside was extremely luxurious. Be it the items in the room or the hanging bead curtains, they were all exquisite. It was definitely not made up overnight.

    There were not many people on the boat. Other than Mo Xuetong and Qing Zhu, there were two boatmen and a cook.

    Qing Zhu helped Mo Xuetong change into a woman¡¯s dress. Mo Xuetong could not think of anything else as she saw lights twinkle on the water outside the window. Since she had been kidnapped by Bai Yihao here, she had to ask him to try to antidote the poison in her body. There was still a glimmer of hope no matter if he could cure her or not. If Bai Yihao couldn¡¯t cure her with his excellent medical skills, she would not seek any other means.

    Princess Royal definitely had other ns as she did not go with Mo Xuetong. Mo Xuetong did not want to read into Bai Yihao¡¯s intentions, so she put aside all her worries and looked at theke and mountains to enjoy the scenery.

    Whether in her previous life or this life, she had been stuck in Cloud City and the capital. As she lifted the curtain and looked at the endlesske, a kind of carefree feeling came over her. Sometimes, she simply put down the medical book and leisurely looked at theke scenery outside the window. She felt rxed and happy at those moments.

    The boat continued forward. It would only asionally stop in some small towns and buy some daily necessities and vegetables. It had already been many days since they got on the boat. Mo Xuetong did not know where she was at all.

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong was very cooperative along the way, Qing Zhu started to be a little kind to her. She no longer said mocking words as before. Even though there was still enmity in her words, she did not intentionally make things difficult for Mo Xuetong.

    One day, the boat finally stopped.

    Qing Zhu helped Mo Xuetong, who was wearing a curtained hat, get off the boat. There was already a horse carriage waiting there. The two boarded the carriage. Mo Xuetong saw the boat having already set off again out of the corner of her eye. It was indeed a perfect arrangement without leaving any ws. It must not be difficult for Bai Yihao to do this given his character.

    If someone really followed them, they would not be able to catch up with them along the way. Now, the boat was gone, which meant that even thest trace was erased. Bai Yihao actually could read the human heart in such detail. No wonder he could look down on the world and ignore themon people in hisst life. He did have the ability to do so.

    ¡°Third Young Miss Mo, you can go to His Highness¡¯ manor in a while. I am your maidservant who serves you. You will be Lan Luo, the miss of the Lan family, from now on. You¡¯re a distant rtive of the Lan family and your parents died, so you grew up in your uncle¡¯s family. This time, the Empress has issued an edict to choose a consort for His Highness. Your uncle¡¯s family specially sent your here. They hope that you will be doted on by His Highness one day and be the next Empress.¡± Qing Zhu picked up a fruit out of habit and peeled it for Mo Xuetong.

    This was the new identity that Bai Yihao had found for himself!

    As the Crown Prince of a country, it was impossible for a strange woman to appear by his side. Besides, given her status, he couldn¡¯t take her away at will. However, when Mo Xuetong thought about it, she found that Bai Yihao¡¯s action this time was not consistent with his style of nning urately and then acting. He seemed to be reckless and did not care about the consequences. It was not like his manner.

    After the two of them stayed on the boat for several days, Mo Xuetong had already gotten used to Qing Zhu¡¯s service. She looked up and rolled her watery eyes, which looked beautiful. She was already past 14 years old on the boat and the corners of her eyes automatically revealed a hint of charm, making her even more charming. Her beautiful little face was as delicate as a piece of jade.

    Mo Xuetong picked up a piece of peeled fruit and asked slowly, ¡°Why should I mix with thosedies for the Beauty Contest?¡±

    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t you want to get rid of the poison? The First Prince and the Empress have been keeping an eye on His Highness every day. Even if His Highness wants to help you get rid of the poison, he can¡¯t do anything about it. Do you really want to die at such a young age?¡±

    This was what Mo Xuetong cared about. If there was still a glimmer of hope, Mo Xuetong would definitely want to live. This was also the reason why she had been very cooperative ever since she knew that Bai Yihao had taken her away. When she was in the Qin Kingdom, she had thought of asking Bai Yihao for help.

    However, it was just a thought. On the one hand, she did not want to have too much to do with Bai Yihao; on the other hand, Bai Yihao might not be willing to help her get rid of the poison. Furthermore, she did not want to make things difficult for Feng Yuran.

    ¡°Is your master trying to choose me to enter the pce and then help me remove the poison, isn¡¯t he?¡± Mo Xuetong swallowed a mouthful of fruit and squinted at Qing Zhu.

    ¡°How could my master¡¯s wife was from a declining family? Even though the Lan family is also a noble family in the Yan Kingdom, you¡¯re from a poor branch. I have never heard of a prince¡¯s wife of such a low status!¡± Qing Zhu was filled with pity for Bai Yihao. She could not help but retort when she heard Mo Xuetong denigrating Bai Yihao.

    ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled in a rxed mood. She liked the fact that this identity could bring this benefit.

    Seeing her pink lips curling into a smile which was as bright as a flower, Qing Zhu really didn¡¯t know what to say. There was never a woman who was not shy, out of control and didn¡¯t approach her master when they saw him. However, this woman kept pushing her master away.

    After entering the imperial pce, the carriage went to the East Pce on one side. However, it moved very slowly. Gradually, Mo Xuetong heard other carriages¡¯ sound. There was more than one carriage.

    Mo Xuetong secretly lifted the curtain and looked out the window. She found that there were many horse carriages that were simr to her carriage. Her carriage was neither thest nor the first. At some point, her carriage joined the queue.

    Mo Xuetong could not help but admire Bai Yihao. He did everything perfectly, without any omission. Her horse carriage was the mostmon one among these horse carriages.

    It seemed that the Empress had put a lot of effort into choosing a consort for Bai Yihao. There was no official mistress in the East Pce, but so many girls had joined the Beauty Contest. No matter who Bai Yihao picked, it was not suitable!

    Before Bai Yihao took a wife, arge number of concubines entered the East Pce. The contest was held on a grand scale. It seemed that Bai Yihao had to choose a second consort. It looked as if the Empress loved her son dearly. However, the carriages around them were ordinary; none of them were luxurious. It was obvious that the girls in the carriages were not from noble families and would not be of any help to Bai Yihao in the future.

    The Empress¡¯s thoughts were self-evident!

    ¡°Is it the carriage of the 17th branch of the Lan family?¡± As Mo Xuetong was thinking about it, she suddenly heard a girl¡¯s crisp voiceing from outside.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s our miss,¡± the coachman answered from outside.

    ¡°Our miss is from the ninth branch of the Lan family. Please ask your miss to get on our carriage and have a chat.¡± At this time, the carriage was moving slowly. Judging from the distance, they would not reach the destination in a short time. Somedies would get off their carriages, get on the carriages of the otherdies who were familiar with them to have a chat.

    ¡°Our miss is in poor health. She got up early in the morning and is resting at this time.¡± The coachman refused tactfully.

    The maidservant did not mind it and said politely, ¡°All right, when we reach the pce, our miss wille to visit your miss.¡±

    Mo Xuetong blinked her lively eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Does Lan Luo know thedy opposite?¡±

    Bai Yihao should not choose such an identity that was full of loopholes, which caused that a randomdy from the Lan family recognized her.

    ¡°Rest assured, Miss. Lan Luo is distant rtive of the Lan family. The main branch of the Lan family would not care about such a remote rtive. Furthermore, I heard that Lan Luo¡¯s mother was beautiful then and a man of the main branch of the Lan family took a fancy to her and took her away. Her father chased after them and was seriously injured. Then he died a few dayster. Her mother knew about it and immediately hung herself. As such, Lan Luo was taken to her uncle¡¯s home and stayed there for 10 years.¡± Qing Zhu thought about it and told Mo Xuetong in detail about Mo Xuetong¡¯s new identity. After all, they had entered the East Pce. Even if Qing Zhu stayed by her side all the time, someone might discover it.

    Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Who is Lan Luo¡¯s uncle?¡± That was to say, she couldpletely ignore the Lan Luo¡¯s family members.

    ¡°Lan Luo¡¯s uncle is an unfortunate schr, and then he turned into a businessman. His family background is not bad, but he has several daughters. Lan Luo¡¯s aunt has a lot of objections to raising this sick and weak youngdy. It was her aunt¡¯s idea to send her to the capital to join the Beauty Contest for the East Pce this time. It¡¯s just that this youngdy was so weak that she died on the way here,¡± Qing Zhu exined.

    She had no parents or nsmen. Even her closest uncle was just a businessman who was far away from the capital. It was impossible to find him even if one wanted to. Furthermore, she was weak and sickly. Miss Lan seemed to exist especially for her. Now no one would recognize her even if Mo Xuetong revealed her face!

    It was already in the afternoon when Mo Xuetong entered the East Pce. Fortunately, there were fruits in the horse carriage, but she did not feel hungry. It started to drizzle, falling in drifts. It made her even more upset.

    Since these girls hadn¡¯t taken in by the Crown Prince of the East Pce, the Beauty Contest was held in the Beauty Gathering Pce, which was the closest to the East Pce. It was still within the range of the imperial pce, but the gate of the East Pce was opposite. This surrounding area in the imperial pce had always belonged to the East Pce. It was the Empress¡¯ people who arranged for thesedies to live in.

    The Beauty Gathering Pce was divided into five courtyards: the eastern courtyard, the western courtyard, the southern courtyard, the northern courtyard, and the center courtyard. However, those who lived in the center courtyard were all youngdies with rtively better family backgrounds.

    The Beauty Contest this time would only pick up a consort for the Crown Prince of the East Pce, not the Crown Prince¡¯s wife, so it was notrge-scale, and there were only 40 to 50dies.

    They were allocated to live in these courtyards, and thus there were seven or eight people living in each courtyard. Fortunately, each person had a room, so it was fairly spacious.

    Mo Xuetong lived in the northern courtyard. It waste autumn and the courtyard facing the north was really annoying as it was even colder for no reason. Some youngdies who had connections found a way and moved to the other courtyards. For a while, the northern courtyard became the most deste ce. There were only two or three youngdies left in the entire courtyard, who had no way to move out.

    Mo Xuetong was one of them.

    And she was also one of the least appreciated. As soon as she came in, she had been drinking potion. Thedies began to wonder how she got in. She still wanted to serve the Crown Prince with such poor health. It was really whimsical.

    Ever since Bai Yihao had passed by the entrance of the Beauty Gathering Pce, all the youngdies grew invigorated and excited!

    Not to mention that the Crown Prince was in a high position and powerful enough to seed the throne of the Emperor, his peerless, pretty face was enough to make the youngdies stare at the gate of the East Pce with excitement and affection every day.

    They just hoped that they could win Bai Yihao¡¯s favor and hit his fancy.

    Mo Xuetong was now taking the medical herbs prescribed by Bai Yihao. Someone secretly sent the medical herbs to Mo Xuetong¡¯s room. Qing Zhu carefully looked after her every day. Because of the cold weather, Mo Xuetong was toozy to go out. Every day, shey on the couch and read medical books. When she felt bored, she would sleep. Life was very quiet.

    For some reason, the Beauty Contest had been dyed. For a while, thedies in the Beauty Gathering Pce were very bored. The East Pce and the imperial pce did not send anyone here. Days passed by one after another!

    No one disturbed her, and she didn¡¯t have to consider too much. Someone had made arrangements for her to eat and drink. Mo Xuetong felt that this was the mostfortable days in her life. She only needed to drink some bitter herbal soup every day. Except for one thing¡ªit was hard to ept the fact that she had been kidnapped here.

    However, an emergency made herfortable dayse to an end!...

 Chapter 729 - The Young Minister of Public Works of the Yan Kingdom

    <h4>Chapter 729 The Young Minister of Public Works of the Yan Kingdom</h4>

    ¡°Excuse me, is your miss inside?¡± A clean voice came from the corridor. It sounded familiar. Mo Xuetong put down the medical book in her hand and listened. But she could not figure out who it was for the moment.

    ¡°Our miss is inside; may I ask who you are...¡± Qing Zhu put down the fan in her hand and asked in confusion. The medicine pot was still on the stove where a small fire was burning. The smell of medical herbs was strong.

    In front of her stood a clever little maidservant in green clothes, followed by a youngdy who was about 15 or 16 years old. This youngdy also had a handsome and straight young master beside her. The two looked simr. One might wondered if they were siblings. At the sight of this handsome young master, Qing Zhu¡¯s face changed greatly.

    She took a few steps back and made a big bow. ¡°Greetings, Minister of Public Works!¡±

    In the Yan Kingdom, it could be said that there were no people who did not know about the Minister of Public Works, Lan Yanwen. The most outstanding person in the Lan family was Lan Yanwen, who was from the main branch of the Lan family. He had been engaged in politics since he was 16 years old. It took him only four years to rise from a small eighth-grade official to the Minister of Public Works.

    Even though he was not a minister who was in charge of the civil affairs, nor was he in charge of military affairs, he was so powerful that he was able to contend with the Crown Prince and the First Prince. He was the most powerful person in the Yan Kingdom and was also the sessor of the Yan family. How could Qing Zhu not be suspicious when such a powerful person suddenly appeared in the Beauty Gathering Pce? Qing Zhu could not help but feel a little nervous. Even though Mo Xuetong¡¯s identity had not been revealed, could it really be hidden from the intelligent Minister of Public Works?

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. I don¡¯t know if your miss is free. Is it convenient for her to meet us?¡± Lan Yanwen asked with a polite smile.

    ¡°Our miss is free. I will report to her,¡± Qing Zhu replied. She straightened up and entered the room. As she turned around the flower screen, she saw that Mo Xuetong was looking at her with wide eyes. She hurriedly lowered her voice and reported, ¡°This is Lan Yanwen, Minister of Public Works of the Yan Kingdom. He is extremely smart and I don¡¯t know why he is here.¡±

    Mo Xuetong immediately understood and nodded, indicating that she had understood. Even though she had no idea why the Minister of Public Works came to her, it was definitely not a good thing! It wasn¡¯t her real identity and of course, her identity could not be exposed.

    ¡°Elder brother, are you really going to see her?¡± Outside the room, Lan Yuyan asked in a low voice with disdain.

    She was also the girl of a branch of the Lan family, who had a status simr to Lan Luo. But because of her delicate appearance, she had been raised in the main branch of the Lan family. Usually, she went to school with the daughters of the main branch of the Lan family and thought highly of herself.

    The Lan family had always done one thing. Unlike other aristocratic families, no matter whether it was from the main branch or not, as long as a beautiful girl was born, she would be raised in the main branch of the family. Then, she would be more and more beautiful. Therefore, the Lan family¡¯s daughter¡¯s good appearance was well-known in the Yan Kingdom. Even two of them became the in the Yan Emperor¡¯s consorts.

    ¡°I heard that this younger sister is extremely beautiful. The elders of the manor asked me toe and have a look,¡± Lan Yanwen said casually.

    In fact, when he had seen the list of the Beauty Contest, Lan Yanwen didn¡¯t care about Lan Luo, his distant rtive, at all. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been here until today. However, the Beauty Gathering Pce was in the imperial pce, and it was inappropriate for him toe here rashly. So he took Lan Yuyan with him.

    There were many beautiful girls in the Lan family. Lan Yanwen didn¡¯t think that a girl, who had been away from the Lan family for years, was important.

    ¡°Minister of Public Works, this way please.¡± Qing Zhu walked out of the room and respectfully invited the guests.

    Lan Yanwen threw his sleeves and walked in gracefully. Behind him, Lan Yuyan followed him with the help of a maidservant. What kind ofdy was Lan Luo? The main branch asked the most famous male cousin to take a look at her.

    The room was unusually elegant. Theke-colored gauze curtain was lifted high, revealing a bead curtain. Although it was not gorgeous, it added a little coolness to the bustling pce. The window curtain made of green gauze was blown up by the wind and then slowly fell down, making it look a little colder.

    Mo Xuetong had grown quickly these past few days. Her eyes grew clearer and prettier. She stood there in a fearful manner. Her ck hair was tied into a bun which looked as if it was about to fall, which made her even more charming; she was extremely beautiful and her ckshes were as long as a brush; her nose wings were small and her lips were pink and as tender as honey. She looked like a blooming white lotus; her eyes were filled with water, giving off an indescribable beauty.

    She looked kind of pure and kind of charming. These two qualities strangely blended together to form a fascinating charm!

    Such a beauty was so delicate and attractive. When they looked into each other¡¯s eyes, Lan Yanwen only felt that all the blood in his body seemed to have been sucked away in an instant. After a pause of his breath, the blood immediately flowed into his heart. For a moment, his mind was nk, and his body suddenly became unusually hot.

    ¡°Are you Sister Lan Luo?¡± Lan Yuyan sized up Mo Xuetong carefully. A hint of astonishment shed across her eyes, but then turned into enmity. She would never have thought that a girl of the distant branch of the Lan family, who had been away from the family, would be able to grow up to be such a fairy-likedy. She was rmed.

    They both came topete for the position of the consort in the East Pce. The meaning behind this was enough to make Lan Yuyan jealous.

    ¡°Excuse me, who are you?¡± Mo Xuetong looked at the people in front of her indifferently. She did not want to have too much contact with the Lan family. The more she interacted with them, the easier it would be for her, a fake Lan Luo, to be discovered.

    ¡°Sister Lan Luo, this is Cousin Lan Yanwen from the main branch of the Lan family. I am your cousin, Lan Yuyan. When we came to the pce that day, I wanted to chat with you.¡± Lan Yuyan hid the hostility in her eyes and went forward to hold Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand as she said warmly.

    Mo Xuetong took two steps back calmly. There was a hint of wariness and coldness in her bright eyes as a faint smile appeared on her lips, but this smile seemed distant. ¡°Minister of Public Works, Miss Lan, it is rare for you two toe today. I should have made tea for you. However, I have no good tea. Hence, I might as well not embarrass myself.¡±

    Thesedies, who hade to the pce to join in the Beauty Contest, had not yet be the Crown Prince¡¯s consort, so the private items they used were brought in the pce by themselves. Given Mo Xuetong¡¯s new identity, she really had no good tea, but she definitely had tea. It was said that her uncle, who was a business, loved her very much. One could tell from the fact that she was in poor health but had never used inferior medical herbs.

    In fact, Mo Xuetong was asking them to leave in disguise!

    The smile on Lan Yuyan¡¯s bright face immediately stiffened. She did not expect Mo Xuetong not to know how to appreciate kindness. When people of the main branch came, every branch of the Lan family would fawn on them. If they could get involved with them, everyone would try their best to climb up. Just like that year, in order to send Lan Yuyan to enter the main branch, her parents had put in a lot of effort.

    They gave the main branch money and antiques, only hoping that her daughter could learn how to be a decentdy in the Lan family and win the favor of the noble.

    ¡°There is no need for any good tea. A bowl of boiled water is enough!¡± Lan Yanwen had returned to normal at this time. He smiled peacefully before he strode in, came to a chair on one side and sat down.

    Lan Yuyan followed him in and sat down on the other side, her maidservant standing behind her.

    ording to the two¡¯s behaviors, it was not easy to get rid of them. Mo Xuetong sighed and had to sit down on another empty chair. She had said that there was no go tee, so Qing Zhu brought three cups of in boiled water. Mo Xuetong had been drinking in boiled water these days because she had been drinking herbal soup and was afraid that the medicine would be diluted.

    So she picked the cup up and naturally took a sip.

    Looking at the in water in the cup, Lan Yuyan frowned. She turned her head with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. ¡°She is really raised outside the family. She is extremely green and inexperienced. She doesn¡¯t even have tea leaves when having water. She is inferior to the servants of the Lan Manor.¡± However, Mo Xuetong¡¯s behavior made her heave a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Although she is pretty, she has no grace at all. As she has been cultivated to a girl of low ss, how could she be favored by the Crown Prince? How could she be a match for me?¡±

    As Lan Yuyan thought of this, the sarcasm in her eyes dissipated, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

    Lan Yanwen was not particr about it. He picked up the in water and took a sip naturally. His eyes involuntarilynded on Mo Xuetong. Her makeup was extremely light. There was not a hint of rouge on her pink face, but she was outstanding. She was dressed in ake-colored dress and had tied up her slender waist. She looked natural and elegant. Her behavior was neither humble nor overbearing. She didn¡¯t like the kind of youngdy who grew up in a business¡¯ family, but looked like a youngdy from a noble family.

    Her pair of watery eyes was extremely intelligent. With a slight roll of her eyes, she had a hint of charm; It was breathtaking charm!

    There was charm in her purity, and her charm was mingled with delicacy and pity. Coupled with her stunning face, her charm was beyond description! For the first time, Lan Yanwen felt that he must clearly see his cousin who was out of the power of the Lan family.

    ¡°Is there anything inconvenient to be here, Sister Lan Luo? If there is, get someone to the manor to inform me. I¡¯ll make your life morefortable.¡± Lan Yanwen¡¯s smile grew even more friendly after he measured Mo Xuetong¡¯s value. He started to gently care about her life. ncing at the dim curtains that had not been shone by the sun, he stated meaningfully.

    At first nce, one could tell that it was not a sunny courtyard. It was indeed the best direction in a hot summer day. But the problem was that it was still winter, but it was not a ce where the sun could shine. What was more, the decoration was cool. After staying for a long time, people couldn¡¯t help but feel a little cold from the bottom of their hearts. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t bear it, let alone the person on Lan Yanwen¡¯s opposite side, who looked even more delicate.

    Lan Yuyan was also assigned to the northern courtyard, but was transferred to the southern courtyard because of him.

    ¡°Many thanks, Minister of Public Works. The environment here is very good,¡± Mo Xuetong smiled.

    Lan Yanwen¡¯s expression was still calm and elegant even though Mo Xuetong did not ept his help. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite. We are cousins and there is nothing that you can¡¯t tell me. Ever since we found out that you¡¯vee to participate in the Beauty Contest, our family has been worried about you. We were afraid that you woulde in the name of your uncle and be looked down upon. That¡¯s why we came specially to visit you today.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you very much, Minister of Public Works.¡± Mo Xuetong remained unmoved, still cold and distant, as if she could not feel Lan Yanwen¡¯s deep care for her at all, or understand the meaning behind his words. Lan Yanwen tried to lure her with the influence of the Lan Manor. He had underestimated her.

    As she refused calmly, Lan Yuyan smiled and said, ¡°Sister Lan Luo, you don¡¯t have to hurry to refuse. Anyway, people of the Lan family are your nsmen. You have been raised in someone else¡¯s family since you were a child, but no matter what, you can¡¯t change the fact that you are a child of the Lan family. Sister, don¡¯t be angry with our cousin. he was still young at that time, so he didn¡¯t know anything.¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression changed the moment she finished speaking. She stood up suddenly and shot a cold nce at them. A trace of annoyance came to her pale face. However, it was immediately suppressed. ¡°Miss Lan, Minister of Public Works, I¡¯m not feeling well. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stay with you any longer.¡±

    After that, she directly turned around the screen and went straight into the inner room without saying anything.

    ¡°Elder brother, she... how could she!¡± Lan Yuyan stood up, stomped her feet and pouted after being embarrassed by Mo Xuetong.

    Lan Yanwen nced at her thoughtfully and stood up as well. Then he said to Mo Xuetong behind the screen, ¡°Since you¡¯re not feeling well, I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯lle to see you in a few days.¡±

    After finishing his words, he turned around and strode away, ncing at Lan Yuyan out the corner of his eye, without waiting for her.

    He was born in a big aristocratic family. He had already known that Lan Yuyan wasn¡¯t trying to persuade Lan Luo, but in fact, she was trying to embarrass her. She mentioned what had happened in the past, which would only make Lan Luo embarrassed and resentful. After all, Lan Luo¡¯s parents had died in the hands of a member of the Lan family. If Lan Luo was filial, she would ignore them!

    Lan Yuyan wanted to catch up with him and suck up to him, but for some reason, his cold gaze made her astonished and she didn¡¯t dare to catch up with him.

 Chapter 730 - The Lan Familys Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 730 The Lan Family¡¯s Scheme</h4>

    The Lan family¡¯srge courtyard was not far from the center of the capital. Those who lived there were all aristocratic families and offspring of the nobility of the Yan Kingdom¡¯s capital. None of them were ordinary people. There were many carriages and horses, and the clothes of the guests were richly woven muslin and silk. Fragrance wafted in the air, and sweet voices rang out all around. These were all prosperous families.

    The Lan family was in the center of the street. In front of therge manor, there were two imposing stone lions, with their heads raised and as if roaring, looking very dignified.

    Lan Yanwen¡¯s carriage stopped in a hurry. After the carriage stopped, Lan Yanwen got off and went straight into the study without stopping. At the same time, he asked the manservant to invite his father and two uncles to the study.

    The manservant received the order and ran in.

    When Lan Yanwen entered the study, Lan Tian, the head of the Lan family, and his two younger brothers, Lan Ren and Lan Mo, were already waiting there.

    ¡°Wen¡¯er, what happened?¡± Lan Tian, the head of the Lan family, was sitting at the very front of the room. He was Lan Yanwen¡¯s father. The Lan family had already transferred the important work of officialdom to Lan Yanwen, but Lan Tian was still at the center of the family. When he learned that his son had just rushed back to manor and wanted to see him, he knew that something big had happened.

    ¡°Greetings, Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle.¡± Although Lan Yanwen was a little anxious, he still greeted them one by one as he was enough cultivated.

    Lan Ren, the Second Elder Master of the Lan family, was an intelligent person. He looked Lan Yanwen up and down and asked with a smile, ¡°Wen¡¯er, since you came from the East Pce, you must have seen the woman of the branch of the Lan family. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a daughter from a poor family? Second brother, you worry too much.¡± Lan Mo, the third son of Lan Tian, nced at his second brother with contempt. ¡°This time, our Lan family also sent a girl to the pce. If there¡¯s really something wrong with that girl of the distant branch, she wasn¡¯t sent to the pce from the main branch.¡±

    ¡°Lan Mo, I heard that the girl is well-behaved and smart. Almost everyone who came to the East Pce has peeked at the Crown Prince of the East Pce. She is the only one who lives in her own courtyard quietly. She didn¡¯t even ask anyone to help her change the room even though her room feels cold,¡± Lan Ren stated in a low voice. This was enough to show that she was not to be overlooked.

    A girl in her teens was at the age when she loved fun most. She entered the pce, which she had never been before, with confusion about the future. In the face of splendid and beautiful thing, everyone would be greedy and try their best to stay in the pce. Of course, they would manufacture ways to secretly meet the Crown Prince, who was said to be extremely handsome. It would be better if they could have a beautiful encounter.

    Thedies who entered the pce to attend the Beauty Contest appeared calm on the surface these days, and nothing seemed to have happened. However, there was an undercurrent in the dark. Especially when they saw the handsome and noble appearance of the Crown Prince, all thedies were excited and only thought that they could win his heart. It could be said that in the Beauty Gathering Pce, the only one who had done nothing was that girl.

    The reason why she was so calm was that she didn¡¯t care about it, or that there was another secret!

    Given Lan Luo¡¯s current status and background, if she failed in the Beauty Contest, she would have to get engaged and married immediately when she went back. With the greedy nature, her aunt might sell her for a high price in the form of marrying someone. In other words, if she wanted to live a better life, she could only stand out in the Beauty Contest.

    However, she didn¡¯t care about it. How could she win the Crown Prince¡¯s favor? This was the reason why the head of the Lan family specially asked Lan Yanwen to see her.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a young girl. How capable can she be?¡± Lan Mo said disdainfully.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about it. Let¡¯s listen to Wen¡¯er.¡± Lan Tian gave a cold snort and asked the two brothers to shut their mouths.

    ¡°Father, Lan Luo is very beautiful... She doesn¡¯t look like shees from a small family... Judging by her elegance, she can¡¯t be from a business family or cultivated under someone else¡¯s roof.¡± Lan Yanwen frowned and replied while thinking how to say it. That girl was definitely not an ordinary person.

    ¡°Wen¡¯er, did you make a mistake? I¡¯ve already sent someone to investigate. This girl of the Lan family is good-looking, but she is weak and can¡¯t leave the medicine jar. Sometimes she gets sick and can¡¯t even get up from the bed. Her aunt loves money so much that she didn¡¯t hire an etiquette instructor for her at all. Thus, she isn¡¯t elegant at all.¡± Lan Mo jumped up and said, unconvinced.

    The Lan family was a big family, and not all branches would get the attention of the ruler of the Lan family. However, the Lan family was cautious. Any outstanding girl of the Lan family, who appeared in their sight, had been thoroughly investigated. Even if she was not controlled by them before, she would be a new famous figure because her new value was recognized by the whole n.

    Therefore, as soon as Mo Xuetong used Lan Luo¡¯s name to participate in the Beauty Contest in the East Pce, the Lan family could investigate which branch the daughter of the Lan family was from and why she grew up in someone else¡¯s family. The Lan family thought that they had investigated everything very clearly. In the territory of the Yan Kingdom, the Lan family¡¯s ability to investigate was not inferior to that of the royal family.

    Since the investigation was so clear, they certainly knew that it was impossible for the daughter of the Lan family to be a fake, and she couldn¡¯t be as outstanding as what Lan Yanwen described.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Third Uncle. I¡¯m just telling a fact. This girl of the Lan family, who has been away from the family, is extremely outstanding. It can be said that among the daughters of the Lan family raised in the main branch, no one canpare with her. She is beautiful and intelligent,¡± Lan Yanwen stated.

    The girl impressed him with a sense of calm. Although she quietly pushed people away with just a few words, she was neither humble nor arrogant. It was hard to imagine that she was cultivated by a businessman¡¯s wife who valued money, was greedy and low-status. It was said that all her cousins showed a low taste.

    Lan Yanwen was also very confused about this.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Yanwen, are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken?¡± Lan Mo almost jumped up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen her clearly. It is indeed Lan Luo. Third Uncle, don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Impossible, that¡¯s impossible. How could that girl make you give her such a goodpliment? There are so many beautiful women in the backyard of our Lan family, and the imperial consort in the harem can¡¯t evenpare with one or two of them. How could a country bumpkinpare with them?¡± Lan Mo was not convinced.

    Lan Ren, Lan Yanwen¡¯s second uncle, listened with a sullen face. After thinking for a while, he frowned and said, ¡°I believe what Yanwen said.¡±

    ¡°Second brother, why did you also kick up a fuss with Yanwen? If she really has such a good appearance, how did she protect herself for so many years?¡± Lan Mo retorted.

    She was so beautiful but had no power to protect her. How could such a woman live safely in a businessman¡¯s home?

    Lan Ren shook the fan in his hand and nodded. ¡°Or, this is exactly what she¡¯s smart about. She didn¡¯t fight, didn¡¯t stand out, didn¡¯t show her face, and had been feeding others with medicine. Who would have thought that such a low-key woman would be so beautiful and smart?¡±

    She kept a low profile and never stood out, just like the fact that she stayed in the northern courtyard of the Beauty Gathering Pce. She seemed to be obedient, but actually she was hidden in the dark. If she did not stand out, she would not draw the otherdies¡¯ attention and be a thorn in their eyes. No matter how others fought, she just stood aside silently. A woman who could do this was really a smart person.

    Although Lan Yuyan got the help of the main branch of the Lan family, she still wasn¡¯t able to do this. She asked Lan Yanwen to help her move her room to another courtyard. On the surface, the Lan family would help the girl of the Lan family if she asked because it was the dignity of the Lan family, but in fact, they pushed the girl of the Lan family to the front of the curtain. As it was said that the girl of the Lan family was good-looking, a crowd of hostile nces gathered around Lan Yuyan.

    It was hard to say whether she could live in the East Pce or not.

    ¡°Since this girl ispletely beyond everyone¡¯s expectations, Wen¡¯er, what do you think is the possibility of her entering the East Pce?¡± Lan Tian waved his hand to end their debate. Then he looked at his son and asked tentatively. He was still very confident in his son¡¯s judgment.

    ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s almost no problem for Sister Lan Luo to enter the East Pce,¡± Lan Yanwen replied with certainty.

    ¡°There¡¯s such a big possibility!¡± Lan Mo was doubted once again.

    ¡°Third brother, don¡¯t worry. Just hear Yanwen out.¡± Lan Ren stopped him from being impetuous. The third master of the Lan family was a smart person, but because he was impetuous in everything, he showed ack ofposure in doing things. Therefore, as an elder, his words were not as convincing as that of Lan Yanwen.

    ¡°Wen¡¯er, why do you think so?¡± Lan Tian, too, was a little incredulous.

    ¡°Father, she is cid and won¡¯tpete with others. This will make Crown Prince like her. You will not forget that our Crown Prince is like an immortal who is detached from worldly affairs. Of course, he will like this kind of pure, calm and intelligentdy. Moreover, this girl is not from the main branch of our Lan family, and there is a barrier between she and us. Besides, she is sick and weak, which is easy for her to get the approval and protection of men. Is it not enough to have these points?¡±

    Lan Yanwen stated the fact with a smile on his face.

    Being cid and not fighting for anything were in line with the t of a woman¡¯s life in the pce.

    Being pure, calm and intelligent were in line with the immortal-like superficial image of the Crown Princess.

    Although she was born in the Lan family, there was a barrier between her and the Lan family. It not only pointed out her good background, but also showed that she couldn¡¯t have been sent to the East Pce by the Lan family.

    Being sick and weak was enough to arouse a man¡¯s desire to protect her. Although the Crown Prince did not get close to a woman, he would still feel pity for such a delicate and lovely beauty, who was a little sick and weak.

    In a few words, Lan Yanwen pointed out the reason why Mo Xuetong could win. Others had to say that he was very precise.

    ¡°Wen¡¯er, do you think you should fully support Lan Luo?¡± Lan Tian nodded and asked, a light shing across his deep eyes.

    ¡°Father, I do think so. If we take her in for our own use, we may be able to break the strong defense of the East Pce,¡± Lan Yanwen uttered seriously.

    All the people present knew that the East Pce was like an iron bucket. So far, the Empress had not put her hand in it. If a girl could really cut into it... Thinking of this result, they felt a little hotheaded.

    ¡°Elder brother, I support Yanwen¡¯s statement.¡± Lan Mo was the first to respond.

    ¡°I agree as well.¡± Lan Ren thought for a moment and also nodded.

    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯se up with a new n. Wen¡¯er, what method do you have to make her listen to us obediently?¡± Lan Tian said, settling the matter.

    ¡°Being friendly with her is certainly not enough. Father, I heard that Sister Lan Luo¡¯s family was forced to die. I wonder if that person is still alive,¡± Lan Yanwen asked. It was a scandal at that time. That man abducted the wife of a member of his family. It was also a stain of dishonor for the Lan family, which had always preached the unity of the nsmen.

    Lan Mo was sitting on one side, and his face changed slightly. He no longer jumped out to speak and something flickered across his eyes.

    ¡°That person has already been dealt with by the family.¡± Lan Ren immediately understood what Lan Yanwen meant. Narrowing his eyes, he interrupted, ¡°We can¡¯t start from this aspect. Find a way to find her uncle¡¯s family. As her uncle has raised her for 10 years, she should be grateful to him.¡±

    He wanted to use Lan Luo¡¯s uncle to threaten her as the spy of the Lan family in the East Pce.

    ¡°Second Uncle, it¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Wen¡¯er, listen to your Second Uncle. It¡¯s decided. It¡¯s all for the sake of our Lan family. Just do as your Second Uncle said,¡± Lan Tian said coldly and proudly. ¡°You can try to tell her that if she wants to live well in the East Pce in the future, she can¡¯t just keep a low profile. Without the support of her family, she is still nothing.¡±

    If a woman didn¡¯t have a strong family backing her, how far could she go in the imperial pce? If she was smart, she should know that cooperation benefited both sides.

 Chapter 731 - Startled to Hear about the Yuxiao Flower Again

    <h4>Chapter 731 Startled to Hear about the Yuxiao Flower Again</h4>

    Mo Xuetong had no idea what the Lan family was up to. At this moment, she was interrogating Qing Zhu in the room. She had just taken the medicine and was a little sleepy. She would usually have a nap at this time. However, today¡¯s uninvited guests had forced her to break her habits. Mo Xuetong felt ufortable when she imagined that such a peaceful life could never return.

    Wearing a gentle smile on her face, Mo Xuetong went straight to the point. ¡°Qing Zhu, Minister of Public Works doesn¡¯t side with your Crown Prince, does he? If he is up to something, just tell me.¡±

    She was already very upset as she was taken to the Yan Kingdom. Mo Xuetong did not want to continue ying the game with Bai Yihao anymore. She knew that it would not be that simple when Bai Yihao had her disy the new identity so perfectly. Every step was perfect; there were plots and schemes within his plots and schemes. How could he allow others to see through his ns?

    While he plotted against her, he had also schemed against someone else. It was in line with his nature.

    Others would never be able to see through his mind!

    ¡°His Highness said that you don¡¯t have to worry about it. You just need to pretend when the people of the Lan familye. As for the details, he would take action by himself, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. You just take care of yourself.¡± Qing Zhu put the medicine bowl in her hand on the table heavily. Her face became a little gloomy, and her words were a little harsh.

    Mo Xuetong found Qing Zhu¡¯s reaction interesting. They had gotten along with each other for a while. Generally speaking, Qing Zhu was not a lovable girl, especially when she looked at Mo Xuetong with hostility. Fortunately, she only defied Mo Xuetong from time to time. However, as the two got along with each other, Mo Xuetong found that Qing Zhu was not bad-tempered. She was just too protective of Bai Yihao. She hated any behavior that did harm to Bai Yihao.

    Mo Xuetong came to an interesting conclusion: The more unfavorable one thing was to Bai Yihao, the angrier Qing Zhu became. Seeing that Qing Zhu rattled the bowl in anger, she knew that it was very unfavorable to Bai Yihao. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes spontaneously lit up and a smile slowly appeared on her lips. She did not want to meddle in this matter at first, but now she suddenly had an idea.

    ¡°If Minister of Public Works of the Lan familyes again, what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly these days. The Lan family has bad intentions. His Highness has been out on business these days and wille back in a few days. You can just stay here peacefully, but don¡¯t make trouble.¡± Qing Zhu was in a bad mood. Thinking that Bai Yihao made such a n for the woman in front of her, she felt that it was not worth it. There were so many women in the pce, who had a crush on him, but why didn¡¯t he see it? Why did hee to the Qin Kingdom and take a married woman back?

    He even tried his best to treat her illness and find the medicine, but the woman didn¡¯t appreciate his kindness. How could Qing Zhu not feel wronged for him?

    ¡°Bai Yihao has gone out?¡± Mo Xuetong was stunned as she really did not know about it.

    Seeing Mo Xuetong¡¯s careless look, Qing Zhu said grumpily, ¡°Of course you don¡¯t know. His Highness has tried his best to get the herbs for the antidote for you. This time, he went out for your medicine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so grateful to my cousin. He asked you toe all the way there to kidnap me and tried his best to help me get rid of the poison. It¡¯s a blessing to have a cousin like him!¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s words sounded sincere, but Qing Zhu felt that her negligent and casual manner contained a hint of mockery. She grew furious, turned around suddenly and yelled at Mo Xuetong, with her hands on her hips.

    ¡°Yes, His Highness is too stupid. His kindness is treated as very malicious intentions. How long do you think you can live? If His Highness can¡¯t find all those herbs, you can only live for at most one year. In order to antidote the poison in your body, His Highness has been reading medical books every night. He hasn¡¯t slept for several nights. When he heard that in a remote ce, there is a kind of herb you need, he couldn¡¯t wait for others to send it over and went there in person. Do you know that His Highness is still injured?¡±

    Qing Zhu¡¯s eyes turned red as she stated, ¡°Can you be more heartless? His Highness has made ns step by step for you. Do you know why His Highness schemed against the Lan family at the same time? Because there is a main ingredient of the antidote only in the Lan family.¡±

    After saying that, Qing Zhu picked up the medicine bowl on the table and stormed out.

    The negligent smile on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face slowly disappeared as she watched Qing Zhu leave. She was so shocked that her mind went nk. She subconsciously clutched the medical book in her hand and exerted force in her fingers.

    She had never thought that Bai Yihao really tried to treat her!

    In her past life, Bai Yihao had not appeared in front of her. She learned the news about the Crown Prince of the Yan Kingdom from someone else. If he was really just a stranger who had nothing to do with her, Mo Xuetong did not think that he was bad. As a hostage, it was normal for him to have schemes. Furthermore, he was such a talented person. How could he always hide behind others?

    The dragon flew into the sky, and the roar echoed across the heavens and the earth!

    Bai Yihao was destined naturally to be an Emperor.

    However, ever since she found out that he had an engagement with her, there was a wedge between Mo Xuetong and Bai Yihao. She felt that he had contributed to the tragedy of her previous life. As such, she felt that he was using their engagement. If it was useful to him, he would marry her; if it was useless to him, he would abandon her.

    His attitudes in past and present lives were based only on whether she was useful to him.

    This made Mo Xuetong very concerned, especially when she remembered the pain of burning in the mes. At the thought of it, the hatred in her bones and the confused and helpless desperation made her feel so painful that she could not breathe. She felt as if she had been torn apart. She even thought that if he could help her at that time, her ending would bepletely different.

    As long as he gave her a hand. As long as he reached out to her!

    Why didn¡¯t he do it in herst life?

    This was a thorn in Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart. Thus, she thought that everything Bai Yihao had done was because of benefit. In her eyes, Bai Yihao was a person who worked exclusively for profit. She could not see through such a person, so she had to restrain herself carefully, afraid that she would be plotted against by him again.

    Even though after her rebirth, she was different from in her past life. She would no longer be weak, useless or soft-hearted. However,pared to Bai Yihao, she was still weaker. As such, when she was with Bai Yihao, she would only watch out for him from time to time in case he used her again.

    To Bai Yihao, heaven and earth were chess pieces and the world was a game. There was no tenderness in his life.

    He was a heartless person!

    But now, Qing Zhu had told her a different answer. How did it not make Mo Xuetong feel indescribable!

    Mo Xuetong could feel the loyalty of Qing Zhu to Bai Yihao. Even if Bai Yihao asked her to die, she would not hesitate to wield her de to kill herself. She might be straightforward and jealous of Mo Xuetong, but she was sincere to Bai Yihao. Therefore, what she blurted out just now was true!

    The words that Qing Zhu had stated earlier, when she was enraged, werepletely true, without any falsity at all.

    In Bai Yihao¡¯s heart, where did he ce her?

    Mo Xuetong suddenly felt a kind of unspeakable shock andplexity in her heart. She came up with an incredible answer¡ªHe treated her differently. How, how could it be possible...

    She took a deep breath and suppressed the agitation in her heart. When she looked up again, her eyes were clear. So what if he treated her differently? It had already passed. Perhaps, she could not hate Bai Yihao that much anymore!

    She lifted her dress lightly and walked out of the door. Then she saw Qing Zhu sitting on the step under the corridor. Sunlight from the shadows of the trees fell mottled on her body. She looked a little lonely.

    Mo Xuetong walked over and also sat down on the steps.

    ¡°What¡¯s the main ingredient in the Lan family?¡±

    ¡°What? Do you have a way to get the herb yourself?¡± Qing Zhu sneered without looking back.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t even try, how do you know? You don¡¯t want your master to work hard for me either, do you? I have the same idea. It¡¯s easier for me to get it with my current status,¡± Mo Xuetong said gently, but her tone carried persistence that could not be ignored.

    She didn¡¯t want to owe Bai Yihao too much.

    ¡°One of the previous mistresses of the Lan family is said toe from a distant ce. She brought a family heirloom for the Lan family, the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower. If one cuts off a piece of the root from the ancestral root and buries it in the beautiful jade, there will be another pot of Yuxiao Flower 50 yearster, but the new one has no roots. What is inserted in the jade is only a fake root of the Yuxiao Flower. Only the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower can really be used to detoxicate.¡±

    Qing Zhu looked at her carefully and noticed clear persistence in her eyes. Then, she sighed and quietly exined.

    ¡°Yuxiao Flower?¡± Mo Xuetong could not help but yell in shock. She felt her brain shaking, and her eyes were wide open.

    The Yuxiao Flower! It was the Yuxiao Flower! How could it be the Yuxiao Flower?

    There was a burning heat rushing in her chest. She didn¡¯t expect to hear about the Yuxiao Flower here at all.

    Mo Xuetong excitedly reached out to grab Qing Zhu¡¯s hand and asked anxiously, ¡°Is it only the Lan family that has the Yuxiao Flower?¡±

    Qing Zhu didn¡¯t understand what she was nervous about, but she still exined carefully, ¡°It will take 50 years to grow a new pot of Yuxiao Flower. The Lan family has only gotten it for about 100 years, and because the ancestral root is precious, it can¡¯t be taken away casually. Therefore, there are only two pots of it in the Lan family, so it is extremely precious. Usually, it is never taken in front of people. This kind of newly-born Yuxiao Flower is not only beautiful, but also has the function of clearing heart and tranquilization. Some ordinary poisons will be immediately removed if it is used as medicine.¡±

    In the end, Qing Zhu added, ¡°This is the most precious treasure of the Lan family, so it doesn¡¯t usually appear in front of others. Even His Majesty doesn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    A rare treasure could arouse people¡¯s desire, especially when it was such a unique treasure in the world! Of course, the Lan family had to keep it a secret.

    However, she would never have imagined that the Yuxiao Flower belonged to the Lan family. It was the Lan family who had sent the Yuxiao Flower into Fu General Manor. Mo Xuetong had once suspected Bai Yihao and thought that he was most likely to the criminal. Now after she thought about it, she realized that she had a lot of prejudice against Bai Yihao because of what had happened to her in the past life.

    But why did the Lan family do that?

    The Lan family was an aristocratic family in the Yan Kingdom, and Fu General Manor was an aristocratic family in the Qin Kingdom. There was no stake between them. Why did the Lan family do that? Why did they use the precious Yuxiao Flower to frame Fu General Manor?

    A thought shed through Mo Xuetong¡¯s mind and she suddenly asked, ¡°Does the Lan family side with the Empress?¡±

    ¡°On the surface, the Lan family is impartial and is loyal to the Emperor, but in private, they are loyal to the Empress.¡± Qing Zhu cast a nce at Mo Xuetong and could not help but admire her intelligence and sharpness. This was a secret.

    The Empress colluded with the First Prince, so the Empress¡¯s people also worked for the First Prince. The precious Yuxiao Flower was sent to Fu General Manor and the jade token in the pot of Yuxiao Flower was taken out. But where did the jade token in the pote from?

    This jade token was different from her own jade token, but it was definitely genuine. Her jade token was used to deploy her secret guards. Bai Yihao and Princess Royal must have it as well. However, what about this jade token? If they were fake, Emperor Zongwen would definitely find out. However, ording to her second uncle¡¯s words, it was genuine.

    How many jade tokens did King Jin leave behind? And what were they used for?

    How did the Lan family know about this secret? And how did they get the jade token and put it in the pot of Yuxiao Flower to send it to Fu General Manor in the Qin Kingdom? Why did they spend so much effort to do it? What was the benefit to the Lan family if they dragged Fu General Manor down?

 Chapter 732 - The Sudden Summon from the Lan Family

    <h4>Chapter 732 The Sudden Summon from the Lan Family</h4>

    ¡°They sent the Yuxiao Flower to Fu General Manor in order to frame them to have collusion with King Jin. In this way, Fu General Manor would fall, and one of the Four Great Manors would disappear. His Majesty will definitely rely more on the other three manors. So the other three will benefit from him. As the Empress¡¯s family, Ding General Manor will get more benefits. What did King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, promise to give to camp of the First Prince and the Empress?¡± Mo Xuetong frowned. She stared at Qing Zhu and stated slowly. She cleared her thoughts bit by bit. By the time she finished speaking, she had already figured out the way the Lan family¡¯s thinking.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about these things. You can ask His Highness when hees back.¡± Qing Zhu sighed and stood up, intending to end the conversation. Mo Xuetong was so smart that she gave her a lot of pressure. She did not know whether she should be jealous or admire her.

    She looked down at Mo Xuetong with aplicated expression in her eyes. As she gazed at Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face that made her jealous of, her lips spontaneously curved into a mocking smile which also contained a hint of bitterness.

    She really couldn¡¯tpare with such a woman!

    In the past, she thought that Mo Xuetong just relied on her pretty face to win Bai Yihao¡¯s heart. In that way, she was not scary. She would lose his favor before she got old. Besides, Bai Yihao was not a person who judged others by their appearance. A useless woman with a pretty face was not a big deal. After a few days, she realized that she waspletely wrong.

    Mo Xuetong was such a smart woman. How could she be a match for her?

    Mo Xuetong stared at Qing Zhu and said frankly, ¡°Qing Zhu, I think the two of us have the same goal. We won¡¯t make things too difficult for your master. Can we have a better cooperation? You don¡¯t have to treat yourself as a maidservant. You can treat us as partners. If we can take the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower out of the Lan family as soon as possible, it will save your master a lot of trouble.¡±

    She had no other acquaintances in the Yan Kingdom and could only ask Qing Zhu for help. Although Qing Zhu was hostile to her, she believed in her loyalty to Bai Yihao.

    Qing Zhu stared at Mo Xuetong in silence.

    Of course, she would rather Mo Xuetong settle this matter herself. Bai Yihao was so busy every day but he had to find herbs to make an antidote for this woman. It was really tiring. However, he had ordered her not to tell Mo Xuetong about it. Even though a portion of it was something that Mo Xuetong had asked casually, Qing Zhu had exposed the other parts to her. She wanted Mo Xuetong to go to the Lan family to find the herb by herself.

    But now, as Mo Xuetong was really going to do that, Qing Zhu hesitated. If something happened to her, what should she do?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be careful and won¡¯t make trouble for you and your master.¡± Mo Xuetong stood up, took Qing Zhu¡¯s hand and said sincerely, ¡°Do you want your master to confront the Lan family and directly go against the Empress at this time?¡±

    This sentencepletely moved Qing Zhu as a trace of determination shed in her eyes. She nodded hard, gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make an appointment with Minister of Public Works for you.¡±

    Even though Bai Yihao was strong, this was not the best time to confront the Empress. After all, the Empress had not done anything to him on the surface. If it ruined his big cause because of Mo Xuetong...

    Qing Zhu silently made up her mind that she would protect the person in front of her. If something really happened to her, she would be willing to pay with her life!

    Mo Xuetong stopped her, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t act yet. The Lan family has just noticed me. If I take the initiative toe to them at this time, they will look down on me. The best is the thing you can¡¯t get. I believe that since the Lan family has already reached out to me, they won¡¯t give up. We just need to act as usual these days.¡±

    Qing Zhu was not stupid and certainly knew this. But after thinking for a while, she still asked, ¡°What if the Lan family doesn¡¯t take any action these days?¡± Minister of Public Works, Lan Yanwen, was never a simple person. Although Qing Zhu really wanted to help her master, she didn¡¯t dare to let Mo Xuetong have a mishap. She had always known how differently His Highness treated this woman.

    ¡°They won¡¯t take action. Even though the consort selection is dyed, it won¡¯t be dyed for too long. If I enter the East Pce, the Lan family won¡¯t be able to reach in,¡± Mo Xuetong exined with a confident smile.

    The Lan family wanted to make use of her because they wanted her to get information about Bai Yihao for them after she entered the East Pce. With his strength, Bai Yihao had built the East Pce like an iron bucket. Even though the Empress was powerful, she could not reach in to it. As such, they would definitely be anxious. That was why there was the Beauty Contest.

    Even though Mo Xuetong did not understand why the cousins of the Lan family hade that day, she knew that the people of the Lan family would not appear for no reason. She was just an orphan and had no valuable things. She had nothing worth arge noble family to plot. The only thing was that she could take advantage of the Beauty Contest to have a meteoric rise and enter the East Pce.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯d better have a rest first. I¡¯ll inform you when the people of the Lan familye again.¡± After thinking for a while, Qing Zhu nodded and agreed that this was the best way.

    The Lan family didn¡¯t let Mo Xuetong wait too long. On the third day, Lan Yuyan came over in person and asked Mo Xuetong to go out together at night, iming that the direct descendants of the Lan family wanted to see her and specially giving her a box of precious jewelry to show their kindness. She said that the main branch of the Lan family said that as the daughter of the Lan family, she could not dress up so shabbily.

    They were going to tell her their intentions!

    Mo Xuetong understood what was going on. Hesitating for a while, she agreed. On the surface, she was an orphan daughter of the Lan family. Even though she did not like the main branch, it was still rted to filial piety. It was said that the person who hade was her uncle, so she had no choice but to meet him.

    She was a girl who had entered the pce to join the Beauty Contest, so it was impossible for her to leave the pce. She didn¡¯t know what Lan Yanwen had done to bring her and Lan Yuyan out of the pce smoothly.

    When they got out of the pce, there was already a carriage waiting for them at the gate. Mo Xuetong got on the carriage with the help of Qing Zhu. Lan Yuyan also got on the carriage, followed by their two maidservants.

    Mo Xuetong did not expect Lan Yanwen to be already sitting inside. He smiled when he saw Mo Xuetong enter and even reached out to help her. However, she avoided him quietly.

    Because Lan Yanwen upied the innermost seat, Mo Xuetong and Lan Yuyan sat on either side of him, and the two maidservants sat down at the door of the carriage beside them.

    On the surface, they were cousins, but in fact, they were polite.

    Mo Xuetong looked down slightly to hide the coldness in her eyes as she asked lightly, ¡°Minister of Public Works, where are we going?¡± The horse carriage had already started. It was silent, and Mo Xuetong could only hear that the atmosphere outside had turned from cold to lively, and then to deste. The road seemed to be headed for the wilderness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. We¡¯re heading to a house of the Lan family. Since it¡¯s in the west side of the city, it¡¯s a little far away. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be there in a while,¡± Lan Yanwen answered with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Sister Lan Luo, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be there soon. The scenery there is great. It¡¯s full of red flowers in spring. It¡¯s very beautiful,¡± Lan Yuyan said, giggling.

    Mo Xuetong did not respond. She looked up at Lan Yanwen and Lan Yuyan warily. Then she nodded slightly and closed her eyes. Her longshes cast two rows of shadow like fans under her eyes. She looked even as pretty as jade and her skin was snow-white and clear.

    Lan Yanwen was sitting close to her. He smelled a faint and elegant fragrance from her body, mixed with some subtle medicinal fragrance. Not only did it not smell bad, but it made people feel peaceful and quiet for no reason.

    ¡°Sister Lan Luo, you¡¯re in poor health. What kind of medicine are you taking? If you need something, tell cousinter. He will help you find something better,¡± Lan Yuyan smiled.

    Mo Xuetong opened her eyes and nced at her indifferently, replying, ¡°It¡¯s not expensive. Just some materials to clear away heat and toxic. It¡¯s not precious medicine. It can be seen everywhere. I won¡¯t bother Minister of Public Works.¡±

    She looked as if she was keeping people at arm¡¯s length. Coupled with her cold and elegant expression, one could only feel that the woman was as beautiful as a piece of jade, and that her beauty was breath-taking. With only a nce at her from the corner of the eye, it was enough to frighten one¡¯s heart beat like a drum!

    The grudge between the Lan family and her wasplicated. No wonder she was so warily at such a young age.

    ¡°Sister Luo, are you poisoned? Do you want me to see you?¡± Lan Yanwen asked, his face covered with concern.

    ¡°Good, good. Elder brother¡¯s medical skills are the best. It is the best if you see Sister Luo. It will save Sister Luo the trouble of having medicine every day.¡± Lan Yuyan also wore a kind expression on her face as she answered for Mo Xuetong with a smile on her face.

    Mo Xuetong retracted her head as she looked at Lan Yanwen¡¯s outstretched hand. She looked at the two of them warily and shook her head with a cold smile on her lips. ¡°Many thanks, Minister of Public Works. Miss Lan, I¡¯ve never been in good health. It doesn¡¯t matter if the disease cannot be cured. I won¡¯t trouble the two of you.¡±

    Although she really wanted Lan Yanwen to visit her, she knew that it was not the right time!

    She was sounding out the Lan family, and the Lan family also didn¡¯t believe her. If she asked for too much at this time, it would only make them suspicious!

    ¡°Miss, you should ask Minister of Public Works to...¡± Qing Zhu was tempted by the suggestion and she nudged Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand gently.

    ¡°Qing Zhu, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s face darkened as she red at Qing Zhu angrily. She did not seem to like the fact that the maidservant chipped in right now.

    ¡°Yes, Miss, but, Miss...¡± Qing Zhu lowered her head under Mo Xuetong¡¯s re and shrank back in grievance. Then, she looked at Lan Yanwen with her red eyes full of unwillingness. But as she saw Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes that squinted at her, she hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to speak anymore.

    It was obvious that she was a maidservant who was worried about her mistress¡¯s health but was afraid of being scolded by her mistress.

    ¡°Sister Luo, we are a family. Don¡¯t be so polite. When did you get ill?¡± Lan Yuyan asked with a smile. In the past three days, the Lan family investigated everything about Lan Luo carefully, so they naturally knew that Lan Luo was not sick before. She wasn¡¯t sick or hurt when she was a child.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a serious illness. I¡¯m just unhealthy. I can just have medicine. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Mo Xuetong smiled at her.

    The lights in the carriage were on, and when the lights fell on her face, she looked a little pale and there was a very light green between her eyebrows. Lan Yanwen¡¯s eyes grew deep.

    He could not help but ask, ¡°Sister Luo, when did you get sick?¡±

    ¡°I go with my uncle to do business, so sometimes I will go to different ces. Once we went to the Qin Kingdom, but somehow I became in poor health when we came back,¡± Mo Xuetong answered. She didn¡¯t want to hide the fact that she was poisoned, and she also knew that she couldn¡¯t hide it. So she just said it openly and frankly. What was more, she was bound to plot against the Lan family¡¯s ancestral root of Yuxiao Flower. It was necessary for her to let them know that she was poisoned.

    She was poisoned in the Qin Kingdom? Lan Yanwen turned speechless. He nced at Mo Xuetong and frowned, not saying anything for a moment.

    Seeing that both of them were speechless, Lan Yuyan also did not know what to say for a moment. The carriage was strangely quiet, and the atmosphere became a little weird.

 Chapter 733 - The Meeting of Nephew and Uncle in the Lan Familys Courtyard

    <h4>Chapter 733 The Meeting of Nephew and Uncle in the Lan Family¡¯s Courtyard</h4>

    The carriage stopped steadily.

    Lan Yuyan was the first to get out of the carriage. Then, Lan Yanwen jumped out of the carriage and held Mo Xuetong who had juste out of the carriage behind him. When shended on the ground, he let go of her and walked in slowly. The smooth touch on her hand made his heart beat fast for a moment. The evening breeze blew over with a trace of coolness, and his mind became clear in an instant.

    It was arge courtyard, and someone had already opened the gate. When they entered, the gate was closed.

    In the dark, there were two people standing on a big tree beside the gate. The shorter one asked in a low voice, ¡°Master, how is it? Do you want to follow them in?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± The cold, elegant voice was a littlezy and intoxicating. His figure shed first and disappeared inside the wall. The other person couldn¡¯t help shaking his head and secretly scolded himself for being an idiot. His master had been tracking for thousands of miles and rushed here day and night. How could he not follow them in? His questions were superfluous. Then, with a sh, his figure disappeared from the tree.

    Mo Xuetong was received in the study. A middle-aged man, who looked like in his 30s or 40s, sat at the head of the table timidly. Even though he was dressed luxuriously, he did not seem suitable for this environment. Behind him stood a man who looked like a butler, and there were two other maidservants serving him.

    He was like a real master of the Lan Manor.

    As he saw Mo Xuetong and the others entering, he stood up uneasily. At the sight of Lan Yanwen, he moved his feet subconsciously as if he wanted to go up to him. The butler standing behind him looked up coldly and reached out to pull him. Then, he seemed to suddenly think of something and stopped.

    The he gave a cough and his gazended on Mo Xuetong, who was following Lan Yanwen. Immediately, he could not help but open his mouth wide in shock. He knew that his niece was a beautiful girl. Back then, his sister-inw was a beautiful woman. Otherwise, she would not have gotten into trouble and angered the main branch of the Lan family. Then, their branch was chased out of the family by the main branch. Without the main branch¡¯s care, their lives grew worse and worse.

    Thinking of this, he didn¡¯t like his elder brother¡¯s daughter, so he had been ignoring her for so many years.

    But he didn¡¯t expect her to be so beautiful. No wonder the main branch had specially found him, took their branch into the Lan family, and asked him to persuade his niece.

    ¡°Luo¡¯er, are you Luo¡¯er? Come on, let Uncle have a look at you.¡± Thinking of the order of the main branch, he hurried to calm down and stepped forward excitedly, ignoring to return a salute to Lan Yanwen. He was just like an uncle who loved his niece. He couldn¡¯t help bute over, and there was even a streak of tears in his eyes.

    He had been out for a long time. Without money and support, he had to rely on himself for everything. He had already learned to tter people and acted ording to people¡¯s expression. At this time, he was acting with great facility. He was full of confidence, thinking that it was not a big deal to persuade an ignorant niece.

    At the thought of the terms that the main branch of the family had agreed to, his heart was beating heavily!

    He said in a tearful voice and it was so heartwarming. His outstretched hands were tremulous; his eyes tearful and his lips slightly trembling. All these told of his excitement.

    It was perfect and well-acted!

    Mo Xuetong took a few steps back. Her eyes were filled with coldness. Qing Zhu stepped forward to block the way of the man who was rushing to Mo Xuetong. She reached out to stop him and yelled angrily, ¡°Who are you? How dare you offend my miss?¡±

    A girl from a poor family thought that she was ady of the direct descent of the family¡¯s main branch and dared to put on airs in front of him. Lan Qing snorted unhappily. If he had known that this girl was so beautiful, he would have decided to adopt her. At this time, no matter if he married her off or gave her to someone else, he would get a lot of money.

    How could Lan Qing be happy when he thought that he had lost the money for nothing?

    But he had to continue acting.

    ¡°Little Luo, I am your uncle! I held you when you were a child. When your mother gave birth to you, I applied for residence for you. Why have you forgotten all about it now?¡±

    When Lan Luo¡¯s family got into trouble, she was still small. As a three or four-year-old child, she knew nothing. Lan Qing was a yboy, so how could he be close to a child? The only thing that he had done something for Lan Luo was that his eldest brother was ill, and he registered her residence. It was obviously not appropriate to talk about it at this time.

    Yet, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    Lan Yanwen frowned. It was obvious that he was a little unhappy. Lan Yuyan wore a smile on her face, but the disdain on her face was obviously revealed. She took two steps to the side and watched the fun.

    The butler behind Lan Qing took several steps forward and said to Mo Xuetong with a smile, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re here. Old Sir is too excited, so he spoke incoherently. Elder Young Master Lan, Miss Lan, please sit down. I¡¯ll get someone to serve tea immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you sit down first and have a chat.¡± Lan Qing also came to his senses at this time and said with a hollow smile.

    The sad atmosphere that he had deliberately created just now had been swept away!

    Lan Yanwen¡¯s face became more and more depressed. With a gloomy face, he returned to the seat of honor and sat down. He deeply felt that it was extremely unwise to find Lan Qing. He had no feelings for Lan Luo, so how could he persuade Lan Luo to listen to him? Lan Yanwen couldn¡¯t help butnd his eyes on the jade-white and indifferent face.

    Her elegant face looked even more distant!

    ¡°Little Luo, your father is gone now, but I can¡¯t let you be alone outside. No matter how good your uncle¡¯s family is, he is still an outsider. Although I may not be able to guarantee your wealth and glory, it¡¯s not a problem for you to eat well and wear warm clothes.¡± After sitting down, Lan Qing said in a tearful voice again.

    If it weren¡¯t for the wretched expression on his face, he would really look like an elder!

    Lan Yanwen really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He turned his head, took the cup of tea brought by a maidservant and took a sip of the tea. Then he lowered his head and remained silent.

    The mocking smile on Lan Yuyan¡¯s lips grew clearer and clearer. She turned her head to look at Mo Xuetong, who had a calm expression on her face. She was in a good mood and felt pleased. With such an uncle, Lan Luo would not be very decent. If the Crown Prince of the East Pce knew that she had such an unreasonable uncle, would he want her to enter the pce?

    Lan Yuyan could guess what the Lan family was thinking this time¡ªthey wanted Lan Luo to enter the East Pce and give her up. Thinking of the handsome appearance of the Crown Prince, Lan Yuyan only felt jealous. If the little girl entered the East Pce, she would be a useless pawn. The Lan family never showed mercy to useless people. If she was casually sent to an old man as his wife or concubine in the future, she was more willing to be by the noble and handsome Crown Prince¡¯s side.

    Therefore, Lan Luo must not win recognition from the Lan family!

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Mo Xuetong sat down by the side. She looked up coldly and her dark eyesnded on Lan Qing. The smile on her lips was cold. ¡°Uncle?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am your uncle!¡± Lan Qing stated excitedly.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, my mother has been taken away partly because of my uncle! If not for you, my mother would not have been taken away.¡± Mo Xuetong¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared and she said coldly. Her face darkened and her jade-like face looked naturally dignified.

    Lan Yanwen¡¯s eyes spontaneouslynded on her face.

    Lan Qing was stunned by her words. He didn¡¯t expect his niece to be so fierce that she gave him a hard p in the face in front of everyone. At that moment, he was ashamed and angry. He was embarrassed and snapped angrily, ¡°You little girl, what do you know? If your mother hadn¡¯t been unruly and exposed herself outside, there wouldn¡¯t have been so much trouble and my elder brother wouldn¡¯t have been dead with her. You¡¯d better not to recognize her as your mother.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with you whether I recognize my mother or not. You are just an outsider. I didn¡¯t grow up in the Lan family and do not have any kinship with the Lan family. I have wasted everyone¡¯s hospitality. I really do not dare to acknowledge such an uncle. I am afraid that my mother would not close her eyes in theherworld if I recognize him as my uncle,¡± Mo Xuetong said coldly.

    She said these words without any burden. The Lan family had nothing to do with her. If she was Lan Luo, she felt that she would never recognize Lan Qing as her uncle. Just looking at his wandering eyes, she knew that there was something wrong with this person¡ªhe was definitely not a good person!

    It was obvious that the Lan family had made a mistake to use cardinal principles of righteousness to suppress her.

    Before the tongue-tied Lan Qing could react, she suddenly stood up and said to Lan Yanwen, ¡°Minister of Public Works, if you want me to see this person today, then I¡¯ve seen him now. I wonder if I can go back. No matter how powerful you are, it¡¯s a great sin for me to go back to the pce sote.¡±

    It was inappropriate for a girl who joined the Beauty Contest to leave the pce without permission. If she returnedte, it would be hard to exin. Even though the Empress was there and no one would care about it, if Bai Yihao really wanted to make a fuss about it, it would be an obstacle for her to enter the East Pce. The Lan family had spent so much effort to draw Mo Xuetong over to their side not to make her a useless pawn.

    ¡°With that kind of air, is she really just an orphan girl who has lost her parents?¡±

    Not only did she mercilessly hit Lan Qing, but she also pointed out what the Lan family cared about. Lan Yanwen looked up, and a trace of appreciation unconsciously appeared in his eyes. The corners of his mouth slightly curved into a smile, and it reached the bottom of his eyes.

    Such a girl must be a bigger headache for the elders in the family. It seemed that it was not feasible to deal with her with family affection and filial piety. He actually looked forward to her next performance and hoped that she would not let him down.

    Lan Yuyan opened her eyes and couldn¡¯te back to her senses. When a cool wind blew in through the gap of the door, she shivered. Was this really the weak girl who had been separated from the Lan family? Strong, she was really too strong. She dared to say that the Lan family was an outsider in front of the future head of the main branch and that she had no family affection with the Lan family.

    She mentioned her mother in order to tell the Lan family that she had a grudge against them and would not ept the invitation from the Lan family. In the end, she even confronted Lan Yanwen directly, hinting that even though the Lan family was powerful, they could not hide it from everyone. Today, the Lan family took her out, and if something happened to her, the Lan family would not be able to escape the me.

    The beautiful woman¡¯s words were gentle and her expression was light. She looked as if she was otherworldly, harmless and pure. However, from her words made people feel that the Lan family had evil intentions. The Crown Prince of the East Pce would be the future Emperor of the Yan Kingdom.

    The woman chose for him would be the imperial concubine in the future. If an outstanding girl was picked out, she might be granted the position of imperial consort in the future or even enter the central pce. If such a woman was really controlled by the Lan family, how ambitious would the Lan family be? Judging from the look of the butler standing behind Lan Qing, he was a little tempted.

    He watched as Mo Xuetong was about to walk out of the door, but he did not say anything.

    Lan Yuyan suspected that this man was the chief butler of the Lan family, who had been hiding behind the scenes.

    ¡°Little Luo, rx. Let¡¯s talk about it after you see this person.¡± Before Mo Xuetong reached the door of the hall, the door was suddenly opened. Someoneughed out loud and walked in with a p.

    At the sight of the personing, the expression of Qing Zhu, who was standing behind Mo Xuetong, changed greatly. She moved forwards and protected Mo Xuetong behind her, looking at the person with vignce.

 Chapter 734 - Truth or Fake, Truth Was Fake

    <h4>Chapter 734 Truth or Fake, Truth Was Fake</h4>

    It was the head of the Lan family, Lan Tian!

    What surprised Qing Zhu the most was another person who came in with Lan Tian¡ªLan Luo¡¯s uncle, an elegant merchant. How could the Lan family find him? Wasn¡¯t he sent far away to do business and would nevere back for a while? But who did she see? He appeared surprisingly in front of her.

    Qing Zhu had met the man a few times.

    As she thought that Mo Xuetong was going to be exposed, she felt a twinge of regret. She did not want anything right now and just wanted to protect Mo Xuetong to leave.

    Mo Xuetong sensed her nervousness. She tugged at her sleeves and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be your uncle. Your uncle is doing business in a distant ce. He specifically told me that he would leave for half a year and asked me to follow and protect you for half a year.¡± In front of so many people, Qing Zhu certainly would not say anything else, but only vaguely transmitted the message. Although she also felt that the Lan family was very powerful, they could find the person that Bai Yihao had hidden.

    At this thought, cold sweat appeared on her head!

    She was the one who brought Mo Xuetong out of the pce, so she had to bring her away as well. She could not let anything happen to Mo Xuetong no matter what.

    ¡°Qing Zhu, that¡¯s an imposter.¡± Seeing how nervous and wary Qing Zhu was, Mo Xuetong sharply grasped the key point. She suddenly smiled sweetly and her expression was serene and peaceful.

    ¡°But, Miss, he looks...¡± Qing Zhu was stunned for a moment. She couldn¡¯t care less about the others present and spontaneously refuted.

    ¡°He looks like my uncle?¡± Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Her red lips were like a cherry blossom falling down, making her look extremely charming. Her clear and watery eyesnded on that person and she looked at him with interest. Then, she smiled at Lan Tian who had entered. ¡°You don¡¯t think he is my uncle, do you?¡±

    Lan Tian stood still and asked with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Mo Xuetong suddenly smiled. She went back to her original seat and sat down. ¡°Minister of Public Works is a brilliant man of wide learning. You must know nothing is too strange in the world. There are simr people. What¡¯s so strange about it?¡± she said to Lan Yanwen, who had been quietly sipping the tea, regardless of the person standing in front of her who was the current head of the Lan family.

    ¡°She is so bold!¡±

    Lan Yuyan said to herself, but she did not dare to be as arrogant as Mo Xuetong. She stood up and gracefully curtsied to Lan Tian. The butler on the other side hurried over and curtsied to Lan Tian respectfully.

    Lan Tian nodded and walked in.

    ¡°Luo¡¯er, I¡¯m really your uncle. It¡¯s only been a few days since west met, but you... you don¡¯t even know me.¡± The trembling voice came from the person behind Lan Tian. He looked at Mo Xuetong excitedly and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes and then rolled down his face. Unlike Lan Qing earlier, he seemed to be revealing his true sentiments.

    But when she thought about it carefully, she found that the exposed expression on his face was quite different from that of that person.

    As soon as she said that, Qing Zhu¡¯s heart was really at ease. She steadied her breath. Of course, this man was an impostor!

    She didn¡¯t show it on her face, but her heart was getting heavier and heavier. The Lan family kept showing her the impostors. What on earth were they going to do?¡±

    Qing Zhu would never think that the Lan family had nothing to do when they felt bored, and deliberately made fun of the two of them.

    ¡°Sir, don¡¯t mistake her for someone else. Our miss isn¡¯t your niece. Even though you look the same as her uncle, her uncle doesn¡¯t look like you at all. You have nothing inmon in your temperament,¡± Qing Zhu interrupted before Mo Xuetong could speak. After all, she had seen Lan Luo¡¯s uncle before, but Mo Xuetong had never seen him at all. How could she say the details?

    ¡°Luo¡¯er, how could I not be your uncle? You came to my family when you were three years old. I value you above everything else. That year, you identally bumped your head, and I ran to the clinic with you in my arms. On the way, I fell down identally. After getting up, I still carried you and rushed regardless of my injury. When we arrived at the clinic, the physician wrapped up your injury, but I fainted.¡±

    It had to be said that what Lan Luo¡¯s uncle said was very moving. His sincere tears and cordial, warm words even made Lan Yuyan show a faint sadness in her eyes. She was also from a branch of the Lan family and her status was far different from the Lan family¡¯s. When she was young, she was sent to the main branch because of her beautiful appearance.

    But no matter what, that was not her real home. When she was bullied by other girls, she could only cry silently and did not dare to tell anyone. Otherwise, she would suffer even greater revenge.

    She could not help but say, ¡°Sister Luo, your uncle really loves you.¡±

    ¡°My uncle? You¡¯re not!¡± Mo Xuetong stood out from beside Qing Zhu and sized up her ¡°uncle¡± who revealed his sentiments. With a hint of sarcasm on her lips, she said, ¡°Even though my uncle is a businessman, he can do hard work. How could he have such a pair of white and tender hands?¡±

    ¡°Minister of Public Works, let me go back. The Lan family has done so many things just to pull me to your side. I might as well tell you, I want the head of the man who caused my father and mother to die. If you can do it, we¡¯ll talk about the cooperation.¡± Mo Xuetong turned around and smiled at Lan Yanwen without looking at her ¡°uncle¡± who had been stunned for a while and withdrew his hand nervously.

    Lan Tian¡¯s expression was a little sullen as he sat on the first seat.

    He was the one in charge of the Lan family, but Mo Xuetong had always treated him as an invisible person. Giving a cough, he said solemnly, ¡°Little Luo, the direct descendant of the Lan family has already been punished by the family, and the branch he belongs to has also been expelled from the Lan family. The Lan family has avenged you. In the future, the Lan family will still be your parents¡¯ home. There are many girls like you in the back courtyard. If something happens, there will be someone to back you up.¡±

    He was hinting that Mo Xuetong should stop when things were good. If she wanted to enter the East Pce and obtain the Crown Prince¡¯s favor, without the Lan family as her backing, it would notst long even if she got the Crown Prince¡¯s favor. There were so many beauties in the pce, and those who could really be doted on and give birth to children all had a strong family background.

    He was warning Mo Xuetong that if they worked together, they would both get benefit, and that if they came apart, they would both lose. If Mo Xuetong were smart, she should have stopped when she got a little benefit.

    She could talk about the conditions appropriately, but she shouldn¡¯t take herself seriously. There was no shortage of beauties in the backyard of the Lan family!

    ¡°Minister of Public Works, you really don¡¯t want to negotiate with me? If that¡¯s the case, please send us back.¡± Mo Xuetong rolled her watery eyes. She did not look at Lan Tian but at Lan Yanwen. She suddenly smiled sweetly and turned to ask Qing Zhu, ¡°Did you make it clear just now?¡±

    Qing Zhu understood what Mo Xuetong said and replied respectfully, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made it clear. The chief executive asked us to juste there and he would send someone to pick us upter.¡±

    Before leaving the pce, Qing Zhu went to the East Pce and met with the chief executive of the East Pce. She told him that Mo Xuetong would leave with the Lan family for a while to recognize her family and was worried that there would be no horse carriage when she came back, so he asked the chief executive to send a carriage to pick her up.

    Lan Yanwen, who was sitting on one side, frowned slightly. How could the girl in front of him be so calm? She was young, at most 14 or 15 years old, and had a pretty face. However, this world was so big that if someone really wanted to find one, it was impossible that he could not find a pretty woman.

    But what about her expression! She was calm and intelligent, and her bright eyes were like theke¡¯s surface with ripples, clear and intelligent. He didn¡¯t know where she saw it, but he knew that she really knew it. In the past, he thought that women could only be categorized by how beautiful they were, but now he found that women could be so smart and keen.

    She had a beautiful and charming appearance. A few strands of her beautiful hair fluttered in front of her chest, making her look more beautiful and elegant. At first nce, she would catch people¡¯s imagination. What was even more surprising was that she was so articte. She had expected that the Lan family would impose her, and she had even thought of a way out.

    The Lan family had informed the Empress about bringing her out of the pce. However, the Empress was the Empress and the Crown Prince was the Crown Prince. Given the Crown Prince¡¯s character, he had never bought something about the Empress. Furthermore, the Emperor doted on the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince and the Empress were to turn against each other because of ady who joined the Beauty Contest, it would not be worth it.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s time for the horse carriage from the East Pce to arrive. Then, we shall leave. Minister of Public Works, goodbye!¡± Mo Xuetong curtsied to Lan Tian politely.

    ¡°Sister Luo, are you sure that the East Pce¡¯s carriage wille?¡± Lan Yanwen narrowed his eyes and raised his chin slightly as his lips curved into a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Minister of Public Works. The horse carriage from the East Pce wille.¡± Mo Xuetong gave a faint smile which was like a blossoming flower, making her seem even more elegant. ¡°A few days ago, I sent a pot of flower that my uncle got by chance to the Crown Prince. His Highness sent someone to say that he was busy and did not have time to summon me. He will summon me and ask me some questions when he¡¯s free.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the flower? It¡¯s so precious that it has drawn His Highness¡¯s attention.¡± Lan Yanwen did not take it seriously. He just thought that Mo Xuetong deliberately exaggerated it. Bai Yihao was very elegant and it was normal for him to like flowers and nts. However, Lan Yanwen would never believe that there were any flowers or nts that tempted him.

    ¡°Sister Luo, you must be kidding. What kind of flower is it? It¡¯s so precious that His Highness thinks of you differently before he sees you.¡± Lan Yuyan didn¡¯t believe it either.

    Lan Tian, Lan Qing, and that fake uncle all looked a little curious, and only the butler, who was standing behind Lan Qing, had a strange expression on his face!

    ¡°Yuxiao Flower!¡± Mo Xuetong answered lightly.

    ¡°Yuxiao Flower!¡± Lan Yanwen was shocked. He suddenly red at Mo Xuetong and his expression changed. There was a look of scrutiny in his eyes. He waved her hand and a few guards entered to take Lan Tian, Lan Qing, and that fake uncle away. Since Lan Luo had already seen through the fake Lan Tian, he did not have to put on an act and thus asked them to leave.

    The Yuxiao Flower was the secret of the Lan family, and only the core members of the family knew it.

    ¡°Where did you get the Yuxiao Flower?¡±

    There were only two pots of Yuxiao Flower in the Lan family. One was in his father¡¯s hands, and as for the other one, he had ordered someone to send it to Fu General Manor of the Qin Kingdom. Later, it was said that it was sent to the pce. How could it be in Lan Luo¡¯s hands? The existence of the Yuxiao Flower had always been a secret and others didn¡¯t even know its name. Then how could Lan Luo know about it?

    ¡°That day, when my uncle went to the Qin Kingdom to do business, he met a tourist and had a good chat with him. After that, the tourist left in a hurry and left behind a pot of Yuxiao Flower,¡± Mo Xuetong replied casually with a smile.

    Lan Yanwen¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. He had never expected that the Yuxiao Flower would be among the people and sent to Bai Yihao from the pce. When he thought that the secret of the jade token in the pot of Yuxiao Flower might fall into Bai Yihao¡¯s hands, he could not calm down at this time. He suddenly stood up and said to the outside, ¡°Someone, send Sister Luo back to the pce.¡±

    The jade token was obtained from the Empress. The Empress did not mention the specific situation. The Lan family¡¯s strength could not be underestimated. They found that the jade token in the pot was closely rted to the rebellion of King Jin of the Qin Kingdom. They sent the flower to Fu General Manor in order to drag the manor into the rebellion case of that year so that the bnce of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s military would be broken.

    Fu General Manor upied a quarter of the military power, on par with the power of Ding General Manor. It could be said that they were equally matched. If Fu General Manor fell, Ding General Manor would definitely be more powerful. The Empress¡¯s maternal family in the Yan Kingdom was Ding General Manor. If she could get the support of Ding General Manor, the First Prince might even inherit the throne.

    This was the vague answer from the Empress and the investigation of the Lan family. But Lan Yanwen knew that there must be something else. The Lan family had specially prohibited people from letting others know that the Yuxiao Flower was sent by them, afraid that the Empress would shift the me to the Lan family.

    Although the Lan family had sided with the First Prince, the Lan family remained neutral on the surface before the final result came out.

    If Bai Yihao found out from the Yuxiao Flower that the Lan family had done something, it would be a big deal!

    Lan Yanwen could not care about Mo Xuetong and hurriedly sent her away. Then, he turned around and got on the horse and headed straight for the main manor of the Lan family, with only one servant.

 Chapter 735 - The Schemes of All Parties at Night

    <h4>Chapter 735 The Schemes of All Parties at Night</h4>

    Mo Xuetong did not use the Lan family¡¯s horse carriage. There was indeed a horse carriage sent from the Crown Prince¡¯s East Pce parked at the entrance. After they got on the horse carriage, Qing Zhu asked, ¡°Miss, how did you know that the person is not the true head of the Lan family?¡± There was nothing different in air, deportment, or appearance between the man and the head of the Lan family.

    ¡°I am just an orphan daughter of the Lan family. Even if the Lan family values me, there is a limit. Even if I can enter the East Pce in the future and be favored by His Highness, it will still be a matter of the future. The Lan family does notck beauties in their back courtyard. It is already a great honor for me to send Minister of Public Works to meet me. It is said that Minister of Public Works is the best husband in the hearts of the princesses,¡± Mo Xuetong stated with a faint smile. She took the tea that Qing Zhu poured for her and took a sip before she leisurely rxed.

    The most important thing was that the impostor seemed to be making decisions, but when Mo Xuetong was talking to Lan Yanwen, he did not even speak without Lan Yanwen¡¯s hints. How could the head of the Lan family, Lan Yanwen¡¯s father, act ording to his son¡¯s hints? Since the Lan family had sent an impostor, they surely could send a second impostor, in order to test her.

    They wanted to weigh her up!

    Since this was the Lan family¡¯s purpose, she naturally would not hide her strength. The better she performed, the more attention the Lan family would attach to her. At the right time, she could ask the Lan family to show more sincerity.

    ¡°Why did you mention the Yuxiao Flower?¡± Even though she was very pleased with Mo Xuetong¡¯s smartness, Qing Zhu¡¯s expression grew dark.

    ¡°The Empress must know that your master has gotten the Yuxiao Flower. But the Lan family didn¡¯t know. If the Lan family knows that the Empress knows but doesn¡¯t tell them, I wonder if they will have any ideas!¡± Mo Xuetong smiled lightly and didn¡¯t exin. She simply leaned against the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.

    It was said that the pot of Yuxiao Flower in the Qin Kingdom was given to Bai Yihao. Mo Xuetong got the news by chance.

    The look on Qing Zhu¡¯s face froze and she immediately figured it out. For a moment, the look in her eyes became more and moreplicated. She inexplicably looked at the woman who leaned against the carriage beside and dozed. She did not say anything more.

    ¡°Is it really good to let this woman be by His Highness¡¯s side?¡±

    The night in the Beauty Gathering Pce was very quiet, especially in the southern courtyard. Thedies inside had already rested. In the corridor, several pcenterns gave off flickering light.

    In the darkness, a figure shed and disappeared from the Beauty Gathering Pce.

    In arge room of the East Pce, several people were discussing something.

    ¡°Do we really have to kill her?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was a little hesitant!

    ¡°Have you forgotten who your master is after just following her for a few days? No matter what, His Highness¡¯s cause is the most important thing. She¡¯s just a woman!¡± a high-pitched voice said unhappily.

    Qing Zhu secretly took a deep breath, sat down on the chair beside her, and said uneasily, ¡°But His Highness treats her differently. If His Highness knows that, he will be angry!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a woman. His Highness tries to make antidote for her because she is his rtive. If His Highness really cares about her, why didn¡¯t he take out the marriage agreement when he was in the capital of the Qin Kingdom? Besides, we aren¡¯t going to kill her. We just fail to notice it and something goes wrong. His Highness won¡¯t punish us,¡± the leader of Bai Yihao¡¯s secret guards said in a loud voice.

    He was the leader of the hundred men in Princess Shuann¡¯s hands. He had followed Princess Shuann from the Qin Kingdom to the Yan Kingdom. He was loyal and devoted to her. Now that Princess Shuann had passed away, he was naturally loyal to the young master. He worked hard for his master andpletely focused on Bai Yihao¡¯s interests.

    ¡°His Highness might want to bring Third Young Miss Mo back before he brings out the marriage agreement!¡± Qing Zhu hesitated for a moment before exining for Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°In what capacity does she marry His Highness? If she marries him as a girl from the Lan family, she would not deserve to be His Highness¡¯s wife. It She could manage to be a concubine. However, it would not be enough for her to be part of the royal family unless the Lan family acknowledged her as a legitimate daughter. However, if so, the Lan family would be able to extend their influence to the East Pce. Then, what would His Highness do? If she were still Third Young Miss Mo, she should be Consort Xuan now. How could she stay by His Highness¡¯ side with her status?¡± the leader of the secret guards stated unhappily as his expression grew dark and cold.

    Qing Zhu was speechless when she heard that. She could not say anything to retort. Third Young Miss Mo was in no way fit to be at Bai Yihao¡¯s side.

    ¡°What¡¯s more, she has been married for a long time. His Highness is as pure as an immortal and it¡¯s a great loss for him to marry her!¡± the leader of the secret guards snorted.

    His words struck a nerve in Qing Zhu¡¯s heart. How could she let her master suffer the loss? A hint of darkness shed in her eyes, and she made up her mind at once. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do as you say, but you must not reveal the news.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just need to watch from the sidelines! There will be someone who deals with her!¡±

    Qing Zhu felt ufortable and pursued, ¡°When does His Highness¡¯s message say he will be back?¡±

    ¡°His Highness meets some obstacles. It won¡¯t be too early for him toe back. We have enough time to do what we want to do.¡± The leader of the secret guards knew what Qing Zhu was worried about, so heforted her.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with Princess Royal?¡± Qing Zhu was still worried.

    ¡°Princess Royal is in poor health and it is difficult for her to get up now. She has no time to pay attention to this,¡± the leader of the secret guards uttered coldly. He did not have a good impression of Princess Royal, who was always burying her head in the sand. If she really wanted to help Bai Yihao, she could send her people to assassinate Emperor Zongwen in the Qin Kingdom to avenge King Jin.

    They had reached an agreement here, but there was no way for the people in the study room of the Lan family to be on the same page.

    It was because Lan Yanwen voted no!

    Lan Tian narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, ¡°We can¡¯t act rashly and blindly to the Empress, nor can we let the Empress know that we have already known that the Yuxiao Flower is in the hands of the Crown Prince, causing the Empress¡¯s suspicion. Now, we can only get rid of Lan Luo without anyone knowing about it. Didn¡¯t the Crown Prince ask her questions yet? As long as she¡¯s gone, His Highness won¡¯t doubt us if he does.¡±

    Lan Yanwen gave a slight cough and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Father, but His Highness has already suspected this matter. If something happens to her at this time, won¡¯t it make us feel guilty?¡±

    ¡°Yan Wen, don¡¯t worry. The Crown Prince won¡¯t suspect us. The Empress is the most suspicious of all. The secret of King Jin¡¯s Manor came from the Qin Kingdom, and in the imperial pce, the Empress is the only one who came from the Qin Kingdom. Although we are arge aristocratic family in the Yan Kingdom, it is not enough for us to interfere in the affairs of the imperial pce of the Qin Kingdom. Suspicion naturally fell on the Empress,¡± Lan Ren exined carefully while waving his fan.

    ¡°As long as the Crown Prince suspects the Empress, we can get out of it.¡±

    ¡°Yanwen, don¡¯t think too much. That¡¯s it. It¡¯s so cold at night. Let¡¯s leave early,¡± Lan Mo shouted with an impatient face. It was such a cold day. There was no stove as they were in a hurry. Besides, they even closed the door to discuss something. A human being couldn¡¯t stand it.

    Lan Yanwen frowned and said uneasily, ¡°For so many years, the Crown Prince had been in the Qin Kingdom, but he has never been at a disadvantage. Do you really think that the Crown Prince is so easy to fool and doesn¡¯t know that we did it? I suspect that the Crown Prince may have known that we took out the Yuxiao Flower, but he doesn¡¯t show it now because he doesn¡¯t want to alert the enemy. Father, we still need to think about it carefully.¡±

    He always felt that he had missed something, and he was not so optimistic. The Crown Prince might want to confront the Empress, but he had been against her for a long time. He had been bearing patiently for so many years, which showed that the Crown Prince was a scary person. Such a scary person would y such an obvious move and sent an important witness in broad daylight.

    Was the Crown Prince too relieved or not at all concerned about it?

    Lan Yanwen felt that it was more like the former. Somehow he felt very uneasy. He always felt that it was too convenient. Given the Crown Prince¡¯s character, how could he do it so obviously?

    Lan Tian waved his hand to stop Lan Yanwen. ¡°Yanwen, although the Crown Prince is capable, it hasn¡¯t been long since he returned to the Yan Kingdom. How can hepare with the Empress¡¯s ns for so many years? Besides, the Empress is his mother on the surface. Filial piety will make him bow. It¡¯s not asplicated as you think. We just need to do something clean and don¡¯t make trouble for the Empress. She is just ady in the Beauty Gathering Pce, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Get someone to sneak into the Beauty Gathering Pce and kill her in a clean way.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Elder brother, I¡¯ll arrange it now.¡± The second master, Lan Ren, nodded, stood up and strode out.

    ¡°Elder brother, I¡¯m also leaving now. It¡¯s too cold.¡± Lan Mo also stood up and said goodbye to Lan Tian. When he came to Lan Yanwen who wore a bitter smile on his face, he patted him on the shoulder, suddenly turned his head and ambiguously whispered in his ear, ¡°Did you see that little girl? It¡¯s said that she is an extremely beautiful woman!¡±

    ¡°Third Uncle!¡± Lan Yanwen called helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a woman. There are so many beautiful women in the world. It¡¯s easy to find a beautiful one. We can¡¯t lose a great deal through trying to save a little,¡± Lan Mo said seriously. However, he didn¡¯t look like that.

    ¡°Third Uncle, I didn¡¯t.¡± Lan Yanwen smiled bitterly. He really felt that it was inappropriate to kill Mo Xuetong. If they killed this woman now, they could certainly seal the secret of the Yuxiao Flower for a period of time. But what about the future? When the Crown Prince and the Empress really confronted each other in the future, the matter of the Yuxiao Flower might be the reason for the fight. At that time, what should the Lan family do? And what would the Empress deal with the Lan family?

    Would she scheme them out to take the me?

    ording to the Empress¡¯s character, it was really possible!

    However, no one listened to him. Even his father directly denied him. Especially after his father heard his third uncle¡¯s ambiguous words, he clearly felt his father¡¯s eyes were suspicious. Lan Yanwen felt that he was wrong no matter what he said now. So he simply stepped back, bowed his head, and stood aside respectfully.

    Now he only hoped that the Empress could have an absolute advantage in the battle with the Crown Prince. Only in this way could it guarantee that the Empress would not push them to take the me. But subconsciously, he always felt that the Crown Prince was more capable than the Empress. The Empress could onlypete with the Crown Prince who was far away in the Qin Kingdom after she joined hands with the First Prince. The Crown Prince was definitely far more powerful than he appeared to be.

    For the first time, Lan Yanwen wondered if the Lan family had chosen the wrong side!

    The Crown Prince was an unfathomable man!

    Mo Xuetong was awakened from her dream. She could not hear the slight sound of the window opening if she did not listen carefully. However, Mo Xuetong was still startled awake. As she was in a foreign country and did not have anyone she could use, she was extremely vignt when she slept at night. She was afraid that she would fall into someone else¡¯s trap if she was not careful. As such, she had fallen into a deep sleep in the daytime.

    She suddenly sat up, pushed the quilt slightly, making it look like there was a human inside. Then she moved quickly to the edge of the bed, slipped off the bed gently, and walked behind it.

    As soon as she stood still, she saw that the door had been opened. A ck figure rushed in, and the shining de in the hand made the corner of Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes sh with coldness.

    The de quickly pierced into the quilt and then stabbed a few times, neat and decisive.

    A crisp sound suddenly came from a corner of the room. In the darkness, another cold light shed and pierced the chest of the person who hade earlier. The person groaned and before he could scream, blood spilled on the bed. The body rolled aside, making a heavy crash.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Qing Zhu¡¯s voice came from the outer room, and the door of the room was mmed open...

 Chapter 736

    <h4>Chapter 736 Look for the Legendary Ancestral Root</h4>

    In the dark night, the wind rushed backward and poured into Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth and nose. Her eyes were blurred. Subconsciously, she stretched her arms behind her, held theer¡¯s waist tightly and buried her head deeply in his arms. Then she let out a breath slowly, her nose full of the scent of a familiar man. As she breathed, his scent heavily enveloped her, which made her feel inexplicably relieved and softened.

    The man gave a little chuckle in her ear, and his warm breath fell on her earlobe, making her itch like a feather. ¡°Tong¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s me!¡±

    In the satisfied sigh, she felt that his grip on her body was getting tighter.

    His voice was mellow and leisurely, like the alcohol that had been brewed for many years and was filled with an intoxicating aura.

    There was less noise following him. Hended lightly on a horse in front of him. Then Mo Xuetong was turned around andnded steadily in his embrace.

    Mo Xuetong was a little flustered. She rose slightly, bit her lips and said, ¡°Be careful. This is the Yan Kingdom.¡± Behind her was his passionate embrace. His body seemed to be on fire as if they were going to burn each other to ashes. Her lips subconsciously curled into a smile with a hint of happiness in it.

    As expected, he hade here!

    She always knew that he woulde, and she believed that he woulde soon! That was why she dared to adventure and pitted her wits against those people. If there was a person in the world who was a match for Bai Yihao, it should be Feng Yuran, the devilish man. He had nned for so long, how could he bete? Her strong faith in him kept her calm after she was taken away.

    When Feng Yuran heard that, he felt a strong sense of belief seeping out from her gentle lips. The smile on his lips grew bigger and he reached over and put his face against her cheek subconsciously. Feeling her soft skin, he whispered with a smile, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you caring about me?¡±

    Mo Xuetong bit her lips, but still responded softly. He had traveled all the way here and put aside the political affairs while the fight was on the verge of breaking out. Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart felt like being soaked in soft water. She couldn¡¯t help trembling and said sweetly, ¡°Yes...¡±

    Although she knew that he must have nned it well, she was still worried about him. He hade from the Qin Kingdom to the Yan Kingdom regardless of anything. Aside from the fact that King Chu and King Yan were eyeing him with hostility in the Qin Kingdom, the people of the Yan Kingdom would not let him go if they knew that he was here. He was surrounded by enemies from all sides. How could he be so bold that he dared to scheme a trap and appear by her side so quietly?

    As he heard her so clearly acknowledge her concern for him, Feng Yuran¡¯s heart almost burst with joy. He suddenly held the reins and held Mo Xuetong tightly in his arms, putting his chin over her hair. His heart was filled with so much delight that he could not suppress it.

    Mo Xuetong had always been indifferent and distant, and it was rare for her to show her feelings like this! A charming smile crept across Feng Yuran¡¯s beautiful lips. He was in high spirits as his dark eyes sparkled and his red lips curled up slightly.

    ¡°Why did youe just like that?¡± Mo Xuetong asked in a gentle voice.

    ¡°Maybe because I missed you too much. A day without seeing you seems like three years. In this way, it¡¯s been many years. If I can¡¯t see you again, I¡¯ll really want to die,¡± Feng Yuran said seriously. With his gentle muttering, Mo Xuetong felt as if her entire heart was soaked in honey. It turned out that happiness could be like this. A few warm greetings could cover up the worries, confusion, sadness, and panic of the past days!

    He did not even intend to question her, as if she had only been out for a trip. Mo Xuetong curled up in his embrace and sighed as she enjoyed his thoughtfulness.

    It was very quiet on the road with only the sound of horse hooves. The moonlight shone through the dense leaves and shattered spots of light fell on Feng Yuran¡¯s handsome face, making it seem as if his whole face was shining. In particr, his dark and bright eyes, which were as bright as ck stones, dazzled Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes.

    After a while, Mo Xuetong suddenly looked at the road ahead and asked in confusion, ¡°Where are we going?¡± It turned out that the road led to the Lan family¡¯s courtyard that she hade one night.

    ¡°The Lan family¡¯s courtyard!¡± Sure enough, a light chuckle sounded behind her. Feng Yuran said jokingly, ¡°Since they invited you to have a lookst time, maybe they will be happier this time as wee without their invitation!¡±

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s watery eyes rolled and she understood immediately. However, she pursed her lips and asked intentionally, ¡°How did you know about this ce?¡±

    ¡°Of course I went there with you. When the Lan family invited my wife over, how could I rest assured? How could I not go and have a look?¡± Feng Yuran dered haughtily.

    ¡°You¡¯ve found something over there, haven¡¯t you?¡± Mo Xuetong pursed her lips secretly.

    Knowing that he could not hide it from the smart woman, Feng Yuran did not hide anything. He hugged her greedily and smiled, ¡°Since the Lan family has such a precious thing, I have to take a look at it. The ancient witch tribe¡¯s Yuxiao Flower¡¯s ancestral root, it¡¯s something of legend. Since we are here, we can¡¯t miss it.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower can really...¡± Mo Xuetong frowned slightly and asked uneasily in a low voice.

    ¡°Of course it can. Bai Yihao¡¯s medical skills are trustworthy,¡± Feng Yuran answered very naturally. However, Mo Xuetong still sensed the dissatisfaction in his tone. As such, she moved closer to his embrace andforted him, ¡°No matter what, he wants to treat me!¡±

    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for this reason, I would have knocked his teeth out long ago!¡± Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly. It was for this reason that he had allowed Bai Yihao to take Tong¡¯er away. Of course, the news that Tong¡¯er was seriously ill had spread out to the border by Qin Yufeng.

    If not for this reason, he would not have hidden behind her without showing up when he discovered that Mo Xuetong had disappeared! He had nned to suddenly appear to take Tong¡¯er¡¯s away after Bai Yihao removed the poison from her body. However, he did not expect things to change¡ªthe Lan family¡¯s intervention had caused Mo Xuetong to have no choice but to leave.

    If she did not leave, neither the Lan family nor Bai Yihao¡¯s subordinates could tolerate Tong¡¯er!

    Mo Xuetong suddenly thought of the people of the Mo Manor and turned to ask, ¡°Do my father and the others know about this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I only said that you are ill and recuperating. No one knows about this,¡± Feng Yuranforted her in a gentle voice. King Xuan¡¯s Manor was very quiet right now. Everyone in the manor was his people, so he could be relieved to leave.

    Even though she knew that Feng Yuran still had other ns, Mo Xuetong still asked worriedly, ¡°Both the two of us are not in the manor. Will something happen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Now our manor is closely guarded. Wang Fu and Shen Kun are guarding it, one in open and the other in the dark. It will be fine.¡±

    ¡°What about the court?¡± Mo Xuetong was still worried. King Chu, King Yan, and the scheming Imperial Noble Consort Wen were not easy to deal with. The situation in the capital always changed drastically. If he was not in the capital, how to deal with it? Even though Wang Fu and Shen Kun were capable, they were no match for those princes. If they barged in, they would definitely discover that Feng Yuran and she were not around. Then, things would be difficult to deal with!

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal in court. Father said that it¡¯s good for me to leave for a while so that the two of them wouldn¡¯t stare at me like cross-eyed chickens, and be afraid that I would steal something from them. Now that I¡¯m so sick that I¡¯m about to be disabled, they won¡¯t pay attention to me,¡± Feng Yuran stated with a cold smile.

    ¡°But Imperial Noble Consort Wen...¡± The government affairs changed rapidly and he was far away, It was impossible for him to think about everything carefully. King Yan¡¯s overall strength could not bepared with King Chu¡¯s. If King Chu took the lead in the whole court, it would be extremely unfavorable for Feng Yuran.

    Besides, Imperial Noble Consort Wen would never behave herself in the harem.

    ¡°There¡¯s no but. Why are you having so many questions at such a young age? Don¡¯t worry, I know you are worried about me. But is your husband so useless that he can¡¯t even do such a small thing?¡± Feng Yuran held her in his arms helplessly and jumped off the horse, a trace of cunning coldness shing in his eyes. Of course, he had his own way to deal with Imperial Noble Consort Wen. Otherwise, that woman would be much more restless than Feng Yuxuan and Feng Yulei.

    He called rebellion as a small thing. Mo Xuetong was speechless. Looking at the surroundings, she found that they had arrived at the back of a wall. There was no door on both sides. A red flower stuck out of the wall. It looked like a garden. Could it be the backyard of the Lan family¡¯s courtyard?

    ¡°Hold me tight!¡± Feng Yuran reached out to hold her in his arms. His eyes were beautiful and his smile was devilish. His kissnded gently on her forehead, just like a feather that had swept across her heart. It was soft and smooth. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed red, but she still reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck obediently and leaned her head against his chest.

    Her look of whole-hearted trust made the smile on Feng Yuran¡¯s lips brighter. With a smile in his eyes, he held Mo Xuetong in his arms and jumped onto the top of the wall lightly. Then, he jumped down from the other side. When he jumped down, Mo Xuetong keenly saw several dark figures jumping over from one side. Knowing that his secret guards were also there, she felt a little relieved.

    ¡°Will the Lan family ce that ancestral root in an inconspicuous courtyard?¡± Mo Xuetong lowered her voice and allowed Feng Yuran to hold her hand carefully while they were moving forward. She did not believe that such a precious treasure would not be ced in the main residence of the Lan family.

    ¡°The most dangerous, inconspicuous ce is the safest one,¡± Feng Yuran said with a casual smile. He brought Mo Xuetong through the branches in the courtyard deftly. The trees here were lusher than usual. The whole ce was not like a back garden, but more like a natural forest.

    Mo Xuetong suddenly looked up and found that the trees here were also very tall and straight. A few flowering trees gaily screened half the moonlight from the sky. She suddenly thought of something. ¡°Is it rted to the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower?¡±

    ¡°It is said that the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower is particrly beneficial to nts. The trees near the Yuxiao Flower are particrly luxuriant. We will be able to find the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower when we go to the lushest ce,¡± Feng Yuran said softly with a smile.

    Mo Xuetong looked up and asked in confusion, ¡°How do you know so much?¡±

    Although Feng Yuran, whom she knew, was very shrewd and had always liked to pretend to be weak to defeat the stronger people, and was scheming, he was definitely not a particrly knowledgeable and talented person.

    ¡°I have read many books, so I know!¡± Feng Yuran answered without blushing.

    Mo Xuetong did not believe it and pursued, ¡°What books have you read?¡± Even in her previous life, the rare books that she had gotten had only mentioned a general idea of the Yuxiao Flower. How could Feng Yuran know it so detailed? Such a book was more likely to be read by that person.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t believe me!¡± Feng Yuran felt wronged and looked at Mo Xuetong with a pair of beautiful eyes filled with resentment. They shone in the moonlight, making him look devilishly charming.

    Of course, he would not tell Mo Xuetong that it was Qin Yufeng who told him this.

    Speechless, Mo Xuetong rolled her eyes at him. She was about to speak when she suddenly heard someone yelling, ¡°Who, who is it?¡±

    Feng Yuran quickly picked up Mo Xuetong. With a sh, his figurended on a tree on one side.

    The light and fire instantly lit up the corner where they had been standing just now. A dozen ofrge torches suddenly appeared. If Mo Xuetong had not seen these torches just now, she would have suspected that they had been there all the time!

    They came so quickly!

    This was especially so when she saw the person at the head. The calmness on Mo Xuetong¡¯s face was broken. She looked surprised. ¡°Why is he still here?¡±

 Chapter 737 - The Empress of the Yan Kingdom Met the First Prince Privately

    <h4>Chapter 737 The Empress of the Yan Kingdom Met the First Prince Privately</h4>

    With a thud, the memorials to the throne on the table were mmed to the ground, and Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face had darkened.

    ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please take care of yourself.¡± Regardless of the memorials to the throne that were scattered all over the ground, Liu Xi hurriedly turned around to support Emperor Zongwen, who was about to fall down with one hand covering his chest. His usually calm face was filled with anxiety and panic.

    ¡°B*tch, that b*tch, how dare she... deceive me!¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face was purple. He reached out to cover his chest and said a few words with difficulty. As he opened her mouth, he spat a mouthful of blood. Liu Xi only had time to cover his mouth with a handkerchief before he immediately became dispirited and was helped to sit on the throne.

    ¡°Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. Even if you don¡¯t look out for yourself, you still have to consider His Highness,¡± Liu Xi persuaded anxiously as he served Emperor Zongwen a cup of tea.

    Emperor Zongwen took a sip of tea before he regained some of his strength. He closed his eyes in disappointment and stated wearily, ¡°That damned boy is also useless. He ran away for a woman at the crucial moment.¡± The matter had to be settled as soon as possible. His health was getting worse and worse, so some steps needed to be sped up.

    ¡°Your Majesty, His Highness is very smart. You can see that he has been doing very well over the years. It is indeed not the best time.¡± Liu Xi took the handkerchief that Emperor Zongwen handed him and skillfully burned the blood-stained handkerchief to ashes with the candle on the candlestick beside him. Then, he opened the window wider to disperse the smell of blood in the room.

    Emperor Zongwen opened his eyes and looked at the secret report that had fallen by his feet. The red seal on it was slightly opened. It was the one that he had read just now. For an instant, he felt physically and mentally exhausted.

    Liu Xi turned around and looked at the lonely Emperor. He thought that he had apanied him for many years and seen the Emperor grow from youth to age. He felt sad for a moment. He turned his head and wiped his tears. Then, he turned back and asked with a forced smile, ¡°Your Majesty, do you want to have a rest?¡±

    Having been serving Emperor Zongwen for many years, he had changed from a little eunuch to a eunuch supervisor of the entire pce. It was a bloody journey. However, he had never changed his loyalty to Emperor Zongwen. Now that he noticed that Emperor Zongwen seemed to be lonely and on the verge of copse, how could he not be sad?

    After that, his voice was a little constricted.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to rest. Get someone to arrange it and let the Empress know that Imperial Noble Consort Wen has plotted against Ding General Manor. The harem has its own way of dealing with her!¡± Emperor Zongwen¡¯s face looked a little dark and ferocious under the light as if he wanted to eat someone. Even though he was talking about the reward to Consort Zhao, he looked even more like he was going to eat people.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen dared to do such a vicious thing. He had really thought that she was the only person in the pce, who was sincere to him. But he didn¡¯t expect that this woman had started to plot so many years ago. She had even killed his other son and asked another woman to raise her son.

    Emperor Zongwen believed that no matter how ipetent the Empress and Ding General Manor were, they would prevent her from getting what she wanted!

    ¡°Yes, do you want to inform His Highness toe back as soon as possible?¡± Liu Xi asked cautiously.

    ¡°Order him toe back soon. If hees backte, I will issue an edict to dethrone Consort Xuan,¡± Emperor Zongwen hissed hatefully. The best way to prevent a woman from ruining a country was to get rid of her directly. The Emperor¡¯s long and narrow eyes glistened with viciousness.

    ¡°Yes, get it. I will get someone to gallop out to send the letter to His Highness.¡± Liu Xi did not dare to say anything else. He stood behind the Emperor and reached out to gently rub his temples to ease the throbbing veins. The Emperor did not like the fact that King Chu had appeared to be the most powerful prince recently. The plot was a trap for everyone.

    Everything was under King Xuan¡¯s control! The old eunuch could not help but sigh to himself when he thought of King Xuan, who seemed to be extremely arrogant and wild on the surface. He was the one who was the best at ying dumb and then defeating enemies.

    Regardless of whether it was King Chu, King Yan, or King Ning, they had all fallen into his trap step by step.

    It was only a matter of time before they failed.

    Now, the next step was to force the other princes to rebel. This was the n that King Xuan had made with the Emperor before he left...

    He didn¡¯t look like a young man who was not yet 20 years old, but looked like a crafty man! No one can match him in plots. If he wanted to work for him in the future, Liu Xi must be more careful. Later, he should send the Emperor¡¯s letter to King Xuan as soon as possible.

    The old eunuch shuddered when he thought of Feng Yuran. However, Mo Xuetong and Feng Yuran were really in danger. The First Prince of the Yan Kingdom was standing under the tree where they had hidden themselves. It was said that Bai Yichen¡¯s strength was veryparable with Bai Yihao¡¯s. His clothes were a little messy and he seemed to be in a hurry toe out. With a fierce look on his face, he asked the guard who was holding a torch, ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve looked around. There¡¯s indeed no one,¡± the guard replied respectfully.

    Bai Yichen looked around suspiciously and then looked up at the ck treetop and branches. He frowned. Even though the ce under the tree was brightly lit, he could not see it clearly. After he looked up for a while, his eyes twinkled and he suddenly said, ¡°Go up the tree and take a look.¡±

    Even though the canopy of tree was like a cloud, people could only stand on the main branch. If more than a dozen of them flew up, they would definitely find the two of them. Mo Xuetong was spontaneously shocked. She reached out in the darkness and poked Feng Yuran¡¯s chest. She grew anxious. They were in the territory of the Yan Kingdom right now, and if Bai Yichen discovered Feng Yuran, it would be dangerous.

    Feng Yuran held her hand and gently drew a few strokes on her palm. He wrote the words ¡°don¡¯t be afraid¡±. He still hugged her tightly and stood on the tree quietly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the guards answered in unison, making gestures of flying one by one.

    If Feng Yuran hadn¡¯t reached out to cover Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth, she would have cried out in surprise. Her heart was beating so fast that it almost jumped out of her mouth. Slight cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She stared at the guards under the tree, afraid that they would appear before her eyes.

    But after they stayed there for a long while, there was no movement. The guards only agreed but did not take action.

    ¡°Off you go.¡± Under the tree, Bai Yichen was still a little suspicious, but he still decisively ordered the men to leave. He could not make a big deal out of the matter of him staying in the Lan family¡¯s courtyard.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The guards all retreated and quietly scattered in every corner of the courtyard, monitoring every change here.

    Bai Yichen only brought two people with him and hurried to the inner courtyard.

    Feng Yuran stopped covering Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth and whispered in her ear with a smile, ¡°Do you want to see Bai Yichen meet a beautiful woman at night?¡±

    Mo Xuetong had been so scared that she felt a little weak. Now she rxed and asked subconsciously, ¡°Did hee here in order to meet a woman in private?¡± After that, she covered her mouth hurriedly and looked around with her watery eyes. Fortunately, there were many trees in this area, so no one noticed her.

    ¡°Of course. Otherwise, why would he be so careful? He has lied to us just now, which means that the woman is a special person. Come, I¡¯ll take you to watch the fun.¡± Feng Yuran¡¯szy voice carried a hint of decadence. He had said it very seriously, but somehow, it made Mo Xuetong feel as if she was being teased by him.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s face grew red for no reason!

    However, before she could say anything in embarrassment, Feng Yuran gently kissed her by her ear, shed with her in his arms and ran after Bai Yichen.

    Mo Xuetong suppressed her exmation in her mouth. At this stage, once they made a mistake, they would be doomed eternally. This man was really not serious. He never had felt fear in his life. However, she was also curious. Bai Yichen would not appear in the Lan family¡¯s courtyard for no reason. Furthermore, she had visited the courtyard herself before.

    If Bai Yichen had secretlye to meet a woman, what kind of woman would make him so cautious? Was he afraid of the Fifth Princess or someone else...

    Bai Yihao walked all the way inside and arrived at the gate of an empty courtyard. Then he walked to the door with only a little eunuch with him. After that, Bai Yichen pushed the door open and walked inside while the little eunuch stood outside the door.

    The room was not big, but it was very delicate. Both the screen with women painted on it and the blooming flowers made people feel that it was a woman¡¯s room. There was a charming atmosphere in the room. In front of the light next to the window sat a woman in a dazzling pce dress. She was standing there gracefully with a scarf on her arms. At a nce, one could tell that she was a beauty.

    Hearing the sound of the door, the beauty turned around, and a look of surprise appeared on her slightly aged face. Before Bai Yichen could even stand still and close the door, she rushed over and asked coyly, ¡°Darling, why are you sote?¡±

    At the back window, Mo Xuetong looked at the somewhat familiar face, stunned, and her watery eyes suddenly widened!

    Bai Yichen held the woman¡¯s hand affectionately and took her in his arms as he answered softly, ¡°When I came here just now, I was afraid that someone would follow me, so I looked into it carefully.¡± However, from Mo Xuetong¡¯s angle, she happened to see a sh of disgust in the corner of his eyes.

    The woman was startled at first, but she calmed down immediately andforted Bai Yichen, saying, ¡°Is someone following you? It¡¯s not possible. My secret guards have been following me, so no one will know.¡± It was obvious that she was very confident in her secret guards.

    ¡°We¡¯d better be careful.¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? Anyway, he has gone out. And the old one is busy in some pce. No one will pay attention to us.¡±

    Bai Yichen was a little uneasy. He pushed away the woman in his arms with a frown and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Did anyone see you when you left the pce?¡±

    The woman raised her chin and said proudly, ¡°It will be all right. How could something be wrong? So many years have passed, but has anyone noticed it? Even the Lan family has only thought that you just have a secret date with your lover, but has never thought that it is me.¡±

    She had great confidence in the secret guards under hermand. When she had married into the Yan Kingdom, these secret guards had alsoe over but had not been handed over to the Yan Emperor. Instead, they had be her private army. The fact that she had been able to sit firmly on the position of the Yan Empress was closely rted to the people in her hands.

    Bai Yichen¡¯s eyes darkened and a hint of displeasure shed across the corner of his eye. He was growing impatient with this woman who always thought she was self-righteous!

    However, in the current situation, he could only rely on her.

    He reached out and embraced the Yan Empress gently again, smiling, ¡°Of course your people are trustworthy, but we still have to be careful. Only when we get the throne in the future can we truly be together forever.¡±

    This was the condition given by the old woman. At that time, Bai Yichen agreed without hesitation. He couldn¡¯t achieve his goal alone at the moment, so he could only act ording to the old woman¡¯s thoughts and listen to her all the time. When he could really make a decision in the future, the old woman would disappear.

    ¡°Darling, you¡¯re so nice!¡± The Yan Empress was touched by his words. She began to move, hugged Bai Yichen tightly in return and pulled him to the bed beside her. It was not easy for her to get out, so how could she not relieve the pain of missing him? Bai Yichen¡¯s words had already turned her on. Her body was as soft as water and even her voice was so sweet that it could almost drip water. She kissed Bai Yichen¡¯s face, with burning passion.

    However, Bai Yichen hated this feeling very much. He didn¡¯t have sexual desire when he looked at the tiny wrinkles at the corners of Yan Empress¡¯s eyes. Furthermore, he was still feeling troubled. He was not in the mood to y with her. But he was afraid that she would not be satisfied. He could only sit down with her in his arms. He hugged her tightly so that she would not move violently.

    ¡°He is about to return. I heard that more than half of the people in the court are already on his side. They support him as Crown Prince. We are too weak,¡± Bai Yichen said seriously. After Bai Yihao returned from being a hostage, he did not expect him to be so powerful. He had managed to win the hearts of the people after just a few matters.

    Thinking of this, Bai Yichen could not be happy. He frowned and looked annoyed, not in the mood to y with the Yan Empress!

 Chapter 738 - Something Weird Happened in the Lan Familys

    <h4>Chapter 738 Something Weird Happened in the Lan Family¡¯s Courtyard</h4>

    Seeing that there was something wrong with his expression, the Yan Empress knew that Bai Yihao was still worried. She gave a sweet smile and wrapped her soft arms around Bai Yichen¡¯s neck. Her breath was fragrant and she smiled seductively in his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He still thinks that I really want to send some people to the East Pce and have been focusing on investigating the women in the Beauty Gathering Pce. When we seed in the harem, it will be toote for him to do anything.¡±

    ¡°The old man won¡¯t suspect us, will he?¡± Bai Yichen paused for a moment and was still a little worried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if he senses something is wrong, he can¡¯t tell his son. Most of the imperial physicians in the pce are our people. When the right timees, whichever pce he will die in, it has nothing to do with us!¡± The Yan Empress smiled as her eyes raked over Bai Yichen¡¯s handsome face, and she looked even more charming.

    However, as the two of them were together, even though the Yan Empress was young, the faint crow¡¯s feet at the corners of her eyes could not be hidden even with a thickyer of powder. She leaned into the arms of Bai Yichen, who looked much younger than her, soft as soap. It did not have any sense of beauty. As such, it was ridiculous for her to be so lovable and gentle.

    Bai Yichen also felt ufortable when he looked at her, so he held her in his arms tightly so that he would not see the thick white powder on her face and she would not see the disgust in his eyes. ¡°Have you not been sleeping with the old man these days?¡± he asked with concern.

    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± The Yan Empress was giggling up a storm, twisted in Bai Yichen¡¯s arms and deliberately rubbed his body. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to mess with him. If he dies in my bed, I¡¯ll get into trouble.¡±

    All of their ns had been made, and the Emperor would die sooner orter. They didn¡¯t dare to poison him, if Bai Yihao found out that the Emperor was poisoned, the two of thempletely believed that Bai Yihao had the ability to trace it back to them. As such, they did not dare to act rashly. They could not use poison which was an obvious method to kill others.

    Their method was more secretive and it was not easy to be noticed. If an Emperor was found to die in a woman¡¯s bed, for the sake of the dignity of the royal family, instead of aggressively investigating, people would try to block the passage of information as much as possible. Even if they had some doubts, they would only investigate in secret.

    The two of them did not do much in it. They had just ordered someone to instigate the Emperor to use some sex drugs when he slept with his consorts. No matter what, others would not be able to find out that they were the chief criminal. As they just did something in the medicine, no one could have imagined that the medicine the Emperor had volunteered to take had a fatal effect. It was not poison; it just contained too much analeptic. How long could an old Emperor, whose body had been weak, be able to hold on in such a situation?

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m jealous. Remember, you can¡¯t sleep with him in the future!¡± Bai Yichen said in a very affectionate voice while he was secretly delighted. At this time, anyone who wanted to sleep with the Emperor could get into trouble. He didn¡¯t want the Yan Empress to fail at thest moment. If Bai Yihao found any sign, it might lead to a great disaster.

    His breath brushed past the Yan Empress¡¯s ears. The tingling feeling made her speechless. She trembled all over and looked up to kiss Bai Yichen right on his lips. There was only his handsome face and affectionate eyes in her eyes. Her body turned into a puddle of spring water in his actions. She wrapped his arms tightly around Bai Yichen¡¯s neck and tackled him!

    She had been busy plotting for this period of time. Furthermore, because Bai Yihao had returned to the pce, she had been very careful and hadn¡¯t met Bai Yichen privately for a long time. At this moment, her moves were hurried and fierce, causing Bai Yichen to be stunned. Then, disgust appeared in his eyes. However, he had no choice but to go along with her.

    The matters of the harem were all in her hands. He had to serve her well before he could carry out his ns. He turned over forcefully and pressed her under his body...

    When he became the Emperor in the future, he would get all kinds of beauties he wanted. At that time, no one would know the scandal between him and the old woman as long as he killed her. Bai Yichen decided that his life would never be controlled by an old woman like this one!

    Watching the two of them rolling around, Feng Yuran could not help but marvel at how active his aunt was. As he sighed, he quickly covered Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes and retreated from the window. He held Mo Xuetong in his arms and appeared at a hidden corner on one side. His toes touched the ground as he flew past a tree in the dark corner like a wisp of smoke.

    There was a courtyard among the thick trees. It was different from the surrounding buildings as it looked more ancient. Mo Xuetong was so careful that she found that there was an odd flower at the corner of the gate. Looking at it, Mo Xuetong felt her heart beat wildly for no reason. She felt a sharp prick in her head as if her head had been pricked by something.

    Feeling that Mo Xuetong¡¯s body was twitching, Feng Yuran loosened his hand slightly and whispered in her ear, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I holding you too tightly?¡±

    Mo Xuetong took a few breaths before lowering her voice to reply, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She looked at the door again and the strange feeling disappeared. It was just an ordinary flower. The strange feeling just now seemed to be an illusion. If her fingers had not been clenched tightly, even she would have thought that it was just a momentary trance.

    Fortunately, when she looked at it again, her heart didn¡¯t beat fast anymore.

    Feng Yuran calmed down when he saw that Mo Xuetong¡¯s expression had returned to normal. Looking around at her surroundings, he entered a rockery by the side of the road with Mo Xuetong in his arms. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go inside and take a look.¡±

    ¡°Is there the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower inside?¡± Mo Xuetong was very suspicious of it. She blinked her watery eyes in the dark and tugged on Feng Yuran¡¯s sleeve. They were in the Yan Kingdom and she did not dare, afraid that he would make a mistake. She did not want him to take the risk for the sake of her poison that she did not know if it could be removed.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you worried about me?¡± The moonlight shone through the crack of the rockery andnded on the handsome face with a hint of coldness. Mo Xuetong¡¯s face flushed slightly when she saw his eyes which held a bright smile. Then, she nodded forcefully and responded in a low voice, ¡°Yes.¡±

    The noble men dare not sit right under the eaves for fear of dropping tiles. With his status, he could get any kind of woman he wanted, but he was only willing to be good to her. There were many kinds of women in his backyard, but since she married into the manor, he had been ruthless to them. He had dealt with the backyard without bothering her at all.

    Now she had been kidnapped, and he had followed her from over 500 kilometers away. Aside from the importance of the matter in his hands, Mo Xuetong felt that she could never repay him with her whole life. Therefore, even though she felt shy, she still nodded firmly. She was really worried about him.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er.¡± Her slightly blushing face tempted Feng Yuran. The moonlight was like water and the woman was as beautiful as jade. Holding her warm and soft body and hearing her muttering, he felt his heart beat faster. However, it was not the proper time for him to be tempted at this point. He put her down in a hurry and kissed her in the ear, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve checked it out. I¡¯lle out soon. Stay here and don¡¯t walk around.¡±

    Even though she knew that he was not a reckless person, Mo Xuetong still reminded him worriedly, ¡°Be... be careful!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay!¡±

    Feng Yuran did not stay any longer this time. He turned around, and disappeared in front of Mo Xuetong with a sh.

    The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that Mo Xuetong could not hear anyone¡¯s voice. The wind blew and the leaves rustled, revealing a strange heaviness. She shrank back and was about to lean against on the clean rockery to have a rest when she suddenly heard someone¡¯s voice from afar. A little spark wasing from a distance.

    Someone came over at this time?

    Mo Xuetong leaned over to look out of the cave in the rockery. As expected, there was amping from a distance. Two figures also slowly came over. Mo Xuetong was shocked to find that they were acquaintances. Nanny Qin was holding amp with one hand and held Princess Royal with the other. They appeared at this time in this ce. Princess Royal¡¯s face was as pale as snow; she seemed not to be in a good situation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Princess Royal with Bai Yihao? Why is she here at this time without any guards around her? There is no one else except for Nanny Qin, the wet nurse.¡±

    ¡°Nanny Qin, take a rest. I really... can¡¯t walk anymore?¡± Princess Royal¡¯s face was so pale that it was almost transparent. Under the light, her face looked eerily green, which was very abnormal. Along the way, Nanny Qin was tired, but her tiredness was not as obvious as hers. Princess Royal was so weak that she almost couldn¡¯t stand up.

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s up ahead. Please hang on. My elder said that if we can get help from the people inside, your life could be prolonged.¡± Nanny Qin was also very tired, but when she thought that there might be a way to save Princess Royal¡¯s life, she held on and did not dare to loosen up.

    Princess Royal¡¯s illness had led to her imminent death. No wonder Nanny Qin appealed blindly for help!

    An elder of her own family mentioned that the people of the ancient witch tribe lived here, they specially came over for help. Unexpectedly, when the elder took them here, they were dumped here. It all depended on luck whether Princess Royal¡¯s illness could be cured.

    Princess Royal took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Then she smiled weakly, ¡°Nanny, the schr said, Confucius taught his disciples to stay away from anything unusual. There is no way to prolong one¡¯s life. Otherwise, no one in this world would die.¡± She really did not believe Nanny Qin¡¯s elder¡¯s words. However, when she saw how hard Nanny Qin was to help her, she could not bear to refuse her. As such, she just came over with her.

    Nanny Qin helped Princess Royal to lean against the rockery and caught her breaths before saying, ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s really useful. The books left behind by our Qin family have been passed down from generation to generation. In my generation, I don¡¯t know which main branch has gotten them. However, it is a fact that the ancestors of the Qin family were also members of the ancient witch tribe at the very beginning. There was once a rumor that they were able to bring people back to life.¡± She was old and of course, she was not as strong as the young. She had been sustained by an act of faith, but when she stopped, she felt sore and tired.

    ¡°Where... where is this ce?¡± Princess Royal smiled and no longer insisted on arguing with Nanny Qin. She looked around and frowned slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that this is the courtyard of the Lan family, an aristocratic family of the Yan Kingdom. I heard that there are descendants of the ancient witch here. I specially sent a few treasures to the butler here, so they allowed us toe over tonight. I heard that it is the best time to treat you at night,¡± Nanny Qin replied with a smile.

    It was said that the descendants of the ancient witch lived in the Lan family¡¯s courtyard, and they were able to bring a man back to life. Others did not believe this statement, but Nanny Qin believed it as the ancestors of the Qin family had left a legacy, saying that the descendants of the ancient witch could prolong people¡¯s lives and that they could achieve it with some specific conditions.

    Nanny Qin was very excited when she heard that. She immediately took out a few pieces of precious jewelry from Princess Royal and found someone to get to know the butler. That was why they coulde here today.

    Princess Royal¡¯s pale face froze. She stood up, holding the rockery and asked harshly, ¡°The Lan family¡¯s courtyard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is said that the Lan family is as powerful as our Four Great Manors. They control the military force of the Yan Kingdom,¡± Nanny Qin said casually.

    Princess Royal¡¯s face darkened. Thinking for a moment, she cried out in shock, ¡°Oh no, let¡¯s go!¡±

    After that, she turned around and held Nanny Qin to leave. However, with limp legs and a weak body, she almost tripped over the rockery on one side!

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an ambush!¡± Princess Royal gritted her teeth and held Nanny Qin to get to her feet.

    Nanny Qin was shocked. Before she could say anything, mes suddenly zed all around. Someone said with a charming smile, ¡°Sister, since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t youe and see me? I¡¯ve been missing you for so many years! I haven¡¯t forgotten you for a moment!¡±

 Chapter 739 - The Death of Princess Royal Mingzhu

    <h4>Chapter 739 The Death of Princess Royal Mingzhu</h4>

    It was Yan Empress¡¯s voice!

    In the dark, Mo Xuetong didn¡¯t dare to move. She bit her lips and even held her breath, hiding in the rockery. Although it was secluded, Yan Empress came with so many people, and she might find her. If Mo Xuetong fell into her hands, it would be terrible!

    ¡°Sister Yunruo?¡± Princess Royal helped Nanny Qin to stand firm under the light. Looking at Yan Empress, who was protected by a group of secret guards and eunuchs, she slowly restored calmness.

    There was no guard around her, and the only person beside her was Nanny Qin, who knew nothing about martial arts. She was sort of alone now.

    Mo Xuetong also saw Lan Yanwen hiding in the dark beside Yan Empress. ¡°He came as well?¡±

    This small courtyard of the Lan family gathered all kinds of powerful personage unexpectedly. It was quite lively.

    ¡°Sister Mingzhu, it¡¯s not easy for you to remember me. Why don¡¯t youe to my pce to have a look since you¡¯vee here? Is our sisterly bond of many years so thin?¡± Yan Empress was all smiles, as if she was really happy for the arrival of Princess Royal Mingzhu. She came forward and intended to hold the other hand of Princess Royal.

    The situation was already clear under unease and Princess Royal had already calmed down at the critical moment. She looked at Princess Royal Yunruo and said politely, ¡°Elder Sister Yunruo is now the Empress of a country, but I am an inauspicious person. Besides, I am so ill. How would I dare tomunicate the disease to you and kill you?¡±

    She felt that she had reached the end of her life, so she was not worried about these things. Instead, she behaved decently.

    Looking at her, Yan Empress could not help but sigh. ¡°Sister, we love each other deeply. Don¡¯t say that you wouldn¡¯t dare tomunicate the disease to me. Come to the pce with me right away. How about I take you to visit the Yan Kingdom¡¯s pce?¡± Then, she gave a hint to the two eunuchs beside her with her eyes. The two eunuchs understood. They nodded and walked up to Princess Royal Mingzhu with a bow.

    ¡°Princess Royal Mingzhu, pleasee to the pce with maids!¡±

    Princess Royal patted the hand of Nanny Qin who looked uneasy and asked with a smile, ¡°Elder Sister Yunruo, are you going to bring me into the pce?¡±

    Yan Empress looked at the sky and said impatiently, ¡°Since you¡¯ve entered the Yan Kingdom, Sister, I should take care of you. It¡¯s cold outside and it¡¯s not good for your health. Go to the pce with me.¡± She had been out for some time and had spent some time making out with Bai Yichen just now. She certainly did not want to waste any more time on Princess Royal.

    The smile on Princess Royal¡¯s face gradually faded away and she replied coldly, ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to go?¡± She could not go with Yan Empress at this time. Since she came to the capital of the Yan Kingdom, she knew that Bai Yihao and the Empress were at odds with each other. If she was brought into the pce by Yan Empress, the Empress would definitely threaten him with her as a hostage. Although she did not help Bai Yihao openly, she did not want anything bad to happen to him. Of course, her face grew cold at this moment.

    ¡°We are sisters and have a strong bond. How could you say something like that? Somebody, send my sister into the pce.¡± Yan Empress said warmly, but her expression was extremely cold and disdainful. Receiving her order, the two eunuchs pushed Nanny Qin away and held on to Princess Royal¡¯s hand from either side of her; they were about to forcefully take her away.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Nanny Qin screamed and staggered over.

    A guard behind Yan Empress stepped forward, pushed Nanny Qin away, and shouted, ¡°Back off!¡±

    Nanny Qin was old and weak. Being pushed to the rockery hard, she only had time to let out a scream before her head was hit heavily on the rockery. Immediately, blood sprayed out. Her body swayed and fell backward.

    Mo Xuetong, who was hiding not far away, covered her mouth in shock. Only then did she suppress the scream in her mouth. She bit her lower lip tightly and allowed the blood in her mouth to flow into her throat. As Princess Royal had been tricked and caught by Yan Empress, she could not expose herself any longer. Otherwise, Feng Yuran¡¯s situation would be even more dangerous.

    Mo Xuetong did not know where Princess Royal got the strength as she desperately got rid of the grips of the two eunuchs and rushed over. She hugged Nanny Qin and cried sadly, ¡°Nanny Qin!¡±

    She had been raised by Nanny Qin since she was a child. Her lowly ¡°mother¡± in the pce was unable to protect her at all, and had passed away when she was very young. Then, she had been raised by the Empress Dowager. Even though she had been doted on by the Empress Dowager, the only one who could truly love her selflessly was Nanny Qin who had never left her.

    The so-called wet nurse was more like a real mother to her! How could she not feel heartbroken?

    Tears immediately rolled down her cheeks!

    Yan Empress stood aside and persuaded her hypocritically, ¡°Sister, you don¡¯t have to be so sad. She¡¯s just an old servant. You¡¯re a descendant of the royal family, so you can¡¯t get hurt because of an old servant.¡±

    Princess Royal looked up and asked coldly, ¡°Yunruo, what exactly do you want to do?¡± She held on to the rockery and slowly stood up straight. Mo Xuetong, who was not far behind her, stared at her but did not dare to move. She turned around and looked at the two tightly shut doors anxiously. She did not know if she wanted Feng Yuran toe out or not at this moment.

    Mo Xuetong turned to look at Princess Royal. She suddenly saw thetter speaking to Yan Empress angrily while reaching out a hand behind her with something in her palm. She struggled to stretch out her arm, as if she wanted to hand it to someone! Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes widened. She did not figure out what Princess Royal meant for a moment.

    She halfy on the rockery quietly and did not dare to move. Because of the shadow of the rockery and the light came from the front, there were many shadows, including the shadow of the stone, and thus it was hard to find that her delicate body was half-lying in it.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do anything. We¡¯re sisters, and it¡¯s rare to meet you. How can I miss the chance?¡± Yan Empress said hypocritically. She waved her hands and the two eunuchs tried to go up again.

    ¡°Don¡¯te over. If youe any closer, I will die here.¡± Princess Royal took out a golden hairpin from her hair and pointed at her stretched neck with the shiny point. She snapped, ¡°Yunruo, you are plotting against the Yan Kingdom. I really don¡¯t know what benefits our brother has given you. You don¡¯t want to be an Empress and betray your son just in order to integrate the Yan Kingdom into the territory of the Qin Kingdom. At that time, you will no longer be the Empress of a country, but a powerless princess. Yunruo, are you willing to ept that?¡±

    There was a vicious look in the corner of Princess Royal¡¯s eye, without any trace of gentleness. She had not fallen out with Yan Empress just now because she was concerned about Nanny Qin. Now, she had nothing to worry about. She retorted immediately and stretched her arm further back, which was difficult.

    Not far behind her, Mo Xuetong reached out subconsciously and took it. She was stunned to find that it was a thin letter. Could it really be for her? But how did Princess Royal discover that she was hiding inside?

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak!¡± Princess Royal¡¯s deep voice rang in Mo Xuetong¡¯s ears but she didn¡¯t look back.

    ¡°Nonsense, how could I do such a thing!¡± Princess Royal Mingzhu had turned matters upside down, and led her action to the direction of her betrayal to the Yan Kingdom. Looking at Lan Yanwen, who was surrounded by the Lan family not far away, Yan Empress also grew anxious. Although the Lan family was on her side, the one they really supported was the royal family of the Yan Kingdom. If she dared to betray the Yan Kingdom, the Lan family would be the first to kill her.

    She didn¡¯t know how many members of the Lan family were hiding here.

    ¡°Am I wrong, Elder Sister Yunruo? If you weren¡¯t afraid that I would say your intentions out loud, you wouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry to lure me here. Elder Sister Yunruo, don¡¯t worry. I will die soon and won¡¯t be able to threaten you any longer. I won¡¯t fall into the hands of the Yan Emperor and tell him your intentions.¡± Princess Royal gasped heavily and spat out a mouthful of blood which spilled on the stone wall on one side. Mo Xuetong¡¯s eyes turned red. She felt sad and tears welled up in her eyes.

    Princess Royal was about to die!

    She thought of how Princess Royal had helped her both openly and secretly since she hade to the capital. Even though she and Bai Yihao had kidnapped her in the end, Mo Xuetong only thought of how good Princess Royal was. In her past life, Princess Royal had been locked up, and in this life, she had ended up like this. She did not know who her biological parents were when she was born; when she grew up and knew, she could not say anything.

    After knowing that Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother was her younger sister, she could not recognize her and could only secretly make friends with her. Later, when Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother married far away, she also got married. Unexpectedly, her husband died, leaving her behind. She was alone and only had an old wet nurse by her side. The wet nurse was loyal to her. Now that even thest person who really cared about her was gone, she did not have to be afraid of death!

    It seemed that Princess Royal had made up her mind. She insisted on framing Yan Empress. She was not afraid of death now, so she could say whatever she wanted.

    Yan Empress¡¯s beautiful eyes were filled with anger when she was framed by Princess Royal Mingzhu. There were blue blood vessels throbbing on her well-maintained forehead. She could not help stepping forward, grabbing Princess Royal¡¯s hand and yelling angrily, ¡°You¡¯re lying. You¡¯ve been talking nonsense. I¡¯m the Empress of the Yan Kingdom. How could I betray the Yan Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Yunruo, are you afraid?¡± Princess Royal nced at her sideways, and there was a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. ¡°But since you are afraid, why did you do it? Is it really for...¡± She seemed to have thought of something and stared at Yan Empress with her eyes wide open in shock as disbelief painted her face.

    No matter whether others believed it or not, Yunruo was from the Qin Kingdom, and thus it was bound that the people of the Yan Kingdom would not fully trust her. The seeds of doubt had been nted. Princess Royal Mingzhu was especially clear-headed at this time. Since Yunruo had set up a trap and taken advantage of the rumor of the so-called ancient witch tribe to catch her, and they were in the Lan family outside the pce, there must be someone in charge of the Lan family present.

    Princess Royal had heard about the Lan family from Nanny Qin in the past few days when thetter asked for information. ording to the Lan family¡¯s strength, they might attach to Yunruo, but how could such a big family not be cautious? With such an attitude, they would definitely suspect Yunruo.

    It was enough to stick the thorn like this. When necessary, it would y its role!

    ¡°Mingzhu, are you really not afraid of death?¡± Yan Empress did not expect that Princess Royal Mingzhu was not afraid of death. She had nned to catch her and threaten Bai Yihao. But now, she had bitten her back. Seeing the ever-changing expression on Lan Yanwen¡¯s face in the dark, she was so angry that she shook Princess Royal Mingzhu. She did not care about her manners and said, ¡°Shut up. If you continue to lie, I will kill you.¡±

    This matter must not arouse the Lan family¡¯s suspicion. There were even Bai Yichen¡¯s people among them. If both Bai Yichen and the Lan family were suspicious of her intentions, even if Bai Yichen seeded the throne in the end, he would not value her. She had plotted for many years, so how could she allow Bai Yichen to get the throne just because of what Mingzhu had said? At this time, Yan Empress was already irritated and wanted Princess Royal Mingzhu to take back what she had said with all her heart.

    As she was excited, she said hoarsely. Her shrill voice was as sharp as a sword. It spread far and wide in the night. Her hands shook more and more violently, as if she wanted to shake off Princess Royal Mingzhu¡¯s unfinished words. She did not realize that the person she held by the shoulders had been like jelly, and a mouthful of blood flowed down from Princess Royal Mingzhu¡¯s lips.

    She was dead now. How could she die before she didn¡¯t finish her words? Yan Empress was so angry that she almost went crazy!

    Lan Yanwen came over, reached out and put it under Princess Royal¡¯s nose. Then he said lightly, ¡°Your Majesty, she has gone!¡±

    Perhaps it was because of Lan Yanwen¡¯s indifference that Yan Empress came to her senses suddenly. Her hands loosened, and Princess Royal fell to the ground. She took a deep breath and calmed down. Pretending to be indifferent, she turned back to Lan Yanwen with a smile. ¡°Minister of Public Works, I am so sorry about this. I didn¡¯t expect that our n failed this time. This b*tch even bit me before she died. I¡¯m so angry!¡±

    After that, she calmly studied Lan Yanwen¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Majesty. Although we failed this time, we¡¯ve made His Highness lose some people. It¡¯s impossible to believe what she said before she died.¡±

 Chapter 740 - The End (Part One)

    <h4>Chapter 740 The End (Part One)</h4>

    Yan Empress heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing Lan Yanwen looking calm, she said politely, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I can¡¯t stay here any longer. I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡± She was still the dignified Empress of the Yan Kingdom.

    ¡°Goodbye, Your Majesty!¡± Lan Yanwen lowered his head and bowed respectfully, which was no different from his usual attitude. Yan Empress waved her hand with satisfaction, took her people to get on the carriage at the back door and returned to the deep pce.

    Yan Empress left, surrounded by arge group of people. Lan Yanwen slowly raised his head, and his beautiful eyes were inexplicably deep in the flickering light. He stared at the back of Yan Empress and walked to Princess Royal¡¯s body that was lying on the ground, speechless for a moment.

    The night was very quiet, as if the sound of people¡¯s breathing could be heard!

    After a long time, Lan Yanwen ordered, ¡°Somebody, take Princess Royal Mingzhu out! Along with this nanny!¡± His eyes became as light as clean water, and his voice was gentle.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Send her to the path leading to the Lan Manor. There is a forest behind the manor, where there are some stones.¡±

    ¡°Get it. I¡¯ll do it right away!¡±

    In the dark, Mo Xuetong choked up. She bit her lips and suppressed the sadness in her heart, listening carefully to the voices outside. When all the sounds were gone, she still did not dare to make any noise. This was the Lan Manor. Lan Yanwen, who became Minister of Public Works at a young age, was definitely not an ordinary person. As Yan Empress went out of control and behaved excessively, he just stood aside in an indifferent manner.

    He didn¡¯t seem to be impulsive, nor did he seem to believe what Princess Royal said!

    It was as if he truly thought that Princess Royal wanted to bite Yan Empress back before she died. However, Mo Xuetong knew that Princess Royal had seeded. She had sessfully aroused the Lan family¡¯s suspicions of Yan Empress. If Lan Yanwen was truly loyal to Yan Empress, he should have been the one toe out and question Princess Royal earlier instead of allowing Princess Royal to die at the hands of Yan Empress.

    To throw the corpses on Yan Empress¡¯s way to the pce was to make people suspect Yan Empress. No matter how Bai Yihao and Yan Empress fought in the end, it had nothing to do with the Lan family. The Lan family was wary of Yan Empress, or perhaps the Lan family had to rethink their partner. Yan Empress waspletely ignorant of this. On this point, Yan Empress had already lost.

    The disaster had been diverted. Even if Bai Yihao found out that Princess Royal did not die in that forest, he would only think that she had met Yan Empress by chance, and gotten into an argument with thetter and died in the hands of Yan Empress. Then, Yan Empress threw the body into the forest. Everything was natural, as if Lan Yanwen had thought about it beforehand!

    He was unfathomable!

    Holding the letter handed to her by Princess Royal tightly in her hand, Mo Xuetong was now absolutely sure that Princess Royal had seen her just now. Although she hid very well, Princess Royal was very close to her. Especially when Nanny Qin was hit to death, she was only one step away from her. Then, when Princess Royal rushed over, she must have found her.

    Later, Princess Royal silently held Nanny Qin in her arms and took several steps to one side, shifting everyone¡¯s attention to her. So others didn¡¯t find Mo Xuetong.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, move quickly. Hold me tight!¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ears. Mo Xuetong did not even have time to react before she was picked up. She wrapped her arms around his muscr waist subconsciously and did not dare to move. She heard the noise outside the rockery as someone yelled, ¡°There¡¯s a thief, quick. Thief! Catch the thief!¡±

    However, when she heard the yell going away, she was held to jump out of the rockery by Feng Yuran and taken to the backyard wall. She looked up and saw that there was a faint light in the distance and heard the shouting of the crowd, but it was different from the direction she and Feng Yuran were heading to. She realized that it was Feng Yuran¡¯s diversionary strategy.

    The wind whistled in her ears. Mo Xuetong did not dare to think of anything else and she only snuggled tightly in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace.

    As expected, Feng Yuran had really gotten the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower, which was deeply hidden by the Lan family. In fact, he came at a good time. Because of Bai Yihao¡¯s departure, the Lan family let down their guard. He appeared at their weakest point of defense. Feng Yuran had his people watch here all the time. With a swift strike, he got what he wanted and then left. The Lan family could not catch up with him even if they wanted to.

    Feng Yuran did not wait for Bai Yihao to return. In the end, he left a letter in Bai Yihao¡¯s study and then brought Mo Xuetong back to the Qin Kingdom. The Lan family had also known that their ancestral root was missing and followed him all the way. At the intersection to the Qin Kingdom, Qin Yufeng sent someone to stop them ande to Feng Yuran¡¯s aid. Qin Yufeng was now an official at the border of the Yan Kingdom. Feng Yuran and the others rested for a while before heading to the capital.

    The capital was in chaos because Feng Yuran had sneaked away. Emperor Zongwen sent someone to quickly chase Feng Yuran back to the capital. Mo Xuetong naturally followed him back.

    The two returned to King Xuan¡¯s Manor together. After a while, Feng Yuran left Mo Xuetong to rest in the manor and he took advantage of the night to enter the pce to discuss matters with the Emperor. It waste when he returned to the manor. Furthermore, it was the same every day in the next few days. On the surface, Consort Xuan was seriously ill and King Xuan had no intention of dealing with politics.

    What happened next was abrupt and dramatic.

    Imperial Noble Consort Wen¡¯s case was dug out. It turned out that King Yan, Feng Yulei, was her son. The Empress took out the evidence she searched. The evidence was as solid as a mountain, making the whole court in an uproar. With such a vicious mother, King Yan was badly discredited. Imperial Noble Consort Wen hung herself in the pce. King Yan was forced to take the risk and rebel with Mingguo Manor and some people from Ding General Manor. He wanted to use the people arranged by Imperial Noble Consort Wen back then to force the Emperor to abdicate.

    The pce was in chaos. Emperor Zongwen was ill in Qianqing Pce because of anger. The Empress Dowager was frightened and died in Cining Pce. King Ning was almost killed. King Yan¡¯s people caught the Empress and strangled her to death in Tianfeng Pce to avenge Imperial Noble Consort Wen. Consort Zhao, Consort Yu, and the others in the pce were all beheaded. Blood flowed like a river.

    Fortunately, King Chu and Ding General Manor had settled the chaos. King Yan had been defeated; his title had been stripped; and he would be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

    Mingguo Manor was seized and all the family members were executed.

    Ding General Manor took part first in the rebellion and then in putting it down. Their fault outweighed their merit. The hereditary duke¡¯s manor was degraded to an earl¡¯s manor. After this battle, Ding Earl Manor was in civil strife. Some of the rebels fled from the Qin Kingdom and went straight to the Yan Kingdom; they wanted to seek refuge with Yan Empress. Ding Earl Manor could no longer have the status of a super aristocratic family as before. With the death of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, thergest family of the Empress in the Qin Kingdom had fallen.

    One of the two super families perished and the other declined. They became the loser of a new round of fighting for the throne.

    When King Chu rescued Emperor Zongwen, many ministers asked the Emperor to confer the Crown Prince upon King Chu. However, some ministers produced evidence that King Chu¡¯s arm had been disabled. Later, there were rumors that King Chu was the one who killed his original wife, Ling Fengyan. The personal maidservant who served Ling Fengyan escaped from death back then. In the golden pce, she pointed out that King Chu was vicious and forced Ling Fengyan to die; she even took out Ling Fengyan¡¯sst words written before her death.

    King Chu¡¯s right arm was severely injured and would never recover. Feng Yuxuan had lost an opportunity to get the throne close at hand; Coupled with Ling Fengyan¡¯s incident, everything indicated that Feng Yuxuan had evil intentions and was fierce and heartless. He was stripped of his title of King Chu and was demoted to be King of Chu; then he was banished to the border of hisnd and could never return to the capital unless he was summoned.

    Feng Yuran was appointed as the Crown Prince and Mo Xuetong was appointed as the Crown Prince¡¯s consort. They were ranked in the East Pce! King Xuan¡¯s Manor had picked out some trusted subordinates and chose an auspicious day to move into the East Pce. The fight for the throne of the Qin Kingdom hade to an end. The officials were not optimistic about the new Crown Prince and thought that he could not control the chaos for a while.

    However, they did not expect Feng Yuran to be so decisive and ruthless that he had managed to control the situation within a few days. The officials could not help but sigh that they misjudged him. Therefore, they grew more and more careful with their work. Feng Yuran seemed to be truly sly and unfathomable. He had been wild and arrogant in the past, but now, people realized that he was only acting on the surface.

    Remainders of Ding General Manor fled to the First Prince of the Yan Kingdom and asked him to incite the Yan Emperor to fight against the Qin Kingdom in order to seek revenge for the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Ding General Manor. After a few decades of peace, the Great Qin and the Great Yan started a war again!

    In the main hall of the Crown Prince¡¯s wife in the inner courtyard of the East Pce.

    Mo Lan looked at Mo Xuetong who was looking out of the window from time to time and said with concern, ¡°Your Highness, His Highness has not returned yet. You can eat by yourself first!¡± Ever since they entered the East Pce, Feng Yuran had been too busy to be seen. Her mistress was getting more and more worried and could not even eat. It was alreadyte and she still wanted to wait for the Crown Prince toe back and have dinner with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry anyway. I just ate some,¡± Mo Xuetong replied with a smile. Looking at the dishes on the table, she added, ¡°Mother Xu¡¯s cooking skill is getting better and better. They look so tasty even though I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±

    ¡°If you could have more, Mother Xu would be even happier,¡± Mo Lan uttered helplessly. Mother Xu had been sent to the pce by Mo Huawen a few days ago.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely eat more when His Highnesses. Don¡¯t mind me eating too much then,¡± Mo Xuetong teased. Even though she was still very weak, she was much better than before. After all, Bai Yihao had given her the right medicine and his medical skills were superb.

    ¡°What do you mean don¡¯t mind you eating too much? Are you talking about me?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice came from outside, soundingzy and devilish. Then the door curtain lifted and Feng Yuran, dressed in purple robe embroidered with dragons, walked in. He wore a half smile on his handsome face, looking enchanting and attractive; his eyes were deep and charming. Mo Xuetong could not help but sigh. He was so busy every day, but he was still handsome and refreshing.

    However, she had been weak all day long. She felt more and more unfair. She pouted unhappily and said, ¡°I just feel that you¡¯ve eaten too little. Where did you eat these days? You looked so full every day when you came back.¡±

    Her words sounded jealous and coy. Mo Xuetong also sensed it herself, so she blushed immediately. She sat down at the table and got the maidservants to serve dishes.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, I haven¡¯t had enough to eat these days. I usually skipped meals, and couldn¡¯t eat any hot food. Your ce is so good. I can finally have hot food.¡± Feng Yuran heaved a long sigh of relief after saying that. Not caring if others were around, he went straight to hold Mo Xuetong in his arms, leaned against her neck, and took a deep breath. Then he sighed with satisfaction.

    Mo Xuetong¡¯s heart ached when she learned how busy Feng Yuran was. She cast a nce at the maidservants who had left with smiles on their faces and their heads down as her face was still red. However, she could not help asking, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there any warm food in the pce? Why didn¡¯t you order a hot meal to be served?¡±

    ¡°How could there be no hot meals? But I was so busy that I didn¡¯t even have time to eat. After being hungry for too long, I didn¡¯t want to eat anymore. So I just had some food casually,¡± Feng Yuran smiled. He approached her and kissed her cherry-like lips. Then, he took the chopsticks beside him, picked up a piece of mushroom and put it in her mouth.

    Mo Xuetong chewed it twice, swallowed it and asked hurriedly, ¡°Is Father still ill?¡± Feng Yuran had been helping the Emperor deal with the memorials to the throne these days, which was why he was so busy. However, he had been secretly doing this before, and he was not so busy. Suddenly, a thought shed through her mind. She instantly grabbed his hand and anxiously asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. The two countries are at war. Bai Yihao hase to the front, and I have to see him no matter what.¡± Feng Yuran wrapped his arms around her slender waist and said casually with azy smile.

    Fight with Bai Yihao? Mo Xuetong¡¯s body shuddered and then stiffened. She lifted her head and looked at Feng Yuran carefully. Then, she bit her lips and asked, ¡°Has it been decided? Do you have to go?¡±

    The opponent was Bai Yihao. How could she not be frightened?

    In her past life, Bai Yihao had gained his reputation as the iron-blooded Emperor from wars. Even though Feng Yuran was powerful, he had disappeared after he went to the Southern Barbarian Lands in her past life. She did not know how he was at war. Thinking of Bai Yihao¡¯s illustrious fame in her past life, Mo Xuetong was a little worried.

    ¡°Fu General Manor has its own troops and the King of Xian is too far away. Most of the original troops of Ding General Manor are in the Qin Kingdom. Even though Qin Yufeng is capable, he does not have much power. People who don¡¯t have much power would not be able to suppress them. It would be most suitable for me to go.¡± Feng Yuran looked at her in the eye. His eyes were as deep and dark as the light in the night sky. However, one could not look at him for too long, afraid that they would out of sorts under his gaze.

    Looking at Mo Xuetong¡¯s worried eyes, he kissed her forehead and told her seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be fine.¡±

    Mo Xuetong closed her eyes. She knew that this was the only way to deal with the current situation. His gentle voice gave her a great sense of security, and she was willing to trust him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave in a few days. If you feel bored, ask your mother toe and apany you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. Who will go to war with you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Qin Yufeng has already made ns. He is willing to fight alongside me this time.¡±

    ¡°Qin Yufeng?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, Tong¡¯er. I know that he used to work for Elder brother. However, he has been working for me after you were kidnapped. He was the one who investigated the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower and guessed where it might be. Furthermore, he asked to go to the borders to help me out. That was why I managed to seed with one strike and took the ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower away,¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly when he saw how worried she was. He picked up the pair of chopsticks, ced some food in Mo Xuetong¡¯s mouth and leisurely watched as she ate.

    Mo Xuetong swallowed hard and asked in surprise, ¡°Qin Yufeng works for you now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have to worry about me now that I have such an omnipotent talent to be with me,¡± Feng Yuran said with a smile; his eyes were as gentle as water.

    Mo Xuetong was slightly stunned. She thought of the dream that she had been having recently, and aplicated smile appeared on her face!

    Perhaps it had really been destined since herst life. Once the two of them missed each other, they could only miss each other again and again!

    He had caused her to die and then tried every means to resurrect her. After they had met again, neither of them remembered the other.

    Well, no matter if it was revenge or gratitude, let it be!

 Chapter 741 - The End (Part Two)

    <h4>Chapter 741 The End (Part Two)</h4>

    Since Yan Kingdom had taken in some remainders of Ding General Manor, the country would definitely be the Qin Kingdom¡¯s enemy. Bai Yihao was themander-in-chief of Yan Kingdom. On the surface, the only person in the Qin Kingdom who could suppress the troops of Ding General Manor was King Xuan, Feng Yuran. In the past, Fu General and King of Xian were on different sides of Ding General Manor. They seemed to be friendly on the surface, but in private, they held each other back.

    The war drew near. Feng Yuran bid farewell to Mo Xuetong and led the army to the border. It was winter, so it was a little cold. Mo Xuetong stood on a small mountain town outside the city gate and could not help crying with a handkerchief in her hand when she saw the purple general¡¯s robe disappear from her sight.

    Mo Xuetong felt sad and could not hold back her tears when she thought that he had to go to the battle field and could not sleep well. The war was urgent and he had to go. However, knowing was one thing; but her emotions was another. She was truly worried. Bai Yihao was still a man like mountain far away from her in her past life.

    ¡°Tong¡¯er, leave first as you¡¯re weak. Don¡¯t make His Highness worry about you after he leaves,¡± Xu Yan, who had a big belly,forted Mo Xuetong in a low voice. She was about to give birth, but she was still worried and followed behind Mo Xuetong. She looked good and much more charming. She was no longer the lonely girl she used to be, no matter in terms of demeanor or appearance.

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to stay in the manor with me. You¡¯re heavily pregnant. Take a good rest and give birth to a boy to be my brother.¡± Mo Xuetong stopped exposing her sadness and wiped her tears. A faint smile painted her face as she spoke to Xu Yan with a smile.

    Mo Yufeng had already been expelled from the Mo Manor. Even though he had recovered from his injuries after being beaten so badly, he had already beme. One day, he somehow died along the streets.

    As such, both Mo Huawen and Mo Xuetong valued the child in Xu Yan¡¯s belly.

    ¡°I am not so delicate. Furthermore, who knows if it¡¯s a younger brother.¡± Xu Yan sighed and smiled bitterly. She really hoped that she could have a son. Judging by the current situation of the Mo Manor, they really needed a man to inherit the family. If she could give birth to a boy this time, she would be able to stand firm in the Mo Manor.

    It was because Xu Yan did not have a younger brother that she and her mother could not live in their family of origin. That was why she had to seek refuge with her aunt in the capital. Money could stir the heart. Her father left a good fortune. but the nsmen were greedy. If it had not been for the protection of Fu General Manor, she and her mother would have lived on the streets back then. It was because her mother did not have a son.

    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. Even if it isn¡¯t a younger brother this time, you can pregnant next time. Father is not old and you are even younger,¡± Mo Xuetongforted Xu Yan when she saw her words aroused her worry.

    ¡°I can only think that way. With your words, I have more confidence.¡± Xu Yan also smiled sincerely.

    The two of them held each other and got on the horse carriage. At Mo Xuetong¡¯s insistence, Xu Yan returned to the Mo Manor.

    When the spring came and flowers bloomed, it would be the time for him to return!

    It was all that Feng Yuran had promised Mo Xuetong!

    Seeing that Mo Xuetong was hesitating, Mo Ye thought that she was concerned about that matter. Thus, she went up to her and asked, ¡°My Lady, what about the nunnery?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to have someone keep an eye on her. Just let her be!¡± Mo Xuetong responded lightly. There were some things that she was unwilling to pursue. So what if she was wrong or right? So many years had passed; since she did not want others to disturb her life, then Mo Xuetong would give her peace and quiet...

    In the letter left by Princess Royal, everything was clearly exined. Consort Jin had her excuse for not to recognize her and her mother. It was reasonable; but in terms of emotion, she really could not ept it. In herst life, even if, even if she could give her a hand...

    Forget it. Since Consort Jin didn¡¯t recognize her, she wouldn¡¯t disturb her peace!

    At the border, the two armies confronted each other. The soldiers were deployed, waiting for fight and building their own military forces. The war was on the verge of breaking out. No one knew that themanders-in-chief of the two armies had agreed to meet in a forest on the edge of the battlefield at this time.

    On the left, Bai Yihao was dressed in a silver robe embroidered with fire-cloud patterns; his waist was tied with a ck belt as wide as a palm with a silver buckle; his long hair was tied to his head with a silver crown; he wore a ck cloak and sat straight on the chair; his face was exquisite and beautiful, making him look as handsome as an immortal.

    However, due to the white and ck campaign gown, his gentleness made people feel cold for no reason. His handsome eyes were extremely clear and beautiful, as deep as dark jade. It was hard for people to see what he was thinking. There was a hint of bloodthirsty sharpness in his eyes. He was no longer the seemingly free-spirited Sir Bai, who was as elegant as an immortal on the streets of the Qin Kingdom¡¯s capital.

    On the right, Feng Yuran was wearing a purple robe, which was gorgeous and mboyant, just like him; he was gorgeous, charming, and a littlezy. Although he was wearing a suit of armor, it still made people feel that he was enchanting. His dark jade-like pretty eyes looked a little aggressive. He looked around with his beautiful eyes. It was only when people looked at him carefully that they found the evil look in his eyes.

    The two most outstanding men in the world, a pair of beautiful young men who were as beautiful as the moon and demons, had the same distinguished status and stunning appearance. Moreover, they were themanders-in-chief of both sides of the battle. Unexpectedly, in such a small ce, they sat there and drank wine, as if they were very close to each other.

    The small tent was set up here. Outside the tall tent, it was snowing. The first snow in this winter fell down like this. The two handsome young men in the forest were ying chess, and they looked as if they were immortals from outer space.

    ¡°I want her!¡± It was the first thing Bai Yihao said. His gentle eyes were filled with determination. He reached out, took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Feng Yuran. ¡°Even though you once destroyed one of them, the engagement agreement has always been done in duplicate. If I were to make it public, how would you marry her as your legal wife? How would she be the Crown Prince¡¯s wife in the Qin Kingdom?¡±

    The engagement agreement Bai Yihao carried had been stolen by Feng Yuran and then burned by Mo Xuetong. However, there was no engagement agreement in the Mo Manor, so Feng Yuran had already known that Bai Yihao still had the other one. He nced at it coldly and squinted at the engagement agreement on the table. It was an old piece of paper and one could tell at a nce that it had been some time.

    Feng Yuran gently lifted his jade-like hand, and a ck chess piece fell from his hand. ¡°If you really want to marry her, why didn¡¯t you ask for it back then? I remember that you could have asked for it before I did. Or do you just want the jade token in her hand? I can promise to give it to you!¡± he asked leisurely, looking noble but evil. He did not give in at all.

    Then he took out something and ced it in front of Bai Yihao.

    That was the jade token that had been in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hand; it was a jade token that couldmand secret guards. There was another secret in it. That jade token could connect with the jade tokens in Princess Shuann¡¯s and Princess Royal¡¯s hands and formed arge jade token. It was said that one could find the treasure left behind by King Jin back then, and that King Jin¡¯s nk imperial edict and his personal seal were all in it.

    However, it was a rumor after all. Only Mo Xuetong and he knew that in fact, King Jin¡¯s personal seal was in Mo Xuetong¡¯s jade bangle. There was an asional chance that Mo Xuetong fell and broke the jade bangle. Only then did she realize that it was hollow inside. There was also a note that King Jin had left behind with King Jin¡¯s private seal.

    There was no nk imperial edict at all. If there was really a nk imperial edict, how could King Jin be defeated?

    The jade bangle and the other jade bangle were just a pair. King Jin emptied one of them and put his personal seal and the paper he had left behind in it. He gave the pair of jade bangles to his eldest daughter, Princess Shuann. He thought that no matter who got it, they would always keep such precious jade bangles carefully. Furthermore, one of them was real. No one would think that there was a secret in one of them.

    However, he did not expect the incident to happen so suddenly. King Jin did not have the time to get someone to bring the news to Princess Shuann before he died. Consort Jin, who knew the truth, was saved by Fu General¡¯s wife after she escaped. The two of them gave birth to children about the same time. However, the girl that Fu General¡¯s wife gave birth to died within a day due to her weak constitution. Hence, Luo Xia became the daughter of Fu General.

    After that, Luo Xia married Mo Huawen and stayed in Cloud City with him. Who would have thought that Princess Shuann would appear and ask Luo Xia to go with her? How could Luo Xia, who already had a husband and daughter, be willing to go with her? As such, Princess Shuann left in a fit of anger. Then, when Princess Shuann appeared again, she wanted to get engaged for Mo Xuetong and her son. Luo Xia, who felt sorry for her elder sister, had no choice but to agree.

    As such, the jade bangle had strangely fallen into Luo Xia¡¯s hands. After Nanny Ming¡¯s reminder, Luo Xia knew how important the jade bangle was, so she gave it to Mo Xuetong before she died. She thought that if her daughter were to reach the end of her rope in the future, she could use it to seek her own path of life. Thus, even though she had gotten Nanny Ming to swear on her daughter¡¯s name, she had said at the end that if Mo Xuetong asked about the jade bangle, Nanny Ming had to tell her everything in detail.

    There was no imperial edict and King Jin¡¯s personal seal was in the jade bangle. King Jin¡¯s secret guards had already fallen into Feng Yuran¡¯s hands. The secret guards in Mo Xuetong¡¯s hands had worked for Bai Yihao. In fact, there was no difference if she gave the jade token to Bai Yihao or not. Therefore, Feng Yuran took it out generously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. She is my fiancee. I only want her.¡± Bai Yihao pushed the jade token away and narrowed his eyes. There was a hint of viciousness in his gentle eyes. ¡°I have already sent someone to kidnap her. As long as she falls into my hands, there will definitely be rumors of her losing her reputation in the capital. She will no longer be the Crown Prince¡¯s wife of the Qin Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to destroy her?¡± The corners of Feng Yuran¡¯s lips curled up dangerously. No one would let down their guard when they fought against each other mentally.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to destroy her, but I want her!¡± Bai Yihao did not answer him directly. Instead, he said confidently, ¡°If you are willing to return her to me, I will withdraw my troops now and give you the next five cities of Yan Kingdom to help you be the Qin Emperor who has achieved untold feats.¡±

    The Qin Kingdom and Yan Kingdom had been at war off and on for hundreds of years, but no one could do anything to the other. The two royal families both wanted to conquer each other. If he really got five cities of Yan Kingdom, Feng Yuran would be one of the greats in history. It was a tempting thing for an ambitious Emperor.

    Bai Yihao had always known that Feng Yuran was an ambitious man!

    The white chess piece in his handnded on a corner and blocked the way of Feng Yuran¡¯s chess piece at the corner!

    ¡°She is my wife. I can¡¯t give her to anyone. It¡¯s my wish to fight with Yan Kingdom. If I want your cities, I will take them from the battlefield. As for to be one of the greats in history, if I don¡¯t have herpany, I will be too lonely!¡± Feng Yuran smiled devilishly. He did not hesitate to put down the ck chess piece in his hand. He took over a piece ofnd that Bai Yihao did not expect, and ate a few of Bai Yihao¡¯s white chess pieces.

    ¡°I have an army of 100,000 and they are under my direct control. How can you beat me? If you lose, I can rush to the Qin Kingdom¡¯s capital and take her away, making her my Crown Prince¡¯s wife.¡± Bai Yihao narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the chess game. A pretty smile appeared on his lips. ¡°If I don¡¯t give you the antidote now, you won¡¯t be able to save her either.¡±

    The ancestral root of the Yuxiao Flower stolen by Feng Yuran was left to Bai Yihao in the end. If anyone in the world could make out the antidote to the poison in Mo Xuetong¡¯s body in the present world, it would be Bai Yihao.

    He was using this to threaten Feng Yuran because he did not believe that Feng Yuran would disregard Mo Xuetong¡¯s life. The antidote in his arms now, but he would not take it out at this time. He thought of the intelligent woman who was cold and charming. His lips curled up and his smile was gentle and elegant. His smile was so warm that the wind and snow outside the tent could not even block it.

    He wanted her! He would definitely get her! And he believed that he would get her!

    Without the antidote, Mo Xuetong would not be able to live. If she wanted to live, she had to be sent to him. If Feng Yuran really liked Mo Xuetong, he would not take her life as a bet. Bai Yihao was confident that he was the only one in the world who could really make the antidote!

    No one had ever done it in the past, and no one would ever do it in the future!

 Chapter 742 - The End (Part Three)

    <h4>Chapter 742 The End (Part Three)</h4>

    Looking at the confident Bai Yihao who had a smile in his eyes, Feng Yuran suddenly put on an enchanting smile. He squinted at him and asked, ¡°Tong¡¯er is smart. If she knew that it was your mother who poisoned her mother back then and the poison in Auntie Fang¡¯s hands was left by your mother, what would you do?¡±

    This was a fatal blow, and Bai Yihao hid it in his heart. He thought that no one would mention it!

    The smile froze on Bai Yihao¡¯s handsome face. For a moment, there was a hint of blood in the corner of his warm eye. He put away the smile on his lip corners and looked at Feng Yuran viciously. ¡°You¡¯re really funny. How could that poison have something to do with my mother?¡±

    That was the topic he didn¡¯t dare to mention. He even felt guilty and his heart was even twisted.

    ¡°It¡¯s a strange poison, so it must havee from a strange ce. There was no way for an ordinary concubine to get it. Even though Auntie Fang died in the residence, Tong¡¯er has always suspected it. I heard that you once asked someone to tell them that you could help Tong¡¯er¡¯s mother get rid of the poison, but she had to go to the Yan Kingdom to get the antidote. At that time, Princess Shuann was already dead. If anyone else knew about it, it would definitely be you. Could you say that you didn¡¯t know about it?¡±

    A hint of pain shed in Bai Yihao¡¯s eyes. He held a white piece in his hand and looked at the piece falling into debris and powder. The debris and powder fell on the chessboard and covered half of it, making it snow-white and cold. He pushed the chessboard away and stood up. His beautiful eyes lost their usual gentleness and were full of coldness that couldn¡¯t be suppressed. He said coldly to Feng Yuran, ¡°You win!¡±

    After finishing talking, he turned around and strode out.

    He knew that; he knew it all along...

    That was why he had never taken the engagement seriously. Perhaps, his mother had only wanted to punish her disobedient younger sister back then. However, she had not expected Mo Xuetong¡¯s mother to be so stubborn that she refused to leave the Qin Kingdom even when she was about to die. In the end, the two sisters¡¯ children became enemies. Then how could they get married?

    It was him who didn¡¯t give up. He wanted to have a try! He wanted to have her goodness and didn¡¯t want to give up. So he did things that made her sad again and again. He had thought that he would make it up to her in the future. No matter what she wanted, he would satisfy her. But he didn¡¯t expect that what happened in the past would slowly surface!

    If the two of them, who were destined to be enemies, became husband and wife, what would Mo Xuetong do! As such, he had never mentioned what had happened back then; he had buried everything in his memory. He had secretly done something to push the Yu family to decline. He had been involved in Auntie Fang¡¯s death and Mo Xuemin¡¯s failure.

    He just wanted to bury his mother¡¯s association with her third aunt. He must not let her find out!

    He could hide everything. He could...

    But now he found that he failed...

    Tong¡¯er was so smart, so how could she not doubt it at all? If Tong¡¯er knew the truth, the two of them would be enemies. Harming her mother made them sworn against each other. How would she deal with it...

    If her mother hadn¡¯t died because of the chronic poison, she would not have lived so hard afterwards. Later, he had investigated her past in Cloud City and found that she had a bad reputation in the city. It was Auntie Fang and Mdm Yu, who secretly manipted it and ruined her reputation. She was thrown into the Qin family in Cloud City and lived under the shelter of others.

    Then, the girl of the Yu family framed her, tried to disfigure her face and ruin her reputation...

    After everything she had been through, a girl, who was only 13 years old, was still brave enough to stand in front of others. It required a lot of courage. As he felt sorry for her, he med himself even more. If it weren¡¯t for him, she would still be a girl who acted like a spoiled child in her mother¡¯s arms and would not live such a hard life!

    What right did he have to try to get her?

    However, he still had a wishful thinking. He thought that as long as he was always good to her and protected her, he could make up for what his mother had done in the past. When everyone who knew about that matter died, there would be no trace of it, and Tong¡¯er would never know about it. As long as Tong¡¯er did not know, she would be happy because he would bring her happiness!

    However, Feng Yuran¡¯s words woke him up!

    Some things didn¡¯t need evidence. As long as there was a thorn in his heart, it couldn¡¯t be taken out. There was no witness who could directly testify against him. But what about the heart? What he wanted was her heart. With a thorn in her heart, how could he really let him enter her heart? What he wanted to give her was happiness, not to let her live in hatred for the rest of her life.

    Maybe they were destined to be strangers from the beginning!

    Her heart ached so much that he could not breathe for a moment. It felt as if something was slowly fading away. Bai Yihao held his forehead with his hands and staggered. Two lines of light blood fell from the corners of his eyes. The scene in front of him became blurred.

    Lin Yu took several steps forward and held him. When he turned around, he shouted in astonishment, ¡°Your Highness, your eyes...¡± There were two lines of faint bloodstains hung from the corners of his eyes on his handsome and jade-like face.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic. I¡¯m fine.¡± Bai Yihao stood still and took a deep breath. He suppressed the blood in his heart and a weary and bitter smile crept over his lips. How could the Yuxiao Flower¡¯s ancestral root be easily used in medicine? In order to make the medicine, he used his heart and blood to mix the remaining antidote in his body with the Yuxiao Flower¡¯s ancestral root. That was how he was able to make the antidote.

    The poison of the ancient witch tribe was the antidote to another poison of the ancient witch tribe!

    But with the passing of time, his mother had already fed thest antidote of the ancient witch tribe to him when he was a child. There was no antidote in this world!

    ¡°Your Highness, in order to make the antidote for her, you hurt your eyes. Doesn¡¯t she forgive Her Highness¡¯s unintentional mistake in the past?¡± Lin Yu knew everything, so he said indignantly for Bai Yihao. Even if Princess Shuann was really in the wrong back then, couldn¡¯t Mo Xuetong forgive her when his Highness was in such a situation?

    Bai Yihao stood up and a little sight had returned to his eyes. He took the handkerchief that Lin Yu handed him and wiped the blood from the corners of his eyes. Looking at the falling white snow in front of him, he said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Get someone to bring the antidote to the Crown Prince of the Qin Kingdom.¡± He had always been a proud person. Since it hade to this point, what else could he ask for?

    ¡°In the battle tomorrow, send out all the people of Duke Ding from the Qin Kingdom. We will retreat for five kilometers first, and then attack the south of the Qin army!¡± Bai Yihao said calmly. There was a trace of viciousness in his gentle eyes, which made the smile on his lips cold and bloodthirsty.

    The people in the south of the Qin army were also the remaining troops of Duke Ding. The two armies confronted each other. They were in brotherhood before, but now they met on the battleground...

    Bai Yihao believed that Feng Yuran would understand what he meant!

    The two countries were at war, and one of the parties was her husband. Mo Xuetong must be worried!

    Since he owed her, he would treat it as a return. He only hoped that in the next life, there would be no more grudges between him and her; she could also love him as much as he loved her; furthermore, he could meet her first, fast, a little faster....

    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Lin Yu said anxiously as he had understood what Bai Yihao meant.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything else. Release Qing Zhu and the others. The matter about the Lan family and Lan Yanwen must be reported as soon as possible.¡± Bai Yihao trotted away in the snow; his figure was firm and noble!

    Although he was as gentle as jade, he gave people a sharp and decisive feeling, like a sword being drawn out of its sheath!

    Since Bai Yihao had made up his mind, it was useless to persuade him. Lin Yu sighed and had to follow him closely.

    Inside the tent, Feng Yuran had been standing at the door, watching the lonely figure in ck and white firmly walking forward step by step.

    ¡°Your Highness, will Sir Bai give us the antidote?¡± Feng Yue asked worriedly.

    ¡°Yes, he will!¡± Feng Yuran nodded. That man was so proud that he must have made a new decision!

    Since he had already given up, he would not do anything to hurt Tong¡¯er!

    The war situation of the two countries was beyond everyone¡¯s expectation. In the first battle, the Yan army was defeated, and they fled, leaving Duke Ding¡¯s people. The Qin army chased after them. Later, the Yan army attacked the south side of the Qin army. The one who led the south side of the Qin army used to be Duke Ding¡¯s subordinate. After the battle with the Yan army, they met the troops who went to the Yan army for shelter.

    Although the two sides hesitated for a moment, when they saw the g of the Crown Prince rising from behind them at the same time, they immediately rushed forward. They were oncepatriots; their blood dyed yellow sand; the formerrades-in-arms extended swords to each other; either of them would I die. With the Crown Prince of their country behind them, they dared not and could not have any thoughts.

    Fight, fight, fight, fight...

    ¡°General, we don¡¯t have many people. These bastards actually dare to attack us. Now, please ask His Highness for help.¡± At the front line of the Yan army, the surrendered Ding General Manor¡¯s soldiers desperately surrounded a high-ranking officer. Their clothes were stained with blood, and they roared!

    ¡°It¡¯s useless. They made ns before acted. He is decisive. We failed not because of the war.¡± The former well-groomed young master, Marquis Ding, Ling Mingfeng, threw down the helmet in his hand, picked up the sword that was dripping with blood, and ced it on his neck. He let out a few sighs. Looking at his country from a distance, hemitted suicide by cutting his throat!

    What was the use of begging Bai Yihao? He was ruthless and decisive. A person like him was destined to be the winner on the battlefield. It was a pity that the First Prince thought he had defeated Bai Yihao. He did not expect Bai Yihao to be thest chess yer. In this game of chess, the Empress lost, and so did the First Prince...

    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s almost time,¡± Feng Yue said as he looked at Feng Yuran, who had an evil, unpredictable expression on his handsome face under the imperial umbre. Their ruthless gazesnded on the battlefield, which was filled with the shouts of shouting and killing.

    The battle intensified. Many of Duke Ding¡¯s people were killed, and their blood stained thend red. They could no longer work together without a scratch. Duke Ding¡¯s n was destined to fail.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Feng Yuran waved his hand; the bright purple reflected the red on the battlefield.

    At the same time as the Qin Kingdom withdrew their troops, the Yan Army also gave the signal to withdraw.

    This time, after the Yan army was defeated and retreated a few kilometers, Duke Ding¡¯s troops that had surrendered were almost wiped out. On the other hand, the Qin army didn¡¯t have many casualties, and they were all from Duke Ding¡¯s original troops.

    On the surface, the Qin army had won!

    That night, several high-ranking military officers of Duke Ding¡¯s army came to Feng Yuran¡¯s tent.

    History recorded that all the generals kneeled down to weep tears of blood to show their loyalty, willing to entrust their lives to the Crown Prince!

    When the original troops of Ding General Manor left the tent, Feng Yuran rearranged the formation, confusing the troops. The original troops of Ding General Manor were reorganized with the soldiers brought by Feng Yuran. Since then, Ding General Manor¡¯s army had truly be a part of the army of the kingdom.

    After that, the two sides each had their own victories in the war.

    At the beginning of the year, the Yan army suffered a great defeat. The Qin army chased after them for hundreds of kilometers, upying several cities. Then, they returned victoriously.

    Emperor Zongwen personally went to a pavilion which was set every 10 li on the way to meet the victorious troops.

    In terms of merits and rewards, everyone praised the Crown Prince for being wise and powerful. No one mentioned how useless King Xuan used to be. After he defeated the Yan army, which had been evenly matched, his reputation was unparalleled. If someone dared to bring up what had happened in the past, he would only be looked down upon by others. The Crown Prince was so calm and had the situation well in hand. How could people like an ordinary man, know about it?

    Mo Xuetong had been standing on the mountain town for a long time. She saw the winding armying slowly from afar. It was like a long dragon. Then she saw that the front procession had stopped, and a tall and straight figure lightly jumped down from the horse; his purple cape shone brightly in the sun.

    The people on both sides of the road knelt down and said together, ¡°Your Highness!¡±

    Mo Xuetong could not help crying when she saw the extremely mboyant purple color. He was thinner and darker!

    Seeming to have sensed that someone was looking at him, Feng Yuran turned around and smiled charmingly in the direction she was in. He was still as beautiful and charming as before...

 Chapter 743 - The End (Part Four)

    <h4>Chapter 743 The End (Part Four)</h4>

    It was midnight when Feng Yuran came back from the pce that night. Under the light, Mo Xuetong¡¯s beautiful face looked pink, which he had been praying for for a long time. Although he was tired and dizzy, he felt relieved.

    Fortunately, Bai Yihao did not make a desperate bet. That day, he looked calm on the surface, but in fact, he was already sweating on his back.

    If Bai Yihao had threatened him with Tong¡¯er¡¯s life...

    If, Bai Yihao was determined not to give up...

    If Bai Yihao wanted to get Tong¡¯er even if he would destroy her...

    He would really don¡¯t know what to do!

    Fortunately, there were not so many ¡°ifs¡±. Fortunately, Bai Yihao let go in the end. Even though he had already known Bai Yihao¡¯s character, he was still very nervous and flustered at that time in that ce. Caring too much disturbed the mind. In this life, Tong¡¯er was his weakness, but it was the weakness that he was willing to have.

    The antidote Bai Yihao gave him had already been sent to the capital as fast as possible. Even though he knew that with the antidote, Mo Xuetong could get rid of the poison, he was still worried. He saw that she looked good; even though her face was a little pale, she did not look lifeless. That was when he was truly relieved.

    It had been a few months since theyst met. Mo Xuetong was even more beautiful. She was 15 years old now and had already grown up. She looked charming and gentle. With a hint of surprise, she threw herself into his embrace. Amazed, Feng Yuran was surprised. Following his heart, he kissed her face, which he had been thinking about day and night.

    In the candlelight all over the room, Mo Xuetong was as beautiful as a fairy or a painting. She leaned into his arms and wrapped her hands around his neck unconsciously. Her watery eyes were slightly closed, and her dark eyshes were tightly arranged like small fans; her cheeks were pink and red. She seemed to be willing to give him what he wanted.

    Her cherry-like lips were as beautiful as cherry blossoms in March!

    She raised her head subconsciously and gently nted a kiss on his face.

    He murmured in her ears, and every sentence was ¡°Tong¡¯er, Tong¡¯er!¡±

    Because she was worried his safety, her heart had been hanging high in the air. But now it suddenly returned to its ce in his gentle kiss, along with her whole body and mind. She fell on the soft brocade quilt. The inexplicable fragrance of the pillow quilt and his familiar body odor made her feel at ease.

    After her rebirth, no, even in her two lives, she had never experienced this feeling. It was a feeling of stability which came from their love. Was it because of him that she looked forward to it so much and felt at ease?

    In her past life, she had died tragically; she died because others had plotted against her step by step. She had be a stepping stone for Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun. When Sima Lingyun became a high-ranking official, she had passed away. In such a short life, there was only sadness and pain. In the end, she did not even know how she had died. It could be said that she was miserable!

    After she had been reborn and climbed up from hell, all she wanted was revenge. She wanted the enemies to pay for what they had done to her. She didn¡¯t expect to meet him, a person who really loved her.

    In the previous life, she had died in high walls, and he had gone to a destednd; in the end, she had no idea where he had gone.

    In this life, the two of them snuggled up to each other and it was finallyplete...

    Was this the love that heaven rpensed to them?

    In that case, she should love him and would never be separated from him again. In this life, it was because of him that she felt satisfied!

    The figures of the two people in the red canopy ovepped with each other. In the atmosphere full of missing and love, they finally merged into one...

    Mo Xuetong did not know how many times they had made out this night. Finally, she finally fainted in Feng Yuran¡¯s embrace...

    When she woke up again and opened her eyes, it was daylight!

    ¡°You¡¯re awake. Are you hungry?¡± Feng Yuran¡¯s voice rang in her ears with a pleasant, faint smile.

    Mo Xuetong looked up and saw the erged handsome face. Before she could speak, he stretched out his long arm and held Mo Xuetong tightly in his arms.

    Being held tightly by him, Mo Xuetong did not struggle. She leaned her head on his shoulder and said with reluctance, ¡°Are you still going to the pce today?¡±

    Looking at the brocade robe of the Crown Prince of the East Pce hanging on the screen, she knew that he was going to enter the pce again. A while back, the Emperor who was ill had been holding on and guarding the country for him. When he learned that Feng Yuran returned victoriously, he could not hold on any longer and fell down afterughing for a few times. Only then did all the ministers know that Emperor Zongwen could not hold on any longer.

    Even Feng Yuran had thought that the Emperor was pretending to be ill. He did not know how serious his father¡¯s illness was. Feng Yuran felt guilty about it and took all the politics into his hands.

    As such, he did not even have time to rest after he came back, and took Emperor Zongwen¡¯s ce to manage the country. Sometimes, Mo Xuetong felt bad for Feng Yuran and wanted him to have a good rest. However, he did not have enough time to sleep. Sometimes, the lights on his side were still onte into the night.

    Every time Mo Xuetong saw it, she wanted to drag him to sleep by force. But every time, she just sighed helplessly!

    ¡°The session ceremony will be held in one month. Father asked me to be familiar with it once again.¡± Feng Yuran thought Mo Xuetong was adorable when she acted like a little girl. When he thought that she was already his true wife, he could not help but feel pleased and happy. A gentle and doting smile painted his handsome face.

    Mo Xuetong pouted and twisted her body. Her clothes had already been changed. He seemed to clean her up in the middle of the night when she fell into a daze. When she thought of that, she found how good he was to her and felt a little sweet.

    Feeling her emotional fluctuations, Feng Yuran held her face up and asked with a smile, ¡°What, Tong¡¯er, you don¡¯t like it?¡±

    Mo Xuetong squinted at him from the corners of her eyes as he lifted her chin forcefully. Her face darkened as she stated, ¡°You¡¯ll be always busy after we move into the pce in the future...¡±

    Feng Yuran was first stunned; then, he suddenly understood. He kissed her face gently and chuckled.

    ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Mo Xuetong blushed when heughed at her.

    Feng Yuran held her hand, pull it to his mouth and kissed it as he looked at Mo Xuetong affectionately and replied, ¡°Tong¡¯er, are you worried? Don¡¯t worry. You will be the only one in my harem in the future.¡±

    The harem had always been the way for the Emperor to restrain the court, but Feng Yuran didn¡¯t need it. He would make everyone submit to him in a powerful way, and didn¡¯t need the harem to hold them up at all. When he wanted to marry Tong¡¯er, he had already prepared a way to deal with it. Thus his backyard was clean now.

    The witching dolls dug out from Concubine Qin were provided by Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor. After such a thing happened, Concubine Qin was beaten to death and Duke Wanping¡¯s Manor was demoted.

    Concubine Wen, who was well-behaved, offered to leave him. Feng Yuran gave her a chance to live. He told outsiders that she died of illness, but in fact, he sent her out of the capital. In the future, she could marry at will. However, she was not allowed to appear in the capital again so as not to cause unnecessary gossip.

    At this moment, the beautiful eyes, which were filled with love and concentration, were like a whirlpool, deeply attracting Mo Xuetong¡¯s soul. Her heart felt hot as if it was tightly held in his palm. The hot liquid rushed into the weakest part of her heart and burned her whole body. Mo Xuetong couldn¡¯t help leaning over and put on the brightest smile on her face...

    In herst life, she had thought about to be with a man who only loved her from the cradle to the grave. In this life, she did not dare to think about it. However, she did not expect that he would say it out before she asked him. He gave her the most precious promise, which made her feel the deepest joy as a woman from her body to her heart. What was more, it was a promise given by a future Emperor.

    Even though she was touched, Mo Xuetong rubbed against his wide chest and asked uneasily, ¡°Is Bai Yihao alright?¡± No matter what, her happiness at this moment had something to do with Bai Yihao.

    ¡°At this point, you¡¯re worried about him? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll be jealous?¡±

    Mo Xuetong smiled sweetly, nudged him and said coyly, ¡°He has helped us anyway. Furthermore, you don¡¯t like the First Prince, do you?¡±

    In her past life, Bai Yihao had never appeared in front of her. He was a legendary figure who was brilliant.

    In this life, there was an entanglement between she and Bai Yihao. He had fallen in love with her and even wanted to marry her. This was something she had never thought of. She had hated him for some time, but when she thought about it now, she had no idea what it felt like.

    He had hurt his eyes because of her!

    How could she hate him?

    But it was just that she didn¡¯t hate him; there was no other possibility!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Princess Royal Yunruo and Bai Yichen are no match for him at all,¡± Feng Yuran uttered meaningfully. Then, he pulled Mo Xuetong¡¯s face over unhappily and kissed her face. How could she think of another man in his arms?!

    A monthter, Feng Yuran ascended the throne. Emperor Zongwen became the former Emperor and Mo Xuetong was crowned the Empress.

    At the same time, Yan Emperor suddenly died of illness. Bai Yichen rushed to the pce to seize the throne and sealed off the news of Yan Emperor¡¯s death with the Yan Empress. Unexpectedly, Bai Yihao was well-prepared and went straight into the imperial harem. The Empress and Bai Yichen wanted to escape through the secret passage when Minister of Public Works, Lan Yanwen suddenly appeared and blocked the secret passage, stopping the two.

    Yan Empress was imprisoned in the Cold Pce, and soon she hung herself in the Cold Pce. Bai Yichen deserved to be killed for his rebellion. He secretly sent people to the Qin Kingdom to ask for help in the name of the Fifth Princess. However, the Qin Kingdom received witnesses and material evidence from Bai Yihao before receiving Bai Yichen¡¯s message.

    It was only then that everyone realized that the Fifth Princess of the Qin Kingdom had already died on her way to marry into the Yan Kingdom because she tried to assassinate Bai Yichen. The Qin Kingdom was furious and sent a messenger to the Yan Kingdom to supervised Bai Yichen¡¯s execution. The messenger was Li Youmo, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue!

    Then Bai Yihao seeded to the throne, bing Emperor Yanzhao!

    King Ning married Princess Caifeng and became an idle prince. Without the Empress Dowager¡¯s support, King Ning¡¯s Manor gradually fell into decline.

    As expected, the Sixth Princess married the Third Prince who escaped from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Crown Prince Xieyue was in power in the Southern Barbarian Lands, and the Third Prince became a fugitive prince on the way to marry the Sixth Princess. Fortunately, the Qin Kingdom did not mind his identity and still married the Sixth Princess to him. One of them lost his noble status, the other lost her delicate appearance, and her mother bore vicious reputation. They didn¡¯t like each other. Since then, the Sixth Princess¡¯ Manor had been in chaos and the two quarreled with each other!

    The two countries, the Qin Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom, had begun a friendly and neighboring cooperation that hadsted for more than 30 years. The people of the two countries were greatly beholden to this and called the two Emperors ¡°Two Sages of Yan and Qin¡±!

    It was recorded in history books that toward the end of his life, Emperor Yanzhao¡¯s eyesight became worse and worse. However, he was so intelligent that the ministers didn¡¯t dare to disobey his orders even though he couldn¡¯t see anything!

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